#the number of people who need rides from my hometown to the airport (which is FARTHER AWAY than my place) is insane

[elprupneerg]

It’s very funny how my presence at family functions is treated as a requirement, yet my need for help actually getting there is treated as a burden. If I don’t go I’m a horrible selfish monster. If I do go I’m a horrible selfish monster. No way to fucking win

[londonspirit]

After the pandemic delayed its highly-anticipated release, the In the Heights movie is finally coming to very thirsty fans this Friday - and, to make the premiere even better, a special behind-the-scenes look at the movie is hitting bookshelves. In the Heights: Finding Home is a joint venture with Lin-Manuel Miranda, screenwriter Quiara Alegría Hudes, and Jeremy McCarter - it combines never-before-seen photos and oral history style-storytelling to take readers onto the Washington Heights set, spilling all sorts of filming secrets. Here, in an exclusive excerpt, read along as the cast battles record heat to complete the "Carnaval del Barrio" number.

Washington Heights is dense enough, and lively enough, to offer a distilled version of the New York paradox: Life is a nerve-fraying ordeal that you miss terribly as soon as it's gone. (According to local custom, people don't just double-park here, they triple-park.) Everybody knew that shooting a movie there would be difficult and expensive. But Jon [M. Chu, the director,] couldn't imagine doing it any other way.

For all of its fantastical touches-what Jon calls its "sing-to-the-stars-y" energy-Heights has always drawn power from its realism, a depiction of life as it's actually lived. The sweet spot for the movie, Jon felt, would be offering "a very truthful take on living in Washington Heights, then upping it."

In other words: No matter how fraught the process might be, the cast, the crew, and all of their gear-up to and including their fake sun in the sky-were going to spend the summer of 2019 in Washington Heights.

"The essence of a movie dictates where you shoot it," explains Kevin McCormick, a Warner Bros. executive who was integral to Heights. "And there's no way you could not have made this in Washington Heights. To have a movie about this community and not film there would be such a lost opportunity."

The first thing they did there was listen. Members of the production team, particularly Samson Jacobson, the location manager (born and raised in the area-a definite plus), and Karla Sayles, the director of public affairs at Warner Bros., met with community leaders to field questions and respond to concerns. Once again, Luis Miranda was a vital resource, drawing on relationships he had built over decades to make introductions.

The producers vowed to do all they could to limit the physical footprint of the shoot. Cast members shared trailers that they might otherwise have kept to themselves. The production hired people from the neighborhood for roles onscreen and off. Instead of catering every meal, they encouraged actors and crew to buy lunch in area restaurants. They even funded a student production of the show at George Washington high school.

What you see onscreen is a two-hour-and-fourteen-minute record of movie professionals falling in love with a place and its people. They arrived uptown to discover that Washington Heights really was different from most places in New York. Locals opened the hydrants on hot afternoons and played dominoes on the sidewalks. The piragüeros really did park their carts on the sidewalk to hawk their flavors of the day. The fascination seemed to be mutual: Actors got used to seeing whole families-little kids and their abuelitas-watching from their stoops at any time of the day or night.

Which is not to say that it came easily.

To Alice Brooks, the director of photography, the weather problems were "insane." If a storm popped up on the radar anywhere nearby, they had to suspend production. This happened with schedule-wrecking regularity. They expected to be free of such interruptions when they went underground to shoot "Paciencia y Fe" on the subway. Instead, they experienced a torment familiar to every New Yorker but with a twist: They weren't waiting for the train to appear so they could ride it to work, they just needed the garbage train to pass by so they could go back to shooting their movie.

The need to solve the endless riddles of New York filmmaking had led the producers to add Anthony Bregman to the team. At this point, he reckons, he's filmed in just about every corner of his hometown, always looking for ways to capture the authentic look and feel of a place-even when the movie is surreal. (He produced Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a valuable point of reference for the reality-bending frame of Quiara's screenplay.) So he wasn't especially rattled when, on the night they filmed "Alabanza," a nearby building caught fire, or when, on another night, gunshots rang out nearby.

"You want the life of the city?" Anthony asks. "The life of the city is complicated."

The production lost valuable shooting time on both of those nights. They found ways to make it up later. But other days offered no second chances. Anthony remembers looking at the calendar before summer began, getting a feel for what lay ahead. Some days seemed manageable; some days seemed tough. Then there was "Carnaval del Barrio."

"That day," he says, "was impossible."

What turned out to be a defining episode in the whole long history of In the Heights almost didn't happen at all. Many a movie executive had suggested over the years that there wasn't enough plot in "Carnaval del Barrio" to justify a song that was very long and very crowded, which made it very expensive. But the song's power doesn't come from the plot, it comes from the theme. The characters rally one another's spirits amid a citywide blackout. They raise their flags and celebrate their heritage-and their humanity-in defiance of every force telling them not to.

That community-fortifying aspect of the song is "essentially the DNA of In the Heights for me," Quiara says. Beneath the joy, there's a legacy of struggle and resilience. " 'Carnaval' unearths that history. All we have is our fight to be here together, the testimony to our spirit."

To help ensure that the number would remain in the movie, she hooked it into the plot more securely, situating it as a farewell number for the salon ladies, who have been priced out of the neighborhood. But the budget wasn't the only limiting factor. "Carnaval" is unique in requiring virtually every member of the cast to be present at the same time.

The actors' complicated schedules meant that Jon wouldn't get all the filming days he wanted. He would get only one.

Which meant it was time for the hard, slow, unglamorous legwork of moviemaking: planning, organizing, rehearsing, designing, equipping, and rehearsing some more-months of it, all to give themselves the best possible chance to "make the day," to film the whole gigantic number in the time available.

In the world of making movies, "day" is a flexible unit of time, especially for a scene that would be filmed outdoors- in this case, a courtyard between two apartment buildings around the corner from where Lin went to preschool. They scheduled the shoot for a Monday, when union rules would let them start the earliest. And they picked June 24, one of the longest days of the year.

They didn't realize it would also be one of the hottest.

The song would be filmed more or less in order. Which meant that for the production, as for the characters, the salon ladies would lead the way.

Some of the movie's actors were new to musicals. Not Daphne Rubin-Vega, who plays Daniela. When Rent blew the mind of seventeen-year-old Lin-Manuel Miranda, she was onstage, playing Mimi. But when she arrived for hair and makeup on "Carnaval" day-at 4:30 in the morning-even she was feeling nerves. The uneven concrete floor of the courtyard wasn't like where they had rehearsed. The prospect of filming a seven-page song before nightfall seemed crazy.

She began to hear a voice of doubt in her brain, one that's encoded in a specific ugly memory. After wrapping her first film, she had gone to the airport to fly home to New York and mentioned to the woman at the ticket counter that she had just acted in a movie.

"That's funny," said the woman, who Daphne believes to have been Latina like herself. "You don't look like an actress."

Worries about how they looked, questions about what they were wearing, a general feeling of negativity-Dascha Polanco was feeling them, too. She always loved arriving on set to play Cuca, one of Daniela's fellow salon ladies, because it felt so much like coming home. She was born in the Dominican Republic and while growing up in Brooklyn used to make frequent trips to the Heights with her friends. ("Washington Heights is a small Dominican Republic," she explains.) Now she, too, wondered if she belonged. Am I capable of remembering the steps? she asked herself.

She decided to stop those doubts-for herself and the other salon ladies. She grabbed the hands of Daphne and Stephanie Beatriz, who played Carla, and formed the women into a profane prayer circle.

"Shake that s--- off," she told them. "I'm not going to let anyone or anything interfere with my performance today."

Daphne laughs as she tells the story. "She was so hilarious and said we were going to protect each other from that insecurity. That was such a beautiful thing-going in there with that determination to represent."

By 5:30 A.M., when the sun rose over Queens, sixty dancers had arrived. Christopher Scott, the film's choreographer, tried to prepare them for what was coming, backed by his full team of associate choreographers: Emilio Dosal, Ebony Williams, and Dana Wilson, as well as associate Latin choreographer Eddie Torres, Jr., and assistant Latin choreographer Princess Serrano. By six A.M., dozens of crew members had joined them, making the thousand careful adjustments needed to help a movie look spontaneous.

It was almost nine A.M. by the time Jon called "Action." The cameras started rolling, Daphne started singing, and the clock kept ticking.

Arrange the actors, position the cameras, do a take, reset everybody, do it again. As the sun climbed higher that morning, the temperature rose to what one crew member estimated to be nine hundred degrees. Look closely-see the sweat on people's bodies? Most of it didn't come from the makeup department. But there wasn't time for extra breaks to cool off.

"Please be quiet," a voice on the loudspeaker boomed at one point. "We gotta go."

At one point that morning, Jimmy Smits got his turn to shine. Playing Kevin Rosario wasn't his first Height experience. He had seen the show Off-Broadway and been "blown away" by it, he says. He had offered to help in any way he could, eventually recording a radio ad for the show.

His devotion to Heights carried into rehearsals for the film. As they got underway, he told Chris Scott and the choreography team, "I know I'm playing the dad, but the last thing I want to see is myself in the background, just waving my hands. I want to go all in." They obliged him. He sometimes hobbled home from the dance studio to ice himself for hours.

His payoff came on "Carnaval" day. He had a featured moment in the song: an intricate, whirling combination. The cast and crew watched him do it again and again, cheering him on. He could feel "a lightning bolt of energy" around the set, something he'd experienced only rarely in his long career.

Over the applause after one take, a voice rang out, ricocheting off the walls: "That s--- was crazy! For our ancestors!" It was Anthony Ramos. He, too, had a long history with Heights, but it wasn't as happy as Jimmy's.

Very early in his career, he had tried to get cast as Sonny on the show's national tour. It meant taking a bus into Manhattan from a gig he was doing in New Jersey, going through round after round of auditions. At last he made it to the big moment: a callback in front of Tommy Kail, Alex Lacamoire, and Lin himself.

He gave the song everything he had. He didn't get the part.

He thought he'd missed the one chance he would get to work with Lin, the writer who'd evoked Anthony's own world, Latino New York, so beautifully on a Broadway stage. He needn't have worried. A few years later, the same guys would hire him to originate the roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton, Alexander's son, in Hamilton.

When Anthony got to know Tommy and Lac well enough, he asked if they remembered not casting him as Sonny. They said they did.

"You weren't ready yet," Lac said.

Anthony knew he was right. "Only a homie would tell you that," he says.

But he needed one more break to make his way back to Heights and find himself sweating in the courtyard that morning.

In 2018, Stephanie Klemons, an original cast member of both In the Heights and Hamilton, directed a production of Heights at the Kennedy Center in Washington. The night before rehearsals were set to begin, she lost an actor to an injury. She reached out to Anthony: Could he step in with zero notice?

He didn't feel physically or mentally ready, and was about to pass, but decided to do it. That's how he got a second chance to show Lin what he could do in Heights-not as Sonny this time, as Usnavi. In a series of tweets, reproduced on this page, Lin commemorated how overwhelmed he was watching Anthony step into the role he once played. He, Quiara, and Jon all agreed that when the cameras started rolling, Anthony should be their Usnavi.

The bond between Anthony and Lin added to the drama of filming "Carnaval." Lin played Piragua Guy, so he was in the courtyard, too-or, rather, directly above it, on a fire escape. It meant that the whole cast and crew had a clear view of the brief duet that he and Anthony sing in the middle of the number. To people who knew their history, the sight made time go all swirly. Anthony had originated the role of Lin's son in Hamilton, and now he was playing the role that Lin had originated, and somehow the two of them were singing a duet in Washington Heights.

A quirk of the production process made the moment even stranger and more potent. All day, the actors had been singing along to prerecorded versions of "Carnaval" piped over the loudspeakers. But somehow they hadn't gotten around to recording Anthony's side of his duet, so they had to fall back on the only other version on hand: the Broadway cast album. Which meant that Lin wasn't just singing with Anthony that day, he was harmonizing with himself at age twenty-eight, when every bit of what was happening around him would have seemed like a ludicrous dream. "It was like time travel," Lin says.

By three p.m., when everybody had returned from their lunch break-blood sugar bolstered by the ice cream truck that Stephanie Beatriz had hired-time was growing shorter, the day hotter. Now when choreographer Chris Scott talked to the dancers, many listened with hands on hips, hands on knees.

From his fire escape, Lin did his bit to keep up morale. He joined in the clapping that broke out between scenes; he made silly faces; he pulled up his shirt and did belly rolls. Guests watched from the edges of the shoot: Lin's dad and wife, Quiara's sister, Chris's mom, Anthony's sister and mom. Anna Wintour stopped by.

Jon is not the type to direct through a bullhorn, barking orders from the shade. When they'd filmed "96,000" earlier that month on a couple of unseasonably frigid days, he had jumped in the Highbridge Park pool with the cast.

On this day, he darted around the courtyard, giving notes to actors, framing shots, conferring with Alice. He is also not the type to speak in mystical terms, but when he thinks back on that day, he remembers "the sun shining down like a laser-it was like the sun was shining out of everybody."

By late afternoon, the boundary between the make-believe world of the movie and the real world of the shoot had all but melted away. They had reached the part of the song where Usnavi and Daniela try to call forth their neighbors' pride in where they come from. Anthony climbed onto a picnic table and faced the whole cast, rapping, "Can we sing so loud and raucous they can hear us across the bridge in East Secaucus?" Daphne stood near him, arms wide apart, raising them up, willing everybody to stand tall, to keep going.

Both of them were throwing all their skill and commitment into their performances, the stars of two of Broadway's epoch-making musicals doing what they had trained to do. But they also weren't acting.

"To raise the flag for your country, to dance and recognize that we're all here together, and belong here, we don't need to be forgiven for it, or ashamed for it," says Daphne of what she was feeling. "There's a pride in being here from Colombia, or Panama, the D.R., Puerto Rico, Cuba, wherever."

At eight o'clock, with the sun sinking toward New Jersey, the dancers were still dancing. Eleven hours had passed since Daphne had belted out "Hey!" to start the song. Now Jon was trying to get the right take of sixty-plus voices shouting "Hey!" to finish it. In the movie version of the scene, the blackout ends when the song does, so a voice on the loudspeaker would announce, "The power's on!" That's how the actors knew the right moment to cheer that it was over.

After one such cheer, it really was over. Not just the take-the song.

They had done it. They had made the day.

Jon jumped into a swarm of dancers. (Ever see a baseball player hit a walk-off home run, then leap onto home plate into the waiting arms of his cheering teammates? That's what this jump looked like.) People were clapping and shouting and hugging and crying. Alice thought the whole thing was a miracle.

"You know when you see people at a concert cry, and you're like, 'I would never do that'?" asks costume designer Mitchell Travers. "That's what I did." He thinks it's the most sheer human energy he has ever been close to.

Anthony Ramos, in the middle of the crowd, launched into a speech. He can't remember his exact words. He hadn't planned what he was going to say-he hadn't planned to speak at all. He just felt that something needed to be said.

"I might have said, today we made history," he recalls. "This was for our ancestors who didn't get the opportunity to do this-who were fighting to have a chance to do what we just did. It was for love of the culture. It was for our kids, who look like us, to be able to see themselves on the big screen, to see us singing about our pride. Some s--- like that."

Somewhere in the crowd stood Dascha Polanco, cheering with the rest. She was sweaty, tired, tear-streaked-and beginning to feel the spirit move.

"I looked down and saw that concrete floor," she says, "and I saw those fire escapes up there, and I was like, 'New York.' "

She began a chant. It was slow and pitched low: "N-e-e-e-e-w York, N-e-e-e-e-w York." In seconds, the whole crowd took it up. "N-e-e-e-e-w York! N-e-e-e-e-w York!"

They were pointing to the sky. They were dancing.

"N-e-e-e-e-w York! N-e-e-e-e-w York!"

"It wasn't like chanting, 'Oh, I love New York,' " Anthony says later-meaning it wasn't a casual thing someone would casually say. "It was"-he drops his voice an octave and leans in-"I motherf---ing love New York. I'm proud to be from New York. I'm proud to be Latino from New York. That was the chant."

Lin, on his fire escape, was overwhelmed. Quiara, in the courtyard, guessed that people could hear them all chanting for blocks around. "It was the sound of joy and survival," she says. "And the sound of people who were really proud to be artists in community together-all our stories braided and interwoven at that one moment."

The long months of preparation had yielded the thing that movie people dream of creating: the burst of real emotion, the flash of genuine spontaneity. Some of it infuses what you see in the finished version of the song, but some of it can't be recovered now. It's an experience only for the people who got to be part of that impromptu celebration, the carnaval that followed "Carnaval."

That long day and its joyous finale capture, in miniature form, a lot of the Heights experience-what's powerful about it, what's rare. Instead of expecting little from the actors it featured, Heights demanded everything-not just what they could do, but who they were and where they came from. By fusing them with dozens of other artists making the same commitment, it gave them the feeling that Lin had wanted so badly for himself when he started writing the show: a sense of belonging, of being part of a group of people working toward a goal they all hold dear. That's why Anthony, looking back on filming "Carnaval," says, "That was one of the greatest days of my life. Period. If I never do another movie again, I did this."

"Something that arises in 'Carnaval' is a feeling of, 'There's a place for us,' " says Quiara. "But the place is not one that says, 'Oh, I definitely fit in' or 'I definitely don't.' It holds those questions. It allows those questions to exist."

Those questions, she has come to see, are universal.

"People are like, 'What is my place in the world?' That question is actually part of your place in the world," she says. "There's something about In the Heights. It takes such a burden off to hear, 'Yeah, there's a place for you. Here it is.'"

