#now the prom venue was right next to the movie theater

[homestuck--edits]

Hey, I have a sprite edit of Mobster Kingpin (From MSPA) but he looks really fluffy, thank you.

-Bizcuit

not exactly a look compatible with fluffy. also looking at this sprite upsets me /lh

-mod davesprit

[artificialqueens]

Échappé / Chapter 7 (Branjie) - DenDenMonMon

A/N: Things will be happening now. The idea was to write nothing too explicit, maybe like the movie channel after ten o’clock but, well, this story decided to go Places. Sorry (kinda). -Monkey.

AO3 Link

Chapter 7

They were early, and Brooke knew it. People often joked about her, her and the medical condition that made it physically impossible for her to be late. Technically, they weren’t wrong. She just couldn’t risk not being on time. That was the reason why she rushed all her dancemates to get changed as fast as they could after the show to make their way to the club.

Ben drove the limousine through Hollywood Boulevard, the dancers stuck their heads out of the sunroof. They laughed, and screamed, and waved at tourists, like teenagers on their way to prom.

Brooke felt happy, the happiest she had been in a really long time. She wasn’t entirely sure why, or, better yet, she had so many reasons to be happy that picking one would be unfair. Instead of worrying about that, she basked in the feeling of accomplishment. They had finished one more leg of the tour and she couldn’t be prouder of her team. Everybody worked so hard and the results were a marvelous set of shows worth celebrating.

The loud music could be heard coming from the inside of the club when they got there. Brooke stared at the neon letters blinking in the same colors as the last time she was there. The girls had offered the strip club as the venue for the after party; Brooke figured the ballerinas would object, but the response was nothing like she had expected. Once again, she was surprised to realize how intertwined the different dance groups had become. Two completely different worlds had merged and given birth to one big, dysfunctional family.

Silky was on stage, thanking a dancer who picked a police uniform up from the floor, and did her attitude check. Brooke yelled her reply with the rest of the club as she led the girls to their reserved area. She sat on the same couch as the time before, and the rest of the company quickly filled that and the two adjacent booths.

A waiter appeared, tray with drinks already in hand, and informed them the first round was on the house. The ballerinas took one each and raised their shots at the same time, toasting to a job well done. Brooke gave a few words, not really in the mood to deliver a full speech when there was a girl removing her pants on the platform behind her. Nonetheless, she wanted to thank her friends for all their hard work, and encouraged them to take the next city by storm. They drank and danced to the music used to accompany the stripper on stage. The dancer wore nothing but a thong and a couple of the ballerinas approached her, placing dollar bills in the straps holding together the small piece of fabric.

After that performance, Silky took the microphone again. All the lights went out except for the big spotlight above the stage. “Alright, y’all! We are having a celebration tonight!” She shook her shoulders, making her breasts bounce arrhythmically. The crowd clapped and cheered, oblivious of the reason for the celebration, but infected by the happiness of the host. “We have some fancy-ass guests in the audience tonight. These girls, they can set stages on fire, girl. They are fabulous dancers, who sell out… theaters, probably arenas, too. I’m guessing. I’m not sure. And, apparently, tonight they were on a budget,” she spoke the last words between chuckles, eliciting the ballerinas to giggle right along with her. “Nobody is judging,” she pointed, and winked in their general direction. “We do have a little surprise for you, you high class hoes. Not only because you did that Disney princess movie typa thing, but for everything that you have done for us, for our girls, for our center. Now, y’all may have saved our asses but don’t forget to tip our girls, okay. Every dollar counts, honey. Hit it!”

Between cheers and whistling was that a girl appeared on stage. Trixie did a cute little number. Dressed as a cowgirl, she moved around the platform to an upbeat country song. Brooke’s eyes immediately went to Katya, who mouthed the words as Trixie peeled pieces of clothing off her body. Brooke had never heard that song before, and Katya never liked country; Brooke had to wonder how come her friend knew all the lyrics. As she fixed her stare on Katya, Brooke noticed she knew the steps too.

There was a sharp pain in her heart when Katya moved to place a stack of bills in Trixie’s bra. They kissed openly for a moment too long, before Trixie went back to her song. Katya mimicked every move from the side of the stage. Brooke could very easily see Trixie and Katya, really late at night, practicing the number; maybe at the girls’ apartment, maybe in Katya’s rented suite. It was a beautiful mental picture of two girls falling instantly in love. They had become so close just to be separated after a few weeks. Because that was what hurt Brooke, her friends having to part ways for a long period. That was surely it.

Looking down at her phone, Brooke realized it was already past midnight, they were technically leaving the next day. A sigh escaped her lips heavily.

Yvie was next on the stage. She twisted her body in ways that could not possibly be human, and took her clothes off in a way that was more entertaining than sensual. The crowd loved her, and showered her with money as she went around the pole at the end of the runway.

Brooke knew what was coming next. Her body tensed as she sat with her back impossibly straight.

The lighting changed again and, even when she was covered with a cloak, Brooke could recognize those pony legs stomping on the stage. Miss Vanjie stood in the middle of the runway as Rihanna’s voice sounded loudly all around them. The beat dropped and that’s when the covering garment found the floor. Vanessa’s hair looked incredibly long, let down in natural waves that almost reached her butt. She wore some sort of basketball outfit with her own name printed on it, white letters against black fabric. If it had been anyone else, it would have looked silly, on her, it looked insanely sexy.

Vanessa, with her mocha skin covered in glitter, moved around the stage at an incredibly fast pace. She commanded the entire floor doing nothing but walking in her leather boots, her hips swaying more than necessary as she waited for the music to pick up again. Her hair followed like a dark curtain behind her until she flipped it over one shoulder. There was a dramatic change in the tempo as she hit her second mark.

Her dancing was hot and sensual. She dropped to all fours, crawled across the floor, and knelt down right in front of the ballerinas’ booth. Her knees spread apart and closed together several times, the muscles of her thighs contracting underneath the pair of black shorts. The palm of her hand landed flat against her breast, her tongue went up against her lip as she massaged herself through her clothes. She lowered her hands and played with the hem of her shirt, revealing her toned stomach. Brooke suddenly wanted to run her tongue between the muscles of her abs. She settled for the best next thing. She got up and went to Vanessa, just in time to see the top flying across the stage. Her fingers came in contact with hot skin as she placed dollar bills, one at a time, in the waistband of the shorts.

“Thanks, Mami,” Vanessa whispered against her hair, before placing a soft kiss on her cheek and getting up.

