#also both my phone and my laptop work really bad. they're so slow it can take up to 15 minutes for a simple action

[sadbreadcrumb]

the fuck is wrong with me.

[writebackatya]

3, 6, 19, 25 for the end-of-year writer's ask game

{cracks knuckles} Okay then...

(for the people that were tagged, your mentioned in the answer to number 25. Pack a lunch, you'll need to do a lot of scrolling)

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year

I can answer both right?

Favorite line: "How do you know? I'm magic." - Lena in chapter two of Up, Up, and Away!

So some context for the line. Della informs the kids (The triplets and Team Magic) that she can drive them to the beach to work on their movie just the five of them are going to have to squish in the back of the car. (I like to think that after Donald went on his sea voyage with Daisy, May, and June he left his car for Della to use.) Anyway, Lena immediately calls shotgun to which Della allows to happen much to Louie's chagrin. The green triplet then protests the decision since Lena did not see the car, Della however puts her foot down that Lena gets the front since she is the oldest of the kid group.

Louie then begins to interrogate Lena, letting her know he found it odd not knowing the rules of shotgun after living with Violet to which Lena lets Louie know that Violet did teach her the rules. Louie then let's Lena know that she has no right for the front now because there was no way she could see the car from the Triplets' bedroom to which Lena replies, "How do you know? I'm magic."

Whenever I see artwork of Lena and Louie it's usually just them chilling together. Which yeah would definitely happen because those two would definitely get along. But I'd also love to think they'd have these moments where they need to show the other that they're the superior snarky member of the group

I just love Lena's response because it's a lame excuse. She knows it. Louie knows it. And she knows that Louie knows it. But it's too late, she already has the front and there's nothing Louie can do about it.

They're both really clever and really snarky kids, but Lena has magic. So Point: Lena.

Also when me and my siblings got around the age where we were old enough to sit in the front we'd always fight for that spot calling shotgun. It was so bad that whenever someone called shotgun the people that didn't get shotgun would call "backshot" which is the seat behind shotgun.

Anyway, I always felt out of everyone in that group Louie and Lena would fight for shotgun.

Favorite scene: the scene where Gandra threatens Rick Rath (aka The Punnysher) at his job. Which is also from chapter two of Up, Up, and Away!

Anyway, context for THIS scene. Fenton and Gandra have snuck into the office where Gizmoduck's latest villain of the week works disguised as printer repairers. As soon as the two spot their target, Gandra goes over to persuade the wannabe villain to stop his charade. After doing things the easy way, Gandra decides to do get violent in a rather discreet way in an office setting. All while Fenton is repairing the printer

Overall I do love Fenton and Gandra part of the story. I loved seeing the two do science stuff together, but I really wanted to see more adventures with the two together, more specifically in their respected genres of adventures: Spy and Superhero so I wanted to open their story with an adventure that is a mixture of both.

Also for this scene I had to Google "How many volts of electricity could kill a person" and I wrote Gandra's monologue about that topic while I was at work and I'm pretty proud of that

So here's the thing about my writing process. Most of the time I write on my laptop at home. I will occasionally use my phone at work whenever I'm on my lunchbreak to read, edit, and occasionally add a sentence or two but never anything big. So yeah, that entire sequence was written while I was at work and it was a slow day. I did get all my work down so I wasn't slacking off. It was just a very slow day

6. least popular fic this year

In Views: The Three Caballeros (and Della)!

In Kudos: Up, Up, and Away!

