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#so now i sit here for the last 2hrs of work
lovecolibri · 11 months
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SaL anon here friend really, really wishing us luck for tonight since last night was whatever it was (not really sure since I haven't had the willpower to watch it but I can get the gist). At least we'll get a fire emergency, with firefighters and everything!! How novel this season. And while I am tired of the Owen focus I do like when he's being a dad to TK and since TK hasn't really had much all season I'm okay with it. Cheers friend, i see you are working you're way through last night's episode right now. Your bravery and commitment is unparalleled so these are for you 🍸🍸🍸.
So going in totally spoiled was good for me because I was prepared for everything to be worse than it was, and wasn't having to brace for not knowing. The Madney stuff was super cute and it was good to see Hen and Maddie sit down and talk. Still weird we haven't seen Maddie and Chim actually sit down and have a conversation but at least Jee is adorable and they're sweet to make up for the lack of showing us their stuff on screen. There was a LOT of 🙄🙄🙄 this episode but most of it was mercifully brief and Eddie at least looked soooo good!
As for LS I'm not watching again because the station had been in and out, but hopefully we get some good stuff leading into the 2hr finale! Dad Owen is a million times better than boyfriend or investigation Owen so I'll take that!
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accio-productivity · 11 months
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Hi, my school had been going on and now finally, my summer break has started (apologies for no post). I did not want that horrible schedule again when school reopens so, like every other person I searched for tips on time management, but this time I thought to take a deep dive into the topic for this blog and here comes
#time management
Now let us understand time management by questioning!
WHAT exactly is time management?
 Many people tend to think that it is just about managing time with popular methods like Pomodoro (which it is). It is the art of scheduling and coordinating tasks, so that, productivity is maximised and we can complete tonne tasks in limited time.
 We all have different priorities, workloads and focus periods. Time management is managing workload by prioritising tasks within one's capacity. Yes, it is about maximising productivity but, it is more about making the schedule easy to follow.
WHY is time management important?
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the work you have to do? If yes, then time management is for you!
HOW to manage time? / Tips for time management
Here are multiple tips for different categories of people!
For people with a low attention span
Have you ruined your attention span by scrolling or are you someone thinking last time I could easily sit for 2hrs and now I can't even study for 20mins?
Then, the Pomodoro method is the best for you. Some of you might be offended by the Pomodoro method but the truth is, it is best for people with low attention span.
It is focusing for 25 min with 5 min break. But I would not recommend you to take that 5min break because chances are that you will scroll for the next 2hrs.
Instead of the actual Pomodoro technique, try the edited one.
Check how long can you study for. For e.g., you can study for 30min and after 30 min either you go on your phone or start daydreaming. Now you know your focus period so you have to study in these small batches and after 30min instead of a phone break go and do something else like you can clean your space, make coffee/get a snack for the next session or just listen to 2-3 fav songs.
Let us say you took this kind of break of 10min, then go back for further sessions until your task is completed or you have completed at least 2hr of focus time. Now you can take any kind of break you want but have some control over your nerves. Also, after a week increase your focus time by 10min and slowly you will be able to focus for longer periods.
For people with decent/good focus time
Are you someone who can focus for a decent time but want to have a smooth long study session? Then, you should practice the flowtime technique. 
It is studying until you complete a task. For e.g., you have many things to do, out of which you chose to read a chapter or complete a lecture. Then you start and work until the work is completed or you are mentally exhausted, at the same time satisfied for progress.
HOW TO SCHEDULE TIME
So, you know what kind of person you are and now the main problem comes. You have made your to-do list. You know how you are going to study but you don't have the time. We have school, tuition and many other responsibilities, that the day ends and we are not able to do anything.
Here are Tips to schedule your day,
Edit your to-do list. More specifically, you know your attention span, and the time you have for studies and thus you should make the task list accordingly. Why do you have to make a list imagining the best-case scenario? Instead, determine the number of things you can complete in a day and then edit your to-do by prioritising the important tasks.
Bring the time out. This tip is very essential because here you have to make study time during the busy day. Do you have a gap between school and tuition or between any evening classes and dinner? If yes then use this time effectively. If the time is around 2hrs relax for an hour but then study in the next. There are many such gaps you may find in your day. Whether you study in them or not utilize them.
Next, if are you a morning/night person then you can get a longer session here. If you say you are somewhere in the morning-night person then test your current mood of morning/night. Also, try multiple routines and then stick to the most convenient one.
EXCEPTIONS
Some of you with good attention spans might want to practise flowtime but the problem is that the gaps which are there during the day are so small to practice flowtime. For e.g., you got a 30min time to study and you have to read a lesson and then break the task, in this case, decide the subtopic of the lesson you will be reading.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you found it helpful.
P.S. I made an Instagram account, Follow me - https://www.instagram.com/accio_productivity/?next=%2F
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aurelion-cerulean · 2 years
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We all know that S5 is going to be going back to its roots. It's supposed to emulate S1 from what we have been told.
But what does that actually look like?
I think three big things:
Run Times and Episode Count
There has been debate on the number being either 8 or 9 (1&3 were 8, 2&4 were 9). I considered 10 as a new rounded number to finish it off, but then I realized that 8+9+8+9+8=42.
If you’re new here, 42 is the secret to the universe in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe. It’s big sci-fi nerd stuff. So I can’t pass up this opportunity. Also the first season is 8 episodes, and since they are trying to return to that Season 1 vibe, this would make sense to me.
Also. 42 is divisible by 7, and 7 is tied to Will. If Will is the MC for season 5, then this just helps strengthen the choice.
Averaging at 86 min per ep, S4 was a monster. If we take out eps 7,8,&9 (1.5 roughly, 1.5hr, 2.5hr), the average is a beautiful 73min per episode. S1 was 50min on average. Better yet, S2 and S3 were also about 55min on average. If we look at run times alone. S4 says that it's 9 episodes but if we compare the average times... S4 when compared to S1 has (roughly) 6 episodes worth of content. So S4 is like 15 episodes in a trench coat trying to pass itself off as 9.
Goodness.
We know that they, the creators, want the episodes to be shorter (possible if everything is in Hawkins and no new information really has to be established). We also know that the last episode is going to be 2hrs, or so they say, as the grand finale. I really don’t think that they will be able to drop down to 50 min again. Regardless of the information they need to include. After the spectacle of S4, they need to GO BIG. And I don't just mean the two hour finale.
I suspect that this season is going to be brilliant in cinematography, horror, and effects. It's going to make you sit on the edge of your seat in awe. AND it has to be a good story ending.
I think that the average episode time will be 60min + the 2hr finale. It lets them drop down in time, and gives them the room for the spectacle. It also doesn't highlight just how much of a monster S4 was in terms of time. IDK but having that season as this big outlier in time per ep, feels strange. IDK if they care, but I wouldn't want one of my seasons to stick out like a sore thumb like that.
2. Return to the Small Town Horror
Now, this show has been scary the entire way through. We've had monsters and unknowns, but in some way it hasn't felt the same as S1. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this, but I knew, going into S4, that El would save the day. The question was about how. Not so much if or who. I also knew that the main cast would live.
Both of these things need to be established early on as NOPEs in order to really make S5 scary. We need to really feel that the characters can die (not just us panicking out here on social media thinking it, because they said no new characters). We also need to see that El can't just simply power up and we'll be good. She tried and failed. But she wasn't ready. So she powers up again. She still needs to fail. Why? Because we expect her to win and this time that's not how it works. (I have a whole thing on Defeating Vecna specifically, and the thematics of the Upside Down, that explain that I think this will be more of a rejection of ideologies.)
This season is going to need to feel close, crawl-up-your-skin-breath-on-the-back-of-your-neck scary. It's going to need to replicate the S1, "what the heck is going on?" And the, "No! The Monster! It's right there," scary. Now, how do we do that when we already have all the cards on the table? I have a few ideas of how they can achieve that (but I need to double check S1 first).
3. Single Narrative Focus
Note that this ties into point 2.
In S1 it was "find Will." Well, Nancy was off doing her Nancy thing, but for the others it was Find Will. By S4 we had: get Hopper, Find El, Figure out Vecna (and that's simplifying it). And really, in S2 and S3 we slowly turned this way from the single narrative to this complex narrative. It was an evolution outwards as the world expanded, and it's not bad, but we did get a lot.
However, now everyone is back in Hawkins. The return to the single narrative is EASY. They're all in Hawkins. The villain is Vecna. There are no if-ands-or-buts about it. We know who he is, why he is, how he is, and where he is. All the questions? Answered.
The issue is this: now what?
Everyone is together. How do we split them up when they know that's the wrong choice? Reasonably speaking, there is no reason for them to do this. They don't need to investigate (they know the villain). They don't need to figure out where he is (there is a whole cloud over Hawkins). They are already unified as a group, physically.
Note that I say physically. I've said this before. I will say it again. They are not unified mentally. Will? Used El as a proxy for his feelings. Mike and El? On the rocks. Νancy and Jonathan? Haven't spoken to each other about their issues. Dustin just saw Eddie die. Max is in a coma. Lucas watched that happen. Joyce and Hopper just arrived but they don't really know what's going on. Murray is Murray. Steve just dropped that infobomb in Nancy's hands and was like "deal with this as you will." Robin is probably the only one chill.
They are the furthest from unified as a group, mentally, as they could be. It's for this reason that I actually think that the focus of this season will not be "destroy Vecna" but rather "unify." With Vecna being the embodiment of rejection, isolation, and fear (see my Upside Down write up), the only way to combat that is to face their demons and come together as a group mentally too. Fighting separately for the same goal is not good enough. Not for this fight.
It's really funny because in most of the seasons I'll yell at the screen like "JUST TALK." Because if they just shared information lol. So many issues would be solved. Guess what? S4 Vecna squad does that. Nancy still does go off on her own to follow up on a lead, but ultimately, they do talk about everything. From the beginning, they are unified front in that regard. Things are working right, but they still fail because it's not the whole group.
Big horror trope? Person who goes off alone dies? Good thing our main cast hasn't done that before and almost died... very strange that it is a theme of this show too. Almost like, they shouldn't be operating solo, or running off on their own. Almost like they need to be unified every single season for things to work in the end. And just maybe. Maybe. This season, they need to see eye to eye and face their demons and support each other as they do that. IDK. Maybe that's a reach.
Sarcasm aside, I think that S5 will be about them coming together and solving the problem as a full team, but that also means that people are going to have to face themselves and their personal internal struggles. And with Vecna's reach pretty much everywhere, I wouldn't be surprised that we get more visions by the others, seeing things and then having to face their emotions regarding those things. AND then getting the support of the group, as they do so. They don't have to get over the feelings, but they will see that they're not alone and that they don't have to face it alone. That they don't have to be scared alone. (How many times do I need to repeat alone? Vecna is the embodiment of acting solo. In order to defeat his ideology, they can't do what he does.)
I think they'll be split up again, but not by their own choice. Something will happen, probably due to miscommunication, and then the party is split and has to come back together. They will do so, and whatever things they were hiding will be said, because they can't risk not saying it. They can't risk not facing it. Not when the big bad is on the horizon and there might not be another chance.
But at the end of the day, the monster is no longer in the dark and no longer hiding in the scary place. It is where everyone can see and they have to face it openly. (If that's not the biggest symbolism HERE I AM neon light. IDK what is.)
Now this, in my mind, can be done through the horror tropes (see point 2) and fear. Visions, monsters, etc. Getting them to talk and understand each other. I need to think about this a lot more to really see how I think it could be done, but there is a good possibility of this with pacing, tension, lighting, and music.
These are the three things I think we can expect from that return to S1 comment by the creators. I'll be back later with a better idea of the horror tropes and how they might be used to make things scary this season when we already know what lurks in the dark. Or, if someone else wants to... Tag me! I want to see!
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velvetsgigs · 2 months
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Bring Me the Horizon - 21/01/24
next gen tour in the o2 arena, london
i went to this gig alone and i was pretty nervous since it was a rather big venue. i was up seated in the stands but it gave me a really good view of everything!! unfortunately the view allowed me to see one of the deadest crowds i had ever seen.
for a gig with pretty heavy music, you would expect more movement from the crowd. in the section i was, i could hear myself when i sung along to the songs - i wasn’t screaming either, i was actually rather quite. there were only a handful of people in my section who actually got up and danced - i’m so glad people got up tho cause for the first song everyone was just there sitting like 😐😐.
but enough about the crowd!!!
the music!! the band!! absolutely amazing omg!!
i might be biased as they‘ve been one of my favourite bands since they started high school - i remember reading percy jackson and listening to “diamonds aren’t forever” in my free lessons. the set list was amazingly put together, opening with Darkside and finishing the encore off with Throne, and of course we got classics like Can You Feel My Heart, Obey, Shadow Moses and Drown. i will say that the music felt a little quiet but i was further away than i am usually am and i was against the wall so i suppose that can block some sound. (idk if that’s a real thing lol i might sound really stupid saying that)
the band themselves were breathtaking though - yes breathtaking, i can’t believe oli skyes is real that man is BEAUTIFUL. the stage presence was through the roof, and i was pretty close to the roof so i would know. oli knows how to work a crowd, although i think he seemed a bit disappointed by the lack of movement in the pit. there was multiple times he yelled for people to move more, and i know artists do this all the time but he did it A LOT, he also called the crowd pussies after their mosh pit lol. however if there were injuries, people needing water or anyone who needed to get out of the crowd for safety reasons, he was quick to point it out and get security to help them out.
i’ll stop yapping (typing) soon but only after i talk about merch!!
i skipped the long ass line to get merch right outside the o2 - here’s a little hack for u - there’s a shop on the second level, if u head up the escalator by the weatherspoons there’s a shop to the left with a plain blue sign that reads “Merch Shop” they have merch from a bunch of artists but they will also have tour merch there for whoever is performing. the stock is lower so i do recommend trying to get there earlier but it’s usually empty there so if you head over like 2hrs before the gig u should be able to grab some merch without waiting for an hour in that queue.
unfortunately i did get there pretty late and they had sold out of the tour shirts (i went on a hinge date before this that lasted longer than i thought it would lol my bad - dude was cute though). they did however only have my size left in the grey zip-up jacket which is what i had my eye on so it was a sign that i had to drop that much money on it. it was £80- i don’t wanna talk about my bank account- it is so comfy though!! it’s fleece and soft af on the inside and the print on it is very pretty. it’s got the bands name on the front, patterns down the sleeve and graphic covering the whole back. i’m gonna live in that jacket until i buy more over priced merch - and then i will live in that lol. i may have a spending problem.
anyways!! this post is hella long so i’ll stop now but if you did read all of this for some reason then ty!! i appreciate it 🤭 decided to do this silly little blog thing about the gigs i can to so i can look back at it at some point and reminisce lol. ❤️‍🩹
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nintendochoi · 3 years
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I have an episode and a half of The Queen's Gambit to watch. Today was slow at work so I finally was like "I'll just have it on while I work on emails" I got 10 min in and then the boss's wife came in 🙃
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moonlitsnail · 2 years
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#personal again#i think my therapist may have outlived her usefulness to me#im tired of her denying everything i tell her#i say 'i have trouble taking medication daily bc if i miss a day the container becomes invisible and i forget abt it entirely'#i know its not literal-but ive talked with her abt this before like if it stays the same for too long it gets added to the bg#and she says 'bs its still visible-you just dont WANT to take it'#LIKE!!!!!! WOW HOW HELPFUL!!!!!!! THANKS FOR YOUR PERFECT ADVICE I CAN TAKE EVERY MED PERFECTLY NOW!!!!#i was telling her abt my executive dysfunction a few weeks ago and she looked me dead in the eyes and said 'well ur not paralyzed so obvi u#just dont want to do anything' like wow okay#clearly all i WANT to do is sit around and stare at the wall huh? that sounds like a gr8 time and not like ive had to pee for the last 2hrs#and any time i even mention anything gender related she goes straight to invalidating me#mentioned it offhand today and she tried to pull some bs biology argument on me--im not having it!!#it took me so many years to figure out what fits me best and makes me feel comfortable im not gonna sit here and take that#idk she helped me get to a doctor so good on her for that but like everything else i want to work on (dissociation-adhd-gender-etc)#she just denies and moves on--and the kicker is i brought that up as a worry for mentioning physical symptoms to my dr#and she was like 'well if they do that then fire them' and im like hm should i take this advice abt a certain someone else maybe....#idk im frustrated with her rn--very frustrated
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alegzandryan · 3 years
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Prepping for a Ritual
So since I am doing these things as we speak I thought I would go through some ritual things that I find useful, for anyone that feels overwhelmed or unprepared for ritual work. I know tumblr and tiktok have pushed a lot of easy jar spells on us, but there really is something more to a ritual setting, even a simple one. And as it goes without saying, this is my personal idea of a guide and everyone is entitled to their own opinion and practice.
