#if you see me excessively post clips from this stream no you didn’t

[lucemferto]

Someone left a very good comment under my video on Technoblade (link) and I thought I’d post it and the reply here, so that more people could see it.

My response under the cut

I was in the middle of editing the next video and in comes you with all of your good points that I want to respond to, how dare you!

Not, but seriously, thank you for your comment! I’m going through your points in order.

1) You bring up a good point about Techno’s retirement and his choice to try and remain non-violent throughout it. The reason why that didn’t register with me so much as character development is because – from the perspective of someone who hasn’t watched every stream and only kept up through clips and compilations – the change felt very … uneven. I don’t know, if there was like a character journey or some-sort of soliloquy or something like that, but to a viewer like me, it didn’t pick up. It felt like they knew what they wanted to do with the Butcher Army and didn’t give too much thought as to how he got from End of Season 1 à Beginning of Season 2.

But honestly, that’s a minor nitpick, there’s worse cases of character inconsistency on the server, so it’s not something I would hold against him.

But this kinda ties into a bigger point, that I feel like I didn’t articulate well enough in the video: My problem with Techno’s worldview being reaffirmed has less to do with anarchy being good, but more that Techno’s disproportionate use of violence is shown to be the effective and ultimately “right (?)” way to go about it.

Like, it would have been really nice – also from an emotional conflict point of view – to have Techno seriously struggle with whether he should return to his violent ways, even after the Butcher Army event. Frame it like a tragedy, where the viewer is aware that this isn’t healthy for Technoblade – an ultimately self-destructive spiral that betrays what he came to learn about violence during his retirement.

But that’s not how it plays out – instead it serves 2 narrative purposes: 1) facilitate cool team-ups like Techno & Tommy and later Techno & Dream and 2) evoke classic action tropes ala John Wick and 80’s Arnold Schwarzenegger. There’s no time to reflect or to gather himself, to pick himself up from his lowest point – instead he immediately unveils his vault full of withers like he’s Morpheus from the Matrix. It’s pure power fantasy at that point – and with the Butcher Army posing frankly no threat at all, the stakes for Techno couldn’t be lower.

 2) This one is complicated, in my opinion, because I still believe that through framing and allusion, L’Manburg, in Season 1 in the very least, is positioned as a Symbol of Good. It represents freedom from Dream’s oppression and the framing of stuff like Tommy’s last speech around the L’Mantree definitely communicates on an extradiegetic level that L’Manburg is meant to be seen as good.

But you’re right, that – even during Season 1 – there are points where we are shown the dark sides of the nation. What I’m unsure of is how much of that is intentional use of grey morality and how much of it is funny bits from early on, when the writing hadn’t yet solidified the themes it was trying to communicate.

In Season 2 though, your guess is as good as mine. It’s just very … difficult to pin down at what shade of grey L’Manburg is operating or rather how we, the viewers, are supposed to perceive them. Like, the reason why the Butcher Army event sticks out so badly in my mind is that there’s so little build-up to it – from the perspective of Tubbo’s and Fundy’s character (Quackity is a … special case). They’re just suddenly so cartoonishly corrupt – which, I need to emphasize, I’m not against having a Tubbo Corruption- or Villain-Arc. I would be very here for it. But during Tommy’s exile, when they had ample time to build up Tubbo going down a dark path – which would have been especially cool if they had involved Phil in that – they didn’t take it. Tubbo’s just spinning his wheels and then – BOOM – he evil, corrupt government. For me, it just seems sloppy.

As for the destruction of L’Manburg – here’s where I would talk about suspension of disbelief. Like, yeah, there’s six people living in L’Manburg, three of which comprise the government – so it’s really neither a nation nor a government, it’s barely an apartment complex. But we’re meant to understand it as a full nation – and as such, I still think the complete obliteration of it was a Bad Thingtm to happen. That’s the hard stance I have to take.

I read Ghostbur kind-of like the stand-in for the general populace – the people who were disenfranchised by what took place. Because when they don’t have extras to fill that role, a main character has to sort-of “symbolize” it (similar to how Niki was the stand-in for the “rebellion” in Manburg).

Overall, the problem that I have with Doomsday – aside from my problems I have with Technoblade’s character specifically – is that it’s just so muddled in what it’s trying to say. It doesn’t read as moral complexity, but just like a bunch of half-ideas that weren’t properly developed and ended up not meshing at all. Dream’s victory is framed as a bad thing – something that’s reinforced by the Season 2 finale – but from Techno’s side the destruction of L’Manburg is a triumphant moment?

Is it to show that L’Manburg was always just a shallow symbol? But Tommy, Tubbo, Quackity and Ghostbur never let go of it and are not framed as delusional or in the wrong. Again, the Season 2 finale explicitly frames Tommy’s attitude to attachment as in the right. Is it karmic punishment for Tubbo’s and Quackity’s descent into corruption? Tubbo’s arc was sloppy at best and his “epiphany” came completely independent from Technoblade and L’Manburg’s destruction. And Quackity played barely any role in Doomsday.

The people, who denounce L’Manburg like are either shown to not be in the right state of mind, like Niki and Fundy, or are still extremely traumatized by excessive amounts of violence, like Ranboo.

I hope, I could make my points clear. Again, thank you very much for your insightful comment, which helped me recontextualize a few of my own misgivings with Technoblade and Doomsday.

#dream smp #dream smp doomsday #dream smp season 2 #dsmp #dsmpblr #dsmp analysis #dream smp analysis #technoblade #tubbo #tommyinnit #dream #dreamwastaken #quackity #ghostbur

[smp-live]

Was scrolling through c!Wilbur crit blogs again and it got me thinking about why exactly I argue in favour of him so much so here’s a random ramble (that got long) about it:

Most c!Wilbur critics (at least, in the tag, not directly post-lore stream. The ones that do actual analysis on him) are like... really reasonable about it, actually, lmao. Like it’s mostly just calling him a bad person because of power hunger/manipulation/being a bad dad/whatever else. (Not talking about antis. I mean people who are really critical of him, but recognize that he’s a well-crafted character with nuance.)

Which I agree with! I consider myself an apologist, my writing and analysis leans really sympathetic, and I still agree that he’s a shitty rat bastard that I would run far away from irl. Even at the beginning of the story, he’s very morally grey, sometimes using underhanded persuasion tactics, doing ehh things like stealing, and it only gets worse from there.

But on the other hand, he’s... not that bad. Like I saw one person say about c!Dream, “My reaction to most critique of him is... so what?” and that’s how I feel about c!Wilbur, I suppose. Yeah, he tried to rig an election - but it was a last-ditch effort at not going full dictator, he didn’t follow through, and later on he - in part - decided to blow it up because they couldn’t get it back while being democratic. And yeah, he manipulated people - all in all, it wasn’t really really bad things, mostly to paint himself in a better light because of his insecurities, and people sometimes fall into manipulative language without even outwardly realizing that it’s a shitty thing to do. Of course, that shows a bigger underlying problem in their mindset and the way they interpret relationships and possession, but then that’s a different discussion - and definitely one that applies to c!Wilbur.

(Not saying he doesn’t ever intentionally manipulate people. I think that a. sometimes it might be accidental, (”If you wanna be President you’re gonna have to get on my good side,” mans was Not thinking straight,) and b. other times he falls into old habits/coping mechanisms that happen to be manipulation, (Tommy at Las Nevadas.) Other than the election and maybe some times in the early founding of L’Manberg, I can’t think of any moments where I’m like, “Yeah, he is Purposefully Manipulating here.” And even then, it just doesn’t strike me as a terrible thing. People manipulate, it’s a thing they do. That’s it. A morally grey action.)

And I think the majority of the reason I make more posts painting him in a positive light and don’t really discuss my critique of him is because it feels like the fandom has an overwhelming bias of hatred/crit, even if a lot of that isn’t, y’know, proper analysis of his character. I instinctively want to balance it out for this character I love/relate to, because a lot of what I see straight-up ignores the lighter side of his moral-greyness.

Like, a while back, I posted a couple clips from late-election arc, of Wilbur talking about how he feels about Fundy siding with Quackity and against him. And the way I initially saw it while watching was, “Okay. He feels betrayed by his son who disagrees with his politics - and thus, him as a person, because your politics are a reflection of your identity, especially in Wilbur’s mind - and it’s perfectly understandable that he’d want to vent about that in private to a close friend. On the other hand, he should be able to recognize that Fundy’s allowed to be his own person and shouldn’t be babied. Fundy is in the right, here, but Wilbur’s feelings shouldn’t be dismissed.”

But then 90% of the tags were just straight-up hate for c!Wilbur, going as far as to say that he should die again. (And this was after we found out how bad the afterlife was for him.) That fucking floored me. I just couldn’t understand how they took this nuanced character aching for ‘the son he knew’ back (hm. very similar to c!Phil, actually) and turned it into ‘wow. This suicidal man sucks and should maybe die.’ I was so close to making a post defending him before realizing - I was letting fandom bias against a character push me further onto the sympathetic side.

And that’s such a fuckin’ weird thing to have happen, because you’d think that exposure to negativity about a character would make you feel more negative about them? But without fail, every time I scroll through the crit tag, or read a critical post about c!Wilbur/L’Manberg, I maybe lean a bit more towards that side for a few hours before swinging back hard onto the apologist side. Because a lot of the critique, to me, is really just, “so what?” after I let it stew a bit.

Then there’s the whole mental health issue. Obviously it doesn’t excuse the shit he did - I know people who have been in the middle of breakdowns and the stuff they say still fucking hurts, even if they didn’t truly mean it. But recognizing that he needs help? That for pretty much all his time on-screen, he was depressed and paranoid, which obviously affects the way he acts? That’s obvious. And were he in the position to get professional help - which he deserves - everything would be much better off. That’s the root of my apologism, I think: He deserves to get better. He’s not inherently evil, or bad, just a fucked up little man who’s ruined his own life and needs help. I want to see him, specifically him, get better.

Narratively, his punishment has been extreme and disproportionate. Every mistake, every choice - good or bad - has led to suffering, on his part. Start a fun little rebellion, maybe to gain some power? War and betrayal. Declare an election to consolidate said power? Lose, and get exiled. Blow up a nation? Die, and even in the afterlife, he can't catch a break. Purely as a sympathetic human, it feels like he deserves to rest. Deserves to heal.

But even medicated and less anxious, or going to therapy for his neuroticism and depression, or whatever, he still would be quite morally grey. A lot of his manipulation, his power hunger, comes from this neuroticism; from needing to feel safe and needed, (just like Quackity.) Not all of it, though. He’d still have his unhealthy ideals about relationships and possession, for example. Less prominent, sure, but still there. Some people, I feel, discount how tied up with his mental illness it is, while others don’t really recognize that it’s also a personality problem. Like, changing those beliefs is changing part of who he fundamentally is, as a person.

Actually, I think the c!Wilbur apologist community, in general, tends to scapegoat his mental illness a little too much? Not in that we explain his actions with it or ask people not to villainize it, (although sometimes I feel that what we call villainizing mental illness is a bit excessive, but it’s not my place to talk about that as someone who doesn’t really relate to Pogtopia!Wilbur,) but in that we use it in discussions a lot. Which is fair, because it permeates every single aspect of his character, but even without it he’d have toxic traits? Like his possessiveness is not purely a byproduct of his mental illness, imo. Nor is his treatment of Fundy. It’s amplified by it, surely, but that little seed of it is there in the first place. Just as c!Dream’s abuse needs to be addressed as a central part of his character, c!Wilbur’s possessiveness does too - and also outside of the context of their mental health, because they’re both brought on by an internal personality flaw, some fucked-up belief, if that makes sense.

As I said before: c!Wilbur is a mess of a human being that I would hate if I actually met. (irl I would’ve been a SWAG supporter, based on policies, but since this is fiction, I was POG.) But because he’s a character, that flies out the window, and I can love him - not even just as a character, in the sense that I appreciate he’s well-crafted, but in terms of personality and all that shit, while recognizing he’s a kinda crappy guy. Because he’s a character. That’s the fun of it.

#Enderspeak #idk just musing and working out thoughts that got long but I actually kinda like #I think I'm gonna try to not let that bias sway me as much anymore. write more crit posts even if they're made with love in my heart <3 #I might have to stick a disclaimer on them though because each time I get a pure hate comment part of my soul shrivels #You can also tell I've been reading a lot of books/treatises written by old white guys recently because I feel like my opinion #on everything is needed and wanted lol #Also on the villainization thing: if someone who does feel okay talking about it could write a response with their thoughts #that'd be neat #Because I. don't know how to phrase what I'm thinking in a way that feels right & not like I'm butting in somewhere I don't belong #But I'm not saying it's a bad/wrong thing. Sometimes I just see a post of someone complaining and I'm like #''Is it really?'' but I don't really have a personal frame of reference to know so #take my words with a grain of salt - I will defer to those who know better #Actually take this whole post with a grain of salt I might hate it in a few hours #Update from a few hours later: well I don't disagree with what I said but it's a bit more extreme than I'd put it now so

[alexalbonbon]

Drive to Survive is less documentary and more Keeping Up With The Formula 1 Drivers. And that needs to change

When Netflix first announced Drive To Survive in March 2018, the show was promoted as an “attempt to immerse the audience inside the cockpits, the paddock, and the lives of the key players in Formula 1 racing. The series will have exclusive access to the world’s fastest drivers, team principals and owners, as well as Formula 1’s own management team.”

The announcement was a clear statement from new owners Liberty Media: attract new fans to Formula 1. And what better way to do this than by collaborating with the biggest streaming platform in the world? Drive To Survive was supposed to become a 10-episode documentary series for both new and established Formula 1 fans and would cover the 2018 season.

The show did a decent job in its first season, it did give a fresh look behind the scenes of the sport, with some drivers also allowing the camera crews in their personal lives. It introduced us to (most of) the teams, drivers, and team principals and gave an insight into the traveling, multi million dollar circus that is Formula 1.

But how are you going to cover a racing championship if you’re not allowed access to the two major teams fighting for that championship? You can’t, and the producers decided to take a page out of the Keeping Up With The Kardashians manual and thought it would be fun to give a show that was supposed to be a documentary show about the pinnacle of motorsport a reality series makeover in post production instead.

While we did see some of Daniel Ricciardo’s family and life off-track, this was completely overshadowed by the producers’ excessive need to dramatize his inter-team rivalry with then-teammate Max Verstappen. Any person who followed Formula 1 and especially Red Bull at the time knew that, although Daniel indeed was struggling with his position within the team, the two were not the enemies the show makes them out to be and are actually good friends. And rather than learn from the first season and the feedback given by both fans and drivers, the producers decided to up the drama even more for the next two seasons. Meanwhile, all of us are sitting here wondering why. If you spend some time following the sport, there’s plenty of drama already.

Going forward with seasons two and three, it was apparently decided that the show needed more of a Hollywood feeling and plenty of episodes were given the hero versus villain treatment. This reached its peak in the Red Bull focused episodes in both seasons two and three. Take the difficult (to say the least) work environment of the “big” team, mix it with some weird crap said by Christian Horner and top it off with the commentary by Will Buxton literally nobody asked for and you have yourself a Pierre Gasly versus Alex Albon rivalry. Where in season two Gasly was portrayed as the person keeping Red Bull back in the World Championship and Albon came in to save the day, season three decided to reverse Uno that narrative and made Albon (one of the only three people of color on the grid) the one in this role, while Gasly thrives at AlphaTauri. Albon is made look weak, stupid and slow. All things people who have looked beyond his Red Bull stint know are not true. Not once is it suggested that Albon was put under immense pressure by being moved to the “big team” in what was only his first season of Formula 1. Nor would Horner ever take responsibility for the clear favouritism shown to Verstappen.

And then there is what might be the biggest crime in the entire show: the lack of presence of record race winner, seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton in season three. There are no good words for whoever was in charge of production and decided that this man, one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Formula 1 drivers of all time, was not worthy of an entire episode dedicated to his story, his racecraft, and his activism. The only black driver on the grid, Drive To Survive gave him five minutes at the end of the very last episode to touch on the Black Lives Matter movement Hamilton has been a vocal supporter of for years. His record equalling 91st win at the Eifel Grand Prix was briefly touched upon, but his record equalling seventh World Championship in Turkey was apparently too much of an effort to include. It only enhances the fact that the We Race As One campaign Formula One Management ran last year was nothing more than a PR stunt. It is time to take Lewis Hamilton seriously, he has a platform and he wants to use it and Netflix not giving him that opportunity is shameful. Yes, a big part of the demographic of Formula 1 consists of straight, white men who absolutely refuse to look at the world outside of their bubble. But Netflix promotes inclusivity, so why should this show be any different? It is a Netflix original show, which gives them no way to point at anyone else being the final part of production responsible. By showing the (graphic) clip of George Floyd’s death and letting Hamilton say three sentences about the BLM movement, you’re not promoting the inclusivity the streaming service wants to stand for. Formula 1, Netflix, and Box To Box Productions all need to do better, and they need to start doing better now.

So how does the show move forward? Let’s start by throwing out the terrible “scripts”, including those terrible one-liners Lance Stroll throws out in the first couple of season three episodes (I like Lance, but this made me cringe so hard, my eye is still twitching). Several drivers, including Max Verstappen, and more recently George Russell have spoken out against the framing the show chooses. This should be a clear sign that things need to change, especially if one of the drivers above called the show “cringey” in front of the Netflix cameras. Is there absolutely nobody in the producing team who has any real knowledge of the sport and the regulations itself? We need less Christian Horner, less Will Buxton and less forced drama and rivalry. If you put twenty men who get paid hundreds of thousands of euros in a paddock and drive around the fastest cars in the world for a living, the drama will write itself. 

Formula 1 loves reminding people that it’s the “pinnacle of motorsport”, so why not show that? Why not show that the world of Formula 1 has some of the brightest minds out there that came together in the fight against COVID-19 in Project Pitlane? Or how they were one of the first major sports that returned to their competition, setting up a huge logistical challenge and managing to create a calendar with seventeen races in twelve different countries, while keeping COVID infections to a relative low? But they also should focus on the parts the teams may not always want to show. Why does Red Bull seem to have a curse on that second seat? Why does Haas have to take on a driver who didn’t manage to finish in the top 3 of the Formula 2 championship, while the vice-champion was left without a seat? Why did we have to say goodbye to the Williams family and why weren’t they given a proper sendoff in the show? Especially with Williams having the only female team principal in the paddock. And why aren’t we shining a light on what’s important: a black man standing alone in his fight for equality.

Drive to Survive should give us what it promised: an exclusive behind the scenes look of one of the most exciting sports out there. The drama will write itself, we just want the good, the bad, and the ugly. And these are things the Netflix crew can achieve, even with the current COVID restrictions still in place in the paddock.

#i kinda started rage writing this last night and ended up with 1300+ words #danielle writes stuff #f1 #formula 1

[that-was-anticlimactic]

Once many moons ago you asked for some avatar writing prompts and I’ve been thinking of it ever since. Anyway I’ve also been thinking a lot about your Tourette’s!Sokka hc and fics and I was wondering if you could write a lil bit about how Toph finds out? I know you mentioned that she’d find out after pulling him out of the hole... but I’d love to read more about it

Anyway no pressure and if i’m totally out of line please let me know

Hi!!! No no, thank you so much! You’re not out of line at all!! I could talk about this forever and this is exactly something I need to procrastinate!

for those who don’t know, they’re referring to this post and this oneshot! It’s a lots of headcanons about Sokka (atla) having Tourette’s Syndrome!

This takes place during Bitter Work (I mean... Sokka is a hole haha) and for purposes of speculation and plot convenience, we’re assuming he’s been in the whole for at least half of the day (I mean, maybe that’s canon??? He had trouble walking when they got him out and it was long enough to make Katara worry...).

I tried writing this in a different way, so if anyone has strong thoughts / feelings / opinions on how I portrayed his tics, let me know! The last thing that I want to note beforehand is that tics are... weird and you can’t plan them. Writing for them is harder than I thought because they are random. I, personally, found it easier to write his verbal tics as the same few words because you don’t think of tics, they just happen? So writing them was weird, haha!

Stuck

Word Count: 2,590

Tw: anxiety attack, tic attack (for those with TS or tics, I do write his tics in. They triggered some of mine, so proceed with caution)

----

“Rah-Rah-Rah-Rumble!”

Sokka sighed. “Maybe going to underground Earth bending tournaments was a bad idea,” the young warrior (nose wrinkle) said to himself. “I’m going to be rumbling-- rah-rah-rumble-- for ages now.”

He laughed. Then laughed again (blink, whistle). Then he shrieked in frustration.

Being stuck in this hole was miserable, and not just (whistle, nose wrinkle) miserable, it was terrifying. He couldn’t move his arms, he couldn’t move his legs, moving his fingers was possible, but he had clenched them so much that it was painful to continue, and he needed to move his arms, he needed to (whistle, whistle, whistle) tic.

The others were off training, and that could take hours. He was alone (blink, “yip yip, rumble rumble”) and they had no idea where he was, all they knew was that he was hunting.