19. any new fics to start next year

While part of me really wants to focus on the stuff I've already started, this other part of me wants to start several other fics that will most likely take up my time as well. So might as well talk about them. Some are already WIPs some I haven't even started if they have a title they're most occupying a save file in the cloud somewhere

Here are Multiple Chapter Stories I Wanna Start:

An Act of Murder!: So in this one Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby, Scrooge, Launchpad, Gyro, B.O.Y.D., Fenton, Gandra, and Falcon Graves all get invited to a dinner party at Emma Glamour's home hosted by Mark Beaks who acknowledges that he had wronged each everyone of his guests (and his mother's whose home he is currently crashing at) and promises to introduce them to the "new Mark Beaks". Anyway, since this is obviously a murder mystery story Mark is found dead at the dinner party (and later his body goes missing) and everyone is a suspect! Yep, it's going to be that kind of mystery that has been going on since Agathe Christie's classic And Then There Were None...This idea came to me when I was rewatching an episode of Scott the Woz

Back in the Game!: I'm just going to come out and admit it, this WIP is heavily inspired by Korkorali and tsundereanubis's Closets and Moons, and How They're Alike which is a story where Della tells Webby, Lena, and Violet about her past loves. Anyway this would be a story set post-canon where Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby help her get back in the dating game. For this one I wanna explore all the different pairings I've seen Della shipped with (along with other ships I wanna brainwash trick force people into shipping).

F.O.W.L. Play!: So anyone who has read Indi-Quack! might be familiar with this title. This particular one would explore the time Gandra worked for F.O.W.L. so this one would take place during canon from the point of view of Gandra as well as a bit of Fenton. I feel like the way I wanna write this one was heavily inspired for my love for the shows like DuckTales, Arrested Development, The Harley Quinn Show, and Inside Job.

The Spear of Selene: Just a pre-canon story of the events leading up to the infamous Spear of Selene incident starring the Original Three. It's one of those stories where I know exactly how I want to begin and how I want it to end. Most likely my least comedic idea of mine, I mean there will definitely be comedic moments but not a whole lot. Expect a bittersweet ending

Untitled DuckTales 87 and DuckTales 17 Crossover Fic: So because of DuckTales 2017 and writing DuckTales fanfics I have now watched most of the classic DuckTales (as well as a Darkwing Duck but that's irrelevant for this one) anyway, I just wanna see these two different universes collide and certain characters interact with one another

Here are some one shots I'm hopping I can start. Because finishing one shots is great you're like, "Cool. Now I'm done."

Every Possible Angle!: Just a story exploring Louie's gift of seeing every angle of a situation. But I don't know, do you think people want an angsty fic starring Louie?

I Think We're Alone Now!: Another during canon story that takes place during season 3 during Gandra's time at F.O.W.L. where Steelbeak catches Fenton at Gandra's place and blackmails his fellow F.O.W.L. agent at bar. While she's there, Gandra runs into Della who is having a Girls' Night with her girl friends Penny and Selene. I like to think this happens right after New Gods on the Block!

In Which Della Shows Her Kids a Movie from Her Childhood: Title not final. Work not started. But this is a story where Della finds out her boys never watched a movie from her childhood and decides to show them (as well as Webby) the movie. You guys will never guess what the movie is

Thanks for the Memories!: DuckTales did a lot different genres of episodes, I always thought the show NEEDED to do a fake clip show episode. If you ever watched The City of Clipsville from The Powerpuff Girls or Paradigms of Human Memory from Community or The Gang Does a Clip Show from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, it's just like those examples. It would show moments in the show that we the viewer never saw.

We Are Family!: Scrooge recruits a team for an adventure to win a bet against Glomgold only to realize that not a single member of that team is member of his family (by blood that is). And not everyone is on board for the adventure. The two inspirations for this one are interesting again the idea came from reading a fic by Korkorali and tsundereanubis called Time Alone and also whenever I chip away at this one I end up listening to the Meet the Crew song by The Lonely Island. It's just fun to think about how big the family has gotten since episode 1

Untitled Dewey Centric fic: You know Dewey's iconic dream from Nightmare on Killmotor Hill!? Yeah, I wanna share my interpretation of that.

Untitled Fic Where Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Scrooge play Mario Party Superstars: Just as the untitled title says. I don't know if this idea is too niche

Untitled DuckTales/Celeste crossover: I don't know, I just always wanted to do a crossover where Scrooge meets Madeline from the game Celeste. They climb a mountain and talk about their struggles and stuff. This idea might be too niche.

