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lexthemondo · 5 years ago

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Dirty Dancing {1}

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Park Jimin; Radio-host!Yoongi; Fem!Yoongi; Translator!Jimin; Alternate-universe!AU; Non-Idol!AU.

Warnings: Language, mentions of smut, violence, transgender character, mentions of suicide, eating disorder, talks of mental health, mentions of self-harm, talks of racial discrimination; POLITICS

Other Notes: V-Hope, NamJin, Sana of Twice is in this story, SanKook, Lisa of Blackpink is in this as well, Liskook, Trans!Hoseok

Summary: Local radio talk show host, Min Yoongi, has been running from his past for years, but when his closest friend Jung Hoseok introduces him to a handsome translator from Korea, Yoongi thinks he might have found something- or someone- to run to.

Song of the chapter: You’re So Cool, Jonathan Bree

Word count: 3,507

“Now I’ve had the time of my life…”

Yoongi sang along happily, letting his eyes close slowly as the lyrics flew out of his mouth. His body slowly started grooving along to the music, and without a second thought, he got off the couch and started dancing along with Johnny and Baby. Yoongi twirled around the living room without a partner, and barely missed trampling his precious Holly by mere inches.

“You’re the one thing, I can’t get enough of…”

Yoongi continued to sing as his not-so-perfect dance moves made him feel invincible. He was on cloud nine, and it wasn’t until something cold and wet splashed on his feet that Yoongi snapped out of his daze. He groaned loudly, Holly’s water bowl was upside down and the freshwater was now soaking his carpet. Yoongi ran a hand through his hair and looked at the tv to see that his favorite part of the movie was coming up. Baby ran as fast as she could towards Johnny, and his strong arms lifted her up into the sky. Yoongi sighed and looked at the floor. Holly was licking his foot.

“Holly,” He said sadly, “You’re lucky you’re a dog. You don’t have to find someone who can beat 1980s, Patrick Swayze.”

He got a small whine in response. “I know girl,” Yoongi bent down and picked up the toy poodle, “They don’t make them like they used to.”

Yoongi walked back to the couch, completely ignoring the mess, and plopped down. Holly curled up in his arms while he finished watching the last few minutes. Dirty Dancing was easily Yoongi’s favorite movie, he could recite it word-for-word at this point, and even being a hopeless dancer, he managed to engrave the choreography in his mind. It was at the part where Johnny is mouthing the words of the song to Baby when his phone chimed making Holly let out a squeaky bark.

“Hush, it’s not the doorbell,” Yoongi scolded, mentally reminding himself to change his notification tone.

Hobi [11:43 PM] Bonjour hyung!

Yoongi smiled fondly at the screen. Hoseok had been his closest friend since middle school. The pair were never apart, and even when Hoseok had come out to Yoongi and told him of their gender crisis, Yoongi had never turned his back to Hoseok. They had formed a bond, and when Hoseok had fallen in love with a foreign man during college, Yoongi did not feel anger when the two of them did not see one another as often. If Hoseok was happy then so was Yoongi.

Me [11:44 PM] Salut. What’s up? I thought you were with Tae.

Hobi [11:46 PM] Oh, I still am! He’s such a dreamboat, hyung! Propre sur lui, charment, tres beaux.

Me [11: 49 PM] Are you just going to talk about Tae because I’d like to know how your doctor’s appointment went. I’m sorry for not being able to come. I had to finish my script for tomorrow night’s show.

Hobi [11:55 PM]

No worries! Well, the surgery is going to cost a shit ton of money which I was expecting. That’s not really a problem. I have the money for it. The weird thing is… the doctor was kind of rude once I told him that I didn’t want breast implants

Yoongi felt his ear heating up. Most doctors reacted the same way. Hoseok’s decision to keep their flat chest was a popular topic at their support groups and therapist office. To keep it frank, it pissed Yoongi off. He knew how much it hurt his friend when someone downplayed their gender identity solely because they did not want fake breasts. Hoseok had explained to Yoongi that they had thought about it and realized that it was a decision that they were very firm on. Hoseok did not want implants, not because they were confused or having second thoughts, but because they were a professional gymnast. Hoseok was constantly surrounded by muscular women who had a chest like their own. Of course, this did not stop the weird glances at them once they let this little fact about themselves be known.

Me [11: 58 PM] Did you tell him your view on that whole situation? Maybe he was trying to see if you were serious because of how expensive a vaginoplasty is?

Hobi [11:59 PM] No…kind of seemed like he didn’t take me seriously after that.

Me [12:01 AM] Are you for real? What the hell happened?

Hobi [12:03 AM]

Yeah. He went from being supportive to trying to talk me out of the procedure. I just told him I would go somewhere else.

Hobi [12:06 AM] It wasn’t a great feeling at all

Hobi [12:15 AM] Kind of like I wasn’t woman enough to be getting a sex change. He even commented on the fact that I’m still going by my “male” name. I had to share personal shit with the guy. Then he misgendered me twice and even said it was odd that I wanted a sex change even though I don’t go by female pronouns. Like dude what the fuck?

Yoongi stared at his phone and felt the heat from his ears spread across his entire body.

Hobi [12:17 AM] Anyway, Taehyung’s friend from Korea is coming to France for a few weeks and he wanted to know if you were down for dinner with us. From what I’ve seen of him, he’s super cute 😉

Me [12:19 AM] Are you seriously trying to set me up with some dude right after telling me about some fucking asshole treating you like garbage when he’s supposed to be helping you? Really Hobi? Are you okay?

Hobi [12:21 AM] Yeah, I’m great. I’m used to this kind of shit by now. I don’t completely blame the guy for being hesitant. It is a life-altering surgery. I won’t be able to go back afterward. I didn’t appreciate the comments about my sexuality or the misgendering, but my entire transition has been a wild ride for everyone involved. Even you. I promise you that I’m okay. I would’ve called you crying by now if not and we both know it lol. Are you coming or not?

Yoongi felt himself cooling down. His heart filled with adoration for the woman Hoseok had become. It had been a very confusing and hard journey to get where they are now, but Yoongi was so proud of his friend. Hoseok had gone from ‘Henri,’ the only other French-Korean kid in Dijon, to ‘Henri’ the “flaming gay” in middle school, and finally Hoseok, the professional gymnast in their woman’s league during their freshman year at university. Yoongi would always cherish those memories. Though they had been the hardest times of his life, and even harder for Hoseok, he would not change a single thing. Those were the days that gave him the most important person in his life.

Me [12:26 AM] Yeah, I’ll be there. Is it just me, you, Tae, and his allegedly cute friend?

Hobi [12:27 AM] Those are the definite ones, yes. Kook said him and Sana might drop by before they go back to Japan

Me [12:29 AM] Great.

