#welcome back to october fellas

[sammisafetypin]

#1 — PARASITE

“the answer was so obvious… it’s so funny I can’t stop laughing!”

[thelargefrye]

February Filth Fest : DAY FOUR : PUBLIC SEX ... mature one - shot

pairing : outlaw!mingi x f!reader

genre : western au, outlaw au, smut, slight comedy

word count : 2.2k

warnings : language, mentions of crime, weapons (guns), mention of a bar fight, probably incorrect horse things (you've been warned), murder (yn shoots a guy)

smut warnings : unprotected sex, public sex (in an alleyway)

note : a part of a western au that i've been working on since october, so i hope you enjoy this little teaser

honorary tag : @sanjoongie

the town is thrown into a ruckus when an unknown stranger comes into town, but why exactly is he here and what does he want?

DAY THREE ↤ THE OUTLAW ↦ DAY FIVE

you knew something was going on int town when there was several older women gossiping. and not just one group, but several. someone new was in town, but who?

you knew it wasn't hongjoong, because if it was him then he would have come by to see you. not be in town and causing a ruckus.

perhaps it was just a traveler, they usually come through town to get supplies before leaving to the next town.

"miss y/n," a voice snaps you out of your thoughts and you turn your head to see one of the younger women rushing over to you. you recognize her as eunha and she comes up to you with a smile.

"have you heard about the stranger that arrived in town this morning?" she asked, voice in a whisper and you raise an eyebrow at her. curious as to what she would say.

"is that what all the fuss is about?" you ask and she nods excitedly at you.

"yes! he's got all the other girls swooning over his looks and how mysterious he is. rode into town this morning on a friesian horse and booked a room at the inn," she says and the color of the horse is what catches your attention.

"a... black horse you say?" you ask, tilting your head to the side and she nods her head.

"yeji saw it this morning and said it was the most beautiful friesian she had ever seen. those are so rare to see in these parts, expensive too," eunha says. you knew how rare that type of horse was in these parts, so it shocked you that this stranger would be riding one.

"would you excuse me, eunha, i need to finish my errands for the morning," you say and she nods, bidding you a farewell before rushing back to the other ladies.

"friesian horse, huh?" you say, clicking your tongue before you continue on your way. you'll have to talk to this "stranger" when you get back to the inn.

just as you're about to step into the inn, you halt in your footsteps as you look at the horse tied to the post outside. the horse and you look at each other before the animal lets out a few nays and sighs. it's hoof driving into the ground and kicking up dirt. you couldn't help but feel see red, fist clenching by your side as you recognize the horse.

you let out a sigh before attempting to calm yourself. putting on a smile as you turn towards the inn doors and walk inside.

"welcome back miss y/n, did you get all your errands done?" the innkeeper, sooyoung, asks as you step into the inn you had been staying at for the past three weeks.

"i did! anything happen while i was out?" you ask, walking over to her and hoping she would tell you anything about this stranger that had the town buzzing.

"got a new neighbor across the hall from your room. i would be careful though," she says, leaning closer to whisper the next part, "fella seems a little too suspicious if you ask me."

you smile at, "don't worry, i'm a big girl that can take care of herself," you say and she quirks an eyebrow at you, but doesn't question you.

"if you say so," she says and you smile before making your way up the stairs and to your room.

as you walk up the stairs, you pull the room key from your dress pocket as you reach the end of the hallway. you put the key into the lock and as you unlock the door to your room, you hear a door behind you open.

you open your room door, but don't go in. "you've made quite the ruckus in town," you say and you hear the stranger let out a deep chuckle.

you turn your body to see the stranger standing tall in all his glory as he leans against the doorframe of his room. a smirk on his face and hat tip just enough to almost obscure his eyes from your own.

and then you feel the rage you felt earlier wash over you as you look at the stranger. you drop your basket to the ground before marching over to the stranger and shoving him into his own room. you watch him stumble back, clearly not expecting you to have shoved him. he barely manages to catch himself, hands landing against his bed as he still falls to the floor.

carefully, as to not alert sooyoung, you close the door behind you before turning. mingi opens his mouth to say something, but you are quick to cut him off.

"you bastard," you said, teeth clenched tightly together, "you stole my horse!" you yell pointing a finger at mingi who looks at you with wide, shocked eyes.

"i-i didn't steal your horse!" he says immediately, as he tries to ease your anger. it doesn't work.

"then care to explain why the fuck my horse is outside the inn right now, when i sure as hell didn't ride her into town?"

"h-hongjoong said for me to take cher and ride her into town," he says, and you frown at his words but you say nothing. so he takes this chance to continue. "he sent for me to come find you, that he received a letter from yunho giving him info on this new gig."

"new gig?" you question, crossing your arms as you watch mingi stand up and sit on the bed. you takes something out of his pocket before handing it to you.

you read the letter, looking between the paper with hongjoong's handwriting and the outlaw in front of you. you turn on your heel, crumbling the paper up before tossing it back to him.

"you're lucky hongjoong saved you or else i would have shot you for riding my horse," you say before leaving the room. mingi watches as you pick up your basket before going into your room and letting the door close behind you.

its a few days later when you are walking through town near the saloon when hear a number of different shouts and other noises coming from the bar. at first you are startled by the noises, eyes darting over to the town's saloon that isn't a stranger to the bar fights that break out every now and then.

however, this bar fight felt different. mainly because you knew mingi was lurking around and being a wanted criminal in a town that frequented other outlaws and bounty hunters didn't look good for him.

"fuck..." you trail off with a huff as you make your way over to the saloon, crouching right below the window. just enough to peek and see what is going on.

and sure enough there mingi was standing in the center with his pistols out and shooting at whoever is also shooting at him.

at least take cover you dumbass, you think, rolling your eyes. you're about to reach for your own pistol, willing to risk exposing your cover to help him when you hear the neighing and whining of a familiar horse.

turning you see cher throwing her head back and forth, front legs up and attempting to kick at the three men who are... trying to steal her.

"hey!" you shout, taking your pistol out and running towards the three men. "that's my horse you bunch of stealin' bastards, get away from her!"

"now little lady–

you immediately cut one of the men off by shooting a warning shot near his feet making him jump up and yelp.

"i told you to get away from my damn horse! now get, i don't miss my shots and that was your only warning."

then men are quick to look between each other before back at you and you notice one of them attempts to reach for his own pistol and you immediately shoot the man, watching him fall over dead.

the other two run off, leaving their dead buddy and you rush over to cher, to make sure they didn't harm her.

"hey girl, i've missed you. hongjoong and san been taking care of you?" you ask with a smile and you pet the spot between her eyes on her head. she lets out a noise and you laugh before hugging her. "hongjoong at least knows how to take care of you. sannie not so much," you tell her.

"i didn't know you were some type of horse-whisperer," you hear mingi say from behind you and you turn to see the outlaw looking at you with a smile. he looks a little roughed up, but probably nothing that has bothered him before. "also, san was taking good care of her. talkin' to her just like you were," he adds.

"she's a smart girl, he better be talkin' and takin' good care of her," you say matter-of-factly. "he learned from the best after all."

you watched as mingi walked closer to you, and that's when you noticed a cut across his nose. you note that'll treat him later when you get back to the inn – if that was even possible thanks to mingi's bar fight and you killing guy.

"whoa, what happened to him?" mingi asked, kicking the foot of the man that laid dead next to you and cher.

"him and his friends were trying to steal cher, so i took care of him," you tell him, "which wouldn't have happened if you didn't leave her alone to get into a bar fight."

"listen i–

"no, not here. too many ears around," you cut him off, pressing a finger to his lips to shush him. you look around before seeing that no one was around before dragging him to the alleyway nearby.

once the two of you were alone in the alley, that was when you started to yell at him.

"god, how could you be so stupid! starting a bar fight, what if yo–

mingi cuts you off by smashing his lips to yours and effectively shutting you up. you are stunned for a second before you return the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck to pull your bodies closer.

you tangle your fingers into his hair and mingi's hand travel down your body and to your waist. however, before he could do anything you gripped his hair pulling him away from you. he let's out a small cry at the grip you have, the two of you out breath from the kiss.

"don't think this means you're off the hook," you say with a serious tone and mingi hums before he's kissing you again.

his fingers come up to untie your dress before you're hiking up the skirt of your dress and he's undoing his pants. you watch his dick spring out, already more than half erect and you wonder if the bar fight had anything to do with it.

you'll tease him later.

you feel a sort of adrenaline run through you as you realize that the two of you are about to have sex in an alleyway that anyone could possibly see the both of you. mingi pulls your undergarments to the side before he's rubbing the head of his cock between your folds.

the two of you let out several moans as you lean against the wall in order to hike your leg up as mingi pushes his cock into you.

"oh fuck," he says, his hand coming up to move your leg to wrap around his waist as he bottoms out into you. "fuck, so tight."

mingi gives you an experimental thrust and takes your breathy moan and your walls squeezing around him as the go head. and soon he's setting a quick pace, and maybe the knowledge of being in the open is fueling his speed.

the two of you don't say anything other than a few curses here and there as mingi leans down to press his lips against your neck. his cock abusing your pussy that hasn't had a cock in it in almost a month. you were desperate to come and encouraged mingi to go faster.

"f-fuck, mingi– f-fa-faster," you say with a moan, leaning your head against his shoulder as you feel your juices begin to leak down your thighs.

mingi doesn't say anything, instead listening to your pleas in going faster and his moans fill your ears as he goes even faster than what you thought was possible.

"i-i'm close," he says in your ear, thrust getting sloppier than usual and moments later he's stilling inside of you. you feel his cock throbbing inside of you as he fills you with his seed. mingi attempts to ride through his own orgasm to help you reach your own.

you also manage to come with a cry of his name, eyes filling with white spots as your head comes back to rest against the wall. you feel your body go limp from exhaustion as mingi rests his body weight against you and the wall for support.

after several minutes, mingi pulls away from you and brushes away any stray hairs that decided to stick to your face.

he opens his mouth to once again try and say something, but you cut him off before he has the chance, "you still aren't off the hook. wait till we get back to camp."

you then fix your dress, retying it before you're making your way out of the alleyway. mingi can only watch in shock at you before he follows quickly behind you.

"hey wait!"

tag list : @frankenstein852 @watamotee33 @kawennote09 @mixling-blog @marahleiwhen @kpopnightingale @harry-the-pottypus @pyeonghongrie @sanniesbum @marvelahsobx @khjcoo @mysticfire0435 @exfolitae @dementedaly @simeonswhore @moonm1st @nvmbheart @spooo00oky @frgogh @sookacc @seongwin @burnsmepls @ad0rechuu @tunaasan @northerngalxy @silverpixiedust23 @cheesekimchi @confusedmoonchild777 @mjyungi @innieontop @iweirdthingsblog @s0obinluvr @worcesheshestershiresauce @moonlightgrleric @wineyoungie @jeongwangjessmina @lemineso

networks : @cultofdionysusnet @cromernet

[sweaterkittensahoy]

Prompt: “I sleep better if you’re around.”

Pairing: Douglass x Blakely

It's late-late, even by base standards. Everett is lying on his back on his rack, staring at the ceiling and wishing he could sleep. But he can't. Not really. He's dozed on and off all night, but it's nothing like real sleep. 

He's surrounded by replacements. Nice guys to the last of them. But replacements all the same. With Harry and Jack both up the chain, they're in a different barracks. And with so many of the guys he trained with dead or locked up (not that he didn't breathe a sigh of relief when the POW lists came through; so many more fellas are alive than he'd ever guessed), well, it's not easy to sleep in a room full of strangers. 

The door opens, and Everett hears a well-known chuckle followed by some murmured words. 

"Easy, kid," James murmurs, voice carrying because the barracks is basically silent otherwise. He sounds amused and tolerant. More sober than Everett would guess for how long he's been at the Officer's Club with a few of the new fellas. Doing his part to make the new boys feel welcome. Just like Rosie, Everett thinks. He tries to follow Rosie's lead too, but tonight, he hadn't had the energy. Tired to his bones for some reason he can't name, so he'd begged off for an early night, cited the headache he actually has (and still hasn't gone away). 

"Here, here," James whispers, and Everett hears the messy shuffle of boots that tells him the new guy's definitely had more than a few. "Here. Take my rack. Yours is all the way on the other end, and when you wake up bursting to piss, you don't wanna have to run the whole way."

"Thanks, Dougie," the replacement slurs, and Everett grins at the quiet, pained groan that leaves James's mouth. He's been dodging that nickname since basic, and every now and again, it comes back around to haunt him. 

"I'll be right next to you, okay?" James says. 

"Whose rack is it?" the replacement asks, already sounding half-asleep. 

"Blakely's," James replies. 

"Oooh, your fella."

"Yup. You fall asleep now, all right? Just reach over and give me a shake if you feel sick."

"Uh-huh," the replacement says. There's a squeak and the sounds of shifting, then silence again. 

"I'm awake," Everett whispers as James gingerly sits on the edge of his rack. 

"Oh hi," James replies. He leans in and cups Everett's face, kisses him on the mouth. He tastes more of cigarettes and Coca-Cola than whiskey, though there's a hint of it in the corner of his mouth. 

"You sober?" Everett asks as he turns on his side. 

"Most of the way," James replies. "Cut myself off after three." He leans over, clearly unlacing his boots. In the deep shadows of the hut, Everett can just barely watch his back move. He reaches out and touches James on his lower back. 

