#but it's nice if they could find silver lining in it; who knows harvey the one to reccomend the club so shane could eat healthier

[ryllen]

Elliott thought it would be a good idea to bring variation to single men’s food life. So he established this club, where they would all trade food they cook. Maybe once a week.

How nice it is if it brings positive things to their life. Like encouraging them to cook new dishes, enhance their recipe with tips & tricks from each other, having something to look forward to, & having reason to do a lot more socialization.

It might start as a club for older single men, which includes Clint, yes Elliot would encourage him to join -- even the older folks if they want to.

But who knows Kent might be interested to join to, to distracts him from the thoughts as this club seems like a good therapy for those who are a bit sad.

And maybe! Other married men too, even if they are happy! xD

[crab-in-a-pocket]

reserved farmer headcanons + meeting the bachelors for the first time!

wanted to make some generally reserved farmer headcanons to kick off this blog and bc i see a lot of very friendly farmers out there and i... am not one of them LMAO

additionally, there's reference to a supposed volatile relationship with a (former?) loved one (projection time!)

also i forgot to open my askbox bc idk how to tumblr ?? i think it's open now (i hope).

tw: drinking and alcoholism, references to past trauma, one Bad Word (sh^t!)

when you first meet everyone, it's a quiet greeting and maybe a witty remark, but you don't stay for any chit-chat

close-lipped smiles are your signature move, along with the Man Nod whenever you run into someone

you are, of course, a nice and courteous person but you don't feel the need to say hello to everyone every damn time you pass by them because, really, you're too busy rushing to Pierre's for some seeds or lugging around foraged beach stuff

okay, maybe some of them think you're a little cold and an introvert who has... problems

but you're not! you are a strong and emotionally stable farmer who gets Shit Done and prefers to observe over participate and think over talk!

mayor lewis is extremely puzzled and almost mistakes you for someone else-- it's been over a decade and people change too much, too soon. he makes a remark about a wishing well your grandfather had built long ago (remember the well? how you fell in it that one time?) and you nod along politely (i didn't fall, i climbed in because i desperately needed my wish to come true)

it's nice to meet people who aren't as temperemental as the tides. maybe, for once, you could have a proper relationship with someone.

alex

easily the most annoying and extroverted person in town what with his obsession with sports and loud, brash personality but you two get along fabulously because you had that same passion for gridball in college before you were too busy being a corporate slave

he's a little surprised that you sit next to him at the saloon but he goes along easily and the conversation flows between the two of you easily, ranging from future plans (thinking of going pro... think i'll make it?) to the weather without sounding like you're making fake smalltalk (i wanted to play pro, too, and here i am now. if you really want it, you'll have to leave this all behind)

there's something genuine about him that's intriguing and it leaves you wanting to find out and see what the real alex is like inside because you can see through that wall he's made

and there's something enigmatic about you, who is reserved and quiet and seems to be a simple open book, when in fact, you are a very attractive onion with many, many layers

sam

you think he's immature. a wildchild, a manchild, a wildmanchild, really. sam, on the other hand, is drawn in by your calmness and how in-control you appear to be-- when you offer to play a game of pool when sebastian doesn't show up, he's delighted at the opportunity to know you better

okay, so he is immature and a wildmanchild but there is a softness in him that surprises you every time he shows it-- which is frequently around you

he has a soft smile to counteract his proud one and he's so in awe of how you get so much stuff done every day (i don't know how you do it, that's gotta be tough), every week, and every month (you'd like the responsibility, i think. to me, it's one big project i need to finish)

he has instant crush on you because you're so cool even though your line of profession really doesn't evoke much awe. i mean, you're  attractive, you are so in control of your life, and you have a really cute smile whenever he compliments you-- how could he not?

shane

bit bold of you to sit next to him at the saloon because every knows he's can be a real asshole, but he glances at you with a hint of awe and more than a hint of annoyance. you elect to ignore this and choose to order a whisky on the rocks (if you don't drink, call it apple juice)

whisky: shane's a touch impressed because you look like a lightweight. well, it's nice that someone can hold their liquor. he makes a remark about it (planning on getting drunk, huh?) and you raise a brow at him, looking a little haughty and tell him that it's your drink for the week. he's annoyed at your remark and starts an argument that surprisingly, settles down into a civil conversation

apple juice: he snorts at that and makes a remark about meeting penny for your lessons the next day. you play along and sip at your drink, making witty remarks (thank yoba for hangovers. it's the non-drinker's edge, really. just like not having liver failure). he's not sure if he should be annoyed or impressed at your cool-as-a-cucumber personality, not sure if it's too big city or too closed-off

you offer to buy him a pizza if you can take a away his beer-- at any rate, he looks like he'll end up with liver failure the way he's going. shane aquiesces and devours the entire pizza. your conversation is slow and punctuated with his loud chewing but you're pleasantly suprised that he's quite smart and well-read about whatever you're interested in

the fourth time you sit next to him, he turns down your pizza and doesn't say a word. neither do you and it's almost like it's back to square one until you realize that he hasn't made a single salty remark about anything. you decide to try again the day after tomorrow-- nothing comes too quickly to people like you and shane.

sebastian

it was the necklace you wore that caught his eye. a shining teardrop stone hanging off a gleaming silver chain. he had spoken before he could stop himself and watched as you smiled and told him he was right-- it is supposed to be a Yeti's tear.

you're pleased to meet someone who is also a homebody and a touch more reserved than a lot of other people in town. he's easy to get along with (oh, you're kidding, you really have the signed edition?) and he's got pretty good taste when it comes to literature-- after all, who can refuse a good sci-fi book? (of course i do, i'm dedicated fan)

oddly enough, your conversation is quick and eager and not all reserved. instead of the companionable silence everyone assumes you two to have, you two nearly talk over each other because you finally have someone to complain to about everyone's over-friendliness and he finally has someone who understands what it's like to be trapped in a small world

you tease him about the corporate rat race and he fires back at you about being a part of it. you like sebastian and he likes you-- it's as simple as that.

elliot

he had heard of you through leah who had heard of you through emily who had heard of you through gus who had heard of you from lewis. it was a long grapevine and he's not sure how much of the truth was preserved and it's almost a relief to meet you because, to be frank, he's tired of being the town's newcomer.

first-- you're not peppy and overly cheerful at all. second, you are definitely not hot-tempered. and third, there's something so fascinating about you, something hidden under your calm, pragmatic character. he finds a kindred spirit in you, save for the flowery words and, admittedly, the vanity.

you're amused to meet a writer living on the beach. the cabin was built by one of your grandfather's old friends, a rather surly man who had taken a liking to you when you were much younger. while the hut is in no way fancy, you can't help but consider how pretentious and, contrastingly, humble the writer must be. pretentious in such a way that he thinks living in a sandy, damp shack is a way to beat writer's block (it's odd, it's rarely a choice people make) and humble in such a way that he accepts and bears with living in a worn house with little complaint (it's admirable, if not a little silly!)

you find yourself in his company late at night when you can't sleep and it's so easy to open up to him because he's kind, he listens, and most importantly, he's not embarassed to admit he's got faults, at least to you. you let him see past your collected facade and into your cracked heart far sooner than you think and elliot doesn't mind at all

harvey

you might be the most mysterious person in town simply because of the way you present yourself. he finds himself always stuttering a little whenever you're around because of the way you watch him, set in a relaxed stance, your gaze flat and cool. later, he realizes that it's your resting face. he wonders about what you'd look like if you smiled-- really smiled

he's touched at the fact that you buy him coffee whenever he had to patch you up-- which is frequently, given your liking for the mines. you're adorable when he gives you general anesthesia. he had run out of local anesthesia and you needed a fair amount of stitches and though you told him that you have a high pain tolerance (stitches are far more painful than you think. i really don't want to put you through that), he insisted and you let him (fine, fine. get on with it, doctor). you had let out several inappropriate jokes under anesthesia and your cheeks had hurt from laughing non-stop

harvey's entranced. there's no other way to put it-- he's bewitched by your bright character hiding under that collected facade. he never pries for your secrets because he's got secrets, too. you like harvey because he's sweet and compassionate and even though he has to put up a firm, professional affectation, he wears his heart on his sleeve.

you see him as a friend at first, all platonic and it seems to be the end of it. but one day, as you hand him a coffee, he laughs and smiles and hands you a coffee just the way you like it. you're falling for him so hard and fast you think someone's put a spell on you that makes you notice the minute expressions on his face and mull over the way he talks to you. you're in love with him-- you can only hope he feels the same way too

[typinggently]

Could you maybe write something with feral Bruce and his best friend Harvey Dent before the whole two face incident. I hope you have a great day!!!

Thank you so much! I love those two and their relationship, so this was really interesting to think about! Also I made it a little ambiguous when it comes to the nature of their relationship, but for another ask, I shared some more obvious shippy thoughts which you can find here. Thank you so much for this ask, Lovely, and I hope you have a great day as well!! 💝

-

It’s just past 2am, but the night air is still surprisingly warm. Harvey loosens his tie as he steps outside. His eyes aren’t adjusted to the darkness yet, but he can make out Bruce against the stone railings, the velvet of his suit catching the light. He closes the tall glass door behind himself, then makes his way over.

“I watched your statement.”

“The one on the stairs?”

Bruce nods, rubbing the pad of his thumb between his eyebrows. “That was hot. The whole thing with the fraud and the taxes, that was impressive. Which is to say, I was impressed. Very chic.” He makes a vague gesture with his hand, nervous-fluttering piano fingers, and the light catches on the ruby on his pinkie.

“Thanks.” Harvey grins and bumps his shoulder against Bruce’s. “But I wouldn’t have made it without Gordon and the Bat. We’ve been working on it for – I want to say 40 hours? Really, he deserves the credit for gathering the evidence, it’s too bad he’s not being upfront about it. We could’ve used him in Court, he’s got that imposing presence and the sharp mind. It’s too bad. The public should hear him speak, it’s - I don’t know, it’s something.”

“Ah?” Bruce looks into the flute of champagne he’d been twirling between his fingers and offers it to Harvey. “Nothing’s in it, don’t worry. Well, except for champagne, obviously. I had too much, I think.” He hops to sit on the railing, swinging his feet a little, showing off the red bottoms of his shoes. “Everything’s spinning.”

Harvey takes a sip. It’s gone flat. He makes a face, then tips his head back to swallow it down in one go, gold rushing down his throat. “Thanks. Can I leave it here?”

“Huh?” Bruce blinks, flicks his eyes up to Harvey’s face again, then down to his glass. “Yeah, sure. I’ll take it in later. Want to sit down?” He pats on the stone railing next to his thighs.

Harvey considers his suit, then nods. The story will give him a good amount of publicity, he’ll be able to buy at least three new suits by the end of next month. “Yeah, sure.” He sits and they both look into the ballroom for a moment, golden light, flutters of pastel coloured silk and black suits, fragments of music washing through the open windows.

“This sucks,” Bruce says with finality. “What’s the point of going outside only to look back inside?” He twists around with surprising grace for someone who can’t walk in a straight line, another flash of red bottoms. When Harvey follows, it’s a little more awkward and his shoe almost gets caught along the way. Bruce reaches out for him and steadies him and finally, they’re sitting shoulder to shoulder again, overlooking the garden this time, three storeys of Wayne Manor stretching under their feet.

The night’s gotten significantly colder, especially in comparison with the heat inside, but as of yet, the champagne warms Harvey sufficiently. He blinks, waiting until he can make out the lawn, the dark shapes of the trees and hedges, the glittering lake. It smells cool-green. He inhales, feels the scent seep into his brain. When he exhales, he leans against Bruce’s shoulder a little. “You know, this is nice.”

“What, the party? It’s a bit loud, honestly. Lots of people I don’t remember inviting. But they RSVP’d, so I guess I did invite them. They all look the same, don’t they? Which isn’t a bad thing, I just wonder how they remember their addresses sometimes.”

Harvey blinks, then looks at Bruce, whose profile is sharp in the silvery light. “No, I meant – this, you know?” He pats Bruce’s chest, velvet under his palm, fingertips brushing skin where they slip under the lapels of his jacket. Too hot for a shirt. “Spending some time with you away from the noise.”

“Oh.” Bruce sniffs a little. “Yeah, yeah. That’s nice.” He looks up at the sky. His jawline is very sharp, Harvey thinks dimly. “We should do that again some time. Not with quite this many people around, though. And different food.”

“Food?” Sparkling champagne, black caviar and fruit cut and arranged like bouquets of flowers.

“Yeah. I don’t like those little toothpicks they put in stuff.”

Harvey laughs. “Yeah, me neither. I’d give a silver dollar for a simple PinguBurger right now.”

Bruce nods. “They’re good, right? People say they’re good.”

“I mean, after the Bat stopped the Penguin from putting coke in the snowcream sauce, they lost a bit of their kick, but they’re still excellent. There are vegetable crisps on there, you know? Carrot and beets and stuff, to give it some extra crunch. Goes really well with the fried fish. You never had one?”

Bruce shakes his head. “No, not yet.”

“Aw, man.” Harvey huffs a laugh. “Tell you what –“ Here, he wraps an arm around Bruce’s shoulders, pulls him in a little, takes in the faint note of jasmine and ambery woods. “Next time, we’ll just skip the buffet and get some take out. We’ll sit here on your balcony and have some PinguBurgers and some fries, yeah? They make them with sweet potatoes with those big pieces of salt. Extra crunchy, it’s great.”

“Yeah,” Bruce says, leaning into the one-armed embrace. “Sounds great.”

Around them, the night is alive with bats looking for their late night snack and in the darkness of the lawn, the lake looks like a big silver coin.

[lavieendonna]

Snapshot || ArtMajor!Ashton AU (Chapter 1)

Summary: A ‘Brushwork’ spinoff where Tillie - VCA’s resident library assistant - has to supervise Ashton - VCA’s holiday troublemaker - and she discovers that a collection of photographs is the biggest inconvenience she could have ever agreed to. Date: 7 Feb 2019 Requested: lol no  Pairing: Ashton x OFC (original female character)  Words: 4.9K Warnings: none! A/N: So this (and two other spin-off stories) have been in the works for... so long. It’s got a long way to go, and it’s still in an experimental phase. I wasn’t going to post this until Brushwork was completely wrapped up but I thought this might motivate me to finally tie the knot in the end of that. So let me know what you think, if you liked it, if you didn’t, if you want more... I could use all the love I can get! Big Love xo 

Ask | Masterlist | ‘Snapshot’ Spotify Playlist | Next Chapter | ‘Snapshot’ News | Brushwork

Chapter 1: Disappointed Soccer Mum 

‘So, are you coming out with us tonight?’ Wren asked, and I could tell that she was teasing me because she was already laughing at the thought of me going with her wherever, just waiting for me to say ‘no’. I rolled my eyes at the older girl, a small crooked smile finding my lips.

‘I’ll give you one guess.’ I laughed at her.

‘Thought so.’ She chuckled back, and I felt like a normal person would have been offended that Wren wasn’t in the least bit surprised that they weren’t going anywhere with her. But this happened every other night and had for nearly four years now, and we were both just used to this whole routine. Wren planned something fun, she offered for me to tag along, I politely declined and made my own entertainment for the night.

‘Well,’ Wren checked the silver watch dangling on her slender wrist before looking back down on me. I was sat at my usual spot in the very back corner booth of the restaurant, my things sprawled across the table. ‘Do you want anything before I clock off?’ I shook my head but smiled gently.  

‘I’m okay.’ I told her quietly. ‘I’ll grab some leftovers before I go upstairs.’

‘You make sure you do.’ Wren gave me a stern look with a matching pointed finger and I just nodded quickly, almost afraid to disobey (even though I knew I would). She had this habit of getting a little mothering toward me about this stuff. Actually, when I thought about it, everybody in the restaurant had the same habit when it came to me.

