#i think i should stay in oregon and we do this for real

[transingsomeformers]

something thats been eating at my mind to write/draw but if my boy hotrod/rodimus guest appeared in rescue bots this is whats been swimming around in my brain a while rambles down below

he wouldnt be like the main main focus hed be a guest star ofc

a new bot shows up on the island in vehicle form at first, but thats not really subtle cause hes a racecar and everybody is like "whats a racecar doing by this lake?" one that nobody super recognizes at first glance except fr salvage and blurr.

and blurr starts getting ecstatic when the bot transforms and its hot rod! (studio applause) and while blurr is going a lil nuts with excitement salvage fills them in that hes an old racer from velocitron and blurr is all like

"dude, hes not just 'an old racer' hes one of the greatest racers velocitron has ever seen!!!" and he starts infodumping abt him and in the back of his mind heatwave is like "greaaat another bot who doesnt think before he acts we gotta deal with" so they all go and approach him to find out what hes doing there

and blurr is really excited cause he thinks hot rod is so freaking cool and they can race and he can show hot rod his moves but hes not there on any kind of autobot business or even for racing much to everyones surprise.

hes only there to go fishing.

hes on vacation and been really excited for his fishing trip that hes been planning especially on a bot friendly island and by god hes looking to catch himself a real prize to brag about to the boys back home.

chief burns perks up at this, and its about time for the burn's annual fishing trip so they kinda end up combining the two trips. hot rods down for any good spots, and the others (mainly heatwave) wanna keep an eye on him

so the next day they all get ready and they go on the burn's trip first and are out to sea.

Salvage wants to try out something hes been working on around their spot and he stays on shore

Blurr is disappointed that hotrod isnt there to race but hes not passing up an opportunity to hang out with hot rod so he offers to go out with them on the water even tho he couldnt care less about fish. and maybe he can talk him into a small match later. Salvage kinda warns him not to get his hopes up, and that maybe he should take time to talk about other things with him. (blurr kind of blows him off tho which ruuuuuude!!! be nice!!!)

They get out on the water and everyone else is rlly casual and hit it off with hotrod p well. the burns family exchange stories with him, he talks about the states hes visited with some friends of his on earth. and ofc the conversation circles back around to the different fish hes caught chase questions if he has the proper liscenses for that. to which hotrod pulls up copies of some fr the different states he been in (all of them have the last name witwicky on them ;) ) all in all everyone is having a good time

everyone but blurr. he was hoping that maybe he could get some tips on racing, or anything to do with racing at all while theyre out there but hot rod's just really passionate about this trout he caught out in oregon and its driving him nuts. he ends up moping about it and just goes back to shore with blades cause he forgot his little hat and its just not the same without it.

They get back to the shore and salvage asks how its going and blades is like "Oh its great! turns out he speaks a bit of pirate too!" and stuff and blurr is sarchastically like "yeah its greaaaat" and they both kinda give him a look.

salvage is like "i take it hes not quite what you thought hed be like huh" and blurr is just "HE ONLY CARES ABOUT FISH. im never gonna be friends with him at this rate, hotrod is nothing like i thought he would be. im just gonna go back to hq"

and blades nd salvage just kind of look at each other and blades blades laughs a lil bit and blurrs a little peeved hes laughing but then they all get to talking a bit cause this reminds blades of when he was first getting to know bumblebee after their first meeting and he tells blurr a bit about it cause it was a bit awkward fr a while

blades had some ideas fr how exactly it was gonna be with bee and bee while he was enjoying hanging out just kinda asked him

"Do you want to be friends with me, or just the idea of me?"

and it made him stop and reevaluate things a little. ultimatley fr the better cause that kinda helped blades to take bee off the pedestal he had him on and just start really connecting with him just as he was.

and blades asks blurr if he was actually looking to be friends with hotrod or just the idea of how theyd be in his head and blurr kinda sits on that fr a bit without really saying anything

and salvage talks abt the time he and blurr first met a long lonnnng time ago and that the first impressions they had of each other weren't the best admittently and that salvage thought he really didnt have much in common with blurr but one day after they got to talking and racing came up in the convo and salvage saw a lot of the passion he had about it and it reminded him about a lot of his own passion for creating/inventing, he tells him that maybe you just need to give it some time and ask him about his other interests as well. really engage with him on it.

blades finally remembers he was there to grab his hat so he does and hes about to head back to the boat and blurrs like "wait, let me come back with you" and he gives it another chance

and it ends up working out. he asks him some more about his previous travels and they all start fishing again and the competitiveness rlly comes out in hotrod cause hes determined to catch the most and the biggest fish out of everyone on the trip now and blurrs trying to beat him and shenannigeans and hijinks ensue but they end up really connecting after that.

soon they get back to shore and everyone goes back to hq and theyre having fun and chatting late into the night hot rod decides he wants to take a quick ride around the island and he gets the ok and he asks blurr if he wants to join him!!!

blurrs really excited cause this is what he orignally wanted and was waiting for...but...

he turns him down, theyre hanging out again tommorrow anyway gotta make sure hes ready and all that and htos rods like "cant argue with that see ya tommorrow" and heads out

blurr goes down to where salvage is and just kinda watches as hes working on his projects and blurrs like "so uh... that thing you were workin on today... I didnt get the chance to see it in action..." and salvage glances over at him fr a second and then he smiles and they get to really chatting and talking abt it

and the first moral of this story is don't put people on a pedestal, take time to get to know them for who they are

but the second and most important moral is that there should be rodimus fishing memes

thats all i got rn

and reading this back this feels more like a bad my little pony plotline but yknow what that is ok.

friendship IS magic and the fish ARE biting

[fruitbasketball]

thoughts on the bracket?

Y’ALL KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS

okay so i might be him bc my final four is still the same i got:

UConn

UCLA

South Carolina

Texas

ALBANY 1 - i think obviously albany 1 is the hardest to get through. you’re looking at a bracket with south carolina, who is absolutely untouchable - but we know that from last march, that might not stay true.

that being said, i don’t see south carolina experiencing an upset before the final four. dawn run that shit like that navy bro - that is a team whose talent and discipline run deep.

that being said, notre dame has been tough this season, even without olivia miles. oregon state has recently been really holding their own, but my teams to watch are oklahoma and fairfield for upsets. i honestly do see indiana making an early exit from the tournament, but who knows!

ALBANY 2 - rebecca lobo might be onto smth here saying this is the hardest region. if you’re not iowa, ucla, or lsu, this region is a fucking nightmare. even if you are one of those teams, this region is a fucking nightmare.

the reason i have ucla in the final 4 is because both lsu and iowa have the huge potential to choke. ucla has also just been a very good fundamental team this year. they’re just a more polished team than lsu, and while i don’t think they’re more polished than iowa, i think they have the power to shut them down defensively in the way ohio state did their first matchup. they have very solid pieces in charisma osborne, kiki rice, and of course, lauren betts.

obviously, i’d still keep an eye on kansas state, but i would also look out for princeton with a great court presence in kaitlyn chen, as well as wvu, who had a really strong start to the season.

PORTLAND 3 - this vanderbilt columbia play in is going to be the most interesting thing to me in the beginning stages of the tournament. vandy isn’t a perennial powerhouse by any means, but they’re housing a slam? all american in justine pissott, but i haven’t heard from them at all this year. columbia’s got a serious threat in abbey hsu, so that should be a really nice matchup to watch.

y’all already know who i’m riding for out of here, but i’m serious when i say march madness p is a whole different beast. for those of y’all who just started watching, you’re not fuckin ready bro. you’re not ready. that’s why i have such confidence that they can beat socal.

y’all remember 2021 baylor right? yo that was a STACKED ASS TEAM. didi richards, dijonai carrington, nalyssa smith, queen egbo - and paige made the bubble her bitch. that sweet 16 rematch is definitely scary, but paige doesn’t like to make a habit of losing to the same team twice in a row (unless that team is south carolina). ohio state only beat us without paige. they’re not fuckin ready for this shit bro.

PORTLAND 4 - TEXAS FUCKING FIGHT BABY Y’ALLLLLLLLLLL TALK TO ME SO FUCKING NICE BRO. Y’ALL SEE THAT 1 SEED RIGHT?? Y’ALL SEE THAT SHIT TOO??? yeah stanny WIN YOUR CONFERENCE AND MAYBE YOU’D GET A 1 SEED TOO LMFAOOOOOOO

nah but real talk we just cannot stop making stanford our bitch

lemme brag on my school real quick: we had a team in the cfp, BACK TO BACK vball nattys, and both our teams in the ncaa tourn - and one of them is a 1 seed.

and because we’re just so good at making stanford our bitch? i’m not fuckin worried about a fuckin pine tree bro fuck outta here

that said, i’d keep my eyes on nc state and tennessee in this region, they’re bound to stir some shit up for sure

anyway, that’s it for now!!!! i’ll see y’all soon, and happy march 😈😈😈😈😈

[lenisoldi]

First Kiss

Donald Malarkey imagine

Important: This should not disrespect the real soldier in any way! This is just about the character on the HBO show!

Warnings: Fluff

Masterlist

Don’s pov:

It was a sunny day in 1946, the war had been over for one year, and I was back home. My hometown Astoria in Oregon hadn't changed much since I left; it was still a small, busy city with nice cafes and some quiet places by the water. I stopped by a café on my way to the next grocery store. I entered and looked around before I went to the counter. A beautiful girl came out of the back of the cafe, and as she looked at me, I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Good morning, how can I help you, sir?" she said, bringing me out of my trance. "Good morning, I'd like to buy a chocolate cake." "A whole cake?" she asked, smiling. "Oh no, just two pieces," I said a bit nervous but still smiling. "Alright." She put the two pieces in a bag, put them on the counter, then went to the checkout and said after a few seconds: "That's one dollar, please." I took out my wallet and gave her the money. Then I took the bag and wanted to go but then decided to stay.

"Ma'am? Excuse me, but is there any chance that we know each other?" The girl behind the counter looked at me a bit surprised. "Oh, I don't think so, I'm sorry sir." A small smile appeared on her face. "No, I think we know each other. You went to John Jacob Astor Elementary School, don't you?" I asked, and she looked even more surprised than before and nodded. "Yes, that was my school. How do you know that?" "I went to that school too. I was the boy who jumped from their house with an umbrella in 1933. You probably heard that story. It was a big thing in school." I hoped she remembered that embarrassing story when I wanted to practice a parachute jump with an umbrella. "Oh yeah, I remember. Then you're Donald Malarkey, right?" She chuckled a bit as she remembered the story. "Exactly. I wanted to ask if you would like to go out together. Maybe a picnic or to the movies?" "Um, yeah sure. A picnic sounds great, maybe by the water. When do you have time?" My smile grew from minute to minute. "When does your shift end?" "I will have my break in twenty minutes, do you wanna wait here?" I thought about it for a minute and then nodded.

"Okay, we can go now," she said as she came from the back of the cafe, not wearing an apron anymore and her hair was also freshly combed. She was holding a basket in her hand. I stood up quickly and offered her my arm which she gratefully took. I walked her out of the café and to my car. During the car ride, we both said nothing much. I watched her while she mostly looked out the window.

The place we picked was a quiet, not busy place under some trees with a good view of the water. "It's a beautiful place," she said. I looked at her and took the basket out of the car before we walked a bit on the beach. We easily found a spot to sit, and so we did. "Do you want a piece of the chocolate cake?" I asked. "I'd love to," she replied. I gave her the cake, and then we ate leisurely. "It's really hot today," I noticed. "Yeah, maybe we should swim a bit. I mean, we are at the beach." I looked at her with a surprised expression. "But I don't have any swimming clothes." "So what? Neither do I. I think it's warm enough that our underwear will dry quickly." she replied. Now my surprise grew. "Okay, then let's go." I said and removed my shirt. 

Just minutes later, we approached the warm water and went in. I laughed slightly as I noticed that she had trouble finding the ground. As we continued to swim out, she tried to stay on the bottom of the sea, becoming more and more panicked. I watched her as she tried to stay above water but failed. I immediately lifted her up again and held her in my arms. "You can't swim, can you?" "No, I can't," she said, trying to catch her breath. "I'll hold you, don't worry. Wrap your legs around me, it'll be easier for me." She did as I told her and I held onto her waist. "Thank you." She still had a little trouble breathing, but it disappeared with every second that I held her. Now, our bodies were so close together that our faces came closer and closer too. I looked into her eyes, then to her lips, and then to her eyes again. We both closed our eyes, and some seconds later, I felt her soft lips on mine. Our kiss lasted until we had to separate due to a lack of air. We grinned at each other and I brought us back to the beach where we lay down on the blanket.

"You look so beautiful in the light of the sunset," I said. "Thank you." My compliment made her shine.

We stayed on the beach until midnight and then I drove her home.

—————————

First post like this.

Don is such a sweetheart

Requests are open btw

If u wanna write about anything else I’m happy to hear it too!!!

[plasticbcnes]

courtney eaton & she/her / cis woman — i see you’ve settled on stephanie gingrich ! fill your inventory, you’re heading to litwick. you look 27 years old and i hear you’re from seattle ? well, i think lemon lane will be the perfect fit for you. make sure you stop by the music shop and introduce yourself as their new manager ! it’s strange, you almost remind me of steph gingrich from life is strange. we hope you enjoy the slow life ! 

playlist | pintrest

content/trigger warnings: divorce, death, depression

full name: stephanie gingrich

nicknames: steph

pronouns/gender: she/her ; cis woman

sexuality: lesbian

birthday: december 14, 1996

zodiac sign: sagittarius ☉ | aquarius ☽ | libra➶

hometown: astoria, or & seattle, wa

neighborhood: lemon lane

mbti: estj

enneagram: 4w3

moral alignment: chaotic neutral

element: fire

bio

steph was born in oakland, ca to a couple freshly out of college. the couple ended up moving up to astoria, oregon where her father was originally from when steph was still a baby

the couple split up when steph was four, and her mom moved up to seattle for a job as an art teacher - and so began steph's time spent between the two towns

steph loved art and music from a young age, influenced heavily by watching her mother and her love for it. her father, though, was the first to float the idea of an private arts high school that was not far from where he lived in oregon, and steph jumped at the chance, and begged her mom to let her attend

steph took to the school like a duck to water, embracing her talent in music, and getting to explore other areas in the arts provided there.

during her senior year, though, her father died during a heavy storm from a fallen tree limb and electrical wire. with the loss of her father, steph isolated herself, finishing school was purely to open the escape route out to college back home in seattle.

she attended college, changing her focus to video game design - a passion that felt so separated from everything else. but it wasn't long until her old loves came back, and she threw herself into the music scene fully, making friends and having her favorites of local bands.

it was there where she met her first real girlfriend, izzie. she fell in love quickly, and the two formed their own music group, that very quickly took off in the seattle music scene, especially amongst the queer scene.

the two found minor success elsewhere around the US, finding blips of listeners anywhere from phoenix to little towns like rolling springs, pa. the two gathered what little money they had, and started a tour across the country, offering to do jobs on a short-term basis everywhere they went for some extra cash.

their stop in litwick was the longest stay they'd had found. before they wound up in litwick, their longest stay anywhere was a little over two weeks in denver, co, where steph will admit was mostly because they spent more money on weed than they should have

but something about litwick resonated with steph in a way that nothing really had in a long time, and weeks had turned to months in the small town. when conversations about leaving sprung up, steph dismissed them or changed the subject. she took a job at the local music shop, magical melody, working as a clerk, while izzie bounced impatiently between the books & the bees, dupont's grocery, and reece's bar and grill.

eventually the ignored conversations came to a head, and became a fight. izzie demanded to keep moving, and steph couldn't quite bring herself to leave. the couple broke up, and izzie left, returning back home to seattle, and after an extended depressive episode, steph found her footing in litwick, ingratiating herself into the town, and during the last 4 years in town, was promoted to manager at magical melody, and only sometimes has existential crises about having stayed put, and the stagnation that has come with her decision.

