#miles is like wow i cant stand this guy and then by the end im like ohhhhhhhh he is so deeply pitiful and f--ked up

[misterradio]

characters who are unwitting or unwilling hosts to something. btw

[valentine-writes]

Can you do enemies to lovers with 1016 Miles?? :3

[ this will be my last req for this account, moving to my new blog officially once this one is up! catch me on @l0vem41l <3 reqs will be open there when i'm ready ＞︿＜ ]

overachiever

「 tws + notes: no tws, unedited, burnout, reader also attends visions academy, reader is trying so so hard to not be mean and fails (im so sorry), one-sided academic rivalry, author doesn't know how american schools work (i am so so sorry), comfort (?) 」

「 gn!reader, can be platonic or romantic <3」

↳ ft. miles morales (1610)

author's note: YES I CAN!!! however,, i put a lil twist on the prompt given and made it academic rivalry (i genuinely cant find a viable reason to beef w/ miles i am so sorry (-﹏-；) !!) anyways! hope this works with you!!! soz itz so short!!! :[[

"wow," your friend's eyes light up, scanning over your test results, "...you've gotta be like, the smartest person i know."

you laugh politely, smiling at them as they hand your paper back. "no, it's really not that big of a deal–"

"what do you mean 'not that big of a deal?! dude, you got 100% on a test most people failed." your friend shoves their paper in your face as evidence– a 57% in red on theirs. "that's like... the highest grade achievable. probably the highest in cla–"

"THIS GUY GOT A 101%!"

everyone turns to the voice– the loud kid who sat behind miles eyeing his test.

you blinked in disbelief. you didn't even know getting extra credit was possible on this one.

miles looked up at the faces of his staring peers faces filled with disbelief and slight annoyance, and fumbled to set his test face down on his desk. he flashed an awkward grin "uh... yeah?"

-

▸ you liked miles. he was friendly. sweet. genuine. you couldn't hate him if you wanted to. no, you didn't feel hate towards him. it was just... jealousy. simple, petty, burning jealousy.

▸ visions academy was something you had to work your ass off for, constantly studying just to stay on the level of the students who attended. NERDS. all of them were nerds. but you were attending this school too sooo,,,

and then there was miles. someone who barely even had to try to get the highest grades. he had you seething.

▸ the most humiliating part was the fact that he had little to no interest in competing with you at all. the few times you had spoken were awkward and curt on your end, and yes– it felt awful being so mean for something as small as personal resentment.

▸ nothing justified your one word responses or the accidental snark that would slip into those few words. you mentally kicked yourself for the times you watched his grin falter because of something you said, miles awkwardly trying to laugh off whatever cold remark you just shot at him.

he'd walk away, dejected, and you'd stand there for a moment– frozen as you fought the urge to run up to him and try to explain yourself or beg for forgiveness. it didn't make sense to at this point. maybe he'd just accept this was the way you were– the way things would be between you two.

▸ so yes, perhaps in your pursuit of favouring school over every other aspect of your life, your social skills were left rotting and underdeveloped. but you knew, deep down, it wasn't just you being awkward.

being around him made you feel small. talking to someone, radiating the aura of someone with a promise-filled future made you look completely directionless and clueless in comparison. the effort you put into your academics was almost repulsive to think about when miles could take a test with a blindfold on and probably still score 90s.

maybe it was the deep set fear that you'd never amount to anything if you didn't burn yourself out trying. all of a sudden, the academic validation of being good wasn't enough. not when you were one of the best once.

▸ you spent an absurd amount of time trying to avoid him, deliberately moving to the furthest corners of the library so he wouldn't see you there struggling to wrap your head around whatever you were being taught in physics.

heavens above forbid that he walk up to you, greeting you with that sunny smile and cheerful voice that could make anyone falter. you may have been jealous of him– but oh, how you hated that feeling that way when he nothing but well-meaning.

-

the last sip of your coffee– long cooled by now thanks thermodynamics– did nothing to make you feel less dead. you had lost track of the time you had spent practically decomposing in this library, studying for an upcoming physics test that had you reeling just by the mere thought of it.

you sighed, staring at the papers strewn on the desk. your hands fidgeted with the pencil in your hand, it's eraser and tip rendered flat and useless by now, as you tried to muster the energy to gather your things to leave. it was much too late. the library would be closed soon and you'd be forced to go back home to study at your own desk in your bedroom.

this was routine. go to school, study in the library until it gets dark, and go home to study more– the next day, you'd find yourself still awake and studying or with a headache, your cheek pressed to the desk, and drool on your notebook. yeah. your bed hasn't been used in a solid while. and science homework isn't exactly the comfiest pillow. but this is what you were used to.

standing up, you stretched out a bit– and immediately froze as a familiar voice called your name. you paused, reluctantly turning to the source of the voice.

"...god, morales–" you huffed, "you nearly scared me half to death."

this is the friendliest you've been towards him in a while, he notices, as you flash him a tiny, crooked smile on your tired face. all potential malice you could have held had been beaten out by your absolute lack of energy.

he approaches you and looks at your desk, considering what to say to fill the silent air. he places a hand on your shoulder, you stiffen–

"hey." miles flashes a grin, not his signature smile but,, somewhat of a forced smolder.

you stare and resist the urge to cringe, wondering if you were sleep deprived to the point of hallucinations. you gently brush his hand off your shoulder.

"...hi?" you respond, unsure of what to do.

miles is snapped out of whatever stupid trance he was in by your voice.

"oh– uh– yeah, hey," he repeats your name again, trying to recover from whatever that was, "is– is everything okay?"

"i could ask you the same thing."

he lets out a little chuckle. "you know what i mean. all... this." miles' hand gestures vaguely to your desk and current state of complete entropy. "how long have you been here?"

you avert your gaze, shame burning in your face. "i... don't know?"

a pause.

miles places a hand on your back this time, in an attempt of friendly comfort. geez, are they keeping you locked in here?" he quips, earning half of a dry laugh from you. "c'mon. you should probably get home and rest by now."

"but–" your lips part in protest, looking back up at him to argue– but he just looks back, concern filled in his dark doe-like eyes. all possibilities of fighting him on this were out the window.

"you need it." he insists, a gentle smile forming on his face. much better than the weird smoulder from earlier, you think. "i'll even walk you there."

before you can speak up, he moves away from you, beginning to help you gather up your things to pack up. you mumble a silent thank you to him, which he accepts happily with a nod.

as he hands over the papers, his eyes scan them. "oh! physics? i love physics."

"no shit, morales." you scoff, snatching up the papers from him and stuffing them in your bag. "it sure seems to love you."

yet again, you've managed to mess things up. you bite the inside of your cheek before you can say anything worse. a sigh escapes your lips, as you decide to at least try and save the interaction.

"look... i'm really sorry. it's been a rough day, i've been struggling to get the concepts down, i'm falling behind and feeling stupid as hell right now, and– to make everything worse, the fucking test is just stressing me out and i just– i just..." you trail off from your ramblings, a sob getting caught in your throat as your shaky hands grip your backpack.

"woah, woah, hey– it's okay."

he slowly puts an arm around your shoulder, careful not to startle you or make you uncomfortable. you don't even realize how you lean into him. "let's just get you home. you've done your best, yeah?"

you nod. he offers you a little smile.

"exactly. and that's enough. okay? you're doing more than you can handle right now." there's a few more shared words as he reassures you.

part of him wonders how long this had been going on– how long you had been working yourself until you broke– mainly because that test that was stressing you out was more than a week away. yeah. he'd need to convince you to watch after yourself more often.

-

"and now a silly one!!!" (more lighthearted hcs below for the aftermath of this becuz goodness me.)

▸ things definitely ease up around miles. if he can't convince you to step away from your work, he's chosen to be able to regulate it.

studying with him in a local cafe is now a frequent thing you two do together. miles always gives you time to work, but will then ever so subtly lure you into moving on from your work to hang out with him normally. and it works. every single time. you might start in the library or cafe, but where you'll be later? always a mystery.

whether it's a walk in the park, going back to his place to chat, or finding some random activity to do, you find yourself bonding with him more and more. your jealousy begins to fade, finding a friend in him instead of someone you have to one up.

▸ you both spontaneously decided to see a new horror movie once and accidentally got miles in trouble with his parents for coming home after curfew. and he'd 100% do it again in a heartbeat if you asked.

▸ no matter what you get on that next test, miles is going to congratulate you like it's the best he's ever seen. he's overjoyed to share your achievements, to celebrate them like no one in your life ever has.

miles holds up his test as you tell him your grade. "you got a 92? hey look– me too!"

a snarky voice speaks up, "well, i got a 98% so–"

"no one was talking to you." miles retorts.

you press a hand to your mouth and look away, trying to stifle laughter. was he always this sassy or did you just end up rubbing off on him?

▸ you both end up being extra studious for the next test (breaks included this time) and he's sure to be extra loud about congratulating you for your perfect 100%

maybe the sass wasn't all you,,, but the minor pettiness definitely is your influence. it's actually not. miles is pretty easygoing,, but man did he not like when that random ass kid gave you attitude.

you smile at miles, ensuring to do the same for him if not, a little louder

"what? 'm complimenting you." you tilt your head at miles' stunned expression.

for a moment, he stumbles over his words. "i know– you just– i didn't expect that from you, so–"

you laugh. "what? you want me to go back to being mean or something?"

miles laughs too. it's hard not to stare at the way he lights up a room like this.

▸ things feel lighter now. you've made social progress with others, you have a life beyond just school– and you have miles. part of you wonders if you'll ever be able to tell him just how much he means to you and how you wish you could've just been his friend from the start.

sometimes, in the corner of his eye, he catches your wistful stare. and though he doesn't utter a single word, you start to feel that he cherishes you just as much.

[borathae]

Chapter 27

oof i feel like a kid getting into living room while dad is having a meeting

It was all the reassurance he needed to know that Yoongi still liked him. fuck kook is so cute but thats sad too

t feels scary to stand in this hall with dozens and dozens of Rippers and Gluttons staring at you as if you were their greatest downfall STOP she is going to be a witch ok?? she is cool

Some of his fellow Rippers and Gluttons snicker upon seeing their almighty Creator so flustered by a human. xd

you stop talking when you hear just how silent the room became. thats more than enough for my voice to go shaky and crackly, and start doing spoonerism

It is beyond hilarious to them to see their grumpy Creator lose 3000 year old loses to a mere mortal ofc its funny

“no offence, you guys are chill. They’re for Namjoon.” she is soo cute fuck, im sure the old people find her cute too, "oh young kids pssh"

“You’ll regret this”, you press out. for real

“Of course you don’t, not at all.” “Shut up.” ofc yoognles

“I want to play too”, Jungkook exclaims and looks at Yoongi, “can I play?” FUCK HE IS SO FUCKING CUTE IM GONNA SET THE WOLRD ON FIRE AAAAAAAHA

“No”, he says, “I don’t have time for silly board games.” ofc millennias old grandpa wont like board games 😒🙄

“I grew hungry all of a sudden" wut 👀 “Stay away from her." KOOK I LOVE U “I will go hunting of course.” oh scared me for a second haha

“Oh”, Seokjin laughs in relief, “that sounds logical yeah.” MOOD

You have studied him and watched his every move and habits. He never takes his keys with him when he is hunting in fear that he might lose them. DAMN LOVE FUCK UR HOT WOOO but they are vampires, they dont need soo much sleep and is quiet, be more careful

FUCK BUSTED KNEW IT, WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE

“Biggest lie ever! You are constantly doing something stupid” STOP 😭😭violence 💀

“Ha! You’re so easy to mess with!” SHE IS SO ANNOYING I- I LOVE HER MARRY ME

oh we going on a tresure hunt mission

human shaped shadow startles you like crazy. WTF MY HEART JUST JUMPED OUT OF THE BODY STOP only for it to be coat hanger

Cold and dark corridors, always broody and never smiling. He is such a stereotype. XD exposed lol

“I’m literally going to die of a heart attack here”, you murmur. would be the funniest death tho, heart attack while searching for keys 😭😭

Yoongi all dressed up in a tophat and a fancy suit. A daguerreotype, THIS IS TOO FUNNY HAHA now you feel awful for laughing. Yoongi clearly meant to send this to someone special. fuck sorry

his room is so unlike him?? or do we not know him enough yet??

why doesnt he like to look at himself? thats worrying FUCK I HATE HIM AND I LOVE HIM GREAT AAAAH

AH WTF WHY IS HE HERE THIS FAST WTF KJLASDNGYLEW DOES HE REALLY WANT TO KILL HER AND ME ???

OMG WHAT DID HE DO AAH I CANT IM STRESSED FUCK

ok now can we let tae out or at least visit him???

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIN

preferably you hope he pisses off altogether. To the other side of the world. mood

“Hobi seriously, if this is another one of your sad stories only for it to then end in you getting edged during a blowjob I’m gonna scream” 😭😭 did he bore her with his story already wow

An hour later I am speeding down a mountain at three hundred miles per hour whilst screeching like an idiot.” yeah i can hear his screams perfectly (run bts, thank you)

My lower spine was shattered, my legs dead and Annelise had to carry me down the mountain like a sack of potatoes before my spine finally healed again.” wow HEKC YEAH I WANNA BE A VAMPIRE HOBI TURN ME AND YOONGI TRAIN ME THEN I CAN DO RECKLESS SHIT

“It looks like a shrivelled up ballsack.” STOP LET HER COOK

FUCK OFF KOOK DONT TALK TO ME OR MY SON OR MY SONS SON OR MY SONS SONS SON

“I thought that he is like me.A, a Ripper or a Glutton a-and I wanted to make him feel how it feels like to lose control.” yeah cuz thats not torture at all

kook ur cute but thats it go away stop tempting me u evil potato FUCK I CANT EVEN CURSE AT U NOODLE no NOODLE IS GOOD UM FUCK U GARLIC YEAH THAT WORKS

do you want hot choco?” FUCK OFF STOP SEDUCING ME WITH THAT U ONION

“Oh my god”, you exclaim, giving him a quick glance, “read the room, will you?” i feel soo bad for him BUT NO I SHANT FALL FOR HIS TRICKS, HEAR THAT YOU BITTER GOURD??

CUZ SHE IS TIRED OF GIVING FUCKS SHES OUT OF FUCKS CUZ I AM FUCK A TAE FUCK A KOOK FUCK A YOONGLES BYE IM GOING TO ANGRILY STOMP AROUND THE ROOM 3 TIMES AND GO BACK TO SIMPING (u didnt hear that u tomato)

It was all the reassurance he needed to know that Yoongi still liked him. fuck kook is so cute but thats sad too

i'm actually very sad :( he just wants people to like him :(

t feels scary to stand in this hall with dozens and dozens of Rippers and Gluttons staring at you as if you were their greatest downfall STOP she is going to be a witch ok?? she is cool

interesting theory about her being a witch I LOVE WHEN you guys just have theories 👀

It is beyond hilarious to them to see their grumpy Creator lose 3000 year old loses to a mere mortal ofc its funny

like he's just secretly a big softie confirmed

“no offence, you guys are chill. They’re for Namjoon.” she is soo cute fuck, im sure the old people find her cute too, "oh young kids pssh

SHE IS THE CUTEST!!! i love her so much

“I want to play too”, Jungkook exclaims and looks at Yoongi, “can I play?” FUCK HE IS SO FUCKING CUTE IM GONNA SET THE WOLRD ON FIRE AAAAAAAHA

ME TOO gaaaah *bites him*

“No”, he says, “I don’t have time for silly board games.” ofc millennias old grandpa wont like board games 😒🙄

he is so BAD at pretending ahhhaha

“Biggest lie ever! You are constantly doing something stupid” STOP 😭😭violence 💀

BUT DID HE LIE????

human shaped shadow startles you like crazy. WTF MY HEART JUST JUMPED OUT OF THE BODY STOP only for it to be coat hanger

lmaoaooa

Yoongi all dressed up in a tophat and a fancy suit. A daguerreotype, THIS IS TOO FUNNY HAHA now you feel awful for laughing. Yoongi clearly meant to send this to someone special. fuck sorry

HAHAHHHAHAHHA this is the best reactionhahahahah

his room is so unlike him?? or do we not know him enough yet??

mhhhhhhhhhm

why doesnt he like to look at himself? thats worrying FUCK I HATE HIM AND I LOVE HIM GREAT AAAAH

No but this is actually so sad :(

AH WTF WHY IS HE HERE THIS FAST WTF KJLASDNGYLEW DOES HE REALLY WANT TO KILL HER AND ME ???

lmoaoa the fact that she is ALWAYS busted when she does stupid shit fajdsjf

My lower spine was shattered, my legs dead and Annelise had to carry me down the mountain like a sack of potatoes before my spine finally healed again.” wow HEKC YEAH I WANNA BE A VAMPIRE HOBI TURN ME AND YOONGI TRAIN ME THEN I CAN DO RECKLESS SHIT

no but me for real. I'd probably end up hurting myself once and then never doing it again cause I can't handle the pain lmaoaoa

“It looks like a shrivelled up ballsack.” STOP LET HER COOK

lmaoaoaoo

do you want hot choco?” FUCK OFF STOP SEDUCING ME WITH THAT U ONION

bahahhaha "onion" jfasdjf I have to remember this for a fluffy oneshot

[yojangjun]

Friends-to-lovers!au | sungyoon

Word count: ~3.5k

Summary: where you fall head over heels in love with your best friend, choi sungyoon, and jangjun secretly becomes your wingman. 

Note: I saw that theres a lack of golden child stories on here, so I wanted to change that! This is my first time posting an au on tumblr, so hopefully it turns out fine. Feel free to send in requests for any other aus you want to see from the golden child members. Enjoy!

12:39 AM

Y/N: sungyoon 

Y/N: sungyoon ah

Y/N: hellooooo

12:45 AM

Y/N: sungyoon

Y/N: okay fine dont answer me 

Y/N: :(

Y/N: meanie

12:51 AM

Y/N: choi

Y/N: sung

Y/N: yoon

Y/N: !!!!!!

🐰: do uk what time it is rn

Y/N: you finally answered!!!

Y/N: i cant sleep 

🐰: just close your eyes

Y/N: if it was that easy I wouldn’t msg u :’(

🐰: we have class at 8 tmr 

🐰: count sheep or bunnies or something

🐰: goodnight

Y/N: i finally got a reply and you’re leaving already??

Y/N: hey! did you really go back to sleep?

12:59 AM

Y/N: fine

Y/N: so much for a best friend

Y/N: who wont help you sleep

Y/N: so mean :(((

Y/N: im only buying ice cream for daeyeol now

1:12 AM

🐰 has sent you a voice message

1:14 AM

Incoming call: 🐰mr rabbit csy🐰

You jump from your bed, “Hello?”

“Come outside.”

You quickly throw on a hoodie on and rush outside, your eyes adjusting to the darkness of the night. Your eyes don’t have to wander for long before landing on a raven haired male, his hoodie flopped over his messy hair. He looks disgruntled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he lets out a yawn. Oops, you definitely woke him up.

You quickly walk up to him, and before you can greet him, are met with a plastic bag offered to you.

“I bought your favorite— green tea flavored.” Your eyes widen before rustling through the contents, pulling out said ice cream.

“Yah, you bought ice cream at this time?” You rip open the wrapper, taking a huge bite of the creamy treat and sigh with delight, “Did you really feel threatened by me buying ice cream for Daeyeol? I was kidding! Well, actually if he asked I probably would, but wow I actually managed to get you to buy me ice cream.” 

He ignores you, watching silently as you quickly devour the dessert before pulling out a napkin once he notices the mess that you’ve made on your face.

“Hey!” You whine as he wipes at the corners of your mouth. You try not to lean into the warmth of his touch that you feel even through the napkin; it’s a crisp night after all. You will your cheeks to not grow warm, but your ears quickly glow red instead.

“You’re so messy,” he sighs, finally pulling away and taking note of how you’re unusually quiet. Usually, you would playfully push his hand away, complaining that you weren’t a baby, but your head is turned away, eyes downcast at your shoes. You can see that he’s trying to meet your eyes, but you can’t look at him, not with your heart pounding a mile a minute, nervous and slightly embarrassed.

Pat. You look up as his hand rubs the top of your hair gently, carefully caressing your head through your locks. 

