#thankfully i can use my work van for everything else during these troubled times

[excuse-my-disdain]

crashed into a deer on my way home from the riding school a couple hours ago

yippee

[triptychexe]

TITLE: Weakest Link

SUMMARY: It doesn’t take Cal very long to realize that he’s Triptych’s weakest link. Nia helps him with his confidence issues. WARNINGS: Bad self-image? Some swears. PAIRING: Platonic! Nia + Cal GENRE: Comfort? Friendship?  WORD COUNT: 1.3k

Cal’s thumb dragged the video’s progress bar back to the start of his solo. He cringed as he watched, for the umpteenth time, as he struggled to find the camera and then fumbled a step behind everyone else in the choreography. During his killing part too. 

Nia hadn’t been much of a comfort in his mistake. Once they watched the footage of their performance back, Yerin wasted no time in telling Cal that he had to be more careful.  “Thankfully, you kept it professional,” Nia’s words replayed in his head, hours later. “But let’s try to not have any mess-ups like that again. It makes us look sloppy and under prepared.” 

You kept it professional. The way she said it made Cal believe that there was some part of Nia that thought that Cal couldn’t be professional, like it was a blessing from God that Cal was able to keep it together during a slip up. 

But she was right. Cal did struggle with being professional. He loved music and he loved to have fun. When you put the two together, Cal’s brain can’t handle it. That’s why he goofs off the most during practices, why he can’t seem to remember any of the choreography, and why he always has trouble directing his energy towards improving himself like everyone else does. He doesn’t have Van and Nia’s work ethic or Eli and Zim’s talent or Teo and Ura’s lyricism or Asa and Yen’s natural charisma. He was just Cal. And compared to the other eight members, he was the weakest link. 

So that’s why he was staying at the company late every night this week. Promotions for Exhibit A, Triptych’s first EP as a full group, were just kicking off. They had a performance scheduled at Music Bank tomorrow. If Cal practiced until two, went to sleep by three, and then wake up by seven, he should feel decent and prepared. 

Calvin closed out of the YouTube video and opened the camera app. Carefully placing the camera so it could capture his whole body, he pressed ‘record’ and walked to the center of the dance room. He took the routine for “LALALA” from the top until it reached his part. He tried to look at himself in the mirror with the causal smirk that Asa usually did, but his movements faltered and he lost confidence. His reflection looked like he was trying too hard. It was too forced and uncool. 

“That was uncomfortable.” A voice said behind him. Calvin jumped, a high pitched shout emitting from his throat in surprise. In the doorway, Nia poked her head in, a small smile on her face. 

“What are you still doing here?” Nia asked, glancing at the small silver watch on her wrist. “It’s nearly midnight. We have to be up early tomorrow.” 

Cal wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I gotta practice. I don’t think my performance yesterday was good enough and I want to be better this time around.”

Nia sighed, the expression on her face looked as if she was internally debating something in her head. After thinking for a moment, Nia pushed herself off the door frame and joined Cal in the center of the practice room. “What are you working on?”

“Uh, my part, specifically.” Cal explained awkwardly. Even though he’s known Yerin since they were trainees, they have never been close. Actually, Calvin wasn’t even sure if they’ve properly hung out before, or have had an legitimate conversation that wasn’t about work. 

“Right. Well, I can tell you based on all our practices together that you’ve got everything down technically, so rehearsing until the ass-crack of dawn isn’t going to help you.” Nia reported, crossing her arms. She gave him a look of apology. “Everyone fumbles up the steps from time to time. That’s normal. I don’t blame you for doing that. I just really wanted our first performance as nine to be flawless. I had really high expectations that-”  “That I should have met.” Cal cut her off again. Nia’s eyebrow arched, clearly not pleased by the interruption.  “I was going to say... I had really high expectations that I shouldn’t have had. I should have made the day more fun for everyone.” Nia finished. “You did great yesterday, Cal. Your biggest set back is your lack of confidence.”  Calvin looked to the side at an unfixed spot. Having his leader tell him he needs to be more confident was like having someones boss tell them they need to get a shit-load of paperwork done before lunch. It seemed like an impossible request. 

“Look,” Nia broke him free of his thoughts. She turned to face the mirror, and Cal did the same. “During your part, you do this, right?” Nia mimicked Cal’s dance. Calvin nodded, wondering where this was going.

“Yesterday, your facial expression was like this.” Nia gave an overly sly grin while doing the choreography. Cal couldn’t help but let a huff of amusement escape his lips. A small smile tugged at Yerin’s own mouth.

“See? I don’t look like myself, and neither did you!” Nia explains. “You were trying to be Asa-”  “How’d you know?” Cal blinked in amazement, recalling how he just previously used Asa as a basis for his own gestures. 

“Because only Asa can pull off looking like an absolute tool.” Nia grinned. “You, on the other hand, are the only person who can pull off being yourself.”  Cal hesitated. “I really can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not...”  “No, I mean...” Nia searched for the words. “I want you to play up to your charms. You may not think you have any because you’re not like any of the other guys, but trust me, Chunghee, you have charms that none of the others could ever have.” 

Calvin bit his lower lip, thinking hard. What the hell were his charms? 

“Here,” Yerin ran over to the sound system and fast forwarded the song until it was at Cal’s part. “Just tap in to your own, cool persona. Try not to be anyone else. Just you.” 

Cal was sure that Nia’s vague words were meant to invoke some deep inner change in him, but he felt the same as before as he went through the motions of his segment in the song. Nia paused the music and placed a hand on her hip.

“Chunghee, don’t do that with your eyes. You don’t smolder very well. Try giving a playful smile that says like...” Yerin waved her hand around, trying to think up something that was on-brand for Calvin. “’Look at me, I’m up to no good’.” 

“Is that what you think of me?” Calvin chuckled.  “No comment.” Nia shook her head with a grin, rewinding the song again. “Just give it a shot.”

This time, Calvin took his leader’s advice. He gave himself a playful and knowing smile and a wink, surprising himself at how natural it looked. Yerin gave an ‘ooh’ of approval, clapping her hands together. 

“See? That was not only cool, but it makes you stand out! Wonderful work!” Nia approved. Then, in one swift movement, the leader unplugged the stereo system and grabbed Calvin’s bag from off the floor.  “Hey-” Calvin started to protest. “Zip it. We’re going back to the dorms. You’re completely useless and grumpy when you’re sleep-deprived and we have a long day tomorrow.” Nia said strictly, her stubborn and cold leader persona coming back just as quickly as it disappeared.

Cal bit back a chuckle as he followed Nia out of the practice room. “Is that why you came in and helped me? Because you don’t want to deal with me tomorrow morning?” He asked, feigning offense.  Nia glanced over her shoulder at the younger member, a ghost of a grin on her face. “Again, no comment.” 

[thebibliomancer]

Dark Crystal Age of Resistance Tactics liveblog pt 13

Okay! Time to check out the Sifa!

Y'know, I think that the Sifa get the least exploration in the show. You've got several Vapra main characters, several Stonewood main or focus characters, couple Drenchen, a very main Grottan character, best boy Kylan the Spriton, whole bit of the show with the Dousan. And the Sifa have... I think... that time Brea visited them?

Probably why Alyadon was made a Sifa, so they have some presence.

Mission: Deep Trouble - Hidden Grotto

"A curious, young Sifa is under attack by darkened creatures. Save him from a grisly fate."

Ah, darkened creatures. The gift that keeps giving. So we don't have to always be fighting other Gelfling or Arathim.

Hey, wait a minute. Why DID I fight Arathim in the Vapra missions? You don't unlock those without going through the Grottan missions where the Arathim become your good pals. Dangit, the game!

Wow, five party members. Also Ivo, the Gelfling.

Party: Alyadon, Kylan, Boggi, Breg, and Hup. For being the lowest leveled. That's kind of over doing it on menders but Mender is a required step on a lot of characters' personal journeys so I have too many of them.

The level starts with Ivo corned by a nurloc and a windsifter. If he dies, I lose. If everyone else but him dies, that's fine.

He's also a lvl 25 tracker, which makes him the highest leveled person on my team.

Oh, the tide rises. None of my peeps were anywhere close to it but it apparently will just straight up kill a Gelfling because they're too dumb to move out of the water when its not their turn.

Ivo was apparently researching ancient symbols or something. He weirdly has non text box text explaining this so I missed the first thing he said.

Ok Ivo is definitely going to die. He's corned and a nurloc is attacking him.

He asked me to get him higher because the tide is rising but Ivo, my pal, you're on the highest part of the island...

AH THE TIDE ROSE AND HUP IS IN THE WATER GET OUT OF THE WATER HUP

Wow that tide rising thing is no joke. I think Alyadon just vanished underwater. Eesh. I wish there were tide lines showing you where its going to happen. Or when.

And my non dead units are mostly all trapped on the other side of the island and can't cross the now deep water. Not loving this new mechanic but it is a new mechanic.

BUT BOGGI SAVED THE DAY GOOD DOG BEST FRIEND

With his rolling, he was able to get across the map before the tide rose and with his healing he was able to heal Ivo until Ivo could save himself by knifing the nurloc a lot.

And he was looking for ancient symbols that may go back a thousand trine hidden across the coast.

So final count was Kylan and Alyadon horribly drowned but also leveled. Everyone else leveled and learned. Boggi learned Insistent Bark (revive an ally by barking insistently! Good dog!), Breg learned Borrow Time 2 (slow enemy for two turns, self haste for two turns), and Hup learned Well Done (hit a spiced enemy but really hard).

That's also the last ability Boggi can learn. From now on he is but as you see him. No more, no less.

---

Mission: Against the Tide - Sinking Isles

"Ivo's search for ancient symbols is met with some resistance."

I don't love how the island is going to sink.

I get five people and Ivo again. Hi Ivo! There are two glowy spots that I assume I have to get him to. Also I assume he can't die.

A Gelfling elder has shown up to tsk because this area is forbidden.

Ivo: "Bu-but, my research was approved by Elder Cadia himself!"

Elder: 'Its been revoked!'

Ha. But no.

Elder: "That fool lost his memory to nulroot. He knows not what he is doing. Guards, seize them!"

Oh, right. Brea wiped his mind. He'll approve any research project now. Geez, Ivo.

Yup, Ivo has to investigate the symbols. And bad news but one is in the water.

Oh, the tide fell instead of rising. And I only just noticed that the tide is in the turn order. Duh.

Oops Ivo drowned. I thought about going up the back instead of back the way I came and then an enemy unit blocked it and by the time I decided it was a bad idea, well, he didn't have enough turns to get back to dry land.

So second attempt is going better now that I have a better idea of how the tide works. The level is fairly open but there's a lot of chokepoints which makes it nerve wracking until you realize that the water doesn't reach the upper elevations of the map.

Also Wukki died =(

But I got Ivo to all the ancient symbols and they've revealed a stunning secret! The next level!

Seriously: "These carvings tell of a secret location: a cave hidden among the rocks on the coast"

If Ivo is one of the two remaining characters I have yet to unlock, I'm going to lose my mind.

BUT: levels up! Wukki leveled up but didn't learn anything. Like Boggi, he may have learned all he can. You can't teach a lvl 24 dog new tricks. (Checking, he apparently keeps learning up until lvl 28). Hup learns Cauldron, which lets him place a healing cauldron on the map. Its a summon so its either that or the worm. Alyadon learned Soothe 2, cooler than Soothe 1. Naia learned Edged Slice 2, cooler than etc. And Kylan learned Awaken but also unlocks Bramble Sage and Adept, meaning he's on his way to Song-Teller!

--

Mission: Sunken Treasure - Coastal Caves

"A submerged sea cave holds the knowledge Ivo has been looking for."

Oh god most of this cave is flooded. The shiny square is way on the other end under a lot of water. I hope the water just goes down and not up.

Bringing Rian, Deet, Brea and Gurjin. Also Ivo is here.

Gelfling Mage: "Ivo this is your final warning. These etchings have been forbidden by Skeksis law."

That just makes me want to see them more! I WAS wondering whether any of this was relevant.

Ivo: "Why would the skeksis make our own history forbidden? They must be hiding something!"

Follow that train of thought, Ivo!

Yup, the tide is falling, revealing more of the cave. This is a neat mechanic which gives me anxiety.

AAAAAH TWO GUYS SPAWNED RIGHT BEHIND ME! Not cool, the game!

Ok this isn't going well. I'm down to Gurjin at very low health and Ivo at very low health. Thankfully, I just need to get Ivo to the shiny. As long as nobody spawns near his end of the cave, I'm golden.

A darkened hollerbat just spawned on his side of the cave.

But I ran like heckle to the last symbol and made it before any of the hollerbats could even take a turn. Phew.

Despite everything, everyone got level ups. Brea learned Geyser 2, Gurjin learned Bandage 2, Deet learned Cascade, Rian unlocked the Adept/Bramble Sage jobs meaning he's another step towards Strategist!

Son of a gun, I unlocked Ivo as a character! Not what I was expecting when I started this quest chain and not entirely what I wanted! I also got the Driftwood Cane!

So whats the scoop, Ivo. What do the symbols mean? WHY ITS THE GREAT CONJUNCTION!

There's actually a little cutscene.

Wait, did the Gelflings not know about the Great Conjunction? It only happens every thousand trine but still? Then again, the Skeksis were trying to suppress knowledge of it for some reason.

Geez, Ivo has ten levels in Scout, ten in Mender, and ten in Tracker. I have no idea what I'm going to do with him. I'll keep him in Tracker. And give him a spear. And some clothes.

I'll give the Driftwood Cane to Alyadon. It is the Sifa Clan staff.

---

Mission: Washed Up - Littered Shores

"A pair of shipwrecked Sifan sailors have washed up on shore. Help them deal with a pack of pursuing pirates."

I'm belatedly realizing that each Gelfling area has its own gimmick. The Sifa missions have the rising and falling tides, of course. The Vapra have the random power ups scattered in the levels. The Caves of Grot have the random buff squares. The Drenchen lands have the poison swamp water. And the Dousan have the sandstorms. Wonder what the Spriton will be when I get there. And I guess the Stonewood didn't have a gimmick?

Ok so I have to protect shipwrecked sailors Van and Jilly. They will probably not end up in my party. I'm still reeling over Ivo being unlocked but it makes sense to give you a Sifa party member that isn't Alyadon. Probably hence why Ivo, despite being a researcher, is very swashbuckly. Compared to Alyadon who is a huge nerd.

The level looks like a rising tide horror show. Most of the level is low lying except for a ridge that the enemy units are all already perched on.

Party: Boggi, Deet, Kylan. They need some love. And levels.

APPARENTLY, Maudra Seethi asked us to save the sailors. Which puts me in mind that the resistance showed up and was like 'hey maybe join us in opposing the Skeksis' and instead of going 'how dare, the Skeksis are beautiful angels' the Maudra went 'huh? That's nice. Go find some sailors'

And the level starts with Jilly and Van bickering over whose fault the shipwreck was. Jilly is mad that Van steered them into some rocks and Van is mad that JILLY STOLE A BUNCH OF TREASURE FROM PIRATES AND THATS WHY THEY WERE IN A HURRY

These two are fun.

I assume this is what happens when a paladin and a thief are friends because Jilly is a thief and Van is a paladin.

Rian tries to interupt but Van is like AND YOU GOT THESE NICE BYSTANDERS STUCK IN OUR DRAMA GEEZ JILLY

THEY KILLED MY DOGGO

The pirates did I mean. I don't think Jilly or Van would.

Aside from the poor, sweet, innocent doggo, the level went pretty smoothly. The only problem is that one of the enemies cast Guardian's blessing and rather than kill a person twice, I decided to wait it out for some reason.

And then he died of poison and respawned anyway.

I'm good at tactics.

Its fine, he ded now.

At the end of the level, Deet is like ok so can we take you home now and Jilly is like NOT SO FAST THE PIRATES WILL KEEP PURSUING US UNTIL THEY GET THEIR TREASURE BACK.

Jilly: "Our village won't last another trine without it! The Skeksis took everything during the Tithing Ceremony!"

It was kind of lost when the Skeksis went full supervillain and started drinking people, but yeah, lets not forget the multiple ways that the Skeksis were exploiting the Gelfling and the whole dang world. They're drainers in many senses. I love a ridiculous fantasy metaphor that works on multiple levels.

And I'm pretty sure it was intended to be that way since the movie. I remember the novelization being like 'yeah this used to be a nice place and then the Skeksis drained the life out of the planet' or something.

If I'm overfocusing on this its because its only as an adult that I realize how timely Dark Crystal has stayed all this... uh, time.

Anyway Deet is like sure we'll help you beat up the pirates. Its cool.

Deet leveled and learned nothing. Kylan leveled and learned Purge Rot.

---

Mission: Sneak Attack - Tidal Wall

"The heroes follow the quarreling sailors back to the pirate's den, but encounter resistance along the way."

Is this going to be a real sneaking mission or what, game?

The gimmick for this mission chain is that Jilly and Van are tagging along so you only get to bring three peeps. Because I only get to bring three peeps. Luckily, I have three peeps that are all lvl 23 instead of lvl higher than that.

Oh, this is cool. This is a pirate fortress so there's a wall that we have to fight our way into. Except its less of a wall and more of steps but its wall like. It feels like we're breaking in, anyway.

Look, as I've said, FFTA is my main other experience for trpg games and it was way lazier with its levels.

Party: Boggi, Breg, Alyadon. Boggi wants to redeem himself. I assume. He started yelling but that may have been because of general fizzgig anxiety.

Enemy: "You've walked right into our trap-"

Jilly and Van: -immediately start bickering and interrupt the pirate-

I like that the lack of many Sifa characters from the show means they had to create some for this set of missions. The writing is entertaining enough that I wish there had been more of this for the other clan mission sets.

Nothing to really report about this one, it went swimmingly. Nobody even drowned!

Jilly and Van are decently powerful so I don't regret having them instead of two of my peeps in terms of their efficacy in battle.

I was worried about getting to higher ground with the rising tide but the battle went so quickly that I wasn't ever in real danger of that.

Jilly: -after beating up several pirates- "Well, we've clearly lost the element of surprise."

My favorite part of this is that this does and doesn't have anything to do with having the Sifa join the resistance. I'm pretty sure that we sealed the deal when we saved these two chuckleheads to begin with.

We're going to come back to Maudra Seethi and be like 'we saved Jilly and Van' and she's going to be like 'Ah, well done! The Sifa will be glad to join-' and then we'll be like 'also we beat up a pirate fortress and redistributed the wealth to a destitute village' and she'll be like 'oh.'

Holy crap, Boggi leveled twice! Good dog! I mean, he did a pretty good job. Doggo redeemed. Breg and Alyadon also leveled but learned nothing.

I should check at what point jobs stop paying out in terms of abilities.

I got seven more levels for Breg and six for Alyadon before they've learned all they can.

---

The pirate fortress is actually a ways away from the Tidal Wall. I guess maybe it was a pirate outpost. Pirate watch station? Anyway.

Mission: Finders, Keepers - Flooded Ruins

"The heroes confront the pirate leader."

Ok this map looks a lot less like a pirate fortress than the last one did. I know that they've got to keep the tide gimmick so the levels have to look a way - with a low part and a higher part - but this is a random sandbar with some rocky bits. The other place had a wall! Why you hanging out here, the pirate king?

Party: Brea, Wukki, Rek'yr.

The pirate leader is this random Sifa caster. They coulda given him a name.

The pirate leader caster says no one gets to steal from him and live

Van: "Hey! I'm the only one that gets to threaten her! We're taking you down!"

Jilly: "Yeah, you don't scare us! Together we're unstoppable!"

Heh, these quest characters are alright.

... ok Brea gets killed without ever taking a move because the enemy placement can just up and kill her turn 1. That's... great.

Ok, Jilly died. Good thing Jilly and Van need to survive isn't a condition on this level. And Wukki died =(

Ok, it was a bloodbath like some of the end missions of mission chains are for some reason. Everyone died except Rek'yr and Van. Then again, whats to be expected of a mission where one of my units died first turn because of enemy placement.

Still, the pirates are defeated and their treasure will save an overly taxed village. Hooray!

Van: "We will tell Maudra Seethi of the good you've done this day."

Ok, alright, yes, so thats how the Sifa join the resistance.

Brea levels and learns nothing! Rek'yr levels and learns Edged Slice! I should check to see where he is vis a vis able to go into Grave Dancer (two more levels)! I get the Seafarer's Harpoon! Spears are really common as important clan weapons, I've noticed! This is probably going right on Ivo!

Except the Unite the Clans meter doesn't go up. Which means that you only have to do one of the mission chains to actually get the clan on your side and it doesn't matter which. I thought it was a weird coincidence that I kept doing the one that got you clan allegiance first but nah. In my heart though, it was helping Jilly and Van that did it.

That just leaves the Stonewood and Spriton, I think. Weird that I don't already have the Stonewood on my side but then again, they were all kidnapped by spiders.

[andromedahereicome]

A hero’s journey aka Kara mentoring Nia

(pretend all of arrowverse is on one earth)

“So, what do you think?” Nia turned in her chair to look up at the hovering blonde.

“It’s good. It’s really good” Kara complimented the article. Because it really was good. The young reporter had a way with words, to say the least. “But... you see that last sentence?” Earning a nod from Nia, Kara continued, “it’s a bit...” Kara searched for a good word and finally settled on “ambiguous.”

“It may suggest that you’re biased.” Kara continued “And as you know, bias...”

“Is a reporter’s worst enemy” Nia finished. With a few clicks, she highlighted the sentence to edit later. “Anything else?” She asked

Kara looked through the article again and pointed out another thing “You have a leading question there. And, you know, leading questions...:

“Are a sign of bias” Nia interupted her. “I know. I’ll do better next time”

Kara squezed her arm lightly “Don’t worry. Besides those two things, the article is great”

“Really?”

“Really”

-

“The most important thing in a situation like this is making sure that all civilians are safe” Supergirl said, stopping the van with one hand and squishing a machine gun with the other.

“Got it. Civilians are a priority.” Dreamer nodded

“So, what would you do first?” Supergirl asked, crossing her arms

“Hey! Let go you bi-” One of the criminals yelled as he got out of the van

“Shush! I’m trying to teach protégé something. Plus, watch your language” Kara interupted him using her authorative Supergirl voice.

“Oh, I know! I would blast out his machine gun out of his hand and try to stop the van, but since you’ve already done that...I would...em...” Dreamer punched the guy in the face and then in his stomach. “I would do that”

“You could’ve used your powers, but sure” Supergirl shrugged,

Dreamer saw the other guy’s gun too late. He wasn’t aiming at them, no- that would be too simple. He shot at the crowd. Thankfully, Supergirl caught those bullets before they could do any damage. Dreamer used her powers to rip out his gun and knock him out. “Right, civilians first. Sorry”

Hearing sirens in the distance, Supergirl offered Dreamer a hand and said “Looks like you have another chance to prove yourself”, before flying off with her to the next crime scene.

-

“Great, they’ll never let us through” Nia sighed, seeing the crowd of reporters surrounding the politician.

“Just stick with me” Kara winked and started politely, but purposefully pushing through the crowd. Any disgrunted reporter seemed to forgive her the moment she flashed her megawatt smile and a thousand apologies spilled from her mouth. She was polite, yes, but the fact that none of these people could actually, physically stop her helped.

Within a minute, Nia found herself in the first line of reporters. And before she could even begin to fanthom how, the questions started and she had to pay attention.

-

“So, uh, what do we do in this situation?” Nia asked, shifting on the uncomfortable bench in one of the prison cells of Gotham City Police Department. “Do we call Alex? Or Lena?”