[kristallioness]

2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019

*arrives a month late*... Happy 2021 to all of you, my dear followers! *raises a glass* It seems that my tendency to finish my artwork or personal posts on time has only gotten worse over time (I blame work *lol*). Oh well, better late than never, since there are things I would still like to take with me from this extraordinary year of 2020.

It is cringeworthy that I have two huge red X-s this year. But after I'd put these puzzle pieces together, I remembered far too well what was going on in my (work) life at the time, so it's completely understandable why I didn't have the time nor the energy to draw at all during those two months.

What were those typical statistics that I wrote about again to compare the years? *goes to read last year's post*.. Oh, right! In 2020, I managed to finish 3 full digital drawings (from the months of April, July and December) as well as work on several sketches. I wrote 28,154 words worth of fanfiction (oohh, that's a lot better than previous year), plus 3,126 words in English (I dare say I wrote an equal amount in Estonian) for the prompts I got during UYLD (making the total 31,280 words, which is quite impressive!).

I finished reading the 1st Kyoshi novel in the evening of the 20th and slightly past midnight on the 21st December (barely before the holidays, but I set this goal for myself and I did it!). Am already looking forward to starting with the 2nd part some time this year. Besides that, I ordered and received all the other new Avatar books that came out (3rd part of "Ruins of the Empire", "Katara and the Pirate's Silver", "Legacy of the Fire Nation") as well as BOTH Avatar series DVD sets (I still can't believe I found these on sale on some random online store in Estonia, but these are now among my most prized possessions!).

I finally started my Avatar rewatch last January, but merely got to the Ba Sing Se episodes in Book 2 (I need to continue with "The Earth King") and now it's been 5 YEARS since I last saw Korra. Reading through my journal personal posts from last year, I know far too well that it's not about rushing through it as fast as possible. Instead, I should enjoy the ride and continue watching the episodes when I'm well rested and in the right mood. That way I'll end up feeling much more at peace.

As for the entire year as a whole? I don't think anyone in this world of ours was prepared for the way this decade would begin - with an uncontrollable pandemic, the virus of which is randomly attacking and threatening to wipe out the weakest amongst us. If any of you (or even if you know someone who) have lost a loved one to this plague, there is not much else I can offer but my sincerest condolences! Me, my family, friends and colleagues seem to have managed to avoid catching it so far. *spits 3 x over her shoulder*

I had such high hopes for this year in so many ways. Event-wise I was looking forward to watching the Eurovision Song Contest in May (where Uku Suviste was supposed to represent Estonia for the 1st time ever after so many unfortunate failures to get selected as the winner of our local competition), the European Football Championships in June (asking my colleagues which countries they support, perhaps make fun bets / guesses with them to see whose team would win the matches), the Tokyo Olympic Games in July-August, the President of Estonia (Mrs. Kersti Kaljulaid) coming to visit my hometown to celebrate our Victory Day by taking part in the parade together with the Defence Forces (after 15 years *sigh*)...

I will always remember my last big event, which took place when life used to be "normal", so to say. It was the 102nd anniversary of Estonia on the 24th of February, when I took part of all the most important celebrations in Tallinn on our Independence Day, FULL-TIME (whenever I scroll through my Facebook timeline, I see the photos I uploaded of that day, my heart melts and I smile fondly). But the day after that.. utter hell broke loose. We had our first infected person in the country.

I will also remember the last day I went to work in "normal" conditions. Friday, the 13th of March (typically my lucky day-number combination): I missed the tram I wanted to get on in the morning, at work my team received great news that one of our colleague's family had grown bigger by a new tiny member the day before, we had our last team lunch together, we discussed the safety measures that we should take and joked about what might happen next week, I took the bus home instead of the tram (as the tram's route came from the airport and that place was considered to be more dangerous and with a higher risk of catching this virus).. It was another 2.5 weeks later by then (since the 25th of February) - Estonia (along with the rest of Europe) went into full lockdown.

The beginning was frightening and people were on edge, nobody really knew what to do nor what was gonna happen next. But in time, things began to shake into place and everybody developed a comfortable routine for remote work, including figuring out how to get everyday things done (such as grocery shopping). I found solace in taking photographs of various beautiful bird species, who began to fly around and serenaded me during spring, visiting the trees around my "nest" i.e. rented apartment (with a pair of them ACTUALLY building a nest in the chestnut tree right beside my window, thus turning me into a protective godmother of their chicks).

To be honest, I was awestruck by the positive / surprising aftermath of this lockdown: how the world / environment began to heal itself from the pollution that was normally caused by humans. I was taken aback by how dead silent our usually loud capital became in my neighbourhood (I could only hear trams passing by my house according to their schedules, practically no cars whatsoever, streets were empty of people.. absolute silence).

By May-June, things started to look up in Estonia (as well as the rest of Europe) and people were allowed to start travelling / moving around more freely. During my vacation in July, I managed to go to my last (open air) event (for the rest of the year) under these new "corona" conditions and ended up having a blast at the Open Farm Days in my home county for the first time.

Our country's shining moment came during the first week of September, when we hosted the first ever Rally Estonia of the World Rally Championship (WRC), where our very own Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja won. The event was so well organized and successful that nobody caught the virus nor did the spectators / participants spread it to others, which surely must've helped in ensuring us a spot in the WRC calendar for 2021 as well.

The remainder of the year was rather dull, with the exception of the US Presidential elections in November, when we were all holding our breaths that Joe Biden would win (congratulations, my American friends!). This eventually led to the painful downfall of THE WORST government the Republic of Estonia has ever had, and to the rise of our first female Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas (both happening in January 2021, I couldn't believe it all spiralled so soon, ha-ha!).

Anyways, during the last 4 months, work was very stressful and driving me nuts, so badly that when I eventually went on vacation before Christmas, I had a slight anxiety disorder that wouldn't let me relax for several days (luckily it went away just as quickly once I began to take it easy and managed to get some proper rest / sleep).

In hindsight, I kind of get this weird feeling as if I saw this whole thing coming, given how actively I was living my life throughout 2019. My final year of the 2010's was so full of important events and personal achievements. It's almost as if something mysterious inside was driving me, telling me to visit all the places and do all the things I wanted to do, cause I wouldn't have this sort of a chance again for a very long time.

This must be the main reason why I am thankful for 2020 for going the way it did. Sure, I'm disappointed that a lot of events were cancelled, that so many people have had to leave this world so soon due to this unpredictable disease.. But I think there are so many lessons to take from what came out of all of this. I believe the world needed some sort of a restart or break, given in what direction we were headed (politically, economically, environmentally, socially etc.). I'm just sorry it's had to come with such a high price of innocent lives.

I have even higher hopes for 2021, given how amazingly January has already passed for me and my country, and what is to come in my hometown in February. Let's take the lessons learned from 2020 with us and keep on heading back towards the "normal" lifestyle we used to know. Except this time, let's improve our ways, put all the hatred behind us, be more considerate, keep a distance, stay safe, but still try to make the world a better place for everyone. Thank you so much for reading, for remaining by my side, and for your support and love throughout the years, my friends! I hope to see you all alive and healthy at the end of the white metal ox year of 2021! *virtual hugs*

[going-full-shmoo]

Can I request meeting Anthony Beauvillier in your hotel while visiting a city that he’s visiting as well for a game and realizing your from LI and planning on meeting up together when you both get back? Hope you can! Thanks so much :)

All right anon, I will see what I can do with this.

REQUEST HERE

fair warning, I am going to be a bit of a nerd for this one y’all

you were in L.A. for a convention where you were presenting your research on the rates and cognitive effects of sensory processing disorders in adults

it wasn’t a very popular area in your field, so you were glad you got to contribute more knowledge to the field

you also happened to be a very big hockey fan, and you knew your hometown team, the Islanders, were in town for a game

you would have gone to the game if you could, but unfortunately one of the panels went late and you missed it

the next morning, you were down in the lobby, waiting for your ride to the airport (provided by the conference, thankfully) when you heard a few people coming out from the elevators near you

there, walking out of those elevators, were the captain and the two top players for the New York Islanders

they were having a conversation about the game the night before, of which they won, and comparing notes as they sat in some of the lounge seats that were near you

“Is this seat taken?” you hear someone ask you

you look up to see your personal favorite, Anthony Beauvillier looking at you, a sweet smile on his face

“No, it’s...it’s all yours,” you offer him the seat, and he sits gladly

“I’m Anthony,” he offers his hand for you to shake

“(Y/N)...Well, technically its Doctor (Y/N) now, but that’s going to take some getting used to. Big fan of you guys”

“You’re an Islanders fan? Out here in L.A.?”

“I’m out here for a conference. I’m actually here from Long Island”

“No kidding,” he chuckled. “What was the conference for?”

“Presenting new findings in psychobiological research, or in my case, presenting my own findings to a doctoral committee to get my official doctorate, which I ended up doing, so...”

“That’s amazing, congratulations” he spoke, genuinely seeming impressed with your accomplishment. “What was your presentation on?”

“Oh I doubt you would find it interesting, its really scientific and psychological-” you started

“Please, I’d love to hear it. Trust me I’m not getting anything from those two” he gestured over to Anders and Mat, who were still talking hockey

you chuckled, knowing he was probably right, and feeling flattered that he would actually want to hear about your work

“Well, the presentation was on my official dissertation. I researched the formation of sensory processing disorders and how they look cognitively in adults. Everything ranging from sensory processing sensitivity to autism spectrum disorders. I wanted to see how these things can develop in the brain, and then how they manifest in the way they think and see the world as adults. Its a lot of information, but I’ve always found the way that we process and perceive the world through the lenses that we’re born with really fascinating”

“Wow...that’s...a lot,” he chuckled

“I told you, it’s a lot to handle...much less interesting than the amazing win you guys had last night”

you two shared a laugh, and that’s when the rest of the team walked out of the elevators

“That’s our cue...we have to get going to our next city, but when we’re both home, I’d love to find out more about you, and all your research and stuff” he smiled

“I...I would love that,” you smiled

the two of you exchanged numbers and said your goodbyes, and he walked out the door with the rest of his teammates

the others tried to question him about the cute person he was chatting up in the lobby

all he said was that you were someone that would hopefully be around for a while

but for now, just knowing that you would be waiting for him when he got back home was all he needed

[r-ahh-mi]

He // Chapter 1

Prompt II Chapter 2

Rami Malek x OC(Beth)

A/N: Here is the first official chapter of ‘He’ which is going to be a Rami Malek x OC fic. I have included the links above to two other pieces of writing that go along with this story line - read them if you feel so inclined to do so, which i highly recommend so you can know a bit about the direction this story is taking. Also, although some portions of this fic will depict things that actually happened, the timeline will not be the same as the original time the events took place. Lastly, there will be some flashbacks all through out this story, so the dashes symbolize the beginning and end of flashback. Hope you enjoy & I would adore your feedback xx

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2.3k

I’ll start off by saying that I don’t blame him..at least not entirely. I understand he was simply going after his dream and he had to make sacrifices in doing that - truly, I get it. However, no matter how much I can understand where he was coming from, it still hurts. It hurts that he sent a simple text–no, he had his assistant text me to tell me that me and him could no longer be together. So many fucking years together and he can’t even muster up enough balls to tell me that he doesn’t want me anymore, that he doesn’t love me anymore. It was terribly out of character for him, which only made this worse. Rami was never one to do a thing as shady and unpredictable as that. 

People always say you see ‘red flags’ or early signs of a disaster about to strike, but that wasn’t the case with us. We were fine, better than fine, we were amazing. We talked about getting married, having children, where we would want to live when it came time to settle down and enjoy life. Never, ever did it occur to me that Rami would abruptly break up with me when he was away filming the movie that would crank his stardom from a average number to being one of the top male actors in the business. 

I stood by him when he was no one to everyone, except to me. To me he was everything. Fuck, he still is my everything.

I guess that’s why I haven’t even thought about anyone romantically since he broke things off. It was the furthest thing from my mind to capture anothers heart like I had thought i’d captured his and, although, I knew at one point he loved me like I loved him, he just didn’t love me anymore. Well…I guess now I wasn’t so sure.

See, Rami was one to fall head first into a relationship and that’s something I could admire him for. He was never really afraid to show someone his heart and who he was; never ever bashful in expressing his feelings and when he knew he loved me he told me right away, without hesitation, despite my own apprehensions about it all. He let me take my time and gradually, my heavy stone wall was broken by this boy who had stumbled into the wrong dorm room one fateful Saturday night after he got drunk off of cheap beer.

I was so annoyed when he had loudly barged into my room and plopped down directly on top of my once sleeping form, now I couldn’t be more grateful that he had accidentally gone to the wrong floor of that old stuffy dormitory. We were crazy back then, we really were. I felt so fearless and he was the one who made me feel that way, which was both scary and intriguing that another could make me feel such a way about life when I was anything but carefree, but with Rami, it was easy. Except now things were different. Everything was the opposite of easy; everything was complicated, really, really complicated.

Of course, I could only really speak on my experience of being apart from him and pretending he never existed and that we never existed. I remember how hard it was to not call him whenever I needed someone, he was always the person that I went to with any issue I had, but not anymore….well, except for last night. My head was still dizzy and tired and at times I was entirely positive I was making the entire evening, of him phoning me, up. However, a quick glance through my recent received texts was convincing, and if that wasn’t enough, my call history was sure to smash it into my brain that it happened.

I’m sure you’re wondering what the call was about and even i’m not entirely sure. It was full of sleepy Rami voice which I had missed dearly, but even more importantly I could hear him crying. That hurt, it really fucking hurt, especially knowing that I wasn’t there to give him whatever he was needing in that very moment, but I had to remind myself that I would have been right next to him had it not been for his actions and his wishes. So, guilt was quickly evaded from my memory and worry soon began to take over and it would never leave, i still felt it right this very moment.

He was vague. Extremely vague to me as he expressed his need to just see me. Even now, a mere night’s worth of sleep, and my pulse was speeding up just thinking about him wanting to see me again. It was just too shocking to process and I wasn’t even sure if I had answered him or not, but all I knew is that he texted me my plane ticket information early this morning, that I suppose he had booked last night and now I was in some over priced Uber to JFK airport headed for LAX.

The shaking was bad, the anxiety was even worse, and I had no clue why I had let myself agree to this (if i even had because, again, i don’t recall a lot of what i said during the conversation), but yet I wasn’t protesting to my driver to pull over. Not to mention, I never once thought about just ignoring the plane ticket purchased and letting that be my revenge for him breaking my heart the way he did.

In fact, I’m scolding myself this very moment for not even letting that thought cross my mind earlier..that would’ve made everything so much easier..I could’ve just continued on working my job and eating the same take out twice a week and running around the same park every morning and wallowing around in self pity on the weekend when I wasn’t attempting to be social with my friends.

Who was I kidding, it wouldn’t have been the same. The second I answered his phone call I knew that I wouldn’t be okay, at least not fully and when i chose to date him, I knew I was letting in this incredible human being that would forever leave a lasting impression on me, I just didn’t know, way back then, that that impression may not have been the kindest to my heart no matter how much I wanted the thought of ‘us’ to be a good thing in my mind. Again, he made that decision though, not me..so I shouldn’t feel any blame for it.

Funny how we repeat things to ourselves in order for them to sink into our brains isn’t it? Not like it ever truly works anyways.

-

I’d never experienced a plane ride quite like that. The couple of hours it took for me to get from one part of the country to the next felt as though a full twenty-four hours had gone by and I wasn’t sure what I was more tired of; physical exhaustion or mental exhaustion. My leg was still twitching, i’m going to assume, because of the hours upon hours it had been bouncing up and down due to the constant stream of anxiety that was running like a current through my body. Not to mention, my nausea due to my motion sickness that never failed to pop up every time the plane landed.

However, despite the numbness in my leg and the frazzled shock coursing through my blood, I kept persisting as if my life depended on it as I walked through the familiar airport. The smell of the various food vendors and even the plainly colored walls and floors all made me smile and think back to the various trips I had made here to visit Rami before we both decided to move to LA together once we had both graduated college so many years ago.

So much money was spent on me going to see Rami at least once a month, but I never dreaded it. In fact, I much preferred California to my small hometown in Indiana, so I didn’t mind flying out to see him, especially if it meant him getting to show me everything he grew up seeing and doing and loving. Not to mention me and his family had gotten very close since my first visit, Christmas my sophomore year of college, when me and Rami were just friends. California started to feel more like a home to me more than shitty Indiana ever did, which is why I never hesitated when Rami brought up the thought of us potentially moving in with one another in LA. 

- -

“So I was thinking..”

“Spit it out Rami, you’ve only repeated that exact phrase three times now.”

As I balanced the phone between my shoulder and cheek, I couldn’t help but hope he was finally asking me the words i’d been dying to hear. After a year of not living near each other, I was half tempted to move myself out to LA all on my own and surprise him. Our relationship was an open one and I was positive he wouldn’t have minded that I moved both to be near him and to further my career as an actress. Lord knows Indiana wasn’t doing me any favors in either of those departments. 

“...I was thinking..that you should move out here.”

I couldn’t help but sigh happily at his confession, “You know I would love that.”

“Then why haven’t you moved here yet? Do you enjoy making me suffer and have to live with only having contact with you from a phone.”

“Hey! I fly out as often as my paycheck allows it.”

“I know baby..”, His voice was so tender and thoughtful, it made me feel a little less obsessive as I had already started throwing a few of my belongings into a suitcase.

“So, when should I plan to leave?”

