#me: its the setting of the barbie surfing movie

[marshmallowprotection]

Very very important question:

What are the Mysme characters favorite barbie movies?

Bonus, what are your OC’s favorite barbie movies?

Finally. A question that fulfills two of my special interests. So, let’s think about this using every Barbie film since 2001 since there are a lot of materials to think about and plenty of characters to consider.

So, I guess we’ll start off with these group’s gamer boy, Yoosung. I feel like you could get him invested in more of a modern era Barbie so the films after 2009. Cliche but, Video Game Hero has a whole story arc about solving video games by programming as you venture in a plot that’s better than anything SAO could ever dream to be. Let’s get Yoosung into more games instead of leaving him to climb through LOLOL.

Jaehee deserves Barbie & the Diamond Castle film. Which is, hands-down, one of the more sapphic films in the series. What’s more powerful than learning how to work together with your best friend, singing songs and finding yourselves in a world of chaos? Nothing, you’re right. It’s what she deserves and this would be a great watch as Jaehee starts to realize more of her romantic inclinations toward MC.

Zen is one I would give to Swan Lake. I feel like he would be able to identify with that story in more ways than one. Feeling trapped and unable to live the life he wants because he seems to be nothing more than an “oddity” instead of a guy with a huge heart that shines on stage. It doesn’t matter if he feels “Cursed,” he will make the best of his situation, just as Odette does in that film since it has a much brighter ending then the original ballet does.

I know what you’re thinking here and you’re going to ask, hey, what would I give to Jumin? Well, you’re in luck. I’ll be happy to inform you that he’s getting to sit back, relax, and engage with Princess and the Pauper. I feel like he enjoys the aspect of the original story, but now they’ve added charm to it with cats and that happens to be easy to watch with Elizabeth. But, really, he would enjoy watching two worlds collide and the lessons that come from realizing everyone could have a way of relating to each other if given a chance.

Saeyoung would love Star Light Adventure, hands down. It’s the Barbie sci-fi films of the century and since it’s one of the more modern films, it doesn’t get a lot of love or attention. But, Saeyoung would love the hell out of this movie for a lot of reason I can’t spoil to you. But, let me tell you, he would love to be Barbie in this situation, surfing the stars to save space from losing its glimmer... and the little pet sidekick is cute.

V is one you’re gonna need to hear out. Okay, so, Magic of Pegasus is probably the most sassy Barbie film ever. She is a stubborn girl who dreams of nothing in this life but ice skating, but when her family and life is threatened by a wizard, it turns out she has to learn more about her family and the curse that came to take them away. Conflict happens in more ways than one, and I think V would be able to see his younger self in this movie, as well as his current self, the one who is at his wits end trying to decide what’s good for him. Literally the comeback and all the quips in this film are teenage V.

GE Saeran is my love. Therefore, I’m giving him Rapunzel since that’s always a story he can relate to. I appreciate that this Rapunzel has the ability to draw and paint her way to her freedom with a magic paintbrush set, and he would love that brand of whimsy once it was shown to him. Also, this movie has a dragon... who doesn’t like dragons? I debated if there would be a better option for him but this is what makes the most sense to me.

Vanderwood is my most cliche answer by far since Spy Squad is a movie about spies. But, I feel like this movie would be comforting to him somehow. Just this thought of Vanderwood thinking about how he wishes that the job had more a lot more like this, not corrupted, just doing good for others and not losing yourself to despair and death. It’s a movie where Vanderwood claims to be hate-watching it but... not really. There’s something about plucky spies who are too happy for the sake of it... cough cough, reminds him of the brat.

Rika... might be another cliche decision but i feel like this is the best choice in this situation. Barbie did a take on the Christmas Carol, and it’s about an opera singer instead. I feel like Rika would like this film despite how many already are aware of the plot, simply because this story is about a girl who has friends, but her trauma and frustration with the past begin to isolate her from the people in her life who love her. I think Rika needs a reminder that she’s more than all of her anguish and fear, and seeing someone overcome that and get her closest friends back could do wonders.

Bonus OCs!

Lila gets The Nutcracker, not just because it was my favorite as a child, but because there’s a lot of warmth in the story itself. It’s about not giving up when you’re faced with impossible circumstance. She would be able to do that since she’s the Saeran MC, you know? She has a heart that won’t shatter when the going gets tough. Yet, she would never be able to believe she was a princess... much like how Clara in the story doesn’t realize she’s the Sugarplum Princess until her strength reveals itself in the last second.

Judas... yeah, we already know he’s going to say that Princess Charm School would be his favorite. I assume it’s because he sometimes wishes that he had been born to better parents who cared for him instead of the ones he had. It’s a cruel dream of his to discover his parents weren’t really his parents at all, but it’ll never be the case. So, he can project onto Barbie who gets to live happily with a lot of friends and a newfound family that wanted her from the start. Of course, it’s got to have drama, too, which is why the conflict here as why this princess was far from her kingdom is right for him.

Minji is our down to earth girl. I’m giving her both of the Mermaid Tale movies as they’re both very enjoyable films that she’d take to like bread and butter. This is a series about a surfer who discovers her mother is a mermaid, and tries to find her way back to her only to discover the kingdom is in need of help. I will say it’s enemies to lovers in the second film when you meet Barbie’s newest rival and it happens to be one of Minji’s favorite tropes in media. You would think I might be thinking of a more food centric Barbie movie, but, nope, it’s about sports!