“If we call Alex we’ll never hear the end of this” Kara sighed, leaning against the crate “And I’m really not in the mood for a three hour lecture. Calling Lena also rules out. A Luthor paying the bail for two random reporters sounds suspicious, and I don’t want to cause her trouble”

“Good news! Somebody posted your bail” The police officer said as she let them out. Before Kara could ask who, Kate Kane appeared in the hallway.

“We have to stop meeting like this. A phone call would suffice” Kate said as she looked Kara up and down. “I dig the bangs, by the way”

Kara blushed lightly “I’m not the only one who got a new look. Don’t remember seeing this tatoo” she said and pointed to her forearm. 

“I got two new tatoos, actually” Kate replied as she walked up to the blonde “But if you want to see the other one...” She pushed up Kara’s glasses with her finger “you’ll have to ask”

Kara turned red and frantically searched for words. Finally, she wrapped her arm around Nia, perhaps a bit to harshly, and replied “Uh, this is Nia. My protégé. I teach her about, um, reporting and stuff.”

Kate was about to answer, but a message came. She sighed and said “I’d love to spend more time with you two, but business calls. It was a pleasure meeting you, Nia.” And with that, she disappeared through the door.

“So if I understand correctly, in a situation where I’m locked up in the GCPD, I should wait for Kate Kane to save me and then proceed with a gay panic.” Nia said with a fake serious tone.

Kara glared playfully and shook her head “Just please don’t tell Alex about this”

“No promises”

-

“Kara!” Nia entered James’s office, finding James, Lena and Kara talking “Sorry to interupt, but” she lifted up her phone “I got an anonymous call telling me to drop the topic I’m working on or else”

“Did they use a voice modulator?” Kara asked as Lena and James looked worried.

“Yup! They made their voice all mad and sinister”

“Do you know what that means?

“That I hit jackpot!” Nia smiled. Seeing the worried expressions of Lena and James, she explained “It’s reporting 101 by Lois Lane. If you get anonymous threats or calls during an investigation, you’re on the right track. By the way, Kara, could you look over my last article?”

“Sure” Kara replied, and with that, they left the office, leaving a worried Lena and James behind.

“Looks like I’m going to have a little chat with Lois Lane” Lena said, a hint of threat in her voice.

“Trust me, there’s no convincing Lois Lane that her working habits are bad. I tried and failed” James answered

“Maybe it didn’t work when you did it” Lena replied “but then again, you’re not a worried Luthor”

-

Supergirl and Dreamer stood in front of a tied up gang member. Supergirl had her arms on her hips in her classic pose. Nia was standing next to her, imitating her pose.

“You see, the best thing you could do now is just tell us everything” Supergirl replied. When he stayed silent, she sighed and crossed her arms. Noticing that, Nia moved and crossed her arms as well. “Can I try?” Nia asked. After earning a nod from the Girl of Steel, she moved closer to the criminal.

“Listen up. Tell us what you know or Supergirl will burn two holes in your head” Dreamer threatened. “Actually, I won’t” Supergirl rushed to correct her.

“Yeah, ok. So tell us what you know or I’ll kill you” Dreamer tried again. 

“You won’t, Dreamer. We really have to work on your threats.” Supergirl shook her head. “Drop it to like a six”

With a nod, Dreamer tried again “Tell us what you know or else”

-

Nia still had a lot to learn, but hey, at least she got the best mentor there is.

[hunnywrites]

Arcade Dreams: Chapter Nine

Summary: There’s a new girl working at the Palace Arcade and Hawkins’ Family Video. Billy can’t stand her, and the feeling is mutual. No matter what everyone else seems to think.

Pairing: Billy Hargrove/OFC

A/N: Thanks everyone for the well wishes about the hurricane! Thankfully it didn’t hit us too badly. I would’ve gotten this out sooner, but I was at horror nights this weekend. I got to see our boy Billy and walk through the Palace arcade. I’d definitely recommend going if you can!

Teddi woke up the next morning with a loud groan. The sun was shining so brightly in through the window she was almost too afraid to open her eyes. She also had the overwhelming feeling that something was off. Holding a hand up in an attempt to shield herself from the light, Teddi slowly cracked one eye open to look around at her surroundings. This definitely wasn’t her room. Her heart started to beat a little faster as she tried her hardest to remember everything from the night before. She remembered getting ditched, playing beer pong...Billy? Had he given her a ride home? Something about that didn’t feel right. 

She remembered hanging out with Max and El, and when Teddi spotted the empty popcorn bowl and three empty cans of coke sitting on the dresser she realized that maybe Billy had given her a ride. To his house. Neither Max or El were there. It didn’t really sound like anyone was home until Teddi picked up on the sound of the shower coming from down the hall. She groaned again, rubbing at her temples as the bathroom door opened and Billy strolled out surrounded by a cloud of steam. 

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he teased. Teddi only stared blankly at him as Billy moved to Max’s doorway, toweling off his hair. “You’re not dreaming, Larsson. It’s really me.” it was like he could read her mind. His cocky tone was enough to knock Teddi back into reality and she rolled her eyes.

“What happened?” she asked. 

“You got wasted last night. And you wouldn’t tell me where you lived, so I brought you here and you crashed with Max. I thought that was better than you waking up on David’s couch.” Teddi rubbed at her eyes and smudged the makeup she had forgotten she’d been wearing. Billy watched Teddi as she stared up at the ceiling for a moment before she slowly sat up.

“...I think I’m gonna puke.” she announced. Billy wordlessly moved aside to let Teddi pass. She hurried into the still steamy bathroom, kneeling down in front of the toilet and emptying her stomach. Billy watched on with an amused look. 

Teddi’s top rode up her back slightly as she bent over the toilet, and Billy caught a glimpse of something bright and pink peeking out from the top of her skirt. He crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. “Is that a tattoo, Larsson?” 

Teddi’s hand instinctively reached behind her to pull her top down. She glared over at him before grabbing a few pieces of toilet paper. She wiped her mouth and flushed the toilet. “Are you seriously checking me out while I’m throwing up? Don’t you have any shame?” 

“Nope.”

She rolled her eyes. Now that she didn’t feel quite as sick anymore, it was a little more obvious to her that Billy was in nothing but a towel. “God, can you put some clothes on?” 

“Why? Am I making you nervous?” it was driving Teddi absolutely insane how amused and almost happy Billy seemed to see her in this state. 

“I’m just trying not to puke again.” Billy chuckled as Teddi stood and moved to the sink to wash her face. Her black eye, now turning a yellow shade as it healed, was in full view. Billy pretended not to notice.

“That why you were telling me how strong I was last night?” he asked.

Teddi scoffed. “I definitely don’t believe that...I didn’t totally freak Max and El out, did I?” 

“How the hell should I know? I dumped you off in Max’s room and went to bed.” that wasn’t entirely true. After he had gotten in bed he could hear the three girls giggling like idiots, so the two girls had clearly enjoyed whatever it was Teddi had been talking about. Max hadn’t said much the next morning. She threw his bedroom door open and told him that Neil and Susan left for a movie date and she was going over to El’s before throwing a “Your girlfriend’s still asleep.” over her shoulder. The little shit. 

Teddi couldn’t remember much of what happened during the impromptu sleepover. She was pretty sure she had told them they should start an all girls D&D group, but that was about it. She let out a groan. “...What time is it? I have to be at the pool at ten.”

“It’s Christmas Eve, Larsson. Pool’s closed.” 

“Shit..that’s right. I guess now I can knock out for a few more hours until I have to be at the arcade,” she sighed with a short laugh. She couldn’t believe Christmas had crept up on her so quickly. She felt like she might have to throw up again. 

Billy was pretty sure he’d never seen someone so completely depressed at the idea of Christmas Eve. He also wasn’t sure if Teddi knew how much she was letting her disappointment show. He felt like he was getting a peek behind the chipper, always happy Teddi curtain. “Uh...just let me get dressed. I’ll give you a ride back to your car.” Teddi only nodded and gently splashed her face with warm water again. 

A few moments later Billy emerged from his room in a pair of his infamous tight blue jeans, a white tank top and a jean jacket. Of course he looks like that and I look like roadkill, she thought bitterly. Teddi pulled on her boots and her jacket and silently followed Billy out to his car. The awkward silence during the drive made her want to scream, and she let out a relieved sigh when Billy turned the radio on with a jab of his finger. 

“Um, so...thank you. For all of this…” Teddi knew that Billy didn’t like pleasantries like this, but she truly did appreciate that he had looked out for her. 

Billy shook his head and refused to meet her glance. “Don’t worry about it, Teddi.”

“No, really. I mean you could have just left me there-”

“I’m not a complete fucking dick, Larsson,” Billy snapped. “I give you shit sometimes. I’m not about to leave you passed out on the couch for some creep to feel up on.” and while that was just...common human decency, Teddi was a little surprised to hear something like that from Billy. It made her feel a tiny bit guilty for thinking so little of him so often. He could be a dick sure, but he wasn’t evil. 

Teddi pinched the bridge of her nose. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just...I guess I’m not used to other people looking out for me. I usually look after myself. So can you just let me say thank you without arguing with me like a normal person?” she snapped. 

Billy scoffed, but said nothing. Like the day at Melvald’s, Billy had caught a glimpse of a genuine anger that he hadn’t known that Teddi had. It was more than just the general annoyance she felt when they bickered. This was something he could see in her eyes. It looked similar to the anger he felt. Teddi was just obviously much better at working past it than he was. 

Teddi knew that Billy hadn’t believed her lie about falling on ice. She knew that in some capacity he had put two and two together and he knew that there was something more going on that she didn’t want to talk about. And there was part of her that wanted nothing more than to just tell someone about it, especially at a moment like this. But it was Billy. If she said anything she knew that he wouldn’t have cared. 

So she bit back the rest of her explanation as to why she had been grateful for Billy looking out for her, and instead neither of them said anything. They both sat silently as Billy drove her back to the arcade and listened to the Scorpions. When he finally pulled into the arcade’s parking lot she almost let out a cry of relief. “So...thanks again. I guess I’ll see you...whenever,” 

Billy held up his hand in a short wave, but said nothing. Teddi quickly slid out of the Camaro and took a step back as Billy nearly peeled out of the parking lot and sped off. “Such a jackass,” Teddi muttered as she headed over to her van. She rested her head against the steering wheel and let out another loud groan. She was never going to let herself drink that much again. Her head felt like a rock. 

The drive home felt like it took forever. It was silent except for the thump, thump, thump that repeated in Teddi’s head as if her skull was threatening to explode. Thankfully her dad’s car wasn’t in the driveway. Whether that meant he was working or somewhere else, Teddi only cared that he wasn’t home. Her mother was though. Bonnie Larsson was sitting at the kitchen table flipping through a magazine and completely unaware that Teddi had come home. 

“...Hey, mom.” Teddi muttered. 

Her mom didn’t look up. “Hmmm? Hi, Teddi. Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” and to think Teddi had been so worried that she’d get in trouble for being out all night. She probably could’ve taken a trip down to Mexico with Billy and neither of her parents would have noticed. It almost annoyed her. 

“I don’t have to go in until later...where’s dad?” she asked tentatively.

Bonnie flipped another page of her magazine. “He’s working. Some big meeting today or something.” Teddi found that to be unusual. The construction team for the Starcourt mall was having a team meeting on Christmas Eve? Some higher up thought it was important enough to have her dad at that meeting? In any case, Teddi was sure that’s all she’d be getting out of her mother no matter how many questions she had now.

“Oh, okay...I’ll be in my room,” her mom let out a small hum, and Teddi headed down the hall to her bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind her. She landed face first down onto her bed and let out a loud groan. She had half a mind to just fall asleep right then and there with her coat and boots still on. 

Then her phone rang. 

Teddi groaned again, sitting up and reaching over for the hot pink phone that sat on her nightstand. “Hello?” she grumbled, rubbing at her forehead in an attempt to get rid of her headache.

“Teddi! How could you not have told me?” it was Heather. 

“Uh...that depends. How could I have not told you what?” Teddi asked with a frown. 

“That you totally hooked up with Billy Hargrove last night!” 

Teddi sat up quickly, her eyes going wide. She felt like she was going to puke again. “What? What? That totally, completely did not happen-” she stuttered out. On her drive home she had remembered bits and pieces of the night before. Billy driving her home. Smoking together. She definitely didn’t remember anything that was even in the realm of hooking up. 

“Teddi, it’s me. You can tell me. I can’t blame you, I mean he’s Billy. You have to tell me what it was like.” 

Teddi pinched the bridge of her nose. “Heather, I barely even remember last night and I can still confidently tell you that absolutely nothing happened with Billy and me.” 

Heather let out a short huff. “Please. Tommy said that last night he walked in on Cheryl Burns and Brian Jean hooking up in David’s parents bedroom, and then he said he saw Billy carrying you out to his car a few hours later.” well, at least that explained where Brian went. The asshole. But the fact that all of these pieces were enough to actually make it look like she had in fact drunkenly hooked up with Billy was enough to make her want to scream. 

“Heather, trust me. If I hooked up with someone I would tell you. He just gave me a ride home is all.” and of course the insane idea of Billy Hargrove giving someone a ride out of the goodness of his heart probably made her story sound that much more like a lie. 

Heather was silent for a few moments on the other line, most likely trying to decide whether she believed Teddi or not. “This is the last time I get gossip from Tommy. He never knows what he’s talking about. I’m pretty sure half the time he makes stuff up just so people will pay attention to him. Anyways, I guess I’ll see you at work in a few days?”

Teddi nodded, extremely grateful that Heather had decided to drop the topic. “Yep. See ya then, Heather.” Heather hung up after an all too cherry “Merry Christmas!” and Teddi set the phone down with a sigh of relief. That relief quickly turned into annoyance as she kicked her boots off angrily in the direction of her closet. Did Billy have any idea what people were saying about them? If they hadn’t gotten into that fight in his car would he have told her? Even if he did, what would he care? He probably loved the fact that the entire school thought he’d finally gotten her in bed. 

She was muttering angrily to herself as she finally changed from her party outfit and into some pajamas. Even when he was being nice he still somehow managed to be a thorn in her side. Teddi decided that the next time she saw him it would be her throwing him in the pool. But now it was time for much, much needed sleep. If she could stop stewing over Billy. He ruins everything, she thought with a huff. 

[khhunniewriting]

Apology Necessary (4)

After the last time, Hanbin didn’t know what to expect when he got back to filming. Part of him thought you would quit and the Anti-Couple would be no more. That’s why he was shocked to see you waiting for him inside his dressing room.

When you saw Hanbin freeze at the door you knew you would have to be the first to speak. “Hi...” your greeting was strange and awkward perfectly reflecting how you felt at the moment.

“Hey...” he responded just as awkwardly. 

“The other day I... I talked to YG...” You looked down at your hands as you pulled on the end of your sleeves. Talking to Hanbin normally was harder than you thought it would be. 

Hanbin was still too shocked to act on the opportunity that had presented itself. You were finally acknowledging his presence outside of filming. You had come to him, looked for him, and even waited for him in his dressing room! He had been hoping for a small window of opportunity when you would allow him to speak his mind. Now here it was and he couldn’t say a thing. 

“...and Lisa.”

“What?” Hanbin finally took a few steps closer. A thousand bad thoughts entered his mind when you mentioned his ex. “Why did you want to talk to her?”

“I didn’t but YG wanted to make a point.” After your conversation with YG, you went home with a lot of things on your mind. “What would it take to make the pain go away? That’s what he wanted me to know... I’ll never get over it unless we both say what we wanted to say three years ago.”

Relief washed over him, “I agree.” Every time he tried to talk to you he was ignored, you wouldn’t even look at him. You were finally giving him a chance to talk and he would take it. 

The director’s assistant knocked once before entering in a panic. “Hanbin we can’t find Y/N have you seen-” she stopped when she saw you. “There you are, hope you two weren’t fighting.”

“Just a little,” you joked knowing it was best for her to think that rather than something else.

“We need you to get to the house before Hanbin, the van is waiting outside.”

“I’ll be right there,” you assured her. Once she was out of earshot you went back to your current task. “Can we talk...” you hesitated. You knew today’s filming would end late into the night so there was a good chance he was free but you didn’t want to assume anything. “Maybe after filming ends?”

Hanbin immediately nodded, nothing would make him miss this opportunity. “Yeah, of course.” 

Hanbin stared at you expectantly, a timid smile plastered on his face. The filming had gone exceptionally well. Many of the staff had commented on how much more natural your relationship on-screen had looked.  He looked down at the table where his coffee stood as his only distraction from your stare. 

The silence between you two was uncomfortable but necessary. As you sat back, crossed arms on the table, you thought of what it is you wanted- no- needed to hear form Hanbin. The longer you thought the harder you stared at the idol before you. “Why didn’t you stand up for me?”

“Wha-” his mind had nervously wandered off nearly missing the question.

“When Lisa lied to YG about us dating...” your brow furrowed trying to eloquently form your question but it was just too much for you to say in one breath. “During the whole scandal, you must have had plenty of chances to stop the lies. Why didn’t you?” Again you repeated the most daunting question, “Why didn’t you stand up for me?”

Immediately you felt lighter, your shoulders relaxed and fell making you feel as if you were resting for the first time in years. 

Hanbin was the exact opposite. Before his eyes could do nothing but rest on you and now he could hardly turn in your direction. “I ask myself the same question to this day.”

Of course, he knew the right thing to do back then was to immediately stop the rumor mill. He should have confessed to YG that Lisa was his girlfriend, not you. The people who deserved to lose their careers, their futures, were him and Lisa. Licking his lips he worked up the courage to offer insight into his mind. “At one point I kept saying it was because I loved Lisa too much or that I was just too selfish to risk my own career.”

“So you sat back and watched me burn?” you asked incredulously. For some reason, anger was no longer your dominant emotion. It was pity, resent, and remorse. “All I ever tried to do was live an honest, drama-free life.” Your hands uncrossed, your dominant hand laid flat on the table as you pointed out your life plan . “I kept my social circle small, focused on my future, and stayed out of trouble. My greatest mistake was believing you were my friend.” 

“Y/N I’m sorry. I really was your friend.”

You nodded, “until it became inconvenient for you.” The things he did to you were unforgivable. Never would you have caused so much chaos to an innocent bystander. “I’m sorry if I ever made you doubt our friendship.”

Hanbin shook his head. There was never a time like that.

But it was the only explanation for you. “At some point, I must have done something that caused you to think I was less than Lisa, less than you.”

“I was stupid.” Hanbin reached out to place his hand on top of yours. He needed you to understand how badly everything got taken out of proportion. 

You nodded in agreement. His hand felt warm against yours but it hardly did anything to melt the iciness of your heart. “I realized something after Lisa and YG apologized to me.”

It was true, you wanted to hear Hanbin apologize. You wanted to see him struggle to admit he had been in the wrong. To face you with the same confidence he stood on stage with knowing he had stolen your chance of doing the same. It wasn’t revenge, it was retribution. 

With the calmest of demeanors, you placed your other hand on top of his. Now you cradled his hand in both of yours and genuinely smiled at him. With a sigh, you confessed to him, “I hate you Hanbin.” 

The tears finally spilled over. Their appearance had been long overdue. “Sticks and stones may break my bones but physical wounds heal... but words lay dormant causing emotional wounds that are carried for a lifetime.”

This was not the way Hanbin envisioned the conversation going. For so long he thought if you only gave him a chance, he would surely gain your friendship back.

“Y/N I know I hurt you but you can’t honestly mean that.”

“I can and I do. Hanbin you used me just as much as Lisa did... and for that I hate you.”

The barista came over to apologize and remind you both that the cafe would be closing soon. Thankfully she was older and didn’t recognize either of you. 

WIth a courteous smile, you acknowledged her reminder. “Thank you, we will be going now.” 

The two of you silently walked out- one feeling lighter than when she first entered and the other carried a heavier burden. 

“Y/N,” he called out to you.

“We’re done talking Hanbin.” There was nothing left to say. “I will continue with the show like I promised YG so you don’t have to worry about that. And as soon as filming is over I will go back to my life of seclusion. It will be hard to do that here with all your fans so I’ll move.”

Hanbin bit down his tongue to keep from saying anything else. 

“I hope all your success was worth my pain.”

It wasn’t.

-end-

A/N: Finally I can write this off as finished ^^ Can you tell I kind of rushed it? I sort of forgot exactly how it was going to end but it was always ment to be a sad ending with nothing resolved.

[gotstory]

My 20 Year Old Idol Husband - Day 18 - I’m Fine

20 yr old Jungkook, at the top of his idol boyband career, has a secret only he & his bandmates know – An underground relationship, with you, a girl he met at a fanmeeting. Things get a little out of hand and you find out you’re pregnant.

Read: Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4 / Day 5 / Day 6 / Day 7 / Day 8 / Day 9 / Day 10 / Day 11 / Day 12 / Day 13 / Day 14 / Day 15 / Day 16 / Day 17 / Day 18 /

It was a normal day for the boys as they shuffled around their studios, practicing or recording.

Namjoon in particular was getting slightly impatient.

(Last night - Namjoon)

"Alot could happen in 3 weeks."

Yoongi frowned, "couldn't she just come with us?"

Instead of waiting for Bang PD to arrive, he decided to drop him a text.

- PD nim, I have been thinking about our previous tours abroad and wondering if we can hire a billingual PR manager to come along with us for the next tour.

The reply was almost instantaneous.

- We have been thinking about it too and have someone in mind. But we found out the agency let her go and we still haven't been able to get in touch.

Namjoon took the chance and pushed for it.

- PD nim if you don't mind, I do have someone to suggest whom we have worked with during the last Europe tour. We can discuss this in detail maybe later today?

As he focused on waiting for the reply, his heart was racing a little.

Why am I being nervous about this? It's not even my girlfriend...

Just then the door of his studio shifted a little and in came Bang PD with a smile.

"Oh! PD nim! Were you already here?" quickly, a wide smile came over him as he stood to greet his boss whom he hadn't seen in some time.

As the older man sank down into the cosy grey sofa and squashed abit of the Van cushion under his weight, he spoke up in a light tone.

"Namjoon-ah, why are you bothering yourself with these matters when I've already got a whole team of staff to look into such things? It's not like you haven't got enough work on your hands."

Namjoon wasn't sure if he was being scolded for being nosy or was Bang PD trying to thank him for going beyond his scope.

He sat down and with a pressed smile, began to put forth some of his plans he had been working out in his head.

"Actually, PD nim, there's this one person we really hope to have along with us..."

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

Back in the agency where you used to be, things were running as usual. But your co-worker and bff, Fan, had been having a hard time coping with other reporters who had no interest in the music events they covered. It was mostly a touch and go approach that left her missing you, her partner in crime, even more. Days were getting tougher and she even entertained the though of leaving altogether since there was hardly anything else to look forward to.

As she packed up her stuff ready to leave for the day, her boss strolled by with a worried look.

"Hey boss, everything fine? You look like you just lost your company."

He smirked tiredly, used to her teasing. "Thankfully not. It's just that one of our Korean counterparts have been asking for Chae-rin and it was a pity I let her go. I don't even have anyone else I could send as a replacement."

At the mention of your name, she entertained some hopes of reuniting with you.

"Then just hire her back and send her over to Korea! You do know she's IN Korea right?"

Surprised at this piece of newly acquired information his brain quickly turns the numbers and realised that it clicked.

"But wait," he said, "didn't she say something about needing to rest for her health?"

Fan quickly brushed it aside, "well yeah but it's been awhile now she's probably fine. Why don't I call her for you just to... You know, see if she fancies something like that? Oh and, which company are we talking about here anyway?"

The boss ponders, "That sounds good, Fan. It's the one.... with Mr Bang and BTS."

Her breath hitches and chokes in surprise as he catches on quickly, "What's wrong? You alright?"

