#so I think its safe to add I really like omar

[amailboxlemur]

Thank you for the tag @phneltwrites and @books-books-smolderinglooks 💜💜

No pressure tagging @elphiessolsikke @the-words-we-sung @sillyunicorn @grounded-parasocial @saynomorefic and anyone else who wants to. I lost track of who’s done this since I voted in so many yesterday!

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

with you [chapter four]

Summary: Clementine pops the question, Louis has nightmares, Violet can’t let go of the past, Mitch doesn’t know how to handle gross feelings, Ruby’s a goddamn sweetheart, Willy doesn’t ever remember to knock, Aasim can’t dance, and James is here, too.

Nothing like a wedding to bring this family together.

Note: tbh working on this story at night is the only thing holding my sanity together while I’m taking care of my grams. But also this chapter was a huge pain in the ass to fix and I’m 0.02 seconds away from punching a hole in the wall. But it’s fine because it’s finished and I ran all the way home just to quickly post this. 

Anyway, thank you for reading and your constant support. It truly means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy ch4. ❤️

Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3 | Ch4

Read on: AO3

---

The page remains blank.

No matter how much Violet wills the pen to move on its own, to put all thoughts both known and unconscious to paper, it remains beside the open notebook. As outrageous as it sounds, a small part of her hopes one day the pen will magically come to life and solve all of her problems with its problem-solving ink. Then everything will be okay. 

Though she has a feeling the walkers will go extinct before her pen develops a sentient personality or therapeutic skills. 

And she’ll be dead by then, so it wouldn’t matter anyway. 

“It helps if you pick up the pen,” Aasim said, not bothering to look up from his own work. “Just saying.”

She knows even by his deadpan tone that he’s trying to joke with her, even if he’s not good at it. Laying bait for her to bite back with a sarcastic remark of her own. 

“But then I’d actually have to write something down.”

“Oh no,” Aasim smirks, paying her a brief glance. “Effort.”

That cracks a small smile out of her, and for a fleeting moment, they’re smiling at each other as if that’s a normal thing. It’s hard to maintain that connection, so damn hard, so Violet hides her smile from him by turning away to look towards the gates.

The very same gates that Clementine, AJ, and Rosie pass through. Back from patrol, if she overheard correctly. Even from a distance, Violet can see the delighted grin Clementine wears, a grin only matched by AJ’s. Far brighter than Violet’s. 

AJ hugs her tightly before breaking away and bolting towards Louis, James, and Tenn. Clementine remains, though, arms folded over her chest as she watches the group of boys with such fondness that it damn near makes Violet want to scream.

Shit, just…. Shit . 

“Hey,” Aasim reaches over, tapping on the blank page of her journal with his own worn-out pen to grab her attention. “Lucy had her babies this morning. Seven of them. Well, eight, but one of them didn’t make it.”

Violet tears her glare away from Clementine to instead glare at Aasim. 

“Who the hell is Lucy?”

“One of the pregnant rabbits, remember? Not the one that had babies last week, the other one.”

“We’re still naming them?” Violet asks. Aasim made it very clear that no names were to be used when they started up the rabbit farm by the greenhouse. 

“They’re food, not pets. No names. No attachments.” 

That didn’t last long.

“ I didn’t name her,” Aasim corrects. “Willy did, even though I’ve told him again and again not to. Now when it comes time for us to put Lucy down, he’s not going to talk to me for another two weeks, as if I’m the only one at fault. Remember Albert?”

“Ah, Prince Albert,” Violet nods. “He sure was delicious.”

Everyone agreed that the lovely Prince Albert was one of the handsomest rabbits they had with his snow white fur offset by brown feet and ears. They also agreed that he made one of the best rabbit stews Omar’s ever created. 

Including Willy. That is until Omar offered him one of Prince Albert’s lucky feet and Willy realized just who he had consumed. 

The boy didn’t speak to Aasim or Omar for a week, but Violet believes that he still carries around one of Prince Albert’s feet for good luck, despite everything. 

“Yeah, anyway, did you want to come with me to check on them? Ruby’s out there now. Maybe you could stay with her and help out?”

Violet scoffs. 

“Look, I’ll take your night shift, too,” Aasim adds. “That way you don’t spend all day out there and then have to do a night shift.” 

“I like having the night shift.”

“Every night?”

“Sure.”

“Well,” Aasim taps his pen against the table, thinking loudly to himself. “I’m giving you the night off anyway. Ruby would appreciate your company.”

Oh, would she, now…?

It’s not that Violet minds Ruby. She’s the only girl Violet has left to talk to at this place- the only girl she’s willing to talk to, actually. 

Violet would say that she enjoys evenings spent with Ruby… most of the time. 

The problem with talking to or spending time with Ruby is she’s a lot. Not in the same way Louis is, but more in an overbearing mother sort of way. Always asking her how she’s feeling, asking about her day, if there’s anything she can do to help Violet out or if she wants to do this or that. She’s far too pushy sometimes, especially when it comes to shit she doesn’t understand. 

“Clem’s tryin’, Vi.”

As if Ruby has all the answers to make her happy. She always makes it sound so damn easy. 

“Why can’t ya just talk to each other?”

The problem is that Ruby tries to take care of everyone so that she doesn’t have to think about how to make herself happy. Why focus on your problems when you can bury your pains and wishes beneath fairy tales and other people’s problems?

At least, that’s Violet’s assumption. 

Maybe Ruby is happy. 

Maybe Violet just wishes she wasn’t. 

Fucking hell. 

Just when she thought she couldn’t be any more fucked...

“My company or yours?” Violet mumbles, finally picking up her pen, putting it to paper. 

“What? My company- oh, I see.” Aasim rolls his eyes, dropping his pen in the book before shutting it. “Ha ha, very funny. I get it.”

Violet nearly rolls her eyes, too. Speaking of those who don’t bother with their own shit-

“I was thinking that it’d be good for you to go out there and help her, that’s all,” Aasim says, tucking his notebook under his arm and standing from the table. He means to walk away on that annoying note but hesitates. Then, lowering his voice to one of disquiet, he says, “I’m worried about you. So is everyone else.”

“I’m fine, Aasim.”

“...Right,” he sighs heavily. “Please go help Ruby with the rabbits. I’m only going to be there for a little bit before heading out to check the traps with Louis, and she could really use the help. Please?”

“Fine.”

Aasim lingers, shifting his weight as he gives her a chance to say something more, a chance she refuses. 

“Thank you.”

With that, he’s walking away, leaving her by herself to finish a doodle of a pen with curly hair and fire for eyes with a speech bubble. 

“Why are ya still here?”

---

“Is my neck supposed to feel this stiff?”

“Yes. It’s a sign of a good, unmoving model.”

“Well, good to hear that my career is off to a good start.”

Louis is still sitting there at the table, cracking jokes and trying his best not to move while James and Tenn draw. James points to various parts of Louis’ face before motioning to Tenn’s paper, something that brings a grin to Clementine’s face. 

“Don’t worry, Clem,” says AJ as he hugs her. “I won’t say anything. Can I go draw now?”

“Have fun, kiddo.”

She can safely leave AJ to catch up on art lessons with James. He promised her he wouldn’t breathe a word of this to anyone- even Tenn- until she had everything all planned out.

Now that Mitch has the measurements, the ring is- hopefully- being taken care of, so all that leaves is how she plans on doing this. Several lingering thoughts follow her as she spends most of the day helping around the school, doing usual repairs to the gate and their walls. 

She would’ve checked on Lucy and the other rabbits, but Aasim warned her that Violet was there with Ruby and Louis. She almost pushed him aside and went in anyway, but damn it, she knows better by this point. 

Instead, she and AJ help Omar clean out the fire pit and gather fresh wood, briefly considering letting him in on her intentions. Omar’s a trustworthy friend and while she appreciates his opinion, she decides against telling anyone else until she has the ring. She’s found that battling her eagerness to be growing more difficult with every passing day. 

So much so that she also considers asking about the progress on said ring when she finds Mitch and James near the library’s entrance, speaking in hushed whispers that she couldn’t make out. All talk stopped when she approached them, and began again when Mitch became snappy with her before dragging James away. 

Odd, and not boding well for her, but she firmly believes that if there were any issues she should know about, Mitch would tell her.

When the sky finally turns a lovely mixture of pink and orange, AJ gives her a hug goodnight before making his way over to Tenn’s room for another sleepover. 

Before retiring to her dorm for the night, Clementine pokes her head into the music room to find it empty. A slight disappointment falls over her as she hoped Louis would be up for some piano lessons, but that dissipates when she finds Louis kneeling on AJ’s desk with a roll of duct tape hanging from his mouth when she walks in, a stack of drawings placed beside him. He’s taping up one of the portraits of himself on the wall.

“Ey!” He waves at her before spitting the tape out. “Look at these!” He hops off the desk and points at the one he just hung up. “That’s the one James drew. Charming, isn’t it?”

The amount of detail in the portrait is startling, a fully shaded-in head portrait of Louis that seemingly stares right at her. Even the little details, like his freckles and the scar on his chin, are noticeable.

“It’s way weirder than I thought it’d be,” he says, “having someone stare and dissect every part of your face. Did you know I have a very angular jawline?” He tilts his head up to prove his point. “And James said I have a nice eye shape.”

“He did do you justice,” she says, still admiring the picture. “Very handsome.”

His chuckle comes out loud and anxious, not having expected her to say that. 

“Hah, yeah, except,” then Louis pushes his jacket back to place his hands on his hips, “uhm, do you think my nose is big?”

“What?”

“James said I have a wider nose. He drew it bigger than it actually is, right?”  

“You have a very cute nose.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Clementine giggles. “Your nose is perfectly fine, Louis.”

He eyes the portrait, still uncertain, only to then gasp as if just remembering something. 

“Oh, wait though, ready for this?” He searches through the pile before plucking the one he wants out. “ This is the one Tenn drew.” He proudly holds it up.

She can’t say she’s not impressed. It’s nowhere near as proportional or advanced as James’, but Clementine can see the effort and charm within the lines. Definitely Tenn’s work.

“Wow,” Clementine smirks, nudging him. “I see it now. James is right, you do have a big nose.”

“ Hey ,” Louis reaches up and playfully pinches her nose, “big talk from little button nose over here.” Louis sticks Tenn’s portrait on the wall, next to James’. “There! We’re getting quite the art gallery.”

“One’s missing, though.” Clementine grabs Louis’ picture of Rosie off the desk and tapes it up with the others.

“Seriously?” he asks sheepishly.

“Oh yeah. We’re never taking that one down.”

“Terrific.”

Louis continues to look through the rest of the drawings. He hums to himself lightly, a tune she recognizes. He sticks more drawings on the wall; ones that AJ drew of him and Tenn, one he drew of Disco Broccoli.

He pauses when he comes across the one of AJ, Clementine, and him. The one with the beach ball. He smiles fondly at it before sticking it up there with the rest.

She sits on AJ’s bed, leaning against the frame to close her eyes and listen to his cheerful humming. 

One of the few things she loves in this world is the comfort she has when he’s around. 

It’s a comfort she never thought she’d find again. Before Ericson, she and AJ never had time for comfortable peace. When it was just them, there was always that lurking feeling, that bitterness, that lingered in her thoughts. 

Now, they have a place they call home. 

Clementine can’t imagine where they would’ve ended up had she not crashed the car. They’d still be out in the world, scavenging every little bit they could to survive. They never would’ve met the people she now considered family.

She and Louis would’ve never met, where she and AJ never met anyone at Ericson. 

That’s a really shitty thing to think about.

Finding this place, their home, was the best thing that happened to them. Meeting everyone here- Louis, Violet, Mitch, Ruby, Aasim, everyone - has done so much for them. For years, she worried about her and AJ, about always being on the road in a car that constantly ran on fumes, about running across assholes who wanted to hurt them, about the dead finally getting the best of them. Nowhere to go, no direction. A neverending search. 

 She sneaks a glance at Louis. He has no idea. 

He finishes up, shoving the duct tape in a drawer. Leaning against the desk with arms crossed over his chest, he looks at her with a tired grin, but says nothing. 

She raises a brow. 

“What?”

He shrugs.

It’s like the weariness of their previous night has caught up to him, like something triggered a sinking reality that weighs him down. The shadows along his face from the setting light do nothing to hide the sadness betraying his eyes.

She slowly approaches him and reaches out to grab his hand, tugging him closer to her.

“Hey,” she murmurs.

“Hey.”

“You feeling any better?”

“Of course.”

“Really?” Clementine locks their fingers together. “It’s been a long time since you’ve had one that bad.”

He keeps his stare focused on their hands. “...It wasn’t that bad.”

“Louis.”

“Clementine.”

“It was about that woman, wasn’t it?”

He says nothing, but she can see the answer clear in his eyes.

Yes, Clem, you know it was. It always is.

The first and only living person Louis ever personally killed, and it was purely accidental. It frustrates her that it still haunts him, and even more so that it’ll always haunt him. Even when he expressed the relief of “having it in him” to protect those he loves, there’s always a suffocating weight that comes with the first. If anyone knew that, it’s Clementine. 

That kind of guilt, no matter how irrational, never stops. 

“Dorian.”

“Hm?”

Louis closes his eyes and leans forward to press his forehead to hers.

“Her name was Dorian.”

“Lou-”

“I know.” He pulls back, forcing a smile. “I know.” 

His gaze falls on her nose. He pinches it again. 

“I don’t wanna talk about it right now. Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” she smiles sincerely. “Just… want to make sure you’re alright.”

“You don’t have to worry about me so much, Clem. There are more important ways to spend your time.”

More important? 

She supposes that’s a good way to put it. 

“Y’know, I was thinking about what you said this morning,” Clementine smiles. “AJ’s having another sleepover with Tenn tonight, so we have the whole room to ourselves.” 

Louis raises a brow, a slow smirk spreading across his lips. 

“Wanna build a pillow fort?”

“You read my mind.”

Without any hesitation, she kisses him. It’s a quick, soft, comforting peck that catches him off guard.

Another kiss to his lips, and then another. Clementine holds onto the nape of his neck and moves to his chin, his cheek, placing soft, intimate kisses against his warm skin. 

He looks at her with lidded eyes before his hands caress her cheeks, his thumb brushing just below her eye.

He kisses her, eager for every press of her mouth. He doesn’t stop kissing her, even when she tightens her grip on his jacket and pulls him back with her. The desk hits her hip and he’s quick to lift her up onto the surface, almost knocking over her venus fly trap plant.  

A pleased sigh escapes her lungs as she desperately moves to his jaw, down his neck. Her hands move beneath his jacket, trailing down to the hem of his shirt before bunching the material up. His skin is warm. His breathing is quick, shallow.  

“Clem! Clem!”

Louis yanks back, their lips parting quickly with a loud smack as she nearly topples over from the force of him ripping away. 

The bedroom door slams open and in barges Willy. 

She’s disoriented, lightheaded, blinking rapidly and frantically searching for any sign of danger. All she finds is Louis, who’s now over at AJ’s desk, humming incredibly loud, and Willy hurrying in with a triumphant smile.

“Clem, guess wha-!” The second he sees Louis, he stops and gasps. “Oh no!”

“Oh, look, darling!” Louis stops pretending to look at the pictures and glares at the young boy. “It’s Willy, the boy who doesn’t know how to knock! Nice of you to pop in unannounced this late in the evening !”

Willy’s face flushes a scarlet red as his gaze darts between the two, falling down to Louis’ shirt, which remains lifted to reveal part of his stomach. 

Louis yanks the material down, fake coughing.  

Willy’s face is reminiscent of a fresh tomato at this point. It seems that even he got the sense of what was happening before he ran in. 

Clementine slips down from the desk and tries to casually straighten out her own jacket and adjust her hat with an unfazed face, even though she’s positive that her skin is blotchy and red, too. 

“I’m sorry!” Willy blurts out, covering his eyes. “I didn’t see anything! I’ll knock next time! I swear!”

“Uh-huh,” Louis frowns. “Said that last time, didn’t you?”

Now she’s not sure who’s redder, her or Willy.

“Willy, what do you want?’ Clementine sighs. She composes herself and approaches the boy.

His eyes went to Louis before meeting hers. That’s all she needs.

“Is it Mitch?” 

Willy nods.

Clementine’s heart flutters. Choosing her words carefully, she asks, “Is he done?”

Willy nods once more. 

“Done with what?” Louis asks. 

“Uh-”

“Watch,” Clementine interrupts. “I completely forgot that I have watch.”

“Seriously?” Louis asks, confused. “Wait, I thought Ruby had watch tonight.”

“I switched her,” she lies, moving towards Willy and adding, “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Willy leaves without another word, staring down at the floor. Clementine holds back an annoyed sigh. The previous mood is completely gone and now she’s made a mess of lies that she’s gotta detangle before Louis gets suspicious. 

Damn it, Willy. 

Couldn’t have waited until morning. 

Louis gives a thoughtful frown. 

“I’m a little worried about him,” he says, “about Mitch, I mean.”

“Oh, uh, really?”

"Something weird’s going on with him,” Louis nods. “He’s been down in the basement every day for the past week and- ...Well, I went to check on him this morning before breakfast.”

Panic shoots through her stomach and into her heart.

Louis pauses, unsure if he should continue. 

“And?” Clementine presses.

 “...Well, when I tried going down the stairs, I think- well, it was probably nothing. I probably didn’t see what I thought I saw because I could’ve sworn I saw James down there, too-”

Clementine’s stomach drops.

“-and I don’t know what they were doing but before I could even get down the stairs, Mitch threw a shoe at me.”

“A shoe?”

Oh, goddamn it, Mitch-

“Yeah, right at my face! He about hit me in my big nose!”

Clementine rolls her eyes. “Again with the nose thing?”

“I’ve accepted its abnormally monstrous size,” he says. “Anyway, then I saw him again on my way to the greenhouse and he wouldn’t even look at me. Not that he’s one for conversation or anything, but it’s like… I don’t know. It felt weird. I don’t know what he’s doing down in the basement or what they’re doing if that really was James I saw. I’m not sure I want to know.”

