#for reference thalia is the fake person i made up

[your-local-bi-guy]

”haha damn i wish i had someone like thalia to talk to that’d be so coo-“

“wait.”

[dungeonqueering]

Herofall update

The three players have settled into their downtime pretty well. They revived a faerie dragon that had been petrified while part of the rebellion that started as a result of the protagonist’s deaths a hundred and fifty years ago. The faerie dragon is named Pluck, and when they finally asked what Pluck’s pronouns were, Pluck just hissed. (The bard oog said “Oh, Pluck’s gender is ‘Do Not Refer To Me’ What a fuckin’ vibe”) Pluck speaks draconic only, despite understanding common, and it took the players a good solid bit to realize that Pluck was responding in draconic to all the things they had been saying in Common. Pluck just refuses to use Common lmao Pluck is also big on pranks and keeps encouraging people to do mild pranks for ‘morale’. Also, we decided that draconic is Welsh, so I slap that dialogue in google translate and post it in the chat. Pluck also only speaks in bold text.

During this downtime, the players are really getting to know the NPC members of the rebellion, since they hadn’t had but a partial chance before. This is made complicated when Elanor’s girlfriend, Vallynn (Lynn) tries to break up with her basically immediately when the heroes get back. It turns out the leader, Thalia, who notably has a stick up her ass, convinced Lynn that her and Elanor’s relationship could serve as a distraction and potentially be dangerous to both of them should the evil wizard Malum find out about it and try to use it to tear the rebellion apart. They have an incredibly healthy relationship talk and decide to stay together anyway. Love wins.

Meanwhile, the bard Dolos gets to know and seduces the bard Bliss, another member of the rebellion. He also gets to know many other members of the rebellion and, while having truesight active so he can spot Malum’s invisible minions, he notices that Thalia’s ears are disguised. She’s not human, as she pretends to be. She’s an elf. That sure is a weird thing to hide. He confronts her about this, and she basically says “It’s personal and I don’t want to talk about it.” Meanwhile, Animus the Druid (ex wizard) uses his newfound staff gifted to him by an ancient and sacred tree to Awaken a cat. The cat offers up the many names he’s been called, and Animus settles on Milo. Milo asks about magic and the nature of being alive and time. He asks if he can learn magic. Animus decides to teach the now-sentient cat to be a wizard. This will go fine.

Lynn and Elanor go on a camping trip. During, Lynn lets those three little words slip, and as a DM and storyteller, this is INTENTIONALLY very early in their relationship. It’s been established that Lynn is impulsive, among many other things.

Animus takes Milo and a fledgling wizard named Temerity that was recruited on their last mission to the College of the city they’re in. Using a letter he forged from Dolos’ other persona (itself an identity stolen from a murdered billionaire), he enrolls Temerity in the wizard college and begins doing research to figure out how a talking cat can do somatic and verbal spell components so that he can, and I cannot stress this enough, make me give a LITERAL HOUSECAT class levels in WIZARD Dolos confronts Thalia. She seems desperate to gain his trust, and he intrigues her with a bit of his own past. They agree to each share and keep their own deepest secrets. I won’t post what Thalia’s is quite yet because I actually had that part of the conversation in PMs so the other players would find out on their own later, but it’s maybe a bit of a big deal. We also learn a bit about her past (she was a boring desk-bureaucrat before starting the rebellion somewhere in the 48-56 year old range, she was also a noble whose nanny was killed by the evil wizard Malum.) We learn a bit about Dolos’ past as well. Before he was a powerful wizard, Malum was a noble lord. He allowed the poor in his city to die during a plague, and that included most of Dolos’ family. (Dolos is a changeling, but was adopted by a human couple who were part of a 15-ish person acting troupe. He grew up traveling and using his shapeshifting to play many MANY roles well.) This leads into them talking about Dolos’ nature as a changeling. Dolos offhandedly lists his other personae, including the one Thalia hasn’t seen: Alice. She asks about it, and Dolos shifts into Alice. Thalia looks away, and Alice picks up that it’s because (i’m going to paraphrase here) she’s a useless lesbian who’d lost her normal stoic composure due to letting herself be vulnerable and honest during the conversatrion. This led to Alice flirting, and Thalia was uncharacteristically interested. She had a ton of concerns to address, though. Namely, how much of a gd hypocrite it would make her since she had just tried to ruin Elanor and Lynn’s relationship (albeit that one was romantic and this would not be) a few days prior.

Alice does a remarkable job of assuaging all of her fears. Thalia’s behavior and motivations as a character become clear. Nearly everything she does, including the personality she fakes for the rebellion, is all motivated by fear. Alice helps comfort that, and see’s her relax for the first time since they’ve known one another. This is going to be a big turning point for Thalia as a character since the stick wedged firmly up her ass up to this point has been dislodged. She’s still afraid of many, many things. Still paranoid. But... less. Willing to accept that comfort and closeness is actually possible. And she now *trusts* Alice/Dolos in a way that she hasn’t let herself trust anyone literally ever. That’s going to make things... emotionally complicated.

[gatesofember]

The Privilla: Chapter 6

PJO Arranged Marriage/Royalty AU Part 2

Rating: G | Pairing: Solangelo

Prev | Next | AU directory | Read it on AO3 (Recommended) | Arranged Marriage AU Masterpage

Summary: Almost ten years after their first introduction, Will and Prince Nico meet again. But this time, they are no longer children. Will, the illegitimate third son of Duke Apollo, has had a few prospective suitors, but none of the offers have been as lucrative as his family has hoped. Prince Nico has had his fair share of suitors, as well; with the pressure of being heir to the throne of a kingdom in economic turmoil, Nico is expected to marry for profit and security. However, his icy personality has driven many impatient suitors away. The two young men may prove to be exactly what the other needs.

It was early the next morning after they had eaten when Nico took Will back to the Palatium de Divitae.  Nico decided to ride there on horseback rather than take a carriage, in part because he liked being outside, but also because that way he could easily slow down and point out things to Will while they were riding, like the lake where he sometimes hunted waterfowl or a hill in the distance where Persephone kept a vineyard.  Jules-Albert stayed nearby in case Nico required his service and Reyna accompanied them as a chaperone, but she said little.  Asterion went with them, as well, having apparently invited himself along.  Asterion tended to follow Nico wherever he went; Nico liked to think that he made Asterion feel safe, and he was glad for the dog’s company.

They took their time traveling to the Palatium de Divitae, so it was already past noon when they arrived.  Nico requested a lunch be prepared for them while he took Will to the conservatory.  Will offered his arm, which Nico accepted, and then Nico led Will through the lines of trees inside the glass building with Asterion following silently behind them.  “My mother enjoys fruit quite a lot, particularly ones that only grow much farther south,” Nico said.  “The conservatory was a wedding gift from my father so that she could have those fruits grown here.”

