#Sandwich Little Tibet

[anniejames864]

If you’re looking for a Sandwich in Little Tibet, then contact Riverside Burgers. They take pride in crafting our burgers with care, using premium quality beef and a blend of seasonings that create a truly unforgettable taste. Visit-

[jucyfruit]

boygenius: “This is the time we finally get to be around each other – we’re gonna enjoy it”

As they release The Record, one of the year's most anticipated and acclaimed debut albums, we meet Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker in New York City to discuss their unique creative bond

by Gemma Samways

Tonight, the room is playing host to the 36th annual Tibet House US Benefit. Curated by Philip Glass – and featuring Laurie Anderson, Arooj Aftab and Bernard Sumner and Tom Chapman of New Order – the line-up reads like a particularly A-list episode of Later with… Jools Holland. It soon transpires its staging is similarly chaotic, with the event running approximately an hour behind schedule and artists often walking onstage unannounced.

boygenius are one of the few acts to enjoy a proper introduction. Added to the bill just 24 hours ago, their first public appearance in almost half a decade has prompted a frenzied, last minute scramble for seats, with $35 tickets exchanging hands for ten times that amount. A day later, in a photo studio in the East Village following our shoot at Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn, the trio admit to having felt a little freaked out in the build-up.

“I was really emotional because I’ve been obsessed with Nina Simone’s Carnegie Hall album of late,” Lucy Dacus confides, sat on the sofa, sandwiched between her bandmates. Julien Baker nods, confessing to having been “so stressed about doing my job that I couldn’t fully absorb that I was playing alongside living legends.” Meanwhile, Phoebe Bridgers was still semi-delirious with jetlag, having recently landed back in the US from Japan.

“Look at this photo,” she laughs, extending her phone to me. Taken pre-gig, it shows her passed out on the dressing room floor while Lucy smirks in the foreground. “With full make-up, I look like I’m in an open casket. And because Julien was playing piano, I was having Julien-fuelled dreams.”

Certainly there were no visible signs of unease as they stepped out onstage to play stripped-back versions of ‘Not Strong Enough’ and ‘Cool About It’ – taken from their long-awaited debut album The Record – for the first time. And despite the all-star bill, the supergroup proved one of the night’s biggest draws, eliciting excited whoops from an audience who had greeted every other performer with respectfully restrained applause. Ultimately, once they started playing, they enjoyed the experience.

Less gratifying was the discovery that a group of particularly intrusive fans had tracked down their hotel after the show. “They were like, ‘Don’t worry, you’re safe’,” Lucy shudders. “And it’s like, ‘No, we aren’t: how’d you find out where we are? That’s stalking. Don’t do this.

Phoebe continues: “I mean, interactions with fans can be really sweet, especially when it’s a show like Carnegie Hall which might’ve been hard to get tickets to. But often there’s this weird thing where the rudest people bubble to the top, and the poor kid who just wants their record signed is too nice to ask. And so, while I’m trying to escape the fucking full-grown man who just grabbed me, I’m ignoring the sweet kid.

It’s fair to say a certain level of hysteria has surrounded boygenius ever since their formation. Five years ago they were all ascendant stars of the alternative scene, with the Tennessee-born Baker and Richmond, Virginia-raised Dacus being the most established, with two acclaimed albums each. By the end of 2018, the trio were being breathlessly billed by Vogue as “the Infinity War of female-led indie-rock outfits,” while their self-titled EP received widespread praise.

Objectively, it’s a collaboration that made – and still makes – total sense. Despite outgrowing their respective DIY scenes, they had each retained a fiercely independent outlook and an emotional authenticity, and that struck a chord with similarly principled, serotonin-starved audiences. Just as tantalisingly, interviews and social media interactions revealed that they didn’t take themselves especially seriously and seemed keen to distance themselves from the pedestal that fans were so intent on putting them on.

“It’s probably refreshing that we’re not character artists,” Lucy says when asked to summarise the appeal of boygenius. “Because ultimately we’re talking to you now how we usually talk to each other. Even when I’m doing my own [solo] stuff, I present a curated version of myself – like, I pick one aspect of my character per album to share. But with this band it’s totally artless.”

It’s not hyperbolic to suggest that The Record is one of the most anticipated albums of the year. To some degree that demand can be explained by Baker and Dacus expanding their fanbases further off the back of their 2021 solo records Little Oblivions and Home Video. But the real responsibility for the band’s reach surely lies at the feet of Bridgers, whose second album was nothing short of a cultural phenomenon.

Unanimously agreed to be one of 2020’s standout records, Punisher propelled the Pasadena-raised artist into music’s A-list, resulting in four Grammy nominations, an offer to found her own label (Saddest Factory, home to MUNA) and invites to collaborate with household names like Paul McCartney, SZA, Lorde and The 1975. Just days after our interview Phoebe is named one of Time’s 2023 Women of the Year, alongside Cate Blanchett and Megan Rapinoe. This coming May she will open for Taylor Swift in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Despite the difference in their public profiles, the power dynamic in boygenius appears impressively balanced. A friendship first and foremost, they’ve signed the contract by acquiring matching tattoos of a tooth and of a cluster of goblets, the latter inspired by the tarot card the three of cups.

“That’s based on the first tarot reading Julien ever got,” Lucy – the band’s resident tarot expert – recalls fondly. “We were all together and that’s the first card she pulled. Plus it’s three women partying. Friendship is the highest form of love and that felt like a sweet entry into that world.”

Having been raised in the world of evangelical Christianity, Julien was initially resistant to the idea of tarot. “When you started doing a reading, I got up and sat in the tour van by myself because I thought God was gonna steal my soul,” she explains, totally serious.

“Does God do that?!” Phoebe laughs, incredulous.

“Yes! In [the book of] Samuel! But then I was like, ‘Alright, I trust you guys. I guess you can guide me through this.’ That was a fear that you guys helped me dismantle. Because by watching you engage with it, I realised that this was a tool for self-interrogation, not for summoning the devil.”

Within the band, all decisions are made democratically and affectionate ribbings are a big part of their social currency. “Roasting each other is an act of love,” Julien reasons, to the others’ approval. “If your friends aren’t talking shit about you, I don’t think they care about you.”

With Phoebe based in Los Angeles, Lucy in Philadelphia and Julien in Memphis, they largely stay in touch via group chat and FaceTime – a support network they all clearly cherish. “I can text cold something horrible that happened to me and not feel the pressure to look at my phone for hours,” says Phoebe. “But when I do I’ll see a bunch of validation.”

Julien concurs: “It’s neat that we can confide in each other. Because sometimes my sense of imposter syndrome makes me not want to talk about how excited I am about this with friends who don’t work in music. I’m talking to them like, ‘You gotta get on a plane super early and carry all this heavy equipment, so it’s not all fun.’ And having people understand it’s a job and that I’m dedicated to it is very important. But equally, with y’all I get to be like, ‘Shit’s so fucking sick!’ Like, in this band I get to be the type of excited and thankful that lacks decorum, especially when there are so many talented people in my life where our roles could have been switched in an alternate timeline.”

The roots of boygenius were laid in 2016, when Julien and Lucy performed on the same bill in Washington, D.C., followed by Julien meeting Phoebe a month later. When a canny promoter booked all three to tour together in 2018, they decided to record a collaborative seven-inch, a creative experiment that proved so fruitful they emerged with their eponymous EP.

By all accounts, the story behind The Record is similarly stress-free. Phoebe kickstarted the creative process just a week after releasing Punisher, sending a demo of ‘Emily, I’m Sorry’ to Lucy and Julien with the words, “Can we be a band again?” From there, the floodgates opened, with all three uploading demos to a shared drive, followed by two in-person writing trips – one in Healdsburg, California in April 2021 and another in Malibu in August of the same year.

Though carefully scheduled due to their individual work commitments, Lucy describes these retreats as anything but regimented. “We didn’t intend to work that hard,” she insists. “If anything, the regimen would have included breaks and we didn’t allow ourselves those.” Julien expands, “We’d be like, ‘Okay, today is a chill day,” but then we could not stop thinking about the record. And it’s just nice to be around a bunch of people who are passionate about the exact same thing.”

After whittling down the demos from a pool of 25, the final 12 were recorded at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in January 2022, with the help of co-producer Catherine Marks (Wolf Alice, Foals, PJ Harvey). Lucy specifically cites Marks’ work with Manchester Orchestra as a motivating factor for them initially reaching out, and Phoebe enthuses about her hands-on approach. “She’s the kind of producer that immediately kicks off their shoes. Wait, I’m gonna text her and tell her we’re talking about her.” She takes a group selfie of them all grinning, flicking Vs, and hits send.

Other key contributors included engineer and producer Sarah Tudzin (Slowdive, Weyes Blood), plus Jay Som’s Melina Duterte on bass. Melina will also appear as part of Boygenius’ seven-strong touring line-up, set to be unveiled at Coachella in April. Given that their band name specifically mocks society’s tendency to unfairly exalt male creatives, the idea of boygenius assembling a largely female team for this album feels satisfyingly utopian. Today, they insist it was purely circumstantial.

“They are the best people we could think of,” says Lucy. “Some days I’m like, ten-year-old me would feel that this is very important. But also there are days where I’m like, we’re doing press right now and it’s completely uninteresting that we’re women. Why are we talking about this?”

“Plus, it’s not a given that if you work with women you’re not also working with a bunch of assholes,” Phoebe grins. “Fortunately, we picked a bunch of people who aren’t assholes.” Lucy laughs. “Women can be assholes: there’s your pull quote.”

Sonically, The Record is a much richer, more ambitious collection than anything boygenius have produced previously, taking in widescreen folk-rock (‘Not Strong Enough’) and low-slung punk (‘Satanist’, ‘$20’), campfire folk (‘Cool About It’, ‘Leonard Cohen’) and string-flecked dream-pop (‘Revolution 0’), plus a swooning a cappella piece shaped around a lush three-part harmony (‘Without You Without Them’).

Though written by Lucy, Phoebe can take full credit for unearthing the latter. “I was like, ‘I want a song that’s like ‘Blue Velvet’.’ And Lucy’s like, ‘Oh… Actually I might have a song…’ And I’m like, ‘What the fuck are you talking about?!’”

“It was a washing the dishes song.” Lucy protests, smiling. “There’s, like, this whole category of songs that I don’t show people. And I didn’t think of that as a ‘me’ song because it doesn’t sound like what I do, you know? But Phoebe was like, ‘We have to do it.’ Plus, I like that it kind of picks up where we left off with ‘Ketchum, ID’ [from their 2018 EP]. So I’m glad you made us do that.”

This process of mutual encouragement is integral to the band. They’re the first to admit they’re one another’s fiercest supporters, to the extent they accidentally plagiarise each other on a regular basis. “I totally wrote ‘Garden Song’ the other day,” Julien tells Phoebe, who cheerfully bats back. “‘Revolution 0’ is basically me ripping off ‘Good News.’”

Jokes aside, all three songwriters boast instantly recognisable styles, as demonstrated by the triumvirate of singles with which they announced The Record. ‘Emily, I’m Sorry’ is quintessential Phoebe Bridgers, a slice of folky introspection that wouldn’t sound out of place on Punisher, while ‘True Blue’ showcases the quietly anthemic indie-rock that Lucy has made her calling card. Meanwhile, the buoyant ‘$20’ sees former hardcore kid Julien leaning into her love of riffing.

With most structures initially emanating from one particular songwriter, it does beg the question, what makes a track right for the band rather than remaining a solo endeavour? According to Phoebe, she relies on a type of benign Spidey-Sense. “I always know when I’m writing a boygenius song. Even with ‘Me And My Dog’ I was like, ‘I don’t think this is a solo record song.’”

Lucy is more specific. “A lot of times I’ll write a song for us in a different frame of mind, so you can be harmonising with me and saying something that’s still true for you. I don’t want to make either of you sing lyrics that don’t resonate with you.”

“I really struggle with that,” Phoebe says. “So much of my music is directly my point of view and so specific.”

“Totally,” Lucy nods, “I feel like on a lot of your songs we’re supporting…”

“…like a chorus in a Greek play,” replies Julien, finishing Lucy’s thought. “We’re not a part of the action: we’re standing behind, commenting on or observing it. But these songs only exist because we made The Record. They’re an article of the endeavour rather than a pre-planned thing.”

Lucy takes the final word on the subject. “These aren’t solo songs that we donated to each other: we had to be together to make it.”

Lyrically, The Record treads a tightrope between deadpan humour and quiet devastation. The opening line of ‘We’re In Love’ sees Lucy resolutely opting for the latter, singing, “You could absolutely break my heart / That’s how I know that we’re in love.” ‘Leonard Cohen’ falls firmly into the former camp, delivering a frontrunner for lyric of the year in: “Leonard Cohen once said there’s a crack in everything / That’s how the light gets in / And I am not an old man having an existential crisis / In a Buddhist monastery / Writing horny poetry / But I agree.”

“I think my songs have a theme of being known and feeling present,” Lucy reflects. “Because I don’t feel that at all points in my life, I’m expressing my gratitude for that.” Phoebe sees her contributions as aspirational; evidence of the very process of self-improvement. “Each of the songs I contributed have a vibe of me trying my absolute hardest to not float ten inches above my body at all times. And you guys have helped me with that, so it makes sense that it would make the album.”

‘Not Strong Enough’ is perhaps their most collaborative song: a patchwork of ideas in which each band member takes a verse, as Julien jokes, “boyband-style”. Musically, it’s also the album’s most uplifting moment, its bright melody providing a smokescreen for lyrics exploring panic attacks and low self-esteem. When I point out the deception, Phoebe laughs. “You know the meme of the pink house and the black house next to each other, where it’s like one is the music and the other is the lyrics? That’s literally a couple miles from where we recorded our album. We’ve been talking about taking a photo in front of it for years.”

After an hour in their company, it’s not difficult to see why boygenius are inspiring such levels of adoration. A tight-knit gang of smart, talented, young songwriters, they’re the sort of band I wish had existed when I was growing up, even if I am battling to resist the urge to cast them as role models. After all, why should the men of rock be lauded for chaos while women have to be figures of unimpeachable virtue? When I mention the double standard, Lucy rolls her eyes.

“I remember when Phoebe did that Playboy article [in 2020]. People were texting me like, ‘I thought she was a role model for young girls?’ And I was like, 1. You can pose in Playboy and be a role model, and 2. When exactly did she sign up for that?”

“It is tight to me that you got texts and I did not,” Phoebe smiles. “I want to be scary. Like, as women or as queer people, we’re taught that anger is not useful and that forgiveness is the highest form of enlightenment. But I don’t think so. I think that I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to make everybody in a room feel ok when I don’t feel ok. It’s great to have boundaries. And as a band we’re all really good at protecting each other.”

Staying loyal to their DIY roots, boygenius are ultimately motivated by creating a community and enjoying the process of a shared endeavour. “Writing songs for this band is the opposite of saving your darlings for yourself,” Julien explains. “I want to bring the best possible offering to the band because it’s my favourite thing. It feels good to give the songs away.”

“Seriously, we have been looking forward to this time together for years,” says Phoebe. “This is the time we finally get to be around each other so we’re gonna enjoy it.”

(x) 4/5/23

[piedpiperart]

Marked for Death pt 3

Chapter two

Today was the day. 

Tim woke up early that morning, ready and anxious for what plans he had later. If everything went well, Tim would be back to normal before anyone noticed he was missing. As he’d predicted, his parents had canceled their flight to Gotham and instead switched to a plane heading to Tibet. Which, Tim would be disappointed by if he wasn’t so relieved. They were just one less thing for him to worry about during the very stressful week. 

It had been just over a week and Tim was still five years old. He was a bit annoyed that he’d mostly gotten used to it, but he wasn’t a huge fan of not being able to get out much. With that thought, he slipped off his cozy restaurant booth and got ready for the day. He put on his mostly worn clothes he hadn’t gotten the chance to wash yet, and slipped on his wonder woman backpack and pink froggy boots. They were growing on him, and he liked that they were waterproof. 

Silently, Tim crawled out of his space, setting basic traps for possible intruders as he went. They weren’t anything that would hurt, but would definitely deter people from coming in and stealing his stuff. Tim smiled, reminiscing on the time he watched Home Alone with Dick. He’d be lying if he said some of the traps weren’t inspired by the movie. 

Finally glad to be out of the stuffy restaurant, Tim made his way stealthily down the street. It was early enough that there weren't many people out on the streets, but Tim was still careful. He couldn’t afford trouble when he was so close to getting his body back. Determinedly, Tim stomped his little froggy boots up to the nearest convenience store that wasn’t a front for crime. 

The bell chimed as Tim pushed the heavy door open, cursing his tiny body for lacking the strength to open it with one arm. Upon entering, he clocked the store manager up front talking with a tall teen. Tim paid them no mind, but kept an eye on them as he gathered his rations for the next few days. 

