#like leaving comments for us on random pages without pinging us so we had no way to know!!!

[pancakeke]

one of the mean salespeople keeps pushing our leaders to take zendesk away from my team. she keeps saying it's a huge waste of time because no one really uses it in the first place, plus she always has to talk to us via DMs or on the phone which makes sending a ticket as well a waste of time.

this is untrue. everyone EXCEPT HER sends tickets like normal people when they need something. also when she does bother to send a ticket she'll just send some useless message like "what's the update with Dell" with zero context. someone on my team will respond trying to pry more info out of her to no avail, then finally message or call her once they get fed up.

like lady it ain't zendesk that needs to go

[starfleetdoesntfirefirst]

8tracks Backup

Edited 1/7/2020 to reflect that the new workbook can open your 8tracks folder and fix errored playlists you’ve already run with just a few clicks, which I hadn’t realized until I had time to use it myself!

The following is the new, up-to-date as of 1/6/2020 version of this reblog chain with extraneous and out-of-date information removed and a link to and information on the new workbook.

After 8tracks announced, with only a few days’ notice, that it was shutting down on 12/31/2019, an effort was made to preserve as many playlists as possible. The original 8tracks backup macro by VidderAdmin was downloaded over a hundred times across multiple continents, and the information from thousands of playlists was saved. Go fandom!

However, it turns out that 8tracks is staying up a bit longer—though we have no way of knowing how long—which leaves more time to save playlist information. To this end, VidderAdmin and the team that formed to work on this created a new macro workbook that fixes some issues and improves functionality.

The Updated Macro Workbook

- FIXED: playlists with Unicode producing 0kb files (and helps rerun files that failed)

- FIXED: missing images (and helps rerun files that failed)

- IMPROVED FUNCTIONALITY: helps rerun failures, allows user to choose folders to download to and to download to subfolders by fandom tag specified by user, accounts for extraneous text at the end of URLs without the user needing to ctrl+f and delete it, checks folders to ensure every text file has a matching image and reruns those without

You will need to have macros enabled to run the spreadsheet; here’s how to enable macros. Side note: genuinely friendly PSA that macros are default-disabled in Excel for a reason. Macro viruses can send and delete files and be computer-destroying levels of dangerous; always be careful what you choose to download and run!

Download: bit.ly/8tracksbackup

[Rest of ID in alt text] “8tracksbackup is a macro-enabled workbook that helps to quickly download playlist metadata (including the track list) and cover artwork based on URLs that you provide. We have also included some tools to help ensure those downloads worked correctly.

We're a team of volunteers hoping to preserve fandom history before it's lost, but we are not affiliated with 8tracks, and we are not affiliated with Internet Archive.

While we've done our best to test out the macros in this workbook and address any bugs or glitches, unfortunately we can't guarantee how it will perform, and you are using this at your own risk.

If you're familiar with VBA, you can take a look at the code yourself, but again please know that we can't guarantee how it will perform if you modify the code, or if you are sent a copy of this workbook that didn't come from us.

We've included some instructions within these tabs, but if you have further questions, please contact us at 8tracksbackup AT gmail DOT com and we'll do what we can to help.

If you are interested in submitting your 8tracks metadata and covers to the Internet Archive to be included in an 8tracks Fandom History Collection, please contact us at the email above by 12/31/2020.

If you'd like us to notify you when we've updated the workbook, or if you do not want your playlists included in our collection, you can fill out this Google Form: forms.gle/9Weh4RpKYnXFTrMQ6

Thank you for helping to save at-risk fanworks!”

So, do you need to re-run URLs you’ve already saved?

One of the main (and hardest to spot) issues in the original pre-New-Years macro was that JSON files (where the tracklists are) were coming out blank for playlists whose information included Unicode (pretty much anything not in the Roman alphabet; for example, Japanese lettering and Chinese characters).

EDITING TO ADD: I wrote the below struckthrough text before I’d used the new macro workbook, and I hadn’t yet realized that it has a sheet that quickly finds and re-runs the errored playlists in your 8tracks folder (and/or whichever other folders you point it at, if you’ve organized playlist files into multiple folders). It took me less than an hour to use it to fix all the errored playlists out of the over 6,000 total playlists I’d already run! So, my errored playlists from running the first macro are fixed, and if you have errored playlists from running the first macro, it should take just a few clicks and less than an hour’s running time to fix them. :)

So if you want to make sure that closer to all of the playlist URLs you ran through the macro have their tracklists saved, especially for tags/fandoms with many playlists with Unicode (for example, anime fandoms), you may want to re-run them with the new macro (which also has some convenient ways of finding the errored playlists).

However, don’t despair if you won’t have time to re-run URLs; having already saved a majority is much better than nothing having been saved! (If you don’t have time, you can also share your URLs with us at the email above in case someone has time to run them on the new macro, though please know that we may not have time to get to them. Please include a note that they were already run with a previous version—thanks!)

A note for folks who sent me, starfleetdoesntfirefirst, URLs to run: As I mentioned in another post, back in the days of the first macro I was able to get to some or all of what each person sent, but may not have time to get to all of what each person sent depending on when 8tracks shuts down. However, I almost definitely won’t have time to use the new macro to re-run Unicode-containing and other errored playlists I already ran. I’ll pass them along to the rest of this team, but given that none of us can guarantee we’ll get to them before 8tracks shuts down, if you feel strongly about making sure everything you sent to me gets re-run with the new macro, it may be worth pinging your Excel-having friends for aid. (I apologize for this; I didn’t anticipate things getting to this stage rather than a quick pre-New-Years effort!)

How to record & check (some of) which 8tracks tags have already had their playlists extracted

This Dreamwidth post is a place where you can comment to record which 8tracks tags, from any fandom (or nonfandom topic like “autumn”), you have extracted the URLs from, and check which 8tracks tags others have already extracted the URLs from, to avoid unnecessarily duplicating work. (You don’t need a Dreamwidth account to comment!) Not everyone who is extracting URLs is going to know about this post, so no guarantees of avoiding duplication, but it’s a start. :)

How to extract playlist URLs for use with the workbook

Instructions by @meeedeee adapted by me:

1) Do a tag search on 8tracks (or go to your own “liked” or “already listened” page if those are the playlists you want to save). Scroll to the very bottom of the page (so that all playlists have loaded and actually appeared on the page).

Note that if your tag has more than 1000 results, 8tracks will still only grab 1000.

2) Use a link-extracter plugin (like this one for Chrome) to extract all the links on the page.

3) Filter for links with the word “play” in them. This will pull up only the actual playlists. (There were 54 playlists tagged “Nyota Uhura,” and as you can see in the screencap, adding the filter “play” gives exactly 54 results.)

4) Copy into spreadsheet.

Note on Archive Team’s effort

Archive Team is also attempting to archive as many playlists as they can, by random number rather than by tag due to 8tracks’s 1000-playlist limit in tag search. These will probably be stored on the Internet Archive as WARC files, which means that it will be harder for non-power-users to access playlist info, thus our continuing this separate effort.

