#disneyland blast to the past

[samsdisneydiary]

Disneyland Blast to the Past | Jon Bowzer Bauman | Brian Beirne | 1989 TV Special | sha na na

[evermoredeluxe]

How Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Took Over the Entire World

By Chris Willman

By Alissa Gao for Variety

On the morning that Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” is about to begin a three-night stand in Dublin, the older gentleman taking charge of my passport at airport customs has clearly had his fill of Swifties, probably processing them by the hundreds already today. When I reveal myself to be one too — despite being arguably the wrong gender, inarguably old and lacking a telltale “Lover” mascara star over my right eye — his disdain is palpable. Suddenly, I’m getting way more screening questions than anyone not on a watch list should. “What do you like about her?” he sneers, peering up over specs.

This is probably the wrong time for me to point out Swift’s Irish heritage, or to assert that she is this generation’s James Joyce. (The original king of the Easter eggs, right?) I wouldn’t really go that far — I’m only on record as doing my best to certify her as this century’s Beatles. Trying to figure out how to answer him, the past 18 years of extolling Swift in print flash before my eyes. I end up murmuring the bare minimum: “Um, her songwriting.” This seems to disturb him further. He snaps back: “Aren’t they all the same song” — a slight pause, and I know what’s coming next — “about her breakups?” Then, abruptly, he stamps me through, sparing me a detour to Interpol for more grilling.

In the cab into town, the driver is blasting a local talk-radio personality sharing his dismay about the fans of an awful superstar taking over his country. The host reads an email sent in from a hater who says, “A year ago, when tickets went on sale, my partner and I made a reservation to take our kids out of the country this Friday morning. … Thank you for creating a safe space with your show.” I start to wonder if Swift might have met her match at the Cliffs of Moher.

But from my drop-off forward, the next three days are like living in a Swift-topia. The mile and a half to Aviva Stadium each night is like Disneyland when it shuts its doors early for an affinity group. Whether stopping in the pubs or walking through the charming neighborhood of Victorian brick homes adjoining the fancy new stadium, there’s that warm feeling of people who are united by one quality: They are all super in touch with their feelings — or else they wouldn’t be Swift fans. And they all are happy to stop on the street or over pints to talk about poetical expression. (Well, except for the occasional taciturn, invariably straight young male who has signified his supportive-plus-one status by wearing a jersey bearing the name of Swift’s Super Bowl beau, Travis Kelce.)

So it is that I end up chatting with a middle-aged gay man in a sequin-covered shirt whose female companion whispers to me, while he steps away to trade friendship bracelets with a 10-year-old girl and her mum, that Swift’s music just helped him through a difficult breakup. The girl then runs off to trade her homemade bracelets with a pair of high-helmeted Dublin policemen loaded up to their own elbows with friendship swag — unexpected accessories for long arms of the law.

All the stories about American Swifties swarming overseas to catch “The Eras Tour” turn out to be true: You couldn’t swing a neon golf club around here without hitting a Yank. Approximately one out of every five fans I approach is visiting from the States — and the jubilation they’re feeling about the night’s impending concert is compounded by the fact that nearly all of them financed a European vacation and a concert ticket for roughly the same amount they would have paid on a secondary ticketing site for a typical four-figure ticket to one of last year’s predatorily repriced U.S. shows.

Remember the venerable stereotype of the Ugly Americans, brusquely trampling over refined Europeans in their travels? Thanks to Taylor Swift, who has a gift for laying out global welcome mats, this is the summer of the Spangly American.

At the stadium on night one, just down the row from me are a group of millennials from New Jersey, several in glam unitards inspired by the “Lover” or “1989” portions of the career-spanning show and looking like they were costumed by Swift’s own designer, with fake jewel-encrusted microphones to match. I ask how many hours went into perfecting these nearly pro-grade outfits.

“About 80 hours for mine,” says Megan McLaughlin. “Hers probably longer,” she adds, nodding toward one of her sisters, Margo Steinberg. “She knows all the glues and the best gems.” Indeed, confirms Steinberg, “I was working on mine since January. And, yes, I did quit my job to finish it!” She adds, when I ask if she cares to share any secrets to a particularly good look, “You have to use the B-7000 glue.” (A third sister, Amelia McLaughlin, admits she resorted to buying her spangly dress off Etsy — “I was doing a PhD, but I had to match these girls’ enthusiasm” — while a fourth, Carolyn McLaughlin, skipped the glitter and went for a red dress that matches Swift’s from the “I Bet You Think About Me” video.)

Certainly, there is an element of cosplay to many of the fans’ outfits. Some have seen footage of the new segment Swift added to the tour beginning in April 2024 — devoted to her most recent album, the 31-song “Tortured Poets Department” — and have managed to manufacture gowns that look like they’re made of paper and feature lyric excerpts printed on them in script, à la Swift’s custom-made Vivienne Westwood dress. I meet a group of American women who became friends as literature majors in college who have “Tortured Poets”-themed outfits, one duplicating the Westwood dress and the other with handmade printouts of the latest album’s lyrics pinned all over her black dress, as if she were literally pulling pages out of Swift’s playbook.

It’s the devotion to lyrics, even more than glitter, that is most impressive about the bespoke outfits fans have concocted for the occasion. There are scores and scores of Swifties wearing homemade T-shirts — sometimes singular, sometimes matching with a friend, like walking Burma-Shave signs. Some of the messages are obvious, like the dozens of laddies wearing “It’s me, hi, I’m the husband/boyfriend/father, it’s me” shirts. (Bet that seemed really original at one time.) But a lot of them refer to more obscure songs or stanzas, as if every nearby street or stadium loge section is full of human Easter eggs, begging to be unpacked. It’s hard to think of any other superstar in the history of stadium tours who could have inspired as much fan-crafted clothing rooted in the power of words.

Combos of middle-aged mothers and their teen or 20-something daughters abound; some of them have seized on Swift’s mentions of her own mother, Andrea, to come up with their T-shirt ideas. On Lansdowne Road, I talk to a mum whose red-on-black shirt says, “Had to listen to all this drama,” accompanied by a daughter bearing the legend, “And here’s to my mama.” (This is a reference to Swift’s song “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.”)

Later, in a stadium Guinness line, I chat up a pair of thirsty locals, the daughter’s shirt reading “I call my mom, she said …,” with the mom’s shirt completing the thought: “It was for the best.” (Damn it, I had to Google to recall that’s from a “1989” Vault track that came out last year.) I ask the daughter if she had to explain to her mom what she was wearing. “She’s 52,” she replies. “I don’t think she knows.”

Age is really no guarantor of not getting it — the popular #SwiftieOver50 hashtag on X proves that. Although outnumbered, plenty of older people are unaccompanied by a minor, or by anyone who has been a minor in the past 20 years. I approach a middle-aged couple, Jean Sebastian Conley and Natasha Gagne, again bidden by their matching shirts — “Who’s Taylor Swift?” and “Who’s Travis Kelce?” They turn out to be French Canadians who found their 206-euro SRO tickets to be a steal compared with the extravagant resale prices they briefly considered back home after being shut out of the initial on-sale. I ask what attracted them to Swift since, unlike so many others here, they didn’t grow up with her.

“I really fell in love with her with the ‘Folklore’ album,” Conley says, referring to her low-key Grammy-winning album recorded during the early months of the pandemic. “I think different audiences and older audiences found her through that and ‘Evermore’ because they were more singer-songwriter, a little bit rougher indie music, and that’s what we like most. So that’s how I got hooked.” For her part, Gagne says, “I like everything she represents. And when she redid all her masters, that’s where I thought she was a lady boss.”

It’s a reminder that, for however many mini-narratives Swift packs into the three hours and 20 minutes of an “Eras” show, there are really four or five years of backstory that feed into the audience’s shared awareness. When she sings the ominous ballad “My Tears Ricochet,” accompanied by a coven of stone-faced dancers, at least some fans will understand it as a distant reflection of her very public feelings about the men she considers her business bêtes noires, Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta, who bought and sold (respectively) the rights to her first six albums, spawning much vitriol as well as four “Taylor’s Version” rerecorded albums to date.

When the dancers put their grins back on, Swift plays an ebullient excerpt of a very recent “Poets” bonus track, “So High School,” which every person in the crowd will know is inspired by Kelce. There are some breakup songs of recent vintage too — yes, Mr. Customs Man! — like “The Smallest Man in the World,” which may or may not have cost Matty Healy, the 1975 frontman and former Swift paramour, a night of sleep.

The whole tour is themed around not just the newer records but the rerecordings that have made every older album in her catalog feel improbably fresh. It was, quite possibly, the single most baller move in the history of the record industry … and led to the career-retrospective concept for what is already unquestionably the biggest tour in the history of popular music.

Any discussion of the charms of fandom isn’t meant to forestall discussion of “The Eras Tour” as big business. The numbers are fuzzy because Swift’s camp does not release grosses from her shows, unlike nearly every other artist at the stadium or arena level. Even when the tour wraps after 20 months on Dec. 8 in Vancouver, it seems likely those numbers will continue to be guarded with a zeal on par with the government of North Korea’s. Many industry experts believe the gross will approach or even surpass $2 billion.

What is known for certain — even without a confirmation from Swift World — is that she broke the all-time tour-gross figure when she hit the $1 billion mark, whenever exactly that might have been. The two trade publications that specialize in the touring industry have slightly differing estimates: Billboard calculated a cumulative gross of approximately $900 million when she took a break at the end of 2023, figuring that she would crack $1 billion shortly into the tour’s resumption in April, while Pollstar estimated that she had passed $1 billion by the conclusion of last year. Any way you guesstimate it, Swift took less than a year to break the previous record of $939.1 million, which Elton John grossed with his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour across nearly three years of shows.

One source close to the production said early in the “Eras Tour” era that her average gross each night is $14 million. Others believe that is a highly conservative estimate, with a possible total that on at least some nights edges closer to $17 million. One remarkable aspect is that this does not include the revenue from any inflated resale tickets — which, as anyone who has tried to get tickets through Vivid Seats or StubHub knows, mostly have gone for several times their face value. It was little publicized, but Swift had “dynamic pricing” turned off for her ticket sales, possibly to avoid the controversies Bruce Springsteen encountered when the face value on some of his tickets leaped to the four-figure range upon their first sale. Swift left money on the table by not participating in the scalping of her own tickets, which had an average price of around $230 and topped out at $499, excepting VIP packages, which zenithed at $899 — all well short of what some other superstars ask nowadays. Of course, neither Argentina nor anyone at Wembley Stadium ahead of Swift’s opening night performance in June will be crying for her when she’s in reach of $2 billion without the resale inflation … not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars in merch.

(This is extraordinary also because Swift hasn’t done any press to promote the tour, except for when she was selected as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in December. But she doesn’t need to — the tour is constantly being celebrated on social media with every outfit change. And it’s also become so huge, it’s featured more A-list sightings than the Oscars, from Julia Roberts to Tom Cruise to Stevie Nicks, who had the surprise song “You’re on Your Own, Kid” dedicated to her in Dublin.)

Benson Boone, whose “Beautiful Things” is the most-streamed song of 2024 in the U.S. and the world, says he felt dwarfed when performing as the opening act at one of Swift’s seven shows at London’s Wembley Stadium. He has forever committed to memory the exact attendance figure he was given for the night: “89,497,” he says. “Just her stage alone is bigger than anything I’ve ever seen — 300 feet of it!” he says. “I took in every moment. It was cool for me to experience another artist’s world and learn from it. I want to work that hard and be the captain of my ship.”

Although it’s maddening to a media that likes official box office reports and can’t get them, it’s easy to see the wisdom in not flaunting those figures if you’re a superstar artist who counts on being seen as relatable. Swift certainly is proud of breaking records — she posted a tweet when “The Tortured Poets Department” spent its first 12 weeks at No. 1 on the album chart, one of only three albums in history to do so. But she’d rather count fan impressions than dollars. By the same token, she doesn’t publicize or confirm acts of generosity that leak out, like the sizable food-bank donations she makes in every city she tours, or the $100,000 bonuses that the tour’s 50 truck drivers reportedly got for Christmas.

An addendum to all this is how the “Eras Tour” film — released last fall, less than halfway through the actual tour — grossed just over $180 million domestically and $261 million globally, beating the records set by Justin Bieber’s concert film in the U.S. and Michael Jackson’s globally. Massive big-screen spoilers only heightened, rather than diminished, resale demand for the shows yet to come on the 152-date tour and helped precipitate the movement among Americans to head overseas, to make up for the supply found sorely lacking at home.

“She is the torchbearer for the live industry,” says Andy Gensler, editor of Pollstar. “It’s nothing we’ve ever seen before, and it’ll be a long time before we see it again. Her timing was exquisite: The pandemic created this yearning and hunger for live entertainment like nothing else in our history, so she couldn’t have picked a better time to go out.” Pollstar called last year a “historic golden age” for touring, as the top 100 global tours collectively surpassed $9 billion — up 46% from 2022 — with Swift obviously contributing a significant chunk of that total. (This year, the trade reports that overall tour attendance is down, with flat grosses, representing a slight reckoning for the live industry that, obviously, isn’t impacting “Eras.”)

“What my partners and I talk a lot about is how it’s one thing to have a big tour in North America. It’s another thing to have an equally big tour wherever you are in the world and to do doubles and triples in these markets,” says Bernie Cahill, an Activist founding partner and manager of acts including the Grateful Dead and the Lumineers. “It’s an anomaly. It’s not normal. And don’t forget, you’re going into what I call asymmetric venues, which are venues that are not really built for music; these are venues that are built for football games or soccer games and can be very challenging to do music. And they get it right every time — Louis Messina [Swift’s tour promoter since her earliest days] and his team are world-class.” But for all that globe-trotting, he notes, “there are some artists that you see do a show and you know they don’t even know what city they’re in. I always feel like Taylor knows exactly where she is. She has a relationship with that city or that market and those fans and she’s connected to them in ways that are very authentic, that you can’t fake.”

The one big snafu in the rollout of “The Eras Tour” occurred in November 2022 when the Ticketmaster system melted down after too many North American dates went on sale at once, causing thousands of fans to experience long delays. The on-sale broke the all-time record for tickets sold in a single day at 2 million, but it also nearly broke the world’s largest ticketing platform. Swift herself was Teflon in this situation, as the blame fell on a ticketing system not capable of handling so much of the Swift-loving world at once. And although most of the problems people have with Ticketmaster are different from what fans faced in the “Eras Tour” debacle — mainly, hidden fees and monopolistic practices — it could have big legislative consequences anyway. Dean Budnick, co-author of “Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped,” believes that the Swift hullabaloo was the main catalyst for Congress enacting reform. “There’s no question that perhaps there’s gonna be some meaningful change in ticketing as a result of what people experienced with that on-sale.”

That sense Cahill spoke about of the singer making it clear to an audience she knows exactly where she’s at is in full force in Dublin. Swift introduces the “Folklore”/”Evermore” segment by suggesting that she had a spiritual locale in mind when she started writing that more intimate material, locked in during the first part of the pandemic. “It keeps me up at night all year long: Which era is the most Irish?” she half-jokes to the crowd. “I’m gonna make a case for it being ‘Folklore’ … This album’s imaginary world had a whole aesthetic — like I lived in this cabin in a really green, nature-y, moss-covered landscape. You see where I’m going?… Another thing that I think makes it more Irish than the other eras is, ‘Folklore’ was all about storytelling. And I know you hear this a lot, but you guys are naturally gifted storytellers, right?”

Later on, Swift will cement the local connection by playing, as a “secret” surprise acoustic song, “Sweet Nothing.” She doesn’t have to give the crowd any explanation for that: From the first notes, Irish Swifties will immediately recall that the lyrics reference to the coastal town of Wicklow. The real cherry on top of the show for locals at any international Eras Tour stop, though, comes with a customized moment each night during “We Are Never Getting Back Together” when the spotlight is put on backing dancer Kameron Saunders for a couple of seconds, as he blurts out something locally appropriate, and cheeky. One night in Dublin, it’s the Irish catchphrase “the neck of ye!”; on another, he yells out “pog mo thoin,” meaning “kiss my ass!”; the massive, knowing laugh that inside joke gets makes it clear this isn’t entirely an audience of American tourists after all.

But the basic theatrics and emotional currents remain consistent from show to show. If Swift is surprisingly reticent to make her “Eras Tour” numbers public, that may be, in part, her desire to keep the focus primarily on a personal fan connection. Music industry veterans are taken aback by Swift’s ability to be giant and intimate onstage. “She’s a master marketer of herself — and she is not afraid to be vulnerable to her fans,” says Michele Bernstein, who runs a consultancy that works with stars like Drake. Bernstein could almost be quoting the lyrics of “Mastermind,” where Swift describes herself in almost comically omniscient terms, then dives into a bridge about how no one would play with her as a little girl.