“I’m sure it was nothing.”

“Probably… I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone shout ‘no!’ and ‘out!’ that many times in a ten-second time frame before hurling shoes at me. It was pretty terrifying.”

“Mitch is…” Clementine’s at a loss. While she’s thankful for Mitch’s ability to think on his feet so quickly, she wasn’t sure if she approved of the shoe method. “...Hard to understand sometimes, and he and James are friends so it’s not that weird that they’re hanging out together.”

Louis considers this, though she can tell he’s not completely convinced. 

“...Do you think they’re… I mean, it’s none of my business but if there was something going on between them-”

Oh boy.

Louis then shakes his head, changing his mind. 

“Y’know what? I’m sure it was nothing.”

She sighs. So much for not making Louis suspicious of anything. Then again, maybe this is her fault. She did tell James that Mitch was working on fixing the ring, and she should’ve known that would lead to him trying to help. 

“He’s working on a project,” she says lamely. “He probably wants a second opinion on it from James. ”

“A bomb project? I didn’t think James was a fan of explosions.”

“Firecrackers work as a great distraction for the walkers,” says Clementine, which isn’t a total lie. Mitch brought up the suggestion to James a while ago. They spent a long time discussing the idea if she remembers correctly. 

Well, better not let sweet Ruby know,” Louis says. “She’s still got a personal grudge towards Mitch’s bombs ever since that thing in the greenhouse, you know.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” she smirks. “ ‘A bomb? I will whip his ass!’ ”

Her Ruby impression gets a chuckle out of him. “Hope he knows a shoe won’t be enough to stop her. If anything, that’s just provoking the beast.”

“He’ll have to learn that for himself,” she smiles. Clementine approaches him again, fixing the collar of his jacket and apologizing, “Sorry I can't stay and help you build an amazing, comfortable pillow fort. Will you be okay?”

“Don’t worry about me, darling.” He grabs her hand and kisses her cheek. “We can always build a pillow fort another night, or, uhm, finish what we started. Maybe I’ll go tickle the ivories for a while before bed, so if I don’t see you before your finished or if I’m not awake, goodnight and stay warm.”

She gives him a long kiss goodbye before she leaves. 

One the door’s shut, she takes a moment to take a deep breath. 

Her face still feels warm after all the excitement. She’s still a little annoyed at the interruption, but if she’s right about what Willy was trying to imply, then she has to hurry. She can only hope that Mitch found a way to fix the ring.

The wait is starting to make her anxious.

[ericsonclan]

Ugly Sweater Surprise

Summary: James, Omar, Louis get together to work on a special Christmas surprise for their friends.

Word Count: 3103

Read on A03:

James took a deep breath, letting the aroma of gingerbread and sugar cookies fill his nose as Omar pitter pattered around the Ericson High dorm room kitchens. The brownie was gathering up all the cookies that they had already baked. The cyclops looked in awe at the amount Omar and he had created and the variety too. Blood, insect, seaweed, chicken, charcoal. All types of cookies that were suitable for monsters had been made for the special surprise the two of them and Louis had come up with for tomorrow. They needed to finish all these cookies before they went over to the frankenstein’s mansion later that night.

“How’s the frosting coming along?” Omar’s calming voice pulled James out of his thoughts and back to the frosting piping bag that was halfway filled with green frosting.

“I think I should be able to get the first batch done soon,” James smiled softly over at his friend who returned it in kind before moving to get his oven mitts. The cyclops returned to his task, his eye focusing entirely on making the best Christmas designs on the different sugary treats.

“So, have any fond Christmas traditions?” Omar glanced up from the oven as he moved a sheet of sugar cookies onto the stovetop.

“Hmmm,” James thought carefully about that, his nose scrunched up in concentration. “Nothing that special. We’d go to the forest and during wintertime the light bugs would come out and dance around the trees,” James had a nostalgic look in his eye. “It was magical.” He continued frosting the cookie.

“That sounds really beautiful,” The brownie smiled over at his friend.

“What about you?” The cyclop’s brown eye wandered over to Omar.

“The feast,” Omar set down the last batch of cookies to cool. “My family and I would make the greatest food. Our kitchens would be filled with all kinds of food: ham, chestnuts, potatoes, rolls. It’s a once a year feast that puts all others to shame.” Omar had a warm smile on his face as he moseyed over to join his roommate in finishing up decorating the cookies.

“Are you going to have it this year too?” James looked down at his friend who gave a short nod.

“Yep, I can’t wait. Although,” Omar began to decorate a sugar cookie in the shape of a candy cane, “I am going to miss everyone and having you as a roommate even if it’s only for a week or so.”

James got a little teary eyed at the thought. He wouldn’t be visiting his family during this time of year so it would be sad not to have his late night conversation and snack times with his friend.

“Well, it’s not for too long. Oh,” James’ eye fell when he saw he’d messed up on a cookie.

“It’s okay,” Omar pitter pattered over and got up on his stepping stool. “All you need to do is add some more red there and it fixes the mistake.”

The cyclops looked in awe at his friend’s skill and gave a gentle smile over his way.

“Thank you,”

“It’s no big deal,” Omar hopped down and continued his work. The brownie and cyclops continued to work until all the cookies were decorated and safely placed on the Christmas trays. They walked together, talking casually as they headed back to their dorm room. When they entered the room, James took the cookie trays and placed them in a safe spot while Omar bustled to get their Christmas sweaters. After a minute the brownie returned, moving past the bookshelf filled with cookbooks and nature and towards his roommate. James thanked his friend and placed his sweater on. It was a red and white sweater with the words “All Eye Want for Christmas is You” on the front.

“Do you need some help?” James asked as he saw Omar struggling with his sweater a bit.

“Yes, I would really appreciate it,” The brownie’s voice was muffled from the item of clothing. The cyclops delicately worked with his pal and shuffled the sweater back and forth until it fit snugly over his form. It was a simple design on the blue sweater with the words “Hug the Brownie” plastered sloppily on the front. Omar had told James that Louis had made it for him then the frankenstein got so excited about the idea of making ones for all the others. That was how this event tonight was happening. It was why the two friends were heading over to the Louis’ house to make a Christmas gift for everyone. Omar glanced down at his watch and gave a small tsking sound.

“It looks like we’re running a little late,”

“Oh no!” James’ already large eye grew even larger.

“It’s fine,” Omar waved a hand dismissively. “Knowing Louis he’ll be waiting anxiously, but I’ll send him a text to let him know,” Omar pulled out his phone and tapped a few buttons before placing the device back in his pocket. With that the pair set out towards the front of Ericson where to neither of their surprise a car waited with a driver sent by Louis. The duo walked forward and thanked the chauffeur, getting into the car and enjoying the ride there.

Both of them were thankful for the ride. Neither had a car and taking the bus to even get close to Louis’ house would most likely damper their Christmas mood with all the odd looks and whispered insults the humans would give when they say the sweatered monsters. Smooth Christmas jazz music was playing on the radio which the cyclops and the brownie enjoyed as the car slowly made its way along the snow-covered road and up to the mansion.

When the car pulled into the driveway they saw that Louis had already been waiting. The frankenstein’s usual friendly smile was plastered on his face as he slipped and skidded on the snow to get to them. “You made it!” Louis smiled brightly at the pair. “And you’re wearing the sweater I made,” He looked over at Omar who gave a small smile.

“Of course,”

“Oh, I like your sweater t...t..tchoo,” Louis’ head nearly slipped off due to the force of the sneeze as he complimented James’ sweater.

“Are you okay?” James looked concerned for his friend’s health.

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, let’s get inside. I made a ton of hot cocoa and treats to munch while we work.” The frankenstein led the way, clearly excited to have people over while his father was away for the next week or so. Louis opened the door and began to guide his two buddies through his maze of a house. The trio moved past the movie theater and pizza parlor, through the different guests rooms and finally made it to what Louis declared to be the decorating room. There on the floor were three sets of five pairs of sweaters. Glitter, glue guns, and all other types of arts and crafts were there to make the “bestest Christmas sweaters in all of Ericson High” as the frankenstein put it. The three monsters took their spots and took a few minutes to chat about this and that as Louis turned on the Christmas music that played through the speakers. Omar looked intrigued by the hot cocoa that Louis brewed which he said Clem had shown him how to make and was an “Everett secret”. The brownie made a note to ask the human about the recipe at tomorrow’s surprise party.

“So, should we get started?” James swayed nervously back and forth.

“Yes!” Louis snatched up the first sweater and grabbed the glitter. “I’m gonna make the best sweater for Clem!”

“Oh, then I guess I’ll start with one for Jesse,” James said with a shy smile.

“I’ll make one for Ruby then,” Omar smiled warmly at the thought of his best friend receiving this homemade gift. He knew how much Ruby loved and was touched by homemade gifts. The trio started their work on the sweaters. The frankenstein used all the red and green glitter he could while writing every so carefully the words “You’re My Christmas Wish” in white. Louis smiled proudly and shook off the excess sparkles then held it up for his friends to see.

“Ta-da!” The frankenstein beamed proudly at his creation for his girlfriend. “Get it, cause she’s my Christmas wish!” The frankenstein’s cheeks began to flush.

“Wow, that looks good,” James’ eye widened at the sweater then looked down nervously at his own.

“You want to show us?” Omar asked James in a gentle voice while Louis let out an excited gasp and started bouncing this way and that.

“Ooo! Ooo! I want to see Jesse’s sweater!” Louis poked his two pointer fingers together. James thought about it for a second then moved back to show his progress so far. The words “I’ll Put a Christmas Spell on  You” were present on the blue sweater while a small gorgon face was at the center of it. The colors and stripes of candy canes replaced the snakes that were usually on a gorgon’s head.

“That's really good,” Omar smiled warmly at his friend then returned to his work while Lous continued to praise James who wasn’t used to so many compliments and got slightly overwhelmed by them. After a minute Omar had finished his sweater while the other two had begun to work on their second sweaters; the frankenstein was working his hardest on one for his werewolf best friend while James had begun work on Tenn's ugly sweater.

“I think it turned out alright,” Omar held up Ruby’s sweater that he had made. It was a beautiful Christmas tree that had the words “O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree” delicately written in yellow over the tree that had small ornaments representing each of the monster pals.

“Whoa!” Louis leaned forward and almost spilled glitter onto Violet’s sweater. “Oh shit!” He caught the bottle of glitter. The cyclops looked over with concern before letting out a sigh of relief.

“I love it,” James complimented the brownie’s handiwork. “All the different ornaments like this little bat one and the matching bird ones. It's super detailed. I’m sure Ruby will love it.” That made Omar’s smile grow as he carefully placed it aside, excitement bubbling within his heart at the thought of his best friend receiving the gift. He moved on to Allison’s sweater. Louis hummed happily to “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” which James and Omar quickly joined in on. Each of them was enjoying their ugly sweater making party so far.

After a little while each of them revealed their second finished creations. Louis displayed his dramatically, holding up a deep blue sweater that looked like it held thousands of stars. White and yellow letters read “Starlight, Starbright”.

“Violet will definitely love that,” James’ response made Louis jump for joy, causing one of his hands to pop off. After Omar had retrieved the hand and helped his friend place it back on, he held up his creation. It was a pale blue sweater with delicate snowflakes dancing around the fabric with the words “Heart of Snow” with a small snow heart beside the text. James was next. The cyclops shyly held up his latest work: a green sweater saying “The Ghost of Christmas Present” with a red and green present below it.

“Tenn’s gonna flip when he sees that!” Louis’ dreadlocks swayed with how fast he lunged forward to get a closer look.

“I-Is that a bad thing?’ James looked at the sweater then at his two friends.

“No, it’s a good thing,” Omar said with a calm expression on his face. “Tenn is really going to like it.”

James beamed at those words and tucked away his second creation. With that the trio of monsters worked on their next designs. Louis got up for a few minutes, saying he would refill the snacks and drinks. After nearly fifteen minutes he returned and placed a plethora of goodies in front of his pals. The three snacked happily for a while as they brainstormed some more ideas.

“Alright,” Louis tossed the remainder of a Christmas cookie in his mouth and dusted off his hands. “Let’s get started on another great sweater!”

It was some time before any of them had finished up. Omar was the first this time, holding up Willy’s gift. “Christmas Under the Sea” read proudly over the top in seafoam green and blues as different seaweed and cute sea creatures filled the sweater. Next James showed his finished work for Sophie. He had wanted to make some special adjustments to the sleeves so the harpy’s feathers wouldn’t get pressed harshly against her arms. It was a vibrant red sweater that had two turtle doves that flew in the center of it.

“Who’s the second turtle dove?” Omar’s question made James’ eye blink in realization.

“Oh, I didn’t think of that. I guess it could be Minnie or Tenn.”

“No!” Louis shook his head; his dreadlocks bounced with the force of his movement. “I bet it’s Marlon. True love conquers all!”

“I don’t know,” Omar leaned back, his hand on his chin. “I think it could be Renata. Friendship is just as special as either of those two bonds.”

“True,” James nodded along then looked back at the sweater.

Louis pondered the conundrum gravely. “Well, I guess there’s only one way to settle this. We’ll make a bet on which we think she’ll say tomorrow when I ask her.” James and Omar shared a look before nodding in agreement. Then Louis held up his latest masterpiece. The words “Baby It’s Cold Outside” were dancing in fiery letters above a fireplace on the maroon sweater. The cyclops and the brownie didn’t even have to guess whose it was. It obviously was made for the fire elemental Aasim. The monsters looked around and saw that they were already halfway done. Their smiles remained ever present as they kept humming along to the carols and decorating.

James seemed focused on working on his last two sweaters simultaneously and so the frankenstein and brownie finished their fourth sweaters first. Louis held up his gift to Prisha: a white sweater with the words “I’d Take a Bite of That” were shown in blood red above a Christmas cookie that had a bite already taken out of it.  Omar showed off his latest sweater next. It was an ocean blue sweater with the text “I’m Dreaming of a Blue Christmas” in a light blue color. Seashells and little seals were placed at the center of the sweater.

“You’re both so talented,” James looked up from his work with a gentle smile.

“Heh,” Louis rubbed the spot under his nose. “I love making gifts for friends.”

“Me too,” Omar’s smile grew as he pitter pattered over to add Brody’s sweater to the rest of the finished clothing. The pair of friends glanced over at the cyclops who looked busy, still hard at work on his duo of sweater projects. So Louis and Omar began to work on their last ones. The frankenstein’s tongue stuck out slightly as he worked on Marlon’s sweater. He wanted it to turn out really cool for his best friend. Meanwhile Omar was working as diligently as ever on Mitch’s sweater.

After what felt like ages all three monsters finished their last sweaters. Omar displayed his sweater first. It was a white and red striped sweater where a reindeer rode on top of a comet.

“Oh!” Louis hit his fist on his open palm. “Comet like the reindeer!”

“That’s right,” Omar gave a short nod. “What about you, Louis? What did you make for Marlon?”

“I made this!” Louis smiled as he held the sweater in front of his face so his friends could get a closer look. It was a set of snowmen that had the words “My Mind Is On Christmas” below them. It sparkled and shone in the light due to all the glitter the frankenstein had put on it.

“Marlon is really gonna like that one,” James said as Louis and Omar moved over to place down their last sweaters in the sweater corner.

“Thanks! Now show us yours. You gotta have been working on Renata’s and MInnie’s,’ Louis sat crisscross applesauce and leaned forward in excitement. Omar also seemed intrigued by what the designs could be. James shifted the sweaters and placed them side by side. “The one on the left is for Renata and the one on the right is for Minnie,” the cyclops explained. The monsters leaned forward, taking in the sight of Renata’s sweater first. The word “Naughty” was placed in the center with little foxes standing above it and playing below it. A fox tail in the form of a question mark was beside the word. Then they looked over at Minnie’s that had the word “Nice” on it. It was tucked away in a little nest with small white eggs decorated in Christmas colors.

“Wow! These are great!” Louis hopped on his feet and did a little spin. “They all turned out awesome! Our secret ugly sweater making party was a success!” The frankenstein pulled proudly on the air by the sides of his shirt.

Omar gave a warm smile. “It was a lot of fun.”

Yeah, I-” James was cut off by a sharp yawn that made his eye water slightly.

“Oh, are you tired, James? If you two want you can totally stay over for a sleepover.” Louis looked anxious for their response to his question. The two roommates shared a look before a happy, excited smile took over both of their faces.

“Sounds like fun,”

The brownie’s words made Louis do a little jump as he sprinted out of the room. “I’ll get the guest room set up with sleeping bags and stuff! Oh! Let’s also watch a Christmas movie too! I wonder which….” Louis’ voice disappeared as he slid across the floors and headed towards preparing what was sure to be a fun all-nighter with how this evening was panning out. James and Omar rose from their spots to help out their friend. Pausing for a moment, the two looked at the completed sweaters with proud smiles.

“They’re gonna be super excited tomorrow,” James commented which made Omar’s smile grow.

“With these sweaters and cookies, I’m sure there won’t be a non-smiling face in sight,” The brownie and cyclops continued to talk as they ambled out of the room, excited for tomorrow and all the joy it would bring.

[choupichoups]

Press F (Instagram/College AU) Ch.14

Eliott may be all that; rich, handsome, instagram famous— but the basic plebe inside comes out to play when his crush follows him from out of nowhere.

Or: Press F but Eliott’s POV

Parting is such sweet sorrow has gained a whole new meaning as Eliott stands in front of Lucas, bouncing back and forth on his heels in a bid to stall some more before he truly has to go. 

“You really don’t want me to stay with you until Yann comes back?” He finally pushes out the question, brows furrowing in concern despite the reassuring smile Lucas gives him. 

“I’ll be fine, Eliott.” Lucas picks Champ up from the ground when she starts spinning around in place, looking about ready to lay down and have a nap right at their feet. “Go see your mom.”

