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hurricanery · 3 years

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a million ways

A/N: So I know I was supposed to be posting the first part of a multi-chapter AU with amelink as interns next, but I got distracted with this idea from another prompt I saw. I also want to have more chapters planned out before I start posting that AU one! So here’s something else for now- feedback and prompts always welcome! Thanks so much for all the support it truly means a lot :)

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There are a million different ways to tell someone you love them without actually saying the three words ‘i love you.’

Amelia and Link utilize several of these alternative ways before they realize what their words and actions actually mean.

_______

1) “Text me when you get home okay”

Amelia laughs in disbelief as she checks her phone. A voicemail from Meredith lets her know that her ride home from the airport has just fallen through. And of course Meredith would tell her this last minute.

This small inconvenience would normally bother her a lot more, but for some reason, her mood had significantly improved over the weekend. She’d even been sat next to an overly-chatty passenger on her flight home from San Diego, and usually that would put her over the edge, too. But, something about her weekend at the conference had undoubtedly affected her outlook.

Maybe it was the fact that she’d run into a particular coworker at said conference. Maybe she’d been impressed by his knowledge of alternative pain relief methods. Maybe it was the fact that they’d flirted all weekend.

Or maybe it was the rebound sex.

Yeah, that was definitely it, Amelia thinks to herself as she walks through the Seattle airport, a smile subconsciously adorning her face.

She makes her way outside of the airport, rolling her luggage behind her, and pulls her phone out of her pocket to attempt getting a cab.

“Dr. Shepherd?” An inquisitive voice gets her attention and her head snaps up to meet it.

Link is standing right in front of her. Equally inquisitive blue eyes match the tone of his voice. Amelia only falters for a moment before her brain seems to catch up to her.

“We slept together less than 24 hours ago and you’re referring to me as ‘Dr. Shepherd’...?” she mutters quietly, smirking at him.

He laughs sheepishly in response, rubbing at the back of his neck and nodding his head in agreement. “Amelia…” he continues, matching her smirk. “Were we....on the same flight home?”

“It seems that way.”

“Well,” he smiles, “I just got a cab, you want to share?”

Amelia nods quickly. “Actually yeah, Mer was supposed to pick me up, but she cancelled.” She looks up at him, and for some reason the eye contact is making her heart flutter. She tries to suppress it. “So, yeah. That’d be great.”

Link stores their luggage in the trunk of the cab and they both settle into the backseat. His apartment is slightly further out of the way, so Meredith’s house is the first stop for drop off.

Amelia tries to restrain a huge smile as Link gets out of the car and lifts her luggage out for her. “Thank you,” she murmurs as he sets it down in front of her on the driveway.

Link just smiles in response. He moves to get back into the cab and some sort of feeling dawns on Amelia. Somewhere between concern and care.

Link almost shuts the car door before Amelia quickly steps forward.

“Link, wait!”

He pauses, hand on the door handle, and looks up at her incredulously.

“Uh,” she pauses. Racking her brain for reasons she’d just stopped him. The sudden anxiousness over Link’s journey home doesn’t make sense to her at all.

Link’s eyebrows furrow in question as he watches Amelia try to make sense of what she’s feeling.

“Just….text me when you get home okay.” Amelia has no idea why she says this or where the sentiment is even coming from.

A smile grows wide across Link’s face at her words. He chuckles.

“What?” she laughs, blushing. Not at all understanding her own words or actions. “Just let me know you got home, alright?”

“Okay, Amelia. Will do.”

“Okay.”

Link shakes his head slowly in amusement as he closes the door and Amelia watches as the cab pulls away down Meredith’s street.

_______

2) “It reminded me of you”

They start seeing each other a lot more often. They work cases together. They have surgeries together. They even fly out to New York together for a particularly ground-breaking case. And all the while, their friends-with-benefits situation progresses.

Link even manages to meet some of her family. In a twisted scenario that includes Amelia attempting to make her family believe she’s still married to Owen, Link ends up witnessing some pretty personal details of Amelia’s life.

But Amelia remains convinced that the relationship between them is very surface-level.

Amelia is in a particularly good mood on this Monday morning. As she walks into the hospital, she notices the new coffee shop across the street is having it’s grand opening. And she decides to treat herself.

She places an order for a latte and while she waits for her drink to be made, she browses the cafe and all it has to offer. She’s particularly captivated by the variety of donuts displayed behind the glass-encased shelving behind the counter.

Amelia doesn’t know why she does it, she’s not even that hungry, but the idea of a box of donuts excites her. And the next thing she knows, she’s asking the woman behind the counter to add a dozen donuts to her order.

When she walks into the attendings lounge a few minutes later, she’s immediately relieved to see Link.

“Hey,” she grins. “Happy Monday.”

“Hey,” he smiles back, equally happy to see her.

She lifts the box of donuts into his view “Want one?”

“You got donuts?!”

Amelia bites her lip, laughing at his ability to get so excited over food.

“Yeah,” she responds. “The coffee shop across the street just opened. I just went in for a latte but then I saw these and-,”

She opens the lid to reveal a dozen glazed donuts.

“It reminded me of you,” she murmurs, surprised by her own words. She instantly attempts to downplay what she had just admitted. “So anyway, here’s to a sugar high to start your Monday off right.”

If any sort of reaction appears across Link’s face, it’s only for a moment.

He reaches in and grabs a donut, finishing it off in two bites, much to Amelia’s amusement. She eats one too, trying to suppress her laughter as Link impressively goes in for a second one.

_______

3) “Put your seatbelt on”

It’s the first snowfall of winter in Seattle and Amelia and Link both happen to be working the night shift. It’s around 5am when Link wraps up his last surgery and goes to find Amelia in the on-call room.

She’s dozing off in the dark room when he enters.

“Hey,” he mutters, approaching the bed. He shakes her shoulder gently. “You want a ride home?”

Amelia sits up slowly. “Mhm,” she mumbles.

When they get out to the parking lot, there’s so much snow they almost can’t find Link’s car. It’s still dark outside, the sun not yet rising, and they walk carefully through the lot until they see it.

Link opens the passenger side door for Amelia to get in and warm up while he shovels the snow off the car. When he finishes up and climbs into the driver’s side, he turns to Amelia and notices she’s dozed off again. He smiles to himself as he begins to drive.

The roads are slick and Link drives slowly down the main road. He curses to himself over the traffic, the road too busy for 5am.

Out of nowhere, the car drives over an unseen patch of ice, and Link loses control of the steering wheel. The car slides into the other lane quickly, and Link subconsciously reaches a protective hand out toward Amelia as he slams on the brakes. He gains control of the car again but slows down immensely.

The force of the moment causes Amelia to rouse from sleep. She sits up slightly, and that’s when Link notices.

Anger flashes through him hot and fast.

“Amelia!” he practically shouts, panicked by another slippery part of the road. “Amelia, put your seatbelt on!”

Amelia takes a moment to adjust to being awake, realizing her surroundings. “Shit,” she mumbles, “Okay…” She slowly pulls the seatbelt across her chest, clicking it into place and then staring ahead of her at the dangerous road ahead.

The car swerves unwillingly once more and Amelia grips her seat. She turns to Link, who has now gone red in the face out of anger and panic. “Dammit,” he mutters.

Silence falls between them as Link concentrates completely on the road. They are only about a mile from Meredith’s house, but at this rate, it was going to take them twenty minutes to get there.

Link sighs heavily, pulling Amelia’s attention once more. “What were you thinking?!” he mutters angrily. “Why wasn’t your seatbelt on?”

She blinks, pausing. “I...I’m sorry. I was asleep before you started driving. I didn’t even realize-”

“You should have had it on!” He cuts her off, voice raised again.

Amelia looks at him in disbelief. Completely taken aback by his reaction.

“Link, I-”

“Forget it, I’m sorry,” he mutters, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

“It’s on now,” Amelia whispers assuringly, gesturing toward the seatbelt and staring back ahead at the road.

“It’s on now,” Link repeats, more to himself.

Amelia looks at him, noticing his features begin to relax a bit.

“It’s on now,” he says again. “You’re okay.”

_______

4) “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you”

When Amelia finishes up a consult in the pit, she notices Link standing near the nurse’s station. She tries not to think about the instant smile that spreads across her face at the sight of him.

“Hi!” she approaches him.

“Well, hi,” he greets her. “How’s your day?”

“Good,” she grins, “uneventful….I was going to grab lunch in a bit. Want to join me?”

“Uhm,” he pauses, a weird look on his face. “I can’t today. I’ve got a thing.”

Amelia frowns at his sudden indifference.

“Rain check?” he offers, trying to seem upbeat.

“Sure,” she mumbles.

“Alright,” Link exclaims, setting down his tablet at the nurse’s station. “I’ve gotta go, I’ll see you later?”

Amelia frowns, watching Link turn away from her and toward the hallway.

“Wait, Link!” she calls after him, following him. “Your ‘thing’ is now?”

He stops in the empty hallway outside of the ER. “Yeah and I should really get going, I’m going to be late.” He smiles reassuringly. But it doesn’t work on Amelia.

“Wait, stop. What’s this thing?”

Link sighs, pausing again. “It’s just an appointment.”

“An appointment?” Amelia frowns, concerned.

Link just stares at her for a moment, before he explains. “It’s just a scan, Amelia. I get them once a year.”

“A scan?” she repeats, trying to catch up with her own thoughts.

Link just smiles at her again, gripping her shoulders comfortingly. “Yes, Amelia. That’s what happens when you beat cancer as a kid….You still have to go back in to make sure everything’s….still good. It’s just a regular checkup. Come on, you know that.”

Amelia nods. Yes, she knows that. But, for some reason she’s currently filled with dread. She smiles through the feeling. “Okay, go. Go. Don’t be late. I’ll see you later!”

_______

Later that night, Amelia stays over at Link’s apartment. The appointment went well. Nothing to be concerned about. But for some reason, Amelia is wide awake. A nagging feeling fills her chest as she stares up at the ceiling, Link snoring softly next to her.

She rolls into his side, nuzzling her face into his neck until he stirs awake.

“Hm?” he mumbles sleepily. Waiting until his eyes adjust. When they do, piercing blue eyes are staring into his. “What time is it?”

Amelia glances at the clock behind him. “2:30.”

“Why are you awake?”

Silence.

“Link,” Amelia breathes, and her voice is laced with vulnerability. “Will you let me know ahead of time, the next time you have an appointment?”

Link just stares at her in question.

“Amelia,” he speaks slowly, “what’s going on.”

“I just-” Even Amelia can hear her own voice falter as she speaks. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“Oh, Amelia,” Link gasps, pulling her into him and squeezing her against his chest. “Everything is fine. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I know that for now.”

Silence falls between them again and Link starts to think Amelia has fallen asleep.

“Just tell me next time,” she whispers eventually.

Link rubs her back up and down comfortingly. “I will.”

_______

5) “I wanted to make sure you’re okay”

Link overhears it from an intern in the gallery. That ‘Dr. Shepherd had to leave in the middle of surgery,’ that she ‘almost threw up in the OR,’ that it was most likely ‘food poisoning.’

Link frowns as he listens to the interns gossip. He pulls his phone out to send a quick text to Amelia to check in.

He doesn’t hear back for an hour.

When an hour turns into two he decides to just drive over to Meredith’s when his shift ends.

When he gets there, Maggie answers the door. She lets him in and Link immediately makes his way to Amelia’s room. He knocks briefly before peeking his head in. Amelia rests back against the headboard, eyes opening as he makes his entrance.

“Hey,” she croaks, “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to make sure you’re okay,” he states, taking in her appearance. Pale skin and dark circles under her eyes. She doesn’t look great. “You didn’t answer my text.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbles. “I have such a bad headache I can’t even look at my phone.”

Link frowns, sitting on the end of her bed, near her feet.

“You think you have the flu? Or food poisoning or something?”

“Yeah, or something,” she mutters, trying to keep her eyes open.

“Okay,” Link thinks, “Can I get you anything? I’ll go to the store, what do you need?”

“Um,” she pauses. “I can’t think of anything I need right now.”

“Okay, well I’ll just go see what I can find. And I’ll check with Maggie, too.”

Amelia just hums at him appreciatively.

_______

Link re-enters Amelia’s bedroom an hour later.

“Alright,” he exclaims cheerfully. “So I went to the pharmacy. I got you ginger ale and anti-nausea,” he starts pulling items out of the grocery bag. “Advil for your head,” he continues.

Amelia smiles up at him as he starts setting the items down on her bedside table.

“Oh!” he laughs as he pulls the last item out. “And tampons for Maggie.”

Amelia’s eyes widen briefly at the mention of tampons. Link stares back at her. “What? Did I forget something?”

“No, no,” Amelia quickly responds, but Link notices the brief panic she’d tried to hide. “Thanks for getting all of that.”

_______

6) “I brought you breakfast”

When Amelia tells Link she’s pregnant, it happens quickly. In a rush. A passing moment in the stairwell.

It’s a shock to both of them. But, Link’s immediate concern is Amelia. How she’s dealing with it. He can tell it’s not quite real to her yet, like she’s still processing it. And he wants to be as supportive to her as he can be.

So while Amelia does what she can to process, Link does what he can to help. No matter the outcome of the situation, and what Amelia decides, he wants to be there for her in the moment.

So he starts with breakfast.

“I brought you breakfast,” he greets her as he walks into the lab.

Amelia groans.

“You have surgery in an hour, Amelia. You need to eat something.”

“I can’t keep anything down.”

Link sighs. He reaches to rest his hand on her shoulder and she avoids the contact completely. He frowns at this. “Here,” he pushes forward. “Drink some water first. Then maybe a power bar in like 20 minutes?”

Amelia lets a small smile play at her lips as he passes her a water bottle.

A few hours later he brings her a snack. This time he finds her headed to the ER and he stops her, handing her a banana and another water bottle.

Amelia rolls her eyes. “Stop doing this.”

“Stop avoiding it.”

They stubbornly hold eye contact for a moment before she finally takes the snack from his hands. She gives him a smirk before she turns away from him, continuing toward the ER.

“Amelia!” he calls after her, “I’m ready to talk later if you are!”

_______

7) “A little bit in love” / “I think I’m in love with you”

It takes time before the sentiment is actually spoken out loud. And even so, it isn’t fully realized. When Amelia says it for the first time, she tells Link not to say it back.

There’s a lot that factors into Amelia’s decision about the pregnancy. She’s riddled with anxiety and self-doubt when she opens up to Link about Christopher. She isn’t expecting Link’s reaction. And she especially isn’t expecting his words.

He says things that make her feel less scared. And “a little bit in love.”

And she pleads with him not to say it back.

_______

“I think I’m in love with you.”

Link does say it back. But it’s not a surprise. Because they’ve been saying it for so long without actually saying it.

“And I know you said not to say it back, but it’s not something I feel very often.”

Their light-hearted ‘gravity blanket’ situation had suddenly taken a more serious turn and Amelia, focusing her eyes on the ceiling above as she lay across Link’s chest, begins to realize just how much they have been saying lately.

She listens carefully as Link embarks on a similar realization. And she knows she doesn’t have to say it back. Not in those three words. Because there’s a million different ways to say ‘i love you.’

And they’ve both been saying it the whole time.

So this time, she settles for “okay,” and she places her hands on top of Link’s as they come to rest across the slowly forming curve in her waist.

There are a million different ways to tell someone you love them. Link and Amelia intended to try every possible way.

#amelink #amelia shepherd #atticus lincoln #maggie pierce #greys anatomy #greys anatomy fanfic #amelinkfic #amelinkfanfiction #amelink fanfic #amelia x link #my writing #grey’s anatomy

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pl-panda · 4 years

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Damienette arranged marriage: part 26

Credits: Miraculous Ladybug team for the elements I take from MLB show. DC for their characters, @ozmav for the AU, @maribat-archive for giving me access to so many different stories to have take inspirations from, @thyladyanput for idea for Chat Damian and me for the plot.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 part 14 part 15

part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21

Part 22 Part 23 Part 24

part 25

Damienette arranged marriage: part 26

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“Hold still girl if you want to see your friend and yourself walk out of here alive!” Mayura threatened her. To enforce the point made by his partner, Hawkmoth pressed the blade closer, drawing some blood. A single droplet traveled along the edge and hit the floor. The heroine felt her whole body go stiff with fear. She silently accepted her fate when suddenly there was an ear-piercing cry of pain behind her. The blade, together with hand that was holding it, fell to the ground. Hawkmoth stumbled holding the stump that used to be his hand. Behind him Damian wiped the blood from his blade.

“Leave. My Wife. Alone!” He barked and turned to Mayura. “The game is over.”

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Hawkmoth was really glad that his miraculous stopped the bleeding immediately. But at the same time the pain was almost making him see stars. So she married a batbrat…

Mayura immediately let Luka go and rushed to Hawkmoth to help him. She tried to lift him, but she was stopped when a cold blade was pressed to her neck.

“I wouldn’t try it. He will need immediate medical attention once his transformation wears off.” Robin said through the gritted teeth. “Try not to join that list.”

Marinette was still in shock of the events that just occured, but she grabbed her yo-yo and tossed it up. “Miraculous Ladybug!” A swarm of magical energy traveled everywhere around and fixed everything, including Hawkmoth’s hand, but he was still without his weapon while Mayura was at the sword’s pointy end. The heroine walked to the defeated pain. “Gabriel Agreste, Nathalie Sanscoeur, As the Great Guardian of Miraculous I hereby renounce your right to miraculous you have abused.” With that, she plucked their jewels away. The two Kwami were ejected from them and looked at the girl with clear relief. She then turned away to collect other miraculous when suddenly a knife went through her. Adrien was standing there with fury in his eyes.

“You’ve chosen some random american hero over me?! What does he have that I don’t!? You are a monster!” He spat at the girl. He was about to grab her miraculous when a chakram hit him and pushed him back. He stumbled and fell on the ground. Damian was about to rush him and gutter him open, but Nathalie used the distraction to tackle the hero and looked at the blond boy.

“Run! Run and don’t look back!” She shouted and turned back to the wrestle match against Robin. She was winning until other heroes didn’t come at her aid. Adrien grabbed the Butterfly and Peacock miraculous and run as fast as he could. He jumped into the platform and traveled to the underground compound. Spoiler was about to jump after him, but she turned her attention to where Ladybug laid.

Marinette had a knife going through her chest, about right where her heart was. Damian punched Nathalie hard enough for her to get knocked out cold and run to his wife.

“Angel! Can you hear me?!” He held her close.

“Dami…” She was too weak to actually say his full name. “Did… did…”

“You did it angel!” He cried loudly. “Hawkmoth and Mayura are both no more! Everything is going to be fine.”

