#i made an unofficial rule for myself not to repeat shows

[cephalopadre]

mechtober day 31: deckerd and yuuta from j-decker

thats it! i'm late free!!!

[soulmate-game]

Harley's Plea for Help ch. 6

Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4 Ch5 Ch6-- you are here

Yet another night of barely any sleep, but this time Marinette didn’t have the coffee-angel Red Robin at her rescue. No, instead she had to go completely uncaffeinated until she and her class got to Wayne Enterprises. Madame Mendelieve could only sigh as she watched Marinette scamper off to the café as soon as they made it past the initial security of the building. A couple of her classmates chuckled or snorted at her familiar behavior.

It was the same barista at the register as before, but this time Marinette felt too tired to properly order or be adventurous in looking for new flavors.

“I feel like death. I don’t care if it tastes like pure bean oil today. Flavors will take away from the amount of coffee you can shove in one cup, right?”

The poor barista blinked, eyeing the deep bags forming under the poor girl’s eyes. She sighed. “I had hope yesterday that you were just a normal caffeine addict. Now I see we actually have a second Mister Drake,” she said it as if she was mourning at Marinette’s grave before poking a few buttons on her touchscreen order station and turning her head. “One Insomniac CEO, but not for the boss!” She called out. The barista making the drinks paused for a second with wide eyes.

“We have another one?!” He asked, shocked. “Piece of advice?” He turned to Marinette. “Get some sleep.”

“Sleep is for the dead,” Marinette deadpanned back. “I got stuff I need to do today.”

The guy just shook his head and sighed, making the drink as Marinette paid and left a good tip. The drink came out fairly quickly, and everyone behind the counter stopped for a moment to stare as she gulped down the hot drink with no concern for her tongue or throat. A satisfied sound left her as she finally pulled away from the cup.

“This is really good!” She complimented, turning to the Baristas with a still-tired smile. It would take a minute or two for the coffee to have full effect, but she already felt better. “A little too bitter for my usual tastes, but perfect for days like today. Thanks!” She waved at them before turning around and seeing that her class was already gone again. Before she could fully process that though, a hand slapped down onto her head and ruffled her hair.

Surprised (really, not a lot of people could sneak up on her anymore. Just how tired was she?) she let out a high pitched squeal.

“You’re a good kid,” the soft, slightly scratchy voice that said that made Marinette’s shoulders drop and eyes widen. Tilting her head back she was greeted with the widely-grinning face of Jason Todd. He was once again in the uniform of a security guard.

“Wha— Uh,” Marinette couldn’t quite find the right words right away. She was too stunned. Jason just chuckled, jerking his head to indicate the same door her class had gone through the day before and leading the way over there. Marinette scrambled to catch up.

Once they were far away enough from prying eyes and ears, Marinette cleared her throat.

“Um,” she started. “Did… I mean, do you..?”

“Yeah, our mutual friends had a chat with me last night,” he confirmed casually. He sent her a meaningful look even though his grin never left his face. “Like I said; you’re a good kid. And I’m not goin’ anywhere. You’re not responsible for the things your parents have done, you know.”

The girl at his side hummed noncommittally, not fully convinced but also not wanting to argue.

“You’re not,” he repeated firmly, stopping in the middle of the side-hallway. They could see her class at the other end getting checked in, but didn’t make a move to join them yet. “I mean it. The stuff that happened to me, none of that was you. Hell, you were a little kid back then. And there’s nothing you could have done to stop it, either. I’m not gonna hold anything against you just because you’re his child. You didn’t ask to be,” he shrugged. “Besides, I get it. Biological relation doesn’t equal family. Trust me,” his grin was gone and a tired one replaced it. “I know that better than most people.”

The pigtailed girl could only gulp, taking a deep breath as she forced down the tears that wanted to bubble up. She had had this conversation with Adrien a few times, but even then she had been convinced that he just didn’t understand. He was just being nice. But this— Jason’s words were more valuable than gold to her. He had no reason to be nice, so it had to be at least partially sincere.

“Thanks,” she whispered once she was positive she wasn’t going to break. She lifted her cup up and took a long sip of her coffee. The slight burn against her tongue helped ground her. “That means more than you know.”

Jason chuckled. “Nah. The fact that you stood up for me to the Bat,” his grin returned to his face full blast, making dimples appear on his cheeks. “Now that, you have no idea how much that means to me. You must have some serious guts to lecture that guy, too. Is it too late to adopt you for myself?”

That tore a quick laugh out of her, making her classmate’s head whip over to the opposite end of the hallway where she and Jason were. She quickly quieted herself, but her eyes danced with amusement as she looked up at Jason. “You’re too young to be my parent anyway, but I wouldn’t say no to a brother,” she joked. Jason’s eyes sparkled.

“Good, exactly what I was aiming for!” He slipped a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. “That’s my number. Call me if you ever need anything, got it?” He turned to resume leading her back to her class and she quickly slipped the paper into her pocket before anyone saw and got the wrong idea. “And I mean anything.”

Marinette just smiled and nodded. By then, they were close enough for Alya to smirk and ask; “What took ya so long, girl?”

“Oh,” Marinette shuffled a little on her feet before an observation gave her a last minute idea and she straightened up with a wide smile. “We just got distracted talking about motorcycles!”

Jason’s eyebrows raised for a quick second before he settled his expression again and played along. He had figured that not many people knew about her biological family. That part made sense. But she had been a total mess just the day before when she had tried to lie about Paris’ little villain problem in front of Bruce. How was she able to actually come up with a good lie this time around, when she had been just as much put on the spot? He wondered to himself about what was different about this situation to allow her to lie more easily. Maybe Bruce not being there was part of it— she seemed easily flustered by famous people.

Think of the devil, because no sooner had that thought finished developing in Jason’s mind before Bruce Wayne walked into the hallway with a paparazzi-ready smile. Jason rolled his eyes and sunk to the back of the group silently, sinking back into his job and keeping an eye on their surroundings. He listened as Alya laughed softly and elbowed Marinette even as the group turned their attention to Bruce.

“You and your bikes,” Alya teased. “If someone knew enough about motorcycles, I bet you’d marry them on the spot.”

“Nah,” Marinette whispered back. “If they gave me a really nice one though? That’s marriage potential for sure.”

The two girls laughed for a second before focusing back on the tour. Adrien wasted no time making his way to Marinette’s side, silent questions in his eyes. Jason watched with interest as the two seemed to silently communicate with one another. It was obvious that Adrien was calling her lie, and Marinette was essentially silently telling him that she would explain later. It was so seamless and subtle that if Jason hadn’t been extremely familiar with that kind of communication already, he wouldn’t have noticed it. Once again his eyebrows rose a tick on his forehead, and he made a mental note of the interaction. That kind of silent conversation wasn’t an easy thing to do with people. It was most commonly seen in married or otherwise long-term couples, childhood friends, family, or hero partners. The childhood friends and family sections were already ruled out from their background check on her and Harley herself had mentioned that even though Marinette had once crushed on Adrien, she had unofficially adopted the boy as her brother since then. Though, their time as close friends was only documented as having lasted about a year. That wasn’t quite enough time for that sort of effortless silent communication to be possible.

Of course, Jason had his suspicions already. But there was no rush, either. The Clown was on the move and more important to focus on for now. He could focus on the puzzle that was Marinette and Adrien later.

Bruce took over the tour as he had the day before, and the class was instantly riveted once again. If the fact that they were being led through the building by the very man who owned it wasn’t awesome enough to get everyone’s full attention, the man’s personality was. He came off a little carefree and very kind, but there was an obvious undercurrent of just how much he loved his company that showed that he did take it and his job seriously. Just, not too seriously either. And he interjected everywhere he could with personal stories and anecdotes and little bits of his family history that the normal tour guides might not have known. It was not long after he announced that he was going to take them to a lower lab set aside specifically for their class’ tour, so that they could do their first interactive activity, that jason found the opportunity to sidle up next to Marinette on the opposite side from where Adrien walked alongside her.

“So,” he said casually. “How’d you know I ride a motorcycle?” he smirked to show he wasn’t upset as he looked down at her curiously. Marinette blinked, taking her attention away from Bruce to look over at Jason. Once his words registered, she smiled widely and pointed to one of his pockets. The corners of his bike gloves flopped over the edge.

“I noticed those. I figured you’d have a negative reaction that might give us away if my lie was too off the mark, and I do have a habit of saying stupid things if I don’t have a clue or something to play off of. I also had to make it believable for the class, and they all know that my Nonna has played a huge part in my love for motorcycles. I plan on getting a license to drive one when I turn sixteen later this year,” she told him softly. “I tend to gush whenever I see a cool bike, so I knew they wouldn’t question it.”

Jason huffed a little bit of laughter under his breath. It was like the trope of a character looking at random items in the room to come up with a fake name, but somehow it had actually worked for her. She was quick-witted and clever, he had to admit. And observant.

“I was running late, so I must have left them in my pocket when I was changing,” he admitted, unbothered. “Ah, here we are,” he nodded to return the two teen’s (he had noticed Adrien paying close attention as he and Marinette had their conversation) attention back to the tour. Bruce opened the door for the class with a flourish, gesturing for everyone to go in.

“Since these first few days are going to be tours and lessons about working in general, your first activity of your trip is to solve various problems we’ve given you based on real situations that WE employees have been in before. Split up into groups, and choose a table. Each table has a different problem covering a different industry. Reporting, Science— specifically research and development, business management, and entertainment…”

—*—*—*—*—*

“It’s straight,” Adrien assured her, trying to keep himself from laughing as Marinette straightened his tie for the millionth time. “I promise. And you look fantastic.”

Marinette stepped back, nodding at Adrien’s appearance in approval. “I know. We both look great, but…” she fidgeted and then stepped forward to go right back to over-straightening his tie. Adrien snorted, grabbing her hands before she could touch the poor thing again and lowering her arms to her sides.

“Calm down. Like you said, we both look great. You don’t have a single hair out of place, the outfits you made us look amazing, and my tie is at a perfect ninety degree angle to my collar. Take the model’s word for it,” he teased with a lopsided grin. “We look ready for the front cover of a magazine. So just take a deep breath, because we should get down to the lobby soon to wait for the ride he’s sending for us.”

“Right,” Marinette nodded. She followed his advice and took a deep breath. Once she was suitably calmed, she opened her eyes and nodded at him. Adrien smiled and held out his arm, making Marinette snort as she took hold of it gently and let him lead her to the elevator.

Bruce had not specified whether the dinner was going to be casual or formal, but with the fact that his kids were going to be present and it was at his own house, Marinette had a feeling it was going to be more of a casual thing than if they had went out to a fancy restaurant with a black tie dress code. At the same time, this was the Wayne manor they were talking about. She didn’t want to be underdressed, either. Not to mention that it was her design skills that had played a huge part in her winning the contest in the first place, so she felt like she had to show her work again to prove that they had chosen the right person.

A playful wolf whistle greeted the two of them when they got down to the lobby. Alya was, to no one’s surprise, the perpetrator. She stood in the lobby with Alix, Nino, and Max, who all had known about the dinner and agreed to be there to see the two of them off and put Marinette’s worries to rest. The four of them jogged over, Alix smiling and adding her own soft whistle of appreciation.

“You guys look great,” the short skater assured them, taking the time to skate slow circles around them to make sure that nothing was wrong with their outfits. “I think you’ve outdone yourself, Mari! Very cool.”

Alya nodded eagerly, bouncing in place with a wide, beaming smile on her face. “Ah! The both of you look ready to kick ass and woo rich people!” she added. Max pushed his glasses up on his nose with a small grin.

“There is a ninety-five percent chance of your work impressing all of the Waynes,” he said in his own version of encouragement.

“You guys got this!” Nino shot them a thumbs up. “They beat me to all the stuff I wanted to say.”

Marinette beamed, laughing along with her friends as she allowed herself to relax a little. Adrien’s outfit was of her own making, a subtle way for him to rebel since his father had sent him with his own Gabriel brand suit should an appropriate opportunity to wear it come up. Adrien had no plans of ever putting his father’s suit on his body. In an effort to spice up formal men’s wear a bit without making the whole thing white and silver like Gabriel wanted, Marinette had made him a classic silk shirt in black, with short sleeves that fell at that perfect halfway point between his elbow and shoulder. The sleeves had thick cuffs in a dark forest green, with decorative straight stitches on the seams in a bright magenta pink thread. On top of that was a corset-style sleeveless vest with a deep V. The majority of the vest was the same black as the shirt, but with dark green hand-stitched swirls that were just barely bright enough to be contrasted against the black. It created a very subtle pattern that would be hard to see in the wrong lighting, but would make it look that much more expensive and elaborate in the right lighting. The lapel of the vest was in the same dark forest green as the cuffs of his shirt, with a few decorative swirls embroidered on the very corners. The piping of the corset-vest made three curved lines on either side of his waist, curling from mid-rib cage to his waist. It gave him a slightly more feminine twist to his outfit, making his waist look smaller even though it wasn’t actually pulled very tight on him— it was mostly the illusion made by the piping rather than the actual tightness of the garment. The two outside piping lines were done in a magenta pink, while the middle piping line was once again in dark forest green. Unlike most corset-style vests, this one had no buttons or zipper on the front at all. Instead, it was closed only by corset lacing in the back, the laces done in such a dark shade of green that it was almost black, while the eyelets that the laces were threaded through were that same magenta pink as the piping and decorative stitches elsewhere on the outfit. The tie that Marinette had spent so long making sure was straight was almost entirely soft lace, but it was layered in such a way with layers of sheer green and pink lace that it looked like it was a constant swirl of the two colors. If someone got close enough to see the pattern of the lace tie, they would notice that it was a pattern of cats chasing a butterfly.

Underneath the artistic top of the outfit were black dress pants, once again with thick forest-green cuffs on the bottoms. But instead of the decorative stitching, the pant legs flared a bit at the ankles for just a little extra drama. Magenta-pink Oxfords peeked out of the wide cuffs. The green detailing made Adrien’s eyes pop, while the pink accents gave his boyish charm a little more of a feminine touch that almost seemed to highlight his naturally sensitive and charming nature.

In contrast, Marinette wore a sleeveless pink pantsuit. It was the same shade as the pink accents in Adrien’s outfit, and had a built-in corset as well that went only around her natural waist. The corset boning on Marinette was a solid black, while the rest was just the same base pink as the majority of the suit. The black of the boning seemed to flow downwards, changing from boning into thick hand-embroidery in thread of the exact same black. The embroidery flowed down the sides of both legs, in the shape of tree branches and apple blossoms. Pale green accents in the form of swirls at her high neckline and a pale green lace capelet that was the only thing covering her shoulders helped tie her outfit in with Adrien’s. She also wore pale green low kitten heels and her black hair up in a braided bun. With how her pant legs were form-hugging until they flared out slightly at the heel, and the lack of sleeves exposed her toned arms and shoulders and emphasized her strength there without making her look unbalanced or too masculine for the rest of the outfit’s style, she looked ready to rock the business world. Her bright blue eyes clashed with the green details of the outfit just enough to bring attention to them, assuring that people who met her eyes would not be able to easily look away.

The quick snap of a phone’s flash went off, drawing everyone’s attention to Madame Bustier. She was beaming at all of them, and had just taken a picture of her two students all dressed up. She waved her phone happily. “I’m sending this picture to the both of you. I’m so proud of you guys!” she gushed.

