#getting a text at like 10:30 last night like come to the disco bar right now.

[loverboybitch]

me n chloe have been doing this thing where we pretend to knuckle punch each other in the face all the time.//.

[domesticated-feral]

Steo Week 2020, Day 1

Title: Sorry about the puking, but where are my jeans?

Prompt: “So, we meet again,” Rating: Teen Warnings: Drinking, almost getting drugged, vomiting. WC: 3036

You can also read it on my AO3

Summary:

“You seriously don’t remember?” He asks. “I don’t remember anything from last night,” Stiles said. The man turns around and Stiles gawks as he realizes that it was Theo Raeken. “You had that same face when you saw me last night,” Theo said.

or

Stiles drinks one too many drinks and Theo is just a bartender whose shift ended early.

~

Stiles was back in Beacon Hills for summer break. Usually, he’d be psyched to be back, but the summer started with his boyfriend of 2 years breaking up with him. He still had the mood of crawling in bed and downing a whole season of the Office along with a pint of vanilla ice cream, yet he took the grueling 26-hour drive back on his jeep.

This summer break, the rest of the pack was mostly staying back instead of coming back to Beacon Hills, they wanted to explore more of the surrounding area where they were studying. Being alone was alright, but the evening was going on forever. He was idly scrolling on his phone when his best friend, Scott called.

“Hey, Scotty, what’s up?” Stiles asks.

‘Just calling to check up on my best friend who’s going through a break-up. How are you doing?’

“I’m doing great-” Stiles dryly chuckles-“Yeah, life’s just peaches at the moment.”

‘If I were back in Beacon Hills, I’d get you drunk, just like you tried to get me drunk back when we were 16.’

Stiles laughs remembering that night, “yeah, and you couldn’t get drunk cause you’re a werewolf.”

‘Yep, speaking of, why don’t you go to a bar, get a few drinks tonight, celebrate being a bachelor again, maybe find someone new?’

“Eh, I got nothin’ better to do, so maybe.”

‘Alright, anyways, Malia’s calling me, so talk to you later?’

“Sure, sure, bye Scott,” Stiles said, ending the call.

Stiles takes Scott’s idea of celebrating his new-found freedom with a couple of drinks. He takes his jacket and keys which were on the dining table and he heads out.

It was 6 in the evening and the clubs would be open, but mainly empty as the night hadn’t started yet.

Driving up to Nine Lives Nightclub, a newly opened gay bar in Beacon Hills, he parks his jeep close to the bar, that he wouldn’t have been able to do if he came an hour later. He decided to head to the nearby park to waste time there until sundown.

He sits down on a bench and takes his phone out. He had received 30 text messages from his ex, after 2 weeks of breaking up, he wants to apologize and to get back together.

‘I miss you, I was wrong, can we get back together? It was a huge mistake, I did the wrong thing, blah blah blah,’ Stiles read in his mind.

He wasn’t completely over the breakup, but he was at a point where he wanted to get himself together and forget about it all. Stiles already gave him a chance, it was his fault that he ruined it by running off to someone else.

He turns his phone off and stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He can deal with it later. Or never, actually. The evening sun glowed as it inched closer to the horizon, the clouds ranging from yellow to red to a deep purple. In a while, the sun will set, and the night will begin. A night to celebrate his status of being a bachelor, of how he can meet the love of his life any second now.

‘Hell Yeah!’ he thought as he psyched himself up for the night.

With the sun setting, people were going to line up and Stiles wanted to get in before the line got too long, so he walked out of the park and up to the club entrance.

“I.D, please,” the bouncer asks, holding his hand out.

“Nice of you to think of me as underage,” Stiles sarcastically mutters whilst taking his I.D out of his wallet.

He hands it to the bouncer who looks at it for a few and gives it back as he nods. Stiles smiles and walks in the club, putting his I.D back in his wallet. The club had a few people, the DJ was playing some slow chill beats and Stiles headed to the bar to get a starting drink.

“What can I get you for tonight?” the bartender asks.

“Beer, whatever brand is on tap,” Stiles ordered, sitting down.

The bartender nods and pours a pint glass of beer. He puts it on a counter and slides it over to Stiles.

“3 dollars, 50 cents,” the bartenders told Stiles.

“Put it on my tab,” Stiles said.

He drinks it, mainly chugging through the whole pint. “Another pint, please,” he said, sliding the glass to the bartender.

They refill the glass and slide it back over at Stiles. He drinks it, and doesn’t order another one, he turns around to face the dancefloor and seatings. People were coming in and the disco lights were on, creating patterns that were almost hypnotizing if anyone paid attention to them.

He looks at his watch, about 15 minutes to 8. The club was getting packed by the minute. People were mostly getting their drinks, but to dance thy must be drunk.

“A beer, please,” He tells the bartender who nods and goes to get a glass.

After a while, they come and give Stiles the beer which he chugs down. ‘Why just stop at beer, let’s do some shots!’ Stiles tells himself.

“5 shots of whiskey,” He tells the bartender.

Five shot glasses full of whiskey are placed in front of him a while later. Without any hesitance, Stiles downs shot after shot.

It was 8 now, and the club was raring, music blasting through the speakers, people getting drunk and dancing, some people kissing away at either a loved one or drunk stranger.

Stiles stands up, stumbling as his leg is asleep. He shakes it and goes to sit at one of the empty couch seats on the side of the club.

He finds one in a nice area where he can see the bar and the dancefloor. As he sits alone, two hands come from behind and touch his shoulders. They move and sit down close to Stiles.

“Hey,” The girl said, pushing her chest forward as she leaned towards Stiles.

“Oh, hey, oh wow,” Stiles said, and boy was he trying real hard not to look down.

“You want to do some shots? With me?” she asks, inching closer to Stiles.

“S-sure!” He stuttered.

She calls up a waitress and asks for 10 Jager bombs. She brings it up and puts them in front of Stiles and the girl.

Stiles quickly drinks shot after shot after shot, he was getting fired up and quite tipsy.

“Fuck Yeah!” He yells excitedly.

“Here, drink some more, handsome,” She said as she had ordered tequila shots whilst he was downing the Jager bombs.

Stiles takes a shot and empties 5 shots of tequila in 10 seconds. He suddenly feels the need to go to the toilet.

“I will be right back, gotta take a pisss,” he drunkenly said, elongating the ‘s’.

He stumbles his way to the toilet, slightly dancing to the music. He walks in and does his business trying his hardest not to aim outside the toilet. He flushes the toilet and washes his hands.

Sitting back down at the seating, the woman hands him a drink. It looked fizzy, probably sprite with vodka or something.

“I ordered a vodka sprite for you while you were gone,” she said, as he took the glass from her hand.

“Oh, nice, thanks!” Stiles said.

He was about to drink the whole drink when someone quickly comes up and grips on his wrist.

“What the hell?!” Stiles yells at the man since the man’s surprise iron grip made the glass tilt and spill the drink on his jeans.

“Hey! Why’d you do that?” the girl said.

Stiles takes a closer look at who was holding his wrist and recognizes him as a familiar face.

“Theodore Raeken?!” Stiles said to the man.

“Can you leave us alone?” the girl asks Theo.

“Sorry, hon, security is on their way to you,” Theo said to the girl.

“Am I- hic- arrested?” Stiles asks.

“Not you,” Theo said, taking the glass Stiles was holding.

“But I did nothing wrong!” the girl whined.

“I saw you drugging the vodka sprite, so did the cameras,” Theo said.

Two big bouncers came and took her away. She tried to fight, but they easily picked her up and took her out of the club.

“C’mon, get up,” Theo said, pulling him to his feet.

Stiles was too drunk to walk in a straight line so Theo had to lead and somewhat carry Stiles out to the back alley where the employee’s entrance and parking were.

Theo lets him sit down on the concrete, leaning against the dumpster.

“Stiles, how drunk are you?” Theo asks.

“I’m drunk- hic- like a skunk,” Stiles said.

“Stay right there, you need water and something to eat,” Theo said, walking back in the club.

Stiles looked around, his vision was doubled and blurry. He laughed at how distorted everything around him looked.

Theo walks back out and hands him a water bottle and a packet of Doritos. “Let’s just hope you sober up enough to drive home,” he said.

Stiles tried to open up the chip packet but his blurred vision and trembling hands didn’t help at all.

“Damn you, Dori- hic- tos chip packet!” Stiles said, chucking it to the floor.

Theo sighs, “I’ll have to help you, don’t I?”

He squats down near Stiles and opens the chip packet for Stiles. He opens the water bottle as well, knowing that Stiles won’t be able to open it.

“Try not to spill everywhere,” Theo said, handing the water bottle.

Stiles tried to drink water, but he missed his aim and spilled water on himself.

“You are definitely not going to sober up tonight without sleep,” Theo remarks.

Stiles finishes the Doritos packet and drinks water, spilling most of it as he tried to. Theo pulls Stiles up and walks him to his car. He puts Stiles in the passenger seat and puts the seatbelt on him.

“We going to Mcdonalds?” Stiles mumbles.

Theo gets in the car and drives them up to Stiles’ house.

“Isn’t that my house? I thought we were going to Mcdonalds,” Stiles whines.

“You are going to get a horrible hangover tomorrow, but first you need to sleep,” Theo said getting out of the car and letting Stiles out as well.

Stiles takes his keys out but passes out before he stuck the house key in the keyhole. Theo sighs and tries knocking on the door, hoping the Sheriff would open.

It was late, either the sheriff was asleep or not at home. This is not how Theo planned to spend the only night he ended his shift early. He wanted to leave Stiles’ passed out self on the porch, but he also didn’t want to.

He drags Stiles back to the car and drives to his small apartment. He carries Stiles to the couch and lies him down. Stiles coughs in his sleep and turns over, leaning his head out the couch, he does the ultimate worst. He pukes every single drink he drank before out in the middle of Theo’s apartment.

“Fuck,” Theo mutters as Stiles goes back to sleep.

He cleans it, spraying a ton of Febreze on the floor. He had enough, tonight and went to his room to sleep.

-

It was morning, Stiles knows that because he got woken up by the sun shining on his face, blinding his eyes the moment he opened them. His head pounded and his stomach felt like it was tied into a Gordian Knot.

He hears the curtains close shut, and the sizzle of an egg being poured on to a frying pan. He slowly opened his eyes and this was not his room at all.

“Where am I?” Stiles mumbles to himself, trying to get up.

“Yeah, don’t stand up, just yet,” A familiar voice said whilst he was sat up.

The movement of sitting up sent a huge pang of pain through his head. It was like he was getting pounded by a jackhammer. He holds his head as he grunts in pain.

After a while, the pain goes away and he looks over at the man who was making eggs.

“Who are you?” Stiles asks.

“You seriously don’t remember?” He asks.

“I don’t remember anything from last night,” Stiles said.

The man turns around and Stiles gawks as he realizes that it was Theo Raeken.

“You had that same face when you saw me last night,” Theo said.

Theo was shirtless, wearing a pair of basketball shorts while Stiles was only wearing his shirt and boxers. His jacket was on the floor and his jeans were nowhere to be found.

“Did we fuck last night?” Stiles asks.

“No, last night, you got drunk as hell and you were almost drugged and I took you home but then your home was locked and you passed out before you put the key in the keyhole so I brought you here where you puked on my apartment floor,” Theo recaps the night’s events for Stiles.

“Sorry about the puking, but where are my jeans?” Stiles asks.

“Well, when I tried stopping you from drinking the drugged vodka sprite, it spilled on to your jeans and I’m trying to clean the stain out of it, it’s drying in the bathroom,” Theo said, turning around to tend to his omelet.

“You usually wouldn’t do that, or so I assume,” Stiles said, “do you have a painkiller around here?”

“Painkillers can temporarily help the hangover but don’t really help with getting rid of a hangover, here eat an omelet, I might have some apples or bananas in the fridge,” Theo said, sliding the omelet onto a plate.

“So what were you doing at a gay bar?” Stiles asked slowly getting up and walking to the dining table.

“I work there as a bartender,” Theo said, putting a plate with an omelet and a banana in front of Stiles.

“I thought Nine Lives has a full LGBT+ staff?” Stiles asked.

“Well, I’m asexual, so I think I qualify,” Theo said.

“Huh, you sort of always had that vibe,” Stiles mumbled, eating a piece of the omelet.

“Now, eat up, I’ll drive you to the club so you can drive your jeep back. I’m going to get changed.” Theo said, walking into his room and closing the door.

Stiles finishes his omelet and banana, putting the plate in the sink and the banana peel in the dustbin. He felt naked and vulnerable without any jeans, so he had to wait until Theo came out of the room so he could get his jeans.

Stiles being Stiles feels the strong urge to rummage through Theo’s stuff. He might still be doing something sketchy.

‘After all these years? Stiles, you’ve changed and probably Theo did too,’ He scolded himself.

He sits back down on the couch and looks around the small apartment. The living room was mostly empty, with only a couch, a desk, and a chair. It was connected to the kitchen which was also quite petite and had a two-person dining table.

“Your jeans are not dry, so here’s a pair of mine to wear and your jeans are in this plastic bag,” he said, throwing his jeans at Stiles.

Stiles was slightly taken aback by Theo, but he quickly wears the jeans he gave.

Theo was already outside waiting for Stiles to walk out so he could lock the door. They walk down the hallways and Stiles feels awkward walking since he was wearing jeans that were a size smaller.

“The jeans bring out your ass,” Theo remarks.

“I guess I should start wearing jeans a size smaller,” Stiles said tying his jacket sleeves around his waist covering his behind.

“So, why were you at the bar, drinking drink after a drink?” Theo asks as they both get in the car.

“Recently my boyfriend of 2 years broke up with me, so I wanted to forget about it for one night by drinking, then I got carried away with the drinks,” Stiles said.

“I’m sorry that you two got broken up, I probably won’t ever relate, being an ace and all,” Theo mutters, “but, if it makes you feel any better, I tried my hand at flirting and got a glass of water splashed on me once.”

Stiles laughs, but the laughing was cut short because of the headache.

“Well, with me, you won’t have to flirt, assume I’m already attracted to you. Until denied that is.” Stiles said.

“Are you?” Theo asks.

“Am I what?” Stiles asks.

“Attracted to me?” Theo elaborates.

“How can I not? First of all, you look hot as hell, and secondly, I’m a raging bisexual who loves hot bods.” Stiles said.

“Oh, wow, okay, thanks?” Theo says.

“You’re very welcome, Theodore,” Stiles said.

