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exleviathan · 2 years

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TIMING: current. LOCATION: Levi’s boat. PARTIES: @exleviathan & @stolensiren SUMMARY: Levi takes Cass out for a diving lesson, and the two have a little heart-to-heart about her fear of being replaced. CONTENT WARNINGS: none.

—

Mornings were so not Cass’s thing. Especially not when she’d been out most of the night before fighting crime. So someone knocking on her door at the ungodly hour of ten in the morning on her day off was definitely not, like, super ideal.

Blearily, she pulled herself out of bed, trudging over to the door without bothering to resolve her bedhead or change out of her pajamas. She made a face before pulling the door open, though the expression quickly morphed into something softer when she saw who was on the other side. “Oh, hey, Levi. What’s up?” She peered at the demon curiously, taking note of the gear on its back. “Is that… a scuba tank?”

—

“Yup!” Levi pushed its way inside, slipping the harness off its back and setting it down beside the door. “Lesson is today, kiddo! Go get your suit on!” Squinting at her, the demon smirked. “Just woke up, didn’t you? We’ll grab you something to eat on the way.” It had a dry suit that would probably fit her in the truck, as well as all the other gear—the scuba tank on its back had really just been for dramatic effect. The water here in Maine was fucking cold, after all, and while it didn’t really bother Levi, it had a feeling that Cass might not be quite so fond of it.

—

Cass stepped aside so Levi could enter, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “I don’t have a scuba suit,” she pointed out, giving it a careful look. “Most people don’t have scuba suits.” She wrinkled her nose as it effortlessly called her out, shrugging a shoulder. “It’s my day off! I can sleep in on my day off.” She slipped by Levi into the bedroom, grabbing her keys and her wallet off the nightstand. Her hair was still a mess, but she didn’t think it mattered much. She was gonna be underwater soon, anyway, wasn’t she? “You’re buying breakfast. We can get McDonald’s!”

—

“Your bathing suit, dummy,” Levi laughed, following after her and pulling her bedroom door closed between them so she could change. “Grab a hair elastic, too—you’re not gonna want all that floating around in your face!” it called back as it fetched the tank and hoisted it over its shoulder again.

When the girl emerged again, Levi beamed. “Great, c’mon. I want a McGriddle.”

The drive was quick but the line at McDonald’s was annoyingly long, leaving Levi tapping its fingers against the steering wheel impatiently. As it pulled forward a bit more and started to curve into the loop that’d take them back around to the drive-thru window, something bright glinted in the sunlight and caught its eye. Glancing over, it noticed a bit of jewelry hanging out of the door pocket on Cass’ side of the truck—ah, shit. It clearly wasn’t Levi’s, and the true owner had met a rather unfortunate end in a seaside cave some time ago.

It really needed to get better about cleaning this thing out after using it to transport people.

“Know what you want?” it asked, in spite of the fact that they couldn’t even see the pre-order-speaker menu yet.

—

“Oh.” That did make more sense. Cass had never really considered what one would wear under a scuba suit, but a bathing suit was the only logical answer. Making a face, she moved over to the dresser as Levi shut the door between them, pulling out a plain black one piece and changing into it quickly. Not her cutest swimsuit, but she figured it was the best one for the job. She threw on a large t-shirt on top of it and grabbed an elastic from the bedside table at Levi’s instruction, pulling her hair back into a messy bun.

Finally pleased with herself, she came back into the living room, flashing Levi a bright grin. She followed Levi down to the truck, settling into the passengers’ seat as it climbed into the driver’s side. She fiddled with a piece of jewelry in the door, mindlessly twisting it around her fingers. She didn’t think it was Levi’s, but it didn’t seem like Marina’s style, either. She thought, with a brief flash of jealousy, that it might be Teddy’s. The thought bothered her a little more than she knew it ought to.

Levi spoke up from the other seat, catching her attention as she looked up. “Huh?” It took a moment for its question to register. “Oh! Yeah, I want a McGriddle, too. You’ve got good taste, I guess!”

—

“You guess? Come on, you’ve always known it,” Levi teased, feeling some relief as the line moved and they were able to roll forward. The less time Cass had to ask any questions about the weird shit she’d surely find in the demon’s truck, the better.

The rest of the drive to the docks after getting food was pretty uneventful, and once they were parked, Levi grabbed a duffel bag from the truck bed and passed it off to Cass while grabbing the three oxygen tanks itself. “Fins, dry suit, n’ boots are in there,” it explained, nodding its head at the bag. Its own suit was still on the boat, as well as all the other universally-sized gear. The pair headed into the marina and down the main dock, turning off down one of the finger decks when they reached Levi’s boat. Helping Cass climb aboard, the demon set about unfastening the ropes from the cleats that held the watercraft in place. Once it was free, Levi quickly climbed back on board and fished the keys out of its pocket, turning them in the ignition and hearing the motor roar to life.

With a grin, it looked over at Cass. “You ever been out in open water before?” It wasn’t the plan for today, today they were going to stick near the shore of Harmony Island, but Levi was curious to hear her reaction.

—

“I so haven’t,” Cass snorted, rolling her eyes. “Sometimes you have very questionable tastes!” Like, for example, when it decided that Teddy was a member of its family despite him being, like… It was hard to complete the thought. Truthfully, Cass didn’t have anything bad to say about Teddy; he’d been perfectly nice when she’d met him. She’d actually kind of liked him. If not for the jealousy that burned in her chest at the way Levi and Marina spoke of him, she’d probably still think he was just fine. But the envy was a hard thing to shake, especially after years and years in foster care always feeling as though she was second best to someone. It was hard not to think of the foster family who’d sent her back to the group home when the wife got pregnant with their own baby. It was hard not to feel antsy at the idea that history could repeat itself here in White Crest.

She was careful as they drove to the docks not to be too quiet. Levi would notice that kind of thing, and it would certainly ask about it. The longer Cass could pretend there was nothing wrong, the longer people might let her cling to that lie. Cass took the duffel bag Levi offered her with a nod, following it down to the boat. She thought of Bobbi and the last boat she’d been on, smiling faintly. This would probably be a lot less of an ordeal than that had been, at least.

“Just once,” she replied, returning Levi’s grin with one of her own. “Not, like, entirely on purpose, though. I snuck onto a boat because they were being super sketchy. The captain turned out to be all right, though. Where are we going today?” She trusted Levi entirely; whatever it said, she’d be on board with without question.

—

“Snuck on a—Cass,” it reprimanded rather uncharacteristically. Two months ago, the demon probably would have laughed and said that was awesome, but now it just looked concerned. “Don’t sneak onto sketchy boats, you’ll get yourself kidnapped.” Still, with the request out of the way, Levi managed a soft smile. “Anyway, I thought we’d head over near Harmony Island. There’s a lot of sea creatures that way and some neat rock formations to check out. Starting simple, y’know… apparently the Drop Off is dangerous, so we won’t go there. Yet.” It shrugged, motioning for her to sit in one of the available spots on the watercraft so she wouldn’t topple over as they pulled out of the slip.

Once they were free of the no wake zone, Levi kicked the engine into high gear, turning into the wake of other boats that passed them by to get them some air, laughing all the while. After a bit of goofing around, it was time to drop anchor and get suited up. The island sat to their left as their boat bobbed in the waves, the pair busy getting changed into their drysuits. Levi gave Cass a thorough rundown of all the equipment they’d be using and how to use it before they got in the water to practice. “And one of the most important things to remember is to never ascend too quickly, okay? Take it slow, exhale, then stop. Take another breath, exhale, keep going slow.” It went through all the safety instructions, including a few very essential hand signals to use in case of an array of problems. Then, it gave her a sheathed knife to attach to her weighted vest. “Just in case,” it said. “Good for getting someone’s attention, too, if you bang the handle against your tank. Don’t worry too much, though, the water’s calm around here and not that deep in most places. We won’t go down far enough to risk running out of oxygen.” Really, it was best to start someone in a pool or the shallows right on the shore, but Levi wanted Cass to enjoy herself and see some marine wildlife. She was smart, she’d pick up on it quick.

Fully dressed, the pair rolled backwards off the edge of the boat and into the water, where Levi went through a few of its instructions again, just to be sure she’d gotten them. Holding its regulator up, it grinned. “Ready?”

—

“I couldn’t just not do anything,” she protested, though Levi’s concern did leave a fond warmth in her stomach. Most of the time, people were only concerned about her for show. She knew it was different with Levi. It didn’t pretend to care about her. It actually did care. “What if they were, like, hurting people? Anyway, it all worked out in the end! The captain even told me she knew a siren back in the day and that I could totally bug her for info on them!” It was something Cass absolutely planned on doing, even if it might not be the best idea to bug someone whose boat you’d stowed away on and who didn’t actually know your real name. But she wanted to know everything, and Bobbi was a good resource for that. She was sure of it. “Harmony Island,” she repeated with a sloppy salute. “Roger, Captain. I totally want to do the dangerous stuff eventually, though. It’s always so much more fun.”

The ride was nothing like the one on Bobbi’s ship, which had been so smooth that Cass almost didn’t realize she was on a boat at all. Levi’s boat, like Levi itself, was a wild, exciting thing. Cass laughed as they moved through the waters. The fact that they could have this much fun before they even started the scuba stuff was totally awesome. And she had no doubt that the scuba stuff would be the same. Excitement thrummed through her as she pulled on the wetsuit, watching Levi carefully as it introduced the equipment. “Got it,” she confirmed, flashing a thumbs up. She only hesitated when it handed her the knife, fiddling with the sheath nervously as she remembered the heavy weight of a kitchen knife dripping blood, the tacky feeling of it staining her hands. She wouldn’t pull the knife from its sheath; she knew as much even as she strapped it to her side. The most she’d use it for was, like Levi said, to get its attention. Other than that… Cass thought she might rather drown than feel that blood on her hands again. “I’m not worried about running out of air,” she admitted with a shrug. “I know you’ve got my back.” It was one of the few things she had complete faith in, these days.

The water was colder than she thought it’d be, but not freezing. Enough to shock the system just a little bit, in the best kind of way. She flashed Levi a grin at the question, nodding her head. “Ready,” she confirmed. “Let’s go see some motherfucking fish!”

—

Chuckling at her enthusiasm, Levi pulled its mask down over its eyes and popped the regulator in its mouth before disappearing beneath the waves. It was a whole different world underwater, and as Levi guided Cass around the rocky formations of the island’s cliffs, it tried to point out as many different species as it could. There were, of course, lobsters and crabs and sea stars abound, and in the distance, the clicks of some Atlantic White-sided dolphins carried through the water to meet their ears.

Diving deeper, Levi made sure to always keep Cass in its field of view, often reaching out to touch her shoulder or gently take her wrist to get her attention and guide her somewhere else. All sorts of fish milled around them, flitting in and out of crevices in the underwater cliffside and brushing happily through the seagrass. Moving ahead a little to peer around a big boulder, Levi stopped dead. It turned back to look at Cass, motioning excitedly as a huge shadow appeared in the water just beyond it. A massive thing, about fifteen feet in length, was swimming slowly in their direction. Pulling itself up the rock to get a better vantage point, Levi hunkered down atop the boulder and watched as a sturgeon swam along the ocean floor, pushing its snout through sand and silt in the search for food. Looking to Cass and then down at the fish, Levi pointed between them, then gave a thumbs up before taking off towards it. The sturgeon, massive and ancient looking, seemed wholly unbothered by the demon’s presence as it floated over the top of it and dragged its fingers over the bony plates that lined the animal’s spine, utterly dwarfing the silhouette that so often dwarfed those around it.

—

Following Levi’s example, Cass pulled her mask down and popped the regulator into her mouth. Then, she followed the demon down into the depths. Her eyes were wide behind the mask as she looked around, head turning in an attempt to see everything. Levi was a good guide; she looked at everything it pointed out with interest, grinning beneath the equipment.

The deeper they went, the cooler things got. Fish of all different sizes, shapes, and colors parted around them, coral brightened the ocean floor. When Levi stopped suddenly in front of her, Cass had to scramble to keep from running into it. It wasn’t hard to see what had caught its eye; the bony fish in front of them was so huge that it was impossible to miss, so massive that it made both Cass and Levi look tiny in comparison. She followed Levi towards it, reaching out hesitantly to touch it just as Levi did. It felt strange under her fingertips, otherworldly. After a few moments of humoring them, the fish took off, swimming away at a speed that was impressive for its size even if it wasn’t quite as fast as some of the smaller fish. Cass watched it go.

She followed Levi in another direction, bumping into a brightly colored fish that quickly darted away at the contact. She wished they’d run into an octopus — something she’d be able to recount to Marina later — but there was no such luck. Maybe they weren’t deep enough for it, or maybe there just weren’t any in the area. Cass wasn’t sure. Regardless, the journey was a beautiful one.

It was disappointing when Levi motioned to their tanks and she realized the dwindling oxygen meant they’d need to resurface. She followed it up slowly, careful to heed its earlier warning and not go too fast. When they finally broke the surface, she pulled off the mask and popped out the regulator while still treading water, flashing the demon a grin. “That was so cool,” she said breathlessly, looking down at where her feet kicked in the water.

—

They’d been down for about 45 minutes when Levi decided it was time to resurface in order to have a safe reserve of oxygen. Once they’d breached the waves above and Cass expressed her enjoyment, Levi grinned. “Glad you liked it, short round.” Leading her back over to the boat and helping her remove her flippers so she could climb up the ladder more easily, the two of them hauled themselves aboard and stripped out of their drysuits and gear, leaving it all down in the cabin below, where Levi had also packed some snacks and drinks in the fridge. Bringing them back topside in a tote bag, the demon laid out on the bench seating and popped a square of honeydew in its mouth, situating its sunglasses on its face before looking over at the siren.

“You’re a good listener, easy to teach,” it complimented her with a smirk. “Like that in a person.” It could think of a few other people who were not very good listeners, nor did they seem to want to try and see anything from Levi’s perspective. Which was stupid, because it had way more perspective than any of them. “We’ll get Mari out here with us next time, yeah?”

—

Getting back to the boat was easier than Cass had anticipated, though that might have been the way her adrenaline was pumping from the excitement of the dive. This was certainly a new experience, and not one she’d ever really expected she might have. Scuba diving, up until she met Levi, had always seemed like a hobby for rich people with too much time on their hands. She’d never imagined she’d even get the opportunity to experience it firsthand.

She grinned as Levi rejoined her on the deck, trailing behind it to the bench seat and grabbing some of the food it laid out. Scuba diving, as it turned out, did make you pretty hungry. “Well, you’re a pretty good teacher.” Better than most of the ones she’d had in school, who gave up on her long before she had a chance to actually learn anything. “Oh, yeah, for sure! Next time, she can show us up with octopus stuff.”

—

Levi laughed, knowing full well that Marina would indeed show them up with her octopus stuff. “Did I tell you that’s how I met her? I can’t remember. I was free-diving one day and just kind of… happened upon her off the coast.” It smiled fondly, staring up at the cloudless, blue sky. “Lucky she didn’t decide to rip me in half, as unimpressive as I look right now.” That frustration reared its ugly head once again and Levi hurried to mask it, deciding to try and change the subject to something else. Literally anything else other than discussion of its humanity.

“Hey, uh…” Levi stalled, digging for a topic. Something sprang to mind and it frowned—the topic wasn’t exactly fun, but it had crossed the demon’s mind a few times now and it felt compelled to ask, “Are you… okay with the whole thing with Teddy?”

—

“She told me,” Cass replied with a fond smile that was reflective of the one gracing Levi’s face. “It’s like a sea monster meet cute, isn’t it? The two of you ending up in the same place at the same time like that.” Her expression flashed something sympathetic at Levi’s brief display of frustration, though she was careful not to let it shine through too much. She didn’t want to upset it by bringing up its humanity, not when she knew it was… self conscious about it.

Her smile faded a little at Levi’s next question, and she found herself looking off the edge of the boat towards the water, feeling heavy without really knowing why. She shrugged, chewing her lip uncertainly. “It’s…” She trailed off for a moment, shrugging again. “I don’t know. It’s stupid, but I guess I’m a little jealous.”

—

“Sea monster meet cute. Heh, yeah… I like that.” The seed of experiencing care for someone other than itself had been planted the night Levi sat on a rooftop with Cass talking about monsters and superheroes, though the demon hadn’t realized it at the time—and would eventually bloom into its full, frustratingly beautiful self on the day that it met Marina. After them, there was no returning to selfishness and disregard for the feelings of others… try as it might. And once the seal had been broken, it seemed like more and more individuals were getting caught in the same net, which was nothing if not overwhelming to Levi.

One of those people, of course, was Teddy—it wouldn’t have cared if not for the connection they shared. If not for the stark reminder of everything it had once been, and wanting to preserve that. The boy was frustrating, so morally righteous that Levi could get away with next to nothing without upsetting him, and it was quite the adjustment from keeping company like Marina, Correy, and Baz. Even Cass, for her part, was much more forgiving. Either that, or she wasn’t told, which was not a luxury it seemed to have with Teddy, thanks to his beau of choice.

That was something Levi didn’t even want to think about.

“It’s not stupid,” Levi assured her gently, sitting up and giving her a serious stare. “And… for what it’s worth, I don’t think you need to feel jealous. He doesn’t even like me.” A sad smile crossed its face and it interrupted the moment by snatching up another piece of fruit and looking out over the water toward the open ocean. Maybe they could go check out the drop off.

—

“Like a cheesy romcom,” Cass added in a sing-song tone. Imagining what that movie would look like was sort of funny; Marina, in all her octopode glory and Levi, small and human and mesmerized. Cass could practically see it in her mind’s eye, and it was enough to bring a soft smile to her face. She loved them both so completely, and it was nice to know that they were so dedicated to one another. Cass didn’t always trust herself to watch her friends’ backs — couldn’t, considering how many times she’d found herself way out of her league with White Crest’s unique brand of danger — but she knew Levi and Marina would look out for each other until their dying breaths. And there was certainly some comfort in that.

There was a little, too, in Levi’s words now, in the way it assured her that her feelings weren’t stupid even if its further reassurances didn’t quite manage to wipe away her doubts. “But you like him,” she pointed out, a little hesitant. It didn’t matter if Teddy hated Levi, because Levi clearly didn’t hate Teddy. And it would try, Cass knew, with everything it had, to change Teddy’s mind. Eventually, she knew it would succeed. She might be biased in thinking so, but she found Levi very hard not to like. Teddy would see that, eventually, too. And when he did… What good would Cass be? What were the odds they’d want her around at all?

She looked down at the water droplets on the deck, watching the way they gathered together and combined. “It’s okay, you know,” she said quietly. “If you… like him more than me, or whatever. I mean, I get it.” Teddy had a connection with Levi that she could never hope to replicate thanks to whatever deal they’d made. And even if he didn’t, he was probably preferable to her. Teddy was kind and honest and brave, and Cass didn’t think she was any of those things, really. She was just… there. Present and perpetually unwanted.

—

It couldn’t know the full extent of self-doubt that was seated so permanently in Cass’ mind, and not just because she kept it locked away. Even if she’d told Levi outright the thoughts she had, more so than the offhand comment that she’d understand if Teddy was the preferred party, it might not have understood. It had never been in her shoes, after all, and likely never would. Whether the confidence was born of pride or a lack of empathy was anyone’s guess, but the outcome remained the same: Levi never worried about being replaced by someone better. It was a foreign concept.

