#like seeing the innies experience Outside for the first time would have been so so good

[patrick-bateperson]

basically I'm obsessed with the last five minutes of this ep but it otherwise seemed a weird order to do things in/generally something just seemed off

[miwiheroes]

Colours in Severance: Red and Blue

I've never made an analysis post on Severance but I couldn't resist after noticing all these little details to do with colouring and costuming. If you follow me for my usual analyses, enjoy this little window into my other obsessions

I'm honestly sure this has been said before, but Red -- (red costuming, red lighting, red objects) -- symbolises the outside world. Blue -- (blue work suits, blue lighting, blue scenery) -- symbolises the inside, severed floor of Lumon. And this symbolism was part of the wider foreshadowing for the Ms. Casey/Gemma plot twist, and the narrative surrounding Severance as a whole.

Severance does a great job of contrasting the outie life and the innie life in the opening sequence, by having outie Mark wear red pyjamas. In the first episode, his sweater for going to Devon's dinner is also red.

In this shot, we see a blue car and a red car being divided or 'severed' by the white line of snow between them. Mark's car is a neutral silver colour, which is between them. Either this foreshadows his reintegration, meaning he can travel between the two severed worlds, or the fact that his car was on the red car's side just furthers the motif of red meaning the innie world.

This is the most prevalent colour dichotomy in the show, other than green and blue.

The office has red and blue paper.

Petey gives Mark a red envelope, symbolising his return to the surface.

The music dance experience has red and blue colouring.

One way this motif is used is to foreshadow Gemma being Ms. Casey.

In the first scene where we see Mark in his house, we notice how lonesome he seems. In the shot of him looking completely alone, we get the background of the red and blue fish.

This would be a good symbol of the outside world being separate from the severed world, because the red fish seems completely separated from the blue fish by the line down the middle. But this is in a scene that emphasises Mark Scout's loneliness without his wife. After the discovery of the plot twist, this can imply the separation of the memory of Gemma in one world, and the existence of her in the other.

What really drives this point homeward is this:

Rather than wearing blue like Helly R (Mark S's love interest in the severed world), Ms. Casey is wearing red to show that she existed in the outside world. Mark wears red in the outside world. Gemma wears red in the severed world. Mark wears blue in the severed world all the time.

Aside from other obvious clues such as the tree his wife crashed into being gone from Ms. Casey's office, severed Mark recreating this tree in sculpture form, and the candle in Ms. Casey's office literally being his wife's -- this is colour dichotomy is the smallest clue. But it exists.

So, in terms of what this actually signifies and means in relation to the narrative as a whole -- these colours are used as a motif to further show the split between the two worlds.

This can conjure up images of the red and blue pill from the Matrix, in which one pill reveals the true world and the other pill leaves you in ignorant bliss. The innies have no idea what happens in the outside world, and the original idea was to make this a good thing -- no outside issues whilst at work.

But human beings always want to know the truth, no matter how painful. And they should, which is the true essence of Severance. That erasing trauma through ignorance is not the key to healing it.

(if you came from my usual community pls watch this show you'll really really enjoy it)

[smytherines]

I think I never got to ask you more about spyverance au, so any headcanons you want to share? 👀👀👀

Ooohhhhh yes spyverance headcanons!!

This isn't super spoiler heavy I guess, but if anyone has an interest in watching Severance you should definitely do that first, because otherwise most of this probably won't make sense:

So. Spyverance.

I mean God. The mental image of Curt crying in his car every morning before going into his new severed job at Chimera has not left my mind since I watched the show

I know I said something about their severed selves being spies, but that poses some narrative issues I haven't figured out yet, so this is all just assuming that it's Lumon but it's called Chimera. The same setup as the show.

outie!Curt definitely keeps a flask in his little personal effects drawer. And assuming it's an 8 hour day, he drinks as much as he can before he gets into the building, and after maybe an hour or two of work innie!Curt would start to feel sick. Hungover at the very least (which he has no frame of reference for) because the alcohol has worn off, gradually feeling the physical symptoms of withdrawal more and more by the end of the day. By the time he gets in the elevator to go home he is shaking and sweating, and as soon as outie!Curt gets off the elevator he reaches for his flask

We don't know what exactly happens on the testing floor yet, but I think some sort of "factory reset" for stubborn innies is a strong guess

I said this before, but it bears repeating that even though outie!Curt is desperate to erase his memories and not have to experience half his days, innie!Curt is still Curt. He's stubborn, he's impulsive, he hates being caged up in the same boring room doing the same boring job. He would definitely cause problems and end up getting sent to the break room, possibly even the testing floor, until he cooperates

So Curt goes through about a year of that, while Owen is still strictly outside recovering from his injuries, building up relationships in Chimera, building power. Maybe Owen wants to be able to forget some of the time, or maybe Chimera needs one of their own on the severed floor for whatever reason, or a little bit of both, but eventually he wakes up on the table, and Curt is giving him that little entrance quiz

I think Owen would respond the same way Helly did. Trying to attack his way out, and when that fails I could very much see him waging war on his outie self the same way Helly does.

The same way that innie!Curt has always been drunk, hungover, or in withdrawal, and just believes that is everybody's baseline, innie!Owen has always been in pain. I keep imagining him with a prosthetic leg from the fall. His shoulder and chest are constantly pinching and sore and itchy. At some point he lifts up his pant leg for whatever reason and realizes that he is missing a leg. He panics, like fully has a ptsd crisis, but of course he has no idea how that happened or what it means that everyone else appears to have two legs and Owen only has one.

I imagine a scenario where Curt accidentally runs into Owen and spills coffee on him or something. They go into the bathroom attempting to clean him up, and there's a moment when they get too close and all that sexual tension stirs up. But when Owen takes his shirt off to scrub at the stain they both see the massive burn all over his shoulder and chest, which kinda kills the mood.

And Curt, after all his time in the break room and on the testing floor, uses this to say something like "clearly something happened to your outie, so maybe it's better for you if you don't remember it."

And it sorta works, in that Owen stops trying to escape for a little while. Stops trying to injure or threaten his outie self. But beyond the physical issues he has from the fall, there's also emotional and mental issues that he has no context for. He might not be able to remember the incident, but his body and his mind still do. So I imagine outie!Owen starts panicking every time he gets in the elevator to go down to the severed floor, because he remembers being trapped and injured and helpless in a Russian prison cell before Chimera came along and offered him a way out. And by the time innie!Owen gets off the elevator he is shaking, but has no idea why. That due to the head injury he has seemingly random vertigo attacks. Sometimes he feels fine, but tiny things will trigger intense paranoia or explosive anger or panic, like he's sharing his mind with some strange feral animal. And it terrifies him.

I could very much see outie!Owen giving the "I am a person. You are not." speech. Thinking of his innie as a thing, a tool to be used to further his plans. And I think, in a way, he would also resent his innie for being able to forget the incident that outie!Owen cannot stop fixating on. He would resent his innie for getting to move on, to work without all those mental burdens when he cannot.

God I have so many thoughts on both of them and how they would manage all of this, but I want to get to the overtime contingency so I'm gonna move on

I still love the idea of Tatiana as our Petey. So let's say she joins up with Chimera and takes a severed job on the condition that her family will finally be safe. Maybe she's there for a year or so before Curt shows up. She and Curt build a close friendship on the severed floor, and then Tatiana ends up reintegrating and leaving (which is when Owen shows up)

I don't want Tatiana to die, so let's say she has a less disastrous reintegration than Petey does, but I do still love the idea of her occasionally becoming mentally unstuck in time. Not just not being able to tell severed vs unsevered time, but maybe also sometimes reliving parts of her extremely traumatic childhood.

Tatiana reaches out to outie!Curt, she wants to save her friend, but she struggles significantly with the reintegration process so it's easy for Curt to initially dismiss her as crazy. And even though Tatiana is saying things he absolutely does not want to hear, because to him severance is how he has survived Owen's death, he's still curious. He starts gradually asking questions.

Tatiana is hiding out in Curt's basement, because Chimera is hunting her down, and eventually Curt starts to open up to her about why he took a severed job. Explains his relationship with Owen and their work and his own feelings of guilt and shame. They start to become friends again on the outside.

Somehow the innies are able to trigger the overtime contingency (I still have to figure out who else is in the Chimera MDR department), and innie!Curt and innie!Owen are able to experience the outside world.

Owen couldn't be the public face of severance the way Helena is, because then Curt would know he's alive, so instead innie!Owen wakes up in an apartment. It's well-decorated and luxurious (Chimera took care of that) but he is frantically scrambling to find any clues about his outie, and there is nothing personal. No family photos, no keepsakes, no sign of any personal life at all. Just a lot of weapons, and a lot of paperwork that he can't parse (although curiously it all has the Chimera logo on it).

There's a knock at the door, and some Chimera underling has been sent to give him a reminder of some Chimera thing, a meeting or gala or whatever, happening soon. And the underling is trying to score points by praising whatever outie!Owen has been up to while working with Chimera.

innie!Owen is still kinda dazed, he's skimming through his outie's closet still trying to figure out who this guy is. The underling says something that makes it clear that Owen isn't just some guy who took a severed job-- he's part of Chimera. He has power over the program. He didn't build the system that has been slowly eating away at innie!Owen, but he maintains it. Finds new cruelties for it. And the moment he has that realization, he sticks his hands into the pocket of one of his jackets, and pulls out a picture of him with his arm around Curt (in my head it's that Szol Christmas postcard tbh). And that's the last thing he sees before he gets cut off.

innie!Curt wakes up in his house. I like to imagine that instead of Ricken's terrible book, Curt finds a spy novel someone left behind. He hides it and reads it over and over again, not knowing why he's so fascinated with it. So innie!Curt finds a few pictures of he and his mother, some personal effects he has no context for, but the spy novel taught him that sometimes people hide things in interesting places, so he starts knocking on baseboards and wiggling loose bricks, trying to see if he has any secrets stashed away.

Eventually he finds a stash of letters, pictures of him and Owen, all the ephemera of a relationship. And not really thinking about why those would be hidden, he thinks that he and Owen must know each other out here, that they have a relationship on the outside. So he starts calling for Owen through the house, except obviously Owen is not there. But Tatiana is, still hiding out in Curt's basement to avoid detection from Chimera.

Tatiana comes upstairs to figure out what all the fuss is about, and innie!Curt sees his beloved friend-- someone he never thought he'd see again-- and crushes her in a hug. He explains that he's the innie right now, and Tatiana tries to figure out what they should do with that information, how they can use it. But as she's sort of thinking out loud about it, Curt asks "where's Owen? He needs to be here for this."

Tatiana looks confused at him, and says, "he's dead, Curt. He's been dead for over a year now."

And at first she thinks that Curt just doesn't want to accept it, but then his eyes go wide and he just quietly says "Owen is alive down there." And then he gets cut off too.

I could genuinely talk about this forever because there are so many interesting thoughts, like:

-- if this is a technologically advanced 1950s, how different would innie curtwen be with each other if they have no concept of homophobia?? No idea that the attraction they feel is not socially acceptable. Sure, innies aren't supposed to fraternize, but that's different than growing up in a culture where your sexuality is openly regarded as a crime and a perversion. I lean towards a technologically advanced 1950s because I like the idea of their pre-canon relationship being the same, and all this taking place in Severance's ambiguous near-future where a man can be married to a man would fundamentally change their pre-canon relationship

-- Cynthia Houston in the Harmony Cobel role? Being cold and distant and shitty and work-obsessed, yet having an odd attachment to Curt for whatever reason

-- I like the idea of Barb and Tatiana having a sorta Burt and Irving dynamic, maybe with Barb working in a different severed department. But I also think Barb would be fascinating in a Mr. Milchick role too. Being sickly saccharine, with that constant unnerving threat of violence. Using the break room and testing floor as her own personal science experiments (oh Barb Larvernor, you have such potential as a fucked up little evil scientist). If it's not Barb, the Milchick role is played by Brian Rosenthal in my head

Okay okay, this is like 80 paragraphs so I'm gonna stop now. But yeah. Thinking about spyverance a lot lately

[cuddlepilefics]

Sneezes in the snow

Fandom: Stray Kids

Sickie: Felix

Caregiver: Chan, Changbin, Hyunjin

 Felix’ POV.:

“Oh, come on Lix, don’t be a party pooper. It’s just going to be a short walk to the café, we’ll have a drink and a chat and then walk back home”, Chan sighed, “none of the other members are complaining, so why do you have to be difficult?” I bit my lip at our leader’s harsh words, though I knew he was only frustrated and not really mad. “Alright, just let me get changed”, I relented. It wasn’t even like I disliked their plan, I really liked spending our free time with the group, as well as I liked that specific café. What I liked even more was the snow that had gathered over the last few days, so it was only natural for my best friend to be confused by me disapproving of their plan. Usually, I’d be the first to put on my boots and then wait impatiently for the rest to finish, but an incident yesterday made me think about it differently. However, with Chan pressuring me and my members already waiting in their coats by the door, I forced myself into warmer clothes as well before joining the others, apologizing for making them way.

Upon stepping out of the building, I was immediately hit by bright sunlight. My nose twitched and I squeezed my eyes shut. " h-hESSH! hEGSHU!"- “Woah, couldn’t have warned me? I almost had a heart attack”, Hyunjin, who had been walking next to me gasped, dramatically placing a hand on his chest. Instead of answering, I held up one finger. "hGSHHU! Ugh sorry", I sniffed, bringing my gloved hand up to rub at my nose. “It’s ok. By the way, bless you”, the dancer giggled and I couldn’t help but smile back. That was a bad mistake, since in order to look at the taller’s face, I had to lift my head. Once the sunlight hit my eyes, I quickly looked back down but the damage was done and no matter how much I scrunched up my nose, the tickle wouldn’t back down. "hESH! heksHU!", I sneezed, cupping my gloves over my mouth. With my sneezes being rather forceful, I soon had the attention of the entire group and truthfully, I just wanted to sink into the ground, feeling incredibly awkward. “You good, mate?”, Chan frowned, slowing his pace, so that he was walking beside me. He let the maknae’s lead us towards the café that was only another two blocks away and rested his hand on my shoulder. “I’m fine, hyung. Don’t worry”, I chuckled. Our leader really was on the protective side. Having learned from my earlier mistake, I didn’t look up though and instead kept my eyes cast to the ground. Sadly, I soon came to realize that that wasn’t much better. No matter where I looked, the snow kept reflecting the sun, making it shine in my eyes and making my nose tickle unbearably.

“hhESCHuuh! *sniff* sorry” – “That doesn’t sound fine, mate”, Chan hummed sympathetically, “You’re sick, right? That’s why you didn’t want to come.” Hyunjin, who was walking on my other side, nodded along with Chan and handed me a tissue from a small travel pack he always carried in his pocket. “No really, I’m alright”, I repeated, dabbing at my nose. Awesome, I was already starting to get congested from all the sneezing. They didn’t seem to convinced but let it slide, especially when I sneezed less frequently for the rest of the way. Though that was only because I had hooked my arms with theirs, keeping my eyes closed as much as possible.

 Hyunjin’s POV.:

Felix had already seemed off today when he had initially turned us down, not wanting to leave the dorm. As soon as he started sneezing, the pieces clicked in my head and I felt sorry for my dongsaeng. He was obviously sick and would probably much rather be in bed than out here in the snow. When he hooked our arms, I didn’t comment on it, guiding him the rest of the way. He must be really tired, judging by the way his eyes kept closing. I glanced over at Chan, who gnawed on his bottom lip, looking guilty because it was him who guilt-tripped Felix into going out. We were walking a bit behind the rest and were the last to enter the café. The others had already gotten us a table, waiting so that we could place our orders together. I sat down, pulling Felix into the seat next to me.  “I’ll have a caramel-latte please and he’ll have some hot chocolate”, I smiled pointing at Felix, who sent me a death glare: “I wanted a caramel-latte too.” – “Sorry, no caffeine for sickies”, I giggled. We were all settled around the table waiting for our drinks, and I could see Chan watching his fellow Aussie closely. Felix seemed to notice too because he soon spoke up: “Seriously guys, I’m fine. Now could you stop looking at me like that? It’s creepy. Plus, Hyunjin, I still haven’t forgiven you for not letting me have coffee.” Chan sighed and looked away but now Felix had everyone’s attention. The other members who hadn’t witnessed the boy’s earlier struggle were eyeing him confused. “Is hyung sick?”, the maknae asked shyly. To which the said hyung answered: “No Innie, like I just said, I’m perfectly fine. Chan and Hyunjin just think I am and don’t believe me telling them otherwise.”

There was a long silence till Chan stood up: “You know, it’s easy to find out the truth. Your cheeks are all flushed. I’m pretty sure you have a fever, so let me feel your temperature and if you don’t have a fever then fine, I’ll believe you but if you do, you’ll drop the act.” The younger Aussie smiled triumphantly nodding. “I know for a fact that I do not have a fever. My face is flushed because it’s freaking cold outside, so go ahead. You’ll see I’m speaking the truth”, Felix urged, sounding all too eager to prove his hyung wrong. The leader made his way around the table, rolling his eyes. Standing in front of the younger, he gently brushed away the other’s hair and rested his palm on the now exposed forehead. “Yeah, I see. Felix drop the act, you do have a fever”, Chan frowned, moving the hair back in place and sitting back down when a waiter approached with their drinks. Felix himself was completely stunned and could only gape at his friend. It took a few minutes and a nudge from Hyunjin to shake him out of his stupor, making him yell: “Yah, hyung, your hands were just cold because you refused to wear gloves. I am perfectly fine!” – “Felix, we had agreed, you’d drop the act. Besides, stop yelling there are other people here”, the leader said sternly. Defeatedly, Felix sank back into his chair and I wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders. “No, Hyunjin”, he frowned, shrugging my arm off, “you’re just as much of a traitor, although the cocoa isn’t even that bad.”