Get your supplies ready the day before the ritual. ESPECIALLY if you are going outside/somewhere outside your home. Collect all the things you will need and put them together. This will give you a day to remember all the things you forgot before it's time, instead of in the middle of your ritual
Choose what you are going to wear the day before, too. Some people take aesthetic very seriously but others dont. Either way, give some thought to what you are wearing. Is that crystal necklace good for what you are doing? Are those pants comfortable enough to sit for 30 minutes in? Comfortability is just as important as presentation for ritual, so dont wear that corset that hurts you after 15 minutes. You will need to focus on more important things.
Foot wear is also super underrated. Are you hiking 10 minutes into the forest to find a ritual spot? Wear boots. Are you in your house and want to go barefoot? Make absolutely sure you are not going to step on a ritual tool and make yourself bleed, or curse to some gods about the existence of legos in the middle of your ritual
Make some stuff for a cleansing/power bath. I usually assemble ingredients and things day before, then go to bed, and do a quick ritual bath before the actual ritual. Steep a hair rinse or charm a fancy body wash before hand so you dont have to focus on that spell, too.
Do a tarot reading/your preferred divination, before bed the day before you do a ritual. It can be quick or extensive, it doesnt matter. But it can be good to get some guidance before you are gearing up for a spell or ritual, and have some time to think about it before you are minutes away from it.
Prepare food and water, once again especially if you are going outside. Rituals can take a lot out of you depending on what you are doing, and food and drink are very easy and quick ways to help ground yourself if you are shaky or need help coming back to a relaxed state. If you are struggling, boiling pasta or microwaving stuff is the last thing on your mind, or maybe even your ability. So have some fruit snacks or granola bars or cookies or something-- easy to take and easy to eat-- with you. Trust me, this is more important than a lot of people realize. It's a good after-ritual practice and one you should be ready for
Think about your intent and purpose. Set aside some time day-before to do this, maybe 30 min to 1 hr I would say. Maybe make an entry in your BOS if you are the journaling type. This serves 2 functions: one is to charge your intent before the spell. It will give you more oomph and precision in your spell casting, or more prepared behavior if you are speaking to gods. Think about what you want to ask them, what you want them to know, how much respect you should give them, or what they may ask of you. What are you willing to do for them, and what are you not?
The second function is that it gives you time to back out of something. Not all spells are meant to be cast, and especially not if you are in a high emotion before it. Give yourself a day to prepare, an hour to think over, why am I doing this? SHOULD I be doing this even? There is nothing wrong with changing your mind. Doing things impulsively in magic isn't typically beneficial to the caster most of the time. Think through potential consequences, too. How could it back fire? How could it go right but in the wrong way? Is there a better way to get what you want? Can you add a caveat, or a time limit on the spell? Are you using parts of a closed practice and not really thought about it before now?
If you are doing spell work in the out-of-your-house-space-land, even if it is just like, in your appartment parking lot, the park down the street or even your own backyard, make sure someone somewhere knows about it. I know not everyone is out of the broom closet, but even if you just have to tell your friends you are stargazing or something, make sure SOMEONE knows and has a check in time for you. There are creeps and terrible people everywhere, and not to spook anybody, but doing magic can often attract animals or any assortment of beings who want to watch/investigate you. I have been given a heart attack by a baby antelope at dawn before. I have also been given a heart attack by a forest spirit asking wtf I was doing there. I know it doesnt exactly feel witchy to have your cellphone crammed in your waistband, but trust me, better safe than sorry. Be it humans or otherwise, doing magic in the dark in total secret is just not realistic to your safety. Take someone with you and have them wait in the car or around the corner if you can. Once again, make sure someone, somewhere, has a set time to call or come get you in, incase you get kidnapped or fae-napped. Your wellbeing is a much higher priority than any magic spell.
Also familiarize yourself with nearby wildlife. Even if you are in the city, check out what raccoon eyes look like in flashlight, or maybe if your suburb is prone to stray cats or dogs. Check out a rabies registry as well, so you know what kind of risk you are looking at around such animals. Rabid animals are actually more prone to being unafraid of human contact and will readily let a person touch them. Do NOT interact with wild animals. No, they are not a sign or a gift from your god. Most animals are curious about magic in general, but that doesnt make them not wild. Do not interact. If you are in a less populated space, you should also check out what kind of wild life is native to your area and how dangerous they are. Deer will startle themselves into you like getting hit by a BMW and bears and cougars can be active day or night, as well as Bobcats, snakes, or coyotes. Check out your local wildlife center for advice on how to handle what lives in your area
(Last outdoors advice, I promise) also check out what kind of myths and legends existed on the land you are on, ESPECIALLY if you live in north america. Knowing who's land you are on should be important to your practice anyway, and knowing what kind of creatures may be out there may save you some distress later. Indigenous cultures should be respected, and their tales can tell you what's around your area. And I dont care where the hell you live, if you hear whistling in the darkness/forests, it is one of several things coming to get you and none of them are good. Get gone and DONT whistle back. Or at all. No whistling guys. Bad.
For indoor rituals, make sure you wont be disturbed. Much like meditation, rituals are very dependent on focus and intent. Interruptions can mess with your outcome.
More indoor advice, checkout your lighting and ventilation well before you do your ritual. For instance, my altar is in a walk in closet-- there is no way in hell I am burning 4 candles and an incense in that room. I would have to do it in my living room or bedroom where there are windows, or find a way to eliminate the candles. Is the room dark enough to fit your ritual? Is it light enough that you can read your notes? (also make notes/write up a copy of the spell, it helps so much) Make sure you have enough light to see what you are doing properly.
I am a big advocate of "do not over cleanse your life, stop over cleansing" however, if that is something you do a lot of, make sure all your tools and whatnot are cleansed and prepared day before. You can shave a 2hr ritual down to 30 min if you get all of your prep work done day before, which is nice. And it once again gives you time to say "shit I forgot that one thing I need to cleanse" an hour later and still not interrupt your ritual because it is day before.
If you are an of-legal-age type person and doing some drug/alcohol part of your magic, make double sure you have food, water, and a buddy system. You may not need a designated driver if you aren't going out of your house, but you still need a designated sober person to make sure you dont like, astral travel out of your body and get replaced with a pod person, or get hurt trying to cast a circle with a ritual knife while high. Know your limits well before you use them in ritual and, I cannot emphasize this enough, have a friend to keep you under scrutiny incase something goes wrong and you need help.
If you are having the OTHER kind of must-be-of-age type of ritual, be sure your partner is well informed. Maybe have a dress rehearsal so you are both on the same page about mechanics and consent. Speed run through the general timing and motions, and talk about what each of you expect to get out of the ritual. Is it for bonding? Or are you using the energy to try to charge something? Is it for fertility? Are you both good to have ritualized sex (I know that seems like an obvious question, but you would be surprised by how many partners clam up about sexual things to try to not disappoint their partner). If you are a witch and your partner is not, be sure they know what to expect, and that they 100% want to do it even though it's not necessarily their practice and not just to be a people pleaser. If you havent done anything like this before either, tell them that, too. Honestly is 100% required here
And lastly, keep your cool. It's easy to get over excited or over anxious about this kind of thing, but honestly with a little prep time you have a high change of doing awesome. And even if you dont? That's okay too. Everyone makes mistakes, we all learn from those mistakes, and every single experience you acquire will level you up until you are the best at being you. Do what feels right, trust your gut, do some reading, and keep calm and witchy on.
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Ocean Eyes - Part 3
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A/N - Just a small update, im sorry if its bad but it was written after 2hrs sleep! 😂💕💕
It was finally Friday! I had finished my shift at the coffee shop and collected Mason from preschool. He was telling me all about his day happily chatting away as i drove us home, It was only a ten minute drive from the preschool so we were soon parking up out front.
"So what do you want for dinner tonight bud?" I asked as we walked from the car to the front door.
"Pizza!!"
"Pizza? Really?"
"Pleaseeee mom?"
"Fine!" I chuckled shaking my head at how happy he looked, the boy loved his pizza, and how could i say no to that face!
"Hey neighbours!"
I rolled my eyes and internally cursed at the voice of my next door neighbour Brian. The guy honestly creeped me out, Hannah was convinced he had a thing for me, the thought alone made my stomach turn!
"Hey Brian" i gave him tight lipped smile to be polite but carried on toward the house, i just wanted to get me and Mason inside.
"How are my favourite neighbours?"
"We're fine, thank you"
"So um...Y/N, a few of us are getting together tomorrow for a BBQ.... you and Mason should come"
"Sorry Brian, we have plans with some friends tomorrow" i lied, there was no way in hell i'd accept an invitation from him.
"Oh ok, no problem. Maybe some other time...?"
"I gotta get inside and sort out dinner, Mason's hungry. Have a nice time at your BBQ" i said quickly as i unlocked the door getting Mason inside first, i rushed in behind him huffing out a sigh of relief that i was away from Brian.
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Mason was sitting down on the sofa watching a show about space and eating some fruit while i cleaned up a little in the living room and kitchen, i was running late this morning so didn't have time to do it until now. I had decided i'd order the pizza around 5pm being as Mason tended to stay up later on a Friday night. Just as i was finishing up in the kitchen my cell started ringing, i already knew it would be Hannah she called around this time most days.
"Hey"
"Hey, so im thinking we need to go out"
"Okayyyy random" i chuckled wiping down the counter and tossing the dishcloth on the side "why?"
"Because we both need to find a man!
Y/N we deserve some fun!"
"Things with Damien didnt work out i take it?"
"No, his a jackass! Come on please? Next week?? My mom already said she'd watch the boys"
"I don't know Han, you know i don't really date....i definitely don't hook up"
"But maybe you'll meet someone nice who you can get to know and eventually it could lead to something.... you dont have to hook up with anyone. We just need a girls night out, a night where we're just Y/N and Hannah and not mom"
"Can i think about it?"
"Sure! As long as your answer is YES!"
She said loudly making us both laugh.
"Fine! I'll go out if it makes you happy"
"Oh my god we're gonna have so much fun!!"
"I don't know about that! The last time we went out drinking together we were in a bar fight because you made out with some girls boyfriend!"
"Haha good times! How was i to know he had a girlfriend?"
"Your trouble Han" i shook my head thinking back at how wild she was before becoming a mom. We soon said our goodbyes and i went to join Mason on the sofa while i ordered our pizza.
Just as i was about to lock my phone once i was done i noticed the little notification on my messages indicating that i had a new message.
Unknown: Hey Y/N, its Chris.
Can we talk?
Y/N: About what??
Chris: I was hoping maybe we could talk in person....
Y/N: I don't think thats a good idea Chris.
Chris: oh.... well this is kinda awkward.... im outside
Are you fucking kidding me?!!
I said loudly in my head as i got up and went over to the window. There he was sitting in his car parked behind mine on the drive looking down at the phone in his hands, probably waiting for my reply.
"Mace? Im just going out to the car bud i wont be long okay?"
"Uh huh" he replied without even looking away from the TV.
As soon as i opened the front door Chris's car door opened and he got out quickly giving me a nervous smile.
"Thank you for coming to talk to me"
"What are you doing here Chris?" I asked as i looked through the front window making sure i could keep an eye on Mason.
"I wanted to apologise, for how i treated you, how i ended what we had.... i know i was a huge asshole. I just want you to know that im nothing like that guy anymore...."
"Thats great Chris, really. Because that guy was a careless, selfish son of a bitch"
"I know" he nodded sadly "i wish i could go back and make better choices. Take back the things i said to you.... Y/N the biggest regret of my life is that i lost you. You were my best friend.... my wife...." he shook his head "i didn't know what i had until you were gone"
"You couldn't have missed me that much" i scoffed "its taken you almost 6 years to come see me, i haven't heard from you once in all that time"
"I was ashamed of myself"
"Ok" i nodded "well thanks for coming by to clear that up but i have to go..."
"Scott told me" Chris called from behind me as i headed back inside "about Mason" he added, i froze on the spot feeling my heart start to race at hearing those words.
"He what??!" I spun around to face him with wide eyes, i was internally cursing Scott to hell!
He told Chris about Mason???
"He told me he came to see you, found out you have a son...."
"what is it with you two just showing up at my house unannounced and uninvited??"
"I knew if i asked to come see you you'd say no"
"You're right i would. It doesn't change anything just because you know about Mason"
"I know i just...." he shook his head as he searched for the right thing to say.
"You don't need to feel guilty, like you have to be here now you know, we've managed fine without you for this long"
"What?.... what do you mean by that?"
He asked taking a few steps towards me, it was at that moment i realised he didn't know Mason was his son.... shit!
"Y/N.... is Mason my son??" Chris asked as his chest heaved from how heavy he was suddenly breathing as he processed this new information.
"I thought... you... you said Scott told you all about Mason...."
As if on cue the front door opened and Mason appeared holding my ringing cell phone. I heard a gasp escape Chris's mouth as he looked down at Mason, at the little boy who was a spitting image of him.
"Mom your phone keeps ringing" he said holding my cell phone out to me.
"Thank you baby" i quickly looked to see it was my mom calling and sent it to voicemail, i'd call her later.
"You wanna come inside? I guess we need to talk" i said looking back at Chris who was stood with tears in his eyes, he nodded quickly not taking his eyes off of Mason and followed us inside.
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Everything taglist: @jesseswartzwelder @dumblani @barnesandrogersworld @patzammit @rynabarnesrogers-reading
Ocean eyes: @supraveng @michelehansel @katiew1973 @denisemarieangelina @mrsjeffwittek @mery-be @marvelfansworld @cmalass @capstopavenger @fallenoutofrose @kelbabyblue @biebsmylife95 @loser-alert @traceyaudette @w3lissax (if your name is crossed out it wouldnt let me tag you 😞).
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envyseastudio · 3 years
Text
Hey guys! Just wanted to chat for a bit about what's going on, plans for the future, etc. It will probably end up being a bit of a ramble but here we go.
I've been kind of frustrated and burnt out with my pottery. At first I thought I was just having repeated bad throwing days. Or I would throw things but never bring myself to trim them in time and they would be too dry so I'd scrap them (hoo boy my reclaim bucket is chuck full right now...).
After talking with my therapist a couple weeks ago it became apparent that I was actually slipping into depression. My family has a history of Seasonal Affective Disorder. So with the cold weather and shortening days, on top of the stress of being an "essential worker" for this entire pandemic I was running myself into the ground and falling behind on way more aspects in my life than just pottery.
I've started taking some meds again and am slowly catching up on other areas of my life (house work, socializing, dog walking, etc) but that hasn't really resolved some of the frustrations and things I've been struggling with.
My last kiln load was a mess. I was so excited about the sgrifitto plates and tumblers I made but they've been sitting in a box in my car for a month now. I haven't even bothered or bring them inside because somehow I managed to not glaze the inside of 3 out of 6 of the tumblers I made. Which means they can't be used for food and are glorified vases or pencil holders. A fair number of my glazes also crawled and didn't behave as intended, nor did the Mason stain washes turn out like I wanted.
It was really disheartening and leaves me in a place where I need to reevaluate my glazes and glazing process.
