#got hooked on the first game and then ran thru the second one

[marchsage]

winks your psyncs

[splitpush]

multifandom fic in review

as usual, nothing prompted this. i was reminiscing about the various fandoms that i’d traversed over my last decade+ of fanfic. if had to pick one story written by me that was my favorite for each fandom, what would it be?

if you see this meme and you want to do it, feel free to. i am tagging you.

the first set of fandoms are ones i dabbled in when i was basically prepubescent so it’s hard to pick a favorite when they’re all equally cringe (but.. in a cute way....). not linking back to anything on my old ffn because it’s embarrassing but they’re easily accessible if u squint (please don’t squint)

Artemis Fowl - no favorite

Guardians of Ga’hoole - probably the story i started writing about Pelli being a nazi cuz she was on good terms with Kludd before she tried to escape his cult with a bunch of nestmaid snakes. wow look at me being a real edgelord here

Kill Me Kiss Me - no favorite but i did a double-take when i went back to check i’d actually written something for this manhwa

next set of fandoms are from when i started to get into anime, namely tennis & ninja foolery. i was based on FFN at first because of my ties to a group of forum friends, but then it bled into LJ as the circle started to migrate. those friends were probably the reason i was faithful to tenipuri for so long. having multiple 知音s in a fandom really does start to make it feel like your home base.

ATLA - crane station for jetko fic exchange

APH - ok for real this fandom dragged. i only stayed in it so i could keep talking to some of my favorite people. i guess if i had to pick a story i liked at all it would probably be softly treading softly

Bakuman - Your Chance to Rewrite the Bible

Code Geass - no favorite

FMA - Pacific Ocean, Telephone Line. i treasure this story. reading it feels like opening a time capsule of hopes i held onto near the end of high school

KHR! - SUNSHINE for me today. kyouko/haru rapture!

Prince of Tennis - tv cables. written as part of a private gift exchange between forementioned forum friends. marui gets hit by a car but it’s not an angsty story by any means. for a while my brand was injecting humor into concepts that were typically tragedy-driven and i kind of lived for it lmao... like i really thought i was doing something

PJO - definitely ハミングバード ~HUMMING BIRD~. nc-17 luke/nico magical realism 16k binge. first time writing id fic, i was hooked!

Naruto - The Pop Is Dead; Long Live The Superflat. deidara/oc, which makes this a self-insert. he was my favorite baddie and i’ll never understand why... whole lotta edgy references in this story but it’s probably the first time i felt like i got even remotely better at writing so it has a special place in my mind

the rpf fandoms i wrote for were scattered between LJ/tumblr eras but i’m going to list them all here. like most ppl that write rpf i ran in and out of it. 

e-sports - probably subperfect. everything on that blog is gratuitous & no you’re not welcome. i stopped writing e-sports rpf after i met najin sword irl. it got weird after that obviously

Genius Game - my Modulo on your Modulo. jdm/ohm for yuletide

JE - lot to pick from but probably Kind of happy, kind of not, written for je_holiday. my first foray into the pseudo sci-fi genre. i also accurately predicted the demise of politics americana but just so we’re clear the orange-kun mentioned in the story was a geass reference

kpop - no favorite

NBA - lapslock towel science for wall/cousins. yes i was actually drunk when i wrote this

i want to call this era of fandoms my ““second”” anime wave, wherein a lot of life imitates art bullshit came about via tunglr. it started with knb and led into time spent moonlighting as a typesetter and writing stuff across several pseudonyms. i made and discarded a lot of fandom friends/interests at this time and if you met me during it, i’m very sorry for the trouble i caused

Ao no Exorcist - Songe à la douceur. let’s be honest this fic transcended levels of self-insertion it was practically an autobiography

Daiya no Ace - finite fixation. but if i were picking by titles, “tanba-san is a secret” cuz i’m BL trash thru & thru

Free! - emotional trapcards you never wanted to play

Kuroko no Basket - i can’t pick just one, but i can tell you that it’s definitely nothing i wrote as gamblers. either aomido tennis AU “drive if destination not set” or nijimura/aomine “both of you, dribble like you want to win”

Slam Dunk - Rebound Rhapsodic, unfortunately. gratuity at its finest!!!!

Shingeki no Kyojin - remember when his name was rivaille lmao. pepperidge farm remembers. i got no favorites here

and finally we’ve reached the list fandoms that i’m currently writing for, so these are subject to change.

Haikyuu!! - probably オイ-メシ!! ~simple japanese homestyle cooking~

Saezuru - i’ve written only 1 fic so far & it’s not my favorite, but since i joined the discord it’s made me want to write more. we’ll see!

[petty-revenge-stories]

So you need to hurry up to get to a wedding? Too bad.

I work at a preschool in Sweden, (so sorry for my swenglish :) ), and have been doing that for many years. I get along pretty good with my coworkers/parents and the kids like me a lot. The past few months tho I have started to get annoyed with two of my co-workers that work together in the same (section?) in the preschool. They are in their mid 40:s but are acting like teenagers, always looking at their phones, showing each other stuff on them and giggling a lot. To be fair, I have only seen them doing that on their breaks, (that almost every time are more than the 30 min. we are suppose to have), but I don’t mind that so much, I believe that you can do what you want on your own free time and I hope that they don’t that stuff when they are working with the kids.

However I have noticed that pretty much every time we are outside in the yard/playground with the children they either stand at the (sandbox?), and talk to each other or other co-workers, not work related things, or just plain stand there and looking somewhat bored. Never play or do anything with the kids, and almost never open the (shed?) for the toys. I even had to help children that needed help that was just a few meters away from them because they didn’t notice them, to busy with talking to each other. I have tried to talk about this issue on our monthly meetings but it is like it’s going in thru one ear and out of the other ear with them.

So my frustration and annoyance with them just got bigger and bigger as the time went on and I started to call them ”the teenagers”, as a joke but with some truth in it. (they didn’t mind, I can have a brutal sense of humor sometimes, my co-workers are used to it). The children in my preschool is divided in groups of how old they are. So 1-2 years old go together, the 3 years old go together and the same for the 4 years and the 5 years old. I work with the 4 years old children. With this system, when many new children come to the 1-2 year section they get to many and we need to move the oldest children in every section, like an domino effect. So under the month of July we moved some of our 4 years old to the 5 years old section and took a few from the 3 years old section, many of their children and ours was already on vacation with their parents. One of the kids that came over to us have special needs and have like an (assistant?) that followed to our section. (They had 2 special needs kids there in the 3 year section), so there where 4 people working there with the assistant. (It is just me and my co-worker that works in mine).

After we got to know the new children and because we had very few of them we started to get ready for the big cleaning we have every year, (we usually merge with other preschools during the summer). We are supposed to take away toys and stuff so the cleaners can…well, clean. One of those days we decided to get out with the children, the assistant took them outside and I went to get my shoes, my co-worker stayed inside to put things away for the cleaning. I got my shoes and went back and started to talk with my co-worker about what to take away first, (we wanted to leave a space untouched so the kids had somewhere to play until the last day before we merged with the other preschools, and also a bit how we should work with the special need child).

When we where just done talking and I joked with her as I was on my way out and made her laugh, one of the ”teenagers” entered our section. She looked annoyed and walked towards my co-worker. As I know that she can complain sometimes about petty things I didn’t bothered and went out to play with the kids. But when we came back inside again and my co-worker told me what the ”teenager” said, I got pissed. Apparently she was wondering why the assistant was still with us and didn’t come back to them, then she had the audacity to say that we where just standing and talking to each other and not working! My co-worker was confused and asked her if the other special need child where there with them? and that ”Teenager”, said…no. So she wanted the assistant back that was there for now ”our” special need child when they already had 3 teachers there with 4-5 kids! WTF!! That was the last straw!!!

On the next day, (a Thursday) I was sitting in our breakroom and was reading the newspaper. In enters the ”Teenager”, that complained to my co-worker, from now on called ”T”, and me; (still pissed off), so calling myself ”PO”

T: Hi!

PO: Hi. (I say behind my newspaper, can’t even look at her. She sits down and start using her phone, as usual. After a minute or two she started to talk to me again.)

T: I’m going to my cousins wedding tomorrow.

PO: Oh, thats nice, (don’t really care).

T: Um, yeah, the problem is that I close the preschool tomorrow so I don’t know if I will make it in time, she says and looks expectantly at me. Ah, now I know what she is after. We both know that I work to 17:00 and she is supposed to work to 17:30 the next day. The unsaid question was floating around in the air. I just look at her for a few seconds and say:

PO: ”Well…that sucks”, and then continued to read the newspaper, making sure it hides my face because I can't stop smiling from ear to ear. She huffs but doesn’t say anything more.

The next day, Friday, is moving on quickly and about 15:00 I went out again with ”my” kids. I notice that the group with the 3 years old is out too but I can only see the substitute with them. not the ”Teenager”. (The irony). It took almost an hour before I see her, I’m guessing she was inside preparing for the cleaning or just check everything so it’s done when she close the preschool. The other staff is starting to drop off and soon it’s just me and her and a few kids from all the sections. I play a game with all of the children and we have really fun. The ”teenager” doesn’t join us, just standing at the, (guess where? yup, the sandbox), and watching us.

When the time is about 16:40 it’s only one child left and it’s time to gather the toys, (we are supposed to help each other with that). I start to pick the toys up and after a minute I realize that I’m alone outside. I see through the window that T have taken the kid inside. Aaand now I’m pissed again. I know she will take her time in there and let me pick up everything alone. So i think to myself, if you act like an asshole, so can I. I pick everything up and put it in the shed. After that I go inside to my section and look really carefully at every door, window and toilet making sure everything is closed and locked, I even go the 5 year section that are next door to us and check everything there too, of course very thoroughly. When i was done i walked to our changing room. When I reached it I saw that ”T” stood in there with her arms crossed and with a annoyed face.

T: Where have you been? It’s after 17:00 now. The last kid have already been picked up.

PO: Is it? I said and looked at my watch. ”Sorry, lost track of time”. I start to get my things and are not moving very fast too by the way. T is standing at the door and waiting for me to get out so she can lock the door and put the alarm on. I put on my headphones. (I like to listen to music when I walk home).

T: (Very annoyed), ”you can do that outside”.

PO: Huh? (Takes out my headphones). She repeat herself. ”Oh yeah, sure!”, putting them back in again and then go outside after grabbing my backpack. I start to walk across the parking lot. Halfway thru she passes me and get to her car and sit down on the driver seat. When she was starting up the car and got ready to back out she realized that I was standing behind her car and was looking at the preschool yard. She rolled her window down and yelled:

T: What are you doing?! (I walked up to her window and said).

PO: Um, why didn’t you lock the toy shed?

T: What?! You where the last one there!

PO: True, true, I said nodding me head. ���But you where with the last kid and sometimes she goes home later. She must have something to play with, right?” She huffed at me.

T: Can you close it for me? she asked.

PO: Sorry, I´m busy, need to go. (I wasn’t busy). ”And it’s you that are the one that close today so it is your responsibility to make sure everything is closed and locked. Technically you are still working since it isn’t 17:30 yet”. (It was about 17:15 ish). ”Bye! Have fun at the weddiiing!” I started to walk away and put my headphones in again but with no music. I heard how she opened the car door and ran to the shed to lock it. But when she got there she didn’t find the key at the usual place, (hanging on a hook outside of the shed). I was walking alongside the fence of the yard and could still see her and the shed.

PO: ”I’m pretty sure I put the key on one of the shelves inside!” I yelled at her. I could see, even from that distance, that she looked at me with murder in her eyes. She went inside and started to look for the key. I was now at the end of the fence but hid behind a tree because I did not wanna miss this, heh. I could still somewhat see the shed and I could definitely hear her inside. It sounded like she was getting desperate in there because now I heard how things hit the floor as she was throwing them of the shelves. Apparently she gave up but as she was about to walk outside the shed she must have seen that I had put the key above the (doorpost?). She quickly locked the door but must have been so stressed out so instead of just putting the key in her pocket and bring it back after the weekend she actually went to the (entrance?), punched in the code, locked up the door and throw in the key, wasting another minute on that. She then muttered and complained so loud as she was walking to her car that I almost could hear her, like 10 meters away.

When she finally drove away I looked at the time. 17:23. I chuckled all the way home with a big grin on my face. I got a few weird looks at me. Petty? Hell yes! but worth it.

(source) story by (/u/DiaPsalma1)

[fratboyvivimatthews]

prank war - auston matthews

summary: while laying around on an off day watching vines y/n and auston start a prank war that drags everyone into it, even babs.

warnings: swearing, pranks, 

word count: [5,867] - i got carried away 

a/n: this takes place during the 2016-2017 season 

Pushing yourself up off the ground you slowly crawled back on to the couch dying from laughter. Your stomach hurt from all of the laughing that you were doing. “What the hell Y/n/n?” was the first thing you heard Auston say as he walked into the living room, 

Grabbing the remote you paused the video of old Vines and let your laughter die down to speak to him. A smile graced your face as your eyes scanned over his sleepy body. “Sorry if my laughing woke you up,” You started to say as heat rushed to your cheeks. Your eyes ran down his body before landing on the script tattoo. 

“You didn’t.” The sound of this voice caused you to met his gaze and watched as he smiled before pulling a worn out Maple Leafs tee shirt on. “But if I wanted to spend my off day watching old Vines I’d be hanging out with Mitchy.” 

Scoffing you crossed your arms over your chest and turned to face the TV once more. “Mitchy has nothing on my knowledge of Vines,” you then challenged. 

“Oh I’m sure he does bub,” he countered before dropping down next to you. His arms wrapped around your waist pulling you into his lap. “But by all means please start the video again.” Slapping his chest for the Mitch comment you turned in his arms to start the video again. 

Your laughter rang throughout the apartment as the hanger Vine played over and over again. “See this is why I don’t need college,” You managed to explain somehow between your laughter. When you looked up at Auston his face was bright red, and tears filled his eyes from laughing so hard. 

“You’re gonna be a hanger?” Your head nodded quickly before rushing up out of his lap. Swiftly you ran down the hallway to your shared bedroom and straight to the closet. With a white hanger in your hand you started to sprint back to the living room. Only instead of making it to the living room you slipped and fell on the hardwood flooring, completely smacking your ass and upper body on the ground. 

Moaning out in pain you could hear as Auston’s laughter bounced off the apartments walls. He was hunched over laughing harder than you’ve ever seen him laugh. “Auston what the fuck?” You asked slowly sitting up hissing in pain. Curious as to why your clothes now felt wet and slimy you ran your hands on the floor to feel oil coating it. “Did you dump vegetable oil on the ground so I’d fall?” His laughter hadn’t stopped as you spoke but only got worse. 

Auston fell to the ground slowly and turned to lay on his back. He brought his phone up above his head just as you started to slowly stand up not wanting to fall and hurt yourself worse. “Aus why’d you do that?” You questioned again rubbing your back and ass. Slowly he raised himself into a sitting position making sure his phone was at eyes level the whole time. 

A wide smile was spread across his cherry red face, matching tears running down his chees as he couldn’t stop laughing. “Watch - watch the video,” the hockey player wheezed handing you his phone. Grunting you tore his phone away from him his hands his laughter slowing down. 

Your e/c eyes started down at the phone screen watching as a video started to play. It had started out with your figure running to the bedroom, and instantly changed to watching as Auston ran into the kitchen to grab the oil. A frown crossed your face as you watched him pour the oil on to the floor only seconds before you came running back out from the bedroom. Your eyes went wide as you watched your foot his the oil covered floor and your body go flying in the air. 

Closing out of the video you say that your boyfriend had sent it to the Leafs’ group chat were Willy and Mitch had both answered with videos of them laughing their asses off. Huffing out of anger you locked his phone before throwing it down at his chest. “This isn’t over Matthews,” you seethed before rubbing your ass once more, “Oh no, this is just the start of this war.” 

“Hey wanna go get ice cream?” You asked from your position in Auston’s lap. His brown eyes pulled away from the caps jets game to meet your e/c ones. “Please? I really want ice cream.” When he still didn’t cave in you sighed, “I’ll drive.” 

Auston nodded his head, “Ice cream sounds good. The Rover keys are on the island.” You sat up slowly not wanting to hurt your back from earlier today. Only the hissing of pain you let out caused Auston to stare at you worriedly. Once standing you snatched up the Range Rover keys before making your way to the garage. 

“Does your back hurt that bad?” Auston asking lacing his hand with your free one. Biting your lip you looked up at him and nodded. “Shit, I’m sorry bub. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just wanted to be funny.” 

You licked your lips not wanting him to see the smirk that was slowly forming on your face. “I know Aus, that’s why I’m not mad.” A soft smile crossed your face knowing very well that you were about to get back at him for the oil on the floor. Auston muttered under his breath before kissing your forehead. Climbing into the drivers seat of Auston’s Range Rover and waited for him to buckle. “Ready to go?” 

Looking over at him he nodded. “I’m always ready for ice cream,” he stated an over joyed smile spreading across his face. “Even if it isn’t on Babs’ new diet.” A laugh escaped both of our mouths before you started the drive to the nearest McDonald’s. After a short drive you pulled into the drive thru and ordered a vanilla shake and an ice cream cone. Handing the cone to Auston you sipped on your shake. 

Your smirk had worked its way back on to your face as you looked around for cars. Exchanging the shake for your phone you carefully pulled up your camera to video the prank. Checking your mirrors once more you slammed on the breaks causing Auston’s face to slam into the ice cream, and for his forehead to his the dashboard. “What the fuck Y/n!” He exclaimed, “you ruined my ice cream cone.” 

Your laughter bounced off the car windows and doors. “I told you this wasn’t over,” You teased before stopping the video and putting your phone down to focus on driving. “Don’t mess with me Matthews, I win prank wars.” 

His brown eyes narrowed on you as he whipped around in his seat to face you. Ice cream was smeared against his left cheek and part of his nose. “Oh trust me L/n, you shouldn’t have done that. You messed with my ice cream now it’s personal.” 

You rolled your eyes and licked your lips while stopping at a red light. Turning to face him you let out a teasing chuckle. “That’s really cute Aus, but we both know I out prank you every time.” 

Auston’s frown was replaced with a wicked smile. “Don’t worry bub, I stepped up my game since the last prank battle, but this time - this is a full blown war.” 

Tiredly you unlocked the apartment door and pushed it open. Walking in to it fully you shut the door and rested your back against it. “Hey bub how was work?” Auston called from the living room as you reached down to peel your heels off. 

“Sucked,” you answered walking to the living room to find him and Mitch playing Fortnite. “Hey Mitchy no Steph today?” You asked hoping that your best friend would be present. 

Shaking his head his blue eyes stayed flued to the screen, “She’ll be over later. Didn’t want to sit and wait for you.” 

Your head nodded, “Can’t say I blame her.” Who would want to sit and watch two boys play video games all day? “Okay well I’m gonna jump in the shower,” you announced in case some sort of emergency happened. 

“Can I join?” Auston asked causing you to turn and look back at the cheeky smile that laced his face. Before you decline his answer he added to his statement, “There’s bushes for a reason.” Scoffing you rolled your e/c eyes only to receive a kiss on the cheek and a smack on your bruised ass in return. “Love you bub.” 

You ignored him before continuing to walk to your shared bedroom your middle finger in the air so both brown haired hockey players would see it. Mitch’s laugh filled the apartment until you slammed the door once in the bedroom. Lazily you grabbed towels and set them out before hooking up your music to the speaker. Shawn Mendes’ new album blared through it with in a matter of seconds. 

Setting the water to a warm temperature you stripped and got in letting the water try to relax your muscles. Sighing after at least a couple minutes in the water spray you started to wash yourself clean before turning the shower off. Pulling the shower curtain open you reached for the towel to wrap your hair up. 

Grabbing the second one you wrapped it around your body and stepped out on to the mat, only to hear a popping noise. Slightly jumping you set your other foot down and it made the same noise as before. With dry fee you stepped off the mat and bent over to see that Auston had put bubble wrap underneath it. 

Shaking your head you opened the door that connected to the bedroom to see Auston and Mitch both sitting on the bed with shit eating grins. “Oh I stepped up my game sine last time,” you went to tease, “the bubble wrap isn’t really stepping up your game Aus, and plus you got help.” 

His shoulders shrugged as he looked to the older male. “It was his idea,” he informed then pointing to the oldest in the room, “and it’s a war babe, get all the help that you can.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you snipped before turning to the closet. Wetting your lips you pulled the doors open to an empty closet. Your e/c eyes went wide as you stared into it confusedly. 

“Something wrong babe?” Auston called from the bed where him and Mitch were laughing up a storm and no doubt recording your confusion. “Can’t find something to wear?” He snickered. 

Holding the towel a little less tighter you turned and face the idiotic hockey players. “I don’t know you tell me babe, I could always go naked.” You noticed how their eyes went wide knowing very well that you liked to push buttons and were too stubborn to give in. 

Mitch’s shoulders shrugged as Auston slightly moved the camera off of you in case you stayed true to your threat. “Why would you go naked when you have clothes?” Clinching your jaw you glared at the pair, “or do you not have clothes?” 

 “Where are my damn clothes assholes? Otherwise I drop the towel,” you huffed as you loosened your grip once more making Auston’s eyes bulge out of his head. Mitch had started to laugh showing that he was calling your bluff which how managed to get Auston to start laughing once again. Groaning out of frustration you gripped the towel tighter before walking to Auston’s closet to see that it was empty also. “I hope you realize that I will not be putting all of the clothes away.” 

This caused the laughter to come to an abrupt end. “What?” Auston asked, “what do you mean you won’t put the clothes away? Where are they?” 

Shaking your head you stormed out of the bedroom to be met with the same popping sound as before. Looking down the hallway floor you saw that it was covered in bubble wrap. “You are so dead Matthews!” You yelled while starting down the hallway hoping to find your clothes. “And don’t think you have a free pass Marner, I’m taking you both down.” 

“So why am I helping you again?” Willy asked before taking a bite of his banana, “I mean I’m always down to prank but you really think we can beat Mitchy and Auston?” You glared over at the blonde Swede causing his hands to fly up in surrender. 

A wicked smile took hold of your face as you placed your banana peel on the tiled floor knowing that Auston and Mitch don’t look where they’re walking. “Trust me Willy I’m much better at pranking than those two, we have this in the bag. I even have a couple tricks up my sleeve saved for later.” 

His blue eyes widened at you, “I’m gonna end up in the cross fire aren’t I?” Your head nodded as you took the banana peel from him. “You’re lucky we’re friends Y/n/n.” 

Smiling you patted his chest before grabbing another yellow fruit. “I know I am, now eat another banana we gotta get these around the apartment so incase they see them we have back up ones.” He sighed before following my orders and started to eat one. 

“We better hurry this up, Mitchy just texted and said they’ll be back in five.” Hurriedly you reached for the bundle of bananas and unpeeled them not caring about eating them any more.

“You stay here, I’m gonna go spread these out,” Will nodded his head. “Oh and hide those,” you added pointing to the unpeeled bananas sitting on the kitchen island. You started walking around the apartment placing banana peels in random places on the tile. 

As soon as you heard the door start to unlock your e/c eyes locked with Will’s and you bolted into the living room and started up a game of chel. “Do you think this is going to work?” He asked while you pulled your phone out your eyes landing on the banana peels right before the carpet. 

Before you could answer Auston and Mitch walking in setting the food on the island. “We’re back bitches, and we bare food.” Your eyes rolled at your dork of a boyfriend watching where he was stepping just like that him and Mitch both stepped on a banana peel only to slip a little. A frown painted yours and Will’s faces in disappointment. 

“Wow that’s real original Y/n/n,” Mitch called while bending over to pick up the banana peel and threw it in the trash. “It’s going to take more than a little ban-” 

And just like that Mitchell Marner was falling backwards bringing Auston down with him. There was a loud thud heard over Will’s and yours laughter. High-fiving each other he sent the video to the group chat. 

“What was that Mitch? It’s gonna take a lot more than a banana peel?” Will taunted as the pair pushed themselves off the ground. “Because from what it looks like it took you both out.” 

Auston stood up fully and stomped his way over to the pair of you, only to slip and fall on another banana. “Huh, I guess they really are slippery.” A glared was sent your way after your comment but it only made you laugh more. 

Still laying on the floor Auston flipped you and Will off. “You are so dead, this isn’t anywhere near over,” he huffed before coming and wrapping his arms around your waist. 