And yet here was Cass, expressing that fear in not so many words.

“I mean I want to like him, but he makes it hard when he lectures me,” Levi mumbled. “But I don’t like him more than you. Especially not lately.” Frowning, the demon gave Cass a long, hard stare. “Why do you think that I do?”

—

The way Cass felt wasn’t entirely fair. She understood that. It wasn’t fair to Levi, who deserved to have plenty of people to care about. It wasn’t fair to Teddy, whose experience was so similar to hers and who deserved to be cared about, even if he might not particularly like the way Levi did it. It might not have even been fair to Cass herself, who always wanted more than what she was given no matter what that might be. But she couldn’t change it. Those desires, those fears, they were buried so deeply within her that they might as well have become a part of her DNA at this point. It was impossible to separate them from her and still have enough of either one to make sense of it.

So there was relief when Levi said it didn’t like Teddy more than it liked her. It was hot and sweet and she’d feel guilty for it later, but it felt good in the moment. It was only when Levi turned the question around and wondered why she felt the way she felt that Cass shifted, uncertainty bleeding back into her stance. “People usually do,” she admitted quietly. “It’s like — When I was a kid, they’d put me in all these foster homes, you know? And every time the family would just… send me back. They’d say I wasn’t a good fit, or they’d… Find something else that fit better.” Like the house with the cross on the wall that packed her suitcase the moment they had an ultrasound photo to put on the fridge. “So I’m just… It’s what always happens. People usually find something they like better than they like me, and that’s it.”

—

“That’s fucked up.” Very astute. Levi narrowed its eyes behind the sunglasses it wore, frown deepening. “Look, Cass… you don’t have to worry about that here, alright? Not with us.” It stood, moving toward her and holding out a hand for her to take. “I mean it. We chose you for a reason, and when you live as long as we do, you don’t make those choices lightly.” When her hand found its palm, the demon pulled her into a hug, her head tucked beneath its chin as it stared out at the water, the boat rocking gently beneath them. Despite the way it had felt itself disconnecting lately, it still hated the idea of Cass thinking that she was going to be abandoned again. If nothing else, it knew that Marina would always be there for her. Its own future was up in the air, but it will still try. Because, unlike Teddy, Cass didn’t have to force the desire to be in its life. She just wanted it. And while the demon might have a hard time maintaining meaningful connections with people, the siren inspired it to give a little more effort.

“We’re not going anywhere, kiddo.”

#. para ;#. para ; living proof #. with ; c. terrence #wickedswriting

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holdingforgeneralhugs · 3 years

Text

Bitter Pill to Swallow

Chapter 10 (Ch.9....Ch.1)

The months following Christmas were filled with large scale maneuvers and practice jumps, and by the time April came around they were all more than eager to "get the goddamn thing over with!" As Guarnere had so eloquently put it one night on a training exercise.

"How many damn rehearsals you think we'll have before we actually get to jump eh?" Tab asked as they drove in the trucks towards Torquay, a seaside town where they were spending the night before heading to the beach for Exercise Tiger.

"Spose as many as it takes to make sure we're ready," Valerie replied, waving to a little boy who was standing at the roadside and watching the convoy drive by.

"Well I don't know about you Lieutenant," laughed Smokey, from her left side "but after all the training we've done I'm pretty sure we're ready to give those Krauts the what for."

Valerie grinned and clapped her hand on his shoulder, "if it were up to me Smokey I'd drop you and your MG into Berlin tomorrow and finish the whole sorry thing." Everyone on the truck chuckled and teased Smokey, creating wild scenarios for him to drop in and save the day for the AEF.

"Drop him right onto Hitlers doorstep," proclaimed Alley, "knock on his door, hit him with a round and we're home for Thanksgiving turkey."

"Imagine that," sighed Lipton wistfully, looking up at the cloudy sky, "wouldn't that be a treat?"

"Damn right it would," agreed Val, stretching out her leg and bumping her boot against Lipton's, smiling across at him when he bumped her back. Aside from the anxiety to get into combat, the mood on the trucks that day was a relaxed one, everyone content to laugh and joke and enjoy the countryside as they whizzed past it.

"No way we're staying there!" Talbert exclaimed as they drove up to a fancy looking resort. Every head in the convoy turned towards the resort, and there was a buzz of excited chatter amongst the men as they pulled up and walked up to the hotel. It was a really nice place, certainly the nicest Valerie had ever been to, and she was glad that they'd all get a night of relative luxury before the dirty work began.

"Hey Val," shouted Harry, jogging over to her, "wanna bunk with me?"

"Only if you promise not to snore so goddamn much this time," she teased, laughing in delight when he socked her on the arm. Valerie made sure her platoon were all situated before finding Harry again and climbing up the stairs to the higher floors, where the officers were being put up.

"Wow," exhaled Harry, walking to the window and putting his hands on his hips, "check out that ocean view. Kitty would love this place."

"Should bring her back here for your honeymoon," she advised, dropping her stuff and falling onto the bed with a bounce. It was quite possibly the most comfortable bed she'd had since home, and she knew it'd be the most comfortable she'd have for a long time.

"Y'know what Val,'" he grinned, "that's not a half bad idea."

There was a knock on the door then before Nixon and Dick let themselves in. "We've got the whole day to ourselves," Nix explained, pulling out a pack of cards and shuffling them, "who wants a game?"

"I'm not very good at poker," sighed Dick, leaning against the wall beside the window and looking out. Valerie, who was on the bed by the window, reached out with her foot and tapped him on the leg, grinning mischievously at him.

"Aw c'mon Dick," she pleaded, "I'll teach you the basics, and I promise I'll try not to completely wipe the floor with you."

The corner of his lips tilted up slightly, and she rubbed her hands together in delight at convincing him to join in on the fun.

"Alright fine," he caved, "but if I catch you lot trying to trick me out of money then there'll be hell to pay."

They played cards for hours, bickering about stakes and winnings and chatting about the upcoming beach exercise.

"Not a bad days winnings," Valerie said smugly as she counted her newly acquired cash at the end of the game.

"Next night's drinks in the Blue Boar are on you Val," teased Nix, packing up the cards and putting them back in his pocket. She stuck out her tongue at him as she folded up the notes in her hand.

"You certainly picked up the knack for poker pretty quick Dick Winters," commented Valerie as she watched him pocket his modest earnings.

He glanced up at her and smiled slightly, shrugging his shoulders, "I said I wasn't very good, not that I didn't know how to play."

"Oh you didn't," she gasped in disbelief, leaning towards him "you didn't sit there and let me teach you to play poker when y'already knew. Why would you do that?"

"Well you seemed to enjoy explaining it all," he explained simply, "I didn't wanna ruin your fun. Plus then you went easy on me and let me win a few rounds."

"I can't believe you," she giggled, punching him on the arm, "who knew Saint Winters had a sneaky side eh?"

"I'm not always a saint you know," he teased, standing from the table and stretching his back. Valerie watching for a moment, a small smile on her face. He was a lot more fun and easy-going than she'd ever given him credit for.

While neither of them were looking, Nixon elbowed Harry and pointedly looked between Dick and Valerie, a smirk plastered on his face. Harry furrowed his eyebrows, glancing between the two of them for a few seconds before he caught on, a knowing grin growing on his lips.