"Oh nothing!" she laughs, "I'm feeling just fine! I'm fine! Yea, definitely, just fine!"

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

I'm feeling just fine, fine fine...

You wake up to the sound of your new BTS alarm, it was your favourite song of the moment after seeing the elaborate choreography and how it was such a comforting yet emotional track. You look around and find a note stuck to your phone. It was neatly written and you recognised Jk's handwriting from the numerous letters he'd written over the last year.

'Noona, (they insisted I be fair and call you that) we won't be back early tonight because of the rehearsals for the tour schedule next week. If you get bored, just get a cab and let me know where you are. The hyungs and I will be at the studio so please have a good rest and eat well. Jin-hyung says he made some soup and the kitchen is yours. Please call us if you run into any trouble at all.

-JK'

Of course, it would be a surprise if these busy idols were mopping around their house in the peak of their career. You weren't even expecting to see them altogether, recalling what a feast it was last night which only showed how long it had been since they could all rest at home together in the same space.

Finally. Some time to explore the city!

You thought to yourself, slowly reading off the messages you ignored since the night before.

There were a stream of pictures and messages from your ex colleagues and friends, as well as a few from Jungkook mainly to check if you were awake yet.

Just then, your phone rang and to your surprise it was Fan. Excitedly you answered it with your croaky morning voice.

- Ahem, ah, ah. Hello!

- Oh gosh, Chaerin, sorry did I wake you up? I didn't check the time difference!

- Don't worry it's noon here. What's up? You hardly call!

- Yeah I know, it's only been like what... Less than a week since you're gone and I'm dying without you.

You laughed at her cutely exaggerated tone which you missed.

- 4 days to be exact. It's only like what, my 3rd day here? It feels like I've been gone forever though. I miss working already.

- Really? How's your... Erm... Body? Has all the... Discomfort worn off?

You pause at her overly cautious choice of words and found it strange.

- Are you with someone?

Fan smiled, knowing how sharp you were.

- Well yes, and I wanted to ask if you really MISSED WORKING WITH US SO MUCH THAT YOU WISHED YOU COULD COME BACK?

Placing deliberate emphasis on the keywords with her back facing the boss, Fan definitely knew what she was doing and wanted you to catch on it.

- You're in the office aren't you... With, let me see... At this hour, wouldn't there only be the boss left? Hang on, are you saying he wants me to come back? Oh come on...

Giving an air punch, Fan was more than excited even though there wasn't even a conclusion.

- Not just me but before you... TURN ME DOWN, I just wanted to know it might be because you're PLANNING TO SETTLE IN KOREA?

- What are you going on about, Fan? You know full well the reason why I was dragged here! of course I have to settle here with... Well, you know who! And eventually I'll have to find a job and---

Quickly, Fan cut her short and put the phone to the boss.

- OKAY OKAY! I got that I got that! Hang on yes yes!

Nervously, he took it and tried to be as casual about it as he could. Unknown to you, there was actually a huge sum of money behind the contractual agreement which BigHit had offered. One that made it harder and harder for him to turn down or ignore. He knew the ball was not in his court and he had to get you back no matter what it took.

After half an hour of lengthy explanations and persuasion, you finally got the full picture.

- So, boss, ah... I mean, erm John, you're telling me the Korean agency we worked with, wants you to post me there as a permanent PR manager for them, while you manage the press at the Europe office, is that it?

- Yes, that's exactly what it is but of course, I'd have to hire you in order for that to happen.

It sounded like a good plan that would help keep your time occupied with income while you got a legitimate work pass to be in Korea as how you needed to. Only thing was letting them know, you'd soon be needing to use some maternity leave and that could potentially cause issues.

- But there are so many PR managers in Korea, why us and why me in particular?

- Beats me! but I know you've always outshone in your abilities and it doesn't surprise me if you were headhunted directly by them. It's just that they probably didn't know you had left the country and man, their staff are so persistent! There were a couple of mails I missed around the time you left which I ignored, since well, you left, but they've called me countless of times this morning as if they can't even wait an hour longer for me to disclose your details. But I told them I'd have to speak with you first. You know, PDPA can be a real bitch these days...

It was true.

Personal data protection was such a sticky issue that never let anyone in this media line rest. Of course, it didn't make any business sense for the boss to let another agency poach his ex-staff when he could possibly leverage on it. Anyone would. But you still didn't get it - why you?

- Before we go on, Mr John, which agency is this that has put forth such a strange request?

As if haunted by the thought, he sighed and sank into a chair.

- Apparently they said the leader made a direct request this morning for it and it became urgent. Remember the boyband you covered at your first stint? What was it again...

He motioned to Fan asking for the name of the band and she quickly showed him her Season's Greeting calendar with the 7 smiley boys.

- BTS. That's right. The Bangtan Boys.

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

The day whizzed by and you were completely caught in the flurry of calls, and emails you thought you never had to open again.

In a matter of hours, you had set up your laptop and found a small empty area where you could sit comfortably and wasn't occupied by one of the boy's laundry or gadgets.

The call had ended abruptly when you told Mr John to send you the emails for your consideration since Fan was probably freaking out at both her roaming call charges and the surprise of it all.

The leader made a request this morning? That's not possible... Namjoon? But why?

Bewildered, you let the mails load by the chunks until you hear the arrival of new mail from your boss - you had always gave it a different colour code just so you'd never miss it.

As you clicked it open, you saw the unmistakable BigHit email signature and a long mail thread which you read every single word not missing any of it. You could tell it was written very directly due to the probably lack of English expertise from the local staff but was succinct and sufficient to get the point across.

It was simple. They wanted you to work for them - with lodging and everything else taken care of.

This is more than perfect!

After going through the legal and operational details over the phone with their representative, you carefully broach the subject of possible maternity leave, in the near future. To your surprise, they were not only supportive but assured you that even the expenses would be taken care of so long as you were returning to your duties after that. The only thing was that you would have to start work the day after tomorrow in view of the tour that was upcoming.

Another long flight. Packing after you've just unpacked.

With a small sigh, your eyes caught sight of the neat scribbles Jungkook left for your this morning and smiled to yourself. Well, it wasn't that bad if this meant you were able to be with him for the next 3 weeks. It had just been 3 days with the boys but the thought of not being able see, hear, and just be near him had grown so uncomfortable that it made you teary.

Hurriedly you shook these thoughts off and took a deep breath, picking up your phone to text Jungkook.

- Work hard for today Kookie, I've got some news for you tonight :)

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

Hours later, Fan sorts out her own paperwork and ties up loose ends in the office, and prepares to take the first flight out in the morning to meet you. Unlike you, she had to get on flight soonest in order to arrive on the same day you start work.

Looking through the texts, she remembered having Jimin's number from the time when she pressed Chae-rin for at least one emergency contact other than JK's, in the event where she wasn't contactable. Picking up her courage, she decided to send him a text of her arrival... After all that you've done for her, being there for you in this uncertain period of your life, was the least she could do, of course, with some help, a surprise appearance would be the cherry on the cake.

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

The doors of the apartment swung open hastily and you hear the familiar banter of Jin, Namjoon and J-hope, as they discussed formations for the concert. They were so loud it sounded more like a party than 2 people just talking.

'No, no, no... hyung, I'll change it and Taehyung will sit on Namjoon and me because -- AAAigoo Jungkook-Ah! Your big bag is in my face, watch it!' It was J-hope, the loudest of them all, sounding suddenly cautious at the silent arrival of Jungkook, probably squeezing through the door with his over-sized bag.

'Sorry hyung! You okay?' Without even looking back, he habitually kicked off his shoes and tried to mask his excitement of finally being able to see you at the end of a long day. Going straight to his room, he finds your bags sitting at the door, luggage zipped and packed like the day you arrived. With eyes wide in shock he starts going into every room in search for you and when you were nowhere in sight, he grabs his phone and starts calling you, frantically looking around the living room if you'd left him a note or something.

The older boys, especially Namjoon, calmly check out Jungkook's room to see what he was being flustered about only to be startled by sudden movements among the rack of Jungkook's black tee-shirts.

'OOH! OOH! OOH! What-what -- Ahhh... you scared me!' Hushed Jin who put a hand to his chest after seeing that it was you, hidden behind the clothes. He looked extra warm and fuzzy today, in a turtle neck and glasses you seldom saw him wear.

You put a finger to your lips and motioned for Namjoon to come closer as you whispered to them. 'The company told me about your request.' You said, to the 3 older boys who were crouched down with their faces inches from yours in the dim corner. You continued, 'I'll be moving to the empty apartment next door in the morning.'

'JJINCHA???' J-hope exclaimed only to be quickly silenced by your hand.

'But why're you hiding from Jungkookie?' Namjoon asked. 'You trying to make him think you're leaving? You want to prank him?'

You nodded. 'It's now or never, isn't it?' with a cheeky wink, the brothers nodded and stood up giving you an "OK" signal, and started going into their overly exaggerated acting mode.

Jin sat on the bed while Namjoon went out to look for Jungkook, and J-hope started talking loudly again. "OMO! Jungkook-ah~~ Why are all her luggages packed up again? Aigoo, Jungkook-ah!"

As the boys gathered, they thoughtfully positioned Jungkook's face in your view, a clear sign they had done this so many times for the camera.

Namjoon started on his worried low voice, asking Jungkook if there was something wrong or if there was anything else he hadn't told them about. Before Jungkook could even respond, Jin chimed in like a comedic duo with Namjoon, picking up line after line, not even letting Jungkook process what was happening.

'... and you know, its getting late now, where do you expect her to go? right? her bags are all packed and she isn't answering her phone, are you sure she didn't say anything else to you? Jungkook-ah, check your phone again, did you miss some messages?'

You watched as Jungkook stared blankly, trying to recall while he cocked his head to one side, eyes fixed on the packed suitacases in deep confusion. 'No... Noona only said she had something to tell me tonight, but... but...'

'Something to tell you? Ah! That's right, she has to go back home that's why these are all packed!' Jin added quickly.

'NO!' was Jungkook's only response and you could see J-hope trying not to laugh at the innocence of this man-child. He was practically about to throw a fit at his 'helpful' hyungs in his sheer helplessness. As he mumbled unintelligible words to reason out why it wasn't possible you would leave, Namjoon decided to give it the final blow.

Putting his hands over JK's shoulder, he brought him nearer to where you were hiding as if to tell him a secret.

'Jungkook-ah, actually, I spoke to Bang-PD about Chae-rin.'

Jungkook sucked in a sharp breath in disbelief as he shrieked in a high pitch tone you'd never thought he was capable of. 'You, WHAAAAT???? HYUNGGGGG!!!!'

He continued, 'so I told him that for your sake, and hers, she has to move out of this place. Jungkook, hyung is sorry, I really tried my best to speak up for you but I think we can't have a girl here.'

You saw the Jungshook gifs appearing before your eyes as he froze in place, not even attempting to refute all that he heard. You made a mental note to commend his loyal and abiding nature even though it seemed like Namjoon had just turned his back on him.

After awhile, Jungkook spun around, looking at the other boys, studying their faces before going straight to J-hope giving him a deep closeup view of his bright round eyes.

'Wohhh, too close, Jungkook, too close, what-- what--' As he observed the reactions of his brothers, he stood up, surveying the room this time calmly and with sharp eyes, he realised how they had been deliberately leaving an empty space in front of his clothes. It was only then that he faintly saw some colours hidden behind the row of monochrome clothes, and took a deep breath of relief.

'Noona~ I know you're there. Come on out now, you have some explaining to do.' He closed his eyes with a satisfied grin and mild annoyance, pointing in your direction.

Slowly, you emerged bashfully, to the wind-screen wiper laughs of Jin and J-hope.

'Sorry, Chae-rin, we're just really horrible at acting no matter how hard we try. But for now I think we will leave you to deal with our little Kookie, see you outside for dinner! Bye!' In the blink of an eye, the hyungs exited and shut the door behind them as you heard their quick footsteps scurry down the hallway.

It only took you half an hour to explain the situation to Jungkook as he took it all in.

'Are you saying you'll be travelling with us when we're on tour, and when we're back, you'll be staying beside us?' He summed it all up in a sentence.

'Well, y-yes.... but Jungkook I'm going to be a company staff from now on, you need to be mindful of that especially when we're around the other people. I will have real WORK to do, not just tagging along.'

The glee on his face was so evident that you weren't sure if he was really seeing the full picture. Giving you a total embrace, you could feel his muscles relaxing slowly in your hold while he buried his nose in your hair.

'I don't care about that,' he whispered, slightly emotional all of a sudden. 'As long you're not leaving, I know I'll be fine.'

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

The next morning, Jungkook headed for practice early, filled with newfound vigor. They go through their routines, new formations, have meetings back to back and work from sunrise to sunrise.

A staff also meets you at the apartment, rather surprised that you had made your way to the door.

'How did you manage to get here?' He asks, slightly puzzled since it was a very secured residence.

Flustered, you blurt out whatever came to your mind. 'Oh, I met Namjoon while I was coming and he showed me the way, ha... yea that boy has good a very good memory for these things yea?'

'Ah, Namjoon? Yea, he did? I heard he doesn't request for staff directly but he specifically asked for you to be brought in as soon as possible... You guys must be close huh?'

As he opened the door to the adjacent apartment, your eyes saw the largest and most spacious loft-like studio, with full-length glass windows and light day curtains blowing in, fully furnished, open concept space. There were 2 rooms in view and a small kitchen, and a balcony. For a place like Seoul, you knew this had to cost a lot being in the same building as the boys.

The staff continued, 'there will be another staff joining us tomorrow and it seems you both are acquainted. It hasn't been sorted out where she will stay but for now, please settle in here as your home while you work with us. Since you're friends with the boys already, I guess there is no need for us to introduce you?'

You brushed it off casually, 'yea you must have had so much to do with my sudden arrival, please don't worry yourself with these trivial matters. I'm thankful enough as it is that Mr Bang made these arrangements himself.'

'Sure, in that case I will leave you and if you need any help just call for myself of any of the managers. We'll see you at the company tomorrow, Ms Chae-rin.'

As he closed the door to your new home, you pick up the shiny new card that came with a long black strap. Your passport-sized photo greeted you back with the same smile as you read the words beneath it to yourself.

BIGHIT STAFF

Strategic Artiste Management & PR Lead (BTS)

This meant a promotion in your career; a new role - not to say the least, one you've proved your worth for, but more impressively,with a team under your lead, the one to call the shots on the bulk of their public appearances, personal welfare, and the first say over the boy's schedules.

As you go through the contract that you had read tens of times over before inking it, you shake your head in disbelief. This was practically the role of a highly paid corporate nanny over 7 grown boys that the world was fawning over.

But well, who's complaining? And you knew deep down, with Jungkook by your side, you'd be more than just fine.

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

Thank u for your likes, reblogs, reads and for waiting ... and I will keep updating this book!

Please feel free to leave me your comments and if you are going for LYinSG, see u there! :))))

This story can also be found on wattpad with my same username:

[uschi-the-listener]

Smoke Alarm Stories

During the day, it’s a quiet place, even though it’s a huge apartment complex, with buildings from A to G, all surrounding courtyards, and surrounded by parking lots and carports. When the kids are in school and the parents are at work or out shopping or doing whatever they do from dawn to sunset, it’s quiet.

Until the smoke alarm starts.

Every day, sometime between early morning and late afternoon, and occasionally in the evening, a smoke alarm goes off. Nobody stops it. It’s annoying, and once in a while, somebody can be heard yelling insanely at it, but it goes off once or twice a day, and it seems to be coming from the same place. An upstairs apartment, in building E.

The maintenance guys and the gardeners shake their heads and laugh. The apartment manager worries, when she hears it, but hesitates to intrude. Nobody smells any smoke. No flames are visible. Everything seems to be okay, but the manager worries. It’s part of the job.

)0(

Smoke Alarm Stories: Chapter One

The sofa will never be the same again, and the smoke alarm was no help at all.

Fatima Aziz shuffles from the kitchen to the living room, to the bathroom, to the bedroom, all the time carrying on a conversation with herself about her plans for the day. She is 97 years old and has seen more of the world than anyone she knows. She is entitled to talk to herself while she carries out her routine chores and decides what to make for the momentous occasion coming up.

Her relatives are coming for a visit day after tomorrow, at least the ones living in the area. She lives a block from the madrassa and two blocks (“Uphill! It’s why I’m so old”,) from the mosque. Three of her sons, with their wives, live within a few miles. Her grandchildren live in the city, but that’s only about 40 miles away, and they will bring her (“Beautiful! And smart! Every one of them a Grade-A student and a hard worker!”)Great-grandchildren with them. Her daughter lives in New York City and has plans to visit by herself next winter, but she will not be here for the party.

So all the cooking is for Fatima; she would never ask her daughters-in-law to help, though they will probably bring along sweets or some sort of American food. They said not to bother, but Fatima knows what that means. (“Don’t bother! I bother. I will bother. I feed my guests; I am a good woman and I always will be while there is breath in my body and I have my hands and feet. Don’t bother…humph.”) She wants to make a lot of food, and she’s always been an excellent cook, but she is aware that she isn’t as strong as she used to be, that she tends to be a bit forgetful (“There’s a lot to forget! Insha’Allah, you should live so long in my head!”) so she’s thinking a few really good dishes that everybody loves, in large quantities.

Fatima made a huge bowl of Khyar bi Laban the night before, with her own homemade yogurt and the sweet little Persian cucumbers from the Arabic market around the corner. The hardest part of that project was getting down the steps and back up them again with the groceries. She also made enough taboule for about 50 people and started making maḥshī waraq ‘inab, with as many grape leaves as she could get on short notice. The olive oil and rice had been gifts from her oldest son, so she used minced lamb meat instead of the rather fatty hamburger meat from the local supermarket because he loves lamb and isn’t fond of beef. The pita breads she would make at the last minute, as many as she could in the stupid electric oven in the tiny apartment kitchen. They would wait until tomorrow.

Today, Fatima is making the baba ganoush: she has four large eggplants and plenty of garlic and olive oil and tahini, and everything else she needs to make a large quantity. The only problem is the stupid electric stove. You can bake an eggplant in the oven, or roast it on top of the nasty little burners on top, but it never turns out right and doesn’t get the smoky flavor grilling gives it; plus, those burners make it stick like glue and are hard to clean, and a lot of the best part gets wasted. These American stoves are for children and newlywed wives who know nothing about real cooking.

But Fatima has a little secret weapon: a tiny oil lamp filled with good olive oil that she can set on the table to cook the eggplants, one by one, each stuck on a long fork. After the skin is a little charred, the babyish oven can be put to use, finishing the job. It’s preheating now, and the heat feels good in the tiny kitchen. Fatima rolls up her sleeves and leans next to the oven for a moment to feel the heat in her bones, then reaches deep into the little cupboard under the sink for her oil lamp and a box of wooden matches.

To be safe, Fatima removed the linen cloth from her living room table, then set the little oil lamp on it near the edge. She knelt next to it, lit it with a match, and then began holding the first eggplant in the flame. It was going to take a long time, but some things just do. She held it there, supporting one arm with the other propped under her wrist, and slowly turned every part of the eggplant she could reach in the flame. As it started to char, the eggplant began to smell lovely, and Fatima was pulled back into her childhood, watching her mother char the eggplants on her own flame, on a grill in the courtyard, and smelling that delicious, smoky, fruity eggplant smell. When the first one was done, she set it on a hot tray in the oven and started the next one.

Halfway finished with the fourth eggplant, Fatima’s arms begin to wobble a little. Her muscles are tired. The eggplant dips a little too close to the little lamp, and when she jerks it back up, her sleeve bumps the lamp and it falls over, spilling flaming olive oil onto the table. A few large drops splatter onto the sofa cushions where they ignite instantly.

Fatima quickly squashes out and mops up the flaming oil on the table with the linen scarf she had moved earlier, then she leaps up, as well as a 97-year-old woman can leap, and pulls the afghan from the back of the sofa. She begins to beat at the flames on the sofa cushions with the afghan, effectively fanning the flames higher.

The smoke alarm begins to scream as black smoke belches from the synthetic fabric and foam rubber. Fatima steps back, finds a tall floor vase full of flowers and water—and douses the lowest part of the flame, which puts it out. She stands, shaking, and notes that the party will likely have to be based in the kitchen and dining room. She glares at the smoke alarm, which is on the ceiling, and too far away to be easily deactivated.

Muttering curses at the useless alarm, Fatima looks around the room, and then picks up the eggplant, which lies forgotten on her ruined table. Thankfully, the final eggplant appears to be done, unharmed by the disaster that took place over the course of only a few minutes.

Fatima carries it into the kitchen, places it with its brothers, turns off the oven, and collapses into the armchair at the head of the dining room table. As the alarm continues to screech, Fatima’s head nods, and she falls asleep with her head back and her mouth open.

It’s been a rough day so far.

 )0(

Smoke Alarm Stories: Chapter Two

One minute, I’m looking at what was supposed to be a box full of free kittens—but turned out to be 3 or 4 grubby little stuffed animals with an iPod playing kitten noises: What A Rip-Off!—in the back of the van of a fat old guy who works in the basement of the school, and the next, I’m waking up on a dirty carpet, staring at an eye with running mascara, smushed eye shadow, and maybe a bruise above the eyebrow. I can’t move much. My hands are behind me, and when I pull on them, my feet move. It’s weird and I wiggle to see how far I can move. Not far at all.

I can’t breathe through my nose, and I can hear some kind of clogged drain or something, only with a beat, like, skraaaaz, honk, skraaaaz, and honk. It dawns on me that the eye is mine, reflected on some kind of flat metal thing, and the sound is the fat guy, snoring. I’m not allowed to wear eye makeup, but oh well. I thought I’d have time to wash it off before Mom got home. I don’t even care now. I don’t have any clothes on, and my body feels all dirty and sticky and I hurt all over and my stomach feels all woozy.

People are always telling you never to walk home from school by yourself, but nobody ever tells you what you’re supposed to do when you have a serious argument with your friends almost before you’re off the campus, and you have to walk home alone. We only live 6 ½ blocks from the school, which is why I don’t have a carpool or a bus or some kind of parent pick-up time. This is perfectly normal. It’s a suburb, not like New York or L.A. or anything.

I think if it ever happens again, I’m going to just stay at the school and call somebody. I am never getting into this kind of trouble again. Cross my heart. Never.

So, I’m looking and listening and trying to move, and trying to sort out what exactly is going on, when I stretch back and feel what I’m tied up with. It’s zip-ties. I read a thing last week on Pinterest about escaping from them by wiggling a certain way and pinching my hands together. I’m trying to look backwards into my brain for the videos on the website, so I can do it. The guy on the video made it look so easy! Trust me, it isn’t. And it hurts.

Fortunately for me, my hands were crossed. It’s easier to get out if you can squeeze your top thumb out first, then the rest of your hand will follow, then the other one just sits there with an ugly bracelet on. It hurts, and I have some sore spots from doing it, but it got me out. That video maybe saved my life, so I want to advertise for that guy. His website is here: http://www.itstactical.com/skillcom/lock-picking/how-to-escape-from-zip-ties/. I looked it up. It’s only fair.

So, anyway, I get my hands out, then my feet out, and that guy is still asleep on the couch in his socks and grey old holey underwear. It’s disgusting and I almost gag. I discover that I’ve been lying under a glass and chrome coffee table with my nose up against the table leg. But there isn’t any time to think about that, and I want my stuff and I want to leave right now. I can see my backpack in the corner behind the front door, but I don’t see my clothes anywhere. I don’t want to look around, because it’s gross and I feel like screaming and panicking and crying. I think I’m crying, but I don’t have time for that, so I tiptoe into the hallway toward the bedroom and see some of my clothes on the messy, dirty bed. I snatch up my jeans and tee shirt and I can’t find any of my underwear or my socks, but my shoes are half under the bed, so I resign myself to putting them on without socks and not wearing underwear.

