#the most Irish thing about this movie so far is the pub owner

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

i like ed speelers as much as the next gal but what is with an Ireland-themed romcom making the love interest English?

[chasseurdeloup-retired]

Mime Your Manners || Frank and Kaden

TIMING: Current LOCATION: The Perfect Pint PARTIES: @frankmulloy​ and @chasseurdeloup​ SUMMARY: Kaden runs into Frank on a smoke break and they have a mime of a time.

There were less and less evenings that Kaden was out late enough at a bar, but he couldn’t miss the Lyon matches when he could catch them. And the only place to watch those was The Perfect Pint. That said, half time was as good a time as any to catch a quick hit of nicotine. Outside. The authenticity of the pub apparently only went so far. Kaden slipped into the alley way and pulled out his lighter, flipped it open, and… Nothing. He tried again. “Putain de merde,” he grumbled to himself, still struggling to try and make the fucking lighter work. He sighed, clean breath puffing out around the unlit cigarette pressed between his lips. Looked like he was shit out of luck. Out of the corner of his eye, Kaden spotted someone else in the alley, a tall man with a pretty distinct leather jacket. And a cloud of smoke coming off their lips. “Hey,” he asked as he approached. “Mind if I borrow your lighter? Mine seems to have bit the dust in my time of need and I don’t want to miss the second half.”

Frank lazed against one of the dumpsters that lined the back alley of the pub. Hungrily feeding off the heat of the little cigarette stick between his fingers, and the solitude; a temporary respite from a room full of drunk, happy, people. He didn’t ask for much of his work, just the occasional smoke break, which increased in frequency the longer he went without feeding. Shane MacAuley did not share this same practice, but was sympathetic and relented with relatively little input. The same could not always be said of his coworkers who could not resist a lecture about the dangers of smoking before every break. He braced himself for another one of said lectures, when the door of the alley opened. Thank christ. He took another long drag of his smoke, content to share the space silently though that didn’t last very long. Without a word, Frank reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a little red lighter, and tossed it across the distance between them. A silent gesture to indicate that the 6 feet between them was close enough. Frank wasn’t an avid follower of any of the particular sports the pub broadcasted, but working there meant he knew about them whether he liked it or not. “Which team?”

“Thanks,” Kaden said as he caught the lighter without any trouble, his brow furrowing at the gesture to stay away. Alright. Odd, but certainly not the oddest thing in this town. Still, he held up a hand and obliged. “I’m not sick or anything, for the record,” he said as he lit the cigarette. “Just French. Hard to tell the difference, surely.” He pulled out a long drag, inhaling every pit of nicotine as he could in a single breath before tossing the lighter back. He should really quit. It wasn’t like he didn’t know that. And if he didn’t, Regan sure would tell him herself. And he had cut down a lot lately, at least when he wasn’t stressed, but something about him just liked having a vice to lean on. Giving it up entirely felt like an admission of defeat, a shift from who he saw himself distinctly as just a year ago. Plus, he was fairly certain hunter healing delayed the negative effects, right? Whatever, he was probably going to die young anyway. Might as well enjoy what he could when he could. “Lyon,” he replied as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. “You follow football at all?” His mouth pulled into a thin line as he remembered where he was. “I mean soccer. You know, if you prefer using the wrong word for it,” he added in a joking manner. Even if he did thoroughly believe that was the wrong word.

Frank felt a strange bit of guilt and the temptation to apologise, and invite the man closer, was at the tip of his tongue. Alas, he did neither, “it’s me.” He said instead, “I’ve been working out the back in the kitchen most of the day, I probably reek. I thought I’d spare you the smell, and me the embarrassment.” The smile was an easy one, and well practiced, with just enough good natured humour laced behind the words to make the excuse (and himself) seem agreeable. He was working out the back for most of his shift today. He probably smelled. Nothing about what he said was a lie. He pocketed the lighter, taking another long drag from his smoke, in time to his new company. “Ahh,” the sound came accompanied by a puff of smoke, the corner of his mouth adopting an upward lean, “I should have guessed the Frenchman would support the French team. I don’t follow football,” he made a point to say, for his new company’s sake, “or any sport really. We were never a big sports household growing up. But when you work at a place like this and that’s all that ever plays on the TV you’re forced to know what’s going on whether you want to or not. Plus it helps us relate to our patrons...or at least according to Shane.”

Kaden huffed out a laugh. “I work in Animal Control. It’s impossible for you to be the worst thing I’ve smelled today.” Add to that he was dating the medical examiner and it was a wonder he could smell anything at all anymore. Either way, he wasn’t going to push it. Far be it from him to tell anyone to be closer to anyone. “True, but it was a question of which French team. You had a 50/50 shot either way,” he said with a small smile, taking another puff of his light. “But yeah, I grew up following Olympique Lyonnais with my dad. My parents weren’t big on the whole tv or movies thing so watching a match was pretty exciting, you know.” It was one of the few normalities he got growing up and he clung to it pretty fiercely, had to admit. He got the impression when he talked to most people, they couldn’t imagine growing up without the things he’d passed over, missed out on as a kid. Was this what it felt like? Strange. He was rarely on this side of the coin. “So how’d you end up working at a sports bar with no love of sports?” Just as he asked, a chill ran down his spine. His forehead creased as he looked around cautiously to find the source, any source. Was this guy a werewolf? Would he know if he was a little closer? No, that wasn’t how it worked, not really. Sure, his hunter senses might intensify if he got a little closer but if he concentrated, and he was, a few feet wouldn’t make a huge difference. There was a rattling in the back by the dumpsters. Kaden craned his neck to look down the alleyway before catching a glance back to his current companion as if to ask a question. Should they investigate it? He was pretty sure he would either way.

“I’ll take your word for it.” Had Frank been speaking plainly he would have said something along the lines of he could not think of anything more tiresome, although the solemn tinge to the words was a pretense designed to coax his comfort and amicability, it wasn’t as if he has any particular prejudice about people who watched sport, or followed it. Okay...maybe some prejudice, although the man in front of him did not seem the type to engage in a one sided shouting contest with the TV, which was always a good sign. “My ma’s Irish. I grew up in Boston,” the owner of the bar was a gancanagh, “I feel like it’s almost inevitable.” His reply was an odd sort of stare that made Frank ill at ease, he wasn’t looking at him anyone but rather past him to something behind. That seemed to be happening a lot lately and frankly, Frank was fucking over it. Frank followed his gaze behind him to the back of the dumpsters, just beyond the ring of light graciously provided by the alleylamp. An ominous scene to witness, made worse by the rattling of metal on metal as the lid of the furthest dumpster was shaken by some unseen force. Maybe it was just some rodent. He put out the last of his cigarette on the lid of the dumpster he had been leaning on, and was more than eager to step away from it, and its trembling twin. “It’s probably just a rat or a raccoon or something,” a really big, really jacked-up, fucking raccoon. Either way, Frank wasn’t particularly interested in finding out. “Let’s just head back inside, the game should be coming back on any minute.”

As Kaden approached the dumpster, he could feel the chills spread along his back. If he wasn’t so used to it, he’d shiver, try to shake it off. Instead, he steeled himself for what was ahead, pausing only to get a glance of the other man nearby, see if he was-- Well look at that, he wasn’t following. That-- Alright, that actually made sense. This guy had some self preservation skills. Good for him. He was doing better than half this fucking town, to be honest. “I mentioned I’m animal control, right?” he said in response. “If it’s a raccoon I can handle it, don’t worry.” He could probably handle it if it was something else, too. But that wasn’t so much because of being animal control as much as being a hunter. Logic stood that Kaden should leave it be, walk away, go inside and watch the came as his current companion suggested. But he wasn’t one to back down. So he got closer still to the rattling, reaching back for the knife in his pocket and flipping it open, opposite hand reaching out for the lid, carefully. His fingers brushed against it, he was preparing to throw it open when it flung open on its own, a small, crumbly creature leaping out. It was black and white, alright, but it was no fucking raccoon.”Putain de merde!” he shouted as he lunged for it, waving the knife in front of him, trying to get a piece of the mime monster. He couldn’t manage before it threw itself, stomach leaned back to reveal its teeth, at the second smoker. “Watch out!” he yelled, trying to pull the beast away and not hurt himself in the process. Or turn striped again.