People like my guardian of the customs gate may complain about Swift’s songs centering on her romantic splits, but that subject matter magnifies her own insecurities and weaknesses, expressed in genuinely eccentric wordplay, in ways that keep the audience in thrall to someone they perceive as a humble underdog as well as a veritable cage fighter. She could do a $10 billion tour someday and still keep the crowd enraptured by how she measures up to, or rallies to exceed, the smallest man — or men, or Kardashians — in the world.

This plays out in the “Eras” show in all sorts of symbolic ways, like the new segment in the “Tortured Poets” section where she seems to have fainted from the vapors of failed romance. Dancers in tuxedos try to revive her while a swing version of “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” plays over the PA. A pair of women dressed as nurses fit her with what looks like a majorette’s uniform — or, with all its off-white stripes, is it really meant to resemble a straitjacket? The resemblance is probably not coincidental. Swift fans know there’s nothing like a mad woman.

The most exhilarating moment that has been added to the show this year has her gliding down the ramp on a platform, appearing to anyone at floor level like she is levitating like the witch she makes herself out to be in “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” Taylor Swift: She was Agatha all along!

Yes, there is much to unpack. But in Dublin and in every other city where “Eras” has alighted, there is also pure inspiration for those who maybe haven’t always felt like they’ve had a voice, whether it’s her LGBTQ+ fan base or, well, women. It’s a modern transmutation of Beatlemania in which Swift manages to be all four Fabs, and a mirror, as well as object, of that gaze. You don’t have to be a woman to experience the explosion of pure female joy that takes place on a mass scale at an “Eras” gig, but for men, it doesn’t hurt to have a healthy sense of where you might sit on the female spectrum.

Outside Aviva Stadium, two young Londoners have formed their own two-woman straight-gay alliance: One is wearing a shirt with the hand- drawn words “You’re obsessive and crazy,” and the other’s shirt has the phrase “You’re gay,” each with an arrow pointing to the other. This echoes the original lyrics to Swift’s 2006 oldie “Picture to Burn,” which was rerecorded after some were offended by “gay” as a possible teen epithet. “I am obsessive and crazy, and she is gay,” laughs Zoe Gibson, pointing to her friend, India Day. “We want to bring back the original lyrics. We never found them homophobic — we want to reclaim it.” Day adds, “We’ve listened to her since we were 4 years old, so obviously there’s the nostalgia factor. But for me, she speaks on quite a lot of issues like gay rights and feminism, and all of her songs perfectly sum up the experience of being a woman.”

Some of the shirts are apropos for Pride Month. Seeing a boy of no older than 15 or 16 wearing a homemade “But Daddy I Love Him” shirt (the title of a “Tortured Poets” fan favorite), it’s easy to imagine some courage was required to don that apparel. Along the same lines, I spot any number of women making their own statement in shirts with the modified exclamation “But Daddy I Love Her.”

Gay or straight, 6 years old or 60-something, female or just female-allied, the crowd inside gets its sway on early in the show, with the arrival of the gentle, waltz-time “Lover.” It’s not one of the big set-pieces of this nonstop Broadway-style production — the spotlight is just on Swift and her acoustic guitar — but it might be the one where the entire audience feels like it’s at a four-minute campfire. No wicked witchiness here, just winsomeness.

Down on the floor, I’m seeing what amounts to a Taylor Swift mosh pit: gangs of two or three or five young women, ignoring the fact that Swift herself is just yards away from them on the ramp. They’re singing and acting out every last line to each other, as if the superstar isn’t even towering right over them. A waste of their euros? Hardly. Swift will capture their full attention again as the show proceeds, but in the moment, she isn’t just a superstar — she might be the world’s greatest community organizer.

[ticktockmyclockworkhart]

I don't really think of any modern AUs for red dead for some reason, idk, I have modern AU thoughts for any other piece of media that takes place in the past but for some reason I just can't separate these guys from the old west for the life of me

BUT the one modern AU thought I had and that I have very frequently is the thought of the entire Van Der Linde gang going to disneyland. That thought just tickles me. Like

Tilly, Mary-Beth and Karen make it their mission to go meet every single disney princess and they also kidnap Arthur and make him go with them. But he actually ends up having a kinda fun time because he enjoys wonder and whimsy, doesn't mean every character interaction before they took pictures wasn't stiflingly awkward though. he mumbled the entire time and refused to do any whimsical poses for the pictures

Hosea and Dutch are camped out somewhere shady by the park entrance with everyone's bags and snacks and water to act as home base and collect all their idiots at the end of the day, the only time they move is when an employee runs up to them and asks if the exhausted man with the scars on his face who fell asleep on a bench in direct sunlight by splash mountain and may or may not be suffering heat stroke belongs to them and they have to go help John before the park calls an ambulance. They go on exactly one ride at night, the jungle cruise, with arthur and john. Hosea laughs at all the skipper's bad jokes and Dutch thinks the whole thing is fucking stupid

Susan is also camped out with them but she gets worried about everyone too often and keeps getting up to go to everyone's last known location to make sure they're alright, but at some point Sean tells her to go take a picture with the evil stepmother from cinderella because they look like twins so she just goes back to Hosea and Dutch and lets them fend for themselves

Lenny is genuinely having a fucking BLAST but is really embarrassed about it. He does get a picture with belle because she's his favorite disney princess (bookworms ftw) and he runs into Arthur there being held captive by the girls, they both rib each other about what brought them there later. After everything is said and done though he and Arthur totally go on some rides together

Sean WAS hanging out with Lenny but they got separated within like three minutes of entering the park because Sean kept wandering off so Lenny left him to fend for himself, but he actually stayed out of trouble the entire time, surprisingly. He just rode the carousel again and again for like 8 hours because he was piss drunk before he even got to the park (since you can't drink there) and if he closed his eyes it almost didn't give him motion sickness (he never considered the possibility that he could also just not ride anything? Or maybe go to where Hosea and Dutch said they'd be?)

John is living that one viral post where he sat on a bench and fell asleep from heat exhaustion, then woke up to his ice cream melted all over him and mickey mouse putting a cold towel on his forehead. He was there because Jack wanted to ride splash mountain btw and John was terrified of getting on

Kieran lived one of my magical disney park experiences, which was he went on one ride with the group and was feeling good about being included, but then he got off the ride and literally couldn't find a single person he rode with, so he's wandering the park aimlessly worrying if everyone just left him there (this is not exactly what happened to me btw. I went on a ride with an uncle who is no longer an uncle who had a tbi and so could act unpredictably some times, mostly by virtue of being incredibly spacy, he got out of line to go get a drink and when he came back the line had moved up a lot more so he just told me he'd meet me at the end of the ride. Then at the end of the ride I literally could not find him. I wandered the entire area for like twenty minutes realizing he'd wandered off somewhere before I finally gave up and reported it to my cousin who I kid you not was completely unfazed and told me not to worry about it, they'd find him eventually. I still felt so bad about it even after he turned up not even thinking twice about the whole thing)

Abigail is busy being a responsible mother to two children (her husband and also Jack), Jack is having the absolute time of his life and they've lost John about ten times because he's too scared to go on the rides and also too scared of the disney characters to join them for pictures so Abigail eventually gave up looking for him, Dutch and Hosea would find him and babysit him (they did)

Pearson is floating around between the different groups, he's got the big backpack with the snacks, water and sunscreen in it while Hosea and Dutch were holding onto whatever he couldn't carry. He's like pretty ambivalent about everything happening and is kinda just happy to be there, but he is hella interested in all the food vendors and taking notes on what everyone in the gang seemed to enjoy so he can try and make it himself later

Swanson got a little too silly before coming to the park and ended up stuck on the magic teacups ride because he couldn't process how to get off. He was at park lost and found for like two hours before Dutch and Hosea found him, only for him to end up stuck on the teacups AGAIN like an hour later

Sadie thinks this entire trip is fucking stupid and she exclusively sticks to the biggest thrill rides, spending most of her time in california adventure (is that part of the park still called that? it's changed so much since I've last been there), a few people who also enjoy thrill rides have tried accompanying her on her bender but she literally never takes a break and apparently can't get motion sickness

Bill is lost. He was pretty sure he was with Javier and the Marstons at first, but he lost them at some point and now he's stuck in the star wars land and doesn't know where the exit is, small children keep pointing at him and making wookie noises, and he really just needs a drink tbh

Javier has been EVERYWHERE. He has a plan and an itinerary, either keep pace with him or you're getting left behind (rip Bill). He finishes his schedule within like three hours and then goes to hang out with Sadie on her masochistic thrill ride loop before he has to tap out after like five thrill rides in quick succession. He started the day hanging out with the Marstons and Jack insisted he wear a pair of mickey mouse ears, so like the cool uncle he is he agreed and in every picture he's in he's standing there in bedazzled mouse ears with an extremely stoic expression on his face

Charles silently slinks off to critter country (is it still called that? idk how the park has changed) upon getting there because he wants to go see winnie the pooh. After a couple hours of wandering aimlessly and wanting to hit people who crowd too close to him he finds and joins Lenny and Arthur. They go on some rides and then go see winnie the pooh again. Tigger grabs Arthur by the hands and makes him bounce with him and Arthur is in such a whimsical mood and has been doing goofy shit around the park all day at this point that he actually enthusiastically participates. Charles considers it a 10/10 time

Micah was definitely not allowed into the park. 100%

Strauss didn't want to come to disneyland, he had work to do, and the entire gang tried their hardest but unlike several of the other gang members they were unable to force Strauss to join. Party pooper :(

Uncle is having a great fuckin time. He went onto the haunted mansion and just fell asleep and rode the loop until he was personally escorted off by staff because they were worried he died in his sleep or something

Trelawny is there!! They have not seen him for four months but he is there for some reason! Late into the night Arthur got onto the haunted mansion, turned to his left and Trelawny was just. there in the doombuggy with him

[svnnyd4ys]

the seven + nico incorrect quotes lol

Piper: She's the girl of my dreams! Annabeth: You say every girl is the girl of your dreams. Piper: I have a lot of dreams.

!!!

Leo: *watching their house burn down* Leo: Leo: *starts filming* Waddup, guys, welcome to my vlog, today's topic: how to get away with accidentally committing arson because you forgot Spaghetti O's cans are metal and thus non-microwavable! Step one: deny everything.

!!!

Jason, looking at a selfie of Leo’s: I hate this photo. Leo: I’m cute as fuck in that photo! I’m smiling kindly. Jason: You’re not smiling kindly; you look like you’re up to something. Leo: Up to kindness.

!!!

Hazel: Nico, how do you feel about lifting heavy things? Nico: My doctor just said I should avoid— Hazel: Being a wuss? I agree.

!!!

*During a game of Hangman* Piper: Nope, there’s no Q. You lose. Leo: Are you kidding me?! You can still add something! Piper: I already added a belt, four earrings and an extra arm! YOU LOSE!

!!!

Jason: Are you guys bringing anything to the party? Nico: Yeah, an empty stomach. Annabeth: My sparkling personality. Percy: A flagrant disregard for common decency. Hazel: ... Hazel: Chips.

!!!

Piper, looking at a map: It’s a barren, featureless wasteland out there, isn't it? Jason: Other side, Piper...

!!!

Percy: You know, Leo, when you generalize, you tell general... lies. Leo: ... Leo: Are you trying to teach me moral lessons through puns.

!!!

Annabeth: What time is it? Piper: I don’t know, pass me that saxaphone and we’ll find out Piper: *BLASTS the saxaphone* Nico: WHO THE FUCK IS PLAYING THE SAXAPHONE AT TWO IN THE FUCKING MORNING Piper: It’s 2 in the morning.

!!!

Leo: You’re overthinking this. Hazel: You don’t know the appropriate level of thinking, Leo. What if I’m underthinking?

!!!

Frank: I am an expert at identifying birds. Percy: Okay, what about those ones flying over there? Frank: Yeah, they're all birds.

!!!

Percy: *Pulls a glass a water from out of nowhere* Jason: Where did you get that? Percy: My pocket. Jason: How do you keep a glass of water in your pocket? Percy: Skills.

!!!

Frank: If I fall down these stairs, I'm just going to lay down and accept my fate.

!!!

Frank: I’m taking a look at your numbers, and it doesn’t look good. You have a lot of measurements. Quite a few variables. Jason: Is that… bad? Frank: Variables are the #1 risk factor for outcomes. The past is a big contributor to the future. Jason: Isn’t that just causality? Frank: Causality is the leading cause of death in this country. Jason: So what are my odds? Frank: Do you have a family history? Jason: Of what? Frank: Just, in general. Jason: …Yes? Frank: Oh no.

!!!

*the Squad at Disneyland, in the teacups* Leo, Frank, and Jason: *spinning a little and talking* Nico, Annabeth, and Hazel: *flying past them, spinning as fast as they can, screaming*

!!!

Percy: My dad drowned at sea when I was little so whenever someone jokes about fucking my mom I’ll pretend to be really sincere and say some shit like “Glad to see she’s moving on, my dad’s death hit her pretty hard.” Then watch them absolutely fumble trying to figure out a response to that statement. Percy: Update, she got a new partner I can no longer make the joke.

(pre discovering yk his half God-ness)

!!!

Annabeth: I’m gonna mix a can of Red Bull with seventeen shots of espresso in a fishbowl and then chug it while Kids by MGMT plays in the background so I can perceive twenty-three spatial dimensions and fight my own soul.

!!!

Nico: This is a safety pin. *cuts off end* Nico: It is now a danger pin.

!!!

Jason: Sometimes I talk to myself for no reason. Jason: Me too!

!!!

Piper, explaining why they are not allowed to cook: I put the noodles in the pot and put the pot on the stove and turned the burner on high. Turns out you don't put noodles in marijuana and I almost burnt the whole house down.

!!!

Hazel: *gets set on fire and screams in agony* Hazel: Nah, I’m just kidding. Fire does nothing to me.

!!!

[quitealotofsodapop]

In the Wukongverse, who are the bigger Disney fans??

(asking since I've been on a metal Disney kick)

Smokey would rock Poor Unfortunate Souls by Jonathan Young but would get so into it he needs his Macaque cuddles afterwards to right his head (self demon issues, he is a hero but he also tricked people in the past and is on his journey to change and be good)

While Cherry on the other hand would hands down have fun singing Peyton Parrish's version of I'll make a man out of you since he just started his journey and his pilgrim brothers could use the advice.

The LMK Wukongs love themselves some animation goodness! Mostly to chill after a rough day. Wrap up in a blanket, stick on a film he's seen a million times, Eat some peach chips; he's a happy monkey.

LMK Macaques get distracted by the animation!! Cus? "Peaches look! They're using layered paintings to simulate movement!!" Their faves are Fantasia ( Original and 2000) naturally cus of the high animation quality set to classical music. Dawn/Peach walk in one day and find their Dusk/Plum on the ground crying while watching the cut Dali "Destino" segment.

MK's fave is "Treasure Planet". Try not to ask why or he will change the subject and switch on "Princess and the Frog".

Dasheng doesn't really care, but he watches them anyway cus Liuer and the rest of the kids really like them. He's embarassed to admit that he can sing every line of "Beauty and the Beast" perfectly. Also good date night movies - Zhanshi's fave are the fairytale romances. <3

Smokey don't care about the cartoons, but he does get down to the villain songs. Blasting "Poor Unfortunate Souls" and "Hellfire" so hard that his LEM has to step in to calm him down. Liang is more interested in the technical side of the works, but he just beams with joy whenever the babies chirp/bark excitedly at that opening logo. Shared fave is "The Little Mermaid" naturally (though Sandy argues that it's not an accurate depiction of sea fish demons).

Ace and Joker pretend that they don't care, but you know these goobers take the kids and grandkids to Disneyland whenever they have the excuse. Lots of the classics (since they just got made in their universe) and shared infodumping. Ace will send the other SWK's classic Donald Ducks and Goofy cartoons in the group chat without context.

Cherry and Olive are equally super excited cus "Moving paintings!! Heck yeah!". Cherry's faves are the og animated "Mulan" and "Lilo and Stitch" without question. The latter caught him by surprise cus it made him remember who he's always felt like "a weird little alien" on earth, and Lilo and Nani remind him of Lin. ;_; Olive is just delighted to watch anything Cherry is super-hyped about, and they both hoot happily at the tv together.