"I mean... she’ll probably survive one day without eating my dad’s cooking.” he reasons, pouting when Lucas gives him an exasperated look. 

“Bring your mom her rightful lunch, just like you told your dad you would. I don’t want there to be any reason for them to hate me.” 

“That’s impossible, they already love you.”

Lucas pauses, bottom lip caught behind his teeth as he looks up at Eliott uncertainly. “Really?”

Eliott softens, sighing out a quiet, “Really.” His hands move on their own accord, brushing against the line of Lucas’ jaw. He can’t imagine how a single person in this universe could ever be capable of hating Lucas. 

“Really, really?” 

“Really, really.”

“Cool. You really, really have to go now, though.” Lucas laughs, nuzzling into Eliott’s hands like that would help his case. 

“Okay, but if you need me for anything at all, you’ve gotta promise to tell me.” The grip he has on Lucas tightens just a little, firm enough to have his boyfriend tipping his head back to see the resolve in Eliott’s eyes. “I mean it. Anything.” 

Lucas can honestly ask him to do his grocery shopping right here right now and Eliott would undoubtedly agree. Hell, if Lucas tells him that the windows rattling from the wind bothers him, he’d drop everything and run back to him. Eliott has no qualms about the lengths he’d go to protect Lucas, to keep him feeling safe. 

Champ yips, gazing happily up at Eliott as a comfortable silence embraces them otherwise, the sight of Lucas’ precious smile warming the crystallizing fear creeping up on him. The mere prospect of leaving his boyfriend alone for hours until Yann gets back is frankly a no go in Eliott’s books but he understands that Lucas might need some space, and Eliott has his own responsibilities to uphold. 

Fuck if it doesn’t scare him, though. The atrocious start to their weekend has really done a number on him. 

“I promise,” Lucas whispers eventually, leaning up to kiss the beginnings of a frown off of Eliott’s lips. 

Eliott watches him carefully, running a thumb over the shadowed smudge under Lucas’ eyes. He’d waited until Lucas fell asleep first before slipping into dream land himself, but Lucas had already been awake by the time Eliott next opens his eyes— and Eliott is an early riser. He forces himself not to dwell on it, he had been privy to an offhanded comment about Lucas’ complicated relationship with sleep before so maybe this morning is nothing out of the ordinary. 

“Alright, I’ll see you later.” Stooping down for another kiss, Eliott lets this one linger a little longer, breathing in once they pull away and brushing a final kiss to Lucas’ forehead. He peels his hands off of him, squishing Champ’s tiny head in between his palms to make up for how his mind is screaming for him to hold on. “You’ll take care of him for me, right tough girl?” She licks his hands in enthusiastic answer. 

Lucas snorts out a laugh. “You take care, don’t miss your stop or you’ll get back too late.”  

“Yes, sir.” Eliott playfully salutes as he walks backwards, stopping just out of reach before he gestures towards Lucas’ still closed door. “Well? I’m not leaving until you’re inside.”

He’s expecting the eye roll that comes— it’s sweet and fond, familiar. The exact kind Eliott craves to soothe his fraying edges. 

Lucas turns around once he’s inside, grinning at Eliott and blowing an exaggerated kiss in his direction. It’s so ridiculous that Eliott’s laugh is ripped right out of him, loud and startled, echoing in the empty hallways, nipping at the sound of Lucas’ door shutting with a heavy bang. 

All alone, he finds himself despondent, kicking imaginary dirt off the floor as he trudges on with a pathetic pout. There’s no proper way to explain this feeling— they’ve literally almost managed to hole themselves up in Eliott’s apartment the entire weekend. It’s not like Eliott can help it, though, he did just get Lucas back and his needy little melodramatic heart misses his boyfriend for every minute they aren’t together.

He drags himself out of Lucas’ apartment building with visible difficulty, feet shuffling against the rough gravel below his feet all the way through his journey to the bus stop. 

It’s going to take him quite a while to get to his mother’s office without a car. Usually, his father has no problem dropping by himself, but he’d answered a favour for an old coworker out in Lyon and will probably be stuck there until the next morning. 

In a not so shocking turn of events, his mother forgets to take her ready packed lunch to work without his father being present to remind her of it. And obviously that’s an abomination, she can’t go without a homemade lunch Eliott, she’d get so hungry and her brain won’t be as sharp as usual, her work ethic would suffer because of it. Eliott had cut off his papa’s rambling with a groan and a reluctant agreement to bring the goddamn sandwich to its rightful owner just so the guy would stop worrying already. Hopeless romantic runs thick in the blood of the Demauries apparently. 

adam.fk plans today??

idrisomd sleep

abebkhellal oof yeah 

emir.yous buncha boring old men

omarions says you?? didn’t you spend fall break last year learning how to play chess lmao

emir. yous we don’t talk about that

idrisomd shut up emir not everyone is a free bird like you I was editing some stuff and I realized I need that dumb triangle still lol eliott can I borrow yours pls

emir.yous maybe if you don’t procrastinate you’d have more free time I thought you were keeping that triangle??

idrisomd maybe if you shut up you’d get more dates I had to sacrifice it for the greater good

Eliott laughs under his breath, contemplating whether he should add his two cents into the conversation. In the end, he keeps to himself for now, reading through the childish banter that inevitably starts up.

The triangle, huh. He’s glad the bus is mostly empty at present, else the giggling he can’t quite suppress would’ve probably worried some people. Fucking unbelievable, really. It’s ridiculous how it all started, now that he thinks about it. It feels like a lifetime has gone by since then.

Eliott still remembers it, vividly. That moment he set his eyes on Lucas. It’s the week before their new semester officially starts— a Thursday to be specific. He and his friends are scrambling around frantically attempting to maximize their remaining days of freedom to get ahead on his and Idris’ new film project.

“Props.”

“Props?”

“Yeah, we’re missing some props.”

Eliott struggles with the cardboard boxes he’s dragging behind him— they’re saving all the money they can by building the set for filming themselves. The rest of the guys get pulled into the fray, as always, so it’s a bit of a disaster when they’re all going around picking up stray cardboard and styrofoam just in case they need it for later.

“What’s the thing you were talking about earlier?” Abe snaps his fingers, trying to recall everything they need before leaving campus.

Idris jumps. “The triangle!”

“What do we need a triangle for?” Adam asks, fumbling with the styrofoam cups he’s balancing in one hand.

“For that one scene in the forest.”

“There’s a scene in the forest?” Omar pipes up from behind their circle, returning from the storage room where he’d gone to dig out some black garbage bags they can borrow.

“Well, it’s Emir’s backyard but whatever.” Eliott mutters, scratching things off of their checklist. “Can’t we just fake the triangle sounds?”

“Too much effort for a little scene. Don’t you have one at yours?”

“Yeah, but my place is out of the way, it’ll take too much time going there and then to Emir’s.” He shrugs, tapping the pen against his chin. “We can take the one from the theatre.”

Emir gives him a look. “We are not stealing the orchestra’s triangle.”

“Nobody will miss it,” Abe dismisses, already walking off to load their things in his car.

“What if someone tells the director it’s missing?”

“Emir, who would notice a missing triangle?” Idris raises his hands as he talks, incredulous at the question. “When you watch your classic live shows, do you hear anyone go oh, yes, the triangle was on point today? No you don’t, cause nobody gives a fuck about the goddamn triangle, man. Eliott, can you please grab us the triangle so we can get outta here?”

“If we get in trouble, I get plausible deniability,” Emir mumbles defiantly. Eliott snorts, patting Emir on the shoulder on his way out.

The theatre is only a short jog away from the parking lot so Eliott slips through the doors in no time, rooting around backstage for the instrument. He finds the little thing buried underneath a broken flute and a... tambourine?

Single piano notes echo along the walls without warning, and Eliott jumps from his crouch, heart beating fast from shock. He doesn’t run, though, because whoever is out there is obviously not going to spot him if they’re preoccupied with playing the piano.

He’s just about to leave again, grab his stolen goods and sneak his way back out, when the aimless piano notes begin to blend together with effortless flow, a sudden transition tickling his ears so pleasantly that Eliott can’t bring his feet to move along more than two steps at a time. Transfixed, he walks closer to the curtain, curious as to who would play such a beautiful melody so delicately.

Eliott has always wished life would be as easy as the films he's grown up watching— with twists and turns that cause crushing moments, yes, but with the comfort of a happy ending to cushion against the pain through it all. He’s always dreamt of something cliche to happen to him once in his life. Maybe he could win the lottery and live the rest of his life as a billionaire. Maybe he could meet someone so inspiring he’d gain the courage to pack up and explore the world with nothing but a boat and backpack. Maybe he could fall in love at first sight

The boy on the piano is turned sideways but Eliott can clearly see him from where he’s hidden behind the curtain. The smile on his face is plain adorable and the way he’s swinging his feet under the piano (he’s not even using the piano pedals and it still sounds so good) goes straight to Eliott’s heart.

His feet carry him forward, as if entranced, so helplessly drawn into the boy’s gravity—

“Stop,” the boy says, laughing. Eliott stops, startled. “You’re gonna ruin it, Yann,” his angel continues, head swinging to the side where another person who Eliott has apparently not seen is sitting.

The other guy, Yann, laughs too, picking up a violin. “No I swear, I can do it. I took classes once, remember?”

“Yeah, like ten years ago and you quit after two days.”

The two boys giggle at each other and the angel stops playing, attention fully on Yann. There’s a profound affection in the way they interact together, which makes glum little stones fall heavy against the bottom of Eliott’s stomach. 

Jesus, he needs to calm down. He doesn’t even know the boy’s name yet.

His phone vibrates in his pocket and Eliott’s glad he’s forgotten to put the ringer back on. He doesn’t know how he’d explain it if the two boys catch him skulking around backstage.

Eliott runs out of the theatre soon after, remembering how pressed for time he and the guys already are. He tries to put the thought of the boy behind him, making vague hand gestures in lieu of explaining what delayed his return when the guys question him.

He fails miserably.

The bus lurches and Eliott almost drops his phone, fingers grappling for a firm hold on the screen as it slips and slides from the abrupt movement. He still has the group chat with the guys open so the scrabble has him accidentally scrolling up, up, up around a month back.

When he looks down at the screen, he's taken right back to that delightful moment Lucas had unknowingly caused back then.

The doors open and close, one person exiting but a whole crowd entering right after. Eliott presses himself more comfortably into his back seat corner and settles a hand over his mouth, covering the widening grin stretching his lips as he reads through his own moronic words.

Good god, looking back on it now is hilarious, but Eliott will never forget the all consuming panic he’d felt at the time.

Eliott exits out of the chat, frantically scrolling down his barrage of notifications to stare reverently at the one that matters most. 

lucallemant started following you

It’s almost two hours past midnight, with him having just finished up the sketch for the side project he’s working on by himself. He’s been looking forward to falling into bed ages ago but now he’s wide awake, brain swirling with jumbled thoughts and with no hope of falling asleep within the next second.

srodulv when should I? should I wait til later?

adam.fk maybe wait til its not 2 in the morning lmfao

srodulv what if I wait too long and he unfollows

abebkhellal god almighty 😂😂😂 sorry bro no one can help u now

srodulv help me

emir.yous why does it matter? just follow him now

idrisomd he’s probably sleeping so he won’t know you’re a nocturnal beast

srodulv he won’t think that’s lame?

omarions he’ll eventually figure out how lame you are so might as well run with it

srodulv fuck off

idrisomd yeah man you can’t hide lame

emir.yous sorry we can’t help with that

abebkhellal rip

srodulv has left the chat

A bunch of useless hooligans, those guys are. He needs better friends.

His phone pings with more notifications— Idris has added him back in the group chat but Eliott ignores the messages for now, knowing full well that there’d be nothing but more of them poking fun at his current dilemma.

He opens up Lucas’ profile, heart palpitating as his thumb hovers over the follow button. Looking at the boy’s feed brings him the same mix of apprehension and fondness, as always. The latter because he’s an idiot who apparently falls head over heels for snippy little piano players and the former because, well—

I’m sorry, bro. I saw something, I think they’re maybe together? I’m still not a hundred percent on it, though.

Eliott sighs, clicking on Lucas’ latest post, of that guy playing the guitar for him. He scoffs, he can play the guitar too. He can even do the Star Wars theme song. On the guitar and the piano. Lucas needs to see that he’s the better choice over here.  

He lets his screen go dark, closing his eyes as he urges himself to relax. It is quite an ungodly hour to be awake so he drops his phone on the bed, turns over, and hopes that morning comes with a newfound game plan to get the love of his life to love him back.

The good news is that morning does come, but the bad news is that all the plans he comes up with throughout the day are steaming piles of shit. 

“I think I’m in love,” he blurts out, sitting in the basement of Emir’s house. Idris is standing on the couch, trying to cover the ceiling spotlights with printer paper so as to ‘dull’ its luminosity. Adam and Omar are struggling to hold up some desk lamps while Abe holds coloured file folders over the bulb, changing the colour of the lights for the correct ‘ambiance’. Emir is elbow deep in crushed styrofoam pieces.

They all exchange looks of confusion before Abe goes for a hesitant, “Uh... just now?”

Eliott scowls, waving a hand as if they’re so stupid to be unable to read his mind. He gestures to his phone, still open to Lucas’ Instagram page. 

"Oh yeah! Any progress on that front?” Idris hops down, eyes glued to the ceiling as he backs up, slowly as if one wrong move could shake the house so much that his pieces of paper would dislodge themselves. 

“No.” Eliott pouts, flailing his legs in unashamed frustration. 

“Okay, well, have you followed back?” Adam asks, twining some rope around the lamp once they’ve figured out the best angle to go with. 

“No. Shit,” Eliott hisses, sitting upright and immediately hitting the follow button. He’s been so focused on figuring out how to start a conversation with his angel that he’s neglected to think of much else.

One of them sighs, but Eliott doesn’t bother to look up at the sound of it. 

“So what are you gonna do next?” Emir abandons his crumbly work of art, now sitting cross legged across from Eliott. 

“He’s vague posting.” Idris grins, scrolling through his phone. “Ooh, Polaris. When did you even sneak off to take this? That caption though. Much mystery, so cool.” 

“Shut up, it’s an old picture.” Eliott throws a couch cushion at him, then proceeds to slide onto the floor, diving flat on his stomach closer to the guys, as he comes up with the most brilliant idea. “What if I’m not?”

“Huh?” Abe goes to sit on the floor as well.

“What if I’m not cool or mysterious? Would that get him to talk to me?” Eliott’s thumbs are working on overdrive before the words are fully out of his mouth, scrolling down each and every one of Lucas’ photos and hitting like on as many of them as he can manage. 

He looks up just it time to see the dawning realization on Abe’s face. “No!” he screams in horror, reaching out to snatch the phone from Eliott’s hands. “No, you— oh man, you guys, he did a weird thing.” 

“It’s not weird,” Eliott dismisses, trying to retrieve his phone back but every attempt is slapped away by the annoying people he unfortunately calls friends. “It’s called reaching out.”

Idris is cackling, bent over in half as Abe shakes his head in wonder. “That’s kinda genius, though? How very Eliott of you,” Idris gasps out once he’s done wheezing up a lung. 

“He’s getting the Eliott experience way too early in the relationship.” Omar mumbles, curiously going through the rest of Lucas’ older posts. “Aw, cute.” 

Eliott scrambles towards them, wanting to see which post Omar’s referring to despite the fact that he’s seen every single photo twice over. 

His hand slowly creeps up above the phone and double taps on the post.

“Oh my god, someone restrain him.” Adam says, dragging a hand down his face. He sounds like he’s trying his hardest not to laugh which is more than what he can say for the rest of them so Eliott appreciates his effort. 

“Come on, Eli monkey, time to break off from Insta for a bit, hm?” Idris walks forward, still chuckling as he tries to pull Eliott off the ground and away from his stolen phone.

Eliott wraps his arms around Idris’ ankles, almost making the latter fall on his face in the process. “But he’s so beautiful.”

“Yes, yes.”

“His eyelashes are the 8th wonder of the world.”

There’s a collective groan from everyone in the room and then Eliott feels a placating hand patting the top of his bowed head. “Yes, we get it. But you gotta get up now, lover boy. We‘ve got shit to film.”

By the time his stop comes up, Eliott has to squeeze himself past a godawful amount of passengers. He gets it’s break week for a lot of the students but considering it’s a Monday afternoon, Eliott is of the opinion that there really shouldn’t be this many people out and about. 

His mother’s office is a towering structure of reflective glass and one way windows. Eliott pushes at the revolving doors, nods a smile towards the reception desk, and settles into one of the many armchairs in the lounge area. He shoots a message for his mama to come meet him downstairs and doesn’t wait for a response before switching tabs to pull up the film he’s been wanting to see all day. Initially, he’s planned on seeing it with Lucas, knowing that it’s just the right amount of lengthy and boring (for his boyfriend’s taste) to have Lucas cuddling for a nap on his shoulder instead.

But alas, his plans are impeded by none other than his loving parents. Again. He still hasn’t quite forgiven them for poking fun at him being grumpy at brunch after that first night he’d spent with Lucas. 

About ten minutes in, someone walks towards him and sits directly across from Eliott’s armchair, never mind that the entire lounge area is devoid of any other person than the two of them. 

Eliott doesn’t pay it much mind, unmuting his phone speakers just loud enough for him to hear the background music coming from the film— he wants to record the sound and see if that kind of music score would work well for the mini project he’s planning to put up in the future. 

The stranger lets out a faint chuckle but Eliott ignores him, watching the minutes rise on the recording to make sure that he doesn’t miss a single note. Never let it be said that Eliott doesn’t take his films seriously. 

“Fancy seeing you here.”

Violence is never at the forefront of Eliott’s mind. In fact, he thinks it doesn’t solve much, and should be considered as the last resort. But as life would have it, there are always a few exceptions to the rule and unfortunately for his good mood, the sole exception he’s found in his twenty one years of existence has decided that today is the day that Eliott will commit murder. 