It made sense, I guess. Harvey owned the restaurant so he was, naturally, the head of this little family situation thing he and his staff had going – I was basically part of the furniture, the way I treated the restaurant like a living room, so I guess I was kind of included in all of that. Not to mention he and Queenie had just become first-time grandparents, so to Queenie I was like her third chance at parenting.

Wren was a little different; like me, she was single and lived alone –  but she was a few years older than me so she was entering that stage in her life where she just wanted to take care of somebody. I was still studying and had a bad habit of neglecting my basic human needs, so naturally I was the prime candidate for her to unleash her inner caretaker.

Wren was also essentially the closest thing I had to a “best friend”, and though she’d never explicitly said the words I knew that she was aware of how I’d ended up living in the flat upstairs. Harvey knew because he was my landlord, and Queenie knew because she was married to Harvey. But I really had this gut-deep feeling that the older couple had told Wren too. I didn’t mind too much; she never mentioned it. She and the bosses just hovered and mothered and asked me why I hadn’t eaten yet.

‘Did I just hear you turn down food?’

Queenie had come marching out of the kitchen, hairnet almost falling off of her head of greying black hair, and what looked like a tomato sauce covered wooden spoon sitting in the front pocket of her stained white apron. Her hands were on her hips, brow furrowed together with pursed lips, and I got the feeling this was what a disappointed soccer mum looked like when she stormed into the living room to find the kids playing ball in the house after she specifically told them not to.

‘Uh, yes?’ I nodded, not meaning for that to come out like a question. ‘I’m not hungry.’ That was clearly the wrong answer, I realised, as Queenie’s disapproving stare turned into one of bewilderment.

‘I haven’t seen you eat all day, Missy.’ The older woman scolded me. ‘It’s eight o’clock! You need to eat, you can’t keep starving yourself!’ I rolled my eyes, all in good faith. This was also a common occurrence.

‘I ate upstairs, I promise.’ I told her with a small, reassuring smile. ‘And anyway, I was just about to go home, right after I finish this email.’ Queenie shook her head at me, hands folding across her chest, hoop earrings hitting her neck with every shake. I could’ve bet everything I owned and then some that she was scolding me in her head. In Spanish. Loudly.

‘At least take some soup home with you.’ She said very pointedly, and before I got a chance to decline she’d taken off into the kitchen again to get the damn soup that, honestly, I probably was going to forget about and let it go off in the back of my fridge.

I chuckled quietly as I turned back to my laptop screen that was glowing bright in the dim mood lighting of the back of the restaurant. The feeling of Queenie making a fuss over me, while it made me kind of uncomfortable (even after all these years), ultimately still felt kind of nice.

The email in question, however, that sat unfinished on my screen, was starting to give me a migraine. I’d been trying to write it for a few days now, but every time I tried it sounded so… whiny. It sounded like a “why me?!” kind of email which, to be fair, was exactly what it was but I knew that there had to be a more professional way to word it.

Hi Leanne, I tried again.

I understand the situation; however, I feel that Carolyn or Stefan would be more suited for the task because…

And this was the part where I got stuck every time. I couldn’t say that Carolyn and Stefan had more experience than I did, because that wasn’t true. And I couldn’t say that I didn’t have time because Leanne was my boss and she’d been conspiring with the school’s Head Office and, you know, it was kind of their job to search me in the database and just knowthat when I wasn’t working in the library or in class that I had literally nothing else to do.

No, the truth was that I just really didn’t want to conduct community service in my library, supervising some delinquent dude who couldn’t sit still over the break. I enjoyed my solitude here, and I liked the quiet and I liked being on my own. I actually got things done when I was working alone, and if I had to babysit all semester then I could kiss all of that goodbye.

Hi Leanne, I tried one more time.

That’s fine. Please have him come to the service desk at the library at 12pm with his paperwork.

Thanks,

                Tillie Daniels

Well. So much for fighting the power. I hit send and prayed to God that I wouldn’t regret it. I mean, I already kind of did, so I guess I was hoping I wouldn’t regret it even more.

After packing up my things and begrudgingly accepting the damn soup that Queenie shoved under my nose in the plastic takeaway container, I waved goodbye and called out my farewells to the rest of the staff on my way through the kitchen before I pushed through the back door that lead into the back courtyard, headed for the metal stairwell just to the left and flush with the building.

When I first moved to Melbourne after getting accepted into VCA, I nearly dropped dead thinking I was going to have to live in the actual restaurant on a stretcher in a pantry somewhere – either that or worse; that Harvey and Queenie were going to kill me in the courtyard and feed my flesh to their customers. But, no, neither of those things happened. Instead I was shown what looked like a fire escape out the back. It still seemed sketchy to me, but against all better judgement I followed the Cook and his Wife up the rickety stairs and, lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised.

The flat wasn’t overly big, but without the unnecessary clutter of furniture and the like it looked quite spacious for what it was. The two windows in the living area were big and wide and let in so much light I didn’t really know what to do with it all. They took up most of the far wall, and in front of them were a couple of cushion-clad bench seats – very FRIENDSstyle – and the thought of curling up on one of those with a good book and some coffee got me more excited than I’d been in years. The kitchen was on small side, but it had the most gorgeous white faux-marble benchtops I’d ever seen, and the bathroom benches seemed to match too which brought great peace to my inner OCD.

The bedroom was a modest size, although I did have to buy a hundred-dollar IKEA closet for the corner of the room. It did have a tiny ensuite attached to it, though, and the little window inside had a gorgeous view that was, probably, my favourite in the whole house.

It was like there were just layers and layers of mini horizons outside of the small rectangle. There were the tops of the trees that lined the street behind the restaurant, and then behind that I could see the tops of all the buildings and town houses of all the streets that lay behind that. Off in the distance was the silhouette of the Melbourne skyline, and beyond all of that was the rest of the sky that seemed to just stretch on forever.

I locked the deadbolt of the front door as soon as I walked inside, switching on the main lights as I somewhat floated through the flat putting my things away. The soup went straight into the fridge to be forgotten, laptop on the counter in front of the only barstool I owned and my bag hung on the back of my bedroom door. I finished tidying what little mess there was in the flat, and when I felt content, I flicked the kettle on and found a Bluetooth speaker to let some gentle music float around me to fill the space.

The flat didn’t feel empty or anything, it was just a habit of mine that I had formed over the years. My whole life had been surrounded by noise – every home I’d had was noisy whether it was from music or TVs or loud conversations. These days I had the library, which had the gentle buzz of students and teachers, and the restaurant that had the rustle and bustle of staff and customers.

The flat just had me. And having control over the noise that surrounded me made the flat feel like it really belonged to me this time.

By the time the kettle finished boiling I had swapped out my jeans for a pair of warmer sweatpants and some UGGs, making a coffee carefully – despite it being nearly half eight in the evening – and finding my old, weathered copy of Mansfield Park. To say it was my favourite was a slight understatement; the spine was currently being held together with so many layers of invisible tape that it really wasn’t invisible anymore.

As I sat down on the banquette seating in front of the window my phone started to ring. I quickly put my book and drink on the coffee table beside me, pulling my phone out of my pocket to find Queenie’s number and picture lighting up the screen.

‘Queenie?’ I answered without a proper greeting, part of me worried that something was wrong with Harvey. Queenie didn’t usually ring this late, especially since she was just downstairs and I’d just seen her barely half an hour ago. Harvey was a pretty old guy (I suspected, anyway) and he’d not been well the last couple of weeks. I felt like it was pretty fair for me to think that maybe something had happened. ‘You okay?’

‘Hi, yes, everything’s fine.’ Queenie reassured me right away, though I wasn’t a hundred percent convinced. ‘Sorry, Mija, you’re probably already settled for the night.’

‘It’s fine, Queenie, I was just having coffee.’ A small lie, technically, but she didn't need to know that.

‘At this hour?’ The older woman laughed on the other side of the line. ‘Dios Mío, girl, you’ll be up all night.’ I chuckled but rolled my eyes as if Queenie could still see me – though with her Super Spanish Mother Powers I wouldn’t put it past her if she could.

‘Ah, you know me.’ I said simply. ‘You all good? Did you need me to come back?’

‘Nah, nah, stay there.’ She said gently. ‘I just wanted to ask a favour from you for tomorrow morning.’

‘Sure, Queens, what do you need?’ I picked up my coffee and had a quick sip, knowing that sometimes Queenie got carried away on the phone. Knowing my luck my coffee would be cold by the time I finished talking to her.

‘I have to take Harvey for another appointment tomorrow so we won’t be able to come in for the Leone’s delivery in the morning.’ Queenie said and my heart sank as soon as I registered the words because I knew exactly where this was going. ‘I just need you to let the girls in the back when you hear the buzzer, she’ll know what to do.’

‘Girls?’ I made a face. ‘I thought Tony and his son did the deliveries?’

‘Jules said something came up so they’re sending Rocky and Claudia instead.’

‘Huh.’ I gave a quiet sigh. ‘Alright then. What time are they coming?’

‘Probably around seven.’ I could almost hear the grimace in Queenie’s voice as she spoke and I groaned inwardly. ‘I know it’s early – I can ask someone else if it’s too much trouble, Tills.’

‘Nah, don’t stress. I can do it.’ I told Queenie as I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling the migraine begin to make a comeback. ‘I have to be up early anyway.’ Another lie, but I felt like I owed Queenie this much. And regardless of that, even though I didn’t technically work for the restaurant, I was probably one of the better people she could have asked anyway.

‘Ah, gracias, Mija, really.’ Queenie gushed. ‘I owe you, okay? I’ll have Harvey cook you up something nice.’

I tried to decline the offer but, naturally, Queenie was having none of it and pretty much planned the meal there and then. Eventually she let me go and, as expected, my coffee was cold. I sighed again, taking the mug back to the kitchen to tip the rest of the contents down the drain. I wouldn’t be needing it anyway, I had to be up early apparently.

The thought of an early start as well as that stupid supervising shift in the library, the prospect of tomorrow really didn’t seem so great. Switching off the music and shutting the blinds gruffly, I hauled myself to bed and fell face-first into the pillows, almost wishing that I would suffocate before morning came.  

Seven o’clock rolled around quicker than I wanted it to, but my saving grace was that both Claudia and Rocky, the Leone’s delivery boys for the day, looked exactly how I felt. Claudia had this long dark hair that was thrown up into a messy top-knot, Rocky’s shaggy (almost) pixie cut hidden under a maroon beanie. Both of them were in oversized hoodies and tights, which made me feel a hell of a lot better about my UGGs and sweater paws while I helped them unload the van into the restaurant kitchen.  

‘You guys don’t really do this often, do you?’ I asked with a small laugh as I helped Rocky with a particularly heavy box of what I guessed were vegetables while Claudia took a phone call from their father, I deduced based on the fact that she was repeating ‘yes I know,Dad’ many, many times.

Rocky scoffed at my question, trying to disguise it behind another yawn.

‘I could ask the same thing,’ She said with a curt – but friendly – gesture at my feet once the box was set down on one of the steel counters. ‘Are those uniform around here or what?’

I glanced down to the UGGs on my feet and laughed.  

‘Ah, no.’ I admitted. ‘No, I don’t actually work here.’ Rocky’s eyebrows shot up in a silent question. ‘I live in the flat upstairs – Queenie asked me to supervise the delivery.’

Rocky seemed to smirk at the new information, dark eyes crinkling in the corners just a little.

‘What, they don’t trust us?’ She asked me with a tilted head. I rolled my eyes at the girl, Claudia coming back around the corner (though she was still on the phone, and unimpressed by the looks of it).

‘More like they don’t trust the bozo’s in here.’ I grinned and Rocky gave a loud laugh with a slightly impressed nod before we dragged our feet back outside to the van to help Claudia with the rest of the boxes. 3

We all yawned our way through the next hour and we all sat and had coffee while the morning staff prepared for the day and before I knew it, it was almost nine and it was time for them – and me – to go back to work.

*

I could think of a hundred different things that I could have been doing that would have been more productive than just sitting around at the service desk in the library waiting for this Ashton guy to grace me with his presence.

At twelve thirty, when he was officially half an hour late, I’d already sent out overdue emails to half of the students in the entire university and had started stamping the new books that had been delivered earlier in the morning. That was supposed to be his job, and here I was doing it for him. In those thirty minutes, I’d looked at my watch more times than I had all year. I was aggressively unimpressed.

‘I’m looking for, uh… Tillie? Tillie Daniels.’

‘Who’s asking?’

‘Uh, I’m Ashton.’ He said. ‘I was supposed to be here at –’

‘Twelve.’ I finished for him. When I looked up at him, face rock hard and glaring daggers, he was looking down at me over the desk, shifting his weight from foot to foot sheepishly with a small smile twitching on thin lips. ‘You know you’re late, right?’

‘Yeah… I’m sorry about that that.’ He said, smile wavering (though he didn’t look away from my killer scowl, which surprised me since I was usually pretty good at making people uncomfortable with that Angry Librarian Face). ‘I woke up late and had to do a make-up test for one of my classes. Then my roommate was having a bit of a crisis, then I couldn’t find the library –’

‘Did you bring your paperwork?’ I cut him off. I wasn’t interested in his life story, I just wanted to get this over and done with. The sooner he started stamping books, the sooner I could get back to inputting the new books into the system and, more importantly, the sooner my shift would be over and I could ditch this guy.

‘Oh.’ Ashton said dumbly. ‘Yeah.’ He fumbled around in a seemingly empty satchel that hung over his shoulder for a minute or two before he produced two slips of crumpled paper and an envelope. He handed them to me and it took me a couple of moments to actually take them from him, just because I hadn’t quite finished staring.

He was wearing a loose, white muscle shirt and black board shorts, vans on his feet – with no socks, since no guy seemed to feel the need to wear socks anymore – and his blondish hair was slightly wet as it curled around his ears. I cocked an eyebrow, my fingers brushing his as I took his paperwork.

‘Couldn’t find the library?’ I questioned and the guy kind of shrugged. He didn’t seem uncomfortable, but he didn’t elaborate on it either which made me think that he hadn’t thought up a detailed enough story to continue the lie. I just blinked away the thought, trying to flatten the papers on the counter while Ashton stood there, hands in his pockets as he waited for me to read them.

One was pink and was double sided. It was a time sheet, one with a grid that I realised, without even looking at it properly, that I was going to have to sign and stamp every day for the next few months. The other was a letter from the Dean, explaining that Ashton’s presence here was mandatory. There was no way he was getting out of this, and consequently that meant I wasn’t getting out of this either.

‘What’s with this?’ I asked as I turned over the last item in my hands, trying (kind of) to smoothen out the creases while I looked for a label or stamp. But there was nothing on it, it was just an off-white, sealed, blank envelope. It barely even felt like there was anything in it. I stared at Ashton incredulously and, once again, he just shrugged without even looking bothered by it. He pulled out his phone instead and started to scroll or text or whatever, and I suppressed the urge to scream.

Usually I was pretty patient with people and strangers, but for some reason there was something about this Ashton guy that just really irked me. He was standing there, lying about why he was late and wasting my time, and then he had the nerve to mess around on his phone like he wasn’t wasting my time as well as his own.

I took a breath and counted to five in my head, trying not to snap too soon. This was already going to be a long semester – I didn’t want to make it even longer by completely throttling the guy on the first day.

‘Alright, whatever.’ I huffed, stamping the pink slip and handing it back to him gruffly. Ashton shoved his phone back in his pocket and took back the time sheet hurriedly, a flash of annoyance passing through his eyes that made me roll my own.

I took a second to glance around the area where we were to see if there was a free three feet of space for Ashton to work and shuddered inwardly when I realised that the only table that wasn’t currently being used was almost right next to me. I fluttered around for a bit, letting Ashton tap his feet and look around with a glazed over and bored expression while I stood and pushed the trolley of new books a few feet down the long librarian’s desk. I found the other School Stamp and set it down in front of a desk chair, rolling an empty trolley between his chair and mine to create two separate work stations.