“Are you nervous because of the presentation tomorrow? Is that why you can’t sleep?” He muses softly, eyes still trying to meet yours. You grow shy, extremely shy, but shift your eyes to meet his for a brief second before looking away. His eyes dripped of warm honey, enveloping you in a feeling only he could ever have on you. 

Seeing you avert your eyes, he takes that as a yes, and brings you closer to him by a tug of the arm. You squeak in surprise, suddenly finding yourself enveloped in his arms. Warmness spreads through your body like a blazing fire, now being fueled by the beating of your heart.

The things you do to me, you think as your arms slowly wrap around his waist, hugging him back. You take in his scent, a scent you’ve come to recognize as familiar and comforting, ever since you met him freshman year.

“I know you have a lot of stage anxiety, but you’ve gotten so much better at public speaking. You’ll do great tomorrow, don’t worry.” Even his voice is warm, his comforting words becoming even more meaningful.

Stage fright was the last thing on your mind at the current moment, but he didn’t have to know that.

If you don’t let me go soon, my heart’s going to explode.

Instead, you nod, allowing yourself to rest your head against his chest. You can feel his heartbeat through his hoodie; a tiny voice in the back of your mind wonders if you have the same effect on him that he has on you.

You stay like that for a while, his arms bringing you closer when you shiver from an incoming breeze. 

You wish you could stay like this forever, but you now realize how late it must be, and he’s right, you do have a presentation tomorrow morning, and you do suffer from stage fright still. 

“Ah thanks. I’m fine now, I swear,” you start blabbering, reluctantly pulling away from his embrace. You suddenly feel bad; you made him get out of bed for no reason, and he brought you ice cream, “Sorry for troubling you, Sungyoon-ah.”

He sees a pout forming on your face, and he studies you closely.

“I’m your best friend, Y/N, isn’t it my job to make you feel better,” he tilts his head, but doesn’t question you further as you widen the gap between the two of you.

You stare at him blankly before finally smiling at his words, “Sorry, you’re right. I guess the nerves are keeping me awake. But I do feel better now! Thanks for coming, and ah- for the ice cream! I swear I won’t buy any for Daeyeol, only for you, since it seems to bother you so much,” you try to tease him in an attempt to lighten up the mood.

He smiles back, relieved that you seem to be acting normal again. Little did he know, his smile was making your stomach do summersaults, but you tried to push past it as he let out a chuckle.

“Go get some rest, okay? You have a big day ahead,” he ruffles your hair, laughing as you swat his hand away.

“My hair,” you whine, but nevertheless, grin back at him.

“Bye, Sungyoon-ah!””

“Bye Y/N, make sure to wake up on time.”

He waits until you reach the door of your building before turning around and heading back in the direction of his dorm.

As you enter your room, you immediately fling yourself onto your bed and scream into your pillow, kicking your legs.

“Can my heart not do that for once,” you whine, settling on your side as you hug a pillow to your chest.

You allow a smile to spread across your face after a while, cheeks once again flushing red as you remember the feeling of him embracing you.

“I wonder if you feel the same way I feel about you?”

You didn’t know when it had happened, but somewhere along the way, you had fallen in love with your best friend.

---------------

“Y/N!!” You turn around at the sound of your name, yelping as someone jumps on you, almost making you lose your balance.

“Jangjun!” You shove him off of you as he laughs. You turn around and see Donghyun and Joochan following close behind, concentrating on their phones as they play Kart Rider probably. You stare at them for a bit before messing with their phones, randomly touching their screens. They complain in unison, swatting your hands away as you chuckle.

“Did you just get out of class, Y/N?” Jangjun bounces from foot to foot, looking as happy as ever. You shake your head.

“I got out a while ago. I’m just waiting for Sungyoon to get out of class. I promised him I’d buy him ice cream-”

“What, you never buy us ice cream,” Joochan cuts in, finally looking up from his phone as Donghyun shouts in victory.

“Do you want to come with? I’m sure Sungyoon wouldn’t mind,” Joochan quickly shakes his head, holding his hands up.

“I don’t want to be a third wheel on your date, but thanks though,” You sputter at his words, heat quickly rising to your cheeks. Jangjun bursts out laughing at the look on your face, and it takes all your willpower to not punch him. 

“D-Date? Sungyoon and I aren’t like that,” You finally manage to say, but your ears are still burning in embarrassment. The three boys look at you expectantly and you grow even more self-conscious, holding your hands up in defense, “Why are you all staring at me like that? It’s true!”

“Anyway, are you going to the fireworks display tonight? I heard it’s going to be really nice. Our school really went all out planning the event!” Jangjun asks, his tone still teasing. You sigh in defeat, but are grateful for the topic change.

“Oh, was that tonight?” You think about the number of assignments you have piled up and grimace, “I don’t know, I kind of got a lot of work to do-” 

Jangjun quickly waves you off, “Nonsense! You need to relax once in a while, Y/N.”

As you’re forming a reply, his eyes focus on something behind you and an evil grin appears on his face.

“Oh! Sungyoon hyung, great timing! Y/N is dying to go to the firework display tonight!” Your eyes widen in horror as you realize who exactly Jangjun spotted behind you, “She’s too scared to go alone though, so she wants you to-”

“Lee Jangjun, I swear, I will end you-” You try to whisper threateningly, but he pays you no mind as he waves at who you now know is Sungyoon, finally coming out of his class. Both Joochan and Donghyun are laughing hysterically behind Jangjun, and in that moment, you’ve never wanted the ground to open up and swallow you whole more. 

“Hm?” You turn your head as Sungyoon comes to stand next to you. You simply gape at him, at a loss for words as he turns in his head to you curiously, “You wanted to go to that?”

“I- uh, well,” You try your best to muster up an answer, but to no avail. Curse you, Lee Jangjun!

He takes a long look at your face, definitely questioning why you’re acting so strange, before shrugging, “Sure, why not? I think it’ll be fun. Are you guys going?”

You silently plead with Jangjun, staring at him intently. Jangjun hums in thought, deciding to spare you a little.

“Yeah, we’ll be there,” You sigh in relief, not noticing Sungyoon sneak a glance at you.

---------------

“It’s not a date, it’s not a date, it’s not a date,” you repeat to yourself multiple times as you get ready. Yet, you can’t help putting more attention to your outfit, making sure your hair looks at least presentable. As you put on a touch of makeup, you frown. It’s not like this is the first time you’ve hung out with Sungyoon, let alone in a group- he’s your best friend! It is the first time in a while though, as you both have been very busy with school and extracurriculars lately. 

“Get your head out of the gutter, Y/N,” You slap your cheeks, “You haven’t hung out with your friends in a while; It’ll be fun!”

---------------

“There he is,” You see Sungyoon leaning against a wall, his eyes glued to his phone. You quietly make your way to him, being extra careful to not get noticed. Once you’re close enough, you tiptoe and lean in close to his ear.

“Boo!”

“Oh, you’re here.”

You pout as Sungyoon simply turns his head in your direction, slipping his phone into his pocket.

“You didn’t even flinch,” You complain, feeling disgruntled. He snorts, pushing off the wall to fully face you. His eyes settle on your figure, making you nervously shift your weight from foot to foot. Silence envelops you as he continues to stare.

“Is there something on my face?” You try to break the silence, feeling shy under his gaze. He tilts his head before humming thoughtfully.

“You look nice,” Your cheeks grow hot almost immediately upon hearing his compliment. You don’t dare meet his eyes, knowing that you would probably combust. Instead, your eyes settle on your shoes, finding them very interesting.

“Ah- thanks,” You squeak out, racking your brain for an appropriate response, “We haven’t hung out in a while, so I thought I would dress up a little more? To not look like a sleep deprived college student, you know-”

Shoot, you were starting to ramble. Quickly shaking your head, you try to change the subject, “Where’s Jangjun and the others?”

“Did they not tell you?” You look up at his words, confused. Seeing the puzzled expression on your face, he continues, “Jangjun said they were going to be late. Something about Joochan and Donghyun fighting over this game, and they’re pretty serious about it.”

You stop yourself from screaming at the world.

“Let me message Jangjun real quick.” He nods his head as you take your phone out of your pocket. He doesn’t miss how your mood has soured upon learning of the absence of your friends.

6:49 PM

Y/N: Lee

Y/N: Jangjun

Y/N: You are dead.

Y/N: When I find you, you better run

🐮: Woah, Y/N, calm down!

🐮: We’ll only be an hour or two late, no biggie :9

🐮 : Have fun on your date tho~ But not too much fun, okay? 

🐮 : ;))))

“I’m going to murder that guy,” You curse underneath your breath, letting out a big sigh as you put your phone back in your pocket. 

“Everything okay?” You jump, remembering where you are. Sungyoon has an unreadable expression on his face as he studies you, and you try not to get too caught up in his gaze. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” You try to reassure him, but your smile is weak, “Let’s just go.”

You both start walking towards the food stands at the entrance of the field, trying not to get too caught up in your nerves.

It’s not a date. It’s not.

“Y/N?” You look up, and find Sungyoon farther ahead than you thought he was. It’s suddenly crowded as everyone is trying to get food before the show starts. As someone pushes past you, Sungyoon’s hand reaches out to grasp your wrist and pulls you close to him. 

“Be careful, it’s really crowded here.” Your head automatically nods, not trusting your voice to say anything as all your attention goes to the grip he has on your wrist. His hand lowers until your palms touch, and he squeezes your hand. His hold is gentle and warm, making butterflies dance in your stomach. You let yourself be dragged by the pull of his hand as he weaves through the crowd.

The time spent at the food stands is relatively enjoyable. Both of you haven’t eaten before coming, so you allow yourselves to look through all the stalls, buying all the food you want. You easily share your food and quickly fall into a comfortable pace, laughing and finally relaxing.

You do notice that once your hands are empty, Sungyoon reaches out to grasp the one closest to him. You convince yourself that it’s because he doesn’t want you to get lost, having experienced your lack of sense of direction first-hand. Still, you allow yourself a bit of giddiness, glancing down at your hands occasionally. 

Having filled your stomachs, you both finally settle down on one of the provided picnic blankets laid out on the grass, the show nearing its start time.

As you hum absentmindedly, taking a picture of the darkening sky with your phone, you see Sungyoon staring at you from the corner of your eye. You turn your head in his direction, tilting your head, “What?”

He shakes his head, propping his chin on his hand, “Nothing, it’s just…”

“Hm?”

“I’m glad you’re having a good time,” He finally says after a long pause, turning his head to look up at the sky, “I feel like you’ve been distant lately? Not that I blame you, school is in full swing after all. But you’ve definitely been acting a little strange; I thought the stress was getting to you.”

He then turns to you, suddenly smiling, “But you seem to be in a better mood now, so I’m happy.”

Your eyes widen in surprise, the nature of his words dawning on you.

You really messed up, didn’t you?

Before you can respond, a loud horn goes off, signaling the start of the fireworks show. You both turn to look up the night sky as one after another, balls of colored flame shoot up and explode with a giant pop.

You lower your eyes to stare at Sungyoon, the fireworks casting various hues of color on his face, highlighting his features. You didn’t realize it, but you had probably grown more distant as your feelings for him bloomed, becoming too nervous to simply hang out with him anymore. And here he was, just happy that you were finally having a good time with him.

What a best friend you are.

You’re suddenly overwhelmed, feeling guilty for having worried him, yet grateful that he’s still the same Sungyoon that you met back in freshman year, the same person who is in tune with your feelings no matter the situation, who at the end of the day just seeing you happy makes him happy; he’s the one you fell in love with.

Before you can even process what you’re about to say, your mouth opens.

“Sungyoon-ah. I like you.”

You clasp your hand over your mouth, your eyes widening in surprise. Did you just-

You quickly bury your face in your arms, your face blazing. Your heart feels like it’s going to explode out of your ribcage, the embarrassment hitting you in waves. 

You did not just confess, you did not, you did not-

“Y/N.” You refuse to look up, afraid of what you’d just done. You just confessed to your friend, your best friend! You feel tears well up in your eyes at the possibility of having ruined your friendship.

“Hey, look at me,” His voice is surprisingly gentle, not the tone you were expecting at all. You mentally count to ten in your head before gathering enough courage to look up at him. Your breath hitches in your throat as your eyes finally meet his, his face growing closer to yours.

“Can you repeat what you said?” He asks, not breaking eye contact with you as your body grows hot, keeping his gaze steady. The fireworks up in the sky are long forgotten as you visibly gulp before clearing your throat.

“I- I like you, Choi Sungyoon,” You muster out, willing yourself to not look away, “I like you a lot.”

The anticipation makes your stomach drop; you can hear your heart pounding wildly in your ear as you wait for his response. He gazes at you for a while before smiling.

“I like you, too.” He says easily, leaving you utterly shocked. He looks away as you gape at him, not believing your ears. He raises a hand to his nose, scratching it awkwardly. 

“Wait- what- I-” Your mouth can’t keep up with your thoughts, your mind an absolute mess, “Did you- huh?”

It warms your heart when you finally catch the red glow of his ears- a shy Sungyoon wasn’t something you witnessed every day.

He shyly runs a hand through his hair, “I said I like you, too. And I have, for a while now.” 

“Oh.” Your face quickly matches the shade of his ears, maybe even more so. But a wave of relief and giddiness passes through you and you can’t help but smile widely once the words process in your brain.

Because your best friend felt the same way about you.

You spend the rest of the night in comfortable silence, your heart still beating fast, but it’s a good kind of warmth that spreads through you, one that makes you feel like all is right in the world.

You don’t realize when he draws close, but suddenly your hands are touching, his shoulder grazes yours and his breath is right next to your ear. You slowly turn your head in his direction, your breath hitching upon realizing how close his face is to yours.

You close your eyes, grasping his hand as you take a deep breath and lean forward. When your lips meet, it’s like your heart is mimicking the explosion of the fireworks in the sky. All these feelings surge through you as you share a kiss, and you swear you’re flying.

As you part, you both look away shyly; your face is blazing, your heart still hammering in your chest. You don’t complain when he tugs on your arm and brings you close to him, letting you lean your head on his shoulder as you continue watching the sky together.

[theworldsoul]

Have you guys ever literally gagged thinking abt ur body? Because wow I'm repulsive.

No joke, I actually physically fucking gagged. Jesus christ. I feel so fucking TRAPPED, yknow, like I'm in a dream and I'm trying to scream but all that comes out is silence.

And I'm alone. Theres no one out here for miles. I'm screaming and making no sound but what difference would it make if I could make noise? There's nobody here. Nobody here except my stupid fucking delusions. Wow. I wanna throw up. It's so. Gross. I literally feel like throwing up. Jesus christ. In the morning my sister will tell me I smell strongly of cologne and everyone will stare at me with an eyebrow raised. How do I tell them I spray it onto my stuffie and pillow and breathe it in and pretend it's someone else's cologne? How do I tell them I pretend that someone loves me? How do I tell them I pretend to be a child with a parent who wont screw shit up? How do I tell them my heart has been torn to PIECES and how do I tell them I cant stop hurting myself? How do I tell them? I don't. I don't because I'm not as stupid as u might think. I dont because I know nothing will end well if they find out about it. Jesus christ. I'm still feeling like I'm sick inside. I wanna get OUT!!! I DONT WANT THIS STUPID FUCKING STUPID MOTHERUFCKING BODY I DONT WANT IT I DONT WANT THIS INFECTED FUCKING HUNK OF ROTTING FLESH GET IT AWAY FROM ME I CANT STAND IT ITS NOT ME BUT IT IS ME PLEASE FUCKING HELL I DONT WANT THIS

I want to be static like he is. Then maybe I'll feel his love a bit more. I wonder if becoming static would make me feel better. I wonder if it would free me from my steel bars. What colour of static would I be? Red, like him? Oh god. I just want to be red just like him. You wouldnt be able to tell us apart. Fuck. fuck. FUCK.

Yknow, I seem to be the only person who can never get what they want. Why am I so hated? What did i do to deserve a world of torture? I was born with this corruption. How could a baby offend you? Jesus H Christ himself came down from heaven to slaughter an infant in November of 2005 and left the kids INFECTED, DEFILED, ROTTING FUCKINF CORPSE in the hands of his parents.

I feel like I'm being dramatic, like im overdoing it, but this is how I feel in my heart. This is how I feel. And I mean, that's gotta be worth Something. Maybe not to anyone else, but at least to me.

[mcxbobbyx]

Highschool Reunion: The Party (A love island fan fic)

Theres a knock at my front door after i see my best friend pull up in the driveway. I open the door and immediately get pulled into a hug. "Are you ready for tonight's party??" Chelsea asks. "Its going to be so epic! Everyone from highschool's gonna be there so..." her gaze lingers to my outfit "what in gods name is THAT?" Im wearing my cherrygate shirt with rubber ducky pj pants. "What? They're comfy!" She giggles and walks inside. "Lets get you ready!" After hours of doing make up and

hair, I stand in front of the mirror not even recognizing the girl in front of me. Chelsea lingers beside me "You look amazing!". I grab my purse and house keys before leaving. "My car? Or should we go in separate?" She asks. "Lets go in yours. Im pretty sure one of us needs to be able to drive" I reply. We both giggle and hop in her car. The music starts as we head down the road. "Gosh! It's been so long since highschool. Do you even remember anyone? Like its been how long?" asks Chelsea. "10 years," i replied "and of

course i remember a few people. There was Hope from science. Elijah from the football team" I continue. "Oh yeah," chelsea cuts in "i remember him! He was so cute back then... I wonder how he looks now." She says seductively. We both look at each other and burst into laughter. "Is Bobby going too?" I ask. Bobby and I had been friends since kindergarten. Highschool was a blast together but since then we've all just been so busy with our careers. "I wonder how he is.." i mutter. Chelsea smirks and

says "i think the last time i heard of him he moved to Glasgow and was catering at the hospital there. He might've got the word about the party. Im pretty sure noah sent the invite. Why? Is there something i should know??" she then looks at me suggestively. "What?? No! Definitely not! Come on! We were best friends. Its only curiosity." A low giggle escapes her as she pulls in front of the house. Noah's place is HUGE! "What does he do again?" I ask. "I think he works for a library.." she replies. "Yeah!