Theo rolls his eyes as he pulls up the Stilinski house driveway. He turns to face Stiles and is met with a surprise collision of lips. Stiles quickly pulls back with eyes as wide as an owl.

“Theo, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Stiles said but was cut off by Theo.

“No, it’s fine, you’re a ‘raging bisexual’ who is attracted to me,” Theo said, “I’m flattered by the way.”

Stiles blushes and nervously laughed as he gathered himself.

Stiles gets out of the car and before he shuts the door, he looks at Theo one more time. “Thanks for saving me from being drugged, the ride back, and for letting me stay the night. For everything,” Stiles said.

“You’re welcome, I couldn’t let someone drug you and unfold the worst series of events that could happen to anyone,” Theo said.

“I, uh, should probably head inside, when’s your shift starting tonight so I can give you your jeans back?” Stiles asked.

“I clock in at 7 pm, use the back alley door instead of the front,” Theo said.

Stiles nods and closes the door and walks back away from the car. Theo drives his car back out to the road and begins to drive off. He waves at the car before heading inside his house.

~

[ontherockswithsalt]

A Made Man

/1/ /2/ /3/ /4/ /5/ /6/ /7/ /8/ /9/ /10/ /11/ /12/ /13/ /14/ /15/ /16/ /17/ /18/ /19/ /20/ /21/ /22/ /23/ /24/ /25/ /26/ /27/ /28/ /29/ /30/ /31/ /32/ /33/ /34/ /35/

A/N: Please understand that this has been my vision for how karaoke night would unfold with this group forevveerrrrr so I’m excited we’re here. Nobody puts Bella in the corner mmkay? Oh and it gets a little suggestive so y’all know what we’re in for soon.

Chapter 36.

"So what about them?" Ben questions while we all witness Vinny and Bianca make their way to the karaoke microphones. "How long have they been together?"

"They're not," I tell him. "They just met tonight."

Ben gasps, eyes flying wider as he looks at us. "Shut up. I love that. I'm so glad this is happening."

We’ve stood up from our stools at this point, gathered behind our table for an optimum view.

Vinny receives his shot from the bartender, lifting it appreciatively to our table and tosses it back. Then he hands the empty glass off to the deejay and smacks his own chest with his palm as he gets the booze down.

Noble nudges my arm and chuckles in amusement. "Watch, watch."

The TV screens around the bar always display the upcoming song just before it starts and we glance up to see (I've Had) The Time Of My Life roll across the screen in fuzzy, bright purple text.

Vinny studies the monitor in front of him, furrows his brow, then looks out at us, confused.

The three of us all blow out a hard laugh while the rest of the bar is already excited, hooting appreciative cheers.

"Yes!" Bianca tips her head back and grasps Vinny's arm. "You know this one," we hear her assure him. "Dirty Dancing."

"Oh shit," he groans in realization.

"Look, the parts you sing are in green--" Bianca instructs, pointing to the screen. "Be ready, it starts quick."

Now I-- The song begins and Vinny glances around at the unexpected start and Bianca pushes against his shoulder to prompt him.

"... the time of my life--" He hesitates, edging closer to the microphone.

As soon as Vinny starts, Noble immediately hollers for him, clapping loud and triggering the crowd around us to scream out for the easily recognizable song.

"Oh my god." I mutter the words and my amazement keeps both my eyes and my mouth from closing while I watch.

Vinny cautiously sort of mumbles his initial part until Bianca joins in with hers. And when she does, the clear, airy melody actually starts to sound familiar.

Laughing at himself, Vinny drops his head and shakes it when the beat settles in. But it makes everyone around them cheer even more.

Bianca looks out, nodding at them as if to keep it coming for him. Then she goes to work during an instrumental measure, pops Vinny's microphone off the stand and hands it to him before lifting up the stand to move it out of the way. She does the same to her own mic, just in time to return to the screen and point to the new lyrics that roll in.

"This is you," she tells him.

"I've been waiting for so long… now I finally found someone to stand by me…" He tries to get the hang of the phrasing with only an instrumental track to back them.

When Bianca sings her part, it helps even out the tempo. She gestures to the screen again to alert him, "This is both of us--"

"Now with passion in our eyes, there's no way we could disguise it secretly…"

"Okay--" Vinny announces with a nod of confidence that’s starting to take hold the more everyone else around him cheers and joins in with the words. "I got it. I got it now."

"So we take each other's hand, 'cause we seem to understand the urgency…"

“Just remember!”

I smack my grip onto Noble’s arm and seeing this might seriously be how I die. “Holy. Shit, dude.” I’m struggling because I want to crack up but I’m too stunned watching and I can’t believe it’s happening. And Ben on the other side of Noble wailing “YESSS!” in appreciation makes it even funnier.

They fall more in sync as they build to the chorus and Vinny finally begins to relax next to Bianca.

“I’ve never seen a karaoke crowd like this,” Noble observes. “This is fucking hilarious.”

“I’d say we’re pretty rambunctious at our karaoke nights here in general,” Ben shouts over the music. “But this song always brings the house down and I’m loving them so much.”

I have to laugh at the guys gathered in front of Vinny and Bianca, singing along, dancing with one another and so into it.

Bianca starts off the second verse and encourages Vinny when it’s his turn. I’m amused every time he focuses intently on the monitor to follow the lyrics when he’s not entirely sure how to string the words together. And then parts will become more familiar to him, like he’s just saying fuck it and would rather deliver a good performance.

Ben wasn’t kidding about the song being a crowd favorite because when the chorus kicks in the second time, there’s literally a disco ball that lowers from the ceiling, casting colors all across the bar when the lights overhead go dark. The entire room erupts in this wild cheer and even though Vinny and Bianca have the mics, you can hear everyone like a collective chorus.

Because--

I’ve had the time of my life…

I finally notice I’ve been smiling all this time. This entire thing is funny and fucking joyful as hell and I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like it. I keep turning to drop my forehead onto Noble’s shoulder to laugh there against him and he does the same to me, gripping hard at my back and pulling me into a hug.

“Oh, my god,” he groans during the lively instrumental break and saxophone solo where everybody’s just dancing. “Dude, I’m fucking pissed this is happening,” he tells me. “He’s gonna win her over with this shit.”

“Oh, I think she’s winning him over,” I suppose. “But yeah, talk about lengths a guy will go to. He’s done it.”

“Yeah, I assure you she’s in love with him,” Noble decides. “Dammit.”

With a thoughtful tilt of my head, I peer out at the stage. “I’m kind of proud of him, though.”  Leaning my back against Noble’s chest, he keeps his arm draped over my shoulder. “I’d hyperventilate before I did something like this, so good for him.”

“How much shit are you gonna give him on Monday?”

“Dude, so much.” I chuckle. “I’ll never forget this for the rest of my life. I hope we’re partners forever and I can tell this story at his retirement party.”

Letting his head fall, Noble cracks up, his drunken laughter tickling the side of my neck. He pushes his face there, then he meets my cheek for a kiss.

Shifting in front of him, I turn my head and lean up to touch my lips to his. My hand grasping his face and into his hair, his grip trailing high along my side, I kiss him long enough to forget all that’s around us, for merely a still moment. Probably nothing to anyone else nearby, but for me it feels significant.

I've kissed him a hundred times but my heart's racing when I slip away. It takes me a second to notice it and I tilt toward him, nudging my head against the edge of his jaw to calm the flaring pulse I can feel between my ears.

Pressing my lips together to force some feeling there, I turn away after a quick, rough squeeze of Noble's hair in my fist. And I don't miss his throaty little grunt when I do. It doesn't matter how many other distractions surround us, he won't pass up a chance to react to a cursory hair tug.

Damn, it just sort of came over me how badly I need to go home with him. But I don't have to tell him when I meet his heavy gaze for a brief moment, then move away and reach for my drink when I remember what I'm supposed to be watching.

"Hey, you have to help me with something," Noble says. He follows in behind me and I feel his hands low on my hips. "Because I'm super horny and I might forget."

I nearly cough out my whiskey when I laugh and turn to face him once again with a narrowed gaze. "Oh yeah? A bar full of cute boys has got you super horny?”

“No.” He grins at me in the glittery darkness as I linger right there against his chest. “Just one. And he’s more fucking hot than cute,” he decides, before he dips his head so his mouth is at my ear. “And irresistible, and sexy as hell and god,” he groans. “I really wanna take him home and suck his dick right now. So forget cute, alright?”

Shit. I’m so buzzed and turned on and the weight of it, of my want for him, just tugs deep and hot inside me. Enough to make me chew on my own lip until I suppress the temptation. It’ll surface again, though, with a little more momentum. “Well damn." I smirk. "Don’t let me keep you from him."

With a nod to the front where Vinny and Bianca close out the last chorus, he proposes, “After this, let’s head out, yeah?”

“What am I supposed to help you with?” I remind him.

He gestures a finger up toward the microphones. "She can't go home with him. I don't know where this is all going to lead tonight. But if we turn our backs and her ass sneaks into a cab with him, I'm calling the cops."

I regard him thoughtfully. "Good plan. The cops'll totally get him."

“I mean it,” he laughs.

“You don’t trust Vinny?”

He lifts defensive shoulders. “I don’t trust… the situation just yet.”

While it’s a bit of a double standard -- Noble thought it was perfectly reasonable to run around with me in the city he’s supposed to avoid and yet he won’t let his sister out of his sight -- I understand.

And really I can’t determine whether Vinny and Bianca even have those intentions with one another. Right now they’re kind of jumping around on the stage while the music begins to fade out. And knowing him, he probably just wants to laugh the whole thing off, say his goodbyes before heading home for the night.

“Let’s hear it for Bella and Vinny!” The deejay announces to another adamant cheer from the crowd around the stage.

The two of them replace their microphones on the stands and deliver a bunch of high fives to everyone there. The idiotic pride I feel swells again and I can’t contain a smile when I clap hard for him as they return to the table.

“Good work, partner.” I laugh.

He slings an arm around me to pull me into a hug and I slap him hard on the back. “I found my true calling,” Vinny decides. “But seriously we’ve gotta get the fuck outta here soon.”

“No encore?” I question, reaching over as Bianca slides under my arm for a hug. I turn to her and pull her in. “Look at the magic you made happen with him.”

“I knew he could do it.” She shrugs.

“I don’t think we could top that.” He looks at her, his brows pulling together. “How many guys have you sung karaoke with?”

Bianca grins. “That’s a personal question.”

“But was I the best?”

She reaches out and pushes her palm flat against the center of his chest. Her head tips back with a laugh. “Oh my god.”

He smiles. “I just wanna know.”

“To be determined,” she gives her coy answer.

I glance over at Noble to see if he’s witnessing this and he shakes his head in disapproval.

“Alright, I’m gonna go settle my tab,” Vinny announces. “Be right back.”

Clearing my throat, I offer Noble a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder before I turn to follow Vinny to the bar. “Yeah, me too.”

[petri808]

Karaoke Kraze

Lucy, Cana, and Levy have been friends since childhood.  Home for the summer from college they head to their favorite club to drink, sing, and just party the night away.  Levy’s boyfriend Gajeel brings his friends along but Lucy’s lyrical enchantments quickly leaves his younger cousin Natsu spellbound....

Chapter 1 of 10: The Voice

It’s nearly 7pm on a Saturday night in June as the three best friends all stand around one of the mirrors in Lucy's bathroom.  Sure, there are others they could use in her changing area but it's always more fun when they get ready together.

This is the first time in about 3 months since they’ve been able to hang out like this; each busy with college.  But every summer break when they come home to Magnolia their focus is on catching up and having fun like there were no cares in the world.  And tonight, was no exception, nothing was gonna stop them from heading to their favorite hangout spot; the Fairytail Karaoke Bar & Nightclub.

"Lucy quit hogging the mirror!" Levy whines, "It’s not like you need it."

Her friend was right; the beautiful blonde could turn heads just wearing sweatpants and a hoodie.  Over the years her girlfriends just put up with all the attention their friend received because they knew her better; she's never really cared for any of the guys who've worked up the courage to ask her out.  Not because many weren't handsome or rich since most of them were, but mainly because they only looked at her appearance and that's not what she was looking for in a real man.

"Levy your just as adorable."  She pinches her friend’s cheek eliciting a squeal from the girl.  "Besides, you've already got a boyfriend so who are you trying to impress?"

Humph!  She crosses her arms, "So, maybe I like it when guys still check me out!"

"Uh, you Naughty girl!" Lucy shrieks

"Isn't Gajeel gonna meet you there tonight?  Or are you trying to make him jealous?"

Levy smirks, "Maybe...   It makes the night games even spicier."  Cana and Lucy's jaws drop; their mousy, bookworm little friend sure has changed since she started dating this guy.

"My hero!"  Cana puts her arms around Levy’s shoulders.  "Where have you been all this time!"

Blushing, "So, um, he's gonna have a few friends with him too."

"Oh yeah, are they hot friends?!" The brunette wiggles her eyebrows

"I’m not sure whose coming.”

"Well I hope so, maybe Lucy here will finally get some action!"

Tch  “You might be getting too much action Cana!  Try settling down for once."

Placing a hand on her hip, she cocks it to the side, "Oh please, life's too short, I'm still young, and I wanna have fun."  She retorts in a serious tone.

Levy and Lucy look at each other smirking when all three start singing and waving their hands in the air, "Oooh, Girl's just wanna have Fu-un, Ooohh girls just wanna haaave fun!"  Erupting into a giggling fit at the end.

Turning back to the full-length mirror, “So, do you guys think this is too revealing?”  Lucy inquires of her friends as she smooth’s down the skirt and checks herself over.  “I still wanna be able to dance without anything bunching.”  

“If anything, I think it’s not revealing enough,” Cana not so coyly replies as she pulls at the halter top and pokes at Lucy’s breasts.  “Show off more of these!”

“No way, I don’t need those falling out!”  Sigh, “They are such a pain sometimes.”  Turning back to the mirror she poses a couple more times.  The simple but elegant red halter top dress she chose was cut in the middle and with her sizable boobs, plus an open back, there was plenty of skin up top to reveal.  The skirt was loose fitting, good for dancing, but short barely reaching her mid thighs.  Lucy worried it was too short but as long as she was careful she should be okay.  With a pair of black 5inch heels at the end of her long silky white legs the girl was stunning.  

As Lucy and Cana primp and strike poses in the mirror Levy’s cell phone rings.  “Hey Gajeel… Yeah we’re leaving in a few to head to the club… Alright we’ll save a booth… How many..  okay.  What time are you guy’s…  We’ll see you there… I Love you too.  Bye.”  