The song ended too quickly, and Vanessa left the stage with her sparkling underwear still on. Brooke was actually happy about it, but that was a thought she wasn’t going to entertain. She knew what Vanessa did for a living, she knew that Miss Vanjie was a major part of who Vanessa was as a person, Brooke couldn’t possibly have any negative feelings towards it.

Luckily, before she could spiral down that particular chain of destructive thoughts, the strippers joined the ballerinas. There was loud screaming, congratulations, and more glasses of shots going around.

Vanessa, still in her underwear, right away moved to Brooke and stood between her opened legs. “Hey, there, my little fairy.”

Brooke couldn’t help but smile. She ran her fingers through the ends of Vanessa’s hair as she spoke. “Did you like the show?”

“Bitch, I loved it. My ass sat there in awe for the whole two hours, ADHD and all!” She laughed loudly, sinking down slowly and finding a seat on Brooke’s lap almost without noticing.

Before she could reply, Nina called for Brooke’s attention. “Hey, Brooke! We have decided on a name for you two.”

Nervous chuckles left Brooke’s lips. “What?” she asked confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Branjie!” Nina offered, as if the word by itself meant anything. “You know, Brooke and Vanjie. Branjie!”

Brooke was shocked to see how everybody agreed with the name, commenting on how fitting it was and pronouncing it repeatedly, tasting the new term against their tongues.

With a roll of her eyes, Brooke dismissed the subject. “Oh, shut the fuck up everyone. Go away!”

The group laughed at her response, making her even more uncomfortable; but then Vanessa was getting up and pulling her by the hand. “Actually, Branjie,” she drawled the word, her voice going up a few octaves. “Is the one that’s gotta bounce. See ya later, hoes.”

They started walking away and nobody stopped them. Brooke allowed herself to be dragged to the back of the place, where she remembered the private area to be. A rush of heat went through her when Vanessa pulled the last curtain of the row opened, pushing her inside the pink cubicle.

“Sit,” Vanessa ordered, it wasn’t a request. Brooke could do nothing but obey. “You paid for a lap dance that you never got, remember?” A slight nod of Brooke’s head answered the question. “We run some serious business around here, child, and there’s nothing I hate more than an unsatis… unsate… a not so happy customer, okay?”

It wasn’t like she wanted to ruin the mood, Brooke knew exactly where the situation was going, but she had to laugh at the minx before her. It was fascinating how Vanessa was this sexy cultural mixture that would stumble with her languages more often than not.

However, the giggles died on her lips as soon as Vanessa’s hips started swaying. With her legs closed, and bending her knees, she slowly went up and down, her body moving in sexy waves that formed a perfect S. Her eyelashes fluttered rapidly and her lips parted slightly. Her hands went up and down her sides, stopping momentarily to unclasp her bra. Her fingers easily unhooked the little silver wiring between her boobs, and then dropped her arms, slightly stretched back, to let the garment fall to the floor. Brooke was sure she hadn’t seen anything sexier in her life. She bit her lower lip and pressed her thighs together. The wave of heat had found the perfect place to settle in her crotch, where she throbbed to the rhythm of her speedy heartbeat. She could feel the wetness pooling between her legs, and felt almost embarrassed. She felt like a teen, getting turned on just by witnessing a sensual dance; nobody had even touched her yet.

Vanessa took care of that right away, almost as if she could read her mind. Each of her legs landed on the cushions as she straddled Brooke’s lap. Her hands found support on Brooke’s shoulders and her hips started rocking back and forth. Vanessa wasn’t really following the music that came from the main area, but Brooke didn’t care. The soft touch of skin on skin made it irrelevant. She could feel the heat emanating Vanessa’s body, trespassing through her own skirt.

Tilting her head to the side, Vanessa made her hair rest on one side of her head. She pressed her cheek against Brooke’s face. Soft grunts and light puffs of hot air hit Brooke’s ear, who simply sat there as Vanessa’s core traveled across her thighs and hit her pelvic area repeatedly.

She looked down, just to admire the small perky breasts pushing against her torso. She licked her lips, wishing she could be licking something else.

“You know you can touch, right?” Vanessa asked, before her lips wrapped around her earlobe.

Brooke shivered unintentionally. Her body responded automatically to the movements and saltry tone of voice of the fireball on top of her. Without thinking about it, her hands landed on Vanessa’s butt, guiding her to rub against her harder and faster. She parted her legs slightly, and that was enough cue for Vanessa to snake her hand between them. Brooke knew what Vanessa was going to find, she was sure she had soaked her own underwear. In a twisted way, it turned her on even more. She wanted Vanessa to know what she was doing to her.

A deep groan came from the back of Vanessa’s throat when she found her prize. “Oh, Mami, you are so ready.”

Their lips met for the first time that night as Vanessa entered her. It felt like a million stars had burst inside Brooke’s body, galaxies crashed with one another and filled her with light. There was nothing but emptiness around her, she could hear nothing but the sound of wet lips smacking together. Fireworks were starting to line up, ready to be set on fire any minute now, which forced her to stop. Somewhere between the fog of desire, Brooke had a clear view of things. She didn’t want their first time to be like that. Not in a place with see-through curtains and on a couch where who knew how many people had done the same thing. They deserved more than that.

She took a hold of Vanessa’s wrist, stopping the thrusting of her finger. “Let’s get out of here.”

Vanessa bit Brooke’s lip, then ran her tongue over it to sooth the pain. “Your place or mine?”

“How is that even a question?” Brooke smiled, letting her know there was no harm in her words, and pushed her to stand. “Go get your stuff. I’ll get us a ride.”

Brooke gathered her things, giving explanations to nobody, and soon was joined by Vanessa in her basketball outfit. By the time they exited through the backdoor of the club, Ben was already waiting for them.

“You better look away, Benny Boy,” Vanessa warned as they climbed into the backseat. “Things are about to get real hot real quick back here.”

The driver chuckled softly. He didn’t respond but did move the rearview mirror a little bit higher, unsuccessfully avoiding the makeout session taking place behind him. It took mere seconds of mouths capturing lips, tongues running against teeth, and hands brushing over skin, before he decided to put the division up without asking.

Downtown LA was far from Century City, where Brooke rented a condo during her stay. Yet, without the day traffic, and time becoming completely irrelevant to the kissing couple, it felt like they got there in a blink of an eye.

Surprisingly, they were able to contain themselves as they went through the lobby. The elevator ride did nothing but build up the sexual tension. When Brooke punched in the code, and the doors slid open, all restraints were forgotten. She placed both hands on Vanessa’s face and kissed her, hard but slow. The nearest wall worked as support as Brooke pressed Vanessa against it. She wanted to take her time, to make each second count. She wanted to let Vanessa know just how much that moment meant to her.