William nodded with interest.  Queen Persephone was the daughter of the Duchess of Ceres, which bordered Diana in the Juvian Empire.  Many of the fruits they grew came from Ceres.

“We grow oranges, of course,” Nico said.  “We will try to grow pineapple next season, and we have tried bananas, but my father despised the taste.  However, we are most known for our pomegranates.”

“I have heard of your conservatory, Your Highness,” Will said.  “The Queen’s gardens are quite famous.”

“And she is very proud of that,” Nico answered.  His mother took a great interest in the gardens, to the point of sometimes attending to them herself.  Her hands were not soft like other court ladies.  Nico liked that.  Lady Maria, Nico’s birth mother and childhood governess, had also had rough hands.

“If you would permit me to make a confession, Your Highness,” Will added.  Nico was apprehensive, but nodded.  Will lowered his voice to a whisper, as though he was confiding a great secret, and said, “I have never eaten a pomegranate.”

Nico tried to suppress a smile before he laughed, his fingers tightening on Will’s arm.  “Then we must remedy that,” he said.  “Come, our lunch should be ready by now.  I am sure that we will be served a bowl of seeds.”

Nico guided Will out of the conservatory and across the field of white asphodel towards a pavilion where their lunch would be served.  Nico liked the asphodel.  He went to the field to escape if the palace became too stuffy or he wanted to hide from the world; he felt a special connection to that place.  The flowers had been planted in honor of Bianca.  Nico had not been there when the field was planted, but when he finally returned to the palace after his long years in the countryside, it was the place that he ran to hide when his mind held too many dark thoughts to bear alone.  He would pretend that Bianca was there with him.

In the pavilion, there was a table prepared for them with a platter of small sandwiches and, as Nico had predicted, a bowl of pomegranate seeds.  Jules-Albert served their plates before stepping back, and Reyna was near enough to watch without being close enough to distract them.  Asterion lay down beside Nico’s seat, quietly waiting for his master.

“I thought I would show you around the Palatium de Divitae after we finish,” Nico said before he picked up a sandwich.

“Yes, I would like that,” Will replied.  Nico watched with interest as Will quickly spooned some of the red seeds into his mouth.

“Well?” Nico asked expectantly.

“Very good, Your Highness,” Will said.  “Tart, but not unbearably so, and they have a touch of sweetness to balance it.”

“Excellent,” Nico said with a nod.  “Pomegranates are among my favorite foods.  I am glad you enjoy the fruit from our conservatory.”  If Will was going to live with Nico in the Palatium de Divitae, Nico wanted him to be as comfortable as possible.  But then, perhaps Will would spend a great deal of his time in Venadica when they married.  Either way, Nico did not want Will to dread living near Nico too much.

When they finished the meal, Nico led Will inside the palace, Asterion following behind them, and gave him a brief tour: he showed Will the Hall of Gold (which Will had already seen), the opera house, the drawing rooms and studios of the King and Queen, and Nico’s collection of rooms (which attached to Hazel’s).  He heard Hazel in her music room, so he brought Will to investigate.  Hazel was playing on the piano with her tutor, and old woman with a sharp face named Alecto, standing close by, but she turned when Nico walked in.

“Brother!” she said happily.  “I thought you would be in the Privilla?”

Nico thought Alecto looked a bit irritated by the interruption of her lesson, but she bowed to Nico and greeted him politely.

“I thought I might show Lord William around the palace,” Nico replied.  “I brought him here to take him through the conservatory.”

“Good afternoon, Lord William,” Hazel greeted belatedly, rising from her bench and lowering her head respectfully.  “I’m glad to see that my brother hasn’t sent you home yet.”

Nico’s face burned in embarrassment.  He pursed his lips and glared, and then he saw Alecto raise her hand to her mouth as she gave a fake cough to conceal a short laugh.  At least William had the decency to blush, as well.

“Your Highness,” Alecto said to the Princess, as if she sensed the tightly wound cords of Nico’s patience about to snap.  “If you would return to the lesson, please.  Would you like to play the Allegro we reviewed earlier for His Highness and Lord William?”

“Oh, of course,” Hazel said, sitting back on her bench.  She straightened her skirts and shuffled her music sheets until she found the right page, and then she began to play a brisk, lively piece.

His embarrassment cooling, Nico turned to Will and whispered, “My sister is quite talented with the piano and with her paints.  She is but eight years of age.”

“That is most impressive, Your Highness,” Will replied.  “My tutor tried to teach me to play music at a young age, but I’m sorry to say I have no talent for it, although my brothers and sister are quite skilled.  Do you play, Your Highness?”

“Yes,” Nico answered.  “Although I suspect Hazel will become much more skilled than I am.  I presume that you dance, Lord William?”

Will smiled and ducked his head the way he had so many times before, which Nico thought meant that he was embarrassed or shy.  “You taught me to dance, Your Highness,” Will said, a smile playing at his lips.  “At my aunt’s inauguration, you asked me to dance, and I fear my nerves caused me to forget everything I knew.”

“Oh?” Nico asked.  He did not remember that happening.  “What did we dance?”

“It was a country dance, Your Highness.  Although, I’m afraid that you abandoned me afterwards in favor of your sister and I was left alone very suddenly.”

It took Nico a moment longer than it should have to realize that the sister Will had referred to was Bianca, not Hazel, and he had a sudden memory of dancing with her that night.  Bianca had promised him a dance, but Thalia, Percy, and Jason had kept stealing her away from him, so Nico ended up having to grab her arm quickly after a dance to get her attention.  He remembered a flash of messy blond hair, and then a boy approaching him after the dance with Bianca ended, and Nico recalled asking that boy to dance again....

“But then I asked you for another one, did I not?” Nico said.

Will looked delighted.  He smiled at Nico widely and said, “You remember, Your Highness?”

“Yes,” Nico answered.  “The memory is faint, but I recall that much.”

“You are correct.  We danced one more time before I retired to bed.  At the end of the night, you had me promise to learn minuets so that we could dance one the next time we met.  I did not know when that would be, so I made sure to learn it as soon as I was back in Diana.”

“As you learned Acies?”

Will ducked his head with an embarrassed blush.  “I like to believe that I am a bit more successful at the minuet than at Acies, Your Highness.”

“Well, now you must show me,” Nico said, offering Will his hand.  “Hazel, would you play us a minuet?” he asked.

Will’s expression was blank when he took Nico’s hand, like he hadn’t expected the offer and didn’t quite know what to make of it.

“Unless you would rather not,” Nico added.  

“No, Your Highness, I am honored,” Will said.  He turned his eyes downward, once again adopting the bashful expression he made so often.