A couple other things I've been struggling with pottery wise have been trimming my pieces, and making handles for mugs. So this week I ordered a couple new tools. A clay gun so I can extrude even coils for snake mug handles, and this foot trimming tool to maybe cut down on some of the time I spend trimming my pieces.
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One of my goals for next year is to be able to offer commissions for snake and cat mugs. But in order to do that I really need to polish my creative process to make it more time efficient for me and consequently more economical for prospective customers.
For instance, those cat espresso cups took 2hrs a piece to paint (espresso cups, not full size mugs may I remind you). That doesn't include the throwing, trimming, and forming of the face+tail-handles. Snake mugs take a lot of time with creating the colored clay and then forming the handles and body of the snake. It's also pretty messy and needs clean up and texturing added once it dries more. Lots of steps.
I have an idea of what the current market is for mugs, and what I'd like to charge. But I also need to make that worth my time otherwise in order to compete with the market I will be underselling my labor, which means I need to streamline my process.
Anyway, if you've made it this far, thanks for listening. I am almost to 500 followers on this blog and intend to do a giveaway in the New Year to celebrate. So stay tuned for that. And thanks for listening to me ramble, I hope some of you enjoyed a little behind the scenes.
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crybabytoy59 · 4 years
Text
My begging letter reply...
I opened the letter attached to the box my hands shaking the whole time,opening the folded pink paper the page coming into view I read it...
Very well done Babyslave, that was a lovely Begging Letter you wrote so
given your genuine feelings we are going to let you visit us for a long weekend
so the following dates You will choose one to serve us as our “Babyslave”
01/05....07/05...14/05....
Once you give us Our weekend date you Will use what’s in this box as described With No Exceptions ! This part is Not up for negotiations, as we will
be checking that Our Toy is Obedient. You will Not be given a Safeword & will be at our Will as to how Your Training & Punishment are given (We will not harm you permanently or leave any lasting damage, other than the inevitable mental
Tormented harm that we are guessing you can pull upon later when you feel the “Need within”....
Now open the box.....Babyslave !
Still reading the line over “You will not be given a Safeword” my mind now racing over the prospect of this type of Dominant Control, something I had always fantasised over but the thought of actually submitting to this ?
So I lifted my small knife cutting the box open.
Inside the box was a pink pvc dress with white frilly hem and at the cuffs to the arms, over the chest was a heart shaped panel surrounded by the same white frills, in this was a cartoon character of Winnie the Pooh ! Next was a large pink disposable with Fairy prints on it, pvc see through pants they also had Winnie the Pooh bear front & rear, white Mary Jane socks and pink booties, a tube of hair removal cream, a rubber ring with balls on it ? some sort of powdered drink.
Also there was two gift cards one was for a hairdresser, the other was for a natural health shop.
Now getting excited over looking at the items from the box I found myself getting excited about the prospect of serving them both, looking at the dates I found the first date was perfect as I had No plans that weekend.
So excited I messaged them my date...a reply came back ...
That’s perfect Babyslave..Now book both appointments for the Friday morning they are close together so allow 2hrs for both so you will be Finnished for 10am,
after done you Will message us for instructions.Take your Dress ect in a back pack with you so they are ready.
We look forward to seeing you for your Obedience Training weekend Babyslave.
The next week dragged on but finally the Thursday came at 7pm I was.  Instructed to use the cream to remove all my hair feet to neck, the smell was not very nice but 30 mins later after a shower I stood completely void of hair !
A message came that I was to go straight to bed with No supper only my usual hot milk and honey.....in my terry Nappy & rubber pants with My pink baby doll nightie on....I was allowed to wet if I found the need but No poopies ! As usual No Cummies (It had been six weeks now with no relief Only frustration over the Pictures they sent me each day to look at teasing me endlessly at work at home they would come ..Pictures of sissy bondage Abdl art ect...
Friday morning I removed my soaking wet Nappy showered then headed with my back pack to the hairdresser.
On arrival I handed the girl my gift card “Hi you must be Tina’s friend, follow me please” the petite girl led me to a chair “Sit here Carla will be with you in a moment” as I sat nervously an older girl appeared behind me smiling “Hi am Carla nice to meet you” she put a black cover around my neck tied it on then pushed my head forward “Keep still please” I heard buzzing then felt the shaver on my head removing my hair not some of it All of it ! She shaved my head Bald then foam razor shaved it completely !..I sat stunned as she had not asked me anything just simply shaved me bald 👩‍🦲....
“There we go that ok for you ?” I smiled politely saying yes thank you, Carla smiled back “would you like some softness balm ? It’s free !” Again stammering slightly I spoke Emm’err yes thank you...Carla put some clear oil on her hands then started massaging it into my head her finger felt so good softly massaging my Now baud head she poke again “Tilt your head back for me.....(she rubbed my forehead & temples) Just a bit further back please” I forced my neck to arch back fully as she slowed the massaging even further ! It was pure heaven, then it struck me the oil was Baby Oil ! The distinct smell encircling my head invading My nostrils.
She tilted my head back up “That we Go Babe that’s you soft as a baby’s bottom” I went slightly red at her comment but she removed the apron then turned the chair to allow me to get up “Thanks for using us hope we will get to see you as a regular customer, you enjoy your weekend”
With that she walked away, I went out the shop the cool air hitting my newly shaved head felt strange but nice.
As they had told me the health shop was only a few minutes away, as I entered an assistant greeting me I gave Over the voucher “That’s lovely come this way” I followed her as we entered a room there was a bench with a raised bit it had a towel over it.  A girl in a uniform came into the room “Hi my name is Dee am going to give you your treatments today, have you had a colonics treatment before ?” I was totally stunned as I was under the impression I was having a mineral skin treatment not an internal treatment !
Stammering I told her no this was a first...she smiled warmly telling me it was very relaxing to have done and that I would feet great after the treatment.
She gave me a white gown then told me to just remove my clothes and lay over the raised part of the bed with my hips tummy down.
When she came back it was with a cart, lifting my gown she put a towel over my lower back, then gently patted My thighs “pull your legs up slightly & shoulder width apart please”.
This now made me feel very vulnerable & a tad embarrassed, as I thought this treatment was done on your back ? What did I know....”just relax am going to put a tube inside you Ok ?” I nodded then felt cold lube as the tube entered me, she inflated a ballon then I felt warm fluid enter me, but not filling Me it was going back out, just a light constant pressure...In fact it felt very nice.
She told me to relax & enjoy it as the treatment took around 45 minutes then she left the room, embarrassing as it was I fell asleep ! It was just so relaxing...
Dee returned simply removing the tube and wiped me down “That’s you I will leave you to Get dressed, just watch standing up as the treatment will make you feel light headed, did you enjoy it?” Yes Dee it was so relaxing thank you...
I got dressed lifted my backpack thanked her again & left feeling like I was floating!l
No sooner was I out the shop when I got a message “Ok now walk to Mac Donalds go to the bathroom & put on your nappy, pants, dress, tights...put your clothes back on with the Top of the dress neckline showing out of the top of your Tee Shirt then walk back towards the park, we will send you directions from there...Hurry Up Babyslave Don’t Keep us waiting!”
I went into the restaurant toilet stripping to put on my Baby attire! Once I was
dressed the walk to the park had me walking face down as I was sure everyone was looking at the white frilly rubber coming out of my Tee Shirt neck !
At the park a txt came “Well Done.. now go to the car park you will see a black van in the corner go to the side door face the bushes & Stand Completely Still”
As I walked to the van I felt myself swelling up inside the disposable Nappy ! But worse was the rubber ring with the balls around it at my scrotum was keeping the flow of blood from returning & I was now hard as a rock !! Turning to face the bushes my heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest !
The van door opened & I felt myself being pulled backwards “Close your eyes Babyslave Do Not Open them no Matter what Happens!”
As I was pulled backwards my coat was being removed then hearing the door slide shut,  I felt my trousers Being unfastened followed by my T-shirt Being removed !  “Clever girlie Babyslave look at you” a hood was being pulled over my head “Open Wide!” A Dummy was put into my mouth through the hole over my lips, this was quite large in size it felt like it was covered in small spikes ?Then I felt a head harness being pulled tightly on “Now Babyslave are you Wet ? (I shook my head) let’s just check (my plastic pants came down then my nappy tabs we’re removed & cool air hit my rear) “Clever girlie that’s just perfect, Now get on all fours & spread you’re leggies nice and Widespread..Clever girlie lift your tummy slightly cutie....(I felt a bench put under me then my legs cuffed apart, followed by my wrists being cuffed then pulled in front of me widely.
At this point I was aware the van was moving, she patted my rear then spoke “Just suckle on your Dummy Babyslave a wee short drive to a Quite location & we can prepare You for the trip home” she was sliding something up my shaft it was compressing my already engorged clitte ! The van came to a stop & the driver got into the back with her. I felt a large pair of hands lift my head as a strap was put to each chin from the belt over the small of my back holding me down...this had me whimpering as my head was forced into an unnatural backwards position ! I heard them both chuckle as she spoke to me..
“Now Babyslave were going to give you a wee taster of what’s in store for your Obedience Training This weekend, Off we Go !..Daddy...” I felt cold lib slide down the crack of my bum cheeks then someone straddling my widespread thighs !
She smiled at her husband as he squatted down lining up his member with the newly cleaned Fuck hole Dee had just cleaned in preparation! Only fifteen minutes ago Dee had messaged Mummy to tell her the treatment was done & they could message him. Now as she watched her hubby Very slowly enter there new Toy starting a slow rhythmic moment of fucking the spread eagle Sissy up the anal passage ! Mummy kissed his cheek..”Clever girlie Babyslave Remember Don’t Open your eyes As so far your being ever so Clever, aaaaww Daddy I can see tears forming...Big thrust now I think...(I could feel the first tears rolling down my face) Clever girlie Babyslave Open your eyes & look at me !” She was stunning even through tears I could see her leather clad figure !...
I had never been fucked by a man, I had fantasies about it but being straight I had never felt guy....but the humiliation of it did excite me....Now here I was Spread & being fucked as this gorgeous girl mocked me tears flowing from me freely now, I cried openly to her with a Deep want to give her my pent up tears..All of them held inside for so long struggled to get passed each other as they ran down my face in a race to be first to the floor of the van !
“Clever girlie Crybaby that’s the way....Big Deep Breath Now though as Daddy is going to Fuck You ever so Hard Now am Afraid !”
True to her word he suddenly took hold of the belt pounding my rear hard as I attempted to scream Mistress Mummy held me in a chocking Hold this muffled any sound I could make As he grunted out a climax Deep inside me !
But he was not the only one that had climaxed my seed was now in the tube over my clitte, as Mistress Mummy pulled it into a syringe...
“Look at this Master Daddy our Dirty wee Punishment Toy did a huge creammie for us ! Mistress Mummy was putting it to the dummy as I felt hot seed coming out of the wee spikes on the dummy teat !
“Clever girlie Crybaby suckle That Down !” I was undone from my position then had a maxi pad taped over my hole !! Then my nappy put back on followed by my pvc pants.They sat me in a chair cuffing my legs under me then my arms behind the seat. Mistress Mummy sat next to me, then Master Daddy drove Off heading home as we drove Mistress Mummy spoke to me “Crybaby Sweetheart can you feel Master Daddy’s gift oozing out Your Baby Fuck hole ?” She giggled as I nodded....”Don’t you fret though Pet as soon as we are home It’s Going To Be Mistress Mummy’s turn To abuse Her Toys fuck hole...Crybaby Your Going To Cry Real Tears then not these silly crocodile Tears here Pet !”......
Mistress Mummy lifted a small rubber hammer tapping the front of my Nappy she hit me with it over & over ....”Now Crybaby I want you to wet your Nappy before we get home...If You don’t I will Beat your down here until you Vomit, Ok Sweetheart?(I nodded) Clever girlie Crybaby Ok Off we go !” She hit me hard with the hammer...I could see Master Daddy smiling at her in the rear view mirror ! What had I gotten myself into.......
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and-it-freezes-me · 3 years
Text
Schemes Of Mice - Part 1
Schemes Of Mice is the first part of the What Happened In Lichmai series.
Title is from the poem To A Mouse by Robert Burns.
{Part 2} {Part 3}
Summary: Virgil Insmyre’s carefully planned road trip takes an unexpected turn for the worse, and he falls back on getting help from a strange pair of travellers.
Content: car trouble, hitchhiking, very loud music
Word count: 7,007
It was dark.
It was always dark. The light of the moon never made it down here, the stars never shone across his face.
It was dark, and it had been dark for longer than he wished to know.
-
Just because he didn’t like it when plans went wrong didn’t mean that it was the end of the world.
Those were the words that Virgil repeated to himself as the needle on the fuel gauge dipped ever so slowly below the red line, and still no petrol station came into sight.
He had thought he had planned this whole trip out down to the last detail. It was supposed to be easy: leave his hometown with his camera and the other essential things he couldn’t be without in his car, and have everything else sent by post to meet him when he arrived on the other side of the country to start his new life. He had spent hours upon hours planning the route he would take, carefully avoiding any cities with higher-than-average crime rates, selecting a few choice parks and monuments that he had always wanted to visit and photograph and sketching his route around that. He had checked the laws for every state he needed to drive through and made sure his old, navy blue car had been checked over at the garage no less than three times before he had left. Virgil had packed enough bottles of water to survive getting caught in a snowstorm and having to stay put for up to a week; he had packed enough dried food to sustain him just as long in an emergency; he had packed not only his weighted blanket but also a fluffy one he had impulse bought a few months back, a patchwork one his grandmother had made him when he was seven, and his sleeping bag, just in case he had to spend the night in the car. None of these things should be necessary, though, because he had made sure to check the weather forecasts for every town along his route, made sure that there were diners and motels and hotels and restaurants everywhere he planned to stop for the night.
He had made sure that he had his route entered not only into the GPS he had bought for the sole purpose of not getting lost when he had to go slightly outside of his comfort zone to get specific photos, but also into his phone, and drawn it out across several maps with a full notebook of times and directions. He had scheduled in an hour’s break for every four he spent driving to stretch his legs.
And he had definitely scheduled in petrol stations.
They were pencilled in at regular, carefully calculated intervals: he should never have gotten below three-quarters full.
And now he was coasting to a stop at the side of a dark road, the screen of his GPS filled with static.
“Stupid, overpriced, worthless junk,” he snarled, engaging the handbrake and tossing the useless system on top of the bag on the passenger seat. His phone was in the drinks holder, next to a very large, very empty coffee cup, but when he grabbed it to call… Anyone, really, he found that he had no signal. 
Virgil very nearly punched his steering wheel in frustration, then reminded himself that he still had another two days of driving to do and that the first aid kit in his glovebox, whilst expansive, would not magically fix his fingers when he inevitably broke them. Instead, he shook his phone roughly, hoping that by some miracle that would help it pick up a network.
It didn’t.
Instead, it completely.
“Fuck,” he commented eloquently. That was okay, though. Virgil made certain never to travel without a portable charger, and he made sure it was fully charged before he left whichever motel he stayed at in the mornings. Pulling it out of the top of the bag beside him, he plugged his phone into it and closed his eyes slowly.
He would count to five, open his eyes, wait for his phone to charge a little, and then call the nearest breakdown service he could.
One. Two. Deep breath in. Three, four, deep breath out. Five.
“Fuck!” The portable charger was out of juice - and Virgil had been certain he had charged it that morning. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!”
Okay, okay. This wasn’t the end of the world. The world wasn’t ending, he was just going to have to…
Okay, maybe it was the end of the world.
Virgil took another deep breath, and then another, and then a fourth just to make sure he still could. Reaching into his bag, he rooted around until he found his notebook and a pen, and flipped through to an empty page.
“Okay, okay… What’s happening, what’ve I got…” He muttered.
The problem, Virgil wrote.
