#started high school september 2009
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My life stages have lined up weirdly neatly with the decades, so that the 1990s were the years of pre-school, the 2000s were the years of first school and middle school, the 2010s were the years of high school and university, and so far the 2020s have been the years of employment.
#approximately#started school jan 2000#started high school september 2009#graduated uni july 2018#started my current job november 2019#predicting that i change jobs towards the end of 2029#that would fit the pattern
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HAPPY 42ND BIRTHDAY TO HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES, WILLIAM ARTHUR PHILIP LOUIS ♡
On 21 June 1982, Prince William was born to Diana and Charles, then known as Prince and Princess of Wales in St Mary's Hospital, London, at at 21:03 BST. He was born during the reign of his paternal grandmother Elizabeth II and was the first child born to a Prince and Princess of Wales since Prince John's birth in July 1905.
The little prince's name was announced on 28 June as William Arthur Philip Louis. Wills was christened in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, on 4 August.
William studied at Jane Mynors' nursery school and Wetherby School in London before joining Ludgrove. He was subsequently admitted to Eton College, studying geography, biology, and history at the A-level.
The Prince undertook a gap year taking part in British Army training exercises in Belize, working on English dairy farms, and as part of the Raleigh International programme in southern Chile, William worked for ten weeks on local construction projects and taught English.
In 2001, William enrolled at the University of St Andrews, initially to study Art History but then changed his field of study to Geography with the support of the love of his life Catherine Elizabeth Middleton who he met while at school.
Will and Cat fell in love during their time at uni, and married at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. The couple have three adorable cupcakes Prince George (b.2013), Princess Charlotte (b.2015) and Prince Louis (b.2018). The family of five divide time between their official residence, Kensington Palace and their two private residences - Amner Hall & Adelaide Cottage.
After university, William trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. In 2008, he graduated from the Royal Air Force College Cranwell and joined the RAF Search and Rescue Force in early 2009. He transferred to RAF Valley, Anglesey, to receive training on the Sea King search and rescue helicopter, which made him the first member of the British royal family since Henry VII to live in Wales.
During his active career as a Search and Rescue Pilot, William conducted 156 search and rescue operations, which resulted in 149 people being rescued. He then served as a full-time pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance starting in July 2015, donating his full salary to the EAAA charity.
Working with all branches of the military, he holds the ranks of Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, Commander in the Navy and Wing Commander in the Air-Force
Upon their wedding, WillCat became HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Earl and Countess of Strathearn and Baron and Lady Carrickfergus. He became the heir apparent on 8 September 2022, receiving the titles of the Duke of Cornwall & The Duke of Rothesay. William & Catherine were made The Prince and Princess of Wales by Kimg Charles on 9 September 2022. Additionally, William also became the Prince & High Steward of Scotland, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Isles, and Baron Renfrew.
As well as undertaking royal duties in support of The King, both in the UK and overseas, The Prince devotes his time supporting a number of charitable causes and organisations with some of his key areas of interest being Mental health, Conservation, Homelessness, Sports and Emergency Workers.
He has undertaken several overseas trips representing the monarch, covering a wide array of countries like Australia, Canada, Namibia, Malaysia, South Africa, Tanzania, Pakistan Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, France, India, The Bahamas, Belize, Afghanistan etc ; He is also is also a founder of various initiatives like United For Wildlife, Heads Together, Earthshot and Homewards.
#happy birthday william ❤️#william's 42nd birthday#prince of wales#the prince of wales#prince william#william wales.#william prince of wales#british royal family#british royals#royals#royalty#brf#royal#british royalty#catherine middleton#kate middleton#duchess of cambridge#2024 wales birthdays#prince george#princess charlotte#prince louis#royaltyedit#royalty gifs#royalty edit#royaltygifs#my gifs#21062024
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me when i'm bored and start deducing ace attorney characters' birthdays from the court record and dates of the cases
*assumes if someone (other than the victim) appears in a case their birthday doesn't happen during that case. birthday ranges are given with as few contradictions as possible
canon birthdays for reference: - dustin prince: september 6th 1987 (murdered on his birthday) - rayfa padma khura'in: december 24th 2013, aka almost christmas (birthdate used to open a safe)
deduced birthday ranges:
phoenix is the only character with a non-canon exact birthdate: october 10 1992. he tells maya he's 24 during 1-3 (oct 16-20 2016) and his profile says he's 33 during the 2026 part of 4-4 (oct 7-9 2026). since he ages 9 years but 4-4 is 10 years after 1-3 the only date possible where this can happen without his birthday happening during the case is october 10. this means he's 23 during 1-1 and 1-2 and 35 during 5-4 and 5-5, despite the court record saying he's 34.
miles has the next shortest range: september 1-4 1992. he's 24 during 1-2 (sep 5-9 2016) and 25 during 2-4 (mar 20-23 2018) so the range is march 24-september 4 1992. to have him in the same school year as phoenix i narrowed it down to the first days of september. this means his age during aa5 and 6-dlc is incorrect.
larry's is pretty easy to find out: he ages 1 year between i1-5 and i2-3 so the range is march 18-april 1 1993. this makes his age during 6-dlc incorrect, though.
iirc aa1 states that dl-6 happens when the above three are in fourth grade (2001), but due to their ages they would be in third grade in the us system.
maya is march 24-june 15 1999. she was 18 during aa2 (jun 16 2017-march 23 2018). this means she is 29 during 6-dlc, not 28, and she could have celebrated her birthday with phoenix in khura'in.
pearl is may 18-jun 15 2009. she was 8 during 2-2 (jun 16-22 2017) and 18 during 6-5 (may 16-17 2028). this means she was 18 during 5-dlc, not 17. also i'm not american but i think schools normally graduate in june over there and 5-dlc was in july, so she should have already graduated senior year by then.
i think ema is the only character from the original trilogy whose age didn't get fucked up after the seven year gap, but the downside is her birthday range spans two years: october 10 2000-february 21 2001. she was 16 during 1-5 (feb 22-25 2017) and 25 during 4-4 (oct 7-9 2026).
ok i know ema says she'll be "turning 16 this year" which implies she's 15 during 1-5 but the court record says she's 16. i went with the court record because it creates less problems and doesn't contradict the fact that she's in junior high.
lightning round for everyone else with deduced birthday ranges in one year! a lot of people's birthday ranges span across two years, so these people age a year less than the timeskip between the years suggest (e.g gumshoe ages 1 year between 2-2 and investigations, despite them being 2 years apart)
manfred von karma: september 11-december 23 1951 (49 during i2-3, 60 during i1-4)
marvin grossberg: april 12-september 4 1952 (61 during 3-1, 64 during aa1)
tyrell badd: september 11-december 23 1958 (42 during i2-3, 53 during i1-4, 60 during i1-5)
samson tangaroa: april 3-december 23 1961 (39 or 57 during i2-3)
winston payne: april 21-august 2 1964 (52 during 1-1, 61 during 4-1)
eddie fender: april 9-december 23 1982 (18 during i2-3, 36 during the rest of aai2)
judy bound: april 3-december 23 1984 (16 or 34 during i2-3)
dick gumshoe: may 4-jun 15 1986 (31 during aa2, 32 during aa3 and investigations)
will powers: april 9-october 15 1993 (23 during 1-3, 25 during i2-5)
lotta hart: march 24-april 4 1994 (23 during aa2, 25 during aai2)
adrian andrews: march 24-october 10 1994 (23 during 2-4, 24 during 3-2)
penny nichols: april 9-october 15 1998 (18 during 1-3, 20 during i2-5)
franziska von karma: april 9-june 15 1999 (18 during 2-2, 19 during aai2)
regina berry: april 9-december 27: april 9-december 27 2001 (16 during 2-3, 17 during aai2)
i2-3 was a bit annoying to work with as you can see lol
for myriam, robin and juniper i narrowed down their birthday range due to the fact that they're in senior year:
juniper woods & robin newman: september 1-october 23 2009
myriam scuttlebutt: january 1-august 31 2010
#long post#maybe i'll do this with tgaa when i've played it#*looks at the technical part of literally every fandom i join* mmm give it to me#ace attorney#phoenix wright#miles edgeworth#larry butz#maya fey#pearl fey#ema skye#rip mia apollo athena trucy simon and nahyuta you should have appeared in both trilogies#ace attorney textpost
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Where All This Love Comes From
I'm so excited to share what has been known as Flashback Fic! 107k words, with all 14 chapters here on Ao3, rated E.
Six months after Gabriel Reyes’ death, TK grows concerned about Carlos’ drinking and brings him to a meeting at the Y. Afterwards, over omelets at the diner, the husbands open up to each other. TK reflects on meeting Carlos after years of addiction and self-destruction, while Carlos has continued to seek closure by uncovering two unknowns: The identity of his father’s killer, and how his father truly felt about Carlos as his son.
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Carlos puts his arms around him from behind and holds him still, kissing his neck. TK tries to twist in Carlos’ grip, but he won’t let him. He starts walking him towards the bedroom. “I’m desperate for you,” TK says, his blood hot, cheeks red, eyes pricking with tears. “I know.” “Make me forget everything.” “I will.” “I only want to think about you.” “You will.” Carlos stops for a breath. He smells TK – his clean hair, his evanesced cologne, his natural man scent, his salty tears that have imbued his skin, the sweat of stress. Sad, but still beautiful to Carlos. TK, delicious. “I never thought I’d have you. I never thought–” he can’t speak anymore.
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Chapter 1: A Trail to Follow
In 2023, TK discovers something that triggers memories of heroin withdrawal seven years before – and Carlos makes amends with Gutiérrez after accusing him of his father’s murder.
Chapter 2: A Very Nice Sweater for the 'Y'
TK takes Carlos to the N.A. meeting – but when things don’t go as hoped, he instigates another method to get Carlos talking.
Chapter 3: Snowballing
A messy situation in 2010 causes TK as a high school junior to lash out. In 2023, Carlos realizes it's time to tell TK about one more secret.
Chapter 4: Original Sin
In 2013, Carlos accidentally destroys Gabriel’s oldest friendship. Nine years later, he attempts to make peace after he and TK get engaged.
Chapter 5: Between Two Bridges
In 2022, a grieving and struggling TK is compelled to talk to Owen about his 2020 overdose, which leads him to remember when his addiction nearly killed him years before. In 2023, TK asks Carlos about his history with alcohol. (Note: Chapter features TK using and gets fairly graphic)
Chapter 6: One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor
TK and Carlos compare notes on when they first came out – with Carlos spiraling in 2011 after an unexpected outburst, while TK in 2008 is embraced (and embarrassed) by his parents. In 2021, both handle the raw days of their breakup differently too.
Chapter 7: A Boy's Best Friend
In 2009, Gabriel attempts to connect with his increasingly distant and unhappy teenage son. In 2013, the fallout of Carlos leaving Iris has begun, and he knows his relationship with his parents will never be the same. In 2023, TK tries to talk to Gabriel about the bombshell revelation that Carlos doesn’t want kids.
Chapter 8: Your Heart, As If It Was My Very Own
In 2011, TK is left bewildered after he loses his virginity. Years later, with Carlos, TK's mind (among other things) is blown in a whole new way. In 2022, TK has an important conversation with a certain visitor when he wakes from his coma.
Chapter 9: Coffee with Gutiérrez
In September 2023, Carlos seeks an important but painful truth from Gutiérrez, and finds an unexpected ally within the 126. Two months later in Blue Moon Diner, TK gets ready to tell Carlos more about his past in New York.
Chapter 10: The Day Begins Like Any Other
In 2016, after TK experiences an assault and sees an old friend again under devastating circumstances, he makes a life-altering decision when his dealer suggests he try something new. In 2009, TK is attacked at school. (Note: Please heed the tags and the chapter note. Reader discretion advised. Look after your hearts).
Chapter 11: Lonely as a Sparrow in the Rain
When Carlos confesses to TK about where he went with Judd back in September – and why – TK has to tell Carlos something he won't want to hear. In 2014, a rift develops when Carlos shows off his new Camaro to his parents.
Chapter 12: Happy For You, Son
Before moving to Austin, TK falls out with his parents over his relationship with Alex. In December 2020, it's a different story as Carlos hosts Owen and Gwyn for TK's birthday meal. In 2012, Carlos has some unexpected news for his own parents, but Michelle tries to intervene. When TK and Carlos get engaged a decade later, Gabriel has something to say about it.
Chapter 13: The Risk of Love
In May 2023, Owen and TK save a spiraling Carlos from making the biggest mistake of his life when he thinks he’s found his father’s killer. In 2020, TK and Carlos become boyfriends beneath a sky full of aurora borealis.
Chapter 14: A Night Worth Celebrating
On a rainy night in 2020, TK and Carlos meet for the first time. In 2023, weeks after their big talk at Blue Moon, TK celebrates his thirtieth birthday with his husband, their family and their friends by his side – and Carlos is a little bit better at sharing his secrets.
Read on A03
#Where All This Love Comes From#Flashback Fic#cig fic#my fic#Tarlos#tarlos fanfic#tk strand x carlos reyes#I've been working on this since March so I'm beyond delighted and relieved to share it#Thank you so much for reading if you do - I cannot explain how much I appreciate it
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Vigilante's real name is Colt McCoy
Daniel "Colt" McCoy (born September 5, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, winning several awards and honors as a senior in 2009 and ranking second all-time in games won by an FBS quarterback. McCoy was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft and was also a member of the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, New York Giants, and Arizona Cardinals, primarily being used as a backup.