[mania-sama]

rule #12 - through the tides

Rule #12 - Through the Tides - Fish in a Birdcage

➼ information ❧ Voltron ❧ Pairing: Hunk & Lance & Pidge ❧ Tags: shark attack, amputation, surfing, surfer! lance, no voltron lions au, blood and injury, harm to animals (the shark had it coming), hurt no comfort, nonbinary! pidge, gore ❧ Summary: Lance just wants to surf, but it seems like a creature of the sea has different plans in mind. ❧ Word Count: 1,837 ❧ Cross-posted from Archive of Our Own ❧ Original post date: 16 October 2023

➼ whumptober 2023 ❧ Day 16: Amputation ❧ Previous Day ❧ Next Day ❧ Masterlist

Author Note:

this is inspired by a VERY specific fanart of lance and shiro (not ship i dont think) where shiro is trying to comfort a crying lance, who is staring horrifiedly at his amputated arm. the nub has obvious shark bites, and the whole work is so compelling bc its like lance was hurt by the thing he loves THE MOST in the world (or that the fandom has assigned to him anyway) and nobody can understand his pain but shiro, who is also an amputee.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT. I CANT FIND IT. i cant find the fucking fanart. its gone. if any loser reads this fic and happens to have the fanart somewhere. link me to it. or dm me on instagram or twitter. i am desperate. i am so utterly desperate idk what to do with myself

also faintly inspired by barbie's "a mermaid tale" but thats only because the only references i have to surfing are the movie and Teen Beach Movie and im gonna be honest, this is not like teen beach movie at all

-

The ocean is Lance’s happy place. When he sets his feet in the cold salt water, the tension in his body from the day or week flows out of him like how the ocean waves ebb against the shore. His feet sink into the sand and seep between his toes. It’s a natural massage to work out his anxieties. The breeze rushes off the horizon, tossing his hair and cooling the sweat on his forehead.

He stares at the glittering sun in the midday sun. It brings him relaxation and adrenaline all at once; the water lapping his ankles is his calming massage, but the waves crashing further ahead call his name as though they are a crowd of excited fans. Lance doesn’t surf professionally, preferring to keep his hobbies and his career separate, but that doesn’t mean he won’t get a rush from the beachgoers watching him tackle the unforgiving ocean.

He adjusts the board under his arm and takes a deep breath. He spares one glance over his shoulder at his friends waiting on the safe sand. Hunk waves at him enthusiastically from where he’s building an already impressive sand castle considering they only arrived ten or so minutes ago, and Pidge smiles from their lounge chair. Their massive umbrella protects their fair skin from burning at the slightest touch of the sun.

Lance turns back to face the waves. A big wave builds in the distance, too far for Lance to get to in time. It’s a promise of a thrilling challenge yet to come. He doesn’t waste any longer and strides out to join the people swimming out in the ocean.

The chill of the ocean is a fresh of breath air to him. Most people — Pidge — complain about the bite and sudden cold, but Lance has never been able to understand that reaction. It’s like a mint for bad breath, a shower after toiling in the mud, and a payday after two weeks of hard labor. He embraces the slap of the crystalline water as though it’s an old friend, which in some ways, it is.

He hoists himself stomach-first onto the board and drifts when his feet can no longer touch the ground. He’ll propel himself now and again to keep moving in the right direction, but for the most part, he stays stagnant on the water. Waves come and go as they please; a good one is harder to catch than a mediocre one, and a gnarly wave is the rarest of them all. Unfortunately, Lance is in the mood for something huge to make the adrenaline rushing through his veins worth it, so he has to wait a long time.

Honestly, it’s not so bad. As long as he’s in the ocean, he can’t feel the edges of impatience creeping up on him. The sound of the water’s ever-constant movement is a melody to his ears and a remedy for his greed. He can stare for hours at the way the sun reflects off the water in dazzling bursts of light. It’s a phenomenon that can’t be replicated even if all of history’s best painters rose from the dead to collaborate on recreating the scene.

It can’t capture the smell of salt and seaweed, the gentle caress of the water on his hands and calves, or the happy people screaming and splashing each other in the distance. Seagulls circle overhead and dive when they find a fish straying too close to the surface, or they find a human to harass for bread and chips. The heat of the day burns on Lance’s tanned skin, unrelenting even as the thin clouds attempt to diminish its power.

It’s Heaven on Earth. Michelangelo could never hope to replicate it.

Lance spies a wave rippling in the distance. The water ripples, and the frequency of the sloshes near his board change. His heart picks up pace, and his arms start working to get closer to the rising wall. After years of surfing, he can easily tell which waves will end in a disappointing, diffused heap, and which ones will create a loop so large Lance can stand inside.

A shadow overcasts the water that the wave rises over, and the rush of the moving water overpowers the loud beachgoers closer to shore. His world narrows to him, the wave, and his board. Lance forces his board and himself underneath the wave, the ocean completely encasing him in sea water. He stays there for a moment, salt and water burning his eyes and flowing against his closed lips. The sounds of the surface world are muffled, and he can only distinctly hear the gushing water.

When he’s about to break the surface, he spots a form under the water. Lance has had close encounters with sea creatures before — fish, crabs, jellyfish, and other rather unfriendly animals that didn’t appreciate a human traversing their home. He’s never been upset when they pinch, bite, or sting; he is the trespasser. The ocean is not his home.

He’s been near sharks before but in every single instance, it was in a more or less controlled environment. The sharks were small, freshwater, and used to human presence. Experienced divers kept their noses and teeth from ever getting within biting distance.

In the split second after, he breaks the surface with his board clutched in a white-knuckled grip. All he can see now is the very tip of the shark’s gray fin coming straight towards him.

“Shark!” He screams as loud as he can, and he climbs onto his board as quickly as he can. The wave is still moving, on the brink of collapsing in the great surge he’s been waiting for. They travel fast, faster than he hopes the shark is willing to go to keep up with him. It’s not going to be the surf that he wanted, but by God is it going to be the one he’s going to get. It’s ride-or-die, literally.

Hazily, he hears the blow of whistles and the revving of the lifeguards’ waterskis. His heart beats too hard in his chest, and it nearly overpowers the sounds of the restless ocean. His board wobbles underneath him, threatening to knock him off with the slightest misstep. He knows it's the panic setting into him that’s throwing him off but his running mind can’t help but associate it with the shark moving in the depths below him.

