#dude sometimes I want to turn her head 360° around

[bloodyarn]

» Wall Lurking .

────────────────────────

[ obviously @estarion ]

❝ You write nice things on there, Astarion. You were a magistrate, didn't you have a guestbook back then   ? ❞     Now, why would a magistrate need a . . .

Babette's thought process remains a mystery.

[lost-between-letters]

I Bet You Think About Me

Part four

Pairing: Sam Winchester X Reader (she/her)

Word Count: 1,210

Warnings: spoilers for season 7

Summary: A new person messes with Sam's head. For once, it's the fun kind though

A/N: anddd the final part already! I hoped you liked it, I for my part had fun (and wouldn't mind a fifth part maybe sometime with the date... If I get inspired that is)<3

part one / part two / part three

In the end, it turned out to be a Nosos, a Greek ghost of illness that haunted the local supermarket. It was exorcised pretty smoothly, at least by their standards.

Dean got hit by it on the way out which left him behind a nice parting gift - a nasty cold that he was bitching about for the next six weeks. Other than that, everything went back to normal for the two brothers.

Okay, maybe not normal. Dean was giving him side glances every time, Sam was on his phone or left the room to take a call and they swung by Bobby's at least once a week now.

This got so annoying, that, by the third time Dean had grinned at the incoming text signal, Sam was ready to throw the phone at his brother. After taking the call and explaining the situation of course. "What?"

"Dude," Dean's grin broadened even more. Seriously, it was almost a 360, "I knew that you were a chicken with the girls but this?"

"What are you talking about?" Sam feigned ignorance. Not that it ever worked with Dean but it was worth a shot. Who knew maybe today was the day he finally found the part of himself that held up a neon sign Not Your Business.

A shot into the dark. Dean rolled his eyes, crossed his arms and leaned back on the motel bed as if he was about to watch one of his beloved soap operas that he swore on his soul he hated. "Y/N, you dense fucker. I swear to God, it's so obvious that you like her and if you don't grow a pair until the next time, I'll ask her out."

"Don't you dare." A pillow flew Dean's way before Sam had finished his sentence. The words had flown out of his mouth before his brain had caught up on what was happening.

Annoyingly, he simply dodged it and kept looking at him with the Older Brother Look. "Oh, I will Sammy, trust me."

"Fine, you jerk, I'll talk to her," Sam grumbled and threw the bathroom door shut behind him.

"Cool, because she texted me that she'll be here in fifteen, wanted to pick up a shiny weapon as well," Dean shouted through the closed door, "and don't make us have this conversation again, 'kay?"

Sam just groaned loudly and mourned the long shower he had planned on. Now, he opted for short but clean.

His timing was perfect, as Y/N was already leaning on the opposite wall when he left the bathroom, hair damp and dropping onto his shoulders.

Dean was nowhere in sight and the door was closed. Sam wasn't sure if he was grateful or wanted to shoot him. Well, that was certainly the situation Dean had wanted. Most likely had orchestrated it too, the controlling jerk.

"Hey there," Y/N waved and smiled, "feeling clean again?"

Sam shrugged. A lovesick grin came annoyingly easy at her open expression. "Can't complain."

Ignoring the elephant in the room, he walked over to the table under the window where they had put their bag with weapons. His mind scrambled for every piece of information that wasn't centered around the reason Y/N was here. "Dean said you needed a silver knife, do you have any preferences for length?"

"Dean said that you wanted to tell me something," Y/N cut to the core. She pushed herself up from the wall and stood up straight. As if she was bracing herself.

Yeah no, Sam would shoot him. He laughed nervously, stalling to think of what the fuck he was supposed to say now. The truth? Wonderful idea. Again, yeah no. "Uhm"

Sam had the strong urge to run but knew that it was useless. Knowing Dean, he was standing across the floor and would push him right back into the room. Or have Cas seal it magically. He wouldn't put it past him to be honest. So Sam gathered up the courage that was usually reserved for invading a demon nest and turned towards Y/N.

Only to see her playing with the sleeves of her jacket and staring down at her feet.

She was nervous too, Sam realised. With probably more joy than was appropriate. But hey, that could only be a - well - okayish sign?

"Dean's an asshole." That was a start, right? Maybe not the best, but at least he was talking. God, Sam wanted to shoot himself now. Preferably his hands so that he knew where the fuck to put them.

Luckily, Y/N laughed rather than providing the weaponry to go through with his plans. "Oh, I don't know, he's pretty cool."

"Yeah, as long as he doesn't go all big brother on you and tries to give you life advice," Sam grumbled.

"Any life advice in particular?" Y/N stepped away from the wall and towards him.

Ah, fuck it. If this went wrong, Bobby would kill him anyway. There was a lot of killing involved in his thought process, a sadistic part of his brain felt the need to point out. "Actually yes. That I should get my shit together and ask you out or he would."

There it was. Standing between them. Y/N was not moving at all and Sam was slowly wishing that he never opened his mouth in the first place. This was going terribly out of the window and straight down the gutter now that it was in motion.

Until- "Well, are you going to or do I have to find Dean?"

"Oh fuck you," Sam laughed.

And then he wasn't laughing at all as Y/N had found a very resounding way to shut him up.

Her hands were all tangled up in his hair as they pulled Sam down with one quick tuck and then she was kissing him. It took Sam just the smallest of moments to realise what the fuck just happened and then didn't care at all. Y/N's lips were far too soft and demanding against his, tasting like cheap soda and french fries for him to think of anything else. Without much say so, Sam's own hands went up from where they were dangling uselessly on his sides to hold onto her waist and pull her closer.

It was over after a handful of breaths, Sam's heart beating somewhere up in his throat. He grinned down stupidly at the girl in his arms, her eyes shut, lips swollen just the slightest bit. And then she opened them and pulled these lips up into a smile. "Still didn't hear a question, Sammy."

"You're insufferable," Sam decided, his hands firmly planted on her waist, "Will you do me the pleasure and go on a date with me when we're not busy getting killed?"

"That's a wonderful idea," Y/N agreed and crossed her wrists behind his neck.

A knock on the door broke the tension.

"Are you done in there? I want my bed back and I will use the holy water if I need to," Dean threatened from the other side.

Sam let out a long suffering sigh and let go of Y/N. "Come in!"

The ugly green motel door revealed a smugly grinning Dean. Sam was too happy to even say anything about it though.

General Taglist: @fandomfoodiedancer @immrbrightsideeee

Series Taglist: @tiggytaylor

If you want to be tagged as well, click here or drop an ask/DM

[kiaracarrera]

I've had a few requests to write fan fic and while I give full props to those that do write them I'm just not nearly as patient or as organised to write one. I do however have many messy ideas on Jiara's future that I've thought about that I think might be fun to share. Please ignore the messy way I've written this, it was just for fun, also it's under the read more because it's LONG.

So - I actually really liked the small hints of Jiara in S2 and my hope is that we don't rush into anything so ideally I'd like to see them get together at the very end of S3 and here's how I would do it:

Episode one and two would lay the foundation for the Pouges on the deserted island trying to survive and with things being super chaotic and hectic the Pouges would lose track of what day it is.

Now cue the second half of episode two and Kiara's sitting on the beach alone - JJ approaches and with the two of them staring out into the ocean they begin to talk about how Kie misses her folks and JJ reluctantly agrees that part of him stupidly does too. JJ puts a hand over Kiara's shoulder and she leans into his, JJ softly then says "Happy birthday Kie" - Kiara smiles but doesn't acknowledge it, because after all they have more pressing things going on, but it's a nice moment and we the audience see a hint of something between them. Then of course someone would yell "Kie-JJ, food's ready" or it'd cut to the next scene of everyone together and that would be that for now. But just imagine that, JJ of all people being the one to remember such an event, caring enough to acknowledge but knowing the last thing Kiara would want is a fuss.

Episodes 3 and 4 would be full of small but noticeable banter between the two of them, with the occasional sweeter than usual moment in between and somewhere around here the Pouges would make it off Pougelandia.

A couple of episodes on (maybe 6ish) and it would be Sarah who noticed, because duh the boys are dumb sometimes. She would notice after a small flirtatious moment between Jiara and acknowledge it with a side eye that no one else sees. Then while Kie and Sarah are alone Sarah would just casually drop the "So are we going to talk about what that was or..." line which Kiara would of course deny deny deny but then the camera would pan to JJ looking at Kie and again, we the audience would know.

Towards the very end of the season (8/9) would be Pope acknowledging the spark between JJ and Kie, probably after some eventful life or death situation and telling JJ subtly but not so subtly, while facing the direction of Kiara "You know I love you man and you should be happy, you both should..." which JJ would either shake his head to and tell Pope straight up he didn't know what he was talking about or we'd circle back to S1 with JJ saying "Na dude even if, which I'm not saying I do, but even if I did... I mean Kie, she would never.. we're friends man... we're family" Pope would, in his Popely wonder respond "Whatever you say man, but, just don't keep yourself from happiness on my accord."

Cue the acknowledgment of mutual pining which would lead us to the final episode where:

Kiara would get injured (because it's probably her turn) and JJ would be a complete WRECK and probably say some sappy shit that no one payed attention to because Kiara was in deep shit here! She'd end up making it out safely, though not before a short stint from at the hospital. A few scenes later and Kiara, now at home would get a visit from a worried JJ who'd bolted at the hospital because he couldn't handle the stress and then had turned up at her doorstep to "check in and apologise", after some small talk he turn to leave, only for Kiara to hesitantly stop him with a "Jay-before the hospital, it seemed like you were going to say something" and he'd close off a little and start rambling and then eventually confess that "losing you would be different...", Kiara would respond with "Why..." and JJ would just softly mutter "you know why"... and then BAMN 'Heat Waves by Glass Animals' would softly start playing in the background as Kiara shakes her head for a second before steadily but with purpose hoping down the stairs, the volume of the music slowly rising until 0.19 when the beat drops at the same time Kiara would wrap her arms around JJ's neck and we'd finally get the kiss! It'd be a soft but meaningful kiss as the camera pans 360 around them, capturing every angel until they part ways at 0.30 sharing a sweet smile and knowing laugh between them 'this was it, the feeling, the connection they'd both been missing for so long' then with one hand on her cheek JJ would pull Kiara back in for another soft kiss.... before the scene fades away to something else...

Oh and! The last scene would either be JJ and Kiara turning up to a Pouge gathering together but not acknowledging what had just happened which would lead us into a secret relationship for S4 OR JJ and Kiara would turn up to a Pouge gathering, JJ casually with his arm around Kiara's shoulder and with the other Pouges all looking at each other with acknowledgment but no one actually saying anything. Instead they'd just acknowledge Kiara being free from the hospital with a "There she is, woman of the moment" before Kie and JJ sat down and the S4 cliff-hanger happened!

[scottymcgeesterwrites]

Final Fantasy XIII Review

Year: 2009

Original Platform: PlayStation 3

Also available on: Xbox 360, PC, Android, iOS

Version I Played: PlayStation 3

Synopsis:

On the planet Cocoon, those who come into contact with anything from the planet Pulse are purged to that planet. Pulse is a feared planet full of monsters and strange creatures. Both planets are ruled by fal’Cie, mechanical godlike beings who sometimes brand humans as their servants for specific tasks, called a focus. Those who fulfill their focus are turned into crystals and obtain eternal life. Those who do not fulfill their focus turn into mindless monsters. Lightning is a former soldier whose sister, Serah, is branded by a fal’Cie and taken to be purged. Lightning sets off to rescue her.

Gameplay:

Going to say this now – the worst gameplay in the entire Final Fantasy series.

The battles are Active Time Battles but instead of you inputting individual commands, there are what’s called paradigms. Paradigms are somewhat like Job Classes from the old Final Fantasy games, except less fun and more automated. You can switch to a Medic paradigm in battle and every time you press “Auto-Battle” your character automatically performs a series of necessary cure and restore spells, based on what’s going on in the battle. The Sentinel paradigm specializes in keeping the enemy at bay. The Ravager paradigm uses magic. The Commando paradigm uses physical attacks. You get the picture.

As a result, the gameplay could be best described as:

With occasional switching of paradigms whenever you see fit. You can set up a number of combinations across the characters. Two Commandos and one Sentinel. One Sentinel and one Ravager and One Commando, etc.

The party automatically heals after each battle – you can even press start during a battle and restart the battle.

I probably only used an item once or twice. I honestly don’t see why they bothered putting any items if you hardly ever use them.

You can upgrade your weapons with pieces and junk you find after battles. You find so many of them that you hardly ever think about what you’re upgrading so long as whatever you make upgrades your stats. Is this better? No? What about this? Okay, good. Moving on.

Like Final Fantasy X, the game is linear. Much more linear. You follow a long hallway for about 30 hours of the game before you can do sidequests. The sidequests involve completing other people’s focus. That’s about it. There are no towns, no inns, no villages. You are entirely on the road, constantly in battle (Okay, there’s like one time where Sazh and Vanille are in a casino or something but that’s about it).

I wrote a blog piece a while back about what exactly was wrong with Final Fantasy XIII, and it’s not that it’s linear. We play really great linear games all the time. It’s the automation – the feeling that you’re not really doing anything.

There isn’t an ounce of customization. Leveling up is similar to the Sphere Grid of Final Fantasy X. It’s called the Crystarium but it follows a strict path. You can’t actually stray anywhere or customize anything. If that’s the case, why bother making you open the menu to level up through the Crystarium? Why not just automatically do it? I guess they want to give you some ounce (more like a milligram) of control over the game.

Basically – you’re watching a long movie and occasionally get to move the people around. That’s how I see it.

Graphics:

PLAYSTATION 3 HD GRAPHICS HOMG DO YOU HAVEA BONER YET? LOOK AT THIS. FIRST FINAL FANTASY GAME IN GLORIOUS HD.

Everything is pretty in this game. Everything. There is nothing wrong with this at all.

Story:

The characters appear to reference those in Final Fantasy VII. Director Motomu Toriyama wanted Lightning to essentially be a female Cloud Strife. She’s a no-nonsense, athletic female lead. While Cloud and Squall were introspective and antisocial, Lightning is slightly different by actively ordering people around. She comes off as a dick to everyone, and that’s due to her ex-soldier background. Think of your stereotypical ex-cop/ex-CIA/ex-military action movie hero, like Liam Neeson (Bryan Mills in Taken) or Bruce Willis (John McClane in Die Hard). That’s basically Lightning.

Can we go on a short tangent for a moment to talk about how weird it is that Lightning was also used as a model for advertising in Japan?

Here she is driving a Nissan.

And wearing Louis Vitton.

Cool? I guess? Unless you start to realize that Toriyama wanted to design his own personal waifu, and that he’s completely obsessed with her. That gets really weird. And sad? A little? Anyway.

Vanille has some reminiscent of Yuffie from Final Fantasy VII, although with more character via her inner monologues and narration. Fang is vaguely like Vincent Valentine. Sazh takes the place of Barrett as the token black dude, except instead of being aggressive he’s more like the comic relief and wants nothing to do with anything. Every time you control him, jazz music plays, because black people I guess. Hope doesn’t appear to be reminiscent of anyone – he’s just this boy who yells and complains a lot with Lightning. Snow meanwhile is a ripoff of Zell from Final Fantasy VIII, except somehow even more annoying.

(Every time I see his picture I think about your typical dude bro at a frat.)

The story starts of a bit choppy as you follow almost each character separately, then they run into each other, then separate again, then join again. The first 30 hours or so gives flashbacks of 13 days prior- BECAUSE IT’S FINAL FANTASY XIII GET IT? Vanille actually narrates some events but it’s not exactly clear why or from when – but that’s a spoiler. Along the way, I got really confused because I didn’t know why some people were fighting each other when they were on the same side a moment ago. The concept of the “focus” is really weird and sometimes confusing. People with a focus simply have visions or a general idea of what they’re supposed to do, but they don’t actually know for sure unless they actively seek it. If the gods granted them a focus, wouldn’t it make more sense if the gods just told them what to do? Seemed to work in Final Fantasy XII. 

