#David likes having his head scratched. He's like a kitty :3

[bunnieswithknives]

is David touched starved? like how would he react to being hugged or just general physical affection?

David is simultaneously very touch starved and touch repulsed in the sense that his immediate reaction to anything he doesn't understand is to push it away violently. Like if you're a stranger/touch him unexpectedly he will hit you.

If your someone that he likes tho, like his parents or Red, he would just straight up cry I think.

Bonus I drew this at some point:

[the-tiva-og]

His Ninjas

Final chapter of my fluffy fic for @talisbirthdaychallenge​!

Chapter 3: Like Ima Ninja, Like Daughter Ninja

“Cat town, cat town, cat town,” Tali sang, swinging her and her father’s joined hands as they departed the hotel. They set out toward Yanaka Ginza, a shopping street that Tony and Ziva wanted to visit to see the shrine and that they had lured Tali into agreeing by telling her that, on quiet mornings, there were sometimes stray cats roaming the streets.  Unfortunately, their first cat spotting took place as Tony was absorbed in reading his map and, not looking where he was going, trod on the tail of a black cat sunning himself on the sidewalk. The cat yowled and darted off and Tony jumped as though he had just stepped on a landmine.  “Daddy!” Tali cried out, “Did you hurt the kitty?!” “Not on purpose!” Tony insisted, looking for the cat. He spotted him, perched on a wall and watching Tony with a look that, Tony would insist, was pure hatred. “See,” he gestured toward the cat, who was now casually licking his tail, “he’s right over there, he’s fine.”

The rest of their visit to the neighborhood went smoothly, Tony was definitely more careful with where he placed his feet, but they spent most of the time looking at the traditional crafts and foods. They didn’t pass back by the wall for at least an hour. Tony initially sighed happily, seeing that the black cat had apparently found somewhere better to be. Then he heard Tali cooing, “Kitty, kitty, kitty.” Tony turned to see his daughter crouched and holding out her hand to the black cat, leaned cooly against a bicycle. It only took a few more coos from Tali before the cat was rubbing against her legs and purring happily while the girl giggled and gently pet his silky black fur. “Ima, look!” Tali called.  Ziva knelt beside her daughter and scratched the cat behind the ears, “He’s pretty, isn’t he, Tali?” “So cute!” Tali said with a smile, “Do you think he’s the same cat that Daddy stepped on?” Seeing how loving the cat was to his partner and daughter, Tony decided to kneel down and try giving the cat some attention. The cat walked toward him, sniffed, raised the hair on his back, and hissed at Tony before returning to Tali. “I would say that this is definitely the same cat your father stepped on,” Ziva said, fighting a laugh. Tony huffed and turned away, “We need to go so that we don’t miss our train.” Ziva rolled her eyes and stood, beckoning for Tali to follow.  “Bye, kitty!” she called, waving at the black cat and following her mother.  As the girl reached out to grab Ziva’s hand, she asked innocently, “Can we get a cat when we go home?” Tony could only grit his teeth.

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After a trip to an arcade and filling their bellies with gyoza, they arrived at an aquarium. Ever the animal lover, Tali always begged to visit zoos and aquariums. Tony always tried to sway her to pick an aquarium since they tended to be indoors and, in his opinion, didn’t smell like a county fair. The excited little girl pinballed from one exhibit to another, calling to her parents anytime she saw something notable.  “Daddy! Look! Stingrays!” she called out, watching with awe as a massive ray gracefully swam through the tank. Before Tony really had a chance to respond, she was at the next exhibit, calling, “Ima! An octopus! A real octopus!” The tank of reef sharks held her attention long enough for her parents to actually get to look around, but once she spotted a tunnel of jellyfish, they were back on their trek.

“Where does she get the energy?” Tony sighed, throwing his head back as Tali oohed at a tank of piranhas before trotting off to look at some salamanders. “You were an athlete,” Ziva commented while Tali called for her parents to hurry because she had found the seals, “are you telling me that you were not an energetic child?” “Look at the seals, you guys!” Tali insisted as they stood in front of the large icy tank, “Aren’t they cool?” “I had plenty of energy,” Tony quipped, Tali too absorbed in the animals to realize that her parents had not responded, “but this feels more like a Ziva trait.” “Ha!” Ziva laughed, “Of course you would say that.” Tony didn’t have a chance to ask her what she meant because Tali grabbed his arm, calling, “Daddy! Daddy! Look! It’s Dory and Nemo!” The final area of the aquarium was almost more excitement than Tali could handle. Between the otters and penguins, jumping fish and sea lions, the little girl was practically buzzing with excitement. 

This excitement only built as they went to the mall next door to get a snack and ended up finding a Snoopy store, Disney store, and something called the “Pokemon Center MEGA TOKYO,” that Tony never thought they would drag Tali out of. “How about we go to a park?” Tony offered as they left the mall, desperate to go somewhere that wouldn’t have Tali insisting on buying more souvenirs. Ziva, who was now holding the energetic child’s hand, quickly agreed and mentioned a park that they had found in the city guide. Tony found the dog-eared page and the trio set out for their next destination.

The park Tali and Ziva picked out turned out to be, essentially, a massive obstacle course.  “Perfect place for my ninja duo,” Tony joked, standing to the side while Ziva led Tali across a balance beam.  After a seemingly endless string of rope ladders, rope bridges, climbing walls, and rope nets, they reached a bridge made of a series of log platforms. Watching several people ahead of them wobble on the platforms, linger for too long, and begin to sink into the shallow pond, Tony shook his head. “Nope, I’m out,” he said. “I’ll wait for you guys here.” “Scared of a little water, Tony?” Ziva teased.  “I just don’t want to spend the rest of the day walking around in wet socks, Zee-vah,” he replied, “but if you think you’re so graceful, go right ahead.” Her eyes lit up with the challenge and she completed the obstacle with ease, Tali following a bit more clumsily behind her.  Next came a log bridge and a zipline, which Tony observed from the ground, teasing Ziva anytime she gave an indication of frustration. “Our little ninja’s got some skills,” Tony quipped as they watched Tali paddle a round wooden boat through the next obstacle, “still not wanting to admit that she gets that energy from you?” Ziva grinned, looking at their daughter with so much pride, “She does get that from me.” Tony laughed a little, wrapping his arm around Ziva’s shoulder and giving her a little squeeze as Tali clambered out of her boat and ran to the next obstacle. 

Another rope ladder, another zipline, another log bridge, and a rope swing led to a bathroom break. Tali came charging out of the bathroom, intent on finishing the course. She made it through most of the remaining obstacles only taking help from her parents with great reluctance. As she slid off the log slide at the end of the course, she made a running jump at Tony who reacted just in time to catch her. “I did it! Daddy, I did it!” she shouted, “I finished the ninja path!” “Hey, yeah, you did,” he said, squeezing her, “Great job, T-Bird, I’m proud of you.” “Does this make me a real ninja now?” Tali asked excitedly. Tony smiled and nodded, “Yeah, you’re a real ninja, just like Ima.” He tossed a wink at Ziva who smiled and rolled her eyes. “Just like Ima,” Tali said proudly, raising her head from her father’s chest. 

They took the train to Odaiba and spent the late afternoon playing in arcades and browsing in a retro candy store with Tony just as eager as Tali to buy all sorts of mysterious snacks and sweets. Ziva, however, insisted that this would not be eaten instead of a meal, leading Tony to snark, “You’re such a mom, David.” Which, between any other two people might have been an insult, but the smile shared between the couple made it clear that Tony was using the lighthearted jab to continue his assurance of Ziva’s role in their solidifying family.  The family ended up in a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, which Tony had spotted in the city guide and insisted that he had to see it in action. Like her father, the little plates crawling along the counter fascinated Tali. She wanted to grab the first one that she saw, but with a parent positioned on each side, her picks were a bit more policed.  They were cautious with her at first, letting her take egg, shrimp, and grilled pork nigiri, as well as a cucumber roll. Anything she didn’t finish was finished by either Tony or Ziva, but there wasn’t much of that. Despite being a picky baby, Tali had grown to be an adventurous eater, another thing that each parent would insist was a trait inherited from the other. She swiped a tuna nigiri from Tony’s plate and a salmon nigiri from Ziva’s. They began offering her half of everything that they took from the conveyor belt and were happily surprised to see how much of it Tali enjoyed. She barely even flinched at the heat of the wasabi on a piece of squid nigiri. However, she almost spat a piece of eel back onto the plate. Tony laughed a little at the disgusted face that she made while he ate the other piece. Fortunately, the only other similar incident took place when she excitedly grabbed a roll from the belt before Tony or Ziva could stop her. She smelled the sushi and tried to refuse to eat it. Ziva insisted that, since she took it off of the belt, she needed to be responsible and eat at least one piece of it. Tali whined and pouted for a while, but Ziva did not relent and eventually the little girl managed to eat the natto maki. Tony volunteered to eat the remaining pieces from the plate and they wore matching grimaces until they were able to wash the taste out of their mouths.  As they left the restaurant, Ziva praised their daughter for being such an adventurous eater with Tony adding that she even ate the “stinky bean thing.” Proud of herself, Tali puffed out her chest and walked with a purpose. 

“We’ve got some surprises for you when we get back to the hotel room,” Tony told Tali as they left the train station in Asakusa and began walking back to their hotel. Tali gasped, “More surprises?!” Tony held his hands up in a defensive pose, “Now, I can’t promise that they’ll be as good as a trip to Disneyland, but I think you’ll like them.” Ziva smiled at him, knowing what he had planned and also knowing that her morning run had taken her past a bakery today and that there was a small strawberry shortcake currently stashed away in the room’s refrigerator.  Tali skipped the rest of the way to the hotel and waited impatiently for the elevator. “Your surprise won’t be there until we are, kiddo,” Tony laughed, watching the little girl shift her weight from one foot to the other, a spitting image of her mother. Tali huffed as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. 