I hurt. It hurts to zip up the jeans and I feel like my legs aren’t working right. But I get dressed fast and stumble silently (I hope) to the front door which is not only locked, there is a hasp thingy and a padlock down by the floor. I go to the patio door: same thing. The windows are closed and locked. I go back to the bedroom and see the ugly old fat guy’s ugly old dirty jeans and there is a big ring of keys attached to the belt. I yank them loose and sneak, fast as I can, back to the door. I’m trying not to jingle the keys, but they have to make some noise while I’m trying to find the right key, and there are a lot of them, most of them looking exactly the same, with MASTER printed on them, and my hands are shaking like I’m diseased or something.

I hear the honking stop and the guy shift on the couch. I freeze. The snoring starts up again, even louder. I let my breath out. I’m thinking this guy has some kind of sleeping sickness, or maybe he’s drunk or on drugs or something. Anyway, I have to GET OUT! I consider banging on the door and yelling for help, but I can see how that could go very, very wrong. So I fumble with the keys some more for a minute while I think about what else I can do.

I’m looking around while I think, and I see the smoke alarm. If I set something on fire, maybe the firemen will come and let me out! I look around, and there isn’t much that burns. Lots of beer cans and vodka bottles. A plastic pretzel bag. Some dirty dishes and a leather-looking overnight bag. Some crappy plastic-and-metal furniture.

Suddenly I remember that one of the reasons my friends wouldn’t walk with me is I bought a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. They said I was disgusting and immoral and that I might as well be buying heroin. I was mad because a few days before they were talking about having boyfriends some day and if they smoked, it would be okay with them. I wanted to try them because my dad was a smoker, according to my mom, and I thought maybe I would grow up to be like him. So I wanted to try them. But now, I just had this unopened pack of Disgusting Immoral Heroin sticks in my backpack, and an evil lighter to light them with. If I could blow a bunch of smoke at the smoke alarm, maybe somebody would come! I didn’t care if I got caught with the cigarettes; I just wanted to be OUT OF THERE before that nasty old guy woke up.

I unzipped the backpack as quietly as I could, and dug down deep where the pack of cigarettes was hiding. My hands were sweaty, so they slipped away from me for a minute, but I got them and tore them open with my teeth, and instantly dropped them. The lighter was there, too, and I grabbed it and held the cigarette the way I saw the lady outside by the pool at our apartment hold hers, then tried to light it. It charred a little, but eventually a wisp of smoke came out. I went over by the kitchen, where the alarm was high up on the wall, and held the cigarette up as high as I could, standing on tiptoe, almost to where it would have touched the plastic of the alarm case, if I were about 3 inches taller.

Nothing happened.

I sucked on the cigarette, but coughed, and blew a big cloud of smoke at the alarm. It didn’t help. I felt woozy and sick, and I had to hold my breath and swallow until the cough went away. My eyes were already watering, and they watered some more. Normally, I would have given up right there, but then I thought, well, it’s smoke. Just not enough smoke.

So I lit another and held them both up. Nothing. And another, and another. Finally, I had the whole pack lit and clenched in one hand while I steadied myself on the wall with the other.

At long last, the stupid alarm got the hint and started beeping, almost too loud to stand next to it, but I had to stand next to it if this was going to work!

And nobody came. Nobody knocked. No firemen. No neighbors. I heard some guy yelling SHUT IT OFF ASSHOLE and banging from below, but when I yelled back, HELP ME!, he didn’t answer and probably didn’t hear me. The next thing that happened, the fat old kidnapper guy was staggering right at me and yelling something, too! He wasn’t too steady, and his eyes looked really bad, like maybe he couldn’t see, and he kept putting his hands over his ears.

I stooped down and got his keys again, and threw them, really hard, at his head, and threw the cigarettes at him, too. I know they connected, but I wasn’t waiting around to see what he was going to do, or if I killed him or something, though I was pretty sure I didn’t. I grabbed my backpack and ran to the bathroom. I got out my cell phone and texted mom, MOM HELP! SOME GUY HAS ME AT HIS APT AND I CAN’T GET OUT! HELP! Then I called 911. The door on the bathroom was locked, but sort of thin, and the guy was yelling over the alarm and banging on the door like he was going to break it down. I yelled into the phone that I was kidnapped by a guy that worked at my school, that my name was Chelsea Fingle, that I was in fifth grade, and what school I went to, and that my mom’s name was Susan McHale, and gave her cell phone number. The door was starting to bulge around the knob and make splintery sounds, so I looked around for something I could hit the guy with when he broke through.

There was a toilet brush, which would have worked on me, but the guy was pretty gross and probably wouldn’t even notice. I looked in the medicine cabinet and there was something with a homemade label that said Chloroform which smelled really horrible and sickening and oddly familiar, and some drugs in those little brown bottles, plastic disposable razors, and shaving cream.

I picked up the shaving cream and the Chloroform bottle and braced myself. I could tell the door was about to go. Sure enough, the door stretched in more than I thought wood could stretch, and splinters and chunks of thin wood blasted into the bathroom all over me. I had already put my arm over my face, and as soon as the guy was in, I aimed and squirted Barbasol all in his eyes. He grunted, then screamed, probably more mad than hurt. He was already sort of falling into the room, and now he lost his balance and fell against the sink. I dumped the whole bottle of Chloroform over his head and threw the bottle—hard–and jumped on his back and ran out to the living room.

I picked up one of his cheesy chairs and started banging on the glass patio door. A big crack ran right up it, so I banged on the crack, and the whole door fell in little pieces all over the little balcony outside the door. It was a relief to get out there and get away from the stupid, noisy smoke alarm. I could hear sirens coming nearer and I started to look around for a way to get down from the second floor without killing myself. There were hedges down below, so I just rolled over the edge onto the hedges, which were prickly and tore my shirt in a few places, but I didn’t mind. I bounced off and fell on some grass, then took off running, waving and yelling at the police car pulling into the parking lot past the gates.

My makeup was ruined, and so was my tee shirt, and I had no socks or underwear, but I had my backpack and my phone.

And my life.

 )0(

  Smoke Alarm Stories: Chapter Three

 If you wait long enough, a smoke alarm turns itself off, though not without adding to any ambient chaos already in place.

For once, the whole family is at home; nobody has soccer practice, nobody stayed late at work, the air conditioning isn’t working at the mall, so nobody went there after school, and everybody else is home from day care. So the family is having dinner together tonight, and Mom is busy making a huge meal of cheeseburgers, green salad, potato salad, and popsicles for dessert. Everything is done and waiting in the ‘fridge or freezer except the burgers, and all the buns are dressed to order for each family member.

Mom has nine burgers on the griddle at once: one for Liz, the oldest, two each for Oscar and Omar, the 8-year-old twins, one for little Kathy, the 5-year-old, and one for herself and two for her husband. The baby, Randall, in the playpen, doesn’t have enough teeth yet to have one, so he will be enjoying a Junior Meal, which is heating up separately. That’s a lot of burgers.

Unfortunately, when dinner is almost done, the smoke alarm goes off, shrilly announcing that it disapproves of so much cooking being done all at once. It has its limits. Mom yells into the living room, “Could somebody get that, please?! It’s driving me crazy! I can’t leave this!”

Dad looks up from his paper and shouts for Liz to turn off the smoke alarm. Liz rolls her eyes, says, “In a minute…” and continues working on her homework at the dining room table, where the twins are tossing dishes and flatware back and forth while setting the table for dinner. Liz tells them to “Cut it out, Apes! Turn off that stupid alarm! The broom is behind the door!”

The twins ignore Liz and continue their juggling act/table-setting routine. The baby starts to cry, so Kathy climbs into the playpen with him, pulls him onto her lap, and rocks him while she whispers into his ear, “It’s okay; the smoke alarm thinks it’s a fire, but it isn’t. It’s just like the fire trucks telling everybody to get out of the way. It’s just trying to help, but it isn’t very smart. I don’t think it likes cheeseburgers.” The baby stops crying, shudders a little, then cuddles closer to his big sister, who continues to rock him and begins singing a little made-up song about fire trucks and smoke alarms in his ear, using the shrill beeping as rhythmic back-up.

Mom is still cooking, and calls out, “Please! Somebody! Turn it off!” Dad throws down his newspaper, heaves an exasperated sigh and says, “Liz–!” then stalks out of the room. Oscar and Omar begin meticulously aligning every plate, fork, and glass, not raising their eyes for anything.

Kathy sighs heavily, kisses her tiny brother on the top of his head, and hands him his favorite jingly elephant toy. She climbs out of the playpen and runs over to where Liz had said the broom was; it isn’t there. Kathy trots around the house looking in corners, and finally locates it on the patio. She drags the heavy door open, grabs the broom, then closes the door with a mighty shove.

Then Kathy goes over to the noisy smoke alarm. Holding the broom by the bristles, she tries to poke the alarm, high over her head, with the broom’s handle, succeeding only in knocking a picture off the wall, whacking herself in the head, and making herself skip backward a few steps.

Patiently, she tries again. She manages to poke the alarm, but not in the right place, and it continues to sound its useless and annoying shrieks. Kathy backs up, tries again, pokes the alarm, but with no effect once again.

Mom is just coming into the room to deal with it herself, when the alarm spontaneously quits. Kathy drops the broom on the floor, climbs back into the playpen with her brother and pops her right thumb into her mouth. Randall crawls over to her lap and falls asleep draped across her legs.

Mom goes back to the kitchen, calling, “Dinner, everybody!” and begins bringing food to the table.

Dinner is served.

 )0(

  Smoke Alarm Stories: Chapter Four

 A smoke alarm is supposed to be a lifesaving tool, not a tiny, daily weapon of attrition. Yet, it is admirably suited for such a purpose. Beware oppression; it creates implacable enemies who will have no conscience when it comes to avenging themselves upon the oppressor.

Suzannah wakes up just before dawn, when the first birds are beginning their daily territorial squabble. The alarm still has about half an hour to go, so she quietly slips from under the covers, careful not to jostle the bed too much and disturb her snoring husband. Tiptoeing to the kitchen, she puts her apron on over her nightie and begins gathering a few breakfast items: she set out a few eggs, sausage patties, white bread, coffee beans, half a dozen oranges, and a single grapefruit. She takes the milk from the refrigerator and noticing that there is about half the quart left; she quickly adds a teaspoon of vinegar to it, holds it shut, and shakes it vigorously.

Looking at the clock, Suzannah notes that it is about 12 minutes before the alarm will go off. Immediately, she grabs the electric coffee grinder and the coffee beans and begins grinding as she walks toward the bedroom. The snoring is still loud and clear, like she imagines a ramshackle chain saw, or an engine running out of oil, would sound. She frowns thoughtfully and shakes the grinder a little before giving up and continuing with his breakfast.

Suzannah trudges back toward the kitchen and begins juicing the oranges and the grapefruit into a large juice glass, careful to include a few seeds from each piece of fruit, and some of the webbing from between the sections. She discards the rinds, careful to conceal the grapefruit peel beneath the rest of the garbage in the pail. Turning to the stove, Suzannah grabs an iron skillet, raises it to shoulder height, and drops it into the sink, where it breaks a wine glass from the night before, and makes a godawful clatter amongst the silverware and small plastic snack plates.

After a snort, a gasp, and a pause, the alarm clock begins playing a Sousa march. There is a great deal of rustling , and the snooze alarm is activated for another 15 minutes of sleep. More snoring ensues, if anything, louder and more repulsively than before. Suzannah pulls the skillet from the sink and places a huge spoonful of lard into it, turning the temperature of the front burner to HI. She smiles grimly, thinking of the term, “burner,” and stirs the fat in the pan, breaking it up so it will melt faster. She turns and drops the bread into the toaster and pushes the lever down, then adjusts the setting to the furthest reaches of DARK.

By this time, the lard has melted. Suzannah drops the pork sausage patties into it with a sizzle, then immediately breaks 3 eggs next to them, making sure to break each yolk and hide a few fragments of shell under each. The edges of the egg whites begin to turn into a black, lacy trim as the yolks spread, then harden in their greasy bath. When the toast pops up, she shoves it back down again and it begins to smoke.

Suzannah takes the butter from the refrigerator, and then turns the hot water on as far as it will go and lets it run down the garbage disposal, which she turns on. It crunches at food particles from last night’s dinner and the broken wine glass. She winces at the noise, turns off the disposal, but leaves the water running.

When the snooze alarm begins playing its ironically cheery tune, Suzannah turns off the hot water and begins setting the table. She runs a little cold water into a pitcher, quickly steps outside, and douses the newspaper on the stoop with the water. She picks up the paper, shakes it, and places it carefully, aligning it on the table next to the knife and spoon.

The shower starts running.

Quickly, Suzannah turns the hot water off, waits a moment, then turns it on again, then off again. Hearing a gasp and a grunt from the bathroom, she turns the hot water on and off for a final time. After a few minutes, the shower quits, she hears the rings of the shower curtain slide along the rod, and the heavy clump of her husband’s feet hitting the bathmat.

She turns back to the stove, where the sausage patties and eggs look as horrible as such foods can look: burnt, greasy, and beginning to smoke. Suzannah’s husband emerges from the bedroom, a tall, portly, grey-haired man in a light grey suit.

Suzannah quickly takes the burnt toast from the toaster and begins scraping it directly over the brown-and green-patterned upholstery of the dining room chair at the head of the table. When her husband enters the kitchen, she places the toast on his plate and begins buttering it with the cold, hard butter before he can see what she had been doing with it.

As he enters the kitchen, the lard in the frying pan bursts into flames and black smoke. The smoke alarm shrieks its warning, too late, as usual, to do anything about the problem. Suzannah smacks the lid on the pan, which stifles the flames, but smoke still churns around the edges of the lid.

Her husband steps toward her, raising his arm above his opposite shoulder in “backhand” position. Suzannah flinches, shoulders hunched and rising to her ears, her head to the side, her hands clenched at her waist. They stand in this tableau of violence for a full minute before he wordlessly lowers his arm and strides to the table, where he sits down and reaches for the paper.

The smoke alarm screams on and on. With a grunt of frustration, the husband lifts his coffee cup and bangs it on the table. Suzannah scurries over and fills it, bringing the milk carton from the refrigerator. When she pours from it into his cup, curdled lumps and whey drop out. He turns in his chair, looks her up and down, and starts screaming over the smoke alarm, “You stupid, useless bitch! I swear! You are getting worse! You fucking useless piece of shit! Get out of my sight!”

He rises from his chair, drops the soaked newspaper in the trash, shoves Suzannah, hard, into the counter, where she trips and falls to the floor. He lurches past her, black crumbs clinging to the back of his pants. He slams out of the house, yelling over his shoulder, “I’ll get a decent breakfast someplace else! Anywhere but here! I’ll be home at five and I want my dinner hot and ready and on the table! Stupid bitch…” and continues down the stairs, cursing to himself and receding into the distance.

Suzannah pulls herself to her feet, brushes herself off, and then dumps the toast, coffee, and the contents of the frying pan, into the trash. He hadn’t even tried his juice, which Suzannah strains and drinks. She gets the whole wheat bread from the breadbox, takes fresh eggs from the refrigerator, and makes two poached eggs on perfect toast with a side of sliced tomatoes from the Farmer’s Market. She begins completing the crossword puzzle from yesterday’s paper while she drinks her coffee and eats her breakfast.

The smoke alarm stops. The apartment is blessedly silent, except for the sound of a small child singing Row-row-row-you-boat, off-key but happily, from somewhere outside.

 )0(

  Smoke Alarm Stories: Chapter Five

Not everybody hates the sound of a smoke alarm, but you would have to travel pretty far to find two who love it.

Yancey awakens abruptly, raising his head from Mommy’s pillow, where he’s been napping for most of the morning. He listens; hearing nothing but the usual clock-ticking and refrigerator-humming sounds, he prepares to go back to sleep. But then—the knocking starts up again. Someone is knocking on the door, despite having received no answer and clearly not about to receive one.

Yancey calls out, loudly, in Siamese, “Go Away. She isn’t home yet.” The knocking starts again. Yancey grunts in annoyance, stands up, walks around in a circle, and lies down again, curled up on the pillow. His tail twitches, eyes wide open, ears beginning to flatten in frustration.

Two men in dark suits stand patiently on the doormat, waiting for someone to come to the door. They look at each other, and the one on the left begins to knock again. They can hear the cat complaining inside, but knock again all the same. The one on the left says to his companion, “Nobody home. Here, hold this.” He leans into the other man, and then goes limp. His friend puts his arm around his waist and holds him up. The limp man tilts his head back and opens his mouth.

Slowly, a curling, foggy, gel-like substance begins to float out and form above the man’s face. It keeps coming. Grey-blue, swirled with lavender, sparkling faintly in the sun, the translucent but fairly substantial haze bunches together, and then swoops in a stream toward the man’s shoes, where it begins to seep over the mat and under the door, which is quite a tight squeeze.

When the entire mass has entered under the door, the doorknob begins to rattle and turn. The door swings open and the man on the right steps in, half-carrying, half-dragging the limp figure of his friend. He kicks the door shut with one foot, reaching out behind him. He pulls his friend’s limp body onto the living room couch and sits down next to it. He looks at the gel-fog hovering halfway to the ceiling and says, “I’m so tired.” He smiles, sleepily, leans back, and opens his own mouth.

As a grey-blue foggy gel seeps from his mouth, the man’s body goes limp and flops back over his friend’s supine body. Pinkish sparks light up in the gel-fog as it joins its compatriot, hovering over the couch. They swirl together briefly, and the pink sparks brighten. The two entities swoop quickly around the room, pausing over all electronic and some mechanical devices. A tiny clock under a dome chimes eleven times, and the entities are visibly joyous, swirling in frilly arcs over the dome in quick, dancing movements.

By this time, Yancey has awakened and decided to check out whoever has come into his domain. He is the man of the house, and Master of All He Surveys, and feels responsible for the safety of such valuable objects as the cat tree, the food dishes, and several tattered catnip mice and feathered balls scattered throughout his apartment. His property seems undisturbed, so he jumps onto the back of the couch, sniffs the limp men, then leaps and scrambles up to his favorite observation tower on top of the tallest bookcase, which takes him to about 10 inches from the ceiling. So far, the show is fascinating, except for the supersonic emanations emitting from the creatures floating and swooping through the room. They hurt his ears and he can feel the fur of his tail and the nape of his neck beginning to rise. He is assuming they are speaking whatever unearthly language they speak and doesn’t approve. They’re being rude.

Meanwhile, B’ViViVi and Cheeesri’peet continue to feel for electronic vibrations around the room, looking for a quick and easy meal. They hover over the television, which they turn on. The deep tones of a program featuring noisy trucks and explosions offends their sensibilities, so they turn off the sound and simply suck electricity from the cable attached to the television. Cheeesri’peet enters the kitchen and drinks from the microwave as it cooks nothing for a few minutes, humming busily as it turns its empty turntable. The refrigerator also provides a hearty side-dish. B’ViViVi enters the bathroom and finds the electric shaver, the electric toothbrush, and a vibrating appliance hidden in the bottom drawer of the dresser in the bedroom. He sets them all to their highest speeds and flows from one to the other to the other as he drains different-flavored energy from each.

The two visitors re-enter the living room, taking note of the cat on top of the bookcase, who glares warily at them. B’ViViVi teases the hair on the cat, which crackles and sparks. Cheeesri’peet winds a tentacle of his substance around his friend and pulls him away from the annoyed feline, who huffily resettles himself on his haunches and refuses to look. His ears are flattened in discomfort as the two uninvited guests chitter supersonically back and forth to each other.

Suddenly, B’ViViVi spots a circular appliance, high up on the wall, and feels around for its vibration. This item is battery-run only, but tasty all the same. Cheeesri’peet activates it and springs back in sudden delight as it begins playing something very similar to the classical music of his people, with rhythmic bass notes throbbing at the lowest frequency in tune with a little flashing red light, not unlike the light show accompanying the popular music of their home planet. The supersonic trills and arabesques delight the two gel-fog beings, who begin to flutter, swoop, and swirl throughout the apartment, singing along with the superb composition coming from the tiny appliance.

Yancey’s ears flatten lower than they’ve ever gone, and he can’t stop himself from growling in pain, though he recognizes that what they are doing is a sort of music; he admires their virtuosity while condemning the performance for the squeaking misery it causes him. He can hear, up and down the complex, dogs beginning to howl in agony. The pug twins next door are squealing miserably, and the Doberman two doors down sounds like it will have a seizure if the “music” doesn’t stop pretty quickly.

The alien visitors continue to dance and sing, paying no attention to Yancey’s discomfort or the howling of the local canine community. Their joy is brief enough on this strange planet and they have no intention of abbreviating it. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of those dogs and cats within earshot. Besides, B’ViViVi and Cheeesri’peet knew from past encounters that the four-legged of this planet tend to have short memories.

Sadly, the impromptu concert is interrupted by the sound of a key in the front door lock. B’ViViVi and Cheeesri’peet swoop back into the bodies on the couch, then rise with renewed energy, and wait by the door. The moment it opens, they rush out, pushing past a woman in a tan business suit and black pumps, whose mouth drops open in astonishment.

The men leap to the railing, then to the roof, and then join hands and leap into the sky, where they float away like escaping balloons. As they grow smaller in the distance, Yancey leaps down from his perch onto the couch, thence to the door, where he also attempts to push past Mommy and jump to the railing. Mommy shakes herself, closes her mouth, then gently picks Yancey up, absently stroking him from ears to tail, and steps into the living room.

The smoke alarm quits, just as she begins dialing 911 on her cell phone.

 )0(

  Smoke Alarm Stories: Chapter Six

 Sometimes the smoke alarm just isn’t important enough to sidetrack the tenant.

 “Hi, Mom—did you get my email?” ……….

“Yes, yesterday. I guess you didn’t get it yet.” ………..

“Okay, just excited about a little development I thought you’d like to hear about….”

“Exactly! And she’s coming for dinner tonight for the first time” ………….

“Yes, here.” …………………………

“I was thinking steak and rice pilaf and asparagus.” ……………………………

“I know, and I have that wonderful griddle you sent me last year for Christmas…” …………………….

“Cherries Jubilee” ……….…

“Yeah, everybody likes a flambé-type dessert” ………………

“Mmmm hmmm…mmm hmmm…” …….

” I think I can pull it off.” ……..…

“Yes, Dad sent me a fire extinguisher” ………………………

” Yup, fully charged” ……………..

“It’s not that old and I don’t expect I’ll need it” ………………

“I know, nobody expects to need one, but I…” …….

“Okay, I promise.” ……

“I gotta go now, Mom.” ……………………

“I know, but I have a lot to do before tonight.” …………………..

“Yes, I’ll tell you all about it, but I gotta go now.” …………….

“Okay, I’ll call you back later…” ……………………….

“Okay, bye! Love you! Tell Dad I said hi…bye bye— “

(Jacob heaves a deep sigh, then hits a number on his speed-dial.)

“Hello, Edward?” ………

“Yes, it’s me.” ……………..

“I know, I missed you, too.” ……………………

“Yeah, tonight around seven; can you still make it?” ……………….

“No, you don’t have to bring anything unless you want wine.” …………..

“Red. Something like a merlot.” ……………..

“You eat meat, right?” ……………….

“Hahaha, yeah, I know, but I was thinking steaks; I have this griddle I’ve never used…” …………………….

“Mmmm hmmm, dessert and everything” ………….

“No, I’m just not ready.” …………….…

“She thinks I have a girlfriend.” ………………..