He was starting to get tired of sandwiches, but there wasn’t much else in the store that qualified as a meal, and Tim didn’t have a source of hot water around to heat up a cup of ramen. He ended up with three sandwiches, a bottle of water, four muffins of varying flavor, two things of chips and a surprisingly green banana. Hesitating, Tim also added a bag of marshmallows to the giant pile in his arms. He looked over at the coffee with longing as he made his way to the counter. Maybe he could… Tim shook his head, dispelling his thoughts of a hot beverage so early in the morning to warm him up… okay he was getting one, Tim decided. 

Tim waddled his way to the cashier with a mountain of supplies in his arms, ready to ask about the coffee machine when something caught his eye. The teen he’d seen talking to the manager when he came in hadn’t left yet, and stopped their conversation as Tim came closer. Tim gave the guy his best glare to discourage any funny business, and the teen looked away from the toddler with poorly concealed amusement. 

“Heya kid,”The cashier greeted Tim when he haphazardly placed his findings on the counter. He cursed his height again as he had to step on his tiptoes to make sure nothing fell off. 

“Hi Mr. Marcus,”Tim said in a cheery voice. “Is the coffee machine working?”

Mr. Marcus laughed. “It is, would you like a hot chocolate? I can ring your stuff up while you get one.”

“Yeah! Thanks,”Tim bounced, barely holding in his excitement over his first hot cup of coffee since he’d been de-aged. He made his way to the coffee machine in record time, struggling on his tiptoes to reach the cups when a hand came out to grab it for him. 

Tim shook off his surprise and gave the teen a suspicious glare. “Hot chocolate, right?” The guy asked, and Tim wanted to strangle the guy. 

“I can do it myself,”Tim pouted, and to his luck, the guy handed the cup off to the toddler without complaint. 

“I know, but it’s fine to ask for help sometimes,”The guy said, and Tim was further annoyed by how far he had to crane his neck to see the guys face. Wait a minute, Tim thought, this was the same kid from the library. 

“My mommy says not to talk to strangers,”Tim shot back, moving his cup up to the machine. He studiously ignored the teen as he placed it under the coffee label and not the hot chocolate. 

“Your mom’s awfully smart, is she around?” The teen asked, and Tim realized the kid must be checking to see if the unaccompanied toddler was being taken care of. Before Tim could retort, he bit back a sigh when he saw he was too short to press the button to give him his glorious coffee.

“I’ll tell you if you press the button for me,”Tim pointed, and the teen had the audacity to grin. 

“Sure, but this one’s coffee, not hot chocolate,”Jason said, reaching over to move Tim’s cup to the other dispenser, making Tim jerk back. 

“I can read! I know what I’m doing,”Tim protested, trying to act as serious he could with a squishy little baby face. The teen just laughed and got out another identical cup. 

“Fine, but I’m going to get hot chocolate,”The guy said, filling up his own cup with the sugary monstrosity. Tim wrinkled his nose at the chocolatey smell. “You wanted this one?” He clarified, and Tim placed his cup under the dispenser for the boy to dutifully dispense him some sweet, sweet caffeine. 

“So, you promised me an answer to my question,”The guy pestered, and Tim held back a sigh. Instead, he plastered on an innocent face. 

“Mommy’s waiting for me at home,”Tim said, nodding seriously,”We live vewy close so she lets me walk by myself.”

“Ah,”The teen said, gesturing for the cashier instead of handing Tim his coffee. “I live close by too, my name’s Jason.”

Tim squinted at him before replying with,”I’m Conan.” 

“Nice to meet you,”Jason hummed. Tim nodded, willing them to get to the counter faster so he could get his hands on his coffee. They reached the counter where Tim pulled out his backpack to unzip. He pulled two twenties from his hidden pocket and handed them over to Marcus. He was an old man with a few kids who’d moved away long ago. The man was always nice to kids, Tim included, which was why this store was his main place for provisions. 

Purchases complete, Tim hurried to put his things away in his backpack while Jason carried their drinks. Tim noticed Jason giving Marcus a nod, and pretended not to notice as he made grabby hands toward the coffee. Jason obliged, and Tim was happy to leave the store with something nice and warm in his hands.

“Mind if I walk with you? To make sure you get home safe,”Jason asked, appearing in front of Tim to open the giant heavy door for him. Tim bit back a scream. 

“I’m not supposed to talk to strangers,”Tim shot back,”I’ll use my taser if you try to follow me,”Tim threatened, no longer playing around. Jason was nice and all, but he really didn’t want CPS to be called on him. He just wanted to drink his coffee and sit in his dusty restaurant eating marshmallows before he went out on his stakeout tonight. 

Jason laughed, but immediately backed up with his hands held out.”Alright, alright, I’ll see you around Conan,”He said, taking strides in the opposite direction. Tim let out a breath of relief as the guy disappeared down the street. 

Making his way back to the restaurant, Tim took a sip of his coffee only to spit it out immediately. That bastard switched drinks!! Tim raged. Clutching the cup tighter, he resisted the urge to hurtle the drink as far as his little hands could throw them. He refrained, if only for how it warmed his hands. Now in a bad mood, Tim stomped home, angrily sipping at the sugary drink in his hands. At least I’ll be back in my own body soon, Tim thought. But if he ever saw Jason again he was gonna kick him in the shins.

-----

Jason hated Crime Alley. 

But he also loved it.  

He loved it because it was where he grew up, where he learned to survive, and he was able to watch the communities within grow and thrive over the years despite the harsh conditions. Jason hated it because of how hard it was to survive on his own as a kid. Which was why he made it his mission to do better. For the community, the streets, and himself. 

No one who didn’t live in the Alley cared about it. When he was with B- when he was adopted he hadn’t had a chance to visit much. It was not all bad memories for Jason like it was for others. For Bruce. Still, as Robin he’d been able to check on the people there, even as little as B allowed it. It made him feel good, protecting the people who really needed it. 

Jason remembered countless arguments about it. How Bruce didn’t want to help the people in Crime Alley the way Jason knew they needed. So now, Red Hood is stepping up to fill that hole. Working girls are safer, dealers don’t sell to kids, and Jason makes sure there are ample safe places for kids on the streets. 

Which was why he was in a convenience store at 7am, waiting for a tiny kid to come by. Marcus, a nice old man who’d run the convenience store for years, had had a new customer that was particularly worrying to the old man. Jason promised to check out the kids' situation in case the little guy needed anything, so there he was. At the convenience store 12 hours before he’d have to bust some heads open. He was tired, but after listening to Marcus worry about a four year old buying food all by himself every few days. 

After meeting the kid himself and recognizing those familiar pink froggy boots, Jason was officially concerned. He’d managed to snag some coffee for himself- no way kids that small should stunt their growth any further with that kind of stuff, he’d thought- and tailed the kid as far as he could. Which was more difficult than he’d expected. 

Despite the kid’s twists and turns, Jason stayed appropriately out of sight until he saw the little guy crawl through the boarded up door of a restaurant that was clearly falling apart. Jason sighed, deciding to keep an eye out for the kid after he finished the raid tonight. The poor kid shouldn’t be living like this, but Jason could understand. It was surely safer for a toddler to stay off the streets as much as possible, otherwise CPS should be called. Even if he joined one of the street gangs, no doubt some of the bigger kids would push him to go to a foster home. 

Deeming the kid as safe as he could be for the time being, Jason lumbered back to his apartment to prepare for the raid. He’d have to call some of his own henchmen to help him with the aftermath if he wanted to keep the weapons off the bats radar, but he was looking forward to punching some people. It was a welcome distraction from Mycroft, his infuriating hacker. 

As much as he appreciated the hackers’ intel, Jason wouldn’t let the guy get in the way of his master plan. He was already well on his way to establishing himself as a Crime Lord, improving the streets in ways the bat could only dream of- but his main plan was Robin. 

The sneaky little bird hadn’t been out all week- no doubt because of Hood, but Jason would be ready for him when he showed up. Timothy Drake, was his replacement’s name. Thalia had given him a file on the kid- rich parents, good grades, friends, and robin. The little bastard had stolen his life and Jason was going to show him what happened when pretenders put on the suit. 

Once Jason took care of Robin, he was ready to enact his plans with Bruce. But for now he’d wait. Batman hadn’t suspected Red Hood was Jason yet, so he had ample time to flesh out his plans. And he planned to make Robin suffer.

Chapter four

[arush73]

Hidden Gems: Quaint Cafes and Local Eateries Off the Beaten Path in McLeod Ganj

Nestled amidst the serene beauty of McLeod Ganj, Lemon Tree Hotel,McLeod Ganj offers not just a luxurious stay but also a gateway to discovering the hidden culinary treasures of this enchanting hill town. As the "Best Hotel in McLeod Ganj," Lemon Tree Hotel invites you to embark on a gastronomic journey through quaint cafes and local eateries that are off the beaten path.

One such hidden gem is the Illiterati Books & Coffee. Tucked away in a cozy corner, this charming cafe is a haven for book lovers and food enthusiasts alike. Sip on freshly brewed coffee while flipping through a collection of rare books, or indulge in their delectable breakfast options like fluffy pancakes and hearty sandwiches, all amidst a tranquil ambiance.

For those craving authentic Tibetan flavors, the Tibet Kitchen is a must-visit. This unassuming eatery serves up traditional Tibetan dishes bursting with flavors and spices. From momos (dumplings) to thukpa (noodle soup) and tingmo (steamed bread), each dish is a culinary delight that transports you to the heart of Tibet.

Venture a little further into the winding streets, and you'll stumble upon the Peace Café. True to its name, this charming spot exudes a peaceful vibe, making it perfect for a quiet meal or a moment of introspection. Their menu features a fusion of global cuisines with a focus on organic and healthy ingredients, ensuring a delightful dining experience.

For a taste of local Himachali cuisine, head to the Clay Oven. This rustic restaurant offers an array of dishes made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients. From Kangri Dham (a traditional Himachali feast) to Siddu (steamed bread) and Chana Madra (chickpea curry), every bite is a celebration of the region's rich culinary heritage.

No culinary exploration of McLeod Ganj is complete without a visit to the Shiva Café. Perched atop a hill overlooking the majestic mountains, this iconic cafe is a favorite among locals and tourists alike. Enjoy a cup of chai (tea) or a refreshing lemonade while soaking in the breathtaking views of the Dhauladhar range.

As you indulge in these hidden culinary gems, Lemon Tree Hotel, McLeod Ganj, ensures a comfortable and memorable stay with its warm hospitality and modern amenities. Discover the flavors of McLeod Ganj beyond the tourist hotspots and immerse yourself in the authentic culinary delights that this hill town has to offer.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 280: I Am Red Riot

Previously on BnHA: The pro heroes over at Gunga Mountain struggled against Gigantomachia and the League until finally Midnight was all, “fuck it, let’s just put the kids in charge.” Momo immediately got to work organizing a sophisticated counteroffensive involving an exploding swamp, a bunch of sedative cans, and a massive coordinated team attack. I gotta tell you guys, it’s really something to watch a large-scale group attack in which all of the team members are actually competent. I don’t know what Japan put in the water when all these sixteen-year-olds were growing up, but that shit has paid off big time, and basically the only reason Machia hasn’t gone down yet is because he cheated and was all “sneeze” and the kids all got blown away because they are little and because he is really, really big. Anyway so then Dabi set the forest on fire because he loves doing that, and the chapter ended with Mina using her Acid Man attack to make herself FUCKIN’ FIREPROOF so she could charge through the woods ready to save the day and stuff!

Today on BnHA: Mina launches herself straight at Machia like the beautiful corrosive wild child she is, but then everything goes to shit when she recognizes him from that one time she almost got murdered while giving a strange man directions. Just when it’s looking like she might get killed for real this time, KIRISHIMA SHOWS UP TO SAVE THE DAY AND SHOVES HER TO SAFETY AND IS ALL “BOTTOMS UP” AND HEAVES A LITERAL CAN OF WHOOPASS RIGHT IN MACHIA’S MOUTH. At this point the grown-ups are all “oh wow look at that, time for us to take over for you kids now, don’t worry we’ve got it all under control” because Oh Those Wacky Pros and all that, but at least Majestic finally deigns to show his face so that’s a plus! The chapter ends with us cutting back to the Jakku battle, where Tomura is curled up in a little ball all “curse you heroes, how dare you [checks notes] save people all the time”, which is a real take and a half. Anyway so things are looking up, which can only mean everyone is about to die. That’s how it works, right. Shit.

HOLY SHIT LOL

THIS IS MINA. SHE’S REALLY COOL AND SHE CAN MELT PEOPLE. um, the hell kind of tagline is that?? holy fucking shit?? “melt and succumb”?? IS THE SUCCUMB PART REALLY NECESSARY. IS THAT NOT ALREADY IMPLIED. it’s like saying “die and then perish”, which actually sounds really badass and I’m about to make it my new go-to threat actually so you know what never mind. where the fuck were we anyway

“IS EVERYONE SAFE” some absurdly bad-at-gauging-situations kid from class B is yelling while the forest is on fire and all the kids are recovering from having been catapulted fifty miles by King Dodongo’s windy yeet breath. of course they are safe, sweet child. of course everyone is absolutely fine, why the fuck would they possibly not be safe after something like that

KAMINARI NOOO MY POOR SWEET BABY

AT LEAST HE’S STILL CONSCIOUS ENOUGH TO MAKE STUPID JOKES. holy shit this baby got concussed to hell and back and then Machia turned him and the others into precipitation and he wasn’t in any kind of state to even try to land safely, I hope to god someone caught him

Sero is all “is there anyone still in range!” and damn, I like that he’s taking charge and trying to regain their momentum. he is so criminally underrated. I feel like he’s in the top six or seven of class 1-A kids who I would most trust to take charge. which is very high praise because that class has a lot of charge-taking kids

SPEAKING OF

it “probably” can’t get through her acid, she says. my god. sometimes the spirit of Plus Ultra just takes ahold of these kids and it’s like, I want to ruffle their hair proudly and then grab them by the shoulders and shake them vigorously because WHERE EVEN IS YOUR SELF-PRESERVATION WHY DO NONE OF YOU HAVE IT GODDAMMIT AIZAWA REALLY SHOULD HAVE EXPELLED YOU GUYS AFTER ALL

man. and yet I really do love this “be the one who can do it” stuff. what a heroic fucking attitude dfjfklks. I’ll just go put on my humongous sandwich board that reads GIANT FUCKING HYPOCRITE and go stand in the corner

damn it this week’s scan is annoyingly dark, it’s really hard to tell what’s going on but it looks like the pros are attacking Machia and the League at long last. way to go guys it only took you seven years but you finally hopped to it

MINA WHY IS THE ACID COMING OFF OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD. PUT IT BACK!!!

I KNOW SHE’S NOT GONNA DIE DAMMIT BUT AHHHHH AHHHHHH AHHHHHHHH

okay what the hell is up with these weird zen proverbs though

“your fear stricken heart”, “the shortest path”, what the fuck even is this. whose thoughts are these. normally these translations are honestly decent enough but I gotta say this time around I’m totally being thrown for a loop lmao

(ETA: FYI I’m only just now realizing that he was saying the shortest path to Master, as in Tomura, not “master” as in to master something fjkldjskf lol some delayed reading comprehension there. so basically he’s just bitching about how annoying these little “flies” are proving to be.)

JESUS CHRIST

okay is it just me, or is Gigantomachia suddenly showing intelligence in his eyes instead of mindless animal instinct the single most pants-shitting thing you’ve ever seen?!! holy shit. the way he just LOOKS at her out of nowhere all of a sudden?? holy fucking shit DO NOT HURT MT. LADY OH MY GOD I’M FREAKING THE FUCK OUT. AND DON’T YOU DARE HURT MINA EITHER!! JUST FUCKING DIE AND PERISH

but also though, is that recognition in Mina’s eyes?? because even though this dude is 80 feet tall now, her encounter with him a couple years back had to have been one of the more memorable experiences of her young life. damn I was wondering when this would finally come into play

OKAY YES THE NEXT PAGE IS A FLASHBACK OH SHIT

this has nothing to do with anything but Mina just has the prettiest hair, btw, and this “just woke up covered in acid” look is a particularly good one on her. it looks so soft and fluffy, like damn. this is like Shouto-hair-billowing-in-the-wind levels of pretty here

NOOOOO

oh my god holy shit?! putting her back in the school uniform to show the slip in her mentality is a PUNK MOVE, HORIKOSHI, and I respect the shit out of you for it you manipulative bastard. goddammit. bracing myself for the incoming wave of Mina feels... here they come... they’re a lot... let’s see if I can latch on to anything I can actually figure out how to describe in words

okay well here’s one, my respect for Mina’s bravery just went up like a thousand percent in this instant, because now we know this was actually such a traumatizing event for her that hearing Machia’s voice again years later immediately sent her into a full-blown flashback. she was that scared and yet she still stood up to him and didn’t hesitate. and now I’m remembering how her knees just buckled right afterwards, and just...

and this visual, though!! what a brutally effective way to show that in her mind she went right back to being that scared middle schooler again for a moment. god fucking damn. holy shit you guys is Kirishima fireproof because if he comes waltzing out of the woods next I don’t even know what I’m gonna do. lolo kids getting traumatized left and right this arc is fucking merciless

um eXCUSE ME!?!?!