Once they got up to the room, Tony went to his computer to set up the surprise while Tali opened up a coloring book she had gotten at one of the plethora of shops they had visited on this trip. “Okay,” he called out, gesturing for the little girl to join him, “come sit in the chair and close your eyes.” Tali hopped off of the bed and rushed over to the desk. She clambered into the chair and squeezed her eyes shut tight.  “No peeking, okay?” Tony said, lightly, starting a program on the laptop.  The little girl clapped her hands over her eyes and nodded. “Alright, just give me a second, okay?” he said.  “Okay,” she agreed.  Familiar voices called out, “Happy birthday, Tali!” and her hands flew from her face and her eyes opened wide. “Uncle Tim! Uncle Jimmy!” she shouted, looking at the faces of her parents’ friends on the laptop in front of her, “Hi!” “Hey, kiddo, how’s Tokyo?” McGee asked. “Your dad said that you went to a ninja restaurant, that’s so cool,” Palmer added.  Tony smiled in the background, happy to see his friends, but also happy to let Tali have some time with her unofficial uncles. He could tell from the background that they were huddled around the computer in Palmer’s office in the basement. It was just a bit past seven a.m. in Washington, so he wasn’t exceptionally surprised that they were both there and looking wide awake.  Tali was regaling them with stories of their trip and all the places that they had gone and about the surprise trip to Disneyland they were taking tomorrow for her birthday. The men listened in rapt attention as she told them about the souvenirs she had bought for Victoria, Johnny, and Morgan and how she couldn’t wait to meet them in person so that she could give them their gifts. As McGee was promising to come visit Tali and her parents really soon, Ziva called out to tell Tali that they had one more surprise for her. Her head whipped around to her mother and her eyes widened, “Is that cake?!” “I know that today is not actually your birthday and I am sure that you will have many treats in Disneyland tomorrow, but since we are having your birthday with family tonight” Ziva said, eyes twinkling and smile brightening when she said ‘family’, “your father and I thought that we should have a birthday cake.” The cake was small, but still large enough that they would probably each get to have another slice or two before it was gone. It was iced with whipped cream and topped with florets of cream and slices of strawberries. Tony had poked six small candles into the icing and they were currently burning with little, dancing flames. “Go on and blow out your candles,” McGee encouraged.  Tali nodded excitedly as her mother placed the cake between the little girl and the computer. “Don’t forget to make a wish!” Palmer added. Tali nodded again, closing her eyes for just a second before dramatically blowing out the candles.  Her family clapped and cheered, then Tony wiped the computer screen and Ziva set to cutting slices of the cake for the three family members currently sharing a room. They talked for a while longer, long enough for Tali to finish her slice of cake, but her eyes soon began to droop. “Hey, kiddo,” Tony said, putting a hand on her shoulder, “why don’t you say bye to your uncles and start getting ready for bed?” Tali nodded sleepily and exchanged goodbyes and good nights with Palmer and McGee before sliding out of the chair and heading toward her pajamas. 

“So, everything good with you guys?” McGee asked, once Tali had left the area. Tony looked at Ziva and smiled, “Yeah, things are great.” Jimmy’s face somehow grew even brighter, “It's so great to see you guys together, I mean, really together together. You’re just… so damn cute!” Ziva chuckled and Tony rolled his eyes, “Slap him for me, McGee.” McGee rolled his eyes back at Tony and said, “I agree with him.” “I didn’t ask if you agreed, McCupid,” Tony snarked, hiding a smile. McGee chortled and gave Jimmy a light smack to the back of the head. Tony smiled and nodded, “You’ve all gone soft. I never got such a gentle hand when I was there.” “And that explains so much about you, mon cher,” Ziva teased, taking the seat vacated by Tali. She leaned over and pressed a light kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Eww! Cut it out!” McGee teased, “Gross!” “You know that we made a child together, right McGeek?” Tony said as Ziva leaned back, smirking. McGee grimaced, “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I have to think about how you made one.” Tony continued teasing, “You see, when a mommy loves a daddy very much--” “Hey!” McGee called out, “Everyone here has been involved in the baby-making process. We are all very much aware of how it happens.” “Oh wow,” Palmer interrupted, “We’re all parents.” There was a moment of silence as the former coworkers let that sink in, as they all took in how much their lives had changed since they met. “We are,” Ziva said, voice full of the emotions that they all felt. “That’s crazy, isn’t it?” McGee vocalized, “I mean, did you ever imagine that happening?” Tony shrugged, “I mean, I certainly didn’t.” “We’ve gotta get all the kids together sometime soon,” Palmer said.  They all nodded or voiced their agreement. 

In the silence that followed, Tony spoke up, “Uh, so… we’re engaged.” “What?!” Palmer and McGee shrieked. “When?!” McGee asked while Palmer shouted, “Really?!” over him. “Yeah, last night at the Skytree tower thing, I just sort of… asked if Ziva would marry me,” Tony shrugged. “Well, you first asked, hypothetically, if you proposed, would I say yes,” Ziva corrected. “And you told me that I should ask,” Tony replied, “and I did.” Ziva smirked, “He didn’t have a ring.” Tony smirked back, “You still said yes.” “He’s had a ring for ages, Ziva,” McGee said, smiling from ear to ear, “Trust me, I’ve seen it. It’s perfect for you.” Palmer nodded in agreement.  “So everyone knew about the ring except me?” Ziva asked, shocked. Tony shrugged, “Well, I had to get the approval of my council of men.” Ziva gestured at the screen, “Your ‘council of men.’” Tony chuckled, “I said what I said.” Before the bickering could continue, Tali called out for them from the other room. “Ah, duty calls,” Tony said, turning to the screen. A faint buzzing sounded through the speakers and McGee pulled out his phone, “Yeah, that’s Gibbs. Looks like we’ve got a case.” “Give the best to the old man for us,” Tony said. “Will do,” McGee responded with a little salute. “Take care of yourselves,” Ziva called. “We will,” Jimmy responded, “Congratulations!” The call ended and Tony and Ziva were left looking at their reflections in the blank computer screen. Reflections of the people they had became-- parents, partners, fiances, civilians.  “Did you ever think we’d get here?” Tony asked, standing and offering a hand to Ziva. She shook her head, “I never imagined it. Never let myself imagine it.” He pressed a kiss to her temple, “And now?” She smiled, leaning against him, “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

[t-lostinworlds]

Crush (Ethan Dolan) [3]

A/N: I am very aware that I am so slow at updating, and I am so sorry. ANYHOW! Part 3 is finally here!

Summary: What would happen if the one and only Ethan Dolan found himself crushing on a simple but closed off girl like you? Would he work hard to try and break your walls? Or would everything be too much for him? (loosely based on the song Crush by David Archuleta)

Warnings: None, maybe typos haha.

Word Count: 6,136

Masterlist in Bio

P.S. I’ll leave the tags at the bottom, so if you want to be tagged when I post an update to this series just comment/message me and let me know 💖😊 (or if you want to get tagged when I post a new fic just let me know haha)

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Part 3

Your usual routine every time you have a day off is just being a couch potato the whole day, eating junk food while watching some random movie on Netflix. You don’t usually go out unless it’s certainly needed to. So when you stood in front of an unfamiliar building in downtown L.A., you just knew today was going to be very different than most days off.

After that night at the restaurant, you’ve received a text from James almost immediately as you got home, saying that he really does want to film a video with you, but he didn’t say what it was about yet. The both of you only talked about your schedule and when you would be free. Few days later, here you are, standing in front of James’ apartment door.

You knocked a couple of times before you heard a faint shuffling on the other side of the door. Next thing you knew, you were greeted by a glammed up James, smile wide with a hint of mischief in them. Your eyebrows met for a couple of seconds but were soon gone when he engulf you in a hug.

“You came! I’m so excited for this video oh my god!” He exclaimed, letting go of you in order for him to step aside, gesturing you to come in. You fiddled with your fingers as you looked around the place. It was nothing too extravagant but it was still aesthetically pleasing with the red brick walls, frames with motivational quotes in them and a few plants here and there. You nodded to yourself, impressed; it definitely was better looking than your tiny apartment.

“James! Why the fuck does your Wi-Fi have to be so slow!” You jumped, startled by the abrupt voice coming from behind you. You turned around to face the living room, and that’s when you saw him. To say that your heart skipped a beat would make it too cliché, but is still true to say the least.

It has only been a few days since the last time you saw him in person but he seemed to have grown even more handsome with that light scruff covering his jaw.

You hated to admit it but you have been thinking about him none stop, and not because you’re a fan of him, but because of this odd feeling that erupts inside of you whenever he crosses your thoughts. And when you watch their videos over, you found yourself staring at him longer than you should be, getting a little too distracted when he laughs or just stares at the camera too intensely as if he was looking straight at you.

You tried plenty of times to ignore this little “crush” you have on him, because you didn’t want to get hurt again, not after what happened just a year ago, but it seems to get only harder as the time goes by.

You looked at him with wide eyes, clearly surprised because James failed to mention that he was going to be here too. He was just laid flat on the couch, his phone directly on top of his face as he scrolled through it, completely oblivious to your presence.

“Don’t be rude Ethan, especially when I have a guest over.” James said from behind you but you can’t seem to take your eyes off of Ethan. You flinched a little bit when you felt a hand on your shoulder, turning around expecting James but you saw Grayson smiling down at you before turning his attention to Ethan when he spoke.

“What guest? I know it’s Grayson who just walked in so don’t use that excuse on me.” Ethan grumbled, his eyes still glued on his phone. You bit your lip to suppress a smile, looking up at Grayson who was chuckling at his stupid brother.

“Don’t say anything just yet until I give you a signal okay?” He whispered, but before you could respond, his voice already boomed around the apartment.

“(Y/N)! It’s nice to see you again.” Grayson exclaimed, giving you a quick hug. You hugged him back, still a little bit confused as to what’s happening, but you kept your mouth shut just as he said.

“Ha – ha very funny Gray, stop playing with me.” Ethan rolled his eyes, but still didn’t tear his eyes off his phone. You covered your mouth as you giggled, looking up at Grayson, him giving you a wink and a quick nod.

“What’s funny?” As soon as those words left your mouth Ethan’s head snapped in your direction, mouth hanging open and eyes as wide as saucers as he saw you standing there. He dropped his phone on his face and cursed, stumbling as he tried to stand up as quick as he can.

“(Y/N)! Hi.” He squeaked when he finally stood on both feet, swallowing the lump in his throat, his hand scratching the back of his neck while his face turned extremely red.  

“Hi Ethan.” You waved at him shyly, giggling at his reaction, feeling a little bit flattered thinking that maybe, just maybe you weren’t the only one feeling these feelings towards a certain someone.

You quickly shook your head to get rid of your thoughts, mentally slapping yourself as you realized that you are already dancing around dangerous territory.

You know Ethan is a great guy but still, you can’t be that naïve girl again. As much as you like him, you need to protect your heart as much as you can, even if that means denying your feelings for him. Maybe if he can prove himself, then you’ll try your best and open up a little.

Grayson laughed beside you; hand on his stomach as he turned around to James who was holding his phone up. “Did you get that?” He said in fits of laughter. James giggled with a nod, “Sure did sister.”

You laughed, looking back at Ethan who was rubbing his face with a groan, evidently annoyed at all of you. Well, maybe not so much at you because he can’t be annoyed at how adorable you looked today in your simple ripped jeans, black Vans, and a black rolling stones t-shirt.

Ethan hasn’t stopped thinking about you ever since the two of you met at the restaurant. Even Grayson got annoyed at how he kept talking and asking about you, pestering James at times to just give him your number already, but James is stubborn as hell, he kept saying that he should just wait.