Hobi [12:31 AM] I’m not happy about it either. I don’t like her any more than you do, but Jungkook is Taehyung’s best friend and I’ll put up with her so they can see one another.

Me: [12:32 AM] I miss Lisa. Kook seemed happier, and he is miserable in Japan. Jungkook misses France. Jungkook misses Lisa. I wouldn’t be surprised if he snuck out to see her.

Hobi [12:34 AM] Everyone misses Lisa, hyung. If Kook’s willing to deal with Sana, then let’s let him be happy. We can’t bring up his ex every chance we get just because we don’t like Sana. But that doesn’t mean I’m not team Lisa all the way.

Hobi [12:37 AM] Oh, he hasn’t...yet. We did make reservations at the most wonderful Korean restaurant in town though. Who knows, maybe a certain Kim Namjoon’s little cousin will be waiting tables... and our table just might be in her section as told to me by the uncle’s husband himself. Apparently, Lisa got a phone call last night and ran out during closing. I think she was running after her white rabbit.

Me [12:38 AM] Team Lisa > Team Sana

Me [12:47 AM] I do love Jin’s lamb skewers. I don’t know Hobi. That seems like we’re stepping over certain boundaries. Jungkook is a grown man. He’s not our little bunny boy anymore. You know that. Whatever is going on between him and Lisa is between them. Sana is his girlfriend. I don’t like her, I don’t think I ever will, and you just said you were going to play nice. All this is going to do is stress out Kook, piss off Sana, and really hurt Lisa. So, please don’t make her wait our table and give Sana another reason to keep Jungkook as far away from Dijon as possible.

Hobi [12:40 AM] I hate it when you’re reasonable. Look, I understand that and all, but Sana is hardly a girlfriend. Kook doesn’t even smile when she’s around. I don’t want them together. I want him to dump her and get his head back on and get with the most perfect girl. I’m going to make this happen Yoongi, one way or another I always get my way. Anyway, I’m tired. What are you talking about tomorrow? Make sure to message me when you’re about to start. You’re my only source of entertainment when Tae’s at work. Get some sleep, you need it. No more all-nighters. Thanks for being wonderful and supportive. Don’t worry about me so much! I love you~~~~~~ niiiiiight!

Me [12:41 AM] I know you’re trying to help him, but please just let Jungkook figure these things out on his own. I’ll talk to him if that’ll make you feel better... just don’t put Lisa through that. You know how she feels about him and seeing him there with a supermodel on his arm is going to destroy her. Do you really think Jungkook deserves Lisa after all he did? Do I miss them? Yes, but I understand that everything changes. Let her move on and let Jungkook become an adult on his own. We’re talking political parties and shit. Namjoon’s idea. It’s about as exciting as watching paint dry. You’re going to pass out within the first two minutes. Sadly, I don’t have a funny or entertaining story to tell, and Joon really wants any excuse to rag on the communist party. I don’t blame the guy, but I hate talking about the same shit repeatedly. I’ll text you. I’m out of my pills and melatonin doesn’t work. Not a problem. I’ll always worry about you. You too. Night.

Yoongi tossed his phone on the coffee table in front of him. Not even flinching when the impact made a loud clang. Holly jumped, suddenly startled, and hid her face in the crook of Yoongi’s neck. He laughed, although he didn’t make a sound, and began to soothe his puppy.

“It’s alright Holly,” He said, lightly stroking her curly hair, “It’s nothing. I’ll protect you from the vicious sound demons. I promise.”

Then, without a second of hesitation, Holly turned her head and gave Yoongi a big lick on the mouth.

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“Good show tonight,” Yoongi said, flipping his hair behind his shoulders in search for a rubber band. “I can’t say the same for my hair, though. I have to go to dinner with Hoseok and Tae tonight, they’re trying to hook me up with some rando.”

“Tragic,” Najoonn replied, raising an eyebrow and picking up his duffel bag from off the floor.

“Cool it with the whole ‘being an asshole’ thing you got going on,” Yoongi looked at Namjoon and then the coffee cup in his hand, and then back again, “What’s the matter? You’re not usually this pissy.”

“Fucking Jin. He keeps on saying that Jungkook and Lisa are getting back together. It’s pissing me off. The guy is in Japan with some model now. Lisa was just starting to get back to normal and now I hear this prick is coming for a visit. I don’t get it. If he doesn’t want to be with Lisa, then why won’t he leave her alone?”

Yoongi pursed his lips and looked at the ground. He was not sure how to respond. He loved Namjoon dearly, and Lisa as well, but picking sides was not his style. He knew that Jungkook had hurt Lisa, which in turn, turned half of their old group against him, but Yoongi was aware of Lisa’s faults as well. He was a bad listener, but she was a control freak. When Lisa would make a mistake, Jungkook would be uncontrollably angry, but when the roles were reversed, she was spiteful. They were not picture-perfect, but for every bad thing that had ever happened at least a hundred, good things did. They were happy until the very end. Until Jungkook abruptly ended things and moved to Japan. Until he was on the cover of magazines. Until he was with Sana.

“Joon, look,” Yoongi began, finally finding his hair tie and wrapping his hair up haphazardly. “Lisa and Kook are grown, and for your information, it wasn’t just your husband making all this planning. Who do you think put the bug in his ear?”

Namjoon rolled his eyes and wiped his hand down his face, “Hoseok.”

“Bingo. Don’t worry, we’ve been talking about this for the past three days. I convinced them to let me handle the situation and just talk to Jungkook. I just want to see where his mind’s at. They’re just trying to help.”

“Help?” Namjoon stood up hastily, fumbling a bit, his cigarettes falling out of his lap. “Do they think any of this is going to be good for my baby cousin? No, of course not. All they care about is Jungkook and how he feels. He left Lisa. He hurt her. Why are they so worried about him when he’s a rich model with a rich model girlfriend?”

“Because he’s miserable, Joon.” Yoongi replied.

Namjoon’s expression fell. Yoongi could almost hear the “you may speak now” when he looked into his friend’s eyes. Namjoon was getting defensive, and when he gets defensive there is nothing you can do but let him get it out and move on. If you do not leave it alone, then he becomes excited and angry, a real hot-head, and when it is all over, he will not speak to you for at least two weeks. Luckily for Yoongi, however, he and Namjoon work together every day. He could not escape him even if he wanted to.

“I know Lisa is your cousin, I get it. You need to remember that you used to be the one that would talk to Jungkook when he was down. You were his favorite. He looked up to you like a God. You were the big brother he never had and the father he always wanted. He is miserable. Miserable enough to call Lisa the first night he gets to Dijon to meet with him. Miserable enough to come back home knowing that his best friend hates him. Miserable enough to sit at a table with half of the people he cares about not there because of him. Jungkook is not happy, and Sana is nothing more than a distraction. You know that as much as I do.