Nico looked over to see Hazel watching with a wide grin.  “Hazel, the minuet,” he reminded.  She turned back to the piano quickly, taking the sheets of music that Alecto offered her, and then she spread out the sheets to read before she started to play.

Nico brought Will to the center of the room and they bowed to each other before beginning to dance.  Will still looked down shyly rather than into Nico’s eyes when they stepped forward to meet each other’s hands, but his footwork, Nico noted, was not terrible.  In fact, it was quite good.

“You’ve gotten better,” Nico remarked.

“You remember that as well?” William asked, raising his eyes to meet Nico’s with an embarrassed smile.

“You were quite bad,” Nico answered.  He tried not to laugh, but was unable to suppress a chuckle.

Will blushed as he and Nico stepped around each other, their hands meeting in between them.  “But, as I said, I think I was more successful with learning to dance than I was at learning to play Acies, Your Highness.”

“That is true,” Nico answered.  “You dance quite well.”

Will lowered his eyes again.  “Thank you, Your Highness.  For a long time, I practiced very hard in the hopes I might impress you if we ever danced again.”

Nico felt himself blush and he nearly missed a step.  “You should not tease, Lord William.”

“I do not, Your Highness, nor do I speak to flatter.”

When William looked back up and met Nico’s eyes, Nico felt his heart flutter for a moment.  Will meant it, he realized.  He’d learned to dance for Nico.  “But I am flattered,” he said honestly.

“Then I shall remind you as often as you like.”

The minuet came to a close before Nico could think of how to respond, and they ended the dance with a bow to each other.  What would it be like to marry Will?  Would he say things like that to Nico every day?  Could Nico really be so fortunate as to have a husband who thought so highly of him?

He was shaken from his thoughts when he realized that Hazel was about to say something embarrassing again, judging by the glee on her face as she watched them.  Even Alecto, whose face was always stern, looked surprised.

“Thank you, Hazel, that was lovely.  We’ll be on our way now.”  He urgently offered Will his arm and hurried him away from his younger sister, lest she say something to cause him further mortification.

“Supper,” he said suddenly, desperate to change the topic.  “Supper will be held soon.  Would you like to take our meal in the gardens again?”  He was not eager to eat with Persephone and Hazel; perhaps Persephone was less likely to embarrass Nico, but not by much.

“Of course, Your Highness,” Will replied.  “Whatever pleases you most.”

Nico notified Reyna, who took care of his request, and then Nico led Will outside again while they waited for supper.  Will seemed to like being outside, so Nico thought it would be good to bring him there more.  For a while, as the sky became orange, they sat side-by-side on a bench in the Queen’s Garden, and Nico listened as Will told him about Diana, about his family, and about Venadica.  Asterion had followed them and Will petted and scratched the dog, occasionally speaking to him in a sweet, quiet voice, and Asterion rested his head on Will’s knee.  Asterion approved of Will, it seemed.

Nico chuckled at the thought, and Will looked up at him questioningly.  “Your Highness?” he asked.

“It is nothing,” Nico answered.  “Only I am glad that you like him.  He likes you, too.”

They ate in the pavilion again, this time dining by gaslight as the sky grew dark, overlooking the grounds lit only by the warm glow of lanterns in the distance.  They looked like stars, Will told him—stars that were close enough to touch.

Nico knew that it was late and he ought to return to the Privilla with Will, but when the meal finished, he found himself saying, “There is another place I would like to take you, if you wouldn’t mind staying out with me a little while longer.”

“I wouldn’t mind at all,” Will answered.  “I’d like that very much, Your Highness.”

“Come this way,” Nico said, rising to his feet.  He whistled for Asterion to follow—although Asterion probably would have done so anyway.  He led Will into the palace and up the grand staircase, and after another flight of stairs, Nico brought them to the Hall of Ouranos.

He heard Will gasp beside him when they entered and Nico felt himself swell with pride at the reaction.  The Hall of Ouranos was, in Nico’s opinion, the grandest room in the Palatium de Divitae.  Nico also thought it was most beautiful at night.

The hall itself held few pieces of furniture and very little decor.  It had the same black marble floors and gold-trimmed walls as the rest of the palace.  What made it so amazing was its domed, windowed ceiling that showed a clear view of the sky above them.  The sky was dark, deep blue, with a sliver of purple and gold in the distance as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon.  Nyx had started to dot the sky with stars, filling it with specks of light in her daughter’s absence.  Nico sometimes slipped into that hall with Asterion at night when he was unable to sleep, and he’d look at the sky with the dog lying beside him until his mind finally started to calm.

The hall was unlit, as it was hardly used anymore, and it tended to be cold because the glass ceiling and the large size made the room difficult to heat.  Nico remembered the days when the room would be full of people in beautiful clothes dancing to music or chatting with a glass of Persephone’s wine in their hand.  Such fêtes were uncommon after the disease, and although the room was regularly cleaned, there was a sad, forgotten element to it.  Sometimes, Nico felt like he could hear the ghosts of laughter and the echoes of clinking wine glasses.  

“It’s unbelievable,” Will said, his voice soft with awe.

“This is one of my favorite rooms,” Nico said.  “My sister comes here some days to paint; she likes the lighting.  Of course she has a drawing room in her chambers where she paints, as well, but on occasion, she escapes up here.”

“And you, Your Highness?” Will asked.  “Why do you come here?”

Nico stared at the dark sky quietly while he thought of how to answer.  It was, in part, because he thought the room was beautiful, especially at night, and he loved to look up and see the snow or rain falling from the sky during storms.  He recalled sneaking up to the room with Bianca, and they would dance or play at having fights with wooden swords.  More than once, Nico and Bianca had fallen asleep up there only to be awoken by the rising sun, then they would hurry back to their shared apartment and hide in their private bedchambers, hoping that no one had noticed their absence.

“I have fond memories here,” Nico finally said, reaching down to pat Asterion when the dog approached him.  “And I think it is beautiful.  Don’t you?”

“Yes, indeed, Your Highness,” Will replied.  “Thank you for bringing me here.”

Why had Nico brought him there?  Nico silently mulled over that question while watching Will circle the hall, looking at the glass ceiling in awe.  Had he wanted to entertain Will?  To impress him?  Maybe he’d just wanted to share this room with him.  Maybe he’d only wanted a friend.

“Lord William?” Nico said, and Will looked up from the dark marble floor where he’d been examining the starlight reflecting off its shining surface.

“Your Highness?”

“Am I still permitted to call you Will?”

Will’s expression brightened.  “Yes, Your Highness.  You are welcome to call me whatever pleases you most.”

“And tell me, Will, when do you plan to return to Pluto?”