He sometimes even tried to eat at the restaurant again but Grayson advised him to be patient, and not to be desperate.

Ethan tried to deny his attraction towards you but he just knew that what he’s feeling is not a one-time or a playful thing. He has never liked a girl this hard before, and that’s saying something because he doesn’t catch feelings for girls that easily.

“Hi.” You said with a soft smile, Ethan blinking twice before realizing that he unconsciously walked towards you. “Hi.” He responded, blushing profusely knowing how weird he must have been just standing in front of you for who knows how long.

The way you had Ethan captivated is scaring the living daylights out of him. You already had him hypnotized without doing anything at all. Your simplicity is so beautiful that he just can’t seem to get enough of it.

You stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, your smiles slowly disappearing, both your eyes speaking for themselves.

“(Y/N)! We’re ready for you!” James sing-songed, breaking the gaze between you two as you looked away, cheeks flushing. “Uh, I have to –” You started, not being able to finish your sentence as you pointed both of your hands towards James. Ethan nodded as you slowly walked towards James, getting inside a room that looks like his studio.

“Okay kitty girl, you sit here and we’ll film the intro.” James instructed after he introduced you to his editor, placing a stool behind the white table. You sat down, eyes adjusting to the bright lights. “Okay we’re filming.” James sat down beside you and smiled, clasping his hands together in an excited manner.

He took a deep breath before saying, “Hey sisters! James Charles here and welcome back to my YouTube channel! Today I am joined by a very unfamiliar face to you guys. Say hello to my friend (Y/N)!”

“Hi guys!” You said shyly, waving both of your hands. “So sister (Y/N), how about you tell us something about yourself and your taste in make-up and in fashion.” James looked at you expectantly. “Yeah, my name is (Y/N) and I’m just a simple girl who works as a server in a restaurant, nothing too special really. Make up and fashion wise, well…” You trailed off, not really sure on what to say.

“It’s okay, just take your time. It’ll look fine after editing I promise.” James reassured. “You’re doing great (Y/N)!” You heard Ethan yell from somewhere, making you blush and fumble with your words even further. James looked at you, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

“I – uh, I don’t really wear that much make up as you can see but I really love watching your videos even if I know nothing about make up you are just so fun to watch. And I just wear the usual jeans and shirt every day.” You laughed, thinking about how boring you actually are. “Aww, thanks sweetie.” James gave you a side hug before turning back to the camera.

“Yes, Sister (Y/N) here is just a shy simple girl, but we are going to changed that today by giving her a makeover!” He squealed excitedly, clapping his hands a few times. You stared at him, in utter surprise, clearly not expecting this at all.

“She didn’t know about this anyway that’s why she’s sister surprise at the moment.” James spoke to the camera nonchalantly. “Wait what? A makeover?” You asked, eyebrows knitting together.

“Yup, I thought I’d treat you with a makeover since you were so kind to us when we ate at the restaurant, and trust me guys, she is the sweetest ever. I can also see that you are very hard working so I’d really love to buy you new clothes!” James exclaimed. “Oh my god! Thank you!” You exclaimed, giving him a huge hug.

You aren’t exactly poor but you can’t really spoil yourself either since you are still saving up so that you can open your own restaurant soon, plus paying the bills doesn’t come in cheap. It makes you really happy that James is kind enough to treat you on buying an outfit.

“Don’t mention it sweetie!” He hugged you back. “And we’re going to be picking three outfits today so we better get going and you wouldn’t be able to see them until the big reveal.” He added after you guys pulled back. “Three outfits?!” you asked, your eyes bugging out of your head.

“Yes sister, we are going all out today. So chip chop, let’s go sister shopping! Ew that was so bad.” And with that both of you stood up and went outside of his studio.

“James, three is too much, you really don’t have to.” You said, still overwhelmed by his sudden generosity. You don’t really know each other that well yet, the only thing you have is what you see in their videos.

“No it really is fine. And I have a big feeling that we will be seeing you more often so three outfits is no biggie.” He brushed you off, leaving you there even more confused.

What does he mean by seeing you more often? Is James Charles planning something here? Is this more than just a simple video?

“Twins!” James yelled, catching both boys’ attention who were just sitting on the couch, on their phones. “You drove here separately right?”

“Oddly enough, yes, we did.” Ethan answered, giving suspicious looks at James. There’s something about today that makes Ethan feel a bit uncomfortable, like James and his brother a plotting his death or something. This morning, James just randomly texted him to come by at his place for something really important and when he got out of the house, Grayson’s car was nowhere to be found.

So he drove here in his Jeep, sending Grayson a quick text to where he was going. Weirdly enough Grayson responded a few minutes later saying he was on his way to James’ place too, he just needed to pick up a few things that’s why he went out earlier than expected.

“Perfect! Let’s go people!” James shouted, clapping his hands in an authoritative way, ushering everyone off of their seats and outside the door.

“So I guess were taking the Jeep since that’s the only way we all fit?” Ethan said when all of you reached the spot where the boys parked their cars.

“No way, I’m not leaving my car here. I don’t trust this neighborhood.” Grayson shook his head, holding both of his hands up as he walked over towards the driver’s seat, getting inside without another word.

“Ooh true, okay, Kelly and I will go with Grayson and (Y/N) would you mind accompanying Ethan? No? Okay let’s go! Ethan I’ll text you the address!” James grabbed Kelly’s hand and went inside Grayson’s car before you could even utter a single word. Next thing you know, they already drove off, leaving you standing there with Ethan dumbfounded.

“Un-fucking-believable.” You heard Ethan grumble behind you. “What was that about?” You asked with a small laugh, turning around just in time to see him rake his fingers through his hair with his other hand in his pocket, his biceps flexing in the process, the white shirt he was wearing leaving so little to the imagination.

No one can disagree with you when you say that Ethan Dolan is hot. Yes you’ve seen him shirtless from photos since there are quite a lot, but seeing it in the flesh is a whole different level, and he isn’t even shirtless now.

You bit your lip unconsciously and Ethan caught this immediately as he was already looking at you, a smirk playing across his face, feeling his ego shoot to the roof. Maybe he doesn’t have to worry too much about making you like him.

“Trust me, I have no idea.” He chuckled as he answered your question, making you snap back to reality, and judging by his smug expression, you definitely got caught checking him out. “What?” You asked, giving him an innocent smile, but your cheeks still turned red anyway.

“I don’t know, maybe I just caught you eyeing me or something.” He raised one eyebrow at you as he ran his tongue over his teeth, making him look even hotter, feeling even more confident this time when he saw you blush.

“Oh don’t be so full of yourself Ethan.” You rolled your eyes, the flush on your cheeks just growing even more. He laughed, turning around and opening the car door for you. “After you mi lady.” He curtsied with a grin, super pleased with himself, knowing that he has somewhat of an effect on you judging by your red cheeks.

You cocked your head to the side, looking at him cautiously as you walked forward and stood in front of him for a second. “I heard you like a gentlemen?” He gave you a quick wink and smirked, making you scoff as you got in the car, the shy and awkward Ethan from moments ago was long gone.

He jogged his way to the driver’s seat, a grin now plastered on his face. He can sense that you are trying to hide something from him. Not many people know this but Ethan is very good at reading people, whether it’s form body language or just how your eyes look.

Just as Ethan started the engine of his Jeep, his phone beeped. “Is he fucking serious?” He muttered as he read the text over and over. “What is it?” You asked with your eyebrows drawn together.

“James just texted me, but he didn’t give any address at all. He just said that I should keep you busy while he picks out the outfits, saying it should be a surprise. Then he added, ‘have fun you two.’” He answered, scratching the back of his neck, finally putting the pieces bit by bit on what James is planning all this time.

“Okay, that’s a bit weird. Are you sure he didn’t say something to you about this? Because I feel like this is more than just a video.” You giggled, thinking about how slick James can be when planning things.

“I kind of have a hunch, but I’m not entirely sure. And no, whatever he is planning, I have no idea.” Ethan narrowed his eyes at the road, scrunching up his nose as if he was deep in thought, which was very cute.

“So I guess you’re stuck with me then.” You shrugged as you gestured your hand from the top of your head to your feet, Ethan’s eyes following attentively, almost sizing you up.

“I wouldn’t mind that. I wouldn’t mind that at all. I’d quite like that actually.” He smiled at you cheekily, giving you another wink as his chin rested on his hand.

“Oh for fucks sake, stop doing that will you?” You groaned, burying your face in both your hands to hide you red face. Remember that time when you said if you’d had a dollar every time you blushed? Well, you’d be filthy rich by now, especially when you’re with Ethan.

“Stop doing what (Y/N)? Making you blush? Is little old me making you blush again?” He teased, giving you a soft poke on your side making you flinch a little bit. God this man just knows how to make you feel all tingly and soft inside doesn’t he? The way he has an effect on you is frightening.

“Just drive idiot you’re wasting gas.” You avoided answering his question as you are too embarrassed to admit so. “Fine, where to?” He chuckled, finally driving off, silently thanking James just a little bit for giving him a chance to spend more time with this amazing girl.

“Pizza?”

 ***

Meanwhile on the other side of town, Grayson trudged behind James lazily, getting more and more confused as to why he has dragged him into this “plan” of his.

“James, what am I even doing here? I clearly no nothing about girls’ fashion.” Grayson groaned when James dragged him into a Gucci store.

“Well, you clearly know Ethan and I want you to judge if Ethan would like the outfit or not.” James brushed him off, picking out a nice belt for you. Grayson furrowed his eyebrows, “You do know Ethan won’t care what (Y/N) wears right?”

“Oh no, I know that. I just want to see him all shock and everything, like completely blown away.” James said, settling with a cute and simple reversible black leather with a double G buckle that would go very well with the first outfit he has chosen.

“Can you at least explain to me bit by bit what you really are planning here? Because you only texted me and said that I should leave the house before Ethan wakes up since you have a surprise for him. And I know some of this isn’t part of the video.” Grayson crossed his arms in front of his chest as leaned over the counter, waiting for James to explain everything to him.

“It really is plain and simple Grayson. First, I wanted the two of you to drive separately so that we can just leave Ethan and (Y/N) with each other. Second, I have set up something for the two of them later on and just let this relationship blossom. You saw how they looked at each other, there is something there, and I really love being a sister cupid for once.” James grabbed the bag and started to walk out of the store, Grayson quick to catch up with him.

“Wait, you aren’t including this in the video right?” Grayson asked as he saw Kelly about to turn the camera back on.

