#from the way he hypes up the crowd like the showman he is to the way the dances like the prettiest gayboy he is 😭😭😭😭

[theflyingfeeling]

Hello found this tiktok and look at Olli and Allu just gravitating towards each other the whole time!! 😭😭💖💕💗

anyway:

Aleksi: ”Psst… hey Olli”

Aleksi: ”All of these people think we are gay for each other”

Olli: ”oops-”

skgksjgdjfkf the way Joel and Tommi were just there with no need to constantly whisper about whatever, and the way Aleksi and Olli didn’t whisper with Joel nor Tommi, but for some reason they had a LOT to say to each other 🙈🥰 and yesssssss the way they kept gravitating towards each other and copying each other ugggghhhh maybe we'd stop thinking you're gay for each other if you stopped BEING so gay for each other 🤧

also, alternative captions for those pictures (please understand I'm joking):

Aleksi: "psst... will you room with me tonight?"

Olli: "but shouldn't we room with our girlfriends?"

both: ...pfffffffft 😏

[kelcemenow]

Drive Me Crazy - Chapter 7.

Pairing Travis Kelce x Reader

Words 2041

Warnings Mentions of fainting/panic attack, this one has a little bit of an angsty theme to it, but there's still a bit of fluff at the end.

Huge thank you to the Anon who sent this in! They had such amazing words to say about my writing which I massively appreciate and then to top it off, had an incredible request for me! I only have experience with mechanics in the UK, so I’ve tried my best with this one! “I just recently got interested in Travis K. X reader stories and wanted to let you know, I read all of yours as quickly as I could. They are so well done and I couldn’t help but laugh/giggle and feel through each word you typed out. You’re doing amazing and I’m so glad to have stumbled onto your page. If you have any space for a request, I’d be curious about what Trav would think about having a military (like fighter pilot) or engineer or mechanic girlfriend. I see a lot of stories with him paired with models/singers/social media individuals (which are phenomenal!) but just wondering how he would be with a more tomboy like girlfriend!”

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

"Wooooooh!" Your Dad bellowed as he raised his clenched fists into the air.

You glanced around the viewing box as a couple of other people were watching and smiling at him, "I'm sorry, he's really excited." You nodded.

"This is so awesome!" He beamed back at you, "I can't believe I'm here!"

You grinned and leaned in closer to him, straining your voice over the music, "Well, believe it, it's happening!"

Gripping your plastic tumbler of beer, your wide eyes scanned the stadium as thousands of fan poured into the stadium, filling their seats. There was a sea of red and white clad supporters below you, all anxiously waiting for the game to start. As you took a quick sip of your drink, a loud and low voice boomed in your ears.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Your Kansas City Chiefs!"

The stadium roared as several dozen pumped up men spilled out onto the field, running and jumping in the air to hype up the crowd. Your gaze danced around them until it finally settled onto Travis, who was jogging out close to Patrick, speaking in his ear. They stopped and Travis lifted his knee to begin warming up, his eyes checking the stands. When he finally looked in your direction, your stomach gave a flutter and he waved gently towards you.

Your Dad nudged you playfully with his elbow and you felt your cheeks flush bright red. The excitement built up in your stomach as the floor rumbled with noise, the atmosphere thick with anticipation. The Las Vegas Raiders were the Chiefs' biggest rivals, and with 71 wins against them behind their belts, the Chiefs were preparing for a another one to add to the list.

As the game began, you noticed that your eyes always seemed to drift to Travis. You were watching the game, but there was something about him that drew you in. He was showman, giving the crowd what they wanted and every play was a spectacle. Your Dad was fully immersed, shouting and cheering at every necessary opportunity and it warmed your heart to see him so happy. His kind eyes sparkled like a child at Christmas and by the time half time had rolled around, he had already made a friend in a gentleman next to him.

"Hey, Pop." You leaned closer to him and placed your hand on his shoulder, "I'm heading for another beer, do you want one?"

"Yes please, Sport." He reached into his jeans pocket, "And get one for my friend here."

You smiled and nodded, ducking out of the viewing box, grabbing your bag on the way out. As you paced through the corridors, the roaring sounds of the stadium surrounding you, you pulled your phone from your pocket to check Instagram. You scrolled a few times before your heart stopped as your eyes settled on a post. It was a photograph, although blurry, showing Travis leaning across a small table in a booth to kiss you. You swiped across where there was another picture of the two of you leaving the bar, your hand clasped in his and his gaze fixed on you. You hesitated for a second before tapping on the comments.

"He's dating her???? He can do better."

"I swear she serviced my car last week, not exactly girlfriend material."

"Travis should be dating someone waaay hotter than her."

"She's giving tomboy...and not in a good way."

Moisture quickly flooded your eyes and blurred your vision. You threw your phone back into your purse as you blinked hard, tears rolling down your cheeks. The crowd noises suddenly became muffled and you felt your chest become heavy, your breathing quickening it's pace.

"Are you okay?" A concerned voice said to your right.

You lifted your head as you stumbled back towards the wall, your fingers feeling the cool painted brick.

"Ummm...yeah, thanks." Was all you could manage through your dizzying haze, a numbing sensation spreading from your chest to your face. Your hands pressed against the wall behind you and kept you upright as your mind whirred with the words you had just read.

"Are you sure? I could go and get someone if-"

You sniffed loudly and wiped away some of the moisture that had stained your cheeks with the sleeve of your sweater, "No, no. Honestly, I'm fine. Thank you, anyway."

The stranger kept his gaze on you for a little longer, concern strewn across his face before disappearing around the corner of the corridor. You took some deep breaths, rubbing the underneath of your eyes a few more times before rolling your shoulders back and heading towards the bar.

You knew that you probably weren't Travis' usual type and the sudden attention was something you had been apprehensive about. But Travis had sucked you into his life, something drew you to him without your knowledge and now you were fully in the deep end. The comments had not only hurt your feelings, but had confirmed something you were afraid of. Rejection.

"What can I get for you?"

"He can do better."

"I'll take three beers please."

"Not exactly girlfriend material."

"Sure, coming up."

"Not in a good way."

The words span around in your mind, your chest becoming heavy again with your laboured breathing. Your fingers fumbled with the opening of your purse, trying desperately to find your wallet but your skin tingled, the numbness returning.

As the three plastic cups of beer were placed on the bar top in front of you, you noticed that your vision was blurring and you were becoming unsteady. You inhaled deeply in an attempt to secure as much oxygen as you could before your legs gave way and you found yourself slumped on the floor, your elbow throbbing in pain from hitting it against the hard walled surface behind you. Two bartenders rushed to your side, their faces appearing in your foggy vision with expressions filled with concern.

"I'm fine...I'm fine." You mumbled, holding your hands out to try and lift yourself from the ground.

"I think we should get someone." A bright female voice stated confidently, "Aaron, go and get someone from medical."

"Honestly, I'm fine."

She placed her hand firmly on your shoulder, "You're not going anywhere, okay? We going to get you looked at."

As you rested your head against the wall behind you, your eyes floated closed and a warm feeling filled your body, blackness drifting in.

______________________________________________________________

"Really, I'm fine."

"That's all she keeps saying."

"Because I am!" You laughed, shaking your head and looking away.

"You hit your head."

"I hit my elbow."

The bartender had called for an Emergency Medical Technician to check you over, bringing you behind the bar and into the staff area as crowds were beginning to form in the bar during half time. Half time was over now though, and you could hear the game ramping up again.

The EMT continued to check your blood pressure, "Okay, okay. This will only take a few more minutes and we can see what's going on here. You see, people don't just collapse for no reason, Miss."

You rubbed your forehead, "I know. But I'm okay now, I just had a moment."

"Your blood pressure is quite high, this game must be really exciting."

You looked down at the floor, "Something like that."

"That could explain why you collapsed." The EMT furrowed his brow, his apprehensive gaze fully fixed on you, "Are you sure you're okay?"

You rolled your eyes slightly, "For the hundredth time, I'm fine."

The EMT glanced towards the female bartender and then back at you, "Okay. But I would suggest no more alcohol, and take it easy, alright?"

You quickly stood up from the chair, your mouth moving into a smile, "Two beers, please."

______________________________________________________________

The rest of the game was exactly how you imagined it to be. The Chiefs fan's were traditionally loud and the players themselves ate it up. It was truly entertaining and whilst you didn't follow along completely, seeing Travis happy with his win warmed your heart. You didn't tell your Dad about your incident at the bar, instead lying and saying that you were gone a while due to a line at the restroom.

As the stadium began to empty, your Dad said his goodbyes to his friend as you pulled your jacket on. You quickly checked your phone, knowing it would be too early to hear from Travis and instead took a quick photo of the stadium.

"Come on, Sport." Your Dad called as he threw an arm around your shoulder, "I've had the best time!"

You smiled up at him, "I'm so pleased you've enjoyed yourself."

"Are you kidding me? At Arrowhead with my best girl, watching a Chiefs game in Travis Kelce's viewing box? I can die a happy man now,"

You poked him in the stomach, "Hey now. You know I hate it when you say that!" You drew in closer to him, "What do you wanna do now?"

He frowned down at you, "Are you not going to see Travis? Surely, you'll be okay to go to the locker room as congratulate him? Plus, I'd love to meet him and say thank you for the tickets."

"I don't know." You twisted your face as you absently glanced at your cell phone again, "I don't really know if I'm allowed."

You both meandered down the corridor before you spilled out into the crowd, following the natural flow of people out towards the exits. There was a natural buzz amongst the fans due to another win during an already great season but suddenly, the sound of a gentle commotion distracted your attention.

"What's going on there?" Your Dad asked curiously.

Bodies began moving quickly and cell phones were held high up in the air as people started to swarm towards one particular point.

"Travis!" "Travis Kelce!" "Hey, Travis!"

Your eyes widened as Travis pushed himself through the crowd, reaching out for your hands, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Uhhh...yeah. I'm fine." You licked your lips to ease your sudden dry mouth.

"Are you sure?" His hands moved to your arms, giving them a gentle squeeze as his eyes darted across your face, searching for any indication of injury.

"Travis..."

"One of the medics told me you passed out?"

Your Dad edged his way closer to the pair of you, his eyebrows lowered, "Sorry, what was that?"

You sighed, displaying your clear exasperation, "I had a little moment at the bar during half time, I think I was just overwhelmed and I fell down, that's all."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Your Dad pursed his lips, disappointed that you had kept the truth from him.

"Because I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I'm fine."

"Are you okay?" Travis' hold on you was urgent, as if he didn't want to let you go.

"Travis. Like I said, I'm fine."

You were abruptly aware that a crowd of people had begun to gather, their attention fully on Travis. Looking across to him, you noticed that he was barely out of his kit, his pants and undershirt still on, his feet bearing socks instead of his cleats. His brow was glistening and his hands still had remnants of white tape covering them.

Travis detected your gaze, "I came out to find you as soon as I heard."

Your mouth moved into a soft smile, your heart skipping slightly, "That's really cute."

His eyes flickered down to your lips and you could swear you saw him go to lean in towards you before he realised that you had an audience. He straightened his shoulders and turned towards your Dad.

"It's really good to meet you, sir." Travis held his hand out, nodding his head.

Your Dad exhaled quickly in shock as his face flushed a deep crimson colour, "Oh, Mr Kelce. The pleasure is all mine." He took hold of Travis' hand and shook it enthusiastically.

You leaned towards Travis, moving your mouth slightly closer to his ear, "Dad's a big fan."

Travis turned his head, checking the crowds before pulling your Dad in for a hug, "How's about we all head to the locker room and meet some people, huh?"

______________________________________________________________

Will I ever post new chapters within a decent time frame? Who knows? I was in a little bit of a writing slump but I feel like I've got out of the other side of it, and I think I know where this story is going to go! But as always, I will take all and any suggests for this one! I've had to adjust the way I do my Taglist as there's now so many of you all which is crazy!! If you want to be added, just let me know! This series will be going for a bit longer now that I've definitely figured out the story, so I reckon the next chapter will be posted in, like...July? Kidding, of course!

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[monstersofsilence]

Something Wicked (Part 2: Marionette)

You slowly enter the large tent, darkness enveloping the small hallway as the wails of a crowd is then heard, muffled, but audible. You made it to another door flap, going through it as the sounds grew louder and you finally reached to rhe main event.

The large audience circled around the middle stage with a large gap in the middle from the opposite end of where you are, most likely where the entertainers would enter and exit. Applause and cheers were made as the second to final act was just finished. The spotlight was then pointed to the closed curtain as a man appeared in a suit, top hat, and monocle. He seemed to be the overseer of all the events that take place judging by his confident stature. The man bowed as a microphone aoon descended from above, making its way down to his level as he grabbed it.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Trolls of all ages and colors! Welcome, once more, to our main event!" The man hyped the crowd as they all cheered and soon he put his hand up to have them all pause and they all complied. "To those arriving, or perhaps you all may have forgotten from the entertainment that have took place in our wonderful Carnival, I am what many call the Showman. Welcome! I do hope you are all enjoying this fine evening. Now, this small story is for those new so I do humbly apoligize for those that may have heard it a thousand times before if you are returning fans. I might sound like a broken record player at this point. Nonetheless... we would not be here was it not for you... and... to the Great Lords from Beyond the Stars. Our Carnival was suffering long ago. We barely had enough to eat. Barely could hold up an act to keep people entertained let alone keep people joyful in our Carnival. That is... until one day the Great Lords came to us. Rejuvinated us! Ignited the spark within us to become a blazing inferno! We have thanked them for giving us... a second chance. The Great Lords watch over us and we do not take their gift for granted! As the old saying is said, what they take, we shall give in return."

The audience roared in applause and cheer but you were the only one puzzled by this. The Great Lords? Subjugglators worshipped the Messiahs but this is completely different. You then noticed that the Showman then gazed upon you from afar. As if he also knows something you don't. You feel like an outcast but knowing that something doesn't feel right.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Trolls of all ages and colors! The main event! She is the master of puppetry. The queen puppeteer. The great showstopper! A... seductress in her dancing form! Here! The Miss Marionette and her Dancing Puppets!"

The spotlight pointed to the middle of the stage as a female troll, dressed in a form of a jester costume, descended from the ceiling along with several life-sized puppets. All of them in the same costume but each one in different colors. Soon, the crowd began to disappear and all you hear was the music. She and her puppets seemed to flail around in mid-air from, what you would think is string, but they seem to gracefully float through the air. Whispers were then heard as you slowly approached to the get a closer look of the main event, captivated by the choreography of Marionette and her puppets. It didn't take long until one of the puppets landed in front of you, bowing its head and offered you its hand.

You so not know what compelled you but you took the offer, taking its hand as it takes you to the stage. The back of your mind was telling you to stop and go back, yet you cannot control your body. The puppet stopped, now standing in the middle as it lifted its head up to reveal that it is an exact replica of yourself. Your heart was racing in fear, the whispers growing louder and the music becoming more distorted to you.

You do not know what made you want to look up but as you did, you are gazing into something completely grotesque. A large mass of flesh hangs above middle of the ceiling, sharp bone-like structures covering it. Tendrils slowly descending as you can make out a teethy maw in the middle. Marionette hung in the middle looking down onto you as the rest of her dancing puppets circled around in the air. You were frozen in fear, not realizing that one of the tentacles wrapped around you and began to lift you up. The whispers were growing louder but all saying the same thing. "You give. We take." Over and over. You met up with Marionette halfway up in the air as she merely caressed your cheek. "You will be a worthy sacrifice for the Great Lords."

You want to scream for help. You want to break yourself free but something poweful is preventing you from doing so. Looking back up at the maw of thd creature above you, you then see what looked like space behind it. It's almost as if it is appearing from a portal.

The Great Lords from Beyond the Stars. That will be the one thing you will remember as you are unable to resist and break free. You have accepted your fate. A sacrifice to the Great Lords.

"As the old saying is said... what they take... we shall give in return."

[starboybutler]

Swing Down, Sweet Chariot Ch. 1 | Deke Rivers X Walter Hale

THIS STORY IS 18+. MINORS DNI.

(ch. 2 here.)

summary: walter hale spots a young talent at a bar one night, and decides to offer him a job.

word count: 5184

tws: alcohol consumption, age difference, smut, frottage, blowjobs

notes: i posted this on ao3 a while ago, and recently uploaded the second chapter, so i'm posting it here as well. this is one of my longer stories, so i hope you all enjoy 🫶🏽

︶꒦ ꒷ ✦ ꒷ ꒦︶

girls were nothing but trouble.

walter learned that the hard way. he always had girls all over him, whining and begging him for something, and it was starting to get old. sure, dealing with women was his job, in a sense, but they could have had a little dignity when they came up to him.

of course, it wasn't just women. walter hated anyone whiny. it was annoying and unbecoming. he doesn't know how he managed to get stuck with the whiniest people on the planet wherever he went, but they always seemed to just follow him. after that whole fiasco with the murder of that old pharmacist, he decided to quit his job for a bit, and just relax on his own.

that mainly consisted of going to bars, listening to whatever act they were presenting that night, drinking until he was a little bit tipsy, and going to a hotel to sleep it off. sometimes he found himself a women to sleep with- just for the hell of it.

if he was being completely honest, he didn't feel anything for women anymore. with the whole incident that had just happened, he’d been staying away from any type of serious relationship. he never liked to get serious with anyone anyway, as he found it to be too burdening to his psyche.

but he still slept with the women, mostly out of obligation. he didn't want to turn them down and get spit on and called a fairy, so he indulged them. he would crawl into bed with them, lick them between the legs, let them get him off, and be on his way. it was a tiring cycle, but it didn't bother him none.

the bar he had chosen was a little more crowded than the others, and they were all watching the stage intently, waiting for the performances to finish so they could get to the main act.

walter would watch the performances, but he wouldn't make much noise. he enjoyed the background noise, and sometimes the music had a nice beat to it, but he never found himself hyped up. probably because he never drank to the point where he got fully drunk.

the second to last act left the stage, and a short, stout old man hobbled up to the microphone stand to announce the next act.

it was just one kid, from some midwestern town. his name was deke rivers, the crowd cheered as the old man made his way off stage, and the young man stepped into the spotlights.

he was certainly different from all the other acts. everyone else was either a small country band, a jokester, some showgirls, or god know what. but this kid, it was just him and his guitar.

his outfit was nice too. jeans and a jean jacket, accompanied by a blue button up underneath. his hair was black and longer than most men would consider having it, and his eyes were blue like the ocean.

walter found himself facing the stage fully, his eyes unable to leave the boy.

the boy greeted the crowd, and began strumming his guitar mindlessly, before setting it aside. the crowd cheered, and the boy began to dance in a way that walter had never seen before.

his legs were moving this way and that, his hips jerking to the music as he bounced up and down entrancingly. a few strands of stray hair fell down onto his forehead, swaying as he danced. it was hypnotic, almost.

walter had worked in show business for some time- and he had never seen anything like this. sure, girls could wiggle and shake all they wanted, but that was choreographed- in sync. the way this boy was dancing was natural, not planned at all. it was unique, and walter was loving every second.

he didn't know if it was the showman in him, or if he was just actually enjoying it to enjoy it. but either way, the boy had him in a trance. the music was catching his ear as well, the beat lively and the lyrics catchy.

‘So baby, time's a wasting

A lot of kisses I ain't been tasting

I don't know about you but I'm gonna get my share

Oh got a lot o' living to do’

the crowd began to clap along, bopping their heads to the music and cheering as the boy’s energy only seemed to grow. he jumped from the stage, into the a clearing in the middle of the crowd, and spun and snapped and wiggled like he would never do it again.

the crowd watched him with glee, some ladies having to be held back from jumping on him. walter was fascinated at how he had this effect on so many people- women and men alike. he was different, so energetic and happy, he was living in the moment and no one could stop him.