“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” you challenged meeting Will’s gaze before staring back up into Auston’s eyes. “And just wait, you’re gonna wish you never started this war.”  

Auston’s eyes pulled away from yours to meet Mitch’s who was still standing in the kitchen. “Don’t count on it bub, you gotta learn how to lose. And that’s what we’re best at teaching.” 

Grocery bags lined your arms as you struggled to get the key in the lock. Sighing you banged your fist against the door, “Auston? Babe can you come open the door please?” There was shuffling heard before he pulled the door open. “Thank you baby,” you added with a smile before kissing his cheek, “you’re a life saver.” 

Auston chuckled before moving out of the way so you could get by and fit through the door way. “More like an arm saver bub,” he teased before shutting the door. Turning on his heels he fixed the towel sitting on his waist before looking to me. “If you would’ve called me I would’ve came down to help with those.” 

Your eyes glanced at the bags before dropping half of them on the island. “I did call Aus, but you were in the shower,” you replied eyes running over his half covered body. “So I figured I’d bring ‘em up, no biggy.” 

His head shook as you took the remaining bad and placed them on the table. “I’m sorry Y/n/n, next time I’ll get them kay?” You nodded your head while turning to look at him. Then you heard a loud crashing sound. With wide eyes you turned back around to see the table top was flat on the ground. Auston’s laughter filled the apartment while you had to stop yourself from screaming in annoyance. 

“Auston please tell me that the table broke and this isn’t part of the of the prank war.” His laughter was answer enough. “Well for that your can put the food away, oh and you might wanna hurry your ice cream is melting.” 

There was an audible gasp before I heard his heavy footsteps run against the tile floor. “No, not the ice cream!” Laughing to yourself you walked into the living room. Carefully you put pressure on the couch to make sure it wasn’t going to go crashing down like the table did. 

When it passed the test you sat down and pulled your phone our to spot a text from Will. 

Willy: just so you know they pranked me today at practice, watch your back Y/n/n. 

Biting your lip you were quick to type out an answer asking him to explain when you saw him at morning skate tomorrow. “Hey Aus?” You called sitting up to see he was down with the grocery's. “What happened at practice?” 

His shoulders shrugged, “Went over some drills. Break out plays PK, power play stuff for the game tomorrow. Not much else.” Nodding your head you stood up and followed him into the bedroom. “Need something bub?” He asked looking over his shoulder at you. 

You were leaning up against the door frame watching his back muscles move as he pulled out his clothes from one of the baskets. “Just wondering when you’re going to put our clothes back in the closet that’s all.” Turning back away from you he was quick to pull on a pair of sweats and a tee shirt. “Wanna watch a movie?” 

“In here?” Auston asked his voice raising a little bit surprised by the sudden change in my questions. “I’d rather watch one in the living room.” Your eyebrow raised as you glanced at the bed before looking to his brown eyes again. 

“No thanks,” you answered before running and diving onto the comfortable king sized bed. Your screams soon filled the bedroom as the bed came crashing down. With your eyes closed tight you didn’t stop screaming until you felt Auston’s hands on your lower back. 

A cheeky smile was wide across his face his whole body moving as he died of laughter. “That’s why,” he managed to get out in between his giggles. 

Groaning you sat up and pulled him down on to the bed with you. There was a loud creaking noise causing your eyes to go wide as they meet each other. “I don’t think you thought this one through babe.” 

His head shook his smile still staying the same, “The guys in the group chat think differently. Oh and you can thank Mitch for the table.” Rolling your eyes you muttered under your breath. “Just think, after we win tomorrow it'll be easier for me to take your to bed.” 

Scoffing your slapped his chest multiple times, “You Auston Matthews are a major dork.” He sat up his smile growing as he did. 

“How am I the dork? You’re the dork in this relationship.” As you sat up your mouth opened to answer him, but he put his hand over it to stop you from answering. “So are you and Willy going to surrender to Mitchy and I?” 

Your brows furrowed, “What did you do to Willy?” You grew scared for your pranking partner as a wicked smirk replaced his loving smile. His lips then started to attack my neck, “What happened to Willy?!” Your question didn’t come out as serious as you wanted thanks to the giggles that filled your body due to his kisses. 

“Surrender and you’ll get to know,” he whispered darkly against your skin. Shrugging him off of you he frowned, “I’m taking that as a no to you surrendering.” 

You nodded your head before pushing yourself up off the bed. “Oh and don’t worry baby, you’ve gotten nothing to be afraid of,” you cooed with a cheeky wink. “Oh wait, yeah, you do.” 

“What are you going to do?” Steph asked as we watched the boys walked down the tunnel and head for the locker room. “Honestly, I’m ready for this,” she added with a glowing smile, “I’m sick of them practicing their pranks on me first.” 

Turning away from the ice you stood up and stared at her in awe. “And you didn’t tell me,” you pouted, “some best friend you are.” Slowly the pair of you made your way down to the locker room. 

Her hands flew up in surrender. “They were blackmailing me I swear, but otherwise, I would’ve told you. Plus you already had Will helping you out.” You nodded your head as you leaned back on the wall waiting for the boys to emerge from the locker room. “This better be the best prank ever or, I’m lying for you and Willy for no reason.” 

You smirked before glancing down at you phone seeing a text from Will saying that everyone was almost out. “Oh trust me this is the best grande finale of pranks.” 

She was quick to pick another topic of meeting up after the game so you looked natural as Auston and Mitch came sauntering out of the locker room. They were laughing at something on Auston’s phone not paying any attention to you two. “Hey bub remember this?” Auston then asked before showing you the first prank. 

“That was hands down the best prank so far,” Morgan called from behind Mitch and Auston, “sorry Y/n/n.” 

Your shoulders shrugged, “It’s okay Mo, just wait for my next move. It’s gonna be a game changer.” He smiled at you before starting to walk away. He shook his head at you before biding you guys a quick goodbye. 

“So wanna grab a bite to eat?” Mitch asked looking between you and Steph. You glanced back to the blonde female, then to the locker room doors where the blond male was standing and waiting for you. 

Secretly you nudged Steph and she too saw that you were needed. “We were going to go shopping and grab something to eat, but what if we go after the game?” 

Auston nodded his head to agree with the plan. “Sounds good to me.” His arms wrapped around your waist as he hugged you, before his lips pressed against yours. “I love you bub. I’ll see you during warm-ups?” He asked with a small smile knowing it was out tradition. 

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world Aus,” you answered letting him go, “oh and I love you too.” Him and Mitch turned around while walking to wave before disappearing out of the family area. “Okay now time for some fun, wait for me here?” 

Steph nodded eagerly, “Obliviously, now hurry up before they decide that they need to come back.” Taking her advice you ran the short distance to the locker room where Will was standing outside waiting for you. 

His normal smirk was plastered across his facing. “You have the tape don’t you?” He asked pushing away from the wall. 

Scoffing you started walking past him, leading the way into the locker room. “Do I have the tape? Of course I have the tape dipshit. I’m here to win not lose.” Willy let out a short laugh as you walked into the main area of the locker room. 

Looking around you found Auston’s stall right next to Will’s, and Mitch’s to the right of him, Only Will’s was taken apart. “Huh, so that’s what they did to you,” you commented looking at how he was missing the blue cushions, and shelf. 

Nodding his head he grabbed Mitch’s skates before sitting on the floor in front of Auston’s stall. “Have you ever done this before?” He asked looking between the skates and the Scotch tape in your hands. 

“Never, I mean my team did it but I never did,” you explained not knowing the first way to start this. “All I know is we have to make it flush against the blade otherwise they’ll be able to se-” 

“Willy what the hell are you still - Y/n? What are you guys doing?” Babs voice was loud and confused as he walked back through the locker room. His eyes scanned over the scene in front of him with you holding Auston’s skates, Will with MItch’s. Then he saw the tape. “Need some help?” 

With wide eyes you glanced down at Will who’s face mirrored yours. “You’re not mad we’re doing this?” The first liner asked the shock evident in his voice. 

The head coach shook his head before sitting in the stall next to Auston’s. “I’ve heard all about this prank war, and I think it’s time Mitchy and Auson get what’s comin’ for ‘em.” You and Will shared a high-five before offering one up to Babs. Gladly he returned it before adding to his statement, “Plus after that oil on the floor prank that got you, it’s only fair.” 

Your cheeks flushed red in embarrassment that even Babcock had seen the video. “It was pretty hilarious,” Will suggested before you glared at him. “But not as funny as the bananas.” 

Your head nodded, “Well we should get started on this. Steph is waiting for me so we can go eat.” And with that Babs showed you how to get the tape on the blade without it looking like it was even there. 

Finishing up you set your boyfriend’s skates back just the way they were as Will did the same with Mitch’s. “I’ll make sure that nobody messes with these before the game. Now get outta here, I’ve got stuff to do,” Babs instructed with a hearty laugh. 

 “Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me,” you gushed standing up and turning to Babs. 

A smile was still present on his face as he shook his head at you guys. “It’s no problem at all.” With that the pair of you disappeared from the locker room to meet Steph in the family area. 

The smiles on yours and Will’s faces told the blond at all went well. “So are we all ready to go now?” She asked looking between the you and Will as her smile grew in size. “Because all of Canada is going to see this happen so it better be good,” she added. 

“Don’t worry Steph all of Canada is going to be dying once they see what we did,” Will stated throwing his arm over yours shoulder. “This is going to be the best Hockey Night in Canada in a long time.” 

“So you really think this is going to work?” Sydney asked as the three of you walked down to ice level. “I mean it is Auston and Mitch we’re talking about, they probably figured it out by now,” she added looking up from her phone to you. 

Shrugging your shoulders you frowning. “Yeah, but they aren’t smart enough to check their skates, especially when it’s game day. Aus had his skates sharped yesterday so I know he didn’t check his.” Steph nodded to agree with you. 

“I just you hope realized this is super immature, even for you,” the oldest of the three of you said. “Like seriously Y/n/n, you and Will could have done anything, do it at practice not a game that’s nationally televised.” 

Your mouth opened to speak only nothing came out. Steph stared at you unsure of what do to. “Come on Syd live a little,” she then spoke with a cheery smile, “Babs helped them so it’s obviously okay. It’s only going to be seen by people who are in the arena since warm-ups aren’t even shown on tv. Plus we all know you’re dying to see this happen.” 

Sydney’s serious face faded and turned into a smiling one. “Okay I guess you’re right, I just don’t get why you had to do it during a game.” 

“To end the war,” you explained looking to the Maple Leafs’ bench waiting for them walk out. “I want to win, and to have the best prank this was the only way, and I figured it would be better to do it during warm-ups than going out for the game. They would never forgive me if I did that.” 

They both laughed at you as the coaches and trainers slowly appeared on the bench. “It’s go time ladies, watch the master work.” The guys slowly came out of the locker and when it came time for Auston and Mitch to come out they did so perfectly fine. 

Your eyes went wide and your mouth hung open, they had figured out the tape was on their skates. “You lost,” Steph said shocked, “how did you lose?” Slowly you turned to face her confused. There was then a banging on the glass in front of you. 

Turning you faced Will who was smiling, how could he be smiling when you lost the war? “They’re not wearing the right skates,” he called through the glass. Your eyebrows rose as you looked to your friends. “They have to change into them before the game,” he said into the crack on the glass. 

The new found information slowly ran through your head, and when it finally hit you the smirk that grew on you face was evil. “They are so going to kill you guys,” Syd called while Will skated away so you didn’t look suspicious, “and I can’t wait to see it happen.” 

You rolled your eyes at her as you waved to Auston who was smiling over at you. “That’s the thing, they won’t kill us. I’ve had multiple prank wars over the years with Auston, and have only lost once. I’m still standing, and this is just showing that they can’t beat me.” 

Sydney gave you a questioning look but let it go. “So are we going to just sit here, or go back to our seats? Where do you want to watch this happen from?” Your mind slowly ran over the different vantage points trying to think of the best one. 

“Let’s go sit, this is one show that we can’t miss.” 

Your e/c eyes were glued to the ice watching as Will passed the across ice to Auston, who put shot it right into Crawford’s glove. The only reason you looked away was because Steph nudged you. “Look,” she added with a wide smile. 

There on the big screen was the replay of Auston and Mitch falling on their asses, but it was the recording those at home saw. Blue jerseys ran from the tunnel on to the ice, and when you saw the familiar blond hair as your marker you doubled over again. 

Right behind Will was Auston. As soon as his blade touched the ice he was laying on his face. Mitch was right behind him and tried to side step the Arizona native. Only to end up in the same position. 

The ACC filled with laughter at your mastermind prank, and you could feel the tears falling from your eyes. “That was hilarious,” you wheezed holding your stomach. The video continue to play showing the Auston and Mitch trying and failing to get up. 

“You’ll never be able to top that,” Syd piped in wiping away her stray tears of joy. Nodding your head you watched as the screen turned from the video to you. 

Waving to the fans in the Air Canada Center you smiled widely knowing very well that Auston and Mitch would be staring up at you. Your eyes glanced down to the Maple Leafs bench and there they were. Auston was glaring at you only to have a cheeky smile work it’s way on to your face. 

And you had no idea why. 

Until you heard it. The sound of his laughter played over the in arena sound system making you slowly look up to the big screen, ad there it was. The infamous Y/n slipping on oil prank. The loud thud of your body hitting the flooring of your apartment filled your ears. 

Your cheeks went red, and you could feel steam blowing out of your ears. “They beat you,” Steph exclaimed just as shocked as you were. “They fucking beat you.” 

The camera panned to a smiling Auston and Mitch acting as if they didn’t know what was going on. “I knew this was going to happen,” Sydney said with a sigh. “Y/n/n you should’ve just let this go.” 

“They’re dead,” you deadpanned eyeing up your boyfriend from the stands. “I’m gonna kill them. You can’t beat me, I don’t lose.” Your arms crossed over your chest as you watched Auston blow you a kiss, Mitch following after his leader. 

Then your eyes glanced to Will and Babs. Both of them were smiling and it hit you. “They played me!” You yelled jumping out of your chair right as the puck was dropped to end the commercial break. “They fucking played me.” 

The two blonds shared a look confused at your sudden outburst. “Who played you Y/n?” Steph dared to ask. 

“Babs and Willy,” you scoffed with a frown. “I only hope they know payback is a bitch, and her name is Y/n L/n.” Auston jumped the boards, and caught the cross ice pass from Will. The puck ended up in the back of the net over Crawford’s shoulder. 

His brown eyes caught your e/c ones. The same cheeky smile worked it’s way on to his face before he pointed up at you, and the to the score board. The video playing again. My new goal celebration, he mouth to you. “She’s so going to kill him,” Steph called. “Auston Matthews is a dead man walking.” Man was she right about that. 

[youseissi]

𝚂𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚂𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚍 현실판에

Chapter 2 - Tell Me Who You Who Am I

Word Count: 9110

Chapter 1 ✧ Chapter 2 ✧ Chapter 3 ✧ Chapter 4 ✧ Chapter 5 ✧ Chapter 6 ✧ Chapter 7 ✧ Chapter 8 ✧ TBC ✧ AO3 ✧ Masterlist

Everything had settled into a peaceful routine that went on totally undisturbed for barely over three months since they started living together. That is until they got caught up in it again.

On a night like any other, Yunho had just hit the button to look for a match on the game he was currently hooked on at the time. He usually had a few nights per week for himself and he spent it doing just that, playing games to forget how tired college actually made him and everyone else in the whole building.

The pop up to accept the found match appeared the same time as his phone started ringing besides him on the bed, it was Hongjoong calling. He picked it up immediately bringing it to his ear, but he only heard the sound of the other hanging up on him. Weird. The screen lighted up on his hand showing a new text notification out of many many he had missed before, apparently his roommate had been blowing up his phone for a while.

He hit cancel on the game’s dialogue box that counted down incessantly still waiting for him.

8 p.m

joongie

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

dude anser me

its serious

finally

look i need you to come save me

8:01 p.m

you

wym

8:01 p.m

joongie

i don’t have much time to explain

cardinal at the mall

the one next to the museum we went last week

i tried running but this kid got lost

she said she lost her parents

was crying

i couldn’t leave her

now we’re hiding on the second floor

cuz everything is happening t the first floor

if i move she cries

very loudly

you gotta come help us idk what to do

if you come thru the stairs from the parking lot i think no one will see you

the cops aren’t here yet

please

8:01 p.m

you

got it

omw now

don’t move

8:01 p.m

joongie

couldn’t even if i wanted to

we’re not in a good spot

too close to the ledge

but i can see the stairs from here

joongie is now sharing his location

The way there felt like hours, when in reality it didn’t take more than ten minutes since the location was so close that he could run there by foot. Around the mall a commotion was starting to form with a few police cars and media vans setting up camp, but thankfully the place wasn’t sealed up yet as Yunho managed to sneaky in through a back entrance into the garage floor.

It was unsettling, for the first time in a while the fear creeping up around him was no one else’s but his own while walking around the empty the floor. Going through the door and up the stairs, that were clearly never used beyond emergency situations, only made him feel worse. The unnatural light and silence filled the all white space giving it a bad atmosphere.

Once he finally made to the second floor doorway he understood what Hongjoong meant by bad spot. The floor they were in cut off in a circular shape above the downstairs entrance hall with a small glass ledge to give a clear view of what each side had to offer. It didn’t work in their favor as the exit in which he stood was between storefronts making the only path besides the edge.

Yunho risked taking a peek beyond his hiding spot behind the shielding door. Downstairs

people stood filling the hall spaced out like an army formation waiting for orders, The Cardinal was easy to spot, dressed in a wine red velvet suit and sitting on a chair from a nail kiosk placed in front of his temporary minions. He looked inattentive scrolling through his phone. The other guy wasn’t anywhere in sight. Not good, Yunho thought.

In comparison to the missing invisible man, Hongjoong was easy to spot which was an even worse sign. If the villain downstairs did not continue with his back turned, he would be noticed right away. The small man hid away behind a plant pot, a small silhouette behind him barely visible as well, Yunho assumed that was the little girl he was trying to protect. They also were stuck in front of a sealed wall between storefronts.

Objectively thinking Yunho was there only to make sure they weren’t controlled, he couldn’t do much else protection wise. Would be so convenient if he just could teleport them out, but all they could do was rush to sneak away before that tall guy appeared. They couldn’t waste time. The other met his eyes and gave a nod with worry shaping his face.

Yunho tried rushing quietly towards one of the hallways by his side, which wasn’t easy with his huge body having to crouch while also trying to stay the farthest away from the exposing ledge as possible. Nonetheless he made it, not wasting time to stand straight and run further in, trailing through the maze of halls to make a covered path back to the other side in which his friend was waiting at.

The distance was short, but not simple as an obstacle appeared when he took a sharp turn and almost bumped into the until now missing sidekick. He cursed under his breath as he went back pressing himself against a wall close to the corner. He took a peek yet again waiting to see what direction the big guy went, but the man only continued to roam around for a while. As if he was looking for something. Again.

He turned his back and Yunho took the chance to take off towards the next hallway, expecting to circumvent him, but of course the phone in his pocket fell right at that moment. He stopped in his tracks practically as an instinct to try and save it, his shoes screeching against the floor so close from being out of a sight.

“Hey!” he heard a deep voice call out although he didn’t stop to get even more confirmation  that he was now being chased. He ran at full speed not minding the noise he made anymore, trying to make distance between him and the loud footsteps that seemed to keep getting closer. Finally, he made it full circle and reached the edge again now close to his target.

He stopped where the hallways and the balcony met looking behind him for the first time. The tall man just now turned the corner  with some distance between them that didn’t give him much time to reach Hongjoong and back.

“Run, go go go!” Yunho yelled at the his friend that was watching his disheveled arrival with alarmed eyes. It took the other only a small moment to register it, grab the kid and sprint forward, impressing Yunho a bit with his quick reflexes. The small girl cried loudly in his arms and he could be seen clearly from downstairs, but after how loud Yunho yelled their stealth mission had already been considered a fail anyways.

The man chasing him now already less than two meters away was ready to catch them, and Yunho didn’t really wanna wait to see whatever he was going to do with him when he did, so he lunged forward trying to push the other back enough to make an opening for himself to run as well. Unexpectedly he got grabbed and got himself pulled forward towards him.

Yunho clearly wasn’t a fighter, his long limbs more of a deterrent than a vantage in trying to get himself loose from his grasp. His opponent however had some experience and it wasn’t long till Yunho was being immobilised with his arms behind his back on the floor, the other holding him down.

He proud himself in at least putting up what he considered enough of a fight. That is until he looked up to see Hongjoong still standing there looking torn, lowering the kid down. Yunho cursed his idiot friend for not leaving him behind when he cleared told him to run, like this he would be caught for nothing.

The small man looked ready to get involved and start off the fight all over again but the tiny girl hugged into his leg yelling and weeping then, the big guy on top of Yunho focusing on her as well. For a second the world stopped, none of them knowing how to make their next move when a voice behind them robbed all of their attentions yet again.

"What do we have here?" asked The Cardinal himself now standing a few feet away watching the ordeal. His voice was pleasing to the ear, his head tilted slightly in curiosity and eyes almost gentle beneath the mask. If everything about him didn't impose a impression of superiority, or arrogance as the two civilians perceived it as, then you could almost believe he had good intentions as he eyed the child clinging to Hongjoong's leg.

Everyone was frozen in place as if paralysed by the sudden intrusion. Even the kid stopped her cries, the villain now going towards her.

"Don't move." He told the kid's current protector that started to protest.

"What's your name?" He asked crouching in front of the little girl that promptly bursted into tears as a response.

"Don't cry." He ordered her and she stopped, easy as that. "You have to calm down and be strong now, okay?" He continued in a less authoritarian tone, cooing over the girl like a parent.

"What's your name?" the villain tried, but the girl didn't speak.

"Answer me." Yunho could hear his impatience growing through his more commanding tone. His mind raced as he waited for the right moment, when his assailant was distracted just enough for him to move again.

"Haseul" the little girl let out, her voice a bit hoarse from crying so much.

"That's a pretty name. Is this your brother?" The villain's tone was now back to being soft at the child's forced compliance.

"No." The kid answered and the mask covering the villain's face moved as he furrowed his brows.

"Did you come here with him?" He tried a different route than just guessing their relation to one another.

"No."

"Who did you come here with?" the villain started a interrogation now, going back and forth with the little girl, trying to figure out what to do with her.

"With Mama."

"Do you know where she is?" he continued to ask softly.

"No"

"Okay." The villain let out a sigh at that. "Do you know where the toy store is downstairs? The one right by the entrance?"

"Yes"

"You're gonna take that elevator, press the button number 1, walk straight ahead to the toy store and sit down on the couch by the playpen, okay? Do you understand me?" the command back in his tone, he tried giving clear instructions that even a child could get.

"Yes."

"You'll forget you saw me and forget that this happen. I'll send your mom to find you soon, be a good girl and take a little nap while you wait. Now go." He finished and the girl went on towards the elevator, not crying anymore as the villain watched over her till she was already inside and the elevator moving.

"Now, first problem solved. What's next?" The Cardinal said turning towards them again. " I guess you were here trying to help that kid." He said slowly his indicator hitting Hongjoong chest.

"And you." Yunho thought he was now talking to him, but his eyes went past his. "Why am I seeing you right now?" He enunciated slowly again tilting his head.

"Uh…" the guy practically straddling Yunho didn't seem to have a answer ready for that so the villain moved on.

He put both his hands on either sides of Hongjoong's face, cupping his cheeks and looking into his eyes as he starts his orders for the shorter man.

"Go downstairs, stand by the other people and wait for my next order. Understood?" He always spoke in a steady slow tone, coating every word with what Yunho could feel as his power manifesting.

While The Cardinal's power didn't affect him personally, it still reach and manifested all around him and it felt almost like what he would experience as an emotion. It left his mouth with an unpleasant feeling as if he had taken a spoonful of honey, thick and hard to swallow, a faint taste of wine made him feel light and his head felt full of cotton. His perception slowed down as if he was underwater for the few seconds the sound was resonating in the air, although he wasn’t really bound by any real weight he didn't trust himself to be sharp or precise with his moves while hearing it.