Some library." I mumble. We park the car by the street and begin walking up. "Okay, so when we get in there dont forget we have to leave by midnight. I HAVE to be back at the office tomorrow before 9 or i could get fired. So we'll meet back here by then okay?" she says. I nod in approval as she takes the door and opens it to a gigantic crowd of people. They all look at us and we begin to get greeted by tons of people. Theres that guy from math! He looks horrible! Oh wow! Its Jo from chemistry, geez she

got fat! We make our way throughout the house. The place is enormous inside. 3 stories, huge outdoor pool, flat screens on all corners of the walls and a big island in the middle of the kitchen filled with chips, wings, and plenty to drink. "Noah!" Chelsea squeales, pushing her way towards noah who stands by the stair way with a drink and hope close by. We exchanged hugs and begin to chit chat. "You guys remember hope from Mr. Tansey's science class right?" Hope reachs for our hand and gives it a good

shake. "She's actually going to be my date this evening so my apologies to you both." noah says. They both pull each other close to their side. "Aw" i begin "its no problem. You're a lucky guy." I suddenly feel my hand get pulled behind me and find myself pressed against a green buttoned down cameo, smelling a faint hint of cologne all on top of someone's incredibly muscular caramel chest. My eyes linger toward his face, "Not as lucky as I am." say Bobby. His golden hazel eyes beam at mine. In this

moment if his hand wasnt pressed against my lower back, i swear i couldve melted on the spot. For a moment its as though we were frozen in time. He was no longer the dorky bestfriend i used to know. The cafeteria banter was long gone as i can only see a man. Maybe not as tall as noah, but just enough to keep my head in a swoon. I suddenly feel chelsea brush my arm "any chance i could catch a hug too?" Bobby releases me slowly and gently hugs her "hey Chelsea. Still got prep, i see" he says. "Of

course!" She begins "How else would I have gotten all those cheerleading trophies?" Another figure steps into the picture as i see queen bee Lottie walk around the corner. "Hi chels." she says warmly. She glances at me for a moment and then smirks as if something was funny "hey y/n, got rid of the glasses i see." I roll my eyes. Same old Lottie. "Yeah, i guess you can say some people change. But you look nothing different lottie." She huffs out a laugh and says "aw thanks! I knew i could stay young

forever." Her eyes move past me towards Bobby. "Hi" she says, putting her hand out "im lottie, i dont believe we ever met." She looks him up and down, almost drooling at the mouth. Bobby shakes her hand and says "oh ive met you, but you just wouldnt remember." a small smirk spreads across his face. She hesitates before continuing "well maybe a second time will be better-" before another word could be said, Noah bangs on the counter "Can i have everyones attention please? Now that we're all here, i just

want to say that since highschool ended, these past few years have been the best of my life. However tonight is about remembering the years that began where we are today. Its good to have everyone back! In a few moments we'll be playing man hunt and after is 7 minutes in heaven. You guys are more than welcome to join either or simply pig out in the damn kitchen." The crowd chuckles as he continues "I hope you all can have a good time, and here's to another 10 incredible years to come." He finishes off the speech by raising his

glass and everyone cheers him on. He hops off the counter and walks towards us. "Aye Bob's! Up for some man hunt in the dark?" Noah asks, pulling bobby in a man hug. "Hell yeah man! Sounds sick!" They continue the bro talk as chelsea asks "you wanna join? We need more people for the girls team." Without question, lottie pulls you in and says "Of course she does! Cant wait to get down and dirty again right?" I hesitate to answer "sure, why not?" The girls smile as we all head outside and i catch a

glance at bobby who's eyes seem to follow for a moment. We all stand in the street for a mintue until noah and hope walk inti the middle. "Alright, so pretty much the basic rules of tag. One team hides and the other tries to hunt us down. The boys have decided to hide first so girls, you'll have 10 mintues until you can begin. Everyone ready?" The group shouts as the boys begin to jet off. Bobby's eyes still flickering at you. You watch as he walks past a few houses and turns the corner. The few moments pass

and you begin to dart towards his direction. After a few miles of running, you begin to feel out of breath. Leaning against a tree to catch up. Suddenly you hear a scream from one of the girls and see two figures run past you. You watch, but then you feel a sudden jerk from behind you again and the same hint of cologne from before "Bobby!!" You laugh "stop doing that!" You both chuckle for a moment. "I knew you'd come tonight. Its been forever since i've seen you." We had see each other a few years ago when i

went to the hospital in Glasgow, but i barely remember it. "How's your head? Better?" He asks. I smile at how he remembered. "Much" I reply. His hand still holding me by the arm. For a moment we stood there in the woods. Just looking at each other. Gripping me softly and almost pulling me towards him. His hands find my cheek as he caresses it. His thumb skimming my lips and this eyes follow. "You're so beautiful" he whispers. With a low chuckle he pulls away "i can't believe it's been this long

since i've seen you. I still remember you sitting in math class. Biting on your pencil till it broke in two." I chuckle "Hehe, i remember that. You called me a gofer for a whole week after that." He laughs again before raising your head towards his. "I know" he whispers. His warm soft lips brush against yours, his body pressing against you as you cling to the base of the tree. The moonlight glistens on his face and down his chest, peaking out of his cameo. He sees you looking at his chest and pulls you back in for a kiss.

Slow and tender at first, but eventually intensifies as you can taste the sweetness of his lips. Bobby's hands lingering from your hips to your thighs. He wraps your leg around him as he begins to slowly move his tongue against yours. Savoring each warm touch you both make. A gentle moan escapes him, he moves his lips from your mouth down towards your neck. Massaging your thigh with his thumb. You bite your lips to keep from moaning. A small smile spreads across his face as he kisses your chest one last time before returning to

your lips. The kiss is passionate. Hard but still so tender as he lowers you back down. Barely wanting to stop he whispers through a kiss, "Come on, i think we should probably head back before the send out a search party." He smirks a bit as you grab each others hands "I'm pretty sure they could find us. You arent exactly the best hider." Bobby playfully makes a hurt face and places a hand on his chest "my pride". You both walk back, filling the streets with warm laughters and heavy smiles.

.

.

.

Available on Wattpad https://my.w.tt/6i6zaLVZEZ

Follow me on Instagram: @mcxbobby 💞

[trifoliate-undergrowth]

Episode 6: End of an Era

Strap yourselves in guys, this one’s a long one, but a good one. 

In this session, we were joined by two friends who happen to be married to each other, L and A. L provided snarky comments on the session hijinks and A played sound effects and brought the DM’s speakers over when he wanted to play something specific. 

The DM explains how, after an 8-hour speeder ride across the planet, we’re put down in a field and the speeder disappears. We’re in the middle of open farmland, nothing but rolling green fields dotted with small rounded bumps. These look like old abandoned grain silos, but Grif and Rralwarr know that inside one of these silos is a turbolift down to the safehouse. 

Rralwarr: I wanna do something. Before we go in there, I want to check Taveau for anything Death Watch could be using to track us. 

DM: And you’re... going to do this how? 

Me: Are you going to warn Taveau before you do whatever you’re planning to do to him? 

Rralwarr: Yeah--like “hey Taveau I need to check you for trackers before we head in.” 

Taveau: h

DM: Yeah that was technical language, you only barely understand what he’s saying. 

Taveau: I got like... half of that. Grif? 

Grif: 

Grif: Hmm what? Oh I was trying to remember which of these silos leads to f̸͎̽l̸̤̾u̵͙͆f̸̗͆f̸̣̀y̵̰̎p̶̦͂ḽ̷͊à̶̳c̶͕̄ê̷ͅ... 

Everyone: 

Grif: Yeah he wants to know if there’s any way Death Watch could be tracking you. 

Taveau: *instant paranoia* I?? Don’t?? Think so??? Uh, this armor never belonged to them, I don’t... 

Rralwarr asks if there could be something in the helmet. Taveau explains that it’s a remarkably low-tech helmet, only useful for deflecting plasma bolts from your face and holding caf, but lets Rralwarr examine it. It is, indeed, a very plain helmet with no attachments. Rralwarr is satisfied. We head down. 

Rralwarr and Taveau both have a bad feeling. It seems too easy. I’m kind of expecting Death Watch to already be down there, holding Grif’s family hostage. When the new Roll20 background loads up, showing a bunker, I nearly have a heart attack when I see several character tokens facing the entrance where we’ve just appeared. This changes to relief as I see that they’re Wookiees. 

DM: as the doors open, you see two Wookiees in the room before you. They roar an enthusiastic greeting, and one rushes forward and hugs Rralwarr. From behind them, you hear someone speaking basic. “Excuse me--Medrull, Talwarra?” and poking in between them comes a man who looks a lot like Grif, but older and greyer, in very luxurious robes. 

Baron Welkonna: Son. I’m so glad to see you safe. Rralwarr, thank you for keeping him safe. 

Then there’s sort of a moment of awkward semi-silence as everyone looks suspiciously at Taveau. Everyone except Medrull, of course, who immediately starts talking to Grif about how much taller he’s gotten, and asking whether he’s been eating well. Baron Welkonna pulls Rralwarr aside, but the other two Wookiees stay where they are, politely but firmly barring Grif and Taveau (mostly Taveau) from entering the room. 

Baron Welkonna: I was not anticipating a third person, Grif made no mention... is everything alright? Who is he? 

Rralwarr: Yes, it’s alright. Regarding Taveau--Taveau is his name--he’s helped us on our journey and as far I understand it he is running away from the ah

H: 

Dm: 

H: I Should Probably Think Before I Speak

DM: Yes. 

H: OK I’m starting over. 

DM: You can do that. 

Rralwarr: Taveau is our pilot, he is the one who got us to our destination, and... he is running away from slavers, as I understand it. He hasn’t told us much and I think there’s more to it, but he has helped us, and has fought alongside us in battle. 

Baron Welkonna: Ah, the poor man. You trust him? 

Rralwarr: Enough. 

Welkonna: Does Grif trust him? 

Rralwarr: Yes, I think so. 

Welkonna: Medrull, Talwarra, everything is clear. 

We’re allowed into the room and Baron Welkonna comes over to Taveau. 

Welkonna: I apologize for seeming a bit rude at first. These are trying times, but I have been assured that you are trustworthy. 

And he holds out his hand for a handshake. 

Now let me explain. Taveau feels like he’s entered another dimension, here. Not only is this man ridiculously wealthy (and Taveau is still semi-convinced he’s some kind of royalty), but he’s nice. Taveau isn’t sure how to react to either of those things but especially not the second one. 

Taveau: 

Taveau, struggling to remember how normal human beings behave when they’re not fighting for their survival and having near-death experiences every two seconds: 

Taveau: Thank You Sir *shakes hand, casually has an out-of-body experience* 

Baron Welkonna: I understand you’re been a great help to my son. 

Taveau: h 

Grif: Ohmygoodness he has been amazing!! He’s such a great pilot and he got us off of Ryloth when we were trapped there and I don’t even know what would have happened if we hadn’t met him, we probably would have died! 

Taveau, having another out-of-body experience: I... would have died too, so... thanks for letting me tag along? 

Baron Welkonna walks Grif and Taveau around the complex, showing Taveau the facilities, while Rralwarr hangs out with the other Wookiee bodyguards and chats about his adventures. The furnishings are simple but comfortable. There’s the living area where we came down, which has a couch; other rooms branch off of this in two directions. The one straight ahead from the entrance is a sleeping area with bunk beds, which we’ll get back to later. The other door, on the left (with your back to the entrance), leads into a dining area with doors leading to storage area, master bedroom and bathroom (with real water showers rather than sonic ones!! Taveau takes note. Taveau is still finding Geonosian sand in his hair, months later, and he doesn’t like it.) And in the bathroom there’s a hidden panel that opens to a hidden saferoom with a gun rack. This room provides access to the area which has the power generator and an escape hatch leading up to a small hangar. 

From here we circle back around to the smaller bedroom. 

Welkonna: Grif, I’m sure you remember this, you used to love playing on these beds. 

Grif: Oh yeah! During the safety drills.... I remember those. 

Welkonna: Do you remember the time you hid under the covers and we couldn’t find you? Midkrarr was ready to tear her fur out with worry... you scared your mother, too. She was so happy when we finally found you. 

Grif: ...I remember. 

Welkonna: Anyway, 

He opens another hidden-panel-door into a vault holding an impressive amount of weaponry. 

Grif: Wow dad, I don’t remember all of this! 

Welkonna: Ah yes, I’ve made some additions to the place since you were last here. Actually: here, might want to take this. 

He takes down a suit of concealed body armor that will go under Grif’s clothes. 

Grif:  Wow, this, this is—I don’t even know where you’d get something like this! Thanks, dad!! 

DM: Taveau, Baron Welkonna notices you hanging back at the door, not sure if you should enter. He says “Ah, you look fairly well-armored already, but I have an attachment that might be helpful.” 

*L and A play the Zelda item gain noise from the couch. Party takes a moment to laugh at this* 

Welkonna gives Taveau a wrist attachment with a concealed vibroblade. Taveau is beyond pleased and puts it on his left wrist and starts playing with it. 

H: Please don’t tell me he’s just standing there flicking it in and out

Me: Heheheheh that is exactly what he’s doing. He looks very pleased with it. Finally he retracts it and looks up at Baron Welkonna and says “Thank you, sir.” 

M: Hey can I roll to see if Grif notices any guns he could use that would be better than what he’s got? 

DM: Sure. (he do that) You see a very nice blaster pistol, looks like republic army issue. 

Grif: Heyoo, dad, where’d you get that one? 

Welkonna: Oh, that was a gift from an army supplier I helped with some tricky negotiations. I have no real use for it, would you like it? I certainly can’t object to you having more protection, though I wish it weren’t necessary. 

Grif does indeed take the gun. It is a nice gun. 

DM: meanwhile, Rralwarr has been shooting the breeze with the other Wookiee bodyguards, and has have endured some good-natured teasing from Midkrarr, the oldest, who is Baron Welkonna’s personal bodyguard. Medrull and Talwarra are also glad to have you back. They’re excited about the new gear they have—shock sticks. Would you like one? 

H: You know this is incredibly obviously that room full of gear that you find right before The Boss Room 

DM: I am being nice to you :) 

H: Yes I take the shock stick. 

DM: Excellent. You can sling it on your back.

Rralwarr discusses where the rest of Grif’s family is with the bodyguards--his sister is with her husband’s family, the brother who went into industry was off-world at the time and they’re having trouble contacting him, but they think he’s OK because he was about halfway across the galaxy. We also learn that Grif was the middle child, his brother was older and his sister younger (though one would presume not much younger). 

DM: Medrull pulls Rralwarr aside and softly grunts to him that Midkrarr was the personal bodyguard to Lady Welkonna as well and is taking her loss very personally. She’s been extra vigilant. She considers it a failure on her part.

RR: I understand. But we’ll be safe here—

-PROXIMITY ALARM BLARES-

Everyone: Of Course It Does

DM, to Rralwarr: Midkrarr rushes past you, nearly knocking you over in the process, barking at the other bodyguards to take up defensive positions. 

Rralwarr quickly gives the other bodyguards an idea of what they might be up against, then goes looking for his boy 

(Rralwarr:)

Rralwarr: GRIF WHERE YOU AT

Grif, reacting to the alarm: Oh! That sounds bad! 

Rralwarr: Ah he’s in here. 

DM: You encounter them rushing out of the vault room. Baron Welkonna races into the dining room area, where there’s a display screen on the wall, and you all follow him. About 5 miles out you see a small freighter, flying low to the ground and slowly. You think you may have about 5 minutes, they have to go over a lot of hills and it’s slowing them down. 

Welkonna:  I was afraid of this. It seems we’ve been followed. I expect it was someone in the police force who told them where we were. (sigh) alright. It’ll take them a while to get through... We’re far enough down to be safe from anything but orbital bombardment, I don’t think they brought a capital ship. I think we need to retreat to the safe room. 

Taveau: Then you’ll just be trapped in there! 

Welkonna: I’ve reported it to the police, a force should be here in about an hour. Surely we’ll last for that long. 

DM: ...The ship... is still approaching... what are you gonna do... 

[Party discusses various options. Leaving through the escape hatch won’t work, they only have a small speeder there, they’d be easily chased down and shot.]

DM: Guys... the ship... is getting really close... what are you gonna do... 

[Welkonna heads into the saferoom, still arguing with Grif]

DM: Guys the ship is ALMOST HERE. IT WILL BE HERE IN LIKE. TEN SECONDS. 

Taveau: the bodyguards are going to be at the door, right? I’ll stay with them as long as possible. 

Rralwarr agrees. 

Grif looks at his friends, then his father. 

Grif: Dad, I think I gotta go with em. I can’t leave em alone--

Taveau: No, you don’t gotta. Go in the safe room. 

Welkonna: Son, please, I can’t lose you too. Stay with me. 

At around this point, the other two head to the front, and Taveau, Rralwarr, Midkrarr, Medrull and Talwarra all take cover in places around the living room right outside the turbolift area. They also recall the turbolift so that the invaders can’t use it, but let’s be honest, did anyone really think that would stop these guys? No. But we could say that we tried, at least.

DM, to Grif: At this point, you’re at the hidden door. Baron Welkonna is already inside, Grif is still outside in the bathroom. Baron Welkonna is coming back like he’s going to grab you and pull you inside, Grif; and you notice this at the same time that you notice that you’re standing right next to the emergency seal on the door. 

M: ooh. ... Hm. 

Grif: Alright dad, I’m going. 

And he steps out and presses the release. 

Welkonna, muffled, through the door, which is now sealed for the next thirty minutes: Aaah fierfek! 

Grif: I’ll try to stay safe dad! 

Grif goes and hides around the corner of the other bathroom, the one at the back of the first room, where the others are waiting. Nobody notices that he’s joined the party yet. 

The last we saw of the display showed the ship on the ground and six figures walking towards us. The Wookiees begin to roar--the DM describes it as a rhythmic sound that slowly builds in intensity as they psyche themselves up for battle. It works so well that it gives us all a +5 bonus to attack rolls on the first 3 turns. 

Above us somewhere, there’s a very loud explosion. It sounds like the freighter may have blasted the door open. Then there’s silence, maybe a few footsteps... then suddenly: 

Kote! Kandosii sa ka'rota, Vode An

DM: You hear, of all things, Vode An, but it seems to have changed, because this version is interspersed with bloodcurdling whoops and screams and lyrics that mention restoring the glory of the Mandalorian empire, taking the wives of the Aruetiise, and drinking blood from their skulls. Taveau, this gives you very unpleasant flashbacks. 

Me: Yes It Does

DM: Roll a 1d4. (2) It’s difficult, but you manage to steel yourself and keep composed. That was a PTSD roll, by the way. 

Me: Excellent (I appreciate the devotion to accurate characterization, and also the material for possibly later writing something. I’ll also throw in here that Vode An had come up a couple times in earlier sessions, as the DM and M discussed how great it was and played it for the rest of us. It’s from the game Republic Commando, which I bought during the Steam winter sale but haven’t tried playing yet. Considering how bad the book punched me in the feels, I’m almost afraid...) 

We hear the sound of jets firing in the elevator shaft, followed by 6 thuds. They’ve jetpacked down. Then, we hear one of them shouting at us through the door: “Aruetiise! We are not without mercy. We offer you peace! Return the foreigner, his pet, and our property to us and we will leave you alone. Otherwise, you must die.” 

DM: the Wookies respond immediately, cursing the parentage of the speaker. Taveau, with your shaky grasp of Shyriiwook, you think you hear one of them call the speaker a Hutt sex slave. You’re not sure you want to think about this too much, and question your decision to learn Shyriiwook. 

(Me, internally: are you telling me Taveau hasn’t heard worse in Mando’a) 

Speaker: You have ten seconds to respond! 

At this, Grif pops his head around the corner of the bathroom wall, and yells:  GO TO HELL YOU SONSUVBITCHES! 

At which Taveau whips around and goes GRIF WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE! 

The answer is, Grif is using his Presence skill to give us an advantage. 

Ten seconds pass, and the Speaker calls “Ha! Foolish aruetiise, soon you will taste the blades of Death Watch!” 

Just in case there was any doubt left as to who we’re dealing with, yep, it’s definitely those guys. 

Taveau noted that Death Watch had mentioned three people specifically this time. They’re not just after him. He gives up the idea he’d had of turning himself in and taking whatever punishment they had planned for him. It wouldn’t be enough, would it? He’d been stupid to think there was a chance. But honestly, who would want to kill Grif? He was... Grif. Rralwarr was more likely to be seen as a threat, but he hadn’t personally gone out of his way to anger Death Watch, he’d just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. And he hadn’t been the one to kill the guy. 

Taveau, who was pressed against the wall to the side of the door, leans over to the door and shouts “what do you want with these outsiders?” 

There’s a bit of a, possibly surprised, pause, then the Speaker responds “We want to get to the one who shot one of our own.” 

Taveau: The kid? No he’s useless believe me. He was in another room. I don’t think he even had a gun. And the Wookiee was just trying to protect him, I guarantee he wouldn’t have shot if he’d known who he was dealing with. 

DM: There’s no response. 

Of course there isn’t. 

We hear explosives being packed around the door and we all duck and cover. The door blasts forward into the room, and in the smoke-wreathed gap appears the first of our enemies, a tall man with a rather large blaster carbine slung across his chest. He’s not using this. He is, in fact, brandishing a large beskar-bladed sword. This is the Blademaster. And so it begins. 

(I’ll spare you the frantic rolling and the “oh, he missed... he circles around to try again... that guy... also missed,” and try to make it a bit story-like). 

Another Death Watch grunt runs out behind the Blademaster, and the two team up against Medrull, who’s on the other side of the door from Taveau, whom they don’t seem to have noticed. He’s standing very, very still. 

In the chaos, Grif pops out again and takes a shot at the Blademaster. He hits, though the hit doesn’t do very much damage. This man is a tank. 

H, to M: HEY! THAT IS THE FIRST TIME YA HIT SOMETHING! 

DM: Yeah, and he definitely sees you now. ...But not you, Taveau. 

Me: Can I make a sneak attack with my two vibroblades? 

DM: Yes... (not-a-very-great roll) Ah, well, you try to sneak up on him while his back is turned, but you bang your elbow against the filtration column, and he hears it and dodges your attacks. 