The pain… it was hard for his brain to fathom the pain he was in. His legs (blink, whistle, blink) were numb but his arms (“Rah-Rumble”) were sore, they were aching and longing for the ability to move, to tic. It made his head (whistle, blink, blink, “yip, rumble, yip”) hurt. It was hard to breath.

“That’s-- rumble-- it,” he wheezed. “This is how I’m gonna-- rah-rah-- die. Oh, spirits, I’m gonna die!” Panic, pain, and loneliness were savages, wrecking the sanctuary and peace of his mind and body.

“AANG!”

Sokka’s voice clipped, his body feeling (“yip yip, you need to yip yip”, blink, nose wrinkle) awake once more at the sight of his friend.

The monk turned at his name, his face lighting up upon seeing the water tribesman. “Sokka!” he (nose wrinkle, whistle) cried, running to him. “Are you okay?”

He opened his mouth, prepared to make some witty or sarcastic comment, but (whistle, blink) all that came out was a stifled, relieved sob. “I-I’m-- fah-fah-fine, fine-- I just need to get out of this stupid hole,” he assured, tears of happiness welling up in his eyes.

Aang studied him for a moment (“yip yip”), then grabbed onto what he could of Sokka’s hands, trying to pull him (blink, blink, nose wrinkle, whistle) free.

Pain shot through his arms and up to his fingers. “Ow! Stop, stop! You’re-- rumble, rah-rah-- gonna pull my fingers off! And (whistle) I don’t think the r-- re-rah-rumble, rah-rah-rumble-- rest is coming!”

Aang sat down in front of him, panting. “I would try to airbend you out, but I don’t think that’ll do anything.”

(Blink, whistle) “Oh, you can Earthbend me out!” Sokka cried excitedly (blink, blink, “rumble”). “That’s what you’ve been working on, right?”

“I can’t.”

“Well, what about-- yip-- Toph? Can you get her so she can Earthbend me out?”

“I can’t do that either.”

“W-- Wah-Wah-- Why not? I’m stuck and-and I can’t move and--” Sokka broke off into an unstoppable stream of “yip-yip”’s.

Aang started, reaching his hands out, but drew them back. “Suppose you probably don’t want to be touched right now?” he said sheepishly. “I’m sorry. Toph will just get mad at me if I go back. I’m a terrible Earthbender.”

“I just-- yip yip (whistle, blink, blink, nose wrinkle)-- I just want Katara.” The words stumbled out, and for a second, he felt like that young six year old again, asking for his mom when (blink, blink, blink) he had tic spasms during stressful training sessions.

Aang’s grey eyes were filled with sorrow. “I know you need help. I need to get over myself and just face Toph but… I just don’t want to let anyone down…” he trailed off, and (nose wrinkle, whistle) suddenly Sokka wanted to be out of that hole more than anything so he could give Aang all of the love that he deserves.

“Oh! Is that a baby Sabertooth Moose Lion?” asked the monk, a smile popping up on his face as the creature jumped out from the bushes.

“Aang, Foo Foo Cuddly Poops. Foo Foo-- rumble, rah-rah-- Cuddly Poops, Aang,” Sokka introduced nonchalantly, still mentally going through various ways to encourage Aang to get help.

“Huh, that’s weird,” Aang (“yip yip!”) stated, picking Foo Foo Cuddly Poops up. “Their moms are usually really protective.”

The Spirits must have something against Sokka, and maybe once he’s out of the hole he’ll ask Aang to visit the Spirit World and figure out what it is. Almost as if it were on cue, a loud roar shook the trees surrounding them, and Sokka soon felt overcome with blinking and screaming “yip yip”.

The roar came from behind him, but he couldn't move he couldn’t move he couldn’t move he couldn’t-- Spirits, he was crying. He was blinking so hard and so consistently that he was crying. His throat felt tighter and tighter with each “yip”, but he still held onto that small sliver of hope that Toph or Katara would hear him and come help him.

“Aang, I can’t-- ca-a-an’t yip-- I can’t see! I-- you need to yip yip-- can’t see! Is that- is that-thu-thu-- the mother? What’s happ-- yip yip-- ening? I can’t-- you-you, yip yip yip-- I can’t stop-- yip yip yip yip, RUMBLE-- AANG!” His words flew out of his mouth, they were uncontrollable, a storm that had been building up for the past however long he had been in here, festering and brewing. Sokka didn’t know what he was saying, his tongue was improvising, his words were a script never written. Honestly, he would be surprised if Aang could even understand what he said through his nearly constant stream of tics.

He couldn’t see, and not just behind him. His blinking was too excessive. His eyes hurt, his vision completely blurred. He was crying, from fear, pain, blinking too much, and because he just wanted Katara. The ringing in his ears returned, and he wanted to curl up into a ball, letting his tics run their course, holding his head in his hands.

A gust of wind ruffled his already messy hair, some of the longer strands falling into his mouth, but he barely registered it. Through the ringing, he vaguely heard Aang speak to him. And suddenly Sokka sobbed even harder because Aang was twelve and he shouldn’t have to worry about Sokka having a tic attack. The first time he had one around Aang, he had terrified the kid. Poor Katara had to run back and forth between making sure Sokka was alright and not in any pain and that Aang understood what was going on.

Spirits, Aang was probably scared out of his mind right now because they were being attacked and Sokka could do nothing to help him. They were in danger and it felt like he was cowering while the Avatar worked to save them both.

Moment after moment, he continued to tic, and, as Aang later said, continued to have an anxiety attack. It felt like an eternity when he finally saw the blurred face of Aang in front of him, moving in and out of focus. The monk’s mouth was moving, but no words were coming out.

He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t even think. The world around him had faded, falling into a grey abyss of nothingness where even feelings were numb and cold. He forced his eyes shut.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him began to move, it rumbled (much like he was), and out of nowhere, a hand gripped his hair tightly and pulled.

Freedom. He was free, but he couldn’t register it. He swatted at the hand until it let go of him, letting him crumble to the ground in a hysterical heap. The touch only worsened the feeling of restriction, even though he was no longer confined to the hole. The ringing grew louder and louder still, and through it all he could hear was someone screaming his sister’s name. Maybe it was him. Maybe it was Aang.

The curled into a ball position that he so longed for was finally attainable, and Sokka immediately fell into it. His legs were twitching, his hands continually flying to the sky and flashing the number three (a new tic he had picked up that replaced the fist pumping. Where his body picked it up, he hadn’t a clue, but he supposed it was better than fist pumping at everything).

“I can’t-- yip yip, yip rumble yip-- breathe-- bruh-bruh-bruh--!” he screamed it. How his vocal cords found the strength to scream, he didn’t know. All he knew for certain was that he felt like he was dying.

A tender, cool, calloused hand landed on his shoulder and he shuddered at the touch, desperately trying to shake it off. The hand would not relent.

Oftentimes, the light at the end of the tunnel was his name. The ringing halted to a stop, when through the blaring he heard: “Sokka”. The voice was loud but it was not forceful. It was commanding yet compassionate. “Sokka, can you hear me?”

Eyes still forced shut to calm the blinking, he nodded.

“It’s Katara. I know I’m already touching you, but can I hug you? Is that okay?”

Katara… his sister. His mind halted at once, the thoughts of death and breathing slipping away. Cautiously opening an eye, Sokka found his sister in front of him, one hand on his shoulder, the other hovering near his back.

A relieved sigh fell from her lips as he opened his second eye, blinked a few times, and then met hers. Her beautiful blue eyes felt like home. “Thank the Spirits,” she mumbled. “Can I hug you, is that okay? Aang chased away the mother Sabertooth Moose Lion and Toph got you out of the hole. You can move now.”

Realization hit him in full force. Toph didn’t even know he had Tourette’s yet. The chance to tell her never really came up. She probably hated him now.

He nodded once more, leaning into his younger sister’s touch, wrapping his own shaking arms around her, and letting her hold him as he whimpered.

Her touch was warm, heating the coolness of his fear into oblivion. He always liked when Katara hugged him. She always hugged him loosely, allowing him the room to maneuver or wiggle his way out if he felt uncomfortable.

Peace flooded over him, his tears vanishing with each passing moment and his breathing more stable with each breath.

“I’m-- rumble- rah-- so sorry,” he gasped once he extracted himself from the hug, finally calm and back into reality, as the world came back into sight.

“You don’t need to be sorry,” Katara stated firmly, sitting beside him. “We should have looked for you sooner when you didn’t return. I was just so caught up in Aang learning Earthbending and Toph is kind of a mean teacher--”

“Katara, it’s-- yip yip-- fine, really.”

“You were stuck here for hours, Sokka, hours! I was so worried…”

Hand holding wasn’t his thing, not in the slightest. It made his fingers hurt and he could never get his hands to hold still long enough for it to be comfortable for anyone. Katara, though, was the one exception. He reached for her hand, holding it tightly and rubbing his fingers against the back of it.

“Thu-Thu-- Thank you,” he whispered. “I love you.”

Katara leaned her head against his shoulder, finally allowing herself to breathe, all of her worries and fears slipping away with every exhale.

From the corner of his eye, Sokka noticed Aang slowly inching towards him, Toph lingering at his side. He gulped. “Aang, sorry I f-- fr-fre-fuh-fr--freaked out on you. Did I-- rumble rumble-- scare you again?” he asked.

Aang nodded sheepishly. “A little bit. Sorry I couldn’t Earthbend you out. I should’ve gotten Toph right away.”

Sokka shrugged, careful not to jostle his sister’s head. “Eh. It’s okay. You just started l-- luh-luh-rumbLE, LE, LE-- learning.”

The large grey eyes grew wider by the second. Aang bit his lip and glanced anxiously at Sokka. It was a look that Sokka had learned early on. “Come here,” he sighed, gesturing to his other side. “Not too close, though, okay?”

Aang immediately zoomed over and into his side, scooting away slightly before settling.

Sometimes, Aang just needs to be loved and reminded that he’s just a kid and that it’s okay to feel worried and that it’s okay for him to not believe everything was his fault. That look, that look was one asking for forgiveness, one of asking for affection.

And then there was Toph.

It was funny, really, how quickly Sokka could go between completely freaking out and needing someone to help him to him being the comforter, the calm and collected one. He supposed it was because his tic attacks weren’t very frequent, and this one was more extreme than most (probably due to being stuck for hours and having an anxiety attack), so he was used to jumping back into normalcy.

Toph, on the other hand…

“Hey, you,” he called. “Blind Bandit-- yip yip, you need to yip yip-- come join us!”

The hesitant and frightened look (Spirits, she was only twelve too) on her face was a huge contrast in comparison to her pale and usually uncaring complexion. And for a moment, she faltered. Being new and all, Sokka really couldn’t blame her. She barely knew them.

“I’m f-- fuh-fuh--fine,” he assured her. “I have Tourette’s so sometimes-- rumble-rah-rah-- when I can’t move my body freaks-- yip yip (whistle)-- out and sometimes I panic. Then we got attacked by a Sabertooth Moose Lion, I think? I kinda blanked out for that part-- rah-rah-rah--, but anyways, point is, I’m okay. And, I’m sorry for sc-- yip yip-- scaring you.”

The young Earthbender cautiously took a step forward.

“Don’t worry-- wah-wah-worry--, it’s not usually this bad. I guess me getting trapped in a hole-- rumble, rumble, rah-- wasn’t enough torment for the Spirits so they threw a large animal at me. It’s usually just small, normalish things like making hand gestures or my neck twitching,” he continued to explain, his tone gentle and trying his best to suppress his vocal tics for the moment to coax Toph closer. “Are you okay?”

Toph snorted. “I’m not scared, Snoozles. I just… I just couldn’t see what was going on completely and I was confused!”

“And worried!” Aang piped up from his side. “Don’t forget that you were also worried!”

Sokka smiled while Toph growled. She stomped her foot on the ground and a beam of Earth collided with Aang, sending him flying through the air and roughly hitting a tree.

“Ow,” he mumbled, rubbing his head.

Toph just shrugged, quickly making her way to steal Aang’s spot next to Sokka. The young warrior saw the Earthbender raise her fist towards him, then falter.

“Yes, you can touch-- yip yip-- me now,” he laughed. “Uhh, also, sorry for hitting you earlier.”

A hard blow landed on his arm, but he couldn’t have felt happier about it. The trio learned very early on that punching arms was Toph’s way of showing affection. “No biggie. I can take it.”

Aang came stumbling towards them, pouting. “No fair, Toph! I wanted to sit next to Sokka!”

“Well then, make Sugar Queen move and take her place.”

“But Katara has first dibs, she’s his sister!”

“Snooze you lose, Twinkle Toes.”

“But--”

Katara opened her eyes and then proceeded to roll them. “Just come sit next to me, Aang,” she interrupted, extending an arm for the airbender to lean into.

Aang’s face lit up and he raced to her side.

Sokka sighed. Ah, normalcy.

----

Ahhh okay! I hope you liked it!

In case anyone was wondering, the reason why I stopped writing the tics in during the tic attack is because tic attacks (in my own personal experience) are kind of a constant stream of tics where something is always happening, and it would be really hard to write. So, when he had his anxiety / tic attack, I let it flow from there because there’s no way I could write that well or portray it right!

Thank you for reading! I’m always open to Sokka with Tourette’s questions, comments, concerns, etc...! I enjoy talking about it haha! I would also love to hear anyone’s personal Sokka with TS headcannons or ideas or any TS character stuff!

I am also always up to procrastinate, so if anyone ever has any writing prompts or fic recs, please lemme know!

and as always, Katara is FANTASTIC:)

#ask #Sokka #sokka avatar #atla #avatar the last airbender #Toph #Aang #Katara #atla fanfiction #sokk with tourettes #tourettes syndrome #we love Katara #so much #rzaha #atla oneshot #avatar the last airbender oneshot #this is actually a part of a fic I'm writing... #tis zukka with Sokka with ts and some good old fluff and angst haha #sokka oneshot #look I love Sokka #and Katara #and them all #Sokka angst #corey writes:) #corey tics:) #corey rambles:)

[s1cparvism4gna]

I Like You A Lot

WARNINGS: cursing and violence

Pairings: Chloe Frazer x Nadine Ross x OC

Tags: @desertvvitch, @courtenbae

Author’s Note: this chapter kinda sucks but I swear it’ll get better 😭💕

Chapter 15

Sunny’s POV

A massive armored truck with a turret drifted by our hiding spot in the tall grass. It hadn’t seen us yet. In the corner of my eye, I spotted a bit of movement. It was Nadine creeping up behind two men to take them out with her powerful kicks. I tapped Chloe on the shoulder and pointed in her direction. “Look at this idiot.” I mumbled and she sighed, shaking her head.

“She’s really stepped in it now.” She whispered. The rain was still pouring heavily and showed no signs of easing up. Wind blew, shifting the rain a little and making it harder to see. I ran my hand down my face to rid it of excess water only for me to be soaked again. It was pointless but I kept doing it. “Alright let’s move… Keep it quiet, yeah?” She asked. I nodded and followed her out of the tall grass to take cover behind a massive boulder. That’s when I saw it. Flipped upside down with the front totaled, burning in thick black smoke and licks of flame was the cherry red 4x4. My jaw dropped as I watched it burn.

“That little…..” I knocked my head against the boulder in anger, clenching my fists.

“Not getting that deposit back.” Chloe commented, jokingly.

“Yeah no shit.” I growled, flexing my nostrils as I shook my head. “And my snacks were in there… all my guns…. Fuck….”

“I’m sorry, love.” She said placing a hand on my shoulder as she looked around the corner. Two guards were pacing the area with their Type 95s. I noticed them too. “You take right, I’ll take left?” She whispered and I nodded, pulling my knife from its holster and readying it in my hand.

It was easy. They didn’t hear us coming. Chloe jumped on her guy’s back and just put him to sleep. Me on the other hand, covered my guy’s mouth and sliced his throat. “Jesus, Sunny.” Chloe marveled. I shrugged carelessly as I pulled the gun from the man bleeding out in the grass.

“I know. I’m just angry.” I said, checking my ammo clip. “We gotta take out that truck but we’re gonna need something heavier. These guns aren’t even gonna put a dent in it.”

“If you can cover me, I’ll skim through the crates and see what explosives I can find.” She said.

“Of course, sis!” I sighed. Chloe flashed a smile and we began to move accordingly.

We snuck through any open ruins, taking out men with as much stealth as possible. The fact that it was raining and thundering so hard aided in covering our sound more and nobody ever saw us coming. We found an RPG stock and a few warheads to use. We rounded up at least six heads. In our idiotic greed, we tried to shoot for eight but just as Chloe had partially broken into the next crate, the armored truck stopped right next to us. “Ah, shit—” I exclaimed, reaching out to grab my friend and pushing her down into cover as the truck released a barrage of thick bullets.

“This should be enough!” She yelled to me over the noise. I just nodded and began to screw in a warhead.

“Wait for it!” I shouted, waiting in cover for the bullets to end. The turret had to reset eventually. We kept our heads down for a few more seconds. “Wait for it….” The bullets kept going and going, just about to break through the stone barrier until suddenly it stopped. The turret had run out of bullets. I smirked and immediately sat up to take aim at the grill. “Bitch.” I mumbled before pulling the trigger to blow it up. In the fiery explosion, the truck hopped a little, bouncing on its suspension.

“Do it again!” Chloe said hurriedly, holding out another warhead.

“Gimme a minute!” I exclaimed, preparing for the next one. But it was too late. The truck had reloaded. “We gotta find cover again. They’re gonna blow a hole through here.” She nodded as I slipped the heavy RPG over my shoulder and we ran across the field, dodging bullets swiftly.

In our moment of splitting up, I climbed to the top of a ruin and took cover there. My heart was racing and my breathing was shaky. I prepared myself to take aim again and shot off another warhead at the truck. “I HOPE THAT HURT!” I heard Chloe exclaim. When I looked down, she was fighting off a handful of men. She always was a shit talker in a fight. I smirked in pride as I changed the warhead again. I looked around to see if I could see the truck again only to instead find Ms. Ross and her crazy self. Low and behold, she was holding her own, also taking on her share of men. I could see a few more coming towards both women and I figured maybe I’d help them out. I pulled my long gun and began to take aim. ‘Gonna take a bit of ammo from this distance but I think I can get ‘em….’ I thought, biting my lip as I tried to focus. I could feel the recoil as I pulled the trigger, the power behind each shot. I took each of them out then turned to help Nadine. She actually managed to fight them all off. All but one. She didn’t see before but she missed him. And he hid behind a barrier, ready to take his shot. I watched in worry as Nadine turned, startled as she stared down the barrel of this man’s handgun. Nervously, I took aim. I used so much ammo, I was almost sure I was out of bullets. But I pulled the trigger all the same and I put a hole in his head before his finger could even ghost his. His body hit the ground and Nadine turned to see where the shot had come from. When she locked eyes with mine, I shot her a smirk and a swanky salute, tossing the gun off of my post. She stared at me with a pissed off expression before making her way towards the cow statue. On the platform was a crank to turn just like the others. That pesky armored truck followed her over and began to shoot off more bullets. But it was weak. Smoke rose from the grill, sparks flying as the bits of loose metal scraped against each other when it drove along the rocky terrain. It was on its last legs.

“Nadine! Take cover!” I shouted to her and she ran to safety behind a pillar as I readied the RPG again. With that, I squeezed the trigger and watched the final warhead fly to the truck, exploding in a great fire as it collided with the weakened vehicle. And just like that, it was over. I took my grappling hook and managed to get it around a tree branch. “Chloe, to the statue!” I called before swinging across and landing in a puddle with a splash. Nadine appeared from behind the pillar, barely able to look at me as she got ready to push the crank. “Need some assistance?” I asked her. She wasn’t very reactionary. She crinkled her brows and grabbed a bar, ready to push. I sighed and grabbed the other. With a brief count off, the two of us were turning the crank. As Chloe climbed her way up the platform, the bell in front of the cow seemed to slide open on the side like a door, displaying a deep stairwell. I opened my mouth to say something to Nadine but she’d already turned on her heel to go inside and out of the rain.

“You’re welcome!” Chloe sang to her, expecting her to be thankful that we just saved her skin. I groaned and shook my head, stepping out of the way for them as I wiped the continuous streams of rain water from my eyes pointlessly. Nadine turned to look at her with an audacious expression, her face screwed up into a snarl. Chloe chewed on her lip nervously as she approached.

“You lied to my face—” Nadine attacked.

“I didn’t lie! I just left out the part about Sam….” Chloe replied in defense as she headed towards the newly opened doorway. Nadine scoffed and forced a laugh.

“Incredible—”

“Imma need y’all to stop fightin’. Okay- Asav’s got the disc and we need to hurry up n’ catch him—”

“‘We?’” Nadine looked at us incredulously, laughing preposterously. Chloe sighed, throwing her hands up and clenching her fists in frustration as she tried to find the right words. “Spit it out!” She snapped at her.

“Okay!” Chloe cracked under her pressure. “Look, I…. Cards on the table… I need your help.”

“You should’ve thought about that before—”

“And if you want the tusk, you’re going to need mine. You’re going to need Sunny’s.” Chloe said. I crossed my arms and sighed, avoiding Nadine’s gaze as she spoke. She raised her shoulders and opened her arms. “Look, I screwed up, alright?” She said, pushing her bangs out of her face. Nadine placed her hands on her hips and raised a brow.