YOU MOTHERFUCKING PIECE OF SHIT LET GO OF HER RIGHT NOW OR I AM GONNA LOSE IT!!

THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!

holy shit he could have fucking snapped her neck like that??! I don’t like this at ALL WHAT THE FUCK

OKAY SERIOUSLY

I’M GONNA NEED ANOTHER KID TO STEP IN HERE WITH A LAST MINUTE SAVE LIKE RIGHT THE FUCK NOW, OR I AM GOING TO THROW MY COMPUTER OFF A FUCKING CLIFF AND MOVE TO THE DESERT AND BECOME A HERMIT AND NEVER READ MANGA ON THE INTERNET AGAIN

OH THANK GOD

TODAY WE SPELL “REDEMPTION” K-I-R-I... ETC. THERE’S A LOT OF LETTERS BUT YOU GET THE DRIFT!!!

holy fucking shit y’all. I mean, it’s not like it came out of nowhere, like the setup could not have been more obvious, but let me assure you that none of the predictability lessened the actual impact of this moment in the SLIGHTEST. Horikoshi really wrote a flashback scene one hundred and thirty five chapters ago and planted it, watered it once a day, and patiently waited for THREE LONG YEARS until he could finally harvest the badass fruits of his labor in the midst of his most epic arc to date. I’m so fucking hyped I’ll even forgive him for sacrificing Mina’s big moment and having her get rescued, because it’s such a good reversal. he didn’t freeze up this time. he promised himself he’d never freeze again and he didn’t and he saved her and god fucking damn. anyways so now Machia is going to treat him like a fucking action figure though but he’s a solid little dude he can take it hopefully

NO WHAT IS THIS!!! STOP KILLING MY MOOD!!!

she better not be dead!! SHE BETTER NOT FUCKING BE DEAD I WILL RUN MY PC THROUGH A PAPER SHREDDER AND GO AND LIVE ALONE WITH MY FEELS ON A MOUNTAIN IN TIBET

CHINTETSU!!

well we know he’s fireproof. another callback at the least expected of times lmao

so Tetsu’s all “yeah Kirishima’s not really all that fireproof but he totally ran over here anyway to save you. oh wait that probably wasn’t very comforting of me to say.” maybe that’s why it seems like he might not have actually said it out loud, now that I’m reading this over again. good call Tetsu

ARE YOU STANDING UP AND CASUALLY STRETCHING OUT YOUR BACK

I CAN’T EVEN BELIEVE HOW MUCH I HATE THIS GUY RIGHT NOW. WE’RE REACHING LEVELS OF HATRED RESERVED FOR NAZIS AND PEOPLE WHO WALK TOO SLOWLY IN FRONT OF ME IN A GROUP SHOULDER TO SHOULDER INSTEAD OF SINGLE FILE SO I CAN PASS IN FRONT OF THEM. YOU’RE A FUCKING TOURIST IN NYC YOU PIECE OF SHIT

lmao he’s just dropping this random hero person and letting him fall to his doom wheeeeee

remind me to leave all of the League of Villains’ texts on read for the foreseeable future. goddamn. I still love you guys but also, fuck you so damn hard

OHO A LIL RED SCALY BOI ISN’T DONE YET!!

real talk, just between you and me, I’ll lower my voice so that Kirishima can’t hear. so uh. we all agree that even if Kiri is fireproof and squishproof, that little can of tranquilizer juice technically shouldn’t have been, right? but we’re all going to hush and pretend like it was anyway for the sake of not spoiling his big moment. even though I am crossing my arms and tapping my chin with my finger while doubtfully glancing to the side

anyway here he goes!

YEAH KIRI GO GETTIM [stage whisper] there it is, in his pocket. should’ve burned. we won’t discuss it

OH FOR FUCK’S

TOGA YOU LITTLE WIENER BUT WHAT’S THIS ABOUT “MY HALF” NOW????

DID HE GRAB MINA’S MID-AIR?? IS HE REALLY REACHING INTO HIS BACK POCKET AND FUCKING UNZIPPING IT RIGHT NOW WHILE HOLDING ON TO NOTHING AND PRESUMABLY FALLING THROUGH THE AIR. DID A LITTLE BIT OF OCHAKO’S QUIRK RUB OFF ON YOU OR WHAT

OH SNAP SON HE REALLY DID THE THING HOLY SHIT???

AND TOKAGE FLEW OVER AND SAVED HIM AND NOW TANKS ARE SHOOTING AT MACHIA, LMAO WHAT IS THIS. MOMO HOW MANY GUNS DID YOU MAKE

Shouji standing there trying to be useful any way he can. are eyeballs really that much more effective if you make them the size of tennis balls and hold them up above your head. legit question, I don’t really know how eyes work

okay after 45 seconds of googling this my impression is that no, they are not. well good on you for giving it the old college try anyway though Shouji

oH MY GODLKDLK?!?!

DID SHE SAY WHAT I THOUGHT SHE SAID, DID SHE SAY MAJESTIC, ARE WE GONNA SEE MASJKESLTKCI DSFLKJL

oh my god he really is the Magic Man dude??? TIME TO DUST OFF MY INVENTORY OF ADVENTURE TIME QUOTES

(ETA: AHH FATGUM AND GANG ORCA ARE THERE TOO YESSSS!)

“that’s enough depending on some interns” oh, okay. now that they’ve done all your work for you. I see, I see

so now Gigantomachia is LITERALLY UNHINGING HIS JAW I can’t fucking believe this dude you guys. everything he does is just like, ARE YOU SERIOUS

please go to sleep already. thanks to you I have my keyboard set to capslock as the default for the duration of this chapter

ARE YOU SERIOUS YOU FUCKING WAITED UNTIL MAGIC FUCKING MAN SHOWED UP TO TEACH US MAGICAL LIFE LESSONS AND NOW YOU’RE CUTTING BACK TO THE TOMURA FIGHT?? WHY DO WE KEEP LETTING THIS MAN GET AWAY WITH THIS

oh my god you guys they really fucking did it

I guess that Howitzer slash fire punch combo really was that potent huh

anyway so now Endeavor is standing there making a big speech instead of reaching into Tomura’s pocket and taking the bullets that he doesn’t know about and shooting him with one asap. dammit Endeavor

aaaaand Tomura is firing back with the wisdom of Shimura Fucking Kotaro of all people

well you sure convinced me. damn I don’t know what I was thinking. heroes suck you guys. how dare they help other people all the time

so now he’s all “PERIOD, EXCLAMATION POINT!!”

take that Endeavor. you heard the man. it’s not destruction without conviction, as god as his witness he will have you know it is destruction WITH conviction. something something the great sage Shimura “I hurt my family for absolutely no reason at all, fuck this ‘helping others’ bullshit” Kotaro. I hope you packed your textbooks because you just got SCHOOLED. I hope the person who ordered you signed up for delivery notifications because you just got SENT. I HOPE YOU LIKE CAPITALISM BECAUSE YOU JUST GOT OWNED. I HOPE YOU CHOSE PAPER AND NOT SCISSORS BECAUSE YOU JUST GOT ROCKED

what an absolutely, unreservedly bizarre place to end the chapter lol. we’re really just done with this week, just like that. Majestic showed up and Gigantomachia opened his chin like a garage door and Tomura is all “you may have won the battle but you suck” while he buys time for Aizawa to suddenly sneeze or something so he can make his terrible comeback and continue Horikoshi’s Traumatize Every Kid in Class 1-A 2020 campaign. what an arc this is my friends. what an arc

[leftsidebonfire]

Hey! Zeus and Ares for ur Vaseppeli ship? :)

Zeus: How did you first meet your f/o(s)? How did you feel about each other at first?

Vassia met Will after searching around for anyone who knew Hamon. She was born with a special power, which she used for healing, but nobody understood what it was or how it worked. Scared she'd be seen as more of an outcast than she already was, she sought out any information on this special breathing and was led to Zeppeli in Tibet. At that time, he was just beginning to take on a leadership role and offered to help her..

She was nervous around him. She wasn't quite used to having good connections with anyone, as most people just wrote her off as the deaf girl and didn't bother trying to get to know her any better than that. But the moment Zeppeli was trying to spell his name in ASL, she was ecstatic. She felt very close with him and trusted him as a teacher. He didn't look down on her or treat her like a child.

He respected her as a student, at first, appreciating her drive and kind heart. She was very driven and intelligent and he liked seeing that in her and watching her Hamon improve every day. The two became closer as time went on, Vassia seeing Will as her only real friend. It didn't take long at all for Vassia to fall in love with him, though she kept it painfully hidden, too afraid he would only see her as a child. Will also had very similar feelings as he realized some emotions were beginning to stir, but was far too afraid of coming off as a creepy old man. Little did he know...

Ares: Are you ever protective of your f/o(s)? Are they ever protective of you?

Will is extremely protective of Vassia but tries to not let it affect him. He wants her to be able to prove herself and never wants to cross a boundary or make her feel incapable, but he is always quick to come to her aid. He is still a fair teacher and does not go easy on her, but God help the man who talks poorly about Vassia behind her back. Will knows she is strong, stronger than she knows, even, but he can't resist. He thinks it's sick whenever people pick on her, especially because she can't hear it to defend herself.

Vassia is protective of him in a very different way. Despite being half his age, Vassia has always been a motherly friend figure. She will make sure he has his coat and hat, and wake up early to make him sandwiches and breakfast, or to share tea with him. She is very thoughtful and good at remembering little things people like, like Zeppeli's favorite book or flowers. She helps him remember to take care of himself. 💕

[malicerewatchesdoctorwho]

The Web of Fear - Episode One

Written by - Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln  Director - Douglas Camfield Producer - Peter Bryant

Episode One

("Soldiers?  I wonder what they're doing down here?" - The Doctor to Jamie and Victoria about why the soldiers would be in the Underground rolling out power cables when London has been evacuated.)

Likes

- Beginning it right where Enemy of the World ended.  With them all hanging on for dear life with the TARDIS doors open and them in flight. Nice.  I oddly wasn't expecting that and I have no idea why.

- Jamie telling the Doctor the TARDIS has a mind of its own.  Yes, yes she does.  I love when that's brought up in these early serials. 

- lol, Victoria just sounds so done with the Doctor, just so done. 

- Jamie and the Doctor eating sandwiches and arguing over the TARDIS lights.  Just, look at these two being all domestic with each other and ignoring the pretty girl as she shows off in her new outfit.  Yeah, that happened.

- I love all three of them working at the TARDIS and all of them knowing what controls are meant to do what.  Jamie and Victoria aren't allowed to operate the machinery, but boy has the Doctor taught them what does what.  Yes. 

- The Doctor finding it funny that he always seems to land on Earth.  Talk about the first time it is come up. 

- Anne being so amused by the reporter trying to get her to try and control her father.  Just, yeah, you do you Anne. 

- Hahaha, yes, you be a scientist because you want to be a scientist, Anne.  Don't let this Captain Knight disrespect you.  

Awesome

- I'm sorry, did the Doctor imply that Salamander did NOT die at the end of last episode?  Yeah, no, he's dead.  If for no other reason than I say so :P

- Umm, Ann, WHY exactly do you think it wonderful news that your dad activated a controlling unit for the yeti?  He's going on about danger danger danger and she's all big wide smiles and yay you did it! What.

- Silverstein just comes off as an idiot here, wow.

- Umm, I remember the controlling devices rolling around surfaces before.  Now they can fly?  It hasn't been that long since Tibet and the first yeti story.  A little consistency would be good.

Awesome

- Look at those cute as yeti designs.  Just look at the huge fluffballs.  I love them.

- I actually like the way they did the effect of the TARDIS being covered in webs while suspended in space.  It looked better than the one switching from off yeti to on yeti beforehand. 

- Ooh, I like the ending credits turning to the web covered screen at the end.  Nice little added effect.

Shitty

- Wow that beard on Travers.  Just no.

- What was with the off yeti to on yeti cut?  It just looked so wrong, because it was so different in the same supposed scene.  

In Conclusion

Haha this was a mixed bag for me, but a fun one.  I didn't like the parts with Travers in it much, especially at the stat, as he just sounds like a raving man.  I blame that beard.  Totally. I do like Anne just scienceing things up though. 

I do like the yeti having weapons to stop bombs from exploding outside the webbing the guns create. It shows both what is causing the webbing and how strong it is, though doesn't tell us how it coated the TARDIS while in mid flight.

And I am absolutely loving the dynamic between Two, Jamie and Victoria so far in this one. 

I look forward to when we see our dear Brigadier for the first time...even though I believe he is a Sergeant in this first serial and he gets the promotion by the time The Invasion comes around. 

Body count - 1. Random man covered in webs.  Dead already.  

[sairenharia]

Queen of Secrets pt. 4

Part 3

AO3

The link for a top of the line laptop and a text. 'One hour of your time. You don't have to agree to anything, don't have to answer anything, just hear me out, and that's yours. Or any computer of similar value, but according to Max, most any nerd would love it.'

Leave it to Chloe to request something while insulting someone.

Alya still pondered just saying no. It IS Chloe, after all, and they've never made it a secret how much they hate each other.

...but it is a very nice laptop and she's been thinking about getting a laptop. Her phone is good for basic posting, but anything heavy duty required her desk top. Having a laptop would be really nice. And she can't pretend she's not curious. The fact Chloe is being this blunt has to mean something. And she can't think of anything she's done to earn Chloe to put in the effort to actually trick her into some humiliation. It's one thing to take the opportunity when it presents itself, but usually it takes earning it for her to go out of her way.

Plus it'd give her a chance to ask Chloe a few questions of her own. Marinette and Chloe have been weird lately. They've never gotten along, usually only hang around each other when Adrien was around or if Chloe was trying to provoke her. Lately though, Marinette keeps staring at Chloe like she's about to have a panic attack and that would be cause for pure alarm if Chloe was throwing back smug looks or some kind of taunt. Instead, she seemed to ignore Marinette completely. Even when talking with Adrien, she was more focused on him then how Marinette might be reacting.

It's weird and Marinette kept saying it was nothing.

After some long deliberation, she finally agrees, but only if they're talking out of public eye and Chloe has to let her hold her phone so she doesn't try to take any videos. She knows Chloe isn't actually dangerous, and if it is a humiliation plot, there's only so much she can do while they're alone. Plus it keeps whatever Marinette is freaked out about private.

It's clear by the curt reply that Chloe is annoyed, but agrees.

So Alya comes to Chloe's room in the Grand Paris. They get drinks, Alya gets what is actually the best thing on the menu in regards to snacks because she knows her mother's cooking, thank you very much, and it's almost like a tea party except Chloe is handing over her phone with a look at Alya like she's taking her baby as well as a card for the website. "That has enough money to pay for the laptop plus warranty. I'm sure you'll need it," Chloe said.

Well, Alya can't say she's wrong. "Let me just check," she said, pulling out her phone even as Chloe rolls her eyes. She goes to the website and checks the balance on the card. And there it was. She hummed and pocketed the card and her phone and set Chloe's phone down on the floor beside her feet. "All right. You have one hour," she said.

"You're far too kind," Chloe said with all the insincerity she could muster. "I know you want to ask, so let's get it out of the way, but I'm not letting you drag it out," she said, picking up her tea to take a sip.

"What did you do to Marinette?" Alya asked, glaring at the girl.

"Absolutely nothing," Chloe said, prim and calm. "I found out something. She knows I know."

"And you threatened to tell?" Alya demanded.

"No, I have no intentions of telling anyone," she said.

And that. Catches Alya off guard. "....you can't expect me to believe you. You hate Marinette!"

"Yes, but I know Adrien finding out about her little crush isn't going to be the world ending event she's convinced herself it is," Chloe said with a scoff.

And that...

Well, yeah, that WOULD explain it, wouldn't it? Really, Alya loved Marinette, she did, but the girl jumped to some pretty big conclusions. She seemed convinced if Adrien found out about her feelings, he'd either be madly in love with her, or would try to get her exiled to Tibet. Of course she'd freak out if Chloe of all people 'found out' even though it was obvious to most people with eyes that Marinette had feelings for Adrien.

"Seriously? That's what the girl has been stressed out about?" Alya asked, lightly facepalming.

"I know! It's actually sad enough, I can't even enjoy taunting her with it," Chloe said with a despairing shrug.

"Is that really why?" Alya asked, disbelieving.

"Hmm. Well. She did throw that party for me. Maybe I'm a little grateful," Chloe said, picking up a cream puff. "Feel free to tell her, I'm sure she'll never believe you. No one else will."

Alya scowled and sat back, crossing her arms. "I'm not sure I believe that's the only reason why she's freaked out."