[reigningqueenofwords]

Cyber Tag

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Part 2 of the Games We Play

For some reason, getting on at the same time lately had been difficult. You’d be logging off, just to see his name pop up, and vise versa. Sure, you would have loved to stay and chat, but you had work to do. So, you left each other little in game presents and notes.

Theinastus- Haven’t seen you on lately. I miss our flirting. Did you replace me with someone real? *gasps* I bought you a pie. I hope you like it!

-K

It wasn’t much, but it was something to let him know that you were thinking of him. You waited a few more minutes before calling it a night.

Dean groaned as he rolled over. “Remind me never to do that again.” He told his brother without opening his eyes.

Sam chuckled. “Which part? Going shot for shot with half the damn bar? Accepting drinks from a few hot chicks? Or getting up on stage and singing Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Which, by the way, I have on my phone.” He grinned.

“God, you suck.” He yawned, getting up. “Any new cases yet?” They’d just finished up in that town- hence the active drinking last night. None of which he remembered after the first hour. Which was probably a good thing.

“No, but I’m looking.” He shrugged, his eyes never leaving the laptop.

Finally, that evening, Dean felt well enough to keep his eyes open and logged on. He smiled softly at your note and sent you one in return.

Kanestinia-

You spoil me. I love me some pie. Did you know they make apple pie moonshine? Good stuff. Two birds with one stone. Anyways, I miss it, too. I’d never replace you! Did you replace me? I hope not. I bought you a rose, until we chat again.

-T

Hitting send, he went off to work on some quests.

This went on for three weeks until you finally saw him online. You were about to click his name when he sent you a message.

Theinastus- MY CYBER LOVE! Kanestinia- My cyber husband<3 Theinastus- I’ve missed you :( Kanestinia- And I, you. Theinastus- Busy life, I take it? Kanestinia- You have no idea. A lot of traveling- like 4 states or something? I lost track… Theinastus- We did a lot, too. What states?

That was brave. Neither of them ever discussed locations they were in before. But, he was feeling brave.

Kanestinia- Cali, Washington, Oregon, etc… that area. You? Theinastus- Holy shit. We might have passed each other! Or even spoken. How crazy is that? Kanestinia- That’s insane!!!

You stared at the screen, wondering what were the possibilities that the two of you were in the same states, at the same time, and had spoken? Slim, right?

Theinastus- Where are you headed next? Kanestinia- Nevada. Theinastus- …Boulder City.   Kanestinia- How’d you know?!? Theinastus- Lucky guess. Care to dress up like your character so I know it’s you if I see you? Or a sexy school girl? Kanestinia- You wish lol :P Theinastus- More like dream ;)   Kanestinia- Awe, shucks, you’re making me blush.

After a couple randoms together, you forced yourself to get off and get some sleep. You wanted to leave first thing in the morning, and that wouldn’t happen if you let yourself stay up flirting all night with him.

Dean had a silly smile on his face as Sam came out of the bathroom, hair wet from a shower. “She send you pictures or something?”

“No, nothing like that.” He grinned. She’s going to be in Boulder City.”

Sam’s eyebrows went up. “Really? Did you ask her out?!” He grinned, as his brother deserved to be happy.

With a sigh, Dean shook his head. “No. I’ve told you, I won’t.”

“They why are you out here grinning like a love-sick teenager?”

“Because, she’s been in the last few places we’ve been, and she’ll be in the next one, too. For a bite, we’re under the exact same sky.”

Sam stared at him. “Are you sure she isn’t a hunter, too?! And I think you should go find someone to go home with. Let them deal with you like this. It’s weird.” He teased.

When you realized how long it had been since you brought a man home from the bar, you sighed. You’d been so focused on your virtual man, that you neglected real life. It was your last night in Boulder, and you decided to have a couple drinks.

You walked in wearing a black t-shirt, cut off shorts, and sneakers. No need to doll it up too much. Your hair was left out, and your makeup minimal. You went straight to the bar and ordered a beer, and a shot.

“Two beers, please.” A tall man with hazel eyes ordered from a couple seats down.

Your eyes ran over him and you smirked. Taking your shot, you winked at him.

When he grinned, all you saw were pearly whites, and dimples. “Hi, I’m Sam.” He moved over and held out his hand.

“Y/N/N.” You shook it. “Nice to meet you, Sam.”

“Can I get you another shot?” He offered.

You sipped your beer, your eyes still on his. “Only if I get a dance out of you.” You countered.

“Why don’t you join me and my brother at our table? We can have a couple beers, and I’ll dance with you as much as you’d like to.”

Sliding off your stool, your body brushed against his. “Lead the way, handsome.” You chuckled, grabbing your beer.

[the-firebird69]

Stan wasinski was attacked heavily and by this guy and they're telling him to leave and mack daddy told jr he said get out or just shoot you in the head and his arguing and said you won't know can you be back the next day so he took the word for it it's not true a lot of stuff started happening to him and told to get out when he first started going in there and finally he is left at least the main portion of the laundromat I mean the guy is disgusting and then she's an animal and is a parasite he needs to be burned off. And this other guy has said is horrible he's a nightmare. And stan the landlord has been taking abuse from both of them and from Jason and they're stupid people so he's trying to get them out and get and have people to help and it doesn't seem to be working that great still it's very odd so he decided to attack them and turns out they're attacking him when he now has a war and his areas being attacked in the northwest and in the north of the USA in the Northeast and they're bringing tons of troops to bear it flooded Washington State and annihilated Stan he's getting killed and didn't bring chips in and it's kind of horrible no it's very bad and Oregon was half hour but they're attacking there and staying with dropped from 20% yesterday to about 30% out and that's a lot of troops but it's got a lot of strength in that area and it's used to stop and people it's kind of very rough terrain and people are not good at it. However there's still attacking in last night's attack and it will go on for 2 hours or so and they're pommeling right now and was heavy. And the attackers are mostly trumpsters yeah he can tell. And they are attacking non-stop right now and they are pouring in to Washington Oregon BC Michigan and Maine and they do think they can take the apartment over. And it's a ridiculous venture but that's what they think. There's other stuff happening it's getting very aggressive out there on the pseudo empire mostly it's A massive attack on this a****** and they deserve each other we estimate good Stan will be out 35% by daybreak in the West and the north too he's still being attacked and starts out there in the north for a little while longer

Hera

And we were stating the top but she does not like stan or Trump. This is a big war now and they are suffering real losses. Stan has been calling reinforcements that's why his losses are not as high as it could be but in the area he's reducing his people. And it's about to happen. There's other things going on but this is pretty big because he is threatening our son badly. And I have not moved to remove the two from the apartment and our son is laughing because the guy is saying something very rude he should remove him first instead of the two idiots who are killing his people and him self and it's ridiculous you people are stupid fuming losers doesn't mean anything Stan it means you're going to lose and crap is King means people got you to do it. And he's trying to back pedal supposedly but now we're going to watch him go and what a jerk that guy is a big jerk. Not too long from now he's chasing a big pile of dirt around to kill off his people he is chasing him out Cheyenne it's ridiculous who cares it's stupid. Some other stuff is happening too people are noticing that he's not so Swift and they're taking his stuff all over town and Florida they haven't been Court too cuz Stan has been threatening them thinking that our son is some kind of protection all sorts of stuff going through his head and his last tons of lawsuits and tons of apartments and land and it's becoming a weekling here. We're going to have to rip them out of here and Sherry too and this these two idiots they're falling permanently and yeah we expect to stand to be at 35% and it's in the area and that's 35% out he still has about 65% but he's weakened in the area and the bunker systems will be more infallible more vulnerable is happening shortly several other things going on but we're going to print

Thor Freya

Olympus

This guy is a pig and I'm putting in a report about Stan and when he was playing Mr Abercrombie what he was saying to Lily and others about my husband he's a Playboy he's so good which is normal for their kind but then he went into all sorts of things about him being a criminal knowing too much being a liability one day I told him to shut up and I'll jam the s*** up his ass you said no I said you know how many people are saying they're going to kill you if you hear if they hear that again just tell me to shut up and I said this like 50 people out of 100 and he says you're kidding he said no I showed him which ones he was well they'll pay and told me to get my stuff and get out now he said go get your things it's going to the mall so I went to the mall with the idiot and I'm pointing out this guy because it's not me since he's screaming at me put it like probably 30 of them he's going that's good and he researched the people and find out what they're doing it you find out it's almost all of this Mack morlock as people have been telling him he founded said what do you want me to know can you give me trouble and it's really these people you don't even see them and he went off and found out something to do in it I don't like this guy I don't want him near my husband I don't want to be near him I don't want the stupid situation is f****** stupid happy in the middle hospital they just sit there and murdering tons of stupid s*** is and they just keep coming to get murdered it was slaughtering them and millions of them and the morons know my and then they're delusional as hell and you're not putting up a fight so it makes it a problem I'm putting up this a problem that this guy is giving up and then he has to be taken away earlier so we don't have another John Riva Lord and this guy needs to be removed and I'm putting why they simply think they can do anything they want to and we have to stop them 100% and people keep bothering us about it and look you don't want to do this you don't want to continue doing it

Hera

Thor and Freya have stuck up for us and zig and zag and all of Olympus you need to review what they've been saying they say it's in the last report and you're not to do this and I said it years ago and people stop remembering and you have to remember it these things are said and ordered for a reason all of these satanists are people who deceive people about everything they don't have real lives they do not really love people or care about them they're basically animals and if you don't pay attention to what people know someone might get hurt and I don't want them on top of me and they're very very awful and lots of them are not this bad it's almost very strange to me that these are gravitating towards me there's so many that the Mac proper and foreigners could not keep them off me and they're having a war and there's reasons for it but really Tommy f is just another bad Apple live float around and think they get everything they want by bothering one person and are severely mentally ill they're criminally insane and you don't want any of these people in the general populace near us at all you don't want one of them out there where they can encounter one of us they are despicable and rude and crass and all this other stuff and now they're psychotic murderers and they're killing their wives and the killing their kids and the feeling themselves and they need to they need to be burned and back Daddy is surrounded by this and the two big guys and Ken there's some people who still human beings but there's a lot of people here who are just absolute trash and dangerous because of it

Zues

We're following through and we know what you mean you can't let them do this stupid s*** again and we're not going to and we're manning up and we follow what you're saying. They get high as a kite from messing around with you and her and don't know why and it's the empire and they're screwed because these people were way too into it and still are they just want to hold him it's just disgusting and they're mobilizing now and they see it these people want to fight for real and I'll tell you what did these rebellion trumpsters ruined your rebellion they did they're stupid and stan he's an idiot. There's a lot of people who are jerks okay these retards are always jerks but people are influence of them be huge assholes all day long to each other to our sons they don't really need that they have trouble keeping it straight and you know Stan you act like a Mac proper and even back Daddy was saying your mouth and get demanding stuff and you're losing everything at the same time just like Trump you're too little weasels they were going to send troops now and requesting people here do their job and stop them while the clones are invading they think they can take advantage of it

Thor Freya

Olympus

[theghostpinesmusic]

Back in '22, there was a bit less specific hype about Goose and free 4K concert streams were less of a thing, so even though I saw nine (!) shows that year, there aren't a lot of jam videos out there to write up. I technically could link to some of the full-show videos the band has shared since and dig into those, but I do have an actual life, too, and not doing so puts an artificial limit on how many jam posts I write, which is good. But this is why I only posted that "Rosewood Heart" video from my February '22 PNW run, and why I'm only doing a few posts from the Colorado '22 run.

Long story short, there were lots of neat things about the 8/16/22 Dillon Amphitheater show that made it more than worth driving to Colorado from Oregon and then braving the rain and wind and cold to attend. The first set had an extended "Time To Flee" that was...fine. It also featured the debut of the then-new "80s vibe" arrangement of "Indian River" (I'm an all-versions "Indian River" fan, they're all great) and personal favorite and ultra-rarity "The Labyrinth." The set closed with a massive, sunset disco-jam version of "Hot Tea." The second set had a short but amazing take on "Drive," as well as a solid set-closing "Pancakes." But none of that is on YouTube.

One sequence that is on YouTube and that I did want to talk about from 8/16/22 is this combo of "A Western Sun" -> "Moby."

"A Western Sun" is one of my favorite Goose folk/ballad-type songs, and it's one of the first songs that got me into the band based on its lyrics rather than its guitar fireworks. That said, it had a brief period in '22 where, after the song proper there was a drop into a sort-of-unrelated jam, which was pretty cool. Arguably, the best version of this configuration of the song came on 8/16, though I'm biased because this was the first night of the Colorado run I gushed about so much in my previous post. Anyway, add that jam and a segue into the Ted Tapes 2021 instrumental "Moby" and you've got one of the highlights of this run for sure.

You should listen to "A Western Sun" through if you haven't heard the song already because it's great. But the song ends at 7:00 with a segue into a really mellow space. Immediately the rhythm section is a highlight here, with Rick and Peter adding accents around the edges. There was a real Dead-y feel to a lot of the improvisation during both of these Dillon shows, and this initial space is a great example of that.

Also, as I've already hammered a few times in my last couple of posts, I tend to get grumpy about Peter getting relegated (or relegating himself?) to just playing a repeating pattern on the piano during jams, and here he's contributing a lot of melodic ideas that make the jam more interesting than it would be otherwise.

By 10:15 or so, we're in a legitimate groove, with everyone working together to build momentum. Some chording from Rick at 10:55 builds up the intensity, and Trevor jumps on shortly after, launching us into a straight-ahead shredfest. At 11:57, though, Rick backs off again and the rest of the band follows, with he and Peter both exchanging staccato riffs. Pete moves to an electric piano sound, and all of a sudden we're in a space that makes me somehow think of the underwater music in Super Mario 64.

That lasts all of a few seconds, though, because at 12:42 Rick hits on a big ol' bluesy riff and Peter echoes it almost immediately. This pulls everyone else along into another new space. I've been saying this a lot lately, but Trevor is the star here to my ears. Everyone else is building intensity in the background by repeating the same bit, and he's the one improvising over top of it all. It's great.

We stay on this theme, but things open up a bit starting at 14:30, with Rick and Peter both deviating from the main riff more and more and the drums building in energy. Eventually, Rick decides to Burn The Entire Venue Down With Everyone Trapped Inside It, so he does.

At 16:48, we start winding down a bit, and based on Rick's chording, it sounds like we might be headed into another jam portion, but Peter also starts up the Vibe part from "Moby" at the same time. It seems like there might have been a little miscommunication here, because the segue is a little rough, but we land in "Moby" at 17:31, so who's complaining?

As I mentioned above, "Moby" is an instrumental from the Ted Tapes 2021 album, so there's no real "jam" here, per se, but the band obliterates the tune for a few minutes. Rick never quite reaches the full Hendrix-like bodyslam levels he sometimes reaches on this tune during this version, but it's a satisfying landing pad for the big "A Western Sun" jam.

[sportsminorityreport]

The fall of the PAC --- The start of the relegation era.

I heard a Utah fan complaining about "being relegated" to the Big 12 --- most Utah fans and administrators wanted to stay in the PAC.

That relegation statement resonated with me.

I think if all the rumors of today happen, that may be the most honest way to look at everything that has gone down.

The bottom line is that the PAC 12 was a 12 team conference where essentially 8 schools carried their weight to some degree in the revenue sports and brought good markets. They were feeding 12 mouths.

If Stanford and Cal had never had the conference add Oregon State and Washington State (two schools with academics that were not and have not been at PAC standards decades ago) would the Pac have crumbled? Probably not.

With USC and UCLA the PAC schools were projected to be worth $50M per school or $600M. Without those two NW schools they would probably be worth about $570M or $57M per school. Is USC or UCLA leaving if they have $57M each and the Big Ten TV deal does not reflect LA value? I don't think so.

In real terms NOT actively relegating both schools --- something that probably was not allowed in the conference by-laws --- probably doomed the conference. Too many mouths to feed.