Out of petrol on side of unfamiliar road at night 8pm
Should have passed petrol station > 1 hour ago - didn’t
Should be an hour from next motel
GPS broken + phone w/out battery or signal
Can’t figure out position on map
Individually, any of these seemed bad. Put together, Virgil was pretty sure he was going to get murdered by a roving serial killer. He jerked his hand through his purple bangs, then lowered his pen back to the paper.
Inventory
My camera set
Useless phone, map, GPS, laptop
Enough water + dried food for the week
Six clean changes of clothes
Two dirty changes of clothes
Three blankets + sleeping bag
Misc. house items including coffee machine + cactus
Okay, so he wouldn’t starve to death. Or freeze, especially given that the weather was supposed to be clement at the very least.
Solutions
Backtrack until civilisation found + get help
Haven’t seen a building in nearly 2hrs, would take all night
Walk along road until civilisation found + get help
Don’t know how long that’ll take
Don’t know what the road does / could get lost
Night - dangerous, unfamiliar place
He definitely didn’t want to be wandering around at night.
Wait until morning + follow road + get help
Means staying in car overnight
Less likely to get lost/murdered inside car than outside
It looked as though he was going to be sleeping in the car tonight. Chewing thoughtfully at the end of his pen, Virgil added one more bullet to his list.
Somebody might drive past + could help
Hitchhiking, of course, was a spectacularly horrible idea, and there was no way Virgil was going to attempt anything remotely like that - not with his phone out of action, and no friends to know where he was or report him missing, and in a strange place.
Virgil would really rather he didn’t get murdered today. Or any day, really. Getting brutally murdered was not how he would choose to go.
Hopefully, if somebody passed, they would be more inclined to help him than kill him. If he were really lucky, they might be the kind of person to carry extra petrol (why didn’t he do that? He should start doing that), or at least be willing to give him some of theirs if he paid them back. Maybe they could tell him where he was - or maybe they’d have a spare portable charger that he could buy off of them.
Virgil tried to ignore the fact that in the time that he had been driving down this long, seemingly unending road, he hadn’t seen a single other vehicle. There was no point in working himself up to a panic attack, not when he had a clear course of action now.
The fact that that course of action was to do nothing was beside the point.
Groaning, Virgil stretched his arms above his head and heard a series of pops as his back flexed (driving non-stop for almost a week wasn’t exactly doing him many favours, even with the breaks he had scheduled in). As he reached for the bag on the seat behind him, where he had stored a few of the water bottles and rations along with his blankets and sleeping bag, a wide yawn stretched his jaw. If there was a silver lining to this whole mess of a situation, it was the fact that he was being forced to get some rest now.
Well, what passed for rest. Virgil doubted he would sleep particularly soundly, even with his weighted blanket wrapped around his shoulders and his seat reclined back as far as it would go. Aside from the discomfort and the nagging worry that he was going to wake up to find a knife in his guts and somebody making off with his camera (both of which were good reasons to sleep fitfully), he needed to stay at least awake enough to be aware of any cars passing.
He could get out, could stand by the side of the road or sit on the bonnet. He’d be more awake that way, more aware, more responsive if anybody did drive past - but he’d also be more vulnerable to passing murderers and (he was reminded by a faint howl in the distance) whatever predators roamed the area.
Turning off the lights (he didn’t want to waste any more of the car’s battery than he already had), Virgil shifted briefly before turning on his side so that he was facing out of the car’s window, watching the road for headlights.
The clouds covering the sky shifted, and stars twinkled down at the quiet stretch of countryside. The moon rose.
It was peaceful. It could almost be considered pretty, if he weren’t one-hundred-percent aware that he was going to have to spend hours hiking tomorrow to find help.
The glow-in-the-dark hands of Virgil’s watch moved slowly around its face, and seconds dripped into minutes dripped into hours.
At least he was warm. At least he wasn’t hungry, at least he was free and safe and alone.
This would push his schedule back by at least a day, of course - but he should still arrive at his new flat sixteen days before his first day at his new job. That would give him plenty of time to get used to his surroundings, to make the walk between apartment and office several times over to make sure he wouldn’t get lost on the way, and to find a good place to get coffee when he didn’t want to be completely isolated.
Virgil still couldn’t quite believe that he had landed an entry-level position at Mary-Lee, Lee, and Co.. They were a fashion agency, one of the big ones, and there was no way they should have been looking at a twenty-year-old, only a year out of highschool (he had been held back a year before anyone had realised that his reluctance to participate in English classes had been dyslexia rather than laziness), with only a year’s crash-course in semi-professional photography to his name.
Of course, it wasn’t as though he wouldn’t get more training on the job - a lot more training - and he would probably be staying on the lowest rung on the company ladder for a very long time.
Virgil was thrilled.
It was the chance to be the one in charge of his own life, a chance to do what he loved rather than serving popcorn in a tacky movie theatre to pay for his photography course and his stupidly high rent, a chance to be free, a chance to disappear.
-
Virgil was jerked out of a light doze by what could only be described as the sound one would get if they gave a cat a chainsaw and told it to sing while it cut down a lamppost.
It was faint at first, faint enough that he wasn’t sure what had woken him. Then the small plastic spider he had taped to his dashboard started bobbing, and Virgil realised that the horrific noise must be something approaching. A car? Maybe? A car with the most horrible taste in music imaginable, and willing to play it at a stupid volume in the middle of - what time was it? He glanced at his watch - at two in the morning.
Well, if whoever it was was happy to announce their presence for miles around, they were probably going to be easy to track. He scribbled trying to attract attention of loud music people in his notebook (he was tired, it was the best he could come up with in a rush) and scrambled out of the car, turning on the headlights as he did. Anything to be seen, right? If he could just borrow somebody’s phone…
By the time the minivan was close enough to see, Virgil wanted to put his fingers in his ears: he had to ask how whoever was driving it wasn’t deaf already, or how they hadn’t been arrested yet. Instead, he took another long breath before sticking out an arm and waving it frantically, hoping that would be enough to get the driver’s attention.
It was.
There was a horrific screech that felt akin to a metal spike being driven into his brain, and Virgil almost crawled back into his car when the man driving leaned out of the open window to grin at him. His smile was so wide it seemed to split his face open like something out of a horror movie. There was a streak of white in his otherwise brown curls, he was waving at Virgil with both hands (one of which had a bandage wrapped around the palm, both of which looked smudgy with… ink?), and his wide eyes made him look ever so slightly unhinged. He had to be wearing contact lenses, because his irises were the kind of bright, acidic green that typically comes in bottles marked with skulls and crossbones. In cartoons.
“HEY!”
He had to shout to be heard over the ‘music’ that was still pulsing from the car and flattening all of the plants for miles around, and even then Virgil probably wouldn’t have figured out what he had said if he hadn’t been looking directly at him.
This was a bad idea. He was going to get murdered by a guy that probably had pure caffeine running through his veins and bats in his belfry. Lifting one hand in a weak surrendering motion, Virgil groped around behind him for the handle to let himself back into the car.
“HEY! ARE YOU IN TROUBLE? CAN WE HELP AT-” The ‘music’ cut off suddenly, and the guy glanced briefly at whoever was in the car with him before turning back to Virgil. “All?”
The sudden silence made Virgil’s ears ring, and the hand that had been waving awkwardly moved to rub the back of his head, where a dull throbbing had started up. “Uh… No. You know what? It’s cool, I’m all fine here, I’m just gonna…”
“Did your car break down?” The guy was still shouting. It was amazing that he could hear anything, really - or maybe he couldn’t, given how he had just ignored Virgil’s questions. “I know about cars! Anything I can help with!”
Then Virgil blinked, and the guy was standing right next to him, offering him his bandaged hand to shake. He seemed to be constantly in motion, shifting from foot to foot, picking at a scab on his neck with his other hand, tapping his fingers against his hip. If it hadn’t been for the constant motion and the overly wide cartoon eyes, he would have looked almost normal in a slightly tatty band t-shirt and a pair of ripped jeans - oh, maybe not. He was wearing slippers. Not just any slippers, either: they were fluffy, and when Virgil squinted at them he realised that they had long ears.
Wild-Eyes-Guy must have noticed him looking. “Vampire bunny slippers! Do you like them? I made them myself!”
“... What?” Maybe he was dreaming right now. That was the only sensible explanation for this. Virgil’s hand had found the car door, but for some reason he hadn’t scrambled back inside just yet - and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why.
“Vampire bunny slippers! Made them! What do you think?!” The guy repeated, and Virgil blinked again.
“Uh…”
“Roman, what are you doing to this poor kid?” A second guy had gotten out of the van, an eye-mask pushed into his hair like an alice-band. He was wearing slacks, a sweater, and (thankfully) regular trainers on his feet. He seemed a little less… Manic, than Wild-Eyes-Guy (Roman?) - although maybe that was because he had only just woken up, if the sleep mask and the way he was rubbing his eyes was any indication.
They both looked to be no more than a few years older than Virgil, but being called a kid seemed to be the least of his issues right now.
“He was asking about my slippers! I told you they’d be popular!” Virgil had no idea what he was supposed to say to that. His absolute bewilderment must have shown on his face, because the calmer guy moved closer and rested a hand on Wild-Eyes-Guy/Roman’s shoulder. Roman seemed to calm down a little. He stopped bouncing, at least.
“Are you sure about that one? He looks terrified.” There was a dry note in Calm-Guy’s voice - and Virgil suddenly noticed that his eyes were yellow as butter. Acidic butter. Was there some kind of convention for people with a thing for weird contact lenses?
Had he been sleeping in contact lenses? Virgil’s foster brother had worn contact lenses sometimes, and Virgil was pretty sure that you weren’t supposed to sleep in them.
“He flagged us down! Why would he be terrified?”
There was silence for a second, Virgil still trying to figure out whether he was about to be murdered by a guy in vampire rabbit slippers and his sleepy accomplice. Calm-Guy seemed to be waiting for Roman to answer that question himself; after a second, Roman’s shoulders slumped and his smile dropped back to regular proportions, becoming almost sheepish.
“It’s super late and you’re alone on an empty road, of course you’re terrified!” At least he had stopped shouting, but Virgil wished he didn’t sound so excited about that fact. Calm-Guy rolled his eyes, then held out a neatly manicured hand. Virgil shook it. It wasn’t as though there was much else he could do now, right?
“I apologise for my boyfriend, he gets… Energetic, when he drinks coffee. I’m-”
“Hey! I haven’t had any coffee since ereyesterday!”
“Energy drinks, then?”
“Yep.” Roman popped the ‘p’, looking immensely satisfied with himself, then moved over to the hood of Virgil’s car and lifted the bonnet. Without asking. What the hell?
“Uh… What are you…”
“Engine looks fine! Flat tire? No, the tires look fine, the suspension looks fine -” He was under the car now, jabbering away at the greasy machine above him.
Calm-Guy groaned and ran both hands through his hair, but not so roughly that he dislodged the eye mask or ended up looking even remotely ruffled. “As I was saying, I am known as Ethan Anguis -” He pronounced it ‘on-guie’. “- and the delight currently trying to figure out why you’re sitting on the side of the road without asking you is my boyfriend, known as Roman Pulpos. I assume you flagged us down as opposed to us gatecrashing your private camp-out?”
“Uh…” Virgil blinked, then nodded. “I, uh… Ran out of petrol. Was hoping I could… Borrow your phone, or… Something.”
Ethan nodded slowly - and Virgil realised that he didn’t seem to have blinked in the whole time he had been standing before him. No, that couldn’t be right. It was just a trick of the light.
“I’ve got it! You’re out of petrol!” Roman had stood - and if his hands had been grubby before, that was nothing to the grease and grime that now stretched from fingertip to elbow. There was even dirt on his face. Ethan groaned beside him.
“Did it occur to you, dearest, that you could simply have asked him? It would have been far more polite than simply poking around his car…”
“He didn’t seem very talkative.”
A snort left Virgil, and he clapped his hand over his mouth as they both turned to look at him. Then Roman’s face split back into that wide grin, and he came back to stand beside Ethan, who took a pointed step away. “You’re not getting back in the car until you’ve washed some of that off, you know.”
“But it’s my turn to choose the vehicle!”
“Yes! You chose it! But we’re still keeping it clean! Water bottle, cloth, go!” Ethan flapped his hands a few times in a ‘shoo’-ing motion, and Roman rolled his eyes - and his head with them - before stalking around to the passenger side and opening the door. The yellow-eyed man turned his attention back to Virgil, a fond smile on his sharp features. “So, you said you were hoping to…”
“Borrow your phone, yes,” Virgil nodded, eyes snapping back to the man before him rather than the now-shirtless Roman, who seemed to have decided that his t-shirt would work better than a cloth for getting rid of the grease.
Ethan clucked his tongue sympathetically. “You won’t get any signal out here. The nearest town is an hour’s drive away - I’d assume that walking was going to be your next plan if you couldn’t flag us down?”
“Uh… Yeah.” Virgil shifted awkwardly. “Do you… Know the area well?”
“Used to live here!” Called Roman, and Virgil forced himself not to stare at the muscles rippling under the dark skin of his back.
“A long time ago, yes. We return every few years,” Ethan added. “I wouldn’t try walking at night. The landscape gets a little… Treacherous. We can give you a lift if you want - there’s a repair shop in town, you can get someone to drive out and pick up your car tomorrow.”
“I… I really couldn’t.” Virgil shifted from foot to foot. “I’m perfectly fine waiting until morning and walking in. Got plenty of blankets ‘n’ food. I’ll be fine. Thank you for offering, though.”
Ethan blinked - but still not as though he needed to. More as though he was processing the words Virgil had just said, and wanted to show that he was paying attention. Maybe Virgil’s mind was playing tricks on him. It was very late, and he was very tired. “Understandable. I wouldn’t want to push you into anything you’re not comfortable with, so-”
“We’re not gonna kill you, y’know,” Roman added helpfully, and Virgil almost jumped out of his skin because he was suddenly right next to him. Virgil had been so caught up in not staring at him and talking to Ethan instead that he had completely missed his returning to their side - still shirtless, because the world was actively working to make his life difficult. “That would just be rude.”
“Roman! We’re trying not to push the kid into-”
“I’m not that much younger than you, you know.” Yes, because that was the important point to argue just then. Really, it was a miracle Virgil wasn’t already dead in a ditch somewhere, what with his brain constantly seeming to do the opposite of what he wanted it to.
Ethan looked mildly amused. “Really? How old are you, kid?”
“Twenty. And it’s Virgil, not kid.” If they were going to murder him, they probably would have done it by now. Telling them his name wasn’t going to make any difference at this point.
Roman snorted and ran his hand across the top of Virgil’s car, inspecting a large scratch in the paintwork below the rear door. “Virgil? Like virgin?” Virgil winced.
“No, you dick -” Ethan punched his boyfriend lightly on the shoulder, and Roman rubbed a hand over the spot with exaggerated remorse. “- like the poet. And if Virgil doesn’t want a lift from us, we should get going.”
“We could keep him company! It’s gonna be a long night out here on his own - unless you plan on walking, which is a really stupid idea!” There was the soft popping noise of the petrol flap being opened, and then the click of it closing. Then Roman opened it again. And closed it again.
Virgil lasted until the third pop-click before turning and batting Roman’s grubby hands away from the side of his car. “Stop that.”
“Feisty,” Roman commented, but clasped his hands obediently in front of him, the picture of angelic innocence. Not. Virgil had a feeling that Ethan was scowling at him from over his shoulder. “You sure you wanna be left alone? I heard there are monsters prowling out here…”
He practically sang the words, as though nothing could delight him more than the idea of terrifying creatures ranging the countryside. Virgil made himself chuckle in spite of the shiver that ran down his spine, and nodded. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for the tip about town, Ethan. Thanks for… Whatever you did, Roman. I guess.”
“Nothing,” Ethan said, at the same time as Roman said, “Introduced you to the idea of vampire bunny slippers and made sure your car wasn’t broken.”
“Yeah. That.” Shrugging, Virgil tugged open his car door and slipped inside, then waved a hand at the pair of them. They were still staring at him with their bizarre, bright eyes.