Per @meeedeee: As a result they dropped trying to archive by tags, instead they’re running 3.5 million random numbers in the hopes of grabbing what they can. On the back end of 8tracks, the playlist data is not stored by URL, or by tag, but by unique numeric identifier. Because of the volume that they have to run, the Archive Team will not be archiving the “look and feel” (user profile icons). Only basic metadata (playlist, user name, comments) and cover art. The meta data will be stored in a json format which looks like this and is not easily readable https://8tracks.com/mixes/3169100/tracks_for_international.jsonh

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

57 Pings

The prompt from anonymous was this:

From the prompt list!! Can I get #51 w/Cayde-6 x female hunter reader? I don’t see any Destiny stories on ur page but it look like u mentioned it!🙏🏻

Cayde-6 x Female Hunter!Reader

Warnings: fighting and non-descriptive mentions of dying

1,698 words

“He is pinging us, again.”

You banked your sparrow against the Exodus Black debris sending up a spray of sand and dirt as your ghost spoke in your ear. Your cloak whipped around you, slapping against your helmet once, making you feel even more aggravated than you did 10 seconds before it happened. Usually you weren’t so sloppy or reckless on your sparrow, but according to the 57 pings from your Vanguard, time was of the essence.

“Open the communication channel.”

Static briefly filled your helmet before it turned to voices. The first full statement directed to you came from a cheery, robotic voice you recognized with ease, “Captain! Welcome back! The Cayde-6 is once again in grave danger, are you here to provide assistance?” Glitching static turned into a disappointed, dreary version of the robotic voice, “Somebody needs to put out the fire he’s caused.”

“Yes, I’m here to help the dumbass. Where is Cayde-6, Failsafe? Is he still in the Glade of Echoes?”

“Why yes, I am, and I do not appreciate the tone or derogatory comment on my intelligence.” Cayde replied himself and you had to resist the urge to roll your eyes. A pack of Fallen fired on you as your sparrow flew by them, but you just hunkered down onto your seat and sped up.

Nessus scenery was a blur of red and white around you as you finally reached an open portion of the terrain where you could really open up the engine. Failsafe, both her cheery and depressed side, rattled off another comment this time directed at the Exo himself.

“Just know this, Vanguard.” You interrupted whatever he was replying to Failsafe to speak up, “If the Vex and Fallen don’t kill you, I will.”

“Oof. Vanguard? You’re really upset at me aren’t, you? Did I interrupt something important? Were you—”

You groaned, “Shouldn’t you be shooting and not talking?”

“I’m a very good multi-tasker.”

You took another sharp turn and the sound of gunfire and yelling filled the air. The Glade of Echoes was not your favorite spot to visit on Nessus even on a normal day. It was a mess of metal wreckage where Vex and Fallen liked to wage war against one another, and there was just enough tunnels and coverage spots that made fighting back a giant pain in the ass.

A large Vex minotaur stood in an alley opening firing toward a half-broken billboard relentlessly while a smaller pack of Vex goblins fired at a pack of Fallen that were also shooting at the billboard. Something told you that’s where you’d find a certain, impossible Exo.

You drove your sparrow straight into their warpath and leaped off last minute. The sparrow tumbled into the goblins while you slid under the Minotaur, between its legs, tossing up a grenade at it at the same time. Shots were fired at you, you didn’t even know who from, but you ducked and rolled toward the billboard. The grenade went off, throwing the minotaur off balance, and you took this opportunity to climb up the wreckage and dive behind the cover it provided.

“Well howdy, Guardian.”

Cayde-6 was crouched down in front of you. His back was pressed against the wall and his hand cannon, Ace of Spades, was held up in front of him ready to fire when needed. His signature cloak’s hood was pulled up as per usual but none of the hood hid the smug look on his blue, metallic face.

You dismissed your helmet, letting strands of your [hair color] hair fall into your face. Cayde’s glowing blue eyes were trained on you and his jaw flashed yellow as he spoke, “Welcome to the party.”

“How did you manage to make every living thing in the vicinity angry at you?”

“Hmm, good question.” He held a finger up and motioned it toward you, “Why are you angry at me? That might help me figure out an answer.”

You pulled out your own hand cannon and Cayde’s eyes darted to it before landing back on you. Quickly, you made sure it was fully loaded and Cayde mimicked your actions. This wasn’t the first time the two of you were up against a crowd of angry enemies who wanted you dead. As Hunters, working as a team didn’t come naturally to either of you granted. It took years before you found a fireteam you trusted or worked well with. Cayde-6, though? Working with him was never difficult. Interacting with him was effortless, and you’d done it enough now that much talk wasn’t needed.

Your Vanguard gave you a look, and you returned it with one of your own. His eyes lit up with amusement as you brought your helmet back into place. Cayde nodded once, and then the two of you went to work. In a flurry of gunfire and solar energy, the two of you took out Vex and Fallen alike one by one.  Their numbers dwindled down to only a handful.

You fired your last shot, blowing a particularly annoying Fallen away, and then backtracked away from the corpse while reloading your weapon. As you turned, you watched as Cayde threw out his knife, taking out a Vex, and fired the Ace of Spades point blank into the face of a Fallen that leapt toward him.

One Vex crept out from behind a lump of broken metal and snuck up behind Cayde. You hadn’t finished reloading but gave up on it to grab your knife in your opposite hand. Without hesitation you lunged forward and buried it into the back of its head at the same time that Cayde spun around with his gun up.

The barrel was aimed at your head for only a second or two before Cayde grabbed the cloth of your cloak wrapped around your neck, yanking you towards him. He kept his grip tight on you as you stumbled into his chest and then he fired two shots towards enemies behind you. You glanced over your shoulder in time to see the last two Vex fall to the ground in sparks.

“Captain! The two of you did amazing! Thanks to you, the area is clear.” Failsafe spoke over the comm channel in her typical flip-flopping ways, “Granted, it was your fault the area was flooded with enemies anyways.”

Your shoulders relaxed and you put your hand cannon back into its holster. It was only then that you realized Cayde still had one hand tangled in your cloak, and now his other hand twitched at his side as his gaze didn’t waver from your helmet.

“Do you want to kiss as bad as I do right now?” Cayde said in a tone that held amusement and something you didn’t quite recognize.

You dismissed your helmet again, gave him a soft smile, and replied, “No.”

His blue eyes blinked in shock, and you took his confusion as an opening to untangle yourself from him. Cayde rubbed the back of his neck, the confusion still evident on his features, “Well, either I’m bad at reading a room or you just ruined a perfectly romantic moment.”

“Romantic moment?” You scoffed, “Cayde, you’ve ignored me for nearly a month now and suddenly just call me up out of the blue to save your ass on Nessus randomly??”