Talwarra nearly kills one of the troopers, but he’s still up and fighting, on a sliver of health. 

All 6 of the Death Watch are in the room now, including a Scout with a very nice & stabby knife and four grunts, fairly ordinary troopers whom the DM refers to by number in the combat initiative list. 

Trooper 3 shoots at Taveau. He hits Taveau. He hits Taveau for a lot of damage. All of it, in fact. He nat 20′d both of his attack rolls. Taveau is insta-downed (not killed) and falls to the floor, limp. 

(the drama of the moment is somewhat lessened by L shouting from the couch “and then one of the troopers starts crying and goes I didn’t want to go to war, I had a liberal arts degree and no one else would hire me!”) 

Rralwarr roars, intimidating the troopers, who all try to stay as far away from him as possible for the rest of the fight. 

The DM mentions, at this point, that these armored bastards have Wookiee pelts braided around their armor. This does not endear them to our allies. 

Grif takes a shot at the nearly-dead guy previously shot by Talwarra and manages to finish him. He’s a bit surprised, and a bit concerned to see what their response will be. 

The DM gets back to Taveau. “Roll a 1d3.” Ah yes, we are now in the world of death saving throws. 

And I’ve just rolled a 1. 

DM: OOOOOH.... 

Me: I HAVE INSPIRATION

DM: Oh good, reroll that. (a 3) Oh! Okay. Good. That was good. You’re stable now. 

Me: But I can’t move? 

DM: No, you’re still unconscious. 

Talwarra, meanwhile, grapples with one of the troopers and manages to restrain him, Medrull is still boxed in by several of them while Rralwarr takes shots at them from around the couch, and while all this is happening, one of the troopers who isn’t currently busy with the others goes over to Taveau’s limp body, grabs him, and starts dragging him away. He disappears through the door and into the turbolift shaft before anyone does anything. 

DM: Medrull... Medrull is going to attempt something a little spicy. (rolls a 24) Ah, yes. She moves in, grabs the guy who was previously holding Taveau, pins his arms, puts him in a chokehold, spins around and uses him as a meatshield. Taveau just sort of slumps to the ground in the turbolift shaft. 

And that was where I remained for the rest of the fight. But the man who tried to abduct me went on to have a very bad time. 

Grif shoots the man fighting Talwarra, but he manages to break out of Talwarra’s grip. The Scout joins him in ganging up on Talwarra. 

DM: Talwarra, enraged-- 

H: OOH IS HE IN WOOKIEE RAGE MODE?? 

DM: ...I am sure Talwarra is in a Wookiee rage, yes. Is this a thing? 

(TO THE RULEBOOK!) 

This is a thing. Wookiees have sort of a berserker mode, and considering they’re being attacked by maniacs wearing the pelts of their dead brethren, it’s pretty safe to assume that our friends are going to be doing that during this battle. Talwarra, buffed by his righteous anger, starts whaling on the nearest member of Death Watch. Meanwhile, another trooper tries to shoot at Medrull, and his shot glances off The Human Shield for 5 damage. To The Shield, not to Medrull. The Shield wriggles around in a desperate attempt to escape, but rolls low enough to bring a deadpan “Yeah, there is no escape” from the DM. 

The Blademaster also fails to land a hit on Medrull. 

M: You know, “The Blademaster” seems like an interesting name for this guy who’s never hit anything with his blade... 

DM: Medrull decides this trooper she’s holding has too many arms... (bad roll) but fails to pull any off. She’s still got him in a firm grip, though. 

It’s here that Grif yells to Rralwarr, “Get Taveau!” because I’m still lying just outside the room. Rralwarr is surprised to see Grif there, but ‘trusts his judgement.’ He doesn’t run for Taveau, though. There are kind of a lot of people duking it out between him and the door, including Medrull, who’s swinging around an entire flailing human. Instead, he takes a shot at the Blademaster, master of the blade which never lands. 

Grif, seeing that he and Talwarra, who’s closest to the back, are getting a lot of attention, yells “let’s fall back!” to Talwarra and ducks into the bathroom, which, might I mention, has no other exit. The trooper Grif had shot at a moment before rushes after him. And then he rolls a crit fail, crashes into the door, injures himself, slips on the slippery bathroom tile floor and falls on his face. He is now prone. Grif steps over him to get out of the room, and then shoots him while he’s still lying down. 

Talwarra grapples with the scout and The Human Shield, who is having a very bad day, continues soaking up damage from his own teammates. Then the Blademaster makes a surprise-dash attack on Rralwarr, which does 34 damage, leaving him nearly dead. Medrull, seeing this, goes into rage mode and decides to body-rush the Blademaster, using The Human Shield as a battering ram to smash him out of the way. She succeeds beautifully, inflicting damage upon both the Blademaster and The Shield, who is really not having a good day. 

The Blademaster, now nearly dead, moves away from us, and... before anyone can finish him off... pulls a syringe from his belt, jams it in his neck, and regains a large chunk of his HP. 

Me: I hate that guy. 

H: I hate that guy too. 

M: I don’t like sand. 

Rralwarr medpacs himself, gets his health back, and then goes into rage mode. Medrull, still holding the least lucky man on this team, uses him as a melee weapon to bludgeon one of his teammates. Rralwarr takes out his new shock stick and slaps the Blademaster with it. The Blademaster goes down. 

Grif takes another shot at the trooper who slipped facefirst into the Welkonna bathroom, who has managed to stand up again but not to do anything else. He rolls a 24 for this. 

H and I simultaneously: OOOOOH, 

Me: You are more competent than Taveau, who has been trained to kill from birth! 

DM: You manage to hit a battery pack on the side of his helmet. It explodes. Half of his face is now gone. 

One more down, but Talwarra goes down a moment later. Rralwarr slams into the guy who downed him, the Scout, with his shock stick and knocks him backwards into the hallway where Grif is standing, shouting “Take the shot!” to Grif. Grif takes the shot and crit fails it. He uses his inspiration to reroll, and still fails to hit anything, but at least he didn’t crit fail and hit Rralwarr. Unlike the other member of our party. (see ep. 1) 

Meanwhile, The Human Shield is still doing frantic and ultimately useless wiggles in Medrull’s arms, and Trooper 2 gets tired of trying to aim around him and just. Shoots his buddy. 

Me, OOC: That poor guy. Seems like the Taveau of this bunch. 

Medrull backs Trooper 2 up against the wall. He’s the last one standing, and Grif comes out and yells at him. 

Grif: Give it up, we have you outnumbered! Go back to your people and tell them we fight with honor! 

This last guy, panicked, yells “I submit!!” and drops his blaster. Medrull takes the opportunity to punch him. He’s now unconscious. 

The room is full of bodies. We’ve won. 

Rralwarr keeps beating on the limp Blademaster for a few moments before coming out of his blind rage enough to treat and stabilize Talwarra. Medrull goes and gets binder cuffs, restrains the two alive-but-unconscious men--Blademaster and the last trooper--and lashes them to two of the bunks in the next room. Then she sits down to take a rest. She’s on very low health. 

Grif: While this is happening I run to Taveau and drag him back into the room and lay him down. 

DM: You know you have a small medical facility here? *points it out on the map* 

Grif: Then never mind, I’m dragging him there. 

Rralwarr and Midkrarr follow with Talwarra. As we all pass the display, we see that another ship has entered their airspace. It’s not Alderaanian police. However, it doesn’t appear to be Death Watch backup, either, as it launches a missile into the other freighter, destroying it, before touching down in front of the bunker. 

After getting Talwarra and Taveau set up in the clinic, Grif rushes to the still-sealed panel to talk to his dad, while Rralwarr returns to guarding the door. 

Grif: Dad!! (he’s breathless, gasping a little, and he sounds high on adrenaline. He’s laughing a little, too. I’m reminded that M is an actor, and a damn good one.) We did it, we got 2 prisoners, the rest are dead and right now Rralwarr’s guarding the door! 

Welkonna: Thank the Force you’re OK. I should have kept you in here with me. 

Grif: DAD!! :D I KILLED TWO OF THEM!! 

Welkonna, who’s been watching the security cam feed: I know. I never wanted you to get into this kind of life, but it seems that choice is beyond me. Now come, let’s treat the Wookiees and your friend.

Baron Welkonna gets himself un-trapped and goes to tend to the wounded. 

DM: Grif, on the display, you see, approaching the door, a Mandalorian--

M, assuming it’s the black-armored mystery man we keep running into: SONUVA-- 

DM: --In sand-colored armor. 

M: ?? WHAT!

DM: And then he looks directly into the camera--which should be completely concealed--and says “Hello! Seems like you’ve done some impressive work here. Could I, maybe... talk to you? I have some information you might find rather valuable.” 

Grif heads back to the door to discuss their options with Rralwarr, who’s starting to crash. Rralwarr’s take is “Well if he shot the other guys, let’s see what he has to say.” He’s still incredibly wary. Grif convinces him to lower his bowcaster as they head up in the turbolift, but he keeps it ready. 

DM: The doors open, and you see the Mandalorian standing in front of you. He’s slightly below average height, wearing scuffed, kind of sand-gold armor. “...Colored kind of like my Camry, actually,” says the DM. “He’s wearing Camry-colored armor. You notice a familiar-looking silvery flute hanging from his belt.” 

M, remembering that the black-armored Mandalorian murdered someone with a sharpened flute in one of their earlier adventures: SONUVA--so it IS the same guy!! 

DM: This isn’t the same guy. He’s shorter. His voice is more easygoing, rather than the clipped, aristocratic tones of the black-armored Mandalorian. He’s standing with his palms out in a gesture of non-confrontationality.

H: Rralwarr stands by the door and lets Grif do the talking.

Camry-armored man: So you’re still alive, then. Kandosii! You must be special indeed, not everyone gets a death watch assassin squad sent after them. Those damn shabuire... Mm. My name’s Mij Galmar. 

DM: He takes off his helmet, there’s a slight hiss of decompression. You see the face of a man in his late 40s-early 50s, dirty blonde hair greying around the edges. He has a face that would have been handsome in his youth but has met with a few fists since then; he’s got a squashed, broken nose.

Rralwarr takes this as a decent sign of trust and lowers his guard.

Grif goes for a handshake. “Grif Welkonna! Nice to meet you, sir.”

Mij: Rather impressive what you did there, son. Or what I’m assuming you did. I don’t know what their current numbers are, but used to be a squad was 8 men. 

Grif and Rralwarr look at each other in sudden paranoia. 

They take Mij back down with them in the turbolift, and when the doors open Rralwarr leaves at a sprint, heading back towards the medbay. 

Mij: What’s his rush?

Grif: you said 8? 6 came after us.

Mij shrugs. “Maybe 2 stayed in the freighter. Or their numbers have gone down. Death Watch has only recently made a resurgence, they’re not up to full strength; 6 was probably all they had.” 

Grif: I hope you’re right. You’ll understand our concern, though. We’ve been having trouble with these guys.

Mij: Have you, now?

Grif, being Grif, decides to roll a Charisma, and nat 20s it.

Grif: Yeah, so, what do you know about these guys? I’d like to know what their deal is.

DM: Mij gives you an appraising look. “I guess you could call me a patriot, though Death Watch would say that they’re the patriots. They’re really nothing more than criminals. I like to think of the days when we had honor, but Death Watch remembers the times when our name struck fear at a mere mention. We thought they were dead at Galadran, but it seems they’re back, and they’ve used the civil war as an opportunity to make some powerful friends. 

Grif: That’s unfortunate. Sounds like a problem for you guys.

Mij: It’s a problem for those of us who know. We Mandos typically keep to ourselves.

Grif: I mean, I guess that makes sense if you’re gonna have the kind of problems you do. Besides, considering the kind of warriors you make, I’d expect that you want to keep your secrets close. 

Mij: Look at you, already thinking like a Mando. So how many of you were there? I’m guessing you and your friend didn’t fight off the Death Watch by yourselves.  

Grif: Yes, we had a couple bodyguards with us as well, and another friend.

Mij: I see. Have they fared well, did any of them die?

Grif: Well, I mean, we had a few problems, some of them are getting patched up for minor injuries. But everyone should be right as rain in a few minutes. (Deception roll: 32)

Mij: You know what, considering what I’ve seen today I believe you. But, if you ever need help, I am a doctor.

Party: OH, THANKS, GRIF!

M: I WAS JUST TRYING TO BE SAFE I DIDN’T WANT HIM TO THINK WE WERE COMPLETELY DEFENSELESS

Grif: ...I mean, we would take some medpacs, if you have some to spare. 

Mij: Oh? Everyone’s OK, but you want medpacs? 

Grif: Yes but we used up a lot of medpacs, and now we’re a bit low. I mean, they came through our “impenetrable” door; that makes me a bit nervous.

Mij: I respect that. 

Meanwhile, Rralwarr finds Baron Welkonna, who grabs him and asks why the display feed shows his son sitting on the couch with a strange Mandalorian. Rralwarr is really starting to struggle against the fatigue now, coming down from berserker mode is worse than an adrenaline crash. 

Rralwarr: There’s... a sandpaper armor Mandalorian, out there... He shot the freighter, he took off his helmet as a gesture of trust, now he’s on our couch. 

Baron Welkonna: Will my son never learn! 

H: Rralwarr is actually a little bit loopy. 

DM: Yeah, I’ll bet. Medrull is going to lie down and take a rest in the bunk room, keeping an eye on the prisoners. And Baron Welkonna is going to go see what Grif’s up to. 

H: Rralwarr goes with him. 

Grif, seeing them come in: Heyyy! Who brought in the army? 

Rralwarr slumps against the wall, exhausted. Mij takes a look at him, then at Grif, and goes “right as rain, huh? Don’t worry about it kid, I respect the effort.” He stands and extends his hand to Baron Welkonna with a slight bow. 

Welkonna: Thank you for the service you did us in taking down that freighter. But if you’ll forgive me a bit of paranoia, considering what we’ve just come through, it is a bit suspicious that you showed up just now. 

Mij: Understandable, and I’ll be honest. I’ve been hunting these guys, I take my targets where I can find them. 

Welkonna: Ah. So you’re a bounty hunter. 

Mij: Sometimes. I prefer to think of myself as a doctor, really. 

(Party: HE SAID IT AGAIN) 

Welkonna: I... see. (sigh) This, the whole series of events the past week has been surreal. First my wife and now the attack on what I thought was a safe house. 

Mij: Wait, your wife? 

He looks between Grif and Baron Welkonna, noting the similarity, and the way that everyone’s gotten rather quiet. He looks back at Grif. 

Mij: ...They killed his mom? 

H: Rralwarr is grumbling in the corner about it. 

Mij: Shab, these... They’re going after kids now. I can’t believe... How did you attract the ire of Death Watch? They’re brutal, but usually not random. 

Grif gives him the short version of our Hypori adventure, concluding with “We’re not sure why they’re this angry, but maybe when one of our friends wakes up he can talk to you.” 

(Me: Hey, good question, am I conscious now? 

DM: You’re semiconscious. You still can’t move.)

Mij: I see. Would you like me to treat him? 

(Me, OOC, wanting Taveau to LIVE: Grif? Grif. Swallow your pride, Grif. 

M: It’s not pride! I’m just not sure we can trust him--)

Rralwarr: Yes. 

Grif: ... Yes. Thank you. 

They glance in on the prisoners and Medrull first. Medrull has stripped the dead and prisoners of their Wookiee pelts, planning to give them a proper burial later. Mij looks at them and comments “Aah, that’s how you did it. They should’ve known better than to wear their blasted Wookiee pelts.” 

Then he checks on Taveau and Talwarra. Talwarra is still unconscious, but should live. 

DM: He feels for broken bones, checks your eyes for concussion, makes sure you don’t have any untreated injuries and injects a stimulus. You come back. 

Mij: Aah, welcome back to the land of the living. Just a word of advice: you may want to lay off the rum, brother. It’ll increase your life expectancy. 

Taveau: ?? Whhhh I just met you huuh how did dyou know ?? 

(M: He’s a doctor, I think he can tell when your blood is 50% rum. 

DM: Yeah, Mij has seen alcoholics before.) 

Rralwarr leans right down to the cot and gives Taveau a massive bear hug. Let me repeat. Whom does this massive furry tank teammate give a hug to? Yes, Taveau, who was near-lethally shot half an hour before, and is still covered in bandages. 

Taveau: AAAGH! Um, hey. 

Grif: Careful! 

Taveau, who appreciated the gesture (though startling and painful), manages to give Rralwarr’s arm-fur a squeeze before he releases him. Grif, opting to not damage him more, ruffles his hair. 

Grif: It’s OK. This guy is a friend. 

Mij: Mij Galmar. You feel awake enough to explain what’s going on? Your friends told me I should talk to you. 

Taveau: Uh... 

Grif: Actually, hey, guys, if you wouldn’t mind giving me and Taveau a moment alone? We have some stuff to talk over. 

And the adults politely leave, except for the unconscious Wookiee on the bed next to Taveau, and Rralwarr, who slumps down on the floor against the supply cabinets. 

Grif: OK, here’s the thing. I think we can trust Mij, I think he can help us.

Taveau: He’s... when did he get here? How long has it been?? 

Grif: Not long, you’ve only been unconscious maybe half an hour. Less, I’d say. 

Taveau: Huh. Ok. 

Grif:  Mij wants to know why Death Watch is interested in you. But if you don’t want to tell him, I understand--

Taveau: Nah. If telling him will help us, I’ll do it. 

Taveau sits up and swings his legs over the side of the bed in a sloppy attempt at standing up. Grif catches him and helps him get up without further injuring himself, and supports him as he walks to the door. 

Taveau: We won, though? 

Grif: Yeah! Oh, yeah, we won! *with immense pride* Actually, I killed two of them! 

Taveau: Yeah? Kandosii. 

Grif: Kk?? Kah, um, kendasi to you, too. 

DM: Hey, are you saying this out loud? 

Me, instantly on edge bc that’s a Things Are About to Happen DM Question: ??? yes?? 

DM: Can everyone hear you? 

Me: ...We’re right in the doorway at this point so yeah, everyone should be able to hear me. 

DM: ah :) 

Me: What? What Happens

DM: Mij hears you say this. He looks over at you quickly, then says, in Mando’a, “You speak Mando’a?” 

Taveau: lek

(DM: ??? 

Me: ....ye. * ’lek is a shortened form of elek which is yes so it’s like going ‘ye’ or ‘yeah’ but DM either couldn’t tell the difference between ‘lek’ and ‘I just muffled a burp’ or doesn’t know that*)

DM: Alright, Mij looks intensely at you for a moment, and sort of flares his nostrils as he takes a deep breath. 

Mij: Let me guess. You were just a kid, weren’t you? 

Taveau: 

Taveau, struggling against all odds (and against his earlier resolve) to not have his backstory brought up again even though it’s happening anyway, and doing an extremely bad job of feigning innocence: ....scuse me?

Mij: Death Watch could never get enough people to join their crazy scheme, so to fill up the ranks they’d take the children of loyal members. 

Taveau, still trying to pretend he’s not an open book: How do you know this? 

Mij: If you mean how do I know that’s what happened--you know the language, and you look like you’ve seen some stuff. As to how I know about it, I’ve seen it, I grew up there. It almost happened to me. But I got out. 

Taveau, with a faint touch of both bitterness and respect in his voice: Good on you. 

Mij: How’d you get out? 

Taveau: Faked my death, but obviously I didn’t do a very good job. 

Mij: They saw you with these others on Hypori. 

Taveau: Yeah. 

Mij: That explains it, then. Death Watch doesn’t want to let go once they have something, and they’ll go to a lot of effort to show that they still own you. 

Taveau, remembering how they treated (attempted) deserters in his day, just nods. They don’t want to let someone be a bad example. 

Mij switches back to Basic, addressing everyone in the room. 

Mij:  *sigh* Alright. I’ll give it to you straight. Death Watch is coming back. They have no real concern with Alderaan, or the Republic, or really anywhere outside of Mandalore for now; but they’re desperate to re-establish themselves somewhere. That fight on Hypori made them angry, but they don’t have the manpower to attack the Republic, so they’ve decided to pick on you. You’re an easier target. And once they’ve decided that someone is their enemy, they don’t forget easily. I think, if the three of you that they’re after leave this planet, they won’t bother the rest of your family, but they’re going to keep hunting you. Now, I’m no big fan of the Republic, but we’ll fare no better under the Seps, and especially not with Death Watch in power, so I’ve made it my mission to hunt them. 