‘A whole lot o' loving to do

Come on baby, to make a party takes two

Oh yes I've got a lot o' living to do

A whole lot o' loving to do

And there's no one who I'd rather do it with-a than you

And there's no one who I'd rather do it with-a than you

And there's no one who I'd rather do it with-a than you’

the song came to and end and the crowd erupted as the boy went back on stage and bowed his way out, escaping backstage.

as he disappeared behind the curtain, walter felt a twinge of disappointment. that show was the first thing to get his attention in a long, long time- and now that it was over, he was left with all of his feelings again.

he needed to see that boy again.

he stood up and made his way towards the backstage area, taking a drag of his cigar. he reached the entrance to the backstage area and looked the bouncer in the eye.

“let me back, i wanna talk to that deke rivers kid,” he said simply, flicking away some of the ashes from the tip of his cigar.

“a lot of people do.” the bouncer said, rolling his shoulders. “i can't let you back, i’m sorry.”

“it’s on business,” walter said, placing his cigar back in his mouth. “i’m a showman. i run a little thing here and there, i wanna recruit the kid.”

“sir-”

“do i need to show you my card or somethin’?” walter sighed, getting annoyed. the bouncer was beginning to get nervous, and he finally moved out of the way, giving walter access to the back.

“j-just go in.”

“about time.” he muttered, turning the corner.

the backstage area was fairly small, and it didn't take him long to find the room he was looking for. the writing on the sign was messy, but walter could make it out well enough.

walter knocked on the door, tucking a hand in his pocket and waiting for the boy to answer the door. there was rustling, and then the door opened slowly.

there stood the boy from the stage, except this time his jean jacket was gone, and his button up was halfway unbuttoned. the boy’s eyes looked up at walter curiously, blinking.

“oh, hello,” he said, his southern drawl heavy. his eyes were as blue as ever, his skin glistening with sweat. a thought zipped through walter’s brain, but he pushed it away quickly as he straightened his posture.

“i saw your performance,” he started, smiling crookedly. “it was real captivating, and i normally hate bar performances.” he admits, reaching his hand out. “i’m walter. walter hale.”

deke reaches out and takes his hand a bit warily, his eyes slightly confused as he returns walter’s firm handshake. “i’m deke. rivers.”

“i know,” walter hums, releasing deke’s hand. “i know you're probably confused, but i’m here for a good reason, i promise,” walter chuckles.

“and what's that?”

“i think you're real talented,” the older man says simply, taking his cigar between his fingers. “very talented. you don't deserve to be performin’ at a bar.”

“oh, well,” deke says, shrugging his shoulders. “i don't mind it. crowd loves me all the same. at least people wanna watch me, you know?”

walter finds himself smiling at the young man’s attitude. he was obviously fine with not having much, and walter could see the appeal in living like that. sometimes too much could lead to too many problems.

“that's fair,” walter hummed, flicking out his cigar. “but don't you at least wanna perform at a nicer bar?”

deke thought about it for a second, and licked his lips. “this one is kinda run down, ain’t it?” deke chuckled, looking around.

walter laughed, placing his cigar back in his mouth. “well, ‘run down’ is being a little nice,” he hums, smirking softly.

deke chuckles, licking his lips and leaning against the doorframe. “so, if i agree to do business with you, what will you do exactly?”

“well,” walter hums, adjusting his suit jacket. “i’ve ran a show before, it's not too hard to secure a show at a bar with a higher reputation.” he explains. “i’m a little well known, so i could easily get you some nice gigs,”

“well known, huh?” deke hums, smiling slightly. “if that's true, what makes you interested in little ol’ me?”

walter hummed. truth is, he didn't particularly know, but it was something about this boy that attracted him. his charisma, his energy- something. he just knew he couldn't let his boy slip from his grasp, and never see him again. he wanted to keep him close.

“somethin’ about your performance,” walter started, running a hand along his thigh. “it entranced me. i dunno if it was the way you were movin’, or the way your voice rang out,” he sighed, recalling the performance in his mind. “but it was completely different.”

deke was staring at walter with large eyes, his expression unreadable as walter finished his little rant and looked back down at him. walter spoke again.

“so, i just wanna take this opportunity before anyone else,” walter hums. “what do you say?”

the young man swallowed, his eyes drifting away from walter as he scratched at the back of his neck and chuckled shyly.

“w-well shucks, mister hale,” he chuckled, eyes fixed on the wall behind the other man. “i don't think i’ve ever been complimented like that before,”

a blush rose on the boys cheeks, and walter felt a fond smile rise on his lips.

“jeez, kid,” walter teased, waving a hand. “save all that for the girls you bring to your room at night.” he muttered. he couldn't deny that the boy was cute when he blushed, but that's not why he was here.

deke laughed, running a hand through his greasy hair. “you're right.” he sighs, before jerking a thumb back towards his dressing room. “wanna talk over a drink? i got a couch in here,”

walter shrugged, entering the boy’s dressing room and sitting on the small couch. deke closed the door and walked over to his vanity, grabbing two glasses and a bottle of whiskey, obviously complimentary from the bar.

deke handed walter a glass, and he took it gracefully, smiling as the boy poured the whiskey into his glass. he swished the small glass around and took a drink, humming at the burn. deke poured himself a bit as well, looking at the glass a bit hesitantly.

walter saw the look on his face and raised an eyebrow. “do you drink at all?”

deke shrugged, swirling the whiskey around. “uhm, not much. i’m a lightweight.” he admits, placing down the bottle. “i can get a little…embarrassing when i’m drunk.”

walter chuckles, taking another sip. “that's why it's important to know your limit.” he says, setting down his glass. “when i go to a bar, i only drink about four glasses so i get tipsy, but not drunk.”

“you an embarrassing drunk too?” deke asks.

walter snorts, crossing one of his legs over the other. “that's one word for it.”

the boy huffs out a chuckle and sits next to him, setting his glass down on the small table as well. he places his hands on his knees, rubbing at the fabric of his jeans nervously.

“you really thought my performance was that good?” he asks meekly, a smile on his lips.

“absolutely.” walter says, looking at deke. “never seen anything like that before,” he says, smiling softly. “where’d you learn to move like that?”

deke chuckles, looking away again as a soft blush rose on his cheeks. “well, y’know…just things i saw growin’ up.”

walter leans forward, curiously. “like…”

deke sighs, his head falling back. he looks at deke from the side of his eye, smiling meekly. “strippers,”

another thought ran through walter’s brain, but this time, let it linger a little longer. a dirty, dirty thought. he shook it away and blinked at the boy, a bit surprised.

“that's certainly…interesting.”

“yeah,” he huffs, laughing slightly. “it's a long story, y’know.” he mutters, reaching for his glass of whiskey. he took a rather large drink, obviously embarrassed by his confession. deke’s face immediately twisted up at the taste, coughing at the burn in his throat.

walter chuckled as he scrambled for a water, drinking it hurriedly in an attempt to soothe the burn.

“never had whiskey?” walter asked in a teasing tone.

“no,” deke admits, rubbing at his chest. “just beer.”

“well, that whiskey might hit you a little hard,” he warns, drinking the rest of his with ease. he was worried a bit inwardly, as that made his sixth glass of the night, and he was already feeling a little tipsy.

deke waved him off, settling back onto the couch. “i’ll be fine.” he reassures, adjusting his shirt. “now, if i’m gonna work for you, how much am i gonna be workin’?”

“the days you work are completely up to you,” walter says, leaning back. “you choose your off days.”

“okay,” deke hummed, nodding. “i like that,”

walter hummed. “why, you got a special girl at home?” he asks, leaning onto his hand.

“oh, me?” deke asks, shaking his head. “no sir, i live alone in a little cabin. i don't have a girl.”

“really?” walter hums, surprised. “well, that's one less thing for me to worry about.”

“what about you?” deke asks.

“what about me?” walter shoots back.

“do you have a girl, mister hale?”

“me?” walter chuckles, waving his hand in the air. “oh, no. all girls do is cause me trouble. they tire me out.” he huffs, recalling the incident that caused him to quit. “i don't like em.”

deke blinks, but just nods and sits back in his seat. “yeah, i get that,” he says, crossing his legs. “so, what about pay?”

“okay, this is where things get lengthy,” walter chuckles, pulling out a piece of paper and pen from his suit pocket. “it all depends on what you're willing to work, you see.”

deke nods as walter begins to explains all of the numbers and liabilities for the road- as well as instruments, gas, clothes, etc…and deke nods along.

while he talks, deke drinks another glass or two of whiskey, which gets walter a little concerned- but he didn't say anything. deke may be younger than him, but he isn't his father.

a little while in, deke starts getting a little restless, the alcohol obviously taking effect, and he begins asking little questions here and there- but as time goes on, they get more and more off topic. he's asking about walter’s childhood, what he likes to do in his spare time, what his favorite bar to go to is, if he’s ever been married-

then the big question comes up.

“have you ever taken someone’s virginity?”

walter drops his pen, blinking at deke dumbly at the question. he feels his face get hot, and he prays that he isn't blushing.

“what?”

“you know,” deke hums, shrugging. “you're an older man, you've lived longer than i have.” he explains, gesturing vaguely as he continues. “i just wanna know if… you’ve ever-”

“ruined anyone?”

deke blushes at that, looking away. “sounds harsh when you say it like that.”

“well, ‘s what it is.” he says bluntly, twisting the pen in his fingers. “the answer is no. i haven't, by the way,”

deke hums, his expression slightly disappointed as he turns his eyes back to the paper. “oh, okay,”

walter sets his jaw, closing his eyes. “why did you ask?”

deke swallows hard, looking away and rubbing at the back of his head. “i was uh, hopin’ you could help me with somethin’.” he muttered, his voice slightly slurred.

“like what,” walter asked lowly, licking his lips absentmindedly, staring as the boy looked up at him with large eyes. something unreadable flashed in them, and it made walter’s chest fill with an odd sensation.

“i…” he starts, biting his lip and swallowing hard. “i don't…wanna be a virgin anymore,” he says, his lips parted. “i wanna be a man,”

walter’s cigar fell from his mouth, and he was thankful that it went out a while ago, or he would have set them both on fire. he looked at the boy incredulously.

“what?”

“i-”

“no, don't repeat it,” walter said, holding his hand up. “you're- you're drunk.”

“not that drunk!” he whines, crawling towards walter, his voice needy. “i-i want-”

“no, you don't,” walter says firmly. he felt for deke, he truly did. it wasn't too long ago when he was in the boy’s shoes- except he was a teen and desperate to lose his virginity just to prove that he wasn't a loser like everyone said he was.

he ended up losing his virginity to some dickhead on the football team behind the bleachers of their homecoming game. he hated himself afterwards. he didn't want deke to make that same mistake here, with him.

“make a better choice, deke,” walter said, his voice low. “don't do this just to prove yourself to anyone.”

deke pressed his lips into a flat line, going dead silent as walter began to stand.

“i’ll come back tomorrow night, when you're sober.” he hums, tucking the paper into his pocket. “okay?”

the boy didn't answer. walter cocked his head to the side, and took a closer look at deke, only to realize that the boys eyes were shiny with unshed tears.

“ah, shit,” walter cursed, sitting back down. “don't…don’t cry, kid,” he sighs, rubbing at his temples. “i just don't want you to make a mistake, like i did.”

deke sniffles, pawing at his eyes as walter speaks. he looks so small, so pathetic compared to the boy dancing and singing on stage earlier. deke swallowed hard and spoke, his eyes still glassy.

“i just…i’m tired of being alone.” he sighs shakily, tears gathering in his lashes. “i’ve been alone all my life,” he hiccups, pulling his knees to his chest. “i don't have no one, and i just thought…i dunno, if i wasn't a virgin, i’d feel a little less alone,”

walter sets his jaw, running a hand through his hair and sighing. his reasoning was obviously wrong, but walter felt himself sympathizing with deke again. he understood where he was coming from.

against his better judgment, he gently took deke’s hand into his own.

“i think you're real pretty, kid,” walrer admits, looking into his eyes. “i think you have a whole life ahead of you, but you can't just go around hopin’ people will take your virginity.”

“i know,” he mutters.

“i came back here because i think you're special. i didn't wanna risk never seeing you again,” he says, looking deke in the eyes. “i want you around me. got that?”

deke looks up at him and nods, his eyes big and glassy. walter smiles softly, and they find themselves just staring at one another, lost.

walter can't help but feel a wave of possessiveness wash over him. he didn't want anyone else to hurt deke, or to put any other kind of ideas in his head. he was obviously fragile- and vulnerable, and the thought of someone trying to take advantage of him made him angry.

“i should-” walter spoke, but was cut off as deke leaned up to kiss him eagerly.

the boy's lips were soft and pillowy. walter was practically frozen in shock as the boy pulled him closer, licking into his mouth feverishly.

walter groaned softly, but pushed deke away, panting as a string of saliva connected them at the lip. walter felt his dick twitch in his pants, and he cursed himself out for feeling this way towards the boy.

his eyes trailed over deke, and his cock only responded more. deke was panting softly, his face pink and eyes lidded. his hair was messy, strands over his eyes as he looked up at walter needily. a prominent bulge was showing in his jeans.

fuck.

walter huffed and pulled deke into his lap, pulling him into another heated kiss. he had lost his composure, that one taste of deke frying his brain. the boy tasted sweet, in a way he had never experienced before.

deke was panting against the older man’s lips, and for that moment walter felt as if it was only them in the world. just them and the warmth of their bodies slotted against one another.

he hadn't felt like this in a long time.

with a soft groan, walter’s hands found their way to deke’s slim hips, pulling him down until their erections made contact. a sweet shudder came from the younger man at the pressure, and walter suddenly had the need to hear every noise that deke knew how to make.

boring him down, walter began to guide the younger man’s hips, grinding him against the older man’s erection. he could feel deke’s cock twitching with each movement, and his little gasps were so sweet. his head fell into the crook of walter’s neck, making his skin flush at the contact.

“please,” deke begged, his voice high pitched and breathy- such an extreme contrast to the strong, expressive voice he had heard on stage not so long ago. it was dizzying to think about. he was making deke like this. desperate, needy, a wreck.

“please, mister hale,” deke gasped, his voice cutting through walter’s thoughts as he gripped onto his jacket, leaning back from the crook in his neck. “fuck me,”

those words were almost enough to push walter over the edge right there. he stilled the boy’s hips, looking into his eyes, clouded with arousal and dazed from the alcohol. if walter had half a mind, he would give in to the boy's request- to his desire to see just how many noises he could make- but he knew better.

“no,” walter exhaled, his voice slightly breathy from the friction. “not now, not while you're drunk.” he mutters, moving to guide deke’s hips against his again. “just this. cum just like this,”

deke whined needily, his head falling forward as he felt walter rub against him through the fabric of his jeans. the boy’s thighs tightened up at his sides, and he was whimpering so sweetly that it made walter’s head spin. the older man dug his fingers into deke’s hips harder, huffing as he sped up.

deke cried out, his back stiffening as walter ground against him at a quicker pace, unrelenting and overwhelming in such a good way. a dark spot was forming on his jeans, over the tip of his cock, from all of the precum he was leaking.

“just imagine you're riding me,” walter purred, his eyes heavily lidded as he watched deke sob and tremble.

“p-please–!” deke cried out, tears spilling down his flushed cheeks. “i-i need– i–” he whimpered, his body beginning to tremble softly as he imagined it- walter’s cock buried deep inside of him as he moved his hips and fucked himself on it.

“not now baby,” walter said breathily, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his jaw. “just cum for me now and you’ll get it later, i promise,” he breathes, pressing his hips into deke’s faster.

deke sobbed raggedly and went stiff, his whole body trembling from head to toe as he came hard in his jeans. he was gripping on to walter’s jacket tightly, trying to muffle his cries into his neck.

walter wasn't far behind, cumming with a stifled groan. he loosened his grip on deke’s hips, panting softly as he came down from his high.

it was silent and still for a minute. neither of them moved from their position, collapsed onto one another, until deke started weakly rolling his hips again.

walter hissed from the overstimulation, his hands flying to the boy’s hips again, but not stopping him.

“what–”

“again,” deke gasped, his voice breathy and needy as he looked up at walter. “i wanna cum again,”

jesus christ.

walter hissed and sat up, pushing deke off of his lap and back into the couch. the boy immediately went to apologize, but walter held up a hand to hush him.

“hush, i’m just-”

walter huffs lowly, running a hand through his hair and sinking between deke’s legs, undoing his belt slowly and unzipping his pants.

the boy gasped softly as his half hard cock hit the cold air, cum still smeared on the tip from his previous orgasm. he was surprisingly big, equally long and thick with a pink head. walter hummed lowly, leaning forward and licking up the creamy white fluid, inwardly groaning at how the boy tasted. deke gasped softly, his cock slowly working its way to attention.

“mister hale–” he whined, his hips twitching upwards as walter continued to lick his tip clean, purring at the sweet taste. walter felt himself getting hard again, just from the thought of what he was doing. deke had never been touched before, and here he was- giving him his first taste of pleasure and what it meant to fall apart. it was maddening.

everything about deke was pure. his skin, the way he tasted against his tongue, the agonizingly sweet noises he made. walter didn't want to take it away from him completely– not tonight.

slowly, walter began to take the pink head of deke’s cock into his mouth, tongue still lapping at the tip gently. the boy is writhing against the leather couch, his flush spreading down his chest as walter’s hot mouth envelops him, swallowing him with ease.

the older man suckled at the boy's length as he laved his tongue at the underside, his hand grabbing the base to steady his cock as he began to bob his head slowly. the noises escaping deke’s throat were sweet and agonizingly sinful, but walter couldn't find it in him to care one bit. the younger man tasted so sweet, unlike anything he had ever had the pleasure to taste before. he never wanted to forget this.

“mmh– fuck…” deke sobbed, pressing his face into the crook of his arm as his breathing sped up, his hips twitching up into walter’s mouth. the older man welcomed his thrusts, taking his hips into his hands and guiding his thrusts as deke more or less began to fuck his face shyly.

a shy hand found walter’s hair as deke’s thrusts became sloppier, the tip of his cock touching the back of his throat with each pump of his hips. walter hummed lowly around the younger man, swallowing around him and swirling his tongue around his length eagerly.

“m–mister hale–” deke sobs, his hand tightening in walter’s hair as he thrusts up sloppily. “i–i’m gonna–”

walter seized the boy's hips, guiding his hips needily, filled with hunger. he needed to taste deke– he needed to feel his release in his throat. the boy whimpered sweetly, his breath hitching as he gripped walter’s hair, his back arching as he came hard into the older man’s throat, making walter purr lowly. he tasted hot and sweet and perfect; and walter never wanted to forget the taste.

deke let out a small whimper as walter kept suckling at his length, cleaning his cock and pulling off with a lewd ‘pop’.

walter wiped at his lips, humming lowly and looking over deke’s figure. he was panting heavily, his face red and shiny with sweat as he looked at walter with lidded eyes.