In short, the narrative weaves around a lot. If you stop playing in the middle and pick up the game again months later, you’re bound to forget what’s going on. I know I did.

The characters didn’t annoy me as much as you would think they would on paper. They all have character development and that’s good. The only character that effectively got on my nerves was Snow. Snow is Serah’s fiancé, and Lightning hates him because of course you need some family drama. I don’t blame Lightning though. Snow shouts cheesy lines left and right, like “Heroes never die!”. He shouts Serah’s name the same way Christian Bale shouts Rachel’s name in the Christopher Nolan Batman films. Snow is quite possibly the most irritating character of all the Final Fantasy games. He will not shut the fuck up about what it means to be a hero.

The rest of the cast works well in that their motives and desires clash with each other. But I’m still sore about the wasted potential for a great character in Jihl Nabaat. Sazh wants his son Dejh back, who was taken to be purged by the sinister and extremely hot Jihl Nabaat.

 Goddaaayyyum. Seriously, look at her.

Too bad, because she’s only featured in a handful of scenes and then dies. Her death isn’t a major spoiler, at least one that I consider, because she hardly does anything except get in the way for a moment. You don’t even fight her. How lame is that?

Then you have this annoying bastard – Primarch Dysley.

When I think of him, I think of Mitch McConnell.

Old. Disagreeable. Been in power for too long. Always in the way of progress.

Primarch Dysley happens to be as annoying as Seymour from Final Fantasy X, so expect to be overjoyed every time you run into him.

Overall, the story isn’t as bad as you’d think. You just have to pay close attention. The gameplay is far worse than the story. I could easily slip into a coma while playing this game and still make it pretty far.

Music:

Final Fantasy XII saw the departure of Nobuo Uematsu (well with the exception of the pop song “Kiss Me Goodbye”). Final Fantasy XIII continues to head into the unknown without the beloved longtime composer. This game’s score is composed entirely by Masashi Hamauzu, who if you haven’t been paying attention, already partly worked on Final Fantasy X.  I immediately saw how “Saber’s Edge”, the boss theme, is similar in nature to the boss theme of Final Fantasy X.

Final Fantasy XIII made the most radical changes to the score. There are no signature themes from the series. No “Prelude” theme, no “Main Theme”, no “Victory Fanfare” theme. Instead, we get a theme called “Fabula Nova Crystallis”.  It plays frequently throughout the game, and almost acts as Serah and Snow’s love theme. In some portions of the game, some woman is singing along. Yes – this is the first time where you roam around a world in a Final Fantasy game with actual pop music playing in the background – “Sunleth Waterscape” to be exact. Final Fantasy XIII’s music gets pretty poppy.

Not saying it’s a bad idea.

Just.

You got pop music playing in the background now.

“Lightning’s Theme” is pretty sick. Her theme plays during the battles in a rendition called “Blinded by Light” – HA GET IT BECAUSE SHE’S LIGHTNING. SO CLEVER.

But Hamauzu was a good choice – the entire score holds up well and sounds like a movie score, with varying motifs running across. It can be a bit more subdued but that’s how contemporary instrumental music is nowadays, especially with film composers like Hans Zimmer.

 Notable Theme:

“Blinded by Light”

Really epic, unique song. I always scat along to it as it plays.

Verdict:

Uff. 

Look, if you just search on YouTube for all the cutscenes, there you go. That’s the game. And it’s entertaining to watch. But it has the worst gameplay that doesn’t feel like you’re even doing anything. No sense of customization or originality.

Direct Sequel?

Yes, two.

Final Fantasy XIII-2.

I started it around the time it first came out, but I’m still in the middle of playing it and I have no idea what’s going on in the story. NO idea. NONE at all. They use time travel but none of it makes sense. Apparently changing things in the future can change the past. I don’t know how. I only understand a vague semblance of a plot with the bad guy Caius. While it doesn’t tarnish the dignity of the original like Final Fantasy X-2 did, it’s still offbeat with its metal (yes, metal) music and utterly confounding story. It’s infamous for this metal rendition of the sweet and innocent Chocobo theme.

Then there’s the third game, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

I plan on playing it after I finish Final Fantasy XIII-2, if I don’t already die from an aneurysm by then. It’s supposed to be better than Final Fantasy XIII-2 but lacking in graphics.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #376

“when the wind bends the branch to softly touch me  /  when the band plays your song  /  i feel strong enough to keep dreaming”

If your s/o smoked pot/did drugs would you care? Yes, but for pot that's only because it's illegal here. I also find smoking to be a turn-off, but I'd be able to look past that if it was for actual health reasons. Do people ever call you by your last name? No. Has the last person you dated/fell in love with ever seen you cry? Yes. Where are you going on your next vacation (or where do you WANT to go)? I've got none planned, nor do I know where I'd want to prioritize. Like there's South Africa, but I first need to get healthier before I could handle the heat and trudging through sand. I want to go to Yellowstone National Park to spread Teddy's ashes there (seeking permission of course), but again, I need to be in better shape before I go on a venture of photographing there, as well. I need to be healthier to do a lot of the things I want to... Do you own anything bought in another country? No. Who do you text the most? Sara. Four things you wish you had? Better health (including mental), financial stability, a job, and motivation to indulge more in my artistic hobbies. What was the last thing you cried about? Stress regarding this dog we're stuck with. What is your favorite Elvis song? Probably "You're The Devil In Disguise." Do you think you could be the next American Idol? Ha, absolutely not. Do you prefer reading fiction or non-fiction? Fiction, by a long shot. Does anybody send you money in the mail for your birthday? No. My grampa used to, but he's been dead a couple years. Who is one person you met and automatically didn’t like? I was not a fan of a doctor I once saw for my tremors. She was very rude and just threw the idea of me having Parkinson's or something at what, 17 years old or whatever? My psychiatrist knows her as well and knows she's a whackjob. Heard her name and was essentially like "ew" lmao. What monster would you be most afraid to have in your closet? A male one with a knife, I guess. I really hate knives. And men scare me anyway. Which Adam Sandler movie do you like the most? I don't know, he's in too many to possibly think of one right off the top of my head. Who was one of your first celebrity crushes? Jesse McCartney was my first true love, haha. Have you ever been hit on through text messages? Yes. Do you have to do any yard work? No. Have you ever mowed the lawn? No. Do you get an allowance? No. Did you ever know your great grandparents? I think I knew one? There was this woman from my childhood I knew as "GG" for "great grandma," but I have no recollection of who she was related to or even if she was directly related to me. I remember that I really really liked her, though. Do you like the taste of Tums? It's the texture I really don't like. The candy-like Tums though, y'know, not the chalky ones, I like more than someone should like medicine, haha. How about Pepto Bismol? Omfg no. Do you have a fast or slow metabolism? I have a slow metabolism, but thank Christ it's not as bad as when I was on Abilify. That stupid fucking medicine was the reason I gained so much weight that I haven't been able to lose. What’s your favorite onomatopoeia? (Crash, bang, zoom, meow) I dunno. Do you eat ramen? There's only one specific kind of ramen I've had that I like: Yakisoba's spicy chicken one. Sweet or regular pickles? Regular. I don't like sweet pickles. What kind of dreams do you have most often? Since my nightmares started, violent ones. I'm usually trying to defend myself or lashing out at someone myself. What do you do for personal growth? I try to be a deep thinker, for one. This can way too easily lead to overthinking, but I appreciate that I think it at least helps me learn from my mistakes and work towards making me a better person. I need to start challenging my anxiety more, as that would definitely be massive growth... If you could read anyone’s mind, who would be the first person you’d read? Jason's, only because all I want to know is if he thinks I was emotionally abusive after the breakup or not. But I also don't want to know. Do you have a makeup item or style trick that you feel improves your look significantly and that you feel like you couldn’t go without now that you have it? No. What’s your favourite cereal? Probably Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but I like a lot of cereals. Do you prefer red wine or white wine? I don't like wine. Way too bitter. Do you read Reddit? If so, how often and what subreddits do you like? I don't, but I've thought about lurking on a reptile husbandry one or something like that. Might learn some stuff. But at the same time, there are so many conflicting and very strong opinions amongst hobbyists to the point of awful toxicity that I'd rather not read. Have you recently broken up with a significant other or even just a friend? No. Have you ever eaten at a restaurant and left without paying? God no. When was the last time you played a board game? What did you play? Probably Scrabble back when Sara visited. Do you primarily use cash or card for your purchases? Why? Cash, because I don't have a debit or credit card. Do you believe sex should be mandatory in an ongoing dating relationship? Um, no? Some people don't care for it, and that's completely fine. Have you ever recorded yourself doing a cover of a song? No. Any secrets you’d never tell anyone? No matter how close they are to you? Yes. Do you like deviled eggs? NO. FUCK that yolk shit. What career are you most interested in? I still think my first career goal, a paleontologist, would be most interesting and exciting. Like just IMAGINE discovering a new dinosaur. And it's such a job of passion - you have to be so, SO careful and invest so much time in slowly recovering it from millions of years of rock and sand and time. I can only imagine the feeling of accomplishment when an excavation is complete. Have you ever seen a rooster? Yeah? What do you think about religion? Honestly, I personally wish it had never been a thing. It's brought with it so much hatred and bigotry, but I do acknowledge at the same time it's brought great comfort and hope to some people, and that's wonderful. But just all things considered, I feel it's done more harm than good. What’s your favorite sweetheart name (baby, honey, angel, dumpling) Probably "lovely." Has a little kid ever fallen asleep on your lap before? Yes, back when I babysat my neighbor's kid once. Have you ever thrown a grenade? Yikes, no. Have you ever talked face to face with someone famous before? No. Have you ever owned a rocking horse? I don't think so? If you could meet anyone in the world who would it be? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Have you ever wished you were dead? Yes. Is it awkward when people start talking all deep around you? No, I actually like deep convos. Have you ever played the old school Pac Man arcade game? Possibly? Ever played Mario Karts on Nintendo 64? No. Have you ever been scuba diving? No. Can you surf/boogie board? No. Do you like Chinese food, Mexican food, or American food better? American. What’s your favorite thing to order from Taco Bell? Cheese quesadilla and fiesta potatos. Sometimes I get the cinnabon delight thingies, but I avoid 'em with how unhealthy they are. Do you like hot, cold, or lukewarm showers? Pretty hot. Do you like to swing? I LOVED swinging as a kid. I haven't done it in a very long time now. How about jumping on a trampoline? I loved that as a kiddo, too. I haven't done that in years. What are you favorite color eyes? Sapphire blue or like an emerald green. Do you have long arm hair? Nah, at least I don't think so. What third generation console is your favorite? PS3, Xbox 360, or Wii? I loved my PS3. I'm still so bummed mine broke. How often do you like to have sex? I'm not sexually active, but even when I was, I didn't care. Do you have a facial expression you seem to pull a lot? What is it? Not really. I think I look stoic most of the time. Do you always listen to music when you’re online? No; I usually have a let's play or something like that on that I can split my screen and watch while doing something else. If so, what are you currently listening to? I'm listening to "Love Goes On And On" by Lindsey Stirling and Amy Lee right now. Do you ever forget how to do really simple things? Like what? Yes, like how to control the laundry machine and other things like that. There's just so many options that I never, ever remember what to set it to, no matter how many times Mom shows me. That's how my memory is with most things these days, really... Were you born with naturally straight teeth? No; I needed braces. If you were the opposite gender, what name would you like to be called? Uhhh maybe Severin. Do you prefer original or sour Skittles? I love both, but sour wins. What about chocolate or peanut M&M’s? I also enjoy both, but the original are better. Your favourite band: Do you prefer their old or new stuff? That's like... impossible to answer, lol. I just love everything. Do you check to make sure your ear phones are going in the right ear? No. Do you secretly still listen to Ace of Base? I have no idea who that is. Have you ever broken someone else’s bone? No, thank goodness. I'd feel awful. Is it stupid to think you can write a book at thirteen? No?????????? There are incredibly talented writers out there at young ages. Hell, I remember as a kid, I wanted to be the youngest published author way before that age. Are you ever embarrassed about what you dream about? There've been some I wouldn't share. Have you ever had sex with someone as a favor? No, and I never would. Does your mom let you date? I'm 25, my dude. She let me when I felt ready, though. If you had the last person you kissed’s Facebook password, would you go snooping through their stuff? Why or why not? She doesn't have one, but hypothetically, fuck no. Because that's none of my damn business, and it still wouldn't be even if we were still dating. Have you ever fainted? If so, when was the last time? If not have you ever come close? I've fainted once when I was a teen and have come close many other times. Ever take a keyboarding class? Do you type using the skills you learned in class, or how you used to before you took the class? Yeah; it was mandatory for I think one year in middle school. I type how I was taught in there. Do you find your best friend’s significant other/crush attractive? She doesn't have an s/o, and idk who her "real" crush is, as much as she'd love Frieza to be real, haha. What do you do with your clothes that don’t fit anymore or just don’t want? Donate them. Do you cut out coupons? My mom will keep some fast food ones she gets in the mail sometimes. Did you ever breathe in helium and talk funny afterwards? I think I did once at a birthday party, but I'm unsure. Would you ever open your own business? If so, what kind of business could you imagine yourself having? I want to be a freelance photographer so, so badly. I want to specialize in nature and wildlife, but having a boudoir studio would be great to help keep me afloat, plus I adore the art of boudoir. I've shot it once for an old friend, and by god, I loved how empowered it made her feel, especially as a plus-sized woman. She adored the pictures, and I'd just love to help other clients feel like they're gorgeous in their unique body, too. Last type of candy you ate? I had a donut from Starbuck's yesterday. Did you decorate your house for Halloween? If so, how many decorations? Did you go all out, or just put up a few things? Mom and I don't really decorate anymore. :/

[nightspeckle]

High School Au {Part 3}

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 4

this one is like sorta long-ish? (for me lol, in actuality its like super short) and it’s trash so my b 

******

Here’s the thing. Working with Cardan was actually pretty good. I never thought I would ever think that and yet here I am. I’m pretty sure my delusions are growing but that's not really the point. 

The point is that the kid knows his shit. I mean really knows his shit. 

Noggle gave us Scipio Africanus’ Tactics which was an adventure in itself. Cardan had just looked at me with a toned-down version of his death stare and asked me if we wanted to break up the work. 

It was that simple. We made a combined slideshow that took about 20 minutes in total with each of us splitting the research. I was looking over the slides and when I got to his I think my brain imploded.

They were extremely detailed, more so even than mine and he had been on his phone half of the time. I mean even the sentences sounded smart.  He used the word consternation. I mean what does that even mean? Not that I was about to ask. 

Noggle basically pushed us out early when he saw how good our slides were considering this was just a club and so he shoved us out with a big smile. 

So in all working with Cardan wasn’t terrible. I barely even noticed how clear his skin looked from close up! So progress for me. 

But now as we currently exit out the east side doors to the parking lot I can’t help but notice how he seems to glow in the sunlight. Or the fact that something about him just feels ethereal at this moment. 

So I book it. Walking as fast as I possibly can to the back of the parking lot. 

I’m so focused and hightailing it away from the beauty that is Cardan that I don’t realize anything is amiss until I’m standing in an empty parking spot. 

I do a little 360 standing in the place where the car is supposed to be.

Fuck.

I should be surprised, or even concerned that my car is missing. But I’m not. 

Three sisters and two cars is not a perfect equation. I check my phone to see if I missed anything in the group chat. 

Viv: I’m taking Carol to work

Taryn: I thought we agreed on Joan? 

Vivi Yeah but saying I’m taking Joan makes me feel like a 40 year old mom who drives a minivan

Taryn: And Carol doesn't give you the same vibes?

Viv: Nah, Crackhead Carol is wildddddd 

Taryn: I hate you.

Taryn: I’m taking Olie to the mall, Jude can you catch the bus?

Viv: I can not believe that you give me shit for Carol and then named our beautiful baby after Oliver Wood.