“What do you mean?” …………….…

“Of course I’m not ashamed of you, I was just hoping to get through school before I…” ……………….…

“No, I know, I know. But look what happened to Jesse, and Geoffrey, and…” …………………..

“I know, that’s what I’m trying to avoid…” …………………….

“I think I’d better do it by myself.” ……………….

“Maybe they can meet you first in another context, like on Family Day or something.” ……………………..

“Yes, but I don’t feel ready.” ………….

“It’s too soon.” …………….

“No, I’m not waiting for conditions to be right.” …………………….

“Well, sort of, I guess, but it’s not like that.” …………………..

“I don’t think it’s wrong, because they offered, and I accepted, and there weren’t any conditions except that I not flunk out. It’s not dishonest if they didn’t say anything about it.” ………..…

“I don’t know, we never talked about it, but they don’t say anything when there are those horrible jokes on sitcoms…” ……….…

“I realize that, but I still need help paying for school, plus I’m on their insurance.” ……………………

“No, they never said anything about that.” ……………..…

“Mom always says she just wants me to be happy, but…” ………….…

“Wait a minute; I think my toast is burning!” ……………..

“Yes.” ………………

“Yeah.” …………….

“But I’ve been up for a while, just didn’t have breakfast yet—hold on— “

(Smoke Alarm screams indignantly and won’t shut up…)

“Of course I love you!” ………………

“It’s just…” ……………

“No, it’s burnt black; I’ll make new.” …………….

“Wait a minute, Mom is on the other line” ………………………

” Hold on—“

(Jacob distractedly punches buttons on his phone.)

“Mom? I was going to call you back; give me a minute—she’s on the other line— “

(More distracted button-punching…)

“Hi, Edward, honey? We’ll talk about this tonight and maybe you can help me make a plan. I totally want them to know about us. I have to hang up and kill that fucking smoke alarm. It’s driving me crazy!” ………………..

(Silence.)

“Oh…” ……………………….

“Mom, I thought you were on the other line.” ……………….

“Yes, we need to talk. There’s something important I need you to know about me.” ………………….

“His name is Edward, and I am in love with him.” ………………………

“No, Mom, we’re the same age. He’s actually two months younger. He’s in a couple of my classes.” ……………….

“I was going to tell you and Dad in person.” …………………….

“No, I don’t know when; I hadn’t planned that far ahead. It’s going to be okay, Mom. I’m the same person I was when I was in high school. I’m still the same person.” ……………………

“Well, I’m grown up now.” ……………..

“Of course, I love you. I want you in my life, but I can’t stop being who I really am just to make you happy. This is important. It’s more about me than it is about you and Dad.” ………………

“You can tell him if you want, but I think it would be better if you let me do it. I don’t want you taking the heat for me, and it’s really up to me.” ………..

“Yes, dinner tonight. At around seven. We were going to talk about telling you then.” ………………..

“I know you’d like him. He’s wonderful, Mom, a dream come true. You’ll see.” ……………..

“Okay, I’ll call you in the morning and let you know how it went. Remember, I want to be there when Dad gets the news, but if you can’t deal with that, I won’t be mad at you.” ………………..

“No, I mean it. I’ll always love you, no matter what.” ……………..

“Yes, Mom, I know. But now I have to clean up and turn off the smoke alarm and do a tiny bit of shopping before tonight. The cooking will be a breeze. You know you taught me very well. I can handle this.” ………..

“I love you, Mama. Now let me go. I’ll call around 10 tomorrow morning.” …….

“Love you, too. Bye-bye. I promise.”

(The phone rings again, just as the smoke alarm spontaneously goes silent.)

“Hello? Edward?” …………………..

“Oh My God, you’ll ever guess what just happened…!” ………………………

[welcometophu]

Not Your Love Song: Chapter 18

Marked Book 2: Not Your Love Song

Chapter 18

[ Previous | First | Next ]

Rory is awake far too early on Sunday. Alaric convinces him to stumble down into the dining hall for breakfast, but Rory doesn’t bother to shower first. He just wants to go back to sleep after breakfast, when Alaric leaves for OPT.

It works for a little while.

His phone starts buzzing a little after noon. Rory would guess that Alaric just hit the road in Dax’s minivan to go home, so he’s not surprised by the onslaught. He rolls over and grabs the phone, unlocks it to find three text threads waiting for him.

The oldest is from Darrik, and Rory can’t imagine why he’d be up at just past six in the morning on a Sunday.

I forgot to text that I got in okay last night after the movie. Had a good time. Bet you’re still sleeping.

At that hour? Definitely. The nine o’clock breakfast was too early as it was.

I was, Rory replies. I’m awake now. You surviving after your late night?

While they’d seen the first movie showing of the night, their group had all gone out to Teas Please after, and Darrik had dropped Rory off at just past one before heading back to Valiant. It wasn’t all that late for Rory, but for someone who works in a high school on weekdays, it had to be past his usual bedtime.

He switches to the next conversation in the list, a little surprised that it’s just Kit and him, and not the group chat with Shane, or the larger one that includes Dax and Darrik as well.

We just hit the road. Carolyn looks like she’s going to puke. Corbin is loud and he and Drea are kind of disturbingly cute. There are two people we knew in high school going with us, and having their car behind us is like having the past on our tail.

It’s a poetic image, the idea of the past literally hunting a person down, following them down the highway. Or back roads. Rory grabs a notebook and writes it down before he sends back, Is that imagery up for grabs?

Give me a shoutout when you sing it, if it makes it that far, Kit replies.

That’s easy enough. I can do that, Rory agrees. Is Alaric bored and sulking about having to go home?

I think he’s talking to Dax about football. Why? Is he texting you, too? You guys are really good friends, right?

Like family. Rory doesn’t need to think about it, or qualify it in any way. We got lucky. I think he was dreading having to room with a Mage. I didn’t know what to expect from Clan. People are so different. There’s Alaric, and then there’s Darrik.

It’s a cue, maybe, because a notification pops up to add to the trail of texts he has from Alaric. It starts with a series of apologies for waking him up early, trails into a discussion of just how thrilled he is to be heading home, and meanders into a dry commentary on public displays of affection between his sister and his best friend. It’s easy to imagine Alaric’s voice for each of the texts, and Rory’s laughing at the end. You could just tell them to quit it, he suggests.

Do you think I haven’t tried? Do you know how many Mages are in this van? And two more in a car behind us. Drea says she talked to our parents. I don’t think it matters that they’ve been warned. It’s not going to go over well.

Do you have a plan for Theobald? Rory asks.

Yeah. I’m distracting him with politics. I have a whole printed contract with Dayton’s Clan, specific to her and me allying, not the older generations. I also want to arrange a visitation for spring break. Our whole alliance plans to meet there, including the Mages.

Rory rolls onto his back, phone held above him. That’s going to be a hell of a distraction, yeah. I don’t have to worry about him trying to kill you or something, do I?

I’m all he has left.

Rory knows exactly how Alaric says it, how lost he sounds with those words. He also knows it’s not true. There’s Drea. There are other families among their Clan. There are options. He’s not sure what, exactly, keeps Theobald from stripping this away from Alaric. But something does, and Alaric’s going to continue to push his limits as long as he can.

I’m doing okay. The message pops up from Darrik, and when Rory switches conversations there are dots like Darrik is still thinking through what he wants to say next. I had fun last night, Darrik finally sends. I like your friends. I’d say I’m looking forward to Wednesday, but I’d be lying. I am looking forward to seeing you and your friends, though.

That statement makes sense to Rory. Did you talk to Lora’s parents and the people at Sunnyview?

Not yet, Darrik admits. I did try to call her parents, but they’re out. They do brunch sometimes, so I’ll probably get hold of them this evening. I’ll let you know when everything’s set. Do you need anything special for the ritual?

Rory switches conversations, pulling up the group text with Kit and Shane and staring at it for a long time before deciding he’s not typing anything there right now and switches back to Darrik. I don’t know yet, but I’ll let you know. I think it’s going to be all Kit’s focus and me and Shane trying to supply direction, and we’ll go from there. Hopefully we can reach her.

Hopefully.

There’s nothing more than that one word from Darrik. Rory shifts from conversation to conversation, ignoring what he’s been sent in favor of looking for another reply from Darrik. When one doesn’t come, he bites his lip, tries to decide what to send back.

This was a rough weekend. Are you okay?

I’m going to be. The response comes back like he didn’t have to think about it, like maybe he was expecting the question. I’ll send you info as soon as I know it for Wednesday. And probably text you when I’m bored in study hall.

Rory smiles at Darrik’s attempt to lighten the mood. I’ll look forward to it. And keep my phone on silent so I don’t get in trouble for texting my boyfriend during lectures.

This time when there’s no reply right away, Rory lets it go.

Alaric put his phone away. I can almost feel his anxiety. He’s the one who doesn’t like Heather, right?

Kit’s text comes through while Rory is talking to Darrik. It’s been several minutes by the time Rory gets to it, but he figures that’s fine. It’s not like Kit’s going anywhere; he’s trapped in a car for at least a half an hour.

Yeah, he doesn’t like Empaths. I was just talking to Darrik. He’s going to talk to Lora’s parents. He’s not looking forward to reliving any of that mess again, but he liked you guys. So he’s looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Jess won’t be there, Kit replies. But I liked her. She’s got a lot of energy, doesn’t she? But quiet energy. Like a mountain. With freckles.

Rory has to look through his photos to find one from last night, because he doesn’t have a clear mental image of Jess, and he doesn’t remember the freckles. They’re there, though. She’s tall, broad-shouldered, taking Shane’s weight when he leans on her.

He hopes Kit never actually calls her a mountain; he’s pretty sure she’d find that offensive. But he understands the reference, that kind of solid, stable energy that lies in the earth. I get it, he replies. Did you get to talk to Serina at all today? You guys seem to be doing well.

It’s only been a week. Ish.

Rory frowns at the phone. Is that your way of saying it isn’t serious? Or that it’s not a thing? Or that it’s not working? You guys seemed good last night.

I think we’re okay.

Kit’s response comes quickly, but it’s followed by a series of dots and Rory waits to see if Kit’s going to finish the thought. He reaches for his notebook, scribbles notes to himself about the idea of the past chasing as they drive down the highway, the car close behind. What happens when you stop, and the past catches up… yeah, that’s a thought.

I really like her.

The phone buzzes to let him know Kit replied, but it’s just those four words.

I think she really likes you, Rory replies.

I know. We get along really well, and she’s fun. We talk a lot, and we make out some.

Rory winces, because this may be starting to verge into TMI territory. Not that he hasn’t handled that since Thorne hit puberty, but still. He doesn’t really think he has that kind of friendship with Kit, yet.

I like kissing her. I think I like kissing in general. Which is good, right? I’m just not sure… I haven’t really wanted to move past that. She hasn’t said anything about it, which is also good, since moving past kissing starts getting into other things. But I don’t know if not wanting more is a me thing, an us thing, or maybe it’s just life.

Rory is not qualified to be having this conversation. He wants to ask if it matters right now, but he figures it must matter to Kit, since he brought it up. And maybe it matters to Serina, maybe it doesn’t, but Rory certainly isn’t going to go knock on her door to ask.

He looks at his door like it’s about to burst open on cue. Thankfully it doesn’t, but he gets out of bed anyway, just to check and make sure the door is actually still locked.

Is it something you need to figure out right now? he asks.

No, but I

The text ends there, as if Kit was interrupted or just decided to stop, and Rory isn’t sure which it is. Alaric’s gone silent, and Darrik never responded to his last. It’s as good a time as any to toss his phone on the bed and go looking for something to wear.

Rory tosses dirty laundry into a hamper; there’s enough that he probably should throw a load in  while most of the world is either still sleeping off the Saturday night drunk, or getting brunch downstairs. Apparently it’s long overdue since the only t-shirts left in his drawer are the ones he wears when he doesn’t really give a shit. And every single hoodie could use a wash, so he has to decide which one is least offensive, or else just not leave the building.

He does a sniff test and decides that not leaving the building is the right answer. Clean pajama pants, an old t-shirt, and hanging out in his room finishing up assignments and working on music. He can do that.

He takes the hamper down and separates it into two washers. He walks cautiously past Serina’s room, as if she somehow knows what he’s been talking to Kit about and is going to pounce on him with her side of the story.

When he gets back to his room, he grabs the phone and checks it.

Maybe I’m just being stupid, Kit says. If I like her, shouldn’t I want to do more? Shouldn’t I be interested in

He cuts off again in that text, but another one has already come through.

I just want to know if it’s me, or if it’s because it’s her, or if it’s something else entirely. I’ve never had a girlfriend before, and maybe it’s just a time thing.

Rory closes his door, twists the lock. Have you ever kissed anyone before Serina? he asks. He strips down to his underwear and wraps a towel around his waist while waiting for Kit to respond.

Once. In seventh grade. During one of those stupid games that I honestly didn’t believe that anyone actually played at middle school parties.

I didn’t like it. But I figured it was because he didn’t know I was a guy, so it just felt weird and wrong. Most of seventh grade felt weird and wrong. Adolescence sucked in a major way.

Rory’s starting to wonder if maybe he is the right person for Kit to be talking to. He leans back against the bed, fingers sliding over the keyboard as he types. I’m not personally a big fan of kissing. I like cuddling. There is nothing better than having another body in bed with you, honestly, but it’s nothing sexual. I snuggle people I trust. Kissing always feels weird to me, and I definitely don’t want to do anything else with anyone.

Hm. Rory imagines the way Kit’s brow furrows. I do like

He cuts off again, and Rory swallows a laugh. It’s like talking to someone who’s been bleeped out.

You can like getting off without wanting to do it with another person, Rory says, his cheeks bright red even though no one’s there to see it. Or it’s possible she’s just not the right person for you. No matter what popular media says, not every guy wants to get into every girl’s pants. And not everyone is thinking about sex all the time. Even people who like it. Thorne’s an outlier. Most people are a lot more subtle about it.

Thanks for talking to me. I know you’re not a fan of sex. I appreciate it, Kit replies.

Rory does laugh out loud at that. I am betting I’m the only ace guy you know, so I’m okay if you want to talk to me about that. It’s one of those things that a lot of guys don’t understand. And Kit? It’s okay if it’s also just because you’re anxious because of everything else. That’s something you’ll figure out. Just don’t worry about rushing it, okay?

He leaves the phone on the bed when he heads to the shower. Kit should be arriving in Haverhill soon, and Rory thinks that maybe he’s had enough awkward but encouraging conversations about sexuality.

There’s a song in that somewhere. It might even have to do with the past chasing…

Huh.

He hums under his breath while he showers, and by the time he gets back to his room, lyrics are starting to form.

[ Previous | First | Next ]

[spydre]

We Don't Have Time For A Gang War

 (Game Date: 4/15/2021)

(Or, This Was Supposed To Be A Side Quest)

There we stood, betwixt the carnage of our skirmish with the Masques and the rubble of their demolished drug factory.  My ears were still ringing from the explosion (Katrya's suppliers have top-shelf military supplies) when the foxkin began herding everyone into various vehicles.   Mostly she sorted them by age and state of injury; those she deemed more at-risk were directed into the "junk" van, while the rest she wanted in Frank.  The new mission, as she saw it and I could not dispute, was to clear out Varfana's shop.  

I waved them ahead, because I wanted to stay behind long enough to harvest a BANlink from one of the fallen gangers.  Gordianus also stayed, because she wanted to try to gather intel from the neighborhood (she actually did overhear a number of conversations, which may prove useful later).  I wished her luck, but also bade her be careful.  Then I took my stolen tek and mounted the Owlet.

I was headed for the mech shop; Frank for the weapon shop to help clear it out.  During the flight, Lohrig got a text which read, "You messed up," and then Varfana's shop exploded.  No one was hurt, thankfully, and most of the important equipment was cleared out, but damn.  We can be grateful for Katrya's quick thinking.

Another message followed quickly:  "Your next delivery is you. One hour. Mess this one up and we order take-out instead."  

They needed somewhere to lay low, and I needed to put together a plan.  I suggested Sanctuary.  If Border Patrol couldn't track down their missing agents, then I highly doubted that any drug-peddling street thugs could, no matter how determined.  

I wasted about five minutes with swearing and self-recrimination.  We had stopped our little caffeine-pill operation specifically to avoid starting crap with these street gangs, and now here we were, smack in the middle of a full-fledged war.  I should have seen this coming.  I should have planned better.  

And now, here I have this BANlink, which has contacts and records, but without an active call, I can't trace anything.  To make matters worse, the younger members of our cabal are badly shaken, and are asking me to leave them out of future schemes that may involve straight-up murder.

We've been hit in the morale.  Time to actually use my brain for something besides keeping my hair in place.

Okay.  What do we actually know?

The boss recruits by intimidation.  When faced with any sort of resistance, he retaliates and escalates.  Right now, he wants Lohrig, which means we absolutely cannot let him have Lohrig.  But what else?  He made an "or else" threat, so if he doesn't get what he wants, then he will move against the kid's family.  Maybe he will, even if he does get what he wants.  

I sent Katrya, along with her choice of backup, to check out the family residence.  She knows what explosives, and suspicious people, look like, and is more than capable of disarming both.  I also send Maggy ahead to the spot where Lohrig is supposed to deliver himself.  That should buy a bit of breathing room.  How much?  I had Parker set a countdown timer.  Damn.  Not much at all.

Next.  We don't have any drones that match the kid's body type.  I can simulate his face well enough with a FakeFace(TM) necklace, but that's about it.  I fed Lohrig's voice, and my plan, to Parker, slung the Dawn drone onto my Owlet, then made book for Sanctuary. 

The idea bubbling up was this:  If we could pass Dawn off as the dwarf boy, then perhaps we can ambush their pickup.  There is bound to be an active call going on, because the Masque boss will not be able to resist monitoring the kid's punishment.  That should give me another chance to trace his location.  

But, to do that, I need to get my people, and Lohrig's BANlink, all of which are out at comms-dead Sanctuary.  The clock is ticking.

It took Vamir a couple of tries to get the illusion right on the drone.  If we weren't already in motion, the delay would have made us late for the rendezvous.  All I could do was fidget.  To keep myself busy, I worked out a new packet for my anthrodrone virus, telling them to beat any Masque senseless, rip off their mask, and send a picture of their face to Border Patrol.  Gave it a five-day lifespan, to keep them from weaponizing the order against innocents.  It made me feel better.

Only a few minutes remained when we pulled up, invisibly, to the broken-down playground.  Vamir spotted a spy-eye, He saw the brand name (Floating Eye) and that it was tagged with the Masque logo.  He could probably have read the serial number if it hadn't been filed off.  I immediately started hacking into its signal.  

About this time, a call came through on Lohrig's BAN.  Parker picked up.

 "You messed up, kid. You messed up big-time.  And now your family is paying the price. How does that make you feel?"

Parker hesitated.  I would have liked to guide my VP through the conversation, but the hack was giving me trouble, and I couldn't afford to split my attention.  I just told her to keep them on the line as long as possible.  

 "I... I feel... sad."

"You should. It's your fault, what happened to the family shop. You had a simple job, to make deliveries, but your failure... Well, that's the kind of guilt you're going to have to carry for the rest of your life."

Parker approximated a sobbing sound.  Quite seriously, I don't think it would have fooled someone who was expecting a deception, but the caller (almost certainly the Masque boss) was in it for the gloat.

"Hush now. Don't worry. I have something for you. Go to the slide."

"W-... what's at the slide?"

"You'll see. It's a gift."

Bingo!  I found the pilot of the spy-eye.  Traced the drone's signal back to his ban and heard him describing all the visible action to someone who sounded exactly like the voice on Lohrig's BAN.  I started tracing that call back.

About this time Parker (driving Dawn (disguised as Lohrig)) reached the rusty slide, and was directed by the caller to take a package  that was taped beneath it.  She, being cautious, asked what was in it.

"Like I said, a gift. Something that will take away your guilt. Take it."

"That is a bomb," warned Katrya, who, like all of us, was eavesdropping over the commlink.

This situation really irritated me.  I didn't want to lose this 20k hardware investment over some stupid homemade bomb, but neither did I want the caller to hang up before the trace was complete.  I told Parker to proceed, but be ready to throw the package at the pilot's location.  So she retrieved it, and took a peek.  

Wires,  flashing lights, plastique.

"Good," crooned the slimy voice.  "Now all you have to do, is let go. Let go, and you won't have to carry this guilt anymore."

"Don't throw that, Parker!" I ordered.

Vamir said, "There's probably a remote detonation switch."

"I'm on it," from Ryatt.  Mere seconds later, he reported, "Remote detonater is off, but I can't do anything about the deadman switch."

I was past the first VPN,  and had the call back to the same sector of the city as before.  "Parker," I said, "don't throw -- run toward the drone pilot.  Gang, we are going to try to take a prisoner."

I could hear the pilots panicked reaction over my hijacked link through his drone.  He was completely freaked out to see the poor sad little dwarf boy kick up his heels and run straight towards his parked hardshell.  He was even more freaked out when his remote detonator didn't work - he kept pressing it, repeatedly, screaming over his BANlink, "I'm trying, it's not going off!"

One more creepy, ominous portent arrived over Lohrig's BANlink: "You don't learn quickly. Goodbye, kid. Shame you'll never get to say goodbye to your family."  Then the call terminated...but not before I managed to nail the location.  Sector, street, apartment.  Gotcha.

Looking up, I saw everything moving very quickly.  We had the pilot's van surrounded, although he didn't know it yet, as everyone save the Dawn drone had ruthenium cloaking.  He was powering up, getting ready to flee.  I shut that down quickly -- after so long struggling against multiple VPNs, it was an absolute pleasure to accomplish a straightforward vehicle hijack.  

Meanwhile, back at the dwarven residence,  a couple of un-masked Masques had received orders and were making their move, reaching under jackets and closing in on the flat.  Katrya and Varfana quickly got that under control - they were carrying explosives, as expected.  This gang seems to be overly fond of explosives; we'll have to watch out for that.  They were not carrying anything that proved an adequate defense against shocking blades and foxkin fists of fury.

At the sad little playground, we dropped our invisibility once we had the hardshell surrounded.  I popped open the door and Vamir told the driver to step out.  Which he did...but then he opened his hand, and the night light up.

He had been holding a deadman's switch of his own, and the explosion came either from a bomb he carried on him, or from close behind him in the van.  Either way, it killed him instantly.  Most of our crew escaped the brunt of the blast.

But not the Dawn drone.  Parker had to keep the bomb she was holding still, and couldn't employ full range of movement - and could not get the drone out of the way quickly enough.  It was disabled, to say the least, and that was a problem, because it was carrying a live bomb.

The second blast also did not kill anyone, but it certainly ensured that nothing salvageable remained of that drone.  

Parker's normal voice quavered across my BANlink.  "Did... Did I just die, Zeke?"

I made a mental note to have a long discussion with Parker about death later -- and to take some precautions against her actually dying.  For now, I simply reassured her that the loss of the drone did not mean that she died, and praised her performance as a frightened Lohrig.

Then, while the healers were patching everyone up, I scavenged what equipment I could from the wreckage, got the hardshell running, and we headed out.  

We needed rest, and a plan.  We can not afford to let this go on any further.  

..::Kai::..

[angeltriestoblog]

I watched a couple of movies! (Part 2)

Back again with the second bunch of my latest quarantine companions! My last post wasn't that long ago, but I’ve already gone through an additional 21 and thanks to the extension of the lockdown and the abrupt cancellation of the rest of my sophomore year in college, I predict that this number will only increase exponentially. I obviously have to start looking for a sustainable way of reviewing the media I consume (probably will try dumping mini-reviews on Letterboxd instead), but until then, here is today’s little catalog: divided into four neat categories so there’s a little bit of everything for everyone.

