#it's okay if not everybody likes edie or whatever it's not the end of the fawkin world | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thewestern · 3 months

Text

OFFROAD INTERLUDE

Young Chop on the beat

To the uninitiated, a guitar solo can seem self-indulgent, somewhat. Masturbatory, even, one could say, at the risk of surrendering to cliche. But there one is, moving one’s hand up and down a smooth, wooden neck. Contorting one’s face as one hammers on, pulls off, slides and bends one’s way up, down and around the G-major scale. Outstretching one’s fingers to hit just the right notes … that last one’s for you self-pleasing females out there, tapping your clitori like you’re Edie Van Halen. Okay, sure. But it’s more complicated than that, obviously. Like one getting off by one’s self, guitar solos sort of get a bad rap. It’s our puritanical culture that’s to blame. Did you know that supposedly there’s a version of Catholic hell wherein the damned are sous vide for all eternity in a bubbling cauldron? But the twist is that they’re boiling in all their own wasted ejaculate. Wasted, quote en quote, whereby the Pope’s lofty standards, would constitute all the jizzum not expectorated in the act of heterosexual, post-marital intercourse made in the god’s honest attempt at procreation. Well then likewise, perhaps for our purposes there’s a version of secular hell wherein one’s soul floats along a Lazy River Styx to the meandering tune of a never-ending, very noodly guitar solo. Good news: hell isn’t real. Better news: Heaven is. Ooh, it’s a place on earth. Yeah, baby.

Take a page out of the Plains Indians’ book. Although as recordkeepers, they were notoriously sparse, we do know that they didn’t so much dwell on the Life and Death of it all, or at least not on the difference betwixt them. Rather, they were early on the whole consciousness kick. We are one being. All but blades of grass, in the grand scheme. Buffalo grazes. Man eat buffalo. He go in the ground. (Likely on account of eating all that red meat.) Man become grass again. Buffalo eat man. At the end of the day, it’s the end of the day. You dig? Theirs was not a vengeful or a wrathful god. Nor was it even a god to begin with. Nigh, it was a Great Spirit. Non-personified and ungendered. None of this whole paternal bull shit. No daddy issues here. Now, they did have a Great Father. Actually that was what they called POTUS. But that was really more of a put on than anything. A bit of poking fun at our white devil bureaucracy. Fatherhood, as it were, was an altogether separate enterprise from the matters of church and state to the savages. Family in and of itself was more an extension of community. So then, if your Pop happened to up and die, be it he took a bullet off on a raid, or maybe he succumbed to the coughing sickness, it wasn’t no big thang. In a tribe, the Chief was everybody’s daddy. And he was a wise man, which is to say he didn’t just know things.

And, furthermore, as for religion, insofar as they practiced it whatsoever, was all about arranging that harmony with the natural world. Maintaining life-life balance. Therefore, whatever you have to do to keep that homeostasis — to square the circle of life, so to speak — that’s your fucking sacrament. Could be singing, dancing, chanting, smoking. Regarding the ritual form, they didn’t so much care. They were very results-oriented. So you do you, essentially. Long before any framers or founders, the Native Americans who observed freedom to worship, assemble or speak however you please. In their honor, then, say a prayer, have a hootenany, recite the fucking pledge of allegiance or maybe, baby, just beat it. (It, whether we’re talking about the famous Eddie Van Halen instrumental break on his genre-bending collaboration with Michael Jackson [Beat it {beat it}], considered to be among the greatest guitar solos of all time, or your meat.)

Still not convinced? Fine. So what, then, if a guitar solo isn’t an act of patriotism or at least enlightenment? Maybe you’re even thinking to yourself it’s a waste of time. Okay. But, then, is that so bad? When you’re in the groove jacuzzi, what’s the sense in getting out before you’re fully pruned? Crank up the bubbles, will you, Reggie? Try a couple different angles on for size. Really explore the space. What’s the big rush, honey? Procrastination — there’s another thing that gets a bum rap. Our protestant guilt ethic at work again. For a fact, the term itself derives from the Latin Pro- meaning forward, Crastinus- of tomorrow. So, in point of fact, procrastinating is actually keeping things moving. Like if Time is like a big circle, then procrastination is just rolling along. Not bothering nobody. Searching a bit around the edges is all. Yeah. That’s the ticket. Us procrastinators are Searchers. Maybe it’s we’re searching for meaning, or maybe just searching for something fucking better to do.

For his part, Billy could procrastinate with the best of them. Case in point, having only recently set in motion an event chain that could jeopardize his family legacy and fortune, he was in no particular hurry to make his next move. However, in his defence, at Yayo-L’s urging, Billy had been prepared to log into his brand new tablet — purchased for the express purpose of being the perfect-sized device for watching pornography, on the go — and launch an online propaganda campaign, so as to curry public opinion in the favor of his fictional political kidnapping.

Me see pon de social media, youth make da ting go Turn Up. Intenet gon mad. Respek, yadono.

Alas, he could not remember his four-digit security code. Prior to being locked out, Billy attempted five combinations, reproduced below in reverse sequential order from most to least likely:

0824 [his birthday]

1017 [his mother’s birthday]

0420 [ayayayay: smoke weed every day]

6969 [nicenice]

0000 [factory default settings]

Having to reset his password or code nearly every time he tried to access one of his many digital accounts or tech gadgets was one of the great stresses of Billy’s life. That, and because darkness was washing over the sleepy town of Stone Rock, he and Yayo-L agreed to decompress for the evening and attack the morning anew. Although rather than retiring to the bunkhouse after a hard day of scheming, they set out for the barn to raise a little hell. Like the bipedal staff, the remuda of horses — six months out of the year they lazily grazed the surrounding pastures, tasked only with escorting guests out on the occasional horseback ride, or otherwise performing a purely perfunctory roundup — had been dismissed for the off-season. For them to winter in, Uncle Ernie had erected a state-of-the-art stables out on the mud flats over by the airport, complete with a highly sophisticated alarm system for thwarting any enterprising horse thieves.

(In protecting against horse thievery, Uncle Ernie took the utmost precaution. It’s no wonder why, considering how many Western Movies he had watched in his late father’s private picture show, a mid-century precursor to a home theatre or entertainment centre. Quite often some expository character or other would utter the warning: Y’know … horse thieving is a Hanging Offense, around these here parts. [Spits.] It’s true that the trafficking in stolen livestock was a major economic liability in the pre-industrial period. But still, wasn’t it a little heavy-handed to always clarify as such? Of course it was a hanging offense. Just about everything was back then. Turning your sprinkler on between ten in the morning and six at night … that there is a hanging offense around these here parts, etc. Maybe the emphasis was on account of in the days before they laid track for the iron horse (the railroad), horses and mules and the like were your only means of transport. So this was something beyond petty larceny. A crime more akin to Grand Theft Equine. Because a man without a mount was plainly immobilized. And around these here parts — in these United States — that just won’t do. We Americans got places to be. Or was it more likely because stealing horses was the stock and trade of some native American tribes. [Based off the way we was branded / Face it, Jeronimo get more time than Brandon.] But even to them, it was more meaningful than a mere felony. It was an art form. One to be honed, and to be celebrated. Whoever could sneak into the white devils’ camp under the cover of darkness and snatch the most or the best horses, that brave got all the finest squaws and biggest props. Debates would rage among the camps, who was the best horse thief — the most about that life. Bruh, they was telling me bout this one Comanche hitter from the Quahidi set. No cap this dude could clean out a whole damn cavalry in one night. Turn them ma’fuckas out on they asses. Back into infantry, y’erd. Yo, I heard tell this nigga stole the horse off this the other nigga, while this other nigga was riding it … on god … bitch looked down and he was saddled on some bricks, B, in broad daylight. Brrrdat.)

Therefore, the period-accurate Livery Emporium was vacant, excepting for those stalls which were paved over and as such reserved for Uncle Ernie’s off-road armada of ATVs, gators, dune buggies, snowmobiles and, of course, sick ass fucking dirt bikes. The sight alone — neon plastic on polished chrome — would have been more than enough to deal Hank a massive heart attack. Nevermind the evocative aroma of the sputtering exhaust, so pungent you could taste its vegetal tannins on the undercarriage of your spittling tongue. Nor even their battle hymn sound played in four-stroke harmony. Mmm-m. The Mick, for his part, would have creamed his fucking coveralls.

(In actuality, it’s the two-stroke engine which emits that sweet, sweet smell — you know the one, that reminds you of yard work and your dad. The website Motorcyclist Online once asked a professional perfumist to analyze the fragrance profile. Paraphrasing now, her trained nose picked up traces of benzoin and balsam (tree resins), cade oil (a species of juniper), and just a slight hint of patchouli. She described the olfactory experience as: ancestral, ritualistic, ceremonial, and medicinal. Altogether, she said, the smell is very human.

[Hey, ladies. Looking for the perfect stocking stuffer for your husband? How about a two-stroke scented candle, handmade with gen-u–ine, high-grade lube. Per the marketing copy: with this candle, we’ve strived to engineer a nostalgic, reminiscent product, and still remain nontoxic, while achieving as close as possible olfactory experience with out burning raw oil and fuel inside your home.])

For their moonlight ride, Billy and Yayo-L selected the mini bike and mini ATV, respectively, on for which to convey themselves away. (Yayo-L was woefully inexperienced with extreme motorsports, so Billy suggested they start small. Not that he minded none. After all it was Uncle Ernie who always said, the minis were just like mopeds or fat chicks. Fun as all heck to ride, just so long as your friends don’t find out.) On their way out of town, they stopped off at the San Ernesto for to raid the robust wine cellar. Although Billy was deathly allergic to beer, he did enjoy the occasional glass of Burgundy, of which Uncle Ernie happened to be among the Western U.S.’s most prolific collectors. With an audacious nonchalance, Billy chose a bottle at random. Then, trudging back upstairs to the saloon area, he fetched from a sleeve of four white styrofoam cups he had previously stashed in a cupboard, dividing them equally between himself and Yayo-L. (Ayo, real quick, let’s talk a bit about styrofoam cups. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But ask yourself … if we don’t who else will? Okay, so, what we commonly know to be the styrofoam cup isn’t made of actual Styrofoam, which is in fact a brand name — it’s sort of a Kleenex or a Xerox situation — trademarked by the Dow Corporation, which developed the substance, albeit completely by fucking mistake, in the forties. [Inventor Otis Ray McIntire was going for more of a rubber replacement. Dow would go on to merge with DuPont in the mid-twenty-tens, at last joining the two largest American chemical companies in holy matrimony.] The generic name is extruded polystyrene, and the genius of it lays in the extrusion, which is basically the titular process of foaming. The result is this super material, that’s ninety-eight percent air, making it incredibly lightweight. However, it’s also so dense that it’s extremely durable, as well as it’s buoyant to boot. Thus qualifying Styrofoam for a range of use cases, from military-grade personal flotation devices — how it was first used dating back to World War Two — to building insulation — its primary present-day application. Now, quote-unquote styrofoam cups, as well as similar food packaging products, are likewise molded out of polystyrene, a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene, however rather than being extruded, it has been expanded. So suffice it to say, it’s even lighter than styrofoam, but considerably less durable, which makes sense given you only need to use a cup the one time. [The only downside being that it’s still durable to the extent that it doesn’t decompose, and boy is it a real bitch to recycle.]

William A. Dart of the Dart Container Corporation developed the expandable polystyrene cup in the early sixties. His sons, Kenneth and Robert Dart, after inheriting the company, would go on to renounce their U.S. citizenship in the mid-nineties, explicitly as a means of avoiding taxes on their foam cup fortune. [Listen, there are all kinds of tax dodges out there, but renouncing your fucking American citizenship is on another level, dude. Fucking sick.] The brothers Dart subsequently established a relationship with the nation of Belize, and generously offered to turn their shared residence — a mansion in Sarasota — into a consulate, with themselves serving as sibling co-consuls, thus shielding their estate from any further action made on behalf of the Internal Revenue Service. Alas, the State Department intervened, thwarting their entrepreneurial attempt at sovereign diplomacy. Shortly thereafter the place in Sarasota burnt down, suspiciously, and the expatriates fled to the Cayman Islands, which famously has a zero tax rate on income earned or stored. Freed at last of this burden, the reclusive Ken, for his part, has gone on to become the territory’s largest private landholder. Some Caymanians speculate he owns more than the government itself. Real estate speculation has emerged as the primary business of Dart Enterprises, as it’s now incorporated. It also trades in distressed foreign government debts, making a killing on the global financial crisis of the mid-two thousands, as well as tobacco company stocks. As for the foam container business, Dart has since spun it off.) Into these their grails, he poured three parts red wine, one part lemon-lime soft drink — fresh out the soda gun. Here was his own special blend, although he had not given this his proprietary wine cocktail a proper French name. Let’s all try together then. S’appuyer, sil vous plait? Or, how about, Boisson Violette? Phonetically, would it be, L'année, perhaps? Mmm. And what a bonne fucking one it was. Mixed with a coveted vintage worth in the ballpark of three times the blue-book value of Kitty’s fucking car, despite its being some decades older.

(Unbeknownst to Uncle Ernie, this bottle — as well as those from several similarly-appraised cases he had successfully over-bid for — was a counterfeit. Concurrent to this time, a young connoisseur out of Encino had been exploding onto the rare wine scene. Over the course of the previous calendar year, his vast collection had fetched him north of thirty million dollars at auction, the record for a single consignor. Alarm bells would be raised however when it was discovered by one suspicious estate manager that some of his wines were indeed so rare that they had in fact never fucking existed in the first place. One in particular, from a year inwhere a famous French vineyard had quietly suspended its harvest, owing to a catastrophic infestation of Japanese beetles. Of course, this good samaritan would swiftly alert his dear friend Uncle Ernie of the discrepancy, who would hire a Perlmutter Agency private dick on the WolffCo company dime to investigate matters further. This Brother Shamus sniffs around a bit, takes some pictures with a telephoto lens, slides them into a manilla folder, marks confidential care of Werner Wolff, calls it a day and tips off the feds. Thereupon raiding his seedy one-bedroom apartment, with a gen-u-ine Italian sports car conspicuously parked out front, the FBI would recover reems of label forgeries, every last one of them painstakingly hand-distressed like a pair of designer blue jeans. Working out of his kitchenette sink, often blending cheap grocery store wines — we’re talking two-buck chuck, here — this regular-ass dude successfully duped the entire fine wine world. And not just suckers who had it coming like Uncle Ernie, neither. Mother Fucking, Master Sommeliers, may it please the Court. Those whose palettes are tuned like a musicologist’s ear or trained like a police dog’s snout, so as to detect even the faintest subtleties of terroir or whatever the fuck. One whiff of a fart, it’s said, and they can discern without a shadow of a doubt what he or she who dealt it had for breakfast. But then here comes some guy, this criminal mastermind, an fucking alchemist apparently … and he takes them all for the ride of his life. In a fucking Lambo, no less. Mercy, mercy, me.

Shame then his ride had to end. The Encino Kid, as folks took to calling him, was indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s office representing the Southern District of New York, which had all kinds of time on its hands leftover from recusing itself of any prosecutions as it pertained to the perpetrators of the global financial crisis, the fallout to which was also taking place concurrent to these events. Perhaps the white-collar crime statutes were too opaque to be applied practically. All the while our antihero became the first defendant in the esteemed history of our justice system to be convicted on counts of what the presiding judge officially deemed, Wine Fraud.

[Voiceover: In the criminal justice system, wine-based offenses are considered especially heinous. {Fade in title card.} In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Vinos Unit. These are their stories. {Cue music, b-roll, intro credits: Starring Joe Pantoliano, Carla Gugino, Flea, etc., etc., From Executive Producer Dick Wolf.}]

Subsequently he was sentenced to ten years of which he served six. BOP #62470-112, incarcerated at the Ward County Detention Complex in Big Springs, Texas, a publicly-owned, privately-operated correctional facility ranked eighth on a list of the Ten Worst Prisons in America by the online edition of Mother Jones magazine. A distinction earned after widespread riots were provoked in response to, among a litany of other indignities, the sub-humane level of medical care made available to inmates. This after ongoing incidents culminated in the death of a prisoner held in solitary confinement, who despite repeated pleas from his family to fill his long-standing prior prescriptions for epilepsy medicine, had only been treated with ibuprofen for his severe seizures, to which he ultimately succumbed. Shortly thereafter, his comrades reported seeing his lifeless body being carried out in what appeared to be a garbage bag. Upon questioning, prison officials deflected, claiming that all healthcare services were subcontracted to a third-party provider. This was true. However it was also true that said third-party was awarded the contract strictly on the basis of its explicit promise to reduce the county’s expenses by cutting back on prescriptions, and other such costly Wellness Amenities. That, and some years later, State Senator Omar Uresti was brought up on charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, citing evidence that he colluded with Ward County commissioners to approve the contract in exchange for kickbacks and promises of future payments.

To reiterate, none of this has or had happened at the time of this writing. As far as Billy knows, the bottle he poured into that double cup was the real deal. Though he didn’t much care either which way. Had he known this was a phony — that he was consuming physical evidence in a federal case — well he would have been amused by that fact. His Uncle Ernie, on the other hand, when he would eventually find out he’d been had, would go on to blow his fucking stack, predictably.)

With one hand on the handlebars, they proceeded with abandon through the empty thoroughfare, past the JK Corral, and into the Curtis Hixon Sportatorium, an arena Uncle Ernie had erected for hosting VIP rodeo-based fundraisers for right wing political candidates and other conservative cause célèbres. (Hoedown for Hardline Immigration Reform, Giddy Up for Responsible Gun Ownership, Do-si-do for Subsidies-backed Domestic Crude Oil Production on Federal Lands.) Billy’s master key opened the announcer’s booth, where Yayo-L was able to get his MPThree player hooked up to the aux cord on the PA System, which previously had played only two songs — God Bless the U.S.A., words and lyrics by Lee Greenwood and The Star-Spangled Banner as performed by Alan Jackson. (His affinity for that particular rendition notwithstanding, Uncle Ernie was of the steadfast belief that the former should replace the latter as Our National Anthem, and had lobbied as such repeatedly to his dignified guests, of whom included several U.S. senators, three of the five conservative justices on the Supreme Court and one sitting vice president, among many other figures of political prominence. It was an issue he had great passion for. Also, Lee Greenwood was a friend.)

For his part, Billy had recently been put on to this rapper, Chief Keef, a Chicago-based artist from the city’s infamous, rough-and-tumble SouthSide projects. His shit had been blowing up online. Notably the music video for the smash hit single, I Don’t Like, had spoken to Billy. It was like nothing he’d ever seen before, and he’d been watching music videos on television — as well as even television shows about the making of music videos — for the longest. Billy was like an art historian for music videos. They say jazz is the only American art form. Nah, son. Music videos. Mosaics of money, hoes and clothes. (All a nigga knows.) Although, notably, this particular music video had none of the above. Mostly it was just a bunch of dudes with no shirts on. Chief Keef, only sixteen years old, and all his homies in a living room. Not a baller living room neither. No flat screens or stripper poles or crush velvet couches or exotic fish tanks to speak of. Only visible cracks and stains in the drywall. And all they were doing was smoking blunts and making gang signs. One guy was flashing his piece, a matte grey pistol with a High-capacity Magazine. And there was no breakdancing or otherwise elaborate choreography. Just headbanging. Chief Keef sported a mane of dreads, about the length of a Beatles mop top. He was rapping not about the lofty heights to which they aspired, but rather the lowly existence to which they seemed generationally relegated. As if their’s was a despair so routine to them, that it had metastasized — as despair so often does — in the form of these petty grievances with everyday life. That’s That Shit I Don’t Like, or These Are A Few Of My Least Favorite Things. Bootleg designer jeans, felony indictments, disloyal friends (a.k.a. fuck niggas, snitch niggas, bitch niggas … ahem, Jaime), shwag weed, parents that just don’t understand, so on and so forth. Billy thought it looked like the most fun ever.

He downloaded the mixtape and had been banging it, on repeat, ever since. Back From the Dead, it was entitled, in reference to one time Chief Keef got in a gunfight with the police. According to the responding cop’s accounting of the events, after a brief on-foot pursuit, the suspect turned and brandished a blue steel-plated handgun. His partner squeezed off two shots in the assailant’s direction and missed. Then yada, yada, yada, and the unsub was then apprehended without further incident. However, in contradiction to the official police report, somehow word on the street got out that Sosa had died in that officer-involved shooting. At least that’s what his opps were saying. On account of nobody had seen him around the block in a minute. But that was because, in point of fact, he was serving a sentence of thirty days’-home confinement at his grandmother’s house. So then he called his subsequent release BFTD as a tongue-and-cheek way of saying to all his haters: Surprise, Bitch, I’m not dead after all. I was at my Nana’s this whole time.

Billy had always loved hearing stories like that, about rappers putting in work. Back at Canaan Country Day, during certain art electives they were allowed to listen to music on the radio at a reasonable volume. Billy took Metals especially for that reason, and also because you got to use a blowtorch. It was the only class he would arrive to early, so that he could set the FM dial on the boombox to the local rap radio station. (Also for to call dibs on the blowtorch.) Sometimes, right before class, he’d even sneak into the Laura Bush Teachers’ Lounge, and dial nine for an outside request line.

Caller Number One?

Hey, DJ Clay! It’s your boy Billy Rolling on Dubs, reppin Canaan Country All Dizzay. Can you please play In Da Club by Fifty Cent?

Alright coming right up for ya, lil’ homie. Now shout out the radio station that gave you what you wanted.

Wild n’ One-Oh-Eight Point-Eight, Today’s Hottest Hip Hop and R&B!

Go (x6)

Go, Shorty

It’s your birthday

We gonna party like it’s your birthday

We gonna sip Bacardi like it’s your birthday

As the good Dr. Dre’s unconventionally off-beat rhythm harmonized with the cacophonic choir of circular saws and cross-peen hammers, Billy would try to endear himself to his rail splitting classmates by regaling them in Fifty’s escapades. Did you know he was shot nine times? How sick is that? As always when it came to matters of Billy, they just thought he was being weird, and pretended like they didn’t want to be distracted from whatever they were working on. Well, jokes on them, because It was Billy’s piece — the pimp cup with a soldered-on AK-47 — that was selected to the CCD Permanent Collection, where it remains to this day. His teacher Mrs. Reese heralded Billy’s chalice, as she insisted on calling it, to be: a subversive artistic statement on the relationship between toxic masculinity and violence in schools, or something to that effect. Shouts to Mrs. Rza. You da real MVP.

Do you know that feeling of falling in love with a song with your whole heart? Whether it’s a melody or a lyric or just a riff, it worms its way through ear canal and hooks onto the squishy part of your brain that controls your impulse. And then it keeps nibbling at it, scratching, so that you are compelled to listen again and again. And again, for days on end, until you can listen no more because the sound makes you physically sick to your stomach. Seriously, do you know that feeling? It was the kind of feeling Billy had that was so powerful, it made him wonder how anybody else could possibly could relate to it. The kind of feeling that if we all — people of earth — felt it at once the world would end probably. Maybe I just connect to music more deeply, he thought.

(If you’ve ever attended your favorite band’s concert, and seen tens of thousands of others sing along with the very same songs you know by heart, you’d know that music resonates strongly with lots of folks. Billy, for his part, hadn’t attended hardly any. Concerts, that is. Actually, not a single one. Sure, he had the means to afford the toughest of tickets, but have you ever been to a show alone? That’s some loser shit. Once he tried to run away from home to join the aforementioned Gathering of the Juggalos, where famously no one is alone. Rather, at the Gathering, when you’re here, you’re family. [The Gathering: Tonight’s the Night You Fight Your Dad. The Gathering: These Pants Aren’t Going to Shit Themselves.] He made it all the way to the airline ticket counter where he attempted to use his mother’s diamond-encrusted wolf broach — the closest thing to hard currency he could get his little hands on — to barter for a boarding pass to Lambert International Airport in Missouri, the very same from whence Charles Lindbergh took flight on the Spirit of St. Louis, which according to the directions he printed out in advance was a short three hour’s-drive from the site of the Eleventh Annual GOTJ, held at Cave-in-Rock, Illinois, a small hamlet on the banks of the Ohio River. [The namesake cave{-in-rock} was an infamous refuge stronghold for frontier outlaws and river pirates beginning in the late Eighteenth Century. River pirates, huh? Cool!]

Blast, as the albeit well-meaning ticket agent predictably snitched on Billy, handing him over to the proper authorities. In retrospect, though, he may have been lucky to have missed out. Many ninjas cite that year as a turning point for the festival. The Jugallos’ Altamont. Their Little Bighorn. In addition to the Psychopathic Records stable of acts, including Twiztid, Dark Lotus, Anybody Killa and Blaze Ya Dead Homie, all of whom were mainstays of Gatherings past and future, beloved by Juggalos the Midwest over, ICP, Inc. had padded out the lineup with more celebrity guest appearances than ever before. This in part to promote the world premiere of their second straight-to-DVD feature film, Big Money Rustlas, a slapstick Western prequel to their critically-overlooked debut, Big Money Hustlas. This year’s gathering is sort of like an ode to the Wild Wild West, says sweet Sugar Slam in the infamous infomercial, touting the Nation’s Only—True Underground Music Festival—With No Corporate Sponsorship. Luminaries of West Coast hip hop such as the regulator himself Warren G were in the hiz-ouse. Naughty by Nature, Vanilla Ice and Tone Lōc too. And since Juggalos are so well known for their axe-sharp senses of humor, comedic stylings would be provided courtesy of Gallagher (melon smasher), Tom Green (bum rubber) and Ron Jeremy (both of the above). Despite or perhaps because of their A-List statuses, to marquee names the likes of these, the Jugallos were often hostile. That is if the performers didn’t come correct with their A-Games — bring the wicked shit, per their parlance — they were liable to be booed, or worse, by the ninja throngs.