"How was it?" 

James undoes his tie and blouse with easy movements, then stands and strips out of his trousers. He lays down on the rack, front-to-front with Everett, in his undershirt and his shorts and his socks. It's just starting to get colder again. They've been in England more than a year. Münster was last October, and they're almost there again. It doesn't feel real some days, and other days, Everett feels every second of it.

James slides his arm around Everett's waist and settles himself on his half of the pillow. "It was fine," he says. "Fun enough." 

"So fun you stopped drinking," Everett says as he tucks the blanket over them both. James slips a leg between Everett's to bring them even closer together. 

"It was self-preservation, I assure you. The new kids were determined to prove they could keep up with each other, and I know better than to try these days." 

They're not terribly older than the men around them, Everett thinks. A year or two or three for most of them. But he knows what James means. Keeping up with the replacements nowadays leads to entirely too many thoughts later. Too many missing faces to haunt you in the dark corners of the base. Too many old drinking buddies he knows for certain are dead. These boys around them, they're not there yet. Everett hopes the war will be over long before any of them get the chance to realize not drinking is the better option some nights. 

"Comfortable?" Everett asks as he lays his own head on the pillow. 

"Yeah," James says, and he tucks his forehead under Everett's chin like always, breathes against his collarbone and kisses the side of his neck. "What are you doing awake, anyway?" he asks. "I expected to have to move you like a puppet to get any space in this rack."

Everett presses his nose into James's hair and smiles. He sleeps hard when he does sleep. Deep and unmoving except for flinging his arms and legs as wide as he can. James has a couple photos of it, even. Everett dead to the world with one leg mostly off the bed and an arm flung upward like he's trying to grab the windowsill above him. 

"Couldn't sleep. No real reason for it," Everett says because they're long past making excuses to each other. 

"Your head still hurt?"

"No more than it did."

"You gonna sleep now?" James asks. It's a serious question. One they've had to ask each other more often lately. 

Everett shifts so he can kiss James's forehead. "Yeah," he says. "I always sleep better when you're around." 

James nuzzles against his collarbone and shifts impossibly closer. "Remember that in the morning when you're being an asshole because you didn't get all your beauty rest."

Everett chuckles and closes his eyes. "No promises," he says, and he drifts off to James warm all along his front, alive and breathing and still here after all this time.

[v-hub-v]

//SO IM 9 DAYS INTO OCTOBER AND HAVENT DONE AN OCTOBER EVENT. SO SORRY, I AM HERE NOW!

//That being said- Welcome to October! And, specifically, the October event!

Each established Muse is still available. They can still be interacted with via specification. However...

We’re going back in time!

Michael is surrounded by his family and friends! The only problem is, he can never sleep comfortably.

William Afton, Johnathan Afton, Michael Afton, Friendbear, Elizabeth Afton, (Supporting muses being Henry Emily, Charlie Emily, Peter Ghuy, Spring-Bonnie, Circus Baby and the Nightmares) are available for interactions!

Welcome to Nightmare-Month, fellas. We’re going old school 1985 😎

[ice-network-code-metatronoz]

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[writer59january13]

Botched and bungled interpersonal opportunities viewed...

tonight October 25th, 2022

terrifically summarily requoting

poetic outdated iteration,

I share the following lines echoing in the valley

of love and delight.

courtesy 20/20 hindsight

October twenty fifth two thousand and twenty two

admirable, corrigible, fallible, and intelligible light

hearted fella (amazingly gracefully aging baby boomer) usually polite

doth not trend toward superficial nor trite, neither can yours truly said to abide by beliefs, ethos ideologies, et cetera notions characterized

as distinctly black and white.

Ostrich (I stretch) literary creativity

with Rhea yule wordplay (mine metaphorical putty) enjoys

shape shifting rules of English language casting them bon voyage

analogous to loosing a hot air balloon

never knowing literary endeavor (mine) outcome

unpredictable as wind doth form sand dune

farfetch'd jimmied physique peculiarly genetically hewn

no avian expert, yet

sports wide whirled webbed analogous to loon

yours truly at heart, an honest to dog poltroon

acquired pipes, whereat ofttimes I (a fool on the hill)

sing out of tune.

No idea when predilection arose

to toy with said mother tongue

frequently buzzfeeding me passion,

I rend toward proclivity maketh anonymous reader to doze

gibberish spews gobbledygook

which kooky logophile doth expose,

where gobbledygook profusely flows

gushing out imaginary hose

frequently diverging off course

pertaining to poem title

which (reading between the roaring lines) here

sought to delineate highs and lows

regarding squandered (particularly linkedin with female) friendship opportunities aye sip pose

jangling this beau zoe from head to his gnarly

webbed whirled wide toes.

I don't mean to engender pity

excruciatingly socially withdrawn garnered alienation since birth regarding human bonds, which dearth

all thru these three score plus three years athwart planet (unfit) ness Earth

teetering in the balance

pregnant around equatorial girth

found yours truly figuratively

tied to mother's apron string,

I always felt safe and secure, within home and hearth

even when Scottish welcome matt

yanked away by those who begot me,

now in retrospect ability to muster mirth

within savage dime a dozen verbal lashings

(courtesy mama and papa,

the former long since deceased

and latter (upon original date of this poem)

declining nonagenarian respectfully

their sole male offspring

ironically now here at petticoat juncture amidst swath of rolling green acres

during mein kampf

distills their overlooked worth.

Shying eye contact, I vaguely recollect

Matthew Scott Harris

as wee lad did disappoint

way back during second grade lunch at Eagleville Elementary School,

a pretty girl christened Renee (if memory serves me correctly)

induced writhing and foaming

incoherent sounds of silence

indubitably witnessed yours truly

an extremely shy boy

hiding behind makeshift barrier

(possibly tartan patterned lunchbox)

to avoid at all costs

painful penetrating piercing

inducing me to look askance.

As an extremely shy kid

(lacking benefit of powdermilk biscuits)

even briefest eye contact with lovely lass

sent extreme agitation

coursing thru measly frame

wreaking emotional/psychological distress

(visit repeated aforementioned refrain ad nauseum)

recurring without letup

boyhood to young adulthood,

when within close proximity

attractive gal froze mine functionality

even with intent to exchange passing "hello."

Fast forward to recent past

i.e. namely second half of bleak existence

angst oozed and profusely did bleed,

when ability to bolster daring deed

communicating amorousness awkwardly freed

potential foolishness or embarrassment, I shushed inner voice of amplified reason,

side stepping preservation,

aye did not heed

boot blurted out juvenile

barenaked lady desires indeed

spelling repugnance and con seeded

instant ruination against fulfilling

hormonal secretion need

wanting to escape utter fool hardiness

beating hasty retreat

(think tail between legs) ruffly at thoroughly bred dog

with mile a minute

tail a wagging uber speed!

[bloody-bee-tea]

Beetober 2022 is officially a go fellas!! Everyone is very welcome to use these as well if you're so inclined!

Under the cut is a little TMI about my life at the moment, and it's not so happy so read at your own risk.

Please do not expect to see a complete Beetober from me this year, even though I'll try my best. But my dad got diagnosed with cancer back in February and his health is declining so much and so fast and writing is just very hard these days.

I'll try to finish it mostly because I like the challenge and it gives me such a victory rush to complete Beetober but with how it's looking I will have other things to do in October. But maybe it'll be a nice distraction from everything, so who knows🤷🏻‍♀️

[dailyaudiobiblechronological]

10/18/2021 DAB Chronological Transcription

John 6

Welcome to Daily Audio Bible Chronological I'm Jill. It's the 18th day of October. We are winding our way through this month happening a little bit faster than I am ready for. I don't know about you. It's so good to be here with you. I'm Jill. I don't know if I said that or not. It's been one of those days. Do you know what I'm saying? It's been one of those days. We are going to center ourselves around the Bible no matter what kind of day we're having here. And we're going to do that for the next few minutes as we read God's Word in chronological order. And we're going to do it every day until we get through the entire Bible in a year. It's so great to be on this journey. I'm honored. I'm humbled to be reading the Word of God to us together, as a community, collectively and as individuals. And I'm on this journey with you first time through the Bible in chronological order. And it's been an amazing journey thus far. Today we are reading the Book of John. So yesterday we hit the three Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, and then we're going to read some of the same stories today, a little bit extended version through the narrative in the Book of John. John, chapter six in the Amplified version.

Commentary

We have really beautiful and important passages today, specifically in the Book of John, the 6th chapter, the Beautiful Words of Jesus Himself, verse 47. I assure you, and most solemnly say to you, he who believes in me has eternal life. We can formulate this thing. We can produce the guidelines and write out the handbooks and the manuals. But at the end of the day, where we would benefit ourselves the most is to come back and hear the words of Jesus Himself. I assure you, and most solemnly say to you, he who believes in me has eternal life. And the question is, do we really believe it's that simple? Because the truth is we have many, many denominations that are divided over our theology, over our beliefs, over the interpretation of the Bible, how we dissect it, how we interpret it, how we claim to know that we have the truth and we know what's right. But at the end of the day, we have the words of Jesus. I assure you, and most solemnly say to you, he who believes in me has eternal life.

Prayer

Father, we thank you for your life. We thank you that if we believe we have you, it's that simple and we're sorry we've complicated it. We have formulated it. We have objectified it. We have been judge and jury over who gets to be in. Today, we hear your words. As we hear them, we disarm our pride and we follow you. We pray this in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.

Announcements

Daily Audio Bible, that's Home base. That's the website. Take a look around. If you have not. You can check out the store, the resources, and you can fiddle around with the app as well. There's a prayer wall. It's available both on the app and the website, and it's available for you, and you can access it with just the click of your fingertips. If you'd like to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you so much for your partnership. If you're giving by mail DAB PO Box 1996, Spring Hill, Tennessee 37174. Or you can hit the Give icon. It's up at the top right hand corner of your mobile device, or look for the Give icon on the web page as well. We could not do what we do without you, so we thank you so much for this partnership of Ministry together. If you have a prayer request, if you'd like to call for someone in that's previously called in asking for prayer, you can do so, 800 583-2164. Or hit the red circle button. It's at the mid section of your mobile device. Make sure you hit submit and turn that wheel to Chronological and it will get to the right place. Have a couple of very special little fellas with me today. My two oldest grandsons have been in the studio with me the last few minutes, and it's been so great to have you here. Do you want to say Hi to everyone in Boston? Is that all you want to say to everybody? No. Okay. What about Brother Hudson? Do you want to say Hi to everybody? Hi, everybody. These little guys came to visit Mimi and Popop today. They've been here the last little bit and they know where Mimi & Popop, go and read the Bible and tell people about Jesus, don't you? Yeah. Okay. That's going to do it for us today. I'm Jill. We'll turn the page together tomorrow. Until then, you guys say it with me. Love one another. Ready? Love one another. Love one another.

Community Prayer Line

Hi, this is Pamela from Pennsylvania. So many things to pray about today. I'm lifting up our dear dear Sister Victoria soldier and the loss of her brother. May the Lord surround you and give you peace and comfort and love. We care about you so much. And thank you so much for your wonderful prayers for all of us. I'm also calling for Ham from New Jersey and God's graciousness both of you, ladies. Symptoms of lupus. I know because I have lupus, and I want to tell you there is so much hope I will be praying for both of you. And I pray that we can come in contact with one another because I have so much to tell you about all that God has taught me and all that I have learned about natural treatments and the way God has been healing my body, mind, soul and spirit. So I want to let you know that I'm praying for you and I'm praying that we would get connected. Lastly, I would like to ask for prayers for my husband, Gary, of whom I have PTSD. But God has enabled me to share with him different times. I did share with him about listening to the word of God. And while he's been hospitalized in the last month, he has been doing that and he has been transformed. He has now been relapsed and back in the hospital. Thank you for your prayers.

Hi, this is Melody from Canada. Good morning here. I just heard the message from Ulay. Hopefully that's pronouncing your name right. And her request for her friend Ada. I could sense your love for her so much. And so I pray for peace and comfort for her and for you as you walk with her. And the word I have is just that God would be the rock on which she can stand and walk through the Valley. With that he would uphold her with his righteous right hand and see her through this and be her father in this time. Big blessings to you.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible It is the 15 October calling wanting to just generally pray for everyone on this platform. I have really been blessed by listening to this on a daily basis for almost daily basis. They do miss days and try to go back and listen because it is important to me reaching out to Vincent. I haven't heard your voice in a while. Vincent from Connecticut just wanting to lift you up in prayer, my good friend and you are being thought of. Good vibes. Lots of love and light are being sent your way. I hope you are well as the rest of the Daily Audio A Bible family on Chronological take care.

[xxisxxisxxis]

Deleted Scenes: Gateway Drug

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"More Than One Way to Get to Hell" -- 1986

"Tansy, come on, now we don't have all damn day to get this finished." Diane calls from the other side of the door while I'm grasping Tansy's shaking hand while she adds finishing sprays of hairspray to her curls. 

"Tansy," I start. 

"C-Can you hand me my purse?" She asks me softly and I nod, handing the little black purse to her. 

She pulls an unlabeled bottle out, opening the lid and pouring two pills into her palm. 

"Tansy--"

"--I overdid it on coke earlier, Viv, if I don't calm my shit I'm gonna embarrass myself on national television." 