Frank, with some combination of adrenaline and fighting instinct, threw himself out of the line of fire of the set of angry gnashing teeth. Eager and hungry: a deadly combination. “What the fuck?!” His fear was palpable; weighing down his gaze as it skirted across his surroundings, tinging his cheeks with paleness as his eyes finally settled on the monster, a frown tugged at his brows, growing harsher and digging deeper the longer he tried to make sense of the beast, to put some sort of identification to the stripped abomination. Logic dictated that if he knew what it was, he would also know how to beat it. Logic was made a shadow by the fear and adrenaline that had made temporary home of his mind, and thinking was infinitely more difficult when those set of teeth turned on him again. Maybe it had preference for fae flesh? He wasn’t sure, and at this point was too afraid to ask. (Who the fuck was he even asking?) In any case, he couldn’t very well stand around waiting to get chomped on. That, at least, was clear enough to prompt action as Frank’s hand grappled for the nearest thing he could use as a weapon: a long metal pipe, that Frank himself had discarded after he fixed the pub’s sink not too long ago. Perhaps someone somewhere liked him after all. Frank’s arm rose, the metal pipe in hand, in a poor imitation of a baseball player (he was bad at sports, but boy did he have a mean swing)—and brought the improvised bat down onto the little beast’s head. Was it its head? He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Point was; he hit it where its teeth were, and he hit it hard.

Before Kaden could reach out and grab the monster by the scruff (did it have that? Putain, guess he didn’t get a chance to find out), the other man had whacked it with a pipe. The creature let out a squeal that was like nothing he’d ever heard before. Fucking hell, that was satisfying to watch. “Good job you g--” Kaden’s words caught in his throat as he saw the pipe rise away from the mime monster. It was curved. It hadn’t been curved before. “Bordel de merde!” This was cursed. So fucking cursed. The creature turned back towards the guy and leaned backwards, revealing its teeth lined stomach once more. Only this time, a long black and white striped tongue rolled out. Kaden didn’t know what the fuck it planned to do with that, but he sure didn’t like it. He leapt over and grabbed the tongue to pull it taught before slicing down through it with his knife. It severed easily enough, but there was another ungodly screech as the creature flew back, rolling away from them both. The tongue was still in his hands and it burned, like it was covered with some sort of acid. Kaden let go with a scream and it fell to the ground. Only it was still moving, slithering like a snake. “Putain de merde,” he said again, this time more horrified than annoyed. Before he could do anything else, there was another striped tongue splaying out towards them from the monster across the alleyway. His hand was throbbing, but he kept his grip on his knife and tried to slash out at the-- “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” The blade on his knife was eroding. And to make matters worse, the severed-tongue turned snake was about to curl its way around his companion. Kaden tried to slam it to keep it from moving, but the monster sent its new tongue out to lash him and he ducked out of the way.

For a moment, fear was replaced by horrible fascination as they both realised the pipe was now curved to the shape of the impact. Only a moment. Fear returned just in time to propel Frank into action, prompting his legs to fling him aside just as the Frenchman wrestled with the monster’s…tongue? An already gruesome sight made only worse as his knife detached the tongue from its throat (can it even be called a throat?) and tossed it aside. The scream was loud, and within it Frank recognised a more human one. His companion had learned of his misstep too late, and now the striped tongue seemed a lot more threatening than it was as it writhed toward him. “Fuck me!” Frank half gagged, half groaned; horrified and sickened both. He didn’t know how to kill it, that much was clear. He didn’t know if it could be killed, but he didn’t have to kill it, he just needed to stop it. Now how to stop a supernatural thing? How to stop him? Iron worked well. Although the odds of finding iron in a pub owned and operated by a fae was next to none. So what next? “Jesus H!” Taking advantage of his relapse in thought, the snake—tongue—thing lurched forward. Frank had no time to think so he didn’t, but batted at it as hard as he could with his curved bat. The tongue hit the lid of an open dumpster with a wet slap and fell inside, the lid falling closed behind it. That’ll work.

The pub’s dumpsters were not yet emptied. They were big and heavy to boot. He didn’t need to kill it, he just had to stop it. Frank’s supernatural inheritance did not lend him any great advantage when it came to strength, but even on his own Frank was strong. Certainly strong enough to push a dumpster. You didn’t need to be very strong to knock someone out if you had the speed behind the punch. Without much thought (at all), Frank heaved the dumpster away from the wall and positioned it into a straight path down the length of the alleyway that ended at the brick wall. Apparently he was also dumb enough to follow on a plan that was more mad than sound, and with probably very little odds of success. “Please work, please work, please work—move!” With his legs (and a sweep of his wings), and a healthy dose of fear and adrenaline, as leverage, Frank put his entire weight onto the side of the dumpster. It obeyed with surprising ease, barreling toward the set of teeth and, the attached, striped tongue. His stomach churned at the initial impact but he wouldn’t slow, and did not slow until he felt the final lurch of the dumpster as metal hit flesh, hit brick wall. It was as if a thunder had echoed across the narrow alleyway, and the sheer force of the impact kicked back against Frank with enough ferocity to send him onto his back and knocked the wind out of him.

“Nice hit!” Kaden shouted as he watched the other man take a swing at the flying mime tongue with a curved pipe. His brow furrowed as he tried to follow whatever it was that he was doing next. “Shit!” He ducked to the side as the dumpster swung out towards him. The guy was strong. Was he a hunter? Kaden didn’t know but it didn’t fucking matter right now. He saw what was happening and ran to help, trying to throw some of his strength in to help trap the mime monster but it seemed like he didn’t have to. The other guy had it. The sound of it crunching against the wall should have been satisfying. Only Kaden knew how resilient these fuckers were. That sound didn’t mean shit. And it looked like he had put his whole force into it, too. “Shit, are you okay?” Kaden didn’t get a chance to get an answer, the dumpster was pummeling right back towards them both. “Fucking hell!” he shouted and threw himself at the dumpster, stopping it before it barreled into them both. He thought about pushing it back away from them again, but he remembered the tongue snake thing was inside. He reached for the lid, scrambled for the lock and made sure the dumpster was going to stay shut. Just in time, too, the strange four-legged creature was peeling itself from the wall and wandering back towards them both. It was like the crumbs that had formed it in the first place were pulling themselves back together, congealing. He really hated the sight of it, but it transfixed him for a moment.

Fuck, right. He had to act. Mime monster. Made of crumbs. This was probably insane and moronic. But it just might work. Kaden frantically looked around and dug a bit through the trash. The monster was making its way back towards them, its tongue ready to unleash, he could tell. Fuck, fuck, fuck, there had to be one of these in the trash. Just one. He dug some more and found it! A water bottle. Still full of water. Thank god. He ran over, ripped it open, and poured it on the creature. It squealed and screeched, but it was melting, breaking up into smaller pieces, the crumbs once again separating. He was about to turn on his heel and run when he realized it was probably a shitty idea to leave the monster out in the open like that for someone else to run into. Fuck. His eyes darted around and spotted a plastic bag. It’d have to do. He scooped up the pieces of monster like it was dog droppings, tied the bag up and threw it in the dumpster. “Come on, let’s go!” he said, running over to grab the other man’s arm and get them back safely inside. “Uh, I guess be careful when taking out that trash later.”

It was a sound that would haunt his nightmares. The screeching, the hissing, the gurgling as its own acid was choked out of it, the very body of the beast crumbling apart like wet sand. Frank had never seen any creature crumble the way that it did. It was as if the beast brought its ghostly hand (or claw, or whatever it was) and dragged it down his spine, causing a chill to rise in its place. It was a horrific scene but he could not bring himself to look away, until he felt a warm grip on his arm and he felt his entire body seize up. Were it not for the realisation that he still had his jacket on, that the other man’s hand was on the leather and not his skin, he would have jerked it out of his grasp. Thankfully after what they had just gone through, Frank didn’t need much persuading at all to leave.

Inside, the pub was peaceful…well, as peaceful as far as pubs went; some heads turned in the direction of the door as Frank and his companion burst in, but otherwise they were completely oblivious to the events that occurred not five feet away from some of them. From one of the television screens someone scored a goal, and a table erupted into a celebratory chorus. Enviably ignorant. Frank startled back to himself at the Frenchman's voice. He detected a thin note of humour laced through his words, but could not quite replicate the same enthusiasm in his own voice when he said, “yeah…right. I’ll keep that in mind.” The image of the writhing acidic tongue, and the set of razor teeth that guarded it, was one that would be not easily forgotten anytime soon. “What the fuck was that?” He said finally, strangely calm though he could feel his own heart beating a mile a minute. “You knew to grab the water bottle. I mean when that…thing attacks you, and you go dumpster diving for something you could use to defend yourself with, I mean call me crazy but I don’t think a water bottle is very high on the list of weapons you could use. Not unless you know it would stop it.” He said again in the same measured tone even when he felt anything but calm, but when the alternative was to freak out in the middle of his place of work in front of all his colleagues and customers, it wasn’t as if Frank had much of a choice. “So what the fuck kind of animal control are you?”