“I… thank… you…” She managed to spit out. While she was not bleeding, having a pierced heart would still kill her slowly. He also suspected her lungs were damaged given her irregular breath and troubles with speaking.

“Save your strength. The help is on the way I am sure.” He tried to comfort her. The certainty in his voice almost convinced him that it will be okay.

“The t-time… with you…” She had to make a break in the middle of the sentence, but she grabbed his hand tighter. “was best… in my life…” She pressed his hand to her stomach tighter.

“And we will have more time together angel. Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me damn it!” He cried.

Gabriel took advantage of the commotion and tried to sneak away, but the Gorilla stepped in his way. “Nuh Nuh.” He grumbled while shaking his head before he hit his former boss on the head like a whack-a-mole game.

Finally, the transformation surrendered and Tikki was forcefully expelled from the earrings. Blood started to fall from the wound.

“Oh Marinette! I am so sorry! I…” The kwami moaned.

Damian stopped speaking. He just looked at his wife. She was so little, smaller than even him. He contemplated pulling the knife, but it would be pointless.

“Can you… Can you heal her?” Sabine asked the Kwami.

“I don’t know. Oh Marinette!” Small goddess of creation nuzzled into the neck of now passed out girl. The pulse was still there, but it was getting weaker with each passing second.

Damian took off his mask. Screw secrecy! He looked at the girl he came to adore and tightened his grip on his hand. “Don’t leave me habibti. Please don’t do it…” A single tear fell from his eye, mixing with the blood around her heart. Then the next one. And another. He allowed his emotions to surface. He didn’t care who saw what. It was his moment, his wife, his damn business and no one’s else.

Tikki saw the pain and suffering and cursed. Cursed the laws, cursed the balance, cursed her own limitations. She was the most powerful kwami... scratch that, most powerful thing in existence. She created this whole damn world. Marinette was her greatest companion and true friend. She would not watch her Ladybug pass away so young. The Kwami floated above the girl and focused her energy. An orb of white formed around her and she launched it on Marinette. As the energy connected with her, the knife was destroyed and wound closed immediately. There was a flash of green light for just a moment, but it was quenched with another green light that came from where Damian’s tears still remained.

There was also another pulse of energy. This one was much bigger and came from near the ring of Black Cat where Plagg just awoke after he was exhausted. Doing evil was much more tiring for Kwami. And him potentially hurting Tikki like that made the lazy cat pass out for some time. Now he sensed the balance shifting. He acted almost on instinct, but retained enough awareness to change one thing. This pulse hit everyone in the room, but it looked Like Gabriel and Nathalie got the worst of it.

Marinette opened her eyes and graped for air, looking at Damian confused. “W-What… What just happened.”

“You are alive!” He shouted and pulled her in deep hug. She was confused at first, but embraced her husband as well.

“Marinette! You are healed…” Sabine lost her voice. “Thank you Tikki. Thank you so very much. You can have any sweets you want whenever you want!” She shouted before jumping to pull both Damian and Marinette into embrace.

“That is indeed a great news to see Mari-hime well, but what exactly happened.” Kagami asked, voicing what everyone thought.

“I can answer that.” Plagg floated closer to them while carrying his own ring. “When Tikki used her power to heal Marinette, she disturbed the balance. Normally, it would require someone else to surrender his life force to heal her.” It was unlike the Kwami of destruction to speak in such academic tone, but most seemed to ignore this fact for now. “But since she was still alive and I was conscious I instead took some of the life energy from everyone. For next few weeks, maybe months I would advise you to avoid strenuous activities.”

“Since when do you know the word ‘strenuous’ Plagg?” Tikki giggled while looking at the other Kwami.

“I have other interests than eating cheese!” He shouted. “Besides this mogger hid my cheese behind encyclopedia and I read it while eating at night.” He murmured. Tikki would have probably laughed if not the implications behind this. She floated to her companion and pulled him in a hug. There were no words spoken, only the two of them comforting one another after so much things happened in such a short (for a Kwami) time.

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Next week was hard. The defeat of Hawkmoth caused severe backlash. The public swarmed Ladybug wherever she went and questioned her about details. The chaos in the city caused by the news was close to riots. People were overly ecstatic. On the bright side, the school was canceled for the time of celebrations.

Before the heroes managed to turn their attention to Adrien he was long gone. He also wired all the funds from his father’s account somewhere. It was clear that the older Agreste had safety mechanisms in place just in case something like this happened.

Marinette didn’t care. She would later, but for now she was just happy that she could spend some time with Damian. Since the time she almost died, the two were inseparable. Even crowbar would not help here, so back off Jason!

The trip to America came sooner than expected. Marinette’s flight left on Monday, but Damian had to return by Saturday to have everything prepared. She wanted to go with him, but Madame Bustier firmly protested, saying that all students must travel with her because she is class representative and some other utter bullshit (Damian’s words).

Still, the bluenette came to the airport to say goodbye. It was about five in the morning and they were in private longue while waiting for the jet to be ready. Marinette kept forgetting that she was married into the richest family in the world. Then again, she did not care. Damian would mean no less to her if he was broke.

“It’s only two days, but I will miss you” Marinette said to him when the message came that everything was set.

“Me too habibti.” He said while looking into her blueberry eyes.

“I… Thank you. For everything.” She smiled. “If I didn’t meet you, I would probably still be fighting a losing war against Hawkmoth.”

“It was nothing.” He shrugged it off. “I did what I had to. To keep you safe I would do more.” He paused for a moment, taking another look in her beautiful eyes. She also starred back at him, the two whirlpools of emerald were mesmerizing in the morning light. They were really mesmerizing at any time of the day or night. “Marinette… Before I go. There is one more thing I wanted to tell you. The last months I spent with you were amazing.” He forced himself not to close. Damian decided that he would do it today and he would. No matter how embarrassed he was feeling right now. There was only the two of them and he turned all the cameras into loop so his family could not hack them. “For the first time I could really be myself. I am grateful for that.”

Marinette looked at him funny. “Damian? What are you…” She didn’t finish the question because he interrupted her.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng Al Ghoul Wayne. I think I love you. No. I know I love you.” He said with an emotionless expression. It took every bit of his willpower not to run away.

She blinked. Then she blinked again. The weight of this words almost crushed her. Suddenly her legs felt weak. She tried to avoid his gaze while her mind was getting overheated. But then the courage she always showed as Ladybug filled her. She straightened up and looked him deep in his eyes again. “Damian Al Ghoul Wayne… I love you too.” She said. there was a relaxed smile on her face, but the most important part were her eyes. Damian saw only one thing in them. Love. He never saw anything like that before, but he knew that this was love in purest form.

He grabbed her in the waist and looked at her with question. For a moment, she hesitated, understanding where this was going, but then she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled himself closer. For a moment their faces were just inch apart. This was her last chance to back away. Yet instead, she closed the distance between their lips.

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THE END

KONIEC

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sunsetinmyvein · 4 years

Text

I Know That I’ll Lose - Chapter Four - I Know You Think You’re Sly

Over the next few weeks the two of them talked pretty regularly. Different time zones made it more difficult, but Matty’s regular (or rather, irregular) sleep schedule sort of made up for that. He was beginning to notice that over time she was becoming a pretty integral part of his social system. It took him a while, but he was realising that the days that he was most snappy and rude at those around him were the days that they hadn’t spoken. He had a bad habit for forming crutches on things around him that offered some form of relief. But he figured a social crutch was considerably healthier than an opioid one, so he let it be. The band were also quickly noticing this, probably faster than Matty himself did. Though their reason for believing he was fast becoming socially dependent on this girl was the fact that he just did. not. shut. up. about her. George was at least happy to see his best friend in such a good mood, but he really wished that Matty would get over this weird honeymoon phase he was in where everything was still new and shiny and he had to tell everyone about it. Especially when they were always in each other’s space, Ross and Adam heard considerably less of it than he had to.

It had been nearly a month since she’d last seen Matty when the man himself was suddenly flashing up on her phone screen. She put down the mouthful of food that she had been about to eat as she held the phone up to her ear. “What’re you doing this weekend?” He asked without even saying hello.

“Hi, Matty. How’s things? That’s good. I’m doing well, thanks for asking.” She started rattling off sarcastically.

“Are you free or not?” He asked again.

“I dunno, I’m probably seeing family or something?” She heard him hum thoughtfully on the other end of the line. “Why?”

“Wanna meet me halfway?” He questioned. She expected him to elaborate on that, but he didn’t continue.

“Halfway to where?” She asked eventually.

“To a gig.” He said like it was the most obvious answer he could ever give. “I was bored and looking up flights for where we are gonna be on tour this weekend. It’s equal distance from me as it is from you.” He explained.

“I… what?” She gave a disbelieving laugh. “Matty, I can’t just get on a plane and go away for the weekend.”

“Why not?” He asked.

“Well, I can’t afford it for a start.” She pointed out with a huff.

“I never said that you had to pay for it. That would be pretty rude of me to ask you to come out and make you pay for it yourself.”

“Then I definitely can’t say yes, I can’t let you pay for that.” She said with a frown. That felt like she was just taking advantage of his situation.

He laughed loudly. “You know that I earn significantly more than you, yes?” He had a pretty valid point there.

There was a long pause on the line as she considered all of the possibilities of this. “Just come hang out. You can leave Friday and be back by Monday.” He pressed, trying his best to twist her arm.

She contemplated the offer. Anything that she had planned this weekend she could easily cancel, and a weekend away did sound pretty fun. Also, as much as she’d never tell him, she was definitely eager to see Matty again. “I’m not just coming out to stand around while you get interviewed again, right?” She asked hesitantly.

“We have a gig on the Friday and Saturday, then some after party thing on the Friday night and a photoshoot on one of the days, I think.” He listed off, trying to rack his brain for the details that were in the schedule his manager had sent him last week.

“You’re sure?” She asked again.

“Definitely no interviews.” He laughed. “You should be able to come along to all of that.”

“Okay.” She finally agreed.

“Great!” She could practically hear the grin in his voice. “I’ll send you some stuff soon.” And just like that, the line was dead. Turned out his grin was infectious even through a phone line where she couldn’t actually see it.

As promised, Matty quickly sent through a heap of details about flights and where she had to go, and it was only a few days before she found herself spending her afternoon waiting in a hotel lobby for him. Again. This time in a different country though, she supposed. She really did do a lot of waiting for him. The familiar British accent echoed through the lobby, but she wasn’t quite able to match it to the direction it was coming from. Which suited Matty just fine as it allowed him the chance to run up behind her and capture her in a tight hug before she noticed him approaching. He let out a loud laugh, one of the ones that was emphatic enough that it made his eyes crinkle, as he picked her up, forcing a breathless laugh out of her as well. It felt nice to be his company again. Phone calls only conveyed so much of the overflowing personality that was Matty. He reluctantly placed her back on the ground.

“Miss me?” He asked with a cocky grin as she turned to face him.

“You wish.” She scoffed, but she couldn’t help but return his grin. “It’s good to see you.” She admitted after a beat.

“You too, love.” He beamed. “We’ll have to make sure it’s not so long next time.” He added with a wink. “But I should finally introduce you to the rest of the band! As much as I like to claim I’m the best musician in the world, I wouldn’t be shit without my team by my side.” His enthusiasm to introduce her to his friends mimicked that of a kid on Christmas. He was practically bursting out of his skin as he dragged her over to the group of three guys still standing by the elevators.

She had only met the boys in passing the night of the concert when she had met Matty, but they hadn’t exactly exchanged words. Or gestures. Or glances. So really, she probably couldn’t say she had met them but more so stood within the presence of them. He had talked them up to no end while they had been speaking over the last while, and they seemed like pretty cool guys. She just really hoped that they weren’t going to be annoyed at her for crashing their plans.

“These are the lads.” Matty started proudly. “George,” A guy with light brown, curly hair flashed her a friendly smile. “Ross,” The one with darker hair and a bit of a beard waved slightly. “and Adam” The last one sitting on the couch with the short blonde hair also gave her a wave. “And guys this is-”

“Yes, we are already well aware who you are.” George cut him off as he walked over. His friendly smile seemed to betray the tired tone in his voice, but he pulled her into a tight hug regardless. “Lovely to meet you. Maybe Matty will finally stop talking about you now that you’re actually here to talk to.” He said with a soft laugh as he moved back, giving a pointed look in his friend’s direction.

“Ah, fuckin’ lay off it, George.” Matty sniggered as he shoved his friend in the shoulder. She let out an anxious laugh, trying not to dwell too much on what George had said. The five of them stood around for a moment, none of them entirely sure what the next thing to say was.

“So, uh,” She cleared her throat, “What’s on the agenda for The 1975 today?” She asked.

“We’re actually just on our way to soundcheck for the show tonight. The set time is earlier today so that we can make it to that party later.” Ross piped up, motioning towards the doors of the hotel.

“Yes, we’d better get going.” Adam added as they made their way out.

The venue was pretty close to their hotel, which was probably an intentional part of why they booked that hotel. They arrived without much fanfare, coming in through the back entrance to the venue without issue and making their way to the stage. Their setup seemed to be almost complete; the lighting rigs were already constructed, mics and instruments were already laid out in correct spots. The four boys walked around to the side of the stage while she decided to look on from the barrier. She watched eagerly as they wandered over to their respective positions, fine tuning instruments that had mostly already been set up for them. It was clearly such a frequent routine for them to go through this process. George altered the heights of a few of his drums, Adam was verifying that his guitar was in the tuning he had asked. Matty meanwhile just smiled down at her from the microphone. “Have you got any requests?” He asked with an eyebrow raised as he leaned forward over his mic. She just offered a shrug in return. “Aw, c’mon! You must have one?” He pressed.

“I have one.” George piped up from behind his kit. Matty threw him a curious look over his shoulder. “Depth.”

Matty frowned across the stage as he turned fully to look at his friend, “But there’s no vocals in that.” He argued.

“Exactly.” He laughed. Ross let out a snigger as he tuned up his bass, Adam was trying his best not to crack a smile.

“We can’t play that one, there’s no point in me being here if we play that one.” Matty said as he waved his hand dismissively at the band. “I wanna hear Sex.” He continued.

“More like you wanna have sex.” Adam mumbled quietly.

“What was that, Hann?”

“Nothing.”

“Fine, let’s play it.” The drummer said before Matty’s brain could catch up and process what Adam had said. A grin spread across Matty’s face as he raced off to get his guitar.

He quickly made sure that it was in decent enough tune and fastened his capo onto the neck before starting to play the opening riff. She had been yet to witness him playing guitar properly. He had played a little bit during the encore of the show that she was able to catch, but she felt it was going to be different seeing it like this. And, it might have been, if it wasn’t this song that Matty was playing. Because Matty had a very simple job during this song: to play exactly one chord and strum for the whole thing. She frowned at this realisation when his hands never moved along the frets, but nonetheless hadn’t noticed that she had been zoning out watching him play. Her attention was finally brought back to the actual song. “She said use your hands and my spare time. We got one thing in common, it’s this tongue of mine.” As she looked back up at him, he flashed her a wink, obviously having caught her watching him. She decided to look at one of the other members of the band to try and cover up the way she could feel her cheeks warming up. In hindsight, she probably should’ve known better than to stand in front of Matty for this song.

She walked down slightly to Ross’s side of the stage, and he flashed her a smile as he saw her stop in front of him. Where Matty was constant high energy, and dancing, and just being an overall twat on stage, Ross was considerably more collected. He mostly just bopped along and tapped his foot, paying the most attention to his bass than anything else. She glanced down at Adam along the stage, and he more or less played the same as Ross, he just leaned into it a bit more. It was a considerably closer style to the bands that she had seen play in the past, rather than… whatever it was that Matty did while on stage. His eyes were already intently watching her as she glanced back over to him. “Does he take care of you? I could easily fill his shoes,” A part of her felt like that wasn’t quite how that lyric normally went, but she hadn’t really listened to the song enough times to know for sure. She’d heard the line in passing before, but hearing him sing it now had a different vibe to it. Especially coupled with the smirk sitting on his face. Previously she hadn’t taken notice of the way that he just had such a level of confidence and assurance in how he sung it. She wanted to laugh at how cocky it made him sound, but also found herself believing it probably came from some section of truth. “But you say no.” She walked back over to where Matty was now paying full attention to his guitar around his neck as he played out the bridge. Glancing behind him briefly at George, he just grinned broadly at her. It was too hard to see how he was playing from the floor, but he seemed to be having fun. She found that she had a better appreciation for the band now than what she had the last time she saw them play. “If we’re gonna do anythin’, we might as well just fuck. She’s got a boyfriend, anyway.” He sung, shrugging for what she assumed was emphasis on the lyrics. They finished the song with no issues, and instantly Ross and Adam started rattling a few things off to the people on either of their sides of the stage about their audio. Matty took the guitar off from around his shoulders and was clearly about to throw out a witty remark, but was quickly cut off before he could.

“You happy with your levels, Matty?” George shouted at him before he could get too distracted.

“Oh, erm, yeah.” He answered, pulling himself back into soundcheck reality. “Maybe turn the guitar down a bit, though.” He added.

He walked over and sat down on the edge of the stage, motioning for her to join him. “You play only one chord for that entire song.” She pointed out as she jumped over the barrier and sat next to him.

“Yeah?” He said with a frown, unsure why it was a point of interest.

“That’s hardly impressive guitar playing skills, I thought that’s what you were wanting to show off with that song. But obviously not.” She said with a chuckle.

“Pfft.” He let out a loud laugh. “I can do more impressive things than play guitar.” He added as he looked down at her.

“Do I even wanna know where you’re going with that?” She groaned.

“For once, it’s not a dirty joke.” He replied.

“Oh?” She questioned with her eyebrows raised, looking at him expectantly. That had to be a first. He took in a deep breath, and in about seven seconds flat, he rattled off the alphabet backwards. There were a few moments of silence between them as she tried to process this new information. “I admit, that was fairly impressive.” She finally said.

“Told you.” He said with a triumphant grin. “Anyway, c’mon. We have some other shit to sort out before the show.” He said as he stood up, holding his hand out to help her up as well.

The band spent about an hour making sure that they were happy with soundcheck and the lighting for the gig. But after that they pretty much spent the rest of the evening hanging out in the fairly under-furnished dressing room trying to kill time until they were set to go on. George had apparently come prepared for this and pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket as they waited. She had expected hanging out with the four of them to be awkward, for her to have felt like the… fifth? wheel in this social setting. But they welcomed her in with open arms and treated her like they seemed to treat each other. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least, and the more she spoke with them the more she realised why Matty had picked these three men to spend the better part of his life with. As the show got closer a quiet fell over the four of them. The cards were packed away, a setlist was verified, crew were suddenly running around doing their final checks. The band paced back and forth a bit as they checked and double-checked instruments and ran over the new additions to the setlist, quietly mumbling things as they passed her. She just sat on a box backstage and watched with interest. It was a very different demeanour to the one that they’d all held an hour ago as they loudly joked and swore at each other. But she soon discovered that this was just the calm before the storm, and as soon as they were called to go on the first bolt of lightning struck. They shared a collective look as they walked out and Matty threw a smile her way over his shoulder as he left.