“No silly. As much as I would like to put ‘Setting Up Best Friend with His Crush’ on the title, I want this to be private, you know how some of your fans are, I wouldn’t do that to (Y/N) and to Ethan. Besides, we still don’t know where this is going to end up. I’m just giving them a starting point, and the rest is up to them.” He gave Grayson an honest smile, in which Grayson nodded approvingly.

Of course Grayson loves their fans so much, but some of them can be a bit too much when it comes to them dating or just being with a girl for that matter. And James is right, they still didn’t know if this is going to work or not, plus it’s their choice if they want to go public.

“I feel like I’m just your private driver or something.” Grayson complained as they got back inside the car. “Oh sush, you’re helping more than you think you are sweetie.” James gave a dismissive wave of his hand, handing some bags to Kelly in the back.

“Where to next?” Grayson asked. James gave him the address to their next destination, heaving a huge sigh, Grayson slowly drove off.

 ***

“Uh, I’ll get a pineapple pizza, and…” Ethan looked up from the menu and at you. “I’ll get the same.” You smiled at the waitress. She gave you both a nod and walked away. You looked back at Ethan to see him smile at you in complete adoration.

“Do you really like pineapple pizza or are you just trying to impress me?” He wriggled his eyebrows at you, leaning back on his seat as the corner of his mouth quirked up. You scoffed, “Please, I’ve been eating pineapple pizza long before I knew your obsession about them.”

This just keeps getting better and better. He thought to himself, leaning forward to rest his elbow on the table and stared right into your eyes. “Where have you been all my life?” He muttered, his crush for you building up more and more as he got to know you better.

“You’re so cheesy aren’t you?” You shook your head with a laugh, the redness starting to tint you cheeks once again. He listed his shoulders up in a half shrug. “At least I try and I know you find it cute because you’re blushing again.” He pressed, tilting his head to the side with a proud smile, making your eyes roll.

“Shut up.” You grumbled looking everywhere but him. He held his hands up in surrender as he laughed, the beautiful sound echoing around the restaurant.

“Why are you even wearing a hoodie? It’s hot out.” You changed the topic to try and divert the attention to something else. “Well, I’m clumsy as fuck and I don’t want to stain my white shirt.” He answered, eyes lighting up as the waitress came back with two huge slices of pizza.

“Oh wow this is huge.” He rubbed his hands together as he licked his lips, so excited to take a bite already. “Let me take a picture.” You suggested, him agreeing as he gave you his phone. He lifted the pizza up, doing silly faces and a few serious ones.

“I’m starving.” You sighed, lifting your own pizza to take a huge bite, hearing a click a few seconds after. You looked up to see Ethan holding his phone up with a chuckle. “Cute.”

“Delete that Ethan.” You glared at him, your mouth still full, but being the stubborn person that he is, he just kept snapping pictures of you as you tried your best to hide your face.

“Please stop.” You laughed as he started to make faces as if he was a professional photographer. After a few more clicks he finally stopped, giving you a wide smile, showing his gums and all. “You’re such a dork.” You can’t help but feel your heart swell at this adorable person in front of you. How can someone be adorable and hot at the same time?

The two of you continued to eat your pizza, just talking about anything and everything as you got to know each other more, finding out that the more you guys talked, the more you have in common.

Ethan found himself liking you more and more as he found out the things you are passionate about and the things that makes you, you. Ethan likes it when you talk about the things that make you who you are because it just makes you glow in such a way that has him captivated.

That’s why he silently cursed when James texted that it was time for the two of you to go back to his apartment, indicating that your alone time together is ending.

You frowned as you received the same text as well, not wanting this time with Ethan to end, but you had a video to finish so you guys paid your meal and stood up, slowly walking back to the car, the conversation between the two of you not pausing even for a second.

Ethan opened the door for you again, being the gentleman that he is. When he got to the driver’s seat, he stared at you for a moment, deep in thought.

Ethan doesn’t like to say it out loud but he does in fact get shy around girls, but something about you just wants him to be bold and daring for once, so that’s what he did.

You felt your breath get caught up in your throat when Ethan reached over you, left palm flat on the window on your side as he came face to face with you. He stared you down, your faces just inches away from each other, to the point where you can smell a hint of mint coming from his breath due to the gum he just chewed a few seconds ago.

His eyes glanced down your lips for a moment, not even trying to be discrete at all. You gulped, your hands fisting on your thighs, feeling your heart rate escalate. He looked back at your eyes with a lopsided grin as you felt his hand brush pass your shoulder, his nose now almost brushing yours.

“Seatbelt.” He whispered, before pulling away with the strap of your seatbelt in his hands.

You took a glimpse at him as he locked in your seatbelt while he watched you intently through his lashes, with you still frozen in your spot, your brain still processing how close you were just seconds ago.

You let out a deep breath that you didn’t realize you were holding as he sat back on his seat, wanting nothing more than to punch that stupid grin off of his face.

“What? Safety first.” He shrugged as you eyed him questionably, putting on his own seatbelt.

Funny how quick the tables have turned don’t you think? Earlier he was the one all awkward and fumbling when you were around then all of the sudden he’s got this huge confidence out of nowhere, making you feel so shy and intimidate by him.

“If I hadn’t known better, I’d say your hitting on me Dolan.” You teased to try and hide your embarrassment.

“What if I am? What if I like you? Would that be a problem?” He said bluntly, staring at you with a proud, genuine yet very nervous smile with both hands on the wheel just as he started the car. He knew it might have been too early for him to say that, but the short amount of time that you spent together had him so sure that he in fact likes you a lot.

That caught you off-guard by a lot, blinking a few times with your mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, not sure on how to respond.

What a way to tell you that he does in fact like you in a way right? I mean it really that much a big of a deal, maybe he just likes you like a friend or something but the way he has been acting by only a few meetings are saying a lot.

He chuckled at your reaction and took his eyes off of you as he drove off, biting hid bottom lip to try and hide the fact that his cheeks are getting red as well. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel anxiously since he pretty much admitted himself that he does in fact like you.

To come and think about saying that to a girl you hardly know and had just met twice is a completely and utter madness. For all he knows, you would’ve think he was delusional or crazy or something.

Even admitting to himself that he likes you more than he normally should makes him think that’s he has finally lost his brain, but something inside him is urging him to continue, that this isn’t wrong.

Why would it be wrong though? After all, you don’t get to choose who you catch feelings for, it just happens and there’s nothing you can do about it, whether it’s at first sight or a couple dates after.

He stole a few glances over you as you stayed silent making sure to still focus on the road, but his foot was bouncing out of nervousness for what you would say to him.

Ethan was never the one to be bold and brave towards a girl, especially in person. I mean when you do it on text, it is so much easier since you don’t have the pressure of getting embarrassed or the fear of rejection. Plus rejection over text hurts less than getting rejected straight up front.

He was overthinking your answer a lot, would you reject him and tell him he’s weird or would you take it differently?

You still stared at him like an idiot, words getting caught up in your throat. You two haven’t really known each other that much yet, so should you say you are keen on the idea – which you very are even if you’ve only met him twice – or should you deny and hide everything to just save yourself from getting hurt in the near future?

You cleared your throat when you’ve finally composed yourself, settling with the best answer you could come up with.

“Well, if that’s the case, just so you know, I am not an easy girl Ethan. I’m pretty guarded as I may say.” You spoke with truth, settling with giving him a little warning that you are not sure about getting into something that involves dating just yet but not full out rejecting him too since you do like him, as weird as that sounds.

“I know and I am going to work hard to break your walls and prove myself, I promise. You might be weirded out by this but I really do like you (Y/N), and I’d like to see where this connection is going to take us.” He said and you can see how he truly meant it just by looking at his eyes.

“Me too Ethan.” You whispered, not really being specific on what you mean by that, if you liked him too or you’d liked to see where this is going too, or maybe it’s just both.

“Okay.” Ethan nodded and smiled, slowly driving off. At least you didn’t say no and that you didn’t like him right? Plus your answer pretty much meant you agreed with everything he said, and there was nothing negative about what he said.

The two of you continued to get to know each other during the drive back to James’ place, sometimes jamming out to the song on the radio when it was familiar to you both, just enjoying each other’s company all in all, laughing and just smiling from ear to ear.

A few minutes later, Ethan pulled up in front of Grayson’s car with a sigh, the smile still glued on his face as you guys laughed about something stupid he did when he was young. He turned the ignition off and unclasped his seatbelt, about to open the door when he heard you sigh in annoyance.

“You okay?” He turned to face you, seeing you struggle with the clip of your seatbelt. “Need help?” He added with a chuckle as you blew out air from your cheeks. “Please?” You gave him a pout as you inclined your head, Ethan’s heart stopping for a moment at how adorable you looked. God he wanted to kiss those lips so bad right now.

You stopped fumbling with your seatbelt as he reached for it, getting closer with you again. He struggled a bit, questioning why it suddenly was so hard to undo it.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know wh–“ Ethan started as he looked back up, stopping himself when he came face to face with you again. You didn’t realize how close you were until you looked down and saw his lips just there, a few inches away.

He mirrored your actions; the only difference is that his eyes lingered on your lips a little longer. He forced his eyes to look away from your mouth, his urge to just press his lips on them getting harder and harder to hold. You licked your lips unconsciously, looking down at his pink lips then back again to his eyes.

Both of you heard a click as Ethan finally undid your seatbelt, but none of you backed away. You stayed frozen on your spots, him getting so lost in your eyes, you feeling the same.

You felt a hand cup your cheek, Ethan slowly pulling you even closer until the tips of your noses touched, eyes still boring into yours, looking for any sign of doubt and found none. You felt your hands rest on his broad shoulders, your body just taking over at the moment as his lips ghosted over yours.

Ethan was about to close the space between you two, to finally taste those plump lips of yours, until you heard a loud and obnoxious knock on the car window, forcing the both of you to jump away from each other.

You turned around and saw James smiling widely as he waved his hand. You sighed giving Ethan a glance over your shoulder to see him glare at James, obviously annoyed at him for interrupting what was about to happen.

You held back a giggle, opening the door as you got out of the car, cheeks flushed as you greeted James. “I can’t wait to see you try out the outfits I bought you!” He squealed, wrapping an arm over your shoulder as he pulled you inside the building, not giving you the chance to wait for Ethan.

He on the other got out of the car with an annoyed look on his face, slamming the door harder than he should have. “Dude you okay?” Grayson asked as he saw his brother’s expression. “I’m going to fucking kill him.” He growled lowly, staring at James with his arm around you as the two you disappeared inside the building.

Grayson traced his brother’s gaze and looked back at him. “Why? What’d he do this time?” He asked, placing a hand on Ethan’s shoulder, slowly nudging him to start walking.

“I was about to fucking kiss her bro, it was so close then James decided to fucking bang on the window.” Ethan ran through his hair in complete frustration. Grayson looked at his brother shocked and amused by one, being able to get so close to a girl to a point where they’re about to kiss and two, getting completely infuriated by just an interrupted kiss. Maybe Ethan really wanted to kiss you that bad.

