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thehavenatwesson · 1 year

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Carnival Time

TL; DR Miss Mardi Gal's Guide to a Semi Civilized Carnival

I had a hard time getting into Mardi Gras this year. I usually go to a lot of parades, somewhere around 20 per year. This year I went to 12. This doesn’t count the one I was in or the marching krewes downtownish. (I am from Broadmoor/Uptown. Anything on the other side of Canal is downtown.) It may be that I am getting old but I am seriously feeling over Mardi Gras, particularly the big parades which are becoming downright unpleasant.

First there is the problem of the stuff. Crowds are becoming seriously entitled. No one wants beads. People don’t even pick cups up off the ground. During Muses I saw really nice throws like tea towels and notebooks get left in the mud. The demand for the specialty throws, to the exclusion of everything else, has gotten out of hand. People act like they deserve a shoe (or whatever the parade has that they want) and can get quite angry when denied. And the begging is pathetic. As we roll down the avenue I hear constant cries of “I need a shoe!” and I mumble to myself “No one needs a shoe.” Sometimes I wish I could stop the parade and give my Sunday school lecture I used to call “The Greedy Gimmes” (after the Berenstain bears book) in which I differentiated wants from needs. (In a sing song voice) “I know you want a shoe. Everyone wants a shoe. But do you really need a shoe? Sit down for a minute and think about that.”

The waste after each parade is sickening. I appreciate the work that is being done to recirculate throws and I try to participate in this effort. Unfortunately, we are reusing stuff no one wants. This year I only bought one bag of generic, prethrown beads onto the float and tossed them at the end, after I’d run out of everything else. I generally watched them fall to the ground as people dodged out of the way as if I was giving them cooties. Sometimes, up there on the float, I feel like I’m littering.

Krewes need to throw more useful reusable stuff. They need to throw more locally made stuff. But mostly they need to throw less stuff. This is supply and demand and I’m tired of spending many hundreds of dollars on crap that no one wants. (I hate to think about how much I have spent. It’s stupid.) The supply is too great. The masses are spoiled. It’s fun to enjoy shiny trinkets raining from the sky but the next day they’re mostly just laying there on the ground. And people are so desperate to get something special, that rare thing that will make them the envy of others (and that they can later sell on ebay), that no one appreciates the parade. Lots of artists spend much of the year thinking of ideas for, designing, and creating these floats. School bands practice year round. Yet at the end of the evening all you can think of is whether you got a shoe, and if so how many, and was it more than others.

Our world is being buried in plastic and we are a big part of the problem. I’ve known this for a long time but it’s finally really getting to me. But the problem with throwing less is none of the krewes want to be first to do it because it will garner bad reviews. We aren’t getting paid for this. We are in it for the kudos. So, if we throw less, people say things like “They hardly throw anything” and “They were really stingy this year.” If we throw cheap we also hear about it. Even though people don’t pick up most of it, they want to see it fall.

Then there are the crowds in general. Yes, I am getting old, but I am weary of how increasingly uncivilized we are becoming: as a world, as a country, and as a city. At one of the schools where I teach they give the students a lecture each year on Mardi Gras safety (which I think is great.) I think all the local high schools and universities should give an annual lecture on Mardi Gras etiquette (and send a summary home to the parents.) Perhaps we should have a citywide guide to Mardi Gras manners published, maybe as an addition to those Arthur Hardy guides, Miss Mardi Gal’s Guide to a Civilized Carnival. Yes, carnival isn’t really supposed to be civilized. Not entirely. This was started as our last frolic before the pious days of Lent. (Of course, most of the revelers don’t participate in Lent.) I’m not trying to be a killjoy. I love the general frivolity of Mardi Gras. My favorite thing about being in Muses is the weeks and sometimes months of decorating used shoes with random shiny crap just to hand them to strangers off a moving platform. Some of my favorite parade memories include watching in the pouring rain as old men cling to the floats, occasionally tossing us things. Because it’s bizarre and ridiculous and pointless and fun. (I am a huge fan of random acts of frivolity.) But there have to be ways for us all to have chaotic, weird fun while allowing others to do the same and respecting the fact that some people live there year round (and need to have big fences installed just to keep you from pissing on their petunias.) I think that’s the biggest thing that needs to be said to university students. You are just visiting (except for the locals.) You will probably leave us in less than 4 years. We live here.