Hongjoong didn't answer immediately, his shoulders trembling slightly. He was seething with anger and Yunho imagined that at that moment he must’ve been trying his best to resist the enchantment. The people that were being controlled didn't give off any emotion, their auras a dull weak grey and Yunho could only assume that meant they were fully numb during the influence.

He had to do something fast before his friend went away, what would happen to Yunho when they realise he can't take his orders? Was his acting skill good enough to pretend he did? The fact that the big guy wasn't invisible already messed up his credibility. His thoughts raced as he tried to think of a way out of this situation.

"Answer me. Do you understand?" The villain's tone was harsher and more commanding this time, even more heavily coated with power.

It was almost pitiful seeing his friend's fingers curl up into fists as he tried his best to oppose his orders. Yunho knew how awfully the feeling of being controlled affected the other, the helplessness of the past incidents already developed in the form of a trauma in his mind.

He felt the pressure over him give in just slightly, his opponent either tired or distracted, and that was enough for him to push his weight up,not wasting any time in trying to spring towards his friend.

It wasn't even funny how he immediately got pushed down again only being able to free one arm that he stretched out pathetically as if he could reach the other. If only he got a bit further. But he couldn't, he was too far away. Tears formed in his eyes out of frustration, feeling the helplessness himself now.

The Cardinal didn't even flinch at his sudden outburst, still focused on Hongjoong.

"Yes, I understand." Yunho whimpered at how low and weak Hongjoong's voice sounded as he answered, feeling like he just got punched in the stomach.

He came here to save Hongjoong and if only he hadn't screwed up they wouldn't be going through this. If only he could touch Hongjoong for just a second. If only his outstretched arm could reach him. If only his power wasn't bound to him, he would gladly give it to Hongjoong that would use it for so much better.

As tears overflowed and his desperation only rose, he trashed under the weight of the villain's sidekick focusing on these ifs and his own power. He could feel his power surging in his hand, something Yunho had never noticed before. It coursed through his body, running up his arm until it reached and accumulated in his fingertips, his digitals feeling hot almost burning.

If only it could go beyond himself and reach Hongjoong.

But the short man's back already started to distance himself from his blurred vision, taking his first steps away from the whole ordeal.

"Second problem solved." The Cardinal now had his attention to the teary Yunho on the floor and he could only feel embarrassed at himself being seen in such a state.

His piercing eyes held curiosity as he inspect his prisoner's face in silence.

"Now what do I do with you?" The villain mused out loud. "So many questions, so little time." He held a hand to his own cheek deep in thought, gaze still focused on his prey.

Suddenly The Cardinal fell backwards, pulled with force by the back of his shirt’s collar and not being able to regain his balance. His companion reflexively moved to help forgetting about the trapped boy beneath him. Yunho took his chance again to push him away with his own weight again, this time a pair of hands helping him by pulling their opponent as he pushed.

Free from their grasps, Yunho now ran forward taking several moments to process that it was Hongjoong that opened this breach, the other running by his side. They made their escape before the villainous duo could recover and chase after them.

✧

The next few days Yunho mused over the happenings that lead to their escape. Hongjoong felt a miracle woke him up, sure that his willpower to resist had already completely ran out by then. Yunho tried focusing on his power often trying to replicate that surge he felt.

He always thought of his own power as a passive skill. He didn't need to do anything to activate it, it was always on. Now that he knew how it felt he tried to really feel it as an entity rather than just a concept. It was like breathing or blinking, imperceptible unless you put thought into it.

It flowed through him warmly giving him the impression of what it would be like to feel your own blood circulation. He concentrated it in his hand and, without the stress and threats around him, he could feel it dissipating outwards as if heat was coming off of him.

Although he never wanted this power, he not once thought about turning it off. Now he tried to do exactly that and meditate the power to stop and flow out of his system with his mind. It worked while he kept his eyes closed, the constant invading silhouettes of colorful lights not appearing in the dark of his eyelids like before. It was short lived ending as soon as he opened his eyes.

The moments of peace would be welcome as he went through crowds or heated arguments in class if not so fleeting. He sighed, unable to escape the overwhelming amount of feelings surrounding him constantly.

As time continues to fly by, he practices it without a certain objective, just the flow of it. One day The Cardinal appears on TV and his sidekick is clearly plastered across the whole frame. It sparks an idea in his head.

Hongjoong jumps from the couch turn to him.

"It's him! It's that invisible guy! Is he not hiding anymore? Why aren't they talking about him?" He exclaimed as he walked to Yunho's side at his desk.

Yunho was focusing his power to flow towards Hongjoong. This time he could feel a thread of energy connecting them, unlike the sloppy burst of power that was all over the place last time he tried using it on him.

"Ah!" The taller boy was about to tell him about his findings when he felt the ring in his hand break apart and fall down.

"Oh, he became invisible again." His friend commented in confusion as he bent down to pick up the remaining of his busted ring.

The ring was lowkey important to him which kinda sucked, but he was more curious about why it broke unprompted. The pieces felt powdery and fragile in his fingers and he smashed the rest without much effort.

Had his power done that? Had it gone through the ring? Perhaps this was proof that it indeed took a physical form. Could he maybe capture it?

If it was energy similar to heat he was out of luck on something permanent, but it was a start. Yunho looked at the tv still showing his opponent from last week and he turn to Hongjoong that now stared at him worried.

"Hey, do you have a ring that you can lend me?"

"That would fit on your fingers? Probably not." He answered, mock on his tone.

"No, just get me a ring that you don't like that much. I wanna try something real quick." He insisted rolling his eyes.

As expected of his fashionable roommate, Hongjoong grabbed from a drawer a transparent box full of rings separated into tiny slots and brought out a few he wasn't too fond off.

Yunho grabbed one that looked more cheap and held it with a closed fist while trying to imagine the energy concentrating into it. A few moments passed before he let it go, not really knowing what to expect or when to stop.

"Put it on." He said while handing the ring back to the shorter boy.

"Why? What did you do?" He looked skeptical, but was already positioning the ring on his finger as he spoke.

Yunho immediately knew it worked because from the moment the other touched the ring he couldn't see his aura anymore. There was no dancing lights surrounding him, no worry or confusion or pent up stress or any other emotion filling up the air that Yunho breathed and weighted down on his shoulders. Only his own. That were ecstatic right now.

"Why are you smiling like this? You're start to creep me out a little." The older asked with caution, confused.

"Joongie, look at the tv."

"That guy again! Wha- ah, is it the ring?" Yunho nodded at him, a smile on his face. "Yunho that's amazing! Now we're safe, The Cardinal can't control us anymore!" His roommate exclaimed with a smile on his face and Yunho felt fond of the way he said ‘we’ even though Yunho already couldn’t be controlled.

As he said those words, he grabbed onto Yunho's shoulder in excitement and the ring fell with the sudden movement. A quick look confirmed it was broken, it's texture weak and crumbling without much pressure.

"I'm pretty sure that ring was pretty sturdy before you touched it. You kinda own me a new ring now." He pointed out, his excitement dwindling a bit. "But you can just do it again, right?"

"That's why I told you to get one you didn't really like. I can do it again, but I'm afraid it'll just end up in the same way. It might still take a while to perfect it, but I already have a few ideas on what to do next to improve it." Yunho said, mind racing with the possibilities of it. Now he wouldn’t have anymore risk of getting caught up in this incidents involving the villain and neither would Hongjoong. That made him feel tons lighter, even more thinking about the break he would get from his friend’s overwhelming feelings.

"That's great already." Hongjoong continued with a mischievous look. "With that we can finally stick it to that arrogant prick."

"I mean, it would be nice if we just never saw him in person again. Even if the ring was unbreakable it wouldn't protect you from getting beat up, you know." He interjected, frowning at the other eagerness to affront The Cardinal.

"Yeah, I guess so." He quiet down after that, deep in thought and Yunho again wished he could turn his power off on his own, guessing what the other was thinking by his feeling.

He wanted to protect Hongjoong, but now he worried he might be opening him a path into even more trouble.

✧

The next few days, Yunho waited. Some of his classes were soon gonna move to the lab for more practical classes and an excuse to enter the labs was exactly what he needed. Until then he could just focus on his normal life and deflect Hongjoong’s nagging.

The older one now used a few accessories Yunho had “enchanted” as he called it. Yunho didn’t particularly felt that was the right word for what he was doing, but he still couldn’t describe it better. Metal seemed to work best, so maybe it could be considered forging.

That had also given some better perspective on the items lifetime, when Hongjoong used it out of his view it lasted with no problems whereas around him everything wore off quickly. It probably had to do with actively repealing Yunho’s power which wasn’t a good sign if it was supposed to be used against the villains that seemed to have way more aggressive powers than him.

As much as his roommate wanted to be protected, he was clearly getting tired of losing his accessories to his experiments. Yet Yunho pushed him to keep using them around him, summing up some lames excuses to just have a break from feeling way too intense emotions that weren’t his.

Yunho made that much effort to live alone before for a reason. Feeling everyone else’s feelings twenty four seven was exhausting and Hongjoong in special was a constant rollercoaster of emotion. The other just always felt so intensely all the time, it didn’t give him a break.

Usually the power holder could identify two or three types of people when it came to this. The most common were the people that lived mildly just going step by step, emotion by emotion not bothering him much.

Then there were people that were moved by reacting, feelings constantly activated and affected by their surroundings, living bound by their own perception of others. He could tell this type easily by how often he’d feel worry and relief from them, the clear anxiety keeping him on edge, but overall they were easy to get used to and he knew how to deal with them well, showering them with validation gave him great payback.

And then there was the type of people like Hongjoong that were just actively feeling all the time, regardless of anything else and laced with confidence in his own self. He just had a fire in him that didn’t dwell down, opinionated and vocal about everything he was involved in.

And Yunho felt that fire, he felt Hongjoong’s usual distraught at the news and his excitement while he worked on reforming clothes to his style and his huge satisfaction when his intuition was right and how inquiet he got when him or one of their friends was going through a down phase that had nothing to do with him and the boy couldn’t help.

It was just so strong and it never stopped.

Yunho mused that the other was someone to look up to with the way he lived to the fullest even when they were just college students getting beat up by student life. A great motivator, you could just look at him and feel inspired which was great, but sometimes Yunho felt invaded.

As if everyone’s feeling was being pushed onto him so much that he couldn’t notice his own anymore. And he knew that sooner or later that’d explode on him if he wasn’t careful. He had learned the hard way that his feelings had to be tended to, as a kid it was hard to distinguish what were his emotions and what wasn’t when he was still not self aware.

Life is a pursuit of happiness, yet no one could feel happy all the time, right? But young Yunho had started to believe he could, if everyone around him was happy he could feel happy too even if he himself wasn’t. It wasn’t long till he grew up compressing his real feelings, pushing them away for better ones. Even if his weren’t half bad, so so was not enough when he could just feel pure joy from someone else.

The drop when he couldn’t brighten the mood around him would affect him more than it should. Being alone felt empty and numb. It took a long depressing time and a feel heartbreaking situations to understand what was wrong and he still couldn’t handle serious situations well.

Now having Hongjoong not filling up the room with his emotional presence he could breath and take a second to just feel in peace with himself.

✧

It was still one of those waiting days that Yunho saw his suspected lifelong nemesis again. He wasn’t expecting it at all and the thought of the situation still made him feel unsafe at his own living space as one day he opened the door to their room coming back from class and just saw the gigantic silhouette going out the window.

He might’ve thought it was an animal had the room given to them not been in the fifth floor. Looking at the direction it had come from, in Yunho’s bed laid an phone on top of his messy covers. Not any phone, his phone. The one he dropped around a week ago.

A single notification popped up as he turned on the screen, a message from an unknown number.

12:30 pm

unknown

Stay away from the cardinal or there will be consequences.

12:45 pm

you

don’t worry i don’t wanna anything to do with all this

12:46 pm

unknown

Good. We’ll be watching you so don’t even think about trying anything funny

The thought that they knew who he was and that now he was under surveillance was frightening, specially the fact that the guy had been there inside his room. Yunho didn’t really know how to react to that. At hindsight he should’ve told Hongjoong, it was also his room after all, however he didn’t wanna give the other even more reason to feel personally attacked by the villains.

He couldn’t get it out of his mind the rest of the day though, as the initial shock faded his own curiosity rose up. He didn’t want anything to do with it, but now that he had a contact to text, why not, he guessed.

14:57 pm

you

so you’re the invisible dude right

The typing indicator came up a few times, but after an hour Yunho wasn’t expecting an answer anymore.

17:33 pm

unknown

I gave you a warning, seriously it won’t end well for you Yunho.

Don’t contact me again

Okay, not really up for talking I guess… After that he dropped it, slightly creeped out from seeing the other calling him by name.

He didn’t want to be involved, but he was still curious about the invisible guy’s origin, because realistically it would be too much of a coincidence for him to be his brief childhood friend. Nonetheless, the thought persisted on his mind that there could be a chance that it was the same person he knew of and it had him intrigued beyond his usual caution.

Maybe it was his guilt conscience that had his interest peaked. He didn't like to dwell on his regrets, but his initial reaction of running away from that kid years ago was something he wished he hadn't done. At least not so lastingly, after all their powers may have been different, but their overall situation wasn't so much.

If anything Yunho might’ve been the privileged one for the first time in his life, for having such easy to hide powers. Both were scared to show their true selves and be rejected for being different, but Yunho could just pretend it wasn’t his case while the other most probably could not.

Powers like theirs didn’t come with an instruction manual, even now at twenty years of age he kept finding out new aspects to it still. To him the potential now felt unlimited as he learned more and more exciting things he could do with it, to control it, but that was a perspective of his adult self.

As a child they had no control over it, powers were like an involuntary act like blinking or breathing and the kid just didn’t know it was abnormal or ‘wrong’. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like growing up invisible, how the other must’ve struggled at being thrown into the world not even understanding his own self and already having to deal with the consequences of it.

And to top it all off, the only person that could see him shunned him away the moment they noticed he was like that. Yunho felt like trash thinking about it.

✧

Finally the lab days arrived, and Yunho had so much planned out already. At first he cursed having those chemistry classes, he was coursing a computer engineering degree and he didn’t think it was particularly useful to get the same generalised class as all other engineering courses, specially when he just wanted to write some code or explore game design.

It did pay off now tho, giving him enough insight to know what he was looking for and what to do with it. Sneaking in with his access code later on in the day, he swiftly took up a spot in front of a microscope and rushed to take out his research material out of his backpack, not wanting to stay there not even a moment more than necessary.

Switching two pieces of the same ring under the lenses, he analysed the difference closely. Yunho had been hoping he could identify what his power did to make them break so easily, and if he was lucky signs that his power had any physical form.

And lucky indeed he was, it seemed his power made the material structure more spaced out with little invisible to the eye grainy crystals forming in between any microscopical free space they found.

He tries forcing more of his power into it and that explained why things would become porous and dissolved like sand, with this tiny shards expanding into it until they overcame the original material.

That meant he could definitely make something more sturdy with better material. He’d have to study a lot of atomic structure and boring stuff like that and it made him groan at the thought of it but he was willing for the pay off.

Suddenly the door opened with a loud thud, interrupting his thoughts and almost giving him a heart attack.

“Hey, found anything useful?” The fashion major said making his way to Yunho without much discretion.

“Ah… you know, it’s rude to come in without knocking” Yunho ignored his question still grasping his chest and trying to recover from the jumpscare. His roommate laughed at the exaggerated reaction, stopping to sit down next to him. “I understand how this works better now, so soon I’ll make something durable and stop breaking your accessories.”

“That’s great, I was running out already. Care to explain what am I looking at?” Hongjoong asked a bit sarcastically as he leaned into his space to look at the microscope himself.

“Do you see those little clear dots? It’s probably my power, it grows till it takes too much space and makes the ring break.” The taller said towering over the other’s back to look too.

“I see” Hongjoong hummed. He sat back and watched Yunho gather the things he brought over back into his backpack. “So, I was thinking…”

By the other’s aura Yunho already knew whatever it was, it was trouble. The yellow hesitance swayed in his vision with sprinkles of orange and red fierce tones, fitting of Hongjoong’s ever so warm visual presence.

“I was thinking, if you can make it last, couldn’t you make something to stop The Cardinal as well? Maybe sprinkle some of those crystals on handcuffs or something? I know you said it was hard to approach him, but that was when I couldn’t see the other guy. And I’m not thaaat defenceless I’m sure I can put up a good fight if I can see my opponent.” Hongjoong went on, continuing to list reasons to convince Yunho that they could win with his power.

The younger was appalled at Hongjoong eagerness to take on both of the villains like this, but he’d be lying if he said that his curiosity wasn’t peaked at making a device that could stop The Cardinal’s power.

With his power taking physical form it was indeed possible, even if temporary. If he could make a device that rendered the other powerless for just a while…

Developing something like that presented itself as a puzzle way too stimulating for Yunho’s mind, already scheming what would it take to make it for real, what approach he should take that would be the most effective and he had to grip the table and stop himself for a moment before he fell into that rabbit hole.

“I just hate it, even if I get to be immune to his power I don’t think I can stand by as everyone else is dragged into it. Yunho, please you’ve got to help me. I understand the risk I’d be taking, I’m not dumb. Just give me something to fight with and I swear I won’t bother you about it again.” Hongjoong pleaded, and Yunho hated the feeling overwhelming him, pure, desperate and selfless.

“I think this will be a mistake, but if my best friend asks me like this how can I say no.” Yunho answered with a sigh giving in and Hongjoong smiled widely practically bouncing off his seat to hug the younger.

“ But ,” Yunho continued holding up a finger before the other got too excited. ”I really don’t want anything to do with this past this part. You can go play batman, but I refuse to be your Robin, okay? Consider me James, I’ll try and see if I can give you some equipment that works against them. After that you’re on your own, I refuse to go get my butt kicked with you.”

“And who said I’m getting my butt kicked?” Hongjoong retorted with a pout, but the corner of his mouth couldn’t contain his lasting smile. “I get it you don’t want to fight, that’s your choice and I respect that. You’ve already been doing more than enough by protecting me all this time with your powers, I’m thankful really.”

Yunho couldn’t help but smile too at the other words.

✧

Turns out building little prototypes for Hongjoong was way more fun than Yunho had predicted. The younger already had a natural hand with technology and his creativity combined with years of reading comic books filled his head with ideas not only of ways to apply his own power, but of plain weapons to help the other fight and capture the villain.

If The Cardinal was a supervillain then Hongjoong would have to be his antagonising superhero, and so that inspired the fashion major to work on an uniform to make himself easily recognisable, but also cover his identity.

Much of their enemy’s tactic fell on swaying the public’s mentality and the last thing Hongjoong wanted was to be publicly recognised by his little internet following. Standing up to the other was sure to earn him a spotlight over all types of media and he hoped it would work out in his favor, raise the moral of those that had been controlled before.

That being said his uniform wasn’t flashy or anything of the sort, just a very stylistic and accessorised black suit, followed by a mask and hat covering the lower half of his face and shadowing his eyes.

In a week he had it done, Yunho finishing some of his projects soon after, thanking the god’s for the college’s facilities offering so much for his course. It was truly amazing what you could do with a 3d printer plus some chips and cables.

Hongjoong was dressed up in his attire, showing off his designer skill to his friend in their room when Yunho presented him with his first set of gear.

“So I made these three items so far, they are still prototypes and need testing, but are ready to use already.” Yunho started dropping the tech on the table.”I’m making something more permanent to deal with their powers for good, but that might take a long time still.”

“Okay, walk me through it.” The new hero asked.

“So those earphones, I made them embedded with my power. I made them hollow inside so that the piece of rubber I added inside has space to expand well before it becomes too much. So it’s not like it’s unbreakable or anything, but they do have a trick to them to help you out in that case.” The technician started explaining, Hongjoong looking slightly lost, but understanding for the most part humming along.

“They are completely noise cancelling, all you hear will actually be filtered by a mic, that way if the duration runs out the mic breaks as well and you’ll hear nothing. It’ll be a pain, but it should be enough for you to make a escape without hearing The Cardinal’s voice.” He continued.

“Ah I see, you thought it out so thoroughly, I’m impressed.” Hongjoong stroke the other’s ego seeing how excited he looked talking about his creation, making him bashful to the the point of his ear reddening.

“Yeah, I mean, nothing I make can last forever so we’ve got to consider what to do when it breaks. I made this one rather easy to do maintenance with refills for the inside though so I would rather you didn’t let it get to that point. Also if you press the button here on the side it calls me. You know, for emergencies only.” He finished describing his most fond masterpiece.

“Got it” The older nodded. ”Next.”

“Okay, those gloves then. Easy to explain, they are basically a weak taser. Mainly to take care of the big guy, they give a nice stun for you to get past him. Just use it as a last case scenario trick up your sleeve since they don’t have much charge. I’m working on something better and long ranged, but maybe in the meantime you should actually go out and buy a taser.” Yunho explained, and Hongjoong hummed in response.

The older had mentioned not wanting to use any heavy weapons, taking the ethics of the heroic role seriously, and so Yunho was trying to accommodate his wishes, although it was hard to escalate the effectiveness without also escalating the pain.

“The last one is just a charm for you to put on in a bracelet or necklace to use in daily life. It’s easy to open and refill so you can use it around me as well.” Yunho explained handing him a little tiny star.

Hongjoong swirled the tiny sparkly item on the tip of his finger analysing it from every angle.

“It’s so pretty.” He mumbled, a soft smile falling on Yunho’s face. “You know, sometime you need to really explain to me why I should use it around you. We never talked about your power since we first met.” The smile in his face faded as fast as it came. “I just don’t want to make it harder for you, if you need me to use this there must be a reason, right?”

Yunho sighted at that, knowing the time to open up would come. He just never knew how to talk about serious things like that, his power specially.

“I just see and feel things in a different way and it can be overwhelming sometimes.” He answered not really wanting to get deeper into it.

“You know you can talk to me about it if you need to. I’ll try to understand whatever it is.” Hongjoong said softly leaving the tiny star on the desk, his emotions now noticeable again. The soft orange hue of his compassion warming Yunho up and breaking through his walls, just a little bit.

They had been rooming together for a while now, he might as well open up. He only hoped the other didn’t think he was praying onto his feelings, he was sure this should be a major privacy invasion. Not that he could do much about that.

“Have you ever heard of empaths?” He started off dreading it already.

“Like people that can understand other people’s feelings well?” The older turned back to him while taking the outer layer of his suit to put it away.

“Not quite, it’s not just understanding. I- I can feel it myself, the emotions of other people. In a very different way than normal people would feel them.” Yunho was hesitant to continue explaining, but Hongjoong waited patiently for it.

“With every sense I can feel it, I see auras and I feel it in the temperature, even in the smell in the air and in the taste on my tongue and sometimes I can even hear a ringing in my ear when it’s too strong. It’s tiring and invasive and I can’t really turn it off. That’s why it gives me a break if you use it.”

He ended spilling his secrets way too easily, glad to get it off his chest, barely stopping himself before saying how Hongjoong’s emotional was specially exhausting.

Hongjoong stretched a hand to touch his shoulder, looking at him with a soft expression in his face as he said his own thoughts.

“I see, that explains a few things. Yunho, I know it must be hard for you to open up about it, but I just want to let you know you can trust me. I won’t judge, I just want to help. So next time I hope you feel comfortable to tell me anything you’re struggling with earlier.”

Yunho hummed in response, a pout on his lips to hold back the teary sensation overcoming his face. The other seeming satisfied with his own speech and went away to change the rest of his clothes.

Hongjoong sometimes felt like a father figure to Yunho, already knowing his troubles before he even said anything, but waiting patiently for him to come to him for advice instead of intervening by himself.

And Yunho was glad for it, to have someone solid in his life that he could always rely on and fall back onto when he needed help or it all became too much, that didn’t push him too hard or demanded more than he could give.

He just wasn’t used to being vulnerable like that with someone else and it would take more than just a few months to reach a point where he would be comfortable venting out his inner struggles, specially after internalising it for so long.

✧

The first time Hongjoong actually went out to fight the villain came sooner than he expected and Yunho was a ball of nerves, yet he didn’t back down on his decision to not get caught up in it.

It was still early into the night as they saw the news, The Cardinal shouting into a megaphone from a varanda of a low building, stopping a whole avenue with just his voice.

His attacks seemed to follow a pattern now of growing in scale, installing fear in the citizens heart, continuing to record it through the wide web. It supplied them with a previous test of their equipment when he started a ig live a few days back, so now they were all set knowing the earphones worked.