Tila Tequila was for what it’s worth, arguably the first-ever Social Media Influencer, amassing a following of one-and-a-half million Friends, mostly by way of posting sexually suggestive photos to a popular proto-social networking site. She parlayed that success into reality television stardom. And it was from that black hole of American culture that she attempted to revive her career, such as it was, with a pivot to rapping. Thus was the sequence of misfortunes that led her to the Gathering, where she was foretold to be the objectified of the Juggalos’ disaffection, taking the stage some three hours late on what festival organizers had quite optimistically billed to be, Ladies’ Night. Just as soon as she started in on lip-syncing her smashed single, I Fucked the DJ, the audience began pelting her with partway full cans of beer and other debris. [When they weren’t mixing Faygo-based cocktails, Juggalos were known to enjoy the Pack-line of sub-premium Wolffenbeir products.] Nevertheless, she persisted.

Cream in my middle like an Oreo

Got you on rock ride cock like the rodeo

Drop like stock you can check the portfolio

Cuz my pussy pop like it does e-44

Robert Hunter writes — in the preface to the book Box of Rain, a career-spanning compilation of his contributions to the Grateful Dead canon in his capacity as proto-poet laureate — that song lyrics are often embarrassed by print, and that some of his are no exception. Rhyme, rhythm and manageable phrasing impose restrictions on what may be said, he says; fortunately, once and a while, the very limitations help to create something which could be said no other way.

Tequila later alleged that she had been struck in the face by human feces that were catapulted from the mosh pit that night at the Gathering. Trying in vain to appease the seething mob, she acquiesced to their demands that she remove her sequined halter top. Regrettably, the gesture of baring her surgically mutilated bosom only aroused their ravenous delirium the furthermore. The fervor reached its apogee, when according to Tom Green’s eyewitness account, she was chased offstage to her trailer, hotly pursued by a posse of horny men in full clown makeup.

To this day, Juggalos and their apologists maintain that the frackas was wrought by rogue elements in the Gathering masses. That these were non-ninja, agent provocateurs. They submit into evidence how earlier that very day, at the ICP annual seminar, Violent J specifically implored to the Juggalo delegation that no harm be brought upon Tila Tequila’s acutely angular head. [Did you, or did you not, order the Mountain Dew Code Red?!] However, on cross-examination, the prosecution would be remiss not to establish for the record what Violent J’s partner, Shaggy 2 Dope, said immediately after that. Yeah, because I’M trying to fuck that bitch.

Whether or not this insurrection marked a loss of innocence — a failure, if you will, of their grand experiment — will surely be debated by generations of Jugallos to come. For Ms. Tequila, it could certainly be considered the incident that precipitated her own precipitous downfall. When her worm began to turn, as it were. Not unlike the aviator Lindbergh, her coping with this and other traumas manifested in a public flirtation with the tenets of national socialism. Starting with her sharing to social media a photo of her infant daughter, Isabella, miming history’s most infamous moustache. Hashtag: BabyHitler. Her radicalisation then crystallised with an entry to her blog, evocatively entitled — Why I Sympathize with Hitler: Part I. Shortly thereafter she posted a crudely photoshopped self-portrait, costumed as a scantily-clad, femme-Nazi, superimposing in front of the Birkenau gatehouse, straddling the train tracks that led directly to the gas chambers at Auschwitz II, a Waffen SS cap resting atop her shoulder-length bob, an auburn hue of blonde that could only be achieved alchemically, one hand held aloft bearing an American-made, nickel-plated Colt 1911, the other placed defiantly on her hip, so as to more prominently flash a red swastika armband, and probably also somehow to appear skinnier still.

And here's to you, Mrs. Tequila

Jesus loves you more than you will know

Whoa, whoa, whoa

God bless you, please, Mrs. Tequila

Heaven holds a place for those who pray

Hey, hey, hey

[Sung to the tune of Mrs. Robinson, by Simon and Garfunkel. {Made famous by the movie, The Graduate, although technically it doesn’t count as a needle drop, since it was written specifically for the film. Well, sort of. You see, the director Mike Nichols had been using a separate Simon & Garfunkel song, The Sound of Silence, off the duo’s debut album Wednesday Morning, Three A.M., released the year prior, but only in the editing bay as a placeholder and pacing device. However, when Nichols tried to substitute it with a track from the original score, nothing seemed to work as seamlessly with the images on the screen. So he paid dearly for the rights to keep that two-part harmony — Hello Darkness my old friend … — over that famous title sequence of Benjamin Braddock, the avatar for postwar suburban youth malaise, floating there in his parents’ swimming pool, no doubt obscuring a disaffected gaze behind his acetate sunglasses. Woe be unto you, Dustin Hoffman. Nichols’ use of a pop record on a film soundtrack was considered unusual for that time, if not altogether unheard of. Thus making TSOS among the first, if not The First Ever needle drop. [Surely someone could easily find this out. Surely.] Boy did they knock it out of the park with that one, huh? First pitch fastball. There’s a drive deep to left field by Castellanos, and that’ll be a home run.

For a fact, Nichols was so enamored by the way that melancholic arpeggio ascended the diatonic scale to his antihero’s disillusion in those opening frames, that he appealed directly to the guitar player himself, Paul Simon, commissioning him to write another song specifically for the film’s denouement. He wanted their music to bookend his story. Simon didn’t think he had the bandwidth to compose something from scratch, on account of he and Garfunkel were touring at such a breakneck pace. But there was this one idea he was working on, about times and peoples past — Joe DiMaggio, John Lennon, Jack Kennedy. It had been tentatively titled Mrs. Roosevelt, in reference to the first verse about the former First Lady Eleanor being institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital, which she never actually was, although there are probably several named after her. Simon sang Nichols the opening melody — Dee (x13), Doo (x9), Dee (x13). Nichols stood up out of his chair and said, whoa … kid … stop the record. I’ve heard enough. [Dramatic pause … Simon feared the worst. Say something!] It’s not called Mrs. Roosevelt anymore. It’s Mrs. Robinson. And the rest as they say is history. It went on to become the first rock and roll song to win the Grammy for Record of the Year. It would also have taken home the Oscar for Best Original Song, in all likelihood, had it not been deemed ineligible on a technicality. Fucking Garfunkel forgot to fill out the paperwork to submit it, of course.

Years later, at an Italian restaurant on Central Park South, Paul Simon bumped into of all people Joe DiMaggio, whose name he of course drops in the final chorus — Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you / Ooh (x3). What I don’t understand, Joltin’ Joe says, is why you say I’ve left and gone away / Hey (x3). I just did a Mr. Coffee commercial. I’m a spokesman for the Bowery Savings Bank. I haven’t gone anywhere! I’m Joe D, for chrissakes! Demredly as he could, Paul Simon replied that he didn’t intend any disrespect, clarifying that the lyric wasn’t meant to be taken literally. On the contrary, Simon considered him, DiMaggio, to be an American hero, and this song was explicitly about this turbulent time when those were in short supply. DiMaggio accepted the explanation, the two shook hands and parted ways. Shortly thereafter, Simon made a guest appearance on the Dick Cavett Show alongside none other than DiMaggio’s pinstriped slugging successor, Mickey Mantle. In point of fact, as a Jewish kid growing up in the Fifties, playing stickball in Brooklyn, probably — — everybody in Brooklyn in the Fifties played stickball, apparently — it was the sweet-swinging Mantle who Simon idolised, rather than DiMaggio, who by then had past his prime. Aware of his generational appeal, during a commercial break, the Mick came straight out and asked him: say, if I was your favorite ballplayer, how come you put that old Wop in the song instead of me? Put into the unenviable position of having to elucidate his creative process to yet another Yankee legend, Simon said, well, it’s because of the syllables, you see. Rob-in-son, Di-Mag-gio. (Roo-se-velt, Te-qui-la.) Three syllables. Three beats. Where have you gone, Mic-key Man-tle? There’s an extra syllable. Rhythmically, it’s no good. Although, and he didn’t tell him this, but metaphorically it wouldn’t have worked either. Mantle was nobody’s role model. He was like Elvis, Simon later told a reporter for the New York Daily News. An incredible burst of vitality and youth, and its eventual corruption.

(Mantle was asked to recount his favorite memory of the old Yankee Stadium, on the eve of it’s fiftieth anniversary and imminent closure for a multi-season rennovation project. He had a Hall of Fame career’s-worth of achievements from which to choose. Such as, during his triple crown season, hitting a home run to right off the famous outfield facade, which would be replicated in the renovation and re-replicated in the new Yankee Stadium. (Actually it’s known as a frieze in architecture circles.) That thing was up longer than Alan Shepard, remembered an onlooking little boy from Brooklyn. Paul Simon. Just kidding. Actually, it was Billy Crystal. And he was from Long Island if memory serves.

Rather, Mantle responded in writing, on the ballclub’s letterhead, to this the prompt of recalling an outstanding moment in his storied career at The Stadium, that he once received a blow job under the right field bleachers, adjacent to the Yankee bullpen. To the follow-up question, when on or about did this event occur, it was around the third or fourth inning, by his recollection. I had a pulled groin and couldn’t fuck at the time. She was a very nice girl and asked me what to do with the cum after I came in her mouth. I said don’t ask me, I’m no cock-sucker. [Sic. {According to the Guardian style guide, the only available online source and thus the authority on the subject, it’s cocksucker, one word. Cock-sucker and cock sucker are both incorrect.}]

Signed: *Mickey Mantle

*The All-American Boy)

DiMaggio died at the age of eighty-four in Ninety-Nine of natural causes. (Natural as in complications from lung cancer, resultant of keeping up a three-pack-a-day chain-smoking [redundant] habit throughout his Big League career and beyond. Those were the good old days, when a professional athlete could take a mid-game smoke break without having to worry about losing an endorsement deal with some bogus sports drink or energy bar. For a fact, DiMaggio himself was a pitchman, for cigarettes! You Bet I Smoke Camels. [Garcia’s brand.] Along With All That Swell Flavor, Camels Are Extra Mild, For That Fantastic Finish, Like A Walk-Off Home Run, Deep In Your Lungs.) As a companion piece to his New York Times obituary, Simon wrote in an OpEd about how his lyric had been a sincere tribute to DiMaggio's unpretentious and modest heroic stature, in a time when popular culture magnifies and distorts how we perceive our stars of stage, screen and sport. Quoting now: In these days of Presidential transgressions and apologies and prime-time interviews about private sexual matters, we grieve for Joe DiMaggio and mourn the loss of his grace and dignity, his fierce sense of privacy, his fidelity to the memory of his wife and the power of his silence.

So then he was the strong silent type. Gary Cooper. Also that explains the bit about Mrs. Roosevelt. You see FDR didn’t let his withered legs slow him down from chasing skirts behind his wife’s back. Before you weep for her, Eleanor was getting it on the side herself, as well as possibly even batting for the other team. (She was oft-rumoured to be a barely closeted lesbian.) But that’s beside the point, which according to Paul Simon was that whatever they were up to, they all kept their mouths shut about it, and also that such tawdry gossip hadn’t yet been commoditized as tabloid fodder. (Infamously, although it wouldn’t have been reported at the time, DiMaggio’s picture-perfect marriage to Marilyn Monroe had been marred by abuse — substance and spousal — behind the scenes. Quite literally, crew members recalled a violent incident on the set of Monroe’s star turn in the Seven Year Itch, wherein she has her famous closeup of the skirt blowing up from under the subway grate, the sight of which sent Joltin’ Joe into a jealous rage.)

The April following DiMaggio’s passing in March, for a special ceremony in his honor, Paul Simon performed Mrs. Robinson during the seventh inning stretch, making a lousy-fucking fill-in for Take Me Out to the Ballgame, thought most Yankee fans, probably. Singing to a sellout crowd, standing there alone in centerfield donning a baseball cap just like the one the players wore, beneath a billboard advertising a big-box electronics store local to the Tri-State Area that read — Nobody Beats The Wiz. You can faintly hear the Bleacher Creatures trying helplessly to clap along in four-four time over the sound of Simon’s tuned-down dreadnought guitar. That afternoon the Yankees beat the visiting Toronto Blue Jays by a final score of four-to-three. Second-baseman Chuck Knoblauch scored the winning run from third, batted in on an eleventh-inning, walk-off bloop single to the gap by Bernie Williams, DiMaggio’s fellow center fielder, as well as Simon’s fellow singer-songwriter. Bernie and the Bronx Bombers went on to win the World Series that fall, their twenty-fifth such title, sweeping their National League nemeses of the Nineties, the Atlanta Braves. Simultaneous to this, their second consecutive championship run, plans for a first-of-its-kind music festival were being conceived by Jumpsteady, brother of Violent J. The idea germinated while he himself attended Gen Con, the largest tabletop game convention in North America. The subsequent summer, the first of the new millennium, the inaugural Gathering of the Juggalos was convened at the Novi Expo Center in Novi, Michigan.}])

In any event Billy was feeling some type of way today. Stimulated, you could say. Re-sensitized. Colors appeared vivider. He even took a beat to appreciate the sunset, something he wasn’t usually want to do. Because, sunsets are gay, he’d once said. But tonight a blood-red dusk cascaded over the rolling desert plains, and although he wouldn’t have necessarily phrased it in just such a way, he could appreciate the natural beauty of the moment. His taste buds were likewise in bloom. All of a sudden, his immature palette could adequately discern the acidity of the wine as it contrasted with the sweetness of the soda, and also how the carbonation underscored that juxtaposition, quite playfully. Scent too. Whereas Stone Rock and the surrounding acreage generally wafted of hot dirt, a chilled, almost menthol aroma had rode in on the northerly wind — sure as good a sign as any of an impending winter storm. Also, Yayo-L had rolled a fat L with one of Uncle Ernie’s pre-Castro Cuban cigars. Although Billy didn’t partake for fear of inducing a debilitating panic attack, his number one hitter Yayo-L was for his part a prolific pothead. (This is a lifestyle choice not uncommon among information technology professionals, believe it or not. Keep in mind, even your run-of-the-mill IT guy or girl is still a huge fucking nerd, who will forget more about computers than you will ever know, or care to. Now square that with their job description, which entails troubleshooting bullshit support tickets — we’re talking, Talking Paperclip-level … Looks like you’re trying to write a suicide note — day-to-day, in and out, for absolute noobs making three times what they do, base salary. As such, it's a boon to one’s IT employee morale to be Off That Loud on company time, whenever possible.) Even if he didn’t blaze the weed, Billy enjoyed being around drugs, drug users and paraphernalia. It lent him a certain street credibility, or so he thought. And the earthy aroma was likewise pleasing to him. (And that I smell a dankness.) Did you know a lot of rappers have personal blunt-rollers on the payroll, he once asked his metals teacher, Mrs. Reece. That’s such a flex.

And whoa be to, The Sound. The triumphant roar of the synth brass infinet reverberated for miles down valley, like a regimental march come riding over the bluff to wage war on eternity.

I'm cooling wit' my youngins

And what we smoke one hunna

But, nigga, I'm three hunna

Click-clack, pow, now he runnin'

Billy felt three hundred years old, and at once born anew. (And you know we don’t give a fuck it’s not your birthday.) This in spite … nay, on account of there being so much drama in the club, proverbially, between him, Jaime, and his mother. With #x_brüing and Wolffenbeir and the New Frontier. His nemesis, the dastardly Dr. Lupus, and Billy’s beloved Howler, whose wayfarer sunglasses he still imagined in silhouette against waxing crescent moon, its sliver peeking out from around the encroaching stormcloud. Like the evening fog, today his burden would be lifted, as he was baptised in the currents of his own creation.

We are the boys that take delight

smashing the Limerick light when lighting

through all the streets like sporters fighting

and tearing all before us

All these sensations — his feeling like the luckiest man on the face of the Ea-Ea-Earth — emulsified in frequencies of equal amplitude between his legs. Not his loins, per say, although he had been unusually cognizant of his own libido of late. Whereas he usually regarded his appendage inanimately — as an on-demand application … a stress relief valve of sorts — today it had awoken with a mind of its own, in the form of morning wood. Albeit always welcome, his erection was irrelevant to the present moment. Because, like his heart pumping blood directly to the tip of his penis, now time itself was beating with tribal rhythm. One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two. A highly unique, eleven-eight time signature, in the pocket with the vibrato of the Fifty CC engine on Billy’s mini-bike. He and Yayo-L were doubles barrel racing, riding mixed motocross. Tokyo drifting in perfect figure eights. Maxing out those little Japanese lawn mower engines to their absolute limits and beyond. Bursting through barriers of sound and color and common fucking decency.

There was an old saying that Billy had never heard. Hank had been known to use it from time to time. It went something to the effect, paraphrasing here: money is a sixth sense with which you may more fully enjoy the other five. Hank used it unattributed, naturally. Depending on your internet search algorithm, it was either the intellectual property of the early Twentieth Century English playwright, novelist and screenwriter, W. Somerset Maugham, whose masterwork Of Human Bondage tells the semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story of Philip Carey, a club-footed orphan who abandons his artistic aspirations to pursue his medical studies, only to be derailed entirely by a decidedly one-sided love affair with a manic depressive waitress. Among the authors who cited Maugham as a literary influence were Anthony Burgess, Ian Fleming, Stephen King and George Orwell, who said Maugham was the modern writer who inspired him the most.

Or, the quote might have belonged to Richard Ney, the American actor turned financial advisor to the stars. His big break arrived in the movie Mrs. Miniver, arguably the first of a great many Second World War films to earn sweeping critical and audience acclaim. One begrudging admirer was Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda, for its subtle and yet overwhelming accomplishment of an anti-German tendency, as he called it. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was likewise smitten; Mrs. Minniver won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Director and Actress. The latter gold statuette went to Old Hollywood starlet Greer Carson, her fifth-straight in the category, tying her for the record for most consecutive Actress in a Leading Role wins with Bette Davis, who herself starred as the aforementioned bipolar server in the film adaptation of OHB, although she was snubbed for that portrayal. In Mrs. Miniver, Ney played a supporting role as Greer Carson’s erstwhile son. Subsequently, undaunted by their considerable age difference, he would enter a somewhat fraught offscreen May-December marriage with his onscreen mother, which predictably fizzled. Thereafter, Ney puttered around to various bit parts. Notably, he had a one-episode arc on the Western network television series, The Tall Man, playing a wealthy dilettante who hires Billy the Kidd to guide him into the wilderness for to hunt a mountain lion, but only as a clever ruse for efforting to kill Billy himself.

But eventually the acting work dried up, and by the middle nineteen sixties, Ney had successfully transitioned to a career as a financial adviser and wealth manager. Beginning at a Beverly Hills brokerage firm, he went on to start a successful investment newsletter — The Ney Report — which counted petroleum industrialist J. Paul Getty among its subscribers. Although he was an avowed capitalist and enthusiastic materialist — Ney was chauffeured everywhere he went in an extravagant motor carriage not dissimilar to Hildy’s — he maintained no illusions about the structural unfairness of our financial system. He would go on to write three books, each highly critical of stock market manipulation and speculative trading, including the New York Times bestseller, The Wall Street Gang. No place on Planet Earth hosts more sheer larceny per square footage than the New York Stock Exchange, he was attributed as saying. Whether or not for expressed purposes of manufacturing consent (what was it Noam Chomsky said about eating pussy?), Ney was one of two former guests to be banned for life from reappearing on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The other was Ralph Nader.

The boys carried on revving their engines in reverie. Having grown up with unfettered access to these and other motorized toys, Billy was a skilled extreme sports polyathlete. Showboating a bit, he popped a wheelie on the zeitgeist right in Yayo-L’s grill mix. Bucking there on his back tire, he looked and felt completely invincible. He was like a damn Comanche warrior on horseback. Billy had heard how they could unload a full quiver of arrows hanging Upside down from Underneath their horse, this while galloping at a full clip, mind you. Uncle Ernie missed out on Vietnam on account of a dubious diagnosis of late-onset clubfoot, so rather he would romanticize about the Indian wars from the century previous, with which he would regale his incredibly impressionable nephew.

Recall how Uncle Ernie idolised the great lawmen and military personnel of the Old West, for civilizing the frontier at its bloody bleeding edge until it could be duly commercialized. (Equally he admired present-day troops and first responders, as evidence of his annual Hokey Pokey for Heroes, a bolo tie-optional gala benefiting double amputees that lost their limbs — must be plural … triple amps were also eligible to apply for the program — in the line of duty. ) Wyatt Erp, Kit Carson, the Texas Rangers, General Custer, the latter after whom he called his own beloved canine companion, who had a luscious golden mane just like his namesake. Although the pooch’s curls didn’t shed. Uncle Ernie had bad sinuses and hay fever to beat the band, so Georgie was one of them designer dogs specifically crossbred to not furry up all the furniture. (Of course Custer was famous for his blonde locks, but by the time all that bad business went down at Little Bighorn, he was already on the retreat in another fashion — male pattern baldness. It’s true. And you can bet that pretty boy son of a bitch took it hard. For he was as vain as they come. There’s even a historiographical school of thought that losing his trademark hair had him so out of sorts that it clouded his tactical judgment, which was otherwise well-known to be highly astute. Hence causing him to haul off and do something reckless, like send his already dog-tired battalion on a kamikaze charge of a heavily outnumbering encampment of savage hostiles. After such a scrap that ensued, it was the squaws’ domain to sweep the battlefield, and tidy up after any of the missed opportunities for post or preferably premortem mutilation that their husbands, brothers and fathers had overlooked — male pattern blindness. Supposedly when it came to ‘ole Custer, there wasn’t hardly any there left to scalp. Kind of a letdown. Because wouldn’t that have been the ultimate trophy. Alas, they settled for shoving a poison arrow up his piss hole.

But those were Sioux and Cheyenne. Not to be trifled with, to be sure, but also nowheres near the warrior horsemen that the Comanche were. The Lords of the Plains, as they were known on and around the plains. Apart from music videos and shows about the making of music videos, Billy’s favorite thing to watch on television was a basic cable program called Deadliest Warrior, wherein the producers would pit two of the most deadliest warriors from different historical eras against one another — such as Samurais versus Ninjas (Japanese, not juggalos), for example — and simulate which would prevail in a fight to the death. (The Ninja beat the Samurai on account of being much sneakier, in case you were curious.) The Comanche got matched up against a Mongol. A who? … you may be asking. Those old Chinese food bitches? How about they fight somebody that’s actually bad ass, like MS Thirteen. Whoa. Hold your horses, kimosabe. Mongols are no joke. Underestimate these bad mama-jamas at your peril. As a collective army, the Mongols probably had more bodies than any fighting force in human history. Forty million, according to some estimates, which at that time would have divided out to eleven percent of the global population. As for how they would fare one-v-one with a Comanche brave, now we know because each episode had a melodramatized reenactment — like in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, or on Unsolved Mysteries — where the producers and their consultants in historical combat would handicap the fight and choreograph out the moves. This particular back-and-forth bought looks like it’s about to go the distance, before the Comanch emerges victorious by twelfth-round TKO, owing in large part to his superior horsemanship.

Back in Stone Rock, our anti-heroes joy rode on out of the arena and back onto the access road leading through town. There was just enough twilight reflecting into the red dirt to guide their way. Yayo-L had misplaced the earth-toned, short-sleeved, button-down shirt he wore some variation of every day to work, and changed into a chinchilla coat he found in the San Ernesto, from behind one of those dividers women would get undressed behind in the olden days. It was two sizes too small but it fit him just right. Billy was likewise nips out, in shirtless solidarity with his companero, although he wore a protective rodeo vest, designed to shield bull riders’ vital organs from being gored-and-or-trampled upon. He thought it resembled a teflon flak jacket, similar to the one Fifty wore to perform In Da Club at the Video Music Awards, where he took home Video of the Year. Like Yayo-L’s mini-ATV, Billy’s mini-bike was fully Wolffenbeir-branded, as if they were being sponsored to compete in the Special X-Games. The numbers on the nameplate were four-twenty and sixty-nine, respectively.

Racing out past the property line and the barbed wire fence which marked it, without any particular destination in mind, they hung the same fateful left turn Billy’s grandfather had made every morn’ on his commute to the brewery. Rounding the bend, they reached the covered bridge which dissected from overhead the crystal brook. A picturesque scene by any other context. Skidding to an abbreviated stop, they saw there standing on the bridge — backlit by the dissipating daylight and staring straight through them — was a four-legged mammal of an as yet unknown genus. It was smaller than a wolf or a mountain lion, but bigger than a designer doodle or a one-eyed dumpster cat.