Marinette and Adrien both blushed deep red, shifting in their spots. They were confident in their looks, and Adrien was just as proud of his pseudo-sister, but neither of them was very good at handling so much positive attention aimed only at them. Especially not from their extremely sincere friends and teacher.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng?” An older gentleman with a British accent turned everyone’s attention to him. The first thing Marinette thought was that he had kind eyes. He also had soft wisps of white hair on his head, carefully trimmed and slicked back. Of course, Marinette and Adrien also couldn’t miss the high quality and perfect press of his carefully maintained suit. Once he had shown all the proper credentials to Madame Bustier, he introduced himself to the two well-dressed teens with a shallow bow. “I am Alfred Pennyworth, the butler for Wayne Manor. I am to escort the both of you there for supper tonight.”

“Oh! Thank you so much, Monsieur Pennyworth,” Marinette said, walking up and shaking his hand. Adrien was right by her side the whole time, matching her smile watt for watt and shaking Alfred’s hand with just as much enthusiasm.

“Yeah, thank you for having us over. I know it was technically Bruce who invited Marinette, but you’re probably the one that has to do all the work. So, thank you. We really appreciate it,” he told the man sincerely. Alfred’s answering smile was soft, almost fond.

“Yes, I admit I am in charge of most of the work for tonight. But you shouldn’t worry, it’s no different from any other day at the manor,” he said lightheartedly, a little bit of good natured snark shining through his otherwise proper behavior— “Every last one of the Waynes would die in less than a week without me to keep everything in order,” he joked. “Allow me to lead you to the car.”

Marinette and Adrien followed behind Alfred. She didn’t know if it was the calming aura he put off, or if it was the gentle way his eyes sparkled that made her want to look after him. But whatever it was, she found herself wanting to protect this kind old man already. Which is why her eyebrows slightly pinched together. Before climbing inside the luxurious town car he had brought for them, she couldn’t help but turn to Alfred and ask;

“I hope you aren’t overworked. I don’t want to overstep, Monsieur, but isn’t the Wayne family rather large for one person to look after on their own?”

Alfred laughed gently at that, his eyes once again softening. “Do not worry about me, Miss Dupain-Cheng. They are family to me. And though, yes, you are correct in assuming they are a handful, they are also wonderful people. They help me where they can, but taking care of themselves is not their forte. Being able to do that for them is my greatest joy.”

The wrinkles in Marinette’s brow smoothed out and she smiled. “That’s so sweet. You’re making me want to meet them all even more.”

Something about that twinkle in Alfred’s eye made her feel like he was laughing at some joke she didn’t hear. “I’m sure all of you will get along swimmingly.”

—*—*—*—*—*

“I FOUND HER FIRST!”

Alfred had barely opened the manor’s doors to let Marinette and Adrien inside before the chaos started. Or rather, before they were let in on it— it seemed as if the chaos had already been going on for a while.

Jason skidded across the floor in a mad dash, having to grasp the doorframe he was running out of so that he could turn the corner sharply and veer towards them.

“Tell them, Marinette! I found you first, you’re my sister now, don’t fall for any of their Jedi mind tricks!”

Marinette just blinked, a little caught off guard. It hadn’t exactly sunk into her head until right that moment that ‘Wayne Family dinner’ would include Jason. Her mind was still catching up to the fact that she was seeing him out of his security guard uniform for the first time. He wasn’t dressed up at all, in a well-loved brown leather jacket over a white shirt and dark wash jeans. He still had his motorcycle gloves on. Marinette looked down at first herself, then Adrien.

“Are we overdressed?” She asked with a grimace. Jason huffed.

“Of course not, you guys look amazing! But seriously, tell them that I claimed you as my sister first and none of them are half as cool as me.”

Marinette and Adrien traded glances before laughing together.

“If we’re being technical here,” Adrien drawled mischievously as he straightened out his vest. “I met Marinette first, and she adopted me as her brother long before we met any of you,” he pointed out with a sharp grin.

“Ha!” a younger man laughed pointedly, following after Jason. The newcomer was dressed more formally, in a dress shirt under a very luxurious looking burgundy designer sweater. Under that, he wore black perfectly-pressed slacks and nondescript oxfords. His collar showed signs of housing a tie earlier, but he had clearly taken it off sometime earlier. His hair hung slightly long, framing his face with two long locks while the back of his hair slightly stuck up in all directions in natural tufted curls. Like Jason, his hair was jet black and he had bright blue eyes. He was also about half Jason’s size, much shorter and leaner than his adoptive brother. “He’s got you there, idiot,” he snarked smugly at Jason before turning to the two guests. “Miss Dupain-Cheng, Mister Agreste. I’m Tim Drake-Wayne, it’s nice to finally meet both of you,” he introduced himself as he walked over to shake their hands. “And your outfits are amazing! Did you make them, Miss Dupain-Cheng?”

“Marinette,” she corrected with a lopsided grin. “My last name is a mouthful, and I prefer to just go by Marinette anyway. And yes, I made both of these outfits before we left Paris,” she admitted, trying her best to seem professional. She had already ruined her chances of that with Bruce and Jason, but this time she was prepared!

“They are just as impressive as the rest of your work that I’ve seen. And call me Tim, it’s only fair,” and then he smiled.

Damn his boyish grin. He wasn’t someone Marinette had a crush on— he wasn’t her type— but damn he was unfairly charismatic and charming. His smile temporarily short circuited her brain. That was exactly the kind of boyish smile that had started her crush on Adrien, and that she was unfairly weak for. Now she felt a deep-seated urge to protect this boy and his smile or so help her, someone would be sent to the ER if he was hurt and it wasn’t gonna be her. And she didn’t try to dissuade herself from that strong protective urge, her mother had already assured her that all the Waynes were trustworthy and that Tim in particular shared a lot of her bad habits. She could allow this little bit of vulnerability. Hopefully.

“... I’ve only known you for two minutes, but if anything happened to you I would kill everyone in this room and then myself,” she breathed. Adrien elbowed her hard, making her yelp.

“You said that out loud Mari,” he deadpanned. A deep flush immediately came over her face, and she covered her mouth with both hands.

“Oh shit. I’m so sorry— but you— just forget I said anything. Please!”

Tim was visibly shocked, his eyes wide and mouth agape. Jason snorted, overcoming his own brief moment of shock pretty easily.

“Careful there,” Jason chided good-heartedly. His gaze met Marinette’s with a slight weight in it though. “You barely know the guy. He’ll annoy you out of your mind soon enough.”

Marinette caught the hint, wincing and changing the subject. Jason could see that she had done exactly as her mother had warned— she had gotten attached to Tim almost immediately. And while he wanted to believe Marinette when she said that the same wouldn’t happen with Joker, that she was not going to repeat her mother’s mistakes…

He couldn’t help but worry. Joker was a slippery bastard, and good at getting past people’s defenses.

Tim eventually led them all to the dining room, where several people were already sat waiting for them.

“We decided it would be best if we didn’t all swarm you at the door,” Tim explained, grinning at her kindly. “Take a seat wherever you want, Alfred is probably going to be done with dinner soon.”

Marinette and Adrien both nodded, going to sit by each other’s side. Adrien put his hand on her knee when they sat down, and traded a meaningful look with her.

“Calm down,” he whispered. “We’re not in Paris. And if you slip, I’ll catch you. Promise.”

Marinette’s shoulders relaxed a little. Yeah, she could trust Adrien to make sure she didn’t slip up too much. Get too careless. He’d watch her back like she did for him. She’d be okay. They’d both be okay.

“Thanks, Adrien. I needed that.”

—*—*—*—*—*

Permanent tag list:

@rosalineandrosemary @neakco @justanotherfanficlovinbitch @trippingovermyfeet @certainmuffinbagelcalzone @bigpicklebananatree @fantasylover-92 @prongs-flowers @jumpingjoy82 @prettylittlebutterflie @queenz-z @literaryhiraeth @waffelyunsure @deathssilentapproach-blog @waiting247 @theirlmikan @unoriginalmess

Story Tag list:

@golden-promises @tazanna-blythe @chocolatecatstheron @dorkus-minimus @laurcad123 @mizzy-pop

@emotionalsupportginger @alysrose-starchild @emistar0 @kibastray @justanotherfanficlovinbitch @alyssadeliv @blackroserelina @blackstarlight-co @readingalldaysleepingallnight @maanae @aespades @jaybird-and-co @fleursroses @probably-a-hologram @deathssilentapproach-blog @user00000003 @frieddonutsweets @blur-of-colours @prettylittlebutterflie @ladyqnoirr @a-star-with-a-human-name @mizzy-pop @laurcad123 @literaryhiraeth @asrainterstellar @hewantedbeefintheparkinglot @miraculous-trinity-leo @missanalysis @lovelyautumnsunflower @lolieg

[purplesurveys]

829

Are you the type of person who gets straight to the point? For the most part, yeah. I’m a little impatient and quickly get annoyed when people go around in circles. What was the last thing you said in complete caps? It was probably the conversation I had with Angela this morning since we talk in all caps 97% of the time. The subject of the conversation is a bit of an inside joke though so it’ll be complicated just to start explaining it. Do you enjoy playing board games? Not really. I’m bad at following instructions so I’m mostly uninterested when someone tries to explain a new board game to me. I stick with the ones I already know, which aren’t a lot. Are there any movies you are wanting to see? Yeah but not any upcoming ones (if there are even any). My film queue is full of stuff that’s been released in the past, and the ‘My List’ section on my Netflix for instance has movies like Rosemary’s Baby, The Pianist, The Truman Show, V for Vendetta, etc. Do you live closer to the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean? Pacific. I’m nowhere near the Atlantic Ocean.

Who was the last contact you stored into your cell phone, if you have one? The makeup artist who did my hair and makeup for my test grad shoot last December. My mom loved how I look so she had me ask for their contact just in case she needs it for future events. Did you wear anything new today? Nope, because I’ve been home for the last three months. That sounds more and more ridiculous to say each day... Would you ever have a calendar in your car? No, that’s what my phone is for. I think having a calendar in my car would be highly distracting too? What was the last song you sang along to? I’m not sure, I don’t think I listened to music today or yesterday. My guess would be Saw You in a Dream - The Japanese House. Are you a fan of the band Taking Back Sunday? No, but I heard of them a lot when I was a younger teenager. Do you ever eavesdrop on people's conversations? I don’t usually get to because my hearing is bad lol, but if it’s juicy and if I caught the context I probably would. Aside from waking up, what was the first thing you did this morning? I hung out with Cooper. I’m officially in charge of playing with him whenever he’s awake haha. I’ve never cared for a puppy before so one thing I learned is it’s a lot like taking care of a newborn baby? Cooper’s routine so far has been sleep for 1-2 hours, play for 1, and repeat. Once we notice him getting up, I’m the fun mom that plays with him until he tires himself out. Are you good at playing Hide and Go Seek? I can be good at it but I generally don’t like playing it. I always feel anxious whenever the It gets warmer to wherever I’m hiding. Do you live in an apartment or a house? House. Is there a music artist that never seizes to amaze you? In recent years Paramore has been drastically changing their sound for every new album they put out, so I’m always excited when they have new material because they always hit it out of the park. At what time do you normally go to bed? It ranges between 12 and 2 AM. It’s no longer as late as before. What is the last magazine you read? I haven’t read a physical magazine in a year or two; but the last online version of a magazine that I checked out was Esquire. How many words do you type per minute? If I’m taking a speed typing test where I really have to type as fast as I possibly can, I can reach 80-90. I never have to type that fast though so my typing speed would definitely be considerably less. What is your favorite term of endearment? I like baby. Do you like Twizzlers? I got into them as a kid just because Kristen Stewart ate it in the Twilight movie LMAOOOOO. Fangirls are ridiculous. I’m honestly just fine with them, they’re not groundbreakingly good or anything. I don’t even think I’ve had them again since my Twilight phase. Who or what made you smile last? I took a peek at what my dad was making for dinner and I already know it’s gonna be so good. Have you ever seen the movie The Wicker Man? Nope. How many states are between the state you live in and Florida? *yawn* Another US-centric question; though I got a little curious and looked up the distance between Florida and Manila instead. Google says 14,717 km. Do you sneak in candy/soda when you go to the movies? You don’t have to sneak in any type of food when you go to the cinemas here since they allow you to bring in whatever you want. I once bought Cinnabon buns to watch Wonder Woman hahah. The only unofficial rule is just don’t bring something that’s gonna smell and distract everyone. What was the last song you had on repeat? Back To You - Louis Tomlinson because of a question I answered on a survey yesterday. Do you often have that song on repeat? In 2017 I sure did. I don’t encounter the song these days anymore unless I look it up myself on Spotify. What brand of lotion do you use? I don’t use lotion. Where are your favorite pair of jeans from? I’m not sure actually. It was my mom who saw it and she bought it when she thought of me, and I never thought to ask her where she got it from. Silly string or confetti? Like, for a party? Confetti looks nicer to me. What month is your best friend's birthday in? June and September. One a scale of 1 to 10, how tired are you right now? 12 from taking care of Cooper, 2 in general because I made coffee. How long is your favorite song? I don’t really pick favorite songs because I have at least one in my preferred genres at a time. Nachos or tacos? Nachos. Also because I miss Nacho. Whose wedding did you last attend? My uncle and his then-fiancée, now my aunt, but that was 2007. It’s my parents who get invited to a lot of weddings, but not me and my siblings. Are you a rebel? Not anymore. I definitely acted like one when I hit puberty though. Does it take you more or less than an hour to get ready for the day? Less. I usually savor my time in bed then hurry up once I’m about to be running late haha. I’m out the door by 15, 20 minutes.   What was the highlight of your day today? Taking a survey this morning on the couch with Cooper napping beside me while Kimi was near my feet :) Do you tap your foot when you listen to music? No, especially not when I’m driving lmao. Would you rather use tape or glue? Tape, it’s more secure. Homemade or store bought cards? Either works fine because my ultimate takeaway is that at least someone thought of me. I would personally make homemade cards/letters though. When did you last eat popcorn? Sometime around Christmas. My mom started making us bowls of popcorn but we got tired of it pretty quickly so our popcorn binge only lasted over the break. Have you ever done community service? I’ve done it with my classmates for a class requirement, not because we did something bad and it was our punishment. Will you get your hair cut anytime soon? Nope, I just gave it a big haircut earlier this year. Are you uncoordinated? Mostly not, but I still have moments where I trip over air. Michael or Janet Jackson? Michael. I know Janet is crazy talented too but I just never started trying to get into her music. Do you listen to any hip hop? Just some. What will you be doing at this time tomorrow? Most likely doing surveys too, as is routine. Have you ever listened to Jane's Addiction? I haven’t. Orange or purple? Purple. & - the typical ending to my surveys - how about some lyrics? “There’s just no future left for us to dream of, living in an era of instability / So caught up in the culture of their rivals, fear breeds in honest men.” From High Pressure Low - Against Me! Been thinking about these lyrics for the last few days.

[serverthoughts]

I cried over Horizontal Cut Chicken - Restaurant Industry

Welcome BACK, to Day 2 of the week of ServerThoughts™ return. 

Since I like my job, I’m going to be vague about some of the food on our menu and the name of the company. So from now on if I talk about my old job, I’ll say **p*eb**s and refer to my current job, as just my work. Cool, let’s continue.

