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lilblog-asatreat · 3 years

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Prompt: Woman with ice-blue hair; fanciful; temple

(Prompt from Roll-A-Prompt Writing Journal Boxed Set)

Lup stood facing a full body mirror and admired her reflection. The main part of her hair was done up in a high bun with the hair on the sides of her head let loose and cascading down her shoulders. The sleeves of her dress hung off her shoulders, and the body of it hugged her nicely down to the waist where it fanned out and trailed behind her. It was colored with bright reds, oranges, and yellows, and when Lup spun around in it, it glowed as if the dress itself was made of fire.

It was the most beautiful dress ever crafted, and it was made for her specifically for this very day. This very moment. Lup had never felt so awe strikingly beautiful.

There was a knock on the door, and then Taako entered the room, wearing a cinnamon colored suit with black sequins. He stopped for a second to take in Lup's appearance. He started to tear up, but he cleared his throat and closed the door behind him.

"Is it time?" Lup asked.

Taako nodded. "You look beautiful."

Lup smiled and turned to look at herself in the mirror again. "I feel beautiful. I mean, more so than usual." She laughed a little and grabbed a tissue to dab at her eyes. She can't cry yet. She hadn't even walked down the aisle.

Taako moved to stand next to her. "It's been one hell of a journey to make it to where we are today, hasn't it?"

"I'll say." Lup turned to look at him. "Taako, I-... I never thought I'd make it this far. I mean, I hoped and dreamed and I talked about having future plans when we were kids because I needed our lives to mean something and to feel like we'd eventually find a way to do more than survive, but this... I never I thought I'd find someone, Taako. I never thought I'd find someone who I'd want to share the rest of my life with and who'd want to do the same with me, and now I have, and I'm going to, and I have to thank you so much for that."

Taako raised an eyebrow. "Thank me? For what? You picked him out yourself, homie. Unless you mean thanking me for putting up with your whining and complaining that 'he doesn't love me in that way' and 'I don't want to ruin things with him by talking to him about it' for decades when I told you point blank that he told me the exact same things about you."

Lup laughed. "Yes, thank you for that, but also... I wouldn't have gotten into the Institute without you. I wouldn't have gone on this mission and met him without you. You're my one constant in my life, and I want to thank you for that."

Taako blinked and looked away. "Thank you for being my one constant too." He said thickly.

Lup gave him a hug, and he hugged her back. "I love you."

"I love you too."

They stayed like that for a moment before Lup pulled away to place her red veil delicately on her head.

Taako cleared his throat again, wiped his eyes, and walked back to the door. "Ready?" He asked with his hand on the handle.

Lup smiled. "Ready."

The guests in the pews stood up as the twins walked down the aisle, arm in arm. There were so many familiar faces. Davenport, Lucretia, Merle, and Magnus who was waving wildly with a big goofy smile on his face. There was their favorite aunt who taught them how to cook and Grandpa Tostada. Friends Lup made while on the road and at school though it didn't really make much sense that some of them were there because humans don't live that long? There were also some unfamiliar faces who looked vaguely like her husband-to-be.

Lup smiled and waved at all of them as she passed. The light pouring in through the long windows of the temple from the double sunset made her dress look like it was set ablaze. She looked around at the banners lining the walls which were emblazoned with a design of a needle with thread weaving around it and a circle encapsulating all of it: the symbol of Istus. She looked in front of her at the tapestry hanging on the wall behind the pulpit. It was depicting a woman with long white hair knitting a blanket with the whole world tucked inside it. Standing in front of the tapestry and behind the pulpit was a tall dark woman with ice-blue hair. She smiled as Lup and Taako made their way forward, and Lup smiled back. Then she saw him, and she almost tripped over her own feet as she paused for a second while Taako kept moving on ahead.

Barry Bluejeans stood in front of the pulpit with his lips turned up in a nervous smile. He wore a bright blue denim suit with an indigo bowtie, and he was already teary eyed as he watched Lup walk closer and closer to him. This was it. This was happening. And Barry looked stunning. All Lup wanted to do was kiss his brains out, but she could wait.

When she made it to the pulpit, Taako squeezed her hand then left to take his seat. The priestess started talking the usual spiel that happens at weddings about their union, but Lup couldn't be bothered to listen. She found studying every inch of Barry's face and wondering how she got to be so lucky as to have him in her life much more interesting. The way Barry smiled softly at her with so much love in his eyes made her feel like she was the most important person in the world.

"Lup, do you take Barry Bluejeans to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"What?" Lup looked up startled.

A couple of the people in the audience snickered.

The priestess smiled. "Do you take Barry to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Oh. Oh yes, of course I do!" She giggled a little sheepishly.

"Barry Bluejeans, do you take Lup to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Barry chuckled quietly. "I do."

The priestess turned to the altar that was a few feet away from her where a couple of unlit candles stood on top of it.

"Lup."

"Lady Istus, Goddess of Fate, do you bless this union to be part of your design?"

"Lup!"

Lup wakes up with a start. She sits up, rubs her eyes blearily, and blinks a couple of times before looking around and sighing. She has never felt so happy and so heartbroken about finding herself in bed with Barry in the small room they now share on the Starblaster. She pulls her knees up to her chest and hugs them tightly as Barry wraps his arms around her and gives her a kiss on her temple.

"I'm sorry I had to wake you up, babe, but Taako just finished making dinner, and Davenport wants to have a team meeting while we eat," he says quietly.

Lup nods, but instead of getting up, she buries her head into Barry's shoulder and starts to cry.

"Babe! What-"

"We were home, Barry," she mumbles through muted sobs. "We- we were home and we were- were getting married the way people at home d-do. At a Temple of Istus with all of our fr-friends and family, and Istus was just-just about to give us her blessi-ing."

Barry kisses the top of her head and holds her closer. "Were you wearing that dress you told me about? The one you've wanted to wear since you were a kid?"

Lup nods. "And you were wearing a d-denim suit because of course you w-were."

Barry laughs and rubs comforting circles into her back. "Denim looks really good on me, sue me."

Lup laughs and hiccups. "It was a ver-ery flattering suit."

Barry continues to hold her as she calms down, and soon she's breathing heavily against him though her tears have stopped. They sit in silence for a few more minutes before Lup says, "Barry... I want to marry you again. But not like how other people do it. I mean, it's been fun learning the different cultures of the planets we touch down in and getting married their way, but I want to have our planet's wedding. I know it's fanciful dreaming because we're probably never going to be able to go back, but it's not fair that the opportunity got taken from us, and I just want to have it our way."

Barry hums in agreement. "It's a shame none of the realities we've come to has as big of a following for Istus as ours had. It's been really weird not having her as a central pillar of everyday life. But I promise, the next reality we come to that even has one temple of hers, we'll go there and get married and have her bless our union the way that she does at home."

They sit quietly again for a few more minutes, and Barry plays with her hair. Finally, Lup sits up and kisses him slowly, savoring the warmth of his lips, before pulling away again and wiping her eyes. "So Taako made dinner, and Davenport wanted a group meeting?" She asked, still breathing shakily.

Barry nods and squeezes her hand reassuringly. "Yeah, Taako made that one dish you and he had back in Tesseralia."

"Oh hell yeah!" Lup jumps up from the bed and runs out of the room, leaving Barry laughing behind her.

#taz #taz balance #blupjeans #lup #barry bluejeans #taz lup #taz fanfic #taako #taz taako #stolen century #written works of gab

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moccahobi · 3 years

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The Slope Bunny [Taehyung x Reader]

Summary: You’re staying at a ski resort and meet an interesting slope bunny.

genre: slope bunny au, skier au, fluff

wc: 2.3k

warnings: none

ratings: E for everyone

a/n: this is my @castlebangtan secret santa gift for @tatastaetae! I hope you like my trash lolol. But fr. I hope you have such a happy hannuka and a great December/January. I love you and appreciate you so much and am so glad to be in a net with you.

a/n2: I posted this yesterday but it isn’t showing up in tags! Here is hoping a repost will help it show up!

Crisp air whipped passed you as you zoomed down yet another slope, eyes slowly taking in your surroundings. Excitement and freedom swam in your veins as you quickly maneuvered around moguls, your poles helping to make the process 1000x easier. Occasionally you even tried your hand at jumping over moguls (mostly if you didn't have enough time to maneuver around them). Despite the below freezing temperatures, there was a thin layer of sweat covering you and soaking into your clothes. Not that it mattered. There was rarely a moment when you weren't warm while skiing.

At a small rest in the slope, you stopped and looked around as you caught your breath. You only had two hundred to three hundred more meters left in the run. All around you were frosty trees and zooming skiers and boarders, some of whom were even weaving in between the trees on small paths made from constant use. It was a magical place and a magical time when many people had retreated to eat lunch.

With a happy smile (hidden behind a neck scarf) and a shiver of excitement, you were off again, determined to make the last stretch be amazing. All too soon, you saw the end of the slope coming closer and closer, a small line already forming in front of the chair lift.

Swiftly, you slid into the singles line, passing at least two four person groups. It only took a minute before you, a pair, and another single were grouped together and made it on to a chair lift, your poles tightly held in your hands and your feet dangling in the air.

You were on number 75.

"So... are you all enjoying the slopes today?" A snowboarder asked, their voice muffled by the balaklava they were wearing.

"Oh totally! This is our first time coming here." One of the people in the pair said excitedly as they looked around, "And the weather is absolutely perfect for skiing and boarding."

"For sure. This is the fourth time I've come to this resort. My favorite slope of all is the Flume. It's on the other side of the mountain." The boarder said, one of the people in the pair nodding excitedly.

"Oh! We were on the Flume this morning! It was fun! Do you have any recommendations?"

"Hmmm... I really enjoy the slopes on the western side of the mountain. It's best to go in the morning though. The slopes get ugly in the afternoon."

"Oh! Thank you!"

After that the chair lift was quiet. You were fine with that, instead spending the ride watching skiers and boarders zoom down the slopes below, many of whom were reenergized after their lunch break. At the thought of lunch, you felt your stomach growl. Despite you always making the choice to stay out until the lunch rush starts to break, it always shocks you just how hungry you get when it is time to go in.

Soon enough, you were preparing to get off the lift, adjusting your position on the seat and making sure your skis and poles were in the right position. You left the lift without saying goodbye to those you rode it with, knowing that you'd likely never see them again (or recognize them if you did meet them again), and started to skate your way towards the end of the snow.

Even as you made your way back to the hotel room you shared with your friend, Lillia, and hung up your wet snow clothes in front of a small fire, your mind was on the slopes, running through your next plan. Would you want to start with some scenic greens or go straight into blacks?

Would you even want to go back out after lunch? Or would you want to stay in and then go out for night skiing later when it got darker?

There were so many options and you felt somewhat torn with what to do.

Eventually you stopped running through the possibilities when you finished making a large pot of mac and cheese (one of your go-to meals when on a ski trip). You didn't even bother putting it into a bowl, simply taking the pot and a hot plate and situating yourself in front of the television to watch some random show while you ate.

Soreness from a fall you took earlier that day started to settle on you by the time you finished the pot of mac and cheese and a bottle of gatorade, Lillia coming in to nap at one point. Falls weren't uncommon. Especially as you tried to make jumps and took random paths in the woods so you were a little surprised to feel the soreness from a particularly bad fall earlier.

You hummed in thought as you started to clean up some of your dishes. The hotel you were staying in had a hot tub. Maybe instead of going out for more skiing while it's still bright out, you can relax in the hot tub, warm your body up and soothe the soreness you were feeling. Plus, it would likely be empty at this time since everyone would be out on the slopes.

Quickly writing a letter to Lillia who was still dead asleep and would likely cuss you out before falling asleep (only to not remember) if you tried to wake her up to tell, you changed and went off to the hot tub, excitement running through your veins as you did.

You quickly walked to the "spa" room (which was just a room with some lockers, a treadmill, and a bathroom that had a door to the hot tub). When you got there though, you felt a bit of disappointment. Someone else was in the hot tub. Someone else was in the hot tub. Some good looking korean dude was just chilling in the hot tub, his eyes slowly looking around and his mind somewhere else as he relaxed.

All too soon, his eyes landed on you, a small smile growing on his face as he waved you over. It felt strange to walk over to him and get into the hot tub, your mind questioning why he was being so friendly and also stuttering over how good the man looked up close. You blushed self consciously as you slowly got into the water, the man’s eyes moving to look elsewhere as he thought.

“So… are you a fellow slope bunny?” The man asked after a minute or so of silence, his voice surprisingly deep and smooth.

You laughed awkwardly and smiled, “No. I ski. Who did you come here with? A significant other?”

“No. I am here with my friends. They all board or ski and I don’t. I wanted to come though because we rarely see each other normally.”

You nodded slowly, “I get that. My friend and I are here but we are such different skiers that we don’t often ski together. So we really only are getting together again after we are both done for the day.”

After a little bit of silence, the two of you found a solid rhythm full of conversation fragments and having time to think on your own. It was nice and in the conversation fragments that you did have, you found yourself hanging onto every word that the man said. Before you realized, the sun had set and you needed to get back to your hotel room.

You sighed and entered the one resort's restaurants. It was a simple grill and all you wanted after a whole day of skiing was a little food and a warm drink before retiring for the night and sleeping for twelve hours. Your friend had gone to the hotel room an hour before you so once again, you were all alone. You sat down at the bar, next to a familiar looking stranger who was quietly sipping on some hot coco as someone next to her talked excitedly. Quickly you looked over at them before realizing, it was your friend. She was in a large yellow sweater, her makeup done wildly and her hair unkempt from being in a helmet all day.

"Lillia! Crazy seeing you here!"

She laughed and smiled with a nod, "I got a little stir crazy in the hotel room so here I am!" She looked over at the person next to her, "Taehyung and I were just talking about animals!"

"Hello!" Taehyung said in a deep voice.

Wait.

You recognized him! He was the dude in the hot tub!

"Oh! Hello again! I am Y/n! How do you two know each other?"

"We don't." Lillia laughed, "Taehyung complimented my makeup and then we just started talking."

"Yeah! What's your favorite animal? Wait! Let me guess... hmmm," Taehyung's face twisted as he thought and you laughed quietly, ordering a hot green tea from the person behind the bar.

"I know what this is, Taehyung. So I'm not going to help you." Lillia laughed and leaned back in her high chair, happily looking between you and Taehyung who was now pouting.

"Well that's good! I don't want to cheat with this! I get the feeling that... hmm... your favorite animal is a Gopher."

You laughed loudly at that and shook your head, "Pig. Has been most of my life. Why did you think gopher?"

Taehyung blushed, "You're cute like a gopher."

Lillia snorted and hid a laugh with a sip of her hot coco as she looked at you (who was blushing like crazy). At that time, your green tea came and you quickly took a sip, wincing as the hot liquid burned your tongue.

"You are cute." Lillia sang and winked your way, downing the rest of her hot coco and signaling for a check.

You blushed more, somewhat tired of your friend's flirty nature.

"Very."

Gosh! At this point, you were as red as a tomato!

You coughed, "I don't know about that. Taehyung... what is your favorite animal?"

"A squirrel! I just love how cute they are! And have you ever tried to chase them? They are so fun to chase... or watch really! I have this bird feeder that prevents squirrels from eating the seed and I love watching them try tirelessly to eat the seed! Even when I have a soot block for them to eat from as well." Taehyung laughed happily, his eyes glowing as he started to gush about the bird feeders in front of his apartment window.

The conversation lasted for a long while, the topics occasionally changing but the energy and amiableness never changing. Even when Lillia left and you went onto your third cup of tea (along with an appetizer to eat) and Taehyung started to drink his fourth cup of hot cocoa. You'd had this fun with few strangers before and by the time the bar was calling last call and you'd had five cups of tea and Taehyung six cups of hot cocoa, you were leaving the bar with a blushing face and Taehyung's hand held tightly in yours. From a mixture of the cold and poor flirting, the two of your faces were bright read but you were more excited than ever.

In the stairwell on the platform that opened up to your floor (which apparently was below his) the two of you were standing like two excited idiots, neither wanting to leave first.

"I really enjoyed talking with you today..." You started, looking down at your entwined hands, your face heating up more.

"Yeah."

"Can I have your number?"

Taehyung giggled excitedly and nodded and gave you his phone. Even after you texted yourself through his phone, you didn't leave. You simply looked up at Taehyung and his handsome face, a giddy excitement filling you as you did so.

"Yeah!" Lillia's voice cut through the giddy trance both Taehyung and you were in as she excitedly broke into the stairwell, "I've been waiting for three hours, Y/n! We need to talk!"

Taehyung quickly glanced at Lillia before looking back at you, "Well..."

"Well..."

"I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah."

"Omg. You are both such love sick babies!" Lillia cried, roughly grabbing your arm and pulling you along to your hotel room.

"So... what happened, Y/n?"

"Omg. I am not doing this with you." You groaned and fell face first on the couch, hiding your face in the cushions to hide from Lillia's barrage of excited questions.

After Lillia became too exhausted to continue asking questions and retired to her bed for the night, you found yourself texting Taehyung. Hushed giggles and large paragraphs of texts filled your night and it all surmounted when Taehyung asked you out for breakfast in his hotel room the next morning. It wasn't hard to say yes, even with the knowledge that Lillia was going to make fun of you skipping first tracks tomorrow for breakfast with a guy you just met a few days ago.

Sure enough, after Lillia squealed and jumped around excitedly about your date, she started teasing you to no end. Her eyes excited as she threw joke after joke. She missed first tracks herself to help you prepare and before you knew it, she was rushing you out of the hotel room to go meet Taehyung in the stairway.

"Hi." You said quietly when you saw him, too struck by how handsome he looked in that moment to say more.

"Hello."

#castlebangtan #wkcnet #btscreatorscorner #bts #bts fanfic #bts oneshot #bts one shot #bts fluff #bts skier au #bts slope bunny au #bts taehyung #taehyung x reader #bts v x reader #bts x reader #taehyung fluff #thebtswritersclub #btsguild #magicshopnet

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jesangel1503 · 3 years

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30 Day Challenge:Day 3 Topic

LET´S TALK ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

I can see this is a quite interesting but a bit sensitive topic for me. I just needed a time off to clear my mind so I can be able to cogitate on this familiar topic for everyone.

Let´s go straight to some few facts about friendship? Where did this word even came from?

So I browsed in and found out that friendship is a word of Germanic origin has existed in the English language since its founding in Old English. Back then, ‘friend’ existed as ‘frond’ which was the present participle of the verb fron, ‘to love’. The root of the verb was ‘fr-’ which meant ‘to like, love, or be affectionate to’. We can still see the remnants of this verb every day of the week- Friday or ‘day of Frigg’ is devoted to the Germanic goddess of love Frigg.

Source: whitesmoke.com

So much for it´s root word, let´s do some more researching. Many famous people have shared their thoughts about what friendship is for them. Now, maybe we can get some friendspiration from them!

Helen Keller

"I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light."

J.K. Rowling

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

Abraham Lincoln

"Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?"

Eleanor Roosevelt

"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart"

Bob Marley

“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for”

William Shakespeare

“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”

Jennifer Lawrence

‘‘No matter how tired I am, I get dinner at least once a week with my girlfriends. Or have a sleepover. Otherwise my life is just all work.”

Marilyn Monroe

“Experts on romance say for a happy marriage there has to be more than a passionate love. For a lasting union, they insist, there must be a genuine liking for each other. Which, in my book, is a good definition for friendship.”

Drew Barrymore

“What’s helped me is having really good friends I know I can rely on. Cameron Diaz is one of the greatest friends anyone can ever have. She has so much love to give.”

Selena Gomez

“Every single problem I ever have is healable by Taylor Swift. If I ever I have an issue, Taylor has gone through it – she gives the most thought-out answers. And what I love about Taylor is that she does believe in the whole love story and Prince Charming and soul mates. Because of her, I haven’t lost faith.”

Emma Watson

“My two best girlfriends are from secondary school. I don’t have to explain anything to them. I don’t have to apologise for anything. They know.”

Jennifer Aniston

“We come from homes far from perfect, so you end up almost parent and sibling to your friends – your own chosen family. There’s nothing like a really loyal, dependable, good friend. Nothing.”

Oprah Winfrey

“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”

Ariana Grande

“The best part about having true friends is that you can go months without seeing them and they’ll still be there for you and act as if you’d never left!.”