Taryn: Excuse me? Oliver Wood is the god of the century

Viv: Bitch can't beat Luna

Taryn: You would

Taryn: Do we think Jude will even see this or am I gonna have to go back to pick her up

Viv: She’s probably to busy dreaming nasty thoughts about her ghosty boy and his little ghost

Taryn: Let's not start on this again pls

Viv: I’ll be home at 9 don’t die in the meantime xx

First of all, Shit. 

Second, I’m going to strangle Vivi with my bare hands. Garrett and I are friends and it's actually starting to piss me off.  

Third, how the fuck do they expect me to get Oak with no car? Fucking idiots.

Jude: Which one of you dumbos is gonna get Oak?

Viv: Workingggggggg

Taryn: I’m 45 minutes away... so like u

Jude: I am wishing death upon your souls :)

I look at my watch to see It’s already three. Shit. 

What am I going to do? Walk? I can’t call Orianna or Dad. I am not in the mood to face Oriannas snarky comments or Dad’s lectures about responsibility.

So that leaves walking. Or more like running. I am so going to be late.

But as I’m dashing across the parking lot I almost get run over by a black Porsche Cayenne.

 Which p.s. is one sexy ass car. 

Usually, I might stop to give the driver an earful about how running over pedestrians is not the vibe. But I have 15 minutes to get to Oak’s school which is like 20 minutes on foot.

I start walking again when I hear the car's window roll down and a voice from the driver's seat.

It’s Cardan.

Of course.

I’m waiting for a comment about idiotically walking behind moving cars but it doesn’t come. Or for him to unleash the snide comments he has been holding back all afternoon. However, what does come out is even worse.

“Do you need a ride?”

....

I’m staring at him through his open window. I’m about two feet from the driver's door and Cardan is tapping his fingers methodically on the door.

He doesn’t look very menacing. His eyes are flickering over my face and he raises an eyebrow up at me. 

“Well?” He asks probingly. I’m all too aware of what this means. The dude who terrorized my childhood is reaching out an olive branch. 

There’s a part of me that wants to turn and walk away from his cruel glares and the comments he used to spit at me and Taryn. But I really could use a ride. 

Plus, he looks extremely hot with one of his hands on the wheel which is like an added bonus.

“Yeah, I do.” He seems a little surprised that I said yes. I watch as a small smirk graces his face. Damn. 

He nods his head to the passenger side and I walk around the car and slide into the seat. Just FYI these seats are comfortable as shit. 

I look over at Cardan as he starts to back up. Which is a terrible idea. He looks so laid back and comfortable. He looks like he fits here and his face is blank of that awful sneer he seems to have on every day at school. 

It makes me despise him a little less. I should have walked. 

“Can you drop me off at Elfame Elementary?” 

He looks over at me quizically. “Yeah.” A pause. “Why do you need to go there?”

“I need to pick up my little brother,”. 

“Is that why you were running around the parking lot like a headless chicken?”. He looks amused as he says this.

“I was not running around like a headless chicken.” My voice is a little cold as I speak. His face goes a little more stonelike at my tone. 

Jude! Wtf, this guy is giving you a ride. Pull it together!

“My sisters took the cars and left me stranded,” I attempt a little more warmly. “So thank you.”

His face twists a little surprised at the thank you. Mind kind of does too. Me saying thank you to the kid who poured milk all over me on picture day for years throughout elementary school.

Cardan doesn’t say anything else as we drive to Oak’s school. He just turns on some music and drives. It’s actually kind of nice being able to watch the vibrant green trees go zooming by. 

Before I know it Cardan is pulling into the parking lot of the elementary school.

A little bit of me is disappointed it's over so soon. I actually feel a little peaceful.

I look down at my watch to see it’s 3:10. Perfect! 

“Thanks, Cardan, truly this was life-saving,” I reach over to the handle about to push the door open when I look back to see an expression on Cardan's face that matches my own.

“How are you going to get home after?” Cardan’s voice is soft as he asks.

“I was going to walk to Ralph’s, Viv has one of the cars with her,”.

“That's like a mile away,” Cardan says laughing a little as he does.

“Don’t really have any other options here buddy,”

“Buddy?” He looks offended. As if the word is a personal assault to his well being. I can’t help but roll my eyes. To which he notices and roll’s his eyes back at me.

“I can drive you and your brother home. If you want?”.

Yes. I do want. But I’m not really in the mood to owe Cardan anything and this feels like a favor a little too out of his way. Why is he helping me out?

So no?

But I’m also not in the mood for the complaining Oak will give me for walking in this sweltering heat. 

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.” Then I shut the door and head into the school.

....

Oak is looking up at me with a puzzled look on his face.

“I thought Viv was going to get me today?”

“Sorry, bud. She had to work.” He just shrugs. “Does that mean shell bring me back a milkshake!” He’s popping up on his toes almost jumping in joy. I just stifle a laugh and shake his hair up.

“Where did you park Olie?” Oak is looking around quizically trying to spot the black jeep named after the quidditch legend himself. When he cant spot Ollie Oak turns to look at me with a full face of disappointment. “Did you drive Crackhead Carol?”

The dad who walks by as he gives me a wide eyed look before shuffling his kids along in the opposite direction. I can’t help roll my eyes even though Vivi isn’t even here. 

Oak is still looking at me in despair. He hates Crackhead Carol. Says that it’s scary driving in it. Which is not true. The only reason he hates Carol is that every time he’s in Carol is when Vivi is driving. Which is an experience to drive any person to full body fear. 

“I did not drive Carol.” Oak’s shoulders un-tense and he goes back to bouncing as we make our way past the busses and smiling bus monitors to the parking lot.

“So how did you get here?”

“Oak, chill out we’re not walking to Ralph's,” I say still heading to where Cardan parked his car. 

Oak just stops halfway through the parking lot with his hands on his hips demanding an explanation. As much as he is trying to be serious he just looks adorable. 

“I’ll give you a piggyback if you stop being an annoying little butt.” He just smiles and catapults onto my back.  I don’t often offer to give Oak piggybacks any more. He’s gotten heavier as he's grown. Plus sometimes he thinks he's too old and cool for them. I guess today is not one of those days.

When I get back to Cardan’s car I can see he has an amused smile as he watches my cart around my lanky 7 year old brother. 

Oak looks at me with wide eyes as I buckle him up in the back and plop down in the passenger seat. Cardan has turned off the rap he was playing early and switched it to that teeny bob that I despise but Taryn loves. 

I look over to see that not only is the amused look on his lips but also in his eyes. He doesn’t say anything and instead just pulls out of the parking lot.

Oak who has been unusually quiet finally opens his mouth.

“Are you Jude’s boyfriend?” Oh my god.

“Oak!” My face has most certainly paled to the color of ice. Cardan looks at first like he might throw up with the thought but then he starts laughing. 

And damn is that a nice sight. His sharp features are relaxed and full of laughter.

“Jude’s never had a boyfriend before.” Oak pauses for a second before continuing. “Actually she had one boyfriend but now he’s Taryn’s boyfriend so that doesn’t really count.” 

I think I might strangle Oak. I look over at Cardan who seems to have gone a little rigid with this turn of the conversation. Having Cardan sit here with my brother telling him about my relationship disasters is embarrassing.

I mean, of course, he already knows this. He’s friends with Locke. But still, something about this is bugging me. 

“Oak,” My voice is diminished when I speak. I’m looking out the window forcing the feelings I've been fighting for months to go away. Taryn and I worked things out. We always do. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting sometimes. 

That's when I feel a strong nimble hand grab mine. I look over to Cardan as he drives. His eyes are focused on the road as he squeezes my hand.

I think my heart is going to melt. 

But then I think I’m going to attack him. I remember seeing Nicasia laugh along with Valerian and Locke. Who’s to say he didn’t poke fun of the fool I was. I bet he’s only doing this now to go laugh at what an idiot I am later with all of his cronies.

But then he catches my eyes and he seems genuinely sad for me so I don’t attack him. But I do pull my hand from his and look back out the window. I don’t care if he’s been nice today. That does not exclude the years of name-calling. Of making me and Taryn feel small. Of how he glared at me at the party. What the fuck changed so quickly?

Oak is apparently not done talking. As usual. “Only Heather and Locke drive me places too. They're both my sister's boyfriend and girlfriend.” That makes me turn around.

“Cardan is not my boyfriend.” My voice is firm as I speak. 

I look over to see a little bit of anger on his face. He has both hands on the wheel. No aimless tapping or anything. He looks over with that cold glare he gave me at the party. 

Great! He’s mad because I pulled my hand from his. What an arrogant bastard.

....

When we finally get home Oak jumps out of the car running to the door. Something about Fixer Upper being on. What an odd kid.

Oak’s gone before I can even open the door leaving me and Cardan alone.

He’s staring dead out the window not even bothering to look at me. Which is fucking annoying. This dude needs to get a grip on his mood swings. I’m irritated enough to the point where I have to say something.

“Why the fuck were you being so tolerable early? You're usually pretty shitty to me. So whats up? What's with the bits of decency all of the sudden. You hate me. What's going on here?” 

He turns his head to meet me eye to eye. His lips are sent in such a hard line I don’t think I’m going to get an answer. 

“I do not hate you.” 

“No? What about that time you called me and Taryn lowlife orphans who were less important than the dirt on your shoe? Or when you would steal my lunch money every day? Or that time you tripped me at elementary school graduation? I broke my ankle.” I’m seething. My whole body hot with anger.

He just sits there. Stone cold as ice.

“I was a child.” It's icy. Dismissive. As if the pent up anger, the feelings I had that I didn’t belong where nothing. 

“Fine. What about Friday night? That lovely moment when you basically kicked me out of that party? Omg, what about when I started dating Locke and you called me a filthy slut! That was a fun one.”

He’s staring at me with a hard unrelenting stare. 

I can not believe I started to think he wasn’t such an asshole. Just listening to myself speak I realize how dumb I am. I’m too pissed at the feelings that have been in that dark space next to my heart to even wait for his answer.

I’m curious sure. But I’m done. I’ve put up with this shit for too long.

I’m storming out of the car. Slamming the door to his precious car as hard as I can. 

“Jude.” His voice is hard. Commanding. I feel like smacking him into next week.

I turn to see him standing out of his door arms crossed defensively. I can't help but match his stance. He’s only 3 ft away and I feel the urge to run as far as I can. 

“I don’t hate you.” He’s spitting the words out now full of force.

“You looked hot as fuck Friday night,”. What? “And that pissed me the fuck off because I like you.” 

What the fuck.

“I can’t stop thinking about you.” Oh my god. “And I hate that.”

 He takes a pause, “I despise you for it.”

I’m frozen in place. Just staring at this asshole who had the nerve to tell me he likes me? After the torment, he inflicted on me as a kid. After the name-calling and the glares and the...

My entire brain freezes as he tugs me into his chest. Hard.

Because now he's kissing me. And damn is he a good kisser.

He has a hand tangled in my hair and the other one is keeping me pinned to him. I’m a stone statue for a whole 3 seconds before I acknowledge what is happening. But then I can’t stop myself as my arms wrap around his body and I'm pushing into him as much as I can. 

He’s turning us around backing me up to his car door. The kisses becoming hungrier, needier. His hands have moved down to my ass. Holding me as close to him as possible. I can’t stop the roving my hands are doing. Finding their way to that sweet soft black hair.

I can’t let go. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of this. What it feels like to not have a single space between us. What it feels like for Cardan's hand to be intertwined with my hair, pulling me into him. 

“See I told you Jude had a boyfriend!”.