And here are some One Shot Collection ideas

Dewey Dew Night!: Every story would be an episode of Dewey Dew Night where our dewlightful host interviews a character from DuckTales on his show. If I ever do this one I definitely would want the readers to pick the next guest

Untitled one of those text chat fanfic types: I'll be honest, I don't really seek out read stories that are just text conversations but I definitely see the appeal and have even done some text conversations in my stories so it's something I've considered. Plus I love writing character banter and there's a lot you can do with that format. I've thought of group chat ideas but none of them feel like a full idea

And just recently I decided that I really wanna write that AU where Scrooge took the Spear of Selene

Anyway I wanna start those. But I also wanna finish what I already got started.

This is gonna be an interesting year

25. a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read

@christianfoxymc did already ask me this question so instead of giving you the same answer I gave her, I'll just recommend another fic I loved

So yeah, I made it quite clear that I enjoy @korkorali and @imjustusingthistolikeartists's collaborative works and I liked a lot of their stuff. But I think my personal favorite of their is Dewey Duck's Guide to Figuring Out if You're Dating Somebody

I'm pretty sure I was at work on my lunchbreak when I got the email when I got the notification for this story and so I read it while I was at work. And I'm glad I did. This one is great

Dewey is my favorite triplet and Dewelyn is one of those ships I really enjoy and I think the two of them nail every character in this story. It's great

Thanks for the ask @shychick-52!

Also if anyone asks me 3 or 25 again I will most likely answer it again with a different answer. So be warned

[dreamiesdotcom]

complicated (slow spin-off) | z.cl, h.rj

Summary: Think of heartbeat, only a little faster. And more demanding. Afraid? Hurt? In love? How different are they supposed to feel? Free fall. Stardust. Rose. "Perhaps, everyone just falls in love with their best friend," Renjun drawls out, "Even just a little bit, from time to time."

Word Count: 2.9k

All Renjun ever wanted was peace, an alien friend, and a book that hits him right in the gut.

The thing Jaemin does where he's hopelessly in love? None of that — they're almost always falling for each other in such different times that they never align, and when they do overlap, one's feelings is already dying down.

The thing that Jisung does where he looks at Jaemin like he's terrified? Terrified because of how much he loves him in the way he shouldn't? Yeah, Renjun wants none of that as well.

Chenle, too — this boy, how Renjun doesn't want to feel whatever hell it is Chenle goes through every day.

Watching the boy you adore, who happens to be your best friend, fall in love with your other best friend who's in love with your other best friend just sounds like an experience he doesn't want to have. Pining is one thing. Pining this aimlessly is another.

Looking through a classmate's camera as he finds the shot the other asked him to look for? A whole new level of complicated feelings and friendships and he doesn't even want to know. They have a project and that's about his business — so he doesn't judge nor pry, but he chuckles, "Jeno-ssi, did you give me the wrong camera, or am I only supposed to see candids of Donghyuck?"

Jeno blushes red, stutters an apology. He fiddles with his gadget a bit, messing with cards. For the meanwhile, Renjun decides to go and buy coffee for the both of them. It's trouble, really, since he already can't feel his legs from sitting so long but then it might be for the better.

It's less of a drag from when the other sweetly mutters a thank you, and it's a pity that Renjun didn't really get to focus on that.

"Hey, you're welcome and sorry to interrupt you but... Jeno?" he squints at the street outside. He carefully, slowly, sits back down on his chair and gets a clearer view — he can't believe the sight in front of him. He calls the other again, "Am I seeing this wrong, or is that Lee Donghyuck?"

Jeno raises a brow and looks to the side, the park opposite the store they're sitting at — certainly, at 3 a.m in the morning, the boy at question is there. He's walking past streetlights, a cup of coffee in his hands, and now he just sat at the swings.

Now, Renjun isn't his friend; he's not interested in him one bit, but he's not blind either. At one glance he knows that Jeno likes Hyuck, and at one glance, he knows that the person at the park is definitely the said boy.