“I agree with you, Joon. Lisa deserves so much better and I have tried time and time again to reach out to her, but she won’t answer my calls. You and Jin are the only two people who she speaks to, she avoids us like the plague and didn’t even have the decency to tell Hoseok she wanted to switch gyms until the last minute when she knew they needed her for competition. But the second Jungkook is in town she drops everything she’s going to see him. She is a grown woman. I’m mad at them both. Stop making the boy feel guilty for breaking up with someone.”

“Lisa is not ‘just someone’ Min Yoongi,” Namjoon picked up his cigarettes, slung his duffel bag over his shoulder, and walked away, roughly shoulder swiping Yoongi on his way out. “Have a nice time at dinner. Hope your new boy toy doesn’t end up like the last.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Yoongi replied, but the door was already slamming shut.

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Yoongi checked his appearance in the car mirror once again. His hair had been tied up to hide how awful it looked after wearing a beanie for the entire show, and he was still skeptical of his makeup. He never did the best job when he was angry. After touching up his eyebrows and mascara that he had put on that morning before going to work, he lightly concealed his under eyes and the small acne scars that dotted his cheekbones, powdered, and applied a generous amount of lip gloss to his lips. He was nervous that the small light in his car was deceiving him into thinking he looked better than he did, but it was too late to fix anything. He was already running late.

He stumbled out of his truck, ankles almost giving out and he could not figure out if it was a bad hop or the heels, he picked out specifically so he would not bust his ass.

“Of course, I fall,” He said to himself, “I should know that always happens when I try to look cool.”

He knew Hoseok was there the second he walked in. He did not have to see them to know they were there. That laugh was distinct and the Korean flying out of their mouth only solidified that fact. He followed the sounds to a little booth in the back of the restaurant, a small divider giving the party some privacy. Yoongi gave it to Jin, at least they would not bother the entire restaurant…hopefully.

“Hyung!” Taehyung exclaimed, his smile widening in a cute box shape, and it reminded Yoongi just how boyish he was. “You’re here!”

“I said I was coming, didn’t I?” Yoongi replied, finding a seat at the floor table.

“Well, you were late so I wasn’t sure you would show up.” Hoseok added, giving Yoongi a dirty look.

“Don’t look at me like that. I can’t control traffic or Namjoon’s bitch fits at the end of the day. I’m sorry I fucked with you OCD, though.”

“Geez,” Hoseok rolled their eyes, “What was his problem this time?”

“The whole Jungkook situation. He got pissed off that I was coming to dinner with you guys even though Kook would be here. Things escalated from there. He brought him up, too.”

“He did what?” Hoseok’s eyes widened, and slammed their drink on the table, “Are you serious? That bastard.”

“Eh, this is Joon we’re talking about. The most melodramatic person on the planet. It’s no biggie. Anyway,” Yoongi looked around, “where’s this ‘attractive’ friend of yours, Tae?”

“Oh, he went out for a smoke. He should be back in a minute.”

“You’re hooking me up with a smoker? Really? That’s gross.”

“Smoking is the dirtiest thing that boy does,” Hoseok defended, “Just give him a chance. Jimin’s your type. Small, fair, funny, sweet, and his butt is nice. He used to be a dancer before becoming a translator for advertising companies in Seoul and let me tell you… you’re going to change that tone when you see him.”

“See who?” Someone suddenly piped, making Yoongi flinch and turn his head.

He turned around and there he was. The small, fair, funny, sweet, dancing angel. His lips were full and plush, his nose small and slightly flat, but still buttoned enough to frame his face, his eyes shined a warm, chocolate brown, and his hair was a charcoal black. His skin almost glowed and not a single imperfection was insight. Yoongi suddenly felt very insecure. He was hyperaware of the coffee stains on his pants and the fact that he was wearing a five-year-old thrift store shirt with small holes in certain spots, while Jimin was dressed to the nines in the most casual way possible, black jeans, a black button-up, and some worn black dress shoes.

“Oh!” He exclaimed, and Yoongi melted at the sound of his voice, “Pardon me. I’m Jimin Park. You must be Yoongi. Hoseok has told me so much about you.”

Yoongi almost laughed out loud at the awful accent Jimin had when he spoke French, but simply smiled and shook his hand.

“I speak Korean. Don’t worry, it takes a lot more than going out for a smoke break to get me worked up.”

He was shocked, the words falling from his lips completely backtracking from what he has just told Hoseok.Yoongi could only imagine the shit-eating grin on their face right now. I told you so. Yes, yes you did, he thought.

Jimin sighed and returned the smile, “You know, those two kept trying to tell me that you were cute, but they didn’t do the best job at explaining just how cute you actually, are.”

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ask-steven-stevenson · 4 months ago

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steven wow i'm gone for, like... 2 days?

and

ALLLLLL of this happens..

i am terribly sorry about what you've endured.

if you feel like it, though, may i have a short summary of everything that's happened in the last... 2 or so days?

//aka there is way too much shit to read but i must know everything that happened because i am invested.

-[ @tre-the-trans-phone-dude ]

“..They wreaked my restaurant. Got me in trouble with my boss to the point he literally fucking exploded. They kept taking some British guys pet rabbit? Those.. are the main things. As for positive things? I have a new employee and a pet cat.”

#ask steven #anon ask #ask blog #dsaf ask blog #tre the trans phone dude #he also broke doen crying three times in the bathroom