We used to have this manager at work named Billy, and he was the absolute worst. He ended up getting fired in December 2018, because a bunch of people went to HR about him being an asshole. 

One of my coworkers actually wrote an anonymous letter to corporate about him, and wrote a detailed letter about everything he had said towards her or how he acted as a manager.

Here’s an unofficial copy of what she wrote:

I hated Billy. He was misogynist as fuck, and loved to talk shit about the employees to anyone that wanted to listen. One time I was in the weeds and asked him if he could bring one of my tables soup, and he asked me if he needed to change the seating chart and give me less tables since I was unable to do my job.

I think that’s one of the last times I talked to Billy. He was a shitty manager that would smoke out of his weed pen on our back doc, during a busy Friday or Saturday night. Us servers would run around the restaurant trying to find Billy because we needed discounts, and this motherfucker was getting lit. Okay yeah, that’s how I’m trying to be too, but I can’t, because I have to grate Parmesan cheese on my customers’ pasta. Along with other important job duties that I totally have.

Totally.

No judgment though, when I worked at The B’s, I smoked before, after, and during my shift. I also wasn’t the manager, so Billy has no excuse.

This past Labor Day (2018), I was working a Monday lunch shift and there were only 4 servers scheduled. My other manager (Sasha) who does our server schedule forgot it was a holiday and that kids and some adults would be off of school/work, so we were short staffed af when I walked in at 12 pm. 

It was chaos. I immediately had 4 tables when I walked in, and I was trying to help my co-workers who were running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

I wasn’t supposed to be a morning closer, but an hour into my shift my manager who does my schedule told me that she hopes it was okay that I’m staying to close, because the closer has to leave early for a dentist appointment. Alright, bet. I’m a closer now, sucks but it’s whatever.

We usually have two managers working during lunch and dinner shifts, always. There’s a manager running the floor, and one running the kitchen. Billy was running the floor, and the other manager (Sasha) was running the kitchen.

Billy and Sasha aren’t there real names, as you may have assumed. I love preserving people’s privacy by exploiting them anonymously on my blog.

I had a table of three girls on Labor Day. Two teenage daughters and their mother. I knew they were going to be a difficult table the moment they ordered three waters in take-out cups with lemon. 

A chill table doesn’t order their drinks in take-out cups, and that’s a fuckin’ fact Jack.

They ended up ordering two pizzas without bacon, because they don’t eat pork. And a chicken salad, but they wanted their chicken cut vertically. 

Y’all. I still have to take a second and think about what directions vertical and horizontal are. I’m not even saying this for comedic purposes. I really do have to think hard about which direction vertical and horizontal are.

Just a reminder that I’m 22 and graduate college in a year, and I don’t know off the top of my head if vertical is up and down or side to side.

The chicken in the salad they ordered is usually shredded, but does have some vertical pieces in the bunch.

Anyways, I put in their food with all their mods (there were more modifications but I’m going to be vague. I actually like this job, so I’m not trying to expose where I work).

The food comes out and the table claims that their pizzas are cold, and that the chicken was NOT vertical, even though they specifically told me they wanted it cut vertical and they know the General Manager and the woman’s husband knows the General Manager and they are customers there and they know my boss.

Okay bitch, I know my general manager too. He’s my boss. He hired me. I see him more than my own dad, you’re not special. 

Every time I tell my GM that customers will tell us that they know him, he says, “Everyone knows me. My name is on the building.” 

I can’t wait to finish school and get a big girl career and get to say shit like that without it being bragging.

When I walked into the restaurant that day, I did not expect that a portion of my shift would be arguing about the direction that chicken was cut on a salad. But there I was, arguing with one of the daughters of that three top, about her side to side cut chicken.

Their pizzas were cold, so we had two new ones made. When the mom of the table told me that they were cold, I apologized, and said “If they are cold, I’m sorry” that way they weren’t too mad at me, but I still wasn’t siding with them that the meal was cold. It’s not how I would usually handle a situation like that, but I knew from the moment those bitches ordered water in take-out cups, it was over.

Apparently, when I made Billy go over to talk to that table, the women tried to say that I had touched their pizzas and agreed with them that their food was cold. 

Look, I’m not a Veteran of the restaurant industry but I know one of the number one rules is to never touch a customer’s food. Regardless if they are trying to show you that the temperature of their food is not up to par.

I’m dumb and a bitch, but I’m not a dumb bitch, so I did not put my finger on their pizzas.

They also kept trying to bring up the vertical chicken to Billy, but he had already taken off the salad when they confronted me about the pizzas. I had him take it off before he even greeted the table, because one of the girls sent back the salad and didn’t want a new one. 

The girl who ordered the salad kept repeating that she told me she wanted it cut vertically, and how this never happens when they sit with the bartender.

Okay then walk your ass over to the bar, and sit with the bartender. The fuck? Do you think I care? Do you think this offends me? Their faces offended me. The fact that I now had to stay until shift change, offended me. Sit with the bartender, I literally do not care. 

^^ ME to 86% of my customers.

I explained to her that yes, not all the chicken was cut the way she wanted, but I pointed out vertical pieces in the salad. Just to be a bitch (but not a dumb one). I also told her I wrote a note when I rung in the order for it, to be cut the way she asked. 

I special mod’d that shit and it still wasn’t made correctly.

I’m proud of myself for not throwing the BOH under the bus, because I could of easily said the cook making the salad just didn’t read the ticket. But no. I’m an adult now (I guess) so I tried to use logic to show these ladies that they were wrong and dumb.

Billy took off one of the pizzas after talking to them, and hearing the mom talk about how unhappy her husband would be. Okay bitch, no one cares about your husband, just like they don’t care that you know my boss, the general manager.

I’m pretty sure they ended up tipping me, and the two new pizzas they got were up to their standard. 

Looking back at the time, I was on the verge of tears and wanted to leave. It was so busy and nothing was making that table satisfied. 

This was actually the second and last time I’ve got teary eyed at this job, and the only time I’ve considered walking out and quitting my job. I don’t get offended by most things that happen at the restaurant, but I couldn’t deal with having people argue with me and be rude as shit, while trying to juggle my full section. 

I probably should have screamed in the freezer, and I would of been better.

So the vertical chicken bitches happened on Labor Day 2018 which was back in September. I have not seen these women until about a month ago. I started writing this post a month ago, and a few days after I had started the post, that’s when I saw the women sitting at the bar, drinking from their take-out cups.

I saw them again at the bar with their dad/husband, like 2 weeks after seeing them again a month ago.

Was I the reason they strictly eat at the bar? Maybe. Am I fine with it? Completely. 

I don’t have time to special mod what direction you want you chicken cut in, and then have to relay that message to the kitchen, just in case they choose not to read the ticket.

Moral of the story, eat your damn chicken the way it comes. Fin.

See you tomorrow, where I reveal more about what got Billy the dumbass manager fired. Also how weirdly close the managers are to the staff. I literally drink with Emily my other manager?? So weird. 

Xoxo,

serverthoughts.

[fictorium]

Mirandy - I don’t want to have a baby. 

Serena only comes in that afternoon because Miranda is supposed to be at a shoot in Battery Park until six. Andy rarely drops by the Runway offices unless she’s having lunch with Miranda, but Nigel had sent a text summoning Andy to try on her dress for the gala, weeks in advance of the actual night. Emily has come downstairs from ruling the art department with a rod of iron to join them, naturally, because when it comes to showing off their baby son, it’s hard to say whether Emily or Serena is the biggest show-off.

Even Nigel can’t help but be charmed by the squirming bundle of handsome, clad in a Gucci babygro. Andy isn’t allowed to even get near the sticky, grasping little fingers until she’s back out of the gown and in her own clothes, but it’s worth the quick change just to bounce him in her arms and get a hit of that new baby scent. 

Which, naturally, is when Miranda walks in on them all. It’s years of habit that makes them all scramble like they’ve been caught in the act, but Andy is still relieved when Serena snatches Aleixo back and pops him into his Baby Bjorn, ready to flee. 

“Emily,” Miranda says in her usual drawl. “Did you bring your child to work today?”

“No, no, Miranda.” Emily steps closer to Serena, taking her hand. “Serena had an appointment just a few blocks from here, so she brought the baby to uh, well...”

“Oh come on, Miranda.” Nigel is still bold, her Editor-at-Large now, almost boss in his own right. “You can Caroline and Cassidy in here all the time the first two years. Isn’t it time we lifted that unofficial ban on bringing the babies in? Every other office does it.”

Miranda raises an eyebrow, and Andy feels a little queasy that she’s the only one Miranda hasn’t made eye contact with. 

“Well?” Miranda demands a moment later, extending her arms in the middle of the Closet like they’re late with her gloves. “Do I get to hold the little darling or not? That is the point, yes?”

Emily almost topples Serena in her haste to retrieve Aleixo from the carrier. She’s muttering frantically as she hands him over to Miranda, and Emily has zero shame about letting her son know exactly whose arms he’s being placed in. 

“Nigel?” Miranda’s features soften as she looks down at the baby. “Didn’t Ralph send over...?”

“I was just thinking that.” Nigel disappears into the rows, returning with a ridiculous wicker gift basket full of baby clothes and accessories. 

“Emily, you’ll take that home later. Serena has quite enough to carry.”

“Miranda,” Serena interrupts. “We already received the beautiful changing table, this is too much.”

“Nonsense,” Miranda says, handing the boy back. “Nigel, when you’re done here we have a photographer to fire and some complaining to the Mayor’s office?”

She frames it like a question these days, Nigel has earned that much. Andy moves to follow Miranda out into the hallway, but the rapid clicking of heels suggests she’s not supposed to catch up. 

Great. 

***

Andy is the latest one home, having returned to the Mirror’s offices and gotten caught up in new developments on her bribery story. She finds Miranda in the study as expected, Book on her lap and a glass of Scotch in hand. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“Dinner’s in the oven,” Miranda says, as though she were the one to prepare it. 

“I don’t want a baby,” Andy blurts out. It’s the only response to the tense lines of Miranda’s body, to the worry that hangs in the air between them like fog. “I know that today maybe I looked enthusiastic but believe me, I only like it when I can hand them back.”

Miranda is going to ignore it, at first. Then she looks up, whipping her reading glasses off in one smooth move. “You say that now... to mollify me.”

There’s a thundering of teenage footsteps on the stairs of the townhouse, but the twins are going up, not coming down to them.

“Those two are all the kid I can handle right now. People think I must be into the whole baby thing because I’m nice or whatever. Nobody ever actually asks, you know? Including you.”

“And you don’t want children? People change, Andrea...”

“Don’t do that.” Andy crosses the room to insinuate herself into the large armchair alongside Miranda, pulling her close. “Don’t tell me I don’t know my own mind just because biology is involved. I don’t want a baby. I never have, honestly. It just doesn’t appeal to me. Not the way writing does, or having freedom to take on any story. Not to mention the freedom to be with anyone I want, especially when she’s already done with the having of the kids.”

Miranda strokes her thumb across Andy’s cheekbone. “I’d hate to think you were giving up on it just for me. The girls... it hasn’t been easy, but they’re the great triumph of my life. Maybe even more than Runway, though if you repeat that to anyone...”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Andy says. “You’re what I want, Miranda. I love our life, our home. I love Caroline and Cassidy, but I also love when they go to their dad’s and I get you all to myself for a weekend. No amount of smiling at cute babies is going to change that.”

“Buf if it ever did...”

“Then we’d deal with it,” Andy assures her. “But this is what matters to me, right now. Not some hypothetical that I don’t even want.”

Miranda kisses her, just the faintest hint of desperation behind it. Andy presses against her, kissing back with all the reassurance that lips and tongue can offer, her hands flat and soothing against Miranda’s cheeks. 

“Okay,” is all Miranda has to say when the kiss ends. 

“Okay,” Andy repeats, because she really is. “Think you can be done with the Book by the time I’ve had dinner?”

Miranda nods, more of a commitment than she would generally give. Andy kisses her again, just for that.

“Good, then I’ll see you upstairs.”

[edenfalling]

For the DVD commentary meme - Chapter 7 of the Courting Dance (the wedding scene).

For @bluejayfic, forthe Fic DVD Commentary Meme (which is still open, fyi! just drop me an ask) 

TheCourting Dance: Marriage is a bit more complicated thanquarreling and making it up again, especially for the crown prince ofArchenland and an exiled Calormene Tarkheena. (21,000 words) 

Chapter7 - The Beating of Our Hearts: Running from your problems israrely a good long-term solution, but sometimes the change in environment canbe helpful – especially now that Aravis and Cor are on the same page. (1,600words) 

As @bluejayfic mentioned, this chapter is the one with the wedding scene. What was I thinking,putting the wedding halfway through the story? Well, I was thinking that theplot is as much about politics and worldbuilding as it is about romance, andthe wedding is a major symbol of Aravis and Cor deciding to commit to eachother despite various obstacles. Also, while it resolves their interpersonalproblems, it doesn’t resolve their external problems at all – in fact, itmakes some of them worse. So I figured it would make a good central turningpoint, where we switch from Aravis and Cor being pissed off at each other tostanding back-to-back against the world. 

———————————————Chapter 7 - TheBeating of Our Hearts, with commentary———————————————

Aravis disliked the journey into Narnia, though she had gonewillingly five times during her first year in the north, so that she mightspeak to Queen Lucy and spend a week or two in a place where her role wasclearly defined. The Narnians treated guests nobly and never begrudged herorigin, despite Queen Susan’s ordeal, whereas the Archens held ancient enmitywith Calormen and were rarely sure what to make of her status – somethingpartway between king’s ward, long-term guest, and unofficial hostage. 

This is a little repetitivein terms of story arc – we get it; Archenland has ISSUES with Calormen – butI needed to explicitly establish that Narnia, despite the Rabadash incident,doesn’t really share them. That will be important in future chapters. 

Even in the height of midsummer the mountain road was proneto enveloping fog, and the trees pressed thickly all around like disapprovingsentinels. Hwin and Bree passed the time trading gossip about their respectiveherds and territory negotiations with the centaurs and other grassland Beastsof Narnia. Cor rode silently, seemingly lost in thought. Aravis had nothing tocontribute to the Horses’ conversation and could not think of the right way tobreak into Cor’s reverie, not when they hadn’t spoken properly in so long. Sheheld her tongue until they were through the pass and safely down past thenarrow cliffside path, with the great valley of Narnia spread out before themlike a landscape on silk. 

She sat back in the saddle. Hwin took her suggestion andstopped. After a moment, Bree noticed he was walking alone and turned to eyethem questioningly, his nostrils flared to catch any strange scent on the wind. 

“We’ve crossed the border,” Aravis said. “Nowthat we’re nominally beyond Archenland’s reach, I want an explanation." 

Bree tossed his head. "An explanation of what? Youwanted to run away, Cor wanted to run away, Hwin and I offered to help, andhere we all are in Narnia. What could be simpler?" 

Bree is arefreshingly straightforward soul. *wry* 

Aravis ground her teeth. "I know why I wanted to leaveArchenland. I know why you and Hwin helped. Cor, on the other hand, has spentthe past two months treading dangerously close to denying me, which, after Iaccepted his courting gift, could well be considered grounds for blood feud. Iknow that you love your father and you wish to be worthy in his eyes,” sheadded directly to Cor. “I know why you were delaying, which is why I waswilling to take the dishonor of breaking the dance on myself. Yet here we are,fleeing Archenland as we once fled Calormen, with an even more uncertain futurebefore us. What changed your mind?" 