He closed the door behind him, and the sound seemed to snap action into the pair of them. Ethan rolled his shoulders back and jerked a thumb at their minivan - the side of which Virgil now realised was covered in what looked like a mural of a pirate ship being crushed by a very large sea monster - before walking back toward it.
“See ya around, Virgil-Not-Virgin!” Roman yelled (why was he yelling again?) and followed, climbing back into the driver’s side of the van. The ‘music’ clicked back on, sound obliterating all rational thought (how was Ethan still sane, driving around with that cacophony all the time?), and after a second the van’s engine started up.
That was when Virgil filled up his stupid quota for the rest of the year.
It had suddenly occurred to him that he really, really didn’t want to be left alone in the dark and the quiet now - maybe Roman’s talk of monsters had gotten to him, maybe it was the contrast between the stillness of his cold car and the aliveness of the two people that had just stopped to try to help him, weird though they might be.
They probably weren’t serial killers. If they were, there was nothing to stop them from killing him as soon as he had flagged them down, or being a lot more pushy about giving him a lift. He had already told them his phone wasn’t working (why had he told them that? What had he been thinking?) and they knew he was alone.
Making the decision in a split second, he threw his door open again and started waving his arms, running after the van as it gradually picked up speed, as though that would make him more noticable.
Virgil only had to move a couple of steps before it screeched to a halt again. For somebody so clearly enthusiastic about cars, Roman should probably get his own brakes checked out sometime. The ‘music’ cut off once more, which was a relief, and after a moment the minivan reversed until Roman was level with him again. “Hey again! Change your mind?”
“I - yeah,” Virgil nodded. “Realised I’d rather not be alone. Promise not to murder me if I catch a lift?”
“Oh, don’t give me ideas!” Virgil raised an eyebrow at the toothy smile, and Roman had the decency to look a little less thrilled at the idea of murder. Why had he said anything? “Already said we wouldn’t - a gentleman’s word is his bond, ‘n’ all that!”
“Nobody’s going to believe you’re a gentleman, R.” Virgil had been planning on saying something similar, but Ethan seemed to have beaten him to the punch. “I, on the other hand, actually behave like a member of the gentry - in any case, you’ll be fine.” Ethan had gotten out of the van again, walking around the front to open the side door. Roman flipped him off lazily. “Is there anything you’ll need overnight? I doubt anyone will come across your car, but if you’ve got anything you’d rather not leave unattended, we have space for a bag or two in this… Contraption.”
There was a note of distaste in his voice - clearly, Ethan regretted whatever turn of events had led to him agreeing to allow his boyfriend to choose their transportation.
Virgil nodded, already turning back to his car. There was no way he was leaving his camera alone overnight - and he should probably grab a water bottle, maybe some food, a change of clothes - he would only need one change of clothes, right? Ethan followed him quietly, and after a second Virgil heard the slamming of a door and realised that Roman had come to join them.
The pair of them stayed quiet as Virgil pulled his bag from the passenger seat - his camera, laptop, and phone were already in there - and tossed in a water bottle and his weighted blanket, but when he opened the small boot to retrieve a clean change of clothes, Roman let out a low whistle.
“Fuck me, that’s a lot of stuff. You moving somewhere? Ow, watch your elbows, j-eez!”
“I’d have thought you’d have gotten better at respecting other people’s boundaries over the last few years, Roman.”
“I’ll respect your boundaries in a minute,” Roman grumbled, and Ethan snorted at the nonsensical threat. Virgil put his bag down by his feet and used both hands to close the boot (it had been a second-hand car even before he had purchased it, and the boot was stiff), then turned back to find the two of them nose to nose, locked in some sort of staring contest.
He cleared his throat. “Um. Are we…”
“Going? Yes, just dump your shit on one of the seats.” Roman waved a hand at the van without breaking eye contact with Ethan. Weird, Virgil thought, but whatever. They had been nice enough so far.
It looked as though the minivan had once held eleven seats, arranged in four sets of two down one side and three individual ones down the other. Now, though? The three individual seats had been ripped out, and the second pair back from the driver’s seat had gone the same way. Of the remaining seats, the two pairs at the back looked as though they had been converted into a makeshift bed: the backs of the seats had been bent down until they were almost horizontal, forming one large, mostly flat expanse. It was partially covered in rumpled blankets. A row of beanbags ran down the van’s wall, and blankets had been pinned over the windows like curtains; what looked like an icebox was strapped to the back of the vehicle.
It looked as though Ethan and Roman were used to travelling together.
Placing his bag carefully on one of the two remaining seats (the one with the brown stain that was probably barbecue sauce and not blood, because these people probably weren’t serial killers) and strapping the seatbelt down over it, Virgil sat down. One hand rose automatically for him to gnaw at the cuticle of his thumb; turning to look out of the still-open door, he watched Roman and Ethan finally break off their staring contest. Roman looked frustrated - he had probably lost, then. The taller of the two dropped a kiss on his forehead, and the green-eyed man stalked back around to the driver’s seat. Virgil couldn’t hear the words, but he was grumbling under his breath as he passed the still open door.
“All good in here?” Ethan was leaning against the open door, smiling at him.
Virgil nodded slowly. “I… Yeah, I guess so. I’ll be able to find my car again tomorrow, right?”
An answering nod. “The repair shop in town will do just fine. Tell ‘em it’s on the main road, about an hour out - no trouble finding it.”
“Thanks.”
Ethan nodded again, closing the door, and then climbed back into the passenger seat. Roman flicked the music on. Somehow, it wasn’t quite so deafening on the inside of the car. Frowning, Virgil leaned forward - he hadn’t seen Roman fiddle with the volume dial, although he hadn’t been watching… It still looked to be pointing at the maximum, though.
“Rigged it,” Roman said. Looking up, Virgil found his unsettling eyes watching him in the rearview mirror. “Plays super loud outside, isn’t so bad in here. Spent hours getting the soundproofing right. Ended up deaf for nearly a week!”
He started the engine as Ethan twisted around in his seat to look at Virgil again. “Roman,” he commented dryly, “enjoys being a deliberate nuisance. There was practically a mob chasing us out of Milan.”
“It was a literal mob, Eth. And you know you love me really.” For a vehicle that looked dirty and slightly battered on the outside and sounded as though there were monsters living in the braking system, the minivan drove smoothly - more smoothly than Virgil’s third-hand car, anyway.
“Milan, Illinois? Or Ohio?” If he was in this van, Virgil might as well make conversation.
“Milan, Italy. Nice place. Nice language. Good food. Sunny.” Roman waved a hand around his head, then turned to look at him as well - something that was not reassuring, given that Virgil could just about see that the needle on the speedometer had ticked past sixty. “Ever been, Virgil-Not-Virgin?”
“The road!” He should not have gotten into this van. Virgil was going to die because this idiot had decided not to watch the road and Ethan didn’t seem to have noticed. “Watch the road!”
“The road?” Roman glanced back at the windscreen and shrugged. The van swerved, and Virgil grabbed his bag to stop it from sliding forward off of the seat despite being strapped in. “Oh, the road! Yeah, okay… Wrecking the van would be a pain now I’ve got it almost perfect. Ever been to Milan?”
He didn’t sound at all concerned about the possibility of fiery death. Brilliant. Virgil was in a car with a lunatic. Well done, me, he thought sarcastically, don’t want to be alone in the middle of the road at night. Now I’ll be sharing a grave with these guys. Just brilliant.
“No,” he said, because why not keep the conversation going? It might help to keep his mind away from the apparently high chance of death. “Never left Washington before. Are you guys Italian now, then?” They didn’t have a trace of an accent, but that didn’t mean much.
“Nope! We’re from here - just going home for a few days!” Unconcerned with the fact that he had already told Virgil this, Roman yanked on the wheel, and the van skidded around a corner. Virgil grabbed for the side of his seat with one hand and his bag with the other.
“Ma viaggiamo molto, bambino,” Ethan added - because of course he would speak flawless Italian. Why not?
Roman jerked the wheel the other way, and Virgil winced as his shoulder hit against the wall of the van. “Non è un bambino, occhi di serpente, è Virgil.” Ethan blew a kiss at his boyfriend.
Great. Now they were talking about him in a foreign language. Maybe this was all just a really, really stupid dream, Virgil decided. He was probably sat back in his car, still dozing and waiting for the sun to rise so that he could make the walk into town. Assuming that there was a town, and that wasn’t just something else his subconscious had come up with.
At least he had the presence of mind to remember his camera and laptop even in a dream. They were his most precious possessions, both in terms of monetary value and in what they meant for him. Losing these would be like… Losing a limb, maybe. Or his head.
“-long way from Washington for somebody that’s never left it before, Virgil. Going anywhere nice?” Ethan had twisted around once more, and Virgil realised he had missed the point at which the conversation had switched back into English again.
Shaking himself, he patted his camera once. “Got a job on the other side of the country, took it as a chance to move somewhere new. Thought I might as well make a road trip out of it - still cheaper than flying, which is absolutely criminal.”
Ethan made a sympathetic… Hissing noise (?) as their driver bobbed his head, although whether that was agreement or simply in time with the ‘music’ that they were only just able to talk over without shouting, Virgil didn’t know. “Tell me about it! The faster humans learn how to travel, the more they try to suck every penny from you! Like money leeches!” Roman laughed, the idea apparently delightful to him.
“There’s definitely a strong correlation,” Ethan mused, turning to gaze thoughtfully out of the window. His sleep mask was still propped up in his wavy hair, though he had shown no inclination to use it again - maybe it was obvious how much Roman’s loud energy unsettled Virgil, and he was trying to make sure he wasn’t alone. Or maybe he had decided that they were close enough to town that there wasn’t much point in trying to sleep again. “Speed makes humans greedy… Sounds like the kind of claim - oh, Virgil, you might want to close your eyes for a couple of minutes. We’re almost at the Edge. Sounds like the kind of claim somebody could spend years trying to back up.”
“We should do that. Might kill some time, you know?”
“Are you telling me you’re already bored of-”
“Woah, wait.” Virgil held up both hands, remembered neither of his companions were looking at him, and let them drop again. “Why do I need to close my - holy shit! Sweet Frank Iero, fuck!"
Virgil squeezed his eyes tight shut a second too late. Light exploded around them, seemingly out of nowhere and leaving bright streaks across the insides of his eyelids. He could hear Roman cackling in front of him, the music still playing, an exasperated “I did try to warn you…” - whatever had happened, neither of his companions seemed at all surprised.
Maybe they had just driven past a football stadium, and Virgil hadn’t noticed the floodlights until just then? No, that didn’t make sense: he would have seen the lights when they had first appeared on the horizon. Unless they had been dark until somebody had just turned them on - at two in the morning? And Ethan had known that it was going to happen?
Automatic lights, then. Or - Or police vehicles, apprehending the two of them for whatever reason. But wouldn’t they have stopped, or sped up, or something? And if Ethan had known that there were police waiting for them, why would they have travelled this route anyway? It had to be automatic lights.
Then Virgil opened his eyes again, and realised that he couldn’t pinpoint its source.They were still driving through open countryside, on a road with no street lamps or buildings, grass stretching out on either side of them. To their left and stretching out in front, Virgil could make out a forest. The only difference between now and a few minutes ago was the fact that it seemed to be the middle of the day.
He looked out of his window, then out of the front of the van, neck craned toward the sky. It was a blank, pale colour somewhere between orange and yellow. He couldn’t see the sun at all.
Twisting in his seat, Virgil tried to see some line where the night ended and the day began. There was nothing. Just… Grass, and trees, and road, and light. Obviously. Night magically turning to day at three in the morning was slightly more likely than a magic line separating the two.
Of course, given that this was all obviously a dream, there was nothing to say that there couldn’t be a magic line like that. It wouldn’t be any more out of place than people with acid eyes and a soundproofed car who spoke flawless Italian, after all. Maybe Virgil should stop eating directly before going to sleep.
Both Ethan and Roman had turned to look at him, Ethan appearing to be somewhere between smug and sympathetic and Roman wearing a shit-eating grin that stretched from ear to ear. Virgil just stared at the pair of them for a moment. “... Road?” He asked finally, and Roman nodded before turning away again. Virgil cleared his throat briefly. “What the fuck was that?”
“That’s what I said the first time I saw it!” Roman crowed, and Ethan slapped his arm gently. Virgil grabbed the side of his seat as the van swerved before straightening again.
“One of the quirks of home.” Ethan gestured out of the front windscreen, and Virgil leaned forward to see houses racing toward them (how fast was Roman driving? Was this legal?) (Who cared? It was all a dream). “Never gets dark.”
“Ever?” How would a place function if it never got dark? “How does that… Doesn’t it… Drive people mad?” Of course, Virgil would understand if it didn’t. This was all in his head, after all, and his head didn’t always make sense.
“Of course!” Virgil wished Roman didn’t sound quite so cheerful about it.
Ethan sighed and shook his head. “Most people just learn to live with it. You’ll forget about it in the next day or so, don’t worry. That’s Lichmai for you.”
“Leesh May?” If he was going to be inventing names, they could at least be names that sounded real.
“Lichmai. Welcome to our hometown, Virgil.” Ethan didn’t sound particularly pleased to be back.
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chwesolai · 4 years
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Cafe Girl, Grocery Boy | CH.4
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A/N: Don’t hate me but your antagonists for this story are Jeonghan, Jun and Seokmin. We all need a little bad boy!svt in our lives but I love those boys so don’t paint me as a villain, ok, let’s continue.
-You- After my little venture with Seungcheol, my shift ended and I swapped out with Joshua leaving him with the newbies, “Don’t scare them again, Shua.”
“You say that as if I always scare them,” he scoffs at me as we switch aprons, “need anything before you head out?” “Eh, not right now but I’ll head back over here before my date.” “You got it, wait, a date??!” “Bye Joshua! Bye V! Bye Chan!” I wave bye and rush out before being bombarded with Joshua’s questions.
I fast walk to my car, yet having about an hour before my exam. So I sat there, just thinking. I’m really going on a date for the first time in forever today. College hasn’t been too kind to me when it comes to dating. I’ve either been too busy or just too in my head when a guy would ask me out. Joshua even tried asking me out the first year we met. It didn’t work out in our favor. We found it better to be best friends instead of romantic friends, ya know? And I’m not the out-going type. I live in shadows, I’m never the girl in the spotlight.
But Seungcheol makes me feel a different way. He’s different.
Why is he so different?
-Seungcheol- “What are you smiling for?” Jihoon finally finishes his exam and walks out of the lecture hall.
“Took you long enough and it’s nothing, just thinking about something.”
“Thinking about her?”
“How’d you know?” I sarcastically answer while handing Jihoon the bagel I got him from y/n.
“Lucky guess, and thank you, I’m STARVING!” Jihoon practically inhales the bagel and repeats again that he’s still hungry, “Come on, I’ll treat you, lover boy, let’s get ramen.”
“I’m just going to ignore the lover boy comment, I’ll drive.” We walk off campus into the parking lot and continue to talk about how easy the exam was since we actually studied for once until we’re stopped by a voice.
The unknown voice parks his motorcycle and reveals himself as he removes his helmet, “AY COUPS WOOZ!”
Oh dear god.
“Hey Jeonghan, what’s up?” Jihoon reacts coldly.
“Come on, Wooz, don’t be so cold. It’s really cool, seeing you guys again! Really! And by the way, the place is looking really great now since you guys left, I appreciate your decision.”
Our silence gives Jeonghan his answer to his insensitive comments, “Any who, I’m going to my econ exam now,” he scoffs, “and have fun at your crummy place, losers. Don’t miss you for a second.”
We don’t either, asshole. Jihoon and I left that disgusting frat house about a year ago and haven’t seen any of those vile guys in a long time. They were easily the smartest, richest and the worst guys on campus. Their frat consists of scaring freshman to death, having strict rules on what your grades and GPA should be, and molding guys into what they thought was a good looking guy. Jihoon and I came from upper-class families too, but we were like them. They were a different breed. They put me and Jihoon in their frat as a joke. They ridiculed us daily for our looks, they constantly played pranks on us and last year, Jihoon snapped, like full on hulked out on them. He trashed the whole house, ruined half of their rooms, with my help, of course, and we were out of there.