Kaden leaned over and braced his hands against his thighs, trying to bring his pulse back down after the fight outside. The pub was the same as before, lively and completely oblivious to anything that had happened outside just now. They had no idea how close they were to dealing with a monster had they taken one singular step outside. “I have no idea,” he said, shaking his head as he straightened himself up to look back at his companion. “I mean yeah I saw it in my apartment complex a while back. It was-- Okay, so I was being sent cookies. By the mimes. It’s always the fucking mimes. And they kept sending them and they were black and white and cursed. Fucking cursed. Some were stuck in my door. Not on. In. And then the thirteenth day. Thirteenth because it was fucking cursed, they-- the cookies-- They exploded. And the walls: striped. The hallway: striped. I was--” He stopped. On second thought maybe leave that out. No need to explain his momentary stripes. Or the mime face paint. “And the crumbs. The crumbs, they-- They built up a thing.” He gestured, his hands trying to make a vaguely monster-y shaped thing. “That thing. A monster thing. Like the ones in the alleyway by those mime places, you know?” The look on his face said he didn’t know. Putain. If only he could stop talking, but no, his mouth wouldn’t stop moving. “But I don’t know, I figured crumbs. Water. Might work. Because I can’t figure out how to kill it because you saw-- you saw what happened when you hit it. The pipe. It bent. That thing. It’s fucking indestructible. The mimes. They always fucking come back.” It was then he realized how absolutely fucking insane he sounded. And that this guy might be onto what he really was. Putain. “What do you mean what kind of animal control am I? The kind that works for the fucking police, that kind.” Sure. That made it better. Great.

“Cursed mime cookies…right.” A pause, and then a resigned, “excellent.” Frank angled his head a small fraction to the left, the gesture one of grudging acceptance. Experience had counseled (begrudgingly) him that to deny the explanation or to demand logic to the madness would somehow always succeed in making him more insane. After all, he had already seen ghost girls crawling out of leaky TVs, and was very nearly impaled by a rampant moose were it not for the intervention of his friend, the werewolf, and he’d had seen through a storm of dog-toys, why not add mime monsters to the fucking list? Or perhaps he ought to curate a new one: A series of things White Crest will try to kill him with. Mime monsters existed somewhere near the top, right next to killer moose.

“Animal control that works for the police. Of course,” Frank acquiesced, a weary bite to his voice. He didn’t expect to laugh but he did, a short sharp exhalation followed that gave birth to a lingering smile that looked more tired than mirthful. In the security of the pub and the ignorance of its patrons, the adrenaline from their fight was beginning to drain out of him, giving way to the fatigue that perpetually weighed his bones, and Frank didn’t have the energy to demand the truth out of the man. He didn’t particularly want to. Perhaps his shift would have gone more peacefully had he not gone out for his smoke break when he did, had he remained oblivious to the remains of the monster that now occupied the dumpster that lined up the wall of the bar, point was, perhaps it was better if he didn’t know anymore than he did. In any case, it wasn’t as if the Frenchman was the only one with secrets to guard. “Look, I don’t care what the fuck you are, you saved our asses back there so thanks. But you have got to get better at your own bullshit man...and maybe don’t talk so much.” Frank peeled himself off the door, and started toward the bar, picking up a towel and throwing it over his shoulder; he was still technically on the clock. He turned back to his companion, his voice softened by the smile that had a little more good-humour in it than the last, “come on French guy, I’ll pour you a beer.”

[xxfanfiction-emo-trinityxx]

Bar Date - Nicole Row x Reader

Request: Thank you for writing for us! I hate to be a pest, because I know your swamped with work due to your amazing writing, but could I get more Nicole? You're the only person I know who writes for her

Word count: 2 781

You watched Nicole move around on stage, and your heart beat a little faster remembering the conversation you had had earlier that evening. Ever since you had first seen her, you had had a crush on her. Now that you were on tour, you spent a lot of time together, hanging out in the bus and talking for hours about your favorite movies, the best books you had ever read and about everything else that came to mind. The better you got to know her, the more you liked the blonde bassist and soon you decided to ask her out. Sure, it was the stereotypical roadie-tour-member-cliché but you had the feeling that she might like you back. So when you had finally found the courage to ask her out for a drink after the show, it should not have surprised you that she said yes, but it did.

Now you were impatiently following the songs on the set list, always counting how many songs they had left to play. You knew you could not just take off after she came off stage. She probably wanted to shower and change her clothes, and you had to help cleaning of the stage.

When finally the last note of the last song echoed through the venue and it was replaced with the cheering from the audience, you took a deep breath. You were incredibly nervous, even though you were not sure why. You had spent literally days talking to Nicole, why would you get nervous all of a sudden? Tonight would not be much different, except for maybe her noticing your flirting a bit more.

You were still deep in thought, when the band came backstage. You noticed just in time to see Nicole walk past you, sending a bright and breathtakingly beautiful smile your way.

You looked around for your fellow colleagues, and when you had found them, you walked on stage together, starting to pack microphones, cables and all the other things on stage. Two other guys were busy taking apart the drum set while you peeled duct tape off of the floor, cursing under your breath because of the glue residue that got stuck on your fingers.

Luckily cleaning up the stage was a quick process, considering how many people helped and not long after you found yourself climbing the stairs to the tour bus that most of the roadies, including you, shared with the band. Nicole was nowhere in sight yet, so you took the time to quickly getting ready yourself. You took a bottle of water to the bathroom and used the water from the bottle, soap and a flannel to get the sweat and dust of the venue off your body. Of course there was a shower in the small bathroom, but from the experience of other people you knew that showering on the bus was a bad idea if you did not want to get ill. Even washing hands was critical since the water was not very clean. After your lick and promise, you applied some deodorant and put on some fresh, not sweaty clothes, a jeans and a t-shirt, which color accentuated your eyes nicely. You were just done fixing your appearance in the mirror and exited the bathroom, when Nicole came climbing into the bus.

“Hey, “ you greeted and waved rather awkwardly to her.

She did not seem to mind since she smiled and waved back.

“I’m with you in a moment, I’m just gonna put my things away,” she told you.

You nodded and watched her walk to the bunk area of the bus. You checked your pockets if you had everything; money, your ID and the pass that allowed you access to the backstage and the busses.

“There I am,” Nicole grinned, appearing at your side. She was wearing black skinny jeans and a white shirt, carrying a thin jacket over her arm since the night was cool.

“Great, you ready to go,” you asked, unable to keep the smile off your face.

She nodded and together you left the bus, waving goodbye to the other two roadies who were sitting on the couches in the bus.

The night was cool, but not uncomfortably cold as you made your way from the fenced parking lot of the venue out onto the street. You were quietly involved in a conversation about tonight’s show and you had a feeling that it would be an amazing first date, if you could call a drink at a bar a date.

Not even an hour later that feeling was gone completely. You had made the conscious decision not to walk into the first bar you found since that was where the rest of the band and crew were doubtlessly spending the evening. Instead you had walked a few blocks further down the street until you found a cozy looking Irish pub. You always had had a weakness for Irish pubs. This one, just as most others you had been in, had a homey atmosphere. The walls were made out of big stones, the counter made of dark wood that had been polished until it reflected the green fairy lights that were hanging from the shelves that were lined with different kind of whiskeys and other spirits. The tables and chairs were made out of the same dark wood as the counter and soft, dark green cushions made sitting a comfort. Even though it was summer , a warm fire burnt in the fireplace at the other side of the room. The owner of the pub was an elderly, roundish man with red cheeks, white hair and a friendly smile. He offered the two of you a table in the corner of the room, away from a loudly chatting group of young men.

Nicole had ordered a Guinness and you were sipping a dandelion lemonade (who knew these things existed) while you were snacking on the peanuts that the pub owner had placed on the table for both of you. It was a calm conversation, the nervousness from earlier was forgotten. You continued slipping compliments into the discussion, every time watching proudly how Nicole blushed a little and looked away, trying not to grin too brightly. Everything was working out wonderfully and you loved the buzz her company was giving you, the constant little butterflies that happily fluttered around your stomach. You were even holding her hand by now; she had made a stupid joke about herself and you had assured her that reality was far from what she just had said. You had taken the opportunity and placed your hand over hers that was resting on the table. For a moment you had been afraid she might pull away, but she had interlocked her fingers with yours instead, another hint of a blush creeping on her cheeks.

And then the door to the pub had jumped open and in had come a small crowd of ten people, all loudly laughing and cheering. At first it had not bothered you. They were just having fun. But then one of them started pointing into your direction. At first you had thought it would be fans of the band, who had been at the concert and recognized Nicole. But the truth was a little more upsetting than that.

After pointing to Nicole they quickly talked for a moment before they made their way over to where you were sitting.

“Nicole, is that you?” a tall man with ginger hair had asked. Nicole had turned around and you did not even have to see her face to know it was lighting up with a bright smile. She had jumped up and hugged the man, and then all the others as well, inviting them to sit with the two of you, before she introduced them. Apparently they were old friends of hers, people she had not seen in person for a few years. Everyone was absolutely delighted at that unexpected reunion, and you did not mind at first. You were happy for Nicole to have met some old friends of hers.

