#we’ll chat while I’m on buses and trains and walking!

[browniefox]

The One with the Motorcycle

@wrightfamilyweek day 4 - Free day! Which I took to mean 'shove my headcanon here'. At first I wanted to do something with Ryuunosuke, but I still haven't finished tgaa so uhhhh sorry my boy. Also, you can find this on AO3 here.

In which Trucy and Phoenix decide they need to find a more reliable method of getting around. Luckily, Phoenix already has a vehicle registered under his name.

oOo

“Does this mean that when I turn sixteen, I’ll get a motorcycle license?”

Trucy skips alongside her Daddy as they walk through the aisles of the storage facility. They pass locked garage after garage. Trucy has always known that her Daddy had somewhere he stores a bunch of stuff that doesn’t fit in the office, the stuff he used to keep in his apartment back when he had one, but this is her first time coming along with him.

There’s been a lot leading up to this. Now that Trucy’s getting a little older, there’s more things she wants to do, or go to, and Daddy seems to be getting a little busier too. He’s started going down to the library more often, and having some kind of meetings for lunch, and getting calls by people Trucy doesn’t know. They’re both getting busy, and buses and taxis only get them so far. Daddy had declared, in an almost resigned-sounding voice after they missed a bus and had to wait underneath the bus stop in the pouring rain for another thirty minutes, that perhaps it was time to find a more reliable method to get around.

“Dessie says she’s running a little late, but she’ll be here soon.” Trucy is in charge of the phone while Daddy frets over the pieces of paper in his hands, crinkling the edges up in his nervous hands.

Daddy doesn’t reply to this either, just keeps walking forward. Trucy frowns to herself. Daddy’s been kind of weird about this whole thing. From getting the Learner’s Permit, to the practice drives and lessons with Desiree, to his final test, but now if anything he seems at his most awkward and strange as they approach the storage unit.

They final come to a stop, and Daddy pulls up the metal door.

If old case files in the office were little glimpses into who Daddy was before Trucy knew him, this place was an in-color photograph.

There’s cardboard boxes with ‘sketchbooks’ scrawled on the front. There’s a dead plant in the corner. There’s a stack of picture frames, an old couch shoved into a corner, and a small wood table with rings from the ghosts of old drinks, a few splashes of paint marring the surface. There’s some art supplies shoved off in a corner that Trucy immediately goes over to, and piles of books Trucy hasn’t read before, and Trucy wants nothing more than to stay here all day and look through everything and anything in sight.

In the middle of the storage unit, however, is what they’ve come here for.

It’s a lilac-colored motorcycle. There’s an unhealthy-layer of dust on it - there’s a layer of dust on everything in the room - and Daddy brushes his hand over the seat and handles, sending a plume of the dust into the air. He starts sneezing and coughing over it and Trucy laughs a little at that. She stops in a moment, though, because of the almost-grim look on Daddy’s face as he stares at the bike.

They’ve been building up to this for months, in reality. Trucy realizes this now, that everything up to this point has been to get this motorcycle out of the garage and back onto the streets, because it was a vehicle Daddy already owns, and he wouldn’t have to go through the hassle nor money involved in getting a new one. But it’s also all conflicted with Daddy’s attempts to distance himself from the past.

Daddy wants to move forward in life, she gets that, but it makes Trucy sad anyway to see how nervous and resigned he’d looked about so much as calling the Delites for help. Like doing that much is losing something.

“So this is Aunt Mia’s bike?” Trucy asks, going over to it as well. She doesn’t know anything about things like this, but it looks like it’s in okay condition. It’s certainly not as shiny as Desiree’s, but it’s not bad.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. Sorry I haven’t by.” He says, and she can tell he’s not talking to her. His eyes are fixed on the bike like sometimes he’ll stare at Charley for what seems like hours on end; it’s never for that long, but it feels like it might be at times. He tilts her head to Trucy and explains, “I used to come by and try to keep it clean and stuff, but things have gotten… complicated. I’m sure Mia’s upset I haven’t done more to maintain this since she’s been gone.”

Ah, it’s one of the days where he’s talking about Aunt Mia in the present tense. It’s hard to tell if that’s ever a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe it’s just A Thing he does sometimes. Even after four years, there’s still so much Trucy hasn’t figured out about her daddy. Sometimes, he talks about Aunt Mia as the dead person she is, gone and out of this world, a deceased but loved person, just like Trucy’s mommy was talked about. Other days, though, it’s like he expects Aunt Mia to walk through the door any minute.

“Alright, well, let’s see what we can do before Desiree gets here.”

Daddy’s temporary license, the edges of which are almost torn up by his worrying hands, is set aside on top of the sketchbook box and he grabs a towel from one of the other boxes, setting to work on a more thorough dusting. Trucy searches through Daddy’s phone for the list of what to check for that Desiree had texted him and passes it over to Daddy.

Trucy picks a stool out from the mess of things and rifles through the sketchbook box, finding one and flipping through it. There’s mostly little doodles and the like on the pages, or realistic portraits of faces Trucy doesn’t recognize. She wonders if, were Daddy not so determined to distance himself from the past, she’d know any of them. There is a picture of Miles, and she knows him, so she smiles at that picture and lightly brushes her hand over the pencil markings. Miles looks really angry in the picture, and scribbled right next to him is ‘I’ll save you’.

And Daddy did.

“Alright, let’s see what we have to work with today!”

Desiree announces herself, carrying her own box of tools

“Thought you might not show up for a moment.” Daddy jokes, but it’s one of his hollow-sounding jokes. Desiree laughs anyway.

“Oh please, I’ve been waiting to get a look at this beast for myself ever since you told me about it!” Desiree says and starts going over the bike. She talks about oil and gas and spark plugs and batteries, looking over everything and digging through her stuff and checking things. She says they’re going to need a new battery, and definitely replace just about all of the fluids. Luckily, Desiree is well-capable of doing all of that, she assures them, and they’d be able to get it up and moving enough to get it to her shop where she could do some of the rougher things to do.

“How much do I owe you?” Daddy asks, and Desiree waves her hand.

“We can discuss that later, let’s focus on getting this beauty out of this dusty-old place and back here she belongs, huh?”

Desiree has said that every time, so far, that Daddy asks about price. Trucy can see that it means Desiree doesn’t really want to make Daddy pay for any of it, but it seems to put Daddy more and more on edge every time Desiree says it. He’s waiting for something bad to happen, and his tension over it bleeds into Trucy, even though she’s not worried. Desiree is a nice lady who likes to chat to Trucy and can talk a mile a minute about motorcycles. When she’s not talking about them, she’s talking about her husband, Ron

They walk the bike out of the storage facility, Desiree filling the space with chatter about what the make and model of Aunt Mia’s motorcycle is, and the pluses and minuses of it, and how it’s lucky that it already has a backseat for Trucy. Daddy says that he used to ride with Aunt Mia sometimes, eyes trained on the bike still, as if he expected it to fall apart at a moment’s notice.

Desiree’s red-hot bike is parked out front and she tells them to meet her at her shop. She’ll be able to finish up there, where the rest of her supplies is.

“Don’t worry, she should be able to get you there just fine. And anyway, you can tell me if anything starts sounding worrying!” Desiree says as she climbs onto her bike. It’s been what Daddy has been practicing on, what Daddy even passed his driving test on just yesterday, and the rumble of it had just started to become familiar. Trucy feels like she’s going to miss it, but she’s excited to see how Aunt Mia’s bike works out.

Desiree peels out and leaves Daddy and Trucy standing on the side of the road, Daddy regarding Aunt Mia’s bike like it’s a python that’s going to bite them.

“... maybe this was a bad idea.” Daddy says five months too late.

“You worry too much! C’mon, Dessie’s waiting for us!” Trucy hops next to him, excited to get on the bike. Daddy sighs, turning his helmet over and over in his hands. Trucy has her own, bought a couple months ago, but she hasn’t been allowed on a bike yet. ‘Not until I get my official license’, Daddy had insisted. Now is the time, though.

“But what if something happens? What if I crash, and you get hurt?” He says. Trucy feels a ripple of shock run through her and she looks at Daddy’s face. His expression is grim and an open wound of his emotion. Of worry and fear, “What if I crash and I ruin her bike? What if-”

“Daddy, you’re being dumb” Trucy informs him. Daddy looks at her, and she can already see him starting to close off again, but she steals the last few moments of honesty she can, desperately, “Daddy you can do this, okay? We’re going to be okay. Even if we have to go five miles an hour to get there.”

“I think I’m actually worse at driving slow.” Daddy grumbles. Trucy grabs his hands.

“Then we’ll go really fast. We aren’t giving up on this just because you’re scared.”

Daddy sighs and then ruffles her hair.

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. It’d be stupid to give up right now. It doesn’t matter how long it’s going to take.”

They put their helmets on and climb onto the bike. They both hold their breaths when the engine first starts, and then it roars to life. It’s different than Desiree’s although exactly how, Trucy isn’t sure. She wraps her arms around her daddy’s stomach as they get going, keeping her eyes open. She isn’t scared, she can’t be. She needs to seem sure and trusting over this, for his sake, for their sake, so that they can make it through here together.

Things don’t change a lot with Daddy. They’ve lived in the same place for all this time, and Daddy’s worked at the same bar, and Trucy’s worked at the same bar, and they have the same routines day to week to month to year. This is new, this is change, but it’s a good thing.

They roar down the streets for the first time, Daddy is shaking, Trucy can feel it with how tightly she’s holding onto him. The air roars past them, chillingly-cold.

He did this for me, Trucy thinks, and then, no, he did this for us. For family, so that we can keep moving forwards .

If they had stood still, they would’ve been alright with buses and taxis and rides from friends. But they are moving forward in life, they need the ability to do more, be more independent, further their own things.

And help, here they had help, from Desiree, and from the thoughtfulness of Aunt Mia to leave Phoenix to her bike, and Ron had told Trucy before that Phoenix had helped them (Trucy had already known this, she’s read that case and every other case what feels like a thousand times over, her illicit self-read bedtime stories) and that they’d been wanting to do something for the man ever since they heard about The Disbarment.

It’s sort of funny, how independence and getting help seemed to go hand-in-hand.

Trucy and her Daddy roar down the streets, and her grip loosens as she gets more comfortable, and Daddy stops shaking so badly as he gets into his groove, because he’s done this before and has been training and practicing, and he knows how to ride a bike now, and Desiree has taught him how to maintain it, and now, now they are going towards a new normal, a new schedule, a second half of the darkest time of their lives (of course, Trucy doesn’t know this, and neither does her daddy, and now it seems like the shadows is simply where they will always be living) and they prepare to meet it together.

[candidcanine]

Chances and Cherry Blossoms

My lone entry for 2doc week, for Day 6- Birthday (and for Day 5- Vacation, I’m too lazy to create separate entries so I fused them, shhhhh). Happy birthday to Murdoc, my favorite pickle man!

Fic Summary:

Murdoc gets lost in Kyoto with 2D. It isn’t the worst birthday he’s ever had, but it’s certainly shaping up to be his most interesting.

Not gonna lie, this is just a poor excuse to write tooth-rotting fluff about these two going on a (not so) romantic date in Japan. Sue me.

“Alright, so if we take a left turn at this corner, we should see a bus stop. Then we hafta board the bus going… clockwise, which is the number 34 one. It’ll take us to a street which should be a twelve minute walk away from the temple entrance… Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Murdoc echoes, crossing his arms as he watches 2D wrestle with an extremely rumpled map. “You’re not sure? Can you at least check the map on your mobile instead of using that rubbish? It’s the 21st century, Stuart, ever heard of GPS?”

“I’m saving the battery, I forgot to charge it yesterday. It’s for emergency calls.”

“Call Noodle.”

“No.”

“Then for the love of all things unholy, please tell me we’re going the right way.”

“It’s hard navigating in a foreign country,” 2D says defensively, his eyes firmly glued on the map. His strides lengthen as they near their supposed destination. If Murdoc wasn’t so exhausted, he would’ve found 2D’s misplaced determination to be downright hilarious. “We’re not lost, I promise.”

“Really? Because you keep saying that, and I end up getting disappointed every time,” Murdoc pants, struggling to match the other’s strides. Eventually he gives up and leans against a telephone pole, trying to soothe the burn in his aching muscles and lungs. He watches in amusement as 2D’s lithe form speeds away without him.

“Slow down, Stu, not everyone has the same freakishly long legs as you. I feel like I’m taking two steps for each one of yours.” 2D looks up when he hears Murdoc’s complaint, jogging back with an apologetic grin when he sees Murdoc had stopped walking. They continue at a slower pace.

“Sorry, I just got a little excited. I think I found the street, we just need to go left and we’ll be at… the bus stop…”

When they round the corner, they find no buses nor bus stops. Instead of seeing a busy street filled with hordes of people, they were greeted with a dead end road lined with small houses, shops, and convenience stores. There were barely any signs of life, save for a stray kitten splashing around in a rain puddle and a group of kids chatting and playing video games. One of them looks up and stares at Murdoc and 2D, unsure of why foreigners were in their little neighborhood.

“Erm…”

“…Well? Where’s it at?”

“It’s supposed to be right here.” 2D scratches his head in confusion. He consults his map and points out a clearly-labelled bus stop for Murdoc. “Maybe we’re at the wrong place? What street is this? Muds, can you check if there’s a sign—”

“There is one. But I can’t read it,” Murdoc says flatly, jerking his thumb at the unreadable characters on the sign. “It’s in Japanese. Y'know, because we’re in Japan?”

“What? They always have English signs ‘round the touristy places—”

“D'you see any tourists around?”

2D huffs, clearly displeased with how unhelpful he was being. He stalks away from Murdoc, his gaze flitting around as if he’d see a hint in the area that pointed to the right direction if he looked hard enough. When he approaches the children, the whole group dispersed like a flock of pigeons encountering a cat. Murdoc bites back a laugh when 2D returns with the most petulant look etched on his face.

“Those kids are so mean, I just wanted to ask for directions. Maybe they got scared off by my looks?”

“Stu, the chances of them even speaking a lick of English are next to nil. Of course they can't— or won't— help. Just admit it, you can’t read directions to save your life. Give me the map so we actually have a chance to get to wherever the hell it is we’re going.”

“No!” 2D clutches the map to his chest like a lifeline. “I can read a map, just give me some time—”

“We’ve already wasted hours of my precious time today because of you. I have to draw the line somewhere, 2D. I don’t appreciate being led around blindly like a dog on a leash. Let me take a look at it.”

“I told you, I want our itinerary to be a surprise. It’s more fun that way—”

“Oh, some fun we’re having, right? Spending over an hour in a cramped train from Osaka to Kyoto instead of taking a bloody cab, taking the wrong trains and buses and having to double back when we miss our stops, eating watery ramen at a dodgy noodle shop 'cause we couldn’t find somewhere better to eat…”

“At least we got to Araishiyama, and we got to see that bamboo grove,” 2D protests weakly. “It was pretty.”

“It’s pretty, I’d give you that. But there’s only so much you can do at a sodding bamboo grove, Stuart. We spent all of five minutes in that forest before you got bored and told me you wanted to leave.”

“Well, I thought you were bored, so I wanted to move on to somethin’ more interesting…”

“…Where did you even get the idea to go all the way to Kyoto without Noodle? Hasn’t it occurred to you what a terrible idea this was?”

“Well, err—”

“We’ve never been to Kyoto before,” Murdoc continues. “So how the everliving fuck did you expect to get around with your sense of direction? It would’ve been better if we went sightseeing with her. Maybe you should’ve scrapped this whole trip altogether. Think about it. We could be back in Osaka with Noodle, roaming Dotonbori and having a pint or two, or eating grilled crab legs—”

“I’m a vegetarian—”

“But no, we had to go at it alone, and spend the better half of a day running around Kyoto like headless chickens. I think I’ve seen enough of Japan’s railways and bus stations to last an entire lifetime.”

2D’s face falls with every word that came out of Murdoc’s mouth.“I’m– I’m sorry, Murdoc, I really am. I think I was too focused on givin’ you the best birthday to think about specifics. Maybe… maybe we should’ve just stayed in Osaka with Noodle. You’re right, let’s head back.”

2D’s voice quivered as he spoke. By the time Murdoc had realized his mistake, it was too late. 2D silently walks back the way they came from, looking almost like a chastised puppy.

Don’t be a grade A twat. You’ve changed, remember? he tells himself, following after 2D. He winds an arm around the other’s waist and pulls him close in an attempt to mitigate the damage he had done.

“Wait, Stu, I didn’t mean it like that. I know you worked hard on this day trip, and I appreciate it, I really do. It’s just… you didn’t really have to go through all that effort for my birthday, y'know? There’s loads of things to do in Osaka.”

“I know, I know, 2D says, but the look of dejection on his face doesn’t disappear. "I guess… I just wanted to impress you, just a tiny bit. I wanted to give you a better birthday than last year.”

“What d'you mean?” Murdoc asks, confused. “I spent my last birthday in sodding prison. The bar isn’t set that high. We could’ve spent this entire day watching paint dry and it’ll still be better than the hell I went through last year.”

2D winces at Murdoc’s blunt honesty. “I mean, I wanted to make up for last year. I know I didn’t even greet you on your birthday—”

“No cards, or letters, or anything, while you an’ the rest were off having the time of your lives without me—” Murdoc adds unhelpfully. He couldn’t help it, he still felt a bit betrayed.

“I’m sorry, Muds, I was still really angry at you then. I won’t ever ignore you like that again,” he assures. “It’s the whole reason why I wanted to make up for it. I mean, I practically jumped at the chance when Noodle told me she wanted to go back to Japan to visit a friend. We haven’t been outside Tokyo yet, and we haven’t had a vacation in ages. It seemed like the perfect way to spend a birthday.

"But I didn’t like the idea of spending all our time with other people. I wanted us to have some… alone time.” 2D’s face flames. “So I started planning a little side trip, just for us.”

“Wait… are you saying this trip was all just some elaborate ploy to get me away from Noodle and her friend?” Murdoc wonders aloud, smirking at 2D. “Wanted me all to yourself, didn’t you?”

“Maybe,” 2D confirms with a bashful smile. “It’s been a while since it was just the two of us out in public. I wanted to spend the whole day with you. I planned it down to the second, but it didn’t really pan out, did it?”

“No, it didn’t,” Murdoc chuckles. “Well, you didn’t have to get us stranded in a foreign country if you wanted to spend a day with me. I’m sure if you asked Noodle, she would’ve let us explore Osaka by ourselves. No need to go all the way to Kyoto.” 2D makes a noise at the back of his throat, turning his head away and mumbling an inaudible reply to Murdoc.

“What?”

2D repeats it reluctantly. “I said, I wanted to go to Kyoto… because I read somewhere that the scenery here was better. They have prettier gardens and pavilions and temples here, and rows of cherry blossom trees too, it’s beautiful…” his voice trails off when he sees Murdoc’s grin.

After a beat of silence, Murdoc erupts into fits of laughter. “Oh, you sap. You romantic. You cheesy—I see what this is. Pffft— Let me guess what you wanted to do. Did you want to hold hands while exploring the temples like newlyweds? Frolic in the pavilion gardens and smell all the flowers? Take each other’s pictures while we kiss under a cherry blossom tree?” Murdoc guffaws when 2D’s face turns red again.

“Did you want to ride one of those two-seater carriages we saw back in that bamboo grove?”

“Muds,” 2D says, hiding his face behind his hand.

“How about hanging one of those charms in a shrine? You know, one for luck, good health, love—”

“Muds.”

“Or maybe pick sakura petals out of each other’s hair, like we’re in one of those goddamn cartoons. What’s it called again? An anime? But it’s not even the right season for—”

“MUDS!”

Murdoc laughs and pulls him in a tight embrace, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Sorry, I’m just playing with you, D. I didn’t know you’d be so sentimental.”

2D frowns. “Stop making fun of me. I know it’s cheesy, but I just wanted the both of us to have a good time, alright? Those were all on the lists of couple-y things to do in Kyoto when I searched it up.”

Murdoc snorts, deciding not to comment when 2D shoots him a glare. “Didn’t say I didn’t like it, bluebird. I just never expected it from you. Sure I’d love to do all those things with you.”

“Yeah, I would’ve, too,” 2D says bitterly, growing more and more despondent. “But then I got screwed over by Japanese public transport, and now it’s like past five in the afternoon and we haven’t done anything. This is probably your worst— err, second worst— birthday ever.”

2D falls silent again, his eyes downcast. Murdoc sighs when the silence stretches on for far too long.

“Stuart, look at me.”

When 2D meets his gaze with inquisitive eyes, Murdoc takes the chance to press his lips against the other in a kiss so tender and feather-light that they both barely feel it at first.

It held no heat, was a spur-of-the-moment decision by Murdoc, and was over as quickly as it had begun, but it seemed to do the trick in comforting 2D. The other man, who had frozen when Murdoc had kissed him, soon melts like putty. When they finally draw away from each other, 2D blinks at him dazedly as if he was still under a spell.

“Bluebird, any day I get to spend with you is great. Whatever I’m doing on my birthday— whether it’s staying at home, getting plastered at a bar, or yes, getting lost in Kyoto for hours on end, it’s better with you there. No, it’s bloody fantastic. So it's not the worst birthday I’ve had, not by a long shot. In fact, today might just be in my top five.”

2D’s lips quirk into a smile. “Top five?”

“Okay, might just be exaggerating a lil’ bit. Top ten for sure. And besides—” Murdoc hooks an arm around 2D’s waist again and leans against the other man. “—It’s nice to get away from the tourist traps sometimes, don’t you think? It’s quiet here.”

“Yeah, it is.” 2D smiles more fully, his arm slinking around Murdoc to rest at the small of his back. “So… I guess we don’t need to follow the rest of the itinerary then? Since you’d rather be in our hotel room in Osaka and we’ve spent enough time in Kyoto? D'you want to go back?”

“Thought you’d never ask. Yes, I want to go back. If we hurry, we might be able to catch up with Noodle.”

They continue walking in amicable silence, taking in the unfamiliar scenery that they hadn’t been able to enjoy in their mad dash to the bus stop. The train station that they had left behind creeps into view, the hustle and bustle of tourists and locals alike growing louder. When they reach the steps of the station, 2D suddenly pauses as if he remembered something.

“Just one problem,” 2D says after a moment.

“What is it?”

“Well, I don’t really have any way of getting home from this stop. Err—I didn’t think we’d quit halfway through our trip, so I don’t know if there’s a shortcut from here.” 2D looks at him with a sheepish grin. “Should we just double back again?”

“Oh, for chrissake. Would you just swallow your pride for once and fucking call Noodle already?”

2D only nods in embarrassment, fishing out his phone and scrolling through his contact list.

It would be ten minutes before Noodle picks up, twenty five minutes before 2D and Murdoc figure out Noodle’s instructions, a full hour and a half (and several attempts) before they get it right and board the train to Osaka, and three hours before they finally arrive at the correct station and walk back to their hotel.

By the time they reach their room, Murdoc’s too exhausted to do much else other than drink all the beer in their minifridge and snog an equally drunk 2D, passing out cold on top of him after a long day of accomplishing next to nothing.

It was a happy birthday, indeed.

[hardenshippingheadcanons]

I have a hardenshipping au idea! What if Maxie was an independent, well known fashion designer in the 70's, and Archie was starting out his career as a model; looking for ways to gain fame and attention. Eventually, (somehow) Maxie finally meets Archie after various interviews and tryouts of his new male clothing line on other male models, until he settles on Archie, seeing his potential. After some time they get to know each other, they start to grow closer. Please and thank you so much!!

Okay so I may have gone a bit too far because this thing is almost 9000 words long, which is like, four times my average O_O

Anyways, I tried my best, but I don’t know much about fashion or the 70s, so I added some homophobic parents and buses… lots of buses for some reason. Also at some point I forgot Hoenn was a tropical region and I made it snow…. I have no idea how I forgot that.

I hope this is at least slightly what you wanted

“No no no! They’re all wrong!”

Tabitha sighed. They had been over this four times already, and yet Maxie continued to be difficult. “You’ve got to pick one, sir. The show is in a few months and you can’t start making the outfits until you have a model.”

“None of these men work, Tabitha!” Maxie yelled, swiping a bunch of notes and fabric off of one of the work desks in their small studio to underline his point. “They all look too… I don’t know! But they’re not what I want!”

Tabitha sighed again and rubbed his eyes. He felt a headache coming on. “Maxie, please.”

“No. Absolutely not,” Maxie continued. “We should hold auditions, that’s what we should do. Forget about these ‘professionals’, get some new people!”

That… actually wasn’t that bad of an idea, Tabitha thought. Some random person would probably be much cheaper than professional models. But they would have to be trained….

“Tabitha, you go sort that out. We can hold the audition next Saturday, after I’m done the last outfit for Courtney.”

And just like that Maxie was back at his desk furiously scribbling away in his sketchbook. Tabitha knew that Maxie could do great things and would be a huge person in the fashion industry some day, but Arceus, whoever got stuck working with him would have their work cut out for them.

—————

Maxie was waiting at the bus stop, nervously looking up at the sky and shifting his weight in agitation. It looked like it would start raining any minute, and he was holding months worth of notes. If the bus didn’t get here soon….

Maxie felt a presence behind him and glanced over his shoulder. Not many people used this buss stop.

Behind his was a dark skinned man with a goofy smile on his face. They made eye contact, and Maxie immediately turned away.

‘Please don’t take that as an invitation to talk to me, I don’t want to talk to a stranger right now….’

“Hey, what’s your name?”

Well, there goes that hope.

The man had stepped beside him so they could talk, and Maxie realized that the man was pretty tall.

“Who are you?” Maxie asked.

“Ohhh, secretive, huh? I like that. I’m Archie. What’s with all the paper?”

Maxie glanced up at the sky again, then down the street where the bus should be coming already. Nothing.

“It’s work,” Maxie stated. Where was that bus?

“What do you do?” Archie leaned over to try to get a look, but Maxie pulled his work closer towards himself. He hated letting people see his work before it was released.

“Oh hey, the bus!”

That got Maxie’s attention. Coming down the street was the city bus. Which was perfect timing, because Maxie felt the first drop of rain fall on his hand.

Archie was waving at the bus, as though the bus driver didn’t see them. Had this man never used a bus before? Maxie thought in irritation. He had known this man for two minutes, and already he was loosing patience. Maxie wasn’t the most patient person in the world, but even he normally lasted a bit longer than that.

When the bus stopped, Maxie got in first and chose a seat near the back. As usual, the bus was practically empty. There was an old lady at the front, a drunk, passed out man in the middle, a student between them…. and Archie, who was walking straight to the back, towards Maxie. Great….

Archie sat in the row opposite of Maxie, with his legs in the aisle. “So, what do you do for work?”

The bus took off.

“I’m a designer,” Maxie said, pulling his notes close again. Why was this man so determined?

“Cool! What do you design?”

Maxie sighed irritably. He hated talking to strangers, he hated telling people about his job, and he absolutely hated people who wouldn’t leave him alone!

“Woah, you look angry,” Archie said. Maxie glared at him. “Do you not like your job or something?”

“Wha- how could you - No! No I absolutely do NOT hate my job! I absolutely LOVE my job, and I work my butt off every day just to stay relevant! How dare you assume-“

“Woah woah, calm down. I didn’t mean to make you upset, jeez,” Archie said, but he was holding back a laugh behind that big, stupid smile, and that just made Maxie angrier.

“Oh, hey, this is my stop,” Archie said as the bus slowed down.

Maxie sat back and huffed. In just a few minutes this man has made him furious. That was a new record. There was something about him that was just so infuriating.

Archie got to the front of the bus and stoped to look back. “Bye, Red!” He called, giving Maxie a huge wave. Maxie groaned and smacked his head against the seat in front of him as Archie left.

Well, at least he’d never have to see that man again. That thought calmed him down.

————

“Well, thank you for coming. We’ll contact you soon if you get the position,” Tabitha said with a warm smile. The man that had just auditioned smiled and thanked them before leaving.

“He was nice,” Tabitha stated as he attached the photo of the man to their notes.

“Not what I’m looking for,” Maxie replied. He was barely taking any notes at this point. He knew what he wanted, and none of these people were that.

“Maxie, you’ve got to pick someone,” Tabitha said. “You can’t  just wait for the perfect guy to come walking in. You have to get this line finished in a few months!”

“I know, Tabitha!” Maxie snapped. It wasn’t his fault that all these people had the same body type. They were all too… average. Definitely not the big, buff, hero type that Maxie needed for this line. He really should have looked for a model earlier….

“Okay, Maxie, look. There are six more guys out there waiting to audition. You’ve got to pick either one of the ones we see today, or one of the ones that sent in their applications. Just… try to have an open mind, okay?”

“I liked the last guy,” Courtney said. Maxie had almost forgotten that she was in the room. She was sat in a corner, wearing one of the outfits that Maxie had made for this line. The male model had to complement her, after all. It didn’t matter how perfect he was if he didn’t look good beside her.

Maxie sighed. “Let the next guy in.” He started doodling in the notebook that Tabitha had given him to take notes on the models. Was it even worth seeing the next few? He should just pick one and get it over with. Maybe he could redesign some of the outfits to work.

The door opened, and Maxie heard Tabitha talking to the next model. The man laughed at something Tabitha said, and Maxie looked up, recognizing the voice.

“Hey, Red! I didn’t know you worked here!”

It was Archie.

Maxie groaned and smacked his head against the table. He didn’t even bother looking back up. Maybe if he just stayed like this the universe would take pity on him and just end it all.

Of all the people….

“Oh, you know each other?” Tabitha asked.

“No!”

“Yeah, we took the same bus yesterday. What are the odds!”

Maxie shifted his head to glare at Tabitha, who had a funny grin on his face. Maxie supposed that he had put Tabitha through some rough times these past few days, so seeing Maxie suffer a bit was enjoyable to him.

“So if you would just come this way, we’ll take a photo and some information to attach to our notes,” Tabitha said, motioning towards the camera.

Maxie finally decided to sit up straight and take a stretch. His shoulders hurt, his legs were asleep, and his tea was cold. Could this day get any worse?

He heard Tabitha and Archie chatting, and decided to turn towards Courtney. “Would you mind getting me some tea, Courtney?” Maxie asked.

“Sure,” Courtney said, getting up and fluffing her dress out a little. “Do you guys want anything?” Courtney called.

“Could I get a refill, please?” Tabitha asked.

“Ohh, can I have a coffee? I was waiting out in that room for like, an hour. I could really use one,” Archie said, shooting Courtney a huge smile.

Maxie rolled his eyes, but caught the blush on her cheeks before she left.

“Maxie will give you a form to fill out while I print this picture,” Tabitha said.

“Oh, so you’re ‘Maxie’ then?” Archie asked as he sauntered over to the desk. “Well, nice to officially meet you, Maxie. I’m Archie, as you know.”

Maxie rolled his eyes and passed the form over. “You’ve got an awful lot of confidence,” Maxie pointed out. “It almost comes off as arrogant.”

Archie laughed, brushing off the insult. “You should always be confident in what you do! Even if you’re not the best, if you give it your all you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. And that’s how I like to live!”

That was actually good advice, but coming from Archie it just made Maxie more irritated. How much longer until this guy was gone? He’s been doing these auditions all day, he should know how long they take. But it was like Archie managed to sweep all his metaphorical papers off of the desk that is Maxie’s mind when he’s around.

“There, all done,” Archie said with a smile as he passed the form back to Maxie. He gave it a quick look to make sure nothing was missing before he put it back down.

“Great, thank you.”

“So, uh… now what?” Archie asked. Was there a bit of indecisiveness in there?

“Have you never auditioned before?” Maxie asked, teasing him. Of course they would tell him what to do, but if he could spend a few minutes making Archie feel like he should already be doing something, well… that would make today far more enjoyable.

“Not for a model, no. I’m an actor,” Archie admitted.

“Actor?” Maxie asked. Well, he did seem like a ‘theatre kid’, to be honest.

“Why are you applying to be a model, then?”

“Oh, you know,” Archie waved his hand around. Maxie did not know, but before he could cut in with the sarcastic remark Archie continued. “There ain’t much auditions for actors after the contest hall burnt down last month, so a guy had so make do. Besides, this sounded like fun, and it would be something cool to put on my resume.”

Maxie frowned. “You do know that this job would be a several month contract. You couldn’t just quit if a better opportunity came around.”

“Of course not,” Archie looked offended. “When I commit to something, I commit. I don’t care what it is.”

“Okay, we’re all ready, Archie,” Tabitha said as Courtney walked in and handed everyone their drinks.

“Oh, thank you,” Archie said with a small bow to her. “It’s absolutely perfect!”

Maxie rolled his eyes, but Courtney gave a cute giggle, which was shocking for the normally stoic girl.

“Great, let’s begin,” Tabitha announced with a clap of his hands.

————

“Thank you, Archie. We will contact you in a few days if you get the part,” Tabitha said.

“Thanks! Either was, this was pretty fun,” Archie said, giving Courtney an overdramatic kiss on the hand.

“Urgh,” Maxie said as he tossed his notes towards Tabitha.

“What do you mean?” Tabitha whispered to him. “He’s exactly what you wanted, isn’t he!?”

“An arrogant, overdramatic idiot?” Maxie whispered back. “Why would I ever want that?”

Tabitha rubbed at his eyes and sighed. “Who cares about his personality, it’s his body that’s important. Look at him!”

Maxie felt his face flush but quickly regained composer. He had completely forgotten what he was supposed to be looking for.

Archie was giving his goodbyes to Courtney. He was much taller than her, which was a must. Dark skinned, muscular…

Maxie felt his heart drop as he realized Tabitha was right. Archie was perfect. ‘For this modelling job!’ Maxie quickly corrected himself. Perfect for this job.

Perfect, and somehow knew how to push all of Maxie’s buttons. He honestly wasn’t sure that they could make it through the next few months if they hired him though. One of them was sure to kill the other. Most likely Maxie killing Archie.

But no one else had come close to the look that Maxie needed.

“There are still five more, right? Let’s get through them before we make any decisions.”

Maxie tried really hard to find positives in the rest of the guys, but none of them held a candle to Archie.

Maxie groaned and pushed his fingers through his hair when the last man left.

“So?” Tabitha asked.

Maxie sighed and closed his eyes. This was a huge mistake.

“Archie it is, then,” Tabitha said.

————

“What’s this do?”

“I said don’t move!”

“Sorry,”

Maxie sighed and readjusted his glasses. It’s been less than a day, and Archie had somehow made him angry enough to go out for two smoke breaks. Which was saying something, since he was trying to quit and was down to one a week before today.

This man would literally be the death of him.

“Is it that hard to stand still?” Maxie asked. “Is that not something you have to do in your plays?”

“It’s different in plays,” Archie countered as he got back into position and Maxie started measuring again. Archie was a bit nervous of all the pins Maxie had shoved in his mouth, but didn’t say anything about them, instead going with “I’m not me in those plays. But I’m me here, so yeah. Pretty hard to stay still.”

“Then don’t be you,” Maxie said with surprising clarity despite having a dozen or so pins held between his teeth. “Hold this.”

Archie grabbed it and awkwardly held the fabric in the exact spot it was when it was handed to him. He had really only known Maxie a day, but he could tell how passionate he was about this fashion stuff, so he didn’t want to do anything to mess it up. “Oh, come on, you like me,” Archie teased.

“I really don’t,” Maxie countered, pinning some fabric behind Archie’s back. “Pass that to me.”

Archie passed him the fabric. “What are you doing?”

“My job,” Maxie replied. “Which is much easier to do in silence, I might add.”

“That’s no fun!” Archie shot back. “Time goes by much faster when you’re having a conversation!”

“Well, lucky for me I’m short on time, and therefore if your hypothesis is true, we should remain silent,” Maxie said, reaching toward his desk to write down some notes.

“Jeez man. You sound like a scientist when you talk like that,” Archie said.

“Yes, well, I was originally going to be a geologist,” Maxie said as he pulled some fabric tighter and pinned it at Archie’s side.

“Really? What made you switch?” Archie asked. At least they were getting somewhere. It would suck to spend months with a guy who doesn’t want to talk to you.

“My family wanted me to be a geologist. I wanted to be a fashion designer,” Maxie said. We was back to Archie’s front, eyes quickly shifting all over as he calculated where to put the next pin.

“Yeah, it sucks when your family pressures you,” Archie agreed.

Maxie looked up at him for a split second before going back to work. “What were you supposed to be?”

“My whole family are sailors,” Archie said. That was somewhat surprising, and yet Maxie could absolutely see Archie on a dock pulling a boat in. “We own a small shipping company, and I was supposed to take over the family boat. It’s the biggest one we have, and it’s been passed down for generations.”
“How long does a boat usually last?” Maxie asked. He couldn’t imagine that a wooden vessel constantly sitting in water could last for generations.

“We fix things as they break, so as long as you do that they last a long time,” Archie said. He stretched his arm up as Maxie tapped it and pointed up. A pin connected fabric under his arm, then Maxie allowed him to put it down again.

“If you keep fixing it, though, is it the same ship in the end?” Maxie asked as he went to get more pins.

“What do ya mean?” Archie asked.

Maxie grabbed a new roll of fabric and some scissors, and shuffled back toward Archie. “Like, if I were to replace the handle of my broom, and a few years later I replace the brush part of my broom, is it the same broom? Because all the pieces have been swapped, so would it not technically be a different broom?”

“Huh,” Archie said. “Never thought of that.”

————

“Achuuuuu!”

“Could you stop!?”

“Sorry?” Archie sniffed.

“Honestly, what kind of idiot goes ice skating on a lake this time of year,” Maxie said as he drew on the fabric where he would cut. Sometimes he would just cut as he went, but not when any second could result in a sneeze.

“When I was a kid the rivers were always frozen through at this time! We used to play hockey after school every day!” Archie complained. He sniffed again. He looked absolutely miserable.

“Yes, well, you’re not a kid anymore. And it’s been an exceptionally warm autumn. You should have known.”

Archie coughed, and Maxie dropped the fabric and walked off in exasperation. “This is ridiculous. Why did you even come in today?”

“You said I can’t miss a day unless someone was literally dying,” Archie pointed out. “And that person had to be me.”

Maxie leaned against a pile of fabric and held his head in his hands. “We can’t get any work done like this,” He stated as Archie began a coughing fit.

This one was longer than usual, so Maxie decided to bring him his coffee and started removing the half done outfit. “I’m fine, really. Just need a drink and I’ll be fine,” Archie tried to convince himself.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Archie. You’re taking a break,” Maxie finished removing the outfit and pushed him lightly towards the sofa. Maxie had used it to sleep overnight in his studio many nights, so it was one of the most comfortable ones he could afford at the time.

Archie sank into it with a content sigh and sipped his coffee. “I could really go for a nap,” he said, shifting himself so he was lying down. “Wake me when you’re ready to go again.”

Before Maxie could even reply, he was asleep, mouth open and gasping for breath as his nose was blocked. Maxie sighed and got the spare blanket he kept in the closet, and threw it on Archie. He only ever wore boxers and a tank top during work, and he didn’t even bother getting back into his clothes before passing out.

Maxie looked outside. It was really snowing hard now. He went to the fire place and threw in another log to keep it warm.

While he waited for Archie to wake up he might as well get some work done. He pulled out his sketchbook and started drawing some new ideas. But they all sucked. Creativity would not come.

Maxie sighed and glanced at Archie. Well, when all else fails, draw what you see, he thought.

———

“Hey, wanna go out for dinner?” Archie asked in his normal, upbeat voice.

“What?” Maxie asked, feeling his face heat up.

“Some friends and I are going to that new restaurant for dinner tonight, and I was wondering if you wanted to come,” Archie said.

“Oh! Oh, um, I’m not sure,” Maxie replied, getting back to work. “I don’t know them, and…. Well, I guess that’s it.”

Archie laughed, a laugh that always made Maxie smile for some reason. “Oh, c’mon Max! The entire time I’ve known you you’ve only talked about two people - and you work with them! Do you even have friends?”

Maxie’s face flushed, but this time in embarrassment. “What? Of course I do!”

“Name one,” Archie countered.

“Richard!”

“… Richard?”

“Yes,” Maxie said, ‘accidentally’ poking Archie with a pin, which made him jump.

“What does ‘Richard’ do?” Archie said in a I totally know you’re lying but I’m going to humour you tone of voice.

“He’s a… one of those guys who sells tickets at the theatre,” Maxie said. That’s stupid, why was that the first thing to come in his mind?

“Oh, really? At what theatre?”

Fffffffffuu-

“C’mon Max. It won’t kill you to go out for one night. Besides, didn’t you say we were ahead of schedule? Celebrate!”

Maxie sighed. “What time?”

————

“So, what made you move here, Maxie?”

Maxie wanted to disappear. He had thought Archie would have a bunch of friends, and that he could just kinda let them talk amongst themselves without talking much himself. But turns out by “friends” he meant two. A married couple.

“I had some, uh…. family problems,” Maxie said, hoping that would be enough.

“Hey man, no need to tell me about family problems!” The man, Mat, said. “My family’s great, but Shelly’s? Wooooh! They need help!”

“Yeah,” Shelly said in irritation. “Our whole family had to move because the church found out my sister was gay.”

Maxie tried his best to hide his cringe. Were these really the people Archie associated with? Did he think the same way they did?

“Eh, she shoulda joined the navy!” Archie said. “Loads of gays there.”

“Yeah,” Mat added. “They don’t care what you are out at sea.”

“My family’s religious,” Shelly said. “Doesn’t matter where you are, it’s still wrong.”

“Hey, so how are you guys liking Lilycove?” Archie cut in.

“Oh, it’s beautiful!” Shelly said, and Mat nodded along. “The beach at night? Nothing more romantic than that!”

Maxie felt some of his tension leave. At least the topic was shifted now. But he still wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

—————

“Bye Archie! It was nice meeting you Maxie!”

Maxie gave a little wave, which was dwarfed beside Archie’s full arm wave. “See you guys later!”

Maxie turned and started walking towards the bus stop. Archie ran to catch up a moment latter.

“The food there was pretty good! Still not as good as the place on the other side of town, but that’s a long bus ride. Hey, you okay?”

“Great,” said Maxie, maybe a bit too harshly.

“Maxie? Hey, c’mon, what did I do this time?” This wasn’t the first time Maxie had gotten angry. Archie wasn’t the most perceptive of people though, so he rarely noticed until after the fact that he was angry.

“Nothing,” Maxie said less harshly. Technically he didn’t do anything. It was his homophobic friend that had made him feel horrible. They said people were more accepting on the east coast, but Maxie knew that there would always be people like her. He was almost getting used to not hearing anything homophobic, so it was about time, Maxie thought with irritation.

And the worst part was that she seemed nice other than that. Maxie could have seen himself being friends with her if she wasn’t….

Or if he wasn’t gay. That would solve a lot of problems.

“C’mon, I had to have done something. You never get upset for no reason.”

They reached the bus stop, and Maxie leaned against the post as he waited. What time was it anyway? He didn’t want to wait long.

“Maxie? C’mon, tell me. Pleeeaaassseee?”

Maxie was grinding his teeth so hard that he was sure he was causing lasting damage. But he couldn’t bring himself to care.

The buss going the opposite way stopped across the street. Maxie knew that the bus station wasn’t far, and that the bus would turn around once it reached the station. He somehow felt better knowing it would only be twenty minutes or so.

“Max?”

“Stop!” Maxie shouted. People passing looked their way, but kept going.

“….. Did I do something?” The question was softer this time, lacking Archie’s usual energy. Maxie realized that despite how many fights they had had, he’d never actually snapped at Archie before.

That was a sobering thought.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Archie.” Maxie half expected Archie to continue to try to get the information out of him, but he didn’t. He just silently stood beside Maxie, waiting for the bus.

A whole two minutes of silence passed before Maxie pulled out a cigarette. Forget quitting, today he was having as much as he wanted.

His hands shook as he tried to light it, and he went through three matches before he gave up. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth with a sigh and stared up at the sky. It had no right showing off such a beautiful sunset when Maxie was feeling horrible.

“Are you okay?”

Maxie glanced over at Archie. He had almost forgotten that he was still there. Maxie rubbed his hands over his face, trying to release some of the tension there. “I’m fine.”

Archie went to say something more, but thought better of it.

Another few minutes passed.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you.” Maxie could see Archie turn to look at him through the corner of his eye, but he refused to look at the man. “It’s not your problem, it’s mine. And I should have my emotions under control by now.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Archie said. “And like, if you want to talk about it - or not! Like, I’m not trying to pressure you or anything, so if you don’t want me to know then that’s fine too. But like, if you do want to talk about it, I’m here for you.”