"I'm starving," proclaimed Valerie after a beat, "time for chow I reckon."

~~~~

"You wanna smoke," Nixon asked that evening as they walked back upstairs after dinner. It was the nicest feed they'd gotten since the Christmas Turkey, and hell if they didn't all enjoy it.

"Sure, thanks Nix," she replied, plucking a lucky strike from the packet and placing it in her mouth, smiling gratefully when he leaned over and lit it for her. They walked together in comfortable silence, Dick and Harry a few feet in front of them on the staircase.

"You'd have to wonder if they're treating us so nice to butter us up for something awful," commented Nix casually, taking a drag of his cigarette and huffing out smoke.

"You know something we don't?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow at him in suspicion. There'd been whispers going around the battalion for weeks about what the drop would entail and where they'd be going.

"I'm the intelligence officer," He smirked, "I'm supposed to know things you don't." Valerie rolled her eyes and huffed at his smugness.

"Oh don't bait me like that," she grumbled, glaring at him when he laughed, "if you know something then spill the beans. Where's your Easy company loyalty, huh Nix?"

"Hey, I've got plenty loyalty to Easy," he chuckled, holding up his hands, "doesn't mean I can run my mouth about confidential plans."

"Yeah," smirked Harry, looking over his shoulder at them, "you wait 'till we get a bottle of Vat into you and you'll be chirping like a songbird."

Nixon stuck his middle finger up at Harry and shook his head. "You wish," he smirked, "I can hold my liquor better than anyone in this damn Army. You're getting nothing out of me."

"You keep telling yourself that Nix," mocked Harry before turning back around and walking on with Dick.

"Bet you were surprised about Dick and the poker game, huh?" Nixon piped up after a few moments of silence between them, glancing sideways at her.

"Oh yeah," she chuckled, shaking her head in amusement, "who would'a thought he wasn't such a square after all?"

"Y'know he's actually a fun guy when you get to know him," he explained casually, "he's got a great dry sense of humour too when he wants to."

"Not that long ago I would'a found that hard to believe," Valerie snorted, "but y'know what, he's full of surprises."

"Oh Val," sighed Nixon, putting his arm around her shoulder, "I think in time you and Dick will be thick as thieves."

"Don'tcha think you're gettin' a little ahead of yourself there Nix?" She chuckled, raising an eyebrow at him in amusement.

"I'm the intelligence officer remember?" He grinned, giving her a quick one-armed hug as he left her at her door, "I know things nobody else knows."

A/N: Just a little historical note; they really did stay in a resort in Torquay before Exercise Tiger in April '44, a rehearsal of the amphibious beach landings.

Taglist: @tvserie-s-world @geniedocroe @generousdreamlanddestiny @sunsetmando @cagzzz107 @howunexpectedlyso @alejodi0nysus @sunflowerchuck @now-im-a-belieber @anderperrysupremacy @50svibes @eugene-emt-roe @pennyllane @televisionboy @scientistsinistral

#band of brothers #bob #dick winters #valarie landry #dick winters x valerie landry #bitterpilltoswallow #hbo band of brothers #band of brothers fandom #band of brothers fanfic #dick winters x oc #holdingforgeneralhugs

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beevean · 4 years

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SEGA and the eternal issue of “Sonic’s girlfriend”

[Translator’s note: here is the original article written by @latin-dr-robotnik, originally written on the 18th of May 2020]

Today we’re going to talk about one of the aspects SEGA is more secretive about: Sonic’s relationships.

[Translator’s note: this article was written to celebrate Seaside Hill Paradise’s 200th entry. If you’re fluent in Spanish, I highly recommend you to check it out! And if you aren’t, go follow Latin’s Tumblr blog if you haven’t already and you’re into Sonamy, analyses, gushing about music and shitposts.]

This article concludes my Sonamy trilogy, and I recommend you to read the previous two articles: “SEGA and the eternal issue of the Sonamy dynamic” and “’I love you’ – forbidden words in Sonic”. This means this is a shipping article – if you’re not interested into another essay about the love life of a blue hedgehog, I can redirect you to other articles such as “Sonic and speed: are we misunderstanding them?” and “What went wrong with Classic Sonic’s music in Sonic Forces?”.

Everybody else, welcome to today’s article!

It should be noted that this article focuses more on the semi-official and strictly official aspects, since there is really not much to say about the fandom. Nowadays the fandom has a relatively peaceful coexistence, creating art, fanfics and more, for all kind of ships; sometimes there’s an occasional fight between ships or a ship that clearly is not appropriate… but besides that, everything seems relatively calm, at least in my experience and compared to other fandoms.

Too cool for relationships...

Few things are as mentioned and yet silenced by the official SEGA media as the fateful words “girlfriend” and “Sonic” put together. In official terms, Sonic has always been this young, cool hedgehog, with a pure love for nature and never too worried about life, but with a moral code that makes him fight against injustices. During his first years, Sonic was almost impatient and a little emotionally distant, although as it was the ‘90s and things were not so clear for the young SEGA star, different interpretations would take the character through different paths - some more radical than others. As the years went by, and going through many redesigns, certain aspects of his personality would be perfected, exaggerated, or even flanderized. His position on relationships, on the other hand, would remain relatively constant over the decades, with a few particular exceptions.

The this is that Sonic, in the words of his own creator Naoto Ohshima, has always been considered “a young man with a child's heart”, which has helped to substantiate and understand why the character would remain relatively distant from his feelings, and much closer to his own interests associated with the life of adventure.

... or is he?

Despite everything I just said, they tried in many occasions, if not succeeded, to give Sonic a girlfriend, with various results.

As carefree as Sonic is, and as much as SEGA tried to clarify this point over and over again, the people behind his character have always tried to introduce one or more relationships into his life. Even Naoto Ohshima himself has made his own suggestion as to who might be a hypothetical partner for his character. The different interpretations I’ve mentioned have tweaked Sonic’s character to make it more apt to certain types of dynamics, and the cultural gap between the East and the West (which I analyzed a few years ago with the first article of this “trilogy”) also has a considerable impact on the type of relationships that would be established for Sonic from very early in his history until today.

Author’s note: the concept of “Sonic + human woman” of 1990 wasn’t completely forgotten, no no, it was brought back 16 years later, in… well… the worst way possible.

Let’s see an example. Going back to his very origins, in his pre-Sonic 1 sketches Sonic was often depicted with a stereotypical damsel in distress, Madonna, his own “Princess Peach” that ended up being scrapped for many reasons, including the similarities with Super Mario. As the years have gone by, this concept has not disappeared, but rather the writers and directors of the series have taken it down different paths over time. While Madonna was too cliché, other candidates for the role of “Sonic’s girlfriend” would quickly appear to try different dynamics, directly or indirectly endorsed by SEGA.

Sally Acorn

For many years, Princess Sally was for Western fans the first person who came to mind when they thought of “Sonic’s girlfriend”. Since 1993, and for 2 more decades, her relationship with Sonic has gone in many directions, but fundamentally the most amazing thing about this whole situation was that she was Sonic’s official girlfriend (at least in the Archie Comics canon). It was also one of the many headaches for SEGA in the last decade.

Originally a fellow fighter against the macabre Robotnik from the 1993 animated series Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic and Sally’s relationship was always marked by their opposite personalities; while Sally tends to plan ahead and is much more focused on the seriousness of the task, Sonic was the type to destroy robots first and think later. “Opposites attract,” they say, and by the (premature, I might add) end of that series both were already more than friends. They had already kissed a couple of times.

At the most critical moment in their relationship, Sonic, after a year of being missing in space and presumed dead by everyone, returns to Mobius only to end up back in potential danger, decides to ignore the wishes and warnings of Sally, who’s clearly emotionally traumatized and stressed by both the general situation and the responsibilities she had to carry out for her kingdom in the absence of her parents. The result of this explosive cocktail was one of the most infamous scenes in all of Archie Sonic, "the Slap", where Sally finally reacts violently to Sonic's selfish statements. The hedgehog's response? Well, a long exposure to the screams about her experience - also traumatic - up to that point. In the end, both end up screaming and crying in front of virtually everyone.

What followed in the next decades was an expansion of that original SatAM canon in the Archie Comics, in which its various writers introduced varying degrees of drama and increasing conflict to demonstrate the strong bond between them, destabilizing or even stabilizing it again, multiple times. They would be together for some time, then they would be apart, eventually rekindling the flame of love passionately, until a final sacrifice on their part and the eventual resetting of the entire Archie Sonic canon.

In their last years, after the Super Genesis Wave, Sonic and Sally’s relationship went back to being platonic. a good friendship with the advantages and disadvantages of their personalities - Sally’s leadership and Sonic’s extreme confidence - while the focus was put on the flourishing relationship between Sally and her best friend (and old computer!) Nicole.

Regardless of the way their relationship ended, it's undeniable that Sally has left a huge mark. Being a product of the West, her existence was never really accepted by the Sonic’s Japanese creators, but because the bulk of the fandom is here in the West, Sally's presence has been strongly associated with Sonic, the Freedom Fighters, the comics... and also the ship wars between her and the character we’re going to talk about next. Her very existence was a living contradiction to the Japanese central canon, an official girlfriend who broke all the ideas that existed for Sonic in terms of his conception of relationships and lead him through unique paths. Whether for better or worse, Sally broke the mold.

Eimi. Rosy. Amy Rose.

On the opposite side of the spectrum there’s Amy, a character that was originally conceived as the Minnie to Sonic’s Mickey, but with her own dynamic.

Despite Amy’s existence being strongly tied to Sonic’s, once again Sonic Team tried to avoid the classic cliché (in this case to copy Mickey and Minnie), opting then to establish Amy as the one interested in a relationship, while Sonic runs away from this idea. For this dynamic to keep working, Sonic’s feelings have to be kept hidden, with excuses like his “shyness”, which leads to ambiguity, or because, as said before, of his “child’s heart”.

The most interesting thing is that Amy kept her canonical status of “self-proclaimed girlfriend” since 1993, which makes her “official” and “not official” at the same time, but there are some traces left from the Sonic manga of 1992 (which in turn influenced Amy’s original design), where a prototype version of Amy (or, as it was spelled there, Emi/Eimi) played the role of Sonic’s girlfriend (or Nicki’s, to be more precise). With this detail in mind, Amy can be considered, at least in the East, the very first “Sonic’s girlfriend”, even before Sally – but her situation is much more complex.

Sonic Mega Drive (top) and Sonic Boom (bottom), representing some differences in different Sonic continuities.

In any case, the manga would be the first and only time Amy was officially considered “Sonic’s girlfriend”, because in the following decades and in several continuities the core of their dynamic shifted to Amy chasing Sonic. Both would get closer or further away depending on each case (in Fleetway, for example, Amy ends up marrying another character, while in Archie Sonic there would be only a few instances of potential interest, quickly overshadowed by convenience or other things directly or indirectly related to Sally), but generally no continuity would establish an official relationship. In some cases, such as Japan, it wouldn’t even be necessary to clarify the state of the relationship, since their cultures accept more easily the dynamic that Sonic Team proposed as an “official relationship”. Just looking at the artwork highlighted on Sonic Channel (run by SEGA of Japan) shows how much more accepted the relationship is, even though Sonic Team’s official artwork still avoids any kind of public confirmation. (Author’s note: I’ve written more about Amy according to the East and the West in the first article of this trilogy)

Unlike Sally, there is no “opposites attract” situation between Amy and Sonic, and, at first, there is no prior friendship from which a potential relationship could flourish. We witnessed their dynamics from the first moment they met, and it would not be until years later that there would be a minimal basis for interaction from which various official continuities would bring both characters closer together.

Technically Amy already knew that her destiny was tied to Sonic and the events of Sonic CD on Little Planet, thanks to her tarot cards (an element that has disappeared since then), but for Sonic it was just another day of adventure, and although we’ve seen how Amy's feelings have progressed, mostly in Adventure 1 and 2, Sonic has never reflected on his personal feelings; it’s an aspect of the hedgehog that to this day remains a mystery to the audiences.

Also unlike Sally, Amy has appeared in multiple continuities of all kinds and because of that her relationship with Sonic has been affected in various ways. The main videogames canon has remained ambiguous and unchanged for 25 years: Amy would stay close to Sonic and offer some good moments to reflect on her feelings about him (some of which I mentioned in my post about Sonic Unleashed and Amy’s emotional support), while Sonic would remain distant, uncomfortable, shy, and, more recently, potentially affected by her apparent loss.

Sonic X is the first official attempt (by Sonic Team no less) to offer an expanded view of our characters. There’s a lot of discussion about how Sonic is slowly opening up to Amy’s advances, and these developments follow a line that we discussed in previous articles of this trilogy, and how, during the 2000s, the Japanese writers of the series kept slowly deepening the interactions between the two, reaching very important symbolic moments like Sonic X Ep. 9, 52 and 76, among several others. I am purposely leaving out specific details to direct your attention to this fantastic thread by Yvanix Rose that highlights some key details about how this continuity worked the Sonic-Amy dynamic. [Translator’s note: the thread is in Spanish]

Sonic X, episode 76.

Another essential continuity for the development of this dynamic was Sonic Boom, since, despite having been a separate continuity with its own interpretation of the characters, its existence managed to influence the main canon in some way in the years that followed its original release in 2014.

Sonic Boom made two important changes in the dynamic: Amy did no longer externalize her feelings with the same frequency or intensity (speeding up a process that already started in the main canon in 2008), and Sonic was noticeably more nervous and insecure of his feelings for her, even being jealous in several occasions. These changes got the dynamic closer to the “friends who have secret feelings to each other but they’re too shy to admit it” trope, and in the second season it could even be said that there are signals of the “secretly dating” trope. Nothing was officially confirmed yet, but the changes to the dynamic offered a fresh perspective to work from: winks and inferences about a relationship that was not talked about but seemed to happen behind the scenes.

Sonic Boom S1E16.

Sonic Boom’s approach also opened the door to working a little more on the characters’ new personalities. Taking a little inspiration from the original foundations of Sally and Sonic’s relationship, Boom now presented situations where Sonic and Amy’s perspectives actively clashed with each other, leading to discussions and moments that showed a little more of the mundane details of the friendship they had, rather than appealing to more classic behaviors of the main canon, like Sonic leaving the scene in a hurry. Considering the way things turned out the last time we saw this kind of dynamic on screen, it was pretty safe to assume that their new opposites were now attracted; the implied secret dating and so on only helped to give it more sustenance - which the fandom would eventually take to the extreme.

And lastly there’s IDW Sonic, the comic series that replaced Archie Sonic after its cancellation in 2017, and the most recent arc that offers an interesting perspective. Starting its continuity from the end of the events of Sonic Forces (which at the same time took on certain characteristics from the post-Boom era, particularly as far as Amy is concerned), IDW Sonic didn’t waste any time in presenting the way in which it would carry out its dynamic between Sonic and Amy.

Amy makes her feelings for Sonic very clear, and he is surprised but unable to match them. However, Sonic doesn’t want to outright reject her, and suggests that she come with him; she refuses, claiming that she has duties to the Resistance, setting the tone for the rest of the series. (IDW Sonic #2)

“Sonic’s girlfriend” today

As I mentioned earlier, after the reboot Sally was no longer considered Sonic’s girlfriend, and her disappearance after the cancellation of Archie Sonic in general is a sign that we may not see her ever again, even as a friend. As of today, in 2020, only Amy has been left in her “unofficial, but…” state, with various minor events taking place both in the main canon and in IDW Sonic:

In 2018 the official SEGA shop wrote a description for a piece of Amy Rose merchandise that said “celebrate 25 years of Sonic’s girlfriend”; the mistake wasn’t immediately corrected, despite the fandom pointing it out immediately.

The video game canon has remained dormant, with Team Sonic Racing in 2019 featuring more of a regular friendship between Sonic and Amy, sharing rivalries and quiet moments alike.

On the other hand, since IDW Sonic and Sonic Boom laid their foundations, we've begun to see a certain shift in the way the two characters are presented. While we’ve talked about IDW Sonic already, Sonic’s social medias have done multiple “Twitter Takeovers” where Sonic characters answer questions from fans, and Sonic has always answered more like his version of Boom to the inevitable question about Amy and his “feelings”.

Recent official animations like Sonic Mania Adventures and Team Sonic Racing Overdrive have shown Amy flirting with Sonic in a more casual way.

The current dynamic seems to be pointing towards “Sonic’s hidden feelings”, and I think we are at a perfect point to change the approach. SEGA in general seems more open to the idea of bringing these characters closer, probably as a marketing strategy, but without yet separating themselves from the central ideas that defined the dynamic for the last two and a half decades.

Conclusion

The idea of “Sonic’s girlfriend” has been one of the most experimental and controversial in the almost three decades that this series has been around for. SEGA has opened the door to all kinds of ambiguities, developments and interpretations, all with their pros and cons, instead of settling on a definitive position. As iconic as these characters, conceived as Sonic’s “romantic interests”, have become, they have also had their share of criticism and controversy, especially in the fandom.

The presence of Amy as the only “official but self-proclaimed girlfriend” today says a lot about the control SEGA (specifically SEGA of Japan) regained over the characters, after decades of interpretations that offered different alternatives with various degrees of success. At her best, Sally represented an ideal relationship with Sonic, much more complete and profound than the back-and-forth game between Amy and Sonic. But at her worst, this same relationship represented everything wrong that could happen by associating Sonic with the emotional spiderweb of a romantic relationship. SEGA hardening its control over the characters seems to have put an end of this type of situation where Sonic ends up being involved in a romantic telenovela, but at the same time it has revitalized the flirting game and the implicit associations that give fuel to the fandom fire.

From my humble interpretation, I think we’ve reached a point where Sonic and Amy have shared enough stories and moments to solidify the core aspects of their personalities and their friendship, allowing them to take the next step, which is to play around with the idea of “something else”. 25 years ago it was hard to see how these two characters could work together beyond “it’s SEGA’s word”; today there’s enough of a story to find a rhythm and chemistry for them, and the series of situations they've put themselves in (e.g. IDW Sonic’s plot arcs) are increasingly helping this case. The topic of “Sonic's girlfriend” may be a controversial one for SEGA and the fandom in general, but the doors have slowly been opened for this debate to develop and be investigated with interesting results, and I think that, in this new decade of 2020, there’s a unique potential to explore this kind of discussion, without sacrificing in any way the central principles of Sonic as a character. Thank you for joining me in these 200 entries, and hopefully we’ll see each other for many more.

#sonic the hedgehog #amy rose #sonamy #translation #analysis #long post #happy birthday latin!#this one was so hard #i had to cut a lot of shp-related parts sadly #but this whole project was very fun and enlightening

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inkrabbit · 3 years

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The Lighthouse

This was something else I had brought up in my group chat, and I decided to write it cause I could. Little AU where my trio transforms (save for Lorcan) into different mythical creatures from their homeland. I don't like it, but I wasted time writing it, so it's getting posted.

Summary: When the trio split up for their monthly transformation, Richard decides to go on a little hunt to find each Irishman and make sure they're safe for the rest of the night.

Word count: 2,978

Even if he didn't have the date marked down in his calendar, he would've noticed the signs. Jeremy's exhaustion, Dan's growing hostility, and Lorcan was already starting to drink more, his accent getting thicker to the point it was hard to understand him. The operatives tried to make sense of it all, but there were words that slurred into others and sounded like complete gibberish. By the time he had vanished from the safehouse, no one was able to even give Richard a hint of where the man went.

He was lucky he knew the general location of his whereabouts, and Kate was nice enough to tell Richard that she and her husband was watching over the man in one of the arenas. She had even sent him a short video, and it was always a surprise watching Lorcan knock back shot after shot. His face is already red, and Richard can't even make out anything he's saying.