Those guys did do one good thing for me, they led me to get a job. I didn’t want to depend on my parent’s money like they did. They led me to provide for myself and Jihoon and we got our own apartment. They may be evil but they helped me grow.
ANYWAYS.
Jihoon and I drove off, rolling the windows down, blasting the new 88rising album and just relieved.
“I can’t wait for this break, oh my god.” Jihoon sighs as he rests his head on the edge of the car window. “Couldn’t agree more.” I turned up the music as we continued to talk about our exam and our mid term break plans. I hope she passes all her tests. She deserves it.
“So, any idea where you’re taking her tonight?” “Not sure just yet. There’s this new chicken place that opened up downtown and I’ve been meaning to go there. But I’m not sure if that’s even romantic.” “Well, if you make it romantic, it’ll be romantic, promise.” “Ok Mr. love-expert,” I laugh as Jihoon begins on and on about how I should go about the night, “I think I just go with the flow and see what happens, ya know?” “She’s a business major, Coups. She lives and breathes plans. You can’t just go with the flow!” “You never know? Your major never really defines who you are.” “But it gives a good insight though. Only the top percent even get to be business majors.” “Whatever, so how does this sound, I pick her up from her apartment, we go to the chicken place, talk for a bit, I bring her to my favorite dessert place and we walk around the park?” “Straight out of a drama, I love it,” Jihoon places his hand on my shoulder, “You’re turning into a man,” he sniffles. “Shut up,” I punched his arm as I parked the car in front of the ramen place.
-You-
[time: 4:30pm]
I finished a little bit earlier than a majority of my class and I handed in my paper and walked out of the hall, feeling accomplished. Then someone calls out, “y/l/n!”
“Yoon!”
“Hey lovely.” He wraps his arm around my shoulder and begins to walk out with me. “Hey loser,” I removed him off of me, “how’d you feel about that test?” “Exams are exams, y/n. They’re a piece of cake. How’d you feel?” “It was really easy, it was like she was trying to give us answers,” we both laugh as we kept talking about how inefficient our econ professor is, “She literally made the study guide verbatim for the test!” “I mean do we expect anything else out of her?” He chuckles as I stop in front of the vending machine, “that shit is full of sugars, y/n. That’s no good for you.” I put some coins in and type in the number for powerade, “And? What about it?” I say as I open the bottle, taking a big sip out.
He shakes his head at me and we continue to walk out. The rest of the walk was silent, minus the sound of clocks ticking, doors slamming, and little bits of conversations from the break rooms. I just looked ahead while I felt Jeonghan’s eyes burning through the side of my face. - “So, you doing anything tonight?” Jeonghan asks as we make it out of the lecture hall. “For once, yeah, I am. Why? What’s the main event tonight?” “Just a couple of us were planning on going for drinks and then going to the karaoke rooms. What are you doing?” “I got a date,” I looked at him all smug, we continued to walk to the parking lot. “Who is the lucky guy?” He said with resentment, regretting asking me where I was going. “I don’t think you know him.” “Trust me, I know everyone,” He rolls his eyes at him, “who is it?” “Seungcheol. The grocery boy I talk about,” I cross my arms at him, as he scoffs, “what now, Jeonghan?” “Nothing. You have fun tonight, y/n,” Jeonghan smirks and walks to his motorcycle, “tell Coups I say hi.” “Bye weirdo!” “Bye lovely!” He laughs as he puts his helmet on and drives off. Lovely. 
A nickname that’s only ever been said by him. Jeonghan’s been a friend for who knows how long at this point, and trust me, he’s asked me out numerous times throughout our schooling years. He’s attractive, just too much of an asshole for me. Our dads work together, both dominating South Korea’s economic industry. And we are the next in line for their spots, meaning we have nearly every class together. It’s annoying. But Jeonghan is a genius yet a meathead, it still boggles my mind. And he knows Seungcheol and calls him Coups?
Anyways, I find my car, and just sit in silence for 10 minutes. Then, I finally turn on my phone and check to see if I got any new notifications. * From 2hrs ago: (2) snap from shua* *From 5 mins ago: (4) iMessage from gyu*
Oh god, what did they do now?
I unlock my phone and decide to check my snaps from Joshua first. Just stupid picstures of them at work, making me smile a bit.
Then I scroll over to Mingyu’s text.
EMERGENCY! I KNOW UR PROBABLY TAKING AN EXAM BUT CALL ME ONCE U READ THIS! YOUR PARENTS STOPPED BY THE CAFE AND DIDN’T LOOK TOO HAPPY AND ARE LOOKING FOR U Y/N PLS CALL ME
“Oh shit,” I fumble with my seatbelt, buckle myself in and call Mingyu. “Y/N!!!!” “Jesus, Gyu calm down. Tell me what happened, I’m driving to the cafe right now.” “Ok! So! Your dad walked into the cafe, not making a scene and walked into the back and started calling out your name. But it was mine and Joshua’s shift so we were trying to explain to him you were in class, BUT THEN your mom comes in SCREAMING,” Mingyu begins to explain, nearly yelling as well. Telling me how my mom was furious at me for some reason, and kept on saying “where’s that boy? And how does she know him?” And my dad calmly got her out into their car and began to explain to him and Joshua why my mother was furious, “Your parents know about Seungcheol.” “Oh my god.” “I’m not even sure how they know Seungcheol, or how they know your relation with him. But they seemed really upset and good thing we covered for you because they think you have exams all day and shouldn’t disrupt your day,” Mingyu’s voice got quiet as I hear Joshua’s voice in the background, almost arguing with Mingyu, “Shut up, she’s on the phone right now.” “Why did you tell her! The two of them have a date tonight!” “I can hear you two.” I sigh over the phone, “I’m outside the cafe, I’ll be right in.”
I swear to god if Seungcheol’s parents are who I think they are, I’m going to end this. I really can’t have anything nice here.
12 notes · View notes
r3b3lgrrrrrrrl · 4 years
Text
A LunaTic and her Gunn (Part 99) "Shows in Different Country Codes"
@creatureofthen1ght-v3 @crystalbaby12 @mgkobsessed @backoftheroomandnotbelonging @5sosfam1dlover
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Waiting for the Xanax to kick in that Luna had given him in their uber, Colson's leaned back into his seat. A thousand thoughts swirling through his head as he stares out the airplane's window.
"FUCK... I hate leaving them...." He sighs at the thought of Casie and Luna. "I wonder if she got in touch with that planner Emma gave her..." His mind drifting to their weddings. Being more nervous for EstFest, there's a lot to do just festival wise. "I'm glad no one gave me shit about adding the extra day..." He thinks of the vendors. Sighing again, his mind wanders to a place it tries to never go. "Maybe I should call my dad.... He should probably meet Luna...." His heart worries as the Xanax helps his eyes close.
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Luna lands in Mexico City around 5A. She wanders around the gift shop for a moment, buying a new shirt before making her way outside. It's pouring, so she pulls her Yankees hat on backwards before she hops into a taxi.
Once checked in at The Four Seasons, Luna doesn't know what to do with herself. Ashley's sharing a room with Dom, leaving Luna alone. Lighting a joint, she tries on the shirt she bought. Heading into the bathroom, she stands on top of the toilet to Snap Colson.
Finally crawling into bed, Luna flicks on the TV as she lights another joint. Drifting off to the sounds of Parks and Rec once she's put it out.
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The Bus is parked in the back of the venue, Colson's playing The Knitting Factory tonight. In the back of a cab, he catches the Snap from Luna. Laughing out loud at her once he opens it.
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"She's so fucking adorable..." His heart aches for her as he pays for and climbs out of his ride.
Opening the door to their bedroom on The Bus, Colson isn't shocked to find Baze and Sam. He's definitely not pleased though.
"Yo. Wake the fuck up and get outta my bed." He states, kicking the bottom of Baze's foot.
Both of them wake with a bit of a startle. Looking at each other, slightly embarrassed. They like to think they're on The Low but everyone knows about them. Silly Wabbits.
"FUCK man... I didn't think you'd be back till later..." Baze says groggily as he collects himself.
"Clearly, Truck." Colson rolls his eyes with a chuckle as he turns around so they can dress.
Not one to cock block but desperately wanting to lay down, he really doesn't care. He knows Luna will though. As they begin to leave his room, Colson calls out a Yo. They both turn but he talks directly to Sam.
"You know she's a cunt.... I'd get these sheets washed before she gets back." He says with a light warning.
Tired, Sam stares at Colson. She hates that he knows Luna well enough to be right.
"I got it." She responds, uncharacteristically trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.
With his door shut, Colson Snaps Luna back before throwing himself down. Hoping to find her smell, he can only find other people in their bed. Pissed, he rips the blankets, sheets and pillow cases off, throwing them out the door.
Grabbing her pillow and tucking his nose inside his hoodie, he catches her faint scent. Images of Luna dancing in his head as he falls asleep.
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Luna wakes up to a hard banging on her door. It's just after 2P. Touching the empty side of her bed, Luna wishes Colson was with her.
Hating The World, she let's them bang. Finding her phone, there's a Snap from Colson.
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"He's such a dirty Motherfucker..." Luna thinks with a grin.
The door still pounding.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!! I'M COMING!" She shouts as she climbs out of bed.
Winging the door open, it's Ashley and Dom. Impatient fucking Assholes.
"WHY!?!" Luna demands. "Why the FUCK do you need to bang like that?" Luna complains as she let's them in.
"To wake your bitch ass up." Ashley snarks, pushing her way into the room.
"Mornen' Loons." Dom greets her to her silent nod.
"You really are a DICKFUCK sometimes...." Luna says with annoyance.
"Whatever...." Ashley brushes her off. "Got any bud?" She asks, already knowing the answer.
"Yeah.... But it was shoved up my asshole, so do you really wanna smoke it?" Luna deadpans.
"Shut the fuck up." Ashley laughs as she turns to Dom. "She didn't shove it up her ass." She reassures him.
"Oi... Bum smoke is no problem fo me!" Dom responds, making both Girls laugh.
Dom knowing Them well enough to truly understand the nature of their friendship. Rolling one up as Ashley and Luna climb onto the bed together. Luna's ring catching Ashley's eye for the first time.
"HOLY FUCK! WHAT IS THIS!!!" She exclaims as she grabs for Luna's hand.
Admiring the large, sparkling stone, she moves Luna's hand all around as it catches the light. Shining brighter with every different angle. It's definitely NOT a guitar string.
"He picked this out on his own?" She asks in amazement.
"I think Rook might've helped him a little, but yeah... I had nothing to do with it." Luna answers.
"Good job, Kells." Ashley compliments his choice.
Luna, Ashley and Dom burn and chat. Talking about Colson, the ring, what they've both been up to and the upcoming weddings. It feels like forever since The Girls last saw each other. In reality, it's only been three days since the show at The Roxy.
"Alright... We gotta motor. Go shower, we have rehearsal in less then 2hrs. Come meet us in room 202 when you're ready." Ashley directs Luna.
"Alright......" Luna yawns loudly.
She heads into the bathroom as Ashley and Dom close her door behind them. Lighting another joint, she rails three 30s as she gets ready for the shower. Forgetting to Snap Colson back due to her unexpected visitors.
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"Cool..." Colson thinks when he finally opens his door. His angry linen fit is gone from the floor. "Thanks Sam...." His brain grateful even if his actions are sometimes dickish.
Walking to the front of The Bus, everyone's lounging, burning and waiting for him. Plopping down next to AJ, he asks Rook to throw him a bag of chips. Colson nonchalantly munches on them as they all talk about tonight's show. Working on the setlist, he hates when he has to cut Bad Things as he finishes his snack.
"Dawg... Raise that shit to your face!!" Slim hollers at the picture on the bag.
Looking at it, Colson asks "What like this?" Lifting it up just under his nose.
The entire Bus erupts into laughter. It fits so perfectly. Colson tosses his phone to Slim.
"Here, take a picture.... We'll see if this is wedding acceptable." He laughs.
Tossing it back after he takes one, Slim laughs out a Definitely Not as Colson shoots Luna a Snap asking the same question. Colson shrugs with amusement... You never know with Loons.
"We ready to fuck this day up?" He asks as he begins to lead the rest of them off of The Bus.
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Throwing on jeans, with a band T and flannel, Luna has her hair up. Red bandana securing it. Only having one pair of contacts left, she chooses to wear her glasses. The sun being her eyeballs mortal enemy today.
In the front seat of an uber with Ashley and Dom, her phone goes off. It's another Snap from Colson.
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What the SHIT!!" Luna can't contain her thoughts or laughter. "Look at this crazy Asshole!!" She laughs.
Screenshotting the Snap before passing it to the backseat. Both of them erupt into laughter also.
"Oi. E wears it so well!!" Dom laughs.
"No... No, he doesn't. He looks like a fucking pornstar." Luna laughs as she takes back her phone.
"Pornstache!!" Ashley laughs out loudly to Luna's hysterical agreement.
Catching the older driver's amused eyes, Luna shows him. Bursting out laughing, he agrees... Yes, I'm sorry but Your Boyfriend Looks Like a PornStar. Tickling Luna's funny bone to the core.
"FUCKING JOHNNY WADS!!!!" She shouts, turning in her seat to look at Ashley before she Snaps Colson back.
She's referring to one of the pioneering PornStars of the 70s. John Holmes. Huge cock. 15 inches... If not more. A wild and extremely violent true story. The two of them watching the movie dozens of times as teenagers. Amongst many others.
Even with with one's own solid influences, false advertisements are still intriguing. Filling their young, rebellious souls. Recommending the fucked up movie to anyone who loves drugs, violence, Val Kilmer and unhappy endings.
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"Oooh.. Christ!!! You better hope not, Phoebe!!" Ashley laughs.
"Fuck you... I'd be a Smelly Cat BEFORE a fucking SHARON!!!" Luna flicks her off with a laugh and a grin.
Dom chiming in to sing Smelly Cat as they step out of their cab and head into the venue to rehearse for the Awards Show. The Girls singing along with him.
"Wait... What are we doing and why are we in Mexico again?" Luna asks, slightly confused.
"It's the MTV Latin Millennial Awards." Ashley answers as if Luna's supposed to just get it.
"Annnnnd....?" She leads.
"And I'm nominated and performing. They requested Without Me and Nightmare so you HAVE to be here." She teases Luna while draping her arms around her shoulders from behind.
"But we're not Latina....?" Luna's still confused.l
"Dude... I don't know. I just played the Brazil one a few weeks ago. Without Me is a nominee for Global Hit... Maybe that's why." Ashley shrugs. "We've got more important things to worry about. I want us do some choreography with four dancers."
"You fucking what?" Luna asks in bewilderment.
Ashley has her at an Award Show in Mexico and now she wants her to dance like some fucking pop star. She's gotta be out of her God Damn mind.
"Yeah!!! It'll be fun!! Come meet the girls." Ashley says with a grin as she pulls Luna along.
"Fuck my stupid fucking life...." Is all Luna can think.
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Colson is rehearsing with The Boys. Deciding to take a Burn&Board Break, they head out back. Reaching into his pocket, he finds a Snap from Luna.
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Laughing at her smart ass response and missing her voice, he calls her. It rings straight through. Colson can't resist leaving her a voicemail.
🎶Off that fat ass//Imma do a line or two//Before we//Have our own private shoot//Where I//PornStar Fuck//The shit outta you//Be ready//When you come back//Boo//Cuz it's//Only Bad Things//That we do🎶
Laughing after he finishes, he shouts "LOVE YOU, KITTEN!! CALL ME!" before hanging up.
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Luna's BackStage as Ashley and Dom sit in the audience. She's trying not to freak out over the performance Ashley wants to pull off. Even with Patti making her take ballet and gymnastics, Luna is not a dancer. She's a musician, a songwriter, a photographer, a painter, a sculptor. An artist. You could even call her an activist, a feminist, a bitch and an outlaw. What you can not call her is a professional dancer.