“I travel to Venadica every summer for my schooling,” Will answered.  “Over winter, I continue my studies on my own in Diana.  If it pleases you, I am able to alter my plans.”

Nico nodded slowly.  “When you are in Diana, may I write to you?”

“Nothing would bring me more joy, Your Highness,” Will said, and Nico could almost believe that he meant it.

Nico examined Will curiously.  He could see nothing in his expression or posture to suggest that he was teasing or flattering Nico.  Will looked genuinely happy.  Nico did not quite understand why, but decided against questioning it.  For the time being, Nico would gladly accept his good fortune.

“I would like to continue to meet you, Will,” Nico said, attempting to sound confident and composed.  His voice did not waver when he spoke, for which he was glad; it seemed that his tiresome voice and speech lessons had paid off.  “I believe that a marriage between us could work well.”

“I am honored,” Will said.  “And I would like that very much.”

“My father will begin preparations to formalize the betrothal once we receive approval from you and your family.  You will see to it that the Duke of Diana will be in contact?”

“Yes, Your Highness.  I will speak to him immediately upon my return home.”

Nico tried for a smile.  Will returned it with one of his own bashful smiles, as though he really was happy to receive Nico’s attention.  And maybe it was true.  It would be a couple years before they were old enough to marry, but Nico felt relieved to know that after all his family’s searching, they had finally found him a husband.

“We should return to the Privilla,” Nico said.  “I fear Lady Reyna will have my head if we stay out longer.”

He led Will back down the stairs and found Reyna waiting for them.  She did nothing more than raise an eyebrow, having enough tact to wait until later to lecture Nico.  The ride back to the Privilla, Nico couldn’t help glancing at Will a few times.  When Will glanced back, Nico found himself glad for the darkness because his face grew hot at Will’s smile.

The next morning, when Nico and his family saw Will and Artemis’ party off, Nico found himself at a loss for words.  He wasn’t quite sure how to say goodbye, nor how to express his regret that Will had to leave.

“I...I will write to you,” he finally said.  “I expect I’ll hear word from your family soon?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Will answered.

“And you will write to notify me of your safe return home?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Nico cleared his throat.  “Then...I suppose I will wait to hear from you.”

“I will write to you every week, if that is what you desire.”

“It is,” Nico admitted before he could say differently.  “Well, then, I...I wish you safe and fast travels.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Nico wet his lips nervously.  “Farewell, Lord William,” he said, adopting a more appropriate address for his suitor in front of so many people.  “I hope it will not be long before we meet again.”

“I, as well,” Will answered.  “Farewell, Your Highness.”

Nico held out his hand and Will bent to kiss it.  When he straightened his posture, he offered Nico one final smile, and then he followed his aunt into the carriage.

Standing alone on the steps of the palace, Nico flexed his fingers while he watched them fade into the distance.  He could still feel the heat of Will’s lips on the back of his hand.

Next

[fellintotartarus]

Camp Saving Grace

This is the fic I wrote for the @pjofemslashminibang! My partner was @fuvkingmagnus, who did the art for this.

words: ~5k

Reyna sighed with satisfaction, holding up the final finished product for the rooming lists. She knew some of the returning campers very well, and she made sure to put all the friends together, but not the ones that would cause trouble. There were a couple troublesome pairs; there were the Stoll brothers, always causing some prank or another. Reyna hated keeping them apart, but they were little rascals and they’d probably find their way into the same cabin anyway. She made sure all the enemies were on opposite ends of the camp grounds, so they didn’t even have to share a bathroom. At the bottom of the paper, she signed her name in her neat, loopy cursive: Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano.

Reyna walked up to the head counselor’s cabin; her home for the next month. It was only slightly more luxurious than the campers’ cabins. It had her own bathroom, and two queen beds (one of which she wouldn’t be needing) and a small desk. She placed the papers on her desk to use for reference later. She looked at the clock and sighed. She still had 4 hours till the kids arrived by bus.

Reyna stepped out onto the porch and took in the sight in front of her. This was her favorite place in the world as kid, and it still was today. Camp Saving Grace for Underprivileged Kids was her home from the ripe age of 5 years old. When she and her older sister Hylla were orphaned, they spent almost all the time here. Now she did so as head counselor. The year-round option had been closed off the year Reyna turned 15 and her sister 18, but, now at 21, she still spent all of her free time possible alone in the Long Island woods (with the owner’s permission, of course).

The U of cabins sprawled out on the main lawn, all uniquely painted and decorated. All this was done by the campers the first year that the camp was open, in Y2K, the year of bad fashion choices, which was displayed in some of the cabins. Some cabins reflected the early morning light, leaving little sunspots on the dew bathing the grass. Others were wildly painted, faded a lot over the years, but still drawing a lot of attention. There were 12 cabins total, each containing 3 pairs of bunk beds. It was hard work sorting all the kids this year, but Reyna managed it.

The owner of the camp was the nicest man Reyna had met since Puerto Rico. She barely knew about his life, but she did know that he was generous. She had heard less than pleasant stories about him, but she preferred to remain in her bubble of ignorance. She knew he had two kids, but she didn’t know about them or anything, for that matter.

Reyna took a deep breath and went back inside for a quick nap, relishing in the familiar smell of the sheets. She was lulled into sleep by the sound of insects chirping outside.

Reyna woke up tired, and she immediately knew she slept too much. There was a shuffling and a curse, and Reyna snapped her eyes open, looking for the threat. Before she knew it, she had pinned down a short haired, petite girl, with, wow, a lot of muscle.

“Oh my god, let me go!”

Reyna’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Who the hell are you?”

The girl straightened up, as much as she could when she was pinned down and said, “Who am I? Who are you? I own this place!”

Reyna gave her an even more advanced look of confusion and the girl rolled her eyes. Reyna was promptly flipped over so they were both lying on their backs. A faint memory tickled the back of her head, as if she were trying to remember something, but couldn’t.

The strange person stood up. “Thalia Grace? Daughter of the owner? Damn, you’d think I’d get some cred with the head counselor, but I guess not. Reyna right? The one that’s been here forever?”

Reyna shot Thalia her perfected steely glare and nodded curtly. So, that’s where she knew her from. She wasn’t much for words, and this Thalia was speaking all too much. “So, what are you doing here? And why are you tripping over my boots like you’re drunk?”

Thalia looked exasperated. “It would help if you didn’t put them at the entrance of the cabin. And it’s a long story.” She sighed and rubbed her head nervously.

Reyna just stood there and tapped her foot with a cocked eyebrow. If this girl was just going to barge in and disrupt her perfect summer, she was going tell her why.

Thalia sighed. “Fine… I may or may not have gotten in trouble, and my dad may or may not have told me that this was the only way to get my car, phone, laptop, credit card, you name it back. So here I am. Co-head counselor.”