Context: culturallyspeaking, what Cor did was the equivalent of "it’s not you, it’s me”weaseling out of a betrothal, which is especially insulting after he’d put in afair amount of effort to buy some expensive and not-easily-acquired courting gifts,and by doing so had reinforced Aravis’s sense that he is the only other personin Archenland who shares her cultural background and perspective. Aravis hasevery right to be pissed off at him. 

Cor swung his left leg over the saddle and slid to theslanted ground. It was strange to look down on him from Hwin’s back. They hadbeen of a height as children, but he had three inches on her these days, justenough that she found herself tilting her chin when they spoke face to face. Itwas also fitting that he stand lower now, like a supplicant come to herfather’s court to beg her favor. There was no obligation to respond to theoverture of a dance, but Cor had met her, matched her, and then stepped back. 

“The king is under the law, for the law is what makeshim king,” Cor said slowly, stepping up the grassy hillside with his eyesraised to catch Aravis’s gaze. “Father said that to me on our first nightin Anvard – do you remember? A king in answerable to his country and hispeople. If he forgets that, he becomes a tyrant. I want to do right byArchenland. I wanted to make people see that you’re the best thing in my life,that you could never be a weakness. I wanted to obey the law, to work with theGreat Council rather than against it, and make Father proud." 

Hwin shivered and took a nervous step sideways. Aravisloosened the grip of her legs and held herself straight and strong under Cor’searnest gaze. "What changed your mind?” she repeated. 

“The law in Archenland isn’t the same as the law inCalormen,” Cor said. “It’s about personal honor as much as rules,just like debt and testimony – did you know that? What am I saying; of courseyou knew that. I should have known it, if I’d been thinking. The law is apromise between the people and the king.” He shrugged, a slightself-deprecating gesture. “How could anyone trust me to keep that promiseif I broke a more important one to you?" 

Cor’s reasoning hereis one of the major keys to the story. He is trying to balance two cultures,and realized he’d been swinging back and forth in response to each newstimulus, but really he needs to find his own synthesis and stand there. 

Or in slightly moreconcrete terms: when he accepted Aravis’s Calormene-style flirtation and madeher a Calormene proposal, he acted as if he were still in Calormen (whereAravis’s choice would have mattered a lot since she’s the daughter of a HighLord, and his would have been secondary at best since he was somewhere betweena peasant and a slave). 

Then he realized thatfrom an Archen perspective, he’d just made a huge decision of state withoutconsulting anyone, and that’s bad. (Slippery slope to tyranny.) Obviously theArchens have a bee in their collective bonnet about Calormen, because Aravis isobjectively a pretty good marriage prospect – she doesn’t have an inheritanceanymore, but she’s noble-born and grew up with court politics and such and cantherefore shore up Cor’s weak points, not to mention she and Cor are absolutelyunrelated which matters in the mountain kingdoms (I think their nobles are all cousinsof some sort at this point in history). 

But then Cor realizedthat Archen law is based on personal honor as much as an impersonal set ofrules, and if he broke his engagement to Aravis, he’d be breaking his honor andtherefore creating a hypocrisy at the heart of his kingship. (Plus he reallydoes think Archen prejudice against Calormen is wrong and wrong-headed.) So hefound the place where he said, "This is my line in the sand,” andrefused to be moved any farther. 

If Archenland won’thave him as he is, then they can’t have him at all. 

Aravis swung her leg over Hwin’s back and slid to the grassyearth. Cor stepped forward and took her hands. 

“Do you forgive me?” he asked. 

“We have two witnesses,” Aravis said rather thananswer directly. “Do you have objections?" 

Aravis understandsall the stuff I blathered about a couple paragraphs ago. She’s also bothCalormene (indirect verbal responses) and a fan of direct action, so herresponse is not to answer Cor’s question but to SHOW him the answer byessentially saying, "I not only forgive you, I want to make absolutelyclear that I stand with you, so let’s get married right here and now, and do itthe Calormene way to make an extra point.” 

For a moment Cor looked like the baffled boy she’d firstgrown to know on their journey. Then comprehension kindled a slow fire behindhis eyes, and his fingers tightened around hers. “Bree, Hwin,” hesaid, “will you stand witness to our marriage and attest its truth beforeany court?" 

Bree looked utterly confused, but he nodded his head. "Yes,of course, but don’t you need, oh, a dress, and some papers to sign, and anotherperson to say a bunch of nonsense to make it official? Possibly something withribbons or a fire?" 

The implication ofthe ribbons and fire, btw, is that northern marriages are not church weddingsas we know them; rather, they involve handfasting (tying ribbons around joinedhands) or jumping over a fire while holding hands. There’s probably also avariant where you jump over a broomstick, or just something to do with crossinga threshold, or crossing under an arch of flowering branches. Transitions andbinding, that sort of thing. 

"That’s only if they want to be grand,” Hwin saidfrom behind Aravis’s shoulder. “I saw humans do this in Calormen. All theyneed is themselves and a pair of friends to swear they said the words beforethey got down to mating." 

Horses, Aravis reflected, had a very earthy way of seeingthe world. She caught a blush rising in Cor’s cheeks and was grateful yet againthat her own slight embarrassment was not equally visible to him. "Wellthen,” she said, threading a note of challenge into her voice. “Willyou keep your promise?" 

Cor raised their joined hands to heart-height and said,"In the name of Soolyeh, I take you for my wife. May our marriage bewarm.” He stared into Aravis’s eyes, the slant of the hill putting themexactly on a level. 

Aravis held his gaze. “So may it be. In the name ofGarshomon, I take you for my husband. May our marriage be fruitful." 

The words were familiar. Aravis had heard them many times,for her father had been prone to grant the request of his slaves and thepeasants on his estate that he stand as their witness and thus bring greaterdignity to their unions. She had heard them again when Ilroozeh Tarkheena hadmarried her father, for though the trappings of the wedding might be grandbeyond belief, the rite itself was always the same. And she had been made toembroider them and paint them in calligraphy lessons as she grew to be ofmarriageable age, for no Tarkaan wished his daughter to embarrass him when sheleft his protection to join her new husband’s household. 

But this was a piece of Calormen, not of the north. To hearthese words, to speak the names of Calormene gods in the land of the Lionhimself, was vertiginously strange. 

Which is funnybecause Narnia is full of non-Christian gods and quasi-religious figures:Bacchus, Silenus, Pomona, all the various nature spirits, even FatherChristmas. And yet, it’s also a feeling I got while writing this, a sort ofnagging, "But is this really appropriate?” 

And that’s how I knewit was important to include this. Because religious pluralism is never inappropriate. (If Lewis just rolledover in his grave? GOOD.) 

“So may it be,” Cor said, his voice wavering as ifhe shared Aravis’s feeling of displacement. “In the name of your father, Itake you for my wife. May our marriage be honorable." 

Kidrash Tarkaan would approve of Cor, Aravis thought. "Somay it be. In the name of your mother” – whom she had never met, but KingLune had loved and respected her and therefore Aravis could but assume QueenElwen had been as bright and honorable as her sons – “I take you for myhusband. May our marriage be true." 

Someday I am going toget Queen Elwen textually into a story. Or else! 

"So may it be,” Cor said, and then paused, lettingsilence seep into the sunlit afternoon instead of continuing the last set ofpromises. 

“Is that it?” Bree asked. “Pretty enough, Isuppose, if you like that sort of thing. Only, don’t Calormene rituals go inthrees?" 

"They do,” Aravis said, knowing exactly why Corwas hesitating. She squeezed his hands, her sword calluses rubbing against his,and switched the lead. “In the name of Aslan, I take you for my husband. Mayour marriage be strong." 

She should have said Tash, but while she would alwaysrespect the god of war and vengeance, she had lost his favor when she gaveallegiance to the lands of his enemies. Even if she had still held him as theking of all gods, it would feel wrong to swear by his power in Narnia, and theLion was equally strong and fierce, his power more than enough to hold as asupport. Aravis had taken Aslan for her liege in the wars of heaven and so shewould make her future in his name. She would marry Cor by the ways of Calormen,but they belonged to Archenland too, now. It was fitting that she acknowledgethat heritage in her vows. 

And here again wehave the theme of finding a personal synthesis or balance point between twocultures. 

Cor blinked, and then smiled, a small, private curl of hislips just for her. "So may it be,” he said. “In the names of all the gods, I take you for my wife. Mayour marriage be forever.” He raised their joined hands, sliding hisfingers around to turn her hands palms upward, and kissed the soft inner skinof Aravis’s wrists: a feather-brush of skin on skin, his breath to the pulse ofher blood. His beard tickled across her open palms as he looked up into hereyes. 

I find beards hot,okay? There is no deeper motivation here. 

Aravis swallowed. “So may it be,” she said. 

She pulled; Cor came willingly. She met his breath with herown. 

Which is a veryroundabout way of saying, “they kissed,” but I dunno, this phrasingfeels a lot more emotionally and erotically charged to me. 

—————————————————————————————— 

The post-chapternotes are as follows: 

Cor and Aravis use a tweaked version of the Calormenemarriage ritual. The traditional version goes like this: 

Man: In the name of Soolyeh, I take you for mywife. May our marriage be warm.Woman: So may it be. In the name of Garshomon, I take you for myhusband. May our marriage be fruitful.Man: So may it be. In the name of your father, I take you for mywife. May our marriage be honorable.Woman: So may it be. In the name of your mother, I take you for myhusband. May our marriage be true.Man: So may it be. In the name of Achadith, I take you for my wife.May our marriage be strong.Woman: So may it be. In the name of Tash, I take you for myhusband. May our marriage be forever.Man: So may it be. 

And then they are married. The traditional divorce ceremonygoes approximately the same way. Either the woman or the man can end themarriage at any time by saying, “In the name of Nazreen, I divorce you. Inthe name of Nur, I divorce you. In the name of Azaroth, I divorce you” –again, three times makes it true. It’s not done lightly, since the person whoinstigates a divorce may start a blood feud with that action, but it’s stillpretty simple and egalitarian. 

I guess this would bewhere I explain some stuff about my Calormene pantheon? Okay. There are ninedeities: four goddesses, four gods, and Azaroth who is usually male but thereare some people who say otherwise. (Azaroth’s domain is death. Boundaries getfuzzy there.) The official mythology and theology are those promoted by Tashbaan,but there are hundreds of regional variants. 

Generally, Soolyeh isthe goddess of the sun, of marriage, and fertility/agriculture. Garshomon, thegod of rivers, earth, and agriculture, is her husband. (Soolyeh’s symbol is asun-disk; Garshomon’s is a bull. A sun-disk surmounted by bull horns isfrequently used on their shared temples and as a marriage blessing. 

Tash is the god ofwar and vengeance and generally regarded as king of heaven. Achadith, thegoddess of change, of victory, and of things out of place, is generallyconsidered to be both the queen of heaven and Tash’s wife. 

So the marriageceremony calls upon the deities most associated with marriage, as a generalblessing and also an indirect request for children; calls upon theparticipants’ own families as a reminder that marriage is ultimately a socialinstitution; and calls upon the two most powerful deities to sort of tie themarriage into the legal fabric of the Calormene Empire and also remind theparticipants that there are consequences for breaking their vows. (Neither Tashnor Achadith is a comfortable sort ofdeity.) 

The divorce ceremonycalls upon Nazreen (goddess of wisdom, memory, regret, and liminal periods),Nur (god of education/educated professionals, disease, and medicine), andAzaroth (god of silence, darkness, and death). Nazreen and Nur are also said tobe married, but their domains are more shadowy and associated with endings. 

Sokda and Zardeenah,the remaining two deities, have nothing to do with either marriage or divorce. 

—————————————————————————————— 

And that is pretty much that. :)

[kakiokuru]

NOBORIZAKA: NOVEMBER RAIN

Chapter Seven | Information and Formation

“Alright everyone, settle down.” Reika wore an air of confidence as she spoke; making sure her laptop was securely hooked up to the borrowed projector. Reika wasn't a fighter, but there was a reason she was a part of the team and this was it. If you needed a game plan and thorough information, she was the best. With her moment to shine, Reika adjusted her glasses while waiting for her comrades to get comfortable. “Majijo is currently leaderless, but that isn't to say they are weak. Let me fill you in on what we’re up against.” Time to get right to business.

Lifting a small remote, she moved to the next slide of her PowerPoint. Yes, she made a PowerPoint. The first photo up was of a young woman with bobbed hair and wearing a red velvet sukajan. “Otabe, real name Yokoyama Yui, is the closest thing to the leader now. She's repeated many years for unspecified reasons but doing the math from when she first transferred in, I suspect she's around twenty-two. She’s what you can consider a seasoned Rappappa member, previously the president of the second generation of Rappappa but now acts as the advisor and a Heavenly Queen. She fought against Sakura once and they were evenly matched, however Otabe does possess strength powerful enough to break through blocks. Maiyan, I suggest she be your target.”

Mai gave a firm nod at the screen, burning the face into her mind. “I saw her at the gate. She shouldn't be a problem.”

“Now, under her are what you can call lieutenants. Or in their terms Heavenly Queens." Reika clicked her remote to bring up the next slide. “Magic, AKA Kizaki Yuria. Yoga, AKA Iriyama Anna. Katsuzetsu, AKA Kodama Haruka. Both Magic and Yoga have been Queens for some time, since before Sakura transferred in. They have some… unconventional fighting styles. Magic is the ‘third’ Queen and incorporates, as you would have guessed, magic into her attacks as distractions and sabotage, though her combative capabilities lay with the use her legs and her speed. Yoga, to be put bluntly, is the weakest among the Queens. Because of her proficiency in yoga, she’s rather quick, flexible, and prefers to dodge attacks and counter. Katsuzetsu… is more unofficial than anything. She transferred in recently to follow Sakura but some digging revealed that she was somewhat of a lackey and possibly harbours romantic feelings for Sakura. She was as bold was as bold as to infiltrate Rappappa’s clubroom and declare herself as the president. ” Reika continued on to explain her analysis on the battles between Sakura and the Queens.

“I want the magic girl.” Nanase rested her chin in hand, staring at the screen with little interest in the others. “Sakura almost lost when she was caught. I'm too fast, even with tricks. I'm sure to win against someone like that.” She smirked with anticipation. “Besides, someone who relies on magic and tricks to win a fight has no place in a real fight.”

Reika shook her head. “While you did clear up to the gate in under five minutes and probability of success looks to be in the green…” She pushed up her glasses and brought up the next slide, showing an image of her recommended formation of attack, flowcharts, graphs and all. At a glance, it was a sound and solid plan. “We will need the gate to be re-cleared of all the miscellaneous others before we charge the stairs.”

Nanase made a displeased face, rolling her eyes. “Make Kazumin do it! She's the tank! She could clear the small fry altogether in under three minutes.”

“Eh, I don't want to fight!” Kazumi pouted, still enjoying a bag of chips in her lap. “Maiyan said I didn’t have too!” She protested, in between crunches.

A loud sigh interrupted the chewing. “An attack like this is unreasonable. These are yankees.” Even Erika understood that. “There are systems and rules. Going in so boldly would be looked down upon even if we were victorious.”