Grif: Mij? 

DM: He looks up at you. 

Grif: Could you guys use a courier? 

Mij: I was hoping you’d say something like that. I’m putting together a small operation... 

(me: DOCTOR PUN) 

Mij: and I know... I know that Val would call me soft for this, and I’m probably sounding too much like Skirata, but I can’t stand it when they go after kids. I can’t promise you safety, I can’t promise you much protection, but I can promise you a way to fight back, and to learn to stand on your own feet and fight for yourself. You’ll have to leave this place, and you may never come back. It’s bas'lan shev'la, a strategic disappearance. But unless you want to go your own way, on the run from these guys for who knows how long... 

Baron Welkonna has a grave look on his face. There are tears glistening in his eyes. 

Welkonna: I never wanted this for you, son. I should never have let you leave, but this is the life you’ve started for yourself. I’ll protect you if I can, but I know that you resent having guards around you all the time. And you’ve shown that despite your impulsiveness you take care of yourself. You can stand on your own.

Gears have been turning in Taveau’s head while this is going on.  Mij doesn’t think Death Watch is interested in Grif’s family. Death Watch is only tangentially interested in Grif and Rralwarr, for their accidental association in a battle on Hypori. What Taveau is painfully aware of at the moment is that Death Watch wants him; terrifying enough if he were alone, but now his presence here is endangering this peaceful family. 

He steps forward before anyone else can speak. 

Taveau: For my part, I’ll go with you, at least as long as it takes to get out of this system. 

He turns back towards the Welkonnas and Rralwarr and hesitates. 

Taveau: I wasn’t here long, but... thank you... for accepting me into your home. 

Grif turns to Rralwarr to discuss his own options. 

Grif: right now, I want to go.It’s the best chance for keeping our family safe, and... I don't hate them anymore, but I will do what I can to fight them. If you go with me, then I’ll go, but only if you stay by my side.

H: ...I’m just trying to figure out how Rralwarr would react to this--is there some Wookiee gesture to express that Grif is family and anything else would be unthinkable? 

DM: I think a hug would suffice. 

Rralwarr sweeps Grif up into a hug of affirmation. Grif leaves the floor. Grif, upon being released, turns to Mij with a grin. 

Grif: alright, you’ve got me, and you’ve got my uncle Rralwarr here--

Rralwarr: I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT IN PUBLIC

Grif:--and one of the best pilots in the galaxy.

Taveau steps forward and slaps his hand down solidly on Grif’s shoulder. He’s the closest he’s come yet to outright grinning. 

Taveau: Grif.  ...Don’t lie so much.

Grif: ?? what? No? I was... actually telling the truth...? 

(H, laughing: Charisma check on Taveau to make him believe!!)

The conversation turns to what we’re going to do with the prisoners, and Mij offers to ‘take them off our hands’. Grif asks Mij what he’d do with them. 

“Oh, strip them, interrogate them, and depending on the day, maybe see if we can’t propel them into the nearest sun.” 

Grif tells how he convinced the last man standing to surrender (a not very typically Death Watch thing to do) and Mij just sort of does an ‘I’m not surprised’ grunt. “There’s always a few hut’uune in the ranks.” 

(Fun etymology time, the Mandalorians have such an intense dislike for the Hutts that their word for ‘coward’, aka The Worst serious insult, is derived from their name.) 

Midkrarr asks if the bodyguards may see to the prisoners themselves, or at least get some things straightened out before giving them to Mij. Mij responds without waiting for a translation. 

Mij: Far be it from me to stand in the way of Wookiee justice! Try to leave the heads attached, but I don’t really care about the arms, they just get in the way. 

Rralwarr, still very lethargic, is taken aback that Mij understands Shyriiwook, but after a moment just replies:

Rralwarr: OK. They had pelts. We have... a special procedure... for ones who take pelts. 

Mij: Would you like to borrow my scalpel? Nice bit of Mandalorian iron. 

Rralwarr passes, but Midkrarr snatches it up with a pleased look and goes off towards the bunk room. Mij calls after her 

“Leave them able to talk... please?” 

Finally, Mij takes out his comlink and makes a call to someone. 

“Jang, we’ve got some new friends. Yeah, just two kids. And a Wookiee. Yes I knew you were going to say that. Where is Kal anyway? Nah, they had it taken care of by the time I got down here, they’re not completely helpless. Six, this time. *sigh* Yes, you can have their gloves.” 

Masterpost 

[dndfuckhouse]

session 10 - old and new twisted faces

> 🎵  Darkening Developments / Kevin Macleod 

Picking up right again after a harrowing scream echoes throughout the alleys of the withered bone, Psalm and Rokka look to one another to decide their next course of action. 

Psalm: it's not really our problem, is what i'd like to say but i get the feeling that you want to go help them anyways Rokka: you are correct my dear roommate. lets go! Psalm: wait wait wait

Psalm advises Rokka to go wake the others to go check it out, him staying and watching over ‘greenie’ in the meantime. Rokka runs over to the room with Keva, Han, Ezra and Plum inside and kicks up a big fuss that Plum and Ezra aggressively sleep through as the others each rouse tired and groggy. Keva throws a pillow at Ezra to rouse him out of nowhere and the four make their way over to the room where Psalm is to ask him why the hell he woke them up.

Han: psalm, why can we not sleep in peace :) Psalm: why are you asking me? you think i'm responsible for this? Han: i do not consider rokka responsible yes, i do consider u responsible Psalm: seems a bit unfair, we're both on watch here..... not really appreciating the bias

He explains the flash of light and the scream he heard to he group, everyone but Rokka decide they definitely are not getting involved even if a dude is dying but will accompany him to check it out on his insistence. The four heard downstairs while Psalm keeps watch over ‘greenie’ like a hawk. 

Psalm: AN OCELOT NEVER LETS HIS PREY ESCAPE Plum: psalm meow like ocelot or no balls psalm by himself with greenie: MEWOOOOOWW ghester:

The four make their way outside the bar’s sturdy front door and listen about and hear sounds of someone moving a body, Rokka tries to pinpoint it but cant tell where its coming from. Han and Keva manage to figure it out while pulling on his ears, they creep around a corner and see a cloaked figure laying on the ground, someone standing over them.

Psalm: Ghester im thinking of a number between 1 and 2 decimals are allowed Ghester: 1.6 Psalm: Oh u got me...

The three recognise the figure over the body to be that of Vorde’s bodyguard from the ball. However Keva recognises him as her old friend Orin, seemingly appearing here from out of nowhere.

Psalm: and can you believe she thinks it's my fault ghester? after all i try to do to keep these idiots alive and she thinks it's my fault i was doing my job on watch duty properly Ghester: honestly it can be a little frustrating at times but you must make with what you have Psalm: i'm not about this bonds shit big boss has me doing but who am  i to disobey

Orin looks to be staring intently at something in his hand, in his other he holds a bloodied sword, Keva stands frozen stock still watching him. Han makes to leave waving it off but Rokka shouts out into the quiet a YOU THERE immediately alerting him to their presence down the alley. Han quickly moves around the other side of the building in an attempt to flank him while Rokka continues to yell at him. Keva soon broken out of her shock pulls down her facemask and calls Orin’s name out. In the meantime Plum finally wakes and makes their way over to where Psalm is on guard, asking where everyone suddenly went.

> 🎵  What We Could Have Become / Vampyr OST 

Keva: “don't hurt him" i say like out of breath Ezra: ezra looks at you out of the corner of his eye as you say that keva

Keva: i take down my hood and take a step towards him "orin...?" Rokka: orin? you know them? Keva: i don't respond to rokka and tap another step towards orin

His eyes seem to scan you for a moment before he seems to relax slightly. He mumbles something under his breath before throwing up a quick mock salute with a lazy smile and turning, running off down the opposite end of the alley flicking something onto the corpse

Han in her attempt to sneak around ends up walking into a wall in the dark and licking a wet cave wall for a moment. Keva and Ezra give chase after Orin but seem to lose him quickly in the dark and twisting turns of the alleys. Han eventually finds her way back to the group where they stand about frustrated and empty handed. Plum upon hearing the commotion outside decides to head outside to check it out while Psalm continues watching.

Rokka: i follow behind keva and check up on her "what just happened--are you crying? oh my go-are you ok?" Keva: when i hear someone coming i try to force my breathing to calm and pull my hood up,  @ rokka i just mumble "shut up" Rokka: < : (

Han: did all 3 of u lose him. i tried to go around and cut him off but u guys did a bang up job of that Ezra: you sure cut him off alright coming in about a minute later

Plum make their way outside to where the rest of the group is and ask about whats happened, the group then decide to go check the body that has been left in the alley in Orin’s wake. Keva is informed by the rest of the party that they saw Orin earlier during the ball and says he looked like Vorde’s servant, she seems utterly confused.

Plum: wow this is such a small fuckin town Han: you tellin me!!!! Plum: he seemed like a complete wimp when i saw him at the party, no offense Han: he did look like a wimp

The body appears to have been stabbed twice through the chest, blood staining he front of what looks to be somewhat fancy clothing. His pockets appear picked clean aside from a knife in its sheath Han pockets, the only other thing on him being the symbol Orin flipped onto his front, the group recognise it as the same one greenie had, a symbol of the Red Letterheads.

Han:  ... why would the servant of a man who owns land be here Plum: ...owns land? Han: doesnt he? he said he owned a village Psalm: yknow ghester i feel like that vorde guy is definitely responsible for all that shit that happened at the ball Ghester: jumping to conclusions can make you blind to other things Han: SHUT UP GHESTER ME AND PSALM WE GOT THIS BITCH

Rokka:  im just behind everyone watching them loot a dead body

Ezra inquires into how Keva knows Orin, she says she does but she didnt know he was still alive. She explains that Orin stole something back for a paladin that helped him before, but he got chased and hurt in the process. He gave the sword to her and told her to run and so she did and now she is here and so is he “i guess!”.

Han: well, congrats i guess, u didnt check the corpse well enough Rokka: so you........ran with a sword some dying dude gave you? Keva: he’s, an old friend

Plum: plums head working a mile a minute they are so confused

She explains she doesn't know what happened after she ran but swears he’d never do or hurt anyone like this for no reason. Rokka questions this but she doubles down on her statement. The group begin questioning if Vorde has some stake in this or is planning some kind of coup as they decide to head back upstairs, upstairs Psalm notices ‘greenie’ finally waking up again. Keva asks the group to try and not hurt Orin the next they see him and Han singles herself out as the only one who doesn't go ‘eh sure i guess’ but shrugs eventually. She also states she has a plan and picks up the body from the alley to take upstairs.

Han: smiles at keva with a corpse dripping all over me Ezra: renny is gonna be pissed if you track blood inside Han: ;asdflkwefd

Psalm and greenie have a impromptu staring contest while Han rips off her fancy shirt to wrap around the body and a bedroll to keep it from dripping all oer the floorboards. As they shuffle their way back upstairs Psalm hears them come and Cimmorro finally seems to hear them and wake up. He moves to check on Vinny before heading out to see what the group is up too.

Cimmorro: aight i go scout with everyone else and be like wuss poppin cimmorro shuffles through the door and sees han holding a dead guy in a bedroll and everyone standing around the small room  Rokka: i point at dead body "thats poppin" Cimmorro: jesus, what did you guys do

Han attempts to interrogate greenie using the corpse by dropping it on the ground next to her which causes her to twitch slightly. She asks her if she knows a man named Vorde to confused response. While this goes on Ezra moves over and explains the current situation in Cimmorro’s ear to catch him up.  

Rokka:  

Cimmorro moves to say a prayer over the corpse while the rest of the group feel like they're getting nowhere with the questioning, leading to Psalm to get fed up and cast a suggestion spell on her.

you ask her what her connection is to a man named vorde, her face shifts back to that of a neutral one "i dont know anyone by this name"

Han: what is the goal of the red letterheads Greenie: kill the prideful, to kill the deceitful, to topple those in power, for him Han: and who might him be? Greenie: our leader, his grace Theyord Han: what does your grace look like? Greenie: he is holy, wise and aged, unmatched in his serenity and his anger, he wears it all upon himself for us to see Han: more physical features this time, greenie? Greenie: grey, old, standing tall

Psalm: kinda vampirish? red eyes? pointy ears Han: maybe a dilf? Rokka: hes got a nephew about ye high

Han: where might your boss be, greenie? you got a hideout? Greenie: he only shows up when he summons us for communion, i dont see him otherwise it is against the rules. I only meet where he asks me too Han: where does he ask you to meet? Greenie: across the city, all manner of places, but its rarely, he merely speaks to me at times, it is lonely Han: how does he communicate with you? Greenie: he speaks to me in my mind

Han: cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool Psalm: what's that like? ^__^?

Han: whats the talking like greenie? Greenie: its soothing, angelic, he tells me what to do Han: what were your plans after you murdered your target? any meet up spot? Greenie: we were supposed to run and then he'd tell us what do do, but i haven't heard anything, maybe because we messed up, he must be angry at us

> 🎵  Controlled Chaos / Kevin Macleod 

Partway through their questioning as he says his prayers over the corpse off to the side Cimmorro sees one of its fingers twitch slightly underneath the fabrics. As he inspects it further he feels an air of unease begin to radiate from it as the rest of the body begins to twitch slightly. He informs the group of whats happening and they all watch as the body begins moving unatelry on the floor of the room.

Cimmorro: i hate this bc i was abt to like bother the whole interrogation by making a prayer dialogue going like "can i sing for you 😏 " at the corpse but ok Han: hey now is ur partner supposed to come back from the dead? 😬 Rokka: is this............a zombie attack

The group debate on whether they should just stab it again or tie it up or what as the body continues shifting until its moved to fully standing in the room, its head shaking at a inhuman erratic pace, arms twitching. Rokka moves to bodyslam the body soon after it stands, attempting to pin it to the ground but the corpse seems to push him off slamming him against an opposite wall. Han soon moves after to grab it into some kinda chokehold as it stands on twitching legs. 

Keva: oh fuck yall what of the red letterheads symbol Orin left wasn’t a calling card or smth but smth that turns people into zombies Han: PLEASE KILL ME NOW

Han: greenie WHAT is happening to your friend holy fuck Greenie: he’s returning, he's coming back, he's been chosen

Ghester: hmm....kind of unpleasant Psalm: what is? if you know what's happening i'd love some insight Ghester: the corpse, i thought that was obvious that who sees Psalm: i hate you so much Ghester: appreciate it Psalm: anytime

Han & Keva: how does someone get chosen? Greenie: its blissfull, he decides who to choose himself Keva: WAIT IF VINNY WAS STABBED WAS HE ALSO CHOSEN Han: OH goD PLEASE DONT SAY THAT Psalm: oh, hmmm. we've been keeping an eye on him though right?

As they speak Han holds the twitching body down and asks the others to tie it up, Ezra suggests sitting on it as well to keep it down which Han does. The body starts making groaning noises out of its mouth that sounds like a weird guttural gurgling. Han continues frantically questioning greenie as the group are all utterly creeped out and on edge.

Han: what are you chosen for? Greenie: for a great purpose, to stand by him and do his work Han: what does that BLOODY mean!!!!!!! Rokka: i cover my ears "make it stop make it stop make it stop make it sto"

Cimmorro moves to inspect the body as Han sits on it to discern what in the hell is going on. He figures something is binding the soul to this corpse in some unnatural way, the twitching being especially unnerving. Psalm begins asking the group if they should chop its head off to stop the sounds. 

Han: was the man you stabbed  at the party also chosen?? Greenie: i dont know i can only hope if i am killed i will come back, at least then i can stand with him, i dont know what it takes only that it happens, Frello....i am glad he was given this purpose

Plum: i'm really hoping we don't trap this guy in some kind of painful existence by doing that Psalm: why would you say that now i'm faltering

Han: what is this purpose?? is your lord gonna pop up and talk thru him?  why was vinny stabbed at the party Greenie: i told you already, "kill the prideful, to kill the deceitful, to topple those in power, for him. Sometimes he speaks through others, he is a symbol of pride, he was chosen for that reason

Han asks what would happen if they hacked this dudes head off and greenie responds that her grace would become very angry. Han birefly asks if greenie recognises the name ‘Ullr’ but gets confusion back similar to when she asked Vorde’s name. Cimmorro moves to inspect the body closer and the unnatural rolling of the eyes and gurgling almost make the body look conscious, through the back of the shirt though he spots something. a faint orange light shining through. The group move to quickly rip off part of the shirt and see an old brand on his back of the red letterheads symbol, glowing a faint orange. As they do this head’s next almost twists a full 180 to watch them.

Psalm: heres what i think. that vorde motherfucker is reviving people and had his little servant, keva's friend, revive this guy for that purpose. Whether or not he's affiliated with greenie is unknown to her but it seems incredibly likely, and we should probably kill this guy before he becomes more of an issue

While the group debate Cimmorro notices that the corpses gurgling is beginning to form small words and actual sounds as if he were learning how to speak.

Psalm: WOW GOOD THING I HAVEN'T CUT HIS HEAD OFF

Cimmorro makes out the words “hello” “you” and “see” he moves to tell the group that the corpse seems like its trying to communicate with them, han keeps it pinned by its forehead on the floor. Cimmorro says hello back and gets the words ‘greetings” ‘thank you” and “accomplice”. 

Cimmorro: oh okay, you're welcome i guess.. who's the accomplice ??:  cimmy you hear a "yourselves" and a garbled sounding noise as the corpse lifts up the edges of his cheeks in a smile

Plum attempts to identify the symbol while they speak and understands that an animate dead spell is affecting it, as they do this the eyes of the corpse swivel over in their direction. Han asks if this is Theyord and gets a ‘your grace is i’ back from the body, she asks what the fuck hes planning to do and gets "much work" and a "will see" and a "take yourselves" and a "watching". After that final communication the body seems to twitch erratically and convulse in upon itself. the glow of the mark fading leaving the corpse unmoving and silent once again.

The group debate with one another on whether or not he knows if they're here or not or if they're being kept alive for some purpose or not. Cimmorro getting somewhat paranoid from the experience leaves the room to check on Vinny and Cole, seeing them fine and asleep in their beds. He waits in their room as they others continue to discuss the state of things, watching over them for the time being. The group decide the plan hasn't changed, gather information and move afterwards, find the letterheads first and if they cant find anything they decide they’ll head to Vargonia.

Psalm: who is orin anyways? friend? family? Keva: i'm quiet for a bit "what i have left of a family" Psalm: i see

The group minus Cimmorro think on what to do with greenie now and come to the decision its better if they kill her and burn her body along with the other corpses so they dont come back again somehow. They try and figure out how to off her in the most painless way possible, Plum giving Han the petals of a plant to feed her after she knocks her unconscious. Keva goes to join Cimmorro in the room watching Vinny and Cole as the rest take the two downstairs and burn them, the smell its pretty putrid.

Han: i was doing so good on my no killing streak until this job came up Psalm: yknow i'm realising kind of belatedly we could also just bring her to the authorities Han: ............

Cimmorro: this is gonna be a long day huh kev... what are they doign out there Keva: i'm like face down on the extra bed and i say, muffled "fuck if i know"

The two discuss if Vinny will be okay to which Cimmorro says he seems to be getting better but he defintely wants to keep a close eye on him. 

Keva: i turn my face to the side "...can you teach me some time? to idk, help fix people i guess, since it looks like we're stuck together" Cimmorro: oh??? well, i could. since i'm also learning and looks like that will be the case huh" i shrug "you're gonna owe me though >:) Keva: i shrug "i already owe you for the time in the basement so whatever i guess" Cimmorro: i lift my brow and start doing a thinking for a while before i go "ohhhhhhhhh yeah wow you remembered that? i didn't even think about it, it's sort of just habit to me so...it's fine but i'll be keepin tabs now hakhak" Keva: i do that like kinda laugh where you just expel some air out your nose before turning back to facedown in my pillow Cimmorro: i sigh and say "you're not so bad kevster. get some rest... you're gonna need a lot lol" Han: t poses into the room

The rest of the group make their way back up to the room post burning and rouse cole from her slumber bleary eyed telling Cimmorro what they did. Han goes to shake Vinny awake to Cimmorro’s huffing over rousing his patient as he slaps her arm away. Vinny grumbles awake and upon seeing Cimmorro sits up ramrod straight in bed grabbing him with a shout.