Again, that's not his business, but that's also not what he's looking at.

Lee Donghyuck seems to be giggling, the brightest smile on his face as he gently swings — only he's not alone. He's with a very familiar person, one of Renjun's best friends, the subject of Na Jaemin's love.

"Uh. Yeah," Jeno nods, turning his head back to his laptop one beat late. He hands Renjun the camera, this time with the appropriate card. Renjun doesn't miss the dull sparkle in his eyes as he forces out a laugh, "Let's get back to work?"

They're not particularly close friends, so Jeno's feelings are not his business; he doesn't think he should even know about it, but hey, it's either that he wasn't so discreet or that Renjun's just observant — it's not his fault that he hesitates a bit, especially when Jeno blinks away his tears like that.

He doesn't want to make it awkward, still, so he nods.

Questions flood his mind as they work silently, questions much like 'Why do people do this to themselves? Of all the people you'd fall for, why your best friend? Is it because you're always close? Is it the mutual understanding?' He doesn't understand at all — looking at Jeno, he's really, well, an elegant person. Not to mention, kind as well. To be realistic, most people fall in love with looks at first so no doubt people adore Jeno, and yet... yet he's here, waiting on a possibly unreturned affection.

But then to consider, Jisung is stunning. That didn't make Jaemin love him the same way. What the hell is this mess?

"It's already 4:30, so what do you say we head home now?" Jeno proposes, and he snaps out of his stupor. Renjun absentmindedly nods.

They walk side by side in peaceful quiet until they part to the direction of their own homes. Before he reaches his, he remembers the pictures from Jeno's camera: snapshots of Donghyuck's sweet smile occupies the camera's memory — one where he's dressed up as an angel, one where his eyelids glimmer of gold eyeshadow and glitters, many of where he's laughing and not looking at Jeno's direction. Some of where he's wistfully staring at his phone.

It kind of reminds him of Jaemin to Y/N, or Jisung to Jaemin, or Chenle to Jisung. Now, whenever he looks at lines that never meet, he'd think of Jeno and Donghyuck as well — because Jeno doesn't need to say it, but his eyes do the work for him. Renjun doesn't need words to figure out that Jeno's in love.

Renjun worries about him a little.

####

Whenever something intriguing happens, he's almost always accidentally there — back then, when he and Jeno saw Hyuck and Y/N, and now, standing a few meters away from Chenle and Jisung.

He doesn't understand — all he wanted was peace, an alien friend, and a book that hits him right in the gut. Watching his friends do this thing they're so bad at is easily not something he signed up for.

He could look away. He could turn and walk the other way since obviously, Jisung and Chenle would feel awkward if they realized he's there, but then he heard it. Chenle's question. It makes his heart miss a beat.

"How many times are you gonna keep on breaking your heart?"

Renjun furrows his brow. Could Chenle even answer his own question? It's all too ironic. It's none of his business, but it's all too ironic.

He realizes at that incredibly strange moment that Jisung and Chenle appeared like a movie scene, or a drama, whatever works. Something in the way they stand in front of each other is oddly pleasing, an aesthetic so hard to get enough of. If not for the anguish in Jisung's eyes as he falls on Chenle's arms, Renjun would say that it's the perfect sight.

Before all of that, Jisung had smiled and answered the other's question: "How many times can your heart break for the person you love?"

Chenle only stretched his arms as a reply, an invitation for a consoling hug. "Never too much," he wanted to say.

Renjun could see.

How in the world they don't notice him there, Renjun doesn't know. By now, he figures he should be used to his friends being dense. He means, well, they had these feelings for each other for as long as he can remember and if Huang Renjun, Mr. It's-None-Of-My-Business-So-I-Didn't-Know, noticed whatever the hell this mess is, surely they should've known long ago, right?

Chenle stands there alone. Jisung must've left earlier during the time he spent spacing out. He stands behind the other, a reasonable distance away so he still doesn't figure out he's there. He waits for him to resume walking; for five minutes, he doesn't. Renjun makes himself known by rushing and cheerily slinging an arm on the other boy.