What do we have today --- end result.

The haves of the PAC (Washington, Oregon, USC, and UCLA ) have been promoted.

The middle class of the PAC (Colorado, Arizona, ASU, Utah, and now maybe with rumors of Stanford and Cal to the ACC) have be relegated to a slightly lesser conference than the PAC, and the Lower class of the PAC Oregon State and Washington State appear to have been strongly relegated to a lower level, the MWC.

Two years from now, I think we will just view this as a relegation story.

And I think more importantly, I think this is historically significant. I think this is the first round of relegation realignment.

The next seems likely to gut the ACC. The ACC schools all feel the ACC is better than the Big 12. But just like in the PAC, they may be forced to take the lifeboats that are there.

And then things get interesting....

I would not be shocked if the Big Ten crumbles into a football haves conference and a football have nots conference. Is there any reason Purdue, Indiana, Iowa, and others should be making Ohio State money?

I would not be shocked to see the Big Ten break into a 3 team football conference with the traditional powers along with their ACC and PAC acquisitions and several teams... perhaps enough for an 8 team football only conference operating at the Big 12 level... whose members play their Olympic sports in the Big Ten.

Who gets the axe?

Indiana

Purdue

Northwestern

Illinois

Iowa

minesota

wisconsin

and..... Nebraska?!?!?!

I would not be shocked to see Ol' Miss and Mississippi State forced out of the conference by Texas in order for the SEC to keep payouts up with Big Ten "A".

Relegation is here.

[lostmydomain]

Forever in water

I’m thinking of a man. An old family friend. He lived by the bay and fished in its inky waters. A paraplegic, he made things that should be hard seem easy. I sat on his lap as he wheeled me around the landing. His trailer was alive with cats; they’d move, and jump, and slink. You would hear them like the creaking of breathing walls. He’d share with me the lures he used while fishing; the rubbery squid that became iridescent and glittered under water. They were homed in a shed under his trailer, a space too scary for me to enter, but he shimmied himself down and reemerged from the dark with the treasured lures.

I’m thinking of a frog. One that would often climb into the hot tub and stay under the lid; warm and wet in the winter. And when you took off the lid to get in, there was a frog, a surprise, a treasure.

I’m thinking of a rafting trip in Oregon when I was very young. As we went along in calmer water, the sun on ripples would cast reflective, eely shapes of light on the river bed. An older sister would tease and say they were snakes and if I touched the bottom they would bite me. All I wanted was to be in water.

What then? What am I supposed to do with these memories, and the metaphors I’ve made to connect them to how I am feeling? Why would my brain create such a puzzle? Wouldn’t you imagine as a soul controller and the root of all my feelings and desires it would err towards happiness and calm at all means necessary? There is good and evil in every cell that connects me to myself. Why am I still fighting in the dark? Why am I abandoned to fight internally eternally? Is this the only way to make heaven real or better that the corporeal? I will make this eternally mine. Would you live it again? Absolutely, over and over.

I am thinking of Becca. What happened? Where has she gone and to what dark place did she emerge? Where is that place, is it a hole that is scary but holds treasure that glitters in the deep, beneath the water? Our holes – it’s not about what we are missing, but the darkness we turn around and spin to gold.

I am spinning upside down into gold as the candlelight flickers past my eye lids and activates the cones and rods that hold a place in my brain for you.

Guilded webs, sparkle in the morning and through the austere, leafless branches I catch a glimpse of the honey that touched the height of the sky and falls each night. What a fortunate fall, as milky light brings back the web weaver to perfectly cast what art she can string together. What she has spun is left to be seen only as she sleeps in the light. An over-correction at each thatched end.

The sea is still in my lungs. I try to cough it out but it is salty at each release. Maybe I need to swim in fresher waters. Who could say if that was safer?  I sleep in the tumbling embrace of a waterfall, and through the invisible bruises from falling water, I am washed with newness. Fuller transience and a sloppy life eventually lived in perfection, as I realize this is what I have. How do I tumble further and maybe softer, live beneath my breaths. Quieter, loftier, and with intent. A gentle breeze heaves and extends the room, and I shrink. Maybe spinning upside down is falling into falling water, escaping what feels the same in the air and the space between the sky. Living in transience but slower.

Eddies of brilliant light flashed from leaf-litter and a diaphanous coat of the liquid-air interface. The perfect cast and the slip of the line underneath. The web, slipping under with effortless grace, glittered with bubbles, forever in water.

Eternally living this - it isn’t an answer to the questions that plague us, but a philosophy and a way to experience life. This life, as if you would live it over and over. To appreciate the suffering and joy as necessary on the path of what is. And if you collapse the aspect of time in your life into a single point, that is all you are. Orbiting and recurring, as seen in nature; in the day and the night, the repetition of seasons, the dream and wake state.

You spin into your dream, awake. Time is meaningless and edges don’t exist - this is a part of that collapsed time, this is all of that collapsed time. This is the negative side some might say, but really, it is just the other side of the spin. And if you can catch control of the spin, meditate on nothing but spinning and when the spinning stops. And then, almost immediately, you are caught in the dream.

I am looking up from the dark behind me at the reflective ripples on the surface. I am falling and feeling quiet and heavy. A hand reaches out and I am lifted into cold air and shards of ice.

Did you notice who was under? What lurked or loved from beneath? And how the mumbled sentences under water are like talking into an empty bottle and hearing only the attempt at words.

You build up the courage to grab one of the luminous eels only to realize that the sand and rocks that you were able to surface want to fall away and give themselves to gravity. It all falls away and you are left with you - each side of you in the spin. Let yourself get used to the side of you that you hate only because you aren’t used to looking at it. Familiarity is comfort not love, and I am being pushed away - or are we pushing each other away? Each side of the spin, pushing the other?

Can I fill my hole with these memories? Shiny webs, and frogs, fishing lures and wet sand, and Becca?

[chrliebot]

i love spreadsheeting but i dont want to do meaningless work for the rest of my life...... but i cant just waste my money on an art major. and since i have to minor in something it should probably be marketing. and idk what im doing with my LIFE WHAT AM I DOING

sigh. i wish i was good enough at pottery to start a studio or small business..... i think imma work at making it a side hustle then try and expand to a full time job if its working. but being self employed is so hard and IDK IDK IDK

[joe9cool]

COLLIDE-JUSTIN HERBERT- 6

TW: Mention of suicide. Just the word, also no hate to any real life people. This is just a work or fiction.

shit.

Shit.

SHIT.

Justin was freaking out. What should he do? Should he tell his parents they should cancel their flight? He couldn’t do that, they would ignore him anyways and he knew she would never admit it, but his mom was losing her mind. This was his first major injury at the NFL level, and he was in alot of pain.

But that also left the question of Sara, she was staying at his house. What was he supposed to do about her? He didn't want her to leave, but he wasn’t sure that they were ready for that step. I mean they haven’t even had a talk about what this meant. Now she is going to be meeting his parents?

He wondered how he was going to navigate this situation, he didn’t think his injury was serious for his parents to come from Oregon, his parents had lives, jobs, and friends. Not to mention Patrick was still living with them. They had enough on their plates, they didn’t need to come down just for this.

He went through the rest of the tests in a daze, so much so that he didn’t realize how much time had passed, or there was a knock on the door.

Mike came in, Sara right behind him holding his bag. Mike had a shit eating grin. “I ran into your girl as she was going to drop off something."

She held up his bag, " I was just going to give it to Mike but he insisted that he take me to you."

The team doctor was starstruck, “I'm not trying to be unprofessional here, but its very nice to meet you.” He shook Sara’s hand. “My daughter is a huge fan of the show, and your acting in general. Would you mind if I took a picture for her?”

Sara blushed. “Um sure.” The doctor passed his phone to Mike and he took the photo, not realizing that Justin was glaring at her the whole time. After the photo was taken, Sara wanted to leave. Detecting that Justin wasn’t happy about her presence but Mike wasn’t having it. He wrapped his arm around her. “Naw see we gotta introduce you to the guys that are here! You’re telling me Herb has been keeping you a secret all this time and now you wanna leave?”

Justin tried to interfere. “Mike. Stop”

Mike brushed him off, continuing his hold on Sara. “Naw man you finally get a girlfriend, and you tryna hide it! And look at that ,a famous movie star!” He looked at Sara “Did you know Herb had no intention of calling you after you gave him your number!”

Sara smirked at Justin. “Oh I’m sure I was the one that called him”

Mike busted out laughing. “I fucking knew it.” He slapped Justin on the thigh. “I bet Ekeler $50”

Justin’s face paled “Wait Ekeler knew?”

“Hell ya man! You ain’t that slick, we all knew you were seeing someone. Hey, I am happy for you guys. Make a cute couple,” He walked out. “Hey Sara, you need to come to one of our Brisket days.”

He left, leaving the Doctor, Justin, and Sara alone. The doctor decided to check on some results leaving the couple alone.

“I was going to text you to let me know when you are here I could have discreetly picked it up.”

She shrugged. “I was trying to message you, I was looking around for security and Mike spotted me. I am sorry”

“Its fine. Hey listen” He scratched the back of his head. “I got a text from my parents that they are en route from Oregon.”

Sara sighed. “I guess that means I should be-”

“You can still stay with me.”

That stunned her into silence “Sara?”

“Wow. Are you sure? I mean I would love to meet them but what does this make us?” She had to put it out there. It was driving her crazy not to know what this was. They had been dancing around the subject for a few months.

Justin looked around. Now was not the time to be discussing this “Let’s talk later, I don’t think this is the place.”

Sara nodded. “Okay, but I am not going to forget about this.”

They were interrupted by a knock. The doctor poked his head in “Um Justin? We have the results ready.”

“Okay I have to go, I’ll pick my parents up from the airport when I am done here. See you at home.” He got up and left with the doctor.

Sara smiled like a schoolgirl

He said “See you at home.”

“Come meet my parents”

They did have to have the talk but right now none of that matters. She had to impress the people who made the man she loved.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A fucking rib cartilage fracture.

“You will be put as day to day” Coach Staley said. “We will be giving you a few days to rest and recover.”

“How long will recovery be in general?”

“Months, I would recommend missing a few games.” Justin and Staley both shook their heads no. “No way, this season is too important.”

“Justin, we don't want any long term damage. You’re taking a big chance if you continue to play like this. Its going to be really uncomfortable.”

Staley stepped in. “Look, we have a few extra days. Justin, go home and rest, spend time with your family. We will check back in on Monday. “

The doctor had prescribed painkillers for him to take and bandage wraps for his midsection. He warned Justin that sneezing, coughing, and laughing would be painful for some time.

Justin went to the pharmacy to pick up the stuff he needed before heading to the airport to pick up his parents. As he was waiting in the pick up area, he was trying to figure out how he was going to make this speech. He was also wondering if his parents knew who she was, he would like to think they are hip. However, they are still his parents and used to actors and actresses from their generation. He can recall he and his family in theaters when Bohemian Rhapsody came out.

It was funny, because he never gave that movie a second thought, but now that he is dating the person that was Freddie Mercury’s love interest he might have to watch it again. He broke free from his thoughts when he got a text from his dad saying they had arrived. He placed his porsche in park and put on his mask so he didn’t get recognized

It didn’t take long for him to see his parents coming towards him, considering they have been there so many times. “Justin!” His mom reached out for a hug but stopped herself as she remembered the reason she was in town. “Oh I’m so sorry baby. How are you feeling?”

He shrugged. "Fine as can be." After they were all settled and in the car Justin told them the complexity of the situation. After a quick silence he decided to break the news. "So listen I actually have a friend staying with me right now. I was going to text you and say not to come down because I was covered but."

"Oh? A teammate?" Holly questioned.

"Um no"

"Someone else came from Oregon?" He smiled. His parents knew he didn't have any friends outside of his teammates in LA.

"No it's actually someone I've been seeing." The air got sucked out of the car. Justin saw in his peripherals that his dad turned around to face his mom in the backseat. "Mom. Dad?"

"I had no idea you were seeing anyone. Is it new?" Holly was the first one to ask questions.

"Well it's been a few months."

"A few months huh? And she's already staying with you?" Justin knew what his mother meant by that. She was protective of her sons and she wasn't stupid. Once word got around that her son was going pro, girls started to surround him. Her other son Patrick was going through the same thing. Girls would do anything if it meant they became the girlfriend or wife of an NFL player.

"Mom, it's not like that. She makes more money than me." He didn't know her exact net worth, but he had overheard conversations with her banker and investors and wow.

His dad finally spoke up. "What does she do?"

"She works in the entertainment business."

"Oh like on sets?"

Justin smirked "I guess"

"Well that's great sweetie. We can't wait to meet her." He could tell his mom was still hesitant. He didn't introduce them to girls. The last one being in high school.

By the time they arrived and Justin unlocked his door he could smell food and sweets. Sara came around the corner with a bright smile on her face. However he knew her too well. She was twisting the ring she usually wore on the forefinger. It was a habit that she did when she was extremely nervous.

"Hello Mr. And Mrs. Herbert. I'm Sara" she stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Sara, nice to meet you. Please we are Mark and Holly. "

She smiled. "I made dinner, and there's cookies in the oven. I had no idea you guys were coming in."

Holly smiled. "We usually don't, but I was so worried seeing him on the field like that. I thought he would need help. But apparently not."

Sara reached their bags, ready to put them in the guest room but Mark insisted they could do it.

Holly remarked. "If I had known about you.

I would have brought out the photo album."

Sara felt a pang. "He didn't tell you?"

"No, he is very private even with us. So I'm not too surprised." Sara looked out to where Justin and Mark were standing

"I haven't said anything to my parents. So I can't say anything." She confessed.

"Really? Private as well "

Sara was surprised that she would spill information to basically a stranger. "My parents are somewhat wealthy snobs. Corporate careers only matter. My sisters and their husband's are all basically business and law school graduates and there's me."

"Justin said you worked in entertainment."

Sara smiled. "I'm an actress." Holly clapped her hands together. "I knew I recognized you from somewhere! You were in Little Women!"

"Yes, and a few other films."

"Is everyone getting along?" They looked over to see Justin and his dad heading in. Justin looked nervous.

Holly smiled. " Everything's great."

Justin was suddenly distracted by the huge edible arrangement on the counter with a teddy bear. "What's this?"

At the mention of the fruit Sara's mood soured. "It came while you were gone. I don't know who it's from there's a card though."

One of the good things about acting is that she could hide her emotions once she processed them. She had more than enough time to process this.

The bear was holding a heart that said 'get well soon' which peaked her interest when the delivery guy dropped it off.

She knew that she had no right to look at the card in the envelope but it wasn't sealed. As Justin looked out the card she knew exactly what that fucking card said.

'I'm always here for you. Miss you

Your Tay Bae

She watched his face out of the corner of her eye. He seemed neutral as he ripped up the card.

"Justin!" Holly scolded. "That's rude! Who sent that nice arrangement?"

"The O-line sent it. Trying to mess with me by sending the bear." He rolled his eyes.

Sara wanted to punch him

One of her flaws was that she was a very jealous person. Obviously dating someone with a fan base involves female fans getting out of hand. She dealt with that with Harry.

But this.. this was something else.

Who the fuck was Tay?

"Sara"

She made sure to keep record of the name

"Sara."

He wouldn't be stupid enough to follow this bitch on instagram

"Sara!" She snapped out of her daze to find the group looking at her. "Huh?"

"I said something smells good." Mark laughed as she flushed bright red. "You were spacing out."

"I'm so sorry, where are my manners. Yes I made a spinach mancotti." She took the food out of the warmer. Justin began to pull out plates.

Dinner was a hit. Sara loved his parents, they were easy to talk to. They asked about her career and how she got started. Justin realized he didn't even know the answer to these questions and he started to feel bad about not really asking her about her career. She was so invested in him that he didn't even pay attention to hers.

The card seemed to be forgotten as everyone ate, dessert and coffee was served. Holly and Mark couldn't stop complimenting her cooking skills.