She turns around to let her friends know about the group when she sees them making kissy faces at her.  “Ooh I love you Gajeel.”  Cana wraps her arms around herself and starts to imitate the sounds of sloppy kisses.

“Cana!”  She shrieks; her face heating up as images of her and Gajeel making out pop into her mind.

“Ah” Lucy points out giggling, “She is thinking about it!!”

“Guys quit it!  You better not mess with me tonight, I don’t wanna be embarrassed!”

“Oh, lighten up Levy!”  Lucy teases her friend, “It’s just us in here.”   “So, what’d he say?”

“They’ll get there around 8:30-9, and there’s 5 of them so he said find a big enough booth.”

“I don’t think we’ll all fit in one booth, but I’m sure Mira will just give us the VIP section, I’ll call on the way there.”

“Sooorry, Miss influential,” Cana snickers

“Whatever, we’re all friends and she always take’s care of us.”

“Then why are we still standing around in here!  I wanna get my drink on!”  The brunette puts her arms around her friend’s shoulders and leads them out of the room.

“I’ll text Gajeel on the way there to find us in the VIP section.”

“It’s Time to party girls!”  Lucy squeals

As the black Bentley limo pulls up in front of Club Fairytail, one of the security guards named Al Connell opens the car's door for them.  Lucy instructs her driver Capricorn that she’ll call when they’re ready to leave.  He nods and wishes them a good evening as the three girls exit the vehicle.

“I can never get used to riding in that thing.  Lu I don’t know how you mind the attention.”  

She shrugs her shoulders, “I just grew up with it being normal.”

“Well I looove the attention,” Cana grins and waves her fingers at a few decent looking guys staring at them.

“Come on,” Lucy drags her drooling friend towards the door’s bouncer.  “Hey Elfman!”

“Hey girls; back for more I see.”

“You know it!”

“Mira’s already got the VIP section ready for you guys.  Is there anyone else in your group still coming?”

“Yeah, my boyfriend Gajeel, do you remember him?”

“The guy with the facial piercings?”

“That’s him,” Levy blushes, “and four more of his friends will be with him.”

“I’ll direct 'um to you guys when they get here.  You girls have fun tonight.”  He opens the door for them.

“Thanks, Elfman.”

They head straight for a roped off section that has a reserved sign next to it.  A girl with short white hair reaches them just as they are about to sit down.  “Hi Lisanna, how’s everything going with you and Bixlow?”

“We’re doing great, he finally proposed to me last month.”

“Really, congratulations!”

“Thanks.  So, what can I start you off with?”

“I think our usual’s, right?”  Lucy looks at the other two and they nod, “Oh and could you bring us the karaoke book?”

The girl smiles, “Already got it.” She hands the book to Lucy.  “I know your routine already, Karaoke then dancing.  I’ll be back shortly with your drinks.”

“You’re the bomb Lis!”  Cana yells after her.        

Lisanna puts in their orders with the bartender, her brother-in-law Laxus.  It doesn’t take long since he also anticipated their usual’s and soon the girls are half way into their first round.  

“So, what should we sing?”  Levy asks with the paper and pen in her hand, “We’ve got about an hour till they get here so we need about 7-10 songs.”  She enjoys hanging out when they come here to sing, but she rarely participates, saying that Lucy has the nicest voice and Cana, well Cana just likes to be a part of any action.

The three girls huddle around the song book and start pointing out songs for Levy to write down.  Mostly fun ones to sing but Lucy pick’s a couple of slower love songs as well.  Her friends tease her that those are All hers as usual.  She tries to plead for them to at least sing back up, but they reply no guarantees.  “Fine,” she huffs, “I still don’t know why you won’t sing them with me.”

“Because we can’t pull them off like you.  Duh!”  

Lisanna returns with their second round and they hand her their list of songs.  This section has its own karaoke set up so Lisanna programs the songs for them.  Cana and Lucy eagerly grab the mics and stand up in front of the screen ready for the first song to come on; ‘Love Shack’ by the B52’s.  “Okay you got the girls part.”  Cana winks at Lucy who giggles, “Kay.”

C- “If you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says 15 miles to the…” L- “Looooove Shack!  Love Shack, yeah, yeah.  I’m headin down the Atlanta highway… Lookin; for a looove getawayyy.  Headed for the looove getawayyy.”

Both girls start imitating 70’s & 80’s styles of dances like the disco finger, the bump, and of course the ‘Love Shack’ dance move; bopping around and having a blast with the music.  Even Levy can’t resist, joining them during the choruses.

C- “Knock a little louder, baby.” L- “bang, bang, Bang, on the door baby…” C- “I can’t hear you.” L- “Bang, Bang, Bang, on the door baby…” C- “Knock a little louder, sugar.” L- “BANG, BANG” C- “On the door, baby.” L- “BANG, BANG” C- “On the door baby!.” L- “BANG, BANG!” C- “Your What!?” L- “Tiiiinnn roof, Rusted.”  “Love Shaaack, that’s where it’s at.  Love Shaaack, that’s where it’s at.” C- “At the Lo-o-ove Shack…”

Levy starts clapping enthusiastically as the two girls plop down on the couch and gulp their drinks; luckily Lisanna anticipates their routine and is already on her way with the next round.  Over the next hour they sing to their hearts content, even growing a small crowd of mostly guys cheering them on.  

Gajeel and his friends all pull up around 8:25pm and head into the club.  Elfman opens the door and directs them to the VIP section, “Just follow the singing, I can hear Lucy right now.”

“Who’s Lucy again?”  Questions Gray

“She’s one of my girl’s best friends.”

“Are they nice, Juvia hopes she will get along with them?”  

“Oh yeah, their cool, you already know Levy so just talk to her if not.  I’m pretty sure the other two will be dancing most of the time anyways.”

“Are they hot?!” drools Loke, their playboy friend.

“Gehe, you’ll like Cana, she’s just like you, loves to party and isn’t looking for a serious relationship.”

“Sounds like my kind of woman!”

As the other four in the group just chat along the way, Natsu’s pace slows.  Silently wrapped up in his own thoughts, soaking up the words and her voice wafting through the air; ‘So this is Lucy we’re hearing....My God her voice is just so beautiful….’

“… Two by two their bodies become one…….  I see you through the smoky air.  Can’t you feel the weight of my stare…  You’re so close but still a world away…..  What I’m dying to say, is that I’m crazy for you.  Touch me once and you’ll know it’s true.  I never wanted anyone like this….”

Gray turns to say something to Natsu when he realizes his friend is trailing behind, “Oi Natsu, you coming?”  Looking more carefully he sees the dazed expression in his best friend’s face. “Dude, what’s the matter with you?”

“Her voice is just….  There are no words to describe it…”

“Huh?  Oh, you mean that Lucy chick whose singing, you don’t even know what she looks like; she could be ugly...”

Natsu cuts him off.  “With a voice like that….”  He looks at his friend, “You don’t gotta wait up for me I’ll catch up.” “Slowly now we begin to move.  Every breath I’m deeper into you… Soon we two are standing still in time.  If you read my mind….”

��Whatever man.  We’re heading to the bar first to grab our drinks.  I’ll see you at the table.”

“Yeah sure,” Natsu mutters as he continues towards the voice, drawn to it like a moth to a flame.   “It’s all brand new, I’m crazy for you.  And you know it’s true…”  

Making his way through the small crowd she finally comes into view.  His heart stops and feet plant locked to the floor.   He can’t believe what his eyes are trying to tell him… This girl, with the entrancing voice is drop dead gorgeous too!  A striking blonde with a flirty little red dress; his favorite color by the way, holding the microphone to her luscious looking pink lips… and those long…silky smooth legs…  “Wow…” he softly breathes out leaving his lips parted.  Her big bright brown eyes sparkling when the lights hit them; he listens spellbound as she drags out the last line.     

“…I’m crazy, crazy for you…”

[b-afterhours]

Sympathy For The Devil (part 10)

summary: Set in 1978, Bill a young yet accomplish cop takes on the crime in New York City. Nervous yet excited to take on his first big task at his new department and prove himself. He soon finds out his partner is everything he had least expected.

warnings: strong language, mentions of drugs, sexual acts

author’s note: this is it! an epilogue will be posted later! thank you so much for reading this lil story it means so much to me that you all enjoyed it! 

playlist: Hey Hey What Can I Do - Led Zeppelin, It's Too Late - Carole King and of course Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones

also if you’re seeing this for the first time you can read part one here and if you need to catch up on previous chapters go here.

tags: @kikilikes @itsbillskarsgard @imaginingyournotsolikelyfuture @billieskars @bskarsgardfilth @ambeazyyy @the-lonelyon3  @biskarsgards​

Bill turned on the radio on his nightstand in his bedroom while Star dressed down in the bathroom. He slipped under his covers after turning the overhead light off. His head was spinning a bit, he regretted overdoing it at Otto's. Just the night lamp was on which Star covered with a silk scarf creating a soft glow in the room. The gentle chords to Hey, Hey, What Can I Do by Led Zeppelin began to softly play on the radio when Star stepped out in her worn in pink nightgown that hung too low on her breasts. Bill remembered when he saw her in it the first night they spent together, how he quickly darted his eyes away. This time he didn't.

"Turn it up," she said, "this song's about me, you know."

"Oh really?" Bill lightly laughed. "You know Robert Plant? Can you introduce me?"

"Shhh," she laughed with him. "Just listen." She stood at the foot of his bed, swaying her hips with her arms above her head. The gown lifted showing off her black lace panties slightly. "Everybody's with the one they love. I walk the town, keep a-searchin' all around... Lookin' for my street corner girl!" She playfully sang with conviction and then plopped right in bed right next to Bill laughing with him. "Oh goodness..." she yawned. "I'm drunk."

"Do I need to get the bathroom bin?" He joked, reaching over to turn the volume dial down.

"I think I can hold it tonight," she threw an arm around him, snuggling into his side without reservation. The music faded to dead air on the radio. Star looked up curious about the silence at first when she noticed Bill staring right at her.

He lightly stroked her cheek with his free hand before slipping it through her hair, into the dark inch roots, pulling her lips to his. He knew it was out of line but it was what he wanted. What he needed. When he felt her kiss him back, he let himself relax. Her body molded to the side of him. So he ran his hand down her body, wrapping a hand around the back of her smooth thigh, gently pulling her on top of him. They were wrapped up in each other, feverishly kissing. Biting, sucking and licking. Bill broke off from her lips kissing along the soft skin of her neck. He lightly nipped at her skin, a low moan hummed in her throat. Her heat nimbly grinding on the erection growing in his sweats.

"Bill," she said breathlessly. She felt his hands travel along her back to softly grip her bottom. "Bill." She said snapping out of it then. She couldn't do this. "Bill, stop," she said assertively putting her hands on his chest pushing him back. "N-not like this..."

He drew his hands away from her body. "Did I do something?" He said apologetically.

"No... we, we're drunk," she said sliding off him. "I'm sorry," she bit her lip.

"No, it's my fault. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Really..." she said trying to steady her breathing. "Let's... get some sleep," she put her arm around him, to how they originally were.

Bill took a deep breath and nodded. He reached for the lamp and the radio turning them off. "Goodnight," he said.

Star found his lips in the dark and kissed him tenderly. "Goodnight..."

Bill must have stayed up for an hour listening to Star's evening breathing as she slept. Not to be a creep but to focus on anything else that wasn't the erection he had gotten. He hadn't gotten laid in so long that it just wasn't letting down. He reached down to flip his dick into the waistband so that it was no longer tenting his sweats. It was embarrassing how juvenile it made him feel. Star was right to stop him, they were drunk, it should be done with more thought. Before he drifted to sleep he looked down at Star, just thinking how thankful he was that he had met her out of the thousands of people in the city. ...

When Bill woke up he was alone. The bathroom light shone from under the door and he figured Star was in there. He sat up, taking a cigarette out of his pack and checking the time. He lightly groaned when he saw that it was half past one in the afternoon. He never slept in this long. Setting his cigarette in the ashtray he swung his legs out of bed, lazily getting up to get coffee. He stopped right at the door noticing that Star's bags weren't there like they were before. He turned his head towards the bathroom and called her name.

"Star?" He said again knocking on the door. "Are you in there?" He twisted the doorknob and peeked his head inside. It was empty.

The whole apartment suddenly was too quiet, too cold, too lonely. He walked out of his bedroom, only to see Minx sleeping on the couch. It was just them in the apartment. In realization, his heart sank. Star was gone. He ran his hands over his face, knowing he fucked up last night. What was he thinking? He wanted to believe she was coming back by then again why would she take everything she owned with her? What was he going to do? He had no clue where to find her. He sighed in defeat when he entered the kitchen feeling like the loneliest man on earth. Underneath, the pot was a folded sheet of yellow legal paper, waiting for him. A twenty dollar bill fell out to the floor when he unfolded it. He left it by his feet to read the girly cursive font she wrote in.

"Coffee's ready to be made, just turn it on. See you around B'. And here's a twenty for the trouble of letting me stay with you. XO."

She signed the bottom of the paper with a large drawn star with A.E. written in the middle of it. And that was it...

Bill took his mug of black coffee and plopped down right next to Minx, petting her. Feeling confused and the loss setting in. He read the note over and over again. It was so short he convinced himself there was a secret code within the text. There wasn't, she said all she had to say to him. He ran a finger over her initials, A.E., Angela Esposito. She didn't allow him to call her that and he began to think maybe she really didn't find a friend in him as he did with her. Maybe... being in small confines with her over the weeks he'd just convinced himself that he liked her. He closed his eyes, resting his head back on the couch.

"Fuck me..." he sighed. ...

Bill spent his evening all day at Otto's tipping back drink after drink in the far dark corner of the bar. It's Too Late by Carole King played from the jukebox. The lyrics just depressing him further into his pathetic bender. Lloyd flashed the bar lights letting everyone know that there were 30 minutes left to drink their beers and pay up before close. Bill reached for the last smoke in his pack lighting it. He had trouble lining the flame of his zippo to the end of the cigarette, he was seeing double. Lloyd flashed him a look of concern and a frown at the young man's state. He never saw a man look so sad.

"Ay, Bill." Lloyd walked over to him. "You doin' alright, kid?"

"Yeah..." he shrugged.

"And your little lady? Take it something didn't work out?"

Bill sighed. "Who knows." He didn't want to talk about her, she was the reason he was drunk and sulking.