As soon as they stepped on stage the energy in the room shifted, and everyone got a little bit closer to the age that they were going to lose their hearing as Matty stepped up to his mic and the crowd lost their collective mind. Seeing the show from the very beginning was a far superior experience to only catching the end of it like last time. Each song had its own atmosphere and setting, largely affected by the segue backing ambience and the lighting. It was obvious that a good deal of love and care had been put into this being more than just a concert. She imagined that watching it from the back of the arena where she could get the most out of Adam’s visuals would be a sight to behold. Maybe she could do that during the show tomorrow. If she would be willing to give up the better view of Matty’s performance that she had here. His dorky dance moves consistently got a laugh out of her, and once he’d realised that, they only seemed to be more frequent. He knew how to get a reaction out of people, that much was clear.

The show was going well. Every song had gone off without a hitch, the audience were responding well as per usual, Matty was having a grand old time. But he was also well aware of the audience that was watching him from the other side of the stage. This was the first show she had seen in its entirety. He wanted to make sure it was the most The 1975-y show he could make it. But he was fast running out of ideas that weren’t already in the show to begin with. The themes of jealousy were still running through the back of his mind after their soundcheck of Sex earlier. The more he thought about it, the more an idea formed in his brain. Y/N/N had reacted well to the song, but how would she react to a situation that might cause proper jealousy? Would she actually get jealous? He’d kissed fans at shows before, and they were the shows that got talked about the most. Did that count as a 1975-y show? He was curious to find out, and he wasn’t the sort of person to deny himself the answer to his curiosity once it had instilled itself in him.

It was during Robbers that he decided to put his idea into action. His eyes scanned the crowd for a girl that he could use for his plan. Once he’d found one, he just had to wait for the right moment. He made sure that she was watching him from her spot side stage before he jumped down into the space between the stage and the pit. Straight away his band mates and security were trained on him, watching him with apprehension. George rolled his eyes from his drumkit, already knowing exactly what Matty was set on doing. He quickly avoided the hands that reached out to grab him, making his way over to the girl. He placed a hand on the girl’s cheek, singing the last line before pulling her in for a kiss. As soon as he did it all that he could hear in his ears was the ringing from how many screams echoed around him. She froze almost instantly in shock at the situation. The thought crossed his mind to attempt to deepen the kiss, but he got the feeling that this girl wasn’t about to kiss him back any time soon so there was probably no point. He let it linger for a moment before laughing and moving back. She looked absolutely shell-shocked. He shouted a quick ‘thanks’ at her over his shoulder as he hopped back onto the stage. As soon as he was standing up next to his mic, he was met with George shaking his head at him.

“You’re too old to be doing that shit, Matthew.” His voice echoed through his earpiece. He glanced across the stage to where he knew she was standing, expecting maybe a look of surprise or anger or something. But her expression just seemed… disinterested? That didn’t seem right. He’d have to wait until the Greta speech played before he could go talk to her.

He played through the remaining few songs before the encore almost on autopilot, too focused on her reaction, or lack thereof, to really focus properly. When he finally finished I Always Wanna Die, he raced off stage, pretending he needed a bottle of water as his excuse.

“Any thoughts on the show?” He asked casually as he stepped over to where she was, taking a swig from the water bottle.

“Why do you do shit like that?” She asked, trying her best to hide the sour expression that was wanting to show itself.

“Like what?” He asked innocently as he put the bottle down and quickly wiped a towel down his face.

She nodded in the direction of the fan he had kissed a few minutes ago. “That. Make out with fans during the show.” She elaborated.

“Are you jealous?” He asked with a shit eating grin.

“Hardly.” She scoffed. As much as jealousy did definitely sit at the pit of her stomach, she was more so just unpleasantly surprised to see that he’d do something like that in the position he was in, in front of so many people. “Makes it a lot less desirable if you just put it on show like that.” His face fell at her remark. Wait. That wasn’t-

“Well, I don’t properly mean it.” He tried to explain, suddenly having to backpedal a lot from how he expected this conversation to go, “I do it because they want me to, and it’s fun, I guess. Adds to the experience of the show.” He added with a shrug.

“But then you have to deal with all the shit that comes after that. I have no doubt that she’s already posted about it online somewhere or other.” She pointed out with a serious look. He agreed. He would be willing to bet money that she probably had. Or someone else had on her behalf. It was definitely out there by now.

“Good. Publicity for us.” He said with a light-hearted laugh, trying to at least kind of recover from where this conversation had ended up.

“Just seems like a hell of a lot more effort than it’s worth. It can’t be easy having thousands of girls out there judging you for it. And it must detract from the times you actually do mean it.” Her last comment instantly threw him off. This was not at all how he wanted this to play out. But he could entirely see her point and suddenly he felt incredibly short sighted for not considering it sooner. He felt like his brain was shorting out as he fumbled to come up with a response that didn’t make him seem like an absolute knob for just doing that. But maybe the only way to seem like slightly less of one was to just admit that he just was.

“C’mon Matty, we’re on.” Adam shouted at him as he walked past. He felt like he shouldn’t just leave this conversation at that, but he didn’t really have much of an option as he ran back out on stage. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck.

He played the rest of the show very much avoiding the side of the stage where the girl was that he’d just kissed. An uncomfortable feeling of guilt quickly overtook him whenever he glanced in that direction. He felt like a kid who had just been given the ‘I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed’ talk by their parents. As a result, his normal level of energy was definitely lacking during their encore, but for only four songs the audience hardly noticed. Y/N/N did, though. She’d seen this bit before, and it wasn’t the same this time. She was surprised that her words had cut him that deeply. The internet had shown her pretty quickly that this was not a new thing for Matty Healy, so why was this any different than those other times? As they finished up their set, he felt like he should probably apologise for what he’d done, but before he even got the chance the five of them were already being ushered away from the stage. They got dragged through to the back of the venue where a few various selections of clothes were waiting for them to change into for the after party. Ross, George and Adam pretty quickly picked what they wanted and wandered off in the direction of somewhere to change. The rush to get them all ready and out of the arena in time made Matty shove his thoughts to the back of his mind for now as he picked out a half decent suit to wear, changing into it quickly before he could change his mind.

“Why do I have to be dressed up as well?” She grumbled as she flicked through the stuff sitting on the rack.

“Why not?” He asked with a mischievous grin. “Because you’d stick out like a sore thumb if you didn’t.” He added seriously as he adjusted the tie around his neck. “I assure you that I’d rather not have to either. It’s some posh event… thing, that the label wants me at. Everyone has to dress up.” He explained as he sat down on the small couch that was positioned in the room and slipped his dress shoes on.

“Is this like an award sorta party or some crazy rock star party or what?” She asked, deliberating over whether she actually wanted to go or not. Especially after his antics during the show, it was debatable whether she wanted to be known as hanging around him.

“There’s no press if that’s what you’re worried about.” He started with a laugh. She fucking hated it sometimes that he seemed to have such a knack for deciphering what she was really asking him between the lines. But she had to admit it was reassuring information to know nonetheless. “It’s just some networking shit. Staying in touch with people whose names are good to have in our phones. Pretty tame stuff. Open bar, though.” He grinned at the last bit. She nodded thoughtfully. That sounded doable. She opted to pick something simple to change into, and pretty much as soon as she returned from getting changed, they were all shoved into a car and on their way.

The party was already in full swing by the time they arrived, but as soon as they stepped in it was obvious that everyone had been waiting for the band. The four of them were quickly pulled this way and that for ‘hello’s and ‘how have you been’s, leaving her to sort of aimlessly follow them along. George, Ross and Adam all seemed very animated and chatty. Matty however, answered mostly in grunts and nods. He hated parties. They were just such an incredible source of fake pleasantries and people pretending that they remembered each other. It radiated the unrelenting feeling of narcissism. These people didn’t care about him, they just cared about potential partnerships and money. And too many of these people at these parties knew him and knew the things he used to get up to in past years. It was a risky game for him to be at parties these days, he was too likely to receive offers he’d rather not have to deal with. But he was already tired after the show, he just wanted to go back to his hotel room, shower and sleep. Eventually after listening to the fifth rendition of ‘how’s tour going?’, Y/N/N wandered off in search of a drink and maybe a place to wait out the party. Matty watched enviously as she walked away from the conversation he was tied to. George’s voice eventually broke him out of his daydream of the freedom of being able to leave this hellscape.

“We’re really happy to be here.” George said with a good level of sincerity. He did genuinely seem to be enjoying himself. “Aren’t we, Matthew?” He said with a pointed look in his friend’s direction.

“Yep.” He said, popping the ‘p’ for an attempt at emphasis as he scanned the room for the bar. The conversation continued without his presence, until eventually the people walked away and George’s hand landed on his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” He asked Matty with a frown.

“Moping.” He answered with a tired smile. “I just wanna get stoned and sleep, man.” He added.

“You just wanna go talk to your girl.” Adam laughed loudly, causing the other two to start cracking up as well.

Matty just rolled his eyes, “Oh, fuck off.”

“Would we really be your mates if we didn’t give you a hard time for bringing a girl out here?” The drummer said with a grin as he shoved Matty in the shoulder. “Go talk to people for a bit,” He said, spinning Matty on the spot to face a group of people standing at the other end of the room. “And at least pretend like you’re having fun.” He added.

“Yes, mum.” He huffed as he walked off.

He drifted in and out of a few different conversations, pretending to be interested and present, just like those he was speaking to. But the longer he was at the party, the easier it was for him to flip the switch and go into work mode. To network and make contacts that might benefit him down the line. He eventually ran into a few people he knew whose company he actually enjoyed and hadn’t seen in a while. That lifted his mood, albeit slightly. He gravitated around those select few to try and avoid the rest of the event around him. On the other side of the room, Y/N/N found herself watching the one person she knew at the party eagerly invested in a conversation with a bunch of people she didn’t recognise. Not that she overly expected herself to, but a part of her still tried to pinpoint who these people were. People just seemed to gravitate to him, he had that level of passive magnetism that drew people over, and she assumed his charisma was what kept them there. Certainly she knew that it was what convinced her to keep hanging around him. It felt strange seeing the same effect on other people. A naïve part of her had hoped it was a connection that only the two of them shared, but apparently not. As she looked around the room, she was reminded that she felt pretty out of place here. It all felt too fancy and high-class, and there wasn’t really any point in trying to speak to any of these people that she would more than likely never see again.

“You look a bit lost, love.” She heard a familiar voice say. As she turned around, she saw George walking over to her, a sympathetic smile on his face.

“Well, I pretty much only know him,” She said as she gestured her glass towards Matty, “and he’s sort of… otherwise occupied.” She laughed, trying to play off the unpleasant feeling sitting in her chest.

“Ah, that’s not true! You know us, now.” He said as a broad grin spread onto his features. “Come on.” He said as he began walking off. She assumed that was her cue to follow. Eventually they reached a small corner of the party with a few seats scattered across it, which happened to be the spot where the other two members of their band had opted to hang out. They let out a cheer as George walked over.

“Hey! Did you get more beer?” Ross asked eagerly.

“No, but I did rescue our friend.” He answered as he pulled a seat over for her, sitting himself down in the one next to it.

“These parties can quickly get overwhelming.” Adam said with an understanding nod. “There’s just… so many people everywhere.” He added as his eyes glanced around the room behind her warily.

The four of them talked amongst themselves for a while. Matty had already told them pretty much everything she had told him, so George started their chat with: ‘Tell us something you haven’t told him yet’. It worked surprisingly well for opening up the door to easy flowing conversation. They spoke about anything and everything for roughly an hour in peace, until the missing member of their group finally found them. He wandered into their conversation silently, before sprawling himself out face down onto the tiled floor. “Get off the floor.” George said as he kicked his friend in the thigh.

“I was charming and social for nearly two hours. Can we go now?” Matty mumbled from his place on the ground.

“No. This thing still goes for another couple of hours.” He answered. Matty let out a loud groan at this news. “Get up.” He added through gritted teeth, still trying to get his friend to at least sit in a chair and look somewhat professional. The boy did not budge from the floor.

“We’re going to get some drinks.” Ross said as he stood up, with Adam following close behind him.

George looked at them, before looking back down at Matty and sighing. “Yeah, I need one of them too.” He agreed as he started heading in the same direction.

As soon as their footsteps left his earshot, Matty rolled over on the floor. He sat up a bit to make sure that they weren’t still looking at him before glancing over at Y/N/N, “Let’s get out of here.” He said as a grin spread across his face. It was a lot less of a question than it was a statement.

“Don’t you have to be here? I thought this was your thing.” She asked with a look of confusion.

“I’m sure they have it covered.” He waved a hand in the direction that the rest of the band had walked off in. “They’ve all been sitting here bullshitting with you while I’ve been off being the good frontman. That’s what I’m meant to be doing, let them do the boring shit for a bit.” He laughed. “Wanna go get some food? I hear there’s this really wicked place near here that’s open late. Everyone’s been fuckin’ talking about it.”

“Sure.” She shrugged, happy for a way out of this earlier than expected. At the end of the day, it wasn’t her party to have to have to attend. She’d only come along because Matty insisted on it. He scrambled up off of the floor instantly, taking a quick look around to make sure that he wasn’t being watched too closely before ushering her out of the venue.

“And then we can go back to my place.” He added with a suggestive look as they reached the exit.

“You don’t have a place here.” She pointed out, shaking her head at him with a small smile.

“My hotel, I mean.” He clarified.

“We’re staying in the same hotel, Matty. We have to go back to the same place.” She said with a laugh. He tried to keep his cool, but a small laugh still escaped.

“You ruined it. I take back my offer, you can’t come back with me. Get a different hotel.”

By the time they managed to sneak out of the party it was nearing on midnight. They walked down the fairly empty street towards this restaurant that he was raving about. Apparently, it had some crazy new dish that he had heard about through a friend of a friend and everyone at the party was recommending it. They’d all been checking it out while the band had to play their show. It was hardly reasonable of them to talk it up so much without expecting Matty to want to try it for himself. He mostly spoke about what other random things the people in the party had been trying to speak to him about while they made their way down the street. As they stood in front of the pretty fancy looking establishment, she suddenly felt nervous. It was a different nervous from the usual level of anxiety she felt being around someone as sporadic and forward as Matty, this was much more of a self-conscious nervous. She wasn’t sure if it was his joke striking a different chord when they were leaving or something else that had burrowed its way into her brain, but she just had this overwhelming feeling that- “Is this a date?” She eventually asked, cutting him off mid-sentence.

He frowned at her for a moment, snuffing out the cigarette he had been smoking before speaking, “No.”

She looked from the restaurant, to the suit he was still wearing, to the fancy shit he had convinced her to wear, to the fact that it was just the two of them. His words weeks ago about not being in a place to want to make decisions like that ran through her mind, but it still didn’t feel right. “Are you sure this isn’t a date?” She asked again.

“Do you want it to be one?” He questioned.

“No, I just…” She trailed off, suddenly unsure if that answer was true or not.

“Why would it be a date?” He continued as he held open the door for her.

“Well, you’re dressed fancy, I’m dressed fancy-” She started.

“We just got out of a party.” He answered, quickly asking for a table for the both of them.

“-the guys aren’t here-” She reminded.

“Only because we ditched them.”

“-and we’re at some super nice place to get dinner.”

He had to laugh at that. “We can go to McDonalds if you’d prefer?” He offered with an eyebrow raised, waiting expectantly before taking his seat.

“No, no. I just thought…” She elected to just swallow her nerves and roll with it. Which was the majority of how she had to interact with Matty, anyway. “Just wanted to know.”

They both sat down at the table, Matty declining the menus offered by the waiter and just ordering two of the dish that everyone else had been ordering all night and two drinks for them. It was nice for him to finally have a moment where nobody else was around. Since she’d arrived at the hotel earlier today it was non-stop. The break and chance to properly catch up was a breath of fresh air after the chaos of the day.

“How’re you finding the guys?” He asked eventually as he took a sip from his glass, curiosity burning at the back of his mind about what they could have been chatting about for so long while he was busy. Those boys had more than enough incriminating stories about him from across the years, but he had faith that they wouldn’t throw him under the bus like that. Yet.

“Good! They’re really nice,” She said with a grin. “I can see why you picked those three to start a band with.”

A smile slowly spread across his face as he dwelled on the thought of his friends. He imagined they were gonna be pretty shitty at him once they realised that he’d bailed on the party. They put up with a lot of crap from him. They were good guys. “Yeah, they’re pretty great. I dunno where I’d be without them.” He admitted with a shrug.

“Did they do a good job of staving you from boredom?” He questioned casually.

“Yeah, we just chatted about what it was like to work the show from behind the scenes rather than playing on the front lines.” She replied.

He nodded. That seemed like a George sort of topic. Common ground that everyone could discuss easily. Good call. “Do you do it a lot?”

“Not a huge amount. I’d do it more if I could but it’s kind of just a seasonal thing that I do with my brother. It’s really fun though. I always love chatting to people at shows.” She answered, the enthusiasm for the work instantly seeping into her voice.

“Would you do it more if the opportunity came up?”

“I suppose so. It’s pretty decent money for doing a fun job.” She said. He hummed thoughtfully at that. Maybe that information could work in his favour. The more time he spent with her, the better he felt overall. He couldn’t deny that the idea of having her around more frequently was a tempting one.

As they waited for the food to arrive, Matty found his mind drifting back to the gig. The feeling of guilt still sat heavily in his chest. He should’ve known better than to try something like that. To try and force a reaction from someone, especially by doing something intentionally abrasive. At this point in his life some would think that personal experience would’ve taught him a thing or two from previous mistakes, but apparently old habits of recklessness die hard. He rested his elbows on the table, dragging his hands down his face before finally getting out what he had been wanting to say. “I’m sorry by the way, about earlier.”

She looked up at him curiously, unsure what exactly it was that he was talking about. “For what?”

“During the show.” He elaborated with a sigh as he rested his chin on his folded hands, glancing down at his half-finished drink. Oh. That was what he was talking about. “I didn’t mean for it to come across like that, and in hindsight it was stupid of me to think that I could still get away with shit like that. I was just being a bit of an arrogant twat. Sorry.” He apologised.