It was silent for a moment until Rami suggested me coming down to visit so we could both look at apartments together, just to ensure this was 1000% something that we both were prepared and wanting to do. Although, I already knew I was ready. Honestly, I never even needed to go see the semi-shitty apartment we were about to live in for the next 5 years because I would move anywhere and live anywhere as long as it meant I could be near him.

You could definitely say I was whipped and i’d proudly admit that.

- -

Suddenly, the airport began to seem terribly overcrowded with both people coming and going and I knew I had to be close to where Rami had told me to look for the driver.

I obeyed every single one of Rami’s requests - off the plane, head for a selected Terminal, and then look for a man holding a sign with his last name on it near the main exit doors.

I still wasn’t adjusted to the fact that Rami had afforded a plane ticket and a driver just for me. Not too mention my plane ticket was one of 1st class, not an easily afforded privilege for someone like me, but I had to remember, Rami wasn’t the Rami I knew anymore. He was Rami Malek, a multiple award winning actor; something I was both proud and jealous of, I had to admit, but I saw this coming. In college, there was no denying the talent I saw the very first I watched him give a monologue in front of our class. Everyone in the auditorium styled classroom had goosebumps, I was positive, and we all saw him as competition, except for me.

Of course, down the road we both engaged in some slight competition with who could get the best roles in plays and who would get the best acting gig right outside of college, but when I first witnessed his acting capabilities, I was more curious than anything. Curious to get to know him and speak with him; just to pick at his brain sounded terribly ideal to me and engaging in a some other activities didn’t sound half bad either..

My shoulder suddenly collided with someone, much to my surprise, dragging me from my trip down memory lane to staring at the man in front of me wearing aviator sunglasses and holding a white board in his hand. I examined the man to make sure he was alright, that is until I saw the words ‘Malek’ scribbled on the object in his hands. 

Just seeing his last name written out gave me a pitiful feeling in my stomach and I wasn’t able to blame it on the motion sickness now that my feet were firmly planted on the ground.

“Uhm..are you the driver for Malek?”

My mouth stuttered slightly as I spoke his last name, proving saying anything relatively close to his full name would be difficult. I’ll need to make a mental note of that later before I embarrass myself any more than I already have...

The mystery man gave me a brief nod, “Are you Mrs. Malek?”

I must’ve looked like a purely insane individual as I just stared at him, dough eyed and trying to maintain brain function as my stutters returned.

“I--I’m not--No you see we are not--”

“Or are you just another one of his girls?”

And with a snap of invisible fingers, my mood shifted from frazzled to angered, but I shouldn’t have been shocked, I really shouldn’t have been. Rami was no longer the baby faced young man I grew to love, he was a much older, much more matured male who had grown out of his baby weight and into a muscular, beautifully structured bachelor that, i’m sure, every woman in Hollywood was dying to fall for, or rather get on their knee’s for.

“I’m definitely not one of his girls”, I retorted with possibly too much annoyance as the driver silently turned around and began walking towards the exit. Supposing I was meant to follow him, I got hot on his heels as he led the way out of the large main double doors.

No turning back now.

-

Tag List: @frami-mercury-malek @hazeleyedbeth @sassystrawberryk @amcquivey @cleopatra-knowles @lovelymalekk @mezzomercury

If you’d like to be added to the tag list for this serious, or to be on my permanent tag list, let me know and I will gladly add you xx

[wheresanne]

Common Teaching in Korea Questions

Exactly a year ago, an old friend told me about the opportunity to go live overseas, travel often, and make money at the same time. 🌍 I asked, “How long will you be gone? What do you do if you don’t like it there? What will you do with your car?”

After a hundred more questions, tons of research, financial planning, organizing the right qualifications, and knowing myself enough to know if I was truly ready for this experience, here I am.

Here are some of the most common teaching English in South Korea questions that I had and most people may have.

If you have any questions about EPIK program or life in Korea, feel free to comment or message me. 

1. What would be your list of pros and cons?

Cons would be the language barrier and culture work environment is different compared to the US. Preparing to return back home sounds difficult so make sure you continue working on your future career so you don't have a gap on your resume.

2. Tips for the application process?

For the application process, use the Internet and search for possible lesson plans and read others’ experiences of teaching and living abroad. I wasn’t originally a teacher, but I often reflect and remember some of my influential teachers, then apply that to my style of teaching. 

3. Tips for the interview process?

For the interview process, since it will most likely be a video chat interview through Skype, remember that the video chat might be a few seconds of the audio delay, so try not to cut off the interviewer’s talking. You should dress nicely and smile a lot since you’ll be seen as a role model and working with children. Keep your answers to one or two full sentences. Talk confidently. Again, do some research online for example questions and answers.

4. Do I have to take the TEFL if I’m going to major in early childhood education with a concentration in English as a second language? (Very important question)

To teach in Korea, you have to be a native English speaker. To teach early childhood education in Korea, you must have a TEFL certificate and you are supposed to have a real education degree.

5. How can you send money back home for cheap? Is the transfer costs very expensive?

Depending on your home country, for example, if your home country is the US, you could send money back home through an American Citi Bank account for a small transaction fee. Your home country bank might charge extra fees. My personal American bank, USAA, charged me $70 when it received $1,000 home.  

6. What are each of your teaching schedules like? (I know they differ) Do you have free time?

I teach 22 hours or classes per week, I talk more about this in my "What is my job in Korea?" YouTube video. I have to be at work 8:30-4:30 M-F. Besides those 22 hours, I'm sitting at my desk preparing for future classes or whatever I want to do.   

Since I teach about 550 students in my middle school, I only visit the 1st and 2nd graders every-other-week and then I teach the 3rd graders every week. 

7. Where was/are you placed? Do you like it there?

Through EPIK Program, I was placed in an Innocity in Naju in Jeollanam province in the south. I love it. Great food and good location.

8. What are your classes like? Elementary, Middle, High? Big? Small?

I teach middle school in a new city. I have about 550 students in total and about 15 to 25 students in each class. 

I also teach an after-school club class, where we video chat Australian students about Korean culture, landmarks, etc.

9. What is your EPIK apartment like? Is it as small as I’ve seen online? (Not that is matters much about size!) And is your bills pretty cheap?

Before coming to Korea, I was expecting to be placed in an older apartment, possibly with mold or cockroaches. 

Through EPIK, I was thankfully placed in the new Innocity in Naju county in Jeollanam province. I love it here because there are tons of fitness centers, tons of cafes, restaurants, a library, Lake Park, and it's a new city with lots of transportation and modern buildings.

My EPIK apartment is a studio office-tel style, so it's in a massive building where I pay $50 a month for the building utilities and then about $20 for my utilities.

10. How long have you been living in Korea?

I've been living in Korea since June 2018 and I was in the August 2018 EPIK intake.

11. If you can speak Korean, will more employers want to hire you?

answer

12. Do any of you have a permanent residency visa? If so, what’s it like? Is it less stressful?

I don’t. I’m on the yearly F2 visa. 

After watching Megan Bowen and World of Dave on YouTube, who have been in South Korea for nearly 10 years now, it seems that sometimes people or Koreans still think they're a foreigner.

13. How many vacation days do you get? Are they flexible or not very flexible?

Vacation days are only allowed around the winter and summer camp schedules, Your contract will say you have 25 paid-leave days total (contracts are slightly different depending on the province you're in) in the contract year.

14. What advice would you give to anyone moving to Korea for the first time?

For anyone moving to Korea for the first time, do lots of research online, come with an open mind, don't forget you're representing your country, and remember why you're coming here. You're not coming here to party, coming here to teach and grow.

15. What are your co-teachers like? Are they helpful?

I have 7 co-teachers since I teach at a bigger sized school. They are so kind and helpful. I’m a fairly independent person and haven’t had many issues, so I don’t often “bug” them, but I know they would help me if needed. At work, they don't ask to see my lesson plans or games. After classes, we often talk for a moment as a way to quickly review how the lesson or class reacted to the lesson. We work together when a speaking test is coming up.

16. Do you make enough to live comfortably? And to save?

I live very comfortably. I barely go shopping for clothing or home decorations, since I’m a very minimal person. I just have the essentials. Also, I don't have to stress about repairing my apartment or my car maintenance. 

17. Do you make your own lesson plans or do you have to teach by a book?

My middle school has a textbook where I teach the Listen and Speak sections with my own extra "real life" examples and then we play a review game. 

18. Do you teach at more than 1 school? If so how many? And is it really stressful?

I only teach at one school. 

19. Can you remember all your students' names? What are some fun ways to memorize all their names?

Since I have many students, my first semester was about memorizing their faces, behaviors, and levels of English in class. By the second semester, I asked for a student-list and tried to take attendance before each class. Since I see most of the students every-other-week, it has taken me almost two semesters to learn their names.

If I ever see them outside of the school in my neighborhood, I ask them “How are you, what’s your name again?” as a good way to practice their English too. 

Some students have English names, perhaps from their English hagwon academies. If they don’t have an English name, at the beginning of the semester, I offer them a list of popular English names from their 2006-8 birth years.

I remember their names by remembering somethings similar in English. 유빈 Yoo-bin sounds like "You Bin"

20. Is your commute to work long?

I bought a bicycle from an online Facebook flea market group and then I every day I ride my bike for about 10-15 minutes. I could walk for 30 minutes, or I could take a bus but that'll cost me about 2,000 won every day.

21. What is the most rewarding part of teaching in Korea?

I really like the comfortable life here.

22. What are some culture do’s and don’ts that are important to know?

Culture do's would be to remember it's not your country. Make friends with almost everyone, but remember your boundaries.

23. How do you deal with homesickness and stress?

For homesickness or stress, I often go for a walk or bike ride in nature, which reminds me of my hometown or eat pizza or a hamburger. And catch up with family and old friends via Facebook.

24. How have you changed since living in Korea?

Living completely alone can be difficult and different for some people. I have so much free time here. I think my sense of fashion style has changed too.

25. Do you have a Korean phone plan? How much is it a month?

I pay $70 a month for my 100GB phone data plan for my iPhone bc I often travel around Korea so data is important to me.

You can get the Korean phone plan after you get your ARC number, almost a month after living here. You can easily get a SIM card from the convenience stores or from the airport. 

26. Last but not least, what are some encouraging words you would give to those who want to teach in Korea!? 

Only teach if you actually like kids and are a patient person. If you don't get accepted through EPIK, or JLP, or TaLK, don't forget to apply through hagwons!  

[yuzusorbet]

My Sendai Holiday (April 2018) - Part 3: Weekend Sendai

Part 1 was about Yuzuru’s Olympic Victory Parade and Part 2 was about Ice Rink Sendai (links are at the end of this post).  This part is about the rest of my trip. 

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

I flew into Sendai by ANA;  the cute plane below was my connecting flight from Tokyo Haneda to Sendai.   

Entering the airport, I saw a poster of our dear 若様 (’waka-sama’ = young master).  What a beautiful start to my holiday. :)  

Sendai Airport is small and beautiful.  The roof is like the waves of the sea.   And it’s very convenient too.   A linkway connects it to the train station just across the road.  (Pic below taken from linkway.)

After a short train ride, I reached Sendai Station, the main station of the city.   This is also the shinkansen (bullet train) stop.   I love Sendai Station.  It’s so pedestrian-friendly due to a huge walkway that sprawls over the roads and traffic outside, connecting the station to the malls and buildings around it.  

Inside, there are many shops and eateries.  Pic below: shops selling ‘zunda mochi’ and ‘hagi no tsuki’.  (further down this post, you will see more zunda mochi.) (hagi no tsuki is a snack that Yuzu loves.)

In the station, there is an awesome tourist information centre.   Young master Yuzu is there saying “Welcome to Sendai”..... and sometimes there are samurais there as well!  When I took this photo, instead of saying “cheese”, these guys said “zunda mochi!!!”  XD

The tourist centre was giving out beautiful leaflets with suggestions on places that fans can visit, like Goshikinuma Pond, Ice Rink Sendai, Nanakita Park and Yuzu’s monument at International Centre Station.  The words on the right-hand leaflet say “Sendai City supports Hanyu Yuzuru-senshu”.

The centre also had big stacks of ‘Weekend Sendai’!  (the travel magazine with Yuzu;  it’s free)  I already have a copy at home but I took one for a friend. 

Yuzu is eating zunda mochi in the photo above.  It’s a Sendai specialty, mochi covered with mashed edamame, and it’s sweet like a dessert.  I love it!

“Itadakimasu.” (See the white mochi under the mashed edamame?)

The photo below is the take-away cup;  the mochi inside is smaller but it tastes just as good.  Ate it a few times during my holiday, and also tried zunda shake and zunda pudding.  They were all nice, but I like zunda mochi the most.  

Next to Sendai Station, on the 4th floor of Parco shopping mall, Yuzu’s signed skate boots were on display.  He donated them for an auction in March this year to raise funds for Tohoku earthquake recovery (3.11).  The successful bidder was Japanese fashion house, Samantha Thavasa Japan Limited, and the final amount was 8.5 million yen (about US$76,000).  According to Oricon news, the money was from the staff of the company inside and outside Japan who donated their money to support this good cause.  [thanks to fan Shuko for the info] [pic below from Yahoo Japan] 

After the auction, the company decided to bring the boots to different parts of Japan to be on display and they were in Sendai during this period.   Here are the boots that raised 8 million yen: (8,501,000 to be exact)      

Near the boots display area, Yuzu’s parade T-shirts were on sale.  I had already bought mine online and they were delivered to the Sendai hotel that I was staying in.  

My first dinner in Sendai.... gyu-tan of course!  Grilled beef tongue is a Sendai specialty and oh so delicious!   Had it at a restaurant in the station.

The gyutan in the middle is the usual one flavoured with salt, the gyutan on the right is flavoured with miso.  The white thing on the left is another Sendai food, sasa-kamaboko which is grilled fish cake (kamaboko) in the shape of a bamboo leaf (sasa), believed to be inspired by the design in the family crest of the Date clan who ruled Sendai Domain in the Edo period.  It can be eaten on its own as a snack.  The rice was also very special; it had some barley mixed into it, giving it a different texture and fragrance.  Everything was very, very oishiiiiiii~~~~~ 

I ate this with my friend Ella who was in Tokyo just the weekend before to watch ‘Continues with Wings’, so you can imagine what our chat was about.  The last time we saw each other was one year ago.  So much Yuzuru to talk about. :D

The next day was the first day of sale of parade wristbands.  There were several sale locations and I went to one near my hotel.  On the way there, I saw some Yuzu-banners.  This one below says: 

“Hanyu Yuzuru senshu, thank you for touching and inspiring us. PyeongChang Olympic Gold Medal, 2 consecutive victories, you are the pride of Sendai, Miyagi and Tohoku.”  

This banner below is about Yuzuru’s photo exhibition coming to Sendai at the end of June.

And this is the line I saw when I reached the sale location at 7.45am, not too bad!  The start of the line is on the left where people are sitting on the ground, near the closed shutters of the department store.  Sale would start at 10am.  

The wristbands were sold in sets of 2 at 1000yen per set.  Only 10,000 sets were made (compared to 80,000 tees).  So these early birds like myself just wanted to be sure of getting them. :D  My friend Ella was at another sale location and she said the line was snaking up and down stairs and around the building!  xD

While standing there in line, I ate my breakfast and also shared my food with the woman in front of me and the man behind me.  They were both of middle-age and were local people living in Sendai, and since we were waiting together for more than 2 hours, I chatted with them to pass the time (and to practise my Japanese, haha).  Some things struck me from the chat that morning.

I was telling them a bit about myself, that I have been a Yuzu-fan since 2014 Sochi Olympics, and I naturally asked them, so when did you become fans?  They didn’t reply..... I was a bit surprised as I waited for their answer.  They were both thinking very hard, with a slight puzzled look on their faces, like they were trying to recall.....  And then I realised, they live here in his hometown!  Which means they would have seen him in the local Sendai news since he was very young and they have been watching him grow as a skater and they have been naturally supporting him since who-knows-when!  There is no clear-cut point like us who happened to see his performance one day and got zapped.  With that sudden realisation, I quickly said, oh you live here, so you have known him from way back!  They both nodded and looked pleased that I understood.  I guess no one has ever asked them that question before!  The man added that when Junior Nationals were held in Sendai in 2007, he went to watch and he was so impressed by Yuzu’s performance.  (Yuzu was only 12 then;  his SP was ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’ and FP was ‘Firebird’.  I translated about this competition from his biography; will include the link at the end.)  I told them I was so envious that they live here and have known him for such a long time!  You lucky Sendai people!!!  

Besides asking that stupid question, I also made some stupid assumptions.  I told them, I plan to go to Nanakita Park to sit on ‘Yuzu’s bench’ and then go to Ice Rink Sendai to skate and then have dinner at the gyu-tan restaurant with his signature.... you two must have been to these places, right?  They both smiled and said no.  (What????)  The look on their faces seemed to say they never thought of doing that and there was no such need.  But they were very impressed that I knew these places.  The man took out his phone to try to help me with directions.  He wanted to make sure I knew the right route to take. Really nice people. :)  

At 9.30am, staff of the store came to set up the area and we got really excited! Soon we would have Yuzu-bands on our wrists!  The Sendai lady asked, how many sets of wristbands are you buying?  I said two of course!  But the man said ONE.  (What???)  I assumed everyone would get 2 sets each (maximum).  Especially after lining up for so long and it’s in limited stock.  I said, ONLY ONE? REALLY?  He said, yes I just need one set because there are 2 bands, one for me and one for my wife, just nice.  Oh......... somehow I was touched by that.  Their support for Yuzu is so sweet and simple.  They don’t need to go to his home rink nor all the places that he has been to, but they will line up for a few hours to buy just one set of his parade wrist bands..... These Sendai fans touched my heart..... :’)  

Since he was only buying one set, I asked if he could buy one more set for me.  I wanted to send them to overseas fan-friends who couldn’t come to Sendai and he was very happy to help. :))  

Besides wristbands, there were also parade tees on sale (only S size left). Some reporters came to interview the people waiting.  The line had grown really, really long by now, looped to and fro a few times, but still very neat and orderly.   