Felix remained silent for the remaining time we spent there, mainly just listening to the others bickering while he sipped his cocoa, not joining like he usually would. I couldn’t tell whether that was because he was angry or because he was feeling to ill to. Surprisingly, he hadn’t sneezed a single time since we entered the café and the congestion that was evident in his voice earlier was slowly fading too. Way too soon we were preparing to go back home. I had had a great time but agreed with the others who wanted to get Felix home and in bed soon. Not without the Aussie’s objection though. It almost seemed like he dreaded going outside in general. Not wanting to leave the dorm, not wanting to leave the café. He made sure to keep some distance from Chan and I, obviously still holding a grudge as he walked next to Changbin. We didn’t make it that far though before things turned bad again. "hGSHHU!  H-h hESH!” – “Oh, bless you, Lixxie”, the rapper smiled, linking their arms, when the younger stumbled a bit before sneezing again. I tried to listen in on their conversation but Changbin didn’t comment on Felix struggle, afraid to piss him off too. Felix seemed to have troubles walking straight and I only learned later that it was because he closed his eyes.

We almost made it to the dorm, when Felix was forced to look up again. He froze in his spot, before being thrown into a harsh sneezing fit. With every sneeze, the poor boy bent over further, stumbling and relying on Changbin to steady him. The poor Aussie barely got a chance to breathe and only managed to gasp out a weak ‘dizzy’ before his hyung scooped him up. Picking up his pace, Changbin hurried towards the dorm with Felix in his arms. The younger was still sneezing desperately into his sleeve, shuddering with the effort. Chan jogged ahead of them to open the door and let everyone in. As soon as they entered the building, the spell seemed to dissolve and Felix buried his face in the older’s neck, fighting to catch his breath. “Oh god. Everything’s spinnin’”, he breathed, slurring his words a bit. Changbin squeezed him reassuringly, following Chan up and into their apartment where he kicked off his shoes and sat down on the couch with the younger boy still in his arms. Chan carefully removed Felix’ shoes, the younger seeming completely drained, laying exhaustedly against Changbin’s chest.

When everyone had taken off their coats and boots, they filed into the living room, scared after they had watched the rapper storm off carrying Felix. “Still so insistent that you’re fine?”, the leader softly, carding his fingers through the younger’s hair. To everyone’s surprise Felix nodded. “Gimme a minute, I’ll explain”, he sighed, cuddling into Changbin till he found the strength to stand steadily by himself. The young Aussie went to his room, retrieving a bright selfie-ringlight and playing around with it as he sat down next to Chan. “So, first of all, I need you guys to know that I’m really not sick”, he explained, sounding a bit weak still, “there’s this thing called photic sneeze reflex which is very strong for me.” – “What does this mean, hyung”, Seungmin asked confused. Without any warning, Felix held up his ringlight, turning it on. It shone right into the leader’s unexpecting eyes, who gasped at the experience: “Lix st-hop, h- hah’AKCHHuu!” – “Exactly”, the younger chuckled, turning the light back off, “Basically, every time a strong light, especially the sun, shines into my eyes, it makes me sneeze. I only realized yesterday on the way back from my vocal lessons that it’s a lot worse with the snow reflecting it everywhere. That’s why I kind of dreaded going out today, I knew I wouldn’t stop sneezing as long as I was outside. Channie-hyung, your hands were really just cold earlier. I don’t have a fever.”

The leader had recovered from his shock and wrapped his arms around his soulmate: “Sorry for not believing you, Lixxie. And sorry for dragging you out when you had a clear reason why you didn’t want to go.” – “It’s fine, hyung. I wanted to have fun with everyone else and it wasn’t too bad, although I would really have preferred a caramel-latte”, Felix laughed and I scratched my neck awkwardly: “Sorry.” – “It’s fine, Jinnie. Sorry, I would have told you earlier so you guys wouldn’t worry but I found it kinda embarrassing.” Minho and Jisung only laughed at this statement. “It’s not embarrassing but really funny because it seems to work on anyone or at least you and Chan-hyung, how did the two of you survive in Australia?”, Minho smiled. Jisung started to giggle: “Hyung, you’re obviously thinking what I am thinking. We have ringlights too.”

Please read: After being on vacation for a while, where I had the time to write a lot, I’m now going back to studying and working a full time job. I’m sorry, I won’t be able to upload as frequently because I’ll be a lot more busy. I’d appreciate requests, although I can’t promise I’ll write all of them or in the same order that they come in. It’s easier to just write a paragraph whenever there’s a small amount of time till there’s an entire fic when you don’t also have to come up with a scenario. 

Please stay safe and healthy! <3

[straynstay]

Jeongin - Hybrid AU!

Happy Birthday, Innie ♡

you rolled on the bed trying to go back to sleep when your alarm went off for the third time 

but your eyes quickly opened when you remembered what day is today

today is February 8th, Jeongin’s 19th birthday

the day you both were waiting for since you were just toddlers running around the backyard

Jeongin was finally a grown up and could leave the house after years of ruthless waiting

you got up tripping over your own legs and ran downstairs

“wake up, wake up, wake uuup!” you bursted into his room and threw yourself on his back

“whaaaat” Jeongin complained burying his face in the pillow, but you wouldn’t let him sleep again

“get up, we have so much to do, c’mon!” you shook his body lightly

“no” he replied and waved his tail under the light blanket covering his body

“Jeongiiiin” you whined, but he didn’t seem to change his mind

you blew the soft white hair on the inside of his fluffy ear, making it twitch

“stop” he said laughing, so you blew it again

“get up, birthday boy, we’ve been waiting for this day for too long” you hugged his body

“oh yeah, it’s today” Jeongin turned around carefully, trying not to let you fall, and placed his hands on your hips to keep you close

“happy birthday” you smiled finally seeing his sleepy face

“thanks, but your breath smells”

“shut up” you rolled your eyes

“you shut up” he said mimicking you

“c’mon, get up” you gave two quick taps on his chest and got ready to push yourself up when he suddenly rolled you to his side instead, placing the light blanket on both of you

“five more minutes, I need to get 9 hours of sleep and you woke me up before that” Jeongin complained curling his body a bit and wrapping his tail softly on your leg

you smiled seeing him closing his eyes and falling asleep immediately

you were amazed to notice how much he grew before your eyes and become this handsome man

he had always been cute, but now his baby features were slowly disappearing to show a strong manly face with piercing eyes

Jeongin’s good looks have been knocking you off of your feet lately

not to mention his adorable smile and bright personality that could make even your worst days better in an instant

Jeongin is such an important part of your life ever since you were born that you don’t even know how it is to live without him

his mom, a rare Fennec fox hybrid like him, was pregnant and got rescued nineteen years ago by your mother

Fennec hybrids were being hunted because of their soft fur, a relic for rich people to use as coat, hat, scarf or even as a rug

Jeongin’s mom was able to run away, but his father was captured

she was in terrible conditions when your mom accidentally found her on the way home

they quickly became friends because your mom was also expecting, so they easily bonded over their pregnancies

although you were born first, Jeongin grew up faster than you

when you were learning how to walk, he was already running on the backyard

but the differences between you were more than just physical 

Jeongin’s mom never stoop foot outside the house again, and forbade Jeongin to the same

you, a human, could go out and have fun, study, see everything the world had to offer, but the small Fennec hybrid no

but this was never an impediment for your friendship

you would always pick up flowers, rocks, bugs or whatever you could find that you’d think Jeongin would like to see 

Jeongin was always happy with your small gifts, but your heart would break everyday watching him wave timidly from behind the curtains of your room when you walked to school

you wanted to take him with you, you wanted to show him around

make him smell the flowers without having to pluck them out

see the bugs making their way across the grass

play on your school’s playground…

you wanted him to live like you!

so when you were six years old, you began bothering his mom to let him go out

and you kept bothering until his 8th birthday, when she said he could go out on his 19th birthday since he would become a legal adult by then

and so you both waited impatiently for eleven years to go by

it seems too much, but now that you are facing him asleep it felt like it was just last week that you were both scared and screaming when you lost your first tooth

you chuckled a little remembering his crying face telling you he’d make porridge for you everyday if you somehow became toothless overnight

oh, those were amazing days, but now you’ll finally be able to show Jeongin the world

his alarm went off and he quickly opened his eyes, feeling more rested than before

“ready to begin your day?” you asked

“ready” he smiled brightly

-♡-

you were probably more excited than Jeongin, to be honest

you got everything set, including your camera to capture the whole journey, and went out in your mom’s car to show him as many places as possible

the only thing Jeongin’s mom asked was for you both to come back before sunset because she was still scared of the dark outside, and you obviously couldn’t say no

if today went fine, maybe going out could become something normal for him

as for today, Jeongin tried looking like a regular young man, hiding his fluffy ears with a red beret and tucking his tail on his jeans

he was probably uncomfortable, but it’s better to be safe than sorry

“alright, fasten your seatbelt and let’s go”

“how do I do it?” Jeongin looked at you and you remembered this is also his first time inside a car

he’s seen several movies, he knows how to use technology and whatnots, but knowing what a car is and experiencing being inside one are two things completely different, so you helped him out

“like this” you hovered over his body pulling the seatbelt to lock it in place

“this is tight… what is it for?”

“to prevent major injuries if any accident happens” you replied moving the car

“wow, it’s moving!” Jeongin widened his eyes and grabbed the seat near his thighs

“yeah, this is what cars do” you laughed a little at his innocence to the outside world

“they also do this” you said hitting the gas and speeding up fast

“AAAAAAAAAAAAH” Jeongin screamed grabbing the seat tighter “I DONT WANNA BE HERE, LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT”

you were laughing like crazy while slowing down

“this is gonna be so funny, oh gosh…”

“I hate cars” Jeongin pouted with tears filling his eyes

“I’m sorry, Innie, I had to mess with you” you placed your hand on his knee 

Jeongin was grateful that his tail was hidden so you wouldn’t see it twitch because of your sudden touch

“you’re never doing this again, right?”

“right” you nodded holding the wheel with both hands “we’re already on our first spot”

“really?” Jeongin looked outside while you parked the car

you had no idea what was going on inside his head seeing so many different things at once

but you were glad you’re the one making this memory with him

and you hoped he’d enjoy his day

-♡-

“so?” you inquired seeing him trying milkshake

you were carrying the bags of his recent shopping because you wanted him free to explore downtown

you lived in a small town, there wasn ‘t too much to see there, but you both had already explored a lot of shops and hung out at the park, which Jeongin loved

and you were happy to see him being so carefree and excited for the first time in his life

“it’s really thick, but it’s tasty” he licked his lips sipping more and more nonstop

it was too late when you tried to warn him

“aaaaaaaaaaah” he said closing his eyes tightly and holding his head with his free hand

“your first brain freeze, congrats” you laughed at his pained expression and snapped a pic

“this is terrible, but is also good, I can’t explain”

“this pretty much sums up everything in the world” you joked

“where are we going next?” he asked

“here” you pointed to the bookstore and Jeongin gasped

“this is where you buy me all those mangas?”

“yeah, and there’s many more of them inside, c’mon” you opened the door greeting the person behind the counter

you saw Jeongin gasping again and saw his eyes wide open staring at the shelves

you took another picture of him, trying to capture as much of these precious moments as possible

“go ahead, you can check them out” he turned to you as if asking ‘for real?!’

you just laughed giving his shoulder a small push

“go on”

“this is heaven” you heard Jeongin whispering and it made you smile

-♡-

“alright, where’s our next stop?” Jeongin asked carrying the heavy bags from the bookstore

“since we spent too much time here, we have to go to our final destination” you said “it’s almost curfew time”

“I’m sorry”

“for what?” you turned your head to see him

“for staying too long at the bookstore when you had other places to show me”

“it’s okay, Innie, you could’ve spent the entire day there and I wouldn’t have minded” you smiled

“really?”

“yeah, I want you to feel good about going out, I want your first experience to be unforgettable, but also pleasing, so if you’re happy checking out mangas for hours, I’m cool with it”

“now, let’s get the car and head to our final destination” you clapped your hands and walked with him to where you had parked

you put his bags on the trunk and by the time you entered the car, Jeongin was already with his seatbelt on

“fast learner, huh?” you joked starting the engine then moving

“watch out, I might steal the car someday” he joked too

“go ahead, it’s gonna be easy to catch you”

“why?” he looked at you

“because you wouldn’t drive like this to get away”

“like this how?” Jeongin questioned and you only gave him a grin

before he could yell “NO!”, you were already hitting the gas again and making him screech on his seat

-♡-

“alright, we’re here” you said pulling over at your middle school

“thank God, I need to get out of this evil machine” Jeongin’s hands were shaking even though you were driving like a responsible person now

“let me help you” you chuckled seeing him struggle with the seatbelt

he opened the door and left quickly

“is this…?” you heard him asking and you got off too

“yeah, I wanted to show you where I used to come to everyday when we were young”

“it’s a big school” Jeongin looked around

“yeah, and it was a nice one too” you sighed “you know that I wanted to bring you here with me everytime, right?”

“yeah, I know” he replied almost in a whisper

suddenly the air felt tight and you fought your tears away

so many memories you could’ve made with Jeongin here

only if he was able to live a normal life

you never blamed his mom for protecting her son

but you blamed the ones hunting down rare hybrids that destroyed Jeongin’s family

although you know that under normal circumstances you’d probably never meet each other

but now that’s something you can’t even imagine

he’s such a huge part of your life that every single day you’re even more sure that you don’t want to live without him anymore

how are you suppose to be an adult with life responsibilities and still share a huge part of your days with Jeongin?

you are one year away from getting your associate degree at the community college and just a little glimpse of an adult life has been already dragging you down

you got home so tired sometimes you couldn’t even give Jeongin proper attention like before

although he didn’t mind you being busy as long as he could stay with you in your room either being your nap buddy or just watching you study

not much had changed from your school days, to be honest

you would still do your own stuff while Jeongin laid on your bed reading, listening to music, or just observing you

sometimes he would help you get ready for your finals, making some flashcards to help you memorize difficult subjects or quizzing you

and you were used to this routine

you were used to coming home and being inquired about your day

and you loved this

you loved being with Jeongin

and you don’t know how life’s gonna be now that he’s an adult and you’re even more closer to getting a full-time job like your mom

and you know how’s your mom’s schedule, she’s barely home

that’s why you’re afraid

you’re afraid of being too absent

you’re afraid of being forgotten

you’re afraid of losing him

“hey, I know these” Jeongin called your attention to the flower bed near the school’s entrance

“I have no idea how they’re still growing, I used to pluck them daily” you smiled faintly seeing the small flowers you used to give him

those were easier days

Jeongin picked up one and his fond smile made your heart beat fast

“I have a box full of them” it was the first time you were hearing this 

“they’re dry now, but I kept all the ones you gave me” his smile was so big and so bright you couldn’t hold back your tears anymore

Jeongin saw you crying and didn’t say a word

he just hugged you tightly and let you hold on to him until you were feeling better

Jeongin knew you better than yourself most of the times

and words would never be able to express how much he means to you and how thankful you are for him staying by your side

you only let him go when you noticed it was almost dark

“c’mon, let’s go home before we get in trouble” you said sniffing and rubbing your eyes

“can I drive now?” he asked

“ha ha, nice try”

-♡-

the drive home was peaceful and silent

you were able to get home just in time before the night fell, but Jeongin’s mom was pacing back and forth in the living room waiting for you

Jeongin got inside quickly when you said you’d unload the car

“... and then we went to the ice cream shop and I had milkshake, which was nice but also weird because it was too cold and…” Jeongin was already on the couch with his mom blabbing on about his day

you smiled placing the bags down

you went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and also to give him time with his mom to share everything he saw

you really hoped he’d be able to go out again, even if it took a while

you went to your bedroom afterwards, still hearing his excited narrative to his mom

you picked up some new clothes, showered, then uploaded the pics from your camera to the computer

so many photos of Jeongin with different expressions in so many different places

today will be remembered as a good memory, at least to you

“hey, I brought his birthday cake” your mom startled you a bit

she was still in her work outfit, so you guessed she had just arrived

“hey, how was work?” you asked

“same old same” she shrugged “how was your day out with Jeongin?”

“it was nice, I guess”

“he can’t stop talking about it, I’ve never seen him so talkative before” your mom laughed a bit

“I’m glad he’s happy about it” you smiled briefly

“what’s concerning you?” she questioned entering the room and closing the door

you can never hide yourself from your mom, so you don’t even try

“the future” you answered honestly

“whose future?”

“mine… and Jeongin’s”

“in what way?”

you sighed before replying, trying your best to keep your tears away

“I’m gonna graduate soon, and I’ve seen some job offers in another town, but I don’t wanna leave him behind” you choked. “I can’t leave him behind” you shook your head

your mom hugged you caressing your hair

“Jeongin is an adult now, he can take care of himself”

“but I don’t wanna be without him” you sobbed

“ah, I see…” your mom held you closer “then you’ll have to talk to him and figure out what he wants in life”

“what’s in life for a rare hybrid that has to live hidden so he doesn’t get killed?”

“being a pet companion” you scoffed at your mom’s answer

“Jeongin deserves better than staying at home waiting for an owner”

“he should be the judge of that, don’t you think?” her words hit you hard

yes, you want what’s best for him, but you can’t decide his future for him

he’s not a child anymore and it scares you

you grew up pretty much attached to the hip with him

you were inseparable kids, but now you’re both adults

and there’s no way your friendship is going to remain the same as before once life starts to weight its responsibilities on your shoulders

your mom held your chin and made you face her

“today is his birthday, and you gave him the best present he could ever dream of: your time” 

you were sure she would say ‘taking him out’

this was unexpected

“but I always give him my time” you were confused

“and there’s nothing more he wants from you. Jeongin loves being with you, so even if you’re worried now, I’m certain everything will turn out fine” your mom smiled

“now go wash your face so we can eat some cake, hm?”

you nodded and she left your room

-♡-

you tried your best to push all your concerns away and enjoy the last hours of his birthday

Jeongin was radiant

he couldn’t stop smiling and this is the happiest you’ve seen him so far

and you wish you could bottle up this moment to live it over and over again

Jeongin did deserve the best this world could offer him

and you promised yourself you’d support whatever choice he makes in his future

after singing Happy Birthday To You, eating tons of cake while making a happy dance, and showing everyone all the things he bought, Jeongin was finally showering to call it a day

you helped his mom clean everything up and then you headed to the backyard to lay on the hammock

you looked up at the sky to admire the meekly starry night

you sighed deeply moving the hammock in a slow swing

so many good memories come to your mind when you think of your childhood with him

will you be able to also make good memories now that you’ve grown up?

you really hope so

“here you are” you snapped your head towards the sound and saw Jeongin on the archway of the backdoor

you couldn’t help smile seeing him laying down next to you

you were both silent for a couple of minutes before he started talking

“thanks for taking me out today” he smiled

“wish we could’ve done this earlier, though”

“yeah, mom said the same when we were talking after I came back” Jeongin said

“so this means you’ll be able to go out again someday?” you beamed, almost getting up in excitement

“yeah” he nodded

“where do you wanna go next? we can try visiting the beach during summer break! I can ask mom to lend me the car again, we can have a short weekend somewhere not too far from here just in case, or if you wanna go crazy we can cross states and have a full week trip!”