The shark produces a massive shadow underneath his board and rocks Lance off-balance. It’s slippery from being completely under the water, and his tingling feet prevent him from a steady grip. His arms flail in the area to pull him back on the center of the board.

He’s still screaming his head off when he falls. It’s not completely off — his body is still on, but his hips straddle the board and his legs plunge into the ocean. He tries to pull them back up, but he notices the wave has left him behind.

Then pain explodes in his right leg.

He thrashes against the board, attempting to use his full body weight to dislodge the shark off his leg. But it holds fast. Lance can see its body as more than just a shadow, now. Its nose sticks out of the water, and its huge body moves back and forth with all of the effort it has to pull him underneath the waves.

Lance can hardly think past the bite, how it sears his leg in the worst agony he’s ever felt. He’s been burned, stabbed in a fight, beaten to a bloody pulp, yet nothing compares to this. His skin rips and tears under the huge, sharp teeth of the shark. It takes all of his core strength to keep on the board and not tip over, which means leaning on the other side. It’s taking off his leg, it’s taking off his leg, but he has to sacrifice it if he wants to survive.

Blood comes up in smokey waves to pool around him and the shark, mixing with the white steaks and bubbles created by their fight. Lance lets go only temporarily to punch the animal directly in the nose, which actually gets it to let go. Its body torques and thrashes in the water. Lance uses the short opportunity to bring his leg onto his board.

Except it doesn’t come out of the water. His knee comes up, but the space where his calf and foot should be is occupied by the overflowing pour of blood and flesh. Tendrils of the tendons the shark couldn’t get ahold of swing in the open air. His white bone peaks out from his knee, a small numb in comparison to the long bone that should continue the skeleton.

He screams, and he screams when the shark launches to finish the job, and he’s still screaming when a pair of hands hoist him off of his board and out the shark’s bloody, snapping jaw. Its beady eyes flash in the open air, staring directly at its prey before it flops under the water once more. It breaks his board in half from the crash of its massive body directly down the center.

Lance’s voice is hoarse, and his sobs are uncontrollable as he stares at his leg. Or rather, the absence of it. It throbs like it's still there. The pink and red bits of his flesh fly off in the wind from the speed of the jet ski. The lifeguard is saying something to him, but he can’t hear it over the engine of the machine and the static in his ears.

He’s never going to surf again. He’s never going to be able to walk on his right leg again. Not as flesh and bone, but as a wooden peg, metal, a machine, nothing but the air. It should still be there. He can still feel it. Parts of it remain; his liquid and solid insides still flow and burst into the area where it should be. It should be there.

But it’s not, and it’s unbearably painful and all he can do is sob as the pain overtakes all of his senses. Salt flies into the gaping wound, filling up the space where his leg should be. 

Where his leg isn’t. Where it never will be.

He’s sobbing when the paramedics drag him into the waiting ambulance, and he’s reduced to whimpers as the sheer pain overrides his consciousness. Hunk cries with him and holds his hand, and Pidge can’t seem to stop screaming, either.

He passes out thinking about his leg. How it’s gone and never coming back. but still hurts all the same, still mocks him in its presentation of being real and attached to his body. He sees the pink, pulsing flesh peeling from his knee in thick strips behind his eyelids. He feels the warm, blood-infested water, and stares into the gaping jaws of the shark that claimed his leg.

Then, the deep, watery darkness of unconsciousness.

[velociraptorsaurusrex]

Trivial Pursuit question: What is the setting of the television show Surfside 6?

Me: oh dang, what's that really beach-y place in California?

My brother: Alcatraz?? My dream beach

[foxilayde]

Cheers to you for all those followers, well earned!!

Im game, match me up 😏

Let’s see, I’m fairly tall (I enjoy wearing heels because it puts me over 6ft). Blonde (bought and paid for) with blue eyes. Aries.

I like watching movies and reading (I’ve read 54 books since January 1st, and I’m in the middle of 3 more). I have a slight obsession with plants (I have somewhere around 25-35 plants in my micro suite). Currently learning language #3 before I take myself to Peru this year or next year.

Randomly, I don’t like the sound of water being poured (like pouring water from a kettle into a mug), it unsettles me.

I can hip thrust 145lb (my goal is 200lb), and I have a scar on my chin from a Barbie fridge (I was 2, wearing my big sister’s boots).

My most watched movie? the mummy, and to saw over 300 times is not an exaggeration. I literally watched it on repeat for 3 days straight before the sequel reached my nearby theatre. It was VHS, serious dedication.

Lana! I have NEVER in all of my DAYS seen a more perfect match for Marc Spector. 

You’re chill yet ambitious. THREE LANGUAGES?? HIP THRUSTS?? TALL BITCH?? Oh hell yeah. Marc is allllll over that, honey. And THEN some. 

You are down for an adventure (as long as you can find someone to water your plants while you’re away) and you don’t ask too many questions of him either. Content to see where your travels take you and to live in the moment.

You met Marc on a transcontinental flight. He was seated next to you in business class on your way to Cairo. You have your itinerary all set. Tours, museums, hostels, even dune surfing and a camel tour. You’ve done so much research and have read so many books on the city. You’ve wanted to visit since you were a little kid, after all!

You’re looking through one of your travel books, highlighting one stop in particular that looks interesting, when you notice the man next to you. You had been so engrossed in your book that you’d not even seen him sit down. But now he’s bouncing his knee with a nervous energy, making his presence wholly known, and you just stare at his shaking leg. Then at him with an upraised eyebrow.

“Nervous?”

He stops bouncing his knee.

“Yeah. But not about flying.” He wrings his hands now, and it's obvious he doesn’t want to talk about it. He nods at the book in your hands. “First time to Egypt?”