At 10am, sales started and the staff was so efficient.  Very soon, I got my wristbands!   Plus an extra set from the really nice Sendai man!  I was so lucky to be standing in front of him!   And much thanks to him and the lovely lady for a good chat!  

I took the above photo after I bought my bands.  There was a staff holding a big sign with the words “end of line”, so it was clear to all where to join in if they wanted wristbands.  He also held a tally counter to count the number of people in the line.  As it approached the number of bands that was available in that store, he would tell people who came to join the queue that they might not get the bands but they could try if they didn’t mind waiting in line.  I love Japan, these things are always so well-organised!  

After this, I met up with Ella and we went to Sunao Noto-san’s photo exhibition which was held nearby.  (Admission was free.)  It was a very small exhibition but the outside already took my breath away.  

Pic above: the Japanese words over “Stay Gold” say “Congrats and thank you”.   (We could take photos of the outside but photography is not allowed inside.) In the small room, there were some beautiful photos of Yuzu from PyeongChang Olympics.  There was also one photo that I had not seen before and it brought a lump to my throat..... Yuzu was standing with crutches and looking at his own photo exhibition.  It was the exhibition held in Sendai from November 3 to 21 last year.  On Nov 9, he injured his ankle and withdrew from NHK Trophy the next day.  Then it was reported that he went back to Sendai and visited this exhibition after it was closed for the day.  He also wrote a message thanking fans for their support, dated 12 Nov 2017, and it was displayed at the exhibition.  (I posted about this last year; will include link at the end.)  This photo must have been taken that evening, just 3 days after the injury.  Looking at him in crutches at that November exhibition, the emotions of those few months rushed back into me.  How high was the wall that he surmounted.... I felt so keenly the heartache..... and also deep, deep admiration and respect.  Tears started prickling my eyes.  Oh Yuzu.... you made me cry again!  Later, Ella said to me, Sunao Noto-san’s photos always tell a story. Indeed. 

That was my first Yuzuru Hanyu photo exhibition.  Thank you very much, Noto-san.  

When we left, a girl approached us and gave us this beautiful newspaper:

She is a Waseda University student and was carrying a backpack full of her school newspaper to give away to Yuzu-fans!   She said she gave us the paper because I was wearing a CiONTU tee!  Much thanks to dear Ella who gave me the tee last night and I wore it as soon as I could. xD   And thank you, dear Waseda schoolmate of Yuzu!   You made many Yuzu-fans very, very happy!

So much emotions.... and it was not even 12 noon yet! xD

From this lovely shopping area near Sendai Station, we went for a walk.  Along the way, we saw the most beautiful 7-11 store.

Many shops had signs like that, saying ‘Hanyu Yuzuru senshu, congrats!!’

勾当台公園 Kotodai-koen (park) was beautiful.  There was a farmers’ market, cherry blossoms were still in bloom, and someone was playing the guitar and singing!

More photos I took along our walk, from the park to the next subway station.

(Above: another “Omedetou!! Hanyu Yuzuru senshu”)

Then we took the subway to 泉中央 Izumi-chuo Station (N01).  From there, it’s a 20-minute walk to Ice Rink Sendai or you can wait for the bus.   For people who like to look at maps, 2 photos here:   (We were at Kita-Yobancho station, N07.) (The main Sendai Station is N10.)

I wrote about Ice Rink Sendai in an earlier post (link included at the end).  After our visit, the queue for the bus was very long (all Yuzu-fans, haha), so we made the 20-minute walk back to Izumi-Chuo Station and took the subway one stop down to 八乙女 Yaotome.  A short walk from the station was 利久 Rikyu (Izumi main branch), a restaurant with Yuzu’s signature. 

Grilled liver (square plate) and gyu-tan (round plates).  The meal was soooooo delicious, especially the liver.  I told myself that I must eat here one more time before I leave Sendai.   Yuzu, thank you for your recommendation! :)

When we were leaving the restaurant, there were some people coming in and I suddenly realised one of them was another good fan-friend K-chan!  She saw me at the same time and we screamed (or maybe only I screamed, haha) and we hugged each other!  It was so good to see her again!   And I wonder if the restaurant was just filled with Yuzu-fans that day. :D

On the subway back to Sendai Station, we saw Vegatta-kun.  (If you have not seen the video of Vegatta and 15 year-old Yuzu, please search for it. xD)

Coming out of the subway exit at Sendai Station, we saw handsome Sendai travel ambassador Hanyu-kun. :)

End of a marvellous day.  The highlight had yet to come!  Next day = Sunday 22nd April = Yuzu’s parade day!!  (link at the bottom of this post)  

A bit more on food: at the end of parade day, I met up with K-chan and, thanks to her suggestion, we had the softest, puffiest pancakes I’ve ever tasted.... they were light and puffy like clouds!  The fruity topping was sold out, so we had the plain version.  Very yummy!   

.... in this cute little bakery-cafe near Sendai Station. 

I will end this post with Sendai Station at night plus the walkway that crosses roads and connects it to the surrounding buildings:

Will do a Part 4 because it’s too long to put it all here. :D   Last part: 2 places with Yuzu’s signature (restaurant and sports shop), a shrine that he has visited before, his monument at International Centre Station, a historic pond and a castle hill..... coming next. :)  

(Please do not use or re-post my stuff without permission.) (Photos are taken by me.) 

Some links mentioned: Part 1: Yuzu’s parade day  Part 2: Ice Rink Sendai 2007 Junior Nationals and 12 year-old Yuzu Nov 2017 photo exhibition: news pix and fan account 

Update: Part 4 is now done.

[folerdetdufoler]

like my first trip to oslo, this one started with an impulse purchase of tickets: a performance of snøfall on november 30th. i didn’t have a flight or a place to stay or any kind of plan really, just the fact that i had to be at the theatre with haidee & nadège at 18:00 on friday. i knew they would be in oslo then because they were planning on going to the fan convention, so i guess there was that. i had also chatted with jenn and knew she was going too, and for a few days there were a flurry of messages and excitement. and then i stopped thinking about it.

which is how i, an adult, deal with things that stress me out. at some point i bought a plane ticket, and booked a hotel room, and bought a concert ticket for saturday, and talked to some more people about it, but i still managed to be wildly unprepared by the time wednesday rolled around. i managed to find my passport that morning and pull my suitcase down from the attic, but i was still in my pajamas trying to finish the last chapter of my fic by the time it hit 15, when i was supposed to leave for the airport. i threw a vague number of outfits into that suitcase and got out of the house before my ride (my brother) got too pissed off, but i was super stressed out and disappointed in myself before we hit the highway.

i had left so much behind: my fic on my computer, my gifts for haidee and nadege, the glucose tablets i bought specifically for the trip, half of my toiletries...and on top of that i was about to head into airport security with a new pump and cgm attached to me. i honestly was not sure if i was going to actually get on a plane that evening. i stood in line, sweating through my pajamas, dying to anxiety-tweet through the whole thing except i didn’t want anyone to know i was at the airport in case i didn’t make it out. on top of everything i’d managed to forget/give up on before leaving the house, i didn’t want to fail yet another thing.

i didn’t, obviously. it was stressful as hell, because i had to send my bag, phone, passport, everything through the x-ray scanner and wait for someone to escort me through for a physical exam. i stood in the middle of the room for what felt like hours (it was not hours) watching as people swirled around my entire identity at the end of a conveyor belt, out of reach, knowing that even if i saw someone lift my shit i couldn’t yell or run to intervene because i was surrounded by tsa agents just waiting to body slam the girl with a small black box attached to her to the ground. i felt like a threat even though i wasn’t. i had foolishly sent my only glucose tablets through the machine with my bag so if i happened to go low while waiting, turning into a sweating, shaking, suspicious mess, i wouldn’t be able to save myself or prove my medical needs because, lol, my medical ID was in my bag too. ugh. scratch that, i was a threat to myself.

i made it through. an agent finally helped me through and did my exam. my pump was deemed not an explosive device and no one stole my passport. i even had enough time to change my sensor in the bathroom before boarding. this, of course, should have been done at home in a sanitary environment and not immediately before ascending 30,000 feet above the earth but i think we’ve established how shit i am at planning so...moving on.

the flight was great. i had an empty seat next to me. we were delayed about an hour taking off, but that just gave me time to text with lizzie, who was also at the airport then but on a different flight to oslo. i had missed her in my tsa daze but it was a fun realization that right then there was a tiny migration happening to oslo, a bunch of fans starting their journeys all around the world and getting excited. my sensor warmed up and functioned like a dream the whole flight, and i finally felt like i could breathe again by the time we’d landed at gardermoen.

at the airport i bought most of the things i had forgotten (a bitch needs tweezers, okay?) and zipped over to the hotel. they were super busy so i couldn’t check in, but i dropped off my suitcase and went to meet up with jasmine and silvia. god it was so nice to see jasmine again, that amazing norwegian ambassador. it’s so wonderful, just in general, being able to hug a person who is part of your life every day. i wouldn’t say we talk directly, but a day doesn’t go by where i don’t read her tweets and like, have this awareness of her life in my own, so on the one hand it’s like oh my god i haven’t seen you since the beginning of the summer and on the other hand i was just talking to you so uh, has anything new happened in the last hour? anyway, we hugged, i screamed, the usual, and then we found silvia, and after that hugging mission was complete it was on to the lunch mission!

the first photo i took on norwegian soil was the bar was passed: angst. this was where the book release party was held just the week before and i took a photo to capture my missed opportunity. i forget where we actually ended up for lunch but we ate and jasmine handed off the elle magazine i’d asked her to pick up for me and we talked about the fandom and the show and just...life in norway in general. as i spend more time there and talk to more people who live there, i’m convincing myself that i would like to try finding a job and staying for a while. i understand that all of my experiences thus far have been terribly positive because they’ve basically been vacations, with no basis for a regular lifestyle, but it still feels like the day-to-day reality wouldn’t be so scary either. check back in 2025 to see if i’ve made any progress on that.

after lunch we walked around with no real purpose. i wanted to go to the new h&m that had just opened that morning to see what the fuss was about with the collection that henrik & lea had modeled for. the store was pretty big but there was zero fuss. we stayed on karl johans, visiting the bookstore and wandering through the christmas market. then silvia had to leave so we said goodbye. in the spirit of a 220-lb. woman who barely has any social skills, i managed to hug silvia and lift her off the ground without realizing, so Io chiedo sinceramente scusa. it was a weird note to end on but up until that point it was just so nice being able to hang out with someone you’ve never met but instantly get. girl, you’re fabulous. vi ses snart.

the only other thing i had on my agenda was to visit the publisher to pick up my script books. it was a mini-nightmare getting into their office, which i wouldn’t have been able to do without jasmine’s help, but we managed to figure out how doors work and got to chat with someone. it turns out my books were still at the bar, so they promised to send them over to the hotel once they could get them back. they also told us about the book signing at tanum the following weekend, which was nice. i was bummed that i had managed to miss both the release party and the book signing but at least we had the information and could share it with the fandom.

then it was back to the hotel, where i could properly check in. i was greeted with a bathrobe with my name embroidered on it, which made me laugh. jasmine and i didn’t have any further plans so we decided to go find dinner and walk around some more. we took the elevator down (duh) and walked to johnny rockets for some milkshakes, which was fun. despite it being an american restaurant, i’ve never been, so it felt like i was being a tourist in my hometown. when i couldn’t give our waiter a fun fact about new jersey for him to entertain us with, he just gave up and drew a snowman in ketchup. not for his lack of trying though, it’s just that i live in the armpit of the united states and i don’t think that’s easy to illustrate in condiments. after dinner we went to find akrobaten bridge, which was on my list of sights to see even though it was only in the show for exactly six seconds in a couple of transition shots. no moment from season three is too small in my mind.

after that i think it was still pretty early but a bitch was done. i didn’t sleep much on the flight or the night before, so i was running on empty and literally fell asleep in front of jasmine at the hotel. i sent her off on her train after a more appropriate hug and the general idea that i’ll see her again. it didn’t happen that weekend but that was okay, because earlier that month i impulse-bought another ticket, so i knew i’d be back next year.

it’s just never enough, is it?

[pcurrytravels]

Why I Loved: Chicago

Hello all, and welcome to the first post in my “Why I Loved” series. Today, I’ll be talking about my love for the city of Chicago. 

Chicago is a city that I have a strange and unusual connection with. It’s the hometown of my mother and her two sisters. Well, my mom and her older sister were actually born in a small town in Alabama but moved to Chicago when they were both really little. Kinda like how I was born in Chicago but moved to Vegas when I was really little. The difference between the two of them and me however is this: They’ve always acknowledged Chicago as their home despite being born elsewhere (well my aunt actually kinda acknowledges both as being home for her but that’s besides the point here), whereas only until VERY recently, I would insist to you that my home was Chicago and not Vegas. Even though I have a deep understanding of the latter and only a passing understanding of the former.

Thankfully, I’ve grown out of this, even though I still feel quite misplaced sometimes (the fact that my mother essentially moved down here on a whim, taking me along for the ride, doesn’t help matters), but that’s a topic that should be saved for a future “Love Hate Thang” post. Anyways.......Chicago!

One thing I have to hand to the place: easy to access airports! Out of all the places I’ve been to so far (though I will note that still isn’t very many) Chicago and San Francisco have to be the two places with the easiest airport access. Chicago’s metro line (Affectionately known by residents as The eL) has lines that go directly to both Midway and O’Hare! Compare this to New York where the subway doesn’t even go anywhere near LaGuardia. Or McCarran International Airport in my city where........you know what? Let’s not even get started on that mess, lol. 

Oh, and speaking of The eL, being an above ground railway system and everything, it’s quite useful for exploring! I saw so much of the city just by riding the eL. Weaving between the caverns of the imposing skyscrapers of The Loop, looking down upon the neighborhoods that radiate away in every direction like a circle of sorts. Ah, the neighborhoods.

There are many places that are known as being a “City of Neighborhoods” so to speak, but Chicago is probably where that moniker is more true than anywhere. The Loop may be the center of it all, but beyond that there’s the North, West and South sides. The three of which already have characters and identities distinct enough that they could very well be their own cities, so, as unique as every neighborhood is, they each follow the trends of their respective areas.

The affluent North Side is home to enclaves like the rowdy Lincoln Park, Old Town which is very much like Chicago’s equivalent of Haight-Ashbury, the LGBTQ+ village of Boystown and, the neighborhood where I spent the earliest days of my life, Uptown. 

The culturally abundant West Side plays host to ethnic neighborhoods such as Little Italy (which also happens to be the area where my mom and her sisters grew up), Greektown and Pilsen in addition to the infamously hipster Wicker Park.

Even the long-maligned South Side isn’t without it’s spots of vibrancy, such as Chinatown, the historic Bronzeville and the diverse, college-town atmosphere of Hyde Park. During the time period where my destination addiction was at its worst, I’d research Chicago and a number of other places to the point of obsession, and this whole neighborhood element was a thing I always envied. I guess the wide variety just seems so exciting to me in comparison to the monotonous seas of cookie-cutter homes, apartment complexes and strip malls I’m used to.

The neighborhoods all have a wide variety of things to offer. Plenty of places to shop. Lots of history. Great food around every corner.....oh my god, the FOOD.

Chicago has some of the most delicious food in the world (I’m saying that with a limited range of experience, I know). For starters, Chicago has two particular styles of pizza, both of which are amazing: the deep-dish; a demented cross between pizza, lasagna and cake where the arrangement is literally upside down (the sauce is on top and the toppings are on the bottom) and one slice is sure to fill you up that can be found at Gino’s, Giordano’s or Lou Malnati’s and the thin crust; so thin it has a cracker-like crunch to the bite. Home Run Inn is one of the places that specializes in this type of pizza.

Next, you have the Italian Beef sandwich. A sandwich containing loads of well-seasoned roast beef, topped off with au jus (or “gravy” as Chicagoans call it), giardiniera and sweet peppers, placed on a long, fresh roll of Italian bread. You can also order it combo style, in which they add some Italian sausage and provolone cheese as well. Mmmm, a heart attack on a sandwich.

Of course, how could we forget the hot dogs! All beef, topped with everything except ketchup (it would also be wise to not ask for ketchup, ever) and placed on a poppyseed bun. Mmm, mmm, mmm! There’s also the Maxwell Street Polish, i.e. Polish sausage on a bun with grilled onions and mustard, Harold’s Chicken and the popcorn “mix” as they call it. You see, in Chicago, eating caramel and cheese popcorn together is considered normal. Garrett’s would be my suggestion. 

It goes far beyond food. Chicago just has a lot of culture in general. For starters, you have the museums. Field for natural history, Adler for space stuff, Shedd for the sea, Science & Industry for science and technology related stuff, DuSable for Black American history, and just so much more from there. The zoos are awesome and who doesn’t love Millennium Park and Navy Pier? 