"Then ask her. I'm not a monster, despite what you might think," Chloe said dryly. "I have limits to what I might do, even to Dupain-Cheng."

Which. Alya did actually believe. Oh, she hated Chloe, without a doubt. But what Chloe didn't know was that she was Rena Rouge. She knew despite Chloe being Chloe, it was obvious she had been dedicated to being a superhero. She had even apologized after losing Mayura. She had handed back the Miraculous with a surprising amount of grace. Chloe was a terrible person, could be outright vile, but she knows she's caused less Akuma's lately, and no one can put that much effort in a life or death scenario and NOT have something noble in them.

It's like Mylene said. It's just really deep down.

Alya considered her a few moments more and she sighed. "All right. I'll believe you. For now. Why am I here?" She asked, picking up her tea to take a drink.

"A few reasons, but first? I want your help to figure out how to get her and Adrien dating," Chloe said.

Alya choked on her tea, barely managing to not spit it out. She grabbed a napkin, coughing violently into it. Chloe just kept nibbling the pastry, waiting. "You want-YOU want to play matchmaker? For Marinette and Adrien?! I thought you wanted him?!" She demanded as soon as she got air in her lungs.

"I did," she said. "And no, I'm not going to explain the story behind that. I've accepted I'm not going to win his heart, but he is still my childhood friend. I'm invested in his happiness and as much as it pains me, Marinette can give it to him. If she stopped being a coward and he stopped being as dense as a rock."

"Marinette is not a coward!" Alya snapped angrily.

"She is when it comes to Adrien," Chloe shot back.

Alya opened her mouth. Then closed it. Okay, Marinette was kind of a coward when it came to Adrien.

"I have a deal with Lahiffe. You can ask him in case you're afraid I'm trying to do something underhanded, but I told him if he thinks Adrien wants to go somewhere, then I'll use my pull as the 'approved' friend to get Adrien permission to go. I'm offering that up to you plus any insider information to set up a proper atmosphere. Of course, outings will need to be group at first, and Marinette needs to get a back bone before we leave them alone too long. If the Gorilla figures out Adrien is off alone with someone else too often, it might shake my pull. He's more than willing to look the other way at Adrien having 'more' as long as the literal orders are met. Which is 'watch Adrien while he's with Chloe,' or along those lines," Chloe said with a wave of her hand, picking up a finger sandwich.

"Whose the Gorilla?" Alya asked, looking confused.

"Hm? Oh, a nickname for Adrien's bodyguard. We called him that all the time as children and just never stopped. I think he thinks it's cute, at least he doesn't glare at me for it," Chloe said with a shrug. "I can't remember what his real name is anymore anyway."

"Huh," Alya said, tapping the table. "And you're doing this....for Adrien?"

"Yes," Chloe said simply.

"Not some under handed way to break Marinette's heart or something?" She asked.

"I have no control what Adrien's answer will be," Chloe said. "And I don't think he's aware of just how fond he is of Marinette. But I have seen a lot of girls kiss that boy's cheek, Alya. A lot. I've kissed his cheek a lot." She was looking down at her tea, expression sullen. "He's never looked at any of them the way he looked at Marinette." She sighed and looked up, composing herself again. "So, we need to expose him to her more. We need to sent up scenarios so he'll think about her more in that light. So hopefully when her backbone finally kicks in, he won't be an idiot."

Alya stared at Chloe, silent for a long while. She doesn't look away, though she can see Chloe's eyes getting more distant. Like it's hard to keep the strong face this time.

Before, Alya would have never believed her. Thought it was a plot, a trap of some sort. But she saw Chloe give up the Miraculous without a fight, because it was right. Because Ladybug asked. She knows she didn't want to. Alya knows it's hard to give up the Miraculous, even if it's right to and that's her. She can only imagine how hard it is for a girl as selfish as Chloe. And to do it after Ladybug hurt her by telling her she wouldn't be Queen Bee anymore to boot.

She finds herself believing that maybe she was actually being honest. For Adrien's sake.

"Why are you sure Marinette would make Adrien happy?" She asked.

Chloe snapped to attention and actually glared at that. She scoffed and drank the rest of her tea. She grabbed the pot to pour more. "Marinette encourages people. She listens to people. Adrien needs people like that in his life. But when she stops being so star struck, she'll be able to handle him when he's being a brat. And I assure you, he can be a brat, just not often," she said, starting to put sugar into her tea. "She'll be able to take all he is when he let's down his barriers and I do think she'll still love him. I don't know why she fell in love with him, but she isn't the kind to use someone's fame or connections, especially since she's doing well enough on her own to make her own name. She'll give him the love and support he deserves and she'll have a guy who will adore her, I guess, but I think she'll push him to be better than he is right now because that's what she's been doing so far and ugh, do I really need to keep saying nice things about Dupain-Cheng?" She asked, finally devolving into a whine.

"Yeah, especially since you ruined your tea," Alya said with a smug grin, pointing down to the cup that had a pile of sugar just under the surface.

Chloe looked down and scowled. She stood up, picking up the tea cup and moving to the private bath as Alya laughed to herself. She comes back, over sugared contents having been dumped in the sink, and pours herself another cup.

"All right. I'm willing to believe you're doing this for Adrien's sake," Alya said. Then gave her a hard look. "But I swear if this is some plot to hurt Marinette..."

"Yes, yes, you'll destroy me somehow," Chloe said with a roll of her eyes. "If you're worried about Marinette, I'm not the one you need to watch."

"What? Who else would want to hurt her?" Alya asked, looking caught off guard.

"Lila," Chloe said.

Alya groaned. "Seriously? Nino confirmed it, Lila has no interest in Adrien," she said.

Chloe laughed. "You really think Nino can tell if a girl likes a guy?"

"He asked her!" Alya said, throwing up her hands.

"Which doesn't do a lot of good if she's a liar," she said.

"Just because she has an eventful life doesn't mean she's a liar! She's been nothing, but nice since she got here."

"And yet Marinette hates her."

"Because she's jealous!"

"Marinette doesn't lie when she's jealous."

"And how would you know?"

"Because I saw how she reacted to Kagami," Chloe said. "I know she can be mean when it comes to Adrikins, but I had to talk her into it, with her complaining the whole time, never once saying a bad thing about Kagami. She made it very clear her only problem was Adrien might actually run off to Japan with Kagami. If she's being cruel unprompted, it's not fueled by jealousy alone."

"Wait, when did this happen?" Alya asked, looking shocked.

"A few weeks ago. But long story short, we just tried to make it so the girl would have to go home and change or risk embarrassing her family. I never saw a lick of hate, and Kagami is far more likely to steal Adrien then Lila," she said, flipping over a sheet of paper she had on the table beside her. Showing Alya the picture of Lila kissing Adrien's cheek. "That? That is Adrien's 'don't cause a scene because of the handsy girl' face. He would not consent to a selfie like that. Certainly not one that got sent to everyone in class," she said.

"So she got a little enthusiastic, I'm sure he told her not to do it again," Alya said.

"Oh, he definitely would not. Adrien has trouble coming to other people's defenses when it might cause a scene, let alone himself. About the only time Adrien sticks to his bodyguard is when he goes to events where stuff like this might happen a lot specifically because the Gorilla would stop this from happening," Chloe said.

"I'm sure she didn't mean any harm! It's just a misunderstanding!"

"Except it doesn't explain why Marinette hates her. But if she's a liar? Oh, it'd explain a whole lot. Marinette hates liars with a passion. You know that and I know that."

"Why are you even talking about Lila? What does she have to do about getting Adrien and Marinette together?" Alya demanded, trying to stamp down her rage at Chloe bad mouthing her new friend. Lila is new. Maybe a little enthusiastic about making friends, misunderstandings happen! She knows how hard it is to be new.

"Because you're supposed to be a reporter and check your facts," Chloe said, leaning forward, crossing her arms on the table. "So why the heck did you make a post about Lila saying she's best friends with Ladybug on your blog?"

"Because she is!" Alya said, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Really? Really? How do they maintain their friendship?" Chloe demanded.

"Because she has a magic way to contact Ladybug," Alya insisted.

"Ah, yes, the magic spell. So, let me ask you this, Alya Cesaire, why did this girl get this close to Ladybug, get this special contact, within a few days of moving to Paris, before the number one reporter of all things Ladybug, and the girl who had been making Akumas on a weekly basis?" Chloe said, leading forward more. "Ladybug, who has told reporters off before for asking unprofessional questions, who never stays and chats beyond her duty, whose been unerringly professional. Why would she give special contact like that to some girl when she could give it to two people who have been first on the scene of many Akuma attacks? You know, a spell that would possibly let her know about danger faster instead of relying on the News or making sure her phone is on to get an alert from your blog? Why wouldn't she give it to me after I was made Queen Bee so I didn't have to rely on a giant light in the sky?"

Alya opened her mouth. Then she closed her mouth because, well, Chloe had a point. Anytime Ladybug needed Rena Rouge, she'd have to waste time on finding Alya. She wasn't always on the scene when she was recruited, after all.

"...and more than that," Chloe said. "And I will sue you for slander if you post this on the blog, because of some things I'll get into later, but Ladybug told me it's dangerous to ask for Queen Bee's help anymore. Because my identity is known. It puts my family and me in danger. She keeps that secret identity to keep herself and her loved ones safe. In what world do you think she would ever, ever trust someone that intimately who goes around saying she's Ladybug's BFF, they're close, she knows all sorts of things and let herself get interviewed on a blog most of Paris keeps an eye on? If it was true, it puts a big target right on her back to get hunted down and hurt repeatedly, the last thing Ladybug wants for anyone she cares about."

Alya was silent at that because Chloe had a good point. She had a lot of good points. Alya herself saw Ladybug tell Chloe she can't be Queen Bee because of that very concern.

"Plus Adrien and I saw Jagged Stone the first day he arrived. He came in with a crocodile," Chloe said, sitting back. "And he had a whole list of weird demands. That was a pet he had for a while."

Alya was staring down at the table, a feeling of dread growing in her stomach. Was it true? Was Lila lying this whole time? It's true, it would drive Marinette insane. And she has been weirdly insistent on it. Even for jealously, surely she would be at least a little inconsistent, right?

"....people who lie that often," Chloe started, looking away. "They hate being called out. Either they're desperately insecure, convince themselves it's true, or it's all about controlling and manipulating people. I can't say which one Lila is exactly, but I can tell you now, she's not honest. And if Marinette hates her and makes it known she doesn't believe Lila, there's a good chance it might come down to her word versus Lila's and no way the liar is gonna back down from Marinette. I'd be ready to fact check her before she feels threatened," she said.

"....I guess it wouldn't hurt to at least confirm her stories. Rose can talk to Prince Ali. And Jagged Stone is here, maybe I can talk to him about him those times he had to deal with Akuma's for the blog and just see if he remembers her," Alya said.

"Exactly. You don't even need to talk to her about it. If she does as much as she says, then surely people will remember her," Chloe said, grabbing another cream puff.

Alya nodded, grabbing her teacup, just to hold it. She didn't like it. Doubting a friend. A friend whose helped her. But not as much as Marinette. No one could compare to Marinette. But she'd doubted Marinette a lot, hadn't she? No, Marinette deserved Alya at least seeing if it was true. Maybe if she brought proof, she could show Marinette, and her and Lila could finally talk it out? Yeah, she's sure this is all just a misunderstanding, she just needed proof.

"That all?" Alya finally asked.

"...no," Chloe said, grabbing another cream puff, popping it into her mouth. Then she flipped over the other pieces of paper, showing a few pictures. All blurry, at a distance, hard to make out. It'd be hard to say what the image was.

If Alya didn't immediately know and she fights to react. Because while one picture has Queen Bee in it on top of a building, the other photos aren't. Some could be the same day, yet others showed signs of destruction, altered skies from other Akuma attacks. They're all at a distance and it's obvious she's trying to not be seen, but she knew who it was.

It was Mayura.

"What am I looking at? An Akuma?" Alya asked.

"No. That's Mayura," Chloe said. "Remember the strange moth creature that appeared on Heroes Day? After the scarlet army was defeated and we were confronting Hawk Moth?" She asked, Alya slowly nodding her head. "That wasn't him. That was someone else." She tapped the picture. "That is the Peacock Miraculous user."

"They've appeared? Why haven't they showed up with any Akuma's?" Alya asked.

"If they're never in sight, they can't be caught, probably. Ladybug and Chat Noir are pros at getting magical items off supervillains," Chloe said with a shrug. "That's just a theory. But I've been wondering if you've gotten any other pictures of her. People send Akuma sightings to you, don't they?"

Alya nodded, and the truth was, she had gotten a picture or two of Mayura. Not this many this. Usually only once every few weeks from Heroes Day. "I thought maybe it was a joke since usually the Akuma at the time looked totally different," she said.

"I think she's doing something else," she said.

"What?" Alya asked, picking up the pictures. They're all pictures low to the ground, too.

Chloe grabbed another cream puff and stuffed her mouth.

Alya looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Chloe?"

She grabbed her tea cup, taking another drink.

"Chloe!"

"I'm not sure. Not yet," Chloe said with a groan, slumping forward, hand over her face. "But I have some ideas, but I need to talk to Ladybug about it."

"I thought you said it's dangerous for her to use Queen Bee," Alya pointed out.

"It is! But it's not like I never see them or anything.... " she said, looking way.

"True. You do still cause Akuma's."

"I've gone way down and you know it!" Chloe snapped.

Alya hummed. "Why are you showing me this?"

"....I don't think Ladybug has realized how much she's moving around yet," Chloe said, rubbing her temple. "And I still...I still want to help. So. If you get a sighting of Mayura, I'd like if you could pass the information on to me. And. Keep her existence off the blog for right now."

"What? You can't ask me to hide a supervillain!" Alya protested. Honestly, she'd been trying to figure out how to post about Mayura without making it obvious she had been a superhero. Chloe saw that whole encounter and she's pretty sure she's not that dumb.

"And if one of my theories is correct, you could totally ruin a chance to catch her!" Chloe snapped, a fist hitting the table.

"I won't-catch her?" Alya said, looking confused.

"...yes," Chloe said, sitting back. "If I'm right, it's a situation that Ladybug could turn around. But only if Mayura doesn't suspect a thing. If Ladybug tells you about the existence of Mayura and gives the go ahead, okay, fine. Whatever. But I'm....asking you. As a....f....favor. To tell her to come talk to me first before she gives permission. In case it's a bad idea," Chloe said. Looking away. Then up again. "....please."

"...that looked painful."

"It really was."

Alya looked down at the photos. It's a roll of the dice how soon Chloe would see Ladybug. But Ladybug was calling on her more and more for help and she was always willing to take a question or two for the Ladyblog. She could at least send her Chloe's way, see what's up. It might delay sharing Mayura a week, maybe.

She looked up at Chloe. Chloe who was offering to help Marinette get her happy ending. Chloe who may have kept her from being taken for a ride, in case Lila really is as bad as Marinette said. At least giving her an idea on how to fix the problem if nothing else.

Chloe who still gave back that Bee Miraculous.

Alya sighed. "Fine. I'll send Ladybug your way, but the moment Ladybug gives the okay afterwards, I'm doing it," she said. "And she'll get all the Mayura information from me too, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to send the info to you for now. And I guess there's no reason to post about Queen Bee, public opinion really turned around on you after Heroes Day. It wouldn't reassure anyone to say you're on the bench for good."

Chloe sighed, slumping a bit. Then she shook her head and sat up again. "Then that's all I wanted to talk about." A very long pause. "Th....thank you."

Alya snickered. "You should see your face right now."

"Don't push it," she said flatly.

Alya laughed and sat up, grabbing the beef patties. "I'm going to take these with me. No need to waste them," she said.

Chloe waved her away. "Yes, yes, take it, I'm not going to eat it," she said.

"Thanks for the laptop. I'll talk to Nino, see what he thinks of your offer and we'll call you later."

She's still a little on the fence of how much she wants to work with Chloe, but a journalist checks her sources. She can decide what she'll do once she's verified what she can and get Nino's take on the situation.

And it's not like she totally hated working with Queen Bee.

[quicksilversquared]

There’s No Camembert in Tibet: Chapter 17

It was pouring. Not sprinkling, not simply raining, but pouring.

There was no way they could go out today and continue their trip back. The kwamis would get sick for sure, and then they would really be in trouble.

And to top it all off, their tarp was starting to leak, so they couldn't come out of their tents to hang out. Not unless they wanted to get drenched and risk the kwamis getting sick.

"We'll eat in the tents and then hang out there until the rain lets up," Jade Turtle told them as they all huddled under the least leaky part of the tarp that Paon had managed to string up by himself overnight. "That way, you don't have to be transformed and the kwamis can have a break. I'll come around again to give you any updates."

"Where should I be?" Paon asked. He yawned loudly. "I mean, I can sleep wherever, but somewhere that won't be loud would be best."