You should have realized that your peaceful evening alone with the beautiful girl opposite you was utterly destroyed, when one of her friends suggested to move to a bigger table so all of you could sit comfortable and not crowded around a small table in the corner. You were okay with that, curious to learn more about Nicole’s past, but then you ended up on the other end of the table, as far away from her as possible. You wanted to ask her friends to change places with you, but you did not find the courage. Also you had noticed that she had introduced you as a colleague, not as a friend or even date. You were a little hurt by that, since you considered her your friend, but she probably had a good reason for that. For a while it was a merry party, everyone was talking about what they had been up to since they last saw Nicole and you listened intently. But then the conversation got carried away to these people’s jobs, their families, their relationships and the latest gossip. No one ever made the slightest attempt of talking to you and you did not know what to contribute to the conversation either, since you were a complete stranger to all of them.

You took a look at the clock that hung over the door to the bathrooms. An hour had passed since Nicole’s friends had come in. They had ordered beer and whiskey, Nicole had ordered strawberry lemonade and you had decided on getting a second glass of the dandelion lemonade. You watched her as she was talking to her friends, trying to understand what they were talking about, but being separated from her by the several people between you made it almost impossible to hear what she was saying.

Time ticked by. You still watched her. In the beginning she had looked over at you a few times, but in the past hour she had not looked at you once. Slowly you started to get frustrated. It was okay for her to catch up with her friends, but this was supposed to be your evening. You wanted to impress her a little, flirt with her, make her blush. Instead she was eyeing the ginger man at her side. You tried to read their body languages. Did they have a fling in the past, was he maybe even her ex? Was she attracted to him? He sure as hell was attracted to her. Your frustration grew with each passing minute. If she had planned to spend the rest of the night with her friends, then why had she not told you, so you knew the ‘date’ was over? Was this even a date? You were pretty sure you had used the word ‘date’ when you had asked her out that afternoon. ‘Would you like to grab a drink after the show, you know just the two of us, as a date?’ You were pretty sure that this was what you had said, after all you had rehearsed this sentence hundreds of times in your head before saying it out loud. Maybe she had thought you were joking?

It was long past midnight and it had been over two hours that you had moved to the bigger table. Still nobody talked to you and Nicole seemed to have forgotten completely that you were there at all. You were upset, upset and sad and angry and jealous and disappointed and hurt all at once. You decided to give them another thirty minutes and if nothing changed, you would leave. Thirty minutes turned into forty-five and then into sixty before you finally pushed your chair back. You were shaking with suppressed anger but were trying not to show it.

You leant over the table and tried to shout for Nicole, but she did not hear you. You could not walk to her chair either, since she was sitting in the very corner, her friends shielding her from any contact you could have made.

“Hey, can you tell Nicole I’m leaving,” you asked the girl you had been sitting next to.

She nodded and poked her neighbor into the side, saying something to him and pointing to Nicole and then you. You also watched how the girl’s neighbor passed the message on, but then it was swallowed by the tipsy talk of some bearded guy. You gritted your teeth. Eventually Nicole would notice you were gone. And she would find her way back to the venue as well, since she had a smartphone, like everyone else.

You walked up to the counter and paid for the two drinks you had had, the pub owner shooting you an apologetic smile.

“Not the most successful of dates,” he asked, taking the money from you and putting it into the till.

“Not really,” you answered, taking another look at Nicole. She was so beautiful, her blond hair gently fell over her shoulder, her lips parted to a wide grin.

“Sorry for that, dear,” he answered and handed you the change, “maybe this makes your night a bit sweeter.”

You noticed that together with the change he had handed you a little lollipop. You smiled sadly and waved goodbye to the friendly man, then you stepped out of the door and into the night.

The street was deserted as you walked down towards the venue. You unwrapped the sweet and popped it into your mouth, lazily sucking it. It felt nice, the sweet taste of the candy replacing some of the bitterness you had gained towards the unlucky encounter in the bar, and you almost felt at peace when you walked past the bar where the rest of the crew had gone. For a moment you considered going inside and checking if they were still there, maybe to hang out with them, but you decided against it. After all you were still disappointed that this ‘date’, or however you want to call it, was not at all what you had imagined it would be like. Even though it had started out so nicely!

You were done with your lollipop and flicked the paper stick into a nearby dumpster when you suddenly heard hurried steps approaching you from behind.

“(Y/n), hey (y/n), wait!”

You turned around and watched as Nicole was running towards you. In the light of the street lantern you could see that her cheeks were reddened from the cool air and the running; her thin jacket hugged her frame perfectly.

“(y/n), I am so sorry,” she panted, stopping a few feet away from you.

“You met a few friends and wanted to catch up, that’s okay,” you answered. You wanted to sound sympathetic, but instead you sounded bitter and sarcastic. You also wanted to feel guilty at the sad expression that flickered over Nicole’s face, but you just felt satisfaction.

“I am so sorry,” she repeated. “I haven’t seen them in ages and… they really mean a lot to me. I know I should not have forgotten about you, and I am so sorry. Please, I know I have no right to ask that, but can we maybe try it again, go on another date? That is, if you still want to and I completely understand if you wouldn’t because I really messed up just now. I just wanted to go on this date with you so badly and I can’t believe it ended like this, and I totally understand that you are mad now, I just really like you and-“

You watched slightly amused how Nicole way waving around helplessly, trying to explain herself and apologizing in the same breath. Yes, maybe you were a little mad, but by far not as mad as she seemed to assume and after she had told you how badly she wanted to go on this date with you, you made a decision. With a few steps you were in front of her and cut of her nervous bubbling with a demanding kiss. She melted into you immediately, her hands wrapping around your neck as you pulled her into you, running your fingers up and down her spine.

When you pulled back a few moments later, a shy smile was playing around her lips.

“Second date sounds amazing,” you agreed, running your hand down her arm until your fingers wrapped around hers.

“Okay,” she mumbled, still slightly taken aback by your sudden kiss, but she smiled.

Hand in hand, giggling and laughing you made your way back to the venue, trying to memorize this eventful night.

[mockjesse]

100 important questions about jesse girard.

PART 1: THE BASICS

What is your full name?

jesse thomas girard

Where and when were you born?

i was born in wilmington, north carolina on october 1st, 1988.

Who are/were your parents? (Know their names, occupations, personalities, etc.)

hans girard ( my father) has owned his own pub since he first came to america in 1986. he’s hard working, emotionally distant, and very a man of few words. hans only speaks when he absolutely has to. frieda girard (my mother) managed finances at the pub and was a part owner of a gift shop downtown. she was also very emotionally distant, but she was much more outspoken than her husband. she passed away in september of 2017.

Do you have any siblings? What are/were they like?

N/A ( i’m an only child, thank god )

Where do you live now, and with whom? Describe the place and the person/people.

now i reside in los angeles ( ocean park ), on my own in a 501 sq ft. studio apartment. it’s pretty cozy, i don’t think i’d ever upgrade, i like the space i have. my favorite spot is my balcony.

What is your occupation?

director/producer for the hit television show, countenance

Write a full physical description of yourself. You might want to consider factors such as: height, weight, race, hair and eye color, style of dress, and any tattoos, scars, or distinguishing marks.

i’m 6′3, 196 pounds, with brown eyes and dark brown hair. i live in oversized sweaters and jeans, but sometimes i’ll venture out in a pair of sweats and a t shirt, that’s quite rare. not as rare as formal attire. i don’t think i own a suit but i have two nice button down shirts and one pair of navy slacks. i have a scar that stretches from the bottom of my belly button to my left pelvic bone from a sledding accident when i was nine. i have two tattoos that are very hidden. one on my right hip ( a dara celtic knot for my maternal grandmother, who was irish ) and a vacancy sign across the right side of my chest ( a drunken decision )

To which social class do you belong?

upper class.

Do you have any allergies, diseases, or other physical weaknesses?

shellfish allergy, and a few mental illnesses.

Are you right- or left-handed?

lefthanded

What does your voice sound like?

deep and often monotone. friends have observed that i sometimes use a german accent (much like my fathers) to refer to anything german or my heritage.

What words and/or phrases do you use very frequently?

“like”

“actually”

“literally”

“fuck you”

“don’t touch me”

“ok so”

“no”

“jesus fuck”

What do you have in your pockets?

loose change as always, my wallet, a pack of spearmint gum ( which i religiously chew ) and my keys.

Do you have any quirks, strange mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics?

i bite my nails down to a nub. it makes everyone crazy. i nibble at them until they bleed. i crack my knuckles when i’m nervous. sometimes i click my tongue when i’m trying to avoid saying something I’ll regret. when someone is talking to me at work, i may walk away halfway through the conversation to do something else, not because i’m bored but because i have so many things to do and if i don’t do it now, i’ll forget.