“This is your idea of an apology?” Nadine scoffed. Chloe just shrugged.

“If it helps keep your head in the game, then sure—”

“Chloe!” I snapped, looking at her. Jesus, this woman had a hard time saying the “S” word. She looked at me in confusion as Nadine pushed by her, annoyed. I gestured to her very obviously and gave her a look. She needed to fix this thing with Nadine. With a sigh, Chloe intercepted her path towards the stairs.

“Look, we both have something to lose here, right? All of us?” Chloe tried to reason but every word that came out of her mouth was the wrong thing. I shook my head, pinching the bridge of my nose. I couldn’t even watch. Nadine stared at her a moment before speaking up.

“Just so we’re clear: My priority is the tusk. Not Sam Drake,” she said looking at me with burning eyes then back to Chloe. “And most certainly not you.” With that, she walked by her, bumping shoulders with me roughly as she pushed by to descend the stairwell. I sighed as lightning cracked across the dark and rainy skies. Much like some pig headed guy, Chloe shrugged it off and tried to wipe some of the dirt from her face.

“What the fuck was that?” I said, raising my voice at her. Chloe shook her head.

“I said sorry—”

“No. No you didn’t, Chloe- you made excuses.” I called her on it, poking her in the chest. She got quiet, placing her hands on her hips and rocking her weight back and forth. She bit her lip to keep from exploding but her attempt failed. She groaned loudly, throwing her hands in the air.

“Well, what the bloody hell do you say to a woman that amazing?” She retorted. There it was. She shook her head at a loss. “How do I patch this up? Everything that comes out is wrong. I don’t just… do this.” I chuckled to myself, amused by the mess the three of us were. Not a single one of us were perfect by any means.

“None of us do apparently. But someone told me somethin’ recently. She said, ‘There’s no point in bein’ closed off. Especially with the life we live.’” I told her looking down the stairwell after Nadine. I locked eyes with her and gave her the most serious expression. She gasped to herself, that same frightened expression Nadine had when she realized her feelings was now on her face. She searched my face for answers I didn’t have and I just blinked at her. “You need to fix it, Chlo.” With that, she gave a deep sigh.

“Alright…. I get it.” She nodded.

“Suck it up, buttercup!” I said, slapping her ass. She gave a soft chuckle and started down the stairs with me at her tail.

As we entered the dark and wet hallway, we watched Nadine pull a crank and the door on the bell slid shut behind us. Even upset, she still didn’t want us followed. What was bad for us was bad for her. As we walked down the dim hall, a bit of smoke seemed to hang in the air. Plants were wild and overgrown, covering the walls and pillars, simply thriving off of the mist in the atmosphere. We walked down several stairways and admired a number of carvings. Then suddenly, a loud explosion echoed through, stopping us in our tracks. Little bits of debris fell from the walls and ceiling as slight pressure pushed at our tired bodies. “What the hell was that?” I asked nervously.

“Exactly what it sounded like.” Nadine answered, curtly.

“Taking shortcuts, eh?” Chloe mumbled to herself in frustration as we began a light jog down the endless flights of stairs towards the light at the end of the hall.

We found ourselves standing at a wall with beautiful stone carved work. This one of the same Nandi statue outside, a line of people in single file entering the bell just as we had. It was all so surreal. We were taking the same journey as the Hoysala to Belur. Chloe flashed her light on it, marveling at it all. “Well I’ll be damned…. The kings led their people through these tunnels… We didn’t find an entrance. This is the back door.” She smirked. I could feel my head nodding as I stared at the work before me. With that, we continued down the stepwell. It was rather quiet in the tunnels. All that could be heard were the light echoes of dripping and running water, a few birds and monkeys. One noise stood out above the rest though. It sounded like a roar. The minute we heard it, we slowed down.

“And that was...?” I asked, raising a shapely brow.

“The hell if I know but it’s close.” Nadine grunted.

“Stay vigilant, ladies.” Chloe said, pushing forward. The stairs led us to a massive room, water flooding the floors and trickling from the ceiling. We heard that roar again and found the culprit in the corner of the room. An Indian Elephant laid trapped beneath a heavy broken pillar. It was in distress and if I didn’t know any better, I thought I could see some tears falling from its eyes. Immediately, the three of us turned soft. In the mixture of coos and whines, we all felt horrible about its situation. Of course we had to save it.

Quickly, we slid down a mudslide into the room and approached it carefully as it struggled against the heavy broken stones. I rounded the side towards its head as it lifted its trunk to let out another cry. “Easy, baby… easy….” I cooed, reaching out to gently pet it’s head as Chloe and Nadine climbed around its back. It let out a soft cry and it almost brought me to tears. “I know, shug. We’re gonna get you outta there.” I sighed, it’s skin rough and patchy beneath my fingers.

“She’s trapped but I don’t think she’s wounded.” Nadine said, running her hand over its back softly.

“Those explosions we heard must’ve triggered the collapse.” Chloe said, also petting the elephant.

“Those assholes….” I hum under my breath as I watched the girls sit on its back with their feet against the pillar, trying to kick it off as I comforted the poor creature. But they struggled.

“Sunny, get up here- we need some help— we’ve almost got it.” Chloe grunted. I nodded, looking at the massive animal in its eyes sadly. I climbed the platform and sat down on the elephant’s back, leaning against the wall to kick my feet up onto the pillar. “On three….” She said. She counted us off and I used all the power left in my legs to push as hard as I could, baring my teeth as I grunted. We pushed and pushed and pushed until the pillar moved and fell on its side off of the animal. Just as I was about to let off a quick sigh of relief, the elephant suddenly stood up, a trill noise erupting from its trunk. “Wait, wait—” Chloe exclaimed as we instinctively threw our legs over its spine. It began to walk down a tunnel, carrying the three of us on its back; and it looked like we were still on the right path to wherever we were going.

“We need to get down.” Nadine suddenly huffed. I scoffed and she turned around to look at me.

“Really, Nadine? We’re literally riding an elephant and your first thought is to get off of it?” I knew she was pissed but come on. This was incredible!

“This isn’t a tourist elephant, Spurrs— this is a wild animal!”

“Will you relax, Nadine?” Chloe groaned. “It doesn’t seem to bother her, does it girl?” She picked off a low hanging branch, sprouting with yellow fruits and held it out for the elephant to eat. She chewed happily and tooted from her trunk; Chloe turned to give her a bright smile but it was to no avail. Nadine gave us both a look and just sat between us sulking. Chloe frowned and looked at me. I gestured to the woman between us and made a face.

“Fuckin’ do it!” I mouthed to her and she winced, biting her lip before turning back around. I couldn’t see her face but I knew she was racking her brain for the right words to say. I sighed as I watched her pull fruit from the branch and place them in the elephant’s grasp. When there were no more fruits left, she tossed the stick aside and the three of us rode in silence. We looked up just as a family of monkeys began to crawl across the branches above us. I looked over Nadine’s shoulder and a soft smile graced her lips as she watched them play and swing about. Chloe turned to look at her, knowing she loved them. But once again, Nadine contorted her face and looked away. Chloe gave a deep sigh and slouched her narrow shoulders.

“Look, um….. I’m not very good at the whole…. people thing….” she said rather nervously, petting the elephant for comfort as she said what she needed to say. Nadine looked at her a moment, her stone cold expression never wavering.

“You’re a selfish dickhead.” She said to her plainly and abruptly. Chloe hung her head for a moment. But she nodded, completely understanding.

“Yeah…. you’re right. I am a selfish dickhead…” She agreed.

“Ja. Long as we’re both clear on that.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone. Chloe giggled a little and a smile slowly crawled onto Nadine’s face. I smirked at how easy Nadine seemed to forgive her. Matters of the heart truly conquered all. I could only hope it’d do the same for Sam and I… Anyway, I was glad they made up. I didn’t know if I could take their fighting much longer. Then Nadine turned to look at me. I cowered under her gaze as she stared into my eyes long and hard before her features softened.

“Sorry about the check to the face…” she said. The moment she referenced it, I felt a sting and an achiness spread across my cheekbone. I shook off the pain and shrugged.

“I’m sure I had it comin’.” I mumbled, shyly. I was never sure anymore. So much bullshit flew out of my mouth, it’s a miracle I haven’t ended up dead somewhere.

“Actually, you didn’t. I panicked. I do trust you. It’s Sam I don’t trust…” She bit her lip and crinkled her brows. I just nodded.

“And I absolutely understand that. You have my full permission to beat his ass if I’m bein’ honest. Especially if I don’t get to him first.” I said, looking off at the misty waterfall in the distance. Nadine let out a pleasant chuckle and I smiled. “I don’t betray my friends, Nadine.”

“Oh, is that what we are now?” She asked with a bit of sarcasm. I giggled and punched her arm playfully.

“Lil’ shit…” I grinned. It seemed things were better between us now. And I could only hope they’d stay that way.

“So you’re an asshole, I’m a little shit, and Chloe’s a dickhead.” Nadine gathered.

“Nice!” Chloe chuckled, pulling her little trinket from her pocket to play with it between her roughed up fingers. “Hear that, dad? Guess I got something from you after all…” she mumbled. I could hear the sadness in her voice. We sat in silence before I finally spoke.

“What happened to your pops, Chloe?” I asked rather innocently, my eyes never leaving her dirt covered, sweaty back. She took a deep sigh and looked up at the scenery passing us by slowly. I always knew it was hard for her to talk about things that weren’t about work or fun. It was just how she operated. But I could understand. It was easier than talking about the things that really hurt; the things that really mattered, the struggles that make us who we are.

“He um….. He was the guy that just couldn’t walk away…” she began. “The Ministry of Culture promised to fund one more of his expeditions. Because this time, he was onto something big.” She scoffed and shook her head a little. “He was always into something big… But, um…. bandits raided his camp… Local authorities found his body two weeks later…. And this stupid thing is all I have left of him.” She said, showing us the little gold piece with a carving of Ganesh on it. My brows raised, crinkling a little as my heart broke for her. I wished she hadn’t lost her father like that.

“I’m sorry…” Nadine sighed. Chloe looked over her shoulder at us with a small smile.

“It’s fine…. He certainly made his choice…” she said, waving it off. The moment she locked eyes with Nadine, I could see hers light up. She looked helpless. I could see her mouth trying to find the right words to address it. “So… I—” Suddenly, just as she began to talk, the animal we rode on growled and let off a strong trill. I’d almost forgotten we were on an elephant for the moment. It kicked up on its hind legs a little, almost causing me to slide off. I wrapped my arms around Nadine’s waist as she grabbed Chloe’s in surprise and it began to charge forward.

“What the fuck, guys?!” I sang, not exactly sure what was about to happen next.

“Tell it to stop!” Nadine exclaimed.

“‘Cause I speak elephant!” Chloe replied sarcastically. Before we could even figure out a plan, the elephant jumped off of a short cliff, cherry bombing into a small body of cool blue waters. I squealed as I fell in, tumbling about the pressure of the ripples, watching the elephant swim away underwater, bubbles dancing about us all as we swam back up to the top. As soon as my face broke the surface, I began gasping for air, the three of us laughing as I pushed my wet curls off of my forehead. We began to swim to shore, only to find a family of elephants. The one that took us on our journey practically ran to be with them.

“Oh no wonder she was so worried to get back! They’ve got a calf with them.” Nadine said, nodding towards the smaller creature as she wiped the excess water from her arms. I watched the momma elephant caress her babies head with her trunk as I wrung out my shirt and cooed.

“Lookit…” I marveled, staring at the sight before me.

“So cute…” Chloe sighed. I watched her turn to Nadine to give a solemn expression. “Look….about the Sam thing—”

“I’ve got my own shit to sort out as well.” Nadine interrupted, waving her off. “Let’s not have that stand in the way anymore, hey? I forgive you. For now.” She smirked. I grinned and opened my arms to the two of them.

“Group hug?” I asked.

“Too much.” Nadine replied immediately and I began to pout, Chloe chuckling as she patted me on the back.

“Next time, China.” She laughed.

We admired them for a little while, each of us taking pictures with the elephants. This was going to be one of those things I’d remember. After trying to drag out the moment as long as we could, we started walking on our path again. Once more, we found ourselves walking up another flight of stairs. I was tired of stairs now. Over them completely. My thighs were beginning to burn and my calves were sore, my feet were beginning to hurt and my back and shoulders were killing me; mosquitoes hadn’t been kind to us this trip and small cuts on my face began to sting from sweat and god knows what else getting into them. To top it all off, I was starving. From the number of supply boxes that began to pop up from time to time, I could tell I was going to have to gear myself up for a fight. And that was all well and good, but really; how was I supposed to kick ass on an empty stomach?

“You think Asav’s guys keep first aid and snacks in their lil’ boxes?” I asked. These were the real questions.

“I thought we had sna— oh… sorry, China.” Nadine piped up, suddenly remembering that she kind of destroyed the car with the snacks inside.

“I’m still….. very upset about that by the way.”

“I’ll buy us all a big pizza after this. Sound good?” Chloe asked as the lid on the box she was picking popped open with a loud click.

“Sounds excellent.” I groaned as the three of us stood over the box, looking around inside. There wasn’t much but a few boxes and clips of ammo, a spare Arrowhead A3c, a Type 95, and a couple of C-4.

“Well, we might be in for a fight. Load up if you need to.” Nadine said, reaching for the 95, letting the weight settle in her small, bruised hands. I sighed and nodded, picking up the Arrowhead.

“I reckon this’ll all be over soon, yeah? I mean in a couple of hours we’ll save Sam, beat Asav— get the disc back, find the Tusk, get outta here n’ get paid, right?” I asked, cocking the gun and admiring the sleekness of it.

“That’s a rather optimistic way of looking at things, love.” Chloe cooed, pinching my cheek lightly.

“Not likely to be that easy.” Nadine said, curtly. I rolled my eyes and made a face. There was no room for The Bright Side with her. She obviously just couldn’t help but to be so brusque. But it wasn’t completely her fault. I figured it had to do with her militant upbringing.

“Way to boost morale, Ross.” I smiled with sarcasm, patting her on the bicep with a wink. With that, we started our way through the ruins again, ready to take on anything that would stand in the way between us and this Tusk.

Read more on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26555698/chapters/64735600

#poc #poc oc #sam drake #samuel drake #ao3 author #nadine ross #uncharted #chloe frazer #chloe frazer x nadine ross #uncharted headcanon #uncharted imagine #uncharted oc #uncharted lost legacy #uncharted fanfic #nathan drake #samuel drake x oc

[quackmyback]

Heads or Tails : chapter one

Will Byers x Fem!OC

Hi friends, I don't think anyone actually read chapter zero, besides myself ofc, so I decided to post Chapter One today like I said I would :)

MADMAX AND THAT ASS

Mason pulled herself from a restless sleep, blinking away the gunk layered across her pupils and trying to swat away the sun streaming through the window. Slowly, she sat up and messed with the knots in her hair and she watched Max peacefully snore with her blanket half on her and half on the floor.

"Max," Mason called to her sister in hopes of waking her from her dreams. "Max. Dude!" Mason threw a stuffed animal -- a small, kind of deflated elephant her dad had got her years ago -- and nailed Max right in the nose.

"What the hell, Mase?"

"Get up, we have a one-way ticket to hell in about fifteen minutes." Mason threw her blankets off her legs and headed over to her and Max's shared wardrobe -- picking out a simple outfit that she hoped wouldnt get her taunted on her first day at school.

The twins juxtaposed each other:  while Max wore her hair down, Mason tied it up with braids and and excessive use of hair clips, while Max liked baggy jeans and larger hoodies -- Mason preferred oddly patterned skirts with white shirts and denim jackets. Both girls only owned one pair of shoes: Max's were a red pair of converse they had found super cheap at a thrift store while Mason's were a weird off brand of keds that were fully white.

Mason walked out of the room, back to the bathroom, and shouted back to her sister, "and you better hurry your ass up, because I am not biking to school!"

"Whatever, dork!" Max slammed the door to their shared bedroom.

• ○ •

W

hen Billy parked the car, Max and Mason exited. Mason gazed around to see everyone staring at her new step-brothers ass and, while delighted it wasn't at her, her lip curled in disgust. She sped walked to catch up to her sister, who was slowly skating towards the Middle School across the parking lot.

"This is gonna be a total nightmare," Max scoffed glaring at everyone around them who dared to take a glance towards the Mayfield twins.

"Maybe" -- Mason shrugged -- "maybe not."

The girls continued their slow, torturous walk to school -- stopping at the front desk so that Mason could ask for their schedules. Assuming that their classes would be the same, Mason felt misery when she realized she would have to part from Max for art.

Max sighed, "Well, at least you dont have Drama with Mrs. Cockwit."

The girls looked at each other before their faces broke into smiles, Mason examined their schedules side by side once again. "Science," she said. "We should probably hurry and go find-"

"-That wont be a problem, Miss Mayfield." The twins turned suddenly to find a burly man behind them, the principal they assumed. Now, they're own personal tour guide. "I will be leading you to your first class, please the bell will ring shortly, so follow me."

They did, reluctantly, follow him to a wooden door where they could faintly hear the teacher teaching his wisdom to a class full of kid more likely than not to drop out of three years. They walked in, quickly as to avoid as much attention as possible. Though when Mason had looked up when passing the teachers desk, she realized that wasn't going to be easy.

"Ah, these must be our new students!" Mason's attention snapped to the teacher, she had realized on her schedule his name was Mr.Clarke.

"Indeed it is," the principal who had herded the two into the classroom confirmed,"All yours."

Mason rushed to follow Max to the back, yet they were stopped about as fast as Max could rolled her eyes.

"All right, hold up." Mr. Clark held put his hand to stop the two and smiled. "You dont get away that easy."

Mason barely muttered under her breath, not even enough for it to really reach her own ears. "One could hope."

Mr. Clark continued his introduction, as if the two girls weren't capable of saying their own names. Mason was more than capable of having a panic attack discretely, surely she could say her name to a classroom full of people. Wait a minute.

"Come on up, dont be shy. Dustin, drum roll." A kid in the front, who wore a hat and a dinosaur hoodie, closed his notebook and drummed his fingers against it. "Class," Mr. Clark began," please welcome, all the way from sunny California, the latest passengers to join us on our curiosity voyage, Mason and Maxine."

Mason swallowed and shuffled awkwardly, "Uh, I'm actually Mason and that's-"

"Max. Not Maxine," Max interrupted her sister, eager to sit down and hide away from the vulturous stares of the class.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry. Um, all aboard, Max and Mason."

The twins hurried past him, finding empty seats in the near back of the class -- Mason scoring one near the window. She pulled her notebook from her backpack and pulled one of her many colorful pens from the side pockets -- the only happiness she ever was given was from those pens.

She sat there for a moment, staring at the blank page in front of her and barely hearing Mr. Clarke lecturing the class. Not surprisingly, she also barely notices Max's elbow slowly shoving Mason's notebook off the desk.

"Dude" -- Mason barely caught the book before it fell and furrowed her brows -- "what the hell?" She dropped her voice to a whisper in Hope's of not getting in trouble on her first day at school for Max's mischief.

"Those guys upfront keep staring at us," Max whispered through her hair. Mason's eyes flickered up and, lo and behold, the four boys were, indeed, staring at them. Well...

"They arent staring at us," Mason corrected, "they're staring at you. "

"Why?"

"How the hell should I know?" Max turned to face forward, playing with her hands after her sister said that. Mason sighed," Don't worry, I have an idea."

Max nodded, trusting her sister,"Okay."

With that, Mason grabbed the top of her blue pen with her teeth and popped it off. She wrote the first thing that came to mind in big letters.

• ○ •

Mason walked into the art room, it was lined with floor to ceiling windows and every wall was a different color. The room was fairly empty, Mason assumed it was because art was pushed onto students as much as sports or academics.

She sighed and took a seat by the window. Some one pulled the stool beside her out and sat down. Mason looked over to find one of the boys who were staring at her sister. He smiled, a small smile that didn't really reach his eyes. He looked like he had a lot on his mind, way too much to deal with for a small boy his age.

"Hi, uh, I'm Will."

Mason returned his smile, her hands were shaking; she buried them in the pockets of her jacket.

"I don't think I need to introduce myself." Mason looked down at the table, he had his sketchbook out and she didn't -- she anxious that she was supposed to already have it out. Did anyone else have it out? Her eyes danced around the room, avoiding Will's beautiful brown ones the whole time.

He noticed her behaviour, and it barely seemed unusual until he realized her leg was bouncing quickly and her bottom lip was pulled tight between her teeth. When she released it from its death grip, he could see the scabs forming across the sensitive skin.

"You'd be right," he laughed, hoping to calm her down,"Mason, yeah? That's a pretty cool name."

"It's a boy's name." Mason ducked down below the table to retrieve her sketchbook from her back pack.

"It can't be a boy's name." Mason looked at him for the first time since he sat down next to her. He smiled goofily, she saw that it reached his eyes this time. Her heart leaped. "How can it be a boy's name if it's your name?"