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talldarknsexy · 7 years ago

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Ecuador: Getting dirty

I'd chosen to do a Trans-Ecuadorean bike-packing route because I'd been itching for dirt since Mexico and Ecuador seemed like an opportune country. Near the border, I ran into a Japanese cyclist named Tatsurou. He had already cycled around Australia and down from Alaska. He claimed to already have done 70,000 kilometers which is almost 2x around the circumference of the globe. His trip also had another 5 or 6 years to go. A whole French cycle touring family of 6 joined us at the border as well. It was a party. I rode with Tatsurou for a bit even though his English was far worse than my Spanish. I asked why he was carrying a meter-long solid wooden rod. And I'm happy I did. "ISS FOR DOG!" He exclaimed as he excitedly whipped it out of the sheath and whirled it around in a fluently practiced martial arts maneuver. I split up with Tatsurou about an hour after the border to hit the dirt. The route took me through some extraordinary landscapes high in the Ecuadorean mountains. There was tundra, there was forest, there was cattle grazing on grassy hillsides reminiscent of the alps, albeit with llamas too. Most of the time, it was like looking out of an airplane window down at clouds and little villages. Time seemed to slow down. In the morning fog, shepherds and herders, sometimes maybe four feet tall, would be seen meandering around after their sheep or llamas. Smoke would billow out of wood and straw huts. I stopped asking myself where I was and began to wonder when I was. One of the first destinations was at Laguna Carichoca. I left my bike to climb Volcan Fuya Fuya. It was a serene hike with an amazing view. Though, on the way down, I ran into about two hundred Ecuadorean school children. There was a site with cabanas on the other side of the Laguna where I camped at. I made a fire that night at one of the fire pits and was joined by a very excited younger Ecuadorean dude. We had a very confusing Dude Where's my Car tattoo moment because his name was Josh too. He told me that he'd only ever met one other Josh in his life before. The next day at the Laguna, I met two other folks. When asked where I'm from I'll sometimes respond in jest that I'm from the states "pero nadie es perfecto," no one is perfect. This is usually met with laughter, especially in Mexico. I asked if they lived here, unsure of their nationality as there was some tourism there. "Samos Ecuadoreanos. Entonces, samos perfectos," they responded. "We're Ecuadorean, so we ARE perfect." She smiled. In Quito, I hiked a volcano, went back to the Laguna (because it was so great), and went to a light show/festival that illuminated all the cathedrals in the city center. Before completely leaving the city, I rode out to a suburb where there was a Casa de Ciclista. This one was my favorite yet. It was a huge property with close to a dozen people staying there and some had been there for months. Santiago, the man in charge, had hosted about 1500 cyclists, and was extremely welcoming, although, like many, couldn't refrain from calling me George. I always gather a lot of energy from these places. Everyone's coming from very different places, different experiences, and different trips. But, in common, we're all a little fucked in the head. Everyone of us. I rode out with a Russian couple as they two were doing the same route. I haven't met many Russians traveling, much less cycle-touring. So, they were quite interesting. I could never tell if they were yelling at each other or whispering sweet nothings. It all sounded the same to me. Andrey's phone was usually playing anything from death metal to Russian opera. And I got to hear such phrases as "never I have seen a llama before!" Or "steep cobblestone make legs strong!" I offered them some Doritos one day. They didn't know what they were. The first night we aimed to camp at a river we saw on our maps. Come to find out the river was dry and the name of the river on the map was in fact, "quebrada seca," or dry river. The irony was not lost on them. The next day we arrived to Volcan Cotopaxi. We were greeted by a storm and freezing temps that night, but, by the morning, it had all cleared. Outside of our tents, a perfectly conical Cotopaxi glistened with a fresh coat of snow. After Cotopaxi, we camped at the Laguna/volcano of Quilotoa. It was a incredible spot and I opted to spend another day there. It meant I split up with the Russians, but got to catch up with my friend Katja whom I'd met a few days earlier. I also bumped into a fella named Iohan, another cyclist who I'd been following for at least a year with millions of views on YouTube. He had been a significant motivation for the trip and had a great presence in person as well. After Quilotoa was Chimborazo, the third of Los Tres Volcans and the tallest in Ecuador. The top was cloudy, but it was still an impressive sight. Interestingly, Chimborazo sits on the ecuatorian bulge which means that it's peak is actually further than any other to the earth's center. This was undoubtedly the lightest I'd ever feel whilst riding a bike. But, with the lack of air at almost 13k ft and lugging about 70lbs of bicycle and shit, I can't say I felt much difference. That evening it started to rain so I sought shelter in the middle or nowhere. I checked out a cave that turned out to be less than promising, but ended up finding a choza which is typically a straw hut that is shared for migrant farmers and herders. The only stipulation is that you're expected to leave it at least as clean as you found it. I had a fire and woke up to a dry tent and bicycle. In Guamote, both hostels recommended to me wanted $20 for a dorm bed. So, I went to say with the firemen. I was soon joined by a cycling couple, Atilla and Magda, Brazilian and Polish, respectively. They'd started in Columbia the same time I'd started my initial trip but had each experienced their share of back injuries, crashes, and stomach illnesses, setting them back a few months. Still, they showed me their pilot video for their film project and it was one of the more impressive cycling videos I've seen. Syndicate aptly named: Slowely but Surely. I was recommended to go to the town/site of Ingapirca by a fish salesman I met and opted to make that my destination for the day. It was an ancient Incan site and for $2 included a guided tour, in Spanish of course. I met some nice folks there and was invited to a high school graduation party that weekend that I regretfully was unable to attend. Later I was invited to have coffee with the family of the man that incidentally was the guide of my tour. He told me about life there as well as seven years working (undocumented) in the states. He recounted the sneaking across borders and the smuggling in boats and even inside tanker trucks to get there. The next day, I reached Cuenca. Nothing incredibly interesting to note, but a very historic and pleasant city to explore. I took a bus to Guayaquil and then onto Puerto Lopez. For reasons I won't get into I was repeatedly reminded of why bus isn't my preferred means of travel. From Puerto Lopez I took a tour of Isla de la Plata, aka "The Poor Man's Galapagos tour." Maybe I missed out on something, but shit... it was about 1/50th of the cost. Still got to see plenty of whales, blue footed boobies, and colorful birds. We also got to snorkel with sea turtles and exotic fish. Atila and Magda made it Cuenca around when I was leaving. That said, I began seeing many other cyclists on the road that day. I thought it was a bit unusual, it was well outside the city, but I was seeing people from all walks of life pushing, pedaling, and hitchiking along the highway to Loja. The next day there were even more hoards of cyclists and come to find out there is a festival in Loja that Friday and it has been an unwritten tradition for many years to ride the three days from Cuenca to get there. I rode for a bit with two colorful characters on their rickety old mountain bikes, André and "El Oso". I don't think his name was actually "The Bear," but André sure like calling him that on account of all his huffing and puffing behind us. They pulled off the road early that evening to rest. They claimed they wanted to save their stamina for the women at the festival. I later got sucked in with a group of 15 or so high class Ecuadoreans. They paid for one of the nicest hotel rooms I've stayed in. And the next morning, a breakfast on the road with some complimentary 9am liquor shots to get the party started. The route followed an incredible dirt road along a gorgeous river canyon with no traffic. I reached Loja around midday. I was a little underwhelmed by the festival as it turned out to be a Catholic procession going from church to church with a cross. So, I met up with Leong, a Singaporean cyclist I'd met a few days prior and with nothing else to do that afternoon, we split a bottle of rum in the park. A little underwhelmed again to find out afterwards our bottle of rum was like 15% and I was now just caffeinated on Coca Cola. I wandered around again and found the end of the procession where a band was setting up as well as a fireworks display. The display consisted of up to three story tall bamboo structures riddles with rockets, spinners, whistles, and just plain explosives. I obviously decided to stick around, but it soon became too chaotic even for me. Spinning rockets would shoot of into the crowd. There was no barrier and one even blew up not far from me. As much of a firework nut as I am, I decided to leave, ears ringing, still a little shell shocked. After Loja, Leong and I rode to the quaint and touristy destination of Vilcabamba. There is a hostel/resort there in a really nice setting in the mountains. They had a pool. It was $10 a night but since Leong took the last bed and they prohibited camping, I decided to squat there for the weekend. After Vilcabamba, Leong took a hitch with some truckers to the border. I caught up with the Russians, but as soon as I did, I went through both brake pads. It was fucking stupid of me to not have been carrying spares, but I'd used one set to get from the United States to the end of Colombia. I didn't anticipate going through another set just in Ecuador, but well, it was absurdly fucking hilly. I began walking not just up, but also down hills. I'd try braking with my shoes in emergency, but that was also fucking dangerous. I crossed border to Peru that day, but didn't really fancy walking my bike across the Andes to the nearest bike shop. So, opted for the next adventure: trying to take a bus.