“Shut the fuck up Grayson. I’m not that bad at girls.” Ethan snarled, swatting his hand away as he saw the look Grayson was giving him, knowing exactly what’s in his mind. Grayson threw his head back and cackled, slinging his arm over Ethan’s shoulder, pushing him inside the building.

“Bro, relax. You’ve got plenty of chances, the day isn’t over yet. Don’t worry; you’ll get that kiss.” Grayson patted Ethan’s back. Ethan shook his head with a deep exhale. Maybe he was overreacting a little bit, but he really wanted to kiss you so bad and he was so close, James interrupting it just annoyed him so much.

Guess he’ll have to try again later then.

===

Tags: @sspidermanss @castiel-savvy18 

(this is based on the comments of the last one. I’m sorry if you didn’t want to get tagged anymore since I take so long to update just lemme know and I’ll stop tagging you 😭😅 and again if you want to get tagged just comment/hit me up 💕)

Part 4 coming soon

[forestwater87]

Chapter 3: Headbutts & Catnaps

Camper-counselor bonding happens in some pretty unique ways.

CW: use of the r-word in the beginning of the second section

"Sorry, nerd! Actually, I'm not sorry, and my sarcastic apology is meant to further annoy you. It's a quick and effective way to get attention."

Gwen sighed. "Nurf, get over here. And run."

She'd discovered after a few weeks that their resident bully tended to keep to himself when he had something to do. It was a combination of lack of attention, boredom, and pent-up aggression that seemed to cause the most trouble, and while David wasn't a huge fan of the solution she'd come up with —

The boy broke into a trot, lowering his head as he thundered past the other campers. Gwen crouched down and braced herself, closing her eyes.

"Grahh!" He collided into her with enough force to send her back a few feet, their heels kicking up a massive cloud of dust. She tossed her head, shaking him off, and they backed up without taking their eyes off each other.

— he had to admit it worked.

When she'd first tried this, it had taken nearly half an hour of head-butting to work out all of Nurf's energy to a point where he could pay attention and not bother the other campers; they'd worn deep grooves in the dirt with their heels, and David had been about to call her off when the kid had shrugged and returned to his station, keeping to himself for the rest of the day. Now it only took a few runs before he was calmer, and once he slowed down, his tail no longer flicking with agitation, she straightened and held up her hands in truce.

"Better?" she asked. He grunted and she shoved him toward where David was setting up for Scuba Camp. "Good. Back to it." Rubbing the base of her horns (it didn't hurt, but it gave her a strange jittery feeling) with one hand, she followed at a slower pace and joined David on the dock.

"He seems calmer," David hummed, glancing over at where Nurf was letting Preston lecture him about how to properly wear scuba gear without a single insult or threat. "Do you feel all right?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's what we do." She rapped her knuckles on her forehead. "Thick skulls, remember? We're not all delicate fluffy kitties like you. Speaking of —" She groaned, bending down and picking up another set of scuba gear, "I really can't talk you into doing this instead of me, huh?"

He swallowed, glancing from her face to the gear, then out to the lake. "I-I mean, I suppose I could . . ."

"Nah, I wouldn't do that to you." Cats and water, Jesus. "Just watch the kids, okay?" Neil and Max were the only two water-phobic kids, so David had planned an activity that would keep them dry while the rest of them tried not to drown in Lake Lilac.

"Can do!"

He was about to return to shore when she put a hand on his shoulder and added, "Don't try too hard, okay? You know it'll backfire."

"I know, Gwen," he said with a sigh, his shoulders drooping. "It's just so exciting . . ."

"Yeah, I know it is." David had been hoping for years to have another cat at the camp, so when Max's name and breed had first appeared on the camper applications he'd been ecstatic. Unfortunately, Max was . . . well, Max, and after two years of back-and-forth there were no signs of either his animosity or David's hopefulness letting up anytime soon. "But if he scratches you, I'm the one who has to deal with it, so think of me before you do something stupid."

"I will!" He leaned in to peck her on the cheek before freezing, his eyes widening. He quickly pulled back, dusting imaginary dirt off her shoulder with the fakest nonchalance she'd ever seen. "Take care, everyone!"

She ushered the kids to the end of the dock. "Come on, guys. Let's get this over with."

Gwen had never really considered herself the kind of person to have strong feelings about animals, pro or con. She'd never had pets, but she freaked out over an adorable panda video just like anyone else. Fairly neutral when it came to animals, full or hybrid.

The more time she spent at this camp, though, the more she started to think she was really not a cat person.

"The fuck is he?" she muttered to herself, shaking silly string out of her wool and pounding on her touchscreen. The phone rang a couple times, then an obnoxiously sunny voice rang out, "Campe diem! You've reached David Greenwood. I can't take your call right now . . ."

She was going to kill him.

Especially since . . . oh, fuck. "Where's Max?" she demanded, counting the campers again as though he might materialize if she tried hard enough.

Despite it being their first summer, Neil and Nikki had been here long enough to realize they were basically Max's keepers. It wasn't like he'd willingly spent time with anyone else at camp. Neil ruffled his feathers anxiously, glancing around like his friend might suddenly appear out of nowhere, and Nikki beamed at Gwen with teeth way too large and sharp for her age.

"Not trying to escape, that's for sure!"

Gwen immediately didn't believe that, but Neil jumped in: "Really, though. We haven't seen him since breakfast." He scratched at the ground with his talons. "I — think he said something about trying to learn David's secret?"

Nikki jumped in, her tail wagging. "That's right! He wants to figure out what makes him so happy all the time!" Dropping to the ground and scratching behind her ear, she added thoughtfully, "He said either there's something he's repressing or he's just retarded." She turned to Neil. "Hey, what's 'retarded' mean, anyway?"

He shook his head affectionately, patting her on the top of the head with one wing. "Nothing you need to worry about, Nik."

Well, that at least sounded vaguely plausible. And it'd kill two birds with one stone (no offense to Neil) if they were together. "Think you can sniff him out?"

"On it!" Nikki immediately took off, her nose to the ground, with Neil fluttering anxiously behind her.

"All right, guys. Keep . . . uh, doing whatever you're doing." She turned to the Quartermaster, who was hardly at his best during the day but better than nothing. "Can you make sure they don't kill anyone, QM?" The old man grunted, not opening his eyes. His wings were folded protectively around him, but at least he was upright; if she came back and he was hanging upside-down, they'd have a problem, but she figured he could probably stay awake for five minutes.

She turned and followed Neil and Nikki away from the activities field, half-expecting the trail to lead them into the woods or to where QM's bus was parked or something, but surprisingly they wove around to the area behind the camper's tents, a little grassy field where the kids sometimes spent their free hours. David was sprawled out snoring in a patch of sunlight on the road that curved around the field, one arm flung over his eyes and his ears twitching with the breeze. This was annoying but not entirely unexpected, and part of her was relieved to have confirmation that he slept at all.

The surprise was that Max was curled up in a tiny ball on David's chest, his head tucked under the counselor's chin. His tail flicked restlessly, but neither of them stirred as Nikki froze in a point about ten feet away.

Gwen rubbed her head as she passed, going up to the sleeping cats and crouching by David's shoulder. "Hey, chief?"

He stirred, rubbing his face and blinking up at her blearily. "Gwen?" He started to sit up on his elbows and went still, eyes widening as he realized Max was still asleep on him. "Oh my golly," he whispered, breaking into the brightest grin she'd seen all summer (which was saying something).

"Wanna actually help me run Stunting Camp, or should I just hope enough of the kids live that we'll have even teams for tomorrow's dodgeball game?"

David's eyes flicked from hers to the fluffy black ears twitching in his face. "Gwen, are you seeing this?" His voice was too awestruck to be sarcastic.

“I do. And if he wakes up and sees this he’ll probably kill you. Or himself. Or everyone in the camp so there are no witnesses.” He shot her a reproving look but carefully shifted the camper off his chest, settling him on the ground and springing to Gwen’s side with the reflexes she envied (and thought were totally wasted on someone that inherently awkward). “What happened?”

He shrugged, his cheeks flushing pink. “I went to make sure all the campers were awake, and it was so nice and warm I just had to sit down for a second, and . . . well . . .” He looked away self-consciously, bringing his fist to his mouth and running his tongue along his knuckles.

Gwen knocked the dirt off the back of his uniform and shook a leaf out of his hair. “You didn’t have to lay in the road,” she pointed out with a smirk. “There’s grass literally right there.”

David continued licking the back of his hand, still not meeting her eyes. “It’s not sunny over there.”

They were interrupted by Nikki, who’d apparently decided they weren’t going to wake Max soon enough and had jumped on him, sending up a cloud of dust that Neil and the counselors quickly stepped back from. “MORNING, SUNSHINE!”

“WHAT THE FUCK, NIKKI?! YOU COULDA KILLED ME!”

She groaned, rubbing her forehead. “He’s up,” she grumbled. “Energetic little shithead, huh?”

“That nap must’ve really been good for him!” David managed to keep the manic glee out of his voice, but it was a close thing.

“This is the best day of your life, isn’t it?”

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his smile twitching. “Almost.”

The kids were still fighting; somehow a very-displeased Neil had been dragged into the fray and was trying to disentangle himself as fast as possible.

“Get off me!”

“But come onnnnn, we’re gonna do stunts today! Up n’ at ‘em and campe diem, Max!”

Gwen sighed. No one ever said dumb motto except occasionally Space Kid -- and, apparently now, Nikki.

David leaned in a bit, still watching the kids. “Okay, this is a pretty good day,” he admitted.

“No kidding.”

“Better than my 4th birthday.” When she looked at him questioningly, he chuckled and said, “My parents hired a clown. It was very exciting.”

She gave a small snort of disgust. “Of course you like clowns.”

“They’re so happy!” As the three kids collapsed in the grass, their energy suddenly spent in that little-kid way that reminded her of a battery suddenly dying, David raised his voice and called, “Come on, kiddos! We’re running a little late this morning, so we need to get a move on if we wanna have time for all of today’s activities!”

Max rolled his eyes, climbing to his feet and shuffling toward them with his hands in his inexplicably pristine hoodie. “Like any of us gives a shit about the activities.”

Nikki bounded after them, dragging a disheveled and squawking Neil behind her. “Betcha’d rather just take a nap with Daaaavid, huh?” she teased, elbowing him in the side.

“The fuck are you talking about? I was following him, and then . . .” He trailed off and his face turned red, visible even with his complexion. “Oh, fuck no.”

“Oh fuck yes!” Nikki crowed, scampering out of the way in case he tried to swipe at her. “You were sleeping on him like a baby kangaroo!”