Mason's lips parted and her leg stopped bouncing for a second, but her hands had exited her pockets and were bending the bottom corner of her sketchbook. "Well, I think my parents wanted a boy."

"Well, I think my mom wanted a dog." He spun a lock of his hair around his finger, "She got the shedding and, I offered to play fetch with her, but she thought that was weird."

Will felt pride swell in his chest, a smile broke out across his face after a sweet snippet of laughter fell from her lips.

Mason let her laughter die into a small smile and she glanced at him, "Hey, I'll, uh, I'll show you mine if you show me yours?"

Will glanced down at his sketch book anxiously, "O-Okay."

They grinned, exchanging books and looking through the other's masterpieces. Each other, carefully calculating their looks at each other to see the other's reaction towards their pride and joy.

• ○ •

"He seemed nice," Mason defended her new friend, despite Max's efforts to deter her away from him.

"No way, he's one of the creeps who stared at us." Max slammed her hand down onto the button and violently yanked the joystick.

"They were staring at you, and maybe they arent creeps maybe they just are curious about the new kids and are too scared to approach."

Max quickly diverted her attention from Dig Dug to Mason and back to Dig Dug before she died. "If that were true, they would've been looking at you too." Mason sighed loudly, laying her head against the side of the machine. "Now, dude, you're really killing my Dig Dug vibe."

"Whatever," Mason shover herself off the machine and turned to her sister, "I'm gonna get a soda, you want anything?"

"Grape and a snickers."

"Got it."

Mason walked away, her hands in her pockets jingling she change, she rubbed her fingers over the rough circles repeatedly to assure herself she had enough to pay for everything.

"What can I get for you," The guy behind the register asked. Mason's eyes dashed across the menu even though she already knew what she wanted.

"Uh, yeah, can I get a strawberry and a grapefruit fanta plus two snickers." She looked down at her pocket to pull out the change. "Oh, uh, please.m," Mason quickly added.

"No problem."

While she waited, Mason leaned against the counter and faced towards where Max was standing at the Dig Dug machine working her magic. Then, her eyes fell on the two boys from their science class."

"Oh, you've got to be shitting me."

As if they sensed her looking at them, the glanced behind them and their eyes widened -- busted.

"Position has been comprised! Fall out!" The curly haired boy shouted, Mason watched as they ran out the door. She sighed, shaking her head and turned towards the counter where the guy had set down her order.

"Thank you." She handed him the money and retreated back to Max. She sighed as she handed max her snickers and held onto the soda for when she finished the game she was playing.

"What's got your panties in a knot?" Max barely glanced at her, taking a giant bite of her snickers.

"Fuckin' creeps." Mason cracked the top of her strawberry soda and took a gulp.

#will byers x reader #will byers #stranger things #stranger things 3 #stranger things 2 #chapter one #will byers x oc #fanfiction #writing #mike wheeler #billy hargrove #eleven #madmax #max mayfield #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #steve harrington #I love Mason #st2

[midorichan10]

KnB Stageplay Ultimate Blaze Report (5/5, 5/11, 5/19 Livestream)

Okay I know I said I’d do my report after my second viewing on the 11th but then the finale was on the 19th so I thought I’d wait til then so it’d be easier to remember everything. A 3.5 hour play is super long....

So I watched the play live on the 5th and 11th, and the finale on livestream on the 19th. This is the very last Kurosute ever...Thank you Kurosute for 4 years of wonderful casting and performances. I also want to thank Ono Kensho for once again doing an outstanding job of his role as Kuroko. 

FYI, for those who also watched the livestream or plan to purchase the delayed stream, sharing pictures/screenshots or clips in public is prohibited. As such, I will not have any pictures included in this report. Please support the franchise by purchasing the DVD or Blu-Ray.

Major spoilers ahead. Proceed if you only wish to be spoiled. Again, this was a 3.5 hour play so this is VERY, VERY, long. 

EDIT: This took me two days to type out ORZ

Before the play starts, Tsuchida’s actor has a voice over on the intercom about stageplay rules and manners. Turn off/mute your phone, no recording, etc. It’s nice that they had him still do his rules even though he wasn’t in the play. ;w; 

The play opens up with the Yosen and Seirin scoreboard and Haizaki walking in the audience

Haizaki goes up to a random girl in the audience and flirts with her asking for her phone number.

On the show on the 5th the girl just tried to ignore him lmao

Kagami walks on stage and sees him and calls him out. Haizaki then confronts him saying he beat Mukkun and taunts him until a ball is thrown from the side at him. Kise comes on stage and the whole Haizaki and Kise bickering proceeds. 

Haizaki gets REALLY close to Kise like literally breathing down the neck kind of close. How Mario didn’t flinch is beyond me. 

Kagami learns that Kise has never beaten Haizaki, and eventually Haizaki leaves. Kise tells Kagami to leave Haizaki up to him.

Kise leaves and Kuroko comes on, using misdirection on Kagami. Kagami asks Kuroko who Haizaki is and that he’s met him. Kuroko explains he’s a former teammate but that he was still a regular so regardless he’s a strong player. Hyuuga and Seirin come telling them off and says they’re going to watch the first quarterfinal match of Kaijou vs Fukuda Sougo.

The opening song for this play’s dance is “Memories.” Personally this is my favorite one so far. I think I have the team order for this correctly...

Opens up with Seirin then switches to Kaijou proceeded by Shuutoku. Then there’s a Kaijou Shuutoku and Haizaki segment.

I just want to say how good Haizaki’s actor is and how his moves were so appropriate as Haizaki....wow

Seirin comes back on for a bit then exits with Aomine and Momoi taking over. 

Oh, for the 5th I had Airi (new Momoi) and 11th and 19th were Arisa (original Momoi)

Mukkun does his own dancing segment between Aomine and Momoi

for the 19th finale he danced with a lollipop in his mouth. Isnt’ that dangerous? Lol

Akashi comes out with his jacket on his shoulders to the front of the stage, Then quickly takes it off and runs back. Rakuzan then dances in the front (without Akashi) and Seirin joins back on. 

For the instrumental intermission, Kuroko goes to the center and each of the GoM come out and then surround him and do a short dance ending with a dance motion of their signature move/pose. 

GoM exit and Kuroko watches Akashi run off  (who went directly back) with a pained face, and Ogiwara runs out all smiley (seriously protect this boy he’s so pure) . Ogiwara runs off to the side and Kuroko chases after him. As Kuroko still looks pained, Kagami comes out on the other side and the two walk towards the center and meet in a fist bump. 

The last chorus everyone (except Ogiwara) comes out. (Yes, including Mayuzumi). The song ends with each team forming a group pose (Except Rakuzan, Mayuzumi runs off before they form a pose)

All the other teams run off leaving Seirin left, and the senpais then exit leaving only Kuroko and Kagami to do one last running motion as the display title falls on the back. The two of them fist bump again as the title falls. 

The play resumes with the match against Kaijou and Fukuda already starting. There are two other members on Fukuda besides Haizaki (apparently they are Ogiwara and Mayuzumi’s actors in black wigs hahahaha)

As always, the match more or less follows the manga/anime so I’ll leave out most of the story details. Most of it is gameplay anyway.

In this play, they’ve really incorporated more ball handling, aka using the real ball. 

Seirin is watching in the back. At some point Aomine and Momoi join in to watch. (I can’t remember if Mukkun joins in to watch here or later...I’m almost certain he joins later)

After the match with Kaijou’s victory, Kise limps off with his injured leg. Then Haizaki walks back on stage, looking for Kise. Aomine sees him and tells him Kise hasn’t come out yet from the stadium. The two have their argument and Haizaki tries to punch Aomine but Aomine beats him too it. Aomine always says some sort of variation of “Oops..I did it....Eh, he’ll be fine”

Scene changes to Kagami calling someone, which is revealed to be Kuroko, saying his shoes broke. Kuroko replies how his feet are unnecessarily big (Kagami: OI!!). Kuroko says he’ll have to call ‘that person.’

‘That person’ is revealed to be Momoi as she runs up and gives Kuroko a tight hug. She tells Kagami that Aomine will give him one of his many shoes and that Kagami’s the type that wears by model rather than care for color.

As Aomine and Kagami are playing basketball in the back (Aomine lecturing him) , Momoi tells Kuroko about Aomine punching Haizaki.

Aomine finishes the quick game and convinces Kagami to accept the shoes.

The scene ends with Kagami and Aomine stupidly arguing and Momoi and Kuroko are literally dragging them off the stage. 

For the May 5th show, they just literally drag them off

For the  May 11th and 19th, Kuroko jabs Kagami in the stomach and pushes him off as Momoi pulls Aomine off.

Midorima walks on stage prepared for the semifinals.

His lucky item is a giant shogi piece

The rest of Shuutoku join him and the senpai question why the shogi piece is so big. Miyaji asks Midorima what rank is Cancer that day and he says 2nd and he gets mad. Takao says Midorima is never wrong with Oha Asa but Miyaji asks  for a pineapple from Kimura (off stage) anyway. 

Shuutoku is introduced as the first team of the semifinals with Rakuzan following (except Mayuzumi). 

Seirin is in the back again and Hyuuga explains how the other Uncrowned Kings are in Rakuzan with Akashi.

The Shuutoku supporters are ‘jacket mob’ actors which are Haizaki and Kaijou

Haizaki’s actor kept dancing around with Mario.....

Ogiwara’s actor is the referee for this match.

Again , more gameplay here. For the actual story read the manga or watch the anime. 

For the May 11th show, there were a lot of ball handling errors here. 

Otsubo was supposed to pass a ball to Midorima but Nebuya accidentally caught it instead, so he quickly passed it back to Otsubo who passed it to Midorima again.

Midorima ‘shot’ the ball but the ball bounced against a railing and into the audience. It was during the part where he and Takao do the miracle shot. In the script, the senpais pat and hug Midorima and Takao for pulling off the play anyway but for this show they gave Midorima extra hugs and paps for the mistake. How sweet. 

One of Reo’s shots also bounced against a railing but it was towards the back so the ball just rolled behind the front fence

Akashi uses a real ball for his Ankle Break. He dribbles the ball around his legs and finishes with the ball going between his legs and catches it. I’ve never seen him mess up nor seen any reports of him doing so.

Mukkun joins Aomine and Momoi in watching the match. 

During Hayama’s speed dribble, everyone who is watching ‘shakes’ to the vibration. I don’t know whose idea it was but Mukkun excessively shakes to the point he looks like he’s being electrocuted or something haha. Oh yeah, he’s eating Pocky in this match, real Pocky. 

Mayuzumi was out most of the match but occasionally you see him run past between the main fence as he ‘passes’ the ball to Akashi.

When Shuutoku loses, Takao and Midorima are crying real tears. For the finale, everyone was crying...

The scene immediately changes to playing Punky Funky Love and Kaijo senpais practicing. Talk about a mood change. I was still crying over Midorima crying....

It’s a flashback of when Kise joins Kaijou and Kasamatsu explaining how the senpai have worked longer than him. 

Just as Kise leaves, Kuroko and Kagami join the stage and they make eye contact with each other.

Of course as usual, before a break there is the Kagami vs Kuroko janken game. Usually involving Kuroko asking for a longer break and him mostly losing. For this break, it was 10 minutes. 

May 5th janken- Kuroko tells Kagami that ten minutes is fine, much to Kagami’s surprise. Instead, Kuroko wagers that if he wins, Kagami must treat him to this fancy eel later. Kuroko wins and Onoken posts on Twitter that Yuya did indeed buy him the eel lmao

May 11th janken-Kuroko again tells Kagami that a ten minute break is fine. This time if he wins, he’ll switch to speaking ‘tameguchi’ which is using the casual form of Japanese (like basically everyone else, aka not using ‘desu/masu’). He actually switches to ‘tameguchi’ as he’s talking to Kagami, and Kagami’s trying his best not to laugh. At some point he says it’s annoying haha. Kagami wins so Kuroko’s like ‘well I guess I’m not speaking in ‘tameguchi’

May 19th- it’s their last time to do janken so Kuroko suggests that this time they just play janken for the heck of it. Kagami’s surprised but goes with it. Kuroko wins to his delight, but Kagami being stubborn begs for one more chance. Kuroko allows it, and they have one more match. Kagami wins and Kuroko kneels in defeat. 

Other adlibs I’ve heard were Kuroko asking Kagami to buy him boba tea, and the usual longer breaks like 3 hours. 

The second chapter opens with one of the ‘jacket mob people’ making sure the audience’s phones are off. The rest of the jacket mobs come out holding various items, such as a camera, cheering horns, towels, and one member has a corndog.......

These are the Shuutoku+Haizaki and Rakuzan actors. 

Akashi was the smallest one with the camera on the Rakuzan side. Also he just had Yohchans body structure anyway I mean-no

The corndog guy was on the Shuutoku+Haizaki side, I’m not sure which it was since it was harder to tell who was who (except Takao)

Seirin and Kaijou are introduced and the second semifinal match begins

May 11-Another mistake in this match. Kise jumps to knock a ball out of someone’s hand from Seirin, but the ball hits a railing and bounces back onto the court so Hayakawa quickly picks it up and throws it off stage

May 11- Kise shoots the ball but either doesn’t put enough power into it or shoots in the wrong curtain so the ball ended up going to Kiyoshi who was just coming out from the side. 

The jacket mob members act as the ‘fans’ in the stands. Both support Kaijou at first then Rakuzan cheers for Seirin and Shuutoku+Haizaki for Kise.

For Kagami’s line “This is our drama!” Hyuuga and Kuroko had the most outstanding ‘wtf’ faces

When Kagami said it, he puts his hand and fists together. So Izuki repeats him and continuously punches his hand like a bodybuilder. 

Hyuuga taunts Kiyoshi with the “Iron Heart” nickname. For the finale he gets everyone in the audience to chant “Iron Heart” with him and Kiyoshi gets mad, “EVEN IF ITS YOU OR THE AUDIENCE I’LL GET MAD AT YOU GUYS!”

When Kaijou loses, Kise cries real tears, every time when he says he wanted to win with everyone. 

For the finale, the other members of Kaijou are seen crying too when they lose...

After Kaijou walks off stage with Kise crying, Seirin comment how they made it to the finals and look at the scoreboard which has now changed to Seirin vs Rakuzan.

Kagami walks on stage noticing his necklace is missing. He starts to look for it and Midorima walks on with his giant shogi piece with the necklace. After he gives it back to Kagami, Kuroko walks on with Takao following. 

As Kuroko and Takao are talking, Kagami and Midorima are talking (whispering) to each other. Usually it’s about Kagami pointing out Midorima’s shogi piece and for the May 5th show he even tried to take it much to Midorima’s displeasure. 

Midorima tells Takao they’re leaving before telling Kagami there’s two Akashi and tells him to ask Kuroko about it. 

Here some really dark music plays and I wish they had a soundtrack for this play.....because wow I got chills

Kuroko tells Kagami that he’ll explain what Midorima meant by the ‘two Akashi’s’ by telling everyone about ‘our past’ 

At this moment, the instrumental for the Teiko ending song, Ambivalence, plays and Ogiwara runs out (Kagami exits and Kuroko moves so he’s behind Ogiwara who’s facing us). Ogiwara then says “Are you alone? I’m Ogiwara Shigehiro! Let’s play basketball together!” and the stage fades into darkness. This marks the end of chapter 2 and a 15 minute break before the last chapter of the play. During the break the instrumental for Ambivalence is still playing so we’re all just preparing ourselves for the feels.

*Note: The Teiko arc is briefly covered in the play, but the actual arc itself is  covered in the Teiko Reading screening which was available to stream online and in select theaters before the play, including scenes with Nijimura and Coach Sanada. The Teiko Reading only goes up to right before the match between Teiko and Meiko. The play covers highlights of the Teiko arc and the Teiko vs Meiko match.  For those who were unable to watch the Teiko Reading, it’ll be included in the Ultimate Blaze DVD/Blu-Ray.

The third chapter opens up with Ogiwara and Kuroko playing basketball together and Ogiwara confessing that he’ll be moving. The two promise to play against each other in junior high school.

Kuroko explains how by second year, he had moved up to the regulars and he and Ogiwara keep in contact with each other.

Each of the GoM come out in their Teiko practice shirts (and colorful shorts....)

Mukkun had red shorts and Kise had neon green.......

For every other GoM member, they had a dramatic DON! when they appeared. For Kise, he had a super *SPARKLE” effect as he did a double peace sign and smiled.  Kuroko comes out last and his is his ‘misdirection’ sound effect that is often used in the play for him. 

Oh yeah, Momoi is here too as she watches over them/Aomine. 

The Teiko members do some practicing.

Akashi (who is receiving the passes from someone off stage) passes the ball to the rest of the members on stage. 

The scene shows how Kuroko and Aomine work well together.

The scene changes and Kuroko narrates how Aomine has started missing practice. They discuss that maybe he had a valid reason and then the stage darkens to just Kuroko who confirms that the reason for Aomine’s absence was that he was ditching. He calls Ogiwara for advice, who said that Aomine is different from Haizaki in which he actually enjoys basketball and the problem is because he likes basketball. He tells Kuroko that since Aomine helped him, Kuroko needs to be there for Aomine. 

Aomine comes on in his Teiko jersey, having regained his happiness with Momoi watching. However the other players give up and he in turn gives up playing his hardest. (there’s no players on the stage but  you have the image based on the sound effects). Kuroko walks on smiling for a fistbump but Aomine walks away saying his “The only one who can beat me is me’ line. 

Kuroko gets a call from Ogiwara later saying that he lost in the first round, and that their promise will have to wait til next year. 

For the finale, Ogiwara was almost crying, or he was crying....save this boy please. 

Kuroko and Momoi talk about Aomine, making no progress. And Momoi asks him if they’ll always be together, in which Kuroko is hesitant to answer.

Slowly, the other GOM members (minus Akashi) slowly realize their abilities. 

Mukkun with his ability to block, Midorima with his ability to shoot.

Kuroko then finds Aomine by the river, and the whole “I don’t remember how to receive your passes” scene plays out. 

Aomine’s face looks so pained here /cries.

Back at the gym, the rest of the GOM are wondering about Coach Sanada’s approval of Aomine ditching practice, and Mukkun wants to ditch too. Akashi tells him that’s not allowed and the Mukkun vs. Akashi match starts with Bokushi awakening.

Akashi’s acting was so good, the contrast between Ore and Boku. And the music for Bokushi’s appearance was spine-chilling....I want the soundtrack for this please....

They use a mix of actual ball-handling and using an ‘air’ ball. Even without the ball you can tell Akashi’s actor is really good at basketball.

Akashi declares as long as they win, no one needs to show up for practice, much to Midorima’s shock.

Kuroko returns and asks Akashi who he is, and Akashi responds, “Of course, I’m Akashi Seijuurou.”

Months pass and the GOM are unbeatable and getting bored in matches, so Kise suggests making it a competition of who can score the most, with even Akashi joining in. 

Ogiwara happily tells Kuroko they made it to the finals, but Kuroko is unhappy with the current atmosphere of the club. He asks Akashi to let him start out in the semi-finals, which Akashi permits. 

Ogiwara is impressed with how much Kuroko has improved.

Kuroko gets hit in the head by the other team and is taken to the nurse.

Ogiwara talks with Akashi about Kuroko, and asks Akashi if basketball is fun. Akashi responds he doesn’t understand such a question.

Kuroko asks to play but Akashi tells him no under doctor’s orders, and tells him Ogiwara’s message about playing each other agian someday. Kuroko asks Akashi to not hold back against Meiko.

Despite losing 111-109, Ogiwara is fighting back against Teiko, telling his teammates to score one basket and losing proudly.

Ogiwara shoots and misses, and Aomine complains how they gave him the chance and tells Mukkun to shoot it.

Ogiwara, on the ground, looks at them in confusion to why they would score on their own basket. 

Kise happily announces how they reached their goal and that they’re all matching, and points to the scoreboard to reveal the score of 111-11.

Kuroko comes out to see a heartbroken Ogiwara, who looks at him before leaving the stage. 

Kuroko talks how painful it is, and what is victory. Onoken’s acting here was emotional, as expected from already portraying Kuroko in the anime. 

The GOM come out and line up behind Kuroko similar to the panel in the manga. 

Kuroko announces his resignation. 

Kuroko narrates how Ogiwara has transferred, and Ogiwara comes out on stage saying how the GOM had such cold eyes, but Kuroko can melt that coldness. 

Kagami then comes out, and scolds Kuroko along with the rest of Seirin. 

Hyuuga gets mad at both of them and sends Izuki and Koganei to drag Kuroko off and give him a tickle attack. Riko follows.

Kiyoshi and Hyuuga comment how it was a sad story and that Kuroko never talks about himself like that, so now they must win.

The next day is the Kaijou vs Shuutoku match for third place and the finals.

Mukkun meets up with Aomine and Momoi, who talk about who would win. They say third place is decided but the finals could be anyone.

Kise is on the bench due to his injury, and Shuutoku easily wins the third place match.

Midorima tells Kise their match is ‘postponed’ for now.

Kise gets annoyed saying, “WELL OF COURSE. IF I WAS IN THERE I’D WIN”

Kise and Midorima continue to bicker.