PART 2: GROWING UP

How would you describe your childhood in general?

it wasn’t easy growing up in my household. you developed thick skin very early on, and you learned to rely on yourself. there weren’t many warm and fuzzy moments, but they provided all of my essential needs such as food, water, and a roof over my head.

What is your earliest memory?

probably my fourth birthday party at mcdonalds. i hated clowns. it was hell. i swear ronald had it out for me.

How much schooling have you had?

i got my bachelors at university of north carolina at wilmington and my masters at nyu

Did you enjoy school?

absolutely. it was an escape for me. home life could be very discouraging, i could show up on campus, take a test, and suddenly i felt better.

Where did you learn most of your skills and other abilities?

i suppose my teachers and professors taught me most of what i know today.

While growing up, did you have any role models? If so, describe them.

my role models ended up being directors i idolized growing up. my favorites are stanley kubrick and alfred hitchcock. i suppose you can call them role models. i want what they have, i want to direct thrillers and leave the audience on the edge of their seats. i think they each value suspense and storytelling, and i do too.

While growing up, how did you get along with the other members of your family?

i did not get on very well with my parents. i think my uncles and aunts were easier to get along with, because they have become much more collectivist through the years. they gave me most of my affection in my childhood. my grandparents gave solid advice so i valued them too.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

at one point i wanted to be a police officer but most little boys do. that dream vanished quick, i think directing came at age eleven.

As a child, what were your favorite activities?

i liked to watch movies. i hated tv shows. i would turn on hbo or showtime and just watch movie after movie while my parents worked. i liked to skateboard as a teenager, and i also took up photography as a hobby during middle school and high school.

As a child, what kinds of personality traits did you display?

many people joked that i was a 40 year old man trapped in a 8 year old’s body. i was always very quiet, very observant. i never spoke unless spoken to, that was rare. i was very restless, i hated bullies. i would defend a kid i didn’t even know on the playground. i was suspended for many fights.

As a child, were you popular? Who were your friends, and what were they like? When and with whom was your first kiss?

not popular at all, i was too quiet. i had a few friends in middle school and one good one in high school. i did not open up to a lot of people, so i think a lot of people took that personal. my friends in middle school were always studious but goofy. we drifted apart when we went to different high schools. my best friend in high school was nick staffield, who was a lot like me. we were both quiet and distant but we had this mutual understanding that we didn’t need to know what the other person went home to. he had a pretty rough homelife too. so we would go to the cinema after class or stay behind after photography to look at our negatives. my first kiss with a girl was with annaleigh winslow, she was my first girlfriend. it was freshman year. she had to make all of the first moves because i was really unfamiliar with romance. my first kiss a guy was with nick, our senior year. it unfortunately was one of the reasons we lost touch.

Are you a virgin? If not, when and with whom did you lose your virginity?

not a virgin, no. i lost my virginity with a girl in college, freshman year. we hooked up at a party, i think her name was rachel. we didn’t do formalities. it was nice, and she didn’t expect much from me after, so i appreciated her. however, it set unusually high standards for hookups at parties. my first time with a guy was different. it was senior year of college and we went into it with no strings attached. he was some big jock so i went with it, i figured he wasn’t into relationships. but he also wouldn’t stop texting me afterwards. his name was alex, i think he has a fiancee now.

If you are a supernatural being (i.e. mage, werewolf, vampire), tell the story of how you became what you are or first learned of your own abilities. If you are just a normal human, describe any influences in your past that led you to do the things you do today.

PART 3: PAST INFLUENCES

What do you consider the most important event of your life so far?

i think my first table reading of countenance was surreal. it made me feel like it was all coming together. i feel bad, i made very few notes to the actors, but i think i was immersed, completely.

Who has had the most influence on you?

i would say my professors from tisch and uncw. their input, their criticism, and their teachings have pushed me to be where i am today.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

my greatest achievement was getting a second season of countenance. i honestly didn’t see it coming, but i’m a pessimist.

What is your greatest regret?

not saying goodbye to my mother before she passed.

What is the most evil thing you have ever done?

i don’t know if i’ve done anything evil but i did sleep with a married professor...

Do you have a criminal record of any kind?

just some minor tickets for drinking in college.

When was the time you were the most frightened?

i hate heights, so any time i have to go on a plane? i have a panic attack.

What is the most embarrassing thing ever to happen to you?

one time i stretched during a presentation in grad school and my shirt button popped off and everyone started laughing and i wanted to die.

If you could change one thing from your past, what would it be, and why?

i think i would open myself up more to people and relationships. it would have prepared me more.

What is your best memory?

i think when i got a call about a network picking up countenance. i was floored, i threw up.

What is your worst memory?

finding out my mother had passed away while i was filming.

PART 4: BELIEFS & OPINIONS

Are you basically optimistic or pessimistic?

pessimist.

What is your greatest fear?

i think complete failure scares me a lot... but loneliness keeps me up at night.

What are your religious views?

agnostic.

What are your political views?

liberal

What are your views on sex?

love it, but it comes with a lot of strings attached so i’ve been holding off.

Are you able to kill? Under what circumstances do you find killing to be acceptable or unacceptable?

nah i couldn’t kill. just seriously injure.

In your opinion, what is the most evil thing any human being could do?

i think levels of disrespect are what lead us to be evil. i won’t dwell on it or expand because it’ll anger me.

Do you believe in the existence of soul mates and/or true love?

no but i do believe in love.

What do you believe makes a successful life?

i think setting out to do what you want and then accomplishing some or most of it is pretty damn successful.

How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings (i.e. do you hide your true self from others, and in what way)?

i’m never honest. i hate telling others what’s on my mind, or how i’m feeling. it feels too personal, and it feels invasive. i’m selective about who i share with.

Do you have any biases or prejudices?

i think we all do. i was conditioned to, but i’m unlearning all of them.

Is there anything you absolutely refuse to do under any circumstances? Why do you refuse to do it?

i refuse to fucking sky dive because i don’t see the point of plummeting to your death and relying on a flimsy piece of cloth to save me ? no ? fuck that ? why do people like to fall out of the motherfucking sky?

Who or what, if anything, would you die for (or otherwise go to extremes for)?

uhh.. my friends. the few i have. if i form a close bond with someone, even if i don’t open up to them, i’d most likely take a bullet for them. i may be stoic but i’m a pile of mush inside.

PART 5: RELATIONSHIPS W/OTHERS

In general, how do you treat others (politely, rudely, by keeping them at a distance, etc.)? Does your treatment of them change depending on how well you know them, and if so, how?

i keep most people at a distance as a default. i don’t treat anyone poor unless they absolutely warrant it. i try to remain civil with everyone. with people i’m close with, my softer side is more common. i like to give them more of my personality to make up for my lack of affection or emotional availability.

Who is the most important person in your life, and why?

i’m not sure i have someone like that.

Who is the person you respect the most, and why?

*

Who are your friends? Do you have a best friend? Describe these people.

*

Do you have a spouse or significant other? If so, describe this person.

no spouse, no s/o. it’s complicated.

Have you ever been in love? If so, describe what happened.

no i haven’t but i have experienced spells of infatuation and it’s probably the worst thing i’ve ever dealt with in my life. who likes to feel all that shit at once? jesus, what a mess.

What do you look for in a potential lover?

i’d really like.. someone who understands me without any invasive questions. they won’t ask me for more than i can give. i’m so inexperienced in romance so my s/o would have to be patient with me. i guess beyond that? a nice smile.. yeah i’d like them to have a nice smile.

How close are you to your family?

not very. i do speak with my aunts sometimes, that’s about it.

Have you started your own family? If so, describe them. If not, do you want to? Why or why not?

no family, i’m not really sure if i’ll ever reach that point in my life. it sounds terrifying. i don’t think i’m qualified to take care of another human like that. it’s miraculous my fish have survived as long as they have.

Who would you turn to if you were in desperate need of help?

there’s some people in the crew and the cast that i might call if i absolutely had to. i really don’t like to rely on someone else, though.

Do you trust anyone to protect you? Who, and why?

not really.. i mean once again i feel like one person might come to mind but it’s.. yeah that’s dumb, sorry. we barely know each other so i’m overreacting.

If you died or went missing, who would miss you?

my goldfish would probably miss me, they wouldn’t be able to eat, after all.

Who is the person you despise the most, and why?

i don’t despise anyone. i dislike a few people. i think they all know who they are.

Do you tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict?

god i should avoid conflict but i don’t. i try to remain neutral unless i’m having a bad day, or if i feel like someone is being treated poorly. then the gloves come off.