I hate my life.

~~~

My one tag hehe:

@fireheartbuzzard

[whatcouldgowrong-ohthat]

#9 with Jamie and his parents (if that's okay)

Look, Jamie is too precious. He’s a soft little baby that has to be protected until he grows up and can protect the world. Thank you for giving him love!!! I appreciate it!!

Title: Chocolate Chip Cookies (wow there’s a lot of cookie stuff going on on these drabbles)

Summary: Jamie’s gotten his heart broken for the first time, but his mom and dad are there with a family tradition.

Word Count: 360

Warnings: Dude’s got a bit of heartbreak? Sweet Steve and Wanda stuff, that sort of thing

Prompt: #9 I love you when baking chocolate chip cookies

--

Their tradition had gone on for as long as Jamie could remember. Whether it were too rough of a day at school or his powers were a little too cruel, it was their tradition. Homemade chocolate chip cookies – his mom’s recipe.

Even now, visiting home after his first “real” heartbreak, they were making cookies. Jamie smiled softly, snatching a few chocolate chips when his mom turned away.

“I saw that.”

Jamie looked over his shoulder, smiling far too innocently when his dad raised a brow. Oops. “Want some,” he asked around the mouthful of chocolate.

Steve snorted, grabbing the bowl. “Sometimes I think you like acting like you’re five.” The bowl tugged itself out of Steve’s hands, floating in the space between them. Steve laughed, catching his wife’s attention.

She looked over her shoulder and winked. It dropped midair, earning startled and fair too shrill noises from both her boys. Steve was the faster of the two, catching it and turning to Wanda. “Was that really necessary?” He came to her side, setting the bowl down and kissing her cheek.

Jamie watched them with a bittersweet smile. Growing up, he had come to love everything that they taught him. Especially when it came to family. He had the hardest time with his powers, but they had never given up on him. All he wanted was to find that for himself, to continue that example of a healthy relationship. Healthy love.

“Jamie?”

He blinked, shaking his head. Getting lost in his thoughts hadn’t been intentional. Focusing on his parents again, he smiled. “I just…really love you guys.” He turned back to the bowl, rolling out the balls of cookie dough.

Steve smiled. His son was like him. Struggling with emotions and a man of few words. He turned to preheat the oven as Wanda hugged her son. She combed her fingers through Jamie’s hair. “We love you too, sweetheart.”

He didn’t look up. There was still a twinge of sadness there. Pain that he’d eventually move on from, but not yet. “So…” Jamie looked from her to his dad, trying his best to smile. “How long do these cook for again?”

--

Marvel Kiddos

Marvel OCS

I Love You Prompts

[snakeboistan]

Koro-Sensei Quest AU (Hero AU)

Basically the Koro-Q verse but they have powers. More info after the power list. (I won’t write it but I’ve got a bunch of headcanons)

Nagisa’s powers were inspired by the BNHA AU of @blueberrypython and I got some ideas from https://assclass-headcanons.tumblr.com/post/164329950964/have-you-seen-bnha-what-do-you-think-e-classes

Kataoka Megu: can breathe in areas with limited oxygen/the air is not ideal (i.e: poisonous), can adapt to extreme temperatures and can survive for longer than the average human without food. Also water manipulation.

Maehara Hiroto: Can sprout angel wings and fly (Kind of inspired by Eros and also found out that Hiroto means soar/fly)

Okano Hinata: Enhanced agility and flexibility and adoptive muscle memory for acrobatics and and combat

Isogai Yuuma: Enhanced swordsmanship and ecological empathy

Kurahashi Hinano: Can speak to all creatures and can shapeshift into anything from the animal kingdom (the normal animal kingdom - she can’t shift into mythological animals even though they do exist in this world)

Kimura Masayoshi: Enhanced speed (speed of sound)

Kayano Kaede: I liked (https://assclass-headcanons.tumblr.com/post/164329950964/have-you-seen-bnha-what-do-you-think-e-classes)’s idea about shapeshifting to look like anyone

Shiota Nagisa: Can turn into a Gorgon, can shapeshift into a snake and can talk to snakes. He rarely goes into his full-powered form (glowing serpent gold eyes and shimmery blue scales on half of his face) because his bloodlust becomes so powerful it can get uncontrollable but he sometimes lets his hair transform into snakes (that automatically come out when he’s angry or scared) - when he first got his powers he kept on accidentally pertifying people. I’m actually going to make another post about Nagi’s powers because I’ve thought a lot about this.

Nakamura Rio: Can speak and understand any language and teleportation to anywhere that she’s been before Mimura Kouki: Can see the truth/past either by taking a lock of hair or by touching someone’s forehead. His eyes glow white and what happened appears as a vision for all to see (like the pensieve memories in Harry Potter). When he reads ancient stories from history/tells legends the same thing happens.

Yada Touka: Siren song/Veela abilities (from Harry Potter) - basically the ability to charm anyone (but she can choose to shield people she doesn’t want to charm)

Takabayashi Koutarou: Can heal non-lethal physical wounds by touch and can diagnose any illness. He also has knowledge about every single illness that exists as well as how to treat them.

Fuwa Yuzuki: Can create force fields and power detection

Sugino Tomohito: Enhanced strength, stamina, dexterity, durability, and reflexes (basically Captain America)

Hayami Rinka: Can see through anything within a 5 mile radius - walls, trees, dust, smoke, fire, darkness, you name it. Incredibly gifted at archery.

Okajima Taiga: Can stop time for a whole minute. He can also freeze as many people as possible within a mile radius for a minute

Kanzaki Yukiko: Weather manipulation

Yoshida Taisei: Metal manipulation

Hara Sumire: Has a Mary Poppins-type backpack that carries everything that would be needed in any given situation (totally stole this from Kevin Hart’s Jumanji character) that only she can use (only she can take the object. If anyone else were to look into the bag, it would be empty)

Sugaya Sousoke: He can make paintings and drawings talk and can make any drawing he creates come to life. Can also make illusions. 

Okuda Manami: She’s a witch that specialises in potions and poisons but she’s learning spells (she always carries around a spell book and potion book in her mobile cauldron)

Chiba Ryuunosuke: Can read and recognise the heat signatures of any being within a 2 mile radius and can pinpoint their exact location and has 360 degree vision as well as dark vision. Incredibly gifted at archery.

Hazama Kirara: A sorceress that specialises in dark magic (can communicate with supernatural beings) and shadow manipulation (like Raven from Teen Titans). She can only go inside a person’s head if they consent to it. At full power, she can use her magic to reveal a person’s worst fears.

Muramatsu Takuya: Can withstand an energy blast (i.e - he wouldn’t go unconscious if he were blasted through multiple walls or got hit by a vehicle) and regenerative healing ability

Akabane Karma (AKA: The Red Devil): Fire manipulation (his eyes glow fiery red) and can travel in the form of a ‘fire spirit’ that can move at the speed of light but only for about 50 kilometers-ish. Also light manipulation (can make tendrils of light). When he gets really mad the ground shakes and things can explode. (tbh - I was thinking about luck manipulation like Jinx from Teen Titans)

Terasaka Ryouma: Werewolf physiology (enhanced strength, muscles, stamina, senses and can shapeshift into a wolf) but doesnt do the whole full-moon thing

VERSE INFO

So, basically, the characters live in this medieval land that’s ruled by the Pope Asano. Now the Pope was this power-hungry controlling dude who loved to have everyone under his rule. Then one day, he was told that these teenagers (3-E) were prophesied to usurp him so he exiles them to a mountain instead of allowing them to study in the Kunugigaoka School Of Magic (this Hogwarts boarding school castle) because he can’t kill them (some magical law or smth IDK). They are then called the ‘E students’ (E for exiled). The E students don’t know why they’re being exiled but are disheartened that they can’t learn how to become heroes like everyone else - until Karasuma, a royal guard, sends them on a quest.

Oh and these children may seem powerful but they are still human: they can get fatally wounded, get hurt like normal, get poisoned, and cursed.

They all know how to sword fight (Isogai is the best at it)

[mindwideopen]

I’m a throw back. John carpenter was quoted as saying that if he started his career now, he’d probably be rejected. That blows my ever lovin mind.

John carpenter is hands down my favorite director. His movies are clear, concise, and steeped in character driven realism. His pacing, deliberate. His action films, a staple in film history. No one directs like John carpenter, because he has his own POV. His vision of story telling is one that only he sees, and we get to experience. He’s so involved in his storytelling that he even composed his own soundtracks with collaborators. He has a complete 360 degree full compact vision of each of the stories he wants to convey. And when it was time to stand up for his vision, he stuck to his guns. That kind of dedication to one’s craft, and deciding to be authentic is a choice that not many people are comfortable with, or are brave enough to voice, especially in this day and age. John supported and stood by himself.

Age is not a factor when it comes to artistic vision. You can be 100 and still see things from your filter, and tell your story. (John carpenter is not 100... 🙄). I relate to john’s filter a lot. His anti-hero story of “Escape from New York, is easily one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time. Snake Plissken, a guy who tried for years to fit into a mold that wasn’t him. And finally, something broke, and he went rogue. But the decision to go bad wasn’t the story. The decision to survive in the corrupt society of what the world had become, was.

Snake felt isolated and alien to the world around him. He felt the need to separate to keep his beliefs and self in tact. He trusted no one. He had been screwed over by people, and ended up in the jail of New York because of it. He was a man who felt and believed fully that to fight the establishment was futile, and the only way out, was within.

He was quiet and stealthy. He wore his heart no where. It was buried so deep not even he had seen it for years. He was working mainly from a serpentine way of behaving, an animalistic survival existence. He had separated himself from humanity, and was treated accordingly,

I can relate with Snake believe it or not. He and I are semi similar in the way that I have hidden myself from people knowing the full and entire me. I haven’t let many in. I’ve been on a self imposed lock down, no one in, and definitely if you opt out by the way you treat me, you stay that way. I am a loner, and now I create alone too. My writing is a solo act, and I resign myself to the fact that even though I sometimes long for collaboration, perhaps it’s better just to stay at bay.

Snake was a guy who tried to play by the rules until the rules started to hurt. John may not agree with that interpretation of the character, because I haven’t discussed it with him, but to me a person needs to be affected strongly by something to fight against it. Why was Snake so affected by the state of the world? Something had to happen to make him turn his back on everything he believed in. He was brought to this decision by his feelings. And whatever happened, those feelings rocked his beliefs to the core of him. You don’t just flip the script for no reason. He was pro government at one point, then somehow it became very very personal, and he was out.

I may be a chick, but I am, Snake Plissken. We all are, in a sense, or have at least felt that way before in our own lives. Someone somewhere disagrees with our stance, our view point, our values, our beliefs. That opposition creates a discord from within. We become offended, unsupported, and misunderstood, then subsequently betrayed by people.The world has become very divided and separatist if that is the reality that we choose to believe. We choose to believe that because of how we feel. People feel, then think, then believe then react. “They are WRONG. Their beliefs, not mine.” Reaction is knee jerk. Fuckers... they can ALL go to hell.. decision made. Next. Hurt is real, and that reaction is due to being unheard, unappreciated, and not considered. It drives people to be the complete opposite of who they thought they were.

Life is an outward expression derived from an internal perception. If we can get a handle or at least become more aware of what we are feeling in any given moment, we can head off a lot of our own upset at the pass. In turn, we would feel supported from within, and other’s opposing opinions won’t be so detrimental to us. We can have more of an understanding of our shared humanity, and start from there. When things seem hopeless, start with what you can control, and that’s yourself.

People are forced to evolve with the passage of time. And people’s personal evolution is their own choice too. And their experiences feed those choices. Corruption, imbalance, persecution, oppression; all of these contribute to the whole. Not just a few are affected. We are ALL affected. I have recognized that within myself. Eliminating me from the equation; my feelings, my emotions, my whole self, has been affected.

Ignoring and being complacent not an option anymore. The world is connected whether we like it or not. Even a dude like Snake Plissken who wants to be separate, isn’t. Being human alone connects us all. The separation is what got us in this fucked up mess to begin with.

Snake isn’t alone. The world as we know it is full of atrocities and injustice. The world is unfair, and not at all in a place of peace. But our focus on that fact, within ourselves and in our own interactions with others only exacerbates the issue. Staring at something for too long makes it bigger, more obvious. The worlds issues won’t disappear if we keep making them worse; in our minds, on the news, in our daily lives. This is not to say that the worlds problems can be solved by turning a blind eye, cause that’s ridiculous. But by caring about ourselves, is the first step in healing the world because of the injustice that we feel personally. The love we can supply ourselves can affect he whole in an unprecedented way. It can start a chain reaction that is fierce. If we ourselves choose to focus on the good, we will feel better. It sound stupid, but to my point, I feel better writing this piece. I’m paying attention to how I feel. I’ll be done writing, and be kinder to my son if he gives me pushback about getting ready fo bed, and so on and so forth. We affect one another in ways we feel are mundane and unimportant.

Oh please.... you might think, she’s comparing Snake Plissken’s plight to fighting with her kid to go to bed on time. Well, it’s about respect, and it’s about love. Same emotions. If we all respected and cared about one another’s feelings, and felt that same love and respect in the world there wouldn’t be any of this mishegoss to begin with! So argue with that, critic! Well, that critic is going to go yell at his/her kid, or dog, and affect the world negatively in that way.

I joke about the critic and the dog, but not really. I care about how you feel, cause it affects me. I care about how I feel, cause it affects you. As a society we tend to over-complicate life. It’s actually pretty simple; be good to yourselves, be good to one another, and whatever that implies, do it. We make things so convoluted. Just be fair. Treat people well. The whole of us, is what we are lacking. Be the whole, and your life, becomes real simple in the best way. Love dictates it. It’s the best leader of them all. ❤️

It’s time to follow the love....

[vanilla107]

Masterpiece (Part 10)

It's been two whole freaking months since I've updated this and I'm so thankful for every comment, reblog and like. I made sure this chapter was extra long so that none of you people would kill me (I still love each person that reads this though) and I hope you like it. My final exams are in two weeks and that is pretty scary for me but your support for this fanfiction has kept me feeling positive! Credits to @krzed for the cute idea at the end of this part! <3 (Loads of love to my Nathchlo people for giving me ideas and support. You know who you are <3)

Loads of love and hugs vanilla107

********************************

Silence fell over the table and a few seconds later it was like all hell broke loose.

“She...she’s living with you?” repeated Marinette dumbstruck.

Adrien had choked on his water and was turning red from all the coughing.

Nino was trying to restrain Alya from jumping out of her seat.

“WHAT? WHEN? HOW? AND IS THIS THE SAME CHLOE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT?” Alya screamed and Nathanaël stared at the mad reporter in shock.

“Alya, calm down, babe! Let Nath explain and relax your news reporting skills,” Nino said gently rubbing her arm.

“Okay...okay okay okay okay...Nathanaël, when did this happen?” Alya said, her golden brown eyes dancing with curiosity as she regained a little self control.

Nathanaël sighed. “It’s a long story...and she’s not really living with me, she just spends the night over sometimes because her apartment needs some serious maintenance. It all happened on the night that she bumped into the four of you…”

Nathanaël retold the story and he could see Alya getting more and more interested by the minute. He omitted the special parts of that he had seen of Chloe; how she had sang with him, the pancake incident, taking her to the market for the first time, taking her to the gallery and the latest memory from that morning. When he was done he was bombarded with comments from everyone.

“I can’t believe you saved her from those three guys-!” gasped Marinette.

“Dude, you basically saved her life-” whistled Nino with a smile.

“Chloe is living in the same apartment block as you-?” Adrien repeated.

“How have you survived?” Alya whispered.

“Guys...she’s actually not that bad...she’s changed...a lot,” Nathanaël added and hoped that he wasn’t going red. It was embarrassing telling all of them about Chloe and it made it even more awkward since she was the one who made him so miserable in high school. The fact that he felt the need to stand up for her felt like the right thing to do since she really wasn’t the she-demon Alya claimed she was.

“I swear guys, Chloe pulled a total 360 and this is coming from the same guy who she bullied for most of his high school career,” he said and finished his coffee.

“Woah...that’s insane Nath...I’m not the biggest fan of Chloe...but I think it’s great that you’re giving her a second chance,” smiled Marinette.

“Agreed, I know she wasn’t the nicest person in high school but thank you, Nathanaël,” Adrien said sincerely and felt relieved that one of his oldest friends was at least being taken care of.