You shook your head and brushed past him to leave the area. Maybe you’d stop by and see Failsafe in person before taking off entirely. That thought was interrupted as Cayde caught up to you with ease, “So that’s why you’re upset at me, huh?”

It was silly to be upset at this situation which was why you tried to avoid thinking about it the past month. There was too much going on in your life, and the universe, for you to worry yourself on the Hunter Vanguard dodging your messages and calls.

Cayde whipped around to stand in front of you, forcing you to come to a screeching halt, “Hold on, hold on.”

“What?” You crossed your armored arms over your chest tightly and twisted your lips in annoyance and embarrassment.

“Yes, I did sort of ignore you for a month and that is on me.” Cayde spoke with his hands, “But in my defense I was… thinking about something.”

You scoffed, “Oh, you were? Hope you didn’t hurt yourself too badly.”

You tried to push around him again, but Cayde side stepped easily and stopped you. This time he kept his hands on your shoulders as he spoke, “You said we should hang out more.”

That was accurate. On one of your last missions together, before the silent treatment, you suggested that the two of you should spend more time together. It came from an after-mission buzz of confidence. Things had gone very well, the two of you walked away with some great loot, and the words slipped out before you even really knew what you were asking. Cayde had nodded in response, went his own way, and then hadn’t talked to you until today when he sent a random message asking for back up on Nessus.

“Cayde-”

“I want to hang out more.” He said quickly. For the first time in a long time, maybe the first time ever, you saw hesitance on his face. Cayde-6 was a lot of things, but hesitant was not one. He tore his gaze away briefly before settling it back on you, “Sorry it took me some time to work through it and figure it out.”

Your own features softened and Cayde squeezed your shoulders with both hands. With a sigh, you lifted one of your hands to set on top of one of his, “When I said hang out more, I meant like get a drink. Notpiss off every Vex and Fallen in a 2-mile radius.”

Cayde shrugged and shifted so his hands on your shoulders turned to one of his arms hanging off it. You responded by putting your own arm around his waist as the two of you continued walking through the now abandoned Glade of Echoes, “Who says we can’t do both?”

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Seven-X

Baavira Week Day 1: Online

Summary: Baatar is a police officer tasked with tracking down a trafficking ring on the dark web. He ends up clicking the wrong link.

Warning for minor gore and mentions of sex crime--no descriptions. 

Only a few clicks in and he is already unsettled. He feels that he is justified in being so. He has combed through pages of the most unsavory things. He supposes that the place has earned its name and reputation.

Evidently, in joining the Republic City police force he hadn’t known that they would keep his duties behind a monitor.

He finds himself on a new page; a simple surveillance camera overlooking what seems like an industrial park parking lot. He rubs his chin in frustration. Just how many camera feeds will he happen upon tonight? From personal webcams to phone cameras to security cameras, his gaze has found many things that they weren’t supposed to. The worst of it is that they aren’t even entertaining. He certainly hadn’t been into it when he clicked onto a page that had given him a view of a man and a woman stripping. Deep down he knows that some sick sap is getting excitement from it.    

Somehow, less amusing had been the drug sales. The dark web is teeming with them. Everything in him tells him to trace and track the vendors but his higher ups have already told him not to bother. “There are just so damn many of them fuckin’ things, just let ‘em be.” Baatar takes off his glasses and rubs his forehead. He doesn’t know how much more human filth he can stomach for tonight. God forbid he stumble across one of the infamous cannibal cafes.

Not that he isn’t seeking out something just is vile.

He supposes that it is worth it.

It will all be worth it if he can track down the ring and bring young men and women out of the ring.

He doesn’t fancy the idea of pretending to be a predator. But he will play the role if he can put a stop to the trafficking.  He closes out of the surveillance site and finds himself in a new room, this one features tips on all sorts of manners of disturbing inclinations from how to kill one’s boss to how to do away with oneself. This also isn’t the sort of evil he is looking to eradicate.

Baatar rakes his hand through his hair, growing frustrated at how vast the darkweb truly is. He has combed through more than his fill of wickedness and is getting nowhere. For all of his years of tech-savviness and coding, this place is disorienting and tricky to navigate. Frowning deeply, he clicks upon another random link.

The screen goes momentarily staticy and he cusses. Just what he needs is a computer crash, God forbid he has to go through all of those links again. The screen glitches and distorts further and indistinguishable images flicker in the fuzz.

Baatar squints at the screen.

It flickers again twice.

Still fuzzy.

He leans in closer.

He jolts back when a masked face appears. A humored and heavily warped laugh sounds through his speakers. He doesn’t share in their humor. His stomach lurches. Without a hesitation to make he reaches for the power off switch. His hand doesn’t reach it when the voice speaks.

“Don’t leave so soon officer BeiFong.” The voice that comes through is slick, both masculine and feminine but more robotic than anything else, especially on the words accented by shrill beeps. It sounds like a virus to his ears.  

Everything in his body and soul goes cold. He has masked his VPN, he is using tor. It strikes him unpleasantly, these people...these monsters are probably jarringly more tech savvy than he.

A chat window pops up. “If you’re too shy to speak.” The person pauses. “Or if you didn’t have the sense to disguise your voice.”

A few screen names pop up on the chat window,most are random strings of numbers. A few a simple words--‘TheSlash’, ‘ripper’, ‘wiNd0w’, and ‘T’. Baatar’s own username scrawls itself in the chat, 7xYl9090Gg.

“I do believe it is seven-x’s first time here. Let’s give him a warm welcome.” Responses ranged from sarcastic and mocking to amused to genuinely inviting. “Hmm...mixed reactions. I’m sure that they will take a shine to you eventually.”

He hopes that the masked person will let his name go unspoken. To his relief, they do.

Instead the voice drawls, “welcome, seven-x, to red room three-six-one.” The figure steps back and sweeps its arm out. It wears a hooded cloak of deep green with absurdly long sleeves. He can’t discern the gender beneath the shapeless attire. “Have you been to a red room before?”

He thinks of lying, but some primitive part of him senses that the person behind the monitor will know. His hesitancy to answer, answers for him. ‘He’s a red room virgin!’ Types wiNd0w. ‘cute’ types 1671JNp8R.

“So what brings you here, seven-x?”

This time he doesn’t allow them another opening. ‘Curiosity.’ He types quickly.

A second chat window pops up. A private one on one window.  ‘Clever.’ Is the only word there. He looks for a screen name and finds none. He doesn’t know how to reply. He doesn’t know if he should.

“Alright, seven-x, since this is your first time, I’ll let you do the honors.” There is a loud pop and suddenly the white noise has been cleared.

Responses vary again from outrage and envy to typed out cheers and a ‘choose wisely seven-x’. He cringes, whoever is running this show, they are trying to out him. He doesn’t know what he is supposed to be choosing as he racks his brain to recall what he’d researched about red rooms. The figure takes a few steps back and he sees the man now. His eyes are wet and he is sniffling. He trembles.