“mister–”

“c’mere,” walter exhaled, reaching out and pulling deke into his arms, grabbing a few napkins from the coffee table in front of them. he bunched them

up and gently wiped at deke's cock, swabbing away the mixture of spit and cum that stained his length.

walter felt his release from earlier seeping through his boxers, but it wasn't through his pants yet. he still tucked some of the napkins into his pants and cleaned himself lazily before tossing them to the side. he didn't need to do it perfectly right now. he could shower at his place.

he tucked deke back into his pants, and the silence hung over them once more, nothing but their heavy breathing and the faint rustle of clothes filling the room. he could feel deke’s eyes on him, and that only made his face feel hotter with shame, as he could still taste him on the back of his tongue.

maybe this was a mistake.

walter stood, straightening his suit jacket and rolling shoulders. “i’ll uh, come back tomorrow.” he said simply, his voice still a bit breathy as he spoke. “you’ll be performing here again, right?”

deke gave a small nod, and walter gave a strained smile.

“alright, i’ll be back here tomorrow night, when you're sober,” he says, heading for the door and not daring to turn around. he knows what he did in there was wrong, but he couldn't help himself. he didn't want to make deke feel bad for what happened, but he just couldn't bring himself to say anything else.

he didn't even know if he had it in him to come back tomorrow night. he didn't know if he had it in him to stay away. the boy gave him so many emotions at once– things he hasn't felt in years, and to be feeling them now that his heart has laid cold and dormant for years was almost agonizing.

he pulled another cigar from his suit pocket, lighting it and taking a deep drag as he stepped onto the street, his head hung low as he exhaled the smoke. he wanted to see deke again, but he didn't know if he could face him again, no matter how much he couldn't bare the thought of not seeing him again.

he stared up at the moon, sighing deeply. he had always managed to fuck things up, even early on in life. this seemed to be no different.

he pulled the cigar from his lips and flicked the embers away, smacking his lips faintly. he could still taste deke on his tongue– sweet and hot and pure– perfect.

what he would give to taste him again.

[a-terriblebore]

Okay hear me out;

Movie Mistoffelees is so off from what he's like on the stage, like he's so far from what he should be like.

But because I love both let me just grabs blender mix them together real quick.

Let's condense the both of them into something stupidly simple, and easy to digest:

Stage Mistoffelees : "Everybody move out of the fuckin way, I'm gonna perform the sickest fucking magic trick before conjuring turn-ing the fuck out of here!" Would kick you in the face, and then make you apologize for it. Rude, but in an endearing way??

Movie Mistoffelees : "I'm just a siwwy widdle kiddie cat who can't do no magic :(((. " Would fuck up turning the sink on. Cannot be within 15 feel of anybody he's even vaugely attracted to, lest he begin convulsing on the floor. Overly polite and apologetic to the point where you wonder if he was hugged enough as a kitten.

Considering the fact that it was stated in show proper by Tugger that he is rather shy ("you would think there was nobody shyer"), and the movie didn't just pull this whole personality shift out of their ass (well, most of it anyway), I present you with this;

Mistoffelees, if an exclamation mark was a person, it would be this motherfucker. He's a showman, a man of talent and a bad bitch.

But he's absolutely terrible at talking to people. He usually stumbles over his words, and when he does manage to get out what he wants to say it usually comes off wrong, so he's usually seen as rude, when he's really just terrible with tone. He's just generally awful at conversation.

He's basically incredibly confident in himself until he opens his mouth. He can dazzle a crowd, completely blow everybody away and blow their minds with his magic and his dancing, but the second he opens his mouth his whole thing just falls apart.

He's an amazing magican, but only when he's in the zone. When he gets stressed, embarassed or panicked, he can't even do something basic like a card trick. But once he gets in the right mindset, it's over for all of you bitches, this man is gonna do the coolest "pull X out of a hat" trick literally any of you have ever seen.

That's why Tugger hyped him up the way he did during Magical Mr. Mistoffelees, because he knew Mistoffelees would be able to do it, but with all the panic over Deuteronomy having been kidnapped, his head would of been too scrambled to do what was needed.

[fangirl--writes]

Unattainable. Jervis Tetch X Reader

Summary: Reader is a bouncer at Club Siren and takes their job protecting patrons very seriously and when they’re interrupted by a famed hypnotist things don’t go as either of them planned. Jervis finds something he can’t have and finds himself challenged by this unlikely adversary.

Words: 2’732

Warnings: None

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

I’m slowly getting through this pile of stories and it’s taking longer than I expected.

Feedback is greatly appreciated!

*If you’ve requested something it is coming, and I apologize for any delay.*

Thank you so much for hanging on with me!

Enjoy!

The club was packed tonight, Barbara had really hyped up the arrival of this new act.

Gotham’s elite crowd had swarmed the place curious to see the true talent of the headlining act, a world renowned hypnotist named Jervis Tetch.

Even you were intrigued by the idea, but not to terribly excited as you took another sip of your drink watching the crowds intently.

They fawned and awed as Barbara introduced him, stepping out from behind the curtains waving almost shyly tipping his hat at the gawking crowds who cheered.

A façade. A mask to hide his true ego fueled nature that burns bright when crowds are watching. You saw through his trick, but Barbara insisted he would be a “breath of fresh air” compared to the singers and musicians that populated the blue lit stage.  

It was typical of a performer, even a very talented one to get full of their selves rather fast. The Sirens wasn’t just some corner bar, it was one of Gotham’s brightest stages and stars burned out quickly hence the vast rotation.

A flicker of movement caught your eye, and gracefully you moved from your bar stool to walk amongst the patrons, a collective gasp pulled you to glance over your shoulder.  

A gentleman was being convinced he could balance on the back of a simple chair with the mere power of Jervis’s suggestion. You shook your head moving towards a table in the back, your eyes met the gaze of your coworker heading in the same direction sensing the disturbance.

New performers always brought out the creeps, Gotham’s grossest and most garbage masquerade themselves painted up as nice pleasant gentleman busting at the chance to get the attention of a lovely patron.

Not on your watch.

Tonight seemed no different either; just an hour ago you’re hulled out a sleaze-ball who attempted to slip a substance in a drink. You smirked as his bloody and bruising face begged for mercy in the back alley he swore it wasn’t him, had no idea how that got in her drink.  Tabitha took over after he cried in confession, coughing up a pool of blood in the process sputtering as his lungs gasped for air. He wasn’t crying for long.

You hoped she’d at least wipe off your silver slugger before stowing it behind the bar. She had a habit of letting it dry on your precious bringer of justice. Your sights set on the bouncer who nodded to you pulling up an intoxicated gentleman who had sat himself down in the middle of a table of Gotham’s finest; they had this one and unfortunately  he wasn’t putting up a fight as you watched  him half dragged and  staggering to the back door.  You casually joined a cluster of women marveling and giggling about the curly haired gentleman on stage.

You watched him momentarily; the timid man you’d seen earlier had a charismatic aura, just as you’d expected, he was  now beaming brilliantly as he gently urged his assistant to balance on one foot assuring the other patrons, and more so the spouse that he was in fact completely safe. The man blank faced stared out into the crowd complying as if on cue earning a round of ooos and aahs impressing your little group.

The hypnotists’ dark eyes looked out into the dim room taking in the praise sights set on your back corner tipping his hat in thank you.

“Isn’t he amazing?” one of the women cooed pawing your side gently her eyes gazed longingly at the stage. “I’d let him hypnotize me.”

It took a heavy throat clear to mask your gagging. “He’s wonderful.” You agreed with a nod rolling your eyes to the side a little disappointed you couldn’t take that drunk.

Your employers urged you to ‘blend’ using the 4 house rules. Smile, Agree even if half- heartedly, Laugh with, not at. Fake it until you make it. Blend in. Happy guest are your priority as an employee of Club Siren.

Mad clapping and cheers of adoration cued your leave and you slipped through to your perch at the bar, ears filtering out the scene as the performance drew to a close.

There was a par tide of guests as they shuffled; you hesitated forward wondering why the space around you had cleared so quickly, The hot light of the main spotlight hit your form all the wandering eyes were locked on your frozen form.

This was going to make your job a lot harder.

A tap on your shoulder pulled you from your tunneled state of mind, instantly your head turned expecting a distraught or disgruntled guest or a pleading eyed co-worker only to find the deep eyes of Jervis Tetch himself staring back at you, his lips were parted in speech and as he reached out his gloved hand to your form.  

Nope.

Your eyes narrowed cocking a curious brow, flickering around to the patrons who watched you eagerly.

Not happening

Not doing it.

“Miss?” His suede voice echoed through the silence pulling your attention back to his face that was set in question as he spoke again straightening himself as he did so.

“Will you accompany me to the stage?”

You took a reluctant step back, trying to shrink away under the spotlight that loomed over you.

Your heels shuffled as you chewed your lip nervously. This was to be expected with audience participation acts, rarely did it happen to the employees. Never had it happened to you, the sneaky shadow lurking in the back, barely noticeable in the mass of party dresses, glittering jewels and gleaming faces.

It seemed you’d be noticed tonight.

Jervis smiled a knowing toothy grin as he offered his hand again. “I swear to you Miss?

“Y/n.”  You answered eyeing his hand like it was a loaded gun.

“Miss Y/n, no harm will come to you.” He turned to the waiting audience. “Folks let’s give Miss Y/n some encouragement.”  

Applause erupted through the room followed by the familiar whistle of your employers.

You caught Barbara’s blue eyes from across the room as she waved for you to take the hint. Always agree even if half heartily. That little rhyme of hers ran through your head like a tired old record. However; it never failed when situations were tense.

You gulped down a breathe collecting yourself, as an employee of Club Siren presentation was a corner stone to your job, even though your job was a little different from the normal bartender or wait staff; however, forget it and you can find yourself on the street head spinning faster than you can blink.

The tender voiced hypnotist parted his lips in gracious grin as he offered his arm gently leading you through the waiting crowds to the brightly lit stage. They were eating up your timid reactions and his assuring responses boosting the anticipation to the main event.

He tipped himself bowing politely as before turning his dark eyes to you, eager to peek into your sub conscious, noting the tough display you’d shown hours earlier hidden in the back corners of the club as you dragged out the predatory man to meet justice.  

Oh, what secrets your little mind would hold, unraveling for him at the single snap of his gloved fingers. It was almost too tantalizing as your soft eyes looked over him quizzically.

It was almost too much. Jervis had made a believer out of many a skeptic before and there was not a doubt or fault in his mind that he could not do the same to you as he reached into his breast pocket for his faithful watch.

You took note as the audience’s chatter died as he showed it to them and then to you, it was just a golden pocket watch, a beautiful antique that he picked up somewhere along his travels. You would go along for the ride if it would let you keep your job.

It opened with a pop enticing a murmur of excitement from the knowing audience. Your eyes cut to your employers, knowing full and well they believed in this ‘showman’; Barbara at least, Tabitha was unsure saying earlier that there was a vibe about him.

Being on stage you felt it, a seeping almost darkness that lurked behind that fading grin, his dark eyes dimmed to an almost predatory gaze that you’d seen on the faces of the trash you took out back. It was almost un- nerving.

“Y/n.” You turned back as the hypnotist gently brought your attention back to him, the watch ticking softly in his hand as he brought it up to your eyes.

It irritated you, the fast past ticking made your fingers curl into your palms digging in and dragging into the soft flesh. Your skin itching as he spoke -

“Listen to the watch. The way it’s ticking synchronizes with your heart beat.”

Your gaze fell on the watch dragged into the small face eyes following the brass hands; the gentle ticking fell over your mind, blanketing your every sense in a calming wave. Then a burning roared in your subconscious, like a white hot spear was poking into your thoughts; you stiffened from your slouch, the gentle ticking that lulled had turned to a mad pounding raging from all sides an unseen force surrounding you on stage.

Your fists gripped tight at your sides, palms shaking as you pushed back burning sensation trying to dive into your sub conscious.  The two of you engaged in an unseen battle of will. It would not win, he would not win.

A weight fell upon your hand as the hypnotist fingers intertwined with yours breaking up your tight fist pulling you in closer. His face masked to an almost blank slate to hide his surprise. Normally he’d wait until the second command before divulging into the simple sub conscious of his patrons, but he couldn’t wait, and now as you pushed back fighting to keep him out, he saw a challenge before him. You were focused on the watch, you slacked on command like all the others before you, but why were you still so tense in his hand? Jervis squeezed your palm hoping you would falter but to no avail.

“Look into my eyes, not above them, or around them, but deep into their center.”

His voice echoed in your ears drawing your gaze away from the watch to his widening eyes pooling with darkness, they called to you, beckoned you to stare into them linger at the center.

Drown in them, let the walls crumble and open yourself to him and alone.

Y/n

Stay. His voice was faint in your ears.

You forced your curled palm to lie flat against your side gulping down a breath as another raging wave attempted to overtake your conscious state, the crowd below rustling. You guessed that this was not how the first performance had gone catching a glimpse out of the corner of your eyes to see their gawking expressions and the faint murmur.

The audience was questioning him, THE Jervis Tetch. He looked at your rigid form a fragile mask hiding your pained expression, by now he’d be swimming in the lake of your mentality drinking in every detail of your life, all the while you quacked like a duck on stage. Yet, he heard nothing, felt nothing as if a barrier blocked his path, forcing him out to his own thoughts.

Never had he seen anything like this, sure some resistance and feeble push back against his imposing mind was to be expected, but nothing as staggering as what he was witnessing. Your palm was glistening with a thin layer of sweat under the heavy stage light, heart threatening to burst out of its boney cage as you sucked in a shaky breathe. By the looks of your trembling form, this charade of yours was just about over.

You held the hypnotist’s gaze noting how he broke for a split second to gauge your stance. He was bewildered at the fact you resisted him. His brows knitted together as a faint smirk crossed the corner of his thin lips.  

A roaring rage of pain seared itself in your mind; his presence was heavier this time as he wormed his way into your subconscious his mental weight bearing down on top of your tattered mind. Your eyes squeezed shut trying to force him back out, your nose scrunched in agony as you threw your remaining strength at keeping the hypnotist at bay.

A faint voice flittered in your ear; it was soft calling your name from a distance.

Y/n

Your eyes snapped open instantly as the voice grew louder, recognizable as it spoke another name.

“Mr. Tetch!”

It rang out in the silent hall, catching the hypnotist off guard as he stumbled back his hand gloved hand slipped from yours turning his attention toward the audience.

“I’m afraid some unforeseen issue has arisen and I’m going to have to steal Y/n back.” The bubbly voice of your employer broke the silence. She stepped gracefully through the crowd, Tabitha waiting on the side as Barbara made her way up to the stage.

You hesitantly stepped back feeling the release of your hand. The thick presence in your mind faded as Jervis’s attention was pulled elsewhere. A grateful grin graced your face as Barbara gently led you off the blue lit stage to Tabitha’s waiting arms, guiding you down the steps as you wobbled like a toddler.  

“How much have you had to drink?” The dark haired assassin lead you to the bar letting you go to fix you a drink. “Half a glass I swear.” You steadied yourself the edge of the table top clutching the smooth granite surface for dear life.

A roar of applause broke out behind you, as Barbara gave the closing, your body tensed at the sudden sound as Tabitha slid a glass across the table. “You sure you’re alright?” She scooted up beside you easing your trembling form into a stool. “You too looked like you were about to kill each other one moment then the next you looked so sick I thought you were going to puke and we don’t need a repeat of the jazz singer incident.” She watched with concern as your hands take the cold drink.

You were still shaking as Barbara thanked Mr. Tetch and he gave a grateful wave to his loving audience saying they wonderful they were, his eyes trained on your form as he soaked in the last applause. You tried to keep your gaze trained on the ice in your drink, but you couldn’t help but be pulled back to the dark presence on stage.

Jervis keep your gaze as he backed behind the curtain; his heart fluttering in his chest as he took an ill breath.  He hadn’t felt this way since his dear Alice, dear, sweet, Alice. He longed for her, but this as an unforeseen wrench in his perfect plans. Never would he have imagined he’d meet another who made him question his gifts, challenging his power and knocking him down with an almost ease.

However; you hadn’t been completely successful in keeping him out of your sacred subconscious. He’d barely scratched the surface before you tossed him out again, and now he needed more like a bite from a forbidden fruit, a hunger that he couldn’t quell began to rise as he peeked out from behind the satin curtains once more, both your employers were at your side as you tried to calm your nerves; your little mind obviously flustered, trying to make sense of the past half hour. It was almost too delightful as he chuckled quietly to himself slipping back behind the heavy curtain; he had you now, seeing just enough to know that you’d be trapped in his little game, his little bird.

He’d devour you until not a single inch of your succulent mind was left untouched by his presence. He yearned to feel you again as he headed out into the dark street planning his return he’d cage you, but for now he’d let you wander in an endless sea of question as he whispered his last thought to the empty street.

“Fly my little bird, fly free, but I fear, my dear, you’ll never escape me.”

[zpetra]

ROI in Malaga 2018 Journal

To be able to tell the whole story of how I actually got to go to ROI, we have to go back a little to May. I was sitting home due to a public holiday and somehow a promo popped up on Instagram about ROI and I just checked out the dates / information. For the end of the year I had some holidays planned at least in days. No exact details yet as in October I wanted to see a concert (didn’t get tickets but went for a small Spain trip - Barcelona, Seville, Madrid) and the fact about GP assignments was still in the air. 

For some reason I just checked the dates and settled on the 17th of November in Malaga. I had one of those “fuck it” moments and bought my ticket. Got a flight for a good price, hotel stay for a night close to the stadium was also quickly found. So in a mere few hours of planning, it was settled.

I would see Javier Fernandez in Malaga. I was excited and so happy about it.

Fast-forward a little bit to GP assignments as I have to mention it. When it was known Yuzuru Hanyu would be going to Helsinki and Moscow I was in a slight dilemma as ROI was the same weekend as that. Unfortunately any other date or location was impossible for me regarding ROI, as I had other plans. I aimed for Helsinki (which we know happened and my journal about it can be found 1 - 2 - 3 here). In the end I am also happy that I wasn’t in Russia... it was hard enough already. I stayed with my plan and bookings for Malaga and I have no regrets in that case.

Saturday - 17th of November

Saturday morning I set off to the airport bright (cold) and early as public transportation sucks for me at the moment and I have to take quite some detours. Anyhow I arrived, got myself some hot chocolate with coffee...only to hear the news falling in. While I am not happy to mention Yuzuru in this Journal, it was part of my weekend and it influenced my overall mood as well. So please forgive me for doing the bad thing and speaking about Javi but for this particular case for me they were intertwined with each other.

Start my day with a delayed flight while my arrival time was already conflicting with the free skate and given the info before my flight about Yuzu fall my anxiety was peaking. Lufthansa sucks with arriving on time especially in Spain it seems and we barely landed and I got out of the plane when it was Yuzus turn. I didn’t even had the time to process I am in Malaga and going to see Javi in a few hours. I watched in the middle of the airport, not even making it to my friend on time who was waiting for me near the exit. It was probably the worst 4 minutes of my life... I do not want to go into detail but it was hard. Once the scores were calculated I hurried to my friend so we can watch the rest together and wait for the final results. Happiness flooded me that Yuzuru won regardless of a not so perfect skate but impressive for a completely changed layout and obvious struggle... little did we know.

We found our bus to the city and we joked about the whole thing, giddy and happy. Nearly missing our bus-stop to the hotel XD but someone wanted to get off at the same station and my fried spotted the hotel, so we managed to do some involuntarily sightseeing. We got to our hotel, checked in and said to meet after a quick shower... I barely got out when the information flooded my Twitter. Yuzuru Hanyu is injured, he skated on painkillers. All my happiness was gone and it was difficult for me because in about 5 hours I was meant to participate in one of the most amazing shows of my life but I felt gloomy.