“anywhere you wanna take me is fine” Jeongin simply replied “to be honest, I never thought that I would see the world one day”

“we just strolled around town, there’s so much more to see!” you chuckled

“I know, I see the world map on your wall everyday. But... can I tell you something?” he lowered his voice

“hm?”

“even though I went to a lot of places and saw different things today, there’s nothing like this” 

you furrowed your eyebrows not quite understanding what he’s saying

Jeongin sighed and looked away to the stars above

“what I’m trying to say is that there’s no other place on earth I’d rather be than here with you” his hand slowly found yours between your bodies and he held it firmly

“you’re my home” Jeongin turned his head to stare deeply into your eyes 

“and I love being home” he squeezed your hand as if scared that you’d leave him for good someday

as if he knew you wouldn’t stay too long here with him stuck in such a small town

your eyes were suddenly blurry and a lump formed in your throat

you scooted closer and laid your head on his chest, listening to his fast heartbeat

Jeongin wrapped his tail over your leg, his warm body being enough to protect you from the night breeze

and you realised that no matter where life leads you, you will always come back home

[5ivebyfive]

every number with 9

OH BOY. Okay.

9. How tall are you? About 5′9

19. Do you want a church wedding? Not at all. No plans on ever having a wedding, but if I did it’d be in a synagogue. Our outside somewhere.

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? LOL all the time back in the day. My best friend had a house on the sound at the beach and me and my friends would all wait until late at night and jump in. We always took turns getting undressed and jumping in, and the rest of us would close our eyes. This was like, middle and highschool. Hahaaa, man, good times.

39. Do you have any scars? A bunch.

49. Are you an innie or an outie?innie

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Both. Suck at first, then I lose interest and bite it.

69. Extrovert or Introvert? EXTREME introvert

79. Who was your first real crush? That’s complicated. Technically it was Kimberly Hart/Amy Jo Johnson, BUT I was young and pressured by society, so I refocused it on Tommy. So I spent a long time hyperfocused on Power Rangers and him, but really it was Kim that I liked.

89. Do you like your age? Absolutely not. Feels like a lie. Like I should be a lot younger, but that’s kinda a common feeling with autistics.

90. What makes you angry? Me. Life. Critics who don’t see gold in a movie when it’s there. The government. Being an American. Being autistic. Having ADHD. Not being prettier/more feminine. My impulsivity. Hatrid. Xenophobia. Crushing the poor. Not having a mother and sister that I can have a healthy relationship with. Not being smarter and not having gone to college right out of highschool. Not getting a degree. Writer’s block. Executive dysfunction. Not being the one someone wants. The fact that I’m always angry.

91. Do you like your own name? HATE it. It’s bad enough my parents had to hyphenate all us kids and therefore make adulting that much harder, but then giving me a first name that no one can ever pronounce right. If I ever get around to it I’m definitely gonna legally change it.

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? Not for myself. A lot for writing purposes. Of course, the only baby name that matters is Penelope.

93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? Don’t want kids. Definitely not by giving birth to them. IF I ever had kids, they’d come to me pre-named.

94. What are you strengths? I honestly and truly don’t think I have any. Like, I’m not trying to be humble.

95. What are your weaknesses? Too many to list. Biggest would be- can’t get over things, can’t silence the voices or thoughts of what everyone thinks of me, I’m not smart -- really, I’m not. Never made great grades, I read and nothing sinks in, tests are a DISASTER. Um. Too quiet. Too unexperienced because I don’t let myself experience anything. Not good at being a friend and keeping in touch with people. Anxiety is 10000% all the time and I can’t calm it. Being autistic/having ADHD/having depression.

96. How did you get your name? I was named for my great grandmother on my mom’s side.

97. Were your ancestors royalty? Not that I’m aware of.

98. Do you have any scars? Didn’t we already cover this?

99. Color of your bedspread? Uhh...I think gray and sea green? Maybe? It’s in the washing machine right now so I can’t remember.

Get to know me uncomfortably well

[threemoonsareshining]

i read through all the 'get to know me uncomfortably well' questions and honestly i couldn't pick because i'd love your answers to any of them so idk just answer the ones you feel like answering? is that allowed in these ask games? idk i'm making it allowed (also have a great day!) xx

Hi!!!!!! Oh my god you’re blessing my night with this message because let’s say... I haven't had the best day today, and I’m sure that’s allowed in these ask things, i mean are there even rules? I do’t know how many i’ll be able to answer but I’m going all in so let’s go

2. How old are you? 19 such an ugly age let me tell you

4. What is your zodiac sign? taurus and i’m not really into astrology and stuff so i don’t know if i can relate to my sign or not

5. What is your favorite color? i really like earthy tones, and i’ve always loved dark colors but i’m trying to broaden my horizons in terms of colors, unsuccessfully this far

6. What's your lucky number? i’m not sure if it brings me luck but i’ve always loved the number 5, maybe bc it’s my birthday, i think it’s really nice overall

7. Do you have any pets? yes!! i have 2 cats, i love them so much even though they’re not the friendliest cats in the world you know. I used to have fish but they kept dying not matter how hard i tried! It makes me a little sad but in the end it was just too much work and if i wasn’t able to take care of them properly i’d rather have no fish honestly

8. Where are you from? i don’t like to say these things but i think it’s pretty obvious if you pay a little attention to what i post every once in a while

9. How tall are you?i’m 1.64 or so, which is like… 5.3-5.4??? I’d like to be a little taller tho

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? I don’t own many, this year i bought some winter shoes but i just realised all my summer ones are either a little too used or i just don’t like their style anymore so yeah i should do some shopping (if only i had time to do that hah!)

12. What was your last dream about? i don’t remember very well but i think i saw my economics teacher riding a bike with no pants after i’d been fined by the police for having a water balloon war in the middle of the street, I wasn’t happy about that. I’ve had many dreams i was able to remember these last days, but they were more like nightmares i’d say, many of them about being kidnaped, other studies-related (i failed my math test again, i had to retake my college-access test… just terrible), and other were with people i actually know, which wasn’t the best thing ever honestly

15. Favorite song? Plant life by owl city, i’m going to paste the answer i wrote to explain why it’s my favorite (Plant Life by Owl City, that song just describes my soul at a spiritual level, like I could choose 1564 other songs by Owl City that describe me as well but this one is the one that I can relate to when i’m going through the worst times, but also gives me the hope that things will get better idk. And it’s funny because I still loved it before I had the level of English to understand the lyrics, and then I found out what they meant and i was like “woah this actually speaks to me in a way i can’t explain” it was a really weird feeling idk, that song is just me)

16. Favorite movie? billy elliot, actually it’s been a really long time since i last saw it. I remember i watched it like 7 times in a row in one week when i first saw it, i just loved it so much

17. Who would be your ideal partner? Just… someone that i’m 100% comfortable with, which should be a given, but apparently that isn’t that easy to find. Idk i’ve been thinking a lot about this lately basically because some of my coming decisions are going to be based on who i want as a partner, obviously not in a serious-for-life way, but in a way that i deserve right now. I’d like to have someone that doesn’t make me feel inadequate like almost everyone does, that doesn’t make me feel like a temporary asset in their life until they get want they want for me and just don’t care anymore. I don’t know, recent experiences have made me realise I need to figure out what I want and fight for it, not settle for someone just because it’s convenient, or because i don’t want to be alone... because in the end, if someone is making you feel like shit for being who you are and it’s acting like you are not important, even though they’re willing to be with you (even if it’s just for the physical part) that clearly makes you feel even more lonely

18. Do you want children? I’d say my #1 fear in life is getting accidentally pregnant (i know that shouldn’t worry me that much if i use protection and stuff), i meant a good reason i’m so wary of having sex is because i’d go crazy just considering the possibility that the condom failed or something. I think this answers the question, i really don’t want children, idk if i’d be able to take care of a kid, and above all, i don’t want to. Every time i see a kid in the street or in the public transport i pray he/she doesn’t interact with me because i just find it so so so difficult to be nice to them, basically because i don’t know how . Then i also look at their parents, their tired look, and don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they love their kids and all but I don’t think everyone can find happiness in having kids, and I don’t think I’m one of those people that won’t feel complete until they have kids or stuff. Furthermore, I’m not willing to sacrifice my body and to suffer the pain of giving birth, that doesn’t even cross my mind. So if I consider the possibility in the future i think I’d adopt.

20. Are you religious? I already answered this so I’ll just paste it I’m sorry this is so lazy (i was raised catholic and as a child i was really really devote, i truly believed in god. But you know, as years go by, then you find out you don’t agree with a lot of things the Church preaches (being in a catholic school doesn’t help, i will never forget the day i heard a priest telling literal 7-year-old girls that their only duty in life was to have children). My environment was really really conservative and I was lucky to somehow realise how fucking wrong some of the stuff they were teaching us was, sadly, i still see a lot of kids in my school being brainwashed… it’s crazy to see the way some families think. Anyways, that contributed to me getting distanced from everything religious-related. Now i could say i’m somewhere between agnostic and non-practicing. I still pray every once in a while but i’m not sure if i truly believe it or it’s just out of custom, i just feel too hopeless and detached from everything to believe there’s something greater than us… this question is too hard!)

24. Baths or showers? I used to hate taking showers just because I didn’t have the strength to go through all the process of taking a shower but I’ve been trying to fix this mainly because 1) Personal Hygiene and stuff 2) Even though i don’t have the willpower to do it, i always try to think about how nice it feels to be clean after a shower, or how relaxed you are (even if it’s for a short period of time) after taking a bath. So yeah I don’t like either of them but they’re obviously necessary

26. Have you ever been famous? I haven’t been famous but I’ve been mistaken for a famous people more than once. The first time i was very young and a man asked me if i was that girl (idk who) that was on tv and I said no, and the other was more recent, last year, when someone mistook me for a youtuber

28. What type of music do you like? I love instrumental music, specially orchestral but i also adore celtic themes. And i hate to admit it but i love electro pop, the owl city - type, even though many people (aka my dad) may think it’s not the Best Quality, but i mean who cares at least I enjoy it

33. What do you typically have for breakfast? I’m a mess so most of the time I have a coffee so I don’t die of tiredness throughout the day and if i have time i eat some fruit and cookies, not a lot honestly, which isn’t the most healthy thing to do but hey idc

34. Have you ever fired a gun? No. I really, really hate guns.

37. Favorite swear word? I never swear in public, just when I’m alone, I don’t think I can choose any word!

38. What's the longest you've ever gone without sleep? Maybe 24 hours, the thing is that i sleep very, very little, but i always end up sleeping anyway

41. Are you a good liar? Even when I’m actually telling the truth there are people who don’t believe me so yeah hah not really

42. Are you a good judge of character? i’m really good at getting the vibes of people, sometimes i think i’m just overreading everything but a high percentage of the time i end up being right, so yeah not only regarding people but also with other aspects of my life… i like to trust my gut. However, i don’t always say it bc i’m afraid i might be wrong, but when my suspicions are proven, I’m like yeah i was right how weird hahahahhhhhhhhh, i amaze myself in this aspect honestly

46. What is your personality type? i think i’m intj, but i remember retaking the test a few months later and getting another result but yeah i can relate to the architect type, introvert, cautelous, focused on analysing rather than acting blah blah all that stuff (i love this stuff)

49. Are you an innie or an outie? Innie 4 life, because I’ve tried to force myself to be more outie and let me tell you that didn’t go well

50. Left or right handed? left!!!

51. Are you scared of spiders? I’m really scared of them but i also cry every time i kill one bc i feel sorry for her (but it’s either my life or hers i’m sorry) although most of the time when i see i spider i face my fear and i put in in a box or something to release it outside

52. Favorite food? i’d eat ice cream every day of my life for every meal all the time just give me all the ice cream

58. Do you have much of an ego? My ego is so tiny sometimes i forget it exists and let people step on it like it’s nothing

61. Do you sing to yourself? I perform to myself, i love singing alone in my room. I used to care about my neighbour hearing me but you only live once right

62. Are you a good singer? i wouldn't say i’m a bad singer, nor a good one bc the problem is that my voice is not very strong, so it’s very hard to hear me. But yeah, i’ve been complimented for my singing in some occasions, and i really enjoy doing it on my own (i still don’y know how i was able to sing in public the only time i have done it)

63. Biggest Fear? that i’ll keep missing stuff due to my anxiety, oh that and having unwanted kids obviously

64. Are you a gossip? it’s always interesting to hear stuff and be aware of what happens around you but i‘ve always said that things would be better if everyone just… minded their own business a little bit more, you can’t get mad at someone if they don’t want to tell you something, it’s their life and they don’t owe you all the explanations after all

66. Do you like long or short hair? i have really long hair and i’d love it if it wasn’t so so so hard to maintain… i’m pretty tired of it honestly and i know i said i’d be cutting and donating it this year but… it’s such a part of my identity (which is so silly but it’s true, i’m introduced to some people as “the girl with really long hair”) and… i don’t know i think i’ve enough changes this year, so i’ll keep it for a little longer

70. Have you ever been scuba diving? i’m so scared of the sea i think i’d die

71. What makes you nervous? sadly, even the most insignificant stuff makes me nervous, and apparently, ignoring them doesn’t mae them disapear! so yeah i’m basically suffering at all times due to stupid stuff, i’ve just learned to ignore it enough so it doesn’t interfere with the rest of my life (most of the time it works but it’s mentally draining now that i think about it)

77. Have you ever drank underage? I’m one of those people that can say that never drank alcohol until it was legal for me to do it, I didn’t do it even when my mom offered me something at family gatherings… yeah i think that’s the reason i drink so much now

80. How many piercings do you have? I don’t like piercings for myself (i obviously don’t have a problem with other people having them) but i just think it’s an unnecessary way of mutilating yourself (i hate needles)

86. What are you allergic to? Ironically, I’m allergic to cats, even though i have 2. It comes and goes, and it’s not serious, i sneeze a lot, my eyes itch a little sometimes, but i’m willing to pay that price for my cats honestly

87. Do you keep a journal? I do, but it’s been months since i last wrote mainly because i always feel like shit after writing, so now i can’t bring myself to do it, that’s why i post so much about my personal life in here, because i’m not able to journal but i also don’t want to forget about what happens in my life

90. What makes you angry? Anger is a weird concept for me. I get angry very often, but I’m angry in general, not at anyone in particular, I just find myself unable to get mad at someone, the anger instantaneously turns into sadness, so I don’t know what’s worse. If I’m being mean to someone (most of the time my parents are the victims) it’s not because of them, I’m just angry for no reason and I just can’t keep being nice.

Hey congratualtions if you made it till the end, i was really bored so i answered a lot. Thanks for the message again 🐱🐱🐱🌳🌳🌳

[autisticblueteam]

Different People (Carolina/Girlie)

Chapter 2 / 4: Waiting

[AO3] [Ko-Fi in Bio]

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Canon-typical violence, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Canonical Character Death, Drowning, Paralysis [other tags on AO3]

Girlie survived Longshore.

The sole survivor of her team, she found herself thrown out into the world with nowhere to go and nothing to cling to except the burning resentment she held towards the Freelancers. After years of aimlessness, when presented with an opportunity for revenge she snaps it up without hesitation.

But reality is never as simple as fantasy. People aren’t always what you imagined them to be.

Chapter Word Count: 4397

Notes: Writing from Girlie’s perspective here is interesting because it’s making me write opinions of characters that are basically the exact opposite of my own, since she’s so negatively biased.

The conviction was nothing if not swift. Girlie barely had time to register her actual charges before she was pushed through the system and thrown into a prison on some obscure inner colony, but they weren’t hard to guess. Insurrectionist activity, especially this deep into the war, could come with a hefty sentence.

With her history it wasn’t even a wrongful conviction. It may have been years since their cell had disbanded and they’d signed up to the UNSC, but their time in the military and working for Charon didn’t erase the plethora of evidence against her. All Charon had to do was plant a little more evidence to fill in the gaps and ONI ate it up.

Didn’t need the lone member of your questionably legal private security force getting in the way of your rising political power. UNSC Oversight Subcommittee her ass. The shit they’d done for Charon was exactly the kind of shit he was now in charge of investigating.

Funny how that worked.

Prison wasn’t kind. The newfound support of her armour had been stripped away from her so swiftly that it left a sour taste in her mouth. Sure, she could move short distances without it, even train for short times, but she relied on her wheelchair for anything substantial. And prisons? Turns out that in practice, they’re just not that accessible.

Especially not when the wheelchair provided wasn’t designed for self-propelling and any requests for an exchange were ignored. Insurrectionists lay low on the hierarchy there, always had; since the war started it had only gotten worse.

It took a long time and a willingness to sacrifice luxuries to get on her cellmate’s good side, get her to push her as far as the prison’s gym. Keeping up with her exercises helped, fought away some of the hopelessness and restlessness that plagued her, but it wasn’t a fix-all. Most of her days were spent wasting away in her cell, with too too little to do and too much time to think.

“You got any Innie buddies waiting for you on the outside, blondie?” her cellmate, Cass, asked after another long, long day of sitting around doing nothing. She was still trying to decide if it was better or worse than the hospital.

“Nah. No one left to wait for me,” Girlie said, laid back staring at the ceiling.

(Sharkface’s heart monitor flatlining. Snipes, pierced by the same bullet over and over and falling dead on their face.)

There was a pause. “Aliens or humans?”

(Sleeves, his neck snapped by the sheer force of one punch. Demo, blown up and thrown into the water. The Chain Twins, crushed by a fucking crate.)