Other things that should be included in Miss Mardi Gal’s Guide to a Semi Civilized Carnival. Don’t believe Benny Grunch when he says “There ain’t no place to pee on Mardi Gras day.” There are, however, many places not to pee during carnival season (or anytime really.) Do not pee on people’s houses. Do not pee on people’s cars. Do not pee on private property. Do not pee on public property. Do not pee in a bucket in a tent in the middle of the crowded neutral ground.

There are many port-o-lets along the route. A few are public. The rest may involve a nominal fee. This is the greatest free show on Earth so set aside some of the money you are saving on entertainment and keep them on hand for your toileting needs. Many churches, other businesses, and a few entrepreneurial homeowners have port-o-lets available along the route. For $3 to $5 you can relieve yourself without pissing off (so to speak) the locals. And some places will let you use the restroom if you buy a drink (and drinking probably got you in this conundrum to begin with.) Offhand I can tell you five places you can pee for a fee between Napoleon and Amelia along St Charles, a distance of half a mile. (That may be more restrooms than Disney World.) And I’m not even looking for them. They’re just that obvious. Have some dignity.

Pace yourselves. It is a cliche but this is a marathon, not a sprint. Carnival officially begins on Twelfth Night (January 6) and ends on Mardi Gras day, which is a moving target that can occur any Tuesday from February 3 to March 9. The first parades (other than a couple on Twelfth Night) occur three weeks before Fat Tuesday but they are the smaller marching krewes (my favorites.) The ones on St Charles that draw the big crowds (and the mobs of college students) begin 11 days before Mardi Gras. During those eleven days, 32 parades will roll down St Charles. This doesn’t include Endymion which is in an entirely different area of town and which you should all focus on. Really. Just camp out over there. It’ll be awesome. I heard a rumor that next year they will be handing out the latest iphones and Taylor Swift concert tickets. But only if you camp out there for all of carnival season. And then, you know, stay there. (Sorry.)

Back to St Charles. We locals think you are absolute idiots when you’re passed out during the day on Muses Thursday, before any of that day’s 3 parades have rolled. Little old ladies will shake their heads and call you a lightweight as the EMTs load you into the ambulance, muttering under their breath about how, in their day, people could hold their liquor.

Next, don’t be a space hog. We all like an area for our friends to gather and hang out. Most of us take this a bit too far. Some of us take this way too far. You may not claim an entire city block. I don’t care how big your fraternity is, three pledges can’t just skip classes and rope off the entire neutral ground. And don’t put stadium seats or platforms right on the curb. People need to be able to move back and forth. Also, having platforms right at the front means that not only do you have front row seats but now no one else can see anything. (But perhaps that was your intent.) Ladders should be for children and they should have space for an adult to stand in front, if only to protect little ones from being pummeled or toppled over. And owners of St Charles mansions, we see you lining the curb along the front of your houses with ladders, most of which nobody will sit on. We know you spent a lot of money on that house (or maybe your great grandparents did.) We know you pay a lot in taxes (or at least you are supposed to.) That still doesn’t mean you own the street.

Stop with the amplified music, at last during the parade. Some of us like to hear the bands. Some of us like to hear each other speak. And some of you are now competing with each other to see who can blast their music the loudest. No one wins.