‘You can come ‘round over there,’ I finally spoke again, gesturing to the small entrance gap at the opposite end of the desk. ‘You’ll be stamping the new books we got in yesterday.’

‘O-kay.’ He pursed his lips but made his way around anyway, dumping his bag next to the chair before he sat down. ‘That’s it?’

‘That’s it.’ I said shortly, picking up a textbook from the pile and sitting it in front of the blond. ‘Just open the book –’ I opened it. ‘– stamp the inside –’ I stamped. ‘– flip to the back –’ I flipped. ‘– stamp again.’ I stamped again. ‘If it has a jacket, stamp the inside of the jacket too. Stamped books go on the empty trolley; you’re here ‘til two.’

I dropped the newly stamped book onto the empty trolley before I sat myself back down in my own chair, intending to ignore Ashton for the rest of his stay here. But as I stole one last annoyed glance at Ashton, he was grimacing again.

‘Two?’ He asked, though I wasn’t sure it was really aimed at me entirely. Regardless, the whine annoyed me – probably more than it should have, but I really didn’t have time for this today. I was not in the mood.

‘I should make you stay ‘til halftwo, you know.’ I shot, unable to help the acid in my voice. ‘You were late by like thirty minutes.’

‘Yeah, you mentioned that.’ Ashton sighed, taking the first book from his full trolley very begrudgingly. ‘I just thought I’d be doing something a little more… interesting.’

There was no way this was real, like, he was not saying that right now. I’d never met somebody so obnoxious in my life.

‘Maybe you should have thought of that before you pulled whatever stunt landed you in here in the first place.’ I snapped back, and I watched as Ashton recoiled though he was smart enough not to comment.

‘Can I at least listen to some music while I do it?’ He asked with a slightly arched brow, gesturing to the headphones he’d just pulled from his pocket. I gave a small shrug but nodded.

‘Yeah, do whatever.’ I huffed and that was end of it.

With a tense silence falling between us – finally– I was able to turn back to my computer and finish sending out the emails I needed to. Despite how annoyed Ashton had made me, it was surprisingly easy to tune him out. He found a kind of rhythm for his stamping that sort of set the pace for the afternoon. It was a little slow, but it was better than him giving lip and annoying me with actual words. I would take it, I decided, and used the constant thudding to gently guide me into my own rhythm until the sound was nothing but dull background noise.

I’d progressed from emails to homework over the course of time, but when a literary analysis failed to peak my interest I moved on to a piece of writing I was in the middle of brainstorming for the school magazine. I didn’t contribute to the VCA Focus often, but the Autumn Edition was going to be published soon and the Editor in Chief, Rae, actually came to me and asked if I would write something to be featured.

It was an honour, really, I’d never actually been askedto write before. Usually I submitted things on a whim. They were weirdly popular, my pieces. I saw my poems and flash fiction pieces being talked about on the school forums and in classes more often than I thought they would. It was flattering – and exhilarating at the same time since nobody (except for Rae) knew that those pieces belonged to me.

I was never sure why, but it never really appealed to me to have my name out there. Part of it was that whenever I was writing I seemed to just dissociate from my regular self and become somebody else, and I felt like if I ever put my name onto my pieces I would lose that part of me forever. TD wasn’t Tillie Daniels. She was somebody else who didn’t know anything but writing for writing’s sake.  

It wasn’t the cleverest of pseudonyms, but it was enough. There were an infinite number of students in this school with the same initials, so I still felt safe. I felt insured.

This particular piece was starting to do my head in a little bit, though; it felt like I’d been ‘brainstorming’ for days. Rae had said the theme for the Autumn Focus was something along the lines of “longing” and “desire” – but I wasn’t really sure if I was supposed to take that literally or not. Then there was the added problem that I didn’t usuallycorrespond to any particular theme when I wrote. I just wrote whatever came to me in the moment, or whatever felt right, and the Focus usually accepted anything I submitted because there wasn’t usually a set theme in mind. Rae was introducing a new system this year, for some reason, and whether she knew it or not she was messing with my own system (or, you know, lack thereof).  

I was immersing myself into research and definitions, as time went by, and before I knew it, Ashton was tapping me on the shoulder and bringing my attention back to earth.

‘It’s two.’ He said simply and flatly. I just stared blankly, stealing a glance back at the monitor and then back to Ashton who was staring at me almost impatiently from where he stood on the other side of the half-full trolley of books.

‘Okay?’ I twitched my eyes ever-so-slightly, thinking Ashton would have just gotten up and left on his own. But he didn’t, he just kept staring.

‘Can I go?’ He tried again as he made a quick gesture in the direction of the library exit. I gave a nonchalant shrug and nodded.

‘Yes?’ I half-mumbled and Ashton rolled his eyes and left. I huffed, watching him sling his bag back over his shoulder and turn on his heel to wander with that obnoxious walk he had going on. I was still scowling when he turned to call over his shoulder.

‘See you tomorrow, I guess.’ He said, and he already sounded defeated.

‘Whatever.’ I muttered again, but he was already out of earshot, almost moseying out of the doors.

[ Snapshot Masterlist | Next chapter ] 

[necrokittytales]

Necrokitty Tales: Trouble in Inkwell Isle (Chapter 20)

Authors’ note: Necrida’s writing will be in italics and SPKC’s writing with be regular font.If you have no idea what this roleplaying thing is, you can start from the beginning here.

Goopy and the children walked down the first path, doing their best to remain optimistic. They were a little bit slow what with Harvey’s sprained ankle.

Mina helped Harvey to walk along the path, trying to think of a silver lining to this. Yet, she couldn’t help but wonder what Spike meant earlier when he said he had other scarier things to worry about. She was starting to feel guilty for dragging them all into this mess.

“Guys, I’m sorry for bringing you here. I didn’t thought it would be THIS scary,” the little bat said softly, looking at the mirrors around them.

Harvey softened at Mina’s apology. “That’s okay, Mina! It’s not your fault. I’m glad we get to hang out together at least.”

Hannah giggled. “If you two could beat up a grumpy flower, a clown isn’t that scary,” she pointed out

Spike roared with laughter. “Beppi’s just a balloon with legs, you babies.” The children and Goopy stopped at another branching path. This time it went two different ways. “Huh, looks like a fork in the road,” Goopy mused. He turned to the kids. “Alright, stay here, kids. I’m going to check one of the paths.” He started toward one of the paths before turning back to look at the children. “Don’t move, got it?” The children nodded and he nodded. The ball hopped down one of the paths and was soon out of sight. The children waited a minute before Spike started heading for the other path. Hannah hopped up. “Mr. Le Grande said we were supposed to stay put!” The little rabbit protested. Spike snorted. “That’s BORING. Come on, Mina! You and me right now go down the other way and see who really is a scaredy-cat here.” Harvey looked at Mina. “Don’t do it, Mina.” Spike laughed again. “Too scared to come huh? I didn’t know those bat wings were chicken wings. Bawk! Bawk! Bawk!” He taunted, flapping his arms.

Mina glowered angrily at Spike. If there was one thing she hated most in the world, besides broccoli, it was being called chicken. “I’ll show YOU chicken wings!” She started walking the path, turning back toward Harvey and Hanna. “You stay here!” she ordered to the bunnies, “if we find the exit, we’ll yell!”

Harvey watched his friend leave with Spike and groaned. “Oh gee, I was really hoping we could go play some games after this.”

Hannah hopped up and down. “Don’t feel too bad. Just think about what you wanna do for my birthday next week!” She suggested with a giggle. Harvey stopped feeling bad for himself. Oh yeah. Hannah’s birthday was coming up. He had just enough money to buy her the sewing needles too! It helped that Mina had stood up to Spike and not let him take his lunch money. He relaxed at that and looked over at his sister. “Oh yeah! You think mom is gonna make you a carrot cake?” “I want a blueberry cake!” “You better tell mom that now because I think she’s making you a carrot cake.” “Ah! No, I want blueberries!” Hannah walked over to the mirrors and started making faces in them. “Hey, I can make my face all squishy in these!” She started giggling. Harvey walked over to his sister and look in the mirror as well. “Hey, you’re right!” The two bunnies started making faces to their reflections together, unaware of the dark figure creeping up behind in the mirrors.

— Sullivan walked next to Amber, looking everywhere, hoping nothing else would try to attack them. The bear was terrifying enough without some other monster trying to get them. He wondered if this was a good moment to ask about her lockpicking abilities. He didn’t wanted to think about it, but maybe Porkrind was right about her… Was she the thief? He cleared his throat, trying to think of a way to casually bring up the topic. “T-thank you for breaking my fall… that was pretty impressive,” he added, watching her hopefully.

Amber realized she might blow her cover if she wasn’t careful. “Oh yeah! When you do interior work for some of those older houses, sometimes the floor just gives out, you know?” She tried with a silly giggle.

She gave him a gentle nudge. “But hey, thanks for trying to not let me hit the ground like a pancake, that was really nice of you. Maybe after this, we could do something more fun,” she suggested with a wink. Even fearful adrenaline was adrenaline and there were quite a few adult ways she’d like to use it up.

Every doubt Sullivan had about Amber banished from his mind as she winked at him. She was so lovely! He couldn’t help but turn really red at the idea she suggested. He felt the butterflies in his tummy again and couldn’t say another word without turning into mumbling nonsense.

Amber continued to walk when she suddenly felt her fur stand on end. She looked around, her face contorted in concern. “I have a really bad feeling about this.” She continued walking but let out a small, scared squeak as she spotted something in the mirror next to her. It was a thick, closed, wet burlap sack. Before she could stop herself, she instinctively hissed at it and clung closer to Sullivan. She didn’t like that sack.  

Sullivan was startled by her change in demeanor and looked to see she was indeed hissing at something. “What! What is-?” He looked at the reflection in the mirror as Amber clutched deeper on his arm. “I-it’s just a sack!” He exclaimed, try to assuage the irritated feline.  

“These magic mirrors are a bit busted if they think a bag can scare us,” he chuckled nervously, trying to lighten up the mood.

“Bags like that are bad news. That’s why I only use nylon bags,” she spat angrily, looking at the bag very distrustfully. She resisted the urge to scratch at the bag and instead continued to growl under her breath.

— Grim waited until the others walked down their respective paths and started walking the last one with Bon Bon.

“I-I hope they’ll be ok,” he sighed, looking at his deformed reflections in the mirrors. “B-beppi really overdid it with t-this ride!”

And that might work in his favor, he thought. Bon Bon might ask him to have a sleepover after all and he would be able to recover that stupid letter he drunkenly wrote.

The Baroness walked alongside the dragon, silently fuming to herself about what she’d do to Beppi if she got her hands on him. First, she’d strap him to a table with licorice and cut off each of his limbs with a candy corn saw. And then she would remove his head and put him in her trophy room with his mouth sewed up so he couldn’t make any more dumb jokes. She realized Grim was speaking. “I’m sure everyone will be okay, a bit spooked probably.” They continued to walk by warped mirrors and the Baroness glanced in a few of them. “I failed to see how my own reflection is supposed to scare me though.” She walked by one mirror, glanced in it, only to stop and look again.

Grim sighed hoping the Baroness was right and they will all be ok. He couldn’t help but look at his reflection in the mirrors around them only to freeze in fear.

Bon Bon stared at the mirror in disbelief. It was another dragon. A rather scary looking one with fire and teeth. It almost looked like it was moving. She scoffed at it, even as she thought she could hear the mirror growl. So that was Beppi’s game? Magic mirrors. It only made sense if he got them from Djimmi. She’d have to pay a personal visit to the genie tomorrow about selling anything to Beppi. She could hear someone childishly giggling and turned to see Beppi hopping up and down in one of the mirrors. “You really think I’m scared of a dragon?” She tsked. “Oh, not YOU!” The clown cackled. “Then who-?” She stopped as she heard some quiet whining. She turned to Grim to see the dragon very worried indeed. “Grim?”

Grim tried to hold himself but the vision of the terrifying dragon was just a painful reminder of what HE was supposed to be…and what he still could become. “N-n-no…” he muttered to himself. “You’re n-not real… I’M NOT LIKE YOU!” He roared fearfully. He broke the mirror with a quick devastating whip of his tail, sending shards of crystal glass everywhere.

– Spike and MIna walked down the empty rows of mirrors. He glanced at the bat. He had to admit. He was slightly impressed that the girl still wanted to do this. But she was a girl. And girls cried just as much as little boy bunnies. He looked over at the mirrors on the side and his hackles raised slightly. With the distorted images on the mirror, he almost looked like his dad. A fact that did not make the bulldog pup very happy at all. His attention was taken away by the appearance of a very large mirror at the end of the hallway. “Last chance to go back,” he teased, pointing to the mirror up ahead.  

The little bat smirked at the pup and passed by him, walking towards the mirror. “Ha! You’re dealing with a bat here! I’m part of the spooky folk!” She said with her head held high. She looked the huge mirror up and down bravely.

Spike looked at the mirror and his smile dropped as something large materialized in front of him. He didn’t quite see it until the image brightened and his jaw dropped open in shock.

—-

Goopy sighed in disappointment as his journey came to a dead end. “Shucks, and I was real hopeful about this one,” he grunted. He was about to turn around but stopped. It looked a bit too suspicious to be just a dead end. He stuck his hand through the walled off way only for the wall to give way like a curtain, revealing the exit. He grinned. “Well, Goops, looks like you did it again. Better go back and collect everyone before someone gets really spooked!” He congratulated himself, turning around. A little girl’s scream made him stop before he barreled down the path. Crud, Hannah must have gotten spooked. He better go check this out.

–

Harvey’s ears perked up and he turned around at the sound of an unfamiliar noise. “Hello, is someone there?” He called out. There was nothing there, just the empty mirrors looking back at him.

He shrugged and turned back to continue making faces with his sister only to see a monstrous looking figure in the mirror in front of them. He squeaked in alarm and pulled Hannah back away from the surface. The figure looked just like Spike. A scary, spooky form of Spike. The deformed dog laughed and laughed as his reflection spread across all the mirrors surrounding the rabbits. “G-Go away!” Harvey yelled at the laughing dog reflection. Hannah clung to him, burying her face into his side. The figure seemed to get even bigger and Harvey shakily reached into his coat, pulling out the training wand. “I’m warning you! I’ll make you go away!” He ordered. A really loud roar sent the rabbit into fumbling and muttering over the chant before dropping the wand, but the spell had been cast. A yellow bunny skull shot forward and connected with the mirrors before sinking into the reflection like a puddle of water. The figure looked really confused before it completely vanished, leaving the rabbits alone. Harvey let out a shaky weak chuckle. “Oh, oh that actually worked.” “Harvey!” A familiar voice yelled “Agh!” The little bunny nearly jumped 10 feet in the air before turning around to see Goopy rapidly approached them. “Mr. Le Grande?” “Is everyone alright? I heard Hannah screaming!” Goopy explained, kneeling down to check on the little rabbit Hannah unhurried her face from her brother’s overalls. “I wasn’t screaming,” she answered the adult. Goopy’s brow furrowed.  “Well, if you weren’t screaming, then who-?” A high pitched scream broke out again and now everyone jumped and ran toward the noise.

– Spike covered his mouth in horror at his second scream. He didn’t dare look at Mina, instead keeping his eyes staring at the figure in the mirror. “This-this looks just like my dad,” he finally managed, looking up at a scary bull dog in the reflection. His eyes remained wide and glassy still. “My aunt says I can come live with her but, my dad, he’s just tough on me to make me strong,” Spike tried to explain, not daring to look away from the reflection. Mina understood now. His father! Spike’s father was the reason he had turned into a bully. 

The bulldog was shaking now. “Please tell me you see it too?”

“Spike! It’s ok! It’s not real!” She tried to calm him down, hugging him with her wings, protecting him from the view of the mirrors.

“Pa is gonna be real mad at me that I screamed,” the bulldog whimpered.

“Look at me! He can’t hurt you!” She looked at his glassy eyes. “We’re gonna go back. Don’t look at the mirrors! Focus on me.”