Dead Poets Society (1989, dir. Peter Weir) ★★★★½

John Keating is the teacher we secretly deserved yet never had, which is probably what's behind the fervent loyalty audiences have had for this movie since its release around three decades ago. His methods of teaching are admittedly unorthodox, but they effectively instill in fictional students and real-life audiences the core message: to seize the day and be extraordinary. I definitely would have appreciated more of Williams, though: I noticed later on that he was used mostly as a plot device, as the focus started to shift to the impact his words had on the group of young boys under his tutelage. But, thankfully they are endearing and lovable in their own little ways (special mention goes to ambitious Neil, played by Robert Sean Leonard; and Ethan Hawke as timid Todd), which is why the last half-hour remains one of the heaviest in recent memory.

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993, dir. Chris Columbus) ★★★★

When Daniel Hillard’s (Robin Williams) wife splits up with him and takes their kids, he disguises himself as an English nanny called Mrs. Doubtfire and applies as their housekeeper to be with them. Not exactly the most realistic and practical approach to an issue as serious as divorce, but it succeeds by banking on heartfelt humor to strike a chord in products of broken families. When you take his several antics, punchlines, and vocal impersonations aside, he is simply a father willing to do anything for his children. Williams was destined to be the lead for this: his comedic timing, sheer versatility, and natural ability to bring joy remain unparalleled. Such a shame I didn't get to grow up with this guy, but maybe this saved me a lot of heartbreak.

Catch Me If You Can (2002, dir. Steven Spielberg) ★★★★★

A con man successfully cashes in millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and lawyer, whilst evading the FBI agent who’s hot on his heels. And this is all before he turns 19 years old--what a total underachiever. The best part? It’s a true story. I find it hard to believe that this clever cat-and-mouse story lasted more than two hours: it's easy to lose track of time thanks to its dynamic and snappy screenplay, coupled with the chemistry of its brilliant lead actors (no less than Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks). But beneath the complex and technical aspects of his scams that have high entertainment and educational value lie touching moments that may be admittedly easy to miss. At the end of the day, these escapades were nothing but some twisted coping mechanism of Frank Abagnale, Jr.’s to deal with the divorce of his parents. *blows nose into handkerchief* Wow, I seriously didn't think something could be so fast and fun, yet so depressing either!

Good Will Hunting (1997, dir. Gus Van Sant) ★★★★★

Academy Award-winning writers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck may look like they share a solitary brain cell in total (a prime example would be this footage of their acceptance speech), but it was the power that radiated from that which brought us this instant favorite of mine. This engrossing story revolves around a janitor at MIT, with a genius-level IQ but a troubled and traumatic past. A scuffle with a police officer leads him to Sean, his therapist (and platonic soulmate) who breaks down his dangerous defense mechanisms and self-destructive patterns, helps him tackle his inner demons, and ultimately transforms his life. There is a lot to adore about this film that’s equal parts wit and heart, but my favorite has to be the razor-sharp and realistic dialogue between Damon and Williams. Smoothly transitioning from topic to topic—genuine friendship, abusive relationships, and everything in between—it gives us the opportunity to monitor Will’s growth while carefully examining these aspects of our own lives. With every word said, the audience is reminded once again of any person's innate capacity to change for the better as long as someone else believes in them.

Lost in Translation (2003, dir. Sofia Coppola) ★★★

Film Twitter and the Letterboxd community both made this out to be an outstanding piece of modern cinema, so I went in with very high expectations only to be sorely disappointed and unable to understand the hype behind it. This revolves around two lonely people who find solace in each other and the unfamiliar and unpredictable territory they're in, a storyline brimming with potential that just fell flat to me. I normally appreciate the beauty in silent and ambient scenes, but the ones that made up a huge bulk of this feature didn’t have substance—it was similar to watching mashed-up clips from some random travel vlog. I did find the choice of location fitting though, I am now a hundred percent convinced I should travel to Japan once this pandemic is over. And Scarlett Johansson is incredibly talented for her age: her ability to channel and characterize emotions that a 17-year-old may not even be able to comprehend is above par, which is the main reason why this gets a passing rating from me.

Forrest Gump (1994, dir. Robert Zemeckis) ★★★★★

What I would give to run into a chocolate-eating, Nike Cortez-wearing Forrest Gump at a bus stop, and hear him tell me these fantastic stories himself! This heartwarming tale shows the manner in which he weaved himself into significant historical narratives (literally and figuratively, thanks to the power of deepfake) and injects timeless lessons along the way. Tom Hanks is undoubtedly brilliant as the titular role, and as we see the world according to this feeble-minded and well-meaning man, we come to admire his values, appreciate his efforts, and forgive his occasional shortcomings. In this fast-paced and overly complicated world that we struggle to navigate, this can serve as a necessary breather, a reminder of the simple joys that the world has to offer.

Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012, dir. Lee Toland Krieger) ★★★★

I think this is the first time I’ve witnessed a breakup end rather amicably on the big screen: there's no screamfest that concludes with a cold slap to the face and a dramatic walkout, or a courtroom confrontation that unearths past transgressions, et cetera. Instead, the leads are forced to confront the fact that the friendship they have forged years before that eventually blossomed into something more will never be the same again. Even if they want to so, so bad. I guess that’s why this is so heartbreaking, and thus the perfect companion for any person in the process of finding themselves after the demise of a long-term relationship. Celeste (Rashida Jones) meanders through the process with an extreme lack of finesse—which is the most realistic way to do so—that heavily accentuates her several fatal flaws. But, she manages to finish strong, emerging as a self-reflective and action-driven version of who she was in the beginning. I definitely wanted additional exposure for Jesse (Andy Samberg), though, who was not only surprisingly tender and sensitive in contrast to the Jake Peralta we know and love (and want to pick on), but also an unexpected perfect onscreen match for Jones.

A Star is Born (2018, dir. Bradley Cooper) ★★★★

The third remake of the 1937 movie starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, this edition of A Star is Born strays far from the paths traversed by its predecessors (and this I am aware of, from that film analysis video binge I did recently). It’s the first to give Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), the has-been with a raging alcohol and drug problem, extensive back story that draws audiences closer to him. But, this character arc comes at the expense of Ally's, the talented singer that he propels to fame, played by Lady Gaga. It was a shame she wasn’t fleshed out as much as she should have been, given that Gaga was a natural, her vulnerability a far cry from her outrageous onstage persona. But, then again, expectations must be kept realistic: it would’ve been impossible to cram that into the specified duration. Nevertheless, I thoroughly appreciated it: though rehashed several times, a romance done this way keeps its key components while catering to the preferences of this generation. The soundtrack is outstanding, and the climax—though somewhat expected—finds new ways to reduce us to a puddle of tears, particularly as the last song number start to roll.

Fall in Love At First Kiss (2019, dir. Frankie Chen) ★★½

Our Times has been a favorite of mine for years, so I couldn't believe that I missed this work from the same director which starred the same male lead during its initial release. Turns out it didn’t make much of a difference whether I watched it or not. The storyline was silly, but forgivably so: in a school where students are segregated based on intelligence, a stupid girl is smitten by the smartest boy in school and gets rejected as soon as she confesses. Consequently, hell breaks loose after they are forced to live together for reasons you have to see to believe. I remember enjoying the first half, squirming in my seat because of Jiang Zhishu (Darren Wang) every chance I'd get. I can’t pinpoint where exactly it started going wrong, but I remember realizing that it is possible for something to drag along, yet also move so fast: to bore me with excessive detail in a single scene, then cut to the next so fast it loses a sense of continuity. In addition to that, the female lead (Jelly Lin) was so unbearable in terms of her acting style and character development (or lack thereof). She seemed to think that constantly complaining in her shrill voice and thrashing her limbs was a fitting substitute for dialogue, thus making it difficult to want her to get her happily ever after. Also, I’ve had pretty intense crushes in the past few years but what she has for Zhishu is bordering more on an unhealthy obsession—I have trouble believing he reacted so calmly to the shrine that she built for him (which included life-size pillows with his face on it).

The Object of My Affection (1998, dir. Nicolas Hytner) ★★½

I was very confused as to why I had never heard of a chick flick that starred two of my favorite actors from the 90s, but now I understand why it didn't take off. (Phoebe would probably share my sentiments. What's her best friend doing with her husband anyway? And why is he attracted to men?) Nina (Jennifer Aniston) is hopelessly in love with her gay best friend George (Paul Rudd), so much so that she decides she wants to raise her unborn child with him instead of with her overbearing and borderline manipulative boyfriend (John Pankow). Though it wasn't a complete disaster given that she didn't successfully convert him, Nina was far too demanding, constantly overstepping her boundaries, and feeding her delusions. Maybe it could afford a modern retelling since I know our generation could tackle the concepts of platonic soulmates and LGBTQ+ relationships in a way that is simultaneously vibrant and sensitive.

How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days (2003, dir. Donald Petrie) ★★★★★

Once I had tried my luck in a number of different genres, I decided to reward myself with a return to the cheesy, corny, and conventional chick flicks I am familiar with—and I’m glad that I picked this one! Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) is a magazine columnist with her biggest scoop yet: an article on how to lose a guy in 10 days. To test this idea out, she tries it out on Ben Barry (Matthew McConaughey), who’s on a mission to make a girl fall for him within that duration as well. Their conflicting agendas lead to disastrously hilarious results as they realize that they’re both *gasp* catching feelings for each other! I enjoyed this very much despite the predictability, although I’m honestly unable to judge it based on any criteria other than what I felt which was pure and utter, slamming-the-table, throwing-my-stuffed-toy-across-the-room “kilig”.

Just My Luck (2006, dir. Donald Petrie) ★½

I didn’t expect this to be on the forgettable side of the romcom spectrum, when it had Chris Pine as the leading man and Brit-pop band McFly lending their music to most of the scenes (the sole redeeming factor I found). But, I guess it’s Lindsay Lohan’s character and her surprising lack of chemistry with the equally attractive and talented person opposite her that killed it for me. Here, she plays Ashley, the luckiest girl in the world who gets everything her way and is thus as snobbish and stuck-up as you’d expect her to be. A chance encounter brings her to Jake, who is the human equivalent of a black cat standing in front of a broken mirror, and swaps their fate. She is then left to deal with poorly contrived misfortunes with effects that are bordering on slapstick comedy: she gets doused in mud, mildly electrocuted, and soaked in bubbles shortly after blowing up a washing machine and I get that they’re probably supposed to be funny, but all I’m seeing is a live-action version of the Looney Tunes show.

Eighth Grade (2018, dir. Bo Burnham) ★★★★★

Entering our awkward preteen years has always come with a certain and specific kind of mortification, but I reckon it’s become increasingly difficult in the age of the Internet. It’s become easier to find fault in oneself for the pettiest of reasons: why isn’t my crush accepting my friend request? Why do I look like a monster in my #wokeuplikethis selfies? Why is no one viewing my YouTube videos even if I work hard on them? Eighth Grade encapsulates this difficult period in the lives of Gen Z kids with the use of experiences and references which are so specific to this generation: I may have gotten whiplash more times than I would care to admit. Elsie Fisher shines in her painfully relatable performance as Kayla: you can sense her desperation for social acceptance. She just wants to be worth noticing and remembering, is that so bad! Although his role is often overshadowed, I also felt for her dad (Josh Hamilton), who tries to hide the struggle of looking out for a daughter who's growing in ways he simply can't understand.

Boyhood (2014, dir. Richard Linklater) ★★★

This ambitious effort by the director of my favorite film trilogy observes the growth and development of a typical American boy named Mason. No fancy plot devices or major conflicts are in sight, but by using the keeping the cast members fixed during the 12 years it took to put this project together instead of swapping them out for older counterparts, audiences are expected to form an emotional connection with them because they were given an intimate and prolonged look into their lives. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case for me. Yes, I did watch him grow up before my eyes, but I barely know who he is. These mundane snippets of his life haphazardly stitched together, without any indication of how much time has elapsed since the previous scene, made it hard to keep up with the pace and look at the viewing experience as anything but a chore. I honestly am puzzled as to why I endured 165 minutes (I’m kidding, it was for Ethan Hawke) worth of footage, and sadly it wasn’t even worth it.

Brooklyn (2015, dir. John Crowley) ★★★★

This drama about the migration of an Irish girl to New York to seek better opportunities delves into the concept of what home truly is, as Eilis is left to choose between two men from two different countries. Divided into three segments revolving around pivotal events in the protagonist’s life, it sensitively tackles the experiences and issues familiar to any immigrant, remains true to the period it is set in, and engaging to audience members of all ages. Most in the historical genre are incapable of doing all three, so that's definitely no mean feat! And I’m not biased because Saoirse Ronan plays the starring role, although her compelling performance renders it impossible for anyone who claims to have a beating heart to finish this without puffy eyes and a heavy chest.

Happy Old Year (2019, dir. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit) ★★★★

I thought Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying couldn’t top her role in Bad Genius, but she just had to come along and star in this personal take on new beginnings. Here, she plays Jean, a girl in the process of decluttering her house so she can transform it into an office space. While sifting through her possessions, she finds certain things belonging to people from her past, that remind her of broken relationships and question her philosophies on forgiveness and letting go. Her performance may be understated compared to the cunning and reckless Lynn she has become popular for, but I see this mastery of restraint as indication of her growth as an actress. The film is relatively simple in its execution, staying true to its central theme of minimalism. By stripping the structure down to the bare essentials of actor and dialogue, the audience can focus on the poignancy ingrained in the most mundane part of our everyday routines.

The Edge of Seventeen (2016, dir. Kelly Fremon Craig) ★★★★

It's actually true that a coming-of-age movie has been written based on every definitive moment a teenage girl experiences, they weren’t lying. The Edge of Seventeen could serve as part of Eighth Grade's cinematic universe, but instead we’re dealing with another reflection of who we were (or maybe still are). Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) is a teen constantly teetering between arrogant self-assurance and sheer hopelessness. When she loses her best friend to her worst nemesis, she suddenly has to learn to navigate the ups and downs of adolescence and deal with her mental illness on her own. Besides focusing on the several firsts that we often encounter during this stage in our lives, the film accurately portrays our angsty and self-deprecating nature without resorting to mockery, therefore calling us out on this reflex we have of beating ourselves up and giving those around us permission to do so during such a critical part of our lives. I swore I was actually going to try not to cry here, but I guess Nadine's tearful monologue left me with no choice. (I'll leave it below so you can suffer with me.)

You know, ever since we were little, I would get this feeling like, like I’m floating outside of my body, looking down at myself… and I hate what I see: how I’m acting, the way I sound, and I don’t know how to change it. And I’m so scared that the feeling is never gonna go away.

The Kingmaker (2019, dir. Lauren Greenfield) ★★★★

This documentary is a fitting introduction for anyone who isn't familiar with the ill-gotten wealth and abuses the Marcoses have lying underneath their glossy veneer of opulence as well as the consequences of their actions that we suffer from to this day. Greenfield’s juxtaposition of this family’s fabricated stories and the testimonies of victims and first-hand witnesses was a smart move, as we observe the lengths they often go to, to revise the course of history. By spotting the parallels in their narrative and that of Rodrigo Duterte, the next strongman the voting population would unfortunately elect as their leader, we are also given a glimpse into the selective amnesia of the Filipino people that keeps these people in power. The danger lies in the fact that being an outsider herself, Greenfield leaves plenty of room for interpretation: there is no clear-cut statement of what was right and wrong among the several interweaving statements we heard. I was able to determine which was which is due to the fact that I already had prior knowledge, but where does that leave those who don't?

By the way, if you’re wondering why this has been grouped under this category, it’s because I remembered from Grade 6 science class that anger is one way to trigger adrenaline in the body.

Inception (2010, dir. Christopher Nolan) ★★★★★

Perfect always felt like a lazy way to describe what is supposed to be of superior quality. If you want to sing praises about anything that good, you're gonna have to do a better job than that to convince anyone that it's worth their time: was it inventive and bold or cerebral or emotional? Well, I'm afraid I have to bend this rule for Inception for the sake of brevity, because if I leave myself to ramble on about everything this did right, I would surely run out of adjectives. This sci-fi-heist-psychological thriller is in a league of its own, with its intricate plot and layered method of storytelling further amplified by stellar cast performances, masterful editing and special effects, and a thundering musical score that keeps audiences on edge for the entirety of its run. These elements come together to create a production that resonates and lingers with viewers long after the credits have rolled, partly thanks to that highly disputed final scene. (If my opinion is worth anything here, I believed that it stopped. Iykyk.)

The Lobster (2015, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos) ★★★★½

In this dystopian society, single people are required to check into a hotel in the hopes of finding a suitable partner within 45 days. If they fail to do so, they are sentenced to live the rest of their lives as an animal of their choice. It’s an absurd plot, far removed from reality, executed in a bleak and dry fashion. Yet, it manages to mirror and even satirize the world of modern relationships rather profoundly, particularly the societal pressure to couple up and find our ideal match instantly, or face harsh judgment. I doubt I've watched anything this dark in my life, but I found the unpredictable twists and turns, the deadpan humor, the sheer strangeness of it all very amusing and recommend it to anybody who wants to learn a thing or two about how blind love can be.

Ocean’s Eleven (2001, dir. Steven Soderbergh) ★★★★

I admit I was as pissed as Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) following his discovery that the reason why Danny Ocean (George Clooney) was keen on carrying out an elaborate heist of the three biggest casinos in Las Vegas was to win his wife (Julia Roberts) back. But, along the way, I was reeled in by the airtight pacing of the multiple scams that were a part of the scheme and the natural banter that takes place among the members of the ensemble. Also, it’s quite impossible to be annoyed at something that starred so many big names during the peak of their careers. (I have a soft spot for Matt Damon, thanks a lot Good Will Hunting.) Although I already knew what was going to happen, it was a joyride to see everything unfold. Based on the ending (and the copies of Ocean’s Twelve and Thirteen that my dad owned as a kid), I can tell that it’s far from over and I’m surely looking forward to what happens next.

So, that’s it for today’s round-up! Hope something caught your interest: I’d be happy to send 123m*vies links for any of those that aren’t available on Netflix. Feel free to hit me up too: I'm honestly up for thought-provoking discussions and straight-up keyboard smashing. Wishing you love and light always, and don’t forget to wash your hands, check your privilege and pray for our frontliners!

[askdawnandvern]

A Lamb Among Wolves Ch:16

Bonds of Brotherhood

Vernon was completely livid. His mind was simply replaying Zach's words over and over again, every statement overlapping each other creating a muddled, almost deafening mental static. With each echo, each replay of the words Dorian had sent Zach to say the wolf could feel the fire inside screaming to erupt from every pore. It made his fur tingle all over, as if it were mere seconds away from catching and engulfing the wolf in a spectacular inferno. Vernon mindlessly marched forward, blind to nearly everything but the back of the corn truck that lie before him. Getting to that truck was the only goal that was managing to keep the wolf from pitching a fit in the middle of the driveway, he just had to keep it together until he was out of sight. Out of sight of the family, and most importantly out of sight of his mate.

It didn't take Vernon very long to cross the drive and reach the van. It's dark cool interior lined with buckets of corn and boxes of his Mother's delicious pumpkin pies. Riding in the back of the truck was something Vernon usually enjoyed when harvest season came around. As a pup, getting out of the lingering heat of the dying Summer while being inundated in the sweet and sugary scent of his Mother's famous pastries was a warm and comforting memory. Without fail, at least one pie wouldn't make it to the fair unscathed between Vernon and whoever else was riding in back with him. But now the smell seemed repulsive and bitter, the pleasant memory drowned out by the heat roiling beneath his pelt.

Making his way to the back of the truck, the wolf practically threw himself against the steel seating, barely registering the painful shockwaves the impact sent through his hip bones. In fact, it did little more than anger Vernon further, and once again the wolf found himself throwing another wild punch at the nearby wall. The enraged wolf let out a loud snarl as the metal siding of the truck rumbled with the impact. That time he felt the pain, his knuckles now screaming in agony from making contact with the un-yielding wall. The pain was at least a distraction, something that manage to diffuse some of the steam that had been screaming for an outlet. Vernon sucked in his breath sharply as he pulled his wounded paw toward his chest protectively. Eyeing his now throbbing hand, the wolf gently massaged his knuckles to check had badly he had damaged them. They were sore certainly, but thankfully not sprained. It would most likely be little more than a forgotten memory by the time he reached the fair. Unfortunately he didn't have that luxury when it came to his Father and Zach.

Vernon grit his teeth as the rapidly diffusing pain allowed the phrases to rise in his mind once more.

"P-Pa-Pa thinks it would be best the for the family if... you two hung back here for the day." He could hear Zach repeat.

"Pa thinks that between you two being a predator prey couple..." Vernon crossed his arms, letting out another snarl as he glowered at the floor.

"...and who Dawn is..." Vernon could feel bile rising in his throat, and he part his clenched teeth in order to bite his tongue in a effort to quell the sickening feeling.

"That it'll cause a huge stir! Maybe a scene! And Pa thinks it could cause trouble for the whole family's reputation!"

Vernon let out another loud snarl as he kicked the nearest bucket of corn as hard as he could. The large worn blue tub barely moved under the weight of the cobs it contained. Instead, it only caused Vernon more pain as the impact pulsed up his leg. Vernon let out another hiss before returning to his seat, once again crossing his arms and turning toward the nearest wall.

"How could they?!" Vernon barked. "How could he!?" The wolf shook his head briskly. Vernon was beside himself, his anger only dwarfed by his disbelief as to what had happened. Vernon wasn't sure what to expect from his Father after the dinner the previous night. He had hoped perhaps things would turn around, that Dorian would see Dawn for the mammal she really was. But the wolf had also been prepared for Dorian to keep up his cold stance, and refuse to apologize. It would have made things harder sure, but it was something Vernon was prepared to deal with. Something he thought his Father could be brought around on, or at the very least come to terms with and accept. He had not expected however, that his Father would ask him and Dawn not to come to the fair at all. And to go so far as to have Zach be the one to deliver the news rather than telling Vernon himself made it hurt that much more.

The wolf took a deep breath, letting out a sharp sigh as he attempted to calm himself. Yet despite his best efforts he could still hear Zach's excuses floating around in his head.

"That it'll cause a huge stir!"

"Maybe a scene!"

Vernon rubbed his temples as he let out groan.

"...cause trouble for the whole family's reputation!"

The wolf threw his head back, letting out a long exhale as he stared up at the ceiling of the truck.

That's what Dorian had said, or at least what Zach had told Vernon he had said. But was that the real reason? Vernon wasn't sure, but he had his suspicions. His Father was often indirect when he was being evasive about his true intentions. The wolf could recall him behaving in a similar way when he had told him he wanted to be an architect instead of a police officer. Vernon could still remember standing in his Father's study, looking him straight in the eye, mustering up every once of his courage and simply laying out his intentions for the old mammal. The wolf could remember the feeling of anxiety eating away at his insides as the statement left his muzzle, followed by a seemingly unending silence from the older wolf. The wait for an answer was almost a torture in itself, but eventually Dorian finally responded by simply telling him they would 'talk later'.

As it would turn out, 'talking later' was pretty much code for having Audrey tell Vernon that Dorian felt it was a bad idea, and the beginning of a war of attrition between the two wolves. In time of course, his Father seemed to muster the courage to directly tell Vernon that he didn't want him 'wasting his time at something wolves don't do'.  But the start of Vernon's battle for independence began with using the other members of the Hunter household as unwilling messengers, mostly on Dorian's part.

It was shame, that was his reasoning that Vernon would later find out. He could remember during one of the last embittered arguments before he left the Hunter Ranch being told he was throwing away everything Dorian had painstakingly set up for each of his pups. That Vernon was throwing away a stable future, and a career he could take pride in.