Be nice to those around you. Locals often have route neighbors who we see every year. We may not know each other’s names but we recognize each other with a smile or a nod. Spaces can blur and that’s OK (to a point.) There are lots of norms around all of this. We watch out for all little children and make sure their corresponding adults can see them. If you know somebody on a float, you say to those in front “I know someone on Float ___.” They then let you move forward for that float. It is also customary for them to say “What’s your friend’s name? We’ll help you get their attention.” You then wait, try to get your friend to see you, and afterward retreat back into the crowd. It is a particularly nice gesture, if you got a lot of stuff from your friend, to give some to those who helped you. (And really, any time you get a pack of nice throws, it is considered polite to pass some out to your neighbors.) If you see a rider trying to throw to a particular person (which is often obvious either because they point, yell, make eye contact, etc.) you do not block. You move aside. And if they don’t catch it and you do, you give it to them. (A personal rule of mine is also that if it hits me, it’s mine. I have been known to declare this to others. “That hit me. Give it!” This is not a norm. This is Rachel’s rule.)

Unused chairs should be openly shared with those in need. Likewise unused ladders. Don’t taunt the horses. Don’t touch the band members or their instruments. Don’t throw beads into the tubas. (I’ve seen it happen.) And don’t throw anything back at the floats except for the few that are designed for this (Bacchus’ King and Queen Kong, Tucks’ toilet, etc.) When you must cross between encampments, do so quickly with an apologetic nod and wave. And don’t do this as a float is passing. Any distraction from watching the floats can cause someone to get a pack of beads to the head. And don’t cross the street in the middle of the band. This is actually relatively well enforced. I have seen officers who have ignored people dashing in front of floats to get something, reprimanding someone for “breaking up the band.”

For my women, watch yourselves. It terrifies me to watch young women getting absolutely blasted on the parade route then wandering off down a side street to find a lawn to pee on. Seriously, y’all. The buddy system and/or safety in numbers doesn’t work when everyone is just short of passing out and can’t keep track of each other. Take care of yourselves (and each other)! And, speaking of safety issues, look out for the damned floats! It amazes me that more people don’t get killed every year.

And now we need to talk about the people who are there to keep us safe. I brag about the NOPD’s ability to handle Mardi Gras all the time. The rest of the year they can be hit or miss but during carnival our officers have a reputation for greatness. They know how to pick their battles. (Not everything that is illegal can be enforced on the route or in the Quarter. Safety issues have to come first.) They know how to move swiftly, manage the problem, and move along. I once ended up in the mob of people by Superior Grill during Bacchus (a long story involving Jensen Ackles and a quest which I can tell another time.) I was on the other side of the neutral ground from the parade and could barely move. Suddenly, a pair of cops on horseback cut through the crowd to a spot about 10 feet away from me, where they reached down, grabbed two guys who had apparently been fighting, and frog marched them away. It was an impressive bit of choreography. No one was hurt. It all happened quite swiftly and was over.

I had a problem with the police this year. It has been suggested to me that what I witnessed may have been forces borrowed from other parishes or the state police because we were shorthanded. I hope so. During Muses a fair number of police officers were begging for (and sometimes receiving) shoes. (I saw online a comment that a cop near her got 8 shoes!) There are times when the street is barricaded to keep spectators back as the floats are turning corners. Generally a few people slip past the barricades and then get sent back. This year there were lots of people right next to police officers, begging for stuff, as the tractor drivers were trying to turn the corner without killing anyone. I tried to throw a pack of napkins to someone and it was intercepted by a cop who then kept it! Y’all are there for a reason and your purpose is vital. You need to protect the people from each other and from the floats and you need to protect me from them. I would gladly be willing to donate a few nice shoes to a cache to be distributed to the NOPD crew that work our route LATER. Where are they even putting the shoes? Do they run back to their cars every time? This really doesn’t belong in Miss Mardi Gal’s Guide to a Semi Civilized Carnival. This should be part of the police briefing. Don’t sweat the small stuff but do keep a keen eye out for the other stuff. And keep your hands free. It is hard to protect and serve with a shoe in each hand.

And lastly, keep the intersections free from structures! During the parades this year, people had put up canopies, stands, grills, and all sorts of stuff in the intersections. In case of emergency, first responders need to be able to drive through there. They also can be a convenient place for people to cross being that you can’t get past all the ladders, etc elsewhere. Intersections should be standing room only! I propose that fire trucks should randomly drive through intersections during parades, just coasting, foot off the brake, so people can scatter out of the way but not be able to rescue their huge LSU tent. Of course, the fire trucks don’t even follow the parades anymore so we’d have to mend some relationships first.

