#plants hate me sooooo much so I’m surprised that they’re so pretty

[clovercrafted]

Please look how pretty my roses are this year 🌹🌹🌹✨

[snappedsky]

Fanatics 65

Hellz Rebels get their first gig. But Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Squee run into some trouble on the way to the party. Previous! Next!

The Gig

           Pepito scrolls through something on his phone, looking incredibly focused and slightly irritated. Squee watches him curiously and somewhat concerned.        Finally Pepito scoffs, fed up, and tosses his phone to the side. He sighs and rests his head on Squee’s shoulder.

           “Something on your mind?” Squee asks.

           “It is sooooo hard to get a gig,” Pepito groans.

           “A gig?”

           “For the band. I don’t even wanna get paid, I just want us to have to the experience. But I can’t find anyone that will let us play.”

           “Why not just do like a garage band thing?”

           “We could, but Colton is the only one of us with a garage. And nobody will come to Grave Road for a band.”

           “No, that’s true,” Squee nods then smiles apologetically. “Sorry. I wish I could help.”            “It’s okay,” Pepito smiles weakly. “I’ll find something. I just gotta keep trying.”

           Squee beams proudly. Pepito’s determination is pretty amazing. No matter how many times he fails, he still keeps trying.

           Still, he wishes he could help somehow.

           Later that afternoon, Johnny, Squee, and Tenna eat dinner at Café Latte. It’s a little busy so the waitresses are hustling around, making sure everyone’s happy. But it’s a nice, easy Saturday afternoon.

           Suddenly, cutting into the comfortable ambience, the front door swings open and a shrill, upset voice cries out, “Deviiiiii!”

           Devi looks up from her notepad, sheer horror filling her face. She looks back as a tall woman with flowing black hair and bright green eyes races up to her and squeezes her shoulders.

           “D-Daria,” Devi stammers with surprise.

           “Oh, Devi! It’s terrible,” the woman cries.

           “What-what is it?” she asks worriedly.

           “My party is ruined!”

           Devi glares at her angrily. “Are you fucking serious…”            Johnny, Squee, and Tenna watch the spectacle from their table. Then Johnny whispers to Tenna, “hey, who is that?”            “Devi’s older sister, Daria,” Tenna whispers back. “She’s a huge drama queen.”            “Daria,” Devi growls as she pushes her sister back. “You can’t interrupt me at work unless you have an emergency.”            “This is an emergency!” Daria insists.

           “I mean a real emergency,” she groans, “like somebody’s dying.”

           “My social life is dying.”

           Devi groans and pinches the bridge of her nose.

           “So here’s the problem,” Daria says, “the band that I hired for my party tomorrow night cancelled on me today. Talk about last minute. I don’t have any replacements and I can’t have a party without a band.”

           “Why can’t you just use a stereo?” Devi asks wearily.

           “Because I promised a live band!” she exclaims, exasperated.

           “Alright, alright. So just postpone.”

           “I can’t! I’ve never cancelled a party before! I’m famous for being punctual.”

           From the way she’s shrieking, one would think her whole world was collapsing around her. Everyone in the restaurant feels annoyed just watching her and they hate that she interrupted their calm afternoon. But it gives somebody a lightbulb moment.          

           Squee quickly downs his glass of juice, takes a couple deep breaths, and approaches Devi and her sister.

           “E-excuse me,” he squeaks then quickly clears his throat. Devi and Daria look at him curiously.

           “I am Squee,” he says, smiling shakenly. “A friend of Devi’s.”

           “O…kay?” Daria replies questionably. “I’m her sister, Daria.”

           Squee chuckles weakly and clears his throat again. “Um I couldn’t help but hear your…problem. And I might be able to help.”            “Really?” she questions, her eyes lighting up.

           “What would you think about hiring a free, amateur rock band?”

“Squee, no,” Devi hisses.            “How much of an amateur? And why free?” Daria asks.

           “They’re amateurs because this would be their first gig. And free because they just really want the experience,” Squee replies.

           “How old are they?”            “My age.”

           “What are you, like 12?”

           “I’m 15.”            Daria considers it, somewhat uncertain, then sighs. “I don’t have much of a choice. But I’d like to talk to them.”            “Of course,” Squee smiles, “I can give your number to the lead guitarist. He’ll be happy to contact you.”

           “Hm…okay,” Daria nods. She quickly writes her phone number on a napkin and hands it to Squee. “I’ll be expecting his call.”

           “Of course. But um…in exchange for helping you, my friends and I have to attend too,” he says quickly.

           “What? No way,” Daria snaps, “this is an adult party. I can’t let a bunch of kids come.”

           “We won’t stand out…much,” Squee insists, “we just wanna see the band play.”            “No, forget it.”

           Squee starts to argue but stops then shrugs. “Alright. Then forget about the band. Cause if we can’t attend, you can’t have them.”            He hands her back her number and goes to sit down. Daria stares at him for a second then glances at Devi. She’s shaking her head no. She looks back at Squee then groans.

           “Alright,” she relents. “You can come.”

           “Great,” Squee beams as he takes the number back. “He’ll call you tonight.”

           “Alright,” she sighs. “I gotta go. I’ll see you later, Devi.”

           Devi waves at her wordlessly. As soon as she’s gone, she glares at Squee. He sits back down and shrugs. “What?”

           “Why’d you have to involve your friends with my sister?” she asks.

           “She needed help, Pepito needed gig. I figure everyone benefited.”

           “Listen, Squee,” Devi says sternly, “Daria is very dramatic. If this goes wrong, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

           “Don’t worry. Pepito and his Hellz Rebels are great. I’ve heard them play. They even have a couple original songs. And if it does go bad, I’ll take responsibility.”