Vinny: YOU!! Cimmorro: HELLO? SIR? Vinny: his hair is also a mess, he grabs your shoulders for a moment before moving a little closer "...I THINK..." Cimmorro: whoahhh personal space

Plum: plum is going to go have a stress ulcer in the corner of this room Cimmorro: pet rokka to feel better Plum: why must we remove rokka's humanity Rokka: he would not mind tbh pls rokka needs comfort too

The group catch him up on the events post him getting stabbed up till now along with Cole as the two get ready to head out with the rest of them. The group decide on different groups again since they no longer need a group to stay and watch ‘greenie”. A group to go above ground and sneak into Vinny’s store and another to ask around down in the cove. Vinny decides to join the above ground group listing the laundry list of things left unattended up there, Cim follows wherever Vinny is going for the time being. While they discuss this Rokka briefly asks Vinny if he recognises the Theyord to which he thinks on and says maybe.

The group split becomes  -> Han / Keva / Cole / Vinny / Cimmorro to head aboveground  -> Psalm / Rokka / Plum / Ezra to stay belowground

The aboveground group tell Plum they will also retrieve some of their items for them if they can. They begin discussing and managing their disguises, as they do Cole hands Vinny her hat to replace the one he lost when he was stabbed. 

The group decide to meet back at this point in 24 hours. If they dont see anyone by the meeting time then escape as you are now. Ezra notes if his group wont make it he may have a way to contact them if so but not vice versa. the group also decide to use a special code with one another to make sure they dont get duped by any future clones. 

Rokka: i vote for obama take the wheel Ezra: who is obama Rokka: my great great great grandfather

Psalm: A code is a good idea Ezra: im gonna have to agree with psalms suggestion on this one

Psalm: How about Q: "where were you up to the night of the ball" "A: "i was having a grand old time"

As the group break to head their separate ways Cole moves to give the downstairs team a hug before she leaves but it soon evolves into giving everyone a hug as they leave. The hugging is spread all around. 

Psalm: Ill give you a hug han (: Han: glares at psalm but opens her arms Psalm:  ..........it was a joke Cimmorro: shakes my head towards psalm

They group splits off for the time being after the hug parade pulls into town, they head out to attend to their tasks, mission and goal on the mind. Theories are swarming in their heads and questions left unanswered, starting their day by pushing through the darkness ahead.

---

Notes

🔮 Psalm rolled a 25 on their disguise check

🏹 Han takes the ring and disguises herself as - a half-orcish man as short as she can manage, she also obtains a 「 Poison Dagger✨」 from the 🔪Assassin

🍺 Plum asks for - their large pot of pink potion / the rest of their ingredients in their small bags

🐺 Rokka tears his shirt off when everyone began talking about clothes ( #freethenipple ) and covers himself in a cloak

🗡 Keva and 💎 Cimmorro wear their cloaks over their outfits and 💎 Cimmorro removes most of his jewellery and rolls a 14 on disguise

[illuminateinjapan]

There was nothing like being on tour in Europe with the people you loved most. For Shawn, the people he loved were able to follow him wherever he goes. His family who would visit him at least one week during each leg of the tour. His loyal and loving fans would catch him on the streets of any city. And let’s not forget about his team/best friends: Geoff, Andrew, Tom, and Brian, who were basically his brothers. Yet, as he sat in that comfortable couch in front his best friends, there was something clouding his mind. 

“You okay Shawn? You look a bit occupied.” Andrew asked, a bit concerned. 

A smile appeared on Shawn’s face as he nodded. “Yeah, everything’s fine. It just...”

Andrew, Tom, Geoff, and Brian looked at him, signaling him to finish his sentence. Shawn wasn’t one for expressing his feelings at loud, unless it bothered him deeply. He took a deep breath and continued, “Okay look I have to make this confession and it’s been bothering me for months. “

“Go on.” Geoff replied, bringing the bottle of water to his lips. 

“I think I like Y/N.” Shawn confessed quickly. Immediately Geoff spit out the liquid in his mouth, and Brian dropped the phone he was holding onto. 

“I’m sorry, but why does this seem like a big shock to you two.” Andrew asked a bit confused on why Geoff and Brian reacted so strongly to a harmless confession.

“Oh my dear Andrew. You weren't here during the dark ages. It’s time for a quick history lesson on the plague in which we call the “On Again-Off Again Best Friend-ship of Y/N & Shawn.” Geoff spoke up putting his arms around Andrew.

You and Shawn have been best friends since you were 5, but as you got older your friendship with him became well....complicated to say the least. You had your fun moments of laughter and good times, but the next second it would always result in meaningless fights. It’s happened so many times that everyone was convinced you two were an old married couple. While you both secretly liked each other, neither of you had the guts to admit it. Obtaining the title “Best Couple that Never Was” in high school was the closest you two would ever get to having an actual relationship.

“Wow, that bad?” Andrew replied. 

Brian nodded, “Now when he’s 5,000 miles away from Y/N, he has the audacity to admit something that everyone’s has already known.”

Shawn rolled his eyes at the same ridiculous comment that’s been thrown at both Y/N and him countless of times. “I told you countless of times Brian, I didn’t see her as more than a best friend until two months ago.”

“Oh is that why you always got a little jealous, and ended up fighting with her because she was talking about her dreamy Matt?” Brian countered, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Wha-. No! I told you countless times, I just didn’t like the kid, I don’t trust him to be going out with my best friend. She’s too precious for a guy like him. She deserved better.” he defended.

“Hence why Treat You Better was formed. Im calling it.” Geoff spoke out, raising his hand. 

“Guys, I don’t even know why we’re having this discussion. I didn’t like Y/N, until recently. It has never been a long time thing. Don’t listen to them Andrew, they like to add more drama than there needs to be.”

“Well, the important thing is you’ve come to terms with the truth.” Brian spoke up patting his shoulder.  A familiar tone echoed within the room, as Shawn picked it up, viewing the caller ID. Immediately he answered it with such joy and enthusiasm. “Y/N?” 

“Hey, Shawnnnnn. How’s tourrr?” you sang.

“It’s great! Everyone’s great, but you know Brian’s still Brian.” he chuckled. You laughed as well, making Shawn silently sigh in content. God, he missed your laugh. He couldn’t get enough of it. “So, how’s everything going with you?” he asked casually. Brian and Geoff looked at Shawn mouthing JUST TELL HER ALREADYYY, which Shawn reacted by throwing the nearest pillow he could grab at them.

“Yeah everything’s great here too. I mean Pickering isn't as spunky without you here, but that’s why Im here. Anyways enough small talk. I need to tell you something.”

“Oh?” In that moment his heart stopped, afraid yet excited of what was to come. Could this be the moment, in which both of you finally confess your feelings for each other and live happily ever after?

“Matt asked me out on a date this Saturday!” she squealed. Shawn’s jaw dropped. He wasn't sure of what was going on anymore. This wasn't supposed to happen. Immediately, he reacted very nastily. “No, you cant.” he said.

“Excuse me?” you asked a bit appalled.

“You can’t go out with him. I told you Y/N, he’s no good for you.”

“You’re not my father. Shawn you can’t tell me what to do.” 

“No, Im your best friend. Im the one whose supposed to make sure your heart doesn’t break because of a douchebag like him.” he ranted, pacing back and forth. “Did you not remember when he asked another girl out in front of you to formal when you asked him first? Remember?”

You shook your head in disgust. “I don’t get why you have to be such an ass about this. We got closer than before. I don’t understand your attitude, and frankly I’m getting tired of it.” 

“I have my reasons just like you do when you lash out at me.”

“Oh yeah? Then do tell me Shawn, because I would love to know. The whole world wants to know why Shawn Mendes can’t stand his best friend going out with a guy!” you screamed.

“Because I love you!” he shouted impulsively. The line went silent. No one bothered to say anything, trying to process what had just been said. Hearing those words was what you've always wanted to hear since high school. For years you’ve had those feelings only to have to push it aside ever since he dated Lauren. “Please say something Y/N. Anything” he whispered on the phone.

But what could you have said. “I...I don’t know. I need time to think.”

 With that the line went dead.

[ilygsd]

241018: 2

okay here we go, this is from some shitty mental health site ot whatever. i actually liked the site though. i read about aspd, adhd, autism, ptsd, bpd, npd etc. informative i guess

somewhat true i guess. i dont want anything else than to love him. i dont know why i feel the need or want to but i need and want to (lol) love people. with all my fucking heart. i want to die for someone (wow) but they need to take care of me, and above all APPRECIATE my love. this guy cant even FEEL my love, how the fuck is he going to APPRECIATE it? it’s all empty and the only thing he feels like the... the sexual parts or smth ugh idk. 

he is a social predator. he once said i reminded him of a beautiful but innocent deer and now i cant stop thinking about it. idk, it used to scare me before but tbh now i dont even know if i should be offended or fascinated by how..... fucking smart and talented these people are. he said i was pretty desperate when we first met (still am oops) and little did i know i was. i was desperate wooow he could probably smell my desperation and vulnerability miles away that fucking monster haha. this article sounds a bit dramatic though. im pretty sure he would be amused by reading it, idk. amused and annoyed. i feel like this is his standard state lmao. annoyed, bored and slightly amused. 

the best way to receive love is to give love, yes indeed and he knows that. and loving him is amazing. i dont know how or why, i cant describe it and i refuse to actually admit that i love him.... I REFUSE: i dont even trust the guy, he stands for nothing, always playing the devils advocate fucking white boy, always provoking me but.... maybe its just cus he’s older and im just bored with life. well yeah probably that too. i mean.... if i was content with my life, my relationships and health i wouldnt need him lol. especially not considering how he treats me and hurt my feelings. but wow as i’ve said, i love loving him (or whatever the fuck it is) and theres nothing i’d rather do than loving him. he’s a drug

and yeah thats definitely exactly what it was like. i still cant believe i actually thought we were similar LMAOOOOOOOO and he’s like “yeah people think that we’re similar until i tell them otherwise”. we are NOT similar. okay yes, i have some abusive traits, some manipulative i guess. i guess that’s similar. but other than that.... nope

uh, he says im emo all the time when im with him lol. trueeee. im so comfortable with him my emo just jumps out and i get really depressing wow. i wonder why he stuck with me for so long. i must be so boring. i mean it could be for the sex as i’ve said, but i doubt that. i wonder what the heck he thinks he can use me for. im always paranoid he’ll use me but at the same time i struggle with thoughts that im useless so.... bruh idk lmao

true that i stuck it out during the bad times because the good times are fantastic. true. true. idk, its not that fantastic. he’s pretty normal its not like im over showered with compliments and gifts and love but on the other hand i wouldnt want that either. hmm, idk im so curious how he’s acting with other people. if he’s similar or if he changes and adapts himself

im just svared of that “the honeymoon comes to an end”. what does that mean? will it be worse than this??? i mean is he bored now? what happens when he’s bored? will he just leave or do smth stupid? sometimes i think he’s starting drama bc he’s bored tbh that sounds more like me. he actually tried to “end” the fight by that “u owe me 5 blowjobs now” joke but i chose to continue bc he threatened to murder me and i was offended lol

yeah that may have been stupid. it was a choice of mine. he gave me a chance to move on and i chose not to because i thought i could make him apologize. LMAO NOOOOO. this bitch wont apologize for anything in the worldddddddd. makes me so FUCKING frustrated because i AM NOT going to apologize for trying to demand him to apologize. if anything i will just ignore that this ever happened. and i WOULD have, if it wasnt for the STI fact lol. it’s so awkward honestly i have nothing to say if i were to contact him. i dont know, maybe he got HIV now because of me LOL and why the fuck would i expose myself like that like why would he be with me if he publicly stated he wants to murder me if i transmitted it to him. i dont even know (yes i know, i obviously dont fucking have HIV) and i won’t know until he get tested. and he probably wont tell me so actually i should just block him before he gets tested considering he wants to kill me. ok he said he wouldnt etc etc. and i know he wouldnt but he would probably destroy my life in another way. 

uh idk, i guess i have to get myself tested again and this time HIV AND AIDS INCLUDED. only then i have a reason to text him and its to say that im clean. what a pathetic reason, i will see right through it. he KNOWS i want him. thats why there’s no reason for me to contact him at all because he already knows i’ll always want to be with him sigh

ok so as i’ve said i’ve thought about this a lot. like what the fuck does he want from me? actually he’s ignoring me right now so idk if he still wants anything sigh. but i guess thats why he wanted to meet so fast irl. i get it now though. at first i was like “NO WE NEED TO TALK FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS” but now im like ugh lets just get it over with. i really thought he was a typical charmer, a slut, but hes been very firm that he doesnt let anyone touch him and that he’s not always up for a second “date”. i guess its smth with their boredom? 

ok i guess it’s...... charm? and also sometimes threatening and coldness. 

and yeah idk. either he’s ignoring me bc he really lost interest. he’s the one who overreacted though for real... i cant fucking believe he got so pissed over something like that and then just straight out REFUSES to apologize for THREATENING TO MURDER ME. uugh its so annoying it makes me so pissed. he said he’s not the one to block people though. guess he will just let me message him like a fucking pathetic idiot and then leave me on read lol. like he did with my cringe snaps

LMAO YEAH I KNOW TELL ME ABOUT IT. rage.... boy can this sweet angel become angry. he’s always so rational and calm yet he lets himself get triggered over such nonsense. maybe he’s just faking it though to scare me or smth honestly i dont really know, i just know he pissed me off. he’d make a great james fallon, james fallon is a neurobiologist who studies. too bad jo wants doesn’t want to be a scientist or researcher in that matter but actually WORK as a psychologist WITH PATIENTS

fuck i cant help but be attracted to his intelligence though :( wow it makes me feel like such a dumbass typical girly girl and i hate itttttttt. i told him i’d like to see him cry haha. idk. im just curious. im happy he haven’t cried though like used it as a manipulative tool or something. im just rambling idk what the fuck im writing lol

[wilhellmine]