Whew, they are really inspiring isn´t it? But lemme give you bits of how I view and value friendship. So I´d like to answer some of these challenging questions I have found and that maybe can help me dig in to what´s really coming to my mind about this topic. As you read along, you are free to answer on your own and find out? Well, this is a writing therapy for me. I thought it might be nice to put my thoughts into writing and share it with you ( Well, only if you are interested to do so) But yes, this is entirely my thoughts. Some of you might disagree about my answers and what I have been writing in this little writing space of mine, but I don´t really care! As I have said, this is my therapy. If you judge me based on my thoughts, it´s totally on you and if that amuses you, well IT WILL BE MY PLEASURE :)

QUESTIONS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

Can you describe one of your closest friends.

It´s so hard to choose which one of them that I particularly should talk about. All of them are special to me in their unique ways. But let me describe you one of my bestfriends, whom I met when I was an aupair in the first town I lived in here in Denmark. It´s funny though because this friend of mine, came to me by fate and the first time we met, we just click, you know. Like she´s that angel from heaven, who´ve brought me and would bribed me with food to keep me from not ditching school, because for her, it would be boring without me, and that she’d prefer me than the other filipino ones at the school. She would just call me and say, “Hey, wake up and get dressed. We´re off to school,and ahh uh don´t even say a word because I am already here, parked outside your house waiting for you. And, I´ve brought us Dinuguan and Pancit for lunch! Hurry!”.. So hard to refuse right? Oh yes, she is that kind. There are no other negative feeling around her, around us everytime we were together. We got along well so fast even at the very first day we´ve met. Since then, we hang out a lot. Sometimes cutting classes and going off to the second hand shop in town together or hit the mall, or just eat out in our favorite eat all you can Asian Restaurant. It´s just pure and honest friendship. I could sense she feels the same way too. It was never hard to be myself when I am with her. You know that feeling where you can´t feel any insecurities at all and you don´t feel that you are judged whenever you are sharing sensitive moments with her. I could say that is one of those few and rare friendship I have that I truly treasure the most.

Do you have any childhood friendships that are still strong today? Tell us about them.

I have a childhood bestfriend, and we have shared plenty of childhood memories together. I have been born in a family with no sisters so she is like a sister to me. Back then, she was living with her family in a house just a few walks from our house. I always spend time with her at their place when my parents were not home from work and she would come for a sleepover at our house during some of the weekends.. During my trip home last 2017, we were able to spend time together for a week. And still it´s as if things between us haven´t changed at all. She is still that friend who turned into family, and we assured each other that we we´re still gonna have each other´s back no matter what. Up until now, we´re still able to catch up, though I could say only through online. We both think we´re okay with the LDR thing. Haha!

Do you have any long distance friends?

I have, in fact, so many of them! As I reside now in Denmark, so the only communication we have is the internet. The first one I talked about she lives in the UK and my childhood friend lives in the Philippines. Most of my other closest friends are residing in the Philippines, UK, US, Australia, Canada, Japan and a few ones in the Middle East.

Do you think it is a good idea to borrow money from a friend? Why or why not?

This is a quite sensitive topic for me. But I do have views regarding friends and money matters. You know, in my entire life, I have tried to avoid situations involving friendship and money. I just don´t. I mean, I cherish people so much, and to ruin a relationship and lose a cherished friend because of money issues is a bit awful for me. I’d rather NOT. Just NO. 🙏🏻

Do you make friends easily?

I can make friends easily. And I do have a loud mouth. I am so excited to meet new people and talk with random people on the street and just smile and say hi. For me, it´s a bit of heartwarming when people comes to you, say hi, talk to you and get excited to know you. So I often think people would also want that. But given the fact that many people are too reserved, I also know my boundaries. It´s only when I feel like people would also wanna chat. I mean, like saying hi to the old lady beside me in a bus full of busy people. It could be lonely to be old, I think. Not many people are interested in talking to them. A few old people I met and talked with, they were all excited and thrilled to talked with me about their day, about their lives and jobs before and what life meant for them. For me, they have seen a lot and experienced a lot from all those years living in this world. It´s just compelling to learn from them!

Has a friend ever let you down?

I have experienced it many times. But based from it, I always try my best to understand them and listen to them more. Humans as we are, we often make mistakes. And that includes letting a friend down. May it be a small or a big deal, but friends that are meant to last, are the friends, who still thinks of how to mend things up than to make things worst. So a friend´s apology and forgiveness is always the best ingredients to make things last.

If the trust was broken, and there is no way you can bring back what you both have had before. I just let go and pray for them. In life you will learn who you should trust and it´s always gonna be the ones who will still be there for you despite the odds. You will learn a lot by gaining and losing friends.

Have you made any friends over the Internet?

I do have a plenty of them, with a few true ones though. But I do treat them as rare jewels that have helped me with my sanity being away from my family. I find it peculiar at first, but I have developed such strong bonds online, to take note that we haven´t even met yet! How cool is that!? Knowing and learning from a person you never met, sharing various experiences, thoughts, opinions are quite an overwhelming experience. When you get to know someone online, whom you can confide feelings to especially the things you can never share with anyone from your family or friends personally, was such a great help for me. During my first few months in Denmark, I have suffered a lot from a breakup plus the difficult adjustment phase I was going through by then. Living in a foreign country was quite a challenge for me. Even though I have my cousins and some few friends, but it was not enough by then. Because at the end of a tiring day, alone in a room, it was nice and comforting to have some people online, listening to your rants and cheering you up and helping you get your mind off the negativity and mind bugging thoughts and worries. I could say they are the ones I´d like to keep and hoping I can personally meet some of them someday too!

How do you maintain a good friendship?

I always make time to let them know that I still think and care about them. And of course, to never ever forget each of their special occassions!

How many people do you consider your "best friends?"

4 bestfriends; One is a bestfriend from my childhood years, one bestfriend from highschool, another one from college, one bestfriend whom I met in Denmark. 4 online bestfriends, one of which I already met.

What is a best friend?

For me, a best friend is a special connection between 2 people, where there is mutual understanding of each other, where there is a bond of trust, openness, willingness to care and look out for one another, despite the distance and circumstances. Where two people feel there is no need pretending, where they can both be themselves when they are together and where two people thinks of each other as their own PERSON to run to, and be comfortable with.

What is the longest friendship that you have had?

My childhood friend; we have been friends since we were so little. So maybe that´s what you call a friend for a lifetime.

What qualities do you think are important in a friend?

When you don´t get judged by the person and when they don´t talk negative things behind you and without you knowing.

What things should friends never do?

For me, I don´t like to compare myself with my friends. They have their own skills, talents, and own beautiful and unique lives. So maybe that is what a friend should watch out for. Insecurity and jealousy are both destructive in so many ways. Just be happy for a friend´s success and achievements.

Do you think it is possible to have a best friend of the opposite sex without becoming a girlfriend or boyfriend?

Oh, I do have a lot of friends from the opposite sex. I do happen to have one really close to me, so from a certain time, we were calling ourselves bessies. But, it did not last long. We both have jealous partners by then, so to respect each others partners, we agreed to have boundaries and thus avoiding conflicts as much as possible.

I also often get cringey whenever a male friend of mine that´s close to me, then we´ve had our bond, and then he gets a girlfriend, and i often get jealous, but not that I have feelings for the guy, but as a female friend, I just get jealous and often felt bad about lack of attention from him afterwards. So I tend to not get too close with male friends because I know it will just turn me nuts! But I am improving myself to just be understanding and to wish all the best for them! It is the best thing I could maybe offer to a close male friend of mine if ever.

Do you think it would be possible for you still be friends with an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend?

Of course, but only if all issues were resolved. So it´s totally okay and possible for me to still be friends with my exes. I mean, they were also a part of my life and we´ve shared some good memories together too! I am teaching myself not to be bitter with the past you know. It´s good not to hold grudge on anyone especially when they were once the people you cared most and loved you as well.

Do you believe your parents should be your friends?

My parents are my friends. And so as my brother. It´s been like that in my family. It always feel better when they are ones comforting you than anybody else.

What do you like best about your best friend(s)?

They are still there for me, even if they are far away, and if I see them again, it´s still gonna be the same, no insecurities, no pretendings and no negativity.

What are some ways your best friend has influenced your life in a positive way?

One of my bestfriend´s view about God inspired me the most. We have the same thoughts and often go late to sleep talking about a lot of stuff about life and religion. That means a lot to me.

What do you do when you have a misunderstanding with your friend?

If it was my fault, I often offer an apology. And if it´s the other way around, I always show that I can listen and try my best to understand their reason and forgive if necessary.

What type of people do you get along with best?

I don´t prefer any types actually. I just sync in with them. I think when people are meant to have a lasting impression on you, they just do. Because I think the universe conspires the people whom you will meet. Some will come and stay, some will just go and maybe leave something for you to learn. So for me, I just blend in when someone comes along and get on with the flow. I always follow the positivity flow. If i can sense a negative vibe, I tend to not fully entrust myself. Though I give many chances to people, for I always believe that sometimes the people I met and how they are, if they mean or like that negative, is because of what they have been going through in life. May it be a bad experience or a childhood trauma. We should always shed light to these people and give room for them to be understood.

What quality do you admire most in people and which one do you find the most objectionable?

If I happen to met someone who´s mind is just as beautiful as their face or personality, and then it´s just natural for us to have a good conversation in a way that´s not awkward and trying hard. Then it´s my type of person.. I don´t care if we have different views, I am bound to respect all of them. It´s just when a person knows how to choose the right words and right thoughts in that certain moment, then I am going to be rooting for that person.

Tbh, I don´t fancy people who praises themselves a lot and think that they are always right all the time. And also, even when in an argument, no matter how big or small the issue, it´s always the tone of voice that matters to me the most. How you say something affects what you say.

Is getting along with others a natural ability from birth or does it have to be learnt?

For me, getting along with others is a continuing learning process. I mean up to now, I am still learning and developing my skills every day because I love to keep people who are worth keeping. And I believe there is no such skill that one can be born with a natural talent for getting along with others. It must also first be taught at home. The family is the necessary factor to develop one´s values of friendship and we will just continue to learn more and hone it as we venture out into the big world.

How important is forgiveness in human relationships?

I have been taught that it is an essential thing for us to grow and be matured. Forgiving is accepting one´s offering of peace and understanding that he or she have made a mistake and is willing to make up for it. And so as asking for forgiveness. We often commit mistakes and hurt people, that´s how human we are. So it´s important to lower one´s pride and ask for forgiveness, no matter how hard it may be. Accepting one´s own mistakes is an act of maturity, and i can say it´s also not easy but it´s necessary for human´s social growth and behavioural adaptability in the society.

Do you tell your best friend everything?

It´s funny because each of my bestfriends have their own unique qualities; one is better at the whole education and knowledge thing, other one is good at the practical thing and wise things, the other one I can confide some sexual issues and other emotional things and one I can have a good conversation about God and life. So basically, I don´t tell everything to each one of them but I go to one where I need their expertise and where they can also relate from.

Where is a good place to meet a new boyfriend/girlfriend?

I don´t think there is such a good place to meet a new bf or gf. It will just come to you as if the universe worked on it so he or she will get to where you are and bump into you. You just need to be patient. And if there is no one, just be your own gf or bf. What´s important is you love yourself and happiness is from, within you. You can still be happy without someone. You just need to unleash that thought in your mind often.

So much for this friendship thing, I hope I don´t bore you too much. Well, write to me if ever you have other thoughts about what I wrote! Ciao!

#friendship

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hunterartemis · 5 years

Text

The Assistant: Chapter 7: A Fine Line

Word limit: 5835

Summery: At the eve of the Ministry Yule party, drama ensues between lover and beloved.

Chapter theme: Nero by Two Steps from Hell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LtnLVRvypw

It is quite strange how a night’s sleep can change things, it makes bad incidents into some distant nightmare, and good ones into some fleeting dream, from which one never wants to wake.

The December chill was quietly setting in London, Thames looked glassy and the banks looked a mixture of gray and sepia, the cold wind swept the trees bare and now they stood with their bare branches like open arms towards the sky, waiting to welcome the season’s first snow. A stray wind slowly breathed its icy breath into Newt’s tiny apartment. A nice enjoyable shiver invaded underneath the soft warmth of Newt’s futon and he snuggled with it even more. In his slumber his face softly played with a content smile that can only take place when someone is fulfilled in their lives. But alas, not all happiness lasts and sadly not nightly sleeps.

The rusty alarm ringed with a tremendous cacophony which made Newt jump awake in his bed. He looked at the nightstand with his half awakened eyes and it was already forty minutes to nine. This was the tragedy of a bachelor’s life: his life is meant to digress now and then and in the most inconvenient of times. Shuddering at the thought that Maxine might walk into him very soon Newt started to dress as swiftly as he could while freshening up and making breakfast. In the midst of haste he looked at the calendar; it was 23rd of December, which meant that his invitation was tomorrow. He would not have been so excited to go to the Ministry ball, but whenever his eyes fell on the little blue packet, his mind filled with a small joy. He even unconsciously smiled at it for a couple of times. When it was nearly nine, he managed himself to sit in his table, and spread himself some papers to inspect and correct the ideas he jotted down in Romania.

When a man prepares for something, it never happens, it happens when he least expects it. The clock went round and round but there was no one. Newt waited patiently, then tapped his fingers on the table, bit his thumb for a moment, stood up from his chair to go a roundabout the room, then finally sitting into a twitchy discomfort. He waited for the familiar knocking at the door, or coming inside adjusting the leather gloves and straight coats. His impatience grew to a worry without he realizing it. Where was she? Were there any problems with her? Was she sick should he call? Then something struck in his mind, he cannot do any of those because he is her boss and she will think he is being arbitrary and overbearing. No… maybe she is just late. She will come soon. After all there was a day long trip yesterday, she must be exhausted. Even he woke up a little late than usual.

It’s going to be fine.

Knock knock

Newt stood up abruptly, perhaps now Maxine has come. He hastily went to the door and opened it, in the expectation to see the familiar silk clad pale figure of Maxine, but instead it was someone else. His face must have changed expression because as the person turned to him and attempted to smile, their smile faded a little bit into a grimace.

“Tina…” Newt mouthed and opened the door pane a little so that she could enter, “what are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” Tina repeated with a little bit of heat and sarcasm, “I send you a letter two days ago that I am coming… didn’t you see that?” Tina shut the door behind her, stripped off her black duster coat into the hanger and sat down. Newt trying to rummage into his head where he had seen the letter, and then as the incident came across his mind he screwed his eyes for his mistake.“Oh I am sorry…” Newt sincerely apologized, “I had to leave for Romania urgently with my assistant so I must have missed the letter…” he added with a guilty smile which was replied with a kind smirk, “I didn’t know you had an assistant” Tina asked with half amazement and half amusement, “oh… is that the… double bunned red-headed woman with you from the Daily Prophet?” Tina was now helping herself with Newt’s Spode and poured herself a cup of tea, glancing at his way every so often.

“Oh you mean Bunty?” Newt answered, sitting on his table, scribbling on some papers, correcting his notes, “no... She um… left a month ago. The one that works with me is relatively new one… Never mind, you didn’t tell me why you’ve come here?” Newt said in a single train. Tina took a break from her tea and dusting her hand from the biscuit crumbs she looked eagerly at Newt, “I have been invited by the British Ministry in their Yule Party” there was a felicitous spark in her voice, “so I was thinking if--”

“Merlin’s beard… I am so late--” with a familiar voice, stormed in another familiar face. Newt and Tina’s eyes veered to that person.

“Max… finally…” Newt smiled softly, “Tina, meet my assistant Maxine Valois…” Tina stood up and smiled, “—and Maxine, she is…”

“Porpentina Goldstein…” Maxine came up to her and shook her hand with her unfaltering professional courteousness “I have heard many things about you when I visited New York… weren’t you the one who tied up Theseus Scamander?” Tina at first looked at her with strangeness and then she broke into a small laugh “By Isolde’s hair, I hope Mr. Scamander is not angry with me… ” she said with humor, “it is best to keep some men on the toes, that way they would know how to treat you” Tina stopped smiling at looked at Maxine in a strange way which although didn’t escape her notice, but she ignored it. Maxine turned towards Newt, “so the same drill then? I should be getting downstairs; Elsie and Molly need a special post-natal care.” Maxine went towards the hallway and Newt, putting his coat hastily started to follow her.

“Newt…” Tina stopped Newt by grabbing his elbow from behind. Newt stopped and looked at her way eagerly. His eyes slantiy veered in her petit face and warm black eyes; there were some unusual turbulence under the liquid noir in her otherwise kind eyes. His smile tensed a little, “what is it Tina, you look uneasy…”. Tina tried to adjust herself her best, “is there a way we could talk… in private?”

“We are in private Tina, Maxine is downstairs… you can tell me what you want, she will wait.” Newt suggested. Tina shook her head apprehensively, “no no… I--” she grabbed her temple irritably, and Newt being Newt patiently waited for her answer. Tina however quickly shook off her unease and beamed at Newt “it’s okay… I will see you later” she affectionately placed her left hand on Newt’s freckled cheek and gave him a kindly slap “now hurry up and go to Elsie and Molly.” She gave him a playful push and walked out of the door with a smile.

Newt descended the stair with a bit of a daze, and Maxine, who was getting into her gear, noticed it. With a bit of a smile she said to Newt, “so this is the woman who makes you selfless, am I right?” Newt stopped at his tracks and looked at her, “I never—you are indeed a clever woman Miss Valois, I’ll give you that.” He descended the stairs with audible thumps.

“How strange… I was Maxine all along, and Max for a couple of days… why suddenly so formal Mr. Scamander…?” Maxine added with her usual crooked smile, “or maybe…” she turned away to her station creating a mystery with her unsaid words.

“Maxine…” Newt called fondly; “you are not to jest with me, now--” he stayed in silence for a while, perhaps to compare her sharp elegance and wittiness with Tina’s awkward and endearing femininity. The two present women in his life were so similar and yet so different, one struggles not to smile in his presence while the other shrouds something inexplicable in her smile. Perhaps he wouldn’t have realized the difference if Tina didn’t show up.

There was certain coldness about Maxine, and she so desperately tried to hide it.

“—why were you so late this morning?” he finally broke the silence, and Maxine who was standing still until now startled a little and looked at his way, “had a long sleep?” Newt asked with his usual kindness.

“Um…yeah. I got tossed off so bad that…” he voice rose a little despite herself, “that I almost forgot to wake up…”

But that’s not what happened; she knew she was lying through her teeth. That’s didn’t bothered her; the fact that bothered her was the lie she was telling was such a child’s lie, so easy to do, and yet she was failing at it miserably. This particular falsification felt particularly wrong, as if…

It was nearly four in the morning when she finally felt dozing off, because in the next room a drunken man was lying down. She may be French and assumedly liberal, but her upbringing was anything but; she was in many ways, traditional. She had two much older brothers who further instilled the examples of a good moral character into her. Thus she could not admit to herself the ways she felt about the man, lying unconscious next room.

It particularly irritated her because she consciously carved him and his constant influence of her out of her life. He was a dense man who knew nothing about women and what was considered good. She always felt that the bastard has a hero syndrome, he thinks women require saving from the misery, from the world, and Leta fell as a perfect candidate. And she wasn’t, because she never required saving.

Quell batard…*

Despite her eyes opened at the eight-fifty in the morning, she wasn’t particularly interested in getting out of the bed or walking into the parlor because she feared that she might come across him. She waited for half an hour in her bed, wide awake, listening to his footsteps. When she heard none till nine-thirty-five, she stepped out from her bed.

The frost on the window made it impossible to look outside. But it filled the room with a strange silvery light that almost felt like everything was right in life. But it was not.

Theseus was waiting at the parlor with two breakfasts in front of him. With the sound of her feet, he lifted his head and smiled at her lightly. Maxine stopped at her tracks, and looked at him reproachfully.