"You can be in my tent," Queen Bee volunteered unexpectedly. "I'll move my stuff out of the way and then hang out in Ladybug and Chat Noir's tent. I'm assuming that that's where we're going to be hanging out," she added. "Playing games and whatever. I don't want to be on my own all day. But I'm leaving if you two get all mushy," she said to Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Chat Noir only grinned. Ladybug sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I can sit with Emilie," Lycaena offered. "And then perhaps tomorrow I can spend part of the day under Paon's tarp once he gets up so that Nooroo can get a rest."

"That would work well," Jade Turtle agreed. "We could always switch off with the visiting with Mrs. Agreste, too, so that it isn't just one kwami missing the break."

Lycaena gave him a Look. "Wayzz needs a break more than Nooroo does. And I can tell that you need more sleep, too. You haven't been sleeping right since we left the valley."

Jade Turtle sighed and nodded. "Fair enough. Still, I'll check in with people later. Maybe we'll be able to salvage part of the day."

With a plan in place, the group broke up. Paon and Queen Bee headed over to her tent to move his things in and hers out- after all, Queen Bee didn't want her own precious gear used by someone else- while the other teens piled into Ladybug and Chat Noir's tent. It wasn't long before Paon was settled, Duusu was fed, and the rest of the teens were seated in Adrien and Marinette's tent, several rounds in to a game of Telestrations with their kwamis.

...it was perhaps not going as smoothly as planned.

"What the fresh hell is this meant to be?" Chloe demanded, staring at the drawing that Trixx had pushed her way. "I thought that gods were meant to be able to draw!"

Trixx bared his fangs. "I make illusions that are more realistic than anything you could ever create. I'm just not as familiar with the medium of paper and pencil. And they aren't in my size, either."

"Just make your best guess, Queenie," Adrien said with a sigh as he scribbled down his own sentence. "We can change up the order of who sits where next round."

"Great! I call dibs to the right of Ma- uh, Ladybug!"

Adrien groaned. "Oh, come on."

"You can sit to her left, Loverboy." Chloe squinted at Trixx's drawing and then scribbled something down on the paper. "Then you can cuddle and I can actually be able to figure out what these drawings are supposed to be for once."

Trixx growled.

Their game continued, with plenty of groaning as they tried to figure out what a drawing was meant to be or as they tried to figure out how to best depict whatever phrase they had been handed. There were giggles aplenty as they read out the phrases that had resulted.

Chloe actually looked amused. Her earlier frustration at the game fled as each short phrase turned ridiculous.

"Okay, that's pretty fun," she admitted as the sheets of paper were turned over to use again. "I thought it would be really little kid-ish, but it's not at all."

"Little kid games can be fun too," Alya pointed out. "Not all of them, of course, but some. And of course it'll turn out differently depending on who you're playing with."

"It's too bad we don't have more people playing," Marinette said after another couple rounds. "Stuff would have more opportunity to go off the rails then."

"Well, there's the four of us, plus three kwamis. That's seven, and we go off pretty well just with that." Alya tapped her chin with her pencil and scribbled something down on her paper. "And once Paon wakes up, he and Duusu can join us. That's two more- three, if Plagg decides to join."

Plagg made a rude noise from where he was curled up on Adrien's sleeping bag. Adrien rolled his eyes. "I think that means he'll pass, because he's an ass."

"Do I really need to remind you who transforms you, kid?"

"Do I need to remind you who feeds you?" Adrien shot back. Plagg squawked.

"I'll behave! Just don't make me play any stupid games!"

They played a couple more rounds, and then the kwamis decided to take advantage of the time off to nap and rest up a bit more. Adrien wasn't long to follow, with his head pillowed in Marinette's lap. That left the three girls awake- and admittedly bored, too, as they tried to not wake up the sleepers.

"I can't wait to have a bed again," Chloe commented as they watched Adrien shift in his sleep. He had developed a serious case of bedhead as he settled down in Marinette's lap and so now there were bits of blond hair sticking in every direction. "I like my sleeping pad, well enough, but it's not the same. And I wanna wash my sheets, too. They're gross. Normally the hotel staff wash my sheets at least once a week. More if it's been all hot and the air conditioning hasn't been working right."

"At least we had that day at the Rat's place to wash everything up." Alya sat back, leaning back on her hands and shoving her hair out of her face. "Washing stuff in streams wasn't really fun."

"It absolutely destroyed my hands," Chloe complained immediately, holding them up. "I'm in dire need of a mani-pedi and a visit to a stylist. Maybe a massage, too. It's going to take the rest of the summer for me to properly recover from this trip. I can probably get you guys in, too," she added after a short pause. "Because otherwise you'll have to go to the pool with ugly calluses on your feet. I do have stuff to do an amateur mani-pedi on my own, but we just haven't had the time." She perked up. "Hey, maybe I could go get it! That would be loads of fun. And I have plenty of supplies, since I haven't been able use it."

Alya and Marinette exchanged a look and silently agreed that it would be easiest to just agree to Chloe's plan. It wasn't like they really had much else to do, after all. "That sounds like fun, Chloe."

"I know, right? Aren't I smart?" Chloe practically preened. "Just wait a minute and I'll go grab my kit. Pollen, is the coast clear?"

Pollen poked her head up blearily and obediently zipped through the tent to check outside. She came back in almost immediately. "All good, Chloe!"

"Well, it'll kill the time," Marinette said quietly as Chloe dashed across the campsite to her tent, the hood of her sweatshirt pulled down to hide her face.

"Yeah, there's that." Alya glanced through the gaping entrance of the tent. "Though I do have to wonder about her packing priorities. I thought you and Adrien checked on her packing to make sure she didn't pack anything weird."

"We did," Marinette said, trying not to laugh as Chloe emerged from her tent, triumphantly waving a case. "I think she made some unauthorized additions afterwards."

  By the time the three girls had finished their mani-pedis, Adrien and the kwamis were all awake. Outside, the rain had lightened up. The roar of the rain against their tent had lightened during their impromptu spa session, turning into a light patter that was getting progressively quieter.

"It sounds like it's going to stop," Alya commented, glancing upwards as she squeezed a dollop of moisturizer onto her hands. "Which- well, we would go, right? If things dried out? We've never had a day where we started out with rain and then had it clear up later. It's always either been an entire day rained out, or the rain started in the afternoon."

"Maybe!" Marinette moved towards the tent flaps, then froze and sat back down. "Uh, Tikki, do you wanna check what the rain is like outside? It sounds like it let up, but I'm curious to know what it looks like. For all we know from in here, there could be another bunch coming through."

"Of course!" Tikki zipped through the tent and then returned a minute later. "It's getting lighter! And Jade Turtle is going around with sandwiches."

"Nice, I was starting to get hungry." Alya finished rubbing the moisturizer into her hands and passed the tube back to Chloe. "We can eat and then figure out what we're doing for the afternoon. I really hope that we can go out again, because I'm really not interested in giving Adrien a mani-pedi just to fill up the time."

Adrien wriggled his toes at her. "Really? Can I convince you otherwise? My calluses are insane."

"Gross." Chloe wrinkled her nose at him. "You really need to work on your feet. They're all roughened up from fencing and basketball and all of those awful sweaty sports. I can sign you up for an appointment when I'm signing up for mine."

"I'll...think about it."

"Knock, knock," Jade Turtle called, tapping at the outside of the tent. "Can I stick my head in?"

"Of course!" Alya scrambled over Chloe to unzip the zipper. "Ooh, sandwiches!"

Jade Turtle handed them in. "Yes, it gave me something to do while Wayzz napped once I finished resting up. But I didn't come just for this. As you can maybe hear, the rain is letting up. It'll stop completely soon."

Adrien shuffled closer. "Are we going to go out on the trail, then? Try to salvage part of the day?"

"Exactly. We can make some progress today, at least," Jade Turtle told them. "We'll only be able to go for a couple hours, but if we do that and have a cold dinner once it gets too dark to continue..."

They all nodded. Maybe it wouldn't be a great deal of progress for the day, not like what they were used to, but at least it was progress. It would mean a couple fewer hours that they had to do on another day.

It was still dripping as they broke camp and loaded up, waking Paon up as they did. Emilie clambered into the shell and did her best to keep the rain off with the tarp and the superheroes ignored the drops that rolled off of their suits from the still-dripping clouds. They picked up the pace as they went, flying and running and poling as fast as they could.

Rena Rouge was the first to fall, landing wrong on an exposed bit of ground and skidding in the mud. She hit the ground with a yelp, and the others had to dodge to not hit her.

"I'll catch up," Rena called after them, pushing herself back up. Mud coated her rear and back. "I'm fine!"

Chat Noir and Ladybug went next, when Chat's pole slid out from under them on a steeper section of hill. Ladybug caught them with her yo-yo on the way down, so they managed to land on their feet instead of tumbling.

Paon slid to the ground. Rena fell again. Queen Bee flew higher above them, giving the mud-splattered superheroes a wary look as she brushed off her spotless outfit. Ladybug and Chat Noir landed hard in a puddle, sending water everywhere.

It was messy.

"I'll slow down," Jade Turtle called back the third time Rena Rouge hit the ground. "And perhaps you four would want to get in the shell?"

Mrs. Agreste looked less than convinced about that as she surveyed the mud-splattered superheroes, but she clearly wasn't about to say anything.

Paon sent back a too-wide grin and a double thumbs-up. "Cool on the slowing down! I think I'll keep my mud out of your shell, though. We don't want to wear out Wayzz by making him work harder."

"That is probably wise. We do have several days left at least, and he's quite tired, even with the rest this morning." Jade Turtle turned back forward in time to dodge a rock. "Sorry, sorry."

Mrs. Agreste's knuckles had turned white against the shell.

They zipped through the foothills quickly, even with the slippage and slower speeds. The orange of Rena Rouge's costume and the blue of Paon's vanished under the mud and torn-up bits of vegetation, and Ladybug and Chat Noir were only faring moderately better.

Needless to say, they were all very, very glad when Jade Turtle finally decided to call it for the day, a little earlier than usual since they just happened to be passing by a bubbling stream that would be perfect for refilling their water and for washing up.

"Well, we made progress," Ladybug said as they splashed in the stream, washing the mud off. "There's that, at least. Even if we got dirty in the process."

Chat Noir grinned and nodded. "Yeah! And even that wasn't so bad. I'm already clean." He splashed his way out of the water. "Not bad at all."

"Speak for yourself!" Rena Rouge complained. She was still scrubbing. "You and Ladybug landed on your feet every time. Of course you aren't that dirty. Me, I wiped out every time I landed on bare ground."

Paon nodded in agreement. There were streaks of mud still covering most of his suit. Some of the splatters reached as far as his mask. "I hope it dries out a bit overnight. If only a couple hours on the trail made us look like this, how bad would it be if an entire day's travel was in the same conditions?"

Rena Rouge looked horrified. "Oh, god. I would never get the mud out of my hair."

"And what if we didn't end up near a stream?"

"Oh, god."

"The real question is, would the mud still be on us if we detransformed before washing up?" Paon asked. He ducked underwater and scrubbed vigorously for a few seconds before coming back up, coughing. "Oh, that was not a good idea."

"And if it was, would it go back on the suits when we transformed again?" Ladybug added, splashing out of the stream as well to join Chat Noir. "I don't think I want to find out. If it stayed on when we detransformed and didn't just transfer back to the suit afterwards, that would be awful."

"When you're done, come help us set up!" Lycaena called. "And I have a towel for you guys to dry off, too."

"Hey, we'll actually be able to cook with some light for once," Ladybug said cheerfully, heading for her mom. "That'll be great. And if we go fast, we can grab the best spot for our tent. I think there was a rock under my side of the tent last night."

"Oh no! My Lady had to sleep on a rock? What a travesty! Her noble knight will sweep the ground clear tonight."

Ladybug swatted at her grinning boyfriend. "Oh, god. You don't need to do that. We just need to check the ground before putting the tent down, and it was too dusky for that last night." She gave the ground a somewhat unenthusiastic look. "And I'm just really looking forward to having a bed again. Chloe was talking about it earlier while we were doing our mani-pedis, and yeah, I can't wait. The hotel beds are going to be paradise after this, and my bed at home? Amazing. I'll never leave it again."

Chat Noir laughed.

It was easy enough for them to detransform and retrieve their bags in the privacy of a little copse of trees nearby, and then Chat Noir scouted out the best bit of ground- "Level and no rocks or lumps as requested, my Lady!"- for them to set up their tent.

"You're in a cheerful mood this afternoon," Ladybug said with a giggle as Chat Noir pounded the last stake into the ground. "You've been pretty quiet recently. I was getting worried."

"Well, I got to nap in the lap of a beautiful woman this morning." Chat Noir winked at her. "And we did a good amount of hiking today. Not too much, but we did at least get somewhere."

Ladybug groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Oh no! I'm not used to full-flirt mode from you! I'm all out of practice with dealing with it!"

Chat Noir grinned. "Well, then, maybe I should keep going so you can build up your immunity again, then? Or maybe not, since I like seeing you blush."

"You are an absolute impossible flirt."

  As it turned out, the one problem with ending the day a little early was that it meant that there was more time for sitting around waiting until they were tired enough to go to bed. It wouldn't have been an issue if it had just been the seven superheroes, but now they were scrambling for some topic of conversation to fill the time so that they weren't just left awkwardly staring at each other over the remains of their campfire.

A conversation about the landscape had fizzled out pretty quickly. Paon had made a couple stabs at talking about the weather before giving up with a wince. The majority of the group had groaned over Queen Bee's conversation topic of in-style sunglasses. Lycaena had clearly been about to try to bring up what Adrien had been up to for the past year- minus the superhero stuff, of course- before realizing that she wouldn't be able to say much without giving away that she knew Adrien personally.

And then Emilie decided to tell stories to fill the ensuing awkward silence. Which Chat Noir appreciated, he really did. Sitting in awkward, fidgety silence stunk, and it was much better to have someone telling stories.

But did she really have to try to fill the time by telling stories of when he was a baby?

It wouldn't be so bad if it was just Master Fu and Lycaena that were listening, even though they were his mentor and his (hopefully) future mother-in-law. They just smiled politely and chuckled when she shared stories about Small Adrien pulling off all of his clothes and trying to make a break for it during one of his mother's photoshoots, or when he accidentally broke a prop on set when she was shooting a movie. And the stories were funny, he was sure, but... his friends were there, too.

It was like those embarrassing scenes in book and movies that Adrien had read about, where the main character brought home their significant other and their mom told the boyfriend or girlfriend about all of the embarrassing things that they had done. Only in this case, Adrien couldn't complain and whine mooooom when she talked about having to redo shoots because there was a bare toddler bum visible in the background of the photos.

There were a lot of those stories, too. Apparently he had been a particularly clothes-adverse toddler.

Chat Noir swallowed a groan as his mom kept talking, giggling as she gestured. His cheeks were flaming in utter embarrassment, but at least his mask and the lack of light hid most of it. He did his best to check out of the conversation, getting immersed in the sight of the last few small flickering flames among the dying embers. If he didn't listen, maybe he could pretend that he wasn't embarrassed out of his mind. He ended up so immersed that he startled when the entire group let out a loud laugh.

"-and I was just so shocked that I couldn't think of anything to say except "what?' and so then of course Adrien repeated himself word-for-word, all of those awful words coming from such an angelic little child." Mrs. Agreste giggled, and Chat Noir immediately recognized the story as one he had heard before, of when he had repeated another kid's cursing after a playdate. "I was mortified, of course, but the parents of the little monster that had been doing the swearing in the first place were even more embarrassed."

Lycaena giggled. "Oh, that is funny. I'm sure the kids got an earful once they were home. Did they ever swear again at the get-togethers?"

"No, and they moved shortly thereafter. For completely unrelated reasons," Mrs. Agreste added hastily. "And we never heard Adrien say a bad word after that, either. He knew that he wasn't supposed to and it wasn't polite."

"I swore plenty when they weren't in earshot," Chat Noir muttered in Ladybug's ear to distract her, careful to be quiet enough that no one else could hear. "Mostly when I fell off of my climbing wall or messed up when practicing the piano. They just never heard."

Ladybug tried not to laugh. "You're ruining your reputation as an innocent sunshine child."

Chat Noir grinned down at her, eyes twinkling impishly. "Really? You still think I'm innocent? After everything that we've been through?"

Ladybug swatted at his arm. She was grinning, though.

"At least she's moved on from all the naked little kid stories," Chat Noir commented quietly a few minutes later as Mrs. Agreste recounted the first time that Adrien had gone to dancing lessons and had decided to be a brat about it. "Those are embarrassing. Like, what was little kid me thinking?"

"Probably that he didn't like stuffy high-fashion playsuits and would much rather be comfortable." Ladybug wound her fingers around his arm, resting her cheek on his shoulder. "At least she doesn't have a photo album to show us of all of the Naked Toddler incidents."

"Nah, she's saving that part for when I introduce you as my girlfriend. I'm sure you'll get the full Nosy Mom experience then." Chat Noir kissed the top of her head. "And I'll die of mortification. Again."