Do you tend to take on leadership roles in social situations?

i hate doing it, but yeah. i think my job has taught me that the only way to succeed is to take a leadership role. it drains me, but the outcome is always rewarding.

Do you like interacting with large groups of people? Why or why not?

jesus fuck, no way. those convention panels shouldn’t exist. that’s my hell. i hate answering questions, especially personal ones. thank god, the business related questions are usually directed at me, while the personal ones are directed at my cast. otherwise i think i’d lose it.

Do you care what others think of you?

i think it depends on the person. i care what my family thinks. other than that.. not really.

PART 6: LIKES & DISLIKES

What is/are your favorite hobbies and pastimes?

i like photography and painting with watercolors. it helps with creativity so i never run dry. i get inspiration from the smallest thing, so it keeps me fresh.

What is your most treasured possession?

my projector or my laptop. i love technology so much, i wish i had something more meaningful but that’s what comes to mind.

What is your favorite color?

navy or olive.

What is your favorite food?

grilled cheese. i think i eat it more than i should.

What, if anything, do you like to read?

i think i just thumb through the classics, the most. steinbeck is my favorite author, sometimes i’ll read thoreau.

What is your idea of good entertainment (consider music, movies, art, etc.)?

a movie with beautiful cinematography, a song with a symphony or large instrumental accompany, or a mini series.

Do you smoke, drink, or use drugs? If so, why? Do you want to quit?

i think if you drew blood from me, half of it would actually be red wine. i love red wine. i drink a glass or two every night. i used to smoke cigarettes... i’ll smoke one after sex because i’m a walking cliche. i hate drugs for the most part. they never give me the thrill people claim to have when they take them. to me it’s a waste of time when you could have a better night with a bottle of cabernet.

How do you spend a typical Saturday night?

usually i’ll put a movie on my projector and i’ll pretend to start a book, but then i’ll just watch a tv show or something.

What makes you laugh?

i actually love certain vines. cute animal vines have a place in my stony heart.

What, if anything, shocks or offends you?

rain ponchos are fucking atrocious.

What would you do if you had insomnia and had to find something to do to amuse yourself?

i usually get up and paint or i’ll sit outside on my balcony and people watch with a cup of coffee. usually everyone’s drunk, so what more could you ask for?

How do you deal with stress?

i stress clean. or i stew about it until i can nap.

Are you spontaneous, or do you always need to have a plan?

planning is sexy. a top ten turn on for me.

What are your pet peeves?

well there’s a special place in hell for anyone who doesn’t use a fucking turn signal when switching lanes.

PART 7: SELF IMAGES & OTHER

Describe the routine of a normal day for you. How do you feel when this routine is disrupted?

usually i get up, grab a cup of coffee and a granola bar and head to work. if i wake up late and forget the granola bar or coffee, my coworkers are in trouble.

What is your greatest strength as a person?

i think my determination and organization. i believe that’s how i got my own show at a young age like this

What is your greatest weakness?

my inability to relate to people or my emotional capacity. it’s just low and i think i really miss out on a lot because of it.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

i think i’d be more open with my friends. tell them more about myself.

Are you generally introverted or extroverted?

introverted.

Are you generally organized or messy?

organized.

Name three things you consider yourself to be very good at, and three things you consider yourself to be very bad at.

three things i’m good at: my job, anything requiring creativity, & organization

three things i’m bad at: anything with hand eye coordination, staying in my lane, & responsibility.

Do you like yourself?

this is a loaded question. i like traits about myself. overall there’s a lot i’d change.

What are your reasons for being an adventurer (or doing the strange and heroic things that RPG characters do)? Are your real reasons for doing this different than the ones you tell people in public? (If so, detail both sets of reasons…

What goal do you most want to accomplish in your lifetime?

i would love one oscar, at least. i feel like i could easily retire with one (1) oscar.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

hopefully still at countenance, maybe wrapping it up and venturing into movies.

If you could choose, how would you want to die?

in my sleep. please @ god or something.

If you knew you were going to die in 24 hours, name three things you would do in the time you had left.

travel is always on my bucket list but that’s hard in 24 hours. i think i’d make a lot of phone calls and say stuff to people that i couldn’t say right now. i would want everyone to know exactly how i feel about them. i’d probably eat a whole bowl of cookie dough because you gotta go out in a blaze of glory. and then maybe i’d have sex one last time because it’s been awhile...

What is the one thing for which you would most like to be remembered after your death?

hopefully, my accomplishments on screen. i know i can also be difficult on set... but i’d like my cast and crew to think of me in a positive light... maybe have an impact on them too.

What three words best describe your personality?

witty, tempestuous, & protective.

What three words would others probably use to describe you?

stoic, tempestuous, & enigmatic.

If you could, what advice would you, the player, give to your character? (You might even want to speak as if he or she were sitting right here in front of you, and use proper tone so he or she might heed your advice…)

ooc; honestly jesse ?! if you spent half your time telling others how you really felt, you’d solve 99.9% of your problems. it’s so hard to open up, but you’re missing out on life by holding everyone at an arms length, man !! please just @ people next time ? jesus christ dude.

[fireflythecinnamonjollyrancher]

hello it is once again time for my end of the year wrap up. this should be... interesting

january

finally finally got to have a happy apartment experience!!!!! tried out tea drops which are dope. there was a fair amount of stress revolving around APO induction and the musical rehearsal, but we made it!!! partied hardy (the infamous tess in the washing machine incident) kelli was watching always sunny more often than not. i wore some arguably bad clothing but ya know. gays. we tried to take off my closet door (it did NOT work). the beginning of the goose saga! there was a sleet storm so kelli and i made some popcorn and watched mike birbiglia’s new special. darci, kelli and i went out to eat and then ended up in babcock playing air hockey before watching videos with kai who was on duty. PEP BAND???? some good memories formed there. dogs in the library! got bullied by my library boss to put gas in my car and i sent her a video of proof that i did it “daddy long legs” “stop. what?” “the musical” (i do love timothy) i actually practiced my instrument lol wild. WE (becky, celeste, timothy and i) WATCHED SPIRIT and got wildly drunk -- the origin of “[redacted] [redacted] who???” which is my favorite joke.

february

MORE PEP BAND im actually really glad i spent my last few college months dicking around with the band. one man drumline!!! kai made some good tiktoks in our apartment! miss hanging with them it was really fun. oh i hung out with sam and celeste watching movies “he was a boy, she was a dolphin, can i make it anymore [strangled dolphin noises]” OUR MICROWAVE HANDLE BROKE OFF while kelli was gone man that entire apartment was falling apart (hey dumbass grab from top) -- a list of things that were broken in our apartment: fridge light, front entry light, showerhead, phone. the birth of the beans insta!!!! got hit on when i was at taco bell with timothy by being accused of being trans (taco bell guy was not far off to be fair). oh the improv posters as compared to the posters i built for an organization fair. went out and got daRUNK at what appears to be wandas. really struggled with my period. cut hair with kelli n darci. MOZZ STICKS. “you still a lil bitch???” oh we did kpy pal-entines!!! where we ate good food and watched the princess bride!!! i received the plush goose. there was a possible bombing at the bank next door to where we rehearsed for band. aw i went on a tommy’s date with becky that was cute. they tried to STEAL the QUESO. disagreed with a curb and still have those scars. worked a horrible gig at the theatre. closing shifts at the library baby! middle school tours EW more library dogs! fish hooks song oh my god. drunk mash nights!!! i rewatched HAVEN and had lots of feelings. actually got drunk alone a lot which was Bad. however michael malloys birthday! watched choir concert at work lol. stats final whilst drunk!!!! becky got a piercing

march

here things go downhill rapidly. hit up the trains at least once. oh late library nights with timothy!!!! the best nights i miss hanging with him while at work. struggled with my car. went on a college sponsored adventure to a back alley farm. SCURVY FEARS. opening shifts that were lonely. oh celeste played plague and named it covid and won lol yikes. the infamous apartment cone. we stayed up long enough to see the sunrise on literally the last day in college I would ever have. that was good. I FOUND OUT KELLI HAD GLASSES im still pissed. came home indefinitely. went to st patty’s day at brookes with karrigan and that was SO much fun (this was before things seemed real) the best part of that was the irish pub owner who happened to have a son that went to my college. got my mom onto tik tok. took a gay lit class. can’t believe i took daily fckn walks around the pasture who was i. hosted virtual meetings for apo and played around with the closed captioning. that was fun. shaved my moms head lmaooo. worked on my capstone which im like super proud of? i wish i could have directed it but say law vee. 