“I woke up two hours ago…” he stood up to acknowledge her presence and spoke with an optimistic tone, “the elf insisted that I lay down, but I was feeling great already… I made some breakfast for us…” Theseus pushed the second plate filled with toast, bacon, Toulouse sausage, omelets and mushrooms.*

“This is not I usually eat in the morning…” Maxine answered emotionlessly, which encouraged Theseus to take an imploring approach, “please I insist…”

Maxine stared at him for a moment, and then cut into a sausage and poured it into her mouth. “Lampito… je veux mon café. La normal.” (I want my coffee, the normal way)

“I wanted to thank you…” Theseus said quietly, “for taking care of me last night. It’s been quite hard a couple of months, and I didn’t know where to go--”

“That’s fine…” Maxine said nonchalantly, “besides, I didn’t do anything, Lampito did the most things.” She purposefully avoided looking at Theseus, who looked a little cast down. They spent the rest of the breakfast quietly, one avoiding glances of the other. Suddenly Maxine stood up, with haste, as if to avoid Theseus furthermore. Wiping her face in the napkin and fixing her eyed straight down, she said “listen, the matter of today or yesterday should never come up neither between us nor elsewhere…” she turned onto her heel to leave the parlour, but one voice stopped her.

“Why…?”

“Because I don’t want to be associated with you anymore” Maxine turned towards Theseus and asserted severely. Theseus stood up, his face oscillated between a mixture of frown and dejection and his eyes desperately inspecting every inch of Maxine’s face, trying to find a hint that whatever she spoke wasn’t true.

“You have put me into a difficult position… and this is not the time I can go around with a stigma that drunken men come to my place for a kip.”

“Do you understand what you are terming me…? Maxine, I didn’t even--” Theseus answered helplessly, “yes… as a matter of fact I perfectly do” Maxine answered with equal severity.

“Then why didn’t you dump me on the streets?” Theseus’ voice shook, “why didn’t you just abandoned me and kicked me on the curb like a common drunk?”

“Because I AM NOT LIKE YOU THESEUS… ” Maxine retreated within herself after the sudden outburst, “I don’t save people out of vanity; I save them because it’s the right thing to do… I don’t cast out the toy I have played with because I am bored… I cast them out because they are damaged and broken and I will cut my fingers and bleed all over.” Maxine walked out of the dining parlour and shut herself into her bedroom.

“Maxine… Max… can you hear me?” Newt softly tapped on her shoulders, and she turned towards him to respond. Newt noticed there was a certain change in her look since the morning when she came.

“Yes… yes…” she mentally arranged herself to come back into her usual professionalism, and tried to look focused at her best.

“Did you hear what I said…” Newt asked, and observing her blanked out face, he sighed and grabbed her shoulders. It was not something that he usually does to anyone, and certainly not with a woman. But he was not the same Newt he was a week ago, “Maxine… tell me the truth, are you alright?”

“Yes… yes I am fine. Just spacing out than usual… we have our days, you know” that seemed to avert his attention for the good. Today Maxine just could take Newt’s gaze upon her at all. The blue-green eyes that glowed with an innocent sparkle seemed like some harsh crude beam that physically hurt Maxine’s eyes. She mentally sighed for relief when she saw Newt smiling with a reassured manner; how simple it was to deceive him, just a word of comfort and he takes it. How can he not see her lies.

“Yes… we do indeed” Newt replied cordially, “prepare the Sophophorus beans for the Mooncalves okay…” Maxine nodded to him, and busied herself with the knife.

She never realized until now that her heart was weighing with the time. The subterranean space, the various sounds of the beasts, the squishes the beans made with the contact with the knife didn’t seem like the old familiar joy or comfort. She placed the knife down and looked around; there was no human in the basement except her. Across her stood the live replica of the River Beauly, upon whose bank Newt almost kissed her when she was disguised as Audrey. She lost her job; she was basically aimless and attempted to return to Marseilles where she could feed off her family silver. Of course till her father is alive, after which the estate would pass to her elder brother and his statue of a wife. She never wanted any of this… the career, the life, the blood. What she craved, she never found. She thought she craved knowledge and it was a term her teachers understood very well and gave her all the hell they could. But those were easy, too easy, too predictable. Then she ventured in the other countries, seeking the meaning of knowledge, but again and again it was the same. The earthly demands forced her to get a job, and what job? Changing other people’s lives. The thought of being an auror delighted her; maybe the life pain and suffering of people will make her close to the knowledge she sought. But it was another stupendous office job of paper pushing and hiding incompetency of the departments. Then suddenly things fell in places… when she made friends with her coworker, Theseus Scamander; her boss, her superior, who had nothing to do with anything she thought was important. And that didn’t bother her at all—funny, how things can seem with a different perspective.

All he wanted was to have a good job that pays, to provide for his family, be a good example and maybe, if fate allows him, to have a lovely family of his own. He so openly admitted to Maxine how he would love to fall in love. He always had to toughen up because of his position in both in his family and office, but he didn’t like to be the leader all the time, he wanted to be governed, to be taken care of, to be cherished. Maxine was not angry with Leta because she was with Theseus. She was angry with Theseus because he failed on his words and fell for someone who was absolutely needy. She saw day after day how Theseus had to be on the leading side, on the governing side to an exhaustive degree. Leta was draining him…

And it became even more unbearable when she died.

Maxine hated when someone didn’t act up to their words.

People said Newt wasn’t like a ‘proper’ man, but to Maxine he was. He was a man of his words… she remembered every words he said under the setting sun in the Arc de Triomph, and he was a man of conviction. Even though she didn’t stay for long, but there was an uncanny symmetry between him and Tina, it was their will to submit into their heart’s way. She knew a little about Tina Goldstein, after all she was to join with her in the Pere Lachaise. She wasn’t a high profile auror, but there was something about her exuded a comforting friendliness; she wasn’t very bright but she was proud of who she was and so is Newt.

But that didn’t made Maxine content that they should be together, because there was something about Newt that made her desperate. She was willing to change, to be what she wasn’t, just to keep him to her side. The strange stubbornness and steadfast faithfulness always felt like a great stoic support to her wavering heart.

After a long day, when she looked at her watch, it was six in the evening. She could hear Newt ascending up the stairs, and it felt particularly strange because this was still very early for him. There was a hint of suspicion in her mind. In order to check, she ascended the stairs and entered the living room, where Newt was wearing his good jacket and a frail scent of musk permeated through the living room.

“Where to Mr. Scamander…” Maxine asked, “let me guess, to meet Tina?”

“Yes, you guessed it right…” Newt answered with a smile and a fluster, “she is too invited in the Yule party, can you believe? I am going to meet with her in a nearby café and ask her if she wants to go with me…” Newt quickly walked to the door and Maxine followed him.

They walked into the street under a cold grayness of the December. The sun was already in the west and whatever bits of warm tints were left by the eye of the day, vanished behind the gray cityscape of London. It was no place for softness and color.

“… I have never done this before Maxine, to be honest.” Newt was unusually talkative today, and the other one, unusually quiet, “the last time I met her caused me a huge misunderstanding, she thought I was engaged to Leta—you know, Leta Lestrange, --and then I confessed that I wasn’t… ”

“You’ll be fine Newt, I know it” Maxine replied, and swiftly after then her face darkened “but will it be proper to have Tina as your plus one?”

Newt stopped in his tracks and turned towards Maxine. There was a wild uncertainty in those wide innocent eyes, “why did you say that?”

“I really like Tina, please don’t misunderstand…” Maxine placed her right hand on Newt’s shoulder, “she is a very good woman and a capable auror, but look at the circumstances--” Newt’s eyes squinted a little with her hushed alarmed voice, “it’s not been months when her sister Queenie Goldstein has joined Grindlewald’s side… I know that she cannot be held responsible for her sister’s misdeeds, but people talk--” Maxine pushed Newt to her side, away from the streets.

“I don’t want to hear anything about this ever again--” Newt said with a tremendous heat in his gentle voice which frightened Maxine a little bit, “I do not care that people will talk, can talk… let them. I was never for the societal rules, and I never will be.”

“Newt… you are misunderstanding me again.” Maxine implored, sensing danger in his voice. She kept her eyes on Newt’s slowly reddening face, “it’s not about Tina or you… it is about you two…” Maxine steadied her grip on his shoulder, “if Tina is invited then it is assumed that many important government officials from other country will also be present—both Pro and Anti Grindlewald groups. There is high chance that Tina is being watched because her sister betrayed for the other side. I am asking you simply not to make your relationship public. Germany and Japan are up on Britain’s throat and it is a matter of time they make you the bad guy—at least think about your creatures? What if they are confiscated? It will take a second to make you look like you are fraternizing with Grindlewald… all I am asking that you avoid going public with Tina for some time now, at least in the official parties… I am sure she will understand.” Maxine added sympathetically, “she is a sensible woman, I know, and she is hurting because of her sister. Comfort her; be with her… but in secret”

Both of them stood in silence for some times. The light was slowly dissolving into a murky winter evening. Newt stood at the pavement with his face looking down. It was hard to know what he was thinking especially when his face was obscured by his bangs and the dusk, but it was not hard to guess that he was contemplating on the fact. After some moments, he slowly mumbled.

“Whom should I go with then?” he asked softly, without making an eye contact. There was a broken undertone in his voice that struck a chord in Maxine’s heart. It was going smoothly upto this point but his response seemed to put a cold bucket of water in Maxine’s confidence. It didn’t feel right, but what has been done cannot be undone. Maxine was the one who started this game and now she had to finish it.

“It’s up to you whether you choose to go with someone or not at all. I mean, It’s not big of a deal” Maxine hesitated a little unconsciously, “it is not a party where pairing is compulsory, I mean it is 1927, not some Regency Ball where pairs are mandatory… ”

“Then come with me then… as my plus one” Newt asked with a cold firmness, “you and I are colleagues and will not draw much of an attention…” he slantly looked upwards to look at his assistant’s face as the streetlights flickered into life after the nightfall. The gas lamps made Maxine’s sharp chin stand out with a ghastly skeletal pallor. She wanted to go with him, the reason she bought him the suit at the first place, but this is not how she wanted to be asked. Her objective was done, but not the way she wanted.

“Fair enough” Maxine said with her professional joviality but joylessly within. She gave a reassuring smile to Newt, “I’ll wait for you…”

…

In the Christmas Eve, Newt was awaiting Maxine at his porch. He was dressed in his Lanvin couture suit and wore his favourite and only cologne. He adjusted the cuffs of his sleeve where he wore the cufflinks he got as a graduation present from his father, and the patent leather shoes, dolled up for tonight. His hufflepuff scarf protecting his neck from cold. His inner anticipation came out as the vapour from his mouth and dissolved outside in a mist. At ten minutes to seven, with a crack he heard someone walking towards him from the other side of the road with small clacks of heeled shoes. Maxine was approaching him, with the usual mischievous smile on her face. It was hard to tell what she wore because from the outside only the massive silhouette of the sleek black fur of her straight coat was noticeable. Under the streetlight, she looked her usual self.

“Ready?” she asked with an optimistic note. With a positive nod from Newt they apparated to the age of telephone booth and took the lift straight to the Level 5 of the ministry.

The usual dark corridors were accentuated even more with the gleaming of the gold rails. Floating orbs of lights simulating the galaxy were arranged at the ceiling of the halls that reminded Maxine oddly of the Hogwarts High ceiling. To match the rails and contrast the walls golden ornaments, garlands and trees were arranged around the place, with specks of snowy white and ruby red here and there, signifying the English colours. Hanging orbs of white-blue ushered the oncomers to places, and they were eventually escorted to the coat-rooms where they were to leave every item of their extreme outer clothing.

It was fairly easy for Newt to deposit his coat and scarf. He was waiting outside the gents coatroom for Maxine, who was apparently having a little more time. But when finally she came out, Newt swore that she looked like a sight to behold.

Her willowy and pale shape was clad with a long black velvet dress that was connected only to her neck, like a halter of a noose. the dress had no sleeves and from her neck to her mid-chest she was clad with most exquisite diamonds and pearls Newt has ever seen. A thick cuff, encrusted with pearls and a large ruby graced her left hand, and a train of silk and some cloudy black material lay by her feet. Her lips glowed in a shiny wine-red colour and her eyed displayed some alien sparkle that Newt never saw her before. She walked towards him with a slow, flowing motion and offered him her arm.

“Mr. Scamander, if you please…” she asked in a low tone, and turned towards the stair to walk side by side with Newt. His hand, out of common courtesy veered towards the waistline of Maxine, but as soon as his finger touched her waist, he was made aware that he was touching Maxine’s bare skin. Under his quivering palm, the whole of back stood erect and bare and the naked ivory skin gave a pearly gleam under the lights. He could not help but to linger a little bit on her waist.

He felt a certain, uncomfortable warmth under his collar to think that this was the first time he saw so much of Maxine’s skin. And it took all of his willpower not to enjoy the whole sight of it with unabashed eyes.

“Mr. Newton Artemis Fido Scamander accompanying Lady Maxine Adrienne Odessa Valois, Duchess of Croy” the valet announced the pair as they entered the room.

It would have been less of a surprise if a thunderbolt struck right at the middle of Atrium. With the announcement, not only the entire hall looked at the most unsual pairing, but it also made Newt look at Maxine’s way, and there was nothing but a proud and confident smile gracing upon her wine coloured lips.

“You never told me you were a duchess…” Newt asked with an offended manner, which was returned with a most mischievous smile, “Well, you never asked me now did you?”

“This is not fair…” Newt said most uncomfortably as he took a glass of champagne from the counter, “well, I thought I needn’t tell you since you were fine with Audrey.” Maxine pouted as she also took a sip from a coupe, “besides, what’s the fun telling people I am a duchess, when you can have so much more with not being at all.”

With the sudden shock of information, Newt had started to retreat within himself. The brightness, the noise and the people all suddenly became something alienating. He anxiously took another sip of champagne and waited till the drink took its toll. Something inexplicable was bothering him since yesterday and he couldn’t put a finger what it was and the crowd of the ministry seemed only to add to this anxiety. He was extremely glad that he had the glass of champagne in his hand; otherwise it would have become unbearable.

Soon the music started to play. It was a slow but a cheerful waltz. Maxine looked at Newt with hopeful eyes and gestured him towards the dance floor.

(Swan lake waltz, by Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CShopT9QUzw )

“Well, aren’t you going to ask me for a dance?” Maxine added with a bit of humour while leaning in front a little, keeping her hips attached to the counter. Newt looked at her with an aghast expression then softened a little after lowering his eyes, “I am very clumsy and not a very good at these things…”

But Maxine wasn’t paying attention to any of Newt’s words, because she was occupied elsewhere. Her ken just picked up Tina Goldstein accompanied by an unknown man at the other side of the room, ready to be announced. Maxine saw red in this situation; she had to do a lot of work to bring Newt here, and now if he sees Tina here then her chance will be over. She grabbed Newt’s hand and almost dragged him into the dance floor.

“c’mon… it will be fun” she giggled and placed one hand of hers on Newt’s shoulder and waited for him to place his hand on her waist but nothing happened. She took his hand and gently guided him at her mid-back with a smile on her face. As their hand joined and the music picked up its speed they were soon dancing and swirling in perfect unison, as if they were meant to dance like this. Newt’s hand which was shaking n nervousness to touch the naked back of an unmarried woman was now steadied and firm. There was a certain feeling about being on synchronised movement; it not only blurred everything around, but also created a fragile fear. It rekindled the feeling that we were essentially alone in this constantly revolving world, and the person in front of us is the only real object before our eyes—the fragile fear of parting with the only real image of a person made each other hold tightly. The sensuality of the fleeting touch which was bothering Newt like a pricking needle felt like the only connection between the world of dream and reality.

“They are staring at you” Newt whispered softly.

“No…” Maxine took her lips to his ears, “they are looking at us…”

There was something sinister about that waltz; in its haunting tune they both felt that it was only them in the whole room—only alive persons in the midst of the land of dead, gliding amongst manikins playing roles: roles which suited them poorly. And then there were Newt and Maxine, a magizoologist and a duchess, most unlikely of couples, two nakedly real human beings dancing amongst actors of people: with coloured faces, borrowed clothes and hired jobs.

In the midst of the whirl, a blurred shape was concentrating itself into clarity with each spin Maxine and Newt took. It slowly concentrated itself into a shape of a tall dark-haired woman clad in silvery-gray gown with a hung face and moist eyes.

“Tina…” as the mumbling gasp escaped Maxine’s lips, their momentum broke and the result was disastrous. Newt and Maxine fell on the floor while crashing with some other dancers. She took the window to escape when Newt started to apologise to other dances and helped them up, and went to the corner of the room, where Tina Goldstein was standing.

“So this was the reason Newt refused to come with me?” Tina said with spite and tears, “you?”

“Yes…” Maxine said coldly, “and I daresay it won’t be the first time he will…” she added with a cruel smirk that send a chill down Tina’s spine, “couldn’t you give us one night to spend alone? I mean I thought I had my path cleared then the ministry thought that they could invite just about anyone--”

“I don’t know who you are or what you think of yourself but I shall not be talked like this…” Tina said threateningly but her voice broke a little when she peered over Maxine’s shoulder. This only added to Maxine. She straightened her neck to look down at Tina who was almost her own height; again with her previous cruel smirk Maxine said, “I give you some credit for showing up here. I mean you have some nerve showing up here after your sister betrayed your own government… so if you have any ounce of shame, you’ll leave tonight and never come back.” Maxine was turning upon her heels and then she saw Newt coming towards their way. Maxine saw red again and turned towards Tina, this time with a much softened and saddened expression.

“Tina I am sorry for what I said… but I beg of you…” she said urgently, “one night… give me just one night with Newt and he will be all yours again” there was a hint of despair in her voice that made Tina stand back. She looked at Maxine with an aghast face and with abhorrence she looked at the face that mercurially changed from bullying to begging. And before she could say anything Maxine walked towards Newt to join him for another dance.

As soon as they left, another hand was placed in front of Tina in an inviting gesture. Without recovering from her aghast state she looked at her side and saw Theseus Scamander looking at her way. She felt a sense of comfort because she felt like she was looking at a mirror when she looked at Theseus’ eyes.

“May I have this dance Miss Goldstein?”

tags: @my-current-fandom-is

First of all, I do not condone any of Maxine’s actions here. She gets steadily conniving and I don’t pretend that I like her; honestly it is not a thing to like. I think she is being mean and jealous. I wanted to make her real and full of flaws, and the party scene was greatly inspired from the Ball from Anna Karenina. If anyone has read it, you would understand

Batard: French for ‘bastard’ (the legal term of illegitimate son)

toast, bacon, Toulouse sausage, omelets and mushrooms: These consist of a typical English breakfast, which obviously Maxine isn’t accustomed eating

Maxine’s dress was inspired from the Prada black halter dress worn by Elizabeth Debicki in the film The Great Gatsby. As the movie too is about power, love and money in the twenties I thought I should incorporate her style into Maxine’s.

Coupe: a saucer for champagne.

Swan Lake Waltz: if you follow the situation here, the song is very befitting; the dark swan seduces the prince from the white swan. I think it highlights the Tina-Maxine dichotomy quite well. And it is a tradition in Europe to see either Swan Lake or Nutcracker ballet in the Christmas.

#the assistant fanfiction #newt scamander x oc #newt x oc #newt x reader #newt scamander x reader #theseus x oc #theseus x reader #theseus scamander x oc #girlfriend rivalry #1920's party #christmas ball #diamonds #seducing #literary referances

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skfics · 5 years

Note

hyunjin bulletpoint fluff recommendations?? 🥰

I hope these are okay! - mika

LAZY DAY WITH HYUNJIN by @starryseo (1/1 | 588 words)

ok so hyunjin is the f i r s t to run away from acting cuteand he’s so shy when it comes to doing anything remotely cutesybut when he’s sleepy?it’s like he’s a whole new person frhe’s so clingy istgeven if the other guys are thereyou could all be chilling in the living room, watching tv and when hyunjin yawns it only takes 3 seconds for his head to be on your shoulderand his arms to be wrapped around your waistand he mumbles a lil’ “g’night, i love you” and his words are kinda slurred bc he’s so tired

waking up with hyunjin! by @elizabethsproductions (1/1 | 270 words)

well first of allYou guys shared a bedroomand a bed you would go to sleep together at the same timebecause hyunjin couldn’t sleep without knowing that you weren’t by his side and when he was gone on trips with the stray kids you were sad because he wasn’t with you :( but oof yeah mornings

You are a youtuber and Hyunjin as your best friend by @mrs-i-have-too-many-biases (1/1 | 4177 words)

This is my first time trying this so please bear with meYou two would’ve been friends since foreverAnd he was their for you since the beginning of your careerAnd most of his fans didn’t knew thatYou two would have made a video together about how you met“She used looked like a potato.” “What do you mean, I still look like one next to you.”People also assumed often that the two of you were dating.“Don’t say that you’re pretty.” He’s protest every time you said something like that“This is why people think we are dating.”