His words had Ladybug squirming around to look at him. "Are you okay? We can probably change the topic and find something else to discuss if you're not comfortable with the baby stories."

"I'll survive," he assured her. After all, they had moved on from his clothes-shedding adventures, at least for the moment. "Besides, maybe now your mom will tell me funny stories about you as a kid to make it even."

"Silly kitty. I kept my clothes on when I was little." Ladybug grinned at his pout. "But I'm sure that I got up to plenty of trouble still."

"-and you should have seen the look on that little girl's face!" Mrs. Agreste was saying, a fond look on her face as she talked. "It was dreadfully rude, of course, and we had to talk to Adrien about being polite even if he didn't want to be, but I can't deny that it wasn't entirely his fault."

"Wait, what did you do?" Ladybug whispered, looking lost. "Why were you rude?"

Chat Noir sighed. "First dancing lesson, some girl decided that I was going to be her boyfriend and latched on. I tolerated it for one dance and then broke up with her. I believe the word 'leech' was involved. She was quite clingy."

Ladybug hastily muffled a snort.

"Okay, let's head for bed," Jade Turtle announced before Mrs. Agreste could launch into another story. "We'll have a long day tomorrow-"

"Just like always," Queen Bee cut in.

"-and we'll need our rest. If the Miraculous holders want to head over that way for brushing teeth and whatnot, please-"

The group dispersed, yawning as they did. Chat Noir had to force himself to walk instead of just staying seated where he had been and falling asleep there, head pillowed on top of Ladybug's.

"One of these times, I'm going to brush my teeth right after dinner so I can just use a tree and go right off to bed," he told Ladybug as they found a tree to detransform behind so that they could brush their teeth. "And then I can just go right to sleep."

Marinette giggled. "You've said that practically every night, and yet it hasn't happened. We're running out of time."

Adrien just shrugged. "We still have at least a couple nights left, right? I didn't keep track of how many days it took us to get out. I mean, I tried, but I lost track. And we really didn't go as fast at the start as we did later on, so it's hard to judge distances."

"We can ask Ma- er, Jade Turtle tomorrow. He's the one with the GPS, after all." Marinette pulled out her toothbrush and squeezed on a dollop of toothpaste. "I'm curious, too. I want to sleep in a bed again."

"We won't get to share a bed again once we get home." Adrien shoved his toothbrush in his mouth and talked around it. "Not unless my mom goes on a trip or something for a night and doesn't take me along."

"Or if you can convince her that you're sleeping over at Nino's house and then come over to mine instead."

"Your parents might object if they know that my mom isn't on board, though." Adrien spat out his toothpaste before sticking the brush back in his mouth again. "We might try to make a case for the sleepovers once she's been back for a bit. Or we could try for sleepovers with all four of us. That might work."

They took turns heading deeper into the trees to relieve themselves one last time before bed, and then headed back to the campsite. Mrs. Agreste had gotten back before them and was already in her tent, flashlight off. Paon signaled that the coast was clear and they all headed in, washing hands while Master Fu handed out food to their kwamis.

"Ahh, cheese," Plagg sighed dreamily when he was handed a chunk half the size of his head. "How I love thee! Delicious, wonderful cheese..."

Adrien couldn't help but notice that the other kwamis didn't practically do a song and dance routine when they got fed. He suspected that Plagg would be even more dramatic once they got back to Paris and he got his favorite cheeses again.

"Time for bed," Marinette reminded him quietly, and Adrien jolted as he was startled out of his absent-minded staring at his kwami. "Plagg will join us when he's done, just like he always does."

"Right, of course." Adrien gave himself a proper shake as they headed for their tent, conveniently located farthest from his mom's. "Sorry, just zoned out there for a bit."

"I figured. We're all tired right now." Marinette pulled him into the tent. "Summer vacation relaxing is going to feel so good after this."

"I'm going to have fencing and basketball practices to go to once I get back," Adrien commented around a yawn. "And piano, and photoshoots, and Mandarin. Though I suppose Mandarin won't be so bad, since I'll just be chatting with your mom instead of doing worksheets and conjugation exercises."

"And Nathalie might be able to come up with an excuse for you not doing summer photoshoots," Marinette pointed out. She pulled out her pajamas. "And for piano, you can just serenade your lovely girlfriend."

Adrien had to laugh as he quickly brushed out his hair. "Some of my serenades might be rather upbeat. Slow songs aren't quite as much fun to do."

"Even better." Marinette tugged off her shirt and replaced it with her pajama top before sliding into her sleeping bag to switch out her pants there. "I like upbeat music."

It didn't take long at all for them to finish getting ready for bed and turn off their flashlights. In the dark, Adrien could feel Marinette wriggle closer to him so that their sleeping bags were pressed up against each other. He reached out, pulling her flush against him and burying his face in her hair.

'Night, Kitty."

Adrien grinned, kissing the top of Marinette's head. "Good night, lovebug."

[twdeadfanfic]

Life at the end of the world Pt.5

Summary: Your life as a zombie apocalypse survivor. It starts with the Reader settling into the camp at the quarry, before s1 and then follows the show events and storyline, more or less, but with the Reader in it.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Warnings: Slow burn, violence, language.

Author’s note: Fifh part of my first twd fanfic, I’ve been itching to write something like this for a long while and I write it for fun, I don’t claim to be a writer so if you find you dislike this fic, please be kind and just stop reading. English’s not my first language so maybe there’re some mistakes, I apologize in advance. For the same reason, I can’t write character’s accents and things like that. At any rate, I hope you enjoy it. There’d be several parts to this.

“I won’t do it, we can’t just leave.” Carol shook her head.

“Carol, the group’s split, we are scattered and weak.” Dale tried to explain his point of view.

“What if she comes back and we’re not here, it could happen.” Carol insisted.

“If Sophia comes back and we’re gone, that’d be awful.” Andrea agreed.

You looked from one to another but said nothing. You agreed with both points of view and couldn’t make your head about it. You’d been discussing what to do for a while now, stay there or go to the farm, but still hadn’t reached an agreement.

You had talked with Daryl quietly about it while Dale and Carol argued back and forth, hoping he’d tell you what to do but he had just shrugged, saying he wasn’t a leader to make those decisions or anything, he just wanted to find Sophia.

You looked at him and saw he was watching Dale and Carol too, biting his thumb until he finally decided to interfere.

“Okay, we gotta plan for this. I say tomorrow morning’s soon enough to pull stakes. Give us a chance to rig a big sign, leave her supplies. I’ll hold here tonight, stay with the RV.” He sounded confident and you nodded your agreement.

“If the RV’s staying I am too.” Dale chimed in immediately.

“Thank you, thank you both,” Carol said with tears in her eyes but a smile on her face.

“I’m in.” Andrea and you decided too.

Glenn wanted to stay too, arguing with Dale but finally accepting to leave when he told him he must go to the farm with T-Dog and get him help, his wound getting worse and worse, and having gotten a blood infection.

Daryl frowned while Dale talked about T-Dog’s condition and made his way to his bike, looking for something inside the bags.

“Get your oily rags off my brother’s motorcycle.” He grumbled to Dale, throwing him a piece of fabric before placing a plastic bag full of pills containers on the hood of a car. “Why’d you wait till now to say anything? Got my brother’s stash.”

Daryl began listing drugs until he found a couple of painkillers and what not, throwing them to Glenn and saying something about them being first class for when Merle got the clap.

You grimaced at the mental idea forming in your mind but then grinned at Daryl, who frowned at you as if confused. You just shrugged, still smiling to yourself at Daryl’s gesture, reminding you of earlier that day, when he had given his gun to Lori.

For all his tough, harsh exterior, he was behaving like one of the most responsible and caring members of your group lately, you thought amused, laughing quietly to yourself as you imagined how angry he’d be if you told him, he’d probably hiss at you and storm out as an offended cat or something.

The sun had already gone down and there wasn’t much you could do until morning, so you all decided to try and get some rest, Dale insisting on taking the first watch.

Tried as much as you wanted, none of you seemed to be getting much rest. You lied awake on the bed next to Carol who was sobbing her heart out, trying to be quiet. You could hear Andrea loading and unloading a gun again and again on the table.

Daryl was lying on the floor but you heard him turning and tossing until you saw him sat up, looking at Carol as if her tears hurt him as much as they hurt you. He got up and said he was going to walk up the road and see if there was any sight of Sophia, Andrea and you immediately offering to go with him, glad for the distraction and needing to have something to do.

“I'm going for a walk. Shine some light in the forest.” Daryl said to Dale, who was on the top of the RV keeping watch. “If she's out there, give her something to look at.”

“You think that's a good idea right now?” Dale eyed you with concern.

“Dale...” Andrea warned him, and you three turned on your lanterns, walking down the road and into the forest.

You hadn’t been walking for long when Andrea turned to Daryl, voicing her worries. “You really think we're gonna find Sophia?”

Daryl rolled his eyes and looked at you as he heard the same words you had already asked him yesterday repeated once again.

“You got that look on your face same as everybody else. What the hell's wrong with you people? We just started looking,” he complained. “It ain't the mountains of Tibet. It's Georgia. She could be holed up in a farmhouse somewhere. People get lost and they survive. It happens all the time.”

His words gave you hope and you nodded your head. “Yeah, we’ll find her.”

Andrea didn’t seem that sure, though. “She’s only 12...”

That prompted Daryl into telling you about the time he got lost in the woods when he was younger than Sophia but came back home all safe by himself. You listened with curiosity. During all the nights you all had spent at the quarry, sharing stories about your lives, Daryl had never participated, never had told you anything about his life besides that time he told you about some chupacabras he claimed to have seen. You knew nothing about his life before and you were eager to learn more.

You laughed quietly at the image of little Daryl coming back home and making himself a sandwich as if nothing had happened, but you also felt sorry for him, getting lost in the woods without his father and brother knowing it or seeming to care.

You remembered Daryl telling you his father was an asshole and that his brother had left him, how he still seemed affected by it even though he tried to hide it. You had the feeling Daryl had been severely neglected as a kid but he’d probably scoff at you if you said something like that. Still, your heart went to him.

“Only difference is Sophia's got people looking for her. I call that an advantage.” Daryl finished, eyes trained forwards as he looked through the woods, trying to find any trace of Sophia.

“Yes, that’s true.” You nodded eagerly even though Andrea still looked unsure.

You were grateful he was keeping spirits high and still felt the strange urge to comfort him after hearing his story, so you reached out to squeeze his arm reassuringly. He yanked it off without looking at you and you tried not to take it personally, as he seemed to have acted out of impulse.

You’d been walking for a short while when you heard some sounds. You followed them and found a tent, but when you called Sophia’s name quietly Daryl hushed you. The sounds were coming from some point a bit ahead of the tent.

“What the hell...”

There was a walker hanging of a tree, face purple and bloated, gurgling sounds mixing with growls, and the flesh of his legs seemed to have been eaten a while back. It was a pretty disgusting image on the whole.

"Got bit. Fever hit. World gone to shit. Might as well quit." Daryl read the note nailed to the tree. “Dumbass didn't know enough to shoot himself in the head. Turned himself into a big swinging piece of bait.”

Your stomach was turning at the sight but Andrea seemed to be even worse than you, trying her best not to throw out.

“Let's just talk about something else for a minute.” She begged. “How'd you learn to shoot?”

“I want to know it too!” You chimed in.

“Gotta eat.” Daryl deadpanned. “That's one thing these walkers and us have in common. I guess it's the closest he's been to food since he turned. Hanging up there like a big piñata. The other geeks came and ate all the flesh off his legs...”

He kept talking and pointing at the disgusting sight until Andrea threw up. “I thought we were changing the subject...” She complained, heaving.

“Call that payback for laughing about my itchy ass.” Daryl chuckled quietly.

You rubbed Andrea’s back as she recovered but couldn’t help your own giggle at the situation and Daryl’s dark sense of humor.

“Let’s head back,” Daryl said and you made to follow him but Andrea didn’t move, still looking at the moving corpse.

“Aren't you gonna...” She began, pointing at Daryl’s crossbow.

“No. He ain't hurting nobody. Ain't gonna waste an arrow either He made his choice. Opted out. Let him hang.” Daryl replied and you elbowed him softly, giving him a scolding look for talking to her like that after what had happened at the CDC.

He moved away from you, though, turning serious and facing Andrea. “You want to live now or not? It's just a question.”

“An answer for an arrow.” She offered after taking a deep breath. She waited for Daryl to shoot the walker dead and then spoke again. “I don't know if I want to live or if I have to, or if it's just a habit.”

You bit your lip, eyeing her with concern. You had been so focused on running, surviving, then looking for Sophia, that you’d barely had the time to check on Andrea, see how she was doing. Not very good it seemed.

“Not much of an answer. Waste of an arrow.” Daryl shrugged and began walking away.

You didn’t know what to say, how to comfort Andrea, so you just gave her a small smile and followed Daryl back to the road.

Once you reached it you saw Dale worriedly making his way to you, smiling when he saw you were all alright, his face falling at the realization Sophia wasn’t with you.

Carol tried to hide her disappointment when he saw you back without her little girl but her eyes filled with tears and he disappeared into the van. Daryl and you followed her, leaving Dale and Andrea talking outside.

***

You were panting, running through the woods, searching. You couldn’t find what you were looking for, couldn’t find a way out, trees closing around you, the moans and growls of the monsters getting closer. You found a clear, several walkers bending over something, devouring it, and when you walked closer you saw it was the corpse of your brother as the little boy you’d seen for the last time so many years ago.

You woke up with a start, covered in sweat and shaking, looking around wildly for a second before realizing you’d been dreaming. Carol seeming to finally have fallen asleep so you got out of the bed carefully, not wanting to wake her up.

Andrea had fallen asleep sitting at the table, head resting on her arms over the table, hand clutching a gun.

You got out of the RV and saw the sky at the east was beginning to clear. You climbed up to the roof of the RV, nodding to Daryl who was there keeping watch. He returned your nod and you sat down, hugging your knees.

“You okay?” Daryl asked and you realized you must still be looking out of sorts.

“Yeah, yeah...just a nightmare.” You shrugged, a bit embarrassed.

Daryl just hummed.

“I was lost in the woods, I think, the geeks were chasing me...” you began, the images of the nightmare still vivid in your mind. “And I think my brother was lost too...I was looking for him but when I found him he already...”

You didn’t finish your sentence but Daryl nodded, understanding.

“Is he Sophia’s age?” He asked.

“More or less I think...” It was hard for you to imagine the little boy of your memories being now as big as Sophia, but he must be.

You wondered how he looked like, his parents hadn’t bothered showing you pictures no matter if you asked, trying to push you away from the family, reminding you that you weren’t part of it anymore and you weren’t welcome to visit. You were lucky whenever they decided to pick the phone when you called and let you talk to your brother.

You felt a mad rage against them that you hadn’t felt in a long while but you were also mad at yourself. You should have tried harder, you should have done something, you shouldn’t have let them push you away from your little brother.

Daryl seemed to see something in your face because he arched his eyebrows at you but you shook your head. “It’s just...you were right, I just left him, I should have done something...”

“I left my brother too...” Daryl said quietly, looking away.

“What?!” You were taken aback. “As soon as you knew what happened you went to Atlanta looking for him, taking any risks! You didn’t leave him! He disappeared...”

Merle didn’t deserve it, in your opinion, but Daryl had flown to help him and done everything possible, you couldn’t believe that he didn’t see it, that he may be berating himself about it.

Daryl looked at you for a second but then just shrugged awkwardly, looking away without saying anything else, and you had the feeling he still felt he was guilty of leaving Merle in Atlanta.

“I can keep watch so you can sleep a bit.” You offered after a moment.

“Nah,” Daryl shook his head. Though if you stay here I’m gonna go looking for Sophia before we have to move to the farm.”

“Okay.” You nodded. “We’re gonna keep looking for her after we move, we’ll find her.” You added, knowing Daryl didn’t like the idea of leaving the road without having found Sophia. “Maybe the people of the farm will help us.”

“We don’t know who they are, we don’t know if we can trust them Y/N,” Daryl grumbled.

“I know but that girl seemed good enough.” You shrugged. “I think we can trust her.”

“You don’t know her.” Daryl scoffed.

“Still, I think we can...” You tended to trust the vibe people gave you and you’d liked that girl. “And how cool was she?  Showing up like that, knocking down a walker while riding a horse like some sort of warrior princess...”

“You’re an idiot,” Daryl told you but you didn’t take offense, he seemed genuinely amused at you, a small smile on his face that you returned.

He went to the woods, leaving you to keep watch until everyone got up and you began to help Carol getting supplies for Sophia and writing her a message.

As soon as Daryl came back, you all left for the farm. You had managed to get moving one of the most decent cars you had found in the traffic block, it was actually quite nice and Andrea and you drove it to the farm, following Daryl’s bike, Dale’s RV behind you.