He was getting greedy and his roommate that had been itching to just go there and punch him in the face got ready in record time, jumping through the window into the fire escape to not attract any attention to his suspicious outfit.

Since Yunho forged those little gadgets to help him out and he finished his own uniform, Hongjoong had been out “patrolling” as a “superhero” a few time. Yunho found it cringy to just think about it, but the other had a point that he needed to practice, both using the gadgets and porting himself like a vigilante, as well as fighting and being inconspicuous.

He managed to even catch a few petty thieves and drunk harassers on the street to his best friend surprise. It wasn’t that Yunho doubted Hongjoong, but he didn’t expect the other to own up to this persona so well.

In theory his part was to just be mindful of his phone in case Hongjoong fucked up too bad, otherwise he was supposed to be free of responsibility. That didn’t make him any less nervous and he knew he wouldn’t be able to calm down on his own, neither focus on anything else so he just made sure his phone was ringing as loud as it possibly could and took a couple of pills to sooth his anxiety and maybe rest his eyes a little bit.

He just couldn’t concentrate enough to do anything else after all. Not his smartest idea, he gets that, but they talked beforehand about not overdoing it too much on the first time and being cautious, so he just choose to trust that Hongjoong would have an ounce of common sense and not need him to intervene so early on.

Not even fifteen minutes later tho his phone rang, startling him and he groaned as he held it up, already mourning the fact that he would have to leave his comfy covers and go out in the cold weather.

The message on the screen wasn’t what he was first expecting though.

09:37 pm

unknown

Yunho I’m serious don’t get involved in this or you’ll regret it.

09:37 pm

you

im not involved

im literally in bed rn playing hearthstone on my phone

i could not be less involved even if i tried

09:38 pm

unknown

I’m not an idiot there’s no way this is not your friend right there

09:38 pm

you

it’s not him

i can testify we both here tucked in bed on our phones like good boys seriously

“Oh, really?” a deep voice sounded from his window and the frightened high pitched screech that came out of Yunho didn’t sound neither human nor manly as he almost feel out of bed jumping from surprise, his heart beating so fast he was sure it’d stop at any moments.

“You can’t lie to me, Yunho.” The invisible boy commented as he walked to the end of Yunho’s bed to face him.

“I wasn’t lying, I’m really not involved.“ Yunho said with a pout, bummed at both being caught in his lie and getting scared like that. He should be more seriously frightened, but for some reason he didn’t feel much more than just a few butterfly in his stomach, maybe the meds.

“What about your friend?” The other asked with an eyebrow raised, looking down on him.

“Ask him yourself, how am I supposed to know?” he looked away still pouting. The danger of the situation still not sinking in, although there was a feeling of vulnerability in him sitting up in his bed covered with his comforter up to his waist now.

The man in front of him let out a sight. He hesitated a second before making a move to seat there at the end of the bed. Yunho quickly moved his feet making space for him and suddenly the other didn’t look so intimidating now at his eye level, moonlight hitting his face in just the right angle to make Yunho feel some type of way even with the dark mask over his mouth. His eyes held a soft but distressed emotion that he couldn’t pinpoint.

“Look, your power… It may help you not be controlled or to see me, but that’s not enough. If you get in his way you will lose. I…” he started in a coaxing tone that Yunho wouldn’t expect  someone that was supposed to be his enemy to talk in, but soon hesitated and looked away. “We don’t want any conflict.” he finished quietly.

“I’m sorry” the taller boy answered slowly, surprising even himself. Maybe it was the fact that he was embarrassingly sleepy for that early in the night, his brain hazily trying to catch up with the situation still, or maybe it was the gentle attitude and how pained the other looked at the prospect of Yunho pushing forward that made the words spill mindlessly from his lips.

Unfortunately that wasn’t the answer the other was expecting he noted as he saw him sigh again and get up.

“Wait” he called out as an impulse. The man looked back at him while he could only dumbly stare trying to form a coherent thought. “Have we met before?”

The stranger looked away for a moment then back at him mumbling a no before going through the window off into the night. Yunho was left to silently collect his thought and chastise himself for the dumb question.

For a second, he felt like he could recognise the boy from his memories. The invisible presence in his high school that sparked into his view once in a blue moon, but at this point he couldn’t say for sure if the boy in his memory and the man that had just left were really similar or if it was just him projecting one onto the other in an attempt to make sense of either of them.

It later felt like a wasted opportunity to let him walk away like that without asking anything useful. His brain was now filled with questions, most of them more about the man himself than the conflicting situation they currently found themselves in. His reluctance to fight in addition to the care his few words held intrigued him, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t even a bit attracted to the intruder in his sleepy stupor.

He would like to at least believe it to be a simple momentous acknowledgment of the other’s physical attributes rather than him being so naive that he’d catch a serious infatuation for any handsome caring stranger.

Sometimes you look at the tv and find the bad guy hot and that was just that, he told himself pushing the thought away.

Looking back at his phone a few texts from Hongjoong popped up at the screen informing of his success and that he was coming home soon. The newbie hero’s texts were filled with hurried details about how he managed to scare the villain away, bravados of how he’d catch him next time and praise for Yunho’s first set of gadgets.

Yunho only quickly scanned through them adding a curt answer at the end before laying back again to try and clear his thought filled head before the other arrived. He decided to keep his own villain encounter to himself.

[justforbooks]

"Led Zeppelin The Forum June 3, 1973

This is based on the fantastic AUD recording, expertly transferred from the JEMS Master - DAT (16/32) source. This is a wonderful audience source, documenting an incredible show.

Some feel this is Led Zeppelin's best performance of the 1973 North American tour.

Hey guys, if you're interested in imagining what it was like to be at this show, I highly encourage you to check out this post by Strider on the Led Zeppelin forum. It is easily the best account of a Zeppelin show I have ever read.

Let's get on the time machine...

Sunday June 3, 1973

I'm flying home from San Francisco to Orange County...a little wobbly after my Kezar Stadium trip, but feeling better the more fluids I drink and the closer I realize I am getting to the appointed hour of my third Led Zeppelin concert in four days.

This Led Zeppelin concert is a little different, however. Not only is this the last show of the first leg of the 1973 US tour, but the last LA show...and who knew when the next tour would be, so this would have to get me through whatever dry spell awaited. Most important of all...I was taking my girlfriend to the show; not only her first Led Zeppelin concert, but her first concert period. That I wanted her to enjoy it was an understatement.

My girlfriend's name was Trudy. She was slightly older than me...11 going on 12...while I wouldn't turn 11 until the next month in July. We met when we were on the same community rec swim team the summer of 72. She also liked baseball and played on the girl's softball team until it became too painful for her(this was before the days of high-tech sports bras). A tomboy, she was like Tatum O'Neal with boobs. Our first date was to an Angel game to see Nolan Ryan pitch.

*Quick digression: baseball games make wonderful first dates. It's not as crowded or noisy as football, basketball, hockey or auto races. And the leisurely pace allows for plenty of conversation time to get to know each other. And if you're lucky to get picked for the "Kiss-Cam", that gives you an excuse for a quick kiss.

Back to Trudy...she was great, except when I met her, her musical tastes ran to America, Bread and Seals & Crofts...the hardest band she liked was Three Dog Night. So it was a long process to get her to like Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, the Stones, Alice Cooper and my other faves. Some she never took to(Frank Zappa, Velvet Underground), but after a few months she finally got hooked into Zeppelin. Of course, it was mainly the softer stuff she liked...Stairway to Heaven, What Is and What Could Never Be, That's the Way. Thank You was her favourite LZ song. And when Houses of the Holy came out, she immediately fell in love with Rain Song. But little by little she came to appreciate the hard rocking songs as well.

All this was on my mind as I rested on the plane-ride home. You see, before I saw Led Zeppelin for the first time in 1972, I had NO IDEA what to expect from a Led Zeppelin concert. I had all four studio albums released at that time, but had yet to acquire any bootlegs. So yes, the effect was fairly shattering when finally seeing my first Zeppelin concert, June 25, 1972. By the time of the 1973 shows though, I had bought two Led Zeppelin bootleg double-albums: Live on Blueberry Hill, the September 4, 1970 Forum show; and Going to California, the Sept. 14 1971 Berkeley show, mislabeled as being at the Forum.

Those two boots, plus the memories of the 1972 shows, instilled in me the idea that the acoustic set was a regular part of a Led Zeppelin concert, and I raved to Trudy about the acoustic set...how they did Going to California and That's the Way, two of her faves. But now I had seen 2 of the 73 concerts, and neither one featured an acoustic set, not even one acoustic song...there didn't appear to be an acoustic guitar in the building. They had played Rain Song, so I knew Trudy would love that, but after building it up in her head, I was worried she would be disappointed if she didn't get an acoustic set. Perhaps, they were saving it for this last concert of the first leg...a special treat for LA. That was one fortunate outcome of Jimmy Page's finger injury: not only was Trudy now able to see the concert, but by moving the concert to June 3, my last Zeppelin memory of 1973 would be crystal clear, unlike the hazy one I had of the Kezar Stadium debauchery.

Shortly after 5pm, the plane descended into Orange County airspace, glistening swimming pools dotting the landscape, the brown smog bank of the Inland Empire off in the distance. There they were, my BB and Trudy, my sun-dappled girl, waiting for me as arranged. To save time, I gave him Trudy's address so he could pick her up before meeting me at the airport. Then we could just drive straight up the 405 to the LA Forum. So, after a brief wait for my luggage, there the three of us were in my BB's blue 1969 Chevy Malibu, him driving, and Trudy and I in the backseat. Making the long slog north on the 405, joining thousands of others making the drive from San Diego back to Los Angeles, I filled Trudy and the BB in on my San Francisco trip, not exactly revealing EVERYTHING. Trudy wasn't a party-stoner girl, and I didn't want her to get the wrong idea about me. The BB and I answered questions she had about the concert; she was excited when I told her that it was pretty certain that they would play Rain Song. But I also said that they hadn't played Thank You, and she looked bummed about that...but hey, I said, you never know what they'll play for sure. Maybe tonight they'll play it.

A quick pit stop for gas and a bite to eat at Tijuana Taco(don't ask...just slightly better than Taco Bell...they shut down later in the 70's when employees were caught selling drugs thru the drive-thru window), and we were back on the 405, past the Westminster Mall, past Seal Beach then Long Beach, until nearing LAX airport, and the giant Randy's Donut Donut marking the Manchester Blvd. exit. It must have been around 7pm, as we drove east on Manchester, past La Brea and Market, past the A-Frame International House of Pancakes on the left at Hillcrest, past the usual shady characters holding up "Need tickets" signs. This time we turned right on Prairie, then left into the Forum parking lot, the Forum Club awning up ahead. It was still plenty light outside, a pleasant June evening, and as usual for a rock concert, the parking lot was a bazaar of the bizarre. A panoply of colourful types everywhere you looked.

Thanks to my uncle's wife washing my clothes while sleeping off my trip in San Francisco, I was wearing my burgundy velvet hip-hugger bell-bottoms and yellow 1973 Zeppelin tour shirt. But I saw a bootleg parking lot shirt I liked and bought one for me and Trudy...total cost $4.

There was a long line to get in the Forum, so we headed to one of the special entrances for people with floor seats. Yeah, I had almost forgotten...after 4 previous Led Zeppelin concerts spent in loge or bleacher seating, I was finally going to be near the stage, 13 rows from the front, on the floor, looking at the stage head on. No side or obstructed views this time. I was already stoked...this sudden realization of where we would be sitting further stoked my fire. So eager with anticipation we fairly glided through the narrow tunnel into the Forum floor, past the massive soundboard/mixing desk towards the rear and past the rear sections of the floor, approaching the stage closer and closer until we came to our destination: Section B, Row 13. It did feel weird looking at our tickets and seeing the date May 30. The time once again said 8:00 pm...but we told Trudy that was more a "suggested" time than a firm commitment.

That allowed for plenty of time for concert prep...last-minute bathroom visits, stock up on snacks and coke and back to our seats with plenty of time to watch the roadies fine-tune the stage as the Doobie Brothers and Yes played over the sound system. Although the music wasn't nearly as loud as the concert would be, I gave Trudy the earplugs the BB had brought for her, as we didn't want her first concert to be too painful...I mean, Led Zeppelin were LOUD...VERY LOUD!

Being so close to the stage, you notice details you can't see from far away...the details of the amp setups...Jimmy's simple effects setup...Jones' keyboards and the white mellotron...Bonzo's orange Ludwig vistalites. In fact, I noticed that if you took away the gong and tympani, his drum kit was actually quite small compared to the gargantuan kits of Carl Palmer, Keith Moon and Ginger Baker. Just a bass drum, snare, one rack tom and two floor toms, that's it. Yet, in Bonham's talented hands, that kit sounded more MASSIVE than Carl, Keith and Ginger's kits combined.

Ooooh, there was the big mirror ball high above Bonzo's kit...I pointed it out to Trudy. She also noticed with some trepidation and awe the huge PA speaker stacks...courtesy of Showco. As roadies climbed roped rigging ladders to fix the various spotlights and whatnot, I sensed a different vibe in the Forum tonight from the Bonzo Birthday Party show. Yes, the audience for that show was excited...it was the first night and it was Bonzo's birthday, so we were hyped. But as shouts of "Led Zeppelin!" and "Rock and Roll!" and "Whole Lotta Love!" echoed around the arena, as frisbees and beach balls whizzed and bounced around, the anticipation and buzz of the audience seemed torqued to a higher degree. With the benefit of hindsight, I think I know why. First, the June 3 show was originally supposed to be the first show...and anyone who has been to multinight stands knows that the first night crowd often has the hard core fans. We were the "real" first night crowd, not the May 31 crowd. Second, that May 31 show was so amazing that obviously word-of-mouth spread. Folks heard how awesome the May 31 concert was, so everyone was at fever pitch for tonight's gig...both the people who were there May 31 and were expecting more of the same, and those who just heard about it and couldn't wait to experience it themselves. If you've ever been to a concert by your favourite band, you know the feelings you go through right before the band comes on: the butterflies in your stomach, the calculations in your mind at what the first song will be and what the setlist will entail. How you literally cannot breathe from excitement.

Well, take all that and multiply by 10 and you'll get an idea how feverish the crowd was for this Led

Zeppelin concert was...if someone had thrown raw meat into the crowd, it would have been devoured. Hell, I feared if one of the roadies had fallen into the crowd, he'd be torn limb from limb. The beast was getting hungry...we wanted Zeppelin. At any bit of lull from the sound system, any break from the music, a great hue and cry went up from the throng in anticipation of the band coming on stage. At long last however, after several false moments, sometime around 9ish, the Forum went dark as the house lights went down.

CUE PANDEMONIUM!!! I am serious. Sure, every Zeppelin concert I attended the crowd would greet the band loudly, as loud as any concerts I have seen. But the concert of June 3, 1973 was something else entirely...it was like RAPTURE! People stomping their feet, ecstatically screaming, firecrackers exploding...the only other time I experienced this frenzied a response was the June 21, 1977 show.

In the dark, periodically illuminated by flashes and lit lighters, we could make out the shapes of the band members making their way on stage. As the stomping and hollering from the crowd continued, Bonham gave a quick test of the drums and soon after, the Little Richard-tribute drum intro to Rock and Roll commenced the beginning of the show as the stage exploded to brightness as the stage lights came on the same time as the band kicked into the main riff of Rock and Roll.

Oh shit Dorothy, we're not in Kansas anymore. Being on the floor is a completely different deal. The loudness is even more LOUD...IN YOUR FACE...AND IN YOUR GUT!!! Especially Bonzo's kick drum and Jonesey's bass. I looked over at Trudy and thanked my lucky stars we had thought of bringing earplugs for Trudy...she had been gripping my hand since the Forum lights went down, but as I looked at her she smiled and signaled she was okay. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene in front of us, and I returned my gaze to the stage. From behind the kit, Bonzo looked like he was wearing the same pastel tanktop, or wifebeater, as before. John Paul Jones was wearing some multicoloured button-down shiny shirt with these fantastic flash silver bell bottoms. Simply extraordinary...he should've worn them for the MSG shows! Unfortunately, being close to the stage allowed me to see Jones' mustache more clearly...he just didn't look right with that mustache. Jimmy Page was wearing the same natty white double-breasted suit as he did at Kezar. With the black and white shoes. His hair looked healthy and fluffy, the coloured lights giving it different hued highlights throughout the night.

Then, there was Robert Plant. Golden God. Golden, flaxen hair flowing down past his shoulders, the lights amplifying the golden hue of his curly locks. Long, lean and tanned body encased in skintight flared blue jeans and a pinkish-red shirt, more masculine than his usual 1973 blousey-type tops, but with just enough femininity to give Plant that otherworldly, ethereal sexual charisma he, and only he among the 70's frontmen, had. No, not even David Bowie or Freddie Mercury had it...David was too drugged out and sickly thin and Freddie too campy with his "Al Pacino in Cruising" look. To top it off, Robert had a red flower(a rose?) stuffed down his pants, so that the flower was just over his belt buckle.

And because we were now looking straight ahead and up at the stage, and not down from afar as before at other shows, the band, particularly Jimmy and Robert since they were closest to the front, appeared 10 feet tall. Like they truly were gods descended from Mount Olympus to bestow upon us mere mortals their immortal musical alchemy. As Rock and Roll progressed, with Jimmy doing his signature Rock and Roll stagger step, Trudy and I were hopping up and down on our seats, standing on our seats the only way we could see over the grownups in front of us. After the guitar solo, when Jimmy did his little leap, Trudy and I jumped as well, as various girls around us squealed. That's another thing I noticed being down front...lots of teenage flesh in hotpants and platforms. But let's get back to the music...

Rock and Roll was at it's end, Bonham flailing away like Animal of the Muppets during the final drum flurry, which leads to the rousing fanfare into Jimmy's solo intro to Celebration Day, notes flashing fast and furious from his vintage Les Paul. THIS was one of the moments I was already anticipating, for the previous 2 Zeppelin concerts had proven how great, and underrated, a song Celebration Day was in concert.

Tonight was no different...as Jimmy's opening guitar shot rapid fire notes, and Robert intones the opening lines, the song builds to that slight hesitation as Robert sings "and she wonders pretty soon everybody's gonna KNOWWWW" and then Bonzo, Jones and Jimmy SLAM into the song in total force, and the impact is UN-FUCKING-REAL!!!

Try to picture this in your mind...Bonzo and Jones are laying down this MASSIVE volcanically-erupting groove, Jonesy's bass inhabiting your bones, while Bonzo's drums wallop your guts, all the while he's staring intently at Jimmy, his mouth popping open from time to time like he's chewing gum and his head jerking with each accent of the beat. Meanwhile, Jimmy is slinking around the stage, guitar slung low, while carving out that ridiculously sexy funky Celebration Day riff. It's not that there's anything wrong with Rock and Roll, although even then it sounded slower in concert than on record, with Robert's vocals not as manic as the studio version, but Celebration Day, for me, is when the enormity of the concert hit me. The song seemed faster and more high energy than Rock and Roll.

And it was somewhere during Celebration Day that I lost it. How can I explain it to you? There isn't a bootleg in the world that can replicate the sound, the experience. Jimmy's guitar is sounding like 100 chainsaws carving that riff into your head...the bass and drums are exploding into your spine causing you to spontaneously jerk and dance about. The overwhelming loudness of the sound envelops you, harmonic overtones, that no bootleg can pick up, merging to create new tones and notes, raising the hair on your arms and sending tingles up and down your spine. On top of the the force of the groove and the sound, is the visual impact of Robert and Jimmy swaggering, thrusting, dancing across the stage...their movements somtimes in tandem, sometimes on their own, yet still strangely in sympatico with each other; the yin and yang. As Robert's voice, by now warmed up from the rough Rock and Roll opening, wails over the musical onslaught, and Jimmy's guitar cuts like a knife sharper than Bryan Adams will ever know, Jimmy struts to the front of the stage and I half expect him to just keep walking off the stage into the air above us. That is when I just erupt in tears of joy. I couldn't help it...I'm with my girlfriend and the band is sounding so good and they are fucking rocking the stage like they OWN IT! None of this tentative squirreling about like some bands. And Celebration Day is KICKING SO MUCH ASS! I tell you, I was in a state of happiness, of TOTAL BLISS, that the waterworks just flowed and flowed. I hugged Trudy and gave my BB a high-five as CD came to an end much too soon...they could have kept that groove going for another 10 minutes as far as I was concerned. And they should have made Celebration Day a permanent part of the setlist from 1971 on, I'm my opinion.

No time for dillydallying, Jimmy immediately slides into the Bring It On Home riff after CD...and Robert promises all the ladies in the house he's going to make them sweat and groove, as the band lurches into the serpentine riff of Black Dog, the third all-out hard rocker in a row to open the show. I always preferred the Bring It On Home riff as an opener to Black Dog to the Out on the Tiles riff, and here's why. With the Bring it riff, the segue to Black Dog seemed smoother. Also, I didn't particularly want to hear the actual song Bring It On Home, by then having grown bored with the early blues covers like Bring It and You Shook Me, so I liked when they shifted into Black Dog. But Out on the Tiles is one of my favourite songs, especially after hearing it on the Live on Blueberry Hill bootleg. So everytime they would play that opening riff to Out on the Tiles, I would get excited they were going to play the whole song. So I actually would feel a twinge of disappointment when they would go into Black Dog instead. C'mon guys, just ONCE gimme Out on the Tiles!

Black Dog swaggers to a close, Jimmy bringing the song to an end with a blazing run, and just like that, the opening three song assault is over, and us fans have a chance to cheer and welcome the band back to LA, as Robert says good evening and goes into one of his plantations, none of which I recall. It's funny, but even more so than in the stands, people down front yell all sorts of stuff at the band, thinking they're so close the band will hear them and respond. Greetings, requests...some musical, some sexual...non sequiters, all manner of nonsense is shouted at the band as a whole and at individual members; Jimmy and Robert topping the list, natch.

Another thing you notice up front is all the stuff that gets thrown on stage that the roadies periodically have to clear off. Joints, wadded balls of paper(notes, I presume), cards, flowers, candy, popcorn, items of clothing(some intimate)...it's quite a sight and probably quite a haul by the end of the night. Fortunately, Trudy refrained from throwing any clothing.

Jimmy took this time to remove his jacket, revealing an orange-red striped button-down shirt with black cuffs that I don't think I've seen him wear before...or since. In fact, both Jimmy and Robert are wearing shirts that I've hardly seen pop up in photographs other than in photos of tonight's gig.

With jacket removed, and Robert's introduction over, the folky beginning of Over the Hills and Far Away begins, as Jimmy's sweet cherry red Les Paul tone lulls you into a state of mellowness, as Robert sings to his lady...then WHAM! The volume increases ten-fold, and again, one of those ingenious simple-sounding yet complex riffs grabs hold of you, while Bonzo lays down a beat that at first seems at odds with the riff, but gradually reveals itself to be a marvel of deep-in-the-pocket groove. In fact, OTHAFA is one of those songs that was fun to watch the band play in concert. Jimmy hunched over, jerking his body to the riff, while Bonzo and Jones watched each other, working over the changes as Jimmy solo'd stratospherically over the top. Robert by now would throw in his Acapulco Gold aside to knowing looks and laughs among the stoners in the audience.

After the song drew to its languorous close, Jimmy bathed in deep blue light, I checked with Trudy to make sure she was okay...that it wasn't too loud or if she needed to rest. Before the concert, we said that we would stay to the end, but if she needed to go to the rest room, I would escort her, and if she got tired, she could sit and if possible, nap in her seat. So far, she was A-OK, thumbs-up, all systems go! Which was fine by me, as we were coming to another highlight of the show for me: the Misty Mountain Hop/Since I've Been Loving You tandem, signaled by Jones removing his bass and walking over to our left and sitting down at his keyboards, face-forward to the crowd, while Jimmy switched from the red Les Paul w/ black pickups to his customary Les Paul Sunburst.