Shihou and Mihou are kids and they love cartoons no question. Shihou likes the Milt Kahl-era ones like "Sword in the Stone" and "The Jungle Book" cus he vibes with the themes of growing up, but he finds the romantic ones boring. Mihou in contrast secretly adores the classic "princess" movies like "Sleeping Beauty" and "Cinderella" cus of the sweet stories and music. Shihou will watch Mihou's "boring" films with him without complaint cus he knows how much his opal love them.

Sugar likes the "roadtrip" movies the most; "Atlantis", "Treasure Planet" etc. He's still technically on his Journey, and he loves hearing/seeing tales of others. Spice is pretty shy to voice his opinions but... he likes "Pinocchio" the best - the concept of being created and having to adapt to the world mostly-made tickles his brain in a good way.

Starfruit don't care. Why should he? He knows the real guys! He sees Peter Pan on the regular in the Library! Lilac is the complete opposite, they hold streaming parties with associated Legends to watch their "adaptations" and critique them based on accuracy vs execution. Starfruit joins in, only because he, Goldie, and Peter get to read the movies to filth in the group chat XD

Two movies that hold a place in all their hearts are:

Hercules: Themes of obtaining godhood, heroism, an unclear purpose, goth gf, and weird horses.

Moana: Island life, wanting to explore farther, doing what you can for your people, the inherit tragedy of demi-gods, the whole Te Kā situation...

[fairybinie]

KISS, DON’T TELL — 15: if's and when's

synopsis: popular and menacingly wicked choi beomgyu has the entire senior class wrapped around his finger. the high school drama club has cherished y/n as their veteran for four years. to fulfill beomgyu’s graduation requirements, he must join y/n’s drama club despite his grudges. unbeknownst to everyone else, y/n and beomgyu have their history. they’ve kissed before (or more like y/n has bitten his lip to bleed) and beomgyu hasn’t lived it down ever since. y/n cannot stand this guy. they can make it through the entire year as the leads in their play, right?

taglist: @iyeonjuni @odxrilove @iuwon @ijhyo @cherr-y-eji @ameliesaysshoo @enhacolor @cherrybeomgyu @wccycc @hyukabean @strawberri-uyu @hyuntaena @feyregels @boba-beom @luvnhwa @shua-s @ashxxgyu @bibinnieposts @laylasbunbunny @robinsluva @shiguresohmas @h00nerz @beomsbeanie @stepout-09-15 @ox1-lovesick @soobsdior @ifwtyun @peachy-yabbay @sunlightwoo @ttyunz @rikijackson04 @miyawwn @aintgeluh @baekhyunstruly @wxderingthoughts @moontyuns @soobpricity @hyeinszn @txtbrainrot @phenomenalgirl9 @fatoompie @stellz581 @bluebearybeom @extriella @1-800-ryujin @galaxyhalloes @tae-ology @dekusgirl @xavi-in-kpopland @run2seob @obeymeharemowner @bailies-me @aestheticsluut

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a/n: written (3.8k) + smau. mentions of kissing, nothing else i can see! so sorry for the wait i hope this was worth it 😔

...

but good to know :D

really y/n?

y/n could have chosen to ignore the last few messages of his remorse and just told him them were on their way. they also could have chosen to ignore that beomgyu can actually bring a smile to their face and their limited interactions have been replaying in their head since they have occurred. it’s hard to ignore a feeling like that.

texting beomgyu these past days and observing him in class has led y/n to believe that maybe there is more to him than what he is displaying. it’s no doubt that he keeps up an image for everyone else to believe and roll with, hell, even idolize with. y/n knew that already, but they weren’t sure if there was anything below the surface. did he even have a personality besides the obnoxious one that was 24/7? the fact that he seemed to be sorrowful about his comments just now might insinuate that he has a conscious. sure, it wasn’t there before. perhaps something shifted in the boy recently. why?

come to think of it, y/n really doesn't know anything about this guy. he plays guitar, that’s something, right? does beomgyu want to become a musician despite being stern about the fact that he doesn’t have a passion? he has to have one.

questions, questions, questions that y/n is hoping to get answers to.

most of all, why is he still hung up on the shared kiss that happened four years ago?

choi beomgyu intrigues them, whether they would like to admit it or not.

“y/n! hello?”

y/n shudders away their thoughts and stares blankly at the red light in front of them. their hands grip tightly around the dark leather material around their steering wheel as they glance at their car radio. an ongoing call with their friends that has lasted fifteen minutes.

y/n reaches for their temple as they begin to mindlessly rub circles, waiting for the light to turn green. they kept their word to soobin’s request to call them when they were heading to beomgyu’s house.

“sorry, what happened?”

someone groans in response, y/n’s guess is eliana. her groans were engrained in their head as they were always the receiving end to them.

“we were talking about going to disneyland during winter break,” eliana reminds with no distinction in her voice.

yes, disneyland. of course. y/n readjusts themselves to the mood and the light changes as they do, stepping their foot on the gas pedal.

“right- yeah, i’m on board-”

a howl cuts y/n off mid sentence as each speaker in the vehicle blasts with each rhythm of laughter, that of which belongs to kai. y/n is taken aback momentarily, but it soon hits them that was not the topic of conversation.

“can we actually go, though?” kai genuinely asks once he pulls himself together. soobin agreeingly replies with instinct to satisfy kai in the moment.

“you’re not paying attention,” eliana points out to y/n, seeing right through them despite not being in the car with them. “what’s up, babe?”

y/n makes a U-turn once they realize that they missed the correct street. “sorry guys, i was distracted.”

“y/n, you don’t have to go if you’re not comfortable,” soobin advises which brings a slight smile to y/n’s face. soobin was always protective over them and the whole group appreciated him for it, even if it could be overbearing at times.

“no no, it’s not that,” y/n reassures as they look at their phone mounted on the dashboard to check if this is the right corner to make a turn.

“then what is it?” kai asks with some concern in his voice. being the youngest in the group has always made him worry for his older friends. he was a perfect little brother.

“nothing! trust me,” y/n barely tries to sound convincing. the group looks it over this one time considering that y/n is driving. it would be understandable if their attention wasn’t fully there.

y/n ends the gps navigation as they push the center console to park. “i’m here.”

they haven’t been to beomgyu’s house in years, not since the incident occurred. frankly, the trauma it induced for them made them forget the details of the inside. the patio outside reminisces the other houses in this neighborhood. though it’s dark outside, the beaming stars in the night sky highlight the string of florescent lights that shape the doorway in the front. it’s a nice touch, they remember it made them feel comfortable coming in last time.

“it’s not too late to back out,” soobin says one last time. he’s still nervous for his best friend.

“i’ll be fine soobin,” y/n replies before he continues to go on. they stare at the home and release a whisper. “i hope.”

“okay, well, text us right after,” eliana cautions, bringing out her inner mother role.

a swarm of goodbyes and love you’s were exchanged before the call was ended. y/n detaches their phone from the dashboard and gathers their essentials and soon exit the vehicle. they give their car a lock as they head towards the doorway. each footstep is light, but tense. it’s until now that they see some bear stickers on the door and they can’t help but admire the cuteness. they wonder if that was a recent addition as it wasn’t there the last time.

with a big inhale, they ring the doorbell.

there was a moment of waiting and y/n contemplated ringing it one more time. they remember what eliana said about coming across as desperate, but they never cared about that prior to this. in all honesty, they needed to rely on beomgyu. he was their co-star after all.

why do they now feel this twisting feeling inside their stomach at the thought of being desperate?

y/n hears footsteps approach the door and they straighten their sweater to prepare. they’re wearing a simple white t-shirt that hugs their figure just right with a light blue hooded sweater, courtesy of kai. his clothes were always the comfiest and y/n made it a habit to search through his closet every time they come over. soobin gets slightly pouty at the thought. y/n doesn’t know if it’s because they borrow kai’s clothes, or if he wants to borrow them. the thought makes them chuckle.

fresh conditioned air blows right at y/n’s face as the door opens and the boy stands at the other end. he’s wearing brown plaid pajama bottoms topped with a beige crewneck with a teddy bear in the right corner. that little detail makes y/n think the decor on the door was intentional. a hint of softness makes some way into their heart. they fight the urge to smile.

“hey,” beomgyu greets with a downwards smile. “did you make it over here safe?”

beomgyu’s voice has a naturally tired tone to it. even if he’s not sleepy it always sounds casual and lustful. y/n doesn’t know if it’s always been like this or if they just noticed.

he’s also asking about their safety. who is this guy?

“um, yeah,” y/n replies as they rock their feet back and forth. beomgyu nods and realizes that he has to let them inside so he opens the door all the way and reaches his arm out to gesture the inside. y/n takes the offer.

with each step y/n observes the house as much as they can. it has been a while since they’ve been here but as far as they remember, not much has changed. some furniture has been rearranged and some new decor here and there, but it’s still very much beomgyu’s home. the interior has black and brown elements which gives it a homey feeling. it’s like if autumn and hot chocolate was a home.

just like he said, he did have the house to himself. beomgyu leads them to the kitchen and y/n sees a few family photos plastered on the fridge door. some were just of his parents, others were baby pictures of beomgyu. it seems like he’s always been on the devious side after catching a glance of a young boy pointing a toy gun at the camera with no thought behind his eyes.

y/n glimpses at a group photo with beomgyu, his parents, and an older child. they were posing in front of an amusement park with big grins on their faces. y/n has never seen this other boy before, perhaps it was beomgyu’s brother.

y/n shifts their gaze over to the kitchen counter and sees two bowls of ramen sitting in the center. guess he was being serious about providing them with food. they were starving though.

“i don’t know how you usually eat yours so i just put my fixings on,” beomgyu speaks slightly embarrassed. y/n eyes the bowl a little longer than they intended. they were just trying to piece together why on earth he would make them food.

“relax, i didn’t poison it or anything,” beomgyu jokes while holding the soup in his hands, digging into his first bite with his chopsticks. the idea did cross y/n’s mind, which makes them feel a bit apologetic.

is that how bad they see him?

y/n slowly walks over to the aisle and joins beomgyu. “do you want to work here?”

“we could go to my room,” beomgyu suggests as his eyes hide behind his bowl while he slurps some broth. there was no hint of anything sinister in beomgyu’s voice but the statement still makes y/n’s eyes widen.

“no,” they simply respond faster than they wished. they walk around the counter and sit in one of the spinning chairs where their bowl lays out in front of them. “right here is fine.”

beomgyu shrugs his shoulders and sits down next to them. y/n reaches to their tote bag and pulls out the lengthy script which has notes sticking out from certain areas and highlighted parts to accompany them. beomgyu nearly chokes mid slurp at the sight.

“sooo, how do we do this?” as beomgyu stretches out his question, y/n takes their first bite into their food. just as they feared, it was delicious. so much flavor in everything, but not too overbearing in being salty or spicy. they could attempt to figure out which brand he used, but they’re here for other things.

“well,” y/n finishes swallowing their food. “we could start with any questions you might have.”

“yeah, i’m sure you have all the answers,” beomgyu stiffly laughs as he brings his head forward to the script that centers in front of the two.

y/n feels their cheeks flush red and heat up at the exposure. they hope he doesn’t notice. “i just mean if you need anything to be clarified. it could help you play the role better.”

beomgyu draws in his breath and stares at the stack of papers longingly. throughout his education, he was taught to find the theme of each piece he reads. reading this script has given him an idea of what it could be in this case, but some parts are a bit foggy. he feels self-conscious asking y/n what it is. he doesn’t want them to think he’s an idiot, even though they probably already think he is. they’ve made their dislike for him quite obvious.

“um, i guess,” beomgyu holds his gaze in front but can feel y/n’s eyes on his. his blood pulses through his skin. “what this story is really about, you know, deep down.”

he’s expecting y/n to laugh in his face just like he did to them the other day, but they don’t. instead, y/n understandingly nods as they push their half eaten soup to the side to leave enough room to put their elbows on the table. for some reason, beomgyu finds this endearing. he was always scolded for leaving his elbows on the table. it wasn’t polite, apparently.

“well, ben is at crossroads when he gets into a college with a full basketball scholarship, but also gets into his dream school that would support his performing arts career. no one knows he's interested in that field so it's the good 'ol following the head or heart thing, which i'm always a sucker for.”

beomgyu watches y/n go on about the story for the production, even going over key plots that beomgyu might have missed. he notices there seems to be stars in y/n's eyes as they continue to talk. he can tell that they're speaking from the heart.

“i'm assuming that's the passion concept mrs. kim was going over in class the first day?” beomgyu guesses in thought.

“yeah, ben loves to perform and even plays guitar at some point,” y/n eagerly responds. “which should be easy for you, since you play right?”

beomgyu feels a small smile form on his lips. he quickly covers it up with another bite of his meal.

“wouldn't you consider that your passion?” y/n decides to try to get an answer out of him. it's been bugging them all this time that he hasn't been open about it.

“i know you really enjoy it, beomgyu,” y/n did catch his change in expression earlier. “you must be good at it too. if you admit that's what you're passionate about, it'll help you a ton.”

there's a moment of silence as beomgyu takes in their words and figures out what to do with them. the quiet atmosphere is almost uncomfortable and y/n can't tell if they've overstepped their boundaries. they consider leaving, but they did have an agenda here, and that was to rehearse some of this with beomgyu. instead, they opt for reaching to turn the page.

“i do love playing guitar,” beomgyu promptly admits. “and it is my passion. my uncle gave me my first guitar when i was in middle school and i haven't stopped playing since.”

y/n smiles at the thought of a small beomgyu, who was probably more unhinged than he is now, sitting down and playing a relaxing acoustic guitar. if they were told this years ago, they wouldn't have believed it. the more they look at beomgyu, it suits him. the calluses on certain fingers with those round, deep brown eyes of his focusing on a music sheet. the low husk to his voice covering songs with a beautiful essence.

“why didn't you want to admit it in class?” y/n realizes they needed to speak before it appears they've been staring at the boy for too long.

“because i barely wanted to admit it to myself,” beomgyu responds in full honesty. “my parents just see it as a hobby and don't think it can take me anywhere in life as it's not an official profession.”

y/n recalls the text beomgyu sent about only them and his parents knowing he plays guitar. his last sentence even has them think about their conversations with their dad, that sentiment hits too close to home. y/n chooses not to bring it up to beomgyu. they sit with caution as they wonder how many questions they could ask him.

“there's so many things you could do with that talent,” instead of potentially saying the wrong thing, y/n offers him some possible careers to lift his spirits. “you could be a songwriter, a producer. hey, even when you make it in the big leagues you could be a sound engineer in the blockbuster movies!”

there's a part to y/n's monologue that catches beomgyu's attention.

when you make it in the big leagues.

they didn't say if, they said when. beomgyu has never heard that word in regards to his future. it was always 'if', 'maybe', or any other tense that doubts his passion.

has he gotten his first supporter? and was it someone he has shared a moment so personal as a kiss?

“you said when,” beomgyu decides to bring up the fact.

it takes a moment for y/n to register what he means, but with the astonished expression on his face, the feeling soon settles in on them. y/n has their supporters, it was time for beomgyu to have his. despite how they feel about him and their past history that annoyingly hangs on their head, they weren't a monster. perhaps it was time to see beomgyu in a different light and it appears that they were the only one to do so.

“so throughout the story dae is there for ben to open his eyes in realizing that pursuing his dream is the right path to go,” y/n steers off in a different direction. “since it's romance, of course there has to be a fling between them.”

beomgyu softly smiles to himself picturing the story unfold. “i'm sure ben appreciates dae being there for him and seeing what he can do.���

y/n feels warm as they see beomgyu finally start to understand the plot and it only took them to have an honest conversation. talking with beomgyu wasn't as bad as they expected.

“i'm sure dae loves supporting him through it all when no one else would.”

beomgyu lifts his head up to face y/n who is gazing right back at him. it's the first time their expression isn't written in disgust or annoyance. in fact, it appears to be loving. he wishes it could always be like this.

the moment stretches out a little longer and beomgyu can't help but glance down at y/n's lips. he wonders if it still tastes like cherry chapstick. the red tint they have makes him believe it's still accurate. y/n catches the gesture and coughs down some air as they play with the edges of the paper. they fight the urge to not rip the ends of it and curl them into little balls, a habit they got from kai.

“so…yeonjun and taehyun don't know?” y/n speaks in an airy voice, their eyes still locked on the words written in front of them.

beomgyu doesn't know if they're referring to the guitar thing, or the kiss they shared four years ago.

frankly, y/n isn't sure about what they mean either.

still, beomgyu chooses an answer to please both questions.

“not a single thing.”

y/n hums in response, their lips tight together. beomgyu plays with the chopsticks in his now empty bowl when he hears a voice speak up once again.