"Tansy!" Her mom barks. 

She takes the pills and swallows them down with her juice, standing up and walking to her dressing room door. 

"Thank fuck, come on." Her mom tugs at her arm to take her to the sound tech and he hooks her up to her mic. 

"Mama, I'm nervous." She takes harbored breaths. 

"No need to be nervous, Tansy. You're just interacting with a man in front of a camera. Let's not pretend you don't do the same thing every night." She mumbles to her and I glare at her mother, horrified. 

"I feel like I'm gonna puke." Tansy says next. 

"No, no, look at me." Diane looks her in the eyes. "You are not going to screw this up. You are going to go out there and get more exposure to get more people talking about you, to get more offers, to get more money. We do what has to be done to get what we want, and what we have to do isn't always what we want to do, but--" 

"--But it has to be done." Tansy finishes for her, defeated. 

"Exactly." She says to Tansy, fixing her smudged lipstick. "You already embarrass me on a daily basis, Tansalyn, and you will not embarrass me today. Not over this." She demands.

"Our first guest is a well-known model to men, and some women, here in America. In a span of just four years she has appeared in 56 issues of Playboy and counting, declared the magazine's most consistent model, was very recently announced as 'Playmate of the Year: Miss 1985,' and was the muse for the 1983 Def Leppard hit, 'Photograph.' With no sign of slowing down anytime soon--not that any of us want her to--please, give a very warm welcome to the very beautiful, Tansy Lyn." 

Tansy takes a heavy breath inward, and I give her a smile. 

"You got this, go." I assure her and she nods, holding back tears, seemingly programming her mind into autopilot, a scarily convincing, beaming smile on her face as she steps out, waving at the audience. 

I watch her on the monitor, and my heart breaks. 

She deserves an Oscar. 

Diane watches, too, evaluating her in her mind. 

"How are you?" David asks Tansy, kissing her cheek before the two sit down. 

"I'm good." Tansy replies, crossing one leg over the other. "Hi, everyone." She waves again to the crowd and they whistle and cheer. 

"Now, when they told me you'd be on, um, I did some fact checking, as one does for an interview," he starts. 

"Okay." She replies. 

"And I want to get the record straight on your name, because I've heard Tansy Lyn, and I've heard Tansalyn, which the second option is just a mouthful so…"

"Well, my nickname is Tansy and originally my name was supposed to be Tansy and my middle name was supposed to be Lyn."

"Don't you dare." Her mother sneers quietly to the monitor. 

"But my dad had been drinking a little bit when my mom's water broke and so when it came to naming me, they had decided on Tansy Lyn Reilen, but my mom was in recovery, resting, and my dad couldn't write very well because he was drunk and so he asked a nurse for help and she asked him what my name was going to be so she could write it in herself, and he said 'Tansy Lyn,' little did he realizing he was slurring. So my legal name is Tansalyn." 

"Oh, my God." Diane squeezes her eyes shut. 

"And you reworked it to Tansy Lyn." 

"Yes." 

He tries not to laugh, but the audience doesn't hold back, not that she minds at all. 

"Wow, well, Tansalyn, I know you're busy and so the fact you were able to be here really means a lot, so thank you, again, for being here. Although I'm not so sure it was too far out of the way for you." 

"No, no, not at all." She assures him. 

"Because you live here, don't you?" He asks. "Or are you back in L.A.?" 

"I mainly live here, and then I go back home often to visit and stuff if I don't have work." She explains. 

"And you work a lot." He states. 

"Not that much but--" 

She quits talking when he raises his brows, making the audience laugh. 

"You don't work that much? Are you kidding me?" He leans down and grabs a magazine, holding it up on the desk for the camera and crowd to see. "This is you in your first issue of Playboy." He tells her, flipping through it to find her picture.

"Oh, Lord." She groans before he shows the audience. "Can you do that?!" She asks next, as her naked body is on display, but the monitor shows her bare chest blurred out. 

"Now, this was October of '83, and how old were you when this was taken?" 

"Just turned 18." She explains, her face turning slightly red under her makeup. 

"18, and since then," he starts piling on more and more magazines and men throughout the crowd yell and clap and whistle, Tansy tightly closing her eyes and chuckling nervously, "you've gotten Miss July of '85." He puts that issue aside, before grabbing a final one from the top of the tower of Playboys. "And this is the more recent one, your shoot for 'Miss 1985'." He says next, grabbing several magazines at once and putting them back behind his desk before sitting down and holding it up to show her on the cover. "Absolutely beautiful." He comments. 

"They edit and airbrush and everything but thank you anyways." She exhales, rubbing her lips together. 

"Well, we don't have editing and airbrush and everything in person and I'm telling you, you are a very pretty woman." He assures her and she smiles. 

"Thank you." She replies. 

"So, you started only four and half-ish years ago, and you've been in every issue since then?" He asks and she nods. 

"Yes. Some form or fashion I've been in every one." 

"But you don't work a lot." He reminds her what she said earlier, sarcastically.

"I meant no model works a regular 9 to 5." She clarifies. 

"Got it, got it." He puts the magazine down. "It couldn't be like a 9 to 5 because when else would you all  find the time to go out and party with rockstars?"

"Not all of us party with rockstars." I assure him. 

"So this isn't you?" He holds up a picture with Tansy, Robin Crosby, Nikki, and Jon Bon Jovi. 

"I didn't say I didn't party with them, I said not all models do." She explains while he and the audience chuckles. 

"Now, I know, I think, this fella is Jovi." David points to Jon and she nods. "The rest my mind blanks on." 

"Jon, who's obviously sings for Bon Jovi, and then Robbin Crosby, he plays guitar for Ratt, and then Nikki Sixx, who plays bass for--"

"--The Church of Satan's worship team." David cuts her short and she laughs, along with the audience. 

"No, no. No." She states. "Mötley Crüe." 

"Ah, tomato, tomoto." He shrugs and she shakes her head a little. 

"What was happening here?" He asks, referring to the photo and the camera zooms in on it. 

"I think, honestly, Nikki paid rent on time for once and just invited a bunch of people over to celebrate it." She explains. 

"So, there doesn't need to be a reason to drink and party and 'what not' when you're a rockstar." 

"Not really, no."

"When do these guys have time to write songs, then?" 

"I've seen them buckle down and get to work when they need to."

"Really?" 

"Yeah." 

"And you buckle down, too, obviously."

"Well, I--"

"--I want to know what your boyfriend thinks of all of this." He says next and she raises her brows. 

"Oh, he loves it." She tells him. 

"I bet he does." 

"No, really, he does, he's very proud." She continues.

"He isn't jealous or anything like that?" 

"To an extent but he understands that this is my job and I've always wanted to do it since I was a little girl and so he supports me completely." She nervously scratches at the back of her neck with her freshly done nails. 

"You've always wanted to model nude since you were little?" Letterman asks for clarification and she looks slightly stumped by the question, opening her mouth to speak, but nothing coming out. 

"Speak, Tansy, damnit." Her mom whispers to herself. 

Tansy starts laughing off her shock. 

"Modeling in general." She tells him. 

"Oh, oh, good." He grins. "So, your mother is here with you, Diane."

"Yes." 

"She's so lovely." He says and she smiles. 

"Thank you, she is. I love her to death." 

"She seems very...um…focused." He adds. 

"Very much. She keeps me in check, she always has."

"Oh, I bet. Were you ever in sports or anything like that?" 

"I cheered in high school, and did competitive cheer-nastics, and competed in beauty pageants--not that that's a sport but just to give you an idea of where she learned to keep her thumb on me to keep me in line." 

"That's where I was getting at because she very much seems like the type to keep your eyes on the prize." 

"Oh, yes." 

"What does she think of your career as of now?" 

"She's my manager so I don't think she has any qualms with what I do because if she did she wouldn't be as involved." She shifts her legs. 

That was an understatement. 

I realized over years of witnessing her mother contribute to the toxic shitshow starring Tansy as the lead, that I didn't quite know Tansy's mom as well as I had thought. 

I'd later find out things such as this…

"Competition is in two weeks and you call that a front tuck? Tansy, I've seen drag queens do better than that." 

...And this…

"You being first runner up in a pageant full of sand lizards and beached whales is the reason your father drowned in his own vomit."

"I was five when he died, mom." 

"And eleven years later you're still proving you aren't worth the money I spend to make you a winner." 

…Also…

"He knocked that slut Tami up, didn't he?" 

"I don't want to talk about it, Mama." 

"Just say 'yes' or 'no' so I can know whether I won my bet on it or not." 

...And...

"I slept with your ex-boyfriend, Tansy, big deal." 

"He was the love of my life, Mama, what the hell were you thinking?!" 

"Oh, Jesus, he was with you for two years, Tansy, get over yourself. It's not like it would have lasted to begin with."

"Seriously?!"

"You would've eventually found out I was giving him blowjobs when he'd come over to see you, anyway, because if I didn't do it, it wouldn't have gotten done right. Now wipe those damn crocodile tears." 

…Last but not least…

"I wouldn't stay with a man who let his friends abuse me, you know. I don't know why you're too weak to just leave him."

"Because he said it's not gonna happen again, mom. Just drop i--ow! What the hell?!" 

"I told you last time I slapped the piss out of you it wouldn't happen again. Just because he says it doesn't mean a thing…ugh, and quit wearing so much goddamn makeup. I'm tired of my palm being covered in gunk every time. And quit crying. You can pose with your pussy out but God forbid you handle a little corporal punishment." 

Tansy's rehab therapist had her work cut out for her...for sure. 

"And your dad?" David questions next.

"He passed when I was five, so…"

"...I'm sorry to hear that." 

"No, don't be. I'm sure he's proud of me. I know that might be hard to believe for some dads, like, your daughter being in Playboy, but he'd always told me I could always do whatever it was I wanted to do with my dreams and even if he's not proud of what I'm doing, he's definitely proud of me going after and achieving what it was that I wanted." 

[palaugranetes]

🔵BLAUGRANETS🔴

30 SEPTEMBER 2020

Dembz: Can you guys believe them😂

Iñaki: Who?

Dembz:"[29/09, 14:35]JC: asjdalfdj

[29/09, 14:35]Jordi: What the hell is that?? Are you okay?

[29/09, 14:35]JC: I'm fine, it's just a keysmash

[29/09, 14:35]Jordi: A what now?

[29/09, 14:35]JC: It's just a laugh bro.

[29/09, 14:35]Jordi: How is that a laugh? How do you do that? What?

[29/09, 14:35]Ansu: Just press any letter dude.

[29/09, 14:35]Jordi: D

[29/09, 14:35]Neto: T

[29/09, 14:35]Geri: Multiple letters you dumbasses.

[29/09, 14:35]Jordi: I knew that...

[29/09, 14:35]Geri: Clearly. Of course you did.

[29/09, 14:35]Jordi: So now that Luis is gone it's my turn?!

[29/09, 14:35]Geri: Do dumb shit. Ask dumb questions and this is what you get."

Iñaki: 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Riqui: 😅😂😂😂😂 I think Geri found a new target.

Pedri: HAHAHAHA

Carlitos: Makes you wonder how the adults gc is like now

Dembz: Without Luis? Probably boring.

Riqui: Probably.😂😂

Carlitos: I need to find my way into that thing somehow.

Carlitos: OMG WE CAN ASK SERGI!

Riqui: Holy shit yes! 😳 How could we forget him!?

Francisco: 👀👀👀

Ansu: Would he do it??

Riqui: @Carlitos, you are an old fella.. you hang out with him a lot.. Go for it!

Ansu: 😂 Old fella

JC: You really want to go there child?

Ansu: No one was talking to you. Stay in your lane.

Frenkie: Why isn't he here?

Riqui: Who?

Frenkie: Sergi

Riqui: He is an adult. No adults here.

Dembz: And Clem?

Riqui: Missed it by 🤏🏻 much

Frenkie: Some friends in Ajax are telling me that Sergiño is gonna be announced soon!

Frenkie: We should add him @Riqui

Riqui: Him yes. He passes the age limit by a mile.

Dembz: Such an ageist.

Riqui: Shut it. This is 1996 and under group.

Ansu: Back to Sergi.. Who is gonna talk to him and when?

Pedri: I guess papa Carlitos 😋

Carlitos: I'll see what I can do

1 OCTOBER 2020

JC: And once again, the baby cannot be MOTM 😂

Ansu: 😒😒😒😒

Ansu: Total BS.. It's ridiculous

JC: You were fantastic once again mon ami!

Dembz: 30 more days kiddo😜

Pedri: 🙄

Frenkie: Again fantastic work boys!

Ronald: Clem being sent off was total BS!

Dembz: But you got to play.

Ronald: STILL!

Francisco: They literally were trying to break Leo!

Ansu: Welcome to La Liga where every team's mission is to try and break Leo.

JC: As IF it's only La Liga.

Pedri: true that 👉🏼

Iñaki: We almost got in trouble with the ref because of it 😂😂

Riqui: Arnau is right and he should have said it louder.

Francisco: The weather was horrible! Did you guys see how the corner flag pole ended up😂😂😂

Riqui: more crooked than Bartomeu

Carlitos: 🙊🙊🙊

Riqui: AM I WRONG?!

Carlitos: Not one bit my guy.

Riqui: They are counting the votes and the signs are great!

Carlitos: Finally. Cannot believe he made it this long. What were the socis thinking?!