Cue us going to Burger King and stuffing ourselves with junk food, unable to talk about anything else. I felt so guilty, still do because none of our moods were really in for Revolution on Ice and that was wrong. So damn wrong. Javi deserved better from us, not us thinking of Yuzu or me going on a rant about this but it is the truth. I have failed him in that sense. I am sorry.

Somehow we fixed ourselves enough to leave and after some confusion at the venue we found our seats, or knew were to go. Spent some time together until it was best to take our seats. My friend and I, we didn’t sit together so yeah. I had a second row seat on the long side. 

I WAS SO CLOSE!

Revolution on Ice - the show

There was a bit of a delay with the start due to people not getting to their places on time and waiting, which I found really nice of the organization to do as others would just start and not care. One issue I had was that literally everything was said in Spanish and “No abla espanol” here, or very little...so I was struggling. XD

I will get this out there right from the start... I found it a bit weird that during any kind of group number, Plush was never part of it, he had his two individual performances and joined the finale once the performance itself was finished, only fooling around on the ice happened. Additionally I had a feeling that at the end he kind of took the spotlight from Javier, maybe because the audience knew him better but in that sense I felt a lack of appreciation for Javier, both from the audience and maybe a bit of Plush, lingering center ice while Javier already retreated. Maybe it was also because Javier himself left the others have their moment of shine, I will never know but somewhat I felt Plush was hyped more and I didn’t like that considering it was Javiers show. The overall impression left me a bit negative in that sense.

Anyway back to the beginning... I had my seat in the second row, quite in the middle of the long side, opposite to the where the DJ was. The seat was incredible and luckily someone short sat in front of me and I could actually see XD. YAY.

There was a really nice opening with most cast to start with the show, I really like it as everyone had their individual moment to shine as well as skate in choreo together. I truly appreciated too that generally most of the songs were Spanish, barely anything else, I think overall 4 songs were in English? And some jamming music at the end but rest was Spanish. We also had the live performance of Eva Ruiz ( 2 songs, one with the synchronous group and one with Yuka Sato ), we had also Diana Navarro who had two songs as well, one was with the Annette Dyrty/Jannick Bonheur the other with Anna Cappelini/Luca Lanotte. Diana sings amazing, I swear to god it sounded like playback music and it wasn’t. During Anna/Luca performance I didn’t even realize she was on the small stage on my left because it sounded like playback music. She is good. I really enjoyed it. And the performances matched the music as well. Anna is gorgeous, I saw her so close and she is beautiful. I think I will just make comments for everyone I saw otherwise I get confused and I am not that good at recalling what happened after each other LOL.

Evgeni Plushenko: He had two performances, one song I didn’t recognize actually, I was also happy not to see Nijinsky due to what happened a few hours before and I probably wouldn’t have been able to watch it and Sex Bomb... God, was it awkward for me. He literally did push-ups in that muscle suit in front of my eyes, I have it on video and god, I was red as a tomato, unsure if I should watch or not, be embarrassed or whatever. I think I had some mix of it with hysterical laughter. Still it was nice XD

Elladj Balde: He is incredible. The way he hyped up everyone and he had a performance with the DJ, kind of a sound battle, it was really good and his back-flip is to die for. I may have, managed to catch one of them on camera and wow. He also had kind of a flamenco?ish duet with Jeffrey and was part of all group numbers. I really really enjoyed his performances and he is damn handsome too XD Elladj is a true entertainer and I can really see why the Japanese shows tend to have him, he puts the place on fire with his performance and aura.

Jeffrey Buttle: He had one serious performance where I was a bit irritated by his facial expressions but otherwise he is incredible, his spins are to die for and a back-counter 3A may have slayed me too. As I said he had a duet kind of thing with Elladj before Javi joined them to take over with his bullfighter program, nice crossover tbh, they kind of teased and mock fought each other. Loved it. I certainly could see bits and peaces he had shown Yuzu in the programs he choreographed and it was somewhat bittersweet but incredibly lovely. Jeff looks also really good and that (peach) is to die for XD. I am sorry but I can’t help it when they literally skate in front of me with their backside, he also wore rather tight suit pants during one performance.

Anna Cappelini/Luca Lanotte: They had I believe one Spanish song with Diana Navarro, don’t know the title but it was really emotional and while I did not understand the lyrics I could still see what they tried to convey with the way they skated. Definitely enjoyed their lifts. They also did a Chaplin program with the girl group, later got joined by Javi who took over the ice to perform himself with the group, the way they incorporated the flow over to a different program was great. There was barely any awkward pause. As I said Anna is gorgeous, all of them were and damn, I couldn’t stop staring, especially what make up she used... anyone? Insider? Please? I need that ice-shadow she had one while they did the black for guys, red for girls group choreo. XD Overall, these two are incredible. 

Annette Dyrty/Jannick Bonheur: Okay, these two? If you all remember at FAOI how one pair skater swung around their partner and Yuzu said “Yabai” THAT WAS MY OVERALL MOOD. They did the scariest but most incredible things I didn’t know existed ( or were allowed, I guess with show skating it is ), they fired up the crowd! I swear they got one of the loudest cheers out there that night and for reasons. I was so impressed by them, really. Overall - wow factor.

Celia Benayas/Marco Covela: The acrobatic duo was great too, they performed to Never Enough from the Greatest Showman and it gave me Pyeongchang feels and oh god... I was close to cry. They were really good! Good addition, different than they had nothing to do with the skating.

Yuka Sato: HOW DO I NOT KNOW OF HER? SHE IS SO PRETTY AND GRACEFUL! She didn’t have many jumps in her performances but had some beautiful spins and spirals and I really enjoyed it, she was also as everyone else basically in the cast ridiculously pretty. She could rival with her beauty about anyone under 30 and she is 45!!! Can I have her genes? She performed to two Spanish songs, one with Eva Ruiz and also was part of all group numbers.

And we arrived to the main of the whole show for me - Javier Fernandez

For each of his greetings / announcing him in the beginning and taking over the ice he slid from the back in the front, silently without disturbing the attention from those currently bowing or still performing, unless it was meant to him doing so. He joined Anna/Luca on the ice to perform a Chaplin program, which was really entertaining and got lifted at the end by the girl group - as we have seen pictures of it XD Truly performances where he can play a character suit him a lot.

During Chaplin he was going all out on the dorky and I loved it, one time he laid on the ice and the girls skated above him, then he rolled on his side like he was showing off, even the way he got up was comical. So fun!

Next he did the bullfighter which was really funny too, he did one part right in front of me and his expressions are to die for. Of course it is also one of his more funnier ones in my opinion and the costume is gorgeous, the amount of detail is crazy.

I am not sure during which number anymore but he actually messed a 3S, A SALCHOW!! JAVI!!! I know you gave your 4S to Yuzu as a parting gift but OMG. And it happened on my side of the ice too like a bit further to the right, still in full view XD I have felt that Javi gave room for others to get some spotlight as well, which is so typical Javi in my eyes, still he could have basked in the attention a bit more, he deserved it and I am happy the crowd was so interactive too and gave it to him!

Now onto the one performance I truly, truly wanted to see and actually was the reason why I bought a ticket to ROI

Prometo

I am actually listening to the song as I am writing this...and I will start with a bit backstory here. As we all, I myself have seen a fancam of Prometo during the Shows he did in Canada and I instantly fell in love. I had to search for the song and ended up buying the whole album of Pablo Alboran listening to all the songs for weeks... the impact it had on me was I can’t describe it with words. Sometimes you are just so drawn to something at the first tunes, you will always remember it. I remember where I sat and how I found out about Prometo, the amount of hours I have listened to it on repeat, searched for the lyrics, backstory... everything I could get my hands on. It is a true masterpiece and not just the song itself but the program too.

There are actually 3 different versions of the song and he is using the Amazon Music, live version which is much slower than even the piano version. As for the versions I prefer the original or piano version, on the other hand I understand why he used the third version. It just fits so much more.

I have seen people calling it bland because Javier is not wearing any flashy costume but just simple pants and a sweater but if you look at the lyrics it does make sense and I think he sells it. The beige fits the melancholy it should show and how he does some movements to fit the text, like “dancing in the salon” and he kind of does a tango. I appreciate the lack of big jumps, beautiful spins instead and just single ones or more like leaping through the air, the knee slides and that one gorgeous Ina Bauer (he did that right in front of me and I was dead). It drew some tears from me, both for how the song generally gets me emotional but also due the whole afternoon already. This year literally two performances made me cry and this was one of them. I am so happy I could record it to keep with me forever.

I posted it on my Instagram in pieces, if you want to watch - HERE. I have also a Story Highlight for ROI only.

I found the audience in this particular instance annoying as some people kept screaming “Vamos” in between, I am sorry but Prometo is not something where it fits and I felt it disturbed the magic it was casting on everyone. Oh well, I concentrated on Javi instead, singling along a little bit.

I think by now after this long paragraph you can tell I am in love with Prometo and I am so thankful for being granted the privilege to watch it. It’s a beauty.

After that basically the finale was on and we had a happy Javi shimmy around the ice the music in the Prometo outfit. It was so nice to see him this happy, dancing around, giving people more time to shine as they introduced everyone again. Javier looked so happy and I was too. 

ROI is an incredible show and if you have the possibility just go, you are not going to regret it. I know the cast is different from some locations but I was so happy to have seen these performances. And the fact he nearly sold out a 11K stadium in Spain is so amazing too! Javier deserves this, truly.

I have no pictures or videos in this post as I have mostly taken videos and I have them in the insta stories or not yet really posted it. Some are quite short. I think I have only really filmed Javis programs in full and the opening. Oh and the acrobats. The rest just bits and pieces for memory.

After the show - 18th November - Sunday

Feeling so much better about my day thanks to Javi and the cast we returned late to our hotel. I chatted with my best friend for a bit before settling for bed. I slept really bad, waking up every hour and being confused about where I am, the time and it was a long night. I promised my friend to leave with her to the airport tho her plane left a few hours before mine but really I had nothing better to do and it was raining cats and dogs. Sightseeing got cancelled. At the airport the gloomy mood returned though I tried my best to be more positive, waiting for the medal ceremony which I could watch before my own flight went off. My friend left and I stayed alone at the airport. Did some shopping to lift my mood but otherwise sat at the Starbucks.

The moment the medal ceremony started I probably had the lowest moment of my entire weekend. I was sporting a headache due to the weather being horrible, my irritation level was high, been fighting the emotional situation... The moment I saw Yuzu with crutches I cried. I cried in a public coffee at an airport after one of the best evenings of my entire year (along with Helsinki weekend).  I just... it was hard and still is, will be for a while and yet again I felt bad because Javi should have been my priority for this weekend. I am sorry... again and again.

Once I fixed myself emotionally, I had to go to the gate. Cue Lufthansa being their usual self... delay with the flight, roller-coaster ride included in the price and when we landed and finally could get off the plane. I was more irritated than ever, my whole head was throbbing. Had to wait 20 minutes for a fucking train to take me to the city but yet again due to blocked routes, follow it up with a solid 20 minute walk in the cold ass weather. I barely get home and am in front of my building a guy starts to hit on me after I helped him with the same issue I had - public transportation. God, I was so not having it but trying to stay polite. When I rejected him he tried to pull the “is it because I am black” card and I was like... OMG REALLY? You wanna pull that shit just because someone you just met and is literally standing at the door of her building refuses to give you her number or expect yours? You are a fucking stranger I just met and I am sorry but hell no. Somehow I managed to actually get into my apartment and I was done. I was done with the whole day and the weekend and just nope.

While I did have one of the best weekends of my entire life it was also one of the worst ones. Even now I am conflicted how I feel. One moment I am happy the next I am sad and I really don’t know. Regardless of it all there is one thing I will say:

Javier Fernandez, thank you for organizing ROI and thank you for giving us the privilege to enjoy your skating, putting on a show that left me shaking and crying (literally... Prometo was emotional for me). Thank you, truly. The whole show and cast, including you were incredible. Gracias. See you next at Europeans! ♥

[kaisoounderground]

Okay so y’all know that my daughters and I went to Paris to see BTS in concert. I have been meaning to write a post about what a great experience it was but as usual I am lame and late, lol not lol.

So, I am going to write my thoughts now (better late than never?). I did manage to write my impressions of the individual band members within days of the concert though (below). All concert photos, blurry or otherwise, on this post, are courtesy of my daughter.

So here goes:

I was not prepared at all for what a k-pop concert would be like, let alone a BTS concert. I was nervous all day that something would go wrong with our printed out e-tickets but it came to naught and we got in easily.

The first thing we realized when we walked through the doors into the concert hall was that our seats were SO CLOSE (the venue was not that big - not that it was small but it wasn’t huge so every seat seemed close-ish). We just couldn’t believe that we were going to see them so close like that as the tickets were selling out so fast that we took what we could get. The seats were pretty fab!

Next: the atmosphere. It was electric. They were playing non-stop BTS while we waited for the concert to begin and I have not heard anything like it. The singing and the fan-chanting was so LOUD (and rather high-pitched). The crowd was so hyped and you could feel the excitement, like seriously.

Biggest surprise: the audience age. Expectedly the crowd was mostly young-ish females BUT I was so pleasantly surprised at how many older women (woo-hoo! we rock!) were there, like women my age! We all acknowledged each other and screamed our heads off!! There were also quite a lot of guys and older men too. The men were more subdued, lol.

The concert: It was one of the most exciting concerts I have been to in my life. From the minute that BTS hit the stage, it was a non-stop frenzy of singing, chanting, or jumping up and down - and that was just me!

BTS was so good IRL and I was not prepared for how good and polished they were. The dancing was great and their vocals were fabulous! Every one of them was a visual that was hard to take in. Every set that they did was better somehow than the last and the atmosphere by the end was so hyped that I wasn’t sure I would survive (me being older and all, lol).

My thoughts on the individual members:

NAMJOON - Because they started the concert with “Idol” RM was the first up front and on the big screen. My first thought was how handsome he was IRL, I mean seriously flawless. Namjoon kept catching my attention throughout the concert as he’s an ultimate showman and crowd pleaser and he just grabs you - he will not be ignored! He was the epitome of COOL in style and performance. He came across at the most polished of the group in stage management and I enjoyed that aspect of his persona. He comes across very comfortable in his skin. I have never been a fan of his on a personal level, though I have always acknowledged and appreciated his many talents (how can you not?), and while I would say that overall I still have those impressions that keep me from being an all-out Namjoon-ie, I came away just loving him as a performer/singer/songwriter. He was amazing!

HOSEOK - My “ARMY” daughter told me to prepare to be wrecked by Hobi. Alas, I was not and I was kind of disappointed that he didn’t grab my heart but he was great, seriously GREAT, during the whole show and great fun to watch too. He is such a good performer (and his dancing, omg) and plays to the crowd and I noticed that he kept going to places on stage where he could interact with fans that would miss out if he didn’t, which I thought was very intuitive and thoughtful. I will also say this: towards the end of the show when the guys came out in their final outfits (jeans and t-shirts) Hobi was rocking his jeans like none of the other guys. He was up on the big screen in those skinny jeans and OMG.

YOONGI - Yoongi, imho, STOLE THE SHOW, and my heart TBH. He was fantastic! And omg, he is SO HANDSOME IRL and playful and much more of a crowd pleaser than I thought he would be. Any time he was on the big screen, I just was mesmerized by his charisma. His solo was to die for and he has such a nice voice and he is a great dancer too, yes he is. He was much more comfortable on stage than I expected and aggressive in his solo parts, which really surprised me. I had expected him to be shyly performing in the back for some reason. He had real stage presence and played to the camera and was very smiley and cute and I think he may have bias-wrecked me. Rip Jimin, I will always love u tho.

JIMIN - Jimin is a hard one. Jimin is my bias and I had great expectations of dying on the spot everytime Jimin did anything. But it was weird. Every photo I ever see of Jimin, he is so, so soft and cuddly or soft and s*xy but he was much sharper looking IRL. Still super handsome and his singing and, omg, his dancing were superior. I just found it strange that he didn’t appear as squidgy or fluffy as I expected. Instead he had a very commanding presence, which is a good thing just surprising. It may have been that because he is my bias my fluffy expectations were unrealistic and it may not have helped matters that Yoongi stole ALL my feels, and so I couldn’t focus on my own bias. I hear that happens a lot, lol.

TAEHYUNG -  In all honesty, Tae’s voice is not my favorite but I do appreciate that his voice is perfect to round out the sound of BTS - his voice is an essential component that makes BTS who they are. They all have that breathy sound that makes them so unique, with his being in the lower register. He is perfect in that respect. Tae is better live than I expected vocally  (I don’t know what I did expect tbh). His voice is deep and rich in the live shows, and the echo of the arena made his voice shine. His stage presence was quieter than I expected, which is NOT a negative at all. That may have been because he was quite ill with a cold (the next night he was very energetic).He got very tearful at the end of the concert and I don’t think anyone was immune to it. You could feel his emotion toward the fans. It was very touching. Tae wins BEST HAIR OF THE NIGHT for me. In every shot of him on the big screen, I couldn’t take my eyes off his beautiful hair. Oh and he rocks a beret.

JUNGKOOK - Jungkook was my biggest surprise of the evening. Don’t hate me but I have never been a JK fan. He has always appeared a bit smug to me and I just never liked that. I was not prepared though, that IRL, he is exactly the opposite. He approached the whole show in humility. He sang his heart out and never missed a note. He was injured and had to sit during most of the show BUT I think that gave more opportunity for me to see him in this new light. When it was his turn to sing, the camera just focused on him close-up and you could really see his facial expressions. Everytime he was on the screen, he had a soft appearance and manner, and with his lovely vocals, I came away really liking him a lot. A LOT. 

JIN - Jin had the PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT, HANDS DOWN for me. His solo was amazing. I was struck by how far he has come vocally. He was pitch-perfect and strong and forceful (like he knows he can sing now) in his performance. I was kind of sorry that the crowd sang along during the chorus because his voice was so phenomenal during those parts. However, it seemed that the techs anticipated that and the sound of his voice resonated louder than the singing so you could still hear him clearly. His solo was my fav.

Downsides: What? Nothing drastic and nothing to do with BTS at all:  I personally found it hard to keep my focus on the stage because of the close-ups on the big screen. I had to keep telling myself to watch the stage and not the screen - to focus on them IRL. We see so many K-Pop videos from concerts that it is just like watching a video that you see on twitter or youtube and I had to really concentrate on watching the whole group performing in front of my eyes and not on the screen. My daughters felt the same way. They kept having to stop watching the screens and turn their focus to the stage.

The only other downside was that even though the seating was so angled that everyone could see while sitting, a few never ever sat down and so the majority of the fans sitting near them had to crane their necks to see. I thought that was just rude. There were times where EVERYONE was standing but for the most part, most sat. The ones who stood didn’t need to as the seating was so steep that you could see (and film) perfectly well. Anyway, it was annoying because it was thoughtless and, me being me, was bugged by it. Again, nothing to do with BTS though.

Downsides forgotten, in conclusion, this was one of the best nights of my life (and I have been on this earth a long time). It is as simple as that. BTS was so amazing and I was not prepared for how great they were nor how K-Pop concerts are different from every other kind. 

It will be one of the best memories ever that I shared with my girls. We had so much fun and I am so blessed that they wanted me to share this with them. I cannot tell you the number of times I looked over at them bopping away, huge smiles on their faces, and thought “how lucky am I?”  

BEST. NIGHT. EVER.

