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timothy-chamlet · 4 years

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the afterparty - t.c. fanfic

pair: timmy x female reader

warnings: unprotected sex, general smut

word count: 2.6k (2640)

a//n: ok er ive never written for timmy before so im nervous snsvsj but if you read it tell me what u think !! <3

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people often thought the two of you were dating. paparazzi tended to make it look that way through press. despite all the candid photos of you and timothée plastered in magazine spreads and floating around on blogs, he would tell people you weren't together. interviewers would ask, and time again he would put an end to the rumor by saying you weren't dating, you were just friends.

to be fair, you honestly couldn't even be mad at him. it was a good marketing tactic, at least. if all the girls knew he was single they'd still be invested in the persona of a young, attractive starlet that - despite his more than desirable qualities - is still single. genius. meanwhile you were being his best friend and his trophy for award shows.

it was growing on you though. you enjoyed walking red carpet events and going to extravagant parties and meeting big names in the industry. it was really a win-win for both of you.

another one of those win-win situations was tonight. the past three days had been crazy. hair appointments, nail appointments, dress fittings, photoshoots, brunches, and dinners. running each new day on an hour of sleep - maybe two if you were lucky. fueled by energy drinks and the promise of rest after the event. showing up to an awards ceremony on nothing more than a 20 minute nap and a double shot espresso. being timothée's showpiece was exhausting. but it was good for you.

you had just finished your last consultation for dress fittings and were on your way to your styling appointment. the dress would arrive shortly after you so everything was ready to go. things were set for timothée to meet you there in an hour or so, after his own styling.

currently you're getting your makeup done. a swarm of professionals all around you, handing products, giving directions, telling you how gorgeous you look, at least three hands on you at all times. after almost an hour all the disembodied hands move from your face to reveal the *almost* finished product. you still need your hair done, but your face was flawless. your skin was insanely smooth; not a pore in sight, your lids were a bronze shade, and your lips were a perfect nude.

a hair stylist soon steps into view, also admiring your makeup before diving into your hair. it was simple. a slicked back ponytail is all, careful not to draw away from your face and your dress.

the strong aroma of hairspray clouds you as you maneuver to step into your dress. stripped of your previous clothes, you step into your dress and a couple people help you pull it up. the woman attending to the supper in the back steps away for a moment, seeming to answer a question.

"what's his name?" she asks into her ear piece. "uh yes. she's in here with me. send him in."

she returns behind you and does up the zipper to your dress. to your surprise, you see timothée waltz in the room. dressed in a charcoal gray suit with a light lavender button up underneath. "y/n," he exhales, walking towards you. "you look breathtaking, ma chérie."

"you don't look too bad yourself, timmy," you say, stepping down from your pedestal to be almost eye level with him.

"is she done here?" he asks everyone around without taking his eyes off you.

one of the women there swoops in with a pair of shoes and says, "slip in to these and you're ready to go, darling."

you step into your shoes and link arms with timothée. "carriage awaits," he says as the two of you get escorted to the limo.

once inside you let out a deep breath you didn't know you were holding. "you okay?" he asks from beside you.

"yeah, just.. tired."

he chuckles and drops his head. "absolutely exhausted." you two had similarly scheduled days so he knows exactly how you feel. "don't worry, mon amour, i'll have you home in about 8 hours."

"i thought the awards show was only 4-"

"there's always the afterparty.."

you audibly groan and drop your head as timothée places a reassuring hand on your knee.

"we're here," he says with fake enthusiasm as the limo pulls up to the event. the past 45 minutes felt like hours as your head began to pound from the lack of sleep. yet, lucky you, 45 minutes in l.a. traffic was a miracle.

the two of you step out into the scene. flashing lights from camera flickers, the general buzz of the crowd, people you knew trying to get your attention, people timothée knew trying to get his attention. being the kind person he is, he doesn't shy away from fans calling his name. he walks over to give high fives, say hi, sign things, and really interact with the people that are so invested in his career. you look at him with a fond smile on your face as he greets people.

"timothéeeee," you both hear and turn around to match the loud booming voice to a face.

"armieee!!" he yells in response, hurrying over to hug his co-star.

you stand idly by as the two hug and catch up. fiddling with your ponytail and the skirt of your dress. until that same voice catches your attention.

"bring it in hot stuff!"

"hey, armie! how've you been, handsome?" you two had only met a handful of times, but it's like your souls clicked instantly. he had kept in touch since the first time you met and you guys had been pretty close ever since.

"oh i’m doing great. really. just excited for this evening. can't wait to see how many awards lil' tim brings in," armie ends with a light laugh before timothée chimes in.

"oh god no-"

a cheery voice interrupts the conversation.

"helloooo," armie's wife says in a sing-song voice and joins his side. "nice to see you again, y/n. and congrats timmy on your nominations."

you and timothée nod in response and utter small, nervous 'thank you's' before armie excuses the two of them, promising to catch up later.

"well, well, well- this is it, timmy." you say from your seat next to him. the host reads the nominees for best breakthrough of the year, and timothée's name is mixed in with so many other talented actors. he nervously puts his hand over yours. "you are absolutely amazing. everyone knows that. you're gonna get it." he looks at you and you pass him a reassuring smile.

"and the award for best breakthrough goes to… timothée chalamet!"

his head shoots up in shock. cameras pan around him and his baffled expression appears on huge screens behind the stage. he slowly stands from his seat and makes his way to the stage. making a beautiful speech, thanking almost everyone he's ever known. giving gratitude to everyone he's ever worked with, his parents, and his best friends. he comes off the stage and returns to his seat beside you. a year runs down his cheek, and you move to wipe it away, but he grabs your hand away from his cheek only to press his lips to your knuckles. "thank you for always believing in me."

"you're an amazing actor and an even better friend.

the night was nearing an end. people were saying their goodbyes and their 'see-you-soon's and going their separate ways. you and timothée walk out of the event, arms linked, with his hands tightly gripping his award. the smile never leaves his face. "i can't fucking believe that, y/n."

"you did it, timmy! all you and your hard work. lemme pick a nice spot on your shelf for it yeah?"

"i was thinking about sitting it on my dresser right above the drawer full of your shit you keep leaving at my house," he says with a barely visible smirk.

"oh, well if it's such a problem," you begin "i guess I'll just have to come get my 'shit' then?" you finish sarcastically.

"oh! how dare you?" he begins to shout, going on a tirade similar to that of hamlet; overly dramatic and mostly nonsensical. "leave them be! small, small remnants; reminders of thee." he trails off softly, dropping his head to your shoulder and bringing his other hand up to trail his fingertips down the side of your face.

you can't help but chuckle at this. "bravo timothée! amazing performance."

he straightens up before taking a bow and returning to his previous position on your shoulder. "do you wanna skip the afterparty?"

"and do what, tim? i thought you were gonna catch up with armie?"

"i dunno- go to my place?"

you nod your head, and timothée let's the driver know to just go to his house.

you get out of the car in front of his apartment, quickly thank the driver, and dash inside; excited to remove the day. "can i shower?" you ask quickly already making your way upstairs.

"oui, mon trèsor, make yourself at home. ill be up in a while." it was almost as if he had it scripted. a routine more or less. you'd ask to shower - despite him telling you almost each time you never had to ask - and go up stairs to do so; him trailing along about an hour later behind you.

you finish your shower earlier than planned so you decide to lay on his bed until he comes up. you let your freshly washed body relish in the textures of the cotton t-shirt and shorts you're wearing and the damp-cool feel of the comforter on his bed.

you're not left alone for long before he darts up the stairs and into his room, catching your attention. you watch as he walks around, dropping various articles of his clothing haphazardly on his floor. left in only his boxers.

"timmy?" you ask in a drawn out voice.

"hm?" he asks lowly in response; his eyes trained on you. you don't respond to his muffled question and instead watch as he comes to lean over the foot of the bed, by your legs. "i've been thinking," he continues, "a lot recently. about us.."

"us?-"

"about what the media thinks we are. what the people say. the blog posts, the tweets. i read it all… what do you think about it, y/n?" he ends with a light sigh, making drawing light swirls on your leg.

"i dunno really. i've never thought much about it," you say sitting up.

he moves up from his place in front of the bed, crawling up to sit to the right of your legs. knees drawn up to his chest, eyes meeting yours. he raises his hand so his fingertips ghost the curve of your cheek. "you never think about.. the possibility of us?" he pauses as his eyes drift from yours. hands falling to his lap as he scoots even closer to you. you sit stunned, not knowing how to answer as if it was some rhetoric instead of a simple question. filling the silence, he continues. "i think about how different things would be if we were together. what it would be like to hold you and kiss you and- can i kiss you?"

his voice wavers as his eyes meet yours yet again. with quick movements, he moves to straddle your legs, both hands resting lightly on either side of your face.

"can i kiss you?" he asks again, his face millimeters from yours.

you shake your head yes as your eyes fluttering closed, your lips brushing against his as you move.

he plants his lips firmly on yours. innocent at first, but the kiss quickly gets deeper. more desperate, his hands moving from the sides of your face to tangle in your hair, pulling your head back giving him access to your neck. his lips dance around the skin of your neck, being careful not to leave any marks. “is this okay?” he whispers, dragging his hands from your hair to the hem of your shirt.

you nod your head vigorously and he pulls your shirt up and over your head, throwing it to the floor with his clothes. you lean back and give timothee free reign of your chest and stomach. he makes his way from your neck down and across your chest. your hands rush to knot in his hair as he takes a nipple in his mouth, carefully flicking his tongue across the hardening bud before doing the same to the other.

"timmy.." you breathe out as he leaves your chest and explores lower. his eyes meet yours as his teeth come into contact with the flimsy waistband of your sleep shorts. "please," you whisper.

he hooks his fingers into the waistband of your shorts and pulls them down your legs; eyes going wide when he sees you have nothing underneath.

"so pretty," he whispers almost to himself as he throws your shorts in his floor with the rest of your guys' clothes. he runs his finger along your slit, collecting some of your wetness, tasting it. laying back down with your legs over his shoulders, he hooks his arms around your thighs to keep you in place. he runs his tongue along your folds and you arch your back in response. he sucks on your clit making you squirm and tangle your fingers tighter in his hair, pushing against his face, eager for more.

"tim-... timmy," you beg.

timothée kisses his way back up your body. "hm?" he hums softly beside your ear only for you to utter another weak 'please' in response.

"please… please what, mon amour?"

"baise moi.." you didn't know much french. you had picked up on a few of timothée's most used phrases, but this you hadn't learned from him, so it caught him off-guard. stuck in a moment of shock. hearing you say something so dirty in french felt so strangely intimate; you didn't have to ask him twice.

he slips his boxers, finally accompanying you in nakedness, and slips into you, moaning at the feeling of you around him.

"fuck.. timmy-" you groan as he picks up his pace. he coos sweet nothings into your ear while drilling into your core.

his head drops to your chest and the soft, sweet praises slowly turn into obscenities. "merde," he groans, picking up his pace even more. holding himself at arms length above you, he throws his head back; lips parted in pure bliss.

you lift one of your hands to trail down timothée's torso. you lazily drag your fingertips across his chest and down to his stomach. the pleasure building inside you, your hand finds its way to your clit. “timmy... fuck! ple- please don’t stop. fuuuuuck!”

“défaire pour moi, y/n.” you didn’t think french could ever drive you to orgasm, but when it came from timothé anything was possible. you convulse around him as your wave of pleasure washes over you. timothée reaching his own peak soon after, pulling out and emptying on your stomach. he quickly finds something to clean you up with before plopping down on the bed beside you. many silent moments pass - nothing but heavy breaths leaving either of you - before he speaks up. “you know,” he begins in a soft whisper, “i felt bad- like i was using you. just to go to events with me. i know you don’t really like them but-”

you cut him off and turn to face him. “i might hate going to those award shows, but they’re a little less bad with you around.”

he breaks into a wide smile and pulls you closer, putting his head on your stomach. "mon amour, je t'ai toujours aimé." you reach down to play with his curls and begin to drift off on your way to sleep.

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miss-tc-nova · 4 years

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Dense as a Brick Wall - Terra x Fem!Reader

First off YEEEESSSSSSS! I NEED MORE DARK ROAD ASAP! Second, Terra is actually one of my favorite characters of the series so I was excited for this request! I admit I struggled a bit but I hope you like it and I’m sorry it took me so long.

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I can officially say today has started off wild, but I mean my version of wild—these keyblade wielders apparently find travelling to different worlds pretty normal. First thing in the morning, the trio of Aqua, Ven, and Terra all show up on my doorstep and insist I hang out with them for the day. When I finally relent, that’s when they break the news that we’re going off-world.

So one insane trip later, we end up in this bright, sunshine world of Destiny Islands. It’s gorgeous with its tropical atmosphere and sparkling beach and it’s a shame I didn’t bring my bathing suit. The trio then takes me to the larger island where I meet way more people than I was prepared for. They all seem friendly enough and accept me pretty quickly; also we’re apparently not the only group to travel from another world.

That’s when the inhabitants—Riku, Sora, Kairi, and Namine—announce an activity they’d come up with for the visitors: a photo scavenger hunt. The groups pair up quickly, leaving the four of us from the Land of Departure.

“So how do you guys wanna split up?” Terra asks.

“Oh, I know,” Aqua hums, wandering towards Namine. Once she returns, she presents four pieces of paper in her grasp. “Whoever draws the two with colored ends are partners. You first,” she says, offering the handful to me.

Tugging on a strip, I find it colored red on the bottom. “Oh. Cool.”

She turns to the man beside me. “Alright. Terra.”

He picks a strip and my insides run with ice; they expect me to go on a scavenger hunt, alone, with the only person I’ve ever fallen so hard for.

I don’t even know where to begin with Terra. He’s the biggest sweetheart and I’d have to be wearing fire-retardant pants if I said I never admired those muscles. I know he gets a lot of flak, but the guy can actually be pretty smart when it comes to strategy and situational awareness, though his social skills could use a little work. So, while I can say this about his physical build, it also unfortunately applies to his empathic understanding: he’s as dense as a brick wall.

I’ve done everything just short of saying, “hey, you know what? I have an enormous crush on you.” Well, that and kiss him. I once even held his hand when we were wandering through town, but I think he mistook it for me trying not to get lost in the crowds. For the love of all that is good in existence, I cannot get him to take a hint! That and my dumb ass is too nervous to straight up confess.

“Hey, are you okay with that?”

Snapping back to the present, I look up at those beautiful blue eyes. Blood rushes into my ears, but I smile anyway. “Yeah. This’ll be a piece of cake.”

He smiles back and I feel my self-awareness melt just a little, until I realize I might get lost staring if I don’t look away.

We’re given a list of things to photograph and a deadline to meet back up on the small island and the teams start to go their separate ways. Only a few steps into our adventure, I look back at Aqua and Ven and my heart stops. A smirk sits upon her lips and pinched between her fingers are the remaining two strips of paper: they were all colored on the end. My brain begins screaming bloody murder.

“Woah, hey!” A large hand beneath my arm pulls me to the side just in time to miss walking into one of those mail collection boxes. Face burning, I glance up at my concerned sort-of-hero. “Are you sure you’re okay? If you’re not feeling well, we can go home.”

For the love of the gods, I cannot tell him what Aqua did, but she’s absolutely going to get it later—regardless of whether or not she can destroy me in a heartbeat. “No no! I’m fine. I just got distracted.”

Dark brows furrow, still concerned. “Would rather be partners with someone else?”

“NO!” Okay, I probably didn’t need to respond quite that quickly…or yell. A laugh escapes me in an attempt to regain my composure. “No, it’s okay. I promise. This is going to be fun.”

A big grin crosses his lips and we set off, ignoring the fact this is a set up—or maybe not; who knows.

There are two lists on the paper Kairi had given me: one of object and one of activities. Things such as the beach, something red, and a statue are on the list of objects, but on the other are things such as walking barefoot in the sand, going down the slide in the park, and shaking a stranger’s hand. The thing about the second list is that there has to be photo evidence of each person to get the points. Trailing through the sand and asking a random guy to shake hands with each of us is easy enough and we’ve been having a lot of fun, but poor Terra kind of got stuck in the slide and we lost a couple hours—but I got the evidence at least.

“You sure you’re okay?” I ask for like the tenth time, stupidly fluttering eyelashes at him.

My partner laughs sheepishly. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He’s such a good sport but oblivious as always. “I’m just relieved we didn’t break it.”

“Yeah…I was kinda worried we were gonna have to call the fire department or something—or worse, our friends.”

“I really don’t need another story Aqua’s not gonna let me live down,” he sighs. “What else is on the list?”

Pulling the paper from my pocket, I scan over what’s not marked. “Well, there’s not much more we can do before time’s up…so I guess we head back and hope we see a dog, a sign that starts with the letter V, and a rubber duck—where the hell did they think we were gonna see a rubber duck?”

“Does that count?” Out points his finger to the ocean where a giant, inflatable duck peacefully floats along.

“I don’t think it’s made of rubber, but I’m gonna say yes,” I say, using Terra’s GummiPhone to snap a picture of the ridiculous sight.

So off we go towards the smaller island on one of the rental row boats. For a while, we chat and amble about the beach—and I drop more ridiculous hints—until Terra asks, “Hey, wasn’t there something on the list about food?”

“Um. Try a food neither of us has eaten.”

“I don’t know about you, but I have no idea what that is.” From a crooked tree hangs a bright, yellow fruit.

I laugh, following him towards the stairs leading up to the islet. “You wanna just start eating random fruit?”

“Why not?”

The young man scales along the curved tree until he successfully gets his hand on the star-shaped fruit and returns to sit next to me on the tree. The fruit is broken into two and I get a piece. It’s sweet, almost like a candy and super watery.

“I may be regretting my choice,” Terra murmurs around a mouthful.

“What? This is amazing.” I almost drool in my protest.

“Too sweet.”

“Ah, I forget you don’t like sweets.”

Eyeing up his questionable prize, he ventures another bite.

“You two are here ear—” Looking back reveals the Islanders. Both girls gasp and the guys just gape.

“Hey guys,” I greet. “What’s up?” I take another bite.

Riku is the first to break. “You two have no idea what that is, do you?” A glance is shared with no answer. “That’s a paopu.”

When the only response is staring, Kairi hastily explains, “If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined!”

“So says the legend,” adds Namine.

Terra’s mouthful comes flying back out while I opt to choke on mine. While I’m busy hacking away, the rest of our friends arrive.

“What’s going on here?” Aqua asks as Sora is patting my back.

“According to these two, trying new foods means sharing destinies,” Riku explains, gesturing to the dropped leftovers.

Ven is very poorly containing his laugh. “You guys ate a paopu fruit?”

“We didn’t know what it was,” Terra retorts. It makes me feel somewhat better that his face is probably just as red as mine.

“I told you about those,” Aqua retorts. “Remember? I based our wayfinders off them.”

I eventually breathe fine again and everyone hangs out to share their pictures and just hang out. Xion and Roxas got the most points and win the game while Terra and I get the most teasing for the paopu and the slide. Still, the symbolic meaning of the fruit plagues my thoughts—it’s a nice thought to have Terra as part of my destiny. I’d probably squeal if it weren’t for my new friends sitting around. In my revelations, I can’t help beaming down at the pictures of my partner.

It’s just as we’re all getting ready to head home that Aqua sighs, “It’s a shame that, even after I went through all the trouble to make sure they were partners and neither of them confessed they liked each other.”

A second passes, and then another, but finally, Terra’s eyes widen as he realizes what I’ve known from the beginning. “You rigged the teams?!”

Ven snarks, “She wasn’t exactly subtle.”

My brain carefully scrutinizes the frantic behavior of the young man. “Wh—Bu—How—Why would you do that?!”

“Didn’t you hear me? So you could tell her how you feel,” she states bluntly.

Arms flail and, had anyone been within close proximity, who knows what kind of damage he’d deal. “How could you do that?! I’ve been dying all day trying to figure out how to tell her!”

The analyzing brain blips. Wait…

“It wasn’t really that much of a secret,” his blonde friend mutters, the flustered not hearing him.

“All so you could get a few laughs picking on me?! And I still don’t even know how to tell her how much I like her!”

A jolt ripples through me and my jaw falls open.

“First of all,” Aqua starts. “I didn’t do it to pick on you. Second, it was Ven’s idea.”

The accused adds, “He’s been driving me nuts over it.”

“And third, I’m pretty sure you just confessed.” A finger points to me.

His olive skin goes visibly pale, outrage dropping to instant horror. Those shocked eyes lock onto me; clearly he’d forgotten in his outburst that I was even here to begin with.

With a strange sense of outward confidence, I close the gap between us. My heart is beating deafeningly in my ears as I approach but he doesn’t move even a little, watching me in stunned silence. Fists take hold of his shirt, pulling him down to my level as I stand on tiptoe.

Raging in my gut are the butterflies that have been teasing me all day. I may be on fire right now, but there’s an ocean just over there—it’s fine. And sure, my partner is in a stupor but that doesn’t make my elation any less real. There are no words for how much I needed this.

Leaning back, there’s a lingering taste of that paopu we’d split earlier. I can’t help the resulting smile though Terra looks absolutely bewildered.

“I’ve been dying to do that for months,” I tell him.

“Perhaps my efforts weren’t in vain after all,” giggles Aqua. She gets a raspberry from me.

Terra, with an incredibly ludicrous question, grabs my attention again. “Did you just kiss me?”

My eyes widen before I start laughing. “You really are as dense as a brick wall.”

The shock leaves his face, replaced with a frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“She’s been flirting with you hardcore for as long as I can remember,” Ven tells him. “Everyone but you picked up on that.”

“R-Really?” This time, he goes a little red.

Slipping a hand into his, I reply, “Really.”

The free hand meets his face. “Ugh, geeze I’m so dumb.”

“That’s okay. You’re still cute.”

“You’re not supposed to agree with me, you know.”

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.”

Then Aqua gets in another jab. “I think that’s a little unfair, Ven. It’s not like she picked up on his flirting either.”

“Wait, what?!” Eye shoot up to Terra who gives me a smile that I’d die for.

“Guess it’s not just me, huh.”

#kh terra #terra #kingdom hearts terra #terra x reader #novas requests #fem!reader

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disneykathy · 6 years

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DISNEY WORLD

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

This is the other park I get lost in. I’ve been there a dozen times or more but it still feels like the Moving Island in “Lost”: “Wasn’t Africa to the left of Dinoland? How can I be in Asia? Where’s the damn big tree?? I can’t see the tree!!”

Never fear...when you first enter, you have no choice but to walk straight to the first “land” of this park: Discovery island:

Directly in front of you will be the weenie for this park: The Tree Of Life! It’s huge!

No...it’s not real! C’mon, sane up.

The “tree” is a 145 foot high sculpture of an African Baobab tree. Wander around the tree, under passages and through the Discovery Island Trails. Besides seeing some interesting real-life animals, you’ll see that the “Tree of Life” aka the “BFT”, (use your imagination), has 135 detailed animal carvings in its wood. They are amazing. Please take time to explore. You just got here-you can still feel your feet.

Under the BFT, in its roots, is a theater. This is where you will find the attraction: “It’s Tough to be a Bug”.

If you have a fear of bugs, take heed: although no real insects are involved in this production, it does evoke creepy crawly bugginess. The waiting area is an underground lair with the constant sound of chirping and buzzing. And the show does evoke a few fun special effects that make most of us laugh, but, if you are creepa-phobic, these effects may shoot you right through the wall. Just sayin’.

The show is a 3D movie with characters from “A Bugs Life” who will introduce you to the life of bugs and their importance in our little Earth lives. It’s fun. You can sit. It’s air-conditioned (actually TOO air conditioned).

And for those with a phobia, really, you’ll be fine... (spiders, roaches and bees, oh my!!!).

If you stay in the Animal Kingdom until dark, come back to Discovery Island and stand in front of the BFT. Once it’s dark, they do a new projection like show on the tree that is stunning! I had no idea they did this the last time I was there, and just happened to be passing... I was like “what the hell goes on with that tree?? There were all flashy lights coming out of its limbs- I thought I was having a stroke!

Pandora-The World of Avatar:

It’s beautiful! This newest area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is gorgeous! If you’ve seen the movie Avatar, you’ll be completely amazed at how they captured the topography and flora of Pandora. If you haven’t seen the film, you’ll be confused. Just go with it.

Avatar Flight of Passage

If you didn’t fast pass this ride, enjoy your day standing in line.

I’d love to say “it’s worth it”. It’s not. Nothing is worth waiting in line for 4 hours. Nothing. If Elvis and John Lennon cane back from the dead to jam with Billy Joel, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen, I wouldn’t wait in line 4 hours.

However, it’s a great ride. This is a 3D flight simulator taking you on your Banshee and swooping over landscapes of Pandora. It’s only 5 minutes but it’s a memorable 5 minutes!

Warning: there are warning all along the queue area about thinking twice if you’re not healthy. Hey Disney-none of us are. I actually thought of not riding because of the excessive warnings. But...

The truth is, if you can ride “Soarin’” without getting extremely dizzy, having a coronary or bursting an aneurysm, you’ll be swell. Only dif here is, you are riding on something similar to a Star Wars speeder bike? It doesn’t actually go anywhere, just moves to simulate what’s happening on the screen. You are in a crouched position. So, if you have neck or back issues, you may want to rethink.

Na’vi River Journey

Your boat takes you on a river journey through Pandora at night. Again, if you haven’t seen the film, most if the trees, plants, animals, bugs in pandora are bioluminescent-a fancy word meaning that they light up at night in psychedelic colors. So, this ride is like floating through a college dorm room in 1968.

Rivers of light

Again, if you are going to be in Animal Kingdom after dark, you might want to get a fast pass for the Rivers of Light show. There are multiple viewing areas for this light show-one entrance is by The Voyage of the Little Mermaid theater And the other is by Expedition Everest.

I hear it’s a beautiful attraction. I haven’t seen it. It’s like, late, and my feet hurt and I’ve seen enough cool stuff to last me. But, if your still bright and bushy tailed, by all means, go. And let me know how it was.

Africa:

I love the atmosphere here. It really feels like you are visiting an African Village (I say that like I’ve ever been anywhere near a real African Village...). The village is called “Harambe” which I think means “spend money” in Swahili. There are some really interesting shops and food stops here-linger awhile...

Kilimanjaro Safaris:

You should have a fast pass for this excursion. You should also go first thing in the morning; the animals are much more active and visible before the heat of the day. They, as opposed to us, have common sense.

For this ride you will board large Jeeps and a driver will take you over muddy rut filled roads and over creaky rope bridges through a variety of African ecosystems where you will see indigenous animals. It’s a wonderful experience.

Last time I rode, 2 long horned Bongos blocked our way And we had to sit and wait until the mood hit them to wander off. And a Rhino jogged next to the Jeep, a little closer than my comfort zone approved of.

Lions, giraffes, crocs, gnus ...you’ll see them all with a steady stream of comments from the driver. You’ll love it.

Warning: pee first. The ruts are deep and the ride is long.

Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail/Wild Africa Trek

This section is right next to the Safari. It’s a walk through African nature trail where you can spend some leisure time really experiencing the animals. And you will get a close up view of the gorillas! I have an obsession with Silver Back Gorillas And will spend quite some time in this area photographing them. Unless it’s 90 degrees, then I photograph whatever lurks in the A/C.

Festival of the Lion King

This is a theater production where they re-enact the film with all the songs...it’s full of color and pageantry and people love it but I can sit in my house and watch the movie in the a/c without having to spend a gazillion bucks on a one day pass, so I am not a fan. But what do I know??

Asia: this area is also beautiful and evocative. Lots of photo ops to take advantage of.

Expedition Everest- I hate roller coasters, but I love this one! I love the theming in the queue, I love the speed, the yeti and even the drops. It doesn’t feel as wild as it looks, and it’s a smooth ride. If you can keep your eyes open, there’s lots to see.

Again: there are all the standard warnings. I had no problem and I am a major chicken with a bad stomach...so only you know you. Chose wisely.

Kali River Rapids- the signs read “You will get wet”. They should read “You will get soaked to your undies!”.

Kali River Rapids is a wild rapids ride that takes you down a raging Indian River. The theming revolves around an illegal mining/logging camp that you will come upon, showing the decimation of the forest.

You won’t notice this at all because you’ll be praying that the raft turns in your favor and drowns the guy across from you instead. I have ridden this a few times and have never not gotten soaked.

It’s a fun ride and it feels great to get wet in the heat of the day. However, it doesn’t feel great to still be squishing in your jeans 2 hours later or freezing while eating lunch in the A/C! So... don’t wear denim jeans, or, better yet, wear your poncho!

Maharajah Jungle Trek- this is similar to the wild Africa Trek, but with Asian animals-duh. The tigers are the Star of this walking tour and you’ll see them up close and personal. The theming of this Trek is lovely-you’re in an ancient ruin of a Hindi temple.

Up! A Great Bird Adventure:

This is a wild bird show like any other bird show you’ve ever seen except for two things:

1-it stars characters from the movie “Up”

2- it’s outside in Florida so, even though the partial roof keeps you out if direct sun and there are a few large fans, you will still be hot. Unless you go on a cool day, I’d say you can skip this and not live your life in regret.

Dinoland: -

The theming here is just...weird. When it first opened it had a sort of Paleontological bent with fossil beds and some Dino bone exhibits. Then Disney realized that people on vacation don’t care bout science, so they changed the theming to...

Weirder. Now the idea is: this is one of those tacky roadside attractions you’d find on Route 66 in the 50s or 60s. Run by “Chester and Hester”, this two bit Dino-Rama themed low rent stop over features two old fashioned carnival rides - the Primeval Whirl and the Triceratops Spin. The first ride being a small roller coaster and the second is the Dumbo the Flying Elephant Ride with triceratops (triceratops’? Triceratopses?). There are also carnival games and a tacky roadside shop and restaurant. Unless you are with desperate little ones, I’d walk through to pick up the atmosphere and Keep walking.

The real attraction here is Dinosaur!- the ride. This is a dark ride in an enhanced motion vehicle through the Cretaceous period to capture a Dino...And time is of the essence because you have to find said Dino before the great extinction comet hits!

This is a fun trip with lots of bumps, quick turns and jolts..with a few true honest thrills. It is a not to be missed e-ticket ride.

I just rode it and came away unbroken. But, if you have back or neck issues I’d think about skipping it. And, again, use the facilities first.

The Boneyard, which you should save til the end of the visit, is a play area for the kiddies: there are bones to dig up, slides, ropes and climbs and all kinds of stuff to work out any energy they’ve stored up. (You want them to sleep tonight, right?). There are only a few sitting spots for parents/grandparents though. I guess Disney thought we’d be running around sharing joy with our precious darlings. They guessed wrong. They need more seats. And wine.

Well, if you followed my order... and there’s no reason you needed to... you’re done with Disney World!!! Now go back to your room and relax...cuz tomorrow you’re probably spending the day at Universal Studios! ThenThe World of Harry Potter...then Sea World...And Legoland...then of course you’ll have to take the fam to the beach... maybe Clearwater... then you might as well spend a day at Busch Gardens...wait!

You didn’t tour Kennedy Space Center??

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trueloveseyeroll · 7 years

Text

When The Tide Turns (3/16)

Summary: The plan was to go to England, finish the case and head back home in a matter of days. Of course, nothing in Emma’s life ever goes according to plan. Not only does she end up travelling across Europe, looking for a Liam Jones in order to finish her case, she ends up travelling with Liam’s brother - an annoyingly handsome Killian Jones. And she doesn’t trust him one bit.

Rating: T, for language and a bit of violence later on

Beta-reader: the lovely @forget-me-not-s :))

Artists: @theblacksiren - check out her beautiful artwork for chapter 1 here! And thank you @optomisticgirl for the awesome banner! And I’m really so excited for you all to see @fairytalesandtimetravel ‘s amazing artwork for a later chapter!!

Word count: ~5069 (68k+ in total)

A/N: so last Friday we left Emma digging through Mr. Jones’ office - I’ve really been looking forward to this update, so that you guys can finally get some of those answers!

AO3

If she found one more drawing of a boat, Emma was going to scream.

She had started at the desk, sorting out Barrie’s scribbles, the star charts in the drawers and the endless drawings of boats - ships. So far, the only interesting thing she had found was the pile of invoices pierced on a spindle. No wonder Barrie had agreed to sell his family business - the man was drowning in debts. Old-fashioned nautical instruments just weren’t in fashion lately.

Although the business’ economy was interesting, it wasn’t relevant to Emma’s current case. Unless Liam’s whereabouts were scribbled on the back of the bills.

Emma sighed for about the hundredth time when she finally pushed away from the desk. She could use a laptop and some internet, searching for Liam in a more modern way. Neither was at hand though. And she had a feeling Liam wasn’t documenting his life on Facebook or Instagram.

Emma crossed the room to the file cabinet. With a silent thank you she found the papers well-organized, though no files were specifically labelled “Liam’s whereabouts”. That would have been too easy anyways. Instead, she found a list of employees at the factory, though rather short. Three factory workers, two assistants and one cleaner. It seemed Barrie carried most of the load, designing and engineering the goods and dealing with the sales. A lot of work for one man. Perhaps all the stress had been what did him in. Emma shook her head of speculations and forced herself to continue leafing through the files.

Hours passed, the clouds darkening once again. Emma turned on the lights and fought the urge to go on a coffee-run. She didn’t have long until the memorial started, and she didn’t want to leave this office until she found at least one clue. She could really use some coffee though. Or anything sugary.

The file cabinet was a dead-end. No Liam, no personal files, nothing at all.

Emma turned to wooden cabinet lined with books. Her last hope for this room. Upon studying the tomes and the various ornaments, Emma noticed one of the shelves was deeper than the others. A secret compartment? She reached into the mess, grabbing the first thing her fingers touched - a photograph. The black-and-white picture showed two boys by the beach. Turning the photograph over, Barrie’s scribbles read on the back, Brennan and I at the beach, 1952.

Emma grabbed another photograph, this one in colour. Once again, two boys stood by the shore, their backs to the camera. One had curly hair and stood a head taller than the other with ruffled, dark hair. On the back, Barrie had written Liam and Killian on our visit to the beach, 1992.

Emma double-checked. Liam. Finally seeing his name somewhere in the office took a while to sink in. Of course, it was nothing but an old photograph, but at least she had found something that indicated Liam even existed. She glanced at the picture again - was he the taller or the shorter one? And who was Killian?

Emma snapped a photo of the picture with her phone and noted ‘who’s Killian?’ before setting it aside. She looked through more of the mess on the shelf, but nearly everything was from Barrie’s own childhood. She did find a letter, but it was from some Marco Amendola, dated 1996.

Underneath the mess, at the very bottom, Emma found a thick, leather-bound album. She replaced a music box before digging the album out. A string tied the book together and loose papers stuck out here and there. Emma weighed the album in her hand and decided to check it out - over there in the comfortable-looking armchair in the corner of the room. She grabbed the music box too - she hadn’t used one of those since she was a kid.

Buckets of tension eased off Emma’s shoulders when she leaned back in the plush cushions. She winded the music box and set it on the table, letting it play its melody. It was sweet. Kind of like a lullaby. Whether it was the rustic plinging of the music box or the melody itself, there was something mournful about the tune. What made it so significant to Barrie that he had kept it?

Turning to the album instead, Emma unbound the book to find a drawing - of a ship.

She almost threw the book to the floor. She would have, if she hadn’t caught the signature in the bottom right corner.

Liam Jones.

Emma turned the page, one more and yet another. Liam Jones. His signature was on each and every drawing. Some portrayed objects like compasses, quills, machines and swords. Others were of yet more ships, but trains too. Others again were stunning pictures of landscapes or cities.

All of them were drawn by Liam Jones.

Emma’s lips stretched into a small successful smile. Liam hadn’t communicated with Barrie through letters - he had sent his uncle drawings. Drawings of the different places he visited throughout his travels around Europe. Emma recognized the Eiffel Tower, traditional Dutch windmills, that famous church in Barcelona, the leaning tower of Pisa and a few other landmarks. Most of the drawings, though surprisingly stunning, didn’t ring any bells though. But she could figure them out.

The urge to pound her fist in the air with joy was strong. She had practically found a trail of breadcrumbs! Granted, she couldn’t be sure that Liam had been to all of these places, but Barrie’s letter to Mr. Clark did say that he was travelling around Europe. If only Liam had written dates on each drawing and specific locations on the unknown landscapes. Emma would have to trust that the drawings had been placed in the album chronologically. Which meant - Emma turned to the last drawing - that some jungle was Liam’s latest destination. Were there even jungles in Europe?

A text chiming in from Ingrid made Emma realize the time. She had about forty minutes to get back to the inn, change into something more suitable and get to the memorial if she didn’t want to be late. The text from Ingrid was swiped away, unanswered.

Emma closed the album and tied the string around it again. Her spirits were a lot higher now than when she left the notary, a thrill settling in her steps. She brought the music box back to its place in the cabinet and looked about the messy office one last time. Well, it had been messy when she came, no one would expect her to clean it all up…

Emma made it back to her room at the inn before ten minutes had passed. She tossed Liam’s album on her bed and rushed to dig out a long-sleeved black dress from her suitcase. Thank god she had thought to pack a formal outfit in the colour befitting a memorial. Sure, it was on the tight side, but it would do.

With twenty minutes to spare, Emma couldn’t resist the urge to look through Liam’s drawings again. She couldn’t quite believe her luck. Of course, with all the various cities and landscapes Liam had drawn, her field of search hadn’t narrowed down by much, but at least she had some sort of lead now.

Emma stopped leafing through the drawings when one in particular caught her eyes. Every other drawing was of objects or landscapes. But this one showed a woman. So far, Emma hadn’t seen any people in Liam’s drawings. The brunette sat in a windowsill with a view of meadows and mountains behind her. Captured in a moment on paper, she sat reading a book, tendrils of hair falling across her cheek.

Emma turned the page to find Liam’s writing on the back of it. Belle French, it said. A word was scribbled underneath it, but Emma couldn’t quite decipher it. Vobdilene? Vabdilane?

Time was ticking and Emma knew she had to get going. She was stuck staring at the name though. A real lead.

Belle French.

---

The heat was bloody unbearable. The entire village - if not more - was stuffed inside the town hall. Even the biggest venue in the village wasn’t big enough. Everyone mingled about, rubbing elbows and plastering polite smiles on their faces. Killian was fed up with wearing that mask.

A drink of scotch in hand - Barrie’s favourite and therefore the only alcohol served - Killian slid out of a door to the garden behind the town hall. No one saw him leave. If they did, no one cared anyways. He was a stranger to them. James Hook.

Killian shared a smile with the dark yard. Not out of happiness. Rather out of self-loathing, but that seemed to be the custom lately. He took a long drink of his scotch, trying not to imagine the anger in Barrie’s face if he could see Killian now. After all, always seeing Killian with a drink in his hand was the reason Barrie had cut him off.

Sorry, uncle.

The murmurs of people sharing praising stories about Barrie or comforting words carried through the door and windows. Killian stepped further into the garden, away from the bright lights.

At last the breeze seeped through his leather coat, cooling down the warmth in his cheeks as well. The further he went out in the garden, the more peace finally settled. He reached the trees and the bushes by the fence, unable to go any further. He could barely see his own hand in the darkness. Gulping the last of the whiskey was no problem though.

“... I’m outside now, I can hear you.”

Killian’s ears perked up, his head flying towards the sound. He knew that voice... The dark made it hard to see, but she stood near the light of the glass door and there was no mistaking that blonde hair and that American accent. Swan held her phone to her ear, oblivious to Killian standing there by the trees. He’d better not let her see him or she’d really start to think he was a creep.

“It could be better, you know, I could have the contracts signed and be on my way home tomorrow, but well, I guess it’s been a while since I’ve had a longer adventure,” Swan spoke, her words carrying through the garden loud enough for Killian to hear. He shouldn’t eavesdrop, but the way things were, he couldn’t really go anywhere. Besides, an insight to what Swan knew could be useful. He had the letters from Liam to Barrie - had she found anything else in the office?

“I’m pretty sure I’ll be home in time for the wedding, Mary Margaret. Finding a guy somewhere in Europe definitely can’t take more than three weeks.” The sarcasm was clear, but so was her intent on being home in time for - a wedding? Surely not her own. He hadn’t seen any rings on her fingers.

Killian ignored whatever it was that prickled inside. He blamed the scotch. And glared at the empty glass in his hand.

“I think I’ve found some sort of clue actually.” Killian stood as still as possible, waiting for Swan to tell this Mary Margaret more. “I haven’t had the time to dig deeper yet, but it’s the only thing I’ve got so far - the notary wasn’t especially helpful.”

Swan paused as her friend spoke.

“Actually, could you do a quick search for me? The internet here is pretty bad and you know, right now I’m sorta stuck at this memorial.” Mary Margaret seemed to accept as Swan continued. “I think Liam spent time with some woman named Belle French - I’m not sure where, because his writing is terrible, but it starts with a V and it might be something like Vobdilene or Vabdilene, I don’t know.”

Killian furrowed his brows. What the hell was Vabdilene? And who was Belle French? He shifted his feet, rustling the fallen leaves. Bloody hell. Like a dear caught in headlights, he stood ready for Swan to notice him. Why the bloody hell had he moved anyways?

Swan didn’t turn towards him. She didn’t notice a single thing. Fortunately.

“Yeah, just send me a text or call me if you find anything. Thank you so much, Mary Margaret.”

Her friend must have said something funny, because Swan started laughing and Killian once again had to blame the scotch for doing something funny.

“Well, I should probably let you get back to all that wedding planning. How’s David by the way?”

Ah, the wedding must be Mary Margaret’s. Killian wasn’t relieved, of course not. The only relief he felt was that Swan seemed to be wrapping up the phone call and soon he could stop hiding amongst the trees.

Swan’s shoulders tensed and she rubbed her temple with her hand. “My mom’s already nagged me enough about Walsh, I don’t need you starting too. Things are fine - at least they will be. I just need a quick break.”

Walsh? Whoever he was, Swan didn’t seem too fond of him if her frown was anything to go by.

“I should really get going though, Mary Margaret. I’ve got a room full of people with stories about the Jones family and I’ve got a lot of questions. Talk to you later, okay? Don’t drown yourself in wedding plans.” Killian couldn’t see her face, but he could hear a smile as she said her farewells to her friend. After she’d hung up, however, her shoulders dropped and Killian guessed that her smile dropped too.

The garden felt much smaller once Swan stopped talking. He could still hear the crowd inside, but Killian forced himself to stand as still as possible in the quiet. No more sudden shifting and risking the rustling leaves again.

Swan looked around the garden, gazing at nothing. Light caught her eyes as they swept over the trees where he stood. Killian prepared a feasible excuse for when she noticed him. She looked right through him though. A moment later, she turned around to head back inside, her ponytail swinging in the air behind her.

Killian finally relaxed. Once again, it was just him, alone in the darkness with an empty glass. Definitely for the best - he doubted she would have accepted his tale about scotch best being drunk amongst trees.

The need for a refill was his excuse for heading back inside in the end. He could stick around the memorial for just an hour more. Maybe less. Then he could go back to his room at Granny’s with a clear conscious. He needed to do some research of his own on this Belle French.

---

Everyone greeted Emma with an “oh, you’re that American lawyer” every time she introduced herself. Some were intrigued. Others had trouble hiding their contempt towards a foreigner buying into their village. Emma cared not if they liked her though - she only cared if it meant they withheld information from her, deliberately trying to hinder her.

“I remember the Jones boys well from when they visited twenty years ago,” a woman who called herself Granny said. She had narrowed her eyes at Emma at first, but didn’t mind telling a few tales now. “Quite the pair they were - thick as thieves. You’d never have guessed what they’d been through when you saw them running around together.”

Granny wasn’t the first Emma had questioned about the Jones family who mentioned two boys. By now, Emma had guessed that Killian was Liam’s brother. Younger brother. Which meant Liam was the taller boy with curly hair in the photograph she had found.

“You mean about their father?” Emma asked.

“Brennan’s death was the best thing that could’ve had happened to them.” Granny had no shame in her words. Even less than the rest of the villagers. “Of course, if he had gotten his head out of the bottle for once, that would have been the best thing to happen, but everyone here knows that that was only wishful thinking. He was a drunk and a terrible father. Not even losing his wife to an early grave can excuse that.” The old woman swallowed a mouthful of scotch. Maybe the soon-to-be empty glass in her hand had played a part in her loose tongue this evening. “But what’s got your nose poking about the Jones boys anyways? You should know they’re both far gone.”

Granny’s stare wasn’t terribly uncomfortable - it reminded Emma of Ingrid in some sense. Ingrid trying to wheedle confessions out of Emma.

“I’m just interested” Emma shrugged. “There seems to be a lot of history in the Jones family.” She knew not to divulge too much of the case. The news of Liam being alive was bound to get out sooner or later, but she’d rather test the waters with these people before straight-out telling them.

“You’ll find there’s history in every family.” Granny let her words hang in the air, looking at Emma over the rim of her glasses.

Emma met her stare head-on. Granny seemed to like that. “Of course, not every family has to do with your case. I’m afraid I don’t know much about the Jones’ though. Not more than most. They’ve been plagued by falling-outs, alcoholism and death, they have. First Brennan’s wife, then Brennan himself, poor Liam and now Barrie.” Granny took another swig of her scotch. Emma herself had decided to keep away from the goods this evening.

“What about Killian?”

“Why, he was disowned. After Liam’s death the poor boy was distraught - followed his father’s footsteps straight towards the bottle and wouldn’t turn back no matter what Barrie said. Disowning him was the last ultimatum. And that was about it for the Jones boys,” Granny finished. “And about it for this glass. I’m gonna go see about a refill,” she smiled, a gleam in her eyes. “Good luck with the case, Emma. I know most people here don’t like the idea of foreigners, but they’re all stuck in old ways, too blind to see that this village is dying. We need new blood - I hope your client’s got the right stuff.”

With a pat on Emma’s shoulder, Granny disappeared into the crowd. Emma’s superpower ticked away like a clock rewinding; Granny hadn’t been entirely truthful. And Emma knew exactly where the lie was - Liam’s death. Granny knew damn well that Liam was alive. And she knew that Emma knew it too.

Scouting the crowd, looking to see where the old woman had gone, Emma was disappointed. Granny had vanished. She’d told Emma more than any other villager was willing to though, and she had a feeling Granny didn’t take well to being questioned after she’d already given her answers. Still, if the woman knew anything helpful...

Emma’s spirits picked up when she instead spotted onion rings on the serving table. She could have sworn they weren’t there before - a happy surprise. One she would gladly take advantage of.

People mingled on every side of her, rubbing elbows and clinking their glasses with toasts to Barrie. At the serving table, Emma still noticed when someone came a bit too close though, as she tried to put a modest amount of onion rings on her plate.

“I’d advise you to stay far away from the sauce,” Hook reached over her plate for a patty shell, “ -it might look good, but I’m fairly sure they’ve put some sort of poison it.”

“Hello to you too, Hook.”

He bowed his head at her in greeting. “Milady.”

Really, who was this guy?

Hook glanced at her plate full of onion rings with amusement but said nothing. Both satisfied with their servings, he led her to a less crowded space by one of the windows. Or maybe she led him.

“Did all the files and papers show you a good time then?” Hook asked as Emma put her plate on the windowsill, taking a good bite of an onion ring.

“I think I’ve seen enough drawings of ships to last me a lifetime.” She stuffed another onion ring in her mouth. She deserved a nice treat, she really did.

“Aye, he was hardly subtle about his passions.”

Emma definitely did not like the way the word passion sounded with his English lilt. It helped that he wasn’t too successful in eating his patty shell without making a mess.

“What about you? Stolen anything else today?”

“I’ve been on my best behaviour, love, I swear. Spent the day gathering some inspiration.”

“Inspiration?”

Hook licked a crumb from his lip. “Aye. Aside from being a human pillow and a dashing pirate, I’m a writer.”

He was all too happy of reminding her of the sleeping-on-a-stranger’s-shoulder-incident.

“Really? Written anything I might have read?”

“As of yet I’m still working on getting published,” he joked at his own expense. “But one day, you’ll be hearing my name in every corner of the world.”

“I look forward to it,” Emma said, challenging his confidence in inevitable success.

“Don’t worry love - I’ll be sure to include a blonde lass with an inclination for sleeping on the shoulders of strangers in my first best-seller.”

He was lucky she was too busy chewing on an onion ring. She swallowed and opened her mouth to get back at him, but-

“Hey, you’re that American woman who thinks you can come and steal our village with a pocket full of money, aren’t ya?” a short and gruff man burst into Emma’s and Hook’s bubble. His eyes burnt with anger, his tone doing nothing to hide it.

“I’m sorry, what?” Emma was anything but apologetic.

“You heard me, sister,” he spat. “But let me tell you this - you Americans aren’t getting a piece of this town. You can take your money and stuff it. The Brothers Jones belongs to us, not some filthy rich codger.” He had no shame in sticking his angry scowl as close to Emma’s face as possible.

“Oi, mate - that’s no way to talk to a lady,” Hook butted in. Emma turned her glare on him - she was no lady he needed to save. He caught her message through the glare straight away, but didn’t step back. He kept silent though.

“We’re not stealing anything,” Emma kept her voice level as she turned back to the angry villager. She couldn’t help a bit of her own anger from seeping through. “Barrie sold the business on his own terms, and I think that decision was his to make and not the entire town’s.”

All around, people were turning their heads towards them. Some looked appalled to hear raised voices at a memorial. Others seemed to share the man’s fury. He turned towards the crowd, glad to have an audience. “Do you guys hear that? She doesn’t even care. Thinks she’s in the right, coming here and taking our livelihood.” He turned back to Emma, jabbing a finger at her. “If that Mr. Gold ever shows his face here, I guarantee you; he won’t be getting any warm welcome.”

“Leroy!” Granny stepped forward from the crowd, scolding the livid villager. “You’ve got no business threatening people you don’t even know.”

“I’ve got plenty of business! But I won’t once this Gold fellow comes and does as he pleases and probably has me thrown out for the fun of it.”

Leroy. The name clicked and at once the situation made more sense. Leroy had been one of the few workers listed on the file she found in Barrie’s office. The guy had a point - he couldn’t know what would happen to him once Mr. Gold took over. But Emma had no sympathy for guys who thought they could stuff their finger in her face and yell at her because their life wasn’t going too well.

“Maybe you could learn some anger management and he might consider letting you keep your job.” Probably not the right thing to say, she knew. Leroy’s face went a shade redder, if that was even possible.

“You listen here, sister-”

“Leroy!” Granny scolded again, this time grabbing Leroy’s arm. “This isn’t the time or the place and I think you’ve had a bit too much to drink. Go home and sleep it off before you dig a hole you can’t get out of.”

Leroy didn’t look like somebody ready to take any advice. He glared at Granny. All around, people glared at him in return, dismayed that he would stir trouble at Barrie’s memorial. That seemed to get through to him.

Leroy glowered at Emma one last time. “This isn’t over.” Then he pushed his way through the crowd. If it had been possible, Emma imagined a trail of steam would have followed him out.

After a few moments, the crowd turned back to their quiet chatter.

“What an unpleasant git,” Hook remarked.

“Don’t mind him - he’s always getting his head hot about something or another,” Granny said, shaking her head. Before Emma could reply, the woman once again disappeared amongst the crowd, leaving Emma and Hook as they were before. The air felt a lot different now though.

Maybe she should reconsider her decision to stay away from the drinks this evening?

“Well, that was enough drama for my night,” Emma said.

“Aye.”

During the spectacle, Emma hadn’t noticed the change in Hook’s stance. The way his eyes darkened when Leroy mentioned Mr. Gold. The way he stiffened and took a small step away from her.

Her appetite for onion rings was gone, but she took another bite to make up for the silence.

A silence broken by her ringtone sounding from her jacket.

Emma looked at Hook apologetically, but he nodded at her to take it. They shared a parting smile, and Emma made her way through the crowd as she answered her phone.

“Hi Mary Margaret!”

“Hi Emma! Bad time?”

“No. It’s actually pretty perfect,” Emma answered.

“Great! ‘Cause I’ve got some pretty good news.”

Emma could certainly use that.

“Found something on Belle?”

“Yep.” Mary Margaret’s smile went straight through the phone. “Vabdilene is actually Valadilene - a village in France. I’m guessing if the handwriting was bad enough, those letters could get mixed up. Anyways, I’ve found a woman named Belle French in this Valadilene. She’s a librarian, but her father owns the inn in the village. If Liam passed through, he’ll probably have stayed there.”

A librarian certainly fit with the image of Belle reading. And what Emma read as Vabdilene could definitely have been Valadilene instead. Funny that a woman named Belle French would live in France though.

Mary Margaret continued, “I found a phone number for the library. They’re closed now, but I can text it to you and you can call tomorrow morning and see if she’s the right Belle.”

“She’d better be,” Emma said. She had made it out of the town hall, out in the cool autumn air. Only now did she realize how tired she was. “Thank you so much for all this, Mary Margaret.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just hoping you can get a quick trip to France out of this - Regina’s quite set on this deal being sealed, no matter what.”

“I hardly think I’ll actually need to go to France.”

“I know,” Mary Margaret said. “But Regina doesn’t.”

People could say what they wanted about Mary Margaret, but at heart, Emma knew she was a mischievous woman.

She thought about it - a trip to France, a couple more days away from Walsh... it definitely wouldn’t be unwelcome.

“I’ll find you a nice French wedding gift.”

“You’d better.”

---

Mary Margaret ended up being right on more than one account.

Despite her exhaustion, Emma didn’t get much sleep that night. Drawings and files, villagers and possible secrets ran through her head like a whirlwind. She couldn’t wait for the sun to rise and to just get the day started. Call Belle’s library. Figure out if she had a lead or not.

Belle’s answer on the phone made up for everything. The Australian accent had thrown Emma off at first, but she didn’t care. Belle knew Liam. Or well, had known him at least. He had passed through eight years ago. A strange guy, Belle said, but not unlikeable. For a month he had stayed at her father’s inn, exploring the countryside. He was easy to talk to, though he tended to ramble a lot and seemed rather forgetful. Indeed, he had forgotten one of his bags at the inn when he left. Belle had no clue where he had gone or where he’d be today, but they still had the bag with a few of his belongings kept in the attic of the inn.

That’s how Mary Margaret ended up being right on one other thing. A quick call to Regina let Emma know she was not to set her feet back on American soil until she had sealed the deal. If it meant going to France or any other place, Emma was to follow through. So without further dallying, that’s what Emma did. Willesby didn’t seem willing to share its secrets - perhaps Belle and Liam’s forgotten belongings could be of more help.

---

Hi mom. As I said, there’s been a delay in the case. I’m not sure when I’ll be home, but it can’t be too long. There’s a bit of a surprise though... I’m in France!

Emma sent the text to Ingrid once she’d gotten through the last check at Saint Geoirs Airport. She didn’t doubt she’d be receiving a very astounded phone call soon.

She thought about texting Walsh. She should text him. He really was a nice guy; he didn’t deserve her flying around Europe without notifying him about anything, just because he had taken her by surprise.

Trailing her suitcase behind her, eyes on her phone instead of the crowd, Emma almost tripped over a toddler running by right in front of her. The kid dashed away, gone in the blink of an eye. Emma’s attention was caught by something else entirely though.

Someone.

A few paces away from her, a head with good-looking, dark hair popped up amongst the crowd. Hair she admitted was good-looking because she thought she’d never see the guy again in her life.

Hook?

#csbb #when the tide turns #chapter 3 #my writings #cs ff #cs fanfic #cs au #captain swan

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galacticbugman · 5 years

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My favorite photographs so far

Hi gang how is it going; you know exploring Texas and many other areas of the U.S I have seen some pretty amazing creatures. The world of wildlife is so vast and amazing to observe and photograph. There are many photos that I have taken while exploring the world of nature and wildlife. So here are just a few of my absolute favorite shots that I have collected over the years of being a naturalist.

One of the most dramatic shot that I took that showed the relationship between predator and prey would have to be this shot I took on one of outings at the Lake Lewisville Environmental Learning Area or (LLELA) which is out in Lewisville Texas. I was with a few of my friends and fellow naturalists on a BioBlitz and we decided to head down the Bitter Trail that goes down the river that runs through there. Near the end of the way to the observation deck we saw this butterfly sitting really still. It’s wings were sticking straight out we didn’t know if it was alive or not but the wind caught its left wing and blew it over to reveal a Bold Jumping Spider feeding on this Gulf Fritliary Butterfly. It was quite shocking to see this and once the spider was in view all of us began to click away trying to get our best shots of this crazy scene. This was one of the best shots I got. I tell you; you could hear nothing but shutters when the wing blew to the opposite end of its body. Talk about a powerful scene between predator and prey.

Another one of my favorite shots would have to be of this Sad Underwing Moth. We were at Cedar Ridge Nature Preserve in Cedar Hill. We were all hiking around the Butterfly garden and my mother called me over to this tree. I had no idea why she was calling for me but I knew that it had to be a creature. She pointed at the tree and I couldn’t see anything. She moved me and tilted my head down and then I saw it after a few seconds. This moth was gigantic but amazing. He blended in with the tree perfectly you couldn’t see it without looking extra hard. When I got this shot home I blew it up on the computer and in this shot (which you can kind of see) You can see almost each individual wing scale. It was quite amazing and one of my favorites for camouflage. I love moths and this is by far one of the biggest moths I have seen so far on my adventures. It is amazing to see moths up close there you can see all the patterns and details. When they are snoozing on a tree or a wall don’t be afraid to get a closer look at it. Notice all the colors, patterns, and textures of the larger moths. Some are more beautiful than others. Most of your bigger moths tend to be the most colorful and most interesting. I may like some of the smaller moths but I am more partial to the bigger moths myself.

How about a bit of a laugh here. This was taken on my Birthday last year. We went to Grand Prairie to go and revisit and old hangout that we hadn’t been to in years. We often would go out to the Oasis area in Grand Prairie at the the lake. On this day it was on of the hottest days of the year. I remember it was a scorcher and this female Mallard knew how to cool herself down. She was sitting on the fountain letting the water splash her. She was the only duck doing this action. She did get scared off at one point but she didn’t let that keep her down she got right back up there and sat under the sprayer. This was one of the craziest photos I have taken and one of the most comedic. I had never seen a duck do this but she had the right idea to do this. It was quite amusing but I don’t really blame her it was in the triple digits and she was really comfortable. I must say this was one of the most interesting photos in my collection. It was just too darn funny but hey only in Texas am I right? In Texas you see a lot of strange things go on. I don’t get too many shots like this but there are some that are just down right hilarious. You can’t make stuff like this up.

Another bird photo I took which was one of my favorites was of this Greater Roadrunner. I have a true fondness for the roadrunner being one of my favorite Looney Tunes characters and being one of my favorite birds I have really come to see these birds as fun. This was taken when I first started out as a naturalist and a volunteer at my first place called the Southwest Nature Preserve. This was one of the coolest photos I have ever taken. I was pretty close when I took this. Normally these birds will run when they get the chance too but this one allowed me to get its photo which was really cool. Yep I would never had guessed that we got roadrunners in my neck of the woods but it is not that uncommon so I have come to find out. They are seen quite frequently out there but we have not seen that many Coyotes out there in case you were wondering. this one is the only good photo I have of this particular species. These guys are few and far between for me. Still a fun shot of one of my favorite birds in Texas.

A cool Tersa Sphinx I saw on campus a couple of semesters ago. I almost fell when I saw this one. No fooling! I stumbled and had to stop myself. On my campus we get a ton of moths some are quite huge. It has often made me wonder what goes on out there at night. I have thought about trying to get an event where we could put out moth lights and attract them to see just how many species we could get for the campus. I have a new nature club and we might just do that some time. For me this is one of the most beautiful moths you can ever see in your life. It looks like someone carved it out of wood. It is a nice maple colored moth with a really beautiful pattern. I love these guys. The Sphinx moths in general are my second favorite moth type. My first favorite is the Saturnids. My personal favorite of all moths is the Luna Moth which I am still trying to track down and get a photo of. The Luna has always been my absolute fave but heck I will take what I can get and this one was a real treat to observe for the first time in my life. This is also the only one that I have ever seen.

I volunteer out a River Legacy pretty often when it comes to public events and things. This photo was taken on one of our Scout Days late early one December. It was kind of hot for a December day and I was surprised that we had been seeing Snakes out. This hawk was spotted by one of the guys from the Fort Worth Audubon Society that often volunteers for the hikes like I do. This Red-Shouldered Hawk few down in the shrubs and tall grass and grabbed something. I was showing some kids some of the native vegetation when the others started to shout and started to wonder what this hawk had. It wasn’t long until he flew to this branch and showed off his prize. He had killed himself a Western Ribbon Snake which you can see wrapped around his talons. This picture is one of the grossest because if you are to blow up the snake you can see that it has no head be cause the hawk bit it off. You can see just a little bit of blood. I have never had a picture with blood before so this is by far I would say the goriest picture I have on record. I have never seen much gore on my travels but I have seen my share of roadkill and stuff but I never photograph that sort of stuff. I only take pictures of animal hunts when they happen but I don’t always see animals hunting like this so this was one of the most dramatic and one of the moments that has really stuck with me since the day it happened. Kind of cool to see a hawk get its meal. How he saw the snake is beyond me but heck they do have sharp vision and are able to spot things better than we can. So this has a rightful spot on this list.

Another moth picture because I am just crazy about moths and butterflies. This Vine Sphinx Moth was found one morning while I was at school on a study break while I was waiting for my next class to start. It is always fun to see something like this on campus. I have seen four pretty large moths on campus and all of them that I have seen are pretty awesome to look at. This one I am often told by friends looks like Darth Vader or a Storm-trooper from Star Wars and as a total science fiction nerd of course I would have to agree with them. This might be my favorite on campus observation of course I can’t really say because I have so many cool observations of different organisms on campus grounds that have so many cool characteristics and a whole lot of cool data on them. Some are even rare for Texas as a whole.

Another neat one I found at Jesse H. Jones Nature Preserve in the Woodlands of Texas just outside Houston. This Swamp Darner is one of my favorite dragonfly photos I have taken in the past. It was about late evening and this guy was about to rest. Darners you must know can go hours without slowing down so always look for them as the sun start to sink but when the light is still out you might be able to find some starting to roost like this guy. This one decided to buzz me a couple of times and almost landed on me. Darners are some of the largest dragonflies and can get several inches long. This one was a total monster compared to some I have been chasing in the past. However there is one that I am just dying to observe and that is the Dragonhunter which is our largest Dragonfly. I have already seen the largest Damselfly which is called the Great Spreadwing but I still have to see at least one Dragonhunter. The clubtails are the group that the Dragonhunter belongs too. I would like to try and catch one and make some up close observations to add to my experience. I often go looking for Dragonflies and Damselflies. Like moths in the last couple of years of my life I have been really into dragonflies as well. I am also getting into beetles too. Those three groups of insects have really grown on me at this point in time. It is fun to find new species of anything but for me these are what I look for the most it seems. Dragonflies are so amazing and its getting about time to start looking for more of them again since it is starting to warm up out there. I am hoping to go to a few new hot spots this year that a friend keeps telling me about.

Another one of my favorite photos that I have taken on campus was this one of two carpenter bees. I was focused on the yellow one and didn’t see the other one until it flew in to view. I reviewed my shots and got this really neat on. We get all kinds of stuff at our native plant gardens on our campus. This one was really neat and beautiful. I like this one because you can see all the detail plus you can see most of the wings of the bee that is flying. It was kind of a neat picture and my late grandmother really liked this one so that is really special to me. I love this one a lot for to me it was a very unexpected shot. I love it when I can get natural photo-bombers. Some times I get a new species to my life list that way.

So those are pretty much my favorite photos that I have taken on the trail. I have more but to be honest when you are like me you have a ton of photos. I have a bunch more that I have really grown a fondness over the years but I had to limit myself which is very hard to do sometimes on a personal note. You never quite know what will turn up on the trail of life. Sometimes you can’t predict or anticipate what you might find when exploring the great out doors. You just have to show up and be prepared for anything. Look hard and don’t over look the tiniest of things because sometimes the tiniest of creatures hold special value and sometimes like in some of my cases are super hard to find and are considered rare organisms. So stay active and be mindful of your surroundings you never quite know what little friend is behind each corner.

#birds #insects #arachnids #wildlife #nature #photography #geek #nerd #adventure #naturalist #photographer

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weliveunbound · 7 years

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Mountain Therapy

I’m standing on top of Ijen Volcano in Indonesia hoping that this surreal, pandora-like landscape will not only make me look cool on Instagram but also give me some sort of clarity.

So I’m staring at the sun come up thinking, I would now like an answer to the question that is often in the forefront of my mind please. The question is a simple one – what future do I want to create for myself?

But when you’ve lost touch of yourself in a sea of open tabs and lucrative detours then the answer is not that simple.

As the clouds clear to reveal the turquoise lake below, any sort of insight is smothered by the need to capture this moment and… well… look cool on Instagram.

But there’s another reason why I’m not getting the inspiration I came for. It’s because this place was too easy to get to (well not that easy, a 3 hour night hike through the jungle) and if there’s anything I know well it’s that struggle creates meaning.

For example, when flying many people prefer the aisle seat even though the view from an airplane window can be incredibly beautiful at times. But let’s say they hiked five days for that view. Then it all of a sudden becomes the most wonderful thing they’ve ever seen.

So I know what I need – a real adventure.

I’ve been editing Reality TV the last four months, I’m so freaking hungry for it. And it’s all good because I’m about to get it in the form of a four day trek to the summit of Mt. Rinjani, Lombok.

What you’re looking at is Lake Segara Anak (child of the sea), a 4.4 square mile lake inside the crater of a 12,200 ft (3700 m) Volcano. And yes, that’s another Volcano in the middle of the lake. Really? Yes, really.

Just a quick break down of the mission:

Day 1:

7:00 am hike 7 hours to the top of the crater / 8 miles (13 km) / 5000 ft (1525 m) elevation gain

Day 2:

2:00 am hike 4 hours to the summit for sunrise / 4 miles (6.5 km) / 3600 ft (1,100 m) elevation gain

8:00 am hike 5 hours to the bottom of the lake / 7 miles (11 km) / 5600 ft (1700 m) elevation drop

Day 3:

9:00 am hike 3 hours to a different spot on top of the crater / 3 miles (4.8 km) / 2000 ft (610 m) elevation gain

1:00 pm hike 2 hours towards the base of the mountain / 2.5 miles (4 km) / 1000 ft (305 m) elevation drop

Day 4:

9:00 am hike 2 hours to the base of the mountain / 2.5 miles (4 km) / 1000 ft (305 m) elevation drop

I can’t wait!

I thought Mt. Bromo in Java would be a nice warm up but I’m quickly learning that it’s a bit of a tourist trap.

The problem isn’t so much that people are asking me to take their photos (thanks selfie sticks), it’s that they want me in the photos. I’m a nice guy of course so I agree but I’m plotting out an escape plan.

I see a narrow path alongside the edge of the crater and without any hesitation, I head in that direction. There’s no one there except a German couple who tell me to be very careful if I attempt to walk all the way around the crater.

An hour later I understand what they’re talking about.

The path is uncomfortably narrow and one side is a 60 degree slope ending in what I thought was lava but it’s just boring old sulfur. Either way I wanted an adventure and I’m definitely getting one.

But the experience isn’t really the moment of clarity I was hoping for. Too much focus on keeping myself in the manageable risk zone and not going too far. I mean what’s up with the ground here?? It pretty much falls apart when you step on it. I have no idea what I’m doing in Volcano land. I need a guide.

It’s 5:30 am when Hamdi, the Reza Trekkers Rinjani guide knocks on my door yelling, “Are you ready for this?” Still half asleep and not really sure what’s happening I instinctively respond, “Hell ya I’m ready!” Then I realize I’m not ready at all and I’m late.

Three hours of intense hiking in and out of clouds later, I’m noticing that the porters are zooming past me. Which is pretty impressive considering that they’re barefoot and carrying 85 pounds (39 kg) of supplies.

For real, I’m a bit baffled by this especially because some parts of the trail are borderline rock climbing. Hamdi tells me that he used to be a porter and on the first day of the job he cried. I think he was joking but maybe not.

He says they wear flip flops and sometimes hike barefoot because shoes are too heavy. Hmm… interesting. After my third fall of the day on the crumbling volcanic rock, I asked Hamdi if they ever slip. He gets all serious and looks at me straight in the eyes saying, “No, porters never fall.”

On hour five I'm covered in sweat, my legs are shaking and I start to wonder, “Why am I doing this?!” Then I turn the corner for a new incredible view.

Oh ya, that’s why.

I don’t want to make it seem like this is some superhuman trek. Actually anyone fit can do this. But I will say that some parts are pretty grueling or what one local called Indonesian torture.

We finally make it to the crater rim where Alto, our porter, hands me a plate of fried bananas covered in chocolate and cheese.

As I take a bite out of this unexpectedly delicious Indonesian delicacy, I feel connected to my six year old self who insisted on putting chocolate spread on top of every meal.

The clouds clear just in time to reveal a sunset so magical that I forget all about the mental struggle I had to endure to get there.

I pass out for a couple hours before my alarm goes off at 1:30 am for one of those, where the hell am I, wake up moments. I unzip the tent to see countless stars not only above my head but also straight in front of me. I remember that I’m 8000 ft high on the edge of a Volcano crater in Indonesia.

Awesome!

I strap on my trusty Forsake kicks and follow Hamdi into the darkness.

Three hours of zombie-like hiking later we reach the final mile which is an extremely steep, sand-like dirt ridge, 12,000 ft above normal, breathable air.

There’s that thought again – “Why!?”

But as painful as this is, I feel like some force has me hooked and is slowly reeling me up towards the peak.

Every couple of steps I look up at the Milky Way which is as visible as one of those long exposure photographs. I do a 360 while staring up at the sky, desperately trying to take it all in. I do this often while traveling – frantically scan the landscape as if I’m trying to catch a last glimpse before it disappears.

Then I realize that everything around me isn’t going anywhere and it’s me who will be disappearing. Hopefully after a long life but just in case it doesn’t work out that way, I’ll go happy because of experiences like this.

I’m actually thankful for this unsettling notion that there’s an end creeping up in the horizon. After all it’s this awareness that’s pulling me up the mountain.

It fuels this wild, one way ticket lifestyle of world and potential exploration. It reminds me to choose experiences over possessions, failure over regret and uncertainty over comfort.

In the exact moment the sun shows it’s first spec of light, we reach the summit. The Pyramid shaped shadow of Rinjani in the horizon stands next to Mt. Batur in Bali and the Gili Islands.

The sunrise is over way too fast just like my 20s and it’s already time to begin the long journey down to the crater lake. I take the first step without having to ask myself, “Why?!”

Did someone slip a molly in my cheese banana? Because I’m feeling way too giddy right now considering it’s a five hour journey, 5600 ft down. And wait, is that a monkey??

We descend further and further into an enchanted fairyland that I thought only existed in Disney movies.

On the other side of that grass hill I'm surprised to see a waterfall with hot spring pools on the bottom. Hamdi, that sneaky man, didn’t even tell me where he was taking me. I take a full shower with shampoo and soap under the waterfall. Whatever, I like to be clean, don’t judge!

We walk to a secluded spot on the lake where Alto has already set up the tents and is now fishing for our dinner.

The clouds are covering the Volcano but Hamdi tells me that it’s about 500 ft (150 m) away. He says that a year ago he was at this spot when it erupted.

He couldn’t hike out because there was too much ash so overnight he got the lava show of a lifetime. I told him I wish I could have seen that and he said, “No you don’t. I cried.” Joking again? I’m really not sure.

As the sun sets we have Ikan Goreng (deep fried crispy fish) for dinner which tastes even better than the fancy Bali food I had a week earlier.

At 7 am I unzip my tent to see that the clouds have cleared and the Volcano is right in front of my face. Hamdi hands me a cup of Lombok coffee, I put on some Bon Iver and sink into some sort of trance-like euphoria.

My mind clears. As if a massive delete button was hit on all the unworthy thoughts that dominate my thinking. In this emptiness, something is brewing. Slowly expanding into what I came here for – answers!

For the past couple years I’ve been on a mission to catch up to this 2.0 version of myself that creates the incredible work I know I’m capable of. I know because I’ve caught him before and he elevated me to new heights in record time. Giving me a taste of success and then disappearing.

But in this moment, I can feel him here. I get hit with a flood of ideas for creative pursuits and an unshakable belief in my ability to see them through. I pull out my journal and try to write them all down.

This leads to an important realization. In order to align with this higher self, I have to stop chasing and instead create an environment where he’d want to live.

I think of it as having a good signal. Four bars means that my mind is fully open to possibilities, I work in a peak state with maximum enjoyment. One bar means I’m going to need a lot of coffee just to produce something that I don’t really care about and I doubt anyone else will.

For example, I know that adventures which push me physically and mentally give a certain energy that running on a treadmill in LA fitness just doesn’t create.

As I write down other conditions that could trigger a good signal, I feel an urge to shut my brain down and go for a morning swim in the lake.

After all, I’m not chasing anything right now. I feel content. I’ve arrived somewhere.

After spending some quality time with Lake Segara Anak, we hike up to the top of the crater and then down into the jungle.

I follow Alto on a detour to find a water pipe so we can refill our bottles. We finally find a thin pipe that runs for miles from a river up top to a small village below where it provides clean water for one hundred houses.

He detaches the tube to fill up the bottles and before attaching it back, I take another shower. I make a bold decision to not use shampoo today. Crazy I know but what can I say, I’m living on the edge.

Surrounded by curious monkeys, we set up the tents then have ramen for dinner. I go inside to relax but accidentally doze off and sleep like a baby until the morning.

We wake up early and complete the trek with an easy two hour hike down to the base of the mountain. I say goodbye to Alto and Hamdi who are still making fun of my ridiculous shower needs.

Feeling accomplished, I make my way to the south of Lombok where I can do nothing on the beach for a couple days.

If any part of you is intrigued by doing a trek like this then you should absolutely book a ticket right now. Just be careful because if you’re anything like me, your automatic excuse generator might kick in saying things like – I’m not fit enough, too old, can’t sleep in tents, scared of heights, not now maybe next year… etc. etc.

If this happens, try telling this voice, “Sorry buddy. I’m gonna go ahead and do this one anyways.” It’ll make one more desperate attempt to stop you, “Wait! What about altitude sickness??” Just hit him with a calm, cool, “Nope. Sorry.”

Why? Because sometimes it feels like you become as tall as the mountains you choose to climb.

- Yali

P.S. Whenever life's craziness causes anxiety, I just think of the Rinjani porters and I feel okay again. I used to think of my greatest accomplishments but this works much better.

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caredogstips · 7 years

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The Accountant: Ben Afflecks Autistic Assassin Balances Taxes, Busts Skulls, Confounds Us All

This is far and away the strangest Hollywood movie of its first year. “>

In the nearly unclassifiable thriller The Accountant , Ben Affleck trades the Bat-armor for another crime-fighting outfit: sights, a sensible suit, and a pocket shield. By period he crunches tax returns for tribes out of his strip-mall agency in the suburb. On the side, we rapidly memorize in this audaciously serious category cavort, hes a stone-cold killer with numbersor a sniper rifle, or a knife, or his bare hands, or even the loop he wears looped through his sensible slacks. Afflecks titular auditor, you might allege, is a CPA with a extremely particular change of skills.

Theres as much Taken as here i am Rain Man to be found in The Accountant , a regularly frustrating but amazingly witty category mishmash thats at least upfront about its center vanity: Ben Affleck is clearly, 100 percent going for it as Hollywoods first autistic assassin. Thats not enough to make it a good movie, exactly, but it certainly prevents The Accountant watchable in dribbles and fells of eccentric, fleeting magnificence, in a truly spooky various kinds of papa thriller that never met an accounting gag it didnt like.

Directed by Warrior helmer Gavin OConnor from a Black List screenplay by Bill Dubuque ( The Judge ), The Accountant has such a fearles high-concept premise, its a disgrace how far it is from being cohesive. Affleck stars as Christian Wolff, a quiet and tidy recluse whose high-functioning autism stirs him a natural at the accounting artsparticularly when his shady cartel and crime-lord buyers necessitate him to sieve through hopeless amounts of files and fleshes to piece together the riddle when cash goes missing.

A lifetime of harsh hand-to-hand combat and artilleries improving too stirs him the easy-going choice when those chaotic books necessitate resolving. His Screech rating, one reckons, must be impeccable. Afflecks Wolff is nothing if not efficient at his place, slicing and shooting his path through entire builds of bad people with the same cool precision he uses to solve complex numerical equations. In The Accountant , Afflecks targets are conceded no mercy, only enough speedy and destructive retribution to settle the score. No Marthas can save these men. The only mistake we ever hear of him making, quite literally, is that he registered his taxes properly and on time.

The mystery of Wolffs identity unspools in all areas of the cinemas opening act as gritty U.S Treasury Director Ray King( J.K. Simmons) ropes loath specialist Marybeth Medina( Cynthia Addai-Robinson) into hunting him down through the only breadcrumbs he has: photos of an unidentified person in a dres and the nagging suspicion that hes the key to something large-hearted . Meanwhile, Wolffs taken his latest gig tracking $61 million thats gone missing from the ledgers of a major cybernetic robotics make run by Lamar Black( John Lithgow ).

But just as Wolff starts to math his road toward figuring out the villain, executives start croaking and his campaign is cut short, wreaking hell on its capability to cope with the chaos. Ordinarily hed fastening himself in the dark and pulsate his shins with a wooden dowel while listening to metal, as you do.( If youre looking for any deep understanding of how tribes on the spectrum actually live, you wont find it here .) Instead, this time, he goes on the run with Dana( a charmingly chatty Anna Kendrick ), the junior numbers-cruncher also privy to the fiscal infringement, setting a collision course with a shadowy-but-flashy bravo( Jon Bernthal) and the feds hot on his trail.

Once The Accountant s story get leading, it stupefies with bullet-flying war and winking humor. One of its most entertaining moments steams down to a simple wave of the handa tiny throwaway gesticulate that manages to be the best-timed punchline in the entire movie. Other highlightings happen when Afflecks reclusive Wolff begrudgingly makes his picket down with the spunky Dana, and shares with her his most sacred seat: a 34 -foot Airstream trailer filled with priceless art and all his getaway currency, his superspy drawer of passports and faux identities next to a meticulously targeted Star Wars lightsaber.

All the while, unfortunately, were yanked out of the present to flash back to Wolffs past. Some parents school their boys to throw a schoolyard punch. Realise his sons ailment would differentiate him as different, Wolffs Army vet single father subjected him to years of brutal martial-arts training so hed become a fighter , not a prey. Its a provocative idea and one whose franknes is underscored by the X-Men-style school for children with developmental disorders that plays a key role in the plot. One in 68 children placed in America are diagnosed as on the spectrum, the cinema teaches its captive gathering. We should learn “childrens issues” its what realizes them different that obligates them specialeven if that lesson is autistic girls can grow up to be stone-cold bravoes, too.

Admirably enough, OConnor doesnt seem to care that his head-spinning mlange of categories and ambiances is bound to try the patience of his audience. It is what it is: a hit man drama-thriller-mystery that champs autism as a figure of underappreciated superheroism. The flaws dont contradict that bold raison detre , even if The Accountant suffered from too many of them. For one, it has more attributes than it was able to administer. It turns between droning exposition, bone-crunching action, too many flashbacks, and brief instants of fiction and feeling. And its steadfast demand on trumpeting itself as a organize of R-rated hyperviolent autism advocacy is uncharted cinematic country, to say the least.

Its actually more like The Bourne Identity satisfies A Beautiful Mind so much so that Affleck even gets to furrow his countenance and converge real hard through a montage scribbling fleshes on the windows and openings of an office, just like John Nash. Tragically, the last circumstance the already flat Affleck requires is to play a humorless boulder of a character who struggles to communicate and read psychological clues. You can see Affleck patently trying to give his high-functioning hero a sense of legitimacy, but it predominantly happens off as unintentionally wooden where reference is not applying his laser focus on humbling his adversaries to demise. Afflecks an actor best suited to more outwardly emotional douchebag personas that tap into his innate bro-iness. But his painfully penalty Wolff speaks in a stilted soft-spoken silence, and gulps methodically at his hands before doing anythingwhether its dining dinner or performing an scrutiny. But Affleck fights to transmit how viscerally discomfited the person is by most social locations and how longingly he would love to feel the human rights communications that evade him. Its not a good look for him since he manages to muster simply a few variances on the same stoic gape through two hours and change onscreen.

And hitherto the times he actually does stumble a self-aware flute, the strangest studio movie of the yearinclusive felony thriller, advocacy actioner, the only movie youll ever should be noted that big-ups both 19 th -century German mathematician Carl Gauss and Dogs Playing Poker with equal reverencebegs even more of Afflecks autistic war hero. I did not expect to miss his awkward person shtick on screen when he wasnt on it, but that very unlikely occasion happened during one heinously wearisome situation of third-act explanation. OConnors niftiest ruse is that he manages to pull The Accountant back from the verge at least long enough to make a speciman for meeting more of Afflecks Accountant in future sequels. He contacts his full capacity while scrapping his acces through a climactic panorama set inside a sprawling indulgence dwelling under siege, acquiring psychological catharsis in the middle of a gunfight. Jason Bourne might have been able to do that, very, but could he likewise get you fund back on your tax return?