“Hah,” Maxie tried to light his cigarette again, and this time his hands were steady enough.

“Hey Max?”

“Hmm?”

“So uh,” Archie was fidgeting his hands, which was actually kinda cute. “I don’t know what I did, and I don’t wanna pressure you, and like, you don’t have to tell me, like I said. But, uh… could you let me know what I did to set you off so I don’t do it again? Like, you don’t have to! If that crosses some line or something then whatever, I won’t bother you about it. I just don’t want to do whatever I did again -“

“Shut up,” Maxie said. His tone was playful, which helped lighten the moment. “Besides, it wasn’t anything you did or said. You just happened to be pestering me when I wanted - needed - time to cool off.”

“Oh!” Archie said. “Oh, that’s good. ‘Cause no offence Max, but you’re scary when you’re angry.”

Maxie laughed, which was something he hardly did. He had noticed that he started to do that when Archie was around.

“You think I’m bad, you shoulda met my dad. He was like an actual volcano.”

They both laughed at that one. “Hey, you never mention your family. Is everything okay with them?”

Well, that ruined the moment. Maxie’s family was… honestly horrible. They were super religious, like everyone out west. Everything was fine and perfect…. Until Maxie realized he was gay. And when his family learnt?

His father was furious. Basically any time he would lay eyes on Maxie he would get beaten. His siblings ignored him, as though associating with him would somehow bring their father’s rage upon them as well.

And his mother. Constantly yelling at him and crying, wondering what she did wrong for him to end up like this.

He went to church once after it got out. Everyone was staring at him and whispering, and he swears the priest chose the sermon just to hurt him personally.

Maxie had tried so hard. His family were geologists, so he got a job and saved up for school. He got his degree, and came back, hoping that that would be enough for them to see how wrong they were.

Turns out he was the one who was wrong. They didn’t care about that. They didn’t even want him to have the family name. So, Maxie moved out east and started designing fashion. Something he had wanted to do his whole life. Something to make him happy.

And he was. Those few years he had spent here, making a name for himself, building his company, those were great years. He had almost forgotten about his family.

Until now.

“Max?”

Maxie snapped out of his thoughts. He heard the bus coming, and put out his cigarette. His dad smoked….

That would be Maxie’s last one, he thought. He pulled out the pack the tossed them into the bin as the bus stopped, “Let’s go,” he said, and Archie followed behind him.

————

“Hey, Max!”

Maxie groaned, and flipped over in bed.

Knock knock!

“Maxie!”

Well, he was up now. And probably half of his neighbours, too.

The knocking continued as Maxie got out of bed and into a robe and slippers before opening the door to his flat. He regretted ever giving that man his address.

“What the hell Archie? It’s Saturday, let me sleep in.”

Archie walked past Maxie like he owned the place and started the kettle for coffee and tea. “Not today, friendo!”

“Friendo?” Maxie asked as he closed the door and shuffled to the counter. He didn’t have his glasses on, so he was just watching a shape walk around his kitchen opening and closing cupboards and drawers.

“Don’t you know what today is?”

“Saturday,” Maxie said in the most deadpan voice he could muster. “Our day off. A day to sleep in.”

Maxie heard Archie crack some eggs into a pan and decided he’d like to see what Archie was up to, so he shuffled back to his room to get his glasses.

By the time he got back Archie was just placing two plates with delicious looking omelettes on them onto the counter. Beside the plates were two steaming mugs.

Maxie sat down and grabbed a fork. “Okay, you’re buttering me up for something. What is it? Do you need a day off or something?”
“What? No!” Archie said as he put the frying pan into the sink and came to sit down. “But out of curiosity would you have given it to me?”

“Mmm, maybe,” Maxie said through a mouthful of eggs. “In exchange for breakfast every Monday. Where did you learn to cook?”

“Used to help my mom,” Archie said after swallowing a huge mouthful. “Speaking of families-“

Maxie shot a glare at Archie. He hadn’t told Archie anything, but they had always avoided the subject after that day.

“Hey, just hear me out, okay? I know that you’re not all that close with your family-“

“Understatement,” Maxie cut in.

“But you know, today is father’s day and my father’s coming to town and I thought you could join us,” Archie finished in a rush.

…

“Why would I want to do that?” Maxie asked.

“Well, since you aren’t going to see your dad today,” Archie said.

“I don’t want to see my dad,” Maxie said, stabbing his fork a little too strongly into his eggs.

Archie sighed. “Okay look, when I left home things were a little rocky. I haven’t seen my dad in person since then, and… I could really use a friend.”

“Oh,” Maxie said. He really wasn’t expecting that.

Was it weird to go with Archie? He’d have to spend the whole day with them. And if today turned out like that day at the restaurant….

“I don’t know, Archie…”

“Pleeeeaaaassseeeee?” Archie gave that puppy dog face that he knew worked so well on Maxie. “I’ll owe you one!”

Maxie sighed. Well, it wasn’t like he had anything else planned today. “Where would we be going?”

———

“Hey dad!”

“Archie!” Archie’s father was a big man, which was saying something since Archie was pretty big himself. In height he was an inch or so taller, and if Archie looked like he worked out this man looked like he lived in a gym.

Archie’s father picked him up in a huge hug. “Are you eating okay, son? Doing enough hard work?”

Archie laughed. “I’m eating fine. How’s mom?”

“She’s great, and sends her regards.”

That was the moment that Archie suddenly remembered Maxie existed and dragged his father towards him. “Dad, this is Maxie! He’s the designer that I told you about.”

“Well, nice to meet you Maxie!” Archie’s father grabbed his hand in a strong handshake.

“Nice to meet you too,” Maxie said at his most professional. “You’ve raised a wonderful son.”

“Haha, that I have!” he said, throwing an arm over Maxie’s shoulder. “But he ain’t perfect, you know. Has he told you about the time that he -“

“Okay dad! I’m sure Maxie doesn’t wanna hear about any of that!” Archie cut in grabbing his dad by the arm and pulling him away.

“Oh, quite the contrary,” Maxie said with a smirk. “I would love to hear all the embarrassing stories from your youth.”

Archie’s face flushed for the first time that Maxie could recall, and his father laughed. Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.

————

“Are you sure you have to leave tonight? There’s loads more I haven’t shown you,” Archie said as he gave his dad a goodbye hug.

“Eh, you know I can’t delay this shipment. But mark my words, I’ll be back. And you had better show me that chilli place next time! I’ve heard great things!”

Maxie smiled as he watched them say their goodbyes from the end of the dock. The day had gone wonderfully, and Maxie wished he could have more days like that. Archie turned out to be a lot of fun when he had a whole day to plan for. And his father was great, too.

Maxie’s smile faltered for a second as he thought about his dad.

Nope. He wasn’t about to let that man ruin a wonderful day.

Archie came back after seeing his dad off. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be!” Archie said.

They started walking back towards town. “No, it was quite pleasant. I guess you didn’t need me after all,” Maxie said.

“But it was way more fun with you there,” Archie said with a smile. “Even if my dad kept trying to tell you embarrassing stories about me.”

Maxie laughed. “Did you really try to grab a carvanha by the tail!?”

“Yeah, it really showed me!” Archie laughed. “Still got the scar to prove it! You gotta be looking for it though, here.”

Archie stopped and pointed to a spot on his face right between his eyes. Sure enough, Maxie saw a small, x shaped scar. “Woah. You’re pretty lucky. That could have been your eye,” Maxie said.

“Nah, my eyes are too beautiful, the universe would never allow that!” Archie laughed, but it made Maxie look at his eyes closer than he normally would.

They were a deep blue like the ocean. The bluest blue he’d ever seen in someone’s eyes before. They were… really pretty. Not that it mattered. Why should he care?

Maxie laughed along. “Don’t tempt the universe, Archie.”

————

It was a week until the show. A week until the deadline. One more week.

Maxie was freaking out. This was his first time in one of these shows, and this could very well make or break his career. And he only had one week to finish this last outfit.

“Calm down, Max,” Archie said as Maxie pocked him with a needle for the hundredth time that day.

“I can’t calm down! The show’s in a week, Archie!”

“You’re pretty much done. I’ve seen you finish a project this big in a single day before. You’ll be fine,” Archie said, trying to comfort the crazed fashion designer.

“It can’t just be fine, it has to be brilliant! Amazing! Extraordinary!”

Another stab.

“Okay, enough,” Archie said as he grabbed Maxie’s wrist.

“What are you doing? It’s not done yet!”

“No, but you are,” Archie said as he dragged Maxie to the couch.

“I absolutely am not! Let go of me!”

“Nope,” Archie said as he flopped down onto the sofa, pulling Maxie down to sit beside him. Archie grabbed a book and awkwardly opened it with one hand, then flipped to the page he had stopped at last time, all without letting go of Maxie’s wrist.

It took Maxie a moment to realize that Archie was, in fact, not going to let him go. He tried to pull away, but no matter what he did he couldn’t overpower Archie. “This is ridiculous! Let me go!”

“You’re too stressed, you can’t work like that. You’ll end up making mistakes.”

Archie wasn’t wrong, but with only a week left Maxie didn’t have the time to spare.

“Archie!”

Archie groaned and closed his book. He couldn’t read with all this noise. “How about dinner? When was the last time you ate?”

Maxie thought about it, but before he could remember Archie cut him off, pointing out that if it took him that long to think about it, it was too long ago.

“I am not going out like this,” Maxie stated. His hair was a mess, his clothes wrinkly and with a few tea stains. It almost looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Or gone home.

“Do you even have food at your house? Fresh food?”

“I don’t- no, probably not. I’ve been busy,” Maxie said defensively.

“Okay then, my house it is,” Archie said, finally letting go of Maxie’s wrist. “I live just down the street, so we can walk if you want.”

“What ar- but we have to finish!”

“Maxie, c’mon. You’ll feel better after you eat and sleep.”

Maxie couldn’t counter that.

————

Maxie was half asleep on the couch when Archie placed a plate full of food on the coffee table in front of him. “Oh, thank you,” he said, giving himself a stretch before grabbing the fork.

“No problem,” Archie said and sat next to him. He put a bottle of wine on the table, and poured them each a glass.

“Wine, really? Are we on a date or something?” Maxie asked sarcastically. Of course, that just put the idea of a real date with Archie in his head, and he quickly had to erase that.

“I always have wine with dinner,” Archie said. “My mom used to say it was healthy to have a glass a day.”

“Well, I’m not complaining,” Maxie said after he had taken a sip. “This is quite nice. Better than anything we ever got out west.”

Once they were done their dinner, they continued to chat and drink for hours. The sun slowly set, and eventually Maxie noticed the time.

“I should probably go now, before the last bus goes by,” Maxie said without even attempting to get up. He was super comfy leaning against the couch and chatting with Archie.

“Nah man, stay here tonight. Who knows what kind of weirdos take the last bus of the night,” Archie pointed out as he refilled Maxie’s glass.

“True,” Maxie agreed. “It would be absolutely horrible if I were to be killed the week before the show. All that work would be for nothing.”

Archie laughed, which brought a smile to Maxie’s face. “Well, at least you got to know me!” Archie teased.

“And I wouldn’t change that for the world,” Maxie agreed.

“Awwww, that’s cute,” Archie said, leaning closer to Maxie and batting his eyelashes.

“Hmmm. Tell anyone I said that and I’ll kill you,” Maxie countered and finished off his glass.

“You wouldn’t do that to me,” Archie said with a laugh. “You’d miss me too much!”

“Maybe,” Maxie agreed.

They were both laughing now. Archie laughed a little too hard and spilled some of his wine on Maxie’s pants.

“Oh man! Sorry, I guess I was leaning too far forward,” he said as he looked around for something to wipe it up with.

“Don’t even worry about it,” Maxie said, and waved his hand in dismissal. “This entire outfit needs to be thrown out when this week is over. One extra stain isn’t important. Now, if this was the show outfit….”

Archie laughed again. “Yeah, you’d probably kill me for real then.”

A few minutes passed where Maxie just stared off into space. When Archie asked him what he was thinking about, he could honestly say “I don’t know.”

“I think,” Maxie started, then lost his train of thought.

“What do you think?” Archie asked.

Maxie looked into those far too blue eyes and felt himself melt away. “I think… I’m drunk. And you should let me sleep in in the morning, or you’ll have to deal with a very tired, hungover Maxie.”

Archie laughed at that. “Okay, fair enough. I’ll get you a blanket,” Archie said as he got up and headed into another room.

Maxie lied down and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the city outside. He was almost asleep when Archie came back.

“C’mon, get up. You need a pillow or you’re gonna have a sore neck tomorrow.” He was right of course, but Maxie still groaned as he forced himself into a sitting position.

The blanket Archie gave him was soft, and Maxie was curled up and ready for sleep before Archie was done turning off the lamps.

“Hey, Max?”

“Hmmm?”

“How drunk are you? Like, are you gonna remember that I spilled wine on you in the morning?”

“You spilled wine on me?” Maxie asked. Oh yeah, he remembered now. He was too tired to care, though.

“Maxie?”

“Hmmm?”

Maxie felt a hand on his face, so he opened his eyes. The moon was bright out, so Maxie could see every feature on Archie’s concerned face. “I’m fine,” Maxie said, even though Archie hadn’t asked.

He was staring. He knew he was. But Archie was staring right back, and Maxie couldn’t bring himself to care that he would have probably looked away had he been awake and sober.

Then, Archie leaned down and brushed his lips against Maxie’s. That snapped him out of his half-asleep, tipsy state. His hand shot out and grabbed Archie’s arm. “Archie?”

And Archie leaned down and kissed him. Maxie’s head was spinning, his heart was racing, but he was kissing back. Archie was kissing him, and he was kissing back.

He had pushed this thought from his head countless times, as though refusing to imagine this it would somehow make it easier to pretend he had no feelings for Archie. And it was working, but now?

Maxie knew he could never go back now.

Archie pulled away with an awkward cough. “Well, uh, goodnight,” he said, and walked away to his room.

Maxie stared at the ceiling in shock. “What just happened?” He lightly traced his lips with his hand. He didn’t have much time to think about it as he quickly fell asleep, but the butterflies in his stomach stayed even in his dreams.

————

Maxie woke to the smell of tomatoes and the sound of chopping. The sun was already high in the sky as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Then Maxie remembered where he was, and what happened last night. Did it happen, though? Or was it Maxie’s imagination and subconscious mixing with his tipsy, sleep deprived brain?

Maxie got up and folded the blanket before heading towards the kitchen. His mind was furiously sorting things he remembered, determining what was real and what was dreamt.

“Good morning,” Maxie said with a yawn.

“Good morning!” Archie said, but only gave Maxie a glance.

Oh, so it was real. Was that going to make things awkward now? There was less than a week until the show, Maxie couldn’t have his model acting weird, or worse, quitting.

Maxie shook that thought from his head. That was a load of bull. Maxie didn’t want to loose Archie, period. As a model, as a friends, or as… something else. So he decided to dive right in.

“So, that kiss last night?” Maxie started. Archie instantly froze. There was an awkward silence. Maxie half expected Archie to deny it, or to turn around and laugh it off. Not silence, though. That was so unlike him.

“What was all that about?” Maxie asked.

Archie slowly put the knife down and grabbed the counter, but still didn’t say anything.

“Archie?”

Nothing.

Maxie got up and walked to his side, but Archie turned his head to avoid eye contact.

“Come on, you can’t just pretend I’m not here. What are you, a child?”

“No, I just…”

“There we go! Words! Isn’t that better?” Maxie teased, then instantly regretted it. That was so lame, why did he say that? Why was he so bad with these types of situations? “Sorry, that was stupid.”

“No, I was,” Archie said. “Look, I’m sorry. I thought you were drunk and wouldn’t remember, and I know that that’s not okay anyway, and I should never have done that, and you are probably super mad at me and that’s fine! That’s absolutely okay, because I deserve it! I just, I don’t even know what came over me. You’re such a good friend and I really don’t want to loose that just because I was stupid. I mean, just because I like you doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, right? I’ll get over it eventually. We could just pretend that never happened-”

Archie kept going, but Maxie didn’t hear him.

Did Archie just admit to liking him? But that didn’t make sense, Archie wasn’t gay. He couldn’t be. In the few months they had known each other he had probably pointed out a hundred “hot” girls to him.

And yet Archie was still rambling. He should… probably stop him.

Maxie grabbed Archie’s arm. “Archie.”

Archie kept going, slightly louder now, as though he was afraid of what Maxie would say.

“Archie. Archie. Hey, stop that. Archie!”

With a big inhale Archie finally stopped. He was staring down at the cutting board, his hands balled into fists. “Look at me.” He didn’t move. “Archie, look at me.” Archie shook his head.

Maxie grabbed his face and turned it towards himself. Archie kept his eyes closed. Which was fine, considering how nervous Maxie was. It was nice knowing that Archie was just as nervous, if not more.

This time Maxie leaned in for the kiss. He could feel Archie tense up for a moment. Maxie wrapped one arm around Archie’s neck and pulled him closer. Archie hesitantly put his hands on Maxie’s hips.

When they finally pulled away and made eye contact they sort of shuffled away, but didn’t let go of each other.

“So, uh…?”

“It was absolutely not cool to have kissed me when I was drunk like that,” Maxie stated.

“Oh.” Archie’s arms dropped away and he tried to dislodge himself from Maxie. But Maxie wasn’t having any of that.

“Our first kiss should have been after a brilliant date, like it’s supposed to be. It’s going to be quite difficult for you to make that up to me.”

That stopped Archie altogether, and he just stared at Maxie as his brain tried to process what just happened. Maxie smiled when Archie finally laughed. The tension was broken.

“Whatever you’re making for breakfast had better be amazing,” Maxie said as he headed towards the washroom.

“I’ll make you amazing breakfasts every day if you want,” Archie called back.

Maxie smiled as he closed the door behind him.

————

“Are you sure I look okay?” Archie asked for the twentieth time that minute.

“Archie, you look beautiful, stop asking,” Maxie said as he circled the two models. This was it, show time.

“You’ll do fine,” Courtney said, grabbing his hand.

Archie quickly glanced at Maxie, who was looking at their hands intertwined together before shaking it off and continuing his inspection. Archie wasn’t sure if Maxie was the jealous type or not, and now would not be a good time to figure it out.

“Uh,” Archie shook his hand out of Courtney’s grip. “Thanks.”

The announcer announced the next designer, and a stage manager came rushing towards them. “You’re on next. Ma’am, you’ll start on the other side of the stage.

“Okay,” Courtney said, but Maxie grabbed her before she could leave.

“Okay, this is over a year of work we’re showing off, so I want you two to really blow them away for me, okay?” He grabbed their hands and put them together, giving Archie a meaningful look. ‘It’s okay, go all out.’

“We won’t disappoint you,” Courtney said.

“Courtney!” Tabitha was frantically waving from the other side of the stage.

Maxie gave her hand one more squeeze before she ran off to join Tabitha. Maxie and Archie headed towards their side of the stage. “You’ll do great,” Maxie whispered.

“Thanks! This isn’t like my normal roles,” Archie admitted.

Maxie glanced around to make sure no one was near, then pulled Archie down for a quick kiss. “I know you’ll do great.”

“And next up is Maxie from Lavaridge!”

————

They were all sitting in the waiting room of Maxie’s studio, eating cake, drinking, and laughing. “Third place isn’t bad considering it was my first time,” Maxie pointed out.

“It’s absolutely unheard of!” Tabitha mocked one of the older ladies that had attended.

“Pffff, that lady’s never met Max before!” Archie said, throwing his arm around Maxie and leaning in. Maxie lightly pushed him off, glancing at the other two.

“Okay okay,” Tabitha said, noticing. Maxie had a mini panic attack as he ran through his history with Tabitha to try and find any moment that would tell him if Tabitha would be okay with this or not.

“Courtney and I had a bet,” he said, gesturing to a nodding Courtney and himself. “About whether or not you two would get together.”

Maxie felt his face heat up. Suddenly Archie’s arm (which he hadn’t been able to push off of his shoulders) made him feel claustrophobic. The room was spinning, and not just from the alcohol. Tabitha was one of Maxie’s only friends, if he didn’t -

“Who bet what?” Archie asked, leaning forward.

“I bet,” Courtney started, “that you two were going to end up together before the show.”

“There’s no way,” Tabitha stated. “Maxie’d drop hints ‘till the end of time and never go for it, and Archie’s not smart enough to pick up the hints - uh, no offence.”

“None taken!” Archie laughed. “I definitely didn’t pick up any hints, at least not consciously.”

“I didn’t drop hints! I don’t do that!” Maxie said in exasperation.

“So I was right?” Courtney asked.

“What do you get for winning?” Archie asked.

Tabitha sighed and pulled out his wallet. It took Maxie a moment to realize what was happening.

“You two are actually horrible,” Maxie joked.

“Well hey, now that they know, I can do this,” Archie said, and dived to rub his beard against Maxie’s neck. Maxie jumped back and tried to push him away through his laughter.

————

“Hey Max.”

“Hmmm?”

Archie sat on the corner of Maxie’s desk, which was, for once, pretty clean. “Whatcha doing?”

“Looking at this paperwork. Are we 100% sure we want to move here? Because once we do we’re stuck for a few years.”

“I’m sure if you are,” Archie said. “I’m happy wherever you are.”

Maxie laughed and rolled his eyes. “Cheesy.”

“And if we do move, I’ve already found you a commission,” Archie pointed out.

“Okay, you’ve got my interest. Continue,” Maxie said, sitting back and folding his arms.

“The Sootopolis theatre needs costumes for its next show, and I showed them some of the stuff you made. They’re really interested, and they pay well.”

“Well, you got me,” Maxie said. He signed the papers and passed the to Archie. “Mail these next time you go out?”

“Will do!” Archie said.

Later that night, when they were in bed and Archie was softly snoring with Maxie in his arms, Maxie opened his eyes and looked out at the moon through his window.

If only his family could see him now, he thought with bitter confidence. He was successful, he was well known, he was dating the most handsome man in all of Hoenn, and that man also happened to be an upcoming star.

Maxie’s life ended way better than he would have ever imagined all those years ago.

[maddie-nanjingsemester]

欢迎光临南京！Welcome to Nanjing!

你们好！Wow. Okay. How do I even start this blog post off? There’s so much that has happened within this past week since I’ve arrived that I almost don’t even know where to start – although I guess it makes sense to start at the beginning. So I’m assuming that if you’re reading this blog, you’re aware that I’m studying abroad in Nanjing, China for this whole semester. If so, great! If not, where have you been?? (Just kidding.) This first post is also probably going to be quite long because there’s a lot to talk about, but stay with me! Also, apologies for not posting this sooner – when our program advisors told us this semester was going to be busy, they weren’t lying!

What a whirlwind this first week was. (Oh and yes, technically I have been here for close to two weeks now, but I’m only going to be talking my impressions of Nanjing from the first week in this blog post, so we’ll stick with that.) I left Chicago on February 13 (Wednesday) around midnight, taking a direct flight to Incheon Airport in South Korea. I flew on Asiana Airlines, which, FYI, has great food. They served bibimbap for dinner and the meals came with little instructions on how to prepare it. 真可爱！So cute! Also super tasty.

After a 14-hour flight, during which I basically alternated sleeping and watching Netflix, we landed around 5am on Friday (Feb 15), so I pretty much lost all of Thursday (Valentine’s Day lol). Such a weird feeling to jump so far ahead in time without even really feeling like I lost any time at all. Then I had about an 8-hour layover in the airport, which normally would have been enough time to get out of the airport and see a bit of Seoul, but since we landed so early, hardly anything was even open inside the airport, let alone outside. On top of that, it was snowing and still dark out, so I elected to stay in and wander around for a while. I was also joined by my airplane seatmate, who was on her way to Thailand but wasn’t leaving until the evening. It was so nice having someone to chat with and explore the airport with.

Finally, following a slight delay, my plane to Nanjing took off a little after 1pm. By this point I was so ready to be done with plane rides that I had a bit of a hard time relaxing, but since we still had a 2.5-hour flight ahead of us, I tried to settle in and read my book nonetheless (The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling, if you’re interested). There was another girl from the program on my flight, and we found each other by the baggage claim after going through security/customs. Speaking of security, I didn’t know that you had to get fingerprinted when you went through customs in China! So I guess the government has my prints on file now. The guard was also definitely suspicious of me and kept looking at my passport photo to confirm that it was actually me (I don’t know, I guess my hair looks different now or something?), and even asked for my admission papers from Nanjing University (which, fortunately, I had with me).

After all this, thankfully there were Chinese students from the program waiting at the airport to meet us and help us get to the dorm. We got in a taxi and then had about an hour-long ride to our dorm, during which I had the chance to just sit and absorb the fact that I was actually in China for the very first time! After so much planning and worrying and traveling, I was finally here. Exhausted and ready to sleep, but here. However, because it was only around 5 or 6pm when we arrived, I didn’t want to go to bed right away because I wanted my body to start adjusting to the time difference right away. Another girl from the program who had already been here for a week offered to go walk around the neighborhood with me so I could stretch my legs some and get a first glimpse of the city. It was chilly and drizzling (it’s been raining quite a bit here), but I didn’t mind because I was just so excited to be in Nanjing! It was cool to get to see some of the nightlife on the very first night and get a feel for the neighborhood. It’s definitely a very walkable city.

The organization that I’m studying abroad with is called CIEE, partnered with Nanjing University (one of China’s top universities), and our program is called Intensive Language and Culture in Nanjing. Because it’s really focused on increase our language ability, we signed a language contract on the first day of classes saying that we would aim to speak only Chinese from Sunday-Friday 8am-8pm. In our Chinese classes, we’re basically covering two semesters-worth of material in just one semester. If you choose to live in the dorms, you also get to room with a Chinese student, which I was definitely nervous about, but so far it’s been wonderful! My roommate’s name is 源苑 (Yuányuàn) and she’s a fourth-year majoring in teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages, with plans to go on to graduate school.

The dorm we’re staying in is Nanjing University’s international students' dorm, so it’s been really cool to see all of the other foreign students here and hear a number of different languages being spoken in the elevators and hallways. The CIEE offices and classrooms are also in this building, so going to class in the mornings is incredibly convenient. (I’ve definitely almost been late to class a few times because I don’t have to leave the building, so I’ve cut it pretty close with leaving my room, taking the elevator, and getting to class with about a minute to spare.) I had originally been thinking about doing a homestay, which is the other housing option offered with this program, but ultimately I decided that I wanted to have a bit more freedom in making spontaneous plans and to be able to live more like a real Nanjing University student (体验学生的生活 – learn through the experience of living like a student). Most of the homestays are also about 30-40 minutes away by train or bus, and I was definitely worried about being late for class in the mornings. The trains and buses don’t run 24/7 either so I wouldn’t be able to stay out late with friends if I wanted to be able to get home without paying a lot of money for a taxi. Homecooked meals and getting to experience Chinese family life would be nice, but I do love the convenience of our dorm and its proximity to lots of great restaurants, as well as getting to hang out with my friends from the program whenever I want. Our dorm rooms are definitely pretty bare, but we do have our own private bathrooms! We’re also on the 10th floor, so the view ain’t half bad.

On Saturday at 9am, the day after we arrived, we started orientation, where we got to learn about Nanjing, Nanjing University, and our program. We also had the chance to go downtown, to get our metro cards and new SIM cards, and to get to know each other a little better. There are 14 of us American students in the program, mostly all from different colleges and different states. Then on Sunday, our roommates moved in! I didn’t know who my roommate was going to be until she moved in, so like I said before, I was definitely nervous, but also like I said before, 源苑 is so great. She’s very easygoing and funny, and even though we’re both busy students, we still get meals together a lot and love to chat about random things! We’ve already had some great conversations about the differences between Chinese and American schooling, culture, etc.

Here are some of my favorite things about being here so far:

The convenience store that’s literally right around the corner from our dorm

It’s the perfect place for school supplies, snacks, and basic school supplies or bathroom items, and I probably go there about once a day to pick up a snack or a notebook or something.

Learning more conversational/colloquial words and phrases

In school, we always learned the formal ways of saying things, and while these are all technically correct, they’re not how most people talk in normal conversation!

For example, I grew up learning that 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) was the best way to say “I’m sorry.” While 对不起 is correct, my roommate told me that this is actually a very formal way of saying sorry, so most Chinese say 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi), which is more casual. (The appropriate response, then, is 没事 – meí shì, “it’s nothing.”)

How helpful the Chinese professors and roommates are

I’m going to talk more about classes in another post, but my professors are fantastic and I’ve already learned so much. 源苑 is also so good at explaining things to me, from words or phrases that I don’t understand to items on a menu. Everyone in this program is just so willing to help us out with our Chinese!

The food, obviously!!

I’ve had a number of people ask me about all the dishes I’ve eaten, and honestly I can’t even tell you the names of everything I’ve eaten so far, but I can tell you that I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve never been a picky eater and I’ve always been somewhat adventurous when it comes to food, so I’ve pretty much been trying everything people give me.

How many trees there are everywhere!

I honestly did not expect a big Chinese city like Nanjing to be so full of trees and plants and other greenery! I’m definitely excited for it to start getting warmer out so that plants will be able to start blooming again because right now most are pretty bare. But it’s so cool to see trees basically everywhere you look, even lining the main streets.

Here are some of my not-so-favorite things:

Waiting forever for my VPN to connect so I can use the internet

I use Express VPN pretty much all the time now and overall it’s great! So far I’ve mostly been connecting to US locations (although Hong Kong works great for Netflix) and it’s nice to be able to use social media to keep up-to-date with things happening back home. But at certain times during the day, especially in the evening, I have a hard time getting a quick connection, and then websites take a long time to load. I also sometimes have a problem where my VPN is working fine on my computer but not at all on my phone, or vice versa. And then sometimes the servers just won’t connect at all.

Not having a kitchen!!

I love making my own food, and last semester I went down to a very small meal plan so I could make a lot of my own food. Senior year I’m also planning on going off meal plan completely. Here though, I either have to go out for every meal or make instant food in the microwave/with hot water. This can be hard when it’s cold out, or when I’m busy with homework, or when I don’t feel like spending another 30-40元 on a meal. Fortunately, the cafeteria is now open (even though it’s about a 20-minute walk away), and supposedly it’s pretty cheap, so that’ll definitely help.

Having to wait nearly an hour for water to heat up enough to take a shower

In our dorm, we don’t have instantaneous hot water like we do back in the US, so if we want to take a hot shower, we have to turn on the water heater at least an hour before we want to shower in order for it to heat up sufficiently. I don’t like showering at night because going to sleep when my hair is still damp does not do good things for my hair (I showered in the evening last week and then woke up in the morning with all of my hair standing up). If I want to shower before class, I have to wake up at 6 to turn the water on so then I can shower a little after 7. And for someone who takes 5-minute showers, 这是很不方便 (this is not very convenient)!

Not being able to use an American credit card at most stores and restaurants

This one has been quite surprising. I got a travel credit card before I came here for the perk of not having transaction fees, and I assumed that I’d probably be able to use it at most stores and restaurants. However, every place that I’ve been to so far (from Walmart to the convenience store) has only taken Chinese cards. I’m going to delve into this issue in a later post, but it’s for sure not the most convenient to use cash everywhere I go.

However, while these things are inconvenient, I’ve always been one to go with the flow, so I’m making adjustments in my expectations/normal ways of living in accordance with these (mostly) minor hassles. This whole trip is supposed to be a learning experience after all!

In my next post, I’ll go into more detail about my weekly schedule and what my classes are like, and I’ll talk more about what it’s like to have to speak Chinese nearly all the time, so stay tuned!

xoxo 梅迪~

[shawol9196]

Teacher AU 10/?

“I had a nice time, Minho. I appreciate it.” Minho reaches out for Kibum’s hand, mostly for the sake of just holding it a little longer. “I did too. I’d love a second date, but I’ll leave that up to you. I’ll treat, but you pick, if you want it.”

((This ch was inspired by & finished almost on time for @lockandminkey!! happy birthday!!!)

They hold hands all the way back to the apartment. Though he was obviously nervous at the pottery studio, Kibum seems much more relaxed now, letting Minho hold him closer to him. When they get out of the elevator for their floor, there’s a familiar face.

“Well hello, Sunny! Enjoying some...company?” Minho exclaims.

She turns to face them, eyes narrowing. “You didn’t see me here, Choi.”

They walk past her as Siwon opens the door.

“Oh hello, Minho!” he says.

“Hey, Siwon! This is my new roommate, Kibum, the one I was telling you about.”

Siwon nods at Kibum and Kibum waves back.

“Well, we have to be going,” Sunny says quickly. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, you two.”

Minho turns to Kibum and whispers “That list is a lot shorter than you’d think.”

Sunny smacks his arm and they all laugh. Siwon and Sunny get into the elevator as Minho finishes opening the door.

“I guess you weren’t kidding about the two of them.” Kibum says, taking off his shoes.

“Siwon and I have lived next to each other for four years and it’s always been this way. I’m just glad Sunny realized that it was me next door. I’ve heard some things I’d rather not repeat.”

Kibum laughs and walks towards his bedroom door but stops just short.

“I had a nice time, Minho. I appreciate it.”

Minho reaches out for Kibum’s hand, mostly for the sake of just holding it a little longer.

“I did too. I’d love a second date, but I’ll leave that up to you. I’ll treat, but you pick, if you want it.”

“What about next Sunday?”

“Works for me. You may have to come wake me up if you want to do something early though.”

Kibum laughs softly, squeezing Minho’s hand. Minho brings Kibum’s hand up, softly kissing his knuckles.

“Sleep well, Kibum.”

Kibum mumbles a “you too” in amongst his blushing and quickly moves into his room. Minho walks to his own, pulling out his message laden phone.

Chat: The College OGs + Kyuhyun

Suho: Sunny just texted me saying that you and Kibum are holding hands, Minho, pls confirm

Minho: Why do you trust Sunny’s commentary?

Suho: Because I’m desperate

Changmin: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) did you hold anything else ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Minho: -_-

Kyuhyun: yeah he held back his feelings probably

Suho: holding back your feelings will get you nowhere surprise him with a rose petal laden bed and champagne

Kyuhyun: I’m not saying you have to go that far but thats far more romantic than anything Chang has ever done for me

Changmin: HEY Changmin: i guess that’s fair

Suho: so why were you holding hands were you on a date or something?

Minho: maybe

Suho: AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME?

Kyuhyun: you should’ve asked suho first that way you could stick to his script

Minho: and have you all following us? No thanks!

Changmin: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) how’d it go ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Minho: well, I think. It could’ve gone better but it was a first for both of us so

Suho: Did you at least get a kiss at the end? Changmin: or some d?

Minho: We literally just got back, so no.

Kyuhyun: no kiss or no d

Minho: I kissed his hand

Changmin: what kind of Victorian bullshit is that?

Suho: Oh god that’s peak romance I’m so proud of you even though that’s not how I had this plotted out but I’ll let it slide this once

Minho sighs, silencing his phone. Regardless of what the others thought of the date, it was enough for him. Sleep comes quicker than expected, setting in between thoughts of Kibum’s blushing cheeks.

*

Dreams Team luckily goes by without a hitch; though he keeps replaying the image of Kibum’s blushing face in his mind, he’s able to put it aside enough to focus on today’s softball game. The friendly competition between his and Donghae’s combine group versus Hyukjae and the newest counselor Yunho -- another teacher from the school that Changmin teaches at -- is just enough to lift the atmosphere without getting ugly. When the game ends, Donghae and Hyukjae walk part of the way home with him.

“So I heard you went on a date last night?” Hyukjae teases, elbowing Minho in the side.

“Word travels that fast?”

“Oh please, Suho is practically at the point of sending out a daily newsletter.”

“With fan fiction included!” Donghae adds.

Minho sighs. As much as he cares for Kibum, the heavy involvement and annoyance of his friends is beginning to make the whole thing off-putting. Hyukjae touches his shoulder as they stop to wait for the crosswalk.

“I’m sure it must be incredibly annoying. I promise that I’ll try to keep it all contained, at least on my end, and I’ll try to put in a word to get the others to calm down. When we started dating, it was stressful enough without so many watching eyes. I can’t imagine how gross it must be for you.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

Donghae bumps his other shoulder, reaching for a hug.

“Just think. If things work out you two can get married and build a house with two gates around it to keep Suho from moving in with you.”

All three of them laugh and when the crosswalk light is illuminated they part ways. Minho walks a little quicker the rest of the way home, eager to see Kibum. Sunny is once again leaving Siwon’s apartment when he reaches the hallway and though she shoots him a warning look he ignores her.

“Kibum I’m ho-”

The words are cut off by the sight of Kibum standing in the living room, tears running down his cheeks. Minho walks over to him as Kibum tries his best to clean up his tears.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“It’s...it’s nothing...nothing I’m fine.”

Minho holds up a hand to Kibum’s cheek.

“Kibum, this isn’t nothing...I respect if you don’t want to talk about it, but please don’t lie to me...”

Kibum takes a deep breath and attempts a smile.

“I’m just having a bad day is all. No need to worry.”

Given how much trust Kibum has put into him by moving in and being honest in the past, Minho doesn’t push the issue. Kibum reaches up and takes Minho’s hand off his cheek but continues to hold it for a moment. Minho moves towards him a half-step, pulling him into a quick hug. He’s surprised to realize he’s kissing the top of Kibum’s forehead. When he pulls away he’s surprised to see the blush on Kibum’s tear stained cheeks.

“I obviously need to shower first, but when I’m done I’m here if you need to talk to me, alright?”

“Alright.”

Minho goes into his room, heaving a sigh before grabbing his phone out of his back pocket.

Chat: The College OGs + Kyuhyun

Minho: So uhh what’s a good way to figure out how to comfort someone without directly asking them?

Kyuhyun: are you asking for you or for a friend

Suho: ??? Is it for Kibum ???

Changmin: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) body language is always good ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Minho: If I tell you guys the scenario do you guys promise on Changmin’s dick to be chill about it?

Kyuhyun: well hell how serious is this?

Suho: why do i have to promise on that?

Changmin: you know damn well the only thing you love more than minho’s love life is dick so just promise so we can get some juicy deets

Minho: -_-

Suho: ok we promise please tell me you’re trying to comfort Kibum

Minho: Ok I just came home from DT and Kibum was crying when I came in the apt and he said that everything’s okay he’s just having a rough day. I gave him a hug because I know that’s what makes me feel better but he didn’t really respond to it much so I know that’s not his comfort style so how do I figure it out because I know he won’t tell me on his own. He stresses out everytime I pay for things for him, so I know it’s probably not gifts. Tips?

Kyuhyun: take him out somewhere; if he seems excited to just chill together, it’s probably time. Pick up his responsibilities a time or two; if he seems super appreciative it’s probably service. Say those nice things like they teach you to in kindergarten teacher training; if he likes it it’s probably words.

Changmin: when did you become a expert in love languages

Suho: when he started dating you and you wouldn’t talk about feelings, ya ding dong.

Minho: thanks guys

Chat: Third Wheelin’ Forever

Donghae: hey!! U said ur boyfriend likes art right?? There’s a sidewalk art thingy downtown this weekend!! Hyuk said u could borrow our car if u want 2 go!

Minho: thanks, that’s perfect! I’ll let you know if we’ll take you up on that

Donghae: it’s from 10-6 tomorrow

With a mind full of ideas, Minho finally gets in the shower.

*

“So where are we going?” Kibum asks as Minho drives the car out of the parking garage.

“The nice side of downtown. Technically we could take the buses there, but it’d be a two hour ride each way rather than ten minutes so that’s why I opted for the car.”

“Are you a safe driver?”

“I mean, at this point it doesn’t matter because you’re already my passenger, but yes. I may be gay but luckily I can also drive.”

Kibum’s quiet the rest of the ride. When Minho asked him if he wanted to go out that morning, he hadn’t divulged where they were going. It may be greedy, keeping it secret, but he wanted to see what Kibum’s face would be when they got there. The drive is quick, though it takes them quite a while to park. There’s a fair number of people at the festival even though it’s a Sunday. When they finally get up to the entrance, Kibum perks up.

“Oh it’s an art festival??”

“Yeah. Donghae told me about it. You seemed down yesterday so I thought it might be nice to get you out and about and this seemed perfect.”

Their teacher I.D.s get them in free and Minho’s heart skips a beat when Kibum takes his hand and pulls him along.

“I haven’t been to an art festival since I graduated. I could never find the time or put up the money to go.”

“I’ve been to a few of the school art competitions to support old students of mine but I haven’t been to a proper art event since I graduated high school.”

“Well, luckily you have me to guide you around.”

Kibum reaches up and kisses Minho’s cheek. They both stand there for a moment, looking surprisedly at each other, before turning away with blushing cheeks.

“So...left or right?” Minho asks after a moment, gesturing at the fork in front of them.

“Uhh...left.”

They walk around the festival most of the day. Though he’s never particularly had an interest in art, Minho does his best to keep up with Kibum’s explanations and learn the terminology he repeats most often. They snack on little samples and small plates most of the day; they even buy a few tiny prints from some of the artists for their apartment. By the time the festival closes at 6 they’re both pleasantly tired. Minho drives them back to their apartment; Hyukjae had said they could return the car keys the next day as they were out on a date. When they get in, they both plop down on the little loveseat in the living room. Kibum once again takes Minho’s hand.

“Thanks for taking me out, Minho. It was really nice and I really appreciate it.”

“Oh, no problem. Like I said, you just seemed like you could use a little something to lift your spirits.”

“Sorry about kissing your cheek earlier, I should’ve asked I don’t know what came over me. I-”

“Kibum,” Minho cuts him off softly, cupping his cheek. “There’s no need to be sorry. I...it was nice. I...I liked it.”

Minho feels butterflies in his stomach when Kibum gives him that shy smile. He finds himself mindlessly stroking Kibum’s cheek with his thumb. As they start glancing at each other’s lips and leaning closer and closer, his heart feels like it might beat out of his chest. Before he can finish closing the distance they’re interrupted by the sound of someone beating at the door followed by the sound of keys in the lock. They separate just as Donghae and Hyukjae come barreling in through the door with duffle bags.

“Sorry to crash your party but you weren’t answering your phone and long story short we’re crashing with you for a week because our apartment is unsafe.”

[floraexplorer]

Doune the Rabbit Hole: The Best Music Festival You’ve Never Heard Of

  We’re going ‘Doune The Rabbit Hole’…

Up in the Scottish Highlands, close to the city of Stirling and down the road from the Lake of Mentieth, is a place called the Cardross Estate.

And every summer, it plays host to a music festival called Doune the Rabbit Hole.

My music festival history (so far)

I’ve been to a fair few music festivals in my time. The first was Exit festival in Novi Sad, Serbia, held inside a medieval fort; then I headed out to the infamous fields of Glastonbury in 2011, followed by the fancy Wilderness festival a few years ago (and again last weekend for the second time!).

I even visited my first Scottish music festival recently, which fulfilled all my expectations by featuring a wandering group of brass band players in full-on kilts.

But like most festival-lovers, I’ve never been involved with the inner workings of a festival.

Who actually runs them? How on earth do they manage to set one up and pull it off?

Arriving at the Cardross Estate

I first visited the site of Doune the Rabbit Hole one afternoon in May. The lord and lady who own the Cardross Estate invited us into their cosy kitchen, and over a bottle of red wine we chatted about festival preparations while a collection of dogs chased each other under the table.

Afterwards we walked through the fields outside the estate house and down to the riverbank amongst the sheep. So much space, and such stunning views.

I was hooked.

For each of my subsequent visits to the Cardross Estate since then, I’ve watched the place grow ever closer towards the third weekend in August – towards ‘The Festival’ – and I’ve unapologetically developed a case of festival fever.

I’ve wandered the stunning fields at Cardross, tracing in my mind’s eye where each stage and stall would eventually sit.

I’ve wandered down the tree-lined paths in the setting sun, and imagined groups of festival goers chilling out between performances.

I’ve spent evenings chatting with the folks who are building the festival up from scratch – and I’ve made immediate friendships with the estate’s resident dogs.

And the more festival-related people I meet, the more I feel sure of just how special Doune the Rabbit Hole really is.

The story of Doune 

Doune the Rabbit Hole first started in 2010 as an intimate music-festival-slash-tea-party in the Scottish town of Doune (hence the puntastic name), and for the last seven years they’ve been celebrating the very best of Scotland’s independent arts scene with a number of unique factors…

A smaller capacity = more intimate performances

Doune the Rabbit Hole occupies a modest amount of land, and there’s a maximum capacity of a few thousand people – making it one of the UK’s smallest festivals. It’s worlds apart from the hundreds of thousands swarming the Glasto fields, and due to the small size it’s easy to recognise the same faces and start making friends.

The entire Doune experience becomes much more community-driven, much more quickly.

The homegrown ethos behind Doune is also really inspiring. It’s not a commercial festival at all: the focus is predominantly about fostering and promoting local Scottish talent and celebrating what this country has to offer in terms of arts and music.

Plus the joy of such a small audience capacity means you’re treated to virtually private performances from a stellar line up.

Who could ask for more?!

Doune’s decor is like a wonderland

Alice in Wonderland, eat your heart out: Doune is one arty place to spend a weekend.

The festival’s Wonderland vibe runs through the entire site: from the Jabberwocky stage to the props and decorations (and even an occasional surprise tea party),  there’s a beautiful sense that something magical is happening around every corner.

The thousand year old oak trees may have something to do with it, too.

Everyone’s welcome – from families to dogs

There’s a strong focus on being inclusive at Doune, and every member of the family is welcome.

Camping areas are segregated, so families with young children can sleep away from the late night festivalers; all the food vendors have a £1 children’s portion on offer; and all the kids activities are meticulously planned and scheduled, making the site like one large playground.

Doune is also infamously dog-friendly – not least because lots of the organisers and on-site workers own dogs and want their furry friends to enjoy the festivities too!

The food and drink are locally sourced

All the food and drink served at Doune the Rabbit Hole comes from local vendors and suppliers, like cider from Thistly Cross, locally brewed beers from Williams Brothers, and food ranging from crepes and woodfired pizzas to locally sourced game and meat.

Yet the festival itself is wonderfully international

The primary focus of most festivals is the music – and Doune has a blindingly good line-up on offer for 2017, with many of the artists coming from as far afield as Norway, the US, Canada and Mali.

There’s a host of Scottish acts, including Idlewild’s Roddy Woomble, Meursault, PAWS, Pronto Mama and The Vegan Leather.

Liars: the New York art punks open the festival’s headlining slot on Friday night.

Songhoy Blues: a punk band from Mali who played a storming set at this year’s Glastonbury and BBC 6Music Festival in Glasgow, are headlining Doune as their ONLY Scottish gig.

Start to End: this covers collective who tackle a wide range of genres are performing Daft Punk’s Discovery on Sunday night.

Steve Davis: the six time World Snooker Champion – moonlighting as a Snookerstar DJ – will be putting his considerable DJ skills to the test when headlining the Baino stage on Friday night.

Holy Fuck: a group of Canadian electro-punks who toured with MIA.

Jenny Hval: an avant-garde Norwegian who plays electronic & melancholic pop.

The other artistic offerings are equally exciting

From comedy and film to spoken word, there’s a huge amount on offer at Doune. Here’s just a few of the folks I’m most excited to see:

Neil Hilborn

A heartfelt and honest spoken word performer from the USA, whose piece ‘OCD’ went viral online recently. Have a watch here:

Petit Prance

Luke will write a story for you about anything you ask for. He writes stories for strangers in the street, in parks, on beaches and at festivals around the world using his typewriter: just give him a subject and he’ll type your own custom story for you right there on the spot!

Fail Better

This poetry, music film and spoken word event runs in Glasgow each month – and the Fail Better crew will be working their literary magic throughout the weekend at Doune.

CineMor77

CineMorr are a social enterprise bringing people together through cinema & film making, and they have a special cinema yurt to show their screenings.

The ‘NoMansLanding’ Dome

Initially devised to portray the experiences of soldiers during World War One, this incredible interactive artwork was first installed in the waters of Sydney Harbour in 2015.

It then journeyed around the world via a shipping container to end up in Scotland – and the crew at Doune will be re-purposing the acoustic abilities of the Dome for a musical experience like no other…

NoMansLanding from Turpin + Crawford Studio on Vimeo.

And then there’s everything else!

If the above isn’t quite enough, Doune the Rabbit Hole has a ton of extras on offer.

In the words of Jamie Murray, the festival’s founder: “It’s not just a music festival! We’ve got a huge kids space with multiple activities, amazing caterers, Williams Bros. and Thistly Cross, workshops for adults and kids, and glamping in yurts. This year we’ll also be hosting axe-throwing tournaments and getting some wild swimming on the go – adjacent to our mobile sauna, of course!”

Of course, there are also the moments which nobody can predict. Occurrences I’ve merely heard mention of – like the late night campfires, the tribal drumming circles, the early riser who wanders the grounds playing the bagpipes, and stories of a legendary chai tea tent.

I’ll keep my eyes peeled for the naturally hollowed-out oak tree filled with fairy lights, and the secret leafy glen hidden beside the river which serves as the entrance to a music tent too.

You’ll leave as part of the Doune community

From the lord and lady who own the estate, to the festival crew who work tirelessly throughout the weekend to make sure everything runs smoothly, everyone is welcome at Doune the Rabbit Hole, and everyone belongs. It’s a community which may only be visible for one August weekend – but it’ll get under your skin.

As Jamie says, “It’s pretty rare to find an event that embraces a family-friendly culture. There is a real sense of community-spirit at Doune the Rabbit Hole, and I guarantee you make friends for life.”

So although I don’t know what will happen at this year’s Doune the Rabbit Hole, I’m going to be there to find out. 

See you at the festival! 

How do you buy tickets?

All the Doune festival tickets can be bought online through Eventbrite, BookItBee and SeeTickets.com. The booking fees change depending on which site you use, so make sure to check first!

Adult weekend tickets: £125 (plus online booking fee)

Adult Friday tickets: £50 (plus booking fee)

Adult Saturday tickets: £80 (plus online booking fee)

Adult Sunday tickets: £65 (plus online booking fee)

Children aged 5 and under: £4

Weekend car parking: £16

Day car parking (Fri/Sat/Sun): £10.50

Live-in Vehicle plot (party zone or quiet zone): £26

How to get to/from the festival?

There are multiple Doune Buses arriving at the site from Stirling train station, all of which are timed to meet popular trains from Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Perth.  There are also direct buses from and to Glasgow.

Bus costs differ depending on timings, so check out the options here! 

If you’re driving to the festival, the SatNav code is FK8 3JY.

How to follow on social media: 

Doune the Rabbit Hole will be publicised live on various channels throughout the weekend, using the hashtags #DTRH17 and #DouneTheRabbitHole.

If all goes to plan, I’ll also be commandeering the festival’s Instagram account to film some IG Stories, so keep an eye out!

DTRH Facebook

DTRH Instagram

DTRH Twitter

The post Doune the Rabbit Hole: The Best Music Festival You’ve Never Heard Of appeared first on .

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[whereintheworldisclairerans-blog]

Heyyyyyyyy

WOW Sorry it’s been so long you guys! I’m currently sitting in my now 100% furnished and decorated apartment in Madrid, listening to the numerous buses and people talking to each other in the street in Spanish and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve been here a little more than a week now and it’s starting to feel like I’m here to stay. Just in time for me to leave again! Ha. We’ll get there though. So very much catching up to do, I don’t even know where to begin. Probably where I left off would be good, would’t it? That would be... Hamburg? I think so. 

Our direct train did, in fact, end up being a direct train *hooray*. Jordan and I were both extremely productive and sketched a plan for my apartment (which ended up being pretty accurate) and wrote out goals, aspirations, etc. After waiting outside of our AirBnb for a while because we didn’t know which doorbell to ring, we found ourselves living in the land of luxury with a.... wait for it.... KING SIZE BED. After sharing full size beds (and/or mattress on the floor or just straight up floor) for the month, it was pretty exciting to starfish out and each have plenty of room. We made our typical dinner of pasta and wine and each hung out on our respective social medias, got caught up on emails, etc. We woke up around noon the next day and decided to treat ourselves to brunch. Jordan, being the TripAdvisor master of the trip, found us the perfect little place that was a brunch BUFFET. I honestly don’t know why more brunch places at home aren’t like that. You pay for the plate and a drink and then you just pick whatever you want. You can eat and eat and eat and ITS AMAZING. After stuffing ourselves to the brim, we decided to walk it off and spent the day rambling through the city center. It was lovely because Hamburg reminded us both remarkably of Denver, just with a lot more water. There was very similar architecture and the general vibe just felt like home. It was simultaneously comforting and a little bit heartbreaking, given that I don’t know when I will be home next. *cries a little* We decided to go shopping for some warmer layers, and I mooned over a backpack in an outdoors store. Which, despite the best efforts of the salesman, I did not end up buying. We ended the afternoon in yet another gorgeous park with warm chocolate and banana crepes before walking the three miles back to our AirBnb. That night, we decided to double check the check-in time of our reservation for Berlin, hoping that we could go into the city earlier to make the most out of our time there. And it was then that we had our first and only issue with any booking or accommodation. The AirBnb host in Berlin had canceled our reservation the day after we booked it (several weeks earlier) and we were never notified. So in a scramble, we had to book another one, that ended up being way farther outside of the city and nearly twice the cost. (AirBnb has compensated me a little, but to say it was inconvenient would be an understatement). We couldn’t check into Berlin until 4pm, so we decided to hit the brunch place again the next morning and properly stuffed ourselves before getting on the train. 

And what a train ride it was. German trains are such a joke. We had become quite the pros at arriving on time, finding seats together and getting settled before departure. This time, however, the train just continued to sit there and sit there. We didn’t care, we had music and seats and that was all that mattered. Until everyone started to leave the train. We rolled our eyes, cringed and prepared for another travel day like the one from Zurich to Cologne. Luckily though, we asked the people next to us what was going on. They explained that the train route had been changed and that it was no longer going to the Berlin Central Station, but to the West Station. If we wanted to, we could run with the other 500000 people to catch a train leaving in 5 minutes, or we could stay on this one and arrive slightly later. SURPRISE we stayed on the nearly empty train, which ended up going to the central station anyways. Suckers. We did, however, get in much later than we had anticipated and we had booked tickets to this film festival that one of Jordan’s favorite bands did the score for. So we hustled to the AirBnb, dropped all of our stuff and then immediately left again to the complete opposite side of town. We followed the hipsters from the train, to the bus, to this cool set of warehouses, where we arrived half an hour late but nothing had started yet. Beers and popcorn in hand, we chatted with a super nice Spanish girl for a while before taking our seats to watch the movies. The theme for the night was on politics, with a specific focus on the nuclear bomb, so the first movie was Dr. Strangelove and the second was a documentary called The Bomb. 10/10 would recommend seeing both. It was very powerful and a cool experience. The next day was the day we had been waiting for the whole trip, the only thing that we had booked before we left, the Moderat concert! It ended up being Jordan’s big hipster day out, that started with her getting a tattoo, then some kombucha (and a coffee for me) and then we walked around the East Side Gallery (art that was done along the wall in the 90s), before heading home to get ready for the show. We had originally planned to get there early, but you all know how that goes... So we ended up arriving with the massive hoards of people getting off the train, then casually walking through a forest to get to the venue, where we promptly stood in line for two hours waiting to get in. We completely missed the opening band, and the first few songs of Moderat’s set, but it was worth it once we were in. We were able to make our way down to the front of the massive venue and danced our asses off. And then we got a snack before the looooooong trek home, where we literally squeezed into the metro with thousands of other people (where I met a very nice Spanish woman) and then onto a bus, and then a long walk back to the apartment. It didn’t matter though because we were both in incredibly good moods and it felt like we were in 7th grade again, dancing in the street and obsessing over how good the show was. 

The next day was our “historical Berlin” day, where we saw more of the wall, learned about the failed and successful escape attempts, and what life was like on the East side. From there we went to a museum called “Topography of Terror” which was quite frankly the most depressing and terrifying thing we did our whole trip and maybe in my whole life. Without getting too into it, it was a museum about how Hitler came into power, and a very thorough documentation of what he did with it. The scary part, though, was in how many parallels there were in 1930s-40s Germany and 2017 in America. Food for thought. To get ourselves even more depressed, we went to the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe, which was hauntingly beautiful. Our spirits were lifted though hearing the peals of laughter coming from the small children to whom the giants stones were nothing more than a playground, something for them to play “hide and go seek” behind. We decided to treat ourselves to Asian food for dinner, and went to this beautiful restaurant, that was full of upper middle class couples and playing rather explicit rap. It was an interesting evening. Our last day in Berlin was a pretty mellow one, traveling for a month was catching up to us and we spent the day chilling in a park and in a cute little coffee shop. That night we made ourselves our last plates of pasta and wine and binged Grace and Frankie. 

AND THEN WE WERE OFF TO MADRID! A 4 hour flight and 3 metro trains later we arrived at MY APARTMENT! I cannot even begin to describe the relief that I felt at realizing that it was a real place, I hadn’t been scammed and that I really did have a place to live for the next few months. Jordan really didn’t feel well, so I left her sleeping and spent the day getting the immediate things we needed (AKA sheets and my credit card) and signing my lease. We ordered pizza to properly break in the apartment, and though it was rather loud that night in the apartment, definitely a wake up call to the fact that I voluntarily chose to live in international student housing, it has since gotten much better. The next day was the second day that we had been waiting for the entire trip - IKEA DAY! We took a half an hour long metro ride and then a 15 minute walk and loaded me up with (almost) everything I needed. It was a hilariously exhausting trip back, but we managed to carry everything that we bought in our hands, trekked back to the metro and then to my apartment. I am the kind of mover that likes to get everything done in one day, so I dragged Jordan out again and we had the BEST TIME. All that we had left to buy were hardware (screwdriver, fan, etc) and home goods (laundry detergent, trash bags), so we did some google mapping until we found what we thought was the perfect place. And then it was closed. Dejected, exhausted and done for the day, we started to make our way back home. We had passed this little store selling coffee makers and specialty coffee, and Jordan recommended that we stop in, knowing how much I need my morning fix. The guy who helped us was unbelievably friendly, and pointed us in the direction of a store two blocks away that would have everything else we needed. We went there next, to be helped by two more incredibly nice guys and got EVERYTHING. Arms full of shopping bags, we went to pick up some takeout for dinner and I realized that I had forgotten the one thing that I actually really needed, trash bags. I left Jordan with all the stuff, ran back into the shop to grab some and realized I didn’t have any cash. The machine could only do credit card transactions over $5, so the guy just let me take them and told me to just pay him tomorrow. Can you believe that?? I love this place. 

The next day, after a few more shopping adventures, we decided to tourist around a little. First stopping at Atocha (the train station) to pick up our train tickets for Barcelona the next day, then going to el Retiro (park) and around downtown to get back home. We tried to get to bed early that night because our train left at 8am the next day, but naturally only slept for about 4 hours. We dragged ourselves out of bed, managed to make it to the train station on time, and 2.5 hours later we were in Barcelona! It was incredible to be back in the city that originally made me fall in love with Spain and we headed directly for the beach, where we spent the whole day listening to the familiar anthem of “Cervezaaaaaa beer agua waaaaaater cervezaaaaa sangriaaaa.” Jordan was not a fan, but I felt completely at home. It alternated between being sunny and cloudy all day, which made it the perfect temperature for swimming and laying. I was thrilled. It was dinnertime before I knew it, and we treated ourselves to a Menu del Dia, where Jordan had her first paella, patatas bravas and crema catalana. We were so relaxed that we nearly missed our last train, but we did in fact make it back to the apartment nearly 18 hours after left. We slept hard that night, and then it was Jordan’s last day. We spent our last few hours together relaxing, packed up her things, went to the store, and then had one last dinner and gelato. I went with her to the airport, and we sat together and looked at photos to kill time before we parted ways. I fought back tears the entire way home and then was greeted by all the roommates heading up to the terrace for a free drink. I decided to join them to try to be social, but wasn’t really in the mood and after a polite amount of time went back to bed. 

I’ve spent the past couple days on my own running errands and getting settled in. I went for my first run around el Retiro, caught a gorgeous sunset along Gran Via, opened a bank account, joined a gym and am basically 100% settled in. I have a few more things to get done today, and then tomorrow I’m to Sweden for the weekend to visit Hanna! I can’t believe it, I got to see her just a few months ago in Colorado and now again! WOOO Europe is the best. 

I’ll be there until Sunday, and then will spend next week doing more exploring of Madrid and maybe taking an overnight trip somewhere (since I have two travel days left on the Eurail pass whooo whooo). I’ll try to do better keeping you all posted! 

xx

[burclay]

Be Held -- Chapter 5

“No one would think you were okay, B.”

Buffy stuck out her tongue at Faith. “At least I’m cute.”

ao3 chapter 1

The dreaded Scooby meeting did come, of course. After Buffy showered, she brought her food outside to find Kennedy talking to Xander and Giles, and as she came closer, she could tell that they were talking about what to do next.

“What about Cleveland?” Xander was saying.

“If we replace the Watcher’s Council in England,” Giles answered, “we will be able to send Slayers to every Hellmouth there is.” He paused when he noticed Buffy. “Hello, Buffy.”

“Hey,” Buffy said, joining the circle. “Is this the part where we realize we can’t actually sleep for the next three years?”

“Looks like it,” Xander said.

“Where’s Will?” Buffy asked.

“Still asleep,” Kennedy said. “That spell took a lot out of her.”

“Where’s Faith?” Xander asked.

“In the shower,” Buffy said. “Probably avoiding this conversation.”

“Actually, I’ve already spoken with Faith,” Giles said. “I’ve asked her to take a role in educating young Slayers. We have no clue how many there are going to be, and some of them will be coming from difficult and dangerous lives.”

Buffy nodded. “Like Faith.”

“Exactly," Giles said. "We’re going to have to organize, however." He turned to Xander. "Which is why I feel that we should go back to England.”

“That’s why?” Buffy asked. “Nothing to do with how much you miss scones?”

“What’s a scone?” Kennedy asked.

“It’s a British thing,” Xander told her. “Like crumpets, or Queen Elizabeth.”

“I do not want to go back to England because I miss scones,” Giles protested. “Or crumpets, or Queen Elizabeth, for that matter. I simply believe that we will be able to make use of the Council’s extensive resources and the foundation that already exists.”

“Shouldn’t we spread out?” Buffy asked. “We need experienced Slayers everywhere, right?”

“You and Faith should stay central,” Giles said. “As the Slayers with the most experience, we will need you to teach younger girls, and perhaps to step in when things get dire.”

“I’ll go anywhere,” Buffy said. “I’ve gotten over the idea of being able to choose.”

“Your life is yours, Buffy,” Giles said. “Perhaps you should consider taking a break before we start reorganizing.”

“I can’t,” Buffy said. “Not with all these new girls. Maybe when the new Slayers have some experience. Faith can’t teach them all herself.”

“It wouldn’t be just Faith,” Kennedy said. “I mean, I don’t have much experience as a Slayer, but I know stuff, right? Lots of us know stuff.”

Buffy sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I would do.” She looked at Giles. “I think I have to stay with you guys. I hate it, but I have to keep going. I have to help.”

“So, is England definite?” Xander asked.

“Not necessarily,” Giles said. “We will have to speak with Willow first, and Faith. We haven’t had long to recover.”

“Think there are any vampires near here?” Buffy asked. “I think Faith’s getting restless.”

“Just Faith?” Kennedy asked.

“Slayer’s gotta Slay,” Buffy sighed. “Seriously, I would love to just be able to kick back and watch some bad movies or something.”

“Could do some group training,” Xander said. “Get all the girls together, teach them to use their strength.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Buffy said. “I bet Faith’ll be in.”

“In for what?” Faith’s voice came from behind Buffy, and a moment later her arm was snaking around Buffy’s waist. “You can’t be already making plans?”

“Just to do some group training with all the girls later,” Buffy said. “So we don’t all get too restless without anything to Slay.”

“Yeah, I’m in,” Faith said. “Girls won’t know what hit ‘em.”

“No hitting,” Xander said.

“You know what we do, right?” Kennedy asked. “It’s mostly hitting.”

“If we don’t do something to keep these girls active, there’s going to be hitting,” Buffy said. “Trust me, Xander. You want us to do this.”

“Plus, you know, lots of girls bouncing around,” Faith said. “Sounds like your paradise.”

Buffy stared at Faith. “Ew.”

“Seconded,” Kennedy agreed.

“Just telling it like it is,” Faith protested.

“Can we talk about something else?” Giles asked. “Anything will do.”

Kennedy grinned, looking over Giles’s shoulder. “Hey, Willow!”

Buffy turned her head, looking past Faith. Willow was walking towards them, looking far more chipper than anyone had the right to be.

“Hey, Ken, everybody.” Willow stepped around Buffy and Faith to get to Kennedy, putting her arm around Kennedy’s waist the exact way Faith had done to Buffy minutes before. Suddenly conscious of this, Buffy took an uncomfortable step away from Faith. She could feel Faith’s eyes on her, but she ignored it.

“We were just talking about what to do now,” Buffy said. “Since the big evil is gone and all.”

“What, no one new’s shown up yet?” Willow asked.

“I think we’re allowed a day off,” Xander said. “Just the one, though. We’ll be looking out for something coming at us tomorrow.”

Everyone laughed.

“Wow. When did that become funny?” Faith asked. “I mean, I knew I was messed up, but I thought the rest of you were okay.”

“Did you really?” Buffy asked, looking at Faith. “In your heart of hearts?”

“Yeah, good point.” Faith grinned a glorious grin at Buffy. “No one would think you were okay, B.”

Buffy stuck out her tongue at Faith. “At least I’m cute,” she said, turning back to the rest of the group. “So, if we continue this conversation, are we going to come up with anything new?”

“Probably not,” Giles said. “But we all need to be thinking about the next step. I, for one, don’t want to stay in this motel much longer.”

“You got that right,” Faith said. “I give it one more night before the girls revolt.”

Buffy looked around. Most of the girls were in various rooms, but a few were in the parking lot, looking through shopping bags and chatting with one another.

“We should clean that up,” Buffy said, gesturing at the bags.

“We should keep the clothes in the bus,” Faith said. “In case the girls want them. Is it unlocked?”

“I don’t actually know that much about buses,” Giles said. “Can they be unlocked?”

“The driver’s got to get on somehow,” Xander said.

“I’ll figure it out,” Kennedy said, peeling away from the group. Willow went with her, holding her hand.