"I took culinary classes in high school and college. I was always more drawn to the arts rather than sports."

"Oh god it's so nice to hear that. My family is sports obsessed and so am I. It's just nice to discuss some other topics.

After dessert Justin and Sara cleaned up while his parents sat outside on the patio. She insisted on them not helping with nothing and relaxing.

Unbeknownst to the couple in the kitchen. The elders were watching him

"That kinda reminds me of us when we were younger. " Mark remarked to his wife as he saw his son pinch the brunette's butt as she swatted at him laughing.

"Who would have known he found someone? You know he did not discuss football or the game once since we met her." Holly smiled and took a sip of her drink. "Who would have thought?"

"I don't think I've seen him like this with anyone."

They watched as Justin looked at Sara while she was wiping down the counter. He was staring at her like a love struck boy. It was adorable to see.

Before too long the couple joined them and they spent the rest of the night talking. Around 10:30 Holly and Mark went to bed.

Soon after, Justin and Sara headed up to his room. Sara helped him out of his clothes and switched out his wrapping. After he was done and laying in bed Sara did her night routine. When she walked out of the bathroom she saw him reading.

"I'm going to turn this light off since you have your nightstand on." She turned off the overhead ones.

"If you need anything I have my phone up. Goodnight babe." She was about to head to the living room when he called out.

"Uh where do you think you're going?"

She looked confused. "I'm sleeping on the coach. It pulls out."

He rolled his eyes. She was silly If she thought she was going to sleep on the coach. "Um I know it pulls out, I bought it."

Sara rolled her eyes. "Get your cute ass on this bed." He patted the spot next to him.

"No way, you said I'm violent in my sleep. I'm not risking you getting hit."

"I didn't say 'violent' I said 'move around too much. Difference" He smirked.

"Don't change it. I remember it clearly as day. 'Gosh Sara you're violent.'" She mimicked his voice.

He laughed then let out an 'Ow as he held his rib.

"See I already did enough damage. Goodnight."

She left the room, and Justin was left pouting. The whole point of her being there was to sleep with him. Not sexually, well maybe a little sexual. He liked that physical connection. He liked closeness, it was embarrassing to admit but he and Sara tried cockwarming a few times and he had become obsessed with it. It would usually lead to sex, but if it didn't he would be content with that.

After a while of reading, he fell asleep.

—--------‐—-------------------------------------

Sara waited til she heard the snoring from his room. Then she investigated.

She put her brightness on low, then went to the first place she thought of

Instagram.

She was going to log into her personal account. The one that only followed family and close friends but she thought against it. She went into her fan page account. It wasn't to actually have a fanpage for herself, it was to snoop on people and other things. See what they were saying about her.

Clicking on Justin's profile she went to his following. The first thought that ran through her head was the name

Tay Bae.

Tay is usually a shortened version of Taylor. Let's start with that. She put in the name Taylor.

11 results. Most of the names were guys, except for two.

There was taylor who was a sports dietician that was private. Then there was Taylor Biscotti.

She was a sports reporter for the Chargers and NFL analyst. She was blonde, pretty the usual nightmare for girls like Sara.

But that didn't prove anything. But then she thought about the conversation she and Bella had in the kitchen.

Everyone has a past, why is he so private?

She didn't Google Justin's personal life. She swore she would never do that. Anyone can do that and make assumptions. Hell people have done that to her.

But now she had to get to the bottom of this.

Going into Google Images she typed in

'Justin Herbert and Taylor Biscotti'

The first photos were interviews they had done together but the caption on one of them caught Sara's eye

Justin Herbert in lowkey relationship with NFL-

Upon clicking the article, she was going to be sick.

Justin Herbert is in lowkey relationship with Taylor Biscotti

The two were spotted out and about the Irvine area after picking her up from the airport.

She took a deep breath, okay maybe this is an old article. She looked at the date.

June 15th 2022.

She searched again and stumbled upon an interview she did with him on Twitter last season. To the normal person it would seem like a normal interview. But she knew Justin, she knew his body language and his facial expressions. In the comments there were some crude ones about them. Remarks about Herbert getting interviewed by his girlfriend.

"You motherfucker" She whispered.

Sara liked to see the best in people she really did. However being an overthinker overruled that.

Maybe he ended it once they started dating. But why the fuck would she send that expensive arrangement? She kept deep diving. She found some blogs that speculated due to their careers it was just a hook-up and nothing serious. But again who the fuck sends a hookup something like that?

Also another thing bothered her.

"Both reps were reached out for comment but no return."

Now if nothing was going on why wouldn't they deny it.

Sara liked to hurt herself so she went back to Taylor's page. Her most recent post about the NFL being back and she was rooting for the Chargers made her angry. Torturing herself further, She looked at the comments.

Gorgeous

Beautiful Taylor

Go Chargers!

Justin is a lucky man!

You still seeing Herb?

She couldn't handle it. She logged out and deleted her search history.

She locked herself in the furthest bathroom and stifled her crying.

Is this why he didn't want to follow her? Why was he so private? Was he protecting her feelings?

What about her feelings? It was at that moment that she came to the Realization that she was falling in love with him.

Maybe she was being overdramatic. Maybe it was just a hookup and they were cordial. They work together and Justin doesn't like awkwardness.

She calmed herself down by coming to that conclusion and splashed cold water on her face. Now was not the time to bring this up. Not with his parents here and him being injured.

She headed back onto the couch. Just as she was about to drift off she felt herself being pulled against something. "What the-"

"Shhh" She felt kisses on her neck and she settled down. "You're supposed to be sleeping." She tried to keep the bite out of her voice.

He didn't seem to notice. "I can't sleep without you. I miss you."

She tried to get out of his arms. But despite his injury, his good side still had more power than him. "Stop fighting me" He growled. He tried a different approach. "You're gonna risk hurting me and we can't have that can we?" He continued kissing down her neck and sucked on the spot that got her going. She held back a moan

He was being so cuddly and clingy. She had to ask "did you take a pain pill?"

She felt him nod. She felt herself nodding off again. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear what came out of Justin's mouth

He whispered. "I'm crazy about you."

And in that moment, all was forgotten.

—------------------------------------------------

The rest of the weekend went great. Holly and Mark got to know Sara more. She tried to back off and allow his parents to spend time with him. She kept herself busy on the phone with her publicist trying to go over specifics over next month's darling premiere. Justin and his parents were at the training facility going over his treatment plan before he dropped his parents off at the airport.

"Oh by the way." Her publicist Heidi was an older woman with sharp tendencies. To many people she came off as a bitch. But the truth was she knew the business like the back or her hand and didn't want to see her clients get caught up on the wrong side. "What are you doing in Irvine?"

"Huh?"

"I was scrolling at your tag on Twitter. There was a guy posting a pic of your autograph, saying you refused a picture."

"Oh! Yes I was grocery shopping and I didn't want to get recognized. " hoping that she bought the lie.

"In Irvine?"

"Yes, I'm sort of taking a break, plus one of my friends from college lives there so I was staying with them for a few days."

Heidi didn't seem to think anything of it as she changed the subject. "Also Mr. Styles' team requested that you two take a photo on the carpet together at the premiere."

Sara was confused. "Why would he want that?"

"Beats me, but he is pretty consistent. This could be a big opportunity for you two. Maybe a big reconciliation. An interview where you say you want to work together? This could be big Sara, if rumors start that you two might get back together this will blow up!"

'Except I'm over Harry and don't want to be in the press with his name' She thought to herself. She took a deep breath. "Heidi I don't want to be associated with rumors that aren't true. It would just be a lie, I'm not saying I could never be cordial again. It's just I can't see anything past that."

She heard a sigh of disappointment. "Okay well its something to think about. You two would be the ultimate power couple. The press, your fans would go nuts!"

"Yeah I'm not too sure." She heard the front door open and she was grateful for the distraction. "Hey can you text me? I got to go." Sara hung up before Heidi could respond. She looked over at Justin.

"Parents on plane?" He nodded. He seemed nervous. "What?"

"Can you help me shower?" He took off his cap and ran his hand through his greasy hair.

She laughed. "Why are you so shy? I've seen you naked so many times." He flushed even redder, making her laugh even harder. "Come on, let's go."

She set up a bath for him since she would have to wash his hair and it would be too hard for him to stand up.

She got all of her products out. He had too nice of hair to be using patene. She did a bubble bath and turned on the jacuzzi jets.

Once she stripped Justin she undressed to her underwear. At his raised eyebrow she shrugged. "I don't want my clothes wet."

He slowly lowered himself in the water, groaning at how good it felt, Sara sat up on the ledge on the tub behind them. She guided him to lean his head back. She rinsed his hair before lathering up the shampoo. Making sure she was massaging the scalp as well. "God that feels so good." He moaned which made her smile. She did a couple washes, while rinsing his hair of the suds she remarked. "You have such nice hair."

"It's getting long again. I need to cut it."

"Just a couple inches. A little cleanup." She heard Justin start laughing. "What?"

"You wouldn't like it if I buzzed it off like last time.

She pulled back. "You mean you buzzed off all of it! When?"

"Give me my phone." She got up and handed him the iPhone on the bathroom counter.

After a few minutes of searching he showed her the 2020 photo. She was silent "Babe"

She snapped out of whatever daze she was in and looked at the photo. Immediately she burst out laughing. "You look like a cadet! Fresh out of high school and all!" She said between giggles.

Justin had to defend himself. "Hey! It wasn't that bad!"

"Yes it was!"

"So if I came to your place one day with this cut. You would break up with me."

She pretended to think about it. "I wouldn't say break up. Maybe some space til it grows back. Which lucky for you it does. "

After the condition and some help with body washing :which came with some innuendo) the pair dried off and began to look for a snack. She was about to open up the chips and salsa when she saw Justin throw out the edible arrangement. Bear and all.

"Aren't you going to eat that? The team payed alot of money for that." She couldn't hide the smile that came across her face.

"Naw it's old."

They continued looking around for snacks. Finally Sara had an idea. "Let's go out"

"What. Where?"

"I know a place, trust me it's very private. I know the owner." Justin was hesitant. "Please trust me." She grabbed his hand and she saw him have an internal struggle before he said. "Okay"

After locking up, she led him to her car with tinted windows, the sun was almost down and once they reached their destination. After a quick phone call she began to drive.

As the city lights passed them by, Justin was staring into Sara's profile. She was stunning, and cute when she was focused.

He meant what he said when he said he was crazy about her. Again it had only been a few months but he had never felt so…. Alive. Normally he would be watching game videos. This weekend was about rest and he had done that. The team had told him it was all about pain management going forward and that he should be able to play against the Jags.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't pay attention to the radio playing or that she was singing beautifully to the song.

"You sing?"

She smiled. "You forget I was a theater kid. I had the lead role in musicals. I was on the drama team in college."

He actually didn't forget. " So you would have hated me in high school."

"You were the star quarterback, you and your teammates would have bullied me."

"I wasn't like that. You watch too many movies with that trope."

Sara was silent for a bit. "I lived it." She said softly.

"Huh?"

"I was bullied alot. My older sisters were all athletic and smart. I was smart, but not athletic and I was constantly compared to them. Even By my own family. I've dealt with it. It still hurts, especially this industry. Sometimes I still feel like I'm in high school when any guy I showed interest in chased after skinny blonde popular girls."

She continued "and that's fine, everyone has a preference, it's just hard when you never were anyone's preference."

"I'm sorry."Justin didn't know what to say. Cause in theory he was one of those she was talking about. He thought back to all the women he was involved with. There was a brunette. But it was mostly blondes he was after. Until Sara came into his life.

"When I told my parents I wanted to pursue the arts they told me it was a waste of time. They paid for all my sisters' degrees, didn't help me with mine. They compared paying for my school to flushing money down the toilet."

"You didn't deserve that." He thought about his and brothers upbringing. His parents were always supportive of everything they did. He couldn't imagine not having that.

"Things got better when I came out here for college. I found myself. I began auditioning for cameos and finally got a couple of commercials, and befriended some nice people. Which wasn't easy, so many people would backstab you for some loose change if they could. Found that out the hard way early on."

"I'm sure your parents are proud."

"They say they are for the cameras. But I know that deep down they think it would be better if I was a lawyer or a doctor. It looks better to their country club friends."

"Well if it's any consolation. I'm very proud of you. Watch some of the commercials I did and you could give me some pointers." They smiled at each other as he grabbed her hand

At last they arrived at their destination and Justin realized they were far out of civilization. The place looked like a run down shack. "Uh what is this place?"

"So this place I discovered accidentally when I was nineteen. I was going through a rough patch with school and just not in a good place mentally. I rode my bike far out, and while riding about a block from here my tire deflated. So I came to Jerry's pub crying my eyes out with no money and he calmed me down, fixed it and gave me a ride home. I would always come up here since then. He's pretty much my second dad."

"It doesn't even look like this place is open."

"It's not busy on Sunday nights, however if I'm coming I'll call and he will clear the place out ahead of time. So it will be just us and him if you don't mind."

She reached her hand out and Justin grabbed it and let her lead the way. She knocked on the door four quick times before it opened. A well toned, middle aged man answered. Immediately drew her in for a major hug. "Thank you so much for doing this on short notice Jerry."

He had a deep voice. "Anything for My favorite girl." He looked at Justin. "And you must be the friend. I'm Jerry, owner here."

Justin returned the handshake. "Justin."

" SareBear here tells me you guys are seeing each other. What do you do for a living son?"

Was this Sara's dad? Was this a set up? "Um yes sir. Um I play Quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers."

"Isn't it San Diego?" Jerry laughed. "I'm sorry. I don't really keep up with sports like that."

Justin found himself laughing too. "It's fine, I like it that way."

Jerry's place was a small bar, old fashioned dive with a jukebox. He made them drinks. (Wine for Sara, water for Justin since pain meds.)

It felt normal, she felt normal. Like a normal twenty-six year old who was falling in love with someone that could be the one.

Her favorite Taylor swift lyric went through her head.

"And all at once you are the one I have been waiting for."

Maybe this was her moment.

She and Justin talked for a few hours until Jerry joined them. At some point Sara excused herself to use the bathroom.

"I like you Justin, your a good man with a good head on your shoulders"

"That means alot. I always try to be humble."

"You treat her right ya hear? Harry messed her up real bad. She's a good woman who deserves to be loved by a real man."

Wait. Who was Harry?

Justin nodded "Sara told me how you guys met, but can I ask what drew you to her?"

Jerry smiled. "She reminds me of my daughter Kate, she was the same age as Sara, the pride and joy of me and my wife's life. All of our kids, but Kate was our oldest. Outgoing, funny, always wanting to help and be a bright spot in someone's life."

"Here and Sara get along?"sadness crossed the older man's eyes. "Kate committed suicide her senior year of high school."

Justin felt so low. "I'm so sorry"

"Yeah she tended to hide a lot of her emotions til it bubbled over. She was so busy taking care of everyone else that she neglected herself. I blame myself, she was going through so much but always downplayed it. Bullying, was scared of the future. She felt lost. I see so much of Kate in Sara that I worry about her."

"What do you mean?"

Jerry sighed. " She buries her emotions. Sara keeps everything to herself. She doesn't want to burden anyone with her emotions. I've met her parents, nice people but they don't appreciate what an amazing soul she is. Call her immature

, a dreamer. She says it doesn't matter but she tries so hard to impress them, and it seems like it's never good enough. I've told them about Kate. Hasn't affected them."

He took a swig of his drink. "Someone like Sara… she comes around once in a lifetime. She's a special person. I hope you realize that you are one lucky man."

Justin nodded. But before the conversation could continue Sara came back to the booth. "Jerry, I see you got a new jukebox that has Bluetooth connection! Welcome to the new age!"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah and guess what? I've had it for three months and not one person uses the damn feature."

"Well today is everyone's lucky day. " She hooked up the phone.

" I'm gonna put my phone on shuffle."