“You are so beautiful,” she whispered into Vanessa’s mouth.

Vanessa was tiny, despite the high heeled boots she never failed to wear. Brooke had to hunch over just to kiss her properly. Taking advantage of her position, Brooke dropped to her knees with ease. She hooked her fingers to the elastics of the shorts, pulling down and letting them pool around Vanessa’s feet.

“I need you to tell me if I’m doing it wrong,” Brooke’s words got lost between Vanessa’s thighs.

“Bitch, don’t tell me you have never – oh!”

Brooke smiled proudly at the reaction. Her lips curled up as she sucked on Vanessa’s most sensitive spot. She dedicated her sole attention to the bundle of nerves, sucking, kissing and running her tongue around it. She kept a steady pace, literally feeling how Vanessa melted above her, before pushing a finger in.

“Yo, girl, you want to kill me, child?” A second finger was inserted to her words, making Vanessa scream in surprise.

It felt so natural to be there, on her knees, pleasuring such a beautiful girl. Brooke could stay like that forever. Vanessa, however, had a different idea. Just when her legs started to give out, she pulled Brooke’s hair, mumbling something about that being unfair and exhaling a request to be taken to the bedroom.

There was no time to lose. The pair of shorts was left right there in the middle of the hallway, and the black thong was dropped somewhere around the living room. When they reached the bedroom, Brooke gave Vanessa specific instructions to keep the boots on. She obeyed. With a kinky grin adorning her lips, Vanessa moved to undress Brooke. She took her time, and Brooke felt about the explode with each painful second.

They fell on the bed in a naked mess of limbs as their mouths devoured each other.

“I can’t believe this is actually happening,” Brooke confessed, when the lack of air forced them to pull apart. “It’s just so… unbelievable.” Her breathing was heavy, she could feel her chest going up and down erratically.

Vanessa’s hand traced lazy circles around her navel. “Do you want to stop?”

“Are you kidding me? Fuck no!” Brooke confirmed her words by thrusting her hips up, connecting Vanessa’s hand to her center.

It was a matter of seconds before Brooke was shaking uncontrollably, her inner walls clenching around three very skillful fingers. She returned the favor in the same matter, pushing Vanessa over the edge a few minutes later. The second round of sexual bliss found Brooke screaming Vanjie like a mantra, her hands keeping Vanessa’s head in place between her legs, allowing Vanessa to lick her through the waves of pure pleasure. The next orgasm hit them in an awkward position. Brooke’s flexible leg stretched up to rest next to her own head, meanwhile Vanessa sat on her crotch, and grinded their sexes together until they came at the same time.

Being with Vanessa was making love for the first time. All of those times that Brooke had had sex before crumbled and disolved into nothing in comparison. She wondered why she even bothered in having any other sexual partner in the past, it was clear she was meant to become one with Vanessa since the beginning of time. It had finally happened, they had finally found each other. It was a comforting thought, one that pulled her into the most peaceful sleep she’d experienced in her entire life.

[papersandkeyboards]

5/31 to 6/5: (everything else and) Prom

36th WEEK, MAY 31-JUNE 5, 2016.

English class has always been interesting to me. If I think about it, English class (be it here as a first language, or back home as a second language) is always more fun than Indonesian Language class back home. In my class in Rainier Beach, which is IB English Language and Literature, we read classics and Shakespearean plays and interpret those. (don’t get me wrong, I had to read The Scarlett Letter for English Lang class during my short stop in Houston and it was painful, but something about how English teachers’ way of teaching is so interesting and, of course, not boring)

For the semester’s big project, however, we were told to make podcasts. About anything.

I understand that podcasts aren’t much of a thing in Indo, but the simplest way to explain podcasts in a nutshell is audio lectures, audio books, discussions, serial stories, or anything about a topic. And honestly, it’s not even just lectures. You can talk about anything in a podcast (in my Theory of Knowledge class, we listened to a series of online podcasts entitled “Serial”, which covers a story for each season that is told in an interesting and comprehensive way).

But this time, Mrs. Shaw doesn’t limit us to just audio, but we can put visuals in it as well. So, basically saying, our big project was to make an audio or video file talking about things which has our arguments in it. And we could do it individually or in groups of three, max.

Me, being myself who essentially resents group works can be quite an individualist, of course, decided to do the podcast by myself.

And me, being myself who almost always aims to be anti-mainstream, chose a topic that most people would hate and throw rocks to after the first glance.

I argued that zoos aren’t necessarily inhumane to animals. For a side that believed that zoos are downright cruel and disgusting, I stood against them.

Of course I know people aren’t always going to agree with me, but as a (used-to-be) debater, I tried to smother everything in good wording (and some solid arguments can i get a hell yeah), and at the end, all I need to be satisfied was Mrs. Shaw saying “you got a point.” (aka “hmm iya juga ya”).

It was an enjoyable school task to do. Ehe.

Anyway, the next two days, Wednesday and Thursday, were two sacred days we all students acknowledged dearly as Early Release days. The neverending amazement of Seattle has turned me into somewhat a Dora the Explorer, even though it was clear that I have always been a damn-straight home person back home. Would rather stay home that being somewhere else.

But an exchange student logic was that you’re missing a lot of you spend a lot of time at home.

So Kira and I hit the waterfront and rode the Seattle Ferris Wheel.

And the next day I spent by myself, visiting the Seattle Art Museum and indulging my fangirl side by watching X-Men: Apocalypse.

Remember I mentioned once that it was the time of SIFF—Seattle International Film Festival?

Karen, Eric, and I looked up the showtimes and movies, trying to find anything interesting, and of course the choice went to an Indonesian movie, entitled “Copy of My Mind”, so we watched it on Friday evening.

It never occured to me that films in film festivals aren’t those up the regular theaters. Most of them are months old before the time of the festival itself, some even a year old or more. But I guess that’s the point of having film festivals: as a platform to promote films, because almost all of them don’t include big starry actor names, and all of them aren’t in a franchise.

Copy of My Mind, however, was starred by Chico Jericho and Tara Basro (blame was on me for just recognizing these names for the first time), and soon after the movie started, I got why I’ve never heard of this film before back home: it would never be able to air in Indonesia. Simple as that.

As usual, my movie-goer sense was so much indulged in cheap plots of franchise films where every message is shown explicitly during the film with a mandatory happy ending and a bonus of occasional car explosion, so when I saw the ending of Copy of My Mind, I was disappointed. I didn’t get the message.