“would you be able to play for me?”

beomgyu knows this question is referring to his talent for guitar, and due to the seriousness he's been displaying this entire time now, he switches gears for a lighthearted moment.

“i'll play for you when we go on a date.”

y/n would expect some rage boil down to their stomach, as they would have reacted that way before. this feeling, though? was it butterflies? nervousness? whatever it was, it sure wasn't negative. this night is full of firsts.

“do you…do you want to rehearse some of it now?” y/n clears their throat in between. beomgyu doesn't question their non-response and agrees with a head nod.

…

the two got through the first act right at midnight. to their surprise, beomgyu wasn't that bad at acting. sure, he missed a couple cues that ensued some awkward presentations, but it's nothing they couldn't work on together. they even liked the slight challenge. being co-stars with soobin now seemed too easy for them.

beomgyu was the difference they needed.

“you can be honest, you know,” beomgyu speaks in a playful manner as he finishes the last dish to wash. he hands the bowl for y/n to dry with a damp rag.

“i mean it! you weren't terrible,” y/n chuckles while they reach to put the bowl away in the cupboards.

after beomgyu and y/n finished rehearsing the first half they decided to wash the dishes. y/n didn't even suggest helping him dry, they just did it with no questions asked. still, it was another conversation starter.

“that means a lot coming from you,” beomgyu snickers and reaches for the rag in y/n's hands to dry his own. he smiles at them while looking down at their sweater, noticing a small stain of sauce near the front.

“hey, you got something there,” he points out as y/n glances down at the gesture, mentally cursing in their head. they hated getting their clothes dirty, let alone their borrowed ones from kai.

y/n whines as they reach for a paper towel to attempt to clean it off, only to have beomgyu stop them in between the action.

“you'll make it worse,” beomgyu advises. “i have a washing machine upstairs if you wanted to stay a little while longer.”

y/n would have rejected the offer if it weren't for their washing machine being repaired as they speak. they really loved this sweatshirt, they were hoping to wear it again this week. they scrunch their nose as their left eye slightly squints, thinking about what they should do.

they weren't repulsed by hanging out with beomgyu a little more, but sleep was about to hit them at any moment. it was better if they left now before they accidentally take a nap at a red light.

“i would but i should be getting home,” y/n apologetically responds.

“are you sure? you could give it to me and i'll have it ready for you tomorrow,” beomgyu cringes at the fact that he sounds like a dry cleaner. y/n finds it amusing.

man, how they loved that sweatshirt.

“fine just- don't screw it up,” y/n warns as they slip off the piece of clothing, feeling a breeze hit the bottom of their stomach as it lifts a little along with it.

y/n hands him the sweatshirt warily, hesitating to give it to him all the way, to which beomgyu responds with a deadpan. y/n smiles and ultimately gives it to him, and beomgyu places it on the couch for him to put away later.

y/n walks over to their tote bag and beomgyu suggests walking them outside. part of it was to be a gentleman, but he just wanted to see them drive away safely. y/n wouldn't be aware of the second option.

“don't forget your script next time,” y/n finally instructs him at the door. they're on the outside as beomgyu stays inside, hanging his arm on the doorframe as a slight smirk forms on his face.

“wouldn't count on it, i love this story too much now,” beomgyu doesn't mean to admit the last part, but y/n can't help but cheese at the statement.

“i'm glad to hear that,” y/n crosses their arms with a grin as they take a few steps back, ready to head to their vehicle.

“i'll give you updates on your sweater when i text you,” beomgyu calls out to them. “goodnight, drive safe.”

y/n sends over two thumbs up and begins to back up once they're inside their car. beomgyu doesn't head inside until they're completely out of his sight.

…

y/n doesn't fall asleep as quickly as they would've thought. they've been spending the past hour mindlessly scrolling through their feed, feeling their eyes blink slowly each time.

how could they sleep when tonight went better than they thought?

a notification appears at the top that brings a grin ear to ear and it's at this moment they realize one thing.

there would be no false promises between them and beomgyu.

there would be no more 'if's'.

please do not translate, modify or repost on other platforms.

© fairybinie

[vintage-tech]

Today's blast from the past is the Chicken Of The Sea Pirate Ship and Restaurant at Disneyland, 1965, with the Matterhorn and the People Mover in view. The boat was a feature from 1955 until 1982, although the name changed to Captain Hook’s Galley when Chicken of the Sea tuna dropped its sponsorship in 1969, and Dumbo's attraction occupies the space that the boat previously occupied.

[messenger-of-stupidity]

You Must Be This Tall

The amount of research about rollercoaster accidents for this. The amount of copying the transcript I did for this. The amount scrolling through the timeline I did for this. I swear to god if this fails I'm going to lose my shit. (I wouldn't blame you if you didn't read it. It kinda goes from 0-100 real quick. I did get kind of lazy with the end but I didn't want to go as gruesome as the original draft did.

TW: Depictions of roller coaster accident, panic symptoms, shitty friends, copy of transcript for Vincent's Valenweek Flashback Audio, Cursing, Some simping, Angst, Not beta read we die like Vincent's Stranger, GN Listener Character, Listener Character Death, Typos.

Redacted Masterlist

Summary: Come. Come one, come all. You must be this tall to ride this ride, at the carnival. It's all fun and games until somebody falls.

The park was filled with the sounds of life, all kinds. Laughter, screams, too-loud music, carnival games, all of it. Sizzling of overpriced and sugar filled fairground food covered any smell of vomit from the unfortunate participants of the more active rides. 

They wandered amongst their five other friends, all arms looped together to prevent getting lost. The sun was still half above horizon, but the extra lights of the amusement park were activating. The closer they got to the food stands, the stronger the smell of half burnt sugar and grease became. With the wonderful undertone of cigarettes. Yum…

“Hannah! We should get some nachos or something.” One of their friends shouted over the music blasting from a nearby stall. They squinted, searching through the attempts at attention grabbing to seek out the requested food. They were sure one of the food stalls had to sell nachos, even if that wasn’t the main focus. Their own stomach grumbled malcontentedly despite the corn dog they had consumed only half an hour prior. 

“No way! I wanna splurge on sugar. Get all the good shit that we can’t get back home.” Hannah shouted back. They kind of wished that the music would lessen a little bit. Their eardrums were still thrumming from the earlier ride they had all participated in. The group walked past a wailing child and a too-tired father trying to convince the child to leave whatever had them so distraught.

“We coulda gone to Disneyland.” They muttered under their breath. Mike, who held on tightly to their left arm, nudged them with a crooked grin plastered on his lips. The light from the passing sign glinted off of the metal ring locked into the middle of his bottom lip. 

“Don’t be such a sourpuss. Wonderworld is cheaper than Disneyland and it’s got newer attractions.” He answered. They pushed his face away from them with an open palm, even as the corners of their own lips tugged into a grin. He certainly had a point. Two, as it were. Wonderworld was introducing new rides, so the prices were low as they tried to get as much attention as possible. They couldn’t blame the amusement park, but a headache was tapping at the base of their skull. They could suck it up until they got home to take some aspirin though.

“Call me a sourpuss and I’ll shove pizza so far down your throat that not even going on the Surge can force it back up.” They retorted. Mike laughed and linked his hand with theirs to swing it back and forth. It took several minutes of searching before they were able to locate a stall that sold something everyone wanted or could at least settle for eating. 

“What ride should we go on next?” Hannah asked as she bit into some colorful teeth-rotting monstrosity. They shrugged, sucking on the red and white striped straw. Too-sweet slushie lighted on their tastebuds and their pupils dilated a few seconds later as the stream of glucose settled into their bloodstream. An involuntary smile pressed into their lips.

“Let’s see. We already went to the bumper cars, ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and the swinging pirate ship.” Jason said, counting off as he crumpled up a hamburger wrapper, his food settled on a napkin. They watched as the stringed lights reflected off the silver coloring of the waxy paper.

“We need to go on a classic roller coaster.” Mike decided and they pushed their straw around to even out their treat so they could suck it up the straw easier. They were content with letting their friend group decide the next ride, too preoccupied with the current task to actually listen. 

“Which one? There’s Night Stream, Gran Lunda, Raincage, Surge, and Treasure Cyclone.” Terra said, licking the salt from her fries from her fingers. They missed the glance that Mike sent towards them, as well as the devious smiles that spread over the rest of their friend group’s face. It took Mia nudging them to get their attention.

“Huh? Did we decide on something?” They asked, licking their lips with their stained tongue. 

“It’s Valentines Day tomorrow.” Mike said, lips twisted into a smirk. They nodded slowly, not sure they really liked where this was heading. “And the only single here, you need to live wildly before the reminder day.” I have a bad feeling about this. “So we dare you to go on a ride by yourself to commiserate.” He finished. They set the drink down.

“Which one? The spinning one?” They asked, brow creasing. Hannah shook her head.

“The Surge.” She answered. They stood up from where they sat, eyes surveying the park to seek out which ride had been dubbed as such. The smile dropped from their face as they caught sight of the lit up sign in front of an steep arch of track. Their stomach clenched painfully and the headache felt closer.

“Nuh-uh. No way.” They said, shaking their head quickly sitting back down. Jason groaned and tossed the rolled up wrapper in their direction. 

“Don’t be a pussy. Just go on it.” He drawled. They sent him a glare and shook their head again. Hannah laughed alongside Mike. They tried to ignore the ache of hurt that raced through them at the same speed they were sure the coaster car would go down the decline. 

“I don’t like rollercoasters like that.” They whispered, but the words were lost under the sounds surrounding them. 

They protested throughout the entire journey towards the wait queue. Mike pushed them towards the line and they shuffled towards it, each step feeling too heavy. The music seemed to fade into the far background as their ears filled with the sound of their heartbeat and the rollercoaster in front of them. The chugging machinery and clanking ride chains that pulled the carts along at a hurtling speed. The screams seemed more terror filled than adrenaline rushed to their ears. Oh god oh god oh god.

“Well you look terrified.” A friendly voice sounded next to their ear. They turned around quickly to see who the offender had been. A boy that seemed close to their age held his hands in front of him in surrender, a laugh dancing on his voice. “Sorry. I’m not trying to call you out or anything but…” Their gaze sharpened, even as their knees felt weak. “I-I-I mean, you kind of do.” He finished, hands dropping. They swallowed, their throat dry.

“It’s that obvious, huh?” They said, calling out over the sound of the fast-paced music and the announcer’s voice. 

“I mean, if you don’t mind me asking, if you are terrified of the ride… then why are you gonna ride on it? Alone no less.” He asked, hands sliding into his hoodie pocket. They wondered if they should really share the stupid reason their friends had provided for making them go on this bloody ride.

“My friends dared me to go.” They said, simplifying and shortening the explanation down. No need to dump on a stranger.

“Ah. Gotcha.” He said, nodding his head sagely. “No offense, but your friends kind of sound like assholes for daring you then. Where are they?” He asked. They raised an arm, pointing to where the five other members of their friend group stood, giggling amongst themselves. Assholes indeed.

“They’re just watching.” They mumbled, the sound of metal on metal racing overhead making them cringe. The stranger followed their hand.

“Is that them over there?” He asked. They nodded in confirmation and dropped their upraised arm. “Dicks.” He added, coaxing a small laugh from them. He looked back, eyes brighter at the sound and continued. “It’s all good. You’ll show them, and then you can tell them they’re the scared ones for trying to make you do it alone.” He paused, almost looking sheepish for a half second. “Plus you’re not alone. You got me.” 

Warmth rushed up their neck and tickled the tips of their ears. He sounded so heartfelt. “What about you? Did your friends do something of the same?” They asked hurriedly, spurring a chuckle to leave his lips.

“No. I’m-I’m I’m kind of the opposite. I’m the only one of my friends who wanted to ride on this one again.” He said, shrugging. They stared at him. Again? He wanted to go AGAIN? Oh my god. “So they’re all over on the other side of the park.”

“Other… side?” They said slowly. Them and their friends had been lingering in one main area of the park, not having fully wandered through to explore. Probably not the most efficient or whatever, but in the beginning it had just been so exciting.

“Yeah. They’re fucking around in that um, that big gift shop near the entrance until I’m done,” They could recall seeing that on the rushed entrance in. Maybe they should see if there was anything worth taking back home as a souvenir. If it was still open by the time they left. “But I really liked the ride. I wanted to do it one last time before we head out.” So he’s nuts. Why are all the pretty ones nuts?

And he was pretty. His smile right now was sympathetic, but the way his lips curved into it was almost contagious. If fear wasn’t making their stomach feel cold - and not from the slushie earlier - they probably would have been smiling back at him. 

“I mean, we drove a long way to get here so…” His voice said, leaving the sentence open-ended.The queue moved forward, pulling them closer to the coaster and they inhaled sharply. The stranger quickly started up speaking again. “And the line’s finally short now that the park’s getting ready to close,” Yeah. Not exactly a great thing in my book, handsome stranger. “Plus I get to ride it in the dark which is pretty cool.” Definitely not a great thing in my book. He chuckled again. If it had been a full laugh it would have probably allured a giggle from their throat.

“It’s that fun that you’d want to ride it in the dark?” They said, doubt coloring their words more than a three year old with a marker and a blank wall. He shrugged again, his posture relaxing further.

“Well I mean… I-I loved it. I thought it was an awesome ride.” Considering his definition of cool or fun, they were pretty sure that they wouldn’t think the same. Their shoulder hunched up and he spoke up again, pulling their attention back to his words and face. Lovely face. “What part of roller coasters scares you? Like is it something specific like loops, or heights, or-“ 

“All of it. Everything.” They interrupted, voice rush and pitched an octave higher as the line drew them closer to the ride.

“Or all of it. Okay.” He laughed again. That made it a little better. Just a little. “Well, I’m not gonna lie… you’re probably not gonna have a great time then.” Really Captain obvious? “It’s a lot.” He added. They gaped up at the twists and turns of metal tracks above and decided that was the understatement of the fucking year. His voice pulled their focus back.

“I-I mean… I mean personally I’m not huge on, like, drops. Like… like I hate those drop rides. The ones that just go up and down so um…” He paused for a second to consider before going on. He was talkative, huh? “So-So the first drop you go over is kind of scary. I mean, for me at least because it’s-it’s really vertical.” 

They looked back up at the roller coaster and the tall arch near the station. They were pretty sure the gulp they made was audible, even over the ambience. 

“I mean, it feels like it’s like… ninety degrees. So it kind of feels like one of those rides… for a sec, when you come over the crest of the hill.” Was it difficult to breath or was that just them? “But I mea, then the feeling goes away almost immediately because then you’re like, facing the direction you’re going if that makes sense.” They looked at him, their expression pained. Words seemed to get caught in their throat. “Like, you’re not dropping. I mean like… you’re, like, facing the ground as you head towards it.” I think I’m going to be sick.

“This does not seem to be helping. Okay. I’ll shut up.” He said, laughing. The corners of their lips twitched in response, but they couldn’t muster a full smile. Not even for social obligation. “Hey, you can look at it this way. I mean, this is the biggest, baddest rollercoaster this park has to offer so once you’ve ridden it, you’ve won. You know? You cut the thing off at the head.” Like a hydra. Except once you cut the head off of a hydra, more sprout up in its place. It’s never-ending. Like my panic and dread over this. “Have any of your friend ridden it?” He asked.

“No.” They croaked out, their hands growing clammy. “We were trying to figure out our next ride when they had their brilliant dare.” Sarcasm at its finest. He laughed at the words and they attempted a smile again, although were more that doubtful about their level of success in the endeavor.

“Well see, now you get to be the one who says you actually rode it. Plus since they’re not going, they don’t get to see how bad it scares you.” They straightened a little at that, considering his words. The stranger seemed to notice because he continued on, a smile on his face and in his voice. “Yeah, so when you walk out of the exit and march up to them, you just put on that confident mask and you rub it in their face.” They were more confident in their smile at this attempt.

“If I walk out. I’ll likely die before I get that chance.” They replied cheekily, provoking another laugh.

“Come on, what do you mean if you walk out? Nothing bad’s gonna happen.” Famous last words, but whatever you say. “Rollercoasters have been around forever,” Only since July 8th, 1817. Not quite ‘forever’ in the grand scheme of things. But continue on, handsome stranger. “It’s almost never been an accident. I mean, you were a million times more likely to get hurt on the drive over to the park than anything here. Least of all this ride.” They cocked an eyebrow doubtfully, but didn’t interrupt him.