[thecrackshiplollipop]

a few moments from my austin pride experience:

- the very first thing i did was get a big cup of free, cold lavender kombucha and it was delicious. i didn’t even care that i spilled some on myself because it just smelled like lavender. what a treat. - big thanks to everyone who believed i was under 21 because i had on the ‘no alcohol’ bracelet since i’d forgotten my ID in the car.  - i didn’t get much swag because my friend had saved bleacher seats in the shade and it was so hot neither of us wanted to walk around. but i DID win a tiny unicorn rubber ducky from a beanbag toss at a church booth. there’s a lot going on in that statement but like. i like a good beanbag toss. and i managed to sink all three beanbags whilst holding my cup of kombucha. (and yes, directly after getting my little prize, i spilled said kombucha on myself. whatever.) - special shout out to the very kind lesbian who gently took my arm and helped me navigate the bleachers whilst holding two very full shave ices. who says chivalry is dead? (her girlfriend, i’m assuming, looked very proud) - no one was shitty about my jewish pride flag but then again i spent most of the time watching the musical performances, not walking around, so WHO KNOWS. - there were so many old lesbian couples walking around holding hands that i felt like i was constantly on the verge of tears and it made me feel so happy about the future and also made me miss my girlfriend terribly - this woman pointed at me and went ‘yesss her’ as i was walking past on my way to my car. it was pouring, my clothes and hair and pride flag were soaked through, and she was standing on a porch with her friends. i recognised them from inside the pride park, so i’m assuming it was her way of being like ‘you go gay girl!’ while i slogged through the rain.

the entertainment: - cupcakke: her entire set was wholly inappropriate for the amount of kids that were around, but also the sheer size of the crowd screaming along to all of her lyrics was so impressive i was just like ‘you’d have to leave the park to avoid this’. she got SO much love from this audience and like, people were having a great time. also, it was raining and she kept commenting ‘it may be raining, but my vagina/pussy’s wetter!’ which made my friend roll her eyes but i was d y i n g. - katey red the new orleans bounce queen, was being so kind to the white gay boys who can’t twerk. she brought ‘em up on stage and let ‘em do their thing and she was so sweet. but every time someone who really could twerk would do their thing the audience would lose their SHIT. one of her dancers was a bigger guy and the first time he too centre stage to shake it everyone screamed and cheered and i was so happy. - sateen, lesbian wives doing queer disco, made me gayer (even though the sound system was truly bad and i couldn’t hear most of the lyrics. OH WELL.)  - yo majesty had me sitting there like :0 the whole damn time! i enjoyed their set the most. it was their first time performing in FIVE YEARS and they killed it and i had the biggest heart eyes.  - so many amazing performances from the drag queens. the two queens from dragula were freaking awesome and honey st claire did a performance of ‘i will always love you’ that stopped right before the big ‘and iiiiiii’ part to cut to a spotify premium ad and it was so funny i was almost too overcome with giggles to finish singing along.  - ms austin pride 2018, kelly kline, came out and lipsynced to ‘this is me’ from the greatest showman and my friend and i sat there crying and singing along and screaming. it was SUCH a powerful performance. in the beginning she held up a sign of words that had been used to cut her down but then she held up a sign that had her title of ms austin pride, and then she pulled out a trans pride flag and a mexican pride flag and. oh man, she did a wardrobe reveal to a wonder woman costume and y’all it was so much. i was overwhelmed. - i got very hyped over stacey layne matthews and jiggly caliente. i missed most of stacey’s performance because i was getting shave ice, but i saw jiggly’s and she was out there repping pose and telling everyone to go watch it and support it and it was so great.

[shewhowantsmouseears]

The Son Of Scheherazade, Chapter 4

Notes: As always, big thanks to my wonderful editors Drucilla and BlueShifted!

The last scene is my favorite one. Had I the power and ability, I'd turn it into a broadway smash. I repeatedly had Millionaire by Cash Cash & Digital Farm Animals ft. Nelly and Lottery by Train on as I wrote it.

Summary: As Mickey falls head over heels for the magician's assistant, he learns that not every romance has the chapters needed for a happily ever after.

Romantic love was an abstract concept to young Prince Mickey. It was the sort of thing that he found difficult to believe existed because he didn't quite understand it. He knew his parents loved each other very much, but he also found love to be so embarrassing he didn't know why anyone would want to indulge it. Why would you want to make those silly kissy faces and call someone ridiculous pet names and devote so much of your time to a complete stranger?

It wasn't until that day that Mickey understood that love wasn't something you really had any say in, because if he had a choice, he would not be intently staring at this beautiful girl in a fake magic show while his parents were probably in danger. A part of him was mentally trying to drag himself away and get back to work, but the rest of him had his feet planted and his eyes wide, not budging an inch. He'd watch her for the rest of his life if he could. It wasn't his fault she was so pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty...

“What wonderful tricks will you perform for us, master?” the girl asked, hands clasped together, smiling sweetly.

“Do the monkey trick again!” one audience member cried out, and another shouted, “The card tricks, show us the card tricks again!”

Mortimer ignored these requests, taking off his coat and turning it inside out to show there were no secret compartments. “It's a little chilly today...I wish my coat was made out of...” Another pause, his tongue flicking back and forth as he tried to think of something. “...red, blue, and...gold poodle fur!” And in a puff of pink smoke, that was exactly what it became, much to the audience's surprise and delight.

“Isn't he great?” A man standing beside the prince and his companions laughed. “This guy's been to ten different cities, but he never does the same trick twice... Or at least never in the same exact way.”

“A-huh,” said Mickey who wasn't paying attention to anything being said.

Horace gave up on trying to drag either of his crewmates away, so he crossed his arms and settled in for the long haul. “I guess originality's a good thing, but that kind of seems like a stretch. Why wouldn't you do the same trick in a different town? It's not like they'd know about it.”

“A-huh,” said Mickey who would have found this interesting if the pretty girl on stage didn't exist... who, it seemed, was getting tired? After that last trick, she put a hand to her chest and her breath appeared to quicken.

“And for my next trick,” Mortimer announced after putting his new coat back on, “I will now...” He took off one of his white gloves, “Pull a water buffalo out of my glove!”

Suddenly the girl seemed to jump, and she quickly ran to Mortimer's side, tugging on his coat. “M-Master, we – you can't do that trick!”

Mortimer stopped in place, and his cheesy expression began to grow cold, glaring down at his assistant, his showman's voice now hissing. “What have I told you about interrupting the gig?”

“But, master...” the girl pleaded, trying to keep on a worried smile. “You already performed that trick in the last town, remember...?”

“So what?” Goofy chirped, bouncing on his heels. “I wanna see it! C'mon, where's the water buffalo?”

Horace looked at his captain. “Do you even know what a water buffalo is?”

“Nope! So it makes me wanna see him pull one out even more!”

Mortimer pulled his hand back as he tried to recall what trick was performed where. “Shhhoooot. Why didn't you tell me before I got on stage!”

The girl stepped back, still smiling but it was clear, at least to Mickey, that it wasn't an honest one. “I tried to, master, but you said you didn't need my help...”

“I don't need your-” But Mortimer cut himself off, realizing that this argument wasn't going to help sales. He cleared his throat and chuckled, turning back into the charming performer. “That is...an audience like this doesn't deserve a water buffalo! They deserve something better! Like... an ice buffalo! A buffalo made completely out of ice!” But when he tried to reach into the glove again, nothing came out. He shot the girl an annoyed look, and in turn she merely raised one eyebrow, and he grumbled, “I wish I could pull a buffalo made out of ice from my glove!” This time he had no problem, pulling out a miniature statue of a buffalo made out of ice. “Ta-da!”

The audience cheered and clapped, save for Horace, who was fairly sure Clarabelle was going to kill them for being late, and for Mickey, who was frowning at the mistreatment his first love – shut up, he told his head, no she isn't – was going through. It was oddly enough the right thing to snap him out of his lovesick stupor – which he wouldn't admit to having because if he turned into his mortifying parents... he would rather jump off a cliff. More importantly, Mortimer the Magnificent had no right to treat anyone that way when they were just trying to help.

Mortimer was relieved that he won the audience back over, but he needed to make-up for all the time lost during that argument, maybe even make them forget it ever happened. “And I wish for a mountain of eastern silk robes to appear!” Which, in another puff of pink smoke, appeared. “And now I wish for the robes to turn into cobwebs!” Which they did. “And now I wish the cobwebs to turn into kitty-cats!” Which they did. “And now I wish the kitty-cats were solid gold carrots!” Which they did, making the audience shout “WOW!” louder and louder with each transformation.

Because Mickey was the only one watching the girl instead of the show, he was the only one to notice how exhausted she was becoming, even though all she was doing was encouraging the audience to applaud. With every new trick, sweat began to roll down her fur, her knees began to buckle, and soon she was so overwhelmed she had to sit on the stage.

Mortimer didn't notice, didn't care, or perhaps had some combination of both. “And for my greatest trick, I wish-”

“Master!” the girl suddenly cried out, her hand to her chest, panting heavily. “I... I think the audience is... so moved by your amazing tricks, they need... a minute to let it all sink in!”

Once again, Mortimer stopped being Magnificent and became maddened, storming over and sticking his index finger in her face. “What did I just say about interrupting the show?! Your only job here is to flash those pretty eyelashes and keep the audience hyped!” The girl flinched, drawing back, but Mortimer wasn't finished with her. “Keep this up, and I swear I'll-”

“YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!”

Now everyone's attention was to the far back of the audience where Mickey stood, his hands balled up into fists. Anger like this was still new to him, so he let it flow through every vein and take over his whole mind. Beauty or not, there was no way he was going to let anyone get assaulted in front of him. He began to walk forward and the audience parted like the Red Sea, suddenly frightened by the fire in his eyes. “You will step away from her... right now.”

Mortimer straightened his back, swallowing hard. “Hey, hey, let's take it easy!” He laughed nervously, fingers pressed together. “You're taking this too seriously! This is all... just... part of the act! Right, babe?” He stared at her intensely, trying not to glare while getting the point across.

The girl bit her lip, and then she looked at Mickey – by gosh those were some deep beautiful blue ocean eyes that NO, FOCUS  - and while she had looked out at the audience before, it had been as one collective group, never focusing solely on one person. Now she was actually looking at him, and Mickey could feel his heart skipping a beat. She was still tired, her whole body sagging, but those eyes of hers were still as bright and alive as a new dawn. There was surprise here, naturally, but a sadness that couldn't be put into words. Had it been there all this time since he first saw her? What did she look like when she was genuinely happy?

Mickey offered his hand to her, his voice quiet and gentle. “Are you okay?”

The girl looked down at his hand, and for the briefest of moments she seemed to consider it, lifting her own hand up an inch. Yet within seconds any hope within her died, and her hand curled up – it was then that Mickey saw she was wearing golden cuffs on her wrist. He'd seen something like that back in his home – when newcomers would come to the kingdom, and his parents made it explicitly clear that in their laws, one crime against humanity would never be tolerated there – and his rage was ignited all over again. “Is she your slave?!” His hand shot out, grabbing the girl's wrist and holding it up for all to see. There, on her left wrist, the cuff said “Minnie.”

Collective groups of the crowd gasped, others shocked into silence, and Mortimer flailed his arms wildly. “Nooo no no no no no! It's a  fashion statement! Look, I've got them too!” He yanked down on his sleeves, and true to his word he was wearing an identical set of cuffs on his own wrists. Sighs of relief smoothed out the audience, but Mickey wasn't convinced.

“What is she to you?” Mickey let the girl – Minnie? What a nice name, pretty name DANG IT KNOCK IT OFF  - go and began to reach for the hilt of his scimitar nestled on his belt. “I'm not going to let you treat her like garbage!”

Mortimer's patience for interruptions was wearing thin. “Look, what does it matter to you? It's all a show! Who do you think you are, anyway?”

Mickey stood tall and proud, a thumb to his chest. “I am Prin-”

“Preeettyyy sure that's enough of you, mister!” Horace and Goofy were suddenly on both of Mickey's sides, clamping their hands over his mouth and dragging him away.

“Real sorry about that!” “His first magic show, he got a little too excitable!”

“Keep up the good work!” “Don't mind us!”

Mickey kicked and yelled, but he couldn't free himself from their grasp until they were in the way back of the crowd, the audience beginning to mesh again. Mortimer cleared his throat, brushing down his long coat. “Maybe it's about time I wrap things up! Two more tricks, and then Mortimer the Magnificent's gotta move on out!”

Meanwhile, Mickey finally wrestled his way out of hands and fingers. “What are you two doing?!”

“Saving your hide, thank you very much,” Horace whispered, trying to encourage Mickey to do the same. “You can't go around telling people you're a P-R-I-N-C-E!”

“And why not?!”

“First off, not everyone is as nice as we are,” Goofy explained, tossing his thumb over his shoulder. “Some folks may look good enough, but the moment money enters their mind, it's like they become a different person. They might think they could hold you for hostage, or try to follow you and steal all you've got!”

“Secondly,” Horace continued, “You've got no authority outside of your kingdom! Even if we run into places that use slavery, you've got no power to stop it! And we can't liberate every single person we find, or those higher-ups will make sure we can never enter their lands again! I know it's rough, but if we're gunna try to find your parents, we gotta play it smart!”

Mortimer scanned the audience to find the richest looking individual, which happened to be a short lady covered head to toe in expensive jewelry. “You there, ma'am! What's the most prized possession you own?”

The woman tapped her chin with her finger. “Why, that would have to be my Ming vase, it's worth millions!”

Mickey knew his friends were making sense, but his heart was still burdened by the ethics and morals he thought applied to the entire world. “But if she's really his slave, we can't just leave her with him! It's not right! You can't expect me to just abandon her!”

Mortimer drew himself up, wiggling his fingers. “I wish this woman's Ming vase would appear in my hands!” A puff of pink smoke, and there it was, with the woman laughing gleefully at what she thought was an amazing fake knock-off and the audience clapping.

“Mickey, you have to think real carefully,” Goofy spoke as kindly as he could, kneeling down to meet Mickey at eye-level. “Right now, it's a choice... that girl, or your parents. You can't save everybody.”

Mortimer eyed the vase, drooling at the sight of something that would make anyone owning it rich for the rest of their lives. “And for my last trick... I wish this woman's Ming vase would reappear where I think it belongs.” He smirked as the vase vanished, and the audience burst into wild cheers for his last trick, though they were begging for more as they threw coins at his feet. Minnie began to pick them up one by one, eyeing the boy in the back.

Mickey shook with anger, and he snatched Clarabelle's list from Goofy's hand. “Maybe you can't, but I won't be that kind of person! I refuse! If you can't save everyone, then maybe I don't want to sail with you!” He then ran off as fast as his feet would take him, blinded by anger, frustration, and the horrible realization that Goofy was possibly right.

Horace was about to go after Mickey, but Goofy placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head silently. Horace slowly nodded in understanding. Mortimer had also noticed the boy taking off, and he was still burned by embarrassment. “And I wish that boy's most prized possession would reappear where I think it belongs,” he growled under his breath, shoving his hands in his pockets as he began to leave the stage.

Minnie heard this, dropping a few coins in shock. “Master!”

“Don't lose a single one,” Mortimer huffed as the crowd began to disperse. “Then get to the shopping and chores. We're out of here tomorrow.”

Goofy tilted his head, watching Mortimer storm off the stage. “I wonder why, with all his magic, he doesn't just poof himself home.”

Horace put a hand to his face, deciding that it was pointless telling Goofy that Mortimer had no magic.

Which, in a sense, was true.

~*~

Mickey ran and ran until his feet were crying out in pain and he was hopelessly lost. Yet as tired as his body was, he was still surging with anger and hopelessness. People were going back and through the marketplace, no one stopping to bless the Son of Scheherazade for years to come. It was just what he needed, since he didn't want anyone to see how close to tears he was. He really couldn't do anything to help that girl? He had to choose between doing the right thing and helping his parents? Could he live doing that every day? Could his parents understand that choice?

He had taken Goofy's list to prove he could get all the supplies he needed all on his own, but he also needed something to vent himself out on. He ripped the list to shreds, and once it was all gone, he slammed his fists into the wall of a bricked up shop, slammed again, slammed it three times before pressing his forehead to the bricks. What had he been expecting? He was still useless. He'd never be able to do anything. He was nothing but the Son of Scheherazade. A stupid, weak, naive little boy that couldn't do anything on his own.

Mickey sniffled, fighting off tears again, and pushed himself off the wall – just in time to bump into someone carrying so many bags and packages that it covered their face and head. Both shouted in surprise, and all the supplies sprawled out onto the ground. “Oh no! I-I'm so sorry!” Mickey apologized, kneeling down and scrambling to try and pick it all back up.

“No, no, it's my fault, I wasn't watching here I was going.”

“I was the one who...” Mickey trailed off, recognizing that familiar voice. He looked over, and there, now kneeling at his side, was Minnie. He made a most undignified “UH!” sound, feeling his tail snap up straight. What were the odds?! His usual depression and self-loathing were set aside because she was now much much MUCH closer to him than before and she even smelled nice wow...

Minnie blinked twice before her own recognition hit. “Oh! You're the boy from the show!”

Well that nice moment ended quickly. “I'm not a boy,” Mickey insisted, despite mentally calling himself that a minute ago, “I'm a man! I'm an official man, I'm eighteen years old.”

“Official man?” Minnie repeated with a hint of amusement, picking up her things. “So there was paperwork and laws involved?”

Mickey got the sense he was being teased. “Of course not. It just... happens, when you turn eighteen.” He was tempted to ask how old she was, but even he knew that was probably dangerous territory when it came to women, especially women you weren't 100% certain about their names. “I mean, I'm pretty sure that's how it goes... is that not what happens in other kingdoms?”

“Lots of lands have lots of different rules about ages.” Minnie shrugged, her arms full again.

“Sounds like you've been to a lot of places.” He was almost jealous.

“I've been here and there.” but Minnie didn't add anything more, as if reluctant to go into details. “...Thank you for helping me. Is that what official men do?” Another hint of a tease.

“I think this is what anyone with common decency does.” Mickey retorted, his arms also full of all kinds of goodies. “This is a lot of stuff for one little lady!”

“It's not for me, it's for my master.”

Once again, the good mood was snuffed out, and Mickey's face went dark. “You still have to call him that even when you're not performing?”

“It is my duty,” Minnie replied with a tired sigh, not wanting to explain this either. She took a step further to try and take her things from Mickey, but he took a step back.

“If Mortimer the Megalomaniac isn't going to help you,” Mickey insisted, “then I will. Just show me the way, and I'll help deliver it!” He finished with a smile, always happy to help.

Yet Minnie was wary, eyeing him up and down suspiciously. “He won't pay you for your trouble.”

“Okay.”

“...And I can't pay you either.”

“Okay.”

Minnie waited, and then pouted. “Well, then what are you expecting to get out of this?”

Mickey looked at her as if she'd just asked why fish in the sea were wet. Wasn't the answer obvious? “I'm not expecting anything, I just wanna help! Besides, if that jerk gave me a single coin, I'd make him eat it.”

Minnie watched him carefully, a puzzle forming in her head until she seemed to solve it with one nod. “Oh, I see... very well, come along.” She began to walk, and Mickey followed, his own questions unanswered. Why did she seem to distrust him even though he had stood up for her? Had Mortimer corrupted her worldview that much? Boy, if there was anyone in the world that deserved a kick to the shin, or somewhere a little more up north...

“My name's Mickey.” he said, trying to steer the conversation towards something more pleasant. “What's yours?”

She hesitated, but it didn't take long for her to relent. “My name is Minnie.” She paused in her walk to let some playing children pass by.