Eliott’s eyes flick to where Raphael relaxes back in his seat, legs crossed and fingers delicately twined in his lap— to any outside viewer, he truly looks the perfect representation of an educated, well-bred gentleman. Eliott sees why people are drawn him.

“Fancy isn’t the right word,” he says, just as casual. He pauses the film, music cutting off just in time for him to hear another one of Raphael’s grating chuckles. “Why are you here?” The answer is obvious; pressed slacks and dark suit a dead give away. He remembers Lucas mentioning that Raphael works in a law firm but Eliott needs to hear it, to make sure that fate has really handed this opportunity over on a silver platter. 

Raphael spreads his arms. “I work here,” he answers, smug. “What about you? Someone trying to pin murder on you?”

Funny how he’s asking that, but Eliott doesn’t answer his question. “New York too much for you, huh.” 

Eliott watches the minute narrowing of Raphael’s eyes, taking pleasure in the fact that the guy hasn’t expected Lucas to divulge their story in such detail. 

“New York was great, actually, they offered me a spot there as well but eh, I need to think about it.” Raphael leans forward, elbows on knees as he brings one hand up to rub across his lips, faux thoughtful. “I left a little something behind here.” He looks at Eliott, then, and the latter sees the fabricated warmth in his eyes freeze over, ice cold in barely restrained anger. “I want it back.” 

Don’t mess this up, Eliott reminds himself, fists clenching and unclenching as he reigns in his temper. How he’d love to feel the crunch of Raphael’s nose under his fists right now, but it’s not that kind of battle. Eliott only has one shot to play his cards right. 

“Cut the bullshit,” he responds, surprisingly calm. “Lucas isn’t yours to take back.”

Raphael laughs. “Why, he’s yours now?” 

Yes. “Neither. I’d appreciate it if you stop talking like he’s something to pass around.”

“How chivalrous of you.”

“I’m surprised you know what that means.” Eliott wants to say more, but he grits them back. There are more important things for him to needle out. “What with all the shit you put him through.”

“I didn’t do anything.” Raphael falls back into the cushions once more, infuriatingly unaffected. 

“Do you want an essay or a list?” 

“So quick to believe everything you’re told, are you? Did he cry and look at you with those big blue eyes? He does that all the time to get what he wants.” There’s a strain at the corners of Raphael’s eyes, nonchalant facade slipping down the longer Eliott stares on without a word. “You know there’s no evidence for any of these, right?” 

The quick dismissal of Lucas’ personal recounting almost does it for Eliott. But if Raphael is a master of manipulation then Eliott is of restraint— he won’t let Raphael win. “Yeah? You gonna tell that to the marks on his wrists?” 

Raphael scoffs, “That was an accident. Friday was a big misunderstanding, trust me. It’s called tough love, he likes it.” He smiles, obviously waiting for a reaction from Eliott but the latter maintains an impassive exterior. 

“It’s called assault.” He barely refrains from tagging on a spiteful fuckface at the end of that.

“Whoa there, that’s some heavy accusation you’re dropping!” Raphael laughs, running a hand through his hair. “Do you know who I am?” 

“A sad excuse of a man who takes advantage of vulnerable minors?” 

Raphael clicks his tongue. “You think you’re so perfect, huh?” 

“Far from it.” Eliott shrugs. “But I don’t hurt the people I’m supposed to love.” 

“Well aren’t you just the sweetest.” Sarcasm drips from Raphael’s words. “You think if we both stand here, right in front of Lucas, and make him choose.” He leans forward, a desperate glint in his eyes. “You’re positive he’d choose you? Cause let me tell you, Eliott, that boy is wired for my touch, for my voice, for my own to do as I please, and he will choose me no matter how much I hurt him. He will always come back to me and you can’t do shit about it.” 

Victory feels good when taken by a landslide. Eliott grins, and he sees confusion, frustration, and wariness warp Raphael’s carefully constructed expression into that of something… human. Human, unlike the impenetrable monster Lucas has painted inside his head. Human, who, despite the cunning and intelligence, very much fucks up like everyone else. And oh, has Raphael fucked up big time. 

“My turn,” Eliott says cheerfully, just to mess with the bastard even more. “Do you know who I am?” Slowly, so as to make sure that Raphael catches the movement, Eliott stops the recording on his phone. 

Raphael shoots up from his seat, panic dousing his face red all over before seething rage takes prominence. He hisses out a quiet, “Get rid of that, right fucking now. You don’t want to mess with me.”

Eliott stands, huffing out a small laugh as he notices that they’re of equal height. None of Raphael’s tactics has worked, or will ever work on him. “Nah, it’s the other way around.” 

“Eliott?” 

Georgine Eloise Demaury, part time managing partner of the law firm, part time vicious criminal prosecutor, and full time doting mother, makes a tall, intimidating figure in her navy suit and sky high heels. Her eyes are steel blue as they land on Eliott and Raphael alternatively. The red on her lips is a sharp scowl, striking against the paleness of her skin. 

Eliott presses his lips together, amused at the sight of what he fondly refers to as her working bitch face. She’s forbidden Eliott from visiting her at work too often just because he’s the only one capable of cracking her diabolical attorney persona. He keeps quiet, shrugging innocently when she raises a questioning eyebrow at him.

“Hi, mama.” 

He hears Raphael’s sharp intake of breath and fuck, that feels good.

Her lips twitch the slightest bit. “You two know each other?” 

“Just having a friendly chat,” Eliott says, looking over at Raphael with a tight smile. He relishes the startled loss he sees there. 

“I’m waiting on a call from Mr. Schutt,” Raphael says, rearranging his face, posture straightening under Georgine’s gaze. 

“And you?” She addresses Eliott this time. 

“I brought lunch?” Eliott gestures at his bag on the chair. “Papa got worried you’d starve when you told him you forgot it.” 

She rolls her eyes at her husband’s dramatics. “You didn’t have to come here.”

“Yeah, well, tell that to papa. You’re gonna have to eat it now, I ditched my boyfriend for this.”

“Ah, how’s Lucas? Come up to my office, you didn’t finish telling me how he’s doing last night,” she says, rigid frown compensating for the soft tone in her voice. Across from Eliott, Raphael flinches at the mention of Lucas’ name. “I need to grab something from IT and then I’ll be right there.” 

“Will do.” Eliott smiles, throwing his backpack over one shoulder when his mother walks away. He waits until the click clacking of her heels fade off completely before he turns to face Raphael. “So anyway, I suggest you think very hard about that offer in New York.” 

“You’re insane,” Raphael mutters behind clenched jaws. 

Years ago, that might have stung. Coming from someone else, it might still hurt. But as it is, Eliott revels in it. “You have no idea,” he says, raising his hand for the most condescending pat on the back he’s ever delivered before heading off to the elevators. 

Eliott ends up taking a long nap on his mother’s office couch, tired from interacting with Raphael and his stupid mind games. Sure, he’d come out on top of that one but lengthy confrontations are most definitely not Eliott’s cup of tea. He thinks if Raphael still has the audacity to show his face after that, Eliott will let loose of inhibitions and just start a proper fist fight. 

Recording their conversation had been a gut reaction— he’s not even sure it would help much if push comes to shove. But his mother has quite the terrifying track record and judging from Raphael’s reaction, he knows that too. He almost wishes for Raphael to do something stupid, to trip up the wire on Eliott’s half baked, convoluted plan to take him down permanently. The idea of delving into it scares him a little. He knows shit all about the justice system and Raphael is literally part of the goddamn system. 

Lucas wants to leave it to karma, and maybe he’s right.

But then Eliott remembers the tears streaming nonstop down Lucas’ face, the blank disconnect in his eyes throughout that night. His worn voice begging for Eliott not to let go. The hours spent in bed coaxing for an unresponsive Lucas to sleep just a little, I’m right here. The events of that night have taken permanent residence in his mind, painfully unwanted, but there to stay. 

lucallemant Eliott, I know I said I’d give you all the time you need And I mean it, you can have more right after this  But please, can you pick me up at work? I need you please Please

Call him dramatic all you want, but Eliott’s world comes apart when he reads Lucas’ pleading messages. His vision narrows, the path a blurred vignette, and time slows as if he’s thrown into the fucking matrix. Except there’s nothing exciting or amusing with this development, and his limbs work through honey as he turns and grabs a jacket, shoves his feet into mismatched shoes, and makes a run for it.

It’s not the messages itself that cost him his breath— though those do have him worried out of his mind, unable to even begin guessing as to what would scare Lucas enough to send them. It’s the timestamps that have his heart rattling with unease. The faint chanting of too late too late too late a mournful echo in his head. 

He pays no mind to it when he begins panting, head pounding as the freezing wind bites at him with heavy force, unbothered that he hasn’t eaten much for the past however long. He’s not going to stop until he reaches his destination. 

However, when he gets there, the cafe is dark and empty. You’re too late, the voice is screaming now. Eliott tells it to shut up, paces the area for a bit, and then checks inside the darkened alleyways. It’s empty. He walks the opposite direction, headed towards the parking lot— and there, that’s when he hears the hushed voice speaking.

Eliott swivels around, rushes towards the sound, and doesn’t allow himself to hesitate on the idea that it’s not Lucas trapped in between the wall and that man’s body. 

“Get the fuck off of him.” When he’s close enough, he shoves them apart, fighting against the urge to take Lucas in his arms right away. He has to get rid of the man first. The visceral clutch of anger simmers inside of him, a heat of gargantuan proportions boiling his blood. Eliott imagines this is what one would feel like just before committing a heinous crime.

His interaction with the stranger barely sticks to Eliott’s mind, more focused on the way Lucas presses close to his back. His hands shake with barely constrained fury but he doesn’t move, afraid Lucas will fall if Eliott isn’t there to hold him up. “You can fuck right off or I swear to god.”

The man raises his hands, chuckles ringing malicious as he shakes his head. “You don’t know what you’re getting into.”

Eliott doesn’t care for his cryptic bullshit. “Don’t make me repeat myself.” 

His smile is visible in the dark and Eliott’s been around enough of those with questionable morals to pinpoint the lack of kindness in it. “Fine.” He tilts his head as if to catch a final glimpse of Lucas but Eliott tucks Lucas in tight behind him— this guy doesn’t deserve to even look at him. 

When the sound of a car engine fades out, Eliott turns around, engulfing Lucas as best as he can, hoping that his embrace would provide a temporary shelter from it all. He knows it’s impossible, knows he can’t do much on his end other than watch with powerless clarity as painful sobs wrack the small body in his arms. He repeats a litany of apologies into Lucas’ hair. “I have you, I have you.” 

Their walk home is silence in its strangest form. Eliott realizes there’s something wrong, he can feel it at the tips of his fingers but he puts it down to Lucas gathering his thoughts and lets him be. 

“Lucas,” he says as the apartment comes into view. “I know we haven’t… I don’t… listen, can I stay with you for the night? I’ll sleep on the couch, anything, I just want to be there.”

Silence. 

Eliott bites his cheek, fidgeting nervously when Lucas continues to not say anything. He chances a glance at the boy beside him and sees him looking straight ahead, expression blank as if nothing’s been said.

“Thanks,” is all Lucas says once they reach the steps to the building, failing to acknowledge Eliott’s request.  

“Lucas, wait!” 

Unheard, just like the last time. 

There’s something really, really wrong. 

Eliott picks at his head, staring up at what he knows to be the window to Lucas’ apartment. He tells himself he’ll only wait until the lights flicker on, but seconds turn to minutes and the window remains dark. Chest tightening, Eliott changes his mind. He’ll wait until someone goes in or exits the building, will plant himself outside of Lucas’ door— he doesn’t care if Lucas or Yann don’t want to see his face right now, all he wants is to make sure that Lucas stays safe for the rest of the night. 

Except the next person to exit the doors is Lucas himself, Champ cradled in his arms. 

“Why are you not inside?” Eliott is familiar with the feeling of helplessness but it always pertains to his own mind, his own body. He’s rarely ever so taken off guard that he doesn’t know how to make it better for someone else. And yet here he stands, frozen with panic, speechless in the face of the one he loves most. 

Yann isn’t home, Lucas is hard-pressed on buying extra locks for their door, and there’s no way Eliott is letting him back inside the apartment all alone. 

“Lucas,” Eliott reaches out, wants nothing more than to cradle Lucas’ face in between his hands, but he’s afraid of what touching him would do. “Come back to me.” It sounds unsteady even to his own ears and maybe Eliott’s having a little trouble breathing, but he’s more desperate for Lucas to meet his eyes than worry about his next inhale. 

Lucas doesn’t. Come back to Eliott, that is. 

The entire walk up to his apartment, and then the walk back to Eliott’s are both filled with a strained distance that has nothing to do with physical proximity. Eliott’s no longer surprised when Lucas doesn’t answer any of his questions but he keeps firing off either way, hoping against all odds that something would click. But it doesn’t work that way, he knows. He, of all people, should know better. 

He tries again once they’re inside the safety of Eliott’s home. “Lucas, are you with me?” Eliott asks and he’s not. He’s not. 

Running out of options, Eliott’s hand hovers over his mom’s contact info, his dad’s, Idris’, Lucille’s— he just wants someone to tell him what to do. 

In the end he doesn’t get to call anyone, as a loud thud comes from the bathroom where he’d left Lucas and Eliott trips over himself in his rush, crashing into the kitchen counter, banging his arms against the potted plant hanging in the living room. 

But the pain from those clumsy little accidents is nothing compared to the sight of Lucas crying on the floor, blue eyes running red from the force of his tears. “Lucas?”

“Eliott.” His voice is so quiet, so broken that it takes Eliott down to his knees, colliding harshly against the tiled floors as he brings Lucas into the circle of his arms. Tears gather in the corners of Eliott’s eyes but he knows for certain that they’re not from the sting of his fall. 

“Don’t let me go back,” Lucas pleads, breath caught between one word and the other. 

“You’re never going back,” Eliott swears on his life. 

Lucas quiets down after what feels like hours upon hours of tears and stuttering breaths. Eliott knows he isn’t asleep, though— his wet lashes brush softly against the skin of Eliott’s neck for every blink. Left without much option, Eliott detangles their legs and carefully lifts Lucas into his arms, a mustard seed of hope swelling in his chest when Lucas twitches at the movement. There’s a pause as Eliott waits for the boy to protest, grumble for Eliott to put him down, he can walk on his own. 

It doesn’t come, so Eliott goes to tuck him into bed, receives no protest when he quietly dresses Lucas in the clothes he’s brought out. Lucas’ eyes remain downcast the entire time, immovable no matter how many times Eliott brushes a hand through his hair, wipes at the tear tracks smeared on his cheeks. 

Lucas doesn’t sleep until well past two in the morning. Eliott doesn’t sleep at all.

“You okay, honey?” 

His mama looks like a whole different person in private, Eliott’s always marvelled at her ability to switch off just like that. Her eyes are all clear skies and motherly affection, no trace of the savage G.E Demaury to be found as her hands card gently through his hair. 

He wants to tell her so badly, but this is Lucas’ story to share. Involving his parents to ask for help with anything is a foreign concept to Lucas and would make this a bit more complicated, yes, so Eliott will just have to wear patience like it’s going out of style. 

“Yeah,” he croaks out, still groggy from his nap. 

“Do you wanna wait for me to finish up here and I can drive you back?”

“Uh…” Eliott rubs his eyes, forcing his brain to catch up with his mama’s words. He checks his phone before answering, blinking while his eyes adjust to the brightness of his screen.

lucallemant Do you wanna come over for tonight? I know we were just together but It’s fine if you’re gonna be back too late though

He thinks he’s actually physically melting just from reading those. “It’s okay, I have to get going now.” 

srodulv If I didn’t fall asleep I’d be begging you to come over anyway

lucallemant You were asleep at your mom’s work??

srodulv 😂 See you soon  ♥️♥️♥️ ♥️♥️♥️♥️ ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ ☹️ ♥️

lucallemant ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ ♥️♥️♥️♥️ ♥️♥️♥️ ♥️♥️ ♥️

srodulv 😊 ♥️

He stops to get some take out on the way, knowing Yann will be there and would most likely not be so chummy with Eliott after the whole thing from the past few weeks. He figures he can extend a truce through food— the way to a man’s heart and all. 

When he knocks on Lucas’ door, he hears a couple of thuds, some rapid, illegible whispering, and then the door finally opens only for Lucas to catapult himself into Eliott’s arms. The door slams shut behind him and Eliott might just be seeing things but he’s pretty sure that’s a glimpse of Yann’s unimpressed form standing on the other side of the door. 

“Hi,” Lucas breathes out, one arm slung around Eliott’s neck while the other is bent awkwardly behind him, holding onto the wriggling doorknob as if to keep a ravenous beast from escaping.

Uh oh.  

“Hi,” Eliott greets back. “On a scale of Champ to Jurassic Park, how scared should I be of Yann right now?” 

Lucas bites his lip and Eliott can’t help it— he kisses him before Lucas can respond. He means for it to be a chaste touch, but Lucas lets go of the knob (thankfully no longer rattling) and throws both arms around Eliott, pressing closer and opening his lips to deepen the kiss. Eliott lets himself indulge in it but is quickly brought back to reality when he tries to wrap both arms around Lucas only for the take out bag to hit Lucas’ ass with a dull thunk.

“Ow, what the fuck.” Lucas pulls away, spinning on the spot as he looks for the offender.

“Sorry,” Eliott laughs, lifting the bag. “I bought food. Peace offering.” 

“Oh my god, you’re so smart,” Lucas says, sounding genuinely pleased. “I apologize in advance though, he thinks he’s my dad sometimes.” 

“Damn right!” Yann shouts from behind the door. 

“Jesus.” Lucas mutters under his breath. “You ready?” 

Eliott nods, rehearsing the quick speech he’d made up in his head during the ride back to Lucas’ place. All that preparation’s for nothing, however, when all Yann does is look at him when the door finally opens. He looks at Eliott like he’d done weeks ago, when Eliott had taken Lucas home after the encounter with his father, unspoken understanding passing between the two of them as easy as that.