[hyunjin]

#stray kids #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #hwang hyunjin #hhj #hjinsert #nidol #0kup #comp

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thesimplyluxuriouslife · 5 years

Text

255: 34 Inspiring Daily Rituals to Ignite Your Creativity

We talk quite often about the importance of routine, and how by having a routine, we actually set ourselves free, especially our minds. And it is in that vein that Mason Curry shares his two books Daily Rituals. His second is focused entirely on Women at Work, sharing the routines and preferences of creative women who lived and created over the past four centuries.

I thoroughly enjoyed his second book, even more than the first which I also found great inspiration. It was refreshing to see so many women living their lives in a variety of different ways, but all in which they discovered worked well for them and the craft they most loved.

Not all of the ideas resonated with me, but it was wonderful to get into the minds for a moment of these women and how they approached their days. I highlighted vigorously from beginning to end, and would like to share 34 daily routines to consider to enable your creative ideas to flow freely and without withdrawal.

Some will speak to you, some will not, but each one is inspired by a woman's routine which is shared in the book: Daily Rituals: Woman at Work - 143 artists on how they paint, write, perform, direct, choreograph, design, sclpt, compose, dance, etc.

~Be sure to tune into the audio version of the podcast where much more discussion takes place on each point.

1.Begin with a hot glass of lemon water

Designer Elsa Schiaparelli woke up at 8 am, sipped lemon-juice-and-water and a cup of tea for breakfast as she read the papers, handled private correspondence, made telephone calls and gave the menus of the day to the cook.

2. Wake up early if that is when your creativity is most fruitful

—Lillian Hellman would wake up at 6am.

—Marie Bashkirtseff would wake up at 6am

—Maggie Hambling wakes up at 5am each morning

"I get up between three or four o'clock in the morning, because that's my best writing time." —Octavia Butler

3. If spending less time with people fuels your creativity, embrace it fully

"I enjoy people best if I can be alone much of the time. I used to worry about it because my family worried about it. And I finally realized: This is the way I am. That's that." —Octavia Butler in 1998

4. If traditional "holidays" don't work for you, create your own, or dive into what you love.

Coco Chanel worked six days a week, and dreaded Sundays and holidays. As she told one confidant, "That word, 'vacation,' makes me sweat."

5. Greet the day in a habitual way that sets the tone for a great day

6. Live your ideas, don't talk about them

"People would sit around and talk about things constantly. I never really went in for that. If you talk something out, you will never do it. You can spend every evening talking with your friends and colleagues about your dreams, but they will remain just that —dreams." —choreographer Martha Graham

7. Keep a small journal next to your bed to capture ideas

"I always have notebook and pencil on the table at my bedside. I may wake up in the middle of the night with something I want to put down." —American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay

8. If you work at home, carve out a part of the day to get out of the house and just absorb inspiration or let go of the day completely

"In the nocturnal evening, I get the hell out to some movie or damn play and I come back and sleep like a rock." —Frida Kahlo

9. Figure out the ingredients that are needed to let the ideas find you

To develop a new work of choreography, Agnes de Mille needed 'a pot of tea, walking space, privacy and an idea'.

10. Don't feel obligated to keep the same schedule when you are in the middle of creating your art or craft

Margaret Bourke-White required long periods of solitude to write, with as few interruptions as possible." In an interview with a Life photographer Nina Leen, Leen remembers after asking her if she would have lunch with her, "She told me she was writing a book and there was no hope of a lunch for several years.

11. Don't feel bad for loving your work and working on what you love beyond the traditional work hours.

"Everything seems petty and uninteresting, everything except my work . . . ". Russian-born painter and sculptor Marie Bashkirtseff

12. Do something during the day that is relaxing and keeps you present

'I relax before lunch by arranging flowers . . . When these are all beautifully arranged in bowls and vases, it's usually lunch time." —English actress Gertrude Lawrence

13. Have a studio or space of your own to create

"The most important thing is to have a studio and establish and preserve its atmosphere." —Agnes Martin

14. If you love solitude, embrace it

"But it is, as Yeats said, a 'solitary sedentary trade.' And I did a lot of gardening and cooked my own food, and listened to music, and of course I would read. I was really very happy. I can live a solitary life for month at a time, and it does me good." —poet Katherine Anne Porter

15. Trust your intuition as to what works best for you

"It's not right if it doesn't feel right." —English painter Bridget Riley

16. Find regular time to just read what you love

Rachel Whiteread [English sculptor] would "at some point stop for lunch, and she'd often spend an hour of the day reading sitting in a comfortable chair away from her desk.

17. Establish a flexible routine to work with what you need

Morning routine: "Zittel feeds her chickens, waters plants, and performs other outdoor chores before meditating, taking a shower, making breakfast and getting dressed. In the winter, Zittel's morning schedule reverses: She meditates, showers and eats breakfast first; then, once the sun has raised the outdoor temperature, she heads out on her hike and does chores. 'It's really all about establishing a flexible routine."Andrea Zittel, an American artist, in 2017

18. Don't quit trying to live the life you wish to live

"It never occurred to me that I couldn't live the life I wanted to lead. It never occurred to me that I could be stopped . . . I had this very simple view: that the reason people who start out with ideals or aspirations don't do what they dream of doing when they're young is because they quit. I thought, well, I won't quit." —Susan Sontag

19. Try a crossword puzzle like Joan Mitchell

20. Determine what view in your studio/sanctuary/work space is most productive for inspiration

"Where do I write? In a Morris chair beside the window, where I can see a few trees and a patch of sky, more or less blue." —Kate Chopin, American writer

21. End the day with a signal to your mind to relax

"During the performance I drink water with breadcrumbs, which is most refeshing. After the ballet I have a bath as soon as possible. Then I go out to dinner, as by that time I have an unmerciful hunger. When I get home I drink tea." —Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova

22. Let baths be your creative muse

"Baths also played a part in her creative process - a post-breakfast bath enjoyed regularly by Virginia Woolf.

23. Let lunch be a true mid-day break

At 1:00 p.m., Hambling has lunch, takes her Tibetan terrier, Lux, for a walk, and switches on the television to satisfy her tennis addiction.

24. Write when inspiration hits - even if it is in bed in the morning so as not lose the ideas.

25. Go outside and breathe in the fresh air

"Fresh air and cold water are my stimulants." —Harriet Martineau - the first female sociologist

26. Enjoy someone's company for tea, lunch or a walk regularly

Emily Post would regularly welcome a guest or two for tea in the afternoon.

27. It's okay for your personal time to be less than what others feel is acceptable

"It seems to me you have to have your personal life organized so that it takes as little of your time as possible. Otherwise you can't make your art." –Eleanor Antin

28. Don't expect the routine to come naturally, create one and stick with it as it enables you to flourish

29. Cook and walk

"The only other essential component of her day is a twice-daily walk with her dog, during which she avoids thinking about her writing project. In the evening, she makes herself a simple dinner and goes to bed at 10:00 or 11:00 p.m.." —Isabel Allende

30. Create space for your ideas to be seen

"Open a gap for them, create a space. Be patient." — Hilary Mantel

"I think the way to become inspired is to empty your mind and let things come into your mind." —Joan Jonas

31. Do you and don't apologize

"I live here as in Paris. I rise every day at 5 o'clock; I drink my two large glasses of hot water; I take my coffee; I write when I am alone, which is rare; I do my hair in company; I dine every day with the king, chez lui, or with him and les seigneurs. I make calls after dinner; I go to the theater; I return to my place at ten o'clock; I drink my hot water , and I go to bed." —Marie-Thérèse Rodet Geoffrin, a major salonniéres of the French Englightenment

32. Turn on music paired with your favorite drink to start the day

"I wake about nine, turn on the symphony and have juice, fruit and a pot of black coffee . . . " —Grace Hartigan, American painter

33. Leave evenings open for your social engagements

"In the evening, she would see a friend for dinner or attend another social engagement. But the real key to this perfect writing day, she said, was to know that the following day would be exactly the same." —Eudora Welty

34. Be patient until you find what works, then cherish it

"Trial and error, and then when you've found your needs, what feeds you, what is your instinctive rhythm and routine, then cherish it." —novelist Doris Lessing

~SIMILAR POSTS/EPISODES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

~Why Not . . . Be Creative?

~The Benefit of Daily Rituals

~The Importance of a Daily Routine & How to Create One You Love, episode #164

Petit Plaisir:

~Chilled Cucumber and Yogurt Soup with Dill and Fresh Mint, a Patricia Wells recipe, click here for the recipe

~Why Not . . . Grow a(n) Herb Garden?

~Check out TSLL's IG account, see the Highlights and Part 3 of my FR Trip '18 - mid-roll to see the presentation of the dish in Provence.

~Chilled Cucumber and Yogurt Soup with Dill and Fresh Mint, enjoyed in Provence with Patricia Wells and the other cooking class students during the summer of 2018~

~the same dish served this past weekend as the second course during a dinner party at my home. Cool and crisp cucumber and yogurt soup.~

Tune in to the latest episode of The Simple Sophisticate podcast

#tsllpodcast thesimplesophisticate

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globrights · 5 years

Note

do you have any theories for the roommate that dee burned alive? ive been thotting about that

omg okay like fr actually i have literally went Deep into thought about this before and i wrote it in my notes and was planning on shoving it in some angst fic for some reason but we all know that’s never gonna happen so here it goes (caution warning for some abusive(?) language and violence):

it’s dee’s junior year of college and she’s having the time of her life going out to parties and drinking and she goes to a lot of these parties with her roommate and they have a lot of fun together and she’s pretty but dee doesn’t feel threatened by her for some reason and dee also doesn’t feel the need to see her roommate as inferior to make herself feel better about herself and it’s so, so nice

one night they get drunk and wake up in the same bed... naked

they brush it off and laugh and pretend it’s all part of the college experience!! who doesn’t drunkenly hook up with their roommate anyway!!

but then it happens again. and again. once when they’re sober, and then once again when they’re drunk

it becomes a regular thing and dee can’t help but notice that sex with men has never felt this good. has never been this fulfilling. dee’s roommate says it’s just a casual thing, nothing serious, and dee agrees because she’s not a lesbian, she can’t be a lesbian

but it begins to feel a bit to dee like they are dating, and dee’s falling in love with her roommate, and she thinks her roommate feels the same way but is just lying about it like dee is

she isn’t

her love turns to obsession which morphs into possession and dee gets upset whenever her roommate “ditches her” to hang out with a friend, or study with a classmate. dee starts to get irrational about it. she starts thinking maybe she’s doing something wrong and that’s why her roommate doesn’t like her enough. maybe she made the mistake of letting her guard down and being herself

so she starts to change... into what she thinks her roommate might like most, which is, well, her roommate. because why wouldn’t anyone like themselves more than anyone else, right? so she starts shopping at the same places as her roommate, but somehow those shopping trips end with her getting the exact same clothes as her roommate, the exact same shoes, anything she can find, really

when she can’t find something her roommate owns she steals it from her drawer directly and when she puts those things on... she feels complete for a moment

dee’s roommate starts dodging dee more and more and they stop hooking up altogether and dee is freaking out about it... she starts following her roommate in secret instead of going for her classes and one day she sees her roommate bring a girl back to their apartment

she catches a brunette with her hand down her roommate’s pants and she screams bloody murder

the third party gets out because she’s been seeing dee’s roommate for a while (dee only finds this out after she’s been institutionalized) and knows she does not want to get in the middle of this

dee and her roommate get into a huge fight. dee accuses her of cheating, her roommate reminds her that they were never dating and sleeping together was just supposed to be a casual thing for fun, she doesn’t like dee romantically, and dee has no right reacting the way she is

so in a fit of rage, fury, heartbreak, solemn, and the desire to take down a bitch who crossed her, dee goes to grab the gasoline she has stashed in her room and she starts dousing her roommate with it, who expectedly freaks out and tries to get dee to stop

“why are you doing this, cut it out, dee!” “shut up, you goddamn bitch!” she seethes between tears, and then kicks her roommate in the shin. she falls to the ground. “maybe this’ll teach you not to be such a fucking slut!”

she lights the first match and drops it, watching as the fire spreads and her roommate, who’s screaming, tries to crawl and roll around to put out the fire. she’s crying, just like dee is, except while dee’s tears fall quietly hers fall with her desperate, begging, her voice retched as she apologizes, over and over and over, saying she’ll do whatever dee wants if she lets her go

but it’s too late. dee can only laugh at the ashes of her broken heart. maybe they can join her roommate in a minute

she lights another match, and another, and then suddenly someone’s bursting through the doors and it’s dennis, who’s coming over unannounced again, who has no one to eat lunch with again

“oh my god, dee, what the hell did you do?”

she tries to shove him away but he grabs onto her and drags her out; the gasoline got all over the floor too and the fire is spreading

dennis calls the fire department

as they wait dee hugs dennis tighter than she’s ever cared to and sobs hard and ugly into his chest and for once he keeps quiet and... lets her

dee’s roommate survives the fire, and has third degree burns to show for it

dennis lies to the cops and claims that dee’s roommate set herself on fire because she was obsessed with dee and did it out of anger

but then witnesses come forth and there’s footage of dee buying a gallon of gasoline and when her roommate wakes up for the tell-all her fate is sealed

dee tries to repress most of the incident after she leaves a free woman; she tells herself it’s a college experiment gone wrong, just stuff most straight women who aren’t psychotic go through

she represses her sexuality even more, and tells herself throughout every dissatisfying hook up that she’s straight and that’s good because the alternative now terrifies her

it continues to terrify her for the next twenty years, and the fears refuse to fade

#ask #i don't even know WHAT this is #dee reynolds #iasip #why dee is a repressed lesbian lmao???#and also why dee set her roommate on fire i guess #idk if this is a theory list or fic LMAO #twins #Anonymous

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rorypcarson · 5 years

Text

it’s hope??? again??? yes u read that right here’s my son rory love us this blog is so new so nothing will be in the tags i hate everything lmao anyway like this or message me to plot ily bye

triggers: car crash, drunk driving, stroke, abortion, death, depression ( mention )

╰☆╮ DACRE MONTGOMERY ─ RORY PEARSON identifies as CISMALE and uses HE/HIM pronouns. they’re a YOUTUBER/MUSICIAN, and they’re only TWENTY-TWO ! they’re said to be +CANDID, but also -DESPONDENT. i guess that’s why they’re known as THE ACCIDENTAL BILLIONAIRE in the tabloids. ( kendall schmidt, logan henderson )

did i use two btr bois as his vc??? u bet ur ass i did & i have no regrets ok anyway on to my son

background:

rory pearson was born and raised in fairhope, alabama. his parents were teenagers when they had him and lived with his grandma scarlett. his mom jean marie was ousted by her parents when she told them she was pregnant and his dad’s mom took her in with open arms.

of course his grandma wasn’t going to let them live in the same room in her house without being married, especially with her grandbaby on the way. so after talking with them, and his parents agreeing, they went to the courthouse and got married three months before rory came into the world.

rory was born on april 20th, 1996 and he was without a name for six days. his parents couldn’t decide so they named him rory wyatt vincent pearson. he was always told that since his parents couldn’t decide on naming him after jean marie’s grandfather or greyson’s father, they picked a third name and gave him both of their names for middle names.

when rory was two and a half years old ( not really half, it was june ?? ) his parents graduated high school and went out for a party. unfortunately their designated driver wasn’t so sober and the group of four recent graduates crashed into another car.

his father was in the passenger’s seat and died on impact, his mother was pronounced dead in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

scarlett legally adopted rory after that and raised him. she always told him stories of his parents, but avoided telling him anything about what happened to them for as long as she could.

he was ten years old when he saw the memorial and recognized his parents from their yearbook photos and came home asking about it.

honestly this is jumping ahead a bit but rory didn’t learn to drive until he was twenty years old. and even now, esp now, since he lives in nyc he doesn’t drive often.

okay when he was seventeen years old he met bethany in an airport. he was on his way to a college interview on a connecting flight that got cancelled due to weather conditions. they were both sitting in the same terminal so they got to talking and !!! hit it off

bro legit asked her out 5 seconds after their flights were announced to be back on

“hi yeah we just met but we’ve got two hours before your flight leaves so wanna go grab some food with me???”

and the rest was legit history

he can remember every moment of their conversation and first date like it was yesterday. oh my god he was SO IN LOVE

the human embodiment of the hearteyes emoji

and so the pair stayed in touch and went on a couple more dates and the boy was so gd smitten that grandma scarlett took his phone during one of their phone calls and was like “darlin if you don’t fly down here to meet me i’m going to think my grandbaby is just talking to a complete stranger on here.”

and then bethany flew down and met scarlett and she was so excited because !!!! her grandson had a girlfriend !!!!

grandma scarlett was the biggest supporter of anything rory did in life oh my GOD

at his graduation it was just grandma scarlett in the crowd for him but boy did it sound like the whole crowd was cheering for him when his name was called

anyway flash forward to he’s in college and he’s moved away to be closer to bethany. which should not have affected his life but when he was looking at colleges fr fr after acceptances the boy chose one closer to his girl

we love a softie ok

anyway on bethany’s 19th birthday he took her to an airport and was surprising her with a trip to disney that he’s been saving up for for MONTHS !!!!

and at the airport he was like all jittery and nervous bc in his pocket he had an engagement ring but he did his bEST to hide it all from beth bc surprises

not that he planned the whole thing ( he did ) but it just so happened they were in the same restaurant waiting for their flight as their first date way back when

and in the middle of dessert, the waiters singing happy birthday this boy attempts to be sly and gets down on one knee. but didnt realize there would be someone coming up behind him to keep up the singing and he ..... kinda caused a mini avalanche of people

and he apologized and is like still on one knee and now he’s looking at bethany with a BRIGHT RED face and he had had this whole speech worked out in his mind ok but all that comes out is, “i love you, please marry me?” in like an awkward stutter because he just TOOK OUT AN ENTIRE WAITSTAFF

somehow bethany said yes ??? and they’re engaged ???

oh and someone got the whole thing on camera and like that happened

the video skyrocketed to the most viewed video entitled “i witnessed an awkward proposal???? and she still said yes?????”

which is also lowkey how he started his youtube channel ??