What kind of animal are you? Billy asked, rhetorically.

I’m a coyote, he answered back. But you can call me Peter. Pleased to meet you.

###

For a while after Uncle Ernie lost his power struggle for the Wolffenbeir Company to Billy’s mom, he would tell anybody who would listen how he was plotting his comeback. In what was akin to a corporate crucifixion, he believed Hildy and the Board had colluded against him. In the intervening period of his unjust exile he’d drunk approximately eight hundred Wolffenbeir beers in the span of eighteen months, for no apparent other reason than to quantitatively prove that the quality of the product had deteriorated under his sister’s stewardship, precipitously. Stay tuned, he forbode. Their day of reckoning was upon us. Like the mighty dragon, I will arise from the ashes, as he would often mistake his mythical creatures. Tales of my death have been exaggerated, greatly, he was lastly fond of saying, this time misquoting a line that had itself been misattributed to Mark Twain.

(Of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous observation that there are no second acts in American lives, Uncle Ernie was blissfully unfamiliar.)

Perhaps precisely by nature of his being the most quoted American author, Mark Twain is also the most misquoted. A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its boots, was a maxim also oft-mistakenly credited to Mister Twain. (Honorable mis-mentions: [A] Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. [B] I would have written a shorter letter, but I didn’t have the time. [C] The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.) Unequivocally though, we can quote with the utmost accuracy what it was that Mark Twain said about coyotes. In his semi-autobiographical travelogue of the American West, Roughing It (originally titled, The Innocents at Home), he writes (emphasis added):

The coyote is a long, slim, sick and sorry-looking skeleton, with a gray wolfskin stretched over it, a tolerably bushy tail that forever sags down with a despairing expression of forsakenness and misery, a furtive and evil eye, and a long, sharp face, with slightly lifted lip and exposed teeth. He has a general slinking expression all over. The coyote is a living, breathing allegory of Want. He is always hungry. He is always poor, out of luck, and friendless. The meanest creatures despise him, and even the fleas would desert him for a velocipede. He is so spiritless and cowardly that even while his exposed teeth are pretending a threat, the rest of his face is apologizing for it. And he is so homely! -so scrawny, and ribby, and coarse-haired, and pitiful.

THE COYOTE IS A LIVING, BREATHING ALLEGORY OF wANT.

Damn, T-Swizzle. What a coyote ever do to you? For real, bruh. A Tolerably Bushy tail, you say? Well excuuse me.

In Roughing It, whole sections of which were borrowed by the Western television series Bonanza, Twain also writes very critically about sagebrush, local journalism and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As for the Mormons, he himself admitted them to be a popular, humorous topic capable of yielding a great deal of low-grade ore, which he had the ability to mine effectively. If Hank was correct in his assumption that Mormonism as the most American of religions — not only by virtue of its provenance, because according to the prophet Joseph Smith, the Garden of Eden was located in Independence, Missouri, four hundred miles by car to the foot, across the length of the Show-Me State, from Cave-in-Rock, Illinois — by extension can we say that the coyote is the most American animal. A living, breathing allegory of want.

Billy and Yayo-L turned away from the coyote without remark or incident. With the last dregs of light, they rode back to Stone Rock and up to the top of old boot hill, which overlooked the thoroughfare. Here, beneath a sprawling live oak, laid the Wilhelms, I and II. Whereas Uncle Ernie’s chosen aesthetic of Wild West kitsch and kabuki was anything but subtle, the Wolff family burial plot was understated and classy. A white picket fence with a modest, lattice archway. No moseliums or headstones of hand-carved marble. No Pax Eterna or any other dead language epitaphs. (Sic Semper Tyrannis, uva uvam vivendo varia fit.) Just the two wooden crosses.

Billy bypassed his grandfather’s and his great grandfather’s graves for the barren dirt just beyond. In yet another rare moment of reflection, he wondered if this was the empty space reserved for his eternal resting. Then he threw up. But, like, only a little bit. It was more of a wet burp. A purple, sizzurpy film coated his chin. Yayo-L untied the handkerchief tied frontways around his forehead and offered it over with a kind word.

You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.

Thanks, man. You’re my best friend, Ramesh.

That’s tight.

Hey, Yay. You know how I been saying about my boat?

Of course he did. Billy’s albeit-hypothetical boat was among his favorite discussion topics, in addition to womens’ asses.

Yea, Billy.

I think I changed my mind.

You don’t want a boat anymore?

Phst. Stop playing. Just about the name. I think I’m gonna call it Finally Rich.

###

Grateful Dead. 13 February 1970, Fillmore East, New York City.

Bill Graham was a Holocaust survivor and concert promoter. He got his start in the sixties in San Francisco, thanks in large part to a black fellow by the name of Charles Sullivan. Sullivan was the negro business king of the Bay in those days. Among his many concerns and holdings were a citywide network of cigarette vending machines, a jukebox rental business, the Booker T. Washington Hotel and a liquor store, as well as a vast portfolio of recreational spaces spanning a hamburger stand, pool halls, roller rinks, nightclubs, lounges and others, including the Fillmore Auditorium in the Upper Fillmore neighborhood of the Western Addition district of San Francisco. Sullivan — the so-called Mayor of the Fillmore — helped turn the surrounding area into the Harlem of the West by booking a stable of black artists the likes of Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and Ike & Tina Turner, whose band at the time included the talented player by the redundant stage name of Jimmy James, better known by his forthcoming nom de guitar, Jimi Hendrix.

In spite or rather because of its status as an burgeoning epicenter for black culture, the neighborhood was targeted by City Planners for sweeping redevelopment projects. The bevy of beautifications had the bypass effect of artificially raising rents, subsequently causing many such Black music venues to close rather unceremoniously. In feeling the squeeze, Charles Sullivan was no exception. Therefore, in a last-ditch attempt to preserve his tenuous grasp on the Fillmore, he sought to sublease the room to an enterprising white promoter. Enter Bill Graham, a struggling actor turned up-and-coming tastemaker, whose debut promotion, a benefit performance for the San Francisco Mime Troupe, a radical theater company, was a smashing success. Sensing opportunity, Graham secured an exclusive contract with Sullivan for all subsequent open dates. Shortly thereafter, after returning home from putting on a James Brown concert in Los Angeles, Sullivan was found dead beside his rented Impala, sprawled out across the pavement at the corner of Fifth and Bluxome Streets. (Precisely four miles as the crow flies due East from one of the most famous intersections in the world, according to the magazine Boulevard Digest, along with Times Square, Place Charles de Gaulle, Shibuya Crossing, Piccadilly Circus and Dealey Plaza.) The scene of the crime was a once industrial district, which is presently home to the San Francisco Giants baseball team and Golden State Warriors Basketball team, who play at Oracle Park and the Chase Center, respectively. Sullivan was shot directly through the heart with a .38 Special. Responding SFPD officers ruled the death a suicide. The City Coroner, meanwhile, strenuously disagreed and classified it a homicide. The case remains unsolved. Immediately following his former partner’s untimely passing, Bill Graham assumed control of the master lease at the Fillmore, where many of the musical vanguards of the sixties counterculture would go on to get their starts, including the Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company and the Grateful Dead. Some thirty years later Graham himself succumbed to the fiery crash of his personal helicopter, after it struck a high-voltage transmission tower on a return trip from a Huey Lewis and the News concert in Vallejo.

Forgoing to bunk down amid the bountiful splendor of Stone Rock’s completely vacant five-star accommodations, Billy and Yayo-L returned to the yurt for to turn in on the pair of bedrolls the seasonal employees had set aside for sleeping off hangovers. Head-to-foot, they arranged them beneath the circular skylight, through which their weary eyes could see the stars crossfade into the night sky as it gave way to a reluctant dawn. Beyond the canvas walls of the tent-like structure, they were lulled to sleep by the high-pitched Hey-There’s of their new canine acquaintance. Similar cries had once haunted little Ernie, before he became the ever-jovial Eternal Uncle, when he was only just a soon-to-be orphan. Those were coyotes’ calls of distresses. They sounded like a woman screaming. Cries that harmonized with those of his newly widowed mother, who wasn’t long for this world herself. What Billy heard was of another octave entire. It was howling in a major key. A foxhunt yip mashed up with a banshee squall. Like the Comanche Whoop which beget the Rebel Yell. A war cry singing out. The sound was almost Pavlovian, in the sense that it commanded a response. Like an answer in the form of a question.

Shall we go, you and I while we can?

#novls of tumblr #chief keef #paul simon

0 notes

punkscowardschampions · 5 years

Text

Rio & Buster

Rio: I'm gonna need you to pick up two bottles on your way home Rio: at least Buster: Consider it done Buster: Do you need me to ask why or are you gonna tell me, like? Rio: Guessing is always fun Rio: and as I told you I was pregnant the other day, and it's a pretty fucked way to 'celebrate' that, it narrows down your guesses a lot Rio: barely a challenge Buster: It's like that, yeah? Rio: Unfortunately, yeah Buster: Say it then, I'm sitting down Rio: Where? Buster: At a desk Buster: Come on, pull off the plaster, babe Rio: but you're so hot though Rio: oh and Saint fell over at the park earlier, but that's not why I need you/a drink Buster: I'll still be hot after you break this news Buster: Shit, he's alright though? Rio: Totally fine, just scraped knees, brave like his daddy, obviously Rio: okay, it's just Rio: things with my family are getting too much for all of them Buster: Thank Christ for that, now tell me which one of your brothers or sisters need something Buster: and what the fuck it is Rio: Oh come on, it's me asking, not them Rio: and I wouldn't unless they really needed me to Buster: It's you asking for them 'cause they know you're a soft touch Buster: But go ahead Rio: 😠 I am not Rio: I've just spent the last, god knows how long, traumatizing Grace, apparently so Buster: Alright, not what I expected you to say Buster: What's wrong? Rio: Well I am full of surprises, you'd do well to remember Rio: I don't even know how to put it, she's Rio: she just needs a bit of one on one attention Buster: How long? Rio: Just a couple of days, honest Rio: she had a night of it and ended up with some sketchy lad at a really sketchy party and Janis had to go get her and take her home to my mum and dad so Rio: she needs time and space to sort her head out so she can face them again and I can make sure she isn't doing stupid shit like that as well Buster: Wait, Janis went? Buster: What the fuck has been happening over there? Rio: I know, she has a hot boyfriend, apparently, who she spends all her time with Rio: maybe if we can give Grace somewhere to get it together too, then things won't be quite so Rio: ugh, from now on Buster: We're so out of the loop, babe Buster: but yeah, 'course Rio: I know, I'm a bad sister Rio: but you're the best Buster: No, you can't take care of everybody all the time, that's all Buster: She'll come over though and you'll do your best to get her sorted Buster: While I take care of everything else Rio: Ugh stop being so capable but don't ever thanks Rio: I don't know how it got to four years so fast I just Buster: Even though I can do it, I'm still gonna make her take care of the kids for me so I can take you out to celebrate this new one properly Buster: I know there's so much other shit going on but I'm really happy, you know Rio: Me too Rio: I love you so much Rio: it just makes me sad that they don't all have a you to keep them sane through the rest, you know Buster: I love you Buster: but I ain't sharing even if there would be enough of me to go around, what with how capable I am Rio: hmpf don't even play Rio: you're mine Buster: I can't play, I've missed you every second of this day so far Buster: You're only making me miss you more Rio: It's you being so capable and perfect shh Rio: just, some of the places and situations they're getting in, makes me think how my life would've been like if we hadn't finally got it together Rio: it so easily could've been me still, I have to make sure they're okay too, by the time they're our age Buster: Baby, don't Buster: You'll break my heart Buster: You know we'll do whatever we have to, anything, everything Rio: I'm sorry, never wanna do that Rio: I can't do it again, too much has already been allowed to get fucked up Rio: I don't just mean Edie, so much before, after Buster: I know Buster: Whatever it takes, I swear Rio: I believe in you Rio: we're a good team, right Buster: You can, I'm never gonna take my eye off the ball when it comes to a single thing that matters to you Rio: Just Rio: thank you for being you Buster: Cheers for loving me, like Rio: How could I not Buster: I refuse to give you that list Buster: Don't ever not Rio: Always have, always will Rio: Can count on it Buster: That still kills me Buster: Always has & always will too Rio: 's how we managed to get pregnant with a 10 month old and a toddler in the house, like Buster: I'm not sorry Buster: I never will be Rio: Me either Buster: I meant it when I said I'd have 11, I still do Rio: still wanna have all your babies Rio: snap Buster: If I believe in fuck all, it's not fate or any of that religious bullshit, it's you Buster: So Rio: You're killing me Rio: there's no way I'm hormonal already, god Buster: You better not be Buster: Unless we're gonna tell Grace Rio: It's fine, she's a big crier, just think it's solidarity Buster: You're really selling this, babe Rio: You don't need to be besties Rio: I promise, she won't disturb you Buster: Nance, come back into the same country as me, all is forgiven Rio: 😏 shh Buster: Don't shh me when I'm preparing a speech Rio: 🤐 Rio: Proceed Buster: Forget it, I wanna hear more about you & your hormones Buster: How are you feeling? Rio: So predictable, you...but same, best excuse to be all over you as if I needed one Rio: no but I do feel good, overall Rio: Grace said some really sad shit but, it's not hopeless, I think I can actually help and she'll let us so Rio: more than I've got with lots of them right now isn't it Buster: I'll beat up any teenage cunts she named & shamed Buster: That'll be a decent start Rio: Not sure she'd appreciate that as much as I do the mental image Rio: not to mention your career, gotta act well within the law now, babe Buster: Well, firstly it ain't for her, not if everything I do, or am willing to, is for you Buster: Secondly, never been caught, which nobody appreciates more than me Buster: My mum and dad maybe Rio: can't put an arrest sheet up on the wall really Rio: granddad might Buster: He definitely would Rio: know he would've thought it was hilarious Janis stole their car if she weren't apparently pissed at the time Buster: Yeah Buster: Still surprised nan didn't pull out a breathalyzer honestly Rio: Honestly Rio: not that she's fighting the claim, she don't care enough to Buster: Who the fuck is this lad then? Rio: None of them seem to know much of anything Rio: he's new and he's English Rio: and hot, of course, mentioned that Rio: Grace said he's not bad but I'm not fully convinced of that yet Buster: She's got as close to dating me as she can without going for it, fair play Rio: 🙄😂 oh God Rio: glad she's not coming over, actually have a fight on our hands Buster: No chance he's as posh as me Buster: She wouldn't Rio: Obviously not, babe, he's 'poor' apparently but we are going off Grace's definition here so not fully sure what that means Buster: That's hilarious Buster: Maybe it won't be all bad having Grace here Rio: don't encourage her Rio: trying to make her have a little tact Buster: Come on, that is funny Rio: to you, posh boy Rio: I, however, can see why Janis wants to smack her sometimes though Buster: I'm raising my son posh too so be careful what you say next, like Buster: Janis wants to smack everyone, I can relate Rio: You are not Rio: OUR son is going to be well-adjusted, thank you very much Buster: Well your daughter is already my little spoiled princess, so unlucky Rio: well like mother like daughter Buster: If you told me she pushed Saint over at the park I'd believe it Buster: You're always starting fights with me that you can't win Rio: Pshhh Rio: you can tell yourself you let me win if that makes you feel any better about it, baby Buster: You can tell yourself I let you win if it means you'll start another one Buster: You know I like it Rio: 😏 Rio: I miss you Rio: when are you home Buster: I miss you too Buster: All of you Buster: I won't be much longer though, promise Rio: they miss you too Rio: he's only just got up Rio: she wouldn't sleep Buster: She only sleeps on me, same as you Rio: it's true Rio: we'll both be here 😪 like Buster: I won't move a muscle Buster: Get really comfortable, it's fine Rio: challenge accepted Rio: sounds like heaven right now Buster: You are heaven, all the time Rio: Buster Buster: Rio Rio: What do you think the baby is this time Buster: I know what I want but whether or not I should think like that Buster: That's another question Rio: well it's always 50/50 Rio: and you won't be disappointed, will you Buster: 'Course not Rio: I can't tell yet Buster: What do you want though? Rio: I'm just glad it's all ours Rio: no drama Buster: Yeah Rio: Sorry Buster: Don't Rio: but I am Rio: not trying to be a downer Rio: just one of those days Buster: I love you, I love her, there's nothing to be sorry for Rio: I know but Buster: No buts Buster: We're all okay here Rio: we are Rio: I've not heard from Junie in Rio: forever Buster: 'Cause what can he say? Rio: what can I say Buster: It's not your fault Rio: don't think I'll lead with that but tah Buster: Come on Buster: It was a relationship that he never should've been in, never mind brought a kid into Buster: None of us could've done shit about it until either of them did Rio: I could've said no Buster: No you couldn't, that's not you Buster: He never should've put you in a position to have to say yes or no to something like that Rio: he needed me to be that person Rio: to be strong enough to say no and realize how fucked it was Buster: He needed to be that person, not you Buster: He got there in the end Rio: too little too late Buster: He could've waited years, raising her himself, that would've been too late Buster: It was just in time Rio: I guess, yeah Rio: leave you to get on now Buster: Don't Buster: Come back to me instead Rio: I know you've got more important things to be doing Rio: and I've got to tell Grace not to pack too much Buster: Fuck that, you know you're the most important thing in the world to me Buster: I'm not letting you go Rio: Babe Rio: I'm fine, I promise Buster: You don't need to say that to me Buster: You can say whatever you want Buster: Whenever Rio: I know Rio: but I am, mostly Rio: you make me so happy Buster: Good Buster: What can I do to make you more than mostly fine? Buster: I'll round up every single one of your siblings if that's what you want Rio: that would be interesting to watch Rio: but also not gonna wish that on you Buster: I can handle it Rio: I've not forgot how capable you are Rio: but I can think of ways I'd rather put that to use, like Buster: Yeah? Rio: mhmm Rio: so many chores with your name on Rio: 😏 Buster: Consider them done as well then Rio: you're cute and I'm kidding Buster: I'm not so you'll be able to enjoy how good I look doing each of those chores Rio: ugh just be here Buster: Tell me that I have to leave now Rio: You should Rio: I need you Rio: we do Buster: If you need me, I'm there Rio: sometimes I just wanna marry you all over again Buster: Well, I also meant it when I said I'd marry you every year Buster: So you do owe me, like Buster: Nothing would cheer Grace up more than if we let her plan it either Rio: That's brave Buster: I am Buster: Like father like son, remember Buster: Probably do set her a budget though Rio: Are you serious Buster: Why not? Rio: Lots of reasons Rio: I'm pregnant, being one Buster: We can wait until after the baby's born if you want Buster: But you know you're gonna look beautiful regardless Rio: Shh Buster: No Buster: It's true Rio: You're a dope Buster: Marry me again Rio: Buster Buster: Rio Buster: Say yes Rio: obviously yes Rio: but that's not agreeing to anything right now Buster: Ask the wedding planner how long she needs Buster: Then get back to me Rio: You do know how extra and in your face she'd be Buster: Have you forgotten who you're talking to? Buster: I can handle extra, I am extra, babe Rio: oh I'll just leave then Buster: Shut up Buster: I'm on my way home to you, what more do you want? Rio: be included in my own wedding might be nice Buster: Baby Rio: no it's fine, go be extra Buster: Only with you Rio: 😏 mhmm Buster: I don't wanna do anything or go anywhere without you Rio: I know, babe, you don't need to beg Rio: maybe we should do it before I get huge again Rio: if we do Buster: I know I don't need to, but I want to Buster: I'm biased towards you being huge, you never look better to me than when you're carrying my kid Buster: So you can have as much say as you want on that Rio: well now you're just teasing me Buster: If anything, I'm reminding you Rio: feels like forever Rio: it's insane he's gonna be 4 this year Buster: Yeah Buster: How the fuck did that happen? Rio: blink and you miss it right Buster: Have I? Buster: Missed too much Rio: of course not Rio: you've been here the whole time Rio: we've got to feed 'em Buster: I feel like the harder I try to do the right things, the more I don't Rio: I think you're doing the right things for all of us Rio: but if you don't Rio: we can try something else Buster: I just want the best for all of us Rio: and it shows Rio: it'll feel easier when you're working not studying Rio: and you're so close now Buster: Jesus, he'll be in school by then Buster: That's such a headfuck Rio: I know Rio: and loads of my brothers and sisters are still in school, it's weird Buster: If they start having babies I really will feel old, like Buster: Tell Grace and Janis to calm down Rio: already warned them, don't worry Rio: blatant hypocrisy aside, I think the message was received Buster: I don't reckon I appreciated having a gay sister enough Rio: Hit her up with that text, like Buster: She'd appreciate it far too much Buster: Therefore, I can't Rio: actually I think it'd freak her out just as much as you so I wouldn't worry, babe Buster: Maybe if I get drunk enough at the wedding & she doesn't, like Rio: 🤞 Rio: and you let her be your bestman Rio: very gay Buster: & have her try to upstage me in a suit? Fuck off Buster: Saint's the only one who could Rio: well if you let Grace organize it everything will be pastel and she'll be out anyway so Buster: In that case, she definitely is Buster: Pink's my colour, babe Rio: 🙄 Buster: It's yours too, come on Rio: oh you've remembered who it's meant to be about Buster: Everything's about us, how could I ever forget that Rio: go away now I'm so busy Buster: Not for long, I'll be there in a few to do everything Buster: You're gonna be busy relaxing Rio: then hurry up Rio: stop talking about colour schemes Rio: wait 'til your bestie is here Buster: I'm gonna hurry up and put you in a warm bath, that's what's gonna happen Buster: Stop stressing Rio: I'm trying Buster: Having Grace here for a few days can't be worse than all that time we lived with Indie Rio: it isn't about that Rio: just giving her a place to sleep for a bit Rio: it's the rest of it all Buster: Alright, talk to me Buster: What happened, what did she say that's got you like this? Rio: I don't think she'd want me to tell you all her shit Rio: it's just sad Buster: I know how to keep a secret Buster: I'm not gonna go up to her ready to discuss all of hers Rio: I know you're not an idiot Rio: it's just girl's stuff Rio: kinda Rio: I don't think you'd get it Buster: If it's anything to do with lads and how big of a cunt they all are, I reckon I'll have no trouble understanding Rio: Partially Rio: but it's more what she thinks about herself, you know Buster: Right Rio: you can't be a cunt to someone who feels good about themselves, like Buster: You can, it just won't have the same effect Rio: yeah, it doesn't work Buster: They take the piss & she let's 'em then Buster: That's fairly standard Rio: That doesn't mean it's alright Buster: I didn't say it was alright Buster: But remember the bullshit we were getting up to at her age, that's what I am saying Rio: That doesn't excuse it either Buster: I ain't trying to, I'm trying to get you not to worry so much Buster: We turned out alright, didn't we? Rio: Forget it Buster: Obviously not Rio: I don't want to talk about it Buster: 'Cause you don't wanna give me the full story Buster: & There ain't fuck all I can properly say without that Rio: It's not your business Rio: or anything you need to worry about so let's just drop it Buster: She's gonna stay with us & you're making whatever it is that's going on with her your problem Buster: You're worried about it, sad about it Buster: How exactly does that make none of this my business? Buster: Remember earlier in this convo when you said we're a team, yeah? Rio: Because I'm gonna sort it Rio: there's nothing you need to do okay, it's good Buster: Fine Buster: You sort it Rio: I will Buster: You shutting me out of your family's shit worked out really well last time, like Buster: Why not Rio: That's not fair Buster: It's not fair that things ain't anything to do with me until they are Rio: What do you think you can do? Rio: giving her a place to crash is what we're doing Buster: You already told me it wasn't just that Buster: but whatever Rio: that's what we need from you Rio: it isn't your place to do anything more Rio: and I don't need you throwing my bad judgment in my face like I can't do anything right Buster: Like I said, fine Buster: You've got that from me Rio: No it's not fine Rio: but we are done here Buster: You're done, you mean Buster: Don't speak for me Rio: I'm not going to be talked to like that Rio: especially when you know how I feel about that whole situation, we literally just talked about it again in this conversation Buster: Well you should know how I feel about this blindspot you've got when it comes to your family Buster: Like we aren't one together Buster: Like I have to fucking beg to be let in Rio: That's how everyone is with their family Rio: it's normal Buster: Bullshit, you've put yourself in the middle of me & Nance, but god forbid I have an opinion worth listening to about any of your sisters or brothers Rio: because your family doesn't communicate Rio: at all Rio: it's different Buster: How's all that communication going for yours? Rio: I told you, I'm not gonna be spoken to like this Buster: I heard you the first time Rio: then stop Buster: I'll be walking through the door in a minute Buster: Are we gonna give each other the silent treatment or what? Rio: do what you want Buster: Rio Rio: Don't Buster: I don't want this Rio: what don't you want Buster: To be this angry Rio: and that's all my fault Buster: No Buster: It's mine Rio: look just Rio: say what you need to say Rio: we're not doing this when she's here Buster: I didn't mean any of what I just said, why would I add to it? Buster: I need to go calm down so I'll do that Rio: Alright Rio: be safe Buster: Don't Rio: why? Buster: Don't be nice to me right now Rio: hardly that nice Buster: Still Rio: I can't be nice now Buster: Not to me after I've been a cunt to you Rio: You've got a right to say what you feel Rio: even if I disagree Buster: It's not what I feel though Buster: You did what you thought was right, you are now for Grace Buster: It's one of the things I love about you, how much you care and wanna help Rio: I'm never trying to shut you out Rio: it's just some things are more delicate Rio: I can't even do much Rio: I could've explained it better, probably Buster: Nah, I made it all about me like that cunt Buster: It's just Rio: I know how hard all of it's been for you Rio: on you Buster: I thought I'd sorted it all out in my head or whatever but then you told me about the pregnancy and it brought so much shit back Buster: I'm happy, I am, that wasn't a lie Rio: I know Rio: that's bound to happen and it's okay Rio: it's always gonna be a mess Rio: none of us can escape that Buster: You were right the first time, its not okay that I spoke to you like that Buster: I'm sorry Rio: It's okay, I forgive you Buster: You know how much I love her, yeah? Rio: Of course I do Rio: I've never doubted it Rio: but it is different, admitting that doesn't mean you don't Rio: half the problem with Edie is that no one addressed that she wasn't just the same as the rest of us Rio: maybe if we'd let her be different, but show she was still loved Rio: who knows Buster: All I know is, we're gonna do better Rio: We have to Buster: We will, babe Buster: & Yeah her dad's a twat but he is still around so Rio: Yeah, we will Rio: and sadly Rio: no one wants him to be but that's life Buster: She might & if she does, that's what's important, like Buster: Not my giant ego Rio: least you'd be in Rio: not good company but the same, like Buster: I can't make it about me anymore, I'm not a kid Rio: Well we all are compared to him Rio: you're being really zen right now and that's cool but I'm allowed to be angry at him Rio: on my behalf, Junior's, hers Buster: I'm still angry, I just don't wanna take it out on you again Buster: Not like I just did Buster: I can't stand the cunt, you know I can't Rio: Yeah Rio: I know Rio: and I know it's pointless being angry about it but it's all I can do at this stage Rio: mum never stopped Drew from seeing Edie or vice versa, so I can't fuck up the one thing she got right Buster: Anger isn't pointless, you can use it same as you can anything else Buster: It's got me pretty far over the years Buster: Not that my last outburst should be taken as evidence Rio: it is in this instance Rio: I can't do anything I already have Rio: and I can't undo the shit I shouldn't have Buster: In this instance it's a reminder to keep doing better, like we said Buster: Maybe you can't help Junior but you can help Grace Buster: We can keep an eye on Janis & this lad she's seeing Rio: He was 19 Rio: it's not fair Buster: I know Buster: So was I when Chlo fucked me over Buster: You were even younger when Ryan pulled all that shit on you Buster: Then Drew Rio: Yeah Rio: but we're us Rio: we can handle it, right Buster: 'Course but my point is, none of that bullshit discriminates Buster: Like death, don't matter if you're a sinner or a saint, so the saying goes Rio: I just Rio: I don't know Buster: You wanna protect him, obviously Rio: and I didn't Buster: You can't Buster: Not all the time, things are always gonna happen Rio: yeah Rio: but so much Rio: to this fucking family Buster: Yeah Buster: Can I come home, please? Rio: You don't have to ask Rio: come back Buster: I really fucking love you Buster: Don't forget that, okay? Rio: Never Rio: I love you too Rio: forever Buster: Good Rio: Now come here Buster: [obvs does and it'd be a moment bye]