“She's right.” Yumi sat up on the couch, lazily slouching against the leatherback. As a yankee herself, she understood unspoken yankee ‘traditions’ the best. “If we want to take down Majijo without a leader then we need to work up the totem pole. Reika had the right idea, declare war by clearing their gate but then attack their lower teams and work up.” She sighed, as if reading off a script. Anyone who attacked Majijo seemed to stick with this structure and eventually it became a system that all yankees abided by. “When we solidify ourselves as a threat, then we can take on their top fighters.”

“That seems tedious.” Erika furrowed her brow at Yumi, crossing her arms.

Yumi sighed, waving her hand listlessly. “It is, but anyone who has done anything different failed. We already have a strike against us for not having a student transfer there.”

“It’s all superstition.” Mai stood and stole the remote from the bespectacled girls hand, turning the slides back and forth until she could see every member. “We aren't everyone else.” Mai glanced over every image, the gears turning in her head. “We’re Noborizaka students, not yankees. Mai would want us to uphold Noborizaka’s name, and go about this with class. We will do this by their rules. Confer with Wakatsuki on these rules, Reika.” Turning on her heels, Mai crossed her arms. “Nanase already completed step one, clearing the gates.”

“Well, if I have to again to prove a point, then I don’t mind~” Nanase grinned, twirling her fingers in her hair. “But like I said, I already picked the girl I want.”

Mai rolled her eyes, trying to keep focus. “We don’t get to pick… But we’ll see how everything will turn out. Our next task is taking out Team Hinabe. Who should clear the second tier?” She turned slightly to view her team, lips curling in thought. Kazumi would be preferable but she had already told the tank of a girl she was allowed to stand on the sidelines. Going back on her word and forcing her would be wrong.

“Hinabe, this generation’s food-themed team. They’re actually significantly stronger than their previous incarnations. They are currently comprised of four members…” Reika tapped the photos against the wall with her stylus. “So if we go by yankee rules, wouldn’t it take a matching amount of girls to fight them?”

“Nah, these girls are chicken shit. Uonome, Dodobusu, Jisedai, and Kusogaki. All of them get downed with little to no trouble. They only got into Rappappa by riding on Sakura’s coat tails.” Yumi smirked to herself, stating the fact. She glanced to the student body president, her imagination picturing an amusing thought. “Even you could do it, Reika.”

The group snickered at the thought, although Reika didn’t seem as amused. Reika wouldn’t last very long at all, even against the weakest member. Hell, her tablet case had more endurance than her. If she didn’t shield herself when Erika darted her stylus towards her, the metal would have went right through her like a bullet.

Such a thought broke her out of her confident and serious demeanour prior to the presentation. “No-no-no-no way! I can’t even slap my hands to kill a fly without hurting myself.” She waved her hand a bit in front of her face. To return to the topic at hand, she turned to look the projected images. An idea struck her. “Nishino-san cleared the gates before, by herself, didn’t she? That wasn't a declaration of war, just scouting. So, why don't we all go together…? Aren't teams still in the rules? Going together might stir up enough buzz to properly declare war and they’ll see us as a threat.”

Erika scoffed. “Fight a team of flies together to declare war?”

“Hm… Considering we don’t meet their ‘transfer’ rule, it's not out of the question…” Yumi nodded a bit while she spoke.

“Then, I don’t… hate the idea.”

“Together? I want to come! I don’t want to fight but I want to come!” Kazumi jumped in, hand raised in the air.

Mai’s eyes glanced around the room, tossing the remote into Reika’s possession. “Seems we’re all in agreement here.”

Reika fumbled with the device as she tried to catch it, pulling in the next slide. “Ah, there's still the third tier. Kamisori, AKA Kojima Mako, and Katabutsu, AKA Okada Nana. They aren't stair guards and they also don’t really fit into Rappappa either but they’re still a level above Team Hinabe. At least according to the order Sakura fought them in… Not quite Heavenly Queens, but still in the highest positions. We could also take them on at the same time as Hinabe since they’re never far behind in terms of proximity.”

Nanase’s eyes dropped to her nails. “So in the end, it’s six against six.”

“That means the black hole and Reika has to fight.”

“Eh!!” Kazumi let out a loud groan in protest, a large open mouth frown decorating her face. “Do I have too?”

“I… would really rather not.”

“If what Wakatsuki said was true and one of us can do it alone, I'm sure four can pick up Kazumin’s and Reika’s slack.” Mai smiled softly, patting the sitting, tall girl on the head. “You don’t have to fight, remember? Ikuchan, Naachan, Wakatsuki, and I are more than enough.”

“Isn’t that unfair?” Erika snapped her attention over. “Kazumin is a member of this team so I say she do her part. I don’t want to fight either but I’m here, aren’t I?” Erika looked over, her eyes growing cold. “Even Reika is doing something for the team so why isn’t Kazumin.” Crossing her arms, she looked out the window while her fingers tapped against her skin in a rhythmic fashion. “I think even Reika should fight, but we all know that’ll never happen… pussy…”

“I–…” The student body president opened her mouth but she couldn’t deny that it was for a fact that she never plans on raising a fist against another person. She eyes slowly dropped to her floor, ultimately feeling disappointed in herself still. “I’m sorry…”

Mai lifted her arm protectively in front of Reika and faced Erika with the same authority. “We aren't yankees. We aren't a fighting team with a hierarchy. We're friends. While I would want everyone to make the effort, if someone doesn't want to join the fight then they don’t need to fight. But if they want to be here for MaiMai’s sake–”

“MaiMai’s, or yours?” The pianist injected, giving her leader a hard glare.

There was a heavy tension in the room. All of the girls glanced at each other as if mom and dad were fighting at the dinner table. All stayed still, except for the loud uncomfortable crunch as Kazumi slid a potato chip into her mouth. Nanase sharply kicked the noisy girl in the back to quiet her, grunting at her softly with as stern a look she could muster. Kazumin nearly choked on the chip, finally taking in the atmosphere. She glanced in between Mai and Erika, seeing the sparks flashing between them even when no words were exchanged. Like a tiger clashing with a dragon. She hated it. There hadn’t been an air like this since–

“…I’m calling Nanamin!!”

Kazumi shouted, visibly upset after Nanase’s kick. She almost resembled an angry toddler as she dropped the bag of chips to get her phone from her skirt pocket. Wakatsuki fell off the couch, quickly scrambling to try towards her in an attempt to stop her from dialling her phone. Even Mai and Erika broke their non-verbal argument and lunged forward to halt her from bringing the embodiment of their worst nightmare into this mayhem of a team.

“No, no, no, no–!! Wait!! Stop!! Kazumin, don’t–!!”

But it was too late. It took no longer than twenty minutes for the air of dread to grow unbearable. Knowing death was soon upon them, the girls stayed as far as they could from each other in the small clubroom. No one particularly wanted to meet eyes with each other, or acknowledge the doom coming for them. Reika hid behind her tablet, Nanase hiding her nose in a manga, Erika staring at the window but her fingers fidgeted with nervousness. Even Wakatsuki was keeping focus on her phone while Mai studied the photos on the laptop. Then the door opened so quickly it almost fell off its rollers and everyone froze mid activity.

“I was in the middle of my shift.”

A tall woman with lightened hair peered into the darkened room. Every girl stiffened, fighting to even look at her. The woman had a large pair of sunglasses on, and was dressed to match her age and profession of fashion consultant standing poised and proud. Well, angry and proud.

“Nanamin!” Kazumi bounced up, still sporting that upset, immature face. “Everyone's fighting again! Make them get along!! They tried to make me fight too!! And Naachan kicked me!!” Kazumi hugged the woman’s arm, with an accusing point aimed at the group who were all still hiding behind books and electronic devices. Some even sunk into their seats to avoid ‘dad’s wrath’. Nanamin tugged the sunglasses from her face, shirking Kazumi off. With her long slender legs, it only took a few intimidating steps to make it to the back of the room where she ripped the blankets away from the windows to let proper light in. Without even turning to face the inside of the room, she tapped her foot expectantly.

“Everyone, line up.”

Even if she spoke with an eerily calm tone, her voice thundered through the room. The girls all raised their hands to their eyes, hissing from the sudden influx of light. With the curtain down you could properly see how destroyed the room had become. Dust everywhere, things nonchalantly thrown in the formerly dark corners of the room. Even the furniture hadn’t had a good cleaning in quite some time, Wakatsuki’s shape taking a permanent indent in the couch. Nanami’s head shifted slightly, her eyes scanned the room in growing anger. The girls hadn’t even moved from their spots out of fear.

“I said… Line. Up.”

Nanami stomped her heel into the floor, threatening to crack the tile. It was all that was needed. All of them leapt from their spots, forming a line three paces from her. There was no denying the woman’s power; she could shake the very will of even the most hardened souls. When Nanami finally turned around, she stared directly into each girl’s frightened eyes. Her eyes were like ice, freezing each of them to their very core, her aura like a queen that would destroy any and all walls in the name of conquest. The only person not to be intimidated by Nanami was MaiMai. But with MaiMai gone…

“I cannot believe this. You are all a mess.” Nanami crossed her arms, tilting her chin upwards with a brow raised in disbelief. “What would Mai think? Blindly calling out war, fighting amongst each other. On top of that, you trashed the club room.” She really did sound like a disapproving father, beginning to pace in front of them. She gave an exasperated sigh, dropping her hands to her waist. “I called in a fake emergency for this?”

“But, Kazumin–”

“Had a genuine concern for her teammates, Sakurai.” Each girl snapped her attention over the second Reika opened her mouth. No one spoke back at Nanami, no one but MaiMai. “Kazumin did what MaiMai told her to do if the situation called for it, something that should have been done a month ago. Are you insane Mai?” Nanami looked more than pissed. She barely cared for what would happen to this council but she was seething at what has become of MaiMai’s beloved team. “This situation at a glance is beyond ridiculous. Starting a war with Majisuka Jogakuen? You are not yankees. You are Noborizaka Elite Private Academy students.”

“Actually, Nishino and I are–” Yumi shakily raised her hand with an uncomfortable pout and matching soft tone.

The graduate immediately lifted her forefinger out towards the yankee girl, promptly silencing her. “You are both children stuck in your middle school rebellious stage. You will be silent, Wakatsuki.”

Yumi lowered her head just as fast as she had raised it. Nanase didn’t even bother, knowing Nanami’s wrath better than any of them. Erika smirked to herself, keeping her head down as she attempted not to laugh. Of course, it didn’t go unnoticed.

“And you, Erika. You had your temper under control, what the hell happened? Has MaiMai moving on really made you uncontrollable again? Destroying property, challenging anyone with a different opinion? Huh?” Nanami raised her brow at her, stepping forward. “Didn’t we tell you to channel your anger into the piano? Oh, and I know what you did to Reika’s tablet. I expect you to pay her back for it.”

The short-tempered girl gulped. “Y-Yes, ma’am. Sorry ma’am.”

Nanami gazed over each of her former teammates once more before taking a deep breath to calm her annoyed nerves. “Kazumin filled me in on what's going on, has been for quite some time. I’m more surprised it took until now for you all to need me.” Turning around, Nanami strode to the projector, debilitating Reika’s formation. “This composition will only work if everyone pulls their own weight. It’s how teams work.” She sighed softly, grabbing the remote to slide through photos of their opponents. “That means Kazumin and Sakurai, too.”

“Eh… But…” Kazumi wasn’t expecting to hear that.

“Kazumin.” Nanami glanced at her before extending her hand to the girl. Without a shred of hesitation, Kazumi took Nanami’s hand, staying close even if she was pouting the entire time. “I know you dislike fighting, but try to think of it like this. You’re protecting your family instead of fighting for the sake of fighting. Doesn’t that sound better?” Nanami tilted her head as she offered a small smile, trying to relate to her to appeal to her peace-loving nature. Nanami was pretty good at it, often consoling her in the past when Fukugawa Mai couldn’t. She had to learn the skill slowly, knowing that depending on Nanase to be a voice of reason was impossible. It was a side of her that few people experienced.

“I guess it does…” Kazumi looked down in thought, even if her mind was very gullible and easily swayed. Yet, after a few moments she raised her head with a smile, giving the most energetic nod. “I’ll do it! For my family and my school!”

“Atta girl.” Nanami grinned, patting her head before sending her back to join the others.

“But Nanamin… what about me…?” Reika hugged her tablet, unsure of her position in the team. If everyone was going to fight, where does she stand? “I can’t even properly punch someone…”

“That’s fine.” Nanami shifted from Kazumi, placing a hand on her shoulder. “That’s why you won’t be alone. You have everyone with you.” She held her head high, trying to boost the girl’s confidence. “They’ll help you become stronger and stand your ground. I know you’re not a violent person but you can’t be afraid. Let them teach you.”

If you looked close enough, you could see Reika smile at Nanami’s words, giving her a nod. Everyone always benefited from Nanami visiting. Whether it is with her lectures or pep talks, Nanami always said what was needed rather than what was wanted. Even if she was clearly biased towards Kazumi as the favorite of her children, she was the father figure to MaiMai’s mother figure of the group. Nothing went by without her knowing about it.

Nanami exhaled and stepped back, striding towards the laptop. “Okay, everyone, sit down. I’ll figure this plan out in a way that everyone will have a winning chance with little to no trouble.” She grabbed the remote the PowerPoint, watching everyone file into their seats. As well as a fashion consultant, she was also a proficient strategist. Reika had to have learned from someone to be where she is now. “With any luck we can knock the declaration and first battle out of the way in one fell swoop to save time. Just trust in me, Dad will help.”

Dad will always be there to help.