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jayyyyyyyyylolllzlzzzzzzzzzz · 4 months ago

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@tre-the-trans-phone-dude

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abel-brannigan · 4 months ago

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opinions on bunny

-[ @tre-the-trans-phone-dude ]

"by bitch of an ex husband? yeah. ive got quite a few opinions on him.."

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planner4therevolution-blog · 8 years ago

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INTERVIEW WITH TRE TEMPERILLI

A couple of weeks ago I went to a party for a friend, by myself (gasp). As I stood at the bar courageously not looking at my phone, I was lucky enough to strike up a conversation with Tre Temperilli – Activist, Writer, and Organizer for the Hillary for America Campaign. It was a truly engaging chat that continued as we closed down Ye Rustic talking politics, musicals and how to get home in the fucking rain in LA. I asked Tre if he’d sit down with me for an interview and thankfully he obliged. Here is that conversation.

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P4R: Before we get rolling, cheers! (We clink our bottles of beer)

TT: Cheers! To the revolution… fuck it. Kind of.

Haha! Well I guess on the flipside of that, what is giving you hope right now?

Oh shit, that’s a big one! What gives me hope is actually, knowing that the challenge in this, is finding hope. I think back on what Michelle Obama said when she said what we’re experiencing, what we’re feeling now is hopelessness a hopelessness that many people throughout the world wake up to that perhaps many of us were immune to such as the depths of poverty or any kind of social construct that oppresses any marginalized community. So that’s been something that I’ve been thinking a lot about in my own personal story, because I’ve always been a hopeful person. So what it is to not have that hope? And I can honestly say, it’s not that I wake up with a sense of hopelessness, it’s kinda that sense of not knowing what to do, of how to participate always being clear, that inspires hope. Does that make sense? The picture is never so bleak that we can’t find the light. But finding that light, honestly is a pinhole right now and I understand that, I’m hearing this from so many friends. I know that you can’t give in to despair. I mean personally speaking I can’t give in to despair. I’ve given in totally to my anger and rage. Which has been sustaining me. But I also know I cannot survive off of that. It takes a toll; so then how do I turn that into something. And this whole entire process gives me hope because it tells me that I’m a conscious being, I’m thinking, and I can see that pinhole of light, now how do we get to it and open it up?

I joined the campaign, Hillary for America and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. I went into with that sense of urgency, that sense of hope and knowing that this darkness was coming. We knew and felt the threat on the horizon and we pleaded, begged, bargained for votes. So after that happening and the cataclysmic events on November 8th, 10:38pm CST that was the beginning, to me, of the end of a certain dream I had of our country, of America. And that hope that Obama spoke about about that leaders prior to Obama have spoken about and that I grew up with. Like the voices of Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Bobby Kennedy all these voices that instilled in me the spirit of what this fucking country could be. And I do believe Hillary Clinton had those values and again that’s why I picked up my life and went to Madison, WI for 3 months. Because I needed to see that through, I needed to see the promise of a fucking America. We were right there!

How would you describe your work with Hillary?

I was hired as a field organizer. I believe it was in August, yes. And basically what that entails is going in and working on the ground. Recruiting volunteers, getting out the vote, making LOTS of phone calls to recruit and also to remind people to early vote or to build events. It was non-stop 15 hr days 7 days a week and no time for a personal life. Like, nothing was ever not about the campaign. Except for the time I gave myself after work or early in the morning.

Had you been a campaign organizer before?

No. This was my first endeavor into the actual political landscape. I had been an activist prior to this, so I’ve done that type of activity and work.

Oh yeah, I should ask… what do you do? Like, besides organize and be a general badass?

What I do in life is I write. I track trends and I research and notate popular culture and what’s moving. Basically, I work in advertising. Hahaha! I was trying to make it sound better! Basically, it’s my job to make sure I sell the idea and do the pitch. And this obviously was the biggest pitch of my life. With the biggest deadline and that was to get Hillary Clinton elected. I went because, for me, there was no other alternative or choice. I knew I had to go.

What did a regular day of work look like? Were you set up like teams? How much anonymity, not anonymity…what word am I looking for…

Autonomy.

There you go. How much of that did you have?

First of all I could not have asked for a better place to go than Madison, WI because there are no civilians on the ground, EVERYbody is in tune with politics, EVERYbody has an opinion. Good, bad, indifferent it’s there. We had guidelines, teams, strict structure and a schedule. I had to create a structure for me because I was trying to, on top of my field organizing responsibilities, I was trying to create events that might appeal to the national campaign. So I would be up at 6:30 calling contacts in New York to say, here’s an idea, why don’t we do a huge Mother Daughter get out the vote event, trying to get that pushed up the ladder, writing proposals, I tried to get Moby to come to WI through contacts here, but I was there for 3 months and the time literally, it took me a month just to catch up with the campaign and with Madison politics. So there were teams on the ground already in place from Obama for America. So HFA and OFA came together. I refuse to fail so, I was recruiting people everywhere I would go. I would go out to dinner? I would recruit someone to volunteer.

I worked with someone within Russ Feingold’s campaign who was a Sanders supporter, he knew that I was able to discuss that platform in a reasonable manner. Not always reasonable because well my frustrations with the Sanders campaign are well documented and I don’t want to get too far of track. A lot of Sanders supporters would come into the office and we would have a one on one, that’s what we called them, and it was an honor truly to work with these people. They were some of the most dedicated volunteers that worked similar hours to our hours and never gave up, never quit and saw the responsibility in the vote. And that’s the message that I feel, that if we made a mistake, it was that we didn’t convey that message earnestly enough. But I’m pretty sure we did!

Well, 3 million more people than voted for the current president would agree. What do you say to people who blame Hillary herself (which I think is insane) or the Democratic Party for the loss? That is probably two very different things but let’s start there.