Hippie funk-groove, followed by the sweeping, cinematic English blues drama of SIBLY. As the band charged into Misty Mountain Hop, the vibe of the show kept elevating...so many people dancing and smiling and having a goodtime. Apparently enpugh people in the crowd had experienced getting hassled by the cops over rolling papers to the point that the entire Forum wanted to escape to the Misty Mountains. Once again, the sound is massive, as Jimmy Page's guitar is in your face. Robert is doing all his hippie dances and wiggles across the stage while Jones' funky Fender Rhodes gives the song its colour. But it is Bonham who really drives the song, his every beat of the drum a mighty wallop, with the most awesome snare sound I've yet to hear...crisp, deep and resonant. Fill after fill with perfect timing electrifies the song until the final riff explodes, as Jimmy hits a switch and the guitar increases 10-fold in intensity and Bonzo does what seems like one continuous, roiling fill until the band reaches the point where it suddenly STOPS!

Leaving Jimmy to bend and sway as his fingers traverse the neck of his guitar, notes flying left and right until he slows into those familar notes that shift the band into Since I've Been Loving You. As the crowd howls in delight, especially the blues fans and guitar players amongst us, many of the crowd also begins to sit down, and Trudy is one of them, so I sit down with her. We still have some of our coke left and as we quench our thirst, I ask how she is liking the show so far. "Too much...it's far out", she replies. I put my arm around her as we settle in our chairs and watch the drama unfolding on stage. SIBLY is one of those moments where Jimmy trancends mere musicianship. He's not merely playing guitar, but making the guitar speak, as if the guitar itself had a soul. Or put another way, it's as if Jimmy and his Les Paul were fused into one, as if the guitar was just another extension of his body.

One thing I noticed with Jimmy Page, especially during SIBLY, is that he adjusted his tone and volume knobs on his guitar more than anybody I'd ever seen. Some guitarists I saw wouldn't touch their knobs once during an entire concert. Whereas Jimmy was constantly fiddling with the knobs, fipping the toggle switch...anything to create the variety of tones and sounds that emanated from his guitar. Considering the simplicity of his effects(compare his stage setup in 1973 to today's array of stompboxes taped down in front of every guitarists stage monitor), it's amazing the wide variety of sounds he got out of his guitar.

Again, just to listen is not enough, nor are pictures sufficient to suggest the total charasmatic effect that Jimmy playing the guitar on stage renders on you. And I fear my words fail to accurately portray the devastating impact of Pagey with a guitar. It goes beyond the way Jimmy moves and dances on stage, which is already beyond compare. Not Keith Richards, not Chuck Berry, not Richie Blackmore, not Mick Ralphs. Certainly not Clapton or Iommi, both of whom stand still as statues, making a guitar grimace once in a while. Pete Townshend is the only contemporary who comes close, and his vibe is more "athletic" with his jumps and windmills. Jimmy's vibe is more sinuous and sexy. His ability to dance and swagger and weave across the stage, while his slender frame is weighed down by some of the heaviest guitars in the business, the solid-body Les Paul and the Gibson doubleneck, is incredible enough. The fact that he often skitters across on one foot is miraculous and warrants comparison to James Brown. You think I'm kidding? Well, I'm not...if only someone would have filmed Jimmy at a 1973 concert, just focusing on his feet, you would be talking about his footwork with awe. To see it up close was breathtaking. But what truly made Jimmy a guitar god and sexually charasmatic to everyone in the arena no matter their sex or sexual orientation was the way he danced with his guitar while his feet were dancing upon the stage. Start with the fact that nobody wore his guitar slung as low as Jimmy. NOBODY. Most guitarists had their guitars strapped pretty high, which is the best position for clean, fast playing: Steve Howe, Richie Blackmore, Frank Zappa, the Grateful Dead guys...all guys who strapped it high. Keith Richards and Pete Townshend had theirs a little lower than that, but still nowhere near as low as Jimmy. And I'm sure Jimmy sacrificed some speed and accuracy having his guitar so low...that can't have been good for his wrist and shoulder. But I'll be damned if in 1973 I could tell for he sure sounded fast and accurate enough to me. And that was while he was doing electric gyrations across the stage. When he deigned to stand still like during Rain Song, he sounded as clean as his studio performances. But Jimmy wasn't built to stand still...he used his body to transmit to the audience every electric charge he was feeling through the music. Every whiplash chord, every sinewy solo, transmuted his body. At any given moment, he would swing his guitar away from his body, or hold it aloft with his right arm extended upwards to form a "V". He would be hunched over dramatically studiously focused on the fretboard, or gracefully arched back, back nearly parallel to the ground, while pulling of a solo. Or there were those tender moments, often during SIBLY, when he would pull the guitar up gently in a nearly vertical position, as if he were cradling a baby or a woman, and coax the most beautiful tones out of his instrument. It was a pas de deux between man and guitar and it was mesmerizing, both aurally and visually, beyond compare.

It was Godhead...sheer and utter GODHEAD! But while I was transfixed by the moans and groans emitting from Jimmy's guitar, my girlfriend Trudy was enraptured by something equally as powerful and potent: Robert Plant. Six feet of tanned, blond, British sex-on-two-legs. For while Page's guitar was emoting its way through SIBLY, so was Plant doing his moaning and groaning, while doing his mic stand parry-and-thrusting...sometimes hanging on and gripping the mic so tightly, you thought he would crush it. As Plant and Page engaged in their signature banter, with each seeking to echo and underscore what the other was doing, until both vocal and guitar lines were intertwined, the slow-burn drama of the song began to build towards that crucial hypnotic part right after the guitar solo. When I turned to look at Trudy, she had a look on her face that suggested she was transfixed. Not exactly a 1000 yard stare, she was keenly focused on Mr. Plant, a broad smile creasing her face until later in the song, she was just frozen in open-mouth wonderment. You know that scene in The Song Remains the Same movie, where that beautiful hooded girl breaks into a smile during SIBLY, overcome by the power of the song? That's what it was like watching Trudy during SIBLY. I can't say if it was the best SIBLY I ever saw...I tend to be partial to the SIBLY's where JPJ uses the Hammond B3 organ. But it was plenty emotional and definitely up there with the best.

Now came the Houses of the Holy trilogy of mood: the gloomy winter of No Quarter; summery surge of The Song Remains the Same; and pastoral spring of the Rain Song.

As Jones remained at the keyboards, the fog rolled in off the stage as Jones sounded the opening notes. It was incredible from this vantage point. It seemed at times as if the whole band would be swallowed up by the bank of fog, the stage lights giving it a haunting glow. I don't see how Jimmy could find his wahwah pedal in all that smoke. Speaking of Jimmy, this is one of those songs from Houses of the Holy that, while sounding perfectly okay on record, took on an extra depth, energy and power in concert. Jimmy's riff especially gained depth in concert. On the record, it's suitably fuzzy and kind of jazzy...but it lacks heft. The riff sounds thi and barely there. But not in concert. Once Jimmy stomps on his Crybaby, the riff CRUSHES your skull and you find yourself alone in the snowy, wintery night, chased by the dogs of doom. The sound of the song is MASSIVE...yet you look on stage, and there's ONLY THREE GUYS making this simultaneously huge, yet subtle and colourfully varied sound. No backing tapes or backup musicians a la the Who or Queen. No other 4-piece (which basically was a trio instrumentally, with a vocalist), could equal Zeppelin's sound in 1973. Black Sabbath? HA! Nice try, but ultimately a one-trick pony, and not helped at all by a shoddy muddy sound system.

To watch Led Zeppelin in concert was to be reminded once again of the mathematical trueism: the sum is greater than the parts. While each member of Led Zeppelin was spectacularly proficient on his individual instrument, it was the spontaneous combustion when they got together, the sum total of their talents, the off-the-charts group chemistry they had that made Led Zeppelin special.

Let's face it...Led Zeppelin was playing the same notes, the same blues scales as many other bands. But their talent and sheer force of personality made it appear to the audience that we were hearing these sounds for the first time. They sounded fresh and new the way Zeppelin played them, while Grand Funk, Deep Purple, Uriah Heap, and Sabbath sounded old and stodgy after awhile.

It was during No Quarter, as the lights turned blue and the band worked into the jam groove, that you noticed another singular element about Led Zeppelin...it wasn't so much notes they played, but colours and emotion. Bands like Emerson Lake and Palmer and Deep Purple would show off their instrumental chops and I wouldn't feel anything other than an overwhelming urge to chop off Keith Emerson's hands or knock Richie Blackmore's scowl off his face. With Zeppelin, their jams created a mood, an emotion tied to the song and to some distant yearning in the listener. Time stopped and you felt transported.

Jimmy remembered the second part of the solo, unlike San Francisco, and it was during the latter part of the song that we got the first taste of Jimmy's Theremin, accenting the howls of the dogs of doom. Followed by Jimmy going crazy on the wahwah. As was usual by now on the 73 tour, the song engendered a standing ovation. Trudy and I, along with most of the crowd, had spent SIBLY and No Quarter sitting down, but now were on our feet roaring. And as Jonesy took his bows, and moved to put his Fender bass back on, and Jimmy strapped on his iconic Gibson EDS-1275 12- and 6-string double-neck guitar...red body with black pickguard, thank you very much...I knew we wouldn't be sitting down soon. For by now I knew it was too early for Stairway to Heaven. Besides, with Jones on bass, that meant it was time for the rush of sound that was The Song Remains the Same.

Robert was doing an introduction to the song, and I believe he mentioned Rolling Stone magazine sarcastically...which I think he also did at Kezar. It seems Rolling Stone compared Led Zeppelin unfavourably to Slade, which when you think about it sounds ludicrous. But then, that's where Rolling Stone's head was at at the time. I mean, Slade had some moments but to put them in the same league as Zeppelin was laughable.

So, 1-2-3-4-GO! And The Song Remains the Same blasts us in the face, Bonzo's galloping beats and JPJ's rubberband-man bouncing bass lines underpinning the chiming bells of Jimmy's 12-string guitar. It's such a warm, beautiful sound...those ringing, chiming bells; what a TONE!

Then again, there's the magical, indescribable sight of skinny Jimmy, huge doubleneck strapped to his thin frame, weaving and bobbing around the stage, somehow managing to avoid crashing into the drums or decapitating Plant with his guitar. The song is so joyous to hear and see performed, that I'm almost moved to tears of joy again. Trudy and I are boogieing on our seats, as is my BB. The smells of cannabis and hash are in the air, but whether it's because I've built up a resistance or what, I don't really feel affected by it. The groove of the song is IMMENSE and INFECTIOUS! And the camaraderie among the band is evident, with Robert, Jimmy, John and Bonzo exchanging winks and smiles like they were the coolest boy's club in the world. Watching them, I want in...I want to play guitar like Jimmy Page and start a band. That becomes fixed in my brain as the state of supreme happiness.

When Robert sings "California sunlight", I cannot help but beam with state pride...California's mentioned in a Led Zeppelin song! I also notice something else...I prefer Robert's vocals on this song in concert than the helium vocals on the record. The Song Remains the Same is hurtling along, pell-mell, taking the crowd along in its frenzy. Shit is flying through the air and we're all just along for the ride. The song at once sounds tight and together and about to come apart at the seams. It's like Bonzo said "alright, everybody go on the count of 3, and meet you at the finish!"

The song comes to its end so quickly that you barely get your breath back before the sweet, lilting sound of Jimmy on the 6-string rings in the opening of Rain Song, as the bright lights dim to blue. FYI, Jimmy looks gorgeously spectral in this light. Now, I knew Rain Song followed TSRTS, but Trudy didn't, so as I knew she liked the song, I couldn't wait to see her reaction when the song began. She gave my hand an extra tight squeeze, and as everybody was sitting down again, as I sat down she sat on my lap and gave me a hug and whispered "thank you" in my ear. Again, Robert's vocals were perfect...so tender and filled with sincere emotion. I know some people think he lost it after 1972, but on some songs he sang better than ever. Immigrant Song might have been beyond his reach at this point, but he nailed all the Houses of the Holy songs.

As Jimmy and Jones, who now was seated at his white Mellotron facing right towards Jimmy and Bonzo, began the langorous instrumental interlude after Robert's opening verses, Trudy turned to me and kissed me deeply...and we kept kissing...and kissing all the way through til when the song gets to the rocking middle part. Everybody who has been to a concert with their significant other has had a moment like that. It's a memory emblazoned on my brain and one I will never forget. Whenever I hear Rain Song, I think back to that kiss.

As Jimmy delicately finger picks the closing arpeggios, and Plant brings the song to a rousing finish with a final wail, we are on our feet again giving the band another well-deserved standing ovation. People, mostly the girls, are shouting endearments to the band, as piercing whistles echo through the arena and bics flicker and glow in the darkness. Jimmy takes a bow and nods to the audience before handing his doubleneck to Raymond, his Scottish guitar roadie. As Robert also acknowledges the crowd, and the multifaceted Jones once again switches instruments, Jimmy rolls up his right sleeve. For now it's time to really get to work.

As Jimmy straps on his trusty Les Paul, Robert gives an introduction about an oldie...then only a single spotlight on Jones as the doomladened notes of his bass sound the beginning of "Dazed and Confused", in 1973 still one of the most anticipated songs of the night. A whoosh of expectation rushes through the crowd, as Jimmy sounds the first opening squeal of his guitar, heralded by a flash of smoke and fire and deep dark red lights. As Jimmy manipulates the sound of his guitar via his wahwah and and bending the strings behind the tuning peg, the mood turns positively evil. Is this the SAME BAND that just moments ago had transported us to a serene English meadow?

Okay, I have to confess I didn't like the way Robert sang Dazed and Confused in 1973...and 75 as well. Too much unnecessary squealing and changing the lyrics. Saying "I wanna make love to you little girl 25...25...25" over and over was annoying. It's a hoary blues cliche. Wished he would've stayed with the original "will your tongue wag so much when I send you the bill".

But the opening verses pass quickly enough, and 1973 is the last year where Jimmy really hits the vibrato during the chorus riff. Now it's on through the new segment developed for 1973, the fast solo and riffing bit leading into the "San Francisco" segment. I looked over at Trudy and she was still hanging in there. The band was cooking until suddenly it stopped and Jimmy shifted gears and began picking out the most beautifully melancholy melody I've ever heard. The genius of this band to just nonchalantly spring into a riff that other bands would kill for. As we all know by now, that riff was later used as part of "Achilles Last Stand", which I suppose is one reason why Dazed was dropped after 1975...although the band could've just dropped the "San Francisco/Woodstock" segment.

But as much as I love "Achilles", I feel that riff was most effective in the live Dazed and Confused's. It

felt more naked and vulnerable...more haunting. As Jimmy played the riff, and Jones and Bonzo figured out when to come in with the beat, Robert sang the lyrics to "San Francisco", the Scott McKenzie song I barely remembered from Monterey Pop. Then as Jimmy leaned on his wahwah and played that phasing sawing riff, Robert added his spectral moans courtesy of his echoplex.

Before you knew it, Jimmy was headed towards his wall of amps, and the moment everybody was looking forward to was at hand...Jimmy had the cello bow in his hand.

At first, as Jimmy applied the heavily rosined bow strings to his guitar, Jones and Bonzo gave light accompaniment, but soon they stopped as the stage darkened with the lights only on Jimmy. Now the bow segment began in earnest, as the most unearthly, loud, resonating howl emerged from the depths of hell. Then, as he began the part where he slaps, or whips the bow against the pickups, and pointing the bow in the direction the sound was reflecting, people began to lose their minds. The lights flashed and changed colour with every slap of the bow...blue, red, yellow, green, orange...as Jimmy pointed left, right, front, back with his bow, bow strings shredding, directing the sound around the arena. Then, the coup des grâce..the lights begin flashing rapidfire as shapes flicker in the background as Jimmy whips his guitar mercilessly, bow strings breaking and flailing everywhere, people in the front row trying to grasp the falling strands. It is one of the most indelible concert moments I've ever seen and heard. By this time Jimmy seemed 10-feet tall, and held complete command of all of us. But he was just beginning.

As he began bowing a spooky, scary-movie motif, I looked at Trudy and saw that she was sitting down, holding her hands over her ears, even with her earplugs already in...this was too much for her to take at her first concert. But like a trouper, she endured it with no complaint, unlike some other girls I took to concerts. One thing people often forget about the bow segment, is that it wasn't just about Jimmy. Depending on how inspired he felt, Robert would also contribute to the sound-orgy by adding his echoplexed melismic moans and howls to Jimmy's bow screeches. With the lightshow getting weirder and weirder, with trippy shapes and shadows projected onto Jimmy Page, the mood of the whole piece attained a level of evil dread that Black Sabbath could only dream of reaching. Every time I saw Black Sabbath, I could never take their attempts to be dark and evil seriously...mainly because Ozzy was such a ridiculous frontman. He was like a hyperactive frog.

As the bow segment reached it's climax, and Jimmy unleashed the hounds of hell, the sound began to drive you mad...you can't imagine how loud and shrill it was. Nor the white noise harmonic overtones that added to the texture of the sound. By now, Jimmy was frantically rubbing his fingers up and down the strings from the neck of his guitar to the pickups, while sawing his bow, with barely any strings left. With his hand rubbing more violently, I feared he was going to slice his hand on the strings. Bonzo joined in the final unholy climax of noise, and as Jimmy threw the bow away, the band got ready to gallop into the marathon jam, with Bonzo, Jones, and Jimmy hitting a few preparatory power chords before launching into the first fast guitar solo section familiar from the album version. From here the song becomes KINETIC personified. Behind the drums, Bonzo is hammering away at a racehorse pace, head snapping at the beat, each strike of the kick drum knocking you for a loop. Meanwhile, Jones is rolling through that endlessly looping bassline at inhuman speed, using just his fingers...NO PICK! Then there's Jimmy, strafing the audience with blitzkrieg runs up and down the neck of his guitar...how his guitar is still in tune after the violent lovemaking he gave it during the bow segment is beyond me. And don't forget Robert...he's not taking a break during this jam, either. Whether engaging in call-and-responses with Jimmy, or boogieing along to the music, Robert was a lion on the prowl.

As the band worked through the different changes, Jimmy, Bonham and Jones watching and listening to each other for the various cues, the incredible stamina of the band hit me with the force of a Bonham beat. Here we were, nearing the 90 minute mark, and while most bands would just be wrapping up their shows by now, Led Zeppelin were just getting started, savagely attacking their instruments with godlike intensity. The Rolling Stones would already be in their limos heading out of the Forum parking lot.

But Led Zeppelin asked no quarter...and they gave no quarter. When you entered a Led Zeppelin concert, you were entering a test of extreme stamina and emotions. Led Zeppelin was body music to the extreme, but it was also music for the head and psyche. After a Zeppelin concert, not only would your body feel pummeled, but your psyche, emotions and senses felt like they'd been put through the wringer. It was total immersion.

The boys were winging their way through the various twists and turns of the Dazed and Confused jam, Jimmy and Bonzo taking delight in prodding each other. My girlfriend had decided to take it all in sitting down...the storm of sound that is Dazed and Confused was a bit much for her. Baby steps I thought to myself...everything in good time. By now, sweat was flying off Jimmy's hair everytime he whipped around. I wouldn't be surprised if the people in the front row got sprinkled with a bit of holy sweat. As Jimmy navigated the twists and turns and dips and dives of the jam, he pulled out all the stops. Electro-stagger steps...laybacks...whirls and twirls...chicken dances. He was everything you want a guitar-hero to be...and his boundless energy was stunning to behold.

1973 was the last year I truly enjoyed Dazed and Confused from start to finish. In 1975, while I liked parts of Dazed, I found the energy of the piece as a whole, flagged at times...sometimes even coming to a complete halt. In 1973, the energy was NON-STOP! Like I said, it was a ocean of sound, a storm of sensory overload battering the senses. A complete contrast, say, to the jam in No Quarter. No Quarter was more a study in the use of space in a jam, Jonesey's piano, Jimmy's guitar, and Bonham's drums working off each other's tangents. Dazed and Confused was more about exploring every riff's possibility for themes and variations. That's why there's enough good riffs in Dazed and Confused to create 6 or 7 new songs.

Then, as if that wasn't enough, as the band comes to the end of the song, where any normal band would hurry to the finish, Led Zeppelin find one last spark of inspiration and take the audience on one last stratospheric jam...Bonzo and Jones engaging in a funky, bouncy round-and-round groove, while Jimmy goes in wahwah hyperspace. Just when you think the song couldn't last any longer, you're engrossed and groovin' to this spacey jam and you think to yourself that you wouldn't mind the jam going on for a while. Several minutes later, Bonzo's flying fists of fury are flailing around his kit at supersonic speed, and 30-some-odd minutes later, Dazed and Confused comes to an end. The band and audience both seem half- euphoric and half-exhausted. Jimmy smilingly accepts the hosannas of the rabid crowd. Again, the intensity and vibe of the crowd tonight seems 10 times the previous shows, which in turn seems to be inspiring the band to greater heights.

More Plantations follow, as Jimmy once again straps on the Gibson doubleneck, and Jones sits again at the Mellotron. I can't remember exactly when during the concert Plant made these remarks, but I know he mentioned Jimmy's hand injury and how he had been soaking it in a bucket of ice-cold water ever since the injury. He also said something to the effect of "you shouldn't be here tonight and we should be in England", in reference to the May 30 show being rescheduled for June 3.

Robert Plant's relaxed remarks and calm control of the stage revealed another reason why Plant was such a singular presence in the 70's. Apart from his sexual charisma and primal rock voice, it was refreshing to have a frontman from England that you could understand when he talked between songs. I couldn't understand half of what Mick Jagger or Ozzy Osbourne were talking about when they bantered between songs. Of course, it didn't help that they were yelling half the time. Which brings me to another plus about Plant...he wasn't a hype-meister who condescended to the crowd. Robert could talk and joke with the crowd with a quiet confidence, a relaxed nature that made a show feel intimate even though there were 18,000 other people in the room. And if he wanted quiet, he wasn't afraid to issue a curt "shut up a tic" to the crowd. Most frontmen so want to be liked that they're afraid of saying anything that would piss off the audience. But the quality I most admired in Robert was his refusal to be a hype-meister and phony. Mick Jagger and Ozzy Osbourne being two examples of the above. Mick and Ozzy found it necessary to constantly harangue the audience to make some noise and go crazy, always yelling, Yelling, YELLING at the audience. It's like they didn't trust the music to excite us, they had to whip us up in a frenzy like they were working a circus sideshow. It became annoying after a while. Sorry Mick and Ozzy, I don't always have to be jumping up and down and waving my hands in the air to have a good time. Sometimes I just want to be still and concentrate on the music. They are like the precursors to today's rap hype-men. Robert trusted Led Zeppelin's music to do the talking. He didn't need to scream the cliché "Are you ready to rock, Cleveland?" or the equally hoary "make some noise!"

Plus, the guy was gorgeous with the most amazing head of hair in rock history. I put it to you that no other rock frontman could have worn those flowery, feminine blouses that Plant wore, and still retain the masculine sexuality that Plant did. And Plant was sly enough, and confident enough in his masculinity, to allow the feminine, androgynous side to shine through, too. He was a sexual beacon for all.

But he wasn't the only one...and that is yet another reason Led Zeppelin had such a devastating impact on people, not just musically but sexually as well. For in addition to the blond Viking god, Robert, you had the yin to his yang, the dark, mysterious, ethereal Jimmy Page.

The next song showed this duality off to terrific effect. As Jimmy played one of the most instantly recognizable song intros ever, his guitar was momentarily drowned out by the huge roar of the crowd. Almost a year and a half since LZ IV's release and Stairway to Heaven had assumed anthem status. The blue lights sparkled off Jimmy's doubleneck, and reflected off the sweat on his face and in his hair. As Robert sang the opening lines, another roar erupted from the crowd, before everyone sat down to take in the song. This is where the band showed their understanding of pacing, as they knew after the half-hour of Dazed and Confused, the crowd would need a respite to regroup before building the audience's excitement back up again to carry over into Moby Dick. Stairway to Heaven was the perfect song choice.

Meanwhile Trudy had recovered from the Dazed and Confused onslaught, and liking Stairway to Heaven, her attention perked up...especially the way Robert Plant was glowing before her. Let me explain. While the majority of the stage was bathed in a cool blue light, golden spotlights shone on Robert from behind. So while his chest glistened with sweat in the mystic blue light, the spotlight behind him gave his hair a giant golden halo effect. I looked over at Trudy and once again, she had THAT LOOK. She had been zapped by the Golden God. And the effect was heightened by the fact that Robert stood mostly still while singing the first few verses of Stairway, so that when Robert looked our way, Trudy could imagine he was singing straight to her. Coupled with Jimmy standing to the side, blue light casting an ethereal shimmer on him, both Robert and Jimmy appeared to be a couple of Sylvan Sylphs, visiting our world to spread a little musical majick.