Kasamatsu and Otsubo just look at each other and let their kouhais fight it out.

Towards the second half of the runs, when Midorima points his finger at Kise, Kise actually bites his finger. No, I mean it. He actually bites it. Midorima gets grossed out by it.

Midorima: EW SO GROSS NANODAYO Kise: I’M NOT GROSS. I’M PRETTY. 

^yes, those were actual lines.

Now it’s time for Seirin vs Rakuzan. 

Haizaki’s actor is the referee.

For the tip-off, Nebuya gets upset that Kiyoshi isn’t the one jumping.

Seirin declares Mayuzumi not a threat since there’s little information on him, so Aomine asks Momoi about it. This is an adlib scene and varies per show.

May 5- Aomine asks Momoi to get ‘that’ (her notebook) from her bag. Instead she pulls out one of his gravure photobooks. She proceeds to put it back but Aomine hastily takes it away. Momoi asks Mukkun if it’s in his potato chip bag. He looks in it and pulls out..................a chip. Turns out the notebook was in her bag after all, much to Aomine’s annoyance.

May 11- Instead of her notebook, Momoi kept pulling out Mukkun’s empty potato chip bags. Aomine gets mad, but Mukkun only responds, “They were yummy~.” The notebook again was in her bag after all. 

May 19- similar to the May 5 adlib. 

When Hayama does his dribbling, Mukkun agains shakes vigorously on the side. This time, since he has chips, he sometimes dropped them on stage. So afterwards, you would see him picking them off the ground.

Both Reo and Mayu admit how loudly annoying Hayama is (they were running across stage too )

When Nebuya gets upset that Kiyoshi doesn’t remember what he told him 2 years ago, he literally throws a tantrum on the ground. 

Everyone in both Rakuzan and Seirn:.............

When Akashi goes into the Zone, he actually dribbles around everyone with the ball across the stage. Talk about coordination! 

Akashi’s shocked face as he’s starting to lose was perfect too. Sorry I have a lot of Akashi notes....

As he’s starting to lose, Akashi starts switching between Oreshi and Bokushi. Oreshi’s voice has like an echo/autotune effect but it’s not a recording or anything. 

Thus, the monologue between Oreshi and Bokushi was amazing. The actor constantly switches between both sides very smoothly. Give this guy an Oscar please.

When Oreshi talks about his mother, a ball falls from the sky and he hugs the ball close to him as he mentions it’s what he has left of her.

You can actually visually see the difference between Oreshi and Bokushi in face expression. 

As Seirin admits defeat, they’re all collapsed on the ground, even Riko, until Ogiwara comes out and cheers for them. 

Aomine shouts out from the side of the stage. In the finale he was even crying. 

Kaijou and Shuutoku go in the audience and cheer for Seirin from there. 

For the May 11th show I had Kaijou right behind me. Literally -screams

Aomine was crying real tears when he says “So it was you all along, Tetsu...” 

For the finale was sobbing more

For the final shot, the stage goes all dark as Kuroko says “I’m a shadow.” Then Kagami comes out from behind and makes the final dunk. 

Lantana then begins to play as Kagami declares Seirin the winners of Winter Cup.

In the final performance, Akashi cried as he admits his loss and even when he shook hands with Kuroko. 

After Kuroko shakes hands with Akashi, and says that they can play basketball at anytime, Seirin and Rakuzan make a quick bow and run off stage. 

Final Scenes

The remaining GOM come out in their uniforms, each with a basketball, and happily dribbling around the stage. 

Kise sees Haizaki walking out with his shoes, about to throw them away, but Haizaki hesitates and instead hugs them close to him. He sees Kise was watching him and Kise smiles knowing Haizaki didnt’ really hate basketball after all. 

The different teams come out taking a stand in front of the stage and then having a fun match against each other. 

Kaijou vs Shuutoku

Seirin vs Rakuzan

The players even go up against other players that we didn’t see during the matches. Everything was so emotional and happy. 

The last scene ends with Kuroko and Kagami fistbumping each other and Kagami poses as he’s about to dunk and Kuroko kneels below him fistbumping towards us as all the other players are reaching out towards Kagami.

Curtain Calls

May 5th Aichi Finale - Akashi and Reo

Reo mentions how in high school he was the only one in his group who didn’t read KnB. And now he’s IN KnB. 

May 11-Kiyoshi and Koganei

They got Hyuuga to go to the center and do a big “KUROSUTE FIGHT O” cheer with the cast and audience.

May 19th-Kuroko and Kagami

This one was really emotional as it was the final performance ever. Yuya starts crying over his talk over Kagami, and he even deeply bows to Onoken to thank him. 

Onoken didn’t cry but he was on the verge of doing so, his voice was shaking. 

I lost count of how many curtain calls there were for the finale, but there was a lot.

Highlights

Every show Rakuzan would high-five Akashi as they left the stage

For the finale Mayuzumi even hugged Akashi, and then for another curtain call afterwards all of Rakuzan group-hugged Akashi

Kuroko and Kagami asked if the director was around, apparently he wasn’t so they asked someone to say “Thank you” in his place instead. The cast chose Akashi to say it. 

Momoi ran up to Aomine and Kise and walked off together.

On one of the last curtain calls, Aomine and Kise decided to have OnoKen thrown up in the air and got everyone to join in. 

Every curtain call ends with Kagami and Kuroko fistbumping each other and leaving. For the very last curtain call, it was all of Seirin together. 

Kiyoshi lifts Riko up in the air for a few seconds to celebrate. 

And thus concludes my last Kurosute report....please consider buying the DVD or Blu-Ray when it comes out, you won’t regret it. 

Once again, thank you for four years Kurosute. Thank you cast members for doing a wonderful job portraying our beloved characters. Thank you Fujimaki-sensei for creating such a beloved series. 

#kuroko no basuke #kuroko no basket #knb stageplay #kurosute

[extraneousaccessories]

A Little Five On One

So I was paging through my reams if scraps and, instead of writing more trenchfire, I thought I'd post this for you cats. 5 times being retired spy lovers was the worst, and the one time it was pretty okay. NSFW, sorry, no cut because I'm on mobile like a noodle I. Luke still loves winter. He shouldn't, really. Makes everything harder, trying to walk carefully, not freeze to death, all that. Equipment failures, frostbite and misery are the main features of the season, but for some reason it's still his favourite. Perhaps because the cold makes him remember warmth, or something equally schmaltzy. "Does it still feel odd?" Poe's question catches him off guard. They're walking down the Avenue Charles de Gaulle, strides matched, his arm looped casually through the crook of Poe's elbow. "Does what?" "This," Poe answers, gesturing vaguely at the frozen Parisian streets, "walking like this. Being...like this." "Maybe a little," Luke admits. He feels a slow trickle of guilt. He's not sure he's been following the rules. Ordinary lovers, Poe had been quite firm, did not constantly double back, check their weapons, and take a half hour to make the five minute walk to the grocery store. They didn't even take guns to pick up their butter chicken to go, apparently. "Does it feel odd to you?" "No," Poe answers with the stubborn lift of his chin that means 'yes, but I'll be damned if I admit it'. "We're done with that now, Luke," he continues, "I've never felt better." Luke almost believes it. Being with Poe is good, it is, but that doesn't change the prickling feeling at the back of his neck that tells him he's followed. He fights the urge to glance back. Of course he's being followed. This is one of the busiest streets in Paris. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling good about it." Poe studies him, frowning. "What's wrong?" "Nothing." It sounds flimsy, even to him. "You know it bothers me when you lie to me, Luke." Poe's voice is calm, but Luke doesn't miss the glances he shoots at the high windows above them. With a studied casualness, Luke pulls him close, whispering in his ear. "Turn and look at the Eiffel Tower when I point it out to you." Despite the tension, it feels good to kiss him on the cheek. It doesn't take hardly any effort at all to pull Poe to the edge of the sidewalk and point out the Eiffel Tower in the distance. "Isn't it beautiful?" He scans the sidewalk, looking for the stuttered step, the eyes that avoid his gaze. Nothing. Nothing but the growing unease settling into his spine. "Aren't I supposed to say something ridiculous like 'not half as beautiful as you'?" Poe's hands are on the lapels of his jacket, pulling him closer, their mouths warm on each other in the brisk air. He's sure it's a cover, a way to unobtrusively scan the street, but Luke gives it his best effort in any case, biting gently at Poe's lip as he pulls away. "See anything?" "You distracted me." "What?" "I'm joking," Poe kisses him again on the cheek, "it's the lady in the green sweater and navy overcoat." He freezes. "She's packing. What did you do this time, Luke?" "Nothing, I-" "Come on, she's calling for backup." Poe grabs his arm, pulling him back up the street, waving his arm for a taxi. "How do you-" Poe shoves him into the back seat, "I just do." Once safely secured in the back of the cab, Poe raps on the partition "Hotèl du Cap, s'il vous plait." "We're not staying at the Hotèl du Cap," Luke remarks quietly. "We are tonight." Luke sighs, twining his fingers into Poe's as he reflected on how nice it was that his partner was adjusting so well to civilian life. II. The infinite selection of the grocery store is maddening. "Who even needs this many choices?" Poe says in exasperation as they stare at the wall of crackers, "I just want a carrier for my cheese." "Welcome back to North America," Luke says with a crooked grin. Poe shoots him a look. He had hoped it would feel good to be back. Canada was home, after all, and he had missed her on his many travels, but he's surprised at how big it all feels, torn between the relief of finally being able to breathe properly again and the fear of suddenly being very exposed. It wouldn't be so bad if the big-mess of it all would have the decency to stay outside, but it follows him everywhere, including to the grocery store. "Do you want rice or wheat?" Luke asks, drawing his attention back to crackers. "Wheat, obviously." "Well, that disqualifies about a third of the shelf. Flavoured or original?" "That's very tricky. Either original or herby something or other." "Very specific." Luke moves closer to the shelf to examine the labels. "Round or square?" "I don't c-" Poe begins, the realizes he does. "Round." "Gourmet or everyday favourites?" "Luke, is that even a question? We're in Save-On, how gourmet does it get?" In answer, Luke holds up a box of mixed herb Breton minis. "This is about as gourmet as they've got. Unless you prefer the Ritz." Poe is about to reach for the box, a sarcastic comment ready on his lips, when the unmistakeable whistle of a bullet passes his ear and the box explodes in a shower of wheat powder and minced herb. It isn't even a matter of thought to drop to the ground, hands over his head. Luke has already made the dive and pulled out his ridiculous Glock. He glances over at Poe and frowns before sighting along the aisle and pulling the trigger. "Where's your gun?" He shouts as he kicks Poe toward the meagre shelter of a kinder surprise display. "It's a grocery store, Luke!" Poe shouts over the sound of more gunfire, "Not a fucking shooting range!" "Tell that to the black balaclava boy band!" To Poe's mingled relief and dismay, Luke tosses him a second pistol. "Preferably after you shoot them." "God, you're horrible." Poe picks out one of the attackers behind the cereal end cap and squeezes the trigger. "At least I'm horribly alive," Luke shoots back as he slides a second clip into the Glock. They lie in tense silence for several heartbeats. Luke risks a look around the edge of the bin of Ritz crackers he's crouched behind. "I think we're clear." They rise slowly, creeping along the aisle to inspect the bodies at the end of it. "It would appear," Luke mused, kicking one limp, black-booted foot, and getting a weak curse in response, "that if you want to buy your crackers in peace, you'd need to get your name off of Russia's most wanted list." "My name? Or yours?" "Irrelevant." III. "Red sauce or cream sauce?" Luke looks up from his book. Poe's been engaged in aggressive negotiations with dinner for an hour, and the question surprises him. "I'm sorry?" "Red sauce or white," Poe repeats impatiently, "which do you want?" "What am I eating it on?" Luke lays the book on his lap, setting his reading glasses aside. "I think it's supposed to be pasta." "I don't think I really have a preference. Red is perhaps slightly more atmospheric. I think it would match better than white." It would. Red would go with the crackling fire, the endless shelves of books, the knitted blanket over his knees, the unopened bottle of Chianti on the kitchen table. "Fuck," Poe swears softly. "Tomatoes putting up a fight?" "Just read your damn book, old man." "There's no reason to be like that," Luke comments mildly, returning to 'Anna Karenina'. "There's every reason!" Poe yells. A clattering sound erupts from the kitchen, followed by a steady stream of curses in three languages and a heavy thump. "You okay in there, Dameron?" There was a long pause. "No." "Ready to call in backup?" "...No." Luke settles back into his chair with a smile, setting aside the book in favour of his phone. "Scream if you're bleeding," he says equably. "I'm a failed chef, not a damsel in distress," Poe says in disgust. Luke's glad he's not in the kitchen. It's hard to keep the smile off his face as he scrolls through Expedia. Twenty minutes later, he pokes his head around the kitchen door to see Poe still sitting in a sea of red. "Come on." He tosses Poe a packed overnight bag. "What? Where are we going?" Poe leaps to his feet, frustration colouring his cheeks the same hue as the awful sauce. "For fuck's sake, Luke, I'm covered in tomatoes, what-" Luke stops the protest with a kiss, tasting anger and garlic on Poe's tongue. He waggles his phone as he pulls away. "We're going to get pasta with red sauce." Poe grabs his hand, stilling the phone. He frowns. "Sicily? Really?" Luke shrugs. "I hear the pasta's good." "Aren't you on the no-fly list?" "Not as Marcus Smith, I'm not," Luke says with a grin, holding up his Canadian passport. He kisses Poe again, flicking out his tongue to catch a drip of red from his cheek. "Looks like you missed a spot." Poe gives an evil grin and Luke doesn't get the warning until the last of the tomato sauce in the pot hits his face with a splat. "Damn," Poe's tongue runs over his cheek, "you too." Luke can't keep from smiling. "Shut up and get your coat." IV. "Luke, this seems a bit excessive." He looks out the French doors to the balcony pool. The water is lit by soft green lights and ripples under a faint breeze. He picks up one of the extravagant cocktails from the sideboard. "I feel like this isn't something normal people do. "Nonsense." Luke's busy unpacking their bags, looking far too well put together for having been scrunched into a plane seat for eight hours wearing a suit. "Normal people go on vacations all the time. I hear Italy is really quite popular this time of year." "That's not what I meant." He sets down the drink, which had turned out to be some awful citrus liqueur with cranberry juice. "Then I don't understand you." "Don't be difficult." It is a nice suite, he has to admit. The bed is made with crisp white sheets and the carpet is deep and luxurious under his bare feet. "I'm not being difficult," Luke protests. He's moved on to the impressive array of wine, taking the corkscrew to a bottle of Chianti. "We're on a holiday, just the two of us, in a suite, like two normal people." The liquid gurgles pleasantly into a crystal glass. "Right. The holiday destination we arrived at on fake passports, in the suite you rented for less than a fraction of its value from a retired mafioso who owes you a favour. Oh," he adds, plucking the filled wineglass from Luke's hand and taking a long pull, "and it's not, in fact, a suite, but an entire villa. Sounds normal to me." "Good." Luke frowns at the stolen glass for a moment before shrugging and pouring a second. "No! It's not good!" Poe can feel the frustration rising as he follows Luke out into the balcony. The warm air is soft and pleasant, a sharp contrast to winter in the Northwest Territories. He's determined not to let it distract him. Luke, to his dismay, is doing a walk around, peering over the balcony. Even watching him sets Poe on edge, and he fights the urge to check his six. "Look," Luke opens his hands wide in a gesture of surrender as he returns, his suit jacket sliding up in a telltale crease under his left arm. "I'm sorry, Poe. I can tell I've upset you." His arms are warm, gentle, and Poe's not sure it the kiss is an apology or a distraction. He slides his hands up Luke's well-muscled sides. Luke moans appreciatively, stopping in a tight gasp as Poe's right hand freezes over the hard spot just under his arm. "Are you carrying?" He whispers. Luke is still, arms still wrapped around him. He can't help but jump as a silenced gunshot thumps just behind his head. "Before I answer," Luke murmurs in his ear, "just remember that if I hadn't been, we'd both be dead." Poe gives this due consideration, submitting to Luke's embrace, surprised at how little he minds the cold press of the Glock against his back. The water of the pool burbles softly behind them. "I suppose you're right." "Am I...forgiven, then?" Luke asks between kisses. "Absolutely not." Poe shoves hard against Luke's chest. It's worth the frustration and strain to see the spectacular splash as Luke hits the water. V. "I'm sorry." "No, don't worry, it's...it's not your fault." "It just startled me, is all." "No, no, I completely understand. I would have done the same." "Thank you for saying so." Luke bends down to give the bodies a pat down. Two wallets, one dog tag, and a quantity of arms and ammunition. He tosses a wallet over his shoulder. "Have a look at that, will you?" "Sure." He hears Poe thumb through the wallet. "Huh. Did you know Bolivia had a secret service?" "No, actually, I didn't." Luke pulls out a registration card, examining it carefully. "Sorry to ruin your day...Carlos," he murmurs, "but it isn't my fault you're a sneaky bugger." "And they've got quite a lovely logo." "I don't doubt it. Bolivia is a lovely place." Luke sighs and rises from his crouch, wincing as his knees creak. "Ah, so they were here for you," Poe smirks, tossing the wallet back onto the unresponsive body of Carlos's companion. "I don't see how that matters at all," Luke says primly, hooking his hands under Carlos's arms and dragging him toward the alley. "I just want to know who to blame for missing the Viennese pre-opera cocktails." Poe follows his lead, dragging the second body by the bootlaces. "We've been twenty minutes at most," Luke grunts heaving Carlos into a dumpster, "there's still plenty of time for you to drink your Shirley Temple before the first act." "I don't know if I'll manage," Poe sighs in mock concern, dropping the body at the dumpster. "I've been traumatized." Luke shoots him a dirty look, glancing down at the body, then back up to Poe. "You going to toss this one in there, or just look at it?" Poe asks lightly, examining his cufflinks with exaggerated care. "Oh, I thought I'd just leave him here. You know how the police love clues." He grins at Poe's look of disdain. "But if you'd like to, feel free." "No, I think he's good there." Poe holds out a hand, "I don't want to rush you, but I will need to be very drunk if you want me to listen to Don Giovanni." "So a Shirley Temple won't do it?" Luke takes his hand, returning the infectious smile. "Most certainly not." VI. Luke tries hard to be quiet, he really does. He's almost cleared up all the glass before he hears Poe's horrified whisper from the top of the stairs. "Holy shit, Luke, what the hell happened?" A thousand lies cross his mind, but none of them measure up to the sheer absurdity of the truth. "You probably won't believe me if I tell you." "I'd like to give it a try, if it's all the same to you." The fifth and third stairs creak reliably as Poe descends, looking around at the mess of smashed furniture, blood, and broken glass that covers the entryway to their apartment. "Um. So, I know you said that I wasn't supposed to shoot anyone in the house." Luke begins. "Oh, Luke." Poe breathes. The disappointment in his voice freezes something in Luke's blood. For a moment, he can't think why until, with a sickening lurch, he realizes it's not something he's ever heard before. Exasperated, amused, even angry, he knows, but this is something different and ten times worse. A rustling makes him turn in time to see Poe sit heavily on the second step, head sinking into his hands. "We can't do this, can we?" Shoes crunching on the shards of glass, Luke walks over to join Poe on the stairs. He wants to take his hand, but something about the set of Poe's shoulders makes him hesitate. "I think you probably could. I...I can't. Not the way I should, anyway. And not for the reasons I thought when we started." Poe is silent and still at his side, so he just keeps talking, the words pouring out of him in a desperate rush. "I can put my gun in the case and lock it up. I can. When I've gone to ground and they can't find me, I can lock up everything and sleep like a child." His hands knit together, scars overlapping like lines on a subway map. "What I can't do...or maybe what I won't do, I don't know, is give up on life. I don't want to live in the middle of fuck all Canada, Poe. I don't want to go to ground. I want to walk down the street holding your hand. I want to take you to the opera, go out for dinner, go...go buy ridiculous crackers. I know it's selfish, but I want to have that life and I want to share it with you." He pauses, unsure of himself. "And if I've learned anything so far, it's that I can't have that like...like normal people. They won't let us." He sighs, kicking at the glass on the floor. "It won't matter how many rules we make for ourselves, Poe. There are people out there who want us dead. Hell, maybe we even deserve it. But I...I'm not ready to let them win. I'm not ready to give up on this, on...on us. So you're right. I can't go pick up the butter chicken without a gun. But I can still have the butter chicken, and I'd still like to share it with you. If...if that's still what you want." There's a horrible silence that stretches between them and Luke feels his heart start to crumple in his chest. "If you don't-if you can't...I understand." He can't look at Poe's face, doesn't want to see the answer written in his eyes. Instead, he stares ahead at the gaping holes where the front windows used to be, so he doesn't see Poe's hand until it covers his, squeezing gently. "Sometimes," Luke snaps his head around to see Poe smiling at him, "you're really stupid, you know that?" He can only manage a shocked "What?" Before Poe's other hand is in his hair, guiding their lips together, and the time for questions is over. "What," Poe asks, planting a line of kisses along his neck," makes. You. Think. That. I. Don't. Want. You?" "N-nothing, it's just-" Luke gasps as Poe's hand leaves his, sliding up the inseam of his dress pants. "Just what?" Poe whispers, teeth grazing his jaw. "Can't...think when you're...doing that." The heel of Poe's hand presses against his crotch. Then, as suddenly as it began, it's over. Poe pulls away, studying him with serious eyes as the cold air from the open windows whispers between them. He shivers. "Can we agree to compromise?" Poe asks at last. "What?" "Can we compromise. We'll just carry on like...well, like sensible spies while we're here, but..." Poe hesitates, running a slow hand over Luke's leg. "Can you promise we'll get away every once in awhile?" He looks up and the hope in his eyes is like a stab in the gut. "And I can have you all to myself?" "Of course," it's the easiest promise he's ever had to make and Poe's mouth on his is the sweetest reward. "Of course." The kiss seems to use his whole body, every inch of him needing to be closer, needing to feel Poe against him. "Right now," he murmurs and grins as Poe freezes. "God help me, Luke, if you tell me we're getting on a plane right now-" Poe begins to warn, but Luke's laughter stops him. "Not a plane," he smiles, pulling Poe along behind him as he climbs the stairs, "just away from the broken glass." The door is hard and cool against his back as Poe presses hungrily against him. Luke pulls a knife from his sleeve, letting it fall to the floor with a thud. "Now I'm all yours." "Not yet," Poe shoots back, hand running up his ribs to catch on the shoulder holster. "It's empty." "Liar. Take your shirt off." Luke obeys, delighting in the flush that crawls up Poe's neck as he watches. His shirt and shoulder holster join the pile on the floor. Poe steps close, running his hands around Luke's waistband. "This is a terrible place for a gun." The breath hitches in Luke's throat as the cold metal slides against his back, raising goosebumps across his shoulders. "It's...convenient." "Sure." Poe unthreads his belt, "Until it goes off in your pants." "I'm not sure you're allowed to talk like that," Luke knows he's grinning like an idiot, but he can't help it. "I'm serious, Luke," Poe says gravely as the pants follow the shirt to the floor, "it's a hazard. Take your shoes off. I don't even want to know what's in your socks." "Yes, sir." "Don't do that, it makes me nervous." Luke steps out of his shoes, sliding a second knife out of his sock sheath. "What, follow instructions, or call you sir?" Poe looks up from his shirt buttons. "Both, actually." Laughter bubbles up inside him and he pulls Poe close, tugging at his belt, not bothering to wait for the buttons to be finished. "I thought you liked being in charge," he whispers, nipping at Poe's ear. "I just don't trust you to follow orders." Poe's hands are hot and eager on his waist as they stumble towards the bed and he's too caught in the rush of contact to notice the leg hooked behind his knee until it's too late and he's sprawled back on the bed, gazing up at Poe's satisfied smirk. "Nice throw." The triumph in Poe's face sends a thrill through him. He's hard now, pulse hammering through him as Poe takes his time undressing, each movement precise in its economy. "Are you making me wait on purpose?" "Maybe a little." Poe kneels on the bed between his knees, running contemplative hands along his thighs. "How long do I have you to myself?" "Until the next hit team finds the bedroom, as far as I'm concerned. His dick twitches hopefully as Poe pulls at his underwear. "What about the windows?" Poe's mouth is warm on his chest, teeth closing gently over Luke's hardening nipple. "What...about them?" It's hard to breathe with Poe's tongue sliding over his stomach. He looks down to meet Poe's hooded gaze. "You going to call someone to replace the gaping holes in the walls?" He smirks, tongue darting out to slip over the head of Luke's cock. "I cannot believe we're having this conversation." "I just need to know my timelines," Poe says casually, as if he's not stroking Luke's balls. "You've got...lots..." Luke gasps, "so get on with it, would you?" "That's not how it works." Poe's tongue moves lower, circling his ass and Luke moans. "If I have lots of time," Poe continues, massaging a finger slowly into him, "then I can take as long as I like." He pulls away momentarily and Luke hears a snap before the whole glorious length of Poe is stretched out over him. "So do I have time to fuck you?" he whispers, lighting a thousand fires under Luke's skin as he rocks his hips gently. "Or am I going to be interrupted by the window repair guy?" "Oh, for Christ's sake," Luke groans, thrusting up into the hollow of Poe's hip. "Just...yes, come on." The lube is slick and cool as Poe trails a wet hand over his chest. "I love you like this," he confides, pushing Luke's legs apart. "You're so ready for me." "Damn...right," Luke moans, his cock hard and dripping as Poe slowly teases him open, slipping first one finger, then two inside him. The edges of his vision colour a little as they brush his prostate. "Poe," he pants, "I can't...I..." the words are lost as Poe adds a third finger, pushing him over the edge as he comes, shaking, across his stomach. "I'm not done with you yet," Poe whispers. Luke manages a nod, hands tightening on Poe's ass, pulling him close. "More." The word turns to a moan as Poe thrusts into him filling him, ragged breath shivering in the cool space between them. "More." Poe cries out, arching into him, each muscle taut as a bowstring as he comes. Still breathing heavily, Poe looks down at him, cheeks flushed over his smile. "I have one more request. For our compromise?" "Right now?" "Yeah." He folds his arms across Luke's chest, propping his chin on his hands. "Next time, can you try not to wreck the place?" "It's not my fault they came in the front windows." "Really?" "Yes." Luke runs a hand through Poe's dark curls, "but if it makes you happy, I'll invite them through the front door next time."