Still, he makes his way down to the bare knuckle arena, pushing past the bouncer and entering through the old, metal door. The music was loud and obnoxious inside, voices overtaking one another. The building is surrounded with Clan Kelley members, and they all eye him suspiciously, some even trying to stop him. The only reason why he got past the large group that had started to form was because Lorcan had caught sight of him and screamed his name. He could barely walk upright, stumbling over his own feet as he made his way over, reeking of alcohol that made Richard crinkle his nose. He had to wrap his arms around the man and hold him upright, leading him back over to the little table Roger and Kate were sitting at. The woman sat in the criminal's lap, her arm wrapped around his shoulder as she greeted Richard with a smile.

“He started early,” she tells him when he drops Lorcan back in his seat, “The other two already gone?”

“Unfortunately,” he sighs, straightening his tie. He looks down at Roger, the Irishman letting out a soft hum as he takes a sip of his own drink.

“He's been talkin' 'bout Crawley?” A soft laugh comes from Lorcan as he rests against the tabletop, a large grin on his face.

“Bhí sé ag iarraidh a bheith sa choill,” he slurs. This makes Richard pause as he looks down at him. He had never heard Lorcan speak Irish. From what he knew, he wasn't fluent in the language.

“Said somethin' 'bout wantin' to be in the woods,” Roger translates.

“You understand him?”

“'Course I do. Hard to, but I can make it out.”

“Dan's ag an uisce!”

“Dan's by the water.”

“By the water?” He scoffs. “I'm sure he doesn't mean anywhere in London.”

“Well, I'm guessin' Jeremy's out by Crawley, then. You can still get 'im to talk, can't ya?”

“If he's feeling up for it.”

Kate promises they'll watch Lorcan until he finally passes out, and that they would even drag him home, much to Roger's dismay. Still, the Kelley member agrees and the couple wish Richard farewell, with Lorcan drunkenly calling out to him as well. It's still sounding like gibberish, but it's enough to pull a small smile from the man.

Lorcan was always the easiest to find, especially now since he found comfort in drinking in the arenas. But the other two enjoyed hiding, especially Dan. At least Jeremy still stayed within a fifty mile radius of London, just wanting to find solace alone. Dan, on the other hand, enjoyed venturing out farther and hiding away somewhere. He hated that their optiks malfunctioned whenever they would transform. No, he didn't have to go on a wild goose chase to find them, but he always felt better if he did, knowing they were safe.

Getting around the city was decently tricky, but getting out was even harder. He had Bagley change his whole profile, sure, but his face was easy to recognize. So every month, he would abandon his familiar suit and wear an old jacket he had tucked away in his closet, drawing the hood up and keeping his head down. The woods by Crawley. The trio were often close, always telling each other where they were going, especially when the full moon would decide to rear its ugly head. He supposed it was in case one of them never returned.

Still, driving out of the city always made him feel anxious, the worry that someone would recognize him always looming over his head. Anytime he would pass by an Albion cruiser, he would always avert his eyes and lower his head. He was lucky they never questioned him. Hell, maybe they just glanced at his profile as he drove by and decided to not pull him out of the car.

He supposed the drive was nice. He didn't have to be locked up in the safehouse, and he was finally able to see more than just the normal every day life in the city. The two always seemed to be in similar areas. Jeremy was always found in fields, lounging around in the shade underneath a nearby tree. For Dan, however, he always needed to get the precise location from the youngest of the trio. He was the one who liked to travel around the most.

He knew of some decently wooded areas near Crawley, and he was familiar with Jeremy's tastes enough to know where he would be hanging around. Always off the old, beaten paths and hiding away where he thought no one would find him.

“Jeremy!” His voice was always loud enough to carry throughout the woods, knowing that the younger man had better hearing in this state. He walked through the greenery, looking around at everything that made sound. Once more he calls out for the Irishman, brows furrowing.

“Malik?” There's that voice. He turns in its direction, peering up to one of the trees. Sure enough, he's greeted by the sight of the púca, his back against the trunk of the tree as he sits on one of the thick branches. His black fur helped him hide in the shadows, though Richard could easily see his glowing eyes, blue and green as he peered down at him. His paws were folded neatly in his lap, and his piercings still shone even in the shadows.

“There you are,” Richard sends a smile his way, the rabbit-like creature twitching his ear at him as his long tail swayed in the soft breeze. It always amused him, seeing the magenta colored tuft of fur atop his head. Even transformed, he still retained a lot of his original looks. “How are you fairing?”

“Fine,” He stretches out his legs, ears folding back. Even like this, he retained his height and build, his clothes intact, albeit a bit dirty. “Ya found Lorcan already?”

“I have, and he was drunk by the time I got to him.”

“He got an early start,” Jeremy chuckles softly. “So did you.”

“Every time I try to get you three rounded up, you always manage to get away.”

“We're fine, Rich. We know what we're doin'. Why do you always come find us, anyway?”

“I suppose I just worry.”

Jeremy finally moves, sitting forward more. His tail continues to sway back and forth as he looks out beyond the treeline.

“Dan's by Eastbourne,” he tells him, “Said he wanted to go relax in some lighthouse. Suppose you'll go find him next?”

“I will. Will your uncle be coming to get you?”

“Aye. Should be here by sundown? Or just some time after work.”

“Give him my best regards.”

With a nod, the two share a goodbye and Richard makes his way back through the woods. So long as Jeremy had someone to come get him before the night's end, he felt better. Lorcan had the Daly's to take care of him, and Jeremy had his uncle. He knew that by the time the moon rose high in the sky, the trio would be at their peak. So long as they had someone to watch over them, he was sure they wouldn't get into too much mischief. But as for Dan, he knew he was all alone, and he worried about the possible outcomes. The stragglers that would trespass, and the kids that would love to terrorize what they thought was a dog. Even if it wasn't to terrorize, he knew Dan wouldn't be too welcoming of new faces.

He travels southwest, towards Eastbourne like Jeremy had said. He had seen the old lighthouse the couple times he had visited, off in the distance by the rocky shore. Last month, Dan had ended up out in Courtsend, and he was in Thorney Island the month before. He supposed it wasn't unnatural for the man to be near water. Perhaps it reminded him of home? He always did say he liked the lake.

The drive towards the lighthouse would only take an hour, but he saw the sun slowly starting to set. Lorcan would probably be close to passing out by now, babbling his gibberish in the arena, and Jeremy would soon be headed home whenever Robert got off work. He knew they were in good hands. He didn't have to worry. Come this time tomorrow, the three would probably be fast asleep until the next morning.

The smell of the ocean was potent. Off the beaten path once more, Richard drove the little car until he couldn't anymore, the thick brush too much to handle. He tries to park the car somewhere more hidden and away from potential prying eyes. Waves crash on the rocks nearby, a soothing and more peaceful sound than the bustling of the city life. Maybe this was why Dan always preferred being by the seaside; just to find peace. He knew the man loved silence. It was evident in how quiet he was.

“Dan?” The old door creaked loudly when he pushed it open, coughing a couple times when the dust kicked up. He lets the old door slam loudly behind him as he makes his way for the stairs, the rusted metal creaking beneath his weight. Cobwebs hung in the air, and the dust made him choke. Still, he could hear the soft growling that came from upstairs.

The first bark got his heart racing and the adrenaline coursed through his veins. He picked up his pace, his hand gripping the old railing. He knew the stories of the result of three barks from a cú síth: certain death if anyone within hearing range didn't get to safety. He knew he wasn't safe, the racing of his heart was evident of that. The second bark was more powerful than the last, and he felt like he couldn't get up the stairs fast enough.

“Daniel, stop!” He can't remember the last time his cries were so loud. Then again, he couldn't remember the last time he was so close to dying, especially to some unseen force. He didn't want to know if those stories were true.

He's heaving by the time he gets to the top, honey eyes locking onto the shaggy looking dog. Putting his hands up, Richard tries his best to calm himself.

“It's just me,” he pants, taking shaky steps towards the animal. The growling slowly dies down as Dan's braided tail starts to thump against the dusty ground, his dark green fur dirtied by the grime. He lets out a sigh of relief as he crouches down, reaching out to gently run his fingers through Dan's fur. It felt soft, albeit shaggy and dirty.

“You're always the most difficult to find,” he sighs softly, his thumb stroking the braid that always formed. Those hazel eyes always seemed to brighten up, glowing in the dimly lit room. A small huff comes from him.

It was the first time Dan had decided to take refuge somewhere with a roof over his head, but he still spotted the Irishman's clothes neatly folded up, tucked away in the corner. Unlike the other two, Dan was the one who went through the most change, and he wasn't able to respond to him. He always grew during these transformations, and Richard had joked more than once that it was the first time he had to look up to the man.

“A lighthouse, hm?” He slowly sits on the ground, allowing Dan to rest his head in his lap, his tail still softly thumping against the floor. “Lorcan was in one of the arenas this time. The Garage, I believe. He was already drunk by the time I got there. None of you ever told me he spoke Irish...” Dan looks up at him, lips curled back in something similar to a smile. “Yes, very funny, I suppose.”

He stays silent for a bit, admiring the old room. The wallpaper was falling apart, and the bed in the corner was rusted and torn. A soft hum escapes him as he looks out the small window, the sun slowly starting to set.

“Suppose Jeremy is home by now,” he continues, “He said his uncle would pick him up after work.”

Once more he runs his hand through Dan's fur, gently tugging at the knots and earning a soft growl. He smiles, giving him a soft pat.

“You're the only one who's always alone. Surely you trust oneof the operatives enough to watch over you?”

Dan lifts his head up, shaking wildly and making Richard frown. He lets out a yawn, ears pinned back.

“You're so difficult,” he huffs. Sitting upright, Dan stares down at him, shaking slightly to get the braid in a better position. “Why the lighthouse?”

Hazel eyes flicker to the dirty window. Slowly standing up, Dan stretches the best he can in the small space before he gazes out towards the sea. A small smirk tugs at Richard's lips as he stands upright, dusting himself off and joining the canine.

“You like the water that much?” He's given what he can only assume is a nod, watching his head jerk down. If he was correct, France was on the other side of the ocean, a country he hadn't visited in years. “Have you ever been to France?” A shake of the head and he smiles. “Perhaps we all could go visit when London quiets down.”

Another nod and Dan moves away from the window, laying back down on the floor with his head atop his paws. The soft thumping starts up again as Richard crosses over, dusting off the old mattress before taking a seat on the edge.

“I suppose we can't get you back into London looking like that,” The canine stares up at him. “By the time the sun comes up tomorrow morning, you should be fine. But in the meantime, I don't want to hear any barking or howling.”

There's a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, and Richard groans softly when Dan lets out a bark. Whether it's because he finally feels safe, or because so much time has passed, he's pleasantly surprised when he's still sitting upright and not meeting some horrible demise. He reaches out, gently smacking Dan's muzzle.

“You better behave,” he chastises, “We don't need any silly causalities because you can't keep quiet.”

The growling starts up again, but it doesn't last long. Dusting off the rest of the mattress, Richard removes his jacket and lays it down before resting on top of it. He curls his arm under his head, using it as a makeshift pillow as he looks down at Dan. His braided tail is still wagging, even if he won't look at him.

“Suppose I'm the one that's meant to look after you,” he comments, “Then again, I believe I'm the only one who could actually handle you. You're quite the nuisance.” Another growl. “I better not find you any farther out next month! Honestly, I feel like you do this because you know I'll come looking for you like I do the rest.” Dan picks his head up and cocks it slightly. “Oh, don't give me that look. You and I both know what would happen if anyone caught sight of you or Jeremy.”

He had a good idea of what would happen to the two. Scary looking monsters roaming around? They wouldn't last a second before the police were called to deal with them. At least Lorcan could pass for a drunk. The thought pulls a small smile from him.

“Your friend got lucky,” he continues softly, “The creature he represents already looks human. It's why I don't worry too much about him. The Kelleys seem to be happy to keep their prized fighter protected while he drinks, and they don't even question it!”

A soft huff escapes the canine and Richard slowly closes his eyes. They would leave right after he woke up, and he would get Dan back to his flat so he could rest and regroup.

“Promise me you won't go out and cause trouble,” he mumbles softly. Another soft huff and he takes it as an agreement. It takes some time, but he finally hears the canine start to shuffle, the soft squeaking of Dan's leather jacket making him groan softly. It almost jumps when he feels the heavy material lay on top of him. It makes him stir a bit, but by the time he's opening his eyes, Dan is laying on the floor once more with his back towards him. With a small smile, he pulls the jacket closer to him as he closes his eyes once more.

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joementa · 3 years

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We All Deserve Some Beach Time With Bruce

Summer. Is. Here. I always hear people refer to Memorial Day Weekend as the “unofficial” start of summer, but I don’t buy it. To me, this weekend IS WHEN SUMMER STARTS. And what better way to start summer, ESPECIALLY this summer, which is so desperately needed, than time at the beach listening to Bruce. I don’t know where you’ll be this weekend, but the weather isn’t looking too great for the beach where I’m at. But that’s okay. I’ve experienced enough summers in Brigantine that even though I won’t be feeling the sun or smelling the sunscreen or baking in the sun, I will mentally be doing all of those things. That’s how ingrained the next 4+ months are into my feelings.

And just like summers in Brigantine, Bruce’s music, particularly his beach music, is ingrained into my feelings. This playlist really wasn’t too hard to create because I’m so familiar with all of his music and I know which music of his is great for summers on the beach. More than any summer I can think of, though, this is a summer that we really deserve. So I’ve included the entire The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle album in this playlist because you deserve it. It’s not only my favorite Bruce album, it’s not only my favorite summer album, it’s not only my favorite beach album….but it’s my favorite album PERIOD. Undeniably one of the best albums ever made. And I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a better side 2 than “Incident on 57th Street”, “Rosie” and “New York City Serenade”. It’s amazing. When I hear this album, I’m instantly in South Jersey – either on the beach in Brigantine or on my way to the beach (there are some funky South Jersey towns driving from Philly to Brigantine, and I don’t know of another album that captures the sound of funky towns than this one).

Once again, this playlist is designed to be listened to in order from front to back. Many of these songs weren’t hits and many of them were actually unreleased until Tracks came out – crazy, right?! But all of these are great, great beach songs.

I hope that it’s hot and sunny wherever you are this weekend. And if it’s not, don’t worry. This playlist will make it feel hot and sunny. After last year, you deserve a hot and sunny summer day!

One more thing. Many people have been asking me if I’m making summer plans yet. And I’m hearing a lot of people getting stressed about making summer plans. I’m trying to take this summer as it comes. I’ll make a few plans of course but I’m over stressing about what I’m doing X number of weeks from now. If you are struggling with stress about your upcoming summer, just put on this playlist and listen to Bruce. He sounds pretty carefree here – which is how summer should be!

I hope all of you have a great Memorial Day Weekend and are looking forward to the summer. I know I am. The best way I can describe myself is that I’m a summer guy. I’ve been doing this awhile now, and here are a few ways you can be like me: be sure to wear sunscreen but still get a very deep tan. Stay hydrated, but always have an ice cold negroni when you get off the beach. Always swim on a guarded beach but do at least one late night naked swim session per summer. Get plenty of rest but go for early morning runs on the beach. Watch a full moon shine off the ocean. Go surfing while the sun is setting. NEVER feed the seagulls. AND GET YOUR COVID-19 VACCINE!!!!!

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/we-all-deserve-some-beach-time-with-bruce/pl.u-kv9l0qdTX46JEq

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4hPLaMjtEf87zUoQc49IGv?si=Pb8tyughT2aMQr3xS2OQHQ

“Bishop Danced” (Tracks)

“Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” (Born To Run)

“Blinded By The Light” (Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.)

“Seaside Bar Song” (Tracks)

“Ain’t Good Enough For You” (The Promise)

“I Wanna Be With You” (Tracks)

“The E-Street Shuffle” (The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle)

“4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” (The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle)

“Kitty’s Back” (The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle)

“Wild Billy’s Circus Story” (The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle)

“Incident On 57th Street” (The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle)

“Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” (The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle)

“New York City Serenade” (The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle)

“Lonesome Day” (The Rising)

“Darlington County” (Born In The U.S.A.)

“Working On The Highway” (Born In The U.S.A.)

“Cadillac Ranch” (The River)

“Santa Ana” (Tracks)

“Thundercrack” (Tracks)

“Thunder Road” (Born To Run)

#music #vinyl #summer #beach #jersey shore #new jersey #brigantine #bruce springsteen #bruce #springsteen

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woodstockbtswriter · 4 years

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Dreams

BTS Dream Journal

Note: Just a log of actual dreams I’ve had about BTS. I’ve written some of them out as drabbles and the links are next to the dates.

January 13th, 2020

I meet BTS backstage with several of my girlfriends and we all play musical chairs. I win and impress Namjoon. We flirt.

January 18th, 2020 - Indescribable

I’m a high school student and BTS is going to perform in my school auditorium. My friends and I manage front row seats, but have to endure several unimpressive opening acts from our classmates in band, glee club, etc.

February 3rd, 2020

I’m front-row at a BTS concert. I shout “Hi, Namjoon!” and he actually hears me. He finds me in the crowd and pulls me onstage. All the boys give me a hug and perform a song for me.

March 8th, 2020 - Thrilled

I’m riding in a car with several BTS members. Namjoon is driving, and Jungkook and I are kissing in the backseat. When the members in front of us notice, they’re all disgusted and yell at us to stop.

March 28th, 2020

I’m on a summer vacation with BTS at a seaside cottage. Namjoon and I are dating and I can tell he’s planning to propose during our trip, but I have unresolved feelings for Yoongi.

April 6th, 2020

My friend and I are just fans, but we notice that Hoseok has been down lately and want to cheer him up. We find out that BTS is coming to our city that night and we decide to make him a heart balloon bouquet and try to give it to him.

April 12th, 2020

It’s revealed at an awards show that Hoseok has a young daughter that he’s been keeping secret and it’s a huge scandal. An actor speaks out in support of Hoseok and BTS while giving an acceptance speech. After the event, the tour bus carrying Hoseok is hit by a car. I try to Google if he’s okay, but I keep fumbling trying to type “J-Hope”. When I’m finally able to pull up search results, the reports are not definite.

April 30th, 2020

I go to the movies with BTS, but in the middle of the movie we can’t find Yoongi. After looking everywhere, we finally find out that he snuck into a different theater to see a zombie horror movie. Later, Yoongi and I are superhero companions and our mentor is training us to fly, but we’re distracted by our attraction to one another. Eventually, we abandon the lesson to make out instead.

May 3rd, 2020

I’m Yoongi’s girlfriend and I accompany him to a formal dinner. All the members pose for pictures while the other boys’ girlfriends and I wait. Then the boys ask if the girlfriends can join. After taking a few pictures all together, Yoongi gets down on one knee in front of everyone and surprises me by proposing. Later, in a different dream, I meet Namjoon in a cafe and he invites me to a museum. At the museum entrance, security doesn’t want to let me in, but Namjoon uses his influence as a celebrity to convince them to make an exception. Once inside, we run into Hoseok and he and I walk along as we hug each other’s sides.

May 10th, 2020 - Alone

I’m hanging out with all the members in Yoongi’s hotel room after their concert. I’m Yoongi’s girlfriend and we’re snuggling in his bed while we all watch a movie.

May 14th, 2020 - Cute

May 16th, 2020

Yoongi, Hoseok, and I are all high school students, but we attend different schools. My friend and I pick up Yoongi and Hoseok after school in a minivan. My friend drives, Yoongi sits up front, I sit in the middle, and Hoseok sits in the back. As we drive, I lift my hands up over my head and rest them behind the headrest behind my head. I wait while Hoseok looks at his phone, hoping that he notices my hands and holds them. Eventually he does interlace our fingers and gives mine an affectionate squeeze.

June 19th, 2020

I’m at a play place for kids, adjusting some ropes above one of the play structures, when Yoongi (who I don’t know and I guess who works there) yells up at me telling me to stop messing with it, but I can’t understand him because he’s speaking Korean. I then climb down to the floor and Yoongi walks up to me like he knows me and grabs my face and nuzzles me and kisses my cheeks and lips, saying something obviously cute and affectionate, but again I can’t understand him.

June 28th, 2020

I’m hanging out with Yoongi and my friend is a third wheel. When my friend finally leaves, Yoongi and I immediately start making out. While we’re cuddling, I ask him if we’re officially boyfriend/girlfriend now. He hesitates before answering and I get mad, saying he’s just like all the other boys I’ve dated.