Reyna’s eyes shot open wide. Co-head counselor? That’s not how that worked. That defeated the purpose of a head counselor. No way.

“Hell no.” Reyna whispered, half to herself.

“Um, hell yeah.” Thalia insisted. “You are not going to get in the way of me getting my life back.”

“Well, you’re not going to get in my way of making this the perfect summer for these kids.”

“Well, you’re…” Thalia looked at a loss for words. “Look, whatever. Can we at least pretend like I’m doing stuff? That way Dad will give me my stuff back and you can give these kids the summer they’ve dreamed of.” She said the last part sarcastically.

Reyna sighed. She might as well just come to terms with this. “You can’t just take the credit. Do at least some stuff. Convince the kids that you do stuff. Just don’t—” she waggled her finger, “—don’t mess up any of my plans. I spent months on these plans.”

Thalia pinched the bridge of her nose, closed her eyes, and shook her head. Reyna noticed a small tattoo of a crescent moon on her right forefinger; it was cute. Thalia said, “Sure, yeah, okay. I can, uh, make some announcements? And carry around a clipboard!” She said the last part as if it were a revelation and she deserved a Nobel Prize.

Reyna threw her arms up and said, “Great. Well now that that’s figured out, I have to get ready for the kids.”

Thalia’s eyes went the size of saucers. “They’re, like, 5 minutes away. I was about 20 minutes ahead of them. So…”

“Shit,” Reyna cursed, before running out, rather haphazardly, to meet the little rascals.

♥ ♥ ♥ 

             The entrance to Camp Saving Grace was somewhat extravagant. Reyna had been told by some of the campers that it reminded them of the Jurassic Park gate. That was a stretch.

             It was large and stone, a sort of a large arch. Once sleek and silver gas torches that lit at night left dark scorch marks on the rocks above them. That was probably the part that reminded the kids of Jurassic Park. A large wood sign at the top, worn at the edges and with water lines streaking down the letters, read “Camp Saving Grace” and then smaller at the bottom, “for Underprivileged Children.” It was magnificent, once upon a time.

             The buses full of kids ages 8-16 rolled through, and Reyna and Thalia waited, Reyna collected cool, and Thalia with sweaty palms. The buses were beat up after so many uses, and the sound coming from them sounded like an old man with one lung walking up the stairs.

             “Damn. They’re gonna die soon,” Thalia whispered, as if reading Reyna’s thoughts.

             “Shut up,” Reyna whispered back. She sighed. “Prepare for takeoff.”

             The kids got off the buses in mad fury; the younger ones off first because they always sat in the front, and the teens, few and far between, off last, with their earbuds in and their brains tuned out.

After everyone was settled in a clump with their bags, and after some of the older kids that had been around awhile exchanged hugs with Reyna, the two head counselors rallied for attention. Eyes locked with eyes and the summer began.

“Listen up, guys! I know you’re super excited for this summer to start, and I am, too, but there’s just some stuff we need to take care of before we can kick back.

“Okay! Heads of cabins! These are the people that have been here at least 5 years and are also one of the twelve oldest. I have Katie in cabin one, Jake in cabin two…” and so she continued until all of the cabin counselors knew where to go.

All the while, Thalia was just standing there with a stupid, fake smile on her face and rocking on her feet. Reyna tapped her on the shoulder and handed her the clipboard and whispered in her ear, “I’ll introduce you, and then you read what’s on that. Got it?” Thalia nodded.

“Okay, kiddos, guys, ladies, people, whatever you like,” she started. That was her line with the kids. They gave her shit the first year she was head counselor for not being inclusive of the ladies when she would say “guys,” and then she changed to “kiddos” and the older teens weren’t happy with that, and eventually it turned into the inclusion of all the kids, non-kids, ladies, men, and non-binary people of the camp. “This is Thalia Grace, she’s the daughter of Mr. Grace, the owner of this camp, and she’s here to be our co-head counselor! Now she’s got a few announcements on cabin rooming.”

The crowd of 72 kids started buzzing as soon as she said that. This was the good stuff. This would determine whether they would have a life for the next 4 weeks.

“Just read what’s on the list, okay?” Reyna muttered to Thalia. Thalia nodded quickly and brushed off the comment. She scanned the list with her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pursed. After a second though she just sighed, looked up, and said, “Go pick your cabins!”

Reyna gasped in horror as the young campers yelled in triumph and took off running toward the cabins. The older ones looked at her in confusion; they knew she didn’t work this way. “Everything has a place and everything in its place” was her life-long, or rather, summer-long motto.

Reyna wheeled on Thalia with furious eyes, which seemed to creep the hell out of Thalia.

“What the hell did you do?!”

Thalia sputtered for an answer, and eventually came out with, “I didn’t think it would matter?”

Reyna pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled loudly.

“I have to fix this.”

Thalia answered, “Or you could leave them be? They look like they’re having so much fun.”

She was right. The kids looked like they were having the time of their lives. She sighed. It’s not like the Stoll brothers wouldn’t’ve ended up in the same cabin anyway. They always found a way to trade or sneak in together or something.

“You’re right. I’m just going to let the counselors know, so they don’t freak out like I did,” she sighed. At this, Thalia let out a chuckled. She had a nice laugh. Reyna smiled and took off running.

♥ ♥ ♥

That night, after everyone was settled in their cabins for the night (“Lights out isn’t gonna make them sleep, Reyna.”) Reyna helped Thalia put sheets on the spare bed in the head cabin.

“Sorry I didn’t do this, I just wasn’t expecting you,” Reyna hurriedly explained.

Thalia snorted. “I guessed.”

“So, I guess we should come up with a shower schedule? The hot water doesn’t last long enough for two showers in a row. How often do you wash your hair?” Reyna’s eyes drifted up to Thalia’s short pixie cut, but not the “can I speak to your manager” kind. More of the badass “mess with me and you lose teeth” kind.

“Uh, I wash it every day, but my showers are never longer than 5 minutes ‘cause it’s short,” Thalia replied and rubbed her hair. Reyna really liked it. It was tough, but still feminine, and her black hair just framed her shockingly blue eyes so perfectly…

Reyna snapped out of it. She couldn’t be thinking like this. Not after what happened last time she liked a girl.

“Earth to Reyna?” Thalia waved her hand to get her attention.

“Sorry, I was just… uh, anyway, that bathroom schedule!” Reyna tried for a smile. It probably came out looking more pained than anything. “I wash my hair, like, every other day, and I need to take a short shower in the morning to wake up, or I don’t function right.”

“Cool, so then I’ll shower at night and you shower in the mornings, “Thalia smiled, and hers didn’t look like she was being eaten from the inside out.