McCoy was born in Hobbs, New Mexico.[4] He is the eldest of three children born to Steven Brad McCoy and Debra Kay (Woodruff) McCoy. He attended Jim Ned High School in Tuscola, Texas,[5] where he was coached in football by his father. He achieved several distinctions as a high school player, including two-time Associated Press 2A Offensive MVP and First-team All-state selection.[5] Over his career, he completed 536-of-849 passes (63.1%) for 9,344 yards[6] and 116 TDs.[5] He ranks as the all-time leading passer in Texas Division 2A high school history and is fourth overall in Texas high school history.[7] McCoy was also Jim Ned High School's punter as a junior and senior,[8] and played free safety during his sophomore year. However, after he suffered a concussion while tackling an opponent's 215-pound running back, his father decided not to let him play defense anymore. At the time Jim Ned was 8–0, but when McCoy missed the next two games due to the concussion, Jim Ned's season unraveled.[9] McCoy played in the 2003 Texas 2A State Championship against the San Augustine Wolves; Jim Ned lost 28–7.
McCoy attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he played for coach Mack Brown's Texas Longhorns football team from 2005 to 2009. Colt was a four-year starter for the Longhorns from 2006 to 2009. He won or shared the team's MVP all four years, the only player in school history to do so.[10]
2005 season
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As a freshman, he was given a redshirt year so he did not play during the team's 2005 national championship season.[11] He served as the quarterback for the scout team in practice against the starting defense. During this time, Matt McCoy (no relation) was officially listed as the number three quarterback behind Vince Young and Matt Nordgren.[12] When Brown chose to play Matt McCoy[13] in four separate game situations where Texas had a commanding lead, confusion arose as to which McCoy was in the game. Many sportscasters mistakenly referred to Matt McCoy as Colt McCoy, as Colt was the more widely known player.[14] The following year, with Young forgoing his senior year to enter the NFL and Nordgren graduating, the position of starting quarterback for the defending National Champion Texas Longhorns came down to a competition between redshirt freshman Colt McCoy and true freshman Jevan Snead.[15]
McCoy was named the starting quarterback after winning out a competition with Jevan Snead. The season opener saw McCoy lead the Longhorns to a 56–7 victory over North Texas, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing a yard for another, while throwing no interceptions. He was 12–19 in passing, and ran for 27 yards to help set up a touchdown. In only his second pass as a college quarterback McCoy threw a 60-yard touchdown pass. He was the first Texas freshman quarterback to start and win a season-opening game since Bobby Layne in 1944.[4] The next week, the Longhorns faced #1 Ohio State at home. McCoy went 19–32, 156 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while rushing four times for a total of eight yards. Ohio State defeated the Longhorns 24–7, ending the Longhorns 21-game winning streak.
Following wins over Rice, Iowa State, and Sam Houston State, McCoy got his first win over a ranked team, as well as his first come-from-behind victory, when he led the Longhorns over rival Oklahoma 28–10 in the Red River Shootout. McCoy threw for two touchdowns in the game.[16] The two touchdowns by McCoy gave him 12 touchdown passes for the season, tied for third with Longhorn passer James Brown in the list of most touchdowns by a Texas freshman.[17]
On October 14, 2006, McCoy threw a Texas record six touchdown passes in the win against Baylor.[18][19] The previous record of five touchdown passes had been held by James Brown (set vs. Baylor in 1994) and Chris Simms (vs. Oklahoma State in 2001). On October 25, 2006, he was 9th in the nation with a quarterback rating of 165.4.
In the 2006 Oklahoma State game McCoy threw for his 27th passing touchdown of the season, giving him sole possession of the single-season Texas record and putting him two touchdowns shy of the NCAA single season record for freshman quarterbacks (29).[20] Coincidentally, this 27th pass was also for 27 yards.
During the November 11, 2006, game against Kansas State, McCoy suffered a stinger shoulder injury[21][22][23] while rushing for a touchdown on the opening drive against Kansas State.[24] Snead came in and played the remainder of the game. The Longhorns fell behind by as much as 21 points before Snead brought them back to within 3, finally falling in an upset by the Wildcats 45–42. There was speculation that Snead might be the starter for the final regular season game, because it was unknown whether McCoy would return for the Longhorns season closer against rival Texas A&M on November 24, 2006.[25][26][27] However, McCoy was cleared to play the game against the Aggies.[28]
With 20 seconds remaining in the Lone Star Showdown versus the Aggies, McCoy was injured by a "vicious, stadium-hushing tackle"[29] as Aggie defensive end Michael Bennett connected with his helmet against McCoy's upper body after McCoy had thrown an incomplete pass.[30] Replays showed both on television and in the stadium revealed the hit might have included "helmet-to-helmet"[31] contact which is illegal in NCAA football only if done intentionally, but no flag was thrown.[32] When the replay was shown in the stadium, the Longhorn fans erupted in boos[33] before lapsing back into silence as McCoy lay on the ground writhing for ten minutes before being taken off the field on a cart.[34] Mack Brown said after the game "I didn't see it, but it sounded like 88,000 (fans) thought it was dirty".[30][33] Fellow Longhorn Selvin Young said he thought the hit was a clean "textbook" hit.[35] McCoy was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge where he spent more than three hours undergoing an evaluation that included an X-ray, MRI, and a CAT scan.[30][36] Longhorns trainer Kenny Boyd said the injury was a severe pinched nerve in McCoy's neck.[30][36] Boyd said that McCoy was expected to make a full recovery, but no timetable was set for McCoy to return to play.[30][36] The injury to McCoy came one game-clock minute after an A&M player, #91 Kellen Heard had been ejected from the game for vicious blindside block on McCoy after he threw an interception, which was ruled excessive.[37][38][39] An X-ray, MRI exam and CT scan showed "no structural damage to McCoy's neck or shoulder".
On December 1, 2006, the Longhorns issued a statement confirming that back-up quarterback Jevan Snead had left the team and would transfer to an unspecified school.[40] This meant there would be no scholarship quarterback available to play in the Longhorns' bowl game if McCoy was not ready. On December 21, 2006, Texas announced that McCoy was cleared to start in the Alamo Bowl.[41] In the 2006 Alamo Bowl played on December 30, McCoy threw two touchdowns against Iowa to tie the NCAA freshman record of 29 touchdown passes established by Nevada's David Neill in 1998. This record has since been broken by Oklahoma's Sam Bradford in the 2007 season.[42] Also during the 2006 season, McCoy was named College Football News Big 12 Player of the Year and was named the quarterback to their "All Freshman Team".[43]
After just one season with Texas, McCoy received a lot of media attention, including appearing on some lists of the nation's top players of 2007. In June 2007, McCoy appeared on the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football alongside Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee and TCU defensive end Tommy Blake. Additionally, Rivals.com named McCoy one of the top 10 quarterbacks going into the 2007 season.[44] He also made the Athlon Sports first-team All Big 12.[45]
On June 26, 2007, Maxwell Football Club president Ron Jaworski announced that McCoy had been named to the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award. The initial list includes 64 players. The winner turned out to be Tim Tebow.[46] In their 2007 season preview magazine, CBS Sportsline.com listed McCoy as one of twelve players on the "Heisman Watch"; saying "We were touting him for the Heisman midway through his freshman season until he was injured against Kansas State. Older and stronger, McCoy has an awesome receiving corps to make a run at the hardware for real."[47] He is also one of the 35 quarterbacks placed on the 2007 Manning Award watch list.[48] Further, the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List added McCoy on August 21, 2007.[49]
McCoy led the Longhorns, who were ranked number four in the pre-season Associated Press Poll[50] and Coaches Poll,[51] to a 21–13 victory over unranked Arkansas State in the season opener. McCoy threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions.[52] He also made two quick-kick punts when the Longhorns lined up as if they were attempting to convert on fourth down. He averaged thirty yards per kick and both kicks were downed inside the opponent's twenty yard-line.[8] In the second game, McCoy led the Longhorns to a 34–13 victory over #19-ranked TCU.[53]
In the road opener, McCoy's 47 passing attempts tied a Texas single-game record. His 32 completions set a new school record, besting the 30 completed by Vince Young during the 2006 Rose Bowl and by Major Applewhite during two 1999 games.[54] The final non-conference game was against Rice, and McCoy completed 20 of his 29 passing attempts, accumulating 333 yards through the air.[55] For the first time in the season, he did not throw an interception.[56] McCoy and most of the Longhorn starting players were replaced by backups after the first drive of the second half.[55][57] True freshman quarterback John Chiles made his first college appearance in the first quarter. He came onto the field beside McCoy and then McCoy trotted out to a slot receiver position. Chiles never looked to pass; he ran up the middle for no gain. He came out of the game after that play and came back in the third quarter as McCoy's replacement. On that drive, Chiles line up in the zone-read offense and led the Longhorns 80 yards to a touchdown, carrying the ball four times for 49 yards.[58] Chiles' strong performance immediately led to media speculation as to how much playing time he will take from McCoy.[56][59]
McCoy played the worst game of his career in an upset loss to the Kansas State Wildcats. He threw for 200 yards and had four interceptions.[60][61] He also suffered a concussion during the game and left the field just prior to the end of the first half and again prior to the end of the game.[61] After that game, Sports Illustrated selected him as one of the season's 10 "Most Disappointing College Players" and noted that his nine interceptions thrown so far in 2007 were already two more than he threw in the entire 2006 season.[62] Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated listed several factors contributing to the Longhorns' struggles. He cited the off-field problems as evidence that no Texas player has been able to show the superior leadership skills of Vince Young. Mandel said that McCoy, still only a sophomore, had not been able to completely fill that gap and that McCoy's play had not been as good as during 2006. He also said part of the blame is to be placed on an offensive line that lost several starters and has not been able to consistently protect McCoy. Finally, he noted that the running game had been "equally inconsistent."[63] It was the worst home-field loss in Mack Brown's time with Texas. For the Wildcats, the win over Texas was the first road victory over a top–ten team in school history.[64]
McCoy and the Longhorns lost again the following week in the 2007 Red River Shootout. The game was a back-and-forth affair that was ultimately won by Oklahoma 28–21. OU's freshman quarterback, Sam Bradford, was 21–of–32 for 244 yards and three touchdowns. McCoy was 19–of–26 for 324 yards and two touchdowns. McCoy threw one interception.[65] McCoy played the game with his throwing arm bandaged from mid-forearm to biceps. He held up physically despite taking four sacks[66] and a blind-side late hit after one play had been whistled dead.[65][67][68] With the loss, Texas opened conference play 0–2 for the first time since 1956, when they were in the Southwest Conference and one year before Darrell Royal became head coach of the Longhorns.[65][69]
The Longhorns were in control of the Iowa State game almost from the very beginning and they routed the Cyclones 56–3, the worst loss for the Cyclones since 1997.[70][71] Lined up in the spread offense on the first play from scrimmage,[72] Colt McCoy scrambled away from a blitz and threw a pass to Jordan Shipley for a 58-yard touchdown.[73] The offensive line provided great protection for Colt McCoy,[71] who called most of the plays without huddling and directed the Longhorns to touchdowns on his first five series.[74] He completed 23 of 30 passes for 298 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions.[74] His most athletic play came early in the third quarter when he evaded three defenders on a play from the Cyclones' 20-yard line. He twisted around and managed to stay upright long enough to throw a pass to Nate Jones in the end zone. He capped off his performance by making his first rushing touchdown of the season.[70] However, against Baylor on October 20, Colt threw 2 interceptions and 1 touchdown, and against Nebraska the following week, McCoy completed less than 50% of his passes and threw another interception. On the day after Thanksgiving, McCoy was 17 of 32 with 1 interception, while be sacked 4 times in the 38–30 loss to Texas A&M. At the conclusion of the 2007 regular season, Mccoy had thrown for 21 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.
In the 2007 Holiday Bowl, against Arizona State, McCoy led the Longhorns to a 52–34 victory and won the offensive MVP award.[75]
2008 season
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On January 2, 2008, Texas running back Jamaal Charles decided to forgo his senior season with Texas in favor of the 2008 NFL draft. With Charles' departure, McCoy became the leading returning rusher for the 2008 Longhorns.[76]
McCoy rose in the record books during the first four games of the season. On August 30, 2008, McCoy passed for 222 yards and rushed for 103 yards against FAU, becoming the second player in school history to pass for 200 and rush for 100 yards in more than one game; the other being Vince Young. On September 20, McCoy surpassed the Texas All-Time record for the most passing TD's with 62 while beating Rice 52–10. The record was previously held by Major Applewhite.[77] Through the first four games of 2008, McCoy completed 80% of his passes and had a quarterback rating of 209.71.[78] Leading the 2008 Texas Longhorns football team, McCoy and the Longhorns began the season with eight straight wins, including a win over then #1 Oklahoma, #6 Oklahoma State and #11 Missouri. His performance helped the Longhorns rise at one point to the #1 ranking in the national polls,[79] although the Longhorns lost to Texas Tech and finished ranked third in the BCS standings.[80] In 2008 McCoy set school records for most career touchdown passes,[77] most touchdown passes in a season,[81] most total touchdowns by a Texas player,[82] most career wins,[83] and most career passing yards.[83] In addition to setting passing records, McCoy led the team with 561 yards rushing and eleven rushing touchdowns, establishing a reputation as a dual threat quarterback.[84]
The Longhorns opened conference play against the Colorado Buffaloes and won 38–14. McCoy threw for two touchdowns and moved past Ricky Williams into second on Texas' all-time list for touchdowns responsible for (passing, rushing, receiving). McCoy at that point had 77, while Williams had 76 with the Horns.[85] Texas continued conference play by defeating #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners in the 2008 Texas vs. Oklahoma football game. McCoy was 28 for 35 for 277 yards and one touchdown,[86] bringing Texas to the position of the #1 in the AP poll for the first time since 1984.