“I don’t deserve this.” It is a constant mantra.

The figure motions to a table stocked with grisley looking instruments. It doesn’t have to speak up for Baatar to know what it will say, ‘have your pick.’

His mouth dries.

‘Come on seven-x.’ Types TheSlash.

He shakes all over. With shaky fingers he types, ‘use the knife.’

“Ah, a classic.” The figure speaks with a dramatic flair. It is somehow even more haunting without the white noise. “It would seem that we have a man of simple pleasures here with us tonight.” The person pauses. “And what will I be doing with the knife tonight?”

He swallows, every bit of him wants to tell the figure to slash a smile into its own throat. For his own safety, he curbs his tongue.

“Don’t be shy. You’ll find that I can do exotic things.”

Baatar doesn’t want to know what that means. It prickles his spine without context.

‘I think that this is too hard for him.’ 5TxY00L types.

‘Outsider.’ ripper adds.

Baatar’s stomach turns again. He can’t reply too quickly or that would arouse suspicion. He lets a minute slip before replying, ‘creativity takes time.’

This garners a slew of praise, save for ripper who types, ‘better make it good, leaving us waiting so long.’

He hovers his fingers over the keyboard, trying to decide what to do. ‘Draw me a picture.’ He is sicked by his own request.

He can sense the smile behind the mask. “Creative indeed.” The host allows pause for reaction. After the chat box fills further they speak again, “what should I draw.”

He can’t stop the sarcasm this time, ‘a cat in a sunny meadow.’

“A comedian too.” The host comments, undeterred by his passive-aggressiveness. “I do hope that you come back next week.” A link appears in his private chat window. He has no intention of following it. He writes it down regardless.

“Well then, let’s begin. This over here,” the host motions to its captive, “is Koh Quinn. Big businessman, family lives in Fire Fountain City. 1129, Lava Lake Road, if anyone wants to stop in and say hello to the wife.”

Baatar swallows again. A film of sweat begins to form as the figure nears Koh. He itches to turn his monitor off, but then they’d know that he is out of place. Then they may come for him. He has the sneaking suspicion that his host won’t allow for the screen to turn off even if he did hit the button.

He watches the masked person stalks up to its prey. He sees the knife glint as the first cut is made. He had expected it to be a violent and senseless slash. But it is elegant and meticulous. He wants to say that his host is female, but in his time on the police force, he has seen men leave clean-cut victims and women that may as well have been feral animals with their methods.

Baatar is desperate to pick out anything about this villain. An assailant so bold that they commit murder right before an officer. As the carving continues Koh’s screams grow shriller. More haunting.

He can hear the man’s sniffles grow in volume. Baatar isn’t sure if the wet noises come from his nose or from his opening flesh. He feels sick.

Hollow.

He stares blankly at the screen, trying to conjure up the indifference that has helped him through the most grotesque of his investigations. Koh’s screams swell and just when Baatar believes that his life is going to end, the host steps back to reveal their artwork.

A bloody cat in a bloody field, just as he’d requested.

“Charming, yes?”

‘Cut his hand off and use it to hold the knife and stab him.’ T types.

“We really do have a creative lot tonight.” The host remarks.

It will torment him for nights to come, what he views next. He tries to distract himself by eyeing his keyboard to type faux pleasure at the spectacle before him. But it is not enough. Minutes after the show has come to an end, he can still see Koh’s severed hand stabbing at his own chest. He can still hear the gurgles, they fog his host’s parting speech.

The screen had gone black and then to the tor homepage five minutes ago and he sits rigidly with his hands clasped in front of his mouth. It doesn’t even pester him that he will have to go through all of the links again. He is numb. He doesn’t know where to go from here. His eyes fall upon the link he had written down. He can report that to the squad. But will they be able to trace it on time to save the next victim. God, what if it is Koh’s wife. He gives a drawn exhale.

He hears a soft ping and the hairs on his back rise. Oh fuck, they’ve traced me. The nervous perspiration is beading on his forehead. He doesn’t want to turn around, he doesn’t want to know.

“Hello, officer BeiFong.” The voice is female.

He towards his computer, confirming what he already knows, his webcam is on and by its own accord. Rather the woman’s. He expects to see that chilling metallic bull mask. Instead he faces a woman with vivid green eyes rimmed by square-framed glasses. Beneath her shirt he can tell that she has a fit build.

Any hope that it is a mere coincidence or perhaps a friend of a friend fades when she remarks, “you struck me as the squeamish type, seven-x.”

“Are you ripper or T?” He asks.

She laughs.

“Don’t tell me that you’re window.” He grumbles.

Her lips curve up, “a comedian too.”

Another chill darts along his spine. He shoves that aside realizing that he has the power. “You’d show me your face?”

“Sure.” The woman replies. “You can’t touch me seven-x.”

“I have a name.” He snaps.

And he regrets as she responds, “Baatar Jr. BeiFong. Son of Baatar Sr. and Suyin BeiFong.”

“You can find that on google.” He grumbles.

She looks down for a moment, pushing at her glasses. “You like to sit under an old beech tree to the left of your bedroom window, third floor up, fifth window from the right.”

He swallows and tries to redirect the conversation. “I can have the police force…”

“You can’t touch me.” She repeats. He isn’t sure if she is referring to her unidentified location or a team of killers waiting to pounce at her command. “And you don’t want to, seven-x.”

“You’re a killer he snarls.”

“Yes.” She agrees. “But with good reason.”

“Good reason?” Baatar isn’t sure why he is engaging her.

“Do you know what Koh and his wife do?” She inquires. But she doesn’t leave him time to guess. “They run an orphanage. The kids don’t come out quite the same. Do you follow?”

He believes that he does. “Let me guess, you used to stay at that orphanage?”

“Oh no. No, not that one. The owners of the one I was in, they were the stars of my debut.” She replied nonchalantly. She turns around and lifts her shirt. Her back is an assortment of scars and poorly-healed welts. She turns back to him. “You don’t want to take me off of the streets because I clean the filth on them. The sludge that slips through the cracks.”

He opens his mouth.

“I want to make a deal, seven-x.”

“Go on.”

“Keep me off of the police radar and I’ll help you navigate the darkest corners of the dark web.”

He thinks of his task. Of the women who need liberation. “What is your stance on sex traffickers?”

“They have very special seats in my show.”

He should know better, he should know much better. But those pretty green eyes blink at him and she flashes a charmingly wicked grin. “Why don’t you just join the police force?” He inquires instead.

She cocks her head, “I have a...compulsion to indulge. I find that it’s better to quench it this way than to slaughter an innocent thing like your little sister.” He goes tense. She is bizarrely quick to apologize, “I’m not going to touch your sister. She hasn’t done anything wrong.” She pauses. “Do you accept my offer, seven-x?”

“Depends, are you going to tell me who I’m working with.”