I realize all of the problems listed have to do with the big parades. I should focus more on the marching krewes. It would certainly help to regenerate my love of the carnival season. There are lots that I never see. And coming home with my little handful of handmade doo dads is so much more fun than lugging home a sack of crap that I have to sort through later and bring most of to the ARC. But being on the route could be fun again if some people, you know who you are, could just go enjoy Endymion. Seriously, I just heard that next year they’ll be throwing hundred dollar bills and keys to their Saabs. But only to people who are truly there for the whole season. And they can tell. Go check it out.

#mardi gras #new orleans #carnival #krewe of muses

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heelsorthink-blog · 1 year

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Here we go again ....

I started this blog almost exactly 10 years ago. I had just arrived in New Orleans to embark on a four month adventure and research exercise. At the time I was just entering the data collection stage of my PhD and my focus was on the Krewe of Muses, an all-female Mardi Gras krewe.

As a Canadian, Mardi Gras parades and parade culture were a pretty foreign concept and an even stranger subject for a doctoral thesis at a Canadian university. What started as a feminist investigation became a much broader look at the important role that art and creativity play in community building, community identity, and friendship.

When I returned home to Canada, I wrote a number of different versions of my dissertation but never defended. The version that resonated with my research participants, did not resonate at all with my dissertation committee.

‘Complicated” is one of the most common words writers use to describe New Orleans. It is a city of contradictions, which all make total sense when you are here, but are almost impossible to explain and to understand if you have never visited or had to opportunity to wander the streets to explore and experience all the city, and its people have to offer.

Last night I heard author Janis F Kearney read from her recent book Only on Sundays at Octavia Books. She spoke that as a writer, you need to “speak your truth”. I think that is the reason I never defended my thesis or received my PhD. I needed and wanted to speak the truth that the female members of the Krewe of Muses shared with me. I wanted to capture the spirit, the sense of magic, and excitement they shared with me. The experience of riding in Muses, glittering shoes, or watching the parade hoping to catch one of their coveted shoes or specialty throws did not fit neatly within a framework of critical race or feminist theory. It was complicated!

So here I am 10 years later, temporarily returning to the Irish Channel, the neighbourhood I called home a decade ago and ready to revisit a project that was shelved but not forgotten.

#mardi gras #krewe of muses #mardigras #irish channel #parade #krewe #janis f kearney #octavia books #new orleans #phd

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thesiouxzy · 5 months

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youtube

Reminds me of this Barbie shoe bracelet I made a few years ago 👠

#kreweofmuses #Youtube #nola #Krewe of muses #shoes #siouxzy #barbie

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goodpix2021 · 2 years

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Glad I Was There

As you know I write Storyteller a day or two ahead of publishing it. I wrote this on musician Neil Young’s birthday. He’s 77 and still going to strong. He’s making new music. He’s pouring a lot of time and energy in NYA, which is Neil Young Archives. It’s a mega website in which we can view everything he’s ever done. It’s all good. He said two things over the course of three interviews in which…

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#Art #Color #color photography #Dusk #Krewe of Muses #Louisiana #Mardi Gras #New Orleans #Night #Night Photography #Photography #Post Production #red #Season #Shoes

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milfzatannaz · 4 months

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so, this isn’t widely known outside of New Orleans but Mardi Gras isn’t just one parade- it’s MANY parades over a course of a few weekends leading up to Fat Tuesday. Each parade “Krewe” is very distinct and some have very special, coveted throws that are handmade. The Krewe of Muses has decorated shoes that each rider hand makes and throws to the crowd. I have a few I caught as a kid and a few that were made for me by family friends. Muses shoes are so iconic even fucking Neil Gaiman has custom sandman ones made for him by a local artist

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winebrightruby · 4 months

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hello hello! question for you, hopefully not a bummer: how do you observe Mardi Gras now that you are not living right in New Orleans anymore? (I think of you every year when it rolls around!)