"Alright... uh 20 more minutes, kid." Lloyd backed off.

Bill sat there thinking about what was so wrong with him that Star had left like that? She kissed him too. There was nothing one-sided about their feelings at that moment. Sure, they were from different worlds but it didn't change what they went through together. He thought back further, about how all the men in her life hadn't been so great. Her father abandoned her, the boy she moved to New York with hit her, her pimp was her pimp but he also was unfaithful. Bill was unlike any of them yet she still left. As if he were simply nothing.

He shook his head. There had to be something wrong with him and he was getting frustrated as to what exactly. His ex did the same thing to him and those ugly wounds were stinging him again. It was best if he forgot about Star altogether. He aggressively stubbed out his cigarette before reaching for his wallet to pay for his tab. He took the 20 dollar bill Star had given him "for the trouble" and along with it came out the photo booth pictures they had taken just yesterday. When everything was still all right. He sighed. And suddenly all the trauma he had gone through in the past weeks came crashing down on him. He tried to choke down the lump in his throat with the last of his beer but it wasn't working. He tossed the twenty down on the bar and stomped out into the early dark of night. His eyes teary as he took long strides to get to his apartment close by. The cold wind felt icy on his wet cheeks as tears escaped his eyes. The flurries of New York City's first snow sticking to his face. He paused by the apartment buildings stoop angrily wiping his cheeks. In a fit, he kicked the aluminum garbage cans next to him. He huffed, he felt foolish and rejected and alone. Utterly alone. ...

Bill was back home for the holidays, he spent Christmas with his rowdy family and now he was out with old friends at a small New Years Eve party. He hadn't told anyone about his job situation when someone asked he lied about the cruiser and NYPD uniform he still didn't have. And when his friends asked about the New York City scene he didn't even bother to tell them about the crazy disco parties he'd been too. He didn't want to think about any of it, he was in Newark to forget. It was the only reason he decided to come back.

He walked out to the snowy deck for a moment to himself. It was a party but was it? Bill had gone real parties and there wasn't petty gossip and judging like he felt being here. Just fun, plain heinous fun. But he kept that to himself. Star suddenly came to mind. He'd be lying if he said she didn't cross his mind often. But he thought about her and how if she were with him at this lame party she would let them all know it. He smiled to himself as he took a deep drag of his cigarette. He hadn't seen or heard from her since they parted. He even had a cab driving around for him one night hoping to spot her walking about but he only ended up despondent and alone at Otto's again that evening. He hoped she was warm where ever she was, maybe she went to California after all? He didn't know. He didn't even know what kind of shit show station he was going back to in East Harlem. He had gotten a call from Pat right before he left for Christmas, letting him know that he was reinstated for the new year. It was good news but Bill didn't really care if he had a job or not frankly. Stan's involvement in the coke trade really shook things up. Even shook him. The income from work was good but it all felt dirty. He couldn't help but feel jaded about it all now.

When he walked back into the house to join the party he made a beeline to the kitchen for a cold beer. And he saw her. His ex-girlfriend. The ex-girlfriend that had broken his heart a year ago now. He felt sick, he wanted to flee but it was too late. She turned her head and smiled like what she did to him never happened. His stomach knotted.

"Bill! My goodness! How have you been?"

"Natalie," he gave her a curt nod. "Uh I'm just getting a beer," he said reaching inside the fridge dismissing her question. He just wanted to get the hell away from her, he didn't need the small talk. And honestly, he didn't care about what she had to say.

"Bill," she said again right before he walked out of the kitchen. "You look like you're doing good... I-I like your hair." She said nervously. Bill had kept up with the haircut Star had given him. He had grown to like it. "I heard about your new job..."

"Yeah, well thanks I guess," he took a hearty sip of his beer.

"How's New York City?" She pressed on. She could tell how uncomfortable he was as he shifted his weight between feet but she didn't care.

"Um, it's New York City, ya know?" He shrugged, his lips shaped to a hard line.

"You make friends fast there?" She swept her light brown bangs from her eyes.

God, the first time he'd seen her and she was fishing to see if he was miserable without her. He was. But it wasn't her doing. "Well, lot's of people to meet in the city. And yeah I got a friend."

"Oh..." she lightly frowned.

"What?" He narrowed his eyes.

"It's a girl isn't it? I can see it when you said you had a friend. I know that look."

Bill sighed. "What do you want from me?"

"It's just good seeing you is all? But also I wanted to say, I'm sorry, Bill. I really am."

"Sorry?" He scoffed. "Well, that's real fuckin' nice of you to say, Natalie."

"Excuse me?" She said offended by his tone.

He had no idea what came over him. He never talked to women this way, he usually didn't have it in him to do so. No matter how angry he got. "And I am doin' good too. A-and without you too." He added.

"I know you're hurt, Bill. I shouldn't have left you like that... I was really outta line-"

"It was outta line. But I'm over it. Just drop it."

"Fine... I guess I deserve that," she bit her lip. "I-is she nice?"

"Who?"

"Your friend." She accompanied her words with air quotes.

"She is... She's really nice and caring. And funny, and loud, and crazy but it all makes perfect sense to me. And she's, she's beautiful. From her scuffed up gogo boots to the very top of her little-bleached head. Everything. Everything about her, I-I love the bad just as much as I love the good things about her..." he paused in shock that he was confessing everything he'd ever thought about Star out loud. And to his ex-girlfriend in a kitchen on New Year's Eve? He couldn't believe it but it was all true. He had fallen in love with her during their time together. And it was apparent to him now how hopelessly he fell. He just hadn't quite admitted it to himself until now. Too late. Sure they kissed but since she left him hanging he chalked it up to being in the heat of things. That wasn't true though because he felt her kiss him back. He felt something there. Something he hadn't felt, not even with his ex like he thought. It was real. It was love.

"She sounds..."

"Perfect." Bill finished her sentence. But it was his sentence.

"Yeah..." Natalie nodded with glassy eyes. She picked up her beer and walked passed him with her head down.

He watched her whisper to some guy with long straight shoulder-length hair who was sitting on the couch smoking a joint. Her new guy most likely and they left. He thought how technically Star had walked out on him too in a sense but he felt a little chunk of hope telling him he'd see her again someday.

Bill stayed behind in the kitchen chugging his beer before grabbing another and joining the party. He counted down the last seconds of 1978 with his friends. Star was on his mind the whole time while everyone cheered in the new year. It was 1979 and all he wished for was that Star had finally found happiness. He hoped she was new, like she wanted. She deserved it. ...

Month's had passed and spring was on the horizon. Bill was driving his squad car in his crisp uniform. He got what he ultimately wanted when he first moved to the city. But the girl that got him there would still run through his mind. Behind the wheel of the squad car, he'd secretly hope he'd spot her while patrolling. Sometimes he'd drive by Star's old turf hoping to see her but also hoping not to either. He was always relieved to see it empty, another girl was working the corner now. Maybe she really did go to California?

"Ay, let's stop for some chop cheeses, will ya?" His partner Jason said patting his grumbling belly. "But I tell ya the bodega I go to makes 'em the best, let's go there."

"Sure," Bill said skeptically but he was open to new places.

Bill and Jason leaned on the grill of their cruiser eating their hot chopped cheeses. It was probably the best sandwich he had but he wasn't going to admit it to Jason. He was loyal to his favorite bodega. Jason was nice enough but they often struggled to find things to talk about. He was new to the station. There was a whole staff turn over after the whole Stan debacle. When the FEDs came barging in, Jerry was ultimately replaced for being incompetent and complicit. Pat filled him in on what he'd missed and even would tell Bill about murmurings of a potential promotion for him. Since Jason was new he was genuinely curious about how the station used to run. He had heard things but didn't want to be a pest by asking too much. But the conversations were getting stale, all he had to talk about were the silly things his kids would do. He figured to finally asking what had been pressing on him.

"So," Jason wiped his lips was a flimsy napkin, "is it true you busted your superior doin' undercover work?"

"Uh yeah... something like that." Bill took a sip from his glass bottle coca cola.

"Shit that's wild man."

"You tellin' me."

"Did you really go to parties and stuff with ballers? You see crazy shit or what?"

Bill chuckled. "Yeah. I mean I saw mountains of coke and naked girls in a hot tub in the middle of a fellas living room once. Is that what you want to hear?"

"Naked girls in a hot tub, huh?" He raised his brows. "Well fuck me."

"It was a trip," Bill said unbothered, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"I'm gonna go take a dump at this diner, man. Be right back," he pointed out.

Bill finished his food when he heard the diner door chime ring, he looked over watching Jason step aside to let a small girl out. She was in a waitress' uniform, lighting a cigarette, walking away from her morning shift. Bill squinted, she looked familiar... When her long dark, hair blew away from her face and she came into better view he knew it was her. Star, the Brickhouse. Star, his brown eyed girl. Bill's heart flipped and he felt his body go cold. It was like seeing a ghost. She looked the same just the bleached hair was gone and back to its original dark color.

Star was just about to pass him unknowingly. As she quickly counted her tips with her cigarette between her lips. She stuffed the dollars back in her apron, finally looking up and nearly jumped at the sight of him.

"Bill?" She plucked her cigarette from her lips and flicked it away with a big smile on her face. "Bill!" She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Just having her in his arms again, he'd never felt more right than he'd been in months.

"Hey, how have you been?" He said keeping cool but on the inside, he was beyond elated. "What are you still doing here? What happened to California?"

Star let go of him and scoffed. "Oh please, you and I know that wasn't happenin'. It was motivation really. I got a real job now though, Bette's Diner!" She pointed at her name tag. Star was written in, in marker. "And look at you! In your uniform and all!" She ran her finger along his name tag next. "It looks good, Bill. You look really good. Although I told you, you're too good to be a pi-cop." She corrected herself remembering his one and only rule he had ever given her.

"Yeah, yeah." He lightly laughed. "You stayin' out of trouble? No drugs?"

She rolled her eyes. "Really? That's one of the first things you're gonna ask?"

"Sorry," he said nervously. "I just, it's, it's been a while I-"

"Relax!" She interrupted his stammering. "I'm just messin'. But Yeah..." she looked away. "No drugs, not really."

"What's, not really?" He raised a brow.

"I can't tell you, you're a cop!" She laughed.

"I can't arrest someone over words."

She playfully gasped. "So you'd arrest me? After all, we've been through?"

"Just tell me you're not hanging out with guys with interesting spellings for normal names?" He smirked.

Star laughed. He missed that laugh. "Nah, none of that. I just smoke grass every now and then. It helps calm me down you know how I can get impulsive sometimes."

"Well, I can't be mad at that. The counting to ten could only work for so long with you," he chuckled.

"But what about you? You doin' good? You look sharp!"

"Yeah, departments a lot better since we busted the place," he laughed.

"We did bust up that place pretty good, huh? Well... it was good seeing you B'." She looked right into his green eyes, she felt them pulling her back in again. But after leaving him like she did, knowing what he'd gone through with his last girl. There was no way he had any of the feelings he had for her before. She was just happy to see he'd gotten everything else he'd wanted.

"Yeah, you look like you're doin' good, too. And I like this new hair," he flicked a long lock of dark brown hair from her shoulder.

She ran her hands through the ends. "Aw yeah? I kinda had no choice. One more bleach job and I would have been bald." She laughed.

"Well... I guess I shouldn't hold you up any longer..."

"Yeah, same for you Mister Officer."

"Hey," he grabbed her wrist before she had the chance to walk away from him. His hand slid into hers and before their hands could part, Star hooked her index with his. He wasn't going to let her disappear this time. "Can I take you out? I know how things ended and I just really want to be your friend if that's all you want that's fine with me. I-I missed you."

"I missed you too, Bill." Star admitted. She was honestly shocked he still wanted to be her friend. He was a nicer man that she originally thought when she first met him.

"So, can I take you out? Please?" He was practically begging but he didn't care.

"Yeah, I would really like that." She unhooked fingers with him to hold his hand, pulling him down a bit to peck his lips. Her heart skipped, the feelings were still there and this time she wanted him to know it.

"Good." He said running his free hand through her dark locks. He never knew what he'd do if he ever saw her again but this went better than he could have imagined. "I'll pick you up and everything. I'm just, so happy I got to see you again, Star."

She shyly looked away. "It's Angela."

"Angela." A sweet smile spread across his face. "I guess, I do know you like that, huh?"

She blushed and looked up at him. "I guess you do, Bill. You do."