Max seemed distracted by his dawning horror. “I . . . it was warm,” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “I wasn’t tired, but then . . . I was?”

David put a hand on the camper’s shoulder comfortingly. “It’s okay, Max! Cats need to rest a lot during the day, and it’s perfectly natural for kittens to cuddle up with their mother, so --”

“You're not my mother!” He jerked away, fluttering his arms like David was an annoying fly.

Gwen tried and failed to keep her face blank. “I mean, you’re the only cats around here for miles. And we have legal custody over you while you're at camp. So I guess for the summer he kinda is your mommy.”

“I hate all of you.” Grabbing Nikki by the wrist and snagging a handful of Neil’s wingfeathers, he dragged them ahead to the rest of the campers, growling threats about them not telling anyone about this.

She expected David to scold her for teasing Max, but when she looked over at him he was watching the kids walk away with his hands clasped at his chest and tears in his eyes. “Did you hear that, Gwen? He thinks of me as a mother!”

“You’re a guy, David.”

His expression didn’t change, and neither did the choked-up joy in his voice. “I don’t care!”

“Now is it the best day of your life?”

David paused, turning back to her. His expression softened, and he blinked away the mistiness in his eyes, taking advantage of their temporary solitude to kiss her on the nose. “Second-best.”

[thotyssey]

On Point With: DJ Johnny Dynell

[Photo by Alex Colby]

It’s impossible to discuss the history of NYC Nightlife without considerable mention of this prolific musician, whose recordings have cemented themselves into the foundation of all dance music. As a club DJ, he has spun in basically every legendary spot the city has boasted since the 1980s, and he’s partied with luminaries ranging from his Ball family House of Xtravaganza to superstars Elton John and Debbie Harry. To this day, he remains one of the most in-demand stars of the scene, spinning such huge events as Night of 1000 Stevies and the Black Party. And hell, he put out a big Vogue record a whole year before Madonna. It’s DJ Johnny Dynell!

Thotyssey: Johnny, thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions! As I'm writing this, I'm listen to your classic 1983 single "Jam Hot," which sounds like it influenced so many dance songs over the decades. Do you feel like you hear pieces of the song in a lot of other stuff? I know Fatboy Slim officially sampled it. Johnny Dynell: “Jam Hot” gets sampled, remixed and covered constantly. I went on iTunes recently to buy it (It was easier for me to pay the 99 cents than to look for it), and I saw that there were like a hundred versions of it. I was shocked. 

A lot of people know the 2010 remix that Tensnake did, but my absolute favorite is a cover version that this great Hip Hop group from Australia called Koolism did. I like it better than mine. It’s so funky. 

But the best is this big fat hairy construction worker in England who sings it in on YouTube. It’s genius!  “Jam Hot” is now a term in the Urban Dictionary. That’s pretty cool.

[Performing “Jam Hot” at Danceteria in 1983. Photo by Chris Savas]  

You've had such a prolific run as a recording artist and club DJ, going back decades. Had you always suspected you'd have a lifelong career in music? Hell no. I came to New York to go to art school in the late ‘70s. At the time, downtown was a very creative scene. Art, music, fashion, film--everything was connected, and anything was possible. I started playing in No Wave art rock bands, even though I had no musical training whatsoever. That led to DJ’ing and recording. But music was never my original goal. Where's your hometown? I’m from a very small town on the Canadian border. 

What were your earliest musical influences?

Growing up there was always music playing in our house. My mother especially loved R&B like James Brown, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin. There was always a radio playing. What was it like in your early days of exploring NYC nightlife? What were you seeing? New York was very creative and very exciting in the ‘70s and’ 80s. Originality was crucial. Today, people freely appropriate things from the past and pass them off as their own. When I go on a music site like Beatport, I find it virtually impossible to find a song that is not blatantly stealing from another song. I’m sorry, but putting a new kick drum under “September” by Earth Wind & Fire is not writing a new song! Then I get sick as it goes to number one on Beatport.

 Some people defend this by saying “there’s nothing new under the sun,” but that’s bullshit. Disco was new. Punk was new. Hip Hop, Scratching, Rap, Break Dancing, Voguing… they may have had their roots in something older, but they were all brand new. 

In 1979, I saw Grandmaster Flash in this church basement and I lost my mind. It was totally new! That’s what I’ll always remember about my early days in New York. How fresh and original everything was. Today for example, it’s all about deep house, acid house, etc., and I love it. I loved it 20 years ago. 

How did you join the House of Xtravaganza, one of nightlife’s largest and greatest ball house families? I was first exposed to the Ball House scene at the Paradise Garage and hanging out at The Piers, but I officially became an Xtravaganza in the 80s through my DJ friend David DePino. Angie was my mother, and David Ebony was my father. 

[Mother Angie Xtravaganza at Nell's] Were you a dancer as well? I am definitely NOT a voguer. In fact, David Ian and Danni Xtravaganza used to make me vogue at TRAX, and everyone would just roll on the floor laughing. Some of my Old School Ganza sisters will STILL try and get me to vogue at parties like Battle Hymn. They just want a good laugh, the bitches. The Madonna Effect dictates that gays raised from the early ‘90s to today know "Vogue" primarily from her single, even though you and Xtravaganza basically invented the dance and the scene--your "Elements of Vogue" was the original anthem!  In the mid ‘80s, I worked with Nick Egan & Malcolm McLaren a bit. I loved the way Malcolm would throw different cultures together, and come up with crazy new hybrids like mixing hip hop with square dancing or opera. After his success with the Duck Rock and Fans albums, he was in LA looking for something new. I called him up and told him to get back to New York and check out the Ball House scene. It was so him! 

At the time, I was trying to help Jennie Livingston get money for her film Paris Is Burning, so I stupidly sent Malcolm some of Jennie’s video footage. Of course, Malcolm immediately sampled it and “Deep In Vogue” was the result. [My wife] Chi Chi wrote the famous lines in the song: Sometimes on a legendary night. Like the closing of the Garage. When the crowd is calling down the spirits. Listen, and you will hear all the houses that walked there before.” 

Around that time, the House Of Field was born. (I actually have duel citizenship. Mother Angie and Father Pat Field allowed me to be a “Field-Xtravaganza” because the two houses were more like sisters than competitors).

 At the very first downtown crossover ball, the now legendary House of Field Ball, Chi Chi and I met London designer Kitty Boots. We talked about doing a Voguing record. Two weeks later David Ian, David DePino, Chi Chi and I were in London recording “Elements Of Vogue”. I wrote the music on the plane and gave Ian a rhyming dictionary to write some lines. He wrote like ten pages, and I just took the best as verses. I will always love the lyrics to “Elements Of Vogue,” they’re so funny. David Ian was an absolute genius. 

"Elements Of Vogue” came out a year before Madonna’s “Vogue”. It’s not as commercial or has sold as well as hers obviously, has but I’ll always love it.

I noticed that you are credited in the cast of Liquid Sky, one of my all time favorite crazy cult “scene” films from the early ‘80s!

Yeah. I was cut out of most of it (thank God!). Originally it was, like, twice as long. It was ridiculous. They cut out, like, an hour. It's so stupid. 

How did your own DJing career begin?

I started DJing at the Mudd Club. I wasn’t trying to be a DJ; like a lot of things at the time, it was just random and crazy. Justin Strauss and I both started at The Mudd around the same time. Then we went on to DJ at AREA. I played Wednesdays and Fridays and Justin played Thursdays and Saturdays. It’s nice to see that he’s doing so well now, and it's fun to run into each other. We have such a long history.

[DJing at AREA, photo by Patrick McMullan]

The dancefloors in the era you came up in were mixed: gay and straight and everybody in-between. And you worked the legendary floors, as you’ve said: AM/PM, the Pyramid, the Roxy! It was all about the music and everybody coming together. It's so hard for queer kids today to understand the appeal of that, or how it worked. What would you say it was that made that scene great? Things are so compartmentalized now. Frat boys are in the East Village, hipsters are in Brooklyn, twinks are in Hell’s Kitchen, and they all have their own soundtrack. Back then people mixed more, and the music was more varied. When I look back at the songs that we played at, say, AREA or Danceteria, the variety is astounding. Everything from Talking Heads to First Choice. We played reggae, and songs by Fela. It was much more creative.  Were you consistently recording and writing your own music while you were DJing? Yes. I’ve always had fun putting out quirky records. I’ve been really lucky to have worked with some incredibly talented people. Arthur Baker, Malcolm McLaren, Eric Kupper, Jocelyn Brown, Peter Rauhofer, David Morales and Danny Tenaglia, to name just a few. 

For the past few years, I’ve been working with Pink Martini from Portland. I co-wrote “Una Notte A Napoli” with them. Carlos Santana recently did a cover of it, which is gorgeous. I also did a total ‘70s Disco remix of ABBA's “Fernando.” Pink Martini recorded this (in the original Swedish) with the Von Trapp great grand children. And last November, Pink Martini released their album Je Dis Oui. I co-wrote a song on that called “Segundo.” It’s a classic Cuban son montuno. 

On March 31st, I have a song called “The World of Tomorrow” coming out on the TRAX album I <3 NY. This album was complied by Tyler Stone, and has songs by New York’s hottest House DJs. It benefits Youth Communications, a Chicago based non-profit group that helps teens. 

Spinning vinyl is a skill most newer DJs have never even attempted. Music technology is obviously amazing today, but nothing can replicate that raw vinyl sound. Do you abide by the Old School, that "Real DJs" do vinyl and everybody else is just hitting “Play?” There is this really cool thing that happens sometimes on Monday nights at Bowery Electric in the East Village called Mobile Mondays. DJ legends like Nicky Siano, Tony Smith, Joey Carvello  or Danny Krivitt spin vinyl 7-inch 45s. It’s truly amazing to watch these artists work songs that are, like, two minutes long! They asked me to do it, and I tried and tried and tried to put it off, explaining that I haven’t touched a record needle in 20 years and don't even own vinyl anymore... but finally I said I'd do it. 

I borrowed a few 12-Inch records from Will (Carry Nation) Automagic, and played an hour set. There were all these people crowded around to watch me. But watch me what? I put the needle on the record, then mixed it into another record. That was it. 

That’s when I realized how limiting vinyl is for me now. I’m not Grandmaster Flash, I don’t scratch or put on shows. I just play records. I couldn’t loop or do any of the things that are possible with digital music. Vinyl sounds a lot better, and I really admire the DJs that play it, but for me it’s too limiting. 