I say, fuck you. Quite honestly. I’m tired of hearing it. You missed the bigger picture we tried to tell you that this was the historical moment in which the democratic party was about to secure a third successive term. We have not experienced that in our lifetime. FDR, but I don’t think many of us were around for that. I was truly excited and inspired to see what that was going to look like. I think that a lot of people who only knew Barack Obama as their president were expecting the “hope and change” to happen instantaneously, even though he said consistently and constantly, it is a process and it takes all of us. So I’m very frustrated that people are just now coming to the table and suddenly feel that they know everything about policy and how it transpires and works. And that they’ve proceeded to buy into this ludicrous, ridiculous, supercilious message, of anti-establishment and status quo and fucking “revolution”. I have lost the taste for that word. It’s just like, I now call it #ourbrandrevolution because that’s exactly what it’s become. And it’s a danger. And it’s going to create problems in the midterms. If people are so immovable that they can’t understand that it takes consensus to move forward we are going to be fucked. Period.

To blame the loss on Hillary is to remove any responsibility one had in playing a part in getting Donald Trump elected. It’s as simple as that. People know in their fucking heart and soul that if they voted 3rd party or if they didn’t vote, that they’re complicit. Also mainstream media. Chuck Todd just went after Robby Mook today about this same thing and he’s like, dude you took down Hillary Clinton every fucking moment you were on air. Andrea Mitchell same thing. Each and everyone of one of you brought us here. Own it. Yeah that’s what makes me pop a vein. This is making my side hurt!

Did you meet with resistance when talking with people? How did you combat rejection or resistance?

Oh well first of all, I love rejection. It’s this weird thing in me. I came out here on the actor’s track so it fed right into that, “oh reject me!” I find it humorous, like ok, the rejection, for like the smallest of details. So I learned rejection really fast. And I think also being a trans queer person you just come kind of built knowing that your life is not going to accept you. Y’know, you’re automatically rejected! So you kind of create this perseverance and a humor about it because, seriously, I don’t really fucking care who accepts me or who doesn’t. I’m here, I exist, I’m proof because I’m standing before you. And that’s basically what I would say on the doors. And when I would find rejection to mainly the message and Hillary Clinton, I would ask people to reconsider either not voting and voting.

And then there were the Bernie or Busters. That rejection, I would ask them to reconsider, they allowed me to speak, some didn’t. It was the only time I was threatened on the doors, like, “don’t come back here and if you do” and had things said to me, some male posturing.

And this was opposed to the GOP or Republican voters who you met?

Our doors were targeted towards democrats. Occasionally though we’d land on a GOP or republican door and I was met with thank you but I’m voting republican. And I was like, anything I can say to change your mind? And they were like, nope. I was like, that’s cool thank you for being polite. That wasn’t always the case for my co-workers. I mean there was psychological warfare out there. But, invigorating.

How far do you think we should go in asking our politicians to say no to Trump’s appointments, and particularly the Supreme Court nomination? How much should they say, no?

I think we demand a filibuster. I need to reread what Harry Reid said about the filibuster, I have to understand a little bit more about how that would take place. But what I’m hearing is that Donald Trump is already saying… I even hate saying his name… that he has instructed Mitch McConnell to go nuclear. Which is basically, to usurp the power from the confirmation hearings and declare that 51 votes is enough. I fully expect the Democrats to filibuster this choice. I do believe that they will go in that direction. I think we had 3 or 4 democrats that voted for a cabinet nomination…

Tillerson

The oil guy, yeah Tillerson.

The fact that we have trouble keeping them straight, that we are like “which awful person” is telling.

I imagine we’ll have playing cards with their pictures on them. Remember when those were popular in the build up to the Iraq war?

Oh riiiiiight! Yeah those would be really helpful right now.

We’re past the point of like, I think it’s Rob Reiner who said that it’s so ludicrous that it’s impossible to make parody or jokes about this because, it’s happening. And, as I mentioned earlier when you came in, speaking to my neighbor who’s from Tel Aviv, whose mom is from Iraq who has genuine concern and who has experienced tumultuous times within her own country and her own life. I think the danger here is not recognizing that this is in fact, a hostile take-over.

I went back last night because I’m a masochist or a sadist… maybe a little bit of both. And watched debate number 3.

OOOOHHHHH!

Because I knew there would be so much content there. Basically, everything Trump said he would do is right there and Hillary called it all out, right there.

She did. If you had to pick one or 3 things, what is making you pop a vein right now?

Well dude, I literally popped a gut. It wasn’t a gut but it was a muscle under my rib. And that’s what this feels like! Ok, to put this in context I have a rib contusion and a fracture on my left side, which I’ve had since October. That I used to lovingly call my “Bernie-Stein Hernia” because we (HFA) were doing all the heavy lifting. But I found humor in it and I just kept going along. So what pops a vein now? Sigh. So many things it’s hard to single out just one. But again, I’ll go back to this idea that we can’t form a consensus unless everything is perfect. This demand for purity and the irresponsible message that says to young people like, “Hey we’ll get there quicker by hastening the revolution with Trump”. And as a queer person that felt like a direct threat to my life and well being. And it turns out that I’m right. And not just me I think women and people of color and immigrants are first on the list. This is a war. I mean the motherfucker has a picture of Andrew Jackson in the Oval Office. So every time he swears somebody in or they like do a signing. There’s Andrew Jackson, which is hardly the image of democracy that we want to see. Again, we saw this storm coming and we tried to stave it off and we were terrified that the worst possibility would happen. But even with those ideas of the “worst possibility” these are even worse. So purity fucking pisses me off. And that there are still people out there who are insisting on it and being immovable is going to cut us off at the knees and it will kill the movement.

Can you explain Andrew Jackson to me in a sentence? Or I suppose I could Google it!

What I think is so offensive that at the launch of Black History Month Trump comes out and here’s this picture of Andrew Jackson always prominent. Jackson owned hundreds of slaves, he was a plantation owner. I think he falls in line with Trumps romanticized idea of a military leader. Again, if you go back to debate 3, he talks about Patton, as well as despots and fucking lunatics and tyrants. His strategy is very much a war strategy. And with Bannon, Bannon is the same way. And they’re not hiding it. That’s my whole point with the Andrew Jackson picture, it’s like, they’re not hiding any of this. Rudy Giuliani got up and said this is definitely a Muslim ban. They are rubbing it in our face.

How do we combat that?!

Slowly, I think. We have to remember that we are a nation of laws. I do believe our Constitution is strong. And I think that if they push too far we will push harder.

What does that look like to you on the ground as someone who has worked on a campaign, as somebody who is an activist?

I think it’s a culmination of acts large and small. If all you can do is take 10 minutes everyday to call your representatives, that’s what you do and that’s what your action is. The mantra I had, when I came off the campaign, I kept saying to people just by intuition and gut was that we’re all going to be called into action. You may not know how, but it will come to you and you will respond. That’s going to happen. For all of us. We will all be called into action in some way or other. And again, no action is too small and certainly we’ll take the big actions too. I do believe it lies within this movement. “This movement” being what happened around the women’s march and that organizational structure as long as they don’t self-combust. I think there is really good leadership there and I think there is going to be really strong leadership from the Democratic Party. There already are.