Bonzo soon added a little earthy reality as he came in with the beat, his snare sounding resoundingly through the Forum. Then, as the stage lights brightened to a white heat, it was time for Jimmy's fanfare, his doubleneck held aloft, vertically upright, fretboards parallel to his body. Then, THE SOLO! By now, it was de rigueur that every Stairway solo was different, which in my opinion, was a lot of pressure for Jimmy to put on himself. I mean, think of the strain and stress of having to come up with a different solo every night. But as I mentioned before, they asked no quarter, they gave no quarter. By the solo, most of us had risen to our feet again, and watched with elation as Jimmy tangoed with his doubleneck one last time for the night, wringing every last bit of emotion from the neck of his guitar. Come the final hard rocking part, and I think Plant stunned a few of us with the intensity of his attack on the final lyrics...he was holding nothing back. This was a band that still played Stairway to Heaven like they MEANT it. Needless to say, Plant's gentle reading of the final line triggered a massive wave of love as lighters were lit and more flowers thrown on stage and waves and waves of cheers descended upon the band as the lights hitting the mirror ball high above the arena threw 1000's of fractured shards of light spinning around the darkened Forum. Another memorable moment.

Now it was time for Bonham's showcase, Moby Dick, and it is a sign of the times that people still cheered a drum solo back then. But Trudy needed a pit stop, and as I had already seen 2 Moby Dick's this tour already(although I only remembered the Forum one), I didn't mind escorting her to the women's restroom and getting her a coke. Apparently we weren't the only ones making a pit stop at that time...as the line for the restrooms and snacks were huge. Judging by the length of the women's line, women have less of a tolerance for drum solos than men. The BB joined us, and while

waiting for Trudy to emerge from the bathroom,

we compared tonight's show so far with Bonzo's

Birthday show the previous Thursday while we hit

the men's room. I thought it was going even better

than Thursday's concert. He wasn't sure. We both

agreed the crowd seemed even more geeked up

than Thursday...more geeked up than any concert

crowd we had seen. FINALLY Trudy emerged from her restroom hell, and we headed to the snack bar line, where BB was already waiting for us, having gone ahead while I waited for Trudy. After nearly 20 minutes or so, we had drained our bladders and gotten some more coke to fill them up again. We were ready for the final stretch of the show..

As we made our way back to our seats, we saw the last bit of Moby Dick, as Robert shouted "John Bonham! John Henry Bonham! 25 years old" while Bonham stood up and tipped his hand to the crowd. Of course, Bonham's drum solo was so loud, that even though we were in line outside, we could still HEAR Bonzo even if we couldn't SEE him.

Meanwhile, there had been a few sartorial changes while Bonzo was making like Animal from the Muppets. Somehow, the red flowers in Plant's pants now were attached to Bonham's drumkit, and Plant had planted new flowers in his crotch. And Jimmy had ditched his sweaty orange-red shirt in exchange for a black zippered windbreaker jacket, with the zipper undone nearly all the way.

Bonham went into the 1973-style intro for Heartbreaker, and as Jimmy's wondrous 1973 tone carved its way like a scythe across the Forum as those buzz-saw riffs strutted like a tiger in heat, the band's intent became clear. It now became clear why the band dumped the acoustic set for the 1973 US tour.

As the 1973 US tour would be their longest and largest yet...more cities, more dates, larger venues...the band probably realized that they would attract a lot of casual and first-time fans on this tour. With the increased focus on Public Relations, there would also be increased media scrutiny. It seems, if you look at the setlist, and the way certain songs were linked together, that the band wanted to streamline their set for maximum impact. No more long gaps tuning up, or setting up acoustic guitars and stools. They kept the marathons the hard core fans loved (Dazed and Confused and Moby Dick), while adding enough of the eclectic and soft material to make up for the loss of the acoustic set(Rain Song, No Quarter, OTHAFA). And look at all the linkages, which cut way down on song intro time, not to mention equipment changes:

1. Rock and Roll>Celebration Day>Black Dog

2. Misty Mountain Hop>Since I've Been Loving You

3. The Song Remains the Same>Rain Song

4. Heartbreaker>Whole Lotta Love

Another consideration that may have led to the dropping of the acoustic set, is the reality that the ability of mics to pick up acoustic guitars in an arena setting with high quality was hit-and-miss in the early 70's. The band might have said let's wait until microphone technology improves before dealing with the hassles of miking acoustic guitars in a humid basketball arena. Just a hunch.

Whatever the reason, the 1973 setlist was a model of pacing and variety delivered for maximum impact.

Right off the bat, three quick all-out hard rockers: R & R, Celebration Day, and Black Dog.

Then, two more rockers that are slightly more eclectic: OTHAFA and Misty Mtn Hop.

Then a long stretch of new songs and old showcasing a variety of moods and tempos and solo showcases: SIBLY, No Quarter, TSRTS, Rain Song, D & C, Stairway, and Moby Dick.

Finally, the ramp back up to high energy rockers to send the crowd out on a high: Heartbreaker, WLL, The Ocean, Communication Breakdown.

Back to Heartbreaker...Bonzo is a friggen' marvel in this song; more than 2 hours of playing and right after completing a huge drum solo that would have exhausted most men, and John Henry is STILL delivering crisp fill after fill and hitting the beat hard. Jimmy is moving and grooving as only he can, and as he tempts and teases us during the wicked guitar solo, leaning out over the lip of the stage as he bends the strings behind the nut, it's hard to believe that he just recently injured his hand. You'd never know it the way Jimmy is blazing on guitar tonight. After I saw the Bonzo Birthday Party concert, I made a mental comparison between that show and the 1972 shows, and for the most part I felt the songs played in 73 were just as good, if not better than the same songs played in 72. The two major exceptions were Heartbreaker and Whole Lotta Love. I thought both those songs were played better in 72 than 73. And while tonight's Heartbreaker was better than May 31, I still didn't like the way it cut off the end to go into Whole

Lotta Love.

Whole Lotta Love started more smoothly than on May 31, more crisp and immediately in the groove. Watching Jimmy take a turn at the backing vocals was always a treat. But the real treat lay ahead during the Theremin segment. 1973 is when the

Theremin segment came into its own. They ditched

the bongo and organ underpinnings from the

past, and finally got down and funky, with Bonham and Jones laying down a mean groove, while Page and Plant did battle with each other. Most of the time they would lead into the Theremin segment with a bit of The Crunge or some James Brown groove. But tonight they dove right into the Theremin segment, with Jones and Bonzo establishing the beat, as Plant asked where that confounding bridge was..."Has anybody seen the bridge?" But the main event occured when Jimmy cranked up his Theremin and Gizmotron, which I think were run through his Orange Amps. In one corner you had Plant at the left, his echoplexed orgasmic moans and cries of love whirling around the Forum as he pirouetted around the mic stand. Then in the right corner stood Jimmy, the Grand Wizard of Sound, directing with his elaborate hand movements bolts of whooshing and whirring sound to do battle with Plants orgiastic wails. It was like a Battle Royale...and once again, another indelible concert memory was imprinted on my psyche. There Jimmy was, hands arcing this way and that as he slid and stalked across the stage, his arms and hands directing the eerie electronic sounds this way and that. Truly remarkable...what a showman Jimmy is.

This theremin duel seemed to last a little longer than most...as if they were having one last bit of fun before the tour break. The crazy sounds were whirling around your head, buzzing your brain while Bonzo and Jones were making everybody get their groove on. After about 5 minutes of delirium, Jimmy cranked his guitar up again and launched into the famous WLL solo. One more verse and chorus and Plant unleashed one of his epic "Wanna whole lotta LOOOOOOOOOVE!"

Now the other night, they only did Boogie Mama, which kind of disappointed me, being used to the 25-minute Whole Lotta Loves with the wacky medleys. So right away I was stoked, as when Plant would normally begin his "Last night" spiel, he instead said "I'm going down", and the band followed suit, Jimmy nailing that staccato riff. YES! This what I wanted...something different and spontaneous. I was holding Trudy's hand and we were swinging our arms back and forth. A couple more verses and a guitar solo, then the band is crunching out the I'm A Man riff, then it's The Hunter...awesome, as this is one of my favourite parts of How Many More Times! Finally the band lets Robert tell us about his mama and his papa, too. This boy's reached the age of 24 and he wants to BOO-BOO-BOO-BOO-BOO-BOO-BOOGIE! When Jimmy starts that Boogie Mama riff, the anticipation and excitement builds until the whole band joins in and the Forum explodes with joy, as the infectious tune has the crowd happy and boogieing. Robert is shaking it one time for Elvis...well, actually he's shaking it a helluva lot more times than once. While Robert is shaking his bum, Jimmy is reeling off solo after solo, as once again the band's energy and stamina is a marvel. Just like that Robert intones "Woman...woman...woman", and we're back to finish Whole Lotta Love. "Waaaaayyyy down insiiiiide..." As Robert heads to the finale, I make sure Trudy can see as I don't want her to miss this...we have our arms around each other. The band hits those two power chords as Plant gathers himself for that epic "LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!"

Bonham starts his rat-a-tat fill as the lights briefly flash and dim until right at the moment Jimmy comes in with the WLL riff and BLAM BLAM BLAM! Three fireballs explode behind the stage, the heat of the fire warming our faces! Trudy freaks out at the explosions...she wasn't expecting THAT, hahaha. Oh, but there's more pyro to come...as Jimmy plays the wahwah variation of the riff, Bonzo's gong is prepared with the lighter fluid soaked wraps. All hell breaks loose then as Jones and Jimmy are slashing away at their instruments, Plant is howling above the din, and Bonzo bashes away at his Gong of Fire, flames surrounding Bonham as the whole thing becomes a sight-and-sound bonanza, crescendoing deliriously to the finish. The crowd is a sea of madness...we've been whipped into a frenzy and the band hasn't even left the stage before cries of "MORE!" ring out. Now some bands will only wait 30 seconds to a minute before coming back out for the encore. Led Zeppelin is different, natch. They make sure the audience is serious about wanting an encore, making us clap and scream and stomp deliriously for almost 5 minutes before the band makes it's way on stage. There's been more stuff thrown on stage in the interim.

Now, one way the 1973 Oceans were better than the 1972s, was that in 73 you got the Bonham spoken-word intro, which was always a treat. Bonham also sang harmony with Plant on the la la la part. The Ocean is a song for the fans, and the fans eat it up. It's snappy riff and monster beat lends itself to a happy vibe. It's a giant party in the Forum as people are clapping and dancing up a storm! Trudy and I have got our second wind and are dancing as energetically as we were earlier in the night, 2 and a half hours ago. Now, having had the Houses of the Holy album for 2 months, I had already memorized most of the lyrics, so I knew The Ocean by heart. On the May 31 show, I thought perhaps Plant switched lyrics during The Ocean, but I wasn't sure. So tonight as the band played The Ocean, I silently sang along and sure enough, Robert switched the 2nd and 3rd verses! Of course, I was later to discover he had a habit of transposing lyrics to other songs: Kashmir, TSRTS, No Quarter, Sick Again, Trampled Underfoot. The Ocean is such a killer song, though, I didn't really care about Robert's lyrical switch. Once again, as I watched Jimmy uncork another one of his rubberband-leg dances and the obvious relish with which the band was playing the tune, I think this is such a perfect encore song...one for the fans. In hindsight, I wish they hadn't dropped it from the set so quick...it would have made a better encore song in 1975 than Black Dog. Same in 77.

The Ocean is so infectious and sweeps you up into

its party wake so easily that it's over much too

quickly. And just like that the band is off again,

while this crowd is not going to settle for one

encore. I'm still kind of hoping, since this is the last night of the leg, that we'll get a blow-out of the likes of the June 25, 1972 show, with multiple

encores. But as the setlist was exactly the same on

May 31 and June 2, and so far tonight as well, I

wasn't getting my hopes up.

A few more minutes of hooting and hollering and back come the guys for a second encore. I listened to my "Three Days After" bootleg so many times in the 70's and 80's, that I can still recall exactly what Robert said before the starting the song: "This is something we don't seem to have trouble with...". And Jimmy warms up the Les Paul, then rockets into Communication Breakdown, an early precursor to speed metal, and already faster and heavier than Black Sabbath's Paranoid. The song unleashes a flurry of headbanging in the Forum, your humble narrator included. Until after the solo, when the band switches gears effortlessly from metal to funk, as the band extrapolates on the O'Jays "It's Your Thing" groove, with Jimmy weaving an incredible snake-like riff in and around the beat. What a conjurer of riffs...what a snakecharmer Jimmy is!

The band quickly ramps back to finish Communication Breakdown after the funky interlude. And afterwards, I'm expecting the band to take their bows again and say their goodbyes and disappear off stage. But WAIT! They're making no move to leave the stage...are we, the final night's audience, who have already proven to be one of the loudest and intense, going to get a special treat? YOU BETCHA! I have to bite my lip to contain my excitement as Jonesy sits behind his Hammond B3 organ. Robert then says, "We'd like to say something else." Jones then starts playing his organ solo,  and I am so beside myself, I'm practically levitating. For while she knew Rain Song would be played, as I told her, I also said they had not played Thank You. But knowing that Jones organ solo lead into Thank You, I began to get goose bumps from excitement. Since Trudy didn't know this, I decided not to tell her so it would be a surprise. As Jones executed a sweet gospel-inflected solo, leading to the final fade into silence, as Jimmy prepared to enter, I was literally bursting. Then came those delicate opening chords to Thank You, before Jones and Bonzo entered and Jimmy cranked the volume on his guitar and the riff exploded as a cheer went up. I looked at Trudy and she looked so happy and so awestruck at the same time...we immediately began to kiss, standing on our seats in the middle of the crowd with the song enveloping us. Now, if you've heard the Three Days After boot, you know that after the initial cheer when Thank You begins, 30 seconds later an even larger cheer occurs. Something obviously happened. But what? That is what people have been asking me for years...and I tell 'em, I don't have a clue. For while that was going on, Trudy and I had locked lips and were holding our bodies tight against each other as we let the warm sound of the song cocoon us. So I don't know what caused that sudden crowd eruption...maybe a stage diver? Someone threw a giant joint on stage? A streaker? Maybe Silver Rider climbed up on stage and gave Jimmy a kiss?

All I know is that once again, I was in a state of absolute bliss, such extreme happiness, that I thoought I was having an out of body experience. Here I was, 11 years old, with a sweet girlfriend, whose tongue was doing loop-de-loos in my mouth...AND I already had 5 LED ZEPPELIN concerts under my belt. I knew that no matter what darkness the future held for me, the memory of this night would sustain me through any tough times.

And it did...and still does to this day.

Frankly, Thank You was a blur that night...was it as good as 72 or earlier versions? I don't know. It sounded pretty good to Trudy and me that night! All I know is that we got to hear one of the last Thank Yous ever...definitely the LAST THANK YOU IN L.A.!

Again, Thank You seemed such a perfect encore song, you wonder why it wasn't played as an encore all the time. Thank You over, we held out hope for another encore, so after the band bowed and said good night and goodbye, we stuck around just in case. But really, how could the band top that...Thank You was the perfect song to go out on.

We waited for the house lights to come up, so we weren't stumbling in the dark. Now it's one thing to leave the Forum from the stands, whereby you exit through the concourse and soon you're outside in the fresh air. But on the floor, once the lights come up, you're hit in the face with the craziness...all around you on the floor are hats, glasses, various shoes, ticket stubs, t-shirts left behind, a tambourine, trash of all shapes and sizes, spilled coke and beer. The detritus left behind at a concert is truly staggering. As we left our seats and headed for the tunnel that led out to the parking lot, I noticed a group of fans lingering at the front of the stage talking to the security guys...perhaps trying to talk their way backstage. Today, people try to get the roadies to hand them a setlist or a stray drumstick, but Zeppelin never used printed setlists.

Walking through the spilled drinks on the floor was one thing, but when we hit the tunnel...PEEUW! As loud shouts of "ZEPPELIN!" and "Fuck Yeah!" and "ROCK AND ROLL!" and "WOO HOO!" sounded through the corridor,  the overwhelming stench of stale beer and sweat hit us in the narrow tunnel. What a blessed relief to finally make it outside in the crisp June night air.

After orienting ourselves, we found BB's Chevy Malibu, and joined the line of cars exiting the parking lot. Sure, it's a bit of a wait...but totally worth it. I feel sorry for those that left early to beat the traffic and missed Thank You.

Trudy and I are still in a state of bliss...we fairly floated out of the Forum. In my excited state and the glow of L-O-V-E suffusing me, I declare that that was the best concert I've ever seen. Trudy is too overwhelmed by it all to say much. The BB decides to treat us to a post-show nosh, and we hit the classic A-Frame IHOP down the street from the Forum on Manchester. While Trudy and I peruse the menu, BB makes a call to Trudy's mom to let her know the situation...we're having a post-show meal and then we'll head home. Trudy and I decide to share an order of strawberry pancakes with whip cream. And hot chocolate. They taste pretty good...but then, pretty much all food tastes good after midnight when you've been at a concert all night. Trudy can't wait to tell her friends and sister about the concert...she's finally in a state where she can talk about the show. She thought it was wild and made me promise to take her to see Zeppelin again the next time they played LA. She didn't care for Dazed and Confused though...that was too much for her. She said she literally got scared during the bow segment...it was hurting her ears and freaked her out. The BB said he thought the show was better than May 31, but that the 72 Forum was best overall...he missed the acoustic set.

Our hunger sated, we headed home, south on the 405, Trudy asleep with her head on my lap, as BB drove. I ruminated over all my favourite bands and concerts I had seen...the Stones, Dylan, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Marvin Gaye, David Bowie, Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Yes, ELP, Elvis Presley, Roberta Flack, Joni Mitchell. It was now 1973...ten years from when the Beatles burst on the scene. A full decade. And in 1973, Led Zeppelin seemed to be the supreme summation of all the influences that came before that led to the developing of hard rock and also represent the possibilities for hard rock to transcend its influences and barriers. No other band did what they did...with the variety and power that they did it with. Not that other bands weren't good...the Stones, Floyd, Yes, Jethro Tull...all had something to recommend them. But when I measured them against Led Zeppelin, they all came up short...and I'm not just referring to the length of their concerts.

Seeing Led Zeppelin confirmed to me that while my eclectic taste would allow me to listen to and love a wide range of bands...even bands with no guitars and drum machines...it would always be hard rock, or at least Zeppelin-style hard rock that would be my primary taste. And it would be the electric guitar that represented the sound of rock and roll. And Jimmy Page was THE MAN in 1973, when it came to the electric guitar.

1973 was the year Led Zeppelin ascended Mount Olympus. Houses of the Holy returned them to #1 on the Billboard chart. Their 1973 European and US tours were mega-successful. They broke the Beatles long-standing attendance record and caused hysteria with nearly every concert. Word-of-mouth spread like wildfire. They could even afford to hire their own plane...the Starship. If in 1971, Stairway to Heaven made them superstars, by the end of the 73 tour Led Zeppelin had gone from superstars to rock gods.

In a rare case of the reality not only matching, but exceeding the marketing hype, Led Zeppelin in concert delivered the goods, and then some.

Led Zeppelin: The effect truly was SHATTERING.

Postscript...one of the after-effects of the concert was that Trudy became obsessed with Robert Plant...and with long, blond hair. I didn't have blond hair. Shortly after my birthday, she left me for some surfer with blond locks.

She came back to me two weeks later because he was a lousy kisser.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[onlywhenitsraininglove-blog]

The Carnage Chapter two

*SEE WARNING AT TOP OF CHAPTER ONE*

Two:

South of Clover, Idaho.

In the early nineteen seventies, the sprawling Shaw Ranch raised over five thousand head of cattle, operated a full dairy and employed over one hundred workers that cared for every aspect of the ranch. They grew most of their feed but still required semi truck loads to be delivered during the final months before winter set in and seeing the ranch in its hay day was a sight to behold.

But now the ranch looked defunct and seriously aged. The animals were gone and in their place were the remains of old rotted hay stacks and rusting hulks of farm vehicles that littered the areas around the barns. Piles of scrap wood and tin along with half a dozen old tractors sat in the tall weeds that grew around the farm.

The California ranch style home was a large six bedroom structure that had two levels with over six thousand square feet of living space, the main floor being ground level and the second floor below. At its prime the house and property had been valued at nine million dollars, and while it still retained a good portion of that value, it was only due to the value of the land that surrounded it. The exterior of the house was in disrepair and needed a fresh coat of paint, but the interior was warm, clean and still inviting.

From as early as seventy five, the house had become the central hub of so many children in Clover due to the Shaw children having so many friends that it had been one of the most visited houses in Clover. The children had started calling the house, Blissful House and it was a name that stuck with the locals too. Seth made a wood sign that hung over the front door that said, “Welcome to Blissful House” in honor of all the children who had ensured its respected name in the community.

The farm was not the sole income the family earned. Seth may have had a bit of a tougher time if that had been the case, raising five children as well as he did. But Seth made his money in High rise construction and had been so successful that at the age of thirty he was able to buy the property that was now Shaw Ranch and build it up. He worked both places, but the ranch was his home.

He married his childhood sweetheart on Christmas day, in nineteen sixty nine while they were both still thirty. He built the house first and they moved in on their wedding day. They started having children right away. They were both eighty years old now and the children ran the construction business and over the years it had grown into an empire.

Seth would have liked to turn over the Ranch to one of his children, but none of them had any interest in keeping it going. They liked the city life and all of them had moved to Denver, Colorado where the head quarters of Shaw Construction was located. Every one of his children worked in the business and were listed as the owners of the construction business now along with their spouses. It seemed that Denver was the main attraction.

Seth managed the Ranch till he turned seventy. He supposed he could have kept it going, but he really didn’t want to worry about things anymore. So he sold off the animals and as much of the equipment as he could and focused on his lovely wife and little hobbies that he had enjoyed when he was a boy growing up in Texas. He kept a few of the old farm hands around still, living in their homes for free as it always had been and in exchange their children would do what needed to be done around the house and property that he himself couldn’t do.

He was in considerably good heath and didn’t look eighty, but he just attributed it to his work in construction and his absence in the use of alcohol and tobacco. Those were the two things he had never done, would not do and didn’t allow on his farm. He hated those things just as much as he hated drugs too, but he was of a mind that only strange hippy people did the drugs.

After giving birth to five children, Mabel had become a round plump woman and she was fine with that. She had known her husband liked that look in a woman and in the fifty years they had been married he had never once complained about her weight or looks. She could see the love he held for her in his eyes, in his gentle mannerisms towards her. In business, Seth could be ruthless and always expected perfection, but with her, he was soft, kind and gentle.

She had fallen in love with him the very first time she set eyes on him. He was tall, slender and a bit of a garish boy, wearing cloths not commonly seen on youth in those days. He had the good looks of Ronald Regan and the calmness of a panther while stalking it prey. There was always this in tension and conviction that seemed to surround him, but it also told her everything she needed to know. He wanted her and no one else. She always knew what he wanted and when he wanted it because of this.

They were ten when they met for that first time and she still recalled how his stare set her face on fire. She could read that face so well even then and she had fallen so hard for him that very day so many years ago. It had been Christmas day, nineteen forty nine when she first set eyes on him.

The weather that day in Dallas felt colder then it actually was. It was a clear day but the wind was blowing pretty hard making the normally cooler temperatures feel even colder. She had been at her grandmothers house for Christmas for the first time in four years and had gone out to ride her new bike. Seth had been across the street watching her. She had seen him when she first came out thru the garage, tossing a ball to another kid, but the entire neighborhood of kids was out that day playing with their new toys or bikes so she paid no real attention to them.

After she took several laps up and back on the street and she was getting ready to go back into the house due to how cold she felt, but she saw him standing in the street, just off the sidewalk with his hands clasped together in the front and looking at her like he had been waiting for her. She stopped in front of him and got lost looking at his eyes. It had been love since that moment for both.

Unlike so many other children, they never argued or fought over things or subjects. They talked in a calm, quiet way. You would have to be very close to hear their conversations, but you could always see the pleasant smiles they wore as they made their plans for the future.  