The first song was upbeat . Sara began swaying and singing the song. Jerry smiled and went to take his glass to the back of the bar. Justin thought about his words

'She's a special girl'

A few more songs played, he found himself singing along to the ones he knew.

They called it a night with promises to come back.

Sara was on a high as she drove them back. The 1975's falling for you came on and it was the song to set the mood perfectly

'On this night, in this light

I think I'm falling, I'm falling for you.

Once they arrived back at 1 in the morning She helped Justin get ready for bed. After a bit of back and forth about her sleeping arrangements ( she gave into sharing his bed with him) she headed into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

As she was shutting off the lights. Sara noticed his phone on the kitchen counter. She went and grabbed it when it started to light up and vibrate in her hand.

Suddenly she was brought back to the harsh reality when she looked at the screen to figure out who would be calling him at this hour.

Taylor B.

[yvesdot]

would love to hear more about ur anti-F451 ideals <3

wait depending on why ur opposed to it the heart may have been tonally inappropriate

(in response to this)

Nooo don’t worry! Funniest message/addition I’ve received in a while.

I personally don’t like Fahrenheit 451 in part because I’m an honest Bradbury fan and I think the plot structure is fundamentally disappointing. Perhaps I’d feel differently on a fourth read, but I find many of his short stories much better written.

However, the main issue I have with it is that it is taught by progressive people as if it is progressive. Let me tell you: it’s not. Bradbury was not responding to real, precedented book burning (usually of progressive and/or minority-authored texts—F451 was published ~20 years after the Nazi book burnings). What’s the book he’s most worried about? The Christian Bible, which is the central text that Montag seeks to protect, despite his inability to comprehend it. This is all we really need to know about Bradbury’s grip on reality.

Take a look at this speech by Beatty, the police chief villain of the novel, as to “how we got here.” Warning: even more racist than you expect.

Now let's take up the minorities in our civilization, shall we? Bigger the population, the more minorities. Don't step on the toes of the dog-lovers, the cat-lovers, doctors, lawyers, merchants, chiefs, Mormons, Baptists, Unitarians, second-generation Chinese, Swedes, Italians, Germans, Texans, Brooklynites, Irishmen, people from Oregon or Mexico. The people in this book, this play, this TV serial are not meant to represent any actual painters, cartographers, mechanics anywhere. The bigger your market, Montag, the less you handle controversy, remember that! All the minor minor minorities with their navels to be kept clean. Authors, full of evil thoughts, lock up your typewriters. They did...

...It didn’t come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship, to start with, no! Technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick, thank God. Today, thanks to them, you can stay happy all the time, you are allowed to read comics, the good old confessions, or trade journals.

...You must understand that our civilization is so vast that we can't have our minorities upset and stirred. Ask yourself, What do we want in this country, above all? People want to be happy, isn't that right?

Colored people don’t like Little Black Sambo. Burn it. White people don’t feel good about Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Burn it. Someone’s written a book on tobacco and cancer of the lungs? The cigarette people are weeping? Burn the book.

(bolding mine)

Quotes like this one reveal his true, misplaced anxieties: Bradbury perceives the Oversensitive Minorities as the book-burners. Bradbury himself was not always a shining star of progressivism even in his most progressive-leaning writing (see his portrayal of Black people in various pseudo-progressive short stories). Does this mean nobody should read him, or F451? Of course not; I’m a Bradbury completionist myself. The meme post is honestly hilarious, which is why I didn’t want to be one of those Um, Actually! people—it’s not really relevant, in my opinion, to the joke. Good post, OP! I mention this here to put Bradbury’s fears of offended minority readers in context.

From Faber, the mentor figure with the Bible:

It's not books you need, it's some of the things that once were in books. The same things could be in the 'parlor families' today. The same infinite detail and awareness could be projected through the radios, and televisors, but are not. No, no it's not books at all you're looking for! Take it where you can find it, in old phonograph records, old motion pictures, and in old friends; look for it in nature and look for it in yourself. Books were only one type or receptacle where we stored a lot of things we were afraid we might forget.

Bradbury’s real concern (outside of minority backlash) was television. While he was right that technology would progress and become more handheld (and often all-consuming), his fears seem to come largely from a view of television as “replacing” reading, which it has made no real signs of doing. This is actually the reason F451 is so popular: the majority agrees, and has always agreed, that books are irreplaceable and television is “low art.” This book has mass societal appeal... because it ultimately challenges nothing about society.

Every generation acts like new tech, new adults, new everything is terrible. (1) (2) (3) (4) This makes the book popular again and again as people insist that now technology has finally gone too far (as opposed to when he wrote it? he wrote it about your generation!), but it’s something a real visionary should have been able to see past. It’s classic, uncreative paranoia.

It’s honestly embarrassing for Bradbury to count television out of “infinite detail and awareness,” particularly because it’s only developed further in that direction since. Take Bojack Horseman, Squid Game, Mr. Robot, or any other critically acclaimed television show in the last decade: we’re seeing an explosion of real art here, using the unique elements of the medium to produce better writing. Bradbury was wrong, and he should have recognized it.

So, if it’s not well-written or insightful, what is F451 teaching? Why is it present in classrooms across the country? I read this book in high school myself, and I am shocked that progressive teachers continue to assign it as though it can tell us anything (other than, perhaps, how the group in power will always manipulate social causes to portray themselves as the victims). Bradbury wasn’t right about the future, outside of some predictable technological progression. Books aren’t being burned just because they’re books (or, God forbid, because they’re Christian. Good Lord.) The Evil Minoritees have failed to bring down the giants. Nobody is going to put up four screens in their living room, because the furniture would block the screens.

F451 is a lovely beach read. It elicits those big, easily-provoked emotions: what if I am the only smart one left alive! What if all books are disappearing! What if low art is prevailing!! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that self-aware indulgence, the way people love books about strapping gentlemen and maidens who fail to exist in real life. We just have to be aware of that inaccurate manipulation of our emotions, and perhaps come to understand that this educational text isn’t as educational as we once thought.

P. S. Bradbury once wrote a New Year’s piece for Playboy, at the turn of the century, about what he expected to happen in the 2000s. He predicted the ultimate return to glory of...! cassette tapes. Let that be a lesson to other visionaries ^__^

[missvelvetsstuff]

Friday's Place

Bucky Barnes x Reader

mob au

Notes: Sorry for the delayed update. Had an awesome road trip with my dad all across Nevada and up Oregon to Washington. Saw lots of cool sights the best one being real live WILD HORSES in Northern Nevada. Check one item off of my bucket list.

WARNINGS: swearing, angst

Chapter 5

After Friday left the house Vis called Tony and told him about Brock's latest threats against her. When Tony's phone rang and he saw it was Bucky he chuckled as he answered. They agreed to meet the next day for breakfast.

When Bucky arrived at Tony's the next morning, he was already pacing a hole in the carpet. Tony looked up to greet him but Bucky spoke first.

"We have a problem Tony." Bucky started. "I spoke to Pierce last night and he won't back down. Said he would kill Friday himself if she didn't sell. I won't let that happen."

Tony ran his hand down his face. "Jesus, he wants a war." He sat down

"You're right, we can't let anything happen to her. I've only met her a couple of times but Pepper bonded with her because she used to be horsey too. They get together for brunch or lunch and go riding together. She's going to help us find a pony for Morgan and give her riding lessons. Pepper would kill me if I didn't do everything I can to keep her safe. Plus Friday is bff's with Visions wife, Wanda would be devastated if anything happened to her

So what's the play?"

Bucky thought for a minute "We need to upgrade her security but she will fight it if I'm the one suggesting it so you should talk to her. She doesn't like me much"

Tony laughed "I picked that up when she dressed you down at the hospital. I would not want to be on her bad side. What did you do? Forget to call her the next day?"

Bucky shook his head "Just expressed my interest in her after she saw me with Brock's investors at the city council meeting about his development. Apparently Brock has been hitting on her, telling Sharon that Friday was hitting on him so she has to deal with Sharon too."

"From what I've heard from Vis, Sharon and Friday have history."

Bucky looked surprised so Tony kept going. "Sharon never mentioned her when you were together?"

Bucky shrugged "Sharon is a vindictive bitch. It's tough trying to keep up with her enemies list. Besides, talking was never really our thing"

"Fair enough. I can talk to Friday and have Rhodey pick out a couple of trustworthy people on my security team." Tony paused, thinking, then snapped his fingers. "I'll send Carol, Maria and Val to take shifts and make sure she's covered at all times. They are three of my best and hopefully Friday will feel more comfortable with women."

Bucky nodded "Sounds good to me. I'll be doing my own surveillance and drive by her place a few times a day. Best if I stay out of sight. She really hates me and I don't know what I did."

Tony looked at him with wide eyes "Drive by? You must really like her. I haven't seen you like this about a woman since-"

Bucky gave him a dirty look "Don't be an ass Tony. I feel responsible for not reining Brock in sooner, that's all."

"Obviously not if you care about her hating you. I get it, it's rough, probably been awhile since anyone has turned you down, huh?" Tony could barely contain his laughter.

Bucky glared at him "What's the deal with her and Sharon? I know Peggy left Friday the stable but Sharon already has better horse facilities than most show stables. I should know, I paid for it all. Plus her family money. Doesn't make sense."

Tony shrugged "Like you said, Sharon is a vindictive bitch. Who knows what Friday did or didn't do to piss her off. Probably forgot to say bless you when she sneezed. How the Hell did you put up with that woman for 2 years?"

Bucky sighed "She got pregnant right after we got together. I tried to do the right thing. For Becca.

On that note. Can you get your security people with her asap? Now that I've talked to Pierce he might step up his plans. Especially if he thinks I care about her. He'll see that as a weakness he can exploit." Bucky insisted.

Tony nodded "I'll tell Vis. That way he and Wanda can talk to her." He pulled out his phone and quickly sent a text to Vision to let him know and ask him to talk to Friday.

Friday woke up to the phone ringing and felt like she had just fallen asleep. She couldn't calm her mind down.

The attacks were escalating and Brock sounded like he had plenty more planned. She was more worried about the kids and her horses. Friday had thought Brock wouldn't hurt kids but Wanda's accident, with her son's in the car, made her realize he really didn't care who he hurt.

When her phone rang at 6am she was laying in bed trying to wake up but it still made her jump. She looked at the phone like it was some alien object until she finally answered.

"Wanda? Is everything ok? Why are you calling so early? You're supposed to be resting. Please tell me nothing happened. I-"

"Friday, Friday, calm down. Nothing happened but Tony just called and told Vis that he wants to send some security to your place to keep Brock and his associates from causing any trouble. Nat and I are being assigned security details too. At least until this blows over"

Friday chuckled softly 'Wanda, you know this won't blow over until Brock and his boss are gone. Or we're gone.

Will they keep Barnes out? Because he's one of Brock's associates and he's definitely harassing me."

Wanda laughed "I'm sure you can ask them to keep him away but I don't think he wants to hurt you."

"Geez Wanda, I hope this security detail can be discreet. I don't want any of my riders or staff to be scared to be here."

"Maybe you should think about shutting down for a couple of weeks. Or at least until the next city council meeting" Wanda offered

Friday shook her head "Oh hell no. I'm not going to change my life and disrupt my students because of some mobsters who want my land. Fuck that!"

"What about the kids safety?"

"I doubt they will come in and gun us all down."

Wanda was getting frustrated "Maybe not but one of the kids could get hurt even if they come in and just hurt you. Please think about it."

"Yeah, sure I'll think about it" but they both knew she was just trying to placate Wanda. "I need to get up and feed the horses. I'll talk to you later."

A little while later, while Friday and Peter were feeding, 3 women in dark suits came up the driveway. Friday looked at Peter and he nodded so she went to see who they were while he kept a close eye.

"Can I help you?" Friday asked

"We're the security Tony Stark assigned to you. I'm Maria, this is Carol and Val." Friday nodded and Maria continued "We will be working in shifts so at least one of us will be with you at all times. We will be driving you anywhere you need to go in a bullet proof SUV that Mr Stark provided. We know that you work with a lot of kids and will do everything we can to be discreet and not scare anyone."

Friday smiled nervously "I'm Friday, nice to meet you all. You can make yourself at home. I have 2 guest rooms you can use.

Wearing some stable appropriate clothes would really help so you don't stick out."

Friday and her guards were able to find a rhythm and the week passed quietly. On Saturday, Friday woke up with butterflies in her stomach. This afternoon was Rebecca's group lesson and she didn't want to burst the peaceful bubble Friday was living in by dealing with her father. Except for daily visits to check on Wanda she had stayed home and carried on.

The morning went so quickly that Friday was shocked when Nat pulled up with Billy and Tommy to get ready for their lesson. She looked at her watch and it was almost 2. She had been sitting at her desk, daydreaming about stormy blue eyes for over and hour and forgot to eat her lunch that was now cold in front of her.

She stood up and went out to greet them.

"Hey Nat, How's everything? Don't you have students today?"

Nat smiled. "Everything's fine. I only have 2 on Saturday afternoons and was able to move them up to the older group for today. Vis said these creatures needed some fresh air so I volunteered to bring them over.

How are you?"

Friday shrugged "SSDD. Still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Glad the city council meeting is this week.

At least my security ladies are nice. I think Val could drink you under the table."

Nat raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like a challenge to me."

Friday laughed "you'll like them. We'll have to include them in our next girls night."

Nat raised an eyebrow at her but before she could speak a car pulled up and Friday jumped "Sorry, everything seems to surprise me lately. I better go see who it is. Can you take them back to the barn so Peter can help them get ready?"

Nat nodded and herded the boys to the barn.

Friday turned to face the newcomers and let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding when she saw Scott and Cassie. "Hey Scott, Cassie. Hope y'all are having a good day. Head to the barn to get started."

Another car pulled up, a black SUV just like the one Tony had loaned her. Friday took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She breathed a sigh of relief when Dot came out instead of Bucky. At least until she saw the scowl on her face.

"Hi Rebecca, head to the barn, check in with Peter and I'll be there in a few." When she was out of sight Friday went up to Dot. "Everything ok? Rough morning? I have coffee in my office if-"

Dot snarled "Don't you try to pretend we are friends or you care about me. I had a good thing going and you ruined it."

Friday looked at her confused "What the fuck are you talking about? What did I ruin?"

"Bucky damnit. We had something that could have been real and then he meets you and won't even touch me anymore." Dot snapped

"Who the Hell is Bucky?"

"Don't try to play dumb. James Bucky Barnes. Becca's dad. He's all hung up on you. Sits at his desk staring at some pictures he took of you. I had plans for him and now he wants nothing to do with me." Dot was almost crying

"Why would he end things with you after I've told him, repeatedly, that I'm not interested?" Friday wondered until she felt something hit her cheek and turn her head. She touched her face and looked at Dot with wide eyes, she slapped her!

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Friday asked "It's not my fault Barnes got bored with you." She scoffed as Val came up and restrained Dot.

"You didn't think you were exclusive did you? He told me he has a number of girls and they all like it that way because his libido is too much for one."

Dot spat at Friday's feet. "Sharon was right. You are a jealous bitch."

"Sharon? What did she do now." Friday demanded

Dot laughed "Just told me about how you cheated to beat her in all those shows and always went after her boyfriends."

"What do you want me to do with her?" Val asked.

Friday sighed "She's here with one of my riders so just keep an eye on her."

She turned to Dot "Sharon is a manipulative liar and is probably using You to hurt me. It's kind of her thing. You shouldn't trust her.

You want to settle down, find a nice guy, not someone like Barnes, he's a dog."

Dot scoffed and Friday went to the barn to get the lesson started.

Thanks to Val keeping Dot in line and Peters help, Friday was able to get thru it. When she was in her office, making notes about the riders progress, Sharon showed up at her office door.

Friday gasped and schooled her features to hide her surprise and disgust "Sharon! What a 'ahem' lovely surprise. What brings you here this lovely evening" she asked with a broad smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Sharon simped "I heard you had more troubles and came as soon as I could to check on you." She grabbed Friday's chin and looked at the cut Dot left when she slapped her "Barnes really needs to keep his nanny in line" she smirked.