Girlie chuckled dryly. “We’re Innies. Take a guess.”

(Her back snapping on impact with the concrete platform, water in her lungs and the desperate fight to survive.)

“Damn. That’s rough. Least I can blame the aliens for my lack of welcoming party instead of— y’know, myself.” Girlie raised a brow at her. “You are an Innie. What’d you think was gonna happen?”

“I don’t blame myself,” Girlie said, rolling onto her side. And she didn’t, she never had. This wasn’t her fault, no; she knew who she had to blame and they wore white and aqua armour. Cass mimicked her raised brow and, in turn, Girlie mocked: “You did murder a UNSC official, what’d you think was gonna happen?”

“…touché.”

Huffing, Girlie rolled restlessly to her other side. “All we want is some fucking freedom and the right to self-determination, but nah, that’s enough to warrant killing us. I’ve never blamed myself or any of us when we lose people. Isn’t on us.”

“Shit, girl, sorry I asked,” Cass said, raising her hands defensively.

It had been years since she’d been able to think like that, been able to talk like that—but hey, if she was going to be treated like she was an active Insurrectionist again, then she may as well act like it.

For years, that pretty much summed up her prison experience: being stuck in her room with cellmates that were various levels of shitty; wheelchairs that didn’t suit her needs in prisons that were too big for her to walk; prison guards that didn’t care at best and were outright abusive at worst; long, uninterrupted hours of nothingness. No matter how many times she was transferred—and oh, she was transferred a lot—it was the same. Every prison, every cellmate, every year.

Eventually she came to the conclusion that it was worse than the hospital, much worse. In hospital, there weren’t multiple dangerous pricks in the building that could decide she was the next target at any time. In hospital, there was a modicum of freedom. In hospital, she had a goal.

Locked away in prison with no exit in sight, her anger felt more like a trap than a motivation. All of that rage she’d allowed to fester and target itself at the Freelancers had no outlet—but at the same time, it wasn’t something she could just let go of. More than just a driving force, it came from a place of genuine hatred and resentment towards those fucking Freelancers, from a place of consuming grief that never quite faded.

Just as that resentment and grief wouldn’t fade, neither would the anger that sprung from them. As the years went by it only had longer to simmer, to gnaw away at her.

Everything that had happened since Longshore was their fault—that was a fact to her just as much as it was a fact that you need air to breathe. Agent Carolina and Agent Maine and their team had taken everything from her. Because of them, she’d almost died. Because of them, her family was gone. Because of them, Charon had no use for her. Because of them, she was in prison.

It was all. Their. Fault.

And for all her anger, all she could do was hope that somewhere, out there, they were going through as much hell as she was.

Nothing was unusual about her move to the prison ship, Tartarus. Not only was it far from the first time she’d been stuck on a prison ship for transfer, but it wasn’t even her first long-haul trip with no clear timescale. The ship was filled with a co-ed selection of the UNSC’s least desirable prisoners—people like her, who they simply didn’t care about. People with quite the variety of convictions, from what she heard through the bars.

She’d always hated long-haul transfers. Prison ships meant even shittier cellmates and no time out of their cells. Sure, the cells were a little more spacious to make up for it—she was able to work out, thank god—but there was only so many hours you could share a room with someone without a break before you wanted to add murder to your list.

Weeks went by and nothing happened that challenged the monotony of the journey. The skeleton crew wandered the levels every few hours just to give themselves something to do. Prisoners yelled crude and violent things, but even those began to get repetitive after a while. Stassney did some dumbass shit at least once a cycle. Weeks and weeks of the same shit, of the same routine—it was driving her up the fucking wall, but it wasn’t anything new.

Honestly, the ship getting invaded was the most interesting thing that had happened to her in years.

One minute Stassney was walking past talking about ‘hitch-hiking cheerleaders’—Girlie rolled her eyes so far back she could see herself think—and the next he was returning with a shady looking asshole in full power armour. The way he tilted his head was subtle, but Girlie had years of reading helmets under her belt.

He was scanning the cells.

They disappeared up into the staff areas and the chatter quickly focused on the new arrival. They had to be in the middle of utterly empty, open space right now—where the hell had this guy come from?

Girlie sat on the end of her bed, leaning her elbows against her knees. Even on a full tank and emergency reserves, a Pelican couldn’t get out here on its own and they certainly weren’t staffed by one guy, power armour or not.

Something wasn’t right.

Her suspicions were confirmed less than an hour later when some big fucker strolled through with at least five people in black armour and killed the straggling guards.

It probably said something about her mental state that her only reaction was a dull, “Huh. Figured.”

Yelling filled the air, a cacophony of indistinguishable noise that only fell silent when a deep, commanding voice came over the intercoms with one simple order—

“Quiet.”

Absolute silence fell over the room.

“As of this moment, we are the new crew of this ship.”

Someone a few cells down from her yelled out, “Well who the hell are you?!” and there was a pause, just for a moment, before she saw the taller of the two take a step back and the original guy take the microphone.

He started talking and admittedly, she was only half-listening until she heard the word ‘Freelancers’ in the midst of some verbose speech about needing people for some war, or something. But she didn’t care about that, no.

Freelancers. Fucking Freelancers.

She was listening after that.

“…now, if this totally awesome idea doesn’t sound like your kind of job, we’ll let you off the ship. But if you’re willing to fight for your freedom, then please firmly grasp the bars of your cell in a sign of solidarity.”

Let them off the ship, huh? Nah, no way that was as innocent as it sounded; there was only one way off of this ship when they were out in open space. And she didn’t plan on dying today—especially not without finding out what the Freelancers had to do with this.

So she got up, grabbed the cell bars. All around her she heard the sounds of hands slapping against bars, of indistinct mumbling. Some people sat back down, paced their cells with dismissive waves of their hands. Their funeral, she guessed.

Weakened as her legs were, her upper body had remained strong and when the purge activated, she had all the motivation she needed to hold on tight. The sharp, gut-punch of a tug tore her breath away and filled her with a genuine fear for her life that she hadn’t felt in years—

And then it was over. Purge doors slammed shut and the screaming all but stopped. Girlie collapsed to the floor, waiting for her cybernetics to recover after the sudden jerk.

But she was alive.

And they’d mentioned Freelancers.

Now all she had to do was wait and see what the fuck was going on.

As it turned out she didn’t have to wait that long at all. Not even another hour passed before heavy footsteps approached her cell and she was confronted by both the leaders of this little invasion and another prisoner. A man with deep brown skin and a pair of dark eyes that glinted with something inscrutable.

She’d never seen him before in her life, but that look in his eyes told her one thing: he definitely knew her.

“Arianna Leoraine,” the tall, awkward one said, “we’ve been informed—” his helmet tilted towards the prisoner, “—that you have history with the Freelancer agents we’re up against. Is that true?”

Huh, just like she thought. Somehow, this random guy who just so happened to be on the same prison ship as her knew her and not only that, knew her history. There were only a couple of reasons she could think of that would explain that: either he used to work for Charon—unlikely, her team was known of by only a select few—or he used to work for Freelancer.

And oh, wasn’t that possibility interesting.

“Maybe. What’s it to you?” she said, even as she stood up. Folding her arms under her chest she tilted her head. “Gonna let me at them?”

“Maybe,” the small, talkative one said, one hand on his hip as the other gesticulated vaguely. “Depends on a few things, like if you can hold your own in a fight… if you know how to follow orders… that sort of thing. Boring stuff, but necessary. Can’t have someone causing us more trouble than we already have, now can we?”

Rolling her eyes, Girlie tilted her head forward and set him with a firm stare. “Look, you point me in the direction of one of those assholes? I’ll do whatever you need me to do. No questions asked. I’ve been waiting for a chance like this for years, I’m not going to mess that up.”

“Well then,” he shared a look with his partner, that tall, quiet one whose helmet gave away nothing, “I think we have some talking to do, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do. But if you want that talk happening up on the bridge? You’re either gonna have to bring me some armour or send one of your guys to grab a wheelchair from storage,” she said, folding her arms tighter and standing her ground. Her legs still felt shaky after the pull of the purge.

The tall one nodded towards a couple of their men that were standing by and soon, they returned with a chair.

Alright, that was a decent start.

Their names were Felix and Locus. They were some mercenaries working out here in the middle of bumfuck nowhere on some backwater planet named Chorus. Somehow the locals had gotten the help of a couple of Freelancers and their friends. All the mercenaries wanted was some manpower to help them clear out the resistance and to get rid of the Freelancers.

Couldn’t say she agreed with the principle of the thing, but she had fallen far beyond principles. Years of boredom and building resentment had left no room for that, not right now. Not when she was faced with the chance to get revenge.

There were only two of them, apparently. Two survivors out of the ten colourful suits of armour she could never forget. At first they didn’t mention names—she couldn’t tell if that was deliberate or not—but eventually, her prodding got an answer.

Agent Carolina and Agent Washington.

The assholes who fought Sharkface (the entire left side of his face crushed and scarred, his eye gone, the bone implants he needed to survive—) two of the assholes that dropped that fucking building on him and Demo (his arm, gone, absolutely mangled, the missing chunk of his torso—) that fucking aqua armoured fuck who stabbed her, who helped that big brute kill Demo and tried to kill her (her back snapping, so much water between her and the surface—)

Turned out the big guy had been dead a while.

She didn’t know quite how she felt about that, not getting the chance to take them out herself, but…

One was better than none.

“Seems like our goals line up perfectly,” Girlie said, sat in her chair. The helmets were still on, but she met Felix’s gaze through his visor. “I want the Freelancers dead, you want the Freelancers out of the way.”

“Exactly,” Felix said, gesturing his pointer finger vaguely in her direction. “A nice neat little arrangement. You get your revenge and we get those pesky Freelancers off our asses so we can finish what we came here to do.”

“You will be provided with armour and equipment,” Locus said, still unreadable behind that helmet. “You will work more closely with us and you will be guided by the Counselor.”

The Counselor hovered silently off to the side. She felt the weight of his gaze on her, observing, analysing. That look in his eye made sense when she realised he must have been some Freelancer psychologist or something, with a name like ‘the Counselor’.

Didn’t surprise her that they wanted to keep an eye on her, but it wasn’t like she really cared. So long as he didn’t get in her way, there was no reason for her to risk objecting.

But only so long as he didn’t get in her way.

“Alright,” she said, shrugging. “That armour better be the good shit. Oh, and I work best with knives.”

With a hand over his chestplate and mock reverence, Felix said, “A woman after my very own heart. Don’t you worry, Leoraine, you’ll be supplied with the very best equipment we have to offer. Just make it worth it.”

“Don’t you worry,” she retorted, “because making it worth it won’t be an issue. Also— I’d prefer if you called me Girlie. Not Leoraine, or even Arianna.”

Even with his helmet blocking her view, Girlie could practically see the quick blinks of his double-take. “Girlie. What kind of— seriously? That’s a little on the nose, don’t you think?”

Maybe. These days she barely even remembered the origin of the nickname—it wasn’t that she was the only girl in the group, after all—but that had always been the point of their nicknames, they were ridiculously, ridiculously ‘on the nose’. They were stupid, but they used them more than they ever used their real names.

She needed that back now, more than ever.

“Oh right, okay, says the guy who’s partner goes by the name of their helmet,” she said, raising a brow. Catching the slight tensing of Locus’ shoulders, she added, “Not being a dick, just making a point.”

“…touché. Alright, Girlie, congratulations, you’ve got yourself a job.”

No, she’d gotten a little more than that.

True to their word they got her kitted up and they didn’t skimp out on her, either. The armour was top quality and it felt good to be able to stand without pain again, without feeling like her legs were going to give out under her at any minute. All black and standard issue, it was nothing special, but it was more than functional.

Somehow, an off-hand comment to the Counselor about how she preferred her old helmet even swung her an old ODST model from somewhere. He was trying to make her ‘comfortable’, get her to open up or some shit—definitely a psychologist. For now, she let him believe it was working.

It had been days since the invasion of the ship and days since she’d been promised her chance at the Freelancers, but so far there had been no opportunity to act. Being stuck up here on the ship felt annoyingly like nothing had changed, but she held on to the fact that as soon as there was news, she’d be shipped out.

Hopefully.

Until then she was subjected to daily sessions with the Counselor. He was good at acting like he gave a shit, she’d give him that, but she wasn’t here to be psychoanalyzed. She gave him just enough to keep him satisfied without ever really revealing anything he didn’t clearly already know—even when he pretended he knew nothing. Offering up little bits about her teammates’ deaths and her need for revenge even got her some information in return, information outside of what he needed to tell her.

Agent Maine, the big guy, had finally been killed by drowning.

She’d be lying if she said that didn’t give her some kind of sick catharsis. Nothing could have been more fitting.

Days passed by and she found it harder to suppress the frustration. Sessions with the Counselor were tedious and she had to watch her words closely. Any time that wasn’t spent with him was spent training, running drills to get her strength back.

After almost a week of nothing, the Counselor brought her another ‘gift’: red spray paint.

At first, she side-eyed it, wondered what she’d said that made him bring it, but finding no point in letting the offering go to waste she picked it up; it would make it easier for Carolina to recognise who she was.

For once the Counselor sat mostly silently as she worked, using the tools he provided her with to mark up her lipstick print and heart—once on the helmet, once on the chestplate—but it didn’t last forever. Eventually, he opened his mouth.

“That symbol… I take it that it’s important to you,” he said, nodding towards both the work she did and the matching tattoo that was visible on the back of her shoulder. There was another one much lower down, but he wasn’t ever going to be privy to that.

“Suppose so.” Finishing taping it off, she threw her hair back into a messy bun and grabbed a face mask.

“Do you find it representative of yourself?”

“I find it representative of me being a gigantic lesbian, sure,” she said, finding herself holding back an eye roll and not for the first time. Fucking psychologists. “Look, we all had a symbol; Snipes had a crosshair, Boss had a pill, the twins had their smileys, Sharkface had his fucking shark teeth, so on and so on. It’s just a thing. It’s not deep.”

“Alright,” the Counselor said, in that tone that meant he really did think it was deep. “Have you chosen to recreate the symbol to honour your fallen teammates?”

God this man was insufferable. Like fuck she was going to tell him that. “No. I’ve chosen to recreate it because one, I like it and two, I want Agent Carolina to recognise me.” She started shaking her spray can. “Simple as that.”

“So you want her to be aware of who’s killing her and why.”

“No shit. Doesn’t take a degree to figure that one out. Yeah, I want the asshole who nearly killed me and did kill my friends to know who the fuck’s killing her.”

“I see,” he said, with that same tone; he really thought he had her on lock, didn’t he?

She was starting to rethink the idea that killing him wasn’t worth the trouble.

Opting to ignore him instead, she finished shaking her can and started spraying out the design on her helmet. The shade of red wasn’t quite the same but it looked good enough. Bright and distinctive against the black. There’d be no question of Carolina noticing the symbols.

Setting the helmet down to dry, she moved onto the chestplate. There was silence, for a while; the Counselor slipped back into that observant quiet, ever analysing eyes set on her.

She’d moved onto adding other red details by the time he spoke again.

“Once Locus and Felix have finished their work at the newest location of interest, you’ll be sent down to monitor the location for the Freelancer’s arrival,” he said out of nowhere. Forced her to restrain the burst of what was almost excitement in her chest, tense up to stop herself reacting too strongly. “I trust you’ve reviewed the files on Agent Washington and Carolina?”

“Of course I have. And no, I don’t have any questions.” Agent Washington was stubborn and survivable, but he was better with a weapon in his hand than he was at hand-to-hand. Agent Carolina was competitive and highly skilled in multiple ways; she worked with an aging AI called Epsilon and had units at her disposal. Nothing she hadn’t seen before. “No, actually, I do, but not about them. What kind of location?”

“An ancient temple of alien origin. There are several on Chorus, this particular one having been newly revealed. It’s a point of interest for both sides of the conflict, at least one of the Freelancers will certainly arrive.”

“Alright.” Alien temples. What kind of planet was this? “I can work with that.”

Stopping the spray, she took a moment to admire her work.

Striking red, unmissable and unmistakable.

Agent Carolina would definitely know what hit her.

The strange mix of anxiety, excitement and rage that filled her on the Pelican ride down to Chorus was… indescribable. A combination unlike anything she’d ever felt before. Years waiting for this opportunity, hanging onto the idea of revenge with a somehow resigned desperation. She didn’t know if she’d ever believed she’d get the chance, not after Charon turned her in.

But here she was.

They arrived on-location a little while after Locus and Felix had moved on, heading to some big confrontation out at one of the radio towers. Girlie only had time for a cursory glance at the temple itself and the strange bright light shooting out of it before she and her back-up had to duck into a hidden area, overlooking the central zone. Wait.

As the sound of Warthogs and voices approached the temple.

A voice that Girlie hadn’t heard in years, but would recognise anywhere, among them.

It took all of her willpower not to blow their cover then and there, to gather information first like she’d been told to. She had to stand there, gripping her knives tight to ground herself as she took in everything that was said—most of it was irrelevant, but once that alien AI appeared… well, she figured the mercenaries would like the information that followed.

The Purge. Any other day she might have felt some kind of hesitance in passing that information on, but as she typed and sent the communication she found she felt no such thing. Not with Carolina a mere hundred metres away.

Not when the mention of the multiple maps finally gave them a chance to act.

“Carolina!”

Four of the ‘space pirates’—really, what kind of title—jumped out from their hiding position, rifles drawn, firing—

And just like she’d expected, the bubble shield appeared. (The thing that had killed Snipes, the death trap that ricocheted bullets endlessly, shooting them over and over with the same fucking bullet—)

Like she’d ever have let the pirates have first shot if she thought it’d work.

“And that was close.”

“Affirmative.”

“Charon’s here?!”

“Urgh, they've been here the whole time.”

“That’s right.” Her heart pounded in her chest as she strode forward, out into the open. Looked down at them, at that aqua coloured armour that had haunted her for years. Rage, bubbling up in her chest—

Carolina looked at her. Girlie saw the intake of breath. Smirked.

“Well hello. What a pleasure to see you again.”