She wasn’t entirely sure why he felt the need to elaborate on what had happened. It was seeming pretty obvious that pulling stunts like that was just tied in with those aspects of Matty’s personality. With blunt honesty, came a lack of filter. With the level of confidence he exuded, came a blurred line on what was showing off and what was just being egotistical. But that was his issue to sort out, he didn’t have to apologise to her for his mistakes. “You know that you don’t have to explain yourself to me, right?”

He just silently tapped at the tattoo above his right elbow. ‘Weak messages create bad situations’ - right. “I don’t like leaving things unsaid. I didn’t want you to think that I didn’t notice that I’d done it.” He explained as their food was placed in front of them.

Once their food was in front of them and Matty had gotten that off of his chest, conversation was back to normal between them. They bullshitted about music that they had been listening to, and about the people that they had seen at the party. It was a good thing that it was so late because they didn’t have to worry about their laughter disrupting any other tables. Eventually the restaurant was closing and the staff kicked them out. It was too late to want to continue partying on, and Matty still wanted a decent night’s sleep after playing a show tonight and only just flying in the night prior. They made their way back to the hotel and up to their hotel rooms. Of course, Matty had made sure that her room was booked right next to his. His fantastic pickup lines wouldn’t work if they were on separate floors. He fumbled around in his pockets before calling her name to grab her attention before she stepped into her room. “I lost my hotel room key… Can I borrow yours?” He asked with a puppy dog eyed look.

“Nice try.” She laughed.

He let out a low laugh as he pulled his key out of his wallet, “Can’t blame me for trying.” He unlocked the door, propping it open for a moment as he looked back at her. “We’ve got that photoshoot thing tomorrow near midday, so let me know when you’re awake. But otherwise, sweet dreams. You know where I am if you need me.” He said with a wink.

“G’night, Matty.” She called out, shutting her door behind her.

* * *

Thankfully for everyone, they didn’t have to start their morning the next day too early. They had gotten back anywhere between two and three in the morning after their various adventures and were all in dire need of sleep. It wasn’t until about ten that the five of them found themselves crowded around a small table in the hotel restaurant, trying to finish a complimentary continental breakfast before they stopped offering the service.

“So… where did you two get off to last night? You abandoned us at the afterparty.” Ross asked casually as he stirred his tea. George started laughing before Matty even had the chance to speak, and only laughed harder after he had answered Ross’s question.

“We were off having wild, kinky sex while you guys were stuck at the party.” Matty deadpanned. “Weren’t we?” He asked with a suggestive grin in her direction.

“Totally.” She scoffed.

“How is he?” George asked with an amused smile once his laughter had calmed down a bit.

“Awful.” She answered, instantly getting George into hysterics again, Ross and Adam quickly following suit.

“Hey!” Matty shouted. “That’s not true!” He continued.

“What were you really doing?” Ross asked again through chuckles.

“We went out for dinner.” She answered before Matty could make something else up.

“Oh?” George looked over at his best friend with his eyebrows raised in curiosity. That was considerably more interesting information to George than if they would have hooked up. Matty wasn’t a stranger to one-night stands, but to dates? That was a bit different. He hadn’t been on a date since his girlfriend left him over three months ago. Matty flashed him a look across the table that he knew meant ‘you’d better shut up before I make you shut up’, so he decided to harass him about it later.

It wasn’t long after they finally finished their meal that a taxi was sent over to take them to this photoshoot. It was a magazine cover that the whole band were set to feature on, the story it was relating to had already been interviewed a few weeks prior over the phone. As soon as they arrived, each of the four members of the band were offered a limited selection of outfits to choose from to best coordinate for the photo. Y/N/N waited patiently while each of them picked what they wanted and went off to get changed. It wasn’t long before Matty came sauntering out of the side room dressed in a grey suit jacket and pants over a black turtleneck. The overall look suited him well. Suits looked good on him. “What do you think?” He asked as he did a small spin on the spot. As she quickly gave him a once over, she noticed that he also had on glasses. It was a strange sight to see. Not necessarily a bad one, just one that she had never had to process before. The longer she looked at the glasses, the more she realised that they didn’t reflect any light.

“What the fuck are those?” She asked, taking a closer look at the metal frame sitting on his face. They most definitely didn’t have lenses in them and served no purpose. Was he just trying to be ironic?

“What?” He asked in confusion as she went to jab a finger through one of the empty lenses. Thankfully, it missed his eye. “Fuck off!” He laughed as he stepped back, slapping her hand away from his face.

“You fuck off. What’s with these?” She chuckled, taking them off of his face. “You don’t wear glasses.”

“How do you know that?” He asked with a smug grin.

“I feel like I would’ve seen it by now.” She narrowed her eyes at him, challenging him to prove that he needed glasses. Without lenses. For some reason.

“I could just wear contacts all the time.” He continued, before dropping the act and answering properly. “I used to need glasses, don’t anymore. Needing glasses destroyed my penchant for sunglasses so I got laser done. But I was gonna wear these today because it looks cool. Makes me look sophisticated and shit.” He took the glasses back from her and placed them back on the bridge of his nose.

“You don’t need to look sophisticated. Anyone who speaks to you learns pretty quickly that you have a vocabulary better than a dictionary.” She pointed out.

“Yeah but people aren’t gonna be able to talk to me through the cover of a magazine. Are they, love?” He chuckled, adjusting his suit jacket.

“Fair point.” She nodded.

The rest of the band slowly filed into the room, all with similarly coloured black and grey outfits. They looked like a cohesive unit when they were all dressed in coordination like this. Most of the time they just looked like a group of mates hanging out together. Which, to be fair, both descriptions were correct. Once the photographer was happy with how everyone was dressed and styled, they were dragged into a white room for the shoot. Y/N/N stood at the back of the room, watching keenly as the photographer shouted directions, set up the lighting, altered settings. It was interesting getting to see the whole procedure behind processes like this, but also incredibly distracting considering the company that she was with for it. Matty spent the majority of the shoot being told off for making stupid faces at her to get her to laugh. He wanted to take it seriously, but it was far too tempting to be an idiot when he knew she was just so easy to get a reaction out of. If he wasn’t allowed to make dumb faces, then he just got the guys to stand in really weird poses with him, much to their displeasure. Whenever they complained about it, he just explained that it was ‘art’. As a result, it took a little over an hour until they were able to get the shots that they wanted, but they got them. After the photo shoot was done, the day played out very similarly to the day before. They went across to the second venue for today’s show, completed soundcheck and then were soon enough waiting anxiously to go on stage.

“Excited?” She asked Matty as he paced around the room.

He just shrugged as he ran a hand through his messy curls, “Same amount of nerves as always.”

“Any grand plans for tonight’s show?” She asked, trying her best to seem serious but still cracking a smile.

He stopped pacing, turning to face her. “No,” He laughed, knowing exactly what she was taking a jab at. “I promise that there’s nothing special on the agenda.” He assured.

One of the stage crew walked past, shouting out that they were on in two minutes. The band quickly assembled themselves side stage, letting out a few deep breaths before starting to walk out. She considered that if this was going to become a regular thing, she’d have to invest in some earplugs to save herself from going deaf in the near future. The show was a lot easier to enjoy knowing that Matty was just performing and not intentionally trying to show off like he was the night before. His stage presence was almost better when he wasn’t trying; he got lost in the moment a lot easier when he wasn’t gauging her reaction every five seconds. The songs only sounded better the more times that she was hearing them, and she made a mental note to properly watch the impressive light show from the back of the crowd the next time that she was in this position. Because she had a distinct feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time that she would be watching their live show. However, she found that the most impressive part of the show wasn’t the music, or the lights, or Matty’s dancing skills.

“Hey, you all have to pay attention for a few minutes.” Matty said into his microphone, giving a serious look towards the crowd before their intermission speech started playing. Ross, George and Adam all walked off the stage, each grabbing a drink of water and taking a breather. But Matty stayed. The night prior he had run off stage to speak to her, so she was unaware that this was normally what he did. He turned his attention away from the audience, standing and facing the screens. The look on his face as he listened to the speech was nothing short of attentive. Even as he lit up a cigarette and sat down on the stage, his interest never wandered. His gaze flicked between the three screens that they had set up, but he never turned to look at the crowd, or to look side stage. He just sat, and listened. She supposed that he probably did it to set a good example for everyone in the audience, that if he paid attention, they all would too. But to see him so focused on the messages being displayed, to be so passionate for the cause, felt special. It felt powerful. The show continued after that with even more passion than what he had put into the first portion of it. For the first time, she saw the whole show uninterrupted, and loved every single second.

It was fairly early on the Sunday morning that she had to catch her flight home, so they skipped the partying after their set. As much as hanging out with the band was fun, she did have to eventually head home and try to land some more work to get her through the summer. The next morning, she was waiting in the hotel lobby with her bags, having already said her goodbyes to Ross, Adam and George. Matty stood next to her, rocking back and forth onto the balls of his feet as he tried to prolong saying goodbye. “It was really good seeing you again.” He said with a genuine smile, “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon.” He added.

“Oh? You’re sure?” She laughed with an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah!” He said with a snorted laugh. “Admit it, you’ll be back because you totally want a piece of this.” He added, looking at her over the frame of his sunglasses as he gestured at himself. She would’ve liked to have thought that hearing this joke the second time around it would’ve had less impact on her reaction, but it seemed harder to shrug it off this time.

She had to look away from him to keep her face neutral as she answered him. “Even if I did, I would never give you the ego boost by telling you.” She knew deep down that a part of her was lying about the former part of her statement, but she was definitely pretty firm on the latter.

He hummed in consideration at her answer, “Never?”

“Never.” She repeated assuredly. He didn’t say anything else, and when she looked over at him the grin on his face was nothing short of devious. “What?” She asked with a frown.

“Nothing.” He shrugged.

“What?” She repeated.

He pulled her in for a tight hug, “Don’t set me a challenge if you aren’t prepared to have it beaten.” He said lowly into her ear before moving back. The tone of his voice sent a shiver down her spine, and suddenly she wished she hadn’t said anything at all. He said a brief goodbye, flashed her a parting grin, and then was already on his way. “Have a good flight.” He shouted, waving over his shoulder as he headed back towards the elevators.

Last Chapter

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#Matthew Healy x Reader #Matty Healy x Reader #Sunsetinmyvein

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so-hereiam · 4 years

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Change in the Time of Corona

Alternate Title: “The Corona-Coaster” (started writing March 25, finished writing March 27, 2020)

I’m sitting here on my bed—room torn apart, two packed suitcases—contemplating the immense shell shock of the last several days. Never in my life have I experienced such drastic and constant changes in such a short period of time. The last few days have seen a constant cycle of uncertainty, peace, anxiety, peace, change, peace, tears, peace, over and over again. It really is a struggle to even know how to begin writing all of this out. I guess I’ll start at the beginning; let’s head back to about to weeks ago (time has really all meshed into a big blob, so I’m not exactly sure of the exact date).

With the rising pandemic of COVID-19, Canada soon announced that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents abroad should return home as soon as possible as borders would soon be closing and travel would soon be very challenging. My mom and my aunt, of course wishing for me safety and wellbeing, texted me and asked me to pray about coming home. I said I would, but I had the conviction immediately that I had to stay. Soon, the warnings got even more prevalent, and several of my friends also urged me to come home, but again, for some reason, I knew I had to stay. I thought that was an emotional situation to process, but it was nothing compared to what would happen next.

During our recent spring break, we heard that other islands in Micronesia were closing their schools due to the virus, and almost all of them were sending their SMs home early. Palau to date has not had a positive case (and for that we are very thankful), but some of the teachers were talking about what might happen in the future under these circumstances. On the Friday of our week of spring break, while hanging out with my family on another island in Palau, I received messages from some of the other missionaries about an emergency board meeting with all SMs and AVS-2 teachers. I couldn’t go because I was a full-hour boat ride away from Koror, but I asked what it was about. They shared with me that the GMM (Guam-Micronesia Mission—basically our conference) sent an email recommending all non-local missionaries to immediately return home, one of the reasons being that the United States increased their warnings (I don’t know the exact announcement that was made for them, but I think it was close to the one that Canada had made prior). My heart dropped as I read this, and I immediately thought of my kids and my family that I might soon be forced to leave. I thought of all the things I still had planned, all the things my students and I still wanted to do, and all the time I would miss with my family. I knew then that I did not want to go home yet and even contemplated the idea of fighting it if they tried to evacuate me.

However, the meeting revealed that the Board wanted to continue with school. (Oops, I forgot to mention that somewhere in this timeline, the government decided to close down all schools in Palau for a span of two weeks starting right after our spring break.) Our school board wanted to provide distance/online learning during this two-week period, so they allowed the missionaries to decide if they were going to stay or if they needed to go home. Again, for some reason I knew I had to stay. (Throughout the events I’ve been mentioning, I maintained the conviction that I had to stay, but the alternatives and possible consequences and fears were cycling through my mind—I prayed that God would reveal to me if I was making the wrong choice.)

After the emergency meeting, the SMs and missionaries really wrestled and struggled with this decision. Some of the universities gave their students no choice and bought their return tickets for the next flight. Some decided with their parents that they needed to go home. Some had responsibilities and duties at home, and were even starting new jobs in the next few months, and could not be potentially stuck in Palau until possibly after the summer because of travel restrictions and border closures. Over half of the SMs/AVS-2 teachers made the painful and difficult choice to return home early. This also broke my heart as one of my closest friends here told me that she was going home. Then a few more, then a few more. This group really became a family over the last 8 months and it was very hard for everyone to say goodbye to our family earlier than anyone had expected.

During this time, I was still with my family at the distant island, wrestling with anxieties and processing what all was happening. I wasn’t able to fall asleep for the next two nights and stayed up talking with God and opening up to him about everything that was going on inside—and it was a lot. This led me to have some very intimate moments with him of vulnerability and transparency and honesty. My body felt the pain of anxiety coursing through it, but my heart and my mind found peace with God about the chaotic situation we had found ourselves in. I really enjoyed spending time with my family regardless of the increasing uncertainty, and on Sunday we headed back to the main island. That night (actually early Monday morning at 2am), the SMs were supposed to catch their flight. It was a very sad time for everyone as they came to terms with the year ending this way, and I was very sad to think of spending the rest of the school year here without the people I’d gotten so close to. Unexpectedly, though, their flight was cancelled a few hours before they were supposed to check in. That gave everyone yet another dose of uncertainty before it was discovered that the government cancelled the flight to Guam because there had been a death from COVID-19 in Guam. Eventually, everyone was able to get a new ticket for the same flight the next morning at 2am.

The next evening, a few hours before their flight, we were going to have a short vespers with everyone in the chapel so that we could all practice social distancing measures. I arrived and sat in the back, already emotional that I would be saying goodbye to some of my close friends, some of whom I had been here with for almost 2 years. I had no idea that I would soon be in tears for other reasons as well. The principal greeted everyone, but instead of starting the vespers program, he had an announcement. He had just returned from a school board meeting, and revealed to us that they had decided to cancel school for the rest of the year and send all remaining missionaries home on the next flight (this decision was due to many factors, such as communication from the division and GMM, growing uncertainty, caution, and more that I’m sure I’m not aware of). It took a few seconds for the news to sink in, but then my head was once again filled with swarms of thoughts and sadness and I couldn’t help but cry right where I was sitting (I hate crying in front of people, and over the last 2-3 years, it’s been very hard for me to cry at all, even when I want to and try to, but this pushed it all to the brink). I again thought of my students and all the things I had planned over the last two months before leaving. I thought about possibly not being able to say goodbye. I thought about telling my niece and nephew that I would have to leave early and that we wouldn’t be able to hang out or play Minecraft or go swimming like we talked about doing. After processing it all, talking with the other SMs, sharing our last “warm fuzzies,” and talking to the principal, I found peace once again. Right there in that seat that I was sitting on was the first time that I had felt peace about going home. I thought back to when I asked God to show me if I had to change my decision, and I thought that the peace He had given me about going home was the answer.

After tearful goodbyes to everyone who was leaving, I went home wide awake. It was already early in the morning, but I ended up staying up until around 5am checking the latest information about the Canadian border closures, looking at the flight availability, and packing. I barely fell asleep before waking up for a meeting at school and then cleaning my classroom as best I could. The flight that I was supposed to be going on was leaving on Thursday night/Friday early morning, and I had so much to do before then. That whole next day I worked non-stop in my classroom, packing my room, and making lists of all the goodbye letters I wanted to write and gifts I wanted to leave. Exhausted after only a few hours of sleep over the previous several nights, I tried to take a nap, but my brain was fully on and I started packing again. I had two suitcases packed and just needed to do laundry to pack the rest. With all this going on, I also told virtually no one that I was going home because the school had not yet purchased my ticket and I wanted to wait until it was official. I was waiting to hear back from the principal for the whole day until around 4pm when I got a call from him. He told me he had asked the chairman of the board to hold off on booking my flight. I was confused at first, but he explained that he wanted to fight for us to at least try to offer school for our kids during the last quarter. He asked me if I would stay if the board changed their mind. This was another punch to my stomach as once again I had to process a completely different reality. I had already made peace with going home and I was looking forward to the comfort of being close to my family and friends there. However, I immediately knew that I had to stay, so I said yes.

After thinking for 18 hours that I was going home, I was now flung the exact opposite direction and started working with another teacher on a proposal for the board to allow us to do remote learning so that we could make sure that our kids understood the necessary concepts vital to their success in the next grade level. We worked on it all afternoon and evening, again I couldn’t fall asleep until early morning, and then I woke up after a couple hours for another meeting. All morning we worked on the proposal, brainstorming, and logistics again, and then the principal took it to the board. During the chaos and then the wait, I contemplated all of the possibilities. In the last few hours I had gotten extremely invested in our proposal and was really excited to be able to have school in at least some form instead of completely shutting it down. I also longed to be home, but I also longed to stay. I prayed constantly that whatever decision was made would be the right decision for everyone, even if we didn’t like it. As the board meeting was in session, I talked with one of the other missionaries here about the craziness of it all, how God has been helping our hearts, and so much more. As we talked, I was able to come to another place of peace. After an hour or two, we heard the decision that school was back on and that the board had accepted the proposal. Again, flurries of emotions and thoughts, and then the reality of how much work was now to come.