           Devi sighs and rubs her neck. “Fine. But I wanna talk to Pepito before he calls my sister.”

           “Sure,” Squee shrugs, “come over after work, he’ll be there.”

           “Fine,” Devi nods and returns to work.

           That evening, at Nny and Squee’s house, Pepito squeals excitedly and hugs Squee tightly.

           “Oh, thank you thank you thank you!” he exclaims with elation. “You are the absolute best in the whole world!”

           Squee smiles as he’s squeezed into Pepito’s chest and spun around with him. He’s finally let go so Pepito can cheer by himself.

           “I can’t wait to tell the others! They are gonna flip!” he exclaims, “Squee, you should totally be our stage manager!”

           “Thanks but it was emotionally exhausting just talking to Devi’s sister,” Squee replies.

           “Speaking of which,” Devi says and plants her hand firmly on Pepito’s head, getting his full attention. “Daria may be an annoying pain in the ass, but she’s still my sister and I want her to be happy. So you better make sure your band is perfect because if it isn’t, I’ll have to deal with her. Which means you’ll have to deal with me.”

           Pepito smiles nervously as he wiggles out of her grip. “Don’t worry. We’ll be great. We’re ready for this, I know it. All we need is some emotional support.” He glances at Squee.

           “Yeah, we’ll be there,” he smiles, “I’ve already told Zim, Dib, and Gaz and they’re super excited too. We’ll definitely be watching you tomorrow night.”

           “Isn’t it a school night?” Johnny asks.

           “Whose got time to think about school?” Tenna scoffs, “it’s time to think about partying!”

           “Why? We’re not going,” he points out.

           “What? But, Devi,” she complains.

           “Forget it,” Devi snorts, “I’m not setting foot near Daria’s party or her wacko friends.”            “Aw,” Tenna whines and face plants into the couch.

           Pepito and Squee both chuckle before facing each other.

           “Alright, I’m gonna go let the others know. We have a lot of work to do before tomorrow night,” Pepito says as he hurries to the door. “I’ll text you later.”            “Bye.” Squee waves as he leaves.

           “Squee, are you sure you wanna go to this party?” Devi asks, “Daria’s friends are all like her. It’s gonna be like a room full of Darias.”

           “This is their first gig. I have to see it,” Squee insists, “nothing will keep me from their first performance.”

           The next day, everyone gets ready for the party. Pepito, Colton, Carmen, and Maddie spend the day practicing and preparing. Carmen’s dad gives them a ride to Daria’s house in the North End of the city. When they arrive, Daria sees them to the garage where they can set up.

           “Now I know this is your first gig or whatever,” she says, “but it has to go perfectly. Understand?”

           “No problem,” Pepito chimes, “we’ll do great. Right, guys?”            Carmen nods enthusiastically. Colton cracks a forced smile. Maddie just stares at the ground and plays with her hair.

           Pepito suppresses a worried moan and smiles at Daria. “Like I said, no problem. You just finish setting up for your party.”            Daria groans uncertainly but goes into the house. As soon as she’s gone, Pepito faces his band.

           “Are you guys sure you’re ready for this?” he asks, “we can wait a little longer.”            “I’m ready,” Colton nods quickly, “I am. I’ve been preparing for weeks. Practicing my bass every night, I’ve even been doing class presentations to get over my stage fright.”            “Impressive,” Pepito grins then looks at Maddie. “What about you?”

           “I am. I have to be,” she replies, “if I don’t do it now, then I’ll never be able to do it. Besides, I’ll be with you guys. And Gaz and the others will be watching too.”            “Yeah,” Pepito nods, “Squee just texted me that they’re leaving now so they should get here super early.”

           Meanwhile, Dib picks up Squee from his house. He gets in the backseat with Gaz while Zim sits in the passenger seat.

           “I am so pumped for this,” Dib says excitedly as they drive away. “I can only imagine how Pepito’s feeling.”

           “He’s super excited,” Squee replies, “I haven’t talked to Colton or Carmen yet but I’m sure they’re feeling the same.”          

           “I talked to Maddie last night after Pepito told her,” Gaz says, “she’s nervous but excited I think. But she’s a really good singer. I’m sure she’ll do great.”

           “What about you, Zim?” Dib asks, “are you excited?”

           He shrugs and scoffs. “I never found music appealing. I’m only doing this because Pepito would whine if I didn’t.”

           They stare at him for a second before Squee smirks. “You’re excited.”

           Dib and Gaz laugh while Zim stammers frantically, “I-I-I am not! It-it’s just…good…leadership skills to show support for your subordinates. That’s all!”

           “Sure.” Gaz rolls her eyes.

           Zim scoffs and crosses his arms in huff while everyone else laughs.

           Daria’s party doesn’t officially start until 8pm and the kids left at 5. It should take at most two hours to drive across the city which is perfect because they want to arrive early to show their friends support. Even if it takes them a little longer with traffic and whatnot, they should still arrive in time.

           But after about an hour of driving, the car starts sputtering and slowing down.

           “What’s going on?” Squee asks.

           “I-I don’t know,” Dib replies as he pulls over. Everyone quickly gets out and he pops the hood. Smoke immediately blows out. They all cough and wave it away.

           “Aw, man! Dad’s gonna kill me,” Dib laments as he grips his head.

           “What happened to it?” Gaz asks.

           “I don’t know,” he sighs, “I’m gonna call a tow truck.”

           He steps away as he pulls out his cellphone. Zim, Gaz, and Squee sit on the curb and sigh.

           “What rotten luck,” Squee groans.

           “These Earth vehicles are inferior and unreliable,” Zim grunts.

           “How are we gonna get to the party?” Gaz asks.