(later I googled the film and it turned out to be a hard-core social and political satire towards my own country) (so yeah, go watch it guys) (majukan perfilman indonesia)

On Sunday, I was reminded by the remaining days I have by attending Nouha’s goodbye party. She would leave three days after the goodbye party, which is June 8, and I’m still staying here until the end of the month, but surely it sucks to remember that you have to leave eventually.

But the goodbye party was a fun one—sliders, chips, other typical tasty American barbecue snacks in the backyard, people bringing going-away presents, and of course, pictures.

(I swear the pictures were up somewhere but now I couldn’t find them)

---

Aight. That’s quite a brief (???) summary of how the first 5 days of the week went. Whereas I usually said the fun part comes in the weekend, this WHOLE week was full of fun and things to do (thank God for early release). HOWEVER, though, however,

this weekend was Prom.

That’s right, everyone, you heard it. The infamous American High School Prom.

....

Gitu aja sih. Ehe. OKAY. Prom in Beach... was definitely UNLIKE Proms in other, harshly saying, white rich school everywhere else. But the part where people ask other people to Prom, well, that was done everywhere, I guess.

I was walking the hallway when Rebecca and the others stopped by and Rebecca asked me, “Nabila, who are you going to Prom with?”

“...????? I don’t know??? No one asked me to.”

“It’s America, you can do whatever you want. Why don’t you ask somebody?”

yaela yang bener aja lu dasar ampas kepala.

Jadi gini sih. The way Prom works (or at least in my school) is that only the seniors are invited, unless the seniors ask somebody else from other grades—juniors, sophomores, freshmen, or people from other school—to be their prom date, then those persons are also invited. And I know Kira is a junior, so I asked Kira as my prom date so she can experience prom and everybody is happy. Also because Rebecca and Emily were committees so there are fellow juniors there. yaela padahal karena emang gaada yang ngajak dan akhirnya ngajak temen sendiri supaya tidak garing

I didn’t take too much trouble setting up a promposal—Prom proposal—unlike those who are seriously dating—a friend from Theory of Knowledge class made a poster and got his football team to promposed his girlfriend, it was very sweet—and because I was an awkward unromantic piece of shit, I asked Kira to be my prom date during stretching before softball game.

She was appalled. At least she wasn’t repelled, which was good. Good thing she didn’t expect a canon of flowers or posters or an orchestra playing for her to be promposed.

And that’s the story on how I got my prom date.

Which was totally not unusual, because at Prom night I found out that Alex asked Justin, a junior, so that Justin can experience Prom with his senior fellows too. Zion, who is gay, asked Nina out of friendship. A lot of people do that that night. Many people even went with their squads instead of being in pairs.

When Kira was scrolling through numerous online shops to find a dress, I bought mine in Nordstrom Rack—which was basically Nordstrom but they sell old stuff that were cheaper (because I didn’t feel like spending hundreds of bucks on a dress I’m gonna wear, like, once or twice for my whole life). Not only I bought it in Nordstrom Rack, I also bought it last Febuary, which was before Winter Ball. That being said, I used the same dress as what I wore for Winter Ball. Which was good, because I didn’t want to waste money on dress I would most likely use once. The admission ticket was around $40 anyway, while other schools my AFS friends were in charged around $80-100 for it. sekolah saya miskin emang, tapi asik.

Sementara ada temen-temen saya yang ‘melamar Prom’ pakai poster, bunga, permen karet (dia nawarin sekotak permen karet gitu trus pas dibuka ada tulisannya ‘Prom?’ trus dikasih bunga, lucu abis sih), ada juga temen yang asal ngajak cewek manapun yang kebetulan lewat, dan kalau ditolak, geser dikit trus ngajak cewek lain terdekat. But then again, I didn’t know how significant a prom date is—whether being asked to be prom date equals being asked to be one’s girl/boyfriend, or is it just a one-time occasion thing?

Whatever it was, I do know that at least Prom in Rainier Beach High School doesn’t shun single people. Yay. Nabila can go to Prom without worries.

HOWEVER.

However, around a week before Prom, I found out that Indonesian Students’ Association of Seattle University (ISASU), which was like a couple blocks from my house, was holding some sort of event, and guess who came as a guest star.

....

NO.

I DO NOT LIKE HOW THIS TURNS OUT.

I REALLY DON’T.

After contemplating which one is rarer: to experience a classic American high school Prom night every exchange student wants to be a part of or meet a massive Indonesian dazzling pop-star in person, I did what I thought was best for me: I chose Prom and let go of Raisa, with the arrogance of “I’m Indonesian, she’s Indonesian, we’ll meet again but I only have this one chance for Prom” without realizing that that will least likely to happen.

I came to Kira’s house on Saturday afternoon, June 4, 2016, and ate Indomie for pre-Prom dinner (Prom dinner paling tidak modal sepanjang sejarah manusia). Then we had a photoshoot in which Kira and I look like a happy couple of lovers. Then Laura drove us to the venue. Which was a not-so-big space in SoDo but enough for the whole class lah.

(pic credit to whoever took this)

Long story short, it was fun. At first it wasn’t really because both Kira and I did not know many seniors despite some people I recognize from classes I am in, so we talked with Emily and Rebecca. Then people I know started to show up—Nina, Justin, Zion, Alex, Gretar, and others—and we danced. What was fun about it was that everyone didn’t dance with their dates, but mixed in into big groups of friends and was having a pure hyped-fun time instead of a romantic one. (not to brag but Nina and I did some duets and we were killing it) (kapan lagi bisa hacep dan meliar kaya begini ya)

The King and Queen of Prom, instead of voting, was done by a raffle (maybe so that everyone can get a chance instead of a cliche competition of popularity). Rony got King and Antoneyah got Queen. There was also two photo booths, an elegant one with a sofa and a fun one like a photobox along with hats and fake mustache and other stuff you could use.

(’twas Rebecca, Emily, Rony the playboy, me, and Kira)

(terus baru 3 tahun kemudian AFS menggerayangkan gerakan AFSPride)

(mampos kenapa w pendek sekali, bahkan dalam standar orang indonesia)

(tUH udah naik tangga pun masi lebih pendek)

THEN, the event continued for whoever wants to join everyone to the Seattle Ferris Wheel, while free tickets were provided! We sporadically went to the Ferris Wheel by Uber—some people didn’t come due to curfew and probably an after-party somewhere (I finally convinced Kira to join after many considerations. Since the Wheel was closer to my house, she agreed to crash in my house after).

Lucu banget aih. Anak-anak remaja pakai baju-baju bagus, sebagain berpasang-pasangan, dan sebagian lagi bergerombol kelompok, dan rame-rame masuk ke kereta Bianglala.