I don’t even fully remember what day that was, but ever since, we’ve been working non-stop to get all of our classes prepared for remote learning. All of the teachers are learning new programs, figuring out what will work best for their students and their parents, surveying parents to see who doesn’t have access to what they need for remote learning, reviewing the standards and planning out what they still need to cover and how they’ll cover it, facilitating textbook pick-up for parents, and much more. We’ve figured out how to cover the classes from the teachers who had to go home, and I’ll be teaching 5 additional math classes now, including my other ones. It’s going to be difficult, but it’s going to be okay. It’s now Friday, March 27, and I’m completely emotionally and physically exhausted. I’m sitting on my bed again, still with my two packed suitcases and my torn apart room. I’ve gone through almost every emotion possible within the last week, and even more so the last few days. All I know is that through all of this, God has been holding my hand. Like most all of us, I don’t do well with change or uncertainty, but I’ve seen in the last little while how He has been present in every moment. I don’t know how to fully explain all of the thoughts and all of the realizations that have shown themselves, and I don’t think I can. For all of us, it’s difficult to fully share the emotions and the comforts amidst the chaos. I don’t know what will happen next, I don’t know how things will shift or change in the next two months, even the next two days, but God has shown me that through it all, it’s going to be okay.

(This isn’t a very well-written blog, I think I probably missed some pretty important details, but it’s something to remember all of this for now since my memory is trash.)

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nekkid-karli · 4 years

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Budapest with a Side of London

London, UK

Friday

Here we are, breaking through the cloud cover over London. I didn’t sleep nearly enough on my flight, and I’m supposed to be meeting the Brit in a couple of hours. I’m so tired and in dire need of a shower and a toothbrush. For a brief second, I almost hope he cancels. But then again, I did plan this 36-hour stopover just to hang out with him, so…

I shower, change, and fix up my hair and makeup at the arrivals lounge, and I feel human again. I’m ready. Hope he doesn’t cancel! I get to the hotel, stash my stuff, grab my camera, and head out to explore Soho. Two full lingerie set purchases and several espressos later, we finally meet up.

Last I saw the Brit was about four months ago, and we haven’t spoken much since. Maybe a few texts every week or so. But it didn’t matter… before long, we were right back where we left off. He had planned a full day for us, and we walked around getting photos off the tourist track. (My fave!)

Back at the hotel, the glass-enclosed shower in the middle of the room was just begging to be used properly. I made a bit more of a show of soaping up and washing off the bubbles than I would have had nobody been watching from the bed, and the Brit took the bait and joined me. I lathered him up with my entire body, and in return, I got to feel those hands all over me.

By the time we made it to the bed, I was already soaking wet. (No, I don’t mean from the shower.) Feeling his tongue between my legs was straight-up heaven. Just like last time, he had me screaming in no time. The only thing better was the anticipation of his hands on my hips as I rode him. DAYUMMM – completely worth the wait.

Saturday

I got to feel those hands on my hips again the following morning, while he did me from behind as we watched ourselves in a wall mirror. I even got a bonus breakfast at the end of it – straight down my throat. Yum.

Again, not enough time together. As he takes me to the airport to catch my flight to Budapest, I’m again left hoping we see each other again. Soon.

Budapest, Hungary

Somewhere on my travels this past summer, I matched with a Serbian guy. He is a photographer and has done extensive travelling, and we had some nice chats from time to time. We would exchange photos or talk about our latest trip, but the topic never strayed to sex. Until December. And then, all of a sudden…

It was like floodgates to naughtiness opened up. This guy’s “nocturnal activities”, as he refers to them, rivalled mine… and somehow we had gone half a year not mentioning a word. From then on, the conversations got more frequent and the picture exchanges got more x-rated.

When I decided to go to Budapest, I invited the Serbian to join me. He said he was going to drive up and meet me there when I land on Saturday.

When I landed, I had a text waiting: “Change of plans. I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon instead.” Good, it’ll be great to get some sleep and recover from my time with the Brit.

Sunday

I woke up early, walked around the city all day taking photos of the ridiculously beautiful sights, and by evening, got a text that the Serbian got held up at the border and will be there the following morning. That’s fine. I have no issue spending some alone time.

I was reading through some travel blogs while having dinner, and found one that described a legal and sensual erotic (yoni) massage in the city. I thought back to the most mind-blowing orgasm I’d ever experienced, the result of a yoni massage, and decided to check one of these places out. I made an appointment for one for Monday morning, hoping I’d be done in time to meet the Serbian at the hotel when (if?) he shows up.

Monday

I didn’t hear a peep from the Serbian that morning, and decided it was time to hit up Tinder on my walk over to the massage. Upon my arrival, I was taken into a big room with a thick mat on the floor, and my chosen masseuse told me to take off everything, go take a shower, and then come back in lie down on the mat face down.

The beautiful masseuse was in just a thong, gentle and demure. She started with a 15 minute rubdown with lots of oil, using her hands and her bare breasts. It felt heavenly, especially with her smooth thighs straddling mine. She had me flip over onto my back and continued the rubbing, this time her hand or breast grazing my labia once in a while. I couldn’t wait to feel her touch there.

Finally, she was there. Almost in the right spot. And when she started rubbing, it was only a few millimeters off. Very important millimeters. I was lying there, contemplating if it would be rude if I moved her hand so that her finger was making contact with my clit. Or better yet, if I could just move her hand altogether and do it myself. I did neither. I pretty much forced a mini-orgasm, and when she asked if I’d like a double, my “no thank you” was probably a little too insistent.

On my walk back to the hotel, after texting the Serbian to just forget it and maybe we’ll meet another time, I was chatting with my new Tinder matches. One match, a chick who had super-liked me, invited me for coffee. We met at 4 o’clock, and had a great conversation for several hours. She asked if I’d like to get together the following day, but I had a feeling the Serbian was going to show up that night anyway.

I was right. He texted around 8pm and said he’s outside my room. Sigh. I was in the middle of such a good convo with a new Tinder guy… but I guess that can be continued later. I told the Serbian I’ll see him in 20, and when I showed up an hour later, I was actually impressed. I was angry that he was DAYS late, but he made that anger dissipate pretty quickly.

We walked over to a ruin bar and had a great time chatting, drinking, watching people, taking photos, and making out. This guy is really good looking – tall, nice eyes, and a really cute boyish smile.

Back in the room, this guy made me cum multiple times. In between orgasms, he had me on my knees and deep throating him until my mascara was running down my face. And then some more. He was so deep in me as one hand was smacking my ass and the other was holding my hair. I loved every second of it.

When we were done, I asked if he would like my coffee date chick to join us tomorrow. That was obviously a “yes,” so I texted her to ask if she’d be up for a threesome instead of just the two of us. She agreed.

Tuesday

Coffee chick was visibly nervous when she came over. A glass or two of wine, some conversation, followed by some nice kisses from me helped. Pretty soon, she and I were down to just our thigh high stockings. We took turns going down on each other while the Serbian watched. She tasted so good; I really just couldn’t get enough!

After a while, the Serbian joined in. He was surrounded by pussy – his hand in one and his tongue in another. Then came his two girl blowjob, and when he fucked me from behind, I got to bury my face between the coffee chick’s legs again. I was under them when he later fucked her, licking her clit and his balls while her face was in my crotch.

The coffee chick eventually left, and the Serbian and I went out to wander in the cold. Got dinner, drinks, and by the time we got back to the room, our batteries were almost recharged. I came out of the shower to a display of an array of restraints and whips and such.

We set up a camera and had a nice little blindfolded and restrained session. It was pretty low on energy after a long morning/afternoon of “nocturnal activities,” but still good nonetheless.

A short nap. A ride to the airport. A hug and kiss goodbye. A hope that we’ll see each other again. An end to another amazing adventure.

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perfectirishgifts · 3 years

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Chuck Yeager Remembered: Crazy Stories From A Supersonic Life

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/chuck-yeager-remembered-crazy-stories-from-a-supersonic-life/

Chuck Yeager Remembered: Crazy Stories From A Supersonic Life

(Original Caption) 1949-Captain Charles Yaeger besides Bell X-1 after first powered take off of … [] supersonic plane.

Aviation legend Charles “Chuck” Yeager passed away Monday evening in a hospital in Los Angeles.

The retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general is perhaps best remembered as the first man to have broken the sound barrier, a feat that he accomplished piloting a bright orange Bell X-1 rocket plane on October 14, 1947.

His portrayal by actor Sam Shepard in the 1983 film The Right Stuff, based on the novel by the same name by Tom Wolfe, cemented his status as a pop culture legend. (Yeager himself had a cameo as a bartender in the film—appropriate as he was by his own account a hard partier.)

However, Yeager’s adventures—and misadventures—went far beyond those deservedly famous episodes.

Yeager could have starred in his own “Behind Enemy Lines” film

Born in 1923, Yeager grew up in rural West Virginia. Enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Force two months prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he moved up from mechanic to flight training partially on account of his unusually good 20/10 eyesight.

Overcoming an initial bout of air sickness, Yeager soon demonstrated natural aptitude for flying. He started his fighter pilot career in the sleek P-39 Airacobra, one of which tried to kill him in November 1943 when its rear-mounted engine combusted. Yeager bailed out, but injured his back.

He finally saw combat early in 1944 flying a P-51 Mustang with the 363rd Fighter Squadron based in Leiston, England. The Mustang was exceptionally fast and maneuverable, and, when equipped with extra fuel tanks, it had the range to accompany strategic bombers all the way to Germany.

North American P-51B Mustang (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Yeager named his P-51B “Glamourous Glen” after fiancée Glennis Faye Dickhouse, a California girl. But on his seventh combat mission, and a day after Yeager shot down his first enemy fighter over Berlin, cannon fire from a German Fw-190 fighter severed Glen’s elevator cables over Bordeaux, France.

Yeager parachuted into a pine forest to evade capture, managed to contact French Resistance fighters, and basically joined their ranks in a support role for several weeks, helping them make bombs to blow up bridges. Once the weather had improved, he finally embarked with a bailed-out bomber navigator on a lengthy trek across the Pyrenees mountains towards neutral Spain.

At one point he escaped a German patrol by sliding down a mountain on an improvised log slide. Then he carried the injured navigator up a mountain and performed field-surgery with a pen-knife, amputating a leg. Though Yeager later had to leave his comrade near a road, he was rescued and survived the war.

Meanwhile, Yeager surrendered to Spanish authorities. After a stint “imprisoned” in a luxurious hotel, was repatriated back to England. You can see Yeager’s official reports on his escape here.

Yeager actually named at least four different airplanes after his wartime sweetheart

Normally escaped pilots weren’t allowed to return to combat duty. Undeterred, Yeager successfully petitioned General Eisenhower in person to return to combat duty—dodging a Nazi V-1 cruise missile strike just before the meeting—and promptly named his new P-51C fighter Glamorous Glen II.

Yeager with his second Mustang, the P-51C Glamorous Glen II.

But Glen II was soon replaced by an improved P-51D named Glamorous Glen III. This featured a bubble canopy for better visibility, and beefed up armament from four to six .50 caliber machineguns. We’ll return to Glen III in a moment.

Chuck Yeager’s third Mustang fighter, the P-51D Glamorous Glen III. Note the underwing extra fuel … [] tanks and the 12 kill markings under the canopy.

After flying his last combat mission in January 1945, Yeager married Glennis in February. Then he went on to name the supersonic X-1 rocket plane after her as well, this time using her full name (“Glamorous Glennis”). The couple had four children and remained together until her death from cancer in 1990.

Captain Charles E Yeager standing next to the Air Force’s Bell X-1 supersonic research aircraft, … [] Muroc Army Air Force Base, California, October 1947. Yeager named it the Glamorous Glennis after his wife. He became the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound on October 14, 1947. (Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images)

In 1997 and 2002, Yeager also flew at supersonic speeds in F-15 Eagles named Glamorous Glennis in tribute to his X-1, although whether those count as his airplanes is debatable.

10/14/97.Edwards Airforce base, California, 50 years ago on 14th October 1947 Chuck Yeager broke the … [] sound barrier, now 50 years later to the minute Brig.Gen Chuck Yeager breaks it again an F 15

He became an ace in a day—and downed two German fighters without even shooting

Technically, a fighter “ace” refers to a pilot who has shot down at least five enemy aircraft in aerial combat. Only a minority of wartime pilots shoot down even one enemy airplane, let alone become an ace. But Yeager belonged to an even more exclusive club—he’s one of a few combat pilots to have become an ace in a single combat mission.

On October 12, 1944, he was flying Glen III as a free-ranging escort for a bomber squadron attacking Bremen when he spotted 22 German Me-109 fighters at a distance. Obscured by the glare of the sun, Yeager maneuvered his squadron into a chase position behind the unsuspecting German fighters.

(GERMANY OUT) World War II A Me 109 fighter plane of the German air force in flight – without … [] further details – around 1941 – Photographer: ullstein – Sobotta – (Photo by Sobotta/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Yeager’s squadron had closed within 1,000 yards when the German pilots realized their predicament—and freaked out. One of the startled German rolled over and collided with his wingman, forcing both pilots to parachute out before anyone had even opened fire!

The West Virginian then continued his tear as described in his combat report:

I dropped my tanks and then closed up to the last Jerry and opened fire from 600 yards, using the K-14 sight. I observed strikes all over the ship, particularly heavy in the cockpit. He skidded off to the left. I was closing up on another Me. 109 so I did not follow him down. Lt. STERN, flying in Blue Flight reports this E/A on fire as it passed him and went into a spin.

I closed up on the next Me. 109 to 100 yards, skidded to the right and took a deflection shot of about 10°. I gave about a 2 second burst and the whole fuselage split open and blew up after we passed.

Another Me. 109 to the right had cut his throttle and was trying to get behind. I broke to the right and quickly rolled to the left on his tail…I got a lead from around 300 yards and gave him a short burst. There were hits on wings and tail section He snapped to the right 3 times and bailed out at around 18,000 feet…

Yeager attributed his success to a newly installed K-14 gyro-computing gunsight, which adjusted for the lead on a target based on an estimated range dialed in by the pilot. He concluded:

I claim Five Me. 109s destroyed. Ammunition Expended: 587 rounds .50 cal MG.

That was less than third of the typical ammunition loadout on a P-51D.

Yeager nearly repeated his ace-in-a-day feat in a November air battle in which he downed four more formidable Fw-190 fighters.

His final kill was scored against a superior Me-262 jet fighter. After narrowly dodging its powerful cannons, he swooped down on the much faster jet as it was attempting to land.

He had complicated feelings about his World War II service.

Over the course of 61 combat missions Yeager was credited with 12.5 air-to-air kills. But Yeager later wrote that he wasn’t proud of all aspects of his combat career, citing how his squadron was assigned to strafe “anything that moved” over a 50×50 mile sector in Germany to “demoralize the population.” He wrote in his autobiography:

“In war, the military will seldom hesitate to hit civilians if they are in the way, or to target them purposely for various strategic reasons… I’m certainly not proud of that particular strafing mission against civilians. But it is there, on the record and in my memory.”

Yeager broke the sound barrier with broken ribs

Two days before his scheduled supersonic flight in 1947, Yeager was riding a horse with his wife at night when he was tossed off and broke two ribs. Fearing his record-breaking flight would be canceled, he had a civilian doctor tape the ribs and did not inform his superiors. Still in pain on the day of his flight, his injury forced him to rely on a jury-rigged broom handle to seal the cockpit canopy.

Yeager wasn’t just a fighter pilot—he flew jet bombers over Vietnam

Between 1966 and 1968, Yeager commanded the 405th Fighter Wing, composed of five squadrons based in Taiwan, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam. These flew a diverse mix of aircraft. During that period, he went out of his way to log additional hours of combat flying time by joining the crews of B-57 Canberra jet bombers based in Phan Rang, Vietnam. The B-57s flew light attack missions targeting Viet Cong forces in South Vietnam.

A twin-jet B-57B light bomber.

Yeager later commanded the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing—an F-4 Phantom jet fighter unit—that was deployed to South Korea during the USS Pueblo crisis. He frequently flew down to Vietnam in his Phantom to visit his son, then serving in the U.S. Army.

He claimed a head-of-state ordered a hit on his personal airplane

Yeager could be a difficult personality at times—unsparing in his criticism and litigious later in life. And then there was the time he was convinced Indira Gandhi personally had it in for his personal light plane.

In the early 1970s President Nixon sought to deepen U.S. assistance to Pakistan as part of his secret campaign to create a diplomatic connection with China. At the request of the U.S. ambassador, Yeager was dispatched to Pakistan to advise its Air Force between 1971 and 1973—and promptly found himself in yet another shooting war.

On December 3, 1971, Pakistani jets launched a preemptive strike on Indian airbases due to an escalating conflict over the status of then-East Pakistan (modern Bangladesh). The Indian Air Force launched counter-strikes, including one targeting an airport near Islamabad on December 5.

A Hawker Hunter jet from IAF No. 20 squadron blew up Yeager’s Beech Queen Air twin-engine light plane on the tarmac. In a fiery meeting with his colleagues at the embassy, Yeager blamed Gandhi for the attack. He later wrote in his autobiography the attack was “…the Indian way of giving Uncle Sam the finger.”

Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi confers with President Nixon at the White House.

In fact, the Pakistani Air Force had evacuated its fighters from Islamabad airport prior to launching its attack—meaning that Yeager’s Beech Queen and a U.N. transport plane were likely the only targets the IAF pilot could find to attack.

He was a technical consultant on an acclaimed air combat video game.

In the 1980s most air combat videogames (*ahem* air combat simulators), like the excellent Their Finest Hour by Lucas Arts, used two-dimensional images for graphics.

Yeager, however, served as a technical consultant with future videogame behemoth Electronic Arts EA to produce Chuck Yeager’s Air Combat covering air battles in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

And the action all played out in chunky, un-textured but oh-so-three-dimensional polygons.

View from cockpit of an Fw-190 fighter striking a B-17 bomber in Chuck Yeager’s Air Combat.

What really made Air Combat so great was its emphasis on leveraging the characteristics of the various planes. A digitized Yeager would explain the historical context of various battles, which tactics to use against various aircraft matchups, and even shout advice mid-mission and chew you out if you failed. This was a dream come true for the 9-year-old author.

Comparison of the capabilities of the P-51D and Fw-190A fighter.

You can actually play the game for free in your browser to appreciate the state-of-the-art graphics, circa 1991.

He kept on flying supersonic aircraft at an age most people are comfortably installed in a retirement home.

On October 14, 2012, the 65th anniversary of his famous supersonic flight, Yeager flew to supersonic speeds a final time in the backseat of an F-15D fighter over the Mojave Desert. He was 89 years old at the time.

From Aerospace & Defense in Perfectirishgifts

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loup-malin · 7 years

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September Story

I wrote a thing last week about how Mr. Loup and I got together - featuring September 11, Harry Potter, and my friend Heather. I dunno, I’m just going to post it here. I write things sometimes.