Oh, and need I remind you all of the role Chicago has in music history? After all it’s managed to create distinctive sounds and/or subgenres in blues (think Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Buddy Guy), soul (think Curtis Mayfield, The Staple Singers, The Emotions and Donny Hathaway), funk (think Rufus/Chaka Khan, Earth, Wind & Fire and Curtis Mayfield again)  contemporary R&B (think Donell Jones, Jennifer Hudson, Dave Hollister and *lets out a REALLY long sigh* R. Kelly), alternative rock (think The Smashing Pumpkins, OK Go, Fall Out Boy and Plain White T’s) and hip hop (think early Yeezy, Da Brat, Twista, Common and Chance The Rapper). To add to this, Chicago is also the birthplace of one of my personal favorites, House music. (R.I.P. Frankie Knuckles)

Alas, there is a dark side. For all of it’s glory, Chicago has a lot of poverty and street violence. It actually has one of the highest homicide rates in the entire country. Because of it, some people like to condescendingly refer to the place as “Chi-Raq.” The high-end glamour of Michigan Avenue and State Street compared to the run-down ruggedness of the 50s on the South Side is like a night and day contrast. Chicago is a beautiful place, but this is a sad reality that shouldn’t be ignored. 

On occasion, I still do wonder how my life could have been had my mother not moved to Vegas on a poorly thought out whim back in the early 1990s. As I’ve come of age and matured however, I’ve learned to make my peace with the cards that were dealt. After all, in some ways, it may have been for the best. My mom and her sisters did grow up in the former Jane Addams housing project on Taylor Street (pictured above) which, while nowhere near as bad as Cabrini-Greene, was rough enough, even back in the 1970s. So yeah, they know all about that life. 

However, one thing I must admire is the resilience. My half-sister lives in Auburn-Gresham on the South Side. One of my aunts and her family live in West Garfield Park on the West Side. Are their neighborhoods dangerous? Yes. Do they plan on leaving? No. In spite of the blight and unfortunate events which surround and abound, to them, it’s still home. They love the place, so much so that some of them work in local state/government positions like healthcare, education and criminal justice. They chose to work in those fields because they want to help bring in some much needed change. 

Such an attitude is not uncommon in Chicago, and it actually sheds some hopeful light on the situation. Now, granted, I only know so much from where I’m sitting, but I could only hope that this type of love and pride in the community may help make way for a better day some time soon.

Oh boy, I just had to say love and pride, didn’t I? Yes, Chicagoans are fiercely proud of their city and will not hesitate to remind you of it. The Bulls? The Bears? The Blackhawks? The Cubs/White Sox (who’s rooting for who depends on a number of factors here)? They remain loyal to them to the end. Willis Tower? No, it’s the Sears Tower. Macy’s on State Street? No, it’s Marshall Fields. And don’t you dare try and say that NYC pizza is better than Chicago pizza. Hands will be caught (okay, joking, but not really). 

Tangent time: Okay, I know this should be in one of my Love/Hate Thang posts, but here goes: if there’s one thing I envy about Chicago more than anything else, it’s this deep pride, love and knowledge it’s citizens have of the city. It’s so heartwarming to see honestly, only to become depressing when I remember the dearth of that in my actual hometown.  True, many Vegas natives and residents claim to have a lot of love, pride and knowledge of this city, but I rarely meet anyone who legitimately backs that up. After many years, I’ve finally unlearned my ~*fantasy*~ of Chicago so to speak, but the “deep pride, love and knowledge” part is one thing I still greatly desire. It’s probably a major part of why I was so deluded in the first place. I will note that this is slowly beginning to change, however, so time will only tell. /tangent over

For the first time in eight years, I am going to take another excursion to Chicago in July. I for one am quite excited to not only go to the museums and dig into the food again, as well as take part in the local nightlife now that me and my half-sister are both legal! Honestly, if I could visit once or twice a year, I would, as there’s just so much to learn and explore there. 

It may not be my real hometown, but the connection is still there. So I will never turn my back on the place. Until next time. 

[whimsicalwritingnthings]

A Little Bit of Baggage

Warnings: some mild language

Summary:  hii !! i dont really know how these requests work but could you write something for baekhyun (exo) where you have the same suitcases but didn’t look at the name tags before you leave the airport and so have to find a way to exchange again, youre also intrigued by their belongings.

Word Count: 1,998

A/N: I’m super excited to be writing again, and I apologize as I’m a bit rusty. Hopefully it turned out to your liking. I really had fun with this prompt and I wouldn’t mind making a second part if it’s received well. Please enjoy :)

The flight to Korea had been long. Much too long, and a bit uncomfortable considering the plane was packed with people traveling for the holidays. You yourself had also been traveling to visit friends and wanted nothing more than to be with them rather than stuck on a crowded plane. Any flight more than six or eight hours was bound to be exhausting, however some fussy children and a little more than irritated passengers made things a little more... interesting, for better words. However, listening to music and reading a good book proved to work as a good shield against both boredom and irritated travelers.

As soon as the flight landed the more impatient passengers began to rise from their seats, nudging each other a bit to get to their baggage from above. Quietly you sat, patiently waiting for everyone else to exit before grabbing your own bag and exiting the terminal. Navigating Incheon International wasn't too difficult, although it was much larger than the airport from your hometown. Customs was never fun. The long lines and tight-faced guards never helped either. It was easy to become intimidated and nervous. Although the line was long everything went smoothly, not having to wait too long.

After customs you texted your friend who was supposed to pick you up from the airport and made your way to the baggage carousel to wait for your luggage to come around the belt. It didn't take long for your sights to focus on a brown suitcase with darker brown trim in a vintage styled fashion. You quickly grabbed your bag and through the small cluster of people also trying to get their own belongings and walked hastily to the exit. You couldn't wait to relax, more importantly see your friend as well. You were especially excited because during your ventures overseas you were able to procure a special gift they had been wanting dearly -, however it was thought to be sold out worldwide... until you were able to swindle your way into getting one, that is.

Once you saw their car pulling up you waved furiously to get their attention. With a screech their car came to a halt at the curb and they hastily tumbled out of the car in order to welcome you back.

“____! It seems like it's been forever” they whined.

You groaned, “I know it's been too long...But you'll be pleased to know that someone really awesome was able to get you that thought-to-be sold out Genji figure,” you smiled deviously.

Their hands dropped from your sides, eyes wide and mouth hung open. After a moment they spoke softly, “Are you for real right now?”

You laughed, “Yes, but you'll have to wait because it's covered in all my clothes in my suitcase. For protection of course.” Quickly after that, they threw your luggage in the trunk and ushered you into the passengers seat.

The ride was pleasant and spent in good conversation, mostly catching up and talking about upcoming plans with their parents and so on. Tomorrow they were going to pick up their parents as well as finish some projects quickly which left you by yourself for most of they day in order to recover from jet-leg and relax a bit before the real plans started to take place. As you made you're way up to their apartment you were excited to give them their gift and also take a shower and take a nap.

Once inside you made yourself comfortable in a guest room you began to open up your suitcase in order to get a fresh pair of clothes. To your surprise – and horror – none of the clothes were familiar. A few pairs of boxers, some socks, shirts and pants, an extra pair of shoes much to large for your feet... A small panic began to set in. You started to flip some of the clothes, just in case, perhaps in the hopes that at least one familiar piece of clothing would show up, or even your friend's gift. But to your dismay, nothing showed up.

“Oh what the-” you exclaimed to yourself in disbelief at the confirmation that nothing was yours.

“____? What is it?” your friend asked, peeking their head around the corner into the door-frame.

“I'm such an idiot,” you stated, hand going to your forehead to try and stop an oncoming headache.

“What happened?”

“This isn't my luggage,” you said quietly.

“What do you mean that isn't your luggage?” replied your friend as they walked into the room.

“I must have some other poor asshole's luggage,” you groaned, “and that means that they probably have mine... and, shit, that means they have the gift I brought you, and the things I brought as a thank you to your parents and wow, okay, the fact that some stranger has now probably saw my panties...” You wanted to scream. You closed your eyes as your head fell back with a loud groan. “Why...just why?” Your friend laughed. “This isn't funny,” you whined.

“Did you check the tags? Maybe there's a number you can call,” your friend said as they started to check, “Oh...No number.”

“Well that's just freakin' gre-”

“But there is an email,” they interrupted. Your interest peaked, opening your eyes and looking over your friend's shoulder. “baekedbyuns@smt.org,” your friend said with a small giggle, “Sounds odd.”

“Can you spell it?” you asked, pulling out your phone, already typing out an email.

[Hello, my name is _____. I left Incheon Airport and I realized too late that I took home the wrong luggage. I have yours and I'm assuming this is the right email to contact you. I feel really bad about this, and am very sorry. Do you perhaps have mine as well? If you want I can send them back to you if you send me an address.]

After you wrote something in a manner you deemed polite enough you tossed your phone on the bed. “It's stupid shit that happens to me like this that skyrockets my anxiety.”

“Hopefully they'll reply soon. They're probably just as worried about their own things.”

“Maybe, but there's not much here that's of any interest other than these weird souvenirs,” you said pointing at a particularly odd set of socks, “But what if they go through my things? What if they're a secret pervert and steal my underwear or something worse?”

“Or maybe they're hot and single and this is a cool twist of fate that brings you to your soulmate or something.”

“You've been reading to much fanfiction. Nothing happens like that to me other than probably getting murdered in an angst fic.” Your friend rolled their eyes.

Suddenly a ping went off. Your friend threw your phone back at you. You opened up the new message from an unknown number.

[Hi ____, I must've took your luggage too :( I'm sorry :( but at least we know who has our stuff. I started texting you before I found you had emailed me ><; sorry if that's not okay, but your number was on the tags, hope it's okay. Sending luggage is expensive we can just meet and exchange them if you're free :)]

Another ping.

[that is unless you're flying away or live really far that is ^^;;;]

“That was surprisingly quick,” you stated, “and they type like a middle school kid, but from the size of his shoes we're looking at a full grown man... He wants me to meet him,” you said blankly. The first thought coming to mind was the murder scenario.

“Oo, a man you say? You should do it! Shipping is expensive anyways.”

“That's what he said, but remember what I said about the murdering and the dying?”

“Maybe it's you who has read too much fanfiction. Bur really, who knows? Maybe he won't be prince charming, but I don't think there will be any murder involved. Just a quick drop and grab, and then you'll leave with your stuff...and then I can have my gifts,” they smiled slyly.

“I don't want to risk my life for some silly touristy gifts.”

“But it's the Genji figure. That is by no means touristy. Tell him to meet you somewhere public, date safety 101, it's not like this is some back alley deal.”

“Firstly, this is by no means a date, I just need my things. Second, regardless of whatever I doubt a date will come with it.” After a minute of thought you decided, “Fine. I'll just meet him. Worst thing that happens is that he's ugly or something, right?” Your friend nodded. “Okay.”

[I can meet you tomorrow at Sinsa Station outside of exit 8. Thank you!]

Meeting at the station was a good idea. It was a weekend and the area you chose to meet at was close to many restaurants, so there was even more lunch traffic. It was also far enough away from your friend's apartment as well so he wouldn't be able to guess where you were staying in case they did, in fact, want to plan a murder.

You arrived early and was enjoying people watching while also keeping on the look out for the person with matching luggage. Your head was turning every which way, neck craning on the look out for some mystery man who's suitcase you happened to steal.

Suddenly, you felt a light tap on your shoulder. “Hi.” You spun your head around and your jaw dropped, “Uhm, I'm Baekhyun, we switched up our luggage?” Standing before you was a man, taller than you, and also strikingly handsome. His hair was dark, his smile was charming. His legs looked long and slender in his distressed blue-jeans. He wore a white, long-sleeved button-up, tucked in the front of his pants and had the sleeves rolled up to expose his forearms. He ran a nervous hand through his hair, “Uhm, yeah so can I have that back?” He pointed to his luggage.

“Oh, yeah, here,” you said, trading suitcases.

He took his with a smile, “I don't mean to be so forward or sound weird, but from the look of what was inside your luggage I wasn't expecting you to be so cute.”

You were taken aback by what seemed to be a backhanded comment, “I mean, same. I didn't expect you to be...” you gestured up and down.

“Attractive?” he answered.

“Sure, let's go with that. But what do you mean about my luggage?”

“It's the granny-panties and that Overwatch figure,” he laughed, “Kind of threw me off,” he shrugged nonchalantly, “I expected some odd middle-aged fangirl.”

So began your internal crisis. Yes, as confirmed by your fears, a stranger had in fact looked at your underwear and – unfortunately enough – you didn't even happen to pack any of the nice ones. Just in case you had to show off to any potentially hot onlookers who just so happen to also have the same exact luggage as you. Cool.

“If you want to see the nice ones you have to get to know me first, that's the rule,” you replied quickly. Smooth, you thought to yourself, very nice recovery.

“Well, since you already have my number, would it be alright to call you to get coffee sometime?” Smoother yet...

“Yeah that sounds great, totally great. Yep. Great,” you stuttered out, making him laugh a little.

“Alright then,” he flashed a big smile, “Then I'll call you later,” he gave a wink your way before he started to walk away, “by the way,” he called back to you, “I bet your granny-panties are still cute if you're in them. I can't wait to see.”

Your eyes widened.. Your face burned and you suddenly regretted meeting in such a crowded area. You couldn't form any words as he strode away, laughing maniacally, luggage rolling behind him You'd have to apologize to your friend. Not only was Baekhyun attractive, but you had a date as well.

[xflower-childx]

A New Book

I see myself only really having two books of life, Ohio and Florida. Both having an excessive amount of chapters, A LOT of character development, and a revolving door of supporting roles. Florida's book is slowly coming to an end and it's been rather eventful. While the whole book has been a trip the past year or so I've noticed have been such intense growth and preperation for the next book. I've discovered inner peace and loving myself, speaking up when I deserve better or want something. I've discovered my worth.

I met a lovely lady (D will be her name here) who honestly stirred the start of the new book. After group meditation at the wellness center she owns while we were all just openly sharing about life she spoke of just up and moving out of her small hometown from her ex husband and adult son (Who she asked me to show around when he moves here before I leave 😏🙃). When I spoke up on how I always wanted to move and I've been working on conquering fears and not allowing high anxiety run me she brought up control and how it seemed like I struggled with needing to have it to feel safe. Yeah. That's true. That sat with me HARD. The next day was the work meeting that would change my life. K and A said that BB will be closing in a month. I knew we were struggling but I didn't realize how bad. I also knew all the shit with the partnership. A had looked at me curiously during the meeting and said "You promised me and yourself that this was your last job in Florida. What are you going to do?" I laughed and jokingly said "Looks like I'm moving to North Carolina." But as everyone else started to speak on what's next it settled in my head. Why not? Why not just move? Why not let go of control and start new? All I have is my little Alien and myself so what's stopping me? D did it, why can't I?

On my drive home it weighed in my head so heavily. I didn't feel as much sadness for BB closing as I felt excitement over the thought of moving. I had so many thoughts running through my head in that drive. I had to get them out, I needed to hear that I wasn't crazy for thinking this was possible, that I could do it, that this push off the cliff was to see if everything I've learned was to teach me how to fly and I needed to hear from someone else that I would soar and see all new heights. I knew I wasn't going to hear it from my mom though because she would only put fear and anxiety into me (I swear she is who I've developed a lot of my anxiety from). I knew my sister would encourage it but also add anxiety, and talk about how I would be leaving her and apparently 'Living her dream'. I knew who would give me what I wanted though. He was default for a while and I knew he would say what I wanted to hear because I knew he had faith I could do it. He always did. He always pushed me to. I selfishly messaged him, going against the other part of my brain saying not to open that damn door.

Of course I was right. He said what I needed to hear. He has been one of the only people to see me function outside of family and a family run environment. He knows a side of me that they don't know. The side that I wanted to grow and develop, one that started from him being in my life... And ohhh boy it grew from him leaving.. and I fucking love this side. She's still got some growing of course but I'm proud of her. She's stronger than I ever saw possible and she's beautiful and happy and she's not letting anyone stop her from going for what she wants... In a non-controlling way though. 😂

I look at this new book coming up though and I know it's a fresh start and I don't want anything bad holding me back from living it. I want to shed the old snake skin and start new. I've been shedding some old already, but there is a piece that is still part of this skin that is fraying. I want to take him with me because ultimately he's someone I hold close but he hurts. He hurts a lot. Ever since the start I had always felt like second best even though I played a number one role in his life. Even when he had his other girl a few hours away I was second although I felt like I was going to third. I was able to almost mute that feeling when we were in each other's lives though because we were always around each other and I continued to play the role of number one. I was always a place filler though and I knew that deep down. He was never able to really let go of his ex and I don't know if he ever will. I always tried to become better to get his attention but he would just look through me and remind me that he never had any passion for me and everything between us was in my head. I would just defend him in some way though and continue to try and be there.

I was always there. Even when I'm not. Even now when I push him out because no matter what I will always feel like I'm not enough for him. Not as a partner because I already know that but even as a friend. He's never really spoken otherwise. Anyone can say 'Thanks for being there' but those that really appreciate it will put into words their gratitude. Especially when the other has spoken of needing it because they don't feel love and appreciation.