Nathanaël nodded and looked at Alya, who was tapping looking at him intensely.

“Okay, I believe you but...I wonder how much she's changed...that would be an amazing story, don't you think? ‘Mayor's Daughter Learning To Be Grateful or-"

“-Okay Alya. I don't think you should use Chloe’s position of vulnerability for a story,” Nino interjected and Nathanaël smiled gratefully. “From how it looked last week, Chloe just needs some alone time.”

“Yeah, sorry Alya but I think further first time, Chloe doesn't want to be the center of attention.”

Alya’s coffee arrived and for a short period of time, the Chloe topic was dropped. Adrien had ordered cake for the table while they all caught up with each other’s lives.

Adrien and Marinette were flying with Gabriel to Italy to do a photoshoot and to meet up with one of their old friends and the up-and-coming actress, Lila Rossi. Alya was being sent to the South of France to report on a mysterious incident that had happened there a few days ago and Nino had been invited to one of the biggest music festivals in Europe, to not just DJ but he had also been invited to all the VIP parties and was going to be living the celebrity life for a week. None of them were surprised when Nathanaël said that he was planning to just paint for the next two weeks so that it could all be done for the gallery.

After a good two hours spent at the cafe, it was time for the five of them to leave.

“Thanks for lunch, Adrien, you the best, dude,” Nino said as they gave each other a pat on the back.

It was normal for Adrien to pay for them. He always insisted and it was less of a hassle if no one argued.

“I need to go fetch Chloe now,” Nathanaël said as he looked at his watch and Marinette smiled.

“Nath, is she coming to your gallery viewing? Why don't you invite her along so that we can make her feel a little more welcome?”

Alya’s jaw dropped.

“Mari? Are you right in the head? This is thee Chloe Bourgeois. The same Chloe who stole your hat design, accused you of stealing her bracelet and wanted you arrested without any proof may I add, who blatantly insulted you with every opportunity, basically tried to bribed her way into being class representative, sabotaged your uncle’s soup and tried to wreck your relationship with Adrien multiple times!”

Marinette shrugged her shoulders.

“If Nathanaël says she’s changed then I believe him. Everyone deserves a second chance...even a person like Chloe.”

Nathanaël was a little shocked at Marinette’s suggestion and her change of heart.

He knew that Chloe was a truly awful person to Marinette when they were in high school and she had suffered the most, yet Marinette always managed to kill Chloe with kindness or figure out her plan. He was grateful for Marinette’s kind nature.

And why hadn’t he thought of inviting her? She did say that she loved art and he wouldn’t mind her at the viewing. Then he realized that he’d been so caught up with painting that he hadn’t really thought of asking her.

“Is that really a good idea, Mari? I mean I really would love to see her but...she did run out of the restaurant last week and I think we're the last people she wants to see right now,” Adrien sighed.

“Adrien does have a point...I can’t force her to go to something she doesn’t want to go to,” he murmured and stood up from his seat.

“Well, if we’re really going through with this, why don’t you just bring it up to her later this week and give her time to think about it?” Alya said as she brushed the cake crumbs off herself. “I’m still not a fan of Chloe...but if Mari thinks Chloe deserves a second chance...then okay.”

Nathanaël nodded. “I think that's the best idea. You guys will be at the gallery viewing, right? ”

“Of course, Nath! We'll always support you!” grinned Marinette as she gave him a goodbye hug.

“Oh, that reminds me! There’s rumours going around that you’ll be showcasing a new painting soon…and that it’s going to be bigger than ‘Rage’...well this is according to the tabloids and we all know that can’t be trusted,” Nino grumbled.

Nathanaël sighed,“Tabloids will do anything for a story these days. I can handle it.”

At those words, the four friends smiled at the artist. Nathanaël hadn’t had it easy as a child and seeing him mature and making his own decisions made them happy.

Nathanaël checked his watch and saw that it was almost time to pick up Chloe. He smiled at his friends and started to walk with them out the cafe.

“Thank you everyone. Adrien, Marinette, I hope you have a safe trip to Italy and you too, Nino. Alya, please don’t get killed while you’re investigating, you’re more important than some story.”

“Good luck with the painting, Nath!”

“Don’t work too hard!”

“Everyone needs a break every once in awhile! Get some sleep and eat when you need to!”

“You promised me an exclusive interview after the gallery showing, Nathanaël! Don’t forget that!”

Nathanaël stepped out of the cafe and surveyed the light pink sky merging with the navy blue to form a vivid sunset.

“Time to fetch Chloe,” he murmured with a small smile as he started to walk.

****************************

Chloe served the four plates of burgers and chips and with a forced smile she said, “I hope you enjoy your meal. Call me if you need anything else.”

The four males looked at her up and down and Chloe felt an uncomfortable shiver go down her spine. They were all wearing sweaters for some reason (was there some sort of clearance sale? she thought) just in different colours, red, green, blue and purple. They looked like they were round about the same age as her but she felt like prey and they were the lions watching her...waiting to let her guard down so that they could pounce.

“We’ll definitely call you if we need anything else, darling,” Red Sweater said with a rather creepy grin.

Chloe nodded and walked away as quickly as possible to any other tables that needed her assistance.

Her day was not going well.

Apparently Gabriella was ‘sick’ and that left Chloe working twice as hard. Thankfully, Mr Shelley had some common sense to hire a new girl, Camila. Camila was tall and had short brown hair. She was working with Chloe and she was picking up quite fast which definitely helped her but Camila wasn’t the friendliest person.

In fact she was cold and hadn’t spoken a word to Chloe at all except the quick “hello” from that morning.

Other than that, Chloe had burned herself while making coffee (three times to be exact), had found mold growing on one of the burgers, had to deal with an impossible parent and bratty child and now these four guys who hadn’t stopped ogling her since the time they had arrived.

“Deep breaths. They’re the last customers for the evening,” she whispered to herself as she saw the second last table of people leave the restaurant with Camila cleaning their table. Chloe couldn’t wait to get home and take a long, warm shower to get the greasy feeling off her body and smell like the ocean-

Nathanaël smells like the ocean.

 She felt her face go warm and her heart beat a little faster.

No, you do not like him! It’s only been a few days! This is just a crush! Chloe Bourgeois doesn’t like Nathanaël Kurtzberg!

Chloe kept herself busy as she wiped down tables and watched the clock tick by. Finally, the Sweaters were done with their food and Purple Sweater yelled, “Just the bill, hot stuff!”

Chloe kept her anger under control and came to collect their plates and gave them their bill.

“Here you go,” she said with forced enthusiasm and waited for them to pay.

“Sorry but I think there’s something missing from the bill?” Green Sweater said as he looked at it.

He pointed to a spot and Chloe leaned closer to look at it.

“I don’t see anything wrong-? OW!” Chloe screamed as she felt a slap on her bottom.

The group of Sweater idiots laughed and high-fived each other. Chloe felt her cheeks go red with anger.

How dare they?

“What’s missing is your number, beautiful,” the Purple Sweater purred and Chloe glared at him in disgust.

“I would never give my number to creeps like you,” she growled trying to keep her voice low. She did not need Mr Shelley to storm out of his office because of these asshats trying to get her number.

“Oh C’mon, Blondie- Chloe winced at the terrible nickname “-don’t you want to have fun with some quality attention?” Blue Sweater pressed.

“I’m perfectly fine with the company I have. Now, pay the bill so that I can go home,” Chloe said trying to say it as politely and calmly as possible. They were treading on her last nerve and if they said one more idiotic thing she was going to lose it.

“We’ll just take you out for a few drinks. No harm done! And if you want to come back to our place we could-”

She snapped.

“No. Hell freaking no. I’m not going with you disgusting assholes to some sleazy bar to get me drunk and wind up at your house and do God knows what. What do you not understand?” Chloe exploded. “And what gives you the right to touch me? Were you raised by wild animals?”

The Sweaters looked furious and she felt fear spread through her body. She had never talked back to a group of strangers before and these guys were at least a good ten centimeters taller than her. She was trapped and nearly screamed when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Please don’t let it be Mr Shelley. Please don’t let it be Mr Shelley. Please don’t let it be Mr Shelley. Please-

“Chloe,” a warm familiar voice said.

“Nathanaël,” Chloe whispered, relieved as she turned to look at him.

The look in his eyes were dark with anger and she saw his jaw tense as he looked at The Sweaters.

“Hello, Chloe. How was work?” the red-haired angel asked, seemingly oblivious to the situation she was in.

“It was okay-”

“-Until these men started to harass you?”

She could see that the more Nathanaël spoke the angrier he seemed to get with the four men.

“Yes,” she murmured.

Chloe swallowed uneasily and saw the Sweaters expressions change from anger to confusion to anger again.

“She wasn't doing her job-" Green Sweater began but was interrupted.

“-Her job is to take your orders and serve your food. She is not for your entertainment,” Nathanaël snarled at Green Sweater. “Now, you are going to pay for the food, give her a huge tip and never come back here again,” he warned, his voice low and dangerous. “And if you do...let’s just say you won’t be able to walk again.”

Within minutes the bill had been paid, Chloe had received a huge tip and the Sweaters were gone. She never thought she’d seen four men so pale before until Nathanaël threatened them.

Chloe turned to face Nathanaël.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. People are supposed to fend off creepy assholes who harass other people,” he said and ran a hand through his hair and glared at the table were The Sweaters had sat.

“I’ll go say goodbye to Camila and get my stuff.”

She walked to the staff room. Camila was there, mopping the floor and looked up at Chloe before giving her a cold look and returning to her mopping.

At first Chloe wanted to snap at her. What the hell had she done so wrong to this girl, that she was treating her this way? Chloe breathed deeply and collected her bag and signed out on the employee register. She walked towards the staff room door and was about to leave when she turned to face Camila.

“Camila...You’ve been a huge help today...I don’t know how I would’ve handled this without you so...thank you,” Chloe said softly.

Camila looked up and for the first time, and surprisingly, gave her a small smile.

“I’m glad I could help. I know I haven’t been the friendliest person to you and I guess it was because I sort of developed a disliking towards you. I knew how spoilt and awful you were because I’m friends with some of the students who went to Collège Françoise Dupont and I heard all the stories.”

At those words Chloe groaned,“I know I was awful.” Camila grinned and stuck out her hand.

“Camila Vasseur.”

Chloe took it and smiled.

“Chloe Bourgeois.”

Camila’s grip was firm and warm and Chloe felt a little better about working at the restaurant if Camila was going to be working with her.

“Are you working tomorrow?” Chloe asked and Camila nodded.

“The only days I don’t work are Sundays and Mondays,” she replied.

“Okay, well a little heads up for tomorrow, since I don’t work on Wednesdays. There’s a girl named Gabriella and she is absolutely awful. Oh, and she and Mr Shelley are...close if you see what I’m trying to say…”

Chloe didn’t like the fact that she had to tell Camila this but she felt that it was the right thing to do. She didn’t want Camila to go through the same treatment that she had.

“And...stay cautious of Mr Shelley...he’s a creep.”

Camila looked at Chloe and lowered her voice.

“I assume this is coming from experience?”

Chloe nodded and memories of Mr Shelley’s hands on her waist and legs made her shiver.

“I need this job. I’ve looked at other places but I don’t have the experience required and this is the only hellhole that I can work at,” Chloe said bitterly.

Camila nodded and looked at her nails.

“I’ll gouge his eyes out if I need to. Oh, and are you leaving early?”

Chloe nodded.

“This is the one situation when having a boyfriend helps,” Chloe muttered and Camila giggled.

“I’ll try that trick if I ever need to get out early.”

“Good, see you on Thursday, Camila.” Chloe laughed and walked out the staffroom.

Chloe felt her stomach do a little flip when she saw Nathanaël leaning against a table as he read the menu.

He wore the red shirt! she thought.

Chloe felt happiness bubble inside her but she quickly shut it down.

So what if he wore the red shirt? That means nothing! The other part of her mind hissed.

“Chloe? You okay? You have this odd look on your face,” Nathanaël asked as he stopped reading the menu.

Chloe snapped out of her daze and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m okay! It was just a busy day.”

Nathanaël shrugged his shoulders and pushed open the door so that they could walk out.

“So, how was work?” he asked as they began their walk home.

Chloe retold him the events of that day and Nathanaël looked close to murdering Mr Shelley.

“You never told me that he assaulted you!”

Chloe sighed, “I need this job, Nathanaël and I looked at other places but I don’t have the qualifications.”

Nathanaël was silent for a while before he whispered, “If he ever lays another hand on you-”

“-He won’t...I’ve made sure of it.”

Nathanaël, internally, was burning with anger.

That asshole touched Chloe and she still has to work for him. He could understand why she hated him so much now.

“Nathanaël? You’ve been so quiet…” Chloe whispered and gently touched his hand.

“I’m okay...I just need time to absorb all of the information and try not to smash his face in when I see him again,” Nathanaël growled.

Chloe snickered,“Look at you, acting all boyfriend-y.”

At that comment Nathanaël’s ears went pink and that only made Chloe laugh.

“So, how was your day? Hopefully better than mine,” she grinned.

“Well, let’s just say that the red shirt does work wonders,” he replied, grinning back.

“Ha! Who gave you fashion advice? This girl! But anyway, continue.”

The rest of the walk home was Nathanaël talking about the meeting he had with the gallery manager and the commission he had received. Once they got back to the apartment, Chloe noticed that her window was fixed.

“Oh, the repairman came before I left for the meeting. Now, it’s all fixed,” Nathanaël observed as he looked at the window.

Chloe was thankful that she wouldn’t have to wake up cold anymore. She took a deep breath and turned to face Nathanaël. Her hands were sweaty and nervousness clawed at her insides.

Why did asking Nathanaël out for breakfast make her a nervous wreck?

“So...I’m not w-working tomorrow and I was wondering if you wanted to go out for breakfast? Only if you’re not b-busy of course! I-I got paid today and I’d like to repay you for everything you’ve done and I know you’re super busy with your paintings-”

“Chloe, you don’t need to do that.”

“Oh my word Kurtzberg. Can you stop interrupting me and being stubborn for a second?” Chloe scolded and Nathanaël grinned in surprise.

“Does that annoy you Chloe? When I’m stubborn and interrupt you?” Nathanaël teased.

“Yes! Now let me talk! Let me take you out. Just this once, for breakfast at your favourite place to get breakfast.”

Nathanaël thought for a moment before replying.

“No.”

Chloe hated how her heart hurt and how her stomach deflated in sadness. Why did his rejection hurt so badly? She hated that she had let her guard down and she felt like dying. Refusing to make eye contact with Nathanaël, she lowered her head and whispered, “Fine. See if I care.”

Nathanaël noticed the quick change in mood and was a little surprised at how quickly Chloe’s emotions took over.

“Chloe wait-”

“No, you said no and that’s okay. It’s not like I didn’t want to have a nice breakfast with the one person who’s shown me kindness for the past few days but I see how it is.”

Chloe put her hands on Nathanaël’s shoulders and tried to push him out of her apartment.

“Chloe let me explain-”

“-No, there’s no explanation needed.”

“Chloe stop pushing me-”

“Leave my crappy apartment, Nathanaël!”

“If you stop pushing me-”

“Why are you so damn tall and heavy you beanpole!”

“Chloe-”

“Leave!”

“-Chloe I do want to have breakfast with you!”

Chloe stopped and all she could hear was the sound of her laboured breathing and her heart beginning to beat faster.

“Y-you just said no...”

“I said no because you have other stuff to worry about than treating me to breakfast. You have to pay rent, you need clothes and toiletries and all that. I don’t want you paying for a breakfast that could possibly cost your whole salary.”

Chloe looked at him with annoyance.

“What’s your favourite breakfast place, Kurtzberg?”

Nathanaël sighed.

“It’s Eleventh Street.”

Chloe’s eyes widened and she knew that Nathanaël had caught her.

Eleventh Street was known for it’s mouth-watering food. Chloe had already gone there a few times before she hit rock bottom and she commended Nathanaël’s taste. She could still remember the scent of roasted coffee beans and blueberry pancakes would invade her senses whenever she walked in and their tastefully decorated interior made her feel right at home.

Their strawberry and red velvet crepes were the fluffiest Chloe’s ever eaten and the croque madam was simple yet filling. Their coffees were heavenly and health smoothies were the kick she sometimes needed in the morning but that was all gone now. She hadn’t been there in months and forgot how expensive it was for a whole meal for someone who was just getting paid the bare minimum.

Nevermind two people.

“Dammit,” Chloe muttered and she felt Nathanaël’s arms wrap around her and pull her into an embrace.

“Chloe, I appreciate your gesture, I really do. But I need you to focus on yourself for now, okay? There’s nothing wrong with that,” he murmured softly. Chloe slowly wrapped her arms around him and sighed.

Chloe grumbled and nodded into his chest. “Okay.”

To Chloe’s surprise, Nathanaël didn’t let go of her immediately. The hug lasted for a good minute or two and when he eventually let go of her, she was a little dizzy.

“Oh, and there’s something I’d like to talk to you about. I didn’t get to mention it earlier but maybe over dinner? I’m making Coq au Vin,” he suggested and Chloe’s stomach grumbled with hunger.