           “Maybe the tow truck guy will give us a ride?” Squee suggests.

           “No good,” Dib says as he walks back. “The tow company closed an hour ago. We’re gonna have to leave the car here until morning.”

           “What about the party?” Squee asks.

           “What are our options?” Zim asks.

           “We can’t wait for someone to pick us up and the buses will take too long,” Dib muses.

           “Taxi?” Gaz suggests.

           “That’ll be crazy expensive,” Squee points out.

           “We only have one choice,” Dib says darkly, “we’ll have to take…the subway.”

           Zim, Gaz, and Squee shiver fearfully.

           Just like most cities, the Nameless City has a subway system. But unlike most cities, it also has an insane underground labyrinth that the subway system is built into.

           Nobody takes the subway because they think it’s run poorly- never on time, sometimes it doesn’t even show up at stops for days. But in reality it’s because it’s constantly getting lost in the ever-shifting labyrinth.    

           The kids would never take the subway unless it was a dire emergency. And this is.

           They make it to the closest stop within a couple minutes and trot down the stairs. The station is eerily empty. The overhead lights are flickering on and off and buzzing loudly. The kids stay clustered close together near the entrance, debating about leaving or not.      

           “There’s a map,” Dib says as he points to the right wall. Farther into the room is a map of the system. They hustle over to it and look it over.

           “Lucky for us,” Dib smiles, “the third station from this looks like the closest one to Daria’s house.”

           “If it gets there,” Squee points out.

           “Or here,” Gaz adds.

           “We better text Pepito and let him know we might be late,” Zim suggests.

           They all take out their phones and start holding them at different heights.

           “I can’t get any service,” Dib says.

           “Me neither,” Zim grunts.

           “That’s great,” Squee sighs, “maybe we should just go outside.”

           “Wait, here it comes,” Gaz says.

           Clattering and clanging is heard down the tunnel as the train comes in. It slows down before stopping with the doors opening right in front of the kids.

           It’s completely empty with dim lights that flicker worse than the station’s. The kids glance at each other questionably before boarding.

           “Okay, now we just relax until we arrive at our stop,” Dib says as he sits down and looks around.

           The subway isn’t just devoid of people; it’s devoid of all signs of life. No advertisements, no sort of intercom, not even a rodent or insect. It’s deeply unsettling, even for the usually steely Zim.

           They all mutter with uncertainty before the doors slide close and the train takes off with a rickety creak. Everybody sits down next to Dib, stiff and on edge.

           Back at Daria’s, guests have started arriving. The kitchen is full of people, eating and drinking. It won’t be long before the party moves outside and Hellz Rebels has to start playing.

           Pepito watches everything through the garage door leading into the house. He glances around but doesn’t see Squee or Zim or any of the others anywhere.

           He closes the door and checks his phone. None of them are texting back.

           “They’re still not here?” Carmen asks. Pepito just shakes his head.

           “They’re late,” Colton mutters, “and it won’t be long before we have to go on. I…I don’t know if…” He trails off.

           “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Pepito says quickly. “They’ll be here. They’re probably just running a little late. Traffic and whatever.”

           “But what if something happened?” Maddie asks quietly.

           An uncomfortable silence settles over the band. They know better than anyone the bad luck their friends have. What if something did happen?

           “I’m sure they’re fine,” Pepito insists, “they’ll be here. I know it.”            He smiles at them then turns away and checks his phone again.

           Meanwhile, at the subway, the ride is hardly relaxing. It is bumpy and unsettling. The only noise is the clanking of the train going over the rails. But even with that, the silence is deafening. The slightest noise seems to reverberate off the metal walls. Dib clears his throat, and the echo is almost endless.

           Zim takes a deep breath and sits up straight. “So.”

           His voice echoes off the walls, unnerving everyone.

           He quickly shakes it off. “What songs will they be playing?”

           “Oh, uh I’m not sure,” Squee replies, “probably mostly covers. I know they wrote a couple original songs but I don’t know if they’ll debut them all tonight. Maybe just one.”

           “What sort of songs did they write?” Dib asks.

           “I don’t know. Pepito said he wanted to keep them a surprise,” he replies, “but they’re a rock band with somewhat of a punk vibe. So it’s probably a lot of stuff about what’s wrong with society and not listening to authority figures.”

           “That sounds like Pepito,” Gaz says.

           The others laugh in agreement. The noise seems to carry on forever, even after they stop. They look around nervously.

           “This place has some uh great acoustics,” Dib comments.

           Shmee pokes his head out of Squee’s bag and looks around suspiciously. “That’s not an echo.”

           The laughter gets louder and louder until it seems to be right on top of them then it stops abruptly. They stare at the ceiling, uneasy.

           Suddenly there’s a loud bang and a dent pushes into the train. The kids exclaim with surprise and jump to their feet.

           Loud, high-pitched giggling surrounds them as many things pitter-patter along the outside walls. Something punches into the wall behind them, causing another dent. Others start following suit, pounding dents into the metal walls all around them.

           “What’s happening?” Squee asks fearfully.

           “Come on!” Dib orders and points at the doorway leading to the front of the train.  They quickly race through it and head straight for the conductor room.        

           Zim throws open the door and they all freeze. It’s completely empty. Nobody has been control the train.

           “That’s unsettling,” Gaz comments.

           “What about this isn’t?” Squee questions as he looks back. The giggling has followed them and stops abruptly over top of them.

           Everything is quiet for a second before there’s some sort of electrical popping sound. Then the lights go out and the train grinds to a halt. They kids shout with surprise as they’re thrown off their feet and smack into the control console.