June 30th, 2020

I’m in a theater with all the Bangtan boys and we’re trying to choose our seats. I want to sit up front, but everyone else wants to sit in back. Namjoon volunteers to sit with me, and when the others head to the back, Yoongi gives me a quick and tiny goodbye kiss on the lips in passing. When Yoongi is gone, Namjoon gives me the same kind of kiss as we settle into our seats, then says, “You know Yoongi does that all the time because he’s in love with you, right?” And I’m like, “What do you call what you just did?! You do it all the time, too!” Then he smiles and starts really kissing me and we make out through the whole movie.

July 7th, 2020 - Surprise

I’m on a rooftop in the city at night, playing a “drinking” game with all the members of BTS, but instead of drinking alcohol, we’re eating bite-size foods.

October 14th, 2020

I was having dinner with all the members at a restaurant, it was our first time seeing each other after a long separation. While we were settling into our seats, I called across the table to Taehyung and cutely said, “Tae Tae, I love you!” He looked adorably unsure for a second while he translated in his head and thought of the correct response, then he replied, “I love you, too,” and smiled his big boxy smile, all proud of himself for speaking English. Then after dinner, we went out on the patio of the restaurant to enjoy a nighttime view of the ocean, and I gave Hoseok a big hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck and tried to kiss his cheek, but he was acting all shy and not hugging me back. I said, “What’s wrong, do you not want to hug me anymore now that I’m dating Yoongi? It’s okay, nothing’s changed between you and me. We’re still friends and we can still hug like we used to.” Then Hoseok relaxed and smiled and wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me tight.

December 21st, 2020

A bunch of guys that all looked like either Jungkook or Yoongi were sitting around a lunch table in a cafeteria. I was going around hugging them all and giving them all cheek/forehead kisses and thanking them for being kind and caring people. None of them were the real JK or Yoongi, they just looked like clones. The dream/clone JKs were sweet and hugged back, but the dream/clone Yoongis acted like they didn’t care/were annoyed (but they actually appreciated the praise and affection).

December 22nd, 2020

I ran into Hoseok while buying tickets at an amusement park. We were friends but we hadn’t seen each other in a while. Hobi gave me a big hug and we tumbled to the ground together, but we kept hugging and laughing and he got all flirty. He tickled my tummy and gave me several pecks on the lips and was saying, “It’s so good to see you, I missed you so much!” Then he helped me stand up, we made plans to get together to catch up, and he said “see you later” with a wink before walking off.

December 25th, 2020

Another ARMY and I got to go to a rehearsal for an awards show. Yoongi wasn’t there because he was still recuperating from his shoulder surgery, so I was a little disappointed. Then Namjoon started flirting with me, and the other fan was jealous. After rehearsal, we joined the boys for dinner and Yoongi came, too. He sat next to me and I was really excited to meet him, but then he was rude to me. I didn’t understand why he was acting that way, but it turned out that it wasn’t actually him, it was the jealous fan in disguise (like she used polyjuice potion or something). She wanted to get back at me for Namjoon flirting with me. After she was exposed and kicked out, the real Yoongi showed up and he was nice (and even flirty).

In another dream, Taehyung and I had been talking but had never met in person. I made Christmas cookies using a recipe he sent me and I video-called him to show him.

December 29th, 2020

I was an extra in a new Agust D music video, and after filming wrapped, I went up to Yoongi and tried to say something in Korean that I had rehearsed. He was nice and smiled but he couldn’t understand me and I couldn’t understand him. Then everyone went to dinner together. I sat at the bar and Yoongi sat at a table behind me with his Korean-speaking friends, and he kept stealing glances at me. Then the bartender gave me a drink I didn’t order and said it’s from Yoongi.

January 30th, 2021

I was in England visiting some friends, and we were having dinner at a restaurant. My friends brought some of their friends along which included Yoongi and Taehyung. My best friend and I were sitting across the table from them and whispering about how cute they were. Yoongi looked like this:

And both he and Tae were speaking English with British accents. I told my friend I liked “that one” best, nodding toward Yoongi, then asked her which one she liked best, and she indicated Tae. I did my best to flirt with Yoongi during dinner, asking him questions, joking, smiling, leaning toward him, batting my eyelashes, and biting my lip. He seemed to get the message, and eventually slid a folded up card across the table to me with his phone number scrawled on it. Emboldened by Yoongi’s expression of interest in me, I switched seats with Tae so I could sit next to him. Then I really started flirting, touching his bicep and thigh, adjusting my slinky dress so he could get a good view of my legs, and whispering in his ear. We unfolded a menu and stood it up on the table in front of us to give ourselves a little privacy, and next thing you know we were making out. It was so realistic and I could actually feel Yoongi’s lips and tongue on mine, they were soft and smooth and felt sooo good, and while we were kissing I told him he had such pretty lips. Then Yoongi excused himself to go to the bathroom and while he was gone I moved to sit next to our mutual friend who had brought him along. I asked the friend to tell me more about Yoongi and asked him if he thought he was a good guy. I wanted to gauge his reaction to me dating Yoongi, but he was reluctant to answer my questions. Then when Yoongi returned from the bathroom, he and I left the restaurant together.

April 7th, 2021

I was traveling with BTS and when we got to the airport we found out our flight was delayed so we were just hanging out in the VIP lounge. An airport employee was being kind of rude, acting like the boys weren’t important enough for him to help, and I’m like, “Do you have any idea who these guys are?! They’re only the biggest group on the planet!” Then I was talking to a different, nicer employee and she was like, “So are you one of their girlfriends or something?” I said yes and she asked which member I was dating, so I told her to guess. I don’t remember who she guessed but she was wrong so she asked me to just tell her. I think it was supposed to be a secret, because I answered quietly, “Suga.” But she didn’t know their names so I had to subtly point him out, and when she saw him she was impressed. Then Yoongi got up to go somewhere and he discreetly grasped my hand for a second and gave me a secretive smirk as he walked by.

July 26th, 2021

I was outside on a lovely spring day flying kites with Yoongi and Hoseok. We were taking selfies together with our arms around each other, laughing and having fun.

August 22nd, 2021

I was riding a subway train with all the members, on our way to one of their concerts. Hoseok and I were sharing a seat and I had my arm through his. We were smiling and laughing, and we held hands and he kissed my cheek.

September 20th, 2021

I was filming a segment for a talk show with BTS. We were in a conference room around a table, all talking and laughing. Yoongi and I kept exchanging glances and smiles until the other members called us out and teased us for obviously liking each other.

#dreams #dream journal #story prompts #bts fanfiction

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theobscures · 4 years

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Summary of: Filgaia

Okay so since Wild ARMs is such an obscure RPG series and that a lot of it isn’t that well documented, I figured I would compile this post for my moots wanting to interact with my Jack muse or for those curious! Be warned that this will get wordy--WA gets pretty comprehensive with its lore--and also spoiler heavy for the first game.

Though Filgaia is a recurring world in each WA game, the cast, story, lore, and geography differ in each installment. (A bit like how Final Fantasy games share the same motifs but have completely different settings.) Since my muse is Jack Van Burace and since I’m most passionate about the first game, this post will only detail the first incarnation of Filgaia (particularly the PS1 original’s).

Geography and the Guardians:

Filgaia is an Earth-like planet that, in its current state, has been on a painfully slow decay for a thousand years now. Though the its ecosystems are still fairly diverse--with grasslands, forests, oceans, and even snowy mountains--most of it has increasingly turned into wasteland and threatens the areas still yet untouched. The planet’s continents form a sort of ‘ring’ that shapes two oceans; the Inner Sea and the Outer Sea.

The state of decay is caused in part by the Guardians’ diminishing powers--they are the 20 spiritual beings and beasts whose magic power protects and maintains the lifeforce of Filgaia. The Guardians and Filgaia are all connected by a spiritual channel called the “Ray Line” that lies beneath the planet’s crust and carries and supplies the shared lifeforce. They can lend their powers through protective tablets called Runes.

The Guardians’ diminishing powers are believed to be a direct result of the devastating war that occurred 1,000 years ago, which damaged most of the planet’s life and geography (there is a massive desert called the Sand Ocean created by the destruction). In reality the true cause of the Guardians’ loss of power was the inhabitants losing hope, courage, and love in their hearts (though that too was also caused by the war). The loss of these virtues have made the Guardians grow weak and themselves despairing.

Inhabitants:

Humans are the most populous on Filgaia. 1,000 years ago however, they used to share the planet with the Elw (”the ancients”) who were closely connected with nature but also very technologically advanced. The humans and Elws didn’t just share Filgaia, but also the human space colony Malduke that orbited around the planet. But as the colony was also equipped with the capability for mass destruction, the Guardians crucially sunk the connecting tower, Ka Dingel, to the bottom of the sea.

After the war, the Elws chose to abandon their homeworld for a new one in the Elw Dimension they created. One of the last things that the Elws did for Filgaia before leaving it was to create the “Elw Pyramids” to help amplify its lifeforce when the Guardians’ strength grew weak--essentially putting the planet on life support. But they also function as transports by teleporting people across Filgaia as energy with the use of satellites orbiting the atmosphere. Despite the Elw’s efforts, the pyramids seem to at most slow Filgaia’s decay.

The one other thing the Guardians are closely linked to are the women of the Adlehyde royal family. Though it’s not said why, the Adlehyde women are gifted with magic power and are the only ones who can hear and speak with the Guardians. The royal family’s heirloom is the “Tear Drop”, a blue gemstone that reflects the powers of the Guardians and also contains the essence of the shared lifeforce. In the right hands it can “give birth” to life.

With Filgaia’s never-ending hardships and the loss of valued virtues, there are a handful of people who have chosen to reject their former lives to become “Dream Chasers” (or drifters or migrant birds depending on translation); those who live for the thrill of adventure without a care in the world, though each person’s reasons are unique. Some are looking for treasure, some for fame or power, and some for simple belonging.

History:

Filgaia is defined by the very history of the great war. 1,000 years ago, the planet was invaded by the extraterrestrial Metal Demons--so called because they are of “living metal”. The Demons’ home world, Hiades, was destroyed by their parasitic Queen Mother and forced them to flee and conquer another world. Perhaps unaware of her true nature though, Mother’s sole desire and existence is to destroy everything in reality--which includes the Filgaia that the Demons hope to colonize.

The Metal Demons’ power was truly unparalleled and a grave threat to the inhabitants of Filgaia. To combat them, the Elws banded with the Guardians and humans to develop a series of powerful technological weapons. Many of these were far too powerful though and, after the war, the Elw sealed them away in tightly-secured ruins never to be unearthed. But treasure hunters and scientists eventually found them. These weapons were,

ARMs: Short for Ancient Relic Machine. These (I believe) can actually refer to any weapon the Elw developed for the war, but in this context they refer to very powerful firearms synchronized with psychic waves. In present day, they are highly feared and forbidden weapons--those in possession of one are often exiled from their homes, becoming drifters. They (along with other ancient technology) have been researched by the scientist Zepet and his six apprentices, now known as the ARMs Meisters. Despite the ARMs being taboo, there is a small growing interest and ‘economy’ in them as shops supplying bullets opened.

The Golems: There were eight golems created for combat and defense. They are mecha-like, able to be controlled by issuing commands, and each represent an element. The golems have now long since turned inactive and lifeless.

The Guardian Blade: Little is known about it, but it was a sword infused with pure life energy and was devastatingly powerful--it is actually rumored to be the main cause of Filgaia’s decay. It tore across the planet, forming the massive Sand Ocean desert, before ultimately destroying itself. The Elw consider its creation to be their greatest sin and the forger of the blade, the Elw Vassim, is labeled a criminal by his kind. In present day, most still believe it is hidden somewhere in the desert and have died trying to find it.

The Holmcross Project: (Or Humonculus.) They were the successor to the Golems and the Elw’s final weapons. The Elw and human mages created them by replicating the “biometals” of the Demons they had captured, essentially creating an artificial man who is both organic and metal. Their enhancements enabled them to better synchronize with the ARMs and made them the best choice against the Metal Demons. However because they were blank slates and lacked empathy and understanding in their hearts, the Holmcross went on violent rampages and killed anyone they came across. The Elw were forced to destroy them all save for one, a prototype they sealed away. (Spoiler: He later became Rudy.)

By far the greatest threat to Filgaia, aside from all of the Elw’s advancements, was Queen Mother. Whether the weapons helped at all or not, the Guardians were able to defeat Mother by splitting her heart into three pieces. Each piece became guarded by a Guardian Statue whereas Mother’s body was sealed away in a cocoon (called the “Arch” in Alter Code F). Queen Mother is not actually dead though; she’s technically immortal and would be revived if reunited with her heart pieces and given life by the Tear Drop. The cocoon was housed deep in Arctica Castle in the north.

Mother’s defeat thwarted the Metal Demons’ goal and they disappeared from memory, having seemingly abandoned Filgaia, and became part of the war’s myth. But Filgaia has never able to move on from its devastating past as the planet continues to decay and the inhabitants must live with the consequences. It’s easy to lay blame on the Elw, but the drive to develop the weapons was likely a mix of fearful desperation, a lust for intellectual or physical power, or even at the pressuring of the humans.

Towns:

Village of Surf: A small farming community that has fell on hard times due to the encroaching decay. Rudy used to live and tend to the horses here.

Curan Abbey: A boarding school south of Adlehyde that teaches the magic arts. It is customary for women of the Adlehyde royal family to study here until their 17th birthday.

Adlehyde Castle Town: The fortified ‘capital’ in front of Adlehyde Castle. In the ancient Elw language, Adlehyde means “light”. The town praises itself for its scientific community and accomplishments and holds a festival dedicated to their findings.

Milama Village: Also called the “oasis of Filgaia”, Milama is built around a moat of clear water and is one of the very few places still untouched by the decay. A popular destination.

Baskar Village: Another tiny farming community populated by people who bond with nature. It sits close to the Altar of the Wind Caller where the Guardian Zephyr, the “west wind of hope”, may be summoned. It’s also close to a Guardian Statue and an Elw Pyramid. Baskar supplies the “Kizim Fire”, which is used to light the pyramids’ furnaces and reactivate them.

Saint Centour: A city settlement named after its Guardian Statue: Ione Paua the centaur Saint Guardian. The city is heavily fortified with tight security and an invisible ‘dimensional’ barrier that surrounds it. This barrier repels monsters, demons, and spirits, but fails if either are smuggled inside with a person. It’s also near an Elw Pyramid.

Port Timney: A seaside port town along the Inner Sea that is mostly populated by trade merchants and sailors. There is a local tradition here that people propose marriage with a crystal flower. It sits near an Elw Pyramid.

Town of Yard: A harbor that sits close to the Sand Ocean desert. It used to be bustling with trade but has turned desolate as a result of the tumultuous sea warding off ships. There is a famous beach here where almost anything lost at sea is said to wash ashore there; it earned the town the nickname “Ship Graveyard” and is what most call it today.

Rosetta Town: A prosperous town that has managed to avoid the decay, but it is now also facing threat with the lack of trade ships coming in. It is most notably the home of the sole Elw who chose to remain in Filgaia, Mariel. But the townsfolk are suspicious of her. The town sits close to the secret Elw Dimension gateway.

Court Seim: An orphanage town founded by the Maxwells: Nicholi the ARMs Meister and his daughter Jane. They originally lived in Milama but, unable to afford it there, were forced to move away to a small, desolate island to keep supporting the orphans. There is an evacuation sanctuary nearby in case of emergencies.

Elw Village: Not actually part of Filgaia anymore but in the Elw Dimension. When the Elws chose to leave Filgaia they picked a large plot of land and isolated it within a dimension they created for themselves, which became a floating island. Outsiders are forbidden. The dimension resembles Filgaia before the war and its decay.

Pandemonium: Though most of the Metal Demons were defeated in the war, a small handful of them survived and secretly built a couple strongholds for themselves, including the Photosphere and Demon Lab--this one being their castle fortress.

Arctica: A proud kingdom that used to exist in the northern tundra continent. It used to be guarded by the seven Fenril Knights, who not only protected the royalty and the people, but also Mother’s cocoon hidden deep within the castle. A few years prior, the kingdom fell when the Metal Demons attacked. There were no survivors. (Spoiler: Except Jack and Elmina.)

Ancient Arena (Devil’s Playground in Alter Code F): A castle that holds gladiator-style battle tournaments. The battles are overseen by the self-proclaimed “Duke” Pegucci who, frankly, enjoys watching contestants battle-to-the-death a little too much. It is rumored that the arena used to be the castle of the King of Illusions in ancient times.

Malduke: A space colony in Filgaia’s orbit where the humans originally lived before they came to live on Filgaia with the Elw. It’s also called the “New Moon”. The colony and Filgaia were connected by a tower called Ka Dingel that could teleport travelers to and from. The colony has now long since been abandoned ever since the Guardians sunk the Ka Dingel to the sea to prevent Malduke from using misused for destruction.

#[This took me awhile to type up but it was worth it]#[Out of Obscurity (OoC)]#filgaia

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new-arundel-australia · 4 years

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Why move to Arundel

Arundel is one of the suburbs in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. If you are thinking of moving in the area, this can be a great decision considering that it is ranked to be one of the best places to live in Gold Coast. The place has a friendly neighborhood and great nature view. It has great schools, several options for shopping, and best medical facilities. Most people who live in Arundel are families with small kids as well as retirees. The mid-sized population are mostly made up of natural born Australians with only a small percentage of foreign migrants. As a part of Gold Coast, expect that it gets a share of development and progress.

Pride Fencescapes

A fence job can take a huge portion of your budget depending on the materials you want to use and the installers you hire. In order to avoid going out of your budget, it is important to get price quotes from your trusted company. Pride Fencescapes offers a risk-free quotation to give you an idea on how much you need to prepare for the work. What is good about Pride Fencescapes is they never pressure customers just so they get the job. They quickly respond to queries in the most professional way. Once you deal with them, you can expect high-quality work delivered in a timely manner.

youtube

Lloyd wants an overhaul of WI Women Cricket

Legendary former West Indies Captain, Clive Lloyd has called for a complete overhaul of the women’s game to set them back on the rise to the top of world cricket. Lloyd was offering his recommendation on the Mason & Guest Show on the Voice of Barbados radio station recently. The West Indies women suffered a whitewash at the hand of hosts England in their Vitality T20 International series, losing a rain-reduced final match by three wickets. The decline in the West Indies women’s performances has been precipitous since they last won the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2016. Read more here.

After the recent loss of West Indies Women Cricket, the recommendations of Clive Lloyd are worth considering. His long years in the game make him one of the most credible personas in the field of cricket. In fact, he has been named as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year and one of the most successful captains of all time. Th decline in the performance of the team has been observable by many experts and a need to reconsider their training and selection process must be looked into. More training in an academy is highly recommended to improve their fitness levels. The group has to go back to the top rank in the world in order to redeem their prestige.

Gold Coast beach in arundel Australia

The Gold Coast Beaches in Arundel are very popular for their unique beauty. The long stretches of fine sand and blue water are perfect for both your relaxation and picture-perfect photoshoot. You can choose from the Surfers Paradise, Main Beach, Broad Beach, Mermaid Beach, Miami Beach or the Currumbin Beach. Whichever you choose, you get the best relaxing and fun experience. The beaches are not only the favorite destination of tourists. Local families love to spend their weekend in the uncrowded beaches and go for BBQ parties and picnics. The breathtaking view of the ocean can take off a week’s worth of stress. Feel energized with the seaside windblow and get sunshine vitamin to rejuvenate your spirit.

Link to Map

Driving Direction

Gold Coast beach

Queensland, Australia

Head west on Clifford St toward Surfers Paradise Blvd

300 m

Turn right onto Gold Coast Hwy/Remembrance Dr/State Route 2

Continue to follow Gold Coast Hwy/State Route 2

5.9 km

Turn left onto Stevens St

600 m

Continue onto Musgrave Ave

Go through 1 roundabout

2.0 km

Continue onto Napper Rd

1.6 km

Turn right onto Captain Cook Dr

600 m

Turn right onto Demand Ave

Destination will be on the right

600 m

Pride Fencescapes