#long post #pukefic #Poe/Luke #spies #food mentions #violence #some dead bodies too #and Breton crackers #writings

[beneaththetangles]

Q&A with Our New Staff: Josh, sleepminusminus, Joseph, and Paris!

Over the last couple of months, we’ve brought in four new staff members to join our ministry. A couple of them have been running our social media accounts for weeks now, so you may have been reading their work without even noticing a change, while the remaining two are brand, brand new!

With this being our 10th anniversary year, it felt very appropriate to throw back, as we’ve done all year, and introduce you to them in the way we once did: through a Q&A! So here we go—introducing Paris, who will be covering conventions and doing cosplay content for us; sleepminusminus, one of our writers, who just dropped a guest post for us last week (like I said, brand new); Josh, who helps run our Twitter account and also contributes to the blog; and Joseph, our Instagram admin and the podcast team’s video editor.

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Question 1: How did you become associated with Beneath the Tangles?

Paris: Funny enough, Charles found me on my personal Instagram—not my cosplay Instagram! He saw that I went to Dallas Theological Seminary and wanted to recruit me onto the team, but at the time I was still in school and an active member of of another group, so I didn’t have time to make any commitments. Now I’m graduated and excited to be a part of the team!

sleepminusminus: It’s been so long… I must have looked something up about Christianity and anime and found BTT in the results. I’ve kept up with the blog on and off ever since.

Josh: Charles and I were `both members of the Christian Anime Alliance forums. Years later, when I started up my own blog, Charles was so welcoming and so encouraging. A true inspiration. Fast-forward a couple months and I’m coming off a really, REALLY stressful time due to a blog article I wrote that was not received well by some. Charles helped me out of that dark time and when all was said and done and my brain was no longer a quivering mass of goo, he asked if I would like to join BTT. I had to think and pray about it for a while before I said yes and, well, here I am.

Joseph: I met Charles in college and we went to the same church for some time. I always thought it was cool how he used something as secular as anime to evangelize, but it didn’t cross my mind that I could do the same thing until I saw some of my classmates working for BTT too. Then after I graduated, I asked if I could join and here I am.

Question 2: How did you become an anime fan?

Paris: I guess I was kind of born into becoming an anime fan—being half Asian. On my birthday each year, my uncles would take my brother and I to this anime store back when VHS was still a thing, and we could rent as many anime VHS tapes as we wanted! Some of my first anime included Ranma ½, Kodocha, and Yu Yu Hakusho (we weren’t censored as children). I related so much to Sana Kurata that I literally wanted to change my name to Sana, haha! (I think I still do relate to her lol)

sleepminusminus: At first, Youtube clips of visual novels served as the gateway drug into a deeper obsession with anime. After some personal struggles with pornography, I took a break from anime for around a year. When that year ended, some close friends started watching Nagi no Asukara and invited me to watch along. I’ve been riding the slice-of-life train ever since.

Josh: Okay, first of all, Paris is awesome because I have heard very few people talk about Kodocha and the fact that was one of his first is amazing. Second, SleepMinusMinus is awesome because…well…Nagi no Asukara is awesome, and I also am a happy passenger on the Slice-of-Life train. But I digress. My anime switches were flipped one night in around 2002-2003. I was up late and I was channel surfing. I came across this show that ended up being Yu Yu Hakusho. It was so cool as I had never seen anything like it before! Then…then Cowboy Bebop came along and that’s when I realized there was this whole bigger, wider world of those funny Japanese cartoons than Digimon, Pokemon and Monster Rancher. I came back the following Saturday, and the Saturday after that. Before I knew it, I was writing fanfics and joining online forums. Then I was buying DVD’s and Newtype USA magazines. Next thing I knew I was going to cons and meeting other fans. My ascendance into the world of anime has been quick and amazing.

Joseph: I grew up watching all of the classic kid’s shows like Pokemon and Yugioh with my brother. At night, I remember we would always be excited to watch Inuyasha because of how much more actiony it was compared to American cartoons. I don’t think I realized that I was watching anime until in middle school though, when one of my friends asked me if I watch anime, citing Inuyasha as an example. Then he recommended I watch Code Geass and after I watched that, I realized that there was more to anime than just really cool fight scenes and have been watching since.

YYH is an important starting anime for Paris and Josh (art by つ ゆ / reprinted w/permission)

Question 3: How would you describe your place in the fandom?

Paris: I think my place in the fandom would be a cosplay enthusiast and entertainer. I love Instagram and Tik Tok right now but I’m also hoping to start doing Visual Novel walk throughs on Twitch.

sleepminusminus: In public, I’ve mastered the art of the lurker, only peeking out to mark my completed shows on AniList. Most of the time, though, I watch anime with IRL friends and make fun of bad CG. I also spend excessive hours on rhythm games while procrastinating work.

Josh: I think my place in the anime fandom right now is as a mature anime consumer who has just enough writing talent to put his opinions, thoughts and ideas to a word document or in a 240 character tweet and have it make some kind of sense.

Joseph: I don’t really take part in online discussions, but I know most of what they talk about and the references usually (even the memes). I also try to keep up with the actual industry itself too, like what studios are up to or what the directors are doing. Fandom wise, if anyone mentions the Monogatari series, be ready to listen to me rant for an hour on how it’s a masterpiece.

Question 4: What anime or manga are you excited about these days?

Paris: Right now I’m most obsessed with Re: Zero and My Hero Academia.

sleepminusminus: Kyoto Animation has been consistently good recently. I just finished the Haruhi series and I’m thinking about picking up Lucky Star (but only for the Haruhi references). Beyond that, I’m hoping the new Higurashi remake is better than the original. Oh, and the new Made in Abyss movie had better not disappoint.

Josh: Of course, I’m beyond excited to see where Digimon Adventure (2020) is going to go. It’s been a fascinating watch so far. Seeing these characters who I know but don’t know has been a real prodigious experience. It does feel like we’re moving pretty fast though. Sticking with Digimon, I’m also excited to FINALLY get to see Digimon Adventure Last Evolution Kizuna. I grew up with the Adventure ‘99 crew, and knowing this is their final curtain call is bittersweet, but I’m interested to see how this whole thing plays out. Getting away from Digimon, I’m really excited to see the Stone Wars arc of Dr. Stone. I’m completely caught up with the manga so I know what’s to come, but I still want to see it play out in anime form.

Joseph: I’m really excited for the new Maeda Jun original next season: The Day I Became a God. Re:Zero has got me on edge every week and probably will until next year. The Violet Evergarden movie was just released in Japan and hopefully it finds its way here soon. Oh and Haruhi is back in print with the next light novel coming out soon, so that’s been a long time coming.

Season two of Re:ZERO has us all excited (art by 茕榕 / reprinted w/permission)

Question 5: QUICK FIVE

Best live action anime adaptation?

Paris: Ghost in the Shell sleepminusminus: I’ve only watched Detective Pikachu… Josh: Death Note (2006). Chairman Kaga is Light’s Daddy. Joseph: Alita: Battle Angel

Digimon or Pokémon?

Paris: Pokémon sleepminusminus: Pokémon Josh: Digimon Joseph: Pokemon

My first cosplay was…

Paris: Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul! I was really into Facepaint and FX makeup in High School so I literally just painted the mask onto my face. sleepminusminus: Lurkers don’t cosplay Josh: My first cosplay was supposed to be Izzy from Digmon at MechaCon this year, but COVID happened and… Joseph: Kagamine Len from Vocaloid. I like make easy and not hot outfits to wear at cons.

If I could meet one person in the anime industry, it would be…

Paris: Laura Bailey! She’s my favorite voice actress. sleepminusminus: Honobu Yonezawa, the author of the Hyouka novels Josh: Amanda Winn-Lee. I’ve interacted a lot with her on Twitter and she’s so nice. Joseph: Yamada Naoko, director for A Silent Voice and K-On! The Movie.

This anime character would be my best friend:

Paris: Tomo Takino from Azumanga Daioh sleepminusminus: Kyon from Haruhi, for his continual complaints and stream of grandiose allusions Josh: Mimi from Digimon Adventure. She’s an awesome character that needs a good friend to tell her to “hush” whenever she goes ditzy. Joseph: Chitanda Eru from Hyouka because she always wants to do something

Our staff is curious—at least sleepminusminus and Joseph are! (art by ちゅんころもち / reprinted w/permission)

All-time anime crush?

Paris: Kyo from Fruits Basket. For some reason, I always end up loving the angry boys… sleepminusminus: Mayaka Ibara, our tsundere queen from Hyouka Josh: Hinata from Naruto. How can you NOT like that lavender-eyed cutie? Joseph: Holo from Spice and Wolf because of course she is.

Favorite food to eat while watching anime:

Paris: Pho Tai w/ an order of eggrolls and Thai Tea sleepminusminus: Instant ramen (no crumbs!) Josh: Nice cold Muscadine grapes. Joseph: Fruit Basket (Preferably strawberries)

An anime that more people need to watch:

Paris: Kodocha; the manga is good too! sleepminusminus: Hyouka (notice a theme yet?) Josh: Planetes. It’s a great space slice-of-life show that gets little to no love. Joseph: A Place Further than the Universe. Very well rated but I don’t think enough people watch it because of its silly premise.

An anime that is way overrated:

Paris: DANGANRONPA. It’s horrible. Change my mind. Other than the Fate series, I haven’t had much luck with Visual Novel anime adaptations— (let’s not talk about School Days) sleepminusminus: Madoka Magica: watch Steins;Gate instead Josh: My Hero Academia. Come on guys, it’s the same old comic book superhero “I wanna be the strongest ______ ever!” shounen show we’ve seen over and over again. Joseph: One Punch Man. The title tells you what the show is going to be about you guys.

Poor Madoka… (art by 薯子Imoko / artist allows reprints)

Do you like gore / dark anime?

Paris: yes. It’s my favorite. sleepminusminus: Sure Josh: Depends on my mood, but not really. Joseph: Gore for the sake of gore (Another), not really. But everything else I can enjoy!

Shonen or slice of life?

Paris: Shonen sleepminusminus: Slice-of-life Josh: Slice-Of-Life all day everyday. Joseph: Slice of life

Best Ghibli movie:

Paris: Spirited Away sleepminusminus: None yet… recommendations please Josh: Ponyo. It’s just so freaking adorable. Joseph: Princess Mononoke

Ever been to Japan?

Paris: I was supposed to go this Summer, but Covid… sleepminusminus: No Josh: HAHAHAHAHA…on my salary? Heck no! Joseph: Yes two times now!

Question 6: Where can our readers find you other than here on the blog?

Paris: Instagram / Tik Tok / Twitch / Facebook / YouTube: Pariscosplays (in progress) / Email sleepminusminus: You can find me on Twitter. If you’re fortunate, you might catch a tweet once a year. Josh: Blog / Twitter – Heads up on my Twitter, I tend to get very political and I sometimes go off on tangents. I give fair warning for both. But overall, I’m pretty chill! I do have an Instagram but I don’t update it too often, and I do have a Facebook, but I keep it on lockdown. Sorry! Joseph: I don’t really use any other social media actively

#Anime #Interviews #Manga #Beneath the Tangles #Visual Novels #Video Games #Articles #Author: TWWK #Author: Pariscosplays #Author: The Cajun Samurai #Author: sleepminusminus #Author: Joseph

[americanahighways]

Billy Strings Streaming Tour 2020 — photos by Jesse Faatz Photography; screen edits by David Nowels Photography

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I’ve never been a huge fan of the “couch tour” concept, and in fact, even watching a one-off livestream has been somewhat alien to me. When I’m home, I tend to have what seems like a million things to do, and focusing on a live show on a computer monitor or even the TV screen is something I find hard to do. I prefer to be right there in the thick of things and taking it all in live and in person. For me, even as somewhat of an introvert, I really miss the live concert experience. The sights, the smells, the energy. I even miss the drunks, show talkers and outrageous beverage prices. Okay, the last sentence might be a stretch, but the rest does rings true. I really miss it.

So what’s a live music lover jonesing for a fix supposed to do except step up, get with the technology, and dive head first into an online tour. Enter Billy Strings, who announced a nine date streaming tour last month. I’ve been a fan of the music for about a year now, having been fortunate to review the band’s album, “Home” last year. (See that review here: https://americanahighways.org/2019/12/26/review-billy-strings-home-this-is-music-of-destination-rather-than-just-a-method-of-travel ) I’ve always been a fan of bluegrass, though I’ve fallen off the bus here and there, having never really gotten excessively into the String Cheese Incident and other modern bluegrass bands. That all changed as I dug deeper into Billy Strings, their music and community. I’m an old Deadhead, and there’s more than a few similarities with the Grateful Dead and Billy Strings that I find immensely intriguing. The community, the musicianship, the mind numbing “X-factor” connection between the band members on stage, and especially the uniqueness of setlists each night. A lot of Deadheads were fanatical about setlists. First-time played, last time played, song segues, teases etc. I fall into that category, and decided that this tour was a good way to see what the hype was all about, all while chronicling the tour in print. So, what will be follow will be a brief glance at the first four dates of the tour beginning in Nashville, with two nights at the Brooklyn Bowl and then two nights at the legendary and iconic Station Inn.

Leading into the opening night of the tour, Apostle revealed there would be special guests throughout the run. Additionally, there would be a featured special, limited poster via Half Hazard Press commemorating each night. Sure, there’s been a handful of glitches and ghosts in the machine here and there. But, the Billy Strings camp, the poster crew and each venue have done an outstanding job putting all of this together. The first two nights were aired via the FANS streaming site and the next two nights through The Station Inn. The streams ran a very affordable $9.99, and I assure you, you’ll get your monies worth. The day prior to the tour opener, the band dropped a free surprise viewing of their soundcheck live from the Brooklyn Bowl. It was certainly a welcome taste of things to come and showed a band not missing a step due to the forced time off.

7/15/20 Brooklyn Bowl Soundcheck This Heart of Mine Tipper Train That Carried My Girl From Town > Black Mountain Rag Slow Train Train 45

Night one at the Brooklyn Bowl was really solid overall but there did seem to be a bit of timidness as they worked to get their “stage-legs” and chemistry back to form. There were definite highs, but really no lows to speak of. The band kicked off the tour with a very timely “Watch it Fall” opener to the first set. The FANS live stream included the ability to share live video throughout of fans enjoying the show from their home set-ups. The monitors over the Brooklyn Bowl’s bowling lanes displayed these, giving the band some semblance of normality in regards to an audience. Still, it was really, really odd to see an empty venue while a band played. On the social medias, the fan clips were met with mixed opinion, but I found them mostly tolerable, and actually enjoyed some of the band banter they initiated. Early on, several fans danced with their pets, prompting Billy to state,“We love good boys and good little girls…” quickly adding the intended “dogs and cats.” for clarification as mandolin picker extraordinaire Jarrod Walker stated: “You kinda need to clarify that statement”. You just can’t be too careful these days. During the pandemic, Billy’s really gotten into fishing, which is a sport that’s been socially distancing successfully for eons. So, there’s been a fishing theme throughout that started mid-way in the first set Thursday night with the debut of Doc Watson’s “I’m Going Fishing”. Speaking of the Grateful Dead, the melancholy “China Doll” followed, seguing into a smoking “So Many Miles”, one of two lead vocals so far for Billy Failing during the first four nights. Failing made the most of it, leading the band through the first real exploratory jams of the night. As the song rolled through another segue into “Dealing Despair”, it became obvious that this was the conduit the band was looking for, the moment were everything fell into place. The timidness fell away, and from here on out the band seemed to really, “click”. My favorite tracks from “Home” closed out the first set with a one-two punch of “Enough to Leave” and a blistering “Away From the Mire.”