I technically have no right to be mad but I am, Yann’s usually kind eyes are hardened earth. There’ll be hell to pay if you pull that shit again, the look in them all but screams mistrust. 

Eliott nods, hoping Yann also understands his most sincere but wordless response— never again. 

The stare off probably only lasts a few seconds but to Eliott, it feels like an eternity before Yann’s eyes start to squint, one hand reaching for the take out bag that Eliott has stuck in the space between the two of them. Slowly, Yann takes a hold of it, snatches the bag from Eliott’s grip, and sniffs into it. He’s still squinting at Eliott as he walks backwards to take the food inside the kitchen.

“Okay, weird but blessedly silent. I’ll take it,” Lucas huffs, taking Eliott’s hand and dragging him past the living room and into the little hallway. Belatedly, Eliott realizes that they’re headed straight for the bedroom, Lucas marching them towards the door like a man on a mission. 

“Don’t you wanna eat?” Eliott asks, pulling back to slow Lucas down. “I bought that for you too.” 

“Later, I just,” Lucas pauses, his door already wide open once they reach it. “I have to ask you something.” 

Well that doesn’t sound foreboding at all. Eliott clears his throat. “Okay.” 

They arrange themselves on the foot of the bed, legs crossed and facing each other. When Lucas starts fidgeting, Eliott reaches over to intertwine their fingers together. 

“I know we joked about it before… or more like just yesterday actually… but uh,” Lucas starts, looking around the room to avoid meeting Eliott’s eyes head on. “So Marie’s home now and I’m taking Champ back to her on Thursday.”

“Okay,” Eliott says, smiling when Lucas discreetly looks at him from the corner of his eyes. 

“Okay, um.” Lucas takes a deep breath and spills the rest out on a long exhale. “My mom will be there too and I was wondering if you’d like to come?” He’s wincing by the time the question ends and Eliott, endeared, can only stare. “Maybe? You don’t have to. I understand if it’s too early or whatever—”

Eliott brings their tangled hands up to his lips and rains down kisses to the back of Lucas’ palms until he shuts up. 

“I’ll come,” he says, and then after a short silence continues with, “I’d love to.” 

Lucas’ relief is palpable. 

“Okay. That’s… that’s good.” 

“You’re cute when you’re all nervous like this,” Eliott teases, wanting to see Lucas’ smile. Sure, it’s only been a couple of minutes since he’s last seen it but Eliott’s one greedy motherfucker when comes to Lucas. 

“What?” The corner of Lucas’ lips tilts up, but it’s not quite the smile Eliott’s looking for.

“You’re all nice and cute when you’re nervous. No room for snarking or swearing at me.”

“Shut up.”

“Ah, it was good while it lasted.”

“Shut up!” Lucas laughs, kicking at Eliott’s knee.

“Oh you’re kicking me now too, my god, such violence from a tiny human.”

“You’re so dumb.” Lucas pushes at his shoulder and Eliott goes down easily, but not before winding an arm around Lucas so that his boyfriend falls on top of him in their descent. “Such an idiot.”

“Your idiot,” Eliott retorts as cheesily as can be, grinning when Lucas laughs again, eyes scrunched and mouth open. 

“God, do you ever shut up?” 

“Yeah, there’s one way to shut me up.” 

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, you’re really good at it.”

Lucas leans down and Eliott feels the smile on his lips. The kisses start off as innocent pecks, short and dry, until Lucas brushes their noses together and teases the tip of his tongue in between Eliott’s slightly parted lips. 

Eliott surges up then, locking their lips together as he moves, sitting upright with his arms still secured around Lucas. His boyfriend goes along with it, easily shuffling around so that he’s sat comfortably on Eliott’s lap, hands slightly cold against the back of Eliott’s neck, but the latter doesn’t mind— Lucas’ mouth is scorching enough to make up for it. 

His jacket gets tossed to the floor at some point and his hands wander inside Lucas’ hoodie, searching for the warmth of his skin under, encouraged by the way Lucas tightens his arms around Eliott’s shoulders when he runs a hand from the nape of Lucas’ neck down to the dip low on his back. The intensity reminds him of their first time— only slightly, because Eliott doesn’t think anything could come close to that night. But he recalls the warm weight of Lucas on his lap, against the wall, over him, under him. Recalls the way he’d jokingly asked Lucas how many fingers he’s holding up. How Lucas had very non jokingly slipped the two fingers in his mouth and licked around them until Eliott lost his mind.

The memory of it has heat rushing up and down Eliott’s body in frantic jolts, melting away his higher functions until he finally flips them over, gently laying Lucas down below him just like he’s always done. His fingers lightly dance along the line of Lucas' jeans and the latter lets him, Lucas’ hands exploring the wide expanse of Eliott’s back under his shirt. 

And that’s something new— not Lucas touching him no, but rather the confidence he exudes in bed. Eliott doesn’t think he’d ever forget the shakiness of Lucas’ breath, the furious drumming of his pulse, the flinches he’s tried so hard to cover up. Eliott’s noticed every single one of them, often pausing to suggest for them to stop only for Lucas to hold him by the sides of his face and mutter a determined, keep going.

Back then he couldn’t figure out if there’s a story behind it, or if Lucas is only nervous about being intimate with someone else. Now that he knows, can extrapolate the details from what Lucas has told him so far, Eliott’s heart is close to bursting with the realization of how much trust Lucas has placed in his hands that very first time. Of how much trust he continues to have in Eliott despite all that’s happened. 

I love you, his touch speaks, lingering and light over the smooth skin of Lucas’ waist.

I love you, his eyes repeat, insistent, hopeless, as they meet Lucas’ wide, adoring gaze.

I love you, his mouth whispers, soundless against the brush of Lucas’ lips, plush softness falling open under the gentle touch of Eliott’s tongue.

I love you, he wants to say, out loud, with all his anxious, fragile heart but what comes out instead is a nearly inaudible, “You’re so beautiful.” 

Maybe someday, he’ll be able to speak as it is. Someday, he’ll work up the courage to stop hiding behind soft touches and pretty words. But as Eliott opens his eyes on a slow blink, he looks down at Lucas and catches the most tender of smiles directed up at him. Maybe words aren’t needed right now. For Lucas, in this moment, maybe Eliott is enough. 

“No, you,” Lucas retorts childishly, arching up to press a giggle into Eliott’s amused smile. 

“This is a losing battle, baby.” Eliott nuzzles his cheeks, nose instinctively wrinkling when Lucas kisses the tip of it. The sweltering heat has cooled between them, replaced by a softer kind of warmth.

“Yeah, your losing battle,” Lucas says, trying to shift from under Eliott’s weight. “Baby,” he adds in a whisper, smile cheeky when Eliott’s head snaps up to look at him. He sputters, unfairly flustered at hearing Lucas use that pet name, any pet name in fact, for the first time—

“Are you being a brat?” Eliott tries to keep his voice stern, but he’s pretty sure his eyes give it away as Lucas dissolves into helpless giggles. “Are you being a brat?” he repeats a little louder, hands splayed widely over Lucas’ sides, curling up where his boyfriend is most ticklish.

“No!” But it’s too late, Eliott’s already found his weakest spots and proceeds with the attack, relentless despite Lucas’ half formed begging in between his laughter. “Eliott, no! Wait!” he squeaks, turning red when one of Eliott’s hands slide up to tickle at his neck. 

Eliott only stops when Lucas, breathless and teary-eyed, pouts pitifully up at him. Honestly, what human being with a heart could resist that? So he leans down and brings the jut of Lucas’ bottom lip in between his teeth, waiting until his boyfriend opens his mouth on a groan before diving in for a kiss. Lucas’ hands immediately tangle themselves into Eliott’s hair, legs pulling up to wrap around him as if Eliott has any batshit plans of leaving the bed any time soon. Eliott’s shirt is halfway off his back when Lucas’ door creaks open.

They barely let up, both expecting to see Yann coming to interrupt them for whatever reason but the entry way is empty. 

“What—” 

Soft, fast-paced panting is their answer and Eliott’s completely unprepared for when Lucas shoves him off the bed with all his might— Eliott hangs onto the sheets to keep from cracking his head open.

“Oh shit, sorry!” Lucas shouts, dragging Eliott back up to the center of the bed. “I just— Champ’s just a baby, she can’t see that!” 

Eliott doesn’t know whether to agree or laugh. He figures responding with a deadpan she’s just a dog won’t go over too well with Lucas so he keeps that thought to himself. With a sigh, Eliott smooths down his shirt and walks over to where Champ is still panting happily up at them. 

“Are you happy now?” He asks the dog, crouching closer to her level and tapping her tiny nose with a finger. He carries her in his arms on his way out to the living room, turning back to see Lucas attempting to fix his hair as if Yann doesn’t already know what they’ve been up to, alone in the room for at least half an hour. “Come on, baby, let’s keep Yann company before he decides to take back my rights.” 

[ask-ericson-kids]

My status predictions for episode 4 & achievement theories (Clem won't die theory)

Also let me just say I doubt anyone actually died during the explosion besides the raiders and maybe Minerva??

Violet: (determinant) If Louis was saved, Violet is shown to despise Clementine for betraying her and will side with Minnie. Going as far as to attack you in the cell to prevent you from escaping. I believe if AJ was told to shoot Lilly, and depending on what you say to him after shooting her in EP 4, he might kill Violet if she tries to fight Clem again, finding that she's a threat and it is justified to shoot her. This would indeed be shocking. On the other hand if you saved Violet, I think she's relatively safe but I may be wrong. Maybe she can determinantly save either AJ or Clem by an act of heroism and sacrificing herself in the process.

Louis: (determinant) If Louis was saved, I also think he will relatively be okay. If Louis was kidnapped, shockingly, his tongue is cut out and he is absolutely traumatized, needing the help of Aasim to escape the boat. There has been theorizing of Louis killing himself but it seems ridiculous and unlikely to me. He will be depressed but I doubt he would ever do such a thing. Especially if you romanced him but did not save him. All I can think of is that he might sacrifice himself to save Clem or AJ's life maybe?? I'm not sure what to think of Louis' status. Also there's a small chance he could die from his serious injury to the tougne (maybe blood loss or chocking? But I doubt this will happen)

Clementine: (determinant/alive mostly) Okay so Clementine's fate has been foreshadowed and hinted at ALL season which is unsettling. From being hinted at to drown, to get bitten, to be killed, going missing etc. Even Skybound posted pictures of Clem's hat and a clementine covered in blood. However, I think it's all misleading and trying to trick us to think Clem will get bitten like Lee. I think this is very unlikely and kindaaa lazy. This is Clem and AJ's story, not Clementine and Lee's all over again. I do believe Clementine will be okay! However I do think there is one ending where she might die. I don't know what way exactly but I'm going to assume maybe a major injury? But I genuinely doubt this. I'm optimistic about her making it alive.

AJ: (determinant/mostly alive) Here's a twist, instead of Clementine getting bitten, it's AJ. AJ is always telling Clem his status (ex. "no bites!") Except this time, AJ is bitten, probably by a walker from the herd just outside the ship. And the player must decide what to do in the situation. I still have doubts about anyone getting bit this season though... There's been mentions of the kids being very careful and skilled at survival. To live all these years to them getting bit randomly by a walker is kind of a lame way to go. However, it can still be a possibility. NO ONE so far has died from a bite on screen (Abel being closest) so it will probably happen to at least someone. Another outcome, while extreme, Clementine might have to put down AJ of some sort or resort to leaving with him and departing from the school because it is too dangerous to have him around. In general though, I think AJ will be okay depending on how you raised him.

Tenn: (No fucking idea; but probably alive) Oof I don't know about this one. There has been foreshadowing of Tenn dying many times. He also seems to have some kind of interest in walkers. Will Tenn get bitten? Get shot? He was extremely close to getting shot in episode 3, showing the writers aren't scared of killing off a child. But in the end I really don't know. Will Minerva try and hurt him? Will he have to put Minerva down maybe? I just hope this sweet little boy is okay by the end of this. AJ wants him to learn how to be safe (ep 3) and he would certainly be devasted if something were to happen to him because he is his *second best real friend.

Lilly: (determinant/unknown) If Lilly is spared, I believe she will continue to try and hurt the kids again, potentially killing a major character perhaps? And I think there MIGHT be a chance at a redemption arc. But think about it, what will happen to Lilly when it's over? She's certainly not coming to the school to live with us and the boat is fucked so where the fuck is she gonna go? Thankfully it's been confirmed that once characters are saved from determinant death, they will not die like 20 minutes later (COUGH nick COUGH sarah COUGH) However, I think we will have the choice to kill Lilly ourselves this time IF the player choses to. If not, I guess she could esvape and find a way back to Delta? I don't know.

James: (Alive/Unknown) If Lilly is killed, James is visibly upset that Clementine told AJ to shoot her. I think depending on how you treated James during the barn scene, he will still think you're a good person and help you get the kids out and safe, and will stay at the school with the remaining kids. BUT, if you lied about thinking there's more to walkers, I have a feeling this could backfire somehow and AJ could potentially reveal this to James, deeply upsetting him and feeling used. If you didn't respect him beforehand, James dislikes you, is untrusting of you and he will decide to leave the group at the end and live on his own, back into the forest. Leaving him at an unknown status.

Minerva: (Dead) I think Minerva is unfortunately long gone. She's brainwashed and unable to side with the kids anymore. This leads to her trying to stop them yet again and someone decides to attack her fatally (Maybe AJ, Tenn, Violet (determinant) or Clementine herself), or maybe she drowns and dies during the explosion but I feel like that would leave her story unresolved. There's maybe a small chance she can have a change of heart however and go back to the school but I doubt it.

Other kids [Omar, Aasim, Ruby, Willy, Rosie]: (Alive) Someones gotta survive this season and i think these kids are going to be fine. They're minor/supporting characters and while I love all these kids, their deaths would probably not be that impactful as the mains. And besides, with the amount of characters hinted at to die, this seems like wayy too many dead characters if they were gonna die too. Someone's gotta head back to the school at the end.

------------------------- And now achievement theories!! (potential spoilers)

Let me just say many of the previous achievements are misleading and may sound worse then they actually are so don't freak out too much!

Red Water: I theorize this achievement is hinting at the aftermath of the explosion. Having the water be filled with the corpses of the raiders and walkers. Again, I highly doubt anyone else other than the minor raiders will die.

Final Lesson: Perhaps Clementine teaches AJ an important lesson which will become important for act 3? Maybe she will discuss with AJ the choice she made to either kill or spare Lilly and help him understand certain things.

Savior: "You're our savior Clem!" Clementine is the savior of the kids, getting them all (hopefully) back home and safe where they live in peace finally. Although this could hint at something darker.. Perhaps Clementine is their savior, but will she have to die for them or sacrifice someone else to save them? (Haha this achievement just makes me think of Jesus Christ for some reason)

Survivor/Home at Last: So these achievements are a reason that greatly reinforces the theory that Clementine will not die and in fact make it home at last after the horrors of the Delta. However, I could be wrong but I genuinely think Clem is going to be okay.

OKAY THESE ONES... I hope people keep in mind achievements usually do not contain any major spoilers! They're mostly interactions with the world around so I think people should be more optimistic.

Goodbye: So many think this signifies Clementines death but I saw hell no! I actually think this hints at Minerva's fate! Perhaps Clementine, AJ, Tenn, Violet/Louis will attempt to convert Minerva to return to the school and stop her from being involved with the Delta. Or maybe she gets bit on the neck and nothing can be done so Minerva is left behind but first they say their goodbyes. Specifically Tenn Violet and Louis. The goodbye could be directed at anyone or anything really. It's probably tricking us into thinking something terrible is going to happen when it's actually something minor.

Came full circle: I feel like this might be an important bonding moment between Clementine and AJ. It could also signify a good ending? But like I said, I say it's mostly just an interaction I think.

Promise: I believe this signifies promising your love interest or best friend (Louis or Violet) that you will never leave them and stay at the school with them by their side with AJ. Or, this could be directed at AJ as well but I think he already knows Clementine would never leave him.

Lost and Found: Okay so this one is a bit unsettling I'll admit. We see Clem's lost hat on the screen preview of episode 4 near some water and we see Clem's hat in this very achievement but I think we're reading too much into it. This may simply be an occasion where Clem loses her hat and finds it later on (it's just worded weirdly to scare us). Or maybe AJ finds it or you happen to play as AJ? (I doubt it though.) OR this may occur during a flashback! Such as an instance where we meet Lee again and he finds our hat like how he did in episode 2 of s1. Whatever this achievement means, I doubt its anything major.

So that's all. I've been pretty optimistic about these theories because I just prefer thinking on the positive of things concerning the season finale. Either way I think it will be great and I'm excited! If you'd like to add on with your own theories go ahead!