“They call me the uniter.” She doesn’t elaborate. He knows that she won’t. “Do you accept my offer, seven-x.”

He thinks of Opal, of how vacant he would feel if she fell prey to the ring he was tracking. “Yes. I accept your offer, uniter.”

Her smirk goes wider before his webcam clicks off.

He hears a ping.

A new chat box appears on his screen.

[themarchblessing]

HEAVY WEIGHT

SABRINA

Throwing myself back on my bed I threw my arms over my chest to shield it from the fan’s power. I woke up before the sun did this morning and went for a long run/walk. I had a lot to think about during that time I made for myself. My thoughts were of the past, the move, Izaiah and how he’s doing in school, Julian not giving up on me, and what happened with Corey a few nights ago. That’s what’s been on my mind ever since it happened.

At first I was shocked because Corey has never ever made a move on me. So why after 27 years did he just plant one on me? Beats me. I do have to confess though, it was a really good kiss. It was different from my experiences with past boyfriends and Julian. It had a lot of emotion behind it because of the relationship we have. And because of whatever he was thinking about before it happened. We agreed that we wouldn’t talk about it and we would pretend it never happened. So far we’ve stuck to that. But when I’m alone I find myself thinking about that kiss more than I want to.

Getting off the bed I wandered onto my bathroom to take a shower and wash this sweat off of me. Why can’t I get him off my mind? He’s literally taking up so much of my thinking space.

“It never happened. It never happened..” I chanted as I moved my arm behind me to wash my back. Throwing my hair over my shoulder I continued to scrub my back and think of other things I have going on except Corey.

When I finally got done in the bathroom all together I moved into my bedroom seeing a few boxes that still needed to be unpacked. It’s another Friday and Izaiah is away at school until three. I have to go my Cypress office in a little bit. But on another hand I’m in the mood to just stay in the house. Just being in our new home having so much to finish setting up is exhausting to my mind. This señora life can be so tiring especially when I’m doing it on my own most days out of the week.

Like I always say to myself when I start to get frustrated, I can do anything in the name of faith.

“So do you want the job or not because if you don’t take this deal, you know that bastard Mark will steal her and get that promotion. Everyone knows he only gets ahead because he fucks, bribes, and steals his way to the top.” My assistant, Natalie rambled coming into view.   

Sending off this email really quick I pushed myself away from the computer and over to the flat top she was standing at. I took the papers from her and scanned through the contract for the second time.

“No I’ll take this. Mrs. Hayes only wants me to work with her.” I said, jotting down some side notes. “I’ve ordered some new stamps with my signature on them. Stamp these documents and fax them over to Mrs. Hayes now. Thanks Nat.” Smiling at another successful deal I waited for Natalie to leave to make a personal call.

When I’m here at work I rarely make personal phone calls but this one is important.

“My angel I have been waiting for your phone call. Are you ok? How’s Izaiah? Is he adjusting well?” My mom fired off before I can even say hello.

“Mama, first off hi to you too. Yes we’re alright and he’s getting there. Corey has been such a big help when it comes to taking Zay’s mind off the move. How are you mommy?” Sitting back in my chair I spun around in my chair slowly, listening to her rustle around.

“Well..soy bueno para la mayor parte pero te extraño chicos. It’s not the same without you and Zay here. But nonetheless I’m very proud of you Sabrina for taking such a big step. I know being a single mother is hard but you make it look easy.” Hearing my mom share such intimate thoughts of how she views me is heartwarming.

“Thanks mommy. I really needed to hear that.” Twirling the ends of my hair and spinning around in my chair I replayed her comment over and over in my head. My mother and I talked for a continuous, uninterrupted thirty minutes. I vowed to mail her a check so she can take care of whatever she may need help with. She argued with me about not taking my help but I won that fight.

After our conversation I placed the check in a new envelope writing on the front a message to myself. Sticking it into my purse I threw my body back in the chair and spun around to look outside. I scanned my scenery loving the feeling of being back in my element. New York is all I know and although I enjoyed my time in Chino, I’m happy to be home. California and New York are both my homes but New York has treated me so very well. I wanted to give Izaiah a new adventure and coming back here was the right choice.

Having Corey and my other close friends and distant relatives in the same state is a big help as well. The only new path I’m going down is merging Julian and Izaiah’s life into one.

A ping from my phone forced my eyebrow upward. Who could that be? Spinning around and picking my cell up off the desk I saw a text from Julian. That’s weird..I haven’t really heard much from him since we met at the coffee shop. Not that I was expecting a daily morning and night text but at least something to know he’s still interested in what we discussed. The last thing I expected was to get a random text from the guy today.

I opened up his text and scanned over it feeling my heart stop.

From Julian: i miss u sabrina i really do. seeing you and us talking about Izaiah and you saying i can be apart of his life really fucked my head all up. anyway..i want to see you tonight. you remember where went the first time we went out? call me and I’ll meet you, I miss you and I can’t wait to see you..

“Wow.” I gasped. I don’t know how to feel or think about this. Him expressing his desire to see me and on such short notice is nerve wracking. Every time we went out back in the day ended up with us in a situation. Because of that it made being with him not necessary to go the sperm donor route, if you get what I mean. He’s a sweet guy, he’s very caring and attentive. But he’s reckless with the biggest parts of life. For example his sexual preference of when he wants some ass. He thought that just because of our arrangement that I owed him sex for fun. Almost like my lady parts were some sort of extracurricular activity he can invest in during his spare time. I explained to him exactly what I was expecting of him, just his sperm. I didn’t want the relationship to go as far as it did. I was careful not to lead this guy on but what happened anyway? He became very territorial and clingy. My 30th birthday was the last time Julian was truly comfortable to be around for me.

I finished my day out here inside the office and by the time I was stepping foot into the house I realized I forgot something. “Aw dammit..” I scoffed at my stupidity to not pay attention and slammed the door shut.

As I locked the door I set my things down and immediately called Corey. I asked him to pick up Zay from school and I completely forgot to go and get him after I left work. How could I forgot about my son’s whereabouts? What is going on with me? I’m serious when I say that night at Corey’s has really thrown me off track. I couldn't focus at work, I’m forgetting the littlest and sometimes most important things. I think I understand why his ex girlfriends were so hung up on his ass. Even such a simple act as a kiss can really shake a girl up. That’s exactly what I am, shaken up.

“Well..well..well. Did you have a busy day or are you just tired?” He teased as soon as the line connected.

“Corey..” I sighed. “Not now. Please.” I plead walking down the hall and stripping out of my clothes.

“Are you ok? You’ve been real off lately and Izaiah is starting to notice.” He pointed out making me freeze. I stepped right in my doorway and dropped my pants to the floor.

“He is? What has he said about me?” I frantically asked. This boy of mine is too smart for me to handle sometimes. At a time like this where I’m the subject of his questions makes me feel out of whack even more.