Spike nodded quickly at the bat’s instructions and swallowed hard, his eyes threatening to tear up again, but he seemed to understand.

Mina slowly uncovered him and holding his hand they walked the path they came from. They had only walked a few feet away before a heavy thump sent Mina’s ears rigid.

Spike blinked and nervously glanced behind them and stopped dead in his tracks. The warped looking dog was stepping out of the mirror with a snarl. The pup couldn’t run - he was frozen to the spot.

“You’ve been a bad dog,” the big dog growled, reaching two gruff paws out towards the terrified children, “And you know what we do with bad dogs…”

– Sullivan paused in his observation of Amber as he could hear the screams of the other group members break out from the other parts of the maze. This was even more of a reason to get going! The faster they found the exit, the sooner they could get out of here and bring help.

“Let’s just keep going,” Sullivan finally stated, determined to keep walking past the mirror. He took a few steps in front of Amber to check the way, hoping to see nothing but their reflections from this point on. Amber looked like she was about to say something to his request only for her voice to die in her throat as the bag fell out of the mirror and slumped to the ground. This was just supposed to be a reflection! She remained rooted to the spot, hoping the bag would just stay there, even though she swore she could feel cold water up to her neck. The bag flopped to the ground before slowly slithering toward the salamander, who hadn’t seen it fall from the mirror. Its hole opened up to as if to eat Sullivan and Amber snapped out of her dark memory. She pulled out her gold claws and viciously attacked the bag, tearing into it with her clearly illegal weapons. It tried to roll away but she wasn’t having it, fur flying everywhere as she continued to attack the snake like bag.

The salamander heard the noise of cloth being torn apart and turned his head to see what the heck was going on. He froze when he saw the snake like movements of the once inanimated sac. Of all the creatures in this world, it had to be a snake, twisting around as his beloved Amber attacked it fiercely with her claws and… were those knives?!

“A-Amber!” He manage to yell and run towards her. He grabbed her paw and pulled her off of the terrifying creature. “We’re going back!!!” He shouted, tugging her in the direction from whence they came.

She was swearing an awful lot. She might not be a sailor but she certainly had the mouth of one. Amber threw one last knife at the ruined bag before allowing Sullivan to drag her toward where they came from.

—-

“I told those two to stay put!”

Goopy was very disappointed, but honestly not that surprised that Mina and Spike had charged off into the unknown. Those two were full of plucky energy, just like he was when he was just a small slime. But still, he was already planning on what he was going to say when he found the two small mammals. He led Harvey and Hannah down the path the other two had taken only to stop short. In front of Spike and Mina was a giant unfamiliar dog he had never seen before. It didn’t look friendly either. “Mina! Spike! Duck!” He hollered, winding up his fist.

Mina fearfully held onto Spike, not sure what to do, until the familiar voice of Goopy brought her back. She pulled her friend down to the ground with her.

And not a moment too soon. The second the children dropped to the ground, Goopy sent a fist flying, colliding with the dog monster, sending it stumbling back and falling into the mirror. Another quick punch shattered the mirror into pieces, leaving the group alone. “Is everyone okay?” Goopy wearily asked, completely forgetting whatever disciplinary speech he had prepared as he surveyed the children.

Hannah punched the glass just for good measure only to draw her little paw back with an “ow.”

“Mina! Are you okay?” Harvey asked, darting to his friend’s side. “What happened?”

The little bat tried to talk but she could only mumble nonsense as she was still scared.

“I’m gonna take this as a yes.” Goopy knelt down. “C'mon, we need to head back. We can catch up later.”

The little bat nodded and helped Spike back to his feet. The two followed Goopy, still shaky from the experience. –

Bon Bon waved her arms. “Grim! Stop!” But the dragon was panicked and continued to smash. He wasn’t listening to her! And there was no way she could, nor would she really want to, take down her much more physically impressive friend.

She saw Beppi laughing within his mirror and reached in to punch the glass…only for her hand to slide through the mirror and actually grab the clown by the shirt. He looked equally surprised by this development. “Uh, wait a second-?” The Baroness grinned darkly. She pulled him out and pinned him to the ground. “Stop the mirrors,” she demanded.

“You’re so forward!” Beppi chuckled, fanning himself.

Only once all but one of the mirrors were destroyed did Grim finally settle down. He panted sharply, trying to recover his wits. He spotted Beppi on the floor with Bon Bon on top of him, and his anger stirred back up again. His eyes started turning black and white and smoke came out from his nostrils. “You…” he growled. Beppi waved at Grim. “Hey buddy, having a good date so far?” He asked pleasantly, either unaware of the danger or entirely dismissive of it. Bon Bon lifted Beppi to his feet and nearly shoved him into the only intact mirror behind him, the nozzle of her candy cane shotgun jammed against his chest. “You think this is really funny, huh, Chuckles?” Beppi shrugged. “I think it’s pretty hysterical to be honest. Plus, you two should be totally thanking me! Can’t get anymore cozy than being trapped in a maze, am I right?” “Thanking you?! Grim is freaked out!” Bon Bon growled. “Imagine how I feel? Totally didn’t see that coming you getting me through the mirror!” He exclaimed. He leaned in toward her. “How’d you do the magic trick? That’s super cool!” Beppi marveled, holding onto her arm. “I have no idea what you’re talking about! But you better put a stop to this right now!”

Grim’s mouth lit up with a spark as he saw nothing but red. He  took a deep breath, about to release a powerful flame.

Bon Bon could feel the heat behind her and quickly turned around, alarmed to see Grim aiming for them. She held out a hand once more. “Grim, wait! We can’t set the place on fire! They’re still kids here!” She yelled at him. Beppi giggled. “Looks like he really has the HOTS for you!” Bon Bon turned on Beppi once more and now the nozzle of her gun was under his chin. “One more joke, Beppi and I’ll-I’ll…” Her eyes widened as she looked behind the clown. Beppi grasped the gun and peeked inside before looking at the pale Baroness. “What’s wrong, sugar? Something on my face?” He started to laugh only to stop when a claw reached out from the mirror behind him and wrapped around his waist. He looked down. “Huh. This wasn’t the plan at ahhhh!” He was yanked into the mirror with a squeal and the Baroness felt herself jerked toward it as well, too surprised to let go of her candy cane gun.

Grim’s flames barely licked the mirror before he could swallow them back in shocked surprise as Beppi and Bon Bon were dragged into the mirror. He charged the shimmering surface angrily. “Bring her back!” He yelled, puffing out his chest. “I will turn your entire carnival into ashes! WITH YOU IN IT!”

He had barely managed a scratch before something massive and reptilian shot from it, knocking down an angry, surprised Grim.

It was the dragon from the mirror, now even more bedazzled and luminous than before! The magic of the mirror must have influenced its appearance. Yet, despite its glittering exterior, the dragon retained its ferocity, spinning and swinging around wildly, growling and snapping at everything. Another spin revealed its two captives, Bon Bon and Beppi, held tightly in its massive paws. “Let us go!” Bon Bon growled, kicking out at the air but the dragon didn’t listen. It continued striking its tail around, smashing the mirrors. “Oh, come on! Those are expensive!” Beppi complained, even as the dragon started to open its wings. Before anyone could say anything else, the mirror dragon gave one flap, before jetting down the hallway, back toward the center of the maze.

Grim finally snapped out of it as he heard Bon Bon’s yelled echo down the hall where the mirror dragon took off. “Bon Bon!” was the only thing he had time to say before the crystallized creature was out of sight, and with it, the Baroness. He frowned and exhaled a huge cloud of smoke before gathering the courage to flap his wings and follow the dragon as fast as his wings could carry him.

–

Goopy hadn’t really wanted to run toward danger, or rather bounce to it. But it sounded like Grim was in trouble and the last thing the goop needed was to have to carry a massive lizard out. He hopped back to the start of the path and motioned everyone down just as Sullivan and Amber hurried onto the clearing. “Hey, old sport! Attacking any reflections lately?” He asked of the salamander with a grin.

Sullivan gaped at him. “You too?” He pointed behind them. “We ran into a crazy snake-sack down that path. How do we get out of here!?” He hold his head in disbelief. “You guys are okay, right?” He asked, turning to the children. Mina was still a bit shocked for what just happened but she managed to nod, still clutching Spike’s hand.

Hannah crept over to Harvey. “Did we do this?” She whispered, worried that Harvey’s spell had done more than they had anticipated… “I-I don’t know!”  Harvey bit his lip. “I didn’t mean to! I just was trying to make it go away!” He whispered back.

The other members of the party were unaware of the quiet exchange. Another loud howl from Grim did get their attention.

“Sounds like Grim is in trouble,” Sullivan shakily spoke, looking worriedly toward the third path that now had smoke practically billowing the entire hallway. A draconian silhouette started push through the smoke.

The salamander sighed in relief. “Oh! Here they come! Grim! What’s going oOAAH!!” He screamed at the sight of an unfamiliar dragon barreling toward them.

The group flattened themselves as the terrifying shiny dragon thundered over them, carrying something yelling within its claws.

Amber was one of this first to lift her head back up from where they all flattened themselves on the ground. “Hey, was it just me, or was that dragon carrying the princess and the clown just now?” “I think so?” Spike finally managed. Goopy looked back toward the smokey path only for his eyes to widen. “Duck!” This time everyone hit the deck once more as now Grim roared over them as he pursued the dragon.  Everyone looked at each other once more and chased after the two. There was a loud crash as the crystal dragon broke through a wall, followed shortly by Grim and the rest of the maze runners.

—-

There was lots of excited shouting and yelling in the carnival. Families and couples still walked and ran around, enjoying the delicious fried goods and circus games. It had been a stellar opening to be sure and there was still some time before the circus ended for the night.

The line for the haunted mansion was still pretty long. As the next group hesitantly started to walk in, they couldn’t help but stop at the sound of loud roaring and banging. The people in line looked at the mansion curiously only to see a large crystal dragon break through the wall and blitzed into the carnival. There was a quiet moment before the line members grew excited. “The haunted mansion looks way scarier this year!” One line goer noted as he watched the dragon charge away. “Definitely better than the bed sheets!” Another one agreed, now even more eager to enter the haunted attraction. The mirror dragon spun and thundered through the crowds, much to the unexpected delight and surprise of the islanders at “one of the most realistic attractions yet!” A massive flap of its wings sent the dragon to the top of the ferris wheel. It dug its back nails into the metal frame, grinding the ride to a shaky halt. The people still on the ride looked up, confused by the new development. Was this part of the ride? They didn’t remember this from last year.

Grim had dashed through the now open hole, followed closely by Goopy, Harvey, Hannah, Mina, Spike, Sullivan and Amber. The group looked around. Mina stood near her friends trying to make sense of what was going on and happy to finally make it out. Amber pointed to the top of the ferris wheel. “Look! Up there! That dragon thing got both of them…uh, that’s them, right?”   “I think so!” Sullivan realized, alarmed that Amber’s observation earlier was correct. “W-what do we do? What CAN we do?” Mina turned to Harvey, remembering that her friend’s father was a magician. “You think your dad can make it disappear?” Harvey squinted his eyes and looked up. “He-he won’t be here for at least another hour or so!” He explained. He pulled his ears worriedly. “Oh man, this is all my fault!” “Don’t say that, Harvey!” Hannah insisted. “You were just trying to be a good brother!” Spike looked over at the rabbits. “Whaddya talking about? Why is it his fault?” Harvey looked abashed. “I-I tried to use my wand to make it disappear and I just made it come out of the mirror instead…” Goopy, Sullivan and Amber were trying to brainstorm, once again oblivious to the children’s’ conversation. “I don’t think Grim is going to be able to listen to anyone while he’s like this!” Goopy pointed out. “We gotta get him to calm down otherwise he might just set fire to the ferris wheel!” Amber noted, watching the green dragon warily who circled around the ride dangerously, “Sully, got any ideas on how to stop Grim?” A high pitched scream broke out from on top of the ferris wheel and Amber bit her lip.“Oh man, I can hear Bon Bon screaming. She must be real scared,” Amber groaned, looking up. Goopy grimaced. “That-that was not the Baroness…” – “Shut up, Beppi!” The Baroness yelled, attempting to kick the shrieking clown but she was too far away to successfully do anything to him. “There’s so much I wanted to do! Drive a real car. Made of rubber and float it across the lake! Have my first kiss with a meringue pie and not just a lemon pie! Blast myself out of the cannon!” Beppi wailed. The Baroness rolled her eyes. “Will you just-?” She let out a startled shriek of her own as the dragon abruptly dropped her. It was only her quick reflexes that led her to grabbing the metal bar next to it attached to the ferris wheel. She tried to pull herself up but she was fatigued and only able to wrap her arms around it tightly. “Shit, shit, shit!” She openly swore now. The mirror dragon stomped up and down, shaking the entire ride and Bon Bon held on for dear life as Beppi continued to lament his missed opportunities.

Grim circled the ferris wheel, his eyes narrowed with anger. Everytime he tried to get closer to rescue Bon Bon, the mirror dragon took a swipe at him jostling and shaking the ferris wheel even more - loosening the Baroness’ precarious grip.

After a third attempt that brought him too close, the dragon managed a snap at his neck. At the frustrated cry of pain, Grim’s other two heads sprouted forth from his shoulders.  "No more games!“ He shouted. All three heads spat fire towards the dragon, avoiding the Baroness, and with any luck, toasting the clown as well.

The mirror dragon rocked the ferris wheel back and forth and with each movement, the attraction became more unsteady. The Baroness was furious when the dragon bit Grim and she landed a good hit on one of its paws. Unfortunately, that only angered the dragon and before she could react, the mirror dragon gave one good stomp on the ferris wheel and she lost her grip. She managed to grab the spoke of the ferris wheel a few feet below the angry dragon with two hands but it was slipping fast between her fingers.

“AH!” She yelled, realizing her situation was quickly looking grim, and not the way she would have liked.

—

“We’re running out of time,” Goopy realized, watching the Baroness slipping.

“How the hell are we going to calm down Grim?” Amber asked.

“Eeeehhh…. ” The salamander looked around, trying to find ideas. The only thing he knew that could calm the dragon was Bon Bon herself. But with her in danger, it was only a matter of time before Grim became frustrated enough to miss and really do some damage. “W-what if…evacuate the carnival? Maybe call the fire department!” He exclaimed as he watched a fireball bounce of one of the rails.

Mina scratched her chin before snapping her fingers. “I know what we can do!!” She yelled to her friends.

She hit the palm of her hand with her fist “If we can distract the bad dragon, we can give a chance to our dragon to rescue the princess and Harvey can send that dragon back to the mirror!” She turned eagerly toward her friends. “Spike, how good are you with a slingshot?”

Spike grinned maliciously. “I’ve hit a couple nerds off a tree before in front of their moms!” He bragged before clearing his throat. “Uh, yeah I’m good with it. You got your magic stick, rabbit?”

Harvey patted down his jacket. “I-I don’t have the wand!” He realized, “I must have dropped it in the maze!” He started to panic but Hannah thrust something else in his hand. He looked to see it was a churro. “Hannah, now is not the time to eat!”

Hannah shook her head. “No! Maybe you can use something that’s like the wand!” She insisted, pushing the churro back to his hand. “It’s sparkly, right?”

“I think that’s just the sugar-?” Harvey tried to explain but Spike give him a push.

“Just go with it.” He turned to Mina. “Alright, whaddya want us to do?”

The little bat couldn’t help but chuckle at the idea of making magic with a churro, but it was worth a try.

Mina dropped to her knees and began to draw on the ground. “Ok! Here’s the plan: Spike and I will go get slingshots and fire crackers and throw them at the bad dragon every time he tries to hurt anyone! While we distract him, Hannah and Harvey, you’ll get up the wheel and use your ‘wand’ to make him freeze or, just get rid of him!”