Ghost Adventures Slash FanFiction 2. part - Zak

Part 2. - Zak - I miss you so much... everytime when I see you, I just want to embrace you and never let you go. I cant just live on like that. Why did I say all these things? Why did I say, that I hate you? I wanted you to go away from me, because I thought that you will be safe from harm, safe from the demons, that are surrounding me. But I cant handle the loneliness, that is spreading trough my empty house, trough my epmty life, through my empty heart... Nick... Im so sorry, so sorry... I was not able to sleep, so I grabbed my digital recorder and headed outside. I found a abandoned old house, so I climbed inside... I never expected that I would find someone in there, except ghosts. It was... you... "Zak...? Is that you? What are you doing here, man?" I was so surprised! Nick... I saw you again after all these months... What should I say? Quick, quick, I need to say something... "Im searching for ghost. And what are you doing here in this place?" "The same thing, I heard some ghost stories about this place and I was just curious, if they are real or not. Why are you alone here? Where is Aaron? Why dont you have a camera?" "This ghost hunt is just for me, its not because of Ghost Adventures. I just wanted... to be alone. I just wanted to do some investigating without cameras and stuff. Just me and my ears and a digital recorder. It makes me calm. And what about you?" "Well... Im here for the same reason. I just wanted to be alone for a while..." "Alone... just with some ghosts around." I smiled at you and you smiled back. "How are you?"  I asked. Oh, God, please, tell me that you are alright. Please tell me, that "my" demon did not hurt you in any way... But there is one thing, that I would like to hear more... Please, tell me, that you miss me, so I can say, that I miss you too... "Well, I'm fine... and you?" Oh, Nick, if you only knew... Im so lost without you. I cant stand myself. But how can I tell you that, when it was me, who buried everything, that was between us... I think there is a song, that describes my feelings perfectly... I have a smile stretched from ear to ear to see you walking down the road we meet at the lights, I stare for a while the world around us disappears just you and me on my island of hope a breath between us could be miles let me surround you, my sea to your shore let me be the calm you seek oh and every time I'm close to you there's too much I can't say and you just walk away and I forgot to tell you I love you and the night's too long and cold here without you I grieve in my condition for I cannot find the words to say I need you so... But I cant tell you, that I miss you so much. I cant say, that my heart hurts like if there were a thousands of little knives inside of it... I needed to say something that you would expect from me... "Yeah... I'm fine too..." What a lie! I think this was the biggest lie of my life... I think you noticed that, because you stared at me suspiciously for few seconds... I needed to come up with something, but... oh well... I think all I can do is chasing ghosts... I was hoping, that some spirit will actually kill me and then I would be haunting you... watching you from afar, unseen, quiet, I would never show you, that Im near, so you would not be scared... Isnt that a strange idea? It probably is... but its the only way that could give me a chance to be with you forever... "So... would you like to investigate this place with me?" I asked. I doubted for a while, if it was a good idea, but before I could tell you, that you dont need to do that, you said... "Yes." Yes! Oh God, its here! Its just you and me again, alone, like in the old times, when we were young, much younger than today. When we were just two friends. I remember a night, when we sneaked to a locked cemetery and we were sharing ghost stories, some that we heard and some that we experienced. And we yearned for adventure. So we created our crew, our Ghost Adventures crew, and we have been investigating haunted places. After some time Aaron came to us and then it all started... the TV show, popularity, fans... we changed a lot... But now we can be the same as we were back then... When there was nothing else, just a friendship between two guys... and then... after some time... maybe something more, that just a friendship... "Dont be afraid," I said, "I think there is nothing to worry about. I mean that there are no demons, that would possess me or you." Or there should not be any... As we came at the end of the hallway, I felt some weird energy and then I heard a voice, a very quiet voice, that said like three or four words, coming from upstairs. "Wow, did you hear that?" I asked. "Yeah, I did. It sounds like some voices..." "Yeah, it does. Do you want to go upstairs?" "Alone???" "No... Im in this with you. Come on, lets go upstairs together." We went upstairs. I felt you behind me, really close to me. I wanted to grab you and kiss you like I never did before, but... So I tried to call the ghosts. "Who are you? Show yourself in front of us! Speak to this digital recorder, so we can hear your voice! Is there anything, that you would like us to know? Talk to us!" I felt a cold breeze around me. "Nick... come to me, now! Can you feel that? Its freezing right here! Come, take my hand, I'll show you where the icy cold spot is." I grabbed your hand to show you where I felt the cold air. I turned over to you and you looked like you were about to faint. "Are you ok?" "Yes, I am... I just... I just felt..." ...and the you just fell to the ground... "Nick! Nicky! Wake up! Nick! Please, say something!" I took you in my arms and carried you out of the house. What went wrong? Did the ghost drained your energy? What should I do? I knew, that I need to get you to a hospital, because I could not wake you up... I was so scared... What if the ghost really attacked you? That would be my fault... And I would never be able to forgive myself for asking you to hunt the ghosts with me... Finally! I came to the hospitals with you in my arms, calling for help. The doctor came over and took you away from me. "What are you gonna do with him?" "Please, calm down... Everything will be alright. I need you to stay here, please," said the nurse, as she tried to calm me down. I called your wife to tell her about what happened to you, but I changed my mind. I said, that we will go outside to have a beer, like in the old times and she said "Im on a way to my mother, she is sick. Please, can you take care of Nick? Dont let him drink that much. I know, that you havent seen each other for a longer time, so have fun guys. I'll be back in a week, can you please tell him that?" I just said "Yes, I will... You dont want to talk with Nick?" and she said "No, I need to focus on driving. I know you will take care of him, bye, Zak!" and ended that phone call quickly. It was weird, but it gave me the chance to be with you a whole week without someone interrupting anything, that could happen between us... again. I was sitting in the hospital lobby for three hours. Then the doctor came and took me over to your room. "He is really, really exhausted. This blackout was caused by a total exhaustion. Your friend should take a break. But we think, that he will be alright... If he wakes up..." I came to your bed. You were just lying there, with a pale, tired face and with closed eyes. "Nicky... are you ok? Please, wake up. Talk to me... please... Nicky... Please, dont leave me..." You slowly opened your eyes. Zak... Im ok... Im fine... What happened?" "Nick... Thank God... you are awake... You passed out, so I took you to the hospital. You were unconscious for three hours. The doctor said it happened due to a total exhaustion. I didnt tell him, that I think a ghost drained all your energy." "Oh... yeah, I feel a little bit tired... Thank you for not leaving me there." "I would never do that!" "Really?" "Nick... I - would - never - do - that! Oh God, I was so afraid that I could lose you..." I raised my hand and touched your face softly. You are so sweet... I love your skin, your complexion... Isnt that crazy? How you love those certain parts of someones body? Their scents, their skin, their eyes, the soft lips... I could not resist... You were so tired and you looked so cute, so vulnerable... I embraced you... if you only knew what it was doing to me... But you shaked my hands off. "Whats wrong?" I saw the confusion in your eyes. You took a deep breathe, before you started to talk. ¨ "Zak... I cant... Please, dont touch me... I'm afraid of what it is doing to me... I never forgot the night, when... you know..." Yeah, I remember that night. You are usually shy, but this time you werent... We headed to our next lockdown, to Oklahoma, where a demon terrorized a family. We did some interviews on the first day and it was scary as hell. In the evening Aaron decided to go out with a couple of his friends. You were cudled up in your bed and I was going through some unexplained EVP's that we did catch during the interview. Aaron asked us to come with him, but I was focused on my work and I didnt feel in a mood for a party, because tomorrow was the day of the lockdown. You said, that you are tired. Aaron just smiled, said, that he will be back before the morning comes and then he went away. We were alone. My chance... "Nick? Are you sleeping?" I asked, without turning over to you. "No," you said, "did you hear something in the EVPs?" "Not yet... Nick?" I turned my head over to you. "Yeah?" "I want to ask you something..." "Huh?" "I dont want it to sound crazy but... I think... I mean... Could there be a possibility, that a demon is affecting someone... like... sexually?" "You mean like the succubus?" "No... I mean... Like forcing him to think about something... I have obsessive thoughts about... well... you know... about having sex..." "Zak. You are a man, a human being, I think this is normal... Everyone has these thoughts sometimes." "And what if I tell you, that Im dreaming about a man?" You raised your eyebrows. "Well... I dont know... I think this can happen sometimes, dreams are just dreams, you know. People are dreaming about weird stuff all the time. I dont think that your dreams have a deeper meaning or that something is wrong with you because of these dreams." "And... what if I tell you... that I am dreaming about... you? What would you say?" For a while you stared at me, your eyes piercing right into my soul. Then you just got out of bed and you went closer to me, still looking me in the eyes. "What I would say? You really want to know that?" you whispered quietly. "Yes... please, tell me..." I whispered back. "Take that shirt off..." "What?" For a moment I doubted what I heard. Did you really say it? "Take that shirt off..." I did what you asked for. When I saw the look in your eyes, I could not resist it. The heat... the passion... I took the chance. I pressed you against the wall and kissed you. Oh God, it was like heaven. I thought about kissing you for years! And now... I could taste your lips... I felt like being drunk. I wanted more... You embraced me. Your fingertips were cold... or was it just me, my hot skin? I pushed you to the bed and started to kiss your body... I kissed you on your cheeks, on your neck, I went down... I remember it clearly. My dreams came true. There is nothing that could erase this memory from my mind... I felt blood rushing to my cheeks. I smiled a little bit. "Im afraid that I still love you. But this love is unwanted. You didnt want to live this way, so I quitted the crew. Because of you. Because of me. So we can live normal lives with normal relationships." "Nicky... you didnt notice that? I dont have a relationship... Im still into you... I never stopped loving you... I just didnt know what to do with my feelings... Thats why I didnt want to continue with this..." "What? Why didnt you say anything about it? We could talk about it! I would understand it, I felt the same way. Our friendship would not be ruined by this! You said that you hate yourself, when you are with me! That you cant live this way. That you dont love me! Why did you say that?" "I... I thought that when I will hurt you, you will leave me and everything will become normal... Because you started to act weird and I felt there is something, thats affecting you, something, thats not from this world, something different and dark... So I said, that I dont feel anything for you... And you left... But nothing was alrigt, I just acted that way, so no one would notice that there is something wrong with me... Nicky, I feel that there is something that owns me, maybe a spirit or a demon, that doesnt allow any woman to stay with me. It doesnt want anyone near to me! I didnt want that... something... to hurt you, just because I love you... This is the real reason, why I was so mean and why I wanted you to go away from me and leave our crew. I thought it would be easier for both of us, when you would start to hate me..." "You and your f--king demons! Are you kidding me? You are lying!" "No, Nicky, Im not... I swear..." That night. I fell asleep with you in my arms and then I had this disturbing dreams. I have seen myself killing people in different ways. I heard the name of the demon rushing through my mind. And then I found you, in my dream. And I... I killed you there... With a brutal force... I did it with a hammer... Oh God... I can't even think about that dream, because it scares me so much... Could I be able to do something like that to you? You are everything to me... I felt like the demon could hurt you, maybe it could use me to do harm to you. I told you about that dream, just before we started the lockdown, but I didnt tell you, what I did to you in that dream. Then you were using a spirit board and something entered your body. There were so many bad things, that happened in that house. Jay and the man, named Darren, were communicating with the demon through the spirit board. Darren asked, where will the demon show itself. The board said "Nick"... and I was terrified to death. I was just staring at the camera in our nerve centre and I told you to be careful. After that the spirit board said "G, goodbye." I grabbed the walkie-talkie and asked if it said "Nick G. goodbye?" and then the planchette moved to "yes". I felt like if my head was about to explode and then it started... You wanted to go out, but something it me forced me to say, that you should not leave the seance. I asked "Do you want to kill Nick?" because I wanted to know, if there is a possibility... that something evil that is attached to me, could do that. And we started arguing! It was affecting me and you! And it was laughing at us! Then it just dissapeared, the feeling of that power forcing me to arguing with you... it was away! I immediately told you that I wanted you to quick the seance with the spirit board, I wanted you to come back to me, but you didnt want to go away from that house! I was afraid after that lockdown, because I thought, that there is something attached to me, that is about to hurt you. So right after that lockdown I told you, that I dont feel the same as you. That I dont love you, that I hate you. It was breaking my heart, when I was telling you this. I was literally in pain, when I saw the look in your eyes, the tears on your face... But I didnt knew what else to do... You were married, you had a newborn baby... I know, you said, that you will leave your wife because of me, but I thought you would be happier without me... I thought that if you leave me, you would be safe... I knew, that if I tell you the truth, you would not leave our crew and you could be in danger... "There is nothing in the world, that I would want more than to touch you, be with you, having you by my side every day, every night... I cant sleep, I cant eat... All what Im thinking about is you and that one night... Nick... I never wanted... I dont know, what to do... Can you forgive me, Nick? Please, forgive me..." "I'll forgive you, Zak, but only under one condition..." "What is it? Tell me! I will do anything, that you want me to do..." "Kiss me... Kiss me, Zak. Kiss me again. For the last time..." That was more than I dared to think about. I leaned to you, so slowly, that it was almost painful, but I liked the tension between us, although I felt my body shaking. I kissed you on your lips and it was like ecstasy for me. It felt like if I was craving for a some sort of unnamed drug for a long time and I have got it at that moment. I was squeezing your thigh, I realized that after a moment, but the sparkles in your eyes told me, that you dont want me to stop. I moved my lips to your neck, I found that spot, that I was so familiar with, I kissed it gently and then I bited you... You moaned out loud, it took me to another level of being excited, when I heard that, my heart nearly stopped to beating and then it was beating faster and faster... And it nearly stopped again, when I heard knocking on the door. You jumped away from me, when the door opened and the nurse, that was trying to calm me down three hours ago, came in. "Mr. Groff, you can go home. We made some tests and it seems like you were extremely exhausted, but thats all. There is nothing to worry about, but you need to rest for some days." "Oh, thank you..." "And... well... I know you two guys like to hunt ghosts... you should come to this hospital and do some EVPs, there is a ghost of a little boy that cries in the night, we are always searching for him, but no one is there... Would you like to investigate it here?" "Oh... yes... that would be awesome, thank you." You turned over to me, trying to catch your breath. "I hope she didn't see anything, Zak..." "Well, I think she saw something... maybe... But it doesn't matter to me. Come on, let's get out of here. I will take you home. I'll take care of you." "Home?" "Yeah... Im taking you to my house." "But what about my wife?" "She went to see her mother... I called her and said, that we are going to have some beers, like two old friends..." "And what did she say? She didnt want to talk with me?" "No, she just said 'Have fun, guys. Take care of my husband. Ill be back in a week.'" I saw the surprise in your eyes. "Well... alright then, you said, lets go." Now we had a whole week, that we can spend together... This time, I wont let you go...

[ubereyezconfessions-blog]

2/6/19-2/7/19 Riders

Potentially a eye opener for a ride. With age and experience I’m becoming more aware of what sides of the city offer. From lifestyles, people, and outlooks. As some call this city a stirring pot, our lives are mixing at a scary rate. Or at least mine is.

My outlook with the work this week is to reach a certain amount of rides to hit some bonuses from the company. Nothing major to me, but this comes with having 30 rides for the first tier bonus, and 60 for the second. This night I covered about 17-18 trips. So i was thoroughly throughout the city.

Revenge Of The Nerds

My first ride that sticks out in mind is in Venice Beach. Judging the event and the occupants, this was a tech meeting or a start up of some sorts. Approaching the car upon arrival are 4 guys. I’ll call this the “Revenge of the Nerds”. One Russian, one Asian, one Middle Eastern, or perhaps two of them were. But mentally this was a very weird trip. A vast majority of the trip felt like a lot of coded conversations that I was picking up without much trying. And I can explain how this was confirmed. So heading toward the freeway, these guys were discussing being at a meeting with Google. They really felt the need to stress this or with stating this it would make me want to join in and ask about what they all were doing. But as usual I stick to my driving and focusing on the road. So there getting into some conversation where they keep talking about Speech 0″. Mental image keeps thinking of a reddit meme where it takes some Fallout scene shot. But I couldnt help but think they were speaking in the idea that I was talking. Along the ride, a song was on. And for this night I decided to hide the display of what song was playing and who was the artisit. More so, so peopl would catch the song and not all that extra info. The car becomes quiet at a certain point and these lyrics go off.

“I was trained to be a soldier for God But as soon as I used my own thoughts I kinda got lost in this smog called reality Where hell is a fallacy And Heaven is a fantasy created by man, so don't believe in it You came in here with nothing then your leaving with Nothing so retreat from this world of deceitfulness But my people it's time to rise Realize there's a heaven whether you think it's inside or in the sky Reach for it before it's gone eternally And you stuck here below the heavens for eternity“

And it breaks into a hook and the Russian in the passenger seat says “Encrypted data. Private companies use encrypted data to protect themselves but let people have it”, something along those lines. “Basically youll get the message but wont know who gave it”. Mentally that was kinda spot on.

Then off the freeway we were cruising down Venice blvd. and Im assuming with the streetlights shining in the vehicle. This allowed a view of my Black Panther keychain. Cause a conversation about Marvel ensued. The spoke upon Stan Lee creating Spiderman or being the main thing he created, amongst The Incredible Hulk. Then they brought up Into The Spiderverse, the recent film and mentally I was hit with the line “Wow, Youre like me”. If youve seen the movie, you’d understand. But with all that, just funny timing because we reach La Cienaga were there is a Captain America mural. Or maybe a coincidence from the universe. But this is were the ride finishes up and not much else is exchanged and the ride ends.

Deceptive Intentions

Now in Hollywood I pick up a rider. Originally this was just supposed to be him although he was standing with a woman. Which when they got in they explained that they both ordered separate rides but since I arrived first, they both got in and the male basically let it be known that he didnt mind paying for the ride. Once again, Im assuming its a couple already so Im completely tuning out the conversation and that when I learn the chick is a mind reader. Along the way Im just in my own world and I come across this thought that I might just be kinda set up to be a music artist and immediately at that thought the woman says “I love musicians, I just cant help it. Even if they are emotionally unstable”. And the male replies, “Probably because you are too”. She laughs and i suppose signalling she agrees. We reach her drop off and she gets out with a hug to him and a “goodnight” to me. At this point the Guy jumps back in after letting her out and this is where he changes to a new person. “SHE NEEDS TO BREAK UP WITH HER BOYFRIEND” “DID YOU SEE HOW HOT SHE WAS?”, He stated pretty hyped up. Which as I tell you, I try to distance myself from the riders. I didnt even see the woman to have a frame of reference. But kinda revealed what his intentions were with the lady. Were headed over to Santa Monica so after a forced conversation that didnt go anywhere the music just played. At a point it reached a song by a artist out of the city and he was speaking on a woman that had died but he was deeply in love with. And it was a powerful record, I cant even deny. But I heard a sniffle in the back seat. I had a notion that it may have even made the rider shed a tear. Kinda made me think Im rather desensitized to emotion growing up the way I have. But another ride done and on to the next.

Eye Opener

Now this is the trip I speak of that felt like an eye opener on revisiting the trip mentally. This was a trip immediately after the previous story. From the Westwood area heading to Venice. Prior to pulling up I noticed 3 suits walking down the road and one just broke away from 2 others. Not much of a goodbye just approached the road and that was my rider. He gets in a bit jive. Almost trying to show he’s hip to urban culture. Which is explained shortly. He’s a talkative type and starts with the usual small talk. “How long you been driving?” and blah blah blah. I explain my 3 years and the usual responses but he reaches a question of “Where in the city do you like to drive”. Which I explain that I just drive. You cant really plan out were youre driving when any given trip you can be sent 10-1000 miies all pending the request. Not remember how it came up but we got into a dialogue of where we were from. Which i explained South Central and he asked if im still there. And upon saying yes, he said “its what you know”. Then he explained he was from Ventura county about a hour away and his family is from the Northeast and the South, after I told him my family was from Virginia. Explained that that side of the family had some different views and brought many conversations that made him look at that side different. So this is where he explains to me that he doesnt like hanging out on the Santa Monica/Venice side of the city. Amongst the techie side of it all, its what he grew up with out in Ventura. Which something told me he meant those with conservative beliefs. And that he preferred Downtown and Echo Park area due to the mix of culture and artsy ways. Felt like a nod to tell me that this side isnt as for change as I’d may think. Or over that way, I can relax.

Alpha/Beta

In this night was a trip with 2 dudes. Asian I assume, but no heavy looks at them besides pick up. But I did notice they guy had a Rams hat on. On my driver profile it states “The New Orleans Saints were robbed #NeverForget”. (NFL 18-19 NFC Championship). Something triggered that he wanted me to bring that up in conversation, but me being me, that aint happen. So in this drive, its a obvious Alpha/Beta partnership between the riders. Which the Beta pretty much is subject to having all his power at a zero and listening to whatever the other says to do with their business venture. In this conversation they do a lot of name dropping and trying to sell something or a idea. Perhaps to get me to listen. But im a “tune out” type as I explain. As im ever brought back into their conversation by how loud they become. Im considered how does someone live like that. The Beta is pretty much powerless and has to listen to every idea the Alpha had. Whenever he suggested something, it was slashed and replaced with a idea from the Alpha and it seemed like a odd partnership. But to each his own. Just along with my non-talk, came towards the end of the ride when I had this feeling that they were going to get negative in their conversation being I didnt bite on whatever they were pitching. A comment of “Its nice to have a quiet ride and catch up on business”. Just felt weird but was said along with somethings that didnt feel right in spirit.

Janky Producers

Last but not least. I had a ride in mid-city. Picked up a White guy, dressed with the look of a producer. I know this simply because being a music artist, you can spot the look a million miles away. So he jumped in with headphones on, but greeted so I assumed he was gonna be in his world, as I was in mine. Totally fine. Now im playing true hip hop. Lyricist infused stuff. Something about it, I just had a feeling he was listening because of that. Anyways, he was headed to a recording studio in Hollywood, but went from a drop off to a pick up of 2 others. So amongst this short extended trip. They were speaking about what was happening at the studio. He kept talking bout working with Tory. Im assuming Tory Lanez or just name dropping to catch my attention. But they came talks of his manager that was at the studio and this is when they starting talking about that guys music skills. Mainly he was off key and that led to a lot of laughter. They ended up getting dropped off at some food spot which seemed to be a flock of musician industry folk getting grub. As a artist, id probably fit in, but my out look on life probably keeps me away. But found it rather bizarre that people can talk and gossip about people they were around through out a night. I know money is the reason. But why be around people you just look forward to laughing at after?

[tumblunni]

AAAAGH internet

Cmon maaaaan give me a breaaaaak

Im STILL wasting loads of money on mobile internet cos this is TWICE ive called them and they said theyd send a repairman and ive waited abd then no repairman and i call them and they say "nope no record of booking a repairman here"

This is now my THIRD ATTEMPT and its been a week and im officially 100% broke thanks to this

And i barely even have any mobile internet left and i dont have any more money to buy more until the 25th aaaaagh! I KNEW it was bad to do something for my birthday, i knew i should have just stayed at home like a sad sack and saved the money just in case...

AUUUUUGHHHHH

And now i just found out i dont have anyone giving me a lift to the Integrated Autism Team meeting on wednesday and i cant afford a taxi and itd be SO STRESSFUL on the bus because its like three buses to a place ive never been before and then a mile long walk thru twists and turns to find this place and GAHH i wouldnt eveb have taxi money in case i get lost AND my mobile data will probably be gone by then so i cant even use goog maps...

And ive asked to borrow money from my friends SO MANY TIMES LATELY so i'd feel so awful doing it again! And i havent even paid back the last 15 bucks a friend gave me for that stupid situation where i got lost at 2am and needed a taxi home.

aAAAAAAGH

But on the 25th i get my Big Main Monthly Payment and hopefully all this shit will be sorted by then so i wont have any more Huge Spending Out Of Nowhere Moments and i can just finally pay everyone back! Like man i cant even give u guys fanart as thanks cos no internet means i can only badly photograph stuff on my phone and i cant give you a Big Cool Coloured Version

But aaaaagh at least i accomplished a one thing today i guess?? I talked to the Scary New Support Workers and they turned out to be Really Nice Actually. A team called FORT which stands for something something THERAPY probably maybe. There were two of them and they were Super Cool Young Doods named Bryony and Evan. And it was stressful having to talk in big detail about my childhood abuse AGAIN and my ptsd AGAIN to new people who needed to ask EVEN MORE invasive questions. But they were just SO nice about it! They straight up actually asked my gender pronouns and were supportive when i explained it to them and just aaaaaa *sigh of relief so huge i straight up melt into atoms and blow away on the wind*

I like.. Actually got to talk to them about how it added a huge extra level of stress at park road that people were really inconsiderate and quite prying about my LGBTness ans such. And how absolutely great it is to meet some medical professionals who care about being welcoming to diverse patients! Like i absolutely understand people not understanding my gender, i mean i am a minority within a minority after all. But god its so refreshing to just be able to..like..explain it rather than defend it? I dont have to "prove" it exists?? Constantly with different people every day?? And be told that its too difficult for them to remember?? Just getting basic levels of consideration was so great and i feel so much more able to trust them.

Also Bryony had really cool style like the sort of "librarian chic" i always aim for. And she was the main support worker while Evan was her assistant so i didnt talk to him much, but he's a Cool Gamer Dude and we had a fun small chat about how the Ps4 is a terrible beast machine that chugs along with train noises that almost block out the game XD and he was wearing a cool vault tec company logo thing and is excited about the new fallout, so yay! Neither of them play pokemon but they listened to me babble about how the new game lets you give pikachu LITTLE HAIRCUTS and Bryony was like "wow technology has come so far" and i think i actually got her a little interested in getting back into the series, haha? Anyway it was just nice to end a stressful conversation about illness and trauma with a few gaming babbles, lol.

Still have a huge stress headache tho and i wish this wasnt so early in the morning cos now its kinda left me exhausted before the day's even begun. But i feel proud that i was able to do the stressful THIRD TIME CALLING THE DAMN INTERNET GUYS right after this other stressful thing! Tho i did manage to handle it but i think maybe it was too much at once and thats why the big headache. Hope these pain meds kick in soon! I need to finally have my late breakfast cos maybe having them on an empty stomach is why theyre so slow? I aint know science!