[well-bien]

Movie Reviews

Dangal:

I think few movies are as good as the ones based on true stories. Movies rooted from real life stories and events make it easy to engage in the story line and that's exactly what this was. Having missed his opportunity at an Olympic medal himself, but then training his daughters to become championship fighters is surreal and he wasn't living through them but rather used his experience for something that ended up being more important than his own medal. – Justin

Happy:

Interesting to see what makes some people truly happy. Inspiring and makes us reflect on our own life. – Jasmine

Probably my favourite movie of the week. It's no "Happy Gilmour" but I enjoyed it. Meaning of happiness is clearly subjective and travelling the world with the producer/film maker is an excellent demonstration of that. I think even beyond the initial question, there was so much to learn and see in that movie that you tend to forget while living in a first world country and defining our happiness on completely different levels and metrics based on what surrounds us - Justin   

 Sprinter:

 Sprinter - Excellent movie with a great and heart-warming story line. What I enjoyed, was the reality of the situation and story line, and using the world's fastest sprinter as an actor, added a sense of authenticity which made it easy to get into and watch. – Justin

 Taylor Tomlinson:

 Well done! Great to see a comedienne not rely too much on crude sex jokes and swearing. Can't wait to hear more from her – Kim

 Dr. Jason Leong

 Malaysian physician doing comedy. It's good for a few chuckles, but the cultural differences make it harder to relate. (Ex.: episiotomies are not the standard in North America…ouch) – Kim

 Ali Wong

 Hilarious! …though Not Safe For Work - Kim

  Breathe:

 I give it 4 stars. Great love story where the actor is so skilled, he makes us gasp for our own air. Amazing story of adventure and desire to stay alive to help others.  - Jasmine

 At times it can be really sad, but it's inspiring what he was able to fulfill in his lifetime. – Britney

 Based on the cover, was not excited about this movie as it didn’t seem like something I'd watch had it not been on the scavenger hunt. In saying so, I found myself sad, happy, emotional and rooting for two random people like I knew them. Won't say I cried but it was a close one. The fact it was a true story made it that much better. – Justin

 Inspiring to see how inventions came to life. Beautiful and touching story. – Joanne

 Journey to Greenland:

 Somewhat funny but very touching movie. - Britney

 Beautiful scenery but I spent most of the movie hoping the 2 guys would comb their hair!! Story was a bit slow but gives you a glimpse of life up north. – Joanne

 Bad Seeds:

 Slow going at first and seemed predictable and slightly boring. The plot twist was exciting, entertaining and became worth the wait. It was a different take and not your predictable story line. All in all, enjoyable 7/10. - Justin

 The movie starts out pretty rough, I even thought I had not chosen the right Icon. But it all comes together later. Moving story told with a bit of humor. – Joanne

 I really enjoyed the characters, I like that the movie manages to be funny while keeping its serious tone. – Ali

 3 starts ! Starts a bit rough but gets better. There are no bad seeds after all ?! – Jasmine

 The Climb:

 I give it 3.5 stars. Tale of a French underdog who decides to climb Everest to impress a woman. Superficial, light and funny. – Jasmine

 Always nice to see different sceneries. Entertaining to see how the main character evolves. So true that most people are unprepared when taking on a walking adventure. – Joanne

 Hasan Minhaj:

 Hasan Minhaj:  Touches on diverse subjects and has great visual effects during his show. – Britney

 I've known about Hasan for a while now. He's worked on "The Daily Show" for quite some time. Once I began watching him, I enjoyed it so much it spiralled into hours of his content and other comedians content and I wasted an entire evening laughing alone. – Justin

 Hasan Minhaj is one of my favourite comedians, he talks about hard hitting complex issues in an engaging and hilarious way - Ali

Homecoming: I didn't know this comedian but boy does he remind me of Phil!! He tells an interesting story of his life, at times it is funny but mostly touching. But a good way to spend 1 hour. – Joanne

 Fary Hexagone:

 Very good show, this comedian is about to discuss relevant issues but keeps it light and funny! - Dominique

 I thought he would be funnier. Sometimes a little hard to follow with the accent. – Joanne

 Euro Vision Song Contest

 This movie was so many things! I was not expecting what I got. It had amazing bits that were laugh out loud funny... my abs got a workout. Other bits fell flat. Overall though, a really fun, musical spoof with heaps of feel-good moments and gorgeous Icelandic scenery that has made me add Iceland to my bucket list! If you’re looking for a laugh, I’ll recommend this comedy staring Will Ferrell & Rachel McAdams. - Karolyn

                                                                                                                                 The Prom 

This movie is packed with a bunch of big celebrities: Meryl Street, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, etc…  It explores important themes about bullying, equality, being gay, etc… but was poorly executed.  The tack-factor was too high for me and I didn't even make it halfway through the movie.  I don't recommend it.  - Karolyn             

Watched this movie and was left a bit disappointed. It is billed as a comedy but aside from people singing and making funny faces, it does not live up to it. – Ali

                                                                                                                                The Boys in the Band

This movie had an all-star line up including Jim Parsons.  It was great to see him doing something so different than his Sheldon Cooper character on the Big Bang Theory.  This is the story of a gay man's birthday party that's crashed when Parsons' straight college buddy shows up.  For me, this movie was mean, and sadistic and I wasn't a big fan.  The acting was good, but this wasn't a storyline that gave me the warm and fuzzies, which is probably what I was in the mood for this weekend. - Karolyn                                                                                                                                                                                             

Chris Rock

Chris Rock shines as a comedian in this extended cut of his classic special `Tambourine`. It is really worth the watch with some great jokes & social commentary.  - Ali                                                                                                        

Great stand up performance by Chris Rock. Chris Rock is back and he covers a number of themes from Trump to police violence. Hilarious ! – Jasmine

 Lupin                                     

Definitely a must see. Great acting performance by Omar Sy. Intriguing, addictive and full of suspense. - Jasmine

J'ai écouté toute la série.  Trop bon!!!!!  J'ai hâte à la saison 2 - Nathalie                                                                                 

[serenagaywaterford]

Who's the new commander/wife in s3? And yes, please give me s3 spoilers! Also, do you have any thoughts about mayday? How I wish we got to see more of it

OKAY ERRYBODY IN THE CLUB GET TIPSY. SPOILERS AHEAD.

EDIT: added in the Mayday stuff cos I forgot the first time around.

Like the actors? Christopher Meloni and Elizabeth Reaser, and they’re playing the Winslows who host the Waterfords in DC. (Which I’m not sure if you’ve seen all the hubbub about the DC trip but there are loads of pics of them shooting one of those scenes. You’ve probably seen them. Like with the Handmaids’ mouths stapled shut? Fred looking all Evil Supreme Leader-y with Serena and June alongside him.). Meloni is “powerful and magnetic” and Reaser is supposedly a “friend and inspiration” to Serena. Whatever the fuck all that means. It could be good, it could be bad. (Personally, I can’t stand either of those actors but meh. Maybe they’ll be okay.) And DC, not Boston, is Gilead central… and so Fred’s not really as important as he thinks. 

Off-topic: To be honest, I find this odd. We see frequently that all the dudes responsible for the rise/creation of Gilead are in Boston and it was formed IN Boston (Putnam, Pryce, Waterford, Cushing?, Lawrence, (Nick), etc.) so how there is a ANOTHER HIGHER level group of SOJ in DC is a little stupid, imo. It doesn’t make sense how that core group (the literal architects of the entire system) are off in Boston while the other guys (who we’ve literally never seen nor heard of before, even in flashbacks–bad storytelling, show) are top dogs in DC. Seems like yet another plot contrivance. Now, fair enough, that I think it’s sort of funny that Fred is still in Boston rather than with the big brass in DC cos he THINKS he’s so much smarter/better/etc than all these other guys but the fact he’s not there just shows that as much as he was one of the Gilead OGs, he’s too incompetent to be trusted at the highest level of government. HA HA FRED. Ya moron. I get that there’s never a guarantee that the evil people that come up with a totalitarian society are in charge of said society when it comes to fruition, but it’s a general trend throughout history. The fact all these guys would give up top billing of the SOJ to some punks from DC seems… a bit off. But then, hey, maybe said punks were the other part of the SOJ that Fred was talking about to Serena when he suggested bombing congress.

As for a few more, June flips out at one point, turning on other Handmaids (Brianna is holding her back.) It’s against a Handmaid who is a “true believer” in Gilead. I’m going to take an educated guess (based on where they’re filming) this is the lead up to the mass hanging. I guess I should mention: the Handmaids are gonna have to hang a bunch of people. Like a salvaging, but with hanging instead of stoning or beating.

June gets dressed up like a Martha.

June apparently works with Lawrence. It’s assumed she’ll be his Handmaid although the production, especially the DC scene, seem to imply she’s back with the Waterfords.

Serena’s mother shows up.

Luke & Moira are fighting against Gileadean ideology in Canada. Cos obviously it would come up here too. I always thought it was too happy-happy that Canada wasn’t experiencing ANY fallout from a worldwide birthrate crisis. Like, we may be more liberal than the US, but what happens there, spreads here fairly quickly. Like we have some Trumpian/Tea Party-esque politicians and racist/homophobic/xenophobic/misogynistic activist groups too, with a lot of power. And a lot of ignorant regular people to boot. The fact Canada was portrayed as like this utopia free from Gilead’s evilness just seemed unrealistic to me. While I do believe it would take a bit longer to take root here, the building blocks are already here and ripe for the pickin’. 

(I also have a huge issue with how unrealistically and healthy they portrayed the economy in Canada without their main US trading partner. We’d collapse if the US economy collapsed, at least for a time until we figured a way around it. Oil alone would go crazy. It wouldn’t be all life as normal. What Serena saw in 2x09 was literally what I see everyday here and I find it super hard to swallow that our lives would just go on as if nothing happened if the USA fell into massive civil war and was overthrown by a theocratic “republic”. 

And I also have a HUGE issue with how rosy they portrayed refugee and asylum seeking here. It’s just as bad as elsewhere, with all the same struggles that European countries (for example) are facing right now. Like if Gilead was an actual thing, Canada would be having a fucking mASSIVE humanitarian crisis along the border. We had a taste of it when Trump was elected and loads of people fled across the border. We could barely handle THAT, let alone hundreds of thousands of Americans swarming in to safety.) So, yeah, that’s a really long way of saying THANK FUCK the show is going to start to deal with some of the reality of the situation north of the border. They already showed Mexico breaking down and there’s no reason Canada wouldn’t too if the birthrate crisis is indeed as catastrophic as it’s presented by Serena/Fred/Gilead.

Emily makes it to Canada with Nichole. It’s all happy families. At least from the set photos the whole gang is there: Luke, Moira, Emily, Sylvia, Nichole. Not sure about Oliver or Erin. Now, the photo was likely taken when they weren’t filming which is why they’re all so fucking smiley and happy laughing together. That’s probably just the actors. But it could be shooting. I didn’t actually save the photos and I’m not sure where they are now. I think reddit?

Aunt Lydia is alive and will get some backstory and her character is gonna change. Somehow, somewhat, unclear how much. All cos of what Emily did to her.

Lots of stuff about Nichole, the whole Gilead vs. Canada thing, etc etc. 

____

I totally forgot to add about Mayday!

Personally… and first off: I much prefer the name “Mayday” to that weirdass co-opted “female railroad” or whatever shit they called it in the show when Moira was getting out. That was just in poor taste and completely uncreative. You don’t have to call it a railroad at all, tbh. It could be an extension of Mayday, or it could be called something entirely different. Sometimes the THT writers really drop the ball.

As for Mayday… I am not even convinced it exists as such? When I was reading the book, I liked the theory that Emily was sort of … not crazy, but misinformed or exaggerating. The only we really hear about Mayday in the book is through her and there’s no real evidence it exists as a cohesive organization. 

In the show, it’s like we’ve been fed this Mayday idea… but again, not seen anything particularly solid in terms of evidence it exists as a large organized resistance effort. 

We see Emily talk about it but she never seems to get anything from it and everything she does is through her own agency. Mayday never helps her.

We see June ask Alma about it. But Alma doesn’t really say much.

We see Nick, kind of doing his own thing and organizing shit for June, specifically. (We never see him do anything for any other woman except the one he’s banging. Snerk.) 

We see Lillie somehow get a complex explosive and blow shit up. Obviously that came from somewhere and it’s not the sort of thing a Handmaid can just make herself. There has to be a “terrorist cell” (as Gilead would consider it) within Gilead that siphons off weapons to a small rebel faction and passed it to her.

We know there’s a war still going on because Fred talks about the front so there are obviously large pockets that are actively and violently resisting Gilead within the continental US. IIRC the map they showed, the fighting tends to be along international borders and in the west and Florida? I can’t really remember the map exactly. There’s no real evidence that these people at war are also running an underground resistance network within Gilead strongholds like Boston. But other than sympathetic Guardians, Eyes, Angels, they could be the ones supplying weapons.

We see the butcher hand June the package from Moira. Somehow there is a network that passed this along.

We see the Guardian give June the way out of the hospital to the butcher’s truck. This could be Nick’s doing alone, not a network.

We see the butcher/delivery dude who brings June to the Globe. Again, this could solely be Nick as well, but we don’t know.

We see there’s Omar, who seems more like someone who accidentally fell into it rather than an active participant. We also learn that “Mayday” has supposedly safe houses within Gilead, but we never see them.

We see the pilot who helps people escape to Canada.

We hear of “Rachel” often, especially wrt Jezebels. I don’t think we ever see Rachel however. It could be code, it could be a person, it could be a group of people. Considering the gravity of the name Rachel in Gilead, I would put my money on this being a code name cos the writers don’t just throw little things like that around. Especially since Moira, who lived and worked at Jezebels, claims she doesn’t know a “Rachel”. Sure, she could just be protecting June or she could actually be telling the truth. I find it really interesting that the consulate worker in Toronto is called Rachel as well. While I don’t think the two are connected, I’m just surprised at all the references to Rachels in THT, esp with the story of Rachel & Leah (+ Bilhah, Zilpah, etc.) being such a massive cornerstone to the entire society.

We see the Marthas have a very complex network that is referenced multiple times and is known to Commanders, and they’ve done very little to address it for some reason.

We see Serena get both cigarettes and a pregnancy test, both of which are illegal technically although nobody seems to take issue with Serena’s smoking. I would assume this is unrelated to Mayday and more akin to Jezebels (and its sex trafficking) as the illegal underbelly of Gilead that everyone knows exists and everyone uses but nobody talks about. The black market likely has no connection. But it’s still something that requires a large chain of procurement and distribution, and secret knowledge of how to access it.

I’ve probably missed some other examples…

None of this really speaks to a larger web, imo. I can easily see these as individual cells, sometimes connected, rather than ruled by some grand master command somewhere nonspecific and so far unseen. Resistance usually doesn’t begin with a cohesive structure but small cells that see a need to rebel or at least protect/assist victims. It’s also MUCH safer that way and harder to dismantle the entire thing if cells are independent. (I used to be fascinated with the so-called “eco-terrorist” culture.) 

And I would say Mayday, if it exists, relies on Econopeople, specifically Economen and Guardians who have “normal” jobs and freedom of movement within Gilead. But we’ve been shown SO VERY LITTLE about the lives of Econopeople (the majority). I mean, it makes sense since this is the Handmaid’s Tale, not the Economan’s Tale… still, it’s very abrupt to build a giant resistance network suddenly and not have shown anything of real substance about it in 2 seasons.

Other than Lawrence, there’s no indication that any other Commanders or Wives are involved in any resistance but I think we’re supposed to believe some are. So it’ll be curious what side these new characters fall on, whether Mrs. Winslow is an “inspiration” in terms of resistance or compliance. I think we all assume she’ll be on the side of resistance and inspire Serena to take that path (although I think June and Nichole and her own awful husband should be inspo enough lol). I’m not so sure since this is THT and I am absolutely terrible at predicting anything, lol. I can see THT going the opposite direction just as easily. I hope not, but hey.

I think for simplicity within a TV show, they’ll flatten it to a single resistance organisation. 

Quite frankly, I wish we had already seen more of Mayday, if it exists. I feel a bit annoyed that it’s been 23 episodes and other than a few hints, we’ve never seen a significant exploration of any of it. Like how on earth June is supposed to just be a Martha…? I just… I don’t know. Who knows.

Since we know this season is going to be all about Team Resistance, obviously they’ll go into more detail. I just wish we had seen more ahead of time. Although to be perfectly frank, I also really enjoyed the “Emily is sorta crazy and Mayday doesn’t quite exist” theory too.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Welcome to FiveThirtyEight’s weekly politics chat. The transcript below has been lightly edited.

sarahf (Sarah Frostenson, politics editor): You may have thought that with former Vice President Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee our 2020 drafts were finally over. Well, no such luck. There’s still the question of whom Biden will pick as his vice president. We know thanks to his announcement at an earlier presidential debate that he plans to pick a female running mate, but that’s it.

So we’re back with a snake draft of whom Biden should pick for his VP. How it works is simple: Three rounds total, so between the three of us, nine potential 2020 Democratic veeps. And the draft line up is …

Nathaniel

Sarah

Geoffrey

OK, you’re up, Nathaniel.

nrakich (Nathaniel Rakich, elections analyst): Ahhh, I wanted the second pick.

geoffrey.skelley (Geoffrey Skelley, elections analyst): Hahaha, really?

nrakich: Yeah — I think there are two equally strong contenders for the first overall pick. But I will go for the more obvious one: Sen. Kamala Harris.

Harris obviously ran for president already, which means she’s been vetted. She has also long been considered a rising star in the party. Plus, she would make history as both the first African American and first Asian American vice president, and African American voters are probably a group that Biden should reach out to given that he won the nomination thanks largely to their support. And this goes without saying, but Democrats will want to try to get African American turnout in the general election closer to where it was for former President Barack Obama than where it was for Hillary Clinton.

There will inevitably be some “ooh, remember how they attacked each other in that first primary debate” chatter, but I think that moment is overblown. Harris was doing what she had to do to win. And both before and after that incident, Biden and Harris have reportedly gotten along quite well.

geoffrey.skelley: Some say the first rule of vice presidential selection is to “do no harm,” and Harris would probably fit that bill on a number of fronts. She’s been in the spotlight and vetted as a former presidential candidate, as Nathaniel said. In other words, she’d meet the “Ready on Day 1” test that I think is pretty key for Biden.