"Hey, Zhong Chenle, whatever it is you've been doing these days, how did it go?"

"Same old, I'm amazing," he airily says, startled but comforted at the knowledge that it's a friend and not someone trying to kill him. "Haechan hyung wrote a song. I'm certain it's for Y/N."

"Really? That's sweet," Renjun can just begin to imagine the blush at that friend's cheeks if Donghyuck decides to sing the song on the school showcase. It should be a fun night for them! Jisung is performing, Chenle too, Jaemin as well... his smile dies down a little at the other's name.

"But... Jaemin, though."

It's something he shouldn't know — pretty sure Jaemin thinks nobody knows about his feelings, but then again, how can he hide anything from anyone when he looks at that person with hearts for eyes?

"Yeah. I'm worried for Jaemin hyung and Jisung," the younger wistfully sighs, tugging the other to walk on his pace. He sighs again. "You know how he is."

"I do. In fact, I'm worried about all of you," Renjun hums. Chenle raises a brow, but Renjun makes note of the split-second panic in the younger's mask of faux confidence. Renjun smiles, "I'm worried about you, Chenle-ah."

He makes an odd sound aiming at nonchalance, and it scares him how natural he sounded as he fakes a laugh. He slings an arm on Renjun, making them walk the opposite direction of where they should be going, "You've been working hard and you're saying nonsense now. Let me just treat you ice cream — trust me, hyung, you need it."

The older of the two sighs and decides to let it go. Before that, though, Chenle smiled at him and shook his head, "What's there to worry about me?"

Internally, Renjun wanted to pull him into a hug. In his mind, he'd held his friend and answered, the heartbreak you feel in silence.

###

Back then, Jaemin told Renjun something very interesting — something about the way he glances at people.

As an example, Jaemin had said then that Renjun looks at Y/N like he does to his favorite book, full with wonder — Do you know how loved you are? How many people love you... how many hearts broke for you... how beautiful and conflicted you are — and well, he agrees. He does feel like that.

Jaemin said Renjun looked at both him and Jisung like twin stars, as if the world is never correct unless they're side by side. One is always beside the other, even when one is shrouded behind clouds.

Secretly, Renjun disagreed: he feels like he looks at them like a scene that was supposed to be but never was. An accidental masterpiece that never occurred because the artist was too careful.

Jaemin said Renjun looked at his almost acquaintance Jeno with a strange kind of familiarity, like they knew each other for several lifetimes but never dared to actually get to know each other; he stared at him as if they were identical. As if somewhere in the boy with hopeless love beating in his heart is a part he relates to.

But Chenle... Jaemin said he looked at Chenle like his heart broke. He didn't go into detail, he refused to, and it left him confused.

A year, seven months, and two weeks from that event, Renjun realizes just why, and he figures out that after all, most things in life are not a choice. Maybe that's why people continue to adore hopeless cases.

All Renjun ever wanted was peace, an alien friend, and a book that hits him right in the gut. He never asked to realize that all those years, he refused to acknowledge something, a big part of him. He never asked to be one of those people who couldn't control their feelings.

"You were a dream that shined brightly above me..." Renjun reads, the words more saccharine and dreamy when it's spoken in his voice, "and just like the fate of a gazer and a star, you are so far from my reach. But still, you've had me at first sight, and all I wanted was for gravity to let me fall from Earth and then into your hold— this doesn't even make sense."

"Yeah, but only because you skipped to that chapter, dummy." Chenle grumbles, stealing back his book, "These are references. They're referencing to the past events you didn't get to read."

"Yeah, but still. It's unrequited love." Renjun answers, "It's way too complicated for me."

The wind blows, an addition to the cold lingering in the air. Jaemin isn't present tonight as he's dealing with the consequences of procrastinating essays for weeks, so naturally, his best friend Y/N should be there too. Renjun wishes no heartbreak to his pure, lovesick heart — something in him knows that it's where everything will lead to, but he hopes it'll go easy on him. Jaemin deserved the world, none of the painful side of it.