On October 18, against Missouri, McCoy completed the game with 337 yards on 29-of-32 passing with two touchdowns, rushed for two more and at one point completed a school-record 17 passes in a row. His completion ratio of 79% coming into the game improved as he completed 91% of his passes in this game. His four touchdowns put him in first place for the most career touchdowns scored at Texas (82), passing Vince Young (81).[82]
UT lost to Texas Tech with one second remaining in the game. Texas fell to #4 in the BCS rankings. They climbed to #3 the following week as the Horns beat Baylor and former #3 Penn State lost. The win over Baylor was the 829th win for the Texas football program, which tied Notre Dame for 2nd in the list of college football's ten most victorious programs.[87]
McCoy led the Longhorns to a 35–7 road victory over the Kansas, ensuring their eighth consecutive season with ten or more wins per season. That is the longest active streak in the nation and it ties them with Miami (1985–92) for the second-longest streak of all time. It was Colt McCoy's 30th career win, which tied him with Vince Young for the school record.[81] McCoy completed 24 of 35 passing attempts (71%) for 255 yards and 2 touchdown passes. He was also the leading rusher for both schools, rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown.[88] McCoy's two touchdown passes put him at 31 for the season, breaking his own school record.[81]
McCoy had another strong performance against in-state rival Texas A&M in the final game of the regular season. McCoy and the Longhorns nearly equaled that record this year by producing a 49–9 victory, the second-largest margin of victory for this rivalry series.
The win was the 31st in McCoy's collegiate career, setting a new school record.[83] McCoy rushed for two touchdowns and threw for 2 more. He completed 23 of 28 attempted passes (82%) for a total of 311 yards. That yardage put him at 3,594 yards for the season—another school record.[83] He finished the 2008 regular season with a 76.7% completion percentage, breaking the mark set by Daunte Culpepper for Central Florida, and was the Longhorns' leading rusher with 576 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.[3]
On January 5, 2009, McCoy led the Longhorns to a 24–21 victory over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. McCoy completed 41-of-59 passes for 414 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He was named the Offensive Player of the Game for his performance.[89] McCoy was named the 2008 AP Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.[90]
2009 season
edit
In his final season, McCoy led the Texas Longhorns to a perfect 12–0 regular season record, as well as a 13–12 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers to win the Big 12 Championship in Cowboys Stadium.[91] While becoming the most victorious quarterback in NCAA history with 45 career wins, McCoy was again the focal point of the Longhorn offense that scored 550 points in 2009, ranked third in UT All-Time season scoring (behind only the 2005 and 2008 teams). McCoy led a fast-paced offense, with accurate, short passes in his repertoire. The Texas offense executed a total of 1,053 plays in 14 games played in 2009. His favorite target was wide receiver Jordan Shipley (#8), who went on to play in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. He finished third in Heisman Trophy voting in 2009.[92]
McCoy left the 2010 BCS National Championship Game against Alabama during Texas' first offensive drive early in the first quarter with a right shoulder injury and was sidelined for the remainder of the game.[93] McCoy was replaced by true freshman quarterback Garrett Gilbert. Alabama won the game 37–21.[94] His record as a starter was 45–8.
McCoy was mentioned as a Heisman Trophy candidate in his sophomore year (2006),[115][116] and he appeared on the Athlon Sports pre-season Heisman watch at the start of the 2007 season.[115]
The talk became more widespread during his junior year, as McCoy was mentioned by several analysts and voters as a potential 2008 Heisman winner. McCoy was the unanimous front-runner in an October 20 poll of 10 Heisman voters conducted by the Rocky Mountain News.[117] Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Florida Gators, had a vote as the 2007 winner. Seven games into the season he said that McCoy would have his vote at that point in the season.[118]
In the 45–21 victory over Baylor, McCoy passed for 300 yards and five touchdowns.[119] The Associated Press story commented, "McCoy likely refueled his Heisman Trophy bid by completing 26 of 37 passes for his fourth 300-yard game this season, and eighth of his career, even without playing the final 12 minutes. The touchdowns went to four different receivers, though he did have two interceptions."[119]
On November 11 (with UT holding an 8–1 record) Heisman voter Rodney Gilmore of ESPN.com had McCoy listed third of five Heisman candidates. Gilmore said, "I love his numbers (78 percent completion percentage, 28 touchdowns, only 7 interceptions and 2,879 yards) and his gutsy second-half performance against Texas Tech. And I have not forgotten about his epic performance against Oklahoma just a few weeks ago. However, Harrell outplayed McCoy head-to-head in the showdown last week, so Harrell has a leg up on him for now, but McCoy is within striking distance."[120] That same day, the Rocky Mountain News poll listed Harrell first and McCoy second in their weekly poll of 10 Heisman voters. Harrell received 44 points and 7 first-place votes while McCoy had 34 points and 2 first-place votes.[121]
On November 25, 2008, McCoy was named one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award, which is presented to the top all-around player in the country. The other finalists were Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, the prior year's winner, and Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell. Oklahoma's Sam Bradford was not selected as a finalist. McCoy also was named a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award, which goes to the country's top quarterback. Bradford and Harrell were the other two candidates; Tebow did not make the list for this award.[122]
After McCoy led the Longhorns to a victory over rival, unranked Texas A&M (a team he had lost to twice in the past), Sports Illustrated analyst Stewart Mandel said the quarterback took a big step towards claiming the Heisman Trophy. Mandel wrote, "From the Longhorns' opening touchdown drive, in which he accounted for 67 of Texas' 80 yards, McCoy was very much the one-man wrecking crew he's been all season long...His final numbers in just over three quarters of work Thursday night: 23-of-28 passing for 311 yards and two touchdowns and 11 rushes for 49 yards, with touchdown runs of 16 and 14 yards. For the season, McCoy now has a 77.6 completion percentage (soon to be a new NCAA record) for 3,445 yards, 32 touchdowns and seven interceptions, plus 476 yards and 13 touchdowns running"[123] Comparing McCoy to fellow Big 12 South quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Graham Harrell, Mandel said, "But here's where McCoy stands out to me. Bradford, as talented as he is, is helped by the fact he has a trio of explosive receivers and two potential 1,000-yard rushers behind him. Harrell has Michael Crabtree. Daniel has Jeremy Maclin. With all due respect to Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby, McCoy is Texas' offense. Much like Tim Tebow last season, he's both his team's leading passer and rusher. Also like Tebow—you have to wonder sometimes how he's still standing. McCoy was sacked three times Thursday night and endured several brutal hits. Following his third-quarter touchdown run, trainers attended to his shoulder on the sideline. But he was right back in there the next series."[123] Bradford and Harrell each had one regular-season game left, against Oklahoma State and Baylor, respectively. Tebow had games remaining against Florida State and Alabama.[123]
In the final 2008 Rocky Mountain News poll before the Heisman votes were announced, McCoy moved to the top of the list, but had a very thin lead over Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow, who were in second and third place, respectively. The poll had correctly predicted the Heisman winner in 18 of the previous 21 years.[124] On December 10, McCoy, Bradford, and Tebow were selected as the three finalists for the Heisman Trophy.[3] Bradford won the trophy with 1,726 total points, and McCoy finished second with 1,604 points in the Heisman voting.[125]
In 2009, McCoy was again in strong consideration for the Heisman, even with the two previous Heisman winners coming back for their senior seasons. At the start of the season he and Tebow were considered the favorites. But McCoy's numbers were down a little from 2008, and despite leading his team to the BCS Championship game, his chances of winning disappeared during a close 13–12 Big 12 Title game in which he threw 3 interceptions, no touchdowns and nearly threw the game away at the end. Despite this, he still had an outstanding season and was again named a finalist, this time along with Tim Tebow, Mark Ingram, Jr, Toby Gerhart and Ndamukong Suh. He became only the second Longhorn, along with Ricky Williams, to be a two-time Heisman finalist.[126] He finished third behind Ingram and Gerhart.
In 2024, he was inducted into the University of Texas Sports Hall of Fame.[127]
Pre-draft
edit
In October 2008, McCoy said he would stay at Texas for his senior year instead of leaving for the 2009 NFL draft. McCoy was quoted as saying, "I'm going to play here for four years. I've been blessed to be able to play here. Not very many people get to [start] here for four years, so what an opportunity. And if the NFL is there for me, then I hope that I'll get to keep playing, because I love to play this game. Hopefully, it will work out."[128]
After a 49–9 victory over Texas A&M on November 27, 2008, McCoy said that he still intended to come back for his senior year, but that it would be "foolish" for him not to ask the NFL to evaluate his draft prospects.[129] McCoy said that if he were rated a first- or second-round draft pick, he might change his mind about staying. McCoy said, "But at the same time, I want to play four years here. Not very many people have had the opportunity to do that. That's something that's real special to me and important to me."[129]
On December 8, 2008, after the Longhorns learned they had been passed over for the national championship game, McCoy said he would return to the team for his senior year. McCoy indicated he wanted to play for a national championship. He also said, "I'm coming back because we have a solid coaching staff, and I'm coming back because I feel like I can develop the young receivers we have."[130]
McCoy injured his throwing arm in the BCS title game against Alabama with a pinched nerve. He announced he would not attend the NFL Combine and instead performed during the University of Texas pro workout day. Opinions over McCoy's potential in the NFL were mixed. Frank Cooney of USA Today noted that McCoy "fired mostly from a shotgun, has a low release point and might lack an NFL fastball." He was listed by Cooney as the 3rd best QB draft choice in 2010, behind Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen.