To be continued…

[dazzledbybooks]

The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction. For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom. But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition. When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death? Links: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49629448-a-song-of-wraiths-and-ruin Amazon: https://amzn.to/3bb61Do B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-song-of-wraiths-and-ruin-roseanne-a-brown/1134858719?ean=9780062891495 iTunes: https://books.apple.com/book/a-song-of-wraiths-ruin/id1478613303 Bookdepository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Song-Wraiths-Ruin-Roseanne-Brown/9780062891495?ref=grid-view&qid=1587062543544&sr=1-1 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/a-song-of-wraiths-and-ruin-1 Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Roseanne_A_Brown_A_Song_of_Wraiths_and_Ruin?id=AQAAAEBs_nG-DM Excerpt: https://aerbook.com/books/A_Song_of_Wraiths_and_Ruin-261829.html?social=1&retail=1&emailcap=0 Review: A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown is the first book in a new young adult fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore. I was so excited to dive into this book. I have been looking forward to it for months. This book takes a bit to get into at first because there is just so much world building and introduction to the characters and their lives in the beginning. I really liked every second of it. The folklore behind this story is amazing. I really found myself wanting to know more. I think the gods and creatures are very interesting and I look forward to reading the sequel. Let's talk about love. I feel like the "love" or "relationship" between Malik and Karina came across very insta-love. I really wish it had more depth to it. Don't get me wrong I think they would be great together, I just wish we had a bit more of a build up vs jumping right into that relationship. Let me also say that romance doesn't play a huge part in this book. I am not too worried about it either. When it came to the magic system, I do with is was explained a bit more. We get so much explanation of the characters and the world that I felt like the magic system was a bit lacking. It wasn't explained to the reader why magic wasn't common and it wasn't explained why some people randomly get magic. I definitely feel like the magic system is lacking and it leaves the reader with a lot of questions. \ Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I will be participating in a reread starting June 12 with a group of people. Why would I want to read a book I just finished? Sometimes when I liked an ARC so much, I like to reread a finished copy to see if anything changed. Other times, I just really want to reread the book. I look forward to diving into this book again ASAP. Definitely check out A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. Pre-order Campaign: Link to the pre-order submission form: bit.ly/ASOWARCampaign A pre-order/order from any retailer or a request to your local library will get you: * A bookmark! * 2 character cards featuring Karina and Malik! * A limited edition signed bookplate * An exclusive digital fairy tale from the A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN world! An order from indie bookstore Books With a Past will get you: * A bookmark! * 2 character cards featuring Karina and Malik! * A limited edition signed bookplate * An exclusive digital fairy tale from the A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN world! * A handwritten note and personalization from the author! Rules: * You must submit proof of purchase/library request. Screenshots and photos of receipts are fine. * Only orders and library requests dated through June 30, 2020 are eligible * Only orders made through Books With a Past (https://ift.tt/3dLSqUg) will receive the note and personalization. * All swag will be sent out on a rolling basis starting June 2nd * Entrants under the age of 18 must obtain parent/guardian permission before entering About the Author: Roseanne “Rosie” A. Brown was born in Kumasi, Ghana and immigrated to the wild jungles of central Maryland as a child. Writing was her first love, and she knew from a young age that she wanted to use the power of writing—creative and otherwise—to connect the different cultures she called home. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and was also a teaching assistant for the school’s Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House program. Her journalistic work has been featured by Voice of America among other outlets. On the publishing side of things, she has worked as an editorial intern at Entangled Publishing. Rosie was a 2017 Pitch Wars mentee and 2018 Pitch Wars mentor. Never content to stay in any one place for too long, Rosie currently teaches in Japan, where in her free time she can usually be found exploring the local mountains, explaining memes to her students, or thinking about Star Wars. Links: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18395190.Roseanne_A_Brown Website: https://roseanneabrown.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosiesrambles Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosiesrambles/?hl=en Giveaway: Prize: Win an ASOWAR bookplate, bookmark, two trading cards, and access to the exclusive short story (INT) Starts: June 2nd 2020 Ends: June 16th 2020 a Rafflecopter giveaway Tour Schedule: http://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2020/04/tour-schedule-song-of-wraiths-and-ruin.html June 2nd The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club - Welcome Post June 3rd BookCrushin - Story Behind The Cover + Instagram Moonlight Rendezvous - Review + Favourite Quotes A Dream Within A Dream - Review Small Stained Pages - Review + Playlist + Favourite Quotes Vee Reading - Review Lit lemon books - Review + Favourite Quotes June 4th The Paperback Voyager - Review Colby Wilkens - Review Kait Rose - Review + Favourite Quotes Belle's Archive - Review + Video Interview Sage Shelves - Review SeizeThePage - Review + Playlist Paws and Paperbacks - Review June 5th Bookish Looks - Tell Your Story in GIFs Write, Read, Repeat - Review Books.Bags.Burgers - Review + Favourite Quotes Sometimes Leelynn Reads - Review + Dream Cast Black Bookwyrm Reads - Review Enthralled Bookworm - Review + Mood Board by blogger June 6th A Court of Coffee and Books - Review + Favourite Quotes Utopia State of Mind - Review Morgan Vega - Review + Favourite Quotes Tea.Books.Magic - Review + Instagram Caitsbooks - Review + Favourite Quotes + Mood Board by blogger Books and Ladders - Review June 7th Kait Plus Books - Character Interview Hooked on Bookz - Review + Favourite QuotesBiblioJoJo - Review The Layaway Dragon - Review + Favourite Quotes In Between Book Pages - Review + Favourite Quotes Empty Kingdom - Review + Favourite Quotes + Mood Board by blogger June 8th A Gingerly Review - Mood Board bforbookslut - Review L.M. Durand - Review + Mood Board by blogger Dazzled by Books - ReviewConfessions of a YA Reader - Review + Favourite Quotes The Reading Corner for All - Review

http://www.dazzledbybooks.com/2020/06/a-song-of-wraiths-and-ruin-blog-tour.html

[sumsthoughts]

Dead Awakening - 1: A Break in Monotony

The streets were barren, save for cars long abandoned, barricades which failed their purpose, and countless undead. A lone figure watched from a rooftop high above. They sat patiently, taking a well-deserved break after a narrow escape involving two zombies and a door handle that just didn’t want to work. Alan thought while running up the stairs that the number of close calls he had was too many to count. Peering down over the edge of the building that he had cleared out so many months ago, he stared at the undead littering the street. It seems that no progress had been made at all regarding the horde.

He sighed and wiped his tanned forehead of sweat. A hot sunny July day, with a gentle breeze blowing through his brown hair. It would have been perfect, if not for the nauseating stench permeating every single goddamn area of this forsaken place. It seemed fresh corpses had replaced the ones that he and the others have killed over the past three months. His personal goal of clearing out the city so it would be safe now seemed to be completely unattainable, let alone scouring the undead plague from the Earth.

He opened his backpack and ruffled through what little he had. A bottle of water, an oatmeal bar, a single clip of ammo for his rifle. Most of his belongings were back at the scrapyard, hidden in the van in the pile of destroyed vehicles. It was mainly so if a zombie got a hold of his pack he could quickly drop it and not worry about losing too many valuables. Plus, the scrapyard wasn’t too far away, his only worry was tetanus, and there was little undead smell all around. A fantastic living arrangement in his opinion.

Alan was contemplating whether to try and take out a few zombies with his rifle or save ammo and go down to fight with a shovel he had found. If he had more ammo, the shovel option wouldn’t even be there, but unfortunately, he was not close by a safe zone to resupply or even have basic amenities. He was far from any contact. Just when he figured that killing maybe five zombies would be good for the day, then looking for what supplies were left, he heard a noise through the wind. Glancing over to the next building he could see another figure walking on the roof, looking around warily.

Shit, this is great. Alan thought. He had a nasty run-in with some unsavory folk two weeks ago and was not about to repeat the occasion. Maybe if he had the first shot.

Picking up his rifle, he hurried over to the edge closest to the building he was on. The other roof was much larger, and he could prepare before the figure came closer. If they did of course. Maybe this was a stupid decision but...

“Freeze!” Alan yelled, standing up and pointing his rifle straight at the figure, which was about fifteen feet away.

“Holy fuck! I’m not looking to fight or anything! I got stuff here, just fucking take it. It’s not worth my life.” The figure stammered back at him. The voice was loud and deep, Alan figured it must be a man but held off on identifying until he got a closer look. They held their hands up and stood still.  Alan softened his grip on his rifle and lowered it.

“What stuff? Are you a trader?” Alan implored. There were rules regarding trading in the various zones, mostly in safe spots. Generally, you could use regular old cash or barter whatever goods you had on hand. Food fetched a high price, as well as ammunition but even small pleasures like a toothbrush or deodorant can be worth quite a lot.  Outside the zones, however, anything was fair game. Alan found that while many travelers and traders would try to screw him over, the majority would be friendly and help. Very different from the individuals that thought each person was not to be trusted.  Though, caution is always a good thing.

“No, I’m not a trader. I’m looking for supplies, however. What are you doing up here? Aside from holding strangers up.” The figure replied. Alan thought for a moment.

“I’m doing my rounds for the day, clearing any undead and trying to keep routes open for survivors.

“Ah, so you’re a Clearer.” The figure replied. Clearers were the nickname given to anyone who actively sought out undead to make areas safer. “Must be about the only thing you can do this deep in the black hole.”

Alan shrugged. Black holes were the unofficial turned official name of outbreak zones. Epicenters of the initial outbreak area, or whatever happened. There were four different levels as you got closer, with green being where very little zombies are. These were large patches of land that were able to be cleared out and protected. The three other zones are yellow, slightly more undead than green, but still generally clear. More safe zones in these areas. Orange: More dangerous than yellow, as society is few and far in between, and what is of it is not welcoming. Then Red, once you are in here, it’s considered game over. The zones were named black holes for the fact that the closer you are to it, the harder it is to get out. Most accepted their fate and holed up, waiting for help that would most likely never come.

“Can I come over?” The figure asked, moving closer to the edge of the building they were on. “I was being chased by some undead and didn’t get the chance to barricade, so I would rather not be eaten alive. Only if you set down your rifle though.”

Eh…

“Fine, you have to show me what’s in your pack though. Fair is fair.” Alan stated firmly. The figure nodded and climbed onto the cement ledge. They pulled off their pack and hesitated before throwing. “You’re not going to grab this and run?” They asked tentatively. Alan shook his head and bent down, setting his rifle at his feet. The figure, satisfied, tossed their pack over and then jumped. They cleared it and landed about five feet away from Alan. They shoved their pack over to Alan, who knelt and opened it.

“Jesus…” He murmured. It was filled to the brim with MRE rations, ammunition, a blanket. There was one pistol as well.  “You’re a walking target with this much stuff, and you said you’re looking for more,” Alan commented. “Are you a Retriever?” He asked with interest. The figure nodded. “Huh, you must have switched the standard issue backpack for a random one you found. Smart idea.”

“Yep, I’ve been two months out. Split up with the group around the start of the red zone. Going to see if there’s anyone that wants to get out, or if not, a care package for some lucky soul. Considering how few and far they are these days.” They explained.

“Hmm, yes I haven’t seen many at all recently. Nor a bombing run, thankfully. I’m glad they stopped those after the second time.” Alan replied, sweat dripping off his brow. It was getting close to midday and they should find some shade soon. He didn’t have much water. “Damn it’s hot huh?” The figure laughed in response.

“You’re telling me!” The man exclaimed, wiping his brow with a dark-skinned hand. “It kills man, and it doesn’t help with this fucking rot smell everywhere. I don’t know how you live in it. Winter months must have sucked hard.” Alan nodded, zipped up the open pocket, and tossed it back over. It weighed a lot and must be a nightmare to carry around all day. “Oh, I didn’t catch your name sorry.” the figure said.

“Mine’s Alan. Alan Masuda.”

“Nice to meet you, Alan. I’m Kyle Langdon.” Kyle smiled and looked over to the entrance to the stairwell. Alan agreed internally, it would be better to talk and have a snack under shade. They both walked in unison over to the entrance and sat down. It was still warm, but the blazing sun wasn’t beating down upon their heads. Alan set down his rifle and retrieved the oatmeal bar and the bottle of water for his lunch. Sitting down against the brick wall, he unwrapped the bar and took a bite out of it. It was yogurt topped, his favourite. Finding a box of these was akin to finding a million dollars and he was trying to savour every bite. Kyle ruffled through a pocket and pulled out a small bag of jerky.

“That looks good, sweet hot flavour?” Alan asked inquisitively, looking at the label. Kyle nodded and pulled the tab off.

“Mmhmm. Figured I’d spoil myself today, I like your oatmeal bar though. Yogurt is good.” He responded, staring at the bar in Alan’s hand.

“Thanks, it never feels like I have a filling meal though.” Alan sighed sadly.

“I know what you mean. All I want is a nice salad, crispy greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers. Ah man, I’m sad now.” Kyle shook his head sadly. Alan’s stomach growled.

“You sound like Shackleton when you say that, and don’t. You’re making me even more hungry.” Alan replied.  Kyle looked at him.

“Shackleton? Like the explorer?” Kyle inquired while scratching his nose.

“Yeah, he and his crew ate large amounts of fish but had no access to any sort of greens because they were stuck in the Antarctic after their ship the Endurance sank. They wrote about it.” Alan explained in detail. Kyle took some jerky out and ripped a piece off with his teeth.

“Huh, pretty neat. Didn’t him and his entire crew survive the expedition as well?” Kyle asked with interest. Alan nodded but before he could respond a piercing sound of a gunshot rang out through the air, causing them both to jump.

“Oh Jesus, I hate that. I never get used to it.” Alan stammered. “It’s a pretty common noise around here but they always happen when you least expect it. Maybe the horde will have dispersed a bit hopefully.” His heart pumping fast, he crammed the rest of his oatmeal bar into his mouth and grabbed his half bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and took a swig, the water mingling with the oats and yogurt causing a flavourful mixture. He swallowed and glanced at Kyle, who was now on edge.

“Yeah I hope no one sees us on the rooftop. I mean, we do have cover but now I don’t feel quite as safe anymore.” He mumbled. Alan sighed, his sleeping bag and the nice safe interior of the van sounded quite good right about now. He wondered if he should bring Kyle back with him, even though he staved off having allies.

“So, Kyle, what exactly are you looking to do?” Alan asked. Wouldn’t hurt to try and be helpful. Who knows, he might need some guidance around. Kyle took a long draught from his bottle and looked off to the hotel across the street.

“Honestly, what I’m here for. Getting a group of people and getting the hell out of here.” He replied wistfully.

“You do know that’s pretty much a suicide mission, right? On the chance that you have enough food and assuming the group you’re with doesn’t implode from the inside, you still have an army of undead, numerous bandits and a two-month journey to get back to the green. Not trying to be a downer or anything but you got some guts. Any reason you wanted to be a Retriever?” Alan inquired. Kyle shrugged and put his bottle away.

“I just wanted to do something you know? It’s just living life as usual, but with zombies everywhere. No one feels safe and maybe even if I just try it I would make a difference. Bring someone back and give them hope.” He said solemnly. It struck a cord with Alan, who wanted to make sure that any survivor could take the path of least resistance thanks to him.

“Well, if you’re looking for some people to help back, the Lone Children have a lot of survivors. People ready and willing to get the hell out.” Alan suggested.

“The Lone Children? Hmm, sounds odd. Can you take me to them?” Kyle asked meekly. Alan nodded and smiled.

“I’ve dealt with them once before, I’m sure they’ll remember me. But, I think it’s better if we head back to where I’ve set up and then get a head start tonight or early tomorrow morning before it gets hot. We’re a fair distance away from their settlement.” Alan noted, packing up his bag with the garbage and his bottle. He stood up and grabbed his rifle, putting both his backpack on then slinging his rifle over his shoulder. It was a simple two-point carry sling that he found in the gun store, it helped with both carrying and having quick access in case he needed it.

Kyle jumped up.

“Alright, I’ll come with for the night. Better than sitting around here by myself.” He picked up his belongings and did a double take, making sure not to miss anything then nodded at Alan.

“Ready to go.”

Alan smiled and opened the door to the stairwell leading down.

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

Carefully opening the alley door, Alan peeked outside. There were a few undead hanging out, the rotten stench overpowering his smell. He motioned to Kyle to follow and opened the door, creaking slightly as he did so.

“This way.” He whispered, crouching down. Kyle nodded, his face covered in sweat. The alley was wide enough that if a zombie got the jump on them they could dodge and make a getaway. Suddenly he remembered something. He stopped and felt around to the right pocket, the small folding shovel he found was sitting there. Could come in handy.

“Nice thinking.” Kyle whispered, giving the thumbs up and pulling out his knife. Alan nodded and started moving forward again. When they reached the end of the alley they stopped and surveyed the area. The gunshot had caused some of the undead to have lumbered on, creating more space to move. The amount that was left was still staggering however and any attention drawn to the two of them could cause it to go badly. Alan pointed to the right for Kyle to follow.

They snuck down the street, careful to avoid detection. Alan looked up at the hanging bodies from the streetlamps. It was a grim reminder of what would happen if you were to cross the wrong people in this city. Kyle remained silent as they continued, slightly averting his gaze from the bodies.