She heard Grim’s terrifying growl and realized they didn’t had much time. “GO!!!” She yelled, already running with Spike to gather what they needed.

Harvey made one step toward the ferris wheel only to stop. “How are we gonna get close enough? None of us can fly,” Harvey realized.

“And we can’t climb too good!” Hannah added.

Hannah, pointed to the cat. “Can we ask her to climb?”

“Worth a shot.”

–

Another slam of the crystal dragon’s tail against the metal structure sent the Baroness’ grip to just one hand. “Grim! Help” She desperately called out to her friend, knowing she couldn’t hold out much longer.

“Bon Bon!” All Grim’s heads yelled and the green dragon dove towards the baroness. The mirror dragon attempted another strike at Grim, but this time, he was ready for it. Right before the crystal claw could make contact, Grim did a last minute flip and pushed the mirror dragon backwards making him lose its balance, freeing the path towards BonBon.

He passed one of his heads through the metal bars and reached BonBon as she finally lost her grip. She fell onto Grim’s head and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. The other two heads kept an eye on the mirror dragon who had recovered his stand, ready to keep fighting.

Bon Bon tapped Grim. “The wheel won’t take both of your weights, we need to get down!” She ordered, pointing to the ground. She glanced over at Beppi who was still being rather dramatic about the whole thing. “I’ll deal with Beppi later,” she assured Grim.

Grim nodded, just happy to see the Baroness was safe. He withdrew himself from the wheel and  quickly descended towards the ground. The other heads approached Bon Bon.

“Oh thank God you’re ok!”

“It didn’t hurt you, did it?”

“You’re so strong!”

“Sorry it took me so long…”

– “You want me to what?” Amber stared at the children. “Harvey made him come out of the mirror with magic,” Hannah explained, “So we need to magic him back into the mirror!” Amber groaned. “Fine, fine. But I can’t take both of you. I can only take one.” Hannah was about to step forward but Harvey pushed her back. “I’m going, okay?” “Harvey!” “No buts.” Hannah pouted as Harvey approached Amber. “I’m ready.” Amber eyed Sullivan. “Gimme just a sec.” She strode over to the salamander and pulled him close to her. “Sully, I just wanna say you are the nicest possible serial killer I ever went out with.”

Before Sullivan could say anything, she pulled him into a passionate smooch hard enough to make Harvey shut his eyes before letting go of the amphibian. She pulled the clawed knife out of her pocket and sliced her skirt up to the thigh, allowing her more free movement of her legs. She gave a final wink to Sullivan before Harvey leapt onto her back and she proceeded to climb the ferris wheel. Goopy watched her go. “What did you say she was? An interior designer?” He asked, a bit gobsmacked.

Sullivan’s eyes widen and stood there like a statue with a silly smile for a few moments before her words clicked in. “Wait… did she called me a serial killer?”.

–

Mina and Spike dumped their haul on the ground and started putting it together, They had quickly amassed quite an arsenal: a couple of slingshots, some big firecrackers, some matches she had hidden within the folds her dress…definitely things that children shouldn’t be playing with. Which just made it all the more exciting.

“The princess is safe!” Mina exclaimed happily, “So all we gotta do is distract that bad dragon!”

Spike dumped the firecrackers at Mina’s and his feet. “Aw, I really wanna hit the clown,” he grumbled but notched up his slingshot with a lit firecracker.

Mina chuckled at Spike. “Resist the temptation” and threw firecrackers near the mirror dragon hoping to distract him.

– The cristal dragon hadn’t noticed Amber nor Harvey yet, but that didn’t mean anyone else was safe either. As soon as they realized that, the dragon reached down to paw at a couple in one of the carts to the side only to stop at the sound of some musical humming. It swiveled its head to see the clown humming to himself while applying lipstick. Beppi puckered his lips in his mirrored reflection of himself on the dragon. “If I’m going to play the damsel, I just HAVE to do things correctly, wouldn’t you agree?” He glanced down and squealed. “It seems my knight in shining armor is fast approaching too!” The dragon looked down to see Amber and Harvey closing in and growled. “Oops,” Beppi realized. The dragon reached down with its free hand to swat a struggling Amber when something detonated to the side of it. The dragon jerked up at the noise and looked around wildly only to hear something crackle to its other side. Spike and Mina continued to shoot the firecrackers as Amber and Harvey maintained their climb, successfully distracting the dragon. Spike whistled as Mina nearly landed a shot on its wing. “You’re pretty good at this,” Spike whistled, “maybe we can go toss crabapples at Mrs. White’s house next!” He laughed.

“Yeah, let’s put a pin on that!” Mina said to Spike, throwing another firecracker that nearly hit Beppi. She winced. “Oops, I gotta be careful!” – Amber’s eyes darted back and forth as she leapt side to side, quickly clamoring up the ride. “You got your magic wand ready?” She called as they got close. Harvey nodded and pulled out his churro. “Yeah.” “Is that a churro?!” Amber shrieked. “I couldn’t find the wand!” “Oh my God, we’re going to die…” the cat groaned quietly. “What?!” Harvey shrieked. “I mean, uh concentrate real hard, okay, Harvey? And maybe pray too just to be safe.” Harvey just hoped Goopy was watching Hannah. – Goopy had no idea where Hannah had gone. “Sullivan, did you see the little bunny? Sullivan?” He waved a mitt in front of the salamander’s face. Sullivan snapped out of it and looked at Goopy, a bit confused. “What? The kids? Amber?” He saw the dragon and the Baroness approaching “Oh! The Baroness is safe!” He paused, realizing the dragon only had one passenger. “What about Beppi?” Grim’s heads exhaled heavily toward the salamander, releasing some smoke, a warning that Sullivan quickly understood. Grim knew he shouldn’t leave Beppi but he was sore and tired and the last thing he wanted was for some lizard to tell him he had to go rescue him when he was the one who got them into this mess. He could only painfully flop on his belly and take joy in the fact that the Baroness stroked each of his heads. The sound of firecrackers got their attention and the adults saw Mina and Spike throwing firecrackers at the crystal dragon. “Well that’s a good idea!” Sullivan exclaimed, more than happy to get away from the sore dragon. He hurried towards Mina and Spike and joined them, throwing with much more accuracy at the crystal creature.

–

Beppi was starting to pout. “C'mon! Hurry up and save me already!” He whined to Amber and Harvey.

“I’ll give you something to save,” Amber growled under her breath as she neared the top. Now with more people throwing explosives, the dragon was certainly distracted…but so was Amber. A near crackle made her miss a particular beam and she really had to scramble to prevent her and Harvey from plummeting. Amber turned around as she reached the top. “Hey! Be careful down there, you almost hit us!” “Amber, watch out!” Harvey squeaked. The cat looked too late and had just enough time to push Harvey to the top before she was hit by the dragon. The cat landed with a thud on top of one of the suspended carts, dazed and not moving. The dragon advanced on the fallen cat now as Beppi started to boo the dragon. Harvey jumped in front of Amber, swallowed and held out the churro. “S-stay back! I’m warning you!” Harvey tried to bravely yell.

Beppi peered at the “wand.” “A churro? That’s a sweet way to beat a dragon!” He exclaimed.

The dragon edged closer, the firecrackers detonating harmlessly around it. Harvey planted his feet down and aimed the churro wand at the intimidating dragon. “It’s t-time to go back to your mirror!” The dragon roared and charged and Harvey yelled the magic words. A massive puff of brown and gold sparkles shot toward the charging dragon and hit it square in the chest. The dragon stopped and struggled to fly away, dropping Beppi next to Harvey in the process. It made it only about 30 feet in the air before the mirrored dragon shone a bright light and exploded into a fantastic display of colored sparks and smoke. The occupants on the ferris wheel were quiet for a moment before they burst out into deafening  applause. Harvey swore he could hear them remark on ‘one of the best fireworks displays ever,’ as he looked down at the churro in his paws. “I can’t believe that worked,” he breathlessly gasped. Beppi plopped himself next to Harvey with a manic grin. "Say! That was a lot of fun! How about you come back tomorrow night and explode more mirrors for me? The crowd will love it!” –

“I can’t believe that worked,” Spike gaped as he stood next to Mina, staring up at the night sky as the rainbow sparkles fell down like colorful snow.

Goopy whistled. “This has been one of the best nights I’ve spent at the carnival,” he admitted. He slapped Sullivan on the back. “Good job on those throws, old sport!” “A night like this must cost a fortune,” a gruff voice spoke up behind Goopy and Sullivan. The two turned to see Porkrind standing there, hoofs on his hips. He looked up and his eye narrowed, recognizing the thief as she started to stir.

Sullivan smiled at the view of his pall Porkrind but remembered why he was mad at him and decided to face him so he wouldn’t get to her.

Mina ran toward the ferris wheel and cupped her paws to yell up at her friend. “Harvey! You did it!” She gave him a thumbs up.

Harvey could hear Mina shouting at him and he looked down to see her giving him a thumbs up. He smiled widely at her. He looked toward Amber who was pushing herself back to her feet. “Amber, are you okay?” She groaned and stood up unsteadily. “Yeah, yeah, I’m okay…Just…uh,” She glanced down to see Sullivan…and Porkrind. She swore. “Hey, Harvey, you can get down from here, right?” “What? I don’t-I can’t-!” She smiled and waved. “Great! I’ll catch you later!” She waved once more at Sullivan before dashing across the ferris wheel, leaping onto another attraction and disappearing into the crowd.

Sullivan waved sadly at Amber and watched her run away. He sighed and put his hands on his pockets. “Next time I’ll take her for a simple walk on the park….”

Unfortunately, her fast departure had left poor Harvey and Beppi stranded up on top of the ferris wheel. Beppi walked her go before plucking the churro from the rabbit. “Thanks for the snack, kiddo. Sorry about your ride!” He sympathetically spoke, his mouth full of magical churro.

Harvey looked down and swallowed. “Aww man. I don’t want to climb down.” Beppi patted him on the back. “Here, hold my hand, I’ll get us down.” Harvey reluctantly held the clown’s hand and Beppi…removed his head and inflated it, string and all into a giant balloon. The rabbit just stared weirdly at him as they started to slowly float down. —

Bon Bon was oblivious to the sounds of applause and instead continued to soothe an exhausted Grim. She wasn’t sure how conscious the dragon really was but there was no way she was letting the poor guy try to sleep this off alone in his own tower. He needed to be watched and she was already calling in the arrangements to have the spare bedroom made up so he could rest easy, without some clown knocking on his door.

Grim shook his heads until there was only the main one left. He was really tired but he managed to stand up. He looked at BonBon. “I’m s-s-sorry it took me so long… you could have~"  The words died in his throat as he looked away.

Bon Bon shushed the dragon. "You were very brave, Grim, just rest. Is it alright if I have you stay at my place tonight? I just want to make sure you’re okay?” She quickly added, hoping no one overhearing her would get the wrong idea.’

The dragon smiled at the baroness. “I would love t-to sleep over… thanks” he said shyly turning slightly red. He was glad, after all they’ve been through he would be able to recover the stupid letter. For a moment he wondered how Cagney’s notreallyadate-date was going, only for his mind to go blank as the noble woman led him away, continuing to stroke his ears just the way he liked it.

–

Goopy, Spike and Mina met Harvey and Beppi on the ground. “That was great!” Goopy exclaimed, “A real group effort for sure!” Spike laughed and grabbed Mina and Harvey into a rough smacking hug. “You dorks are lame, but I had fun tonight. We should do this again. Especially the fire crackers!”

Harvey was just glad he wasn’t getting beaten up. He looked around. “Hey, wait, has anyone seen Hannah?” Mina hugged back, happy her plan had worked, although it really got out of hand. She looked around and found Hannah wandering towards them. “There she is!” She pointed “Hannah! Over here!”. “Hannah!” Harvey exclaimed happily as his sister bounded up to him. He swept her into a big hug. Hannah waved at Mina as she was smushed. “Thanks for saving my brother!” She exclaimed happily. He let go of her and she bounced up and down. “You were so cool!! Do you still have that churro?” Harvey shook his head. “No, I lost it too,” he admitted sadly, “Just like I dropped dad’s wand.” Spike gaped at him. “Aw man, I always wanted to eat a magic churro!” Hannah reached into her coat and pulled out the wand. “Don’t worry! I picked it up in the maze!” She reassured proudly, holding it aloft. Harvey broke into a relieved smile. “Really?! You’re the best, Hannah. You should probably give it to me for safety.” “Awww, okay,” Hannah pouted, handing over the wand to her brother. Harvey didn’t remember the wand being this hot before but he put it into his chest, just happy to get it back. Goopy gathered the kids together. “Alright, let’s get all of you monsters home. I’m sure your parents are going to have a lot of questions.”

Harvey didn’t even know how he was going to broach that topic with his parents. No doubt they were already really worried that they hadn’t heard anything from them yet…

—

Mrs. Hare sprawled out on the bed, blissfully exhausted next to her husband. “Whoof!” She exclaimed, “That was amazing, Hopus, amazing!” She pulled the rabbit against her and pressed butterfly kisses along his neck. Hopus hugged his wife. “Yes, sooo good,” he yawned happily. Mrs. Hare ran a paw along his chest. “You know, the kids won’t be home for another 30 minutes. If you want, we have time for one more. You could even wear the bow tie if you wanted.” Hopus chuckled. “Might not be able to handle the bow tie right now. Remember, last time we did it, that’s how we got Harvey.” Mrs. Hare blinked in confusion. “Harvey? That wasn’t Harvey.” “Really? Who was it then?” “It was…”

–

“Hannah!”  

The little rabbit blinked at her name and looked back as she waved goodbye to Sullivan. “Yeah?”

“Come on! I’ll give you a piggyback ride home!” Harvey offered, his ankle feeling a lot better. She jumped on her brother’s back with such a happy squeal that the kids couldn’t help but laugh as they began the trek home.

Hannah went to wrap her arms around her brother’s neck only to realize her fur had all been mussed up from their adventure. She brushed out her fur, pausing only once more to finishing straightening out the bright red bow on her head before burying her head into his back with a happy trill.

———–

CHAPTER 01,  CHAPTER 02,  CHAPTER 03,  CHAPTER 04,  CHAPTER 05, CHAPTER 06,  CHAPTER 07,  CHAPTER 08,  CHAPTER 09,  CHAPTER 10; CHAPTER 11; CHAPTER 12 ; CHAPTER 13 ; CHAPTER 14  ; CHAPTER 15; CHAPTER 16 ; (nsfw) CHAPTER 17 ; CHAPTER 18 ; CHAPTER 19 (nsfw) ; CHAPTER 20 (You are here)

[thehowlpod]

Episode 1 - Labradorable Transcript

Below is a full transcript of our first full episode. Sources can be found here

Hello, I’m Alaina and welcome to the very first full episode of the howl! 

Our story begins on an island off the eastern coast of canada sometime during the 1600s. You see, the people of Newfoundland had a problem. Fishing was a big deal around these parts, it provided both income and sustenance to a large portion of the population, keeping them fed and enabling them to afford whatever it was people in 15th century canada spent their money on...which is all great. The problem was that Canada is cold and fishing generally takes place in or around the water and assuming dying of hypothermia was not the goal that sounds like a pretty unfortunate mix. While researching this I ran across words like ‘frigid’ and ‘icy slurrys’ and ‘sub-zero’ all of which I want nothing to do with. 

What the fisherman of Newfoundland needed was a helping hand...or as luck would have it...paw. Dogs had always been an integral part of working life since they were first domesticated 20-40 thousand years ago so the concept was far from new. Most, if not all, of these men probably already had a dog or two who came to work with them regularly. The most popular available breeds was probably the most obvious; the newfoundland. Now Ill probably do a whole episode on these giant majestic slobber factories some other time but for now what is important to know is that while these babies were definitely built for the cold, harsh canadian landscape they are not exactly water-friendly. You see the thick, luscious fur that makes up their coat and keeps them nice and toasty on land has a nasty habit of weighing the animal down with freezing water and ice making them sluggish and uncoordinated. The second option was one of a number of smaller local working breeds brought over by settlers from wherever, most of which lacked the size needed for the labor-intensive job or the ability to deal with the wet, freezing conditions. 