“Yeah! I’ve always wanted to go!”

“Little tip? Drink bottled water. The tap tastes like chlorine.”

“Duly noted. Thanks for the tip…”

He stops twiddling his thumbs to extend you a hand, “Marc.”

“Lana.”

“Nice to meet you.” His eyes land upon your open backpack full to the brim with books. “Jeez, you know its only a 6 hour flight, right?”

You smile warmly at him, “I like to switch it up… I like options.” You shrug.

“You gonna read them all this flight, or can I borrow one? Had to leave sorta suddenly and the sky mall only gets you so far.”

You push your bag closer to him. “Be my guest.”

He rifles through the bag and laughs when he selects the fucking alien romance novel that you had at the bottom. Fucking hell. 

“This one any good?” He holds up the raunchy cover at you and you nod.

“Blows the Sky Mall out of the water.” 

You sit in silence for the rest of the flight, sneaking glances over at him, giggling silently seeing his wide eyed expressions. You try to keep reading your travel book but it’s so much more entertaining to watch him read the smut. 

When the flight lands he’s still got a few chapters left. He goes to hand it back to you, but you give him the address of the hostel you’re staying at.

“Finish it. I insist. You can send it here when you’re done.” You wink at him, and sling your book-laden bag over your shoulder.

“I’ll do that!” He calls after you. 

He keeps his promise the next day, returning it in person. 

[gaylonelydyke]

Okthis is a lot of questions but whatever I'm curious: 8, 17, 26, 37, 44

u can never ask too many questions dude! asks make brain go brrr !

8. have you had water today? that is a very kind question to ask and god yes i have its so fuckin hot here rn, i know u know what im talking about my whole body is permanently covered in a sheen of sweat atm its disgUSTING

17. earliest obsession you remember? idk how early to think but like as a child i was completely pbsessed with barbie, i had a lot of dolls and all the movies up until i grew out of it which was when the surfing one came out?! but yes :) fandom wise however i think thats more embarrassing, it was the rise of the brave tangled (frozen) dragons and i shipped jelsa 😅😅😂

26. do you believe in aliens? yes! absolutely! like it literally just means another life form out there in space and i absolutely believe that there must be something right? right 😅😭? i dont however believe in the type of aliens that conspiracy theorists talk about like probing u and abducting u and replacing you, i dont believe im that but it can be a vibe sometimes

37. do you shop at thrift stores? (aka charity shops in the uk), i try to! i dont go out of my way to go to a charity shop but if its there i will go in and look, oh recently idk if this is a thrift shop but theres this pop up vintage shop thats new to my town and it has some really cool vintage clothes and i got these brown leather gloves very similar to lady dimitrescus!!! theyre so cool! the problem with charity shops by me is its usually full of like middle class suburban mum clothes but i definitely look!

44. do you collect anything? i used to collect ribbons but not anymore, ive started a dvd collection of a bunch of my favourite movies which brings me much serotonin just knowing that if one day wifi collectively died and the world p much shut down id still have my dvds and assuming theres still power of some sort i could watch them <3 i just got shes all that last week omg!! wait gina i need to tell you shes all that! my favourite movie as a young teen, and i didnt even realise its set in the sunnydske highscool building and smg has a cameo in it!! i found out while rewatching it for the first time in years last week it was like CRAZY

thankyou for the ask friend!!

[deehollowaywrites]

I excerpted part of a chapter from Losing the Bug in July’s rewards, and now I’m posting it here, mainly for noted Benthusiast @lilbit4point0.

The sets at Natural Art were solid that morning, a thick white-capped wave rolling in every twenty minutes or so like we’d ordered them special. Dario sat next to me on his board and we hung out for a minute while a couple of the other regulars peeled off.

“You’re wasting time,” he called. The wind blew wet tangles across his face. Blond as he already was, in a month or so his hair would be Barbie-bleached thanks to the sun and salt water and the chlorine of the pool on his parents’ back patio. “What are you waiting for, dude?”

I shrugged, curling my legs up under my board beneath the water. “Not in any hurry. Calm your tits, Kelly Slater.”

“First good waves in a month and you’re not in any hurry,” Dario repeated. He clipped the side of his hand across the water to splash at me. “You better be. We need to leave in like ten minutes if you don’t want to be late for your date.”

“Uh-huh. Fifteen hands tall, long black hair…” I laughed, thinking of the first colt slotted onto my morning work-out schedule. “Shitty temper. Exactly my type.”

Dario laughed too, his face turned south to where a tiny figure was barely visible carving the froth off a wave. “I can’t be your conscience, Benjamin. Leave it up to me and we’ll just hang out here all day.”

That sounded ok, actually--better than ok, a day spent surfing and swimming and walking up to the snow cone hut on the bend. Watching the sky get light, working on my tan, checking out guys. It was June and that was what summer was for. It was the other reason kids from school still blew up my phone, requests for tips and cajoling to get them into the fancy lounges at Gulfstream one day, then gossip about the upcoming Surfriders competition on Fourth of July weekend the next day. What was the point of living in a place everyone else vacationed if you didn’t avail yourself now and then?

I slid down into the water until my chest pressed the grit of my board and started paddling. After a minute Dario did too, calling, “You’re no fun!” into the breeze at my back.

“You really aren’t,” he continued when we hit the sand and picked up our boards. “Seriously, you used to be Ben the good-time boy and now you’re, like...dour.”

“Get the fuck out of here with your SAT vocabulary. I’m a shimmering delight.”

“I hate to be like this,” he said, digging in the zipper pocket of his board shorts for his keys. “But like, if I don’t tell you, who will? That’s what best friends are for. Ben. Seriously. You need an intervention.”

“If my parents thought I was working too hard I’d be hearing about it from Mom.” I levered my board into the rack on the roof of his car. “As it is, I’m pretty sure Dad thinks I don’t work hard enough, so what’s your point?”