I understand now why I had such high anxiety in CO. Foreign place plus feeling like R2 showing off being favorite person. God she knew it and rubbed it in. I actually wonder if they realize she has feelings for him? I mean honestly the jealousy and just all around energy of the whole trip was HEAVY and some of the stuff she said... I could be wrong but I've learned to trust my instincts by now 😂. For a minute it crossed my mind if they'd slept together but I know R and his type and I observed their interactions and feel as no they didn't. My ability to read people and having amazing observation skills is such a blessing and a curse 🤦. Also being an empath doesn't help. I felt everyone's mood and energy and it just weighed on me and made me feel like I'm drowning. I lost myself entirely that trip and I felt so scared and raw. I had nothing and no one to hang onto and the pain that I felt by R not giving a fuck hurt even more. He spoke words that made me want to pack up and get on a plane in that moment because I felt so unwanted and broken there. The ability to take love from someone when its needed during life changing experiences but say 'Fuck you grow up and deal with it' when that person is crying asking for love and comfort is beyond me. Especially to allow them to walk away to an Uber by themselves when again you know how much they hurt and how high their anxiety already is. I really don't think he knows how much I've looked back on that exact moment and felt pain in my chest. How it hurts to even write still. How selfish I see him from that and little I feel like I matter to him. Ever mattered to him. I even remember asking him with so much fear to ride with me to the airport because I had hopes we could try and mend something on the way but the fear came into knowing he would say no. I wonder if he thinks he was trying to help teach me to take care of myself and not rely on someone else- which mission accomplished I've learned- but in probably one of the most cruel and unloving ways possible. The wise words of NF 'If you want love you gone have to give some away'. (Funny how that song came on writing that part.)

I wouldn't be me if I didn't say this though as I look at every angle of everything and everyone. I know I relyed on him too much. I know I put to much trust and love into him (Which whooo more trust issues) and I know he was crushing under the weight of it. I know he is a human and I respect that, and I take the blame for relying on him. I take the blame for not being able to pick myself up under the weight of everyone's judgement and energy (Ohhh man the energy after he talked to his friends about me 🤦 90% I was just running on fumes and fake positivity at that point to try and get by) instead of reaching out for a hand to help me. I couldn't find the peace and comfort in myself there and wish I could have. I wish the circumstances were different and I didn't always feel so... Useless next to him. I don't think that's the word I'm really looking for but it will do.

I wish we could have actually talked though after. I wish I heard him apologize at least once sincerely. I wish I HEARD him care. I wish he wanted to care. I wish I mattered more to him than a hand to hold and guide him out of the dark of his unforgotten ex. I guess that's what I get for falling for a man not even months out of a relationship. I wish our friendship wasn't so tainted by the inability to let go of the past on both sides.

If he and I had actually talked though and we both owned up to our faults and reminded each other that we're important to the other and just genuinely thank the other for the love and care we put into our relationship than I think I would be able to take him with me. I could see our friendship mending and growing with sending silly pictures of new adventures we go on and my alien seeing the world and maybe him coming to visit me there even and I him wherever life takes him next. I could see myself starting to trust him again and being able to ask for adivce again. I could see him being able to come to me again and myself giving him pages of messages as I talk my way through the advice to get to a point 😅☹️ But he's too damn stubborn to talk and I don't even know if he sees fault in his actions and words. I love him and if I could openly say anything to him it's that I hope he's happy. I hope he can finally let her go and allow himself to love again because he will always find faults and pain in potential love if he keeps holding onto her and he will only put pain on future love interests. I know he NEVER meant any harm on me and I know he warned me and I know he tried and was doing the best he could with what he had and understood at the time when he lived here. When it comes to after... I have nothing left to say but pain.

I love him but I love myself more. I love myself enough to know that I don't deserve to feel pain from someone I gave nothing but love, care, patience and understanding to. Someone that any moment they needed it I was ready to encourage them and push them forward. Someone I had nothing but faith and belief in. Someone I genuinely cared about. Someone who was ready to drop me when my demons appeared and I was at my worst. I know that it doesn't matter how much I care about him though, I care about myself more. I wish him well, and the best and love but not from me. Not anymore. I can't ask him to give me words when he doesn't want to give them because that's not only unfair to him, its unfair to me because it hurts me. I wish I could share my next journey with him, I wish I could share all my excitement with him and all the crazy things that have happened so far and the things that could possibly happen next. I wish he asked and I believed he really wanted to know... Also I got bit by a dog and I wanted to tell him and show the pictures cause wtf the bruising and bite marks man 🤦 He was my best friend. One of my favorite best friends. One my favorite people and I wish I didn't have to let him go over fucking stubbornness and screwed up pasts.

I have a new book ahead of me and I'm ready for some blank pages. I'm ready for a fresh start, new friends, new adventures, and a new world. I'm ready to continue to grow and expand my knowledge on life, the world around me and myself. I'm really happy right now though. I feel a little lonely while being my own best friend because I don't really have anyone to talk to about my next story or share my ideas with but it's alright I guess. I trust that things will fall into place amongst the confusion in my head.

I haven't shared how scared I am with anyone either. Reality smacked me in the face on my last day last week and I realized how much is about to change and I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. I'm so proud but so so scared. I know I can do it and I know that this is such a great, exciting change but man I'm going completely solo and alone on this besides my alien 🤦

We tough though. We got this. 😊💪

[bigyack-com]

Crazy Mascots Flooded Japan. Can This Grouchy Boar Survive?

NAGANO, Japan — The mayor of Misato, a remote village of 4,700 people in rugged western Japan, laid down an ultimatum early last year: The local mascot character, Misabo, must prove his worth. Or else.Misabo, a gloomy boar with a mountain on his head who wears whale overalls hiked up to his snout, has the daunting job of promoting the village as a tourism destination. He waddled into the world in 2013, as a mascot craze swept Japan and hundreds of the country’s graying and shrinking towns turned to colorful, often wacky characters to lure visitors and investment.Now, as their tax bases dwindle along with their populations, communities like Misato are increasingly questioning whether the whimsy is worth the cost in public spending. In the absence of much evidence that the characters are delivering economic benefits, the answer for many towns in the grip of Japan’s demographic crisis has been to quietly mothball them.“It was a boom without any reality,” said Akihiko Inuyama, an author and designer who wrote a book about the mascot industry.It is impossible to know exactly how many mascots, who plug their hometowns as both illustrated characters and humans in costumes, have been liquidated. For most, the end comes with the stroke of a bureaucrat’s pen, not a formal announcement. But industry numbers hint at the toll.Sun.Mold, a manufacturer of mascot costumes, said that orders had dropped by about half from their peak five or six years ago, when the company was producing 20 to 40 outfits a month for the characters, known as yuru-chara.More dramatic evidence came last November at the Yuru-chara Grand Prix, an annual gathering to crown Japan’s king of cute.For a select few, the Grand Prix has been a springboard to riches. Kumamoto, a sparsely populated prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu, reaped a $1.2 billion economic windfall in the two years after its mascot, Kumamon, won the first Grand Prix, in 2011, according to a study by the Bank of Japan.“It was thanks to Kumamon that yuru-chara became a national phenomenon,” said Shuichiro Nishi, the creative force behind the competition.When the charmingly plump black bear with rosy red cheeks won the event, the country was still reeling from the catastrophic tsunami and nuclear disaster that had struck northern Japan months earlier. People were “clamoring” for a sense of national connection, Mr. Nishi said.Kumamon moved mountains of merchandise and drove up tourism. Hit mascots can also lift tax revenue thanks to a program, introduced in 2008, that allows citizens to direct a portion of their income taxes to the locality of their choice.Inspired by Kumamon’s success, local governments rushed to cash in. As the characters became fixtures on national airwaves, Mr. Inuyama said, the media “tricked people into thinking yuru-chara were making money,” and local governments “went along for the ride.”More and more, though, it looks like the end of the road. The number of characters in this November’s Grand Prix, held in Nagano, was down a third from the peak of about 1,700 in 2015. Many of the entrants did not even bother to show up. And officials, seeing the writing on the wall, announced that the 2020 contest would be the last.Misabo’s handlers, however, were not about to give up.The mayor had given them one year to show that the character was worth the tens of thousands of dollars that taxpayers had spent on him.With the deadline quickly approaching, the team was hoping for an upset victory at the Grand Prix.“We need to make the Top 10,” said Ayami Nakada, an employee of the town hall, who had flown to Nagano with two co-workers.“We don’t know what’s going to happen, but I think it’s important that we stay focused,” she said.It was a long shot. Misabo, who looks less like a cuddly friend than a guy who just spilled his beer at Oktoberfest, finished in 339th place in the 2018 Grand Prix — a result that may or may not have been affected by a vote-rigging scandal that year.Since then, Misato’s officials had worked hard and pushed his ranking into the mid-20s. But as voting was drawing to a close, he was still tens of thousands of votes behind the top competitors.The characters have their roots in the 1980s, when local government mascots first began appearing. They were a natural fit for a country where adorable characters like Hello Kitty are used to sell everything from microwaves to motor oil.The positioning of mascots as ambassadors for ailing local governments let fans see their hobby as a kind of virtuous consumption or even a public service.“They represent the national character,” said Masumi Shindo, who had come to the Grand Prix to support Nagano’s mascot, Arukuma, a bear with an apple on his head. “They energize us. When I see them working hard, it makes me want to do my best.”As mascots flooded the market, character development began to look like a Japanese Mad Lib: Use a local animal as a base. Combine it with a famous local snack or architectural highlight. Give it a terrible pun for a name. Profit!The results were often endearingly surreal. Narita, home to Tokyo’s largest international airport, dreamed up a plush eel with jet engines.But the novelty quickly wore off. Copycats were everywhere: Froglike water spirits called Kappa proliferated, and after Sanomaru — a dog with a bowl of ramen on its head — won the 2013 Grand Prix, other animals sporting Japanese noodles popped up.Misabo made his debut that same year. A local government employee created the character. The first suit cost around $7,200, and the village has since ordered a second one.With little to set it apart from the many other localities that have also fallen on hard times, Misato leaned heavily on Misabo.The character’s grumpy disposition was a good fit for his home prefecture’s brand. Shimane, which is one of the poorest and least populated areas in Japan, has turned its obscurity into a resource. In 2011, a calendar created by the local government and filled with self-deprecating jokes about the locals became a surprise hit in Japan.Misato made Misabo merchandise. It started a YouTube channel. It came up with a dance, the Misabo Samba. It built a slick tourism website prominently featuring the character. It even designed a series of stickers that fans could buy and send to each other on the chat app Line.Still, nothing seemed to stick. Officials began to wonder if it was time to put Misabo out to pasture.Hoping to drum up some publicity, early last year Misato’s mayor called a news conference and threatened to fire the character. At one point, government employees held Misabo back as he tried to take a swing at his boss. The story was picked up by the national broadcaster, NHK, and it played well on social media, lifting the mascot’s profile.But Misabo’s moment in the spotlight had been brief. On the last day of the Grand Prix, with his job on the line, his odds looked as grim as his countenance.His team pinned their aspirations on skipping rope.“We’re hoping that winning the jump-rope contest will give us a boost,” Ms. Nakada, the town employee, said as her co-worker did some calisthenics nearby, preparing to strap himself into the unwieldy suit and skip for all he was worth.After a failed initial attempt, he managed 47 jumps, handily putting him in first place.In the end, though, it was not enough to overcome the other mascots’ considerable advantages. When the votes were tallied, he came in 24th.But fear not for Misabo, at least for now. The results seem to have satisfied the mayor. He has agreed to let Misabo mope along for another year.Hisako Ueno contributed reporting from Tokyo. Read the full article

[tyson-berry-blog]

Leon Draisaitl #1 - Reunion

Anon asked: Can you do a Leon one where you guys go back to your hometown and you see a bunch of your old classmates (who you hated, like you hate where you're from) and you have to introduce him and for once they're all up on your ass because of him? You can take it wherever you want and it can be in whatever setting. I just think it'd be interesting lol. also like your old classmates are kinda rude to you? Like wow can't believe he's dating you? sorta thing? thanks love!!

I can for sure do this! I don’t know what it is but I love the idea when you can prove the naysayers wrong and show them that their terrible personalities didn't keep you down. I am all for personal growth! I think everyone has had their fair share of bullying growing up, I know I did. I hope that none of you all had to go through anything but I know that people can be cruel. That being said, if anyone ever needs someone to talk to, I am here to lend an ear. None of you should go through anything alone. Sorry, I am getting off track. Anon, I hope you enjoy this!

You were sitting in the living room, flipping through the television channels when the front door opened. Leon had spent the last few hours with some of the guys which allowed you to get some much needed work done. When he walked into the room he raised an eyebrow at you sitting on the couch, your papers ignored on the coffee table.

“I’m taking a break!” you insisted.

Leon shook his head fondly and said nothing. Instead, he dropped down next to you on the couch and flipped through the stack of mail in his hands. You turned your attention back to the television but a noise of interest had you glancing back at your boyfriend.

“What?” you asked.

He handed an envelope with your name on it over to you. The return address at the top was from your hometown and a feeling of dread formed in your stomach.

Leon looked at your expression, “what is it?”

You ignored him and with shaking fingers, opened the letter. Inside, as you suspected, was an invitation to your five-year high school reunion. A five-year reunion always seemed like a dumb idea to you. Most of your classmates would have just finished up college and entered the workforce and some might have even chosen to continue with their education. It seemed silly to return after only five-years; essentially nothing had changed.

After high school you moved to Edmonton for college. It was there that you eventually met your best friends, secured a great job and began dating Leon. All of this helped you to forget about your small hometown and realize that not everyone you interacted with in life was out to get you. The biggest and frankly only downside you could see about Edmonton was that fact that it was only a three-hour drive from your hometown. It was far away but in this case, not far enough.

Leon took the letter from your hands after you failed to answer him, and read it for himself.

“You have to go.”

You scoffed, “I’m not going. High school was an awful time for me and I do not want to go back there.”

“What if I go with you?”

“What?”

“For support. Plus, I want to see where you grew up.”

“Are you serious?” you looked at him, incredulous.

He nodded.

“My classmates were jerks.”

“All the more reason to show them how great you turned out.”

“You aren’t going to let this go are you?”

He smiled, “nope!”

“Fine. I guess we can go, but as soon as they start being awful, we leave.”

“Deal.”

Several weeks passed and you had forgotten all about the reunion until Leon asked if you were driving or flying.

“Driving or flying to what?”

“The reunion. Are we driving or flying?”

“The reunion?” realization dawned on you. “I totally forgot.”

Leon simply laughed.

“Don’t laugh, you jerk.”

“I’ll buy the plane tickets. When do we want to leave?”

“Hmmm,” you pretended to think. “How about never?”

“Be serious, please.”

“The afternoon of. I want to spend as little time there as possible.”

“Should I book a hotel room too?”

“Unless you want to sleep outside,” you couldn’t help the harshness in your tone.

Leon took it all in stride, as he usually did. Instead of further prodding you he pressed a kiss to the top of your head and went to search for his computer.

 “I cannot believe you bought first class tickets,” you hissed at Leon while standing in line to board.

Leon shrugged nonchalantly but by the small curve of his lips you could tell he was pleased. He understood that he made more money in a year than you could ever dream of and liked to use it to treat you.

Of course there were Oilers fans all around and the attendant who scanned your tickets was no different. His eyes widened at the name on the boarding pass and he looked up at Leon in awe.

“Have a nice flight Mr. Draisaitl,” he stuttered out.

You handed over your own ticket and it took a second for the attendant to gather his thoughts. He scanned yours and waved you through with a quick, “enjoy your flight.”

You stored your bag and sat down in the window seat. Leon settled in next to you, lacing his fingers through yours.

“It’s going to be okay.”

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. They were the worst.”

“It’s going to be okay,” he repeated.

“How do you know that?”

“You have me.”

He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world and maybe it was. Leon always had your back, and if he thought something were to happen to you, he wouldn’t have made you do this.

 The flight was over far too quickly and because neither of you checked your bags, you didn’t have to wait for the luggage carousal. This meant that there was nothing left to prolong you from leaving the airport and the sense of dread made a reappearance. Leon didn’t even have to look at you to know how you were feeling so he reached for your hand and led you through the small crowd to the rental car check in. Everything was quickly squared away and the two of you walked to the numbered spot. Sitting in the space was a red Porsche.

“Leon,” your eyes widened. “What the hell is this?”

“German cars are the best cars.”

“You are ridiculous.”

“I love you too.”

You were grateful for the tinted windows as the two of you drove through the streets of your home town. People stopped to watch the monstrosity drive by and hoped to catch a glimpse of who was inside. The hotel you pulled up to was significantly more subdued than the car but that is due to your town not having any lavish architecture. Leon unloaded the luggage and went to the front desk to check in. The two of you rode the elevator up in silence, Leon exited ahead of you to unlock the door. He pushed his luggage into the corner of the room and face planted into the mattress, disrupting the carefully laid out pillows. You rolled your eyes, but nudged him over so you could lay down as well. He automatically lifted his arm for you to crawl under. You were more tired than you felt you should have been but with the warmth of being cuddled by your boyfriend, you were falling asleep in mere minutes.

 A poke to the cheek woke you up. You glared up at your boyfriend, pulled a pillow over your head and turned your back to him.

“Get up.”

“I don’t want to you,” your words were muffled by the pillow.

“The reunion starts in an hour.”

“Can’t we just skip it and stay here?”

“I can’t hear you with that pillow on your head.”

You pushed the pillow onto the floor, “let’s just stay here.”

“As much as I would like that, we came all this way. We can’t back out now.”

“Yes we can.”

“You aren’t a quitter.”

“Maybe I can start.”

Leon grabbed your ankle and pulled you towards the end of the bed. With a huff you pushed yourself up and went to shower. The warm water helped wash away that last bit of grogginess and the stale feeling from traveling by plane. Leon opened the door just as you were shutting off the water.

“Leon get out!”

“Nothing I haven’t seen before,” he said before brushing his teeth.

You wrapped one towel around your body and the other around your hair. Leon made eye contact with you in the mirror and winked. You hoisted your bag onto the end of the bed and unzipped it with one hand, the other was holding your towel in place. The dress you had packed was one you wore to an Oilers function a few months back. It was appropriate to wear in a professional setting but still casual enough that it didn’t look like you were heading to a meeting. You laid the dress next to Leon’s outfit on the bed and waited for him to finally leave the bathroom so you could dry your hair. Half an hour later you were slipping on your shoes and Leon was fastening the last of the button on his shirt.

You straightened up and caught him looking at you, “what?”

“You look great.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“I’m not. I don’t know what those kids did to you but it was clearly their loss.”

Leon saved you from having to feel awkward about accepting the compliment by grabbing the car keys and ushering you out into the hall. Your high school was only a fifteen-minute ride from the hotel which didn’t give you a lot of time to think, which was probably a good thing. He pulled the car into an open spot near the front of the lot, this meant that there was no hiding your face when you got out.

Leon looked at you, “ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” you answered.

You took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Leon had already made his way around to stand next to you and graciously offered his arm. You put yours through his and held on tighter than what was probably comfortable.

The gym’s doors were propped open and immediately inside was a table of nametags. On the tags, along with your name was your senior photo. It wasn’t the worst photo of you but still one you’d rather forget. For the guests was a tag with their name in large letters and beneath it in a smaller font, who they were with. Sitting behind the table was the senior class vice president from your year and thorn in your side: Annabelle Ferris. She looked up at your approach and plastered on a small smile when she saw it was you. To anyone else it would appear friendly but you were all too familiar with it to be fooled. She looked down at her clipboard and checked off your name.

“We weren’t sure you were going to make it.”

“Who is ‘we’?” you asked.

“You know, the old gang.”

“How could I pass up an opportunity to come back here?”

Annabelle smiled again and passed your name badge over to you. “Is your plus one going to be joining you?”

“My boyfriend, yes he -”

“Is right here,” Leon stepped out from behind you and extended his hand towards Annabelle.

Your hometown was in Edmonton territory so you knew by the shocked look on her face that she recognized who he was.

When Annabelle said nothing Leon broke the silence, “the name is Leon Draisaitl. Do I need to spell it out? It’s D-r-a-i-”

“No that’s alright. I have it right here.” Annabelle passed his nametag over to him. He was all too satisfied to stick it onto his shirt.

“So,” you pointed to the double doors. “Just through there?”

The tight smile reappeared along with a quick nod and you pulled Leon along with you. The gym looked the same, which was no surprise. The floor was covered in table though and balloons filled every corner. A DJ was up on the stage, looking too into it for a high school reunion. Along the back wall were the food and drinks.

“You go get a table and I’ll grab us some drinks,” Leon said.

You nodded and went to find the least occupied table you could. The one closest to the bathroom was unsurprisingly empty so you sat down. Not even three minutes later were you joined by the ‘we’ that Annabelle had referenced earlier. Tracy Smith, Harrison Reynolds and Michael Jones along with Annabelle loved to torment you all throughout your four years there. The three of them sat down in the chairs closest to you and made themselves comfortable.

“Look who it is,” Harrison was the first to speak up.

“What do you want?”

“Whoa, whoa, don’t act too eager to see us,” added Michael.

“I couldn’t be less pleased even if I tried.”

Tracy rolled her eyes, “you don’t have to be so rude. We saw you sitting here alone and decided to help you.”

“Not that it is any of your business, but I am not here alone.”

“Who are you here with?” Michael asked.

“That’s none of your concern.”

“You don’t have to lie to us,” Tracy smirked. “We’re all friends here.”

“I am not associated with any of you.”

“You don’t have to be such a bitch,” Harrison spat out.

“What did you just say?”

The three of them whipped around to come face to face with your boyfriend. The plastic cup in his hand cracked slightly under the pressure of his tight grip.

“Holy shit! You’re Leon Draisaitl! Your goal against Calgary last week was totally sick man.” Harrison was nearly vibrating with excitement at the sight of him.

“What did you say?”

“That your goal was sick?”

“About my girlfriend,” Leon clarified.

Tracy scoffed, “girlfriend? Who? Her?” She pointed at you.

“Yes, her.”

You hadn’t seen Leon this mad off the ice and you weren’t sure how to handle it. The three of them clearly didn’t know how to either given by how they visibly shifted away from him.

“We were just messing around man,” Michael said quietly. “It was just a joke.”

Leon looked at you, “are you laughing?”

“No.”

“She isn’t laughing, and I’m not either. Clearly it wasn’t a good joke.”

“No need to be so uptight,” said Tracy.

This only infuriated Leon more. “Now I get why she didn’t want to come back here and yet I forced her. You guys are all jerks and don’t deserve to make my girlfriend feel bad. She is the nicest, funniest and kindest person I know.” He looked down at you, “let’s go.”

You didn’t hesitate to stand up and follow him out. You watched Annabelle’s surprised expression as Leon stormed out and you couldn’t even muster a witty response. It wasn’t worth it. Leon was several paces in front of you and thus the first one into the car. He was gripping the steering wheel tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

You put your hand on his arm, “it’s okay.”

“It’s not okay!”

“That was nothing compared to some of the other things they’ve said.”

“They can’t talk to you like that!”

“They have and I just let it go. No use dwelling on it if it isn’t going to help me in life.”

“I’m sorry I made you come. You tried to tell me and I didn’t listen.”

You squeezed his arm gently, “I was the one to agree to this. You didn’t tie me up and force me onto the plane.”

“But I pressured you.”

“Leon, it’s fine. I promise.”

“I feel awful.”

“Look at me,” he turned to face you. “Why don’t we go back to the hotel and order way too much room service and fall asleep watching a movie?”

“I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“You defending me was enough.”

“It wasn’t. It was the bare minimum.”

“Knowing you have my back makes everything better.”

“I always have your back,” he looked mildly offended at the implication that he wouldn’t defend you.

“I know you do. C’mon, let’s get out of here. The sooner we leave this parking lot, the better.”

“I will buy you all the room service you could possibly want.”

You leaned across the gear shift and kissed his cheek, “I know you will.”

[house-of-ocs]

Jacob x Jennifer(OC)

 Ch. 1 Arrival

A/N: Let’s get some things straight about this AU before we start, shall we? Okay, so this entire thing takes place a few weeks after Breaking Dawn school is about to start up again, and Jacob and the other Quileute(sp?) boys are seniors in high school. Except for Seth, he’s a junior. Any way Jacob still has feelings for Bella, and while they aren’t as big as they used to be, he still has them. He is still going to love her the ‘right way’ like he should have done two and a half books ago, but we aren’t going to talk about that, but he’s still in love with her. Anyway, let’s talk about Jennifer her parents are divorced, and she has spent her freshman through junior years with her father, who lives in Detroit, Michigan. She comes back to Forks to finish out her high school year, and for another much bigger reason that you will find out later. Jennifer knows about the local legends in La Push, just like everyone else that lives there, but she didn’t believe them to be true until she saw that they were true. Oh, and the vampires and werewolves’ treaty were still renewed, because why not? One more thing, the main thing in this AU is that Jacob did not imprint on Renessme(sp?) in fact he is still kind of bitter that she was born in the first place. He is still fond of her because no one is immune to the magic that is Renessme Cullen. But for this AU to work Jacob will imprint on Jennifer. I think that’s it I hope you enjoy reading it.  This is my first multi-chapter story I’m posting I hope you like it!

Happy Travels!

Normal POV

It was currently 7:00 AM in the Detroit airport, the hustle and bustle of the people, and the periodic announcement of the next flight available was the only thing heard. Families were being reunited, or people were departing to fly to new places. The lively chatter of the people in the airport terminal was an oddly soothing sound causing a small relaxed smile to flit across a certain girl’s face. The girl wasn’t much to look at she was about 18, and stood at about 5’4, her skin was a light caramel color, her eyes, which were closed, were bright green, and her lips were pink and soft. She was wearing a blank tank top with a purple stripe on it, a jean jacket covered her bare shoulders, she was wearing a pair of faded blue skinny jeans, and blue sneakers with yellow stars on them. A bright blue polka-dotted suitcase rested next to her, and beside that was a neon green backpack holding all the things she would need for the plane ride.

This girl’s name was Jennifer Garcia and she was currently waiting for a plane that would take back to her hometown of Forks, Washington. Jennifer had just spent most of her high school career in Detroit with her father, and while she loved him dearly, she missed her home and was more than excited to be going back. “Flight 02164 to Forks, Washington now boarding” Jennifer’s smile widened as she heard the voice talk over the intercom. She snatched up her backpack, and after situating it on her shoulders grabbed her suitcase handle and rolled it to the air gate. After handing her ticket to the nice lady standing at a podium, Jennifer walked to her assigned seat, elated that she had a window seat. She shoved her suitcase in the overhead luggage bin and made herself comfortable in her seat.

As she watched the plane slowly fill up, she looked out the window, watching with rapt interest as the workers began to clear the runway for the plane to take off. Jennifer tapped her fingertips on her thigh impatience radiating off her being. A flight attendant waltzed passed her politely asking if she wanted anything, Jennifer shook her head, and the flight attendant was sent on her way. “The plane is about to take off we ask that you please remain seated until we are safely in the air and that you put your phones on plane mode. Thank you and enjoy your flight”. After doing what the lady over the intercom said Jennifer took out her headphones and plugged them into her phone, she chose a playlist to listen to and relaxed into her seat. She leaned her head back against the seat and looked out the window smiling as she felt the plane lift off the ground.  

Soon, Jennifer would be home with her friends and family. The thought made her grin widen, as she pictured her home La Push, her mom’s cooking, her bed, and her friends, the Quileute boys she had missed them the most. Jennifer thought about how she used to wrestle with Quil, pull pranks with Embry, hang out with Seth, and sit with Jacob in his makeshift garage while he worked on his latest project. Her thoughts paused as she thought of Jacob, she hadn’t heard from him in a while, in fact, she hadn’t heard from any of her old friends since she started sophomore year. In the beginning, they texted, called, and emailed her whenever they could, but the longer she was away, the fewer messages she got it really worried her. She wondered what could keep them so busy that they couldn’t contact her.  

The only one who had contacted her was Seth, and even that was just this morning when he said he’d be at the Forks terminal to pick her up, Leah would be with him too. The thought made her smile, at least she would see Seth, before anything else. “We are now landing at Forks airport, please be careful as you collect your luggage from the overhead bins as some of the contents inside may have shifted during flight. Thank you for flying with us and have a good day!”. Jennifer blinked in surprise ‘Did I fall asleep?’ She thought. She looked out the window and saw the familiar landscape of Forks' airport ‘Hm, guess I did’. Jennifer got up and stretched before moving to the overhead bin containing her luggage. She shouldered her backpack and gripped the handle of her suitcase before exiting the cabin.  

As she arrived in the terminal, she glanced over the crowds that grouped in the large area looking for her friend. The Jennifer’s lips curved into a confused grimace as she scanned her surroundings looking for Seth, but not finding him. She took out her phone and quickly dialed his number, while still looking around the terminal. The line rang a few times before he answered ‘Hello?’ he asked Jennifer smiled at the sound of his voice, it felt good to talk to him again. “Hey, Seth, it’s Jennifer. My plane just landed, and I can’t see you. You are at the airport, aren’t you?” She said craning her neck and looking around to see if she could see Seth. ‘I am here Jenny, and I’m looking for you right now. What gate are you by?’ Seth asked.  

“Ah, I don’t know let me see,” Jennifer said she looked up at the sign hanging from the ceiling “I’m at gate D3-26. Where are you?” She asked ‘Jenny look in front of you’ Seth muttered into the phone. Jennifer’s head snapped up, and there they were, Seth and Leah. Seth had a beaming smile on his face and was waving enthusiastically, while Leah stood next to him, her expressions were more subdued and bored. Jennifer smiled and ran over to the two tugging her carry-ons behind her. When she was about three feet from them, she abandoned her luggage and jumped into Seth’s arms. He swung her around a few times before putting her down Jennifer’s arms locked around his waist “Seth!” She cheered.

Seth chuckled and patted the top of her head “Hello to you too, Jenny” He greeted. Jennifer pulled back, and looked at Seth, her jaw dropped “Damn Seth! You grew! What the hell happened?!” She gasped her eyes wide. Seth rubbed the back of his head “Puberty you know? The other guys are just as tall as I am” He said with a shrug. Jennifer nodded and turned her attention to Leah “Hi Leah” She said waving slightly. Leah nodded to her and walked off in the direction of the exit Jennifer rolled her eyes she and Leah had never gotten along too well. Seth grabbed Jennifer’s suitcase and backpack, he handed them to Jennifer, and the two followed Leah to the exit chattering animatedly all the way.  

The trio got into the car, Leah in the driver’s seat, while Seth and Jennifer sat in the back, before driving the remaining distance to Forks. “So, how’s your mom?” Jennifer asked after a few minutes of silence. “She’s fine, better than she use to be” Seth said, Jennifer nodded, she had heard of the passing of Harry Clearwater while she was still in Detroit and had felt her own source of grief that she couldn’t be there to mourn with her friends. “She’s dating Charlie now, and she seems to be happy,” Seth said. Jennifer quickly turned her head in Seth’s direction “Charlie? As in Chief Swan? The same guy that used to babysit me when I was younger?” She asked bewildered. Seth nodded “Yep, that’s him surprise right? I almost couldn’t believe it either”, Jennifer blinked and leaned back in the seat “God, what else have I missed?” she asked.  

Leah cut a sharp glance in Seth’s direction, and Seth scratched the back of his head “A lot, you’ve missed a lot Jenny, but we’ll fill you in on as much as possible” He reconciled. Jennifer nodded, and the three were silent for the rest of the ride.  

A/N: First chapter done! That took longer than expected. Next chapter should be up in the next week or so, I don’t know it depends on how fast I write.

[midnightiscoming-kasabian]

Interview: Listen to Kasabian's sixth album 'For Crying Out Loud,' Serge Pizzorno tells us why

Every album bar one, of Leicester band Kasabian has reached Number One on the UK album charts. In 2014, they also won Best Album and Best Band at NME’s 2014 awards, and that summer proved themselves worthy Glastonbury headliners. Their sixth album, released earlier this year, knocked Ed Sheeran off his perch and has been deemed their best yet, so why aren’t they bigger here?

Could it be their creepy moniker with its associations to a member of the Manson gang? Perhaps it’s the fact that each album tries to shape-shift from the one before, making it hard to peg them? Or is it because British lad and larger swagger; the cornerstone of their music, doesn't always translate out of the pub and across the pond?

Maybe it’s as simple as we just haven’t heard the songs? In 2014 they did a nominal 9-city tour and the album 48:13 hadn’t been released when they were on the road here. Prior to that, they had been absent for five years*. Their then record label's reluctance meant that albums from that period – Velociraptor and West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum weren’t even released in America. And the band are hardly heard on radio.

But if ever there was a time to give Kasabian a try, For Crying Out Loud, their latest, serves as an excellent entry into their oeuvre. It includes electro-banger, "Ill Ray;" the feel good vibes and modern psychedelia of "You're In Love With a Psycho;" "Good Fight" a perfectly structured pop song where they discuss feelings (very unusual for lad rock); and even a love song "Put Your Life On It."

The album was written in six weeks. A self-imposed deadline by songwriter, co-vocalist and guitarist Serge Pizzorno, in an effort to do things radically different from 48:13; which delivered the thumping and addictive "eez-eh" but took a year and was laden with experimental interludes, electronic loops and bleeps.

For Crying Out Loud is largely guitar-based, with an electro-indie sound that marked their first ascent in 2004 with the likes of other guitar bands such as Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines. Songs were written mostly on Pizzorno’s Rickenbacker before it was taken to the rest of the band which includes Tom Meighan, Chris Edwards, Ian Matthews and Tim Carter.

We speak to Pizzorno ahead of their Bay Area show this Sunday, Sept. 24 at the Regency Ballroom, to find out about why he thinks we should check out their latest album. And after 20 years why he doesn’t care if detractors don’t appreciate his lyrical skills.  

AXS: You set a task for yourself to write an album in six weeks – within that what other guidelines were there – like, you must talk about feelings? Or that you should try and take the Berry Gordy Motown approach?

Serge Pizzorno: Yes, I was really strict because at the time, I was really into pop structure. The art form of songwriting, of writing a truly great song. Experimentation has always been my go to: messing about with form and changing things up. This album was the opposite: nothing could be longer than three and a half minutes, I could only use the guitar to write and it had to be written quickly. It was just to see what that would feel like. It happened really quickly, then we recorded it and put it out.

AXS: One of the other guidelines, I read was writing in 9 to 5 shifts rather than late at night? Was that out of necessity cause you have kids or was it to see what kind of a different color you might get?

SP: Exactly that. I found it really productive though because it made me appreciate my time in the studio. I tended to get loads done and the next day I couldn't wait to get back in.  I was shocked because in my head I was adamant, "like I can write what I want, when I want." Obviously, when I set out to do this I didn't know that it would work. I am very reactionary so if you ask me now, how I will write the next one, I'll probably say I'm going back to Jamaica for a holiday and to the spend some time there writing. You know for that complete change of scenery again and see what gets written.

AXS: You’ve said For Crying Out Loud is the best record you’ve ever made – why? Don’t bands say that after every new record? Critics have said their fair share but in your opinion, what sets this one apart?