I was a sophomore in college on September 11, 2001, a conservatory student at Purchase College, the “Performing arts jewel of the State University of New York system.” I remember that morning so clearly: going to music history and my professor becoming increasingly agitated at this new batch of students whose cell phones kept ringing, ringing, ringing. He snapped at us, told us to put our phones back in our bags and pay attention.

When class was over, the puzzle pieces fell into place: planes had been flown into both towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon. Another student told me there was one headed for the Capitol building. Was it an accident? Terrorism? Hackers scrambling the air traffic control system? It was chaos and confusion, and my voice teacher was there already, so I went to my lesson and sang for an hour.

When I think about it, that day has shaped so much of the rest of my life, as it has for so many people. I didn't throw myself into patriotism or religion. If anything, I think I lost the ability to be a traditional patriot that day, lost the ability to believe in religion as a force for good. And yet, my heart grew at the same rate as my ability to hate someone for simply being different than me diminished (though I don't know if I ever really had much of the latter).

I remember having a fight with my then-boyfriend that night, about American foreign policy and hubris. I argued that our treatment of the Afghans during the Cold War had led to this, and he said that Mohammed Atta and company were just evil, corrupted by their evil religion. Of course, my boyfriend’s religion also called gays corrupted sinners, foretold that they would burn in hell. He had been pressuring me, his bisexual girlfriend, to formally join this church for years, and I had been resisting for just as long. Something about not agreeing with their argument that prayer should be legal in public schools suggested that I would not be the most zealous of converts. We broke up fifteen months and one Save This Relationship tour of Europe later.

My college campus was next to the Westchester County airport, and we heard the drone of engines day and night, takeoffs and landings. It's not a busy airport, but the sound of flight was one that provided the backdrop for everything that happened on campus. From September 11 until the 20th, 2001, the airport was silent. I know this because I stayed there, in my on campus apartment, alone for a week. At first, we shut down for a few days because of the attack, but it was close enough to the Jewish High Holy Days that classes were cancelled until Rosh Hashanah was over. I think everyone I knew fasted on Yom Kippur that year, Jewish or not. We all wanted atonement, absolution.

I stayed in my silent apartment, on my silent campus for a week, binging on CNN and crying. On the third day or so, I turned the TV off. I couldn't watch any more, couldn't stand to see more tragedy porn: commentators reporting from atop a smoking pile of twisted metal, the remains of three thousand people under their feet. I had read almost every book in the flat, needed something new to distract me. There was one book left, part of the bathroom reading pile, its cover dog-eared and tattered. I sighed, conceding defeat. I had already resisted reading it for about a year. I was an adult, I didn't read kids books.

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much…”

My life changed twice in one week. Once in the taking: shattering the illusion of safety into a million tiny pieces that rained down 104 stories to the pavement below. The other in the giving: a boy with a lightning-bolt scar who offered his life to save the world because he couldn't bear for anyone else to do it, in the end.

My boyfriend hated the book. Hated that I devoured four books in rapid succession, staying up until the dark-before-the-light paying attention to something other than him on the weekends. And then I had nothing left to read.

I had made a friend, over the course of the fall semester, in between page turns as we invaded Afghanistan. A drummer in my program who had also read the books, who needed a fictional refuge from the attacks that had occurred only thirty-five miles south of us. We went to department parties together, sat in the corner and talked about the books, travel, life. We joked that we should go to Ireland together when Aer Lingus started flying out of JFK again, offering €99 fares. We would buy sweaters and drink Guinness, he grinned. He was funny and smart, lived with a bunch of cats. Loved to be a little cheeky, more than a little wiseass. It's shocking to me now that it took me another year to realise that I was in love with him.

After the Save This Relationship Tour the next summer, I returned home, returned to school. I had missed my friend all summer and couldn't wait to see him at the first party of the term.

He wasn't there.

He wasn't at the next one, either.

I was having dinner with a friend one night, talking about my then-boyfriend and how he was annoying me about something or other. We had hit a rough patch at some point in the previous year, but all seemed calm at that moment.

“I'm glad you and Boyfriend have worked things out,” she said, “but you know who I think you'd be a really cute couple with? M. You guys seem to get along really well.”

(She would be one of the bridesmaids in our wedding a few years later; I am officiating her wedding next weekend. Sometimes life rhymes in strange and beautiful ways.)

I laughed her off.

Until it wasn't funny anymore, how I looked for him, hoped for him, everywhere I went. We had tamed each other, as St. Exupéry says, over the course of the last year, and every time he wasn't where he should have been it was another small abandonment, another moment of wondering how else my world would change without warning. And then I walked into the conservatory building the next Monday and he was there in the lounge, as if he'd been waiting for me the entire time. I still couldn't admit to myself that I breathed easier with him there, and if I didn't actually breathe easier, I didn't mind the way he made me laugh too loud, made my heart race more than a friend’s greeting should.

I was walking home from class toward the end of the semester, when I realised all of these things. I ran the rest of the way home and cried for an hour, the truth and weight of it overwhelming me.

Our first not-date was to go see Chamber of Secrets in the theater. I broke up with my boyfriend as soon as the semester ended. Mr. Loup and I were living together within three weeks.

Every year when the lights erupt from Ground Zero, shooting into the sky, I pause to mourn all the things we lost that day, and to give thanks to all I found in discovering the Boy Who Lived in the cupboard under the stairs.

#personal #long post #text post #Mr. Loup #september 11 #harry potter #this is kind of a weird essay #but here we are #i've been reading a lot of Neil Gaiman lately #i think it shows a little too much here #but whatever

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memsmedic1 · 7 years

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A different part of Asia 05/29/17-07/01/17

Back in February, just after the Iraqi army and coalition forces had liberated eastern Mosul from ISIS and initiated the West Mosul offensive, I had contacted the Academy of Emergency Medicine (AEM), a Slovakian NGO, and requested information on what was required to volunteer with their organization. I sent in the required documents, but not a peep did I hear back from them afterwards, so I figured that it was a no go- plus I am so busy with M-EMS that I didn't think I would be able to volunteer with them even if I was accepted. So I was completely taken by surprise when on Thursday the 25th, on our second to last day of EMR training in Myawaddy I received an email from AEM stating that not only had I finally been checked and approved, but that if I was available there was currently an urgent need for medics to treat escaping civilians as well as the soldiers fighting ISIS. The only problem was that I knew I wouldn't be able to take that much time off on such short notice so I didn't even get my hopes up. However, the month of June was when we had planned to teach a large EMR course up in northern Myanmar, and because of multiple setbacks in that area we were forced to cancel. So now we actually did have an entire month where we weren't scheduled for anything major. When I mentioned the opportunity at our post-training team meeting on Friday, Myanmar EMS was excited about the prospect and volunteered to sponsor my time to make the mission happen pending finalization of a couple of scheduling issues with the AREMT. So now I was excited! I spent an agonizing weekend not knowing what I was going to do, but finally Sunday night we received the confirmation that assured I would be able to go! Monday the 29th I purchased my ticket and started getting packed. Tuesday morning though I woke up and found an email canceling my ticket with no explanation so I had to quickly go through the entire ticket finding process again and was able to find a replacement that wasn't too expensive and only pushed my flight back by one day. (Which is amazing because for some reason there aren't too many flights headed to Iraq!) Thursday, June 1st I woke up super early to make it to the airport on time for my flight. Some of my team were traveling to Thailand to take care some banking business (Myanmar's banking system is Byzantine) and show our school property to a potential buyer so it worked out perfectly for them to drop me off at the airport on their way. The first leg of the journey went from Yangon out over the Bay of Bengal, straight across India, and over the Persian Gulf to Doha, Qatar. The airport sits right on the water and the end of the runway is actually a seawall so I felt like we had taken a wrong turn and were on final approach to Saint Martin before we actually landed and I could finally see that we were in the middle of a sandstorm that was partially obscuring my view of the skyscrapers and sand dunes! Inside the airport everything was extremely plush and lavish, there's an entire mall inside with every exclusive retailer in the world seeming to have a storefront. There's Mercedes, Ducati, and Lamborghini showroom models for sale and raffle scattered around, and if you're interested you can buy gold bars or coins in any of the jewelry stores! After a 3 1/2 hour layover, I boarded another almost empty flight that flew me northwest over the Persian Gulf towards Mosul and ISIS. The destination for this flight is Erbil, the capital city of Iraqi Kurdistan, a fully autonomous region in northern Iraq about 90 km from the city of Mosul and a major staging ground of the Battle for Mosul that has been underway now for the better part of a year. At first after crossing into Iraq the terrain was flat, bone dry, and arid desert, but the farther north we flew the more rugged and mountainous it became. Eventually I started to see trees on the higher hills and finally we started flying over snow covered mountains! Shortly after leaving the mountains behind we began to prepare for landing. Instead of beginning our descent a couple hundred miles away from our destination, we remained at nearly cruising altitude until we flew over Erbil. Then the pilot flew in a figure eight pattern while dropping us down towards the runway. We descended so fast that I felt like I was training for a trip to the space station while nearly levitating under my seatbelt! In the airport I went through customs and then took a shuttle to the civilian meeting point where I was picked up by Oliver and Sven, who run AEM operations in Iraq. After introductions they took me to their main base in Erbil. This is in what used to be a very nice mansion but it's been neglected for a while now and is surrounded by mostly abandoned and run down compounds. After we got there I was introduced to Monir, another paramedic who had arrived last night. Oliver gave us an orientation talk and then we went to the market to buy whatever gear we didn't already have with us. By this time it was 0130 for me with time change so I went to bed. In the morning we loaded up and met with Pete and Walter from Global Response Management to form a convoy on the 90 km drive to Mosul in Nineveh province. I was even allowed to drive one of the Toyota hiluxes in the convoy! After leaving Erbil we drove northwest through the desert passing countless checkpoints and places in the road where at some time either a large dirt berm had been across it and recently bulldozed through or where the road had been mined and the craters filled in with dirt. The closer we got to Mosul the more damage there was. Houses completely riddled with holes, burned out, or with blast damage. Finally ahead of us we could see the smoke over the city and as we stopped at the last checkpoint before crossing the floating bridge over the Tigris River we could hear the fighting. After arriving in western Mosul we stopped along the side of the road as refugees flowed by going in the opposite direction, a Predator drone circled overhead, and one of ISIS' Dushka heavy machine guns intermittently barked out strings of epithets a half mile to our left. We had stopped in this prime location for our mandatory security briefing:...Don't talk to the jihadi's...don't get shot or exploded...Don't run outside and wave at unidentified drones...If there's a problem run in that direction... Etc. Afterwards we struck off towards the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) forward operating base 1 and 3, which were combined after they sustained too many losses to operate separately. They are stationed in a couple large abandoned houses just west of the Old City. Along the way we had to drive within 700 meters of ISIS around the outskirts of ISIS controlled Old City. Here we dropped off a truck full of supplies as well as Monir to help reinforce two paramedics and several Iraqi medics who are already staffing this trauma stabilization point (TSP) co-located with ISOF. As the name implies, a TSP is located as close to the fighting as is safe and is where front line injuries come for stabilization so they can survive the trip to various field hospitals located several kilometers farther away from the front where they will receive additional stabilization or definitive care. Then we continued on to ISOF 2's FOB where Walter and I would initially be stationed with a team of several Iraqi medics and two Americans, Chris and James, at a second TSP that AEM is staffing. ISOF 2 is based in an old mosque just southwest of the Old City and had been an ISIS stronghold up until less then 2 months ago when this block was liberated. ISOF are US trained, urban warfare specialists who are engaging ISIS in close quarters, sometimes in hand to hand combat as they work in cooperation with the Iraqi army and the various militias and coalition forces to liberate the maze of alleyways and neighborhoods of Mosul's Old City inch by bloody inch. The challenge that makes this so difficult is that the streets of the Old City are so old that they are too narrow for tanks, Humvees, or even pickup trucks so all the fighting must be carried out via drone or other air strikes or dismounted, on foot. Also, ISIS refuses to let civilians leave the war zone and tries to shoot anyone who does, currently holding approximately 180,000 civilians (6/2) as hostages for their own enjoyment and as human shields, preventing coalition forces from simply razing the entire area to the ground. We threw our gear into the library aka bunk room and started introducing ourselves to the ISOF medics who were there at the moment. Before we even finished this our first patient came screeching up to the front gate in the back of a Humvee. An old man had been attempting to flee the Old City with his family when he was spotted by a sniper and was shot in the flank which also fractured his pelvis. We quickly stabilized him as much as possible and then called up one of the ambulances donated by the WHO and staffed by local volunteers to transport him to the hospital. It is amazing how all the civilians here in the neighborhood around the TSP and in all the liberated areas, many of whom escaped from the Old City only within the last week or two, are attempting to pick up their life where it was interrupted by ISIS. While many houses have been completely destroyed and thousands of homeless people are making their way to relatives homes or the IDP camps, even more are staying behind to begin the daunting task of rebuilding their lives and city. Some people are opening up their market stands and other businesses again, others are repairing damaged buildings and plastering over bullet holes, and city employees are repairing water, power, and sanitation infrastructure and clearing away as much of the rubble as possible. There are IED's camouflaged everywhere in the liberated areas, as well as unexploded ordnance, broken glass, disabled vehicles, and craters in the roads either from air strikes or IED's. Many roads are still barricaded on purpose to deter ISIS from driving their never ending supply of VBIED's (vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices) past the siege of Iraqi and coalition forces and into the liberated areas of the city. At first our patient volume was fairly low with just a few soldiers per day and the majority being civilians. The most common civilian problem was symptoms resulting from observing Ramadan which is from May 26 through June 24 this year- dizziness, weakness, tiredness, syncope, and kidney failure from not eating or drinking all day and then eating loads of salt and sugar at night. During the day the temperature rises to 115-119 degrees Fahrenheit and everybody is chronically dehydrated. Next most common problem is injuries resulting from exploding IED's- burns, shrapnel, head injuries, soft tissue injuries, "danglies", and amputations. Anywhere ISIS occupied for any length of time (all of Mosul) is infested with ingeniously disguised explosives. Candy bars, coke cans, toys, microwaves, refrigerators, faucet handles, livestock (we saw both a chicken bomb and a donkey bomb), doorknobs, and pressure plates under the tile floor running to a claymore built into the wall and plastered over are just a few of the items ISIS rigs to explode when families try to return home. Every day the sounds of the fighting echo in the background of everything we do. The sharp ringing and cracking of small arms fire that occasionally sends a bullet ricocheting off the wall of the mosque, deep heavy whumping of coalition air strikes and ISIS mortars, brrrrrrrrrrrping of A-10 Warthogs strafing insurgent positions, and the chest resonating kaboom of the occasional VBIED that would cause the curtains to jerk and the doors to shake and send up a massive fireball into the dusty sky became so normal that we hardly noticed them any more. After 10 days of working at ISOF 2 being on call 24/7 Walter and I took our truck and convoyed with Oliver and Sven back to Erbil to rest for a couple days and bring back supplies for the TSP's. In addition to sleeping and washing clothes we enjoyed exploring the city of Erbil which happens to hold the distinction of being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world! You could probably say that we were all pretty exhausted and happy for a respite from the constantly "switched on" mode of the front but occasionally it went too far. One day while we were back in Erbil a huge shipment of medical supplies arrived at the airport for us and Oliver and Sven went to pick it up with one of the trucks and a cargo van. Unfortunately it was stuck in customs and wasn't accessible that day so they came back home. After getting back they realized that they had both ridden back in the truck and forgot the van at the airport! That very next day Monir, who had come back a day after me from the other TSP for a quick break also, went to get food from a great little restaurant close by and not only could he not find the shop, but when he walked back to where he thought the truck was parked it was gone! After frantically searching for it everywhere without success he got a taxi back to the house and told Oliver. Oliver and Sven took the keys and went to do a quick drive-by before calling the police and found the truck sitting nicely parked and locked within sight of the restaurant! After the break when we returned to Mosul Walter and I were assigned to staff ISOF 1 and 3 along with Monir, a paramedic named Anthony who was the team leader and a nurse named Steve, because two paramedics from Australia had arrived to volunteer for a while and were placed at ISOF 2. The Australians were very friendly and fun to hang out with. They were super health oriented and tried to work out on the roof of the mosque two or 3 times per day. It was extra funny because after just 2 days they both got violently sick from the food or water or both and had to go back to Erbil for a while to recover! Working at ISOF 1 and 3 came with a couple perks. For one, the ISOF medics here weren't as incompetent and tried to be proactive when treating patients. For another, there's a kitchen and a cook here so food doesn't have to come from ISOF headquarters! Only downside is that we have to keep our heads down behind the low wall on the flat roof because ISIS snipers have a clear line of sight to this position. On Wednesday the 14th ISIS rushed the front line and launched a counterattack with 7 VBIED's and approximately 100 men. At least 23 ISIS (aka Daesh) were confirmed killed and the rest were pushed back into the Old City. Casualties were plentiful and were divided up over several TSP's. On Sunday the 18th the Iraqi army and coalition forces officially announced a new assault on the Old City after almost a week of fighting at a standstill. This lull had occurred because one of the regiments of the 9th division had become bogged down while clearing their assigned section of the the Old City and everyone else had to stop their advance and wait for them to catch up again. Because there are so many players assisting in the Battle for Mosul, there are huge variances in training and proficiency and effective communications between everyone is sometimes lacking. Now that everyone is back in place the Iraqi army is confident that this is the "final chapter" in the Battle for Mosul that has been dragging on for almost a year. On the 22nd we woke up to discover that during the night the 844 year old Great Mosque of al-Nuri, from which Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had announced Islamic State's so called caliphate on July 4, 2014, had been blown up by retreating jihadists. 😥 The Great Mosque is where the world-famous 148 foot tall leaning al-Hadba (the hunchback) minaret had been before it was also destroyed. Our TSP had been close enough to this piece of history that we could clearly see the black flag of ISIS flying at its peak. As the coalition continued gaining back ground from Daesh our TSP's at ISOF's forward operating bases started getting farther and farther away from the front line, which meant that anyone injured in the fighting had a longer way to come to reach medical care. So one day Oliver, Sven, and I went to find a new building to use as a stabilization point. After driving down the main road a little over a mile we found a water purification facility with a walled compound that would work great for us once it was de-mined. Unfortunately, the very next day it received several direct hits from a 120mm mortar and was completely destroyed. We then made contact with the 16th division of the Iraqi army who had a small first aid station set up in a carpentry shop a couple hundred yards further back from the water plant. They had three army medics working around the clock treating dozens of soldiers and over 150 civilians per day with almost no supplies. When Oliver asked Major Ahmed if we could bring in some medics and supplies to work with them the Major almost started crying. So starting the next day AEM started staffing medics at 16th division including myself, being sure to keep some volunteers at ISOF 2 and ISOF 1 and 3 to maintain coverage. Although some civilians just can't take it anymore and try to escape before the army recaptures their house or street most wait because one of the things ISIS enjoys the most is shooting men, women, and children in the back as they try to escape. Those who are liberated or make it to the Iraqi lines and searched and questioned and then walk down the road right past our TSP on their way to a family members home or an IDP camp. If they were shot or wounded by an IED on their way out of the Old City we would treat them and send them to the hospital via ambulance. There were also many patients with old injuries that we would assess and clean, and we treated hundreds of patients with life threatening dehydration. When the civilians were uninjured, we would simply greet them as they walked by, celebrating with them if they were happy and consoling them if they were sad. And there was always work to do assisting other humanitarian agencies in passing out food and water to the starving, malnourished children and their families. If the TSP was relatively quiet we would sometimes go and pick up loads of elderly, sick, or injured civilians in our ambulances or the large open freight trucks that the UN funded NGO 'Muslim Aid' uses to haul in food and water for the refugees passing our TSP and haul away dead bodies. This helps take some of the load off the Iraqi army who have evacuated hundreds of the injured on their armored Humvees either sitting or lying on stretchers tied to the hood. On the 23rd our position was overrun with overzealous reporters who had found out about our TSP and all the refugees fleeing down our road as the army pushed in opening escape routes and were trying to get stories. We banned them from the critical patient side of the carpentry shop and kept on working as best we could. After an hour and a half however, we began coming under mortar fire and all the journalists quickly started leaving. The army intelligence officers who worked with us at the TSP sniffing out disguised Daesh and their families discovered that one of the reporters had been hosting a live news broadcast and ISIS had used it to work out our location. Those reporters won't be coming back. They quickly called in coalition air support to locate the source of the offending projectiles and after several air strikes that were close enough to set off car alarms and rattle all the metal doors up and down the street everything was back to normal. Across the Tigris in east Mosul, which has been a liberated and semi- functional city for the past 5 months, three suicide bombers blew themselves up in a residential neighborhood in retaliation for the increased pressure they are feeling from the offensive, killing 5 and injuring 19 others. The next day on the 24th Major Ahmed received intel that we had a suicide bomber of our very own who had made his way through the army lines disguised as a cripple and was targeting our TSP. We quickly shut everything down and went to evacuate when Monir realized that he had lost the truck keys! We waited for several tense minutes until Pete arrived from ISOF 1 and 3 and we all piled into the back of his truck and called it a day! A total of 5 suicide bombers infiltrated the city that day and later that night we were woken up to care for some of their handiwork. On the evening of the 25th I was just relaxing after a suspiciously quiet day when I started hearing shouting and extra shooting and then convoy after convoy of Humvees, MRAPS, and M1 Abrams tanks screaming past the TSP away from the direction of the Old City. When I went up to the roof and looked around the entire city to the Southwest of our position was nothing but smoke and fire and shooting. It turns out several dozen Daesh had slipped past the Iraqi army's siege around the Old City through a series of "rat holes" (holes punched through the walls of interconnected houses as well as subterranean tunnels) and launched a massive surprise counterattack after popping up just on the the other side of ISOF 1 and 3 where I had been working that day. They lit houses and cars on fire and then began fighting their way back towards the Old City and us attacking Iraqi and coalition positions from behind. For a couple hours we were within line of sight of the new front line and I could see ISIS muzzle flashes and angry red tracers cracking through the air past the TSP. As you can imagine we were busy that night as panicking civilians tried to evacuate and fled in all directions without rhyme or reason, some fleeing east toward the Old City and some west towards the new offensive with cows and flocks of sheep and goats all mixed in. After the army got organized and started pushing back the offensive quickly crumbled and by midnight victory was declared although there was a thorough house to house mop-up in the morning. The last 3 jihadis involved in the counterattack who weren't killed barricaded themselves in a house holding a family of 14 hostage. After an 18 hour standoff 2 ISOF snipers were able to get in position to shoot two of them and the third was overpowered by his hostages. Before the army could move in the family opened the front door and tripped a claymore placed by the 3 Daesh to deter an attack on their position. Five family members were rushed to our TSP in critical condition and after doing what we could to stabilize them they were transferred to Mosul General. On June 29th, my last day in Mosul, the Iraqi army recaptured the destroyed Great Mosque where the iconic leaning al-Hadba minaret had once stood. This was met with great happiness by Iraqi army and citizens alike as a symbolic victory over ISIS in Mosul. That afternoon I had to tell all the medics and soldiers I'd lived and worked with for the past month goodbye, then I left Mosul and drove back to Erbil to clean up and pack so I would be ready to leave the next morning. In Erbil also I had to say goodbye to many friends that I had met and spent time with over the last month. Afterwards Sven dropped me off at the airport and after barely catching my flight I flew back to Doha, Qatar, and then on to Yangon, Myanmar arriving at six o'clock in the morning on July 1st. Volunteering in Mosul for this month was an amazing experience, making lifelong friends and memories. Even though there were so many sickening and twisted things happening while I was here I was able to help a little and make a difference for a lot of people and I am hoping to come back again sometime!