Some kids today add “DJ” to their name on Facebook, hit play on their laptop and call themselves DJs. They are not DJs. Susan Morabito and I talked about this one night at Scissor Sundays. We agreed, you don’t have to spin vinyl to be a “Real DJ", you can play with a laptop. It's what you do with the technology that makes you a DJ. How many actual vinyl records do you still have? And what’s your favorite?   I have about 30 records now. Records that are autographed, rare test pressing, or records that have sentimental value... but that’s it. I would say that “You Know How To Love Me” by Phyllis Hymen is my favorite record, but that might be because that’s what I’m listening to right now. You mentioned your wife Chi Chi Valenti, another NYC club legend. How's she doing? This time of year she is always swamped with her “Night Of 1000 Stevies” event at Irving Plaza.  This year will be the 27th. She is also a board member of Howl Arts, which keeps her busy with the Howl Happening Gallery on East First Street and The Actors Fund East Village wing. She works too much.

[Chi Chi at Night Of 1000 Stevies. Photo by Jeremy Rocklin] You and Chi Chi are well-known for being co-founders of Jackie 60, the legendary early 90's party--and, later, club (that would eventually become Mother). Anybody who lived through 90′s nightlife have tales to tell about Jackie 60. How would you describe what made the scene so special to the uninitiated? Jackie 60 was a community. It was never “Johnny & Chi Chi present...” It was always “Jackie presents,” because, who is Jackie? "We’re all Jackie,” we would answer. 

I think Jackie 60 was special because she was the culmination of a Downtown art/club scene that was quickly coming to an end. From our disco beginnings through punk and new wave, through house music, club kids, drag performance etc., the experiences were all churning around in our brains. Our combined history at The Pyramid, Boy Bar, AREA, Danceteria, The Mine Shaft, Esquelita... all came together every week in the different themes. There was “Phantom Of The Paradise Garage” and “Valley Of The Queens: Secrets Of The Pyramid.” There would be tributes to “The Trucks” or “Lee’s Mardi Gras.” What came out in the 500 themes we did over ten years was really just a reflection of our lives. 

That’s why on the last Tuesday of 1999, even though Jackie was still packed every week, we closed it. At first I didn’t get it, but Chi Chi was very adamant about not bringing Jackie into the 21st century. She saw what the Meat Market was going to become, and wanted no part of it. She wisely knew that Jackie belonged with her legendary 20th century nightclub sisters that had gone on. What is your favorite memory from that period? That’s a tough one. Every week, there were supermodel catfights and scandalous couplings, as well as all the incredible shows on the stage. Performers took gigs at Jackie 60 very seriously, and we pushed them. Michael T in blackface was a rapping “Snoop Truthy Truth” in “Fiddler In Da Hood,” Sherry Vine was Jonbenet Ramsey in “Daddy’s Little Prostitute.” 

We cast Amanda Lepore as Sid Vicious in our production of Sid & Nancy.” Amanda was amazing in drag as a man and gave an Oscar worthy performance. Amanda Lepore is a stunning beauty, but hiring her to just sit on a couch with a bottle of vodka is just a waste of her talents.

[Debbie Harry, Rob Roth and Paul Alexander in “Revenge Of The Geisha” at Jackie 60. Photo by Paul Brissman. Still from the upcoming movie “The Last Jackie.”]

The big clubs started going down in the 90's due to skyrocketing rents, impossible ordinances, drugs and crime and changing nightlife trends. It's more difficult than ever to keep them going today, as we've seen from the recent closing of XL and the upcoming end of Space Ibiza. Can we--should we--save the big clubs? I’m a firm believer in letting the marketplace decide. If a city is tuned into the Zeitgeist, as New York still is (for better or for worse), she will produce the clubs that she needs. As Michael Musto said, “Each generation gets the clubs that they deserve.” 

I remember going to the opening of the Palladium; it was gigantic. Chi Chi just turned to me and said, “It’s all over.” And it was. 

When I play in some smaller American cities, I notice that a lot of times there are just one or two clubs, and they have usually been there for, like, 40 years doing the same thing week after week. New York, on the other hand, is cutthroat: she is always changing, evolving, killing off the weak, thinning the herd. The small clubs of the 70s turned into the big clubs of the 80s, which turned into the small bottle bars of the 90s. 

Getting it right is a crap shoot. We were involved with Crobar in the 2000s. It was such a beautiful club with an amazing sound system, and basically was perfect... but it couldn’t make it. Even though there were, like, 4,000 people every Friday and Saturday night, it just wasn’t enough. That’s crazy.

What are some of your favorite floors to play in today? I play for a lot of special events like the Elton John Oscar party in Hollywood, and the AMFAR party at the Cannes Film Festival. They are really fun, and they raise a lot of money for AIDS. But playing in clubs is really in my blood. That’s where I’m most at home. 

As far as a favorite dance floor, I’d have to say playing at The Ice Palace on Fire Island is always special. I really get off on the club's history, and being a link in her chain. I think of all the legendary DJs that have played there, and of all the dancers that have passed on. Young gay boys today take it all for granted. They have no idea what it has taken to get to this place. I tell them to Google Michael Fesco, or read Love Saves The Day, by Tim Lawrence.

[Elton John Oscar Party. Hollywood, 2015.]

How do you think nightlifers have changed today, compared to how they were in the 90s? I know it’s a cliche and I know I sound like some Grumpy Granddad, but a lot of kids today don’t seem to be living in the here and now. 

Last year, I was playing at this club. We had just opened the doors, and there were about ten guys standing at the bar, all of them on their iPhones of course. I’m sure they were all on Grindr or Scruff, and probably sexting the guy standing right next to them. It’s like, if Logan Hardcore was drowning in the Ice Palace pool after one of her afternoon shows, these kids would be Instagramming it with the hashtag #help! or  #loganisdrowning! or  #Someonecall911! Not one of them would think about reaching down and actually pulling poor Logan out of the water! Besides having mad skills, you've clearly lasted as long as you have because you're adaptable. And there's a variety of gigs that you're involved in:

1) FEMME at Drexler's in the East Village. You were just there on March 12th, and maybe you’ll return next month?

I [also] spun there for the opening [two months ago] with Matty Glitterati. It was amazing. The looks were off the hook! The boys were girls, the girls were boys… I gave up trying to figure out what was what and that is EXACTLY what needs to be done today. 2) Daniel Nardicio's Mr. Nude Orleans "pageant" and party in New Orleans on March 19th! New Orleans is a mad fun gay city. And naked people are always fun!  New Orleans is such an amazing city. It’s like the last stop on the L train. Chi Chi and I have an 1880s Double Shotgun house there that we are fixing up. In fact, Daniel Nardicio and Jake Shears have places around the corner from us. It’s nice. 

Daniel has been doing cabaret shows there for a while now. He’s brought Alan Cumming, John Waters, Dina Martina, Lady Bunny, and in April is bringing Diamanda Galas to the Joy Theater. Daniel and I doing “Mr. Nude Orleans” is just a logical step. 

In events like Mr. Nude Orleans, do nudity and general sexiness ever prove too distracting when you're Djing? 

No, I’m really just about the music. However, I do love the sense of freedom and joy that these parties have. There’s something so primal and tribal about them. The Black Party and Daniel Nardicio’s Underwear Parties both have this fantastic feel of old New York. I think one big reason is that there are no cameras allowed, and people have to check their phones. There are no selfies, no Snapchats, no texting or sexting. People have to actually interact. It’s great!

[Daniel Nardicio’s UNDERWEAR PARTY at The Ice Palace, Fire Island. 2016. Photo by Koitz] 3) Speaking of which: THE BLACK PARTY on April 1st, location TBA! That one, of course, is infamous for being the source for Anything Goes. Have you ever DJ’ed that one before? I think I played in the Lounge a few years ago but no, the Black Party is not a regular gig for me. I was really, REALLY honored to be asked. The Black Party is so legendary; I’m very excited about it. 

4) And then on May 5th: “Night of 1000 Stevies” at Irving Plaza! Chi Chi is the major creative/planning force behind this event, as you’ve mentioned. "Stevies” is a loooong running party/show that's evolved considerably from just a place where everyone dressed like Stevie Nicks. Can you even describe what it is today?

“Night of 1000 Stevies” has gotten so big, we do it with Live Nation now. People travel from all over the world to come to it. It has sold out Irving Plaza for the past four years, but somehow Chi Chi makes sure it still maintains its underground style and sense of humor. 

And no, Stevie has never been. She loves the night and has supported it, but she is always on tour somewhere when we do it. However, she did say that one day she will come dressed “as Stevie” and no one will know who she is until she walks up on stage and sings “Edge Of Seventeen.” I just love the idea of the real Stevie Nicks dressing up as one of our 1000 Stevies. Life imitating art?

[Night of 1000 Stevies 2014, by Jeremy Rocklin]

 And I'm sure there's a lot more coming up for you... Pride is already right around the corner!  Besides Pride in New York, I might be doing Pride in New Orleans with Daniel Nardicio. I hope that works out. Finally: You mentioned fellow DJ legend Michael T earlier. I interviewed him recently, and he seemed rather pessimistic about the future of nightlife. What are your thoughts about what lies ahead? I’m a little more optimistic (and a lot prettier) than Michael T. The reason I’ve dropped so many names in this interview is because I'm hoping that kids will Google them. I’m hoping they read Love Saves The Day and Life & Death On The New York Dance Floor by Tim Lawrence. I'm hoping they put down their phones when Logan Hardcore is drowning in the Ice Palace pool and pull the bitch out. I’m hopeful about the future. I think the kids are alright.

[Hangin’ with the kids on Delancy Street. Photo by Sabrina Haley]

Check here for a list of DJ Johnny Dynell’s scheduled NYC gigs, or his website. He can also be followed on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, iTunes and Soundcloud.

On Point Archives

[micaramel]

Artists: Chaos* Lounge, Jay Chung & Q Takeki Maeda, Terry Riley, Bontaro Kokuyam, Anita Leisz, Lucie Stahl, Alivia Zivich, Henning Bohl, Ei Arakawa, Kerstin Brätsch, Kerstin Brätsch/UNITED BROTHERS/Sergei Tcherepnin/Stefan Tcherepnin, Jutta Koether, Kitty Kraus, Pratchaya Phinthong, Susumu Katsumata, Ryan Holmberg, Wenzel August Hablik, Mutant Autopilot Brushes, Stephanie Kaiser, Jakob Buchner, Vika Prokopaviciute, Lena Sieder-Semlitsch, Ernst Jager, Sophie Mairer, Katrin Rhomberg, Alex Macedo, David Peschka, Evelyn Plaschg, Ani Gurashvili, Nicolas Scholer, Sebastian Mittl, Vanessa Schmidt, Kathrin Wojtowicz, Wolfgang Matuschek, Male Zander, Norimizu Ameya/Iwaki Sogo High School, Ei Arakawa, Ariane Muller, Erika Kobayashi, Oriza Hirata/Seinendan, Yuki Okumura, Nobuyoshi Araki

Venue: Green Tea Gallery at Francesca Pia, Zürich

Exhibition Title: HARSH ASTRAL: The Radiants 2

Curated by: UNITED BROTHER, Henning Bohl and Stefanie Kleefeld

Date: March 24 – May 12, 2018

Note: A checklist is available for download here.