“That sounds perfect,” she agreed.

“You can shower at my place. Your pressure is still messed up, right?”

Chloe nodded, “I’ll get my stuff and take a shower while you prepare the food.

Nathanaël walked out the door and Chloe collected her pajamas and toiletries.

She liked how it had almost become a routine. Nathanaël would walk her home then invite her back to his apartment and they would have dinner together and maybe she would spend the night there. Her apartment was a little more liveable now that the window closed and she didn’t have to wake up with the cold on her face but...Nathanaël’s apartment seemed to have character and she felt more at home in his apartment than she did in hers.

Once she had everything packed she locked her apartment and walked to Nathanaël’s and opened the door. Chloe wanted to scream. Did Nathanaël Kurtzberg have any idea how attractive he looked?

His black blazer was cast aside on the couch and the sleeves to his red shirt had been rolled up to his elbows. Nathanaël’s hair was messy but she found it cute and she hated how good he looked. He was already cooking the bacon and getting ready to add in the chicken to the pot.

Chloe closed the door and she made her way to the bathroom. After a warm, relaxing shower she emerged from the steamy bathroom, smelling like the ocean and feeling like a new person. The food was simmering and the whole apartment smelled glorious. Chloe fell onto the couch and picked up one of the art magazines that was lying on the coffee table. She flipped through it while Nathanaël was still busy with browning the mushrooms and quickly began reading what other critics had to say about various pieces of artwork.

“Okay, food should be ready in the next fifteen minutes. I just need to make some phone calls to the gallery manager and by the time I’m done it should be ready,” Nathanaël informed as he closed the pot to let the food simmer.

Chloe hummed in response and he turned to look at the blonde. She had a small stack of art and design magazines on the coffee table and was reading them one by one. She was laying down on the couch with her head resting on the arm of the couch. He smiled a small smile and phoned the manager.

Once he was done walked back to the kitchen and stirred the food one more time before looking over his shoulder and saying, “Chloe, dinner’s ready.”

Chloe looked up and set down the magazines. She walked over to the table and Nathanaël dished out the food. He set down the plate of steaming stew and Chloe breathed in the smell.

“It’s smells amazing,” she said as she popped a carrot in her mouth. “And it tastes even better!”

Nathanaël grinned. “ I’m glad you like it.”

After a that, the room was filled with knives and forks scraping the plates surface and the sound of chewing. Once they were done Nathanaël poured some red wine into two glasses while Chloe packed the dishwasher with their dirty dishes.

“Wine?” Nathanaël asked as he offered her a glass and Chloe’s eyes widened.

When was the last time she had wine?

Hell, nevermind that...when was the last time she had alcohol?

Chloe was no stranger to alcohol and enjoyed the buzz she got from it but after a night of clubbing and waking up the next morning with almost no memory of the night before, in a stranger's’ bathroom, she had sworn off hard drinking. She still adored wine and cocktails but had them in moderation.

“Yes ,please,” she said quickly and Nathanaël raised an eyebrow. He wondered why her reaction was so odd but decided not to pry especially since he needed to ask her about the gallery viewing. He handed her the glass of dark red liquid and they took a seat on the couch.

“So, what was so important that you needed to invite me to dinner, Kurtzberg? I read that some murderers like to wine and dine their victims before killing them,” Chloe teased.

Nathanaël rolled his eyes and took a sip of his wine. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned murder. First it was at the gallery and now. You seem to have some twisted thought that I’m going to kill you.”

Chloe looked shocked. “No! I-I’ve just read a lot of murder mystery books, okay? When I felt sad, I read those because it sort of made me feel better?”

Nathanaël stared at Chloe.

“You read murder mysteries to make you feel better? Chloe...you are a weirdo.”

Nathanaël felt the pillow hit the side of his face and he retaliated by grabbing it and throwing it across the room. He hand a hand through his hair and looked at the annoyed blonde sitting opposite him.

“You have your art and I have my murder mysteries!” Chloe exclaimed and folded her arms across her chest.

“Okay, I’m sorry. But the reason I wanted to talk to you was about my gallery. I’d like you to be there.”

Chloe felt her heart stop.

“W-what?”

“I want you to be there Chloe. I know how much you like art now and I’d like you to see my new work. But...there’s a little more I need to tell you besides that. I had coffee with Adrien, Marinette, Ayla and Nino today.”

Hearing the names of the people who she had humiliated and who saw her covered in fries and tomato sauce made Chloe want to be sick. She swallowed uneasily.

“They spoke about you and I had to tell them how much you changed. They want to see you again, Chloe. Which is why I’m asking you if you’d like to come to the gallery viewing because they’ll be there. They mean no harm...they want to give you a second chance.”

Chloe was a tornado of emotions.

She felt anger, shame, sadness and a slight bit of relief.

She didn’t want their pity but she understood why they would feel sorry for her. She hated that they had seen her so weak and vulnerable. She was relieved that they wanted to give her a second chance but hell...there were four of them and one of her.

“You don’t have to answer right away. The gallery viewing is in two weeks so you have time to think about it okay?” Nathanaël said reassuringly. “I don’t want to pressure you into doing something you’re not comfortable with.”

Chloe nodded and sipped her wine and the taste of berries was left on her tongue. “Okay...thanks Nathanaël. I’ll think about it.”

The rest of the time was talk about his latest paintings and preparation for the gallery viewing. Nathanaël forgot that he was still in his work clothes and he got up and stretched. The two empty wine glasses glittered on the table and he made a note in his head to try painting glasses the next day.

“I need to shower. Feel free to stay but it’s getting late and I’m sure you need some sleep. You had a crazy day.”

She hadn’t realized how tired she was until her head hit her knee because she had dozed off.

“Yes...sleep is a good idea.”

Nathanaël chuckled at the sleepy Chloe. “How about I walk you to your apartment after my shower?”

Chloe mumbled something along the lines of, “Sure.” and Nathanaël went to shower.

By the time he had finished showering and was drying his hair with a towel, he found that Chloe was asleep on his couch. He honestly should’ve known that she would’ve been sleepy after drinking the wine and having a hard day at work. Nathanaël thought of taking Chloe to her apartment but he decided against it since he didn’t want to wake her up or bump her head into any walls. After much thought he decided to carry her to his bedroom and tuck her under the covers. She wasn’t too heavy and he found it easy to slide her under the covers.

“You’ve been working so hard, Chloe...it’s admirable that you want to be independant but I’ll help you until you find a better job,” he whispered, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “I do hope you say yes...about the gallery thing. I’d love for you to be there and make amends with my friends.”

Nathanaël was quiet as he gently brushed Chloe’s cheek with his thumb and planted a soft kiss on Chloe’s cheek.

“Goodnight Chloe. Sweet dreams.”

Nathanaël switched off the light and got into bed and fell asleep. He had no idea that Chloe was still awake and that she had heard everything. He had no idea that she was internally dying because he had kissed her on the cheek.

“I hate you, Kurtzberg,” she mumbled before falling into a deep sleep.

[tsuminiochiiru]

Granrodeo 2017 Tour Write-up

This is going to get long, so buckle in!

General Thoughts

This tour was absolutely amazing, even with the oddness of the Sendai shows (see below), it was top-notch and high tension all the way. I was a bit worried when the Sapporo shows had little talking and were error free. That, combined with the lack of Go For It! and the acoustic set had me concerned that GR wouldn’t really be GR on this tour, but a cleaned up, less personal version. Mind you, the totally professional, error free shows were great, but it’s not really a GR show without them running their mouths, and screwing up at least one little thing.

I needn’t have worried, by the second set of shows, they were back to typical form, Kiiyan flubbing lyrics, e-zuka messing up an intro, and they were motor mouths. Some shows were better than others, but they were all uniquely interesting and fun (save Sendai day two, which probably scarred more than a few of us).

Turns out I didn’t really miss the acoustic set like I thought I would. I missed the idle chatter they would engage in before the song, but with

月に抱かれて眠りたい

, featuring Juny-a’s sax and Takita on upright electric bass and

Under the Sky

, with all of Fire Horns + e-zuka’s delicate acoustic playing at the beginning and end, I was beyond satisfied. Kiiyan’s singing on those two songs … it was mesmerizing to watch him sing

抱かれて

, the way his mouth moved. And Under the Sky … it’s like after Sendai, he was singing it as an apology to all of us, and his vocals became more and more powerful. And starting with Sendai, it reduced me to tears each time … and when the song finishes, he would take a step back, drop back to MC mode and give us a hearty “

arigatou gozaimasu

” that didn’t give us a chance to breathe, to recover from the overpowering emotional assault of the song. I knew this song would break me at some point, and indeed, it did.  Also of note, the song ends a bit abruptly on the CD, but live they added an acoustic guitar coda that Kiiyan would vocalize wordlessly along with, sometimes repeating the “I love you” from the last verse.

I do still miss

Go For It!

Badly. Hoping that it puts in an appearance at G12. And I was initially annoyed at G12 going back to the Budokan, until I saw how happy Kiiyan and e-zuka were about playing there again. It’s a special place for them, definitely. Very curious to see how the 360 stage and floor standing will work out.

e-zuka played Amazing Grace frequently during the tour. It was incredible each and every time.

Shin … I was prepared to be grumpy about Val being gone, but Shin is so adorable I gladly accepted him as part of the GR family pretty much since the beginning. The group dynamic is different, definitely. Takita seems to have adopted Shin and taken him under his wing. But that didn’t keep Kiiyan and e-zuka from teasing him mercilessly at times (ex:  e-zuka. accused Shin of coming from school to one show with his randoseru on.). He took it in stride, though, and was clearly tickled by the attention from RG, though he didn’t know what to do about the guys calling out for Shin-chan. Heh. He interacts with us a lot more than Val did, which is nice.

It was great to have Fire Horns there for one show per venue. They add a whole new dimension to the performances. e-zuka joked at one point (Bayside, I think) that with Fire Horns on stage, that makes seven of them … so they are the seven lucky gods.

I was so, so spoiled by this tour. I thought I had good spots last year, but this year, almost without fail I was 2nd row, maybe 3rd, with a couple of exceptions. Getting better at reading the crowd and the surge, though it didn’t always work out quite as I wanted. Tried to mostly stick to e-zuka’s side, and that worked out rather well when I’d end up behind his fangirls, because he shamelessly played up to us. And sometime during this tour I graduated from getting obvious callouts/gestures to marginally more subtle ones, like Kiiyan yanking up his shirt in front of me (hey, I show him mine at every show, only fair!) or laying down on the stage near me … or balancing on the railing in front of me. Much appreciated, oh yes. Takita has finally taken note of me too. So yes, warm fuzzies all around.

I wrote Sapporo and the first set of Diver City shows up in detail, but I came down with a lingering case of sinusitis before the Fukuoka and Hiroshima shows, and so got behind … and those 4 shows are a bit of a blur, so I don’t have much to say about them, alas.

Sapporo

https://yokuboumugendai.com/2017/06/05/pierrodeo-sapporo-bullet-points-may-20-21-2017/

Diver City

https://yokuboumugendai.com/2017/06/13/diver-city-bullet-points/

 Fukuoka

A Rodeo Boy found Takita and Shin going for a walk along the river Sunday morning. He was … apparently so enthusiastic with his adoration that Takita said if he’d been an RG, he (Takita) might not be at the show.

Apparently Kiiyan was out walking too, also ran into Takita and Shin.

Kiiyan sure does like losing his shirt in Fukuoka. Three of the last four shows, and only not 4 because he stopped Takita for some reason (Kiiyan had started to lift his shirt; we all screamed, he dropped it, and Takita stepped up….)

Kiiyan was all dangerous hips and lifted shirt on Blackout

Sumiko-san, Kiiyan’s mum, didn’t appear to be in the balcony for either show, but his niece and her two friends were there again for the first show. They had a lot of fun waving to the audience as we left, and when they spotted me, they waved like mad. I waved cheerfully back, of course.

After day two, waited out front like last year. Drum Logos has just one door, so there’s no escape for the artists. Last year, there were less than 20 of us; this year I’d say closer to 40 or more of us were waiting. Enough folks that Kiiyan came out between his taxi and another car to approach the fans. He made a bikini girl’s year commenting on her breasts. My friend and I had stationed ourselves by the corner, figuring the taxi would turn there, and indeed it did, putting Kiiyan, through his open window, about 3 meters from us, tops. I blew him a kiss as he went by. e-zuka, Takita, Shin and some staffers all bundled into one van-like vehicle. e-zuka rolled his window down, was waving, chatting with all of us. And again, they came within a couple of meters of us. We shouted “next week!” at him as they went by. And then he shouted “good luck” at the staffers left loading the truck, which cracked them up.

Hiroshima

First time going to Hiroshima Blue Live. The shows were great, but the venue itself isn’t all that good — floor doesn’t slope, acoustics are so-so. Didn’t help that it was absolutely pouring the first day.

For 君に one way love on day one, Kiiyan came down off the pedestal, sang the last bit in our corner, and he spent a lot of Y.W.F. on our side. He usually never leaves center for it. Same with バラライ on day two.

Kiiyan called for Fukuoka folks, knowing I was there, at least. Turns out the girl behind me was too.

A Rodeo couple came up to talk to us before the second show (they met at the Nagoya shows last year), and he introduced himself to us, saying that he sees us at every show. Hi, Sugu-san!

抱かれて … gets more beautiful each time, and at this performance, Kiiyan said he felt like he was in a GR Snack Bar when he sang it.

e-zuka spent quite a bit of time the second day talking about farts and posture.  Kiiyan chimed in to say  his butt hole is kinda loose, which prompted someone to shout, “Show us.” Which caused e-zuka to say “If you join Ro-gumi and go to Okinawa, you can see Kiiyan’s butt hole.” Dude, no!

e-zuka kept abbreviating Blue Live to “BL.” And yes, he knew what he was doing.

e-zuka told us that a local TV station in Niigata had worked on a TV show about him, much like the Yamaguchi Tys TV shows for Kiiyan, but that for some reason it got scrapped.

Missed getting Kiiyan’s high-five by a few seconds. e-zuka did not high-five, and gave me an apologetic smile that he couldn’t reach me from where he was.

Day one I was so glad to hear アウトサイダー that I found my inner head banger and set her free.

Sendai

So … Sendai has always been magical for me. And I had amazing spots near the stage for both shows (2nd row near e-zuka; 2nd row dead center in front of Kiiyan), but we could tell at Saturday’s show that Kiiyan wasn’t anywhere near 100%, though he clearly perked up during the second half. But day two … well, e-zuka blogged that he’s not sure what the right response should have been, but Kiiyan wanted to go through with the show, so as to not disappoint anyone, and when Kiiyan, clearly in distress after the first three songs, emphatically told e-zuka that he wanted to continue, e-zuka vowed to give him all his support. These two… *sniffle*

Even when sick as a dog and under the influence of about six different medications, Kiiyan has such presence and such drive. He wanted to do the show so badly. He was annoyed with himself Saturday, but Sunday he was just too sick to show the frustration.

I felt bad that Sunday, when he needed our cheers and screams the most, it took me some time to get beyond worried mom mode and give him that.

Despite being under the weather Saturday, Kiiyan did a pretty good job of still being his silly, bouncy self.

During the first encore, Kiiyan was playing at tying his towel around his neck and complained that it made him look like an ojiisan. And e-zuka’s retort was that no matter what Kiiyan did, he looked like an ojiisan

Day two opened with Kiiyan clinging to his mic for dear life. It was heart-breaking.

e-zuka was so sweet to Kiiyan, coming over to check on him after the opening three song set Sunday. Kiiyan’s head was bothering him because of the lights and sound, but he shook his head no, that he didn’t want to stop. So for the first time I’ve ever seen, e-zuka started the first MC.

e-zuka did most of the talking at the very end too, and put his arm around Kiiyan’s shoulders. (we got a hug the first day, first time in eons)

He also sang a song I didn’t recognize during his solo. It was lovely.

Kiiyan wore his cloak all through the first set because it was apparently cold on stage, and so he could cough (and tear up)  into it. The girl to my left didn’t realize at first, thought it was cute and I just wanted to grab her and go “Can’t you see how sick he is!?”

Sick as he was, some songs he still sounded amazing on … 抱かれて, Under the Sky, Pierrot Dancin’, Brush the Scar Lemon. But he couldn’t possibly hit that last note on ナミダバナ, alas. And he let e-zuka and us sing some of the higher bits of Can Do.

And somehow … Kiiyan was still sexy as all get out when he was singing. Well, when he wasn’t on his knees, or clinging to the mic stand for dear life.

Especially on Brush the Scar Lemon. Hip action like he hasn’t done in so long … or since. Unfortunately, that’s probably what did him in for good. It was just too much. But so, so sexy.

Kiiyan mostly stayed dead center on stage, only using his platform once, for darlin’. I was sure he was going to pitch forward and we’d have to catch him.

When he did wander from center, he sang on his knees a lot. When he was singing Can Do on his knees down where my friend was,  e-zuka kneeled next to him.