Jisung didn't come today, too. He's busy with his performance, perfecting every snap and every turn, every single move that completes his routine. Maybe it's a diversion for him. Renjun prays he doesn't overwork himself, and he hopes the younger doesn't go harsh on himself, he hopes he doesn't beat himself up for falling for someone who was too busy hoping to catch somebody else.

Jisung deserved the world, as well. All of his friends did. Renjun finds himself quickly growing fond of them all from their most lovable traits down to their unnoticeable flaws. He loves them all each a different way, all with the same intensity.

This one, though. This one might just be a little too special.

A deep frown leaves him as he decides to lay down the grass he's previously been sitting on, and Chenle bemusedly laughs, a small sound compared to his usual.

"You're smart. That's why everything is way too complicated for you."

And it's there again, the longing in his gaze, the one Renjun knows is for someone else. The omnipresent feeling of telltale heartache signs floats around him like lustrous fireballs, but the boy beside him seems iridescent, each a different color on every side. If Renjun closes his eyes long enough, he could just imagine himself having control and not fading at the sight of every view.

"You know, don't you?" Chenle asks, turning his head away from the other and staring up at the sky instead. He compares to an epic painting. "I'm in love with Jisung."

"And Jisung is in love with Jaemin, Jaemin who is in love with Y/N," he adds in affirmation, knowing it's what Chenle wants to hear but his mind is far away from being lucid to that thought.

In his mind, he adds, but me? Do you know that I'm in love with you? He shakes that thought away, "I know. I know you guys, and it's not hard to see."

Carefully, Renjun adds, "The words each of you refuse to say... they're in your eyes. All the time."

With him laying down like this, the other resembles the Little Prince from the book Renjun always loved. His blonde hair sways with the wind and the things it does to Renjun makes him heady of stars. Chenle shrugs, "I thought you'd be mad. It could've ruined our friendship."

Think of heartbeat, only a little faster. And more demanding. Afraid? Hurt? In love? How different are they supposed to feel? Free fall. Stardust. Rose.

"Perhaps, everyone just falls in love with their best friend," Renjun drawls out, "Even just a little bit, from time to time."

Now, he gets a little bit of what Jaemin was trying to say but refused to explain: Renjun looked at Chenle like his heart broke. He looked at him like that, and a thousand more unsaid ways he didn't even know existed. He looks at him like all he wanted to do was tell him his feelings, but he was so afraid. He looked at him like he's afraid that he won't fall in love as hard as this anymore, like he's scared that one day he'd be unable to adore someone romantically because they're not this boy, his greatest love.

He looks at him like all he wanted was a sight so beautiful he overlooks the other, and arms so warm he doesn't seek this one-sided fire, like he craves for a drink that'll burn away the confessions stuck on his throat and trapped on his lips.

He looks at the boy he loves with lenses of blue, that in a way where he isn't really sure if he wanted to forget or remember. All that he knew was he wanted to be loved.

Chenle chuckles again, but this time he lets himself fall down and lay beside Renjun. He reaches his hands to the stars, dwelling on how much smaller he is than these speckles of lights, and swears on each and every one of them — "Friends forever?"

"Best friends," Renjun corrects. "You, me, Y/N, Jaemin, Jisung — best friends forever."

And he said it a hundred times, he wants to say it a million more. He wouldn't wish any other way for all of them but always; there is so much he wants to share, so many things he wants to experience with all of them.

They're best friends forever, they've said that a hundred times. He wants to say it a million more.

But somehow, sitting underneath the stars with only his favorite book and Zhong Chenle beside him, it doesn't feel right.

It doesn't feel right to be just best of friends.