FIN

epilogue

[ieltsxpresscom]

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 1

You are advised to spend 20 minutes on Questions 1-14. First, read the text below and answer Questions 1-8. A Filling the reservoir Your iron is designed to function using tap water. However, it will last longer if you use distilled water. – Always unplug the iron before filling the reservoir. – Always empty the reservoir after use. B Temperature and steam control Your Moulex iron has two buttons which control the intensity of heat produced by the iron. You can, therefore, adjust the temperature of the iron and the amount of steam being given off depending upon the type of fabric being ironed. – Turn the steam control to the desired intensity. – Turn the thermostat control to the desired temperature. Important: If your iron produces droplets of water instead of giving off steam, your temperature control is set too low. C Spray button This button activates a jet of cold water which allows you to iron out any unintentional creases. Press the button for one second. D Pressing button This button activates a super shot of steam which momentarily gives you an additional 40g of steam when needed. Important: Do not use this more than five successive times. E Suits etc. It is possible to use this iron in a vertical position so that you can remove creases from clothes on coathangers or from curtains. Turning the thermostat control and the steam button to maximum, hold the iron in a vertical position close to the fabric but without touching it. Hold down the pressing button for a maximum of one second. The steam produced is not always visible but is still able to remove creases. Important: Hold the iron at a sufficient distance from silk and wool to avoid all risk of scorching Do not attempt to remove creases from an item of clothing that is being worn, always use a coathanger. F Auto-clean In order that your iron does not become furred up, Moulex have integrated an auto-clean system and we advise you to use it very regularly (1-2 times per month). – Turn the steam control to the off position. – Fill the reservoir and turn the thermostat control to maximum. – As soon as the indicator light goes out, unplug the iron and, holding it over the sink, turn the steam control to auto-clean. Any calcium deposits will be washed out by the steam. Continue the procedure until the reservoir is empty. Questions 1-4 Match the pictures below to the appropriate section in the instructions. Write the correct letter A-F in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

Questions 5-8 Answer the following questions on the Moulex iron using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. Write your answers in boxes 5-8 on your answer sheet. 5. What sort of water are you advised to use? 6. What factor makes you decide on the quantity of steam to use? 7. What should you do if your iron starts to drip water? 8. What could damage your iron if you do not clean it? Now, read the information below and answer Questions 9-14. CLASSIC TOURS – coach break information Luggage We ask you to keep luggage down to one medium-sized suitcase per person, but a small holdall can also be taken on board the coach. Seat Allocation Requests for particular seats can be made on most coach breaks when booking, but since allocations are made on a first come first served basis, early booking is advisable. When bookings are made with us you will be offered the best seats that are available on the coach at that time. Travel Documents When you have paid your deposit we will send to you all the necessary documents and labels, so that you receive them in good time before the coach break departure date. Certain documents, for example air or boat tickets, may have to be retained and your driver or courier will then issue them to you at the relevant point. Special Diets If you require a special diet you must inform us at the time of booking with a copy of the diet. This will be notified to the hotel or hotels on your coach break, but on certain coach breaks the hotels used are tourist class and whilst offering value for money within the price range, they may not have the full facilities to cope with special diets. Any extra costs incurred must be paid to the hotel by yourself before departure from the hotel. Accommodation Many of our coach breaks now include, within the price, accommodation with private facilities, and this will be indicated on the coach break page. Other coach breaks have a limited number of rooms with private facilities which, subject to availability, can be reserved and guaranteed at the time of booking – the supplementary charge shown in the price panel will be added to your account. On any coach break there are only a limited number of single rooms. When a single room is available it may be subject to a supplementary charge and this will be shown on the brochure page. Entertainment Some of our hotels arrange additional entertainment which could include music, dancing, film shows, etc. The nature and frequency of the entertainment presented is at the discretion of the hotel and therefore not guaranteed and could be withdrawn if there is a lack of demand or insufficient numbers in the hotel. Questions 9-14 Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 9-14 on your answer sheet. 9. If you want to sit at the front of the coach A ask when you get on the coach. B arrive early on the departure date. C book your seat well in advance. D avoid travelling at peak times. 10. Your air tickets A will be sent to your departure point. B must be collected before leaving. C will be enclosed with other documents. D may be held by your coach driver. 11. If you need a special diet you should A inform the hotel when you arrive. B pay extra with the booking. C tell the coach company. D book tourist class. 12. It may be necessary to pay extra for A a bathroom. B boat tickets. C additional luggage. D entertainment. 13. Entertainment is available A at all hotels. B if there is the demand. C upon request. D for an additional cost. 14. With every booking Classic Tours guarantee you will be able to A request high quality meals. B take hand luggage on the coach. C use your own personal bathroom. D film if you want to. You are advised to spend 20 minutes on Questions 15-29. Questions 15-21 Look at the article Clubs for Students below. Which club would you contact for each of the requirements below? Write the appropriate letter A-G in boxes 15-21 on your answer sheet. You may use each letter more than once. The first one has been done for you as an example. Example- you wish to go swimming at 7am every morning. Answer-G 15. You would like to take Spanish classes. 16. You want to join a club that has international branches. 17. You would like an opportunity to speak in public. 18. You would like to take part in amateur theatrical productions. 19. You want to visit some famous sites with a group of other students. 20. You are interested in finding out about part-time work. 21. You want to meet some English people who have started their careers. CLUBS FOR STUDENTS There are a variety of Clubs which provide social and cultural activities for those wishing to meet others with similar interests from the same or from different national backgrounds. A Commonwealth Trust Organised discussion meetings, learned talks, cultural events excursions to places of interest and invitations to major British diary events Open to overseas visitors and students. B Charles Peguy Centre French youth centre providing advice, support and information to young Europeans aged between 18-30. Facilities include an information and advice service regarding education, work placement and general welfare rights. Moreover the centre holds a database of jobs, accommodation and au pair placements specifically in London. Members may use a fax machine a copier and computers for CVs. Hours Monday: 14.00-17.00 Tuesday-Friday: 10.00-17.00 Membership: £35 per year, plus £5 per month. C Kensington Committee of Friendship for Overseas Students KCOF is the society for young people from all countries. Each month there are some 40 parties, discos, visits to theatres, concerts, walks and other gatherings where you will be able to meet lots of people. A new programme is sent each month directly to members (£5 to join in October, less later in the year). Events are free or at low often reduced prices. Office open 10.30-17.30 weekdays only D Royal Overseas League Open 365 days per year, this is a club with facilities in London and Edinburgh with restaurants, bars and accommodation. There are branches around the world and 57 reciprocal clubs world-wide. Quarterly magazine, literary lectures, annual music and art competitions, and summer and winter programme of events for members. Membership fees overseas students aged 17¬24 £47 per year + initial joining fee £23.50; others £70 per year + initial joining fee £35 (half price after July). Further information from the Membership Secretary. E YMCA London Central Facilities include photography art drama, pottery, language courses, badminton, squash, exercise to music, circuit training, sports clinic, fitness testing and other activities. Hours weekdays 07.00-22.30, weekends 10.00-21.00. Membership fees: aged 16-17 £25 per year plus attendance charge of £1 30 per visit; aged 18-19 £213 per year; aged 20¬25 £366 per year F London Inter-Varsity Club (IVC) IVC is an activities and social club with a varied range of events, from cycling and drama to windsurfing and yoga. Most members are young English professionals, but overseas visitors are welcome. The club arranges restaurant meals, dancing and parties, weekends away around Britain, plus a weekly club night in a Covent Garden bar. There are usually over 25 different events every week run by IVG members for IVC members. To find out more, telephone the club or write (Freepost) to the office. G Central Club Provides accommodation and club facilities. No membership fee. Coffee shop open for all meals swimming pool (open 06.00), multi¬gym, hairdressing salon. Questions 22-29 Read the article on International Students House and look at the statements below. In boxes 22-29 on your answer sheet write TRUE                                   if the statement is true FALSE                                 if the statement is false NOT GIVEN                      if the information is not given in the passage Example The club is for overseas students only Answer- False The first one has been done for you as an example. 22. The club has long-term dormitory accommodation. 23. Membership must be renewed monthly. 24. The club provides subsidised restaurant meals. 25. The club is open to non-members on Tuesday evenings. 26. STA Travel help finance the Students Adviser. 27. The services of the Students Adviser are free to all club members. 28. You must make an appointment to see the Students Adviser. 29. There will be a surcharge for accommodation over the Christmas period.   INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS HOUSE International Students House is a unique club and accommodation centre for British and overseas students in London. It is located in the heart of London’s West End and is close to all public transport facilities. ACCOMMODATION * comfortable accommodation for up to 450 people in single, twin, 3/4 bedded and multi-bedded rooms * 44 self-contained flats for married students and families * long and short stays welcomed MEMBERSHIP Club membership is open to all full¬time students, professional trainees, student nurses and au pairs. Membership costs are kept to an absolute minimum to enable the widest possible access. You can join for as little as one month and for up to one year at a time. Membership entitles you to use the various facilities of the House. It has: * restaurants * student bars and coffee shop * study rooms * clubs and societies * aerobics and fitness training * discos, dance, jazz and cinema * travel and excursions and much more! The best way to check out all we have on offer is to drop in any Tuesday evening between 7.15 pm and 8.30 pm for Open House in the Club Room. This is an opportunity for you to meet the staff and other club members, enjoy a free cup of coffee and find out all about what’s going on. You can take advantage of special membership offers. (Useful tip: bring along 3 passport size photographs if you wish to take out membership.) ADVICE SERVICE Thanks to the support of STA Travel and in association with LCOS (the London Conference on Overseas Students) International Students House now provides the service of an International Students Adviser. This new welfare service is open to all students at London’s bona-fide academic institutions. It aims to provide welfare support to help students overcome any personal or practical difficulties they may be experiencing whilst studying in Britain. One of the key features of the Advice Service is that the Adviser can be seen during the evenings until about 8 pm, Monday to Thursday. CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR Unable to get home for Christmas? How about joining in the fun at International Students House! Check out our special programme of activity taking place over the Christmas period. Even come and stay – the House will be offering reduced accommodation rates for students wishing to spend a few days in London over Christmas. We’ll also have an exciting New Year’s Eve party so come and join us and ring in the new year in the spirit of internationalism. Reading passage 3 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 30-41 which are based on the reading passage below. PAPER RECYCLING A Paper is different from other waste produce because it comes from a sustainable resource: trees. Unlike the minerals and oil used to make plastics and metals, trees are replaceable. Paper is also biodegradable, so it does not pose as much threat to the environment when it is discarded. While 45 out of every 100 tonnes of wood fibre used to make paper in Australia comes from waste paper, the rest comes directly from virgin fibre from forests and plantations. By world standards this is a good performance since the world-wide average is 33 per cent waste paper. Governments have encouraged waste paper collection and sorting schemes and at the same time, the paper industry has responded by developing new recycling technologies that have paved the way for even greater utilisation of used fibre. As a result, industry’s use of recycled fibres is expected to increase at twice the rate of virgin fibre over the coming years. B Already, waste paper constitutes 70% of paper used for packaging and advances in the technology required to remove ink from the paper have allowed a higher recycled content in newsprint and writing paper. To achieve the benefits of recycling, the community must also contribute. We need to accept a change in the quality of paper prod¬ucts; for example stationery may be less white and of a rougher texture. There also needs to be support from the community for waste paper collec¬tion programs. Not only do we need to make the paper available to collectors but it also needs to be separated into different types and sorted from con-taminants such as staples, paperclips, string and other miscellaneous items. C There are technical limitations to the amount of paper which can be recycled and some paper products cannot be collected for re-use. These include paper in the form of books and permanent records, photographic paper and paper which is badly contaminated. The four most common sources of paper for recycling are factories and retail stores which gather large amounts of packaging material in which goods are delivered, also offices which have unwanted business documents and computer output, paper converters and printers and lastly households which discard newspapers and packaging material. The paper manufacturer pays a price for the paper and may also incur the collection cost. D Once collected, the paper has to be sorted by hand by people trained to recognise various types of paper. This is necessary because some types of paper can only be made from particular kinds of recycled fibre. The sorted paper then has to be repulped or mixed with water and broken down into its individual fibres. This mixture is called stock and may contain a wide variety of contaminating materials, particularly if it is made from mixed waste paper which has had little sorting. Various machinery is used to remove other materials from the stock. After passing through the repulping process, the fibres from printed waste paper are grey in colour because the printing ink has soaked into the individual fibres. This recycled material can only be used in products where the grey colour does not matter, such as cardboard boxes but if the grey colour is not acceptable, the fibres must be de-inked. This involves adding chemicals such as caustic soda or other alkalis, soaps and detergents, water-hardening agents such as cal¬cium chloride, frothing agents and bleaching agents. Before the recycled fibres can be made into paper they must be refined or treated in such a way that they bond together. E Most paper products must contain some virgin fibre as well as recycled fibres and unlike glass, paper cannot be recycled indefinitely. Most paper is down-cycled which means that a product made from recycled paper is of an inferior quality to the original paper. Recycling paper is beneficial in that it saves some of the energy, labour and capital that goes into producing virgin pulp. However, recycling requires the use of fossil fuel, a non-renewable energy source, to collect the waste paper from the community and to process it to produce new paper. And the recycling process still creates emissions which require treatment before they can be disposed of safely. Nevertheless, paper recycling is an important economical and environmental practice but one which must be carried out in a rational and viable manner for it to be useful to both industry and the community. Questions 30-36 Complete the summary below of the first two paragraphs of the Reading Passage. Choose ONE OR TWO WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer. SUMMARY Example From the point of view of recycling, paper has two advantages over minerals and Oil in that firstly it comes from a resource which is (30) ……………………. and secondly it is less threatening to our environment when we throw it away because it is (31) ……………………. Although Australia’s record in the re-use of waste paper is good, it is still necessary to use a combination of recycled fibre and (32) …………………… to make new paper. The paper industry has contributed positively and people have also been encouraged by (33) ……………………. to collect their waste on a regular basis. One major difficulty is the removal of ink from used paper but (34) ……………………. are being made in this area. However, we need to learn to accept paper which is generally of a lower (35) …………………….than before and to sort our waste paper by removing (36) …………………….before discarding it for collection. Questions 37-41 Look at paragraphs C, D, and E and, using the information in the passage, complete the flow chart below. Use ONE OR TWO WORDS for each answer.

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[mssng-lttrs]

thank you so much for tagging me, @studywithbread! a bit late, but i had fun answering!

Rules: Answer these 92 89 statements and tag 20 people

LAST: 1. Drink: water (it’s important to stay hydrated, kids!) 2. Phone call: a call from my great aunt telling me that she was waiting out front 3. Text message: sent - “ohh” (my friend told me that jacob stegosaurus got hacked lmao) received - “good night” (a text from my family group chat) 4. Song you listened to: Trade Mistakes by Panic! at the Disco 5. Time you cried: i honestly don’t remember?? i’m just not a big crier. the last time i cried was also the first time i cried in public. i stayed after class to ask my teacher to input some assignments (this was after the deadline for late work and he didn’t accept any more emails). he went off on me, saying that i should’ve emailed and blah blah blah. i walked out to lunch with my friend who had waited and then started to cry

HAVE YOU: 6. Dated someone twice: no 7. Kissed someone and regretted it: is it lame that i’m sixteen and haven’t even had my first kiss?? 8. Been cheated on: no 9. Lost someone special: um, not in the aspect of friends, but i have lost family members 10. Been depressed: not really 11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: i aM a gOod kiD!! (the answer is no.)

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS: 12-14: yellow, purple (lilac or very dark purple), and black

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU: 15. Made new friends: yes i have 16. Fallen out of love: i don’t really have any experience with love lmao 17. Laughed until you cried: i don’t think i’ve ever laughed and ended up with tears, but i have laughed until i ran out of breath and ended up just clapping my hands together like a seal 18. Found out someone was talking about you: no, i have not 19. Met someone who changed you: i don’t think i’ve recently met someone with that much impact on my life 20. Found out who your friends are: i think i have 21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: i honestly don’t even know how to use facebook

GENERAL: 22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: ^see above 23. Do you have any pets: no, but i really, really, really want a dog!!

HYDRATION REMINDER #1: drink a glass of water! yes, right now!