"It's in your blood Vernon! You can't just walk away from it!" Dorian barked.

"Well I'm walking." Vernon replied.

"Vernon, this is a one time opportunity, If you toss it aside I won't be bailing you out! Once you fail, you're stuck boy." Dorian replied.

"And what if I don't fail Pa!?" Vernon snapped back, staring his Father right in the eyes. "What if I succeed!? Huh!? What if I excel!? Didja ever think that!?"

Dorian squeezed the bridge of his muzzle, letting out a tired sigh.

"You won't." The wolf replied coolly." You got talent boy, real talent that yer gonna waste out there! You were made to protect other mammals like it or not!"

"I'm done fightin' Pa." Vernon groaned. "The last thing I want to do is go into something where I have to fight half the time. You have six other sons who are working law, ain't that enough!?" Vernon panted. "Why can't I do something else!?"

"Vern-"Dorian reached out to Vernon, trying to place his paw on his shoulder. However, Vernon pulled away. He had to be strong, to keep his resolve.

"I'm going Pa, I'm done. Gus has a place to stay and a job for me. I'm doing it. I have to, for me!" Vernon whined.

"I'm not helping you."

"I didn't ask you to." Vernon replied coldly. "I can do it myself."

With that Vernon began to storm toward the stairwell, set on spending the rest of the evening calming down on the basement couch and trying to forget the argument. But as he reached for the knob his Father spoke again.

"Vernon." Vernon froze, glancing over his shoulder at the old white wolf.

"You would shame this family?" The wolf paused. "Shame me by throwing you life away on something so foolish?"

Vernon let out a cold, calm breath.

"It's your choice." Vernon replied. "You get to choose whether you're ashamed or not. But it's my life to live."

Vernon sighed, his paw still poised on the door knob.

"I don't have a choice." Dorian replied.

Vernon could remember how hearing his Father say that hit him. He didn't turn around, or cry, or even speak. But inside it felt like someone had cored the wolf and stuffed his body full of bricks. The weight of his words burned them into the very strata of Vernon's being. After everything he'd done, his brother's had done, Vernon not choosing the career his Father wanted for him earned him his shame. Dorian was ashamed of him.

And it was then it became clear to Vernon the true motivations behind why he didn't want the couple to go to the fair. Dorian was simply ashamed of him. His Father was ashamed at who he had chosen to be his mate. A prey mammal and an ex-criminal. And not just any ex-criminal, but one who nearly every mammal could recognize by her face alone. Vernon knew better, he knew that even if the locals had a problem with seeing a pred/prey couple walking around the fair they would be far too meek to speak up. And with what Dawn had done to save the city, the odds of finding someone who still held her original night howler scheme against her were slim to none. It was about being an embarrassment to Dorian, and once again going against what his Father had wanted for him. Continuing to fail in the eyes of the older white wolf. And what hurt even worse was the fact that Zach had been more or less swayed by his words. That Zach agreed with his Father about the fair. That managed to cut the wolf like a knife, and Vernon found himself leaning over to stare at the floor.

Letting out another sigh, another sensation began to creep into Vernon's mind. The easily recognizable inkling of fear and doubt. Whatever lingering hope he had of managing to get his Father's approval for getting a 'tithing' ceremony were almost completely extinguished. And worse yet, the words that keep swirling around in his mind were starting to pick away at his resolve. Clearly his Father was ashamed, it had to be that. But what if someone did speak up at the fair? Someone called the couple out and made a scene. Would that have some sort of impact on his Mother's stand? What if it had? Would it change the way she felt about Dawn, about Vernon? The wolf found himself biting his claws as he continued to travel down the rapidly negative spiral of thought. Vernon didn't care about what other's thought about Dawn and his relationship, even the other members of his family. If they didn't like her, or refused to accept her, that was something Vernon could deal with. But if he were responsible for something bad happening to the rest of the family because of him and Dawn, he wasn't exactly sure how he could handle it.

TAP! TAP! "H-hey big bro."

Vernon sat straight up to find a familiar white wolf peeking into the back of the van, his paw still hovering over the wall he had knocked on to get his attention. Placing a paw over his muzzle, Vernon closed his eyes and let out a groan.

"I-I don't want to talk right now Trent." Vernon mumbled. "I really want to be alone."

Despite Vernon's refusal, the wolf could feel the truck bob slightly as Trenton climbed into the back. Opening his eyes he could see the wolf carefully making his way toward him.

"It's either me or Ulric." Trenton said. "Because I'm stuck on this truck for the ride out. No room in the other cars." Trenton gave an awkward cough.

Vernon let out another irritated groan.

"I mean if you want to talk about the 'Illubaahnati' for the whole trip I ca-"

"Sit your ass down Trent." Vernon grumbled, gesturing to the seat next to him.

The white wolf flashed Vernon a meek smile before easing himself into the seat next to him. Once seated, Vernon watched as the white wolf raised a paw and gave two more heavy taps against the back of the cab, and after a moment Vernon felt a shudder travel through the van as it rumbled to life.

"Just letting 'em know were good to go back here." Trenton said. "Can't afford to be late after all."

Vernon let out another dismissive grumble before returning to his leaning stance. The wolf was taking deliberately slow and deep breaths as he focused on the metal flooring beneath him. It was an attempt to try and clear his head, to calm him down, but it was doing very little to accomplish that. He couldn't shake his Father's words, or the doubt that was slowly consuming him. His rage now mostly boiled off, leaving behind a growing sorrow in it's absence. For the first time, Vernon was starting to give serious consideration to just calling it quits, simply packing up and heading back to the city with his tail between his legs.

"I'm sorry I missed your graduation."

"W-what?" Vernon sat back up, staring at Trent in surprise. The statement had completely caught him off guard.

Trenton scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"I-I said I'm sorry I missed your graduation." Trenton repeated. "I'm would have really liked to be there. I mean, you did it Pup. That's a huge deal."

Vernon gave a slight scoff before shaking his head.

"I wasn't at it." Vernon muttered.

"What?" Trent replied.

"Dawn was in the hospital during that whole thing." Vernon replied somberly. "I-I couldn't leave her alone during that." The wolf paused. "I wouldn't."  Vernon could feel Trenton's paw pat him on the back.

"Sweet sawgrass, I'm sorry. I didn't know the details on that." Trenton sighed. "I thought that was before your graduation."

Vernon simply shook his head no.

"S'not like I made your's either." Vernon muttered.

"Hmm?" Trent asked.

Vernon crooked his head up to look at his brother.

"Yours was the same week remember?" Vernon added. "Like two days apart. I couldn't be at yours or mine."

Trenton chuckled. "Ah don't worry about it." The wolf grinned. "You've seen one of us graduate a police academy you've really seen 'em all."

Vernon couldn't help but chuckle despite his soured mood. It was true, Vernon had seen enough graduations that prominently featured badges and handcuffs for a lifetime.

"Still yours would have been something to see." Trent continued. "Finally one of achieves somethin' that ain't farmin' or keepin' the peace."

Vernon let out another scoff as he leaned back into a sitting position. The wolf raised his arms above his head, stretching in a effort to get more comfortable. Now looking out at the back of the van, the wolf could see they had begun to move. The Hunter ranch was slowly pulling out of sight, being obscured by the family corn field. It was too late to go back now he supposed, they were already on their way. All the wolf could do was keep his fingers crossed that the fair wouldn't be as bad as his mind was now screaming at him that it would be.

"I'm proud of you."

Vernon turned his head sharply toward his brother in shock, once again caught off guard.

"W-what?" He stammered back.

"I said I'm proud of you Vern." Trenton repeated, flashing Vernon a genuine smile.

Vernon could feel the tears rising almost immediately, and he did his best to push them back down inside. The last thing he wanted to do was cry, and especially not in front of family.

"D-damnit Trent." Vernon tried to remain stoic but his voice betrayed him, cracking as he spat out his reply. Vernon gave a hard sniffle as he chocked back the urge to sob. "S-stop it, I know what yer doin'."

"What?" Trenton smiled. "I mean that."

"Yer trying to get me to spill my guts about what's going on." Vernon sniffled again.

"Well, I would like you to talk to me if you want to." Trenton replied. "But I'm proud of you anyway."

Vernon let out a sigh, running a paw through his tuft of hair. Trenton was an expert at worming his way under someone's emotional defenses. The white wolf gave off an aurora of kindness and understanding that made mammals just open up to him. With a skill like that it made him perfect for police work, the perfect example of a good cop. But Vernon wagered it must be somewhat wasted on being a regional trooper, as Vernon assumed he probably ended up letting a lot of mammals off with a simple warning.

"But we can talk about anything, we don't have t-"

"Pa doesn't want Dawn and me going to the fair." Vernon spat, his lips curling around his teeth as if he were letting out a silent growl.

"What?" Trenton asked, his tone tinged with disbelief.

"Pa doesn't want us there." Vernon reiterated. "Says it'll cause trouble."

"Why?" Trenton continued to press, clearly still somewhat lost.

Vernon leaned his head back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. He let out another long sigh.

"Either cause of who Dawn is, or because were dating, or both." Vernon grumbled. "Say's us being there will cause a scene or possibly threaten the Hunter reputation."

The two fell silent, allowing the ambience of the whistling wind and the rumble of the engine to fill the cargo area. Tilting his head back down he could see they had now completely left the drive. The corn field had been replaced with the gentle swaying wheat stalks of another nearby farm.

"I think that's ridi"

"You thought about it." Vernon cut him off.

"What?" Trenton replied.

"You didn't reply right away." Vernon said, still staring at the various farms that were passing them by. "You were considering what Pa said."

The van was quiet again, save for the vehicle shuddering as it plotted along the country lane.

"Vernon, well I, I mean it's-"

"It's fine." Vernon muttered. "I'm already sort of burned through the shock and rage." The wolf gave a dull chuckle. "I'm actually starting to think maybe he's on to something."

"Vernon." The wolf could feel his brother's paw on his knee, and turned to look at him.

"I don't care about what Pa thinks." Trenton gave Vernon a serious stare. "I'm worried about you and Dawn."

"Hmm?" Vernon mumbled.

"What if some mammal does come up and makes a scene about you two?" Trenton winced. "Or worse yet, what if they're looking for a fight? Looking to hurt you two."

Vernon laughed, giving a brisk and dismissive nod.

"Ah shoot, ain't nothin' worse out here than what we already deal with in Zootopia."  Vernon gave his own pat to Trenton's knee. "We got harassed on the train ride up here for the gods sakes." Vernon sighed.

"Really?" Trenton replied.

Vernon gave a simple nod before he turned his attention back to the moving scenery.

"Some young prideful red wolf girl and her eager to prove himself boy toy. I tell ya, it really took me back." The wolf chuckled. "It was almost like I was looking at myself in junior high. Back when I was with Ana." Vernon cringed, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

"I remember her." Trenton shuddered as he spoke. "Windpaw right?"

Vernon nodded.

"She was a real nasty piece of work. A real..." Trenton halted for a moment, drawing Vernon's attention back to him. His brother seemed hesitant to continue.

"Bitch?" Vernon smirked.

Trenton shook his head, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips. "Both biologically and behaviorally."

"No truer words have ever been spoken my brother." Vernon replied.

"So what happened?" Trenton leaned forward expectantly, a worried look forming across his face.

Vernon let out a sigh. "We dealt with it." Vernon shrugged. "I mean, me and Dawn expected that kind of stuff going into this relationship. We don't care what anyone else thinks." A warm smile crept across Vernon's muzzle. "We love each other, and that's that."

"So then..." Trenton trailed off. "What's the problem?" The wolf asked.

"I didn't give it too much thought before, but what if Dawn and I end up pulled into some big spectacle?" Vernon placed a paw to his forehead. "Then what happens to you guys?" The wolf sighed.

"Well, I don't know about the others, but you know Qali and I would stand up for you if we were there. And based on what I saw in the Dining room I figure most of the family would do the same." Trenton replied.

"That's not what I'm saying." Vernon mumbled.

"Well Pa and Yuri won-"

"I'm talking about Ma, about the Meadowlands." Vernon replied.

"Huh?" Trenton asked.

Vernon pinched the bridge of his snout, squeezing his eyes shut as he mustered the will to continue the line of logic that was tearing at him.

"I'm not worried about Pa, but what about Ma's stand? What about the life she's gotta live in the Meadowlands?" Vernon groaned. " What if mammals who don't like what I've got going on with Dawn take it out on her?"

The back of the van fell deaf under Vernon's words, once again beset by the simple ambience of machines and nature. Vernon went back to staring at the shimmering bronze tall grass as it passed by. Each new gust of wind cut a new swath across the fields. It seemed like forever before Trenton finally spoke again.

"Ma said she'd back you up." Trenton said calmly. " You know when it comes to us she doesn't care what anybody thinks Vernon."

Vernon felt Trenton's paw clasp down hard on his shoulder. The wolf turned to find Trenton staring him down with a deathly serious gaze.

"Ma would give up her life for any one of us in a heartbeat, so I doubt she'd give two shits about something like being snubbed by a bunch of stuck up Meadowlanders." The wolf concluded. "Neither would I."

Vernon forced a smile to his muzzle, but it faltered quickly.

"But still-"

"But still nothing Vernon!" Trenton was firm, although he didn't raise his voice. "If you aren't worried about how you and Dawn handle harassment, then don't worry about us." Trenton grimaced. " We can certainly handle ourselves."

Vernon gave a reluctant affirmative grunt.

"Still I take it Pa's reasoning wasn't taking the well-being of Dawn and you into account when he said it or else you wouldn't have stormed out of the house the way you had?" Trent released his grip, placing both paws on his knees.

Vernon scoffed. "He sent Zach to say it to me."

Vernon watched Trenton visibly cringe, making a loud sharp inhale as he reeled backward.

"Well that clears up my follow-up question." Trenton said with a weak chuckle.

"Zach's such an idiot." Vernon grumbled. "He spends yesterday claiming up and down about he's not Pa's errand boy, and yet today here comes obedient little Zach ready to side with Pa." Vernon hissed. "I swear, they may as well be sewn together."

"Well, you didn't stick around long enough to hear him out did you?" Trenton asked. "Maybe he was worried about the same things you were? About how our family would deal with the backlash of being connected to Dawn?"

Vernon scoffed. "Then why didn't he do what you did!?" The wolf gestured an arm toward the open fields outside the truck. "If he was so keen on supporting us, why didn't he stand up for us to Pa when he suggested those things!? Tell him that he was going to stand by me, that the family was going to stand by me!?" Vernon balled his fist tightly, slamming it into the seat next to him. " Sometimes he can be more of a weasel than Wade, although at least he doesn't lie about his giraffe mate!"

Vernon's anger immediately receded in favor of panic as the realization of what he said hit him. His eyes widening in horror as he turned to face Trenton.

"Wade's dating a giraffe?" Trenton smirked.

Vernon raised his paws defensively. "Trenton, swear to me you won't say anything to anyone!"

"What, why?" Trenton replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I promised Wade I wouldn't tell anyone as long as he told Ma and Pa before the weekend is over." Vernon whined. "I need your word on this."

Trenton mimed pulling a zipper from one side of his muzzle to the other.

"You have my solemn promise big brother." Trenton said, raising the paw as if taking an oath. "I will not tell, as long as you promise me something..."

Vernon eyed the wolf in confusion. With Trent, keeping a promise was as good as gold. Despite being the youngest in the pack he always had been the brother to go to when you needed to discuss something privately, as well as keeping it that way. Trenton was the first one in the family Vernon told about his intentions to got to school for architecture rather than the police academy. But Trent never was one to ask for something in return, he was never one to put a price on his silence.

"What?" Vernon asked.

Trenton put a paw on Vernon's shoulder, flashing the wolf a warm smile.

"Promise me you'll forgive Zach." Trenton replied.

Vernon's muzzle twisted into a grimace. "Oh come o-"

Trenton raised his paws defensively. "I know, I know, what he did was thoughtless." The wolf protested. "You know he can be easily influenced to believe stupid things! Hell he's the only one who willingly listens to Ulric's ramblings from time to time." Trenton placed his paw back on Vernon's shoulder. "But you know his heart is usually in the right place, and he doesn't want to hurt anyone."

Vernon let out a snort, crossing his arms in defiance, earning a dull stare from Zach.

"Okay, fine....be that way..." Trenton cooed. "But now I'm curious, I wonder if Wade wouldn't mind me asking him some technical questions on how a wolf manages to mate with a giraffe."

Vernon let out a prolonged groan.

"UUUhhhhhhhhhggggggg! Fine!" The wolf hissed. "I'll let Zach off for this one."

Trenton smiled at his brother warmly, once again sealing his muzzle with a phantom zipper. "I'll keep the questions to myself until I hear it from Wade then."

Vernon let out long sigh, returning his sights to the road behind them. At some point it had changed from dirt to concrete, and the wolf could now see other cars around them. He wasn't sure exactly how close they were to the festival now, but he remember it was practically directly off the highway they were now on. Looking up toward the sky, the wolf could catch the last bits of morning orange hiding just at the edge of the North Mountains.

"Since you've already got me spilling my guts to you..." Vernon trailed off. "I may as well tell you what I really came out here for this weekend."

To Vernon's surprise, Trenton leaned forward with keen interest, a wry smile forming on his muzzle.

"I have my suspicions." Trenton raised his eyebrow.

Vernon was immediately incredulous. The wolf leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms as he eyed Trenton warily. Trenton had a knack for picking up on little things to piece together the bigger picture. The white wolf had been that way since they were pups, always able to figure out where one of the brothers left a toy on the vaguest of clues, and was the best at sniffing out where someone had been from the tiniest scent he could pick up. It was something he had only gotten better with as he got older, yet it was another wasted skill on the position of regional trooper. Still despite his natural talent, Vernon was quite dubious the wolf could figure out exactly why Vernon chose to come visit now of all times. There was practically nothing to go on, and if Trent hadn't figured out Wade's mate was a giraffe without being told directly, Vernon highly doubted he could figure it out.

Vernon chuckled. "Alright, I'll let you have your fun." The wolf shook his head dismissively. "I know you love a good mystery."

Trenton clapped his paws together excitedly. "Alright, let's see." The white wolf scratched his chin as he leaned closer to Vernon, eyeing him suspiciously. "What would bring Puppy out aside from simple introductions to his new mate?"

Trenton leaned back, rolling his eyes slightly as he seemed to mull over what he knew.

"The last time you came out was for Zach's tithing two years back." The wolf tapped his chin. "And you left early because of Yuri, that was obvious."

Vernon nodded affirmatively, his arms still tightly crossed.

"Before that you only ever came out when Yuri wasn't around. You never made it a priority to meet our mates at the homestead. You always had us visit Zootopia. So in turn I imagine it wouldn't be a huge deal if we hadn't all been here to meet Dawn." The wolf's tongue wriggled out of the corner of his maw as he continued to puzzle over Vernon's intentions. "No, no. But tithing ceremonies we all had to be there for. It's an important family event, that's why you tried to put up with Yuri as best you could for Zach's sake."

Vernon crooked an eyebrow as his brother continued his thought process. He could already feel disbelief swirling in his mind as his brother seemingly edged closer to what Vernon intended to do. 'There is no way'. Vernon thought to himself.

"So you came out here, despite Yuri's presence, introduce Dawn to Ma and Pa knowing we'd all be here." Trenton leaned in again, studying Vernon carefully.

"But even without Yuri you are having an extremely rough time, something's really eating at you. Got ya all twisted up. After all, you haven't shown a lick of violent tendencies since ya swore that stuff off. Yet here you are punching walls." Trenton grimaced. "It's something big, real big. To have you hurtin' this bad."

"Well, how would you feel if Pa didn't think your mate was worthy of..." Vernon bit his tongue, stopping himself from revealing the answer so carelessly.

Trenton clapped his paws together again. "Pup! You fixin' to tithe Dawn!?"

Vernon stared at the white wolf in partial shock.

"Y-you..." Vernon stammared. " I mean, you figured it out from-"

Trenton shook his head briskly, laughing heartily as he did so. "No, no! I had more than enough to go on!" The wolf slapped his knee.

"Pft...sure." Vernon shook his head, crossing his arms again.

"So that's why you wanted everyone to be here!" Trenton continued. "Your fixin to tithe her under the harvest moon on Monday aren't ya! Make it a real wolf ceremony right?"

Vernon looked at his brother in slight confusion.

"E-er...no." Vernon shook his head. " I mean, that's probably too soon to put something like that together." Vernon shrugged. "I'd want Dawn's Ma out for it, and ya know..." Vernon scratched the back of his head.

Trenton frowned sharply. "Huh, I would think that was why you wanted everyone to be here."

"Vernon shook his head again. "I wanted to get Pa's blessing and then announce it to ya'll." Vernon asserted. "Then we could figure out a time to do it when everyone could come out again. Even Yuri, much as I'd hate to have him."

Trenton placed a paw to his chin, a look of mild disappointment crossing his face.

"Hmm...guess I'm getting rusty." Trenton sighed. "I don't get enough practice monitoring the highway for speeders all day. Still I can see why Pa's got you so flustered. I imagine you would have torn into him by now if it weren't for the fact you were holding out for getting his blessing."

Vernon let out a long sigh, placing a paw to his temple. "I-I want to bring him around. I have to Trent." Vernon shook his head. "If I explode on him there's no way he'll consider allowing Dawn into the pack." Placing his head in his paws, the wolf let out a loud groan. "Not that playing nice seems to be working anyway, I mean he just un-invited us to the fair!" The wolf threw his paws up. "What am I gonna do Trenny? Give me an idea! Please."

The white wolf placed a paw on Vernon's shoulder, flashing the wolf a warm smile.

"Y'know, you ain't the only one thinking about getting tithed Vern." Trent said.

Vernon opened his eyes wide, blinking rapidly as he stared back at Trenton.

"Y-you mean you, and Qails?" Vernon muttered.

Trenton nodded. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately." The wolf let out an amorous sigh. "I mean I haven't really discussed it with her or anything. I really ain't sure if she'll say yes or not." The white wolf frowned.

"Y'know..." Vernon scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he trailed off. " I always thought Qails was a little too...energetic for you." Vernon gave a meek smile.

Trenton chuckled, giving Vernon a soft punch in the arm. "That's what I like about her dummy." The wolf grinned back.

"In case you haven't noticed, I kinda take the easiest route I can to get through my life." Trenton sighed. " In that way I'm kinda boring. I don't really challenge myself, and I hate taking risks. It's never really been my style Pup."

"Mhh." Vernon nodded for the wolf to continue, still unsure of exactly where he was going with his self depreciating line of reasoning.

"But Qali, she's adventurous, she's got spunk." The wolf let out another pining sigh. "My little snowflake really lights up my life, y'know. She taught me how to have fun and take some risks." Trenton's smile grew wide, and his eyes sheened with a dreamy glare. "She's just...she makes me a better mammal."

Vernon felt a goofy grin of his own crawling across his muzzle. He had always been a bit of a sucker for the lovey dovey stuff, and seeing his brother so in love made his heart swell with warmth.

"She's..." Trenton trailed off. "She's my soulmate Vern."

Vernon's ears perked up, his eyes going wide as his brother's words fully registered. Placing a paw on Trenton's shoulder, Vernon was smiling ear to ear.

"That's Dawn for me Trenny." Vernon sighed. "That's Dawn for me."

"I figured." Trenton smiled back. "You wouldn't go to the mat this hard for any other reason big brother."

Trenton placed his paw on top of Vernon's giving it a slight shake. "And if I was in yer shoes I wouldn't fall back on the easiest route out." Trenton said. "If it was me and Qails in yer shoes we'd be fightin' tooth and nail to bring Pa around. No matter what."