How exactly it happened is anyone's guess. Apparently people were too preoccupied with not freezing to death to make a proper record or something. Whether it was a particularly innovative fisherman or a spark shared between a Newfie and an ambitious local working dog over evening scraps is lost to history but either accidental or by design the result was going to change the world forever. 

They were called ‘St. John’s Water Dogs’ or sometimes ‘Lesser Newfoundlands’ and they were like an answer to a prayer. Thick, short black coats that trapped heat but repelled water, with a characteristic white medallion on their chest these dogs quickly became some of the most common on the island. Medium sized but stocky they could easily bring in a fishing net or navigate the waters around a fishing boat with their powerful legs, webbed feet, and rudder-like tail. In addition to their physical prowess their friendly nature and intelligence quickly caught the eye of more than a few visitors.  Joseph Beete Jutes, a british geologist and naturalist, took notice in his book Excursions In and About Newfoundland During the Years 1839 and 1840 Vol. 1,

"These are the most abundant dogs in the country...They are no means handsome, but are generally more intelligent and useful than the others... I observed he once or twice put his foot in the water and paddled it about. This foot was white, and Harvey said he did it to 'toil' or entice the fish. The whole proceeding struck me as remarkable, more especially as they said he had never been taught anything of the kind." 

Now if you have never heard of a breed called the St. John’s water dog there’s probably two reasons for this. First, they don’t exist anymore. They went extinct in the early 1980s largely thanks to a tax meant to encourage sheep herding in the area. It limited the number of dogs a family could have and made owning a canine, particularly a female, to expensive for many locals. 

The second reason is that it isn’t actually a breed. It was never officially recognized by any national kennel club and thus no formal breed standards or records were made. Groups of animals who have been selectively breed but lack formal recognition are called landraces and it’s the selective breeding part that differentiates them from random strays or mutts. This also means that any standard breed or landrace is technically a genetically modified organisms which is fun. 

Now just because they aren’t physically with us anymore doesn’t mean they haven’t lived on in other ways. You see around the time Jutes was making his excursion, someone else took a faithful trip to the island of Newfoundland. A group of particularly sporty nobles, also from England, saw the Water Dogs at work and decided they absolutely HAD to have one too. These men brought a handful of lucky puppies back with them in hopes of creating the world’s greatest sporting dog...an ambition they actually achieved judging by the resulting breeds continued popularity with hunters and fishermen. The second Earl of Malmesbury was one of these lads and his son is credited as being the very first to begin actively breeding them.

In 1903 the Kennel Club recognized the group as an official breed, and the American Kennel Club did the same in 1917, though they were no longer called the St. John’s Water Dogs. The new breeds name was a homage to the Earl and his son and the original dogs they brought back with them all those years ago. You see the earls liked to show off what their dogs could do to friends and family and would affectionately refer to them as their ‘Labrador Dogs’, apparently uncaring that the canines came from Newfoundland and actually had nothing to do with Labrador. Geographical error or no the name stuck and the Labrador Retriever was welcomed into the club. 

Today Labs are the most popular breed in America, and have been since 1991. They are among the most versatile working dogs on the planet, employed as everything from guide dogs to drug sniffers to search and rescue. But more than their intelligence the breed is most famous for their unbelievably friendly temperament, making them fantastic family dogs and popular with young kids.

If all of this sounds like a dream come true there is no shortage of reputable breeders out their,  and unfortunately twice as many who arent. Always ALWAYS do your research before getting a dog of any kind, both of the breeder AND the breed. The more knowledge you arm yourself with when going into an interaction like this the better. Now my current dog, and all the dogs in my family, have always been rescues so my interaction with breeders is limited to the couple I have contacted in my current search for a new puppy, and I'm not in the market for a lab specifically, but i can pass on advice i got that helped me immensely. Always look at the parents, meet them if at all possible, and pay attention to temperament. With such a popular breed you have an almost never-ending list of possibilities, so if anything feels off or weird, pick someone else. One of the best ways to start off your search is to find someone with a lab who’s personality and look you like and ask them where they got them from, ask about how much follow-up they did, the application process, ect. 

Also pay attention to the KIND of dogs they produce. Now this doesn’t apply to all breeds but with labs and any other breed with such a versatile skill set its important to know what exactly you want your dog to do and what they are being bred for. If you own a lab you may have been asked whether your dog is of the American or the English variety. This can actually have nothing to do with country of origin, a misconception that has led the Labrador Retriever Club (the official breed club as recognized by the AKC) to denounce these terms. What it refers to is the sort of genetic line the dog comes from. American labs or ‘working line’ labs are generally smaller, bred to spend their life out in the fields and focused less on adhering to the strict official breed standard required to win a dog show. English labs refer to ‘show’ or ‘conformation’ lines and generally have the characteristic block head and wide stance. Its a difference of style. So if you see this on a breeders website its always a good idea to confirm if they are referring to origin or style. This is important if you are looking for a particular look as well as activity level. If you just want a dog as a family pet and friend for your kids look for a breeder who specializes in family pets. You dont really need or want to shell out the money for a champion line duck dog or best of show winner if they are going to spend their life lazing about your house. 

Knowledge can save you more than just a headache when it comes to puppy shopping, it can also save you quite a bit of money. Its kind of like shopping for a very cute car you also have to feed. Now I am not saying that breeders are sleezy or are trying to pull the wool over your eyes Most breeders are in the game for the love of the breed and out of a desire to spread that love.  but sales is, at the end of the day, about making money. Knowing what is and isn’t ‘special’ or whether the asked amount is actually what your possible pup is worth can be priceless. The best example of this is the so called ‘silver’ lab. I have personally run into a number of people who have what they proudly proclaim is a ‘purebreed’ lab with a rare genetic mutation that gives their dog a gray or silver coat. Now, im not in the business of being the breed police and am not going to argue with them if thats what they want to think...but that doesn’t make it any less wrong. The only official colors, per the Labrador Retriever Club, that labs come in are yellow, black, and chocolate. It is genetically impossible for a pure bred labrador to be silver. Thats just science. If you want to read the exact genetic breakdown of why this is impossible, the Labrador Retriever Club as a pretty cool article I will post in my sources. Most likely what they have is a dog with a weimaraner somewhere in their family tree. And if thats what you want, or you just really like the look of the silver coat thats awesome. I mean weimaraners are crazy but thats neither here nor there. Im a huge fan of mutts, I think they are the best house pets anyone could ask for...just know thats what you are getting. A big part of a pure breed price tag is the fact that they are a pure breed, they have papers and a lineage, a carefully crafted history. Again, not to look down on mutts or silver labs, i'm just reporting the facts.

Physically labs are generally pretty healthy, if obtained from a reputable and responsible breeder, but there are a few things you want to look out for. Labs are at a higher risk of issues like hip or elbow dysplasia, heart disease, and some eye issues then some other breeds. The National Breeders Club recommends members test for genetic carriers of these issues in their breeding stock and if you dont see anything mentioned on a breeders website I would definitely ask. Bloat is another consideration, though this applies to any deep chested larger breed, and is immediately life threatening so talking to your vet about signs and symptoms is advisable. They also love food and will put pretty much anything in their mouths so keeping careful watch of their weight is a must, following the recommended feeding amounts on your food bag.  

There are a couple more things to keep in mind when looking into any breed you might want to welcome into your home. First, Grooming. Labs are double coated, with a water-resistant top coat and a warm, thick undercoat...which means they shed. Like a lot. So weekly, sometimes daily brushing is advisable but even with that expect to be doing more then a little vacuming and lint rolling...or be like me and just embrace you new fur covered life. Now I dont have a lab, but Tallmadge is a 110 lbs shedding machine who, like a lab, has a coat that sheds year round. But there is a point, usually twice a year, where a dog will blow out its coat, or shed away their winter or summer coat to make way for the next seasons hot new look. Luckily other then that and your regular nail trimming and teeth brushing (yes, you should be brushing your dogs teeth) they dont really need a whole lot of grooming. Maybe a bath every-so-often when they roll in something particularly gross or after a day splashing in the local river but thats it. 

Another big consideration is exercise. On their website the AKC or american kennel club makes the labrador retriever as needing a LOT of exercise and this is a recommendation I would take to heart for a number of reasons outside of the obvious health benefits of an active lifestyle. While labs sound like the perfect pup for any situation keep in mind that they are a working breed at heart. They thrive in an active and engaging environment, requiring regular outlets for their energy and intellect. 

Lab puppies and young adults are known to be some of the most destructive breeds if left understimulated. Im talking about demolishing furniture, eating clothes, digging up years, destroying walls. Yeah. walls. I had a student whose family finally brought me after he chewed through their back-door and took himself for a walk around the neighborhood while they were away. Most people blame this kind of activity on separation anxiety, and while I am NOT an animal behaviorist and thus cant definitely say it isn't signing your dog up for a training class or joining a local walking club is WAY cheaper then shelling out for a behaviorist. 

Now, the two main arguments I hear from lab parents are 1. We walk EVERYDAY sometimes for MILES and he still is crazy, or 2. I would LOVE to take him for a walk but Its a nightmare! She drags me around and barks at everyone! So, while walking is probably the most obvious form of exercise, or playing fetch or going to a dog park ect...these activities often ignore a huge part of why your dog might be acting out...they are BORED. Like with most intelligent breeds, if you don't give them something to occupy their mind, they will find a way to occupy it themselves. 

Puzzle toys or a kong are a great way to keep your dog engaged and focused, but the best way to work out their brain is something very VERY near to my heart. You guessed it...Training. But keep im mind their high trainability is a reference to their potential not their natural state, meaning you must teach them what you want them to do and if you do that they will generally excel. 

As a trainer I have had the pleasure of working with a number of labs, both from puppyhood on and starting as adults. It is always best to begin training as early as possible, BEFORE they can build any bad habits. Labs are mouthy, so working on proper socialization is a must. They are also known for being pretty glutinous, so treat based positive reinforcement generally works wonders, but focusing softening their mouth aka taking treats nicely, will save your hands a LOT of accidental pain later on. I also like to start working on leash manners a little earlier then normal with a lab. Breed standard for a full grown male lab is 65-80 ibs but its not uncommon to end up with a 100lbs + dog. Getting them to mind on a leash is WAY easier when you're not fighting against that much muscle. This is particularly true if you don't like the idea of using tools like prong collars or remote trainers and also want to keep your arms. 

A 10 min training session can be as good as a 30-40 min walk when it comes to tiring your pup out, and while I would love it if you went out and supported a local trainer or joined a training club its something you CAN do by yourself at home. Trick training is fun and there are tons of sights out there with great ideas and step-by-step instructions. You can even earn your dog official titles as a trick dog from the comfort of your own home! Or teach your dog to do something useful. Tallmadge can get his own leash, my shoes, and his food bowl on command and learned how in just three evenings (and hes not the most...motivated...dog in the world) Finally there is the fantastic world of dog sports, which I will be doing an episode on fairly soon but in the mean-time feel free to shoot me an email if you want any more info because I could quite literally talk about this stuff forever...which is why I have...you know...a podcast…

Before I start wrapping this up i do want to remind everyone that dogs are all individuals. This has been a quick overview of a breed made up of millions of different dogs with different personalities, temperments, and experiances. They are living creatures with their own minds and feelings, and though it is very easy to think of them as possessions or to anthropomorphize their actions or motivations its important to take a step back and realize what you are doing. Everything a dog does, it does from a reason, free or malice or alterior motive. As a trainer I see this constantly both in pet parents and in myself, and I see just how dangerous this thinking can be. Dogs of all shapes and breeds are surrendered to shelters for behavioral problems their former owners where simply to lazy to address or because they weren’t willing to make the simple changes to there lifestyle required. There are perfectly legitimate reasons for surendering a pet, and my heart goes out to anyone who has had to make that choice and know that what im about to say does not apply to you…

Getting a dog is a huge commitment. It is a living, breathing creature who relies on you for everything. If you make the choice to go out and get a dog, weither it be from a breeder or a shelter, you had better be ready to put in the work. If there is something your dog does that you dont like, its up to you to fix it. Go out, get help, do the work. There is no easy solution, not magic pill. Dropping your dog off with a trainer and letting them put in the time will NOT solve your problems. I am a professional, everything I do and say, everything down to the way I stands or how I give treats is carefully cultivated and refined over years, both by me and those I have learned from. Yes, I can help lay those foundations, but unless you pay attention, unless you are consistant and continue where I left off, it will be useless. Training is a process, not a destination. The work is never really finished. And if that sounds like a headache you would rather not deal with...dont get a dog. I have yet to meet a single untrainable dog...only untrainable parents.

But honestly there are very few of those too. Most people simply dont know how or what to do, which is what im here for! So thank you so much for spending this time with me and I hope you will come back again for our next episode. Im still new to all this so im not 100% set on a release schedule, or how long these episodes should be, or even what you want me to focus on so if you have any feedback absolutely feel free to hit me up on social or via my email, which I will lay out for you in a sec. Im going to start off with releasing episodes every two weeks, so every other monday, to give myself enough time to make the best show I can. Before the credits I wanted to share a quick current news story, and stay tuned after the credits for one last little fact.

So here we go;

On April 29th the Washington Post reported that the University of Pennsylvania is working on training 8 Labrador Retrievers to sniff out SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. According to the article, which I will link to in the show notes, it hasn’t been proven that this is possible yet but there is a fair amount of precedent. Dogs have been trained to sniff out things like drugs and other contraband and can even be used to detect other illnesses like malaria!    

Check back for the answers in our next episode, which will feature my personal puppy starter guide and help answer common questions new puppy parents often ask. 

So if you are a new dog-parent, or are about to get a dog and want any of your questions answered send me an email at thehowlpod@gmail.com. Same goes for any general question, topic requests, or if you just want to say hi. 

I also want to start a segment highlighting the real stars of this show...your dogs! If you want me to feature you and your pup send me an email, titled ‘Pack Pups’ to my email detailing you and your dogs love story, bonus points if you include pictures I can post on our instagram. Again the email is thehowlpod@gmail.com

This podcast is (obvious) free but if you want to help support me and by extension my four legged children I also run an Etsy shop called MonochromeFalconShop, all one word, where I sell stickers, keychains, and (more recently) face masks. I plan on adding some dog themed items as soon as I finish ironing out a few final design kinks. You can find me on etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/monochromefalconshop

This episode was written, researched and produced by me, Alaina York with additional moral support from Tallmadge and Meeko. Background cat sounds provided by Bumper. Full episode transcripts and list of sources can be found on our Tumblr; TheHowlPod.tumblr.com or in the google doc linked in the show notes. Follow us on Twitter @TheHowl and on Instagram @TheHowlPod. Please Rate, Review, and Follow if you feel like it and dont be afraid to say hi, I promise I dont Bite!

And finally, one last little treat;

Lab mixes are pretty common for obvious reasons and come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and colors. Its not weird to walk into a rescue shelter and see many of these sweet mutts. But the more you meet the more you may notice a bit of an odd pattern...you see the most common color found among labrador mixes is not the classic yellow, its black. And yes labs do come in black, but per breed standard its a solid, unblemished black. These pups have a tiny splash of another color, a color not associated with labs at all...white. Specifically a small patch of white on their chest, often referred to as a medallion...giving them a look very similar to a particular, now extinct landrace of dogs who’s friendly disposition and sportsman’s spirit captured the attention of a british nobleman and, through its descendants, still captivates the world. 

[sunlitroom]

Gotham s4e05 -  The Blade’s Path

As I watched it, and some random observations here and there.

Previously on Gotham.

Ed’s been defrosted, but he's lost his brilliant mind.  Harvey has a moment of overwhelming stupidity, and says he misses Falcone in earshot of Jim.  Sofia is a gangster, and she will take the city back from Oswald.  Barbara kills Butch, and then apologises.  The dagger is legendary.  Ra’s kills Alex.