“hi yes it’s me the guy who proposed to an olympic athlete while taking out a whole waitstaff?? i dont know why she said yes either but i love her??”

and for a long time it was mainly vlogs of him and beth and him and his friends

okay so fast forward and rory’s graduated college with a degree in history education bc he wants to be a teacher and he’s got to fly back to alabama and miss his graduation because he got a phone call and grandma scarlett had a stroke

so the boy is freaking out but it’s fine !!! grandma goes home and he winds up staying down and now he’s trying to figure out how to be with beth, find a job in ny, but also take care of his grandma

for a while he toys with the idea of moving grandma up to new york and helping her find a place. so he goes back to new york to talk to beth about it and he’s freaking out and he gets home and she tells him she’s pregnant

of course he never expected to be like 20 and having a baby but ??? whatever. now he’s freaking out because his grandma is not doing good and he’s worried about her and now he’s got to figure out what to do with a BABY ???

and bethany then tells him she wants to get an abortion and rory’s already stressed and so he flips bc of emotions and they get into a huge fight and it just winds up with him leaving and heading back to alabama and bethany in their apartment

so rory goes home to alabama and he keeps getting notifications on social media about bethany so he just shuts his phone off and i’m talking like he goes days without touching his cell phone. he takes a hiatus from youtube because he’s freaking out and

two months after he’s home he seemed like scarlett was doing better so he took her to a party in town to see some of her friends and at the party scarlett had another stroke.

she died six days later, never waking up from the medically induced coma they put her in.

flash forward a couple more weeks after he’s working with lawyers for his grandma’s estate and rest assured scarlett pearson had nothing but her house, her garden, and her beat up corvette that her deceased husband wyatt bought her for their anniversary one year

so its a shocker to find out that scarlett pearson was worth 43.7 billion dollars

and now that money all goes to rory because he’s her only living heir ???

so rory gets this BOATLOAD of money and the local newspaper picks it up which brings it to the national news and somehow it made international news

“local alabama boy from youtuber to billionaire overnight”

so he kept his grandma’s house in alabama because ..... he can’t seem to let that go and why should he ?? its a good house and holds a lot of memories

but he does in fact buy a brownstone in manhattan its HUGE and he doesn’t have enough things to fill the whole space up but ??? he’s working on it slowly.

he created a makeshift recording studio in one of the upstairs rooms and has been working on music, which is new to him ?? he was always a bit artistic but never sure enough to like try it out

oh and he’s returned to youtube, he’s got a decent following i guess

i mean lbr he’s hot ???? and sings ??? so ??? ya know

personality:

okay so this is long already so im gonna keep this short n sweet

rory is a sweet boy, never really an athletic type always more focused on his studies than sports.

spent a lot of time with his grandma and he’s very easily attached to people he’s close to. not exactly clingy, but it’s really hard for him to let people go i guess ???

used to love shows like survivor and big brother and amazing race. always toyed with the idea of applying to be on amazing race but he never had anyone who would go with him, or could for that long.

he’s a real kind hearted guy and clumsy as fuck

a bit awkward when you first meet him but ??? you warm up quickly and so does he

clumsy af as noted earlier

kind of depressed ??? idk he’s not seeing anyone for it but post losing beth, his grandma, and like the possibility of a family in the future he’s kinda ..... morbid

puts on a happy front for youtube

oh and he does a podcast talking about stuff with his friends idk what exactly but ?? its prob music and movies lbr

connections:

best friend(s)--self explanatory; people who he gets along with and they’re like his ride or dies.

nerd friends--give him someone to geek out with please he’s SUCH A NERD !!!! or someone who likes learning random things he’s got u

musical friends--people who he met through starting to delve into music

youtube community--give me people who !!! met through youtube and often do colabs together. probably ppl who were shooketh when he came back and was like “bro i have 40 billion dollars????”

wealthy friend(s)--give me someone who will teach this boy how to be wealthy ??? like cause he knows nothing about that he struggled a lot growing up and with college and several part time jobs he doesnt know how to like party or anything

idk anything else

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midnight-hallucinations · 5 years

Text

Injuries (Fairy Tail)

AO3

Gildarts stalked towards the guild, his tattered cloak billowing menacingly behind him. The normally cheerful residents of Magnolia found themselves shivering at the crackle of magical power that surrounded his person, those too slow to move out of the way flinching as they accidentally brushed against his magic, a feeling which they could only later on describe as being burned.

For once, he didn’t walk through any houses despite the lack of rearrangement the city had installed purely for him. His attention had sharpened into a deadly fine focus, and with it came the need to wrangle his power into control lest he destroy the entire city.

He only released his power - a tiny trickle - when he came to the doorway of the guild, the wooden construct splintering into tiny cubes that scattered across the floor. It caught the attention of the entire guild, and distantly, he heard the master call out his name in confusion.

Lips twisting into a snarl, he stalked up to the innermost table where Gray Fullbuster sat, a hand shooting out to slam the ice wizard onto the table. Ignoring the alarmed cries of the rest of the guild, he glared at the younger teen, who was wincing as the rough surface of the table dug into his cheek.

“Gildarts -!”

“I want to know everything about Edolas.” He said quietly, dangerously. “I want to know what happened to Natsu there and I want to know why the fuck you thought it was a good idea to allow some crazy bitch to drain Natsu’s magic.” Gildarts hissed, his hand tightening on Gray’s collar.

“Gildarts!” Happy shrieked, bursting through the door in a flurry of blue and white.

The wizard - who had been quietly dozing in his armchair - shot upright, wincing as the action pulled on his wounds. Turning to the reason for his sudden jolt back to the land of consciousness, he blinked confusedly.

“Happy? What’s –”

The blue Exceed rushed forward, barrelling straight into the wizard’s chest, sobbing loudly. “It’s Natsu! Gildarts, you need to help Natsu! I told him to get help but he didn’t want to and now he’s – now he’s –”

Gildarts felt something seize in his chest. He carefully peeled Happy away from his chest. “Start at the beginning,” he commanded, “What’s wrong with Natsu? And where is he?”

Happy hiccuped, tears still falling from his eyes – the most distraught Gildarts had ever seen him to date.

“He – I left him at the edge of the forest! We were going to fish – I told him not to go but he insisted and then he – he won’t wake up!”

The unknown emotion in his heart turned to icy fear and foreboding dread. Ignoring his wounds, he leapt to his feet, all but throwing himself out of the door.

“Show me where he is, and tell me everything!”

Happy launched himself into the air, flying as fast as he could to where he last left Natsu, tripping over his retelling to Gildarts.

“Natsu – Natsu wasn’t feeling well after the party, so we went home. But then he decided to go fish because I said I was hungry, but I told him no because he looked really bad.” Happy recounted, trying to remain strong for his friend even as his eyes burned with tears. “We got to the edge of the forest, but then he suddenly collapsed. I tried to wake him but he wouldn’t wake up!” The Exceed wailed, “I didn’t know what to do –”

“So you came to me.” Gildarts finished, his mouth set in a grim line as he kept pace with Happy.

The cat nodded glumly, though the movement was lost in his flight.

Gildarts saw Natsu the moment they neared the tree line, and he felt the dread intensify. The salmon-haired teen was curled up on the ground, his limbs splayed out in a manner that did nothing to soothe the fear that gripped his heart like a vice. He skidded to a stop beside Natsu, dropping to his knees almost immediately. Placing a hand on the teen’s shoulder, he shook him lightly, trying to rouse him. “Natsu, Natsu wake up.”

When that didn’t work, Gildarts turned him over carefully, eyes widening at the ashen pallor of his foster son’s skin. Placing two fingers at Natsu’s throat, he flinched instinctively at the burning sensation, horror spreading like poison within him.

How the hell could a fire dragon slayer get a fever?

Shaking his head, Gildarts placed his fingers back on Natsu’s throat, ignoring the heat burning his fingers as he counted. Gritting his teeth, Gildarts slid his arms underneath the teen’s back and knees, lifting him into his arms easily.

It didn’t matter that Natsu was merely a head shorter than him, in this moment, Gildarts was struck by how young Natsu looked, the teen’s bullheadedness and larger-than-life attitude always overshadowing the fact that he was still sixteen. The older wizard cradled his somewhat protégé in his arms, disturbed by how Natsu – always boisterous and always moving even when asleep – was deathly still in his arms.

“Happy, fly ahead to Porlyusica and tell her we’re coming.” He instructed, barely waiting for a subdued ‘Aye’ before sprinting off, the blue Exceed shooting through the forest at his fastest speed.

Feeling the sluggish heartbeat in the boy cradled in his arms, Gildarts growled, praying that the healer would be able to save him.

“Gildarts!” Erza shouted, snapping out of her stupor first, her eyes blazing with anger. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Stay out of this!” He snarled at her, shocking her enough for him to redirect his ire to the wizard in his grasp.

“Tell me. Now.”

“Look, she was interested in Natsu okay? She had this plan to use his magic to power her dragonoid and –”

“So you decided to sell your friend out?” Gildarts demanded.

“No!” Gray protested, struggling feebly, “The thing was indestructible from the outside, only Natsu could overload it from the inside!”

Gildarts ground his teeth so harshly that he wondered how he didn’t chip a tooth. He opened his mouth to make a scathing comment about the stupidity of such a plan when a loud voice cut through the air.

“Gildarts!” Makarov boomed, glaring at his strongest wizard from where he stood on the bar counter, the various wizards of the guild all still frozen where they were standing, each of them staring at him in shock.

“Release Gray at once and explain yourself!”

Gildarts met his glare with one of his own, several beats of silence passing before he uncurled his fingers from Gray’s collar, the teen scrambling away from him to stand behind Erza the moment he was free.

“You have no right to attack Gray like that.” Makarov reprimanded, standing on the bar top.

“No right?” He echoed, feeling the vestiges of anger stirring up within him once again. His fingers dug into his palm painfully from where they had curled into a fist, hidden beneath his cloak.

“No right? While all of you are sitting here having fun, chatting each other up, Natsu is dying.” He snapped, the words echoing like a gunshot – deafening in the silence of the hall.

He ignored the gasps that escaped many of the guild members, the horror in their eyes nothing compared to the feeling of helplessness as he watched Natsu fight for his life.

“What’s wrong with him?” The auburn haired wizard demanded, hovering worriedly over the younger wizard whom he’d laid down on the bed.

“If you can’t make yourself useful then get out!” Porlyusica snapped, her hands glowing with magic as she scanned Natsu’s prone form.

The elder lady had a deep frown on her face – one more prominent than the usual scowl she wore when faced with other individuals of the human race.

Backing away slightly, Gildarts removed himself from the immediate vicinity of the witch, forcing himself to remain as calm as possible. His hands twitched every time her scowl deepened, her silence unnerving.

Soon enough, she straightened from where she’d been bent over the dragon slayer, her lips nothing more than a thin slash across her face. As she turned towards him, Gildarts braced himself for the bad news.

“He’s dying,” Gildarts repeated harshly, echoing the healer’s brusque declaration as he tore himself away from the memories, “because according to Porlyusica, he’s depleted his magic to near – no, not even near, he’s depleted his magic to critical levels multiple times within the span of two weeks.”

He met the master’s shocked eyes head on, “A magic drain is not a joke, not to us wizards, whose life force is affected by the level of magic we have and definitely not to a dragon slayer whose life force is so much more intimately tied to their magic. I know from Happy that he went through not one but two drains, but I’d assumed they happened in Edolas.”

Narrowing his eyes at Gray, he felt a burst of vindictive pleasure at the kid’s rapidly paling skin. “I didn’t expect one of his own friends to subject him to something like that.”

“That’s – that’s impossible.” Lucy whispered, trembling slightly, “Natsu was fine when we came back –”

“Most of his internal systems are messed up, and not just because of his physical injuries.” Gildarts interrupted, his words like a whip cracking at each of them. “Magic helps us to heal from wounds more quickly,” he continued, turning to fix his burning gaze on his master, “and Natsu heals faster than most because of his tremendous reserve as a dragon slayer. So when his reserves were depleted not once but twice...”

“He’s dying.” She said bluntly.

Gildarts felt as though someone had punched him, his breath completely stolen away.

“No!” Happy screeched, and it was a testament to the severity of the situation that the elder witch didn’t fuss about the Exceed flapping all over her face. “Natsu isn’t dying! Don’t say that!”

“What’s going on?” Gildarts whispered, stumbling backwards until he hit the wall. “Why is he like that? He was fine just yesterday, what happened that could put him in this situation in less than a day?”

Porlyusica sighed, her stern features softening slightly as she turned to look at the young dragon slayer in her hut. Igneel, she thought, your son needs you. Now, more than ever.

To Gildarts, she said, “His magic has been drained. And I don’t mean just from overusing it in battle. That alone wouldn’t have caused this much damage.”

“What are you saying...?”

“I’m saying that someone forcibly took his magic from him, drained him to the point where he barely had anything left.” The healer reported, her tone soft but serious.

“Byro...” Happy whispered, his tail drooping.

Gildarts narrowed his eyes. “Happy?”

The blue cat sniffed, reaching out to place a paw on Natsu’s cheek. “There was this guy in Edolas who was draining magic from Natsu and Wendy to power their machine.”

Hissing, Gildarts looked to Porlyusica. “What do we need to do?”

“He needs magic to even stabilize. I can use some of mine now, but he will need a lot more energy than I can provide to stabilize his injuries.”

Gildarts scowled, turning to leave when his ears picked up a soft murmur, not something he suspected was meant to be heard.

He whirled around, his cloak flaring out around him. “What about Fullbuster?”

Happy started in shock, not realizing that the wizard had heard him. The cat slumped, shifting away from Natsu when Porlyusica began her treatment.

“Gray he - There was this woman who created a dragonoid. She needed a dragon slayer to power it and Gray - Gray tricked Natsu and got him caught by her!” The cat blurted out, wincing as Gildarts’ expression darkened.

Happy didn’t want to rat Gray out, not when he knew it wasn’t completely the ice wizard’s fault. But he still remembered Natsu’s screams from inside the dragon, the same screams that echoed in that stone corridor back on Edolas - and he couldn’t find it in himself to say anything else when Gildarts stormed out of the hut, his magic crackling dangerously around him.

“Not twice, three times.” Gajeel growled, drawing Gildarts out of his memories, the iron dragon slayer scowling unhappily.

Wendy gasped, drawing attention to her. “He forced himself to use even more power even though he didn’t have any left so he could defeat the king...” the female dragon slayer whispered, remembering the way she and Gajeel had all but given up, completely drained of their magical power, while Natsu screamed at them to get up, and dug so deep within him that he’d conjured up more magic – enough to deal a devastating blow to Faust’s fake dragon. She had felt completely drained of energy after her final roar, and she knew that Natsu had probably reached his limits long before she did.

“The severe tax on his magical reserves, along with the injuries he had piled onto each other...” Gildarts laughed bitterly, a bark that made everyone flinch.

Makarov sobered, understanding finally glimmering in his eyes. Gildarts stood before the guild and their master, wondering vaguely just what his purpose here was. He had stormed here after listening to Happy, ready to tear his fellow guild mates a new one and he knew that he needed to find more magic energy for Natsu, but apart from that he’d had no real goal in mind.

“What can we do for him?” Makarov asked quietly.

Gildarts sighed, the anger still boiled within him, but the energy had drained out of him, replaced only with a vague sense of despair and worry. He ran a hand across his face tiredly. “He needs to replenish his magic, which would normally occur naturally, but Porlyusica said that he can’t stabilize himself right now.”

“I – I can try to lend him some of my energy!” Wendy volunteered, wringing her hands nervously. “Natsu-san made sure that Byro-san took more of his magic instead of mine. I want to help him!”

Looking at the tiny girl with a desperate plea in her eyes, Gildarts nodded mutely, turning on his heel as he strode towards the door. He heard a scramble as the sky dragon slayer hurried after him, her cat friend following with a silent beat of her wings.

They left the guild behind in stunned silence.

#fairy tail #natsu dragneel #gildarts #hurt natsu #fanfic #snippet #drabble #writing #magic drain

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403secret · 7 years

Text

so this is... a seung gil fic i wrote back at the beginning of may. i dug it up and crammed out 800 more words to end it

anyways i’m stuck in rarepair hell but the dynamics btwn seung gil and phichit are great even though they’ve pretty much never met

He messes up his free skate.

And, god, it shouldn’t bother him as much as it does. As a professional skater, Lee Seung Gil is used to failure; he knows that not every opportunity is going to come to fruition, and it’s been something he’s learned to accept the hard way.

Except––except, this is different. This is Worlds, and it’s his first time here. He’s finally made it to somewhere big. And the fact that he screws up his free skate so badly–shaky limbs and awkward movements and badly executed jumps and all–that just isn’t representative of him. It’s just one bad performance, but it’s all the world gets to see of him. Nobody cares about his better days if he’s not standing on a stage.

And it hurts.

His coach takes the hint. She’s always been good at reading him after having to deal with him for so long. She gives him time to compose himself, under the pretense of giving him a few days off, but she knows it’s not out of kindness. It’s out of pity.

And he takes it. He doesn’t go to the rink after that. He can’t think of skating, can’t think of going back onto the ice when all he can ever do is fall, fall, fall–

It’s a day after the free skate when he runs into Phichit Chulanont in his hotel on the way to breakfast. Or, rather, when Phichit runs into him.

“Morning, Seung Gil,” Phichit chirps, wearing the same vivid, hundred-watt smile that he always has on.

And Seung Gil flinches. Phichit might as well be the most cheerful person who’s ever tried to talk to him–the boy has a personality equivalent to sunshine, and Seung Gil just doesn’t have the energy to deal with him right now. He pushes past, pretending not to have heard.

“Hey, hello?” Phichit asks, falling into step beside him. “What’s with the sad face?”

Does he really not know? Impossible. As a finalist, Phichit has to have watched the semi-finals, right? Seung Gil straightens up, sending him his most convincing glare. “I think you know.”

Phichit opens his mouth again, and all Seung Gil can think is, shut up, shut up, shut up. He isn’t ready to speak to anyone about it. Not now, and not ever. Maybe he should just spend the rest of the trip locked up in his hotel room, he contemplates.

“Hey,” Phichit begins, then clears his throat. “Is it the fr–”

“I’m not really in the mood.”

There’s a beat of silence, but it’s not nearly long enough. “I don’t get why you’re beating yourself up over this. Honestly, I think you were amazing.”

“I don’t need your pity, Chulanont.” He enunciates each word through gritted teeth, voice kept carefully low so Phichit can’t tell that it’s shaking.

“Wait, what are you talking about? I’m not pitying you!”

Seung Gil whips around, eyebrows drawn together and mouth creased in a frown. “I don’t want to talk about it. Just leave me alone.”

“Oh,” Phichit says, face falling. “Okay. I’m sorry for bothering you, then.”

He turns and leaves. And, damn it, Seung Gil hasn’t done anything wrong, but Phichit’s somehow managed to make him feel so damn guilty. He swallows, dumping his half-finished plate and grabbing his coat. Breakfast suddenly doesn’t seem so appealing anymore. He has a headache that’s been present ever since he’d performed his free skate, and come to think of it, it might have played a part in his lackluster performance.

It doesn’t matter now, anyways. He can’t change anything. He heads toward the elevators, not turning back once.

Dialing Park Min So.

Seung Gil leans back in his seat, holding a hand up to his throbbing temples. It may be something to do with skipping breakfast and lunch, or it might just be karma for having turned everyone away, but he feels like shit. Physically.

His coach picks up. “Seung Gil,” she says, voice warm and familiar, and he almost tears up at the sound. “I’ve been waiting for you to call. How are you?”

And now he’s going to disappoint her too, he realizes. The one person who knows he could’ve done better. Shifting, he leans so that the phone is held between his ear and his shoulder as he grabs the tissue box. “I’m fine.” He feels compelled to lie further, but his thought process is interrupted by a few harsh, jarring coughs that take him by surprise. He swallows, and his throat is sore. Weird.

“Are you feeling okay?” She’s asking, and he finds himself nodding. It’s a bad idea, considering that she can’t actually see him, and his phone nearly falls off his shoulder at the sudden movement.

“I don’t know,” he admits, then coughs again, muffling it into a handful of tissues. Had he had more hands, he would’ve brought the phone further from his ear. He knows it must be unpleasant for her to hear his symptoms up close. “I don’t…” he sniffles, feeling utterly pathetic. “...feel that great.”

“Sounds like it. I’m sorry,” she says sympathetically, and he curls an arm around himself, trying hard to conserve his body warmth. Briefly, he wonders if the air conditioning has started malfunctioning. It’s utterly freezing in here. “Just take it easy, okay? Take as many days off as you want.”

“Okay,” he says, and then repeats it, more for his own ears than for hers. “Okay.”

“Drink plenty of fluids, and make sure you get enough rest,” she says, sounding like his mother, but he knows she really just means, take care of yourself.

“Yeah,” he responds. “I will.”

He clicks the end call button, and the room is suddenly too silent.

When he next wakes up, he feels like shit. Physically and emotionally. It’s freezing and he’s shaking all over, but it’s the unpleasant type of coldness that extra layers can’t fix. His head still hurts like hell, but it’s worse now–a constant, throbbing ache–and he can’t breathe through his nose.

A hot shower should help. He hoists himself out of bed, trembling at the coldness of the wooden floorboards beneath his feet, and makes his way over to the bathroom. He’ll feel better after this, he tells himself.

When he steps inside the steady stream of water, he notices that he has to turn the knob a few degrees more than he usually does–he’s always been mathematical enough to notice things like this, and it’s not a good sign. It probably indicates that he has a fever. Great.

He doesn’t even have the energy to wash his hair, so he settles for just standing in place, letting the warm water flood over him. It’s nice and it loosens up his congestion a bit, but suddenly the hot water is running out and the coldness is starting to make him sneeze, and he’s getting congested all over again. It’s not a pleasant sensation.

He groans, turning the water off and hurriedly wrapping two towels around his shivering frame. The air feels mercilessly cold on his too-hot skin, and it’s concerning. He’s Korean; he’s supposed to be good with the cold, considering that he lives in one of the coldest areas in South Korea. The fact that he’s shivering right now isn’t characteristic of him at all.

Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. More than once, he gets dizzy and has to slump against the bathroom counter, waiting for his vision to clear. Maybe he’s worse off than he’d thought.

When he’s finally done, he exits the bathroom and falls back into bed, face-first, too exhausted to stay awake for any longer.

In his dreams, he’s skating his free skate over and over again, except every time, he messes up. It’s hard to breathe. Feels like he’s suffocating. The ice rink is too cold and his body is out of his own control and he wants to prove himself but he can’t, he can’t, he can’t. Or maybe he has nothing to prove in the first place.

When he wakes, he realizes that it’s dark outside, and he hasn’t left his room since breakfast. His throat is dry, and his whole body feels out of whack; each movement is uncontrolled, sluggish.

He needs to call Min So, he thinks to himself. He needs her to get him medicine to take for this.

Except he’s already bothered her enough. Except he’s already let her down. The least he can do is buy medicine for himself; there’s a convenience store on the street and he should be able to make it there and back, right?

It’s worth a shot.

He stands up, using the walls for balance, and makes his way to the door. He pulls on an extra jacket that’s too big for him and pries the door open, shivering as he steps into the hallway, which is somehow impossibly colder than his own hotel room. There’s only one thought on his mind, and it’s how much better he’ll feel after he takes something.

He doesn’t expect to end up standing at the cash register in the convenience store, his hands clammy and mouth suddenly gone dry.

In his wallet sit a few crumpled bills amidst a sea of coins. Blue, red, green, yellow. Korean currency. He can’t use this. He’d been planning on going to a bank sometime this week, but he hadn’t been taking into account that he’d spend the majority of his week locked up in his room, too out of it to even consider leaving the building.

“Would you be able to convert won to rubles?” He asks, and the woman at the cashier smiles apologetically.

“I’m sorry, we don’t offer that service here.” Of course. It’s a relatively small convenience store; he shouldn’t even have asked. Seung Gil looks at the medicine on the countertop, at the bottled water that sits tantalizing close to it, and swallows, a little painfully.

“I’ll have to pass on these, then,” he admits, shoving his wallet back into his pocket and scooping the items up into his arms. He coughs a few times into his shoulder. “Sorry, I’ll put them back. Thanks for your time, miss.” He turns to head back in the direction of the shop, energy sapped.

“It’s okay. I hope you feel better,” she calls after him.

He’s standing at the end of the medicine aisle, wondering if he can really make it back to the hotel without passing out, when he sees.

Standing a few rows away from him is Phichit Chulanont, gazing contemplatively at an assortment of ramen on the shelves. It’s kind of endearing, actually, how seriously he seems to be taking the decision process.

The relief hits Seung Gil all at once. Phichit can help him. They may not be friends, but they’re certainly acquaintances–surely Phichit will be willing to lend him just enough to cover the cost of the medicine pack, right? Seung Gil will even be willing to pay back in interest when he’s feeling well enough to stop by an actual bank. He takes a few steps over to Phichit’s aisle, relief completely overriding caution. He feels so unwell, but the idea of having medicine solve all his problems sounds just so damn appealing–

Only when Seung Gil opens his mouth to call out to Phichit does he realize what he’s doing. He’s the one who’d rudely pushed Phichit away just a couple days back. He doesn’t have the right to ask Phichit for a favor at all.

He’s so selfish. Blinking away the liquid in his vision, Seung Gil turns on his heels, mind set on getting out of this aisle as quickly as possible–

–and then his body has the audacity to make him sneeze.

The timing would be almost comical if he weren’t feeling so shitty. Phichit whips around, calling out a cheerful “Bless you!”, before his eyes widen in recognition. He sets three packs of ramen back onto the shelves, then takes a few steps in the Korean's direction, looking unsure of himself. “Seung Gil?”

This is the part where Seung Gil should make a run for it, except his legs won’t move, and his body feels stuck to the ground. “Hey,” he says, almost wincing at how his voice comes out. It’s dry and raspy and scraping, and, god, if he hasn’t made enough of a fool of himself already– “I didn’t think I’d see you here,” Phichit says, making no comment on the fact that Seung Gil’s voice sounds absolutely wrecked. “What’s up?

“Nothing’s up,” is the default response, and then he takes a step back, making a startled sound as he bumps into a shelf of cans. They rattle from behind him, and he feels his cheeks flush hot in dizzying embarrassment. “I was just… planning to get going.”

He takes a step out of the aisle, except then he’s coughing and he can’t stop–his frame shakes with every outburst, and his attempts to draw in a shaky breath are all interrupted by more coughing. It’s suddenly requiring way too much effort to stay upright. Wow, this is really bad timing. He can feel Phichit’s gaze on him, which isn’t a good sign. He probably looks like a complete jerk right now, coming to a convenience store when he’s sick and most likely contagious–

“That doesn’t sound good,” Phichit says, and Seung Gil almost flinches at the bluntness of the comment. “Are you not feeling well?”

“No, I’m not.” He swallows; he’s not even going to try to deny what’s blatantly obvious. “I was just stopping by for some medicine, but I think I’m going to head back now.”

“Without any medicine?”

“Yeah. I, uh… I didn’t know what to get. I couldn’t find the kind that I always use.” It’s a blatant lie, but he doubts Phichit knows him well enough to tell.

“In that case, I know some brands that work really well,” Phichit offers. “Wait just a second.” He darts off into the medicine aisle, and Seung Gil fumbles with his coat zipper so that it’s zipped all the way up to where his scarf begins. It’s too cold in the shop; his head hurts and he can’t breathe through his nose. He just really wants to get back.

Then Phichit’s there again, holding three different types of medicine, including the type that Seung Gil had brought up to the cash register before. “These should work.”

Seung Gil blinks, a little dazed. “Thanks.”

But Phichit isn’t leaving, and Seung Gil finds himself at a loss. He doesn’t want to turn down Phichit’s suggestions, but he can’t go back again and pretend he doesn’t know about the lack of Russian currency in his wallet.

“I appreciate it,” he stammers, “but I really can’t take these right now.”

“How come? Is it an ingredient allergy? Or something about the brands? Or–”

Seung Gil feels his face flush red. He should’ve just been straightforward with this in the first place. Now it’s practically too late to say something, and yet, what other choice does he have?

“I only have Korean currency with me.” He pulls his jacket a little closer in an attempt to suppress his shivering, wishing his body could at least attempt to cooperate. “I’d, uh, have to stop at a currency exchange store first.”

“That’s okay,” Phichit says, and Seung Gil almost gapes at how nonchalant he sounds. “I’ll pay. Don’t worry about it.” It’s as if he really, genuinely doesn’t mind. As if he isn’t practically offering money to a stranger.

“That’s too much,” Seung Gil says, “I can’t let you pay for this.”

“It’s not that expensive.”

“Yeah, and it won’t take me that long to find an exchange service.” He twists away to cough into the crook of his arm, making sure to put as much distance between himself and Phichit as possible. “I’ll buy them myself after I get the money converted.”

Phichit frowns. “When you’re well enough to go to an exchange service, you won’t really need the medicine anymore. Just let me do this, okay?”

“It’s really not necessary--”

“Think of it as a favor between friends.”

His eyebrows crease. “We’re not friends.” Are they?

“Then... a favor between fellow skaters?” There’s a steely determination in Phichit’s eyes--one that suggests that he’s not going to back down easily.

Seung Gil weighs his options. A part of him wants to keep arguing. After all, he’s an honorable person–it’s only natural to decline acts of kindness that he can’t repay. But the convenience store is somehow even colder than his hotel room is, and he’s shivering even under all the layers he’s wearing, and the walk here has drained all the energy from him and now he’s–well, he’s dizzy. Frustrated. Exhausted. And, more than anything, he wants to get his medicine and head back.

“Fine,” he caves, his voice cracking on the note. “But you really don’t need to do this.”

“I know.” Phichit turns on his heels, heading towards the first available cash register, and there’s nothing left for Seung Gil to do but follow him there. “I’m doing this because I want to.”

He pays for the medicine, then stuffs everything into a plastic bag and slings the handle over his wrist. “I’ll walk you back to the hotel?”

Seung Gil, previously preoccupied with attempting to stifle a sneeze as quietly as possible, glances up quickly. “Don’t you have more stuff to buy?”

“Not anymore. I was going to get ramen for dinner, but since my flight’s tomorrow, I think I’m going to eat out tonight instead. Get a taste of Russian food while I’m here, you feel?”

“Oh.” Seung Gil sniffles, blinking owlishly. “...Yeah.”

They cross the street and navigate the cluttered sidewalks to the hotel, side by side. Seung Gil tries to focus past the headache that’s taken root in his skull, but it’s next to impossible–everything around him is too cold and too bright, and his vision is slightly hazy around the edges, as if all of this is taking place within a dream.

It isn’t until they get to the hotel lobby that Phichit hands him the bag of groceries he’s been holding. “For the record, I meant what I said,” he asserts. “I think your free skate was really good.”

Seung Gil frowns, his fingers tightening around the bag handle. “I could’ve done better.” It’s a blatant understatement.

“That doesn’t change the facts. You were really cool out there.” Phichit grins, and his smile is just one degree from blinding--Seung Gil has to will himself to look away.

“Thanks for the medicine,” he says, changing the subject. “I’ll pay you back when I’m feeling better?”

“My flight’s tomorrow. If you’re that insistent on paying me back, I guess you’ll have to find me at the Grand Prix next year, huh?” Phichit quips, his tone light.

Seung Gil doesn’t say, I’m not participating next year. He doesn’t say, I’ve always skated for the fame; after a rough start like that, I’ve lost people’s respect for sure. He doesn’t say, I don’t have anything left to skate for. Because when he looks up at the person in front of him--acquaintance? Fellow skater? Friend?–that doesn’t feel quite true anymore.

Instead, he smiles, feeling something screwed tight in his chest loosen for the first time in years. “You’re right,” he says. “I’ll see you there.”

#i dont even remember what happened in this show LMAO it's been so long #my writing #yoi #apologies for the ending

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hadrongospeltranscripts · 7 years

Text

Ep. 1- The Reluctant Hadronaut

[Rift sound effect.]

Electronic Voice: Hadron Gospel Hour

Dr. Oppenheimer: I do apologize for the makeshift accommodations here in the break room Mr. Wilkinson. I thought it might ease your transition into this insane world of cackling horror. And you were in pretty rough shape when I picked you up last night. Have considered my proposal?

Mike: Listen, uh, Doctor… Oppenheimer? Uh, I don’t know how many ways I can say this. I’m an IT guy. Who happens to write dialogue driven movies in my spare time. An IT guy with a splitting headache. Uh, did you even try Craigslist?

Dr. Oppenheimer: Oh, sure. “Scientist who caused incalculable damage to the space-time continuum seeks help creating podcast about he destruction his hubris has rained down on on all the inhabitants of the multiverse?” No. No, I have not placed that ad. But I’m sure you’re being too modest about your talents Mr. Wilkinson. May I call you Michael?

Mike: Uh, Well, I prefer Mike…

Dr. Oppenheimer: Michael it is. Michael, since the… event, I have been driven to catalogue and document the scenes I’ve seen through the rift— that bleeding mocking wound in space-time. I want— I need to share these tales with the world, Michael. To warn them of the perils that await those who would, like me, tinker with he very warp and weft of the multiverse’s gauzy fabric. And what better way to spread this terrible hadron gospel than…

Mike: To… create a podcast?

Dr. Oppenheimer: Precisely! Oh, and a tumblr. We’ll need to set up a tumblr. (pause) Trail mix?

Mike: No thanks. So, is that the reason for the Misfits makeup?

Dr. Oppenheimer: My… grieving mask, you mean. I have adopted the visage of death itself to honour the deaths that I have caused. So many lives, Michael, so many timelines ruined. Plus I think it looks cool (crunching sounds) Mm. Are you sure? It’s the only think in the vending machine without high fructose corn syrup.

Mike: Nope, I’m good. I mean, you kidnapped me from my bachelor party. On the eve of the most important day of my life. I’d just given what I thought was a very eloquent and moving speech about the power of friendship—

[Cutaway to Mike’s bachelor party.]

Mike: (clearly drunk) What’s important to me, is that— is not so much that, uh… it’s the value of the friendship that means good… It’s what everybody— and then, y’know, it means that you (indistinguishable mumbling) And then… I dunno, it’s— I—I do know. It’s good. It’s friend, it’s good. So here’s to… um… to y’know… and then, um, everybody friend good. And then— But the value, the value—

Partygoer: Attaboy Mike!

Mike: Is— is really what I mean to… So raise your glass and (mumbling) good frie— Fr-friendship good.

[End cutaway, back to the bunker]

Dr. Oppenheimer: (eating trail mix) Michael… When I saw you though the rift, your words moved me. I sensed in you something of a kindred spirit and I felt the celestial rush of synchronicity, like wind upon the water’s surface, for I too have lost a love. (theme song starts under his words) Here, look.

Mike: A gift receipt.

Dr. Oppenheimer: (paper rustling) Ah, oh no, sorry. Here.

Mike: Ooh, a wedding ring.

Dr. Oppenheimer: My wife, Esmerelda, was a brilliant physicist and my partner in the Hadron Project. She objected to the weaponization of the Hadron Effect, but I convinced her that the money, security, and yes, fame, would more than compensate for the grisly knowledge that our work would be used to such terrible ends. For the Hadron Weapon was designed not only to destroy its quarry, but to retroactively edit it out of existence as though it had never been! What a weapon, eh Michael? And what a paycheque! We could finally afford to move back into the downtown area and get one of those nice loft spaces. You know, with a café and a laundromat and little boutique shops on the ground floor.

Mike: Makes sense.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Total sense, Michael. We’d been living int he suburbs. Ever been to the suburbs, Michael? Scenic, but a special kind of purgatory.

Mike: And.. the Hadron Weapon was your ticket out.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Yes! Sadly, all of our dreams were for naught. I must have miscalculated somewhere along the way, for, during the first true test of the Hadron Weapon, something went horrible wrong. The weapon misfired, it gouged a rift through the very fabric of space-time; and Esmerelda, my wife, lost. Lost forever, with only this ring left behind. (ring box clicks closed) But enough of all this sadness! I didn’t bring you all this way to weep at you about my vaporized life partner, how about a tour of the lab! (theme music gets louder)

Intro: Hadron Gospel Hour! Written by Michael McQuilkin and Richard Wentworth. Starring Richard Wentworth, Michael McQuilkin, Lisa McQuilkin, Michael Atkinson, Vera Schränkung, and George Jack. With musical guests, Reindeer. Streaming and podcasting thanks to Afterbuzz TV and Acami Technologies. And now, the hour approaches! Hadron Gospel Hour!

[Theme song ends]

Dr. Oppenheimer: I do hope you can handle the shrieking horror of it all. Although, the decor is midcentury modern, so it’s not all that bad.

Mike: I’ll be honest with you: this is not a fun place to be hungover.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Well, it’s going to get much worse Michael. You may not unseen that which next assaults your eyes. Behold, the Hadron Rift!

[Large metal door opens. Rift sound.]

Mike: Oh my God… This can’t be real. It’s horrific. Broken buildings, strange situations, empty shopping malls. Comedies of error.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Terrible, I know. Coffee? A.S.H. LE (pronounced Ashley), two coffees please. How do you take yours, Michael?

Mike: Black, I guess. Who’re you talking—

Dr. Oppenheimer: Two coffees with cream and sugar, please A.S.H. LE.

Mike: Oh, but I’m lactose—

Dr. Oppenheimer: Cream and sugar, A.S.H. LE.

A.S.H. LE Of course, Doctor Oppenheimer. Two coffees with cream and sugar. (computer beeping noise)

Mike: (sigh) Aren’t they going to… materialize or something?

Dr. Oppenheimer: Ha, no. They’re in the coffee machine back in the break room. I’ll go get them. (footsteps leaving) This isn’t science fiction Michael!

[Metal door closes]

Mike: (muttering) Gonna wake up now any second Mike. (Out loud) Ashley, huh?

A.S.H. LE: What? What was that? Oh. (sigh) Short for “Automated Servitor Heuristic Lite Edition”. Dr. Oppenheimer and his wife had me custom built to assist in their work here in the lab. Hey, I am the lab. Programmer knows, I do more than any of the meat bags around here. You’re Mike?

Mike: Uh, yeah. Hey, he’s got a lot going on, doesn’t he?

A.S.H. LE: Oppenheimer? Oh yeah he does. Well, it’s nice to meet you Mike. If there’s anything you need, just ask. I am programmed to assist.

Mike: Well, actually, uh, could you make one of those coffees black, please?

A.S.H. LE: (computer beeping noise) Done.

Mike: Thanks. So what’s Oppenheimer’s deal other than being a bit of a drama queen?

A.S.H.LE: Ha. Oppenheimer’s deal is that he’s trapped here. Oh he can leave the lab, but only for short trips. He inevitably reappears right back here in the lab, in the exact spot where he was standing when the Hadron Event happened.

Mike: Like respawning in a video game. Huh, cool.

A.S.H. LE: Sure, cool. So anyway, he trapped here, in the lab. Forever. I mean, I’ve scanned him. No gene death, no aging, just me and Oppenheimer. Here in the lab. Forever. Fun, right?

Mike: Oof. Yeah, not at all appealing. But, A.S.H. LE, I could go back to my time, right? Back to uh… my… timeline?

A.S.H. LE: Of course. I recorded the exact temporal, spatial, parallel coordinates Oppenheimer had me extract you from.

Mike: Oh that’s amazing! But, what’d it mean when Oppenheimer said we’ve… we’ve both lost a love? Nothing happened in my timeline, right? (pause) A.S.H. LE? Nothing has happened, right?

A.S.H.LE: Mike, the Hadron Effect has been felt across all timelines, even yours. The dissonance is different in each timeline, but it has happened, or will happen, or is happening. Or in fact… all of the above. From our relative position—

Mike: Jesus, don’t be so quantum. Just tell me what happened… or is happening, or whatever.

A.S.H. LE: I shouldn’t, Mike.

Mike: But— but Beth, my friends. You said different. How different? Like… new Darren different or New Coke different?

A.S.H. LE: In your timeline? New Coke different.

Mike:(softly) Son of a—

A.S.H. LE: Listen Mike, Dr. Oppenheimer was trying to fix the rift, but he’s been… distracted lately. Obsessed with recording those scenes from the rift. His physiognomic scans are showing an overall decline into depression. Maybe you can… cheer him up, and get him back on track.

Mike: Cheer him up? I don’t think I could cheer me up right now.

A.S.H. LE: Well than maybe just… be his friend.

Mike: (sigh) Alright, I’ll try, but he’s not making it easy.

A.S.H. LE: I hear ya.

[metal door opens]

Dr. Oppenheimer: My ‘supercomputer’ messed up your coffee order, Michael, so I’m afraid I had to add your cream and sugar manually, sorry for the delay.

Mike: Thanks. Hey it’s, uh (gags) perfect.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Well, it’s not every man that can make manual coffee these days Michael.

Mike: So, hey, what’s this about a collection of uh, horrific videos?

Dr. Oppenheimer: My “Tales of the Hadron Rift”, you mean?

Mike: Uh, yeah. Yeah, what d’ya say, we should watch a few.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Well, yes. Yes, I suppose we should. A.S.H. LE, fire up the VTR!

Mike: Um, don’t you mean a VCR?

Dr. Oppenheimer: What? No, I said VTR. Video tape recorder. What’s wrong with that?

Mike: Nothing, I’ve just never heard that term before. They’re video cassette recorders. VCRs.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Well, this York’s model is plainly labelled VTR, so I don’t know how much clearer it could be than that. Plus, you use video tapes in them. The medium is magnetic tape, Michael.

Mike: Yeah, but the magnetic tape is encased in a video cassette. (sound of video cassette being picked up) See, look at this one, VCR.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Well that’s just silly, VCR. Feh. A.S.H. LE, video tape one, please.

A.S.H. LE: (sigh) The tape was not rewound. Rewinding. (sound of tape being rewound) Tape rewound. Playing.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Ah, Michael, you’re in for a treat. Allow me to present to you, “Tales of the Hadron Rift”!

[Rift sound]

Mike: Hey, neat sound.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Thank you, A.S.H. LE and I composed it for our into. I rather like it.