Vernon could feel the tears from before starting to work their way back up to his eyes, and desperately tried to push them down, letting out a gasping choke in response.

"And me and Qails are gonna do all we can to help you and Dawn out! I don't know how we'll help bring Pa around, but we'll damn well try Pup!"

Vernon let out another gasp, but he couldn't stop the tears. The wolf aggressively wiped his eyes, trying to at the very least keep the tears from being visible. Vernon had reached his limit, and wrapped his paws around his brother, pulling him in tightly for a hug.

"T-thanks Trenny." Vernon sniffled as he dug grinded his muzzle into his brother's shoulder. "I-I just...thank you." The wolf choked. "I-I needed to hear that."

He could feel Trenton pat his back a few times before breaking away. The white wolf was now pawing at his own eyes.

"W-well that's what brothers are for Vern." Trent smiled. "Besides what else can we do? Can't just give up now can we?"  Trenton placed a paw to his chest, swelling it in faux pride. "'That's not the Hunter way.' As Pa would say."

Vernon wiped the lingering tears from his eyes, letting off a final sniffle as the urge to weep began to die away.

"W-well at least I'd like to try everything before I settle on going to my last resort." Vernon sighed.

Trenton eyed him curiously, arching an eyebrow in obvious confusion.

"What do you mean Pup?" Trenton queried. "You ain't planning anything drastic now are you?"

"Let's just hope it don't come to that." Vernon replied. "I'm sure it won't." Despite the firmness of his statement, Vernon couldn't help but feel a pang of unease travel through him.

'It won't.' Vernon thought. 'Please don't make me have to do it Pa.'

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

I’m so sorry I nearly forgot to post on here today. I uploaded it to FF, but I’m still getting over this ear infection and decided to put off doing the chapter card for the other websites today. Only problem was I forgot I usually don’t use them on Tumblr, and that I needed to post. Anyway, sorry for the delay, here’s the chapter.

-WT

[caroundtheworld-blog1]

A slight setback

So in my last post I wrote about how we were heading up to Childers to start farm work on Thursday. Foxy (Matt’s friend) looked at the van on Wednesday and had no concerns other than an oil leak but just said to keep it topped up, and said she was looking pretty good for 22 years old. So we planned to set off early hours Thursday morning. We topped up with petrol after seeing foxy, and were good to go. She was a bit shaky the morning after we topped up but Daniel reassured me it was just because it was bloody freezing (well, as cold as you get in Australia) that morning and once the engine was warm it’d be fine. So we set off, on the A roads because I still have a bit of an aversion to motorways, especially Australian motorways, and we thought the A roads might give us a more scenic drive up. Only problem with A roads is that there are traffic lights, and we seemed to hit every red in the first 15 minutes. Once we’d stopped, Marge was having trouble getting up to speed quickly, she'd get there eventually, but it took longer than usual, and anyone behind us would quickly overtake us or sit behind, fuming. So I made the brave decision to come off the A roads and join the motorway, because it was really getting on my nerves by this point, and everyone else's too, no doubt. I made it onto the motorway, and managed to keep my anxiety in check, remember this is my first time ever on the motorway, and it was a foreign motorway, and I was driving a 22 year old van whose top speed is around 90km/h. All was well for about 3 minutes, and then my worst nightmare became a reality. 

First, the speed suddenly dropped, from 90km/h to 80, then 60, then 40. Then she started shaking like mad. Then there was a weird smell. So there I was, first time on the motorway, and I was driving at around 25mph, during rush hour, and my van was behaving like it was about to explode. I expect you can imagine what kind of words came out of my mouth at that point. Thankfully we were in the left-hand lane and there was a hard shoulder, or it could have been much worse. Also thankfully, the guy who we bought the van off had RACQ cover for a year (basically the Australian AA). So we hopped out and got behind the barrier and made the call, and we waited. A lot of people drive barefoot here because all the vehicles are automatic and averyone wears flip flops, and that is exactly what I had been doing. So I just shoved my flip flops on and got out. Huge mistake. The sun hadn't yet risen and warmed up the winter morning, and the temperature was about 8 degrees. I honestly thought I might lose some toes, genuinely, that's not me being over dramatic as per, we were genuinely worried. 

Eventually RACQ turned up and towed us to a safe place and a mechanic came and took a look. He reckoned it was a fuel issue, there was a blockage or something and gave us a card of a guy he knew 10 minutes away in Coomera. The van runs on petrol and LPG gas, we had been driving using LPG (it’s cheaper) but there seemed to be an issue with our fuel cap that meant we were unable to fill up with LPG. So we had switched to petrol. Thankfully we had enough LPG left to get back on the motorway (I know, how brave of me) and get up to Coomera to see this guy. We got there at 7.45am, and they were fully booked for the day. We had no choice but to leave the van with them and call Matt to come get us, thankfully it was his day off. Coomera is about half an hour up the motorway from Broadbeach, where Matt was, and where we had been. We grabbed a few things out the van, enough for a night at Matt’s and left. Then all we had to do was wait. 

We got a call late that afternoon from the garage to say they had found an issue with the petrol fuel pump and the fuel injector, and the LPG pump. He gave us a quote of nearly $1000. We were, excuse my language, pissed off. We had just bought this van, a week ago, her roadworthy and safety certificate had been issued days before we bought her, and now we were looking at having to pay almost $1000 on top of what we had already paid for the van, just to have her functioning. Angry didn't come close. Now normally, we would go to several garages and get a few quotes, but we couldn't. Why? Because the van was half an hour away in Coomera, and we didn't have enough fuel to get her back to Broadbeach and local garages. So we were snookered. We knew this guy was probably taking advantage a bit, but there was nothing we could do if we wanted a working van. He also said that he wouldn't be able to get the parts until next week. So we were stuck, homeless, van-less, and almost penniless, for at least 4/5 days. We can do without the petrol for now, we only need one fuel tank working, so we said to go ahead with the LPG repair, which reduced the cost considerably. He said it would be ready Tuesday at the latest. 

So then we had to find somewhere to live, work out if we could afford to actually stay there, eat three meals a day, and pay for the repairs on the van, we had intended to be earning good money by the Friday, alas not. We found a hostel in surfers for 3 nights and we’ll take everything else as it comes. Our entire life and all our stuff is in that van so currently, I have a few pairs of knickers, two dresses, a pair of flip flops, and a pair of pyjamas. No toiletries. All our food is in the van, some of which will be rotten by the time we get her back. We did grab a deck of cards, a deck of uno cards, my kindle and the iPad so we have some form of entertainment. But we basically have nothing. We had to buy basic toiletries and food to see us through. Yesterday we were defeated, tired, emotionally drained, angry, and sad. We were, and still are, furious at the money we will have to shell out for a van that had its roadworthy and safety done two weeks ago. We intend to sort that out with the seller. But, life sometimes give you lemons, sometimes it gives you a lot of them all at once, and you just have to deal with it. So that's what we're doing. The next few days might be a bit crap, but I cannot wait for all the days to come after that. We are enjoying the adventure of a lifetime, and we will inevitably have to deal with a few hiccups on the way. This is just the really annoying violent hiccups that don't go away for a while, but they will eventually, and we will be fine. 

So the adjusted plan is to start work in Childers on Wednesday, barring anymore hiccups. I will, as always, keep you informed :)

[canaryatlaw]

Okay, I need to write this thing and get to bed. Today was good! A bit hectic for obvious reasons but overall good. I woke up around 1:13ish, and got dressed then started packing all the other items I needed to grab, basically just toiletries and stuff I hadn't thrown in my bag yet, so that didn't take very long. I went downstairs and decided on pizza rolls as an appropriate breakfast because why the fuck not, so I ate those while scrolling through my laptop to deal with anything pressing before we left for the airport. One of my high school teachers who has MS and is confined to a wheelchair recently got into a car accident, and while he's okay his van was totaled, and of course it was a special handicap van so it's gonna cost a lot to replace, so there's a gofundme being run by some former students to raise money so he can get a new one. My parents know the family as well so I was talking to my dad about donating, and he immediately wanted to know the details of the accident and if they could go after the other driver's insurance for a payment, so he's probably going to pursue that route since he has the legal ability to do so, lol, but probably make a donation too. Around 3 our ride to the airport showed up, it's the same family friend who drove me home from the airport last week, and soon we were on our way. He talked with my mom for most of the ride so I didn't have to carry too much of the conversation and was mostly on my phone for the ride. We made pretty good time, and it didn't take us too long to get into the actual airport from the entrance, which is an accomplishment because laguardia has a ridiculous construction project going on right now and the traffic because of it can be beyond insane (the main reason my parents have been flat out refusing to fly out of laguardia, but I've been very stubborn about it lately because otherwise my travel time is legit twice as long and I'm sick of it). But we got checked in and got through security in no time. Somehow I ended up with the TSA precheck on my boarding pass, I think because my mom booked the tickets and she has it for some reason (she never registered but has always just had it, lol) so that was a bit more convenient. I've been trying to get signed up with it forever now but my damn passport is MIA so that's been hampering my efforts unfortunately. Ugh. So we get through the rather small area of the terminal by our gate and we wait. We ended up there fairly early because that was when we could get dropped off, so we had a good amount of time to hang out. I was on my laptop for a little while, but unlike the other airports I've been to for some reason laguardia will only let you have one free 30 minute wifi session, where at the others you can just keep renewing it, so that was a bit irritating to discover. There wasn't much as far as food options in our section, so I ended up getting some chicken noodle soup and an apple cinnamon croissant from au bon pain, which is an untraditional combination but I ate them separately of course, lol. They just happened to be the two things that appealed to me. So I hung out and tried not to run down my phone battery too much, which I was mostly successful in thankfully. It was getting rather close to our boarding time and there was like no staff at our gate, and the monitor that displays the flight going out of there hadn't been working, so I began to suspect something was wrong. When the boarding time came and nobody was there, I went and checked the monitors, and sure enough it had our flight going out of another gate, and it was in the process of boarding. Crap. There was no announcement made and there were plenty of other people waiting at the gate we were at, it just turns out they weren't waiting for the same flight as us. Thankfully the other gate was just on the other side, so we ran over there quickly and literally just made it on, so that was a bit of a close call (my mom had checked the monitors earlier so I assumed she would have noticed a gate change, but apparently she didn't think to look, so I get credit for saving the day). Stuff like this is a fairly common occurrence in traveling with my family because, well, frankly they're just bad at it and they make stupid mistakes like that all the freaking time, whether it's at an airport or on a road trip or what else. It's why I generally prefer traveling alone, lol. But this is definitely not the first time I've been the only one to pick up on something that ended up being a huge deal. Sigh. Oh well lol, crisis avoided for today at least. And a good one too, because there definitely wouldn't have been another flight to this airport tonight, so that would've been a big issue. So we board, and we end up waiting a bit to take off, and then our captain gets on the loud speaker and says we're probably gonna have to wait another half hour before we can get cleared for take off so of course everyone was like UGH, but then not even 5 minutes later he was back on saying we suddenly got moved ahead of a bunch of planes and were taking off now, so that was cool! I was teasing my mom that the sudoku puzzles they always have in the back of the airline magazine were too easy (the hard one was already completed on both of ours) being that I completed both the easy and medium ones before we even got off the ground. But that may just be a sign that I've played too much sudoku and am now a little too proficient at it compared to most people, lol. But once we got in the air I switched over to reading fanfiction as my source of entertainment, and proceeded to do that for the rest of the flight. I still have several more downloaded that I've yet to read for the flight back. We landed just on time and got off the plane pretty soon, their airport is like, super tiny so we got through it quickly and met my cousin and her aunt (the aunt is from the other side of her family, so she's not my aunt) and then ended up waiting a little bit for the baggage claim before heading out. We got back to their house and everyone was around. Basically it's just a ton of relatives in the house right now, but it's literally all adults. I know that by all standards I am also considered an *adult* at this point, but I was the only one from my generation there other than my two cousins who live here, one of which is graduating from high school tomorrow, hence the reason everyone is here. So I was kind of glad I came so at least she's not just surrounded by adults the whole time since her brother tends to be MIA frequently. I sat with my uncle and my cousin's aunt (they live on Long Island so we know them fairly well) for a little while and talked about politics among other things, mostly just about how ridiculous our current climate is and how absolutely ridiculous it's made the people around us (I told them how in my house now they ALWAYS have Fox News playing and consider any criticism of the president heresy and I'm just like WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED HERE because it was NEVER like this before he got sworn in and it's so foreign to me). Then we talked about various older relatives and the inappropriate things they say sometimes (I commented that I'm running out of older relatives so I miss these moments, haha) and during this the others were going through an old photo album of my grandmother's that had lots of picks of my mom and her siblings growing up along with some of the grandkids, so we ended up spending a while looking at those and talking about the moments we remember, and how much one person looks like another person in the family. It was nice. And yeah, we mostly just hung out for the rest of the time and commented on the fairly ridiculous local news stories that came on after the hockey game was over (they live in a fairly rural area, and it was clear not all that much news worthy stuff happens here). It was nice. Eventually we started heading to bed, and that pretty much brings us up to now. I'm sharing a bed with my mom in my cousin's room (I said it wasn't fair that we were kicking her out of her room when it's her graduation we're celebrating but she insisted it was okay) and it looks like everything is working out despite their being a lot of people here and there being a lot going on. I know my aunt gets anxious really easily and has been majorly stressed out this whole week, so I think everyone is trying to make things easier on her so she doesn't end of freaking out, lol. She definitely has a lot on her plate at the moment and is prone to getting overwhelmed, and I know nobody wants to see that happen so hopefully everyone will be on their best behavior (apparently earlier during the conversation on inappropriate comments by older relatives, it came up that a great uncle that's here but had already left for the night was stirring up some trouble earlier today, but hopefully that won't be an issue). So yeah, that's about it. Tomorrow we have her graduation with everybody so that should be fun. I have a lot of good memories of vacationing here as a child and I've always really enjoyed being here, soon happy about that. Okay, it's late and this is long so I'll shut up now. Goodnight my friends. Happy Friday.

[thelittlekicksband]

Read the full article HERE:

https://graffitipunctuated.com/2017/02/16/the-little-kicks-interview-shake-off-your-troubles/

THE LITTLE KICKS: I’VE GOT NOTHING TO BE SCARED ABOUT…

FEBRUARY 16, 2017 NILS VAN DER LINDEN LEAVE A COMMENT The Little Kicks are back. Four years after releasing their breakthrough album ‘Put Your Love In Front Of Me’, the Aberdeen-based indie-pop band are on the verge of releasing its confident follow-up ‘Shake Off Your Troubles’. Lead singer Steven Milne tells us about recording the LP in a lodge by Loch Ness, getting out of their comfort zone, not forgetting to have fun, paying tribute to a close friend, and why he’s got nothing to be scared about.

What troubles are you shaking off with the new album? Or hoping listeners will shake off when they listen to it?

Our last album in 2013 – ‘Put Your Love In Front Of Me’ – always clicked with anyone who heard us play live but for home listening it was perhaps a slow burner. Lyrically it encapsulates a period of personal uncertainty for me and we were going through various changes as a band during its making. By the end of the ‘PYLIFOM’ campaign in 2014 we had amicably lost two founding members but gained two new very talented members in Andrew (guitar) and Adam (bass) respectively who brought a lot to the table.

The band suddenly felt, looked, and played like a new band and when you couple that with a big change in my personal circumstances, I started naturally writing in a much more upbeat, confident way. So we wanted to make a record that reflected that change in mood and while I’m not saying everything is perfect, there is definitely a message to be thankful for what you have, don’t take things like friends or good times for granted, and most importantly don’t let anyone beat you down.

How do you think decamping to a lodge by Loch Ness influenced the album?

Recording at the lodge was indeed a massive gamble, but it definitely paid off.  Despite doing a lot of research prior to arriving we were still nervous about potential issues – objecting neighbours, bad acoustics for recording, even forgetting things. When we got there with all our gear, our producer, and recording equipment we immediately turned the three-bedroom space into a live recording studio and started making noise. Thankfully, it was as we expected and worked perfectly. The thick carpets and wood in the surrounds and ceiling were particularly great for recording.

We kept a schedule with breaks together, always cooking for each other, and even if in the downtime the TV was on (we took a PS3 and played a lot of ‘FIFA’…) it was always on mute due to the red light being on. The lodge had a balcony which looked out onto Loch Ness and often you could sit out there while someone else inside recorded but we were never out of earshot and constantly giving each other feedback. Our guitar amps and equipment were set up 24/7 in hallways, living room spaces, and in between beds.

The nearest pub was ten minutes away and we had no phone signal, internet, or communication with home. Even if we were going to boil the kettle or use the toilet, we had to check with our engineer that he wasn’t recording as there were microphones set up in the bathroom and kitchen for vocals.

We took a plentiful selection of nice food, wine, beer, and coffee so that in the evenings when we finished and the weather allowed, we could have BBQs and dinners on the decking before getting back to it until the early hours. We lived there for ten days and literally worked on the record non-stop – coming home exhausted. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

You’ve said the album shows a massive increase in the band’s confidence and abilities. Where do you think this confidence came from?

I think a combination of factors have led us to this point but mainly I would say there is a confidence gained from the reaction to the songs. Despite what I said before, we did take lot of confidence from the positive response to our last record. People coming up to say that they play your music at parties all the time or that they identify with the sadder elements of a particular song, and that your music has helped them in some way, is a very affecting thing to hear.

First and foremost I gained a lot of confidence from the guys within the band’s positive reaction to the new songs when I brought them in to the room or sent a demo around. Although I primarily write the songs at home I have been deliberately quicker to bring the ideas into the practice room this time around when they are at a more bare-bones stage. I think that has conversely helped the guys to be more confident in putting ideas forward too and made it a much more collaborative writing process.

Is there any one moment on the album that best shows off those increased confidence and abilities?

Lyrically I think probably the line “I’ve got nothing to be scared about…” is probably as honest an assessment as any of the mentality of making this record. We always start with sketches of songs that could easily go the other way and be weirder and longer, but by the end of the writing and recording process our music tends to veer towards making melody-focused pop music which is in a traditional structure. While in the past I think we perhaps felt a little ashamed about that or almost embarrassed to admit it, I think now we are much more comfortable in our own skin. I like to think that our music is poppy but has plenty of interesting sounds and hooks within it that it’s more credible and interesting than what the term “pop music” usually implies.

What did you learn from recording your previous album that you wanted to avoid or repeat this time around?

On our last record we learned how to utilise the studio more, as well as the importance of good microphones and not to concentrate on doing too many takes or trying to get the perfect take. You can end up beating away the heart of an idea by over-thinking or over-playing it, so we wanted to avoid that by getting into recording the songs sooner. We also learned what we didn’t want to do this time round – to deliberately avoid using any comfort zone methods or sounds we know work and to be more experimental this time round. Being a new environment, the lodge setting easily enabled us to do that by allowing us to take longer on newer ideas and relax about takes. We also utilised new toys such as vocal effects, synthesizers, tape machines, and percussive instruments in a way we wouldn’t have ever attempted before. I would also say having Adam and Andrew – both reasonably new members – who can both sing meant we could employ three-part harmonies across the songs to great effect for the first time. We also learned how to utilise and use our sampler more to such a degree that it’s now a key extra instrument to playing the songs live.

Could you share anything about the lead single, ‘Don’t Get Mad, Get Even’?

I had a scrap of a demo for that song on my iPhone for about two years as a voice memo. Then, suddenly, around a fortnight before going into the lodge we needed another song for the pile so I wrote a demo of this song from thin air and sent a very rough voice memo of me playing it to the guys. The next thing is they are really excited about it and saying it has to be worked on and has to be on the record. So we take it to the band room and the guys add harmonies, we chop a verse or two out, and the whole thing is sitting pretty.

We get to the studio and we decide it has a Fleetwood Mac or Midlake vibe and we cut it live and suddenly that was it finished.  Everyone played a blinder on the recording and that song was the first song to be finished for the new record as we tackled it first. It was a really great moment in the lodge when it came together and for me it’s the perfect example of a writer being too close to the material – as the band took the scrap of an idea in this case and helped turn it into something much greater through collaboration. Truthfully I didn’t see it as a single but I was happily outvoted.

This is a long shot but, based on a sentence in the album bio and the song name, does ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’ have anything to do with all the big names who died in 2016?

Shortly after our last album’s release, a very close friend of the band who had given a lot of his time and expertise to help us passed away. Then a short time after that another good friend of mine told me he was suffering from depression. I came home to the piano one evening thinking about both people and feeling pretty helpless and this song came out very quickly and naturally. I felt it was maybe too raw to share and perhaps too downbeat for the new record but at the same time for us to not pay tribute to this person in any way on our next record felt wrong.

As soon as I sent it to the guys, I would say it became not my song anymore. It became clear to me that I had written a song that summed up how we collectively felt about this person and recording it would allow us to pay tribute. I would say the guys really put everything they had into the recording of this track and tellingly it was the only song we even came close to falling out about at any point (most likely because emotions were running high). It took me over a year to even attempt to play it publicly and it’s a very difficult song to sing so I wouldn’t expect to see us play it live often but the recording is very pretty and it’s the one quiet moment on an otherwise upbeat album.

You famously recorded Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’. Which other songs would you consider covering?

We don’t do many covers and that Fleetwood Mac song was a classic that shouldn’t have been touched! But when we tried it out we found it really worked with our sound and vocal style so I guess anything similar to that in feel would be good. I would like to try ‘Tinseltown In The Rain’ by The Blue Nile as I think it’s a beautiful song that we could do well. And perhaps with the guys now doing harmonies so well we could do something cool with a Bon Iver or Beach Boys song. For a more suitable party-starting cover I would love to try ‘Nighttime In the Switching Yard’ by Warren Zevon as it’s one of my favourite songs and always makes people dance.

When you first started the band, were there any songs or artists you all bonded over, that made you realise “this collection of people could work together”?

Truthfully we don’t actually all like the same music but I think that’s why the band works so well. We all bring differing influences from different artists to the table and while there is a handful of bands we all like and can agree on we all have pretty different tastes. Some of the modern bands we would probably all agree to be great would be acts like Local Natives, Foals, Hot Chip, Fleet Foxes, The Twilight Sad, and LCD Soundsystem among others. As well as many old and new Scottish bands that we often play in the van. Needless to say, older music like ‘70s disco, Fleetwood Mac, Can, Chic, ‘80s pop, Orange Juice, The Beatles, and David Bowie are all collectively agreed to be great too.

And what is it about this collection of people that makes The Little Kicks so unique?

I think the main reason the band works so well as a unit is that ultimately we all want to serve the song and to create something unique together. We don’t want to sound like or copy anyone else and we enjoy making and performing music together a lot.

I would like to think being that wee bit older than when we last released an LP we are getting better at our instruments and benefitting from a more focused attitude to practice too. That’s something that makes us much more confident when playing live but also a factor when in the studio trying to make the best thing that you can with what you have.

Ultimately we all have real life priorities to consider (be it partners, work, or family), so if we are going to take time away from such things for the band it needs to be time well spent and we need to give it 100%. We don’t have a manager or a booker so I think it makes everyone a lot more invested in the project as it feels like a group effort when things go well but importantly nobody’s fault when it doesn’t which is thankfully rarely. Bands can forget to have fun and at the end of the day your band should be a set of pals playing together and having a good time. I think we all feel that being in The Little Kicks is fun and we are very (probably far too!) comfortable with each other at this point.

The Little Kicks release ‘Shake Off Your Troubles on 3 March. Pre-order it now at www.thelittlekicks.co.uk. The band play Venue 2, 229 Clubin London on 23 February.