Mickey had been right, her name was Minnie. Minnie, Minnie, he wanted to practice saying it on his tongue but there was no way he could do it in front of her without sounding nuts. “Have you been in this town long, Minnie?” There, he got away with it once, and it felt pleasant. Minnie Minnie Minnie.

“We've only been here for a few days, and we're leaving tomorrow.” One of the children dropped their straw doll, and Minnie tried to return it while juggling her armload of packages. “I think we're headed for Attalaa next, it's very close.”

Mickey pondered if he could get away with putting that location on their map. “I've never been there... guess you could say I've never really been anywhere. I'm a little bit sheltered.” This got a curious and confused look from his companion. “What?”

“Why would you admit that?” Didn't this boy – man, heehee – have any sense of self-preservation? Who stated their faults that easily?

“...Because it's the truth?” Mickey answered with a big shrug. “Maybe I never had too many normal conversations myself. No one really listens to what I have to say... they care more about what I am than who I am.”

Minnie's eyes went down as much she'd allow without tripping over herself. “I know what that's like. After a while, you wonder what's the point of speaking up.”

“Y-Yeah, exactly! Like, why bother learning how to speak at all if no one listens?”

“But if you never said anything, people act like you're the one with the problem.”

“And you don't know what to do, it's like you can't do anything right! You're useless, you feel like... like... like...”

“You shouldn't exist?”

The mice stopped their walking to have their eyes meet. Despite the conversation starting off nicely enough, neither of them had expected to find a similar suffering. They weren't sure what to do with this information, but it wasn't unwelcome. Minnie shifted the packages in her arms a little, eyes shyly looking back and forth between the ground and Mickey's face.

“I didn't think anyone else felt that way,” she murmured after a moment, perhaps lost in a time of ageless memories. “Maybe I thought no one could ever understand... but...” She then shook her head to dismiss herself of the notion. “I shouldn't...”

Mickey leaned in, wondering what the matter was. “Minnie? What is it?” It was if she was almost admitting something but then had punished herself for daring to try.

“It's nothing.”

“If it's important to you, it's not nothing.”

A stretch of silence passed between them, and then Minnie quietly chuckled low in her throat. “It'd be nice if you stayed this way.” Her eyes saw him again. “The way you were at the show... if you're like that everywhere you go, I don't think you're useless at all.” Then she did something so spectacular, so amazing, so heart-stopping wonderful that Mickey could have died happy right then and there.

Minnie smiled. An honest, true, sincere smile that emphasized the pinkness of her cheeks and the beauty of her face, as if it was one she hadn't given to anyone in a long, long time. Nothing in his mother's stories could have ever described what Mickey was seeing. It wasn't just the fact that she was good looking that made it so special – this was a special smile, a rarity, something she didn't get to do too often, a hidden treasure that had been carefully unlocked. This was a smile that only one person could get to see.

Mickey wasn't prepared for it, and it stunned him so deeply that he dropped all the packages in his arms and said, “Wow.”

Minnie jumped. “What are you doing?!”

“Wha-OH! Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Mickey wildly tried to salvage what had now met the ground twice, hoping he hadn't broken anything. “I'm sorry, it was just, you're so pretty-” No!” “I didn't mean that! Not that you're not pretty, of course you are, I-” Nooo! “I'm sorry, I don't know how to talk like a normal person, not that I'm weird or strange or anything you should be afraid of-” STOP TALKING! “I don't know how to talk to pretty girls!”

Mickey continued to decompose verbally in front of Minnie, flailing and hyperventilating while trying to pick up what he'd dropped, yet dropping it all over again as he kept saying more embarrassing things. Why hadn't his parents prepared him how to talk to girls?! … Oh, right, because Mickey would have run out of the room. Minnie just blinked slowly at this odd spectacle, having never seen anything quite like this in all her years. Because this was something she'd rarely seen, it caused a rare reaction.

Minnie's lips twitched, then quivered, and then she burst – she began to giggle loudly, almost losing her own packages. Her body shook and trembled, and she had to take a step back to make sure she didn't collapse from giggling fits. Mickey's face reddened to  bright tomato red, but on the plus side, he had made her laugh, which was worth losing whatever dignity he had. He flashed a toothy grin, chuckling quietly. People passing by stifled their own snickers, thinking that a couple of silly kids were having a very unusual first date.

Minnie finally managed to catch her breath, though a few giggles still slid in between her words. “I-I'm sorry, it was wrong to laugh...”

“I think we both needed it.” Mickey did feel more relaxed after it had all passed, since things probably couldn't get much worse from here on. Besides, he got her to smile and laugh, he was feeling very accomplished. “Besides, if Mortimer gets mad his stuff is busted, he should have used his fancy schmancy magic to poof it up himself.”

“He doesn't want to waste the magic on little things.” Minnie waited patiently as Mickey lifted everything back up a second time.

“That so.” Once Mickey was up and at 'em again, they walked. “So answer me this... If he's so magnificent, why put on a show? Why not just poof up some money and enjoy the high life?”

“He craves attention.” Minnie walked with him, a little closer this time. “He wants people praising him all the time. He can't stand not being the center of attention... even if life would be easier otherwise...”

Mickey raised an eyebrow, curious as to how much she'd now allow herself to say. “And I guess he doesn't listen to you when you tell him that.”

Minnie nodded, but her eyes were growing distant, seeing a horizon that Mickey couldn't imagine. “I don't know why I bother. In the end, everyone is the same.”

Mickey furrowed his brows, this once pleasant chat now growing uncomfortable. “What's that supposed to mean?”

She didn't bother to look at him this time. “I'm sure there are lots of good, decent people in the world... but...once someone gets a dose of power...they change. They tell themselves they'll use it to help people, but greed always wins. Deep down, everyone only really cares about themselves, and power brings that out. It's just a matter of time.” It almost sounded like a speech, something she'd said to herself time and time again in an effort to learn.

It also sounded similar to what Goofy had said earlier -  Some folks may look good enough, but the moment money enters their mind, it's like they become a different person – and this too didn't sit right with Mickey. No matter how lovely Minnie was or how much he wanted to stay on her good side, this was not something Mickey could let slide. “That's not true.”

Minnie made a tiny scoffing sound. “Is that right?”

“It is right,” Mickey insisted, walking a little faster now. “Not everyone in the world has a greedy person ready and waiting to pop out! There are people who are good all the way through! And you can't let a handful of bad people ruin how the world looks! There are people who will do what's right without rewards or money or power... they'll do it because in their hearts, they know it has to be done!”

Minnie stopped walking, standing in front of a very small clay house that leaned to one side, with all the windows boarded up and big DO NOT ENTER signs plastered all over. “And do you think you're one of those people?”

Mickey almost said “yes” immediately. But would a good person be struggling with the decision between a trapped girl and their own parents? Wouldn't they know the right choice instantly? “...I'm not perfect,” he decided, “And I know sometimes it's just easier to walk away and let things be. But...I am who I am. And I'm not the sort of person who can just ignore someone in trouble, even when there's not much I can do about it. Maybe it makes me good, or dumb, or naive, but there are things about us we can't change. And, honestly, I don't think I want to become that kind of guy who walks away when someone is being threatened. Power wouldn't change that. And I'll tell you that as many times as I need to until we get to Mortimer's place!”

“This is his place.”

“...Oh.” Mickey glanced up. Huh, it sure was a crummy looking house for a magnificent magician. Did he spend all his money on shopping so he didn't have any leftover for a decent place to stay? “...Still meant what I said.” He placed the belongings down beside the front door.

Minnie wasn't entirely touched by his heartfelt words, emptying her own hands beside the house. Mickey glared at the house, clearly wanting to have words with whoever was inside. Minnie stepped to Mickey's side, and her fingers brushed by his arm – he felt a spark fly through his arm and again his anger was put aside to embrace a good old mind malfunction.

“Mickey, whoever you are...” Minnie looked up at him, her fingers now laced together. “I hope that you stay this way forever... and I hope I never see you again.” And Mickey would have probably asked why she said that if she hadn't done what she did next.

She kissed his cheek.

Minnie probably then said something like “goodbye” or “have a nice day” but Mickey didn't hear it, or really pay any attention to her picking up her things and entering the house. He had stopped moving the moment her lips touched his face, and for the next minute he didn't move. He didn't move during minute two either, nor three, nor four.

On minute five, he inhaled. On minute six...

“WHOOO-HOOO!”

This gigantic shout of love-induced euphoria echoed all across the town, which helped José and Panchito locate the mouse, as they had been assigned to find him after something happened on the ship. As they followed the subsequent hooting and hollering, they found Mickey dancing up and down the marketplace, climbing up poles and swinging from curtains, grabbing startled shopkeepers and spinning them in circles. “Aw, he's so happy,” Panchito lamented, “I don't want to tell him the bad news now.”

Mickey turned his head upon hearing that voice, and he sprinted towards the birds, hugging them both. “Guys! GUUUYYS! She kissed me, she kissed me, she kissed me!”

“Huh?” Panchito asked, trying not to drop his guitar.

“Who?” José asked, trying to keep his hat on.

“Minnie, kissed me, on the cheek!” Mickey let them go to break into an impromptu dance routine. “She kissed me, she kissed me, she kissed meee!”

José and Panchito looked at each other, shrugged, and then joined in the dancing and singing, with Panchito strumming the guitar and José miming the action with the umbrella. “She kissed him, she kissed him, she kissed hiiim!”

“She likes me, she likes me, she likes meee!”

“She likes him, she likes him, she likes hiiim!”

“She said she never wanted to see me agaiiin!”

“She said she never wanted to see him agaiiin!” But the birds at least had some common sense, stopping the broadway musical after that lyric. It was José who held up a finger. “Uh, Mickey, mind repeating that?”

Mickey was still making up his own samba, the actual words not hitting him just yet. “She said she never wanted to see me agaiiin-” … Oh, wait, now he heard it. “...She said she never wanted to see me again?” he repeated, frozen in mid-tango, too confused to be heart-broken right away. “Huh? But... she...” Why would she kiss him and then say that? Didn't they connect? Didn't they have a good time? How could things get worse?

“Okay, now we can tell him the bad news!” Panchito pushed his guitar over his back.

“We just got back to the ship...”

“... And Clarabelle told us that Pluto's gone missing!”

[stylesavocados]

It’s no secret that fashion has a Gen Z problem. The disparity between the luxury items that women of means desire and the hyped, street, pop things the kids are after is not just two different lanes but maybe two different interstates on two different coasts. Few brands are capable of switching between bougie and badass. One that does is Balenciaga, whose appropriation of streetwear has given it considerable hype—but it also still makes some of the most work-appropriate blazers around. Another is Gucci, whose logo T-shirts are so coveted by the youth that they’re taking matters into their own hands and making knockoffs with supplies bought at Michaels. (This video by a popular YouTuber pretty much sums up the whole high-fashion-young-people situation via a fake Gucci tee.) Still, Gucci’s loafers, bags, and gowns are on the wish list for every respectable lady. Gucci, also, is the brand that will dress Harry Styles for his world tour.

Unless you’ve been living in a Wi-Fi-less cave for the past, oh, five years, you know Harry Styles is one of music’s most influential figures. He’s a former boy bander with a teen-girl fan base whose shrieks can—and did, to me—give you tinnitus. But he’s also a crooner, a showman, and a quasi-wholesome presence on the pop-music juggernaut. Where other pop stars are overly sexualized in their appearance and their music (see anyone from Taylor Swift to Justin Bieber to Rihanna) or play into a bad-boy or bad-girl image (again, same list), Styles is neither an over-sexual being nor a rebel. He’s got the sweet, devious smirk of a young Mick Jagger, and, though he’s had a string of high-profile romances, he doesn’t really gyrate or gesture in a way that’s obviously sexual. Instead, onstage last night at Radio City Music Hall, he gave a prolonged speech about his new motto, “Treat people with kindness,” and asked audience members to turn to a stranger and embrace them. And, with Gucci, he’s making a habit of wearing a full brocade suit onstage.

Not since the Strokes has a suit been considered cool stagewear. Styles’s ensembles are more in the tradition of Elton John or Prince than the skinny, Slimane-esque suits of the Strokes, which makes it even more curious. Styles’s fan base, or at least those who packed Radio City to its brim last night, doesn’t seem particularly into flights of fancy when it comes to their own wardrobes. The vast majority of the crowd was middle or high school age—two girls behind me began to moan at 10:02 p.m. that Styles better wrap it up because “it’s a school night!”—and most of them were wearing some iteration of leggings, T-shirts or tube tops, sneakers, and hoodies. While most of these girls would consider themselves dressed up, the version of fanciness Gen Z adheres to has less to do with the custom-made, red-metallic, floral-jacquard Monaco suit that Styles wore and more to do with a spot of Fenty Beauty highlighter and Hadid-flat abs.

But Styles’s fashion cause is a noble one. While other pop musicians are cashing in on their fan base with clothing, beauty, and accessories lines, Styles and Gucci are forging ahead with a new version of what a superstar in super clothes could look like. It is nostalgic for the late ’70s and early ’80s—much like Styles’s catalogue—in that it’s a mix of glam rock, Johnny Cash, and Fleetwood Mac. And even if they are in crop tops, many of Styles’s fans have picked up on the star’s Gucci connection. There were a number of real and fake Gucci bags in the audience. Some sported fast-fashion takes on the Gucci loafer. Fellow Gucci muse Florence Welch was in the front in an ethereal pastel dress.

All this to say, the kids are taking the message and making it their own. Maybe it will bring about a resurgence of Gucci opulence among young people, maybe it won’t. But the award for Best Dressed at last night’s show goes to the girl in the audience who recreated Look 85 from Gucci’s Fall 2017 collection on her own. She had bought the Coco Capitán tank top and paired it with her Levi’s cutoffs and a crystal-strewn bodysuit that looked lifted from a costume shop or vintage store. It’s not quite Stevie-Nicks-goes-to-Studio-54, but it is a new mode of dressing up.

https://www.vogue.com/article/harry-styles-gucci-tour-outfits?mbid=social_twitter

[grizzlefur]

WWEm - Too Much Shit For One Man to Kick

In which Emma’s heart grows three sizes.

Broadcast date: Monday 4/Tuesday 5 September 2017

Now that I've torn myself away from the combination of Destiny 2 and trying to fix my phone, it's time for MONDAY AFTERNOON RAW!: The Nacreous Gem Around The Intrusive Sand Of Roman Reigns Trying To Cut A Promo

trialling a new slogan

daniel's uncle's idea

apparently owning the building means you can give production advice

price of free offices, i guess

anyway, i'm like 70% sure he doesn't read these, so i can say whatever

but yes, the actual show

the bright orange blur in this tumbnail suggests we may be hearing from one mr cena

straight in on a recap video of the contract signing from last week

only presumably without cena kicking a hole in the fourth wall like the fucking shockmaster

also they've edited it to remove roman forgetting how to english

some damn good promos, though

i'm just loving all the shots of kurt in the background gawking like oh god what have i wrought

oh, apparently this is labour day

you'll pardon me for not exactly giving a shit

and we're in omaha

and here's the cena himself

here to cene all over us

oh, apparently we're just kicking straight into a match

and booker's back

i never thought i'd be glad to hear that slurred bullshit

and here comes jason jordan and his dodgy synth music

here to fight cena for unspecified reasons

oh, so we can play the clip of cena debuting against kurt 15 years ago

back when he was ruthlessly aggressive

who doesn't love cross-generational parallels

omaha is super behind cena, possibly for his music containing actual instruments and vocal tracks recorded at the same time

jason goes straight into the amateur mat game, which is not exactly cena's forte

lots of lingering hugs

i think booker just managed to get jason and cena mixed up, but let's be real, i wasn't listening

my mind just levels out everything booker says into a kind of mealy blur

but hey, that's better than the unignorable shittiness of the jerry

(my favourite kundera book)

cena gets a comeback phase, including whipping jason so hard he also faceplanted himself into the mat

that seems poorly thought out

tries to deploy his five moves, jason manages to counter out my backflipping out of a suplex and dropkicking him

fuck you, cruiserweight division

jason takes a five knuckle shuffle, then counters an aa into an indescribably weird rollup

takes an stf for ages, then reverses into a crossface/chinlock thing

cena says fuck you, i'm john cena, stands up out of it and goes for another aa

jj counters out into a beautiful rolling double nothern lights suplex

straps come down, jj unleashes his true power level

and immediately eats an aa for the pin

way to disprove roman's argument that cena buries young talent

oh hye, speaking of

-slips into pre-emptive coma-

and  he's got a mic

fantastic

roman's like why the fuck did that take you 20 minutes that guy's been on the show for like a month

roman really needs to work out what point he's making

so yeah, argument today is that cena's not as great as he thinks he is

and is a lion

fake-ass little bitch

"Roman, I'd say I'm happy to see you, but...I'm disgusted by your whole face."

cena is all out of shits to give

like stop trying to use your brain, it's not your thing

cena immediately addresses roman's inconsistent point

and that his fly is open

which roman turns into lol cos i'm the big dog

ew

men

and cena counters with a balls joke, and roman with a gay joke

fuck's sake, guys

there's a bar, at least make a cursory effort to get over it

cena takes it to roman for having everything handed to him, like damn dude i fucking hate the miz but at least he works for his shots

this is all true

cena's mostly just exasperated

like damn dude, get a clue

so roman's like hey if you want to beat me up let's do that

roman, stop being smug

or just, yknow, go away

cena does not beat him up, so roman's like hey fuck you dude and walks off

that worked, i guess

but later, we apparently have braun/show in a cage

so we can play the gif of those two crushing the ring

also later jeff hardy has an ic title match

but now, enjoy this advert for total bellas

or don't, very much up to you

but now, here come the not-shield

entering to dean's intro

they're gonna be on announce for slater and rhyno vs the kkb

seth and dean should totally rebrand as the sword

god, i love that they've managed to get a dragon ball reference into their entrance

dean's like welp, that's a great entrance,can't take that away from them

confirmation that we've got their title rematch at no mercy

dean goes off on a tangent about jurassic park and getting your face eaten by velociraptors

seth starts giggling

send for the man

corey asks if seth and dean are getting on as a team, dean's like eh, i've had five years to punch this guy in the face, i'm kind of over it by now

back in the ring, heath slater is getting the fuck kicked out of him

but then, that's what he does

inevitable hot tag so rhyno can get some offence in

and then eat a brogue for the pin

dean starts talking smack on the bar, then he's like well we're the bar now hey we should steal their name

dean talks like he fights

cesaro and sheamus do their fusion dance in the ring, and i'm like 90% sure their fusion would be goro from mortal kombat

although more the plasticine fantasticine version from the film, tbh

that's science right there

toasty

cut back to the announce team, where seth and dean have evaporated

and they talk to book about the hurricane

briefly

but now, renee interviews the hardyz

matt breaks in with a semi-broken accent

crowd goes mental

and jeff's like yuuuup gonna win this or get myself killed with the FIRE THAT BURNS WITHIN ME

man can preach

so that's next, i think?