[diary-iguess]

wahppn

J: nothing bad it was just really hot and i changed clothes twice

wake up 7 o clock for my interview, eat one piece a bread and some orange juice

ace di interview

dem tell me fi fill out the application twice

some yout try sell me a jelly candy

it cant open, but eventually does

Monique forwards

i meet her friend in the painting studio and we go get a box lunch

i sit down and eat the food

im sweating my life away

R: pepper?

J: before meeting the hustling yout, i left my portfolio in the hr office so mi did have to go back for it

no it's just hot af inna kingston

and i was wearing a long sleeve shirt

Paige seh him nah fwd fi di shoot

Thevrtistisjvmvicvn is sitting next to me, but i'm talking more than he

me a wonda how he can go school in full business attire and not become a puddle of sweat

Yanah appears and asks if she can have something nutritious

on campus

like a shake

Juice immediately says no dawg

Juice is working on a mythological drawing, but the paper he's using is trash and i tell him so

he says something about how it will still sharpen his skills and i said he needs watercolor paper if he's going to mix it with watercolor

is my story interesting?

i'm interested in telling a good story

R: I'm more interested in your friend's names

J: thevrtistisjvmvicvn said he wants to be a curator, but hasn't curated any shows yet

i tell him do that shit

lmao

R: Thevrtistisjvmvicvn, Yanah, Monique and Juice

I actually fucking love Juice

Now i know there are places I can't say that out loud

J: i ask my father if he can pick me up because Paige nah forward

he replies hmm

lmao have you seen the film?

my phone is dying and i have no credit because the tuck shop only selling $500 credit today

*back to the story*

i'm telling you this from my laptop

R: What parent says "hmmm"? was this a text?

J: yes

i knowwww

like

can't even K me

wtf

my shoes too big for me, so i stand on them instead of wearing them for a bit

Juice is playing music on his phone and one of the songs is from frank ocean's second project that he released the same time as blonde

my mind is blown

R: That must be some song

J: Yanah returns from the tuck shop with water still disappointed that there is no health food available

more mindblowing that he released two projects at once

i tell theartistisja that i like doing projects with many layers of meaning and process

i talk about my ananse storybook thesis and how i want everyone to know ananse is a deity and amina blackwood meeks taught me that

i say something like "yea, she's rad"

i talk about how the first time i met easton lee, i believed someone when they joked that he was 100 years old

and hoped that he didnt remember when i asked him if it was true

im dying laughing rn

my cousin invites me to sit and do work together at starbucks later

my father sends me a message "M is here, please call her through K-dollasign"

R: googled Easton Lee

J: lmao what did you find? he and my grandmother are friends

they're both legendary chinese-jamaicans

R: I can see he's definitely chinese-jamaican

J: yes and so is my grandma lol

R: author, poet

not bad

1931

J: but no doubt their swagger is enwrapped in their proximity to afro-jamaicanness

wow he's 87 this year

or 86?

M is my grandmother

i message K-dollasign

"i heard grandma M is here"

he replies "makes sense"

but intonates that he was not previously informed

i try to decode my father's message and K-dollasigns response

"makes sense"

he must be referring to Shutterbug's wedding

the same one i wasn't sure i was invited to

R: LOL

wow

are you going?

J: wait nuh man

R: lol

J: okay so i reach home, turn on my laptop

charge my phone

i frantically whatsapp my relatives

fb message uncle Macbook to get in touch w grandma

i try to search the internet for clues as to when this wedding will be

my sister says i should just ask Shutterbug if i can come

so i do that

uncle Macbook replies me with a different number to call, i call, get grandma

she says "no, no, no, you can't come to the wedding, the guests have already been counted and there's too many"

my heart sinks

i say, okay, well i can still see you today?

my cousin Carlton who wants to go to starbucks has arrived at my house

R: woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow

J: i try to devise a plan with Carlton and grandma and my dad all talking at once to pick grandma up and she says something about not wanting to be stranded and i say we would never let that happen to her

the phone isn't working very well and at some point my father has the phone

i return to my whatsapp messages on the laptop and Shutterbug has replied!