Any specific names you’d like to shout out?

Oh yeah I mean, it’s the usual suspects Maxine Waters, Sheila Jackson Lee, Barbara Lee, in the congress. You have Cory Booker, who I know Big Pharma, but this is where the purity argument comes into, without understanding the true nature of the bill that he passed on. You have John Lewis of course, Elijah Cummings. Katherine Clark. Klobuchar, Franken. There are so many. Tim Kaine. And I love seeing them get active on Twitter. I mean, I know it sounds like a small thing but they are getting used to using the tool.

Now unfortunately, what we’re getting from what I call the regressive progressives is a backlash of people stalking these democrats coming forward and still going with the “elitist status quo” argument. I don’t believe they’re (regressive progressives) actually democrats, I believe they are more libertarian. They, along with Bannon, have no respect or regard for the structures for the corridors of power and our governmental system. Those are the same people who were rioting in Berkeley last night, well they were anarchists. So.

Did you get to meet Hillary?

I did not get to meet Hillary. Because when I did an event her in Los Angeles, I was the one running interference between agitators and her. So, that was fun! I got close, but I wasn’t in a hurry either. I had a job to do so that’s what I was focused on. And I figured the time will come. If it’s going to happen. And she’s not done. I don’t believe by any stretch of the imagination that she’s finished. What it looks like only Hillary can say, she’s a strategist and she damn well can take her fucking time. She was the tip of the spear that brought us here. And the fact that people aren’t willing to acknowledge that, that’s another thing that pops a vein. Then we’re going to have to start talking about misogyny and how that played an infective part of this catastrophic loss. It was definitely there. You can’t support the guy yelling “paid speeches” and not see the double standard in him yelling “paid speeches, show us those speeches!” without revealing his tax returns, rider 2014, or filing an FEC report. I mean, if I were a Sanders supporter that would concern me! Why the double standard? I would go and look at myself in the mirror saying, why can’t I look at the faults of my candidate, while I can easily cite the faults of the opposing candidate, that’s a double standard. And by all terms, its misogyny. So, deal with it.

DEAL WITH IT! And with the 52% of the white women who voted, voting for him, the call is coming from the inside!

First of all, we don’t really know what the actual data was because we don’t know the extent of the hacking. And hacking that all was happening, that’s not some sort of fairytale story, that was happening. But again, if we pitched this election as a movie idea? We would be laughed out of the room. Because it’s got every possible character imaginable. It’s every dystopian novel ever written and we’re living in it. How do you find your way out of that? I mean, I heard helicopters tonight prior to your coming and I took a deep breath and got ready. That it wasn’t just a usual police incident but that we were arriving at the moment of the purge. Which is what a lot of these people who are on the extremes of both sides, I believe, wanted to see happen. I personally, feel like I’m ready. I was born for this fight.

What is something that you’ve done since the election that makes you proud?

I took out my garbage and did my laundry. No but seriously, I updated my cover letter and resumé and have been applying within the party to say I’m here I’m a valuable commodity, you can’t afford to have me on the sidelines. Which is basically what I did when I applied for HFA. I go to that line of thinking it and pushing that and then I think I just want to go live my Jack Kerouac life in Mexico City and find William S Burroughs. I think Mexico City is going to be a sanctuary. I think Mexico’s going to be a go-to. And I hope they get the fucking Alamo back!

This is a national nightmare. We are in a Constitutional crisis.

What would happen if we impeach Trump? Do you have an opinion about that?

Impeachment is too slow for this National crisis. But if it were impeachment and we go to Pence. We’re still looking at really destructive policies. Horrible, hateful policies. I believe, I would hope what this would lead to, is the destruction of the GOP. But we were making that calculation regarding a Hillary victory. I mean that’s what I would say to volunteers, this is our opportunity to deliver a final blow, with a crushing victory. Let’s give it to our vote, this is it, we’re here. When that didn’t happen I think we had to do a lot of readjusting and I think we thought a Donald Trump defeat would be the end of the GOP but actually it may in fact be his victory that finally destroys this goddamned motherfucking antiquated dinosaur. Again, I think I was born for this battle! I’m ready to go in.

And just to be clear the dinosaur is the GOP?

The dinosaur is, I hate speaking in such like Jungian… it’s the archetype, the white male patriarch. I mean, it’s showing itself for all that it is. And they’re rubbing it in our face. There’s not even any shame about it. And you can’t even really say White Male, because of the Orange One.

He’s the devil.

I hate insulting the devil like that.

What is one thing that you’ve learned that you’ve learned and what is something you want to learn more about?

I’ve learned more about my limitations. Which was kind of stunning. That I am vulnerable to feeling a sense of, not hopelessness, but of losing sight of my optimism. That is staggering for an optimist, and a pragmatic optimist. I’m a problem solver. So not having an immediate answer to this, that’s been revealing. So how do I find my way out to that and speak about a message that is positive and one that resonates a hopeful sense. How do we revive that? So what I want to do is learn how to do that. I said immediately after the campaign I said it is going to be time for us to dig deep, deeper than we’ve ever known. And yet, a few weeks after I was really strong like right after because, again, I was fueled by anger and adrenaline still. And when that gave out, I kind of hit bottom and didn’t quite know how to do the heavy lifting and deep digging. I mean I do know how to do this, I know it intuitively, but in this climate when there’s a constant barrage of bad things happening how do you persevere? My steps are self-care. Which I’m failing at miserably!

I keep hearing that from people. What works for you when you can do it?

Beers and tacos.

But seriously, exercising is usually a key thing for me. But I haven’t been able to do that because of this Bernie-Stein hernia. So how do I recover from that? How do I get my physical self back? In that challenge, I find hope because I know it exists within me. It’s my will. It’s my purpose. This is a calling and I think many of us have been called. And it’s whether or not you follow through on the call. When the call comes you pick up. Hopefully you’re ready. So that’s sort of what I’m doing right now, that slow preparation of whatever that next call is. That I can answer it. Fuck. Shit. Once you say it out loud! Wheee!

In another self-care question, are there any artists or any art that helping you get through this? Or even your own art and how you practice it?

Yeah, it’s trying to find the best method in which to use my words and my point of view. That is my challenge. So yeah, me. But also television is like the aloe vera to put on wounds. It always has been, since I was a kid, it would be my go to. “The Get Down” the Baz Lurhman, I love that show. I love musicals. It’s so fucking typical of a queer but, yes. What was concerning, all of my go-to’s that I would find comfort in, nothing was working and it was alarming. I couldn’t find any sense of joy, not joy but even reprieve from the barrage. And then I started watching horror movies and that helped.