after this ad for randy/shinsuke on smackdown

insert comment about what competition means

and here comes the match

starting with the hardyz

jeff's wearing a connor's cure tabard over all his other clothes, and seriously, i think the man has a problem

it also makes it very hard for him to rock out to their music

cole makes a reference to them wanting to delete paediatric cancer

well played

and enter the miztourage

maryse has a new vest/pvc leggings/sparkly knee boots combo, and as ever, i want it

also perilously close to real human clothes

apparently it's just over 10 years since jeff had the ic belt

bell rings, jeff goes straight for a rollup because fuck wrestling

miz cowers against the ropes like please mr hardy don't beat me

and uses it to throw jeff out to his cronies

a scheme

who would have thought

back in the ring, jeff just punches the hell out of miz's oh-so-punchable face

whisper in the wind for a nearfall

it's taken this long for jeff to jump off something, he must be taking it seriously

sets up for a swanton, bo distracts the ref so curtis can pull jeff off the turnbuckle

sparks a brawl outside the ring, ref is just like fuck this noise all three of you can fuck off

matt is deeply offended like how could you do this to me i was defending my brother's honour

miz counters out of jeff's crotch leg drop, which is good to see, because it is such a trivially easy move to counter

this match is actually p good

it's been like 60% reversals

maryse is still at ringside, which can't possibly be foreshadowing anything

ooh, she's gone with acid-green nails as well

maryse is just my style icon

(as if you didn't know)

miz pulls jeff off the apron, then collapses against the barricade in fornt of a small child in a cena shirt who's like um what

miz gets a figure four one, jeff just goes to counter by punching miz in the face

makes sense when you think about it

eventually gets to the ropes

then hits miz with a stunner, nearfall when miz gets the rope

live by the rope break...

miz crawls out of the ring while the ref shouts at jeff, then immediately eats a baseball slide

and then poetry in motion off the steps

kind of feeling sorry for miz atm

he's bumping like a demon

maryse pulls her husband out fo the way of a swanton, leaving jeff to fuck himself upon the mat

goes for a twist of fate, miz counters into a finale for the pin

damn good match, solid finish

but now, women do things

or so i am assuming by this recap package of banks/bliss

oh yeahb, and nia's inevitable betrayal

announcement: sasha has her rematch at no mercy

and now nia accosts kurt backstage

she's not impressed that she doesn't get a title shot

and emma interrupts to talk about her twitter analytics

she also wants a title shot

nia's just like fuck off or i will actually break you

kurt holds them apart, and hatches a plan

nia/emma v sasha/alexa tonight

if the undercarders win, he'll make the title match a four-way

foreboding shot of the cage, insistent mentions of the ring being reinforced

and have some more recap videos of brig showman fucking the ring

never noticed how hard the ref bumps to the outside when it happens

caught it now, of course, because they've replayed the clip from SEVEN HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN FUCKING ANGLES

but now it's time for cruiserweights to not get an intro

dar, nese and gulak already in the ring

and cedric and gran metalik get to enter with enzo, because seriously, nobody's getting a fucking intro

except enzo, who's brought a mic as usual

enzo tries to spin cheating to win matches as some kind of god-given right because it gets you wins

babyface?

despreately hypes 205 like please watch my show

he introduces cedric and metalik in the shittiest way possible

i spoke too soon, his smacktalk introductions for the other three are even worse

match kicks off with cedric/tony doing the cruiserweightiest wrestling ever

and enzo tags himself in to ruin everything

drew tags in to kick a non-trivial amount of shit out of enzo

not all of it, of course

the man contains too much shit for one man to kick

the heel team start doing rolling tags to take turns fucking up enzo's shit

and then they all just cruiserweight over everything and i can no longer narrate

stereo topes from cedric and metalik, during which enzo tags himself in because he's a twat

and then sticks a thumb in drew's eye to get his stupidly-named finish for the pin

the alleged faces celebrate as drew's outside with his friends like aaaaaaaaaaa i am blind

end segment

and now alexa collars sasha in the locker room to bitch about their opponents tonight

alexa has a cancer shirt too because she's a face by default tonight

this conversation quickly turns into a huge row

that match'll go well

up next, finn bálor wears a shirt

boo

and an advert for the myc, which continues to be great

and here comes everyone's favourite irish possible serial killer

-does the arms-

goes 'this is bálor club' like he's introducing his new talk show

waxes lyrical on his previous titles and how bray wyatt's a dick

finn has chosen his fate

or possibly faith?

this just in, he has an irish accent

calls bray out, immediate wyatt cut

and now we're in the void with bray

talking about learning to hunt as a kid

and the day he decided to stop using a bow and just kill things with his bare hands

i think we could have all filled in that backstory, tbh

taunts finn for only being able to beat him using the demon as his weapon, rather than doing it with his own power and will

and obliquely challenges him for no mercy

finn starts shouting back at him, which is a rarity for these segments

bray calls finn a rabbit, wyatt cut, end thing

so yeah, bray v human!finn for no mercy, presumably

oh hey, more ads for smackdown and total bellas

and now it's women's tag time

cole claims total bellas stars alexa bliss, corey's like um dude that's just a lie

she is here though

this much is true

oh my god i had forgotten how fucking angry i was about emma's new music

although that said, i think it's changed again

it's still not as good as her proper music, but better than last week

cfo$ are clearly going through a weird phase atm

corey is critiquing emma's hashtag efficiency

someone had to

the basic theme if this match thus far is 'tagging yourself in for giggles'

my inner bitch is loving the reluctant passive-aggressive teamwork in this match

(also my outer bitch)

(aka me)

as the smaller woman in the team, emma is performing her proper function of getting fucked on relentlessly

this rule does not apply to alexa, because her rage gives her virtual height

she's like one of those tiny dogs that will FUCKING HAVE YOU

emma finally gets a tag to nia, alexa gets a chance to vent at her

and get creamed

eats a big-ass samoan drop, sasha breaks up the pin after a moment of internal conflict

gets the tag, shining wizard for a nearfall

emma blind tags, nia leg drops sasha, emma gets the pin

i'll be honest, i was not expecting that

four-way should be good, though

emma celebrates extravagantly in the middle of the ring, nia's like um

and samoan drops her

nia will also fucking have you

back to the ambiguous backstage room, where renee has acquired a braun

asks what he's thinking before his first cage match

he's like really what the fuck was kurt thinking, this match might hurt me before my title match at no mercy but will definitely hurt company property

the man does a surprisingly good promo

but up next, seth and dean are back

their walk backstage is briefly interrupted  by elias thrashing out a new song

long beat as they just kind of stand there like what's up with this guy, then shrug and carry on, dean playing along on the air

but next, they fight the good brothers

after these ads for every show we make

back from ads, sheamus and cesaro are in the ring arguing with gallows and anderson for some reason

who am i kidding, you don't need a reason to bitch on those guys

seth and dean still using dean's intro

like, if you're going to just use one, seth's is way better

BURRRRRN IT DOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWN

ref eventually manages to usher the kkb out of the ring, match can commence

sheamus and cesaro seem to have settled on just sarcastically applauding from ringside

someone needs to get them popcorn

this match is a little formulaic, but damn do i love how in sync seth and dean still are as a team

seth/dean v jordan/gable v gargano/ciampa v dawson/wilder

give them a whole show, best tag match possible

as opposed to this particular long-ass superplex setup that didn't even work

dean counters a chokeslam into a dropkick, which is p cool

seth gets the hot tag, commences to jump off every goddamn rope before braun and show fuck them up

dean tries to join in, does a shitty suicide dive

seth hits a lovely top-rope frankensteiner on anderson, the kkb try to interfere, seth gets the pin anyway because they're just that good

and then the good brothers take sheamus and cesaro out while they're distracted

they take a long moment to consider their options, then go back to the ring to fuck up anderson and gallows

and now here's the connor's cure video basically the same as last year, because history and cancer haven't changed much

and they've got the wwe makeup department in to give kids superstar redesigns

that's kind of sweet

and steph giving them all hype ring announcements is cute

dammit, i've fallen for a cute ill kids advert

and they brought alexa, miz, and finn

which seems like a super weird collection

to inspire these kids with cancer, we've brought our resident bitch, a self-important asshole, and a guy who draws power from being possessed by a demon

perfect sense

but up next, main event time

but first, cruiserweight recap vt?

because now we see enzo and his mates in the locker room being annoying

cue sarcastic clapping from neville

and news that those three have all qualified for a five-way elimination match for a title shot at no mercy

neville sows dissesnsion with a few ominous geordie words

closeups of techs reinforcing the ring

and now charly interviews the ref from the ring explosion match, of all people

oh, apparently the ring's double reinforced

not just reinforced

fancy

he's like welp this match is gonna be carnage i'm just going to focus on dodging

and now renee gives big show a hype chat

gah, i'd forgotten his new hairlessness

come on show, give us a YOUUUUU DID THISSSSS TOOO MEEEEEEEEEE

Shockingly, Giant Baby Show says Braun ain’t shit

the dramatic climax of the promo is just show telling us his own nickname

you know how i said braun could promo surprisingly well?

well...not that

seriously guys, how many ads do we need for total bellas?

it's back

we know

ad for 205, in which we learn that the other two slots in the 5-way are kendrick and nese, for no adequately established reason

wait, has anyone seen kurt and show at the same time?

feels like we might have a dr angle and mr show thing going on

corey just referred to braun as "the steam-breathing monster"

um

i have no clue what to say to that

is he coal-powered?

bell rings, braun kicks show in the face

ha

and starts bodychecking him into the cage

weirdly, it goes wrong on the fourth one

show counters with a magic fist, doesn't climb the cage for some reason, cut to ads

cut back and nothing at all has happened

ecept show is now taking his turn to throw his opponent into the cage walls

show starts climbing, braun follows

weird scale going on, since they can both stand on the top rope and touch the top of the cage

show gets crotched really hard

guys, stop doing that spot

it is not good for you

show sets up on the top rope, everyone goes wtf

and does an elbow drop for the first time in like two decades

doesn't connect properly, but still a good moment

goes for the pin, braun kicks out at two because fuck you i'm braun strowman

show crawls for the door, braun walks over, grabs it, and hits show in the face with it

then braun tries to walk over show to get the door himself, and show does eexactly the same thing back to him

see, that was just dumb

braun kind of wanders into a chokeslam, then counters into a ddt for a nearfall

few spots later, show manages to land the chokeslam, braun kicks out because see the above re: fuck you

show goes for a magic fist, braun counters into a powerslam, show counters out and throws braun into the wall

show goes for the climb, followed by braun

gets his chest over the top before braun drags him back down because NOT FINISHED WITH YOU

i have never seen big show on the top rope this much before

braun gets a superplex in, the double reinforcement does its job

still a hell of a crash

and running powerslam for the pin

okay, i'm not usually one for large man punch fights, but that was actually really good

braun looms ominously over his fallen foe, then somehow acquires a mic

calls out brock to see big show's corpse as an object lesson

long ominous beat, then tells big show it's time to go to pasture, picks him up, and powerslams him through one wall of the cage

crowd goes wild

next time they should maybe think about also double reinforcing the cage

show lies on the broken cage wall going aaaa i'm dying, braun stalks off and roars, end show

in all senses

right, well, i've got some bad news

the horizontal line's off in Marbella this week, so we're gonna have to roll straight on

-checks the list of test slogans again-

MONDAY AFTERNOON SMACKDOWN!: Takes Hotter Than Your Dad.

i swear, the things i do so we can have somewhere to record this show that's only occasionally filled with vengeful woodland animals

so yes, the raccoon incident aside, let's watch mackdown

or indeed smackdown

mackdown is the wrestling dating sim i am now going to have to make

opening on a weirdly-saturated recap package of the orton/nakamura situation

the worst holmes story

and yes, the best thing about smackdown today

i'd had it spoiled, but still

JBL IS FUCKING GONE

he's off to do charity work, so we get the double whammy of disadvantaged kids getting support and me not having to listen to his voice

and they've replaced him with corey, making pretty much the ideal announce panel

Tom: "Did you miss me, Graves?" Corey: "Yes!" Tom: "I...am surprised!"

i live for these two talking shit

so yes, orton/nakamura tonight for a title shot at hiac

and here's randy, standing in three-quarter profile in a dimly lit corridor

yknow, like people do

and giving a speech about how he' gonna fuck shinsuke up

cut to shinsuke shadow boxing in the locker room

tells us about how he's gonna fuck randy up, i mostly get distracted by his left shoulder, which i hadn't noticed before

it's kind of fucked

i'm guessing that's a dislocation that healed weird

cut to the ring, and ellsworth announces his bae

only to be interrupted by...kevin?

he's decided he's going to be guest referee for carmella's match with nattie

begins trying to intimidate the ref into taking his shirt off

here's shane

who may have opinions on this fuckery

takes a moment for a cheap pop before getting into professional mode

he's just like kevin

dude

sort your shit out

long tense faceoff

shane's like maybe take responsibility for all these failures which are in all ways your fault

kevin's like fuck you i don't even want to be on this show

shane's like well yeah, cos this isn't the bullshit show where we just give people belts

kevin calls shane out on him needlessly inserting himself into eveything on the show

mentions his dad, gets an ooooooh, mentions his kids, shane immediately gets in his face like fuck you

kevin spins the helicopter crash into this, says his family would all be better off if he'd died there

mentions his kids again, shane explodes on him

well, he did warn him

trips getting out of the ring, killing the moment a bit

throws kevin over the announce table and just absolutely goes to town on him

security pull them apart, bryan turns up to be like the fuck are you doing dude that's an employee

and give the most disapproving dad look you've ever seen

and...cut to an ad for total bellas

way to maintain the mood, guys

and recaps of what happened thirty seconds ago

in which they've edited out shane tripping

ha

backstage, kevin staggers through the room supported by three officials

bryan comes out to apologise

kevin promises to sue shane, wwe, and the entire mcmahon family

bryan's like wow, that seems wildly disproportionate

kevin's like fine, i'll go press assault charges insteads

cut back to announce, corey and byron are both like well he totally deserved that

but yes, now we actually have that carmella/nattie match

recap from last week reminds me precisely how fucking awful carmella's singlet was

thankfully, she's back to normal gear today

provided you count bright orange leggings with leopard-print piping as normal

announce team start spinning next week's 'Sin City Smackdown'

carmella gets her face punched off, retreats to her ellsworth

pan out to naomi watching the match with a look of deep concentration as carmella does a long-ass guillotine choke

nattie powerslams her out, gets a comeback

carmella superkicks nattie, gets a nearfall, ellsworth gives the ref the briefcase

carmella's like wtf no i'm not cashing in give my that back, throws it at ellsworth, and gets rolled up for the pin

ellsworth comes back into the ring to apologise profusely

carmella starts being all magnanimous, then opens up on him

including using the same line twice

calls him a 'genetic defect'

and asks how he's still employed at wwe

really, the question we were all asking

"You are a charity case, and your mother should have given you away at birth!"

wow

harsh

and officially dumps him

takes her case, struts off

leaving james in the ring and the depths of despair

backstage, here's shane looking conflicted

up next, dolph ziggler re-debuts

i have no clue how this is going to go

expect everything

after these ads for the myc and no mercy

and tom giving us a talk about paediatric cancer

roll the video again

refer to my comments above

well, that gave me plenty of time to curate my itunes library

fringe benefits

and here's the dolph

looking...exactly the same

he's got a mic

presumably to tell the fans to go fuck themselves

yup

railing at the fans for not appreciating the greatest performer in the company

and they'd prefer some dumb gimmick

lights go back down, and here he is again

doing cena's entrance

all credit to the crowd for the DOLPH ZIGGLER SUUUUUUUCKS singalong

dolph's like hey, did that not work? i'll try another

lights go down again, and now he's...who had land of hope and glory?

-research break-

yeah, thought it was him

dude, if you're gonna do a macho man entrance, you could at least have the shades

gives up on it, shouts at the crows for not doing the usual nostalgia pop

sends his valet away

and now he promises to have exactly what the crowd want and deserve

and...now he's naomi

the fuck is this

does the knee slide, then gives up

all gimmicks are defeated by ennui

and now he's back to railing against the idea of gimmicks, because anyone can do them

says he, after clearly showing that not everyone can dance like naomi

tells the fans they make him sick, stomps off backstage

so that happened?

up next, sami zayn v aiden english

because this is 2014 nxt, apparently

aiden gets about one line into his aria before sami's music interrupts him

oh yeah, this is the rematch from last week when kevin fucked on everything

and aiden gets a rollup out of nowhere

that lasted about 90 seconds

the bookers have some sort of problem with sami

and aiden's got his mic back

so he can give us some more singing

swiftly tailing off as sami chases him out of the room

let's have yet another recap of shane brutalising an employee

pan out to bryan rewatching it

only to get interrupted by the new day

here to lift his spirits

oh, and here are the usos

to do the opposite

announcing the stipulation for next week

street fight

which seems ill-advised when you're fighting a team of three

bryan gets a call, ushers the new day out

someone bryan calls 'sir' (so vince) wants him to do something in the ring

i know what, because i have a dreadful habit of going on twitter and getting spoilers, but i'll maintain the mystery for now

bryan disagrees, is shut down

and he's going to do............IT right now

(couldn't resist)

and here he is in the arena

gets in the ring, calls shane to come too

he doesn't

finally, here he comes

with nary a HERE COME THE MONEYYYYYYY

not sure i've ever seen either of these this sombre

bryan's like remember last year when the miz was pushing me every week and i made the bold choice to NOT FUCKING ATTACK HIM?

bottom line, you can't assault our employees

fair policy

shane's like yeah sorry but when people talk about my family i go crazy

bryan's just i don't give a single shit you've endangered this entire show because we both know kevin's a vindictive bastard who'll take us for everything

shane offers to go and reconcile with kevin

bryan's like no, i talked to your dad, you're suspended indefinitely

and leaves

shane's left in the ring like welp

why would you leave him there if he was suspended?

eh, wrestling logic

many crowd chants later, shane slumps off

gets a lot of thank you chants for a man who's just been suspended for attacking an employee

and now renee is in the blue curtain room to interview jinder

in an ugly-ass houndstooth suit

asks which guy he'd rather fight, he doesn't give a shit

claims he represents asia better than shinsuke ever could, despite shinsuke actually being from fucking asia

does the promo again in punjabi to speak to 3% of the great nation of india

back in the arena, aj's on announce

to talk about paediatric cancer

(i feel like i'll be writing that phrase a lot in the next few weeks)

and here's baron

sidebar fact: "Won the Money In The Bank ladder match earlier this year"

guys, maybe stop reminding people of that

recap vt of styles/dillinger last week

and of baron being a tool

i feel like i might need to specify that more

and here's tye

and they haven't synced his music with his new tron, so the sexy number voice says 10 when the video's on about 6

kind of love the KO'S A BITCH sign in the crowd

works on many levels

baron slides out of the ring to face off with aj, so tye just jumps out and fucks him up against the barricade

solid advice: maybe keep an eye on the other guy in the match

cut to ads, come back to a really slick spot of baron lariating tye's head off

tye tries to set up for the tye breaker, is thwarted by his opponent being large and heavy

and baron continues to stop having the match he's actually having so he can shout at aj

and i love the complete lack of shit aj gives

baron scores a cheap shot to tye's throat, angering aj, and end of days for the pin

actually a pretty good match

you forget that tye's got a lot of skill in the ring

aj is shocked at baron's lack of honour

because he doesn't watch the show, i guess

up next, "a special look at bobby roode"

ok, whoever edited it to go directly from saying that to a total bellas advert needs firing

backstage, aj congratulates tye on his fight and says next week, the us open challenge will only be open to him

dude

that's not an open challenge

that's just a challenge

and now for a bobby roode video package

enhanced by corey being on this show now so he can run hype for him

and now we're backstage with ellsworth pleading for carmella to forgive him

and being like yes i'm subhuman and i don't deserve anything please take me back

this is not healthy

carmella says from now on, they're doing things her way

gives him a huge kiss, then slaps his face off

flounces off, leaving ellsworth to be like the actual fuck is my life

but now we have a main event

here comes the very finest in flailing japanese men

and adverts for all our other shows

and also a fucking snaaaaaaake

loving the contrast of entrances

incredibly theatrical alien dance vs walking slowly down the ramp

cut over to jinder and the singhs in his skybox

tom mispronounces kinshasa even before the bell rings

this is why we got corey on here

whoever you are trying to get your MAGA sign to constantly show up on hardcam, kindly fuck off

randy does a massive hotshot, aided by shinsuke being an extremely floppy man when he wants to be

randy goes for his draping ddt out to the floor, shinsuke reverse out because that would be dangerous as fuck if he hit it

throws shinsuke into the announce desk, corey's like this is the worst first day ever

shinsuke just decides to get a comeback spot like oh hey maybe i should just kick him in the face a bunch

superplex to shinsuke, and the setup only took a small percentage of my life this time

lovely spot as shinsuke's reeling on his knees then just leans back into doing his cmoooooooon

goes for a kinshasa, randy counters into a snap powerslam

into a draping ddt, because you know randy's spots

strikes up the snake, which is still weird when your whole thing is hitting it out of nowhere

goes for an rko, shinsuke counters into an armbar then transitions to a triangle

that was fucking lovely

randy powers out, shinsuke counters an rko into a backstabber

see, this is how you preserve finishers

and kinshasa for the pin

oh, sorry corey

KINSHAAAAAASSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAA

(totally why corey's here)

well thank fuck for that, i'm not sure i could have taken another orton/mahal rematch without taking up amateur tattooing or something

backstage, bryan tells kevin they're done

kevin's like fuck that, imma run the show next week

and bryan drops the bomb that vince'll be there next week to sort shit out

great

ah well

and brief cut back to shinsuke partying so we have something to end on

and thus we finish the week's shows

by which i do of course mean last week's shows

one day i'll actually get my shit together and be punctuahahahahaaaa sorry i couldn't get through that

[Don’t forget to follow Emma on Twitter, where she’s @Waruce]

[trilotechcorp]

New Post has been published on PBA-Live

New Post has been published on http://pba-live.com/lonzo-ball-and-magic-johnson-will-determine-the-lakers-future/

Lonzo Ball and Magic Johnson will determine the Lakers' future

LOS ANGELES — For months before the draft, Magic Johnson had been 80 percent sure the Los Angeles Lakers were going to select Lonzo Ball. In his gut, Johnson felt like Ball was special — that he had the “it” factor needed to revitalize his hometown team, which was in the lottery for a fourth consecutive year. A big point guard himself, Johnson saw similarities in the 6-foot-6 Ball and his stylish, unselfish approach to the game.