Riqui: They weren't thinking.

Carlitos: 🤷🏻‍♂️

Iñaki: We are in for a wild ride.

2 OCTOBER 2020

Riqui added Sergiño

Riqui: You guys wanted him. You guys got him. Welcome dude!

JC: Looking good @Frenkie on the banner! Look at you!

JC: Welcome to this mess @Sergiño

Frenkie:"JC: Looking good @Frenkie on the banner! Look at you!" 💙❤

Riqui: We need new Marketing execs... "#TheBiggerPicture" No shit!

Ronald: Is there anything you are happy with bro?!

Riqui: At this current state.. not really.

Carlitos: Leo staying.

Riqui: At this current state.. Other than Leo staying.. Not Really.

Carlitos: 😉😉

Pedri: The relief I felt..

Francisco: Me too

Iñaki: Pretty much all of us.

Sergiño: Hey guys!! Thank you for having me!

Frenkie: WELCOME HOME BROTHER!

Sergiño: 💙❤💙❤💙❤💙❤

Carlitos: You are going to love it here! Good vibes mixed with chaotic clusterfuck.

Riqui:🍿🍿🍿

Pedri: Welcome to the team and the group bro!

Francisco: And we keep growing! Welcome @Sergiño!

Dembz: 🤙🏿🤙🏿🤙🏿🤙🏿@Sergiño

Riqui: So how has your day been so far?

Sergiño: Amazing. I just saw Lionel Messi training with my own eyes! Idk if this is real or not.

Pedri: I know that feeling dude

Francisco: It really is something else!

Sergiño: I am still in shock.

Riqui: Yes Leo does have that effect on newcomers.

Carlitos: Newcomers? Dafuq you mean newcomers .. I am still surprised by him and I have been here since before @Ansu could walk.

Ansu: This is really getting old!

Ansu: And welcome to the team and this hellhole @Sergiño!!❣

Iñaki: Welcome bro!! @Sergiño! 💙❤

Sergiño: Thank you guys! I cannot wait to get started!!🤗❤💙🤗❤💙🤗❤💙

3 OCTOBER 2020

Carlitos: So I talked to Sergi

Ansu: AND?

Riqui: What did he say??

Carlitos: I mean I totally played dumb obv

Riqui: As opposed to your regular self?

Carlitos: Do you want to know or do you want to be a douche?

Riqui: Carry on.

JC: What was the verdict?

Carlitos: Oh snap Luca is crying. I'll tell you guys later.

Ansu: YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

JC: He was kidding you because you are kid.

Ansu: 🖕🏿

Dembz: Language!

Ansu: 🖕🏿

Pedri: @Carlitos Please hurry

Sergiño: Um.. what is @Carlitos talking about?

Pedri: Our plan to infiltrate the other gc..

Sergiño: We are in that gc why would we infiltrate it?

Iñaki: No not the main gc. The adults gc.

Sergiño: ??

Riqui: the "Adults" gc

Sergiño: Putting it between "" is not gonna make me understand more😅😅

Frenkie: The veterans gc.

Sergiño: Ooohhhhh got it got it..

Riqui: 👍🏻

Ansu: We just need Carles to come back at some point and tell us.

Iñaki: So it's gonna take some time then... 🤦🏼‍♂️

[theluckyshadow]

Ava Kang- joining Ateez

Masterlist

“You want me to join a group?”

“Yes. Not just any group and we think that your personality lines up well with theirs.” The head of management states.

“Mrs Kim I don’t know... I joined to help with music production and backstage stuff. I don’t even think I’ve danced for anyone here.”

“Ava. Your brother Alex has sent in videos of you dancing difficult choreographies... and we’ve heard you sing and rap on more than a few occasions and we feel that it would be a waste of your talent if you didn’t get to show off your amazing talents.”

For Ava this felt surreal, her in a group? What would she even do? She’s no visual... would she be the youngest? The oldest? She’s been so out of the loop the past few weeks she didn’t even know KQ has planned to debut a group.

“What’s the group?” Ava asks quietly.

“The KQ Fellas are going to debut.” Ava jumped, she hadn’t noticed a third person in the room, seems he could be one of the managers.

“Well if I join they won’t just be fella’s.”

“You’re right that’s why we planned to have them change their name in one of the episodes of their show. Code name- something when we get there.- I’m the manager for them, just call me Mr Lee.”

“This is a quick file of the boys just so you know their names and what they look like.” Mrs Kim says handing Ava a file.

“Okay... I’ll do it. It’s surreal but I guess I’ll have a go.” Ava laughs. The HOM almost squeals in delight, shocking Ava.

“Do you have a stage name you’d wish to use? Avalyn? Just Ava or?” The boys’ manager asks.

“Ava Kang. Just Ava Kang.” The HOM smiles and hands over some paperwork for Ava to sign before she gets to meet her group.

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

“Mr Lee?” Ava starts as they walk towards a loud dance studio.

“Yes Miss Kang?”

“They do know I’m joining right?”

“They know we are adding an additional member just not who.” Ava offers a quiet ‘oh’ as Mr Lee opens the door. “Just stay here until I call you in.”

“Hi boys!” Mr Lee waves. Hongjoong races to turn off the music.

“MR LEE.” A rush of voices startles Ava for what felt like the hundredth time today.

“Remember how we spoke about you having an additional member?”

“Yes? Is he arriving today?” Hongjoong asked. Seemingly no one had noticed Ava in the corner of the doorway, hiding from sight, and she was thankful- until she locked eyes with who she recognised as Yunho, once more in shock she shrunk back.

‘Tch what personality Ava you’re shaking like a leaf.’ She thought.

Yunho had only seen her because he’d noticed the manager speak with someone before entering, she seemed pretty shy so he offered her a quick grin before noticing her retreat further behind the door.

“About the ‘he’ part...” the manager starts. The boys start attempting to question him all at once before he shushes them. A lightbulb notably goes off in Yunho’s head- the girl at the door. “The new member is extremely talented in singing, they can rap if you need a third rapper and is pretty good at picking up dance moves.”

The boys look at their manager contemplativly.

“You can come in now.” The manager calls. Ava pops her head in and offers a dorky, crooked smile and a wave as she begins to walk in.

“Hi.” She says almost to quiet to hear.

“A girl?” Wooyoung asks exasperated. “What will a girl do with a group of boys? Won’t people think that’s a bit weird?”

“Do YOU have a problem with it Wooyoung?” Ava growls before ducking her head down and apologising.

“Ava no need to be so shy, you certainly weren’t like this when you’d joined music production.” The manager laughs. The boys only look at her in wonder before Wooyoung responds with a stutter.

“No I don’t have a problem with that miss.” Ava let’s out a snort of a laugh before hiding her face.

“It’s okay sorry I should have held my tongue.”

“Anyway boys, this is Avalyn Kang, but just call her Ava. You all have the rest of the day off to get to know her or start teaching her choreo.” The manager says, clearly holding his laughter.

Once the manager leaves Ava stands there awkwardly.

“So Ava right?” Jongho starts, he doesn’t like the awkward tension in the air. Ava’s head shoots up towards him.

“Ah yeah that’s me.”

“Do you know what position you’ll be?”

“Uh not really? I know I’m second youngest. I dunno I could probably fill in for a third rapper if you want or just backing vox.” Ava shrugs.

“When’s your birthday?” Jongho asks.

“July 15th, 2000.” She responds. He nods.

“I’m in October.”

“JULY BUDDIES!” San yells, latching his hand onto Ava’s own and jumping up and down like a little kid.

“Yay.” She said a little less enthusiasticly.

“We are still only using a demo track to practice with so if you want we can go through the song later and find a spot for you.” Hongjoong offers.

“That would be cool.”

“What’s you favourite colour?” San asks with puppy dog eyes.

“Red.”

“Is Ava your stage name?” Mingi asks.

“No it’s my birth name. I’m from Australia, moved a few years ago. Ava is short for Avalyn though so uh yeah Ava Kang. My Korean name is Hayoung according to my younger brother.”

“When did you move to Korea?” Hongjoong asks.

“2013, got scouted for a few companies in 2014 before coming here 2016.”

“Wait we now have two Kang’s. Yeosang and Ava.” Wooyoung notes.

“Well how about that.” Ava giggles.

“You guys don’t need to crowd her.” Seonghwa says with a pout.

“If you want to talk to her you can.” Wooyoung said poking his tongue out at him.

“It’s okay Seonghwa my brothers do this all the time I’m used to it.”

“How many brothers do you have?” San asks, still gripping her hand.

“Three. Oldest, he’s got two kids, my twin brother and a younger brother.”

“One family of boys to another.” Seonghwa laughs, still attempting to give her room.

Yunho and Yeosang stand awkwardly to the side not wanting to overwhelm her like the others seem to.

“How does she know our names?” Yeosang ponders.

“HOW DO YOU KNOW OUR NAMES!?” Mingi yells.

“Ah!... uh Mrs Kim gave me a folder with your names, faces and ages on it.” Ava responds as she attempts to subtly take her hand back.

“Why ages?” Jongho asked.

“I asked because I wanted to know my age compared to all of yours. So we are the same age, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi and Wooyoung are a year older and Seonghwa and Hongjoong two years older.” She says nonchalantly.

“I’d like to see her dance.” Yunho mutters. “Since Manager said she’s good.” Yeosang nods in agreement.

“I can if you want? I might have some songs I did Choreo to on my phone?”

Yunho and Yeosang see her looking towards them, attempting to pull her hand away still and offering her crooked smile.

Ava pulls her phone from her pocket and opening up what seemed to be a folder of songs. “Take your pick. I wrote some of them and just had some fun with my brother doing Choreo for a few. Others I’ve got pretty good memory of how my brother does it.”

Ava offers her phone to Yunho and Yeosang in which they end up choosing the song 16 Shots by Stefflon Don.

“Good choice.” She laughs. Hongjoong quickly hooks up the music and she starts to dance.

The boys offer her approving nods.

“I think I may have forgotten a step.” She shrugs, “That’s how Alex dances to that song anyhow.”

“It’s good! You’re good!” Yunho claps. Ava goes bright red at the compliment.

“Okay no compliments until I’ve warmed up to you all.” She says shaking her hands in front of her face.

“I like her, I think she’ll fit fine.” San says giving Ava a warm and welcoming grin. She’s fit in just fine.

Taglist: @baejl

[alstanfordart]

No One Really Dies In Derry

From The Bradley Gang chapter of Tales From Neibolt

The lightning pulses across the gray October sky as Arthur, decked out in his spectacles he seldom wore, leans under the hood of the broken down LaSalle. George and Al stand beside him, restless eyes switching between the car's innards and the moonless cloudy night sky, with the storm just beginning to gather momentum. George has a small flashlight raised just above Arthur's head, highlighting the smoking engine.

George's wife Kitty remains inside the vehicle, fingering her compact mirror, trying in vain to powder her nose in the less than adequate lighting.

Parked just behind the LaSalle was a Chevrolet, with Joe's arm hanging out the driver window, cigar smoke clouding from his thin lips, elbow rested along the door. His brother Cal sat in the passenger seat, leaning on his hand, looking thoroughly bored with the situation. In the backseat are Marie and Patrick, with Marie leaning against his thick brown coat.

"Think we can get it going again?" George queries as he nervously casts his gaze around them, his timorous visage briefly made visible in the crack of light that splits across the sky. Marie nuzzles closer to Patrick, tucking her head down as thunder rolls above them. Patrick pulls her closer, stroking her brown curls.

"The engine's blown..." Al offers, ducking down to inspect closer.

"Aye. Seen better days, I'm sure," Arthur slams the hood down and wipes his hands with a stained white handkerchief from his pants pocket. "This ain't goin' nowhere, lads."

"Shit," George straightens as he switches off the flashlight. "What we gonna do?"

"Dunno." comes Al's simple reply.

They were safe, far away from the Lafayette city limits. After dumping the body of the banker they'd kidnapped in a swamp after collecting the thirty thousand in ransom money, they were on Route 2 in direction to a town called Derry after a brief stop in Augusta. Arthur, however, had his sights set on Bangor. When the LaSalle broke down just short of them reaching the Derry welcome sign along the shadows of the trees on the outskirts of the town.

A hush falls over the group as Al saunters out onto the middle of the road, sniffling and kicking a pebble aside. That's when he sees, in the far off distance, a pair of headlights appearing almost out of nowhere. He rushes to the driver's side of the LaSalle and reaches for his Colt .38 revolver-small and discreet, so as to be presented at the first sign of trouble.

He stands and waits as George tosses the flashlight in through the back window of the LaSalle and stands alongside Al, arms folded, not nearly as alert as his big brother.

Inside the Chevrolet, Patrick rests his hand on his Luger laying on the seat beside Marie that he'd stolen off the body of a Lafayette officer.

Meanwhile, Joe and Cal also ready their weapons, with Joe craning his neck out the window to view the car drawing closer.

Arthur casually strolls to the passenger side, eyeing his own much larger Remington 22. Al preferred a sneak up and get them approach. Arthur preferred things more direct. If whoever this was coming up the road was going to give them trouble, they would be dealt with accordingly before they even knew what hit them.

The car, a Ford Roadster, quietly comes closer, eerily serene, the headlights taking on a more orange tint as it draws near. It comes to a stop alongside the Chevrolet, the silhouette of a driver, a man with hat, is barely visible.