Prior to the draft, McCoy said he had "no expectations."[131]
McCoy was selected in the third round as the 85th overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2010 NFL draft.[135] The Browns previously traded linebacker Kamerion Wimbley to the Oakland Raiders in order to acquire the pick used to select McCoy.[136] One reporter commented that McCoy was drafted later than expected because "he lacks NFL size..., has small hands and was injured in the last game of his career at Texas."[137] In response to being chosen by Cleveland, McCoy said, "I can't wait to be a Cleveland Brown and that we're going to win a lot of games. Cleveland has a little orange in their jerseys just like UT. It's a perfect fit."[138] On July 23, McCoy agreed to terms on a four-year, $5 million contract.[139]
Pointing out that Cleveland already had three quarterbacks, Browns president Mike Holmgren said McCoy would likely not play his first season with the team in order to develop him as an NFL quarterback.[140] However, due to injuries to starting quarterback Jake Delhomme and back-up Seneca Wallace, McCoy made his first career start against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6.[141] McCoy completed 23 of 33 passes for 281 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions in the Browns' loss. He also scrambled four times for 22 yards. McCoy started the following week against the New Orleans Saints and contributed to the surprising victory over the defending Super Bowl champions 30–17 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.[142] On November 7, McCoy made his third consecutive start and led the Browns to another upset victory, this time against the New England Patriots 34–14.[143] He started again on November 14 against the New York Jets; however the Browns lost in overtime with McCoy throwing for 205 yards and a touchdown.[144] McCoy injured his ankle in Week 11 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and missed the next three weeks before returning to start under center against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15. McCoy threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, but Cleveland lost.[145] In each of the final two games against the division rival Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, McCoy threw three interceptions as the Browns lost both games.[146][147] McCoy finished his rookie season starting 8 games, with a 2–6 record, and with six touchdowns against nine interceptions.[148]
2011
edit
McCoy in 2012
After a long-awaited pre-season after the agreements from the NFL lockout, and the release of Delhomme, McCoy became the starter for the Browns. In the home opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, McCoy completed 19 of 40 attempts for 213 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in a 27–17 loss.[149] The next two weeks, the Browns defeated the Indianapolis Colts and the Miami Dolphins with McCoy throwing combined 41 of 71 attempts, 421 yards, and three touchdowns with one interception.[150][151] Against the Tennessee Titans in Week 4, McCoy threw one touchdown and one interception in a 13–31 loss.[152] After a bye week, McCoy and the Browns lost to the Oakland Raiders 17–24; McCoy threw for 215 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.[153] After the loss to the Raiders, the Browns played the Seattle Seahawks and won 6–3 as McCoy finished with 178 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception.[154] Against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14, McCoy threw two interceptions and no touchdowns in a 3–14 loss where McCoy would also sustain a concussion.[155][156] His father raised eyebrows when he questioned whether or not McCoy's team had properly evaluated him for the concussion prior to returning to the game. McCoy stated that he did not remember anything.[157] James Harrison, the Steelers player responsible for the helmet-to-helmet hit on McCoy, was suspended for the Steelers' next game against the San Francisco 49ers.[158]
2012
edit
McCoy spent the 2012 season backing up Browns' rookie first round pick Brandon Weeden.[159] When Weeden was injured against the Denver Broncos, McCoy completed 9 of 17 pass attempts for 79 yards.[160]
San Francisco 49ers
edit
On April 1, 2013, the Browns traded McCoy and a 2013 sixth round pick to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for San Francisco's fifth and seventh round picks in the 2013 NFL Draft.[161]
Washington Redskins
edit
McCoy signed with the Washington Redskins on April 3, 2014.[162] On October 19, 2014, against the Tennessee Titans, McCoy replaced Kirk Cousins after halftime, with Washington trailing 10–6 and Cousins having caused two turnovers. On his first pass, McCoy completed a 70-yd touchdown pass to Pierre Garçon. McCoy then went on to lead the Redskins on a game-winning drive, winning the game 19–17.[163] On October 27, 2014, McCoy was named the starter over Cousins, and had his first start on the team against the Dallas Cowboys.[164][165] In his first start since 2011, McCoy completed 25 of 30 passes for 300 yards with a rushing touchdown and an interception, earning an overtime victory against the Cowboys, his favorite team growing up.[166] The team benched him for injured starting quarterback Robert Griffin III after McCoy's two victories. The team lost the next 3 games without McCoy. On November 25, it was reported that McCoy would replace the benched Griffin III in the November 30 game against the Indianapolis Colts.[167] McCoy was placed on injured reserve on December 16 due to a neck injury he suffered in a shutout loss to the St. Louis Rams.[168]
McCoy in 2015
McCoy re-signed with Washington on March 17, 2015.[169] He spent the regular season as Kirk Cousins' backup, getting into two games and going 7-for-11 for 128 yards and one touchdown for the 2015 season.[170] McCoy signed a three-year contract extension with Washington on March 9, 2016, signing a one-year extension once that ran out on July 26, 2018.[171][172]
In the 2016 and 2017 seasons, McCoy saw only four offensive snaps as the backup to Kirk Cousins, all of which occurred in the latter season.[173]
On November 18, 2018, McCoy replaced an injured Alex Smith against the Houston Texans. His first throw was an eight-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Reed.[174] He was named the starter the following week after the season-ending injury to Smith.[175] In Week 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles, McCoy left the game in the second quarter with a leg injury during a sack by Malcolm Jenkins.[176] He missed the next three games before being placed on injured reserve on December 27, 2018.[177] He completed 34 of 54 passes for 372 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in three games played that season.[178]
Prior to Week 5 of the 2019 season, McCoy was named the starting quarterback over Case Keenum.[179] In Week 5 against the New England Patriots, McCoy threw for 122 yards and one interception in the 33–7 loss. The Patriots game was McCoy's lone appearance of the 2019 season[180]
New York Giants
edit
On March 26, 2020, McCoy signed with the New York Giants.[181] McCoy made his first appearance for the Giants in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals after starter Daniel Jones left the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury.[182] McCoy was then named the starter for the Giants’ Week 13 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks after Jones was ruled out with a hamstring injury.[183] Against the Seahawks, McCoy threw for 105 yards, a touchdown, and an interception as the Giants upset the Seahawks 17–12, giving McCoy his first win since 2014.[184] McCoy also started against his former team the Cleveland Browns in Week 15 where he threw for 221 yards in a 20–6 loss.[185]
Arizona Cardinals
edit
McCoy signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals on March 30, 2021.[186] In Week 9 with quarterback Kyler Murray ruled out, McCoy was named the starter against the San Francisco 49ers. He completed 22 out of 26 passes with one touchdown as the Cardinals won, 31–17.[187] He started in three games for the Cardinals in the 2021 season, going 2–1 and passing for three touchdowns and one interception.[188]
On March 14, 2022, McCoy signed a two-year contract extension with the Cardinals.[189] On September 7, 2022, McCoy was placed on injured reserve with a calf injury.[190] He was activated on October 15.[191] In Week 10, McCoy made the start in place of Murray. He passed for 238 yards and a touchdown in the 27–17 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.[192] After Murray suffered a torn ACL in Week 14, McCoy assumed starting quarterback duties. However, after suffering a concussion in Week 15 against the Denver Broncos, he was replaced by Trace McSorley.[193] David Blough would start the final two games of the season as McCoy was held out due to concussion symptoms.[194]
On August 28, 2023, McCoy, who was expected to be the starter opening the 2023 season, was surprisingly released by the Cardinals as part of final roster cuts before the start of the 2023 season.[195] McCoy was still recovering from elbow surgery and thus required numerous off days. He was only able to play four drives during their last preseason game and coach Jonathan Gannon cited his overall body of work and production as to why McCoy was released.[196]
He was frequently cited in the media as an option when other quarterbacks were injured, and even had a workout with the Minnesota Vikings a couple of months after being cut, but he was not signed during the 2023-24 NFL season.[197] He spent much of the season rehabbing his elbow and in early 2024 said he was still open to returning as a player in 2024, but also looking at coaching or even politics.[198]
Colt McCoy is often called "the real McCoy" in media features because of his performance on the field, his leadership, and his personality.[201] On May 29, 2006, he swam 300 yards across a lake to help save the life of Ken Herrington who was having a seizure on a small dock that extended into the privately owned lake.[4][202]
He was the roommate of his favorite receiving target at Texas, Jordan Shipley. McCoy's father was the roommate of Shipley's father at Abilene Christian University (ACU).[7] Colt's younger brother Case and Jordan's younger brother Jaxon were also roommates at the University of Texas and played the same positions as Colt and Jordan.[203][204] McCoy's grandfather, Burl McCoy, is a member of the Abilene Christian University Sports Hall of Fame for his exploits as both an athlete and as the former women's basketball coach.[205]
McCoy is a member of the Churches of Christ and attended Westover Hills Church of Christ in Austin, Texas.[206] When living in Buffalo Gap, he attended and was very involved with the Oldham Lane Church of Christ. McCoy has participated in a church youth group since 2002.[7] His work has included landscaping yards for the elderly, visiting nursing homes, helping with meals on wheels, and ministry.[7]
On January 12, 2010, McCoy became engaged to his girlfriend, Rachel Glandorf, a former middle-distance track and field athlete for Baylor University,[207] by proposing on the video scoreboard at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.[208] Their marriage took place on July 17, 2010. They have two daughters and a son.[209]
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21 notes
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Peter Tork in his high school yearbook, 1959 (photos from old auction listings).
“In Germany I had gone to an American school and in Germany you start school at five years old. Even though I didn’t turn five until the middle of the school year (because my birthday is in February) they sent me anyway. When I came back to America they wanted to put me through first grade again, but my parents would not allow that. So from that time on, until I got to college, I was always younger than my classmates. […] In my senior year of high school I changed schools because a new high school went into operation—the University of Connecticut High School. It was much more comfortable and I was totally among kids my own age. […] I was interested in dramatics, but I was always too small and too young to play leading roles. Twice, when I was 13 and 15, I played the paper boy in 'Our Town.' I had also learned to play the French horn and in my senior year I played fourth chair French horn in the University of Connecticut (not the high school) band. One other thing I did was work with my brother, Nick, on the campus humor magazine. Ever since Nick was about six he’s been drawing cartoons and he’s really good.” - Peter Tork, Tiger Beat, January 1967 “[A]t Smith, [Peter] was a reporter for the school humor magazine and was active in the drama club.” - Hartford Courant, September 3, 1966 “Peter was in the first graduation class of the new University High School, with honors in mathematics. He played the French horn with the University Band, and also played the piano, guitar, banjo, recorder and bass.” - Catherine McGuire Straus, NME, November 5, 1967 “Terry LaVoie said she and Tork went to Windham High School together and were, eventually, members of the first graduating class at E.O. Smith High School in 1959. She said she has known him since seventh-grade. ‘He was a lot of fun,’ LaVoie said, referring to him as a ‘class clown’ who loved to do small pranks.” - The Chronicle, February 2019 “[Tork and Shoe Suede Blues] performed in public for the first time since his surgery, as part of the 50th anniversary celebration at E.O. Smith High School in Mansfield. A member of the school’s first graduating class, the 67-year-old Tork today makes his home in town. He was chatty and sported his typical playful wit in conversation outside the room before his show […]. Established as a sort of headliner for the evening despite being called a ‘surprise guest,’ he wandered the school gymnasium among a crowd of a little more than 100 in advance of his own set, and encountered several acquaintances. He laughed to recall that he had run into a girl who in the sixth grade passed him a note suggesting they get together. […] Always more of a musician than Monkees records let on, Tork kept up with the very capable Lauren Ellis as they lined up their electric licks, with him doing the lion’s share of the filling as his brother Nick Thorkelson hammered at keyboards as a guest on ‘Wild About My Lovin’.’ The taste for rebellion that has always been an undercurrent of Tork’s work reared its head again when he closed his 11-song, 50-minute show with what he termed a ‘nasty,’ Sex Pistols-style version of ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,’ and it was encouraging to see that despite his recent troubles, he still had the vitality needed to offer that edge.” - Hartford Courant, May 31, 2009 (more in an older post) “I’ve always been a clown. I did comedy-variety shows and minstrel shows in high school and college. On the Village stages all you could do is throw out a few one-liners; basically you’re up there to sing and pass the basket. This opened up a whole new area that I hadn’t been able to explore so fully before. I was hoping to base further experience on that and eventually expand, but that didn’t happen, which was disappointing. But my goal was always to wend my way merrily through life, playing my little banjo and my little guitar and singing my songs.” - Peter Tork, When The Music Mattered (1984)
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Why Did I Spend All This Time Looking At Building Permits For 530 West 27th Street?
With the imminent close of Sleep No More in under a week's time, I found myself interested in when the idea of The McKittrick came into being. The McKittrick itself is a New York invention. The Boston production in its refurbished school setting didn't have The Hotel. But The Hotel is obviously not actually a hotel, it's three nightclubs wearing a trench coat consolidated into a single building. But when did that consolidation take place?
Thanks to a post on Reddit where I wound up musing about the serendipity of the Hotel coming into being in the time between the Great Recession and the opening of the High Line extension, this lead to me going on a deep dive thanks to the one free building report you can access on a free PropertyShark account. For those unfamiliar with what West 27th was prior to the Hotel and the condos, it used to be a cavalcade of nightclubs. Club B.E.D. sat at 530 West 27th street - as DrinkTheHalo has documented extensively, there was Sound Factory and Twilo and Spirit and Home (532) and Guest House (542) making up what we now know as the full Hotel space. After the murder of a club goer in February of 2007 BED closed. On December 27, 2007, the building that we'd come to know as the Hotel was sold for $28,000,000 to 27th Street Property Owner LLC.
There were still nightclubs operating in other parts of the location, but a plan examination was filed on February 27th, 2008. Meanwhile, the Boston production was mounted in the fall of 2009. A town meeting was called on May 19th, 2009 to approve as the school that the housed the production was town property. There has been much written elsewhere about how Boston pulled things together from wherever they could, though the sleepnomoreboston tumblr seems to be gone at this time.
From October of 2009 to February of 2010, Sleep No More ran in Boston. Then, in September of 2010, scaffolding goes up at 530 West 27th. January 2011 sees a flurry of permits, with the final one pertaining to occupancy being filed on February 22, 2011, changing the use to all floors . Come March 7th, the show opened and has been running up until this coming weekend.
Now, we know from the press around the reopening in 2022 that proto-Emursive initially wanted to bring Punchdrunk's Faust to New York (they did on their own, eventually, through Life and Trust). This failed and they turned their attention to Sleep No More, offering it up to Boston and the ART, now chaired by Diane Paulus (the wife of Randy Weiner, sort of but not any more 1/3 of Emursive). Sleep No More runs for a set time period, the kinks are worked out, and the space is secured from 27th Street Property Owner LLC. We know thanks to the Spring 2024 Permitgate A.K.A That's Bullshit Arthur that the lease was formally entered into on December 1, 2010 It had its first amendment in June of 2012, the second in August of 2015, and the third in June of 2022 after reopening but before the closing announcement in late 2023.
With all these dates in hand, we can see that the Property Owner LLC was created in prior to the BED incident, in December of 2007. Centaur (once again, That's Bullshit Arthur). What their plans would have been without Sleep No More are uncertain, probably condos, but they got a tenant who sort of paid the bills for 15 years instead.
The timeline is likely this: proto-Emursive comes to an agreement with Punchdrunk in 2007 or 2008 to mount Sleep No More in New York City with an out of town tryout in Boston in 2009. At the same time Centaur acquires 530-542 in December of 2007 as the 27th Street club era is dying. The Boston production goes as planned, with a building identified prior to the start of the run. The lease of 530 is officially agreed upon December of 2010, with scaffolding being set earlier that fall and the ability to modify in hand thanks to the examination from 2008. The official layout permits are modified in February of 2011, right in time for the show to open in March. All thanks to a theater for Faust falling through.
Timing is everything. Without the club era dying, the building doesn't become available. Without the High Line extension in 2012, the area isn't changed beyond recognition to the point where something other than immersive theater or a strip club makes sense as an investment. I give Emursive a lot of flack. But they threaded the needle near perfectly in terms of timing. Sleep No More, as a show that attracted both the theatrically minded and those with cash to spend, could not have existed at any time other than Bloomberg's NYC. But it's a different NYC now and that's all there is to a permit.
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trying to figure out the louis grieve timeline is so fucking annoying. Someone peer review this ^-^
Early May 2008
Darla’a death
L16 - B16 - T15
Tim skipped a grade, idk.