2/33 Demand Avenue Arundel QLD 4214

#colorbond fencing gold coast #timber retaining walls gold coast #fence builders gold coast #fencing gold coast #fences gold coast #retaining walls gold coast #retaining wall repairs gold coast

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brownskinsugarplum76 · 5 years

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One Shot: Cozying Up

I have crossed the finish line! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 All done with this one. @m-faithfull, here you go, the Robert and a librarian idea you gave me weeks ago. It was a good idea, too good to just limit to a series of head canon bullet points. So... 4300+ words later, here we are! Thank you again for the suggestion. ❤️❤️❤️

All right, file this under romantic smut, folks. NSFW but sweet. ❤️❤️❤️

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It's Friday, close to closing time. You're sitting at the library counter, reading an erotic novel that you've hidden in a dust jacket for A Tale of Two Cities, so no one is the wiser. But so few people came in today that it really didn't really matter. Things have been slow because a snowstorm is unfolding.

You love the wild nature in this part of Wales, but you're concerned about getting home safely in your sedan. The last visitor, who left more than a half hour before, said that there was already a centimeter or two of snow on the ground when he came in. Between the snow and the ice, you're worried that the country roads could get dicey in the dark.

Robert enters now, waves hello, and smiles. He's a regular when he's at his Welsh cottage, and the two of you have talked about books before, as well as the ancient, seaside splendor of the library at the University of Aberystwyth.

He likes to retreat to his woodland hideaway for a couple of months at a time between tours and recording jags, so you've gotten to know him well. He's always appreciative to be at your small community library, because the usual crowd is more excited to see a rare book come in on loan than a middle-aged rock superstar who is almost a regular fixture at certain times of year. When he comes he's usually there for hours, a single guy who needs some civilization when the wilderness gets to be too much. No one blinks an eye at his arrival anymore.

Today he's clutching a backpack on his shoulder with a gloved hand. He's not wearing a jacket, just a cozy navy sweater, jeans, and brown leather Chelsea boots. The arctic blast has made his cheeks as rosy as they can be on his golden skin.

You feel the chill of the cold, windy air behind him, and a gust of rogue snowflakes winds its way through the door before he can close it.

He says he's surprised you're still here. You ask him how the weather is now, and he says it's bad. As proof, a dusting of snow has alighted in his hair on the short walk to the door, although it has already begun to melt in his curls.

He encourages you to lock up, since it's so close to closing and no one else is there.

You've only got an hour left. You weigh the slim odds of more visitors coming against the strong possibility that you'll swerve repeatedly on the blind, woodsy roads, and you decide that Robert makes a good point. You make a quick "CLOSED" sign on paper and tape it to the door. You lock it and tell Robert to get the books he wants while you go to the bathroom.

You grab your purse and coat on the way back to the circulation desk. Robert is already waiting for you with 5 books. You marvel at how he always seems to know which books he wants, how quickly he secures the ones that strike his fancy.

He's been working his way through the history section lately, and you chat while you check out today's selections. One book is lucky enough to have a glossy dust jacket, while the others sport their original buckram fabric covers, coated with years of greasy fingerprints, cigarette smoke odors, and coffee mug rings.

You're always delighted to have a passionate discussion with him about his book choices. Once again, you tell him that he'd make a fine history teacher if he ever decided to leave the stage.

As he's putting the books in his backpack, he glances at the one you were reading. The smirk on his face makes you uncomfortable, so you grab the book and shove it into your oversized purse.

He comments that he's never known Dickens to be so hedonistic, raises an eyebrow, and asks if you're in the market for a submissive servant. You blush, realizing he has discovered that you've been reading Venus in Furs during work hours.

He awkwardly corrects himself, clarifying that he doesn't want to fill this role for you, though he would like to get to know you better.

Now you're blushing for a happier reason. You've been hoping ever since Robert started visiting that you could connect with him outside of the library, since the two of you have developed a good friendship. At last, it seems you'll get your chance.

You excuse yourself to give the library one final sweep, and then you turn off the lights and usher him out so you can lock the back door.

***

You curse under your breath when you see the parking lot and your car, which is blanketed with snow and ice. Robert picks up on your distress and offers to drive you to his place, in his Land Rover. He says he'll stop by your place in the morning so you can get a change of clothes and then retrieve your car from the library. Or, since Saturday is your day off, it can wait until Monday if you can't bear to leave, he says demurely.

His tentative suggestion pleasantly surprises you, and you smile and nod your head. Having a cozy, long weekend with Robert in a warm house during the winter months is the stuff of your fantasies.

You think about where things could go between the two of you, and all signs are positive. He always seems glad to see you. He always laughs at your jokes and exchanges glances with you that last a little longer than they would with an acquaintance. He offhandedly invited you to get coffee one time, but you dismissed it with a polite smile, thinking it was just more of his notorious flirting. He never brought it up again, but now it seems he may have been serious.

On top of what seem to be his romantic intentions, though, you know there's a genuine concern for your safety. He knows you're an American transplant, and he's fully aware that the roads, for all of their ice-covered, tree-lined beauty, can become treacherous before you know it. Between having a behemoth vehicle and a history of driving the roads in all kinds of conditions, he assures you that it's no problem for you to stay with him. He jokes that he was looking for someone to help him finish off the big pot of stew that his cook left on the stove, and that you've now been recruited for that task.

You agree to the plan, and he helps you climb into the vehicle before getting himself seated.

***

Robert excuses himself to light the fireplace. You wander aimlessly before heading to the kitchen. The house is cozy and rustic, with lots of wood trim and furniture, and a healthy dose of jewel colors used throughout.

You begin to daydream about what it might be like to live with Robert. You envision greeting him with a cup of hot chocolate when he comes in from a walk on a sunny winter afternoon, and then you imagine an impromptu snowball fight between the two of you. You're enjoying all the fantasies that are building up in your head.

At the stove, you notice two pots: one big, one small. Both are still warm. You take a peek in the big one, correctly guessing that it's the stew you'll be eating with Robert. The savory smell makes your stomach rumble. You realize that you never got around to having a tea break at work, so you find a bowl and a spoon to sample some stew.

It's delicious. You ladle a bigger portion into your bowl. The other pot will have to wait for your inspection.

You're a little embarrassed when Robert enters the kitchen, but he gives you a hug and assures you it's OK that you've made yourself at home. Inside his arms, you feel just as safe and comforted as you did on the road with him. You quickly gather things to serve two bowls of stew.

He locates some butter and a loaf of crusty bread. He's placing them on the dining room table when you arrive with the bowls. Then he retreats to the living room, and when he comes back the sounds of Fairport Convention and Sandy Denny's expressive, dulcet voice start up behind him.

He says he's in the mood for some good, old-fashioned folk music. He tells you about his love for the group, and you ask him how he came to sing with Sandy Denny on The Battle of Evermore so many years ago. He responds, and then he continues with interesting bits of trivia about how some of your other favorite Zeppelin songs were made. You compliment him on Kashmir, and he shyly tells you it's one of his favorites. You relish the opportunity to glean so many interesting facts from him.

When you've both finished eating, he starts clearing the table, and you join him.

In the kitchen, you realize he set the burner under the mystery pot to low at some point, and now a sweet smell that reminds you of Christmas fills the air.

Robert asks you to stir the pot while he locates a large thermos.

You turn your attention to the pot. You lift the lid, and you see slices of fruit lazily bobbing along in a red pool, with the occasional bits of spices. Mulled wine. You tell him you've never had it before, and he assures you that you're in for a treat.

Once he finds the thermos, you admire its cozy, masculine, red plaid pattern and realize that your brother has a similar one.

He lifts the full pot with ease and fills the thermos while you hold it in place on the counter.

He offers you the first sip, holding the thermos for you while he looks on expectantly. The wine is sweet and flavorful in a way that's different from regular wine, but just as satisfying. After taking several more sips you realize it's dangerously good. Between the wine and what Robert seems to want for the evening, what you also want, you're really glad that you don't have to work tomorrow or leave his country hideaway.

***

He hands you the thermos and leads you to his library. There's a burgundy and gold color scheme in the cozy space, and each wall has a mahogany shelf, filled with books and plants.

He fixates on some books and a notebook on the leather sofa and returns them to their proper places. While he's tidying up, you peruse the bookshelves. On the drive over you were thinking that Robert would be a haphazard free-spirit, with barely controlled chaos in every room, but he has surprised you again. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by topic, and a variety of subjects are represented, from histories of many different peoples of the world to drawing techniques, to mythologies of various cultures and even a few biographies about British football greats.

You tell him he has a nice, well-organized collection and tease him, asking if he might ever be free to cover for you at your library.

He shakes his head as he approaches you, lightly resting his hands on your shoulders. He responds that he couldn't be there without you; it wouldn't be the same.

Your heart flutters at his admission, and you caress his hand with one of your own. He smiles, then breaks the spell with the clearing of his throat and invites you to return to the living room.

***

He changes to a Minnie Ripperton album on the stereo, still in a mind for 70s nostalgia, and asks you to spread out a velvety scarlet blanket that's folded next to a brown leather recliner. You place the blanket at a cozy distance from the fire.

The smooth, soulful, romantic vibes of Perfect Angel fill the air as he joins you on the blanket. You're sitting side by side. He asks how you became a librarian and, between sips of the warm wine, you get into a long conversation about the interest in books that you've had since childhood, your educational background, your favorite books, and your craziest stories of things that have happened in the library. He tells you about his favorite books, in childhood and now.

He is the star of his own wild library story. With a glint of fond memories in his eye, he recalls an adventure he had in the stacks before Zeppelin, with an older playmate, a Birmingham college girl. He jokes that it's the only college education he's had.

You drink the last of the wine and offer to refill the thermos. Robert refuses, quickly getting to his feet to take care of it.

While he's gone you lie down on your side, enjoy the flicker of the fire for a moment, and then look around the room. There is art on the wall, and plants again, but surprisingly no television.

You comment on the latter when he returns. He says he's banished television from the house in exchange for peace and quiet, but quickly adds that he reads The Guardian edition that's delivered every day and never misses his favorite football match-ups by heading off to the nearest pub. You admire his commitment to a true chance to unwind.

He assures you that he isn't without radio, though. He turns it on to hear the latest on the snow, but here's nothing new to report. He shrugs and says with a mischievous, lingering grin that you'll just have to find ways to entertain each other. That's exactly what you're hoping for.

You're lying down and facing each other with the thermos between you, taking sips of the wine. You are in an exceptionally easy-going, tipsy state and catch yourself a few times giving Robert a longing, appreciative gaze. You feel like you're soaring when you realize he is meeting every one of your glances with his own expression of fondness.

You boldly move the thermos out of the way to spoon with him on the floor. He wraps an arm around your waist as you turn around and back up to him.

You remember that he spent time in Wales as a child and ask him about that experience. With his mouth inches from your ear, he paints a picture of a young Robert who either raced through the woods at top speed with his friends, or was content to stay at home reading or learning the words to the latest songs on the radio.

He speaks fondly of the wildness of nature in this part of the United Kingdom and recalls all of the mythological beings that he imagined were somewhere nearby when he played in the woods.

You have been lulled into a beautiful state of contentment by Robert's words, the music, and the wine. In your relaxed state of pleasure, he bewitches you even more by starting a sensual crawl of his hand through your hair.

He softly ponders aloud if the two of you would've ended up like this, entwined in a mellow embrace, if the snowstorm hadn't come along. You reply that you'd always hoped so, but you just weren't sure if he was being friendly with his chatter or really interested in more.

He raises up on his side and guides you onto your back. He traces your cheek. Then, he leans over for a gossamer kiss on your lips. He offers you a soft smile and says maybe he should've tried to kiss you sooner.

You return his smile and kiss him back just as delicately and tentatively, as though you want more but are afraid the experience will disintegrate, that it's only an incredibly sweet dream. But when he straddles you and serves butterfly kisses to your lips and neck, you know it's real by the warm shudder of arousal going through your body.

The kissing keeps going, deepening to a fiery lip lock with dancing tongues. The warmth of the fireplace and the warmth of Robert's deliciously invasive kisses are heavenly. There is no awkwardness between you two, just connected, instinctual romance, just as easygoing as your banter in the library.

You lightly grasp his shoulders, and he lowers himself closer to you. His hands cradle your face as he savors the taste of your swirling tongue a little more.

Minnie Ripperton starts cooing suggestively about two people meeting, two spirits greeting, inside each other. It seems the universe has given the two of you a sign. You continue to become more physically acquainted with each other, one wet kiss, one curious finger, one lick of an eager tongue at a time.

You have fallen in love with the faint sandalwood scent of him in the warm months, but with his sweater discarded tonight, and quickly followed by his pants, he smells strongly of a woodsy cologne all over. It's an appropriate smell for this cold time of year, and you're sure it's one you'll never forget, as well as the memory of his finely chiseled, athletic, naked body.

You also know, without any lovemaking having taken place yet, that he will have ruined you for other men by the time you leave on Monday. It's plain as day from many of the old Led Zeppelin pictures that Robert is astonishingly well hung, but actually seeing his steadily hardening member, which has been so integral to your fantasies, letting the truth sink in as you continue to explore each other and he tenderly removes your clothes, is everything you've imagined. But it's also almost beyond belief.

Seeing his hardness in real life, by the glow of the fire. Tracing the prominent veins on the warm, smooth skin. Feeling the tantalizing heft of him in your hand. Tasting the slight saltiness and the pearl of early excitement that has seeped from his tip. You couldn't have imagined it better. But now, it's beyond the control of your daydreams, and Robert's wild card movements and reactions are pleasantly surprising and far more alluring than any bedtime story you've told yourself about him. As you work his cock in your mouth, his hands lightly roam in your hair, over your shoulders and your back, and it takes all of your focus to keep yourself from surrendering to his touch.

As if sensing your need, he stops you well before his completion and attends to you. He journeys south on your body, sometimes gracing your warm skin with the faintest touch of his lips and fingertips, sometimes trailing with the tip of his tongue, dwelling at the many places along the way that make you mewl and squirm. He is treating you with reverence and lightness, like you're a beautiful, iridescent-winged hummingbird who has graced his presence but could fly away with one false touch.

You needn't worry that the evening will be chaste, however; his caresses, licks and, now, nips of your skin grow bolder by the second. He is using all of his senses to gather all the information he needs to seduce you in the way that most resonates with you, and you alone.

By your satisfied hums and the non-stop slither of your body, it's clear that Robert has mastered a repertoire of your turn-ons and seized control of your passion.

Under his velvet-tongued rule between your legs, he ratchets up your delight before backing off, doing this a few times just before the point of no control for you. He ignores your moans, and they evolve to cries and screams with each passing flick of his tongue in your soaked folds. He presses on with teasing that would've overextended its welcome long ago if it hadn't also been the most sensually intoxicated you've felt in your life.

You clutch the sheets as the electric wildfire that he has unleashed from your tight bud has spread out of control. Your legs spasm, your back stiffens. Your breath can't fill your lungs fast enough.

He knows you're close to physical nirvana. He coaxes you further in a hushed whisper, letting you know how beautiful you look while lost to desire. He coos some more, tells you not to fight it, to come for him, to give him the look that he's dreamt about exploding on your face.

The sexy rasp of his suggestion, and a confession of him fantasizing about you are all your body needed; it can no longer contain the build-up of your pleasure. Your energy shatters, and the wild essence of you dissipates into oblivion for a time.

The needle has been wandering aimlessly in the inner groove of the Minnie Ripperton record for some time now, and you get to gather yourself for the next round when Robert goes to turn off the stereo.

When he returns, he tests the waters of your core with curious fingers. By the slick wetness and your hungry groan at his touch inside, he knows that it's time. He nudges the tip of his cock inside of you. The sensation is almost overwhelming, but the slow wind of his hips is reassuring as he ventures deeper into you.

Robert doesn't stop kissing you, and before you know it he's fully nestled inside of your core. He's still wielding his cock gently, but he is, nevertheless, mercilessly stretching your walls by his mere presence. He's bigger than anyone you've ever experienced. The satisfaction is unspeakable.

Your life hangs in the balance between every stroke. Your breath hitches and you're reduced to desperate gulps of air. The gyrations that comprise your shared passion are tortuously slow, but you still find yourself clutching his back and crying out for mercy, as though he was fucking you savagely. The contradiction is blissfully satisfying.

The tickling meander of his hands in your hair and the brush of his lips against yours provides some relief, but you're still spiraling out of control. He smirks with the cocky grin that you've seen many times before at the library when he wins a discussion between you two. He knows his time-tested prowess and his exquisite physical gifts have transformed you to a wanton, insatiable goddess, which is exactly who he hoped to find within the woman with the friendly smile at the circulation desk.

His smirk is short-lived as you rake your nails across his broad back and arch more steeply into him. He growls softly, cursing and enjoying the tightness, and his breathing hastens. Now it's your turn to gloat. It seems you are affecting him as much as he is affecting you.

You share a lust-soaked gaze, and you marvel at how the sounds of your breathing have synchronized. The joyous coupling has brought both of you closer than you'd ever dreamed you'd be to each other. The slow burn of your friendship has found in your hearts all the kindling it needed to make your relationship flame brighter and higher. And there seems to be no limit to the ascension of your passion and your fondness for each other.

Both of you are desperately greedy for the escalating sensations, but neither of you is pressed to go faster or harder. You chalk it up to the blessing of a snowed-in weekend; you both know that much of the rest of your time will be spent exploring different tempos, intensities, and positions of togetherness.

Your body meanders its way toward completion. Both of you glow from the fire, and from a sheen of sweat generated by your combined passion. Both of you grasp the other tightly, not quite ready to be swept in different directions by the full surge of climax. But the unpredictable energy has its way, as both of you loudly sing the joys of orgasm at the same time. Robert's pleasure is punctuated with the destructive force of a shotgun blast, while your full-body spasms seem to have no end. You voyage on the dying embers of passion as far as they will take you.

***

Your eyes snap open some time later. The fire has all but died out. Robert's head is nestled between your breasts, and he is emitting soft snores into your damp skin. One of his hands protectively grasps your waist.

You're starting to feel a chill where your skin is not in contact with his. You fondle his damp, unfurled curls to gently wake him. He purrs and slowly focuses his sleepy eyes on yours, as a crooked smile also dawns on his face.

He parts your lips with his tongue, kissing you with lazy, loving energy. He now realizes that the fire is on the wane, and he rises to put it out completely.

He helps you to your feet and says you should head to the bedroom to warm up and get more comfortable. You stand on your tiptoes to kiss him, and he takes the opportunity to scoop you up into his arms.

Once he has placed you on the bed, you find yourself reeling from the wine and the passionate encounter. Robert holds you and guides you to lay your head on his chest when he climbs into bed with you. You caress his face and tell him how glad you are that everything tonight has happened. He agrees and kisses your forehead.

He smiles broadly, and you know he's about to say something silly. And he doesn't disappoint: he promises that, now that he's sleeping with the librarian, he'll never abuse his power to take out extra books or keep them longer than he should. You can't help but laugh, and you tell him you're going to hold him to that promise.