“I mean, it’s new so it’s got all the latest safety crap,” Not crap. It’s useful. “You’re fine. I mean, honestly, usually the only time people get hurt on rides is because they did something stupid like… taking off the belt or standing up or something. It’s almost always the person’s fault. Not the ride.” He was a ride apologist through and through. “You know, just keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the car at all times. You got this, I promise.” 

The line moved closer and the car, now filled, set down the track. Their breath suddenly turned shallower. The stranger nudged their arm gently with his elbow, moving closer and lowering his voice a little.

“Come on. You can’t let them see you’re scared. You know they’re looking.” It was a goad, and it worked. At least their spite was firmly in place, even amongst their fear, dread, and rising panic. They rubbed at their face, and when they dropped their hands they changed their expression. Brows pulled down into a determined line and a shaky smile cemented onto their lips. “There we go.”

“Any better? Am I radiating confidence like an old leaky radiator supplies water damage to hardwood flooring?” They said, their voice as quiet as they could manage while still letting the stranger hear them.

“Yes. You look very confident.” He said, another laugh spilling from his curved lips. They snickered along side him. “From a distance away. I mean, you still look terrified in the eyes, but hey. They can’t see that far, so that’s okay.” He took a step back to dodge the kick they sent towards his boots.

“Hey.. I don’t mean to make this more awkward. But, if you’re able…” Their voice trailed off as their gaze dropped the the ground beneath their feet and the littered garbage sprinkled along it.

“Yeah I’ll ride with you.” He said, easily picking on the unfinished request. They lifted their head again, the smile this time not an attempt at projecting faux confidence, but rather grateful. “I mean, we’re both single riders. You know… might as well.” 

“Oh! Since you’re the resident Surge expert, how big are the rows? I’m guessing it’s two. Unless you’re fucking with me.”

“Yeah it’s-it’s a two-seat wide one,” Oh thank fuck. If I was going to need to sit next to a real stranger while freaking out about the ride, that would make it so much worse. At least he’ll have some warning of my impending freak out. “Which is such a pain in the ass if you come here with three people.” My group is six people in total… “You have to keep rotating who gets stuck next to a stranger. If. Sometimes you end up riding solo. I mean, it depends how busy the line is and stuff.”

They glanced back at the remainder of the line behind them - they didn’t want to see how close the loading station was to them by now - and the chances of someone near the end riding solo in one of the two-seat rows seemed likely. They felt bad for that person if they shared the same fear.

“Sounds like you have experience with that as well.” They mumbled. He nodded.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m here with two of my friends. And they’re a couple, so I have the please of not only third wheeling in general, but uh then also having to break up the happy couple seating wise everything I’m sick and tired of sitting by myself.” There was a small tinge of bitterness in his jovial tone. Which was the most bitter they had heard him. Even when insulting their friends. But they inhaled sharply at the awkward interactions and experiences he must have been having to deal with throughout the evening and night.

“I’m sorry. That must suck ass.” They said, glad to be the one giving sympathy for once in this conversation. He laughed again.

“No, they’re good with it. I’m just bitching. I mean, they’re both my friends and they were before they started dating, so we’re all good,” That still didn’t necessarily alleviate the awkwardness. “But still, I feel like they should be able to sit next to each other most of the time since they are, in fact, together.” He shrugged his shoulders, hands now fidgeting with his hoodie strings. 

Their gaze dropped to watch the soft flexing of the tendons under his skin and the liquid movements of his fingers as it pressed into the tightly stitched together fabric of the strings. Damn, he had nice hands…

“Still sounds awkward though. But I get it. I’m the single friend in my friend group too.” They replied and his head quickly bobbed in a nod of agreement.

“Yeah, these places are really only made for couples… or families, I guess. But even then, you better have an even number or you’re still fucked,” Wait… why is the line moving faster? “Some parks do have that single rider line thing, but then you don’t end up on the same cycle as your friends so then you’re having to wait for them,” Oh god. The next cycle is us, isn’t it? I don’t want to be here. Please don’t make me be here. I should have stayed home. Fuck this shit. “Or they’re having to wait for you which, I mean, isn’t a big deal I guess… but I don’t know.” He sighed. I don’t want to go on the next cycle. Why can’t the park close before it’s our turn? Will it close before our turn? Please close. Please. 

“It’s not working, is it?” He said, voice a mix of teasing and disappointment. They turned to face him.

“What isn’t?” They asked, hands twisting together. He gestured towards the coaster ahead.

“Me trying to distract you by talking.” He said. As if it was the most obvious thing in the world. A laugh bubbled out of their throat. It sounded a little strangled, but he matched it nonetheless. “I’m trying. I’m sorry.” He said, humor still dancing on his voice. They liked the way that his laugh seemed to hold little dance parties on his tongue when he spoke. It was endearing.

“The closer we keep getting to the front of the line, the more panicked you look.” What was less endearing was the way he kept consistently calling them out without a moment of reprieve. “It’s okay. Really. I mean, you might even have fun,horrific a thought as that might be.” He wasn’t able to dodge the light shove they sent at him and he laughed again. “I mean, hey. Who knows? This could be the way you find out that you’re secretly an adrenaline junkie.” A snort pulled oxygen in, painfully scraping their trachea.

“I think you’re projecting.” They replied, crossing their arms over their chest. Their hands gripped the fabric of their fleece-lined sweater that protected them from the biting chill of early-mid February. 

“I mean, I used to be terrified at rollercoasters.” He added. Their head snapped towards him quickly, eyes wide and full of questioning doubt. He nodded sagely. “Yeah. As a kid I-I would not go on them. I was, I was a hellion about it too. I mean, I would make a scene, I’d cry, I’d scream. I was literally the kid in line for the matterhorn like, saying to my mom,” His voice raised slightly in pitch to represent a more juvenile version of himself as he added vocal shakes. Committing to the bit. I respect it. “‘if you love me, you won’t make me ride on this.’ Like, I was awful. The literal worst. Like, seriously. I mean, they save up all this money to finally take us on vacation and I have a hissy fit in the line of a ride that isn’t even bad.” A part of them wondered if he was a storyteller in his spare time, or in his normal time, as giggle after snort came from the mental image of a smaller version of the hot guy in front of them throwing a fit with snot and tears running down his face because of a kiddie ride. 

“Oh! And that was the biggest one you were going to get me on. There was no way in hell I was going on anything that had a big drop. Or, god forbid, a loop. Like, no way. It was not happening.” He finished, laughing alongside them. They almost didn’t notice the way the line was starting to inch a little bit closer to the ride entrance.

“But now you like rollercoasters. What changed?” It was kind of difficult to fully believe this absolute maniac who wanted to go on the Surge for a second time in the dark, had such a strong revulsion to rollercoasters just… stopped one day. Something must have occurred to change his mind.

“Well, I just avoided them the whole time I was growing up,” Sounds familiar. “I didn’t go to amusement parks very often, so I mean, it wasn’t a huge deal either way. But then, senior year of high school rolled around. And my group of friends wanted to go on a trip that summer. To, you know, celebrate us graduating. And, um, they all agreed on going to a rollercoaster park. Like, not just an amusement park. Like one that pretty much exclusively has roller coasters,” Oh hell to the no. “But, I mean, I wasn’t gonna be the one to say no. I mean, I really didn’t want them to make fun of me or anything so… I went along with it and I didn’t tell a single one of them that I was terrified of rollercoasters.” He shrugged.

“Although I’m sure they could tell by the time we got there. I mean, I was shaking like a leaf in the line for the first time. But then… I rode it. And yeah, there were parts that were scary and I hated. Like that initial climb that felt like it was never going to end. And then that first… drop.” A slight scoff colored the last word. Huh. He really doesn’t like the first drop. That wasn’t just a ploy to seem relatable and so that it didn’t look like he was pitying me. “But… but then I had a great time. Wind in your hair, flipping around, going that fast. It was fun.” His gaze turned a little more serious than it had been so far as he stared into their own eyes. They forgot to breath for a second.

“So that initial fear is always there. Even now for a little bit. But then it’s just a good time. I mean, now  I love them. You might just surprise yourself.” They are already shaking their head before he finished the sentence.

“Don’t get your hopes up. I’m probably going to vomit once it’s over. Fair warning.”

“Hey, if you don’t and you absolutely hate it, then you can just tell your friends to fuck off and you’ll at least have this one under the belt. Which is more than any of them can say.” They nodded slowly and looked back towards the front of the line… their stomach and heart immediately dropped as they were created with the carts directly ahead of them. 

“Oh fuck.”

“Hey. You got this.” He said, voice closer to their ear and a warm hand in the middle of their back. A reassuring presence and a coaxing nudge. “Come on. Let’s do this.”

Their movements felt stiff as they walked across the path to the cart, their heart having jumped too far up and now firmly lodged in their throat. They sat down, tears already watering in the lower half of their vision.

“See? Seatbelts. There’s roll bars. You’re not going anywhere. It’s the last ride of the night and then you get to go tell your friends that they’re wimps for not going with you.” They nodded stiffly, body going cold with panic. “It’s gonna be fun. Even if the ride isn’t, that part will be.” Another stiff nod. They were pretty sure that their body was breaking out in a cold sweat. Was it too late to climb out?

“Hey.” He poked their shoulder gently and they turned their head to look at him. “Do you want to hold my hand? Nobody will see it over the walls of the car. It can be out secret.” They were entirely sure he could see the tears they stubbornly refused to let fall. His expression had softened from gentle teasing and sympathy to just flat out concern. They nodded again, teeth digging into their bottom lip. “Okay. When it feels like it’s too much, just… squeeze, okay?” His hand was warm in theirs. And if their palm was sweaty or clammy, he made no mention of it. His fingers curled between their own as his thumb rubbed small circles on the knuckle of their own thumb. They took a deep, shuddering inhale. “I got you.” He murmured. They tried to swallow around the lump in their throat.

“Can I get a smile?” He asked, voice shifting back to the jovial teasing tone he had adopted earlier. They tried to remember how and replicate the muscle memory. It was an obvious fail from the laugh that egressed from him. “Kind of more of a grimace, but I’ll take it… my name’s Vincent, by the way.” And miraculously the kind and attractive stranger, had been blessed with a name. They offered theirs in return, their voice just as shaky as the rest of them. 

“N-Nice to meet you.” They added after a small pause.

“Nice to meet you too. One last ride, right?” He said, his own hand giving their’s a gentle squeeze.

“One last ride.” They breathed and the ride operator’s voice came out over the speakers installed.

“Just a friendly reminder that the park will be closing in about forty-five minutes, so please keep that in mind when choosing your next ride.” He kind of sounds like an angsty news anchor. And there was never any hope in the park closing before my turn came for this ride. Dammit. “An approximate wait time is listed on signage at the end of the queue. One last reminder before we get going, keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the car at all times,” They glanced over at Vincent to see him mouthing along to the words. He sent them a wink as he continued and they smiled back at him. Probably still shaky though. “This is a fast flipping freak of a ride,” I don’t want to be here. “We want to make sure you all enjoy it safely. Make sure all bags, hats, sunglasses, loose items are secured and that your belt is fastened tightly.” He does not sound like he wants to be here. Something in common. I wonder how many times he’s said that tonight.

They pulled the strap of their belt until it was practically pinching and digging into their skin. A few different attendants were wandering amongst the cat, checking everything. Vincent was smiling.

“Check one?”

“Check.”

“Check Two?”

“Check!”

“Alright alright, here we go. Have fun you guys and enjoy your ride on the might Surrrge.” 

The screech of the metal brake releasing had them jumping. That sense of dread was starting to feel like lead in their gut. The ride chains clanked as the cars began to rise up the initial incline. They were already squeezing Vincent’s hand as gravity pulled at their shoulders and pressed them against the seat.

“I don’t want to do this.” They whispered. Vincent squeezed their hand back.

“It’ll be over before you know it. Promise.” He said. They squeezed their eyes shut, feeling hot tears slipping down their temples as their nose and throat burned. The car stalled near the top, and they forced their eyes open, immediately wishing they hadn’t. The people below seemed so tiny and the ground was so very very far away. 

“Please no. Oh god, please no.” They said, voice shaking. The drop had a scream of terror ripping free from their lips. The kind of scream that tore your throat raw and pushed all air from your lungs. The kind of scream that had your abdomen tightening painfully. The scrape of the well worn tracks below the cart wheels was barely audible over the pounding in their ears and the wind stinging their eyes and skin. Their free hand gripped the roll bar with white knuckles. I’m going to die. I’m going to fucking die. 

There was something final about that thought. As if their mind accepted it. They looked over at Vincent, his hair pushed back from his face and eyes wide with a sense of delight they couldn’t understand. A grin was plastered to his face, even as his hand remained in their own. Please don’t let go of me. Please don’t let me die.

A whimper and a gasp left their lips as the cars twisted into a swirl, approaching the loop-de-loop up ahead. Something’s going to go wrong. I can tell. They could see their friends waving and laughing below, pointing to the car they sat in. They couldn’t make out what they were shouting, but they could see Hannah miming making out. Was she talking about Vincent. The car started the quick ascent up the loop. 

Time slowed. Or the car did. No… it was the car. The sound of the ride chains clanking along side them slithered to a stop at the very height of the loop. Blood was starting to rush to their head.

“V-Vincent?” They said, too scared to move. 

“What’s going on?” They could hear him whisper. They tightened their grip on his hand. The air seemed to still. I’m going to die. Their mind felt empty except for that one thought. It was like it was outline and illuminated by the flashing bulbs so favored at amusement parks. Shouting started from below, as well as a few cries. Someone started to scream as the sound of metal groaned. 

Why wasn’t the car moving? Their head was starting to really fucking hurt. Breathing was getting difficult.

“Vincent, I’m scared.” They said, their voice sounding far away over the pumping in their ears. Vincent didn’t answer. Their hand was starting to ache from how tight they were both holding onto each other. 

Then there was a snap. A screech of metal. Gravity didn’t exist anymore and there were a lot more screams. Pressure pushed down on their head, shoulders, neck, and spine. The ground was growing closer. Too close. There was part of the track in the way. 

They were going to hit it. Oh god, they were going to hit it. I’m going to die.

The park was filled with all sounds of life. Screaming, metal tearing, sirens blaring, running footsteps, sobbing.

And the footsteps of a man who had lived long enough to see many horrors, quietly dragged away a boy that still held on tightly to a hand to someone that no longer had a head or a life.

[countessofravenclaw]

El Lugar más Feliz de la Tierra: Chapter three

To all that come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. - Walt Disney

Luna had never heard these words before, nor had she heard of the man who had said them... well until she and Mateo end up having a movie night and Luna comes up with an idea. If there is really a place that can be called "the happiest place on the earth" she wants to see it for herself. So she and all her friends leave on an adventure ... an adventure over to a place where you can leave today and enter the world of the past, future, adventure, and fantasy.

The song of the chapter V ¤

Get up and don't delay coming home to Disneyland!

“Simon, don’t take the whole day there!” Ambar was brushing her hair in front of the mirror in their hotel room. Simon was still in the bathroom and hadn’t even put on clothes yet. 

It was their first day at the parks in this ten-day trip and once in her life Luna had made a schedule for everyone. Today they were going to the titular park Disneyland, and it opened at 10 am. Breakfast had started at 8:30 and they were trying to make it to the rope drop. 

“I’m coming,” Simon came out of the bathroom only wearing a towel, his hair still wet. “Were not in a rush.”

“We soon are, if you keep this pace up,” Ambar rolled her eyes as she was attaching her earring and clasped the necklace behind her neck. 

She was wearing a yellow lace dress and her jewelry had red roses on them. As soon as the plan for the trip had come into full fruition, Jazmin had started to make plans of her own. She had for a long time been obsessed with a 2010s trend of “Disney bounding” and had forced all of them to take part in it with her. She had assigned everyone a different Disney couple and required approval on all the outfits for the first day. 

If you ignored Jazmin’s full-blown obsessiveness, Ambar thought it actually was a very cute idea. She and Simon had been assigned Beauty and the Beast and she had actually had quite a blast with putting together her outfit. She really loved that movie. 

Simon had originally protested the whole idea of dressing up, but Ambar had assured him that he didn’t need to give up the plaid jerseys and beanies… Sigh, that was her darling musician husband alright. Fashion never came before comfort, even on stage. 

“Okay, I’ll be fast,” Simon made a pretend salute in the sign of defeat, before starting to pull a shirt on.

“Okay, I’m done.” Ambar saw Simon put his shoes on through the mirror and stood up from the vanity herself. She walked to the nightstand on her side of the bed and picked her wedding band and engagement rings up from the box she always put them in if she took them off. She didn’t like wearing them while doing her make-up, they would just get dirty. 