SP: I didn't say that. Tom said it.

AXS: Oh that Tom!

SP:  Yes exactly. (laughs) I wouldn't have called it our best record. I don't like to think like that. It does have a sort of Punk, street-disco theme. Seventies are a big influence but here, it's been put through modern filters.

AXS: Last time, you came to America for a very short tour. Before that you hadn’t been here for 5 years*, do you still feel America is worth another shot?

SP: We love touring and we love America so we will always tour here. But we're not 18 anymore, and not able to just jump in a van and play live shows for six months. It just doesn't suit my personality. Being on the road is for adventure, gathering information and allowing yourself to be influenced by what you see. Then you take it home and make stuff out of it. I need to create and I can't do that if we're constantly on the road. My time's better spent elsewhere. But like our gig last night in New York, it was insane and we all looked at each other and said: "I wonder, what's happened?" I mean if the gig is crap, you can understand but it wasn't. It was really good. I'm scared now, all the other gigs have a high bar to reach.

AXS: Why should Americans listen to “For Crying Out Loud,” apart from the fact that we might get a history lesson with “Ill Ray” (the video is based on the finding of King Richard III's bones in a Leicester parking lot)?

SP: (laughs) That's right. It's pure feel good music; there's not many albums like that being made at the moment. It's pretty hard to write. I think it's very easy for artist to fall back on pain and write music from there. It's such a mad time all around the world, For Crying Out Loud is positive, makes you want to dance, or go out and do something by the end of it. I don't know... I would never go too deep in trying to sell an album to anyone, I believe everyone should listen to whoever they want; do whatever you want. But if you want a record that is uplifting and has an amazing energy, this is it!

AXS: Speaking of that track – the video is very interesting, could you tell us about the idea behind it?

SP: I received a load of treatments and they were all terrible.  I was on holiday, and I thought: "I best come up with an idea." So in the cab ride with my kids from the hotel to the airport, I wrote the treatment; scene by scene, on my phone. Then I have a friend who's a director (Dan Cardan), and it just so happens, his girlfriend is  Lena Headey (Queen Cersei from Game of Thrones); obviously writing a queen in there, I don't think that could be any better queen in the world right at this moment. And that carpark where King Richard III's bones was exhumed, it's such an iconic scene from my hometown.

AXS: Crazy food references, the UK press seem to give you a hard time with “I’m like the taste of macaroni on a seafood stick.” There’s a kookiness to it that matches the mood in “You’re In Love With A Psycho” but perhaps it isn’t as elegant as an Alex Turner turn-of-phrase. But why do you do it? Just for a laugh, to goad those critics? Or it just makes sense to you?

SP: Everything is done to piss people off, let's face it. (Laughs) But that line made me laugh, first and foremost, there is always humor behind our songs. And secondly, there's always people that would just get the joke, those with that surrealist humor; it's too tempting not to write lyrics like that. It's a booby trap: if you don't get it, it's like "see you mate." They're my favorite lines in every song. What's annoying is that critics tend to just concentrate on that and miss all the other nuggets of beauty like quoting Charles Bukowski in a pop song. It's something to be celebrated but they won't mention that because it doesn't fit in with the narrative they have written about you: "Now, we perceive you as hooligans so you can't be possibly clever." Well, there's more to it than that.

AXS: One of my favorite songs on the album is “Good Fight” it has an almost doo-wop feel and is so uplifting – can you tell us a little bit about your inspiration for the song?

SP: Just came from a loop, the beat of an old Motown flow. I was also thinking about Nirvana Unplugged and the chorus from "Spiders From Mars." And the song wrote itself really.

Kasabian Tour

Sept. 23—Los Angeles, CA—The Wiltern Sept. 24—San Francisco, CA—The Regency Ballroom

www.axs.com

__________

*2 years

[thewitchandthebeasthimself]

The Witch and The Beast Himself: Chapter 1

****************************************************************************************************

It may seem like another love story to you, and it probably is. However this is a story of how two very unalike yet very similar people met and fall for each other in a city full of constant chaos where it was just everyday life to them. It was a story about a man known for his rampages throughout the city, dubbing him to be a beast in man’s flesh. It was a story of a woman who was a young witch looking to start a new life in the city where no one knew what she was and to meet the dullahan she had heard about.

In a city where nothing changed, life as they once knew it was about to change forever.

For him, and for her.

 ***************************************************************************************************

“Umm, Miss (last name)?” A woman’s voice startled me out of my nap.

“Hmmmmh?” I replied, barely awake.

“I’m sorry, did you fall asleep? The other passengers have already left the plane, we were about to board our next set of passengers until I noticed you were still on board.”

“AH! I’m so sorry!” I jumped up quickly, straightening up my (hair type, hair color) hair and swinging my carry on bag over my shoulder. I can’t believe I slept through the plane landing and everyone else being escorted off of it!

The flight attendant that woke me laughed and waved her hand at me, “It's okay, you’re not the first person to do this. But thanks for flying with us, have a safe time in Ikebukuro!”

“Okay, thanks a lot!” I stepped out of the plane and down the walkway to Ikebukuro Airport's welcoming center. The brightly lit center swarmed with people from all over the world. There were so many new faces, and so many different kinds of energy from each one…

One thing I should probably mention about myself is that I am not a normal human. I’m actually a 23 year old witch from Salem, Massachusetts in the US. I’ve been a witch since I was a little girl; my parents were also witches and helped me become the witch I am today so that I could learn to uncover some of the Earth’s strangest, wondrous mysteries, and to master witchcraft. I feel like I’ve mastered enough magic to handle myself in a real fight, plus I have the ability to heal others through hands on healing. Because of my healing ability I sense energies everywhere I go and can usually tell how a situation would turn out before it happens. I have read through every book that we have and been all over the USA since then, but I just feel that it wasn’t interesting enough to stay there. I really wanted to travel the world and see all this beautiful planet has to offer and get away from the boring everyday life I had before.

One thing that had attracted me here were the rumors of an Irish urban legend called a dullahan riding a motorcycle that neighed like a horse through the streets of Ikebukuro supposedly in search of her head. It had been said to be living and working like a human. I had seen other unreal super natural entities like vampires, ghosts, spirits, and more but a dullahan living amongst humans in a Japanese city? Now that’s a sight to see.

I never really did think I would get to pursue such a thing until I met an online friend of mine named Erika Karisawa. We had met through a online cosplay group; to be honest she’d always been very nice to me and would always tell me all about her crazy adventures here with her friends “Dotachin”, Walker, and Saburo. One day she extended an invite out to me to come meet her and her friends so I decided to get an apartment together there and settle in for a bit. I had also accepted a job there as a barista in a local coffee shop to keep my life somewhat interesting while I was there. Being a smart witch I had also picked up on speaking Japanese fluently so that I could speak to others there.

I haven’t told her about me being a witch yet and I probably won’t for a while because knowing her, she’d probably ask me to conjure up something weird like one of her favorite manga characters or to hex people on the streets for fun. While it does sound fun pranking people with magic and fulfilling Erika’s fetishes and fantasies, I do try to follow the Witch’s Threefold Law, anything you do will come back at you times three. I’ve experienced the wrath of the threefold law too many times so I really don’t wanna mess up here. Another thing i really don't want to mess up is another friendship because of being a witch.

I stepped down to the floor level of the center and followed the signs that lead out to the streets of Ikebukuro where Erika and her friends were supposed to meet me.

Shit I can’t believe I slept like that, I thought. I should probably text Erika and tell her I’m gonna be a bit late, I hope she won’t be mad at me.

I pulled out my phone and went through my texts to find her number. I seen that I had two missed calls from her and a few texts asking where I was. Suddenly, I sensed a familiar energy walking towards me, and two other unfamiliar ones following. I looked up to see that it was in fact Erika and two of her best friends walking up to me.

“Erika!” I smiled and called out to her, waving my hands at her.

Her face lit up the moment she saw me. “Hey (your name)!” She had to have recognized me as well after all of those Skipe video chats we’ve had. She ran up to me and hugged me for a second, then pulled back.“You’re late! Where were you? Did you stop to check out the souvenir shop or something?”

I laughed nervously, “I fell asleep on the plane and didn’t get up when the other passengers were leaving.”

“Oh wow, geez (your name)!” She shoved me playfully. “Its okay, the guys and I were talking about heading up to Russia Sushi for a quick bite then we can show you around the city. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great, let’s go!” I said, excited to start our adventure.

“Okay!” She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and spun us around the other way to face the men behind us. “Lemme introduce you to the guys! This is Walker,” pointing at a squinty-eyed guy with blonde hair in a light blue hoodie who smiled and waved at me. “And this is Dotachin.” pointing at a tall man with a beanie tugged over his forehead and wearing a dark green jacket. “Saburo’s usually with us but he was off doing something today, I'm sure you'll meet him though.”

Dotachin groaned and extended his hand out to me to shake, “Call me Kyouhei. Dotachin is just a nickname Erika gave me a while back. She’s told us so much about you, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Yeah, its nice to finally meet you too!” I replied, accepting his firm handshake. Upon taking his hand I could sense he had a very warm energy that made him seem like the leader of their little group.

We began walking down the street heading to this Russia Sushi place Erika was talking about, talking along the way. The city outside of the airport was bustling with even more energy and life. There were tall buildings every which way I looked, lighting up the sky with an array of different colors as the evening set in.

“So where were you from again?” Kyouhei asked.

“She’s from a town called Salem in the US!” Erika butted in. “I’ve heard that in the 1600’s 19 of its townspeople were victims of a public execution because they were accused of being witches. Apparently there are still witches there today.”

“Sounds like a crazy background.” Kyouhei said.

“Oh that’s really cool!” said Walker from behind us. “Have you seen any, (your name)? Are YOU one?”

I tensed up a bit at the question. Nobody here needs to know I’m a witch.

I breathe in and out to change the nature of my energy to appear as if I were baffled by the question. “No way, thats ridiculous! There were just a lot of crazy Christians and Catholics there during that time that wanted to accuse innocent people of such crazy things but they weren’t actually witches there. And I’ve never actually seen one. I guess my hometown just went along with opening up all of those witch related shops to attract more tourists and what not since that’s what it’s known for.”

“I don’t believe you!” Erika said, teasing me again. “But ya know, that would make a pretty sexy cosplay outfit wouldn’t it, Walker?”

“For sure!” Walker replied. “Maybe you could try out cosplaying Blair from Soul Eater!”

“Ooooooh I love Blair! She’s a fine ass witch! Pumpkin pumpkin pumpkin!” Erika mushed, unwrapping her arm from my shoulder and fantasizing over this character they were talking about.

Kyouhei smirked, “Are you sure you know what you’re getting into with them? They can be a bit overwhelming with all of their otaku talk.”

“Yeah I’m pretty sure I do. That is how Erika and I met.” I said. Then the question popped into my mind. “Hey do you know anything about a dullahan living here? That’s kinda one of the reasons why I came here.”

“Hmm, I don’t think I’ve heard of a dullahan living here but we have seen the Headless Rider from time to time. She doesn’t ever just stop to talk to anyone, she mostly keeps to herself. I honestly don’t blame her with all the crazy stuff going on these days.”

Sounds like that may be what I’m looking for, I thought. We’ll see.  

“Crazy stuff huh? Yeah I’ve heard a bit about it.” I said.

“What exactly did you hear?” he asked.

“Just things about a bunch of gang wars and some pretty nasty attacks from ‘the Slasher’.”

“Oh okay,” he said. “Since you’ll be staying here there’s some key things you should know about this place that I'm sure Erika hasn't mentioned yet. Stay away from all of the color gangs here in the city. The fights can get pretty nasty and they don't care who gets in the way. Color gangs will usually wear a color to represent the gang they’re in, like how the Yellow Scarves wear yellow and the Blue Squares wear blue. There’s the Dollars that don’t have a color so it’s hard to tell who’s in it and who’s not. And there’s word of a new color gang called the Blood Diamonds.”

“So they’d wear red or blood colors to represent themselves, right?” I asked.

“Exactly,” he said. They've been going around busting people up for no reason, raping local women and either killing them or leaving them on the street with their clothes burned, so be careful. Also, there are quite a few dangerous people here that you should stay away from…” the moment he said that I was suddenly overcome by a dark, sinister energy that was incredibly strong, cunning and unstable. Then a slim man in a black coat with tan fur, short black hair and his hands stuffed in his coat pockets jumped down from literally out of nowhere in front of us, stopping us in our tracks.

“Hello, Dotachin.” said the man, with a smile on his face. The energy I had felt came off of this man. He didn’t seem to look like much, but he gave off a vibe that he could shatter someone’s mind in an instant. How could someone come off with such a strong energy like that? It’s almost… sickening.

“Hey, Izaya.” said Kyouhei, producing an annoyed energy at the sight of him. “We thought you were living in Saitama now.”

Izaya smiled and said, “I am, but its gotten boring very fast so I decided to come back to visit some old friends. So who should she stay away from?” he asked, looking at me.

“Definitely pricks like you.” Kyouhei said, pretending to be joking with him.

“Haha you’re so funny Dotachin! I’m the nicest man you’ve ever met!” He came forward to me and spoke to me in English, his accent changing with his words, “I’m Izaya, an information broker that used to work here. And you are?”

“Um hi I’m (your name).” I said in an awkward tone. His stare sent chills up my spine. He was oddly very fluent in my first language.

“You’re an American. What brings you here?” he asked.

“Um I’m looking for someone.”

“Are you? Well it just so happens that finding people is an skill of mine, maybe I can help. Here’s my card.” He pulled out a card with his full name, Izaya Orihara, and his number on it. “Give me a call if you’re ever interested.”

 I took the card from him, “Umm thanks, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

 His energy is so weird, I thought. I doubt he’d know anything about the dullahan but I guess I could give him a call later on. Despite his energy he may actually be pretty decent at his job.  

And that’s when I first met him.

  I felt another energy coming towards us. It felt like electric. It appeared to feel like a …. A vending machine?! Yes, a VENDING MACHINE came hurling at us.

While I could use a force push spell to hurl the object back at the sender, I didn’t want to risk anyone finding out what I am. The only other thing I could do was warn everyone.

“Everyone get out of the way!” I yelled in Japanese. Luckily everyone had jumped out of the way just in time before the vending machine smashed into the sidewalk in front of us.

What the hell just happened?! I think to myself before a light, soft and mellow energy comes charging towards us. There was also another side to this energy that appeared which was very enraged and filled with hate towards Izaya.

“IIIIZAAAYAAAAAA!!!!” I heard his voice in the distance. “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”

Izaya sighed, switching back to Japanese. “Looks like Shizu-chan has found me. I guess I’ll be taking off.” he said before darting away.

“GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!!!” yelled the man coming towards us. The energy that came from this man didn’t appear to match him either. He was a slender man that had blonde hair, sunglasses, a bartender uniform, and literally steam coming off of him, or at least from what I could see. He was somehow… I don’t know… perfect. Even in this enraged form he’d taken on. He looked like the man I had a dream about before I was woken up on the plane. As he approached Kyouhei the enraged side calmed down slightly.  

“Where’d he go, Kadota?! I’m gonna kill that fleabag for stepping foot here again!”

“Calm down a sec Shizuo, you’re scaring our friend here.” Kyouhei said.

“Hmm?” He said before turning to look at me. His enraged energy vanished instantly, making him appear completely calm, the steam around him disappearing causing him to appear even more attractive than before. As we locked eyes for a second I felt his curiosity of me rush over me like a wave. I blushed away after staring into his light brown eyes for what felt like an eternity. I’d been taught that the eyes were the window to the soul, and it definitely showed on him. He appeared to be the most kind hearted man i’d ever met. I’ll have to figure out that raging, vengeful energy he had and how he was able to fling a vending machine at us like it was a frisbee.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “I just hate that scumbag so much I wish he’d never came back.”

“Um it's okay,” I said.

“This is Shizuo Heiwajima.” said Kyouhei. “He may seem a bit scary at times but he’s a good friend of ours. He’s probably another guy I’d recommend you stay away from,” he laughed.

“Hahahaha yeah stay away from me!” Shizuo joked back, slapping Kyouhei on the arm which made Kyouhei cry out a bit.

Shizuo reached into his pockets and pulled out a pack of blue American Spirit cigarettes and a lighter, took one cig from the pack and lit it, and stuffed the pack back into his pocket.

“Well Tom is probably wondering where I went so i’m gonna go back to him. I’ll see you guys later.” He turns around and walks in the direction he came from.  

Whoa. I thought. He's…

Walker interrupted my thoughts, “Wow, you got to meet with two of the most dangerous people in the city upon arriving!”

“Yeah they sure know how to make an entrance,” Kyouhei commented. “Anyway you should definitely stay away from Izaya. He’s usually involved in everything that's happened in this city. While Shizuo can be a great guy at times you don't want to be around while he's on one of his rampages. He can tear up everything in his path.”

“He pretty much turns into the Hulk when he's mad, especially when he sees Izaya. I’m surprised he was able to stop when he saw us.” said Erika. “Man, I wish they’d just announce their love already. It’d make a perfect yaoi.”

“Ha, a yaoi? Those two look like they hate each other's guts! There's no way it'd work out between them.” I laughed.

“Yeah we keep trying to tell her but she's dead set on writing up some fan fic about them,” Walker said.

“Alright guys let's get going its getting dark out,” Kyouhei said.

As we headed up to Russia Sushi all I could think about was him.

 I wonder if I'll see him again? I guess if he's one of the most dangerous men in the city that goes on crazy rampages then I probably will.