June 2008
Darla and Bernard meet again
Darla is put in prison
L16 - B17 - T15
July 2008 to May 2009
Jack dies
The Red Robin era starts
Bernard slowly gets indoctrinated
Senior year of high school
L17 - B17 - T16
Tim’s is July 19, 1992
Darla’s is September 1991
Bernard is June 1991
June 2009
Darla is released from prison
Bernard graduates from high school and officially joins the cult
L17 - B18 - T16
Summer 2009
Bernard takes boxing classes and is still in the cult
Everything with Doctor Gotham goes down (Shadowpact 2006)
L17 - B18 - T17
Tim turned 17 during RR
Autumn 2009
Bernard starts college for Biology and Physics (Pre-Med? To go into Med School? EMTs don’t need to go to med school, but Bernard is an overachiever)
He’s still in the cult
L18 - B18 - T17
December 2009
Red Robin
Shadowpact
College and Cult
L18 - B18 - T17
January 2010
New Years yay
Bernard got disowned or smth over holidays, so he lives in a shitty apartment now
L18 - B18 - T17
February 2010
Bernard is still in the cult.
He’s in his second semester as a Freshman in college.
He does odd jobs for money (he doesn’t want to spend all of his trust fund (he needs it for college)).
Tim is still doing his RR stuff.
Laura gets hit
Darla shows up
L18 - B18 - T17
March 2010
6 months since RR, so Tim’s back now
February
#i refuse to believe that it took 2 years for timbern to reunite#but#its looking like that might be the case#louis grieve trio#darla aquista#laura fell#tim drake#timbern#bernard dowd
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Poking at timeline stuff again:
So Kon was ‘born’ in 1993, and hatched from his tube aged… 15ish? He turned 1 in Nov 1995 (Superboy Annual #2 of his series) – note Kon is STILL AGING here, and after this point he’s usually described as 16 physically. His age ‘froze’ in July 1997 (Superboy #41) and then started aging again after Sins of Youth in May 2000 (Superboy #74) Kon died in May 2006 (Infinite Crisis #6) Kon returned in June 2009 (Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #4)
2000-2006 is about a year in Comics Time. I think it’s 100% fair to say Kon was physically 17 year old, at his youngest, as at his death, and mentally 17-18.
Kon enrolled in Smallville High on his revival – he’s almost certainly in Year 12/a Senior – and 2009ish is known as the ‘start’ of a school year by a bunch of correlating factors (Steph starting college is one). Flashpoint interrupts and this school year likely never finished. He may or may not have celebrated his 18th birthday before Flashpoint but it either happened or was due imminently.
Known timegaps – Kon lost slightly over a year between Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis. His aging stopped either for over a year (if you use Bat timelines) or more like 6 months (given it was 3 years real time). In total I want to say Kon’s ‘age’ went backwards about 18 months to two years over this period. His mental age, however, probably only lost 15 months or so.
By Flashpoint, Kon probably was due to celebrate his 18th birthday in his personal timeline.
In comparison: Jason Todd died aged 15 (if you take canon at its word) or 14 years 9 months (if you use the canonical birthday and death day dates). He was officially dead for 6 months before getting resurrected (- 6 months) and then in a coma for a year (-12 months). He then had a fun amnesiac period which does not have a defined length of time before Talia got sick of it and pushed Jason into a Pit.
Using Bat timelines, 18 months after Jason’s death is probably some time around Contagion or Legacy. Legacy in particular makes a lot of sense for Talia to see Jason in Gotham and pick him up to take home with her. He probably had to go into a Lazarus Pit during No Man’s Land, given Bane and Bruce start the ‘destroy all the Lazarus Pits’ campaign post-NML, culminating in Death and the Maidens in 2003-2004.
Either way, Jason Todd is still mentally 15 years old as of 2000.
Jason’s not in a position to return to Gotham with Talia’s urging until AFTER the rebuild for the famous bomb the Batmobile moment (realistically probably 2000-2001), and from the rebuild process IN DC comics 2001 is a better call than 2000 if you don’t still want rubble everywhere (they didn’t manage to get Ivy out of Robinson Park until Jan 2001)
He then does his world travel training trip… but is back in Gotham for September 2003 and Hush (and Tim’s 16th birthday).
Given Tim’s birthday is canonically on 19 July, the longest Jason’s world training trip can be is 6 months, and is probably more like 3-4 months given the required futzing time either side.
Jason doesn’t legally turn 18 until March 2004 (Tec #790). He’s still almost certainly mentally 16 years old here. He’s arguably physically 17.5 here.
A set of preboot timeline facts from all of this that is hilarious (to me):-
Jason and Tim are mentally about the same age, given their canonical 23 month age gap by date of birth. Depending on how long a period Talia keeps Jason around as an amnesiac, Tim may actually be mentally older.
Yes. The Titans Tower fight was essentially two 16 year olds having a spat.
Kon, despite also having fun death times, is 100% mentally older than Jason for all periods, though they’re close to drawing even after Final Crisis. He’s probably close to physically the same age as Jason for a lot of the time up to Infinite Crisis.
Tim may actually have spent a similar amount of time training in Paris (between Robin I and some time during Legacy and the summer leading up to Cataclysm) as Jason did on his Lost Days world trip.
Anyone who questions how Tim can be one of the greatest bo staff fighters in the world when he’s working off the same time frame of intense training from masters as Jason is (and has a far more substantial training time with Bruce and Dick) is honestly discounting that Tim has more extensive vigilante experience than Jason does, particularly in terms of Gotham-focused skills.
Kon and Tim end up by Flashpoint as within a few months of each other in age.
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[2024.08.05] AERA x Yuzuru Hanyu: 24.8.12-19 No. 37
person in focus
"After all, it's frustrating when I can't perform well."
A session with photographer Mika Ninagawa for the first time in a year. In a long interview exclusive to this magazine, he talks about the ideals he pursues.
Writer: Takaomi Matsubara
Professional skater Yuzuru Hanyu
Born December 7, 1994 in Sendai. 2009 Won the Junior Grand Prix Final at age 14. 2010 Became the youngest Japanese male to win the World Junior Championships. 2011 While practicing at a rink in Sendai, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, and he had to live in an evacuation shelter. The rink where he was training was temporarily closed. 2012 First participated in the World Championships, coming in third. 2013 Graduated from Tohoku High School. Enrolled in a correspondence course at the Faculty of Human Sciences at Waseda University, studying human informatics and cognitive sciences. Won his first Grand Prix Final. Won four consecutive titles thereafter. 2014 First Asian gold medal in men's figure skating at the Sochi Olympics. First World Championship win. 2017 Second World Championship win. 2018 Second gold medal in men's figure skating at the Pyeongchang Olympics. 2020 Won his first Four Continents Championship, becoming the first man to win all major international junior and senior competitions. 2022 Participated in the Beijing Olympics. In July, announced his professional career. The ice show "Prologue" was held in Yokohama in November and in Hachinohe in December. 2023 In February, the ice show "GIFT" was held at Tokyo Dome. In March, the ice show "notte stellata" was held in Miyagi Prefecture. In March and April, he appeared in the ice show "Stars on Ice" (Osaka, Iwate, Yokohama). In May and June, he appeared in the ice show "Fantasy on Ice" (Makuhari, Miyagi, Niigata, Kobe). In November, the ice show "RE_PRAY" tour began at Saitama Super Arena. The following year, it was held at SAGA Arena in Saga in January, Pia Arena MM in Yokohama in February, and Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Miyagi in April. 2024 In March, the ice show "notte stellata" was held in Miyagi Prefecture. In May and June, he appeared in the ice show "Fantasy on Ice" (Makuhari, Aichi). On September 15th, he will be performing in the "Noto Peninsula Reconstruction Support Charity Performance Challenge" in Ishikawa Prefecture.
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It has been two years since he made a new start as a professional figure skater in the summer of 2022. In 2024, he led three successful ice shows: "RE_PRAY" (Saga, Yokohama, Miyagi performances), "notte stellata" and "Fantasy on Ice".
The shoot with Mika Ninagawa for the first time in a year began with a cheerful greeting from each other, "Thank you for your continued support this year," and "Thank you." When she said to him, "You're still as young as ever!", Hanyu replied with a smile, a little embarrassed, "I'm almost 30."
"Move freely."
With those words, he made expressions and gestures as he pleased.
Various scenes were set up in the vast studio. Hanyu, who changed costumes and was photographed in each scene, moved and made expressions freely, sometimes under instructions and sometimes as if he was imagining (creating) a story himself. The people watching repeatedly let out gasps of amazement as the images were displayed one after another on the computer monitor. It was nothing short of amazing how he instantly exuded various moods - from boyish with a hint of innocence to cool and seductive.
His creativity was not limited to the way he behaved as a subject. When the BGM was played during the shoot, his body naturally responded to the music, and he also requested songs himself when he saw the costumes. There was also a moment when he saw a prop that had been set up and asked, "Do you have one more of these?" This revealed his high level of creative awareness.
The shooting has completed.
"Thank you very much," he said, and there was something light-hearted and cheerful about it. After a year, what he showed in the studio was a more mature and expressive side to him.
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Exclusive interview with this magazine
[In pursuit of a distant ideal]
He is now in his third year as a professional figure skater. Reflecting on his days of taking on unprecedented challenges, he spoke about what he has gained from them and what the future holds.
Photo: Mika Ninagawa Writer: Takaomi Matsubara
Yuzuru Hanyu, the journey continues
hair & make up: Noboru Tomizawa styling: Masataka Hattori costume: NEEDLES BED j.w. FORD YUKI HASHIMOTO prop styling: Ayumi Endo
Yuzuru Hanyu started out as a professional figure skater in 2022. In his first professional ice show, "Prologue," he performed the first solo ice show in history. He skated for nearly two hours, with a structure that richly conveyed his skating career. Following "Prologue," he then performed a solo show at the Tokyo Dome for the first time in history, "GIFT." The ice show filled the gigantic venue, which had never been seen before. After "Prologue" and "GIFT," he held the performance "notte stellata" in March 2023, which was filled with thoughts and prayers for March 11. It has been a year since our interview last summer, following those three performances.
Changes in the "depth" of thinking
"When I was interviewed a year ago, it had just been a year since I turned professional. I had a desire to grow and learn more specialized things. In the year since then, I think that my technique, expression, and many other aspects have changed. Among them, I feel that I have had many more opportunities to think about expression. I have been thinking about expression even in my daily life. I think that the way I think about my show, the way I think about each program, the depth of those things has clearly changed." He talks about what triggered the change in the past year. "First of all, I had to spend more time thinking about writing a new ice story after GIFT and also about my own performance.” The new ice story was "RE_PRAY", under the title "ICE STORY 2nd". It opened on November 4, 2023 at Saitama Super Arena. It was performed in Saitama for two days, on that day and the following day, and in the new year it was performed in Saga on January 12th and 14th, and in Yokohama on February 17th and 19th, for a total of six performances in three cities. After the premiere in Saitama on November 4th, Hanyu said the following. "First of all, I myself have learned from games, manga, novels, and various other sources, about what life is all about, how precious life is, and other similar things that everyone else roughly feels.
In games, the concept of life is really light in a sense, and you can repeat it, so you can use characters to do all sorts of things and push forward with curiosity. If you apply that to the real world, you might be a person who has the drive to grab hold of dreams, or conversely, from a different perspective, you might be a very terrifying person. But if you could do it all over again, I'm sure people would try it."
24 hours a day, always skating
In this story with a game motif, the question of "choice" is often depicted. We make choices in our lives, even if we are not aware of it. What if you choose a different option than the one you originally chose? Or would you choose the same option? This story asks the audience, which serves as an opportunity to reexamine their way of life. Of course, just like "Prologue" and "GIFT," the fact that this story was completed and received with overwhelming acclaim was due to the performance of Hanyu, who was the sole performer. And even after six performances, he did not try to stay in the same place. He continued to evolve. There were many evidences of this growth at the final performance of the Yokohama show, for example. The movements in the performance of "Chicken, Snake and Pig" where he moved forward as if resisting the shackles. The performance of "Megalovania", following a silent performance without music with only the sound of his edges resonating, was more integrated with the music than in previous performances. Not only in the production aspects, but also in the details of Hanyu's performance itself, there were traces of refinement here and there. After the Saga performance, Hanyu spent his days preparing more rigorously for the Yokohama performance. "Of course, I trained and restricted my diet. Well, how should I say it, there are 24 hours in a day, but I spent the entire time on nothing else but skating. In other words, skating was always present, 24 hours a day.” "That's right. To put it simply, it felt like I was spending every day just working on 'RE_PRAY'." The reason he spent all his time facing skating was because he had regrets about the Saga performance. "After all, it's frustrating when I can't perform well." However, the standards of frustration have changed from when he was a competing athlete.
Still not enough
"Gradually, the focus is shifting from scores to an evaluation. If something technical that I had planned didn't go well, then my evaluation vector changes and my perspective shifts. I couldn't accomplish what I wanted to accomplish in Saga, so I was simply disappointed." After spending 24 hours focused on skating, the Yokohama performance came. After the final performance, he said, "I feel a sense of accomplishment like winning the Olympics." While he felt a sense of fulfillment, he wasn't completely satisfied. He also felt that his ability had not yet caught up with what he wanted to do. "So I feel like there are still things I need to study more. Of course, I think I'm evolving. I think I'm getting better. But I still feel like it's not enough. As I keep digging deeper and deeper, my ideals become higher, and the things I want to express are becoming more and more specific. The more my ideals become more concrete, the more I feel like I'm not catching up." He is aware that he still has areas where he needs to improve, especially in the finer details. This is something he realises now, which he didn't feel this way when he was competing in the sport. "It's impossible to realise this when you're a competitive athlete. After all, if you can jump, you win. To be honest, if you couldn’t jump, there was no point in talking about it, as the outcome of the competition was pretty much decided by how many types of quadruple jumps there are and where you put them in the program. For example, what memories do you have of this song, the background of this song, what is the story you want to express, how will the story and the song fit together, or what meaning is in the choreography, to be honest, there’s not much room to think about them. You have to complete all your technical elements in one go in the four minutes of a competition (free skate), so that's all you can focus on."