Friday chuckled "You worry too much about me Sharon, us cowgirls have to be tough, it's nothing."

"True, you've been through worse but maybe you should be more careful about the men you pursue, stay away from the ones who are already spoken for. You're lucky I'm more secure than some nanny or I might have gotten physical over you're obsession of Brock." She threatened.

Friday scoffed "I've never even entertained the thought of going after Brock, much less been obsessed with him and I've told Barnes repeatedly that I'm not interested so I don't know what his problem is."

"Oh my dear friend, you are so naive" Sharon tittered "You send all of the signals, in your desperation you must not even realize. It'll get you hurt real bad if you don't stop" she said menacingly.

Friday realized something and her eyes went wide "How did you know about Dot? It just happened and no one has come or gone since, what the hell are you up to now, Sharon? Did you-"

"Miss Friday, I gave Cookie an apple and she gave me kisses" Becca came running into the office.

"Becca, that's awesome. I told you she-"

"Mommy? Did you come to see me ride" Becca asked anxiously

Sharon snapped "Rebecca, what did I tell you about calling me that?"

Becca looked at her feet "Only call you mommy when we're alone. I'm so sorry Miss Sharon, I just got excited" she said sadly

Sharon smirked "That's better. You and Friday just can't control yourselves, can you. You better learn before you get yourselves into serious trouble."

Carol strode into the office "who's your friend?"

"Carol, this is Sharon we're old friends" Friday smiled nervously, not sure of what was happening "Sharon, this is Carol. She's uh-"

"One of Tony Starks security team. I know." Sharon interrupted "I hope she is enough to keep you safe. I'd hate to see anything happen to you." Sharon hugged her "Well, I have to go Brock is waiting. I just wanted to make sure you were ok. See you soon" and she left without a word to Becca.

Dot came looking in the office. "Becca! What are you doing in here with her? It's time to go" she grabbed Becca's arm and dragged her away.

@tylard-blog1

Friday looked at Carol in confusion. "What the hell was all that?"

Chapter 6

[flying-guinea-pig]

Not What He Seems ch.11

AO3 linky

Chapter 11 – Ducktective On The Case

“So what do we know,” Dipper said, clearing the whiteboard with a gesture. “A nineteen year old student of Oregon University and her parents, an elderly couple from the Circle, and an ageing Twin Souls fangirl. Fanwoman? That doesn’t sound right. Anyway! What do they have in common?”

He mindlessly chewed on the black marker, which immediately burst under his teeth and sprayed his face with ink. 

Lolonja helpfully brought him another napkin. He cleaned his face and threw the marker on the pile next to the whiteboard, which already consisted of several others. 

The Flock was spread around his thinking spot, keeping careful watch and dining on the grass-that-wasn’t-grass of his part of the Mindscape. 

“Baaa,” Groknar the Destroyer offered. “Baaa-aaa.”

“Well yes, they’re all somehow related to me, I got that,” Dipper said, and willed a new marker into existence. “That doesn’t explain why they all had my summoning circle, but I got none of their summons. Someone else did. How? And who?”

“Baaa-aaaa,” said Cupcake, apparently wanting to be a part of things. Since she was the only completely ordinary sheep in the Flock, she couldn’t add anything to the conversation. Dipper ignored her, thinking hard.

Stealing another demon's summons was possible, technically. It was one of the big no-no's in demon culture, though. Obeying niceties wasn't in their nature, but if the demon whose summons you just stole was coming to take their revenge, you quickly learned to be more mindful of the rules. It still happened, of course. But who would be suicidal enough to steal from him?

No, it had to be a mistake with the circles themselves, or he would at least have gotten a call. Stealing a circle was tricky, you had to be quicker than the original recipient of the summons. He should have noticed something if it had happened - and not just once, but three times!

At least three times, he glumly corrected himself. Maybe more often... He didn't know.

If he had a sample of that circle, maybe he'd know more. Maybe he could cajole someone into performing it so he could just grab whoever showed up - wait, no, that wouldn't work, they wouldn't steal his summons if they knew he was waiting. And a decent chunk of higher-level demons weren't limited to the Mindscape, they could hang around in the real world intangibly and observe. Like he used to, back in the beginning.

Damn, was the whole world set on reminding him of his early days? First that portal and Adams, then that horrible guest speaker… 

Dipper clenched his fist. The marker shattered. Ugh, again?

"I need to see those circles," he decided. He didn't have a picture of them, but he knew where to find it. And apparently he knew someone in the police department these days. "I'll be back, guys. Stay alert."

After Chavazikel's intrusion into his Mindscape he couldn't leave the Flock for long without worrying about them. Which was stupid, because they could take care of themselves, but - wait. 

Chavazikel.

Could he be responsible? Dipper hadn't tracked the other dream demon down yet, busy with too many other things. He’d thought he had plenty of time for that. Chavazikel wouldn't be stupid enough to try something again, and it was more fun to let him stew in his terror while Dipper waited for him to resurface from whatever hole he was hiding in, right?

Unless... unless he was responsible, somehow. Could a little dream demon like Chavazikel actually steal a summons from him? Dipper had nothing else to go on, though… he really needed to track him down.

Postponing that for an hour or more wouldn't make a difference at this point, would it? Nah, Chavazikel could wait a little while longer. Right now it was early evening in Oregon, and Dipper had an old classmate to visit.

Aside from his regular friends and Adams, he didn't have a lot of interactions with the rest of his fellow graduates. Carver gave him the occasional summons, Watson had called him once. Brennan never had, but he was the police department's resident demon consultant, so he would have access to all crime scene pictures.

Dipper made sure his Tyrone disguise was as human-like as ever, and tessered away.

He appeared in an alley nearby the main police office. This was the largest building, Brennan should have an office somewhere inside. Now the main question was, how difficult were they going to be if he just barged in asking to speak to their demonologist? Hm.

Another flicker of power rippled over him and he shook his shoulders loose under the sensation. Invisible and intangible he moved through the doors. 

A warding line surrounded the entrance, but hey, he was Alcor!

He investigated it for a moment. Tripping that sigil looked like it might set off an alarm... Oh, wait, was that an Eye of Truth interwoven with the edges? Ugh, those magitech cameras were going to pick him up, despite being invisible, weren’t they. Sheesh, paranoid much?

Whatever. He didn't have time to waste being careful, he was in a hurry here!

With a roll of his eyes, Dipper just pushed through the wards and into the building. An alarm started blaring immediately, but he ignored the confusion and rising fear as he moved past the cameras.

He spotted Brennan exiting an office, eyes wide and his hands already at his belt of demonology supplies. Dipper stopped him in his tracks with a bit of magic and pushed him back into the office. Had anyone seen it? Better lock the door behind him, to be sure. 

Brennan didn't look the slightest bit relieved when Dipper released the invisibility on himself and greeted him as Tyrone, Normal Human Boy.

"It's you," Brennan whispered, backing away. He tripped over his own desk chair and fell to the floor.

"Hi, sorry about the fuss," Dipper said, with a vague gesture towards the other side of the door, where the alarm overwhelmed all other noise. The ringing was annoying, so with a thought he soundproofed this room. "I don't really have time to do this the subtle way. Didn't mean to start a panic, though. I need those pictures you've got."

Brennan didn't ask which pictures he meant. He shook his head, trembling on the ground. "It doesn't matter," he said. "You can destroy them, but by now everyone knows. They've already spread around."

"What? I'm not here to - to cover my tracks, or whatever you're thinking," Dipper sputtered. "I just want to see them. Because whatever summoning circle is on them, it can't be mine."

“You can’t trick me, you can’t trick me, you can’t trick me…”

“I’m not trying to,” Dipper interrupted his mutterings. “Listen, Brennan. It’s just me, okay? We had class together? You don’t need to be scared.”

At least that snapped him out of it, even if it wasn’t quite the reaction Dipper had hoped for.

“I know it’s you!” Brennan said. “I know you are the Dreambender, and I inspected those circles myself! They’re yours! It’s your symbol in the centre!”

“Then someone stole the summons from me, but I know I didn’t do this,” Dipper bit back. Sighed, and dragged a hand through his hair. “Okay, I don’t want to yell at you. Just let me see the pictures myself, Brennan, and I’ll leave you alone. Deal?”

“Alone? That’s an obvious loophole,” Brennan spat back, apparently having found his courage after the initial shock. “You’re going to kill everyone in this building except me, that’s what you mean?”

“How about you don’t immediately think the worst of me,” Dipper said. “I know it looks bad, okay? But I’m not asking much. I just want to figure out what is happening. Someone is trying to frame me.”

“And I’m just supposed to believe you.”

“Okay, fine,” Dipper said, now definitely annoyed. “How about this deal then? You show me the pictures I want to see, and I won’t tesser you to a random city on the other side of the world.”

Brennan gaped at him. “You can’t do that!”

“I’m a demon outside of a binding circle, I do what I want. Do we have a deal or are you feeling like practising your Swedish today?”

Hesitation. Brennan slowly got up from the floor, keeping the sturdy desk between them. “You only want to see the pictures?”

Finally! “Yes.”

“Alright. Deal,” Brennan said, with a wary look. He sat down behind his desk and tapped on the computer. “But you may not like what you see.”

Dipper didn’t.

He was no stranger to carnage. The blood and gore didn’t rattle him anymore. They blotted out most of the summoning circles, especially the edges where the broken binding would have been. But the centre, where the symbol of the summoned demon should be…

It was his. The one eyed, winged star. Those circles should have called him. But they hadn’t.

Had they?

No. No, he was not going down that road. He knew what set off the rampages that everyone was so afraid of, and this time there was no reason. He still had friends here, ties to humanity. Even rattled by the portal he had to dismantle and the memories that kept intruding lately – he wasn’t losing himself. 

He was still Dipper, not just another demon.

-----

Long plane journeys still didn’t agree with her, but Elisabeth had to admit they were becoming easier. With all the excitement in the rest of her life, a few hours to relax and read were surprisingly welcome. Even the Alcor Virus had given in and promised not to bother her too much. It was still lounging on her phone screen, of course, but at least it had stopped hiding her reading app. Now she only had to get it to stop making comments about the story while she was reading it.

[The butler did it.]

Elisabeth rolled her eyes, typing her reply. [That makes no sense.]

[It’s always the butler. The one who has access to the house, and who is trusted. Do you know anything about detective stories?]

[I know there wouldn’t be much of a mystery if it was the butler each and every time] she replied.

The little chibi Alcor on her screen seemed to think it over, tapping a finger against its chin. [Maybe it was a secret evil twin then.]

[You’re being ridiculous.]

[It’s a classic story! Never seen Ducktective?]

She was so engrossed in her discussion with the Alcor Virus about which detective was best and no, a duck wasn’t even in the running, that she wasn’t paying much attention to the other passengers boarding the plane.

A burly man sat down in the seat next to her. Her nose crinkled. Hadn’t he ever heard of showers? This was going to be a long flight…

The man had a tattoo around his wrist, she noticed. One that looked vaguely familiar… oh, right, that was Freghnup’s symbol. She recognised it from the Safe Summons List. Huh, she didn’t even know little demons like them had worshippers. 

Well, there was no rule against being stupid, unfortunately.

She returned her attention to her phone screen, which the Alcor Virus was currently filling with little shorts from some ancient cartoon series. 

[I was reading, you know.]

[Yes, yes, I’ll let you get back to that, but first you’ve just got to watch the first episode!]

-----

His scent was long gone from Dipper’s part of the Mindscape. Still, he had to try.

Dipper kneeled down in the spot where Star had been attacked. He leaned towards the grass, breathing in deeply through his mouth. The grass, lush with his power. Traces of Star’s blood, her fear. The scent of the rest of the Flock, old and new.

There. That little tingle on his tongue. It didn’t taste like his own magic. 

Just a spark, a thread, a hint. But maybe it was enough.

He concentrated on it, this little drop of another demon’s essence, and reached out, sniffing for more traces. Then he set off.

In the end he didn’t even need to tap into his semi-omniscience to find Chavazikel. The trail led him through several distant corners of the Mindscape – the outer edges, in a way, if something that was infinite could have something like edges. The parts of it that the smallest demons claimed, far away from the realms of the stronger ones.

The trail led through several of these little domains. If he hadn’t been so focused on his hunt, Dipper might have wondered about that.

Borders meant nothing to him, of course. He was Alcor. He ignored the few nightmares he encountered, which was easy because they fled at his approach. Chavazikel’s own piece of the Mindscape was still the smoking ruin Dipper had left it.

Ah, there.

It was a cave, of a sort, only the walls weren’t stone but carved from Missed Opportunities. They whispered as Dipper entered the darkness inside, and curled little tendrils at him, like fingers reaching out but always just shy of touching him.

… should have listened to her….

… should have taken that job…

… should have kept the money…

… should have tried…

… should have…

With a flex of power Dipper silenced the whispers. The Mindscape could be annoying like this – concepts floating around, taking shape. There was a large bubbling tar pit full of Toxic Family Visits near the Organ Duck’s realm, and Dipper had gone ice-skating once or twice on the frozen lake of Postponed Plans.

Chavazikel was in the back of the cave, easy to spot now the whispers had ceased. The small dream demon met his eyes as he approached. 

He looked frightened, Dipper thought. Good.

But… he wasn’t trying to flee.

“We need to talk,” Dipper said, and closed off the escape route before Chavazikel could come to his senses. “You attacked my Flock. Why?”

Chavazikel took the appearance of a horse-headed figure with too many limbs, an ooze-like mane dripping around the edge of a yellow woolly hat. A furnace of black fire glowed inside his chest, visible through the many cracks in his skin. He bowed his head now, that same fire burning in his five eyes. “I don’t need to tell you anything, Dreambender.”

That was daring. That was almost as good as proof he was involved in all this recent trouble.

“Fine,” Dipper said, reaching out towards the other dream demon and sticking a hand straight in his chest. “Then I’ll just devour your soul and I’ll consider us even, shall I?”

The sticky charcoal of Chavazikel’s soul tingled between his fingers. He closed them, intent on pulling the whole thing out. 

That idiot wasn’t even trying to fight him –

Huh?

He tried to close his fingers again, but couldn’t. Something was stopping him. He yanked his hand out, but it came back empty, the other demon’s soul still visible between the new crack in his stone chest.

“You can’t,” Chavazikel gasped. Straightened his back, and laughed. “You can’t harm me! It ac̝̭͖̪t͎̪͍ua̰̖ll̟͍̜̱̙y ͎̖͔̞̲̬̘wo̠͈r̠̫͚̣̣ḵ̜͍͉̟̺͚e͙̬̗̰͇d͚!”

“What worked?” Dipper snapped. What the hell was going on here?

“The great and mighty Dreambender,” that weak, little dream demon laughed. “Look at you now. All confused. We don’t need to tell you anything! And y̬̻o̰̙̫̜̹̮u͚ ̙̟̠͙c̬̗̞an’̰͎̬̗͈̼̲ṭ̩͈̩ ̯̜͖̱m̙̪̹a̩̺̣̯͈̺̩k̜̪̝͙e͇̥͔̪̟ ̼̼̫͓͍u͍̝̲s͓̟̦!̘̫̠͙”

“You know what, I don’t like this,” Dipper said. He reached out with his power, shaping the cave into a prison. “I think I’ll just put you in time-out for now.”

Chavazikel was still laughing when Dipper left.

… should have killed him… the walls whispered in his passing. 

Dipper growled. “I know!”

-----

The pub was a long, narrow building wedged between a store selling suspiciously vague ‘herbal supplies’ and a hotel that had all its windows boarded up. A group of leprechauns in long leather coats were idling next to their parked motorbikes. They turned to give dark looks towards Brad as he passed their street corner.

“Hiya guys!” Maria greeted them, and one of them nodded back at her while the other two kept their glares aimed at Brad. “Come on, what are you waiting for? Don’t mind the O’Shiver boys. Come on, go inside.”