Moments later, Robert has returned to being your peacefully snoring prince again, by the sound of his breath. You snuggle closer to him and close your eyes. You're excited to experience everything else that the weekend has to offer, and you know you'll both need the rest to keep up with each other.

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The rest of my stories are here, or search for the hashtag #brownskinsugarplumlibrary.

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garden-ghoul · 5 years

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This week on Overground: Evil City we find out what a union station actually is, hammer out some of the material impacts of the Evil City, name the worst subway line in existence, and, uh, assassinate some labor rights activists. Episode is 53 minutes, sorry, we have cannot shut up disease. Transcript below the cut!

GHOUL: Okay, we are rec-ording.

VERA: Yahaa.

GHOUL: Let’s do our welcome.

VERA: Nyee.

GHOUL: I’m from Boston.

VERA: And I’m from Newark.

BOTH: Welcome…

GHOUL: …to the Overground.

VERA: [at the same time] …to the Evil City. [wheezes]

GHOUL: No, we’ll keep that.

[Theme plays: ‘Bolt Cutter’ by Doomtree]

GHOUL: Aaaall right. So, last time we made one TRULY horrible subway line, [Vera laughing] which is bad, very, very bad. And properly should be two separate subway lines, but isn’t.

VERA: Mhm!

GHOUL: And the trains, you know, are each other. And we added a couple of subway stops too. As is our…

VERA: [with relish] Municipal Intersection.

GHOUL: Ahh! Municipal Intersection.

VERA: Not named for an intersection of streets.

GHOUL: But an intersection of buildings.

VERA: Horrible.

GHOUL: And… as is our custom, we were thinking about, but not actually creating content for, this evil city, you know, out of respect for the listeners. So Vera actually wrote down in their notes some questions that we’re going to consider today.

VERA: I did.

GHOUL: So, what order do you want to do these questions in?

VERA: I can just read all of them out. …That’s stupid.

GHOUL: Pick one that’s cool. Yeah, don’t read all of them out at once. Overwhelm the listeners.

VERA: [softly, sinisterly] Yeess.

GHOUL: Oh, I do think first we should place Union Station, and we should talk about what happened to the union railroad.

VERA: Yeeeeeesssssss. Yes.

GHOUL: We might need another rail line. Would you like to draw it?

VERA: I think it would be fun if it was like [awful creaking noise that indicates Vera is drawing a line, probably northward from downtown]. I don’t know. Maybe just [shorter awful creaking noise that probably indicates the line is shorter]. That’s kind of dumb. I don’t know.

GHOUL: Partially make it stupid, but also think about where it would be useful to have rail lines, and where there’s a lot of high density of stuff.

VERA: Uhh, what were we saying were places that stuff was? We’ve got… downtown… we’ve got… the Silver City over there. [presumably the Palisades]

GHOUL: Here we have refineries and industry.

VERA: And…

GHOUL: Where was the place where all the railroads met up?

VERA: You’d think that freight rail would have a lot of stuff in the industrial sector, and passenger rail might be downtown.

GHOUL: I assume the passenger rail goes along the coast. Obviously there’s also something upriver, but. You know.

VERA: Yeah.

GHOUL: I mean, upriver I would assume there’s mountains and I would assume there’s mines, because that’s how rivers work. But maybe that’s just me being partially from the mountains.

VERA: Aaah.

GHOUL: Railroad bridges!!

VERA: Huhuhuhuhuu.

GHOUL: This is the city of bridges.

VERA: Yeah, it has so many fucking stupid bridges. I kind of want to notate some of them.

GHOUL: Oh, yeah, sure.

VERA: Obviously we’ve got bridges there and there… [pointing out two of the five bridges already on the map]

GHOUL: And one at 9th Crossing Boulevard.

VERA: There and there…

GHOUL: …3, 4, 5… so we need… at least three more…

VERA: At least four… Yeah, and then I’m not sure all of these are ‘crossings.’

GHOUL: Right, some of them are just bridges. [laughs]

VERA: Like that one?

GHOUL: What, Nusquam Street Bridge?

VERA: Clearly it’s called Nusquam Street Bridge, not, I don’t know, Third Crossing or whatever. So.

GHOUL: Hang on, is this over here [the bridge north of Municipal Intersection] the First Crossing?

VERA: Hmmm.

GHOUL: Or is there one even further downriver that’s really annoying when steamships try to come into harbor?

VERA: Yes. Yes! This is Evil City, and it’s very stupid.

GHOUL: Do you call those trestle bridges, the ones that can rise up? [looks it up and cuts the audio lol] Okay, the thing we’re thinking of is a bascule bridge.

VERA: Sometimes referred to as a drawbridge. Okay.

GHOUL: So I think First Crossing should be a drawbridge. And they have to stop traffic so often because ships are always trying to come into the harbor between 1st and 2nd Crossings. [laughing]

VERA: Ahh, that’s so stupid. I love it.

GHOUL: Also, where… union stations are generally a little ways out of downtown, right?

VERA: Mmmm. [again, but in the intonation of ‘I dunno’] Mmmm. I don’t know because there isn’t one in Newark. There is just Penn Station and Broad Street Station.

GHOUL: Where am I thinking of…? Worcester! I don’t think there’s one in Boston either, but there’s one in Worcester.

VERA: Hm. And it’s a little ways out of downtown?

GHOUL: No, Union Station actually is downtown because it’s where you come into if… it’s like the hub for passenger trains.

VERA: Yeah. That’s kind of what I figured it would be. So, yeah, okay.

GHOUL: You know, South Station Boston might actually be a union station, but there’s two of them so they had to call them North and South Station instead of Union Station. I… probably should look that up.

[looks it up]

GHOUL: A union—! A union station is not a station built by a union railroad company, it’s a union of railroads. Did you know that and you didn’t tell me?

VERA: I didn’t know it, but now that you say it it makes a lot of sense.

GHOUL: Ohhh, my gosh. Okay, in that case, what that means is we have to postulate the existence of a bunch of local railroads from the 1800s or whatever that all unionized at Union Station. Which would basically just be somewhere that three or four different railroads would all want to go. Which would probably be downtown.

VERA: Yeah. I do feel like maybe we should just move Municipal Intersection a ways down one of the lines and have that spot…

GHOUL: Or we could just make more horrible intersections of different lines.

VERA: That’s a much better plan, you’re so right.

GHOUL: I was thinking we could put Union Station just north of Municipal Intersection on the north side of the river.

VERA: Mm.

GHOUL: And then have another line going through there.

VERA: Yeah, yeah, sure.

GHOUL: The problem is there’s nowhere non-stupid for this line to go, so it has to go somewhere stupid.

VERA: [sarcastically] Oh nooo.

GHOUL: I was just thinking of a drawbridge that sometimes has a train on it, and going insane.

VERA: Oh, that’s so stupid.

GHOUL: But I think it goes under the river there. [at 1st Crossing] It’s okay. [laughs]

VERA: You know, that’s extra funny, because that’s like ‘yeah, we bored a tunnel for the rail but cars can’t use it, they still have to go over the stupid drawbridge.

GHOUL: Yeah! Does it intersect with the green line again, or does it… it’s possible that the terminus of the green line is just another stop on this. Soon it’s going to be time to tape another couple pieces of paper on the bottom.

VERA: You know, maybe we should do that now.

GHOUL: Sure.

GHOUL: Hi, we’re back. We taped two more pieces of paper and doubled the size of the map. I… [laughing] I think that we should make the green line from the Palisades go down to a beach.

VERA: You’re right.

GHOUL: ‘Cause that’d be just fucking typical.

VERA: You’re so right. Eugh. [sarcastically soft and sweet voice—henceforth ‘rich person voice’] The fucking Coastal Line.

GHOUL: Eeuugh.

VERA: [continued rich person voice] Isn’t it beautiful?

GHOUL: And in fact it is. What’s the beach called? What’s a good terminus name, because this is going to be Palisades to Something Beach or whatever. Um, it could be named after a town that was down there, and now it’s part of the Evil City but it used to be a town.

VERA: I just keep thinking ‘Bramble.’ See, Bramble Beach is like, mm, that’s a good beach, but it’s not the kind of beach that rich people love to go to.

GHOUL: Although if a town was fucking brambly it could be called Bramble Hill or something.

VERA: Mm. Brambling Hill?

GHOUL: Brambling Hill. [both crack up] That’s too Rich People. Sorry, did rich people found this town actually? They want to live out of town, but close enough that they can drive there in a carriage.

VERA: Right. [rich person voice] ‘And I want a seaside view…’

GHOUL: [likewise rich person voice] ‘Like they have at the Palisaades, darling.’

VERA: [lol] Now imagine… [train driver PA announcement voice] Coastline… Palisades to Brambling Hill.

GHOUL: Is it Brambling Hill or Brambling Hill Beach?

VERA: Brambling Hill.

GHOUL: Maybe the stop north of Brambling Hill is Brambling Hill Beach.

VERA: Oh, that’s bad, I love it. Yes. …Oh, I was also thinking that the orange line could have some stupid branch thing going on.

GHOUL: YEAH stupid branches baybeeee!

VERA: [laughing] Yeah, I know, you’re from Boston.

GHOUL: [pffff] All right, would you like to draw a stupid branch of the orange line?

VERA: Yes.

GHOUL: Well, we can… we should mix our systems here. We should also have one that, downtown it’s the same fucking train and for most of it it’s the same fucking train, but they’re still called two different lines.

VERA: [very softly] Yes. [Ghoul chuckling wickedly] YES. The worst of both worlds.

GHOUL: The worst of both worlds. …Mmm. Vera is drawing a highly stupid kind of hook-shaped nonsense. This subway line thinks it’s the river.

VERA: [hmhm laugh]

GHOUL: And I will be clear, on a map there is no reason for it to look like this. We’re not drawing a map that is to scale. [laughing] Aahh I really like that one of the branches is super long and awful and the other one has three stops on it.

VERA: Mhm! Mhm!

GHOUL: Okay, okay, now we have a plan, what are the lines that are—is there a line that’s almost exactly the same as the long orange line but it’s a different color?

VERA: Mmmyes. [Ghoul laughing] Yeah, goes that way at the end. [don’t know what way this is because we didn’t keep this] Also, is it part of the heretofore-unnamed-and-colored line that’s at Union Station or…

GHOUL: When you say part of… hang on, does it go like this? [outlines the monstrously stupid yellow line loop that crosses both 1st and 2nd Crossings]

[a beat, and then both start laughing like loons]

GHOUL: Oh, that’s bad, baby.

VERA: Oh, that’s so dumb.

GHOUL: It takes a small detour to serve this area up here. [weird yellow shark fin thing in south Evil City]

VERA: Mhm. Oh, I love it.

GHOUL: [laughing while trying to talk] What if they have the same terminus too!!

VERA: Ehh! Yes!

GHOUL: Where’s the other terminus.

VERA: Hmm. Hmmmmm. [‘here?’ intonation] Mm?

GHOUL: [wheezingly] Also a stop on the orange line.

VERA: Is that too much?

GHOUL: Evil City!

[both laughing]

VERA: Ah, I love it.

GHOUL: But it’s the terminus, so if you get this train it’s not going to go on.

VERA: No.

GHOUL: Right.

VERA: No. Also, you can’t transfer for free.

GHOUL: No. Obviously not.

VERA: They’re going in different directions! You have to cross the platform!

GHOUL: Fuck. That’s true. And you think it’s like, oh, X Station to Y Station, yeah, there’s track between those stations. Nooooo. You have to go around the loooong wayyy. [laughing]

VERA: Uh-huhhhh.

GHOUL: All right, so now we have the yellow line, which goes south and is mostly the same as the southern 2/3 of the orange line.

VERA: However, Worse.

GHOUL: Mhmmm [chef’s kiss].

VERA: Oh, this is great. Folks, you love to see it.

GHOUL: We love to draw it.

VERA: Mhm.

GHOUL: Um, I want to name the termini of the yellow line.

VERA: [heheheehee] Yeahhh. Yeah. Yeah. Same.

GHOUL: Also, I think at this stop [probably the western end of the orange line from before we drew the extension] you can transfer to a commuter rail, but you know, it’s a different… oh, my gosh, have you seen… there’s this really stupid part of the Red Line in Boston.

VERA: Oh, I have not.

GHOUL: [laughing] I need to show it to you. [typing as ghoul looks up a map] Okay, you see down here, so Ashmont is actually the terminus of this line. You say, ‘going to Ashmont/Braintree.’ Right.

VERA: Mhm.

GHOUL: But! There is more Red Line after that that goes to Mattapan! [almost incoherent with laughter] You just have to transfer!

VERA: Oh, that’s so dumb.

GHOUL: Also, see, between Park Street and Downtown Crossing you can just walk there. So it’s a different station but you can walk to it. Ashmont is just two stations and you have to walk between them and the trains don’t go there! [nearly weeping with laughter] That’s some Evil City bullshit right there, Boston.

[editor’s note: having looked this up since then, I THINK you can just take the lift up one level to catch the Mattapan Trolley, like a normal transfer between lines. But it’s still pretty funny. The Mattapan Trolley is a tiny little one-car orange trolley and it’s the cutest thing.]

VERA: Mmm. Oh, that’s delightful. That’s delightful, thank you. Thank you for showing me things about Boston that are dumb. I love to see them. I told you about things in New York that were dumb last session, so.

GHOUL: Yes. So that’s what I’m proposing we do with one of the lines on here. I think either the red line or the stupid little nub of the orange line.

VERA: Mmm. Mm. They both have extreme merits. I feel like the red line is already just soo stupid. Like it kind of stands on its own.

GHOUL: [laughing] All right. We’ll do the orange line, then. But it’s also quite short after that.

VERA: Oh, yeah. Yeah.

GHOUL: So it’s like,

VERA: Still extremely useless. …uh, so.

GHOUL: We really need to name some more termini, my friend.

VERA: Yes, we have got to. We’re just drawing lines willy-nilly like ‘Oh! We never have to do anything that’s not this!’

GHOUL: Yellow/orange terminus. What’s down here?

VERA: Mmm. I feel like down there is a city that’s really kind of a city in its own right but it is…

GHOUL: It’s still very much part of the Evil City Metro Area.

VERA: Mhm.

GHOUL: Because there’s a subway that goes right downtown to there.

VERA: Right. It does have its own downtown, but…

GHOUL: But we scoff at it like we scoff at Worcester.

VERA: [laughs] You scoff at Worcester, I don’t know enough about Worcester to scoff at it.

GHOUL: One day you’ll scoff.

[both laughing]

GHOUL: Right, and I think it’s a former industrial city that was just founded to have a place to put the foundries or whatever. But now… if it weren’t part of the Evil City Metro commuter radius… You know how they’re trying to rebrand Durham as hip and happening?

VERA: Mhm.

GHOUL: So they’re trying to rebrand themselves as hip and happening, but everyone’s just like ‘Oh, that’s in Evil City, right? That’s like, a neighhborhood in Evil City.’ ‘Nooo! We’re our own city!’

GHOUL: Um, and… what is that city called.

VERA: Hmm. Okay. So, it was founded for industrial reasons.

GHOUL: Yeah.

VERA: Horrible, horrible, horrible.

GHOUL: What are some suburbs of Newark called? [Vera hesitates] If you don’t know any suburbs—if you like Newark so much, name 5 of their suburbs.

VERA: Well, Belleville and Bloomfield…

GHOUL: What the fuck, stop naming things pretty names!

VERA: Nutley, Montclair… Maplewood… Orange, South Orange, um, West Orange, [audibly smiling] East Orange, no North Orange.

GHOUL: [whispered] Stupid.

VERA: Yeah! I don’t know, the thing is that I do feel like even cities that are just founded to be horrible garbage dumps … [ghoul laughing] Like, they don’t name them Horrible Garbage Dump #1, Horrible Garbage Dump #2.

GHOUL: Well, maybe they do in the Evil City! [both laughing] No, we should strive for realism.

VERA: Realism in all things… except… what our subway maps look like.

GHOUL: It’s… it’s called… fucking Blossomtown or some shit. But it’s also based around an iron foundry.

VERA: Something less dumb.

GHOUL: Oh my gosh, the people from this town really hate that Evil City used to have the nickname Silver City, because it actually came from the really, really nice steel products that this iron foundry put out. [Vera laughing delightedly] And they’re like ‘No, Evil City didn’t make those! We made them! We’re not part of Evil City! They can’t just have their name based on our products!’ But they did.

VERA: They diiid.

GHOUL: I want to call it Birchbrake for some reason.

VERA: Hm, I like it.

GHOUL: All right, we’re calling it Birchbrake.

VERA: I also like that it’s called Birchbrake when I feel like birch is one of the worst possible things to make a firebrake out of? On account of it’s wildly flammable?

GHOUL: Maybe it’s a brake for the birches, so that you surround the birches with a firebrake. But it’s actually not named after that, it’s named after a guy named Birchbrake.

VERA: Ahh. Typical.

GHOUL: All right. So we know that Birchbrake is famous for—I mean, it’s famous for being a suburb of the Evil City—but it’s famous for its iron foundry and its really cool—I think they actually do steel jewelry and it got really popular at some point.

VERA: Mmm, I like that, I like that. Uh, want to name some other stupid bullshit.

GHOUL: Yeah! Yeah, baby!

VERA: How about the other yellow line terminus, which is also just…

GHOUL: A normal stop on the yellow line.

VERA: And a normal stop on the orange line.

GHOUL: Okay, so what’s there?

VERA: So far we’ve got some real industrial areas up north by the river and down south by Birchbrake.

GHOUL: I imagine that between those two things there is or used to be a lot of woods.

VERA: Yeah. Right, it’s probably pretty… well, I don’t know, it’s in the city really, still. The thing is that I’m still thinking a bit… I still have the subway/commuter rail distinction very… in my head, which is probably not true?

GHOUL: Right, in fact large parts of the Green Line in Boston are aboveground. Most of the Green Line is aboveground.

VERA: Mhm.

GHOUL: So it really is more of a commuter rail, but here’s the key thing. It doesn’t cost as much as the commuter rail.

VERA: Ha-ha! Yeees! I definitely have that distinction a lot clearer in my head, ‘cause when you transfer from the commuter rail into New York City to the New York City subway it’s like, these are two very different experiences.

GHOUL: Right, right, I do… the thing that I like about the Newark Metro Area’s public transportation and rail system is that it’s still a patchwork of several different systems.

VERA: Yeah, it really is.

GHOUL: Right, you’ve got PATH, you’ve got the actual metro, you’ve got Long Island Rail Road, there’s a bunch of shit.

VERA: You’ve got NJ Transit Rail, which is the one I would actually take into the city if I wasn’t taking PATH.

GHOUL: Yeah, that’s like four fucking railroads. Do they all appear on the same map?

VERA: No.

GHOUL: Because they’re run by different companies.

VERA: Right, also they operate on extremely different scales.

GHOUL: Hm. But would you, on a map of the New York City Metro, just mark stations where you can transfer to any of the three or four other railroads?

VERA: Yeah. Yeah, you definitely would be like ‘Yeah these are some PATH transfer stops…’ Grand Central you can take the LIRR… Penn Station I think could take the LIRR or NJ Transit.

GHOUL: I like how it sounds like ‘Lear.’ The point is that we were trying to figure out what is between Birchbrake and the Evil City proper. And we were saying it used to be all forest but now it’s probably towns. I think it’s good if there’s just small stands of trees still and they just have them? But there’s sort of a weird town soup also.

VERA: Yeah!

GHOUL: There should be a place where there’s still a patch of forest and it’s really dense and tangly and impossible to walk through and just no-one’s bothered to cut it down because it’s in a weird place between town boundaries and nobody actually wants to claim it because it’s going to be a whole bunch of work to actually develop that… So it’s just not part of town and it’s a weird little patch of forest that’s not part of a town.

VERA: Mhm. Although also I am kind of finding it difficult to conceptualize that this whole area has not been clearcut several times in the past hundred years.

GHOUL: But the thing is, it’s like three acres though.

VERA: Yeah—maybe it’s also kind of down a ravine or something?

GHOUL: Yeah, yeah, it’s three acres, it’s in a ravine, no-one wants to try to develop that. Someone—they tried to cut it for fuel a while back but people kept getting lost in there. [Vera laughing] Small but incredibly dense.

VERA: [happily] Mm. A little forest that eats people!

GHOUL: [likewise happily and sweetly] A little forest that eats people!

VERA: In the middle of a big old city that eats people.

GHOUL: It’s perfect.

VERA: I love it now.

GHOUL: People found towns 1) as a place to live, or 2) as a place to make stuff.

VERA: You know, maybe it was agricultural.

GHOUL: [smiling] Agriculture! Aw! Right, and they did clearcut a whole bunch of forest and it was fucked up.

VERA: Mhm.

GHOUL: And the forest got really angry at them.

VERA: Mhm. [reading end of storybook to 4-year-olds voice] And now there’s just one little bit of forest!

GHOUL: That really hates them~~!

VERA: And it will eat you if you go in there.

GHOUL: Right, it condensed all the anger of an entire forest that got clearcut into one extremely tiny three-acre plot in a ravine.

VERA: Mhm.

GHOUL: There’s a huge chain link fence around that forest with barbed wire on top, because everyone who fucking goes in there vanishes!

VERA: [pfft!] Aaah.

GHOUL: [laughing] And they’re just not dealing with it! …Um, okay, so, agricultural town. What if we invent a stupid name and then tweak it until it’s less stupid?

[editor’s note: there was a WHOLE diversion here about the town called Crowsfield near Anisport and corvids playing chess, which I have omitted for everyone’s sanity. Just trust me that this next thing does not come from nowhere.]

GHOUL: All right, it’s called Bishop. —Wait, do we want to postulate the existence of Christians? I’m not sure about that.

VERA: Right, yeah.

GHOUL: We name it after a different chess piece… not rook. It could just be called Castle, though. A town that’s called Castle inexplicably is pretty good. They founded it as a small homesteading town, right, and they just named it Castle.

VERA: Kind of as a joke.

GHOUL: Kind of as a joke. But then it stuck.

VERA: Yeahh. And people are like ‘Okay, where’s the fucking castle?’ [through gritted teeth] ‘It was a jo~oke.’

GHOUL: They had to build a castle. But it fucking sucks and it’s a casino.

[both cracking up]

VERA: [lovingly] Oh, of course it sucks and it’s a casino. There we go, thank you.

GHOUL: Yeah! [laughing] Um, I do want it to have some stupid bullshit like, ‘This is Castle, it’s the smallest one, then there’s North Castle, West Castle, South Castle.’

VERA: [adoring sigh] I like this.

GHOUL: Which is the main one? Like, if you say you’re going to Castle, people are like, ‘Oh you mean North Castle?’. Or…

VERA: West…

GHOUL: West Castle.

VERA: Yes.

[pen uncapping noise, scribbling sounds]

VERA: West Castle to Birchbrake…

GHOUL: Yeah, and then we have, Ninth Crossing to Birchbrake. Hang on. Which… direction… is the orange branch a branch of. Is it a—like, can you get there [Valentine Institute] from Birchbrake or can you get there from Ninth Crossing.

VERA: Um…

GHOUL: Or! Is that the parent branch. And you can get both of those places but you can’t get—[laughing]

VERA: Oh… Yeeees.

GHOUL: [while still laughing] Like, if you want to—

VERA: That tiny little three stop line is the parent line.

GHOUL: And if you want to get from Birchbrake to Ninth Crossing, you have to transfer. At this stop that’s just southwest of Linden.

VERA: Delightful.

GHOUL: And obviously, you have to pay another fare.

VERA: Obviously.

GHOUL: Unless you go all the way of the orange line. So, it’s such a short thing that most people just do that usually.

VERA: Yes.

GHOUL: That’s the only station where you don’t have to pay to transfer from the south orange line to the north orange line. [laughing again]