           They groan as they stand up and look around. Everything’s pitch black, they can’t see a thing. They all take out their cellphones to use them as flashlights.

           As they shine them around they see something move from the corners of their eyes. They spin back to the rest of the train and shine their lights through the doorway. They don’t see anything at first and then something pokes its head from underneath the seats.

           It looks like some kind of small, furry creature with bald ears resembling that of a bat’s and face that’s almost like a cat’s. It’s got big eyes that sparkling in the light as it stares at the kids, chirping curiously.

           “Aw, it’s kinda cute,” Dib coos.  

           The creature’s eyes narrow evilly and more starting poking out from the shadows of the subway. So many little creatures, they’re innumerable. They start giggling feverishly.

           “Oh good lord,” Dib croaks.

           The giggling intensifies as they start hopping towards them, unleashing long, sharp claws from their furry, little hands. Squee and Gaz quickly throw the door closed and lean against it. The creatures clatter hard against it.

           “What the hell are those things?” Gaz asks.

           “Uh, gremlins maybe?” Dib questions.

           “What are we going to do?” Squee asks, “we’re gonna miss Pepito’s concert!”

           “Is that really our biggest problem right now?” Gaz scoffs.

           “Yes, it is,” Zim insists, “I cannot deal with that much whining for the next few months.”            “I am not missing my boyfriend’s first concert!” Squee exclaims.

           “And we’re not going to,” Zim declares, “we’re going to commandeer this vessel and we’re getting to that party.”

           “But how? The power’s out,” Dib points out.

           “I can supply the machine power from my PAK,” Zim explains, “Dib, you’re going to have to steer it. Can you do that?”

           “No problem.” He smirks and salutes.

           “Gaz, you gotta keep those things back,” Zim orders, “block the door, smash their heads, I don’t care.”

           “Fine,” she nods and grabs a nearby pipe from off the floor. “Just like Critter Killer for the Game Slave.”

“Here,” Squee says as he pulls some Startling Bombs out of his bag and hands them to Gaz. “These might help.”            “Squee, you gotta navigate,” Zim concludes.

           “Alright,” he nods.

           “Okay, everybody ready?” he asks. They nod. “Then let’s do this.”

           A pair of spider legs extends from Zim’s PAK and pierces the sides of the control console. Electrical currents travel down the legs and into the console. The lights immediately turn back on, much brighter than before, as the train takes off down the tracks.

           The sudden speed sends all of the gremlins flying back. Squee quickly steps up front next to Dib, who’s got a firm grip on the train’s steering wheel.

           “Are we gonna be able to navigate? This thing’s on a track, what if it goes in the wrong direction?” Dib asks.

           “Don’t worry,” Zim replies, “I can supply it with enough power to run it off the track. Just make sure we get to the party.”

           “Okay, Dib, just keep going straight for now,” Squee orders.

           Gaz watches the gremlins through the window in the door. They’re pissed now and charging. She waits until the last second then throws it open. The creatures are so surprise, they skid to a stop. Gaz swings the pipe and smacks the first row away. They fly away and slam into the wall like a bunch of stuffed animals.

           The other gremlins- the wide majority- bellow angrily, their high pitched voices piercing everyone’s ear. As they start charging, Gaz activates one of Squee’s Startling Bombs and tosses it at them. She slams the door closed as it goes off, creating a blinding bright light. The gremlins shriek with pain and surprise.

           Dib and Squee stare out the front of the train closely, Dib making sure to make each turn while Squee makes sure each turn is the right way to go. It goes smoothly for a few minutes until they come to a fork in the road. The track goes down the left tunnel while the right tunnel is empty.          

           Squee jolts. “Dib, we gotta go right!”

           “What?” Dib exclaims.

           “Right, right!” he shouts.

Dib jerks the wheel to the right. The train hops off the track and they make the turn just in time. But without the tracks, the train is unstable and shaking, banging into the walls and bouncing on the ground. The kids struggle to stay standing as it jostles around like a paint shaker. Even the gremlins can be heard struggling, their squeaky voices crying out.

          Squee tries to keep himself steady by holding onto the console and looks out into the tunnel. Everything past the subway’s headlights is pitch black. He squints as he tries hard to make out anything in front of them. A tunnel cutting to the left comes into view and his eyes widen.

           “Dib, we gotta go left!” he exclaims.

           “We’ll never make that!” Dib argues.

           “Do it!” Squee orders and grabs the wheel. They both yank the wheel so hard that the train tips towards the left. Gaz and the gremlins immediately lose their balance and tumble into the wall. Zim quickly steadies himself with his other two spider legs. Dib and Squee hold tight to the wheel, groaning loudly with exertion.

           The roof scrapes against the dirt walls as they near the left tunnel. And then, to everyone’s amazement, the train bends like a snake, turning into the tunnel. Dib and Squee stare ahead, bewildered, as they slowly turn the wheel back and the train straightens out.

           “Um-!” Dib chirps.

           “Let’s not think about it,” Squee grunts then looks back at the others. “Everyone okay?”            Zim and Gaz both groan in response. Gaz is sitting on the floor, rubbing the back of her head, while Zim is holding his stomach.

           “Uh oh,” Dib croaks.

           Squee turns back around and sees a subway station in front of them. They’re gonna ram right into the platform!

           “Zim! Cut the power!” Squee exclaims.

           “Eh?” Zim grunts blankly.

           The platform’s coming up from fast. Dib and Squee quickly dive into Zim, tackling him to the floor and tearing his spider legs from the console. The power cuts out immediately but they’re moving at too high a velocity to slow down and the train smashes through the platform.

           The kids fly off the floor and slam into the window. The force of the crash causes the train to crumble in on itself until the front car is standing up on its nose, balancing against the cinderblock wall of the station.