Additionally, California isn’t a swing state, but Harris’s Senate seat would likely remain in Democratic hands. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom would appoint her replacement and when her seat is up in 2022, Democrats would be very likely to hold onto it.

nrakich: Yeah, I think the home-state effect of vice-presidential candidates is slim to none. That’s going to inform a lot of my picks.

sarahf: In their veepstakes feature on Tuesday, Politico set up Biden’s VP decision as a choice between appealing to black voters and appealing to the progressive wing of the party. So if he were to select Harris — whom I agree does seem like a very solid pick for him — I guess that only checks one of those boxes. But arguably, it’s not really possible for Biden to check both boxes with one VP.

geoffrey.skelley: I think the Biden campaign would argue Harris gives them some of both — she is a cosponsor on Sen. Bernie Sanders’s Medicare for All legislation, for instance.

sarahf: That’s true, but I still think about how she infamously raised her hand in one of the early debates to say she supported Medicare for All, only to walk that back later.

nrakich: Yeah, one downside to Harris is that the progressive wing of the party doesn’t really trust her. (Think of the “Kamala is a cop” meme.) But I agree, it’s hard to appeal to both, and I think African Americans are the more important constituency for Biden.

sarahf: Well, and to the point you raised initially, Nathaniel, Biden won the nomination thanks in large part to black Democrats’ support — think South Carolina in particular — so it’s hard to not think that is a major consideration for Biden when weighing options.

But OK, I’m up. Ugh. At least I don’t have to go last in this draft.

geoffrey.skelley: Sigh.

sarahf: So I’m not totally sure I agree with my own pick, but if part of the optics around Biden’s VP pick requires appealing to black voters or progressive voters, I wonder if he can’t try and do both by picking Rep. Ayanna Pressley.

I know Sen. Elizabeth Warren would be a more natural, high-profile pick to represent the progressive wing of the party, especially considering she ran for president, and Pressley is only a one-term House representative, but I’d argue Pressley, like fellow Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, represents a new direction for the party, which I think is an important characteristic for Biden’s VP to have.

I suppose that Pressley’s lack of experience is what hurts her chances to be Biden’s running mate the most. Massachusetts isn’t exactly a swing state either.

nrakich: Bold pick! Although I have learned the hard way not to bet against Sarah in these drafts…

I think Pressley is an interesting choice, but ultimately, I think the lack of experience dooms her. Biden, at 77, is the oldest major-party presidential nominee ever. That means the top consideration for the Biden campaign should be picking someone who will be ready to become president on day one.

geoffrey.skelley: Yeah, Pressley is fascinating, and it’s no coincidence that her name popped up in discussions about what might happen to Warren’s Senate seat if Warren had won the nomination (or maybe the vice presidency, still). But I agree with Nathaniel that Biden is unlikely to pick a one-term House member.

She’s a rising star, but maybe the 2020 election is just too near.

sarahf: The lack of experience definitely cuts against Pressley. But if Biden’s top VP considerations are appealing to black and progressive voters, I think it’s impressive she can check both boxes. I also thought she was a pretty effective endorser of Warren in the primary, but yeah, I admit that I’m not convinced this will actually happen.

OK, you’re up Geoffrey!!

geoffrey.skelley: Alright, I think my first pick is a bit predictable, but she would obviously fit in nicely with Biden’s political outlook: Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

nrakich: Oh, bad pick.

Maybe my alternative first choice will still be on the board after all…

geoffrey.skelley: She ran for president and has a long history of doing well in a purple state. Plus, she endorsed Biden right after dropping out of the Democratic presidential primary, so that may have also nicely positioned her for consideration.

And again, if the idea is to do no harm, she’s a fairly safe choice. But whereas I can see some progressives coming around to Harris, it’s harder to see that happening with Klobuchar.

Nevertheless, I think that after Harris, she’s probably the second-most-likely senator to get picked.

sarahf: That’s true, Geoffrey, I don’t see progressives warming up to Klobuchar like they might with Harris. In some ways, picking Klobuchar would be Biden doubling down on his base — i.e., appealing to more moderate voters, right?

Why do you say, bad pick, Nathaniel?

nrakich: I just don’t see what Klobuchar adds. She is incredibly redundant with Biden in terms of ideology and appeal to swing voters. Biden should try to pick someone who appeals to a different constituency.

geoffrey.skelley: There’s a chance Biden will view that redundancy as a good thing, though.

nrakich: I’m also not sure that Klobuchar wouldn’t do any harm … While I could see the left grumbling about, but ultimately accepting, Harris, I think they would be much more actively opposed to Klobuchar, who was always toward the center of the Democratic presidential field.

geoffrey.skelley: That’s fair, but at the same time, I suspect Klobuchar wouldn’t turn off some of the voters in the middle the way Harris might.

nrakich: Also, it’s not necessarily a dealbreaker in the same way it would be for some other potential VP picks (cough Tammy Baldwin cough), but if Klobuchar resigns from the Senate, her seat would go to a special election in November 2022, two years ahead of schedule, putting a Senate seat unnecessarily in danger.

geoffrey.skelley: But that’s a concern with almost every senator outside of Harris!

Democrats have a fairly deep bench in Minnesota, too, so that might not be that risky of a move.

nrakich: Hm, I disagree there. Other senators are on different schedules or hail from bluer states than Minnesota.

geoffrey.skelley: Out of the people likely to get picked, though?

Maybe Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

nrakich: Shhh, spoilers!

geoffrey.skelley: Lol, the Senate special election discussion could take up half the chat.

Anyway.

nrakich: Was that not the plan??

In all seriousness, though, it’s a very important factor in the veepstakes discussion. A President Biden would need every Democratic vote in the Senate he can muster to pass his agenda.

sarahf: That’s a good point, but OK — you’re up again, Geoffrey.

geoffrey.skelley: My next pick is Sen. Tammy Duckworth. The Illinois senator flies a little under the radar, but she’s got a fascinating background as an Asian American veteran who lost both her legs as a helicopter pilot fighting in Iraq. She’s also from a blue state, so her seat would be more likely to remain in Democratic hands (it’s up in 2022).

However, as 2010 showed, weird things can happen — the GOP captured this very same seat that year, formerly held by Obama, so it’s worth noting that Illinois isn’t California.

nrakich: Ah, dammit. Duckworth was my second choice. She would be a great pick, for all the reasons Geoffrey says.

geoffrey.skelley: She also gave birth while in office, the first senator to do so!

There’s just a lot to her story that I could see winning the Biden campaign over.

nrakich: Yeah, she has a great story to tell, on many different dimensions.

And her low national name recognition right now could be seen as a reason not to pick her, but it’s also an opportunity.

sarahf: Right, I mean it’s not like Sen. Tim Kaine had a huge national profile prior to when Clinton picked him in 2016.

nrakich: Yeah, I think people generally overrate people who ran for president and lost when thinking about veep contenders.

geoffrey.skelley: Yeah, honestly the main reason I picked Klobuchar ahead of Duckworth was Klobuchar ran for president and has more of a national profile. But Duckworth might be the better pick — it’s less clear that she would offend any part of the Democratic coalition.

sarahf: OK, let’s see. It undercuts my first pick (Pressley), but I also think Warren would be interesting. Clearly, I have a Massachusetts bias.

nrakich: Massachusetts bias is nothing to be ashamed of, Sarah.

sarahf: But assuming national profile matters somewhat in who a candidate picks for VP (to be clear, the political science on this isn’t really clear, but it does seem to matter to party elites), Warren has got that covered. And apparently, when Biden was still considering running in 2016, he wanted Warren as his running mate! That’s interesting to me, considering the visible bad blood between the two during the debates (thinking about their heated exchange over who deserves credit for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau).

What Warren would bring to the ticket is an ideological balance that I think few other candidates could give Biden, but I could also see her being a potential general election risk for Biden. I’m also not sure if the other constituency she appeals to — college-educated whites — is where Biden needs the most help?

geoffrey.skelley: Warren would certainly meet the Ready on Day 1 test, plus she’d unify the party pretty well. I do wonder if she’s a case where the Biden campaign might be concerned that the VP pick outshines the presidential nominee. That’s on top of the concerns that her progressive views might alienate some in the middle.

nrakich: Yeah, Warren was also pretty high on my board. If you decide your goal is to appeal to progressives, there’s no better choice (other than, I guess, Sen. Bernie Sanders, although that isn’t going to happen for many reasons). She has the experience to be president and demonstrated that she has a loyal following with her strong presidential campaign.

geoffrey.skelley: That’s true, but there is still the always-thorny electability question about whether Warren’s progressive positions would harm Biden’s attempts to have a broader appeal.

nrakich: Yeah, I wonder how that would play, Geoffrey. In this age of polarization, it’s debatable whether a presidential nominee on the ideological extremes still puts the ticket at a disadvantage; would a vice-presidential nominee on the extremes do the same thing? I’m not so sure.

geoffrey.skelley: I will say that a Warren pick would be interesting in that, at 71 years old by Election Day, Warren would be less likely to end up running for president should Biden win, so the VP pick wouldn’t necessarily be a launch pad for the next presidential contender.

nrakich: Eh, I don’t know, she could probably run in 2024 if she wanted. (I think there’s a strong possibility that Biden would not run for a second term.)

geoffrey.skelley: That’s true, but with most of these other names, the VP would very likely run in the future if the ticket won — or even if it didn’t. But we’re probably getting a little ahead of ourselves here.

sarahf: OK, Nathaniel, you’re up with your second and third picks!

nrakich: OK, next on my list is Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. She has risen quickly in the Senate ranks; though she was just elected in 2016, she has already become chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. (I guess you could ding her for being inexperienced, but she was also state attorney general for two terms before that — in other words, she’s as experienced as Harris.) And, as a Latina, she would bring some racial diversity to the ticket, although I don’t want to imply that means she will automatically boost the ticket with Latino voters. Latinos are not a uniform group, and picking a Mexican American woman from the West wouldn’t necessarily resonate with, say, Cuban American voters in Florida.

(And, for you Senate special-election nerds, Cortez Masto’s seat will be up for election in 2022 regardless, so the only difference will be whether it is an open seat or not.)

geoffrey.skelley: Definitely a good pick. She’s under the radar, sort of like Duckworth, but has a very strong resume and a history-making backstory.

But with the Senate stuff, you wonder if the Biden team’s mindset is, ‘Look, we’ll probably lose the Senate in 2022 even if Democrats overcome a tough map to narrowly gain control of it in 2020, so we should make the best pick regardless of what that means for the Senate.’

nrakich: Yeah, maybe. But there is definitely a downside to picking someone like Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who I suspect will go unchosen in this draft. Baldwin’s seat would go immediately to a special election in 2021, and Wisconsin of course is a purple-to-light-red state. So that would cripple Democrats’ hypothetical Senate majority almost right away.

sarahf: That’s a good pick, Nathaniel, and could be a good way for Biden to broaden his base, considering his struggle to win the Latino vote in Nevada relative to Sanders. Although, of course, that has its limitations. What do we know about Cortez Masto’s politics, though? Isn’t she more of a moderate Democrat?

geoffrey.skelley: According to VoteView.com’s ideological scoring, she’s more or less around the middle of the Democratic Party, maybe slightly to the left of it.

nrakich: I think because she is unknown to many voters, she (and/or Biden) could define her ideology however they want, which I think is a plus. (Although she is a member of the establishment, as evidenced by her leadership of the DSCC.)

sarahf: OK, last round — take us away, Nathaniel.

nrakich: For my last pick, I’ll go with New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. She’s arguably the best pick among Democratic governors, many of whom were just elected in 2018 and therefore aren’t that experienced. However, Lujan Grisham also served six years in the House of Representatives, so I think her combined experience passes the bar. Plus, as a Latina, she is Democrats’ only nonwhite woman governor.

sarahf: I was wondering if we were going to get around to including any governors in this draft!

geoffrey.skelley: I think some folks may be surprised she was the first governor taken!

But agreed, she has an experience level that surpasses some other newly-elected 2018 governors.

nrakich: Yeah, even though many governors are getting high marks for how they’re handling the coronavirus crisis right now, Democrats’ gubernatorial bench is just pretty weak thanks to their drubbings in the 2010 and 2014 midterms. Plus, Democrats really love picking senators as running mates — 15 of the last 18 Democratic vice-presidential candidates have been senators!

sarahf: Is that some foreshadowing of your last pick, Geoffrey?

geoffrey.skelley: I guess that may depend on what you do, Sarah!

sarahf: So for my last pick, I’m going to go with Stacey Abrams. Working against her is the fact that she probably has the least amount of government experience of all the picks named. Yes, she was a Georgia state representative for 10 years, but she isn’t currently a public official. That said, her 2018 gubernatorial bid against Gov. Brian Kemp was close, which is impressive in a red state like Georgia.

It’s a testament to how skilled of a politician she is too, considering she’s been able to stay in the national conversation, even though she’s not currently in office. The way she’s breaking the (unspoken) rules by actively campaigning for VP is fascinating to watch, too. She had this powerful line in a recent interview where she explained her decision to push for the job, saying, “If you don’t raise your hand, people won’t see you.”

I understand how her outspoken desire for the job will be portrayed as a power-hungry move and alienate some in the party because it violates the norms around how nominees pick their running mates, but I could also see that drive resonating with a lot of voters.

nrakich: Yeah, Sarah, I’m also fascinated to see where her unorthodox strategy of campaigning for the job leads. But ultimately, I think Abrams would be a bad pick for Biden because there would be lots of questions about whether she is prepared to step into the role of president.

geoffrey.skelley: “Unorthodox” is the right word — it’s atypical for someone to actively seek the vice presidency in the press.

nrakich: I could see it rubbing a lot of people the wrong way, but also, I think there would be a racial and gendered element to any criticism. Would a white man be criticized for being outspoken about his ambitions?

sarahf: Exactly, Nathaniel, that’s why I think it’s so interesting to see Abrams campaign for the job in this way. You’re right that it probably does irritate some party veterans, but I think it’s a powerful message that could resonate with a lot of rank-and-file voters.

geoffrey.skelley: Abrams could be an energizing force for Biden’s campaign, too. She’s only 46 and has such a strong profile built off her narrow loss in the 2018 gubernatorial race in Georgia. Maybe there’s a case that she helps Biden with black voters and younger ones whom Biden didn’t do as well with during the primary.

sarahf: True. But OK, Geoffrey, take us home! Last pick!

geoffrey.skelley: Alright, for my last pick, I was a bit torn because there are a fair number of directions I could see the Biden campaign going. But I’ll pick “that woman in Michigan” — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Her experience level is a question mark — she only won her office in 2018. But she’s had a lengthy political career in Michigan, and if her approval holds up on her handling of the coronavirus crisis despite becoming a national political figure, maybe that strengthens her resume enough.

While I, too, am skeptical of there being a significant home-state benefit to vice-presidential picks, Whitmer is from Michigan, a state Trump very narrowly carried in 2016. And more broadly, she might serve Biden well in the region as a whole. She’s also only 48 years old, making her one of the younger possibilities we’ve mentioned today. That could give the ticket a nice generational balance.

nrakich: Yeah, on the experience front, I dunno… She might get a pass from the media or low-information voters because she’s been governor during this time of crisis. And she was the Democratic leader in the Michigan Senate, which isn’t nothing. But I just don’t know if that’s enough to be prepared to be leader of the free world.

Her handling of the coronavirus crisis may not be the selling point that many analysts assume it is either. She got in trouble recently for giving a no-bid state contract for tracking coronavirus cases to Democratic-connected firms. That’s the kind of rookie mistake that comes with inexperience.

Plus, how would it look for her to take a leave of absence from the governorship amid a pandemic to go campaign?

sarahf: One other thing that’s been weighing on me as we’ve chatted about Biden’s potential VPs is the kind of weird place we find ourselves in. On the one hand, we know Biden is going to pick a woman, but we just don’t know who.

And that’s complicated because whomever Biden picks, she’ll be tasked with defending his alleged track record with women, which is daunting — there’s the inappropriate touching claims from earlier in 2019 and now former Biden staffer Tara Reade has accused Biden of sexual assault. That’s something that his VP, especially because she will be a woman, will have to speak to no matter who she is.

nrakich: Yeah, I’ll be watching how these latest allegations play out.

For whatever reason — no room in the coronavirus news cycle? media bias? Trump and Republicans aren’t harping on it? — Reade’s allegations haven’t gotten a lot of traction yet. But with Business Insider finding someone whom Reade told about the alleged assault at the time, it seems like they aren’t going away either.

So far, though, female politicians (not that women are the only ones who care about this issue), including some we mentioned in this chat, are still supporting Biden, or at least aren’t saying anything about the accusations. Hillary Clinton even endorsed Biden on Tuesday.

sarahf: Yeah, it’s hard at this point to say how this will all shake out for Biden. If more women step forward or if we get more corroboration around Reade’s allegations, I have to think this causes Biden serious trouble. But even if that doesn’t happen, whoever Biden’s VP is will have to talk about his relationship with women, and as Rebecca Traister wrote for New York Magazine, that might be a hard pill to swallow.

[thisdaynews]

Democratic governors sound alarm on Trump reelection

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/democratic-governors-sound-alarm-on-trump-reelection/

Democratic governors sound alarm on Trump reelection

California Gov. Gavin Newsom noted that Democrats in Washington, D.C., have been gripped with national attention-grabbing recent events, from the Mueller testimony to the House Squad. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

politics

Outside the Beltway there are worries the party is losing control of its message and forgetting the lessons of 2018.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Washington Democrats keep talking about the “Squad” and impeachment.

Democrats outside the Beltway wish they’d remember how the party retook the House and gained ground in state capitals last year with a rigorous focus on health care and the economy.

Story Continued Below

With all the infighting and intraparty intrigue in recent weeks — most recently over the prospect of impeaching the president — many Democrats in the states are beginning to worry the party is losing its grip on its message, potentially paving the way to Donald Trump’s reelection.

The anxiety reverberated far from Washington this week, as the nation’s governors gathered here for their annual summer meeting.

“Nationally, the focus has been on last week’s hearings and quote-unquote oversight, the question of impeachment, the effectiveness of Trump to make it about … the four [congresswomen who constitute the “squad”],” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday. “That’s been the zeitgeist, and so Trump being the master of deflection and distraction … it’s been hard for the Democrats to sort of hold that message.”

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak — the governor of an early primary state and a potential battleground in the general election — said that going into 2020, his constituents “want to look forward, and how are we going to make their lives better.”

And Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, when asked if impeachment talks are beneficial for Democrats politically, said, “We should be focused on what Americans care about and what Oregonians, for me, care about, right? Making sure we have good quality jobs, that we have an education system we can be proud of and that everyone in the state has access to health care. … We saw in 2018 that when we talked about health care, we won, and we won handily. I mean, we kicked their butts.”

For Democrats attempting to focus the electorate’s attention on health care and economic positions popular with general election voters,a second round of presidential primary debates next week is likely to add to their frustration. The party’s sprawling field of presidential candidates are outbidding each other with increasingly liberal positions on impeachment, criminal justice and immigration that are being demanded by the party’s base.

In the run-up to the debates in her state, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer cautioned that Democrats’ “strength is on the dinner-table issues.” The party’s presidential candidates, she said, “should stay focused, I think, on solutions that really improve people’s lives.”

She said, “In this environment, with all the social media and all the stuff coming out of Washington, D.C., it’s so easy to get distracted by the tweet of the day.”

For several days at the National Governors Association meeting, Democratic and Republican governors touted bipartisan work in the states on the economy and other issues, while Democrats labored to keep a heavy focus on health care. But the fallout from special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony on Russian interference in the 2016 election hung heavily over the proceedings.

Looking at Washington, a top adviser to one Democratic governor said, “The feeling here is that everybody just needs to get on the same fucking page.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who first called two years ago for Trump’s impeachment, said in an interview that, for tactical reasons, he is no longer certain if Democrats should pursue impeachment.

“I think that we’re now a year and a quarter away from the general election, and so I think there is a question, could you actually accomplish the goal of removing the president by impeachment before he would be removed by virtue of the election,” Pritzker said. “It’s a question of timing: How long would that take, how effective would that be?”

Trump’s public approval rating remains relatively low, and most Democratic governors remain confident that once the primary consolidates around a handful of candidates, it will present a more unified vision.

Democratic governors are not in lockstep — ideologically or on impeachment. Their degrees of concern about the state of the party’s messaging vary.Maine Gov. Janet Mills said the Mueller report on Russian interference in the 2016 election is so serious that it is “an issue that cannot be dropped,” while Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said Democrats “can walk and chew gum at the same time.” Newsom said Democrats are “well positioned to pivot,” and Pritzker said the 2020 Democratic primary field, though “a cacophony at the moment” will re-focus once the field narrows.

“Then I think we should be asking the question are we articulating the message properly,” he said. “And, I believe that we will.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said that in confronting Trump, whom he called a “master messenger,” Democrats “have to have that capacity, as we do in Minnesota, to multi-task, to not normalize that behavior.”

With Trump attacking the four high-profile progressive congresswomen who make up the “Squad” — tweeting that Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts should “go back” to the “crime infested places” they came from — Walz said, “It’s a fine line. Because if you all of a sudden say, ‘You know, I don’t have time for this. I need to focus on roads.’ Really, you don’t have time to address racism? You don’t have time to address interference in our elections?”

The first primary debates last month laid bare how fractured the Democratic Party remains, with significant ideological disagreements not only about health care, but also immigration and criminal justice reform — issues Trump is already signaling he’ll leverage inhis re-election effort. A Fox News poll this week found Democratic primary voters’ support for health care for undocumented immigrants and decriminalizing crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border are opposed by a majority of the electorate.

Trump is pushing to revive the federal death penalty the same week former Vice President Joe Biden reversed his decades-old position and came out against capital punishment. The entire field, minus Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, opposes the death penalty, which some Democrats fear the president could exploit in the general election. He is also ramping up his rhetoric on immigration.

In the midterms, Democrats were able to blunt Trump’s immigration assault with House candidates who knew the attack was coming and responded with strongly-worded statements centered on protecting American security. Now, the national immigration debate around the Democratic primary is being waged in a way some in the party worry will heavily favor Trump, as candidates debate decriminalizing border crossings.

A recent poll by a leading centrist think tank found that less than three in 10 Democratic primary voters support Abolishing ICE. But 64% of those who tweet at least once a day do. The alarm for Democrats is that the gulf between those presidential primary voters and the general public is also quite deep, said Lanae Erickson, senior vice president for social policy and politics at the Third Way.

“If it sounds like Donald Trump is the only one who cares about keeping our country safe, that’s bad politics by Democrats,” Erickson said. “What voters want to know is that Democrats also care about knowing who is coming into our country and following the laws and making sure it’s a not a free for all. But that part is much more difficult in a Democratic primary.”

Between private dinners, shows and a rodeo in Salt Lake, the Democratic governors’ concerns about the party’s discipline ahead of 2020 echoed among moderates and progressives alike. In part, this is because Democrats have seen the damage that Republicans can still wreak on their agenda — either federally or by Republican legislative minorities in states that Democrats carried last year.

Democratic governors this week were discussing contingency plans in case a court ruling challenging former President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul is upheld by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In Nevada, where Democrats won the governorship and large majorities in the legislature in 2018, Republicans this month filed litigation challenging a tax extension worth about $100 million. And in Oregon, Brown remained furious about the dramatic episode this year in which Republican lawmakers fled the state to block a vote on major climate legislation.

“With the current occupant in the White House, it’s really clear that all types of misbehavior are being tolerated,” Brown said, calling her state’s Republican walkout a “subversion of democracy.”

She said Republicans’ “actions will haunt them over the next decade.” When asked if she planned to veto bills in retribution, Brown said, “I will just say … revenge is a dish best served cold and slowly.”

With Trump waging war on America’s legal and intelligence communities to help undermine public opinion of the Mueller probe and his dialing up the rhetoric around illegal immigration, the deeply divisive and often personal partisan rancor that has marked his tenure in Washington is bleeding into the states. Along with a stalemate on an immigration solution, spiraling federal debt and a lack of progress on fixing America’s infrastructure has added to the dysfunction.

“At the state and local level, usually some votes are easy to get through — those of a nonpartisan nature, or more community focused,” said Tom McMahon, a political consultant in Washington who served as executive director of the Democratic National Committee. “The nature of the political environment today is every vote has a political slant to it that makes everything more complicated. Everything is viewed though a political lens. That’s alarming. How do you start bringing that rhetoric down?”

For Democrats, it’s easy to fall into a false choice between mobilization and persuasion, said David Heifetz of New Politics, a bipartisan group focused on training and messaging among candidates with military and intelligence backgrounds.

“It’s important to remind people that Twitter isn’t real life,” he said as political fallout from Mueller’s testimony ricocheted across the Capitol. “And to remember that you still need to meet people where they are and where their lives are and not get caught up in all the day to day.”

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[thepermanentrainpress]

LOCALS LOUNGE: A LIVE SHOWCASE OF BC’S TALENT

If you find yourself at night near The Belmont Bar on Granville Street, chances are you may have come across an installment of Locals Lounge. A “live interview and music series featuring Vancouver’s best talent,” the project was founded in 2016 by musician Ian Cromwell. Each month, he invites an artist for an intimate chat and live performance, with a focus on storytelling and connection. In the past, he’s hosted acts including CBC Searchlight alum, Desirée Dawson and The Long War, Emily Chambers, and Omar Khan. 

Locals Lounge was born in 2016. Tell us about the live showcase, what inspired it and its mission?

I moved to Vancouver in the fall of 2009, and my introduction to the city was through its music scene. I love Vancouver, but it has a reputation for being a cold and unfriendly city. That's been the total opposite of my experience though, thanks to the incredible community of musicians and music-lovers I've had the privilege of meeting. Locals Lounge is my attempt to share that experience and that community with more people. There's so much talent in this city and I want everyone to know that there's some really cool human beings behind that talent.

You are also a musician. How has this factored into Locals Lounge, and your "behind every musician there is a story" tagline? When you're chatting with the artist(s), how have you been able to relate and connect with their stories?

If you go to a live show, you're going to find that like half the audience is musicians. Nobody loves live music more than other musicians. So for me, I find myself connecting with the Locals Lounge guests as a colleague, but also as a fan. The guests we have on the show are super talented and it's always a treat for me to get to hang out with them and hear what inspires and motivates them.

What has been the most inspiring story you've been told during a Locals Lounge conversation? If you are unable to pinpoint one, please feel free to list a few that you've been grateful to be apart of.

I'm always in awe of people who take the plunge and make music their whole world. Last May our guest was Emily Chambers, and she talked about leaving her safe job working in insurance, buying a tour van, and taking her career and her life into her own hands. She's now living in Nashville and touring Canada and the US. It's a tough life, and you have to love it to choose it.

You host your showcase at Belmont Bar. What's your favourite part about this venue as a host, does it match the vibe/environment you hope to provide during Locals Lounge?

Because the focus of the event is music and community, the vibe we try to create is something warm and inviting, where people feel like they're part of a conversation rather than just on the receiving end of a performance. The Belmont is a perfect place for this kind of event. It's cozy, intimate, and classy, with a top-notch sound system and amazing staff.

That last one is my favourite part as host - the folks at the Belmont have been completely on board with this event and have put in the extra effort to make it special. I have to give a special shout-out to our regular engineer James Menear, who adds so much to the look and sound of our performances, but from the hospitality and door staff all the way up to management, I've been really fortunate to host the event there.

Your next event is on July 22nd, with Laydy Jams. They're an incredible collective, with an empowering message of their own to share. What intrigues you about this group, and what are you looking forward to discussing?

I've had the pleasure of knowing Missy D and Sejal for a few years now, and have been a fan both professionally and personally. They're both relentlessly ambitious and monumentally talented, but they're also really warm and engaging people who are passionate about making the world a better place. And in addition to writing really funky and jazzy hip-hop infused songs, their music focuses on a lot of things we don't hear enough of in mainstream music - empowerment, pride, and the contributions that women (particularly women of colour) have to make to our lives and conversations. I'm excited to get to share them with our audience.

What has been the biggest challenge to-date with operating Locals Lounge?

The easiest part of the job is finding talented musicians. The hardest part is choosing. I think Vancouver doesn't know how many super-talented folks are kicking around this city, doing what they do for the sheer love of doing it. And because the city is still small enough that there's only a few degrees of separation between any of us, I get to meet a lot of them as people. I want to put them all on stage, and hopefully eventually I'll be able to.

Recently, you've been doing a tremendous job at outreach to other organizations/outlets throughout the city that you see overlap with. What drives you to be passionate about community building, specially within the BC music scene?

I hear a lot of people complain that there isn't anything happening in this city, or that we don't have a strong cultural scene, but they need to get over that stereotype fast because just beneath the surface is a wealth of amazing art, poetry, dance, and music, just waiting to be discovered by the people who live here. And it needs people to show up and support it.

The city is losing cultural spaces, and as rents increase artists are getting priced out of the city. Carly Rae Jepsen, Mother Mother, Dan Mangan, The New Pornographers, Dear Rouge, and other incredible artists made music in Vancouver and were part of its indie scene. I want to give people the chance to see what the next generation of Vancouver artists look like, and to help build the kinds of connections that can make a huge difference in the life of an upcoming artist.

You're also on Patreon! What can supporters earn, and what/where is the money going towards?

Yes we recently launched a Patreon page at http://patreon.com/LocalsLounge. Patreon is a cool platform that lets you provide small amounts of monthly support to projects that you like, in exchange for cool rewards. Pledges start at $1/month, and you can get lots more out of your show experience like photos, recordings of the show, and other cool stuff. Plus you can get into shows for free. All the money the event makes goes toward helping the event grow, and to help us produce more music, host more events, and build the community.

Locals Lounge is creating Local music events | Patreon

What are your plans for the remainder of 2018? Are there any artists you'd like to call-out and hope to appear on LL in the future?

We're celebrating our 2 year anniversary on September 16th, and we've got some exciting news on the horizon about collaborations with other great local projects, so I'm pretty stoked about what's coming next. As far as artists I want to shout out, I mentioned Dan Mangan above, and he's got this amazing project called Side Door that I'd love to talk to him about. So Dan, if you're reading this, please come hang out with me at Belmont and let me play fiddle with you on 'Some People'.

For artists who might be shy to come forward with their stories, what advice do you have for them? What draws you towards a good artist to have perform and chat with you on LL?

Make friends with other musicians. Go to their shows. Write a song with them. Take their yoga class. Reach out. Because it's so much harder to do this alone, and there's so many great people to do it with. That's a big part of who I look for - artists who have been connecting with each other and with the scene. And if that's you, I'd love to chat with you over a beer at the Belmont.

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Catch Laydy Jams and Candace Coker at Locals Lounge on Sunday, July 22nd at the Belmont Bar. To RSVP your attendance and purchase tickets, visit their Facebook event page. Be sure to follow Ian Cromwell and future Locals Lounge festivities (and show your support to the BC music community!) on Facebook and Instagram. 

Posted by: Chloe Hoy Photo credit to: Leah Gair

[meanwhileinoz]

Trump Stared Directly Into The Solar Eclipse, Become An Instant Meme On Twitter

I Don’t Know About You, But This Does Not Surprise Me.

I have to say it once and for all. Twitter is obsessed with Donald Trump; I don’t blame them either. He does pretty stupid things sometimes. Like spelling heal as ‘heel’ two times. Sometimes it seems like he is doing this for attention.

However, we may never know that. What we do know is that Donald Trump stared directly at the solar eclipse without his protective glasses on. No, I am not making this up. Twitter is having a blast with this.

Someone shouts “don’t look” as Pres. Trump looks up without eclipse glasses on as solar eclipse passes over D.C. https://t.co/5ft70fm30R http://pic.twitter.com/0lAkuzF9RZ

— ABC News (@ABC) August 21, 2017

This Seem’s Safe.

We have all been hearing warnings of staring at the solar eclipse without protective gear on but guess he didn’t want to listen. Maybe he thinks his eyes are super strong?

Scientists: Don’t look straight at sun during eclipse. Trump: Hold my glasses. http://pic.twitter.com/3MySTJYq4d

— Dan Worthington (@danWorthington) August 21, 2017

You Heard It Here First! The Solar Eclipse Was Fake!

“Mr President, the news is saying you shouldn’t look directly into the sun” “Who’s saying it” ? “CNN” Trump: Fake Eclipse http://pic.twitter.com/H0EGVBjr8e

— E (@esheikh_) August 21, 2017

What Are You Talking About? He Has The Most Perfect Tan Ever.

“i’m trying to get a natural tan” http://pic.twitter.com/HTTQpKbB9k

— sophie hirsh (@maynotbecool) August 21, 2017

I Believe Him 100%. Who Wouldn’t?

#Trump doesn’t need protective eye wear! “I have the greatest corneas of all time, really. The best.” #Eclipse http://pic.twitter.com/uXdsQGsz9j

— Shawna Hazlett ن (@shawnahaze) August 21, 2017

Yes, Love.

Gotta love Trump Rawdogging the eclipse http://pic.twitter.com/925GFZJ5OV

— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) August 21, 2017

Nothing. Nothing Is More On-Brand Than Donald Trump.

Is there anything more on-brand than Mr. Trump thinking his retinas are stronger than the sun? http://pic.twitter.com/NLm61zYwGU

— Zack Bornstein (@ZackBornstein) August 21, 2017

Kids Should Be Watching Him All The Time Then.

Trump’s the example of “what not to do,” almost always.#TrumpResign #SolarEclipse2017 http://pic.twitter.com/3gwucxGqyM

— Scott Dworkin (@funder) August 21, 2017

He Is Right. Never Trust Scientists! They Are Out To Get Us.

Gotta hand it to Trump, he literally is blinding himself to prove how much he doesn’t trust scientists. #SolarEclipse2017 http://pic.twitter.com/Y2au9HgDcx

— The Levine Machine (@Eitanthegoalie) August 21, 2017

#Eclipse Is Trending On Twitter Now.

Trump finally setting up a real blind trust #Eclipse http://pic.twitter.com/1obhisFzrV

— Andrew Saturn (@andsat) August 21, 2017

It Is Always Sunny Wherever Donald Trump Is.

It was sunny, it was sunny, it was sunny, it got kinda dark, THE IDIOT PRESIDENT STARED DIRECTLY INTO THE SUN, it was sunny again

— Kaili Joy Gray (@KailiJoy) August 21, 2017

This Perfectly Sums Up The Whole Incident.

He was warned. He was given an explanation. Nevertheless, he looked directly at the sun.

— Omar Najam🇬🇧 (@OmarNajam) August 21, 2017

That Is Impossible For Him. Don’t You Know That?

I mean seriously, ALL he had to do was not do something stupid while bein’ photographed looking at the damn eclipse and whatnot. http://pic.twitter.com/Ty9c3dSHnc

— George Wallace (@MrGeorgeWallace) August 21, 2017

Even NASA Is Tired Of His Questions.

TRUMP: So I can just look right at the eclipse right? NASA: you know what? sure. http://pic.twitter.com/rxwy2CNMqq

— Chris Person (@Papapishu) August 21, 2017

Well, She Wasn’t Wrong. He Sure Is Popular But Maybe For All The Wrong Reasons.

Mel: Don’t do it

TRUMP: I’ve held the Orb in my hands and learned its secrets. I can handle a little- oh fuck oh fuck!

Mel: … #Eclipse http://pic.twitter.com/MKxdmrmGTg

— Steve King (@steveking_) August 21, 2017

That Might Be Impossible. His Love Breaks All The Norms.

i want someone to look at me the way Trump looks at the eclipse http://pic.twitter.com/15pfqYpkFy

— oneyun da prophet (@oneyun) August 21, 2017

Sadly? Oh Right. We Are Very Sad.

Sadly, due to the President’s lack of judgment, his 2020 vision is permanently damaged. https://t.co/zk3hcFeIu7

— Robert A George (@RobGeorge) August 21, 2017

I Don’t Think It Was That Hard To Predict. I Mean, Going By Donald Trump’s History.

I cannot handle this right now. http://pic.twitter.com/JXjuHH2ivA

— Jules (@jules_su) August 21, 2017

Did this surprise any of you? Or was it just another thing to add to the ever growing list of Donald Trump does or says stupid things? Well, whatever your thoughts, we hope this did not damage his permanent vision.

http://ift.tt/2xaInmV