I cry a lot, lmao.

Tbh this year was a bit of a mess because of the single-parenting struggle until husband is back in the country, but I'll answer in terms of general intentions. I start on the night the Krewe of Muses parades, which is the Thursday before Mardi Gras (day). I offer specific hymns and offerings for the relevant deities/spirits as determined by parading krewe:

Muses on Thursday

Hermes and Morpheus on Friday

Iris and Endymion on Saturday

Bacchus (and Okeanos and Athena) on Sunday, Dimanche Gras, the start of my version of Anthesteria

Orpheus and Proteus on Monday, Lundi Gras

Rex and Zulu on Tuesday, Mardi Gras

At this point, I treat it like a semi-festival. I buy king cake and then suffer because it's Not Good. I buy hyacinths; I mix fancy drinks for offerings. In the years to come I'll have our Mardi Gras/New Orleans shrine set up, but right now toddlers render that too risky.

I promised Jo I'll take her to New Orleans next year. She's not old enough to get why it matters, but it's a point of pride for her that "mommy and me are from Louisiana, and I was borned in New Orleans". We'll go for Muses and she can catch shoes to her heart's content.

#alder knight #askbox #Mardi Gras lights up the City #baby Jo #my practice

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girlstodiefor · 4 months

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Krewe of Muses

#gif #livvy dunne #olivia dunne #lsu #Mardi Gras

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mmxstrangers · 5 months

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It’s Carnival season and I’m doing some doodles based on it uwu I only got a couple at the moment but I got ideas for some of the other cryptids lol

Squish would try to catch beads or pick them off the ground to share with his friends. He wants to collect as many cool necklaces as he can! (And maybe walk off with a krewe-themed toy or a “signature item” that one of the parades would throw. I keep imagining him making off with a Krewe of Muses shoe - he’s determined to get and keep one!!)

I haven’t officially revealed this muse yet but he’s been listed on here for a while. He’s carrying a flambeaux, which was traditionally used to help guide the parades along the routes.

I’ll likely reblog with more doodles later on lol

#mun art #CODENAME: SQUISH #CODENAME: BECK #happy carnival!

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robertsonindustries · 10 months

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Doubloon Belt No. 2 - Krewe of ALLA

Aluminum, glass beads, linen, steel, cotton thread

Made in New Orleans in March of 2023

"Made of 2022 & 2023 Krewe of ALLA doubloons, white and blue glass beads from Krewe of Muses charm necklaces, and amber & purple glass beads from Krewe of Proteus. I plan to add onto it with new doubloons every year hanging where the ALLAgator's are (moving them to the bottom) eventually making a Roman Legionnaire style skirt. The inspiration for making the belts in the first place came because during ALLA a rider in front of me accidentally dropped their whole baggy of doubloons from the upper deck of their float. So after I passed out some to the people around me I decided that, with the exception of the 1 of each for my collection, I would to do something special with the rest of them, and this is what I came up with. ~Baron Leo James Robertson"

RobertsonIndustries etsy shop

#mardi gras #bohemian #krewe of alla #clothing #fashion #belt #mardi gras doubloons #aluminium #glass beads #linen #steel #cotton #2023

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ratasum · 1 year

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The "I love you" in the space between words. Just some Taimi and Qirri musing for your Monday reading.

The first time, it was sitting in the silence of Qirri's bedroom.

There was a certain discomfort in staying in Qirri's family home, but it couldn't hold a candle to the uncertain fear that curled in her stomach. Qirri had spent much of her time sleeping since Taimi had even gotten there, her fever only breaking within the last few days. She couldn't remember when she'd felt this scared.

Qirri's father, Pazz, had been nice enough to bring her a chair so she could sit with her dear friend. She could hardly reach her hand, and it felt so clammy in hers.

She'd held her hand so tight, brow furrowed, watching her face as the words fell out. She was one of her first friends. The only one who really got it. The first other asura she really felt a connection with. She couldn't lose her.