“Hold on a minute,” Corey stepped away from the phone and I just listened in. “She’s on her way man. No she didn’t forget you boy stop saying that. Chill out Izaiah, look just relax until she gets here. I’m stepping outside.” I heard his footsteps loud and clear and then a door opened up. Wind blowing past him came through the receiver confirming he’s out on his balcony.

“Is he mad at me?” I asked continuing on to the bathroom.

“He's curious and he’s worried about you. Listen Lori I know we agreed not to talk about what happened but I can’t seem to get it out of my head. I know you’re not thinking straight since I kissed you and I’m sorry for crossing that line. I told myself I never would but in a moment of weakness I was thinking with the wrong head. We gotta find a way to move on from this I just don’t know how.” He’s right. Us being on the same page is a breath of fresh air, I just don’t know how to move past what happened.

Dropping my bra to the floor I stared at myself in the mirror, my vision going straight to my scar. Leaning to the right I traced the length of it thinking about the moment Corey changed my view on him. Forever. 

***Earlier in the week...

“I still have nightmares about it. I don’t think I’ll ever get the images of him hitting me out of my head.” I stated. I got Corey to focus on my eyes again and not just empty space. He looks so concentrated. He’s clearly deep in his thoughts but I can’t decipher what’s making him act so weird. “What’s wrong?” I asked holding onto his arms for support.

I know that look. I’ve had it directed at at me way too many times not to know what’s going to happen next. But Corey doesn’t strike me as the type to take a risk like this. And there it came. The initial shock of Corey kissing me wore off after about ten seconds. I would be a fool to say I’m not enjoying this even a little bit. Reality is, I haven’t had much intimacy in my life lately either so this right here is sort of giving me what I need.

I could never admit this to him but I’m enjoying the kiss more than I should. If my life was set up differently and I could have Corey as my man, I’d be all over him all the time.

“Mm..Corey..” I moaned accidentally but as a natural reaction. He stopped kissing me and retreated with guilt written all over his face.

“I’m sorry.” he apologized letting go of my face. His jaw muscles tightened and relaxed as he got lost in his head, not saying anything. “I don’t know where that came from.” He mumbled shamefully.

I found myself touching my lips wishing I could experience that at least one more time. Just once more.

“Can you do me a huge favor? I’d owe you…” Going to turn the shower on I walked out to my bedroom to gather some clothes. I found my most comfortable sweatpants and it’s matching crewneck along with my slippers to wear around the house.

“What you need?” he inquired.

“Can you bring Zay home? I don’t think I’m in the best shape to drive and I really just wanna get off my feet.” Closing the bathroom door behind me I set my things on top on the sink and lit a few candles. I even turned on my humidifier to keep the moisture in here last for a while.

“I got you B. I’ll call you when I’m outside. Take some time for yourself and just relax. Don’t let this boy see you fall apart especially over something like this. He depends on you and he loves you so pull yourself together. He don’t need to see his mom out of sorts and shit.” he preached in brutal honesty.

I smiled at how much he cares and set my phone on the counter. Pressing the speaker button I braided my hair and clipped it back, not wanting to get my hair wet tonight. “Thank you for your honesty. I don’t know what I’d do without you or you charming wit.”

Corey chuckled as a gust of wind went past the mouthpiece of his phone. The breeze sounded so loud because of how close it was to the phone. “You would struggle. Alright I’m getting off here girl. I’ll hit you up.”

With our talk over for the time being I went along with my shower doing exactly what Corey said. My hair ended up coming out of that braid. I wanted to give myself some t-l-c while I have the opportunity to be alone. When Zay is with me I make everything about him and what he needs so I utilize my alone time to pamper myself. Unscrewing the cap off the lotion bottle I moisturize my entire body from neck to toe. That shower did a good job of making me feel more at ease. Now all I need to is lay eyes on my baby boy and I’ll be good as new. .

I finished up in my bathroom and walked out to the room brushing my hair up into a ponytail while it dries. My phone began going off in the bedroom as I was putting the dishes away from the dishwasher. I quickly jogged down the hall to grab my cell. Answering it quickly I put the device to my ear hearing Izaiah laugh. “You’re outside?” I said.

“Yeah we’re here..do you need more time or can we come in?” I gave Corey the okay to bring Izaiah inside ‘cause I’m excited to see my baby. The doorbell sounded off throughout the house scaring me a little at the echo it left behind. Going to let them in I stepped aside watching the boys walk in.

I shut the door and hugged myself not sure if Izaiah would even want to be near me.

“Hi mom.” He smiled coming forward and wrapping his arms around my hips. A sad and happy smile graced my face as I hugged him back.

“I missed you.” I mumbled, running my fingers through his hair. Kissing the top of his head I scaled back and cupped his little face in my hands. “How was your day? Are you alright?” Searching his exterior I was relieved not to see any bruises, cuts or anything like that.

“School was boring but yeah I’m ok. Can Corey stay a while? He promised to play one game with me. Please mom, please!” Zay begged unrelenting while squeezing his arms around me.

Looking up I met Corey’s awaiting eyes and felt my shoulders relax. “If he wants to. It’s up to him.” I said looking back at Izaiah.

He turned around in my grasp to face Corey himself. “Will you stay please? Just one game?” he asked kindly.

“I always keep my promises.” Corey sighed shoving his hands in the pocket of his sweats.

“Go to your room baby ’ll be back there in a minute.” With a little push from me Izaiah reluctantly walked to his room and disappeared from our view slowly. The elephant in the room caused a shift in energy.

“So..how was your day? We haven’t really talked much today.” he sat down on the couch turning to the side so he could see me. “Come here..sit down, relax. Stop looking scared to be near me.”

I shuffled over toward the couch and sat down with my hands in my lap. “Work was ok. Kind of hectic but I can’t complain. How was yours?” I rebutted.

“It was good. I have a shoot coming up in Miami in two weeks. XXL called me today and offered me the job so you know I jumped on that shit before they could change their mind.” Corey expressed, sounding so happy.

“That's great, I’m happy for you. Can you give me like fifteen minutes, I’m gonna help him get ready for bed and then he’s all yours.” I left Corey in the living room so I could get Zay bathed and dressed for bed. Once Corey leaves, all I have to do is get Zay into bed, maybe read to him and my night will be over.

Izaiah and I talked about me leaving him at Corey’s and moved past it. I apologized for making him feel unwanted or forgotten because I never want my child to feel that way. He said he understands that I get tired and doesn’t want me to feel bad about me leaving him with Corey. Can you believe it? My six year old told me not to feel bad for forgetting about his location. That made my stomach turn.