The second set was just plain fire. Opening with “Dust in a Baggie” and followed by an absolutely epic “Pyramid Country”> “Ride Me High” the band delivered a trifecta of jams that snaked here and there and back and forth. One of my favorite moments so far. The first guest of the run was none other than Marcus King, who joined in following “Must Be Seven” for a bluesy“Summertime” and added vocals to a robust first time played “Big Boss Man”. After King left the stage, the boys wrapped things up with a smoking “Ernest T. Grass”> “Little Maggie”. I found it somewhat surprising that the band forgoes the encore here, instead unceremoniously concluding the show. Undoubtedly, leaving the stage, only to walk back on to an empty room seems, well, a bit ridiculous. But, it also didn’t seem like a return to normal without an encore. Often the band will encore with a specially chosen song, a cover or what have you, a capella. Many times, we’ve seen the band have to do their best to shush the audience in order to pull this off. So here, with the empty room it seemed like a squandered opportunity. But, even without the encore, the first night proved to be quite enjoyable, and even memorable. Other than Youtube videos, to this point I haven’t had a chance to catch Billy Strings live. I had hoped to catch a handful of shows sometime this year, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. This would have to do, and I was already looking forward to the next night.

7/16/2020 Billy Strings Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, TN

Set 1: Watch It Fall Slow Train While I’m Waiting Here Doin’ My Time I’m Going Fishing (ftp) China Doll> So Many Miles> Dealing Despair Enough to Leave Away from the Mire

Set 2: Dust in a Baggie Pyramid Country> Ride Me High Must Be Seven Summertim# Big Boss Man #^(FTP) Ernest T Grass > Little Maggie

(FTP) First-time played debut # w/ Marcus King ^ Marcus Vocals

The second night at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl was in my opinion even better. Despite some log-in and buffering issues causing me to miss the openers “Taking Water”> “Thirst Mutilator,” word on the fan socials was that they were hot. Well, dang. I joined in as “Thirst Mutilator” ended, but caught enough of the closing jams to realize that night one’s exploratory nature was present again. Highlights of the first set for me started with “Home of the Red Fox” and its jazzy themed jam into “How Mountain Girls Can Love.” While I thought things tamed a bit during “New Camptown Races,” the set ending “Turmoil & Tinfoil” more than made up for it building on the energy and abstractedness of the song.

Set two launched with an outstanding rendition of John Hartford’s “All Fall Down”, followed by “Long Forgotten Dream” and a memorable take on “A Robin Made a Nest on Daddy’s Grave” which is best known from performances by the Stanley Brothers. Sierra Hull, the night’s special guest joined in for vocals and “mandolin sandwich” on “Walk On Boy”, “She Makes My Love Come Rolling Down” and “Train, Train.” The jams fired up again with an incredible debut cover of Post Malone’s “Circles.” Didn’t see that coming, but hot damn, it was fun! Hull finished up her guest spot with “Daybreak In Dixie” before Billy and the boys melted minds with “Meet Me at the Creek. Again, there wasn’t an encore, but somehow after the frenzy of “Creek,” one wasn’t really needed this time.

7/17/2020 Billy Strings Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN

Set 1: Taking Water > Thirst Mutilator This Heart of Mine — Hollow Heart Home of the Red Fox > How Mountain Girls Can Love Pretty Daughter I Only Exist New Camptown Races Turmoil & Tinfoil Set 2:

All Fall Down (1) Long Forgotten Dream A Robin Built A Nest On Daddy’s Grave Walk On Boy (2) She Makes My Love Come Rolling Down (3) Train Train (3) Circles (3)(4) Daybreak In Dixie (3) Meet Me at the Creek (1) Jerusalem Ridge Tease (2) Sierra Hull vocals and mandolin (3) Sierra Hull (4) FTP Post Malone

Night three saw the boys moving over to the historic Station Inn. After two nights of “couch tour” my wife was becoming a bit curious, and I’m always trying to turn her onto the music and bands I love. So, I talked her into watching night three with me. She’s a late bloomer of a Dead/jam band fan, and while her tendencies lean more to just enjoying the music, dancing and the vibe, she knows enough to understand the intricacies involved and why I love the exploratory nature of the jams. But, as a whole she’s not really a big fan of traditional bluegrass. In hindsight, this really wasn’t the night to try to introduce her to Billy Strings, as traditional bluegrass was the theme of this night. She liked it okay, but didn’t really get where all my excitement for the band came from.

The first set began with “Train 45” and then another debut, this time Jimmy Martin’s “Tennessee”. If you aren’t familiar with Martin, but you really dig colorful characters, Martin is that and more. He was also one hell of a picker and deserves to be heard. Really, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that a night at the Station Inn would be packed full of traditional songs and covers from Doc Watson (Black Mountain Rag” , Bill Monroe (“The First Whipoorwill”, Letter From My Darlin’” “Salt Creek”> “Bill Cheatham”), the Stanley Brothers and more. As Billy stated, “If you don’t like bluegrass gospel music then you got something cockeyed somewhere.” That’s true. Perhaps a result of less familiarity with the songs, there was a more laid back approach to both sets. While really well played, there really wasn’t a lot of heat maintained consistently. There were definite highlights, and I thought this was bassist Royal Massat’s best night in the mix so far. The set two opener, “Freedom” was another odd symptom of the pandemic. Often done as an encore with a single shared microphone, this one seemed a bit out of place opening the set, and even more-so with four mics. It was an abnormality that the band even felt compelled to mention at the song’s conclusion. Night three’s special guest was the lovely and gifted picker Molly Tuttle, who very nearly stole the show with a standout version of “Cold Rain and Snow.” It’s a song with special meaning for me, as it was the first song played at my very first Grateful Dead show way back in 1988. Without question, this was one of the best versions of the song I’ve ever heard and easily my favorite moment of the night. Tuttle also contributed on “Black Mountain Rag,” “Rank Stranger,” “Goodbye Old Pal” and “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down”. The band rolled on through a standout “Shenandoah Valley Breakdown,” another pair of Monroe covers, “With Body And Soul” and “Kentucky Mandolin” before shutting it down with the appropriate, “Long Gone.” The night was a fun and respectful nod to traditions and left a lot of curiosities for what the second show at the Station Inn would hold.

7/18/2020 Billy Strings Station Inn – Nashville, TN Set 1:

Train 45 Tennessee (1) Likes of Me Dusty Miller First Whippoorwill Good Woman’s Love Down the Road Love Like Me Salt Creek > Bill Cheatham Letter from my Darlin’ (2) Sophronie Lonesome Moonlight Waltz The Springtime of Life (3) Nobody’s Love is Like Mine Sunnyside of the Mountain

Set 2: Freedom (4) Southern Flavor I’ll Remember You Love In My Prayers Black Mountain Rag (5) Cold Rain and Snow (5) Rank Stranger (5) Goodbye Old Pal (5) Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down (5) Shenandoah Valley Breakdown With Body and Soul Kentucky Mandolin Long Gone (1) FTP Jimmy Martin (2) FTP Bill Monroe (3) FTP Ola Belle Reed (4) 4 mic style (5) With Molly Tuttle

This was the show I should have watched with my wife, as I think this was the best night of the run so far. The band was particularly dialed in. In fact, it seemed like everything really fell into place. The lights, the camera work and in particular, the music was done with absolute precision. Tonight, instead of any timidness there was assured confidence and as a result, the whole dang show is spectacular. “Dark Hollow” got things going and really set the bar high. Flatt and Scruggs songs “Farewell Blues” and “My Cora is Gone” led to David Grisman’s “Fanny Hill.” My favorite song of the first set though was an insane “Ol’ Slewfoot,” an old Johnny Horton song that’s always a highlight when delivered. Flatt and Scruggs returned with “Salty Dog,” then “Big Sandy River” led to Jim and Jesse’s “Bringing in the Georgia Mail.” Next, the Stanley Brothers’ “White Dove,” Monroe’s “True Life Blues,” Dr. Ralph Stanley’s “Clinch Mountain Backstep,” and then back to the Stanley Brothers with “Sharecropper’s Son” and another first time played debut of “Let Me Love You One More Time.” “Paul & Silas” continued a streak of Stanley Brothers’ tunes before wrapping up the first set with Jayne/Webb written classic, “Old Home Place.”

Second set picked up right where its predecessor left off with a Dr. Ralph Stanley tune, “Riding That Midnight Train,” Tony Rice’s “Tipper” and “Nellie Kane,” a song I know best from the Dillards. Queue in the evening’s guest at this point, which is the incomparable Bryan Sutton on guitar. There seemed to be a friendly rivalry present, as the two extraordinary guitarists strove to push each other. Beginning with Bill Monroe’s “I’m Coming Back, But I Don’t Know When” and “Goldrush,” the two pickers plain tore it up. Larry Sparks’ “John Deere Tractor” and Flatt & Scruggs’ “I’ll Go Stepping Too” continued the momentum with a Norman Blake & Tony Rice cut, “Texas Gales.” Sutton played on to the set’s conclusion, lending contributions to the Stanley Brothers’ “Think of What You’ve Done” and an absolutely brilliant and fiery rendition of The Osborne Brothers’ “Ruby.” Things finished up with another Monroe song, “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome” and finally traditional flat-picking gem, “June Apple.”

7/19/20 Billy Strings Station Inn – Nashville, TN

Set 1: Dark Hollow Farewell Blues Cora is Gone Fanny Hill Ol’ Slewfoot Salty Dog Big Sandy River Bringing in the GA Mail (1) White Dove True Life Blues Clinch Mountain Backstep Sharecropper’s Son Let Me Love You One More Time (2) Paul & Silas Old Home Place

Set 2: Riding On That Midnight Train Tipper Nellie Kane I’m Coming Back, But I Don’t Know When (3) Gold Rush (3) John Deere Tractor (3) I’ll Go Steppin’ Too (3) Texas Gales (3) Think of What You’ve Done (3) Ruby (3) I’m Blue I’m Lonesome (3) June Apple (3) (10 Jerusalem Ridge Tease (2) FTP (3) With Bryan Sutton

So, here we are four shows into a nine show tour, with a total of 92 songs played, no repeats. Yeah, you read that right. No repeats. Night one was 18 songs, night two had 19, night three had the most with 28, and night four brought serious intensity with 27. There was essentially a night of music to suit just about everyone. Dig the traditional tunes? Either night at The Station Inn should do the trick. Like a good mix with a little more music exploration prominent? Go with the second night at the Brooklyn Bowl or the second set from the first night. With all that in mind, I would rank the first four shows of the tour as such:

1. 7/19/20 Station Inn 2. 7/17/20 Brooklyn Bowl 3. 7/16/20 Brooklyn Bowl 4. 7/18/20 Station Inn

Monday saw the streaming tour take a break before moving on to Nashville’s City Winery for two nights on July 22nd & 23rd, the Exit/Inn the 24th and 25th and finally, wrapping up the tour at 3rd & Lindley on Sunday the 26th. But, that doesn’t mean the music stopped as Billy was joining Marcus King’s band’s live stream and was also to have a previous performance highlighted on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Monday night as well. I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the remainder of the streaming tour in a pair of follow-up pieces including a full tour recap. But I recommend you drop into Billy Strings’ webpage for all the details on grabbing tickets for the remainder of the tour. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Visit here: https://billystrings.com

I’d like to call out the Billy Strings Setlist page on Facebook. For someone still learning all the songs in the repertoire as well as the history behind them, it’s been a valuable resource and a friendly spot to drop in and research.. Thanks for doing what you do. Additionally, the Billy Strings Fanpage (Official) on Facebook is equally vital, and a fun growing community.

Photos used in this article include official photos by Jesse Faatz Photography and stream captures edited by David Nowels Photography.

Show Review: Billy Strings Multi-Night Streaming Tour 2020, nights 1 - 4 of 9 @billystrings @mollytuttle @bryand28sutton #americanamusic #livestreamtour Billy Strings Streaming Tour 2020 -- photos by Jesse Faatz Photography; screen edits by David Nowels Photography…

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Downsizing Your Life: How to Do It and Why You Might Want To

After what may have seemed like an extremely long winter for some, spring is finally arriving. With the blooming flowers, warmer temperatures, and adjusted clocks, many are also gearing up for a tradition known as spring cleaning. While the habit of reorganizing yourself and decluttering your closets is great, what if you took things a step further? What I mean is, have you ever considered downsizing as a way to simplify your life?

First off, this post is going to be a bit different than my normal fare. While at its core this is still a personal finance concept, I’ve found the implications extend far further than that. In fact, I’ve come to believe that downsizing your life can actually help you emphasize the things that matter most to you.

Before you get scared, I’m not talking about going full minimalist and leaving everything behind — I just want to discuss a few changes you can make that can not only help your finances but also allow you to explore your passions and reach your goals. Moreover, my wife and I actually have some personal experience that relates to many of these topics. So without further ado, here’s how you can downsize and simplify your life as well as some of the reasons why you might want to.

Setting Your Simplifying Goals

Realizing your priorities is the first step in setting a downsizing and simplifying plan. Just as no two people are the same, there’s certainly no “one size fits all” plan when it comes to building yourself a better life. That said, to get you thinking, here are a few popular reasons people may elect to downsize their lives.

Saving Money

This being a personal finance site, you could probably anticipate that “saving money” would be among the top goals here. However, in this case, it’s not so much about saving money for the sole sake of growing your wealth but more about saving money so that you can achieve the things you want to achieve. Let me explain: by reducing your financial obligations, you’ll have more freedom to spend your income in whatever way you see fit (while still setting some aside for the future and for emergencies of course).

Now the question is, what do you want to do with your life and your money?

Travel

One of the things I learned about myself as I was navigating my 20s was that I really enjoyed traveling. After years of assuming that I didn’t enjoy flying, I ended up booking a flight to Tokyo in my mid-20s that would prove pretty pivotal in my life. Not only did I survive the 11-hour flight but also managed to find my way around a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language (and by myself, mind you) with relative ease. Four years later, I would return to Tokyo on my honeymoon and have since had the chance to visit Shanghai, Hong Kong, Paris, and other locales with my lovely wife.

Once we realized how much we enjoyed exploring new places together, my wife and I resolved to travel as much as we could and see more of the amazing cities around the world. As part of this, we’ve arranged our finances in such a way that allows us to take big trips without going into debt or wiping out our savings. This could not have been possible had we not made our goal clear and made changes to our financial situation in order to allow it. I’ll share more of our story and how we were able to pull this off in the coming sections.

Entrepreneurship

If you’ve ever watched ABC’s Shark Tank you’ve probably heard one of the show’s millionaire or billionaire panelists talk about the hustle required in order to succeed when launching your own business. But, on top of that hard work, they also often discuss the sacrifices it takes to make it. I remember one episode in particular where Mark Cuban grilled an entrepreneur who said he’d be willing to slum it and “live off of six figures” for a while until he made it. Naturally Mark laughed at that notion, insisting he should be willing to live off mac and cheese for the sake of his business.

No matter what type of business you want to start,  you’ll need to invest your time, energy, and yes, your money into them. Therefore, by downsizing your life and limiting your expenses, you’ll have more funds to pour into your business. Moreover, since failure is fact of life, keeping your obligations to a minimum is essential. Doing your downsizing now instead of when the pressure is on could end up making it possible for you to bounce back and rebuild your business in the future.

Spending Time with Family

For some people, the ability to downsize means they can work less and spend more time with the people they care about. This is a completely noble goal and once again speaks to the power of downsizing. Additionally, if you and your kin enjoy traveling, you might even consider an arrangement that allows you to see the world as a family like these parents and many others have done.

Eliminating Your Excesses

Regardless of what your goals are, you’ll like want to start purging some of your unneeded items. In addition to this being helpful if and when it’s time to relocate (more on that in the next section), getting rid of old items can be oddly comforting. Of course this is a process and you have a few options for how to approach downsizing, but here are a few ideas for starting points.

What to Lose

Books, CDs, DVDs, etc.

I’ll be the first to admit that I still have a box of old compact discs sitting in my outside storage space — but it’s a lot better than it was! Though I couldn’t tell you the last time I used one of these CDs for anything except ripping them to my computer, those special editions and, in some cases, signed booklets remain. Alas, hopefully you are stronger than I am and can part with your aging collection once and for all. The same goes for DVDs now that many have moved to digital downloads and streaming services.

For the more literate among us, you may have also amassed a number of books over the years. While having a library of everything you read might make you feel good, are you really going to reread any of those books? Beyond being a pain in the butt to move, there’s also good reason to let your book collection go as part of the process since they can easily be donated to libraries, schools, retirement homes, etc. — in other words, they can be given to people who actually will read them.

Clothes

This is admittedly another area where I could stand to improve. In fact, my wife frequently makes fun of me for the number of t-shirts in my dresser. However I have found one solution to this problem: turning my old tees into quilts, allowing me to revisit all those rock concert memories while also staying warm in the winter.

Sporting Goods and Exercise Equipment

Being active is great but having your home cluttered with unused treadmills, skis, rackets, and whatever else you may have acquired over time certainly isn’t. Worse yet, these items are often oddly shaped, large, or bulky, making them extremely annoying to store. If you regularly participate in sports and honestly utilize this equipment on a somewhat regular basis, keep it. Otherwise heave-ho, my friend.

Mementos, Clippings, Etc.

Okay, this one could be a bit controversial but it’s important nonetheless. These days many of us have a number of sentimental items we hold on to, seemingly just to give us a walk down memory lane whenever we move or go to organize our homes. Some of these items may be worth keeping while others likely aren’t — especially if they can be digitized for safe keeping instead.

Collectables

Do you still have that limited edition G.I. Joe in a box that you’ve held onto since you were only yea high? If you can’t fetch a pretty penny on eBay for it now, chances are you never will.

Old Electronics

Until just a few months ago, I was holding onto a Mac laptop I bought in 2004 and which had the screen detached from the keyboard. I had already migrated the contents of said machine to another computer in 2010, yet it lived in a box along with about three different chargers for it. Thankfully it is now gone and I’m better for it. The moral of the story is, if you have old electronics you’re planning on fixing or are just holding onto for some other reason, just toss ‘em.

Anything Else You Haven’t Used in a Year

Finally, one of my big rules as I’ve worked to get rid of my, for lack of a better term, crap is to bid adieu to anything I haven’t needed (or, in most cases, even thought about) in a year. I came upon this rule after realizing I only saw a number of items whenever I went to dig through things to throw away. Obviously I realized how silly this was and my one year rule has been successful so far. However there are a few exceptions to the rule including important documents or emergency preparedness items but you can use your best, honest judgment to determine what warrants an override.

What to Do (and What Not to Do) With Your Stuff

Do: Sell It

There is a chance that some of the items you no longer need might still have some value to someone else. As a result it’s completely acceptable to explore ways to rid yourself of clutter while pocketing a little extra money. This can be accomplished on platforms like eBay, Craigslist, OfferUp, or Facebook Marketplace but there’s also the option to host a good old-fashioned garage sale/yard sale as well. 

Don’t: Waste Time Trying to Sell Junk

Notice that I said some of your items will still have value — not all. Sure you probably have a record store in town that still buys used CDs but 1) unless your collection is truly killer, they might not be in the market for anything you’re looking to pawn and 2) the amount they’ll be giving you might not be worth the time it took you to pack everything up and haul it over to them. Similarly yard sales can take a lot of work to organize and, with most items selling for under a dollar, it’s okay if you elect not to go through the trouble and find another way to ease your junk burden.

Do: Donate

Somewhere between stuff you can sell and stuff you should throw away is the option of donating. Popular outlets for donations include Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other local charities. Of course, even if you’re donating, be realistic about what items people will need or use and don’t give them anything that’s broken, in bad shape, or otherwise useless.

Don’t: Get a Storage Unit

In some cases you may feel that, while you want to declutter your home, you also aren’t quite ready to part with certain items “just in case.” This thinking could lead to you renting a storage unit to keep your additional stuff. Not only is a storage unit an extra monthly fee you don’t need but the chances of you actually making use of those “standby” items are slim to none. Avoid this mistake at all costs!

Do: Throw Things Away

I’ll be the first to admit that throwing items you’ve paid good money for in the trash can be an upsetting experience. Look, no one wants to feel like they’ve wasted money but, the truth is, you already did — there’s no going back now. Holding onto items you don’t need in an attempt to save what little value they still have is a major fallacy and something you’ll need to get over if you truly want to downsize. It may be hard at first but I promise it will be worth it.

Rationalizing (Potential) Relocation

Before paring your belongings down you might not have thought it possible to fit into a smaller space. With that first task done, you may be realizing that’s not actually the case. Whether you choose to move to a different home in the same area, relocate to a more affordable area, or live life as a “digital nomad,” there are several benefits to moving as part of your downsizing mission.

Living Small

In recent years one of the big trends (pun intended) has been tiny homes. These microsized abodes are often less than 500 square feet but include a number of features via unique uses of space and clever engineering. Given their popularity, this is what many people likely picture when they consider downsizing but there’s no reason to be so extreme.

Downsizing can simply mean selling your unnecessarily-large four bedroom house and buying a two bedroom instead. It could mean ditching your pricey apartment with all the bells and whistles to move to a complex with fewer amenities. Really the way you downsize is up to you (which can include a tiny home if you really, really want).