As always, long post will be long - reaaally long.  There are likely to be rambling digressions. Gobblepot may appear (although I welcome all shippers and non-shippers alike :)).  There will be naked favouritism and naked not-favouritism. Broader comments at the end on plotlines and parallels and general direction.

 An unconscious Butch is being wheeled into an ambulance and called a 'vegetable' by two thoroughly unpleasant porters.  They say that he used to be a gangster called Gilzean, or Gold or something.  

(An aside – is pronouncing the ‘z’ something that happened when people emigrated to the States? That name would usually be said ‘Gillane’.)

Anyway, Butch has been 6 months in hospital, and they need to clear beds – so they’re going to dump him in a river. Bruce - sort out Gotham's public services instead of faffing about self-indulgently on rooftops.  The dreadful men tip Butch out into the river, indulging in evil cackling on a Garth Marenghi level of over-the-top-ness.

Butch floats downstream, but not in a nice, cool Tomorrow Never Knows way. From the radioactive sign on the cracked barrel we see, it’s more in a Blinky the three-eyed fish way

 GCPD. Jim strides into Harvey’s office and wants to know if anything heard about Ra’s. Harvey evades the question.  Jim frowns, and snatches at the paperwork.  Harvey is signing release papers.  Jim is furious – all the papers are for his arrests.  Harvey is equally infuriated, and asks what the hell he wants him to do?  Jim makes the arrest, and the Commissioner tells Harvey to reverse it.  Jim yells at him.

Do your job!

Harvey yells back – irate – that he is doing his job.  He omits to enquire whether running off to former gangsters and inciting crime is, in fact, Jim’s job, but I haven’t – so there we go.

A fight that was likely to brew into something more is interrupted by Harper, who says she has news about Ra's.

 Wayne Manor.  Alfred enters the study – and it turns out Bruce has sat up all night.  Alfred tries to address Alex’s death - but Bruce doesn't want to hear it.  Alfred says Ra’s held the knife – but Bruce is adamant that it was his hesitation that’s to blame.  He talks about the inscription on the handle, that the knife is intended for one who has bathed in the healing waters.  What if the knife is to be used not by him, but against him.

They think that Ra's wants to destroy the knife to ensure he can’t be killed.  Alfred can tell where Bruce’s thought process is going, and says that he might feel guilty about Alex’s death, but that he needs to remember his vow.  Taking a life leads down a dark path – and Alfred knows all about it.  

He takes the dagger, places it in a drawer, and locks it.  He then tells Bruce to get ready. 

 A shot of the city at sunset?  Sunrise? I’d thought it looked like sunset, but can’t have been – because it’s Alex’s funeral.  

Bruce is brooding over the coffin. Jim enters and sheepishly lurks at the back. Alfred spots him and heads over while Bruce looks over at the photograph of Alex.

Jim tells Alfred that Ra’s has diplomatic immunity, and is likely to be extradited.  Alfred is incredulous.  Jim says that he’s only telling him as a courtesy because he wants him to watch Bruce – Jim is worried about him.

Alfred’s eyes widen at that, irritated.  He comments that Jim blames him.  Jim doesn’t deny it, and Alfred tells him to focus on his own job.  They squabble a little, before Jim leaves – telling him to keep the news from Bruce, who has been eavesdropping the whole time.

 Wayne Manor – where Bruce is dressed in his Batman gear.  He takes the dagger from the drawer because, c’mon, Alfred – that wasn’t super-secure, was it?

Blackgate at night-time. Barbara is in a silver grey suit and her third hairstyle of the season so far.  She’s visiting Ra’s in his Hannibal Lecter-esque glass cell.  

Ra’s thanks her for coming, and Barbara asks him what the angle is.  She produces some kind of implement and tells him that she can break him out now, and they can head home and have some chianti.

(An aside – OK, that was definitely a Silence of the Lambs reference to go with the glass cell)

Ra's declines, though, and tells her he called her to say goodbye.  Barbara looks wide-eyed and a little tearful at this.  He tells her that he asked her to be his eyes and ears, but she became so much more.  

An angry and hurt Barbara tells him to save it.  She asks about what he promised her: do as I ask and I will give you a gift beyond your imagining.

He indicates that’s still the case and presses his palm against the glass – looking straight at her. She copies him, and a strange white energy seems to flow into her.  Barbara stares at him

What the hell was that?

You'll see.  Goodbye, Barbara

He watches with a smile as she walks away.

We are back at the stagnant stream/swamp with lots of atmospheric noises: owls and frogs. Suddenly, Butch resurfaces. Gotham likes its rebirth scenes: Oswald had one back in s1, we saw Ra’s at the beginning of the season.

We cut to a singsong at a caravan – a group of men singing along to nursery rhymes being played on an old gramophone.  

(An aside - who are these guys?)

They all stand when Butch approaches.  They tell him to take it easy, they won’t hurt him – but they circle him, and Butch seems to take fright at the fire.  A fight starts, which Butch easily wins – although they yell back to him as the run

We're going to get you – freak!

The last guy, who Butch has by the throat, manages to wheeze out

Who are you?

Butch looks confused.

The gramophone is still playing Solomon Grundy over and over as Butch steals clothes and puts on what will fit.  It’s interesting and a little sad to wonder whether he can feel the cold, or it’s some faint memory of how he used to always wear a suit.  Just as he’s about to leave, the record finally gets to the ‘Solomon Grundy’ lyric, which Butch repeats as he walks off.

The Iceberg Lounge. Mr Penn is telling Oswald how successful his programme is – he controls 86% of the crime committed in Gotham. Oswald, though, seems generally angry and irritable this evening, and snaps that this means 14% of crime happens outwith his control.  His leg is propped up on the table, with an ice pack on his ankle, which might account for some of his mood.

(An aside – he seems so angry and unhappy here.  It’s difficult to say how much this can be attributed to the fact that he’s in pain, and that’s dragging him down – or it’s that 14% that’s getting to him, or whether there’s something deeper going on)

 He snaps at Mr Penn that he’s going to get Firefly to make examples, as Sofia enters.  She remarks that if that approach worked, then any idiot could run Gotham.  Oswald, who had hurriedly taken his foot off the desk when she entered, angrily makes his way over to her.

She makes him a lunch invitation, and Oswald laughs – disbelieving – telling her that she has overestimated how pleasant her company is.  Sofia doesn’t react to this, but brushes lightly at the front of his jacket.   It’s an intimate gesture, and it throws him a little.  

Sofia tells him that he might think has everything – but he doesn’t have the Falcone name – which controlled all criminal activity - 100%

(An aside – which we’re apparently to believe both Jim and Harvey were/are a-OK with)

Oswald scowls

Now you’re just rubbing it in

Sofia suggests a public lunch to bring the stragglers back into line.  Oswald stares at her, and asks Mr Penn to read the 4th item on his to-do list.

Kill Sofia Falcone

She looks at him, face more serious now.  Oswald tells Mr Penn to add a question mark.  She smiles.

Tomorrow it is

As she leaves, Oswald rests his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

Ed is behind the counter in a chemist’s, with the pharmacist tied up.  Ed is frantic.

You have to have something for me!

The poor pharmacist is struggling to come up with something – Ed’s injury of having been frozen solid for three months being particularly specific.  Ed’s as touchy about being mocked as ever and shakes the man

You're not even a doctor

The pharmacist asks Ed to tell him his symptoms, which he does – including an inability to solve riddles. Back turned to the pharmacist, Ed rifles through shelves and drawers.  He’s desperate enough that he’d even consider a natural remedy.  The pharmacist tells him he didn’t want to get his hopes up – but there’s a trial drug designed to boost cognitive abilities and he just happens to have some here!  It’s called Smartivia, and it’s blue and diamond-shaped.

(An aside – Naughty, Gotham – blue diamond shaped pill = Viagra)

It is, of course, a decoy. He stabs Ed in the hand in grabs his gun, which – as it turns out – is fake.  Ed is still desperate enough and slow enough to ask him whether the pills will work – which they won’t – being sugar pills.   The pharmacist goes to call the police.

With him gone, Ed counts 1,2,3 under his breath and pulls the knife out. Annoyingly, I found that endearing, even though I generally dislike Ed.

Ed staggers out of the pharmacy, tipping the sugar pills down his throat.  We see that Butch has conveniently been lurking outside.  As Ed stumbles over some bins in the alley, he disturbs Butch, who lurches up – much to Ed’s shock

Butch?

Butch is wide-eyed at finding someone who apparently knows him

You know Grundy?

Ed babbles about how he never had a problem with Butch – and how everything was Barbara’s fault, but Butch doesn’t feel like rehashing season 3 and knocks Ed out, slinging him over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift.

Man talk too much.

 Alfred barrels into GCPD looking for Jim: Bruce is missing, and he needs Jim to get him into Blackgate. Bruce sneaked out with the dagger, and Alfred thinks he’s going to kill Ra’s

Jim stares

You're serious?

Alfred is impatient, and tells Jim they have to get to Blackgate now, and then Jim can tell him all the many ways he failed the boy.  Jim looks in full agreement with this plan, furious with Alfred – but his face settles into resolve when Alfred tells him that Bruce is  

On the verge of doing something there’s no coming back from

They both set off.

 Blackgate Prison at night. We see a grappling hook and watch as Bruce breaks in, seemingly with little effort.  Stealing a security card, he heads to Ra’s cell.

Ra's is asleep on his side, his back to Bruce.  Bruce approaches, unsheathes the dagger, but hesitates when he gets close.  We see Ra’s take a slightly deeper breath, and maybe it’s this reminder that he’s a living, breathing human that makes Bruce sheathe the knife and walk away.  As he does, though, Ra’s stands.

You weak, foolish boy

(An aside – goddamn, but Alexander Siddig is fine. He makes everything look good)

Ra’s hits Bruce, who flies backwards, and then grabs him by the throat – staring at him disappointedly.

Still not ready

He hits him again, but the guards approach.  Bruce yells that he’s Bruce Wayne, and they need to stop him – but the guards have sworn their loyalty to Ra’s, probably because he can even make denim prisonwear look good.  You’d have to swear your allegiance to that.

Ra’s tells them to take Bruce below.  One of the guards knocks Bruce out.  Ra’s looks dissatisfied.

 Daytime now, and Alfred and Jim are at Blackgate.  The guard tells them Bruce isn’t on the visitor.  Jim suggests – no offence intended – that maybe Bruce bribed his way in. They only want to look around. The guard grudgingly says he can look all he wants, but it’s a wasted journey, and asks for their weapons – standard procedure.

(An aside – even for Jim? Alfred fair enough – but they’d also ask a police officer to hand over his gun?  Seems weird)

It turns out that Alfred is very armed, which gives Jim the chance to exercise his prim scolding face, which I actually like, because it hasn’t had many airings since season one, and I appreciate any nuance to Jim that isn’t just anger.

Alfred tells them that unless they want to check his undercrackers, that’s all he’s got, which gets another raised eyebrow from Jim.  As they walk away, the remaining guard speaks into his radio:

They're here

 Back in the city, we see a dishevelled Ed sprawled out, unconscious.

(An aside - Ed looks better dishevelled)

He slowly wakes up, rubbing his head

Sugar pills my foot - that dream was horrible

Butch comes into view again, and Ed flails – realising it wasn’t a dream.  He asks Ed again.

You know Grundy?

Butch tells Ed he doesn’t know what happened to him

Ed stares at him.  

You don't remember who you are or how you got here?

He laughs, maybe partially in schadenfreude at his old enemy, and partially at the ridiculousness of their situations.  When Butch just looks confused, he apologises, and tells him that he doesn’t know him, and wishes him the best of luck – hoping that he gets the skin thing figured out.

Butch is having none of this, though, and grabs Ed’s injured hands.  As Ed struggles, Butch tells him

You know Grundy.  Help Grundy. Be Grundy friend

Ed says he tried to be civil, and still tries to get away.  Grundy frowns

Why can’t help?

Ed explodes with frustration

Because I can't even help myself!  You don't know who you are – that makes two of us.  I used to be smart - brilliant - but that's gone!  I can’t.

Butch turns to a nearby hotdog cart that he’s presumably stolen, grabs a hotdog and hands Ed one

Ed looks at it dubiously, but takes it

Well - I am feeling a bit peckish

A restaurant somewhere in the city.  Sofia enters, and greets the owner - Janos. Sofia enters, and announces herself by telling a story about he gave her ruby earrings at her tenth birthday party, saying that they were a fitting gift for daughter of the king of Gotham.  Her coat is also ruby red, to emphasise the point.

He smiles, recognising her. She asks how he’s faring under Oswald’s rule.  He says they’re quite content, and even if not, they’re wise enough not to say anything. She nods in approval.   She tells him that she wants to bring Oswald here and

Give him a lunch he'll never forget

She looks over to an old woman polishing a knife at a nearby table, and smiles.

Underneath Blackgate, lying on some kind of stone slab, Bruce awakens.

Bruce

Ra's approaches him with the knife.  He tells him Alfred and Jim are upstairs, in the company of his men, unbeknownst to them.

Bruce says that they’re blameless – but Ra’s just shakes his head

Still playing the white knight, Bruce?  

Ra's tells Bruce that he wanted the knife - but not for the reasons he thinks.  It was first  given to him moments after he was bathed in the Lazarus pit.  He saw a vision, when he was suspended between life and death:

A vision of you, my heir

Bruce tells him he’s insane, he’s not his heir – and doesn’t even understand what that means

Ra’s tells him he’s the only one who can end his suffering

Please

Realisation dawns on Bruce

You want me to kill you.

Set me free.

Ra’s opens his hands in supplication.

 Elsewhere, Butch and Ed sit side by side eating their hot dogs.  Ed finishes up, and tries to leave again.

Well, thanks for the snack big guy.

But Butch grabs his leg. Ed hops about, protesting that he’s better off on his own, and then takes futile swings at Butch, telling him to let go.  Behind him, though, the gang from earlier approaches.  The fact that they thought a rematch was a good idea after earlier is downright mystifying, and they pretty much deserve a smackdown for being so gigantically stupid.

They greet Butch by calling him a freak, and comment that he’s got a friend.  Ed says that they’re not friends, but the gang aren’t interested

Get him – get both of them

Butch effortlessly dispatches all of them, but winds up with one of his arms on fire.  Ed runs off with Butch calling after him

Hot!  Grundy friend help.  Hot - no leave!

Ed runs back, having found some water, and douses Butch’s arm, putting the fire out.  Butch stares at him.

Grundy friend not dumb.  Grundy friend smart.

Ed grins.

Smart!  Yeah - that was smart!  Water puts out fire!

He laughs – relieved for a moment to have a little of his old sense of self back.  Butch grabs him and hugs him tightly.

Oh boy - I can't breathe

 Back at the restaurant we saw earlier, Sofia waits for Oswald.  She’s changed looks again.  She’s not in her well-heeled rich girl clothes, or her gangster get-up, or the cleavage-y thing she wore to invite him to lunch.  She’s wearing a dress that you could respectably wear to a christening, and her hair is deliberately girlish.  She greets Oswald, commenting that they said this is the best table.

Oswald is impatient, and dismissive of her choice of venue.

You’re sure it's not too intimate?  The point is to get the word out

She smiles

Don't worry, people will talk

She chose because this place because she heard Oswald’s mother was Hungarian, and thought he might enjoy a taste of home.  Oswald nods to the burly man beside him, and has him check the food for poison.  After reassurance, he takes a bite of his own food.

Sofia tells him she can assure him that she’s not brought him here to poison him.  She’s interrupted, though, by Oswald coughing – the chef has gone a little heavy on the paprika.

(As someone who thinks smoked paprika is probably the way to fix any dish, I feel personally targeted)

Sofia asks how the food is otherwise, to which she gets a terse serviceable.  Dabbing at his mouth with his napkin, Oswald makes to leave.