"This is gonna be a fucking shit show...." She worries as she hears Ashley's name called. "OH FUCK!! SHE WON!!!" Luna's brain bursts. Any other thoughts disappearing with the excitement for her bestfriend.
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Catching up in the dressing room they're sharing, Luna congratulates Ashley with a tight hug. Popping into the bathroom while Ashley puts on her first outfit, Luna shoots Colson a Snap. Not paying attention to her voicemail as she comes out of the bathroom. She always has an unchecked voicemail.
"Change. We're on next." Ashley instructs her, pointing to the latex and chain garments sitting on a chair.
Wiggling into the tight pieces, Luna checks herself out in the stand up mirror. Her outfit consisting of a latex crop top, VERY small booty shorts with metal chains dangling securely around the hips, fishnets and a pair of Docs. Ashley has the exact same thing on under what looks like a 1980's prom dress.
"You know I'm keeping these right?" Luna asks as she slides her hand up her smooth ass.
"Yeah, I figured..." Ashley laughs as a tiara is placed on top of her head.
"See you out there, Miss 2019." Luna smiles, referring to the sash Ashley's wearing as she makes her way out the door.
Luna double checking herself before following behind. Thinking about Snapping Colson again, she decides to wait. He loves the feel of latex and she'd rather show him in person.
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Colson's phone goes off just as he's about to silence it. It's Luna.
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"Fuck, she's gorgeous...." He thinks staring at her picture. Wanting to put his hands on every inch of the bare skin she's showing. More so on the parts she's not.
"Yo!!! You gotta go!!" Ashleigh hollers at him.
Walking quickly down the hall, Colson Snaps Luna back before heading OnStage. Grabbing his guitar, he shouts to the crowd WHAT UP EST FAM!!!! making the factory explode in excitement.
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Ashley presents Without Me almost as a performance piece. Standing alone OnStage in her pretty dress, sash and tiara initially until black, shadowy figures begin to push and pull at her. By the end of the song, they've ripped the gown off of her. Leaving her on the floor.
The lights go down as the opening chords to Nightmare come on. Ashley running to the MainStage to meet Luna. It's a long runway with a large circular stage at the bottom.
Luna and Ashley bounce in between the four similarly dressed dancers. Ashley kicking her leg out high as she begins.
🎼I!🎶
She shouts the opening chorus as the two of them run, bounce and jump down the straight away towards the camera. Of course it's being televised. Stopping MidStage, the dancers squat down. Surrounding them as Luna hits her mark.
🎶I'm out for blood//And it won't be sweet🎶
She sings, dragging her hands around her body as the dancers and Ashley tilt their heads back and forth to the beat. On que the six of them stalk to the center of the stage, Ashley and Luna in the middle. Back to back the dancers pull at them as Luna bellows.
🎶Society has us//Pinching our skin//With our own fingers//Wishing we could//Cut our parts off//With some scissors🎶
None of their performances together are the same but they do carry similar tones. Luna and Ashley still mocking each other about Giving Each Other A Smile. Instead of jumping wildly, they move in sync with the dancers to their sides. Fire exploding as they drop out and let the audience shout that WE DON'T OWE YOU A GOD DAMN THING!
The six of them sit down on the ground, sat behind the other like a human train. Leaning forwards and backwards as Ashley sings how she's No Sweet Dream But A HELL Of Night. Standing up and collectively circling around Luna and Ashley, the dancers move behind them as Luna comes in again.
🎶No, I won't smile//But I'll show you my teeth//And I might let you breathe//If you just let Us be//We've been polite//But we're done with this trend//Of men thinking//They can tell Us//What we can do in our beds🎶
Rolling their hips and hitting different moves together on certain lyrics, the choreography isn't nearly as awful as Luna had anticipated. Fire bursting around them as they squat and move easily with the dancers. The performance rolling smoothly.
"Thank you, Mexico City!! Thank you for having us. Thank you for the honor of my award..." Ashley shouts to the crowd as the song begins to come to it's end.
Luna comes up to Ashley, putting her arm around her. Looking at each other, Luna turns back to the room.
"Yes!! Thank you!! This woman here is AMAZING!! Can you do one thing for her? On this last verse can you go WILD!?!" Luna asks to their roars. "THEN, HERE WE GO!!!!"
Ashley and Luna sing together strong and fierce. Fire and lights exploding around them. Fuck the choreography, they're fully enjoying losing their minds OnStage together. To their credit, the dancers are completely professional and stay on point. Somehow managing to avoid crashing into the Maniacal Girls
🎶I!//KEEP A RECORD//OF THEIR WRECKAGE//AND THEIR LIES//WE'RE STARTEN' TO WEAPONIZE//OUR POWERFUL MINDS//THEY TALK SHIT//BUT//WE WON'T TAKE IT//THIS TIME//AND//THEY'LL FINALLY REALIZE🎶
Coming together again, arms linked around each other and the dancers waists, The Girls yell in unison with a wave.
"THAT WE'RE NO SWEET DREAM BUT WE'RE A HELL OF A NIGHT!!! THANK YOU AGAIN, MEXICO CIIIIITYYYY!!!"
The two bestfriends laughing and holding hands as they walk OffStage. Thanking and complimenting the dancers along their way.
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"THROW THOSE HORNS UP AND SIIINGIIING!" Colson shouts as he grips the mic, guitar hanging from his body.
🎶Woah, Woah//She said//You need to let me go//Woah, woah//She said I'd die for you//You're like my drug//But I can't get high off you//You're not mine anymore🎶
His Est Family erupting with him as they sing along word for word Let You Go with him. There is NOTHING like thousands of people singing your words along with you.
The Band runs through El Diablo and Rap Devil. Colson climbing onto the top of Rook's kit hitting a guitar solo during Alpha Omega. Bad Motherfucker follows with them finally ending on 27.
It's a great show. The Boys are raw and fearless. Colson jumping and climbing on everything he can find. Shouting THANK YOU, IDAHO! as they exit the stage.
Without Luna there Colson feels a bit lost. Heading straight BackStage, avoiding his dressing room. Grabbing a beer, he slams a shot with The Crew. Random Girls floating in around them. Falling all over themselves to get to Rook, Slim, AJ, Baze and Colson.
Sam is sitting on a couch between Colson and Baze talking about tonight's show, if anyone's heard from Luna and other random stuff. It's when two girls slither over, each perching themselves on the arm rest next to one of the boys. Touching them to get their attention.
Sam looks left. Then Sam looks right. Reaching in her back pocket, she pulls out her blade. Popping it, she looks back and forth between the two females again.
"I'd get the fuck up if you cunts like your tits." She states with a snarl.
The two quickly moving away as Colson laughs. Sam and Luna truly are two peas in a pod. Looking over he catches Baze kiss Sam's cheek. It makes him miss his LunaTic even more.
"Knock it off." He tells them. "If I'm not getting any, neither are you motherfuckers. Now, let's get FUCKED UP!!" Colson declares as he grabs a bottle of Jack.
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Luna's doing the same. Only in Mexico with Corona and Mezcal. Sitting at an After Party with Ashley, Dom, the boys from BTS and a few other artist, they bullshit and talk about the night. Everyone stopping to congratulate Ashley on her win and compliment both Girls on their performances.
"You won't eat the worm..." Ashley dares Luna as she swigs the bottle with the little guy floating inside.
"Nothing happens if you do...." Luna blows her off.
"Yes hunh.... You start trippen'. Isn't that right, Luis?" She asks as she turns to one of the other artist.
"For dayyys, Mami..." He drawls.
Rolling her eyes, Luna takes the last of the fifth to the head. The other's watching with wide eyes as the worm slides down her throat with it.
"We'll see... But I call bullshit." Luna states.
"Aye..." Luis nudges Ashley. "She's no gallina." He says impressed to her nod.
"Nah, mucho perra." Luna counters to his surprise.
"Aye...." He grins with his own nod, amused by the tiny white girl.
The music is loud as smoke and Mezcal continue to flow. Everyone is drunk. Ashley tries to follow with Dom as Luis teaches Luna to salsa. Politely declining his advances as his hand slips from the small of her back down to her ass.
"I'll be back...." She calls over her shoulder as she goes to check her phone.
There's a Snap from Colson hours ago.
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Both sets of Luna's cheeks instantly flush when she reads his words. Missing him, she calls instantly.
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"Hi, Bunny...." Her voice is low and warm when he answers.
"Oooh, Kitten. I miss you." He sighs.
"Me too... I miss your face. And your eyeballs. And your hands on my body. The way they run threw my hair when I suck your cock..."
Colson's dick had perked up at the sound of her voice but her words have him full on hard now. Wanting to fuck her, touch her.... Shit, just seeing her right now would probably make him cum.
"Where are you?" He demands
"I don't know.... Somewhere in Mexico?" She answers.
"Find somewhere alone and FaceTime me right back." He tells her firmly.
"Okay." She simply says as she hangs up.
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Luna heads towards the stairwell. Popping in her air pods, she FaceTime's Colson right back.
Colson had made his way into a bathroom while they were off the phone. Answering, he can't help but break out into a smile.
"Hey, Gorgeous... You alone?" He asks after greeting her.
"Mhmm... Just me and your pussy." She coos. "She's lonely without you...."
"Show her to me." Colson taunts as he adjusts his phone on the bathroom sink and unbuckles his pants. Both of them are drunk and horny.
Luna props her phone against the wall across from her. Standing up, she slips off the black jean shorts she has on. Sitting on them, she drops her left leg on the step below and lifts her right to the one above. Spreading her legs for Colson. Only a screen and Luna's black panties separating them.
"I want you to touch her." He requests as he starts to pull on his hard cock.
Luna can see him playing with himself through the phone. Obliging him, she pulls the cotton to the side. Exposing her bare lips. Opening them for him to see her pink insides. Colson tugs harder on himself as Luna slips her fingers inside her sopping cunt. Letting out a low moan as she arches her back.
"That's right, Kitty... Play with my pussy. Rub that clit with your thumb the way I know you like." He directs her.
Following directions, Luna uses her free hand to yank the Japanese Star Wars shirt she has on up. Exposing her full breasts. With her fingers still inside of herself, she grips one tit. Playing with it's piercing between her thumb and index finger. The sight of his ring on her hand makes Colson rage even more.
"Does that feel good?" He pants as he watches her, feeling close to exploding.
"Unh hunh.... She moans with closed eyes as she bucks against her own hand. "Be better if my mouth had your cock in it." She lets out with another moan, she's close too.
"I'm gonna fuck you so hard you can't fucking walk by time I'm done with you." Colson threatens to Luna's delight as he grips the sink.
With Colson's deep voice wrapping around her brain and the memory of his touch hitting all her senses Luna cries out for him as they masturbate for each other.
"AHHHH FUCK! DO IT, LOONS!!" He shouts as his dick shoots his seed everywhere, keeping his eyes glued to the screen.
Luna's spread eagle as she finger fucks herself on the steps. Bucking wildly as her hands please her body. Cumming all over herself as Colson watches in pleasure.
Out of breath, Luna opens her eyes. "Fuck, C....." Is all she can get out as her knees fall together.
"Lemme see her one more time.... Bring her close." He instructs.
Opening her legs back up, Luna pulls her phone up to her box. She can hear Colson telling her pussy that She's A DIRTY Girl. Looking down when she hears him making kissing noises, all she can see is his lips. He's kissing his phone screen.
"Are you trying to kiss my fucking vagina?" Luna asks with a drunken laugh.
"Damn right I am." He grins.
"I fucking love you." She laughs again as she shakes her head.
"Not as much as I love you. Now put your fucking pants back on before I have to kill someone." He smirks.
Doing as she's told, Luna slips her shorts back on over her soaked panties. Staring at each other, both of their heads are dancing in ecstasy.
Luna and Colson sit on the phone for another 45mins just talking. About anything and everything as usual. Luna telling him about the choreographed performance. Colson chuckling, saying He'll Be Finding It On YouTube to Luna's Fuck. Agreeing to meet in Seattle tomorrow, they exchange sweet Love and I Miss Yous before hanging up.
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"Jesus fucking Christ, that girl can make me cum from ANYWHERE!" Colson thinks as he walks out of the bathroom contently.
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"Holy cock on a cracker...." Luna sighs to herself. "That fucking voice gets me every time...." She thinks as her heart throbs for her Lover.
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Still on the same continent, they both head back to their respected parties separately. Colson eventually moving his party to The Bus. Luna moving her's back to The Four Seasons.
He'll ride through the night while she'll fly out tomorrow. Bringing Dom and Ashley with her.
Even apart, they're still on each other's minds. Even with shows in different country codes, they still mange to fuck only each other.
Truly showcasing A Day In The Life of a LunaTic and Her Gunn.
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To be continued.....
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disappointingyet · 4 years
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Da 5 Bloods
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Director Spike Lee Stars Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Isiah Whitlock Jr, Norm Lewis, Chadwick Boseman, Jonathan Majors USA 2020 Language English, Vietnamese, French (with English subtitles) 2hrs 34mins Colour (mostly)
Spike Lee goes up river
It’s funny to think now how adrift Spike Lee seemed a few years ago. Let’s go back only as far as 2016, when Chi-raq, after a token release in the US, took a whole year to make it to British cinemas. But then he hadn’t been big news since his triumphant 2006, when he made both a splendid mainstream thriller (Inside Man) and an epic TV documentary (When The Levees Broke). After that, though, little seemed to work, so he got equally critically trashed for a small-scale neighbourhood pic (Red Hook Summer) and unwanted English-language remake of the classic Korean revenge thriller Oldboy.
But Chi-raq turned out to the start of a revival. He updated She’s Gotta Have It as a TV show, and while it has had the odd dud moments, mostly it proved that Lee was aware of the changing times. Then came BlacKKKlansman, a good movie with a great story behind it, and Spike was truly back. And now here’s Da 5 Bloods, surfing in on great reviews and I’m feeling late to the party because I only watched it on the Sunday after its Friday release, and all my friends had already seen it and been asking me what I thought…
…and I have lots of thoughts, appropriately, because this is a long movie that is trying to do a big bunch of things at once, and one that nods to so many things, and – not least – is a movie coming out in June 2020 that features the Black Lives Matter movement. As with Chi-raq, Lee seems determined that no one could accuse him of being under-ambitious.
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And yet, after the expected context-setting barrage of documentary footage, we get what could seem the start for a low-key movie: four former GIs return to Vietnam for the first time since the war. This could be an African-American (and hopefully far superior) version of Last Flag Flying, a tale of old friends gathering a final time to share jokes and reluctantly confront their psychic wounds. I think it would be fair to describe that as just one of the movies Lee is making here.  
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The Bloods are Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr) and Eddie (Norm Lewis). Temptations fans among you will be asking: where’s David? That’s Paul’s son, played by Jonathan Majors (who was in last year’s The Last Black Man In San Francisco), who invites himself along for the ride. The fifth Blood, though, is Stormin’ Norman (Chadwick Boseman), the one who never came back, and whose remains they are hoping to retrieve. 
The film hops between the present day, as the guys explore neon-drenched Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon back in the day) and then head up river,  and the war, as Norman leads them on a high-risk mission. The river trip is partly played as gentle spoof on Apocalypse Now, with the gun boat replaced by a brightly painted pleasure boat. But any sense of cheery tourism is undercut by Paul’s unchecked PTSD and his tendency to treat Vietnamese people as if the war was still raging (which it is, in his head).
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Which makes this a good moment to say that this is one of the least balanced ensemble movies ever. This is Paul’s show all the way: of the other Bloods, Otis gets a chunk of the story, but not much character development, and Melvin and Eddie are strictly in supporting roles. Paul has all the rage, and all the contradictions: although his obsession with Norman, who was a political radical, remains as vivid after half a century, Paul is now a Trump voter. The journey we are on is his as he is forced to deal with all the pain that’s never really left him. 