In Search of Better Cost of Living

Until 2015 my wife and I were living in Glendale, California. For the few years prior to that, I had been an extra in television and movies and had enjoyed this unique occupation. I also harbored dreams of becoming a sitcom writer, but that’s a story for another day. Meanwhile my wife was working at a bakery, which wasn’t panning out quite the way she had hoped. Just before Christmas of 2014, we decided a change was in order — a change that would lead us out of Los Angeles and over to Springfield, Missouri.

By this time I had begun freelancing, meaning I could do my job from anywhere. Similarly, while she didn’t have any specific jobs lined up in the Midwest, my wife’s skills were easily transferable to other lines of work. This realization led us to realize that we were paying a hefty premium just for the opportunity to live in L.A. That may have made sense when my line of work and aspirations were tied to the entertainment capital but now it just felt like a big waste of money that got in the way of our other goals like traveling.

Moving to Springfield was a watershed moment for us and really opened my eyes to a number of things. First, contrary to popular belief, there are fun things to do beyond the coasts of our country. Secondly, rent doesn’t have to eat up your entire paycheck — who knew?

Needless to say, our decision to relocate as part of our downsizing initiative has paid off. Now we’re able to sock away money for our future and pursue our passions.

Reducing Your Commute

Another benefit that came with moving to Springfield actually happened by accident. As luck would have it, my wife ended up getting a job at a place that was literally next door to our apartment. Whereas back in L.A. she would have to drive one to two hours each way for work, she could now walk over in five minutes. This lack of commute had a hugely positive effect on her happiness and stress levels. So, as you’re looking for a small place in town or a new home in a new city, I’d highly recommend doing what you can to reduce your commute.

Digital Nomadism

Like I mentioned, as a freelancer, I’m able to work from pretty much anywhere with power and WiFi — and I’m not alone. These days there’s a growing number of both independent contractors and full-time employees that are able to work remotely. At the same time some adventurous folks have taken full advantage of this opportunity and become what they call “digital nomads.”

I was first introduced to the concept of digital nomadism by a podcast called Workationing. In 2017 these two ladies in their “mid to late 27s” elected to give up their homes and spend the year on the road, living in different cities and countries around the globe for one to two months at a time. This idea fascinated me and I’ve come to learn that the digital nomad community has been booming for some time.

While I personally wouldn’t want to go full digital nomad — including purging nearly everything I own and living out of a carry-on — my wife and I have been considering extended trips to places we love. Now that both of us can work from anywhere (she recently left her other job to join me in the world of freelancing), we could conceivably spend weeks if not months abroad, working during the day and touring at night.

If full-on digital nomadism or my scaled down “extended stay” notion sound good to you, having a limited home base is crucial. For the Workationing gals, this meant moving their stuff into storage units (yes, I know I said not to get one of those but this is different), although I believe they’ve since gotten rid of those. In our case, the cheap rent we enjoy in Springfield would enable us to keep our apartment so we have something to come home to but still be able to afford our temporary two home situation. This is just one of the many opportunities that may available to those who choose to downsize.

Readying for Reevaluation

Finally it’s important to note that downsizing might not be for everyone. For example, if you have a partner or family, you may find that not all of you are on the same page about some of the changes you’re making. Because of this you’ll want to leave the door open to reevaluating your plans and admitting when you’ve taken things too far.

Missing Friends and Family

As much as I preach the gospel of finding your happy hometown with affordable living, I understand that there are plenty of reasons other than money that affect why people live where they do. One big factor for many is that want to be near friends and family.

When I was preparing to write this article, I was reminded of a couple of scenes from the film Up in the Air. In an early scene, our protagonist (played by George Clooney) is giving a speech that’s more or less about downsizing, mentioning stuffing all of your belongings in a backpack, setting it on fire, and deciding what’s worth saving. While that analogy may be something to get on board with, a later scene exposes the character’s philosophy of detachment as he talks about the weight relationships add to our lives. He’s not wrong — but having relationships play such a big role isn’t always a bad thing.

Family and friends are an important part of life. As a result, they should be factored into your priorities as well. If you forgot or didn’t realize how much being literally close to the ones you love would affect your happiness, it’s not too late to make changes.

Going Too Small

On that same note, you may come to the realization that you’ve overdone things in your attempt to downsize. Perhaps life in a tiny home is fine for a few months but you find yourself going a bit stir crazy after that. Ditto living in a small town after being used to big city amenities.

There’s a difference between pushing yourself to try new things outside of your comfort zone and living uncomfortably. Remember: the goal of downsizing is to simplify your life and enjoy what you love. In other words, don’t sacrifice too much for the sake of adventure.

Adjusting Your Goals

Lastly, outside of the two examples I’ve already mentioned, there may be other factors that cause your priorities and/or goals to change. Maybe you’ve decided to start a family and need more space or aren’t ready to take kids on the road just yet. Or perhaps you’re taking interest in different activities and finding new passions you want to pursue. Whatever the case may be, don’t be afraid to make further adjustments. After all, if you were able to take the leap and downsize in the first place, how hard could it be to scale back up or go another direction?

As someone who’s taken an interest in the concept of downsizing and simplifying life over the past few years, I really do believe the benefits vastly outweigh the sacrifices. Although my wife and I may not make a ton of money, our downsized living allows us to meet all of our financial obligations, prepare for our futures, live debt free, and still enjoy passions of ours such as traveling. If that sounds good to you, maybe this spring is the perfect time to do some deep cleaning  — and deep thinking — as you work towards a simpler, better, life.

The post Downsizing Your Life: How to Do It and Why You Might Want To appeared first on Dyer News.

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New Post has been published on News Twitter

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Washington Post: The NFL’s ongoing awkward dance with touchdown celebrations

(Animation by Eddie Alvarez/The Washington Post)

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Last week, during the NFC’s Pro Bowl practice, Odell Beckham Jr. snagged a football and bolted for the back of the end zone, unleashing a vicious windmill dunk over the goal post. The crowd roared in approval at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex.

It was what the Pro Bowl is all about. The fans packed the stands for showmanship. They won’t remember who won or lost the game, but Beckham gave them a lasting memory.

Then again, should a player celebrate a touchdown in that manner Sunday during Super Bowl LI, it would draw a 15-yard penalty and a fine from the NFL — even though the highlight would be looped on sports networks and social media throughout the week.

Former NFL wide receiver and 2017 Hall of Fame finalist Terrell Owens spoke about his approach to touchdown celebrations, Feb. 2, on an interview with Redskins reporter Master Tesfatsion. (Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post)

The NFL’s dance with touchdown celebrations has long been an awkward one, a precarious balance between players exercising self-expression and league sanctions, between creativity and control. As the players adapted to the NFL’s additional guidelines on post-touchdown decorum, the discussion has been entertaining for fans, if a frustrating exercise for over-exuberant players.

When the Giants’ Homer Jones first spiked the football in 1965, the crowd screamed its approval. But Jones had hurled the ball to the ground because a new league rule threatened a fine if he fired it into the stands as he had wanted, and as his teammate Frank Gifford had done in prior seasons.

Through its then-new restriction, the NFL gave birth to the most widely recognized touchdown celebration in history.

Scoring a touchdown is one of the greatest individual accomplishments a player can achieve in a given game. Celebration is hard to suppress, and it has often produced moments more memorable than the scoring play itself.

The Internet is brimming with hours of clips depicting the game’s most indelible end-zone dances. There’s the “Ickey Shuffle,” debuted by Bengals running back Ickey Woods.

And then there’s the “Dirty Bird,” crafted by former Falcon Jamal Anderson.

This season, clips of Beckham’s “Thriller” dance or Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown’s twerking filled social-media streams for hours following game days, with views piling up into the hundreds of thousands.

But the flamboyance has been shunned by a league that has attempted to restrict in-game celebrations. It is an issue NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league will address — yet again — in the offseason.

“That’s something we’ll look at,” Goodell said Wednesday in Houston ahead of Super Bowl LI. “But it’s also something that we’ve been dealing with for well over 35 years since I’ve been in the league in the same concept: balancing sportsmanship, avoiding taunting and trying to allow players the ability to express themselves in an exuberant way to celebrate. We think that’s great. We want to see more of that. We want to see the players do that. But we want to see them do it respectfully to their teammates and their opponents.”

Antonio Brown earned a fine, and great renown, for his Week 1 twerking touchdown celebration against the Redskins. (Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports)

Over the past few seasons, the NFL’s increasing number of rules and fines has restricted its players’ ability to express themselves, to the disapproval of both those players and their fans.

“That’s what is missing from today’s fabric of the environment with the National Football League,” former NFL wide receiver and 2017 Hall of Fame finalist Terrell Owens said. “Obviously a lot of people now call it the ‘No Fun League,’ but I think that’s what is really taking the joy and the enjoyment out of the game. Really, for fans, they not only want to see their team win; they don’t just only want to see a good product from both squads, but they want to see some entertainment. That’s what I tried to provide without messing with the integrity of the game.”

Owens will be immortalized on one level whenever he enters the Hall of Fame, but his touchdown celebrations have already reached that status. His showmanship influenced an entire generation of NFL athletes.

Still, it started before Owens, who said he didn’t grow up as a student of the game but was aware of the players that had come before him — and danced in the end zone while they were there. With the first football spike came an era of innovative celebrations that has spanned more than half a century. It continued with Billy “White Shoes” Johnson and “The Funky Chicken” dance in the 1970s. The Washington Redskins of the early ’80s created a celebratory group of receivers and the occasional running back called “The Fun Bunch,” which followed offensive touchdowns with a loosely choreographed group high-five in the end zone.

“Whenever I hear touchdown celebrations, it’s just Billy White Shoes for me,” Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller said. “I think that’s just one of the first [players] to change it up. That was way before my time, but when I think about celebrations and dances, that’s what comes to my mind. I feel like whenever you make a great play, I think that’s the icing on top. A great play is going to be a great play. When you put that celebration on top of it, it makes it even better.”

There were rules in place during the 1980s specifying that excessive celebrations could be considered unsportsmanlike conduct, although the verbiage was more relaxed. It wasn’t enforced as it is today, likely because of the influence that players such as Owens, Deion Sanders, Chad Johnson (later Ochocinco) and Randy Moss had during the 1990s and 2000s. Sanders high-stepped his way into the end zone, Owens stood on the Dallas Cowboys’ midfield star at Texas Stadium and pulled out a Sharpie from his sock to sign a ball, Johnson proposed to a cheerleader and wore a faux-Hall of Fame jacket on the sidelines, and Moss pretended to moon Packers fans at Lambeau Field.

These players put their own spin on showmanship, but they were also criticized for it by fans, commentators and and players who felt that the behavior wasn’t upholding the integrity of the game. One celebration from Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin drew particular ire, when he used the football to simulate a bowel movement in Super Bowl XLIX.

“What I was doing was only having fun with the game,” Owens said of his own celebrations. “That just motivated me more, and I understood that I wasn’t doing anything obscene; I wasn’t doing anything embarrassing not only to myself but to the organization. Some of the stuff I’m sure toed the line of the conduct part of it, but at the time I was scoring touchdowns and I was celebrating. They really didn’t have nothing in place that they could take away from the celebrations.”

Over the past decade, the NFL has enforced tougher penalties on what it deems excessive celebrations. It first, in 2006, banned the usage of props and incorporated a 15-yard penalty for anything excessive and later, in 2014, abolished dunking on the goal posts.

While the league has continued to legislate against celebrations — with current rules outlawing displays that are “prolonged” or involve foreign objects, falling to the ground, using the ball as a prop, or two or more players performing premeditated choreography — it has also apparently recognized the appeal of such actions to fans. The league-owned NFL Network currently features a show starring former players Ike Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew called “Celebration Station,” in which the two recap the best such moments from game action. Brown’s attempt to mimic Spider-Man and stick to the goal post after a touchdown drew a penalty during the game but was highlighted as part of the show’s “Top 5 Best Celebrations of 2015.”

The penalties have been puzzling to current players, notably for Redskins cornerback Josh Norman, who repeatedly questioned why the league fined him for miming a bow and arrow after an interception against the Cleveland Browns in Week 4. The rules have also been the subject of parody, with Comedy Central’s “Key and Peele” skewering the league with a fictional rule on the allowable number of pelvic thrusts following a touchdown. That sketch was invoked at the Super Bowl when Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked whether he believed the rules required more clarity.

Roger Goodell asked if NFL should implement McCringleberry “Two Pump Limit” pic.twitter.com/KrxWqiKPkZ

— gifdsports (@gifdsports) February 1, 2017

Owens believes, whatever its reasons, that the league is taking the fun out of the game.

“[Owens] is a showman, and that’s what you should do,” Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans said. “It’s hard to score touchdowns in the NFL. If you get in there, you should throw a party. I wish we could a little bit more, but you’ve got to stay within the confinements of the rules.”

Some players have continued to find ways to express themselves, however, legally or not. Beckham has been part of this social-media dancing era in which players break out the dab or Michael Jackson moves; Brown was a noted favorite among Pro Bowl players when asked who had the best touchdown celebrations, though he has racked up a few fines along the way.

Whether the league chooses to relax its celebration rules, players have shown that they will continue to express themselves — even as the NFL gives them fewer ways to do so.

“All the stuff back then, we can’t do it now,” Evans said. “I wanted to dunk on the goal post and things like that. … I’m trying to figure out a signature touchdown dance. I can’t think of anything without getting fined.”

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New Post has been published on http://www.news-twitter.com/2017/02/03/washington-post-the-nfls-ongoing-awkward-dance-with-touchdown-celebrations-12/

Washington Post: The NFL’s ongoing awkward dance with touchdown celebrations

(Animation by Eddie Alvarez/The Washington Post)

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Last week, during the NFC’s Pro Bowl practice, Odell Beckham Jr. snagged a football and bolted for the back of the end zone, unleashing a vicious windmill dunk over the goal post. The crowd roared in approval at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex.

It was what the Pro Bowl is all about. The fans packed the stands for showmanship. They won’t remember who won or lost the game, but Beckham gave them a lasting memory.

Then again, should a player celebrate a touchdown in that manner Sunday during Super Bowl LI, it would draw a 15-yard penalty and a fine from the NFL — even though the highlight would be looped on sports networks and social media throughout the week.

Former NFL wide receiver and 2017 Hall of Fame finalist Terrell Owens spoke about his approach to touchdown celebrations, Feb. 2, on an interview with Redskins reporter Master Tesfatsion. (Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post)

The NFL’s dance with touchdown celebrations has long been an awkward one, a precarious balance between players exercising self-expression and league sanctions, between creativity and control. As the players adapted to the NFL’s additional guidelines on post-touchdown decorum, the discussion has been entertaining for fans, if a frustrating exercise for over-exuberant players.

When the Giants’ Homer Jones first spiked the football in 1965, the crowd screamed its approval. But Jones had hurled the ball to the ground because a new league rule threatened a fine if he fired it into the stands as he had wanted, and as his teammate Frank Gifford had done in prior seasons.

Through its then-new restriction, the NFL gave birth to the most widely recognized touchdown celebration in history.

Scoring a touchdown is one of the greatest individual accomplishments a player can achieve in a given game. Celebration is hard to suppress, and it has often produced moments more memorable than the scoring play itself.

The Internet is brimming with hours of clips depicting the game’s most indelible end-zone dances. There’s the “Ickey Shuffle,” debuted by Bengals running back Ickey Woods.

And then there’s the “Dirty Bird,” crafted by former Falcon Jamal Anderson.

This season, clips of Beckham’s “Thriller” dance or Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown’s twerking filled social-media streams for hours following game days, with views piling up into the hundreds of thousands.

But the flamboyance has been shunned by a league that has attempted to restrict in-game celebrations. It is an issue NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league will address — yet again — in the offseason.

“That’s something we’ll look at,” Goodell said Wednesday in Houston ahead of Super Bowl LI. “But it’s also something that we’ve been dealing with for well over 35 years since I’ve been in the league in the same concept: balancing sportsmanship, avoiding taunting and trying to allow players the ability to express themselves in an exuberant way to celebrate. We think that’s great. We want to see more of that. We want to see the players do that. But we want to see them do it respectfully to their teammates and their opponents.”

Antonio Brown earned a fine, and great renown, for his Week 1 twerking touchdown celebration against the Redskins. (Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports)

Over the past few seasons, the NFL’s increasing number of rules and fines has restricted its players’ ability to express themselves, to the disapproval of both those players and their fans.

“That’s what is missing from today’s fabric of the environment with the National Football League,” former NFL wide receiver and 2017 Hall of Fame finalist Terrell Owens said. “Obviously a lot of people now call it the ‘No Fun League,’ but I think that’s what is really taking the joy and the enjoyment out of the game. Really, for fans, they not only want to see their team win; they don’t just only want to see a good product from both squads, but they want to see some entertainment. That’s what I tried to provide without messing with the integrity of the game.”

Owens will be immortalized on one level whenever he enters the Hall of Fame, but his touchdown celebrations have already reached that status. His showmanship influenced an entire generation of NFL athletes.

Still, it started before Owens, who said he didn’t grow up as a student of the game but was aware of the players that had come before him — and danced in the end zone while they were there. With the first football spike came an era of innovative celebrations that has spanned more than half a century. It continued with Billy “White Shoes” Johnson and “The Funky Chicken” dance in the 1970s. The Washington Redskins of the early ’80s created a celebratory group of receivers and the occasional running back called “The Fun Bunch,” which followed offensive touchdowns with a loosely choreographed group high-five in the end zone.

“Whenever I hear touchdown celebrations, it’s just Billy White Shoes for me,” Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller said. “I think that’s just one of the first [players] to change it up. That was way before my time, but when I think about celebrations and dances, that’s what comes to my mind. I feel like whenever you make a great play, I think that’s the icing on top. A great play is going to be a great play. When you put that celebration on top of it, it makes it even better.”

There were rules in place during the 1980s specifying that excessive celebrations could be considered unsportsmanlike conduct, although the verbiage was more relaxed. It wasn’t enforced as it is today, likely because of the influence that players such as Owens, Deion Sanders, Chad Johnson (later Ochocinco) and Randy Moss had during the 1990s and 2000s. Sanders high-stepped his way into the end zone, Owens stood on the Dallas Cowboys’ midfield star at Texas Stadium and pulled out a Sharpie from his sock to sign a ball, Johnson proposed to a cheerleader and wore a faux-Hall of Fame jacket on the sidelines, and Moss pretended to moon Packers fans at Lambeau Field.

These players put their own spin on showmanship, but they were also criticized for it by fans, commentators and and players who felt that the behavior wasn’t upholding the integrity of the game. One celebration from Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin drew particular ire, when he used the football to simulate a bowel movement in Super Bowl XLIX.

“What I was doing was only having fun with the game,” Owens said of his own celebrations. “That just motivated me more, and I understood that I wasn’t doing anything obscene; I wasn’t doing anything embarrassing not only to myself but to the organization. Some of the stuff I’m sure toed the line of the conduct part of it, but at the time I was scoring touchdowns and I was celebrating. They really didn’t have nothing in place that they could take away from the celebrations.”

Over the past decade, the NFL has enforced tougher penalties on what it deems excessive celebrations. It first, in 2006, banned the usage of props and incorporated a 15-yard penalty for anything excessive and later, in 2014, abolished dunking on the goal posts.

While the league has continued to legislate against celebrations — with current rules outlawing displays that are “prolonged” or involve foreign objects, falling to the ground, using the ball as a prop, or two or more players performing premeditated choreography — it has also apparently recognized the appeal of such actions to fans. The league-owned NFL Network currently features a show starring former players Ike Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew called “Celebration Station,” in which the two recap the best such moments from game action. Brown’s attempt to mimic Spider-Man and stick to the goal post after a touchdown drew a penalty during the game but was highlighted as part of the show’s “Top 5 Best Celebrations of 2015.”

The penalties have been puzzling to current players, notably for Redskins cornerback Josh Norman, who repeatedly questioned why the league fined him for miming a bow and arrow after an interception against the Cleveland Browns in Week 4. The rules have also been the subject of parody, with Comedy Central’s “Key and Peele” skewering the league with a fictional rule on the allowable number of pelvic thrusts following a touchdown. That sketch was invoked at the Super Bowl when Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked whether he believed the rules required more clarity.

Roger Goodell asked if NFL should implement McCringleberry “Two Pump Limit” pic.twitter.com/KrxWqiKPkZ

— gifdsports (@gifdsports) February 1, 2017

Owens believes, whatever its reasons, that the league is taking the fun out of the game.

“[Owens] is a showman, and that’s what you should do,” Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans said. “It’s hard to score touchdowns in the NFL. If you get in there, you should throw a party. I wish we could a little bit more, but you’ve got to stay within the confinements of the rules.”

Some players have continued to find ways to express themselves, however, legally or not. Beckham has been part of this social-media dancing era in which players break out the dab or Michael Jackson moves; Brown was a noted favorite among Pro Bowl players when asked who had the best touchdown celebrations, though he has racked up a few fines along the way.

Whether the league chooses to relax its celebration rules, players have shown that they will continue to express themselves — even as the NFL gives them fewer ways to do so.

“All the stuff back then, we can’t do it now,” Evans said. “I wanted to dunk on the goal post and things like that. … I’m trying to figure out a signature touchdown dance. I can’t think of anything without getting fined.”

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