           The kids groan in pain as they squirm on the window, attempting to work out the pain radiating throughout their body. The door in front of them swings open and they blink.  

           The gremlins fall towards them, claws out and fangs glistening with slobber. The kids scream in fear.

           Zim’s spider legs whip out and smacks all of the little creatures out of the way. Then they grab the edges of the doorway. Dib, Gaz, and Squee quickly grab on and they’re all pulled up into the passenger car.

           Meanwhile, just on the surface, civilians are gathering around something jutting out of the road. It almost looks like the back end of a subway car. They mutter amongst themselves. Was there an accident? Was anybody hurt? Who would be crazy enough to ride the subway?

           A hole is suddenly blasted through the wall of the car, causing everyone to jump back. Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Squee clamber out. Ignoring the wide eyes of the crowd, they quickly race off.

           “We’re close to Daria’s place,” Squee says as he eyes a nearby street sign. “We can still make it.”

           At Daria’s house, Pepito has rejected her order to start playing for the third time.

           “We can’t play yet,” he insists, “our friends aren’t here.”

           “Everybody is outside waiting for a live band,” Daria orders, “that’s why I hired you guys.”

           “You didn’t hire us,” Pepito points out, “we’re doing this for free.”

           “Hey, I am giving you your big break,” she snaps, “now you better open this door in five minutes and start playing or else nobody will take you seriously as a band.”

           With that, she marches inside the house, leaving Pepito to sizzle from her words. He takes a deep breath to try and calm down and looks back at his band. Maddie is staring at the floor, her long hair covering her face; Colton is anxiously chewing his thumbnail, and Carmen is watching them both with concern.

           “What do you guys wanna do?” Pepito asks.

           “We have to play, right?” Carmen questions, “I mean we promised we would.”

           “But Squee and the others aren’t here yet,” Colton points out, “how can we play without them? Especially when we don’t even know what’s happening with them.”  

           “I don’t know if I can sing in front of a bunch of strangers,” Maddie mumbles.

           Pepito sighs and rubs his horns while his bandmates bicker. He doesn’t blame them. He’s worried about his friends too. And he doesn’t want to play his first gig without Squee here to watch. But they can’t just snub all these people. That wouldn’t look good. But what if something really did happen to the others?

           As Pepito starts to feel like he might have a panic attack, he feels a buzzing in his jeans. He practically throws his phone out of his pocket and checks the screen. It’s a text from Squee.

           “They’re here,” he sighs with relief.

           “What?” the others question.

           “They’re here,” he says again, “they just got here.”

           They stare at him, somewhat stunned.

           Daria breaks their silence as she throws open the house door. “Okay, you guys have waited long enough-!”

           “We’re ready,” Pepito smiles, cutting her off. “You can go introduce us.”

           “Oh,” Daria says, surprised. “Uh, alright then. I’ll go let everyone know.”            She goes back inside and Pepito looks back at his band. They’re all getting ready. Carmen is sitting at her drums, Colton is plugging in his bass, and Maddie is standing before her keyboard and microphone.

           Pepito smiles proudly and puts on his guitar. He turns off the garage lights and steps on a switch by his feet, flicking on some dark red spotlights on the floor.

           Carmen rolls her shoulders, Colton shakes off his nerves, and Maddie pushes back her long bangs. Pepito takes a deep breath and pushes the garage door opener.

           The door slides open as Daria says, “now presenting Hellz Rebels.”

           All of her party guests are on the front lawn. They’re a little tipsy so they’d be excited no matter who was playing, but when they cheer it feels pretty good to the band. It feels even better when they spot Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Squee standing in the back on the road. They’re panting and covered in bruises, scrapes, and dirt but Pepito and the others can’t quite see that from here. All they can see is their smiles.

           Maddie glances at Pepito. He smirks and nods. She nods back and inhales deeply.

           “Who’s ready to rock?” she shouts into the mic.

           Everyone immediately cheers louder. Pepito, Maddie, Colton, and Carmen beam brightly.

           Pepito lifts his hand and brings it down, strumming a riff on his guitar. Carmen bangs out a sequence on her drums, Colton plucks his bass strings, and Maddie slams down some keys on her piano before singing a lyric into the microphone.

           All the anxiety they had is immediately washed away as they start playing. They lose themselves in the music, just like they always do during practice. But this time it’s a little different, because they’re not the only ones enjoying it.

           Behind the crowd, Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Squee are still having a hard time catching their breath. They’re exhausted and ache all over. But they feel proud of their friends as they watch them play.

           “I’m just gonna…lie down,” Gaz mutters as she lowers herself onto the grass.

           “Me too,” Dib adds and follows suit.

           “I think gotta throw up,” Zim groans and hobbles to the side of the house.

           “I’m good right here,” Squee says. He hugs Shmee to his chest and smiles tenderly as he watches his boyfriend, lead guitarist of a band, happily play his guitar at his first gig.