24. Do you want to change your name: no, i do not. i’m really proud of my name (despite not choosing to disclose it on here) because it has a certain meaning to it 25. What did you do for your last birthday: my last birthday was actually pretty fun! for my sixteenth birthday, i decided to have a party (after not having one since like fourth grade) with a bob ross theme. it was pretty small, i only invited a few friends over, but we had a lot of fun just chilling and painting along to bob ross :) 26. What time did you wake up: i woke up at 7:15 due to my alarm, but then went back to sleep until 8:45 27. What were you doing at midnight last night: falling asleep 28. Name something you can’t wait for: this sunday. i’m part of a teen advisory board at my local library and i came up with this idea for a program. i’ve spent a few months working on putting everything together for this, and it’s going to be on sunday! 29. When was the last time you saw your mom: this morning when she left for work 30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: um… i’m not sure, i think i’m pretty okay with my life at the moment 31. What are you listening to right now: Black Mambo by Glass Animals 32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: i am very shocked that my answer is no 33. Something that is getting on your nerves: my little brother’s temper tantrums 34. Most visited websites: youtube and tumblr

LOST QUESTIONS. I JUST PUT IN RANDOM INFO ABOUT ME 35. Mole/s: i have one below my right eye and a few light ones on my cheeks by my mouth 36. Mark/s: i have a birthmark on the back of my thigh that i can’t see myself unless i sit in front of a mirror and lift up my leg. i also have a scar on my stomach right next to my navel from surgery as a premature baby 37. Childhood dream: my childhood dream was to own and manage my own restaurant and to be a writer. i don’t remember if one came before the other or if they came about at the same time. the restaurant dream has faded away over time, but i still love to write 38. Hair color: black, but the ends have gotten a dark brown from the sun 39. Long or short hair: when i was little, i really did not want to get my hair cut. so, i only ever got it trimmed until two years ago. i decided to actually cut it and donate the hair, because my hair was long enough to do so. my hair ended up a few inches past my shoulders, and i actually really liked it. then i let my hair grow out and back in december i decided to cut it again to donate. this time, it went up to about my collarbones. i don’t really prefer one hair length over the other, though 40. Do you have a crush on someone: no, i do not 41. What do you like about yourself: i like my creativity and my ability to make others laugh 42. Piercings: i only have two, one on each lobe. i love the idea of other piercings (eyebrow bars, septums, snake bites, etc.), but i wouldn’t get them myself 43. Blood type: i have no idea 44. Nickname: in real life, i don’t really have any nicknames. i prefer people to call me by my full name, but i’m fine with people coming up with nicknames that don’t have to do with my actual name. on here, i go by o.a.a (here’s why) 45. Relationship status: single, but i would really like to be in a relationship 46. Zodiac: pisces

HYDRATION REMINDER #2: go and get yourself another glass of water!

47. Pronouns: she/her 48. Favorite TV Show: i don’t watch a lot of tv because we have amazon prime 49. Tattoos: i don’t have any. but, like with piercings, i really like the idea of it. i would want one on my right bicep of a planet, or something related to space, but i don’t think i would ever actually get it (mostly because i am not a fan of needles) 50. Right or left hand: i am right-handed 51. Surgery: i underwent surgeries when i was a baby because i was born two months premature. i don’t remember/have never really asked about the exact purpose of them, though 52. Hair dyed in different color: i have never dyed my hair, not even with a temporary hair dye, hair chalk, or kool aid 53. Sport: what is this sport you speak of?? haha i am a very lazy person, but i do go to the gym with my family 54. Vacation: i think my favorite vacation was during spring break this year. my family and i went on a road trip up to portland, oregon. we stayed there for a couple days. then we went on a day trip to vancouver, washington. after that, we went to san jose to stay at a friend’s. the next day, we went on a day trip to san francisco and the day after we went back home 55. Pair of trainers: i don’t know how to answer this question

MORE GENERAL: 56. Eating: i’m not eating anything at the moment, but i had cereal for breakfast 57. Drinking: i am currently drinking water 58. I’m about to: reblog some gifs of dan and phil probably 59. Waiting for: my mom to come home from work 60. Want: to be able to explore more of the world; go to more museums and bookstores; become a cultured person; be happy in life (and get a dog!!) 61. Get married: i really want to get married sometime in the future 62. Career: i’m planning on becoming a pharmacist as my career (because it’s sensible, financially-speaking) and write on the side/in my spare time (which is the more risky job)

WHICH IS BETTER: 63. Hugs or kisses: hugs 64. Lips or eyes: eyes 65. Shorter or taller: idk? i am a very short person (4’ 11.5”) so everyone’s taller than me. i wish i was at least in the 5’ range, but i don’t particularly mind being a small person 67. Older or younger: i guess older? but i am friends with people that are younger than me

HYDRATION REMINDER #3: yes, drink even more water!

68. Nice arms or nice stomach: nice stomach 69. Sensitive or loud: loud (to balance out my sensitivity) 70. Hook up or relationship: relationship 71. Troublemaker or hesitant: hesitant

HAVE YOU EVER: 72. Kissed a Stranger: no, i’m too shy for that 73. Drank hard liquor: nope 74. Lost glasses/contact lenses: yes, and here’s the story behind it: my mom took us to a party thrown by her boss. they had a home theater, so my brothers and i spent the rest of the time in there. at some point, i took off my glasses and set them down. when we went to leave, i couldn’t find my glasses, anywhere. i never left the room except to go the bathroom, but i didn’t find them. i ended up buying new ones (which look better than the old ones) in december. last week, my mom came home from work with my old glasses. turns out, her boss found them under the seat. 75. Turned someone down: yeah 76. Sex on the first date: I’M ONLY SIXTEEN 77. Broken someone’s heart: sorta (it ties in with turning someone down) 78. Had your heart broken: no 79. Been arrested: nope 80. Cried when someone dies: i know this makes me sound soulless, but i have not cried when my family members died. i did grieve deeply, though 81. Fallen for a friend: the same person who sorta had their heart broken and was turned down by me

DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 82. Yourself: yeah 83. Miracles: yes 84. Love at first sight: i do (this was intentional wording) 85. Santa Claus: as a kid, yes, but not anymore 86. Kiss on the first date: sure if the date went well

OTHER: 87. Current best friend name: alex 88. Eye color: a deep brown 89. Favorite movie: any disney movie or studio ghibli movie (but i do really like ratatouille and spirited away)

HYDRATION REMINDER #4: the very last one now that you’ve gotten to the end of this list! drink another glass! now you’ve at least met half of the daily goal in only the time it took you to read this post!

NOW, TAG 20 PEOPLE:

@philester // @wishes-and-stars // @philscurls // @studywitheva // @hufflepuffwannabe // @tbhstudying // @donthavetobebrave // @h2ostudies // @needacuddle // @dannyhowell // @cosyphan // @scholarc // @permanenthugfromyou // @studie-s // @studybrite // @miepeachy // @saturday-studying // @gradespiration // @studyrelief // @notesworthtea

*it’s all good if you don’t want to answer these! i honestly just went down my following list and tagged whoever came up. sorry in advance if i just come off as a creepy, random follower

[thanksforthedinosaur]

december 2019

1. dsps - folk song for you 2. plastic plastic - ฮัม 3. 宇宙ネコ子 - 君のように生きれたら 4. pomplamoose - a vizsla in a tesla in ibiza 5. kate bollinger - untitled 6. rae spoon - again + again + again 7. mindy gledhill - lines 8. sorcha richardson - high in the garden 9. nada surf - something i should do 10. ratboys - alien with a sleep mask on 11. namdose - all that you have 12. modest mouse - ice cream party 13. varsity - still apart 14. keren ann - odessa, odyssée (patchworks remix) 15. michelle blades - kiss me on the mouth 16. sarah jaffe - all my friends are pretty 17. tristen - red lava 18. myzica - can't come back 19. christelle bofale - origami dreams 20. lorelle meets the obsolete - acción vaciar 21. overcoats - leave if you wanna 22. and the kids - the final free 23. methyl ethel - real tight 24. blood cultures - uncertainty - an anthem 25. dori freeman - like i do 26. sparrows - gold in the tide 27. wild pink - how's the tap here 28. romantic states - ballerina 29. emily yacina - bleachers 30. aldous harding - fixture picture 31. paula cole - all or nothing 32. jenny owen youngs - living room 33. ings - if not you 34. harmony woods - swing 35. soccer mommy - yellow is the color of her eyes 36. yumi zouma - bruise 37. barrie - human nature 38. starover blue - anemone 39. lost film - enough 40. hazel english - shaking 41. gabrielle papillon - don't want to go to bed 42. she her her hers - floating city 43. adoy - lemon 44. the radio dept. - pulling our weight 45. siamese cats - billion light years 46. brightness - midnight mass 47. mint julep - stranger 48. wildlife - follower (lala) 49. lightning bug - vision scraps 50. whimsical - i always dream of you 51. horsebeach - trust 52. temple of angels - cerise dream 53. spool - tip of a finger 54. me not you - i should know better 55. ardency - stress dreams 56. holy holy - frida 57. sidewave - return 58. cafuné - friction 59. twin limb - see you in the warm light 60. space above - stolen days 61. bora york - too soon, too cold 62. prune deer - by air 63. night tempo - new dawn 64. stan forebee - serene 65. ødyssee - how we feel 66. another silent weekend - falling apart 67. luvbird - without u 68. cocabona - howl 69. goosetaf - upstream 70. baechulgi - thanks 71. oatmello - yakisoba 72. chief. - into sleep 73. rook1e - we'll stay inside when it rains 74. leaf beach - mirage 75. meltycanon - jolyne 76. lordsun - last time 77. avery sennin - watch me 78. easy life - sangria 79. basick - oohooh 80. manon - winter lil life 81. meisterbeatz - masters of the humanverse 82. leikeli47 - bad gyal flex 83. keke palmer - twerk n flirt 84. chynna - mood 85. princess nokia - balenciaga 86. kodie shane - 2 many 87. 2 chainz - threat 2 society 88. frank ocean - in my room 89. the midnight hour - harmony 90. kari faux - in the air 91. fka twigs - holy terrain 92. be steadwell - witch 93. qveen herby - confetti 94. kehlani - you know wassup 95. diamond white - love songs 4 96. queen naija - good morning text 97. dounia - lowkey grl 98. michaela - 111 99. cautious clay - saturday morning cartoons 100. quin - calling 101. mcclenney - love in the sky 102. sevyn streeter - whatchusay 103. cassie - excuses 104. syd - getting late 105. deaton chris anthony - racecar 106. cuco - feelings 107. miraa may - fwm 108. tinashe - save room for us 109. luna shadows - practice 110. bea miller - feel something 111. kaina - waiting on a day 112. rationale - hurts the most 113. masego - big girls 114. ecco2k - fragile 115. ari mason - pangaea 116. tennyson - collapse 117. exes - burnout 118. hope tala - d.t.m. 119. love x stereo - zero one 120. rén with the mane - burnin 121. reddish blu - waste my time 122. bülow - boys will be boys 123. madge - bonedeep 124. honeycraft - circles 125. friday night plans - antiquities 126. ider - body love 127. lusine - not alone 128. cehryl - home video 129. baths - wistful (fata morgana) 130. pale blue - a heart whose love is innocent 131. keep shelly in athens - caryatid 132. alex lustig - stardust 133. briana marela - there is value in you 134. mija - sweat it out 135. bella boo - way chill 136. direct - give and take 137. kozoro - girl of the sky 138. cloudnone - wish 139. attom - follow me 140. nvdes - bump it 141. lisel - digital light field 142. com truise - gaussian 143. little boots - infrared 144. the fin. - cold 145. dan mason ダン·メイソン - everytime i cry 146. liz - bubblegum 147. blackbird blackbird - myself 148. luxxury - another lifetime 149. ducktails - catch a rising star 150. marsheaux - alone (all alone) 151. nora van elken - needed you 152. louise burns - over you 153. genes - give it away 154. yota - limelight 155. the griswolds - aliens 156. cristina quesada - love at third sight 157. jessie ware - mirage (don’t stop) 158. l.e.j - pas l'time 159. madelin - monarch (hot fun remix) 160. pink skies - looking back 161. twinkids - psycho 162. gloss - blah blah blah 163. telex telexs - june 164. cheat codes - i feel ya 165. melanie c - high heels 166. ciara - thinkin bout you 167. joy. - diamond 168. tatiana hazel - can't help but notice 169. ralph - last time 170. litany - love letter 171. gabrielle aplin - like you say you do 172. misterwives - find my way home 173. kate nash - bad lieutenant 174. ellie goulding - sixteen 175. charli xcx - porsche 176. bts - make it right 177. sofi de la torre - pero no 178. hayley kiyoko - l.o.v.e. me 179. millie turner - swimming pool 180. fleurie - sway 181. harry styles - watermelon sugar 182. fractures - chains 183. madeline - di bale na lang 184. middle kids - real thing 185. hikes - mahal kita 186. elephant gym - gaze at blue 187. mol-74 - playback 188. delta sleep - sultans of ping 189. sore eyelids - everything's a waste 190. microwave - mirrors 191. hawthorne heights - hard to breathe 192. pohgoh - repeat exchanges 193. upset - brighton 194. honeyblood - gibberish 195. liza anne - devotion 196. dressy bessy - what do i get? 197. holiday ghosts - slipstream 198. the regrettes - here you go 199. tsunami bomb - sinkhole 200. beach slang - tommy in the 80s 201. this is fantastic for you - skullduggery 202. loma prieta - continuum 203. andrea von kampen - crossing the bar 204. chelsea cutler - please 205. shannon lay - november 206. mount eerie - love without possession 207. shannon wright - these present arms 208. fromm - with you 209. stella jang - how could a person always be lovely 210. ikimonogakari - we do 211. cheeze - blue champagne 212. oohyo - pizza 213. perfume - 再生 214. asoboism - uchoten 215. key - i wanna be 216. wasuta - デデスパボン! 217. eill - one last time 218. isyana sarasvati - feel so right 219. asako toki - that summer 220. kolme - repeat 221. dia - woowa 222. got7 - run away 223. cream - mvp 224. exid - how you doin' 225. twice - fake & true 226. gfriend - wish 227. azki - reflection 228. kirara magic - moka 229. p19 - infinitymoflity 230. b3lla - akihabara 231. wisp x - faeth 232. sanaas - leaving me (freezer remix) 233. pleeg - breath 234. colate - 三日月ランデヴー 235. ハレトキドキ - テルミー (smooth rap) 236. fujifire - cafè delight 237. nanahira - doki doki virus 238. cute girls doing cute things - too spicy 239. d-real - disco night 240. mélonade - extra 241. uno - バーチャルワールドが僕らの町にやってきた  242. nyarons - because of youth 243. club2tokyo - drlng 244. ohey - forgiveness 245. yukiyanagi - tourbillon 246. wave meow - in love 247. ducky - my flower, your garden 248. slushii - i'd do anything 249. magic circuit - quiet rooms 250. anamanaguchi - on my own 251. sweet dove - perches in the soul 252. akisai - allemande 253. ★star guitar - part of me 254. teen daze - open 255. [.que] - happily 256. hiromi - sepia effect 257. albert karch - celestially light iv 258. satomoka - 雨の日のストール 259. hana - cowgirl bebop

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6ytRUSMsjPtZ3VIzc7z9V6?si=Hr1OrcTiSQWtR27m_luShQ

[lins-fandom-hub]

weird asks thing

from this post

okay here we go

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

Tea cups and coffee mugs! Not that I’m a firm collector. I just happen to have them is all.