Reyna went into the bathroom to change into her PJs and brush her teeth. When she came out, the lights were off and Thalia was laying in her bed playing something on her phone. Reyna sighed and got in bed.

“Lights out, I guess,” she muttered as she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

♥ ♥ ♥

The first week of camp flew by, and it consisted of only one crying child. Reyna considered it an accomplishment.

The Sunday that marked a week since the kids had arrived, she had an afternoon off. She bargained with Thalia to oversee everything for just three hours so she could take a well-deserved nap.

Just as she was dozing off, Thalia came bursting in, panting and covered in mud.

“Ok so you know how you were all excited with the record of only one crying kid the first week?” she started. “We now have 4 at the same time.”

Reyna groaned into her pillow and replied, “What happened? Can you not keep an eye on them for, like, 2 seconds?”

Thalia said, “I know, I know, I’m just not great with kids. Also, it was the Stolls.”

“Great.”

The Stolls were brothers that looked so much alike and were so close together in age that everyone thought they were twins. They were troublemakers, to say the least.

Reyna got out of bed and ruffled her long hair. She liked to wear it long because she might not care much about fashion, but she loved how badass she looked in long plaits. Thalia was gaping.

“What are you looking at?” Reyna asked.

Thalia turned red. “Oh, I just, uh, have never seen you with your hair down, I guess.”

Reyna thought about it for a second. It was plausible; she wore her hair in boxer braids almost all the time. Why Thalia was staring like that, though, was beyond her.

“Let’s walk and talk. What happened? What was the prank?” Reyna said as she slipped on her boots and put her long-ass hair in a haphazard ponytail.

“Well, they set up a mud bucket above the door of cabin eleven, and four of the 8s walked through at the same time. Then they set a piglet loose.”

“Where the hell did they get a piglet? And how did you get muddy?”

Thalia stiffened a little. “All the girls wanted hugs after they got slopped, sadly. I was victim #5.”

Reyna chuckled and picked up the pace to get those little boogers in trouble.

♥ ♥ ♥

Two days later, Thalia was lying in bed after not asking to borrow Reyna’s laptop.

“Come on, I just need to check my email,” Thalia had said after Reyna came out of the bathroom only to find Thalia with her laptop and a cara de ‘yo no fuí,’ as her Puerto Rican family would have said.

Reyna sighed and said, “Fine, just don’t tell your dad that I let you. He would fire me.”

“Uh huh,” Thalia replied, distractedly. Without looking up from the computer, she muttered, “I also need to check my Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr.”

Reyna raised her eyebrows and sarcastically said, “Okay, and not Facebook?”

Thalis looked up from the computer, stared at Reyna, and whispered, “Facebook is dead, Reyna. Did you not go to the funeral?”

“I am amazed at your lack of picking up sarcasm,” Reyna said.

Thalia laughed and replied, “And I’m amazed at yours.”

Reyna’s brow furrowed and then shot up.

“Hey!”

The laughter could be heard all the way in Cabin 12.

♥ ♥ ♥

Over the span of the second week, Reyna and Thalia became closer. It was mostly sarcastic jokes and little giggles her and there, but there were some awkward, longing stares that made Reyna’s skin crawl. Why the hell was she being so weird? Thalia was nice, sure, and pretty, sure, and…

Stop.

Reyna shook her head. There was no way this could happen. Thalia probably wasn’t into girls and then she would be weird and tell her dad and then Reyna would get fired and have to live on the streets and die alone.

That was some odd forward thinking. She shook it off.

She wasn’t ready for this again. Granted, the last time she liked a girl, she was 5 years old in Puerto Rico, but it was the reason she and Hylla moved to the States… alone.

“Are you okay?” Thalia said with concern, snapping Reyna out of it.

“Uh, yeah, why?” Reyna replied, blinking the thoughts away.

Thalia meekly pointed at Reyna’s cheek. There were tears streaming down her face.

“Oh, my god, I’m so sorry, that’s kind of embarrassing,” Reyna murmured and hurriedly swiped at her cheeks.

“No worries. You wanna talk about it?” Thalia muttered softly so as to not let the kids hear.

“Maybe later, in the cabin.”

Thalia nodded and turned around to address the kids.

“Ok, guys, I know you guys have an annual “halfway done” party to commemorate the first two weeks gone. Reyna’s not feelin’ it right now, so I’m gonna help you guys plan the activities for this Friday.”

Reyna shook her head. No way was she going to let this hell-raiser take control of the “halfway done” party. She opened her mouth to speak, but, without turning around, Thalia put a finger on her lips and continued talking.

“Reyna’s plans have boring stuff, like a movie night with Finding Nemo, and some chess lessons. Boring, right?” The kids joined in a chorus of yeahs. “Right, so, instead, we’re going to have water balloon fights and a pie eating contest followed by a killer dinner. Sound cool? Great.”

Reyna and Thalia walked away, Reyna sputtering in disbelief and Thalia with a grin on her face.

“They like me, right?” she inquired while having a smile to rival the sun.

Reyna, finally having regained the power of speech, replied, “Yeah, but you messed up my plans! I had those perfect!”

Thalia came to an abrupt stop and turned around. Reyna crashed into her back and her hand came in contact with Thalia’s butt. She promptly blushed profusely.

“Chess lessons? You thought that would interest them?”

Reyna’s voice got high and defensive. “I know what I’m doing! I’ve been head counselor or counselor of these kids for years!”

“Answer my question.”

“I put the chess lessons in there to keep them in check. If they have too many fun activities back to back, they go crazy. By putting in half an hour of chess, they calm down enough to allow wiggle room for them to get excited again. You try taking care of them after 3 consecutive crazy fun activities!”

Reyna took a deep breath. Ranting was not her favorite thing to do in the world, but it got her point across when she needed to.

Thalia stood there slack-jawed. She sheepishly looked down and answered, “I guess you do know these kids pretty well.”

Reyna whipped her ponytail and began walking toward their cabin. As she looked back over her shoulder and said “You better believe it,” she could almost be certain that a red-faced Thalia was staring at her back side.

♥ ♥ ♥

Reyna was sitting on her bed on her laptop when Thalia came out of the bathroom drying her short hair with a towel. She trained her eyes on her screen in order to not convey any emotion to the other girl. Her eyes began to water and she gave up, taking a big breath. She felt the bed dip at the end.

She looked up and Thalia was sitting at the foot of the bed, looking at her with concern.

“What?” Reyna said, looking back down at her screen.

“Do you wanna tell me what happened earlier?”

“With what?”

Thalia sighed and said, “You know… the crying.”

Reyna shook her head. “Not really.”

“Are you sure?” Thalia pressed.

“Yes.”

“Quite sure?”

“Yes.”