Well - I'm stuffed:  thanks so much for meeting me.

Raising his voice, he adds and thanks to your family for their support

Sofia tries to delay him, telling him he has to try the goulash – a house speciality.  Oswald sighs, but has the taster check the dish again. I should point out that here Oswald does look very handsome for his lunch date.  

He smirks at Sofia’s comment.  His mother brought her own recipe for goulash from Budapest – he doubts this will hold a candle.  He tastes it, frowning, as Sofia watches him closely.  His face changes, softens, and he tears up for a moment before his expression twists into outrage

I'm leaving

Oswald!

Sofia looks honestly rattled.  She turns to the cook/chef from earlier

It took me forever to dig up that recipe – did you follow it exactly?

The woman protests that she did so, perfectly.

The little man didn't like?

Honestly? I don't know

(An aside – this is interesting.  Sofia’s not entirely sure of how Oswald will react, and she’s not entirely sure of how to read his reaction when it arrives.  This makes the power dynamic a little more balanced.)

(Another aside – like smell, taste has the ability to summon up especially vivid emotional memories. This seems to be due to the fact that the olfactory bulb – involved in processing taste and smell – is located close by and connected to the amygdala and hippocampus, which deal – respectively – with emotion and memory.  Taste and smell don’t really just ‘remind’ you of things – they have the capacity to send you back to a specific time and place, with all the emotions attached to that situation.)

 At Blackgate, Jim makes conversation with a guard about his time inside while he and Alfred are being led through the prison.  After some cagey questions, is becomes apparent that these are not the real guards. There is a huge punch-up, which Jim and Alfred of course win.  They question the one remaining guard, who will only say

Ra's has plans for the boy

Alfred tells the guard not to underestimate his resolve, and underlines the point by shooting him

They run through the places they’ve already been.  Jim remembers the sub-basement, and they head there.

 Night-time now. We’re in the Iceberg Club.  Oswald is at the bar, icing his ankle and having a drink

Sofia enters. He snarls at his minder that he specifically told him not to let her in there.

Sofia is all wide-eyed apologies.  She tells Oswald that she’s not sure what she did to upset him, but Oswald is having none of it.

Enough - did you think I would believe that was all a coincidence?

Sofia tries to wriggle out of that in a way that’s very reminiscent of s1 Oswald

You can't fault me for the restaurant’s authenticity

Oswald doesn’t even acknowledge this, though.

You’re buttering me up - but for what?

She stares at him, frustrated.

Is it so hard to believe someone would want to do something nice for you?

He sneers, and tells her only one person ever did things  for him without wanting something in return – his mother.  

(An aside – and this is why the Ivy plotline is so dumb: Oswald would never have been ungrateful for the disinterested support and affection she offered)

Sofia tells him she envies him: her father never did anything unless it benefited him, and he drove away everyone who loved him.  Oswald looks as though he’s too tired and angry to deal with this right now and tells her to go – he’ll decide what to do with her later.  He sits down nearby and rubs at his ankle.

Sofia still doesn’t leave, and turns to him - saying that she only wants to help.  He tells her to try leaving, but is distracted, his breath shaky, wincing as he rubs at his ankle.  Sofia asks if his foot hurts.  He tells her it’s just the weather.  

She kneels down in front of him.  Oswald draws back and asks her what she’s doing.  She holds his ankle and starts to draw down his sock.  He gives a sharp, almost reflexive don’t, but she stays calm – and tells him it’s

OK - I won't judge

He watches her warily, but allows her to pull down his sock to expose his ankle.  As she does, though, he looks sharply to the side, unable to look at his own leg.

(An aside – oh, Oswald.)

While he is looking away, we see Sofia’s face.  She looks troubled by his reaction to the point of seeming upset.

She wraps both hands around his ankle.  Oswald stares at her as she tells a story about breaking her ankle while she was playing with her cousins.  She was desperate and weeping with pain.  Her father told her to ice it, toughen up – but her mother took her to the hospital, and told her that cold increases the pain. What's needed is warmth.

Oswald tears up – either at the story, or the reference to mothers, or just the simple fact that he’s being comforted.  He tells her that his mother used to sing.  Sofia smiles, and hums as she rubs his ankle.  Oswald cries – but allows her to continue.

(An aside.  This scene is hard to read.  Everything is deliberately being played very ambiguously.  

We know that Sofia is manipulating Oswald – this is her stated aim.  However, she’s not entirely got the upper hand.  While many of Oswald’s foibles are very public and easy to exploit - she cannot predict or read all of his responses.  On top of that, a couple of her responses here seemed genuine: she seemed upset at Oswald’s inability to look at his injured leg, for example.  We’re also not getting anything like a little flash of a sly expression, or a contemptuous expression, or a smug expression to nudge us into remembering that this is a ruse.  As such, it’s hard to gauge how removed Sofia is here, or whether she’s maybe becoming emotionally invested.  

For Oswald’s part, he’s suspicious of her motivations – and has outright told her this from the outset. He tells her too – that he knows the perfectly cooked goulash wasn’t just a coincidence, and is sceptical of her explanation of simply wanting to do something nice for him – undermining her scheme here.  This isn’t like the situation with Ed using selfishly his mother’s memory as a weapon - where Oswald seemed unaware.  He’s presumably wise to that now - having had his mother’s memory used twice, and his father’s remains dug up.

He is, however, (unless we’re being deliberately kept in the dark) still having a genuine emotional response to this interaction with Sofia.

This is not to say that Oswald still might not cross out that question mark and move her up to #3 on his to-do list.  He’s a complex bag of tricks, Oswald.  He’s capable of entertaining two completely contrary ideas at the same time and believing both of them without a flicker, like when he told Butch he missed Fish, even though he had been the one to kill her.   He’d be more than capable of willingly going along with this, even knowing it’s a plot of some sort, appreciating the emotional experience, and then regretfully killing Sofia afterwards.)

 Back at Blackgate, Ra's and Bruce are talking.  Ra’s tells Bruce that he’s walked the earth for centuries waiting for him.  Only Bruce can kill him – this is his curse. He points to his reflection in a puddle on the ground.  We see a half-rotted face – and he tells Bruce this is his true form.  Every moment of his life is agony, and he pleads with Bruce to end his suffering.  

Bruce tells him he deserves his curse.

Ra’s tells him he’s angry - but unless he strikes him down

You will never be free.  Allow me to tell you what will happen.  I will disappear.  Let you live your life, follow path of light - become a fine man:  husband, father.  There may be a day when you forget I ever existed.  But then I will return, and I will kill everyone you love. Just as you watched your parents die, just as you watched me slice your friend’s throat – I will slaughter your wife and children before very eyes, and there will be nothing you can do about it

(It’s fantastically delivered.  Alexander Siddig has been amazing.)

Bruce’s face twists and he turns, and stabs him.  Ra’s seems to be in a lot of pain, but breathes a yes before he slumps against the stone and turns to a skeleton.  Jim and Alfred finally arrive – staring at what they find, Bruce turns and looks at them.

 Outside the prison with police everywhere.  Bruce asks if Jim is going to arrest him, but Jim doesn’t know how to describe what he saw, and is just going to claim Ra’s escaped.  Bruce says that his actions betrayed himself and his parents’ memory. Jim tells him,

Just because you know you're capable of doing something doesn't mean you have to do it again

He tells Bruce he’s known him a long time, and he’s still that kid who wants to do what’s good and what's right, and keep the people he loves safe.  Nothing that happened today changes that.  Bruce does not look convinced.

Back at Wayne Manor – Bruce is about to throw his Batman outfit on the fire before Alfred stops him. He tells him he can make a difference, and it might be a long, bumpy journey back from the dark path – but he will make it.

 Back to the city. Butch and Ed heading towards a neon cherry sign.  Ed is complaining about lack of money.  Butch is asking for the truth again about whether Ed knows him.  Ed tells him he deserves to know – then lies, saying they were the best of friends, but something happened to him.  What’s important now is that with Butch’s muscles, they can make a lot of money, make Ed smart again…. and then figure out what happened to Butch.

They wander into an underground fight club.  Approaching a woman at the ringside, Ed asks for the person in charge.  She looks him up and down and tells him she is in charge, although snorts at the notion of Ed fighting.  He quickly pulls Butch over, though – at which her face changes.

More grist for the mill!

She looks at his arm, and tells someone to get the doc.  We cut to a treatment room/bar, where an injured fighter is having alcohol poured on his bloody face.  The doctor administering this treatment then takes a swig from the same bottle.

As we turn, we see it’s Lee, with a new long hairstyle, a new gothyish look, and a new edgy attitude.   She’s never recovered from the corrupting effect of that black nail polish she bought back at the end of s3.

General Observations

Not quite as good as last week’s episode, for me.  I thought Ra’s was fantastic – but I found it hard to feel very invested in this plot otherwise.  The only interesting part was Jim and Harvey’s growing rift, and Jim’s icy disapproval of how Alfred is raising Bruce.   Oswald and Sofia were more emotionally engaging, and Ed and Butch were more entertaining.

I think it was just to do with time issues and an inability to marry the plotlines up – but it was an interesting decision to have no contact between Jim and Sofia in an episode where we saw a lot of Oswald and Sofia.   A pragmatic conversation about progress and possible make-out session between Jim and Sofia would have had the effect of undermining Oswald and Sofia’s interaction, reinforcing Jim and Sofia’s tie, and given the audience more of a clue as to her thinking.  As it is, we didn’t get that – and now we’re left wondering if everything is so easy and clear to her as it seemed at the outset.

As mentioned above – Oswald is hard to read.  We know he’s suspicious of Sofia and doesn’t trust her, but – as with Sofia – there was no hint that he was being dishonest here.   It does seem daft that he can’t guess at why she’s back in the city, though – come on.  There are only so many options.

Ed and Butch were entertaining, and it’ll be interesting to see how Lee reacts to them.  Goodness only knows what’s going on with Barbara.

Thoughts?

[russellthornton]

How to be Positive: Stop the Downturn and Find the Silver Lining!

It’s hard not to be negative when we’re bombarded with negativity all around us. But learning how to be positive in this chaos can change your life.

I consider myself to be a fairly positive person. But, there are days when I find myself in utter despair. Okay, if I want to be truly honest with you, which I always try to be, I find myself in a downward spiral for weeks at a time. Sometimes knowing how to be positive isn’t always so simple.

There is so much going on in our world. You can’t turn on the television without hearing who is aiming their weapons at us, that people are being rounded up and deported, or even just about the hurricanes you can’t do anything about. As humans, it is hard to hear so many negative things and rise above it.

How to be positive: 8 simple changes to find that silver lining

I am going to let you in on a secret. If you don’t already know it, tragedy sells so much better than happiness. You tell a story about what a fantastic day you had and have someone else follow it up by how they lost someone they love and see which one of you is more interesting to a crowd.

The thing about understanding how to be positive is that it turns your whole world around without really doing anything at all. If you look on the bright side and see the silver lining around you, then the world isn’t such a scary or awful place anymore. If you want to know how to be positive, try these super easy changes today. Soon they add up to major change.

#1 Turn off the media. Yep, that is right. The world is not going to fall to pieces because you didn’t watch all the horrible things that Kim Jong-un is going to do to us. The reality is that if someone wants to set off a nuclear bomb, they are going to do it no matter what you think or do.

So, why waste so much time listening to horrible incoming messages. It just makes you feel out of control and doomed. What is the point in that? Unplug from the media and you will be instantly amazed how much more positive you feel.

The media’s job is to create drama. Don’t buy into it. It only makes you feel negative and nervous. Who needs that? Stop being guided by people who use your emotions to further their agenda. [Read: 13 ways to wean yourself off of social media]

#2 Take every scenario and think about the good. No matter what happens around you, there is something positive that happens as a result. Sure, the hurricane was not positive for thousands of people. But on a positive note, many people who needed a new house or were upside-down in their mortgage, might have gotten a new house or a pass.

For every bad situation, there is something good to be found. You might have to look a little harder sometimes more than others. There is always a positive to any negative. It is like some sort of physiological law *I think*. [Read: 15 steps to alter your sad state of mind]

#3 Cling to happy people. Sometimes misery truly does love company. If you are surrounded by naysayers and people in your life who always feel as if the world is out to get them and it sucks, then that is going to be your frame of mind.

Stop hanging out with misery. Find people who lift you up and are positive. And, what you will find is that it is nearly impossible to be a Debbie Downer if no one around you wants to join in. Find a new group of positive people to bring you out of your negative rut. Those people with nothing nice to say are doing nothing but bringing you down and vice versa.

#4 Find your purpose. Sounds so easy, doesn’t it? If you sit down and think about what it is that you are here on earth for, it is a daunting question. If you figure out the big picture, like why we wake up every day and do what we do and what the overall purpose of it is, then it is much easier to think about good versus not-so-good.

I am always amazed by religious people and how they put their hands into the fate of whoever it is they believe in. Wow, what a freeing feeling! Alongside that, life would seem much less random. It makes you see that everything you do is part of a bigger and more purposeful end.

I am not suggesting you become a Hare Krishna. I am suggesting that you stop to examine what it is that you want your life to add up to. When you find your purpose, everything is much more positive feeling. [Read: The roadmap to live your life with intention]

#5 Take a good look around. It is not hard to start feeling negative and sorry for yourself when things aren’t going the way that you want them to. The thing about life is that no matter how hard you have it, there is always someone who has it worse than you. If that isn’t the case, then, sorry, you just might not have anything to be positive about.

When I mean someone, I don’t mean your close friends and family. I mean the people involved in Hurricane Harvey or Irma. Those less fortunate than us should always guide us to see the many blessings we have been given and to stop the pity party and negativity that turns even the bluest sky to black.

#6 Let go of your past. I hate to say it, but some of us grew up with role models that weren’t exactly encouraging and positive. When you live with people who tell you that life isn’t fair, it isn’t that they aren’t right. But the truth is that life might not be “fair,” but it is fun and worthwhile even if you don’t have what you want and what everyone else has.

No one is going to get exactly what they want. That whole phrase “life isn’t fair” is a coward’s way out of explaining that sometimes we don’t get what we want. We get what is good for us. Stop thinking the world is just this place that isn’t full of justice and start seeing that if you didn’t ever have misfortune, how could you possibly understand what it means to be fortunate.

If you grew up in a negative household, you must learn to retire those old notions and feelings. See for yourself that life is a wonder. The only one responsible for your misfortune is you if you don’t find the goodness around. [Read: Negative Nancy: 17 traits and ways to deal with their attitude]

The only one who changes your fate is you, so go after it. Forget whatever it is that your role models told you about how the world does or doesn’t work. Decide for yourself.

#7 Experiment. Try this for one day, just one, if you want to know how to be positive. I want you to think about nothing but positive things for one day. No matter what comes your way, dismiss it, and think happy thoughts about something else.

Old habits die hard, and if you tend to be someone who thinks negatively, finding positivity isn’t going to come naturally. I promise, with some practice, that it will come your way. It is going to take some conscious effort to override what you are used to. So, try to find the positive side of life. [Read: 14 easy mantras that will transform your life]

#8 Change your speech and words, and change your life. If you start talking in positive terms, then your entire outlook will change. What do I mean? Stop saying words like never, not, don’t, and other negative terms.

If you eliminate those limiting boundaries through the words you speak, you will be amazed at how quickly your mindset follows. Sometimes hearing ourselves talk out loud is the worst negativity reinforcement there is.

Positivity seems like an easy enough thing, right? I mean what isn’t easy about always being Pollyanna and looking on the bright-side of things? Like everything. Sometimes it feels like the world is out to get you.

[Read: 17 ways to welcome positive energy into your life]

Change your mind, your speech, your upbringing, and you just might find out how to be positive and change your life.

The post How to be Positive: Stop the Downturn and Find the Silver Lining! is the original content of LovePanky - Your Guide to Better Love and Relationships.