#there was multiple times where he got lost in a store/mall and a security officer offered to help him find his parents or vice versa

[hlvraik]

How did k!gordon even managed to get into a life-threating encounter with a soldier in the first place?!

Like all the crazy scenarios he gets into, it usually starts with him wandering off from the group. From there, he just so happened to run into some HECU soldiers.

Gratefully, this isn’t the first time this has happened, and when it does, nothing really bad happens! [Usually, whenever the soldiers see him, they either ignore him and brush him off, or calmly check up on him. As you know, there's a kid wandering through the facility alone while everything’s going to hell with the whole resonance cascade.] They’ll typically ask him where his parents are, or give him a snack. Sometimes both!

However, this time was different…

[ladyvader23]

Stranger Danger

“Welcome home, Luke.” 

Vader led (or rather dragged) the little five year old into the entryway of his home, setting down the one bag the boy had been given on the floor. The boy (his son!) stared wide-eyed at the crystal chandelier and at the living room beyond, clutching his worn stuffed lion like it was his lifeline. When it was clear this wasn’t the home he was used to, his lip began to tremble and he buried his face in the ratty mane. 

Vader’s lips tightened. The boy still had yet to say a single word to him since he’d met him at the hospital. “I know it’s not your aunt and uncle's house. But you will like it. I promise.” 

Luke’s only response was to tighten his grip on the lion. 

Shit. He wasn’t good with kids. He didn’t know how he managed to get Leia to like him, let alone love him...but he’d had her since she was an infant. He hadn’t even known Luke existed until he received a call from the hospital informing him that not only had he been appointed the emergency guardian of his step-brother’s kid, but that the kid was actually his by blood. 

How did this happen? He wondered for the billionth time. He’d found Leia shortly after birth, but it hadn’t occurred to him that Padme had given birth to twins. He never spoke to his step-brother, but even if he had, he didn’t know if he would have put two and two together even then. 

But now Owen and Beru were dead, killed in a car crash. An accident Luke had been in as well, but survived with only a few scratches. So Vader had inherited not only an unknown son, but one that was terrified and confused. 

It didn’t help that Vader was...scarred. Most kids ran away in fright. Luke didn’t, but it certainly hadn’t gotten him to open up, either. 

He needed a way to get him to acclimate quickly. He was a busy man; he owned the supermall his three-story condo was attached to, after all. Even if he could easily work from home until Luke got settled, it probably wouldn’t help the boy if he was in meetings all day. 

He considered the problem for a moment, before deciding on the perfect plan. 

If he was too scared of him, maybe Leia could help ease him in. She was his twin, after all, and didn’t kids make friends with each other easily? 

“Luke. Look at me.” Reluctantly, the boy pulled his face away from the lion (that would need good washing, he immediately decided). “Wait here. I’ve got a surprise for you.” 

Without another word, Vader turned on his heel and went to find Leia and the nanny. 

Leaving Luke alone. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stranger danger! 

Luke kept thinking over and over again. Aunt Beru had warned him that if he wasn’t careful, he could be kidnapped by a stranger, and she’d never see him again. She told him, and now he was driven away from his aunt and uncle to a scary new house by a scary looking man. 

He wanted to scream. That’s what Beru said to do if a stranger took him. But he’d couldn’t, so now here he was, and the scary man was going to get a ‘surprise’ for him. 

He was a stranger. It probably wasn’t a good surprise. It was probably a trick, like the tricks Uncle Owen played on him that resulted in him going to the doctors instead of McDonalds. What would the stranger bring back? A needle to give him a shot? Something to hit him with? A mean monster to eat him? 

He was afraid, and he just wanted his aunt and uncle. 

But now the scary man was gone, and he was alone. He wasn’t brave enough to scream. But then he looked at the front door, reached up and opened it, revealing the driveway, a parking lot, and then another huge building. 

Maybe he could run away and hide in that building. The scary man wouldn’t find him there. 

Luke took one last look at where the stranger had disappeared before turning and bolting out the door, running as fast as his little legs could carry him. 

~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Why couldn’t you bring me home a sister?” Leia pouted as Vader carried her down the stairs. 

“That’s not how it works.” Vader explained on a sigh. 

“Why can’t Miss Jenny meet him? Is he going to have his own nanny?” 

“No, Miss Jenny will nanny him too--” 

“But I don’t wanna share!” 

Maybe not being the only child in the house would be good for Leia, he decided, pausing on the second story landing. “Leia. Listen. Your brother...Luke...he’s scared. He...he didn’t know we existed.” 

“Where’s he been? The store?” Leia frowned. 

“No. He…” He wasn’t about to explain his complicated past to her, and he’d learned long ago not to say anything to her that he didn’t want repeated. “He was with other family. So, can you help me and be his friend?” 

Leia tilted her head, her little curls bouncing around her shoulders. “Fine.”

“That’s my girl.” He turned the corner, heading down the last flight stairs...and froze, staring in horror at the wide open door. 

“Where is he daddy?” Leia asked, looking around. “You said he was here.” 

“I did…” He swallowed, trying not to panic, but the door was wide open and Luke was missing… 

He ran down the last of the steps and to the door, hoping he’d see him not far from the condo. 

Nothing. Just the parking lot full of cars, and the mall beyond. 

“Fuck.” He breathed, earning him a gasp from his daughter as he set her down. “Go back to Miss Jenny. Now.” Already he was pulling his cell out to make a call to Mr. Piett, his mall manager. 

Leia didn’t need to be told twice, but as she ran back up the stairs she shouted, “Miss Jenny, daddy said a bad word!” 

Piett picked up on the second ring. “The shipment hasn’t arrived yet--” 

“I don’t care about the damn shipment!” He all but roared into the phone. “My son is lost in the mall!” At least he hoped he was, not hit by a car or run off to who knew where, but even then kids were kidnapped from malls all the time--

“I...didn’t know you had a son…?” 

“I didn’t either!” Shit, he had him for fifteen minutes and already he was gone! How was he that bad with children?! “Get all staff on high alert! I want security to sweep the area in and around the mall!” 

“Yes sir...but...ah, what does your son look like?” 

Vader reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course he didn’t have a picture. “He looks like Leia. Except blonde haired and blue eyed. And a boy.” Stupid. That was obvious, but he could hardly think straight. “He’s also holding a ugly stuffed lion.” 

“We can work with that.” Then he paused. “Mr. Vader. We’ll find him.” 

“You had better!” Vader snarled. “Or it’s everyone’s jobs!” 

He couldn’t really fire his entire staff, but it didn’t matter. 

Anything to find and protect Luke. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The big building looked like one of those places his aunt sometimes liked to take him. When she did, they spent hours there. If he was good, she’d get him ice cream. But she wasn’t there, and there were a lot of people walking around that he didn’t know. 

More strangers. 

He clutched Biggs the lion closer, hurrying to get out of the way of the taller strangers. They didn’t look at him. They were busy talking to each other, or on the phone, and most of them carried big paper bags that were almost as big as him. Multiple times they bumped him or almost stepped on his toes. 

He quickly found a almost empty store to hide in. 

It wasn’t one of those stores his aunt liked. There weren’t any boring clothes in it. It had lots of tools, like the ones his uncle liked. It instantly relaxed him, and he wandered through the isles, smelling the familiar scent of rubber and metal. 

When he stopped to look at a big huge barbecue like the one his uncle had, but way bigger, there was a panicked yelp somewhere in the store. Luke looked over just in time to watch a stranger run by the other end of the isle. He frowned, briefly wondering if he was running to the bathroom, then refocused on the grill. 

“I think only five people in the world would want one that big,” he told Biggs. “That would like...like...make hot dogs for a million people! You’d need lots of friends to invite over.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“He definitely entered the mall, sir. Security caught him going into the mall, but we lost him in the crowd.” 

If Vader wasn’t standing in front of Piett and Veers (head of security), he might have started banging his head on the wall. 

Why? Why hadn’t he locked the damn door?! 

“Get security in place at all exits. No one is to leave without being asked if they’ve seen him. If they have a kid that looks like him, ask for proof of identification. Find my son!” 

“It’s already done, sir. We’ll find him.” Veers tried to sound calming, but it only made Vader’s panic turn to fury. 

“Then do it!” 

Veers gulped, glanced at Piett, then scurried off. 

“We find missing children daily, sir.” Piett calmly reminded him. “We will find your son.” 

He knew that. And yet it was different when it was his kid. The boy he hadn’t even known he’d had when he’d woken up that morning. 

“Do you know what he likes? Maybe he’ll be drawn there…” 

“I don’t know.” What kind of father was he? All he knew was that Luke liked his lion. 

“What does Leia like? Maybe they have similar tastes.” 

It was a good point, though he wouldn’t ever admit it. “The toy store.” 

“I’ll ask the staff there to keep an eye out.” 

When Piett turned and left his office, Vader sat back down in his chair and buried his face in his hands. 

What would Padme say if she could see him now? Maybe Kenobi had been right to steal his--

No. 

He was a good father. Unconventional, but he was. Leia’s love for him proved it. 

He’d find Luke, and he’d try again. 

He wasn’t going to give up. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The smell of food had Luke riding the moving stairs up to the second floor, his tummy rumbling. When he got off, there were a bunch of restaurants huddled around a big open area. Lots of people sat at tables with their friends and families, eating food. Some of it looked icky, like the green leaf food, but others looked yummy like hamburgers. 

He walked over to the food places...then stopped before he got in line. He didn’t have any money, or his aunt to get him food. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. Sometimes Aunt Beru put money in there for him to give to the school lunch lady, but she hadn’t done that today. He only had lint and an old sucker in there. 

But his tummy rumbled again, and it sort of hurt. He hadn’t eaten since that morning, since before…

His gaze caught a tray of food left out on the table. 

No one was around, and it looked like some of the food was eaten, but there were a bunch of fries just sitting there. 

He liked fries. 

He approached, reached up and grabbed the box...and paused. 

Aunt Beru said stealing was bad. He needed to pay for the fries, or trade. 

All he had was the old sucker.

“I hope they like cherry.” Luke told Biggs as he pulled the sucker out and put it on the tray. Then, he began walking away, stuffing fries into his mouth as he did so. 

He was still wandering around, eating fries that had gone cold, when he heard his name over the speaker. 

“....Be on the lookout for a blonde boy named Luke Skywalker…”

He stopped, freezing as he stared up at the ceiling where the voice was coming from. 

They were mad he stole fries! 

His chest began to heave and his legs shook. They were going to call the police, and he was going to get arrested! Maybe he should have traded for a grape sucker…

He dropped the fries and took off running. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mr. Vader, we spotted him!” Veers came running into his office. 

Vader was on his feet in an instant, ignoring whatever Piett was trying to tell him. “Where?!” 

“He’s headed for Macy’s. We sent security…” 

Vader was already moving. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Maybe we can live in the clothes, Biggs.” Luke frowned at the racks and racks of clothes stretching as far as he could see. He sometimes played inside of the clothes while his aunt shopped. She always got mad when she caught him, but it still seemed like a great hiding place. 

Except that he’d have to live in clothes. He made a face. That sounded boring. 

But where else was he going to hide from the police? 

He began heading that way...and stopped when a Christmas tree caught his eye. 

He frowned, tilting his head. It was taller than the one at his house, but Aunt Beru was good at decorating the tree. She even let him help. 

Maybe she could help whoever decorated this tree. 

Forgetting about hiding, he walked up to the stranger behind the desk that was next to the ugly tree. “Excuse me?” 

The man didn’t look at him. He was talking to another adult who was handing him clothes. 

“Excuse me?!” 

The man looked down, opening his mouth, then froze, staring at him. “L-Luke?” He stammered. 

Maybe he wasn’t a stranger, after all. He knew his name. 

He pointed at the tree. “Your tree is ugly.” 

He blinked down at him, then looked at the other woman. “I’m...sorry, you’ll have to excuse me…” then he leaned down to be at Luke’s level. He smiled, and despite his ugly tree, Luke decided he seemed nice. Just bad at tree decorating. “Why do you think the tree is ugly?” 

Pleased that the man was going to listen to him, Luke began pointing at all the spots that didn’t have ornaments or ribbon. “My aunt says you can’t miss spots on the tree, or it’ll be naked.” He told him, quite seriously. The man was nodding, even as he pressed a button on his black box thing. “She could help you fix it, you know...though she’d need to buy new ornaments. We used all of ours on our tree.” 

“It’s a good thing we sell those here.” 

Luke brightened. “Do you have race car ones?” 

“Maybe.” 

His expression fell. “Maybe means no.” 

“Maybe means maybe--” 

“Luke!” 

Luke jumped at the angry, deep voice and whirled around, wide eyed, and saw the scary man coming right for him. He squeaked. “Gotta go!” 

“Grab him!” 

The man, who Luke was now starting to think didn’t actually know him, grabbed his wrist firmly, but not so much that it hurt. Luke pulled, trying to escape, screaming as the scary man approached. 

When the Scary Man knelt down in front of him, the other man let his wrist go. Luke tried to run, but the Scary Man’s arms wrapped around him, picking him up. 

“No!” Luke shrieked. “Stranger danger!” 

“No, I am your father--ouch, stop kicking me!” 

“Aunt Beru says not to talk to strangers!” 

“You were just talking to a stranger!” 

“His tree is ugly!” 

“I--” the man broke off, taking another look at the tree, then the man who’d tricked him. “James, that tree is ugly. Fix it.” 

James cleared his throat. “Right away, sir.” 

Then, before Luke could try to escape again, the Scary Man turned and carried Luke away. As he did so, Luke peered over the man’s shoulder, reached out to James and screamed, “Save me!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vader was fairly certain that had security not been walking with him back to his office, the entire mall might have called the cops on him for kidnapping his own child. 

Luke screamed the entire way back. Vader tried not to notice all the stares and whispers as they passed, and he breathed a sigh of relief when they entered his office, leaving security and everyone else outside. 

This time, when he set Luke down, he made sure to lock the door. 

Then he faced his newfound son who clutched that stupid lion and cowered away from him like he was some monster. 

It wouldn’t be the first time, but it still hurt that it was coming from his son. He tried to remember that it wasn’t personal: the boy had, after all, been through a traumatic accident and didn’t know who he was. 

Maybe that’s where he needed to start. 

With a sigh, he slowly knelt down in front of him. The boy watched him warily, as if any wrong move and he’d be screaming again. 

“Do you go to school, Luke?” 

He frowned, his eyes narrowing and he hugged his animal closer. “Yeah.” 

“Do the other kids have aunts and uncles?” 

He shook his head. “No.” 

“What do they have?” 

“Mommies and daddies.” 

Vader nodded. “Do you understand they’re not like aunts and uncles?” 

He hesitated. “Yeah. But I don’t have a mommy and a daddy.” 

Now Vader paused, pushing back the old pain of losing his beloved wife. “No. You don’t have a mommy. But you do have a daddy.” 

Finally, Luke looked interested. “Who?”

Vader pointed to himself. “I’m your dad.” 

Luke stared at him for a while, as if deciding to trust him. “What about Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen?” 

He didn’t know how to explain death to a child. Leia hadn’t even started seriously asking about her mother yet, so he hadn’t had time to practice. What was he supposed to say to a child who’d just gone through something so traumatic and he didn’t even understand what it was yet? “They’re gone. They’ve...gone somewhere they can’t come back from.” 

“Where?” Then before Vader could answer, he whispered seriously, “Canada?” 

“...What?” 

“My friend Biggs moved away to Canada. I can’t see him anymore. I named my lion after him. See?” Luke held up the ugly lion. 

“Yes...I see. But no, your aunt and uncle went somewhere else. Somewhere no one can visit.” 

“Oh.” Luke frowned. To Vader’s horror, tears began to well up in his eyes. “I didn’t get to say bye.” 

Shit. He was terrible with tears. But as Luke sniffled and wiped his tears away with his lion (seriously, it was going in the wash as soon as they got home), Vader carefully scooped him up into his arms and held him. 

They stayed that way for a long while. 

Then, “You’re not mad I stole fries?” 

He had a feeling he was in over his head with this child. 

“No, I own the food court. But I am upset you ran away. Do you have any idea how scared I was for you?” 

“You were scared?” Luke looked up into his face. Vader was pleased to see he didn’t flinch away from his scars. 

“Yes. Very. Don’t leave me like that again. Do you understand?” 

Luke nodded. 

“Very good.” Vader stood, still holding him in his arms. “Now. How about the surprise I was trying to give you before you ran away?” 

He gave him a suspicious look. “Is it a monster?” 

He couldn’t help it. He laughed, something he rarely did. “Not exactly.”

[lisinfleur]

Sometimes it is in you

The request:

Author’s Notes | I loved this request, but I also want to warn the readers my intention with this fic is nothing but provide entertainment. I’m not telling people with disabilities should… no. Just stop here. Sometimes it is in you indeed the power to change the view of the things around you, but it doesn’t diminish the things the people with special needs suffer every day, from the prejudice to the difficulties and barriers someone with special needs has to face all the time. So, please, keep in mind it’s just a poetic and philosophical concept, not any kind of ableist contradiction ok? Universe | Vikings Pairing | No pair Info | Modern Age AU, requested by anon for 5CW7 Words | 2688 ⁑ Warnings: Some cursing.          

The Mall.

If there is a place that Ivar detests the most is the Mall.

With so many people screaming around that place should be called "the ninth circle of hell"! However, somehow, Ivar wasn't on a bad day and he decided he could take a walk at that place to finally exchange some shirts he earned in the last family party he was avoiding going to the store to exchange for a bigger size.

A big mistake, he thought, almost immediately after crossing the doors of that place. It was full - for a reason he couldn't understand. Something about kids' stuff on the food court. Something about a clown. Ivar's ears caught pieces of what the kids were screaming around, but even then, he tried to keep the good humor... The kids were just happy, right?

When something started pulling his trousers down, Ivar was caught surprised by the sight of a little boy. For a second, he thought the little child pulling his trousers was in need of some help. Maybe lost... Maybe searching for something like a security guard or his parents... Ivar soothed his heart and looked down at the little one like few times in his life disposed to help a complete stranger at the mall. His mind was really on a good day. But no good mood can last forever, especially when talking about Ivar Ragnarsson.

And his smile vanished from his eyes completely when the expression of that boy changed immediately from a smile to a scared frown as soon as the child looked back at his smiling face...

The little one's eyes looking from his cane to the braces in his legs and then, back to him, scared... Of course.

Ivar's smile became a disgusted giggle. What was he thinking? To go to that place was a huge mistake. It always was! Why would it change today? People just didn't know not looking at him all the time as if he was some kind of stupid attraction to be observed, watched, commented. He was sick of muttering and scared faces like the one printed on that boy's expression...

Ivar's face frowned, and his tone sounded harsh.

"What? Didn't you ever see a cripple man in your life? Get the hell outta my way and stop looking at me like a damn spooky ghost, boy!" he said, seeing the child's eyes filling with tears as the young boy crawled back some steps, before trying to get up, being suddenly helped by a woman that picked him up to her arms, looking at Ivar with a frowned angry face, just like his.

"You don't need to be so harsh. It's just a child!" she spat, causing Ivar to roll his eyes.

Of course...

Fuck the fact that it was her damn boy pulling his trousers and ruining his mood by treating him like a spooky monster. No... It was his fault not being a damn smiley idiot all the time, right?

"Try to educate your son not to disturb strangers on the street nor stare at the others and maybe he won't have people being harsh at him around," Ivar answered, facing the woman who looked at him surprised by his angry behavior.

"He thought it was..." she started, but the boy embraced her tighter, sobbing something into her ear that made her take a deep breath, looking at Ivar still angry, but less disposed to fight. "Just for the record, he's not my son, he's my nephew. And life would be easier if you weren't so bitter about a simple misunderstood. Let's go," she said, embracing the boy and giving her back to Ivar that turned himself back at the doors of the mall, decided to never go back into that place.

Fuck the shirts... He could buy new ones in the stores he was used to and donate those that didn't serve him. Anything to never have to be in a crowded Mall once again...

Anything to never have people looking at him as a monster once again... Clenching his heart... Causing him to come home infuriated, throwing his braces and cane carelessly on the ground, furious.

Why couldn't he have a normal walk?

Why couldn't he walk around unnoticed like his brothers? And have a beer at the food court of a mall without anyone looking at his legs, commenting about the stupid braces he had to use over his clothes?

Why couldn't he have a normal life?

The questions of his everyday crisis bitter the rest of that day and Ivar was unable to take that scared boy's face from his mind.

Stupid child...

Stupid braces...

Stupid disease...

Stupid life...

"FUCK!"

He knew very well a good day could be a good day. A bad day could become a whole bad week. And it wasn't different about that one...

First, the mall and that stupid child.

Then, Sigurd and his idiot behavior at the dinner table - OF COURSE, his stupid bardic brother would defend the child and be against him! OF COURSE! What was he expecting?

Then the week started with the actions of his company falling two points percentual at the stock market. Two meetings canceled with important investors...

And now, thanks to that stupid child and his rage outburst of that day, his braces just broke causing him to fall on his office, face to the ground.

Ivar punched the ground, infuriated, hearing when Ubbe and his secretary burst into his office called aback by the sound of his fall.

"Ivar... Brother, are you..."

"Stay away!" Ivar yelled when Ubbe tried to approach, causing the older one to come slower, lowering himself by his side.

"Let me help you, Ivar," he said, calmly.

But Ivar was too angry to notice Ubbe just wanted to help indeed.

"I don't need your damn help! I need fucking new braces, that's what I need. Fucking fragile shit!" he cursed, reaching for his cane and pointing it at the secretary.

"Get me a damn appointment with the fucking physiotherapist!" he yelled, causing the poor girl to cringe.

"Yes, sir..."

"Not the old one!" Ivar yelled louder, causing her to shrink a little more "Find me a gods damn new doctor that won't get me shitty equipment!"

"Y... yes... sir!" she gasped, leaving the room quickly as Ivar was slowly trying to get to his chair, finding the harder way to get up without Ubbe's help.

The older one sighed.

"Are you sure you're..."

"I'm fucking fine, Ubbe! Now get the hell off!"

With another sigh, Ubbe left the office, treating to calm down the poor secretary at his door as her fingers were typing the doctor's number wrongly for the third time due to the shivering.

A few moments and the appointment appeared on Ivar's computer screen.

"Tomorrow, seven in the morning" and the address he had to visit.

Then a second appointment: an orthopedist for the new braces, same place, same time. A professional with multiple specialties. Ivar sighed.

The girl's effectiveness got him calmer. Maybe he could think about increasing her payment with a bonification for handling his angry behavior like that. She was good... And he didn't want to lose the fifth secretary in a year...

"Take the day off," he said when leaving the office with his pace reduced by the broken braces. "Tomorrow you can arrive after my appointments."

She just nodded at him, still scared, but relieved by his satisfied tone.

Slowly, he left the office - there wasn't a reason to remain there. It would be a lost day and he could already feel the pain in his legs from the fall and the strength he was having to apply to keep himself standing with that broken shit.

His butt back home, the old broken braces he finished breaking, just to release some of that terrible energy he had inside. After getting rid of the pieces, Ivar prepared the old and unused wheelchair... That hateful equipment he didn't want to use but would have to make use of, at least for a day.

"Shit," he cursed.

Ivar hated to be sitting on that thing. He hated the whole process of going out and on that thing to use his cars. But even with the fact that he hated to steer that shit, he refused to receive any help from his brothers for that morning and the driver didn't even offer to push his chair towards the door of the doctor's building: the white-haired man worked to Ivar for long enough to know his boss's touchy personality towards that equipment.

With some difficulties, Ivar reached the waiting room where the last thing he thought he would see was what started that whole hurricane in his life: the boy from the mall, happily running through the room.

For a second, Ivar thought his day would be a horrible bitter shit once again, with that stupid child running around, making noises and probably treating him like a monster once again - even more, now that he was sitting on that despicable chair. However, his eyes were surprised by a second presence around that room: the boy wasn't randomly running. He was playing with a man that Ivar couldn't avoid noticing, laughing as the boy was running around with an airplane in his hands.

Ivar's eyes noticed how happy that boy was and for a moment, he remembered how happy that child was at the mall, seconds before pulling his trousers. Ivar sighed and then, that happened...

The man got distracted for a second with his phone ringing. The laughs stopped for a single moment. And the boy ran towards him pulling his trousers just like he had done to Ivar at the mall.

"Daddy! Look!! It's flying higher!!" the boy insisted, showing the airplane that the man gently picked from his hand, pretending the toy was flying even higher now that it was in his taller hands.

The child laughed even louder. But it wasn't that what caught Ivar's attention for that scene: to "fly" around with the toy, that man caught a cane with his other hand, playing with the boy as walking around slowly... Just like him...

Ivar's heart clenched into his chest. He had been so harsh with that child and his anger had destroyed his whole week because of that small incident. And all that boy was doing was confusing him with his father...

Guilt kicked in hardly... But before Ivar could say anything, his name was called and he saw that woman at the door. "Fuck," he thought - she was the doctor...

Embarrassed, Ivar moved his chair towards the door, entering the room before launching one last glare to that boy so innocently ignoring his existence at that room, playing with his father with a beautiful glow in his eyes that had nothing to do with the tears Ivar had caused him to cry that day at the mall.

"He's my brother's son," the woman said, closing the door and taking her seat, not looking straight at Ivar that noticed she was trying to be professional. "My brother lost his legs when he was serving at the war and he has to use that cane to stabilize his balance while using the prostheses. Otto just thought you were his father and ran to tell you the clown had called him to the stage that day. He was too eager to tell his father about what happened. He didn't hear when I told him it wasn't Tom."

Fuck... A thousand times...

If Ivar was feeling guilty, now his guilt became even worse: he thought that "stupid boy" had ruined his mood. But the truth was that he had ruined that boy's wonderful day... "Stupid me..."

"I'm not mad at you," she said, finally raising her eyes towards him. "Neither is he. To be honest, he doesn't even remember about that situation anymore. But I understand..."

Ivar's blues landed on her eyes and he sighed.

"My brother also had judging eyes over him. People muttering around about how strange he was walking when he didn't have the mastery of his prostheses yet. Idiot young people mocking on him in low voices... I know how you feel. I can see in your eyes how bothered you are to be sitting on this chair. But sometimes, people aren't this bad. Sometimes is just a child..." she said, looking at him and Ivar sighed.

"It's hard not to think bad in every situation," he said and she nodded.

"I know. It happens so many times that sometimes we just lost the hope that people aren't acting the worst way they can do," she said, placing her papers over the table and looking at him straight into his eyes. "But if we think like this, we think everything will always be bad. And if everything is bad, then what is the purpose of keep waking up every morning?"

Her words touched him deeply and his eyes became kinda confused as Ivar was absorbing what she was saying.

"I could have refused to receive you when I saw you were the same man that made my nephew cry at the Mall that day. From my place, my perspective, you were the vile one who took his smile. But I chose to give a chance and understand your side. I chose to open and believe you weren't that bad. Don't get me wrong, sometimes you'll realize your instincts were right and it was the worst case. But sometimes you'll see yourself discovering you misunderstood the other side of a situation just as it's happening here. The decision of giving it a chance to be the better option is yours. Sometimes, the power of changing the world around you is within yourself. It's your eyes, Ivar. You choose what side of the world you want to see," she said, extending her hand towards him with a gentle expression completely different from the frowned face he remembered from the mall. "Nice to really meet you, Mr. Ragnarsson. I'm Doctor Y/N Y/L/N."

Ivar accepted her hand, shaking it kinda stunned by her words. And during that section, she simply solved the pain he had at the moment with some simple exercises that relaxed his muscles from the tension provoked by his fall. Without a single doubt, Ivar left her office knowing it was the best and the more complete appointment he had in his life.

When he left, there was the boy, pulling his father's trousers once again, playing with the airplane, happily. A happy smile that became small when he saw Ivar at the chair coming out of his aunt’s room.

A strange feeling formed in Ivar's chest when the happiness vanished from that boy's smile. And he was completely able to notice his own moody temper building sentences and bad thoughts in his mind, judging himself, hurting himself.

Instead of saying anything, Ivar decided to just stop the chair, looking at the boy. And the little one came closer, looking at him.

"Are you hurt like my daddy, sir?" the boy asked, curious.

"Not like him... I was born this way," Ivar said, observing.

All of sudden, the child smiled at him.

"Then don't worry! Aunt Y/N fixed my dad and she'll help to fix you too!"

"Otto, leave the man alone," his father called his attention, but this time, the warmth on Ivar's chest just made him smile at the boy.

"That's some good news, boy," he said, seeing as the little one ran back to his father.

That boy wasn’t saying he was broken… That boy was just trying to find his way to tell him everything would be fine. Ivar just had to choose how he wanted to listen to those words and this time, he chose to listen to the boy’s innocence…

It was a good child. And maybe Y/N was right.

Maybe that power was in him... To change the way he would receive the people’s words. To make things better around himself.

And maybe the world didn't have to be that bad after all...

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Philippines Trip Report

Pangulasian Island and Manila Spirits

November 9th, 2017 - November 20th, 2017

Chris Coleman & Julia Donald

Julia and I took a trip to the Philippines for beach vacation and Ultimate frisbee tournament. The first half was spent at a eco-luxury resort in Bacuit Bay, El Nido, Palawan. Then we flew to the capital city for Manila Spirits tournament with a group of players from Seattle.

Vacation for our family starts with laying out a big pile of food for the cats and taking Skye to the doggy hotel. This trip was the same, although our longest time away from the buggers. I ate sushi dinner as Julia attended her Project Management Professional course at University of Washington. Flight at 11pm on November 9th after Julia bought face lotion at duty free (from two Filipino ladies).

13 hours later we landed in Taipei, Taiwan at 5am on November 11th. We lost a full day to the time zone change. Meals served on the plane was a new experience for me, which weren’t half bad. Dumplings, soup, and cold oolong tea in Taiwan airport were way better. Plus we got to see the Hello Kitty terminal early in the morning.

9am flight to Manila, Philippines was an easy 3 hours. Once we landed we took a taxi to Terminal 3 since walking between terminals at Ninoy Aquino International Airport is not possible. The buildings are not connected and the shuttle system is horrendous. Everyone leaves the buildings to try to take yellow taxis, but we struggled to find anything but white taxis (even though signs and the internet warned us that the white taxis were not recommended). Wings is a hostel/hotel that we reserved in T3, to rest during our layover. We decided to explore the city a bit before our nap/flight. After dropping our bags we went to the Mall of Asia in downtown Manila. Unfortunately we got swindled by our taxi driver and were forced to pay 1800 Philippine Pesos ($35 USD) for the ride which should have cost 250 ($5). The first lesson we learned in negotiations while riding white cabs. However the conversation with the taxi driver was almost worth the $30 upcharge… He was stoked to talk about American mass shootings, holding up two hands while driving and going Bang Bang Bang. Telling us about their own recent mass shooting at a casino. Plus some political talks comparing their president Duterte and Trump - both “strong” men. Julia realized this might be one country we don’t have to apologize for Trump.

Cultural shock hit when we entered the mall. They had armed security at each entrance, metal detectors and bag checks and pat-downs. Each individual shop also had their own white shirt armed security, continuing the strong show of force.

There were many American chains and your basic department store offerings. It was impressive because of the size. We almost stopped for an ice skate, but didn’t want to risk an injury at the very beginning of our trip. Ensaymada pastry at Starbucks was a treat, a delicious Filipino bread flavored with grated cheese and sprinkled with sugar. The best part of the mall trip was seeing the Christmas decorations and hearing the Christmas music. They are already in full holiday swing and it was fabulous. We later learned that Christmas starts on Sept1 in the Philippines. A common saying is “Christmas is coming”. Dinner at Manam restaurant initiated us to Filipino cuisine - Crispy Sisig and Watermelon Sinigang. We finished the trip with a walk outside along the boardwalk. They were preparing for fireworks later in the evening and we sat on the wall overlooking Manila Bay on the far side of the Pacific Ocean.

The ASEAN Summit was happening in Manila during our trip. World leaders came together to talk about Southeast Asian nations regional issues. The security throughout the city was tight, we even saw hundreds of police officers doing a ‘dry-run’ of the parade route as we went between the mall and airport. We missed them shutting down the streets for their test by a couple hours and returned to the hostel. Trump was in attendance for the summit, although we were lucky to be away from the capitol when he was in town.

Nap at Wings until our 6am flight out of Terminal 4. The showers were a treat and we felt refreshed as we entered our last leg of travel to reach our first destination. Taxi driver talked about Duterte/Trump again - telling us that his life is much better with Duterte in power. The 10pm curfew allows him to sleep at night, keeping the drunks out of the street. We kept our political opinions out of the conversation, it was good to hear local perspective on a radical president.

Flight to El Nido, Palawan was 1 hour. A small turboprop plane out of a cramped waiting area. Once we landed - resort staff took care of us right away. They handled our baggage and shuttled us to a lounge with drinks/snacks. We waited maybe 20 minutes next to Lio beach as they loaded our luggage onto the boat via wooden bridge. This was our first introduction to outriggers with their bamboo pole arms stretched out at their sides for stability. Raul called the boat a big turtle. Regardless it was fast while we departed the small El Nido airport. The transfer took about 30 minutes to get us onto Pangulasian Island. We talked to Raul, our favorite guide, about excursion options before arrival.

42 villas on the island, otherwise no houses or people outside the resort. The crew on the island stayed in a house behind the main restaurant and lobby. We learned later that the main building had been built on top of a cave where the water monitor lizards lived, including a big one called Godzilla who was probably 5 feet big. We never saw Godzilla but we kept an eye out for him. Our home for the next 4 nights was Villa #22. On the way to the villa on our “buggy” we saw our first and only macaque monkeys at the resort during the trip. We were instructed not to look directly at them or smile at them because they can get aggressive,. However they are so cute that is all you want to do. The room was luxurious with a huge bathroom, strong air conditioning, private balcony, and ocean views. As we were introduced to our room, we were also introduced to several Filipino english peculiarities, including the ever present honorific "M'amSir". Having grown up in the South, Julia was not sure how this concatenation had never occurred to any of the southerners she knew as it would have undoubtedly saved them much time in their daily salutations. Endless coconut cookies in the mini-bar was one of the best amenities.

We planned out our trip on a piece of scrap paper. No real itinerary before this, but once in the room and aware of our options we wanted to optimize our time in paradise. We went to the activity director with this plan:

     Day 1 - sunset hike

     Day 2 -  7am snorkel, 3pm Island tour

     Day 3 - 8am Lagoon tour

     Day 4 - ???

     Day 5 - 2pm boat, 5pm flight

Lunch at the pool after seeing our first small/baby Monitor Lizard. Julia had Rellenong - squid stuffed with pork, which introduced us to the Filipino comfort fusion of Asian, seafood, and Spanish food, plus foamy fruit drinks. Then into the water for our first snorkel of the trip. We saw a blue spotted stingray the size of a dinner plate as we were entering the water. Lots of coral right away and tons of fish all around. We were amazed at the amount of life right off the shore of our villa, the reef was alive! Huge blue clams and blue starfish were highlights, then we saw ‘Nemo’ (clownfish) in a home of sea anemone. We quickly learned that the overprotective dad fish are not just a thing of movies as the clownfish tried to chase us away from their anemone homes. Once they started trying to attack you, it was best to swim away so they didn’t leave any eggs defenseless and ready for another fish’s dinner.

Sunset hike was a serious physical task. Hiking up about 500 feet, counted in 1800 steps, to a lookout tower in the center of the island. The steps were counted out with signs every 200 steps. Raul bounded up the mountain with the speed of a mountain goat and the ease of a man who has only worn flip flops (aka “slippers”) while traversing the jungle his whole life. Took us 30 minutes. We were rewarded with 360 degree views and a breathtaking sunset surrounded by islands of all sizes. We hiked with 2 guys - Nunu and Brunu from Portugal and our guide Raul. Early dinner at 6:30, where we were asked by the entire staff how our sunset hike was. We quickly learned that everyone on the island always knew what activities we were up to at all times. Bed by 9pm, which became a regular thing for all of vacation.

7am snorkel tour at our ‘home reef’ on Sunday morning. A resort boat took us to the west end of the island, about a 3 minute ride. Shallow coral as our guide directed us towards the best spots for seeing baby blacktip reef sharks, as they apparently like to stay in 2-3 foot deep sections of the reef. Almost immediately we saw blacktip reef sharks. About 2-3 feet long, nothing scary but still swimming with sharks. Brunu spotted a BIG shark - quickly alerting us, but it turned out to be the second group of snorkelers from our resort.. HaHa  

Breakfast buffet at the main restaurant was massive. Options for all nations… American (pancakes, and bacon), European (fruit and pastries), Asian (rice and grilled meat), plus local Filipino dishes like fish, longganisa, and jackfruit.

A kayak tour around the island was settled upon after much debate. The wind was blowing and I was nervous the adventure would not be easy. It ended up being a wonderful decision all around. The boats were easy to launch from the beach next to our villa. We immediately tested upwind and downwind paddling - discovering we could easily handle the conditions. Paddling clockwise around the .2 square mile island took us 1 hour. The side opposite the villa is completely deserted, with multiple beautiful beaches. A small black monkey was relaxing on one, scurrying back into the woods as we floated by. There were also tons of crabs on the rocks, that also scurried away as we got close.

Back in the room Julia read on the balcony while I soaked up the AC + WiFi until our 3pm tour. Island Hopping is a 3 hour tour via outrigger style boat - called pump boat or paraw boat. There were about 10 other couples on the trip although the boat didn’t feel cramped at all. The crew of the boat frequently navigated the length of the boat by walking on the bamboo outrigger support structures, leaving the middle of the boat where we were sitting wide open. Luckily we weren’t required to wear the big red life vests, so I ditched mine immediately.

The first stop on the tour was called Cathedral Caves, about 25 minutes away. Pictures only as our boat was too big to enter the cave. The second stop was Cudugnon Cave another 25 minute ride. We were greeted by two dogs when we landed on shore. Then we walked along the water to a small entrance which we crawled through. It opened up to a huge room which legend says is a Neolithic burial place. We squeezed our way into the cave and marveled at how it opened up to 40 foot ceilings once we were through the entry. The light shone in a way that was impossible for us to capture on film. It was beautiful. Our 3rd stop was Snake Island, named for the S shaped sandbar that connected the island to mainland Palawan. After securing the anchor we walked the sandbar to a shack in the water. A bar on the sandbar, wonderful! No cash, and no bartenders today,  so we just looked around and shuffled back and forth on the 2-3 foot deep sandbar, hoping our feet were alerting any stingrays to swim away and not sting us out of self defense.. Another 10 minute boat ride and we were back at Pangulasian Island resort -  home.

We stopped at the pool for a sunset swim. Ordered coconut’s and Julia drank them both. After cleaning up I called for a buggy to take us to dinner. At 6:30pm no one was there, it wasn’t until later in the trip that we learned that the restaurant didn’t open until 7pm - they were just too nice to tell us to leave. Again puzzled where everyone else was, we dove into the exquisite menu, amazed at the quality and selection for being on a remote island where everything is ferried in by outrigger. Two orders of bread, shrimp gyro, and a huge seafood paella was a killer meal. Then a stomach settling beach walk home and we were in bed by 9pm.

Monday sunrise at 5:30am was beautiful from bed. It was raining as Julia scanned for wildlife from the balcony. She spotted 3 big Monitor Lizards coming out of the water, plus a baby blacktip reef shark maybe about 1 foot long trolling the shallows in front of our villa.

Breakfast was another big buffet in preparation for our Lagoon Tour at 8am.

The tour was filled with 22 people including our guides, driver, and security. Gold was the main guide - who I found out is also an ultimate player and planning to attend Manila Spirits tournament. Small world in the ultimate community! The group was: 2 Hawaiian couples Alan/Jira and Russell/Joy, dad from Manila and his 3 daughters, an old French couple, family of 4 with a 10 year old boy and 5 year old girl, and a young Asian couple on their phones the whole time. At this time we were beginning to get to know all the other fellow occupants of the island.

1st stop was Big Lagoon, 20 minutes from home. Pictures only as our boat drifted into the lagoon while the guides gave a history / science lesson. We learned about the limestone cliffs and how they were eroded over time by the salt. This was one region in the Philippines that was not part of the ring of Fire and was safe from earthquakes and volcanoes by its place in the middle of a tectonic plate.

2nd stop was Small Lagoon, 5 minutes away. The rain picked up again but it was warm and it didn’t bother us. There were already 5 or so outrigger boats in the ‘parking area’ leading into the lagoon. Some of the outriggers were from other resorts (including other El Nido properties at Maniloc or Lagen islands) and the others were from “town” a El Nido proper, and were part of the tor packages A, B, C, etc. all looked good, but the tour options had little grills on the back that were cooking excellent looking if slightly fire safety concerning food. We dropped anchor in the tight quarters and waited for our kayaks to arrive. Another group was using them and 1 by 1 they finished so our crew could jump in. Julia and I took the last boat, quickly catching up to the group with fast strokes. Through a hole not much bigger than our kayak we entered the lagoon. Walls were dripping with rain into the clear blue brackish water. A quick swim finished our adventure - then into the boat for a final stop.

3rd stop was Miniloc Resort - also owned by El Nido and on the same island as the lagoons. It was set in a cove in the middle of limestone cliffs. The resort was beautiful but it seemed to lack the beautiful beach that we had at Pangulasian. We were affirmed we made the correct resort choice by a couple of the other travelers on the boat, although that is comparing two especially Fantasia options. The reef just off their shore is home to a school of Jackfish, about 4 feet long - big things! They feed them daily so they zoom around near the dock - one nearly jumping over me as I snorkeled by. A Sergeant Major fish with yellow and black stripes bit Julia’s elbow as we explored the reef. I didn't believe Julia and went in to follow up - it bit my hand. Nothing more than a tiny scrape - but that bugger was really defending his territory well, good for him. Sweet tea on the boat home was a perfect ending. We were back before noon.

Ice cream  and fruity drinks for lunch told us we were truly on vacation. Any time more than 3 drinks are in front of 1 person - it’s vacation!

Julia took an afternoon snorkel while I rested in the air conditioning. She saw another stingray and more Nemo fish. Then we relaxed in bath robes until dinner time. Julia even won the daily debate of buggy vs. walk - this time only because the buggy service was busy. We spotlighted crabs using the headlamps I brought from home as we walked on the beach to dinner. Large hand sized white crabs dove into their well dug holes in the sand, while hermit crabs just collapsed inside their mobile homes. Our Hawaiian friends came over during dinner to extend an invitation on their private boat tour tomorrow with their lady friends. We quickly deliberated and decided to say yes.

Tuesday the 14th began with thunder and lightning. We ate breakfast as it stormed all around us. Extra banana jam on my pancakes to make up for the nasty weather.

The tour started at 10am with Gold as our guide. Alan/Jira and Russell/Joy were a bit late, but excited to get going. Secret Beach was the first destination. A hole in the side of a steep wall. At high tide you have to dive and hold your breath 5 seconds to get in. We all practiced holding our breath and confirming what kind of 5 seconds were we talking about? One mississippi, two mississippi, three mississippi, or 1, 2, 3. In retrospect, the "mississippi" might have added to the confusion in our clarification attempts. It was low tide so Julia swam straight in, but I still dove. A sandy beach inside was magical, completely closed off from the outside. Unfortunately this is where Julia’s camera decided to die - however we later discovered it was simply a dead battery. 

Hidden Beach was the second destination. First we stopped for a quick snorkel just around the corner. A reef on the edge of a 100 foot dropoff. Colorful coral and tons of fish - so amazing to see with our butts in the air. The beach was hidden behind a shallow entrance. We waded through ankle deep water to find another sandy shore tucked away on Matinloc Island. The other 2 boats of tourists were just leaving so we got the whole place to ourselves. Only other person there was a local in a canoe selling coconuts and ice cold beer - how perfect!! Julia ate the soft meat out of the coconut after drinking the water. The salesman even cut a ‘spoon’ out of the coconut shell for her to scoop it out with - genius. My San Miguel beer hit the spot in the midday sun. All of us got coconuts or beer for 400 PHP (8 USD). A good deal.

Lunch at Entalula Island was welcomed at 1pm. El Nido owns/manages a section of beach here with the softest sand of the entire trip. They served us lunch of rice, shrimp, sashimi, fruit, and cold drinks. We only had to sign our room numbers and the bill was taken care of. I could get used to this. When checking out later, we saw all of the receipts where we had signed our room number earlier in the vacation. The stamps for our postcards. The lunch at Entalula. The magnet for our fridge. Imagining them gathering all of these receipts for calculation via outrigger or buggy was humorous.

2 more quick stops at the Cudugnon Cave and Snake Island we had been to previously. We skipped going inside the cave this time. Walked the beach trying to pet the dog and talk to the little girl - neither were successful. Then we waieded in the water and chatted with Russell, learning about his insurance business and life on Maui. Snake Island bar was open this time and we didn’t forget the cash. Bought more beers and coconuts (we learned here our first Tagalog word - Buko - which means coconut) before heading back home.

The private boat tour with the Hawaiians was our favorite adventure during our time on Pangulasian Island resort. We were out almost 7 hours, explored 5 islands, and saw hundreds of fish with new friends. I sure hope we run into these guys again on another vacation!

Black butterflies greeted us at sunset daily. We watched a dark blue / almost black Great-Billed heron hunt on the ocean shore as the mosquitoes began to bite. We also learned about alpha monkeys. Once they became aggressive (stealing clothes off balconies or food from the buffet) an Ecologist would fly out from Manila, the monkey would be darted and wake up on a secluded island. 1 alpha per island, no mates. This has happened 5 times in the past 20 years - meaning that there are 5 islands out there with mad/lonely monkeys on them. The guides told us 1 adopted a cat from a nearby village as his friend, petting it and guarding it. This was the monkey banished to the Sandbar island. We had been warned during our visit not to pet the cat, and it made more sense knowing about it's monkey protector. Hilarious / Sad.

Manila plans were discussed over a dinner of Kare-Kare (oxtail and tripe in peanut sauce) and butter chicken. Super sleepy after this heavy meal. Bed by 8pm, but not before committing to our buggy driver for a 5am sunrise hike.

Wednesday the 15th Julia actually made the 5am sunrise hike. I slept. The guide asked where "Sir Donald" was and she replied, in bed. They discussed ecology on the way up and politics on the way down - a well balanced agenda. This was the first, but not last, person Julia met that was critical of Duterte and the drug war. The guide was especially concerned with the corruption of the cops and the extrajudicial killings. When they discussed the drug wars in both countries, quickly Julia grasped that although the US drug war incarcerates the most people in the world - our drug war isn't killing political opponents in their houses and planting drugs to cover it up. Neither is good, but there is always worse. The guide was worried about the future as all of the political opponents to Duterte were being silenced, and no one knew what would happen at the end of his remaining five years of term.

6:30am I began to pack, reluctantly. Paused at 7am to take the guided snorkel of the home reef again. We saw no sharks but did traverse the entire length of the resort reef - West to East. Almost an hour snorkel with 2 other guys (Australia and UK). We got to see 2 smallish green sea turtles and another stingray. Rinsed off at the dive shop and turned in my fins.

All our new friends were at breakfast. After 5 days it felt like we knew everyone. Catching up with what each other did the previous day and our plans going forward. Many of us were leaving together today so we’d have one last chance to shake hands before island time was over. I stopped at the pool after breakfast while Julia took 1 last snorkel. In true to vacation form, the last snorkel continued a trend we had started on other vacations where halfway through it started raining. When Julia came out, she and Brunu and Nunu (Portuguese guys) all finished at the same time and had a good laugh about "Snorkeling in the rain".

Lunch by the pool, then to the reception desk for checkout at 2pm. Signed the bill for 30,000 Philippines pesos and bought final momentos. Loaded the boat and we were off to the airport. Waiting room for El Nido resort guests was a treat - with drinks, sweets (red bean cakes and cassava cake), and air conditioning.

**Note - Sleep No More is an immersive play based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Hitchcock's movie “Rebecca" that Brunu/Nunu told us about. Look into this next time we visit NYC.

Landed in Manila, fetched baggage, and hailed a yellow cab (metered). Only problem is that the driver took us to the wrong hotel. Hotel Manila is WAY nicer than we booked. Felt wrong from the moment we pulled up. German Shepherds working security, ladies in long ballroom dresses, chandeliers, over-the-top Christmas decorations, the whole package... Thankfully the six bell boys on duty were nice (or bored) enough to carry our baggage and arrange our cab. Driver was way more experienced - getting us to Luneta Hotel on the other side of Rizal Park. This is the first time we were explained it was probably not a good idea for us to try walking in the city at night.

Luneta Hotel is 99 years old. Lovingly restored in a beautiful combination of art deco and French renaissance architecture, we felt at home in our room for 1 night. We ate Crispy Pata for dinner at the hotel restaurant. The waiter explained all the ways we could tear into the beautifully twice cooked & deep fried pig legs / pig knuckles. "The tendons are the best". We noted how much easier it was in the Philippines to eat the peripheral / organ meats, and how much we had been enjoying it. In house made ice cream was a treat - especially the Jasmine flavor which was the national flower.

Thursday the 16th was a walking tour. Out the front door of our hotel was Rizal Park. Named after Jose Rizal - a Filipino nationalist who advocated political reform for the colony under Spanish rule. We visited the monument for his execution along with other historical sites in the area. Rizal is the national hero, a true renaissance man who wrote books and poetry, made paintings and carvings, and explored the sciences as a Polymath. His execution jump-started the successful Philippine revolution. Unfortunately, right after the success of the revolution and the creation of an independent Philippine government, the Spanish promptly lost the Spanish/American war. During the peace negotiation between Spain and America, Spain sold Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the US for $20 million. The Philippines sent their best minds to the US to advocate for their self-rule, but the US failed to grant them their own sovereignty they had fought so hard for. Another war- the Philippine/American war - ended 2 million Filipino lives and settled the question for another 40 years of American rule. It was only after the atrocities of WW2 that the US granted the Philippines their independence on July 4, 1946. Families laid on space blankets in the shade as we walked the park, visiting the Chinese Garden.

Intramuros, a historic walled city inside Manila, was the next walking destination. First we stopped at Starbucks to download maps and assemble a plan. Once Julia made the map her phone background we were on the move again. San Agustin Church was our first major stop. A massive Spanish monastery built in 1607. Now a museum detailing the complete religious, economic, and legal colonization of the Philippines, detailing trade routes and gold mining along with the life of monks in the 1600’s. The Spanish were completely successful in their religious conquest, having converted everyone we met or saw into a devout Catholic. Then more churches and old buildings. Fort Santiago was our last stop inside the walled city. Built by Spanish conquistadors in 1571, then upgraded repeatedly until 1730’s. The American flag was raised here in 1898, who drained the moat to make a golf course. During World War II the fort was captured by the Japanese army and use as a killing ground for hundreds of prisoners - especially during the Japanese massacre of civilians during the liberation of Manila. 200k civilians (including lots of religious leaders) died in mass shootings during this last month of urban fighting. Intramuros and the rest of the city was gutted.

Back in 2017 - an Uber driver picked us up and took us to lunch. Dong Bei Dumpling house in Manila’s Chinatown district. A hole in the wall, that was recommended on every corner of the internet, was kinda scary getting to as our taxi driver took us directly through a slum on the edge of the river and the intramodal shipyard. It all paid off when we were served. One of the best meals of our entire vacation - stuffed pancakes, pork dumplings, and xiao long bao. Then we met our 9 year old friend Jarred outside. His dad runs a shop next to the restaurant and he wanted to talk as we waited for our ride. A very nice boy who had to run back to his dad to get English answers for our questions. Then we became Facebook friends - it was official.

Quiapo Market was our last tourist spot of the day. An open-air market selling everything from fruits to pirated CDs. We walked the hundreds of small booths looking for a fitbit replacement for the one I accidentally swam with in Palawan. We were able to find speakers, phone cases, watches, ‘nike’ shoes, bike parts, herbal “birth control” (it is a very Catholic country), 10 min massage, day-old chicks … but no fitbit. After an hour we escaped without spending a dollar.

Jasmine tea back at Luneta Hotel per the waiter's recommendations as we picked up our bags and then an hour Uber ride, with a sleepy driver, to our AirBnB in Alabang. This house was rented by our ultimate team for the long weekend. Just 2 kilometers from the fields in a secured neighborhood. We actually had to fight through the security gate our first time through, trying to prove we actually belonged there.

The house was huge, as were all the ones around us. 10+ beds upstairs, 2 on the main floor, and ours downstairs. There were also 2 house staff and 1 driver staying with us full time. The owners moved to California last year and use the house rarely. The staff are their personal helpers of the family for the entire lifetime of their children - Julia was lucky to get some time to discuss this further with one of their helpers and learn more about this aspect of the culture.

Team dinner was a ‘Boodle Fight’ - a traditional meal served on banana leaves and eaten with hands. Ours was packed with pork, shrimp, octopus, corn, and rice. I sat next to Summer who was allergic to shellfish - but she was able to avoid death with Epi-Pen on standby.

Friday the 17th began at 6:30am with Shawn cooking eggs, bacon, and sausage. The first van to the fields left at 7:45am, with Alan our driver. Ange and Steph were already there with a spot reserved for us under a canopy on the edge of the fields. Each team had their own section blocked off - which proved critical during rain and sun all weekend.

Manila Spirits ultimate tournament is in it’s 14th year. 40 teams from around the world come together for a fun weekend of competition. It’s a co-ed tournament, playing with 4 men + 3 women or 4 women + 3 men. 60 minute games played to 13 points. Our team - Just Saiyan - was 19 boys and girls, the only team from the United States. Ranked 29th out of 40 teams. I looked for Gold and was able to find 5:30 Palawan team, but he was not with them.

Right off the bat ‘For Old Times Sake’ beat us 6-10 first game. They had the Tournament Director on their squad and were all around highly spirited. An excellent introduction to Manila ultimate. It was a tight match all the way to the end, then near a questionably timed soft/hard cap they ran away with it. Finished with a Spirit Circle and hip hip hooray X 3.

The rain started as we walked back to the canopy. HARD rain that flooded our shelter. Everyone hung their bags on the canopy poles and embraced the storm. The fields were soggy but it slowed by the time our second match began.   

‘Love Parade’ beat us 3-13 in the second game. Clearly a dominate team, having won the previous year. We didn’t even make it to the 50 minute soft cap. Ouch!

We beat USO third game 13-8 on a sloppy muddy field. They were young, one player only 17 years old. After our victory we taught them the street fighter spirit game, which ended up being a long 30 minute game, happily played in the sideline shade.

Back at the house we washed clothes and hung everything to dry. Ice bath for the feet was sweet, I almost made it a full minute. The team cooked hot dogs for dinner - which were found to be individually wrapped after grilling for 10 minutes. Why?!?

Julia and I chose to go out for dinner to catch up with each other since we spent the day separated.

Julia went to Pagsanjan Falls (a whitewater gorge once used as a set in "Apocalypse Now" movie), about 3 hours southeast of Alabang. Alan, our driver, helped her find the proper bus after he dropped us off at the fields. Then a motorcycle driver picked her up from the bus station and took her the rest of the way to the falls. 2 guides navigated her up and down the river and underneath a waterfall in a dugout canoe and bamboo raft.  “Shooting the rapids” is the tourist activity in the area and there is a rotation system for tour guides - nearly 3,000 villages have "canoeing numbers" assigned and about 1 every 10 days they are able to guide. It is one of the major methods of income in the town and I was reminded "Christmas is coming".  The guides paddled and jumped in and out of the canoe to drag it over and between rocks, and pushed off of the gorge walls when necessary for upstream momentum.  Julia's concept of whitewater canoeing was greatly expanded from her Outward Bound expedition days, as she never considered anything other than paddling as a method for propulsion.  Apparently feet is another acceptable and common option.  Good to know.  Things put into perspective, Julia enjoyed the trip thoroughly.  Then the moto driver, Romeo, picked her back up and took her to 2 other random spots in the area with waterfalls, local boys swimming, and a lake at the top of the mountain overlooking Laguna Bay. Beautiful rural areas with farmers, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and subsistence gardening. she would have never found without his local knowledge. Aware that things could be risky, everything paid off wonderfully with Julia feeling very welcomed by the friendly people in the provinces.

Buko (coconut) pie for dessert. Julia got it during the bus ride home. As the bus rides were long and direct, they never stopped for food but rather let vendors come onto the bus for short rides. Roasted/steamed corn was a common treat, in addition to Balut, Empanadas, and nuts - all usually for 20 PHP.

Saturday the 18th was day 2 of the Spirits tournament. First game at 8am vs. ‘Sentinels’. We beat them 13-6 after Shawn’s hucks warmed up. Ange and Steph, our Filipino teammates who encouraged/organized this trip from the start, forgot their cleats at home. During our long 4 hour break they ran home and brought back Halo-Halo icy desserts that were sugary delicious. We relaxed in chairs from another team (which oddly they were mad about - come on team Vicious be reasonable) bought swag, drank smoothies, and watch games. 1pm was our second and last game of the day - which we ended up losing. ‘Breakfast Club’ was an old school team from Manila. They looked easy to beat but we just couldn’t shake our problems. They also called a bunch of questionable catches/fouls that really took the steam out of our high spirited squad. 6-10 was the final score, bummer.

Reviewed the day with Julia over dinner at Neil's Kitchen - a hip Filipino-fusion restaurant in Westgate Filinvest. We had three amazing plates of food, but the one I remember most was their concept of Dinuguan - a black liver and blood pudding dish complete with pork belly and rice. So rich and the best liver dish Julia has ever eaten. She went back to Manila city and visited 2 museums. National Museum of Fine Arts and National Museum of Anthropology. The art museum was beautiful and intense - the long history of the Philippines being colonized by Spain and America showed through in their religious art featuring Jesus and their modernist art featuring the journey from WW2 through the post-colonial years of independence. The Anthropology museum showed a sunken Spanish galleon which had just been excavated and explained a large part of that period of history. Lunch at Seaside Dampa - a seafood market where you buy anything from crab to lobster to shark to clams to tiger prawns and more - then across the street a restaurant will cook it for you. She had tiger prawns and a crab next to a family singing Videoke, a popular pastime in Asia.

Tournament part was Saturday night, which I decided to skip. It didn’t start until 9pm. I’m an old man. Asleep by 9:30.

Sunday was the final day of the tournament. We changed canopy locations to a central spot next to the first aid station (team Vicious ‘kindly’ asked us to move). Half the team was hungover, which gave confidence to the young and spry Sentinel opponent. They underestimated our experience playing hungover. We dominated from the first throw. I think they scored 3 points total, keeping spirit high the whole time. They did our ‘charge up’ cheer with us after the game - it was loud and awesome. The shitty part of this strong start was our teammate got injured. I threw a terrible pass over Amanda’s head, Ryan attempted to clean up the garbage. Feet got tangled as they approached the sideline - sending Ryan hard onto his elbow. Medics on the field said it was sprained (or torn ligament), he was out for the rest of the day. Felt terrible because it happened on my bad throw. Hopefully now that we are back in the US he can see a doctor and get healed quickly.

Game 2 was vs. White Propaganda. It was extremely hot with no sideline shade. Saiyan players were dropping out left and right. I was playing double points by the end of the game. Normally we were in pods of 3, rotating every point so that each person would play 1 of 3 points. Needless to say - we lost. Lots of simple drops added to the frustration, we totally could have beat this team. They were a fast squad, ready to move the disc quickly against any zone we tried to put on. The final score was 6-10.

Steph came back after the game with all our box lunches (so we didn’t have to stand in line with tickets waiting in the sun). Thanks Steph! Rice, pork, fish, and cookies were necessary to keep the engine rolling. I couldn’t seem to drink enough water all weekend - but the shade brakes helped encourage hydration.

Final game was vs. Stacked Stats, a team of players representing 15 countries. Fun group from the very start. We were never in the lead - they easily won 6-13. I was just happy to have survived a hot/humid tournament in Manila, my first international competition.

Finished the tournament with a box full of beers from the vendors. 24 San Mig Light’s while the team sat on the sideline watching the championship match - Boracay Bandits vs. Mulatto. Bandits were #1 and Just Saiyan ended up #32. Not too shabby.

Julia returned from Taal Heritage Town about 7pm. Alan was just asking about her status since it was getting dark, he had helped her get to the bus again and was worried she made it back easily. Taal is a popular tourist destination because it has a volcano in the middle of a big lake. Most people visit and hike to the top of the mountain volcano in the middle of Taal lake. Julia chose a different route - to visit the town and see their history. A wedding at the largest basilica in Asia, restored houses of Filipino Revolutionaries, market with dresses, halo halo, bikers, and a trike ride filled her day.

Ice cream passed around the dinner table on a Lazy Susan was the perfect capstone to a exhausting 3 days of ultimate. Our team was fun and already talking about what exotic tournament to try next year…Hopu Ka Lewa in Hawaii???

Monday the 20th was travel day. Alan began taking people to the airport at 9am. We relaxed and talked to the house staff, Delaney and Daisy, until 11am. They told us about Tagalog bananas and the backstory for the home owners. Alan stopped at the South Supermarket so we could pick up final ube treats for Julia’s coworkers. Then dropped our bags at EVA airline counter. We still had 5 hours until our flight so we got a taxi to the Mall of Asia to waste time again. Ryan was with us too. Lunch at Manam restaurant again, where we talked to a girl heading to New Zealand for a friends wedding. A quick walk along Manila Bay and we headed back to the airport (only to wait in line for an hour to check-in + customs).

16 hours of flying later, we landed 30 minutes before we took off. Monday was a weird day for us. Tuesday it’s back to work while fighting jet lag. The good news is that Thursday is Thanksgiving!

**Tagalog is a hard language to pick up for me. I learned zero words the almost 2 weeks we were in the Philippines. This is all I semi-learned after repeated instruction by various Filipino’s.

     hindi = no

     oo = yes

     mahal kita = I love you

     Buko = coconut

Overall the Philippines were a beautiful and adventurous string of islands. We look forward to going back to visit many more beaches (and tournaments) plus more off the beaten path international travel!  We picked up a cookbook for one of our few souvenirs so more Filipino food in our future.

Now it’s time to throw the ball for this dog… she needs love!

Cheers,

-Chris Coleman

[fuck-customers]

Re: Customer Nicknames

Saw an ask this week about nicknames for shitty or creepy customers. I got some.

Underwear Lady - When I worked at a women’s plus sized clothing store, we had underwear out on tables (You buy the pairs individually and we had deals for like 5/$35 for the “cheaper” ones and 3/$33 for the “good” ones.). We had this woman who would always come in with the same damn routine. She’d make a beeline for the underwear and touch it all, say how much she loves our underwear, etc. and we knew to keep watch on her because past employees had said she’d stolen A LOT of it. So we would literally stare at her the entire time she was in. One time, I’d hidden behind a jewelry display and saw her attempting to stuff a huge handful of them in her purse. So I popped out and asked if I could put those on the counter for her. She shoved them back on the display and left.

Madonna - Same clothing store. This woman was stuck in the 80′s, big hairspray hair and all, and always had something pink on. ALWAYS a bright, crayon pink. I’m talking pink T shirt and sneakers with leopard print leggings that were clearly too small for her. She was one of those lovely customers that only bought discounted items, wore them out for the weekend, and then returned them within a week later. She and her husband were super rude and she would always treat us like we were her personal shoppers. One manager would always sing the line "Like a virgin" as the "warning" that she was here.

BO Fedora - Older woman who came into the above mentioned clothing store often. Always wore a fedora, sometimes with a feather, and smelled so badly of BO that we’d have to Lysol the front of the store when she was done (she really only hung around the front to look at the T shirts and wear to work pants).

Shower Cap - A regular who was recently banned from the library I currently work at. Named for always wearing a shower cap. Obnoxious person who always reeked of pot and who would sit here almost open to close, only leaving to go eat. She’d just sit in a chair reading books (that she couldn’t take out because she owed us a few hundred in lost item fees) and then think she was being sneaky by hiding them in the reference section. Also, she sucked on her hands and it was disgusting because ew, people have to touch those books to put them back when they find them. She was banned for being part of a group who we finally caught on camera dealing drugs in the library.

Croissant - A girl who popped up relatively recently. She has stolen multiple books (both donations and library books) by taking the dust jackets which have the barcodes, call numbers, and “tattle tape” (that tape that makes the sensors beep at the doors) off and sticking the naked books in her backpack. She’s been asked to leave the Children’s Department multiple times because she’ll hole herself upstairs where their fairy tale collections are and just lay all her stuff out on the floor, take her shoes off, lie down, eat, etc. She’s also left the library some days and came back wearing completely different clothing like she’s disguising herself (one day she scared the SHIT out of my coworker by randomly appearing next to her in the stacks while wearing a near-opaque veil on her hat, lmao.). My coworker named her “Croissant” because as she’s trying to get… whatever is going through her head across to us, she’ll randomly switch out of her normal speech into a French accent and also sometimes randomly switch to speaking French (either real French or gibberish with French-sounding syllables. I personally don’t speak it, so I wouldn’t know from listening to her at the pace she’s speaking.).

Rotting Leg Lady- A patron who only comes in when it’s warm out and then complains it’s too cold anyway. She has this gross, nasty, odorous, festering wound on her leg that she refuses to get looked at because "the doctors work for the government and I don't trust them" (Damn government doctors. Probably putting chips in all our brains, guys!). APPARENTLY, according to one of our security officers, we can’t call the police to do a welfare check or whatever on her because seeking medical attention is her choice or however he explained it. This woman literally smells like roadkill. She’s completely computer illiterate, which really sucks for us because we have to help her and actually stand close to her and that rotting appendage. Any time she leaves, we use Clorox and Lysol sprays and the smell still does not go away. It’s so concentrated underneath that computer desk that I would honestly not be surprised one day if I thought she was here and found a dead cat or something in the library. She’s been asked to leave for the day multiple times because other patrons complained about the smell. Once, she made the entire grand reading room (think a relatively small store in the mall) stink and her argument that she shouldn’t be made to leave was literally “It’s not dripping on the floor today.” She’s been banned from the movie theatre a friend works at a few buildings down because she’d sit there, sleep in the lobby, leg wound oozing on their fucking floor, stinking the place up like a dead animal, and then not even see a movie. I mean, I sort of do feel bad for her because of the leg, but then when she's totally rude to us because we won't sit and use the computer and fill stuff out FOR her (it's against policy. We cannot handle your information like that even if you give us permission.) and that we can't just stand there and babysit her the entire time because she's not the only patron in the library, all of that goes right out the window. 

[wemustbearwitness-blog]

Day Two: German Government

So last night I was able to obtain 10 hours of sleep which makes me much more equipped to write about my day than I was last night. 

I woke up this morning and had the most wonderful breakfast. We sat in a beautiful dining room in the hotel where your every need was met even before you realized that you had a need. The coffee was is excellent. The fresh squeezed orange juice was wonderful. They had every granola imaginable with two different kinds of milk to add, pastries and croissants, nutella in the tiny butter-like packets which I love and remember from the last time I was in Germany, and every table got cheese, meat and jam which is shown in the photo above. You could’ve even ordered your own omelette to go but I chose a different route. In short, I could’ve sat there all day. But alas, I didn’t come to Germany to eat nutella although that was a large incentive.

Around 9 we headed to the German Foreign Ministry offices to meet Nikola Gillhoff, Deputy Federal Foreign Office Special Representative for Relations with Jewish Organizations and Issues relating to Anti-Semitism.

The foreign ministry building, which you can see pictured above is a completely transparent building. This was intentional. German government wants the world to know, quite literally, that they have nothing to hide. They are open and honest about governmental policy which embodies the antithesis of Nazi Germany. Upon arrival we went through security and met up with Nikola Gillhoff who granted us a private one hour question and answer session. We talked a lot about remembrance work in Germany and the challenges that Germany faced establishing Holocaust and anti-semitism awareness. For example, the Deputy Federal Foreign Office Special Representative for Relations with Jewish Organizations and Issues relating to Anti-Semitism position was not established until 2006, only 10 year ago. The museums and documentation centers that we visited yesterday are also fairly new. One would think that Germany would have started this work much earlier, but there were challenges. Even after the rejoining of Berlin in 1990, Germany did not know how to document the Holocaust and combat anti-semitism without specifically grouping the Jewish people. They were very nervous about identifying the Jewish people as different in any way because of the shame of the war and, more specifically, the Holocaust. Therefore, it was easier to ignore the topic altogether. Anti-semitism became illegal in Germany in the mid 1980s. An example of this challenge is evident in post-War trials. After the Auschwitz trial, it became much harder to try Nazi perpetrators because the German government decided that there had to be hard evidence that the person was guilty in order to try them. Witness testimony, however much there was, became no longer enough to bring a Nazi perpetrator to trial. Later in the 2000s, people starting challenging this verdict and again the trials opened up using witness testimony. The German judicial system acknowledged that multiple witnesses and evidence that you were in the camp was enough to try someone as it was very clear that everyone knew the horrors that were occurring. This department now accumulates data about anti-semitism in Germany and deals with issues Jewish organizations both throughout Germany and parts of Europe. While Germany is clearly still very embarrassed about their past, they work hard to improve their future.

After the Foreign Ministry offices, we had some free time to walk around Berlin. First we went to the Berlin Mall, also known as the largest mall in Europe. Despite it’s size, I found it anti-climatic. No matter where you are in the world, it seems that malls are all pretty similar. So, after about an hour myself and my roommate, Kate, left to explore Berlin around our Hotel. We ate at a German grocery store and explored some shops and local architecture which can be seen above (a concert hall). It was very enjoyable. It seems that Berlin has quite a few Universities. I mostly enjoy getting to know Berlin from a local and unique perspective. I like eating cultural German food and attempting to experience Berlin in a less touristy manner, although it is difficult. Luckily, Kate feels similarly so it was nice to walk around with her.

After our lunch break, our group went to the Israeli Embassy. The Israeli Embassy is in a wealthier neighborhood about 20 minutes from our Hotel. It is quite impressive. Upon arrival, you see the multiple guards on duty outside the gate. It is important to mention that the gate is pretty transparent. That, similar to the German Foreign Ministry, is intentional. The Israeli Embassy wants the neighborhood citizens to know that it has nothing to hide-- a full disclosure type of relationship. First, you ender a security block where the guards intensely questioned us about our intentions, if we had weapons on us, if we brought gifts, etc. We were asked in multiple ways if we had brought weapons and the guard even mentioned different types of weapons that we might have brought with us. Once he felt that we sufficiently answered his questions, he called us one by one to present our passport and thoroughly go through security similar to that at the airport. We had to empty our pockets, relinquish our phones, take off all layers and shoes and walk through a mental detector. We had to lock up all of our belongings-- everything in our pockets and our phones-- before entering the main building. Once entering the main building, we again had to give up our passports to obtain visitor passes. An employee of the embassy came out to explain the architecture of the building. We were officially on Israeli territory. The building was built next to the Ambassador’s home which was built long before the Embassy. What is now the Ambassador’s home originally belonged to a Jewish person, was given up and became a Nazi entertainment bar, and is now again in the ownership of Jewish people. The Ambassador’s home was originally made with a steel concrete core, a limestone facade and a copper roof. The Embassy building was designed to also contain all three aspects. Additionally, the building is made with Jerusalem stone in the foyer as all Jerusalem buildings must be made. Once we entered the main lobby, through another set of sealed tight doors, we headed to a conference room where we met with Rogel Rachman, Head of Public Diplomacy. Rogel Rachman also held a one hour question and answer session with our group where we talked about the German-Israeli relationship and his job as Head of Public Diplomacy. Not surprisingly, the topic of anti-semitism came up and where one must draw the line between being anti-Israel and anti-semitic. The Israeli Embassy deals with issues of Israel but does not get involved with German politics surrounding anti-semitism or Jewish life. It seems that they work hard to not overstep their authority on certain matters. Overall, it seems that Israel and Germany have a cordial working relationship. Last night, for the first time ever, Berlin lit up the Brandenburg gate with the Israeli flag to memorialize the lives lost in the terrorist attack which killed four Israeli soldiers this week. This event was especially significant and unexpected.

After the embassy we went to an early dinner at an Italian restaurant which is apparently pretty common across Europe, Vapiano. After dinner, we headed to the Reichstag, the German Parliament building. I found this tour experience to be, by far, the best thing we have done so far in Berlin. Everything about the architecture of the building moved me. The Reichstag embodies everything about Germany’s past and present. To begin, the outside facade is all restored to look like the original. As a historical reminder, the Reichstag burned down in 1933 and was destroyed significantly. The Nazi government blamed the fire on the communists and this gave Hitler the justification he needed to enforce stricter legislation on the German people. This benefit is why it is suspected that the Nazis encouraged the fire. Additionally, in 1945, the final battle between the Soviet and German forces happened in the Reichstag before Germany surrendered. The Reichstag was finally renovated in 1999 even though it was in use since 1990 after the reunification of Berlin when the Reichstag was once again established as the German Parliament building. Location wise, the Reichstag is located on the border of the Berlin Wall, so during the Soviet rule of East Berlin, the German Parliament was moved to a separate location in Böhm. As mentioned before, the architecture of the building is most impressive.The architect who created the Reichstag renovations utilized the theme of transparency in his design. The entire building, although looking very traditional on the outside, is riddled with windows on the inside. The entire building is similar to a glass box. Most famously, the plenary chamber where the Parliament meets contains a giant glass dome overhead which symbolizes transparency and clarity while conveniently conserving energy. Increased sunlight in the rooms means less electronic light necessary. What’s most amazing about this dome is that you can go on the roof and walk up a spiral ramp to the top of the dome to see a wonderful view of Berlin while looking down on the Parliament sessions. It is clear through the architecture that German government wants the world to know that it has nothing to hide.  Additionally, the architecture is quite modest. It is smooth, quiet, and humble. This directly opposes the original elaborate architecture which was created in the 1800s and remained during Nazi rule. Germany, quite literally, is making a statement in this building-- they do not wish to start any more wars or cause any harm. This type of announcement through architecture in itself is enough to show the many ways in which Germany is trying to, not redeem, but improve the country and it’s governing body. Yet, it gets better. As you walk along the corridors of the Reichstag you see sections of the original stone and architecture on the ceilings and the walls-- not everywhere, but in parts as if the past cannot be erased or forgotten. The new does not dismiss the old. Bullet holes from the 1945 battle still remain visible. More interestingly, when the Soviets took the Reichstag and won the battle, they proceeded to make the Reichstag a destination for Soviets. The walls were covered with writings, people signing their names, writing phrases, dates, cities where they were from, and more. Today, in certain locations, the architect uncovered these writings and displays them for us to see-- for us to remember. The German government did not wash away the graffiti of their loss and more importantly, their dark history. Instead, they left it staining the walls as a reminder of what was. That amazed me. In fact, it makes me think about the United States and our failure to properly display memory work. We don’t mind discussing the faults of other countries, but when it comes to slavery, racism, eugenics, forced sterilizations, and more, we fail to properly teach and remember. We fail to properly document and teach our own failures in schools. I came to this trip still feeling deep seeded criticism of Germany and it’s past, but find myself being increasingly impressed with their present. How they attempt to change, remain transparent, humble, and most importantly remember what happened here. It seems that this work only has just started recently, but at least it started at all. In the basement of the Reichstag remains a part of the old tunnel that once connected the German President’s residence building. It remains because it is suspected that, if Nazis had anything to do with the 1933 fire, Hermann Göring, the current President, would have been able to sneak accomplices out through the tunnel without police detection. The suspicion is supported by the fact that the fire destroyed the building incredibly quickly for only having had one perpetrator. While it may be a conspiracy theory, it is still very possible and fascinating. Of course, on our tour, the guide explained how the German government works. All 16 states are independently governed such that if the overarching authority wishes to instate a law for all, all 16 states must agree for it to pass. That’s about all I know at this point-- I found the actual governmental details to be quite confusing. Overall, I was thought the Reichstag was incredible and would highly recommend anyone who travels to Berlin to take a tour.

After the Reichstag, we walked by the Brandenburg Gate which is one of the oldest structures in Berlin and one of the only monuments not bombed during WWII. You can see above, the memorial for the Israeli soldiers at the gate.  Despite the support for Israel by the German government, there are still many anti-Israel advocates in Germany. As I spoke out in awe of the memorial, a man next to me yelled, “Viva Palestina,” thereby attempting to burst my bubble. He failed.  

It was a great day. I eagerly await Breakfast tomorrow. I think I’ll go down early so I can really enjoy it. Nutella packets and all.

[roxannahuffman-blog]

Eaze (Help Coming From An Illegal And Self.

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[franciscocathi]

After the dramatic shutdown of Orlando’s Artegon ‘anti-mall,’ the artists and vendors wonder how it all went wrong

After the dramatic shutdown of Orlando’s Artegon ‘anti-mall,’ the artists and vendors wonder how it all went wrong

By Monivette Cordeiro

Photo by Chris Tobar Rodriguez

Dozens of artists and vendors arrived the morning of Jan. 12 for what they thought was a routine meeting between themselves and the management staff of Artegon Marketplace, Orlando’s two-year-old “anti-mall” on International Drive. In hindsight, maybe the presence of Orlando Police officers and bodyguards should have tipped them off something was out of the ordinary.

Instead, the group known for its eclectic art sat crowded in front of the Book Warehouse to listen to David Miskin, the chief marketing officer at Lightstone Group, Artegon’s New York-based parent company, which owns $2.5 billion in real estate projects. After a few pleasantries, Sina Sutter remembers the gasps in the room when Miskin told them it was over – Artegon was closing.

“When he said we had to leave, that whole group of 60 to 70 people got up and started asking, ‘What? No! How? Why?’” she says in Spanish. “Everyone was left uncertain. These were people that had invested millions of dollars into this. What do you mean I have to move in 10 to 15 days?”

Since closing, Artegon has only released a short statement from its end, saying, “Lightstone will be taking its Artegon Marketplace property in a new direction. While it was a difficult decision to discontinue operations, we are thankful to our team in Orlando, and to our tenants, for their hard work and dedication over the past several years.” OPD spokeswoman Wanda Miglio confirmed Artegon actually hired police officers to work there for the closing, though she couldn’t immediately confirm how many.

Sutter, who opened a fine art gallery called Pinturas that featured her canvas paintings with hand-cut glass, says she felt like she lost family.

“Artegon was the ideal place for artists in Orlando because there was nothing like it,” she says. “There’s festivals and events, but no organization, no institution, had given a space like that for artists to develop their talent and sell their products in a fixed place. And to me, this was more than just a business. It was a way of life. We all were dedicated to what we did, and we were always sharing with one another. It was a space for creation.”

Photo by Chris Tobar Rodriguez

The Artegon sign is no longer lit up

Months earlier, Artegon staff had calmed down vendors who were worried because the mall was up for sale, assuring them that if someone bought the property they would let them know, says Sutter’s friend Carmen Lopez. The owner of Bleu Beach Fashion, Lopez created bags, jewelry and clothes out of recycled materials, such as old maps, at Artegon.

“They told us we could keep working and that they were getting new vendors and signing new contracts,” she says in Spanish. “Logically, you’d think, ‘If they’re leaving, they wouldn’t be bringing in new people.’ So we stayed calm – until that meeting where they told us we had to leave. I asked, ‘Who did you sell it to?’ They said, ‘It’s not sold. We’re just closing it.’”

Weeks after the “anti-ordinary anti-mall” was shut down, the fallout continues, with larger vendors filing several lawsuits against Artegon for terminating leases without warning and allegedly causing them millions of dollars in damages. Meanwhile, smaller vendors and artists, still grappling with the loss of their second homes and livelihoods, wonder how one of Orlando’s most innovative ideas came crashing down.

Artegon was built on the decaying remains of the Festival Bay Mall, a floundering shopping center that never managed to catch a crowd, which was a pretty rare feat given its prime location in the tourist district.

Perpetually empty, the mall that opened in the early 2000s couldn’t fill its empty retail spaces, and at times, had entire corridors closed. Festival Bay, like many “Class C” malls around the country, was in danger of dying and needed to reinvent itself, says Steven Kirn, the executive director of Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research at the University of Florida.

Unlike a “Class A” mall, like the Mall at Millenia, or even a “Class B” mall, like the Florida Mall, Kirn says Class C malls are usually on the brink of extinction and try to stay relevant by adding movie theaters, health clubs, community centers or even DMV bureaus. Sometimes they’ll add more restaurants, or try to create a food hall or artisan market.

Festival Bay took the artisanal route by reinventing itself as Artegon after it was acquired by Paragon Outlets, a subsidiary of Lightstone. When it opened in 2014, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer predicted the 1.1 million-square-foot shopping center would be an “icon” in the city and an overnight go-to destination for the millions that visit every year.

Photo by Chris Tobar Rodriguez

Shuttered spaces inside Artegon

Alberto Quintero arrived there a few months after the mall’s opening to start a gallery called Fusion Art Group in one of the smaller central spaces, which were a maze of chainlink-fenced stalls. The more than 100 vendors varied in their crafts (from professional glassblowing to collectible comics), but they all were excited and eager to get to work, Quintero says. But then the revolving door started: Smaller pop-up shops would leave Artegon as more filtered in. Rent was affordable, but single owners struggled to sell to the small crowds and abide by Artegon’s strict hours, which obligated them to be at the mall seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on most days.

“I loved the space, the concept, the people that were around me, but the management was a bit brisk,” he says in Spanish. “They never really listened to us or took our ideas into account. Bad marketing and a lack of human quality made that project fail. But I was happy, in spite of everything. People enjoyed my gallery, and I invested a lot in it.”

In 2015, the Orlando Sentinel reported control of Artegon had shifted to the parent company Lightstone and its employees, including chief creative officer David Miskin. Miskin helped reinvent the stores by adding more colorful art pieces throughout and replacing the vendors’ wire cages with actual storefronts. Artegon also announced plans for a food hall that would bring in unique restaurants.

When Doug Snider arrived there 11 months ago to open a pop-up shop dedicated to wood sculptures, his rent equaled about $700 every month; he was simply charged a percentage of his sales.

Snider says it was a good deal until he decided to join with other artists and expand into a co-op called Wild Life Gallery. In addition to raising his rent with a base fee, Artegon made him pay thousands to have the visual team decorate his store and into a security deposit from which the mall could deduct $100 for each hour his store failed to operate. Snider adds that the mall included terms in his contract that allowed them to terminate his lease at any time. (It may sound draconian, but UF’s Steve Kirn says leases for smaller shops in most malls usually include a base rate and a percentage of sales, along with charges for amenities and open-hours requirements.)

“The marketplace was like a revolving door for vendors,” Snider says. “The nine months that I was there I saw at least 25 stores open and close because the first three months the rent would be only 20 percent of all sales, which is the bait. Then, they would make the owners pay a large deposit, visual team fees, sign fees and make a good investment thinking they would not leave when the three-month lease was up and the much higher rent kicked in.”

Photo by Chris Tobar Rodriguez

Multiple Artegon shop owners told Orlando Weekly that several times, Artegon told them a new restaurant or business was coming that never materialized. Different owners also complained that they never understood the marketing of Artegon as an “anti-mall” and believed it confused people. OW reached out to Artegon management and the Lightstone Group for comment but did not hear back from either by press time.

Still, Snider says he liked his work, and last December he signed a six-month contract with Artegon that lowered his rent slightly.

“But I thought I smelled a rat when they negotiated to lower it,” he says. “My lease started on Jan. 1 and they gave us notice of termination on Jan. 12. This has cost me approximately $50,000 to $60,000 in lost revenue and additional equipment and decoration I purchased after I renewed my lease. It’s inhumane.”

Artegon was more successful for some than others, like Jeffrey and Kristin Howard, owners of Kick Bright Shop & Buttons.

“It just doesn’t make any sense that it shut down because everything was better,” Jeffrey Howard says. “Traffic was better, money was coming into my business, my neighbor’s business. We stuck through the times when Artegon wasn’t doing so great and just when it was hitting its stride, they just stopped.”

Some well-known stores, like Gods & Monsters, have found new locations after the mall closed, but smaller shops like Kick Bright are still looking for a home a month after the shut down.

“I’m still booking orders out of the house and pop-up markets, but we can’t open a physical brick-and-mortar,” Kristin Howard says. “We couldn’t afford that type of rent.”

It may never be clear why Artegon failed, but what we do know is that it’s part of the decades-long trend of the declining mall.

“Places where you built a mall before have entirely different communities and markets than what was there 50 years ago,” Kirn says. “Populations change, income levels change. … Virtually no enclosed malls have been built in the last five years. That style of shopping is going away.”

Heidi and Tony Wentzell opened their first business knowing they would be evicted in two weeks.

Photo by Chris Tobar Rodriguez

The Wentzells opened the Hoppy Cellar, a craft beer and wine bar, the night of Jan. 12, just hours after other vendors heard the news that Artegon was closing. They were supposed to open at the mall the following week, but after hearing from a friend that Artegon was shutting down, the couple rushed to open so they could sell the inventory they had invested in. On Jan. 26, the Hoppy Cellar closed, along with the rest of the mall, except for retail anchors like Bass Pro Shops, Ron Jon Surf Shop, the Cinemark theater, Putting Edge mini-golf course, Boot Barn, Fuddruckers and Sky Zone.

“It was a terrible experience,” Tony Wentzell writes in an email. “We were completely misled in bad faith.”

The Wentzells say they quit their corporate jobs last year to fulfill their dream of opening the Hoppy Cellar and signed a contract with Artegon in October 2016. They were excited about the new venture and thought things were going well. Three days before Artegon announced it was closing, the couple was still receiving emails from their leasing agent about an invoice for the store signs.

“Higher-ups within the mall and Lightstone knew that it was going to close and they could have put a stop to us spending more of our money,” Wentzell says. “All they cared about was collecting as much money from us as they could before they closed.”

The couple emailed the senior general manager of the mall to ask for the return of their security deposit and other investments into the bar. The Wentzells say they have not received a response or money from anyone at Artegon or Lightstone. (NOTE: After publication, a member of the PR firm retained by Lightstone replied to our queries with the following response: “Their security deposit refund was in queue for 30 days from the termination date, per their license agreement. Artegon has asked accounting to accelerate this specific tenant so they will have their refund sooner. It is not Artegon’s intention to withhold any security deposits, or for that matter any money which they are not entitled to under the license agreements.”) The Wentzells couldn’t provide a copy of their contract due to their traveling schedule, but another Artegon contract OW obtained says Artegon was a shopping center that was “undergoing redevelopment,” and that if the owners decided not to continue the mall’s redevelopment, Artegon could terminate anyone’s lease or license via a written notice. The contract says the licensee would have no right to recover any costs or damages from Artegon. Multiple vendors from Artegon say each of their contracts were slightly different, though all of them mentioned a similar policy. Some of Artegon’s contracts also differentiate between “licenses” and “leases.”

“I also personally called the asset manager of Lightstone Group and left him a voicemail and wrote him an email requesting they write us a check for the money we lost since they had screwed us over so bad,” Wentzell says. “Of course we never heard from him. I’ve spoken with attorneys and they all say it’s not worth the legal costs to recover the money we put into the business.”

While the Wentzells have decided not to sue as they relocate their business, other vendors are getting ready for a fight. So far, Sky Zone Trampoline Park, Sky Trail, NYZ at Orlando (a zombie survival attraction that was scheduled to open) and Seed of Joy LLC have filed lawsuits against Artegon’s owner, FB Orlando Acquisition Company LLC, a subsidiary of Lightstone Group. Winter Park lawyer Tucker Byrd represents the first three plaintiffs and says he has more clients that plan to file.

“No explanation was given to them,” Byrd says. “They were just told to get out, and get out fast.”

In the 102-page complaint filed by Sky Zone, the trampoline park alleges it invested $2 million in capital improvements to its 25,000-square-foot unit when it received a notice on Jan. 12, without prior warning, that Artegon had terminated all leases and demanded vendors vacate the premise within two weeks – meaning the number of visitors was likely to drop precipitously.

“[Artegon] attempted to justify its actions by concocting the excuse that the center was still under ‘redevelopment,’ and thus terminable under the leases,” the lawsuit says. “Defendant had ‘redeveloped’ the center years ago, even holding a ‘grand opening,’ to celebrate the repurposing and re-theming of the center, converting it from the failed ‘Festival Bay Mall,’ into the Artegon Marketplace.

“The recent attempt to contradict themselves, all part of a thinly-veiled attempt to absolve itself of lawful obligations under leases with tenants in the center, has interfered with Sky Zone’s lease, adversely impacted its right to quiet enjoyment, and caused damages.”

Photo by Chris Tobar Rodriguez

Byrd says it’s pretty clear Artegon was “looking for any reason to try to empty the mall.”

“Sky Trail, for example, was never told their lease was being terminated and was being allowed to continue, but Artegon locked the front doors,” Byrd says. “How can you possibly tell them, ‘You can continue to use your space,’ but then not let any patrons into the mall?”

Sky Zone also alleges after it entered into its lease with Artegon, several of the larger tenants that the mall had said would move in, like the Radbourne Center skate park or Berghoff’s Oktoberfest brewery, never materialized. By the time Sky Zone opened in 2015, Artegon had sold the Cinemark theater and Bass Pro Shops. The mall “became the constant source of rumors about a potential sale to theme park developers in the Orlando tourist market,” the lawsuit says, prompting Artegon to assure its tenants in September 2016 that it would continue operating.

“The combined pressures of challenges with tenant occupation, the liquidation of outparcels, and the prospects of reaping a substantial sum from selling off the property, impelled [Artegon] to look for and pursue a strategy to terminate leases in the center, even without justification,” the lawsuit says. “Defendant’s actions have cast a pall over the center, interfering with Sky Zone’s right to quiet enjoyment of the premises, by discouraging customers from continuing to use or book for future use the Sky Zone facilities for events, including charity events and children’s birthday parties, many of which have already been scheduled.”

Byrd says some of his clients are still getting notices from Artegon to pay for this month’s rent. Byrd says it may have been cheaper for the mall’s owner to pay off breached contracts and sell to a developer than to keep running the artisan mall.

“I guess you’d risk losing millions if you can still make multiple of millions,” he says. “Maybe they thought we’d give up and go away. But they picked on the wrong group of tenants because we fully intend to protect their interests. Sometimes the underdog does have a chance.”

Meanwhile, smaller vendors like Sina Sutter and Carmen Lopez don’t plan to sue, but are still looking for a space to practice their craft. Lopez misses the little things about Artegon – seeing her friends every morning, getting hugs from clients. She doesn’t regret her two years there.

“A lot of bad stuff happened, but that didn’t interest us,” she says. “When you’re an artist, you see things differently. I loved showing my clients how I make my bags. People went there to find their creativity and we helped them find it.”

This article first appeared in Orlando Weekly  http://www.orlandoweekly.com/orlando/after-the-dramatic-shutdown-of-orlandos-artegon-anti-mall-the-artists-and-vendors-wonder-how-it-all-went-wrong/Content?oid=2692097&utm_source=widget&utm_medium=toc&utm_campaign=rightrail&utm_content=HomeThisWeek

The post After the dramatic shutdown of Orlando’s Artegon ‘anti-mall,’ the artists and vendors wonder how it all went wrong appeared first on Byrd & Campbell.

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[gerthacristi]

After the dramatic shutdown of Orlando’s Artegon ‘anti-mall,’ the artists and vendors wonder how it all went wrong

After the dramatic shutdown of Orlando’s Artegon ‘anti-mall,’ the artists and vendors wonder how it all went wrong

By Monivette Cordeiro

Photo by Chris Tobar Rodriguez

Dozens of artists and vendors arrived the morning of Jan. 12 for what they thought was a routine meeting between themselves and the management staff of Artegon Marketplace, Orlando’s two-year-old “anti-mall” on International Drive. In hindsight, maybe the presence of Orlando Police officers and bodyguards should have tipped them off something was out of the ordinary.

Instead, the group known for its eclectic art sat crowded in front of the Book Warehouse to listen to David Miskin, the chief marketing officer at Lightstone Group, Artegon’s New York-based parent company, which owns $2.5 billion in real estate projects. After a few pleasantries, Sina Sutter remembers the gasps in the room when Miskin told them it was over – Artegon was closing.

“When he said we had to leave, that whole group of 60 to 70 people got up and started asking, ‘What? No! How? Why?‘” she says in Spanish. “Everyone was left uncertain. These were people that had invested millions of dollars into this. What do you mean I have to move in 10 to 15 days?”