A world not in first place
Win the match. In a competition, that is set as a goal. "Since I had already achieved that, there was no way I could go any higher. If you think about it in the world of competition, I won first place, so even if I tried harder, I couldn't get any higher than first place. In other words, I just tried to see how long I could maintain that first place position.
But in the world I'm in right now, even if I think I'm in first place, it may not be. It’s a place where I can think, "I'm still at the bottom". When I look at the various works of art or technically excellent things from around the world, I feel that there are still many things I can't do, so I think that I still have a long way to go." When he moved from the world of competition, which was fixed in a sense, to a new world, it was no longer a confined space. However, whether one knows its vastness or not, whether one feels that there is an endlessly wide world out there, is up to the individual. So even though the world is infinite, some people only notice a limited space. Or, there are those who limit the space themselves.
Right now, Hanyu thinks, "I still have a long way to go." He feels like he's at the bottom. This is because he knows that the world is endlessly vast. The reason he feels this way is because he has the ambition to move forward without being content with the present. So instead of seeing the place he has arrived at as the end point, he knows that there is still space to go beyond that.
Ideals evolve
"I may have surpassed the ideal I had a year ago. But the sense of distance between me and my ideal is probably the same as it was a year ago. For example, if the distance between me and my ideal a year ago was 10 meters, it may be 10 meters, no, 11 meters now. That's how I feel. I'm living and experiencing life, I see information every day, and in the midst of that, my ideal evolves. My ideal gets further and further away. But at the same time, through what I have seen and experienced, I'm sure I’m also one step closer to my ideal." Then, after a short pause, he continued with a smile. "As long as I want to, I think I can continue for the rest of my life." The skater is still on his journey, striving towards the ideals he has built with his own will.
Source: AERA issue 24.8.12-19 No.37, pg 9-15 Info: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0D89L6LS2
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We need to talk about Adam’s age. He was born September 29th, 1990 and he died in 2009. So, he’s 19, so far, so good.
Except, according to a live journal timeline I found, he died in April. Of course, who knows if it’s 100% accurate, but if it is, Adam was 18 when he died. Either way, by the time we was resurrected, he would have been 19 had he been alive.
Of course, it gets more interesting. Adam is a college student. At 18. In April. And he was born in September. I was born in October and the April I was 18, I was still in high school.
Now, different states have different minimum age requirements for kindergarten. Adam is from Minnesota. I am not. I found historical data on kindergarten cutoff dates from several US states.
In Minnesota, you had to be 5 years old by September 1st to start kindergarten that year. Which means Adam entered kindergarten in 1996 and should have graduated high school in May or June 2009.
This means one of two things:
1. Adam and his mom moved away from Windom to a state like Michigan or Ohio, with a kindergarten cut off date later than September 29, and then back to Windom.
2. Adam graduated high school one year early.
#midam#adam spn#Sam did get into Stanford so the idea of his younger brother graduating early isn’t a huge stretch#obviously the real answer is the writers didn’t give enough fucks to realize the problem#what do you mean I might have autism?
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There are a few things Makoto has managed to establish.
He is 100% stuck in a timeloop. He found out the hard way, waking up on the Station platform a few minutes to midnight when he could have sworn he was just on Gekkoukan High’s roof.
He also knows that there are only a few people who retain their memories.
He’s one of them, obviously, but there’s also that girl Kotone, Aigis, the Velvet denizens. It’s a comfort to have at least a few friends remember alongside him.
The first time he had looped, he had immediately staggered into the Velvet Room to see if he was losing his mind. The jury’s still out on whether or not Elizabeth and Igor remembering the loops was a comfort or not, but Aigis is always at his side, ready to provide reassurance that he isn’t alone.
If he lets the loop go on long enough, Ryoji is added to those numbers as well. That fact is far less comforting than Elizabeth or Aigis remembering. He would almost prefer Ryoji to not remember all the times they’ve killed each other.
But as it stands, there’s nothing he can do about it.
Tonight is not a pleasant night. Last night, he watched Shinjiro die for what felt like the hundreth time. Maybe it was. He’s stopped feeling any sort of grief over it, knowing that everything will just go back to normal on his next visit to the roof.
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t cry. No, he sobs and retches into his sink and rips the mirror off of his wall. He can’t stand the sight of his own face anymore- tired and empty-looking, like he’s some kind of ghost. He watches the glass shatter on the ground, sinks to his hands and knees in the mess and watches his palms turn scarlet.
The pain is almost comforting- it reminds him that he’s real. That this loop is real, for however long it remains that way.
He’s vaguely aware of footsteps thumping to the rhythm of his heartbeat, barely noticing as the door flies open. Junpei freezes in the doorway, staring at him as he rises to his feet.
He must look like a dead man walking, with sallow skin and sunken, dead eyes and palms stained scarlet. He’s still in his school uniform- he barely wears his casual clothes anymore. The shirt he’s wearing has been stained with dirt and blood and tears and bile so many times he’s stopped bothering to change it. It’ll just turn out clean again on the next reset.
“I’ll be right back,” he mumbles, and staggers past Junpei up to the roof. The pain in his hands dulls to a throbbing ache, and he balls them into fists just to feel the stabbing sensation again. Just to get more blood to flow. Just to feel something again.
Scars have started to form where they shouldn’t, remnants of past loops that are finally catching up to him. A thin line on his neck from a glass shard. Little pinpricks on his palms from so many nights of shattered mirrors and heaving sobs. Two matching, jagged lines on either side of his spine from a particularly nasty Shadow.
A pale, crescent-moon on his hairline from Takaya. He remembered that loop more vividly than the others. Maybe because it was the first time someone else had made him reset.
Shinjiro was dead. Shinjiro was dead again and there was nothing he could do this loop.
Anger surged through him, and he ran towards the rapidly-retreating form of the killer, of the bastard who dared to think they were brothers. He lunged for the gun, for the murder weapon, for any semblance of control over the situation. What he got in return was a searing pain on his temple, the sound of his friends screaming ringing in his ears. There was a sudden burst of white pain, burning so hot it was almost cold, and he was falling, falling, falling-
And he had woken up. September 27th, 2009. And he had resolved to never try that particular reset again.
He’s zoning out more. He needs to get a fucking grip, and he knows it, but it’s hard to get a solid hold on reality when it won’t stop looping back on itself.
More scars keep showing up, too. Phantom pains in his legs from broken bones, burning behind his eyes from what’s probably adding up to years of not sleeping. The pinpricks in his hands never fully heal, always pink and raw and sliced open far too easily by the same old routine.
In some loops, he rips the mirror from the wall and shatters it. In others, he calmly takes it off and asks Mitsuru or Akihiko or Junpei if they can pawn it off. Most of the time, it ends up in the Command Room, hidden under the sofa to keep anyone else from breaking it.
It never works.
Aigis changes, too. She seemed far more human than the first go-around of this twisted game, perhaps permanently changed by the love of her friends.
She still seems more human than robot, laughing and dancing with Yukari and making jokes with Akihiko and cooking with Fuuka (and when did Fuuka get so good at cooking before the loops?).
But when she sees Makoto, her expression changes. It’s understanding, he knows it is- it’s sorrow and understanding and hope all rolled into one agonising expression. Makoto thinks he prefers to see her happy.
Another loop. Shinjiro gets shot. The mirror gets shattered. New scars show up on Makoto’s skin.
And he thinks distantly that maybe, maybe he deserves this punishment after all.
GAUAYABAHHHHHGHHH TIMELOOP AUS I LOVR YOU BUT I HATE YOU!!! makoto just losing himself over all the loops hes gone through, just repeating the same things hoping something will change. it feels like a punishment that he cant escape. he feels hopeless aufghh...
#claire i think you'd like persona 2 eternal punishment#beautifully written as always#nero answers#persona 3 spoilers#persona 3#p3 spoilers#p3#makoto yuki#p3 time loop
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Obscure Animation Subject #157: Bookworm Bunch
Alright, we we have here for tonight is not one, but multiple shows from a programming block by the name of Bookworm Bunch! This block aired on PBS for Saturday mornings from September 30, 2000 to September 5, 2004. It is the second preschool-oriented Saturday morning block, with the first being Nick Jr. on CBS which launched two years prior. The block served as a collaborative deal between PBS and Nelvana teamed up to create the first-ever animated weekend programming block for the network. Nelvana is a Canadian animation studio founded in 1971, which previously had a deal with CBS to have its own Saturday morning lineup in 1998 but Nick Jr took their place in 2000, so the studio decided to another block with another network, PBS. Some stations may air the block on Sunday mornings when there was less competition. Originally was gonna post this yesterday, but didn’t have the time to due to how long this entire post is.
The block was created to boost viewership of the preschool audience on weekends, specifically on Saturday mornings when that attention was shifted elsewhere. Prior, many PBS stations devoted their Saturday morning schedules to general audience programming, including crafting or do-it-yourself shows, meanwhile commercial networks had extensive lineups for Saturday morning cartoons. This block was created to compete with the big commercial networks.
The lineup consisted of six shows based on children’s books, those being Corduroy (by Don Freeman), Elliot Moose (by Andrea Beck), Timothy Goes to School (by Rosemary Wells), Seven Little Monsters (by Maurice Sendak), George Shrinks (by William Joyce) and Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse (by Betty and Michael Paraskevas). A seventh series, Junior Kroll and Company (by Betty Paraskevas), was in development, but was later scrapped.
During the block's first season, all the shows (with the exception of the first 15-minute Corduroy episode) were shown either 15 or 45 minutes past the hour, in an effort to discourage "channel-flipping" to other competing children's cartoons. Another 15-minute Corduroy episode then ended the block, making its total runtime three hours. This block proved to be a success, gaining high ratings at first, although as time went on the viewership declined.
A drastic revamp was made to its second season when it premiered on November 3, 2001. Elliot Moose and Corduroy were both dropped from the lineup entirely, thus shortening the block to two hours. The four remaining series (Timothy Goes to School, Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse, Seven Little Monsters, and George Shrinks) were instead seen on the hour and half-hour. This second season ended on February 23, 2002, but reruns continued until September 5, 2004 when it was discontinued all together.
In spite of this, new episodes of Seven Little Monsters and George Shrinks started airing separately from the block for their final seasons, and reruns continued separately for Timothy Goes to School on Discovery Kids until 2006 and Qubo until its shutdown, with Elliot Moose and Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse also airing on the latter. PBS also continued airing reruns for Seven Little Monsters until 2004, and George Shrinks until 2009. Alright, now let’s look at the 6 programs shall we?
The first show is Corduroy, which aired new episodes until February 24, 2001. It also aired on TVOKids in its origin country Canada. The series was developed by Betty Quan and directed by Eduardo Soriano, with the animation outsourced from China’s Sichuan Top Animation. Storyboard artists include Paul Dedi, Dave Mah, Ken Davis, Trent Larson, Sam To (later an MLP storyboard artist), Don Boone, John Delaney and Marvin Tabo Estropia, with the animation supervised by Greg Woods
Based on the book from 1968 (I remember seeing its cover on the opening for Blue's Clues), it follows an alive teddy bear Corduroy (whose personality is similar to a preschool child) and his best friend Lisa, a young schoolgirl of Jamaican heritage. They go on adventures through the town of New York, USA. 13 half-hours were produced for the series, but the episodes were split into 26 11-minute episodes when airing on the block. I haven’t seen it so not much to say here.

Elliot Moose, which was based on the 1998 book series, actually originally aired in Canada on TVOntario from September 6, 1999 to September 20, 2000, prior to debuting on Bookworm Bunch. The series had 26 half-hour episodes produced of 2 seasons, each episode containing four 5-minute segments, two in live-action and two animated. The live-action segments are directed by Steve Wright and Michael McNamara, while the animated segments are directed by Charles E. Bastien, infamously known as the sole director for PAW Patrol from its third season until the tenth season when his death occurred, his death from cancer is thanks to the toxic work environment of Guru Studio. Anyways, Elliot Moose features a young moose named Elliot who lives in a place called "the Big House". He goes on adventures with his friends Beaverton, Lionel, Socks, and Paisley. Again, I don’t have much to say about it because I haven’t seen, and is probably the most forgotten show of the bunch.

Anyway, moving on the third series which is Timothy Goes to School. This show is developed by Kate Barris and directed by Gary Hurst. It lasted until January 26, 2002, and was co-produced by Silver Lining, with animation provided by Animation Services (Hong Kong) Limited. Notably, this isn’t the only collaboration Nelvana had with Silver Lining, as they would later co-produce the more well-known Max & Ruby, which was also based on the books by Rosemary Wells, being done with flash animation and lasting from May 3, 2002 to April 9, 2020, wow nearly 18 years, with 7 seasons and 130 episodes of 334 segments. Timothy Goes to School though was animated traditionally with digital ink-and-paint, as with the other shows from Bookworm Bunch. It had 2 seasons of 26 episodes with each containing two 11-minute segments. It follows Timothy as he attends kindergarten at the fictional “Hilltop School”. I think I remember watching it, but I don’t remember what happens in every episode, so moving on. My step sister loves Max & Rudy so I may show this to her since it’s from the same creator.