Click here to view slideshow

Marie Curie, Nano Preussisch Blau (Leise Version), video, 4 minutes 28 seconds

Full gallery of images, video, press release and link available after the jump.

Images:

Video:

Alivia Zivich, Life Destroyer, 2007, Single channel SD video with sound by Demons (Nate Young and Steve Kenney), 21 minutes 30 seconds

  Images and videos courtesy of the artists and Francesca Pia, Zürich. Photos by Annik Wetter.

Press Release:

“HARSH ASTRAL” is the conceptual continuation of the exhibition “The Radiants” presented by Bortolami Gallery in New York in 2015. While the theme there was radioactivity in the broadest sense set against the background of the fourth anniversary of the earthquake and resulting crisis in the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima Daiichi, which prompted the foundation of both the Green Tea Gallery and the UNITED BROTHERS, “HARSH ASTRAL. The Radiants 2” brings together works that revolve not only around radioactivity, but loosely and associatively follow the motif of radiation, transformation and energy in general, thus spreading out in different directions. Interestingly, radioactivity is permeated by a fundamental moment of ambivalence, which has less to do with the phenomenon itself than with its potential use, since every science and technology possesses a both utopian and dystopic aspect. The fact that there is no escape—despite the end of the downright atomic euphoria in the 1950s, at least in Western countries, and the commencing critical questioning of it—is demonstrated not least by the threat of renewed nuclear armament three decades after the end of the Cold War. So beyond the permanent threat it poses in civilian use as energy, radioactivity is now attaining political explosiveness again.

The exhibition features works that quite concretely start with the catastrophe of Fukushima, as well as works that are connected to the theme in a more associative manner. For example, the video by Norimizu Ameya/Iwaki Sogo High School documenting the performance of a play produced in collaboration with students of Sogo High School in Iwaki Fukushima that is based on the personal memories of the earthquake and tsunami and the resulting nuclear disaster. Chaos*Lounge have been independently organizing an art and street theater festival in Fukushima since 2015, during which they distribute letters to the members of the audience at different places in the city as part of the play. In order to relate this experience to the visitors of the exhibition in Zurich, as well, interested persons can ask to have the letters sent to them. The LED images of Ei Arakawa approach the incident in a similarly poetic manner by “singing” about the nuclear disaster of 3/11 in a song, while referring to the picture “Massen” by Jutta Koether who is also featured in the show with a work. Nobuyoshi Araki’s photographs engage with the nuclear accident in a more subjective manner as well. They are based on one of Araki’s photo diaries created over three months in parallel to and after the disaster, to which he reacted by scratching the negatives. In the more documentary work by the young artist Bontaro Dokyama from Fukushima, anti-nuclear activists who have illegally built an “Anti-Nuclear Museum” consisting of tents in front of a government building in Kasumigaseki are lent a voice. The video piece is embedded in an installation made of a poster wall showing protest banners and a model of the government building fictively covered with these posters. All these works make reference to the actual disaster in Fukushima in 2011. Twenty years beforehand, Susumu Katsumata had already drawn comics of Japanese atomic power plants as well as the threat they pose. The volume “Fukushima Devil Fish“ with his works is on display in the exhibition, accompanied by a lecture by Ryan Holmberg on Katsumata and the genre of Japanese “Atomic Comic”.

Other works of the show allude in a more general way to the theme of (radioactive) disaster. Lucie Stahl’s work, for example, is based on her childhood memories of the atomic accident of Chernobyl in 1986. Terry Riley’s piece is the soundtrack of Bruce Conner’s film “Crossroad” from 1976 that shows images of the explosion of an atomic bomb on the Bikini atoll in 1946 in extreme slow motion. Also strongly influenced by music are the works ofAlivia Zivich, who with Nate Young ran the Detroit noise music label “AA Records”, whose band “The Demons” in turn wrote the soundtrack for Zivich’s videos “Life Destroyer” and “Head Threeways”, which are projected onto her painted cloths. Henning Bohl’s drawings loosely refer to the literary genre of “Cosmic Horror“ with the lettering “Fatal” and thus evoke dystopic and apocalyptic scenes; a motif against which one can also read the gray-black works of Anita Leisz, the works of Kitty Kraus or the sci-fi-like android theater of Oriza Hirata/Seinendan.

The motif of radioactivity, radiation and energy as a purely physical phenomenon is the starting point of a series of further works of the show. Ariane Müller’s video “Marie Curie oder jahrelang im Wohnzimmer und nur lesen”, for instance, shows a woman reading the diary of the physicist and rubbing her fingers, from which sparks emanate. Erika Kobayashi’s photographic work and her dollar sign object made of uranium that glows in ultraviolet light are also based on a narration having to do with Marie Curie, who used pitchblende (a mineral uraninite) from Joachimsthal in the Czech Republic for her research on radium, for which she received the Nobel Prize as the first woman. Yuki Okumura’s work uses email communication on a fluorescent picture, which due to this quality was assessed as potentially highly sensitive by the museum staff, to demonstrate the purely projective and paranoid equation of glowing = radioactivity = dangerous. Jay Chung’s & Q Takeki Maeda’s “March Painting”, in contrast, is painted with a pigment, Nano Prussian Blue, that can indeed be associated with radioactivity, but was originally used to dye Prussian military uniforms blue. Since it binds radioactive cesium, scientists are currently investigating whether it can be used to decontaminate radioactive areas. Referencing the picture by Chung & Maeda, Henning Bohl and students of his class at the University of Applied Arts Vienna in a workshop with Ei Arakawa titled Mutant Autopilot Brushes developed the song “Nano Prussian Blue” and painted so-called “mutant” pictures with precisely this pigment that are presented along with the song in a “karaoke stage installation”. The work by Pratchaya Phintong also deals with a recent scientific discovery, in this case with methane hydrate that is deposited in huge amounts on and under the sea floor and considered a potential source of energy for the future, even though its extraction is extremely risky and could have far-reaching effects on the climate. A purely fictive source of energy, or energy production, is at the center of the work “L△▽△L△▽E” by Kerstin Brätsch/UNITED BROTHER/Sergei Tcherepnin/Stefan Tcherepnin, a sort of science fiction in which mysterious agents merge with the earth’s lava energy. This utopian vision and fiction of energy and light places the work close to that of August Wenzel Hablik, an artist of the early 20th century, for whom visionary utopias played a pivotal role in the form of utopian crystals and light architectures.

Link: “HARSH ASTRAL: The Radiants 2” at Francesca Pia

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[garysollars]

Pride frolics

High expectations always for pride

the ‘what to wear, am I slim enough for this’

have we got the right stuff, the magic energy for flight,

the fuel for hip control and madness, intense, in charge, carefree,

in cahoots with the right people,

bumping into the bright people,

and music,

the thread of the day, music, find it, relax into the day,

Are these shoes going to hurt my dancing feet, overplaster heels,

precautions ,newness....like my new bike seat 2 days before the London to Brighton bike ride that made my willy go numb for 6 weeks......precautions!

Met up with Claudio bout 12 and we joined the march, aided by vodka and brandy, a light fuel, all was bright and dry and rain free,

all was marchy and queer.

We watched a kids chinese orchestra at St Georges hall, sweet, the kids looked bemused and they made an unusual sound, some of them were tiny.

Bumped into people, not through intoxication, just people I know, hi hi hello,

the usual beauty gazing an then we met Kitty an Sanita who went to Claudios to get changed an all that an we’d meet them later.

Claudio and I were on flight number dancemission5leavingnow and off we went to Eberle st and Garlands bout 3,

ah the whiff of booming , thudding bass , and they’ve tarmac’d the carpark just for us.

The build up, watching, nobody on nothing, the communal headfuck of party,intoxicating, getting lost in a dance cloud, watching them drift in, home, yes ur here. In flight we went for a walk, met Kitty in the Lisbon, danced like the happiest fool on earth as I requested Everything now, the song not me being greedy and he played it and it was mine an so was the space an it was lovely.

Back to Eberle st and into the frey, busy now, they were off it and bouncing,smiling and watching, all was right, some of the music was only just on the right side of right, just. We moved to a more airy spot an I got lost in dance cloud and had a dream hour of it.

We had a birthday party to pop into, so 9′ish we floated off to Claudios, changed shoes, got present, went to Renshaw st, hi to Blanche Hudson, birthday girl, a woman not a drag queen, met Mel an Ade an others an we ran off,I took us to Brooklyn mixer for dance half hour, laavely little beats, busy in there, we must have looked mad but they did let us in.

Then off to Sonic youtha, there was a big queue, we were late, midnight, Claudio text Kitty to get Shaun to come let us in, excellent work, after ten mins we were in. A wave of sweaty air smacked us in the face but it was a happy smack. Kitty said there’s a small bloke you will like , he dances dead good and he’s really you, he’s got a white polo top on. I clocked him an I did indeedy like him. I got near him dancing and he turned an saw me dancing an he was on me like a rash, dead cheeky and cute, we was in flirtworld.  I moved far away an he just appeared in front of me, ‘Are you gay he says, ‘Are you gay ‘ I said , ‘yep, well thats good then innit, an he was just touching me an makin his moves, fun. We were both off it but it was instant ouch, good ouch.He was with a group of mates, the next minute he an they were gone. John knows him, so he will pass on my interest, we will meet for a dance off at least, I just know.

The Blanche Hudson party followed on to Sonic an all was great and the lights came on at 4, all back to Shauns,  we had to be out of there at quart to 8 as the decorator was comin at 8, so we went next door to Davids an got back to Claudios bout 11. Me Ant and Kitty left Claudio in the chair, head back, fast asleep and I got the bus back home, hoping not to bump into anyone at the end of our 24 hour stint, I did though, Brian from work, just keep moving Gary.

Nice sunny day, got in , bacon butty, biscuits, ice cream. Later we were all eating at Chris an Adrians, sunday dinner,nice, managed that, back in at 9, went to bed with Moonrise Kingdom on telly bout midnight an that was that. Shaun an David was texting asking us to go back as the party was still going but we’d crashed, smiling, lovely mad fools. Happy pride to us.

After all that I was still only 12 st 5 lb this mornin, amazing, I’ve done well an I’m chuffed with myself.

 Spent today , monday afternoon with Chris, Kitty an Claudio at the Walker, Liverpool art fair , Ryde cafe , then a pint in Concert square an some pork scratchings to finish it all off b4 Claudio went back to London. x