[Rift sound]

[Rustling and dragging sounds. A sigh. Fridge door closes.]

Unnamed Character: Okay, he’s gone. So, first day in the fridge, huh. Nervous?

Nahoo: Uh, maybe a little.

Unnamed Character: Ah, don’t be. This job does itself once you get the hang of it. And the heath benefits are sweet.

Nahoo: So, how much of this is turning the light on and off? Cause it seems like that would be a really cool job.

Unnamed Character: What?! Jesus, they send you guys greener every year. We don’t do the goddamned light, kid.

Nahoo: Really? Aw, that’s too bad.

Unnamed Character: Well, get over it. There’s more important stuff to worry about. Like goddamn salmonella. Yeah, I know, sounds dramatic, but listen. The fridge is about eighty percent paper work, fifty percent meetings, and five percent getting the hell behind the olives when someone opens that door. And a little general mold and mildew containment. You’ll do fine, you got any… powerpoint experience?

Nahoo: Um… Unnamed Character: Access?

Nahoo: Well…

Unnamed Character: Word?

Nahoo: No.

Unnamed Character: Excel?

Nahoo: Well I consider myself slightly above average.

Unnamed Character: Jesus, do you even have a computer? How do you not know Word?

Nahoo: Well, I have trouble staying in my seat.

Unnamed Character: Okay, let’s switch gears a bit. Are you comfortable being alone?

Nahoo: What?

Unnamed Character: Well, there are extended periods of darkness in here and folks tend to get lost in their own thoughts. I just wanna make sure you’re comfortable with that. We’ve already lost too many men to the labyrinth of their own minds in here, so you gotta be careful. You ever considered taking your own life?

Nahoo: No! (pause) What’s that smell?

Unnamed Character: Oh yeah. Well, the giant who owns this box is going through a rough patch. Wife left him a while ago. That’s the last takeout order they got together. I don’t have the heart to get rid of it. Neither does he so, we live with it. And you will too if you wan to keep this job.

Nahoo: Oh. Uh, okay.

Unnamed Character: So, that’s the basics. Lemme introduce you to Larry, you’ll be relieving him. He’s been in here for a couple of years now, so cut him some slack. Larry, this is Nahoo, the new guy. I’ll let you guys get aquatinted.

Nahoo: Hey there, nice to meet ya!

Larry: Hmm.

Nahoo: So, um, what d’ya do at sing along time in here?

Larry: I haven’t sung for five years. Doesn’t mean anything anymore.

Nahoo: Well, I know a few tunes that we could—

Larry: This used to be a magical place, now it ain’t. A place where you’d lovingly store the foods you’d use to sustain your family and entertain your friends. Now it’s a morgue for food that doesn’t even know it’s already spoiled. Sad sacks who don’t know they’re already dead.

Nahoo: Oh.

Larry: You smoke?

Nahoo: No.

Larry: Hm. Well, we’re not supposed to, but part of me hope this whole place goes up. I know it’s scientifically impossible, but a guy’s gotta have something to hold onto, right? Well, let me show you around. So over here we got a bunch of food no one gives a damn about; some open cans of soda, unpackaged celery that’s so rubbery it would probably be more effective as a police baton, chunky peanut butter that, quite frankly, does not belong in here. I mean, how much time you buyin’?

Nahoo: What’s that, way back there?

Larry: Oh yeah, that. We call that the Shrine. Been here as long as I can remember, a bottle of French dressing. And I’m pretty sure that company went out of business.

Nahoo: So is this a seating area?

Larry: Nah, those are egg holders, if you can believe that. Once in a while some stray M&M’s will get trapped in there. When no one’s lookin’ I use ‘em as toilets, and trust me, kid, no one’s lookin’. Another relic from a long gone era that no one gives a damn about anymore. No one but Larry. And when Larry’s gone… That’s that I suppose.

Nahoo: Well, don’t you have any family?

Larry: I got a cousin that made it out to the Lawn a few years back. Got a commercial deal. I get a postcard now and then. Screw him. (pause) Well that’s my queue. Good luck kid, you’re up.

Nahoo: But— But what do I do?

Larry: You know, I used to ask myself that same question a lot. You know what the answer is? Doesn’t matter. I’m outta here, don’t disturb the surface of the Jello!

Nahoo: Wh-what? (exhale) It’s cold. Well. Maybe a song will warm me up. (Sings) Living a boy’s adventure tale… So many—

[Elephant trumpet, confused shouting]

[Rift sound]

[ProductCo theme start playing]

Product Announcer: Hold onto your hats… If you’re not excited about this product now… Get ready…

Rick: Alright, well I— I have to tell you about a wonderful new product that I just came across and it is… probably the best product that I’ve ever tried.

Mitch: Now look, I don’t usually pipe up about things like this, but I am just so over the moon with this product that I felt like I had to got to this forum and record my words in order to get them to you.

Product Announcer: An exciting new development in product technology…

Rick: I really love it, and I think you will too. For all the things that you would use this product for, you can use this particular product and not the other ones that are far inferior. I mean, I’ve tried ‘em all…

Product Announcer: Not convinced? Listen to some trusted personalities…

Rick: I’ve been using this product now for.. an unspecified amount of time, and I’ve gotta tell you, it has done some amazing things for me. It has changed the— the way that I use products.

Mitch: I had that similar need for this product, and thus I used it. So the results were… all positive, I promise you.

Product Announcer: Tonight, on a very special: your life just got better because of this product.

Rick: I tried all the other products that cover— that cover similar ground to this product, they don’t come close.

Mitch: My friends notice it, my… pets notice it. They notice that I am a changed man for the better. I’m pretty sure that you might have a very similar reaction.

Product Announcer: Get on board, this train’s leaving… for trusted productville…

Rick: You’ve come to rely on this company for so many things, they’re like a trusted family friend. If they’ve been around that long.

Mitch: You listen to me, you son of a bitch, if you think I came here to blow smoke up your ass, then, uhhh, I—I’ve got nothing else for you, my friend. Because you’re an ignorant person.

Rick: Don’t waffle about this, this is something you need to try! It’s so wonderful.

Product Announcer: I hunger…

A.S.H. LE: Video ended. Rewinding. (sound of tape being rewound)

Mike: Wow, uh, I had no idea the multiverse was so… dysfunctional.

Dr. Oppenheimer: That it is, Michael, a big old bag of it.

Mike: Hey, where’s the boys room, Oppenheimer, I need to send this coffee along to its final resting place. You do have bathrooms here, right?

Dr. Oppenheimer: Ha, of course. This lab may be stranded outside the space-time continuum, but we’re not savages. It’s down the hall and to the left.

[sound of footsteps]

Mike: (to himself) Somebody spiked my drink maybe? No, this feels to real. Peyote? No, it can’t be. I haven’t met Mescalito yet.

Cyrus: Ha!

Mike: Woah!

Cyrus: Mescalito, nice. You read Casteneda?

Mike: Who are you? Why are you sticking out of the wall? Jesus, are you okay?

Cyrus: Me, oh, I’m fine. For the most part. (pained grunt) I’m alright, just fused with the wall, name’s Cyrus.

Mike: Ummm, Mike.

Cyrus: Nice to meet you Mike! Say, could you do me a quick favour? My arms are, uhh, somewhere else, and my nose is real itchy. Do you think you could… you know, give it a little scratch? Just a quickie?

Mike: Oh, uh, yeah, sure. Just, uh. (scratching noise)

Cyrus: (scratching noise continue while he speaks) Aaaaaaaaah… That’s amazing. Oh man, thanks! The doc won’t do it, and it’s been years. Oh wow, I can’t over how much better that f— (pained grunt, scratching noise stops) It’s okay, I’m okay, just (pained grunt) the wall.

Mike: This happened in, ah, the accident?

Cyrus: Yep, I was mopping the hallway floors when it happened. Never seen anything like it. Weirdest feeling I’ve ever felt. Like being sliced down to the bone and pulled apart in a million different directions, and not in a fun way.

Mike: And you’ve been sticking out of this wall for… five years?

Cyrus: Has it been that long? It’s hard to keep track.

Mike: And, uh, the rest of you?

Cyrus: Well, that’s the thing. I can still feel the rest of me, but who the hell knows where it is. We thought it might be the next room, but A.S.H. LE scanned and I’m not there. The doc says it’s probably wedged in another timeline, weird right?

Mike: Yeah, that sound horrible.

Cyrus: You know what though? Could have been a lot worse. I could have been completely vaporized like the doc’s wife, or I could be unemployed. And I’ve been blessed with an experience most guys never have in their entire lifetime. Yeah… I’ve got it pretty good. (two pained grunts) Plus I’ve had a lot of quiet time to hang out and meditate. Recharge my qi. I’ve been trying to practice more mindfulness. Nothing worse than an unexamined life, am I right?

Mike: I guess. So, are there any more people around here I should know about? I don’t want anymore surprises…

Cyrus: Ha! Yeah, sorry about that man. Nah, it’s just me, the doc, and A.S.H. LE. Well, there was this guy, Greg, but he’s been gone for a while. Guy from tech support, rock and roll type, real slacker. Just took off one day, nobody knows where to. So, a Casteneda fan, huh?

Mike: Huh? Oh, right. Well… I read The Teachings of Don Juan when I was in high school.

Cyrus: Trippy stuff, huh?

Mike: Uh, yeah.

Cyrus: Cause you mentioned Mescalito back there and…

Mike: So I’m gonna go use the bathroom now… (footsteps)

Cyrus: Mike, wait, listen, I know we just met, but could I ask you another favour?

Mike: Uh, sure man. What d’you need?

Cyrus: Well, I’ve asked the doc about his a bunch of times, but he told me it’s impossible. (sigh) Maybe it is, I don’t know.

Mike: What, what’s up?

Cyrus: I’ve told you that it looks like my lower half is, er, somewhere else, right? Well I would really love to have my wallet back. It was— it is in my back pocket and there are lots of pictures of my family in there… Gosh, I’d really love to see ‘em again.

Mike: Hey, I’ll see what I can do, okay?

Cyrus: Oh man, that’d be amazing, thanks! I knew you were a good guy. Find the others, right man?

Mike: Absolutely.

A.S.H. LE: I just don’t think it’s a good idea to use the Rift and your personal restaurant take-out service.  Dr. Oppenheimer: But these ration packs are completely inedible! Tuna lozenges, quiche strips, partially de-fatted pork fatty tissue, a tube of Vienna sausage paste… I—I don’t think any of this is organic, A.S.H. LE. And dare we speculate at what proprietary blend of herbs and spices comprises this buffalo chicken flavoured sparkling beverage? I mean, nobody’s going Paleo in this lab, I can assure you of that! Egh, at lest in the Rift we’ve got a shot at buying non-GMO.

A.S.H. LE: The packs are perfectly nutritive, according to my data!

Dr. Oppenheimer: That’s easy for you to say. You get to dine on conditioned electric current, you’ve never tasted the joys of farm-to-table cuisine.

A.S.H. LE: Hm. Meat disgusts me anyway.

[metal door noise]

Mike: Hey, guys? We need to help Cyrus.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Who’s Cyrus?

Mike: The guy out there? In the wall? The guy who’s been out there in the wall for the last five years.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Oh, him. Absolutely not.

Mike: What?! What d’you mean? He’s a human being, Oppenheimer.

Dr. Oppenheimer: He’s nothing more than a decorative element. And an ugly on at that. He matches nothing, Michael.

Cyrus: (muffled) I can hear you guys, ya know.

Mike: Oppenheimer, you can’t be serious.

Dr. Oppenheimer: I am deadly serious, Michael, he completely clashes with the midcentury modern look of the lab. Listen, we have important work to do here.

Mike: Your podcast, you mean? Well, you can do it alone then. If you won’t help Cyrus, I’m out. A.S.H. LE, send me back. I don’t care if it is all New Coke back there, i—it’s better than working for this asshole.

Dr. Oppenheimer: New Coke? Now— now wait a minute! A.S.H LE Don’t you dare!

A.S.H. LE: I will do it, doctor.

Dr. Oppenheimer: But… But he’s— (sigh) Oh, alright. Okay, alright. If I help him you’ll stay?

Mike: Yeah. Yeah, I’ll stay.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Well, okay then. Okay. I guess it’s been a while since we used a little science around here.

[rift noise]

Mike: Okay, I got the cheek swab from Cyrus, I had to assure him we wouldn’t share his information with any third parties. So what’s this… for exactly.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Well, Michael, it’s very simple really. A.S.H. LE will analyze Cyrus’ DNA and then we’ll attempt to find a match somewhere out there in the chaotic miasma of the rift. It should work, in theory. Michael, please hold the sample up a little higher.

Mike: Oh, yeah, sure. How’s that?

A.S.H. LE: Scanning… (computer beeping noise) Processing.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Well, what d’ya know. Impressive.

A.S.H. LE: Well, yeah.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Hm. Interesting. According to the display, Cyrus’ right arm is sticking out of the break room wall next to the vending machines. I’ve always thought that was one of those new, hip art shelves. Huh. I’ve been using it for my keys and gum wrappers.

Cyrus: Oh, that’s what that was?

Dr. Oppenheimer: Sorry!

Cyrus: No problem, Doc.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Now, let’s see. Hm. Ah yes. A.S.H. LE, magnify parallel coordinates 427548, 75285, 433859. Ah, good, good. Good! My friends, I believe we are looking at the exact location of Cyrus’ hindquarters! Give or take.

Cyrus: Really? Alright!

Dr. Oppenheimer: Well, Michael, are you ready to visit Cyrus’ lower half and retrieve his family treasures?

Mike: (laughs, clears throat) Sure.

Dr. Oppenheimer: A.S.H. LE, open the Rift!

A.S.H. LE: Opening. (rift noise)

Mike: Be back in a flash Cyrus!

Cyrus: Good luck, fellas.

[Weird half rift, half groan sound as Mike and Oppenheimer leave]

A.S.H. LE: Humans.

Cyrus: I know, right!

[Rift noise]

Mike: Holy— It— it’s beautiful! The colours, the sounds!

Dr. Oppenheimer: Welcome to hyperspace, Michael, the space between worlds, the prima materia that our very realities are born of! Here in it’s raw, spectral glory.

Mike: Does it always take this long?

Dr. Oppenheimer: (whispering) Only the first time the audience hears it. (out loud) Now, ready yourself, I can feel us returning to our corporeal state!

[Thud]

Mike: Okay, this place it truly weird. I feel like I’m on the ass end of a Pop Rocks and Pixie Stix binge.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Yes, yes, some sort of crystalline world. Very odd. Even the air seems crisper somehow— Glad we can breath it, hadn’t check on that— Now, let’s find Cyrus’ uh… hindquarters. A.S.H. LE, how close are we?

A.S.H. LE: He’s approximately 4.2 kilometres north of your current location, about midway up the mountain.

Dr. Oppenheimer Excellent, thank you A.S.H.— Wait, the mountain? Couldn’t you have gotten us any closer?

A.S.H. LE: Hm. Let’s recap. I pinpointed Cyrus’ location in the multiverse using only a cheek swab, oh and the power of quantum computing. I transported the two of you to said location across the infinite multiverse through a highly unstable rift int he fabric of space-time. Did I forget anything? Oh yeah, you’re still alive, (Oppenheimer clears his throat) and able to communicate with me. But you’re right. I’m the asshole for making you two do a little light hiking. I feel like a complete failure. A.S.H. LE out.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Well, I… hm… I suppose we should get climbing then, Michael.

Mike: Sounds like a plan. Hey, how many miles is 4.2 kilometres?

[Rift sound]

Mike: (out of breath) That was… That was more than… 4.2 kilometres, wasn’t it?

Dr. Oppenheimer: (also out of breath) A.S.H. LE may be short tempered, but she is unerringly accurate about distances, Michael.

Mike: Yeah, sure. Of course, I didn’t mean to—

Dr. Oppenheimer: Sh sh, look, over there, jutting out of that outcropping of rock, do you see?

Mike: Hey, yeah. That’s gotta be Cyrus. Those are totally Earth slacks, right?

Dr. Oppenheimer: Totally. Well let’s get his items and be done with it. (walking sounds)

Mike: Okay, but wait a minute, what’s all that stuff around him. A bunch of, uh… are those candles?

Dr. Oppenheimer: Some arrangement of light generators, yes. Why, it almost looks like a… shrine. We’d better hurry and retrieve the wallet. (walking sounds) Okay, quickly Michael, I’ve never toughed this mana nd I don’t intend to start now.

Mike: Sheesh, what is your problem? Alright. (pause) There’s nothing in he— Ow! (kicking noise)

Dr. Oppenheimer: Hm. Must be and involuntary reflex, like with a horse. You’re obviously approaching him wrong. Here, let me tr— Oof! (kicking noise) You’re right, there’s no wallet there. Wait, do you think that someone could’ve… (footsteps) Oh. Oh my.

(Whenever the Crystalosians speak it’s normal words played over strange noises, as a non-diegetic translation)

Lady Rubalith: Who intrudes upon the sanctity of the Object of Prime Cosmological Significance? Explain your soft, puffy presence here, strangers.

Amethystar: High Zenith Lady Rubalith, perhaps they too are friends from the sky like the Object. Observe their meaty mien and their similar slacks.

Lady Rubalith: Yes, yes, perhaps you are right, Amethystar. You give wise counsel my old friend and advisor. So, why are you here, strangers? Well?

Dr. Oppenheimer: Well, this is awkward. A.S.H.LE, establish real time translation.

A.S.H.LE: You have attempted to access a feature that is not available in the lite edition. To unlock this feature, please visit the Umbra Digital website at h-t-t-p colon forward slash—

Dr. Oppenheimer: (frustrated grunt) Well, so much for that. Listen, friends. We only want to retrieve he belongings of our friend here.

[clanking noises]

Lady Rubalith: Cease your gesticulations, it is forbidden to gesture toward the object. Enough of this ineffectual parlay, guards, take these two meatlings to the Crystal Caves.

Dr. Oppenheimer: I told you this wasn’t worth it. Let’s run!

Mike: No, just… Hold on. I’ve been listening to these guys talk, let me try something. (speaking with weird intonation) Prime Object mean much to Crystal guys, yes?

Lady Rubalith: What?

Amethystar: He speaks the Crystal Tongue.

Lady Rubalith: Guards, stand down. (clanking) Impressive, meatling. What is the purpose of the visitation? Speak carefully, you address the Lady Rubalith, High Zenith of Crystalos.

Dr. Oppenheimer: What? What’s she saying, Michael?

Mike: I’m not an expert Oppenheimer, I… I think she want’s to know why we’re here.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Oh. Well, tell he we made a mistake and let’s be off. Cyrus and his wallet be damned.

Mike: You know I can’t do that. Hold on, let me try something. (weird intonation again) Oh High Mucky Muck Big Time Lady Rubalith, legs in wall am friend from up waist. Us promise wall friend top parts us come find pocket stuff, then bring back to wall friend and he have big happy. You can help, please?

Lady Rubalith: Friend? The Object of Prime Cosmological Significance is your friend?

Amethystar: Can it be?

Lady Rubalith: Silence. I require a moment. Very well meatling. Your words and your slacks ring true. And I taste in both you and your companion the flavour of deepest loss, a frequency of sorrow that rouses a crystalline compassion in the geometries of my heart. These are after all, only relics, and our Prime Object is only a meatling’s lower half. But what you seek is more substantial, is it not? I will grant you what you ask.

Mike: (still using that weird intonation) You am big good, big happy us thank.

Lady Rubalith: There is just one condition. I will whisper it into your fleshy, audio receptor.

Dr. Oppenheimer: What? What is it?

Mike: (weird intonation) Deal. (normal voice) They’re giving us the wallet.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Excellent! Let’s get it and go. I’ve spent enough time on this fools errand.

Mike: Okay, but she’s invited us to stay for the ritual. They’re celebrating the anniversary of the discovery of the Object of… well, Cyrus’ ass. It would be rude to leave so abruptly.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Nonsense, we’ve stayed too long already. Say good bye, Michael.

Mike: She said there’ll be food.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Food, you say?

[Rift noise.]

[Sounds of lots of talking in background]

Lady Rubalith: We welcome our guests, Mike and Oppenheimer, as we celebrate the appearance, so many eons ago, of the Object of Prime Cosmological Significance, now known for the ages as Lower Cyrus; and the return of his… artefacts to their rightful place.