It’s fortunate, then, that Delroy Lindo is up to the task, and increasingly magnetic as the film reaches crisis point deep in country. I had been wondering if the movie was going to pick up momentum as the film ambled past the hour mark, but it does, both in terms of the action but more importantly emotional kick.
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Norman is also not a rounded character, but I think that’s deliberate, because what we are seeing is not a real person, but the memory of a fallen leader. The Norman his friends and comrades remember is a super-solidier, a martyr and a political visionary: he sits out in the wild in a palm version of Huey Newton’s chair.* In the battle scenes, the other four are their 2020 versions: I wasn’t entirely sure whether this was deliberate or ineffective de-ageing, but at the end of film they are shown as they would have been back in 1968.
Lee, who has always been a visually minded director, gives us a clear prompt as to which decade we’re in. The flashbacks are in the squarish 1:33:1 aspect ratio (presumably to look like a war most Americans watched on TV) and shot on 16mm film with saturated colours, while the modern day stuff in Ho Chi Minh City is in ultra-widescreen and in crisp digital, and then the jungle scenes are less letterboxy. (There’s also some Super 8). (And, as I mentioned, there’s loads of B&W archive at the start of the film, and some more along the way). 
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As we get to see him do both here, I’ll say this reinforces my feeling that Lee is better with dancing scenes than gunfights. (I also suspect the war scenes were done on a fairly low budget. It made me think of Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn). And he’s always great with solo rants, and good with guys hanging out. The individual Bloods may be underdrawn, but they work as a collective, give the sense that they have shared a lot of intense times together.
There’s a lot of talk, a lot of debate, a lot of information. For all those people who seem suddenly hungry to educate themselves via the medium of cinema, this is a three-course meal, taking in not just race relations in the US but American imperialism, French colonialism, US-French relations, and Vietnam’s capitalist boom time under Communist Party control.
 And, of course, the fact that it was the Vietnamese who suffered the most during the war. However, I feel while that’s the message the movie’s dialogue gives us, it’s undercut by the way that the film is shot and the story unfolds, which does (as academics say) ‘Other’ the Vietnamese. Maybe that’s because Paul is so much the centre of the movie, and he never feels safe out here, and as it happens…
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Three Vietnamese characters who get more than a line or two: Vinh (Johnny Nguyen), the old men’s guide, and Tiên Luu (Lê Y Lan), a former sex worker who Otis knew back in the day and is now prosperous, and wartime North Vietnamese propaganda broadcaster Hanoi Hannah (Van Veronica Ngo). And there are a handful of other Westerners: Jean Reno (as often) barely even trying as a dodgy Frenchman and three privileged NGO types (Mélanie Thierry plays the one who actually gets to say stuff): they exist for the dual purposes of plot and debate points, rather than being anything approximating human beings.
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But this is not their story, it’s Paul’s, and on those terms this is a grand, satifsying piece of cinema, filled with incident and discussion and music, one both bursting with things to say and inventively shot, and built around a towering central performance from Delroy Lindo. You won’t feel short-changed. 
*’They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old…’ etc
(PS: there’s a whole bunch of films this reminded me of, but mentioning many of them would amount to spoilers, so I’m holding off. Feel free to ask).
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Discussion time;
so.. when I was around 8 I believe my moms ex boyfriend was really weird with me and I had a gut feeling that something was wrong and I did try to run away but it didn't work and eventially it lwd to the point of me being hit so badly on my bum that I couldn't sit down on anything other than a pillow. This person also used to make me eat a soup that would make me gag and my mother knew about it, if I refused to eat something it would be poured over my head including my own vomit which at one point I was forced to eat. I couldn't really explain it very well to my school nurse at the time why I was in so much pain because he told me to not tell anyone so I tried not to but the pain when I tried sitting down at school was unbearable.
The only way I could explain it to my school nurse was that my bum looked like a dalmatians spots. And before I knew it I had social services around me and police it was crazy, I had to go to hospital to have photos taken and the machine was so loud that it scared me so I put my hands over my ears. I was terrified. I couldn't sleep unless I had the light on and I used to repeatedly wet the bed. I had to have a recorded chat with a police officer in a room for court not that I'd be allowed to attend which I wish I could have.
So, I had lost trust in men completely because I was petrified of it happening again so I only used to date women until I met my current boyfriend who showed me different.
Me and my mom don't get on very well as she is friends with one of my abusers and she used to chase me up the stairs and hit me repeatedly if I annoyed her. She used to lock the kitchen up so I couldn't eat and would lock me in the house so I couldn't get out. She also would lock up the living room so I couldn't watch tv. The only rooms I had access to were mine, the bathroom and her room. In the end as gross as this is I used to eat frozen food, and now I eat so fast that I have actually chipped my teeth because I never know when my next meal is. I always eat really fast even though I know I can afford to get myself something to eat even though I don't know how to cook much stuff.
So when I was 15 my moms friend asked to see me naked when I was upset about a horse who was dying of colic and I didn't know if she would survive or not. I immediately said no but I was pressured to getting my breasts out and I remember crying and he later apologised when bringing me cake. No one at school believed me, my mom didn't believe me and because she wouldn't leave the room when the police officer was there I told them I had lied. Which made me angrier to do. So I hatched a plan to catch him out which I did when I was 19 and the situation was far worse and when it all came out no one gave a shit.
When I was 17 I was depressed but I never knew I was, I would of had moments where I'd sit and cry and then I'd be okay. My teacher who was 28 at the time committed suicide and I blamed myself for it. Me and my classmates were not very nice people and I wasn't a very nice person when I was 17. We used to mess around all the time when she was trying to teach us and right before we knew she had died I remember saying to her I hate you, see you after half-term. I never hated her but she would annoy me but I never in all my life expect someone to be dead the next time we hear about them. I blamed myself to the point of self-destruction. I went to her funeral to say goodbye and then my life spiralled out of control.
I felt very suicidal and I messaged a friend about it and she told me "I don't care if you fucking kill yourself" so here I was offing myself to a whole pack of paracetamol at 17. I thought fuck my life, I've had so much shit and I've had enough. So i took the whole box of 500mg paracetamol and then went toilet as I had a urge to go to the toilet. Then I left the house and got on a bus but had no idea where I was going but needed toilet again which I thought was strange not realizing it was the overdose. I was walking around and I messaged my mom saying that I was ovbiously a disgrace and that's why she didn't love me and that's why she allowed all the abuse to happen to me including abusing me herself. I refused to tell her where I was because I wanted to die. Someone else that I was talking to was trying to tell me how good of a person I was but I didn't listen. And then I was calling and texing people telling them I'm sorry for being a horrible person or of I ever said anything horrible to them. I was a mess, a real mess.
I remember sitting down and then not gettint back up, I lost the feeling to my legs and this then set in.. fuck, I'm actually going to die. But I still didn't really care, I had a police officer texting me whilst my phone was dying and I was arguing with her, she had found my diary of how I'd spoken about my abuse and all the other crap and I told her. You're properly a man, you don't give a shit about me and you'll probably use me like they all do. Referring to my abuse as a child and when I was 15. I kept telling her to leave me alone and eventually I turned my phone off. I just wanted to die and I wanted it to hurry up. In the end I was losing my vision,
I couldn't see straight and I sat crying, I had some drunk call me a retard and a woman gave me some tissue because I was crying. But then I started to panic, I was losing control of my body and things got worse and worse. I ended up calling a friend and telling her what happened and she wanted me to go to her and I told her I couldn't. My friend and her mom rushed to me, I kept crying because I wanted to die but I also wanted my pain to stop and I couldn't make it stop. My friends mom sat behind me screaming to keep me awake whilst my friend called my mom and told her she found me and that I was in a really bad way.
No ambulance came for me, I had 3 police cars and they dragged me to the car and the second they pulled off I puked everywhere on my friends mom. Then I somewhat looked up at the police officer I was arguing with was indeed a woman and she was quite distraught from what she had read and wanted to help me. I ended up being on drips and then being sectioned in a mental institution.
I was out cold for 2hrs and woke up barely remembering my own name, I lost a lot of memory and I woke up being someone else. It was an experience that I thought I'd never do again but I was wrong. I got an Addiction to overdosing and have overdosed 7 times, I have BPD which stands for Borderline Personality Disorder and makes it worse when I'm depressed as the suicidal thoughts are a lot worse.
The last suicidal attempt was back in June last year and it was when I scared the absolute shit out of my boyfriend who blames himself. I was feeling quite depressed but I never spoke to anyone about it because I'm a type of person who holds everything in and that's what I used to do all the time. I had an allergic reaction and I was scratching my stomach and then my throat was closing up so I had to have oxygen.. I puked everywhere when the ambulance pulled off and I panicked because I couldn't breathe. When I eventually got seen by a doctor I had liver failure and had to have drips again. My liver levels were 3x over the limit. They were at 250.
Thankfully I haven't felt suicidal in a long time and I'm somewhat mentally doing okay, I try and talk to people if I feel depressed or suicidal and I always try to help other people who have been in the same situation as me. I hope to never do anything like that again because one day it could kill me. And to my current boyfriend, I'm sorry, I love you and thank you for being patient with me. You have shown me so much kindness througuout my trauma and I don't know what I'd do without you.
I hope this story has helped someone in some way.
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silenthillmutual · 4 years
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it’s my goal to eventually work through the whole list of the AFI top 100, so here’s what’s on it and what I’ve seen: 
Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) - seen; incredibly overrated; probably would not have reached the popularity it currently has had Hearst not made such a big fucking deal about it. why this is the top spot is beyond me.
The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942) - seen; pretty good, actually worth watching
Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
Singin' in the Rain (Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen, 1952) - seen; genuinely still incredibly funny and feel-good. please watch it if you haven’t!
Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)
Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962)
Schindler's List (Steven Spielberg, 1993) - seen most of; could not watch the second tape. incredibly heavy.
Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958) - seen; not bad, but why the hell is this above Rear Window?! it’s hardly had the same lasting cultural effect as Rear Window, The Birds, Psycho, or even The 39 Steps
The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939) - seen, but like, who hasn’t?
City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931) - seen; i think i like Modern Times better but it’s still good!
The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977) - seen; still holds up pretty well to modern scifi imo
Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) - seen; a classic. should be above Vertigo.
2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968) - seen; i can understand why this made the list but if you can only watch one significant sci-fi film, watch Fritz Lang’s Metropolis instead. to everyone except cishet white guys, 2001ASO will be extraordinarily difficult to sit through. the pacing is godawful.
Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)
The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967) - seen; not sure i can tell you what makes it special, though. i guess it’s good as far as 60s movies go, but i’d rather Rebel Without a Cause stayed on here.
The General (Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman, 1926) - i’m pretty sure i’ve seen this but i can’t remember anything about it.
On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954) - seen; definitely watch this one, it’s so good
It's a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946) - seen; obviously, since i’m Catholic. a Christmas standard, but if the holidays depress you don’t watch it then.
Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
The Grapes of Wrath (John Ford, 1940)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982) - seen, but i don’t remember anything about it.
To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962) - seen; i think it was pretty good but the only thing I remember is that Atticus Finch is the original DILF.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Frank Capra, 1939)
High Noon (Fred Zinnemann, 1952)
All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950)
Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)
Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
The Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941) - seen it, but i don’t remember anything about it, so i’m gonna rewatch it
The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Miloš Forman, 1975)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (David Hand, 1937) - seen; the forest part still freaks me out, to be honest
Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977) - seen; i begrudgingly have to admit that it is pretty good. if you’ve seen (500) Days of Summer, you’ve pretty much seen Annie Hall.
The Bridge on the River Kwai (David Lean, 1957)
The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (John Huston, 1948)
Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964) - i genuinely can’t remember if i ever managed to watch this all the way through or not. i know i tried several times in sixth grade because i, for some reason, had a crush on Peter Sellers, but if i ever managed to make it through it was apparently unremarkable enough that i can’t recall it.
The Sound of Music (Robert Wise, 1965) - seen; not sure what there is to say about it. but i certainly have seen it.
King Kong (Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933)
Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967) - seen; really wasn’t that great. not sure why so many people have a hardon for this movie. again...could we not have kept Rebel Without a Cause instead?
Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969)
The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor, 1940)
Shane (George Stevens, 1953)
It Happened One Night (Frank Capra, 1934)
A Streetcar Named Desire (Elia Kazan, 1951)
Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954) - seen; definitely up there with Psycho. how this placed so far behind Vertigo, of all the Hitchcock movies, i’ll never understand. skip Vertigo and watch Rear Window instead.
Intolerance (D. W. Griffith, 1916)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson, 2001) - seen; very good, of course, but i rewatched it after reading the book and that was a pretty jarring experience!
West Side Story (Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise, 1961) - seen; the fact that this places below not one but two Stanley Kubrick films should be considered a type of homophobia.
Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) - seen; very dark but not bad. personally i think this should be above the Graduate in terms of quality.
The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, 1978)
MASH (Robert Altman, 1970)
North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959) - seen; pretty good but the ending is kind of abrupt. i guess it makes sense, for 1959 it’s absurdly long for a non-musical film. it’s like 2hr 15 minutes and that is just absolutely bonkers.
Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975) - seen; it fucking sucks, why are people obsessed with this film?
Rocky (John G. Avildsen, 1976)
The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933) - seen about half of it and there is a very good reason i could not finish, and it is this: it was too fucking funny. it was finals and i was supposed to be writing a paper and i could not stop laughing.
Sullivan's Travels (Preston Sturges, 1941)
American Graffiti (George Lucas, 1973)
Cabaret (Bob Fosse, 1972) - seen; can’t think of another movie musical that deserves to be on here that isn’t already.
Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
The African Queen (John Huston, 1951)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981) - seen; i mean...it’s good... but an Indiana Jones film?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Mike Nichols, 1966)
Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992)
Tootsie (Sydney Pollack, 1982) - seen; not bad, but kind of a weird choice for this list? it’s not something that exactly jumps to the top of my head when i think of iconic films.
A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971) - seen; bad. extremely traumatizing. misses the point of the book. when Get Out comes of age i hope it replaces this nonsense. just another excuse for Kubirck to show off how much he hates women.
Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg, 1998)
The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (George Roy Hill, 1969)
The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991) - seen; one of my absolute favorite films! 
In the Heat of the Night (Norman Jewison, 1967)
Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994) - seen; it’s been a long time, but i seem to remember it being pretty good. considering the cultural impact i would have thought it’d be up higher on the list.
All the President's Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976)
Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin, 1936) - seen; i liked it better than City Lights, but to each their own.
The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)
The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
Spartacus (Stanley Kubrick, 1960)
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (F. W. Murnau, 1927)
Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) - seen; and though i personally think it’s overrated, i’m having a hard time grappling with the fact that it somehow comes after two Kubrick films i never hear anyone talk about.
Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper, 1969) - seen about half of it. not sure that this film even has a plotline.
A Night at the Opera (Sam Wood, 1935) - seen; i absolutely loved it. i still think the Marx Bros films are hilarious and i definitely recommend this one over A Day at the Races.
Platoon (Oliver Stone, 1986)
12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957) - seen; i was always given the impression this was a pretty remarkable and important piece of film, so how did it wind up in 87th place?! after Easy Rider, of all things?!
Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938)
The Sixth Sense (M. Night Shyamalan, 1999) - seen; i know Shyamalan has never managed to replicate his success, but this is still a really good film.
Swing Time (George Stevens, 1936)
Sophie's Choice (Alan J. Pakula, 1982)
Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971)
Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) - seen, but it was pretty confusing to me at the time so i’ll have to rewatch it. i’m a little surprised Kill Bill didn’t make the list.
The Last Picture Show (Peter Bogdanovich, 1971)
Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) - seen and plan on rewatching. how did this get lower on the list than 2001: A Space Odyssey? it’s just as influential to sci-fi films and much more interesting.
Yankee Doodle Dandy (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
Toy Story (John Lasseter, 1995) - seen, and i’m so glad it’s on here! it really does hold up very well. i hope none of its sequels ever replace it.
Ben-Hur (William Wyler, 1959)
Total: 44/100
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