“Good,” She looked at her watch while picking her bag from a back of a chair, “You got everything?”

“Yes,” Simon grinned at her.

“Your phone? The ring? The water bottles?”

“Darling,” Simon placed his arm around Ambar’s shoulder, “I have everything. I’m not gonna go out there and let all these Americans think I am a free man.” He joked and flicked his left hand at her where his wedding band was firmly in his ring finger.

“They better not,” Ambar laughed as they walked out of the door. 

The breakfast that had been complimentary addition to the stay, was taking place at a big hall that you entered in from the second floor, so it wasn’t far away. 

Ambar left Simon to grab the food from the buffet and walked herself to find a table. 

“Delfi, I will have to confiscate this if you won’t stop.” Ambar saw Delfi and Pedro sitting in one of the bigger tables. Ambar knew exactly what they were arguing about. Delfi was a control freak, pretty much as Ambar was if not more. “The wedding isn’t going anywhere if you don’t talk to the vendors during the time were here.”

For Delfi and Pedro, Jazmin had assigned them to be that couple from the movie Frozen. Delfi had a blue skirt, and purple blazer while Pedro was wearing a shirt that read “Lost in the Woods” and faux fur belt.”

“Listen to him, “Ambar said as she sat down, “It’s going to be fine.”

“Easy for you to speak,” Delfi huffed as she surrendered her phone to Pedro, “You already had your wedding.”

“I did, yes,” Ambar nodded, “But what I learned was that when you start getting filled up to the brink with stress, you need to take a step back. You have a planner, trust her. I have done this, I know, trust me too. If you want a second opinion, ask Nina, but I am sure she will say the exact same thing.”

“What are you talking about?” Simon came to them and handed Ambar one of the plates. They always shared their breakfast while traveling. 

“Delfi needs to relax about the wedding and have fun,” Ambar said and stabbed an orange slice by her fork before grabbing a piece of bread. 

“Yeah, definitely.” Simon nodded and shared some kind of look with Pedro. 

“Is no one else here yet?” Delfi furrowed her brow and Ambar checked her watch. “I mean I’m not completely surprised, Jazmin is probably shooting a make-up tutorial: How to survive 12 hours with no touch ups. But I was willing to bet that Gastón and Nina would surely be here before us, but that’s clearly not the case. Oversleeping doesn’t sound like something you get away with at Oxford.”

“I doubt they are sleeping,” Ambar mumbled. She felt for two of them. Getting dragged to another big trip with all of your friends only a couple of weeks after your honeymoon…there certainly was a need for some privacy as newlyweds. “I won’t be surprised if they happen to vanish from time to time on this trip. You’ll get that once you get married.”

“And here we have the breakfast hall,” Maybe after about 20 minutes Jazmin was waltzing toward them, vlogging camera in hand. She was wearing a white sheet dress with a black belt and black beads. She was even wearing carrot earrings, which Ambar thought was quite of a commitment to a Disneybound, even if you were dressed as a snowman. “Everyone, say hi!”

“This is not a work trip Jazmin.” Ambar waved mildly to the camera before turning back toward her breakfast before Simon ate everything up.

“It is for me,” Jazmin insisted as she sat down, “I have the whole feature planned and promised Fundom that I’ll give a seminar about shooting in theme parks once we’re back. Where is everyone?”

“Someone should have been assigned to wake Luna and Matteo up,” Almost like on cue, Nina appeared to the table, wearing a green skirt, purple shirt, and a seashell necklace and earrings. “But I’m sure they’ll get here eventually.” 

“What took you so long?” Jazmin blurted out and Ambar sighed internally. Jazmin had no filter sometimes. 

“We, uh… We’re not late.” Nina sat down and Gastón came behind her. A slight change in her expression did give away that oversleeping had indeed not been the reason, “Why is our sleeping schedule a topic of discussion?”

“You all do realize right that we’re not in school anymore, finally.” Gastón had a much better poker face than Nina did. He wrapped his arm around his wife as he sat down, “So, we’re allowed to not be completely on time all the time.”

“I agree, lets change the subject,” Ambar piped up, “Nina, tell Delfi to stop worrying about the wedding.”

“You’re worried about it?” Nina turned toward Delfi. 

“I am worried about things not getting done,” Delfi lamented. 

“Well, you can do nothing about it now, so just don’t think about it. It’s going to be fine. What we learned was that never try to do things alone. More you want things to be perfect, they will look more imperfect to you.” 

“That’s what I said,” Ambar nodded and directed her eyes back to the entrance of the hall. Maybe someone really should go wake Luna and Matteo up.

“These rooms are amazing!” Jim and Yam suddenly joined them, and Ambar could also see Ramiro making his way through the buffet. “The bed was so comfy, we slept like logs.”

“Did you also sleep in your clothing?” Delfi eyed Jim and Yam suspiciously and Ambar saw why. Jim was wearing a blue top, Yam a red one, and they both were extremely wrinkled. Yam’s white skirt and Jim’s white shorts also had some very random colored blotches. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” the girls said quickly and started to stuff their faces to avoid further questions. 

“We only have about 30 minutes left,” Ambar said while looking at her watch, “Maybe someone should go and bang on Luna and Matteo’s doo—”

“It is this way. Come one or we’ll be late. Hurry!” A voice suddenly rang in the hall. 

“I can’t hurry. It’s all too beautiful!”

Luna and Matteo finally appeared into view. Matteo was dragging the completely awestruck Luna forward like a toddler. Luna got away from his grasp and spun around. Her purple shirt said “I got a dream” with some sun imagery. Extremely fitting for her. Jazmin had done spectacular job with assigning the characters.  

***

“Everyone! Come on!” Luna was bouncing as the group finally left the hotel. She was so excited. She had studied the map she had found on the internet at least a hundred times, so she knew exactly where to go. “This way!”

They walked down a path lined with trees. Everything was so beautiful. 

“Chica Delivery wait.” Matteo caught up to her and grabbed her hand, “None of us came prepared for a morning jog. We can’t all fly on our feet.” 

“But we’re almost there,” Luna slowed her pace as they came up to a place that looked like some kind of…shopping district? Had they taken a wrong turn after all? “Where are we?” She turned toward Ambar.

“DownTown Disney.” Ambar stated, “You remember? The shopping district.”

“Uuu.”

“Not now Jazmin!” Ambar had pulled her phone up, “The park is that way.” She pointed to a sign that was pointed to the left. The sign had fancy-looking letters and a symbol of three different-sized circles. 

“Is this what they called those… those…” Luna tried to find the right words…she had read about this. “...Hidden Mickeys?”

“Doesn’t look very hidden,” Gastón’s voice remarked as he and Nina appeared at Luna and Matteo’s side. “This is probably just a sign.”

“The hidden ones are actually hidden or more like camouflaged,” Nina continued, “I read couple of blog posts about it. We can see how many we can find.”

“Yes!” Luna jumped into the air again and her yell appeared to scare some family walking past them. How many 23-year-olds usually showed this amount of excitement at Disneyland? Surely, she wasn’t the only one. “Anyways… that way. Lets go!”

Luna saw Ambar nod and they started walking again until they reached a plaza that had two absolutely beautiful gates. 

Luna would care about the other one later, but right now all her attention was focused on the turquoise one. Behind it, loomed a huge flowerbed and the flowers had been planted on the shape of that mouse Nina and Ambar had given her a long history lesson about. 

The adventure loomed just beyond that gate, and she had to get in. “Let’s go!”

“So, this isn’t the castle, right?” Luna asked as they all had finally gotten past the turn stables. There was a castle, she was sure of it. She had seen pictures of it, and this wasn’t it.

“No, this is the train station,” Nina explained. 

“There’s a train?” Luna whipped her head around. She had done so much research, more than she ever had done before…where had the mention of this train been? She really should have made a list…Luna was never going to become a master researcher like Nina. 

“That’s the reason why this park was ever even built,” Nina continued, “Disney was a big fan of miniature trains.”

“Then we’ll have to ride it,” Luna clapped her hands together, “But now I wanna find that castle.”

“I think we need to go around this,” Ambar was looking at her phone where she had the map. 

“Okay, thanks! Lets go!” Luna jumped up again and was just about to sprint around the train station when a hand grabbed her arm so she couldn’t move. “Hey! Matteo, let go.”

“If I do that, you will run off like a headless chicken and we will never find you again,” Matteo was giving the most idiotic “listen to me” look to her. 

“Okay,” Luna rolled her eyes and took his hand as they started moving forwards, in much more moderate speed. In other words, they were moving slowly! “But I won’t get lost, plus I have a phone.” 

“I don’t trust this place’s cell reception…or that you remembered to charge your phone,” Matteo gave her a look, “I’m just looking out for you. Our wedding will look very stupid if it’s just me standing on the altar by myself since you are lost at Disneyland. 

“If I am not allowed to talk about my wedding,” Delfi snarked behind them, “Nor are you.” 

“Maybe we just cease all the wedding talk all together,” Gastón suggested as they walked under the train tracks, “This was supposed to be a vacation.” 

As they came from under the bridge, Luna was already completely floored. The plaza that opened before them looked like something off an old photograph. It looked exactly like the pictures online. The street was lined by old-looking very fancy buildings that looked like they were shops. 

“This was one of the lands, right?” Luna turned toward Nina. 

“Yes, it’s called The Main Street USA. Modeled after Marceline mainstreet,” Nina nodded.

“Why do I feel like these buildings have shrunken somehow?” Luna asked next as she kept looking at the street.

“That’s called forced perspective,” Nina continued, “I don’t actually know that much about it, but it’s a construction technique to make things look bigger or smaller than they are.” She tapped Gastón on the arm she had been holding, “Gastón, is that something that’s used in real life construction?” 

“Not on any stuff I have worked on” Gastón turned toward Nina and Luna, “But I’m not an executive team member so I’m not involved with the actual construction of projects… But I do think it’s used in some architecturally detailed buildings and stuff like that. Just like that looks taller than it actually is because the details higher are smaller, so they look further away.” 

“What that?” Luna turned toward where Gastón was pointing to. 

“Since you were looking forward to that castle, there it is.” Nina pointed to the end of the street as well…

There it was. The castle loomed at the end of the street towering very high. It was extremely cute. 

“We have to get a picture in front of this, with all of us,” Luna gushed as they finally got up to the castle. “Weren’t there those people who take pictures for the guests? The…” She tried to remember the right term, “The PHOTOPASS people! Where can we find one?” 

“I think I already found one,” Simon appeared next to Luna and pointed toward a man who was wearing a bright green shirt with a Mickey symbol on his sleeve. He also had a camera, which should have been the real giveaway. 

"¿Disculpa? ¿Puedes tomarnos una foto?" Luna approached the camera man who just looked at her. 

“Excuse me, I didn’t quite catch that…” The man started saying. Right…he probably didn’t understand. Luna had already forgotten.

“I got this,” Gastón came behind them and exchanged a couple of words with the camera man who nodded and walked up to their group. 

“So, there is twelve of you?” He asked, “Where from England are you from?”

“We're not from England,” Gastón answered, and he and Nina shared a small glance. They had already been mistaken as British at the airport twice and once at the hotel, “We’re coming from Buenos Aires.”

“With very mixed bag with English skills,” Nina continued. 

“Good to know,” The camera man remarked, “So what do we want to do with the picture?”

“Uuuuuu, can we jump?” Luna asked and tried to mimic jumping to make the camera man understand. Nina seemed to translate it to him.

“Jumping, yes of course we can do that. Uhm, are you all couples?”

“Most of us,” Jazmin jumped into the conversation and started arranging everyone for the picture, “We have two married couples: The Alvarezes and The Peridas, then we have the almost Ariases and almost Balsanos,” Jazmin made Luna and Matteo stand next to Delfi and Pedro. 

“Actually, I’m not gonna change my name—” 

“Anyways,” Jazmin cut Luna off, “Jim and Yam stand here, and then we have me and Ramiro, the only ones who are single.” 

“Okay, great,” the cameraman was focusing his lens, “Can you all jump on three?”

“Of course, we can!” Luna answered. She was pretty sure that English phrase was right, “¡Somos el equipo de Jam & Roller después de todo!"

“One, two, THREE!”

***

“Boy, it is tall,” Simon cranked his neck as he was looking at the view that looked like it belonged to Switzerland or the Alps, not at Anaheim, especially given the heat. The fake mountain looked really impressive. 

“So, you done admiring the view?” Ambar grabbed his arm as they, Delfi and Pedro plus Jazmin who was talking into a camera at the moment, were walking past what looked like a fairytale village. “Let’s go. We didn’t come here to just stand.” 

After the picture, everyone had dispersed to their own directions as separate groups. They had agreed to meet up for lunch in few hours. 

Jazmin had B-lined through the castle at once and Delfi and Pedro had followed her with Simon and Ambar. Now they were heading toward that huge artificial mountain. 

“The Matterhorn was actually the world first tubular steel roller coaster,” Ambar was looking at the map again. Simon loved to see her this happy. She clearly was having the time of her life, and so was he as a result. “There are two sides. The Fantasyland side is like tamer, while the other one is faster.”

“So which one are we going on?” Pedro asked. Jazmin was speaking onto the camera again about two meters away from them. 

“Obviously the faster one,” Ambar stated crossing her arms. “Jazmin! Come on!”

“I need interviews from all of you as we wait in line,” Jazmin said as she joined them, and they entered the queue line. 

“Sure,” Delfi rolled her eyes. “How fast do you think this will be?”

Simon was afraid of the answer. He liked speed…but in moderate amounts. He wouldn’t call himself a daredevil of any sort. But guess who he would call? His darling, but also daring wife.

Ambar actually was a quite a speed fiend. You would never catch her getting a speeding ticket while driving, but she sure enjoyed the times when going fast was legal. 

Simon was pretty sure that it had a lot to do with her sheltered and controlled upbringing. He would be more than happy to help her experience everything she felt like she had missed. 

When they had been at Mexico visiting his family last, they had ended up taking Maria and Rika to Costa Maya, because there had been a waterpark they had been dying to visit and Mom and Dad had not let them travel alone as 16-year-olds, given it was over four hours away. Simon still wasn’t sure who had had more fun on that two-night trip, Ambar or his sisters. 

“So, this will be our first ride of the day: The Matterhorn!” Jazmin was pointing her camera at Simon’s face, “How are you feeling about this ride?”

“I’m excited,” Simon said quickly to the camera. The queue had moved again, so that saved him from the rest of Jazmin’s questions. 

“Pedro, how about you,” Jazmin continued.

“I just hope it doesn’t spin,” Pedro nodded before trying to hide behind Simon.

“You know, I read that there is a Jeti on this ride,” Jazmin was pointing the camera finally at herself again. 

“A jeti?” Delfi rolled her eyes, “This is a theme park ride. You been reading way too many conspiracies theories Jazmin. There is a reason why you need to stay away from Buzzfeed.”

The queue moved surprisingly fast or at least it felt like it because soon enough Simon found himself sitting in the front of a bobsled. How he had been the one sit on the front, he had no idea, but it had happened. 

“You scared?” Ambar’s voice came from behind him. She was squeezing his shoulder, clearly excited as the train took off and started climbing more and more higher before it started moving much faster. 

“Wooohoo!”

Simon had just started to enjoy the ride when they almost crashed into something furry with red eyes. There really was a Jeti!?!? Well, a robot that looked like a jeti. 

“I kneeew iiit!” Jazmin’s voice was yelling from somewhere as the bobsled kept rattling around. 

“Yikes!” Simon suddenly yelled as they crashed into a bond of water. Water?! Why was there water on this ride? He had not planned on getting wet today. 

“That was fun,” Ambar pulled her hair back as they exited the ride. Simon felt like the ground under him still moved…somehow. 

“Yes, very fun,” He nodded. 

“Were you scared,” Ambar linked her arm with his. 

“Me? No,” Simon shook his head. 

“Liar,” She rolled her eyes at him, “I heard you scream.”

“I didn’t want to get wet,” Simon shrugged. 

“Are you two coming!” Delfi was yelling for them where she, Pedro and Jazmin had gone ahead. 

“Lets go,” Ambar started pulling Simon forward, “There is more rides to be ridden.”

***

“So, this was the New Orleans Square?” Luna asked Nina as she was spinning in circles. Nina thanked the higher force that roller-skates were forbidden from the park. With them, Luna would have been completely out of control. 

“Yes,” she said while looking at the map. She knew that Luna had done more research that was usual of her, but in her excitement, she appeared to forget everything from time to time. “There are two rides here?”

“What’s that?” Luna pointed toward a creepy looking house. 