The fourth show is what I consider to be my personal favorite of the bunch, Seven Little Monsters, which follows a family of 7 monsters (each named after a number) and their mother, sharing a lot in common visually with the other work of the original author, Where the Wild Things Are. Based on the 1977 book, it aired for three seasons of 40 episodes from September 30, 2000 to October 6, 2003, with season 3 featuring two 11-minute segments per episode. Animation was outsourced from Suzhou Hong Ying Animation Company Limited from China for the first two seasons and Philippine Animation Studio Inc. from the Philippines for the final season. Glenn Sylvester directed the first season, while Neil Affleck, known for his collaborations on The Simpsons and Family Guy, directed every episode of the second season and also directed episodes of the third season with Lynn Reist. Affleck and Reist later reunited to serve as the two episode directors of Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends. What I really like about this show is that it has a calming slice-of-life aesthetic, although the monsters are like their book compartments design-wise, they act far less naughty which makes sense as PBS is about teaching kids positive values. What I like about this show is that it has less emphasis on teaching educational values, but more about the family dynamic, which makes the relationships of the family feel realistic, which also having a relaxing slice-of-life tone that’s reminiscent of Arthur, with a bit of a goofy nature thrown in, mainly with how Three likes using different personas in each episode. The character designs do really give the series edge to it when compared to other PBS shows, feeling reminiscent of something you would see on Cartoon Network. And plus, the theme song preformed by Barenaked Ladies of Big Bang Theory fame is great. So overall, I’d say this is the show I recommend the most from this bunch.

George Shrinks is the fifth show of this bunch and, it isn’t anything special really. It is animated by Jade Animation and lasted from September 30, 2000 to January 23, 2003 for 3 seasons of 40 episodes. Doug Thoms directed every episode in the first season, and while he was kept for directing certain episodes of seasons 2 and 3, other directors usually took his place. Already the show differs from the original source material by having the title character not returning to his normal size at the conclusion, appearing to have already been small with no apparent explanation, and it teaches kids about having a positive outlook, which is fine but it doesn’t make me interested. If you think I’m missing out on something please let me know, because I know it has its own fans.

And now the most weird of the bunch, the final series, Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse. Animated by Hong Guang Animation, it lasted for two seasons of 26 episodes from September 30, 2000 to January 26, 2002, with each episode containing two 11-minute segments. It tells the stories of a young horse named Marvin who is part of a carnival. Interestingly Marvin used to be a movie celebrity but moved on from that life for a more humble existence. Some episodes include original songs to help illustrate the theme or accompany montages that carry the story forward. The show is based on the love of personal interests of the co-creator, Michael Paraskevas, for carnivals and his mother’s love for musical theatre. It’s like Bojack Horseman if in an alternative wholesome universe.

And so that’s bookworm bunch, a forgotten PBS relic that has some hidden gems, but for the most part it’s fine. Very ambitious to create a Saturday morning block targeted at preschoolers through since older children are usually home. But, there’s some great stuff to behold, like Seven Little Monsters, but otherwise an interesting experiment that unfortunately, flopped.

#pbs#pbs kids#nelvana#seven little monsters#corduroy#Elliot moose#timothy goes to school#george shrinks#marvin the tap dancing horse#programming block#obscure animation
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forming the young veins
The Young Veins was announced as Ryan and Jon's new project on 28 July 2009, when "Change" was released on the band's MySpace page. By March of the following year, they had found a bassist, a drummer and a keyboardist to join them onstage for the tour. The final lineup was:
Ryan Ross - vocals, guitar Jon Walker - vocals, guitar Andy Soukal - bass Nick Murray - drums Nick White - keyboards
(clicking on each member will take you to their picture tag)
Ryan and Jon described the formation of the Young Veins as organic, with Nick Murray and Nick White being Los Angeles locals and Jon having known Andy Soukal from growing up in Chicago.
From an interview Ryan and Jon did with Artisan News Service:
Jon: We didn't have a band. That was by far our biggest obstacle. Writing songs, and hearing them in our head, but not being able to play them as a full band up until, you know, a few weeks before we actually recorded it. The guys who played with us learned it. Ryan: We demoed all of this stuff pretty much just the two of us for a while. Jon was playing the drums and stuff like that. We knew what it was gonna be like, we just didn't know who was gonna do it, so we got our friends, actually, that played before us tonight, Black Gold, they played on the album.
From Ryan's September 2010 video interview with MTV:
When we started the band it wasn’t really much different [to being in Panic!] because Jon and I had been writing together for a couple years prior to this. When we found the other guys it was pretty natural as well. We didn’t really have tryouts or anything. Everybody that we met we met through friends of friends, or Jon had known Andy for years, and so it was pretty organic, I guess.
From a May 2010 interview Jon did with They Will Rock You:
It was all pretty organic, we didn’t really have tryouts. We just wanted to find people that we enjoyed spending time with and who were good musicians. I went to high school with Andy (bass), and Nick and Nick (keys and drums) are both from Los Angeles. I had met both of them out there and they were the first people that we found that were open and able to play with us. It ended up working out really well. We did our first tour with them and they’re all great, they’re definitely a great addition to the band and will be included on the next record which will probably be a big improvement.
From the B-Sides interview Ryan and Jon did with MYX:
Ryan: I met Andy through Jon. You guys grew up together in Chicago, somewhat. Jon: We were in a street gang together. Ryan: They were in a gang together.
From an interview Jon did with Punktastic in June 2010:
How did you both come across Nick and the rest of the band? How long did it take you to settle on the final line-up? We really left the decision up to fate and accepted the first people we met. Great bunch of guys.
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I keep thinking about the time line mess of the hidden inventory arc and the year of Geto's defection
It's 2009:
- Manga panel that says it's September 2009;
- Megumi is a first grader. In Japan school starts in April and you already have to be 6 by then. Also proved by Nobara being in first grade in 2009.
(note: this is why Maki, who is born in January, is second year, while Nobara and Megumi who are born in August and December are first years, with 2003 baby Yuuji)
It's 2007:
- The incident report in anime is dated 2007;
- Suguru is called a third year but he was a second year in 2006 so it had to be only a year.
The only logical option I see is there being a two year tine skip between Getou's defection and Gojou finding Megumi. But Gojou is still wearing his high school uniform and he should have graduated by then. Unless Gege just didn't want to change his design but who knows 🧍
Also, later in the manga both Tengen and Yuki say the star plasma vessel happened 11 years which would put in 2007. Except if it was 2007 the trio would be third years because they all would be 17.
Can someone smart explain this to me? Maybe I am just overthinking and missing some details and it all makes sense actually and I am just stupid 🧍
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Take Me Home, Country Roads (3): We're Going To Be Friends

❥ NakedToaster x Reader

September 7th, 2009
If there was one thing you didn't hate about Ottawa, it was undoubtedly Everything Coffee. Everything Coffee, as the name suggested, was a quaint cafe in the heart of the town- a little over a twenty-minute walk from your house. Sable introduced you to the shop after your first day of school when she took you into town to run errands; you knew from the moment you stepped inside it'd be your safe haven from the surrounding Hickville.
The cafe was visibly rundown from the outside, but it held a charm that no other place in Ottawa could hold a candle to. Flickering string lights hung across the front, from one side of the wood paneling to the other, casting a warm glow over the outdoor seating area. The inside was just as cozy, with a lingering scent of hot chocolate and roasted coffee beans welcoming you the second you opened the door. Overall, the cafe had a rustic feeling that inexplicably cured your homesickness.
With your first week in town officially completed, you felt more confident navigating around than ever. You now had a basic understanding of where the main staples in Ottawa were located, such as the laundromat, convenience store, park, and previously mentioned cafe. You had done a great deal of exploring that weekend with your sister, wandering around town and looking at what the place had to offer. Although there wasn't much to see, it left you feeling more prepared for your trek to school that Monday morning.
You woke up not on a firm, uncomfortable couch, but on your mattress that had thankfully arrived Thursday afternoon with your desk. Unfortunately, you had forgotten to pack your bedsheets, so for the time being, you were stuck with only a bare mattress, bedframe, and an old blanket Sable had stashed away in her closet. Still, it was an improvement from sleeping in the living room. You were already starting to settle into your new living arrangement- not that you were particularly thrilled about it, though. So much so that you had even managed to wake up early enough to walk to Everything Coffee before school.
In Colorado, swinging by a cafe or convenience store before school would've been no big deal. Everything in Denver was, at most, a ten-minute walk or bus ride away. Hell, there were two Dutch Bros in your neighborhood alone. If anything, it might've been more of a challenge to not stop by someplace before heading to class. Ottawa, however, didn't have the same luxury of an in-town Dutch Bros- or public transit, for that matter.
Although Everything Coffee didn't align with your usual route to school, it was in the center of town where an actual road, not just a dirt-trodden path, led to Ottawa High. The walk would be twenty minutes longer than taking the trail and not even half as scenic, but you figured the coffee would make up for it. Double-checking your pockets for your keys and wallet, you slung your backpack over one shoulder and announced your departure. Your sister was likely still asleep, but it made you feel a weird sense of loneliness to just leave.
“Sable? I’m heading out!” No response. You sighed and swung the door open.
Aside from the sounds of birds chirping and trees rustling with the morning breeze, the day was surprisingly calm. The sun had just come into view over the horizon, giving everything a bluish tint. The weird lighting looked like something straight out of the first Twilight movie, which made you giggle. The mornings in the South were the complete opposite of the afternoons; rather than feeling the sun beat down on you from high above the clouds, a cool breeze was always seconds away from gently rustling your hair into your face.
The further you walked, the deeper you got lost in thought. You went over all the usual things, like what you wanted to order when you got to the cafe or how much homework Ms. Roberts would assign that day- but it all cycled back to one person in particular... Soren. By the end of the first day, you were almost positive you had made a lasting impression on him. The next day, however, things between you were awkward all over again, and by Wednesday, you two had nothing to talk about.
You could tell Soren was trying to make conversation, but he could hardly stutter out a "How are you?" let alone ask a mildly thought-provoking question. Aside from him, no one else had bothered to talk to you all week. At the rate your friendship (or lack thereof) was going, you'd be lucky if he could look you in the eyes by graduation. College graduation, that was.
After a few more minutes of walking and thinking about your maybe-friend, you arrived at Everything Coffee. The string lights didn't shine as brightly in the morning as they had the afternoon you first visited, but you liked how the cafe looked illuminated by the morning glow. As you entered, a bell attached to the green wooden door chimed. Unsurprisingly, the inside seemed to be bustling with commuters; some were your age, with backpacks strapped over their shoulders, while the rest were adults shuffling in and out on their way to work. Despite the rush, only two other people seemed to be waiting to order.
While you waited, you scanned the chalkboard menu proudly displayed behind the front counter; at least a third was dedicated to listing every flavor known to man, from caramel to Irish cream to mudslide. Another third was listing a myriad of coffee variants, some of which you'd never even heard of. And on the right, crammed in with tiny lettering, was all the food they had to offer. At the top was french toast, sold for two dollars and twenty-five cents.
Just like that, the thought of you and Soren's strained friendship was at the forefront of your mind again. You were what you'd consider to be an ambivert, almost always ready to initiate a conversation and not nearly as awkward as you used to be. So why was it that you couldn't seem to figure Soren out, and why did that bother you so much?
“Hello, what can I get fer ya’ today?” A middle-aged woman behind the cash register asked as the person in front of you stepped aside, done ordering. You jerked your head back to face her, order-less and unprepared.
“Yeah, can I get,” you scanned the menu over again, “a sixteen ounce (drink of choice)? And a muffin to go?” Although you were finished with your order, your eyes still lingered on the chalkboard menu. Something was missing.
“...’Ll that be all for yer’ order?” The cashier asked, writing down your drink on a plastic cup. You paused for a second, not taking your eyes off of the menu.
“Actually, can I get a matcha latte and french toast too?” The lady smiled and nodded, reaching for a second cup. “It’ll be right up. Total’s $11.50.”
You didn’t know what possessed you to order a whole breakfast for a boy you barely knew, but as you walked up a third flight of stairs to your classroom, you knew you regretted it. Not only was balancing two drinks, two bags, and your IPhone 3GS way harder than you initially thought, but you didn’t even know if Soren liked what you had ordered him. Were you that desperate for friends? What if he was allergic to matcha? Or lactose intolerant?
When you reached your class, you awkwardly shuffled the bags and matcha cup in between your elbow and forearm and rattled the door open with your free hand. You got it open just wide enough with your limited range of motion to slip inside, careful not to drop anything. The drinks interrupted the peaceful quiet of the room with a sloshing sound as you made your way to your desk, capturing a couple peoples’ attention. What? Have they never seen a fucking drink before? You thought as you finally sat down.
You glanced over to your seatmate, ready to get rid of the deadweight you’d been carrying since you ordered. Soren had his head down just like every other morning that week, but he sat up when he felt your shift next to him. It took him a moment to rub the sleep out of his eyes and put his glasses on, which you found amusing. You took the time to grab his food and hold it out to him.