Seth had always been sweet with her, buying her flowers and little gifts that always made her heart pound a little more. He never forgot a birthday, or a promise and had done everything he had said he would do. Mabel loved Seth so much. He had been a wonderful husband and a loving, caring father and he had been her life and she, his.  

At diner time, they sat at the small table in the kitchen, where they could be close and hold hands just like they used to do when they were young. He was still a romantic after all these years and she hoped they would be together for another twenty years. The main table was only used when their kids came home and this year they were going to have to add all the extensions to it. They were going to have a very full house this Christmas.

This part of southern Idaho was cold, windy and generally miserable during the winter months and this December was no exception. The average daily temperatures were forecast to stay below freezing most of the month. But that would not stop the Shaw family from gathering on Christmas day since it had been a tradition for as long as any of them could remember.

The family didn’t just celebrate Christmas on that day, but also their parents anniversary and this year it was especially important. This was going to be their Golden Anniversary, meaning fifty years of marriage. It was a sure bet all their children would be there and maybe even some grand kids with great grand kids. It was going to be a fun event and Mabel and Seth Shaw were looking forward to it.

The first twenty one days were filled with all sorts of activities. Mabel had been busy cleaning and dusting all the bedrooms and cleaning the massive stacks of bed linens from the closet so that each person would have a nice clean place to sleep in. Seth had hired a company to come out and cut all the weeds down while the families that still worked for him helped to organize and re-stack the piles out around the property and made sure some of the barns would not be accessible to young children.

He parked his two large RV’s near the house and hooked them up to electricity and water and made sure the propane tanks were full. He knew his oldest son would also bring his RV and so he made sure the pad was cleaned and ready to be used. The huge old stack of rotting hay had a large net tied down over it, so it could not collapse on any of the children if they decided to go exploring. All kids liked to go exploring on his property and also play massive games of hide and seek.  

When the first of the family started to arrive on the evening of the twenty first, all was ready and in good shape. Seth would have loved to have been able to put a new coat of pain on the house, but with the temperatures, it just was not possible.

Michael Metzger copywrite 2019

[dearestjaemin]

26 Questions for the Saniwa

a question meme i saw from wikia and wanted to answer it here!!! since this is where i mostly put my tkrb posts....

q&a under the cut!

Q.What is your name and which server is your citadel on?

A. 桃井　さつき　+ see battle record uwu;;;;

Q. When did you start serving as a Saniwa? Please display your battle records.

A. April 22 of 2017!!! I recently celebrated my first year anniversary and it was nice uwu

Q. Which starter sword did you pick? What is he doing now?

A. Kashuu Kiyomitsu!!! Um, well, he’s just there... waiting for his kiwame... Actually uwu;; I used him for a recent VOT thinking exp accumulates and carries over to kiwame! Did that to him because he’s the only one I wouldn’t get angry at haha

Q. Who is the first among your swords to reach the maximum level? What do you think of him

A. If i remember correctly, it is Hotarumaru!!! He arrived pretty early but I’m sure he got to 99 hella quick because of VOT AHHAHAA I love him!! He’s relatively fast for an ootachi + he’s cute!!!

Q. Who do you have in each of your squads, and how do you use them? If you haven’t unlocked all four teams yet, briefly describe how you plan to organize them.

A. First squad varies depending on event! (WTE is either all kiwame or newbies, VOT is tachi + ootachi; if it isn’t battle regiment?? all other squads are on expedition!) Currently: Second squad is 97 akita, 99 tarou, 99 micchan, 24 tomoe (extra haha a...) 97 yagen (for the naginata expedition!), third squad is for yari expedition, with 55 ote, 99 mutsu, 35 (extra) fudou (he levelled up by sheer force of expedition HAHAHAH) 99 ishi, fourth squad is 99 kashuu, 99 sayo, 99 kousetsu, 53 nihongou

if it’s battle regiment, it’s either all kiwame team again for first squad then the rest goes on exp. if not, first team is night battle, then tachi team, then uchi team.

Q. Without considering the performance of the swords, which type of sword do you prefer?

A. I love tantous!! They’re so cute huhu I also love my naginatas!!

Q. List the swords that you like and your thoughts on them.

A. i this is a lot ahahhaa um i love kashuu’s art style and everything about him. he’s so cute and im a sucker for his voice!!! i love my baby gokotai imma protecc him. I LOVE FUDOU i love his drunk self but i never knew i could love him more until he kiwame-d! i love horikawa so much i would give him all the love ;; I LOVE KANE-SAN he’s so handsome aaaaa and i like idiots like him huhu MONOYOSHI he’s so pretty imma cry for his kiwame ;;;;; mICCHAAAN i love his voice and his mom-ness. i love tsuru’s art so much!!! also such a playful boy ;;;; I LOVE HOTARUMARU SO MUCH bb rest well ;; IWAIWA i luv him so much ainsaksnaks and and otegine is slowly having a spot bcos i always hear him for expedition ahahhaha...

Q. Are there any pairings that you like? If there is, please list them.

A. Kashuu and Yasu!! I love these two!! KaneHori but also KashuuHori owo I love MikaKogi and MikaTsuru uwu MitsuKara!!! I also love TsuruKara hehe and IwaSouza!! (haha zoku’s tiny moment of them...) AND YAMABUSHIXJUZU BOI U CANT CONVINCE ME THAT THEYRE NOT CUTE and sweats.... a lot of tachis x saniwa.... .////.

Q. Is your Citadel an employee-friendly Citadel or a black-hearted Citadel that works your swords to the bones?

A. I- ;; maybe black-hearted? I only repair swords when they get to red for resource + instant token purposes (unless im not gonna use them for a long time) I do only work with gold troops because i think they deserve gold troops uwu;;; Or work to the bones mean fatigue?? I never let them out non-sakura fubuki (if you lose the flowers, you get to be leader!)

Q. Have you ever done anything weird to your swords?

A. I what?? 

Q. Have you ever broken a sword? What happened, and who did you break?

A. I’ve mentioned this a lot but I’ll say it again haha I broke Gokotai on a run on WTE Map 4?? I was at school (whoops) and I was playing during a seatwork?? since it only needed clicking. When I looked at the screen, Gokotai broke!! I didnt even hear his line! I thought he had an omamori but it turned out that he was the only one without it! I was horrified as he was already 90+ (ready to be sent out for kiwame! so thankfully not yet a kiwame) and i was near in tears! I got another gokotai and on the same day i level-ed him to 30?? ye. ahaha-

Q. Who looses troops the most in your Citadel? And who is the most skilled at making troops?

A. I think it’s Daihannya? And it’s Kousetsu! Or, well I believe he makes good troops...

Q. Have you ever done something with all your might in order to get a particular sword? Please describe what you did and the results.

A. Good story: I used up all my ofudas and resources were almost less than a 100k?? and it was night time already!!! God i needed to sleep. then tomoe came home!!! Juzu too!!! God I ran thru 7-4 long route so many times i think i 99-ed a set of tantous + almost another set of them before i got him uwu;;

Bad story: same thing and I was down to 50k??? yep i think that was it. koryuu still didnt come home. ;;

Q. Are you superstitious? (wwww)

A. I believe that Nakigitsune brings swords home as he brought Juzu home (and he brought Juzu home as well for my sis! Also Shizukagata for her!) Also back when I sucked at VOT, I believe that screaming beads repeatedly while pumping my fists helps (no it doesnt but well im desperate for an ichigo)

Q. What made you join the TKRB fandom in the beginning? How about now?

A. I saw fanarts of it from an artist i love and im like WHAT IS THIS?? at first it was only the game and i heard it was pc + jap only so i gave up. when hanamaru came out, i watched and got hooked!!! i then started playing. i stay for the art + i actually enjoy the mindlessness of this game. perfect for someone with bad attention span like me ^^;;

Q. What do you think of the current maps? Which map is good for training/grinding, which maps do you get lost in the most, which map do you want to burn?

A. They’re ok now that they updated the less clicking thing! I love 7-4, long route for my tantous + 5-4 for my tachis. I get lost a lot in 7-1??? and this map in 6... ID BURN 7-2 AND 7-3 WOW I LOST A LOT OF RESOURCES FOR THE DAMN REPAIR

Q. Are there any game systems or improvements that you hope DMM will implement?

A. I would mention the less clicking but they already improved that! Honestly the recent updates were real nice! Maybe something like auto play? Like it would only prompt you to click if there is an injured sword or cant scout? haha less clicking again ^^;;;

Q. If DMM cooperates on an event with another game/anime/etc., what would you like to see?

A. Since this is about swords, I kinda want something like FFXV bcos noctis and his swords... Or final fantasy in general!! Actually I also want Natsume Yuujinchou hahahaha.. and sanrio... ah ahaha.

Q. Have you ever spent money playing TKRB? Is so, how much? If not, do you plan to?

A. sweats... I’ve bought two sword slot expansion and two troop slot expansion (check the store for price!) Outside the game, I’ve bought some mostly Kashuu merch because he’s def my favorite!

Q. Is there any merchandise that you would like to buy or see?

A. Mini-sword keychains? haha or maybe a music box?

Q. Have you done any fanwork? If so, what?

A. I’ve written some short oneshots! It’s either here or on quidumps

Q. What do you think you are like as a Saniwa?

A. I think I’m the type who spoils them a lot (esp the tantous and anmitsu uwu) and plays along with Tsuru’s pranks! Maybe doting is the word? Ah some swords might not be ok with it but i might be cuddly! I imagine hugging ishikirimaru a lot bcos he looks soft ;w; ishipapa!!!! warm uwu also i feel like ill be close with micchan! i dont think ill get along with mika tho HAHAHA JIJI!!!! 

Q. If the government asked you to choose a sword to kill yourself with in terms of emergency, who would you pick?

A. hm... I would say it’s Kashuu because he knows me the most and he is the most mature among everyone. If it’s going to be a tantou, I would say someone like Atsushi because he looks strong emotionally. Emotionally, I would also say Kiwame!Fudou as I think he finally understands what it means to be a mamorigatana. (not imano... ill break his heart ;;)

Q. The government has asked you to write a report: how would you describe the situation in your Citadel?

A. Everything is under control! We’re fighting off the Retrograding Army quite well! Horikawa has Kane-san under control!!!

Q. What do you think of the Retrograding Army?

A. maybe if they were cuter... ah no haha. I wish they would tell us why theyre changing history >< And maybe stop for some time??

Q. Lastly, please say something about the TKRB from the bottom of your heart!

A. Thank you so much for existing!!!! I never knew I would be this hooked! No plans on leaving and hopefully it stays like that! Please stay popular so when I get to Japan with enough money I can support full on!! HAHAHAHAH

[whitneykt]

SEASON 2018:  Trip #1 (Part 1)

We finally were able to get the “ORAH” Chalet out of storage and out for its first outing for the 2018 season.  AND  . . . without any major issues!!!  WHOO HOO!!!  At least none that ruined our trip!!!

As we get to travel the country, I will try to post as many pictures of the campgrounds that we stay at and give a review for them as well.  On this trip, there were several campgrounds that we would definitely return to and one that we will NEVER go to again!

I hope you enjoy this journey as we travel this beautiful country.

THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2018

Thursday and Friday were spent in Amarillo (our home) gathering all the stuff from the apartment that we had not been able to take to the RV.  We also got the truck and RV inspected.  Then we took the RV to our local RV park, Fort Amarillo RV Park, . . . our favorite “staging” park . . . where we gave it a much-needed bath and got her all loaded up.  We love having this nice RV park fairly close to us but it sure stinks that we have to pay for 2 nights just to load and unload the RV when we leave or return from a trip.  Since we don’t have anywhere at the apartment to park the RV to do that chore, we just don’t have any other option.  It just another cost that we factor into our trips.

A little bit about Fort Amarillo RV Park:

Per the Website:  At Fort Amarillo RV Park & Resort, you’ll enjoy an authentic western setting, complete with a stream-fed fishing pond, illuminated walking paths and sunsets so breathtaking, even the most eloquent cowboy poets don’t do them justice. Huge pull thru sites, free WiFi & be sure to shop at Lizzie Mae’s Mercantile.  10% discount to members of Good Sam, AAA, AARP, KOA, FMCA, TACO and the Military.  Daily Rate: $42 | Weekly Rate: $210  If you need more than 2 weeks, please call for price and availability.

My Review:  The staff is very friendly and helpful.  It is a really clean park, there are trees on most sites, full hookups, large level gravel sites, most are pull thru (I believe the back in ones are mostly for live-ins), laundry, really clean bathrooms/showers (hotel quality), there are two spaces that can be rented for parties, one of them is for guests with tables for cards, there are movies/books, a small kitchen (I believe it’s free to use but rentable for parties), a lit courtyard with BBQ, basketball court, tennis court, playground, indoor pool, game room, a small fish pond with nice grassy area and BEST of ALL there is an AWESOME gift shop called Lizzie Maes!!  It is soooo cool!!

All of the sites have a concrete patio with a table and a fence that blocks the other site.  They are gravel but they are level.  AND, the roads around the park are gravel and well kept as well.  Even tho the sites are close together, the fence blocks the utilities from your campsite so you are not staring at the sewer or hoses while you are enjoying your patio.

It is near I-40 making it an easy on/off stop but far enough away that it’s not noisy.  Because of the wind in Amarillo, the trees and fence around the park help to serve as a slight wind block.  You are close to a lot of eating places and shopping.  If you are into walking, you could walk but it would be easier to drive because most everything is South of the I-40 (the park is on the Northside of I-40) CONS:  No firepits or grills (but many bring/use their portable grills), all gravel roads inside and at the sites but they are level.

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  On Saturday morning we got all hooked up and headed out of town only to have a tiny issue just as we got on the highway . . . the rubber stripping around the front Cap was flapping in the wind!!!  I guess the power washer from the RV wash pushed it out of the track.  We pulled off the road and hubby stuck it back into place.  Hopefully, this would be our only issue this trip.  Well . . . actually, we did have one issue that hubby would try to fix when we get or our first major stop . . . the water to the ice maker wasn’t coming on because the cut off valve must be broken.  No matter which way you turn it, there was no water to the icemaker.  He used to fix valves like that on coffee makers in his previous life . . . so he felt confident that it would be an easy fix . . . if he can get is big hands in that tiny space to fix it.

Lamar, Colorado

Our first overnight stop was in Lamar, Co at Sportsman’s RV Park and Horse Hotel.  Normally when we go to Castle Rock, CO to see hubby’s sister, we go thru Raton Pass.  This time we decided to take another route to AVOID the Pass!  Not sure we wanted to take that pass for our first outing after having so many other truck issues.  We thought that staying on flat ground was the better option this time out and chose to take Highway 287 thru Boise City, OK up to Lamar, Colorado.

As soon as we hit Oklahoma on Highway 287, the roads were REALLY ROUGH!!  The expansion joints were rough and the tire lanes were really rough.  I actually drove with my passenger tires on the shoulder and my drivers’ side tires in the middle of the lane . . . it was still rough!!!  No potholes . . . just washboard type roads.  In any case, they SUCKED!!!

We thought it was going to shake everything out of the cabinets of the trailer and shake all the bolts loose.  The only disaster we encountered was a 12 pack of cokes that fell out of the case inside the truck.  The case was open and they all fell between the seat and door.   I had to open the window so hubby could use his long arms to reach them instead of opening the door and having them all roll out and ‘spew’ everywhere.   The only thing that happened inside the trailer was that the bedroom closet door opened and two small items fell out . . . nothing major!  WHEW!!  Oh . . . later, we found out that a cabinet shelf where we had more 12 packs of Coke had broken.  No worries on that one tho . . . we only put our cases of drinks in that one.  They can be stacked.  Once we hit the Colorado border, the roads were like “butter” . . . either that or they just seemed like “butter” after the Oklahoma roads.   So . . . for reference, try to stay off Highway 287 from just North of Stratford, Texas to the Colorado border!!  Seriously, when you hit Colorado, the roads were AWESOME . . . 2 lane but wide lanes with wide shoulders.  THANKFULLY it was only about 50 miles of bad roads.

Instead of driving all the way to Cherry Creek in Aurora, CO in one day, which was about a 7 hr drive from Amarillo, we decided to break the trip up and spend a night in Lamar, Co.  That way IF the roads were really slow or we ran into trouble, we’d have plenty of time to adjust and adapt.  It’s nice to get somewhere and not be really tired from driving all day and just sit back and relax . . . which we both needed desperately.  In fact, we have decided to drive about 200-300 miles per day OR to be parked somewhere by around 3pm.  . . . whichever comes first.  That way we have time to set up and relax. . . or adapt our plans if needed.

Highway 287 – Lamar, CO to I-70  Nice 2 lane, nonbusy, flat road

The weather was AWESOME in Lamar, Co.  . . . nice and cool!!  They apparently they had some major wind, rain and hail come thru here the night before.  We went from the 99-degree weather at home to the 60’s here!! AWESOME!!!  We had the windows open with no A/C running . . . GLORIOUS weather!!  There was a little bit of wind but nothing like we are used to.  They say that Chicago is the “Windy City”!!  I beg to differ!!!

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One of the first things we had to do was to cancel a Retirement Gift for my husband from our daughter.  She knows that he has always wanted a Porche 911, 6 speed, Convertible. This was her 3rd attempt to get him a Retirement Gift.  The first attempt was an Alaska fishing trip with her husband, Jon Nite, who was going there to write songs with someone.  But it fell through.  Her second attempt was a trip to St. John.  However, the Hurricanes had other plans.  Her third attempt was to rent a Porche 911 Convertible for him to drive for a day.   She knows that he has always wanted a Porche 911 and thought it would make a great gift for him.   However, once we realized the dates she rented it for, where the dealership was in relation to where we were camped, the logistics just were not workable, we had to cancel it.  The dealership was about 87 miles from where we were going to be and that day was going to be a “moving day” or us.  Had we gone to get it, the entire day would have been driving back and forth to the dealership.  Which would be over the allotted 100 miles per day limit and we’d have to pay $1/mile after that for the gas  . . . waste of money to not fully be able to enjoy it.   Some may say “Third time is the charm” . . . not in this case . . . for now.  Maybe next time we go to the Denver area he can get it.  When he first heard he was getting this gift, he was all ready to take it up Pikes Peak . . . which, after seeing a video of that road, he would be going without me!!!!  There is NO WAY I’d go up that in a ‘race car’!!!  Apparently, it wouldn’t have happened anyway because later in the trip we found out that they have actually closed Pikes Peak to most traffic.  You have to park and ride a passenger van up to the Summit now.  The only ones that can drive up Pikes Peak are anyone with kids who need a car seat and the elderly who need assistance.  Their vans cannot accommodate those persons.

UPDATE on Pikes Peak as of July 10, 018:  

Shuttle no longer required for all drivers on Pikes Peak Highway

In the next episode,  we will continue on Highway 287 and pick up I-70 to Cherry Creek where we stayed for 4-5 days.  We have family in that area who we visited and even celebrated with a Niece who had just graduated from college.

Stay tuned for more excitement to come from “The Ole Rooster and his Hen” . . .

  2018 Travel Journey begins Trip #1 (Part 1) SEASON 2018:  Trip #1 (Part 1) We finally were able to get the "ORAH" Chalet out of storage and out for its first outing for the 2018 season. 

[golfwi52]

Round 46 – CAR Path Relief

Muskego Lakes Golf Club, Muskego, WI 53150 Par 71, White Tees, 6,050 yards, 69.8 rating / 124 slope, $45 cars, prizes Saturday, November 18th, 2017, 10:00am, 33-36 degrees, 7-19 mph winds, cloudy

I had Muskego Lakes marked as one of my late 52 courses in 52 weeks in Wisconsin rounds after I saw they offered a special cars-on-the-cart-path outing around Thanksgiving. Now how many golfers can say they used their car as a golf cart for an 18 hole round?  A must do.  I actually was scheduled to play Muskego Lakes last Sunday in a 4-man scramble with cars, but I had to bow out as it was sleeting and my partners had to bag due to a big IT install that weekend.  Fortunately Muskego Lakes does this car thing a few weeks in a row and today was a 2-man scramble with cars.  My co-worker Scott reminded me of this during the week and he willingly agreed to join me.   With winter golf I usually have to do a big sell job to find a partner but not for today.  At least not yet.

So of course it was sleeting again this Saturday and I woke up wondering if this round was still going to happen.  But it was Saturday so my official week was ending and I had to make it happen even if the course cancelled the event.  I had all of the necessary clothing to weather major rain or snow so it would be more of an issue with the course not letting me play if they closed everything down.  I had some backup courses in mind that were also probably closed, but that I could try to sneak on if Muskego Lakes shut me down.  So a lot of “what ifs” floating thru my head as I drove an hour down to the Muskego area, southwest of Milwaukee.  

Overlooking icy/snowy 9th green from the clubhouse.  No worries.

Around 5 minutes from the course I saw a text from Scott that said “Sorry buddy, it’s miserable out there.  No way I could do it”.    Oh man, a 2-man scramble is just the not the same without the second man.   But no panic yet.  I had to check if the outing was still happening before I attempted a painful recovery sell job with Scott.  I arrived at Muskego Lakes amid the sleeting rain and to my surprise saw a dozen cars in the parking lot.   I popped into the clubhouse bar and quickly confirmed that the event was still on.  It looked like there were a dozen teams signed up and around ten teams had already shown up a half hour before the shotgun start.  I love Wisconsin golfers.  We don’t need no stinkin’ warm weather to enjoy golf.  So I lit up a nice Savoy cigar to warm me up and proceeded to start selling Scott via texts on how his honor would be spared if he got his arse down to the course right away.  He resisted strongly with texts like “I golfed in the upper 40s in the ran and it was terrible. I can’t imagine 10 degrees colder.  You’re a maniac.”  I finally guilted him into it with 10 minutes to go and he hustled down to meet us on the first tee.   Game on.  Better late than never Scottie boy.

Car path parade for the shotgun start.  Seriously.

Again, the big draw here was driving our cars on the course.  I took my 2008 Lexus RX350 with 160k miles on it as my golf cart for the round.  We packed up our clubs in the second seat while most other folks with SUVs just dropped their bags in the back and left their tailgate open.  While it was nice to have a warm weather vehicle to sit in up and down the fairway, I actually would have just preferred a covered golf cart for quicker mobility.  While it was sleeting at the start of the round it wasn’t overly nasty where we were jumping into the car to warm up.  My worst fear with the car cart was that its windshield would be shattered with an errant shot from the group behind us.  12 twosomes equated to only 6 foursomes so we were fairly spread out with just one group per hole.  So the group behind us was usually a safe distance from our cars.  But as we slowed down that changed and we (i.e. I) became increasingly concerned that one of our cars would be hit.  On more than one occasion we hurried off a tee box to get out the way of possible incoming shots from the fast group behind us.  Like I need more things to worry about outside of my golf swing.  Next time we’re taking Scott’s car.  Or a rental.

Scott and I were hooked up with Bernie and Carl, another 2-man scramble team to round out our foursome.  Bernie is a chiropractor from Whitefish Bay and Carl, aka The Claw, works for WE Energies in Oak Creek.  These guys were very decent golfers and great guys to be paired up with.   This 2-man scramble format allowed for each player to take a mulligan on every other hole.  So Scott got the even holes and I got the odd holes.  Since we were playing the back nine twice due to water issues on the front, Scott got 10 even hole mullies and I got 8.  Haha, I can’t believe I let that happen.  Very poor planning on my part.   Anyways we played neck and neck with Bernie and The Claw, each of us throwing down 2 birdies in the round.   Even with a very friendly gimme “agreement” we carded a unspectactular 77 and they a 79.  But not too bad considering the playing conditions.  

Bernie, Scott, and Carl “The Claw”

We brought out brooms from the clubhouse at the start of the round to clear off the snow from our putting lines on the greens.   That did help us birdie our first hole, a very tough par 5 where I hit a long 20 foot birdie putt thru the snowless path.  The snow/sleet combo turned into light snow after a few holes and then it cleared up completely around the midway point.   Playing in the mid-30’s with mild wind conditions really wasn’t too uncomfortable, especially with a warm car to go to between shots.   Even Scott was glad he decided to play.  