“Shit, we’re going to have find an opposite route.” Alan whispered, staring at the barricade that he usually came through. A crowd of zombies covered the area, standing there lifeless, with just the slightest hint of movement. Some shuffled around aimlessly, trying in vain to find some flesh to gnaw on. “Well, we can take the one route through the side building although there might be some left-over zombies…” He wondered to Kyle. Kyle shrugged in response.

“Whatever is the safest route.” He said, looking around at the zombie horde. “Better if we start moving-LOOK OUT!”

Alan jumped and turned immediately, his shovel at the ready. Right there in front of him was a zombie lunging straight for him. The rotten flesh and skull-like complexion accentuated by the unholy gurgle it mouthed. The worst part was the eyes or lack thereof. Only fresh zombies had their eyes intact but eventually lost them very quickly. They didn’t have the same reduced rotting as the other appendages of the body when infected by the disease. Alan used to think in horror movies that creatures and ghosts with eyes and piercing pupils were the stuff of nightmares. However, looking straight into the void holes of the skull where retinal tissue and optic muscles used to occupy was utterly terrifying and caused him to rethink his previous belief. The zombie’s scabbed gamy hands grabbed a hold of Alan’s arm and tried to bite his shoulder. Thankfully, human teeth, although effective against bare flesh was barely enough to break through fabric. He felt the sharp pinch of teeth but was able to push the attacker away from him.

“Get the fuck off me!” He exclaimed, panicking. He smacked it hard in the head with his shovel. The creature reeled back from the hit but was unfazed. It reached towards him once again but was stopped by Kyle, who jammed his knife straight through its cheeks. The zombie grunted with the knife in its mouth and was stunned. Alan took this opportunity to bash the zombie’s head constantly with the blade of the shovel. Bits of skull and skin flew off as the head caved in, the zombie started to collapse and twitch, meeting its end. An unclean kill, but a necessary one.

“Good one, but we got to go!” Kyle yelled. Alan turned and watched with horror as the horde advanced towards them, alerted and hungry for living flesh. He immediately looked over to the barricade and the zombies had left it, instead coming straight for them.

“Follow me! We need to get through that barricade. If you get grabbed do whatever you can to keep moving! Once we’re through there we’re on the homestretch and close to the city limits!” Alan commanded, running forward with Kyle close behind. The sweat dripped off his brow and he could feel his asthma start to act up. He hoped that there was some Ventolin in that bag of Kyle’s. A few of the undead tried to grab them as they passed but they slipped through their bony fingers. They reached the barricade and Alan ducked through the hole that he had made a few months prior. He turned and watched as Kyle crouched through but was stopped.

“Shit, they got me!” Kyle screamed

“Grab my hand!” Alan offered his left hand, free of weapons to him. Kyle immediately grabbed it and Alan pulled with all his might. He managed to pull Kyle through with a loud grunt and they stumbled a few steps but recovered fast. “Keep moving!” Alan yelled, a wheeze to his voice. He wanted to stop so bad for a breather but knew he would be dead in an instant. The office at the end of the street never looked so enticing, he ran straight for it, and smacked a zombie’s arms away as he did so. The paper sign he had taped up greeted him with “SAFE ROUTE” in large ink letters. He burst through the door, Kyle hot on his heels and once they were in he turned and slammed the door shut.

“Jesus, I can’t believe that. That was so close.” Kyle gulped down large amounts of air. Alan nodded but did not respond right away, instead opting to save what little breath he could inhale through his constricted airways. “You do that every day” Kyle inquired in disbelief.

“Not, not quite like that.” Alan gasped, his heart still pounding. “We made it, didn’t we? All we must do now is just walk to the back of the office and go out through the fence, then walk over to the scrapyard.” Kyle sat down, dark skin shining with sweat but other than that no worse for the wear.

“Yeah sure, let’s take a quick break then keep moving?” He asked. Alan sighed and sat down, opening his backpack, and grabbing his bottle. The small amount of water swished around as he unscrewed the cap and greedily gulped it down. The brush with death, although familiar was still a major shock to his system and he always questioned why he bothers with making the trek back in.

It never got easier.

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

“So why exactly were there bodies strung up on those streetlights?” Kyle asked with worry. Alan continued walking forward, unsure of what to say. Did he want to scare him but tell him the truth or was a small lie better for the morale? He thought for a moment but concentrated on his surroundings. After the narrow escape, he was on high alert and glancing around every few seconds. He opted for truth.

“They’re a warning, strung up as a means to threaten.” Alan explained. Kyle looked not too shocked.

“I mean, with what sick fucks would thrive in this atmosphere it doesn’t surprise me. Was it a group of bandits?” He asked with interest. Alan shook his head.

“No, it was the Lone Children.” He said simply.

“That’s the group you said had some survivors, are they some weird cult or something?”

“It IS a group of survivors, and it’s mostly comprised of children.”

Kyle took a moment to register what Alan just said. “A group of children did that? Are you fucking serious? And you’re taking me to them?” His voice took on a defensive tone. Alan laughed as they walked along, the scrapyard dead ahead.

“I’m not taking you to them to be killed or anything horrible like that if that’s what you’re wondering. I also don’t agree with what they did to those people, but they are up against a group of particularly violent individuals, so they are desperate to do anything to keep them off their back.” Kyle merely sighed.

“Sheesh, making a statement huh? Disturbing for sure. I still think you’re fucking around with me with the comprised of kids comment.” Kyle watched as Alan went over to the scrapyard fence. “Is this your home or something?”

“Yep, home sweet home right here. It’s wonderful.” Alan responded cheerfully. His asthma had subsided which brightened his mood a bit. “Safe, full of space, and zombie-free.” He pushed a plywood board over and it revealed a hole. “Go on through.” He told Kyle. Kyle nodded and crouched through. Once Kyle was on the other side Alan surveyed around and saw some zombies shambling about, but they were far enough way as to not pose a threat. Crouching through, he turned and pulled the board over to cover the hole in the fence and wiped his hands of sweat. The scrapyard was a fair size, with a small decrepit looking building over in the corner.

“You live over there?” Kyle asked with great interest, staring at the small building.

“No, I live in one of the vans in the scrap pile. Much less obvious and safer.” He pointed to a pile of various scrap, with some vehicles in the mix. “This way, oh and wait.” Alan stopped. He pulled off his backpack and opened the pocket, reaching in to grab what little ammo was in there. “Ammunition goes in a separate area for safety.” Kyle nodded, following Alan’s steps. They went over to a small box by the service area and Alan opened it, placing his ammo in, and holding it open for Kyle. It was sadly quite empty. Kyle put his few clips in and watched as Alan closed it.

“So, you live in a van, I bet it’s nice and cozy. Too bad it isn’t mobile.” Kyle commented. Alan nodded.

“Yeah, I wish I was good with fixing up cars. But ah well, it would probably be more of a hindrance.” Alan shrugged. He walked towards his little hidden home and climbed up into one of the cars. “Come here.” He motioned for Kyle to follow him, the car was hollowed out with another plywood plank in it. Alan pushed it over, revealing a hole in the bottom.

“Damn, that’s fancy.” Kyle whistled as Alan lowered himself down. He moved out of the way so Kyle could get down. Once he gingerly came in, Alan pulled over the plank covering the hole and the sunlight. The van was spacious, with a single green sleeping bag on the floor accompanied by a dirty pillow with a battery-powered lamp and a small handheld multi-channel radio next to it. There was a small portable stove with a dirty pot occupying the only burner and some various books lying around. A red food cooler sat alone in the corner, Alan made a mental note to go over what he had to make sure he wouldn’t go hungry. All of the windows had been boarded up and fortified.

“How long have you been here for?” Kyle inquired, reaching over to the books.

“About five months now, I’m adding bit by bit to the scrapyard. I’m hoping to trade for some seeds to get a garden going. But I need some more pots for that.” Alan proudly said. It wasn’t much but he loved it, central enough to get where he was going, safe enough for long periods of living. Much better than the backroom in the diner.

“That sounds like a great idea, I have a garden back home, let’s hope it’s still alive by the time I get back. I left my dad in charge of it.” Kyle chortled. Alan smiled at this while kicking off his shoes and stretching out on the floor. 

“I guess he’s awful at it?” Alan wondered aloud. Kyle picked up the few books on the floor.

“Oh man, you have no idea. It’s not his forte that’s for sure. My mom always gets irritated when he tries to help and let’s just say the zombies would do a better job. But hey! He gives it his all and that’s what matters right?” Kyle sighed and sat down, following suit with taking his shoes off and placing them in the front of the van.

“True, any effort is something.” Alan replied, reaching over to the cooler and opening it. He pulled out a can of beans in tomato sauce, for their late lunch slash dinner.

“Yep, what you can do counts!” Kyle said, going through the books. “Hmmm, what do we have here…Masque of the Red Death? A Mammoth Book of Best New Horror? Jesus man, this isn’t exactly light bedtime reading.” Kyle said, stunned.

“They were the only books I could find that interested me, and they’re good reading too.” Alan said defensively. Kyle smiled as he opened one up.

“I’m just messing around with you man. It just seems a bit…bleak for what’s going on around us.” Kyle said, his face dropping slightly. Alan shrugged.

“Just seemed more in tune with my mood, I didn’t want to read anything happy or fake, while zombies walk around eating people and I’m fighting for my life every day.” Alan admitted quietly. Kyle tentatively reached over and patted him on the shoulder.

“I get it.” Kyle smiled, then stared at the can in Alan’s hand. “If you want, we can have one of the MREs in my pack. Celebrate a new friendship maybe?”

“That would be great, easy to cook right? I’ve never had one before. You sure you want to use one?” Alan asked with worry.

“Yeah, of course, I’ve used a couple before, but it was mostly when we couldn’t scavenge anything,” Kyle explained, pulling out a single MRE ration out. “They’re individual meals meant for one but out here they’re almost a feast. Nice and easy to cook as well!” He began prepping the meal, unpacking all the bits and pieces, and readying the flameless ration heater that came with it. While doing so he looked at the radio, a curious look to his face. “Ever take that with you?” he asked.

“Sometimes, but you have to be careful not to alert anyone. I usually have it for my wake-up call from the Broadcaster. Supply drops are also announced sometimes, but I haven’t heard that for a long time.” Alan explained. He missed the excitement that arose from the moment that the announcement would come through. More specifically, he missed it as it was a community event, with all the survivors that could hear it chattering excitedly on the radio channels and wondering what could be in the packages. That was until the Crusaders started taking a hold of all of it and shooting at anyone who would come near. Bunch of fucking assholes. “The Broadcaster is a guy who was working out of the radio tower at the north end of town, basically would relay some news when able to and warning of any potential danger spots survivors in the night would find. Unfortunately, the Crusaders got to him and now I think they just force him to spout propaganda.” Alan said sadly.

“The Crusaders huh? Are they the ones who are up against the Lone Children?” Kyle inquired with great interest. Alan nodded.

“They’re right nasty pieces of work. They beat the hell out of me a few weeks ago.” Alan said grumpily, showing off the dirty bandage that covered his arm. Kyle readied the food and the eating utensils on the floor.

“Yikes man, gotta be careful. Get infected and boom, you’re done.” His brown eyes pierced Alan’s hazel ones and flashed him a stern look. “But then again from today you don’t seem to give a shit, you jump right along into danger.” Kyle picked up the radio and examined it. “What do you think it would be like if the zombies could talk?”

“Like in Return of the Living Dead? Send…more…paramedics!” Alan did his best zombie voice and groaned it out. “So many good parts to that movie. I think my favourite is when the two guys find the half dog anatomical model piece and it’s alive, panting. Then they start beating the shit out of it and it’s yelping up a storm. It’s so fucked up but hilarious.” He laughed remembering the first time he saw it when he was a kid, terrified but giggling in disbelief. Kyle chuckled at Alan losing it.

“Yeah or like when the Tarman uses the chain pulley to pull the door to try and get Tina. Then he says, ‘MORE BRAINS!’ when the others come to save her. Like a kid in a candy shop.” Kyle grinned and took one of the small chicken chunks. He handed the fork over to Alan. “Have some, we also got an energy bar, a tortilla, cheddar cheese sauce, and for some reason hot sauce? Eh, don’t know why you’d want that in this weather, especially with water being so precious.” Alan took the fork and pierced a chunk. He brought it up to his mouth and blew on it, cooling it down. He chewed it and oh, it was delicious. A whole bunch of fat and salt straight into his body.

They continued passing the fork back and forth, eating and chatting about various things. Alan noticed that Kyle seemed to be more open than earlier and the narrow escape from earlier had been pushed from his mind. He never could comprehend why people would make the decision to be a Retriever, except for perhaps suicidal intentions. The state of Tennessee was pretty much eighty percent a red zone so he couldn’t think of another reason Kyle would come. Whatever the case may be, it was good to have a friend. Especially after…

No, things are fine now. Let bygones be bygones. He thought. Enjoy yourself tonight. Like he always thought, if he had food, water and a place to sleep at the end of the day, it was a good one. Just need to keep going...

They finished eating and started getting ready for bed. It was best to go out during the cover of night or early morning to stay away from the blazing high heat. Alan set up his radio to the Broadcaster’s channel, channel six and set it next to him. Getting into the sleeping bag, he lied down with sigh and watched as Kyle took out a blanket and set his backpack at his head as a sleeping bag.

“Get some rest, we’ll need it.” Alan stated. He wanted to read but if he didn’t get as many hours or woke up before the Broadcaster’s 1AM wake-up alert he would read more. The one story about the spaceship traveling vampires was getting quite interesting.

“Sounds good,” Kyle replied, shifting slightly. “Have a good sleep Alan.”

“Good night Kyle.” Alan said warmly and with that, he shut his eyes into a deep slumber.

[je4sse]

1-64 65. What is your zodiac sign?

well okay then, i’ll assume it’s the same person... as before it’s all under the cut to save your dashes from being super long 

1. Do you ever doubt the existence of others than you? Unfortunately yes but that should be fixed soon

2. On a scale of 1-5, how afraid of the dark are you? 0 i’m not afraid of the dark i’m afraid of what’s lurking in the dark that i can’t see (of which would be a 3)

3. The person you would never want to meet? Can’t think of anyone other than like jack the ripper just cause i’d prefer not to die 

4. What is your favorite word? Guacamole it’s fun to say even though i never eat it 

5. If you were a type of tree, what would you be? not sure, i’d want to be a fruit tree but idk what kind of fruit tree

6. When you looked in the mirror this morning what was the first thing you thought? “geez i need to get a haircut and redye my hair”

7. What shirt are you wearing? My slytherin shirt hell yeah 

8. What do you label yourself as? not entirely sure what this means because i label myself as a million things, book lover, shitty artist, dreamer like there’s a lot of labels

9. Bright room or dark room? lived in dark rooms all my life plus brightness hurts my eyes even if it’s probably better for them in the long run

10. What were you doing at midnight last night? either watching scooby doo or talking to my friend (i need to fix my circadian rhythm) 

11. Favorite age you’ve been so far? probably 20 even though it can be stressful

12. Who told you they loved you last? still my best friend

13. Your worst enemy? don’t think i have any official enemies, unofficially? i will have my revenge on the middle school bullies by getting rich af and having them work for me

14. What is your current desktop picture? a still of the waterfall from the gravity falls opening, can’t remember where it’s from though

15. Do you like someone? No crushes sorry no juicy gossip for anyone 

16. The last song you listened to? just watched diamond jack so... i think it’s called the villain i appear to be but idk the artist 

17. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up? i’d probably save it for if someone i knew was in danger tbh

18. Who would you really like to just punch in the face? no one i’m a wimp it’d break my hand probably, i’d love to learn how to take peoples momentum and use it against them instead

19. If anyone could be your slave for a day, who would it be and what would they have to do? i should read through these more thoroughly, thinking through it though anyone i’d pick i’d probably forget the whole slave thing and just accidentally command them like “hey mind getting me a drink too?” 