Kiiyan was so worried about disappointing people. Kept apologizing. 😦

During the first bit of シャニムニ, Kiiyan was on his knees just to my right … and damned if bad as he felt, he didn’t try to give us sexy Kiiyan, with that bad boy tongue….

He lay down on his back in the middle of the stage to sing the last bit of modern strange cowboy, after bouncing around for much of it.

And oh god, Under the Sky … approaching the final couple of verses, Kiiyan just couldn’t. Couldn’t sing. Couldn’t stand. Him sinking to his knees in front of me, head drooping, is an image I would like to forget. It made my heart stop. The audience finished singing the song for him, and if there was a dry eye in the house, shame on you!

They skipped the first encore … but they should have called it all off, let him rest. It was the first time I ever wished for a GR show to end early. I was really hoping they’d skip the encores and just come out to say good night and thank you. Couldn’t bring myself to chime in with the Gran-Rodeo call and response

We ended up singing a lot of Punky Funky Love for him too.

At the end e-zuka took the mic first, and when he finished, although I know he couldn’t hear me, I pointed to Kiiyan, yelled “take care of him.”

And when Kiiyan got on the drum riser to jump, I was making a “Dame desu!!” gesture at him. I know he saw me, and I understand why he felt he needed to jump, but I was so scared he’d hurt himself.

Kiiyan threw his venue wristbands to the front row. One to each side of me.

Earlier he did deliver his “you guys are all cute” speech, including telling the RB they were sugoku kawaii. And delivered in such a soft voice….

e-zuka played with Takita’s fox tail like a cat at one point

And Takita stuck the neck.of his bass through e-zuka’s legs while the latter was on Kiiyan’s pedestal

Osaka Bayside

Lovely venue, if not as convenient as Zepp Namba. Spacious inside, nice high stage

HAPPY HEALTHY KIIYAN!!!

He talked about Sendai a little, asked who’d been there, and was taken aback at how many of us had been. He apologized even more.

So, during his intro, Takita was like … “I wanted to do something to make Kiiyan happy … and I know he has a thing for nicely painted toes. So I went yesterday and got a pedicure.” Kiiyan replied, “Well, yes, i’ve often said i’ve got a fetish for that, but Takita-kun-senpai….”  e-zuka then asked, “So … how can Kiiyan see your toes? I bet they’re painted black.”  Takita said he had planned on wearing new sandals to show them off, but something went wrong with them and he had to switch back, almost missing his shinkansen this morning. e-zuka told him to take a pic later and Shin could post it to Twitter.

We learned that Shin often posts to Twitter from the bath tub.

Shin said he used to live in this ratty apartment in Osaka, next to a couple … and every night around 2 his wall would start knocking. He was so annoyed he wanted to go bang on their door. Takita told him he should’ve joined in on the drums.

Kiiyan and Nakamura Yuuichi ran into each other at Shin-Osaka on Saturday. He apparently described Nakamura as “the popular seiyuu who looks good after losing some weight.”

Kiiyan was telling the audience Sunday that no way they knew the song Takita has been playing in his solo, but I knew it was Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” so I quoted the lyrics to him on Twitter the following morning.

Day 2 I ended up behind two fanatical e-zuka girls. Which meant lots of love from him, of course.

Plus had Kiiyan come stand right in front of us and yank his shirt up high during msc. Always welcome!

Kiiyan decided to intro Y.W.F. as  “yoi … warui … fuckin’”

Takita and e-zuka had a mock arm wrestling battle during Y.W.F.

And e-zuka was chasing Takita’s tail again

Shin-chan had guys screaming “Shin-chan” at him and he hasn’t quite figured out what to do about this, which was cute.

Met an RB outside who was collecting messages for Kiiyan; he seemed thrilled to get some foreigners to sign. He was also very surprised I was going to all the shows.

We saw a foreign guy walking away from the venue on Sunday, tour bag in his hand. Still want to know what was up with that.

I had been joking, given my near misses with tossed things, that something would have to land in my cleavage for me to actually end up with something. Imagine my surprise when one of e-zuka’s bottles of Pocari Sweat bounced off a few hands and landed into my (rather plunging) cleavage. All miiiiiine. Heh.

Nagoya

Technically Monday’s Zepp Nagoya show was the tour finale. And it didn’t disappoint, not one bit. Happy birthday to me!

e-zuka must have thought he was experiencing deja vu on Monday:  not only was I in the exact same place as Osaka (2nd row, between Kiiyan and e-zuka), with cleavage to spare (also the same as the previous week), I was behind the EXACT SAME PAIR of e-zuka fangirls. They were even dressed the same.

So, ah, yeah, we got a LOT of e-zuka love in our little bit of the stage. Like last week, he sat down, feet dangling off the stage, to get fanned for Y.W.F. Except this time right in front of us. In fact, he came back for more, tugging the collar of his shirt down down… We distracted him sufficiently that he only briefly bugged Shin at the beginning of the song, stealing a drum stick and playing the cymbal while Takita tried to shoo him away.

Takita said he hurt his leg during Can Do Sunday, and something happened during Can Do Monday, but he assured us even if his body wasn’t 100%, his spirit was.

Kiiyan … oh Kiiyan. Again during modern strange cowboy, while standing right in front of me, up went his tank top, exposing his lovely belly. It’s mesmerizing…. he did quickly yank his shirt up during Blackout, but msc was for much longer. Had him in front of me, or near for most of darlin’, a chunk of msc, Can Do…. and for Punky Funky Love, he came over and lay down on his side on the stage, head propped up on one elbow … and sang. Given his vantage point (a few feet to my right), he probably got an eyeful. He seemed embarrassed once he got down on the stage, but followed through. Heh. Nice birthday present, yep.

Met up with a French fan I met through Instagram/Twitter/Tumblr. Glad she and her boyfriend seemed to enjoy the show. ^_^

Namba Hatch

There was a hanamichi, or smaller stage jutting into the first section! We didn’t realize day one, or we would’ve aimed for it.

Brush the Scar Lemon wasn’t as sexy as Sendai, but it was on FIIIIIIRE at the end.

The girls in front of me day one… were awesome. Coordinated pierrot pants, colorful animal print bikinis, pierrot makeup

During … msc, I think it was, he sat down on the opposite side of the hanamichi, legs dangling, and urged some RG to “motto, motto”. And then looked awfully embarrassed at himself when he stood up.

Apparently he took someone’s hand during Sea of Stars on Sunday, sang to her.

e-zuka mentioned playing Zookeeper on his phone. He’s stuck on level 12.

He apparently asked the folks at the meet and greet Saturday if they played DQ, since Kiiyan is so addicted. But none of them did.

Kiiyan is so hooked on DQ he fell asleep playing while waiting for some sports thing on tv, woke up in the morning to find the news on.

The same guy who collected messages for Kiiyan to get well at Bayside had shikishi for Kiiyan’s birthday, and to say thank you to Shin. We signed, of course!

There’s always fans waiting at the train station to see them when they arrive (stalker much?). Yesterday there were fewer, because the e-zukas came in Friday, but there some. And this guy waved to Takita and said “hi,” so Takita assumed it was an RB. But no … the guy mistook Takita for an AV actor. Kiiyan introduced him by that name on Sunday.

When Shin was asked if he’s been mistaken for someone, he said also for an AV actor.

e-zuka finally succeeded in stealing a drumstick from Shin and “played” the guitar with it during Y.W.F.

And, uh, Kiiyan threw in hip thrusts for the  “punky” “funky” bit of Punky Funky Love. He wasn’t facing my way for that, alas.

Met up with a Greek fan who I’d helped get tickets for the shows — hihi Netsuki!

Diver City

Hanamichi again! Ended up 2nd row, very end on e-zuka’s side of it. So facing Kiiyan the whole time. Both days

And wow. Tokyo crowds are rough. Day one the barriers couldn’t hold the girls to the sides of the hanamichi … so staff had to crouch the whole show, straining to keep the barrier up. Even my section got a staffer for a while, but we weren’t leaning that hard. It was bizarre, standing in the middle, to hear a squeal of surprise and look over to see the barrier almost topple and staff running to prop it up … and then the same thing from the left. And then we had a tiny, tiny surge.

Kiiyan joked it was a job for Takita, hands at breast level like the staff were.

After the first set of songs, staff came out to ask Kiiyan to tell the fans to ease back from the barrier and spent some time trying to get them to do just that while Kiiyan and e-zuka were MCing.

Kiiyan told us he hadn’t felt well before the first show, so went to the doctor just in case. Nothing bad, but he ended up with a shot anyhow.

Takita took off his shirt at the very end of day one (and looked awesome doing it). Shin ran over to protect him.

Takita lay down on his belly to play during his solo. Both days. Day one he was on the hanamichi and I could see only his foot. Day two he did it on his side of the stage and I could actually see him.

Not to be outdone, e-zuka played behind his head and with his mouth. After the latter, he would make a bunny face and ears. Too cute!

When e-zuka came out onto the hanamichi for Amazing Grace, they turned the lights on so bright we had to shield our eye to watch … and then they turned them down and he had to squint to see us. He leaned forward and said “Mabaroshi? (mirage)”

Kiiyan sang exactly two words of Endless Summer (“Endless summer…”) after move on. TEASE.

Day one Kiiyan gave away the set list to someone in the right front. Extreme jealousy!

And the last towel he threw day one he wiped on all four of them.  e-zuka jokingly offered his belly, and now we know he wears white undies.

Kiiyan wears pinkish red undies, as evidenced when he lost his shirt day two.

Also day two, his birthday,  Kiiyan brought out Kishomi to intro Takita and Shin. Because he had just sung 抱かれて and was in Kishomi mode. (Now I’ll always envision Kishomi singing that song). He mentioned it was Kishomi ‘s birthday, so Takita wished Kishomi happy birthday. XD

For his birthday, when they came back out for the encore, a staffer wheeled a birthday cake out, and e-zuka walked a blindfolded Kiiyan out to the stage (where he pretended to chop a watermelon). e-zuka, Takita and Shin (and the staffers) were wearing t-shirts with Kiiyan’s face (lovingly caricatured by e-zuka) and “Kishou love / Kiiyan rabu” written it. (Kiiyan came out in one of the shirts for the 2nd encore, and tossed it to someone on his way out). Kiiyan had half expected his parents to be there when he took the eyemask off. He declined to go face first into the cake, but did try one strawberry.

e-zuka offered to sell the shirts for 20,000 yen.

Belly again during msc, but over on Takita’s side of the stage.

So … Y.W.F. Apparently forgetting he was on live TV, Kiiyan first stroked his mic suggestively, then grabbed his crotch repeatedly … and then came over to the corner where I was standing, and leaned over to put his right foot on the barrier, one person over. All the while proclaiming we shouldn’t touch his chinko. (Lucky for him, no one could reach that far!) I wasn’t sure at first I could reach him at all, but I reached over with my left hand, found the hem of his pants leg quite easily. Tugged gently, to assure myself it was really him, then slid my hand up to his knee … and then around and down his calf (I had his lower leg to myself). And damn, his calf muscles are to die for. He lingered quite a while, so I had time to run my fingernail and hand up his shin and back down his calf, and while I was giggling at the girl next to me patting his inner thigh, I tapped out the time with my palm on his shin. Kyaaaaaaaa! Given the line in Y.W.F. that goes something like “why don’t you grope me more in your inexperienced way” the whole birthday groping seems appropriate (and he must’ve enjoyed it, else he’d’ve cut it short).

That girl turned out to be very nice (I asked her if Kiiyan’s thigh was the best.) and her friend recognized me from the NY Countdown. Hope I can run into them again!

Kiiyan was wearing a thick bandage on his right hand for both shows. Turns out his wrist or hand got hurt in Osaka during the high touch, when someone must have yanked too hard in taking his wrist band off him. Knowing that, I am beyond grateful that he trusted us not to hurt him/get him hurt while he was on the barrier.

I’m bummed that I spaced out when they asked for those of us who went to all the shows. Ah well. I know I went to all of them, and I didn’t need special recognition for it. But I am hoping they ask again at G12 like they did with G11.

Piedan tour write-up

This is going to get long, so buckle in!

[bookwormruler-blog]

So this wonderful and amazing image belongs to the even amazing artist @jamjams-doodledees check their awesome art! Dont forget to comment and heart!

CHAPTER 1

How old is something before it’s considered history? How long must it sit, buried far from the eyes of time? And why must we dig it up?

“Huh,” I huffed as I read the sort inquiry on the brochure. On the front was a photo of the museum that I stood in. So far I found nothing, but a few pieces on the history of my small town. I lived in a relatively city, known to most as Arcadia Oaks. Mostly simple businesses, a hospital, high school, and a wonderful little café not far from where I lived.

But to most of us who live here, we know it as home.

“Alright class, let’s keep moving. We have lots to see and not enough time.” Our teacher, Mr. Stricklander yelled out over the mingling voices of teens. Mr. Stricklander was an odd fellow, or at least that’s how my mother puts it. Though I conquer with her, that’s not how I would put it. More so, he's… weird.

Really I don’t know how to put it. The man seems like a gentlemen, talks like a gentlemen, even breathes like a gentlemen. But there something different about the man. I just feel it. Maybe it’s the fact that he stands 6’, looks like s textbook college professor. From the turtleneck sweater to the men’s shoes, I’m tellin’ you, something about this man screams weirdness.

Stricklander clears his throat rather loudly in attempt to gain the attention of the class. Doesn’t work. So he put two fingers to his mouth and gives off a shrill whistle. Ow… that hurt. Yet, it works. Fifteen sets of eyes meet his.

“Thank you. Shall we?” He said tersely. The large group of students followed on his heels. I stayed to the back so that I wouldn’t be trampled. Since I could remember, I’ve had this frustrating ability to not be seen. I don’t know if people just don’t like seeing me or they simply can’t. And I absolutely hate it. Though sometimes it does have its pros, such as when fleeing from unneeded confrontations.

“Don’t fall behind Ms. Judges, don’t want you to get lost.” Of course my teacher would be the one to see me. I puffed out my cheeks and turned scarlet from embarrassment. “Yes sir.” I nodded.

A couple of my peers whispered and laughed at me, pointing their fingers in my direction. No discretion in their part. I pulled into myself, but followed. I’ve gotten used to it, but still it hurts.

Stricklander led us to different exhibits. Some interesting, some not so much. I was losing interest very quickly, yawning with boredom. But then we came to one of the last exhibits. Suddenly, all tiredness was gone. I piqued.

It was a glass container, in the middle was a teal blue pillow, and on the pillow was a stone. Really, it looked like a cross between a gem and a stone. It was a small tanzanite, barely the size of my pinky nail. Yet, in terms of this gem, that is quite large.

It would seem that I wasn’t the only one who paid more attention here, a pair of boys were spying the gem with a gleeful look. It was Jason and Erik, two of the world’s dickiest people. Numerous times I’ve come home with bruises to both my skin and pride because of them. It always feel like I’m their favorite target.

I pushed my way through the gaggle of students to the front. Coming face to face with the gem, a shiver ran up my spine. I stared at the purplish-blue stone, the longer I stared the more I saw of the gem. I almost missed how the tanzanite seemed to hold a flame in the center of it. Just the way it glistened and shone.

Stricklander grinned at the enthusiasm the class showed at this certain exhibit. “Can anyone tell me what kind of stone this is without reading the sign?” A hand in the middle went up. Stricklander pointed to it, “Yes, Mr. Palchuk?”

Steve smiled arrogantly, “It’s a shiny stone.” And there went all my faith in humans. I rolled my eyes at his stupidity. A student to my left stifled a laugh by covering their mouth. Steve wasn’t the smartest cookie in the tin. In all honest reality, the dude was an idiot. He was your everyday jock. Wearing a blue polo shirt everyday and parting his hay blond hair.

Stricklander’s right eye twitched comically, “Close but not close enough Mr. Palchuk. Anyone else care to try?” A pregnant pause befell the group of teens. No one was going to answer, so raised my hand.

“Go ahead Ms. Judges.”

“It’s a tanzanite. One of the world’s rarest gem due to how sparsely located they are geographically.” I said timidly, but clearly. Oh now you people see me? Stricklander’s eyebrows rose in surprise. I guess he didn’t think I would know that.

Ha! Take that.

My teacher folded his arms, “Care to elaborate in further detail?” Fourteen pairs of eyes snapped to mine. See me now do we?

“Sure. Like I said before, they are extremely rare because they are only found in small part of Tanzania. Before they are cut the stone look mostly like the one you see here, but when cut, they become more of a blue color,” I motion to the glistening gem. “Though it is said that their prices now will go up even more when the mines are stripped.” A couple jaws dropped. What? So I like shiny things, as Steve puts it.

Stricklander chuckled and thanked me. He told us about this particular gem and why it was here at the museum. Apparently, it was found by the founders of the town back why then, but they didn’t know at the time what gem it was so they thought it held magical properties. For a long time it was lost to the eye of the public for fear of it being stolen, only recently it was reopened for the public.

Glancing to the two boys staring at the gem I could wonder why.

Finally, Stricklander informed us that that was the end of our field trip. Some of us were in walking distance of home while the rest were taking the bus back to school. However, I wanted to stay a little longer.

Waiting for the rest of the class to disperse and then walking up to Stricklander. “Mr. Stricklander, is okay if I call my mom and ask if I may stay a little longer? There are some exhibits that I saw but we didn’t have time for them.”

“Do you have a way to get home?” He asked.