As he shuts the engine off, he sits a moment, George tightens his grip on his revolver as Arthur keeps watch on his Remington. Then the man leans over to the passenger side, rolling down the window.

"You needing some help there?" a gravelly voice drifts out of the Ford, a hint of a lisp making the 's' sound more like 'shum.' Al snatches up the flashlight and strolls over, shining it in the man's face and is a little taken aback by what he sees.

Scars. Thin pale scars, ever so faint, threading up the man's creamy cheeks, beginning at the corners of his mouth and ending just under the rim of his Homburg hat.

"You needing some help?" the scarred man repeats. "I've fixed a car or two here and there. I could take a look-see."

"Yeah, yeah...sure." Al replies, studying the man's features, with his square jaw and intense round eyes.

This guy looks like he knows where some bodies are buried.

Al tenses as the driver side door pops open and the man emerges, revealing an incredibly tall frame in a sleek gray suit. Certainly taller than all of the men in their group.

In fact, he was a good foot taller than Al.

No matter. If this fellow pulled any funny business, they outnumbered him.

"Here," the man saunters over to the LaSalle, popping open the hood. He reaches his long arms in and begins tampering with the wires. Not long after there's a loud 'pop' sound and the engine roars back to life, taking a few minutes to struggle before running smoothly. Arthur gives a pleased nod of his head.

"Thanks mate!" He gives the man an enthusiastic pat on the back as Al looks relieved, exchanging glances with George.

"What's your name , my good sir?" George inquires.

"Robert. Robert Gray. Although folks 'round here call me Bob."

The man shuts the hood and returns to his car, before he removes his hat to give his scalp a quick scratch, revealing a shock of auburn.

"You folks needing a place to stay for the night? Something tells me you'd rather not be in a motel. Gotta place just a mile up the road. Nice and cozy," he gazes at Kitty and Marie. "The ladies can clean up. Sit by the fire, get warm. Maybe a hot meal."

Arthur looks at both George and Al, who in turn glance to Joe and Cal, with Patrick keeping his eyes on the strange man, sizing him up.

Something not right with that fella.

"I'm pretty knackered," Arthur whispers as he tilts closer to Al and George. "And if this chap thinks he's gonna pull something, we'll handle it. At any rate, we'd have a place to lay low. If he oversteps, we'll teach him a lesson."

"Looks like somebody already did." Al retorts before turning on his heel to face the man. "Alright. One night. We'll be outta your hair come morning."

"Great!" the man replies, grinning as he retreats back inside the Roadster. Patrick is watching the man from behind the foggy glass of the backseat window, brows knotting together as the man begins to drive ahead. Arthur, Al and George retreat back into the LaSalle and follow, with the Chevrolet right behind.

Patrick taps Joe on the shoulder. He grunts in response. "What's it now, Caudy?"

"That guy, he don't look right to me. Got a feelin' in my gut," Patrick says, keeping his dark eyes fixed ahead on the Roadster. "He's bad news, I can feel it."

"And if you're right, we'll put a bullet in his melon. No big deal. Guy seems kinda dopey to me anyhow," Joe says breezily as he chucks his cigar out the window. "Not really a threat. Doubt he's ever fired a gun in his life."

Patrick is not convinced. "You saw his face. He looks like a blind man tried to take a whack at him," he glances at Marie. "And I don't like how he was lookin' at her."

Joe chortles softly to himself. Doubt she'd mind it.

At this, point, both he and Cal had secret trysts with her behind Patrick's back. He suspected she'd also been fooling around with Arthur too. An assumption born out of her comment about his "sexy" Irish accent.

Funny, Patrick was suspicious of total strangers, but not the men he'd grown to call friends.

Maybe it's because he'd never had any before. His paranoia was off-putting but also what made him so kill crazy. Handsome to look at, but underneath was a volcano. Always ready to erupt at the slightest provocation.

Not tonight. Joe would see to that.

"Don't go pulling any of that shit. We don't wanna be drawing attention to ourselves here. Not in this hick place. You know these small towns. Everyone knows everyone. Just keep quiet. We don't need a repeat of Toledo."

Patrick had gone ballistic on a gas attendant he'd thought muttered some smart-ass comment under his breath. They'd sped out of there after Patrick splattered the man's brains along the smooth concrete with a single clean bullet to the temple.

Patrick sits back, roughly pulling Marie to him as Joe glances at the street sign; 29 Neibolt.

The Roadster parks in front of a large Victorian house. With the LaSalle and Chevrolet lining up right behind.

"Whoa," Cal mumbles as he peers around his brother to glimpse the place. "Seems this fella might have some serious dough."

"Looks like a dump to me." Joe replies, shutting off the engine and swinging open the door. He was not a man who was easily impressed and he'd robbed much more grander mansions than this in Danville.

"Kinda gammy looking." Arthur mutters to himself as he slides out the LaSalle.

Patrick steps out, followed by Marie, who looks dazzled, her hazel eyes wide and her ruby red lips breaking out in a smile. It was the style of house that had always struck her fancy.

"This place is gorgeous. Just look at that architecture! It's a palace!" she exclaims as she rushes ahead, making her way to the front porch, past sunflowers sprouting from the grassy front yard. Robert reaches down and plucks one, handing it to Marie.

"Sunflowers symbolize healing and good luck." he elucidates as she tucks it behind her ear. Patrick stands glaring as Joe touches his shoulder.

"Don't. It's harmless." he growls.

"Thank you. That's really very sweet, sir." Marie touches the flower.

"Sweets to the sweet, I say." Robert replies.

Patrick shakes Joe's hand off before he stalks towards the porch as everyone begins to pile into the home. As elegant inside as out, with a lovely red Victorian chaise lounge, matching camelback sofa and parlor chairs, each one sitting across from each other in front of the fireplace. The mantel boldly read 'Good Cheer, Good Friends.'

George smiles and playfully swats Robert's arm. "We're good friends now, eh, Bob?"

And friends help each other.

Too bad we don't have the means to clean this place out. The furniture would make a buck or two.

Robert merely smirks. A slow, deliberate smile as he looks at George. "Sure thing there. Why don't you all have a seat. I'll be right back."

"That's what my ex-wife said." Arthur quips as he collapses on a parlor chair, sprawling his legs out. It takes him a moment to notice; there's a fire now crackling inside. He stares at it, puzzlement blinking across his mien.

Huh, when did he do that? It wasn't going when we arrived and he didn't go near it...

No matter. Just enjoy it.

Kitty approaches the mantel, running her long shiny nails along little figurines of clowns, each made of delicate painted porcelain, juggling, balancing and one holding a bundle of red balloons.

"These are beautiful figurines." she says, tucking a tendril of sandy blonde behind her ear, bringing her blue irises closer to examine the fine details.

"Take one. Just throw it in your purse. Might as well." George blurts out. Kitty whirls around.

"We're his guests. He was kind enough to let us in here-"

"Come now, lass. Let's not pretend this bloke is an average citizen. You saw his face." Arthur offers, stretching his arms and folding his hands behind his skull, giving her an amused expression. "Looks to me like he may have been in a wee bit of trouble. He was probably acting the maggot and someone decided enough was enough. Could be a right eejit."

"Yeah," Al cradles his chin in his left fingers, massaging the dark stubble. "There's something...I gotta feeling he wouldn't rat us off. There's no way he wouldn't of recognized me, at least."

He's hiding something himself. Al could always sense them. His fellow ' bad seeds.' The people who ran in the gutters. The lowlifes. He could always pick them out.

The wanted posters were scattered across the midwest, plastered along buildings, hanging in post offices and police stations baring Al's face; wanted for bank robbery kidnapping and murder, with a reward of five-thousand dollars offered. He'd taken up with his old childhood friends the Conklin brothers Joe and Cal, who were small time, with but a few petty theft arrests between them. Patrick had killed a cop in Lafayette during their last raid and prior to that had just a few arrests for assault. He was a friend of Joe and Cal from their early gang days and they'd reconnected with him when Joe briefly did time for robbery, knocking off a small liquor store in Bloomington. He and Patrick had shared a cell.

As for Arthur Malloy, also known as 'Creeping Jesus' because he was nearsighted, he'd fled Ireland after killing a man he claimed insulted his dead sister who'd just passed away from tuberculosis. ("Kicked 'em square in the plums, then put a bullet in his brains, I did.")They'd met when Arthur was attempting to knock off the same liquor store as them and offered his LaSalle that he'd stolen as a getaway.

Patrick's girlfriend Marie Hauser had inadvertently joined the gang, initially trying to persuade him to leave, but soon became an active member. But her role was mostly cooking and washing linens, hence her much-despised nickname, "The washerwoman."

George's wife Kitty Donahue was another matter. She entered the gang enthusiastically and without hesitation, but Al has never so much as seen a gun in her hands. Not one for shooting, she'd say.

Patrick sits on the camelback, with Marie beside him, still happily fingering the sunflower. He glances up as Robert emerges, hat and coat discarded and hair combed back. He points towards the kitchen.

"This way," he says, gliding down the stairs. "Let's eat. Got some stew heating on the stove. Some wine on the table."

Arthur pauses as they all stand, the edges of his brows coming together in rumination.

When did he get that going?

Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he continues on with the others, with Kitty quickly swiping one of the figurines from the mantel and tucking it into her purse. The one with the balloons.

They all settle around the large rectangular mahogany-carved table with Robert dumping a hefty spoonful of a rather unappetizing red slop into each bowl. Patrick suddenly rises.

"Where's your bathroom?" he queries curtly.

Robert points. "Third door on the right."

Patrick darkly glances at Marie, then Robert before exiting. The murmuring of the group's voices fade as he stomps up the stairs, making his displeasure with the situation known. Of course, his real intention was to inspect this place. Make sure no one was hiding anywhere. He makes his way along the house's arteries, looking in various rooms, until he hears a door loudly creak. This makes him halt, glancing over his shoulder

The door to a room across from him is ajar, the lights inside faint, but enough to showcase what's inside.

Clown dolls.

Patrick charily begins to edge towards it, his boots stepping lightly as he sneaks up. He knew that man was strange. Something off about him. This could be an ambush. Nobody is this gracious. Not in his life experience. Everyone is always wanting something from you.

"Ah-ha!" he shouts, throwing open the door all the way and leaping in. He stands a moment, surveying the area with the clown dolls of all shapes and sizes along the wooden floor. Framed along the walls; more clowns of the sad crying variety.

"Jesus..." Patrick strolls over to the windows-also baring clowns-the circus-themed stained glass were partly obscured by thin brown cloths layered thick with dust.

Heh,heh.

Patrick spins around.

Who was that?

He reaches inside his coat and grips his Luger. "Hey, who's there?"

It had sounded like a man's voice inside the room with him, but before he could comprehend where a possible attacker could be hiding in here, he sees that the heads of the creepy dolls are now all turned towards him. Watching.

Whoosh.

The cloths covering the windows plunge to the floor and Patrick flinches as he turns to face the sound.

Hee!

Patrick does another turn around to face the clowns. That one sounded like a child. Specifically a girl coming from somewhere within the clutter of the room.

In that moment, Patrick feels something he hadn't felt in ages, since he was a boy running from his father's belt; fear. A powerful, overwhelming sense that he needed to leave this room now. The instinct to protect himself had kicked in.

He dashes towards the door, coming to a skidding stop before it slams shut. His breathing heavy, his heart hammering against the cavity of his chest.

Back in the kitchen, Patrick storms in, returning to his seat, sweat pearled along his large forehead. Marie touches his trembling hand.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, fine," he breathes, wild pupils directly on Robert. "Got a thing for clowns there, Bob?"

Robert slowly chews, staring back, before loudly swallowing. "Yes, sir. You could say that...I see you found my collection. "

"And it's a lovely one. I saw your figurines." Kitty interjects.

"Pretty fuckin' weird to me. A grown man..." Patrick grumbles. "What you hidin' in here?"

Robert sniffles, nibbling on his food. "Nothing, I assure you, Mr. Caudy-"

"Oh bullshit! What are you hidin'! What's in that room you freak!?" Patrick shouts as he stands, with Marie trying to subdue him and Joe mouthing curse words, when Kitty shrieking at the top of her lungs shatters the tension.

All eyes are drawn to her as she stares gaping at her spoon. "It's a finger!" she screams, holding it out for George to take a look. Upon inspecting it, he chuckles.

"It's a carrot honey." he pushes the vegetable slathered in red sauce around on the spoon.

"I swear, for a moment it looked just like a finger! A child's finger." Kitty pants, her palm clasped to her chest.

Patrick sinks back down to his chair, not taking his eyes off Robert, who chuckles.

"No fingers. Just an old family recipe, you could say."

"And what of your family Mr. Gray? Do you have a wife? Kids?" Marie chirps, trying to calmly rub Patrick's forearm. Robert considers a moment.

"No wife. No kids."

"Had to think about it huh?" Patrick cuts in. Joe gives him a swift kick to the shin under the table. Patrick glowers.

Unfazed, Robert continues, "I live alone. Just myself. Seems I've been alone for an eternity." he chortles that last line, as he sips his wine.

"I'd die from the loneliness." Marie replies.

"Nah, no one really dies in Derry." Robert says, to which an awkward silence falls over the table.

After a few beats of quiet. "So, uh, swinging bachelor huh?" George grins. "I kind of envy you..."

At this, Kitty scowls, gently, playfully swatting his arm. Al then stands, pushing his chair out. "Well, we best be getting to bed. We got an early start tomorrow." he announces.

Robert shows them to their rooms, pulling blankets from the closets for makeshift beds on the floors of the bedrooms to accommodate all of them, with Arthur opting to sleep downstairs on the camelback. Patrick keeps Marie locked in his sights as Robert bids them goodnight, shutting off the lights.

The house falls dark, with no sound, not even the thunder could be heard. Just deathly cold silence. As each member of the Bradley gang dozes off.

Patrick, having fallen asleep with troubled thoughts, realizing the man knew his surname when he'd not offered it, is soon awakened by a pair of hands on him. Small hands, shaking him violently.

"The Hell?" he mutters, wiping the sleepiness from his eyes as he looks up. Nothing there. He sits up, glancing at a slumbering Marie as he is pulled, almost hypnotically, to that odd clown room again. Almost as if waiting for him, the door swings open. Hearing the beckoning of a little girl's voice, not very audible before, but crystal clear now.

"Molly..." he whispers as he sees a miniature coffin now on display between the stained glass windows, the clown dolls forming a pathway as he approaches.. The door quietly shuts behind him as the coffin lid creaks open. He glances down at his hands, seeing he is now smaller, childlike, around twelve. The age he was when Molly drowned.

In her coffin, her eyes are closed, her face sweet. Her skin a pale blue and her brown ringlets held by pink ribbons. Sniffling, Patrick leans in to kiss her cheek. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you." he whimpers through stinging tears. As he hangs his head, Molly's eyes burst open and she draws in a sharp breath.

"Ah!" Patrick stumbles backwards as Molly bolts upwards scowling, mouth sneering in contempt.

"Sorry for what? Hitting me in the head with that rock and accidentally knocking me into the river or running off like a coward? You didn't even try to save me, you fucking wimp."

She steps out of the coffin and leaps to the ground as Patrick watches her features distort, growing more white, her lips redder. She spreads her arms out, grinning maniacally, her angelic voice now raspy and insidious.

"Beautiful fear." she grins as she runs at him, roaring as she displays quill-like teeth, growing taller, her brown locks turning orange, her frilly pink dress becoming a gray-white. The clown dolls hiss with laughter as Patrick is backed against the door, which suddenly opens and Marie is there, screaming as the Molly creature, now a lanky tall clown with a striped face, comes at them. Patrick, now an adult man again, staggers up, terror gripping every inch of his being as he slams the door, yanking Molly away.

In the next room, George, Al and Kitty are awakened by the screams, as Kitty flips on the bedside lamp, standing just before them is the banker, covered in blackened mud and slime, his jaw dangling as he reaches his dislocated right limb out towards them. A deep otherworldly moan emitting from his misshapen mouth.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Kitty screams hysterically as George and Al reach for their guns, finding they are unable to fire.

"What the Hell! My gun is jammed up!" Al yells as they scramble for the door. Thankfully the banker zombie was nowhere near their escape route and they dash out, meeting Marie and Patrick, both holding each other. The lights above them flicker off and on, with a hideous high-pitched giggle echoing through the walls as Joe and Cal burst from their room, both looking pale.

As if they'd seen a ghost.

"That gas station worker Patrick iced? He's in our fucking room! Looking like he crawled straight outta his grave!" Cal yells.

Just then, they hear Arthur shouting. They all make their way downstairs, where Arthur is in the kitchen, his scrawny frame cowering against the wall, yelling as he points at a large boiling pot on the stove.

"I woke up and heard someone in the kitchen then I-I saw..." he stutters as he points a shaky finger at the pot. George steps over and gags at what he sees.

A head. Too disintegrated to tell the gender or age, boiling in blood. The sight and smell of rotting flesh sends George gagging and choking as he falls backwards, covering his mouth.

"Jesus fuck!"

"What is it?" Kitty demands.

"Never mind." George coughs.

Huddled together, they run towards the front door, The lights still flashing, the ugly laugh still reverberating. They all jump into their cars and by the grace of God, the LaSalle starts, engine blaring as they speed away. Some only barely clothed, with Marie wrapped in Patrick's coat that she often slept in to keep warm.

As dawn bleeds through the sky and the gang take refuge in a nearby farmhouse, the extra clothes and guns in the trunks of the cars coming in handy, The women take a calming trip to Freese's with Patrick in tow while the rest of the men went to Machen's Sporting Goods to order some more supplies. Lal, the owner, recognized Al immediately, despite the fake name he'd given; Richard D. Rader, and informed some of his buddies that he was expecting Al Bradley at two in the afternoon the day after tomorrow and just as the LaSalle and Chevrolet came into view on Main Street, the gang of Derry residents, armed to the teeth, opened fire.

As the shoot-out ensues, Biff Marlow, one of the gunmen, spies a scar-faced man in a gray suit with a sunflower tucked in the left breast pocket firing a Remington along with them. In fact, all the gunmen had spotted this complete stranger. They all figured he was an outsider wanting to join the party. Afterwards, as the bodies of the notorious Bradley Gang were on display in the bullet-ridden Chevrolet and LaSalle, Marlow watches as the man strolls away, whistling, one hand cradling the Remington on his shoulder, the other in his pocket.

Marlow could never be certain, and it bothered him for years after. Something he related to his drinking buddies while reminiscing about the killings. He could have sworn that, despite the bright sunlight, the stranger didn't cast any shadow.

No shadow at all.

[srprincess]

Hey look, it’s me! Still on my bullshit!

Chapter 18 of the Spookydoo Au

Fictober (Hahaha remember October? We used to leave our houses back then) Prompt 20 - “you could talk about it, you know”

Shitty breathlessly made his way back to the group and handed the, now handily dog attached, leash over to Lardo. “Haven’t fuckin’ run like that in years,” he managed to huff out as he leaned against the building, hunched over.

She smirked, “Maybe next time you'll go running with me when I ask.”

“Not likely,” Shitty told her with a wheezing laugh. He tilted his head toward the dog. “Next time he bolts I’ll let you can chase after him though.”

“You’re too kind.”

“I assume this is Sammy?” Will squatted down to dog level and held out his hand for inspection before giving the wild haired dog some pats, and getting an enthusiastic face lick in return. Laughing he told the dog, “nice to meet you, little fella.” He wasn’t sure, but he thought he might have heard Nursey mutter about it being a nicer welcome than the one he had gotten.

“That's what we're calling him right now,” Lardo told Will, while she gave the dog a couple of scritches behind the neck. “Had to call him something, and he didn’t have any tags, so-”

“-Figured, Samwell crew trip- Sammy,” Shitty explained, breath thankfully returned.

“I like it,” Nursey said, sneaking his hands in for a couple of pets of his own and asking the happy dog, “Is Sammy a good boy? Oh yes, he is.”

“You and your nicknames.” Will shook his head fondly. “So you just got him? Unconventional souvenir, I’d say.”

“Well, he’s not actually, technically, ours,” Shitty admitted.

Will looked from the dog, with his shiny new collar and leash, back to Shitty and Lardo. He pulled himself back upright, suddenly suspicious. “You didn't steal him, did you? Please tell me you didn’t just make me an accomplice to dognapping.”

“No! Not stolen, found,” Lardo rushed to assure him.

“Rescued even,” Shitty insisted.

“When did you two have time to rescue a dog? We just saw you last night.”

“You know how we were at the cemetery, right? Well, we weren’t getting anything there, even looking in the right spot, so we wandered around a little more and there he was. Hanging around to edges of the trees, a little spooked but I think he was hungry enough not to run. We stayed longer to lure him out-“

“-earn his trust!”

“Yeah, Shitty, earn his trust,” Lardo agreed. “And then this morning we took him into-“

“-Petcetera.” Will finished, as things clicked into place. “I did hear something about you two being over there earlier.”

Of course. That explained the phone call that morning. He had been fishing, Will frowned at the pun even though it was hidden silent in his own head, to see if he could take off and leave the dog handling situation to someone else. At least he had called before taking off for his own fun, but still. He couldn't have just been upfront about it? Said why exactly he was calling? Maybe ask if he'd mind handling this for him? Ugh.  

It was probably for the best he didn't hang around that guy much anymore because the next time he saw him he was going to have to murder him.

Okay, maybe not murder. Murder was messy. Also incredibly illegal.

Sink his boat? Hmmm. No. Less messy, slightly, but still illegal.

Let it drop to his mother about how he heard her son was sneaking around with that girl from the island again? Oh. Yes. That would do. Almost guarantee a talking to at their next family dinner. Sweet revenge for duty shirking.

Will knew that his own mother would have said eavesdropping wasn't something to be proud of, but damned if it didn't come in handy on occasion.

Oblivious to the vengeful thoughts racing through Will’s mind, Lardo went on, “Yeah, Petcetera, you know it? The waitress when we stopped for breakfast said it was the best place to try and find his owner.”

“The only place really.” Will told her. “That's our vet, animal control, adoption, and pet supply store all in one. Used to be run by Old Owen, but he passed it on to the younger a few years back.”

“Makes it easy I guess, keeping everything together. Anyway, no chip but he was going to check around. See if anyone is missing him or find him a family. Owen’s supposed to get back to us in a couple hours so we can drop him off either way.”

Will blew out a breath as he pulled himself back to standing. “About that...I can almost guarantee he’d already run through all his guesses about who this little guy belonged to before you even left the shop. He is animal central after all.”

“Maybe he was just waiting to find a place for him then?”

“Or he already found one.”

“Then why-” She looked at him with confusion, and checked her phone screen. “He hasn't called yet. You think we should go back over there?”

“No point, he was headed out fishing.” Will sighed, “probably can’t even see him from shore by now.”

“But if he found a place-” he could see when it clicked in her head, even before Lardo said, “Oh. You’re saying us. He found us.”

“Yep.”

“So he just fucked off?!” Shitty asked. “Who does that?”

“Owen.” Will deadpanned.

 “Look, in general, he means well. He cares about the animals. Tries his best, usually. If he didn’t, then the business wouldn't have been passed to him. It's just, sometimes,” Will shrugged, “I don't like to be mean or speak ill, but-”

“Really,” Nursey scoffed, “you don’t like to ’speak ill’? Huh, could have fooled me.”

“Ha-ha funny.” At least Will hoped he was joking. Regardless he had to admit facts. “Fine, Owen’s kind of a flake. He’s been an expert at accomplishing the most while doing the least ever since we were in school. He is good people though. He wouldn't have left the dog if he wasn't sure that he would be taken care of. Assuming that's the reason for the call to me.”

“So, just like that, we have a dog now?”

Shitty looked at her, seeming excited at the possibility of them keeping the dog. Lardo didn't seem entirely against it, as evidenced by the frequent pats and scratches, but did have a look of someone on the edge of overwhelmed at the idea. Not quite sold. Yet.

“You could talk about it, you know?” Will told them. “You’ve still got, what, another day or two here? Take some time to think about it, talk it over. Either way, it’s up to you. And don’t worry, even if you want to leave Sammy here when you go, I’ll make sure he finds a home and is taken care of.”

 Shitty and Lardo looked at each other.

“It’s not like we planned on getting a dog anytime soon-”

“But we didn't plan not to either-”

“You did spend all that time earning drawing him in last night-”

“And you always say it gets lonely at the house when I'm working so long.”

As if he knew they were talking about him, Sammy sat back and wagged his tail. Like he was trying to look his absolute cutest, turning his head back and forth and panting, as they discussed his fate.

“We do have a decent size yard-”

“Big empty yard, that we're doing fuck all with.”

“Truth. Could be nice-”

“Coming home to this cute little happy face?“ Shitty stooped down to the dog’s level and looked up at her hopefully.

“Yours or the dogs?”

Shitty smiled wide up at her, “Both, of course!”

 “I meant what I said, don't let this pressure you. Either way, I’m going to have some words with Owen. If you need longer to think about it, I can-” Will started to offer again.

He wasn’t particularly looking for a pet, content to throw the odd stick across the beach for any loose dogs that escaped for a run. All the fun, none of the responsibility. He just wanted to make sure they didn't take on something they'd regret, most people had more time to work up to and decide on this kind of commitment. Then he saw Lardo and Shitty look down at Sammy one more time before smiling at each other, and he knew the decision was made.

“You want to come home with us little dude?”

Sammy hopped eagerly between them, and just like that it was settled.

“Congrats,” Will told them, “looks like you two just got a new dog.”

“For better or worse,” Lardo laughed out.

 She made sure Shitty had hold of the leash and then turned to Nursey. “Need to borrow you real quick.”

“Oh. Just let me-”

“Now.” She dragged a wide eyed Nursey away by the arm. She started before they were quite out of earshot, “You two? That looked very, well, I hope I didn't interrupt anything.”

Nursey ducked his head down before answering, which had the unfortunate side effect of muffling his voice, and then they were too far for eavesdropping.  

Will sighed, hoping he wasn't in for an interrogation of his own, but Shitty seemed happy to go on about the dog. How the pup had been shivering and scared when they found it, but a bag of his favorite jerky - a worthy sacrifice - was enough to bring him in.

“Think the tent might be lost cause though, some things you just can't clean out. Bitty’s gonna freak. Thing’s green couch bad, bro.”

Will nodded, like he had any idea what Shitty meant by that.