The second time was in the tiny Dragonwatch Krewe lab in Elona. Qirri had been in a half panic, hugging Taimi tight with her face pressed into the other girl's shoulder. Her time ill had seemed like nothing compared to this, knowing the horror her best friend had endured was devastating on a level she couldn't express. At least not easily.

All manner of things fell from her. Apologies for not being there, fear that they may not have gotten her back. Anxiety and unease and relief and the one thing she could not hold back.

She couldn't lose her.

The last time, the most recent time, had been upon their reunion in Cantha. Qirri had been on medical equipment for a week, and Taimi was unable to avoid fussing. Her hands cupped Qirri's cheeks, asking her to breathe for her, listening to how each breath sounded. Looking into her eyes, tipping her head this way and that.

Qirri insisted she was fine, but Taimi was having none of it. She was shaking, and her head tipped down, avoiding Qirri's gaze as her shoulders tensed.

"I can't lose you."

It took no time for Qirri to duck her head too, pressing their foreheads together before pulling her companion in for a hug. She could feel Taimi's claws in the fabric of the loose silk shirt she'd been put in for the duration of her stay. She knew she was holding on tight too.

There were more words spoken. Exchanged once they got to a small inn where the girls shared a room. But they couldn't lose each other. Those words had said all either of them needed to know.

#bunny writing #qirri and taimi

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bendingmuses · 3 months

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So I hear it's your birthday, Mako. Congrats! How are you going to celebrate it?

It's the mun's birthday, so time to celebrate all the muses as well.

Mako shrugged. "Probably what I do everyday. Work and then go home and cook something. Unless Bolin surprises me with something. Then he'll probably drag my out to Narook's with the krew. Which, honestly, I haven't had in a while. So that wouldn't be a bad idea."

#brother's keeper: mako #/he's rambling #/idk why he's apparently in a rambly mood

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strawberrystepmom · 9 months

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What’s the correlation between myths and Mardi Gras? I only know it as the precursor to Lent!

so on the gulf coast specifically people will put together krewes which are basically large social groups that put together parades and balls and a lot of them choose a god as their patron essentially. A lot of really famous and well known krewes are associated with gods and their parades and celebrations are very tailored to their god. The krewe of muses is one of my fav groups and they are wonderful patrons of the arts and are known for throwing custom designed heels (for looks only not to be worn) to parade goers lmfaoooo

#answered

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violetmuses · 2 years

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No Turning Back - Rick Flag

TITLE: “No Turning Back” || Rick Flag

FANDOM: “Suicide Squad” Film Universe

CHARACTER: Colonel Richard “Rick” Flag

PAIRING: Rick Flag + Female Reader

MAIN STORYLINE: You were supposed to heed every warning, but Rick Flag is still around.

Author’s Note: Dedicated to my bestie @bewitchedignition! Thanks so much for offering the idea since I’ve dealt with some brief writer’s block. Feedback would also be greatly appreciated. Love you all. - V. 💜

Main Masterlist 💜

J Krew: @nerdysuperchick @a-reader-and-a-writer @babblydrabbly @lacontroller1991 @shadowkittybucky @loverhymeswith @justin-hammers @weallhaveadestiny @xoxabs88xox @katjnordstrom96 @mayhem24-7forever @fangirl0917 @skvatnavle @sociiallydiisoriiented @heresathreebee @alieninoklahoma @maddu-oliveira @reveluving @sugapapichulo @hodgepodge-of-rog @ijustthinkrickflagisprettyneat @ed-baldwin

__________

2016

Casting nerves for Amanda Waller aside, it’s no secret that you want to cower behind your own desk rather than attend this meeting. Left with no other choice, you sit in the back and take careful sips of one drink from a local coffee shop.

You cross both legs and sit up in the chair, clicking this favorite pen and aiming to take notes as Waller stands up front, moving through slides of a queued presentation made for the briefing. Based on what you’ve learned, a special task force has been curated by the federal government to combat this secret mission.