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

Chocolate bars.

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?

Cotton Candy!!

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

Hyper, not very cooperative, loud

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

Soda bottles, though I wouldn’t mind glass cups.

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

Huh? I...tend to go casual, and the colour scheme doesn’t matter to me much. I’d say tomboy if I have to pick from this list though.

7. earbuds or headphones?

Headphones--if I could find a nice pair.

8. movies or tv shows?

Movies. I don’t know any TV shows.

9. favorite smell in the summer?

Freshly cut grass after mowing the lawn.

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

Don’t even talk to me about P.E. The only thing I remember from it was the stress that dodgeball brought around.

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

Eggs, bread, oatmeal. Nothing too fancy. Sometimes I actually make a breakfast sandwich with avocados and cheese, but if said items weren’t in the fridge...

12. name of your favorite playlist?

Windows Down 2k18. Has tracks from many different artists and eras that I actually like to listen to. No classical though, that’s another playlist.

13. lanyard or key ring?

Lanyard. Can’t get enough of them back in university.

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

Fuzzy Peaches.

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis.

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

Mermaid pose? On the floor, at least.

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

A pair of black Adidas shoes my mom recently bought this year for me and my sister. Turns out that my sister wears the white pair more while I wear the black. Not that I mind.

18. ideal weather?

Sunny with no chance of rain.

19. sleeping position?

Mostly on my right side all curled up.

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

Depends on my mood. Sometimes my computer for fanfic novels. Sometimes my notebook if I have secrets to spill.

21. obsession from childhood?

Does Disney count?

22. role model?

Idina Menzel.

23. strange habits?

Talking to myself (a lot), singing at my desk (or humming), twirling my pencil too much. 

24. favorite crystal?

White Calcite.

25. first song you remember hearing?

Ummm...the wheels on the bus? I can’t remember.

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

Walk around the park and catch Pokemon (in Pokemon GO).

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

Go ice skating!

28. five songs to describe you?

“Speechless” - Naomi Scott

“Blown Away” - Carrie Underwood

“I Dare You” - Bea Miller

“Bless Myself” - Lucy Hale

“Can’t Be Tamed” - Miley Cyrus

29. best way to bond with you?

Walk through the park with me. Or talk about stuff with me. Anything, really, so long as it doesn’t bore either of us.

30. places that you find sacred?

Any place that holds a tall temple.

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

a pair of denim shorts and a black t-shirt. or if it’s in the winter, a pair of jeans and a comfy hoodie.

32. top five favorite vines?

I don’t watch vines. Welp.

33. most used phrase in your phone?

Welp.

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

For a while it was this Liberty ad I remember watching while I was in the States, but that’s pretty much it...

35. average time you fall asleep?

On school nights, 12 am or so, maybe 2 am at latest. Right now, about 10 pm or so.

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?

anything involving grumpy cat.

37. suitcase or duffel bag?

Suitcase! Makes things feel more official. 

38. lemonade or tea?

Lemonade.

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

Lemon meringue pie!

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

At least once a term it’s turned into the biggest Humans vs Zombies war zone ever.

41. last person you texted?

my mom

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

jacket pockets!

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

Hoodies!

44. favorite scent for soap?

Anything floral works.

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

Fantasy.

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

my pyjamas!

47. favorite type of cheese?

Havarti. But that’s because I eat it so often.

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

Probably a grape. Or a bunch of grapes.

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.” ~Thomas Jefferson

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

Any GIF from Hamilton the Musical.

51. current stresses?

Job searching and updating stories on Wattpad.

52. favorite font?

Comic Sans--NOPE. Tahoma or Verdana, I guess.

53. what is the current state of your hands?

Fairy smooth, I guess? Though the nails are misshapen due to my horrendous attempts at cutting them, and my pinkies are curved due to genetics passed down from generations past. Whee.

54. what did you learn from your first job?

I learned that not everyone will treat you with the same respect, and that you have to look past that flaw to give them a chance.

55. favorite fairy tale?

The Goose Girl.

56. favorite tradition?

Anything Chinese New Year related.

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

Depression in the wake of my grandfather’s death; lack of confidence after my parents’ condemning; lack of concentration following a head injury

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

Playing the piano, playing the violin, singing on pitch, and opening bottles with lids screwed on too tightly.

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

“Don’t even try to mess with me.”

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

I don’t even know the first thing about Anime, so I don’t even know how to answer this.

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

“That’s my girlfriend, you numpties!” ~Ron Weasley

62. seven characters you relate to?

Anna - Frozen

Rapunzel - Tangled

Katniss - The Hunger Games

Tris - Divergent

Rowan - HPHM

[insert 2 other characters here]

63. five songs that would play in your club?

“Turn Down for What” - DJ Snake ft Lil John

“High Hopes” - Panic! At the Disco

“Dance, Dance” - Fall Out Boy

“Victorious” - P!ATD

“Kill This Love” - BLACKPINK

64. favorite website from your childhood?

Webkinz.com or Poptropica.com

65. any permanent scars?

One on my right knee from an unfortunate slip on ice in the winter four years ago.

66. favorite flower(s)?

Daisies, lilies, or tulips.

67. good luck charms?

depends on whatever holds more sentimental value. For now, it’s a little Niffler that I crocheted off a YouTube tutorial (and its name is Nuggets.)

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

I typically don’t like anything too spicy, but I really hate the taste of mushrooms. Not the Asian ones--Baby Bellas, specifically. Just...no.

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

Currently not applicable.

70. left or right handed?

Right handed.

71. least favorite pattern?

Huh?

72. worst subject?

Gym.

73. favorite weird flavor combo?

I’ll get back to you on that.

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

7 or 8.

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

I was...five or six? Still fairly young.

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

Anything that’s a mix of fries or tater tots! Those are just--mm.

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

I’m not much of a plant-grower but any small plant works fine. 

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

Sushi from a grocery store, please.

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

School ID photo.

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

Jewel tones.

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

Fireflies. What are lightning bugs??

82. pc or console?

Console--and here I wish I still had one!

83. writing or drawing?

Writing. 

84. podcasts or talk radio?

Talk radio.

84. barbie or polly pocket?

Barbie--mostly because I didn’t know Polly Pocket existed until I was like 10 or 11.

85. fairy tales or mythology?

Fairy tales. 

86. cookies or cupcakes?

Cupcakes! Cookies! Can I say both???

87. your greatest fear?

People stabbing me to death with nothing but words of betrayal on their lips.

88. your greatest wish?

Hey, if I told you that, it wouldn’t come true.

89. who would you put before everyone else?

My little sister.

90. luckiest mistake?

Haven’t had any recently.

91. boxes or bags?

Boxes. 

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

Sunlight!

93. nicknames?

Never had any, though someone in an old English class I used to teach thought it’d be funny to call me Crayola. 

94. favorite season?

Spring!

95. favorite app on your phone?

Pokemon GO for now.

96. desktop background?

A picture I took last summer of a monarch butterfly landing on a pink flower.

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

None? Okay, like, 3, but mostly because they’re really important numbers.

98. favorite historical era?

Music speaking, the Classical era. Otherwise, I don’t know, I haven’t studied that extensively into history.

[bruceeves]

WORK # 954: THEN AND NOW (PARKSIDE STORY)” (2016) brings together two works created 38 years apart which, when united in marriage, question some of our most basic assumptions. The overall size is 101.6x170.1 cm (40”x67”). The first work consists of a grumpy and waspish recounting of two nights out at the legendary Parkside tavern in 1977 – on its own not of insignificant historical interest, but combined with the second more politically provocative work from late last year the paradox of present realities in conflict with nostalgic longing comes to the fore. The intent of embedding “things were better when everyone hated us” on top of the image is not to malign the magnificence that a certain degree of normality has been allowed to envelop our lives, it is about mourning some of the things we’ve sacrificed in achieving our state of grace. This shift back and forth in time illustrates that, in Luc Sante’s words “utopias last five minutes, to the extent that they happen at all. There will never be a time when the wish for security does not lead to unconditional surrender.” We have allowed, welcomed even, the wholesale corporate sponsorship of our existence – the benevolence of which doesn’t lead to more freedom and creativity, it leads to less. I remember hearing stories, after the gay liberation movement went mainstream in the late 1970s, of single straight men becoming fretful (the poor delicate things) of lunching alone with another man because of, shall we say, appearances. Thus was our power to terrify. The text reads:

JANUARY 14, 1977 Arrived at the Parkside at about 10:00 p.m.; sat down and scanned the room. Not yet full to capacity but quite crowded nonetheless. “The Look” is as it always has been – that of a pseudo-working class dress: flannel shirts, denim; some leather, but not much tonight. Generally everyone takes care of their bodies, physical fitness abounds. I seem oddly out of place – the clothes are right but the body is all wrong. I’m really a wreck tonight, more so than usual. Soon we are invaded by two groups. The first being a pair who’s fantasies lie in the Vogue/Gentleman’s Quarterly life-style; one tells me with relish that they’re going to New York in March and asked if I’d ever been. I said regularly, he said, no seriously . . . I said, regularly. We devised a plan to get them to leave saying we will meet them later at another bar. Lies of course; it worked. The second group was of four fitting the stereotype of the room. They too seemed devoid of intellect. We changed tables to sit with two friends and a third who was a diminutive version of Karl Beveredge; I told him so but, of course, he didn’t know what I was talking about. Conversation was very pleasant. These two have finely-tuned sensibilities; certainly a rarity. Around closing-time we all decided to go dancing. I went only as a treat to myself because I worked hard all week and was pleased with my progress. ¶ The situation there was similar – many of the same people, same general look. The atmosphere in the Parkside is very casual; no obvious sexual searching exists. The disco was the opposite – people standing, wandering around; waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting. Maybe the next one will be . . . waiting, waiting. As always I seem to arouse no interest, for I’ve never really fit into the stereotype. I began fantasizing them all masturbating into mirrors. This situation inhibits me to the point of being afraid to ask anyone to dance. A rejection tonight would be heart-breaking. ¶ I left; 4:00 a.m., went home.

FEBRUARY 12, 1977 Got to the Parkside about 9:30 to meet David there but he didn’t show up until 10:15. The crowd was the same as usual; didn’t know a soul. Everyone dressed alike. Everyone very butch but I could only pick out one person that didn’t have his lumberjack shirt ironed. I wore black police boots, green work pants (dirty) black t-shirt inside out with the right armpit torn, hair all over, the beginnings of a Hitler moustache. A much raunchier version of the rest of the room; the Xerox machine was broken, I guess. David arrived, we had couple. Changed tables for a more central location because our view of the landscape was blocked by pillars. Had a couple more, discussed Robert Handforth’s looks, too bad he’s the enemy. Went down the road for a couple after much debate but David wouldn’t be served. So we went back. Sat with a friend of David’s I remember him from the march but can’t recall his name. Went to another table, I can’t remember why; had a couple more. Conversation was about commercial films. Ended up God-knows-where in the East end. David getting the attention of two while I sat like a lump. All went back downtown for a burger at Fran’s – typical service. Got a ride home at about 4:30. Ron was up, had some tea and went to bed.

[thesoggychef-blog]

Good Spirits: All the Booze You Need to Get Throug...

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Good Spirits: All the Booze You Need to Get Throug...

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[Photographs: Vicky Wasik, unless otherwise noted]

You’ve decked the halls with tinsel and wreaths; you’ve stocked up on Hanukkah candles and polished your grandpa’s menorah. Your New Year’s bash may get a disco ball this year (because, really, good riddance, 2017)—but you’re not quite done with all the fancy preparations. Because if there’s ever an occasion to drink fancy, it’s the holiday season. December is the time to pour Champagne (or, okay, good sparkling wine) and mix a little something special into your cocoa. And, to get through all those office parties and ugly-sweater contests, you’re going to need some whiskey…and some rum…and some gin.

Before you hit the store, do a little survey of your calendar so you can stock up in advance on liquor for special gatherings of family and friends, gift bottles for your holiday hosts, and once-a-year investments for truly delicious winter sipping.

Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere

Buy a dozen bottles of sparkling wine now, and you’ll likely score a discount. That’s money you can put toward better-tasting bubbles for every toast through New Year’s—plus, with a dozen on hand, you’ll be ready for last-minute dinner invites and all those endless end-of-year parties. We’re partial to bright, lemony Vitteaut-Alberti Crémant de Bourgogne Cuvée Agnès (around $24) for cocktail-party situations, especially if there’s seafood or lighter snacks on hand. If your meal stars richer pork or poultry, go with rounder, yeasty Domaine Parigot & Richard Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Blanc de Blancs (around $23), or the wonderfully juicy, citrus- and blackberry-tinged Raventós i Blanc Rosé de Nit (around $24). Worst case: You have a bottle or two left over for Valentine’s Day.

The Easiest Cocktail Ever

[Photograph: Courtesy of Hochstadter]

It’s wise to be a little wary of premade cocktails—there are bad ones out there, gang—but pour a mini can of Hochstadter’s 84-proof Slow & Low Rock and Rye (around $4) into a nice tumbler with a big cube of ice, and you’ll easily fool the snobs in your midst into thinking you’ve stirred a cocktail to order. Made with rye, raw honey, dried oranges, rock candy, and Angostura bitters, it’s an old-timey concoction that’s essentially a canned Old Fashioned. The citrusy spice feels holiday-appropriate, and the pleasure-to-effort ratio is just right. Planning on serving a crowd? A full bottle of the stuff might be more up your alley.

Rum for Sipping (and for Eggnog)

You may not use a whole bottle of rum when you make eggnog, so you might as well buy something that will also taste good on its own. Luckily, there’s a wealth of options. This time of year, we often recommend the rich, complex El Dorado 15 Year Old ($50) or its more affordable 12-year-old sibling; luscious Zaya Gran Reserva 12 ($30); toasty Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 ($45); or sweet, chocolaty Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva ($22 for 375ml).