“It’s not a far walk from here to my house. Besides it would be for me to get some exercise. Please?”

Stricklander looked at me from the corner of his eye, contemplated it, “Very well, but call you mother first. I don’t want you to be left here with out her knowing.” I grinned and nodded enthusiastically. Stepping away, I pulled out my phone. I entered my password and pulled up the dial. Mom was on speed dial so I was soon listening to a ring speaker.

:‘Hello?’: Mom’s voice crackled.

I smiled, “Hey Mom, is okay if I stay behind at the museum? There’s some more I wanted to see.”

I heard her setting something down, more than likely a cup.

:'Sure. Just be home before they lock you in.’: She joked. I smiled and we said our goodbyes and our I-love-yous. I informed Stricklander of Mom’s decision and he bid me farewell, telling me he’d see me on Monday. Thank god today was Friday!

I watched with glee as the rest of my class went their separate ways, leaving me alone here. “Finally, peace and quiet.” I sighed with relief. A quick once over of the museum, I was surprised to find it empty apart from me. I suppose there were some workers here.

“Now what to do,” I tapped my chin. I settled on wondering around the large building. My shoes made a tapping sound that echoed through the hollow hallways. Just to counteract the silence, I started humming a song. And I let my feet take me.

………….

“Okay now I’m lost.” I admitted. Doing a 360’, I didn’t recognize a damn thing. White walls rose up all around me, columns and arches created shadows signaling that it was late. Probably time to get my behind home. If only I can… Ah ha! With glee I rushed to a door that had an 'Employees Only’ sign on it. Maybe I can ask for some directions.

Just as I gripped the cool metal handle a crash came from down the hall. Down the dark hall. I slowly let go of the handle and silently made my way to the location of the crash. Being cautious with my steps, until they were nothing.

When another crash sounded, I pressed myself against the wall. A column was shielding from view. Someone was yelling. Boy did they sound mad! I held my breath at the sound of footsteps. They were a haunting sound.

“I swear those things are the most idiotic beings ever!” Wait, I recognize that voice! Air got stuck in my throat as Mr. Stricklander walked out from the room directly in front of me. The one that was only separated from me by the thick column.

If I was a animal, I’d be pinning my ears to my head in an attempt to hide better. But I was up against a wall.

Stricklander was acting odd, odder than normal. He was pacing and ranting on about some bridge. Was he thinking of becoming an architect? Could be doing some landscaping. Then something freaky happened. He turned to face me, but not see me, and his eyes were freakin’ glowing!

Straight up night lights! Unlike their normal green eyes with the whites they were now yellow, like headlights on a car. There went the neighborhood.

A chill went up my spine. What. The. Hell? What was he?

He grumbled something under his breath before stomping back into the unknown room. I scrunched up my face, did my teacher just throw a fit?

Wait. He’s my teacher. Monday’s gonna be weird…

Mom used to tell me that I got into the most trouble when I was little, said it was because I was so curious. I wanted to know everything and why. Still do get into trouble, but not as much due to the angel on my shoulder.

But I guess my angel wanted to know what was in that room just as much as I did.

Drawing up as much as my fleeting courage, I peeked my head around the column wearily. At first I didn’t see anything other than more walls and columns, but then a light came from the room Stricklander walked into.

I had to see what was in there.

So far I hadn’t been seen, so I peeked out a little further. I saw a little bit of the room, mostly just coverings on the walls. Taking a step out from the behind the column, I saw more. Just I don’t think I was supposed to. Because the moment I saw what looked to be a pile of stone, I noticed Stricklander exchanging a conversation with something that looked like a lovechild between a mountain and a bigfoot.

And that lovechild saw me.

He said something to my teacher who snapped his head to me. I will never forget Stricklander’s expression. A mix between shock and… fear? He yelled something out, but it was too late. I turned foot and ran.

“Shitshitshitshitshit…” I cussed and I ran. The word almost serving as a chant, telling to get my shit together and ran like hell!

I slid around a corner, almost falling, would have if not for stabilizing with my hand. I could hear the lovechild on my heels. Dude sounded heavy.

Dear god, is this how I’m gonna die? Death by evil villain who was corroborating with my weird teachers? Could be worse.

Damn asthma… my chest was already burning. Breathing was getting harder and harder to do. But I pushed past it, my will to stay alive was stronger.

I didn’t know where I was going. I was taking random corners hoping to throw the creature off. But it still kept on my ass. At this point I was tempted to stop and quit. Never was a big runner.

However, I saw an exhibit that I recognized. It was the tanzanite! Which meant the entrance wasn’t far, maybe once I was outside I could loose this lug! With renewed hope and determination I hauled ass to the door.

So close! So close to freedom and life!

I was about two feet from the door handles when the lovechild dropped down from the skies, blocking me. I yelped as I collided with its stone hard body. Ow… that’s going to leave a mark. If I live…

Everything was fuzzy. I must have hit my head.

Laughter.

It was laughing at me. Laughing at me! I gazed up with a dazed look at the creature. Even with the daze, I could see some key features. Such as the yellow and red eyes, dude, those are brighter than Stricklander’s! The creature’s main color variation was black and grey. It hand small tusks that jutted out from its bottom jaw, making me assume it had an underbite. Two horns curved down and in from its head. One looked like it had been broken off, the tip was gone.

Two straps made of something I didn’t recognize crossed over its chest, they met at a kilt like cover. It had its cover decorated with skulls of unknown creatures. On its right forearm is had a band. And two… swords?

It was also buff. Like… REALLY… buff. If I wasn’t so dazed, I’d say it wasn’t bad lookin’. Better than some humans I’ve seen.

I met its glowing orbs and wasn’t scared. Woah. I must have it my head pretty hard. I blinked and tried to push myself away from the creature. But then it spoke.

“Keep running. I like a good chase.” Oh. My. God.

With a voice like that, I’m good right here. Dear lord I sound like a hormonal teenage girl, oh wait, I am one. I giggle drunkenly at my joke. The creature furrowed its brows in confusion.

“Help me up and I’ll get back to running.” I huffed.

“Why would I help you when I’m just gonna kill you?” It asked snarkly.

I stuck my tongue out at it. Fine be that way, then I wont be going anywhere with you. I shakily got to my, thinking I was doing it gracefully like a deer, in reality, I looked like a newborn giraffe. When I started to tremble, I boldly put a hand on tall dark and stone.

Now stabled, I took some steps. Only to fall back on the ground.

“You know this ground is actually comfier than it looks. I think I’ll go to sleep right here.” I yawned and curled into a ball.

A pair of footsteps came running in mine and the creature’s direction. I was too tired to see who it was. All I wanted was sleep. And damn it, I was gonna get some.

“What happened?!” Oh it was Stricklander. He sounded exasperated, maybe from running? The creature leaned over my curled up form. I hummed and rolled over to look back at it.

“This fleshbag’s still alive… I’ll grab her.”

“Don’t eat her, Bular.” Stricklander’s voice was commanding. Even more than he is in school. He’d been holding out no me, I feel so offended.

Wait. He said the creature’s name. Bular… actually that’s a cool name. Cool name to go with a cool creature.

“I won’t.” Bular stated as he leaned closer to my face. His features were shimmering away in black particles, along with everything else. Slowly, my sight turned dark.

[infinityknight25]

A Devil Went Down To Georgia part 1

A sweet southern rain overcame the small town of Orchard Hill in Spaulding county Georgia. The sun had already begun setting, causing an orangish shade behind the rain clouds. “Abby! C'mon we will take cover in that barn.” Said a young man to his short blonde haired female companion. The barn had a full walk through from one side to the other. It was a natural wood color and had begun to show signs of being old. The wood had begun to turn almost to a grayish color. The two made it under the cover of barn and were laughing. Abby looked at her male companion with happiness and caring in her eyes. He had dark black hair and brown eyes. His boyish smile was decorated with a mustache and soul patch. She smiled “Seth… Did you know it was gonna rain?” He chuckled. “Babe that’s the South for you. Sometimes you get pop up storms. ” He said as he moved closer to her. She backed up against the wall still smiling. Seth leaned in for a kiss. “Whoa sorry.” Said a voice. They both jumped and turned to see a man standing just outside of the barn in the rain. He had a black cowboy hat on and his face was painted like a wicked clown. His eyes were as black as the devils soul. “Is this your place?” The girl asked frightenedly. The man smiled and laughed as he came in from the rain. Water dripped off the bottom of his brown leather trench coat. “No ma'am it’s not. I’m just a wander that happened to get caught out in the rain. Much like yourselves.” He continued to get closer to them. “Hey man you need to give us just a little bit of space huh?” Seth said trying to sound stern. “Hmm. And why is that?” Asked the man with the wicked clown face paint as he walked closer. Young Seth panicked and grabbed a sickle off the wall from behind Abby. Seth swung with all his might. The man became translucent like. He maintained his clolor and definition but you could almost see through him. The sickle passed through him. Seth was awe struck. The man pointed at Seth with a smile. “Now, you see that could’ve been unavoidable.” He stepped forward and grabbed the sickle from Seth’s hand. He picked Seth up by the throat with his other hand. “You see, I can touch you. You can’t touch me.” The man said with a smile. Then he twirled the sickle and ran Seth through. He dropped the lifeless quiet body to the dirt floor of the barn. Abby was crying, trying to be somewhat quiet with her crying as she leaned hard up against the wooden wall of the barn. The man looked at her and smiled. “Oh now ma'am you have nothing to worry about.” He said as he stroked her face with the back of his pointer and middle fingers from his right hand. “You gotta stay alive to spread my mesaage.” He leaned in a whispered something in her ear. She was still crying as he backed out of the barn smiling his wicked clown smile. Once out in the rain, he turned and walked away. Almost thirty minutes later the police arrived to the barn. They rushed into one of the entries to the barn to see Abby sitting next to Seth’s cooling body. She was uncontrollably sobbing. A police officer who had stubble and salt and pepper hair slicked back walked up to Abby. “Tell me ma'am. Did you know the murderer?” She settled herself down but was still crying. “He told me that he had come to bring darkness to the world. He said that I was left alive to be his messenger. To be the one to make him known.“ The officer asked. “Who’s he?” She wiped her eyes. “The Apparition.” “Welcome to the Georgia days festival here in Beatufil Atlanta!” Said an announcer over the p.a. People had begun to gather around the vert ramp that was close to the center of the festival. On the deck of the ramp was a handful of bmx riders including Tyron Owens. He had his full face bmx helmet on as he sat ready to drop in. London’s calling by the Clash began to play as he dropped in. “Up first is Tyron Owens. He’s in his mid twenties and has been dominating both the Fmx and Bmx world’s.” The announcer began. Owens went up the vert wall for his first trick on the halfpipe. He began to do a spin trick. “That is a nice alley-oop 540. Alley-oop spins happen when you spin the opposite direction that you and the bike are moving.” Owens pumped hard as he headed to the opposite side of the ramp. “A very smooth superman tailwhip.” Owens began to set himself up for a flip trick. “A very clean footplant flair. The flair comes from the trick being a backflip with a 180 degree turn so the can be facing forward to continue his run.” Owens began figuring he had two more tricks before he was finished with his first run. “Whoa a bikeflip flair! What’s he gonna do to top that last trick!? Here we go. He’s spinning.” Owens spun his bars as well as himself and the bike. “A 360 barspin with a fakie landing. It’s better known as a fakie truck driver. Fakie is when you land backwards and the 360 barspins are better known as truck drivers.” The announcer said as he walked out to the bottom of the golden wood halfpipe. “Tyron, you had some very common tricks in that first run here at the Georgia days demo. Towards the end though, you brought out the bangers with that bikeflip flair. The capper had some tech qualities about it since you gotta land backwards but the truckdriver trick itself is pretty basic.” Owens looked at the announcer. This was the first time the crowd had seen him. He was a white mid twenties man with a fox racing flat bill hat on. He had a Mirraco bikes t-shirt on with a pair of blue jeans. “You know man, I was just going for what I felt like doing. I like ending my runs fakie cause that’s not something normal. Wether it’s a simple truckdriver or a double backflip. Plus I still have a few more chances to throw out some of the big tricks.” Owens put his helmet back over his ebony afro mohawk and headed back toward the top of the ramp. At the end of the demo Tyron was signing autographs with the other riders. He smiled and took pictures with several happy spectators. “Okay guys, we have to cut the line off here. The grounds are about to close and these dudes gotta eat. The announcer called over the p.a. system. The riders all got up. “I’m gonna go grab a corn dog okay guys?” They all acknowledged him and he started walking toward the midway concession stands. “I love your style. The way you end runs some times by landing backward.” Called a voice from behind him. Tyron smiled and began to turn around. “Listen man….” The man that called out to him had a receding hairline. He was in a blue suit with a blue striped tie. “My favorite trick of yours though was how you died and came back to life. Now that one you don’t see everyday. So tell me.” Owens cut the man off. “Look I just want to go get a corn dog and go back to my hotel.” “That can be easily arranged if you answer a couple quick questions. I would actually like for it go that way so I can try to hop on over to the side stage and watch the Bob Seeger cover band but the balls in your court.” Owens chuckled. “Who are you?” “My name is Phil Coulson. I am a S.H.I.E.L.D agent and at this very moment you are breaking a couple of big time laws if you do not comply.” “What’s gonna happen if I don’t comply?” Tyron asked starting to become very aggravated. Phil gave a slight smile. “Well honestly if I were you I’d speak with me. Cause if you decline…. A little man with a big attitude that smells like an animal will come and get the answers from you.” Coulson’s smile vanished and he stepped closer to Owens. “Then you spend the better part of what you have left in your action sports career in a S.H.I.E.L.D cell.” Tyron felt the rider inside him. The fire spread under his skin. He could feel the heat. He had yet to change. “I’ll take my chances.” Coulson smiled “Okay you have a good night Tyron….but if you change your mind.” Coulson handed him a card. “Gimme a call and we can figure a few things out. Hmmm?” Coulson began walking out of the festival area. Then headed toward the midway to get something to eat. The rider inside him was stiring. He was angry. He wanted to vent. “Calm yourself man. It ain’t no big deal. He’s just some punk. We’re good man.” The rider began to relax. Sunday morning at a small church of God nestled in the forest mountain range of Appalachia. The church sat on the Tennessee and Georgia border. It was a small one room building with no air conditioning. It was a hot summer day and the windows were opened. The he white lead paint had began to peel on the outside. The pews were a stained light colored wood. The small congregation of fifteen were listening to their preacher. A man who was in his mid to late fifties. His hair was short and mostly grey. His face was severely wrinkled from having an almost angry face the majority of his life. He was dressed in a blue cotton button up shirt. The short sleeves revealed scars from certain practices of his chosen religion. “Now children of God, it’s time we remember our focus on him. Keep the outside world out of your mind. There is nothing but putrid, vile and ungodly things out there! He gonna burn it all up!!“ The preacher said in his deep voice. “Children I am here before you as an instrument of God! To lead you to gates of heaven and hold the door open for you as you walk in. To demonstrate I am worthy of such a task I will preach the rest of the sermon holding this copperhead and eastern diamondback rattle snake.” The preacher picked up the snakes out of their glass terrariums. “ Luke 10:19 Behold I give unto you power to tread over serpents and scorpions, and over all power of the enemy:and nothing by any means shall hurt you. Now I will lead you in the hymn “I Surrender All”….“ The preacher was interrupted. “I don’t which snake is more deadly. The copperhead. The rattlesnake or! The one holding them.” The man with the juggalo clown face paint was in the doorway. His hands on each side of the entrance. He was kind of leaning forward. Everyone turned in shock to see The ghastly visitor. The snakes even sat still in his presence. His black cowboy hat covering the top part of his face. “Stranger you have the gall to come in here and spout your mouth…” The man interrupted again. “No you have the gall!” He began to enter the church building. “You stand there holding those snakes and talk high and mighty to your followers. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.“ "Are you accusing me of teaching false doctrine boy?” The preacher asked angrily. “No.” The copperhead bit the preacher. “I’m telling you.” Suddenly thousands of venomous snakes indigenous to the area began flooding in and attacking the congregation. The man chuckled. " Don't worry I will one day dine with you on the other side of the WIDE gate. Now..." He turned toward the door. " This building is vacant and creating an eye sore in the Appalachian landscape." The man snapped his fingers and the snakes all combusted, consuming the old white church building in an angry flame. The man walked the rest of the way out of the burning building unscathed. "Well.... I guess I've had enough fun. It's time to commit the souls of Hotlanta to the firey lake."