While you silently continue jotting down additional information on each of the selected prisoners from Belle Reve, someone clears their throat out of nowhere. You hadn’t even realized that another person had sat alongside you after walking in.

“Oh, sorry.” You turn your head for just a moment and it takes everything within your shocked mindset not to gape.

Shit! Your thoughts panic without fail.

You know damn well that many rumors sparked around Colonel Richard Flag. People already described this man as one decorated soldier with the shortest temper. Intimidated couldn’t explain your feelings, even while staffed through ARGUS.

The Colonel is sitting straight in the chair beside you, dressed professionally for this meeting. Access credentials clipped onto one side of his suit jacket. Flag’s own bondish hair looks slicked back underneath dim lighting as hazel eyes concentrate.

How can this supposed asshole look so good? Despite your musings, you turn back down and try to finish writing down notes. Even if you aren’t assigned to the mission, Waller insisted on everyone’s attention during this occasion.

_______

Never. Not once had Colonel Flag spoken to you during the meeting.

You thought of quietly celebrating at home after work. As long as you didn’t cross paths with him again, you kept your dignity. Making a fool of yourself around Flag would’ve launched all kinds of embarrassment later on.

Just when you aim to gather belongings and enjoy this victory away from Flag, someone knocks on the open door of this backway office. Waller had begrudgingly approved your switch to private space after one classified snafu took place on site.

“Yes?” You then look up to see Colonel Flag standing in the threshold with crossed arms. Dreamy plans to drink wine in some warm bubble bath at home now evaporate.

What the… Your thoughts trail off.

“Excuse me?” Colonel offers the question, but oddly doesn’t sound patronizing, at least not yet anyhow.

“Yes, Colonel?” You end up standing and try to give him respect without looking too clumsy. No matter what, you still want to act cordial at a time like this.

“Waller sent me over here to see you. Could I ask a question?” His Southern drawl becomes more apparent and you try not to swoon in front of him.

“Yes, Sir?” You make a point to answer his inquiry without looking as if you’ll rush to leave. For all you know, Waller could’ve aimed Flag to probe the area before additional military personnel showed up before this mission.

“Rick.” He’s introduced himself. You walk around the desk and shake hands with Flag. His strong but slightly calloused palm roughens your small hold.

“Y/N.” You introduce your own name in return of course. Awkward silence falls in the office as you wait for Rick to continue speaking.

“Will you tail me for the mission or somethin’, but I don’t want anybody else breathing down my neck.” Once Rick allows himself to scoff about this arrangement, the tables have immediately turned.

Bingo. There’s the infamous asshole.

“Colonel, I’m not joining your boots on the ground, but please know that Waller still hired me. What do you need?” Despite how timid you are, standing up for yourself would always matter. You’re part of why departments haven’t even fallen apart yet.

“Comm units, please.” Rick clenches his teeth through this response and many emotions almost take over. First of all, making a scene would’ve left you without this job. Meanwhile, you want to cower again cursing inward as Flag’s bright teeth show.

Knowing better than to run off, you shake your head and set a precedent. Enough is enough, especially since the mission takes place not long from now.

“Colonel, if this is going to work, it’ll be a lot better if you didn’t act so cold. I’m not a robot.” If your own statement can’t settle Rick’s frustration, you’ll quit right now. Even Waller might’ve rattled people at times, but you still weren’t a doormat.

“Now I see what’s going on, but I’d rather pick up what my team needs and go the hell back home.” Rick crosses his sleeved arms while facing you, still pissed off by this situation.

“Fine.” You access the nearest keypad and code its numbers, taking out this locked carrier that holds various comm units.

Anything for this much-needed bubble bath.

“Guard these essentials with be your life.” You whisper to Flag, thankful that most nosey staffers aren’t nearby to witness this particular trade. As long as Waller approved exchanges though, you weren’t in trouble.

“Yes, Ma’am.” Rick affirms towards you, nearly smiling prior to heading out this building with even more suited personnel.

___________

Not long after this mission starts kicking off, Flag has already touched down at Belle Reve to round up prisoners when you hear his first line of contact.