“I’d rather be murdered in a classier place,” Brad said, but against his better judgement he let Maria herd him and Eddy through the door of the pub.

The inside was slightly better than the outside. A narrow room, made cloudy by the sputtering fog machine near the ‘dance floor’ and the greasy smoke coming from the direction of the kitchen. The tables were sticky and when he sat down, he discovered the chair was as well.

There were only a few other patrons, a bunch of sallow-looking people hanging around the counter, who were quietly conversing with the bartender.

“Wow, it is dead in here,” Eddy said.

Maria shrugged. “It’s a weekday, what do you expect?”

“Isn’t this a preter bar?”

“Preternaturals have day jobs too, you know.”

“Don’t see many here,” Brad said, with a wary look around. The bartender gave him a hard stare. Brad quickly avoided his eyes again. He probably shouldn’t have worn his nice jacket to come here. The universe clearly didn’t like him to dress up and was giving hints. “So this is your new job, huh? This, uh, very cheery place.”

“Yep! I start tomorrow. But the boss invited me to have a drink here, tonight, for free. Get to know the place informally, and all that. Said I should bring my friends, so I guess that’s you two jokers.”

“It was very nice of you to invite us,” Brad said, trying to unstick his leg from where it seemed to have fused to the chair. “Too nice. Really. Next time, feel free to ask Thomas and Tyrone.”

“Thomas would rather mope around his apartment,” Maria said, with a roll of her eyes. “And with everything that’s happened I think Tyrone has other things on his plate right now. Did you hear?”

“Hear what?” Brad said. Sheesh, was he going to have to rip his pants if he wanted to get up? What exactly had spilled here? 

“Bad things, dude,” Eddy said, subdued. “There’s been some grisly demon murders, and people are blaming Alcor.”

“Seriously?” He was a terrifyingly powerful demon, of course. But he was also Tyrone, who cried at old movies and cuddled whatever wasn’t fast enough to move away when he got into the Yggdrasil. “More cult activity?”

“No,” Eddy said. “That’s the problem. According to the investigations, these people were mostly, well... Kinda innocent.”

“It was on the afternoon news,” Maria added.

He did not like that sinking feeling in his stomach he suddenly got. “I had a meeting, didn’t watch the news. But it sounds… I don’t know. Do you think he’s going bad again?”

Maria punched his shoulder. “Don’t joke about that.”

“I’m not joking. And ouch.” At least that explained one thing. “Thomas must be really torn right now. I guess that’s why he is moping?”

“No, he sounded pretty convinced that Tyrone is being framed somehow. It’s being suspended that bothers him, obviously.”

Suspended! Brad frowned. “How come I’m always the last one to hear anything?”

“Well, I live in the building across from Thomas,” Eddy shrugged.

“And I’m naturally nosy,” Maria said. “You want to stay in the loop, make some effort to do so, dude.”

“If Alcor’s going bad, I want to stay far away from that loop,” Brad said. Had Tyrone been different lately? More distant, perhaps. But Brad had blown him off a lot too, so he couldn’t really blame his demon buddy. “Are we sure the people he murdered weren’t harbouring deep dark secrets, or something?”

“A student and her parents, an elderly couple of Alcor cultists, and a writer,” Maria said, with a raised brow. “Clearly they were all horrible people who kept children in their basements and kicked puppies.”

“Well, do you know why he would do it then?” Brad argued. “I mean, his own cultists. Makes no sense.”

“Lots of demons kill their own cultists first,” Eddy said. “Easiest prey, right? Er. Not that I think Tyrone did it. Just saying.”

“At least the writer makes sense,” Maria said, and added to Brad: “She wrote books about Alcorian myth in pop culture. Was a huge Twinner in her younger days.”

Eep. “That’s no reason to kill her!”

“Better watch your step, dude. Brad? Stars, Brad, that was a joke,” Maria sighed. “This is Tyrone we’re talking about. He gave you that magical protection thingy on your forehead and everything, he’s not going to kill you.”

“You don’t know that!”

“I do know that, because he’s our friend. We know him. Thomas thinks he’s being framed and I bet that’s exactly what’s happening here.” She made a vague gesture around them. “If he was going bad, it wouldn’t happen like this, right? He’s too clever to get caught so easily.”

“That’s a really weak argument,” Brad said. He looked at Eddy, who seemed conflicted. “What do you think?”

Eddy shook his head. “I don’t know. I trust Tyrone. But, dude… maybe this is how it happens. Maybe that’s why they say he has two faces. He might not even know he’s doing it.”

“Like a literal split personality thing?” Maria frowned. “Come on, you don’t believe that.”

“I don’t know.” Brad said. “Eddy could be on to something there.”

“Ugh, I need a drink,” Maria muttered. Twitched. “Guys? I’m stuck to my seat. I can’t get up.”

“Oh, I thought it was just me,” Brad said. “These chairs need cleaning –“

“No, doofus, I’m literally stuck!”

“Same,” Eddy said. “Hey, uh, dudes? This may not be the right moment to mention it, but, er… why are all those people wearing robes suddenly?”

They looked at the group by the bar counter. 

One of those robed people moved towards the door and locked it, flipping the sign to ‘closed’ in a slow, deliberate movement. The bartender reached underneath the bar and took a long green hood, which he donned.

“Hey, Maria?”

“What is it, Brad?”

“Congratulations on your new job.”

“Ugh.”

-----

‘We,’ Chavazikel had said. ‘Us.’

He wasn’t working alone. But how was Dipper supposed to figure out who he was working with? And what the hell was going on? 

He needed to talk to other demons. Well, fine. He knew a place.

Dipper wasn’t a regular patron of the Midway Bar. Some members of the Flock liked to go there, but he’d never really seen the appeal. Other demons were annoying, fearful little things. Hanging around in the real world was much better than this fake version of it.

He’d visited once or twice, though, mostly to make a point. Today his point would be bigger and sharper. 

He threw open the door and stepped inside. The bar was nearly empty. Some assorted nightmares glanced up at his entrance and huddled over their drinks when they spotted the expression on his face. A few actual demons were present, of different ranks. A couple of them were playing a dice game of some sort. 

“Right, listen up!” Dipper drew their attention. “I want to know who is working with Chavazikel!”

“And I want to have my Bloody Mary in peace,” the jackal-like demon sitting next to the door muttered. “You’re letting a draft in.”

Dipper planted both his hands on that demon’s table. “I ̘̩͎h̼̠̘e̘̭̱a͔̙̩̘̼͉̯r̤̙d͙̮͍̭̗͓͍ ̖͉̖̹̬̱t͍̭͕̜̱h͉a̼̗̻̜̰ͅt̹.”

The jackal demon slid his chair backwards, away from him. “Wait, wait, you’re not supposed to fight here!”

“I’m not looking for a fight, I’m looking for answers,” Dipper said. “But if I don’t get the latter I might just settle for the former.”

The Bartender cleared their throat. Met Dipper’s eyes, and meaningfully tapped the little metal plate on the wall next to the counter. The Rules.

Dipper strode up to him. Little was known about the Bartender and exactly what kind of demon they were, but they had managed to enforce the Rules for millennia. They had to be pretty high level.

Dipper could take them, though. He was sure of it.

“What can I get you, Dreambender?” the Bartender asked, idly polishing a glass. Like nothing was wrong. Like there weren’t demons stealing summons from Alcor and magically immune to his revenge and ruining his reputation in the real world –

“Information,” Dipper said. “About –“

The Bartender held up their hand, motioning him to quiet. “What will you pay for it?”

Dipper was not in the mood to haggle. “What’s it worth?”

“To you?” The Bartender held their head angled, as if they were thinking about it. “How about one favour, to be cashed in at a moment of my choosing.”

“Forget it,” Dipper said. “I’ll figure it out myself.”

“Suit yourself,” the Bartender said. “Anything else?”

Something gurgled next to Dipper’s elbow. He looked aside, to where the Organ Duck was oozing. “What is it, am I standing in your way?”

Brian didn’t reply to that provocation. It just oozed meaningfully and pointed one bloody limb in the direction of an empty table in the far back.

Dipper was ready to ignore that… until he realised that the table wasn’t empty. Someone was hiding underneath.

He nodded his thanks to the Organ Duck – Brian wasn’t so bad, for a demon – and approached the table. It was a sad attempt at hiding, really.

Dipper grabbed the cluster of bloody metal scissors that peaked out underneath the edge and dragged the rest of the demon from under the table. “Hello there, Itpolec. Long time no see. I was sure someone had eaten you by now.”

“I had nothing to do with it!” Itpolec gibbered, its wooden teeth clattering against each other as it trembled. “You gotta believe me, Normal Human Tyrone!”

“Yeah, not͝ ͜t́ód̕aỳ,” Dipper said, and deposited the other demon into a chair. “You know something. T́a͚͚l͏̞͎̜̦k̫̫̪.”

“I’m not involved! I told them, I told them we couldn’t!”

“Itpolec, buddy. Look where we are.” Dipper gestured to the rest of the bar, who were obviously eavesdropping with interest. “This is the Midway Bar. No fighting here, right? Gotta obey the rules. So you and I are just going to have a little talk, all friendly-like. Does that sound good to you?”

The lime green protrusions on Itpolec’s body curled, like wilting grass. It licked its lips. “Friendly?”

“Oh yeah, sure!” Dipper said. He threw an arm around Itpolec’s shoulders. “And buddy, if I think you’re lying or leaving something out? Well, I wouldn’t want old Bartender to give me a disapproving look, of course. So then we’ll take this outside, like gentlemen.”

Itpolec quivered.

It started talking.

----

Closing up duty took longer than usual today. Elisha sighed as the last of the clients finally left. Mrs Patrick’s colouring job had been such a mess, it had been tricky to solve. Elisha had politely reminded her that those drugstore bleach kits were perhaps not such a good idea, and she should leave the hair dyeing to the professionals if she wanted a professional result. Not with those words, of course. Mrs Patrick was difficult enough to work with on the best of days, and today she had been fuming.

The unexpected dye job had meant working overtime, but they could use the money, if Thomas’s suspension turned into a dismissal.

She had already cleaned up the chemicals while Mrs Patrick was sitting under the drying hood. Now she only had to close up the till, make sure her workspace was tidy. Her colleagues had left an hour ago and it was already dark out.

Sylvi had been avoiding her today. Normally that would suit Elisha just fine, but when the noon news burst came on and the radio host talked about what they now called the Alcor Murders… Sylvi had looked at her, and she had looked back, and she had felt awful, even if nothing about this was her fault.

Neither of them had said anything.

Elisha made quick work of her remaining tasks and closed up. The Car was parked in the back, out of view from the street after a few too many complaints about how a wreck didn’t fit in the street image. Even after it got a fresh coat of paint, honestly. People were so quick to judge a book by its cover! 

She turned the corner of the building, towards the badly illuminated parking lot. A tingle ran over her back.

Was she being watched?

She subtly slid one hand inside her purse and found the mace hidden there. Sanctified mace, but it would still work just fine on ordinary human assailants.

The parking lot was so close now. She would be at The Car soon, and then –

Footsteps, right behind her. She turned around, in time to see the three robed figures grabbing for her. The closest one got an eyeful of mace before she turned back and started running.

Heels! She loved her heels, and she could walk all day on them without any issue, but running for her life was not the same!

The remaining two creeps were gaining on her. One did a little sprint and grabbed her arm, twisting her around –

An engine roared. The robed man let her go, because he and his friend were suddenly preoccupied by trying to outrun a raging vehicle. The Car chased them around the parking lot before stopping in front of Elisha, throwing open its doors and letting her crawl inside.

She pressed her back against the seat. Her arm was going to bruise, she knew. 

Deep breaths now.

In the glow of the headlights, the robes of her assailants were chartreuse yellow and turning blotchy red from their injuries as they were hanging by their arms from the fire escape, screaming whenever the Car put its front wheels on the wall and tried to edge closer.

Her hands were shaking. She took her phone and dialled the emergency line. 

With her other hand she patted the dashboard.

“Good Car.”

-----

Above, the sunset painted the world red.

“It’s time for the main event,” he said, and the fire behind him flared. “Timing will be essential. Achieve this, and you will all be rewarded.”

His worshippers were a sea of kneeling bodies in front of him. There had been mutterings about having to cooperate with lesser cults, but he’d put an end to that. Making an example of them had been amusing, but tonight? 

Tonight was going to be the cherry on top.

“Yes, my Liege,” his high priest said, bowing to him. “We are at your service.”

“You are,” he agreed, and looked at the room full of bowed heads. He tapped a finger against his chin, musing about his next step. “Now, who shall I wear for this occasion?”

----

[phoenixstartedthefire]

Coraline analysis

Okay so I may be obsessed with Coraline and fallen down a rabbit hole of the lore behind it and I find it super interesting and very cool. I’ve seen and heard a lot of theories about it and I wanted to talk about it. Most of these theories aren’t my original ideas. This will mostly be a mix of other theories I’ve seen that I like the most/make the most sense. Because some of them are just completely outlandish and make no sense. This will probably be a multiple part thing and I’ll probably add onto it as I delve deeper into the universe and have more thoughts. Don’t take these as facts as they are only theories. I just think it’s cool to delve deeper into the meaning behind these things. I would also be happy to hear some of your thoughts as well! Also trigger warning because I will be discussing death in parts of this so don’t feel pressured to read this if that makes you uncomfortable. That being said, get ready for some extreme over analyzing and a very unnecessary essay that I started at 4am. But if you follow me, you should know that I do that quite a lot. Essays are fun when you actually care about the subject.

Okay the first thing I wanna discuss is the idea of three universes of sorts. In which Coraline never returns to the real world. We know of the existence of the real world and the other world but what about the existence of a third world that you enter once you go return through the door? I’ve seen the third world called a limbo so that’s what I’m going to calling it as to be as clear as possible. In this limbo, the other mother still controls but doesn’t directly intervene as she does in the other world. We know that the doll that Coraline gets in the beginning is a spy for the other mother so she can see what’s wrong with Coraline’s life and manipulate the other world to solve those problems. But Coraline didn’t have the doll with her when she went clothes shopping with her real mother so how would the other mother know that she wanted interesting clothes? Also consider that Coraline never interacts with her neighbors until after she enters the other world for the first time. I believe that once she enters the other world and travels back through the door, she enters a limbo of sorts where the other mother can see her at all times. She only needed the doll in the beginning. And at the end, we see Coraline’s ideal world. Where her parents are loving and spend time doing things with her and her neighbors are eccentric but overall lovable. They pretty much do a complete 180 from the beginning of the movie. What caused the change of heart from her parents? They aren’t as perfect as they seemed in the other world. They’re just flawed enough to seem believable while still making her want to stay in the limbo. I hope that makes sense.

Now for the reason the other mother wants children in the first place. The film makes you believe that she eats the children after she sews buttons in their eyes but that’s not true. She doesn’t eat them in the physical sense but feeds on their souls. The reason she tries to lure them in by being their ���mother’ is because she feeds on the love they feel. And that’s why the other mother is fine with Coraline staying in the limbo. Her ‘real’ mother doesn’t exist there but Coraline still believes she does and loves her like a child would love a mother. And the reason she doesn’t lure adults in is because they a) have more common sense and b) don’t rely as much on feelings like that. They’ve outgrown them for the most part. I’m not saying that adults can’t love their parents. But they don’t feel the same love for them that they did as a child. She of course would rather Coraline stay in the other world with her because it’s easier to feed on her that way but she is still content with her staying in the limbo place and puts up a big fight to make Coraline believe she’s going back to the real world and she can’t feed off her anymore.

I also want to discuss the button eyes. I think the main reason for them is so Coraline thinks she can tell the other world from the real world. There’s a point in the movie where the other mother poses as Coraline’s real mother with normal eyes so we know she’s capable of producing people with normal eyes. It’s all a trick. Now I don’t think that other than the trick the buttons are useless. We’ve established that the doll Coraline is given is a spy and uses the button eyes as a look into the real world. But once they’re in the other world, the buttons are just used as a trick so Coraline thinks she can distinguish the real world from the other world. 