 A few minutes had passed and then Nursey walked back with Lardo, Will tried to catch his eye. He wished for the psychic ability to find out what she had asked him. And know what the reply had been. But he wasn't a mind reader and all Nursey did was smile. Well, at least he still looked happy, not any worse for the wear, so that was likely good. Almost reassuring, he told himself.

 “You tell him?” Shitty asked Lardo. She looked back, lost, and he added, “About Chow?”

“Nah,” Nursey answered for her. “Holster called earlier though. Said Chowder, ummm, got called into work early. Jack and Bits running them to the airport?”

“Yeah, Chowder and Farmer said to give their goodbyes and they'd see everyone at the-” Shitty faltered, “uh, conference? In October. You're still planning on going, right?”

“Course I’m going. Cait’ll be there too?”

“Should be, said she'd try her best at least.”

“Nice,” Nursey said. “So, no car?”

“Not for a couple hours, after lunch at earliest.” Lardo told him.

Will pushed back his questions about what sort of conference would have all their varying jobs called together, and instead offered up his truck to run them wherever.

“Your place again?” she asked. “Ransom said he had somethings to show you. Could get him and Holster over too.”

“Yeah? Sure, why not.” Will told her as she was already dialing.

“Tell them to grab Sammy’s food from the room,” Shitty said, leaning over her. “And us food. Sandwiches!”

“From that place by the pier!” Nurse loudly added. “With the peppers and-”

“Could you let me-” Lardo huffed, as she shoved them aside to get some quiet to finish the call.

Will looked at Nursey in disbelief. “Hungry already? You, literally, just rejected muffins.” He gestured at their, now cleared, table.

“Wasn’t muffin hungry. But sandwiches though.”

“Whatever.” Will rolled his eyes. “Think they could grab a club for me too then?”

“Hmmm maybe. I don't know if they should. You literally just rejected a muffin.”

“Oh, fuck you.” Will shoved him lightly. “Shut up and get in the truck.”  

To Lardo, Shitty, and by extension Sammy, he said “You guys-”

“In the back, got it.” Shitty offered Lardo a hand, but she had hung up and was pulling herself up and over the gate already. Sammy quickly followed over with an excited bark and a leap, and they were off.

[thejosh1980]

Update #21 – 1 week at “The Ocean Shores Resort”

Update #21 – 1 week at “The Ocean Shores Resort”

A week ago we left quarantine in Adelaide!!!

It's been another week of mixed emotions, but I have to say, for the first time in months, they've been mostly on the positive side of things.

Last Tuesday, we left the hotel without too much hassle. They'd given us a basic breakfast the night before to have first thing and they called us down early; luckily we were ready and down the stairs we went. Before you know it, we were in the hotel reception taking our masks off!

Adelaide and South Australia are COVID free, so no masks, no problems.

The checkout was quick (the big bill comes in a few weeks!!), the staff were awesome and the police informative. They all understand that quarantine is not easy on anyone, and they were patient with our questions and worries. We had won the jackpot of quarantine hotels: Pullman Adelaide and the staff helped make our stay tolerable.

Jumped in a taxi (with masks on cause we really weren't sure yet how to behave in the outside world) and off to the airport. We had to leave the hotel by 07:30, because another bus of incoming “Covicts” were coming in that morning. Our flight was at 11:50 up to Brisbane, so it was yet another waiting game to check in and fly. But first... coffee! (we actually bought a coffee from a coffee shop! Amazing!! It's the small things...).

The flight was about about 2/3's full, no masks.

Landing in Brisbane we had to do a border check, show our papers, explain where we had been and all that. The check was there to stop anyone who may have COVID from coming in without quarantining. Each State has slightly different rules, and they do change from time to time, depending on hotspots and COVID numbers. Because the flight was from Adelaide and we left the hotel directly to the airport, we made sure we had no problems entering Brisbane (Queensland). We definitely didn't want any chance of another 14 day hotel stay!!!

Our original plan was to fly into the Gold Coast airport, which is only about 35 minutes from Mum, but there were no flights on our leaving day, so we had to fly into Brisbane (which is 2 hours from Mum's). My cousin picked us up (bloody legend!). We were hungry, and we went directly to Yatala pies. This was the moment I started to realize we were almost home. The taste of home! (Yatala Pies is a well known bakery south of Brisbane, a regular stop for many).

My cousin could drive us as far as the QLD/NSW border. Once there, we walked across the border and Dave picked us up on the other side. A little complicated, but sure enough, the plan worked.

The whole experience felt like something out of the movies. Not that it was all “Hollywood”. It was more like: I can't believe this is finally happening. I wasn't really in the moment. Yet.

As we were getting close to “The Ocean Shores Resort” (which is the name we have for my Mum's house) I still didn't feel calm...

Anyhow, we arrived, and if you've seen our IG or FB Story on the day, you'd know that when I knocked on the front door, we had actually surprised Mum (a little early), and she couldn't find the front door key to let us in!! So our reunion started off with a scream and eventually a laugh!!

Mum did cry, but we all expected her to cry more... ;) Honestly, I think we both had cried too much the past 2 months, it was no longer needed. It was all about joy and happiness.

After meeting and hugging Alex (some more tears) we entered the house to find Mum had a “welcome home” sign and our picture up on the walls (lots of me and Alex, can't go wrong with that!!).

It was surreal.

A quick house tour for Alex and we settled down. Lots of chatting and catching up to do, and a roast dinner!

We'd made it.

The next morning (Wednesday), a son's work is never done and I was up early to take Mum to school. She's part of the support unit inside the primary school, working with kids with Autism.

Even though her eyesight is deteriorating, Mum can still work. Driving a car; that's out of the question. Reading the “use by date” on a packet of chips is almost impossible. Keeping an eye on children in the playground, developing their social skills or helping them with their school work (considering the text is usually quite large and the pictures bold) Mum can still do really well.

I've learnt she has figured out ways to cope with her eyes. She has a great memory, so once she's told something, she can remember it really well (like recipes for cooking etc). She's still a keen bargain hunter when it comes to shopping. I enjoy learning that she's kept her life as close to “normal” as possible, making small changes to the bigger things to keep her independence.

But it's those small things that are hard to do alone, which is why I'm here...

After dropping Mum off, Alex and I spent the morning of our first full day in Brunswick Heads. This is the town I lived in from the mid 80's until late 90's. I went to primary school here, learned to surf here, and know the old names of the shops (the hair dressers is now a surf shop, the butcher's is a cafe, the ice cream shop is a real estate agent and the bank has recently closed). Lots of changes for me, lots of new things for Alex.

We also went down to the beach, the south wall of the Brunswick River, where the river meets the ocean. We watched some waves. Taking in the salt air (I don't think I ever realized how salty the air is here until now).

It was a relaxing day.

But I still wasn't quite “here” in my head and heart. Leaving Dresden back in July, only to be delayed for 7 weeks, then another 2 weeks in quarantine, was going to take sometime to overcome.

Time to pick up Mum from school... Home... Unpack a little, dinner, chatting and a little TV.

Thursday morning, it was time for another radio interview. To finish off the 3 part story with ABC North Coast Radio I did another live interview with Joanne Shoebridge. I'm always nervous doing these kinds of things, even though in the music world, I've had to do interviews, they were never quite as personal as this.

After we dropped Mum off at school Thursday morning, we drove up to the Cape Byron Lighthouse and luckily got a park up close to the top.

I wanted to introduce Alex to the area as much as I could, without overwhelming her. Brunswick Heads, Ocean Shores, Mullumbimby and Byron Bay all played a big part of my childhood, and I wanted her to at least know these villages a little bit as early as possible. We'd covered Brunswick Heads and Ocean Shores a little, so now it was time for Byron Bay.

Bring on the whale watching!!

Within minutes of leaving the car, we could see whales jumping out and swimming around the cape. It was a wonderful morning. I'm so glad Alex got to see them (in fact I can't remember the last time I saw whales so close to the shore). They migrate each year around September/October, so it was perfect timing.

It was a special day for Alex...

The sun was shining, the whales were in plain sight and the tourists were kind enough to stay away from Byron Bay. COVID does have its benefits. Fewer people in these tourist spots isn't always bad (although I am quite aware the economy is suffering. The borders are opening up next week and it'll be very busy then).

Back into Ocean Shores, picked up Mum from school. Home... Dinner.. Chatting... Some TV...

Friday was the first day we had to do “stuff” in regards to living here permanently, and that was banking. So after dropping mum off at work, we drove into Mullumbimby “The Biggest Little Town In Australia”. I went to high school here.

Basically Brunswick Heads and Mullumbimby are like Neustadt in Dresden. You can't walk down the street without seeing someone you know, stopping and chatting. It happened in Brunz the other day, I literally parked my car, and lo and behold an old high school friend came out of the video store to say hi... Or in Mullum, as we arrive at the bank I see an old friend who used to teach me rock n roll dancing (yeah, I can still cut a rug)... and even inside the bank, I said hi to a fella from my high school year, we hadn't seen each other since 1997.

It's a small world...

The banking took a bit longer than expected, after much back and forward we settled on our new bank accounts and how to arrange things going forward. While I've had an account here since I was very very young, I cancelled most of my stuff when I left in 2002, so now it was time to set up shop again, especially since I had my wife with me and we have a future to work towards...

We walked the street of Mullum, grabbed a coffee and we let the country hippy vibe soak in. Alex commented on how many folks don't wear shoes here and she can't believe how many new coffee shops there are for her to try (there's a lot more than when I was a kid).

Picked up Mum from school... School holidays for 2 weeks! Yippeee!!

Home... Dinner... Chatting... some TV...

Over the weekend we sorted out things around the house. Set up better internet Wifi around the house, the pool is in good condition after the winter sleep, cupboards got cleaned out and we unpacked and the car was washed (first time I've hand washed a car in over a decade!).

Sunday I watched Mark's live stream (from his front porch in upstate New York) and I felt inspired (he does that to me). So I am considering live streaming next week. I have a guitar and good internet, so why not? I just have to find time to practice ;) I'm thinking net Sunday evening here, which would be Sunday lunch time in Germany. If I don't get to it this Sunday, then maybe next Sunday... I'll keep you posted.

Overall the weather has been warm, often over 20 degrees. But the mornings are still quite chilly, with frosty dew on the golf course out back. It's not bad for coming out of winter...

Today, Monday, we went “up the coast”, to Tweed Heads.

First thing we tried to exchange my German license for a mandatory NSW (State) license, unfortunately I gotta wait for some back checks, no idea what I did 19 years ago in Melbourne, but they wanna check it out. So onwards to shopping...

Yes!!! We bought a coffee machine! Finally we can wake and with a press of a button get ourselves a cup of joe. It's the small things....

Helped mum with the grocery shopping. She knows her stuff. She knows where everything is in every shop, but sometimes she just needs me to reassure her what is actually written on the box or package!!!

So that's basically our first week...

We are settling in well. Alex and Mum get on like a house on fire. I often can't get a word in edgewise and I'm always outvoted!

I still miss Germany and I still miss Europe... (I always will). I miss a lot of the “past life”, but that's just cause Australia has moved on without me these past 18 years. Each day here I get a little closer to that homey feeling I used to have as a teenager (when I didn't know better).

In hindsight, the past 3 months wasn't too bad... We survived... But that's easy to say now...

When we were in the middle of it, it was really tough.

It was really hard packing up our lives into boxes. It was emotionally draining saying goodbye after goodbye to our wonderful friends. Playing my goodbye show was one of the musical highlights of my life, even if it was one of the saddest.

Then we were ready to leave...

As you all know, that didn't go according to plan.

That's when the really bad feelings crept in. You know it's one thing to know you gotta pack up and say goodbye to leave (you are prepared for that)... It's another when you're ready and the world says “nope, not yet”... and again and again that build up and let down was happening, and until the last 2 weeks in Germany, we had no idea why!

As some of you know, I'm not really good at spontaneity. I'm not good when the plan changes... It was tough... But...

When we took control of the situation and booked new flights, it helped a lot. We were back in control.

Quarantine was a difficult time, it got a little dark there. It brought with it, it's own set of challenges and a steep learning curve. I, for one, learnt a lot about pressure. I put too much pressure on myself. Since we arrived here, I have tried my best to relax more, in my own way at least. My to do lists are shorter...

Alex and I had already figured out how to survive the German lockdown, the packing up of our lives and clearing out the apartment. Then we had 2 months at her parents stuck in “limbo” and then 2 weeks stuck in a room together. Our marriage is really new, and we survived that without any damage to our relationship. Sure, we both have a few personal scars, but nothing a little love and tenderness wont fix. I'm proud of her, Alex has a lot of patience for me!

I'm really happy I am here to help Mum each day. Those small things will slowly become bigger things, but for now, it's great to be able to do “stuff” with her. That was always the plan, to be here in time, before things got really bad.

We've been posting often on our IG and FB stories, so I hope folks have seen the day to day happenings. I'm sure we'll continue with that, keeping you up to date visually.

I think I'll end these FB journals here, and switch over to Tumblr full time. The idea being that if you'd like to continue to read these long “new life” chronicles, I'll still post a link here when I do update there... Confused? Me too! ;)

Thanks everyone for your messages of support and love. We are very lucky, we have the best friends.... You guys rock! You're awesome! We love you.