The back nine of Muskego Lakes was an entertaining track to play.  There were a couple of very challenging doglegs with strategically placed trees that made it difficult to hit the greens in regulation and/or to go for a par 5 green in 2.  There were a few ponds and creeks, but none of them placed too dangerously.   The greens had a decent amount of slope and today they were very soggy and extremely slow in spots.   Scott and I really mangled a few of those soggy readings to score way too many 3-putts for scramble golf.    Even with liberal gimme partners in play.  I’m looking forward to coming back to Muskego Lakes in the summer and checking out the front nine.  

Early round driving - hitting from and on the whites.

The best play of the day was on our second play of the 12 hole, a very challenging par 5 dogleg that we birdied the first time around.  Scott and I both chunked our second shots behind the trees on the left side of the fairway, leaving us around 180 yards from the green and into the wind.  After Scott knocked his third shot into those trees, I picked out my 4-iron to just punch out under the trees to the 100 yard mark in the fairway.  But since this is winter golf and a scramble there was really no reason to play it safe.  So I said “screw it” and attempted to draw a full 4-iron around the trees and to the green.   I actually hit it straight through the bare trees, slicing thru the wind and landing on the green just 15 feet from the pin.    We missed our birdie putts this time, but saving par was a big achievement.  Can’t believe I was even thinking about playing it safe on that third shot.    Who plays it safe in winter golf?

The worst play of the day was a 40 foot birdie putt on the par 4, challenging dogleg 15th hole.  Scott brushed up a little snow wall about a foot behind the hole so that our long 40 foot putt wouldn’t go too long.   Scott putted first and was off by around 6 feet.  I putted next and went a bit long but into Scott’s snow wall and therefore only a few feet from the hole.    I felt great about that putt and getting a gimme par but then Scott reminded me that I had the mullie on the hole and could take a re-putt.  With the pin back in to show me the hole, I struck the 40 foot putt again and it headed straight for the pin.  Clank.  With the 3 gents standing motionless close to the pin, my ball lightly ricocheted off the pin to a few feet away.  I’m sure if the pin was removed that the putt would have hit the back of the cup and dropped in for a fantastic birdie.   Ouch!  I didn’t let my buddy Scott forget thru the end of the round about not tending the pin on that putt.  

Yes, the greens had some wet spots.  And cars on paths.  So?

We hung out at the clubhouse bar afterwards and saw that our 77 and 79 scores were at the bottom of the ladder, only better than one team which left after 9 holes to attend another function.  Two teams carded low 66’s and most of the other scores were in the low 70’s.  Wow.  We scratched our heads as we looked around at the other teams in the bar.  They certainly didn’t look like any special golfer types, like the kind I saw at the Geneva Grand scramble earlier in the year.  I’m assuming these regular Joe golfers today are all Muskego Lakes club members and their keen knowledge of the course and car-driving winter golf enabled them to clean our clocks today.  Ok, I can live with that.   It was great fun to chat with Bernie and The Claw about the round and my 52-52 journey courses over a few beers.  Scott and I ended up winning around $30 for having the best score in the 3rd flight, whatever that meant.

The highlight of the round was that Scott and I were randomly selected with 3 other teams to participate in the $65 100 yard chip-off to the 9th green.   In the growing darkness, the 8 of us lined up 100 yards out and we each proceeded to hack chips around the green – with nobody actually sticking the green.  That was a first per the event organizer.    So we went to round two and I hit a chunked p-wedge that somehow bounced up onto the green, and stopped around 15 feet from the pin.   Amazingly no one else stuck the green on the second round, so I (ok, Scott and I) won the event.  They actually went to a third round with the remaining 3 teams to determine second place, which also won $65.  So more evidence that we were all hack golfers and somehow all of the other hacks shot better than our 77/79 scores.  Head scratcher.  Did they play by different rules?

Final Score:  77 for 2-man scramble (47,45) 2 birdies, 9 pars, 1 lost ball.   What a great experience.  Driving cars on a golf course in late November.  Who’da thunk?   And Scott and I were so lucky to be paired up with Bernie and The Claw.  They were fun, laid back gents and very evenly matched golfers with us.   I shared contact info with Bernie, so hopefully I’ll get to hook up with these guys again in the future.  We also bought $10 frozen turkeys at the end of the night, as there were leftovers from the previous week’s scramble that I missed.    So a major guilt purchase, but an easy one as we used our chip-off winnings to buy turkeys for our foursome.  The guys at Muskego Lakes are an awesome bunch and really enjoy putting on these fun events at the end of the year.    Almost as much as I enjoy playing in them… 

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New Post has been published on Cloudlight

New Post has been published on https://cloudlight.biz/tips-mempercepat-koneksi-internet-di-android/

Tips Mempercepat Koneksi Internet di Android

Koneksi net remarkable cepat pada perangkat cell adalah dambaan semua orang. Namun terkadang koneksi internet masih saja lelet, padahal sinyal jaringan ponsel penuh.

BACA JUGA

Jutaan Perangkat Android Terinfeksi Virus, Kok Bisa? Cara Bersihkan Jejak Digital di Google Tips Bikin Foto Selfie Makin Ganteng dan Cantik Pakai FaceApp Dalam hal ini, mengakses internet cepat tak selalu bergantung pada jaringan yang stabil atau kuota internet yang cukup. Ada hal lain yang ternyata luput dari perhatian kita. Apa saja?

Anda dapat mencoba empat pointers ini untuk mempercepat koneksi internet di perangkat Android Anda. Simak ulasan tim Tekno Liputan6.Com selengkapnya berikut ini:

1. Jaringan “3G Only” atau “4G Only”

Biasanya, perangkat Android memiliki opsi pada

Engaturan jaringan (cellular community), yakni 3G Only, 4G Only, atau WCDMA. Upayakan Anda tidak memilih opsi jaringan WCDMA karena sinyal akan masuk ke jaringan 2G atau EDGE.

Cukup pilih opsi “3G Only” atau “4G Only”. Kemudian, pilih pencarian jaringan operator secara otomatis bukan guide. Hal ini akan membuat jaringan seluler Anda lebih stabil.

2. Tutup Aplikasi Tak Perlu

Saat sedang asyik menggunakan ponsel, tanpa sadar kita sering kali membiarkan banyak aplikasi terbuka dan berjalan. Padahal, itu bisa memperlambat Anda performa ponsel Anda.

Apalagi saat Anda sedang mengunduh atau surfing di net, sebaiknya tutup aplikasi yang sedang berjalan atau tidak perlu. Semakin banyak aplikasi terbuka, RAM akan semakin penuh.

4. Matikan Fitur Tethering

Thetering adalah semacam hotspot pada ponsel. Artinya Anda dapat menjadikan ponsel Anda sebagai “MiFi” dan membagikan koneksi net ke teman-teman Anda.

Namun, karena jaringan internet Anda terbagi, artinya Anda harus siap berbagi bandwith dengan perangkat lain. Ini akan membuat koneksi internet Anda menjadi lambat.

5. Menghapus Cache

Salah satu hal penting yang tak pernah terpikirkan adalah cache pada memori penyimpanan maupun “History” peramban Anda. Sesekali hapus cache di ponsel Anda agar performa ponsel dapat berjalan baik dan Anda dapat mengakses internet dengan lancar.

Menhub Rencana Buka Koneksi Maluku-Darwin

Menteri Perhubungan Budi Karya Sumadi merencanakan buka konektivitas pada Tual, Kabupaten Maluku Tenggara, dengan Darwin, Australia. Ini manfaat mendorong perkembangan industri perikanan di Tual.

” Kami bakal pikirkan pada Saumlaki atau Tual yang bakal dikoneksikan dengan Darwin karna di sini banyak ikan yang dengan cara fisik bila dibawa ke Surabaya dulu bikin ikan jadi tak fresh lagi, kelak bakal kami tekuni, kata Budi, seperti diambil dari website resmi kementerian perhubungan, Senin (eight/5). Tempo hari, Budi barusan meninjau Pelabuhan Tual.

Dasarnya, menhub menginginkan ada beberapa daerah sentra perikanan di Maluku mempunyai transportasi segera ke luar negeri. Dia akan membawa usulan itu ke rapat terbatas Kabinet Kerja.

” Yang utama yaitu di Tual Kota serta Kabupaten, bila telah banyak entrepreneur bakal mempermudah kita untuk menyatukan barang untuk segera pergi kesana (Darwin), ” tuturnya. ” Memanglah kami inginkan ada beberapa tempat di Selatan Maluku ini yang segera ke Darwin, yang Utara juga demikian. ”

Dia aka mentoring Kerja same emerita sorta waste man fast men Jud ran wanna these but.

” Bila waste it milks dana yang seem akin banyak, milk fleksibilitas, sorta kami member pm Luang waste until turnout begun Niagara. Bila APBN ran gang ya Seiki T, name kayak bill waste, adapt gab un gan began Panda. “

Why Students Prefer The Internet Over Books

Whether you are driving a bus or educate, having an after dinner espresso at your favorite espresso save or sincerely playing a mild banter with your own family at the dwelling room, a deluge of data reaches you thru the net. It is one made from guy’s ingenuity that in reality defies time, space and gravity. The computer, whatever sizes and bureaucracy they arrive, absolutely is aware of no bounds because the electricity it has and it does to us and to our each day lives can’t be expressed in numbers and past description.

Today, it has turn out to be the fave gear of college students of their research activities and favored more than books and libraries do. The net and the library are both taken into consideration massive depository of knowledge in which a widespread source of facts, facts, and documents are saved. They each serve similar objective – that is to offer to understand. However, because of innovations in the generation, the PC have come to update libraries and the net with books at an unparalleled price. Thus, the virtual information generation has dramatically altered the techniques that school and students access records.

Why do college students pick the net over books? What is in it that the teenagers are hooked

To it like drug addicts in dire want of a few pictures? What has brought the dramatic decline inside the wide variety of library users? Can we see the destiny with libraries being phased-out totally? Since the mid ninety’s, the declining fashion in library customers has been properly-documented. A take a look at conducted for a duration of ten years found out that library transactions have reduced by means of approximately 21 percentage even as circulations declined to 35 percentage along side the decline in print media booklet.

One seen reason why the internet is preferred over books is due to the uniformity of its facts. As libraries do now not provide the same sets of records, the internet does. A positive subject matter the approximate history of a specific u. S . A . As an example will range from one u. S . A . To any other and could rely on the author of the e-book. An American writer, for instance, writing for his own u. S . A .’s history will offer greater factual and vast facts and exhaustive in offering records as compared to an Asian writing approximately American lifestyle.

The universality of records provided through the internet may

Be accessed through people from all factors of the sector ensuring that the equal records are being fed to college students with internet connections from the northern hemispheres to the southern a part of the arena as there aren’t any regional or local variations of records. More to mention, the statistics is established to all although the internet is translated into numerous languages.

Laptops, and desktops computers and net-prepared cell telephones have made the net accessible everywhere round the sector. Whether one is having lunch or driving a bus, records may be accessed as compared to going to the libraries in which elements inclusive of time and electricity are considered. The computers certainly provided for a multi-tasking approach that libraries do not offer. Furthermore, the internet gives records within seconds after navigation to hyperlinks, which books do not do.

Amazing Android Game Packs: Bonsai Blast, Abduction! World Attack and Robot Defense

Bonzai Blast occupies an unenviable function within the Google Play Store and it’s far taken into consideration because the one of the first-class puzzle games to be had for free. Android customers can experience the exciting enjoy of playing Bonsai Blast to calm their nerves. This is an Android puzzle utility that’s quite addictive as well as tough, while you circulate directly to higher stages. In the loose version, users can pick out any modes of play – Adventure and Survival. The Adventure mode incorporates 24 degrees, and has considered one of the largest content material that has a top rate accomplice. In order live in this gaming, you just need to simply heart a series of 3 even colored marbles with a gun from the road to interrupt them earlier than they attain its cease. If you fail to do it, you lose the game robotically. You can form multiple chains to increase the rating and put off more variety of marbles at the same time. Bonus points and electricity-usage awarded to hold the player engrossed in gaming. Bonsai Blast game can be performed at numerous degrees and the addictive nature of this recreation will tempt users to shop this application of their Android phone forever.

Abduction! World Attack

Android’s Abduction recreation is targeted for children. Android App Developers has created this particularly simple gaming platform which lets in players to use the screen to pop up for rescuing the superstar cow from the clutches of the predatory aliens. The extraterrestrial beings are hell bent on devouring the cows. The rescue act of cows is completed by way of leaping the platform. This app is controlled through cell cellphone hardware characteristic, accelerometer, and with the aid of tilting the phone, either fact, you may control the movement with the bounces of the cow at the manner to area ships and alien ships. This is good for human beings to fill their occasional loose time.

Robot Defense

Robot Defense is among the high-quality game on the Android shop, and it promises the closing transportable tower defense gaming providing open maps, upgrades, achievements and exceptional pictures. This is a classic software wherein the player has to guard the tower by erecting defenses to thrust back nasty robotic attacks via using skillful strategies. There are three levels of difficulty on this app, and every stage has 40 sub-stages with a sum over all of a hundred and twenty degrees. The choice of defenses can be upgraded. Robot Defense gives a fast ahead characteristic that runs the game at two times the wide variety of velocity. If you have got the revel in of playing tower protection sport, then you will plunge into this app because it gives a stunning amount of method for this kind of easy setup.

Shriram is a technical and advertising communications expert

He has written about The Web and cellular technologies, content material control device, move platform cell improvement, Insurance Claim Solutions, cell computing, Drupal, and social media. He spent satisfactory time within the research of open source technology that benefits business documentation. Feel loose to leave a comment or ask a query. It could be splendid to listen from you.

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New Post has been published on Weblistposting

New Post has been published on https://weblistposting.com/college-students-use-cellphone-apps-for-healthy-residing/

College students use cellphone apps for healthy residing

Wirelessfty-8 percentage of phone users inside the U.S.A. have health apps downloaded on their phones, in step with a study conducted via Dr. Paul Krebs, an assistant Professor in the Branch of Populace fitness at Big apple College’s School of medicine.

Cellphone Apps

“I exploit apps centered on exercising,” Parrish said. “One is a Nike+Run Membership app, and one is called SWORKIT. The Nike app might be my favorite due to the fact it’s far the quality jogging app that I have located. I use it because it has honestly right accuracy in tracking how a long way I have run, and it maintains a magazine of all my preceding runs and mileage.”

“(The app) enables me to preserve tune of my upgrades and shortcomings,” Parrish said. “It tells me when I’ve beat my fastest time or after I ran my slowest. it is sincerely fine to have this statistics accessible. I’d say I run extra because I have this app. Being capable of manipulating my time and space permits me to experience running greater.”

BYU facts structures scholar Jessica Connor additionally uses fitness apps.

“I like using the activity and fitness apps,” Connor said. “I exploit them on my Apple Watch, and they motivate me to stand up and circulate greater for the duration of the day. The activity app (hooked up to iPhone by way of Apple) additionally motivates me to take the stairs more regularly.”

“The main health app I exploit is known as Sleep Cycle,” Ashford stated. “For years there have been weeks wherein I couldn’t sleep at all, and I used to be continuously locating myself tired. I wanted to peer why and discern out a manner to restore it … I’ve used the app (Sleep Cycle) to improve my first-rate of sleep on the grounds that I began using it approximately seven months in the past.”

“I’ve gotten better, more efficient sleep, and that I don’t experience almost as tired during lectures,” Ashford said. “using the app has also helped my grades pretty a chunk, as I’m now better about when I do my homework and never falling asleep in magnificence.”

Y Be SuitWireless Co-Director Jessica Davies recommends a variety of health and nutrients apps to help her clients create a more fit lifestyle. Davies generally indicates MapMyWirelesstness and Nike+Education Club to enhance health habits and MyWirelesstnessPal for nutrients.

“While human beings start monitoring their weight loss plan, they commonly research a lot,” Davies stated. “frequently people begin to recognize that you can not make up for a terrible diet with the workout. it’s miles very smooth to eat 500 calories, however now not so smooth to burn that many calories thru exercising. it’s far critical to get both your weight-reduction plan and exercise in order.”

“In our application, a lot of our customers are seeking out a person to keep them accountable to their dreams,” Davies stated. “This is the health teach’s job, however, it additionally enables to have out of doors guide from pals, the the circle of relatives and even cellular phone apps.”

15 Suggestions to buy Used cellphone Without Spending Huge

If you are planning to buy a telephone but have small finances on your tight pocket, then you could want to choose up a used smartphone in place of a new one. However, shopping for a used phone can be a piece problematic if you don’t have any enjoy in any way about this “discipline”. You can not simply move up there to the telephone shop and make a random purchase Without even checking the entire condition of that phone very well. And if you got the wrong tool, it might end up a curse for you.

You would possibly get an amazing searching used the telephone with a really perfect case cowl without any scratches on it, however, to procure no clue that perhaps its inner hardware or its screen interface may not paintings anytime soon because there had been a few important damages inner of the cellphone due to the preceding owners. This is why it’s absolutely important so that you can avoid this type of cell phone to your own right.

Speak about used smartphones, most of the people suppose that used smartphones basically suck only for the sake that they may be second-hand smartphones. Properly, the reality is, no longer all used smartphones which you discover around the marketplace are some damaged telephones that don’t work anymore. In truth, some of this form of telephone still works just as tremendous as a new one. So it is beside the point anymore to say that the first-class of second-hand smartphones could be that terrible.

Well, if you have made the very last selection and are flawlessly sure that that is the proper time for you to shop for your first ever used cellphone, then these are 15 useful Tips that optimistically can be your first guidance whenever you’re planning to shop for used smartphones within the future.

1. Run a Quick Scan on the Case cover

The primary factor to note from a cellphone is simply its case cowl. Therefore, whenever you meet some used smartphones on any shop, make sure which you always run an intensive Scan of the device. Try to see if the device has any physical defect or scratch across the frame of that device. This ought to be finished so one can recognize greater approximately what that tool has been through in the beyond when it become nevertheless utilized by the preceding owners.

2. Ensure that the Case cowl is Unique

Used smartphones are generally plagued with the belief that their case covers will inform you everything approximately their situation. Nicely, That is so wrong. You cannot judge the overall satisfactory of used smartphones just by looking at how smooth its chassis or how perfect its display. There may be a huge opportunity that the vendor already covers them up with some new third birthday party case covers that glaringly will lead them to seem like new phones, proper?

Consequently, as a clever patron, usually equip yourself with the mindset that the dealers ought to always update the Original but damaged case cowl with some new 3rd birthday party chassis on the way to make sales.

3. Make sure that all the bodily Buttons paintings flawlessly

physical buttons constantly become the fragile element on any cell phone that has a tendency to be damaged without difficulty in the event that they had been pressed so normally through the owners. It’s why, when sorting out any used telephone on the store, usually make sure that everyone the bodily buttons, do not forget, they all, can work flawlessly, with none hiccup. The great element to do That is by using urgent every physical button over and over once more. If you see that There is any button that gives a susceptible or put off response (from time to time it works, once in a while, it would not) or maybe doesn’t paintings at all while you press it, then the pleasant

4. Constantly Check the display screen Sensitivity with the Consumer Interface

The subsequent element to test from a used telephone is the screen surface and the sensitivity of its User Interface. In this procedure, usually, run a radical Test if There’s any scratch around the screen and make sure that the contact screen nonetheless works flawlessly. Take a look at the touch reaction from each corner of the display screen till the middle area. Perform a little combined and random gestures at the screen time and again once more, from:

5. Check if There may be Any Glitch or Weird Colors Duplicate at the display screen

Except for its sensitivity, the other essential component to test on the display screen is the show. typically, used smartphones were dropped for several times by means of the previous proprietors. Therefore, it is certainly crucial to be able to see the entire location on the display to check if There is any glitch or Weird line on coloration Replica around the screen. If you see any of these, then the display screen isn’t always fine.

6. make sure that the Battery remains Pretty correct

There is no question that battery is one of the most crucial factors in smartphones. maximum of contact screen telephones, even the brand new iPhone, have vulnerable battery existence (aside from Samsung or Motorola flagships of direction). Therefore, it’s surely essential to always run a Check in this region on every occasion you want to shop for used smartphones. To name of few, you may do such things as playing excessive overall performance three-D video games or watching movies/motion pictures to make certain that the battery is still in a circumstance, if no longer notable. If the battery drains Quite quickly even whilst you simply open the pix or listen to a few songs (which are not definitely strength eating sports), then There’s something wrong with the battery.

7. Check if the Camera’s Shutter Key (if There may be Any) still Works

some of s the smartphones generally have the physical shutter key for shooting pix/videos, even though it is able to get replaced with the on-display screen virtual button. But, on a few phones, There may be a feature that lets you capture pics with shutter key even if the screen continues to be locked (e.G., Sony Xperia S, and so on). It is why, although you may not use it very frequently, continually do a Short Check in this shutter key by means of pressing it again and again again simply to make sure that this button nonetheless works flawlessly.

8. Make sure that the Cellular and Connectivity nevertheless paintings extraordinary

Connectivity is the alternative critical detail on phone. Without this area, your used phone could be Pretty much vain for you. You cannot surf the net, download stuff or connect the apps to internet. Therefore, usually run the Test of this connectivity function by using browsing the web with the pre-set up browser or another apps that require 3G/4G and c084d04ddacadd4b971ae3d98fecfb2a connectivity on that used cellphone.

9. Take a look at the Bluetooth, NFC or another Off-line Connectivity

these connectivity features can be virtually vital inside the destiny because you want it or no longer, you may want Bluetooth and could use it very regularly to percentage contents like pictures/tune/films/documents with the other gadgets, whilst NFC is likewise truly crucial for the future’s cellular price. Consequently, never neglect to continually run the fast Check on Bluetooth, NFC or other several offline connectivity features at the telephone.

10. Test the Sound first-rate of the Speaker

Making a telephone call is the reason why cell smartphone is invented in the first place. Without it, your cell phone shouldn’t be known as-as a smartphone. It’s why, if this selection does not work well, then your used phone might be useless within the future. So it’s also clearly important to constantly run the Test of this feature by using Making a random name on different gadgets and listen if There is something incorrect with its sound nice, sign or its loudspeaker.

11. Try to Send Textual content Message

Normally, if the Mobile connectivity still works great, then There’s a huge chance that you can also Ship Textual content messages with that phone. But, do not get over excited and sending one Text message wouldn’t hurt, right? that is on your personal excellent.

12. Check the Sound first-class of the phone, With and Without a Headset

Most of cellphone users usually don’t open wide the loudspeaker when paying attention to music or looking motion pictures. They commonly use a headset for most of activities that have sounds in it, like video games, movies, track or something. However, in an effort to make certain that the entirety is excellent, just spend a few seconds or mins to check if the loudspeaker nonetheless sounds super or no longer.

13. make sure that the Charging Port Can still Charge the smartphone

Charging port is also the other maximum crucial aspect on telephone. If the charging port doesn’t paintings and can’t Charge the device well, this will be absolutely dangerous for you within the destiny. In recent times, maximum smartphones’ charging ports are not just assembled with glue, but on a few smartphones, this part is integrated deeply with solder. So be sure to constantly Check the charging port of the device by means of plugging in/out the telephone with the charger and notice if There may be slightly delay reaction on battery bar at the display screen whilst being charged. Your phone is Quite a good deal vain if it cannot be charged.

14. Check the microSD card slot (if There’s any) to peer if it nonetheless works

Despite the growing recognition of massive inner storage smartphones, maximum cellphone users nevertheless think that microSD card slot as a definitely critical detail on smartphones. This kind of customers has a tendency to pick out of getting a cell phone with a small inner garage but can be expanded an in addition to external microSD card. Therefore, If you’re making plans to shop for a microSD-card-enabled telephone, it’s recommended for you to check if the card slot nonetheless works outstanding or not. You don’t need to shop a for a phone with little garage that can’t read outside microSD card, do you?

15. Ask the seller if the telephone is already Prison-damaged or Rooted

Jailbroken iPhone or rooted Android telephones is probably an amazing thing or terrible issue. If you are a tech savvy User, then it’s a great issue due to the fact you can still do heck lots of technical stuff with your cell phone even Without the assistance of retailer. However, If you are non-tech-savvy consumer, you really need to invite the vendor concerning this facts. Specifically for iPhone, which you can need to invite the seller to revert again your used iPhone to a non-jailbroken model, so you can nevertheless convey it competently to the official Apple keep if There’s something wrong together with your iPhone.