Dario snickered as we got into the car. “Man, I don’t care how hard you work. I care how boring you are lately. You think it’s fun to surf with some uptight princess who won’t shut up about how he’s winning the riding title, not Joel Canseco?”

I frowned at my reflection in the car’s side mirror, even though the salt water was doing nice things for my hair.

“Who the hell is Joel Canseco anyway?” Dario leaned his arms on the steering wheel and stared at the line of cars inching down 3rd Street. “God, look at that, we left at exactly the right time. Ben, for real, usually you’re just bitching about that redneck homophobe or whatever.”

“Mason Waller,” I muttered. That asshole should’ve been riding Guava Grove in Tampa, or better yet hauling his ass out of the state of Florida altogether, maybe to Mountaineer or some shit. “Whatever, Dario. Look, this is how it goes, if there’s more than one apprentice around that’s who your competition is. Same weight allowance, all the trainers want that. So it starts being about who’s actually better, not just who’s tacking less than the regular jocks.”

Dario blinked at me as we waited for the light. “So kick his ass, Ben. This is kindergarten math.”

Dario had managed to be friends with me since middle school without really figuring out how horse racing worked. I scrunched my toes up inside my flip-flops, wiggling them so that sand scattered across the floor mat. “God, why didn’t I think of that?”

“Look, if he’s as high and mighty as you keep saying, he’ll fuck up eventually,” Dario said. He hit the gas to squeak through the four-way stop sign at US1, throwing me back against the seat. “Snap, you know, Jockeys Gone Wild.” He giggled, glancing at me over his Ray Bans. “No offense, but I’d probably watch that.”

“You’re mixing metaphors,” I grumbled, then dug in the center console for my phone. “He’s just...a dick. I try to be nice, why shouldn’t I be, and he’s just a dick! He’s a dick, Dario.”

“So you’re saying he’s a dick.”

“Total dick.” My phone displayed its morning reminder from Dad not to be late, a few spam emails, something from the community college about autumn classes. I flipped to Twitter. “And boring. God, he’s boring.”

“If he spends all his time bitching about you to his best friend, yeah, he’s boring.”

“Just, like--he rode in New York, right, that’s pretty tight, bugs who start off at Aqueduct and Belmont usually get really good mounts. And his fucking Twitter is one hundred percent class, all retweets of trainers whose horses he’s on and--” I waved my phone at Dario. “You know. Nothing embarrassing. He’s making me look bad, man.”

“You do that all on your own,” Dario pointed out. “Like, for real. The tiniest bit of finesse, just a thought. You need a social media manager? I’ll run your Twitter account, keep you from wrecking your career with too many accidental dick pics.”

He took a hand off the steering wheel to make air quotes, just in case I missed the heavy sarcasm.

“That was one time, and there were extenuating circumstances.” Dario scoffed. I flipped him off, grinning. No apprentice avoided jock hazing, and social media made it easy to capture the egg-drenched hair, the water-soaked breeches, the pantsing and shoe polish. “Anyway, I’m pretty sure he’s a robot. Can robots win riding titles? I’m pretty sure it’s in the Florida statutes that they cannot.”

“Google it,” Dario said.

I tapped Gulfstream’s official account and scrolled down to where they’d tweeted something about Joel. I wasn’t following him, of course--I had been, because it was usually fun to chat with apprentices at different tracks, and then I’d promptly unfollowed him about two minutes after meeting him in person. “You know he told me I’m--”

“Sloppy,” Dario filled in. “I remember you mentioning that about twelve times this morning, actually.” He snorted and braked for the Hallandale Beach exit. “Maybe he’s just shy.”

“Shy?” I stuck my head out the window and howled. “I never met a shy horseman in my life. You can’t be shy in this business. You either know how to talk to people or you think you’re too good to need to.”

“Ok,” Dario said, ignoring my dramatics. “Maybe he thinks you’re cute.”

“Everyone thinks I’m cute,” I said. “Because I am. It usually works in my favor.”

“See,” he said, sighing. “That’s the problem. You’re spoiled, Ben, you’re used to smiling and people dropping their shit to get you a drink or let you copy their homework or throw a horse at you or whatever. Cute guys never have to work like the rest of us.”

“Please,” I said as we paused at the light for the horsemen’s lot. “This from Coconut Grove’s own Dane Dehaan.”

Dario pulled into a visitor’s spot and leaned across the seat to look at Twitter with me. “Oh my god. Thinking you’re cute isn’t the problem, clearly.” He grabbed my phone, Ray Bans sliding down his nose. “Is he Cuban?”

“Cuban-American,” I said. “I think. He’s from Miami, so...I guess it’s unfair, really, for me to feel all threatened. He’s got as much right to be riding here as anyone else.” I brooded for a minute while Dario started up his commentary over the pictures on Joel’s Twitter. “Still. He could’ve stayed in New York. No one would have minded.”

“So I don’t think he’s a robot,” Dario said. “Or if he is it’s the kind where they have multiple emotional settings. His Instagram is a little more human.”

I snatched my phone back. “How’d you find his Instagram?”

Dario cocked his head, smiling like I was a newborn. “There was a picture link in one of his mentions. God, Ben, do you understand how Twitter works?”

I scrolled slowly through the Instagram feed. “I just figured he didn’t have one since it’s not in his bio.”

“Not all of us put our entire life stories in a Twitter bio,” Dario said. “Cultivate some fucking mystique, hon, I swear.”

I didn’t say anything back, being a little distracted by how different Joel’s Instagram was from his Twitter. His name wasn’t in the handle, jjockeyc, which I guessed made it harder for creeps like me and Dario to find. There were track shots, sure, kind of artsy-lite pictures of horses at weird angles and sunrises, but it was mostly other stuff: bookstores and alley cafes captioned things like ‘pho yeah @ tha strand’ and New York skylines and marquees of movies. I hadn’t heard of most of them. Here it was, a whole little world that was hard to imagine him fitting into. My skin felt strange--almost crawling--like I was peeking through his window, even though it wasn’t like the Instagram was private.