(’twas Gretar, Alex, Justin, me, Kira, Zion, and Mohamed)

Kapan lagi kaya gini huhuhu seneng.

It was—I don’t remember—a bit after midnight? After we were done Kira and I took an Uber back to my house, had ice cream in my bed while watching Monsters University, and fell asleep halfway through the movie (and my laptop ran out of battery).

---

Aaaand that’s probably as close I could ever be with Raisa: in the same city, neighboring neighborhood.

But at least, thinking back, I would not trade the experience I just had with anything else.

Salam dari penghadir Prom Rainier Beach High School dengan style hijab paling cantik (karena memang satu-satunya),

Nabila Safitri.

[bthenoise]

Q&A: Andrew McMahon Discusses Recent Drive-In Shows, 15 Years Of ‘Everything In Transit’ And More

Photo by Joe Ortega

What’s there to say about Andrew McMahon that hasn’t already been said? With not one, not two but three successful musical acts under his belt, the man is a musical phenom. Not to mention, with the help of his Dear Jack Foundation -- which raises money for kids and young adults with cancer -- McMahon is also quite the philanthropist as well.

Now, currently stuck in the middle of a messy global shut down, what’s a guy like McMahon supposed to do? Well, how about throw an intimate three night drive-in concert experience to not only help people forget about the world’s problems but also raise money for a good cause.

Taking place in Southern California, McMahon and his bandmates put together three socially distant nights fans will never forget as they performed Jack’s Mannequin’s beloved Everything In Transit in full as well as favorites from both Something Corporate and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness.

Exploring what it was like to play a rare drive-in concert during unprecedented times while also celebrating 15 years of his alt-indie breakout LP, we spoke with McMahon to get his thoughts on the weekend that was. 

To see what the talented singer-songwriter had to say and check out some photos from the show by Noise contributor Moe Horta, be sure to look below. Afterward, for more from McMahon (including his new single “Get On My Wave”) head here.   

Looking at your Instagram it appears you’re in the desert getting some well deserved rest after a long weekend. Were you pretty burnt out after those three shows? And were you even planning on doing three?

Andrew McMahon: I mean, I wouldn't say I'm burnt out. What I will say is that just because of the nature of what we were trying to accomplish -- and obviously, I feel like the stakes were much higher in the sense that there are really so few outlets for entertainers to entertain and for people to be entertained -- I think the priorities of making sure we were doing it in a way that was safe for the fans, the band and crew and a lot of what we were deploying at the time was new technology. I think, if anything else, it was just a lot of added stress. I tend to stress out and get nervous about all shows whether they're the most turnkey [shows] I've done a million times before. So I think the extra layers of like sort of “reappearing” in society in such a public way after kind of being hermetically sealed and quarantined [laughs] it was a lot but it ended up being so much fun and really cathartic. And yeah, we got to add the third show because the first two sold out so quickly and we added the live stream because we really wanted other people to be able to participate. It was a whirlwind to say the least but a lot of fun.

Is it interesting to think, looking back on this years from now, you were one of the first artists to do this drive-in concert idea? It’s almost historic in a way.

I mean, in all honesty, we saw this going on in a couple of countries in Europe currently in the pandemic that had been hit first. So you know, for me, sure there's some strategic benefit to being one of the first to market with something like this. I think it's exciting to be a part of something new and trying to bring something to people who have been missing the live experience. But I mean, I think the bigger thing for me and for all of us involved was like, one, this is what we do. We want to entertain people. And for the promoter who we did this with, they have these venues and have these spaces that aren’t being used. And I think the coolest thing about it was just that we really approached it as a family or community event. It wasn't like a typical concert where, you know, even going into it, it didn't look like it was going to make much money at all because of how expensive it was to put it together. But everybody sort of did it because we wanted to be a part of something unique and create some weird little artifact of this time that says, “Hey, we still kind of stepped up and tried to do our best version of what we could do in bringing entertainment.”

Compared to all the other shows you’ve played in your career, which surely there’s probably been some unique ones, how did this feel?

Look, I'll say this: You sort of grade it on a curve, right? I mean, because we've all been without proper platforms to do shows it's obviously different looking out at the massively spaced out parking lot and people -- we were fortunate with our drive-in, we really decided and committed going forward we won't do a drive-in where it isn't built so that people can safely social distance and watch outside of their cars because I think the model where you put people inside a car is pretty rough and they can't get out. So we did at least have the benefit of seeing faces in their own little socially distant car parking spaces next to the car. We did get that connection with fans. I'd say from the first show we did to the third show, we were constantly [updating things] that by the second night we added more speakers throughout the parking lots. We felt like we wanted to make sure that if people for some reason didn't have their FM radios turned on, which is where most of the signal from the show came from, that there was still a good mix coming their way. And I'd say by the third night that we played, it actually felt really blissful and beautiful.

During the show, you mentioned you had your high school prom right around the corner of the venue. As if things weren’t surreal enough considering the circumstances, what was it like feeling that experience as well? Must have been pretty full-circle in a way.

So the building, The Grove, is effectively the venue we played -- the parking lot of The Grove. And yeah, The Grove used to be called Tinsel Town and it was home to my senior prom. So you know, when we were trying to figure out how to safely sort of rehearse with the band -- we all got tested, then we all rehearsed on the stage at The Grove. So we did all of our prep for the show on the theater where I danced with my prom date. That for me, just as a side note, I was able to do something in the community where I was raised and saw familiar faces. And also to know that for a solid few weeks we were able to employ a lot of people in the town from the town where I grew up, it felt like a big win all around and something that we're all really proud of.

Speaking of where you grew up, were drive-in movies something you experienced a lot as a kid? For some people, it seems like the concept of going to a drive-in movie theater is new to them.

I mean, I've never been to a drive-in in my whole life. I think I've passed a few. I'm a big fan of cross-country road trips so I've done a bunch of those and I always found it nostalgic and wild when you see these sort of ramshackle drive-in movie theaters that don't really have movies anymore but still have kind of beat-up screens out there. So I mean, I feel like it's an interesting symbol to re-enter the vernacular of our culture that all of a sudden this dying method of entertainment is actually one of the few safe ways where people can gather right now. I think it's a little ironic that it happens to be in a format that has been long considered obsolete.

Yeah, it's interesting that in the time with so much technology, something that's been around forever and is pretty outdated is what’s helping save the music industry.

You know, not to get too philosophical about it in the pandemic, but I think there has been a certain level of full-circle just as far as people needing to take the time to reconnect with family and slow down a little bit. Because obviously, you can't be in an office for a million hours a day. There's restrictions on work and whatnot. I do think there's, at least for me and my family, an education in like, “Ah, maybe we can live a little simpler.” You know, maybe we don't need to be out at restaurants all the time. I appreciate the fact that at some point we'll be able to start doing that again but I think a lot of our culture is coming full-circle and asking some questions about how we spend our time and how we will spend our time when this is over.

Talking more about your life feeling a little full-circle, during these shows you celebrated 15 years of Everything In Transit. What was it like being where we are in the world in 2020 to go back to 2005 and process some of those songs again?

It's wild. You know, life couldn't be in some degree more different than it is. I mean, the sort of subject of that record was my wife, who at the time, we were separated. ... Transit especially, I've always held in this strange place within my own personal history. It really is, in so many ways, a stamp in the middle of a road where I could have gone left or I could have gone right. You know, all of a sudden, it's like here I am broken up and I'm sick then my wife and I are together and my life goes into a completely different direction. So when I sing those songs, it's almost like revisiting [this moment] standing somewhere in the middle of a fork in the road where you're sort of forced to go one direction and you thought you were going to go another.

2005 was obviously a pretty impactful year for you for a lot of different reasons. Is it hard or a little weird to celebrate a record that came out the same year you got your cancer diagnosis? 

You know, to say there isn't some level of complexity obviously would be a lie. It's interesting for me. Everything In Transit, even though it got really wrapped up in my illness and there seems to be some sort of almost prophetic words written throughout it about hospitals and doctors and things, [those were written] long before I was even living in a hospital dealing with that stuff. I also really look at that record and sort of the naivety and the hope that's written into it. The fact that it really was the thing I was most motivated to, not only to get heard, but to be able to play live at some point, I feel a bit of a debt of gratitude to that album for me getting better quickly because it was really so much at the heart of my survival. It's like, “I love this record so much, I want people to hear it” so I think I see that side of it a lot more. I [also] see the love story in it more than anything because it really is this moment that all of us go though as people when we end up really falling in love with someone. You know, sometimes you wonder if it's too good to be true and then blow it up to see if you're right. In my case, whatever happened to me put me back on the right road and I ended up getting married with the girl who I wrote that record about. So I think I see those parts more than the cancer or the complications that followed.

Talking about the performance of the record, which songs were most excited to bring back into the setlist again?

Oh man. You know, even when Transit was out, we really didn't play “Into the Airwaves” a lot. If you actually got the original version of the record, “Airwaves” was a bonus track back when you could have a bonus track, you know what I mean? Like, we just tagged it on to the end of the record. If you were willing to listen for a minute, then that song would play. And I kind of treated it that way because it felt like an epilogue more than a part of the body of the main story. So we sort of treated it like that live. [During the drive-in shows] we did a version of it that was just like an acoustic rendition of the song. And to me, that ended up being this really beautiful moment that we hadn't put a ton of thought into but we're just like, “Let's do one of these tunes a little bit different than you would hear it on the album” and it became one of my favorite parts of all three nights. And the words, “don't panic, there's simply no need, it's going to be a hard day” I think hit me a little bit harder and perhaps the audience a little bit harder too just knowing that we are in a moment where it's pretty easy to let the fear take the wheel in this particular moment in time.

That’s very true. Speaking of that rendition, was it challenging to put together considering you probably had pretty limited practice time?

Well, I mean, a couple things to that: One, when we agreed to do the show, we made it imperative that all of us would be tested before we got on stage together and that we would all quarantine during the process of putting the shows on. So we were still more or less masked when we weren't singing but we all knew we were safe. So that was helpful but we didn't truly have a ton of time to practice. I think in all, the whole band really only had four days to pull together the record and we also had Morgan who was a new addition learning all of those songs to play for the first time at that show [laughs]. My second point being that I'm really blessed to have some very incredible musicians that I've worked with on and off for decades now. And you know, if I were to say let's work on an acoustic version of this song, Bobby would be sending me guitar riffs and things that he thinks would work before we even got to practice and we would just sit down and feel it out. I think that was what was fun about what I call the “ramble song” during the set. We also did another version of “Love and Great Buildings” on a couple of the show nights and with both of those, I think it turned out really cool. They were just meant to be like, “Hey, pick up your guitar and go with the changes. Let's see how it works.” And it turned out really cool I thought.

Yeah, it came out great and the fans definitely enjoyed it too. It is crazy to think that this show was such a unique moment in time that might not ever happen again?

Yeah I mean, that's how we intended it. You know, I think when we started working on the show as a concept is was like, “We're gonna do this thing, and there's a number of reasons to do it, but the number one reason was let's create a hopeful, positive memory in the middle of a time where people are feeling like they're missing out on a lot and things are a little out of control.  Let's give people some control, give them a place to be with other people that's safe and just smile and hang out.” There hasn't been a lot of that in my life. You know, I get that with my family but I'm not really in a position to go sit anywhere with 2000 people and be a part of a common experience. I felt like that was really, if anything, the impetus of doing this whole thing. Just let's give a lot of people a place to be safe.

Adding to that hopeful and positive note, portions of the tickets sold went to the Dear Jack Foundation which you guys raised a lot of money for. How’d it feel knowing you’re not only giving your fans some joy but also helping the foundation as well?

Yeah, I'll be perfectly honest: Looking around at what's going on with the economics of people, nonprofits are getting hit really hard right now. It's a very tough time to raise money because I think, rightfully so, everybody's holding on to their money waiting to see how long they're gonna have to save to get through this thing. So we knew really early on that there would be a component of giving back to the charity via ticket sales and the live stream. What I think blew us away was that we didn't really anticipate the live stream being as big of a thing as it was. We were like, “Oh yeah, maybe a thousand people will watch.” [Instead], thousands of people showed up for the live stream and that generated a really good amount for Dear Jack. And I'm going to kind of keep doing a version of that throughout the year. Like we're launching the 250k Challenge, which is like our big fan-centric fundraiser we do every year in the fall, so that's gonna launch [in August]. We're gonna do some fundraising over Instagram Live and have donate shows and things like that. You know, anything I can do to keep the lights on for Dear Jack is important in terms of the work we're doing there and the work that still needs to be done regardless of what's going on.

That's really awesome. Obviously, no one really knows what the future holds but in terms of your music, do you think the pandemic will impact some of the songs you're writing?

It's hard to say. I'll be honest: Since this pandemic began, I've actually been working on a book project primarily. So most of the day, I spend writing on a laptop just writing words. And I had written tons [of music] leading up to the pandemic that I was so excited about and doing a lot of work with an artist named King Tuff who's just incredible. He's like this rock artist -- really talented, great songwriter -- and we're kind of this weird mismatched pair as far as if you put us on paper. You'd be like, “I'm not sure if this is a record I'd pick up.” But the songs we were writing together before the pandemic, I was so excited by. It just felt really fresh. Hysterically, it felt, if anything, more like a great summer record. It's not that the lyrics aren't very literary or that they're not deep, but there's just a sound to it that was a little bit effortless. In a way, I think if those songs were released during this pandemic, they would almost be released more as an antidote to it rather than a reflection specifically of what it feels like. Cause I'm not writing a lot of music [right now]. I'm writing words. I'm writing this book and then I'm revisiting the songs that I wrote that are supposed to come out but haven't yet [laughs]. It'll be interesting but I certainly imagine once I actually get down behind my piano and start writing songs, it's possible that [writing about] the effects of what we're all going through would only be natural. But at the same time, I've also found when, at least the times when things feel hopeless, I end up latching on to the concept of hope and what is the other side of that coin to keep me out of it. Rather than going dark and deep into it and not giving myself the good medicine that I could be getting out of a song.

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A post shared by Andrew McMahon (@amnthewilderness) on Jul 22, 2020 at 1:25pm PDT

[lrfya]

Little Rock River Market MysterYAy Hike!

Hi, I’m Macy from The Truth about Forever. Today, I’ll be your guide on a Mystery Hike in downtown Little Rock, in what we call The River Market! I’m not a paid tour guide – I am doing this for extra credit – so tips will be greatly appreciated! We have started here at the Main Library for the Central Arkansas Library System because I work here at the information desk, so please feel free to stop by and see me any time. I also work a second job in the River Market, so I’m sort of an expert.

I’ve positioned a bunch of my YA friends in locations around the River Market. You’ll recognize them from some of your favorite books. Find a YA character you know, and they’ll tell you about the location they’re in! Let’s go!

(Psst - throughout this hike, my commentary will be in bold.)

SIMON SPIER and BEX PORTER

Hey! I’m Simon from Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, and this is Bex from The Royal We. We’re hanging out at the Ron Robinson Theater for Terror Tuesdays, when they show vintage horror movies for $2 admission. This week’s showing is Rocky Horror Picture Show!

CELAENA SARDOTHIEN

Hi friends, I’m Celaena from the Throne of Glass books. Next door to the Ron Robinson Theater is one of my favorite clothing boutiques, Fringe.

Now that you’ve met a couple of my friends, you’re off to a great start! Let’s take a lunch break at one of my favorite music venues – Sticky’z Rock’n’Roll Chicken Shack. Come back tomorrow to catch Brilliant or Catastrophic’s show - you probably heard about them in Saint Anything. Let’s head across the street - I see a couple of familiar faces.

CRICKET BELL AND NATASHA KINGSLEY

You made it! This building is the Museum of Discovery, and it’s filled with lots of really cool science exhibits. We’re always tinkering around in here. Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door loves to see Kevin Delaney do experiments (you might’ve seen him on Jimmy Fallon!) while I, Natasha from The Sun is Also a Star, loves the human body exhibits.

Let’s grab a cup of coffee before we go to the next spot. I love Zeteo Coffee next door – looks like Gansey & Co. from The Raven Cycle are here. They hang out here a lot, but it’s odd that they always order five drinks even though there’s only four of them. On to the next stop!

JAM from BELZHAR and PRISCILLA from BONE GAP

Welcome to the Heifer International World Headquarters! Heifer International is a charity organization working to end hunger and poverty around the world by providing livestock and training to struggling communities in third world countries. I’m Jam, and I help out with the goats here, and Priscilla takes care of the bees.

Here we are at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. This is where I work my second part-time job, helping cater events for Wish Catering. The current exhibit at the library is “Xtreme Bugs.”

WAVERLY CAMDENMAR

Hey guys! I’m Waverly, and I’m currently getting my prom photos taken on the Clinton Pedestrian Bridge, where lots of people come to take photos. This bridge connects the trails known as the Arkansas River Trail. I run this all the time with my friend Jessica Darling, and sometimes Macy joins us. It’s 17 miles and connects Little Rock and North Little Rock (which are two different cities separated by the Arkansas River, rather than two parts of the same city).

WILLOW from COUNTING BY 7S

If you follow the Arkansas River Trail along the river, it leads you to the Arkansas Nature Center. It focuses on all of the outdoor recreational things that Arkansas’s fish and wildlife resources provide. I’m Willow, and I’m obsessed with nature, so I intern here part time.

ARIEL from ROSES AND ROT

This is the First Security Amphitheater. It’s the main stage of Riverfest, a music festival held here, and is used for various other events and performances, like my vocal performance tonight!

Here’s La Petite Roche Plaza. This rock outcropping is one of the most important landmarks in Arkansas. Early travelers on their way up the river noticed that this rock marked the transition from the alluvial lands of the East to the rugged hills of the Ozarks and Ouachitas. The rock afforded a natural landing for boats. This is how Little Rock got it’s name!

ANNA OLIPHANT

Right behind La Petite Roche is the Junction Bridge. This is for pedestrian and bicycle use and it links both sides of the Arkansas River Trail. It is an integral part of our skyline. Me and my boyfriend Etienne put a padlock on this bridge to remember our days in Paris. 

JACK from THE ANATOMICAL SHAPE OF A HEART

Nearby is the Medical Mile – an artistic expression of health. It includes a 1,300 foot three-dimensional mural wall, a wellness promenade with artful displays, as well as a Body-Mind-Spirit entry plaza. I helped paint the mural.

Next up is my favorite part – the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden. This is home to dozens of sculptures in the River Market district. New sculptures are voted on annually to add to the collection, and my boyfriend Wes makes amazing angels out of scrap metal and has a sculpture entered into the competition. Let’s head down to the Old State House Museum next.

BEATRIX from THE ANATOMICAL SHAPE OF A HEART

Right now, the Old House State Museum is hosting a “Cabinet of Curiosities” exhibit – kind of a greatest hits collection of weird Arkansas artifacts. It is very diverse – there’s everything from dinosaur toes to Ming Dynasty pottery. I’ve been coming every day to sketch some oddball anatomy pieces.

FAIR FINLEY from WILFAIR

Howdy! I’m Fair, and I grew up managing my parents’ hotels. They have hotels all over the world so I’m a bit of an expert, and The Capital Hotel in Little Rock is one of my favorites. It’s really old and grand - the balcony that overlooks the road here is called the “Front Porch of Little Rock.” Rumor has it, the elevators are humongous because they were built to accommodate Robert E. Lee...and his horse.