1 note · View note

legxllyblxndc · 4 years

Text

bonfire night ( @foreverwednesday )

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Annabelle wasn't used to her and Gabe not being on totally great terms but she was still a little annoyed at him and how he had talked to her. And that he had told Link and, in tern, Emilie, about the guy she was seeing. They had made up but it still wasn't the same, she didn't think. "How is the boys new place?" She hadn't visited yet. She had been a little caught up in spending time with the boyfriend when she could. What Gabe had said to her was definitely going round and round in her brain but she didn't know what to do about it. She enjoyed being around Patrick - even if he wasn't who she should be with. She thought that being someones mistress was the least that she deserved.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Link chuckled as he looked over at Gabe. They were running late, something that was pretty often now that they lived together. He was loving being out of his parents house. He felt a sense of freedom that he hadn't felt before. "Gabe, I swear to god you better hurry up otherwise we're gonna be seriously late and Emilie will have our heads!" He laughed. Even though they had decided to not be together right now, he was excited to see her. He didn't think that, that would go away. He had taken a little bit of something while he was waiting for Gabe so he felt really good.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Theo smiled as he saw Edie. He had been waiting outside her out and he was glad that she was finally there. It was colder than he had thought that it would have been and he was regretting coming out in just his jumper and not a coat. "Hey - you look really nice." He nodded his head and took her hand. Theo was becoming a little more confident when it came to Edie now and he liked that a lot. "You ready to get going? Are we meeting everyone there?" He asked.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Florence had been in two minds as to if to go to the bonfire night celebrations or not. She knew that Tommy and his friends would be there and she hadn't seen him since just after the wedding. She didn't think that she really wanted to see him. Things had been pretty final with them the last time that they had spoke and Florence knew that it was needed. They were never going to be what the other wanted them to be. She had told him that she loved him and he said that he could never love her back. Florence didn't know if her heart would ever recover. She sighed as her friend shoved a shot in her hand but she drank it anyway.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: It was a rare night that she and James were both free and while things weren't completely okay with them - Marissa thought that she owed it to him to have a chance to make things up. She didn't really know if she would ever be able to forgive him for what had happened but she really, really wanted to. She looked around them as they got to the bonfire. "I'm so hungry." Marissa laughed. "Can we get hotdogs?"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Elijah couldn't stop himself from being excited to see Joshua. It had only been a couple days since they had last seen one another but he never got tired of it. He wasn't sure where the two of them were - he didn't think that Josh would be ready to admit his feelings for him fully but Elijah thought that he could deal with that. He wanted to deal with that. He smiled as he spotted Maddie and quickly walked over to her. "Hey - you look lovely. I love your coat."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Cassidy really enjoyed spending time with Miles. She found him a lot of fun and she thought that the two of them being exclusive was pretty much exactly where she wanted to be right now. She didn't want to have to commit to something, fully. She was glad that James didnt' seem to mind that. "Fuck me - did it get colder as we walked here?" She asked him. Cassidy didn't live far and she had said that she would meet her friends there. She smiled as she spotted Josh, "I'll be back in a sec." She chuckled to him, as she realised that he had spotted someone that he knew too. "Hey!" She beamed as she wrapped her arms around her friend.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Dev had heard about the bonfire and he was never one to miss out on an event - especially one where it seemed like he could have a lot of fun. He had gone on his own. He found it more fun like that, at least that way he didn't have to worry about someone else. But he smiled as he spotted Miles, "Mate!" He called over to the other. "I didn't know that you were going to be here."

AM EH AM SD BC GCH WAL MS AG: Emilie felt like pretty much everything had changed so much in the month since the wedding; she'd learned a lot about her friends, including just who Annabelle's new boyfriend was and she'd had to make her peace with that, as well as the fact that she and Link had decided to be together. On top of that, she'd also broken things off with Ezra - so she hadn't had a lot of time to be going to events, this was the first one in a while. "It's fine - I mean, it's nice. But Gabe lives there, so it's already messy." She rolled her eyes. She was glad the boys had somewhere to be, though.

AM EH AM SD BC GCH WAL MS AG: Gabe was having the time of his life living with Link - even though he'd loved being at home, living alone was a new kind of freedom and he was really enjoying getting the opportunity to do pretty much whatever he wanted. "It'll be fine, we're not gonna be that late!" He laughed as his friend spoke, shaking his head. He hadn't even got dressed yet, he was still sitting on the couch in his underwear - although he knew it wouldn't take him too long to get dressed, so he wasn't worried. "God, it's so cold - it's gonna be freezing standing outside all night." He was excited to go to the bonfire, but he didn't really want to see Annabelle. They had made up, but he still wasn't happy with her.

AM EH AM SD BC GCH WAL MS AG: With Annabelle getting ready at Emilie's, Edie had quite liked just getting the house to herself for a couple of hours - she had declined the invitation to get ready with her friends, seeing as Theo had already offered to come and pick her up. It had meant she didn't have to hide what she was doing, so she'd already had a little drink and taken something - so she definitely felt ready for the night ahead. She hadn't even realised that it was a few minutes past the time Theo had said he'd be outside, so she rushed to the door, smiling as she saw him. "Hi - thank you, it's freezing. Didn't you bring a coat?" She smiled, grabbing her own off the hook before she closed the door behind herself. She thought he looked pretty adorable in a jumper, though. "Yes, yeah - Emilie and Anna got ready at Em's and the boys are walking from their house." She smiled. She was excited to see her friends, but more excited to spend time with Theo. She squeezed his hand gently as they started walking.

AM EH AM SD BC GCH WAL MS AG: Tommy didn't even go to one of the uni's that had organised the event, but he wasn't one to miss out on a party and he always enjoyed the events the girls brought them along to - and even though he'd been putting on a bit of an act since he and Florence had officially ended things, he still felt like he needed something to cheer him up a bit. He would never let onto that fact, but he missed her; he thought he was going to miss her for quite a long time. He'd agreed to meet everybody there, coming from a bit of a late rehearsal. He put a message in his, Gabe and Link's groupchat saying that he was setting off.

AM EH AM SD BC GCH WAL MS AG: James hadn't had a weekend evening free in quite a while; he was usually at a late rehearsal and if he wasn't, he couldn't get a babysitter for Katie - but things had worked out well tonight and he was really looking forward to the opportunity to give Marissa the best night he could. He was spending every minute at the moment trying to make up for what he'd done. "We can do whatever you want." He smiled, nodding his head. "Hot dogs are one of the best parts of a bonfire night party - but I like the baked potatoes too." He smiled, raising an eyebrow as he looked around. He was only twenty three, but he still felt a lot older than a lot of people there.

AM EH AM SD BC GCH WAL MS AG: Maddie absolutely loved bonfire night, it was one of her favourite times of the year - so she was more than excited to spend it with her friends. She had just been pouring herself a drink when she saw Elijah heading over to her. "Hey!" She beamed, wrapping her free arm around him in a quick hug. "Oh thank you, it's so nice and cosy - I can't believe how cold it is, I hope the bonfire warms us all up soon." She laughed, shaking her head. "I'm so excited for the fireworks, are you?" She always relished any opportunity to spend time around Elijah, she thought they got along so well.

AM EH AM SD BC GCH WAL MS AG: Although he wouldn't let himself admit it, Joshua was always excited to see Elijah - even just the times where they could grab five minutes of conversation sometimes made his day and he refused to focus on what that meant. "Jesus Christ, I can't believe how cold it is. Who had the bright idea for an outdoor party?" He shook his head as he looked to Finley. They had walked there together and even though he was in a jumper and a coat, he was cold. He laughed as he heard Cassidy, hugging her tightly. "Hey! Are you alright?" He smiled.

AM EH AM SD BC GCH WAL MS AG: Miles loved getting to spend time with Cassidy and her friends and he could never turn down a party, so he was pretty excited for tonight - especially with there being a bonfire and fireworks. "I think it's literally getting colder by the second, I'm really regretting thinking I was cool not wearing a scarf and gloves." He laughed, raising an eyebrow. He definitely hadn't expected it to be this cold, but he wasn't going to let it ruin his night. A smile spread across his face as he recognised Dev and he gave him a little wave as he spotted him coming over. "Alright!" He laughed, starting to walk over himself. "I didn't know you were going to be here! I came with my friend Cassidy, I dunno where she went but I'll introduce you when she comes back. What are you doing here?!"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Annabelle hated being at odds with Gabe. He had been her best friend for such a long time and she couldn't remember the last time that they hadn't spoke every single day. She wished that she could say something which would fix things but she thought that he was pretty pissed off at her. She knew that she had said a lot of bad things to Gabe and she felt awful for it now. She really, really wanted them to be on good terms again. Annabelle laughed as she nodded, "That's what he does best, right? Wouldn't be Gabes place without it." Like Emilie, she was really glad that they had somewhere and each other.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Link had thought that it had been a long time coming for him and Gabe to move out - he just wished that Tommy had joined them. He thought the three of them living together would've been a ball! He shook his head slightly as he listened to his friend but sat down in the chair next to him. "You know what'll make it warmer? If you actually get dressed." Link laughed though. He didn't really mind if they were a little bit late. He was hoping that things would feel a little more like normal, sooner rather than later.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Theo would do anything to be able to spend more time with Edie. He hoped that it wouldn't be long before the two of them were back together again - properly. He loved her so much and he hoped that she loved him too. He thought that she did. They spoke every single day and he spent so much time at the house. She had even come over to have dinner with his parents a few times. Theo laughed as Edie spoke to him and he shook his head, "I didn't realise that it was this cold!" He laughed as he shook his head slightly. He was regretting it but he thought that he would ignore that now that he was next to her. "Alright, great." He nodded with a smile before he started towards where the bonfire was.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Alright, alright!" Florence laughed as she shook her head slightly, "Alright, we need to get going!" She smiled at her friends. She was glad to be spending a little more time with them. Florence was terrible when she and Tommy were together. She got completely wrapped up in him. She wondered if she would ever get over Tommy. It hurt. She laughed as she grabbed her coat. Her friends were a good distraction but she knew that it would be harder when she got to the bonfire.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Marissa really wanted to forgive James - that was why she was here. She thought that she would never forgive herself if she didn't at least give him a chance. "Well you can grab a baked potato. But i'm having a hot dog." Marissa laughed as she nodded her head. She looked around them as they made their way to the queues for the vans, "I think Joshua is going to be here tonight - we should say hi to him later." Marissa had always been pretty close to her cousins - especially Josh. "The girls will be alright, right?" She asked him. They had just used the same babysitter - it made the most sense.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Elijah smiled as he wrapped an arm around Maddie quickly. "Oh me neither. I thought it was meant to be the start of winter." He laughed as he shook his head. "Isn't that the main reason we're all here?" He beamed. He always loved watching fireworks. Elijah was so glad that he and Maddie got on as well as they did - he wondered if it would continue when she found out about whatever was going on with him and joshua. He really, really hoped so. Elijah just knew that it wasn't his place to tell her. When Josh was ready, he would. He hoped that it wouldn't be long, though.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Like with most parties recently, Finley had been in two minds about if he was going to go to the party or not. He had no idea what would be easier for him - but he wasn't going to say no to Joshua when he had asked him to go with him. Finley laughed as he listened to his friend and he shrugged his shoulders, "i mean - that's kinda what bonfire night is, isn't it?" He smiled as he looked at him. He was excited to see Maddie though - he was always excited to see Maddie. Finley was coming closer to the realisation that the feelings he had for her were more than just friendship but he refused to acknowledge it.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Cassidy loved bonfire night. It was a lot of fun and she got to spend time with her friends - what more could she want? Cassidy smiled as Joshua spoke to her and she nodded her head, "Yeah, I'm great, thank you! How're you?" She asked with a raise of an eyebrow. She was having such a good time and she was glad that Miles was there with her.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Miles was one of Devs closest friends in London so he was definitely glad to see that the other was there too. Dev chuckled as he listened to Miles, "She's the one you talk about all the time, right?" He nudged him. Dev wasn't sure what was happening with the two of them but he liked seeing the smile on his friends face by any means. "I just heard about the party so thought i'd head on over." He laughed as he shrugged his shoulders.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Emilie didn't think the feud between Annabelle and Gabe would last much longer; she was pretty sure they would miss each other too much and get over everything just for the sake of being close again. "You're not wrong, but it's a fucking pain." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "I basically just spent all the time I was there picking up after him." She was really happy that Link was out of his parents house, though - that he had somewhere he could actually feel was home.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Gabe had always known Tommy wasn't going to end up moving in with them, but that didn't mean he wasn't sad about it - he thought the three of them should at least live together for a while, for the stories... But he understood why Tommy didn't want to. "You might have a point there." He laughed, nodding his head as he got up. He felt so relaxed and at home in the apartment already. He walked into his room, leaving the door open as he pulled on jeans and a jumper, walking back into the living room to put his shoes on. "You think the girls are already there?" He really missed Annabelle and he hated that he felt awkward to even message her and ask.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Edie thought that by this point, she and Theo were pretty much together - she would never dream of seeing anybody else, not that she would want to and she hoped he felt the same. She just didn't want to bring it up and risk ruining everything. She still loved him so much, she'd never doubted that for a second. "You'll warm up when we get near the fire." She smiled, shaking her head. She was glad they didn't live too far away. "It's probably still warmer out here than inside." She chuckled - the heating was off again, so hers and Annabelle's house was absolutely freezing.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Even though she'd only just started, Charlotte was already loving university - or at least, the partying side of it. She hadn't been paying much attention in her classes, but she was sure she would be fine - she always was. She was supposed to be meeting Emilie and the others here, but she'd ended up coming early with some girls she'd met earlier in the day. She was excited to see what happened; she was a party girl through and through and she always made sure she was having the most fun, no matter what.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "You think I can't manage both?" James laughed, raising an eyebrow. It wasn't just that he was making the effort for Marissa to forgive him, he genuinely wanted them to have a good night... It wasn't often they got to spend all of this time together, even before everything happened. "Of course! He goes to one of these unis, right?" He nodded his head. He always liked to support the unis events, that's why they were there - he'd almost forgotten that Marissa's cousin went here. "Of course." He nodded as she asked about the girls. His sister had agreed to look after the girls and he knew they'd be absolutely fine.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Maddie laughed, nodding her head. "Me too! At least we came prepared." She smiled. She didn't really mind it being cold when it meant she could wrap up nice and warm, winter was her favourite season. "It's definitely the main reason I'm here! I have some sparklers, too - it's not a proper bonfire night without them. Although I should probably hand them out before people have too much to drink." She laughed. She was really glad that Elijah had confided in her, to tell her that he was gay - and she was still curious about who the boy was, but she wasn't going to press him on it.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Josh was always going to include Finley in everything, even if he didn't think he would want to go - he never wanted his friend to feel left out because of the decisions he had to make. "I suppose so, I would much prefer to watch the bonfire from inside, though. Preferably somewhere with heating." He laughed, shrugging his shoulder. He was never good when he was cold. He smiled as Cassidy spoke, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, I'm good - just bloody freezing. Where's Miles?"

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Miles rolled his eyes as Dev spoke, but he was laughing. "I've mentioned her occasionally, you're just a drama queen." He grinned, nudging his friend back. He was really happy with the point he and Cassidy were at and as long as she was too, Miles thought they would be just fine. He didn't need any kind of proper commitment just yet, they knew what they were. "Of course you did." He chuckled. Dev was one of his closest friends and he loved how easily he came about things; he thought the reason they got on was because they were both so chilled out. "I think it's gonna be good, these two unis have events together all the time. It's always a laugh." He smiled.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Annabelle was already at the point that Emilie thought the two of them would get too. She missed Gabe. And while she wished that he hadn't told their friends about the guy she was seeing - she missed him too much to stay mad at him. She hoped that he felt the same way about her and all of the terrible things she had said about him. "Well if you're just going to pick up after him then he'll just keep doing it, won't he?" Annabelle laughed. She never minded the mess. She thought that if that was how Gabe felt comfortable, then she would go along with it.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Although there was definitely an adjustment period to moving in to a place on his own, to living with Gabe, he was starting to get there. Link had gone from a place where he had people doing everything for him. Cooking, cleaning, shopping for him - to having to do all of that for himself. He didn't find it hard to do all of that for himself - it was definitely just an adjustment. "I'm full of smart ideas." Link laughed as he shook his head. He sighed as Gabe asked about the girls. He wished that he and Annabelle would sort out whatever was happening. "Yeah, probably. Or definitely almost there anyway."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Theo had never and would never sleep with anyone else. He was still completely head over heels in love with her. He just didn't know how to bring up the conversation of the two of them being exclusive. "You guys still don't have heating?" He asked her. Theo wished that he could do more to help Edie and Annabelle. He hated the thought that the two girls just had to make do. "You can stay at my house tonight, if you want?" He didn't like the idea of her having to go back to a freezing cold house - especially if Annabelle wasn't there.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Florence was well aware that Charlotte would be at the party. Her parents had told her as much. It almost made her not go. Although she and Charlotte hadn't really spoke, she didn't want to like the other just on principle. She didn't like the idea of being forced to be friends with someone just because her parents wanted her to be. But she was having a good night with her actual friends - at least so far. She hadn't seen Tommy yet.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "I think you probably can and that's quite frightening." Marissa laughed. She was really trying to make things as normal as possible. Although she didn't think he would - Marissa was afraid of James making her look like a fool. She was scared that she would forgive him and then he would go and do it all over again and she would look like a complete idiot. She really didn't want that. She didn't know if her pride was bigger than her love for him, though. "Yeah, he goes to Uni off." She smiled. Family had always been huge to Marissa, so she was looking forward to seeing Josh. "Okay - good." She nodded.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Elijah nodded his head with a laugh. "Yeah, exactly. i don't think some of these guys know what dressing warm is.." He wasn't judging anyone, he just didn't understand how they were able to be out in the cold for as long as they were, wearing what they were wearing. It was completely mad to him. "Oh you do? That is the best party of a bonfire night!" He laughed as he nodded his head. Elijah had no idea how Maddie would react if she knew that it was Josh and as much as he wanted to tell her - he knew that, that wasn't his thing to tell.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Finley knew that Josh was just doing whatever he could to make him feel more comfortable and he really did appreciate that. He had worried about how they were going to be once he got out but it felt good to know that they were okay. That nothing had even changed between the two of them. "Yeah, well you're shit out of luck." He laughed as he shook his head slightly.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Cassidy was in her safe place whenever Josh was nearby - and she liked that Miles understood that. She didn't think that she would ever be able to be with someone who was jealous of the relationship she had with her best friend. He was practically another brother to her at this point. "He saw one of his friends. He's around." She laughed as she shrugged her shoulder.s

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Dev shrugged, though there was a smirk on his face, "Whatever you say, mate. I think I've heard her name more times than I've actually heard us play but that's neither here nor there." He laughed. He liked that his friend seemed to be in a good place with his relationship though. He thought that that was really good for Milo. "I always find the best spots, right?" He smirked. Dev liked a party. He rarely spent a night in and he liked it that way. He nodded as he listened to the other. "Guess time will tell, right?"

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "Well, I'm not there all the time - I'm hoping to set a good example." Emilie laughed, rolling her eyes. Even though she seemed so cold to the people who didn't know her, she would always go the extra mile to look after her friends - even though they were more than capable of looking after themselves. She was just glad that she and Annabelle had been fine the day after their fight, because she valued her best friend a lot. "Who's Tommy coming with tonight? I hope it's not that fucking annoying girl from before." He had been through a series of girls since he and Florence had broken up and each one had annoyed her more than the last.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Gabe still wasn't the best at being a fully functioning adult - he got by well enough, but his life was pretty similar to that of a university student; lots of microwave meals, noodles from a packet and he hadn't the first clue how to make an actual meal that wasn't pasta. He did his share of the cleaning, although he was fairly messy. "How did I never know before?" He chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "We probably should get going, then. And Tommy will be angry if he gets there before us." He laughed. He was really excited to see everybody, he just hoped it would all be better than it had been at the wedding.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "Not yet, but the landlord says he's on it." Edie sighed, rolling her eyes - they had what was possibly the worst student landlord in the world and he'd been saying he was going to sort things out since they'd moved in. It wasn't like they could afford anywhere else though, not really. She smiled as he asked her to stay at his, nodding her head. "Yeah, that would be really nice - if Annabelle isn't at home, I don't want to leave her on her own if she is." She was just assuming that Annabelle would be going back to her boyfriends after the party and she always felt so happy and comfortable at Theo's house.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "It's not even that much food!" James laughed, shaking his head. With the amount of physical movement he did at work, he had a big appetite and he could usually pack away a fair amount at any time. He never wanted her to look like an idiot - in fact, he was doing everything possible now to try and make sure she didn't. "What does he study again?" He asked with genuine curiosity, a little smile on his face. He thought Marissa's family were all so kind and he was looking forward to seeing Josh.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "I think you might be right - everybody looks really nice, but I think they might have frostbite by the end of the night." Maddie chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "I think so too! Sometimes I just think we have the same brain." She laughed, shaking her head - of course, she didn't know the true extent of their similarity. "My dad always used to get them when I was a kid and we would write our names. I thought it was so cool. Still do." She smiled. "Who did you come with? Do you want to come and find the others with me?" She asked. She thought Elijah deserved better friends and she knew how much hers liked him.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Josh laughed as Finley spoke, nodding his head. "Yeah, looks like I am." He chuckled. He had been so worried about his friend and he still was, but he seemed to be opening up more and he thought that had to be a good thing. He smiled as he heard Cassidy; he thought she and Miles were a really good match, he liked him. "Sorry, I'm just starting to prefer his company to yours these days." He teased, nudging her gently. He knew Cassidy would know that he was joking.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "Now you're bringing the band into this? A risky decision mate, we'll end up having a scrap." Miles laughed, shaking his head. He knew his friend was joking and even if he wasn't, he wouldn't care - he would love Cassidy to meet his friends, he knew how well she'd get on with them all. "That you do! Have you met any friends yet, or do you want me to introduce you to everyone?" He thought that if he fit in well with the others, Dev probably would too.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "He'll live in squalor till you go round again. It will be a never ending circle." Annabelle laughed then. She didn't think that Gabes mess was that big of an issue. She thought it could be pretty fun, if she was honest. She loved that Emilie wanted to look after them all though - and she hoped that Emilie would be able to have her kids. She really, really thought that Emilie would be the most amazing mother, better than any of them. "God - I didn't think he could find girls more annoying than Florence but he's only gone and done it." Annabelle rolled her eyes.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Link wasn't exactly the best cook but he was trying. He was just glad that Emilie brought the two of them food over all the time. He didn't think that they would have survived without it. Link didn't take much pride in how their flat looked, if he was completely honest. He thought that both he and Gabe had other things to do. "Because you don't pay attention enough." He laughed. "That's true. Has he said who he's bringing yet?" Link wished that he could do something to get through to Tommy when it came to Florence. He couldn't understand why his friend was happy to live in misery when he had a girl that loved him right there.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Didn't he say that last month?" Theo was over exaggerating but he thought that it was disgusting. He didn't understand how people could be so willing to let people suffer, like Edie and Annabelles landlord seemed to be. It was going to be the middle of winter soon, they needed heating. He really wanted to suggest both girls move into his family home but he didn't think that his mum and dad would really appreciate that. They would say yes though, he knew that. "Yeah, yeah. Of course." He nodded. Theo liked that she felt comfortable at his place though.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "It is quite a lot of food for a normal human." Marissa nodded her head. Though she knew that he was always going to have a big appetite with his job. Marissa had always struggled with her eating habits. She would either eat too much, or she would eat nothing at all. She had never had a good balance. "Journalism." Marissa smiled. She had a bad relationship with her father and a strained one with her brother - Josh was the best kind of relationship she had with her family.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Cassidy felt so comfortable with her friends around her. She had been a little unsure about going to the first uni party. SHe didn't know anyone there but her friends. She didn't go to either of the universities. She was just glad that she got to spend time with Josh and the other two. "Oh yeah, course you are." She rolled her eyes. "Tell you what, keep talking like that and you'll see neither of us." She laughed though, it was clear that she was just playing with him.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Isn't that what all of the best rockstars do though?" Dev asked with a raise of an eyebrow and a laugh. He loved playing in the band. It was a lot of fun. And he got to spend time with people that he really, really enjoying being around. He couldn't wait to meet the girl that he had been talking about though. "I'm game for introductions." He smiled. "Lead the way, my friend!"

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "You're probably right. I've already been there five nights this week to drop off food for them. I didn't even stay for most of them, I'm just scared they'll starve to death if I don't." Emilie laughed, rolling her eyes. She just didn't like the idea of them being hungry or ordering takeout every single night, she'd much rather cook for them. She really wanted to be a mother; she was young, but she already knew it was one of the things she wanted most - but she wasn't going to admit that to anybody, not when she knew it might not even happen for her. "I know, it's like he challenged himself and fucking won. The last one was the most unbearable, the one with the red hair. If she's here, I might have to push her into the bonfire." She laughed, raising an eyebrow.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Gabe absolutely loved getting their dinner delivered by Emilie most nights; it meant he didn't have to cook and it was always good food, so he had absolutely no complaints. "That is also a very fair point, I do need to start paying more attention." He laughed, grabbing his keys and heading out of the door. He didn't think they were too far away, so they wouldn't be long. "You know, I don't even know if he's going to bring anybody - the girls were so mad at the last girl, I don't know if he'd risk it again." He chuckled at the memory, shaking his head. "I hope he doesn't." He enjoyed himself most when it was just the six of them - and Theo, who he pretty much saw as a part of the group now.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "He's said that since we moved in." Edie laughed, shaking her head. It was getting close to them deciding where they were going to live next now and Edie wondered, if she and Theo were back together by then, if they would live together. She thought she would love living with Theo. She would never leave Annabelle without somewhere to live, though. "Wow, look how big the fire is - I can barely see." She laughed as they neared the event, squinting slightly at how big and bright the fire was. She shielded her eyes slightly. "Did you used to come to stuff like this when you were a kid?" She smiled.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "It's definitely not, you're just tiny." James smiled, leaning over to kiss the top of Marissa's head. He was well aware that they still weren't okay, but just being here with her meant a lot to him and he was going to make that known. "Of course. I bet he's good at that." He laughed. The few times he'd met Josh, he'd come across as pretty smart - and quite opinionated. He wondered if Marissa had told her cousin what he'd done and he found himself hoping not.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Charlotte was well aware that her mother wanted her to find and befriend Florence tonight - she'd only mentioned about a thousand times that they were going to the same university, that a friendship would be great for anybody involved, but Charlotte hated the idea of a forced friendship. She thought it sounded so awkward. She walked over to get herself another drink, laughing to herself quietly as she saw that Florence was the other person at the table. She considered not saying anything, but she knew that would be rude. "Hi - Florence, right?" She smiled, raising an eyebrow.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Tommy had arrived at the party and was instantly annoyed that Link and Gabe weren't there; he'd sent them about ten messages demanding that they arrive soon, but they hadn't responded. He'd had to appease himself with talking to some girls that had approached him, but they were pretty boring and he wasn't paying much attention at all to what they were saying. He couldn't help but notice Florence over by the drinks, watching her for a second before he turned back to the girls. He really, really missed her.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Josh laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess I'll start being nicer then - I don't want to miss out on spending time with my new best friend." He chuckled, raising an eyebrow. He liked that Cassidy pretty much just came along to all of their university events now; they had always been a group and that group was four of them - it wouldn't be the same if Cassidy wasn't there. He could definitely see Miles becoming an extension of that, too.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "You're right, man - it would be great for our image, but maybe we need to wait until we're a bit more well-known first." Miles laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He loved being in a band - the boys were pretty much his best friends by this point and he knew how dedicated they all were. "Okay, perfect! Over this way, then." He smiled and started to lead the way, tapping Cassidy on the shoulder as he reached the group. "Hey! I just wanted to introduce you to Dev, he's in my band."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Of course you have. You should give them some cooking lessons, so you don't have to go over as often." Annabelle shrugged, "Although then Gabe might burn down the apartment block so who knows." She laughed as she shook her head. She was really looking forward to seeing her friends now - especially Gabe. She just wanted them to be okay now. Nothing else mattered. Annabelle nodded, "That's literally it. It's fucking ridiculous. Why does he even need to bother?" She raised an eyebrow. "He only really wants to be with Florence. It's annoying that he's being so stubborn about it." Annabelle thought that if Tommy was going to settle with anyone, it would be with Florence. She hated that he hadn't and that it didn't seem like he ever would.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Link smiled as Gabe spoke to him and he nodded his head. He shrugged though, as Gabe said that he didn't think Tommy would bring someone, "Yeah, but Florence is almost definitely going to be at this one. He's not going to turn up alone, is he?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow. He didn't think that Tommy would ever risk not having a date while Florence did. He had no idea really, though. "I really hope not though. He's better when he's not." He chuckled.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "It's ridiculous. You guys can't live there next year, Edie." Theo sighed. He knew that he couldn't tell her what to do but he wanted to make sure that she was okay - and he didn't think she and Annabelle would be if they stayed in the apartment they currently lived in. He would ask her to live with him, for the two of them to find a place, if he knew what Annabelle would do. He didn't think she would have anywhere else to go. "It's mad, isn't it? I can feel the heat from here!" He laughed as he shook his head. "Do you know where the others are?" He asked her. "Oh, yeah. Well - It was mine and Barneys thing when he was old enough to take me on our own."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "And you're ... not? Is that what you're saying? Because I think differently." Marissa laughed. She wasn't sure how she felt about the physical contact right now. Every time he kissed her like that, she thought about he and Aubrey together. She was really, really trying to stop though. She let it happen now - she thought that, that was a step in the right direction. "Yeah, he is. I've read a few things he's written. He's good." She smiled as she nodded her head. "What do you think the girls will wanna do when they're older?" She asked him.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Florence was just trying to do anything to keep herself away from Tommy - which is why she distracted herself with the alcohol table. She thought that, that would be the best thing for her to do. Florence noticed Charlotte too - but she wasn't going to say something. She loved her parents but she absolutely hated the idea of a forced friendship. She didn't understand why her parents were so hell bent on it. Florence raised an eyebrow, though, as she heard Charlottes voice and she nodded. "Yeah, that's me. Charlotte, right? Char?"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "We just have to hope that they're not going to be out here that long, don't we? Because I do not want to see the frostbite." Elijah laughed as he shook his head. He was really glad that he and Maddie were friends. He thought that she was just like him. He nodded his head, "You have no idea." He gave an almost nervous laugh then though. He really hoped that Maddie would still like him if she found out that he was having -- something, with Joshua. "Writing your name is the best bit about them." He nodded his head. "Oh yeah - just a few of my friends. I'm not sure where they are. So yes, I'll come and find the others with you!"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "I think you just offended both me and Finley, honestly." Cassidy laughed as she shook her head. She had been friends with Joshua for as long as she could remember, Maddie since she had started school and Finn not long after that. They were a four. They always would be. And she loved how much they accepted and brought in Miles too. She had no idea if they were going to be something serious - but she hoped so. "Oh- so you're who he abandoned me for." She laughed, "Hi! This is Josh and this is Finn." She smiled, indicating both boys as she said their names."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Maybe we should. We'll table this conversation for later down the line then, right?" Dev asked with a raise of an eyebrow and a laugh. Although Dec really hoped that he and the rest of the band would make it somewhere - he was happy just playing with them. He liked that the others were also as passionate about it as he was, though. "Nice to meet you guys." He smiled. "What's she doing with you though, Miles? She's far too good for you." He laughed, clearly teasing.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "But then how would I make an excuse to go over and keep an eye on them, make sure they're not living like they're homeless?" Emilie laughed, raising an eyebrow. She quite liked that the boys needed her, she liked having the excuse to be around them - especially Link. "But you're right, he would absolutely set fire to something and then I'd feel responsible." She laughed. "He does not only want to be with Florence, do you even hear what you're saying? If he wanted to be with her, he would be. He prefers his life like this." She did think Tommy had feelings for Florence, but she didn't think he wanted to be with her - because he wouldn't be doing all of this, if that was really true.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Gabe shrugged his shoulders; like Link, he thought it was pretty unlikely that Tommy was going to turn up on his own, but he could hope - their friend was always a lot more fun when he was on his own and not trying to make an impression on some girl. "Yeah, me too." He nodded his head. "He didn't mention anything when I spoke to him before. Maybe he's really not gonna bring anyone." He shrugged.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "I know. There's not really anything else we can do, though. It'll be fine." Edie smiled, shrugging her shoulders. She didn't like thinking about how bad the house was, because it reminded her that they were pretty much stuck there - the rent was already a lot compared to what little money they had. She and Annabelle were constantly getting ill because of how cold and damp it was. "You should be glad, you won't freeze now!" She laughed, squeezing his hand gently. "Anna and Emilie are already here, but I'm not sure where." She shook her head. She smiled slightly as Theo talked about his brother, she always liked hearing about him. "That's really sweet, I can just imagine how cute the two of you looked."

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "I'm not as small as you are." James laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He had no idea how Marissa felt about the physical contact, but he was starting to gather that things weren't going to be the same for a long while - and he totally understood that. He knew he was just going to have to try. "Oh really? You'll have to show me some, I'd be really interested." He smiled. He definitely wanted to support her cousin. "I don't think there'll be any prizes for guessing what Katie wants to do, will there?" He chuckled. Katie had been dancing since she could walk, it was her biggest love. "I could see Frankie following in your footsteps."

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Charlotte hated the idea of any awkwardness, especially when it came to her parents forcing her to be somebody's friend - and she'd already heard a lot about Florence from Emilie, but it felt weird to ignore her. "Either works, just not Charlie." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders - she didn't think she could think of a name that suited her less. "We're future best friends, according to our parents." She laughed sarcastically.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "We'll have to go around and make sure everybody is keeping warm." Maddie laughed, shaking her head. She wasn't planning on drinking tonight, but she was sure people would be keeping warm in their beer jackets. She was being completely serious when she said she didn't have feelings for Josh anymore - if she knew he was the boy Elijah liked, she would be so happy for both of them. "Perfect! I'm not sure where they are, actually. How cool are all of these food vans?" She smiled as she started to walk, looking for her friends. "I definitely want to get a hot chocolate later, it smells so good."

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Josh laughed, nodding his head. "No offence meant - I'm just trying to be honest." He grinned, before he shook his head at his friends. "You guys know you're my best friends - and Mads, wherever she is." He had a feeling she was with Elijah and he really hoped they came over soon, because he really wanted to see him. He smiled as Miles introduced his friend, holding out a hand to him. "Josh." He smiled, nodding his head. "Do you know where Maddie is, actually?" He asked Finley, raising an eyebrow. He was getting to a point where he missed Elijah when he wasn't around him, but he wasn't about to ask where he was.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Miles laughed as Cassidy spoke, shaking his head. "Momentarily - I just wanted to make sure he was going to behave once I introduced you." He laughed. "Shut up, you." He grinned as Dev spoke, rolling his eyes. "He's trying to start a fight with me, he thinks it'll up our street cred as a band." He chuckled, looking between them.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Ah, of course that was what it was. I should've known that." Annabelle laughed. She loved Emilie so much. She loved how complex her best friend was. She put up the cold front but Annabelle didn't think that she had ever met someone so caring. She knew that when it came down to it, Emilie would always put the five of them before herself and she loved that. "And Link would be out of a lot of money." She laughed as she shook her head. She couldn't believe sometimes, that Link had bought that place for him and Gabe. Annabelle shook her head, "I think that's it though - I think he wants her, he just doesn't want to want her. Does that make sense?" She laughed. If she really thought about it, she thought she was the same about Gabe. She didn't think she was good enough so she was trying to just ignore it.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Link didn't know what they could do to get Tommy to just calm down for a little bit. He wished that his friend could just spend time with them and not worry about girl or the rest of it. Though he wouldn't admit it to him, Link thought that Tommy was really hurting. Link shook his head, "if he's not bringing someone - he'll end up with someone so it's the same difference, isn't it?" He sighed. They weren't far off now and he was getting really excited to see the girls.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "You guys are gonna get ill though, that's what I'm worried about." Theo muttered with a shake of his head. He wished that there was more that they could do. She and Annabelle were constantly ill. He didn't know how someone could be happy to let people suffer like that. It was mad to him. "You guys should just live with me or something next year." He shrugged. It was the first time he brought it up but he thought that it made sense. "Which is definitely nicer isn't it?" He laughed as he shook his head. "Alright - well we should find then." He smiled and squeezed her hand, "Don't let go, okay?" Theo tried not to get sad when thinking about his bother but he missed him so much. "Yeah - it was fun."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "That is true." Marissa laughed, as she nodded her head. She wished that she could make it easier for him. She wished that she could forgive him easier than she did but she didn't know how. Her brain was working about a million miles per hour, tugging her in a million different directions. She didn't know how to slow it all down a little bit. "Yeah, I will. I'll get him to send me some over." Marissa smiled. That was one thing she loved about James, he really did seem interested in her family. "Oh, no. Of course not." She laughed as she shook her head. She couldn't wait to see Katie shine on stage one day. "Oh, you think so?" She smiled.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Florence wanted to be able to make her own opinion up about Charlotte - or anyone - she never liked being told what she should do. She thought that a part of that had been why she was so interested in Tommy, in the beginning. And she had definitely noticed him tonight. She hated that he didn't seem to care, that he was already moving on to about a million different girls. "Not Charlie. Got it. I can't see you as a Charlie." She laughed as she shook her head slightly. Florence nodded as Charlotte spoke, "You seem about as convinced on that as I am?"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "That's what we're here for, right? Designated mum and dad?" Elijah raised an eyebrow. He felt so comfortable around Maddie. Usually, when he was the only one not drinking, his friends would take the mick out of him. It never seemed to be the case when he was around Maddie and her friends. She rarely drank as well and he liked that. "I'm sure we'll hear Cassidy soon." He laughed. "But yeah - they're really cool. And they smell amazing." He loved going to places like this. The atmosphere was electric. "Oh you can't say no to hot chocolate at a place like this, can you?"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Finley smiled as Dev was introduced to them and he nodded his head. He always felt a little on edge around new people. He still wasn't completely 100% around Miles. He didn't know how to be with them. He worried that they would be able to see straight through him. He shrugged his shoulders as Josh spoke to him, "I think she might be with Elijah but I'm not sure." He smiled. He wondered why Josh asked him where Maddie was. He hoped he didn't see how he felt about her. He thought he would freak out a little bit.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Cassidy shrugged her shoulders, "So we're supposed to just know that now? Because two minutes ago you were talking about how much you love Miles more than us." She smirked though, she was clearly playing with her. Cassidy rolled her eyes as Miles spoke and then laughed as she heard Dev, "Oh, he can stay." She laughed as she nodded her head. She wrapped her arm around Miles' waist. "You'd look hot with a black eye, though."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Dev smiled and shook Joshs' hand as he reached out to him. "Nice to meet you. All three of you." He smiled. He liked meeting new people. He thought that they were all pretty much just an adventure waiting to happen. "I'm not trying to start a fight with you. But it would bring up our street cred." He laughed as he looked at the others, "Have you heard this guy sing?!" He asked the other two, figuring that Cassidy had already.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Emilie laughed, shrugging her shoulders. She wasn't going to deny it when it was the truth, Annabelle knew her better than that - she would always look out for her friends and she knew they would do the same for her. "Fucking hell, I know. I still can't believe he just straight up bought the place." She shook her head. She didn't know if she thought it was the right decision, but she wasn't going to say anything on it - which was rare for her. She rolled her eyes as Annabelle spoke about Tommy. "I think you're romanticizing it. I love him, but when it comes down to it - he's just a typical man. He likes her, but he wants to keep his options open more than he wants to be with her. It's why they suck." She shrugged her shoulders. She really thought that Tommy was pretty obvious to read.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Gabe wished that Tommy would let his guard down a little bit more with them - although he confided in the group, especially he and Link, about a lot of things, he never quite managed to let go of his pride and Gabe thought that was sad. There wasn't really anything he wouldn't tell his friends, because he trusted them so much. "You're right, it's the same difference. I just can't be bothered with anymore Florence drama." He laughed. He thought as soon as Tommy left the girl alone, that drama would be out of their lives. He hoped, anyway. "Oh, look! The fire!" He beamed as they got close enough to see the orange light, speeding up the pace a little bit.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Edie didn't even know how to argue what Theo was saying, because he was totally right - she and Annabelle were always getting colds and coughs, it was a horrible place to live. She raised an eyebrow as he spoke about them living together. "You, me and Annabelle?" She smiled. She loved the idea of living with Theo, but she didn't think Annabelle would like that. She thought it was definitely something she would discuss with her friend, though. "I won't let go." She promised him with a smile, squeezing his hand back. Edie hated knowing how much Theo was still hurting over his brother and not being able to make it better, but she loved hearing about the stories he had. "I bet. Did the bonfire seem even bigger, when you were a kid?" She smiled.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: James was never going to ask Marissa to forgive him more quickly, it had never even entered his mind - he knew he was massively lucky that she had decided to forgive him at all. "Yeah, that'd be great! We need better journalists." He laughed, shaking his head. He smiled as she spoke about Katie - he was endlessly proud of his daughter. "Yeah, absolutely. She looks up to you so much, Riss. It really wouldn't surprise me."

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "I'll take that as a compliment. Charlie is not a pretty name. Reminds me of the dad from Twilight." Charlotte laughed, shaking her head as she poured some wine into a plastic cup. "I just don't like being told who I should be friends with. No offense, of course." Her mum had always liked to tell her what to do and Charlotte had always been pretty good at ignoring her, so she didn't see any reason to decide to stop that now. She found it funny that Florence seemed to think the same, though.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "Absolutely! I love that." Maddie smiled, nodding her head. Her friends had never made her feel bad for not drinking and she knew they didn't even think anything of it now, but she was still happy that she seemed to have found a kindred spirit in Elijah. "I think you'll be right about that." She smiled as he spoke about Cassidy. "Oh, I know - everything smells so good, I can't figure out what I want most." She laughed. "Of course not! I want the full works, as much as they'll give me." She smiled. She'd always had a sweet tooth and she was absolutely going to give into it tonight.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Josh could tell that Finley felt a little bit uncomfortable around new people, which was why it seemed like a pretty big deal to invite Miles into the group - which was probably why it hadn't properly been done yet. He didn't blame his friend, though; he'd been through so much, it seemed natural to have a small circle of people you trusted. "Yeah, I thought so..." He nodded as his friend spoke about Elijah. He really wanted to see him, he just didn't ever want to be obvious about it. "It's weird, not having them - her, around. They're probably coming to find us." He nodded his head. He wondered if Elijah thought about him, as much as he spoke about Elijah.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Miles smiled as Cassidy's arm went around his waist, resting his own around her shoulders - he felt really happy with where they were at and he liked this casual intimacy. "I would look hot with a black eye. And it would bring up our street cred. You're both right. I'm seeing more pros to this fight than cons, honestly." He laughed, shaking his head. He had known the two would get on instantly. "I haven't sang in front of her yet, actually - she's a musical theatre student, she'd put me to shame." He laughed, shaking his head.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Annabelle laughed as she nodded her head, "Fucking mad, isn't it?" She asked her friend. She didn't think that she would be like Gabe and move in with someone who had literally bought a place. She thought that she would be relying too much on the other person for her to feel comfortable with. She shrugged as Emilie continued to talk about Tommy. "I guess we'll see, right? Where is he anyway?" Annabelle and Tommy had been spending more time together recently. Edie was always with Theo, Emilie and Link were always together and she and Gabe weren't on great terms - which left each other. She had been enjoying it much more than she thought she would've.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Link thought exactly the same as Gabe. He thought that it would do his friend some good if he could just properly confide in them. There wasn't anything that Link wouldn't tell his friends so he couldn't quite understand why Tommy felt like he couldn't trust them 100%. He shrugged as Gabe mentioned Florence, "Yeah, I don't think that's over." He muttered. He didn't think Tommy would leave Florence alone as long as she kept letting him back in - and he thought that she wouldn't stop letting it happen. "Now he picks up the pace! You're like a moth."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Theo shrugged as Edie questioned him, suddenly thinking it was probably a crazy idea. "I mean why not? You guys need somewhere decent and I could do with getting out of my parents house so it's a win, win, right?" He loved being around his parents all the time but he didn't think that it really did him any good. He thought that he needed to step out on his own for a little while. Theo smiled as she said that she wouldn't let go and nodded at her question, "Oh yeah, it seemed huge"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Part of Marissa really, really wanted to get things but the other part of her worried that if she rushed this, then they wouldn't be in a good position. She wanted them to be happy. And she thought that they were maybe getting there. "Well, he's almost ready for the world so hopefully it'll be better soon." She laughed as she nodded her head. Marissa smiled widely as they spoke about Frankie, "She'd be so good at it - if she did."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Florence laughed as she listened to Charlotte and nodded her head "That's very fair." She shrugged at the girls next sentence though, "No, me neither. So none taken." She sighed before she shook her head slightly, "Though I don't particularly like being told to do anything by my parents so.." She shrugged her shoulders slightly before she sorted herself out another drink, "Did you want one?"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Elijah smiled. He really did feel like he had a friend for life in Maddie. She was a kindred spirit and it honestly felt like he had been waiting for a friend like her for forever. He felt so grateful to have that now. "It seems the most obvious thing." He laughed as he nodded his head. Elijah hadn't eaten before he came so he definitely thought that it wouldnt' be long before he got something to eat himself. "You've got to have a hot dog at a bonfire though, no?" He asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: From what Finley had seen, he liked Miles. He just wasn't sure how to be around him. Mostly because he didn't know how much Miles knew about him and he didn't want to do something which would lead to awkward conversations. Finley wasn't sure how to be himself just yet - he was still trying to find it - but it was even harder with new people around. "Probably. i'll text her."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Cassidy couldn't remember this time she felt so comfortable with a guy. It had taken her a long time to properly be ready to open to something and she was glad that it was with Miles. Cassidy laughed as she listened to him and nodded her head "Honestly, I just think it need to be done." She shrugged her shoulders, clearly kidding with him. She rolled her eyes as he said that she would put him to shame, "I highly doubt that. I can't wait to see you guys."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Name a time and place and I'm there, mate." Dev chuckled. He was having a lot of fun tonight and the night had barely even gotten started .Dev raised an eyebrow as Miles explain that Cassidy was into musical theatre and nodded his head, "Yeah, she probably would then." He laughed. "I'm gonna get a drink, what do you want?" He asked the two of them.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "Really fucking mad." Emilie agreed, nodding her head. She didn't think she would ever be able to live somewhere that totally belonged to the other person; she would always want an equal share, she wouldn't want somebody to have that control over her. "Yeah, we'll see." She laughed, raising an eyebrow. "I have no idea - look for wherever the biggest group of girls is and he'll probably be around them." She rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. She knew Annabelle and Tommy had been spending more time together recently, but she didn't really think anything of it.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Gabe shrugged his shoulders, sighing softly. "Maybe not. I guess we'll just have to find out." He nodded. He didn't think Tommy's life would ever be free of drama, he loved it too much. Even though Florence had broken things off for now, he didn't think it would last very long - it never did. He laughed loudly as he heard his friend, shaking his head. "That's rude! I'll start running if you're not careful, then you'll be left behind." He chuckled. He was so tall that it would only take a few big strides to be far ahead.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Edie absolutely didn't think it was a crazy idea; at least, not for the two of them - she just didn't think Annabelle and Theo would really enjoy living together and she didn't want them to have to do it for her. "Do you really want to leave your parents house?" She asked curiously. She thought he seemed so happy and secure there. She would love to live with him, but she didn't want to feel like he was just suggesting it because he felt bad for her and Annabelle. Especially because she thought living on your own was a pretty big deal. "I bet - it still seems huge now." She laughed, shaking her head.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: James smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Everything felt like it was a lot easier when you were in uni, didn't it? I remember thinking it was going to last forever." He chuckled. He thought that was how Marissa's cousin and his friends must feel right now, like it was never going to end. He'd really enjoyed being that age. "She would. She's so caring, she'd be great." He smiled. He thought of Frankie like his own and he thought she would be excellent at what Marissa did.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Charlotte laughed, nodding her head. "It's good we're on the same page. Although I think our mums might have a combined aneurysm." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "I'm with you there - even though mine seem to really enjoy telling me what to do, so it's a pretty lose/lose situation." She giggled. She shook her head at Florence's question, holding up the cup she'd just poured. "I've got one, thanks. I had no idea what they'd actually have here, so I just brought my own. Everytime I've been offered a drink by a boy at uni party so far, it's been beer that is way too warm to consume and still feel safe." She laughed.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "Are you going to judge me if I say I don't actually like hot dogs?" Maddie laughed, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't vegetarian, but she didn't really enjoy a lot of meat - she could be a little bit of a picky eater sometimes, she liked to know what she was eating. "I wish I did, because people always seem to enjoy them so much - and they fit right into the fairground vibe here." She smiled, nodding her head. "Do you want to get a drink before we go over? I think I'm going to get a lemonade or something, I'm really thirsty." She smiled, nodding over to one of the vans.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "You don't have to, I was just wondering." Joshua smiled slightly, shrugging his shoulders. He knew that sooner or later, if he actually wanted anything to come of he and Elijah, he would have to tell his friends - but he just didn't want to think about it. He didn't want them to see him differently, he didn't want their opinions of him to change. And he knew that Elijah and Maddie were friends, he didn't want to cause any problems there. "This is pretty cool, right? The party?" He smiled admiringly as he looked around them. He liked that drinking wasn't a necessity here, that not everybody was doing it - he hoped it made it easier for Finley.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "I'll organise it properly, the way all cool fights are done. There might have to be some singing and dancing - like West Side Story." Miles laughed as he looked over at his friend, shaking his head. "She absolutely would. You absolutely would." He smiled, looking to Cassidy. "I mean, I still haven't heard you sing, so - it's got to be an even game." He chuckled. "Just a beer for me please, mate."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "It's also so Gabe too, don't you think?" Annabelle laughed, "To only move out when he has someone else to look after." She smiled. She missed Gabe more than she could ever really say. She loved him so much. He was her best friend. She wished that the two of them could fix whatever was going on. Annabelle nodded. "Okay - that's fair." She laughed as she shook her head slightly. She knew that Tommy was never going to stop but she thought that, that was one of the reasons why they loved him. He was unapologetically himself.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Link nodded his head, "Yeah, we will." He loved knowing that, whatever happened, the other five were always going to have his back. They were his family and he knew that they were going to be friends for the rest of their lives. He thought that, that was probably the most commitment that Tommy could manage. And he liked that they were that for him. "I'm just speaking the truth. We both know it."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Theo thought that the fact that Edie hadn't just laughed the idea away, was a good sign. He really, really wanted the two of them to have that. He thought that he would be more than happy to move out of his parents house, was if he was going to move in with Edie. He nodded, "Yeah, I think so. It has to happen sometime, right?" Theo asked. And maybe he hadn't thought things through properly but he thought that it would all be okay. He wasn't saying it just because he felt bad, even if it was a little part of it. "That's because you're tiny, Edes."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Marissa nodded her head as James spoke. It was the second year of university when she lost the baby - but she didn't see the point in mentioning that, in bringing the whole thing down. "Yeah, it does feel like it would last for forever. It was fun though, right?" She raised an eyebrow with a smile. Most of Marissas teenage years were tainted with bad memories. She was just trying to enjoy her twenties instead. "She's a good kid, right?"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Florence nodded her head, "At least we both know where we stand right? Wouldn't it be tragic if one of us genuinely couldn't wait and thought they'd met like their platonic soulmate." She rolled her eyes before she laughed. Though she wouldn't admit it just yet, Florence was actually really enjoying her conversation with Charlotte. "That's what mums do best, right?" She raised an eyebrow. Her mum had an opinion on literally every aspect of her life. Florence laughed as she listened to Charlotte and nodded her head, "That's very fair actually. I don't see how they think that's gonna impress us."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "I would never judge you." Elijah smiled. He was someone who always tried to make sure that people felt comfortable around him - that included not judging people. "Though it is a little weird." He chuckled. Hot dogs were basically tied up with all of his bonfire night memories. He knew that he would have to get one by the end of the night. "They're okay. A little plastic-y but I think it's the nostalgia of it, you know?" He raised an eyebrow. "Oh sure." Elijah nodded his head with a smile. "I didn't even think about getting a drink. Yes. Perfect."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "I just sent her a text." Finley chuckled as he nodded slightly. He was looking forward to seeing her, that was for sure. He had no idea what he was thinking with all of this - with whatever he was feeling for Maddie. He would never do something which was going to ruin things. Joshua was his best friend. He was one of the few people that Finely felt like he could be himself around. He was his anchor. He couldn't do something to mess with that. Finley nodded his head as he looked around "yeah, it's good, yknow?"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Cassidy laughed as she listened to Miles. She was almost relieved at how well she and Dev got along. She hoped that it would be the same with his other friends too. "Maybe then i'll finally be able to hear you sing." She smiled. Cassidy shrugged her shoulders then though. She definitely wanted Miles to be at the final showcase that year, she was just a little nervous about him seeing her. She didn't want to disappoint him. "You'll hear soon enough, I'm sure." she laughed as she shook her head slightly. "Gin and lemonade please!"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Oh shit but then you know you're gonna win if it includes singing." Dev laughed as he shook his head ever so slightly. He nodded his head as he listened to what the two of them wanted. He nudged his friend, giving an approving nod before he moved over the queues for their drinks.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "He's always going to need somebody to look after him." Emilie laughed. She loved Gabe, but she didn't think she could ever be with anybody like him - he was so co-dependent, she sometimes wondered how he'd survive on his own. She looked around the space for Tommy, unable to help laughing as she saw she'd been right. "Told you." She smirked, nodding over to him and the group of girls. "He could not look any less interested in whatever they're saying if he tried." She laughed.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Gabe had no idea what it must be like for Link, or for Edie or Annabelle, for their little group to be the only family they had - because he had such a prominent family life and he hated that they didn't, but it just made him determined to make it as good as possible for the others. "Can you see the girls anywhere?" He asked, scrunching his nose up slightly as he started to look around. He didn't think they'd be hard to spot, but the place was pretty busy. He still had no idea how it would be with he and Annabelle, but he was almost a little bit nervous and he didn't like that at all.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "I guess it does. Maybe I'll speak to Annabelle." Edie smiled, nodding her head. She thought that meant really good things for them, if Theo was thinking about things like moving in together - it meant they were on the same page and she felt really happy about that. "I'm not that small!" She laughed, shaking her head. "There are definitely people smaller." Because Theo was also pretty small, she never felt that tiny and she liked that. She liked the way they looked together. "I can see Gabe, he's over there!" She laughed as she saw her friend bounding about, pointing across the space to him.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "A lot of fun." James smiled. So much had happened in between university and now, that it felt like it had been so much longer than a couple of years since they had graduated. "She's the best kid, Riss. You've done an amazing job." He smiled. He thought she was such a natural mother and Frankie was one of the sweetest kids he'd ever met. He loved how well she and Katie got along, he thought it was amazing.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Charlotte giggled as Florence spoke; she was already different to how Emilie had described and she was glad she'd actually spoken to her. "Tragic isn't even the word. That would be so embarrassing." She laughed, shaking her head. "Apparently they do. Mine's an absolute nightmare, you'd think I didn't already have friends the amount she's pushed this. I didn't even want to come to university in the first place." She laughed, rolling her eyes playfully. "Neither do I - and it always tastes like crap, too. I am not a hard person to impress, it really doesn't take much - these boys are low on their game." She chuckled, shrugging her shoulders.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "I know you wouldn't." Maddie smiled - that was one of her favourite things about Elijah, she always knew where she stood with him and she knew he would never judge her. She knew a lot of people thought she was boring, but she never felt that with Elijah. "Plastic-y? That doesn't sound like something you should enjoy." She laughed. "I do like toffee apples though, we should get some of those!" She heard her phone buzz and looked down at it, smiling as she saw a text from Finn. "And then we should find the others, I think they're missing us." She chuckled. She was so glad that Finley had decided to come tonight, she really loved spending time with him.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "If the first time you heard me sing was in our big dance battle, I think - actually, I think I'd love that. What a cool debut." Miles laughed loudly. He loved the fact that Cassidy and Dev got on well; now they both liked each others friends and he thought that was important. "I hope so, I've been dying to hear it since literally the first night we met." He chuckled. He couldn't wait to hear Cassidy's voice. "Thanks mate!" He smiled as Dev moved over to get their drinks.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Josh smiled as Finley said he'd sent a text - he sometimes wondered about how close the two of them were, he had even when he and Maddie were together, but he was sure his friend would tell him if there was anything more than friendship there. He didn't know how he'd feel if there was, though and he thought his friend would probably know that. It wasn't that there were still feelings there, it would just be strange for him - their relationship had still meant a lot. "It is. I like it when they do events that aren't just in clubs, there are less idiots." He laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "That's true. His wife is gonna have her work cut out for her." Annabelle laughed as she shook her head. She couldn't wait to see who her friends ended up with. She loved Gabe and she thought that she might always wonder what would happen if the two of them didn't try something - but she was just trying to ignore that. She was trying to pretend like she wasn't all too aware of how she felt for him. She didn't think it was possible to be in love with someone if you didn't admit it but she thought that it could become that - if she let herself. "Oi! Tommy!" Annabelle shouted over to him, waving. "Fucking hell - you'd have thought he was in his element."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Link didn't know if it was entirely healthy for him to be like he was with his friends but he didn't think that he had any other choice .They were everything to him and he loved them so much. Link shook his head as he looked around. "There's like a million people here." He muttered with a sigh. "Oh - There's Theo and Edie though!" He smiled.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Let me know if you do." Theo nodded. He was already excited about the idea of moving in with Edie. He loved her so much and he didn't see a reason why they shouldn't. He wondered if they needed to have a proper conversation about the two of them before that though. "You are a little bit." He laughed. He loved spending time with Edie. She made him feel whole, like he didn't have the hole there that his brother had left. "Oh yeah, hey!" He waved over to them with a smile.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Marissa hoped their kids had a better time off it than she had. She wanted to make sure that the two of them always had things good in their life - even though both of them had, had a difficult start to their lives. Marissa wondered if Frankie would struggle with how she lived in the beginning. She hoped that she would be able to do enough to fix all of that. "Thank you." Marissa smiled. "You have too. With Katie."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "I don't think I would ever live that down." Florence laughed as she shook her head. She was having a lot of fun with Charlotte but her mother was never going to know about it. "Does she try setting you up though? Because that is the most embarrassing thing ever. Mine hates my taste." Florence laughed. She thought that her mum might have a point with her taste in men but it wasn't like she was going to change. "You didn't? Why did you?" She asked with a raise of an eyebrow. "I can not say the same thing." She laughed.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Elijah smiled as Maddie did. He liked that she knew him as well as he knew himself - and he thought that it was the same the other way around. He thought that he knew what she was thinking all of the time and he really liked that. "I know it doesn't but I absolutely do." He laughed. He was having such a lovely time already. "Oh yeah! They're perfect for bonfire night." He smiled at her. "That's sweet, okay." He could feel the butterflies in his stomach, just thinking about being able to see Joshua.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Of course you would love that. I wanna see you properly, though. I wanna see you in a bar with my friends and you guys are up on stage!" Cassidy laughed. She wanted Miles to hear her properly too. She didn't want it to be some little thing - not when they both wanted this to be their careers. Cassidy smiled before she nodded slightly, "I really hope that I don't let you down.."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Finley really didn't want to muddy the waters. He didn't think that he had properly dealt with what had happened with his wife and daughter. He didn't think it would be healthy to think about something else. He just could never get Maddie off of his brain. He thought that she was the most wonderful person there was. "That's true." He chuckled as he nodded his head. "We'll have to hope for more of these."

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "That's for fucking sure. What kind of person do you think everybody is going to end up with?" Emilie asked with a laugh. She often thought about this, where they were all going to end up... But her friends worried her sometimes and she knew she would do whatever it took to make sure they were all, always okay. Even though she knew she would never say it, even to Annabelle - there wasn't really anybody else she could see herself ending up with, other than Link. "I know, he looks like he wants to set himself on fire." She laughed as she saw Tommy, waving him over with a grin.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Tommy looked up slightly as he heard Annabelle's voice, laughing as he saw the girls faces. He and Annabelle had been spending a lot more time together recently, because everybody else was so wrapped up in each other and he'd genuinely been enjoying it - he sometimes forgot how much fun he and Annabelle had together. He quickly excused himself from the conversation he was having and headed over to the girls, rolling his eyes. "You've got a voice like a fucking foghorn." He laughed, obviously playing with her. "Thanks for saving me, though."

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Gabe's parents were always willing to take in anybody that didn't have a family of their own and he thought a lot of that had rubbed in on him too; his friends really were a second family to him now and he wouldn't have it any other way. "I know, I can't believe it's this busy!" He laughed. Sometimes Gabe regretted not going to university, but he had no idea what he would even study and he didn't think it was totally for him. "Oh yeah! Hey! Edie!" He called over, waving over-exaggeratedly at the pair as he saw them. He thought they looked so cute together and he really liked being around them, he thought they were just so calm as people.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "I will. We haven't really spoken about where we're going to live next, so I guess it's time for that conversation anyway." Edie smiled, squeezing Theo's hand - she loved living with Annabelle, but she knew it couldn't last forever. She was already smiling at the very idea of living in a house with Theo, of coming home to him every single day. She loved him so much. "I'm a little bit little?" She laughed, shaking her head. She didn't think there was a person on earth that was kinder than Theo was. "Hi!" She laughed as she heard Gabe, waving back at he and Link and starting to walk over.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: James often thought about how both of their girls hadn't had the best start in life and it just made him way more determined to make the rest of their lives as good as he possibly could; he would give them any opportunity he could, any head starts necessary. He had started saving for Katie as soon as she was born. "Thank you. I think so too." He chuckled, nodding his head.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "If it was me, I just wouldn't admit to it. As soon as you said something, I'd just pretend I felt the same to save face." Charlotte admitted with a giggle, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "Oh god, the set ups. It wouldn't be as bad if my mum had any taste at all, but she always picks the most boring boys ever. The future bankers and accountants of the world." She pretended to gag, shaking her head. "My mum wants me to. She didn't think I was taking life seriously enough - I mean, I can't say she was wrong, but - we're young, you know? What's there to be so serious about?" She raised an eyebrow. She laughed as the other spoke, nodding her head. "You give off that vibe. It's probably the best way to be, though. I should learn some things from you."

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Maddie was a massively friendly person, she was kind towards everybody - but she had quite a small circle of actual close friends and Elijah was absolutely a part of that now. "Well, that's all that matters then! If you enjoy your plastic hot dogs, then I enjoy you enjoying them." She laughed, nudging her friend gently. "Right?! I used to have braces, so I could never have them when I was younger - so whenever I see them now, I want to eat as many as I can." She chuckled. She quickly sent Finley a text back saying they were on their way and headed over to the drinks truck, ordering them both a drink and handing Elijah's over to him. "Here you go!"

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "You will! You've been busy everytime we've played so far, I don't think the gods want it to happen yet." Miles laughed. He was definitely excited for Cassidy to see the band; it was something he was so passionate about, something he put so much time into and he knew he would really value her opinions. It was why he was so excited to see her too, he knew how much it all meant to her. "You could never. I know it's going to be incredible." He smiled, squeezing the arm that was around her shoulders slightly.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Josh wanted Finley to be happy, he wanted him to have good things - but he had always been just a little bit selfish and he had never even considered how he would feel if anything were to happen between he and Maddie, even though the two of them had always been close. "I'll see if there's a feedback box anywhere." He laughed, raising an eyebrow. "They're taking their time, aren't they?" He knew he sounded a bit impatient, but he was just so ready to even just see Elijah now. He'd missed him.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Oooh, okay." Annabelle laughed and thought for a second. "You'd need someone chill, you know? Someone who doesn't kick up too much of a fuss and goes along with your crazy." She nudged her friend with a laugh. "Gabe will 100% end up with someone hilarious. Could you see him without someone like that? Edie is with Theo - right?" she smiled. She thought the two of them were so sweet. Annabelle turned her attention to Tommy then and shrugged her shoulders, "You cannot complain and tell me that I saved you at the same time. Pick a lane."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Link genuinely thought that Gabe was the nicest person around. He loved his friend like a brother and he thought that he was one of the most selfless people. He wished that he could be more like his friend. He didn't think that he was anywhere near that. Link still had no idea what he was going to do with his life. He had no idea what he was passionate about so university was never one for him. "Hey!" He smiled at the two of them. "How're you guys doing?"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Okay, alright. Yeah, that sounds good." Theo smiled as he nodded his head. He hoped that it actually happened. Theo had never really thought about moving out very much. He knew he would be allowed to stay at home for as long as he wanted but he thought that he needed to move out. He needed to get some time on his own, he thought. He needed to grow up a bit. "Yeah, that's what I said." He laughed as he nodded his head. "Hi." Theo smiled as he looked up at the other two.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Marissa really liked how she and James were with the kids. They took things incredibly seriously and Marissa thought that if Frankie hadn't gotten so attached to James, she might have not given him a chance for forgiveness. If this had happened when they were teens, Marissa didn't think she would have ever been strong enough to forgive someone for something like this. But Frankie adored James. And Marissa had to think about her daughter. "Okay - no more kid talk." She laughed as she shook her head slightly.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Oh you are a much nicer person than I am. I'd have 100% just tried to get out of there as soon as possible." Florence shook her head slightly. She was pretty sure that Charlotte was friends with Emilie and she wondered what the other had told her about her. "Literally the most boring people in the world! At least pick someone with a personality for god sake." Florence rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face. "And why does she think that Uni is gonna do that for you? Literally the place where people are renowned for getting drunk 24/7." Florence raised an eyebrow, "I think I'll take that as a compliment? But you should."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Elijah was kind of like Maddie - though he thought that he might be a little too forgiving. He knew that his friends probably shouldn't be his friends anymore. They were rude and a little harsh but he wanting to forgive them. They were people that he cared deeply for, despite their faults. "Thank you. I enjoy you enjoying your toffee apples." Elijah laughed. He thought Maddie was actually a true friend, one that he knew would have his back at all times. "Ah okay, that makes a lot of sense then." Elijah smiled as he nodded his head. "Thank you.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "The gods are definitely not in our favour with this but we will make it happen." Cassidy nodded her head. She thought that it would be a lot of fun to see someone she cared about up on stage, doing something he loved. She wondered if that was what her friends thought when they went to see her in a musical. She hoped so. "We'll see, right?" Cassidy laughed.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Finley smiled slightly as he saw Maddies text back. He was looking forward to seeing her, that was for sure. If he knew exactly how his friend would feel about his feelings towards Maddie, Finley knew that he would do whatever it took to nip it in the bud. Finn didn't have many people looking out for him, his friends were it. "Yeah, i'm sure there's one somewhere." He said sarcastically. "Maddie said they're on their way.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Emilie laughed as she listened to Annabelle, raising an eyebrow as her friend described her perfect partner. "I am not crazy. But yeah, I wouldn't deal with anybody who was as dramatic as I am." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "He needs someone funny, that's for sure. And somebody that doesn't mind having to actually keep him alive." She shook her head. "The kind of men that you love, you're going to end up with somebody like fucking Tommy if you're not careful." She nudged her friend, finishing speaking just as Tommy came over. She laughed as he spoke, rolling her eyes.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "I definitely fucking can. You saving me doesn't change how loud your voice is." Tommy laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "Where the fuck is everybody? I thought we were all supposed to meet here?" He raised an eyebrow. He assumed Gabe had held Link up, because that was usually what happened. He wanted to spend time with his friends, though; he'd decided not to bring a date tonight, because he actually wanted to see them all and now they weren't even here.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Gabe didn't think they were old enough to need to know what they were wanting to do yet, he thought that it was still totally fine for he and Link to be a little in the dark about what they were going to do with their lives. He wasn't going to let it stress him out. He beamed as they finally reached Edie and Theo. "Hey! We were just looking for the girls but we have no idea where they are, do you?" He smiled, raising an eyebrow. He really liked seeing that the two of them had come together, he thought they were pretty perfect for each other.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Edie smiled, nodding her head. She really thought that this could be something good, if they wanted it to be - there were a lot of boundaries to overcome, mostly money wise, but she was sure they could do it. "Hi!" She smiled as she looked up at the boys. "We're good, I can't believe how many people are here. How about you? Gabe hold you up?" She laughed as she looked at Link, raising an eyebrow.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: James loved being a dad - he hadn't expected to become one quite so early, but he had done what he could and he was pretty proud of how well he and Katie had coped with everything they'd been handed. He laughed as Marissa said they couldn't speak about the kids anymore, nodding his head. "Okay, what would you like to talk about instead?"

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "I think it just makes me a liar, at least you'd be honest and just leave." Charlotte grinned, raising an eyebrow. She was surprised at how different Florence seemed to the things she'd heard and she was actually really enjoying talking to her. "I know, but my mum seems to think the less personality, the less trouble they can cause. Which absolutely makes them ten times more boring." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "Who knows? I mean, being here isn't the worst thing in the world - but I don't really know what she's hoping to get out of it." She was smart enough, but she wasn't the hardest worker - she just wanted to be having fun right now and she thought at nineteen, that was okay. "I'll try!" She laughed.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Maddie had only ever met Elijah's friends a couple of times, but she hadn't really liked them when she had - she thought he deserved better, she thought he deserved friends that appreciated how good of a person he was. She would never say so, though - she knew he cared about them a lot. "Oh, I will! I won't eat them here though, I'll take them home - they're too messy to eat in front of people." She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "No problem! Let's go, I think they're over there by the fire." She smiled, taking a sip of her drink as she headed over to where she thought the boys were.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "Of course we will. We have a gig in another couple of months, I'll get the dates and times properly and then we can make sure we get you there." Miles smiled, raising an eyebrow. The band were doing well with bookings at the minute and he was really happy about it; they had gone through a bit of a dry spell when they'd first gotten together, so it made him happy to be doing well now. "I guess we will! But I already know it's going to great." He smiled.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "Me too. If not, I'll send a few emails." Josh laughed, raising an eyebrow. He and Elijah had been spending more and more time together recently, although they never actually talked about what they were, they talked lots about other things - they were really getting to know each other and Josh knew that he was falling deeper and deeper, but he didn't really want to stop it anymore. "Okay, good."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Annabelle shrugged her shoulders, "You say dramatic, I say crazy. It's the same difference." She laughed. She was clearly just teasing, though. Annabelle thought that Emilie was one of the most impressive people and she didn't think that, that opinion was ever going to change. She wished people saw more of her than she did. Annabelle raised an eyebrow as Emilie said she would be with someone like Tommy. she didn't think that, that was necessarily a bad thing. "Fine. I won't use it to save you next time if you're complaining." She rolled her eyes before she shrugged her shoulders, "I think they're on their way." She quickly texted Edie, to tell her where they were."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Link wasn't sure he was ever going to figure out what it was that he was supposed to do. He had never really been good at anything and he wasn't passionate about anything, particularly. He thought that was a recipe for disaster. And he wondered if anyone else his age, of his wealth, felt the same. He had never had to want for anything so why would he think he actually had to do something?

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: *continued* He chuckled as he listened to Edie. "course he did. He wasn't even dressed till about ten minutes ago."

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Although he definitely felt like the group were warming to him, it definitely still felt like he was an outsider. Theo shook his head at Gabes question. "No, we haven't seen them tonight. Sorry." He chewed on his lip. Theo really liked Gabe. He thought that he was so friendly and open and while he considered all six of them a friend now, Gabe had been the first one of the group to properly welcome him.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Marissa had always thought that she would be a young mum and after the miscarriage, it seemed like a forgone conclusion. She wanted a baby. She though that meeting Frankie a few months later had been fate. She shrugged her shoulders at James' question. "I have no idea." Marissa laughed as she shook her head. "Honestly I never thought I would be one of those mums." She chuckled.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Oh is that so? I'll watch out for that, then." Florence was having a much better time with Charlotte than she thought she would have. If her mum just had a similar taste in the boys she set her up with, as the friends, she thought they'd be golden. "Oh absolutely." Florence laughed. "We're barely adults. We want a little bit of trouble, no?" She raised an eyebrow. it was like her mum had forgotten how she was at her age. And Florence had heard stories from her dad. "Least you get her off of your back for a bit." She shrugged her shoulders.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Elijah was someone that once he was involved with them, he was all in. And that was definitely the case with his friends. he had been a part of the same friendship group since the start of Secondary School. The idea of cutting them off now just because sometimes they weren't exactly the nicest people - that was too scary for him to think about. "Are you serious? Live your life, Maddie! You want a toffee apple, you have that toffee apple!" Elijah nodded before he followed after Maddie.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "You'll have to book me in. I'll put it in the calendar." Cassidy laughed with a nod of her head. SHe thought that it was amazing that James and his band were getting bookings a lot. "Do you want to be famous?" She asked him. "I mean - with the band and stuff - do you want to make the big time or are you just happy playing?" She didn't think that she had ever actually asked him that before. She wasnt' sure what she hoped would be the answer .

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Yeah, you'll be fine." Finley muttered with a nod of his head. He had no idea about Josh and Elijah but if he did - it would make him sad to think that Josh didn't think he could tell him about it. Joshua was his best friend. All he would ever want for the other was happiness and if that was what this gave him, he'd be completely there for the other. "Oh - I see Maddie!" Finn called, pointing her out for his buddy.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "If I'm crazy, you belong in a fucking asylum." Emilie laughed, rolling her eyes - it was obvious she was joking along with her friend. She didn't think there was much they could say to each other that would ever be unforgivable - even the things they'd said at the wedding had just been automatically forgiven, because they knew each other well enough to know that when they got into that place, they said things they didn't even mean. She raised an eyebrow as Tommy spoke and got out her phone, texting Link to ask where they were. Even though they weren't together, she still wanted to be around him.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Edie laughed as she listened to Link, nodding her head. "I knew it. But hey - you made good time to say he didn't have clothes on in the last half an hour." She chuckled. She loved that the boys were living together now, she thought it made perfect sense. She thought she and Link were two sides of the same coin; their families were so similar and so they both knew how it felt, to feel like you didn't have anybody. She was glad they had both found their real family and that he was getting to be away from his parents and live with somebody as wholesome as Gabe now. She looked down at her phone as it buzzed. "That's Annabelle, they've found Tommy."

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "Ah, that's okay - there are so many people here, I guess it would be kind of weird if you'd managed to spot two not very tall girls so quickly." Gabe laughed, shrugging his shoulders. If he was honest, he was a little bit relieved - he missed Annabelle, but he didn't want things to be awkward tonight and he thought they might be. It wasn't like they could avoid each other forever, though. "Looks like we've found them." He laughed as he heard Edie.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: James smiled as Marissa spoke. "I think I could've told you that you were going to be one of those mums, Riss." He chuckled softly. It was obvious he didn't think it was a bad thing; he loved how much Marissa cared for both girls, how much she loved them and did for them. It was one of his favourite things about her.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Charlotte had never gotten along with somebody her mum had liked so much this well before, ever. She was very pleasantly surprised and she hoped Florence thought the same, even though they hadn't originally wanted to speak to each other. "Absolutely! I'm nineteen, that's just - I still feel like I have loads of trouble making years before I need to settle down and start being sensible." She giggled, shrugging her shoulders. "That's a definite pro - and this isn't the worst place to be. The parties are amazing." She smiled.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Maddie laughed, shaking her head. "You don't understand! It's the messiest thing ever, you wouldn't want to be associated with me. I'll enjoy them way more at home, where there's nobody to judge. The smell will get me by for now, I promise you." She chuckled. She had a sip of her drink as they walked towards the group, smiling widely as she saw them standing together. "We finally found you!" She laughed, giving the boys a little wave as she and Elijah reached them.

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: "I absolutely will." Miles smiled. He'd already put the dates for Cassidy's end of year concert in his phone, there was no way in hell he was going to miss that. He considered her question for a few seconds; he found it very interesting. "Not particularly. In fact, not at all really. If there was a way we could get around the world and play music without anybody actually knowing who we were, I would do it." He chuckled. Fame had no draws to Miles whatsoever, it was all about the music for him. "Do you want to be famous?"

EH GS TM EC MH JA MS JR: Josh looked up as Finley said he had seen Maddie, knowing that Elijah would be with her too. Even at the thought, his stomach started fluttering and as he looked over and saw him, he couldn't keep the little smile from his face. He liked him so much, he had given up on denying it now - at least to himself. "Hi!" He smiled as they came over, nodding his head to their cups. "What have you got to drink?"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "Only if you'll be my cell mate or whatever it is." Annabelle smiled at her friend. She thought that her best friend would be right there with her if they were to ever have something like that happen - and she loved it. She thought that it was fun to have someone like Emilie around her. She would always be there by Emilies side, no matter what. "Is our company not good enough for you?" Annabelle asked, raising an eyebrow at Tommy before she laughed. She loved being with her friends. They were everything to her, if she was completely honest.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Link laughed as he nodded his head, "But he has such long legs he could've made the walk in about two steps, you know?" Link felt really lucky that he had Gabe. He was always the person that put a smile on his face, even if he was in the worst mood. Gabe always cheered him up. "Oh, awesome." He smiled as he looked down at the phone and saw that it was Emilie. He texted her back to tell her where they were before he turned his attention to Edie. "What's going on with you two now anyway?" He asked, mostly just to be nosey.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: "And I'm also a not very tall boy so there's like a 2% chance that I'm gonna be able to see them, you know?" Theo asked with a raise of an eyebrow and a laugh. He really did think that Gabe was one of the kindest people. He was so happy that the group had welcomed him back in as much as they had done - especially Gabe. He was so, so grateful. "Oh yeah?" He asked as he looked at Edie.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Marissa smiled as James spoke to her and she raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Why? i mean - How so?" She asked him. She had always known what she had wanted for her life - the main thing being that she wanted to be a mother. She wanted to be a good mother. She was glad to hear that, that was something that James thought of her as well.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Florence wondered if she hadn't gotten along with the people her mum wanted her too because she wanted her too or because they were as dull as she thought that they were. She was definitely pleasantly surprised with Charlotte, though. Florence laughed as she nodded her head, "Absolutely you do! I'm sure there's plenty of trouble you could cause." Florence nodded. SHe wondered if she would actually settle down right now, if Tommy said he wanted too. She was pretty sure that she would, even at twenty-two. "Aren't they just?"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Elijah laughed before he shrugged his shoulders, "I'm pretty sure that you could do nothing that would make me not want to be around you, you know?" He raised an eyebrow with a smile. "But alright - if you're happy with that." She was almost nervous as they walked towards Josh. He was really, really looking forward to see him. And he smiled as he heard the others voice, the butterflies instantly getting ten times worse. "Oh - Hot chocolate of course." He smiled.

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Cassidy really liked that she and Miles were planning things for the future. She thought that, that was a really good sign. She didn't know when she would ever feel comfortable enough to actually enter a proper relationship with him - one where they called one another boyfriend and girlfriend but she didn't think that it would take that long. "That's good though. It's a healthy way to look at it, you know?" She raised an eyebrow. Cassidy couldn't help but laugh at Joshs' question. "If I wanted to be famous do you really thinkg I would have picked musical theatre?"

AG LC TC FM EL CG FM DS MH: Finley instantly felt more comfortable with Maddie there. She had always been his safe space, that was why he didn't want her to go and see him in prison. He didn't think he deserved that familiarity when he was inside. "You did!" Finley laughed as he nodded his head slightly. He was really glad that she was there. "Have you got your toffee apple yet?" Finn asked with a raise of an eyebrow. He thought that he knew her pretty well, after all.

#chatzy #gen 1

0 notes

airoasis · 5 years

Text

The 1 Bitcoin Show- Peter Schiff 60 minutes conspiracy theory, Bank bans, Future of BSV, Q&A

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/the-1-bitcoin-show-peter-schiff-60-minutes-conspiracy-theory-bank-bans-future-of-bsv-qa/

The 1 Bitcoin Show- Peter Schiff 60 minutes conspiracy theory, Bank bans, Future of BSV, Q&A

Hiya every body ah this is adam meister the bitcoinmeister the disrupt meister welcome to the one bitcoin exhibit at present is may the 23rd 2019 robust hand offended via selling be a targeted beast worth your wealth and bitcoin uncompensated all private duties new counterculture conviction and in these days is all about conviction YouTube Google was once giving me all varieties of issues however we getting this exhibit off reside baby a new show here day-to-day even when it goes entirely wack on the YouTube facet pound that like button all you guys have been ready the chat this one’s for you brothers and sisters and yeah I will probably be speakme in long beach at 7 p.M.And that is at about 7 hours getting picked up for it II quickly I gotta take a bathe earlier than then i am getting i’m pumped to talk to all of the humans down in lengthy seaside and hang around with some cool dudes as i’m really energized correct now’s I I was once now not definite this show was gonna get off that you could ask questions I have no idea if we’re gonna have time for questions form in bitcoinmeister in there i do know this chat my god you guys have been yelping it up on this chat I don’t know if folks already asked questions ok good let’s simply get it let’s get into the show adequate sorry this is simply mighty the exhibit even bought the following day at noon japanese Time at midday Baltimore time this week in Bitcoin Alex can be on from lolly and be be gold Edie will likely be on and cash Triggs will probably be on and very well let’s begin with simply pound that like button each girl need to be alive i’ll inform you that so Michael malice used to be on the Dave Rubin show recently I imply like two days ago I watched it and he is talking and that is some thing i have brought up in many instances how these figures in social media and YouTube are warning everybody they are just like the banks are already banning individuals PayPal is already banning persons then Michael malice is lovely calm about this he wasn’t to do about he he used to be just like good there will probably be competitors to the banks in order to take skills of those bannings and the whole lot will likely be first-rate and they will provide you with the solution well let me inform you some thing Michael malice you did not mention Bitcoin at least partially one the solution is already right here the answer is Bitcoin so so every body before all of your fellow 20 percenters percenters work out this predicament that banks will ban persons PayPal is banning folks okay earlier than every person else figures out this difficulty and it can be handiest gonna be 20 percenters you figure it out i don’t believe 80% of may also comprehend this however few realize this I imply there are such a large amount of sensible individuals staying low is the what are we to do what are we to do you get the coin earlier than every body figures out that we have already got a solution to the financial institution bans we have already got a solution so do not go up in arms do not go loopy don’t go doom don’t think the arena is about to end it can be fine you will have obtained huge coin which you can installed your entire system any means you want it with Bitcoin with a purpose to create content material and earn and and so forth etc and have your own bank account precisely be your possess mattress you do not want these banks at all correct now if you are in Bitcoin okay so yeah all of them ban you satisfactory you’ve gotten bought Bitcoin my glory that you would be able to travel far and wide on the planet with it relocating on this is a tweet from Mike boo Sela it’s concerning the CME staff i am who i am hoping known as no longer skipping whatever right here can’t false CME crew quantity see any Bitcoin future stats many strongest month ever q2 adv 164 percentage better than q1 over 2500 accounts have traded Bitcoin futures that’s just right news and on that Institute and that i I imply this is whatever we knew was gonna occur of direction it’s going to this eme the long run is all that nonsense and i’ll i would not ever participate in increasingly folks had been collaborating in it but right here we go from to Shar Jane he says all the colossal OTC desks appear to be having pink volumes to that is amazingly bullish for the enterprise clear signs of institutional money getting into the distance so yeah these are two clear indicators proper there now hey everyone knows what’s gonna happen that we that it’ll occur that uh institutional money is getting into the space generally purchasing Bitcoin as gbtc folks stated that the merchandise that they that almost all people are fascinated about our big coin even though Barry Silbert has all types of different product tasks so whilst you say the space most of these people are pondering Bitcoin when they’re speaking an institutional funding now of course they they out they will die they are going to diversify for the sake of diversification ultimately which I something that’s if they wish to mess with with that then they could try this in view that they don’t recognize that bitcoin is the subsequent Bitcoin one Bitcoin equals one Bitcoin do not follow on all coins now so with thinking of the future of institutional investors coming in and usual traders coming in persons who are used to looking at enterprises and looking at their CEOs and seeing if there is an argument if they’re run safely it’s taking the account I mean that’s how common economic firms are judged spike via very sounds back how sound is that this school how sound is this manufacturer how sound is this product good let’s suppose about bsv for a second consider about tuition a natural totally wealthy institution they usually’re they’re inspecting bsv or a tricked-out or warren buffett if he is watching at the I Warren Buffett sort of character looking watching at the SV they are gonna appear at who’s in cost okay so I mean feel rationally here people I particularly want you to think about the future of BS V when some humans that they make colossal claims about it or they are involved about it or something that’s gonna do anything to Bitcoin suppose about suppose about when when someone appears at that trouble national man or woman how can any rational institution that listens to some thing that comes out of that outfit are not able to even recall shopping that ok day to begin with it going beyond the fake Toshi stuff the other spokesperson is a guy who made all his cash in an unregulated gambling k so traditional associations are they gonna need to have whatever to do apart from disregard concerning the sociopath part of it with the man unregulated playing and lives within the Caribbean okay that’s now not some thing that usual traders in most cases get into k that enormous associations need to be part of so easily put the persons that are buying bsv are crypto children or crypto men and women are on this space are persons who like oh yeah certain he would say something you wish to have and certain he can say some thing he wants to say but there are expenditures to it k and there suppose logically humans consider like a grown-up or any tuition is gonna wish to touch that and all are it any and then feel in regards to the university money that is flowing into the distance in the Bitcoin and as a way to be trickled into some of the high-tier altcoins they are going to look at a few of these top-tier they are going to seem on the theorem particularly we will be able to get the fellow in charge there he is a genius so you know and he would not I imply there may be there isn’t any cursing and screaming and drama and claims and fits and this mat and the other um and he’s okay you know he is long past the fellow accountable for aetherium is is you understand the figurehead behind it here he’s gonna add his option to be friendly with the tuition’s he is very latest he believes in whatever that when radical markets all these commute to all these things which can be so he’s so good for the atmosphere in cetera cetera so again just just giving you guys a little style at some point for you uh so I mean you must feel like an tuition in the case of to that at least do not be a crypto kitty and say well oh maybe probably that’s a out hazard one way or the other gamble over there it is you die you’re welcome Bitcoin learned like button so that there is my take I mean take a couple of secs again when when you hear this bsv stuff and relatively feel after which think in regards to the institutional money that’s coming within the cryptocurrency and see how they fairly do not they’re not going within the identical direction okay so uh this is a funny tweet from jeet he video of the famous track video video killed the radio star video killed the radio began then jeeps line is bitcoin killed the real-estate artwork and liquid investment celebrity i admire that and gold famous person how about that there is my addition to that that’s fascinated by gold peter ship has a new video that is out and on the 40-minute mark or the forty five-minute mark and it towards the top here forty minute mark he started heat one factor that he says he talks about this he starts to speak in regards to the sixty minutes show about bitcoin and he talks about how he had a debate a gold versus bitcoin debate in all this and he has some intriguing world phrase he says nations will buy gold in instruction of a greenback give way and once more this is the same factor that individuals like peter schiff have been announcing considering 1981 i mean which you can go watch doug casey in 1981 on the Phil Donahue exhibit announcing announcing these matters that your country nations are gonna purchase gold and all set into da greenback cave in this buck crumple that’s in nineteen eighty one style of stuff right here but anyway shift still says it and men and women nonetheless buy into it and that i say it’s less difficult for the crucial bank’s to purchase Bitcoin or to make their possess cryptocurrency in fact instead of purchasing gold and he says important financial institution’s will under no circumstances purchase Bitcoin okay those are worse to consider he in reality says these phrases that principal banks will under no circumstances purchase Bitcoin and we in the Bitcoin we just dreamed that k um however once more he thinks the central banks that they they’re gonna buy gold they may be gonna purchase they may be gonna that is that’s the course they will go in to prepare for the battle they the legendary financial type from 1981 that is what he thinks they’re gonna buy he doesn’t consider you already know that he does not consider it is easy it’s simply simple for primary Bucks to purchase to purchase Bitcoin or to even create their possess crypto over buying gold ok so um that that is missing so he felt the 60 Minutes had the giant folks within the area on which is hilarious if he thinks charlie SRAM is a gigantic person or that indian girl is a enormous PerR he says it used to be so biased for bitcoin and at the 45 minute mark he quite starts analyzing this 60 minute hindrance to a point where it can be like a conspiracy theory he comes up with a 60 Minutes conspiracy conception for bitcoin he’s like all of the insiders knew this was once gonna happen so that’s why the pump the fee pumped and yeah pizza man was once interviewed on their it pizza guys one of the significant big avid gamers within the Bitcoin house i want the he is coming up he’s he is very desperate you understand the the reasons that he comes up with commencing on the 45 minute mark it sets on a targeted level it is sad considering that it’s seeing that he comes up with a conspiracy theories about 60 minutes why bitcoin was on 60 minutes and he says the piece was very very confident it used to be a very confident for those who could not ask for any significant coin persons could not ask for something more it can be ridiculous once more my grandmother watched it show she was scared when she was once she’s due to the fact that I mean they’re bringing out medications they’re citing all these matters that scare normies ok so i wouldn’t say it was once tremendous pop I wasn’t tremendous optimistic but that’s besides the factor watch on the go watch Peter cooks video at the forty five minute mark and notice that if he relatively does provide you with in actual fact a conspiracy thought about 60 minutes and Bitcoin now again I I convey this up I mean simply to show you uh that with the historical-university appear with that variety of golden holder he’s acquired some conviction that he’s developing with some wild and wacky stuff there however we should recall that he says that uh he says vital financial institution’s will under no circumstances purchase a large coin k he says that I say it they will they’ll they’re going to Penny Ling that however again I brought this up typically that was once one of the inspirational ideas that Vinnie came up with that encouraged me to get more Bitcoin and whilst you believe of it it makes sense there are quite a few central banks or there are lot of crucial banks to give an explanation for there are numerous international locations on this planet ok that had matters just like critical banks that they that they may be low leading international locations they may be gonna recognize eventually you recognize that is anything to prop us up just a little all correct panel edit button Oh God Almighty i’m so completely satisfied to exhibit his lifestyles here is a tweet from Jay from Kyle bass he has a piece of writing called quiet panic in Hong Kong at present i’m releasing air views on the monetary political and legal plight of Hong Kong I think buyers that have belongings invested there should immediately move them to united states of americaDollars before it can be too late now i am now not saying that i have bringing that up on the grounds that quite high panic the chinese are there a cost of Hong Kong but they’ve had a fingers-off approach however it’s getting more and more and more arms-on so folks who want to guard themselves they’re he’s saying you realize getting to the buck you liquefy your property there before the chinese take your belongings i assume is what he is saying I say they may be gonna peep they are going to be men and women who understand there is a quiet panic in Hong Kong and they’re not gonna purchase US dollar they’re gonna get in the Bitcoin so this if this and i do not need to sit down in a main issue in Hana kinda worsen i need the chinese language to have a fingers-off procedure i’ve been to Hong Kong before they it is it is rocking over there they’ve bought various good matters he it is it used to be big the chinese language didn’t construct that Hong Kong Kane was once underneath below British rule but he did that he succeeded and underneath underneath the Western manner of trade and free markets etcetera etcetera so i am adding love to look it continue that method but if if the chinese get more difficult their force you recognize have a strong hand and begin squeezing Hong Kong then yeah it’ll be just right for Bitcoin it this is just and matters like this this is what in other international locations that identical matters can occur govt becomes extra tyrannical folks are going to silently panic into Bitcoin so I I did I again some individuals will purchase it you liquefy their belongings into you the us bucks they are able to try this if they want to but it possibly less difficult for the k the in that a part of the world they recognize that Bitcoin they without doubt learn about Bitcoin all proper I keep in mind go to disrupt meister calm you could watch 1300 of my over 1300 my shows there the day prior to this after I used to be speaking about the bitcoin having I forgot to say the famous Chris Gilliard line the biggest supply shock within the history of monetary markets BAM i am pumped about that it can be in a year it’s going to it will be in a yr the most important provide shock in the historical past of monetary markets all correct relocating on coin desk article and the only purpose i am bringing it up is due to the fact that it’s it says that you could now make investments that is Robin Hood currently that you would be able to put money into seven cryptocurrencies on Robin Hood crypto Bitcoin be cash be SV a concept of a theorem classic litecoin and dogecoin which you can additionally track price movements and news from 10 additional crypto currencies once more how huge of a participant in the house is is Robin Hood I have no idea they they’ll have some say in what’s a top to your all coin again they acknowledged one of the ones we’re already aware of Bitcoin P cashed aetherium a fair in traditional like coin so dogecoin most folks do not feel that’s and of direction bsv they are evidently including due to the fact good it used to be convenient to include i guess they’re not good they be aware of that the crypto kids are going to use the 19 year olds are gonna use their app to buy so it why no longer promote something that’s wholly insane like bsv once more they are now not they’re not like an tuition now some of the giant institutions or something like that but once more whats up so that is a whats up i am gonna say that i’m gonna i am gonna say it find it irresistible is that may be a confident for bsv if if an app like this desires to include it too in view that they believe they can become profitable off of it to signal it to the crypto kitties then yeah that does raise bsv a little bit but no then is not it BSP isn’t any prime to your offline i’ll let you know but they are able to they may be able to grep that’s an exact real factor if the BSP people you realize they may be into proceedings and all these things as an alternative of that they must drop it and say you know what Eddie we’re cool these are Robin Hood individuals are clearly carrying us you understand that’s simply an actual constructive factor for them however they they are now not too much into that they are into tons of wild and wacky experiences over there within the BSP lamp but anyway Robin Hood yeah you’re doing all of your part to variety of try to solidify what a prime-tier all coin is moot and eventually us store this for the future what is that this Adam oh oh no that is me telling myself to inform all you guys that this Matt Odell tweet he is a it is a very it is a just right definition a Bitcoin if you want to inform your you’re beginner associates what bitcoin is is and he says bitcoin is a new form of cash that is digital and unbiased of world governments or businesses it is hard to seize block or inflate and easy to send all over the world it is the exceptional cash we now have ever had as extra people appreciate this the cost will have to upward thrust in order that was an extraordinarily high-quality to the factor definition that everyone can understand no hard terminologies in there and that i believe that is whatever you should share with your newby newby associates and neighbors if you happen to ever need in the event that they ever requested you what bitcoin is okay well i am checking the chat correct now see if there were any questions excellent i’m pleased no person requested me any questions considering as which you can tell i am i am relatively in a rush now however I bought a gigantic smile on my face due to the fact that I did have that conviction at present and i knew I you i would get to show off Google and YouTube bag you guys you guys will also be so wacky sometimes with how matters work and the way they don’t work well again hopefully day after today at midday jap Time which you could all flip in and there can be no technical difficulties when I’m seeking to get three other guys online with me so i am also going over my notes correct right here as I talk to you to ensure i didn’t fail to remember whatever and i did not so i’ll see a few of you and beach in seven hours i am adam meister the bitcoinmeister the disrupt meister don’t forget to subscribe this channel like this video share this video investigate out the links beneath bang that bow button and you can see the giant smile on my face that is what existence is about men and women stay in optimistic figuring out that you realize should you preserve attempting you’re going to get that show off and whoa and lifestyles goes on someone simply asked me where do you see yourself in five years I still do journey round it’s visiting around i don’t see myself to settle down I see myself nonetheless making these shows nonetheless making these suggests and rather interested by the 2024 happening that is proper that’s where I see myself in 5 years all right all right i’ll see you guys tomorrow and some of you tonight bye bye

0 notes

batterymonster2021 · 5 years

Text

The 1 Bitcoin Show- Peter Schiff 60 minutes conspiracy theory, Bank bans, Future of BSV, Q&A

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/the-1-bitcoin-show-peter-schiff-60-minutes-conspiracy-theory-bank-bans-future-of-bsv-qa/

The 1 Bitcoin Show- Peter Schiff 60 minutes conspiracy theory, Bank bans, Future of BSV, Q&A

0 notes

brentrogers · 4 years

Text

Podcast: Hugging Strangers to Improve Mental Health

Touch is a powerful thing. From the time we’re born, and throughout our lives, humans need touch to thrive and develop properly. Sadly, many people in our culture experience a profound lack of caring and respectful platonic touch. Today’s guest, Rev. Edie Weinstein, has a remedy for this. She is the founder of Hug Mobsters Armed With Love, which offers FREE HUGS events for the public.

Tune in to discover how Edie got started in the hugging “business,” the ins and outs of giving free hugs in public, and how she manages to gently navigate our culture’s understandable wariness of inappropriate touch.

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

Guest information for ‘Edie Weinstein – Hugging’ Podcast Episode

REV. EDIE WEINSTEIN, MSW, LSW, Love Ambassador, Opti-Mystic & Bliss Mistress

Edie delights in inviting people to live rich, full, juicy lives. She is an internationally recognized, sought after, colorfully creative journalist, interviewer, author and editor, a dynamic and inspiring speaker, licensed social worker and interfaith minister, BLISS coach, event producer, certified Laughter Yoga Leader, certified Cuddle Party facilitator, and Cosmic Concierge.

Edie is the founder of Hug Mobsters Armed With Love, which offers FREE HUGS events world- wide on a planned and spontaneous basis. She speaks on the subjects of wellness, relationships, trauma recovery, addiction, mental health, spirituality, sexuality, loss and grief. Edie is the author of The Bliss Mistress Guide To Transforming the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary and co-author of Embraced By the Divine: The Emerging Woman’s Gateway to Power, Passion and Purpose.

About The Psych Central Podcast Host

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. To learn more about Gabe, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Computer Generated Transcript for ‘Edie Weinstein – Hugging’ Episode

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript has been computer generated and therefore may contain inaccuracies and grammar errors. Thank you.

Announcer: You’re listening to the Psych Central Podcast, where guest experts in the field of psychology and mental health share thought-provoking information using plain, everyday language. Here’s your host, Gabe Howard.

Gabe Howard: Welcome to this week’s episode of the Psych Central Podcast. Calling into the show today we have Edie Weinstein, who is a licensed social worker and a PsychCentral.com blogger. She’s also the founder of Hug Mobsters Armed with Love and the author of the book Bliss Mistress. Edie, welcome to the show.

Edie Weinstein: Thank you, Gabe. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.

Gabe Howard: Well, we really appreciate having you. And the biggest question that I want to ask you and I’ve really been looking forward to this interview. How did you land on a hugs? I mean, of all the things in the world, hugging just seems both so obvious and so far away. Can you talk about this for a moment?

Edie Weinstein: Oh, for more than a moment, actually, we could do the whole interview on that.

Gabe Howard: Yeah.

Edie Weinstein: I grew up in a very nurturing family. Nobody left the house without hugs. And I love you. Nobody came back in without hugs and I love you. Unlike a lot of people, sadly, a lot of people’s home’s touch was either violent, coercive, non-existent, limited sexual or not by consent. In my home, it was purely by consent and abundant. So I told my parents they raised me to do this kind of work. And I came upon the free hugs movement. There is a gentleman named Juan Mann. People want to Google it, it’s J U A N M A N N. And one day he went into his town square with a sign that said free hugs. He had moved there, I believe, from England and was lonely. And something like 20 minutes went by. Nobody came up to him. People walked by, looked at him like, what the heck is this weird guy doing? And then this older woman came up to him and they embraced. And then people started gathering around and a movement was born. In 2014, Valentine’s Day weekend, I brought a group of friends to 30th Street Station, which is the big train station in Philadelphia. We let ourselves loose there, about a dozen of us who walked around the train station with our free hug signs offering people love. And we did a free hugs flashmob and it’s only by consent.

Edie Weinstein: We didn’t kamikaze hug anybody. We didn’t go grab people. We asked, would you like a hug? And if they said yes, we’d hug them. And if they’d say no, we say, okay, thank you. Hug somebody. Well, one of the people that approached us was a gentleman who was an Iraq war vet. He was the only survivor of his platoon. And he had survivor’s guilt. And he said, I thought about ending my life until I met you people. Can I join you? So, of course, we gave him a sign and he was off to the races himself. And I thought, wow, we’ve really got something here. Hugs, save lives. And I hadn’t realized how much until a few months later, on the way home from the gym, I had a heart attack at age 55. And as part of my cardiac rehab, I walked around Doylestown, Pennsylvania, which is closer to home than Philly, doing free hugs strolls because hugs are heart friendly, not just cardiac friendly, but emotionally heart friendly. And they connect us heart to heart. So friends started calling us “hug mobsters,” and I said, oh, mobsters, Mafia, guns, drugs. Nah, I don’t think so. And I said, what about Hug Mobsters Armed with Love? And thus a movement was, well, it wasn’t born, but it was extended beyond what one man did. So I do it any and every where I can.

Gabe Howard: That is incredible and I love everything about it. And my favorite phrase in there might be, “We aren’t hug kamikazes.” I come from a loving family as well. We’re huggers, I always tell people that I am a hugger and

Edie Weinstein: Yeah.

Gabe Howard: Kamikaze hugs. Again, my new favorite phrase. That’s how we hug. I mean, people just charge you and hug you in my family. But of course, that’s my family. I’m on a first name basis with all of these people. How does this work in the real world? You know, at first, I was like, man, if you just like grab people, that that seems like a really bad idea. But if you just walk up to a stranger and say, can I give you a hug? I’m not going to lie, that also seems like a really bad idea. How are you bridging those gaps?

Edie Weinstein: Well, a couple of things, particularly in the era of #MeToo, we want to be really careful about how we touch people because anything can be misinterpreted. And on the flip side, we want to be sure that we don’t buy into the touch deprivation that so much a part of American culture. So the kamikaze hugs even people in my life, if I’m not sure if they want to hug, I’ll say, can I give you a hug, would you like a hug? And when I’m out on the street having a Hug Mobster sign helps. People look at it like, OK, what is that? Or if I carry a sign that says free hugs or if I wear a t shirt that indicates that I’m doing free hugs. When I do it out on the street somewhere, like I was in Washington, D.C., hugging in front of the White House, and there were people from all over the world, all different cultures, some of them huggier cultures than others. And even that, you know, I would approach people and say, may I give you a hug or would you like to share a hug? Some people are hungry for it. Some say, no, thank you, nah, I’m good. When they say, no, I don’t want it, they’ll say, nah, I’m good. And I say, I know you’re good, but hug somebody. So, yeah, it does feel kind of weird and culturally, sadly, because I’m a woman, it’s less threatening. Because I’ve had male friends go on hug strolls with me and some of them are a little leery about reaching out to hug people. So this is changing the culture, okay. Changing touch culture, changing relationship culture.

Gabe Howard: I remember early on in my career, for those who don’t know I’m six foot three, I’m two hundred and seventy five pounds, I’m broad shoulders, I’m just a giant of a man. And as I mentioned, my family are all huggers. And when I first got started, people would just come up and hug me. And I loved that. That was amazing to me. And as I got more comfortable in my role as a speaker and a presenter and a public figure, for lack of a better word, I just started randomly hugging people back. I work in mental health, so there’s more women than men. But one time I went in for a hug and somebody put up their hand and said, no, no, no, I’m not a hugger. And you should be careful, Gabe, because if people have a history of trauma, people don’t like that. I mean, you know, you’re a man coming in. And I thought about that for a moment. And now I have the phrase, are you a hugger?

Edie Weinstein: Yep, yep.

Gabe Howard: And that’s what I say. You know, people come up and they talk to me and they’re like, you know, gay, blah, blah, blah. And I’m like, oh, are you a hugger? And I open up my arms. And if they say, no, I’m not. I say, well, I’m giving you a mental hug or I’m

Edie Weinstein: Yes.

Gabe Howard: I’m hugging you in our mind. And I reach out my hand or I shake their hands or I just do whatever they want. But you’re right. This idea that hugging is natural has sort of. It’s just weird for me. I’m not going to lie because I think that a hug is just something that you do for everybody. Whereas in other cultures, kissing hello is perfectly normal. And I think that’s very weird. So are the majority of people receptive or are the majority of people not receptive? Like, what’s your ratio there? How many people accept the hugs?

Edie Weinstein: Ok. Well, most are receptive.

Gabe Howard: Nice.

Edie Weinstein: When I first started doing this, more people said no because I was uncertain. Anytime you approach someone with a new idea, the more confident you are, the more people are gonna be receptive. Because they sense that energy. Now it’s a few people they know. They say thank you. Thanks for taking care of yourself. Not everybody is into this. And I will do that like if I’m meeting somebody and they’ll hold out their hand. I think that’s what you said. Are you a hugger? They say, oh, yes. And I’ll hug them and they say no, and I will shake a hand. And when people say no to a physical embrace, I’ll say, are you cool with a handshake? High five? Fist bump, virtual hug? Where I’ll wrap my arms around myself and imagine hugging them and usually they will say yes. There are times when I’ve hugged hundreds of people in a day. I go to different events like this summer, there were four Pride Fests, and I probably hugged a few hundred people throughout, you know, a full day. And I don’t keep track. Somebody said, oh, you should have a clicker. I don’t want to do that because it takes away from the quality of what I’m doing. Quantity to me doesn’t much matter. What’s the impact? It’s a ripple effect. I’m not totally altruistic. I do it for myself, too, because it helps me feel connected to the world. You know, when I hug people, I don’t know what their politics are, who they voted for. I don’t know what their religion is unless they tell me. I don’t know what their gender orientation or sexual orientation is. And it doesn’t matter. I just want the world to be a kinder, more loving place. And if hugs can help with that, I’m all on board with it.

Gabe Howard: The next question that I want to ask is surrounding like the worst case scenario. You said that the majority of people are accepting the hugs. You’ve talked about the people who don’t want hugs are just like, oh, no, thank you. And you say, hey, you should hug somebody today. And they say, OK. And they wander off. Have you gotten any truly bad reactions? Has anybody just flipped out?

Edie Weinstein: Never. Nope. The most is somebody says no, I’m not really into hugs or no, thank you. You know, I’ve never had that. But again, I think it’s because I’m a 5 foot, 4 inch woman. I have purple hair sometimes and I wear colorful clothing. So I’m not particularly threatening. But the coolest things that come out of this are the types of people that have said yes. I celebrate the anniversary of my heart attack as a brand new life experience, and I always do free hug strolls. On my third cardio-versary, a friend of mine who’s a filmmaker followed me around South Street in Philadelphia, and there was this beautiful Muslim woman dressed, I wouldn’t say in full hijab. Her face was uncovered, her head, and she comes up to me and she offers me a hug and she says, Who wouldn’t want a hug? And she was kind of gesturing and moving her body around. Who wouldn’t want to hug. And some people don’t. They say that they don’t want them. And she lifted up her finger and pointed at me. And she says even when they say they don’t they don’t want them, they need them. And I thought if the people who espouse hatred see this beautiful woman who is probably in her 40s, I’m guessing, talking about the power of hugs to connect people and that the needs that they meet, they couldn’t possibly hate.

Edie Weinstein: So I think that’s part of it. The other thing that’s important, too, is children. When there are children around that I offer a hug to, I say to the parent, if it’s okay with you and okay with your child, may I hug your child? If the parent says yes, a child says no, I won’t touch them. And I’ll say to the child, nobody touches you without your permission. So it’s OK that you’re saying no. When I was in D.C., there was a family from the Dominican Republic and it was a mom and dad, and like a 7 or 8 year old boy. And he didn’t want hugs at first. And I said, OK, will you do fist bumps or high fives? And he did both of those. So a few minutes later, before I left, he approaches me and opens his arms. So he was asking me for a hug. So I’m a consent educator and this is about consent as well.

Gabe Howard: We’ll be right back after these messages.

Announcer: Want real, no-boundaries talk about mental health issues from those who live it? Listen to the Not Crazy podcast co-hosted by a lady with depression and a guy with bipolar. Visit Psych Central.com/NotCrazy or subscribe to Not Crazy on your favorite podcast player.

Announcer: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. Secure, convenient, and affordable online counseling. Our counselors are licensed, accredited professionals. Anything you share is confidential. Schedule secure video or phone sessions, plus chat and text with your therapist whenever you feel it’s needed. A month of online therapy often costs less than a single traditional face to face session. Go to BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral and experience seven days of free therapy to see if online counseling is right for you. BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral.

Gabe Howard: We’ll be right back after these messages.

Gabe Howard: We’re back speaking with Edie Weinstein, a licensed social worker, about the power of hugging. So let’s talk about consent for a moment. As you pointed out, you’re a consent educator. And early on when I was a young boy, I was always told that no means no. Later on, I was told, listen, we have to get rid of no means no because it’s not thorough. And we wanted to hear. Yes, means yes. This opened up a world of understanding for me, because when you hear a yes, you know that you have permission. Can you talk about that a little bit? Because I really do think that people are fuzzy on what consent is. And that’s so unfortunate.

Edie Weinstein: Absolutely. Well, it’s perfect timing because I’ve just started teaching a class with a friend who’s also in the same field that I am called, “Yes, No, Maybe So: The Conscious Consent and Boundaries Workshop.” And we just did our first one together on Sunday. And the way that we define it, define consent is that it’s saying yes, just to touch, but a wholehearted yes to whatever it is that’s being offered to us or asked of us. And if I’m not a full blown heck yes, then I’m a heck no. Okay? I don’t have to say yes. Those of us who are co-dependent and I count myself among them, people pleasers. My husband used to say I was an emotional contortionist who’d bend over backwards to please people. I would often say yes when I really wanted to say no. I didn’t want anybody to feel rejected and I didn’t want to be rejected. So, consent is all bound up in that as well. That when we give our full, wholehearted consent to something, we are on board with it. I consented to this interview. I may have been wishy washy about it, and if I’m wishy washy about something. I won’t do it until I’m sure that this is what I want to do.

Edie Weinstein: And I’ve been that way all my life that I’ve had to think things through before I jump into it. And once I’m there, I’m all in. So, consent for me is about, okay, can I be all in to whatever is being offered to me or asked of me? And that could be touch. It could be sex. It could be a gift. It could be a commitment to do something with someone. So that’s why it’s important. When my son, who’s now 32, was a boy, we talked a lot about not only no means no, but only yes means yes. And not just from him, but to him. I said, if somebody wants to touch you in a way that you don’t want to be touched, no matter who it is, it’s no. And you’re allowed and you’re encouraged, and you’re expected to say no if you’re not comfortable. And to the best of my knowledge, he you know, he’s been appropriate with anybody he’s ever been in relationship with. I’ve never worried about him crossing boundaries and touching somebody inappropriately. And I wanted him to know that he had the freedom and the self body sovereignty to say no to anybody touching him if he didn’t want it.

Gabe Howard: And I think that some of this goes back to what you were saying about getting consent from children. I do not have children, but the majority of my friends and family do. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard. Oh, don’t be that way. Give your uncle a hug or stop that. You say hello and give them a hug. I understand the say hello. I understand the make eye contact. I understand being socially appropriate, but it does shift a little when you demand that somebody occupy your physical space. Right? My question specifically in this isn’t so much about consent, but it’s about how do you teach somebody, especially a child, the benefits and the value of hugging without forcing them to hug a bunch of people?

Edie Weinstein: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Gabe Howard: It’s difficult, right, it’s difficult for a parent because like you said, touch is so valuable and so important, but you don’t want to force somebody to do it.

Edie Weinstein: Right. In the 1960s and 70s, I’m 61, the common thing was, oh, go hug aunt so and so. You don’t want her to feel bad.

Gabe Howard: Right.

Edie Weinstein: One of the things that I encourage children to do, if I was a parent dealing with this and what I would tell the child if the person wanted a hug. They don’t owe anybody a hug. If I was going to a family gathering with a child, even as old as an adolescent, I would say there’s gonna be people here that you don’t know. How do you want to greet them? Now, what would be a good way for you to feel comfortable to greet them? And if they’re people that you do know, know, how would you like to greet this person? Well, I would like to shake their hand or I would like to do a high five or fist bump. And so it’s preparing them in advance. So listen to somebodies words and watch their body language, their non-verbal cues. If you’re an adult witnessing, and it doesn’t have to be anything horrible, it’s not like somebody who’s molesting the child. But if you see a child being uncomfortable with physical behavior from an adult, you can step in and say, OK, enough, enough, stop. And take that firm stand, because that way that child will feel like they have an ally, that they have a voice, and that you’re encouraging their voice.

Gabe Howard: And I think it’s important for anybody listening to understand that obviously the best hugs. Just like anything else in life are ones freely given. We have to consider whether it’s a child, whether it’s your mom, whether it’s whom ever a co-worker or a stranger on the street. If they’re hugging you out of obligation, it’s diminishing the return significantly. I don’t want to hug somebody that doesn’t want to hug me because somebody who is bigger than them and had power over them told them to.

Edie Weinstein: Absolutely.

Gabe Howard: It kind of ruins it a bit.

Edie Weinstein: Absolutely. And if you’re on the receiving end, wouldn’t you want somebody to hug you willingly?

Gabe Howard: Yes.

Edie Weinstein: Doesn’t that feel so much better? And there are times like, for example, if you’re in a relationship and your partner is not feeling so hot and you say, would you like a hug? And they say, no, really, I just want to be by myself. Forcing a hug on them isn’t listening to what they’re saying. And there are some people that when they don’t feel well, whether it’s a physical condition or an emotional condition, that they just want their space. It’s not a rejection of you or the love that you want to offer them. That’s hard too. If somebody is saying, well, I have all this love to give and I know that by hugging them, I’m going to make them feel better. It’s not about them. You’re making it about you.

Gabe Howard: Exactly.

Edie Weinstein: Yeah, I mean, my primary love language is touch, but there are people in my life that are not. That’s not their primary love language. I have wonderful nurturing friends, who would never do a free hugs event with me. They’d never go out and do that. I also teach a workshop called Cuddle Party, which is about nurturing non-sexual platonic touch for adults. And there are people that in my life that would never go to one. My son included. He says, Mom, the day I go to a cuddle party is the day you get in a wrestling ring or go to a shooting range. It so happens. So but he’s very. However, he’s very affectionate with me, with his wife, with his friends. But his style is very different. I’m his weird hippie mom who does all this bizarre stuff. It’s slightly embarrassing for my 32 year old.

Gabe Howard: You know, Edie, along the lines of that weird hippie mom statement that you just made, when I first became aware of you and to be clear, we’re co-workers over at Psych Central. So you’re not just some random person I found on the Internet. We have an actual working relationship. And even then, I thought, what is this? And

Edie Weinstein: Everybody, bizarre woman here.

Gabe Howard: You know, I’m kind of on guard for this. As the host of the podcast, I talk to a lot of people. I get a lot of guest pitches. As an associate editor over at Psych Central, I read a lot of the submissions and there’s a lot of what I like to call misinformation out in the world, especially surrounding mental illness and psychiatry and the treatment for mental health conditions, mental illness, etc. And just to disclose, when it, when I first saw this, I thought, well, this doesn’t make any sense. I mean, just randomly hugging people, that’s not going to do anything. But I’ve also learned to keep an open mind and I read your articles, I read the information that you provided. And of course, again, we’re coworkers. I know you. It makes it a little easier. And I realized that, yeah, because you’re not saying that hugging it cures mental illness. You’re not saying that hugging prevents depression. All you’re saying is that hugging has intrinsic value and that kindness has intrinsic value. And that value reverberates out into your life and into the lives of others in a very positive and meaningful ways.

Edie Weinstein: Right.

Gabe Howard: And I wish more people would understand that when, you know, they roll their eyes at this, because, you know, some people do. And I think if

Edie Weinstein: Yeah.

Gabe Howard: They really thought about it, they would realize that, oh, my God, we’re sitting on the simple solution to feeling disconnected. And here we are.

Edie Weinstein: Yeah, I totally agree, and as I said, hugs save lives. I don’t know what happened with the gentleman that hugged us initially, five years ago. I don’t even know if I’d recognize him if I saw him again. But I also know that for the people who experienced this, the feedback that I get from them, they don’t feel so alone. There’s another form of hugging that I do. It’s called free mom hugs. Have you ever heard of that?

Gabe Howard: I have not.

Edie Weinstein: Ok. Free mom hugs got started probably around the same time as Hug Mobsters did. There’s a woman named Sarah Cunningham and she was a devout, she’s still a devout, Christian whose son came out to her as a gay man and she went into a tailspin. She thought, oh my goodness, how can I love God and love my son and not have to choose between them? So she had a dark night of the soul, like a lot of people do, if their kids come out to them and she realized she didn’t have to make a choice. So Parker invited her to go to a pride fest in Oklahoma City, and she made up a sign that said free mom hugs with the idea that those who come out to their parents don’t often get hugs, though she said by the end of the day, she was covered with tears and glitter because a lot of the people that she hugged sobbed because they didn’t have the kind of parents that she was for her son. And she thought, just like I did, I’ve got something here. So she took it on the road. So I’m part of free mom hugs. You can actually look that Web site up too, free mom hugs. There’re chapters probably in all 50 states. And when I went to the Pride Fest, I hugged a lot of young people whose parents rejected them when they came out and they said our parents would never do that. There’s also free dad hugs. So that healed. I can’t tell you how many lives that kind of hugging changes when they feel accepted by a maternal or paternal figure, even if it’s not their own. And yes, I’m sure there are articles out there that talk about the mental health healing, power of safe, nurturing, platonic touch by consent. And that’s how I would categorize what I do.

Gabe Howard: Well, that is incredible. Edie, we are about at the end of our time. Can you tell folks how to find you and how to find your book, Bliss Mistress?

Edie Weinstein: They could find it on Amazon, The Bliss Mistress Guide to Transforming the Ordinary into the Extraordinary. They can find me on my Web site www.opti-mystical.com. So that’s my Web site. I’m also on Facebook. My son calls me a Facebook addict. But it’s Edie Weinstein, W E I N S T E I N, and I encourage you to be in touch with me and hug somebody today starting with yourself. So I invite whoever is listening to wrap their arms around themselves and then take it out to the street.

Gabe Howard: Well, thank you so much for being here, and I could not agree more. Hug as many people as possible and I really like the idea of hugging yourself. Thank you again for being here.

Edie Weinstein: My pleasure, Gabe.

Gabe Howard: And remember, everyone, you can get one week of free, convenient, affordable, private online counselling anytime, anywhere, simply by visiting BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral. Also, wherever you downloaded this podcast, give us as many stars, hearts or bullet points as you feel appropriate and use your words. Tell people why you liked the show. And finally, share us on social media. Email us to everybody you know and we will see everyone next week.

Announcer: You’ve been listening to The Psych Central Podcast. Want your audience to be wowed at your next event? Feature an appearance and LIVE RECORDING of the Psych Central Podcast right from your stage! Email us at [email protected] for details. Previous episodes can be found at PsychCentral.com/Show or on your favorite podcast player. Psych Central is the internet’s oldest and largest independent mental health website run by mental health professionals. Overseen by Dr. John Grohol, Psych Central offers trusted resources and quizzes to help answer your questions about mental health, personality, psychotherapy, and more. Please visit us today at PsychCentral.com. To learn more about our host, Gabe Howard, please visit his website at gabehoward.com. Thank you for listening and please share widely.

Podcast: Hugging Strangers to Improve Mental Health syndicated from

0 notes

erraticfairy · 4 years

Text

Podcast: Hugging Strangers to Improve Mental Health

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

Guest information for ‘Edie Weinstein – Hugging’ Podcast Episode

REV. EDIE WEINSTEIN, MSW, LSW, Love Ambassador, Opti-Mystic & Bliss Mistress

About The Psych Central Podcast Host

Computer Generated Transcript for ‘Edie Weinstein – Hugging’ Episode

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript has been computer generated and therefore may contain inaccuracies and grammar errors. Thank you.

Edie Weinstein: Thank you, Gabe. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.

Edie Weinstein: Oh, for more than a moment, actually, we could do the whole interview on that.

Gabe Howard: Yeah.

Edie Weinstein: Yeah.

Edie Weinstein: Yep, yep.

Edie Weinstein: Yes.

Edie Weinstein: Ok. Well, most are receptive.

Gabe Howard: Nice.

Gabe Howard: We’ll be right back after these messages.

Edie Weinstein: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Gabe Howard: It’s difficult, right, it’s difficult for a parent because like you said, touch is so valuable and so important, but you don’t want to force somebody to do it.

Edie Weinstein: Right. In the 1960s and 70s, I’m 61, the common thing was, oh, go hug aunt so and so. You don’t want her to feel bad.

Gabe Howard: Right.

Edie Weinstein: Absolutely.

Gabe Howard: It kind of ruins it a bit.

Edie Weinstein: Absolutely. And if you’re on the receiving end, wouldn’t you want somebody to hug you willingly?

Gabe Howard: Yes.

Gabe Howard: Exactly.

Edie Weinstein: Everybody, bizarre woman here.

Edie Weinstein: Right.

Gabe Howard: And I wish more people would understand that when, you know, they roll their eyes at this, because, you know, some people do. And I think if

Edie Weinstein: Yeah.

Gabe Howard: They really thought about it, they would realize that, oh, my God, we’re sitting on the simple solution to feeling disconnected. And here we are.

Gabe Howard: I have not.

Gabe Howard: Well, that is incredible. Edie, we are about at the end of our time. Can you tell folks how to find you and how to find your book, Bliss Mistress?

Gabe Howard: Well, thank you so much for being here, and I could not agree more. Hug as many people as possible and I really like the idea of hugging yourself. Thank you again for being here.

Edie Weinstein: My pleasure, Gabe.

from World of Psychology https://ift.tt/30qm0sE via theshiningmind.com

#World of Psychology #child psychology

0 notes