"hey, we were overcapacity a few months ago, but there's some space now. if you can make it on sunday, please come"

i tell grandma what she said

"okay, but how are you getting there? and where are you going to stay?"

i had not thought of this second part

the wedding is in mobay

R: MUFUFUFUFU

on a beach

duh

just sleep on the beach and get dressed in someones room in the morrow

J: i quickly say "aunty Rose's"

and she has already said she's very busy today and the plan to see me nah work out

"see you in mobay then!"

okay bye grandma, i love you!

"i love you too sweetheart"

now i have to whatsapp aunty Rose and see if she will shelter me

and K-dollasign to see if i can drive with him

R: funny at points but not a bad day

J: Carlton still deh yah a try reach liguanea fi get some food

the story did not get resolved yet

lol

it wasnt a bad day just long af

R: wait what

J: let me try summarize

R: Well I mean, between Yanah's Healthy snack Crisis and the Wedding Snafu, I thought the day was sealed with you tryna get aunty Rose

J: I was also supposed to meet Pearl at starbucks for 3pm

when Carlton and i pull up to starbucks, Rose a walk up deh too

synchronicity

R: 'the hell? Starbucks is a spot now?

J: that's the culture of the company

im like baffled as to both my grandmother and father asking me if starbucks is an appropriate place to link and do work together

that's how they've been selling the place for at least the last ten years

i order a tall strawberry and cream frappe w coconut milk and Carlton is very excited to get a pumpkin spice frappe, no latte because he doesn't want to burn his tongue

yesterday Pearl showed me a video she edited featuring this black guy with ginger hair, Souffrant

Souffrant appears before us in starbucks and sits at our table

i'm supposed to edit my own video with Pearl's color correction advice, but i'm still trying to figure out my travel situation

before we went to starbucks, we walked to tastees and my mom replied to my frantic messages about grandma and the wedding with "ur not paying attention to what i tell u"

there's like a whole thing where i'm trying to get my cousin Jazz's number to ask if i can go from kingston to mobay with him because K-dollasign is unavailable.

aunty Rose says of course i can stay with her and of course she has Jazz's number

resolve dat, so mi have a place to stay and a drive

there are several unrelated phone calls that need to be made but mi still nah no credit, so i borrow Souffrant's phone

then the next chapter is me, Carlton, and Pearl trying to walk to sov after i finally finish editing my video.

i take some really dope shots of the sunset

pause for incoming illustration

R: i mean

sure

make hay

all of the birds with 1 stone

J: -picture of sov-

R: this is sov

dark

but its sov

J: it's the golden sunset reflecting off the walls

then we all go to kfc and then i try look for some shoes to wear to the wedding, but then mi nuh even know if it's really a beach ting, but never fear, my likkle sister is here to whatsapp me the link to the wedding info website the couple set up!

it's a garden brunch affair ting

so we think to go to lee's instead of payless and when we reach back in fronta payless di people dem close

so now i will go to the thrift store tmrw to cop a whole new fit from the dress to the shoes.

when i reach home my father is going to the airport and grandma (dad's mom, not the one i was tryna see earlier) asks me to come with them which i would have done anyway.

driving back from the airport, grandma's bajan soca music continues to play in the car, but it seems louder now without dad's voice. i try to talk to grandma about herself. i ask about high school. she says, "do you expect me to remember 50 years ago"

i'm like yes of course

she said

"well

i was head girl"

of course! i say

and she was also in charge of sports such as running

the drive back home is very slow because grandma cant really see in the dark

when we finally reach home and i lay inna mi bed, mi wonda why mi so tiyad

and now i know why

thanks for tuning in, this has been an appreciation for the life we live, by Jeana like jeans pants

totes forgot the best part where K-dollasign pulled up on Carlton and me in traffic when we walked back to the plaza to get to the car

then another man pulled up on us and Carlton cuss me jokingly bout how i know everyone and we probably see someone else weh mi know

#fabulous

R: like bloodcleet jeans pants

yea, cause clearly you're a superstar

beer people, links and visits

J: