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straykidsnerd255 · 4 years

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Halloween Party-Andy Black x Reader

Band: Black Veil Brides

Pairing: Andy Black x Reader

Song: This is Halloween: Real Chanty cover

Key: Y/B/F: Your best friend name

Warning: None. Shit ton of fluff though

Title: Halloween Party

Andy played on his phone waiting for Y/n, his girlfriend of two years to come home. She had been out with her friend shopping and getting ready for Halloween for damn near 7 hours. Andy groaned when he died on his game and threw his phone off to the side and leaned his head back against the couch. “I’m so bored.” He mumbled in the quiet house. His head popped up hearing the sound of a car door closing and raced to the window. He grinned when he saw you standing and talking with your friend with what looked to be about 20 bags in your arms. He knew that the majority was from your money even if he told you it was ok to use some of the money that he made.

He watched as you stood up and waved to your friend heading to the front door. Andy backed away from the window and grabbed his phone heading up to your shared room. You opened the door and smiled when your muscles began to relax. “Andy! I’m back home!” You said as you hauled the bags up to your shared room. Andy smiled. “In the room!” He replied. As you entered the room you rolled your eyes playfully when you found him on his stomach playing his phone. “Did you play on your phone the entire time I was gone?” You asked placing the bags on the ground and stretching your arms.

Andy snorted and shook his head. “No, I had practice with the guys around 11 this morning. That lasted till about 2pm and I have just been wondering around the house till you got home from the store. You left to go to the store at the same time I had left to go to band practice.” He said sitting up and placing his phone on the table next to the bed. He moved so he was crossing his legs on the bed and facing his girlfriend. “What did you buy while you were out?” He asked eyeing the bags. You smiled before a small laugh escaped your lips. “Well, since you’re so curious, I can tell you what I got.” You said moving to the bag that looked the biggest compared to the others.

You grinned as you handed him a separate bag from the larger back and watched as he gave you a weird look before opening the bag. He opened it and his eyes grew bigger. “You did not.” He said grinning widely before racing to the bathroom. You managed to take your costume and put it on before Andy came back out of the bathroom. You were making sure that your hair was working with your mask when you heard that bathroom door open. His jaw dropped when he saw your costume as well. “What? You don’t like it?” You asked grinning when he couldn’t form a sentence. “I-what-how?” He couldn’t finish a sentence at all either, but he smiled brightly. “Why the fancy costumes?” He asked. You flashed him a grin. “Y/B/F is having a party and he invited me and told me I could invite anyone I knew as well.” You said applying the last touches to the costume.

(Andy’s costume is somewhat made just like Y/n’s in her picture. He’s not wearing a onesie.)

“We are going to be the best at the party then.” Andy said moving over to Y/n and standing next to her and looked at their reflection. Y/n walked out of the room to the kitchen. “Want to call your band over to help make some fun little treats for the party?” You asked looking over at him. A laugh burst from your lips as you saw him standing in front of the entryway mirror and taking a picture. “Andy!” You yelled laughing as he snapped the picture. “What? I had too. I really am Batman.” He said acting all giddy like a child would. You shook your head with a smile present on your face. Andy put his phone on the kitchen counter and began helping get the treats ready. You moved to plug your phone into the stereo and smiled when Witch Doctor started playing.

You couldn’t help but start singing along to the song. It happened to be from your favorite movie when you were a little girl and you loved it since then. Andy watched you sing the song and couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. He grabbed your phone and changed the song as his friends waltzed into the house laughing. They stopped when they heard Y/n singing and making cookies and other small sweets. She had started making homemade candy and it suddenly became her profession and people would tell her how sweet they tasted. They saw how happy she was singing and making the treats. She smiled when she noticed the boys standing in the kitchen doorway. “You guys can come in the kitchen you know.” Andy said laughing.

Boys and girls of every age

Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

Come with us and you will see

This, our town of Halloween

This is Halloween, this is Halloween

Pumpkins scream in the dead of night

This is Halloween, everybody make a scene

Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright

It's our town, everybody screams

In this town of Halloween

I am the one hiding under your bed

Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red

I am the one hiding under your stairs

Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair

This is Halloween, This is Halloween

Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!

In this town we call home

Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

In this town, don’t we love it now?

Everybody’s waiting for the next surprise

Everybody scream, everybody scream

In our town of Halloween

I am the clown with the tear-away face

Here in a flash and gone without a trace

I am the who when you call "Who's there?"

I am the wind blowing through your hair

I am the shadow on the moon at night

Filling your dreams to the brim with fright

Tender lumplings everywhere

Life’s no fun without a good scare

That’s our job, but we’re not mean

In our town Halloween

In this town

Don't we love it now?

Everybody's waiting for the next surprise

In this town we call home

Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

La la-la la

Once everything was made, Y/n grabbed a box for the cookies and a plastic container for the candy. After getting it all put together, she turned when her phone started ringing. She answered it and a smile started growing on her face. “Alright guys. Make sure your costumes are on and you’re ready to go. We are heading to my friends house now.” You said grabbing the box of cookies and container of cookies and headed out to the car. Andy grabbed his things and made a move to walk outside and help but his friends pulled him back. “What party is she talking about?” Ashley asked looking at Andy with confusion.

Andy grinned. “Her friend is throwing a Halloween party and he told her that she could invite anyone she knew to the party. She literally just invited all of you guys. Go get your costumes that you left here last year after the party that we threw and get ready to go.” Andy said moving towards the front door. He couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face when he saw a couple kids dressed as superheroes racing over to her and grinning like mad. “Wow! Its batgirl guys!” A boy dressed a dark wing said grinning madly. “Where’s batman?” They asked looking around. Andy grinned and raced over to them.

“Did someone call for batman?” He asked puffing his chest out and placing his fists on his hips. The kids practically squealed when they saw him. You smiled and laughed when all the kids surrounded him. “Are you at the girls dressed as batgirl going out?” A younger kid, who looked to be about 4 asked. Andy grinned. “I sure am.” He said standing up and wrapping his arm around your waist and smiling. “My dream has come true. Batman and Batgirl are together.” A little girl said running off to find her mother. You couldn't’ help the laughter the spilled from your lips. Andy had a bright red face and he tried to hide it. He managed but it was because he hid his face in your chest. You couldn’t help but laugh even harder.

“Is Batman ok?” some of the kids asked. You nodded your head. “Yes. He’s just having a spaz moment.” You chuckled lightly. The kids smiled before turning when they heard their parents calling to them. Andy grunted when you laughed again. “Andy, what are you doing?” You asked trying to look down at him. He looked up at you after a few minutes and snorted. “She had me surprised with what she said.” He replied, referring to the little girl that had ran back to her mother after saying her dream came true. The rest of the band came out to see Andy blushing like crazy. “What happened to Andy?” Ashley asked once everyone had gotten in the car and they had started heading to the party. You laughed as you remembered the words.

“A little girl had said her dream came true. That batman and batgirl are together and Andy might of blown a fuse when she said that.” You said turning to see Andy staring out the window with an even brighter red face. The rest of the band cracked up and laughed the entire way to your friends house. “I regret coming out of the house now.” Andy said smiling lightly. You nudged his shoulder. “No you don’t you like the attention you got dressed as batman.” You said grabbing your things once you made it to your friends house. “Ya. Your right. I did.” Andy said laughing as your playfully glared at him. Once you and the rest of Black Veil Brides got to the front door of the house, CC started shaking a bit. You sighed and shook your head as you looked around the house. “Go all out every year and wonder’s why no one ever shows up.” You mutter before walking ahead and knocking on the door.

A few minutes and your best friend opened the door. “Y/n!! You made it!” He said smiling brightly at you. He gave you a tight hug much to Andy’s annoyance before motioning all of you to come in. “You really need to tone down the decorations that you put on your house man. You are going to scare the living shit out of people. He laughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I know. I can’t help myself though. I find decorating fun. It helps me not think about…” He stopped talking and you immediately pulled him into a hug. Andy tilted his head to the side and watched. You noticed and mouthed, ‘I’ll tell you later.’ to him and he nodded his head. You pulled back and grinned.

“Let’s not talk about that and just have fun.” You said checking your watch. “It’s already 6:30, so, let's get started.” You said turning to your friend. He shuffled his foot and looked down. “What happened.” You asked. He explained that the people he invited had turned down his invite and said they had better things to do then come to a party. You felt your muscles grow tight in anger. Andy thought for a moment. “I have an idea.” He said grabbing his phone and pulling you, your friend, and his friends together. He pulled up snapchat and few other social media’s and sending a message to other bands that were in the area that he knew of.

“There. Done. Sent an invite to all the bands that we know that are somewhere close by.” he said looking over at your friend and offering a huge smile. Your friend couldn't believe it. “Wait a minute. Y/n, who are these guys?” He asked turning to you. Your smile grew. “Why y/b/f, this is Andy Black. Lead singer of Black Veil Brides, and my boyfriend.” You said smiling brightly. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when you said that. “Wait, did the rest of his band come too?” He asked looking at you and then back to Andy and then back to you.

“We sure did!” CC piped up from the back. Your friend nearly had a heart attack when the rest of BVB moved around from behind Andy and Y/n. “Pleasure to meet you.” They all said. You watched as the band, minus Andy, started conversing with your friend and talking to him like normal. Andy wrapped his arms around you and laid his head on your head. “Why isn’t his family in the house with us?” Andy suddenly asked making you freeze. Andy noticed and started panicking. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to ask that. I got curious.” He stopped when he felt your lips on his. “It’s ok.” You said telling him what happened in your friends life. Andy looked down. “I’m sorry.” He whispered. Before you could reply, a knocking sound was heard.

You opened the door and a wide grin crossed your lips. The band that Andy had contacted where standing on the front porch and your where excited. They grinned when they saw you and they immediately hugged you tightly much to Andy’s displeasure. “Ok you’re smothering my girl, get off her.” He said playfully tugging you away. You friend turned and saw all the bands walk in and his was excited. “Let’s get this party started!” He yelled. Everyone including you and Andy cheered in agreement. You smiled as everyone started goofing around and having a great time. “Thanks for doing this for my friend Andy.” You said. “Any friend of yours is a friend of mine.” Andy said pulling you into a kiss. “Batman and Batgirl sitting in a tree...K.I.S.S.I.N.G-” “Shut up CC!” Andy yelled causing everyone to burst out in laughter.

#Black veil brides #Andy Black #Reader #Halloween Party #Enjoy #Not requested #Andy is Batman #Y/n is Batwomen #Fluff #Y/n's friend throws a Halloween party and invites Y/n to which she invites all of Black Veil Brides #Yes I am using the same song from my Ashley Purdy x Reader story but it's a good one ok!!

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bluenet13 · 6 years

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A Magical Holiday Break

I wrote this mainly for my own amusement and almost decided not to post it, but thought someone might enjoy it so I went with it and here we are. This is my third @densi-mber story and exists in the same timeline as the other two, but it can totally be read on its own.

“Baby, we’re not spending New Year’s Eve in Times Square.” Kensi said for what felt like the 100th time, continuing the argument that had started 2 days ago, as soon as they had been informed that NCIS was giving all the OSP team one week off as holiday vacation.

“Come on Princess, what place is more magical to receive the New Year together than Times Square?” Deeks looked at Kensi with his best puppy eyes and charming smile, hoping to convince her so they could start making travel arrangements.

“Shaggy, you just said the key to this whole situation… any place would be magical as long as we’re together… I just want to receive the New Year with you,” the sincerity and love in her words made his heart flutter and not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, he wondered how he had managed to get so lucky as to have this incredible woman in his life.

But, still there was an argument to win and a decision to be made so he couldn’t let his heart control his actions and needed to keep thinking with his head… at least until they were back in their shared bedroom. “I know that Kensalina, but if we can add a magical scene it would only make the moment even more magical and unforgettable.”

“Deeks, when we’re on a case you usually need to pee every 30 minutes… just imagine in the middle of winter… in New York City… and surrounded by 1 million people.” She looked at him from across their dining table, while she continued to eat her pasta. “It’s a recipe for disaster…” She eventually finished after a huge mouthful of her favorite Deeks’ culinary creation and a swig of her beer.

Deeks concentrated on his meal while he thought of a better argument but Kensi had just made a valid point. His face shined and his eyes took on that brightness they got when he was about to say a joke or tease one of his friends, “we can always use an adult diaper…”

Kensi almost chocked on the serving she was currently devouring and glared at her boyfriend while she took another swig to help fully swallow the offending pasta. “I’m not using an adult diaper…” Seeing the still amused looked in his eyes she knew she had to make her point even clearer, “…and neither are you!”

“You’re such a spoilsport Fern…” Kensi could only laugh at his comment and the pout that appeared on his face after her comment.

“Oh, and you’re such a baby Marty… stop with the pouting and act like the grown-up you’re supposed to be.” She kept laughing even as she said the words, enjoying teasing this man she loved so much.

He just glared at her and pouted even more, almost pointing out that he didn’t like to be called Marty, but knowing she had done it to annoy him and not wanting to give her the satisfaction. So he just decided to continue eating his pasta, while silently still thinking of a way to convince her.

-x-x-x-

The next morning started as the previous night ended… With another argument about their upcoming vacations. “Come on Kens, you know this is the best idea, pleeease?”

“Stop giving me your puppy eyes, they won’t make me change my mind…” Even as she said the words, she reached out to push his bangs away from said eyes, staring at them lovingly and getting lost in their blue depth.

“Then what do you say we do? Enjoy our vacation staying in the same LA and house?” He tried sounding indignant, going for a different approach to persuade her.

“We could still travel, just maybe somewhere close by… That way we can still enjoy a bit of free time and holiday celebration with our moms.”

“Yeah Kens, like that’s exactly what I want to do after our successful breakfast the other day, and dinner this past Sunday turned into little Marty picture time…”

“Oh but those pictures were so cute… I still want a copy of the one you’re wearing nothing but a diaper and the fluffy Santa hat,” she hugged him as she said the words in an attempt to show him that it was not a joke but that she really meant it.

“I’m sure mama is gonna get you a copy of it… and probably of the whole album if you asked, sometimes I think she likes you more than me…” He faked hurt as he said it, emphasizing his point by placing his hand dramatically over his heart.

“Well, can you really blame her? I actually make attempts to meet her while you always want to find an excuse… and you pointed a gun at her boyf… Guy… the first time you met him.” Every time the man was mentioned in an intimate capacity with Roberta, Deeks seem to blow a fuse, so she decided to take the save route and address him by name.

“Kens, you weren’t there… You don’t know how walking into that looked to me….” He was tired of speaking about Guy, his mama or anyone else, and he really just wanted a time for themselves, like the one they spent after going all in…

Just then his eyes took that special brightness and cheerfulness she loved so much, making it clear his crazy mind just had a new idea. “I got it! Let’s still go to NY but instead of staying in the city let’s book a cabin in a different town, what do you think?”

It was impossible to tell him no when his eyes were tinkling like that and when such an adorable and innocent smile was present on his face. “Okay baby, I remember reading of this town called Tarrytown, it’s just a short train ride away from Manhattan, so we can still see and enjoy the city but get back to a cozy cabin at night and… I would like to get back to LA for New Year’s.”

Hearing her words he instantly nodded, and with his adorable smile still present on his face, moved to hug her and kiss her sweetly on the lips, lingering there a second longer and breathing in her scent. He really liked the idea of spending New Year’s in New York, but also understood that given the year they just had, it was important to enjoy those days with family and their NCIS teammates and their moms were just that.

After breaking apart he went to their bedroom to pick up his laptop so they could start looking for a place and making reservations. Finding a place so close to the holidays wasn’t going to be easy, but hopefully one away from the city wouldn’t be as hard or expensive to find. After their conversation about Holiday gifts and saving money for their wedding they had almost decided not to go on vacation at all, but they both agreed the escape was needed and that’s when the discussion to pick a location had started.

It took the couple 45 minutes and a couple of new disagreements but they finally booked their flights and a small one-bedroom cabin north of NYC and close to the train station. They decided to travel early in the morning from LA and late at night from NY so they could enjoy as many days in the city without having to use all their vacations days there. Kensi having convinced her boyfriend to leave a day open so they could meet the moms for another Holiday visit and a day to meet the guys as they declined to go with them when they had been invited to join the trip, preferring to stay in LA and enjoy some calm days.

Holiday plans in motion, the young partners just needed to survive a few more days at work and it would be time for their much needed vacation and relaxing days to enjoy the company they both loved and cherished the most.

-x-x-x-

That morning Kensi and Deeks woke up eager to have a quick breakfast and head straight to the airport, bags already finished the night before, and just needing to add some toiletries and pack their laptops. After about 20 minutes of getting ready they left their home ready for their trip, both feeling sad having to leave Monty behind, but glad that Eric and Nell had agreed to come pick up the mutt later that day and take care of him for the duration of their trip.

They got to the airport with plenty of time to spare and with an excuse of going to the restroom Deeks stopped at a donut place to get some treats for his girlfriend to surprise and indulge her on the plane.

The young couple spent the flight snuggled together, laughing and looking at each other as if they were the only other person in the world… And in that moment, they really were. They ate their donuts, and laughed even more when Deeks jokingly smeared a bunch of powdered sugar on Kensi’s forehead, resulting in her covering his nose in strawberry jelly and excitedly screaming that she was flying with Rudolf. For anyone looking from a distance, the young couple might have appeared drunk, but in reality they were only overindulging in love and the peace that these days, away from it all, brought them.

“Come on baby, baggage claim is that way,” Kensi couldn’t help but smile at the pure wonder in Deeks’ voice as he signaled for the way to go. He looked like a kid, and she wondered how many vacations like this he had been able to enjoy during his childhood.

“Slow down Shaggy, I’m coming.” She was practically running behind him as she said the words, struggling to catch up to him and not crash with any of the other ton of people walking around them. New York City was surely a busy place this time of the year.

It took them around 3 hours to finally arrive to their cabin, having to wait for a prior flight before reclaiming their luggage and then awkwardly discovering that all NYC taxi drivers didn’t know how to get to little towns north of the city, so eventually deciding to head over to the train station instead. Kensi had wanted to rent a car but Deeks succeeded in convincing her to just enjoy these days as a tourists and not worry about traffic, parking and the other things that came with driving in the Big Apple.

“Oh wow, this place is awesome… And look at this tub.” Now it was Kensi’s voice the one full of wonder as she took in the sight before her and especially the hot tub located in the back, already thinking of all the things they would do there.

That night the couple decided to stay in their little town, and just left the comfort of the cabin to have some dinner and quickly came back… to escape from the cold, and find warmth in each other. Also finding a lot of help in the fireplace and hot tub that the cabin offered.

-x-x-x-

The next morning came quicker than any of them wanted, and with it started their 3 days for tourism and relaxation before they had to fly back on the fourth.

Combining both of their interests they first decided to head over to Union Square where the Wonder Twins had recommended they checked out their Holiday Market. As soon as they got out of the subway, they were surprised by the enormity of the skyscrapers and the simplicity of the little plaza where the market was located. They shopped a little, buying some homemade treats to eat that night at the cabin and some special handmade souvenirs to take to their teammates and moms back home. They even got one for Mosley, hoping to stay in her good graces and never have her try to, again, send Deeks back to LAPD.

Leaving the market they decided to walk 5th street until the point it reached Central Park, stopping at various places to look at the characteristic Manhattan Attractions. They took pictures of the Empire State, Flatiron Building, Rockefeller Center and many other places in between.

If asked later, both would easily agree their favorite part of the day was the ice rink they found in one of their stops, both instantly transported to another frozen lake 3 years prior. They held each other more closely after that, both remembering the past 7 years of their lives and how a MMA gym, a girl name Tracy and a boy name Jason had changed the course of both their lives forever. And how ultimately passing through another girl named Melissa and then Fern, and a boy named Justin and then Max, they had ended in a couple name Kensi Blye and Marty Deeks… One that would hopefully share the same surname, soon.

They got back to their cabin later that night, tired but content in the success of their day and ready to enjoy another night in each other’s arms.

-x-x-x-

The next 2 days of their trip proceeded in a similar way. They woke up tangled in each other, happy in the comfort and warm the other provided. They showered together, and almost every morning ended up taking longer than expected as said activity involved a lot more than just showering.

The first of those days, they decided to walk Central Park, especially as Deeks wanted to visit Strawberry Fields, the part of the park with the Imagine memorial dedicated to John Lennon. As they were leaving to continue their walk, the young man turned up to look at the sky, and Kensi silently wondered if he had wanted to visit the memorial for his father and if maybe that gesture had been dedicated to him. The rest of the day involved more walking, pictures, laughs, a nice dinner and getting back to their cabin to enjoy another night in the hot tub and then spread in a blanket in front of the fireplace.

The last full day they would be spending in New York passed by quicker than any of the others. They woke up a little later than expected after the previous’ nights activities had lasted more than planned. But still it left them enough time to go to the city. That day they visited the area of Battery Park to look, at least, from distance at the Statue of Liberty, before walking to the 9/11 Memorial and paying their respects to the fallen heroes and civilians of that day.

When time for lunch came, Kensi insisted they took the subway to a special place she wanted to visit. Not totally sure but not wanting to deny his girl anything Deeks agreed and was completely surprised when they reached their destination. It was the original bakery that invented the Cronut and he couldn’t feel more love for his girlfriend than he felt at that moment. His mind, instead of being invaded by darkness and memories of past nightmares, was full of the love and admiration he felt for Kensi, also the pride he felt for himself as he had managed to, for the most part, leave those demons behind.

They went into the bakery hand-in-hand, and Deeks’ disappointment at learning the Cronuts usually were all sold out before noon, quickly evaporated as he learned that Kensi had called the day they booked the trip to reserve a half-dozen for them; using her NCIS influence to make it happen. He hugged her and whispered in her hear a quick thank you, along with sweet promises of things to come later that night.

Cronuts in hand and hearts full, the couple left the bakery to get back to the train station so they could make their way back to their town. They enjoyed a nice dinner together and eventually ended up like all previous nights, just this time, enjoying some cronuts along with the heat of the fireplace and each other.

-x-x-x-

On the last day of their trip, they decided to stay in the town and walk a bit down Main Street instead of going back to Manhattan and risk losing their flight later that night.

The walk lasted less than expected as both man and woman wanted to get back to the cabin as soon as possible to enjoy some last moments in their favorite hut tub and in each other’s arms. They whispered sweet nothings, promises of better times and reassurances of love as they soaked their joined bodies in the hot water, letting the action melt all their fears, doubts, and old nightmares away.

For them, this trip signaled more than just a vacation but it was really a matter of leaving the last year behind. Not only what had happened to them, but also to Sam, Owen, and to their family as a whole. They had needed the days to finally breathe and enjoy the mere fact that they were still alive and, more importantly, together. Eventually, they would have to go back to the realities and uncertainties of their lives and jobs but at least these few days had given them a little respite from all that.

They got to the airport feeling fresh and recharged, as always happy to be with each other, but also eager to get back to the rest of their family and hoping for a perfect New Year along with them, and hopefully an even better 2018, given all they had lost in 2017…

#densi-mber #densi-mber writing prompts #densi-mber drabble #densi #densi drabble #kensi x deeks #deeks x kensi #ncis los angeles #ncisla #mashmaiden

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greenishbucket · 7 years

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We’ll Find a Way to Survive

Lardo and graduation. 1.8k, ao3.

Inspired by @jack-manpain-zimmermann‘s post about Lardo graduating. Hope it was okay to do this!

It’s a Thursday evening and Lardo is sitting with her legs on her desk, a bowl of tomato rice in her lap that’s been in the fridge for at least four days and is starting to taste kinda funky, wrapped in a hoodie even though it’s warm because whatever. It feels comforting to be wrapped up. She has three texts from her mom and two from her dad that she’s been ignoring for three days, even though they’re just sweet updates on life at home.

Shitty is talking fast on Skype about some asshole in his class. Lardo’s pretty sure it’s the same dick that comes up every week when Shitty has a two-hour class with the dude but he really is a dick so she lets Shitty get it all out even when he’s recycling the same criticisms again. He still looks grey around the eyes and she can see three coffee cups from different stores on his bedside table. His hair needs washing and it’s pretty fucking ridiculous but Lardo can’t look away from how the greasy look falls differently now Shitty hasn’t got a flow.

When Lardo had first cut Shitty’s hair it had been funny at first, chilling in the bathroom while Shitty had showered then brushing his hair out with a comb and hacking it into all the ugliest styles she could think of with threats to leave it like that. He’d laughed and said hockey players were, like, contractually obliged to have ugly as fuck haircuts so she’d better pull through on that.

Neither of them had given voice to the fact Shitty wasn’t going to be a hockey player anymore but they had fallen quiet as Lardo carried on cutting his hair into a respectable attempt at what he’d called a ‘neutral upstanding lawyer bro-do’. When she was done they’d looked in the bathroom mirror, Lardo on a stool for height and her head head poking out over Shitty’s shoulder, and Shitty’s mouth had been shut tight like he didn’t trust himself to speak, his eyes a little watery.

Lardo had wanted to kiss the top of his head, or something, but they weren’t like that yet. Or they were because what was personal space even but Lardo didn’t know if she could do it like they were still just bros, felt like maybe it would come across too heavy. Shitty had barely even looked like himself without the flow, the back and sides of his neck paler and vulnerable looking where they hadn’t seen steady sun in years. It was too much and Lardo hadn’t wanted to start crying about shit so she’d given him a noogie instead and then called him a nerd and the moment had broken.

Now all the feeling about his flow comes rushing back. Graduation is right around the corner and Lardo has literally fuck all planned and she’s fucked it all up and her parents are breathing down her neck about how she hasn’t got a job as a doctor or some shit lined up for after Samwell even though she’s an art major and she misses having Shitty here in the Haus with her to talk some gender shit and smoke with her in the reading room when the stress was too much. Now they’re all growing up and having to move out and on and Shitty won’t be able to grow his flow back for years if ever and Lardo is fucking dreading the end of the year so much because literally what is she going to do?

She’s halfway through a mouthful of tomato rice and Shitty is still ranting about the asshole dude when she realises her throat is almost too tight to swallow and, jeez, she’s actually crying.

“Dude, Lards – are you crying?”

“No,” Lardo says with as much force as she can while crying and talking around a half-chewed bowl of tomato rice. She spits it back into the bowl which is gross but whatever, it tasted weird already and it’s not like she’s sharing the rice with anyone else.

Shitty kindly ignores the rice spitting. “Hey, talk to me, bro. What’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

A sigh. “Lards.”

“Nothing.”

“Lardo, come on.”

“Shits, it’s nothing you can fucking fix, okay? Leave it.”

“For fuck’s sake, I’m not saying let me fix all your problems,” Shitty says, looking if anything more tired and that’s the last thing Lardo wanted. “I’m saying talk to me, let all that negative shit out. Bawling in the middle of me sharing the latest horrors of law school is pretty fucking standard but dude’s been worse and you haven’t started the waterworks so I’m thinking it’s not the current and future state of our legal system that’s got you crying, not that I’d judge you if it was.”

Lardo pushes through the shit-ton of crap that’s been building on her desk for weeks in search of a tissue then wipes her eyes and messily blows her nose when she finds a vaguely clean one. She doesn’t feel better really but the short burst of crying has taken some of the pressure off, reduced the stress to kinda-manageable instead of holy-fuck-what-do-I-do. She takes a long gulp of her water before she starts to talk.

“It’s just like, all this graduation shit that I really don’t wanna deal with. I have no idea what I’m doing and me and Rans used to be, like, bros in that but now even he’s sorted and I’m still not and all the other art kids have had plans since day one because apparently that’s what you’ve gotta have if you get a degree in art and no one told me. I don’t know where I’m supposed to live except move back to my parents which would be fine because I’d be nearer you and they’re my parents, y’know, but they’re all ‘Larissa, we just want what’s best for you but also you gotta do this exact thing that we decided was best’ and ‘Larissa, your art is so interesting but how are you gonna move forward with it’ and like– fuck.”

Lardo’s heart is beating hard against her ribs and her hands are shaking with the adrenaline of letting it all out. She wipes her eyes again and continues, unable to look at the screen but before she can overthink it: “I just miss getting to hang out with you every day and now I won’t even have these guys to hang out with anymore and it’s all gonna suck and I hate it.”

Her room still feels lonely and cold even as the sounds of the Haus carry on all around but it’s a little less than before and Lardo’s chest feels a lot lighter. She scoops up some of her saliva-tomato-rice and shoves it in her mouth, still keeping her eyes on the floorboards.

“Bro,” Shitty says after a moment. When she looks up, his eyebrows are reaching his hairline. “Like, Lards.”

“I know, it’s all my fault because I should’ve organised better but you get why it sucks, right?”

Shitty makes a spluttering noise and says, “Fucking hell, no way. It’s not your fault art is undervalued by capitalist society and you’ve got parents with expectations and shit, I’m saying holy shit, man, you do not need to be getting so tied up with this and if you are you gotta let someone know before you’re choking on your tomato rice.”

“But there’s like a bazillion things I need to sort and I don’t even know how to do any of it,” Lardo says. “Like, how do I just make myself have direction in life and shit?”

Shitty’s leaning in close to the camera, tucked with his knees up on his desk chair and laptop balancing on top judging by the way its shaking every now and again, and Lardo wishes she’d thought ahead to keep this meltdown until they’d been together in person. Talking over Skype is still better than phoning but – not to be a baby – Lardo could do with a hug.

“You gotta just go with the flow, at least half the people graduating don’t know what they’re doing.”

“That’s your advice? Chill? Are you Nursey?”

“Hand on heart, swear to fuck, the dude’s onto something with that one. Why panic?”

Lardo can feel herself getting irritated and she hates that her fuse is so short these days but what does Shitty know about trying to figure out graduation, he got into fucking Harvard Law and his mom is a like a hippie or something and is all about self-actualisation and shit.

“I have no time to figure out all my shit and jobs are already getting back to people and I’ve wasted a fuck-ton of money on a degree I don’t know what to do with,” she says, carefully steady.

“And you’ve got your whole life to figure something out, bro. Graduating is sad and scary as fuck but, let me tell you, it feels amazing. The ‘swawesomest thing to ever happen.”

Lardo sighs. “I know, Shits. I just wanna know what I’m doing.”

Shitty puts the laptop back on his desk, shifts awkwardly in his chair. “Well, yanno. If you wanted you could come split rent with me while you work shit out. Your parents would probably be cool with it and you’re probs overqualified for all the retail jobs and whatever you could get. You could look into grad school shit, too.”

Lardo feels herself tearing up again. “Shits.”

Shitty shrugs like he hasn’t probably thought it over for months and mumbles, “Only if you wanna, man. It’d be pretty fucking great to have you.”

“Shut up, I’d be coming for that crazy good BU painting and sculpture MFA program,” Lardo says, meaning yes yes yes please and thank you.

“Got your back, bro,” Shitty says, meaning love you.

They grin stupidly at each other for a bit over the pixelated screen. Lardo’s still wrapped up in a hoodie, spit-filled decaying rice for dinner, head pulsing with crying and her face itchy with tears and it’s all still unclear as fuck but at least there’s something now. The beginnings of a plan. Lardo still can’t believe sometimes that she really gets to date her best friend, they’re really doing this and it’s as good as she’d ever hoped. It seems stupid now to think she had to go this alone, when Shitty’s sitting with her after a long as fuck day and giving her a reality check.

“God, I wish we could make out now,” she says because sure, romance, but God she wishes they could make out now.

“Oh fuck, me too,” Shitty says, expression still concerned and she knows he’s probs going to be carrying some guilt about not noticing she was feeling bad and he’ll crack the closer to deadlines they get but she’ll have his back too when it all gets too much for him. “When are you visiting again?” he asks.

Lardo pulls out her calendar from her desk of crap and for once the circled graduation day, still some rows down, doesn’t make her feel quite as much tight, sucking anxiety. Her and Shits compare their schedules and she breathes easy.

#check please fic #shitty x lardo #my writing #sorry again hope this is ok to do!!

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safestsephiroth · 7 years

Text

1: The Robbery

They were waiting by the plunger for the explosives they’d rigged to the train’s tracks, hiding in tall brush a half malm up the way. The trees on either side of them were filled with cicadas screeching in the ear-splitting manner only cicadas are capable of. They’d been waiting for several hours, evening slipping into night, with the stars and the moons looking down on them. Ostensibly, they were keeping an ear out for the incoming train. But eventually, Baram grew bored, and when Baram was bored he inevitably started talking.

“What’re you gonna do with your share of the money, Clyde? Invest it in some kind of business? Be a big responsible adult?”

Clyde Arrowny looked up at his friend’s snaggletoothed grin. Baram was a year older than him, at 20, but Clyde had always been the more responsible of the two.

“No. I’m going to take half of my half and get it to the Doman Resistance.”

“Stealing from the Garleans isn’t enough on its own, eh? Gotta pay to bring ‘em down, too?”

“It’s the right thing to do. Besides, it’s not like I’ll need all the cash where I’m going.”

“Oh, look at the big man!” Baram grinned again. “Going off on his own, gonna move too far up in the world to stick with his brother-in-arms!”

“That’s not what I meant. You’re welcome to come with me.”

“Well that depends. Are you headed for Eorzea?”

Clyde frowned. “Why Eorzea?”

“That’s where I’ll be. First I’m gonna go to Thavnair, word is they’ve got fine clothes, finer wines and the finest women in the world.” Clyde rolled his eyes, but Baram pretended not to notice and kept going. “Then I’m headed for Gyr Abania, a beautiful mountainous place. Bit too many Garleans, though, so I won’t stay long before I head to the Gods’ Forest. They’re not very friendly, supposedly, but enough cash and anyone’ll be your friend. Once I’m sick of nature, I’ll head to Ishgard and laugh at their religion. Then I’ll run all the way to Thanalan, buy exotic goods in the markets, sample exotic foods in the restaurants, live like a king for awhile. Once I’m done there, I’ll head for the isle of La Noscea, where I can hang out with rogues and swashbucklers and heroes like us. Then? Then I’ll probably go off into the La Noscean woods and build a nice little cabin for myself, maybe buy some books and hole up with just me and the woods and maybe some locals to trade with. And then I can write a book about all my adventures. How’s that sound? Wanna come with me?”

Baram’s grin was the most sincere Clyde had ever seen it. He could see dreams and joy in his friend’s eyes. He opened his mouth to speak when a train’s horn sounded in the distance. “There it is, Clyde!”

Clyde sat up, fastened his sword’s scabbard to his belt, and pulled his mask up over the lower half of his face.

“Ready, Baram?”

Baram rested his hands atop the plunger’s handle.

“Ready!”

“GO!”

Baram slammed the plunger down just as the train crossed over the explosives.

-------------------------

The explosion rocked the earth for malms, and the earth-shattering impact of the train crashing off the rails and skidding forward across the earth, smashing trees in its wake, was enough to rattle Clyde’s teeth so hard he wondered if they were going to fall out. When the carnage had slowed to a standstill, he picked up the wooden ladder one-handed and rushed for the train, while Baram set about calming their horses and getting them ready for the task to come.

Clyde sprinted for the third train car, which was completely on its side, and threw the ladder against it. He practically flew up the ladder, putting his weeks of practice to good use, and slammed a small explosive charge on the side of the car. He lit the fuse and jumped back down, landing just as the explosive blasted open the train car. He went up the ladder again and finally got eyes on the car’s contents:

It was packed, floor to ceiling, with gold bricks.

Just like his source had said it would be.

He started throwing gold, one brick at a time, out of the car and onto the ground behind him, keeping a mental count of his total. Outside the train, he heard Baram ready one of the horses.

“Keep ‘em comin’, brother!” Baram yelled. Clyde didn’t need to be told twice. The gold was heavy but the knowledge of just how rich they were going to be kept him going until he’d emptied out as much as they’d agreed upon in advance, as much as the horses would be able to carry along with them. His task completed, he climbed out of the car and took the ladder back down. Baram had almost finished packing the gold into the two horses’ saddlebags.

“We did it, Clyde!”

“We did it,” Clyde agreed. Baram raised his hand for a high-five. The instant Clyde’s hand connected with his friend’s, he heard a loud CRACK in the distance, and Baram hit the ground. The horses started to take off, Clyde desperately grabbing for his horse’s reins and only managing to rip off a saddlebag filled with gold. He dove over it, clinging to his and Baram’s dreams, as more CRACKS filled the air and sparks flew from the metal around them. Clyde could make out brief flashes of light towards the back of the train, each a second or so before the sounds reached his ears.

“They’re...they’re shooting at us, Clyde.” Baram coughed.

“They’re shooting at us,” Clyde confirmed. “And we lost our horses.”

“Can’t trust the damned things. We can run out of here. Right, Clyde?” Clyde turned to look at Baram. His friend was bleeding from his left calf. Baram tried to stand and fell back down. “I think I sprained my ankle.”

“You got shot in the leg.”

“Well I’ll be damned. I did. It’s just a nick, no big deal.”

“We’ve gotta go, Baram. I’ll help you.”

“Damned right you will! Tell me you got some of the gold.”

“I got one of the saddlebags.”

“That’ll be...what, forty bricks? Thirty?”

“You tell me, you loaded them.”

“That’ll be enough to get us around Eorzea, living like kings ‘til we settle down and write our book.”

“Get up, you idiot.” Clyde helped his friend stand and let him wrap his arm over his shoulder to keep his weight off his leg. He tried to lift the fallen saddlebag with his other hand.

It was much, much too heavy.

“I can’t lift the bag, Baram.” More flashes, more bullets headed their way. “What do we do? We can’t just leave it all.”

“Take a few bricks, that’ll get us to Eorzea.”

“What’s with you and going to Eorzea?”

“After blowing up a Garlean military transport train escorting a ton of loot they stole from Doma, do you really think there’s anywhere we can hide under their jurisdiction?”

“You make a good point. But why not-”

Baram was rocked by another impact, and went limp, falling to the ground again.

“Baram?!” Clyde checked his friend for injuries. Baram was bleeding through his shirt this time. “FUCK!” He took a single brick out of the bag and pocketed it, hauled Baram over his shoulder and took off running into the woods. A bullet tore across his scalp, cutting a gash through his hairline, but he kept running until he couldn’t run anymore, finally setting down next to a fallen tree. He put Baram down and immediately tore open his friend’s shirt, getting a good look at the wound for the first time.

It was bad. Baram had taken a bullet to the gut. Clyde didn’t know how to fix that. He took a handkerchief from his pack and forced it against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Baram screamed.

“God damn, Clyde, not so hard.”

“I’m stopping the bleeding, you idiot.”

“I can’t believe they shot me! Did you get the gold?”

“I got one brick.”

“That’ll get us to-”

“I heard a scream to the east, sir!” An unfamiliar voice shouted.

“Fan out!” A commanding voice responded. “Find the bastards, and make sure they don’t live long enough to be taken prisoner. Make them pay for what they’ve done. The Emperor wills it!”

“Shit,” Baram muttered. “I don’t think we’re gonna make it out of this one, Clyde.”

“We’re gonna make it, Baram. We’re gonna go to Eorzea.” His friend’s face was starting to get unnaturally white. Panic was rising in Clyde’s voice. “We’re gonna go to the Gods’ Desert or La Nocho or whatever, and-”

“Listen, Clyde,” Baram whispered. “Just listen.”

“What is it?” Clyde asked, leaning close. Baram was shivering, his teeth chattering.

“There’s no sense in both of us dying. Go on without me.”

“I can’t leave you. We’re supposed to look out for each other.” Clyde didn’t care about the tears streaming down his face. Maybe he didn’t notice them. “We’ve always-”

“Don’t make me watch you die as the last thing I do, Clyde. Come on. Don’t do that to me.”

“God damnit, Baram! God damnit!”

“Go on.” Clyde clenched his teeth, shaking his head.

“I can’t.”

“For fuck’s sake, Clyde-”

“I see them!” Another flash, and Clyde’s arm was burning. He felt something hot on his shoulder. He saw Baram’s face twist in rage, and his friend fought his way to his feet, yelling out the word “RUN!” before another volley of bullets tore him apart. Baram hit the ground for the last time, and seeing his friend die flipped a switch in Clyde’s brain.

He ran. He took a bullet to his hand and he kept running. He got shot through the hip and he kept running. A bullet caught his ear and he kept running.

He ran and he ran, the woods flying past him. He stumbled on loose rocks, tripped over brush, tore his clothing on branches and thorny plants. He made it to a small river, made it halfway across before his body gave out and he fell.

-------------------------

When he woke up, he was in a small hut, covered in a thick blanket and he felt that he would freeze to death. He was lying on some kind of soft mat with a thin pillow under his head. After struggling to move for a few moments, he gave up and resigned himself to studying his surroundings. There were strange paintings on the walls of a sort he’d never seen before, done with black ink and colorful paints. There was a small shrine in the corner with incense burning. It made his sinuses burn. He sneezed. He heard footsteps outside, then the thin wall slid open on some sort of track. A woman walked in, wearing a colorful robe. She said something Clyde didn’t understand, speaking far faster than he was used to.

“Sorry, I don’t...understand you.” The woman gave him a blank expression, then walked away. Faced at the prospect of being alone again, Clyde called out. “Wait, don’t go!”

But she was already gone.

He sighed and examined the ceiling. It was dark, and on it he saw Baram’s death play out again and again. He heard birds chirping outside somewhere. Then someone spoke, someone he hadn’t heard approaching.

“Do you understand me?” At least it was in his language, though the man speaking - it sounded like an old man, at least - had a very thick accent of some kind.

“I do.”

“You arrived in our river. My daughter found you when she was getting water. She carried you here. Fixed your wounds. They were quite bad. You’ve been asleep for five days.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

“You had a gold bar that came from the tithes paid to the Garleans.”

“Yeah.”

“You attacked them.”

Clyde winced. He considered lying, but even if he could think up something convincing it felt wrong lying to the people who’d saved his life. “Yeah, I did. My friend and I. He’s dead.”

“This is very serious.”

“Really. You sure?”

“Yes. It is.”

Apparently he doesn’t understand sarcasm. “Okay. Now what?”

“Now we decide what to do with you. What do you do?”

Clyde thought back to his childhood with Baram, through his adolescence, through his teenage years. All he’d ever done was steal, fight and sneak into places he shouldn’t be.

“I’m a ne’er-do-well.”

“I do not understand this word.”

“A criminal. A bad guy. I steal. I fight people. I rob Garleans. I break into Garlean homes and steal their jewelry and sell it for cash. I give some of the money to people who can’t make any so I can pretend I’m a good guy. But I’m not.”

There was a long pause. For a moment, Clyde wondered if the man had left again. But then he spoke.

“You have dealt a serious harm to the Garleans. You have hurt them greatly. If you will learn our language, and if you will learn our ways, you may stay. You may join us. It will be difficult. Ours is not an easy way. But it is an honorable way. A good way. A strong way. We do what is right. We sneak. We hide. When necessary, we kill.”

“Who are you guys, exactly?”

Clyde heard the old man’s lips part into a wide grin.

“We are Shinobi.”

@red-dlai

#Clyde Arrowny #ffxiv rp #shadows of othard

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nachiroux · 7 years

Text

so i wrote up a review/rambling about persona 5

you can either read it [here on twitlonger] or you can read it placed underneath the read more cause its super long and i dont want to make your dashboards gigantic

Persona 5: My Thoughts since it has been consuming my soul for the past few weeks, I thought it was about time I wrote up my thoughts proper on Persona 5 and not just some weird half sentence that I garbled at the bottom of the ocean. i'm not really formatting this much it's gonna be a lot of rambling and a bit scattershot but please bear with me. lets do this in categories and then an overall, shall we GAMEPLAY, THE BATTLE PART: How You Gonna Shoot With A Toy Gun the gameplay of Persona 5 is, well, incredible. it takes the one more system used since Persona 3 and refines it to an absurd degree. while the weaknesses of shadows still kind of don't make sense at all and the guessing game aspect of battles remains, everything else has been improved. battles are really, really fast and super satisfying. attacks look good and snappy, and nothing feels like it's dragging too long. but what Persona 5 adds to this mix that really puts it over the edge is demon negotiation. not only does it bring some of the most interesting aspects from Shin Megami Tensei proper into Persona (using your enemies as your new strength), it also gives a lot more value and strategy to knocking dudes down. in P3 and P4 your party members would ask "hey we gonna all out attack fam" and there was never really a time you would say no because, why? but in P5, a full knockdown results in a holdup, where you can extract money, items, or the demon itself as a persona out of the mix, as well as being able to just do an all out attack. this is F A N T A S T I C. it enhances a lot of aspects of the battle system, and really makes hitting weaknesses and figuring out what to do more satisfying. and as the icing on the cake, P5 added the baton pass system to battles, making them even more fluid and satisfying. in short, it lets one character, after hitting a weakness, pass their extra turn to another character, while boosting their stats for that attack. it allows for a lot more strategy and creativity, where your whole team can contribute. some of the most fun I've had with turn based battles. GAMEPLAY, THE RUNNING PART: I Gotta Have Me A Good Steal one of the more lackluster portions of Persona games was wandering around in dungeons, whether it be a giant tower to the moon or some bathhouse. outside of visual elements, they all bled together. floors were randomly generated to some extent, and you just wandered around, grabbing some items and fighting shadows that randomly spawn. it was serviceable, but nothing spectacular. P5 takes this and cranks everything up to 11 million. proper dungeons are now actually designed experiences, with shadows and layouts specifically made for each dungeon. every dungeon has its own mechanics and style that plays up the unique aspects of the person whose heart you're traipsing around on. but the biggest change is the way your character moves. with a full stealth system that's a blast to use, jumping from hiding spot to hiding spot, a lot of P5's dungeons are somewhat stealth oriented. being seen by shadows raises security and makes things harder, and if you're seen too much you gotta bail. but through ambushing enemies, you can undo the security raises of your mistakes, while also getting the huge advantages of an ambush. as well, being able to climb around the environment, jumping up walls and flipping around just feels and looks great. god damn. and just in case you really miss those randomized dungeons, don't worry! there's a fun and not too long randomized dungeon a la tartarus/midnight channel in the game too! GAMEPLAY, EVERYWHERE ELSE: I Can't Believe This Is Three Parts. Jeez here's where persona 5 doesn't make astronomical leaps and bounds forwards, but just some nice improvements. outside of dungeons/battle P5 follows the Persona formula. everything's on a timetable, and you can do one (1) thing in the day and one (1) thing in the evening, except if you A: are in a story event where for some reason your free time goes missing B: go to a dungeon and can't hire your teacher to give you a massage C: your cat says you're sleepy the overworld of P5 and the various locales in it are pretty interesting and fun to walk around in, but there's a lot of areas that exist solely for hanging out with confidants. if you just play properly though you really don't get much to any use out of them, and that's kind of disappointing for me. I wanted to visit more zones but what we have is very memorable. what P5 adds to the formula is the various boons granted by confidants, most notably Temperance (which you should really max ASAP that's a pro-tip) that will change certain things in daily life and in dungeons, but we'll get to that part later. from giving you access to more jobs, to allowing you more free time in class, to unlocking more fortune telling options, there's a lot of stuff to do. P5 also has a small selection of minigames to pass the time, from B A S E B A L L to F I S H I N G to C R O S S W O R D S and more. what's nifty is each minigame also can serve a practical purpose and raise social stats but we'll get there. the map showing you if confidants will rank up or not is nice, and fast travel is very generous in this game. not much else to say here. I don't get lost so that's nice SOCIALIZING: Who Taught You ___, Nasty Crime Boy ah.... confidants. aka social links, they're the meat of the non-dungeon crawling experience of P5. like in previous games, most major story characters that aren't complete scum or trying to kill you will have confidants, with ranks 1-10. this is where the visual novel/dating sim components show up, and there's not a ton to say here so i'll keep my rambling down to a minimum. each confidant has their own little side story that you partake in when they're free, where you read and then give answers when prompted. it can go as menial as "hey wanna go eat ramen" to "please come with me to help me save a little girl's life." based on your answers, you get points towards the next link. this game does something nifty where when you get points (1-3 notes) there will be a little additional uh, graphic and sound that plays that's kinda subtle but tells you that you have enough points to immediately rank them up again. that's a really good addition. you can romance people too, and you can romance EVERY girl in the game. who cares how much older than you they are just do it loser (don't actually) but here's where confidants change a lot in p5 from past things. in P3 they kinda were just to fuse hot personas, while in P4 they were mainly for that but also unlocked some abilities, but not a ton. mainly party members. in P5, every confidant gives several abilities that will greatly enhance your experience with the game and make your character grow a lot stronger. from giving party members the ability to endure blows and baton pass, as well as recover from ailments, to the even more absurd non party member abilities. some confidants let you swap party members in battle, allow you to breeze through negotiation, get double money, reduce security levels, buy and modify weapons, get free time in class, read fortunes and get bonuses based on that, and so on. this makes (nearly) every confidant not just useful on a "hey man i wanna fuse a good persona" level, it makes them invaluable to your characters growth. it makes the visual novel part much more important, and more enjoyable. plus they're (nearly) all fantastic little stories that flesh out each character and the world around you. lastly and real fast, most confidants will give you a mission to go complete in the other dungeon, mementos, in order to help them through their struggles and advance their story. these minibosses give out a lot of good money, items, and exp, as well as being a fun part of the story and something else to do in mementos. it's neat. oh yeah and confidants are now no longer on such a rigorous schedule like previous games, and a lot more accessible and free flowing. its nice SOCIAL STATS: Eating A Burger Made Me The Perfect Man i'm devoting a whole section to this. buckle up kids. P5 has 5 social stats, knowledge, guts, proficiency, kindness, and charm. each of them has 5 levels of progression. (you start at 1). some stats, like proficiency, give tangible boosts. however, almost all social stats are progressed solely for the sake of starting and advancing confidants. you need X level knowledge to start Y confidant, you need X level proficency to advance Y confidant at rank Z, and so on. raising social stats is accomplished through various overworld activities and whatever, and take up time. however, in order to max all confidants, and most of them honestly, you're going to need rank 5 in every social stat. sure, fine, its a conscious design decision. here are my complaints, notarized 1: first time through, it's not communicated well what activity boosts what, but more importantly how MUCH each activity boosts a stat. 2: while you can check what stage each social stat is at, there is no way to tell how much you've progressed to the next rank. just pour it in and pray. 3: some stats (KINDNESS) are very difficult to raise optimally as they may require rng events to give you the full 3 note boost as opposed to 2 notes. 4: some confidants give you social stats which WOULD be good but they only give you them on rank up. outta here w/that without prior knowledge, your first month or two of P5 is gonna be filled with poor scheduling decisions because how could you know that X activity is actually terrible for raising the stat you want? and since it takes up time (usually an evening slot), it really hurts your confidants overall. with good decisions and scheduling, you can actually max confidant (minus autos that will just progress through plot) with nearly a month to spare, but that waste and sufffering of the start may make you miss out on several confidants. it's a good idea, but still needs work and feels really cheap sometimes. (WHY DO I NEED 5 PROFICIENCY TO HELP A GIRL GARDEN WHAT THE FU) PLOT: Ya'll Wanna Read Some Anime this will be much lighter than the rest because I don't wanna spoil the plot so here's very broad strokes. the plot of Persona 5, overall, is very compelling and enjoyable. it's not perfect by any means, and has its dips in quality (anyone want a burger), but I enjoyed pretty much the whole thing. we'll get into characters separately BUT i found the narrative to be much more engaging than Persona 4 and as compelling as Persona 3. it's much darker than P4, but still maintains moments of levity and fun, even when dealing with serious issues. its take on rebellion, the subconscious, and shadows are all very enjoyable. it does suffer from a few frankly stupid conflicts between party members to build ~drama,~ but 99% of the time interactions between the characters and the world around them are wonderful. a real sense of camaraderie and friendship between the cast is evident and helps shape the narrative. it does suffer from a bit of "wow some of these kids are stupid/lack common sense" but its nowhere to the severity of Persona 4's "gee who is that on the tv gotta wait a week to find out" style stupidity to keep the plot rolling and not solve things instantly, but it will occasionally hit that type of thing. but that's a nitpick as it happens infrequently. to try and not spoil anything, the ending arc does suffer from a bit of P4 syndrome too wherein the last and true conflict kind of comes out of nowhere, but less so this time. it's still something I'll say is a minor problem, but the actual writing and gameplay/moments of the final arc ultimately redeem that. on replay you can see SOME hints but it's not built up enough In My Onion. hope i didnt spoil anything lets move on CHARACTERS: I Was Gonna Type Waifu Wars And Then Jesus Wept again, I will attempt to dance around spoilers here. I feel like the characters of P5, with how much emphasis is placed upon your bonds with them and the existence of the confidant system, deserve their own little writeup. with two exceptions I love every single major character/confidant in the game. one of them has their character arc go up in flames for a bit to stir up ~drama~ but ultimately regains its footing by the end, while the other just sucks. some confidants may be a bit slow to start (DEVIL) but by the end of each confidant i was very attached to each character, and was utterly charmed by them. the main cast are all extremely charming with full-ish character arcs approaching p3 level. in fact, one of my favorite smaller details in the game is the small conversations characters have while driving around in mementos. the writing and character banter is well written and charming, with characters all having their own distinct personality and vibe. this helps the school life portions of the game a LOT, as now school trips and various other events where in other games I cursed them for stealing my free time (mainly p4 but p3 has a few), they're snappy and fun. there's some anime thrown in there so if you can't stand a bit of melodrama and long winded rambling, then some things might not land as much for you as they did for me, but I feel that P5's characters have something for everyone. no matter who you are, you're going to love at least ONE of the many confidants available. ART/SOUND: I Have Listened To Whims Of Fate Over 100 Times And Don't Plan To Stop I'm no art critic and I'm not gonna pretend to be one so I'll keep this short. the art design in P5 is some of the best, if not the best I've ever seen, at least for my tastes. every little aspect of this game is incredibly stylized, from the more dramatic like all out attack finishers, to even the simple things like menus. everything is positively BURSTING with style and personality, all while functioning as a slick and fun interface. and I mean everything. even the text boxes. if you haven't played it, just look up the all out attack compilation. or look at screenshots of the menus. it's really hard to put into words just how happy it makes me. the color scheme of red, black, and white also reminds me a lot of persona 2 and i love you p2 please remake p2 as one complete game package atlus finally, the music. every single persona game (and nearly every megaten game) has a fantastic soundtrack, and this one is no exception. honestly? just go listen to it and see for yourself. the vibe/aesthetic they chose for P5 is one that I don't really have the ability to describe for I am an uncultured fool who plays games all the time, but it is SO good. while I still prefer the P3 soundtrack mainly due to bias, the p5 soundtrack is one of the most solid overall soundtracks in any game. to add to this, the sound DESIGN of p5 is also phenomenal. music changing with the weather, small details of adding instrumentation to a song over time and progression, and the use of leitmotif all really sell the game. the vocals still have a bit of "yeah thats a non native speaker singing english" but the songs are so good and the singing is so good anyways that it doesn't really matter. because its fun here's my p5 song ranking 1: whims of fate 2: with the stars and us 3: nothingness...? 4: days when my mother was there 5: life goes on/rivers in the desert 6: theyre all so good help OVERALL: I Am Erect in summation, this game is really, really, REALLY good. i'll wait for the dust to settle in my soul to rank it properly, but this is easily one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had in a video game. the best Persona game easily, and possibly the best SMT/Megaten game as well. this may sound like hyperbole but this game is genuinely everything I've wanted out of an RPG. atlus is really knocking it out of the park lately with SMT4: Apocalypse being one of the best RPGs ever made and now this. i cannot recommend it enough. even if you usually don't enjoy turn based RPGs I still recommend giving it a try. I usually hate visual novels, and I enjoyed every second of my tons of reading. just be warned, this is a longass game. my first playthrough took around 70 hours, and I generally get through games faster than most. ng+ is fun too to send this ridiculously long thing off, I will now proceed to list my top 10 characters of P5 because I love lists. 0-BIAS: Takemi 1: Futaba 2: Sae 3: Sojiro 4: Makoto 5: Yusuke 6: Iwai 7: Chihaya 8: Morgana 9: Hifumi 10: Kawakami GORO AKECHI: Goro Akechi THE WORST ONE: Shinya tl;dr: Persona 5 is one of the greatest games ever made and it made me feel alive thanks for reading everyone, and as a sinful man once said; "Please don't troll me online."

#boy howdy this is long #slam with the best or jam with the rest

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tinylivinginmaine-blog · 5 years

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The renovations

So at this point I've paid my dad back for the camper and we pay his mom 300 a month to help with what we use, we also put the cable and internet in Trav's name since he wanted better internet and we pay that. Other then that it's really just our phones, food and propane. Our first winter here we were going through a 40lb tank of propane about every 4 days as it warmed up that became every 2 weeks and eventually we got to about a month. So we decide it's time to start saving. Hahaha!

First our battery just died on us and we didn't understand why. My mom and stepdad who are full time RVers were around and so I asked for a ride and some help picking out the right 1 and so step-dad to the rescue not only did he help me he bought the battery for us. Said it was a gift.

But 3 days later the lights go really dim and then they just shut off now we have none of the things that run off the 12 volt batter. Every one is originally stumped. So Trav asks his boss "Any way we could borrow that battery charger at shop?" He brought it right out to us and told us to just keep it.

Then my Dad says maybe it's the power converter. So we look it up on Amazon. One of my favorite inventions of all time by the way. And we found one the same size and everything and we order it. A few days later it comes in only when we hook it up it starts blowing fuses. Now we are obviously thinking ok we got a defected one. So we sent it back and had they sent us a new one. This time I'm not screwing this up, I had my dad come over and he hooked it up and still it blew every fuse he tried in it. His suggestion is maybe we needed the next size up so again we sent it back and ordered the bigger one this time. Still when it came in it had the same problems happened. We sent it back for a full refund and that battery charger is still hooked up.

Next we got mice. I really don't like rodents so this was a huge problem for me. After killing a few that were just chilling on my counter my step-mom gave us some steel wool to block them out and then we just had to get the rest of them. It took us a few days but we eventually got them all

Now we were seriously talking about turning this from a camper to a tiny home. We had decided that the roof was not worth fixing without ripping it off and starting over. We also had found that there was quite a bit of water damage throughout the walls as well. We started designing our new home. We used a design tool on the computer and started making different layouts. This was a process since we have very specific wants and needs.

So just before Thanksgiving our fridge stopped working. Nothing was cold and we lost a lot of food. We decided right away we wanted to do away with the gas fridge and go completely electric. We tried looking at our local home depot but they just didn't have one with the dimensions we needed. So next we hit Amazon and they not only had 1 that would fit in the hole that was left from removing the old one, but they 1 that was affordable. The fridge took a few weeks to get here so being November in Maine we put our food into coolers and stuck them in the little bit of snow we had, we even stuck the snow inside as the ice.

Now most people this would have discouraged them from cooking a thanksgiving dinner, but not this girl! We had to use his mom's fridge for a few things, but we planned on sharing with them too. I made a chicken since we couldn't fit a turkey in our camper oven. The little man even helped make dinner, he mashed the potatoes and squash. He also made the chocolate pie. One of Travis brothers came out and ate our dinner with us. This is when we realized how small the dinette table actually was. We ended with all of us bringing the rest of the dinner inside and waited for them to eat then it was pie time. Little man was so excited to share his pie he even served each person telling them "I made it I hope you like it!"

The new fridge got here a few weeks later. Travis had already covered the hole where the gas line came in, so all he needed to do was slide it in place. When they removed the old fridge he had to ask a friend to help him it was so heavy, but the new one he carried from the delivery truck into our house by himself. I had to help guide him into the hole but he did all the heavy lifting. It was a few inches shorter than the old one so he took a piece of board, that we had kept from demo in the boy's room, and cover the hole so it looks better.

It was about this time that his dad sent him some computer parts so he built me my own mini gaming computer. He built a shelf on the wall at the end of the bed, and that was my desk. Sure the parts were the older ones but I don't game as much as them, and his dad even got me the Mini case.

At this point we were trying to find ways to save some money so we bought 2 little space heaters so we wouldn't have to run the propane furnace so much. Only we quickly realized our room had no space to put a heater and so it was hard to keep it warm.

So after some major discussions we decided we didn't really need the wall between our room and the living space. Little man has a door on his room so if we need privacy while he's with us we can always shut his door. But, this caused a whole other problem for us. How do we both get a desk in this tiny space? We took a ton of measurements and settled on the dinette set was going. But now what do we do for a table? Neither of us want little man eating at the desk with the computers. That just seemed like a recipie for disaster. The solution was Amazon. We found a table the perfect size for what we needed and had space for all we had to do was get that wall out and it will go over the furnace.

As for the desk there was no buying a typical desk. We have specific wants and needs that most people just don't. So we decided to build it. We knew two things building this: 1 it needed to fit in the space we already have, and 2 it was going to be the first piece of furniture for our new home. For a tiny home our desk is HUGE. We decided to fill the space we had and to rearrange our plans around our new desk. I sketched up some plans for the desk. We took out the dinette table to get the exact measurements.

We figured out what we were gonna make it out of and priced it all out. I then asked my dad for a hand since he's our truck guy. And after telling him and showing him the plan he says I got the 2×2's you need. And some 2×4's too so while I was over with my kids we loaded up his truck and after picking up Travis we headed to home depot. We got the hard plywood with a smooth finish for the top and had them cut the dimension we needed right there. We took the extra wood home with us too but we knew that cut would be a bit more difficult. The top of the desk was cut to 74"×30". It's smaller than 2 desks but it is a huge desk for a tiny home. We also were able to get a battery operated drill and skill saw set that were on sale. So now we had our first set of power tools. Yes all our other projects have been done with hand tools and a borrowed drill.

When we got back home my dad helped us take the wall down since I really can't do it. And we moved the cabinet that was on that wall to the outside wall because we can't afford to loose storage. The next morning we started on the desk I designed it so we would have a shelf underneath on 1 side for extra shoe space. And so I got to measuring and marking all the spots to cut and he started cutting. Now this is where we found out something I never knew before. 2×2's like to warp so we had to be careful to use the straightest parts but once we had them all cut out it was assembly time. We even used up most of the board we had bought. I grabbed some sandpaper and started sanding down the edges and even rounded off the corners just a bit. I mean we do have a very active 5 year old boy here so sharp corners seems a bit dangerous. Unfortunately it being winter we have to wait to stain it but with my birthday coming up we used some of my birthday money to buy me an oversized mouse pad and so now we have 2 of them side by side protecting most of the surface.

We also decided to get a bigger better heater so we wouldn't have to use the furnace at all. And it's a real good thing we did. We found an awesome woodstove looking electric heater on Amazon that was rated for much more space then the other ones we had. 2 days before it got here though the electrical really screwed up and we lost our thermostat. The hardest part of living in here has been the electrical slowly going. But this heater heats the whole camper no problem. And now we are just waiting on our new table to get here tomorrow.

We have redone our design for the new tiny home to fit around our new furniture and with the removal of the wall we have decided we are gonna keep the open concept in the new home. With the little man in the loft over our bed we are thinking a curtain is way better than a wall. And it will leave our home feeling so much bigger.

Oh man, I can't wait! I'll be adding pictures of the camper from the beginning up to the newest changes very soon just need to put them all together some are on different devices.

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spiderfan22 · 7 years

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DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHT - 4/20/17

“IF YOU DRINK AND DRIVE, DON’T SMOKE (SCENE 5)” by DJS

Next scene in the old men play. Where things take a turn for the better... and the worst.

Scene 5 – The Driving Range.

Herschel and Bob are hitting golf balls off astroturf mats. They share a large bucket of balls.

Bob’s ball keeps falling off his tee.

HERSCHEL Good thing you brought your clubs, Bob.

BOB Yep. I thought it was just a cover so May wouldn’t get suspicious, because you fellas told me what we’d really be doing. Always nice when a lie works out, isn’t it? I mean becomes the truth? Makes the telling easier.

HERSCHEL Well it wasn’t on the original itinerary, but Clyde thinks he’s got a connection.

Just the sound of whacking balls for a moment

I don’t know. Would you say you lie to your life a lot?

BOB Nooo. Not much occasion to these days.

HERSCHEL How bout when you were younger?

BOB Oh sure then, all the time.

HERSCHEL Big stuff, little stuff?

BOB Oh I ran the gamut. Lying was like my first instinct on all sorts of things. Had I taken out the trash yet. Had I washed the car. Did I remember to give the kids a bath. Where was on Saturday night, was I really at the card game. Did I drop off her dress at the drycleaners. Lying was second nature to me – as I’m positive it is for most men – even if the consequences would be relatively minor.

What about you?

HERSCHEL Well, I always tried to be honest…

BOB But?

HERSCHEL But of course not. Of course I told whopper after whopper – tried to get away with everything I could wasn’t easily checkable for verifiable.

BOB Ever cheat on her though?

HERSCHEL Did I ever cheat on Leslie?

No. Not till today.

Naturally, I could never stop myself from looking – I mean I thought about it. Even had the chance pop up once or twice. Business trips, conferences, that sort of thing.

A pause

BOB I did.

HERSCHEL You? You cheated on May? For real?

BOB Had to be, I don’t know, half a dozen times over the course of our marriage. Plus this couple year affair with one of my checkout girls at the Safeway.

HERSCHEL And she never found out?

BOB Nope. Though she came close one time. Found a pair of panties in the backseat of the car. But I told her they were a Valentine’s Day gift for her – that we should spice things up. That I’d lost the bag.

HERSCHEL You sly dog. Why didn’t you ever tell me? Did you tell Clyde?

BOB This was in the early years of our marriage – no – where you’d think everything would be all blissful and we’d be fucking like rabbits. And the funny thing was we were like that, but that just made me more horny, you know? I figured having kids would set me straight, but…

HERSCHEL Grandkids were what finally did it for me.

BOB What? I thought you said you never –

HERSCHEL Not talking about that, not talking about cheating.

Booze.

BOB Oh yeah, right. I remember there was a time, a period of what, five years...?

HERSCHEL More like ten but who’s counting.

BOB Yeah, where you were just – where it’d be weird if you didn’t have a drink in your hand. Best example I can think of is the time you pissed yourself out on the back nine during that trip to Palm Springs.

HERSCHEL Do you have to bring that up?

BOB Hey you opened Pandora’s bag.

HERSCHEL Box.

BOB What?

HERSCHEL It’s box. Pandora’s Box.

BOB Oh.

HERSCHEL You always were a shit for brains, you know that?

BOB Well we all can’t be valedictorian like you Herschel. Not that you ever did anything with it, all that learning, all those smarts. Went to U-Dub same as the rest of the graduating class of Roosevelt High School 1959 – how convenient just down the road too – when you got into fucking Yale?

HERSCHEL Drop it.

BOB No I think that deserves an explanation. I mean with all you had going for you Herschel, the scholarships, to end up a fucking accountant? Not that you haven’t found success, what with all the shrewd investments you’ve made over the years. Remember you even advised me to go in on this new company Microsoft when they were first starting out? Said they were going places and it could be a big payday down the line, but did I listen? No, I said “What the fuck is a computer and how come anyone would want one?” I’m telling you Herschel, it’s like you could predict the future. And boy was I jealous of you sometimes. When you’d go on vacation twice a year – fly to Florida or take the whole family to Europe somewhere, Italy – not just the Washington coast for a week in August like us regular Joes. But things like money, comfort, luxuries – those don’t quite make it at the end of the day do they? Don’t quite make up for squandering your God given potential.

Suddenly Herschel, who’s been like a lit fuse listening to all this, explodes. He brandishes his nine-iron at Bob, who backs up a step.

HERSCHEL FUCK YOU, BOB! FUCK YOU RIGHT IN THE ASS FOR SAYING THAT YOU PIECE OF SHIT, YOU DUMB FUCK. THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH TALKING TO ME LIKE THAT, YOU PISSANT! NOTHING BUT A SHIT FOR BRAINS NO-TALENT GROCERY STORE MANAGER! LEAST I HAD SOME POTENTIAL TO SQUANDER! WHAT DID YOU EVER HAVE HUH?! JUST THE DAY’S FUCKING RECEIPTS TO TALLY!!

BOB I LOVED MY JOB YOU SON OF A BITCH!! NOW TAKE THAT BACK ‘FORE I KNOCK YOUR FUCKING TEETH OUT!

HERSCHEL NOT TILL YOU TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID, PUSSY-BOY!!

BOB CALLING ME A PUSSY?? WHEN YOU CAN’T EVEN GET IT UP?!

HERSCHEL WHAT DID YOU SAY???

BOB YOU HEARD ME YOU LIMP DICK HAVING BASTARD. . I TOLD YOU YOU SHOULDA TOOKEN ONE OF MY –

HERSCHEL TOOKEN?? IGNORANT FUCKING BASTARD –

BOB (overlapping) YES TOOKEN – ONE OF MY PRESCRIPTION E.D. PILLS – BUT WOULD YOU LISTEN? NOOOOOOOO, NOT HERSCHEL. HIS DICK WORKS JUST FINE.

HERSCHEL THAT’S IT BOB, I’MA WRING YOUR FUCKING NECK!! TAKE YOUR DAMN HEAD OFF!!

BOB COME AT ME BRO!!!!!!!!!

By now they’re both holding their golf clubs like samurai swords. Herschel even takes a swing at Bob.

Clyde enters with a rolled up paper bag.

CLYDE Whoa! The hell’s going on here?? Hey – the both of you, quit it. Knock it off. Come on now. Hey.

He gets them separated, but they’re still fired up.

HERSCHEL Don’t talk to me. It’s this piece of shit’s fault for starting in on me.

BOB I was just asking a question, Herschel.

HERSCHEL The hell you were, Bob.

(To Clyde) He was criticizing my whole way of life – every decision I ever made and saying it was the wrong one!

CLYDE Is this true, Bob?

BOB Only sorta.

And it wasn’t a critique Herschel –

HERSCHEL Bullshit –

BOB It wasn’t. ‘Cause the point of it all: you can’t tell me you don’t feel, or have felt somewhere along the line, that you didn’t waste even just a little of that brainpower of yours and all you could have accomplished. Roads you didn’t take? Doors left unopened? And all I’m saying is it makes me personally sad. Now I dare you to look me in the eye and say I’m a liar.

Am I lying?

Beat.

HERSCHEL (quiet) No. You’re right.

But you must know it’s a sore subject for me.

BOB Of course it is, of course it is…

HERSCHEL Nobody wants to look back on their life full of regrets, thinking about, oh, about what could have been.

With tears in his eyes

And you hit the nail on the head Bob, connecting that disappointment to my drinking. The two went hand in hand. I was compensating for something – coping, or trying to at least. It’s just you get so old so fast. And there’s no turning back the clock, is there?

They stand in silent reflection on this point for a long moment.

Then there’s an abrupt change in tone.

BOB So did you get the stuff, Clyde?

CLYDE Oh I scored big time I think.

He opens the rolled up paper bag and lets them peek inside. Bob and Herschel’s eyes light up like kids on Christmas.

BOB Hot diggity-dog! You did! I don’t know anything about cocaine but that sure does look like a lot of it!

CLYDE Well it was funny, you know? The kid asked me how much I wanted –

HERSCHEL This is one of the maintenance crew guys –

CLYDE One of groundskeepers, yeah. The young Mexican kid. I forget his name, Juan or Miguel, but I remembered that time we caught him out behind the maintenance shed smoking something or other, and we knew he wasn’t making trouble just trying to blow off some steam so we didn’t report him. Well let me tell you, gentlemen, that small act of kindness paid off big time today because Juan-Miguel said he remembered me too and would be only too happy to “hook us up” as he called it with as much of the stuff as we wanted – or that he could get his hands on. So having no idea of the going rate, I asked him what a couple thousand would buy me, and I shit you not, if he didn’t almost fall over right here. Well I guess that’s a lot, I said, would he not be able to do it? No, he said he thought he knew a guy but it might take an hour for him to get there and back, could I wait – which is why it took me so long. But I’ll be damned if the little spic didn’t come through with flying colors. I mean I don’t have any basis of comparison or nothing but this is ton of cocaine, right?? Like we hit the drug fucking jackpot!

In his excitement, he opens the bag to show them again.

HERSCHEL That’s great Clyde, but let’s take it down a notch, huh? For the sake of appearances?

CLYDE (lowers voice) Oh right, right, sorry. I’m just excited.

BOB Me too.

HERSCHEL Make that three.

They laugh quietly. Then a small pause.

CLYDE So where we gonna have this little shindig? I presume you both are up for doing it now.

HERSCHEL Oh hell yes. Only I think we can rule out my place. Knowing Leslie she wouldn’t let us have a moment’s peace – always sticking her nose in where it doesn’t belong. Not that the woman doesn’t have her good points, but if she feel she’s being kept out of the loop, she’s like a pitbull after a pussy cat. Not to be deterred.

BOB Well we could do it at my house. We just got done refinishing the basement and now I got my TV room all set up. Leather couch, flatscreen. And May would leave us alone if I told her. I mean she might get curious but she knows her place well enough.

CLYDE No, it’s nice of you to offer Bob but I don’t see any point in risking it. We’ll do it at my place. No danger of wifely interruptions there. Perks of being a widower, hey?

They chuckle. Slight pause.

So I guess we should be going. No time like the present, right?

Bob gathers his golf clubs in his bag. They start out.

Hey uhh – you fellas think you might want to do just a dip real fast before we go?

HERSCHEL A dip? You mean of the –

CLYDE Yeah you know, just to get the party started like?

BOB Well I’m game.

HERSCHEL Sure, sure. As long as we’re discreet here shouldn’t be a problem.

CLYDE Gum thing’s probably best if that’s your concern…

He opens the bag. They do a quick check of the surrounding area to ensure no one is watching. Then they each dip a finger in. The men quickly bring their finger to their mouth and rub coke on their gums.

The effect is more or less instantaneous. Clyde reels.

CLYDE Jesus Christ where has this been all our lives??

HERSCHEL Y’know I think I like it even more than alcohol, the feeling it gives me?

CLYDE At least we weren’t too late. We didn’t miss it.

BOB Yeah. Good thing.

They start out again happily.

Then Clyde’s phone rings, stopping them. The men look surprised, not to mention a tad paranoid.

BOB Who’s that? Is that your phone Herschel?

HERSCHEL I turned my phone off when we went to the motel.

CLYDE (digging phone out of his pocket) It’s mine. But I don’t recognize the number…

(answers it) Hello?

Oh. Hey Sandy.

HERSCHEL Sandy? My Sandy? Izzat my daughter?

CLYDE Yeah he’s right here. I think he had his phone off was the –

Hang on, is everything alright? You sound a little spooked is all, a little frantic there.

Where?

Herschel is watching all this close and keeps putting his hand out for the phone.

Oh.

Oh yes of course you can talk to him. I’ll pass him the phone right –

You just hang in there, Sandy. It’ll be alright. Just –

No, here he is. You take care now.

Clyde hands the phone to Herschel, who moves a little away. Bob looks to Clyde, who shakes his head, troubled.

HERSCHEL Hey it’s me honey, what’s going on? Just slow down and –

Long pause, Herschel listening. We read the story on this face

And this was when?

Well who called the paramedics?

No I had my phone off I’m sorry, I don’t know why, the battery was – but is that the most important thing right now?

No I didn’t mean to yell, I’m sorry. I’m sorry honey.

No I’ll be on my way right now. Which hospital? I think you mentioned but –

Virginia Mason. Alright. I’m coming. I’ll be there. Just tell her to hold on. Wait for me.

Tell her to wait.

I love you too, honey. Yes.

The call ends. Herschel frozen. Clyde and Bob wait.

Long moment.

Then he turns to them gravely.

Well fuck.

To be continued...

#IF YOU DRINK AND DRIVE #DON'T SMOKE #old men #safeway #regrets #driving range #golf #the call #drug humor

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