Love

Josh and @dauntlesscoffee

[paging-dr-bowen]

Tips for Interview Season

Congratulations on your invitation to interview at the residency programs of your dreams! The time period between submitting your ERAS and awaiting your first invitation to interview is nerve wrecking.  You might get bombarded with a couple rejection letters in the first few days (some programs even make errors by sending their rejection letters 3-4 times…like okay okay I get it it’s not you…it’s me…haha but don’t get discouraged your perfect match is still out there).  But what do you do before this time period? Here are some tips below:

1. ERAS photo – This is most likely your first business headshot ever. Or at least it was for me. Go to a photo studio like J.C. Penny (they have affordable Group On deals for $20 and under for a couple headshots) or grab a friend with a decent camera and some good lighting. Photo should show a welcoming smile (this is not a mugshot or a passport photo).  Attire should be simple, no distracting patterns or jewelry.  Think grays, blues, blacks, and calm pastels.  For men I’ve noticed a tie is a must. For women a blouse or a button up is fine, no cleavage.  Wear your hair how you will wear it during interviews because they will use the photo to reference you. Hair up or down is fine just keep it neat. I wore my hair in braids/twists and wore it loose and to the side.  Background of the photo should be a neutral color, try to avoid white. 2. Interview attire – Focusing on the ladies for this one, fellas interview attire is pretty standard across the board (business suit and business shoes). Aim to get about 3 outfits to cycle between especially for those weeks you have multiple interviews.  Pants suits and skirt suits or a dress and a blazer are the go-to outfits.  If opting for a dress or skirt length should at least be to the knees when sitting and wear nude/black stockings. Colors you should aim for a navy blue, gray, black and I even saw a candidate in a really nice forest green pant suit.  The idea is to get neutral colors and offset it with a nice pop of color that isn’t too distracting.  Limit the jewelry to simple pieces (stud earring and a simple necklace is fine, avoid bangles and bracelets that make noise).  Comfortable shoes are a must, I bought a 1.5inch closed toed-pumps and half way through interview season I resorted to just wearing my business everyday flats I wear on my clinical rotations from Clarks (got a lot of compliments too…I’m just like this old thang?). Just like your ERAS photo, wear your hair up or down is fine, just keep it neat.  Nice companies to buy clothing from are Ann Taylor Loft, Express, Banana Republic, Macy’s, Gap etc. You can bring a leather portfolio or a simple black leather tote (small to medium) to store a note pad, pen and a bottle of water and any other essentials like your wallet. For outerwear, a nice pea coat or trench coat pairs well with business attire.  Don’t over think it, most of the program directors I encountered have said they don’t really care about your attire so don’t break the bank on your medical school income (non-existent) but just put yourself together nicely.

3. Work on your elevator pitch. School?  Hometown? What is your passion within medicine? Why do you want the field you’re applying to? What are you looking for in a residency program (all the curriculums look generally the same due to AAMC requirements but what additional factors are important to you – is it location? Close to home? On-call hours? Specific elective opportunities? Why would they want you? Having a concise statement to answer all of these questions in a minute or less in a way that doesn’t sound scripted will prepare you for interviews as well as networking opportunities outside of your interviews. 4. Homework to do before your interview: Know the resident profiles of the residency – read about their values, experiences and interests to see how you’d fit in.  Re-read your personal statement if it might have been a while since you read it.  Re-read your CV you submitted on ERAS to make sure you remember every activity or research you inclluded in case it is a conversation piece. Do some research on the faculty and the program director that will be interviewing you (think of it as the equivalence to some light facebook stalking…you wouldn’t reiterate all their accolades but it’s nice to know to causally drop in a conversation when you have nothing to talk about so you can get them talking about theirselves) 5. What do they ask you on interviews? Anything …really. The most common questions I was asked in every interview were: Tell me about yourself. Why do you want to be a ____doctor? Why our program? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are your career plans for after residency?  Beyond these questions it was really casual conversation.  The number one question you are guaranteed to be asked a million times are: Do YoU hAvE aNy QuEsTiOnS fOr Me? …you might want to say no but please don’t.  Before your interview you should review the program’s website and make note of things you’d like to ask questions about.  If you think you know there is everything to know about this program you can restate facts about the program you love and ask them to elaborate further or just simply try your best to form a question…it shows interest (they say it’s okay if you don’t have any but please try to have 1 or 2).  You are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you. 6. How will your interview day be structured? Most programs send you an itinerary the week or a few days before the interview telling you how long each portion is and with whom.  If they don’t, you can request it politely but you still might not get it until the day of the interview (which sucks because you can’t do your research on your interviewers but it’s okay). On average interviews can range from 15minutes-30 minutes per interview and you can get anywhere from 3-5 or more of those per day.  Interview day is long but you will get used to it. At some point there will be a tour of the hospital given by a resident (this is where comfy shoes come in handy).  After a while you’ll be over seeing another hospital because let’s be honest every ICU looks the same for the most part but your job is to stay tuned in and again…ask questions because the hospital tour is an interview just like everything else during the day.  Be friendly and get to know the other candidates, you might make friendships that last beyond interview day and who knows you might end up at the same program.  The programs are also taking note of how you interact with people and whether or not you’re a good fit for their program. 7. So its October/November and I still haven’t heard from the program of my dreams rejecting me or inviting me to an interview. Or maybe I haven’t heard from any programs at all? Here’s where a polite letter of intent comes in handy. Some programs use filters to help them sift through the thousands of applications they get. You might have been lost by the filter. Send a letter of intent and make it as personalized as possible to the programs you haven’t heard from stating why you think you’d be a great fit for their program and what you love about their program and if they would review your application for an interview.  Late November, I haven’t heard back from one of the programs I desired and I sent them an email and was offered an interview a few days later. So I can say it definitely is worth doing. 8. Expenses.  Interview season is expensive. You may need to take out extra in your student loans than you do usually. Things that will cost you extra money are the ERAS application fee which increases the more programs you apply to, gas for your car for interviews you drive to,  Uber/Lyft or other rideshare, air fare for interviews you may have to fly to, hotels for overnight stays that aren’t covered by the residency program (I lucked out because Family Medicine programs on average love to wine and dine us and reserved nice hotels for me to stay in free of charge ).  My entire interview season costed me about $6,000.  The AAMC estimates that for students the range is anywhere from $3,000-$7,000.  It varies depending on how many interviews are local or how many programs you applied to.  Sooo much money I know…but if it makes you feel better you get free lunch on interview day and even a three course dinner if you opt to go to the “optional” pre-interview social the night before (Take advantage). You might also be visiting a new town or city, if you can explore the area a bit before going home it’s a nice mini trip and way to see if you could imagine yourself living there for the next 3+ years. 9. Pre-interview dinner – is it optional? It is but if you can go, I’d say go.  It’s a nice chance to get to know some of the residents outside of work without the faculty around. You also get to eat like a king on someone else’s dime. They won’t scrutinize you for not going but it does look nice if you went. If you do go, don’t just sit there and eat, please be social because although the residents say its casual…your impressions do matter. 10. Cancelling interviews. If you have been blessed with a decent amount of interviews and you can confidently say you are at a comfortable amount with all the programs you desire going to scheduled then by all means cancel.  Cancel as early as you can so it leaves room for other applicants who may have wanted to interview there to accept the offer.  Generally, 1 week to a month in advance is preferred.  Be polite when doing so because it does reflect on your school. 10 interviews scheduled is the average comfort zone (so they say).  I was paranoid and went on way more interviews beyond that because I wanted to be sure of my choice in the end.  I’m happy I did that because if I were to cancel interviews without going to see the program in person I’m sure I’d miss out.  On that same note, don’t be afraid to reject interview offers from places you know you absolutely would not want to end up (this may happen if you applied broadly just to have some options) – only do this if you have a decent amount of interviews scheduled. 11. What do I do after interview day? Most programs will say do not reach out with a thank you note. If they don’t say this you are free to send a thank you note if you wish. I did not send any thank you notes and I don’t believe it negatively affected me.  Interview season is very busy for the program coordinators scheduling interviews…they don’t need to read my generic thank you note/email that I will be sending to every program.  However, if I did have a question that wasn’t answered on interview day I would go ahead and reach out. 12. How do I make my Rank Order List? Only rank programs you interviewed at because only those programs have a chance at ranking you.  Only rank programs you would like to end up at. Rank them in the order of YOUR preference not how you think they might like you.  Go with your gut. I advise you send  a letter of intent as you make your Rank List to the program directors of perhaps your top 5 programs.  I sent a letter to my number one program telling them I will be ranking them number 1.  To programs #2-5 I told them I was ranking them highly.  You might not get any response (that’s okay), Match rules say programs can’t tell you they’re ranking you and they can’t ask you if you’re ranking them but there aren’t any rules against you volunteering the information.  Be careful of wording, I would NOT tell my number 2 program that I am ranking them number 2 (no one wants to hear that).  Make sure to tell them what you love about their program as well and why you’d be a great fit. 13. How will I know if I will match? You don’t. You may have feelings. Programs might tell you they think you’d be a great fit. You might get a post card or a letter from programs or a phone call follow up. They might hint and nudge and wink at you. With all this being said…you still don’t know for sure what the outcome of Match Day will be.  All you can do is hope, pray and have faith that the feelings you got from those interactions are genuine.

[tyrannysaurusfloof]

Happy Antiversary

--

Anti hadn’t been expecting much. A cake maybe, candles and perhaps a few crates of alcohol, a pat on the back from some of the egos that weren’t afraid of him, but nothing big and brash.

He would have liked it, but he wasn’t expecting it.

So, when he woke up and was barely even acknowledged by the other egos, Anti tried to hide his annoyance. He told jokes, he hinted, he did everything he could to see if the others actually knew what day it was, but none of them seemed to catch on, and Anti was left feeling ridiculous for even getting his hopes up.

The anniversary of an ego appearing on Jack’s channel was supposed to be special. It was supposed to be celebrated, but not one of the other Septic egos even mentioned it to Anti. No congratulations, welcome to the world, oh hey it’s been a year since you arrived that’s awesome.

Just silence.

What made it worse was Angus was gone.

Whenever the Survival Hunter received a call from someone, anyone, from a video game world he would go, opening the dimension between worlds and stepping through like it was nothing. Anti loathed the power, but also craved it. If he had it right now, he could step through the dimensions and find Angus, wring his neck for leaving on such an important day, and then apologise.

Not that Angus would have known. He wasn’t around when Anti first came into being after all, trapped somewhere doing his thing, but the glitch had been dropping hint after hint hoping that the ego would realise that October 10th was an important date for him. And still, the Hunter had gone.

It was his job, Anti told himself.

People need him, he’d mentally scream.

Well so do I, his brain would reply.

The day was drawing to a close and Anti was angry and on edge. No one had said anything to him, and he tried not to care but the other egos had had cake and parties and even presents, all in stereotypical anniversary fashion. Anti wanted that. He wanted to be involved.

He was moping on the bed when he heard the door open slowly. Anti didn’t even look up to see who had entered. It could have been Dark for all Anti cared, and the grey skinned ego’s appearances were few and far between.

“Oh look mates, I’ve spotted a wild Antisepticeye.” A voice began talking softly and Anti went stiff. “This beaut is dangerous in the wild, and even more so when cooped up inside, but if I can just get up the right side of him and stroke him just right…he’ll hopefully relax.”

“Shut it Angus.” Anti growled playfully, his bad mood fading as the brown-haired ego popped up at the side of the bed. He had dirt smudged on his cheeks, plasters on his fingers and a bandage on one hand but otherwise didn’t seem too worse for wear. With one hand behind his back, he was clearly hiding something, but Anti was just glad he was back. “Where’d you go this time?” He asked, sitting up and sliding over so Angus could climb onto the bed.

“Rook Island.” Angus shrugged, “Get a lot of calls from the locals there, not surprising considering all the wildlife, and people post messages for me on my local board. Feel like I need to keep checking back.”

Anti hummed in response.

“I may have brought you a little something.” Angus continued with a sly grin, “I heard it was someone’s Antiversary today.”

The pun was terrible but music to Anti’s ears and he couldn’t help but laugh as Angus pulled a big bouquet of flowers – all found on Rook Island and all with the abilities to scare away certain predators he would claim – to hand to Anti.

“Happy Anniversary of your arrival, Anti. It’s good to have you here.” The Hunter grinned, leaning in and kissing Anti gently on the cheek. “Are you totally full on cake?”

“No.” Anti mumbled, “No one else remembered.”

“Course they didn’t Anti, you don’t exactly share. Besides, I know for a fact those fellas out there think your anniversary is All Hallows Eve, since you fully appeared then. So don’t take it so personally, you dingbat, they’re probably planning something for then.” Angus laughed as he spoke, and shook his head as Anti flushed and mumbled something indistinct under his breath. “Now, let me get a bit more cleaned up. Every survival hunter knows they have to be dressed to impress when going out to dinner.”

“Dinner?” Anti questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course mate,” Angus nodded, “Got a dinner reservation booked for us, and some fun planned for afterward as well. Target practise and the like, thinking of getting another film of you to commemorate the anniversary. Should do it every year, see how you’ve grown. So come on Anti, scrub up and let’s go.”

“Wait!”

Anti grabbed Angus’ arm as the Hunter attempted to stand from the bed and make for the bathroom. Pulling him back down, Anti kissed him properly, tasting blood and dirt on Angus’ tongue. “Welcome home,” He breathed.

“Thanks,” Angus smiled, “Now come on, let’s go celebrate this special day!”