[bravehardts]

Day 6 - Edinburgh: History and Haggis

Lo and behold, we were awarded with another beautiful day here on what we worried would be a rainy and cold vacation. I hope this doesn't jinx our luck but today was the warmest and clearest day yet. Traveling up The Royal Mile from our hotel, we met our close friends Brendan and Esther Cooney at a breakfast place called Hula Juice Bar for avocado toast (so California) and porridge (so Scottish). It was great to catch up and see some familiar faces this faraway from home. After cajoling a couple of passerbys to take our picture together outside, we parted ways and wandered further up towards the most popular attraction here, Edinburgh Castle. As we approached the castle, the crowds kept getting more and more dense. Fortunately we had purchased our tickets beforehand so we could skip the queue and print them right away. We passed through a large stadium that is hosting the "Military Tattoo" during festival season--on display was a giant military jet suspended above the entrance and a navy helicopter. As we would soon learn in the castle, Scotland is VERY proud of their military, both past and present. Walking up towards the castle, we were transported back to medieval times (not the restaurant, but similar). This would be the third castle we visited, and by far the best! The layout was winding and asymmetrical--probably an advantage for any invading hordes, trying to conquer the castle. Perched high on a hill, it also has a huge tactical advantage. It could likely only be attacked from one side, since the other sides are steep cliffs overlooking the city. As our friends advised us, we headed straight to the top of the castle (which is a series of independent buildings, all part of the greater structure). We entered an area to view the Scottish Crown Jewels, after seeing a series of historical mannequined recreations. No pictures were allowed in the room with the Crown Jewels--but there was a sword, a scepter, and a red velvet crown, just as you would imagine from British royalty. There were some other types of jewels but Alex was already antsy so we didn't get to spend too much time in the final room. We visited various other areas of the castle, though it was already starting to get packed with throngs of international visitors and tour groups. Of note, we visited the "Great Hall", decorated with swords, muskets, and armor (YES!), the War Memorial (no pictures allowed), a quite stunning indoor memorial to Scottish soldiers, navy men, nurses, etc. It felt like a small cathedral, and was very moving to see all the different divisions of the Scottish military's honored deceased. Other attractions were Mons Meg--the largest cannon of that era, that could fire a 300 lbs. cannonball 2 miles; the Prisons of War Exhibition--recreations of prison cells from various eras of the castle (definitely in Allison's wheelhouse)--St. Margaret's Chapel, the Dog Cemetery, and at least three military museums (including the National War Museum). If we had spent the time to really read every sign, look at every artifact (swords, medals, rifles, kilts, helmets, gas masks, machine guns, flags, etc) we would have been there for HOURS. But of course we didn't, because first of all Alex can't read, and second of all after you've seen 50 swords they all start to look the same. But I was pleasantly surprised by the bagpipe soundtrack blaring the "Last of the Mohican's" theme song, which I didn't realize was either 1) an original Scottish bagpipe song ripped off for the movie, or 2) a really great song from the movie that is cool to play on the bagpipe (will look up an answer shortly--and more on that song soon). A quick side note--we grabbed lunch within the castle at a delightful cafe. As it had one of the only bathrooms in the area, I wandered down the stairs to take Alex, and noticed the longest, most miserable line of women I have even seen, waiting for the Lou. I've seen happier people in line at the DMV. Heading out of the Castle, we passed by absolutely massive lines of people waiting to buy tickets. We were lucky to have entered the castle first thing in the morning, and clearly it would only get more and more crowded during the day. Walking back down The Royal Mile, the crowds did not get thinner by any means. And top of that were throngs of street performers with terrible costumes and loads and loads of youngsters handing out flyers for various "free shows" during festival week. We powered through these masses of people--a nightmarish sea of activity for folks like us who don't love big crowds too much. Eventually we got back to the hotel, for a little rest and Lego Star Wars. For the afternoon, we planned to grab another Hop On Hop Off bus pass, and move around the city. Sitting on the open top of the bus, the sun was fully out and actually getting uncomfortably hot. This bus tour did not cover as much area as the one in Dublin, but the traffic was so thick that it took forever to get anywhere. But the sights of hilly Edinburgh are so stunning from almost any spot in the city, I would call it a good choice for us to get our bearings and see more of the city. We decided to get off the bus at Grassmarket, an active area of pubs and restaurants not too far from our hotel. The first pub we went to told us that we could only have a kid inside if he ate a "full meal" (liquor regulations I guess). The second we tried was more lenient--as long as he had a snack, that was fine. And have a snack we did! The pub was called "The Last Drop" (love it!) and we had a cozy little area in the back. Alex had mac and cheese which he annihilated. Allison had a vegetable broth soup. I went all in and tried the Haggis with Neeps and Tatties--because how could I leave Scotland without trying it? For those who only know Haggis as a joke in "So I Married an Ax Murderer", it is apparently banned in the US because it contains an ingredient not allowed to be put into our food: Sheep lungs. Oh, it also has sheep heart, liver, and is cooked in the stomach. That being said--it was pretty good! Not good enough for me to eat the whole thing, but the Neeps (mashed turnips) and Tatties (mashed potatoes) were just great when drizzled with whiskey cream sauce. The haggis itself was like a hearty thick paste with some spice to it. I could see getting used to it, but of all the exotic things I've tried, lungs is a new one on my list, and a little hard mentally to get past. I also tried a local beer--Innis and Gunn Lager. Tastes like a lager, and not much more to say about it. We hiked back to the hotel, staying on Cowgate (far enough away from the busier streets to be sane) and crossing under bridges, before ascending the hill to our hotel. There are loads of bridges around here, but no river. They just cross between hills and over streets far below. Before dinner, I took Alex to the little pool in the basement of our hotel. The small pool was a big hit, as would be expected. And finally, we took a nice long hike to our dinner restaurant, The Fisher House--the best meal we have had so far. The fresh seafood was fantastic--Alex devoured his sole (I helped him polish off the squid ink gnocchi), Allison fell in love with her lobster and scallops, and I went batty for my Panang curry with shrimp and fish. Also, a fried octopus appetizer started things off with a bang. Alex finished the meal by using Allison's lobster claw to crush any remaining food items in sight.. As we walked back to the hotel, there were still loads of people out--the setting sun was beautiful on the stone monuments and statues around the city. The festival attractions (pop up restaurants and bars, bands playing all around the city) were making us regret not having a babysitter so we could go out on the town. Oh, and we walked by a street band again playing the "Last of the Mohicans" theme song on Bagpipe, but this time with a full drum set and electric guitar. I loved the jam, and so did Alex! While I write this in our dark, quiet room in the back of the hotel (with Alex trying to fall asleep), we are so close yet so far away from the bustling city life that will surely be drinking, dancing, and doing whatever else there is to be done here, all night. No regrets though! This was a hugely busy day for us, and tomorrow we get to fill in the gaps of our Edinburgh experience. There are so many historical buildings, winding streets, mysterious closes (the walking alleyways leading from the streets), that even a week wouldn't be enough to see all that this amazing city has to offer.

[scottandhiskind]

1-100 Your bored right? This should kill some time

What is you middle name?

That is privileged  info 

How old are you?

22

When is your birthday?

May 11

 What is your zodiac sign?

Taurus

 What is your favorite color?

Burgundy or mint green

 What’s your lucky number?

5

Do you have any pets?

Yep, a dog

Where are you from?

Tennessee 

How tall are you?

5′7″

What shoe size are you?

8 to an 8.5 depending on the brand

How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Like 7 pairs

What was your last dream about?

I dreamt that I was with the guy I like and we were cuddling.  It’s been a lonely summer 

What talents do you have?

Um...I’m a decent writer?  Beyond that, not really 

Are you psychic in any way?

So I can always tell what kind of person someone is within a few minutes of meeting them. Usually I’m right.  Like for instance, when I met the other teacher at my dad’s new job, I told him she would be awful to work with and nothing but trouble.  Five months later I’m talking to my mom, and she spent a good twenty minutes filling me in on all the bitchy things the woman has done and how she regularly mistreats kids in her class

Favorite song?

Avion by Kat Edmonson

Favorite movie?

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Who would be your ideal partner?

Honestly Chris Pratt is like exactly what my ideal would be, personality and looks wise

Do you want children?

Yeah.  But not till I’m 30 ish

Do you want a church wedding?

Nooooo...Unless my partner wants to get married in a church.  My favorite weddings are the ones that take place outside

Are you religious?

Not really.  I’m kinda seventh day adventist, but not super strict about it

Have you ever been to the hospital?

Yep.  I had rotavirus as a kid and had to spend like a week in the hospital.  

Have you ever got in trouble with the law?

nope

Have you ever met any celebrities?

nope

Baths or showers?

Showers

What color socks are you wearing?

I aint wearing socks hoe

Have you ever been famous?

I’m tumblr famous bitch (no im not, but let me be delusional. Its all I have)

 Would you like to be a big celebrity?

I wouldn’t mind it, as long as I was a celebrity for something good and worthwhile 

 What type of music do you like?

Almost everything, but I mostly listen to pop

Have you ever been skinny dipping?

Nope

How many pillows do you sleep with?

Three, a body pillow and two regular pillows

What position do you usually sleep in?

I try to sleep on my back, but I always end up in the fetal position

How big is your house?

Big enough

What do you typically have for breakfast?

Tofu, a bagel with peanut butter, and yogurt with fruit

Have you ever fired a gun?

No

Have you ever tried archery?

Yes

 Favorite clean word?

Superfluous 

Favorite swear word?

Fuck

What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?

two days

Do you have any scars?

no

Have you ever had a secret admirer?

no

Are you a good liar?

No (but then...I could be lying)

Are you a good judge of character?

See the psychic question above

Can you do any other accents other than your own?

Sort of, but I avoid doing them cause they’re probably racist

Do you have a strong accent?

Nope, though occasionally I’ll go into a southern accent

What is your favorite accent?

British and Irish

What is your personality type?

Well I’m an INTJ

What is your most expensive piece of clothing?

I don’t buy expensive clothes, but I do have a coat that was originally $100 that I got for $30

Can you curl your tongue?

yes

Are you an innie or an outie?

innie

Left or right handed?

right

Are you scared of spiders?

Hell yes bitch

Favorite food?

Pizza, lasagna, Pasta in general

Favorite foreign food?

Probably chow mein

Are you a clean or messy person?

Clean

Most used phrased?

You do you boo

Most used word?

Fuck

How long does it take for you to get ready?

If I shower, shave, and need to mess with my hair, it’ll be about 45 min.  But I can be ready in as little as 10 min

Do you have much of an ego?

Yeah kinda, but I also feel horrible about myself, so its an interesting conflict

Do you suck or bite lollipops?

I use my teeth a lot for a gay man

Do you talk to yourself?

Way too much

 Do you sing to yourself?

no, I tend to lip sync

Are you a good singer?

hell no

Biggest Fear?

Being alone forever and never evolving 

Are you a gossip?

Kind of

Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?

A Single Man

Do you like long or short hair?

Typically short hair, but long hair is hot

Can you name all 50 states of America?

I used to be able to 

Favorite school subject?

English

Extrovert or Introvert?

Introvert

Have you ever been scuba diving?

No

What makes you nervous?

Mostly people, but everything else too

Are you scared of the dark?

Sometimes

Do you correct people when they make mistakes?

I used to, but then I realized that made me a dick

Are you ticklish?

God yes.  It has ruined every sexual experience I’ve had

Have you ever started a rumor?

no

Have you ever been in a position of authority?

No

Have you ever drank underage?

no

Have you ever done drugs?

no

Who was your first real crush?

My best guy friend in high school

How many piercings do you have?

none, but I kinda wanna get my ears pierced

Can you roll your Rs?“

yes

How fast can you type?

Relatively fast

How fast can you run?

Relatively slow

What color is your hair?

Dirty blonde

What color is your eyes?

Brown

What are you allergic to?

Nothing that I know of yet

Do you keep a journal?

No

What do your parents do?

My dad is a teacher and my mom is a nanny/childcare professional

Do you like your age?

Yeah

What makes you angry?

Injustice

Do you like your own name?

Definitely.  My dad wanted to name me arthur, so I love me actual name

Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?

Not really

Do you want a boy a girl for a child?

I’d like a girl.  Boys are too rowdy

What are you strengths?

Listening to people, academics, stubborn and persistent 

What are your weaknesses?

stubborn and persistent, perfectionist, lazy, depressed

How did you get your name?

My parents just liked it

Were your ancestors royalty?

Nope, they were poor irish and english immigrants

Do you have any scars?

No, also this is a repeated question

Color of your bedspread?

Tan

Color of your room? 

White 

BITCH YOU THOUGHT

[captainkappa]

Fanfic- Tough Business to Get Into

(i s2g this is the last holiday exchange i do)

I have finally finished my secret tax goat for @hexmaniacinien !!! I had so much fin writing this, I hope all of you enjoy it as well! Thank you to @kyrfiore for betaing!

Gen. 1920s/Mob AU. Guns and alcohol a plenty (with a touch of angst, my apologies ^^;)

AO3 Link Here

The aftermath of a show was always loud. Giggling girls critiquing their performance based on both what they thought and what the director saw. The flurry of feet making their way to dressing rooms and removing make-up, getting out of those extravagant (and skimpy) costumes to more practical clothing (that was still called skimpy by some older people) in order to head out for the night. Cigarette smoke filled the air, the clear alternative ever since Prohibition hit for a legal means of winding down after a big show.

Within the chaos, Markus was always able to slip in. Not like he wasn’t allowed, he was the lights and effects director, but it made it easier when everyone was moving to go into his friend’s room without questions being asked, mainly, “Are you and Inien going out?”

Which was ridiculous, Inien had been his closest friend ever since he got into show business.

She was snarky and strong willed and would be the very definition of a flapper if it wasn’t for the fact she refused to cut her hair.

It was easier, however, to just leave people guessing about their relationship status so they wouldn’t question other parts about Markus’ life… and Inien’s, for that matter. Performers were far too nosy.

So, he would slip into her dressing room while everyone was too busy to notice.

Tonight, Inien was quiet, which in Markus’ experience was never a good thing.

Especially with that look on her face, that vacant stare that meant she was thinking of something.

She sat up straight in her chair. “I’m bored… let’s start selling liquor.”

He barely registered himself standing up as he tried to process what his friend just said, “Inien…”

“What?” she said, innocently fixing her hair in the huge mirror in front of her.

“You don’t just sell alcohol. And why would you even want to do that?”

“I told you, I’m bored,” she said, matter-of-factly.

“You’re on Broadway!” He gestured wildly at her dressing room around her. “How is that boring?”

She shrugged and turned her chair to look at him. “It has for me, and besides, I’ve already thought part of it out.”

“I… how?”

“My cousin, Colvin. Even though he’s still in far east, he’s just as annoyed about Prohibition as we are, probably moreso because the U.S. was a huge import for him.” She explained casually, reaching for a cigarette. “So we started talking about getting his product over here. At first, I would’ve been selling to other speakeasies and splitting the profit with Colvin.” A small flick and she lit her cigarette. “But I’ve been thinking, why not run it myself? Cut out the middle man, make more money overall, and maybe even get out of Broadway once I have enough dough.”

Markus pinched his nose and let out a breath. “Yes, that’s very business savvy and all. But,” he dropped his voice to a whisper, “You are still talking about illegal business! Who’s to say this doesn’t go completely wrong?!”

She shrugged, letting a stream of smoke pass through her lips. “I’ll never know if I don’t try.”

He sighed, lowering his head in his hands as she put on her coat. “You. Are. Incorrigible.”

She turned to him after straightening her collar. “And you are incapable of thinking outside the box.”

Looking up, he was just able to catch the door shutting behind her. “Oh no, no, no,” he muttered, grabbing his coat and following her.

She was easy enough to catch up with. She had barely made it outside the building when he caught up with her.

“So, what are you going to do now?” he asked, falling into step with her.

“I need to talk with someone.”

“Okay, if we’re going to do this, you need to be less cryptic. And tell me shit like this earlier.”

She looked up at him, smirking, “ ‘We?’ ”

“Of course, we both know I’m the better talker out of the two of us. And you need all the help you can get if you’re going to do this.”

“Alright, we’re meeting someone with experience in this business. He’s had brief interactions with my cousin, so that’s how I know him. He agreed to help set this up.”

“Wow, sounds like a good guy.”

Inien snorted loud enough for people passing by to look over at them. Markus stared down at her confused.

“What? What’d I say?”

“Oh nothing. You’ll see.”

“Again with being cryptic.”

-=-=-=-=-

The man lived in a tenement house, which was a fancy word for the shittiest apartments you could ever think of. Overcrowded, dark, and dirty, it ended up being the homes to most immigrants upon coming to the New World. Markus and Inien both glanced to each other, both knowing the other was thinking of their childhood spent in one. Markus had been the lucky one, only spending about eight years in one as his family moved upstate to work as live-in servants to a politician. Inien hadn’t been so lucky and spent her entire childhood in one till she was eighteen.

“Come on, he said he had the afternoon free today.” Inien bounded up the steps, the excitement of starting her own speakeasy overriding the memories that threatened to spill over. Markus followed close behind.

This tenement house was made out of an old, four story house that had been a rich man’s house before he moved out to the cleaner countryside. Now it was packed with mainly Russian immigrants. As Markus and Inien climbed the stairs, they couldn’t help being be jealous of how cleaner this house was in comparison to the ones they lived in. The government had made tenement housing more bearable to live in. Not comfortable by any means, but there were windows and it didn’t feel like the flu would wipe out an entire building in a night.

The man’s room was on the third floor, last door on the left side. After passing a large family loudly speaking in a language neither Inien or Markus could understand, they knocked on door marked 47 by two mismatched numbers.

There was a long pause as no one answered. Markus was about to knock again when the door flew open, revealing a man with slicked back, black hair and wearing a wrinkled white button up and vest.

“What do you want?” he asked, looking between the two of them unamused.

Inien stepped forward. “Hi, my name is Inien. My cousin told me to come here in order to start up my… business.”

“Ah, you are Inien, yes, yes, now I remember. But who is this man?”

Without skipping a beat, Markus took of his hat and bowed low. “Markus Tannhauser Velafi. At your service. I’m her… business partner.”

The man looked unimpressed by the grand gesture. “Yes, but how do I know you won’t sell us out.” At the confused looks he got from the other two, he stepped forward. I’ve talked with Inien, I don’t know you.” His Russian accent grew thicker with every word, every step he took. Before Markus realized, he was against the opposite wall with the Russian man’s stare keeping him in place.