Since closing, Artegon has only released a short statement from its end, saying, “Lightstone will be taking its Artegon Marketplace property in a new direction. While it was a difficult decision to discontinue operations, we are thankful to our team in Orlando, and to our tenants, for their hard work and dedication over the past several years.” OPD spokeswoman Wanda Miglio confirmed Artegon actually hired police officers to work there for the closing, though she couldn’t immediately confirm how many.

Sutter, who opened a fine art gallery called Pinturas that featured her canvas paintings with hand-cut glass, says she felt like she lost family.

“Artegon was the ideal place for artists in Orlando because there was nothing like it,” she says. “There’s festivals and events, but no organization, no institution, had given a space like that for artists to develop their talent and sell their products in a fixed place. And to me, this was more than just a business. It was a way of life. We all were dedicated to what we did, and we were always sharing with one another. It was a space for creation.”

Photo by Chris Tobar Rodriguez

The Artegon sign is no longer lit up

Months earlier, Artegon staff had calmed down vendors who were worried because the mall was up for sale, assuring them that if someone bought the property they would let them know, says Sutter’s friend Carmen Lopez. The owner of Bleu Beach Fashion, Lopez created bags, jewelry and clothes out of recycled materials, such as old maps, at Artegon.

“They told us we could keep working and that they were getting new vendors and signing new contracts,” she says in Spanish. “Logically, you’d think, ‘If they’re leaving, they wouldn’t be bringing in new people.’ So we stayed calm – until that meeting where they told us we had to leave. I asked, ‘Who did you sell it to?’ They said, ‘It’s not sold. We’re just closing it.'”

Weeks after the “anti-ordinary anti-mall” was shut down, the fallout continues, with larger vendors filing several lawsuits against Artegon for terminating leases without warning and allegedly causing them millions of dollars in damages. Meanwhile, smaller vendors and artists, still grappling with the loss of their second homes and livelihoods, wonder how one of Orlando’s most innovative ideas came crashing down.

Artegon was built on the decaying remains of the Festival Bay Mall, a floundering shopping center that never managed to catch a crowd, which was a pretty rare feat given its prime location in the tourist district.

Perpetually empty, the mall that opened in the early 2000s couldn’t fill its empty retail spaces, and at times, had entire corridors closed. Festival Bay, like many “Class C” malls around the country, was in danger of dying and needed to reinvent itself, says Steven Kirn, the executive director of Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research at the University of Florida.

Unlike a “Class A” mall, like the Mall at Millenia, or even a “Class B” mall, like the Florida Mall, Kirn says Class C malls are usually on the brink of extinction and try to stay relevant by adding movie theaters, health clubs, community centers or even DMV bureaus. Sometimes they’ll add more restaurants, or try to create a food hall or artisan market.

Festival Bay took the artisanal route by reinventing itself as Artegon after it was acquired by Paragon Outlets, a subsidiary of Lightstone. When it opened in 2014, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer predicted the 1.1 million-square-foot shopping center would be an “icon” in the city and an overnight go-to destination for the millions that visit every year.

Photo by Chris Tobar Rodriguez

Shuttered spaces inside Artegon

Alberto Quintero arrived there a few months after the mall’s opening to start a gallery called Fusion Art Group in one of the smaller central spaces, which were a maze of chainlink-fenced stalls. The more than 100 vendors varied in their crafts (from professional glassblowing to collectible comics), but they all were excited and eager to get to work, Quintero says. But then the revolving door started: Smaller pop-up shops would leave Artegon as more filtered in. Rent was affordable, but single owners struggled to sell to the small crowds and abide by Artegon’s strict hours, which obligated them to be at the mall seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on most days.

“I loved the space, the concept, the people that were around me, but the management was a bit brisk,” he says in Spanish. “They never really listened to us or took our ideas into account. Bad marketing and a lack of human quality made that project fail. But I was happy, in spite of everything. People enjoyed my gallery, and I invested a lot in it.”

In 2015, the Orlando Sentinel reported control of Artegon had shifted to the parent company Lightstone and its employees, including chief creative officer David Miskin. Miskin helped reinvent the stores by adding more colorful art pieces throughout and replacing the vendors’ wire cages with actual storefronts. Artegon also announced plans for a food hall that would bring in unique restaurants.

When Doug Snider arrived there 11 months ago to open a pop-up shop dedicated to wood sculptures, his rent equaled about $700 every month; he was simply charged a percentage of his sales.

Snider says it was a good deal until he decided to join with other artists and expand into a co-op called Wild Life Gallery. In addition to raising his rent with a base fee, Artegon made him pay thousands to have the visual team decorate his store and into a security deposit from which the mall could deduct $100 for each hour his store failed to operate. Snider adds that the mall included terms in his contract that allowed them to terminate his lease at any time. (It may sound draconian, but UF’s Steve Kirn says leases for smaller shops in most malls usually include a base rate and a percentage of sales, along with charges for amenities and open-hours requirements.)

“The marketplace was like a revolving door for vendors,” Snider says. “The nine months that I was there I saw at least 25 stores open and close because the first three months the rent would be only 20 percent of all sales, which is the bait. Then, they would make the owners pay a large deposit, visual team fees, sign fees and make a good investment thinking they would not leave when the three-month lease was up and the much higher rent kicked in.”

Photo by Chris Tobar Rodriguez

Multiple Artegon shop owners told Orlando Weekly that several times, Artegon told them a new restaurant or business was coming that never materialized. Different owners also complained that they never understood the marketing of Artegon as an “anti-mall” and believed it confused people. OW reached out to Artegon management and the Lightstone Group for comment but did not hear back from either by press time.

Still, Snider says he liked his work, and last December he signed a six-month contract with Artegon that lowered his rent slightly.

“But I thought I smelled a rat when they negotiated to lower it,” he says. “My lease started on Jan. 1 and they gave us notice of termination on Jan. 12. This has cost me approximately $50,000 to $60,000 in lost revenue and additional equipment and decoration I purchased after I renewed my lease. It’s inhumane.”

Artegon was more successful for some than others, like Jeffrey and Kristin Howard, owners of Kick Bright Shop & Buttons.

“It just doesn’t make any sense that it shut down because everything was better,” Jeffrey Howard says. “Traffic was better, money was coming into my business, my neighbor’s business. We stuck through the times when Artegon wasn’t doing so great and just when it was hitting its stride, they just stopped.”

Some well-known stores, like Gods & Monsters, have found new locations after the mall closed, but smaller shops like Kick Bright are still looking for a home a month after the shut down.

“I’m still booking orders out of the house and pop-up markets, but we can’t open a physical brick-and-mortar,” Kristin Howard says. “We couldn’t afford that type of rent.”

It may never be clear why Artegon failed, but what we do know is that it’s part of the decades-long trend of the declining mall.

“Places where you built a mall before have entirely different communities and markets than what was there 50 years ago,” Kirn says. “Populations change, income levels change. … Virtually no enclosed malls have been built in the last five years. That style of shopping is going away.”

Heidi and Tony Wentzell opened their first business knowing they would be evicted in two weeks.

Photo by Chris Tobar Rodriguez

The Wentzells opened the Hoppy Cellar, a craft beer and wine bar, the night of Jan. 12, just hours after other vendors heard the news that Artegon was closing. They were supposed to open at the mall the following week, but after hearing from a friend that Artegon was shutting down, the couple rushed to open so they could sell the inventory they had invested in. On Jan. 26, the Hoppy Cellar closed, along with the rest of the mall, except for retail anchors like Bass Pro Shops, Ron Jon Surf Shop, the Cinemark theater, Putting Edge mini-golf course, Boot Barn, Fuddruckers and Sky Zone.

“It was a terrible experience,” Tony Wentzell writes in an email. “We were completely misled in bad faith.”

The Wentzells say they quit their corporate jobs last year to fulfill their dream of opening the Hoppy Cellar and signed a contract with Artegon in October 2016. They were excited about the new venture and thought things were going well. Three days before Artegon announced it was closing, the couple was still receiving emails from their leasing agent about an invoice for the store signs.

“Higher-ups within the mall and Lightstone knew that it was going to close and they could have put a stop to us spending more of our money,” Wentzell says. “All they cared about was collecting as much money from us as they could before they closed.”

The couple emailed the senior general manager of the mall to ask for the return of their security deposit and other investments into the bar. The Wentzells say they have not received a response or money from anyone at Artegon or Lightstone. (NOTE: After publication, a member of the PR firm retained by Lightstone replied to our queries with the following response: “Their security deposit refund was in queue for 30 days from the termination date, per their license agreement. Artegon has asked accounting to accelerate this specific tenant so they will have their refund sooner. It is not Artegon’s intention to withhold any security deposits, or for that matter any money which they are not entitled to under the license agreements.”) The Wentzells couldn’t provide a copy of their contract due to their traveling schedule, but another Artegon contract OW obtained says Artegon was a shopping center that was “undergoing redevelopment,” and that if the owners decided not to continue the mall’s redevelopment, Artegon could terminate anyone’s lease or license via a written notice. The contract says the licensee would have no right to recover any costs or damages from Artegon. Multiple vendors from Artegon say each of their contracts were slightly different, though all of them mentioned a similar policy. Some of Artegon’s contracts also differentiate between “licenses” and “leases.”

“I also personally called the asset manager of Lightstone Group and left him a voicemail and wrote him an email requesting they write us a check for the money we lost since they had screwed us over so bad,” Wentzell says. “Of course we never heard from him. I’ve spoken with attorneys and they all say it’s not worth the legal costs to recover the money we put into the business.”

While the Wentzells have decided not to sue as they relocate their business, other vendors are getting ready for a fight. So far, Sky Zone Trampoline Park, Sky Trail, NYZ at Orlando (a zombie survival attraction that was scheduled to open) and Seed of Joy LLC have filed lawsuits against Artegon’s owner, FB Orlando Acquisition Company LLC, a subsidiary of Lightstone Group. Winter Park lawyer Tucker Byrd represents the first three plaintiffs and says he has more clients that plan to file.

“No explanation was given to them,” Byrd says. “They were just told to get out, and get out fast.”

In the 102-page complaint filed by Sky Zone, the trampoline park alleges it invested $2 million in capital improvements to its 25,000-square-foot unit when it received a notice on Jan. 12, without prior warning, that Artegon had terminated all leases and demanded vendors vacate the premise within two weeks – meaning the number of visitors was likely to drop precipitously.

“[Artegon] attempted to justify its actions by concocting the excuse that the center was still under ‘redevelopment,’ and thus terminable under the leases,” the lawsuit says. “Defendant had ‘redeveloped’ the center years ago, even holding a ‘grand opening,’ to celebrate the repurposing and re-theming of the center, converting it from the failed ‘Festival Bay Mall,’ into the Artegon Marketplace.

“The recent attempt to contradict themselves, all part of a thinly-veiled attempt to absolve itself of lawful obligations under leases with tenants in the center, has interfered with Sky Zone’s lease, adversely impacted its right to quiet enjoyment, and caused damages.”

Photo by Chris Tobar Rodriguez

Byrd says it’s pretty clear Artegon was “looking for any reason to try to empty the mall.”

“Sky Trail, for example, was never told their lease was being terminated and was being allowed to continue, but Artegon locked the front doors,” Byrd says. “How can you possibly tell them, ‘You can continue to use your space,’ but then not let any patrons into the mall?”

Sky Zone also alleges after it entered into its lease with Artegon, several of the larger tenants that the mall had said would move in, like the Radbourne Center skate park or Berghoff’s Oktoberfest brewery, never materialized. By the time Sky Zone opened in 2015, Artegon had sold the Cinemark theater and Bass Pro Shops. The mall “became the constant source of rumors about a potential sale to theme park developers in the Orlando tourist market,” the lawsuit says, prompting Artegon to assure its tenants in September 2016 that it would continue operating.

“The combined pressures of challenges with tenant occupation, the liquidation of outparcels, and the prospects of reaping a substantial sum from selling off the property, impelled [Artegon] to look for and pursue a strategy to terminate leases in the center, even without justification,” the lawsuit says. “Defendant’s actions have cast a pall over the center, interfering with Sky Zone’s right to quiet enjoyment of the premises, by discouraging customers from continuing to use or book for future use the Sky Zone facilities for events, including charity events and children’s birthday parties, many of which have already been scheduled.”

Byrd says some of his clients are still getting notices from Artegon to pay for this month’s rent. Byrd says it may have been cheaper for the mall’s owner to pay off breached contracts and sell to a developer than to keep running the artisan mall.

“I guess you’d risk losing millions if you can still make multiple of millions,” he says. “Maybe they thought we’d give up and go away. But they picked on the wrong group of tenants because we fully intend to protect their interests. Sometimes the underdog does have a chance.”

Meanwhile, smaller vendors like Sina Sutter and Carmen Lopez don’t plan to sue, but are still looking for a space to practice their craft. Lopez misses the little things about Artegon – seeing her friends every morning, getting hugs from clients. She doesn’t regret her two years there.

“A lot of bad stuff happened, but that didn’t interest us,” she says. “When you’re an artist, you see things differently. I loved showing my clients how I make my bags. People went there to find their creativity and we helped them find it.”

This article first appeared in Orlando Weekly  http://www.orlandoweekly.com/orlando/after-the-dramatic-shutdown-of-orlandos-artegon-anti-mall-the-artists-and-vendors-wonder-how-it-all-went-wrong/Content?oid=2692097&utm_source=widget&utm_medium=toc&utm_campaign=rightrail&utm_content=HomeThisWeek

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