I sat nearby while Zay and Corey went back and forth talking smack to one another over this game. I have to admit seeing them bond as much they have since we’ve been back has really helped to ease my concern. Back in Chino as I was preparing for the big move I kept wondering how Izaiah would take it. He made a lot of friends and I had and I felt torn between staying for him or leaving for us both. Now that he’s in school I’m just praying that his peers like him for what he is. Corey being around to be part of my sons life is beyond what I’ve prayed for. I hope that someday Zay will be able to confide in Corey when he can’t come to me. I hope that my best friend and my son can build a wonderful, close relationship that will last for the rest of their lives and mine. My other unanswered prayer is to have Julian and Zay bond as well.

After an hour and a half of trash talking Izaiah admitted that he was tired. He fell right to sleep once I laid him down. With a kiss to head I quietly left his room and closed his door silently.

Going down the hall I found Corey stretched out on the couch with his face in a photo album. “He’s knocked out. What did you guys do?” I asked going to sit next to him.

“Nothing much I just kept him entertained the whole time to take his mind off everything.” Corey shrugged flipping to another page.

As he was in fully invested in looking at the pictures I studied him. My mind went to another place during this quiet time.

“Can I ask you something?” I spoke up shyly.

“Anything.” He answered, sitting up and turning to face me. He closed the book, setting it between us as he gave me his undivided attention.

“Do you think there’s something wrong with me? Like, is there anything about me that would make you second guess what type of person I am?” Julian’s text is still in the back of my mind from earlier today. I have yet to reply and obviously I’m not going to see him. The content of his message threw me all off hints why I’m questioning my own character.

“Where is this coming from?” Corey cleared his throat pushing back on the sofa. “Why are you asking me that?”

“I really don’t know. I um..” I zoned out as I reflected on Julian’s message and our last meet up. What changed from then and today that caused him to tell me that he misses me? I’m so confused. Between these two guys I can definitely say I have man problems. “Julian told me something earlier that’s making me think a lot. But I don’t want to. I’m not on the same page that he is. That chapter was closed a long time ago and although he’s ready to give it another try, I’m not. I’ve had this talk with him way too many times over the years. And I do not want to repeat myself for the millionth time.” Exhaling sharply I curled my legs up to my chest.

“What you mean? He wants you back doesn’t he?” Corey didn’t have to sound so displeased. That’s what I’m trying to say but in less words.

Throwing my head back I turned my head back to stare at the ceiling. “Yes. He asked to see me tonight but I never responded to the message. I didn’t want to see him. And I know what he would’ve been expecting if I agreed to go out with him.” With extreme slowness I turned to my left to see Corey already giving off a look of anger and disgust. I know he can’t stand J. He gave off the vibe when they first met each other. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you already know what I’m about to say.” I detected a lot of attitude and anger in his voice but this time is nothing like when I was dating Ace. Nothing!

“Corey this is not a repeat of history. Julian is not crazy, he has never hit me and he never forced me to sleep with him.” I feel like I need to defend Julian at this point only so Corey doesn’t think I started something with another psycho.

Corey nodded as if he understood and looked around the room. He stopped at the entertainment center and studied whatever has his attention very closely. The faint, airy laugh that he did rose my suspicion by a few levels.

“I remember one night I was with this girl right and she said some slick shit that you probably would say and I looked at her sideways. To this day I have never figured out why I got mad at her. To keep it a hundred I stopped fucking with her after that night. Something inside me just didn’t like how much she reminded me of you. There was something about her that always bothered me but that sarcastic humor she tried to get away with stuck with me.” Corey opened up little by little.

I’m all the way in tune to his moment of confessions. And since this talk is about his love life I’m all the more intrigued.

“And then there was this chick in London that I really liked. She reminded me of you but in the compassionate, kind hearted way. Everything else was all her. We fucked around for maybe a year but I broke it off a week before I moved back here. That was the longest relationship I’ve ever had and Brian still makes jokes about it.” Corey ran his hand over top of his head and down the side of face. He turned to face me and threw an arm over the back of he couch.

I want to ask why is he telling me this but I don’t want to seem rude. Corey had a bad habit in the past of not finishing his statements if you asked him why he was sharing his thoughts. Or if you even so much as looked at him in a confused way he would shut down. As his friend I’ve learned to respect whatever he has to say no matter how personal it may be to him.

“Basically what I’m saying is, you’re part of the reason I can’t stick with one girl. I don’t know why but that seems to be the only explanation as to why I have issues with every chick I get with. As far as your Julian troubles go, if you don’t want to be with that nigga then you need to tell him. Men these days are crazy as fuck Lori and I really don’t want to catch a case for killing no nigga that hurt you. I don’t care that he’s Izaiah’s father, if you don’t want any romantic ties to that dude then make that clear. It’s not cool to lead people on or left to wonder where you stand. I’m not saying that’s what you’re doing but I’m telling you anyway.”

I nodded in solidarity to his speech and started thinking over a response to that unanswered message. I think talking to Julian in person will be more beneficial than a conversation over the phone.

“When you told me that Ace tricked and forced you to have sex with him I  wanted to kill him. I almost did I just never told you. Please tell me Julian didn’t do the same thing..” Corey touched my hand in a supportive and demanding way for me to confess.

Shaking my head I felt like I was under a spell because I can’t seem to look anywhere else. “No. I just didn’t like the fact that he expected sex and so much more from me after I told him what it was. He knew from the beginning that I didn’t want to take it that far. And now, ever since I told him that I want him in Zay’s life it’s like he’s back to the same way of thinking. I don’t und-“

“Corey?” Both of us turned towards the direction of the hallway seeing Izaiah hiding halfway around the wall.

“Why are you up baby? What’s wrong?” I questioned feeling concerned.

“I wanna talk to you..” he muttered pointing to Corey. He instantly stood up off the couch and walked over to where Zay was standing. The boys disappeared down the hall leaving me to wallow in my thoughts. I know Corey has a point in telling me that I need to upfront with Julian. Even though I have repeated myself a thousand times about what I want I’ve got to say it a thousand and one times if I want him to understand.

[icebreaker01]

Season 2 Predictions

Yeah, yeah, I know.  Why Season 2 predictions when season 2 is over?

Actually, I posted this over on site ‘runbyidiots’ (you figure it out) pre-E6.  I just wanted to add it to my page for the heck of it.

WARNING!!! Not many spoilers ahead, mostly predictions. But I’ve been known to be pretty accurate. (Please be aware the author of this article is a hopeless romantic and will not make a single apology for it.)