april

BAGPIPE CORPS INTERNATIONAL. virtual band wreaked havoc on my animals mental health. my grandmother would always bug me while i was working which i understand now was misplaced love but it was so irritating at the time. we had library meetings once a week or so that was vital to mental health. hosted a really fun “panel” about queer identity for my queer lit class that was able to educate a lot of people. having a capstone class with am*lia was a nightmare. watched a cirque du soleil show for free and lost my mind. wrote a comedic monologue that i suffered through. suffered through papers and projects. worked on a project with celeste and kelli and we had SUCH a good time. i hosted several jackbox nights for both apo and kpy. that was SUCH an exhausting experience. also uno and drawful with the uno group (kelli would win 100% of the time). ranted about group projects lol i struggled. OH THE MOVE OUT DEBACLE i really went off the deep end. kelli’s virtual birthday!!!!

may

we had so many good jackbox nights. academic showcase and honors convocation happened wherein i was name bronco award winner and that really wrecked me too lol. we had a sunday crew hang out for library workers. clarinet game night too! i tried so hard to build community during covid and im not altogether sure i accomplished it but ya know whatever. watsky broke the record! made my “aced it” grad cap which was so FUNNY and still is tbh. becky taught me how to do makeup. took grad pictures at an abandoned farmhouse lol OH MY GOSH BEAUX ARTS AND APO SKIT i was so proud of that night and annette said it was the best one we’d ever had. wish i had done more but we did it boys. also got VERY drunk for it lol completely redid my room. bc it was NASTY. the way i write papers is so SO funny to me. had our last capstones class and then dressed in grad outfits for our last lit meeting . graduated and got all my stuff from college finally. went shopping with timothy, had el puerto with becky (i think?). oh the infamous miller moths UGH shit is nasty. THE FORMING OF BANJO SHRIMPS occurred on may 24 2020 and that was the absolute best thing to come out of this year. started working at my dads agency which was the absolute worst thing to come out of this year. attended my first protest in cos which was good and healthy. started protesting regularly after that. my most poignant memory was laying down in front of city hall and chanting “i cant breathe” for 8 minutes. 

june

it snowed???? i was angry. part of my job was reading my dad’s email and there was some WACKO shit in there. went to brookes for pride as a surprise which was cute n fun. had a horrible interaction with a client. the appearance of the bigfoot statue!!!! we had a vanilla beans hang out. there was a WILD storm that literally made my hide out in the office. 

july

went on a bonkers rant about america bc fuck this place. helped mom out with homework. we had several clients get divorces which was messy. went to a Bad party where i was angry the whole time. went to the top of pikes peak with my grandma and saw many much bigfoot things. we got a GOOSE he hated us so much. oh there was a night where darci and kai came over and we hijacked kelli’s spotify and communicated that way it was SO funny. took a video of the dichotomy of man bc of my long ass leg hair and short ass head hair. shaved my head to the BONE and tried dragon fruit. GOT NIKO ON JULY 24 my sweet sweet boy lil bat looking motherfucker. got denied for life insurance for mental health reasons. 

august

went back to hc for a birthday “party” and to see the band. did a lot in that weekend (stayed with timothy’s family, helped becky move, met kelli’s look-alike, saw timothy and karlie’s new house!!! had lunch with kellis family which is closest to “meet my parents” i think i’ll ever get lmao). got my prof headshots and hate every single one of them but more for self esteem reasons lol. neighbors got goats and my mom lost her marbles. got trapped in traffic on the way back from hc. niko had crackhead energy. oooooooh documented gender crisis. ma got more chickens. went to a birthday party for a high school friend and was just... so out of my element. its weird. took off my grandma’s bathroom door bc she had knee surgery. started a full time job as my grandmother’s caretaker (love working for the family business lol).

september

went to breckenridge with a friend!!!!!! spicy times lol. cleaned the cupboard. had a birf. turned 22. cas finished her drugs!!!! and felt much better. we did a charcuterie board for my birthday which was very fun. Got a mixer set!!! went to hc for homecoming and graduated!!!!! surprised celeste and hannah with a celebration party for them (it was a lot of fun). came up with my BEST joke (summa cum laude). got called tf out for my gender crisis via tarot. got the goose game!!!! played the goose game!!!!

october

applied to chicago center!!!! will now be working there for a year!!!! this was the first documentation of banjo shrimp nights. surprised my dad for boss day by working with the team to fill his office with balloons. house sat for dad’s friends. started taking showers in the dark. went to celestes and made PASTA wow got very drunk and while she slept i just explored a strangers house. voted!!!!! wow. finally (finally) started to accept that i was maybe agender. had a snow day but i couldn’t work so that was fun. had halloween with banjo shrimps where i dressed up as david rose. that was SUCH a good night. participated in ace week!!! then, dressed as radar for actual halloween and had monumental. worked a volunteer haunted house and like... actually did pretty good?? felt like a real adult!!!!

november

so many things happened in november. i finished miraculous ladybug on netflix. had another bad interaction with a client bc the customer is always wrong. shaved my head. PRESENTATION NIGHT to distract from the election lmao what a good time. had so many emotions about the election. then biden won and we lost our damn minds -- video called with celeste and becky to celebrate (with the reminder that we know that this doesn’t solve everything but it was such a huge sigh of relief). started watching the last kids on earth. made more PASTA and soup! got my GHOSTY TATTOO. kahoot night with the banjo shrimps lol. watched the supernatural finale with kelli (what good memories) rewatched 3below good shit. got the chicago job so i quit being an insurance person!!!! brooke came for thanksgiving!!!

december

i dont wanna talk about it but i finally started watching unus annus (theres an archive its not the same but it provided me wild amounts of serotonin). “call that invisible split dye”. crimmus. had a video call with people from high school i rarely if ever see. this entire month has been a fuckin blur my guys but i’m so excited for what’s next. in two days i will be in an apartment in chicago. i will be reunited with my best friend in a little under two weeks. i cannot emphasize enough how excited i am for this next chapter. so yeah. that was my year. im sure there was more memories but that’s what the sideblog is for lol

[bradsbassguide-blog]

12 Interesting Facts About Guitar -- The Big, The Small and the Weird!

Whether you're writing a quiz, you wish to impress your buddies, or simply have an insatiable fascination with guitar, a fantastic fact always goes very well. That is precisely why we've compiled 12 of the most intriguing facts in the world of guitar -- the largest, the smallest and also the strangest!

#1 -- The First Guitar was Created in Ancient Egypt Well... in some senses it was, even though the guitar-like tool created 3,500 decades ago (today, that is a classic guitar!) Is a far cry from the guitars we perform now.

It belonged to some singer of this time called Har-Mose and has been created from polished cedar using a rawhide soundboard, featured three strings, and even had a plectrum apparatus connected to the instrument by means of a chord. This fascinating guitar heirloom is on display in the Archaeological Museum at Cairo.

#2 -- The World's Biggest Guitar is 13 Meters Long... That is correct -- that the world's biggest guitar, accredited by the Guinness Book of World Records, is over 13 meters long (roughly 43ft). That is about the length of a bus! Even more impressively, it's more than only a version -- it is really a useful instrument, with every series delivering the appropriate pitch.

The guitar, that was created at the Academy of Science and Technology at Texas, weighed a whopping 2,255pounds (only over 1,000kgs), required nearly a year to construct, featured airplane cable for strings, and has been at the iconic form of a Gibson Flying V.

#3 --...and also the Shortest is Just 10 Microns! If you don't have especially nimble fingers, you will not have the ability to play with this guitar, that comes in at 1/100,000 of a meter long (approximately the size of one cell).

Produced by researchers at Cornell University in New York, the double-cutaway design guitar really needed strings capable of being strummed (by expert equipment( of course ), even though the frequencies are so large they're inaudible to the human ear.

#4 -- The Most Expensive Guitar Ever Sold for $2.8million Made by Fender, the genuinely one-of-a-kind'Reach Out To Asia' Stratocaster was offered at auction to raise cash for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

Though the white Strat itself is rumored to have price Fender approximately $20,000 to make, the last cost reached millions on account of this original'decoration'. This arrived in the kind of signatures throughout the head by 19 guitar icons. These included Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Brian May, Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Pete Townsend, Paul McCartney, Sting and Bryan Adams (who guessed that the Reach Out to Asia job ), among other legends!

#5 -- Gibson Made the Most Luxurious Guitar of All Time Though the Fender Strat we cite previously was invaluable on account of the group of signatures that were iconic, in 2015, Gibson introduced a guitar worth almost as much as a result of extravagant materials used to decorate it.

Working in combination with jewelry designer Aaron Shum, also designer and musician Mark Lui, Gibson's invention -- dubbed the'Eden of Coronet' -- is a snowy SG comprising more than 400 diamonds along with approximately 1.6kg of 18k gold. Put us down to five of these!

#6 -- Somebody Once Played Guitar for Four-and-a-Half-Days

In 2011, Irish guitarist Dave Browne put a new world record for the maximum guitar session . The gifted guitarist played nonstop for 114 hours, 6 minutes and 30 seconds, between 12 and 17 June.