[tellywoodtrash]

ishqbaaz 01.08.17 lb

ouff this mummeh is gonna do something for sure to put adchan in shivaay’s attempts to find truth, isn’t she? 😒😒😒

idiotttttttttt boyyyyyy, ab toh samajhhh jaaaa. please tell me you’re taking this tirade as a clue! 😥😥😥

TELL ME HE’S SUSPICIOUS. PLEASE GODDDDDDDDDD. 😭😭😭

TIA BABY!!!!!!!!!!! MY ANGEL MY SUN MY MOON ALL MY STARS! 😍😍😍

TIA HOW COULD ANYONE NOT SMILE SEEING YOU!?!???! YOU’RE ADORABLE. 😊😊😊

omg please come backkkkkkkk to this show please!!!!!!! i miss youuuuuuuu. 😚😚😚😚😚😚

awww “shivaaay baby”!!!!!!!!!!! GOD. SHE’S TOO CUTE. I LOVE HER SO MUCH. 💖💖💖

i’m so so so happy that my #1 ship for this show is happy together. dooodho nahao phulo phalo! 💑🏽💑🏽💑🏽

where is their baby tho??? like, tia should be showing by now? maybe even close to delivery? wait... this show is three months in the future, SHE SHOULD HAVE GIVEN BIRTH BY NOW. WHERE’S THE BABYYYYY? 😯😯😯

yessssssss, tia SPILLLLL THAT TRUTH!!!!!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

lmao tiaaaa and her slavish obsession with social media. 😆😆😆

also, lol, is she a member of rudra’s “shivika” fan page? 😂😂😂

THANK GOD. SEED HAS BEEN PLANTED. THAAAAAAANK GOD. *gets on my damn knees thanking God* 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

smell the fart acting on realization that EVERYONE knows the truth except him. 

lmao, in dono ka abhi bhi chal raha hai yahan pe. 🙄🙄🙄

lol poor rudra, he’s trying sooooo hard for his chulbul bhaabi. but she’s got a pretty tall order for him. he’s no advay singh raizada, that he can do ghar pe baithe baithe cloud seeding to make badal and baarish for her. 😕😕😕

EEEEEE MY (BR)OT3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😍😍😍

oh god it’s going to be bade bhaiyya’s tharki idea isn’t it, to get her all sexified and ~~~INSPIRE him with her BADAN. 😟😟😟

yupppppppppp, this face tells me that bade bhaiyya has sex on the mind. 😬😬😬

how nice of shivaay to ensure his brother gets laid, even when he’s in the middle of a personal crisis. khud toh kuch nahi mil raha, chota bhai hi aish karle. matlab, bhai ho toh aisa! #SPABestBhai2018 😌😌😌

anda nonsense. forwarding. ⏩⏩⏩

sahil’s getting blasted for being bad at math. 😂😂😂

don’t worry, uski bhi shaadi kisi calculator type ladki se karwa denge jaise teri karwa di hai. 😊😊😊

whoop. big, angry, calculator singh oberoi alert! 😬😬😬

ohhhhhhhh boy. directtttttt questioning. 🤐🤐🤐

what an idiot. he should have just left at it “tia mili thi mujhe.” and she’d think that tia told him everything and have spit it out. ouff shivaay, tu kitna kachcha khilaadi hai. 

meanwhile, murder girlfriends are still hanging out, like a buncha regular girlfriends! i love it! 👯🏽👯🏽👯🏽

not loving the scary tej sightings though. (today’s certainty that this is a tejLana plan: 90%) 

shivaay is channeling his best enrique and being all YOU CAN RUN YOU CAN HIDE BUT YOU CAN’T ESCAPE MY LOVE. 😗😗😗

this is enrique’s best song. fight me. it is!!!!!!!!! what a song! best sung very loudly and very out of tune in the car. especially that high pitched YOU CAN RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN! part towards the end. 😅😅😅

excuse me, taking 4 minute break from this episode to go watch the video and feel a little guilty and dirty (used to hide from parents and watch the video when it first came out when i was a baby teen. still have the feeling i’m doing something shaaaady when i watch it as a grownass adult. 😳😳😳😳😳)

ok, i’m back! back to billu getting all up on our girl. 

ouff, why can’t he just sex it outta her??!???? 😫😫😫😫 he knows he totally can. and they both totally waaaant it. look at his droopy sex eyes and her TAKE ME NOW face: 

ugh the flashbacks are totally killing the mood. saaaame chaar rando scenes they’re showing since last two episodes. these two have a million other scenes, switch it up a little! 😒😒😒

nope. billu won’t be distracted by her delicious bod pressed up against him. he wants answerssssssssss. 😠😠😠

“tumhe maine pehle bhi kaha tha, shivaay singh oberoi ne haath chodne ke liye nahi pakda hai.” 

aaaaaaaaaand i’m crying. great. 😭😭😭😭😭

“par chod toh diya.” “maine choda nahi, TUMNE chudaaya tha.”

yaaaaaas billu! call her out on her BS! 😪😪😪😫😫😫

ohhhhh boy. billu ka paara chad raha hai at thought of paraya mard. yiiiiiiiikes. 😬😬😬

ooooooooh. she’s trying to hoodwink him to get outta lying but NOPE. BILLU WANTS AN ANSWER. 😶😶😶

MERI AANKHON MEIN DEKH KAR BOLO! OH NO. OH NOOOOOOOO! 😧😧😧

she’s reaaallllllly trying to loophole her way outta this, but he’s like a dog with a damn bone. FINALLY. THIS IS THE SHIVAAY I WANTED TO SEE. 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

“sab kuch mere hisaab se hua hi kahaan? agar mere hisaab se hota toh hum alag hi...” 

aaaaaand crying again. and i love it. oh the angst.  😭😭😭😭😭

very ‘a few good men’ vibes from this moment no????  

coz he can’t. he really can’t handle the truth. 

time to get the truth outta her, with angst and sexual tension. 😏😏😏

OH MY GOD NO WHY DO THEY KEEP SHOWING FLASHBACKS TO HIS RAPEYNESS IN THE WEDDING EPISODE LIKE THIS WITHOUT ANY WARNING. IT REALLY FEELS LIKE I’M GETTING SUCKER PUNCHED IN THE GUT. 💥💥💥👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽

YEAH GIRL. YOU STAND UP TO HIM. KICK HIM IN THE NUTS. 😤😤😤

oh thank god scene change. to shaant, susheel omki. i needed that. *exhaaaaaaaaale* 😌😌😌