“Really, really, very, quite –”

“Fine. If it’ll get you off my case…”

“Yes, it will.” Thalia said firmly.

Reyna took another deep breath. She considered it. It wasn’t like she didn’t remember; on the contrary, she remembered it like it was yesterday. But she didn’t know if she wanted to tell Thalia. The girl was practically a stranger. Over the past few weeks they’d slowly become closer, but they still knew nothing about each other.

“Reyna.”

“What?”

“Tell me.”

“Jesús, you’re persistent.”

“I was born in Puerto Rico, where my dad raised me and my sister by himself. On one of the first days of kindergarten, I saw this one girl. She was so cute. She had this long, long dirty blonde hair, which was kind of exotic in Puerto Rico. Everyone was un frijolillo. She was really cute to me at the time. I already said that, didn’t I? Anyways, all the boys had little crushes on her. I really wanted to be friends with her. And you know how kindergarteners are, so I was friends with her within 2 days. She became my bestie. But I just didn’t feel like it was enough, y’know? So, one day, while we were on the playground, I kissed her. She didn’t get grossed out, in fact, she really liked it, too. We kept this up for about a week, going behind trees on the playground and kissing. Basically, just baby kisses, y’know? Little pecks on the lips. Then, one day, this kid saw us. He told on us and our parents got called. My dad was furious, calling me a lesbiana, and I didn’t even know what that meant. He kicked me out. Literally. He kicked me out of the door onto the street. I was 5. My older sister said that if I was gone, she was gone. She packed our bags for us while I waited at our favorite park and then we hitch-hiked to the docks and stowed away on a boat headed to Florida. We got caught in Tampa and got sent to foster homes all over the East coast, and finally ended up in New York. We got sent here in the summer. It all happened in less than a year,” Reyna finished, blinking away tears.

Thalia had tears running down her face and her hands covering her mouth. Reyna just sat there, tight lipped and with red-rimmed eyes.

“Oh my god. How old was your sister?”  Thalia whispered.

Reyna looked down and shut her eyes. “Eight.”

Thalia just shook her head. Tears were flung off her chin onto Reyna in her emphatic response.

“How could your dad be so cruel?” Thalia whispered.

“Yeah. He was cruel. When mom died, he reverted to drinking. When he got drunk enough, memories from the war would come back to him and he would try to fight them. The living room would end up wrecked and Hylla and I would have to clean up.”

“But how do you even remember all this?” Thalia replied in disbelief.

Reyna took a breath and started, “My family, going back all the way to Spain in the 16th century, was all soldiers. We adapted, I guess, to become strong and to have the good qualities necessary for a soldier in the military. That included a good memory. I was born with a freakishly good one, even the doctors noticed when I was really young. I can remember all the way back to my 2nd birthday.”

“Holy shit, that’s a good memory. Do you remember what I was wearing when we first met?” Thalia sort of leaned in and whispered.

Reyna shut her eyes and laughed a little bit, relieving the tension and trying to remember. “Black short sleeves, tight cargo pants,” she trailed off and opened her eyes to Thalia was wearing the same thing. “Seems to be your outfit of choice,” she said with a snort.

“Yeah. The pants are really comfortable and they make my butt look pretty great.” Thalia smiled.

Reyna laughed and nodded.

Thalia raised her eyebrows. “So, you agree?”

Reyna wrinkled her eyebrows. “What? About what?”

Thalia chuckled. “That they make my butt look good.”

“Oh,” Reyna squeaked. She took a breath. She prided herself in always speaking her mind, one way or another. This made no difference. So, she shrugged and said, “yeah.”

Thalia’s eyebrows raised and her face went red.

“I don’t deny myself the simple pleasures in life,” Reyna said with a cheeky smile.

“Is that a quote?” the still-red Thalia asked.

Reyna smiled. “The Fault in Our Stars.”

“Oh yeah! Damn, I love that book,” Thalia sighed.

Reyna cocked her head in disbelief. “For real? You don’t seem like the type to enjoy sappy books.”

Thalia fell back onto the bed and sighed. After a second, she replied, “John Green is an artist.”

Reyna fell back next to her. “I know, right? What’s your favorite book of his?”

“Looking for Alaska. It’s brutally honest and I love it. What about you?”

“The Fault in Our Stars. It’s the only one with even a remotely happy ending, although I haven’t read An Abundance of Katherines.”

Thalia snorted and said, “Oh, that one’s funny.”

“I guess I’ll put it on my list, then.”

They lay there in silence for a while.

♥ ♥ ♥

When the day of the party rolled around, Reyna was oozing stress through every pore of her body. Thalia was trying to calm her down with her already completed charts, lists, and a self-written note reminding her that she is amazing and can do anything she sets her mind to. Reyna nodded her head and started to calm down.

Thalia grinned and said, “You know who you remind me of?”

Reyna, furrowing her (perfect, Thalia noted) eyebrows, replied, “What? Oh. No, who?”

“Leslie Knope.”

“Who is that?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“What?”

“You’ve never seen Parks and Rec?”

Reyna shook her head.

“Well, man, you’re missing out big time. She’s this kick-ass lady that’s the Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana. Then she does this thing and becomes another thing, but that’s a spoiler so I won’t tell you, and we’re going to watch all of season one tonight.”

Reyna was smiling and she asked, “And exactly how do I remind you of her?”

“Oh! I guess I forgot to mention that part. She always has these binders and she’s super organized, and she decides everything with a pros and cons list. Also she’s hot.”

Reyna laughed, “That’s sweet, I guess…”

Then, with the full force of a hurricane, the kids came busting out of the cabins and into the commons. The tables had already been set up with coolers containing water balloons of all shapes and sizes. The kids reached in, digging their little hands around as many balloons as they could. They didn’t get far, though, before Reyna blew her whistle. The kids froze.

“Okay guys! Thalia’s going to read out the lists, accurately this time,” she said, shooting Thalia her meanest glare, “and then we’ll get started. She handed Thalia the clipboard.

As Thalia walked up to grab it, she said under her breath, “You know, I’ll never read the lists accurately.”

Reyna shrugged.

She was okay with it this time.

♥ ♥ ♥

That night, when the girls were binge watching Parks and Rec in the cabin, Reyna had to interject.

“Okay, so why is Leslie so hung up on Mark? It was, like, one hookup 6 years prior or something.”

Thalia laughed and nodded. “Yeah. It’s just a really hardcore crush I guess.”

“Also, Ann and Mark? Is this going to happen? Like, for real?”

Thalia just shrugged with a glint in her eyes, like she knew something but didn’t want to tell.

Of course, she knows, Reyna thought. She’s watched this show through, like, 10 times.

“Also, earlier you said Leslie was hot? Okay, she may be cute, but she’s definitely not hot,” Reyna added.