Now for my second theory that’s pretty much confirmed if you actually pay attention to the movie but still a theory technically. That the well is another portal to the other world. Wybie says in the beginning that the well is so deep that if you fall down it that you’ll see a sky full of stars. It’s always night in the other world. Also the well is surrounded by mushrooms in a circle. There’s a belief from some people outside of the Coraline world that a formation of mushrooms in a circle is supposed to be an entrance into a magical world. It also has a negative connotation that it’s an evil magical world and it’s referred to as a fairy circle. So the other mother doesn’t actually die/get defeated in the end. Coraline essentially gives the key back to her. This theory is probably the most plausible one supported by the movie and general common sense that I’ll talk about here.

My next theory is about the other mother. I have a lot of those. The idea that she has complete control over everyone in the other world. Even the ghost children. Now you’re probably thinking, “but the other father, Wybie and the ghost children warn her about the other mother and help Coraline”. That’s kind of the point. The other mother is very smart and cunning. If she didn’t want that idea put into Coraline’s head that she was evil, why would she deliberately put her in the mirror with the ghost children? Why would she not stop Wybie from letting Coraline escape? And if you accept those, it’s extremely likely that the father was also under her complete control. She purposefully made it seem like they had free will so Coraline would trust them. Coraline would think that if the other mother controlled them, it wouldn’t make sense for them to rebel against her. The other father gave Coraline one of the eyes but we all know that even if she fullfilled the rules of the game, the other mother wouldn’t let her go.

I also think that the cat is under her control for the most part as well. I don’t think she fabricated him as she did with all of the other people but I think he serves as a sort of double agent, more so than the other father and other wybie. As with the mice but I won’t get into that now. The cat is there to trick Coraline into thinking the other mother has limitations to her powers. He takes her across the world and shows her that the pink palace is all she can make. But if you accept the limbo theory, you know that she can also fabricate the town/shop Coraline and her mother go into and the well which she seemed incapable of making in the other world. It makes the other mother seem less powerful and more easily beatable even though she had a grasp on Coraline as soon as she entered the other world. He is also the one to show Coraline the mirror with her parents in it and the doll of her parents to lure her back in the other world. He says that the other mother tries to keep him out of the other world but we never see this happen. There are a lot of theories about who the cat is. A lot of people think she might have been a human at some point. Which I’ll discuss in my next point.

Now I want to discuss the bowls of taffy that Miss Spink and Forcible show Coraline when they give her the seeing eye thing(I don’t know a better term for it). There are three bowls and all have different dates. 1921, 1936, and 1960. These are the dates the ghost children were taken. The pioneer girl in 1921, the boy in 1936, and Wybie’s grandma’s sister in 1960. Now a lot of people believe that there must have been another child between 1936 and 1960. That’s where the cat comes in. A lot of people believe that the cat was the fourth child but the other mother couldn’t successfully feed on him for some reason. So she turned him into some sort of spy. Some people speculate that it was Wybie’s great grandfather since we know his grandmother grew up in the pink palace and it would explain why the cat is so close to Wybie. He’s protecting him. I’m not sure where I stand on this as it makes the timeline a bit messy but I think it’s interesting nonetheless. 

Wybie says that his grandmother won’t let families with kids move into the pink palace. So why would she let the Jones family live there? I think the most plausible and most easily understandable theory I’ve seen is that she’s protecting Wybie. He is around the age that her sister went missing and while I don’t think the grandma knows about the other world, I think she does know that there’s more to it than her sister running away. So she was willing to let another child, Coraline, be taken if it meant that Wybie was safe. 

Now for the origins of the other mother. Some theorize that she’s a fairy, of course not in the traditional sense with wings and a magic wand, and that she created the other world. Others believe that she was once human and discovered the other world. The human theory is the one I find the most interesting. We know that the pink palace was built around 150 years ago when the movie takes place. It was confirmed that the story takes place in Ashland, Oregon and we can assume that the town was settled around 150 years ago. A lot of people believe that the other mother was the original owner of the house. It would explain why the garden is in the shape of her face which later takes the characteristics of Coraline. She was obviously very wealthy. Some believe that picture of the ‘boring blue boy’ that Coraline finds in the study is a picture of the other mother’s son. Some believe that he died and the other mother either was called to the well by some magic of the other world, accidently fell in the well, or purposefully jumped in the well. And we’ve established that the well is a portal into the other world. And the reason she lures kids in by pretending to be their mother is in part because she is trying to replace her dead son. She discovered the other world and took it over.

And now for the parents. The other mother seemingly ‘captured’ Coraline’s parents. Yet the parents have no recollection of it. And while her parents seem a bit neglectful, it’s unlikely that they would write the ‘help us’ message on the mirror. They wouldn’t put their 10/11 year old daughter in danger on purpose like that. She made it seem like she kidnapped the parents to give Coraline more incentive to go back to the other world. And again, if we accept the limbo theory, the snow on the parents’ clothing when they return would’ve been put there by the other mother to make it seem like she really did kidnap them. If she can control the limbo word, she would have been able to do that. 

Okay, that’s it for now. I have a lot more theories but this is very long already. I hope this was comprehensible. A lot of these are very complicated but I did my best to explain them. 

[jjmaybanksbaby]

Where It Leads (Rafe Cameron)

Summer IV

Part 07: Crashing Down

series masterlist | previous part

summary: A jarring family emergency forces you to consider the future of your relationship with Rafe Cameron.

a/n: I'm a little bit emotional about this series ending because I've had so much fun writing it! Enjoy the last part and, as always, please come share your reactions with me in my inbox. Okay, that's all from me!

word count: 2.1k words

Rafe Cameron knew how to text. He was somehow witty, charming, and hilarious all in less characters than a single tweet. Texting with most boys was like talking to a brick wall: single-syllable answers, unironic uses of punctuation, asking “What are you wearing?” before even listening to how your day went. Though, to be fair, Rafe had asked that same question a few times, which always earned him a sarcastic answer in return. Well, except for that one time.

You’d been forced to spill the beans about your dreamy summer romance to Alice and Kensie after one of Rafe’s funnier texts almost made you pee yourself laughing at the lunch table.

“Oh, so he’s a stud muffin,” Alice announced, peering over Kenzie’s shoulder at the photo on your phone.

“Please god don’t call anyone a stud muffin ever again Al,” Kenzie replied.

“What? The 80s are like making a comeback.”

“Yeah, not that,” you countered and Alice huffed.

“He’s totally hot though,” Kenzie said, handing the phone back to you. “And I kinda hate you for not telling us about him.”

You looked down at the picture. Rafe was kissing your check while you grinned up at the camera, the golden hour lighting made the whole thing look rather enchanting. It was your favorite picture of you and him.

“Oh shit,” Kenzie said causing you to look up from the phone. “You’re like in love in love with him.”

“What? No,” you protested. Yes, your brain corrected.

Kenzie glanced over at Alice for backup.

“Besides, I wasn’t hiding him. I just didn’t know if there was anything there to...tell,” you finished.

“I wish I had a handsome summer fling with spectacular cheekbones,” Alice sighed.

“Don’t let your boyfriend hear you saying that.” Kenzie chucked a fry off her tray at Alice who dodged it expertly.

“Oh, please. Matty knows I would dump his ass for someone who looks like a young Chuck Bass any day of the week. Gimme your phone. I wanna see the photos again y/n.”

“I seriously don’t know how you and Matthew have been together for two years,” Kenzie replied.

“Are you kidding? They’re practically made for each other,” you added.

“The phone, please,” Alice interjected. “I wanna thirst over your mans while my boyfriend is sucking up to his English teacher so she doesn’t fail him. Of course, I told him he needed to actually read Wuthering Heights and not just sparknotes it. But did he listen? No. I picked a real winner y’all,” she finished, taking the phone from your outstretched hands. “You sure Rafe doesn’t have any brothers? Not even like a half-step brother?”

So yeah, going great. Against the odds of three thousand miles, the whole thing was somehow working. Long-distance friends with benefits? Check. Well, except for those moments when that nagging feeling in your stomach came back and you’d start overthinking everything. His texts would sit, unread in your phone for days or even a whole week, slowly sinking to the bottom of your messages.

Then came the call from the Kildare Country Hospital in the early hours of a foggy April morning. You should have gone to sleep hours ago but were still up, desperately trying to cram Maria’s lines into your brain while also texting Rafe. The Sound of Music opened in three weeks and your director had already chewed you out twice for not being off-book, something about being an upperclassman and the lead, and what kind of an example were you setting for the rest of the program. Big speeches were kind of your director's thing, you learned to just ride them out.

Around 1 a.m. your phone ran with an incoming FaceTime call from Rafe. You pressed the green acccept button, a smile spread across your face as Rafe’s own filled the screen.

“Hey Broadway Star.”

“Hi Rafe.” The dim lighting of his bedroom made his feature especially striking. “What are you still doing up?”

“Can’t sleep. Plus you’re up too so. How’s the memorizing going?”

“Shitty,” you replied, closing your binder with a sigh. “I’m too tired to do anymore of it tonight anyway.”

“You know, I was thinking I could come to Oregon for your opening night?”

“Really?” The possibility of Rafe sitting in the audience made your heart race.

“Yeah, why not? I’ll ask Ward if I can borrow the plane that weekend and I bet Sarah’ll want to come too. I wanna see my girl kill it. I miss you.”

“I miss you too, Rafe. You know my friends think you’re hot.”

“Oh, do they?” Rafe replied, rolling over onto his back in his bed.

“Don’t let it get to your head, Cameron.”

The home phone ran but you ignored it, much more invested in your conversation with Rafe. The second time the hospital left a message. Your Nonna’s heart had given out. The prognosis wasn’t good. She had barely any time left.

Your heart dropped as the words echoed over the speaker of the answering machine.

“Rafe,” you said, cutting him off momentarily. “I gotta go. I’ll call you back later. I gotta-” you ended the call before Rafe even had the chance to respond. You dropped your phone on the kitchen table, dashing up the stairs to your parents’ bedroom. Your father was booking a flight for your mother back to the Outer Banks minutes later.

The end had come so quickly, so unexpectedly. It was almost like that made it harder. There'd been just enough time for your mom and uncle to get to the Outer Banks, sitting on each side of your Nonna as her final breaths passed through her lungs. Now, everyone was there to say goodbye one last time. Uncle Austin and his fiancé. Your mom and dad. Both your siblings. The entire population of Figure Eight.

☼☼☼

Rain drizzled down from the dark, gray clouds looming overhead. It was as if Mother Nature was mourning your Nonna too, hiding the sunshine away.

Three baby ducks followed their mama into the man-made pond at the edge of the cemetery. You watched their tiny feet kick up small waves disturbing the peaceful water and the tears silently slipped down your face.

The cars were waiting to take you back to your Nonna's house for the wake. The same house with the for-sale sign now stuck in the front yard. The for-sale sign with Rose's patronizing grin that you were starting to really hate. Your dad had handled that. Listing the house. He'd handled most of the funeral arrangement's actually because your mother had been too sunken into her grief to make any decision. Sending out the invitations, picking out your Nonna's casket, choosing the flowers. Your mother clung to him during the entire funeral, weeping into his shoulder.

“Y/n?” Rafe's voice called out from behind you and you turned to see him walked toward you. He’d stood at the back of the church with his family during the funeral. You had longed for him to be sitting in the first pew next to you, to have had his hand to hold onto to ground you, but it hardly would have been appropriate. Your Nonna would have sooner risen from the dead than have had a Cameron front row at her funeral.

As soon as he was close enough, Rafe reached for you, pulling your body tight into him. Your head landed on his chest and the sobs came moments later. God, he always smelled the same. He just let you cry, holding you close, smoothing his hand over your hair.

“I know you’re selling your grandma’s house but I was thinking you could stay with me for the summer," he said as your tears began to slow. It was hard to imagine that you wouldn't return to the Outer Banks once school let out. It was the first week of May already and you could feel the tourist-attracting town waking up. But selling the house just made more sense. Your older sister was already living her life in New York, a real adult life. Next summer, you'd be moving out too, headed to college. The house would sit empty for eight months out of the year, your family couldn't keep it and your uncle certainly didn’t want it. Selling it just had to happen.

You stepped back, slipping out of his embrace. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Rafe.”

“Why not?”

“Cause we’re like Romeo and Juliet.”

“I copied Cleo’s notes for that unit," he joked, trying to lighten to damp mood. “Plus I was never a fan of Leo DiCaprio so I didn’t finish the movie either.”

“It means we’re not supposed to be together, you and me. And whenever we try, the universe rips us apart. We hurt each other.”

Rafe shifted awkwardly on his feet, clearly wanting to reach for you again but stopping himself from doing it. “But I can't lose you.”

You reached your hand out, brushing away a strand of hair that had fallen in front of his eyes. “Oh Rafe, don’t you get it? You never really had me.” You stood up onto your tiptoes to kiss him just like you had the first time three years ago. Rafe barely parted his lips, kissing you back gently. Your hand cupped his face, your thump stroking over his cheek. It was a goodbye. Both of you knew it. It was an ending and this was your closure. You pulled away, your hand falling away from his face.

You couldn’t bring yourself to say the actual words. Your eyes fell to the ground. You needed to walk away now. You side-stepped Rafe but he grabbed your waist, turning you back around to face him.

“So that’s it? You’re not even gonna try to fight for us?”

“What even is there to fight for, Rafe? I’ve been fighting for us for the past four years. If we were supposed to be together that car wouldn’t have crashed into ours, I wouldn’t have fallen for Evan when I did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation at my Nonna’s funeral. What? Are we supposed to do long distance for all of college? I hardly know who I am right now. I have no idea who I’ll be in the next four years. Our future selves might not even like each other. I’m not gonna wait around for you Rafe and I would never ask you to do that for me.” You twirled the small, star charm between your fingers, a nervous habit you'd developed over the past year. His eyes dropped down to your neck momentarily and his adam's apple visibly bobbing as he swallowed his next weeks.

“You were it for me, you know. I tried to give a fuck about anyone else but I couldn’t get your gorgeous, stupid face out of my mind. I only wanted you.” Rafe paused gauging your reaction “I was falling in love with you.”

Your eyes wandered over his stoic expression. “The feeling was mutual, Rafe Cameron.”

He dropped your wrist but you both stood, not moving or saying anything. “Do you wanna walk me back to the car?”

“Yeah.” He reached for your hand, interlocking your fingers. Your other hand held onto his bicep so you walked together through the graveyard back to the parking lot.

The moment felt precious and delicate, like the fragile china your Nonna used to collect. You wondered what would happen to all that china.

Rafe placed a chaste kiss on your lips before opening the door of the car.

“I’ll miss you,” you said, the words hanging in the air meaning so much.

“Me too,” Rafe agreed.

You wanted one more kiss, one more passionate declaration of how much this all had meant but that would make leaving Rafe so much more impossible.

You climbed into the car, dropping Rafe’s hand in the process.

“See you around Cameron.” You knew it wouldn’t happen but it felt better than a goodbye.

He smiled back. “Maybe so.”

Perhaps Rafe was right and you’d both end up at a small liberal arts college in California taking the same second-year Econ class with a professor who always smelled like weed. Perhaps the stars would align and two of you would realize the universe wasn’t trying to keep you apart. It was just waiting for the right moment to show you that the love you had for each other was the soulmates, forever and ever kind of love. Perhaps you would get married and Sarah would be your maid of honor, of course. You’d buy back your Nonna’s house to raise your troubling-making kids in. Perhaps, you would find your way back and wake up each day and choose each other again and again.

Or perhaps, he'd always be your right-person-wrong-time. And, in the end, the passing days will steal away your memories of the blue-eyed boy from the Outer Banks.

taglist! @oreoenthusiast13