So, countdown at somewhere around 48 hours before we get our favorite little dictator with a heart back.  (Pauses to wave a Melanie Rules!!! flag.) When we last left our intrepid little explorer, Melanie was high-tailing it off that sinking ship.  I mean, honestly, the way Layton is mismanaging things, I think she stands a better chance at the research station. But that’s for another post. Folks, have you ever spent time alone?  I mean really A.L.O.N.E.?  Where you can sit in a chair and listen to a clock ticking? Now do it for 30 days.  You’re bound to start having a few issues. OK, granted, Melanie has things to do and she’s sort of a loner anyway.  And she’s good with imaginary friends.  I mean, she had Wilford as one for seven years, right? What I believe we are going to get here, after a stinking long dry spell (OK, it’s only been one episode, but it feels like F-O-R-E-V-E-R!) a lovely plate loaded down with Melanie Cavill insight handed to us in this episode.  The really good part is we are also likely to get treated to around 50 minutes of Jennifer Connelly doing what Jennifer Connelly does best.  Acting.  And all without the messy interruptions of a bunch of side dishes of ‘who cares’. Yes, folks, it’s time for a Melanie-centric episode! Folks, I am so excited about this episode I could run right over to the script writers and kiss each and everyone of them right on the lips! And on a quick side note, I would like to point out that the ‘Goodbye.  See you in a month.’ between Melanie and Bennett had all the spark of opening a can of peas. Meanwhile, over on the Melanie/Layton ‘Goodbye’ front........... Anyway......, So poor Melanie is setting up house at the research station.  We will forego nasty questions here like ‘Where is the power coming from?’  Maybe one of those sleds was a portable generator.  Or ‘Why, after seven years, do you expect one piece of useful equipment to be left?  What’s the back up plan if its under ten feet of snow?  What if you can’t get inside?’ (Sighes) Who knows?  I didn’t see episode two....or three.......or most of season one for that matter. But we do know that she did get in, as that she tapped that first weather balloon, and the previews for Episode 6 say so.

And speaking of which.... We weren’t given a lot in that preview.  It was, in fact, the most uninformative 21 seconds of my life.  Mostly we know Melanie has a nice little calendar on the wall, is counting down the days until that rolling train wreak Layton is turning it into returns, and occupies her free time hallucinating.  But we are also getting a lot of Jennifer Connelly acting screen time, so I don’t care.  Honestly, the woman could walk on stage, stand there for 50 minutes, walk off, and I would still give her a standing ovation. Moving on. Back on that sinking ship (AKA Snowpiercer), we have....a mess, folks.  Lets be honest.  Layton currently has more issues than National Geographic.  His top head shrinker/new age guru and author of ’The joy of kinky sex’ is gone, he just lost most of his repair crew (the Breechmen), his own people are likely to get blamed for this, since, although most of the murders seemed to be done when no one else was around, everyone still felt it necessary to wear masks, his favorite whining board is not around (AKA Melanie), and he’s off half the time playing the proud papa, which the general consensus is, he’s not. Honestly folks, I like Layton.  I really do.  But I swear, if he doesn’t pick that lady back up, I will personally kick his butt off that train, because he seriously needs some help.  And that help is spelled with every letter of that woman’s name. And can we PLEASE stop jumping all over poor Audrey, folks?  She did not desert.  Even though she has every right to. Audrey was given a job to do.  She didn’t get it done.  Walking back over to Snowpiercer, she sees all heck breaking loose and realizes she needs to stay because they need that comm link up now more than ever.  So she makes a perfect turn on those killer six inch heels, and bravely walks back into BA. Ruth, you get some polite golf applause for just staying put and lying to the passengers.  WHICH WAS, as I recall, something you sentenced your best friend to death for a few episodes back....hmmmmm, Ms. Wardell? Meanwhile, back at the ranch.....or in this case, the front of the train, poor Bennett and Javi are freaking out because there is no contact between Melanie and the weather balloon. (Bad spoilers ahead) Yes, folks, up until now it has been pretty much just a wrap up of Episode 5.  But here we go with predictions for Episode 6.  So if you don’t want to know (or don’t care), stop now. So poor Bennett and Javi are wondering what’s up with Melanie.  However, over in my little box of things I’ve dug up on the internet, there is mention of a new cast member coming in season 3. Archie Panjabi is joining the cast as Asha; a nice new playmate for Melanie. OK, if she is going to be Melanie’s new best friend, she’s no slacker.  Girl’s gotta have something going on upstairs because our girl Melanie only swings with the smart kids.

(Random act insert) (Hand goes up in the back) (Sighs)  Yes? (Random reader stands up)  Then why do you keep insisting she will go for Layton?  Half the time he is about two logs short of a fully loaded steam engine? Because she is not interested in his brains!  SIT! DOWN! (OK.  I’m done) Anyway...... Back to Asha.  If she’s a fairly intelligent person, and she was on the train, she would have shown up by now.  Because heaven knows, they need all the smart people up front they can get on this show. Hence, she has to come from off the train.

Now, Melanie going to the weather station and just pinging weather balloons just ain‘t much of an exciting story line, folks.  And they keep hinting all over the internet some big additional plot confusion is developing out of the weather station storyline.  If it does not, I will be leaving a whole lot of nasty comments on people’s webpages for misleading information. So, out at weather station BFE (Go look it up, folks), Melanie is going about her happy little work while she is also being observed.  The people watching her are subterranean dwellers who survived the freeze by going underground and utilizing thermal vents in the earth. Look, surely Wilford wasn’t the only person with a plan, right?  I mean, it looks pretty sad for the human race if he was, folks. So, after ascertaining what she’s there for, and is no real threat to them, Melanie finds herself surprise adopted (AKA kidnapped) by this new group.  They discover she from that colossal group of idiots on the train to nowhere and decide she is better off with them because she has all the qualifications to join them.  Namely, at least two functioning brain cells. Melanie, having decided that even dirt falling off of Snowpiercer lowers the general IQ level overall, feels she needs to get back to save her train. Meanwhile, this new little society isn’t all its cracked up to be and we have a potential season 3 deserter - Asha. Back at the ranch (Snowpiercer), Melanie barely makes her rendezvous with the train.  From the looks of the preview (and boy, was it a brief glimpse), there is a possibility Wilford will make an attempt to not stop the train for her.  Or that’s just me hoping for a big romantic rescue scene.  I mean, at this point I will take anything to get even a shred of hot romance on this show.  I would even take a romantic rescue with Javi leading the charge.  ANYTHING!

Where things are likely to go: 1.  Layton is just greasing the rails on heading down track to becoming the very thing he fought against. 2.  Yet another real world metaphor will be inserted courtesy of the Headwoods in paralleling their experiments with those of the Nazi’s and 'was it all worth it as people benefited from it'. 3.  No one else needs to die this season as that we just had a whole shiiiiii...........train car load of people die in Episode 5. 4.  The only real romance we will ever see in this story is likely to be Josie and Icy Bob.  And I’m good with that, because at this point I will take anything I can get.  I’ll even take the two Aussie’s, which are currently the only things firing up the engines on those two trains. 5.  The writers will finally stop back shadowing off of season 1 and come up with something original again.  Ruth having to do the very thing she accused Melanie of doing was the last one of those I am going to take, folks.  Just STOP IT! 6.  Alex will defect to Snowpiercer.  This was STRONGLY hinted at in previews.  That and it’s just so darned obvious. 7.  WIlford dies.....because I have to be right about something, and its a sure bet.  Sean Bean’s characters always die.