CATH from FANGIRL and JOSH WASSERSTEIN from ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER

The Statehouse Convention Center hosts all of our biggest events, including the Little Rock Comic Con – as you can guess, we are always in attendance. I love to dress up in Simon Snow cosplay. Josh is a little too cool for that and mostly just comes to get his comics autographed.

Let’s head back towards the library, there’s many things on President Clinton Avenue to point out.

LARA JEAN SONG

Here’s the H.U. Lee International Gate and Garden, a tribute to the founder of the American Taewondo Association which also educates people about Korean culture and salutes the martial arts.

WYLAN from SIX OF CROWS

Across from the farmer’s market are many bars, restaurants, and shops. You’ll find many people you know working or shopping here. There’s the piano bar Ernie Biggs – it has dueling pianos, and the best night to go is when I duel against Seraphina. Here’s Revolution Room, a club music venue – next week The Mortal Instruments from City of Heavenly Fire plays, you should definitely try to make that show.

DILL from THE SERPENT KING

Here’s a downtown Little Rock favorite bar – the Flying Saucer. They have all kinds of beer on tap and have acoustic shows on the weekend. Lately I’ve been bringing my guitar and playing to get used to a crowd. Also, Lia from The Kiss of Deception picks up shifts here from time to time, to stay grounded.

BLUE SARGENT

This is a tiny little spot on President Clinton Avenue where my mom and various aunts and cousins do palm and tarot card readings. Come in if you feel like learning some things about yourself!

Here’s the Little Rock Farmer’s Market. This is where my boyfriend Wes was discovered selling his angel sculptures, so it will always have a magical quality to me. It has two outdoor open-air pavilions overlooking Riverfront Park and the Arkansas River. It has Arkansas crops as well as vendors selling their homemade arts and crafts.

And now we’re back at the library and your mystery hike is complete! Hope you had fun exploring downtown Little Rock and meeting all my YA friends!

[amarantine-amirite]

The Well to Hell

I’m pretty sure everyone on the planet has had someone that keeps getting in their way. For me, that person was Candace. Candace used a reusable coffee mug, wore a beanie, and kind of looked like a blonde version of Max from Stranger Things.

But who was she? Who was Candace? Was she good, or was she bad? Well, I’m hoping she's good, because I couldn’t get away from her. She was literally everywhere. If I went to the grocery store, she would be there shopping. If I went to Starbucks, she'd be sitting right behind me. Even if I just walked around the mall, she would pass me walking in the other direction. And the movie theater? She'd be behind me in line getting popcorn.

She was always alone whenever she followed me. She never talked to me, and always made eye contact. I once described it to someone as it's as if she's plotting something.

I had one encounter with Candace that set in motion something so bizarre that, even now, I still can’t come to terms with it.

It happened at a crappy little hotel in Denver during my junior prom. I hated my junior prom. It was crowded, they blast loud music from a crappy mix tape, there were idiot guys constantly fighting over girls, and the venue was poorly ventilated.

They could have easily taken care of the ventilation - all they needed to do was open the door to improve the air flow. Did they? No. Why? Bad weather.

Now, bad weather is to be expected, but it's June - it should not be snowing! We should not have any snowfall, much less snowfall where you can't tell if it's hail or it's little balls of snow. It’s also windy, and cold enough for it to snow, but warm enough that it just melts away.

My fatal flaw was leaving the prom early and retiring to bed. It really messed with my sleep cycle that night. I know because I woke up at 4 in the morning the next morning.

Right after I woke up, I headed downstairs to grab a sparkling water from the vending machine. As I went down the stairs, I passed Candace coming up the stairs. I said “Hi”, and she sort of mumbled back.

Here’s the creepy part: once I got downstairs and to the other end of the corridor to where the vending machines are, I found her lying on the floor.It kind of seemed like she had passed out. As I bent down to take a better look at what happened to her (you know, just to see if she was OK), I found a note pinned to her lapel. The note said “follow the butterfly”

Follow the butterfly I thought, what butterfly?

I looked up and immediately saw the butterfly. It had a blue body with gold wings, and a ring of other, much smaller identical butterflies surrounded it. I wasn’t sure if those identical butterflies were vestigial twins or there was some weird ass gravitational lensing thing going on.

Follow the butterfly they said. What could possibly go wrong they said. Lots, apparently.

I followed the butterfly. It led me through an endless maze of red brick walls, burnt out lights, and the odd ladder leading to an open tile in the ceiling. I could feel the temperature drop as I wandered down the halls. I didn’t realize just how lost I was from following that damn butterfly until I came to a room where the doorway was completely frozen over. The way it seemed, it was as if the doorway froze over due to the cold breeze associated with the disembodied souls of those who have died.

Speaking of those who died, the last guy that went into that room found himself frozen in a block of ice. Bits and pieces of his limbs were broken off, and his arms and legs were twisted in unnatural positions. All that was missing was a sign that said “the last guy that pissed off us ghosts”

“Nope” I said as I fled expediently.

I continued down the hall until I wandered into a dark room with everything held together by glow-in-the-dark strings. The network of string suspended everything in the room. The floor, the Furniture, The walls, Even the picture frames. All connected by rainbow coloured strings.

I tried my damndest to walk around without tripping over any of the strings. Even still, one of the strings got caught on the heel of my shoe. I ended up pulling down a wall.

As the wall came down, it revealed that the room next-door to the string room had a floor made of dollar bills that were slowly flowing into a hole in the floor. The dollar bills move like grains of sand, a group of solids collectively behaving like a liquid. As the swirling gyre curled into a single point, new bills came flowing in just in time to replace the old ones as they vanished from sight.

Two things entered my mind as I saw this:

There goes all that money, down the drain

Where did the hole go?

Where did the hole go? There was only one way to find out. I lay down and let the floor carry me away.

I came out the other side of the hole and landed in the garden. Strangely enough, it felt extremely warm outside, far cry from the wintry weather earlier on in the day. At first, I just assumed it was a wacky weather pattern. How wrong I was!

The real source of heat: a hole in the ground in the garden deep enough to expose the magma underneath. Yes, magma is the right word. If it’s still inside the earth, it’s magma. It only becomes lava if it breaches the surface.

A gaping maw waiting for someone to fall into it and burn up, The whole came off as sort of a well to hell. If it wasn’t well to hell, it was definitely a well to the mantle of the earth.

I looked at the glowing, churning magma in the hole I thought to myself, maybe it was a well to hell. I thought back to that room that was completely frozen over. It would’ve made sense if the hole in the garden was a well to hell. I mean, where do you think all those souls in the ice room came from?

I bent down to investigate, and felt a slight push from an unseen force.