“No, yeah, she’s not that hot, I was just trying to hit on you by saying you’re hot.”

Reyna felt herself blushing under the backlight of the laptop. She turned her face to see Thalia, and her lips were met with another pair. The laptop fell off the bed with a dull thump, and Thalia was on top of Reyna, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Reyna pulled away to take a breath and smiled. The rest of this summer was going to be good.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Live Picks: 6/4

Anderson .Paak

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Ariana Grande, United Center

With finger-snapping beats, skronking bass, and remarkably buoyant vocal performances, Ariana Grande’s topped herself mere months later. If Sweetener was Grande’s tour de force of empathy, thank u, next is everything at once: Over a year removed from the Manchester arena bombing that shook her, Grande looks back on simultaneous trauma, relationships started and failed because of it, and her quest for self-love, all in seeming real time.

Written and recorded in the wake of the death of rapper and Grande’s ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, as well as the dissolution of her engagement with SNL’s Pete Davidson, thank u, next is an essential journey that starts with a self-critical woman seeking the unattainable. Down-tempo opening track “imagine” immediately references Miller’s death; its atmospheric instrumentals eventually give way to high-pitched shrieks and dramatic strings, symbolizing Grande’s initial realization that she doesn’t live in the world she wants to. However, this realization is a catalyst for self-actualization. She reframes healthy neediness as something good because it makes the other person feel good. On “NASA”, she affirms the need for her to be alone (“You don’t wanna leave me, but I’m tryna self-discover / Keep me in your orbit and you’ll know you’ll drag me under”). And “bloodline”, “bad idea”, and “make up” see her giving into her desire to numb pain through sex.

But these aren’t even the toughest songs on the record. “fake smile” (which includes an expertly placed sample of Wendy Rene’s “After Laughter (Comes Tears)”, is a direct response to “needy”, Grande now refusing to put on a happy face when she’s not feeling that way. The effectively warbling “ghostin” is not about dating, but about the ghosts of her past who visit her in her dreams, affecting her every waking thought. And the dark “in my head” is probably the most Davidson-centric track here, wherein she comes to realize that she called off their engagement not just because the trauma of Miller’s death had become too much to deal with, but because he also just wanted her for sex. Perhaps most impressively, in this context, single “7 rings” isn’t just a shallow brag track, but necessary therapy.

Of course, the title track is probably her best and best known track by now, the ultimate jam about learning, maturity, and being yourself, the only pop song to match the emotional empathy of Robyn in the past decade. But the album is classic because it’s an artistic statement that extends beyond its own borders, from associated videos to Grande’s stream-of-consciousness Twitter account. Closer “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” is inseparable from its video; in it, the girlfriend of the love interest is actually another version of Grande. It all serves to promote her strength in herself. It’s been a long, worthwhile journey for Grande and for all of us.

8.4/10

Singer Normani and Pittsburgh pop duo Social House open.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Thalia Hall

One of the best guitar bands of the past few years, having released a relentlessly catchy EP (The French Press) and debut album to match Hope Downs, Australia’s Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever return to Chicago for a show at Thalia Hall. Even after two busy years, the band continues to debut new music. April saw the release of a single, “In the Capital” b/w “Ready My Mind”, and the band has been playing a new song, “Big Fence”, live.

Melbourne rockers RVG open.

Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Huntington Bank Pavilion

Executive produced by Dr. Dre, Anderson .Paak’s Ventura is a quick follow-up to the disappointing Oxnard that’s solid, but safe. From the get-go, the skill at hand, in both the singing, rapping, and instrumentation takes reigns from the lyrics or themes. It’s a bold move to open your album with a song featuring a typically dexterous and overwhelmingly awesome verse from none other than Andre 3000, and .Paak’s slow and smooth delivery doesn’t quite keep the song in check. Overall, the record sees him at various stages of relationships, wanting a lover to come back to him on the opener, wanting to ignite a flame on blue eyed soul jam “Make It Better” (which doesn’t use Smokey Robinson nearly enough), and questioning a woman on the freaky keyboard funk-laden, two part “Reachin’ 2 Much”. On “Chosen One”, he wants a woman that loves him for him. On “Twilight”, he tells a lover that she guides him through the darkness--all you really care about is the arpeggio horn line and retro Pharrell beat. On closer “What Can We Do?”, he contemplates his next relationship--all you really care about is the mere presence of the late, great Nate Dogg. This is standard stuff with a great cast making the most they can out of the material.

Ventura succeeds best when .Paak gets creative with the format or delves into his sociopolitical perspective. The short, funny “Good Heels” is a conversation disguised as a slow jam, he and Jazmine Sullivan contemplating how she’s gonna sneak in and out of the house to get her stuff back when his girlfriend is coming home. On “Yada Yada”, .Paak expresses his gratitude at being able to make music in general, let alone the type of music he wants to make: “Chicken wings and sushi, I’ve gotten used to the perks / Narrowly escapin’ the holy war on the turf.” And the political funk of “King James” pays tribute to the biggest star in the NBA of the past couple decades, someone who also happens to be a philanthropist and advocate for the black community at large, someone for .Paak to look up to and aspire to be like.

Too often, though, .Paak’s grand realizations come in the form of thoughts like on “Winners Circle”: “If I know that I can get it, then I’ve already had it” isn’t really deserving of any sort of praise, despite its honesty and newness for .Paak. Songs of devotion and love might be novel for him, too, but the fact that he’s overshadowed by his guests make you wonder whether he’ll ever return to the greatness of an album like Malibu.

6.1/10

Bass maestro Thundercat, who we saw at Day For Night 2016, and rapper Noname, who had our #1 album of last year and stood out at last year’s Pitchfork Music Festival and the inaugural House of Vans show, open.

U.S. Girls, Empty Bottle

Experimental pop band U.S. Girls, fronted by Meg Remy, continues to tour off of In A Poem Unlimited, one of our favorite albums of last year, and bring their much heralded live show to the Empty Bottle tonight.

Badge Époque (Maximilian 'Twig' Turnbull of U.S. Girls) and Black Culture ensemble Mourning [A] BLKstar open.

Simon Joyner, Hideout

We previewed Simon Joyner’s set at Empty Bottle last year:

“Omaha singer-songwriter Simon Joyner is the type to have laid back and made himself a steady presence in the Americana world. Those he’s influenced and collaborated with, like Beck, Conor Oberst, and John Darnielle, have sold more records than he has, but his music remains just as present. [2017]’s Step Into The Earthquake followed 2015′s excellent Grass, Branch, & Bone, which we spoke to him about at length in our feature Palpable Pain.”

Folk singer-songwriter Max Knouse and Girls of the Golden West (the project of singers Marydee Reynolds and Amalea Tschilds) open.