The mega session happened in the renowned Temple Bar Pub in Dublin, Ireland (which stayed open for the length of the gig) and Dave had fractures of no longer than 30 minutes between songs. On a guitar given by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dave played with a total of 1,372 tunes, finishing with all the U2 classic,'With or Without You'.

#7 -- A Man Once Married His Stratocaster Back in 2001 a British celebrity, Chris Black, fell so madly in love with his red Fender Strat -- known by the title'Brenda the Fenda' -- he wed it, after 35 decades of'dating'. The service was held at a church in London and has been officiated by a buddy.

The guitar was his next'wife', as Chris was married into a human girl in the moment. Never taking himself too badly, Chris explained,'It was only for a bit of fun, to help cheer people up.'

#8 -- David Gilmour Owns Stratocaster #0001... The British guitarist possesses the Fender Strat using all the jaw-dropping serial number. This notable Strat comes with a white finish, a golden pickguard, three single-coil pickups plus also a rare three-way selector switch.

But to burst the bubble marginally, it's agreed that David Gilmour's Strat is much more probably a showpiece than the initial real production model (see below). Regardless, it is 1 hell of a iconic strand!

#9 -- ...Although Only George Gruhn Knows Who Owns the First Stratocaster While David Gilmour possesses the Strat using the trendiest serial number, the first-ever Stratocaster (that really arrived together with the serial number of #0100) has been marketed by George Gruhn's classic guitar shop in Tennessee to get a staggering $250,000.

George sold the sunburst-finished Strat -- that was created in April 1954 -- in 2014, even though the present owner stays anonymous. He has shown is that the owner isn't a professional musician and they reside in the United States. And they're quite blessed.

#10 -- Ibanez Added the 7th and 8th Strings

Though other manufacturers, such as Fender, was growing guitars with additional strings, it had been Ibanez who became the first manufacturer to mass-produce guitars using seven strings (introduced in 1990) and eight strings (coming in 2007).

The 7-string guitar was initially going to have a really high A series rather than the low B string we all understand now. Happily -- particularly for the area of metal -- it moved the ideal way!

#11 -- There's a Dramatic Story Behind B.B. King's Lucille B.B. King famously called his guitars Lucille. The reason? 1 day, while playing in a dance in Arkansas, two men started fighting over a girl. The end result of this has been a barrel of kerosene being pumped, resulting in a fire that flipped the dance hall in an inferno.

Once out, King realised he'd left his precious Gibson indoors, so reunite into rescue it. This morning, he christened his guitar'Lucille', which had been the title of the girl that prompted the struggle. That was, because the fantastic man himself ,'to remind me never to do a thing like that again.'

#12 -- Michael Angelo Batio Owns a Quad Guitar Among the fastest guitarists on the planet, Michael Angelo Batio, is famed because of his dual guitar, but did you understand he was the first to have a custom-made quad guitar?

The exceptional guitar -- comprising two 6-string necks and 2 7-string necks -- has been assembled by Wayne Charvel in Gibson and employed for the Royal in the movie for Nitro's'Freight Train' (see below). On the other hand, the rotor had been stolen during a show in El Paso shortly after. Happily MAB was finally grappling with the guitar however, since the shredder himself clarified,'Years later, we found [the guitar] in England and I had to buy back my own guitar for #1,500!'

[randomconnections]

2017 Gallabrae

NOTE: I’m running a bit behind with the blog posts and I’m trying to catch up. This was from last weekend. Also, this is the first post since making some changes to the site, so I’m hoping this goes smoothly.

The Scots were back in town! That meant parades, weird music, weird athletics, and even weirder food. This year we participated in the Great Scots Parade, as we usually do with the Upstate Minis, and I made the Saturday trek up to Furman to see the games.

Great Scots Parade

The activities started Friday afternoon with the Great Scots Parade through downtown Greenville. As we have done in the past, we joined the Upstate Minis to bring up the rear of the parade. This time, however, there was a twist. Joining us in the Mini would be my sister, Glynda, and our great niece and nephew Olivia and Ethan.

For this parade most of the Mini owners decorate their cars with tartans and other Scottish accouterments.

Usually we don’t, but this year Laura wanted to decorate, so she brought flowers to festoon the back of our car.

While Olivia put flowers in her hair, Ethan had his own ideas about decorating for the parade.

It was a long wait for the kids until parade time. They watched as folks in kilts and various other costumes walked by. One of the problems with being in a parade is that you don’t get to see all of the other stuff.

Just before the kids went too stir crazy it was time to load up and line up for the parade. Somehow we managed to fit all five of us in the Mini.

Ethan loved the parade. He waved at everyone, and even greeted folks from his school. Olivia was a bit more…reserved. We had to coax her to wave at everyone. Both kids loved the parade, though, and it was great having them with us.

Furman Scottish Games

This year I had a goal. I wanted to spend as much time listening to music as possible. It really didn’t matter to me if I saw any of the athletics or other competitions. I had seen that they were having a “Celtic Happy Hour” at 5:30. My plan was to go over early and listen a bit, then maybe come back later for the 5:30 event.

I arrived about mid-morning and there was already a crowd gathering. I stopped by the British Car Show to see my friend at Upstate Minis. I also had to drool over the other cars, too. Rolls Royce was the featured brand this year.

Laura had been able to get me a ticket ahead of time, so I was able to skip the line and walk on in. I could hear piping competitions and athletics on the field, but my first stop was at the vendors. There were tartans of all stripes, so to speak, and enough stuff to turn anyone into a Scot, or at least make them look like one.

One tent had Bodhrans. I’ve been wanting one since I’ve gotten on this percussion kick, and thought at least one of the vendors might have something like this. Alas, they were made of plastic and had some tacky Irish designs on them. Plus, they were far too expensive. I decided it could wait. I also decided to pass on the Utilikilts.

This year, as in the past, there was lots of merchandise aimed at the “fantasy Scot.” This is just another form of cosplay, but with a William Wallace/Braveheart bent to it.

I took a quick turn through the clan tents. In the past I’ve always checked in with the Cameron Clan, which is supposedly my clan by virtue of “Taylor” being a sept of that group. However, the last time I was here they were no-shows, and this year there was also no one from the Camerons. I have no clue why.

What I discovered was that I could claim kinship with probably a dozen of the different clans through other ancestor surnames. For example, courtesy of my great-grandfather Nathaniel Calloway Todd, I could claim membership in either the Gordon or McTavish Clan. Other family surnames put us with the McGregor, Lamont, and McPherson Clans.

At 11:30 on the main field there was a Memorial Day tribute to Armed Forces, complete with paratroopers and mass pipe bands. There was also a flyover featuring vintage WWII aircraft, once in a delta formation and then in the “Missing Man” formation.

After the salute the games began again. I watched a couple of caber tosses, but didn’t stick around.

It’s been 30 years since I’ve been to Scotland. I ate some weird things ��� blood sausage, strange hamburgers, etc., but I never tried any haggis. I decided to give it a shot today. I found a vendor that didn’t look too crowded and got a haggis pocket. It was…interesting. I don’t think it will be one of my favorites, but at least I didn’t wretch.

I actually had that before the military tribute. Afterwards I was still in the mood for something, so I found another vendor and got a sampler plate that had Scottish BBQ (pulled pork that seemed no different from what we have around here), shepherd’s pie, and haggis. By itself the haggis wasn’t so great, but it was OK when mixed with the other two.

Finally I got around to the music. I entered the tent as the band Cleghorn was getting started. Basically it was a heavy metal band with bagpipes and fiddle. The standard uniform seemed to be black tank top and kilt – for band members and groupies alike. And, yes, there were groupies.

I had a beer and listened to them for awhile. Crowds under the tent began to gather. After a brief break the group Barleyjuice came on stage. This was an odd line-up featuring bagpipes and three drums. Yeah, they also wore black tank tops and kilts.

I have to confess. I was disappointed in the music, and tired of the self-absorbed theatrics quickly. It all seemed over the top. I guess I was hoping for something more along the lines of what I’d heard in the pubs in Ireland. The musicians were quite talented, no doubt. It just took on an air of staged silliness that wore thin very quickly.

Back in our early years together Laura and I attended the Black Mountain Music Festival. The featured group was Rare Aire, and they struck us the same way – over the top and full of self-importance. The other close analogy is from the movie Serendipity, and the character played by John Corbett – the shanai-playing new age musician. Ugh.

Oh well…

I decided that the Celtic Happy Hour would just be more of the same, and that I’d probably had enough. I called it a day and headed on home.

I enjoyed the Scottish Games, and will probably be back in the parade next time we can join them, and will probably be back to listen to more music. It’s just that a little can go a long way. So in 2019 when we’re back in town, I might have recovered enough to enjoy it again.

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