Oh yeah, I did that with American Horror Story because it was the only thing that was high stress enough, that when I finished it felt like a relief.

Exactly. It’s like trying to out terrify yourself from the reality of what’s happening. How do I make this worse? Plus I think when you’re terrified it creates adrenaline and I think many of us have become adrenaline junkies through this experience. Because many of us are driven by the belief that we are a fucking strong nation, we are a good people. I come from that optimism.

As much as I hated the message of hope and change because I knew it was exactly that, it was advertising at its best. And I knew that people were globbing onto it because they were expecting it to be instantaneous, so in that respect it was a failed message. And yet Obama kept saying this is a long-term process they weren’t hearing that. And when I say they, I mean consumers, because that’s what we all are. We’re all consumers. And it’s the same short sightedness that I find fault with the Sanders campaign, with “the revolution”. I’m sure we’re going to see commercials and runway shows that are going to be inspired by like protests and activism and that’s when you know that we’re kinda fucked. No I’m just kidding. On this subject, we’re about to experience the biggest advertising event in America, the Super Bowl. And of course I have thoughts on that because, I do love my sports. I’m a NY Giants fan and sports fucking saved my life on the campaign. Sports is a go-to that I use a lot. It’ll be interesting to see what trends during the super bowl and fucking Lady Gaga is performing and I can’t tell you how damned excited I am because I have to believe that she’s going to deliver a message. Unapologetically, I hope. I’m trying not to get my hopes up too high because like a committee has to approve it all but it’s Gaga. So I’m hoping like a brigade of pantsuits just like comes out. Because she was a big Hillary supporter and still is. We’ll see what she has going.

And then you have the Patriots who are all Trump supporters from the quarterback to the KRAFT family and you’ve got the Atlanta Falcons where Jimmy Carter goes and watches the games.

I did not know that.

This is the battle of gladiators. So it’s cheap entertainment for one second without taking our eyes off the prize. It’s ok to allow yourself these distractions. I am genuinely concerned about safety more so than any other Super Bowl. I think this man has made us a target in just what is it 12 days? Yeah.

What is your preferred form of activism?

I like coalition building and outreach and I think for me, ideally where I want to go is into the lower socioeconomic neighborhoods that Trump said we were taking for granted. I don’t think we took anyone for granted. I can speak personally and say there was not one voter we took for granted. But I do feel that there is a wealth of potential in these areas that have been ignored and not cultivated. It’s frustrating because when you’re poor and nothing has changed for you, why would you be inspired to vote? And that’s what I heard a lot. But they did still vote. And when I say they, I’m including myself in this demographic of marginalized people. Of those who might be disillusioned or “what has the government done for me lately”? I have 101 complaints about the government. But I also know that, as a queer person, I mean the barrier was broke for gay people because of Obama.

Because of specific laws that he passed?

Yeah. Yeah. And the recognition. I mean we heard Trans People be referred to in the State of the Union. I honestly never thought I’d hear that in my lifetime. Never. I always use the analogy that he was setting the ball up on the tee and that Hillary … That Hillary and Obama were a team since 2008. Do I know that for a fact? No. But it seemed to be playing out that way. I’ll get this first 8 yrs. and then it was going to be a fucking home run. We kinda blew it. Big. Obviously.

What do you think happened?

I always say, I felt like George Clooney and that big wave was coming. It was the perfect storm of many things. We were fighting from the left, we were fighting from the right, we were fighting from the daily messages from the media about Hillary, Hillary, Hillary, and never holding Trump accountable. In fact, giving him free 40-minute airtime! It was astonishing. We will go back and look at this and we will study this and everyone will be held accountable. That happened and then I have to say the Comey announcement was devastating. But even before the Comey announcement was the Hollywood Access story where we, I never thought that was the damaging blow that would ruin his campaign because he’d already proven himself to be Teflon. But I got calls from volunteers saying, “Oh we’ve got this, we don’t need to get out the vote, do we really, do you still need me?” I swear I have more grey hairs from those calls than the Comey effect. But the Comey effect was significant.

What do you think Hillary Clinton is doing at this moment, right now?

Ok. I’ll tell you. In my mind what I’m hoping she’s doing is drinking wine and hanging out with Meryl Streep while the two of them talk about the patriarch and laugh and throw the glasses into a fireplace.

Whatever she is going to do she’ll do it with dignity, grace and responsibility. That’s who she is. People miss that point about her. I remain humbled, honored and proud to have served on Hillary's campaign. I will forever be her Brienne of Tarth.

On the flip side of that, what do you think Donald Trump is doing at this moment right now?

Having his diaper changed. I’m sorry I said that. We were programmed not to say anything negative. Haha! Gloves are off.

We all have to do this in the middle of our lives.

In the middle of a war. It feels crazy to say this but I say hostile takeover, but I do believe it’s a coup. And I don’t throw that around lightly. I think there is trouble on the horizon.

Do you think there will be internal violence in the US?

I think it will be set up that way. I think we’re going back to COINTELPRO I’ll go back to USC Berkeley. I know that these protestors who are anarchists think they’re doing good by a cause their whole theory and premise, if you create disruption, you create exposure. So again being in advertising, it’s like no that message is kinda flawed. Because The Women’s March just proved that there are ways to get exposure through peaceful means, same with the airport demonstrations. So you’re coming in (the anarchists) and doing this is highly suspect and that is around the speaker Milo, who’s a Breitbart operative. To me, it echoes of CoIntelPro and the Black Panther party. How the government made the Black Panther Party seem so terrifying to a White America and a threat. When in fact, they were doing really good social justice and activism work. And the only reason I know this history, is because my last year in high school, I came out to my best friend who proceeded to shun me. I kind of then had a whole year of being shunned my last year. So I found refuge and sanctuary in the library and I found the Civil Rights Movement, and I found all these leaders and these voices and writers. That’s what instilled in me a sense of fairness justice and equality and why we fight for it. Because that’s the foundation in which we built this fucking nation. I’m not about to give up on it.

In saying all that I just said, it’s quite possible that I’m Travis Bickle that I’m totally, that I’ve gone totally over or that I’m Colonel Kurtz, I could be that character and this is Apocalypse Now. I have no fucking clue. I’m kidding America! Don’t lose your sense of humor. Whatever you do. And my other advice would be, fall in love. Because there’s no better time to fall in love then in the midst of a revolution. Go for it. Live epic, cinematic, passionate fucking lives. But do it kindly and responsibly. And don’t fucking throw Molotov Cocktails. It’s really simple.

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Thanks so much, Tre! You can follow Tre on Twitter at treshaus

#interview #tre temperilli #hillary clinton #brienne of tarth

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