Buffy started grabbing shopping bags, hanging them on her arm. Faith followed, taking the full bags from Buffy and bringing them to the bus, which Willow and Kennedy had indeed gotten open. A minute later, all the bags were on the bus, and Buffy leaned against the yellow metal and pulled Faith next to her.

“What do we do now?” she asked. “And don’t say we have to watch bad reality shows anymore, because I think I’ll explode.”

“Think the room’s big enough to spar?” Faith asked.

“If you want to explain to the front desk that we killed their lamp, sure,” Buffy said. “I guess fights in the parking lot are frowned upon.” She looked around. “We really do have to get out of this motel.”

“We’ll find somewhere to go,” Kennedy said.

“Possibly England,” Willow added. “Lots of room in England.”

“Have you been there?” Faith asked.

“Yes, actually,” Willow said. “I spent a while on a very nice farm. There were horses.” She paused. “I’m actually not the biggest fan of horses. But it’s the thought that counts.”

“So,” Kennedy said, “what’s going on between you two? Because my lesbidar is tingling.”

“Your what?” Buffy asked.

“She’s making fun of me,” Willow said. “And being rude about things that are really none of her business.”

“It’s okay,” Buffy said, grabbing Faith’s hand. “Isn’t this the sort of thing I’m supposed to tell my best friend about?”

“Hey,” Faith said. “Don’t I get a say?”

“Sure,” Buffy said. “Say something.”

Faith looked at Willow. “I’m gay for your best friend.”

Kennedy snickered. “You ever need tips, let me know.”

“Tips on what?” Buffy asked.

Willow pushed Kennedy. “Stop it!”

Faith laughed. “Don’t worry about us, Kennedy. We’re doing just fine.”

“I need new friends,” Buffy groused. “Maybe even a new girlfriend.”

“Too bad,” Faith said. “You’re stuck with me.” She slung her arm around Buffy’s shoulders. “Chosen two, remember?”

Buffy looked around for Giles and Xander. She didn’t see them, so she let herself kiss Faith’s cheek.

“Can’t forget.”

She looked back to Willow and Kennedy, who were giving each other a decidedly knowing look.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Willow said.

“I called it weeks ago,” Kennedy said.

“Faith wasn’t here weeks ago,” Buffy said.

“Feels like weeks,” Willow said.

“Fair enough,” Faith said.

“Do we get to do group training now?” Buffy asked. “I can’t just sit here.”

“I’m in,” Faith said.

“Me, too,” Kennedy agreed.

“Not for me,” Willow said. “I’m no Slayer.”

“You’re free to watch,” Kennedy said. “I’ll get the girls.”

Training with one Slayer had always been fun. Training with twenty Slayers was astounding. Twenty people, moving with power and synchronicity, all following Buffy and Faith, all drawing from the same energy, was beautiful.

“Imagine when we have hundreds,” Buffy murmured to Faith, forearms locked in a choreographed combination.

“Doubt we’ll have them all in the same place,” Faith answered, throwing Buffy’s arm to the side and kicking her. They each reset their feet.

“I think I like leading them,” Buffy said, attacking.

Faith blocked. “Me, too.”

Buffy kicked. “Good to hear.”

They reset their feet.

That night, Buffy was the good kind of exhausted, the kind of exhausted that came from safe exercise and not a fight to defend the fate of the world. She ate the food Giles had gone to get while they were training, and she took a good long shower, and then she pulled on a random T shirt and stretched out on the bed while she waited for Faith to do the same.

When Faith got out of the shower, Buffy was on her stomach and doodling on a notepad she had found lying around. She looked up at Faith, in a loose shirt and wet hair, and sat up, putting her doodle aside.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Never better,” Faith said, sitting next to Buffy.

“Really?”

“Well, yeah, but that’s not saying much.” Faith sighed. “I just keep thinking about the girls who died, you know? All those Slayers. Their energy has power. But--”

“There could be more,” Buffy said. “I know.” She wrapped an arm around Faith and pulled her close. “That’s why it’s hard being in charge. Even when you save the world, you lose something.”

“Yeah. We should do something,” Faith said. “You know, for all those girls. A memorial.”

“We should. When we get settled we can put something together.”

“Yeah.”

A moment of silence. Faith laid her head in Buffy’s lap.

“So what do you think about England?” she asked.

“I’m not wholly opposed to tea,” Buffy said, fingers twining through Faith’s hair. “I mean, Giles likes it, so I might as well try it.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“It’s far from home,” Buffy said, “but home isn’t an option anymore.”

“You know,” Faith said, “we could hang out at Angel’s hotel for a bit. He’s chill, and he’s got rooms.”

“We should suggest it to Giles tomorrow.”

“I’ll call Angel in the morning.”

“Cool.” Buffy leaned down. “Has anybody ever told you how soft your hair is?”

“I don’t let them get close enough,” Faith said.

They stayed like that for a while, Faith’s head in Buffy’s lap, Buffy’s hands in Faith’s hair, until Buffy leaned over and turned out the light and laid down, pulling Faith to a more comfortable position. Suddenly, Faith rolled over to the other side of the bed, facing away from Buffy.

“What’s wrong?” Buffy whispered.

“I don’t know,” Faith’s voice said. “I’m not good with the hugging.”

In the darkness, Buffy could see her curled in on herself.

“Thanks,” she said.

“For what?” Faith asked.

“Not running.”

“It’s no big, B.”

But Buffy, rolling to face away from Faith, thought maybe it was a bigger deal than Faith would ever admit.

“Night, Faith.”

“Night, B.”

Buffy fell asleep quickly. She woke up to an empty bed and rumpled covers.

[queenofthegalaxxy]

What if - Sister Substitute

[[A little something following through the happenings of the episode Final Exam (transcript I used for this here) of Teen Titans, only with the change that the end of Sisters happened differently. Related to my wishlist-post here, where you can find a little more details.]]

It hadn’t been long yet, but so far, everything worked well. The Teen Titans sure were sad, or shocked or maybe worried, to hear that Starfire had decided to leave them, but the goodbye-letter that “she left behind” was convincing-enough for them to not go searching. Still, especially Robin was worried or perhaps doubting, and so Blackfire naturally did what she could to give him something, someone, else to put his focus onto. She had already played with him while Starfire had still been here, and clearly noticed the possibility to make more of that - and now, with her sister gone and as such unable to get in her way, it would be child’s play.

She had been hanging out with Robin - teaching him moves during training together, watching him do his hero work and casually asking things about Earth which she didn’t all still need to learn about - and now walked into their Ops room together with him, just finishing an explanation. “And that’s how they solved faster-than-light travel. There are multiple ways though, depending on the planet.” The rest of the team had not taken much note of the two entering yet, it seemed there was an argument going on. “So if you want to blame someone look in the mirror, buddy!”, Beast Boy shouted as the two walked in, and both Blackfire and Robin stopped and Blackfire raised an eyebrow. “Whoa! Take it easy, Titans! Combat practice is this afternoon!”, Robin tried to mediate, and Blackfire nodded and added: “Or at least solve it in a real fight, and not this.” She floated over to the kitchen, opening the fridge to see what she could get for herself. The offer did not look too good, though, especially with that blue gunk all over everything, and when a part of it moved as if it was going to try to jump at her, she blasted at it, which caused the whole thing to explode and spread the blue stuff all over the room, including herself and the other Titans. “Maybe we should just go out for pizza.” And that was a thing that finally everyone could agree on, so the team headed out to the city.

--

With changing location though, it seemed the argument was not yet over. “Can we please just order something?” ”As long as it's vegetarian.” “Come on, man, how can you deny me the all-meat experience?” “Dude, I've been most of those animals!” “How about a pizza with wasabi and jalapeno?” She was stared at for that suggestion, and after a moment Robin leaned over to her. “Uh, Blackfire? I think you’re forgetting that we are more sensible to spices than you.” “Oh, right. Sorry.” She shrugged. “Then maybe, whatever you accept as spicy?” “Double pepperoni!” "I'm not eating meat!” “There's no meat in pepperoni!” Blackfire sighed and leaned back to just listen to the continued banter.

Only that the banter doesn’t continue for very much longer, as a horn of a bus alerted the Titans. The situation was obvious quickly - a baby carriage right in the way of a seemingly unbraked bus. “Titans! Go!”

She might just be the fastest of the team to get somewhere, so Blackfire didn’t need an order to know that she’s to be the one to get the carriage away. Not that she really cared for saving any of the people here, but if she wanted to keep the team busy she had to play along and stay a part of their group, at least for a bit. She finished her task quickly, and watched most of Raven and Cyborg stopping the bus. “Um... don't buses normally have drivers?” “And don't baby carriages normally have babies?” Robin’s words bring her focus back to the carriage that she had moved out of the way, and he raised a teddy bear out of the carriage, that then begins to speak. “Are you pit-sniffers normally this stupid?” Energy beams of some sort were fired from the bear’s eyes in the next moment, way too fast for anyone to react and the three of them that had gathered here were all hurled away. The bus was suddenly lifted and smashed onto Raven and Cyborg who still were close, taking them seemingly out of the fight too.

“That was too easy. What a buncha cludge-heads. You guys want to get pizza?” The voice that before spoke from within the teddy bear said, and once Blackfire got up from the ground again she, as well as Robin and Beast Boy could see their attackers - a group of three. “This isn't over!” Ah yes, Robin’s typical hero-speak. Blackfire still wondered if he practiced stuff to say, or maybe that was his power, since, well, since he was pretty normal (even if trained) human otherwise. The bus was shot away, and Cyborg got up from the hole. “We're just getting started!” Raven joined again too, appearing from a shadow-figure of a bird. Fancy. “Who are these guys? And what's a cludge-head?” “We are the HIVE!” The gnome of the group spoke, and they seemingly had learned their introduction by heart before, because the next two lines came from the other two. “Your worst nightmare!” “And this is Attack Pattern Alpha!” Some shots from the gnome’s technology were fired towards the alley three of them were in, and Blackfire managed to raise her arms to block the down-coming rubble but was buried just like the others. They came out of it just in time to see how something was attached to Cyborg and he started to fly involuntarily, and while Blackfire quickly focused on the fight again and wanted to jump in, a command of Robin (”Blackfire! Help Cyborg!”) told her to do else and she quietly groaned before taking up chase of her teammate.

--

It took frustratingly long to catch up with Cyborg. The blaster on his back seemingly was working on a random schedule; everytime that Blackfire thought she knew where it was heading and could rush over there faster, it decided to change direction again. Eventually, though, she finally was close enough to aim a shot at the device stuck to Cyborg’s back, hitting the target and catching Cyborg long before he would crash anywhere. “Thanks, B. Nice aim.” “No problem. Now let’s head back.” And that they did, Blackfire carrying him all the way, and landing both of them at the door of their Tower after a while of flight, that they spent chatting. He opened the Tower-door and walked in first with a cheerful attitude, Blackfire following close behind. “Maybe y'all should call me Flyborg. I was halfway to Gotham City before B zapped that thing off my back. So what'd I miss?” Only Raven and Beast Boy were present, and both avoided Cyborg’s gaze. “Tell me how we kicked their butts. Come on, I gotta have the play-by-play.” “Where's Robin?” Blackfire asked, not really caring for the details and much rather for continuing her ‘work’ on taking the team’s thoughts off of her sister. “Um, B? We're not sure.” “What do you mean, not sure? What happened to him?” “He got separated from us. We searched everywhere. And all we found was this.” To the last part of her answer, Raven produced Robin’s utility belt, and Blackfire blinks at it surprised. Cyborg groaned and clapped both hands to his forehead. It seemed that he felt guilty about it, which he proved by what he said a moment later. “I shoulda been there. I let that kid sneak up on me and - what was I-? It was a trap, and I-I shoulda known.” “I doubt he’d give his weapons away willingly. Did you search thoroughly enough?” “Come on, guys. This is Robin we're talking about. I'm sure he's fine. He'll probably turn up any second.” And just on cue, the door mechanism activates once more. “Awesome timing.” “Can we be sure it’s Robin?” Blackfire hovered towards the door, landing close to it but turning back to the Titans. “What if-” The whole entrance explodes onto her before she can finish her doubts, and Blackfire is hurled inward while the intruders enter - none other than the trio they fought previously. “Oh, no.” “Oh, yes.” The pink-haired girl seemed to be about as trained in comebacks as Robin was, even if this simple thing wasn’t that much an indication yet. “You guys got lucky last time, but you're in our house now!” “Yeah, nice place. We'll take it!” The fight started, Blackfire got into the air together with Raven, attacking the HIVE with her starbolts. “Split up!” Cyborg commanded, and while she would have preferred to keep fighting, Blackfire too listened to it just like the others did, and headed for the staircase past Raven, who follows moments later.

Raven and her both headed to the gym, smashing the door closed, Blackfire sealing it by melting the outlines, and exchanging a look for just a moment. There wasn’t even time to say anything, though, for the wall behind them blew towards them, pushing both of them to the ground and revealing the hunk of the trio, with his head in the wall. Did he seriously just head-butt the wall broken? No matter, both girls prepared for a fight now. He was only one, and seemingly relying on his strength, what could be so hard about that?

--

Landing in the water was a clear-enough proof of the fight being harder than she thought. None of the rest of the team had any better a result though, as they were all here in the water, looking up at the Trio that jad just proven to be capable of taking over the Titans’ home. The pink girl shot some of her energy into the water, which caused a big wave to erupt that washed the team to the other shore. “So, uh...who else never wants to go surfing again?” “Not now, man.” “Hey, I was just trying to-” Lighten the situation. As Beast Boy always did - which probably meant he had something he preferred to not admit to or think about, somewhere deep down. Maybe she should try to learn about that sometime. Cyborg started some form of self-repair, and Blackfire approached him. “Do you need help?” “I got it.” “If you say so,” she shrugged. “I’m just offering because I’ve seen a lot of technologies, and-” “I got it!” He barks back, and she retreats a bit. “Hey! She only wanted to help! What is your problem?” “What do you think? We got kicked out of our house, a pint-size Poindexter took me for a joyride, and in case you haven't noticed, I just became left-handed!” “Enough! We need to control our emotions.” Raven - always the voice of reason. Her calmness leaves Blackfire wondering what the reason for that is. There must be something. “Or what? Our bad vibes will keep you from meditating?” “This would’ve all gone differently if Robin were here.” Even with little experience she had with the team so far, it was clear that he was doing the strategy-work of their fights, and with a good strategy, it could’ve been done a lot better, probably. “Well, he's not!” Cyborg addresses the whole team now. “Don't you guys get it? They won, we lost. IT’S OVER!!” “Then... the Teen Titans are finished?” Quite a quick end for her little earth-adventure, then. And here she considered them important enough to work for keeping them distracted from Starfire’s situation. “Not yet.” The Titans turned around when the voice was heard, and indeed, Robin stood there. “Not if I can help it.” Yeah, she could understand the liking that her sister took to him, at least to a degree.

--

There hadn’t been much talk about anything else, they discussed a plan and then soon sprung to action. The others were getting the gnome and the girl onto the roof, and Blackfire had the task to get the big one there, so as soon as the other two are away she quickly decked him with a barrage of starbolts to force him to run where she wants to. Out of the room, at first, then to the stairs, and up, until he’s stumbling backwards through the door, and another purple blast shoves him far enough so he’s landing close to his friends. “Sorry to interrupt the victory celebration.” By now, Robin got his belt back as well as Cyborg did his arm, and both attached their tools again swiftly. “But like I said... this isn't over.” “It's just getting started.” The HIVE still seemed confident enough about the whole situation, and again the girl spoke: “Attack Pattern Alpha!” before they scattered. This time it would be different though, Robin had brought plans along with his return. Blackfire had chased Jinx into a structure that the three had surprisingly quickly attached to the Tower, and she was still chasing her a bit further in with her attacks. Just a little further, yes, it should be good here. And he was in reach of her, too. “Beast Boy! Go!” The changeling quickly reacted to her shout, and dropped himself onto the pink-haired girl. Her own energy caused the nearby parts of the structure to crack, and Beast Boy gets away in time to have the whole thing come down only onto her. Another few attacks from the whole team towards the big guy take him out too, and all three land in a heap, clearly defeated. “Cram it. I'm calling Slade.” The boy takes out a communicator of sorts, only to be lifted up by Robin, who seemed to still be in fight mode, or at least enraged or driven by adrenalin. “Who is Slade?” “Wouldn't you like to know, barf-brain?” Before he could question any of the trio further, something drops off of the gnome’s suit (or maybe from his bags or whatever, Blackfire didn’t keep that close an eye on them), exploding into smoke and leaving the Titans by themselves a few moments later when the smoke faded.

With no sign of the HIVE still being around, the team took down the makeshift-additions to their Tower quickly, and soon were all in the Ops room again. “NOOOO!! This is the worst thing that could ever happen!” Only that it wasn’t really the worst thing, she knew better than to fall for Beast Boy’s exaggerations anymore. My tunes! They've been... alphabetized. How am I ever gonna find anything?” “They went into my room. No one should ever go into my room.” Raven complained with as cold a voice as ever, just joining the rest of the group. Blackfire meanwhile had looked into the fridge again, and took out a soda for herself as she got up again. “At least they cleaned the fridge for us,” she said, leaning back against the counter. “You gotta be kidding me!” Cyborg lifted the couch, and Blackfire didn’t need to ask to know what he was looking for. “The whole place gets cleaned and I still can't find the-” A whistle stops his complain, and he looks up to Robin who points somewhere. The remote lies in the most logical place for it to be, right on the couch table. “Ha!” The two boys sat down, while the rest of the team gathered around them too, watching as Robin started to zap through the channels. “ I guess we really oughta be training for battles, tracking down clues, and trying to figure out who Slade is, huh?” Robin seemed surprisingly calm about the whole matter, Blackfire had expected more of a serious and goal-focused attitude - but maybe that was because this had still been a rather easy mission in the end. “We will. But right now, I'm just happy to be part of the team.”

[aoibaratraveler]

A Look Back At My Time in Japan! Chapter 6: The End

Sixth and Final Month in Japan: August

First 10 days:

It was a good thing that I did that hike with B up Inasayama because it was great preparation for the 16km trek I did on the first of August with some of my university exchange pals. There wasn’t really any incline but it was just a long walk to a waterfall in the middle of nowhere in Isahaya called Todoroki falls that didn’t seem to be accessible by bus and we would have otherwise needed a car to get there - ‘so why not walk?’ is what we all thought. It was a good thing we started bright and early because it took us all day to get to the waterfall and back; 8km each way. It was only 45 minutes to the train station nearest the waterfall from the centre of Nagasaki but the trains were pretty infrequent so we had to plan it right. We packed a load of snacks for the trip but still decided to go to a small mom and pop restaurant close to the station for brunch in Isahaya and it was super quaint and the food was delicious so we didn’t regret it. It was a very quiet walk with not many people or cars around since it was in the countryside. We went along rice fields, up small hills, and along the road. When we finally got to the waterfalls, it was beautiful but a tad underwhelming from how small it was. The part that really made it worthwhile was the vast and lush with nature valley that it was situated in. We soaked our feet for a bit in the pool and just relaxed. We also ran into one of my Japanese university friends who happened to be there and was showing around one of his American friends and his girlfriend. My Japanese friend, we’ll call him H, is just a super friendly and down to earth guy and literally bought a big van type car for the purpose of driving his friends around. He was super sweet and when he saw me and my friends there he felt really bad that he wasn’t able to take us there in his car or drive us back. He’s just an overall gem. I reassured him though that we liked the exercise because he truly started to feel guilty at not being able to drive us back. We began our journey back an hour or so before sunset and managed to get back to the station when it was properly dark. I think we had just missed a train at that point so we waited an hour for the next one and just collapsed on a bench near the station with some ice cream refreshments from the stationside convenience store.

The next four days consisted of mainly getting myself ready for my backpacking trip and wrapping up my life in Nagasaki. On the 2nd, I spent most of it packing and organising my stuff and deciding when exactly I would leave Nagasaki. My contract with my home stay was done on the 5th and thereafter I would be obliged to pay about $30 or so a night which I didn’t want to do so I decided the 5th would be my last day and I would leave on the 6th. In truth, I was so conflicted because I wanted to spend more time with my friends but I also wanted to see more of Japan before I was due to leave on the 31st. I made sure to tell my home stay mother when exactly I was planning to leave both by text and in person because I didn’t want there to be any miscommunication and even though I didn’t enjoy my time with them I did want to properly say goodbye. For the next two days, I spent one last time thoroughly going through all of Nagasaki from the centre of the city, to the peace park, the university and back and just trying to savour everything. I also went up to Inasa observatory again but this time with R. I remember trying to unsuccessfully catch a farfetch’d (Pokemon GO) before the battery on my phone died. Good times. Oh, I also had dinner at my favourite Indian place called Taj with the most delicious spinach curry and either cheese or peanut butter naan. Yum. On the 5th, I got some more administrative things done and this was the day that I sent my suitcase to Osaka to chill for 10 days. Finally, it was time for my departure on the 6th. I spent the morning with all of my university buds who hadn’t gone back to their countries yet and then the rest of the day with B. I decided to travel with just a 30L rucksack and was lugging that around all day since I knew I wouldn’t have any time to go back to my home stay. I messaged my home stay mother and asked when she would be able to meet me at the bus station with the rest of the family to say goodbye before I caught my bus to Kumamoto but she claimed that I never told her what day I was planning to leave and that she and the rest of the family were busy that evening. Just for context, it was a Friday evening so the father would have been done work and the kids would have been done school. This honestly made me really sad. B tried to communicate with my home stay mother on my behalf through text since her Japanese was better than mine but it didn’t matter. They weren’t planning to come. I mostly wanted to say goodbye to my home stay brother because I think he was the only one sad to see me go. Anyway, after a lot of hugs and a bit of tears I said goodbye and boarded the bus to Kumamoto.

I remember being filled with a whole renewed sense of excitement. I had a window seat on my bus and looked up at the beautiful sky slowly becoming filled with darkness with the waxing crescent and stars peaking out and some tinges of orange still visible from the sunset. My plan for the next month was very rough and I thought I would just choose each place to go as I went. The only thing I knew that I would be doing would be to use the couch surfing website to meet locals in each place and find accommodation. This is a great way to save money and I highly advise using it if you want a free place to stay while also meeting and befriending locals along the way. I had been communicating with my first CS host in Kumamoto the day before leaving and he agreed to take me on because he was originally from Nagasaki and was in Kumamoto doing his master’s; he also offered to pick me up from the bus station. The bus stopped in Kumamoto just outside what seemed to be the red light district. My host was super nice though and after picking me up and taking me back to his place he insisted on letting me have the bed and basically free reign (within reason) on his apartment because he was busy writing his thesis and wouldn’t have time to talk to me anyway and was doing all nighters at his university to get it done. He literally dropped me off and then left. I think throughout my whole stay with him we only managed to have a heart to heart once, it was nice and I wasn’t complaining. I was just happy to receive such kindness.

The next day was pretty great. I spent the whole day walking around Kumamoto city and trying to explore every little area either by bus or tram. I should mention that before I began my trip I didn’t know how long I would be spending in Kyushu and bought a 3 day Kyushu “free pass” called the SunQ pass that is applicable on all local or highway buses throughout the prefecture. Highly recommended for touring Kyushu for a short time since it’s available for everyone regardless of visa status and nationality. I purchased it because I didn’t know how long I would be spending in Kyushu. I ended up using it only in Kumamoto, but don’t regret it. After exploring the whole city, I found a beautiful garden called Suizenji Jojuen that you have to pay to enter but it’s only 200 yen and was worth it. Outside of the garden was a small festival that was being held by the shops and I was able to get some freshly made mochi and free green tea. I then ventured to Kumamoto castle which had unfortunately been partially destroyed owing to the big earthquake that happened just a month prior. The after shock also resonated in Nagasaki and I remember my home stay mother getting the warning message on her phone about 20 seconds before it happened. Even though it was just an aftershock and I’m from Vancouver which often gets earthquakes, that was probably the strongest earthquake I’ve ever felt and when I felt it in my home stay apartment I was a bit scared, not gonna lie, because the whole apartment shook and a lot of things fell down. Anyway, it was a somber scene to see such a beautiful castle have part of it destroyed. Although, amazingly most of it was still intact. The park next to the castle was lively and there were several people practising things or performing. I stayed there and enjoyed the atmosphere and then the sunset before heading back. 

On the 8th, I looked at what else there was to do in Kumamoto and decided to journey off to the nearby countryside to Uganji-Reigando Cave which is a Buddhist temple in a mountain cave. I think it was about an hour from the city but well worth the journey for the mysterious and peaceful atmosphere that you experience on the hike there after getting off the bus. I got lunch at this cute little nearby cafe that looked like its only patronage were the locals because I honestly did not see that many tourists at all in Kumamoto except for this friendly Singaporean guy that spotted me chilling in a clean and serene ditch nearby the bus stop. We chatted for a bit on the bus ride back to the city before going our separate ways. I ended the day by checking out the castle again and eating at the various spots in Josaien which was a touristy place nearby the castle with lots of delicious food stalls.

The following day I got up early because I decided that I would be hitchhiking from Kumamoto to Kagoshima. I had done some research on other travel blogs and it seemed like the fastest, cheapest and most efficient way to get around Kyushu. My host also offered to drive me close to the highway but neither him nor I knew how to go about hitchhiking. He dropped me off at a convenience store nearby the highway and I bought some breakfast and a little erasable whiteboard that I could use to write the names of places that I wanted to go to. Now, I had never hitchhiked before and all I knew was that I should probably stand by the road and so decided to just stand alongside the road adjacent to the convenience store and wait. I was soon approached by some construction workers who told me that hitchhiking there wasn’t going to work and that I needed to be on the highway. I took this advice and began walking, not really knowing what I was doing. After a few minutes, it seemed like one of the construction workers felt sorry for me, picked me up in his truck and then dropped me off as far along into the highway as possible where I could stand. It was basically just a small layby. I stood there for about half an hour before a car pulled up to me and the driver, who was a Polish immigrant began to scold me for what I was doing and said that I was causing trouble and bothering Japanese people and that I should give up and go back to the city but then ended his lecture by wishing me good luck and driving off...I did begin to feel disheartened and after another 30 minutes I wondered whether this was really the right thing to be doing. I felt anxious because I had a sort of timeline to be arriving in Kagoshima and I had already organised a host there for two nights and was meant to be meeting her in the afternoon. I was just about to give up and find a bus back to the city when a couple pulled up next to me and said they could take me as far as the Sakurajima service area which was one of the closest service area stops to Kagoshima. I immediately agreed and was so happy that I did. This couple’s kindness was overwhelming. The woman was a nurse and the man was a construction worker and apparently they were out for the day on a drive. They immediately gave me some iced green tea and some jelly when I got into the car and we drove to the nearest service stop where they bought me a map and then asked me all sorts of questions and just seemed so interested in my life. They were so kind and funny and after only 30 minutes of driving they said that they would like to take me to lunch and go sightseeing with me around the area. Crazy, right? I thought to myself that I wish they were my home stay parents when I was in Nagasaki. After quickly notifying my host in Kagoshima that I would be arriving later than expected we set off to a seafood restaurant. I didn’t mean for them to but they paid for my meal while I was using the restroom. They then took me to a couple of sightseeing spots, a few lovely view points of the nearby islands and bought me an omiyage (a souvenir which consisted of locally made rice crackers). I think I spent about six hours with them before they dropped me off at Sakurajima. It was so lovely and surreal. I made two new friends that I wished I could have spent more time with. I hope I can see them again one day, by far my most favourite hitchhiking experience. I stood at the Sakurajima service area for about five minutes before the next couple picked me up. This couple was also very friendly and interesting and the husband who seemed younger than his wife was very talkative and seemed very interested in conspiracy theories which is what filled the time for the next couple of hours before arriving in Kagoshima and being picked up by my host. So much happened in one day it was insane. I left Kumamoto at around 7 or 8 am and arrived in Kagoshima at around 6:30/7 pm.

My hosts in Kagoshima were this lovely family who lived in the countryside just outside the city. The mother had found out about couch surfing through a TV program and thought she would give it a go and had already hosted a few people before I arrived. She was an English teacher who worked for the Kagoshima board of education and had worked alongside many ALTs from the JET programme so we had a lot to talk about. She very graciously gave me my own room to stay in, cooked me breakfast and later on dinner and drove me into the city to spend the day in Kagoshima and let me know that I could just message her when I was done. So kind and motherly. She was only able to host me for two nights which meant that I only had one day to enjoy in Kagoshima but I didn’t mind; beggars can’t be choosers. I began the day by exploring the expansive and gorgeous Sengan-en garden which had a 400 metre hill that you could hike  to get a spectacular view of Sakurajima island and its volcano. Honestly, I feel incredibly grateful for how this backpacking trip turned out. I’m only at the beginning, but everything just went so smoothly and I was successfully able to plan out my next destination one place at a time with each place being so beautiful and being devoid of the crazy crowds of tourists that you usually find in big cities in Japan. I suppose at that point, not many foreign tourists had realised how beautiful Kyushu is and usually just stayed in the big three cities of Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. I reached the top of the 400m viewing point and just stayed there for an hour taking in the view of the volcano. Afterwards, I checked out the museum adjacent to the garden, got some iced coffee and then walked along the nearby beach until I made my way back to the city centre. If I had had more time then I would have certainly loved to take the ferry from Kagoshima to Yakushima (the island which inspired the scenery of Princess Mononoke) but the ferries were too infrequent and I would have needed to sort accommodation on the island and I just didn’t have the time unfortunately. I ended the day by meeting up with my host and her son and joining her son’s karate dojo’s Summer party.

Next 10 days:

On the 11th, I woke up early to hitchhike to Miyazaki! My hosts very kindly said that they would drive me to the nearest service area from where they live. It wasn’t even five minutes after I had said my goodbyes to my hosts and readied myself for a wait in the car park of the service area before a small family saw that I wanted to go to Miyazaki and said they’d give me a ride. I was really on a roll with getting drivers it seemed. The drive was about four hours and there wasn’t a dull moment. This family sure was interesting. I sat in the back seat with their five year old daughter while her young mother chatted away. She wasn’t as much interested in me and my story so much as telling me all about her marriage...and sex life with her 50 something husband (she was 30). It was definitely a lively car ride. I was taken aback at just how open she was talking about everything in front of her husband and daughter but oh well, the time went by so fast. We arrived in Miyazaki around lunch time and they offered to treat me to a conveyor belt sushi lunch. Honestly, Japanese people are just so hospitable. I told them they didn’t need to worry about me but they insisted. It seemed to be a trend that if I got a ride around a meal time my drivers seemed to feel obliged to provide me with a meal before sending me on my merry way. We finished up lunch and then they dropped me off in the city centre. I actually hadn’t set up a host yet for Miyazaki; there didn’t seem to be many CS hosts who lived there. I was a bit nervous but generally laid back about it. I figured things would sort themselves out - and they did. Since I didn’t have any place that I really needed to be I decided to check out a nearby island off the coast of Miyazaki city called Aoshima. I left my rucksack in a coin locker at the train station and set off. The beach area nearby Aoshima made me feel like I was in a sleepy resort town. It was very quiet but also had such a mellow atmosphere. It was very cool, I remember walking through it and just feeling so relaxed. One of the things that Miyazaki is known for is mango and there were a few shops selling mango snacks or souvenirs and of course I tried everything I could. Aoshima is connected to the beach by just a small bridge. I think I wandered the island as well as the beach for five or six hours, I honestly just felt so comfortable and at home. At around 6pm, I made my way back to the city, was able to connect to wifi again and noticed that I finally got a reply from one of the only two hosts I was able to message in Miyazaki. She was a university student just a year or two younger than me and said I could stay with her if I still didn’t have anywhere to go. Her friend from out of town was also visiting her and her apartment was a tad small but we made it work. They were both super friendly and nice and we quickly became friends.

The next day, the girls invited me for a day of sightseeing. We began the day by getting breakfast at a bakery and then cycling to the city centre so they could rent a car for our trip. We first drove to Sun Messe Nichinan which was a strange little theme park that was host to seven replicas of the famous Moai of Easter Island. Apparently, Miyazaki is the only place in the world that is allowed to have replicas. It was surreal and yet so cool. We spent about an hour or two walking around the huge park that was very Haiwaiianesque. We then got lunch at a seaside restaurant serving fresh and delicious seafood bowls; so good. Our day ended with a quick purikura session and some onsen relaxation. My plan for the following day was to head to the famous Takachiho gorge located in Northern Miyazaki after receiving a recommendation from my host. I awoke to both of them making me a rice ball to take with me on my bus journey to the gorge. They were just so sweet. They also had helped me book my ticket for the special bus that goes directly to the gorge from the city. They walked me to my stop, we said our goodbyes and I was off. The gorge was certainly busy and seemed to be popular with local tourists because this was the first crowded place that I had seen on my travels. I explored the area for a bit and then took a local bus to the also popular Takachiho shrine. Both of these places were enriched with history and mythological lore and I was able to still get a sense of that no matter how busy it was. My next destination from Takachiho was Oita and I was already sorted for a place to stay because I made plans to stay with a Japanese friend that I had met in Vancouver. I just needed to get there. I was far from any stations and the highway buses to the area were as infrequent as the local buses so it was risky but I settled on standing across the street from the Takachiho car park, writing “大分” (Oita) on my mini whiteboard and hoping for the best. It wasn’t easy and I was slightly worried when it was starting to become dark and I still wasn’t picked up by anyone. However, I remained resolute and after about an hour two guys approached me and said they were going to Oita. Now, I normally hop in the car with couples or families so I was a bit apprehensive about this but I clearly didn’t have many options so I went for it. They were actually pretty cool, a tad awkward but overall friendly and warm. It was more of a quiet car ride than what was becoming the norm for me but I didn’t mind and...I fell asleep. Not the smartest decision ever I’ll admit but I really didn’t get any bad vibes from these guys and I trusted they would get me to Oita safely which they did. It only took about an hour or so to get to Oita train station from the shrine so we got dinner together at a restaurant in the station and I bid them farewell. I felt bad for arriving so late and my friend wasn’t actually living in the city centre but in the countryside outside of Oita about an hour’s drive away so I wasn’t going to make him drive all the way out to pick me up so late. I decided to just walk around the city and find somewhere that was open for 24 hours and as luck would have it there was a McDonald's not too far away and settled on spending the night there with my laptop. At some point in the night though they had to close up for a couple of hours and so I sat outside and waited for them to finish. A group of people who were out on the town for drinks and stopped by McDonald's for some snacks saw that it was closed and were displeased but then saw me and had their moods lifted. They asked me all the usual questions like what on earth I was doing there and after telling them they offered to take me to another McDonald's that was definitely open and about as far from the station as this one; of course their designated driver drove us. After keeping me company for awhile at the second McDonald's they left and I was alone to reflect on everything before packing up and heading back to the station for 7am.

My friend, K, met up with me soon after and told me he had a whole itinerary set out for us of things to do and I was happy to let him take the lead. First stop was Yama Jigoku which was a hot springs tourist attraction with deep blue and red springs and steam everywhere. Definitely made the hot day even hotter but it was awesome. Next on the list was Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden which was essentially another monkey park but still pretty cool, and had a different atmosphere to the Arashiyama monkey park. Then, we went across the street to the Umitamago aquarium, had lunch at a Korean BBQ place and ended off with a hot spring visit in Beppu before heading to his house. When we arrived at his home, I greeted his lovely parents, had some tea and chatted for a bit before it was time for bed. 

We started off my second proper day in Oita with a walk around his countryside house and then journeyed off to the trendy hot spring resort town of Yufuin. We walked around for ages and explored while trying all sorts of food. For example, Chicken nanban, which is cooked similar to karage but served with shredded cabbage and tartar sauce; delicious. After finishing off in Yufuin, we drove through what felt like the entire area and saw a bunch. We found a tiny village and explored that and then found an abandoned hot springs near the highway which we of course had to see. Upon returning to his house, I saw that his mother had cooked me a gorgeous feast and just went all out. I ate so much that I felt like I was gonna pop but it was all just so good. We sat around the dinner table, watched some variety programs and chatted for the rest of the night. 

On the 16th, I had a full day of transit! I told K my plan of backpacking around Japan and how I was trying to narrow down where I wanted to go next while still making it to Osaka in time to sort my suitcase out and what could be a more direct route so that I wouldn’t have trouble arriving in Tokyo in time for my flight back to Canada. There were so many places that I wanted to go but ultimately he helped me make the difficult decision of cutting out both the Shikoku and Chugoku regions because it would take me too long to explore those areas and not leave enough time for other areas plus hitchhiking might prove to be a bit difficult because of my time constraint. I’ll just have to save those regions for another trip. I decided to travel by train to help save on time and buy another seishun 18 kippu/youth 18 ticket for my travels. K also kindly offered to drive me from Oita to Kitakyushu to help make my trip easier. My decision in the end was to use the ticket to get me from Kitakyushu station to Kyoto station and to spend the next few days travelling through Kansai. This was more of a safe choice because of my suitcase and the region is in the centre of Japan so I wouldn’t have much trouble getting from there to most places. We arrived in Kitakyushu just before noon and I was able to promptly purchase my ticket as well as be given the free little paper thing with all the exact times and stops I would be going through, throughout the day. I bid K farewell and thanked him for all that he’s helped me with and boarded the local JR train at exactly noon. I was in for quite a long day; an exactly 12 hour journey in fact. My final train was to get me to Kyoto station at exactly midnight and that it did. Gotta love Japanese trains and punctuality. The journey itself wasn’t too bad actually. I mean, after a while of sitting down my legs did start to get a bit swollen but I endured. I slept for a lot of it or listened to music and on one of my trains that was going through Hiroshima I had a lovely chat with a high school student. My stops also weren’t too long either, lasting about 20-30 mins each with only one hour long stop in which I took the opportunity to really stretch my legs and get some baked goods at a nearby bakery. It was a good day to be travelling as well since I remember it was raining pretty heavily for most of it. Finally, I arrived in Kyoto but since the station was closing just as I arrived and I had come on one of the final trains of the day I couldn’t take the train I needed to get to the apartment of my Kyoto CS host. Everything around the station seemed to be closed as well and I made sure to circle it entirely (it was huge). As I was walking I seemed to catch the eye of an older Australian man as well as his Spanish friend who had been drinking and having a merry old time, I imagine, at one of the foreign bars. They seemed really interested in what I was doing and apparently worried because I was a solo female traveller walking around the streets of Kyoto past midnight. Japan is super safe though and even though some things do occasionally happen, and you should never let your guard down, it is generally fine to be walking around at night and alone as a girl and I was more comfortable doing it here than in Canada. If you just maintain common sense about everything you do, no matter what country you’re in, you shouldn’t be worried at all. The two men asked me if I had a place to stay that night and then said that they might be able to let me sleep on the floor of their hotel room but I declined. The first train was only four hours later so I really didn’t need to find a place to sleep, just a place to sit with some WiFi for a bit. I found a convenience store that didn’t have any seating but did have some WiFi and I was able to see that there was a McDonald's just a 30 minute walk away so I went there and waited until just after 6 or 7 am before heading back to Kyoto station. I told my host everything and he was fine with the fact that I would arrive so early in the morning since he was going to work around that time and said he would leave me a key to his apartment in a utility closet next to his apartment. The train to his place was only 10 minutes and I collapsed into the futon he set aside for me pretty much the moment I got in.

I slept for about 5 hours and then ventured off to Osaka to deal with my suitcase. It all went very smoothly and I was able to communicate to the station staff that I wanted to immediately send it off to Tokyo. I wandered around Osaka for a bit and then met up with another one of my Japanese friends for a late lunch and a catch up before heading back to my host’s place in Kyoto. When I got back, I saw that my host was there and so we chatted for a bit and he told me that he worked for Nintendo as a mascot which I didn’t really understand but then told me all about his passion for circus-style performance and how much he especially loves juggling. He seemed delighted that I found this all interesting and said he would teach me to juggle so for the next hour he literally did not let me stop practising until I got the hang of at least juggling three balls, it was intense but I managed to get it. Unfortunately, I can no longer do it now because I didn’t really keep up with my practice. He gifted me his old practice juggling balls and then we called it a night.

The next day, I slept in and decided to just take it easy exploring the local area as well as a part of Kyoto that I had never been to before called Uji. It was very quaint and peaceful with not many people around. It is a very historical place and situated next to a river and just overall had a lovely atmosphere. I think it is one of my favourite places in Kyoto. Uji is also famous for it’s matcha and so I was able to get a lot of matcha flavoured snacks. All in all just a very chill day.

The following day I was strapped for ideas of what to do. I was using my pasmo card for local train travel and still had my youth 18 ticket if I wanted to venture off somewhere else a bit further but I didn’t know where to go. I spent the morning searching and deciding on going to Mie, more specifically Iga, because of the castle and historical ninja village that it is known for. Mie also has another place called Ise which is famous for it’s huge shrine overlooking a waterfall but for some reason I didn’t see that when I was searching for things to do and only found out about the place after leaving Japan. Iga was still pretty cool though. Very rural and away from everything but also took so long to get to and I didn’t end up getting there until about 5:30 pm so not a very well planned day by any means. The castle and ninja museum were quite a walk from the station and I got there at just around sunset so of course they were closed. It was a bit sad but it was my own fault and I still was able to walk around the castle and enjoy the sunset from there because it was perched up on a hill. As I was leaving the castle and beginning to head back I was attacked by a swarm of insects. I don’t think they were mosquitoes but they were small and were constantly flying around my head, buzzing, and wouldn’t leave me alone. I basically had to run away to be rid of them. I think they were attracted to my sweat and/or breath; it was, after all, a very hot and humid day.

On the 20th and final day for me in Kansai, I met up with my female friend, K again. I just realised that I have spoken about two K friends that I have...the bf told me that referring to people with letters would backfire on me, but anyway my friend K from Kansai is a girl and my friend K from Oita is a boy so that is how we will differentiate them. Anyway it was going to be a while before female K and I would see each other again so we met up and hiked up a bit of Fushimi Inari shrine. It was busy with people as it always is but not too bad. We hung around there for a while and then got some lunch before heading to Kamogawa river to watch the sunset and enjoy the overall ambience. We then got some really delicious okonomiyaki for dinner at a place nearby the river before saying our goodbyes. A satisfying way to end my time in Kyoto and Kansai in general.

Final 10 days:

It was another day of transit for me on the 21st, but not quite as long as the one I had before. My host had already gone to work by the time I woke up so I sent him a little message thanking him, packed up my stuff and left. In the morning, I decided that I needed to see a place that was definitely out of the way for the next leg of my trip which was to first head to Fukui in the Chubu region, but I really wanted to see the famous and much spoken about Himeji Castle. It’s famous because it is very strongly built and survived the bombing from World War II, has beautiful architecture and is pure white. Himeji Castle was South of where I was in the Southern part of Kansai while I wanted to head North so it might seem a little silly to be backtracking and honestly why didn’t I go the other day, right? Because I forgot.  Anyway, it didn’t take much time out of my day to head in that direction and didn’t ruin my plan at all. Japanese trains are super timely and efficient so it worked out quite well to go in the opposite direction for a bit. When I arrived in Himeji I wasn’t disappointed. Firstly, it was a beautiful and clear day and just perfect to be viewing a white castle on. The walk from the station to the castle was a little long but really worth it because the castle seemed to blend in perfectly with the sky as though it was a cloud. I didn’t really have time to go into the castle itself or the grounds but I was more than content to just be looking at it from the city centre. After about an hour or so of walking around and gazing upon the castle I decided to head to Fukui. I received my train timetable paper thing from the station and embarked on my next journey. To be honest, there’s an app that you can get for your phone called Hyperdia which has all the times and stops just like this paper they were giving me, but my phone was so unstable and useless at this point from the water damage and I didn’t have a consistent WiFi connection. I did have that impulse purchase phone that I got from eBay but I didn’t have any of my contacts or apps on it plus I don’t think it had as many features. I was mostly just using it as an emergency phone at that point.

I didn’t have much of a reason to be heading to Fukui other than because one of my friends who studied abroad there told me how much she loves the prefecture. It was also one of the entry points into Chubu from where I was and it was either that or Nagoya and I’m sure Nagoya is nice but I only had a day so I decided to choose Fukui. I’m glad I did, it was a great choice because Fukui’s main selling point is dinosaurs! I wish I had more time to spend there. Apparently Fukui is where most of the dinosaur bones in Japan were excavated years ago so it has become their thing and their central station is decked out in cool dinosaur designs as well as some dinosaur statues in front. I met up with my hosts who were actually two families living in one house; a little strange I thought for Japan but they were lovely people. I was planning to stay with them for two nights so they let me sleep in their storage room. This was my first couch surfing stay in Japan (apart from Busan) where I wasn’t given a futon or anything to sleep with and obviously I didn’t mind because it was a free place to stay nonetheless. I had come prepared for this scenario. I think people should always bring some kind of spare blanket or cover for this kind of situation if they choose to do couch surfing because not all hosts are alike. I was lucky that it was Summer too so I didn’t need much to cover me….would definitely be a different story in Winter. After setting up my room and having a shower, I called it a night. In the morning I headed out with my hosts around 7 am and headed back to the station where I found out that a little way out of the city was a huge museum dedicated to dinosaurs so of course I had to go! I took a really cool monorail from the station that went through a lush green countryside. I think I had to transfer to another train and then take a local bus from the station directly to the museum. The museum itself was pretty impressive and huge and a must for anyone who likes dinosaurs. I think I spent the next three or four hours exploring the whole place and going to every free exhibit. At around 5:30 pm I headed back to Fukui station and spent the rest of the evening exploring the town and searching for food.

The day after, my host drove me...somewhere. To be honest, for some reason, this is where my memory fails me. She may or may not have driven me to the closest service area so I could hitchhike to Gifu but I can’t remember. All I can recall is waking up early and leaving with her and a bit of the drive and then suddenly I’m at the service area waiting to be picked up...it’s a shame really. Hopefully, someday I'll regain access to the text messages that the bf and I shared that Summer where he was essentially my diary. Both our old phones are knackered though so I don’t know when that will be. My google timeline seems to have blacked out how I got from Fukui to Gifu as well. Weird. Anyway, I think I only waited for about 30 minutes at whatever service area I was in for someone to pick me up. I was first approached by a man who looked to be in his late 40s or 50s and I just got the strangest feeling from him. He offered me a lift to Gifu but he was just very awkward about it and I don’t know, I just felt the creeps. It isn’t really my hitchhiking policy to get driven by guys for safety reasons; as sad as that is. I was picked up before in Oita by two guys but they were different and seemed genuine and about my age whereas this guy was old and creepy. I declined his offer and he pretty much asked if I was sure several times before finally leaving...so yea don’t regret that. I only had to wait another five minutes though before this huge family in a big old van drove by and said they’d give me a ride. They were awesome, so lively, energetic and friendly so I felt very lucky to have been spotted by them. They drove me straight to Gifu which didn’t take long at all and, no, I didn’t get a meal this time since it was before lunch and after breakfast. I waited for a bit at Gifu station to receive a reply from my next CS host and then boarded a train that would take me to his house in the countryside. My Gifu host was amazing and just so friendly and warm and probably the host that I spent the most time with after my host in Nagano. Kyushu is probably one of my favourite prefectures for several reasons but Gifu will always hold a special place in my memory thanks to my host who just made the experience. I don’t want to sell any of my other hosts short, they were all great, but SH, my host in Gifu, who I’m still friends with today was spectacular. He picked me up from the station closest to his house and then we headed over to his parent’s house where I would be staying. His parents were also super easy going and I kind of felt like royalty being their guest, not gonna lie. They set up this huge tatami room for me to have myself with a very comfortable futon. I set down my stuff and proceeded to have a chat with them for the next hour before SH said he wanted to take me out and treat me to an omakase sushi experience at a local sushi restaurant that they all frequent. His parents came and it seemed like all of their friends and family were there; it was just so much fun. Omakase sushi is where the chef decides what he will serve you and you basically leave it up to him. I think you can ask for seconds of things though if you like something, that’s what I did anyway and the chef seemed delighted. It was some of the best sushi that I’ve ever had and was just so fresh and delicious and seemed endless. I was having a lovely chat with the chef and I guess he just gave me a lot extra. On the next day, I decided to journey off to the Shirakawa Go village which is the main reason I went to Gifu. “Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995, the village is famous for its traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old.” (https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5950.html) 

My host drove me to the local station the next day where I boarded the three hour train to Takayama; the city closest to Shirakawa Go where I would then have to take an hour long bus so it was a long morning. The village didn’t disappoint. It was gorgeous and I imagine it would have an even more mysterious feel in the Winter when it would be covered in snow. I walked around for two hours exploring and trying a bunch of local snacks and some soft serve ice cream that I remember being just so creamy and delicious because it was made fresh with local milk. I couldn’t stay too long because the buses were a bit infrequent and very few and far between so I headed back to Takayama city and wandered around there for another hour or so. It was also very quaint with traditional buildings everywhere and made me feel like I was in old Japan. When I got back to my host’s house that night, his parents cooked okonomiyaki for me. I don't know what I did to be so spoiled like this but I just felt very lucky and grateful. My host asked me what plans I had for the next day and if I would like to join him, his dad and his cousin for a day of paddle-boarding down the Nagara River (the biggest and most famous river of Gifu). His dad owned a sports shop so of course we’d all get to use the paddle-boards for free is what he said and I would have been a fool to turn down that offer.

And with that, on my 25th day travelling around Japan, I went paddle-boarding for the first time! It was so much fun, I think I fell into the river twice though but I didn’t care. Even though I didn’t have a change of clothes or anything, it was so hot that my clothes quickly dried. We paddle-boarded along the whole river which took about two hours. This was definitely one of my most favourite memories in Japan, just an all round great day. I ended the day by being treated to a delicious home cooked yakiniku meal with a bunch of other side dishes. I could not have been more content.

On the 26th, unfortunately it was time to leave this lovely family in Gifu and head on over to Nagano! I was quite late in leaving their house because my host’s mother wanted to give me some breakfast and make sure I was ready for my travels. I think at around 10:30 my host drove me to the station and I was off for another day of train travels. I decided against hitchhiking that time because my host said that in between Gifu and Nagano are a bunch of mountains and it would take awhile for people to drive around them whereas trains can go through the mountains via tunnels. It was a five or six hour train journey with a couple of stops in between before I arrived at Nagano station in the evening. I met up with my host at the station who was a lovely office lady and she immediately said we should get some soba for dinner and then coffee at Starbucks. We chatted for around two hours; she just seemed so interested in my life and future goals but also just so supportive to whatever I said. She and I are still friends and I’m super glad we are, she’s definitely someone I would like to visit again when I go back to Nagano. By the way, Nagano is famous because of its ski resorts in the winter and having worked at a ski resort before I was interested in checking it out even though it was the height of Summer. It was certainly cooler, temperature wise, in Nagano compared to all the other places I had been to. I was fortunate enough to have my own room again at my host’s apartment and be able to do some laundry there.

The next day, I ventured from Nagano station to Matsumoto station to explore the second thing that Nagano prefecture is famous for which is Matsumoto castle; nicknamed the “crow castle” because of its black exterior. Matsumoto was definitely a very quiet city and apart from the castle area where all the tourists flocked to, there weren’t that many people around. I walked in and around the castle and had a great time. It had a spectacularly historical feel to it. I remember getting oden for the first time at a nearby convenience store because the weather was getting a bit colder and windy with some overcast so it was the perfect treat. It was so delicious and is now something I must have if I see it being sold somewhere. At about 5pm, I headed back to Nagano station and wandered around Zenko-ji temple before getting a message on LINE from my host asking if I wanted to meet up with her. She took me to a local fishery that her colleagues were drinking at because they knew the owner and everyone was able to enjoy some free sashimi. It was a very lively atmosphere and at some point some local performers showed up to entertain us with a traditional performance. I remember this older couple who were there and really took a liking to me and kept giving me things. One of their hobbies was to hand craft flowers from paper so they gave me a few and then took a bunch of photos of me and then rushed back home to develop them so I could have them. It was so cute and such a fun night.

I only had about four days left in Japan so I decided it was time to head back to Tokyo to prepare myself for my departure. I told my host that I would like to hitchhike to Tokyo from Nagano and not only did she drive me to the service area, she also insisted on helping me find a driver. I was very grateful for the thought but I didn’t want to have to make anyone feel like they had to pick me up. I tried to tell her that I was fine and that I could just stand there so I said my goodbyes to her and then began to wait for about 20 minutes during which she seemed to just be watching from afar until she couldn’t stand waiting anymore and basically started asking anyone who past us if they were going to Tokyo and could take me until finally one woman reluctantly said yes. It was a tad awkward to be honest, but I know my host meant well and was just trying to be motherly and caring so I appreciated it. I thanked her one more time and then got in the car with my driver. It was a very long three hours to the centre of Tokyo and a silent ride for most of it. Towards the end of the drive I think she finally eased up and decided to ask me the usual questions of who I was and where I’m from. She then told me that she runs a hostel, gave me her card and asked if I needed a place to stay and would give me a discount. I thanked her for the offer but fortunately I had already found my final CS host (couldn’t stay with my friend L because she was also leaving Japan). She dropped me off at Tokyo station at half past noon and I immediately went to find the central post office to pick up my suitcase. 

Since the morning, I had been receiving a bunch of messages from my Tokyo host and she was insistent on me spending the day with her and her other foreign friends for a BBQ just outside Tokyo at around 1pm. She was overall friendly but made it out to seem that if I didn’t show up for this BBQ then she wouldn’t be able to host me and so I told her that I would try my best but that I would most likely be late because I was hitchhiking and needed to pick up my suitcase. She sent me the address of the BBQ spot which wasn’t accessible by train and only by a highway bus. I managed to get my suitcase and head back to Tokyo station but went around in circles before finally finding this bus that cost about $16 for an hour and a half ride so I didn’t get to the stop until just about 4pm. It was a bit stressful. I also didn’t have any WiFi to contact my host because I was in the middle of nowhere so I did the only thing I could think of since I knew Japan was safe and left my suitcase and bag at the stop and walked for about 20 mins before I found a 7-eleven to use the WiFi and contact my host. I told her what had happened so she and her friends picked up my stuff from the side of the road and then picked me up from the 7-eleven and informed me that their BBQ was over and that they were now planning to head back into Tokyo. I think anyone would be understandably frustrated to hear this turn of events if they had gone through all that as I just had. I tried not to show it though and just enjoy my time with them all while wondering why I couldn’t have just waited in Tokyo for them….Anyway, they all wanted to go to Tokyo tower and so we headed there. The view was really nice and it was my first time there so it was a nice way to end a tiring day.

The following day, I had no real plans and it was my last solo day wandering through Tokyo. I don’t remember much but I aimlessly strolled all around Harajuku and Shibuya and spotted a BIC camera where I decided that I would treat myself to a portable charger because my phone’s life was nonexistent. It was a chill day for the most part and I got a lot of steps in. I ended the day by checking out the supermarket closest to my host’s apartment because she mentioned that she wanted to try Lebanese food and asked if I could make her some so I tried to find all the related ingredients that I could to make a simple but very common dish.

On the 30th, I started early to make a Lebanese chicken and potato dish and a fattoush salad for my host before she had to go to work. She seemed to really like it so I was glad and it paired nicely with Japanese rice. I spent the rest of the morning and a little bit of the afternoon at her place just relaxing and making sure I was fully packed and ready to be leaving the next day. Some time in the late afternoon, I set off to meet up with L, her sister, and her friend and we went out to this cool noodle restaurant where the chef makes the noodles in front of you. We spent the rest of the night just catching up. I told her about my travels and she told me about hers. We were both leaving the next day (although on different flights) but not until the evening so we all decided that we would watch the film “Your Name” that had just come out.

Final day in Japan:

I woke up at 8 am and had accidentally slept in a bit because my host’s place was an hour from the cinema that we agreed to meet and the time of the movie was 9:30. So I quickly sent them a message letting them know I was on my way, got dressed and rushed out. I made it to the cinema just after the scheduled start time and considered giving up on seeing it because they had already gone in but I thought whatever, at least I’ll see most of it. Luckily, they were still playing the trailers and advertisements so I quietly went in, searched for my friends to no avail before finding a really good seat and enjoying the movie. It was such an awesome movie! Which is probably obvious because it was an international hit that Summer and went on to play in cinemas around the world. I was also pretty proud of myself for understanding about 95% of the film with no subtitles; it was a small feat but I felt good. After the film, I met up with L and co and we walked around for a bit before they had to leave. I spent the rest of the day wandering around Ginza and Shinjuku and just kind of in disbelief that this whole trip was coming to an end. I tried to savour and take in all the sights and eat some more delicious snacks at my favourite convenience store. I then checked out the Kinokuniya book store and decided to buy myself a JLPT N3 grammar book, an N2 vocabulary book and a master book of all Japanese grammar. I’ll be honest with you, though, four years later and I’ve only just gotten around to opening these books up and studying them in the past year. I made my way back to my host’s apartment at 4pm because it was time to get myself ready and pack up these books for my flight at 9:30 pm. I got the airport bus that luckily had a stop just outside my host’s place. I arrived at the airport around three hours before my flight and was filled with melancholy. I didn’t want to be leaving and I was quite sad. It’s always that way though when ending any kind of trip. But I had already decided that I would try to come back and live in Japan again some day so that cheered me up. I had so much more that I wanted to see and do. After walking around and exploring what seemed like the whole departure area and getting some udon for dinner I boarded my flight and bid Japan, not a farewell, but a see you later.

[rodrigohyde]

72-year-old Larry Macon started running marathons 20 years ago. He just finished No.2,000.

Marathons are a numbers game. You’re racing against the clock, a personal best, and thousands of other runners. You're also racing against your biological clock. As any runner can tell you, few runs will take a toll on your body like a marathon.

Unless you're Larry Macon.

The 72-year-old just crushed his 2,000th marathon—a stupendous accomplishment made even more incredible by the fact that he ran his first 26.2-miler 20 years ago at 52. Macon has run at least one marathon in every state in America 23 times. His PR? Four hours and 15 minutes.

But for Larry, the numbers don’t really matter.

“I’m not consumed by my time,” Macon says. “I've been the last person, and, in one race, the first person. But I didn't enjoy that one particularly more. Being a lawyer, I have cases that go on for five or 10 years, so it's really wonderful to be able to finish something in five or six hours.”

[RELATED1]

His story is nothing short of spectacular, especially if you’ve always wanted to start running but never found the motivation to put one foot in front of the other.

Here’s how Macon got into marathons in the first place, some of his most memorable races, and his best pieces of advice for kicking ass well into your golden years.

Courtesy Image

The lie that sparked a running addiction

Throughout his career as a trial lawyer, Macon developed a Monday ritual. He’d meet with a few other lawyers to shoot the breeze, brag, and “lie a lot,” Macon jokes.

“One day one guy said ‘I played 36 holes of golf,’” Macon recalls. “Somebody else said ‘I swam two miles.’ Then they asked, ‘Hey Larry, what'd you do?’ I worked all weekend and hadn't done a damn thing, but I glanced over at the newspaper and said, ‘Oh, I'm training for the marathon,’ and they said, ‘Fantastic! It's in three weeks, we'll have a party for you.’”

So, Macon was forced—or, rather, encouraged—to hit the road. His first race was in his hometown of San Antonio, TX. And while he wasn’t a complete novice—he'd been running a formidable 50 miles a week—he’d never run more, especially not all at once.

“I was pretty beat at the end of it, and I thought, 'I don't think I'll ever do this again'—but it wasn't bad,” Macon recalls.

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Obviously he did it again…and again. He had 12 marathons under his belt in a span of six years. Then he started running 59 marathons a year. Then 80. Then someone asked if he’d ever checked the Guinness World Record for the most marathons done in a year. That benchmark was 100—so Macon went to work.

He ran 105 marathons in 2008, which Guinness World Records recognized as the most marathons run in a year. In 2010, he one-upped his record and ran 106. In 2011, he hit 113, then 157 in 2012. The tide changed in 2013: Macon ran a mind-boggling 255 marathons, although only 239 "counted" toward his total, according to Guinness.

How Macon (literally) runs the world

It’s a huge undertaking. Aside from the sacrifices Macon makes (“I have no other hobbies”) to fit all the time it takes to train, travel, and traverse that kind of mileage, it’s also wildly expensive. You’re dropping a couple hundred bucks for marathon entries in major cities alone, then you’ve got to factor in flights, hotels, and food.

But Macon is strategic.

“My work takes me all across the country, so I try to connect and see if I can have a meeting in some city either on a Friday or Monday so I can do my first or last marathon close to where I've been working.” (His top three marathon destinations: Madison, MT; Monterey, CA; and "anywhere in Maine".)

Of course, his marathon travel schedule isn't always so seamless. He’s flown to California for a Saturday marathon, then traveled back to the East Coast for a Sunday marathon. And while he's covered plenty of miles on foot in the process, he's also racked up quite a few in the air.

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“I had like six or seven million miles on American Airlines, I've got a couple million on Delta, and just 500,000 on United Airlines,” he says nonchalantly.

Periodically he’ll use the miles for vacations with his wife, Jane. (They’ve traveled to Africa six times.) But he mostly uses the miles for more marathons.

  How Macon has achieved athletic longevity

“I've run at least two marathons every weekend, and I run more on holidays,” Macon says. “I ran four in Seattle over the Thanksgiving weekend. It doesn't make much difference if I run one, three, or eight in a row.”

Miraculously, Macon doesn’t suffer from shin splints, aching joints, or inflammation. He’s an anomaly in a sport that causes such wear and tear on the body. In many ways, he’s as biomechanically perfect as a runner can get, especially for his age.

“I'm blessed with some pretty good genes because I've never had an injury, my knees don't hurt, and I feel no worse when I finish the race than when I started,” he says. “Sometimes I get a little tired, but that's all.”

Macon’s only ailment is a “gigantic” bunion on his left foot. That doesn’t seem to faze him, though: Macon just cuts a hole in his trusty super-wide 6E New Balance kicks to make room for his problem toe.

[PQ]

He’s never had a trainer to program a regimen or perfect his form. And he doesn’t always have the luxury of plenty of sleep or a massage to recuperate his muscles. Half the time his recovery from a marathon is another marathon. So, yes, Macon is biomechanically lucky, although it's worth mentioning his nutrition is dialed in: “I'm virtually a vegan except I have a vice that I have to confess to,” Macon says. “I love chocolate milk at the end of a race.”

But among marathoners, he’s also a rare psychological find: Even though he’s infatuated with running, he’s not trying to be the fastest guy on the road or in the race. He finishes in six to seven hours, always chatting to other runners along the way.

“Did you run Boston?”

Not all of Macon's marathons have gone smoothly—particularly not during the fateful Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013.

“I was in a big group at about mile 25, when all of a sudden there were 12 police officers with shotguns,” Macon says. “They weren’t pointing them at us, but we all screeched to a halt and they said ‘The race is over.’”

The officers couldn’t tell Macon and the other runners what happened—only that some buses might arrive to pick them up in three or four hours. Macon found himself stranded on the race course, unable to return to his hotel.

“I started knocking on doors, and finally a synagogue let me in and explained what happened,” Macon said.

Macon called his hotel, but he couldn’t retrieve his belongings. Police had the entire area blocked off until the next morning. He called a taxi, but he was in the “prohibited zone,” so he tried a car service that said they could pick him up if he could get a couple miles outside of the race area.

Macon ostensibly “finished” his marathon by running the miles to the car, and was transported to the airport, where he talked his way through TSA wearing a singlet and shorts carrying nothing but his ID.

Starving after having run the marathon, Macon walked into a restaurant. “I know this is unusual, but I don't have any money or credit cards. Would you feed me? I'll send you a check. They asked, ‘Did you run Boston? Well, come on in.’”

Macon eventually made his way onto the plane, still dressed in his singlet and shorts. “The flight attendants announced what happened and people started sending me drinks,” Macon says.

Eventually, after more negotiating with a taxi, Macon made it home safely. And about a week later the hotel sent him all his clothes and billfold.

Macon’s (other) most memorable marathon moments

North Dakota: Entering the danger zone “I was the only one doing the early start—and I quickly understood why,” Macon says. “The snow was coming down, getting colder and colder, and I couldn’t see the path. Of the 400 total people that were supposed to run, there were only 18 fools who got out there and tried. At mile 17, they pulled us off the course. The wind chill was -15°. We piled on a bus and they took us to hot showers.”

Boston: Mid-race conference calls “I was running Boston, and I had an hour-and-a-half conference call during the race,” Macon recalls. “Every once in a while they’d say, ‘Larry are you OK?’ And I’d say, ‘Oh, yeah, I'm fine,’ then put them on mute.”

Courtesy Image

  Colorado: Race like a Bronco, run like a girl “In Denver, I saw there was extreme weather, so I got a cotton hoodie of the Denver Broncos football team in the airport,” Macon says. “The next morning I got up and it was snowing like crazy, and all I had were shorts and this cotton hoodie, which was quickly soaking wet. I asked somebody if I could borrow some clothes. A guy gave me a windbreaker and a girl gave me some pink tights, which I proudly wore. They said, ‘You run like a girl.’

“During that same race, I was running with another girl and she asked, ‘Are you getting screws in your shoe?’" Macon says. “And I looked at here like, ‘Huh?’ Turns out at every 5K they had a guy with a drill, and he’d put screws in the bottom of your shoes to keep from slipping. Except as we came into the 5K watcher section, she stepped on a rock, fell, and broke her leg. I decided to keep slipping along without the screws and finished that race like a popsicle.”

Las Vegas: Reaching the melting point “I ran one outside of Las Vegas when it was 115°,” Macon says. “That was fun. I assume if I go to hell I'll be very comfortable.”

San Antonio: Macon’s 2,000th marathon “It was a glorious day and the people were way too nice...I counted 145 selfies,” Macon says. “There were people at every water stop cheering for me, and at the end I got a police escort. I had four motorcycles—usually they’d be chasing me, but this time they were with me—guiding me to the finish. They had a confetti canon that flew everywhere. The celebration was far more than I deserved, but it was really nice.”

For 52,400 miles covered on foot, we think it’s exactly what Macon deserves.

“Somebody made me a shirt that says, ‘2,000 down, 2,000 to go.’" Macon says. “I don't think so, but I'm going to get out there and I'm going to probably end up running 10 to 20 marathons this month, so I haven't quit.”

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Distance running

from Men's Fitness https://www.mensfitness.com/training/endurance/72-year-old-larry-macon-started-running-marathons-20-years-ago-he-just-finished