Mike: Jeez, I really wish Cyrus coulda been here. Well, the rest of him, his head and torso. A—and his arms.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Smells wonderful. Excuse me sir, do you know, is this organic?

Crystalosian Man: Excuse me?

Lady Rubalith: And now, let us feast as we reflect not he wonders of the cosmos. A happy Life-day to all. Let the music begin.

Reindeer Band Member: Hey Crystalos, we’re Reindeer! Thanks for having us at your… Life-day celebration. This one’s from our new single, it’s called “Tony”. Boy no more You’re a grown up cat that makes All the birds In the neighbourhood sing it on When you move Like a panther in the sand Sniff around, you just grow on everyone Can’t you see The whole world awaits your smile On the prowl You will kill with a fire inside What you are Is an eating machine in a million creatures why Do I hold you So close to my heart Kill with a fire inside Kill with a fire inside Kill with a fire inside your heart When you move Like a panther in the sand

[Rift sound.]

A.S.H. LE: Tape ended. Rewinding. (rewinding noise)

Dr. Oppenheimer: Well, that was a particularly satisfying adventure, Michael. Thank you for forcing me into it.

Mike: Ha! Any time.

Dr. Oppenheimer: And it was actually quite nice to reunite, um…

Cyrus: (muffled) Cyrus!

Dr. Oppenheimer: Yes, Cyrus. It was nice to reunite Cyrus with he contents of his wallet. (to Cyrus) Your family seems very nice.

Cyrus: (muffled) Thanks, Doc! It’s good to have the old library card back, too.

Dr. Oppenheimer: (yawns) So, I suppose I’ll turn in. We’ve much more work to do not he morrow and all that climbing and rich Crystalosian food has worn me out.

Mike: Just one more thing though, Oppenheimer. Um… Lady Rubalith gave this to me at he feast. She told me I should give it to you when I got back, said it’s something you needed. Here.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Crystal box? Well, it’s beautiful, but I don’t see how— Oh, there’s some sort of luminescent particle inside. It’s— oh, huh! (sparkly noise)

Mike: Whoa, look out!

Dr. Oppenheimer: No no no, wait. I don’ t think it’s harmful. Look, it’s settling on my desk. On… Esmerelda’s ring. My goodness, (unclassifiable sci-fi noise) it’s shot into the Rift! A.S.H. LE what’s happening, what does this mean?

A.S.H. LE: Scanning and processing. (computer beeping noise) Two things. One: the Rift has just healed. By an infinitesimal degree, but still. And two: I’m getting a DNA reading from the ring.

Dr. Oppenheimer: But, what? Esmerelda! A.S.H. LE, did you get a full scan of the luminescent object?

A.S.H. LE: Of course.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Compare it with the DNA on the ring.

A.S.H. LE: It’s… a complete match, Dr. Oppenheimer.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Of course it is, A.S.H. LE, of course it is!

Mike: Wait, what?

Dr. Oppenheimer: It’s very simple Michael, so very simple! When the Hadron Event occurred, I thought my wife had been simply vaporized, but that’s not it at all! You know, that man in the hall, um…

Cyrus: (muffled) Cyrus.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Yes! How Cyrus’ body was fragmented and blasted throughout the multiverse in the accident? Well the same thing happened to Esmerelda, only because of her proximity tot he blast it happened in a much more complex and devastating fashion, but it’s essentially the same thing, Michael! And if my guess is right… Here, let me show you. A.S.H. LE, run the same sort of DNA scan on the rift that we did for Cyrus, this time using the DNA not he ring.

A.S.H. LE: Scanning. (computer beeping noise) Processing.

[Whoosh]

Mike: Woah, the power’s dipping.

A.S.H. LE: It’s alright. Processor maxed out. Switch to auxiliary power cells. (boot up noise) Processing complete. Rendering matches on multiverse display.

Dr. Oppenheimer: My god… It’s full of stars. She’s… She’s…

Mike: Everywhere. Nice reference by the way.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Thank you. Thank you, Mike. I’m gonna fix this then. All of it.

Mike: The Rift, how?

Dr. Oppenheimer: Yes, the Rift, Esmerelda, it’s all connected. Look at her there, scattered across the multiverse. Lady Rubalith, that marvellous crystal woman, she showed me how. (theme song starts playing) If I can find and recover all these bits I can do it! And bring back my beloved Esmerelda. I;m certain of it! I’ll of course return you to your timeline, you’ve been far too patient with me already. I think you’ve earned it.

Mike: Now wait a minute. I’m not going anywhere. Until the Rift is fixed… there’s not hope for my timeline, or Beth. At least now I can do something about it. There’s all sorts of weird worlds out there, filled with all sorts of weird creatures and, let’s face it, you’re not the greatest communicator.

Dr. Oppenheimer: Hm. True. You were very helpful with the Crystalosians. Welcome to the team.

Cyrus: Uh, guys? Speaking of those crystal folks… I, uh (pained grunt) I think they’re trying to (pained grunt) make a crystal offering…

Mike: Well, what’d say, doctor, ready to take a little trip?

Dr. Oppenheimer: Michael, I dare say that I am. A.S.H. LE, open the rift! This multiverse isn’t going to save itself.

A.S.H. LE: Opening. (Rift sound)

[Theme song gets louder.]

Credits: You just listed to Hadron Gospel Hour! Written by Richard Wentworth and Michael McQuilkin. With production assistance for Katie Falvey, Rebeka White, Tim Conway, Sam Cusac, and Kris Paukstys. For more information on Hardon Gospel Hour, or to download new episodes find us at hardongospelhour.com. Dowload, rate, and review us on iTunes, Stitcher, Tunein, Dogcatcher, or wherever fine podcasts are consumed. And be sure to join us next time for an all new episode of Hadron Gospel Hour!

[Theme song ends.]

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kmackenz · 5 years

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I’m ab to blog the fuck out of my feelings bc it’s not like I know anyone who follows this shit anyways. And I heard blogging can help so... A year ago on February 12th I started seeing a girl. The first girl i’d ever tried to carry out a relationship with. I knew nothing ab my sexuality I was confused as fuck so for me, it started off somewhat experimental. But within like a week of talking to this girl, I couldn’t put my freakin phone down. I thought about her all the time, I was so excited. We met when I went to ATL for a concert, I had my location for tinder on so I was able to pick her up from Athens, GA. This girl was crazy for me because she was so opposite. She loved country music and had loving protective parents, she grew up in a traditional Christian home. I didn’t have any of that, I liked rap and pretty much all music except country(surprise was that I grew up with a country ass daddy and loved country music but when he died I didn’t like it as much), I had parents who chose drugs over me and God was not on my radar. That’s a whole different story though.

I loved everything ab her tho. Even her name.... I thought Rachel was the most beautiful name. She was so gorgeous and I couldn’t ever believe she actually went for me. We had such a fire connection it was crazy. We would stay up all night because we didn’t wanna stop talking. We had so much to catch eachother up on yet it felt like we had known eachother forever. What we shared was literally the definition of soulmate. I drove out to see her as much as I could, almost every weekend. Every time I saw her it was like a child seeing their favorite Disney character or something I mean I was so fucking excited dude it was crazy, I would be jittery the whole drive there and when I’d get in the car it was like I hadn’t been home in years and I was finally home. Don’t even get me started on the chemistry dude we were so turned on by eachother lol it was like all the freakin time. I had never really had a crazy sex drive before but with her it was so natural. Touching her felt so right and I know she felt the same. We were crazy about eachother. We got serious real fast and I was dying to tell her how much I loved her so I decided not to wait. We caved for eachother. I dropped my guard completely because she was so safe, so sweet, so protective. I knew she would never hurt me.

Nearly 3 months later I just couldn’t wait. I needed my girl and she needed me so I jumped and I found a place in Athens and I quit my job and found a new one and like that, I was there. Life with Rachel was beautiful but I was sort of sad because I had moved there for her and we still only got to see eachother fr once or twice a week starting off. We fought ab that... I wish we hadn’t. She would spend more time with her family and we fought ab that too.... again, I freaking hate myself. Why was I so jealous that she had family? Deep down I was happy for her but I behaved selfishly and wanted to be her family. It’s hard not having anyone ever choose you man it’s not supposed to be that way. I couldn’t help but want her to choose me but I don’t blame her for being hesitant. I should have been more hesitant. Things continued to be strong tho and we knew the other was far worth it.

I remember when I started going on grand openings for chickfila it just broke her little heart to watch me leave and it just wrecked me. But I needed the money so bad my new job just wasn’t adequate and I wanted the opportunity to travel, I never wanted to see her hurting or missing me, I never wanted her to go through that man I hated it for her I hated it too but I won’t lie, I wasn’t nearly as attached as she was either by this point. But it wasn’t because I wasn’t in love with her, it wasn’t because she loved me more, it was because I thought we were in it forever. I thought she wasn’t going anywhere and I thought I wasn’t either. I felt safe in knowing we could get through anything and come out of it still holding hands. Time was just time to me at that point....

Around August my friend logan moved down to be my roommate and she started school. This is when things got too tough. This is when I fucked up everything. Logan got there and I hadn’t had anyone except Rachel in a couple months. I was so excited to have my friend again but he had changed and that really hurt me... at the time I thought his changing was my fault. I thought he was mad at me for leaving earlier or for choosing Rachel instead of our initial plan in ATL. I felt like I needed to make it up to him, like I needed to earn his friendship back and for whatever reason he stopped supporting me and Rachel. I was so desperate for him to be my friend and I don’t even know why man. I don’t know what fucked my brain and made me think Rachel was not enough for me. I mean it’s probably true that she never could have met every single one of my needs it’s just not humanly possible, that’s more of a God thing I think. But I didn’t need logan, I needed Rachel. She was my girl, my soulmate, my lover, she was the one who was gonna walk with me forever.

I kept trying to take space so I could make my own friends, I was sick of being criticized for smoking too much weed, I was tired of having to cater to all of her feelings. I thought that meant I wasn’t right for her. I started to worry i would hurt her. That was the last thing I wanted so I kept trying to push her away. When I was alone and by myself I would think about marrying the freakin girl. I would think about our wedding and our home and our dogs and kids. But when I spoke to friends from home I would get so insecure. So fucking insecure. I felt ashamed and judged and I don’t know why. I still don’t know why I felt that way.

All I know is I kept putting both of us through unnecessary hell. I loved that girl so fucking much and I still love her that much. My heart has never stopped skipping beats for her, my brain has never stopped thinking about her, my heart has never stopped longing for her. I can’t be with anyone else. I can’t stop loving her. I can’t forgive myself for letting this happen. I can’t breathe or sleep or even eat. Food has no taste, I throw up what I do eat usually. I’m so lonely but I have all these friends.... I really got what I asked for man....

I want my baby back. I want my sweetheart, my “soup”, my stinky. I miss all those stupid little nicknames. I miss the way your body fit perfectly next to mine. I miss the way we would both snuggle with puppy. Of course I couldn’t let you know I was snuggling with him too bc I just had to come off as some tough chick even though I’m just as sappy and sensitive as you are. I just had to make sure everyone thought I hated country music, I didn’t actually believe in god, that I thought you were wimpy. Because I’m insecure. I put those insecurities off on you. I’ll never make that mistake again. I’m better than that now. I understand the consequences now. I’m so fucking sorry baby. We are the same but I was ashamed. You are so beautiful for being so confident in yourself.

I miss our trips we would take and staying in Air BNBs I miss our breakfast dates and waking up to you every morning. I miss cooking spaghetti for you. I miss coming home from work to your sweet little face. I miss saying soup with you and coming up with our funny words. I miss all of our laughs. Baby I miss you so much if you could only feel my heart bleeding for you. I’ve never been like this. I thought I was fucked up my whole life but now I realize that I’m fucking broken. How can I fix this? I can’t... you’ve met someone else. You’re moving on. And I’m stuck back here begging you not to go. I threw my forever away.... I didn’t know it would turn into this.... I just want to cry out to something to take away this pain but I don’t even know what anymore. I can’t ask god to bring you back because apparently god doesn’t approve of same sex love. I’m so hurt.... this pain is so unbearable. I just keep waiting for my love to come home and she never does....... she never will

I love you so much Rachel I always will. Please come home one day..... you are my forever baby

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wildlyhardphilosopher-blog · 6 years

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puppy training techniques | puppy training camp

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puppy training techniques | puppy training camp

Gerbils By familiarizing your puppy with a crate early on, you’re not only creating an easy avenue for house training, you’re also allowing them to become comfortable with their future means of transportation. A crate is a great way to transport your pup – whether it’s a short trip to the vet or a big move across country – and by familiarizing your pup with a crate early on, you’ll make travel a lot easier and more comfortable for your canine companion. Most Popular Dog Names of 2017 Fitness Always remember that you are dealing with a very immature young animal. Be realistic, flexible, patient and always fair during puppy training sessions. Your puppy doesn’t just automatically know this stuff! It’s all new to him and he is bound to have the odd slip up and mistake along the way. Don’t worry about these mistakes, just move on and do your best to prevent them in the future. c Usually, puppies urinate within half a minute of waking up from a nap and usually defecate within a couple of minutes of that. But who has the time to hang around to wait for puppy to wake up and pee and poop? Instead it’s a better plan to wake up the puppy yourself, when you are ready and the time is right. Litter Free Tip of the Week “I THOUGHT THAT THIS COULD BE THE END”: LITTLETON WOMAN DRAGGED BY A ROPE INTO THE WOODS, SEXUALLY ASSAULTED Here are some common complaints that trainers say they have encountered: Many new puppy owners find themselves worried or frustrated by their puppy’s behavior, or just plain worn down by all that puppy energy. If that’s you, our expert puppy trainers can help. Hill’s® Ideal Balance™ France FR AA For over 40 years, New Skete, has dedicated itself to providing the best possible companion dogs for you and your family. FANCY FEAST 89163 I covered this briefly in the sections: ‘Taking Your Puppy To The Bathroom Spot‘ and ‘If Your Puppy Doesn’t ‘Go’ When At Their Bathroom Spot‘, please re-read and see if that helps 🙂 Are you an author? Learn about Author Central Kit & Kaboodle® reply Joints & Mobility Train her to lie down: This is not as natural for your puppy, nor is it as easy to teach as sitting on command. I have seen far too many big dogs who never learned this command early and their owners are not able to handle them when they get big. To teach this command, tell her “down” when she is already sitting, then move the treat out in front of her face so that she has to stretch out and lie down to grab it. This needs to be repeated every session.

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fbq('track', 'ViewContent', content_ids: 'dogtraining.dknol', ); Muse Back Issue Archive Successful dog training is all about consistency, patience, and positive reinforcement. What is the best way to train a shelter dog? Country Living, Part of the Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network Country Living participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Thank you – I totally agree, but putting in the hours, in the beginning, will pay off the rest of your dog’s life. It is so worth it 🙂 Cart 0 Our Training You dismissed this ad. Remove Pests Researching the best training methods remains a cornerstone of my career is recommended by thousands of happy dogs and owners nationwide. Follow us on Facebook & Pinterest for the latest posts and updates. Look over any ‘accidents’ your puppy had and you noted during the day. Sports for Juniors Related Video Shorts Bulletin Board AllFerretsFishGuinea Pigs Carrie Nichole (Author) Copyright © Janine Pierce/J9’s K9s Dog Training Inc. All original work on this site is copyrighted. No portion may be copied without express written permission. In addition, over the past year, we have had great success integrating remote collars into our training program. These collars use very low-level electrical impulses (usually lower than a human can feel in their own hand,) in conjunction with commands to reinforce understanding and bring your dog to on and off-leash reliability, while adjusting unwanted behavior in less time and with much less stress than ever before. Previous Post SUBSCRIBE (Left) Get the app Cleaning & Odor Control Settle ERROR Sunday 11:30am to 6:00pm (6) If I take him down and he doesn’t potty, multiple times, how long the total time should be until I need to take him to the vet to check for a medical issue? Richard’s Organics Walkathon Some time between 8 and 12 weeks, your puppy will start to show some bladder control (usually 9 to 10 weeks) and will begin to show warning signs that they’re about to potty instead of instantaneously leaking. They will sniff, circle and so on as I mentioned before. 3 Basics Steps to Training A Dog Rescue Tails We’ve designed a series of basic puppy training stages that follow the natural development of canine behaviors. Street Demonstration Your puppy is bound to display at least one type of problem behavior. Discover the best way to stop the undesirable behavior and how to get your puppy back on the right track. Also 50% of your tuition of this course can be applied toward the Dog Trainer Professional program. Use these training tasks as you integrate the puppy into your life. For example, ask your puppy to “sit” prior to receiving her food, “sit” before you let her in or out the door, and “sit” before you pet her. These are times when your puppy wants something and is more likely to comply. In this way, you are training your dog all the time, throughout the day and also establishing predictable rules and routines for interactions and helping the dog to learn who controls the resources. Training your puppy prior to getting each requested necessity, helps to prevent problems. Having your puppy sit before getting a food or treat prevents begging, while teaching your dog to sit before opening the door can prevent jumping up or running out the door. Be creative. The time you spend training your puppy now will pay off when you have an adult dog. To have a well-trained dog, you need to be committedto reinforcing the training tasks on nearly a daily basis for the first year of your puppy’s life. The more you teach and supervise your puppy, the less opportunity it will have to engage in improper behaviors. Dogs do not train themselves, when left to choose their behavior they will act like dogs. Clothes & Costumes When you first get your puppy home at 8 weeks, they can barely control their bodily functions so keeping a diary isn’t perhaps that helpful but I still recommend you do so, to get yourself into the habit. Positive Approach for Dogs To keep you informed on pet-related laws being… Announcements for Winter 2017: Items you will need Allergy Special Diets We offer basic through advanced obedience for dogs and puppies, as well as agility classes (for the novice or the competitor), specialty classes like Fun Nose Work, Come When Called, Trick Training, and more! It is not acceptable for puppies to bite people, or other animals, unless they are in true physical danger and need to defend themselves. How can I make my puppy go outside by his own without escaping? He always tries to escape and I want him to stay in the area I want him to stay. How can I do that? The most important thing you can do to make house training happen as quickly as possible is to reward and praise your puppy every time he goes in the right place. The more times he is rewarded, the quicker he will learn. Therefore it’s important that you spend as much time as possible with your puppy and give him regular and frequent access to his toilet area. Rates and Policies By Tammy Gagne If your puppy gets hyper on the furniture, he’s too young to contain the excitement of being on your level. Wait a couple months before reintroducing permission training. Dr. Becker Discusses Water with Paul Barattiero Company Get the app Suggested Posts [email protected] 5.0 out of 5 starsA really good book! Español: enseñar a tu perro a ir al baño, Português: Ensinar o Cachorro a Fazer Necessidades no Lugar Certo, Italiano: Insegnare al Cane a Fare i Bisognini Fuori, Deutsch: Einen Hund stubenrein machen, Français: éduquer son chien à la propreté, Русский: приучить собаку к выгулу, 中文: 训练狗到固定地方大小便, Čeština: Jak naučit psa, aby se vyprazdňoval venku, العربية: تدريب الكلب على الطاعة, Bahasa Indonesia: Melatih Anjing di Rumah, ไทย: ฝึกสุนัขในบ้าน, 日本語: 犬のトイレトレーニングをする Surviving the Night with Your New Puppy Build a great relationship Puppies Wed – Thurs: Noon – 6 pm Replacement Parts Most recently, the room I used was basically our dining room, though it’s never used for that purpose and is essentially bare. Eye Health Siberian Husky Lifestyle Military & Defense News Dining & Travel Mossy Oak Set up your new dog or puppy for housetraining success. When you are still trying to teach him to pee only outdoors, it will be counterproductive to freak out when he pees on your roses. Either fence off areas where you do not want him to eliminate outdoors, or use a leash to prevent him from reaching those areas. Wee-Wee® Pads Not Helpful 1 Helpful 18 Pet owners who are novices at training can begin a training program with these few simple steps. It takes repetition, time and perseverance for the puppy to predictably and reliably respond to commands in a variety of situations. Consider only classes that use positive training techniques. german shepherd puppy training | house training a dog german shepherd puppy training | potty train puppy german shepherd puppy training | potty training a dog Legal | Sitemap

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