“Look,” Markus started, “I’ve known Inien for a while. Even if I’m still unsure on someone who’s never had experience in this, throwing herself in the business, I’m not going to go behind your backs.”

It took a moment, but the man stepped away and walked into the apartment. “My roommates won’t be back until night, we’ll be okay.”

Markus gave Inien a worried look before she shrugged and followed. He took off his hat before following into the small apartment.

“Wait!” Markus said suddenly, pausing midstep. “What’s your name?”

A beat of silence. “Just call me Thog.”

Markus nodded as Thog started talking about setting up.

Even though he knew Thog didn’t trust him wholly, and Markus was still on the fence on the legitimacy of this mob business, he was still glad Thog was there, or else Inien would have no idea what to do. His knowledge was easily seen in his planning, how he seemed prepared for any situation; cops come in to the bar, being seen carrying crates after dark, all of it Thog had a way out which made this idea… feasible.

“Alright then, all we need is a base of operations, right?” Inien asked.

“Mhm, and I know the right place. It’s a coffee shop downtown called ‘Number Seven’.”

Markus and Inien exchanged a confused look.

“A coffeeshop?” Markus asked.

Thog grinned, for the first time since meeting them. “No one would suspect a thing. The owner is… a character.”

“But, is there going to be enough room in the basement?” Inien piped up.

“For now, we can out-source later, but this will be a good enough base of operations.” Thog leaned forward, seemingly growing more excited as the plan came together. “Now, if we send for the shipment this week, this means it’ll arrive in about three weeks.”

It was Inien’s turn to grin widely. “There’s a big opening night around then. Don’t you think the cast would enjoy some ginger water, Markus?”

Markus stared at her before slowly shaking his head, a small smile growing.

“Ginger water sounds like something I’d be more inclined to say.”

-=-=-=-=-

The cast did enjoy the alcohol, no questions asked. Markus didn’t want to say it out loud, but the successful first selling made him more confident in this speakeasy business. It still scared him that he now owned a gun and had learned how to (sort of) shoot it as per Thog’s request.

“Jobs can get… rough” was all Thog gave as explanation, rubbing his left shoulder. He and Inien had simultaneously decided not to ask.

True to his word, the job did get rough. Second time the trio went to fetch the shipment, cops were patrolling. Markus had broken into a cold sweat the moment a flashlight’s beam passed by his feet. Quick thinking and stuffing his’ handkerchief in his mouth to keep him quiet rewarded them with the alcohol they paid for.

The bakery had also proved to be a decent base. Ol’ Inny was the character Thog promised, his ramblings petering off from English into Swiss and then into a weird combination of the two languages. Those who entered often wanted to buy what they need and leave, ignoring any signs of illicit activity.

They were all happy their business was off to a good start.

Something had to go wrong eventually.

It was their first European shipment, the good stuff from Colvin. Thog had predicted their profits to jump after these wares were bought. They needed this shipment to really bring the cash rolling.

The night seemed perfect, enough moonlight so they could see in front of them, but not enough to be spotted by the passing cop on the street opposite from the wharf.

Inien managed a handshake between the people unloading the goods before Markus turned, a noise setting him on edge.

“Did you-”

“As wary as we should be, it was probably a worker dropping something,” Thog supplied, pausing before putting an uncertain hand on Markus’ shoulder. “You need a nap once we get this shipment in the basement.”

He could only nod in agreement before turning to help the workers load the wares in the trunk parked nearby.

Markus managed to lift one of the smaller boxes when they all heard a “Hey!”

All heads turned, to a cop, who couldn’t have been more than 25, holding a gun. HE looked more scared than they were.

“D-Drop it!” the cop yelled again, addressing Inien, about to pay the boat workers.

No one moved.

“I-I swear it!! I-I’ll shoot!” The gun was shaking. “3! 2!”

Markus couldn’t hear the rest, blood pounding in his head as he ran, going for his gun. He wasn’t even sure what he was going to do, just knowing there was no way this man was going to hurt Inien.

There was a bang! and Markus stopped.

He heard someone scream, but it wasn’t him. People were moving by him and when had he fallen onto the salt-encrusted wood of the dock? He only knew it hurt, oh Gods it hurt, how could something hurt this much?

He barely noticed the gunfire above him, only able to flinch every time he heard another shot.

Inien and Thog’s voices were muffled, like he’d been throw underwater.

From yards away, he could hear Thog yell, “I know where to take him!” before the pain brought him under.

-=-=-=-=-

It wasn’t clean, but it was clean enough. It wasn’t easy to get to, but considering how much blood was pouring from Markus’ hand, there was no other option. It wasn’t cheap, but it was better than explaining to nurses how he’d gotten a bullet in his hand.

The “underground hospital” actually just the basement of an abandoned building, the only traces of what it was were the chipped paint of “Alaran” on the front. They were allowed one day in this shit hole. One day before Markus had to give up the cot to another low life who couldn’t explain their injuries to professionals.

Inien stayed by his side the whole day, silently contemplating the bandages covering the 5 stitches in his hand. Thog, for once, was not so quiet.

“We weren’t ready. We should’ve prepared for. We need more people; people who know how to fight, at least one doctor…” He sat down on the other side of Markus, head in his hands. “Why am I even this concerned about you people? This isn’t my business.”

She glared at him. “Well, you’re basically family now after the shit we’ve been through. You’ve been a part of this since day one.”

He went quiet. They both did. They knew they had a lot to do; they had already lost money, only getting half the stock in the resulting shootout, recruitment of more people, selling what they could, establishing what exactly was this work relationship they had, but it could all wait.

-=-=-=-=-

Markus was now left handed now, still able to move his right hand, but the limits made it virtually impossible to use it for more than pointing and gesturing. For now, that was good enough as he and Inien descended the stairs to the club. Two weeks of scouting for new people led them to believe a man by the name of Gregor Hartway was the best for them.

He already had experience, being one of the front men for the Outriders, a notorious gang that had once ruled upper Manhattan, but one night had changed all that. Gregor was one of the few remaining people.

Markus and Inien gave the password and the entry fee as they entered. The place was huge, room for a bar, several tables and chairs, a dance floor and enough walk space to not feel crammed. Soft lighting gave the place a warm atmosphere despite the crimes everyone was committing but just standing there. The place was bustling, which was not a surprise for a Friday night.

The two walked toward the bar, eyes scanning the place for their man.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Markus stopped Inien with his good hand and quietly gestured with the other. “Is that him?”

He guided her line of sight to a shorter man with a ponytail sitting off in the corner, smiling to himself.

He wore simple clothes, a white collared shirt with pinstripes and brown slacks held up with red suspenders. From where they were, they could see the top of some blunt weapon leaned against an extra chair.

Inien nodded and the two started toward him. He only looked up when they were in front of him.

He smiled. “Hello.”

Markus smiled back, sticking his bad hand in his pocket. “Hello, my name is Markus Velafi, this is my associate Inien, and we were wondering if you’d like a job.”

Gregor paused. “That was a quick introduction.”

“We have limited time.” Inien said plainly as Markus picked up the conversation. “We need someone who can handle himself in a fight and we heard you were the one to talk to.”

The other man smiled. “What’s the job?”

“Helping to protect a bar like this, but better.” Markus winked.

“We want you in,” Inien deadpanned. “The pay’s good. What do you say?”

Gregor scratched his chin, considering it. “Can he come?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Who’s he?”

“He means me.”

The sudden voice behind her sent her nearly twenty feet in the air. She stumbled into Markus, who was equally unprepared for the new voice. The man calmly walked to Gregor’s side, a wide grin on his face.

“W-Who are you?” Inien asked, setting herself right.

“I’m Zalvetta, a pleasure.”

Gregor piped up, giving no reaction to the surprise entrance. “We’re kind of a team. I’m good brute force-”

“And you can imagine what I’m good at.” Another wide grin.

Markus looked to Inien. “We do need people…”

Inien looked directly at the two of them. “You’ll have to split a paycheck till our… business gets rolling.”

Zalvetta looked displeased, but Gregor looked hopeful, which seemed to sway his friend.

“Deal.”

-=-=-=-=-

“I’m surprised that went so well,” Markus commented as they exited the club. “Two for one? I’m calling that a good day.”

Inien didn’t look so impressed. “We still need a doctor.”

He rested his good hand on her shoulder. “Inien…”

“Don’t!”

Markus paused. “I’m fine, you realize that, right?”

Silence. They kept walking through the streets like that, letting the sounds of the city wash over what had been unsaid between them since that night.

“I don’t want it to happen again,” Inien finally said.

“I know, but if we can’t find one soon, it won’t be the end of the world, okay?”

“…Okay.” Markus gave her shoulder a quick squeeze before shoving that hand into his pocket.

Luckily, they had found the person who they were looking for. She was spoken highly of, those in the Alaran hospital had attested to that. Her ability to heal was unmatched by any other person who bothered to lend a hand there. It was a shock that she wasn’t an actual doctor, but no one asked questions. It was part of the policy.

What they had been able to find out was she worked at a printing press near the outskirts of the city. Her specific job was unknown, but a building was all Markus and Inien needed.

Even more luck fell upon them when they found her loitering around the outside, on a lunch break. Her white hair was in disarray, with ink splotches all over her trousers. Despite that she still held herself with some air for authority. Out of all the workers walking around, she stood out.

As they approached, she looked up at them, narrowing her eyes.

“What do you two want?”

Inien shrugged, “We need a doctor.”

“ ‘ow good?”

“Excuse me?”

“ ‘ow good of a doctor? I never got my degree.”

“Kicked out?”

The woman grit her teeth. “Money problems. Father refused to pay the rest, I didn’t have enough, I dropped out just before I would ‘ave graduated.”

“Well, we don’t care about that.” Markus cut in, glaring at Inien briefly before putting on another charming smile. “I’m Markus Velafi and we’ve heard you’re very good at what you do.”

The woman stared at the two of them. “Who’s the patient?”

Markus gave Inien a quick glance. “It’s more so we want to hire you for when the situation is needed. We want you to be on hand in case we get hurt.”

Inien butted in, slipping Ashe the number for what could be her paycheck. The number made her eyes go wide, but she schooled her expression quickly.

“What’s the business?”

“It’s a speakea-”

“I’m in.”

Markus and Inien shared a look.

“Really?” Inien asked.

The other woman nodded. “I haven’t had a drink in forever. You bet your ass I’ll take the job.”

Inien grinned and held out her hand. “Alright then, what’s your name.”

“Aesling, but call me Ashe.”

They shook hands.

-=-=-=-=-

From there, their business only grew. The basement area under Ol’ Inny’s place was turned into storage as they found a larger place, under a bakery run by a woman named “Dont,” where they had plenty of room to turn it into a proper speakeasy.

Thog, while still essentially the co-head of the place along with Inien, ran the bar, ignoring Markus when he tried to get him to flip bottles and put on a show. He’d roll his eyes, but when the bar emptied, he’d try flipping an empty bottle, just to see if he could do it (He couldn’t). Ashe helped him on the busier nights, when she wasn’t stitching someone up in the back or threatening someone with surgical equipment (Inien hadn’t expected her to be so good at it. It both scared and intrigued her).

Gregor and Zalvetta turned out to be key as more shipments came in and they needed a path clear of police. Their skills also became useful as people started not keeping up their promises.

Markus turned to be the sole employer, finding more people to build upon their so-called “empire” as Inien liked to brag. He found Firi, a flapper and a girl good wit organization, at a dance class. Batty, their bouncer, he found in alley as she beat up the man who tried to rob from her. Moren… Markus never told them how he found Moren, avoiding the question with wild gestures and a blush across his face. He slipped dollars to the orphan kids so they would make quick deliveries and return with all the cash owed.

All the while Inien sat back on her throne (it was the least rickety chair in the place) and grinned, ecstatic her once crazy idea had pulled through.

It was good to be the Queen.

[fancycollectionfury-blog1]

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I'm 17, I live in Texas, and my mom is making me get my own car insurance. which would be the best and cheapest for me?""

Planning ahead for car insurance ADVICE.?

OK, So I have recently passed my driving test and am now currently trying to sort out a car for myself. As a young driver I know insurance is high. All I want to do is find out how much the insurance is on each small car, so I can find the cheapest. E.G KA ETC. I have looked online such as confused.com and they ask you for the number plate and ask questions about the specific car. Obviously I can't fill it in because I haven't got one. Is there a website that will show all insurance companies and their prices????? Many thanks.""

Do U think it's fair women's insurance is cheaper because they have an 'innie' and men have an 'outie'?

I see just as many women being careless drivers as men. Why should their sex organs have anything to do with car insurance?

""How much does American spend on average on car monthy payments, insurance, gas, and maintenance each year?""

How much does American spend on average on car monthy payments, insurance, gas, and maintenance each year?""

Do I have to notify my auto insurance company if I was in a wreck?

Do I have to notify my auto insurance company if I was in a wreck AND it was NOT my fault? This is what happened: I was completely stopped because everyone else in front of me stopped in the middle of the road (some idiot in the front slammed on the brakes). A lady rams my rear end because she wasn't paying attention. My car got damaged, her's didn't. How do I go about claiming it? Is her insurance company going to pay for my repairs? Do I need to contact my insurance company at all? I don't want to pay anything and I don't want my rate to go up. Something I was planning to do way before all this happen was to change insurance companies because I can get the same coverage for less with someone else. Now if I tell my current insurance company that I was in a wreck and it was not my fault, would my new insurance company give me a higher rate than what I would've gotten if I didn't tell my insurance company?""

Average insurance rate for a taxi?

in bakersfield ca

What is the cost of car insurance with out drivers ed.?

I am an 18 year old girl, looking to get a small used car something like a older civic. What would the average monthly payment be. I live in NH and I have good grades, never been in ...show more""

How do I transfer medi-cal insurance to PA for college?

Hi guys, I'm 17 and currently live in california and have medi-cal insurance because my family is low income. I'm planning on going to Philadelphia for college, but I'm not sure how I can transfer my medi-cal to Pennyslvania? Is it even possible? Or do I have to apply again in Pennsylvania? I Need proof of insurance to enter school and I don't know if medi-cal is enough. I have health net as well. I need it by the 23rd of July and it is now the 25th of June. Will I have enough time to get insurance? any help is appreciated. Thank you!""

Will my company have to pay a fine for not offering me an affordable insurance plan?

The word going around is that the change in our insurance coverage is only going to drop by a small amount due to the act, and the price someone told me is much more than 9.5% of my income. If I apply through the marketplace for the reason that I cannot afford insurance with my company, will they be fined for not offering me an affordable plan, or do they just get fined for not offering benefits at all?""

Would OSAP provide money for car insurance?

I'm going to buy a car for college to get from point A to point B and I was just wondering if OSAP would be able to provide me for car insurance and gas money. Thanks.

Is it possible to get some good life insurance on a 72 year old woman?

Where can I look and what do I need to be aware of?

Do i need insurance if im driving my dads car?

Hello. I was wondering if i need insurance if my dad is teaching me to drive while i got provisional license with the L plates on the front and back of the car? When i pass my test i will get my own car.

Do you believe everyone has a right to medical insurance?

What are the pros and cons of giving everyone access to medical care?

Staying in California for 2 months. Is it worth it to get a motorcycle?

I'm from Indiana, am over 21, and have a valid Indiana drivers license. I'm going to be staying in California for 6-8 weeks and would like some sort of transportation. I'm considering buying a motorcycle or scooter but am not sure if it will be worth it considering the hassle of registration, insurance, etc. Then I would sell it again before I go back to Indiana. My brother has offered to give me motorcycle lessons before I leave and I could get my Motorcycle learner's permit from the local BMV. Does anyone have experience with titles, registrations, insurance etc and could tell me if it would be worth the hassle?""

Whats the fastest car a 20 year old can get insured on without paying huge insurance?

I have a bmw 1.6,its fairly slow and cant get insured on a 1.8,i think the fastest car i can get insured on is a honda v-tec 1.5,the insurance is not expensive for it at all,possibly an mx-5 1.6 aswell coz of the pwr to rate ratio altough never driven 1,what do ye rekn?""

How high does insurance go up for a speeding ticket in MN?

I recently got a speeding ticket going 60 on a 45. How high does my insurance go up I'm 16 and drive a '05 300C

Cheap Auto Insurance (Liability)?

I need to register my tags which has expired. I know I need to be insured before doing so. I am looking for an Insurance company whom would insure me today with all proper documentation (today) . Does anyone know of such a company with affordabile rates? Ex: $45.00 or less monthly. I live in Georgia outside Atlanta.

Car insurance for car hire?

I'm going to Virginia for a week and will be renting a car from rentawreck.com. Would they provide insurance or would I be covered by a joint policy will my mum? BTW I'll be 18 + british. Don't say I can't rent because I can.

courier insurance quote

courier insurance quote

Would my car insurance rates go up if I switch?

I'm insured with geico but I've found a better deal with esurance. I can't afford to pay both. I want to cancel with geico and start over with esurance before the geico policy cancels. If I did this would esurance charge me a higher rate? I know it will effect my credit negatively.

What is the best/cheapest young drivers insurance company?

I am learning to drive and purely for future reference what insurance companies are the cheapest to go buy for first time drivers. At the moment im just looking on AutoTrader and eBay and copying and pasting them into various companies if you can speak from experince it would really help...

What if i stop paying my insurance when i have a car loan?

i am leasing a new car, been paying for 3 years and this month i couldn't afford insurance so i stopped driving and started bike riding. well the insurance was cancelled for like 2 ...show more""

State farm car insurance question?

My bf was in an accident recently where he was rear ended at a stop light. The other driver was ticketed and no one is contesting the fact that the other driver is at fault. My bf decided to go through the other driver's insurance (state farm) rather than his own so that he wouldn't have to pay a deductible. He needs about $600 worth of body work done. After going through all the hoops, he was told to take the car to a local body shop & that he would be approved for a rental car while it was being repaired. Today, he took the car to the shop, but they told him they won't take it until March 21st (about 3 weeks from now). Until then, they expect him to drive his DAMAGED car. He drives long distances pretty frequently (usually visits me an hour and a half away every week or two) and neither of us are comfortable with the idea of him getting on the interstate in a damaged car. What recourse does he have in this situation? It seems pretty unfair that the accident was someone else's fault entirely and he is going to be stuck waiting almost a month to be put whole again :( I suggested that he call state farm and let them know that he's not satisfied with their solution, but he doesn't think it will get him anywhere. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? Thoughts in general?""