“Y/N. It’s Flag. I’m trying to see if this still works. We didn’t bring out the units between flights.” Flag’s Southern drawl returns as you sit behind your desk with headphones in the privacy of your own office.

“Yes, Colonel. I still can hear you. Any updates?” You shift into work mode, hoping to concentrate on the mission.

“Not yet, Ma’am, but I wanted to apologize for yesterday.” Rick’s confession drops on you unexpectedly.

Even then, you feel just as bad, no matter how annoyed Rick seemed. Both of your tempers flared in the name of defense and Waller’s need for the mission only worsened things.

“I forgive you.” You say to Rick.

“Y/N? When I get back, could we….” Rick trails off his words as he speaks to you through the comm unit, but you want to hear more.

“Rick?” You nearly panic, hoping to all possible that the transmission hadn’t buzzed out of range.

“I’m here. I’m here.” Rick calls back, settling your nerves.

“What did you want to ask me?” You ask, calming yourself down in one way or another.

“When I get back, dinner’s on me…” Rick seems to chuckle through the com unit and you want to laugh out loud in return.

Dinner sounds good. You think to yourself.

#slight angst #fluff #suicide squad 2016 #2016 suicide squad #dc movies #movies #rick flag #rick flag x reader #rick flag x f!reader #joel kinnaman fanfiction #joel kinnaman #rick flag x you #rick flag x female reader #you x rick flag

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ash-and-books · 2 years

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Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: Happy Endings author Thien-Kim Lam is back—with a rom-com set during the divine madness of Mardi Gras as two lovers ask: Can a Big Easy fling become the real thing?Boudoir photographer Josie Parks never ever takes a vacation. But when a client cancels a New Orleans shoot at the last minute, she decides to fly out from her Washington, D.C., studio anyway. Maybe the trip will reawaken her recently stagnant muse. After all, it’s Mardi Gras season…Spencer Pham has come home after twelve soul-sucking years in corporate hell to pursue his passion: making a docu-film on his family’s history as the first Vietnamese Mardi Gras krewe. The last thing he expects is getting whacked in the head by a beautiful woman trying to snag some parade beads.Over some beignets and coffee, Spencer and Josie connect over their artistic pursuits. He offers to show her the real New Orleans, if she’ll help him with the camerawork for his film. Despite Josie’s type-A personality clashing with Spencer’s laissez-faire attitude, they seem to make a great team, and soon, the good times are rolling both on and off camera. But Josie has a life in D.C., and they both have big dreams they’re chasing. When this Big Easy fling starts feeling awfully serious, can they find a way to choose between personal and professional passion?

Review:

One heck of a Mardi Gras Festival, a boudoir photography on vacation who accidentally hits an up and coming film director while catching beads, and the beginning of a very cute romance. Josie Parks is a boudoir photographer who dreams about her working being in an art gallery. She never goes on vacation but when a client cancels last minute she finds herself in New Orleans on vacation... and decides to stay to find some inspiration for her work. Deciding to take in the festivities she wants to catch Mardi Gras beads... but ends up smacking a man with them instead. Cue, Spencer Pham, recently left his job at a soul crushing corporate place in order to pursue his passions of making films and he is going to make a docu-film about his family’s history as the first Vietnamese eMardi Gras krewe, unfortunately, or rather fortunately for him, he is then whacked in the head by the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. Now Spencer and Josie find themselves bonding over the unlikeliest meet cute and their passion for art. Soon they are spending time together, eating, flirting, taking photos, and even meeting his family. But Josie’s stay has a deadline and things back at home in D.C. are calling for her, will Josie and Spencer make the big leap or is this a vacation only thing? Will their deep connection and passion survive? This was such a cute rom com read and as a Vietnamese person, it was so refreshing to have a Vietnamese male lead, and have so many Vietnamese elements and cultural aspects ( I adored Spencer’s grandmother, and they really hit it on the nail). Seriously, this was a sweet read and I would definitely recommend it!

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #book #bookish #romance read #romance book #romance book review #poc romance read

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