“Here.” You presented once Soren turned back to face you. His eyes widened in surprise; whether he meant it in a good or bad way, you couldn’t tell.
“Oh. Oh- uh, thank you.” Soren’s voice cracked as he plucked the food out of your hands. His face flushed when he looked down at you, a small smile on his face. “I, um, how’d you know I like matcha?”
“Totally didn’t.” You barked out a laugh that was a bit louder than necessary. “Er- I just figured you’d like the green color? And I got you french toast, too.” You gestured towards the bag.
“T-Thank you. Really.” He said, opening the brown paper sack. You pulled your muffin out at the same time, and together, you took your first bites.
The flavor was pretty good by plain muffin standards, albeit a bit dry, but it was Soren’s reaction you were most focused on. After biting into the pastry, his eyes lit up and he let out a small groan at the taste. “ Mmf- This is,” he took a second bite, “ so good!” He spoke with his mouth full, which under normal circumstances would’ve completely grossed you out. This time, however, you couldn’t help but laugh and grin.
Soon after you started eating, the minute bell rang and Mr. Neale promptly started class. As he lectured about types of aquatic biomes, you and Soren happily munched down on your breakfasts. You figured if buying him food made him so happy, you’d have to do it again soon. You made a conscious resolve to not look too deep into that urge. After various notes, homework reminders, and powerpoint slides, the second period bell rang and you and Soren walked out together.
“I really don’t think I’ll be paying much attention to Environmental any time soon. I mean it’s one of the easiest AP’s anyway, and besides, when am I gonna need to know trophic levels in the future?” You ranted as you walked down the hallway to AP Lang.
“Mm, are you planning on going into geosciences?” Soren asked.
“Nah, I’m not too keen on collecting dirt samples for the rest of my life.” You shrugged and turned into the classroom. Soren stopped and pointed somewhere behind him.
“I, uh, actually have to pick up some stuff from the office, but I’ll be back soon. I think.” you nodded and walked into class by yourself. You would’ve offered to go with him, but you didn’t think Ms. Roberts would’ve been pleased if you accompanied him without reason.
You took your seat at the back and pulled out your journal, earbuds, and phone. Ms. Roberts had a paragraph projected on the board as a warm up activity at the start of every class; your job was to identify the theme and examine the supporting evidence in the text. Boring, as per usual, but at the very least you were allowed to listen to music.
You put your earbuds in and started working, not bothering to actually play anything on your phone. That day’s paragraph was a brief excerpt on Oscar Wilde and his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, a book you were vaguely familiar with. You were far from a bookworm, but you enjoyed an occasional fiction book. As you wrote, you could hear the two girls in front of you snickering about one of the lines in the text.
“‘ His homosexual tendencies are reflected in the novel.’ How weird is that?” The girl directly in front of you whispered to the other. Admittedly, you had suppressed a laugh too. You knew you were probably laughing for different reasons, but “homosexual tendencies” wasn’t something you were expecting to read that morning.
“Oh my god, shut up! Someone’s gonna hear you!” Her friend giggled back.
“And? Who cares.” She shrugged
“Probably the guy behind me.”
You shot up defensively at that comment and immediately slouched back down when you realized you had been eavesdropping. Fortunately, both girls were too busy doubling over in laughter to notice your reaction. What the hell did they mean by that? A part of you wanted to say something, wanted to stand up for what might’ve been your only friend in that town, but another part was morbidly curious. Were you already killing your social status? And did social status matter if you were only surrounded by assholes?
“I mean, what normal guy dyes his hair pink? If it’s purple or blue, fine, maybe he’s just one of those emos. But pink has to mean he’s… y’know.” She elaborated, grinning.
“I don’t think his hair is dyed though? We went to elementary school together at Davenport and it was the same exact color it is now.” The girl in front of you said.
“God, was he always creepy or is this like, new for him?”
“Always weird. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he became a serial killer or something one day.”
As if on cue, Soren opened the door to the classroom with a hallway pass in hand. You watched as he turned it in to Ms. Roberts, and looked down before he could turn back to see your staring. From the corner of your eye, you could see the girls give each other a look before moving on to gossip about other things. You felt a pit forming in your stomach as you contemplated your next course of action.
Aside from the mild bigotry in their conversation, you couldn’t help but feel as though their claims had some validity. What if he was weird, like creepy weird, and you just didn’t know it yet? And as shallow as it sounded, you also didn’t want to be a social outcast your senior year by befriending him.
In Denver, you never had to think twice about your status. For the most part, everyone was friendly toward you and vice versa. You didn’t have major issues with anyone, and the worst thing that had happened to you reputation-wise was that one time your sophomore year when you fell down the stairs. Other than that, you were a well-rounded, rule-following, average student. In Ottawa, however, you were nobody.
“H-Hey. Everything alright?” You jumped at the sound of Soren’s voice, somehow too lost in thought to have noticed him sitting down. Your face flushed, partially due to being caught off guard but also out of… embarrassment? You knew it was a bitch move to not want to talk due to his social status, but you couldn’t help but hope the girls in front of you wouldn’t notice you associating with him.
“Yeah. Just working.” And with that, you turned back down to your journal.
You didn’t talk to him again until the bell rang and the girls in front of you left. Although it felt obvious, you hoped he wouldn’t notice your sudden coldness. After gathering your stuff, you bid him a brief goodbye and headed to Pre-Cal.
Guilt continued to eat at you all day, especially during lunch when you sat in silence together on the rooftop. You felt as if he knew what you were doing, like he was interrogating you without ever even having to open his mouth. Soren had been so kind as to show you the rooftop the first day you met, and you repaid the favor by what? Cold-shouldering him? Regardless if it was intentional or not, you were distancing yourself from him just over some stupid rumors. Sure, there was a possibility of him being a creep, but there was also a chance that he was just being bullied. From your experience, Soren had been nothing but nice to you, albeit a bit guarded. For the time being, you figured you’d ignore any uncertainties. After all, who else did you have?
By the time eighth period came around, you were still feeling awkward around him. Luckily, Yearbook was composed mostly of social recluses- people that generally stuck to themselves. You didn’t have to worry as much about being under scrutiny there as you did in your other classes; everyone was quiet, worked hard, and considerate for the most part. You and Soren could talk freely there without being interrupted or ostracized.
“Hey, man.” You greeted, giving Soren a nervous smile when he sat down in the seat adjacent to yours.
“Hey. Um, how was… History? That is your last period, right? ” He trailed off, with the last part of his sentence more targeted to himself than it was to you.
“Yeah, history. It was alright.” You nodded.
“Anything… new?”
“It’s been, like, two hours since we last talked so no, not really. I am mega-psyched for Muse’s new album, though. You?”
“Uh, not exactly. Kinda why I asked you first.” He said with a small smile.
“Right.” You grimaced. Turning back to your work, pieces of scrapbook paper and pictures from school events were littered across your desk. Truth be told, you only took Yearbook for an easy A. You didn’t expect to actually have to do work. Just as you were starting to get into the flow of sorting the soccer team’s page, Soren abruptly turned to face you.
“Y-You mentioned Muse earlier.”
“Yeah?” “Well, what other stuff do you like?” Immediately, what felt like a million bands came to mind. They varied in genre and pretentiousness, from Brittany Spears to The New Pornographers, but you thought about which ones Soren would like the most. If he knew Muse, you could probably find some common ground.
“Mm, right now I’ve been super into The Strokes, Jeff Buckley, and,” you tried to gauge his reaction, “...Weezer?” Weezer was a safe choice. You didn’t know a single white guy your age that didn’t know them. Something about Cuomo’s straightforward lyricism must’ve seriously resonated with teen boys everywhere.
“Oh, I haven’t listened to Jeff Buckley before. Is he any good?” You did a fistpump inside your head. Got another one.
“Not only is he good, he is the best damn musician to come out of the whole, wide Western Seaboard.” You thought for a second. “Aside from, like, maybe 2Pac if you count Oakland.” Soren nodded, a small smile on his face.
You continued talking to Soren about Buckley’s discography before moving on to other musicians. If he was tired of your ranting, he didn’t show it. Every time you looked away from your work, Soren was listening intently and nodding along to every word. If you didn’t feel like an asshole for ignoring him before, you definitely did then. By the time the final bell rang, you were still deep in the midst of your conversation with him. Although you had been doing most, if not all of the talking, it was far from one-sided.
“-Which is why Phil Spector had the power to be such an asshole in the first place. He literally dominated the music industry!” You ranted as you walked next to him down the front entrance of the school. You knew your discussion (or diatribe, to be more accurate) had to come to an end soon, but a part of you wanted to keep talking to Soren. You felt like you had made a breakthrough in terms of your friendship that day. As you walked out of the school’s bustling front doors, an idea came to mind.
“Hey, do you walk home?” You asked, completely out of the blue. Normally, you two would split up and go your separate ways after eighth period. You had no clue what he did after that.
“Yeah, w-why?”
“Wanna walk together? I mean cause. Y’know. We already walk together in school and-”
“ Yes ! Er- yeah, I’d like that.” Soren’s face reddened at his outburst, seemingly startling himself with how eager he was to agree.
“Rad. So, what direction do you take?”
“Uh, I usually walk past this one dirt trail behind the school,” you froze, “but we could take the main road if that’s more comfortable.” You walked next to him wordlessly. What were the chances of there being a second trail that you didn’t know about? “(Y/N)? I mean we could walk to your house instead if-” Soren sputtered, backtracking.
“No! No, it’s not that. Uh, how many paths are there behind the school, exactly?”
“...One?”
A beat passed.
“I think we live in the same neighborhood?” You said, looking up at him. “How the hell haven’t I seen you around before? That trail ain’t exactly big or anything.”
“You live on Pike Street?” Soren asked, astounded. You hesitated at the question.
“I don’t know my address.” You confessed. He gave you an unimpressed look. “I moved here like a week ago! What do you expect?” You threw your hands up, exasperated.
“Ok ok, sorry!” Soren laughed. “So, trail it is?” You nodded.
You walked and talked until you reached the start of the trail, when you remembered the moral dilemma from second period. With all your talk about bands and neighborhoods, you had almost forgotten about nearly ghosting him that morning. As much as you wanted to clear things up directly, you didn’t want to risk putting him on the spot, either.
“So...” You started.
“So.” He parroted.
“Not to be presumptuous or anything but, um, I noticed you don’t talk a lot to other people. Why is that?” You looked up at him, trying your best to maintain a low key expression. Soren glanced in the opposite direction, nervously.
“Right. That.”
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to! I was just curious, that's all.” You waved your hands in front of you, panicked.
“No it’s fine, really. I just never got along with others, I guess. I mean, no one ever made an attempt to branch out, but neither did I. I’ve just always been alone, more or less.” Soren took a couple seconds, his eyebrows pinching together as he contemplated what to say next. “Which sounds… a lot angstier than I meant it to be.”
“Well, I think you’re pretty cool. And I also think if you reached out, other people would see that too.” You smiled. Soren gave you a hesitant stare in response; not a mean one, but it was obvious he didn’t agree.
“T-Thanks, but in Ottawa? No one here is worth reaching out to, quite frankly.” He paused. “Uh, aside from… you, of course.” You couldn’t help but grin.
“Word.”
“Pfft. Yeah. Word. But, uh, how does it feel moving your senior year? That must suck.” Soren looked down at you expectantly. Oh great, your turn to be vulnerable.
“It’s the absolute, fucking worst . I had a whole life in Denver! Friends! Family! A 4.0 GPA! And now I’m in the middle of nowhere with nothing but my sister and iPhone- which gets no service, by the way- and I just,” you took a deep breath, “I just wanna go home.” You sighed. Soren frowned sympathetically.
“I’ve basically lived in Ottawa all my life. I used to go to this private school nearby, Davenport, but I transferred hoping to find friends or just someone to talk to. Um, it didn't go too great.”
“Was Davenport any better?” You asked, tilting your head to the side. By this point in the trail, the trees were starting to clear. You were familiar enough with the path to know it meant you were almost home.
“ God, no. I’d say they're equally terrible, but at least it’s easier to blend in at Ottawa. I… got a lot of negative attention at Davenport because our class sizes were so small. There were only some, what, fifty people in my grade?” Soren shook his head.
“Is everyone in Texas an asshole or what? Who would pick on you, man?” You questioned. It was hard for you to wrap your head around Soren being bullied. Aside from his shyness, he was really, really cool.
“Privileged, bigoted guys with nothing to do.” He responded, deadpan. Bigoted. You noted his use of that word in particular.
“Yeah… I knew a couple of people like that in Denver, but everyone there is mostly,” you pondered your choice of words, “accepting, from my experience.” Your eyes locked with Soren. Something about his gaze made it clear that you understood each other, even if it remained unsaid.
A couple seconds later, the two of you stepped out into your neighborhood. Now, you felt, was a good time to end the conversation.
“Um, that’s my house over there,” you pointed to the building a couple yards away, “but I had a really fun time walking together. Do it again tomorrow?”
“Y-yeah, of course.” Soren gave you a warm smile. You started towards your street before turning to face him.
“Godspeed.” You saluted.
You turned back around to see your house, hearing him laugh to himself as you walked away. Yeah, you definitely understood each other.
#blooming panic#blooming panic x reader#blooming panic nakedtoaster#nakedtoaster#nakedtoaster x reader#nakedtoaster bp
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