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wbwest · 7 years

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New Post has been published on WilliamBruceWest.com

New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/06/09/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-6917/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 6/9/17

In an interesting shake-up over at CBS, Erinn Hayes has been let go from her role as wife to Kevin James in Kevin Can Wait. They say that the show is going in a new direction, which necessitated the firing. But here’s where it gets interesting. Leah Remini, who played James’s wife on King of Queens, popped up in the season finale as James’ former cop partner. Well, just before announcing Hayes’s departure, CBS announced that Remini would be joining the show next season as a series regular. Now, if you’ve never seen Kevin Can Wait, Kevin James plays a former NYC cop who tries to figure out how to adjust to his recent retirement. Based on the season finale, though, it seems like James’s character might be coming out of retirement. It’s just a strange move, seeing as how the show ended the season as the #1 new comedy on network TV – hardly a situation that necessitated a retooling of the show. Part of what critics praised was Hayes’s portrayal of James’s wife of 20 years. How do you just gloss over that relationship? I mean, they’ve gotta kill her off, but unless you do a time jump, you’ve gotta slog through all the grief stuff, which doesn’t lend itself well to a multicam comedy. And if they’re gonna fast track a relationship between James and Remini, will the audience accept it? It really feels like they blew a sure thing and, if they wanted to recreate The King of Queens, thy should’ve just revived The King of Queens! I’ve said that online since Kevin was announced!

Speaking of Remini, I’m starting to think she’s a Scientology double agent. Bear with me here: Scientology is a well-connected organization in Hollywood that allegedly has the power to ruin your career with the information that they have on their members. If you ever leave the church, you’re pretty much done. Just look at the list of former Scientologists. On that list, Remini and Jeffrey Tambor are the one ones who even have a semblance of a steady career right now, and Tambor kinda skirted the issue by saying he never really joined the church. Remini, however, joined up as a child, and was a HUGE booster of the church. Then, in 2013, she turned on the church – not for its negative views on homosexuality (which is why Crash director Paul Haggis left) or its alleged illegal activities. No, she left because she got her feelings hurt after leadership clapped back at her. At Tom Cruise’s wedding to Katie Holmes, Remini asked why church leader David Miscavige’s wife wasn’t in attendance, and they basically told her she didn’t have clearance for that info (formal speak for “Nunyo Biznazz”). She didn’t trust that answer, and went further to file a missing persons report on Mrs. Miscavige. Then, she made it her mission to publicly discredit Miscavige, criticizing his leadership, citing reports of abuse in the Sea Org, and more. She went straight to the TOP with her blame game, yet NOTHING has happened to her. In fact, it’s probably rejuvenated her career. She got a successful show on A&E called Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, where she’s basically telling all their secrets. When the show debuted, the church issued a statement attacking her. Yet, she’s working more now than she was before. So, there’s two things happening here: either Scientology isn’t as powerful and litigious as we’ve been led to believe OR they’re in on it. It’s yin and yang. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. While Scientology has its critics, it never really had an enemy before. Why not create one where they could control the narrative? It’s like learning that Captain America has secretly been Hydra the whole time. Long story short, I’m not entirely convinced she’s left the church, especially over something as trivial as what’s reported to have started the whole thing. And she’s laughing all the way to the bank.

In other TV news, Tia and Tamera Mowry (yeah, they got married and have new hyphenated last names, but I ain’t got time for all that) are trying to get a Sister, Sister revival off the ground. And I don’t know anyone who wants this. If you were cool back in the 90s you probably never watched Sister, Sister, where a set of adopted twins didn’t realize they were twins until a chance meeting in a department store, a la The Parent Trap. Then they all move in together. It was the definition of “mediocre”, yet once ABC canceled it, it gained a new life over on The WB. The most memorable thing about it was that Marques “Batman” Houston, of the R&B group Immature/IMx, played their annoying neighbor Roger (kinda like a watered down Steve Urkel), and they’d constantly yell “Go home, Roger!” at him. Other than that, it was just a bunch of zany, mistaken identity twin shit – stuff that I’d hope adult Tia and Tamera had outgrown by now. What’s the story to tell? They both get divorced, and move in together with their kids? Sorry, Kate & Allie, Getting By, and the upcoming Raven’s Home have already covered that old chestnut. Are they single in the city, doing the same twin shit? Not interested. I don’t have a lot of faith in this one getting picked up, though, because they’re far behind where they need to be. Right now, they say they’re looking for a show runner to guide the project, but then they’d have to find a network. Sister, Sister was NO Full House, so I doubt Netflix would be interested. If anything, the only place I’d put it right now would probably be Freeform, even though the twins are slightly older than the target demo of that channel. Let this just be a lesson that not everything needs to be revived.

In other television news, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow has cast Tala Ashe as Muslim “hacktivist” Zari Adrianna Tomaz for season 3. She’s a computer whiz from 2030, so basically the team’s got their own Oracle/Felicity now – not that they really need it, with Gideon and all. Anyway, in comics Tomaz is actually an Egyptian who uses the Amulet of Isis to transform into the hero Isis. Before the New 52 reboot of the DC Universe, Isis was an important character in the weekly series 52, as she was in a relationship with Black Adam, and her brother, Osiris, was eaten by Sobek. Oh, and she had a cheesy TV show in the 70s. None of that’s gonna be in the Legends, I’m sure. Given the current political climate, and how loaded the name “Isis” is right now, I doubt they’ll actually ever call her that onscreen, either.

Song of the Week

youtube

Today I give you “Vampires”, by The Midnight. My pal and thrifting partner, “Special Forces”, and I decided that this is the official theme song for Thrift Justice should it ever become a real show. Synthwave AND saxophone?! I wanna direct Skinemax movies just so I can score them with this entire album. So sexy. Right now, Thrift Justice is a USA drama circa 1990, and I ain’t got no problems with that!

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

Modern Family‘s Sarah Hyland will guest star on Freeform’s Shadowhunters, which kinda sounds like a step back…

Speaking of Freeform, they’ve ordered a pilot for an American adaptation of UK hit Misfits. The network is a good home for something like this, but I’m still pissed over the American adaptation of Skins, so…

Rudy Huxtable herself, Keshia Knight Pulliam, escorted TV dad Bill Cosby to the first day of his rape trial. Whatever. Call me when Lisa Bonet shows up.

In next level pettiness, Taylor Swift put her entire catalog back on Spotify at midnight – at the very moment Katy Perry released her album “Witness”

According to Dan Aykroyd, Paul Feig blew his chance at a Ghostbusters sequel because he overran his budget on unnecessary reshoots. Sony refuted the figures Aykroyd presented, saying the estimates were off by about NINETY percent. Woo!

Jennifer Connelly will join Daveed Diggs in TNT’s Snowpiercer pilot, playing the person who makes the daily announcements on the train. Exciting!

Tom Cruise revealed that the title of the Top Gun sequel will be Top Gun: Maverick. I wonder if John McCain has any feelings about that. Coherent feelings, not ramblings about the Diamondbacks…

Speaking of Cruise, his The Mummy reboot opens today, and reviewers have called it “the worst Tom Cruise movie ever”. Wow.

Singer/actress/sister of Ray J Brandy was found unconscious on a Delta flight, and the doctor who came to her rescue was reportedly Kim Kardashian’s uncle! Considering Ray J put that family on the map, I figure it’s time the Kardashians did something to return the favor.

Gotham stars Morena Baccarin and Ben McKenzie got married. Knowing that show, it’ll probably revealed that they’re Bruce’s real parents or some shit. It’s not like it pays attention to any of the rest of the lore, so why not?

Fox canceled 24 Legacy after a low-rated single season, but they’re still committed to the 24 brand. They’re reportedly developing an anthology series to take the show back to its real-time roots

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Like Peter denied Jesus, Jerry Seinfeld denied THREE requests for a hug from Kesha. I don’t blame him!

In one of the strangest deals I’ve ever heard of, Epix has inked a deal to stream its content directly to 2018 Honda Odyssey minivans

Sony will begin selling clean versions of some of their hit movies. If you’ve ever accidentally bought a clean version of an album from Walmart, you can see why this decision might anger some folks

Hank Williams Jr is back singing the opening to Monday Night Football for the first time since 2011. I guess all his rowdy friends will be over after they finish burning a few more crosses…

George and Amal Clooney welcomed twins Ella and Alexander

Former Power Rangers director/producer/fight coordinator Koichi Sakamoto will direct the upcoming Ultraman Geed series, focusing on the son of the evil Ultraman Belial. Yeah, those words mean something to someone out there.

Newcomer Blu Hunt has been cast as Danielle Moonstar in the upcoming New Mutants spinoff of the X-Men films.

A live action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop is being developed, and my heart weeps. As one of the few anime series I’ve watched, and loved, I kinda hope this dies in development hell

Hackers released 8 stolen episodes of ABC’s upcoming game show, Funderdome, and nobody cared.

Donald Glover will be retiring her Childish Gambino hip hop persona after his next album.

We got our first poster for the Black Panther film.

Last week I gave my opinions and feelings on the movie. This week, I’m just gonna stick to the facts:

92% on Rotten Tomatoes

$103 million opening weekend domestic box office

$220 million opening weekend global box office

Third highest opening for a DC film

Most successful female-directed film

Mot expensive female-directed film, with a budget of $150 million

Most tweeted about movie of 2017, with 2.19 million tweets

Won Best In Show and Best Fantasy/Adventure at the Golden Trailer Awards

Last Saturday, Wonder Woman Day was celebrated at comic shops around the world

You’ve seen it by now, right? RIGHT?! Then, what are you waiting for? For these reasons, and more, Wonder Woman once again had the West Week Ever.

#Comics #DC #Marvel #Movies #Music #Politics #Pop #Power Rangers #Race #Religion #Television #Thrift #Thrift Justice #West Week Ever #X-Men

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jobsearchtips02 · 4 years

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SXSW was canceled however informal occasions still happened

Claire Shefchik

2020-03-15 T19: 06: 32 Z.

A plastic giraffe sits near empty tables outside the entrance to Unbarlievable in Austin, Texas.

Thanks To Claire Shefchik.

Claire Shefchik is a travel and culture author in the British Virgin Islands.

This year, she planned to go to South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas for the very first time, however the culture and tech festival was canceled as part of a nationwide attempt to fend off more spread of the coronavirus

Shefchik chose to keep her travel plans after hearing that lots of unofficial occasions would still be happening in Austin today.

While she did find vibrant crowds at some regional bars and places, “it was as if a giant broom had actually swept everybody over the age of 40 off the streets,” she writes.

Visit Organisation Insider’s homepage for more stories

” I have actually never seen Rainey Street like this,” said my good friend Hugo. “Not this week, anyway.”

It was 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, the day prior to SXSW had been arranged to start. A huge plastic giraffe greets us as we enter Unbarlievable, where a solo cover singer with an acoustic guitar takes demands from 4 or five people collected; one gets the impression he ‘d be happy to play anything from ABBA to ZZ Top just to keep us around. A sign in front of the bar across the street checks out, “I participated in SXSW and all I got was this poor coronavirus.”

A staple of Austin

Thanks To Claire Shefchik.

For me, it had been set to be not just my first SXSW, however my first journey to Austin, the notoriously, hip-slash-weird Texas capital city I ‘d felt particularly called toward ever given that my days as an underemployed indie rock music critic.

Peaceful, empty streets

Thanks To Claire Shefchik.

Instead of music, parties, food and enjoyable, I was headed directly into what the mayor had declared a “city-wide disaster.” Was there any point in coming?

The unofficial SXSW

The quiet streets of Austin.

Thanks To Claire Shefchik.

” Of course,” stated Hugo, a longtime Austinite.

Later on in the afternoon, Rainey Street started revealing indications of life.

‘ We understood people were going to head out anyway’

A solo cover singer at Unbarlievable in Austin, Texas.

Courtesy of Claire Shefchik.

In any case, “Keep Austin Weird” was living up to its credibility.

On Friday, encouraged by the previous night, Hugo and I got on his bike and headed to the Hipstirs mixed drink bar on South Lamar Boulevard. By now, the city had actually confirmed its very first two cases of the virus. Public schools were closed, and SXSW announced that it was laying off a third of its workforce With the stakes raised, we weren’t sure what to expect.

What we found was a young, stylish crowd drinking lavender-tequila mixed drinks and brick-oven pies from Ghost Pizza, delighting in the sounds of San Marcos-based band The Ooey Gooeys.

Jordan Lecroy, executive director of MSB Ventures, the company behind the occasion, stated she ‘d been closely keeping track of the situation and had been in touch with city leadership, but decided to go on. “We understand there’s a great deal of uncertainty out there right now, however we understood people were going to head out anyhow,” she discusses. “We desired them to come here.”

What about now, when there have been cases diagnosed? I asked her. She stopped briefly.

” We’re re-evaluating, taking it day by day,” she stated. Still, she happily handed us a leaflet for a mixology seminar prepared for next week.

Occasions were still taking place

A small crowd at HipStirs.

Thanks To Claire Shefchik.

According to Evan Granberry, drummer for the Ooey Gooeys, “We had some coronavirus issues, but we never really considered not coming,” he stated. He admits he presumes this could be the band’s last program for a while.

A nice break

” It was as if a giant broom had swept everyone over the age of 40 off the streets,” writes the author.

Thanks To Claire Shefchik.

Later on that night, after dinner, we struck ’80 s night at famous downtown bar Barbarella’s. It was dynamic enough, but it was as if a huge broom had actually swept everyone over the age of 40 off the streets. Earlier, around rush hour, Congress Avenue had been almost lacking traffic as the city’s labor force had actually resigned itself to telecommuting. We shared a sobering flight in an Uber with a chauffeur who’s sorely missing out on the $400 a night she had actually generally take in throughout SXSW. “Poor little Austin,” she said, surveying the dwindling crowds on the streets. “It resembles a Monday out here. A sluggish Monday.”