LMAO GAURI’S SEXY SMOKE MACHINE ENTRY IS JUST REMINDING ME OF THIS SCENE IN B99 🤣🤣🤣

gooooooood going, billu. what an idea sirjee! only about 87% awkward and tharki af that you gave the idea to your baby devrani, but imma just... side step that, coz your intentions were noble. 😕😕😕

haaaaaaaaaye, omki’s gentle surprised smile. 😍😍😍

ok this is taking too long. someone make a move, instead of just standing there smiling like lovesick idiots. 😐😐😐

lol like... how supremely confident do you have to be to pull this off though?? like BEHOLD ME I AM HERE TO BE YOUR MUSE AND LIFT YOU OUT OF YOUR CREATIVE BLOCK!!!!!!!!!! LOOK AT ME AND BE INSPIREDDDDDDD! LET THERE BE ART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😶😶😶

someday, i aspire to be this confident. for now though... *sighs and crawls deeper into the blankets* 

HEIN? WHAT IS THIS RANDOMNESS? 😧😧😧

... ok so this hall has just turned into a Room Of Requirement for these sexually repressed third gen Oberois?!?! so multi purpose! it can be a store room! it can be a random khopcha to have a moti sevaiyaan dinner! it can have a fountain and exploding colour bombs for ~INEESPEERATION! it can be anything and everything! 😯😯😯

ok omki’s smile is cute and all but i’m tired. fwding. 😶😶😶

also coz I HATE THIS SONG. I DON’T KNOW WHY, BUT I DO. I HATE THIS SONG SO MUCH. it’s the only one i hate from the otherwise stellar DCH soundtrack. 😣😣😣

ouff painting banana hai toh banao. just make the song stop playing. 😑😑😑

LOL WHAT EVEN? WHY IS HE... THIS SCENE IS JUST SO RANDOMLY SEXY? (and not in a good way. like, there was no build up, he’s just suddenly CARRYING her all sexy like?) 🤔🤔🤔

that pose looks awkward and tiring. 😬😬😬

oh. okay. 3% less awkward now that the other hand is down, but just as tiring. 🙄🙄🙄

RUDRA. YOU DO KNOW SHE’S A COP? LET HER DO HER FUCKING JOB IN PEACE??????? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? LIKE... GET A FUCKING JOB MAN. INSTEAD OF JUST FOLLOWING SOME GIRL AROUND WHILE SHE TRIES TO DO HERS. 😡😡😡

oh god a mor pankh. i just know what’s coming. 😬😬😬

yuuuuuuuuuuuup. 😣😣😣 this is awkward af. 

ok i’m having michmichi with you two and your weirdly erotic painting scene now. show me my other angry bird babies. have they started hate sexing up against the cupboards yet? 😚😚😚

OH WAIT. TENSION. BECAUSE BAREILLY. 😯😯😯

OH MY GOD OM. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU. WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN “ASLIYAT”??? I THOUGHT WE ESTABLISHED THAT YOU MADE A MISTAKE?!?!? 😟😟😟

what even is going on with the andas? is that a clip of her parents that bhavya is watching? 🤔🤔🤔

OM WHY ARE YOU SO.......... *strangles him* 😡😡😡😡

OMFG I AM REALLY NOT IN THE MOOD FOR PINKY RN. FWDING. FUCKING FWDING. ⏩⏩⏩⏩⏩⏩

BOHUT HO GAYA YEH ABLA CHIRAIYYA BANNNNA! 😠😠😠😠

anyone want breakfast? fried andas coming up in 5 min! 🍳🍳🍳

see? this is why bulbul and bade bhaiyya are brotp. they’re the exact same person. tiny rage-filled monsters who won’t quit hounding ya for answers. 😌😌😌

ASKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK HIMMMMMM GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas bulbulllllllllllllll, leave his ass! leave his unworthy assssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

ok so the one good thing from all this is that bhavya cannot be anika’s chutki, right? coz wholeeeeeeeeeeee different backstory. RIGHT??? 😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐

bhavya is honestly the fucking worst. rudra, just get the fuck out, leaving her. at least you’ll be alive for saumya. 😒😒😒

pft fine. take her. whatever. idgaf. 🙄🙄🙄

time to angstilyyyyyy lean against a pillar and rage. you know, as you do. 😆😆

great, evil/emo!Kara is back. 🙄🙄🙄

idhar andas are also boiling in angst. 

you know what, i don’t hate bhavya as a character. or mansi as an actor. she’s really holding her own in this emotional scene. i just really really hate any scene she’s in with another person, because of what the writing does to every other character around her. give me solo scenes, and i’m fine. but put her in a room with rudra, and my blood pressure hits the roof because of how fucking stupid HE is being. 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡

oh great. anika broke the shivaayBot. 😟😟😟

GIRL YOU KNEW HIS HARDWARE WASN’T CAPABLE OF HANDLING THE UPGRADE. THEN WHY........... 😣😣😣

[thinkingisvital-blog]

time to get real about the future guys

alright so I’m studying for my midterm rn and all of a sudden I came with a concept to revolutionize our little capitalistic world. So instead of learning about the innate immune system I made this little blog and am writing this because I can’t seem to stop thinking about it.

okay so the main thing I want to change is the distribution of corporate production and marketing (not sure that means exactly what i want it to but English is not my first language, I’m dyslectic af so you’re gonna have to deal with it for now)

my idea is based on a couple of rules:

 there is only one type of each kind of item. why the fuck are there 5 brands of the same kind of fucking rice and shit like that?? 1 of each is all you get bitch

this eliminates the need for fancy packaging.(reducing waste and production costs) Only necessary kind of packaging, to keep things clean, fresh and healthy ya know?