Not many of the pictures featured him, a lone selfie for every five basically-identical shots of Aqueduct’s main track. For some reason I was glad.

“Shit,” Dario said. “I thought you said he was gay.”

“Pretty sure he is,” I said. “I told you about that interview, right? And like...people are sometimes nasty to him online. You know how it goes.”

“So who’s that girl? Maybe he’s bi.”

I tapped the photo Dario was pointing at, a picture of Joel and a girl with their tongues stuck sideways, arms looped over each other’s shoulders and the phone held out from the girl’s hand. She was pretty, fantastic skin and a pair of silver door-knocker earrings poking through wavy brown hair.

“‘Mi hermana la supermodelo,’” I read off the caption. “His sister, I guess.”

The shot bothered me, Joel’s eyes creased like he was about to laugh, or had been laughing before his sister took the picture. He didn’t look like himself at all.

“Awww,” Dario cooed. “See? Not a robot.”

[edc-creations-blog]

Follow the journey of an interracial couple who are not only from different worlds but worlds that goes beyond the color of their skin.

  Tobias Benton – a handsome, white rich and successful businessman who is soon to inherit his father’s billion dollar company. Tobias has been dating Sharon English, a beautiful and wealthy lady who owns several Art Galleries. From the world point of view, they are the Barbie and Ken couple who are destined to marry and have a wonderful life together that is until…..

Brylane Robinson – a beautiful, bright and intelligent black sister who lives in the housing projects on the South side of Chicago, steps into the picture. Brylane fights for survival and a better life for herself in the hood.

One morning on her way to work, a handsome man literally runs into her. When their eyes met so did their hearts. Will Brylane and Tobias venture into Something New?

  Book Reviews – Something New: An Interracial Romance

  Bayoubabe 5.0 out of 5 stars Oooh weeee!!! What a hot story. The drama has me reeling. When a man has a crazy obsessive witch on his trail, his life is pure hell. Tobias Benton is finding out just how evil Sharon can be when she does not get her way. His poor mother Carolyn is just as sad by staying with his philandering father James for years.

CJM 5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed Something New Looking forward to part 2. Definitely looking forward to you putting an end to Sharon’s shenanigans and for Tobias and Brylane to get together. I must say my two problems was Tobias and Toby… the same name to me…also I would love to see at least one other black male character doing well besides Demetrius…Brylane’s brother…like Desmond…maybe he can become more than what he is and not be murdered or go to prison…turning a negative lifestyle into a positive one. Don’t make me wait too long for part 2…thanks

LadyBurger 5.0 out of 5 stars Surprising read I thought I wouldn’t like it but loved it!! Very well written and the plot draws you in. The family in drama on both sides keeps you on the edge. Can wait for the follow-up.

    EXCERPT: Something New: An Interracial Romance by Janie De Coster

Brylane treated herself to a nice hot bath. Then, she put on her favorite pink cotton pajamas and got into bed. Her mind began a replay of the day’s events. Mr. Tobias Benton was certainly at the top of the list. Closing her eyes, she envisioned his handsome face, those deep blue eyes of his staring down into hers as the wind blew through his short wavy hair. Her breath quickened as she thought about his lips and what it would have felt like to kiss them. Turning over on her stomach, she propped her chin up on her soft pillow. Sighing, she wondered, was Vonita right? Could such a man be really into her?

Somehow, she just couldn’t accept the fact as easily. After all, they were from two entirely different worlds. Vonita saw things through a different set of lenses because of how she was raised. Here in the hood, if a white man looked your way, it was either because you owed him some money, or it was the Po Po locking your ass up. Brylane tossed and turned. Her mind continued to race, scrutinizing her attraction to this man and wondering if anything would come of it.

After several attempts at reaching the Sandman, she gave up. Sitting up in bed, she reached over to her nightstand and retrieved the remote, turning on her nineteen-inch TV. She surfed the channels, hoping to find a good movie to take her mind off of the handsome man. Finally, she found an old love story, and she began to immerse herself into the storyline. The lovesick woman ran into the arms of the knight in shining armor, and the next thing Brylane remembered was her mom waking her up to a phone call.

Pulling the covers over her head, she murmured to her mom to tell Vonita she was tired and would call her tomorrow.

“Honey, it’s not Vonita.” Frances sighed nudging her again. Brylane let out a soft groan but made no attempt of getting up.

“It’s some man. He says his name is Tobias,” Frances said, looking down into her daughter’s sleepy face. Brylane’s eyes popped open like a dollar store doll. She pulled the covers away from her body and jumped out of bed. Is this really happening, she thought as she ran to the phone. She paused for a brief moment, cleared her throat, and took in a whiff of air. Exhaling slowly, she picked up the kitchen phone.

“Hello.” She greeted in a low tone.

“Good evening, Brylane. I’m sorry to call so late. I had a business meeting that lasted longer than I expected. I didn’t wake you, did I?” Tobias asked pleasantly.

“Oh no. I was… just watching an old movie on TV,” she uttered softly. For a brief moment, there was total silence on both ends of the line.

Tobias spoke up as he asked, “Are you free tomorrow? I… uh… would love to take you out to dinner… if that’s possible.”

Brylane felt light as a feather. She couldn’t believe he was actually asking her out.

“Um… sure. That would be nice,” Brylane found herself saying. Tobias let out a sigh of relief. He’d never been so nervous about asking a girl out since high school. He was hoping she would accept his invitation, and she had.

“Is seven okay?” he asked.

“Um… yes,” she answered slowly.

“Great, I’ll see you at seven then,” Tobias said. Brylane was about to hang up when she heard his voice again.