Once there your group finally got good news when Rick and Lori announced Carl would pull through and get better. Rick pointed that Carl was alive not only thanks to Hershel, the owner of the farm, and his family but also thanks to Shane, and you gasped surprised when you saw his new shaved head before giggling at how ridiculous he looked with those big borrowed clothes.

Shane looked somber, though, and didn’t return your grin. You were confused, you had thought he’d be elated with Carl being alright, you knew how much he loved the kid.

Soon you found out that Shane had gotten the medicine helped by one of Hershel’s friends, Otis, who had died in the mission. That explained Shane’s dark mood, he probably was feeling guilty and beating himself about it.

“I’m sorry.” You said quietly to him as everyone got ready for Otis funeral, squeezing his arm. Shane gave you a nod but he still looked like he was far away from there.

It was strange and awkward, standing at the funeral of someone you’d never met, but those people seemed good people and one of them had died trying to help one of yours, so your heart went to them and you stood there solemnly.

Otis’ wife asked Shane to say some words and he seemed utterly uncomfortable but eventually accepted, telling how Otis had died a hero in order to save him and Carl, almost making you cry.

As soon as that matter was dealt with Daryl didn’t lose any more time, telling Rick you must start looking for Sophia again and exhorting the group to start moving.

Rick explained the situation to Hershel and her daughter Maggie, the woman of the horse, brought you a map that showed the whole area.

“We'll grid the whole area, start searching in teams,” Rick told the group, looking the map appreciatively.

Hershel, though, who was actually a veterinarian and not a doctor like you’d thought, forbade Rick and Shane for joining the search today, once for having given too much blood to Carl, the other for having twisted his ankle.

“Guess it's just me.” Daryl pointed at something the map. “I'm gonna head back to the creek, work my way from there.”

“I can still be useful. I'll drive up to the interstate, see if Sophia wandered back.” Shane offered.

“Daryl, I can go with you, help you look for her.” You didn’t like the idea of any of you wandering alone and maybe getting hurt without the others knowing it. Besides, you wanted to do something useful.

Daryl gave you a look over but nodded.

Before you could get started though, a discussion started. Shane wanted you to carry guns again and start training, and you couldn’t agree more. Hershel, on his side, forbade having guns on his propriety and Rick sided with him, reminding you that you were guests and finally he and Shane handed over his guns. The only concession Hershel did was allowing one of you to keep watch with a rifle, in case any walker would wander into where you were setting camp.

You were getting ready to leave with Daryl, watching him talk with Rick, when Shane approached you.

“Ey Y/N, Hershel doesn’t allow us to have them here, but you are going to the woods, so...” He handed you the gun he had lent you. “This is yours now, not mine.”

“Thanks...” You took it, a small smile tugging on your lips. “You look super weird like that, by the way.” You giggled quietly at his shaved head.

“Yeah well, it was time for a change...” Shane shrugged awkwardly but gave you a smile.

You nodded. You had cut your hair after your first experience with a walker, and it seemed like Shane had gone through something to get Carl’s medicines, so probably he had needed to do something like that.

“You coming or not?!” Daryl shouted at you, frowning as he looked at you from afar.

“See you at the interstate,” Shane told you before you rushed towards Daryl.

You followed the archer into the woods, trusting he knew where he was going. You were going to search an area you hadn’t tried before and then head back to the road through the woods.

“Your friend Shane is full of bullshit.” Daryl rasped when you had been walking in silence for a while.

“What?” You looked at him, confused.

“He told that sad story to the family. Said that man, Otis? told him to run while he covered him.” Daryl scoffed. “But he came back with the man’s gun, didn’t him? Was he covering him punching geeks? Bullshit.”

“What you mean?” You hadn’t realized that and it just made you feel more confused, but there must be some explanation, Otis must have had another weapon or something.

“I mean nothing.”

“Yes, you do.” You insisted. “You think Shane ran and left him there?”

Daryl gave you a look but said nothing.

“Shane’s not like that.” You shook her head. “He wouldn’t abandon a man to the walkers. He’d always been protecting us.” You knew Shane and no matter he’d been kind of an asshole lately, you knew he wasn’t like that, he’d been always making sure you were safe, helping all you. It couldn’t be.

“Believe what you want,” Daryl grumbled grumpily.

You two walked in silence until you reached a clear, an old, abandoned farm standing there.

“Sophia could be there!” You tried not to let your hopes go too high, but you couldn’t help yourself and rushed to the building, Daryl close behind you, crossbow ready in case you ran into trouble.

“Wait.”

He opened the doors and walked in before you, aiming his crossbow from room to room while you followed him, but there didn’t seem to be any walkers in there. Or anyone at all.

“Look,” he pointed to a garbage can on the kitchen, taking a half-eaten can of tuna from it.

“Someone’s been here.” You whispered.

Daryl nodded towards a half-closed cabinet on the wall. He gestured to you to get behind him and opened the door, pointing the crossbow at it.

You held your breath but let it out disappointed when you saw none was inside. Still, there were some pillows and blankets at the bottom. It was small, only a very small person could have fit there. A kid. You looked at Daryl and he nodded, sharing your thoughts.

“Sophia! Sophia, it’s us!” You called loudly, and Daryl shushed you.

“We already know there’re no walkers here!” You complained. “She could have been there no long ago!” Maybe she had heard you and she had run away scared, thinking you were walkers. Maybe she was still close.

You quickly scooped the house again but she wasn’t there, so you looked for her in the terrain around the house, calling her name, but she didn’t come.

You dropped to the ground, elbows on your knees, letting out a defeated sigh. Daryl stood next to you, silent.

“I really thought she’d be there...” You said quietly. “That she’d been hiding in that closet and we’d finally found her.”

“Someone was in that closet, it could be Sophia, she still can be around,” Daryl told you, and you’d to admire his spirit. He seemed to never give up.

You saw him make his way towards a bush of white flowers, looking at them before taking one.

“You know what are they?” You asked, getting up and walking to him.

“Cherokee roses.” He told you. You’d seen them a couple times before, but you didn’t know what they were. “There’s this story that says they come from the tears that the Cherokee mothers seed when they were losing their kids when the American soldiers forced them to move. So the flowers would give the mothers hope.”

Daryl seemed uncomfortable telling you the story.

“I’m gonna give this to Carol...” He murmured, turning around looking awkward and walking away.

You found the story and his gesture so moving you felt close to tears. “That’s really beautiful, Daryl.” You told him as you rushed to follow him, but he just scoffed without looking at you.

You kept looking around for a while but there was no sign of Sophia. You tried not to lose your hope but you couldn’t help yourself. That cabinet had been the closest you had been to find any clue of the little girl, yet she was nowhere to be seen.

“We have to go back...” You said sadly to Daryl. You had to meet Carol, Andrea, and Shane back at the road and probably they’d worry if you arrived late.

Daryl nodded, frown on his face, and you wondered if he was losing his hope too.

“I’ll found her tomorrow, she can’t be far from here...” He murmured as if answering your thoughts.

Once at the road, the others had neither found Sophia, so there wasn’t much you could do than drive back to the farm in mournful silence.

Later that day you were sitting down outside the RV, leaning against his side and trying to distract your mind with Glenn’s book, when you saw Daryl making his way into the vehicle, holding a bottle with the flower in it.

From the outside, you could hear his muffled voice telling Carol the long version of the Cherokee rose story she had told you before, and when you heard him getting out of the RV again you rubbed at your eyes so he couldn’t see your tears.

“We’ll go looking for Sophia at first light, yeah?” You said awkwardly, trying to hide your emotions.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I’m going by myself, borrow one of the farm’s horses.”

“Oh...”

You knew you weren’t a tracker and now that you thought back, you hadn’t helped much or found anything during the search even though you’d tried, but still, you hadn’t expected Daryl to just cut you off like that.

“It’s just I can cover more ground like that...”

“Yeah, fine.” You nodded, trying to hide your disappointment.

Of course he’d rather go alone, you couldn’t even ride a horse, probably you’d been just slowing him down today.

He was looking at you while chewing on his thumb but said nothing else, leaving you there to your self-deprecating thoughts.

“Ey, you alright?” Carol asked you when she got out the RV a short moment later, taking in your saddened face.

“Yeah, fine...just...I’m not being very helpful, am I?” You told her honestly.

“How can you say that?” Carol scolded you. “You’ve been looking for Sophia all the time, you just went into the woods today again. That’s dangerous but you go anyway. You and Daryl. And I can’t thank you enough. So don’t say things like that.”

She reached out to you and you took her hand, letting her help you onto your feet and wrap you in her arms.

“He’s going without me tomorrow.” You murmured, your insecurities reflecting in your voice.

“Cos he’s used to going into the woods alone, he’s good on his own. And he knows it’s dangerous.” Carol told you, trying to chase your feelings of inadequateness away. “But you’re just as helpful as anyone of us or more. So hush.”

“Thanks...” You murmured, moved, and giggled softly when Carol kissed your forehead. It almost brought tears to your eyes. It’d been a while since someone had shown you affection like that. There wasn’t much time for it anymore, now that simply surviving was so hard.

“Daryl’ll find Sophia, Carol.”

Carol just gave you a sad smile and you made your way towards the rest of your group.

@momc95 @jodiereedus22 @osweetdevilo@sapphire1727 @coffeebooksandfandom

I never thought anyone’d like to be tag in any of my stories so thank you! It means the world! <3

I'm still quite unsure about this whole thing.

[ohlookitstomorrowff]

The charmed circle attend The Ozdust's Halloween festivities in full costume. Some curious outfit choices, shenanigans form Crope and Tibet and perhaps, a little romance...

Glinda was finishing the last application of her pink make-up. She was alone in her dorm room, Elphaba had to work late and was getting ready at the bookshop. This made Glinda rather nervous, she hoped Elphie would put the same effort into her costume as Glinda had her own.

Halloween was always a big celebration here at Shiz. The summer parties had given way to intense studying and settling into the school year, sandwiched between then and Lurlinemas, all hallows eve was the perfect excuse for students to let off some steam.

Read More

[xxxdragonfucker69xxx]

who to fight, occult edition

aleister crowley: i havent done any research about their physical conditions or personal lives but crowley is a little bastard boy who needs to meet me in the pit, and also stop pretending he knows hebrew 

robert graves: listen dogg if you wanna write weird pre-hellenic fanfiction thats fine but keep it out of the god damn actual books

edith hamilton: a harmless old lady who is quivering in the afterlife with a cup of watery tea and a wilted cucumber sandwich i am nevertheless gonna kick her ass

john dee: ok i can respect the hustle. but if youre going to make up enochian at least make it better than just sucking up to the fucking queen and making “madrid” mean “iniquity”

to be fair theres like a 70% chance this was kelley putting it over on him so kelley im coming for you too. neither of you have even considered the concept of vitamins so i will kill you i will win

paracelsus: ok youre mostly cool but why the fuck did you puck the elementals that you did. what on gods green earth gave you the impression undine was anything more than a single figure

helena petrovna blavatsky: youre up there with crowley, leave tibet the fuck alone

gerald gardner: i dont know what percentage of your stuff is true but its like 30% bullshit so you can catch 30% of these fists

the thule society: fuck off you goddamn nazis leave norse shit alone

henry percy of northumberland: known as the wizard earl and that’s a title i want and i will duel you for it

[urgentvisa]

Top 10 Shimla cuisines you must during your visit:

When you think of Shimla, images of snow-capped hills, fresh, pure zephyr, warm-hearted people, snowfall, lush green valleys and and romantic atmosphere must be popping up in your mind. We help you to find hassle-free Indian Visa Online. But, do you know that there is one more thing that is overshadowed by all the things mentioned above? That’s the delicious foods of the queen of hills.

The city has everything from its traditional foods to street chats, which is why tourists come here and give their taste buds the best experience. So, when you visit this cool-atmosphere city, then don’t forget to taste its piping-hot foods whose taste will work wonders for you.

To let you know about 10 most delicious street foods of Shimla, we have prepared a list for you, which includes some traditional Shimla and street foods.

Top 10 Shimla cuisines you must during your visit:

1. Dhaam

If you want to eat something tasty and healthy, then Dhaam is the best food for you in Shimla. This nutritious dish is made from rajma, dal, curd, rice and Jaggery.

This traditional Pahadi food is the first choice when all family members are together during festivals and celebrations. To taste this mouth-watering delicious food, you must visit Shimla during festivals.

So, your plan for the next Shimla must include tasting Dhaam with your dear ones.

2. Thukpa

The origin of this spicy and soupy dish lies in Tibet, which can be prepared in using veg or non-veg food items. To make this dish, you need tomato, spring onions, onions, carrot, string beans and chopped cabbage with some spice according to your taste.

You can add chicken or meat, which will help you cope with the cold. It also has ginger garlic paste, sauces and chilly in it and served hot in a soup plate.

3. Momos

It is one of the most loved food items when you are in a hilly area and trying to save yourself from the cold small drops of freezing dew. Momos, whether steamed or boiled, give tourists some heat to enjoy their trip in an almost freezing area.

However, you must remember that if you are allergic to spicy foods or get an upset stomach after eating something strong like this, then you should abstain from eating such spicy Shimla dishes.

4. Babru

Babru tastes like Kachoris to some extent, which is why it called the Himachali variation of it. It is made from the paste of black gram daal, kneaded dough and served with spicy chutney or sauce.

The best way to keep your mouth refreshed in a mountainous area is to trust spicy and hot foods so that you can save yourself from cough or cold along with giving your taste buds a treat.

5. Chha Gosht

This time our list has brought something for non-vegetarians the famous non-veg food item of Shimla, Chaa Gosht.  This mouth-watering dish made from seasoned lamb meat, yogurt, cardamom, red chilli powder, bay fallen leave, coriander powder, ginger-garlic paste and asafoetida.  If you want an urgent indian visa to travel in India, then do apply now to get an e-visa within 24 to 72 hours.

The magical taste of this delicious dish can be found in many parts of North India, but its ultimate taste lies in Shimla where tourists chew them with having cold zephyrs blowing around them, which is no less than a heavenly experience.

6. Chhole Bhature

This famous dish of Shimla gives it credit to Delhi for its popularity. There is nothing more pleasant when you have a chat with your friends tasting this mouth-watering cuisine.

It is served hot in a plate along with pickles, sauce, chopped onions, tomatoes, green chilly and so on. It is a little oily, so you should eat it in a moderate amount to avoid an upset stomach or heaviness in your stomach.

So, don’t forget to taste this famous Shimla food whose taste reaches its peak when eating in a cool place seeing lush green valleys surrounded by dew.

7. Chicken Anardana

Chicken Anardana is another famous non-veg food in Shimla, and its aroma plays a huge role in exciting food lovers. Some people find it very heavy and oily, despite that, they can’t keep themselves away from this tasty food.

It is given to tourists with paranthas or flatbreads along with salads to help them to stay energetic during their whole trip. Visiting Shimla and not tasting Chicken Anardana will be the worst mistake of your life, so add this non-veg cuisine to your list for a memorable journey.

8. Ice creams

Some people come with their family and friends to do something, which sounds silly to most people. One of such silly things is to eat ice creams in the land of snow.

When asked, tourists say that they squeeze the best joy of the winter season when they do so. There are many reputed places in the city where one can indulge in the sweetness of ice creams. If you are an international traveller and curious to visit India, then you need a valid Indian evisa to enter the country.

Most ice creams in Shimla include dry fruits, which not only increases the taste but also the nutritional value.

9. Sidu

It’s a heavenly experience when you wake up early in the morning, have some exercise and find sidu on your table along with your family members during your trip to Shimla.

Most people eat it instead of sandwiches because it tastes more traditional and tastier. This tasty bread has roasted peanuts, boiled green peas, paneer, walnuts and some local spices. It is served with ghee, sauce, lentils or chutney.

So, if you want to start your big day, then you must have a healthy breakfast in Shimla so that you can taste its delicious beauty hidden in its cuisines.

10.  Fruit chat

If you are prone to an upset stomach and stay away from spicy, oily foods in Shimla, then the finest snack for you is a fruit chart. It is made from cut bananas, apples, pomegranates, guavas and the like, and the chat masala is sprinkled upon it to boost its flavour.

The best thing about this Shimla local food is that anybody can eat this regardless of their current health conditions because it is not harmful, in fact, a fruit chat made from fresh fruits is the best cuisine you can have in a hilly area where oily and spicy foods are more in demand.

Conclusion

Writing this blog is an effort to make you familiar with the top 10 famous foods of Shimla. In this blog, we not only told you about such mouth-watering traditional to street foods, but we also told you about the ingredients used in it whether veg items of non-veg ones.

If, as a foreigner, you are planning for a trip Shimla to give your taste buds a delight, then you should apply for an Indian e visa. You can apply for it online and receive its electronic form on your email address.