“The Haunted Mansion. One of the iconic ones.”

“Oh right!” Luna jumped up, for the hundred time that day. “We need to go on that! I mean I lived in a haunted mansion for years so let see how this compares. Where’s Matteo?”

“I have been standing right here the whole time,” Matteo’s voice came from next to Luna.

“Right, we know what we’re doing next.” Luna turned to him took a spooky tone with her voice while wiggling her fingers, “The Haunted Mansion…I hope you’re not scared Chico Fresa.” 

“When have I ever been scared?” Matteo seemed to roll his eyes, but Nina wasn’t paying attention. She kept looking at the mansion and tried to ignore the nervousness that had suddenly risen in her. 

“You sure you want to do this?” Arms wrapped around her shoulders, and she looked up at Gastón. “I have been on this before, granted ten years ago, but doubt they change these that much. There is a lot of lighting and thunder on that ride.”

“I think I have to,” Nina responded as the nerves started steadily easing up from his touch, “I can’t be afraid of thunder the rest of my life. I have done much scarier things already: Moved away, published a book, lived in a country that doesn’t speak my language. It’s about time I get over it. Maybe this is the way how. I read that the attraction itself is really good and quite funny.”

“As long as you’re sure.”

“I am,” she nodded, “What do I have to fear? You’re with me.”

“That’s my girl,” Gastón looked like he was about to lean down to kiss her when Luna’s voice interrupted them. 

“Are you two coming!?” She yelled from the entrance of the queue. 

“Yes, we are,” Gastón and Nina caught up to Matteo and Luna and they entered the queue. 

“Come on,” Luna linked her arm with Nina and yanked her away from Gastón, “I’m ready to get scared.”

They entered inside the house after being done with the outdoor queue. The place they were now in was some kind of foyer. It looked kind of normal, with some gothic and maybe rococo elements. The foyer had a big, heavy looking, wooden double doors. Things were looking maybe little too normal…

“When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls. Whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still — that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight!”

An eerie voice suddenly filled the room. 

“Cool!” Luna had let go off Nina’s arm. 

Nina willed herself not to jump from the noise. It wasn’t that scary, and she would not get scared by a theme park ride. On the other hand…she really hated horror movies. But she was not going to be scared by this. The lightning and thunder were another thing, but that hadn’t even come yet. 

Gastón’s arm went back around her, pulling her close as the doors opened, and they walked into an angular room. 

“Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion. I am your host, your ghost host. Kindly step all the way in please, and make room for everyone. There’s no turning back now. Our tour begins here in this gallery, where you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state.”

Nina looked around at the room and at pictures on the wall. This was the room that actually was an elevator… she remembered reading something like that from a blog post about all the fun facts. 

“Hold up… Wait… It’s moving?!” She heard Luna’s voice in the dark. 

“Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis. Is this haunted room actually stretching? Or is it your imagination — hmm?!”

The ceiling truly was growing taller by the second, or the floor was moving lower. 

“And consider this dismaying observation: this chamber has no windows and no doors… which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out! Of course, there’s always my way.”

The lightning struck illuminating the figure hanged from the ceiling. 

Nina was glad Gastón was holding her so tightly, as otherwise she surely would have jumped. Her heart definitely had jumped to her throat just a little bit. Thankfully, the circles that Gastón was rubbing into her arm and his presence in general, were helping quite a bit.

The doors opened and they walked out to the next part of the queue where there were a lot of portraits that got illuminated by more lightning from time to time… great…

“Oh, I didn’t mean to frighten you prematurely. The real chills come later. Now, as they say, “look alive,” and we’ll continue our little tour. And let’s all stay together, please.” 

Look alive? Really? The script was cleverly written, Nina had to admit. 

“Okay, so, anyone scared yet?” Matteo asked them as the queue stopped moving for a moment. He was backing toward the wall and turned and got visibly frightened by one of the busts that was on the wall. “Because I am not.”

“Sure about it?” Gastón raised an eyebrow at him as they moved again. 

“There are several prominent ghosts who have retired here from creepy old crypts all over the world. Actually, we have 999 happy haunts here — but there’s room for 1,000. Any volunteers? If you insist on lagging behind, you may not need to volunteer. And now, a carriage approaches to take you into the boundless realm of the supernatural. Take your loved ones by the hand, please, and kindly watch your step. Oh yes, and no flash pictures, please. We spirits are frightfully sensitive to bright lights.”

The doom buggies didn’t fit four people, so Gastón and Nina took the first one and Luna and Matteo the one right behind them. 

The first part of the ride went fine. The “scariness” wasn’t actually that scary. The Madam Leota room had even been fascinating and Nina really wanted to look up how the ghosts on the ballroom worked. On the other hand, Gastón had been right about lighting and thunder being prominent elements. 

She wasn’t jumping exactly anymore, but there had been multiple points where she had pressed herself really tightly against Gastón…And there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. She was allowed to cuddle her husband as much as she wanted whenever, wherever and for whatever reason she wanted. 

“Is it bad for me to say that I’m glad that you didn’t look like that?” Gastón asked as they were entering a section which appeared to depict a series of events where a same bride had murdered bunch of her husbands. 

“In sickness and in… wealth. You may now kiss the bride. We’ll live happily ever after. Till death do us part. Here comes the bride. As long as we both shall live. For better or for… worse. I do. I did.” The figure of the bride’s ghost resided. 

“I don’t think so,” Nina responded, “I’m not that good at aiming that I’d be able to cut your head off.” 

“Good to know,” Gastón appeared to laugh as he swiftly pressed a kiss to her temple. 

They moved past the Hat Box Ghost, of which Nina had read about. The animatronic really was impressive—

Suddenly they heard a shriek coming from behind them. It hadn’t come off the ride, since the voice had been familiar and had been followed by bubbly laughter. 

"No estoy asustado!" 

Both Nina and Gastón had to laugh. That made Nina relax quite a bit and she was able to enjoy the rest of the ride. 

“Hurry back! Hurry back! Be sure to bring your death certificate… if you decide to join us. Make final arrangements now! We’ve been dying to have you…”

“Everything okay?” Gastón asked as the escalator brough them back into the daylight.  

“I think so,” Nina ran her hand through her hair. “I do need at least ten more times on that not to jump every time…but I’m good.”

“Good thing that we don’t need to do that again any time soon,” Gastón brushed some hair back that had escaped on her face from the confines of the headband. “It’s also a good thing that you won’t go on to murder me, for whatever reasons wives usually kill their husbands.”

“I don’t think there will be a reason.”

“There better not be.” 

Gastón placed his hand on Nina’s waist, pulling her close and kissing her. 

“Are you two going to knock it off anytime soon?” Matteo was standing next to the exit, arms crossed and Luna on his side. 

“No. Shut up, Matteo,” Gastón rolled his eyes at him. “Anyways, how did you like the ride?”

“It was so spooky,” Luna started talking, “I legit forgot to breathe at some points.”

“I was not scared at all,” Matteo draped his arm on Luna’s shoulder while making the most unconvincing face imagined.

“Yeah, the whole park heard how not scared you were,” Gastón raised an eyebrow at Matteo.

“It came out of nowhere and the head just disappeared,” Matteo tried to defend himself. “I was surprised, not scared… So, what are we doing next?”

“Uuu, can we go on that mountain where you get wet?” Luna suggested. 

“That’s not possible,” Gastón had pulled the park ´map up on his phone. “It’s closed.”

“Why?” 

“Some kind of refurbishments,” Gastón shrugged, “Those happen. If you wanna get wet, ask Simon. He says he got almost soaked on some attraction.”

“On what?” Nina peeked over to his phone where he had the group chat open.

“Doesn’t say. Oh, and Ramiro is saying that he, Jim and Yam are at Space Mountain right now, but after that he wants all of us to meet up at Astro Blasters. Apparently, the loser will buy the Dole Whips.”

***

“We have been standing on this line forever,” Jim whined as the line moved around the corner.

“It has not been that long,” Yam had her arm on Jim’s shoulder. “Hey, Ramiro.” She snapped her fingers in front of Ramiro who had been leaning on the railing, “You were the one who wanted to get on this. How long will this take?”

“How would I know?” Ramiro shrugged, “Didn’t you look at that waiting time as we walked in?”

“I repeat, this was your idea,” Yam continued, “Why didn’t you check?”

“I did,” Ramiro put his phone in his pocket, “It was about an hour, but I have no idea how long it has been now.”

“Why didn’t you put on a timer?”

“Why on earth of would I have done that?”

“Come on, we’re moving again,” Jim shouted as the queue started moving. 

They entered a hallway illuminated with red lights and some kind of safety spiel was being read to them. 

The hallways started ascending upwards… then it started descending. Then they were walking on a bridge… and suddenly they were on the loading platform. 

“Oh, we were this close,” Yam said. 

“Dips on the front seat!” Jim grabbed Yam by the hand as they moved behind the front seat’s gate. Ramiro just rolled his eyes and stood behind the next gate. 

Some person he didn’t know sat next to him at the rocket, but he didn’t care. 

“It’s moving!” He heard Jim’s voice as the train started ascending on the track. 

The coaster rolled down a hill and they were engulfed into the darkness. The speed kept increasing…

…until it didn’t. 

The coaster came in a screeching halt all of a sudden. 

“What is going on?” Yam’s voice asked in the darkness. 

“I don’t know,” Jim’s voice said as in response, “Hold my hand.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, your space mission has been momentarily stopped due to technical difficulties. Please stay seated and cast member will be with you shortly.”

“What is going on?” Jim’s voice sounded again, “What did they say?”

“I don’t know!” Yam spoke again, her voice being pitched up at least three octaves, “Is this broken? Is this safe?!?! Do they eleven know we’re stuck here?! What if we fall off the tracks??!?!

“ARE WE GOING TO DIE?!?!??!”

“You can’t be serious,” Ramiro sighed, “No one is going to die. There are just some technical difficulties or something and that’s why we’re stopped.”

“How do you know that?”

“They said that in the announcement” Ramiro leaned back and rolled his eyes.

“Since when do you understand English?” Even when Ramiro could not see Yam’s face, he could imagine her expression. 

“Since I have been an international skating star. I’m not stupid you know, and Luna is not that good in languages, so someone has to keep up with an interviewer.” 

Click! All a sudden all the lights went on and they could almost see the whole track. They were stopped on top of some kind of a lift hill. 

Unexpectedly everyone, except Jim, Yam and Ramiro, on their rocket cheered. 

“What’s going on here now?” Jim was still looking quite panicked. “Why are they cheering? We’re still stuck.”

At least Jim was making some sense now. Ramiro was wondering the same thing. He turned toward the guy who was sitting next to him. “Uhm, Hi. My friends are being stupid tourists, so they don’t get why we’re all cheering.”

“It’s because we might get to ride the lights on,” The guy answered, “I have done it once. It’s so cool. The cast members will come and push us down the track.”

“Okay,” Ramiro turned his eyes back on the track. This was going to be fun…especially if he wasn’t going to tell Jim and Yam what he had just learned.

***

“The game was rigged” Matteo complained as they were walking away from the Tiki Juice bar. “I certainly hit more targets. There was no way that…”

“I have you know that I have not spent my whole life pointing the camera at people to have bad aim,” Jazmin walked next to him and pulled the camera out of her bag, “Hello everyone! We just went head-to-head on laser shooting ride and guess what, I won! Matteo lost, so he had to buy all of us ice-cream. So, Matteo, how does it feel?”

“No comment.” Matteo shook his head and thankfully Jazmin walked away as they entered back into the central plaza where the castle was. The night was getting darker, and the fireworks were going to take place in just about fifteen minutes. 

“This is so good!” Luna was zooming around everybody.

“How does she still have so much energy?” Gastón appeared next to Matteo while he had been looking at Luna. 

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Matteo shook his head, “One of the mysteries I have not yet solved.” 

“I’d recommend solving it, before you marry her. Then there’s no way out then,” Gastón smirked, “So you’re sure you can keep up. That is crucial in that kind of life.”

“Because you’re such an expert,” Matteo rolled his eyes, “You have been married for what? Not even two months.”

“Which is exponentially longer than you have ever been,” Gastón countered. 

“What are you two talking about?” Nina appeared next to Gastón. “Not arguing I hope.”

“Of course not,” Gastón shook his head, and his hand swiftly went on her waist as it seemed, pulling her closer, “We were just talking about how good I am at being a husband.”

Nina seemed to appear to give Gastón a look that was supposed to convey how much of an idiot he was being, but the love and affection were hard to miss in her eyes. She leaned her head on Gastón’s shoulder as announcements about the fireworks beginning were starting to be made. 

Matteo looked around in search of Luna. Hopefully, she hadn’t seen something interesting, lost focus and just run off. “Where are you Chica Delivery?”

“What do you mean? I’m right here.” A voice sounded from next to Matteo that made him jump.

“Are you still afraid of ghosts?” Luna laughed as she grabbed his arm.

“Of course not,” Matteo shook his head. 

“Look, it’s starting.”

“Just imagine: if you were standing right here over 60 years ago, you’d be standing in the middle of an orange grove. One visionary man stood right where you are now, but instead of orange trees, he envisioned a Magic Kingdom. This man’s name was Walt Disney, and his dream would be called Disneyland.”

{}

And we finally made it into the parks! I purposefully didn't name all the characters everyone was bounding as. Leave guessed in the comments. This was written in the summer of 2023, about a year before this occurred. Splash Mountain is right now closed because it's being turned into Tiana's Baoyu Adventure. I can's have the character ride a ride that doesn't exist anymore when they are there, nor can I have them ride something that doesn't exist in my time yet. That's why no Splash Mountain in this fic. And yes, I did have this trip happen right after Gastina's wedding so can just have them be extremely lovey-dovey newly weds

[jobey-wan-kenobi]

Two-Bit and Marcia

I see all y’all’s cute headcanons about them dating and defying their respective family/friends and being a sweet happy lil’ couple. I want that to be true but it just rings false to me. No way. Can’t happen. Not in their world. (Also, let’s be honest, Two-Bit’s drunk ass should not be marrying anyone, certainly not some sheltered young girl with poor conflict resolution skills.)

Here’s what I do see happening. It’s way later in life. Like, mid-80s? Reagan’s in the White House. Neither is in Tulsa anymore. They’ve both wound up, indirectly, in a not-too-far away city, like, I dunno. Edmonton or Fayetteville. They know through the grapevine the other is living there too but don’t seek each other out. It’s serendipitous, the day they run into each other. It’s a treat. Not gonna lie, it’s a special treat for both of them when they find out pretty quickly that they’re both single. 

Date night! Dinner and drinks at a bar. Both are a little nervous but they wind up spilling their guts and roasting each other the whole time. There’s bowling involved. It sounds lame, and compared to their teenage years of course it is, but it’s still a blast, because it’s them. 

Both of them feel like they’ve pretty much fucked up their lives so far. The more they share, the more comfortable they both feel sharing more. Marcia tells him about her asshole ex and how most of their kids hate both of them right now and how she’s living like a fugitive to avoid getting served papers because her husband got photographs of her screwing around with another man while they were unofficially separated. Two-Bit tells her about the stupidest and most embarrassing arrests he’s been put under. The late 60s and 70s weren’t kind to him. He made a lousy hippie. But he was a big fan of the drugs. He has a kid too. His kid adores him, because he visits only occasionally. He’s Disneyland Dad. Two-Bit doesn’t push the mom for more because he knows she’s right that it’s not good for the kid to expect consistency that he can’t live up to.   

Both of them roast themselves. This is Two-Bit and Marcia. They don’t just make polite awkward self-deprecating jokes. It’s not “funny.” It’s not fishing for compliments. It’s brutal. And they don’t reassure each other. They roast each other too. They talk and laugh loudly but they’re in their own old language of metaphors and wordplay and non-sequiturs. No one understands them. It’s okay to tell each other all of their fuck-ups though. Neither of them is surprised. Neither of them thinks any less of the other. “You haven’t changed,” Two-Bit tells her. “You stop that,” Marcia says, “I wish.” “Fine, you’ve changed. You’ve grown up.” “I’ve still got that same stick up my ass.” Two-Bit lights up. He starts trying to physically locate it. In the bar. She has to throw some of her drink in his face. They leave sniping and laughing. 

Once they meet, Marcia gets more serious about getting her affairs in order. She gets a new lawyer, stops playing games and procrastinating, gets the divorce finalized. She does get screwed quite a bit but at least it’s a closed book now. Two-Bit goes back to AA for, like, the eighth time? It’s different this time. Everyone can tell. He didn’t come to make friends. He didn’t come to get an audience for his “and I’m a shit-faced motherfucker!” jokes. He came to finally advance past Step 4. 