So umm yeah that went mostly okay and im hopeful that these new support workers will be good because they said theyre focused more on extracurricular activities like classes and voluntary work and social groups to meet other people with similar mental illness. They left me a few leaflets to look through so hopefully i can understand it all a bit more then? But i feel proud of myself cos it wasnt too long ago that i was too scared to have meetings with anyone inside my own living room, and now ive done it a grand total of twice! And also spoken to annoying tech support on the most stressful phone conversation three wholee times! Just..please dont make it four ok...

Ok now bunni go lie down again. Instead of making breakfast. Because seriously this day has already felt too long and its only been two hours...

[adambstingus]

The Clintons of Chappaqua: it’s Hillary’s home turf, but Bill still shines

Interviews with residents of Hillary Clintons adopted home town suggest that while she will garner most votes here on 19 April, and the email scandal is a non-issue, her husband remains a star whose light is difficult to eclipse

An unmistakeable tall, lean 69-year-old man on Wednesday made his way past Coloring Books for Grown-Ups to the check-out at Scattered Books. Bill Clinton bought journalist Anderson Coopers memoir The Rainbow Comes and Goes for himself and a thriller, Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben, for a friend. But he couldnt leave it at that.

I thought, Oh my god! Bill Clinton just came in and said, I love this store, says Laura Scott Schaefer, a childrens author who opened the independent bookshop six months ago. Im going to faint!

Laura Scott Schaefer, owner of Scattered Books. Photograph: Lauren Caulk for the Guardian

The story is a typical one in Chappaqua, the woodsy hamlet north of New York City that became Bill and Hillary Clintons adopted home in 1999 and where the private email server she used as secretary of state is under investigation by the FBI. It is here that the Clintons will cast their vote in an increasingly fraught Democratic primary election that finds New York, regarded by many as the greatest city in the world, in a new role at the centre of the political universe.

Hillarys dogged Democratic rival Bernie Sanders grew up in Brooklyn and her likely general election opponent, Donald Trump, made billions in Manhattan. Chicago-born Hillary served two terms as New York senator and is said to be a model neighbor in quietly prosperous Chappaqua. But interviews with local residents suggest that while she will garner most votes here on 19 April, and the emails are dismissed as a non-issue, her husband remains a star whose light is difficult to eclipse.

Bill has been campaigning hard for his wife and was back in the spotlight this week when he clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters in Philadelphia over his 1994 crime bill. In largely white Chappaqua, many tell anecdotes of him walking into Starbucks (decaffeinated coffee or, on hot afternoons, decaffeinated tea) and holding court for an hour or more on the politics of the day or reliving issues of presidency, almost as if he never left the White House. One florist recalled how, a day after the terrorist attacks in Paris, Bill stopped by and talked about how he had been tracking Osama Bin Laden before 9/11.

Hillary is often seen out shopping too, never displaying airs and graces, always unfailingly polite and accommodating to photograph seekers. Her hairdresser of choice, Santa Nikkels, turned up in her publicly released emails. But last month she admitted: I am not a natural politician, in case you havent noticed, like my husband or President Obama.

Hillary Clinton in front of the Chappaqua house in November 1999, shortly after the Clintons bought the home. Photograph: Stephen Chernin/AP

Stan Amberg, 81, a retired lawyer, recalled sitting with his coffee and newspaper at Langes Little Store, a homely deli where the Clintons often take breakfast away in brown paper bags. He came over and said: My names Bill, mind if have coffee with you? Hes very approachable and he loves kids. He gets down on his knees and talks eye to eye with them. She cant do that; she has this issue with engaging. I dont know if its an inherent problem with her personality.

Once, at a local school, he said, the Clintons were faced with a huge queue of school children waiting for the presidents autograph. She was nudging him: Bill, weve got to go. He wouldnt budge until he signed every last autograph. You get the difference.

On another occasion, Bill, a vegan, was dining with friends at another favorite, the French bistro Le Jardin Du Roi. Amberg said: A lady leans over and says, Mr President, how come you werent able to work things out with Yasser Arafat at Camp David? The waiters stopped. The restaurant ceased to move. He turned his head and said: I thought Arafat was having a nervous breakdown. He couldnt concentrate. He wouldnt give a straight answer. I thought wow, he had no qualms talking about it.

…

Founded by Quakers in the 1730s, Chappaqua derived from the Native Indian name Shepequa, meaning a place where nothing is heard but the rustling of wind in the leaves sits in the wooded suburbs of Westchester County. It was previously home to Horace Greeley, the founder and first editor of the once mighty New York Herald Tribune and losing presidential candidate.

Chappaqua is unquestionably well off by American or world standards, and will do little to dispel critics portrayal of Hillary as an establishment figure. But the wealth does not ooze from every pore and is more understated than in Greenwich, just 13 miles from here in Connecticut, home to hedge-fund executives, Wall Street bankers and the Bush political dynasty.

Grace Bennett, publisher of Inside Chappaqua magazine, who has interviewed Hillary and travelled with her on an official trip to Africa, said: Its a caring town. Yes, theres affluence here but you dont have a lot of the ladies who lunch and play tennis. Theres a lot of intelligence running through it. Its an extension of the city: a lot of people moved here from there.

In an open letter to the Clintons published by the New York Times in 1999, Timothy Jack Ward wrote: The friendliness here has an edge to it. Ours are reinvented personalities, hardened by jobs in Manhattan. However bucolic our little hamlet might appear, many people drive their lives the way they do their jumbo-size expeditions, with a peculiar aggression, a hyper-busyness, that takes some getting used to.

The Clintons 11-room Dutch colonial home, which cost them $1.7m, was built in 1905-06 by architect Alfred Busselle for his own use. Gray Williams, 83, who is Hillarys go-to guy for local historical information, said it had particular appeal because it came with a separate barn that could accommodate the secret service. It isnt very fancy, he noted. It isnt a McMansion.

The house also contrasts sharply with Trumps extravagant gilded age residence, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida. Set at the end of a cul-de-sac, a gambrel roof, old stone chimney and tall trees peep above a high white fence and guard house. Outside sits a Hillary placard: still the only political poster visible in the whole of Chappaqua, although it it not thought to have been planted by the candidate herself.

Hillary and then president Bill greet residents in Chappaqua, on the way to the airport in 2000. Photograph: Francis Specker/AP

The gregarious Clintons and their daughter Chelsea have been embraced by Chappaqua and it is hard to find anyone with a bad word to say about them, still less any whiff of scandal around the former president who threatened his legacy by having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Schaefer, 44, of Scattered Books, which sells both Bills and Hillarys memoirs as well as the parody Trump Coloring Book, said: Other customers are respectful. Theres the usual moment of silence and then everybody goes back to their business. The Clintons agree to a photo and then go back to their shopping. Ive never met smarter people in my life. I wouldnt want to go up against them at Jeopardy.

Politics is taken very seriously here, she argued, and that will benefit Hillary rather than the superficial bluster of Trump, who owns a golf club in nearby Briarcliff Manor.

Few here believe that the name of Chappaqua will become infamous as the location of Hillarys private email server, which she admits was a mistake but denies was a serious breach of national security. Schaefer added: Its pretty much dismissed as a distraction. People care about real things, and there are more serious things going on than someones email chain.

This is Democratic establishment territory where Hillary can expect to do well at the ballot box. Roger Fox, Westchester County volunteer field director for the Sanders campaign, acknowledged that median incomes stand at $105,000 and many people work in the financial sector, but said a hundred Sanders supporters plan to knock on doors on 16 April.

My sense is shes going to have to defend her home town, her county, her state or she might lose, he said. Westchester County is a bellwether: as Westchester goes, so does New York state. I feel like its tightening. If we get down to single digits [in the polls], our superior ground game could deliver.

Town sign in Chappaqua. Photograph: Lauren Caulk for the Guardian

Can we carry Chappaqua? That is a tough nut to crack. On 16 April were going to invade Chappaqua. Maybe thats our Normandy.

But the only Sanders supporter the Guardian could find this week was a visitor from Brooklyn. Long-time residents were loyal to the former secretary of state. Bob Coulombe, a veteran of the New York Air Guard, said: She is the best qualified. She has exceptional experience in so many ways. She is also an extremely bright woman. Breaking the glass ceiling at this point in our history is important and who better to do that?

Bernie Sanders came out of the woodwork and hit a note and its one note. Thats his tune and its healthy that hes making Hillary work for it, but we are electing an incredibly important person. Personally I think his positions on a lot of things are not realistic.

…

In 2014, when a bridge was renamed in honour of a local dry cleaners soldier killed in Afghanistan, Hillary was present at the ceremony. Coulombe, 72, said he has been grand martial at the annual memorial day parade and Hillary marks her calendar specially to make sure she does not miss it. He told how the Clintons also support the local ambulance corps, doing things that are not political, are neighbourly. On one occasion, he said, some volunteers from Bills native Arkansas were in town and the former president said over the phone: Do they like beer? Bring them over.

Yet is seems while Hillary is well-liked, her husband is loved. Bill took long walks here after his quadruple heart bypass surgery in 2005 and often stopped to chat. In Family Britches, an upmarket tailor, the old charmers most recent purchase was a $150 green sweater for the wintry campaign trail in Iowa, according to co-owner Barry Mishkin. He talked to people here for an hour and a half about the issues of the day, the 69-year-old said. It was fascinating. Hes a consummate gentleman.

Bills ongoing fascination with politics raises questions over how he handle the role of first husband and whether he could resist voicing opinions at every turn. Yet some believe Hillarys social skills are underrated, especially her sense of humour. Lore has it that soon after moving to Chappaqua, she found herself being stared at in a market and finally turned around and said: Well, I have to eat too!

Eileen Josefs, 50, manager of Petticoat Lane, a boutique department store where the Clintons buy gifts for their granddaughter, said when Clinton was weighing up a run for the White House, she said of the stores owner: Do I play tennis with Phyllis or do I run for president?

And Bennett of Inside Chappaqua, showing iPhone footage of Hillary dancing with South African politicians, concurred: The one thing I got from my trip to Africa is she has a great sense of humour. I can imagine getting a few lady friends together and smuggling her out to a nightclub.

Contemplating that scene, she mused: Sometimes I feel sorry for her. Shes such a regular person. I wish she could let her hair down and be a regular person. I think she enjoys those girlfriend moments.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/the-clintons-of-chappaqua-its-hillarys-home-turf-but-bill-still-shines/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/176351304727

[allofbeercom]

The Clintons of Chappaqua: it’s Hillary’s home turf, but Bill still shines

Interviews with residents of Hillary Clintons adopted home town suggest that while she will garner most votes here on 19 April, and the email scandal is a non-issue, her husband remains a star whose light is difficult to eclipse

An unmistakeable tall, lean 69-year-old man on Wednesday made his way past Coloring Books for Grown-Ups to the check-out at Scattered Books. Bill Clinton bought journalist Anderson Coopers memoir The Rainbow Comes and Goes for himself and a thriller, Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben, for a friend. But he couldnt leave it at that.

I thought, Oh my god! Bill Clinton just came in and said, I love this store, says Laura Scott Schaefer, a childrens author who opened the independent bookshop six months ago. Im going to faint!

Laura Scott Schaefer, owner of Scattered Books. Photograph: Lauren Caulk for the Guardian

The story is a typical one in Chappaqua, the woodsy hamlet north of New York City that became Bill and Hillary Clintons adopted home in 1999 and where the private email server she used as secretary of state is under investigation by the FBI. It is here that the Clintons will cast their vote in an increasingly fraught Democratic primary election that finds New York, regarded by many as the greatest city in the world, in a new role at the centre of the political universe.

Hillarys dogged Democratic rival Bernie Sanders grew up in Brooklyn and her likely general election opponent, Donald Trump, made billions in Manhattan. Chicago-born Hillary served two terms as New York senator and is said to be a model neighbor in quietly prosperous Chappaqua. But interviews with local residents suggest that while she will garner most votes here on 19 April, and the emails are dismissed as a non-issue, her husband remains a star whose light is difficult to eclipse.

Bill has been campaigning hard for his wife and was back in the spotlight this week when he clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters in Philadelphia over his 1994 crime bill. In largely white Chappaqua, many tell anecdotes of him walking into Starbucks (decaffeinated coffee or, on hot afternoons, decaffeinated tea) and holding court for an hour or more on the politics of the day or reliving issues of presidency, almost as if he never left the White House. One florist recalled how, a day after the terrorist attacks in Paris, Bill stopped by and talked about how he had been tracking Osama Bin Laden before 9/11.

Hillary is often seen out shopping too, never displaying airs and graces, always unfailingly polite and accommodating to photograph seekers. Her hairdresser of choice, Santa Nikkels, turned up in her publicly released emails. But last month she admitted: I am not a natural politician, in case you havent noticed, like my husband or President Obama.

Hillary Clinton in front of the Chappaqua house in November 1999, shortly after the Clintons bought the home. Photograph: Stephen Chernin/AP

Stan Amberg, 81, a retired lawyer, recalled sitting with his coffee and newspaper at Langes Little Store, a homely deli where the Clintons often take breakfast away in brown paper bags. He came over and said: My names Bill, mind if have coffee with you? Hes very approachable and he loves kids. He gets down on his knees and talks eye to eye with them. She cant do that; she has this issue with engaging. I dont know if its an inherent problem with her personality.

Once, at a local school, he said, the Clintons were faced with a huge queue of school children waiting for the presidents autograph. She was nudging him: Bill, weve got to go. He wouldnt budge until he signed every last autograph. You get the difference.

On another occasion, Bill, a vegan, was dining with friends at another favorite, the French bistro Le Jardin Du Roi. Amberg said: A lady leans over and says, Mr President, how come you werent able to work things out with Yasser Arafat at Camp David? The waiters stopped. The restaurant ceased to move. He turned his head and said: I thought Arafat was having a nervous breakdown. He couldnt concentrate. He wouldnt give a straight answer. I thought wow, he had no qualms talking about it.

. . .

Founded by Quakers in the 1730s, Chappaqua derived from the Native Indian name Shepequa, meaning a place where nothing is heard but the rustling of wind in the leaves sits in the wooded suburbs of Westchester County. It was previously home to Horace Greeley, the founder and first editor of the once mighty New York Herald Tribune and losing presidential candidate.

Chappaqua is unquestionably well off by American or world standards, and will do little to dispel critics portrayal of Hillary as an establishment figure. But the wealth does not ooze from every pore and is more understated than in Greenwich, just 13 miles from here in Connecticut, home to hedge-fund executives, Wall Street bankers and the Bush political dynasty.

Grace Bennett, publisher of Inside Chappaqua magazine, who has interviewed Hillary and travelled with her on an official trip to Africa, said: Its a caring town. Yes, theres affluence here but you dont have a lot of the ladies who lunch and play tennis. Theres a lot of intelligence running through it. Its an extension of the city: a lot of people moved here from there.

In an open letter to the Clintons published by the New York Times in 1999, Timothy Jack Ward wrote: The friendliness here has an edge to it. Ours are reinvented personalities, hardened by jobs in Manhattan. However bucolic our little hamlet might appear, many people drive their lives the way they do their jumbo-size expeditions, with a peculiar aggression, a hyper-busyness, that takes some getting used to.

The Clintons 11-room Dutch colonial home, which cost them $1.7m, was built in 1905-06 by architect Alfred Busselle for his own use. Gray Williams, 83, who is Hillarys go-to guy for local historical information, said it had particular appeal because it came with a separate barn that could accommodate the secret service. It isnt very fancy, he noted. It isnt a McMansion.

The house also contrasts sharply with Trumps extravagant gilded age residence, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida. Set at the end of a cul-de-sac, a gambrel roof, old stone chimney and tall trees peep above a high white fence and guard house. Outside sits a Hillary placard: still the only political poster visible in the whole of Chappaqua, although it it not thought to have been planted by the candidate herself.

Hillary and then president Bill greet residents in Chappaqua, on the way to the airport in 2000. Photograph: Francis Specker/AP

The gregarious Clintons and their daughter Chelsea have been embraced by Chappaqua and it is hard to find anyone with a bad word to say about them, still less any whiff of scandal around the former president who threatened his legacy by having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Schaefer, 44, of Scattered Books, which sells both Bills and Hillarys memoirs as well as the parody Trump Coloring Book, said: Other customers are respectful. Theres the usual moment of silence and then everybody goes back to their business. The Clintons agree to a photo and then go back to their shopping. Ive never met smarter people in my life. I wouldnt want to go up against them at Jeopardy.

Politics is taken very seriously here, she argued, and that will benefit Hillary rather than the superficial bluster of Trump, who owns a golf club in nearby Briarcliff Manor.

Few here believe that the name of Chappaqua will become infamous as the location of Hillarys private email server, which she admits was a mistake but denies was a serious breach of national security. Schaefer added: Its pretty much dismissed as a distraction. People care about real things, and there are more serious things going on than someones email chain.

This is Democratic establishment territory where Hillary can expect to do well at the ballot box. Roger Fox, Westchester County volunteer field director for the Sanders campaign, acknowledged that median incomes stand at $105,000 and many people work in the financial sector, but said a hundred Sanders supporters plan to knock on doors on 16 April.

My sense is shes going to have to defend her home town, her county, her state or she might lose, he said. Westchester County is a bellwether: as Westchester goes, so does New York state. I feel like its tightening. If we get down to single digits [in the polls], our superior ground game could deliver.

Town sign in Chappaqua. Photograph: Lauren Caulk for the Guardian

Can we carry Chappaqua? That is a tough nut to crack. On 16 April were going to invade Chappaqua. Maybe thats our Normandy.

But the only Sanders supporter the Guardian could find this week was a visitor from Brooklyn. Long-time residents were loyal to the former secretary of state. Bob Coulombe, a veteran of the New York Air Guard, said: She is the best qualified. She has exceptional experience in so many ways. She is also an extremely bright woman. Breaking the glass ceiling at this point in our history is important and who better to do that?

Bernie Sanders came out of the woodwork and hit a note and its one note. Thats his tune and its healthy that hes making Hillary work for it, but we are electing an incredibly important person. Personally I think his positions on a lot of things are not realistic.

. . .

In 2014, when a bridge was renamed in honour of a local dry cleaners soldier killed in Afghanistan, Hillary was present at the ceremony. Coulombe, 72, said he has been grand martial at the annual memorial day parade and Hillary marks her calendar specially to make sure she does not miss it. He told how the Clintons also support the local ambulance corps, doing things that are not political, are neighbourly. On one occasion, he said, some volunteers from Bills native Arkansas were in town and the former president said over the phone: Do they like beer? Bring them over.

Yet is seems while Hillary is well-liked, her husband is loved. Bill took long walks here after his quadruple heart bypass surgery in 2005 and often stopped to chat. In Family Britches, an upmarket tailor, the old charmers most recent purchase was a $150 green sweater for the wintry campaign trail in Iowa, according to co-owner Barry Mishkin. He talked to people here for an hour and a half about the issues of the day, the 69-year-old said. It was fascinating. Hes a consummate gentleman.

Bills ongoing fascination with politics raises questions over how he handle the role of first husband and whether he could resist voicing opinions at every turn. Yet some believe Hillarys social skills are underrated, especially her sense of humour. Lore has it that soon after moving to Chappaqua, she found herself being stared at in a market and finally turned around and said: Well, I have to eat too!

Eileen Josefs, 50, manager of Petticoat Lane, a boutique department store where the Clintons buy gifts for their granddaughter, said when Clinton was weighing up a run for the White House, she said of the stores owner: Do I play tennis with Phyllis or do I run for president?

And Bennett of Inside Chappaqua, showing iPhone footage of Hillary dancing with South African politicians, concurred: The one thing I got from my trip to Africa is she has a great sense of humour. I can imagine getting a few lady friends together and smuggling her out to a nightclub.

Contemplating that scene, she mused: Sometimes I feel sorry for her. Shes such a regular person. I wish she could let her hair down and be a regular person. I think she enjoys those girlfriend moments.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/the-clintons-of-chappaqua-its-hillarys-home-turf-but-bill-still-shines/