“Wait, Brylane. I think it would help me out a lot if I knew where you lived.” He chuckled lightly.

. Brylane’s blood began to run cold. Here it is, truth or dare, she thought. I might as well come clean here and now. That way he can let me down easily, and I could go on with my life.

“I… um… live on the east side of town…Village Town Apartments on Riverdale, apartment 5 B,” she stammered. There was another awkward silence as she waited for the letdown she knew was coming.

“Alright. I’ll be there at seven. You have a good evening, and enjoy your movie.”

And with that, he hung up. Brylane slowly placed the phone back on its cradle. She looked over at her mom who was standing in front of her with a blank look on her face.

“I have a date tomorrow!” Brylane squealed as she hugged her quickly and then ran back into her bedroom. Brylane had a smile on her face that could outshine the glorious sun. That is… until a little voice whispered into her ear, a nice dinner and your car repaired. After that, you will never hear from him again. Her smile slowly faded as she fell into a deeply troubled sleep.

( Continued… )

© 2019 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Janie De Coster. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author’s written permission. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only.

  Purchase Something New: An Interracial Romance by Janie De Coster https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DBCJVYQ

    Something New 2: An Interracial Romance by Janie De Coster

In Janie De Coster’s Interracial Romance Something New, the journey continues with even more twists and turns for the couple Tobias Benton and Brylane Robinson.

After a publicized engagement was announced, Tobias fights to clear his name and get Brylane, his true love, back into his life. However, it will not be easy thanks to his jilted lover, Sharon English.

Brylane Robinson had the fairytale romance that most women dreamed of, but it fell apart right at the seams. She found out that her knight in shining armor was already involved with another woman and that she was just his side chick. Brylane feels that she should have listened to all the people who told her that she was being a pawn in a white man’s world.

Will Tobias be able to convince Brylane that she has it all wrong and that she is the woman for him, or will the bombshell Sharon English has up her sleeve seal any chance of them ever having a future together in Something New Part 2?

  Purchase Something New 2: An Interracial Romance by Janie De Coster https://www.amazon.com/Something-New-2-Interracial-Romance-ebook/dp/B07DBCJVYQ/ Fiction > African American > Women’s Fiction > Romance > Multicultural & Interracial

      Black Pearls Magazine Intimate Conversation with Janie De Coster

Janie De Coster’s love of writing began in her high school years with poetry. It wasn’t until many years later she heard a spiritual voice instructing her to write a book. Having no idea as to what genre it would be, she just put pen to paper. Janie De Coster writes not only to entertain but to educate as her topics shine a light on today’s society such as Mental Illness, Domestic Violence, Infidelity, and Self-Esteem.  In her spare time, she loves to travel, shop and spend quality time with her family.

BPM: It is such a pleasure to have you join us to discuss Something New: An Interracial Romance. Describe yourself in three words. Passionate, Spiritual and Witty.

BPM: What drove you to publish your first book? How long have you been writing? What drove me to write my first novel, believe it or not, was God’s voice telling me to do so. I’ve always read romance novels but I never imagined that I could have written one myself. I had no idea how to begin let alone what to write. But the Holy Spirit led me and several books later here I am. I’ve been on this writing journey for over thirteen years.

BPM: Introduce us to the people in this new book! Give us some insight into your main speakers. The main characters in this novel are Tobias Benton, a white billionaire who’s looking for true love in his life while Brylane Robinson, a sister from the streets of Chicago struggles to make a better life for herself.

BPM: What’s so unique about their story-line or voice in the story? What makes each one so special? This story has probably been told hundreds of times. What I think makes it unique is I wrote the story in such a way that it sheds light on not only on the couple’s relationship but the effect it has on their friends and family.

BPM: Share one specific point in your book that resonated with your present situation or journey. What resonates with me in this story is that I experienced first hand the challenges biracial couples go through since I am a grandmother of a biracial child.

BPM: Do you ever have days when writing is a struggle? Yes, especially if the story is complex or I am pushed for a deadline.

BPM: Have you written any other books that are not published? Yes, I have one in my desk drawer collecting dust but I hope to bring it to life soon.

BPM: What projects are you working on at the present? I just re-released a novel FRIENEMIES.  I invite readers to check it out now on Amazon.com.

BPM: What legacy do you hope to leave future generations of readers with your writing? I want my children, grandchildren, and others to know that with God you can do all things. It’s not going to be easy. You may have to put in a lot of prayer, sweat, and tears. But the race is not given to the swift but to the one who perseveres.

BPM: What is your preferred method to have readers get in touch with or follow you? You can contact me through my website: http://sweetsmells2003.wixsite.com/janie-decoster

BPM: How can readers discover more about you and your work? Follow me on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/JanieDeCoster Check out my novels on my Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Janie-De-Coster/e/B00547Y2DA

          Something New: An Interracial Romance by Janie De Coster Follow the journey of an interracial couple who are not only from different worlds but worlds that goes beyond the color of their skin.

[territorymob-blog]

15 things you need to know before you visit to get the most out of your Down Under adventure.

Are you planning to visit Australia?  There are a number of things that we think you should know about before you head Down Under.

FYI: The UK fits into Australia 31.5 times!

Our geography for one – Australia is a big country and there are a lot of people who love living here.  Over 23 million Aussies live here!   Our nation is made up of people from other nations and we love our multi-cultural country.

Our lingo is probably the most noted of the most talked about ‘oddities’. (see #2).  The movie ‘Crocodile Dundee‘,  introduced the Australian language to the world.   A fun movie that did fabulous things for tourism in Australia and taught the world how to say ‘G’day’, Australian style.