all products are made/ grown/ harvested in the climate/ area they are most viable. don’t try to grow rice in the middle of the fucking desert, those sons of bitches looovveeee their water and that shit ain’t there so don’t even try it. oranges grow well in warm Mediterranean climates so how about we only grow them juice boiis in spain and mexico (and all other counties meeting the same qualifications). Every terrain/climate is a favorable environment for different plants and animals so why try to force them to grow in different areas than necessary? potatoes are tough as hell so you can plant those earth apples everywhere, same for goats, they’ll live everywhere man. remember that “they crave that mineral” blog post? they don’t even need surfaces to stand on, they can literally just walk on vertical wall wtf (no wonder they think the goat in the movie “the witch”is the devil)

fresh plant products are only sold when they’re in season. apples don’t grow in the fucking winter now do they?? but surplus apples from that years harvest sure make good applesauce that stays good for a really long time

we need to put a price tag on a persons time, level of knowledge and, physical and emotional effort and that’s what we base salaries on. So easy jobs that require little knowledge but take a lot of time and effort are paid the same as jobs that are hard. getting cursed and yelled at all day while sitting behind a counter is more intense than sitting in an office for example. Of course minimum wage will still have to be a thing.

I realize that there’s some areas in the world that are not good for growing crops or keeping animals but do have people living there. sooooo i thought that those place would be good to focus other 

to avoid conflict, all religion has got to go. I mean this in the least negative way possible but besides supporting a lot of people, religion is not doing a lot of good things for the general stability of the world. Having some nice morals to live by is good but all religions exclude large groups of people and for some reason (that I’ve never fully understood tbh) insinuates a lot of conflicts between different religions(over who’s got the coolest book? coolest main character in that book? idk man). As you can probably tell, I’m an atheist but I have no problem what so ever with any religion and the people in them (as long as they can still make independent choices between good and bad (people) outside of their beliefs. Hating someone for no other reason than because your religion says you should is a big no no in my opinion)  I’m pretty sure there’s like 4 people that are gonna read this and the only comment is gonna call me out on this point lol. In my mind, the absence of religion will create a more excepting environment where people lead their lives according to their own thoughts and emotions. In order for this to succeed common decency, discipline and sense will have to go up so, oh so much (I’ve worked in retail, restaurants and help desks. Far too many people are dicks).

lets talk education. I’m from the Netherlands and I’m not totally down with what we’ve got going on here but we’ve definitely got the right idea. USA has got to stop what they’re doing rn. I SAID STOPPPP!!!  yo honestly how are the people responsible for organizing and structuring education in the states still thinking they’re doing a good job. Grades aren’t everything dude. Can you use it in real life? Cool! you got it, nice job. life isn’t about theory and knowing everything by heart. It’s about understanding. The system there is so different that my friends at Uni that are from the states that used to get straight A’s are now having such a hard time because our tests aren’t made for repeating but for understanding. it’s a totally different type of intelligence and it saddens me to see them struggle. I totally forgot about what is was writing.THE FUTURE: so we need to divide kids into different levels at a younger age. Kids that perform under the required expectations get frustrated and start feeling less valuable (surprise, Everyone is a precious lill bean that deserves love, understanding and support. Just because math isn’t your thing doesn’t make you less of a person. I makes you a person that should probably not be a mathematician but can be soooooo much more. The same goes for smart children, if they are not challenged from a young age they are very likely to become frustrated and depressed. also, only the subject that are absolutely essential to survival in the adult world should be mandatory. I’m talking, would this person be able to do function in social situations, do their taxes, laundry, communicate verbally and in written word and would this person understand the world and not be scared of a solar eclipse or when women all of a sudden start bleeding out of their vagina. That would mean basic math: divisions, additions, subtractions and multiplications. The Native language: writing, reading, grammar (no mandatory reading because what does that add to anyones life let’s be real). Science: just the concepts of gravity, the planets and weather (no calculations). Biology: concepts of healthy bodily functions, we need people to understand what they should and should not report to a doctor for their own gender and any other one.( no complex molecule names or anything like that). And most importantly behavior/moral/life lessons. A lot of people are behaving unkind or unfair because they don’t know there are other ways, different emotional responses. Parents should 100% definitely try to do most of this themselves but parents are also just humans. Not all of them do a very good job at connecting and educating their kids emotionally. so on top of that they should be allowed to choose a school weeks worth of other subjects (they are not allowed to not go to school). Subjects have to be wider as well, more choice, more practical stuff as well. believe it or not, all kids want to learn. Usually the knowledge that is offered to them is just not valid for them (yet). every halve year or so they should be able to choose their subjects again, drop it if it wasn’t for them or continue if they loved it. This way adults will have had way more time so specialize into a bunch of things they’re good at or at least passionate about.

EQUALITY!!! easy concept, evidently difficult to realize. i’m thinking the whole education thing will help with the mental part for some people and the structured pay build up thing will make sure corporate life will chill . Also giving fathers paternity leave will even out the selection odds (”hiring women is expensive because they can get pregnant”).  Also had in mind that racism will stop because my educational system will exterminate ignorance and will teach everyone that each person is their own individual. We’re all different and we’re all the same and that’s good. Also everyone lives everywhere in my fun lill utopia so Nationalism will be way less in Individualism will be the norm.

that’s how far I got with this today.

I’m actually genuinely gonna put some research into all of this because i have some financial doubts but honestly rn the biggest reason this is unrealistic in today is because everyone would have to give up their selfishness and boy oh boy do we nowadays love that shit. me included, I ain’t perfect but I’m sorta okay with that