20. What is your best physical attribute? (showing said attribute is optional) uhh... none? wait no my eyes they’re the thing i have the least amount of a problem with

21. If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do? wait i get to choose what i look like too? honestly i don’t think i’d do much different except actually go out. i guess i’d be unrecognizable long hair new eye color taller in better shape, tbh i don’t think i’ve thought through that scenario enough

22. Do you have a secret talent? If yes, what is it? i mean not really, i can still put my leg behind my head but that’s not really a talent

23. What is one unique thing you’re afraid of? unique thing i fear? are there any unique fears? i guess one would be being alone like those last man on earth stories being alone in general is fine but entirely? no thanks

24. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your disposal. i pick grilled cheese and ham

25. You just found $100! How are you going to spend it? honestly this’ll be boring i’ll spend it on school books probably (too expensive)

26. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, but you have to leave immediately. Where are you going to go? even though i don’t speak the language i’d go to Germany

27. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. “Be brand-specific” it says. Man! What are you gonna say about that? Even if you don’t drink booze there’s something you can figure out… so what’s it gonna be? i like this angel hmm i pick peach Smirnoff vodka it was the first one i could stomach

28. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place? the first rule is “Be excellent to each other” 

29. What is your favorite expletive? Fuck (i know how original)

30. Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don’t worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what’s the one thing you’re going to save from that blazing inferno? assuming this happened after i got back home i’d run in and grab my laptop since i’d already have my phone and wallet on me

31. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? the time that i nearly fell to my death

32. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit… you can move to anywhere else in the world!  their loss guess i’ll travel to Spain then

33. The Celestial Gates Of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn’t think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person/etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back? myself after i die if i can’t do that then no one that would devastate the families of the person i lost

34. What was your last dream about? wish i could remember unfortunately this will be a repeat of last time; nuclear annihilation 

35. Are you a good….[insert anything you’d like here]? no i’m not a good anything

36. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital? i mean yeah isn’t everyone at birth? i haven’t gotten into any accidents serious enough to warrant a hospital visit though

37. Have you ever built a snowman? yes and snow dogs and igloos (stereotypical Canadian that i am)

38. What is the color of your socks? i have rocket raccoon on my socks! it’s great lol

39. What type of music do you like? cop out answer but everything yes including country and other languages i just listen to what fits my mood

40. Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets? sunsets i’d be too tired to enjoy a sunrise

41. What is your favorite milkshake flavor? chocolate but i like strawberry too

42. What football team do you support? (I will answer in terms of American football as well as soccer) honestly i just don’t much care about sports unless i’m playing them so i don’t know of any teams (again i really need to thoroughly read these)

43. Do you have any scars? only the small ones you wake up with not knowing where they came from 

44. What do you want to be when you graduate? not a clue i just plan on being who i’ve always been cause idk what i’ll end up as in the future although i’m hoping by that time my business has taken off and i’m rich (it won’t but i can dream ok)

45. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? only one thing really? aw uhh my face

46. Are you reliable? yes when i say i’ll do something i will and if its for another person i’ll actually do it instead fo procrastinating

47. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be? “so.... whats my S.O.’s name?”

48. Do you hold grudges? i mean i do but it’s kinda rare 

49. If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature, what new animal would you create? gryphons i’d make gryphons so lions and eagles (would a human and bat make vampires?) 

50. What is the most unusual conversation you’ve ever had? i had a two hour conversation about murder with two classmates once, we weren’t even in law or criminology...

51. Are you a good liar? i can be but if i have to come up with it on the spot sometimes i’ll end up laughing so.... depends on the situation

52. How long could you go without talking? little over a day then i’d start talking to my self

53. What has been you worst haircut/style? i asked for an inch off the top and the hairdresser interpreted that as buzzing off my hair

54. Have you ever baked your own cake? yes it was delicious 

55. Can you do any accents other than your own? no although the voice in peoples heads that they use for thinking, that voice will change accents from time to time, atm it prefers a scottish accent

56. What do you like on your toast? strawberry jam 

57. What is the last thing you drew a picture of? i can’t remember but probably satan (from satan and me)

58. What would be you dream car? a self driving car

59. Do you sing in the shower? Or do anything unusual in the shower? Explain. actually i’m boring i just stand in the shower and think don’t even put on music

60. Do you believe in aliens? yes just due to the probability of it

61. Do you often read your horoscope? not really unless you mean the horoscope meme that was on here for a while

62. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet? C cause it steals K and S’s jobs

63. Which is cooler: dinosaurs or dragons?

64. What do you think about babies? they’re adorable when they’re someone elses kid

65. i’d be the rat of the zodiac

let me know if i got zodiac and horoscope backwards promise i’ll fix it

have a great day!

[ianmoonestuff]

AQOURS 1ST LOVE LIVE ~Step! ZERO to ONE~ Live Viewing Coverage in Malaysia

I really don’t know how to start this article with. It was a hell of a concert. Full of ups and downs kind of feelings. The memories that AQOURS had given us was quite priceless. As usual my article will be very long and VERY thorough. 

So please, in order for you to fully enjoy reading my article, it is recommended for you to really spare some time, brew a cup of coffee(or tea, whichever you prefer) and sit back, take a deep breath and enjoy.

I’ll divide the coverage into Day 1, Day 2, personal opinions, the REAL things that happened during the Live Viewing in Malaysia and BONUS as I’ll explain one of the greatest history and memories in Love Live concerts.

Update: -Added video highlight from official sources. I also want to share the unofficial one but I lost it..sorry

https://www.facebook.com/GSCinemas/videos/10155217647297275/

DAY 1

(25th Feb)

GSC Movies stated that the official merchandises will be available to purchase starting 12.00pm until the concert began. I rushed there by train(as usual) in the morning. Some of my friends are already there as early as 6am or so I heard.

They only provided a very LIMITED item such as pamphlet, sub-unit rubber strap keychains and KingBlade.

And surprisingly everything went sold out fast for the FIRST hour!

Also we were featured on the big screen. The video was during the recent Final Love Live and the record breaking for the largest audience and 1st Live Viewing in Malaysia.

It’s time. People taking their seats.

Now some of the highlights from the concert. I won’t provide any pics because...it’s a rule duuh and I won’t gonna risk my country from getting ban. Also I won’t specify it much since you guys can read it more from many sources out there.

So they start with Aozora Jumping Heart followed by Koi ni Naritai AQUARIUM and introductions. Everything went so well until...rainstorm came.

Yeah the live viewing got interrupted. I heard that Singapore were affected too. If it does then I’m not that surprise since it’s raining season now here in Southeast Asia. It happened to be during a raining season so can’t help much. We tried to warn people to keep switching off their phones. The least thing that we could do was do not disturb the signal. We missed Yume de Yozora wo Terashitai and Genki Zankai DAY! DAY! DAY! but quickly recovered until CYaRon’s mc part.

The funny thing was if you guys remember the 2nd or 3rd episode when Chika, You and Riko about to perform their first debut and everything doesn’t went well because of the thunderstorm? Yeah, it was the same thing that happened us. All of us were screaming “KISEKI!!!”. Some of us even sang some idol songs to calm us down(curse the guy who sang BokuHikari XD). The funny thing was they even sang some random songs from other idol anime like Macross Delta and iM@s.

My favourite part was when Guilty Kiss make their appearance with Strawberry Trapper song. KYAAAAAAAA!!!! It was a legit rock song sang by some cute girls and I LOVE IT. Their performance was FREAKING AWESOME!!! I CAN’T DESCRIBE MUCH HOW AWESOME THEY DID. EVERYONE CHEERS MAKE IT MORE PUMPED UP AND I CAN’T STOP TYPING IN CAPS!!! MY OSHI HAVE TO BE MARI AND AINYA, HER SEIYUU AND SOMEHOW I PICKED THE RIGHT GIRLLL!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH. LOCKK ON!!!!! MY KOKORO!!!!

Not to mentioned AZALEA!! Especially Arisha. Given that she’s also a gravure idol, man I can’t help but being amazed of how was she look with that dress. GOSH!!!

The live ended with Step! ZERO to ONE as one of the encore.

We actually did the largest AQOURS-SUNSHINE cheers but I forgot to take the picture because I was busy queuing in the arcade(my bad sorry )  

DAY 2

(26th Feb)

Well the weather back then was pretty cloudy. I can expect many things can be happened during 2nd...which it was indeed happened.

I started a few bit late and the hall will be open on 2.30pm.

2nd day setlist was pretty much the same as first but they replaced AQOURS Heroes with humming Bird. 

Somehow I did a good deed as a fellow Love Liver. Apparently a girl sitting beside me didn’t have any KB and judging by the way she act, she was a shy girl. Once the concert was about to start everyone were standing up except for her. So in order for not letting her felt left out, I offered let her borrowed one FLL KB(I actually brought three different kind of KBs during that time haha how convenience). She said she was kind of nervous(aww how cute) but I kept telling her that just enjoy the show, scream all you want and dance the hell all you want, we don’t judge here as we’re all Love Liver here. So I did showed her how to use the KB and yeah she missed some of the chants, cheers, calls but meh she was still learning.

Everything went so well and again like I said before since it was a raining season here...yes, we got another interruption and this time it was kinda frustrated for me. This because we still have a few more songs left to go and *boom* it happened. I heard people praying to God so it won’t happen that long, some of them even left the hall for awhile for a breather and yeah I did pray a lot too so we won’t missed much. 

Then suddenly some guy screaming from outside the hall. He told us that they finally announced the 2nd season of AQOURS and 2nd Live Tour! We screamed with overjoyed but we still want to watch the broadcast.

Then the broadcast turned back into normal and it showed the last mc where Aikyan was crying about the announcement. I straight away grabbed my KBs and support her along with other cast.  Thus, the 1st Live ended with a breeze...well...not ‘that’ breeze as I’ll talk about it later. Enjoyed some dinner with other Love Liver then went home with head full of memories and tiredness of supporting your favourite girls(I slept while standing in a train...no kidding)

Forgot to mention that we actually did made a flowerstand. We have representatives there who handle the flower for us.

 Thanks to all who contributed for our project. Surprisingly we have one Indonesian contributor there who also joined our project. Incase people wondering, KEI is my nickname there.

Below are some shenanigans that we Malaysia’s Love Liver did haha

(Noticed that various idol series?)

The thing that he hold was actually AQOURS callbook.

...courtesy of Malaysia’s Love Liver.

Oh and if you decided to come here in Mid Valley, please visit Komugi bakery. I really love their meronpan. Wish you were here @emitsunosaurus-rex

And that’s all for AQOURS 1st Love Live ~Step ZERO to ONE~ coverage from me. Thanks for reading...you can go now...unless...

Rikako’s Breakdown

Yeah...it was one of those biggest moment in histories of Love Live live concerts. It literally hit me hard...VERY hard seeing RKK’s(Rikako) struggle for the sake of the concert, for the sake of other members and for the sake of her fans. We didn’t stop discussing about it after the concert was done. Even while we’re having a dinner. I had to ban myself from listening any AQOuRS songs after the incident in order to let the feeling cool down a bit...(but knowing internet’s natural being, I kept being hit by feelings everytime I checked my phone.)

It was a 2nd day live viewing. The seiyuu were already took their spot for Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare song. The piano was already there as usual. The idea of the performance was to imitate back episode 11 where we already know the story behind it was that Riko had a problem of playing piano and won’t play before this but then decided to join the competition...but since this is LIVE concert, it was a real business.

When Chika(Anchan) started to sing everything went well...until when the music was cut off. I actually did noticed a ‘wrong’ note being pressed resulting the music sounds a bit off. The rest of the seiyuu just continue on dancing and keep acting professional as they might be thinking it was just a technical problem and soon be over. The instrumental version was played a bit to cover RKK mistake but just for a few seconds as they realized that RKK...REALLY DO NEED HELP NOW! 

A faint voice saying ”ごめんね”(gomenne) was heard and Anchan rushed to RKK and embraced her, hugged tightly and calmed her down followed by Ainya(Mari) and Suwawa(Kanan). The word ”大丈夫”(daijoubu) being repeated countless time in order to make sure RKK really calmed down. Anchan reached and gave her a water bottle and a towel. They hold her hands very tightly and keep on calming her down. Knowing Ainya’s personality, I already expected that she will rushed to RKK too(YOU GO GIRL!!).

Yes RKK had a panic attack. This might be because of the pressure she had to face when it comes to Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare song where she volunteered herself(if I’m not mistaken) to perform the piano part. I’ve to admit everything went very well on the 1st day and it was really great watching RKK performed. Having no background of any music theory, she practiced playing piano for the past 3 months...for her fans. 

The crowds including me broke into tears. The incident really...really...really hit me VERY hard! At first I thought it was a gimmick to imitate back the scene where Riko can’t play piano...but it was a mistake and I’m really sorry for thinking it that way. I really am. 

The crowd then switched their KB into sakura pink and keep chanting “RIKAKO!” countless time. I did the same and screamed my lungs out hoping my voice to reach out despite broadcasting in Malaysia. All of the crowd turned into a sea of sakura pink as a sign of supporting RKK. Tear-mark left on our face during that time.

Anchan, Suwawa and Ainya, they hugged each other for a very quite some time. Then they continued on taking their spot leaving RKK alone again and hoping everything will be fine. I still can’t forget RKK’s face and shaky hands from the camera view that mounted beside the piano as soon she about to start playing it.

They performed Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare as usual and this time without any mistake and no flaw. RKK’s performance on piano was flawless. Ending the song with a view of RKK pressing the last note...with her shaky hands trying to get that perfect sound...she pressed it. The last note was a bit off but I DON’T CARE!! RKK have done well for us. The audience still keeping their sakura pink KB and keep on chanting RKK’s name endlessly. The performance ended with You greeted ”ただいま”(tadaima) followed by ”おかえり” by RKK...with a smile.

Again...it was one of the greatest, heart warming moment in the history of Love Live concerts. Rikako eventhough you’re not my oshi, you’ve earned a special place in my heart because of your act of braveness facing your hardship, never give up and keep on smiling in the end...

There you have it, my coverage for the past 2 days. I was listening to Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare while finishing this article and yeah nonstop tears streaming out. Sorry for taking it too long as I was busy and calming myself up after that ‘incident’.

With 2nd season coming up and Next Step Project, I hope they realized that they are actually competing with their own senpai in this idol-anime world. Not to be rude but I’m looking forward for AQOURS to beat their senpai sometime haha

As always, feel free to contact me if there are any errors here and there. I won’t bite.

Pictures Credits: https://www.facebook.com/gscmovies/ https://www.facebook.com/scania.hokokonn https://www.facebook.com/sixthseal https://www.facebook.com/blesxjiarong https://www.facebook.com/aio015 https://www.facebook.com/thompson.enthusiast https://www.facebook.com/houjoufamily https://www.facebook.com/Chiu.K.Liang https://animatetimes.com My pictures My monochrome-themed instagram account

~If there’s a colour for courage, it would be sakura pink~