Our fellow passenger, a born and raised Austinite, works at a barbecue dining establishment downtown. “I had 4 consumers today,” he said. He stated, he gets paid a wage, so he wasn’t grumbling. “It was a great break,” he stated.

Not surprisingly, he’s not the only Austinite to express a type of grudging relief at the unforeseen peace and quiet. “I have a buddy, born and raised here, went to McNeil High School,” the driver added with a chuckle. ‘” He resembles, ‘I’ve been waiting 25 years for them to cancel SXSW.'”

Hugo and I follow a promoter’s Instagram page to a “secret” house music program at Empire Control Space downtown, where a DJ spins records on a stand wrapped in foamy gauze and a lady with Christmas lights trimming her corset go-go dances in front of the crowd. Our bartender welcomes us with a fist bump. “Can’t be too mindful,” he said with a sigh, prior to handing us a mixed drink menu.

This post will be upgraded.

Claire Shefchik is a writer and reporter in the British Virgin Islands, where she authors about travel, culture, and the “opposite of paradise.” She has an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College, and her work has actually appeared in The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Seattle Times, Town and Nation, Fodors, Atlas Obscura, Mental Floss, and more. Find her on Twitter at @clairels

Functions factor 2019 wuhan coronavirus SXSW

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%%.

from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/sxsw-was-canceled-however-informal-occasions-still-happened/

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emilyemcnabb · 4 years

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Courtney and Scott’s Classic Charleston Wedding

Courtney and Scott’s gorgeous love story and stunning Charleston wedding are filled with serendipitous successes. The couple, who met when Scott sent a “Hail Mary” dating app message, flew out to Charleston the day before their venue hold expired to see their destination city first-hand, for the first time, and fell in love with it. Classic details defined the day, like Courtney’s show-stopping Pnina Tornai which was discovered at a last-minute dress shop appointment made after she was convinced she already knew a different dress was the one. Call it luck, call it destiny, it all came together beautifully with the help of The Petal Report who designed the event at The Gibbes Museum of Art with gorgeous florals by Pretty Petals of Charleston. Our friend Clay Austin Photography was on hand to capture all the details of the day in these beautiful photos.

What made the wedding special and unique?

It took us about 6 months to choose a location. I wanted a European or tropical destination, and Scott, along with our families, wanted to stay local. I probably looked at 60+ venues compiling folders of spreadsheets, PowerPoints, etc. One week in June, I finally realized my island dream was not going to work, and that Friday I received a call letting me know that a hold I had placed on a venue in Charleston months prior would be expiring the following Monday. I called Scott and told him the news. Having no idea I had even looked at Charleston (he had never been and I had been once when I was 17), you can imagine his confusion. He called me back a few minutes later telling me “leave your office immediately. We cannot miss this flight!”. About 3 hours later we were on a flight to Charleston, and after the first night there, we were officially in love with the city.

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

I had gone to multiple dress appointments with crews of family and friends. My mom was coming into the city to see a dress at a boutique in SoHo which I was ready to purchase. I felt badly making her trek in to just see one dress, so I made a last-minute appointment to stop at Kleinfelds on the way down, however, I was sure that the other dress was THE ONE. Our consultant came into our room toting a Pnina Tornai gown with a HUGE bow, and my mom and I instantly gave each other the same look of “you have to be kidding me”. Overly girly/preppy was never my style, and after being forced to wear my trademark giant bows for the first ~8 years of my life, I avoided them at all costs. When I put it on, we both were shocked. It worked! The Suzanne Harward gown at the other store was entirely done in a heavy lace, and was extremely modern, trendy, and a bit risqué. This was the complete opposite – classically elegant.

The sample size was many sizes too big, and after our appointment I found a photo of the gown online showing the intended fit/style which was not at all what I had wanted. However, after discussing with my consultant, we decided to order the gown a few sizes larger, and completely cut it apart, piecing it back together with the deep-v front and low, open back, ultimately creating a custom gown. I had them attach the bow so that I could remove it after the first dance, but the bow stayed on the entire night (even after it was dipped in chocolate from the mother of the groom’s birthday cake)!

My husband wanted my dress to be a total surprise, refusing to even be in the room when the topic was brought up. One day, after purchasing the Pnina gown, I asked his opinion on a few dresses I had bought for other events. He replied “you like that whole ‘deep-v’ thing don’t you…? I really am NOT a fan of that look”. During the months following, every time we saw that “deep-v thing” on TV he would point it out with the same disgusted look and express his distaste (as you can imagine, this occurred multiple times a week throughout the season of The Bachelor). It was an ongoing joke with my friends, family, and coworkers, and each time it came up it took everything in me to not burst out laughing and confess. I was so grateful that we decided to do a first look so that I would not end up laughing the entire walk down the aisle. Come the wedding day, he absolutely loved the dress (at least that’s the story he’s sticking to!).

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

My mom’s childhood friends created amazing welcome bags personalized for each guest, and a custom logo which appeared everywhere throughout the weekend; the paper products and signage, water bottles, cocktail napkins, etc., and 5Church even had it done in white chocolate to top the desserts at the Welcome Party.

We had multiple days of events including cocktail parties on the terrace of my parent’s suite at the Bella Grace, a Welcome Dinner party at 5Church for all 180 guests, a post wedding brunch, and a beach day at Sullivan’s Island. It was like being on a vacation with all of your family and friends – what could be better than that!

The lighting design is something that I came up with myself and was extremely risky given it was something that neither Cayleigh or IES had ever seen or done before. They executed it perfectly, and it looked amazing during both the day and night! To this day we still get comments on it from guests.

The cocktail ring I wore belonged to my grandmother who is no longer with us. It was something I had admired so much growing up. She gave it to me years ago, before she passed away, but my parents immediately took it to for safe-keeping, and I never saw it again. For Christmas, they surprised me by having it resized and fixed up so that I could wear it at the wedding. Not having seen it since the day she gave it to me, every time I looked down at it, I pictured it on her hand. It made it feel as though she was there with me that day.

One of our good friends, and Scott’s “work husband”, officiated the ceremony. He had never officiated before, and took his job very seriously, conducting multiple calls and meetings over drinks. He did an amazing job! The entire ceremony script was so personal and made guests both laugh and cry.

Cru Catering surprised the guests on the dance floor with late-night snacks of Chicago Dogs (in honor of a trip to Chicago Scott had surprised me with when we were dating), and Philly Cheesesteaks. Both were big hits!

My four-year-old nephew, Dylan, was our ring bearer, and was the last to walk down before me and my dad. As they were pushing him out the door, he turned back to me and yelled “Wait! Wait! Coco…… I like you!” with tears building in his eyes. I had managed to hold back tears all day until that moment!

What was the most memorable part of the day?

The last song played was “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. Both sets of parents, Scott and I all came together on the dancefloor with our arms around each other, and all of the guests formed a circle around us; everyone dancing and singing along at the top of our lungs! There is a great picture of that – one of our favorites of the night.

In the Trolley on the way to the Gibbes, the driver played all the classic wedding songs, and my bridesmaids, my mom, and I were all singing and dancing the entire ride. Everyone on the streets was staring!

Scott: When Courtney was at the end of the aisle, and everyone stood and turned, and the musicians began playing “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Elvis.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We met on a dating app – a “modern-day romance story”. Scott had never been on a dating app date, and I never responded to messages – just liked to play the swipe game. He had messaged me and didn’t get a response. A couple of weeks later, after a date with someone I had known during college but hadn’t seen in years, I got home I opened the app to see a message from Scott saying that he thought he saw me crossing Park Ave around 5pm (he calls it his Hail Mary message). Realizing that it was likely me (my office is on Park Ave and I had left for my date around that time), the combination of the humor of coincidence and the cocktails from the earlier date brought me to actually reply to a dating app message. A few days later we had our first date, and we texted the entire cab ride home and for hours into the night. We actually named one of the signature cocktails at the Welcome Party “The Hinge” as an ode to where it all started!

I’m absolutely obsessed with all things Christmas. We even have two Christmas trees in our apartment – one big, formal tree, and a small tree with all the ornaments we’ve collected from our trips together. We always celebrate our own “Christmas Day” the weekend before Christmas; just the two of us. On the year we got engaged I texted Scott two days before our Christmas Day, letting him know that I had decided to take that day off. Little did I know, that news would put a huge fork in his elaborate plan. Panicked, he texted my best friend, Beckett, telling her she had to do whatever it would take to keep me out of the apartment that afternoon. The two of them came up with a plan of pretending one of her clients arranged for the Glam Squad to come to her apartment to do hair and nails for her and a coworker before their company Holiday Party that evening, and that her coworker canceled last minute. After getting home, we opened all of our gifts from unde the tree, and Scott told me to go check out the NYC ornament he had picked up for our small tree. I couldn’t believe he had the audacity to pick out an NYC ornament without me. I saw a shiny silver ornament that read “I’ve been meaning to ask you this…”, slowly turning it around, I read the other side: “Will you marry me?”. I jolted around in tears to see him on one knee behind me. After, he told me I only had time to quickly call my mom because of our dinner reservations his boss had made for us, and that we would call everyone else after dinner. He asked the cab to drop us off a few blocks away from the restaurant, and said that we actually had time for a quick drink, and suggested we stop into the wine bar/restaurant on the corner. When we walked in, I immediately saw my mom and dad and burst into tears, again. Then I looked around the room and realized the entire place was filled with our families and close friends. We celebrated until the early morning hours! I couldn’t have drawn up a better proposal and night if I tried.

Coordinator & Designer: The Petal Report // Photographer: Clay Austin Photography // Floral Design: Pretty Petals of Charleston // Wedding Venue: The Gibbes Museum of Art // Bridal Gown Designer: Pnina Tornai // Makeup Artist: Makeup By Dannon // Hair Stylist: Wild Ivory Beauty // Wedding Cake: ABCD // Catering & Bar: Cru Catering // Tent, Dance floor & Stage Rental: Skyline Tent Company // Rentals: Snyder Events // Rentals: Ooh! Events // Entertainment: Emerald Empire Band // Lighting: Innovative Event Services // Guest Transportation: ACW Limo

The post Courtney and Scott’s Classic Charleston Wedding appeared first on Grey Likes Weddings | Wedding Fashion & Inspiration | Best Wedding Blog.

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mceproductions · 5 years

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October 2018 Blurbs

10/1/18 31 Nights of Halloween, Freeforms inheritence from its previous incarnations, other than the mandated 700 Club. The month between seasons, otherwise known as candy city. Stockholm Syndrome from Willies departure may be setting in as we had a large truck and only 4 of us to do it. I shouldnt be missing his prescence but somehow i am. Remedy is needed soon. 10/2/18 Im A Christmas Guy, love giving gifts out and decorating. Have done so annually for 16 years and it always starts within the first few days of October as i unblock my Holiday themed movie and TV Shows on digital. Looking forward to the next few weeks especially. Brewers NLDS starts Thursday! 10/3/18 The old tutalige of when it rains it pours, reared its ugly head. Flat by Old El Rancho. That really screws things up for me. Hoping for Miracle. 10/4/18 Well, day minus the Brewers coming back, was a bust. Tire was flat. Hoping I can get it either possibly fixed or a cheap replacement. Wondering how ill get to the store tomorrow. 10/5/18 Apparently massive flu spreading around as Mom picked up whatever Dad was sick with. Ended up replacing tire, but with brand new one. Hopeful not mistake. Also affected things at WallyWorld as Linda and Tyler were feeling cruddy. Hopeful I dont get it. Brewers win and truck got fixed. Still undecided on Venom or Gaga for movie on Saturday. 10/6/18 Ended up going with Gaga and was pleasently stunned by both her and Bradley Cooper. Movie was wonderful and that ending was rough, picked up soundtrack to boot. Sort of took longer than I anticipated coming back from EC thanks to BlueGolds Homecoming. Boy colleges take that far more seriously than High School. Panera for dinner was a great alternative as well. 13th Doctor tomorrow before work! FLCL on the other hand...I'll never say the C word to anyone, but Pets was definetly the C Word to Kana. 10/7/18 Man that was emberassing to watch. Green Bay actually played so lousy I watched Doctor Who, and loved the female 13th looking forward to more of her. Final Season of Walking dead also premired. Wonder how Ricks going out. Gunner and his partner are really intolerable. Reporting that asap, the store is not a place for thier private spats. 10/8/18 Columbus getting squeezed out of his own day is the most PC thing that I can get on board with. Nobody gives a crap about the whole Sailed the ocean blue in 1492 thing anymore. Stuff to do including assignments that I have to go to the library to finish. Hoping internet will be back sooner rather than later. 10/9/18 Woke up to flashing lights by house and realized power line got taken down by tree that Dad had pointed out. A bit more broke than I anticipated. Stuff here i have to do anyway and thankfully work will limit my having to go anywhere. Really could use $300 to pay Patti. Brewers will take on Dodgers in NLCS starting Friday. Mad that Conan for all intent and purpose has been cancelled, adpating is one thing but this is a glorified cancellation. 10/10/18 Rain city continues...Puddles in Bravada. On top of it its getting colder. Winter isnt here yet, but the white ravens are taking flight. 10/11/18 Now comes the cold, and first snow of the year. We had it all today cold, wind, sun and snow. 10/12/18 Store gave me a first look at my future. Gaurantee work on Sunday Monday and Friday every week unless i say so. Which other than one day may be saying much. Could use more variety than that. Also stinks NLCS is on when im working. Pulling for Dodgers in at least 1 game so I can see game 5 on wednesday at least. 10/13/18 They have been hyping the crap out of inventory for the past 3 weeks. Now i see why, Clint made a rare Saturday appearance at the store. Hopeful for the next few days. Got my prediction right about game 5 on Wednesday so thats good. Kanye is nuts as usual, and Kana gave me the best reason yet to finally move forward on the FLCL finale. Cold week ahead. 10/14/18 Andrew and his little notes are getting out of hand. Got called in to do truck early as Inventory closes in on Tuesday. Clint on the other hand, i know ive got to not walk off for a few seconds but he really needs to chill for a bit especially cause we both used to be pushing carts in the first months of the store he should know my rhtyms by now. Stinks about Pete Davidson though, really hope he can recover cause i liked him and Ariana as a couple. Rather unfortunate that they split cause she couldnt deal with her ex commiting suicide. 10/15/18 A missing person is a big deal, when you happen to know someone who is related to said missing person, then you know its huge. Jayme Closs, the cousin of Brody being abducted after her parents were gunned down, sad for all. My only issue is brody reatcing to everyones sympathies, overkill a bit. The other issue i have is the amber alert system that can be sent out to phones. With Trumps ability to text everyone in the country I witnessed a bunch of people who got the alert yesterday complain about it, the others who thought she killed them and fled are the bigger morons. Hopefully shes found safe. Other than that, good night for Wisconsin Sports, Brewers are 2 Out from pennant and Rodgers did his thing once again. 10/16/18 Boring first part of shift as we did basically nothing due to the inventory. But at least the night managed to salvage itself. Dodgers really play dirty. 10/17/18 Nose began to stuff itself again. Bunch of classwork for 2 weeks as i get the inservice day. Milwaukee gave another one away. Hoping Game 6 on Friday will be a turnaround. 10/18/18 Rare thursday day, nose still stuffed. 10/19/18 Library day as i caught up on work, and finally watched A Chrsitmas Story to its ending. A classic, yes just don't feel that strongly about it. Big game from the Crew forcing Game 7. 10/20/18 This day was nuts, a quick 25 minute snowcase that gave way to sunny conditions by noon. Saw Venom, didn't get why it was hated. Quite enjoyable dyanmic and She-Venom was the highlight of it all. Dodgers unfortuantley took the pennant. Great season overall for Milwaukee just bummed my streak of picking the world series winner at the All Star game ended at 4. Also tide pods finally used them, no wonder people ate them they're great for clothes. 10/21/18 First day ever that i skipped NFL Games. Neat concept. 10/22/18 Very long strech of store coming up, especially given that Today we only had 3 total. 10/23/18 Held off on grabbing Mamma Mia 2 Blu Ray. Mainly due to gas situation that had Bravada dying near tracks. I got to figure cash situation out to pay off people. 10/24/18 Lone day off before Halloween. No class today so that made things better. Master Mode on Zelda getting easier to figure out. Did reset on iPhone and Kindle, should fix lone bugs. Really want to play RDR2 and Spiderman PS4. World Series from what I can tell is shaping up as a sweep. Also, whole reason I began watching Sunny aired tonight. First of 2 Part Super Bowl Episode. Charlie in a Bear Trap drinking pee, eww! 10/25/18 First of 6 in a row backwise. The Halloween episodes on TV Usually do wonders for me, not this time. I know this is the final season of Big Bang Theory but Sheldon not realizing how irritating he sounds to others after 12 years and so much maturing seems not the right way to do it. Especially seeing his wife irrate Bernadette. 10/26/18 2nd night, the wheels i dont think feel off, but the were more loose than usual. Hour to set up, hour work, break, 30 minutes to unload hvdc and then didn't finish til after 6. When your down numbers wise you can certainly feel it. FYI The crap with the MAGA Bomber made me mad enough to likely stay off social media until after the election, that made it my breaking point. RWBY Season Premire Tomorrow! 10/27/18 Rooster Teeth First free trial, worth it for watching a great primire that perfectly sets up what comes. My point who is that woman with the Maz Kanata eyewear? Wisconsin stinks. 10/28/18 My issue with the whole core hours thing involves me working on days i know theres something i should be doing. Such as watching the packers. Almost beating LA, hopeful they can actually do that against Brady. 10/29/18 That blue wave better close in next week cause, another shooting and another predictable Trump response occurred. Hate crimes abound in his america. 10/30/18 Last in the back, October really came and went this year. Only thing bad about not working Halloween is the dressup im missing out on. Adam in drag would have been a hoot. 10/31/18 Darkness Falls Across the Land...You Know the rest. Halloween. This day is one back 20 Years ago i would openly love. At least the Candy is still around, albiet smaller and more sugary. Nowadays this day has me DVR'ing all the major shows to see what costumes get put on. Spoiler Alert only episodes of ATH And PTI that I happily record all year. When it comes to applying for scholarships however thats where it blurrs. WITC is really biased against those in the outreach sites hoping i can get help tomorrow when i visit. November came too quickly but, I get to see my nephew in 2 Weeks!

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classycollectorartisanposts-blog · 6 years

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"Orlando Florida Cheap car insurance quotes zip 32820

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