Spice Your Cocoa

I’ll always have a weakness for cocoa spiked with tequila and mint schnapps (try it!), but this year, my comfort drink of choice is a big mug of hot chocolate with a tablespoon of St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram (around $28) stirred in after heating. The Jamaican-born rum-based liqueur adds a blast of spice that’s reminiscent of pepper, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. When you’ve had your fill of spiced cocoa, you can pour a bit into your Old Fashioned, your mulled wine, your hot cider, your coffee, or pretty much any punch.

The Best Gin for Martinis

Fords Gin (around $30) makes a beautifully balanced Martini, its piney, resinous flavors backed up with a chorus of grapefruit, peppercorn, and coriander. Be careful: With a cocktail this silky-smooth, you might find yourself drinking fast. (I trust you’ll already have snacks at the ready.) While Fords won the Serious Eats Martini taste test a few years back, I also truly adore the super-fragrant St. George Terroir Gin (around $33), flavored with sage, Douglas fir, and California bay laurel. Don’t dishonor it with stale vermouth.

(At Least) Two Fresh Bottles of Vermouth

Unless you (or your dinner host) have bought vermouth within the last month and stored it in the fridge, you’ll need fresh vermouth to start the season right. You can’t go wrong with Dolin, especially since a half bottle is just about 10 bucks, but lately I’ve been enjoying Routin Dry Vermouth (around $23), which is especially bright and citrusy thanks to a dose of Sauvignon Blanc. It has a nice floral character, too. If you like a slightly richer Martini, try the alluring, honeyed Martini & Rossi Riserva Speciale “Ambrato” (around $18), which has a round, sweet-and-savory character and a delicately bitter, herbal finish.

While you’re at it, pick up a half bottle of Carpano Antica Formula (around $16) for Negronis, Boulevardiers, or this variation made with apple brandy. Again: Remember to store any open bottles of vermouth in the fridge.

Red, Red Wine

If you followed my advice and bought extra bottles of Cabernet Franc or Passe-Tout-Grains in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, your work here is done. Those wines will do just fine with your Christmas prime rib, crisp-skinned goose, or crown roast of lamb. The Domaine de la Chanteleuserie 2016 Bourgueil “Cuvée Alouettes” ($16), in particular, has an earthy, juniper-infused flavor and affordable price that make it ideal for a crowd. But even the very best gamey, savory, and delicious Chinon, from producers like Olga Raffault or Bernard Baudry, isn’t all that expensive.

Party Whiskey

Serious Eats has a whole list of the best budget bourbons and another of the best budget rye whiskeys from a few years back, both written by Michael Dietsch, the author of Whiskey and Shrubs. There are also some great values recommended in this introduction to bottled-in-bond whiskeys; my go-to these days for cocktails is the spicy Henry McKenna Single Barrel, which I’ve seen for about $27 near me.

After-Dinner Sips

[Photograph: Wes Rowe]

If you haven’t quite sated your sweet tooth even after a plate or two of cookies—or if you prefer to drink your dessert—a small pour of Don Ciccio & Figli’s Concerto (around $32) will do the trick. It’s a luxuriously rich and chocolaty liqueur, flavored with wood-roasted barley, espresso, and various herbs and spices, and it wraps up on a black-licorice note that makes it a nice accompaniment for just one more gingersnap.

Some folks like to sip something a bit more aggressively bitter in the hopes that it’ll settle the stomach. If you’re bored with fernet and the amari you’ve got on hand, try Don Ciccio & Figli’s citrusy Amaro Tonico Ferro-Kina (around $40) with your fruitcake, or score a bottle of bittersweet Barolo-based Chinato, made by Cappellano, Vergano, or G. D. Vajra.

A Fancy Gift for Scotch Lovers

This year has some strong contenders when it comes to new whisky releases, including The Macallan’s robust, toffee- and fruit-laced Edition No. 3 ($95) and Speyburn 15 Year Old ($65), which is a lovely mouthful of graham cracker and marmalade. But the whisky I keep thinking about night after night is The Balvenie’s Peat Week ($99), a 14-year aged Scotch made back in 2002 with earthy Highland peat. (They produce peated whiskies only one week out of the year at the distillery, hence the name.) While there’s an intriguing, smoky finish to this dram, it isn’t the peat monster you might expect from the label. Instead, Peat Week is a chewy, butterscotch-y Scotch with full, round body and a vanilla-scented warmth. I love it.

Something Pretty for the Bar Cart

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one more—the bottle I’ve most enjoyed having around for dinner parties. Even if you’re not normally the sort to be charmed by a beveled, decanter-type bottle, pouring Suntory’s Hibiki Japanese Harmony ($65) for your guests just feels fancy. And drinking it does, too: This Japanese blended whisky is creamy, mellow, and silky, hinting at toffee, toasted nuts, and a fragrant orange twist that’s been lit by a match. Offer a cheese plate alongside it, and let everyone linger.

While we’re talking about booze gifts that are basically both sculpture and drink, those who like their whiskey headier, sweeter, and richer have Blanton’s Bourbon Single Barrel ($60), complete with metallic horse-and-jockey stopper and beveled-bowling-ball bottle. This guy is gooey caramel and velvet in a glass, as intense as some sort of whiskey concentrate. Which might be just the dram you need when your family’s in town.

Disclosure: Tasting samples provided for review consideration. All prices noted in the text are estimates as of the time of writing and may change. Your purchase on Drizly helps support Serious Eats.

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[micleadd7]

Social media

Just add me on Facebook. Did you see my lunch the other day on Instagram? CleverBets2017 is now following you.You have been added to the whats app group Jeans 40th birthday. I guarantee at some point in the last few years you have all heard these things be you a Twitterer, Facebooker, Instagrammer, whatsapper or otherer (there's always an otherer) the crazy world that is socialising and social media absorbs your daily being, turning you into a mindless scrolling zombie. Flicking from one app to the next without a care in the world. Have we forgotten the days of calling people for a chat in the kitchen because that's where the phone is? looking through pictures you have had developed from holidays gone by? TEXT MESSAGING!?  HAVE WE LOST OUR WAY IN A BLUR OF CLICK  BAIT ARTICLES, MEMES AND COMMENT SECTIONS ON GROUPS THAT OFFEND THE PEOPLE WHO NEED TO BE OFFENDED!!  Let's start at the beginning.

Firstly I must point out the thing that makes most of this possible, the enabler of such activity, without it people would sit in a bar by themselves waiting for their friends awkwardly, the smart phone. Iphone/Samsung/Pigeon carrier whatever you are you have the tech literally at your fingertips to engage with anyone anywhere at any point. Bluetooth, 4g, WIfi, order a taxi, order a pizza for the taxi, watch TV, listen to the radio, I mean what is there that your smartphone does not do? What happened to the days of 3 ringtones per phone, polyphonic nonetheless, the genius that was snake, phones that when you dropped them instead of the screen smashing into a thousand pieces you feared for every bone in your foot. Now you have a bing, ding or some other strange noise you've never heard before and that's it, you are taken away into the online world forever, well not forever but at least for the foreseeable.

Ok anyway the beginning, well maybe not the beginning let's not forget Myspace with its click counter and putting your friends in order of who you liked the most. But no the real beginning for me has to be the arrival of Facebook. Facebook changed the boundaries of social etiquette in so many ways. People; be it dates, friends, random weirdos at a party or work no longer exchange phone numbers or show pictures. No no that's no longer necessary, ‘What's your full name?’ That is necessary, and a whole lot simpler to try and guess than a long list of numbers. Yes a person's full name is all you need for a full back catalogue of the last 10 years of anyone's life. Pictures, relationships, family members, age, home town, which spice girl you dressed up as at your local school disco it's all there, waiting for you, willing you to find it! More info than any sane human being should be able to process after 5 minutes of facebook stalking someone. Oh yes that's the other thing, I mean another thing, there are many things. Facebook stalking someone is widely known and accepted. As if this level of intense research into someone's life is any different from actual stalking. Looking through Katies pictures from her trip to Benidorm in 2003, specifically pausing on the bikini clad pics is just as creepy as standing outside her house in the rain hoping to steal a glimpse of her in the shower. Katie if you are reading this you can't prove anything. I guess the difference being is Katie put those pictures on Facebook right? So she wanted people to see them right? Her friends right? In which case she should be ok with her friends waiting outside her window in the rain, trying to get a glance at some sideboob action. Not sure why it has to be raining but it just does.

So what's your name? Add me on facebook. If they are interesting enough you trudge through making opinions on things. The thing is Facebook is a keyhole into someone's life that they want you to see. We all know this yet we all forget it. People (and when I say people I mean everyone) are fabricating whole lives through social media. Informing overs about brilliant family get togethers, forgetting the 16 arguments that occurred on the day and merely commenting on the pictures with everyone smiling. Adding road trip tags about how awesome the journey was even though Dave was asleep the whole way and Nick wouldn't stop farting. Or there's the amazing stays in hotels or brilliant 5 star meals or BBQing with every friend possible… You can forgive people for wanting to only post the most exciting parts of their  lives, I do the exact same thing but just once i'd like flick open the app and see:

Katie is thinking about staring at a tree.

It would probably get the same amount of likes anyway!

All that being said there are several scenarios that have grown into the very fabric of FB. Those things that happen which we all know about but either ignore, forget or are apart of. The ground to cover here is vast so I will move quickly;

The sheer anger towards each other in comment sections on a post nobody can even remember after the 45 replies is embarrassing.And it always ends with someone correcting someone else's fucking grammar, And no Michael Jackson isn't just here for the comments and popcorn.

People who re-post nonsense that starts with, ‘Most of your friends won't have the guts to re-post this’ can all suck a bag of dicks.

People who still play games and still send out invites - HOW ARE YOU STILL DOING THIS?

Click bait articles in which you never get the answer to the question posed in the headline which just makes me so mad I want to argue with anyone in the comments section.

When you see people still fraping each other and it depends on your mood as to if it's funny or not that MIke loves huge cocks.

And then there's this;

Saying Happy birthday on your birthday. I kid you not I have both posted happy birthday on a good friend's wall when he changed it for a joke looking like I have no idea when his birthday is and also missed a good friend's birthday because they took it down from Facebook. In fact the alert of someone's birthday on every single morning of every single day reminds me that i'm still friends with that person on here and that I should remove them from my Friends list, HAPPY BIRTHDAY INDEED! I do enjoy the Happy Birthdays on my birthday though, I wonder how many friends I lose on that day. Imagine that last sentence attached to real life, ‘I wonder how many friends I lose on my birthday’. Yeah thanks Facebook.

After all that nonsense there's then the people which I always say I will never be but will never know until I get there, Mums and Dads. The people who feel the need to show their children off to the whole internet every time he/she sneezes. Don't get me wrong, new parents I understand, absolutely, but there's a point where it surely must stop.

So proud of little Tommy here he is on:

His first day at school. 20 likes

At a swimming Gala 30 likes

Riding a bike 35 likes

Sleeping 100 likes.

FUCK OFF, i'm serious. How Is it that parents manage to escape the ability to realise that nobody else on earth is as interested in their child as much as they are. Well apart from the Savilles of the world but surely that's just adding to reasons why little Tommy on a bike should be kept to exactly that. I mean you wouldn't walk up to a stranger in the street and go, hey guy look at my kid in his new school Uniform, you like? Just give me a thumbs up and then tell all your mates to come look and give me a thumbs up as well.

Saying that I want to see pictures of your kids (sounds odd) about as much as I want to see pictures of your dinner. A friend of mine whatsapped me the other month (because nobody texts anymore. You all have that one friend that still texts you and you can't understand why) asking if i'd seen his dinner from the night before. What on earth happened before facebook/Instagram? Did people invite the neighbours over to look at their food before telling them to go away so they could eat it? Stupid thing is if someone stalks me ON FACEBOOK long enough i'm probably guilty of this myself. If like me as well you grew up with facebook when it first became a thing, I was at UNI. Hundreds of pictures of me being drunk and doing stupid things went up over a 3 year period. I was completely oblivious to the concept that my Parents Aunties/Uncles and all relatives may at some point join this network, leaving a huge window into my life open for anyone to see. Adam why are you in a shopping trolley at 6am? At least it's not my dinner!!!

While Facebook was the poster boy for socialising online there were many other apps following suit which had you mindlessly scrolling through smart phones as if other people were simply not in the room. To coin a phrase, does your phone want a drink? If it's not instagram with its crazy hashtags, #blog #tumblr #words #life #trees #Lettuce it's Twitter with well it's crazy hashtags, or SnapChat or Tinder or Fuckafish. I made that last one up but i'll bet if I had a quick look I would find an app for such means, probably endorsed by Bear Grylls.

With all this mindless scrolling going on we venture into the world of whatsapp. Past the causal 1-2-1s you have with your friends where you send constant pictures of yourself smiling like an idiot because you are bored of checking if your twitter post has been retweeted, there's the groups. Not as in Louis got the groups but the groups. You will have a group of friends group, a different group of friends group but with certain friends from the first group in that group, a family group and birthday group, a work group, without that dick from finance, a travelling in the car somewhere that nobody comments in anymore because you went wherever you were going group, a holiday group, a friend's pet group a... you get the picture. Your life is taken over when you wake up to 50 unread messages, mostly because Nick posted a funny meme or Rachel wants the money for the birthday present.You reply as thoroughly as you can copy and pasting Nick's now that you've woken up hilarious meme into several other groups,  pleased with the joke stealing laughs you are getting. Even if they all seem to be out loud. You find you have lost hours of the day communicating with people you could have just gone to see.

Further to that time wasting notion the creators then bought you whatsapp.web. Allowing you to have the app on your desktop, a sort of throwback to Messenger but with less smileys in people's titles and no nudge function. Shame on the no nudge function, loved having the feeling of a headache portrayed on a computer. So yes Whats app on your computer. At home. At work more like. With a million and one things to do, you are busy chatting to friends, family members and anyone who wants to listen. Tweeting about something completely unimportant, clicking through picture after picture of a lovely pie and mash or cheese board or a dog's dinner on Instagram only stopping to briefly stalk that girl you met last night on Facebook, she didn't give you her number but that's ok you don't need that. You've got a complete overview of what she's been doing for the last 10 years or so.Hell you don't even need an umbrella, it's not raining in your office.