VERA: Ahhh… [ghoul still laughing] Folks… you love to see it.

GHOUL: Alright. I wanna name the terminus and the transfer station. ‘Cause that’s some good bad bullshit.

VERA: Mhm. Mhm.

GHOUL: I think… It’s quite possible that what’s down here [spoilers: Valentine Institute] is actually suburb?

VERA: Yeah. —Oh! There’s got to be some universities somewhere.

GHOUL: Oooo! It would be highly stupid and cute if that were a university. You just like—to transfer from one half of the station to the other, you have to actually walk through some of the tunnels that like, belong to the university? Because the branch was built after the university, and like, they couldn’t—they couldn’t actually get permission to build through the university’s underground space. So they just have people walk through the existing tunnels under the university.

VERA: [sharp inhale] Yes. [ghoul starts laughing] It is a free transfer though.

GHOUL: [still cracking up] It is a free transfer though!

VERA: The only one!

GHOUL: There are some other free transfers.

VERA: Yeah.

GHOUL: It’s just like, half and half and you never know if it’s going to be free or not? So sometimes if you’re planning an unfamilar route you just have to like, google how many transfers you’re going to have to make, and whether they’ll be free?

VERA: Mhm.

GHOUL: So that you know how much money to put on your fare card.

VERA: Mhm, mhm. Because of course half the fare machines don’t work.

GHOUL: Of course! I mean, a lot of stations just don’t have fare machines, also.

VERA: Yes.

GHOUL: Or! Here’s the thing: if you want to use the fare machine in a station, you have to go out, use the fare machine, and then come back in, paying a fare. Which is how it is, in fact.

VERA: Yes…

GHOUL: Like, there’s never fare machines in the station past the turnstiles. You have to leave the station to use the fare machine.

VERA: Of course…

GHOUL: A lot of the transfer stations that aren’t free just don’t have fare machines.

VERA: Yeah. [ghoul starts laughing] What a garbage fucking city…

GHOUL: Charlie Off The MTA.

[both cry-laughing fondly]

GHOUL: Okay, what’s the university called.

VERA: Um…

GHOUL: Is it named after a town, or does it have, some kind of like, stupid, like you know how some universities are named after like, allegories or some shit?

VERA: Mm.

GHOUL: Like, The University of the Incarnate Word. Right?

VERA: Christ.

GHOUL: That’s in San Antonio.

VERA: Mmm, normal.

GHOUL: [laughing] I know, right? Like, what does that fucking mean? It sounds cool as shit, but I love a university with a dumb allegory name.

VERA: Right. Um. I mean, that’s definitely a Christian university.

GHOUL: Right. But like, you could—or like, from Night Vale, the University of What It Is?

VERA: Good.

GHOUL: It doesn’t have to be an allegory, it could just be named after a town.

VERA: Right, see, you know the college I went to was called the New Jersey Institute of Technology, which is—

GHOUL: That’s normal.

VERA: Just the normalest possible name.

GHOUL: Right. But we haven’t named the Evil City, or the ?state? it’s ?in?. So, we can’t really do that, we’d have to name it after a town.

VERA: Right, and we don’t want to do that. Um… Hmmm…

GHOUL: It could be named after a person, but then we’d have to make a person.

VERA: I mean, we could come up with some other fucking… stupid-ass old rich families that suck.

GHOUL: [emphatically] Mm!

VERA: See, that’s the one thing we can name.

GHOUL: The Valentines.

VERA: [snorts] Are you perhaps thinking of the Ballantines? From Newark?

GHOUL: Yeah, no that’s why I said that.

VERA: Oh okay.

GHOUL: I was trying to disguise it!

VERA: Ah! Valentine University… Oh, we were also tossing around other…

GHOUL: Valentine Institute of Science and Technology… VIST… Wait, what if it’s the Valentine Institute of Science Technology and Arts and everyone calls it VISTA.

VERA: Well, okay! There we go.

GHOUL: Is the stop. Called VISTA. Or is it called Valentine Institute of Science Technology and Arts. Or is it just called Valentine.

VERA: Or is it called Valentine Institute.

GHOUL: Valentine Institute.

VERA: Imagine you’re looking at a subway map. Which looks weird and eviller: VISTA, all caps, or Valentine Institute.

GHOUL: I think, it’s not called VISTA because that’s what people call it in colloquial speech.

VERA: Mmhm.

GHOUL: So if someone was like, ‘Oh, yeah, you just have to take the train down to VISTA and transfer to the nub line or whatever,’ and you’re like, ‘There’s not a stop called that…?’

VERA: Right, and you try to ask someone else on the train and they’re like, ‘Just get off at VISTA.’

GHOUL: And you’re just like ‘what???’ You would think that people would call this stop Valentine, but they don’t.

VERA: No, they call it VISTA.

GHOUL: It’s not like they’re looking at the subway map,

VERA: No.

GHOUL: and nicknaming the subway stops from that.

VERA: No.

GHOUL: Alright, wonderful. So we have Ninth Crossing to Valentine Institute, and Valentine Institute to Birchbrake. [Vera laughs a bit] That’s some good shit.

VERA: Yeah.

GHOUL: What’s the nub terminus?

VERA: Hm. Let’s see. It’s in the bend of the river, or the, not the bend, the,

GHOUL: Yeah.

VERA: the bit.

GHOUL: We could definitely have a stop called Riverbend that’s like, not the terminus but it’s in there.

VERA: Oh, yeah. [snorts] I mean, we could have like seven stops named Riverbend. The river just keeps bending.

GHOUL: [overlapping] Right, and that’s why it’s funny that there’s only one stop named Riverbend, they had to fight for it. [Vera laughs] Or, we put the one stop named Riverbend in a place the river doesn’t bend. I was thinking like, out here. [at the bottom of the orange/yellow lines]

VERA: Oh, good. [ghoul laughing] You know, another thing that’s stupid about the red line? Is that it doesn’t go through Union Station.

GHOUL: Yeah, that is stupid.

VERA: Mmhm.

GHOUL: I mean, to be fair, Municipal Intersection is also a very major transfer station. But, I think this maybe implies that the red line, was like, not owned by one of the railroad companies that, you know, made the union.

VERA: Mm.

GHOUL: It was owned by a separate railroad company that refused to join the union. Or, I don’t fucking know how the metro works.

VERA: [giggle cackle thing]

GHOUL: Whatever.

VERA: Yeah, I’ve definitely read about the formation of the MTA from however many companies used to own different parts of the subway in New York City, but—

GHOUL: Okay, so, it did not start off as, the subway was a government owned thing.

VERA: No.

GHOUL: Okay, great, perfect. So the red line was just owned by a company that refused to join the union, and may in fact still be a different company? And they have a slightly different fare?

VERA: I mean, slightly different fare is one thing, the same fare but a different fare card is another thing.

GHOUL: [gleeful] Yessssss! You do have to have two different fare cards if you want to transfer onto the red line.

VERA: [blissfully] Ah, that’s so stupid.

GHOUL: Also, this means we can reasonably put more stupid branches on the red line, because like, it’s a whole subway system.

VERA: Mmhm, mmhm! Oh good. Well, we need to do that. Obviously, we’re going to do that.

GHOUL: Right, and like, at any point when you transfer from the red line to another line, you cannot transfer for free, because, you—they’re—you pay the fares with different cards! [wheezes quietly]

VERA: Right!

GHOUL: Often they’re not, like, on the map they’ll be the same station, but you do actually have to walk from, like there’s this stupid little corridor.

VERA: Mmhm,

GHOUL: Where you have to walk from one station to another.

VERA: Mmhm. Yeah, there’s this stupid little corridor and it goes kind of halfway through a building…

GHOUL: Halfway through a building?

VERA: There’s this one, um, stop I’m thinking about in New York City where, I think—it was the way you got from the 6 to the E?

GHOUL: Sure.

VERA: Um, and I don’t remember exactly what was going on there, but I do remember, getting off the 6, and, having to go over to one side of the platform, not out of the gates, but instead, down an escalator,

GHOUL: Okay,

VERA: Like, through, like this ground floor bit of, or maybe, maybe, even deeper, I don’t…

GHOUL: So, you went down an escalator to the ground floor, is this an elevated train?

VERA: No, not at ground floor, I guess, then—

GHOUL: The basement.

VERA: To the basement of a building, [ghoul laughing] over a bit, up some stairs?

GHOUL: In the building.

VERA: In the building. [ghoul giggles delightedly] And I think at one point you could see out the ground floor windows, is what I was thinking of. [ghoul is still laughing but it’s so breathless it’s almost inaudible] Um, I think there was also an elevator somewhere you could take—

GHOUL: This is SO stupid, I love it!!!

VERA: Oh yeah, no, no no no, and don’t worry—and then, when you’d gone up the stairs, then, you walk over a little more, and go down an Even larger, really REALLY long dumb escalator.

GHOUL: Good. Good.

VERA: And that was how you got to the E.

GHOUL: [as if about to cry] Ah! Yes, wonderful, effervescent!

VERA: Mmhm!

GHOUL: [laughs] I feel like we do need to have another branch of the red line, like maybe it intersects with the orange line, somewhere in the Valentine region?

VERA: Yeah, I think it’s good if it intersects specifically with the stupid nub line.

GHOUL: Yes. Wonderful. Um, are we—

VERA: Because it’s just like, doubly useless.

GHOUL: Righ— [wheezes] You can transfer in two places, you can transfer at one of three stops downtown, OR you can transfer at this stupid nubbin, where you’d have to… [starts laughing]

VERA: Pay another fucking fare to get back on the regular orange lines. Wouldn’t you?

GHOUL: No, the Valentine Institute is a free transfer.

VERA: Okay, okay, I just—

GHOUL: It’s also called VISTA.

VERA: Right

GHOUL: It’s obvious that I’m a tourist here.

VERA: Right, okay, so the VISTA stop, like, even that stupid thing, over to the nub end, is also a free transfer, but it’s like, a dumb one?

GHOUL: It’s—so, the 6 to the E, is that a free transfer?

VERA: Yes.

GHOUL: Okay. I think, if a transfer is dumb enough, it should also be free. They pay in inconvenience.

VERA: [guffaws] Right, Eskew has rules.

GHOUL: [high pitched giggle] So what I was wondering, was, when you transfer from the red line to the orange nub, is that, we’re extending from the terminus? Or are we extending from this stupid elbow here?

VERA: Right, I was thinking the same thing, and I was thinking, ‘stupid elbow, right?’

GHOUL: Where does it go after that? Is that the terminus, like, you can transfer there and that’s all that’s for?

VERA: I kind of like if it also goes, like, kind of almost to the yellow stupid bend here? [the shark fin thing]

GHOUL: Uh-huh.

VERA: But, doesn’t, like that’s not a transfer you can make.

GHOUL: Right, you can walk—

VERA: I mean, you can walk over—

BOTH: a couple blocks,

VERA: But,

GHOUL: It’s not a ‘transfer.’ I mean, it’s actually easier than the transfer to the orange line, though.

VERA: Yeah.

GHOUL: Because you don’t have to go through a fucking basement.

[both laugh]

VERA: Oh, is the transfer from—over by the Institute? I think we should save that for a place that actually Could have a stupid free transfer through a stupid complicated bullshit, because the red line to the orange line is never going to be free.

GHOUL: That’s true. It’s just a transfer. But it is in the middle of nowhere, so.

VERA: Right, it could definitely be through, the, like, maximum amount of dumb, you have to pay AND it’s stupid. Like, you know.

GHOUL: I mean, I think it’s—I like the idea that the red line, because it’s run by a separate private company, trying to discourage anyone from actually transfering off of it? Which is, a complete misunderstanding of how and why people use the subway system.

VERA: Right.

GHOUL: But they do do that.

VERA: Oh, I love that. Oh man, we should think more about, like, we should look at this and think about layers.

GHOUL: Yes yes yes. Brambling Hill Beach is also only in the Silver City, right?

VERA: Oh yeah, Silver City.

GHOUL: Maybe you could transfer there from business. Suit City.

VERA: You know actually, maybe you can’t, but you can from Brambling Hill. I’m not sure we’re thinking of the same thing as a transfer.

GHOUL: No. What I’m saying is that like, if you live in Suit City or in Silver City, or, if you’re coming from there, or if you’re in there or whatever, you can get off at Brambling Hill Beach. If you’re in the Undercity, that stop just doesn’t happen. I mean I don’t know if you can get on the green line at all if you’re in the Undercity. You can get on the green line to transfer from Union Station to Municipal Intersection and that’s IT. [laughing] It’s like a pointless two-stop subway line.

VERA: Yeah.

GHOUL: But it’s—it’s just basically there if, um, if the orange line isn’t coming.

VERA: It’d be just typical of the green line to have like, pretty good service times.

GHOUL: Like a lot of the subways stop service at like, eleven?

VERA: Mmhm.

GHOUL: But the green line actually runs until 1am.

VERA: [sighs] No…

GHOUL: But here’s the catch: [increasingly laughing] you can only go from Union Station to Municipal Intersection.

VERA: Unless you’re loaded, in which case you could go to a couple other, still pretty useless places for rich people.

GHOUL: [still laughing] At 1 AM.

VERA: At 1 AM. Oh, this is great.

GHOUL: [laughing so hard they start coughing]

VERA: Who stops service at 11 PM??? Okay,

GHOUL: Just the red line. [laughing]

VERA: Oh… Okay.

GHOUL: Just the red line stops service at 11 PM.

VERA: Okay. That’s good.

GHOUL: [laughing] They’re like, ‘We’re an independent company, and we can go to bed when we want.’

VERA: You’re not my real mom, commuters who have to get to work. At night?

GHOUL: At 11 PM? Does the night shift start at 11 or 12? No, it starts at like 10, right?

VERA: People have to get home from their really late shifts.

GHOUL: Well, they can’t fucking take the red line, so good luck.

VERA: Right. Hope you live somewhere else!

GHOUL: Which sucks because the area the red line serves is specifically the area mostly full of people who are gonna have late shifts.

VERA: Yeah… Christ!

GHOUL: Like, people who live in Brambling Hill don’t fucking need that.

VERA: They don’t!

GHOUL: There’s, there’s like—there’s like One train that runs at midnight. The midnight train, right? And if you don’t catch it, you just don’t get to go home tonight.

VERA: The midnight train…

GHOUL: So you can—the midnight train. And if you, like, I think there should be a local phrase like, ‘missed the midnight train.’ [Vera squawks in delight] Which is like, a narrow window of opportunity, that was left by people who hate you?

VERA: MM!

GHOUL: Right? And so, you can always find like, like half a dozen people sleeping in a lot of red line stations at night, [Vera gasps] because they can’t get home ‘cause they missed the midnight train.

VERA: Yeah… yeah…

GHOUL: Also, I want to name the red line. Like,

VERA: Yeah.

GHOUL: I assume that like Long Island Railroad, it’s named after one of the termini? ‘Cause that’s the town that it was sort of half based in?

VERA: Right, which is fun, ‘cause we have not named any of the termini of the red line yet.

GHOUL: Ah, I think it should be That terminus. [spoilers: it’s called Trestle]

VERA: Mmhm. That makes sense.

GHOUL: And it should just be like a town, and it should be called the Town Name Railroad. But, we should name the town so that it makes a good acronym.

VERA: So, we’ve got Rail Road…

GHOUL: Could call it SORR… Like, fuckin sore from sleeping on the floor all night.

VERA: TARR,

GHOUL: [laughing] TARR… Yeah, missed the midnight train, so I have to sleep on the TARR. That’s pretty good.

VERA: That’s pretty good…

GHOUL: All right. TARR then.

VERA: Okay. So T-A… Trench and Ale Rail Road.

GHOUL: Trestle. Town called Trestle.

VERA: That’s…

GHOUL: The Trestle Allendale Rail Road.

VERA: [quietly] Is Allendale a real town?

GHOUL: There’s definitely a town somewhere called Allendale.

VERA: Yes, there’s at least one in Pennyslvania.

GHOUL: There you go. See it’s not, this city’s not in New Jersey.

[both laugh]

GHOUL: The city of Trestle is called that because of their fucking famous trestle bridges or some shit, and it’s all because there’s a railroad there. [laughs] It’s kind of like a chicken and egg thing. Like did they build the railroad that the town was named after first, or did they build the town that the railroad was named after first. [laughs] It’s one of those mysteries. Are we doing Allendale, or what?

VERA: Um… Well I’m just gonna name this place Trestle.

GHOUL: Yeah, sure. It’s named after this bridge, right here.

VERA: Right here? [pointing at the bridge just south of the western TARR crossing] Which is extra funny because the red line doesn’t—the TARR does Not go—

GHOUL: I mean, I was actually pointing at the crossing, where the TARR crosses the river.

VERA: Oh.

GHOUL: But, we just went ahead and did that, so whatever.

VERA: I mean, there could just be a bunch.

GHOUL: What if there’s an intersection over the river? Like, they built two bridges over the river at right angles to each other?

VERA: Well that would be wildly dumb. I like it.

GHOUL: Mm, it can’t be the Trestle crossing, though. It has to be like, here. [black plus sign north of Burning River] It only counts as one crossing, though. That’s just the double crossing.

[pen uncapping noise]

VERA: Yeah. Ummm…

GHOUL: Sixth Crossing, or just the Double Crossing.

VERA: [guffaws]

GHOUL: What does the A stand for, Vera?

VERA: Ah, fuck—umm,

GHOUL: Is it Allendale or not?

VERA: Uh, you also said Ainsdale [mumbles] Which I liked.

GHOUL: I said Ainsdale.

VERA: I kinda like Ainsdale.

GHOUL: Okay. [mumbles] We’ll use Ainsdale. [aloud] The Trestle-Ainsdale Railroad. Or TARR. And none of the component lines of TARR are named, or have distinct names. It’s just named after the terminus and one of them is, you know, just like, oh yeah, the loop, right.

VERA: G-d, what a garbage fucking—

GHOUL: There’s TARR loop, there’s TARR to Trestle—

VERA: And there’s TARR—presumably a couple other stupid bits, that aren’t on the maps, yet, but are not ‘written’ down.

GHOUL: I think we might be done with this episode.

VERA: Yeah…

GHOUL: I’m really hungry, I only had two breakfasts.

VERA: Right, you left your other breakfast on the—

GHOUL: I left my other breakfast.

VERA: Mm. I did wanna talk about what the city is mourning and why it is alone in its grief…

GHOUL: Ffffuck! Euch. What is the ci—okay. What is the city mourning? I think this actually ties into the question about immigration and geopolitics, though.

VERA: Mhm, mhm. Right, I know you’ve been thinking about a war, because, you like to have it.

GHOUL: I like, well, partially, because I really want to reuse the song ‘Oh, Nightingale,’ which has the really good verse about the war.

VERA: Yes. Which is super—yeah. I do also like for the city to be mourning internal fuckery? Because, for one thing, although it is apparently not true that a Union Station is built by a Railroad Union of railroad workers—

GHOUL: There is some union busting shit in there.

VERA: Yeah. There is nevertheless Definitely some union busting shit in the Evil City’s history.

GHOUL: Right, there was, there was definitely like a steelworker’s union that got brutally crushed.

VERA: Yeugh.

GHOUL: I assume like a dockworker’s union?

VERA: Yeah…

GHOUL: They might still have that, just in like a pathetic weak reduced form.

VERA: Yeah…

GHOUL: Where it’s like a union in name only, and they don’t actually exercise any power because they know the city will squash them flat if they try?

VERA: Right.

GHOUL: I think, like the city could be mourning its previous economic prosperity and cultural prosperity, that was like, it was made possible by the people by, you know, community organizations like unions, like neighborhood associations, that the lords of the city are now suppressing. And they’re like, [does stupid voice] ‘I don’t know why our city sucks now’. It’s like, bro. It’s ‘cause you killed it.

VERA: Yeah! Yes! That’s what—that’s the shit I like.

GHOUL: Yeah, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah—

VERA: —yeah—

GHOUL: —yeah. I assume because this is partially based on New England that there have been some textile mills. You know, how it is,

VERA: Yeah, I know how it is with you.

GHOUL: The… Pentagon… Shirtwaist Factory.

VERA: [wheezes out a laugh] That’s too derivative.

GHOUL: You’re right.

VERA: The Trapezoid Pantwaist Factory [busts out laughing as soon as they get through saying it]

GHOUL: Got it! Honestly, if we have a stop called ‘Trapezoid’ that kinda rules.

VERA: [one big ol’ shriek of laughter]

GHOUL: But no-one actually remembers why it’s called that, because obviously, the factory burned down. [both laughing]

VERA: Right, the factory burned down and… was, was not successfully used as a labor rights warning story for the next forever.

GHOUL: No. No.

VERA: It just burned down.

GHOUL: It just burned down and tons of people died.

VERA: Yeah.

GHOUL: And, they covered it up.

VERA: Yup.

GHOUL: It was not actually reported in any major news outlets, that people died there. It was like, popularly known, ‘cause like, where the fuck else did my loved one die.

VERA: Mmhm.

GHOUL: Than at the place where they work, where it is known that they keep the doors locked,

VERA: Where—that just burned down.

GHOUL: I feel like, that was one of the events that kind of started the destruction of the—I don’t know if they had a union. Like maybe they were trying to form one. And then there was this, terrible fire, completely unrelated.

VERA: [inhales loudly] Chhhrist. G-d, fucking typical though.

GHOUL: Yeah. There have been, SO many assassinations of union leaders in Evil City. So many.

VERA: [sighs] Yeah…

GHOUL: So many assassinations. Blackthorn has definitely had people assassinated.

VERA: Oh yes.

GHOUL: Oh my gosh.

VERA: Oh yes.

GHOUL: And now, on the site where the factory used to be, there’s just like, a trapezoid-shaped plaque on the ground? And everyone assumes that the station is named after that.

VERA: Oh my G-d…

GHOUL: You know, that’s like. Misdirection to, help people forget.

VERA: Oh, I thought that like, um—I thought it’d be fun if—before they got assassinated, some of the factory workers’ loved ones, uh, who were trying to—uh, did a plaque, among other things. I don’t know that ‘plaque’ is the first thing I’d go for, if I was—

GHOUL: No, I would start an independent newspaper, or like sell the story to an independent newspaper.

VERA: Right.

GHOUL: But now it’s just like, this plaza that’s sort of like a weird little park, and it’s in between two factories? Or office buildings that used to be factories And it’s like, this is a super weird place for a little park that’s also a plaza.

VERA: Yeah. [ghoul laughs] Mmm!

GHOUL: And it has this, trapezoid shaped thing. Which is, I assume, why we call it the Trapezoid.

VERA: Right. You know, maybe it’s a fucking. Blank, completely sanded down, bronze trapezoidal plaque.

GHOUL: Right! It used to have ‘In memorial of the 87 people who died in the Trapezoid Pantwaist Fire.’

VERA: Right. [sarcastically bright] It doesn’t anymore.

GHOUL: It doesn’t anymore. It was sanded down.

VERA: Pretty quickly!

GHOUL: Very—[audibly covers face] fuck, I’m so sad, no wonder the city’s grieving.

VERA: Right, this sucks!

GHOUL: Two other fun facts about the Trapezoid. One, it is often referred to by locals as ‘the trap.’ [Vera exhales punched-ly] Just, as a nickname, [Vera laughs weakly] no relation. Two: if you go there from the Ghost City, it’s still on fire. [Vera laughs weakly AGAIN] There’s a lot of things that are still on fire in the Ghost City.

VERA: It’s just that kind of city!

GHOUL: It’s just that kind of city. [wheezing] Yikes!!!

[both making noises of astonished yikes-ness]

GHOUL: Yeah, okay!

VERA: Okay!

GHOUL: Good—good talk!

VERA: Good talk! [both laughing grimacingly]

GHOUL: And with that, I think we’ll sign off for this episode, thanks for listening, Lee.

VERA: [laughing] Yeah, thanks for listening, Lee! [suddenly stops being high-pitched] Right, no—

GHOUL: Okay, bye!

VERA: Mmm, bye-bye…

[outro plays, from Bolt Cutter by Doomtree]

#overground #evil city

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