They drive to Vegas to elope. They like being on the road so much that they stick with it for years, becoming antiques and mechanical parts dealers. They kill at it. Eventually they decide to settle in one spot again, but they don’t lose their zest for life. Two-Bit is steadily employed by the time his kid graduates and he puts the kid through college. They make new friends. Not greasers or Socs or suburban robots or criminals. Just regular ordinary people. 

[themovieblogonline]

Calling All Padawans: Disneyland's Season of the Force is Back

Star Wars fans, listen up! Disneyland's transforming into a galaxy far, far away for Season of the Force, and it's gonna be epic. Mark your calendars for April 5th to June 2nd, because that's when the Force takes over Disneyland Park with new rides, limited-edition eats, and out-of-this-world merch. First things first: Hyperspace Mountain is back! This high-speed Star Wars overlay on Space Mountain takes you on a wild ride through the cosmos, dodging TIE fighters and blasting past X-wings. It's guaranteed to get your adrenaline pumping faster than a podracer on Tatooine. Fuel Up for Your Star Wars Adventures Speaking of Tatooine, Season of the Force is bringing some seriously space-tacular food and drinks to Disneyland. We're talking stuff like the Toydaria Swirl (whatever that is, it sounds delicious!), Dewback Chili Noodles (spicy, we hope!), and even a Bantha Burger (move over, cheeseburgers!). Basically, you can eat your way through the Star Wars universe. Get ready to jump to lightspeed on Star Tours – The Adventures Continue! This time around, the ride is getting some fresh updates inspired by the hit Disney+ shows "Ahsoka," "Andor," and everyone's favorite bounty hunter, "The Mandalorian." No spoilers here, but let's just say you might encounter some familiar faces (or helmets) on your next hyperspace voyage. Fireworks Get a Star Wars Makeover Disneyland's nighttime fireworks are already legendary, but during Season of the Force, they're getting a special Star Wars twist. On select nights, you can experience "Fire of the Rising Moons," a new fireworks show that'll make you feel like you're right in the middle of a galactic battle. And calling all hardcore Star Wars fans! Don't miss the separately ticketed Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite. This special event lets you explore the park after-hours, with unique entertainment, character sightings you won't find anywhere else, and even more Star Wars-themed food, like a pineapple and ube (purple yam) crescent sundae (because, why not?). Whether you're a lifelong Star Wars fanatic or just looking for a fun-filled adventure, Season of the Force at Disneyland has something for everyone. So grab your lightsaber, your crew, and get ready for a galactic good time! (Source: Disney) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl3h_5cj0no

[parksaversnews]

Patrick Wartburton Surprises Fans at Soarin' Ride

Disneyland Resort is a place where dreams come true, and on March 15, 2024, a group of lucky guests experienced a truly magical moment. As they prepared to board the beloved Soarin' Over California attraction at Disney California Adventure Park, they were greeted by a familiar face – none other than Patrick Warburton, the iconic voice behind the attraction's pre-show safety video. For over two decades, Warburton has welcomed guests to the Soarin' attractions at Disney California Adventure and EPCOT in Florida with his signature "important safety tips." However, this time, he decided to take his role as the Chief Flight Attendant to new heights by conducting the safety checks in person, much to the delight and surprise of the unsuspecting guests. https://youtu.be/SedZArOO0WE

A Soarin' Surprise

As guests lined up to board the Soarin' Over California attraction, they were met with an unexpected sight – Patrick Warburton himself, standing in front of them, ready to deliver his safety spiel live and in person. The actor, known for his roles in shows like "Seinfeld," "The Emperor's New Groove," and "Family Guy," greeted the awestruck guests with his trademark charm and wit." It's just magical to see how beloved Soarin' Over California still is after all of these years," Warburton shared with the crowd.  "I can remember my first trip to Disneyland at the age of five, and I continue to be a huge Disney fan, so to be part of a Disney attraction that has lasted this long has just been such a sweet and wonderful thing for me. "The surprise appearance was part of the celebration for the limited-time return of Soarin' Over California during the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, which runs until April 22, 2024.

Fan Reactions

The reactions from the guests were priceless, with many struggling to contain their excitement and disbelief. Some were left speechless, while others couldn't help but cheer and applaud the beloved actor. "I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Patrick Warburton standing there," said one guest, Emily Thompson. "I've been riding Soarin' for years, and his voice has become so iconic. To see him in person was just surreal." Another guest, Jason Lee, shared a similar sentiment. "I've always loved his work, and to have him deliver the safety spiel in person was just an incredible experience. It really added to the magic of the attraction."

Behind the Scenes

While the surprise appearance was a hit with fans, it was also a special moment for Warburton himself. In an interview with the Disney Parks Blog, he expressed his joy at being able to interact with guests in such a unique way. "Getting to surprise guests today was super fun, and it's great to see the impact that this safety intro has made for the past 23 years and how people still love it," Warburton said. "It was such a blast getting to be the Chief Flight Attendant for Soarin' Over California once again!" Warburton's connection to Disney runs deep. In addition to his role as the voice of Soarin', he has lent his talents to various Disney projects, including voicing the character Kronk in "The Emperor's New Groove" and the Grand Macaw in "Elena of Avalor."

Media Coverage

The surprise appearance quickly gained traction in the media, with news outlets and social media platforms buzzing with excitement. Videos of Warburton's interactions with guests went viral, capturing the pure joy and wonder of the moment. Entertainment Weekly praised the actor's ability to bring the attraction to life, stating, "Warburton's surprise appearance was a masterclass in immersive storytelling, transporting guests into the world of Soarin' in a way that only Disney can." Meanwhile, social media was flooded with posts from fans sharing their experiences and expressing their gratitude for the unforgettable moment.

A Lasting Legacy

As the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival comes to a close, the memory of Patrick Warburton's surprise appearance will undoubtedly linger in the hearts and minds of those who witnessed it. It was a moment that reminded us all of the magic that Disney is capable of creating, and the power of a beloved character to bring joy and wonder to people of all ages. For Warburton, the experience was a testament to the enduring legacy of Soarin' and the impact his voice has had on generations of Disney fans. "Nice work, Pal!" he exclaimed, echoing the iconic line that has become synonymous with the attraction. And for those lucky enough to have been there, it was indeed a job well done – a soaring success that will be remembered for years to come.

Conclusion

In a world where surprises are few and far between, Patrick Warburton's appearance at Soarin' Over California was a reminder of the magic that Disney is capable of creating. It was a moment that brought smiles to the faces of guests young and old, and a testament to the enduring power of beloved characters and attractions. As the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival comes to a close, and Soarin' Over California takes its final bow (at least for now), one thing is certain: the memory of this unforgettable surprise will soar on, etched into the hearts and minds of all who witnessed it. Read the full article

[kravitzkrusher]

One of my coworkers is fasting for his health and he keeps bringing it up and asking me to try it with him. I said no. I was polite about not wanting to every time he asked me. Until the last time. I completely broke. (tw: ed) (tw: depression)

I was like STOP ASKING ME TO FAST IM NOT GONNA. I've been badly recovering from anorexia for the past 12 years and all I do is relapse. It's not an option for me.

He kept pushing back and going but we ALL eat too much sometimes and we ALL could use time without food so we can focus on life-- bro he wasn't listening.

I was trying not to cry having to hold back all these horrible traumatizing emotions around food while he kept telling me I should starve myself for my health. I am shaking like bitch I cannot physically do that.

People fast because it doesn't feel good and it forces them to remember what's important like health or family or Jesus or whatever. When I start restricting, it feels amazing. I'm not trying to lose weight. It's a chance to give in to my depression and hurt myself in a nonviolent way. I am so happy to suffer, you have no idea. When I'm starving, I'm telling my depression YES YOURE RIGHT AND YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT LETS GO TO DISNEYLAND (aka heaven)!!

I am a much more radiant person when I have zero energy whatsoever because I feel like I'm getting what I deserve: nothing. My brain lights up with happiness!! I'm finally dying again! Hell yes! It wants me to keep going! Have a BLAST! I will lose control and go off the deep end. It's all fun and games and everyone's supporting me and cracking jokes. It's "haha! give that skinny bitch a cheeseburger!" Until I need to be force fed my first meal in six days. And I'm having to be held down in front of a plate. And I'm crying and vomiting and yelling at the people helping me because I don't want to be alive anymore and I was succeeding and they're fucking it up 👿👿👿.

Don't give everyone you meet the option to restrict their diet.

Please.

I had to beg this boy to leave me alone.

Fasting is not for everyone.

Food is not a distraction from God, it's not a great evil we should avoid. People need to eat to survive. It's not just "skipping a meal lol" food has valuable nutrients in it and we need those. For folks like me, every bite is like torture, they can't taste any happiness in what they're chewing because eating is not a good time. It's serious. My body is a science project now. It's biology. I am carbon based life form and I have to eat or else there's a knife against my throat🔪. That's not fun. That's extortion and I feel like I'm being held hostage. Eating is not something I personally can get addicted to because I hate it so goddamn bad, starving is fun as hell. I don't need a break from food. I've had more than enough breaks.

I couldn't tell my coworker all this. It was none of his business. And I shouldn't have to reveal trauma and depression and pain and eating disorders to have my "no" be respected.

Don't market fasting like it's easy and everybody can do it.

You have no idea what people are going through.

[returntosaturn271995]

Thursday, January 4th, 2024: New, clean, and with a sheen

10 things that happened today:

Put out contracting fires at work, and got a positive call-out in the Teams Kellogg's chat for Karen Cheng's filter getting 5 M organic impressions + 350,000 engagements. Hollah, bitches.

Beach walked and encountered adorable Yorkie puppies owned by an elderly couple on the way there. On the way back I walked past my neighbor's house just as a toddler popped up in a Cinderella dress to look out at the street. I smiled and waved at her, and she waved back. So cute.

Wore a ruched olive green midi-dress and my white vejas, hair down all day.

Despite having "Murder on the Dancefloor" stuck in my head, I continue to blast it.

Bought a new dining room table with matching suede chairs and unpacked the new kitchen utensils (about half of which I understood the actual use for).

Finished "Quietly Hostile" by Same Irby. Only three more books left for January.

Trump reportedly received at least $7.8 million in foreign payments from 20 (!) countries during his four years in the White House according to a new report from Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. Most of the money came from China. It’s exactly the kind of foreign interference and corruption that House Republicans are desperately trying to pin on President Biden via their bogus impeachment inquiry. FUCKING HOW IS HE NOT IN JAIL I COULD SCREAM????

Got asked out again by Tyler, said yes, but pretty sure my choker necklace is lost somewhere in his house. His response? "Choker? I don't even know her." Respect.

Watched old episodes of Sex in the City with Makenna (the one where Carrie is fashion road kill and Heidi Klum steps over her carcass), scheduled coffee with Monika, and plan to meet Natalie after work tomorrow.

Went through the drive-thru car wash in my leopard print robe because I'm forever a silly goose.

Text out of Context:

Connor B: lol you’d be an exceptional thief and I’d happily be a part of your crew. Always need a crew!

Erin Burks: Run my ship like a gentleman pirate

Connor B: Pirating used to sound thrilling but now it sounds miserable under those dirty ass living conditions. Couple pirates did it right though

Erin Burks: Any place without indoor plumbing? Couldn’t be me I LOVE bougie bathrooms Dream home: classic kitchen with modern appliances, bathroom with a shower out of the future, and an office behind a turn-around book case so I can avoid my children The lever to turn it? A copy of “The Doors of Perception” directly next to a red book titled “Herring”

Connor B: lol already have the detail of the lever

Erin Burks: I’ve wanted a turn around bookcase since I was five and saw it in Scooby Do, the height of luxury I’m an adult and I still think it’s cool as hell

Connor B: I want secret hallways all throughout the house and my secret room would be in the basement behind a fireplace that spins Going to be a BIG house

Erin Burks: ….so a dungeon Very Targaryen of you

Connor B: Someone has to have a bunker and it will be super nice!! Not a dungeon 😏

Erin Burks: Fire and no natural light? Dungeon

Connor B: The rest of the house has natural light I think I’ll be ok

Erin Burks: True, plus you can keep your secret family there “Flowers in the Attic” style

Connor B: Haha no no two families sounds like a nightmare. No chance I could deal with two.

Erin Burks: So true, the trips to Disneyland alone Or whatever it is people with children give up their freedom for.

[pashterlengkap]

Parenting has shown me the beauty in the mundane

My 15-month-old son loves airports. Yes, he loves to press his hands against the big glass windows and watch the planes go by, but it’s more than that. The airport, itself, seems to enchant him. In the handful of times he has traveled, he has relished every flight delay as if it meant a longer time at Disneyland. He could spend hours crawling and cruising from gate to gate, drumming on every seat and listening to the booming voice of the gate agent fill the room with announcements. He could spend an entire day riding the escalators up and down and up and down. I used to be terrible at waiting, whether in line, at an airport, at a traffic light, or anywhere else. It was agony, that lack of control over my own circumstances. But my wide-eyed boy has shown me that there is magic in waiting. A long line means getting to wave and make faces at strangers. Traffic means blasting silly songs and sticking out our tongues at each other in the rearview mirror. Loud construction is just a super cool show to watch out the window, and a long plane ride means getting to try French fries for the very first time. --- Related Stories What I wish I knew on my first Mother’s Day as a mom Parenting isn’t for everyone. You know that. But this year, you will discover that it is so deeply for you. --- It’s one of the biggest and most unexpected pleasures I have found in parenting – the way it slows me down. It has helped me see the beauty in what I once saw as the mundane, mostly annoying parts of life. My son has taught me to appreciate the in-between times, that there can be so much joy in the simple act of getting from point A to point B. Get the Daily Brief The news you care about, reported on by the people who care about you. Earlier this month, my wife and I were out walking with our son when a passing train got us stuck at a long red light. My first thought: how fun it will be to watch him watch the train go by. He had never seen a train so up close before, so I unclipped him from his stroller and held him up high. His wide eyes as it swooshed past made me forget we were even waiting in the first place. The way I see it, no matter where I am with my son, we’re playing, and we’re discovering the everyday wonders of the world around us. So what do I care if I’m at home, in an airport, on a plane, at a traffic light, or in a long line for brunch? With him, passing the time is easy. Because we’re not really waiting. We’re experiencing what a leaf feels like; we’re practicing finding our nose and our ears; we’re oohing and ahhing at the whirring wheels of a garbage truck; we’re listening to the way raindrops sound on the window; we’re dancing to the insurance company’s hold music on speaker phone; we’re pressing our faces against the door of the washing machine and watching the clothes go round and round. I know I will never experience these things with the wonder that he does, but the delight on his face is enough for me.   http://dlvr.it/Ssp0pX

[jasonsutekh]

Tomorrowland (2015)

A young girl is enticed by a vision of a better future only to discover that hope of realising it has been lost.

 If anything the subtext has become all the more relevant culturally as well as in humanitarian terms. There’s an emphasis on hope to contrast all the usual rhetoric provided by major news sources and social media, the latter a notable omission from the movie. An interesting effect is that it mixes nostalgia with existentialism and modernism.

 It took quite a while to get going in the beginning which is partly a strength because it meant there could be a slight genre change part way through but since we know where it’s heading from the prologue it drags a little waiting for it to get there. There’s an uncomfortable, and somewhat unfair, part where collective humanity is blamed for steering the world to disaster rather than the lead culprits of politicians and rich people, fully ignoring the leading experts at large in the world clearly warning people of exactly what is happening for over a century.

 The acting is quite effective all round and the younger actors easily carry the drama as well as the veteran actors. There are a few amusing parts that work well for all audiences. Some parts are necessarily sentimental since the aim isn’t to be a complete downer but at the same time it doesn’t always talk down to the audience, recognising that the younger generations will be fully aware of the situation at this late stage.

 Considering how much emphasis the small family had in earlier scenes, the family back story could have been expended upon. Possibly the most major flaw of the film is that it a future based on better technology as though we’ll use it more wisely just because it’s more advanced, as though jet-packs and matter transmission will spawn from peace and hope to save the world instead of through direct action and incredible violence, but Disney is hardly going to advertise the idea of dismantling greedy corporations because it would be counter-intuitive for business.

 7/10 -Well above average, but no masterpiece-

 -There are several references to the Terminator franchise, the burned metal skull, running after the van, smashing the window with a fist, etc.

-Icons from several Disney franchises can be spotted in the Blast From the Past store including Forbidden Planet, star Wars, and Toy Story.

-The name of the film is a reference to an area in Disneyland, conceived as early as the 1950s.