But Johnson also knew that his own reputation — and the Lakers’ hopes of a rebuild that would put them back in the conversation as a destination for elite free agents the following summer — were riding on making the correct call with Lonzo. He knew he had to meet Ball’s outspoken father, LaVar, and decide whether all the hoopla and hysteria Lavar brought was really worth dealing with.

So on the Friday before last month’s NBA draft, Johnson and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka drove the hour and a half from Los Angeles to Chino Hills to see Lonzo — and LaVar — in their element.

For years, LaVar had waited for the Lakers to come calling about his eldest son. “I always felt it, that’s why my name is LaVar, LA-Var,” he says with a hearty laugh, delighting in the line he has just come up with. “It’s not ridiculous, it’s Ballicious!”

He laughs again. These lines, they just come to him now. He has been telling people Lonzo will be a Laker for 15 years, “speaking it into existence,” as he likes to say, and now it was about to come true.

“A lot of people don’t believe it because they’re like, ‘Man, how can LaVar have been so right all the time? It’s not fair,'” he says.

He’ll talk a big game (now that Lonzo is a Laker, he’s getting “I Told You So” T-shirts printed; they’ll soon be sold on the Big Baller Brand website). But when the Lakers came to his house, LaVar broke character — or caricature — and said the one thing professional hype masters never reveal.

“He just said it’s marketing,” Johnson says. “That’s what he had to do to market not only his son but the brand. Before I met him I had already thought that. I already knew what he was doing.”

But hearing it straight from LaVar’s mouth helped put Johnson and Pelinka at ease.

As Johnson recalls, “He said, ‘Earvin, look, I’m not following my son. I’m not going to be hanging out in L.A. I’m going to be training these young kids [his other sons].'”

“‘As far as training my boy, this is as far as I can take him,'” LaVar says he told Johnson. “‘I’ll leave it up to you to take him further. You can get him better with the film time and the coaching. You can take him to another level.'”

“I trust you with my boy. I just got a great feeling that you guys are going to take Zo to a whole other level.'”

It was the closing sales pitch the Lakers needed to hear. Less than a week later, they chose Lonzo No. 2 overall.

SO MUCH OF Lakers lore, the good part of it anyway, is about a kind of luck and the poetic license to call it “magic.”

The down years, the valleys between dynasties, are forgotten quickly once a new torchbearer comes along to light the way.

If Lonzo becomes that next face of the franchise, if he lives up to what his father has said he is, and what Johnson hopes he is, the next chapter of that Lakers lore will write itself.

If he doesn’t, they’ll have to tear it up and try again.

In so many ways, this is a story about faith — a father’s faith in himself and his sons and Johnson’s faith in his gut instinct on Lonzo, who will make his debut Friday afternoon at the Las Vegas Summer League. But most importantly, it’s about the Lakers’ renewed faith in their own exceptionalism.

The franchise has always had a special quality, with Hall of Famers such as Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor among their alumni. Then in 1979, the year Dr. Jerry Buss bought the team from Jack Kent Cooke, the Lakers won a coin flip to be in position to draft Johnson, a sophomore from Michigan State, No. 1 overall.

So many things had to line up for the Lakers to end up with the No. 1 pick in a year when a transcendent talent and showman like Johnson was available. First, they had to acquire that pick from New Orleans three years earlier, as payment for an aging Gail Goodrich. Then, Johnson had to stay in school an extra year to compete against Larry Bird of Indiana State in the NCAA tournament. New Orleans had to have a bad season and earn a high draft pick. Then, the Lakers had to win that coin flip with Chicago, the other last-place team.

And, of course, none of that would have even mattered had Magic not created a decade of winning for the Lakers, and a signature style — Showtime — that has defined the franchise and the city of Los Angeles ever since.

It was a remarkable series of events. As remarkable, if not more so, than the series of events that led Lonzo to be a Laker.

The question now is whether it will be as impactful.

The Lakers are back to dreaming big again — about Lonzo’s future, and about that of their franchise.

“You got a good young core [of players], who all are great,” Johnson says. “I think Lonzo will help to make them guys better. It’s going to be a fun team to watch. I think Laker fans will be happy.”

While the Lakers have been relatively quiet this offseason, Johnson says they’re just biding their time — and trying to position themselves as a destination for superstars again.

Next summer, L.A. natives Russell Westbrook and Paul George could both be free agents. Then there’s offseason L.A. resident LeBron James, who could be looking for a third act to his legacy. Of course, the Lakers’ previous regime had similarly grand designs, but Johnson seems confident he’ll have more magic to his pitch. “I think what’s really important, is that now free agents will say, ‘They got enough firepower now.’ I think that’s the key. We’re talented enough that free agents will say, ‘They got it going now.'”

If that sounds a little like speaking it into existence, well, so be it. Johnson’s future — and his legacy as an executive — is tied directly to Lonzo. This was his pick, in his first year leading the Lakers. And he was following his gut. So maybe it’s better to believe there was a little magic behind it.

“It’s just amazing that it has all happened, the way it happened,” Johnson says. “For [LaVar] to talk it into fruition. For him to even think it was a possibility. … And now the fact that I’m in my first year? It’s just amazing.”

LONZO BALL WAS born in 1997, one year after Magic played his final game. What he knows of the Showtime era comes mostly from his dad and watching ESPN’s recent 30 for 30 documentary on the Lakers-Celtics rivalry.

Those teams are mostly remembered for their exciting style of play and flashy lifestyle off the court. They were Hollywood and hedonism, with unstoppable no-look passes and skyhooks in between. History tends to ignore that those Showtime Lakers teams also played lockdown defense and were in incredible physical shape. Behind all that effortless Lakers cool was a fair amount of elbow grease.

But you sort of have to believe in the magic for it to happen — or at least appear to happen. Skepticism ruins the trick and wastes a lot of energy.

Lonzo learned that early, listening to his father’s belief in his ability to speak his destiny into existence. “When you live with someone that positive and that energetic, they can pitch you anything,” he says.

And frankly, when you live with someone as relentless as LaVar, it’s just not worth it to argue with him.

“Yeah,” Lonzo says with a laugh. “You’re not going to win, so you might as well go along.” Over the years Lonzo has developed a way of dealing with his father’s forceful personality. He’ll turn his music up and escape into his own universe. He’ll goof off with his younger brothers or friends who come over to the house to train. He’ll go over to his girlfriend’s house and hang out with her.

You get the sense he’s amused by all this, not resentful.

“It’s funny, especially how the media reacts,” Lonzo says. “I know what he’s going to say before he even says it. I could see it. Plus, we talk all the time, so I kind of get a good feel of what’s about to happen the next time a microphone goes in his face. I already know.”

After Lonzo was drafted, LaVar stole the headlines by guaranteeing the Lakers would make the playoffs in his first season, then tossing his purple and gold Big Baller hat into the crowd as he exited the Barclay’s Center to a chorus of boos.

“When he threw his hat, they were going crazy,” Lonzo says.

It was straight out of a WWE show. (“Speaking of that,” Lonzo says the day after the draft, when the comparison is made. “Wink wink. Stay tuned.” Sure enough, three days later, LaVar was at Staples Center at WWE’s “Monday Night Raw,” ripping off his shirt, staring down The Miz and working the microphone like he was a regular cast member. The Lakers watched, laughed and cringed all the way through, knowing this is how it’s going to be.) Told that it seems like his dad is kind of enjoying this spotlight, Lonzo smiles and says, “Kinda? He definitely is.”

If there’s any question as to whether Lonzo is aware of how well his father has been the tail wagging the dog this past year, it was answered in a memorable Foot Locker commercial poking fun at his father’s domineering ways, which was released right before the draft.

Lonzo says he never consulted with his father before shooting the ad, which featured several draft picks honoring their dads for Father’s Day. He read the script, thought it was funny and later sat with his father as he watched it live for the first time.

“My dad saw it when it aired,” Lonzo says. “He saw it and just started laughing. He was like, ‘Well, you didn’t lie.'”

ULTIMATELY, THOUGH, THIS isn’t about magic or marketing. It’s about whether Lonzo can play.

If Lonzo lives up to the faith the Lakers have shown in him — a tough proposition for any rookie, let alone a 19-year-old area native in his big-time hometown market — everything else they’re dreaming of is possible — the superstars next summer, the return of Showtime, all of it.

If he doesn’t, a lot more than their faith in him and Lakers exceptionalism will erode.

Lonzo seems fully aware of what’s riding on him.

“That’s what it comes with. When you’re that high of a pick, they’re invested in you,” he says. “If you don’t want to have a lot of stuff put on you, I guess don’t be a high pick.”

The Lakers will get their first glimpse of him on the court this week in Vegas, and while it’s far from the type of spotlight and stage he’ll experience once the real games begin, it’s going to be one of the most anticipated summer league debuts in years. Lonzo says he can’t wait.

“I just want to play,” he says on the day after the draft. “I haven’t played in a long time. I think I’m in shape. If there’s a game tomorrow, I’ll play.”

Off the court, he has handled everything the NBA and the Lakers could throw at him. Lonzo moved through the endless media responsibilities of his first days as a Laker with little wasted motion, giving short answers that convey confidence but little else.

He arrived at his introductory media conference on barely more than 45 minutes of sleep, having stayed up until 4 a.m. after the draft because his younger brother LaMelo kept him up on their flight back to LA. But he seemed energetic and accommodating to question after question.

“I’m fine,” he joked during a lull in the action. “Just need to keep eating sugar.”

Lakers controlling owner Jeanie Buss handed him a bag of Sour Patch Kids during their visit. He found some cherry gummy snacks in the green room at Spectrum SportsNet, where he taped a special interview with the Lakers’ TV network. At the Dodgers game, where he was throwing out the first pitch, he found some Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the clubhouse.

“I’ve stayed up a couple days, but not like this,” he says. The closest he has come was a weekend at UCLA when he binge-watched the MTV series, “Teen Wolf.”

“I had to catch up on my episodes,” he says. “And we had the weekend off from practice, so I just stayed up.”

AFTER THE DRAFT, LaVar Ball didn’t go to the Dodgers game to continue basking in Los Angeles’ hopes and dreams for Lonzo and the Lakers. After the introductory media conference, he did what he told the Lakers he would do: He stepped out of the spotlight.

LaVar drove back home to Chino Hills to take care of his wife, Tina Ball. She still has a long ways to go in her recovery from a stroke this spring. But she’s home now, and LaVar says she was doing well, recovering from another surgery while Lonzo and his dad and brothers were in New York for the draft.

“They put that last little cranial part back in her head so she doesn’t have that dent now,” LaVar says. “It’s not scary. It’s going to get done. She knows what’s going on. All I got to do is smile and wink at her and she knows.”

Lonzo says his mother knows he has been drafted by the Lakers but can’t talk or communicate yet.

Her fingernails are painted purple and gold — and have been even since before he left for the draft in New York.

It’s not something any of them talk about publicly, even though her condition is always on their minds. Johnson and Pelinka got to meet her when they visited the family house, and they both said it was touching to see how they cared for her.

“Anybody would do the same for their family,” LaVar says.

But it’s still hard to process what’s happening with Tina compared with the rest of her family. She was in the hospital recovering from surgery on her skull the same night her eldest son was being drafted No. 2 overall by the Lakers?

It’s incredible how everything has come together just as LaVar said it would, but it’s hard to forget that Tina wasn’t there to enjoy it. Pain and joy, fear and hope, all in the same moment.

Lonzo Ball exists in two worlds right now.

So much joy at a dream fulfilled. So much real-life sadness and pain to deal with.

So many hopes riding on him. So much faith already bestowed upon him.

“That’s how it’s supposed to be,” he says.

Source: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/presents-19753943/los-angeles-lakers-looking-new-face-franchise-lonzo-ball

[spoiledsplendid]

The Garth Brooks World Tour—The Legend Continues

The Garth Brooks World Tour

Date Seen: February 18, 2017

Cost of Ticket: $75 CDN

Rating: 93%

16 years ago, Garth Brooks announced his retirement so that he could focus his time on his young family. His eldest daughter graduated high school a few years ago and now Garth is back on the road in a very big way. 

Yesterday was one of 9 sold-out concerts that Garth will play in Edmonton, Alberta. At 55, he has lost a bit of his country-rock energy that once made him the ultimate showman. However, his humour, vocals and extreme generosity prove he still has what it takes to dazzle a crowd. In his signature black cowboy hat and his handsfree microphone, he rocked Rogers Arena. He proves song after song that he is still the entertainer of our time. Impressively, this is the 7th leg of his World Tour which began in 2014 and will continue well into 2019 overseas. 

To be fair, I’ve never been a Garth Brooks fan. Growing up in rural Alberta, it was unlikely a day went by where I didn’t hear a Garth Brooks song. He was the most popular and awarded country musician of his time—and for good reason. But his music never really resonated with me. Trisha Yearwood is a very different story. I had always enjoyed her clear voice and distinctive sound. I had read her biography and been wowed by her concerts before. When they announced the concerts, I wanted to go, more to see Trisha but also to see if Garth would live up to the hype. I got a ticket a few days before the show and I’m very glad I did. 

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The show featured a quick opening act by Mitch Rossell. He provided enough time for everyone to grab a drink and their seats but little else. With a countdown clock, Garth promptly took the stage a half hour after the concert began. His staging was revealed when an oversized video curtain rose up and revealed the band stretching to both sides of the arena. Technically the show is in the round but the stage was at one end of the arena. Garth played the majority of his show forward to the mass of fans on the floor. This was unfortunate for the folks sitting behind the stage who paid the same for their tickets and were not warned of a ‘rear view.’  An easy fix would have been to move the stage to the middle of the arena and truly play in theround. 

The show began as Garth comes up through the stage and jumps right into his older hits like “Rodeo” and "Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House.” The crowd loves it and can’t get enough. The applause and screaming is off the charts. Garth himself seems genuinely shocked and touched. He greets the crowd in a warm and familiar way making him instantly likeable. He promised the crowd that he was there to give them a show and to play all his old music. And he certainly did. I don’t think there was a song played that I didn’t know the words to. Highlights included “That Summer”, “The Thunder Rolls” and “Unanswered Prayers” where the lights were dimmed and every cell phone owner lit of the arena with their lights. By the time “Ain’t Going Down (’Til the Sun Comes Up)” came around, Garth was already sweating and panting but proceeded to run around the stage and give it all he had. He later joked that the reason he played with a guitar was more to cover his gut. But Garth does just fine and the crowd couldn’t care less. This is the Garth that they have loved and missed for the past twenty years. 

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In the middle of the show, Garth introduces Trisha Yearwood to the stage. This cues Garth’s break and Trisha takes over like a pro. She isn’t flashy or loud or lively. Dressed in all black, she sang a few of her biggest hits including “XXXs and OOOs (An American Girl)”, “How Do I Live?” from Con Air and her first big hit: “She’s in Love with the Boy”. Yearwood sang a newer song “Prizefighter” which she recorded in memory of her mother who she lost 5 years ago to breast cancer. But her big moment came when she dueted “Georgia Rain” with Karyn Rochelle who wrote the song and is a back-up singer on tour. Not only is the song beautiful but Trisha generously gave Karyn the final verse and let her shine. Karyn was nearly in tears by the end. 

Garth comes back on stage looking refreshed and continues to belt out song after song. His voice is pitch perfect and he sounds just like he did on his albums. In all fairness, he usually only has to sing half of his songs because the crowd overtakes him with their singing. But you can tell it is warming his heart and he interacts with the fans so graciously. “Friends in Low Places” had the crowd singing along like they do on karaoke night. For the “The Dance”, Garth sings it for a couple who are celebrating their 39th wedding anniversary that day and are requesting that song on a 10 foot sign. Only the guy’s wife has disappeared to the washroom and he is stuck holding the sign with his buddy. Garth asks: “I know this is a free world and all, so is this your guy’s 39th anniversary???” The guy shakes his head and says his wife will be back in a minute. So Garth proceeds with the touching ballad and ends just as the wife shows up. Garth promises to fly them out anywhere in the world he is playing for their 40th anniversary. You know it’ll actually happen. 

Two hours in and Garth is still going. He invites Trisha back to meet a few younger girls who Garth had noticed went crazy when Trisha first came out. He asked her to come over and meet them and the young girls instantly broke into tears on the big screen. Trisha shakes their hands and then offers them a song. Eventually they settle on “Walkaway Joe” as it’s the only one Garth can play on the guitar. Trisha sits down on the stage and sings the song directly to the three girls and it is touching and sweet.

The concert continues and encores melt into encore. Garth comes back out in all his glory and walks around the stage. He is looking for requests that fans had put on signs. One mother/son were asking for the song “Mom” and he also spotted a pregnant fan in the audience and dedicated the song to them. Another sign asked him to sing “The Change” —a song Garth recorded to pay respect to the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. And it continued on until there were no more requests. Garth had given the crowd all he had.

The applause rang loud one more time as a thank you to country music’s biggest legend just before the lights came back on. Garth left knowing that Edmonton was happy to have him and I’m certain the crowds at the other 8 shows will do the same. It���s good to have Garth back. 

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