Australia is one huge island continent! You simply won’t be able to see everything in a couple of weeks! If you are planning a trip to Australia, best plan to do it state by state to see all our favourite places. Each one of our States and Territories has their own special features.  Tasmania is known for its pristine wilderness.  Queensland is where the Great Barrier Reef is.  Victoria hosts our most cosmopolitan city and famed for the Melbourne Cup – the race that stops the nation.  New South Wales is home to the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  South Australia is famous for it’s extraordinary winery regions.  Western Australia has Broome, Monkey Mia, Cable Beach and the Northern Territory lays claim to the real outback with Uluru (Ayres Rock), Kakadu National Park and mean looking crocodiles!

The Australian strine (local lingo) is a bit quirky! We tend to make a whole lot of new words up as a way of clarifying what we’re trying to say … which usually doesn’t clarify anything at all!  Check out this earlier post – Australians speak funny to confuse you even more!

Our sense of humour is a bit strange! We love to poke fun and have a laugh.  Don’t believe everything you’re told .. especially by a serious faced Aussie.  Our biggest game is to ‘reel in the fish’, so if you take the bait, enjoy the ride.  We mean no harm 🙂

Aussies are known to eat weird things! Whoever came up with the ‘shrimp on the Barbie’ thing is just plain nuts!  I must admit, to others our food choices probably border on the bizarre.   We love chunky meat pies, a nice ribeye steak on the BBQ, thick black sticky stuff called ‘vegemite’ on our toast for breakfast and you can’t do a trip down under without tasting our most famous dessert – the Pavlova!  If anything, BBQs and roast dinners would be our all time favourite meals to share with friends.

No, kangaroos don’t hop down our main streets. Well actually, that’s not entirely true – I do know of a couple of towns in the outback where they really do hop down the main street – see my post about Daly Waters. Sadly in some areas these cute furry kangaroos are considered a pest. They have been known to destroy acres of crops, knock down fences and generally make a nuisance of themselves.  But we do admit, they are very cute!

Australia has one of the oldest Indigenous cultures known to man. Experience our Aboriginal culture.  Be sure to visit our cultural areas like Uluru, Kata Tjuta, the Devils Marbles and Kakaku.Learn about bush tucker, traditional hunting tools, bush medicines and listen to Dreamtime stories – it’s part of our unique heritage and we’re very proud to be a part of it all.

There are plenty of things that can kill you, in Australia. We have 21 or the 25 most venomous snakes in the world! We also have sharks, deadly spiders, killer jellyfish – often so small you can’t see them, dingos, boxing kangaroos, prehistoric mean-looking crocodiles, blue ringed octopus, toads and cone shells that deadly animals live in which will give you a nasty bite. We like to shock our visitors .. but really, the chances of anything ‘getting you’ is unlikely – and you’ll probably never come into contact with most of them.  If by chance you do – Take heed of the warning signs ie: ‘Beware of Crocodiles’ and make sure you follow the instructions!

Slip, Slop & Slap!   Australia has some serious sun issues!  To quote a famous song written by Noel Coward;  “Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun”.  Be aware. Down here, the sun is HOT, and it WILL damage your skin. Australia is known to have one of the highest records of skin cancer so get with the program and cover up!  Most of the fun stuff in Australia is held on our beaches or out in our open spaces so you need to protect yourself. Slip on a shirt, Slop on some sunscreen and Slap on a hat.

A rip?  What’s a rip?  Do you know what a rip is? Australia has a lot of beaches and this is one of the most important things to know about our beaches. Swim between the flags and follow the direction of the surf lifesavers. Treacherous undercurrents can tear you off your feet and sweep you out to sea. Make sure you look for any warning signs on the beaches, obey the lifeguards and don’t swim anywhere beaches are unpatrolled.

Australia has some of the world’s best Road Trips.  Long, often straight roads with some magnificent scenery to experience through the Australian outback.  Or try the Great Ocean Road to see the spectacular coastline. Some of my favourite Road Trips are Darwin to Alice Springs & Alice Springs to Adelaide. If you decide to venture out – be sure to take your safety seriously.  Its often a long distance between towns and sometimes the conditions are not always ideal. Read 10 trips to Drive Safely in Australia.  It may just save your life.

Some advice if you’re planning on doing a road-trip Down Under. Make sure you don’t take fruits and vegetables across the borders.  Australia has extensive farmlands growing fruit, grain and vegetables – many of which are isolated from noxious pests and insects.  Don’t be the one to transport bugs and pests across the country which could potentially wipe out entire crops.

Beer o’clock happens!   Aussies love their beer and there’s nothing like a cold beer on a hot day.  Visit a pub any hot day (and trust me, there are plenty of pubs Down Under), strike up a conversation about footy and fishing and you’ll have the makings of a good day.

Stop at some of the funky little roadside servos no matter how dodgy they look. Some of our best travel experiences have been when we’ve randomly stopped at roadside stops that haven’t looked picturesque or appealing.  Coober Pedy is an adventure all of it’s own.   Daly Waters is an experience we keep going back for, and in outback western Queensland, the Winton Pub was one of the most fun places we’ve ever stopped en route.  Step outside your comfort zone and experience the real Australia.  You won’t regret it!

Don’t underestimate the harsh bush conditions. Sadly, each year we see news reports of visitors (and sometimes our own) who underestimate the Australian bush by often setting out for a bushwalk with nothing more than a bottle of water.  Sadly some perish in our harsh conditions.  Make sure you prepare properly, take notice of signs and be sure to let someone know where you’re heading.

All in all, we’re a fun place to visit.  We’ve lots of exciting things to see and do and if you really want an adventure of a lifetime – Australia is definitely the place to go!

Quick Quiz: Q: What is a boomerang that doesn’t come back?

A:  A stick!

Have you visited Australia yet?  We’ve put together a list of 15 things you should know before you visit the land Down Under.   Let us know if you think there’s anything we’ve missed.

Visit Australia - 15 things to know before you head Down Under 15 things you need to know before you visit to get the most out of your Down Under adventure.