""I pay $76.25 a month for my health care, Liberals explain how you will make this cheaper...errr...affordable?

Affordable health care is here. I have a state of the art hospital and had one major surgery that went very well.

""Nice corsa modifications, cheaper on insurance?""

Hey guys, got myself a corsa.. Got tinted windows, alloys, irmscher body kit, tinted lights already. What other mods could I do that would be at the cheaper end of the insurance.. I don't want my insurance going up a bomb, but little to no increase mods would be great. Thanks!""

Can I sue someone with auto insurance?

I live in Las Vegas and I was involved in a car accident in November. There were 6 cars involved and this process is being UNUSUALLY long. It is impossible to get in contact with one of the claimants so we can not settle for our car damages. Can I sue the individuals that were held respoinsible for the auto accident?

My son's car was totaled and the insurance company offered us a very low price?

My son was rear ended at a high rate of speed. He was pushed 6 feet into the car in front of him. The guy had to really be moving when he hit my son. He was driving a 1999 Chevy Lumina LS. The blue book value according to NADA is $5000. It only had 78,000 miles onthe car. No rust on the body and overall in excellent shape. The insurance company offered me $3600 for the car. I can NOT find a replacement car in that shape for that price...""

Cheap insurance?

im 17 & i live in toronto (CANADA) and i gotta 1992 honda civic , and i m looking for the cheapest insurance possible does anyone know some kind of insurance agency who can get me a cheap insurance $300 or less?""

How much is teen insurance?

Typically how much is insurance for teens in general? For just an ordinary, average car? thanks""

Car insurance help?!?

Can I purchase car insurance and not own a vehicle? The reason I ask is because lately I've been renting vehicles and they charge for insurance, by request. I figure since I use rental service often that I could go ahead and get low price insurance. Any ideas?""

What car insurance company is best for an 18 year old?

I am 18 years old and am going to attend college in late september. I have practiced driving and am working on my license to live on campus. I know car insurance is expensive but I just want to know which would be the best coverage if I get into a collision and would be the cheapest. My mom said it would cost about $300 but that sounds crazy :/. I know Im a new driver but why would it be that expensive? It sounds hard to narrow down considering all the possibilities but Im new to this whole world of cars and insurance. My parents wont help me out at all. In fact, Ive been saving up for when this moment would come. I saved up $606. Plus, Im going to apply for a part time job at my college that will pay $10 an hour. I should be making about $120 a week which would be like $480 if I dont spend my money on stupid stuff which I wont. So basically, $480 is my budget. Well it might be a bit less. I have to eat too so I guess I could live off of 80 dollars of food. So that would be leave me with 400. As you can see, im really struggling to try and work out a plan. If you could give me some opinions that would be great. Thanks for reading what I have to say :) -Nick""

Where can I get cheap auto insurance?

I am looking for good and low cost auto insurance.

Does having big bore kit affect the insurance cost?

Im looking at buying a vespa scooter registered as a 50cc, im 16 years old, and was wondering because it has a 110cc big bore kit fitted on it how this would effect the insurance cost? Thanks for any help.""

Car insurance help needed?

How do I get insurance for every 6 months? Like do I pay a small amount every month? Is it better to call local insurances from yellow pages or the other like State Farm, progressive etc""

""Car Insurance / Mother or Father as First Driver, me as Second?""

I'm trying to sort out car insurance, but the problem is, is that it is very high, Ive never done this before as Im a first time driver, but a lot of people have told me to put my parents as primary drivers and me as secondary, how do I do this? I really have no idea, thank you I'm using gocompare.com but how do I enter my parents in and then as secondary, thank you very much""

Do I need to use an insurance broker to buy business insurance?

I run a small independent shop, and require business insurance. Does anyone offer this direct like household and motor, or do I have to use a specialist broker?""

Wouldn't the PPAC (Obamacare) bankrupt insurance companies?

PPAC seems very similar in nature to the Community Reinvestment Act that played a role in the 2008 financial crisis. The PPAC requires insurers to offer the same premium (price fixing) to all applicants of the same age and geographical location without regard to most pre-existing conditions (excluding tobacco use). It also states that minimum standards for health insurance policies are to be established and annual and lifetime coverage caps will be banned. As a business owner, I don't see where the government comes to the conclusion that insurance companies could survive the price fixing and taking on such high risk liabilities. It seems like 2008 all over again, does it not? Wouldn't they get involved in something similar to what the banks did with derivatives since they were forced to take on high risk loans? It seems like the big focus on Obamacare is the part where people are forced to buy insurance. I don't think that is a big issue, the big issue is how can the insurance companies handle this? Am I wrong? I am going to do more research tonight.""

Companies that provide comprehensive health insurance packages?

Which are good, and why (maybe)?""

How to become an insurance agent in california?

How long does it take and where to go in ca central valley area or bay area anything about this would be greatly appreciated thanks!

Life & house insurance on rented?

If you are moving into a rented property how does life insurance work as it usually goes against the cost of the home as it is paid off? Also, what about house insurance, would you just need contents insurance and take off building insurance as that is covered by the landlord isn't it?""

Does anyone know the cost of insurance for an infiniti g37 for a 18 year old boy?

Apparently, the dealer says infiniti g37 aren't technically sports cars so the insurance wouldn't be too high for my son. I'm not to sure though..can anyone clear this matter up?""

I have a Suzuki GS500 now & want upgrade. What is the cheapest sportbike on insurance 1998-2006?

Thinking of maybe a Yamaha R6 or R1, Ducati Monster, Buell Firebolt, Kawasaki Ninja, Honda 599 or 919""

What is an insurance premium?

Is the insurance premium what you pay monthly for your insurance?

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I DRIVE WITHOUT CAR INSURANCE AS WELL AS NO FULL UK LICENCE?

HELLO, ONE OF MY FRIEND WANT TO KNOW, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, IF HE DRIVE WITHOUT CAR INSURANCE, AS WELL AS WITHOUT FULL UK LICENCE. HE HAS GOT PROVISIOAL LICENCE, JUST ASKING. HE NEVER DRIVE ANY CAR WITHOUT FULL LICENCE AS WELL AS FULL INSURANCE. JUST HE WANTS KNOW. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF POLICE CATCH HIM ON THE ROAD, I HEARD THAT POLICE WILL TAKE HIS CAR,SCRAP THE CAR, WHAT ELSE, WILL HE FINE OR PRISON? HE JUST WANT TO KNOW.""

courier insurance quote

courier insurance quote

About how much would it cost to insure an 18 year old for 1 week on car insurance?

About how much would it cost to insure an 18 year old for 1 week on car insurance?

Do I need public liability Insurance ?

We are starting a service that matches companies to website designers. Its an online service. Theoretically there could be issue between the companies meeting through our service. Would we require some sort of public liability insurance to cover us for such issues ? or maybe some other sort of insurance.? regards Ashley

Re. Car insurance?

Anyone work in insurance buisness? I have 2 cars, my mobilty car and a smaller car. I origionally bought it for my wife as she doesnt like driving my mobility car as its too big. I was advised by insurers to keep car in my name, Using my insurance in my name with my wife as a named driver and my 18 year old son who as of yet cannot afford a car as he is attending college and only gets 30 a week EMA if he attends. My wife and I want to give him the car as a joint 18th and christmas present. Now I am stuck if I hand ownership to him and he is pressured into taking out his own policy, my insurance that I have built up over nearly 35 years will possibly be voided and if I need to insure another car in next 3 years after my mobility car is handed back, I may loose my max NCD. Can I legally keep car in my name also my insurance and make him a named main driver, my wife as second and me as third. I have life threatening illnesses and want to give my kids their own cars. cont'd""

How much is car insurance be?

I am 15 about to be 16 NO record at all.. I have a 1999 ford escort no wrecks 80,000 miles. I would like to know how much car insurance would be and a tag would be and how much my license would be I live in florida. also are their any other fees?""

How much does motorcycle insurance cost?

17 yr old male.... and 1st motorcycle.

""How much is the yearly average insurance for a sixteen year old in LA, California.?""

How much is the yearly average insurance for a sixteen year old in LA, California.PS. Liability only. And if you need to know the car and insurance corp its an 1995 Ferrari f355, and 21st insurance. Please give real averages and i am serious so please real and serious answers. What i mean is please tell me the price only for a year. Please only serious and real answers.""

Car insurance for a 16 YR old girl with an 08' Mustang?

How much would insurance cost for a 16 year old girl with an 08 Mustang with Famers insurance. I have all A&B's in school. Have taken drivers ed. Have no wrecks on my record. Please give me a real price range not too much or A lot.

Car or bike insurance?

What is more expensive when you are 17, Car or bike insurance???""

Car Insurance: Which is cheapest in America?

Just purchased brand new vehicle and wanted some feedback on which companies offer inexpensive rates and superior service when needed.

""Rear ended someone in a rental vehicle, will my premiums rise?""

I was in a rental vehicle when I tapped the car in front of me. I drove a '11 Toyota Corolla and he an old Chevy Monte Carlo. I came to a complete stop before absentmindedly loosening my foot on the brake, thus I tapped him at perhaps 2-3mph, and left a light imprint of the license plate on his red bumper. I offered to negotiate a cash payment on the spot, I was thinking of a couple hundred, but he insisted costs to be over 1,500. I did pay for damage insurance on the rental, but not liability. I'm insured with Safeco in Southern California, will this affect my rates at all? I talked to a body shop and showed them pictures of the imprint, and they figured that repairs would be around 150-300, depending. I heard that premiums won't necessarily rise unless damages are over 750? Is that true, and if so what are some tips to keep them from rising at this point? (this would be the first accident where I am held liable)""

Finding affordable health insurance in 2013?

I'm a 35 year old male who recently had heart surgery to replace my heart valves. After the surgery shortly after my recovery from the hospital (actually the night I returned home) I had two strokes. Luckily I was able to recover from that also. I'm still not 100% and its been almost a year since. I will be losing my insurance I had with work and will actually need to quit my job. I pay over 400$ a month not including medical visits and the numerous amounts of pills I need to pay. That amount to pay is getting harder and harder to pay each month. I looked into other alternatives but they all seem to more expensive than what I pay now. I live in California. I currently have Cobra insurance with Kaiser. I need to find insurance without losing much of the benefits I have with Cobra and Kaiser. I'm not too clear what the Obama Medical Law will benefit me, but I'm hoping it does somehow. Does anyone know of any insurance alternatives for a 35 year old male, not disabled but with a medical condition, unemployed or losing benefits soon, what are my options?""

6month CHEAP car insurance.! plz help?

hi, iam looking for a 6month cheap insurance policy plan for my bf's blazer. the court says he has to have sr22 with a 6month policy... if not he will go to jail. we have found one where 1200 is the cheapest at the moment but i would like to know if there is anything cheaper.""

Drivers license in California 19 years old?

How do I get my driver's license in California when I'm 19 years old? I already got my permit but it expired. Thanks Also, i'm a california resident""

AFTER BUYING A CAR..INSURANCE? HELP?

I just bought a car (used). bought from the previous owner. AND NOW IM STUCK....? i dont have my licence yet; i am 18 though. im going to register the car in my name and the title and all that stuff. i also need to do emissions testing. I know i need to do all of that be for i take my drivers test. My thing is with the insurance. The car needs to be ensured for the test. Q: can i get insurance with out a license?

I'm 21 years old and i work full time&i live at home with my parents&im pregnant what benefits do i get?

I'm 21 years old and i work full time&i live at home with my parents&im pregnant what benefits do i get?

Car insurance per month?

I was just wondering if any one could give me a close estimate on how much car insurance would cost a month if you drove a 2003 Cadillac CTS & were 16 years old. The car is used. Please don't say depends what insurance company you have. Thank you.

Florida - Car Insurance Question?

A friend of mine who lives in Florida said that he has to pay for car insurance even though he doesn't own a car and doesn't drive his parent's car. Is it true that by ...show more

Which car insurance companies have you found to be cheapest for a teen?

Im 17 years-old and plan to be added to my parent's car insurance. I have good grades, took drivers ed, will be driving an older car and live in Idaho. Which company will work best for my situation? All help is appreciated.""

What is the best site for finding family health insurance?

What is the best site for finding family health insurance?

Can I put my daughter's car insurance in my name after filing for bankruptcy?

My 18 year old daughter just got her license and is now getting her first car. Her car insurance rates would be crazy high if she gets it in her name because she's young and a new driver. I would like to put it in my name so it will be cheaper for her, but I'm going through a bankruptcy right now. Can I still put the insurance in my name? She has a full time job and would be paying for the insurance on her own.""

Where can i get individual health insurance for me and my daughter that also covers pregnancy in connecticut?

I need to get health insurance for me and my 1 year old daughter. I am planning on becoming, or possibly already am pregnant but need insurance for us. Any help? This is in CT, so it is a state that does not require individual policies to cover pregnancy.""

Motorcycles and insurance?

right now i have a bull blast and i want to upgrade to a faster bike that is better above 60 mph and riding 2 up. the problem for me is that i am 19 and insurance for me with the little buell is 200/yr. i want to get a gsxr 600 or a 600 ss but they are over 600/yr and thats too much. the only bikes that are still in the lower insurance bracket is a ninja 500 and 650 or an sv650. are there any other bikes that are cheap on insurance? or what are your opinions on these bikes?

How much would a 2005 Honda Civic Coupe be worth?

I probably totalled my car. What is the estimated value of the car? How much do you think my insurance company will give me for a new one? Is there a site I can go to?

""What are some practical, sensible alternatives to forcing people to carry health insurance or pay a tax?""

I have a problem with paying for people who don't carry insurance, like a certain brother-in-law who works as a handy man, lives paycheck to paycheck, smokes like a chimney, and refuses to buy health insurance. He is one accident or one case of lung cancer away from passing on a huge hospital bill to the rest of us. If we remove the requirement for people to carry health insurance, what is the alternative? Would we remove the requirement for hospitals to treat anyone who either did not have insurance or could prove they could pay the full cost out of pocket? Maybe people like my brother-in-law could get a tattoo on their butt that says Dear Doctor, I gambled and lost, let me die! Or maybe we let the states deal with the issue. Then the federal government could withold Medicare/Medicaid funding from any state that didn't ensure someway, somehow that everyone has affordable healthcare available. Lets solve the problem 50 times and 50 different ways instead of once. Gee that sounds better! So yea - whats the alternative? If its such a bad thing to make people buy health insurance, then give me a GOOD, practical alternative?""

Car Insurance for G35 Coupe 2003-2007?

I called triple A and they told it would be 2,700 dollars for a G37 Coupe for a 16 year old boy in a family plan, but how about a G35 Coupe? They are much older, so I assume that the insurance would be much lower? An estimate anyone? I Live in Northern California""

courier insurance quote

courier insurance quote

Cheap Auto insurance?

I got my G2 about 3 weeks ago, and i am trying to find a insurance company in the GTA that offers insurance for a primary driver for a low price. I am a teen and I would be driving a 2001 volvo S80 2.9L""

Proof of car insurance?

I live in Massachusetts, and I have proof of insurance on my registration. There isn't a separate insurance card - but if for some reason I am pulled over out of state, this should be be enough, right? Does anyone have any experience with this?""

Car insurance confusion?

so my dad bought a car for my sis and I to share. I have liability that my mom pays. My sis has insurance my dad pays. Can I still drive the car my dad bought for us or do I have to be under his plan? btw my parents are divorced

Cheapest insurance online?

Can anyone point me to the cheapest insurance companies online? Been quoted some ridicules prices. Thanks

Where can I get non-owners insurance in New Jersey?

I dont own a car, but I rent about once a week, and would rather not have to take out liability insurance each time.""

What do I have to do to get a motorbike license?

I already have my drivers license, and I am 17. Also, is buying a motorcycle + insurance cheaper than buying a car+insurance? My parents are unwilling to pay for me.""

How much would motorcycle insurance be?

I am a 16 year old caucasian male. Want to know how much insurance would be in TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA for my first bike, a 2001 Honda CBR600F4i.""

Is Car Insurance quotes race-specific?

Where I live the 'minority races' and immigrants I asked how much car insurance they are paying because mine seemed steep were paying very little compared to me for the equivalent car - even though theyre new drivers. I have a clean licence since 1987. Are they less likely to have accidents? I dont believe this some of them only their God is keeping them from having accident. Or is to charge them too much being racist so we have to pay more insurance for them?

How to find free medical insurance?

i m cheap person who work partime and i can t afford to pay alot money so do u guys know any free medical insurance or dental ?

Which is the type of insurance to avoid?

Which is the type of insurance to avoid? A- mortgage insurance B- identity theft insurance C- disability insurance Why?

How much does car insurance cost?

Like im 16 and i got my first car its a 1996 pontiac bonneville... Anyways i need insurance to drive it,, so how does it work?? Like when i go to get insurance do i have to pay any fee's on the spot, when getting my insurance?""

Boost Mobile Insurance?

I bought a galaxy prevail android phone, through boost mobile, about 1 1/2 months ago. at the time that I bought it, I did not purchase the insurance thinking that I'd get the money for that and get it later. Now I want to buy it, but when I went on their website I couldn't figure out how to do it and from how it looked, I could only get the insurance throughout a limited time after I bought my phone. So my question is; Can I get insurance on this phone right now or am I outta luck because I didn't get it earlier? ??? Please & thank yewws :)""

Driving without insurance in Illnois?

I am 21 yr old male & due to high rates of insurance i am not insured. Instead, my car is insured on my dad's name. I wanna know what are the consequences of driving without insurance in illinois. I heard the fact that it doesn't matter much if the driver of a car is not insured but the car should be insured on any other person's name rather than who is driving?""

On average what is my auto insurance going to cost if I go with geico or progressive in los angeles?

I need to know seriously

Should I get mortgage life and disability insurance?