[true-halloween-tales]

2017: #5-THE QUESTION OF THE DAY 5

In the 1990’s I asked my Question of the Day frequently at work at the Everyday is Halloween retail corporation in Chicago (see 2013: #11-THE QUESTION OF THE DAY).  I frequently formulated frivolous questions and jotted down the answers from customers, coworkers, celebrities, the homeless, the psychologically divergent, and even the police.  On a Saturday afternoon, shortly after I injured my back, I stood on Clark Street looking north towards Wrigley Field (see 2009: #9-PARALYSIS, PAIN, AND THE POWER OF SHAKESPEARE).  I picked up a call on my security walkie-talkie of a criminal action occurring in one of the Everyday is Halloween stores.  I could not hear what the lady was yelling about.  Then I saw her down the block as a figure ran past me.  That was the criminal!  Fleeing on foot right past me!  She shouted for me to stop him, so I began chasing the fugitive.  My back hurt badly, and my legs were weak from nerve pain.  I could hardly run!  I saw that the fugitive was over six feet tall… wearing high heels… in a leopard print dress… rather broad shoulders… yup, it was drag queen… he eventually threw away the high heels… the chase continued… heading towards Halsted Street… I yelled out to him, “Just stop, it’s tiring,”… proceeding north on Halsted… he got flustered… I had steered the chase directly towards the nearby police station at Halsted and Addison Streets… various interceptors appeared and caught him ahead of me.  I stopped to catch my breath as I was told it was all about a leopard print leotard thing he misappropriated.  I walked back to the store, thinking of an appropriate question of the day involving this escapade.

Here are five original questions of the day from the 1990’s and answers with names of those who answered, when available, maybe even yours…

1-What is a very strange word?

Aardvark Platypus Globulous Bulbous Ointment Salve Squeegee Pervert Ecclesiastical Pumpernickel Bamboozle Glog (Swedish drink) Phlegm Google Oblique Juxtapose Kumquat Fern Huffenagle Farfegnugen Onomatopoeia Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Sjohundra sjuti sjo (777 in Swedish) Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

2-If you could visit anywhere, where would you go?

Amsterdam -3 London – 3 North Pole to see the aurora borealis – 2 California -2 Australia -2 Germany -2 Heaven – 2 New York Paris Egypt Japan Tibet Brazil Tahiti Africa Antarctica Woodstock Mars Happy where I am at Kingdom come The third grade when things were simpler - Calbee Fantasy Island The planet of the Little Prince Up a chicken’s ass to get a sandwich Somewhere over the rainbow

3-If you could be immortalized in the Guinness Book of World Records, what would it be for?

Giving away the most amount of money – 2 The longest orgasm in the world – 2 Make an even bigger ball of twine than the one in Darwin, Minnesota. Longest time without sleep. Holding my breath. The person who stands still the longest. Most amount of body piercings. Person who can deal with the most amount of stress without going insane. Doing the nicest thing to change someone’s life. Masturbating the most. To change periods from women to men. Most amount of penis eaten in one hour. The guy who ate the most amount of fat from Pork n Beans. Already are in the Guinness Book of World Records as members of the largest Twister contest.

4-What lurks in the dark?

Shadows Cockroaches –  Nikki Boogeyman Eyes Fear – Angelo The overlord Spooky stuff and dust bunnies – Marco Smelly feet – Gabby Souls of the forgotten and meaningless – Matt My penis – Paul R. Elvis

5-What cartoon would it be fun to live in?

Cool World Bugs Bunny Daffy Duck Scooby Doo Flintstones Dangermouse Star Trek X-men – Ray Rocko – Glenna Kid Video – Zoe Little Mermaid Beetlejuice Speed Racer Smurfs – Mary City world/country world – Kate Mighty Mouse – Marco Tweety and Sylvester – Myrna Bambi - Paul R. Felix the Cat – Mark Z. The Nightmare Before Christmas – Gene

One Friday evening while working at the Everyday is Halloween stores, I was alerted to a special project.  A lower basement, previous unknown to me, was flooding.  Could I assist someone in this basement to remove something before there was flood damage?   I agreed, and found my way down crumbling stone stairs into what very much looked like a dungeon (see 2012: #10-DUNGEONS).  I found myself in a dark, foul, stinky, cluttered room with a crowd of partial mannikins with arms and legs reaching out desperately.  I soon found the other worker, and we soon located the unknown something that had to be moved since the dungeon was rapidly flooding.  It was a coffin – so I opened it… I was surprised to find inside of it a skeleton occupant!  Apparently the owner of the corporation’s father was a mortician, and this was his extra skeleton from his office.  Seemed too short for Hoffa.

[omgsatisshroffme]

Memoir: O, Kanchenzonga (Satis Shroff)

Memoir: O, Kanchenzonga (Satis Shroff)

A splash of the crimson rays of the sun appeared on the tip of the 8598m Kanchenzonga Range. Then it turned into orange and was gradually bathed in a yellowish tint, becoming extremely bright. You could discern the chirping of the Himalayan birds in the surrounding bushes and trees, amidst the clicking of cameras. I was on Tiger Hill. But my thoughts were elsewhere.

I was thinking about Kanchenjunga, my Hausberg as we are wont to call it in German, and the former memories of my school-days in the foothills of the Himalayas. These mountains had moulded and shaped me to overcome odds, like other thousands of other Gorkhalis, Nepalese, Lepchas, Bhutanese, Tibetans and Indians, from both sides of the Himalayas. I have watched the Kanchenjunga ever since I was a child in its different moods and seasonal changes. Cloud-watching over the Kanchenjunga was always a fascinating pastime whether from Ilam, Sikkim or Darjeeling’s Tiger Hill or even Sandakphu. To the Sikkimese the Kanchenjunga has always been a sacred mountain, and on its feet are precious stones, salt, holy sciptures, healing plants and cereals. It is a thousand year belief and tradition that the Himalayas, the abode of the Gods, should not be sullied by the feet of mortals.

Oh Kanchenjunga, you have taught us Gorkhalis and Nepalis to keep a stiff upper-lip in the face of adversity created by humans in this world and to light a candle, rather than to curse the darkness. To adapt, share and assimilate, rather than go under when the going gets tough in foreign shores. The Himalayas have taught us to be resilient and to bear pain without complaining, to search for solutions and to keep our ideals high, and not to forget our rich culture, tradition and religious beliefs.

After a brisk drive through pine-forested areas and blue mountains, I was rewarded by a vision of the Kanchenjunga Massif in all its majesty. At Ghoom, which is the highest point along the Hill Cart road, we went to the 19th century Buddhist monastery, about 8km from Darjeeling. In the massive, pompous pagoda-like building with a yellow rooftop, was a shrine of the Maitree Buddha, with butter lamps and Buddhist scarves in gaudy scarlet, white and gold.

It’s was a feast for the eyes. Tibetan art in exile. You go through the rooms of the museum which has precious Buddhist literature, traditional Himalayan ritual masks and a numismatic collection in the centre of the room, with coins and currency from Tibet that were in circulation till 1959. A small friendly lama-apprentice posed for a photograph of the tourists. And another lama with jet-black hair, suddenly came up, behind a mask of a Tibetan demon with ferocious-looking teeth, and springs in front of us to get photographed for posterity.

A blue coloured Darjeeling Himalayan train built in 1881 by Sharp, Steward & Co, Glasgow, chugged along on its way to Kurseong (Khar-sang), another hill station along the route from Darjeeling to Siliguri in the plains of India. There were young Gorkhali boys from Ghoom, having a jolly time, jumping in and out of the running toy-train, with the conductor shouting at them and doing likewise, and trying to nab one of them. But the Ghoom boys were far better and faster than the ageing, panting train-conductor, whose tongue almost hanged out of his red face. It was a jolly tamasha indeed. A spectacle for the passengers amidst the breath-taking scenery in tea-country.

I thought about my friend Harka, who used to live in Ghoom, and who was one of those boys during my school-days. The last I heard of him was when he and his dear wife invited yours truly and a student friend named Tekendra Karki, now a physician in Katmandu, to have excellent Ilam tea with Soaltee Oberoi sandwiches. Tek and I were doing our BSc then at Tri Chandra college in Katmandu.

Along the side of the mini railway track, reminiscent of the Schwabian Eisenbahn from Biberach , were groups of vendors of Tibetan origin selling used clothes, trinkets, belts, bags and most other accessoirs that you find being sold along the Laden La road, leading to Chowrasta in Darjeeling.

A short drive to the Batasia loop, where the blue train makes a couple of loops during its descent to Darjeeling, and suddenly you see the clouds above the silvery massif, rising languidly in the morning.

The families of the British officers used to retreat to the hills of Darjeeling, Simla, Naini Tal to escape from the scorching heat of the India summer and carried out their social lives and sport under the shadow of the Himalayas. The Chogyal of Sikkim gave the hill-station Darjeeling to the British as a gesture of Friendship, for the Sikkimese fought with the British troops against the Nepalese in the Anglo-Nepalese Wat (1814-15). The British government thanked the Chogyal of Sikkim and rewarded him with a handsome annual British pension.Didin't he become a vassal of Great Britian after this act?

I went with a school-friend to Dow Hill via Kurseong, past the TB sanatorium, in a World War II vintage jeep driven by a Gorkha named Norden Lama, who had blood-shot eyes and a whiff of raksi. There’s no promillen control (alcohol-on-wheels) in Darjeeling, and in the cold winter and rainy monsoon months it isn’t unusual to find jeep and truck-drivers stopping to take a swig of raksi, one for the road, to keep themselves warm. I must admit, I felt relieved when we reached our destination in one piece.

Driving along the left track of the autobahn at 150 km per hour is safe compared to all the curves that one has to negotiate along the Darjeeling trail on misty days. We were rewarded with excellent ethnic Rai-cuisine comprising dal-bhat-shikar cooked with coriander, cumin, salt, chillies, garlic, ginger and love. My school friend who’s a Chettri, a high caste Hindu, known for the ritual purity and pollution thinking, had married a Rai lady, much to the chagrin of his parents, but unlike Amber Gurung’s sad song “Ma amber huh, timi dharti,” they were extremely happy and had come together after the principle: where there’s a will, there’s a way. Or “miya bibi raaji, to kya kareyga kaji.”

As is the custom among Gorkhalis, we ritually washed our hands, sat down cross-legged, put a little food symbolically for the Gods and Goddesses, and relished our meal without talking. Talking during meals is bad manners in the Land of the Gorkhas, Nepal and the diaspora where the Gorkhalis and Nepalese live.Gorkhaland is a dream of people who cam from Nepal through migration to the British tea gardens, roads and toy-train workshops in Tindharia, and since the roads have gained importance after the British left and in the aftermath of the Indo-Chinese conflict in 1962, there was a need for the roads to be repaired by the Indian government and what better workers to hire in the foothills of the Himalayas than the sturdy, willing helpers of Nepalese origin who have lived in the area since generations.

Just as the government of Nepal under King Mahendra and Birendra carried out resettlement programms for the hill people who were eternally foraging for work in the plains (Terai) and India, the Bengal government did the same through its bureaucratic rules of transferring the Nepalese of Darjeeling district who had worked in the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway to the plains at Katihar and other places. It was a difficult transfer for the Gorkhalis and they not only had to battle with the beastly and scorching sun of the the Indian plains but also had to learn to communicate in Hindi, Bihari, Bengali and English with the arrogant Bengalis. On the other hand, the Bengali babus started coming in teeming numbers to the hills of Darjeeling fleeing from the plains of Calcutta, and delighted at the prospects of living in the hills of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong with perks and enjoying the fresh air and Nature, especially Kanchanjunga. The mountain took a new meaning for the Bengalis and Satyajit Ray was inspired to produce and direct a film with the title Kanchenjunga. It became „Amar Kanchanjunga“ for the Bengalis.

Pic courtesy: Pixaby

[marvelousbirthdays]

Happy Birthday, roseskye13!

June 13 - "Oh my god! How long have you been standing there?" "Long enough to like what I see." Stephen Strange/Jemma Simmons for @roseskye13

Written by @ozhawkauthor

No FitzSimmons in this AU. Spoilers for AoS S4.

“Time to get to work,” Jemma said aloud into the empty lab. Everything was such a mess, and she had nobody to help her put it all back together. With a sigh, she snapped on a pair of heavy-duty rubber gloves.

Amazingly, her computer had survived intact, and so had the lab’s speakers. She pulled up her music app and looked for some songs with an upbeat, poppy vibe; dragging a bunch of them into a playlist, she hit Play and got to work.

A couple of hours later she was tired but still working when an old favourite came on. Unable to resist, Jemma started singing along, jiving to the beat.

“Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight, won’t somebody help me chase the shadows away,” she caroled at the top of her voice, hip-checking a file cabinet drawer closed. “Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight, take me through the darkness to the break of the day…”

Movement in her peripheral vision made her turn her head and she trailed off, staring in horror at the tall, dark-haired man standing at the open doorway of the lab.

Doctor Stephen Strange had turned up within minutes of Ghost Rider’s departure through the Gate with the Darkhold. Jemma knew who he was, or had been, anyway. He’d been considered one of the finest surgeons alive before his car accident and disappearing off the face of the earth.

Apparently wherever he’d disappeared to, he’d got into some pretty strange stuff. The clothes were a bit of a giveaway; they looked almost Asgardian, particularly considering the cloak, which was the first question Coulson had asked.

“No, I’ve been in Tibet,” Strange had answered abstractedly, gazing at the now-dormant Gate. “This is fascinating. Absolutely proscribed, of course, even to the Sorcerer Supreme - who did you say built it?”

Unable to bear talking about Radcliffe and AIDA, the wounds still too fresh, Jemma made her escape and headed to the lab. Why Dr Strange stood here now, she couldn’t understand, but she’d just made an utter idiot of herself dancing and singing along to ABBA in front of him.

“Oh my god, how long have you been standing there?” she said in horror.

Strange looked startled, but then smiled, his slightly austere face transformed to handsomeness by the expression. Jemma was reminded suddenly of the gigantic crush she’d nursed on the brilliant surgeon ever since she first started studying biochemistry and medicine. Her face flamed red.

“Long enough to like what I see,” Strange said, and it was Jemma’s turn to startle, her hand flying instinctively to the spot just beneath her right breast where those words were written in a precise, cramped hand.

Stephen lifted his hand too, pressed it to a spot on his ribs, his dark blue eyes holding hers meaningfully. The cloak hanging from his shoulders rippled suddenly, even though there was no air movement in the lab.

Jemma blinked, her eyes narrowing. She’d seen enough weird stuff over the last few years to know when something that couldn’t be explained by science as she knew it was going on.

“Stop it,” Stephen said.

“Stop what?”

“Not you, sorry…” His hands came up and he grasped the edges of his cloak firmly. “No. She’s my soulmate.”

Jemma gasped as the cloak jerked upwards, literally yanking Stephen off his feet.

“Oh, crap!” Stephen gasped, and suddenly he was being propelled towards her. With a little shriek, Jemma stumbled backwards, fetching up against the wall of the lab - sandwiched, in fact, between it and the body of her soulmate.

Who was quite pleasingly solid, about eight inches taller than she, and currently yelling furiously in a language she didn’t recognise at an object that should be inanimate but apparently wasn’t.

The cloak settled down, now that it apparently had what it wanted, which was Stephen pressed firmly up against Jemma.

“I’m sorry about this,” he apologised.

“I’m… not.” Her hands had come up instinctively to protect herself, landed on his chest. The fabric of the clothing he wore under the cloak was softer and thinner than it looked, and she could feel the strong muscles beneath.

“Indeed?” Stephen’s dark brows arched up, his thin lips curving in a very masculine smile. “Well… the Cloak does step in as it sees fit and has proved to be very helpful. On occasion,” he added

The cloak fluttered in the invisible breeze again, and Jemma could have sworn she felt it pushing at Stephen’s arms, shoving them against and around her.

“Yes, thank you, I think I got the message. And while I’m not at all averse to the idea, consent is apparently a concept I’m going to have to explain to you!”

“Hey,” Jemma reached up to his face, took hold of his goatee between finger and thumb and tugged lightly. “Talk to me, not the cloak.”

Stephen smiled sheepishly. “I don’t even know your name.”

“Jemma,” she said. “Jemma Simmons.”

“Doctor Jemma Simmons? But I’ve heard of you! I read your paper on the integration of artificial neural networks and the nervous system… it has some fascinating potential applications for prostheses!”

Jemma thought guiltily of Coulson’s prosthesis, already far advanced of anything else in existence. Hearing that Stephen Strange knew who she was had her blushing, though. “I’d be happy to discuss the practical and theoretical applications with you sometime,” she said.

She swore she heard a weird, high-pitched shriek of impatience in the back of her mind, an instant before Stephen’s cloak swept up behind him and flipped over both their heads, pulling them closer together.

“I think it wants me to kiss you,” Stephen said, his lips a scant inch from hers.

“I think so too.”

“Do you mind?”

He sounded quite adorably awkward about it, Jemma thought. In the near-darkness underneath the cloak, she smiled.

“Not at all.”