I just bought a house on my own and the bank is asking me if I want to get mortgage life and disability insurance. I've got life insurance through work (plus separate life insurance on my own) and disability insurance through work which is at 75% of my pay after 4 months. The mortgage and disability insurance is $47/ month. Do most people get additional insurance on the mortgage? I don't have any kids, husband, parents or siblings living in the same country (they're in Europe).""

Car insurance.......?

I'm 25 years old and a first time driver and I am currently looking at car insurance and have some questions: SKODA FABIA 1 (60) 1198cc What does the (60) mean, is that the top engine speed? Also I was on Gocompare's car insurance website and I was wondering if the 'Proposer Excess' was added into the Annual Premium price or if it is to be added on top of it. I know these might sound like silly questions but I am new to this and any help would be appreciated. If you need more information just ask.""

Car insurance?

what happens if you have liability car insurance and a guy that smashes your car hits you and he doesnt have any insurance? are you covered or are you screw ed?

Need a quick answer on car insurance?

My first question is, if your car is hit and the other insurance company admits fault - aren't they supposed to come meet YOU to assess damages? Secondly, is an insurance company allowed to deny you whats owed after already admitting fault and after already getting an estimate from a body shop? How do I prevent them from low balling me?""

How much do auto insurance agents make there first year?

What's the average for starting license auto insurance agents? Do they only make commision or hourly too? Are the leads provided. Is it a hard industry to get into?

Do any insurance companies do insurance on two cars uk only?

Why is it that if a person has two cars you can not get insurance for two cars on one policy If like me you have more than 9 years no claims bonus you must put your no claims on to one policy and start a new policy for the other car. but you can only drive one car at a time Is this just another insurance rip off

Home owners Insurance can't afford - help?

a year ago I paid off my mortgage and now I have property taxes which I pay in installments and now home owners insurance, there was enough left in escrow the first year for the mortgage company to pay the property taxes rhe first year, but now I realize I cannot afford the home owners insurance / I'm in a low income job , and it's $600 a year - If I were to cancel the home owners insurance until I get finish my degree to become a teacher in three years would I encounter problems with an another insurance company to get home owners insurance once they know I've been without HOI for say 2-3 years? or what would happen - see I hsve property taxes, hoa do every month etc and I'm living paycheck to paycheck I have car ins cause it's the law / can I just cancel the HOI just for three years until I make more money? advise please""

How much would i get from the insurance?

I was involved in a car accident in Sept 2009. I sustained low and upper back injurie, left side shoulder and neck and severe headaches. I have been dong treatments such as chiropractic, acupuncture, massage and phisio therapy. As of right now i am only doing physio therapy and massagge, however the injuries have not healed yet. If for any reason i dont get better for another year or 2, how much would i be getting from the insurance as a settlement? The medical bills as of Sept 2010 were around 13 thousand. I was employed at the time of the accident and have not returned to work since the accident. My car was totaled and the other driver was fully at fault. I am just wondering how much would i be getting roughly if my case lasts for 2-3 yeas in total.""

Where can I find really cheap car insurance?

poor working girl in cali seeking really inexpensive car insurance

What is a good looking and cheap running car for a 17 year old british man hoping to pass soon?

i would prefer a hatchback but dont actually mind lol...need it too look good, be cheap to run and cheap on insurance""

Does anybody know of a good affordable life insurance?

I live in California, im 19, im perfectly healthy(i've never smoked and i've never drank...ever)and im trying to find a life insurance policy to purchase for myself, since at the time i was born my parents couldn't afford one. So, i decided to do the smart thing and decide to get myself life insurance. I would like to know of people's opinions on life insurance, and which ones are best for someone my age.""

courier insurance quote

courier insurance quote

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/employer-health-insurance-spouse-peter-cook/"

[carlculationinfinityinterviews]

STANLÆY INTERVIEW

STANLÆY, an artist who creates music that brilliantly uses vastly textural compositions fused with a visual counterpart. 

STANLÆY’s  latest release titled The Human Project explores the elements and embodies each of them in both sight and sound. The Human Project is an incredibly immersive experience that’s ethereal and captivating.  

I interviewed STANLÆY at The Maple Leaf Lounge Sessions in Southampton to talk more about the album and musical origins of the band. 

STANLÆY-THE HUMAN PROJECT TRAILER

What was your first encounter with music and what inspired you to become a musician and what is the drive behind you wanting to create music?

I couldn't pin down a singular experience that made me want to become an artist or that led me to become a creative individual. My earliest musical memories were from listening to records that that my dad played around the house or on our many journeys to Cornwall. They were things like Kate Bush, Damien Rice, and Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds. One of the earliest artists I can remember being fond of outside of my Dad's influence was Cocorosie.

I've been classically trained from quite a younge age. The first instruments that I learned to play were piano and viola.

The main drive behind my desire to create music is the process of world-making and story-telling. I love to create musical spaces with other musicians using texture, composing for all kinds of instruments but also I find lyrics very important and I spend a lot of time playing around with language.

What was the first piece of music you sought out to buy and how would you describe the experience of engaging with music at that early phase?

The first CD that I can remember owning and loving was by Sigur Ros Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur- it’s just beautiful. It’s one of those albums that I can listen to on repeat still, it really used to annoy my family so I used to listen to it with headphones secretly in my room.

How did  STANLÆY begin and how did you want to achieve with it from the begin into comparison to what you wanted to artistically when it started in comparison to now?

I didn't actually start writing music till I moved to live in France for a bit, a few years ago. I had written a fair few songs before then but I didn't consider myself as a solo performing artist at that time.

STANLÆY officially began when I moved to Paris and met a guitarist called Marco Pavesi. Stanhopea was the first musical pseudonym I used because I wanted to separate my identity from the music I was making. Why the band is called STANLÆY is quite a long story with a web of reasons all tying into one another – but in short: I wanted the band to have its own androgynous body. Also, my dad’s nickname was Stan at school, even though his name is Adrian! I have always thought that was funny and I like the family link Stanley has to me.

The vision has changed a lot for what I wanted to achieve with STANLÆY. It's now become an encompassing art form that's audio visual, and ever evolving. My latest release The Human Project features a video for each song embodying the sound and image of the elements.

Tell me about the process of wanting to make The Human Project Audio Visual and the meaning behind some of the songs featured on the album and how you wrote them?

I made my first music video for The Fisherman's Wife last summer 2016 and fell in love with film making which made me decide to make an audio-visual album for my next musical project. 

STANLÆY-THE MOUNTAIN COLLECTOR 

The album is an exploration of embodiment that I completed alongside my degree whilst I was studying at Southampton University. I decided that I wanted to work with brilliant musicians and compose brilliant things for them to play.

I was told that it was a very ambitious project but I knew that I could do it. I composed all of the parts and recorded/engineered everything in about six months and then premiered the film counterpart at The Harbour Lights Cinema in Southampton in May!

The instrumentation for The Human Project consisted of thirty different musicians featuring strings, harps, percussion, various different drummers and vocalists. I recorded all of the main vocals and piano parts as well.

The first song that I composed was Earth, The Mountain Collector. 

STANLÆY-THE MOUNTAIN COLLECTOR

This song began with the chorus riff and the backing vocals which I demoed in Logic. I treated that idea like a sketch and applied the same creative ideas as sculpting a piece, I slowly started adding parts in Sibelius since I knew that I wanted other instruments to be a feature of that track.

Earth is about the effect of being trapped in corrupt environment that you aren't connected to and the feeling of wanting to return to your roots. The video tells the story of four rams gambling. I run away and try to find my way back to the mountains because I'm disconnected with the environment, like how I was losing the game. I return, grow and turn into a mountain in this new environment because I believe we echo the environment we are surrounded by and exposed to. The song was written for string quartet, double bass, drums, piano and vocals. I really enjoy the space in the track.

Water

Water has three sections to it and the initial creative concept was based around particles. I wanted the instrumentation to be scatty and all over the place with interlocking polyphony between the harp, strings and bass. I had choir made up of five people and had the bass playing a higher melody so that it could interject between the main vocal line.  Every instrument acts like a separate vocal line or a lyric that tells a different story throughout.

Tell be about the process of playing the recorded material live. Since you've featured 30 musicians on The Human Project, what do you want musicians to experience live in comparison to your recorded material?

It would be amazing to play with an orchestra and mix all of these amazing sounds together one day! I don't know of that's plausible right know though. Also, finding a time where thirty musicians are available would be a nightmare to organise.

I chose to make it more manageable for myself by arranging the pieces for a smaller ensemble, my current line up consists of bass, drums/percussion, guitars and vocal and sax. I'll have a violinist play with me eventually though in order for that to happen I'll need to find someone who is also passionate about the music.

I actually really love playing music differently to how it is on record, that's what I did when I released my first album Ouroboros. I like to keep it interesting for the musicians and for listeners. It’s really fun and sometimes a good challenge for me to rearrange everything… it’s only natural to evolve, it doesn't need to be the same.

STANLÆY-NME

How do you maintain your proficiency as a musician and ensure that you are progressing?

I try to listen to as much music as possible, I have a lot of great friends and we all recommend different albums to each other I've been introduced to a plethora of great artists that I may not have found on my own… like a photograph you get exposed to a lot of things and you get over exposed, that's the best kind of photograph.

In regards to maintaining my proficiency I am still practising classical violin and piano. I am also always learning more about the guitar and vocals. I think for me, stepping back from music to focus on other to art forms is really important too (and influenced how you therefore keep creating art) so I work on other things such as painting, film making, yoga, cycling, going to as many live gigs as I can and meeting lots of different people/exposing myself to as many different things as possible.  

What are you currently listening to and what was the last form  that really expand what you thought you was creatively possible?

I've been listening to a lot of Joanna Newsome lately and I've been painting a lot so it’s great to listen to put on full albums on repeat whilst I'm doing that. Something that I really love about her work is how she weaves lyrics together into such delicate/intricate stories.

I like to tell stories through songs so its inspiring to hear someone else do that. A very inspiring band I've been listening to at the moment is This Is How We Fly. They are from Dublin and feature a percussionist, wind instruments, violinist and saxophone, they basically create beautiful riff based folk jazz with soundscapes. I like to write music that has a lot of sonic textures and use instrumentation/instruments collectively to create a sonic tapestry, it’s like painting with sound and the sounds creates a space to inhabit. I love listening to bands that create music like that.

What equipment are you using?

I'm using hollow body Grestch at the moment that I have called Oak. For pedals I'm using a Boss DD6 and Electro Harmonix POG.

What advice can you give to musicians that are starting out or thinking of writing their own music or becoming a performing artist?

I'd advise that you just keep being yourself since it’s maybe easy to start thinking about “what do people want to hear?” instead of what you want to create for yourself.

What do you want people to take away from the Human Project Means?

I'd love for people to feel inspired by the album and feel like they are in the space and environment that the videos reveal. I’d like to connect the viewer sonically to the elements and for people to see music/videos from a new perspective.

STANLÆY will be performing at The Art House Southampton on May 11th, I highly advise that you buy a ticket: 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stanlaey-and-kitty-oneal-at-the-art-house-tickets-45491159282

Please follow STANLÆY at the following links below and support their music:

https://www.facebook.com/StanleyStenning/

https://soundcloud.com/stanlaey

https://stanlaey.com/

[arkham-prisoner]

Get to Know Me Uncomfortably Well

Nobody ever asks me these when I share them so I’ve decided to do them whenever I see them without being asked. I saw it reblogged by @winchestergospels and original poster unknown

1. What is you middle name? Joseph 2. How old are you? 21 3. What is your birthday? September 27, 1995 4. What is your zodiac sign? Libra 5. What is your favorite color?  Anything related to Purple 6. What's your lucky number? 4-8-15-16-23-42 (if you understand this I applaud you) 7. Do you have any pets? Not in a long time 8. Where are you from? New York 9. How tall are you? 6′3″  last time I checked  10. What shoe size are you? I usually wear size 12 11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? 3? 12. What was your last dream about? I don’t dream a lot so I have no idea 13. What talents do you have? Excessive knowledge of useless information mostly regarding movie trivia 14. Are you psychic in any way? No 15. Favorite song? Tough question I honestly don’t know music really isn’t that big in my life 16. Favorite movie?  Impossible question I love movies to much to choose only one....Star Wars....it’s the entire Star Wars franchise 17. Who would be your ideal partner? Honestly my goals are so low it’s sometimes embarrassing just tell me I’m pretty and eat pizza with me 18. Do you want children? Yes 19. Do you want a church wedding? I don’t care who or what performs the ceremony  20. Are you religious? No 21. Have you ever been to the hospital?  Overnight/Prolonged stay? No just for a few X-Rays, Blood Tests, etc. 22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? No 23. Have you ever met any celebrities? I have a binder filled with autographs and pictures of me with celebrities I’ve met. Far too many to list, from Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, to William Shatner to Adam West 24. Baths or showers? Showers 25. What color socks are you wearing? Classic White/Grey. I’m Boring 26. Have you ever been famous? Very vague. No? 27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? Probably not 28. What type of music do you like? Soundtracks: Movie/TV Show, Theater, Video Games  29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? Unfortunately no. I’m very comfortable with my body so I would do it almost anytime, anywhere, with anyone as long as no one gets hurt and we don’t get arrested  30. How many pillows do you sleep with? I NEED at least 2 31. What position do you usually sleep in? Various  32. How big is your house? Medium? 33. What do you typically have for breakfast? If I’m up that early, whatever I can find. I’m not usually picky like that 34. Have you ever fired a gun? No 35. Have you ever tried archery? Yes 36. Favorite clean word? What type of question is this? Do people really have a favorite word? 37. Favorite swear word? I’m stuck between choosing Fuck or Whore(Sarcastically) Fuck because you can use it in every part of speech. Whore because its fun to sarcastically call someone a Whore. Your friend makes a bad joke: “Boo Your Whore” 38. What's the longest you've ever gone without sleep? 20-24 Hours 39. Do you have any scars? One. I split my thumb open when peeling an apple 40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? HAHAHA!!!! Not that I know of. I’m very lonely if you can’t tell 41. Are you a good liar? I like to think so but I try not to make a habit of lying  42. Are you a good judge of character? I like to think so 43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? Yes but there is a difference between doing accents and being good at it 44. Do you have a strong accent? I don’t think so. I may live just outside of New York City but I’m not a “New Yorker” 45. What is your favorite accent? That’s tough maybe native Spanish speaker and Native German speakers 46. What is your personality type? Not something I’ve ever thought about idk 47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? Probably my leather U-Boat Jacket 48. Can you curl your tongue? Yes 49. Are you an innie or an outie? Innie 50. Left or right handed? Right Handed (I totally checked my hands for the L and backwards L) 51. Are you scared of spiders? I actually like Spiders (To my sister’s horror) 52. Favorite food? Can’t go wrong with Chicken 53. Favorite foreign food?  Cheap American Chinese Food 54. Are you a clean or messy person? Clean but if you saw my room you would probably disagree 55. Most used phrased? “What the fuck???” 56. Most used word? I have no idea 57. How long does it take for you to get ready? Usually quite quick. It depends on my mood how early it is, and what I’m getting ready for 58. Do you have much of an ego? We don’t think so 59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? I don’t feel safe around Lollipop Biters 60. Do you talk to yourself? More often than I feel comfortable with 61. Do you sing to yourself? Quite often 62. Are you a good singer? I haven’t caused ears to bleed yet so thats a good thing 63. Biggest Fear? Doing something that will hurt my relationship with someone 64. Are you a gossip? Do I Gossip??? No. I’m confused by the phrasing  65. Best dramatic movie you've seen? Schindler’s List. The term Cinematic Masterpiece is an insult  66. Do you like long or short hair? It depends, certain hairstyles don’t work for some people 67. Can you name all 50 states of America? If I wasn’t timed and I could write them down then probably 68. Favorite school subject? History 69. Extrovert or Introvert? Somewhere in the middle 70. Have you ever been scuba diving? No but I want to  71. What makes you nervous? The unknown. I know vague and dramatic but I don’t like not knowing something. I’m the person that will run to google 72. Are you scared of the dark? No I often enjoy the dark I find it peaceful  73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? Yes not always for the best 74. Are you ticklish? I don’t think so, it anywhere probably the bottom of my feet 75. Have you ever started a rumor? If I have, they didn’t make an impact on me to remember 76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? Depends on what you mean by “Position of Authoroty” 77. Have you ever drank underage? Yes. I think my First drink was 4th of July when I was 17 78. Have you ever done drugs? Very VERY VERY small experience with pot 79. Who was your first real crush? I have no idea, probably when I was little and didn’t know what having a crush was 80. How many piercings do you have? No piercings, just tattoos 81. Can you roll your Rs?" NO AND IT PISSES ME OFF!!! One of the few things i wish I could do 82. How fast can you type? Depends on my concentration, but my fingers type faster than my brain so there’s a lot of mistakes on my rough drafts  83. How fast can you run? I used to be able to run quite fast but I don usually run 84. What color is your hair? Dark Brown 85. What color is your eyes? Greenish 86. What are you allergic to? Thankfully I only have seasonal allergies  87. Do you keep a journal? Nope, never have 88. What do your parents do? Dad is a retired cop and Mom works in an office for a construction company 89. Do you like your age? Yes? Odd question 90. What makes you angry? Stupidity  91. Do you like your own name? I do but I hate it when people think it’s spelled Stephen/Stephan. “PH” IS PRONOUNCED F!!! 92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? John-Paul or David for a boy and Jessica for a girl 93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? Yes 94. What are you strengths? I like to think that I’m patient  95. What are your weaknesses? Let’s just say #94 isn’t always true. Also I will admit I often have a short fuse when it comes to my temper

96. How did you get your name? Sorry I’m gonna leave this one blank. I’m not sure if it’s right to talk about this one 97. Were your ancestors royalty? I don’t know a lot about my ancestry but I think my family descends from of of the larger ancestral Irish families:  O'Braion, now most commonly known as O’Brian (Not my last name though) Feel free to correct me if you know anything 98. Do you have any scars? Didn’t I already answer this? I split my thumb open pealing an apple 99. Color of your bedspread? Nothing matches. White Sheet and Mattress cover and an old Camouflage quilt 100. Color of your room? Formally Blue. Now it’s grey due to how long it’s been since it’s been painted