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nautiscarader · 6 years

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Nautiscarader’s Wendip Week day 7 - Bedtime story

Tyrone Pines demands an unusual bedtime story from his parents. Rated T for some innuendos.

Wendip, T, 4.7k

(Ao3) (FF) (masterpost, yes, I will update it, Mom)

- Dad, can I ask you a question? - a young, red-haired boy spoke, tugging himself under the thin blanket in his room - And I don't just mean the one I just asked... - Sure you can. - his father chuckled, glad that he was able to foresee one of his usual replies.

Tyrone Pines considered for a moment the issue that's been building up in his mind for the whole day, and only when his father raised an eyebrow waiting for the question, Tyrone asked.

- Well, today auntie Mabel said something about dating, and...

At once, the colour faded from Dipper's face as quickly as if someone pulled the plug, draining it all at once, though Tyrone was a bit preoccupied to spot that in the dim light of his night lamp.

- ... and I've been thinking: how did you and mom start dating? - Oh, you meant that question. - Dipper exhaled air in an unmistakable sign of relief - Well, champ, you know that me and my sister were staying at our Grunkle Stan's for the Summer, and ever since, we pretty much came back every year, right?

Tyrone nodded, eager to hear more about his father's childhood. These were always the best stories.

- Well, I fell in love in your mom pretty much instantly. I mean - he shrugged - When you meet that special person, you just know it, you know? Or, wait, you don't know, do you?... - he pondered for a while - Anyway, Wendy needed a bit more time to see that I am her prince charming. I think it happened when I was seventeen...

Dipper sat more comfortably on the edge of his son's bed, closed his arm around him, and begun his tale.

- We've been tracking this creature, for quite a while. Me, Mabel and your mom... I think it was the somber-tooth tiger... - You mean the saber-tooth tiger? - No, I meant the somber one! - Dipper assured his son - Horribly dull and morose animal, it lived in its cave, never wanted to go out and play with other ones. So, one day, Mabel said that we should go and cheer him up. I think her original plan was to give him a gym membership, but we have managed to talk her out of this idea, and simply settled on walking him out every once in a while.

He chuckled.

- I mean, it was still a tiger. Mabel led us to his cave... I think she said she already gave him a present once, for the extinct species day, that's how she knew where he lived. And so, we packed, and went into the forest that day, Mabel was leading of course, and me and your mom we were right behind her. - Were you holding hands? Auntie said that couples have to do that. - Err, well, we weren't a couple yet... Anyway, I think I was talking about something unbelievably funny to your mom, I remember her laughing all the way... - Dipper said wistfully - When you spend so much time with the person you love, time really flies, you know. We must have been walking for at least an hour or so, but it felt like five minutes. And so, we found this mouth of an underground brook, and that's where Dave lived. - Dave? - Tyrone asked quizzically. - Yeah, the tiger. At least, I think that's how Mabel called him. And so, we went further and further down the tunnel... - Dipper raised and wiggled his arms to make his story a bit scarier - And, well, we arrived at the last possible moment, because it turned out that the underground river was starting to overflow the cave! We had to split up, Mabel went to rescue Dave, your mom noticed some wooden beams to support the ceiling, since it must have been an old mine of sorts, and then I saw why Dave wasn't coming out of his cave. - What happened? - Turned out Dave had kittens! I should call them "cubs", but that's the name Mabel insisted on. I mean, they were biting and scratching, but they were kinda cute, I guess. So, anyway, I snatched all three of them, while your mom helped to support the ceiling, and we ran toward the exit. - he continued - We were all hooked to the same rope, you know, when you're going underground it's a must, and then, out of nowhere, I heard your mom screaming!

At once, Tyrone clapped his hands over his mouth.

- I felt this sharp tug of my rope, and I realised that your mom was lying on the ground, she must have slipped. So I ran towards her, I guess I gave the kittens to Mabel, took her into my arms - Dipper mimicked moved his body to mimic his pose - And I checked her pulse. She was alive and breathing, alright, but she just wouldn't wake up! Then I remember that Mabel told me that sometimes, people do fall into an enchanted, ever-lasting sleep, and only a true love's kiss can wake them up!

Tyrone's eyes grew wider.

- And what did you do? - Well, something I've been dreaming about for quite a while. I leaned and pressed my lips to hers, and the moment I did that, your mom woke up, and I helped her rush to the cave's exit.

Dipper sighed, staring dreamily into the ceiling.

- It was, I guess, you can say, pretty romantic. I mean, I wasn't really thinking about that mushy stuff before. - he suddenly brushed off - I was, uh, more into some manly activities, you know, but there comes the time when you gotta learn. - What happened then? - Uh, more kissing, as far as I remember. - Dipper's face twisted into a slight grimace, as he tried reliving that memory - I mean, after we helped Dave and his kittens escape. And we pretty much started dating ever since once we were out of that cavern.

A long, somewhat awkward silence fell in the room, interrupted only by the gentle whirring noise of the AC. Tyrone kept thinking, scratching his chin not unlike his father sometimes did, and somewhat sheepishly, he asked the question that's been lingering on his mind.

- Dad, is that all true? - Of course it is, buddy! - Dipper chuckled - I've seen some weird things happen here in Gravity Falls, but believe me, Wendy Corduroy falling in love with me was the weirdest one of all.

He winked, and pulled his son's hair to place a soft kiss on his forehead.

- Got your dose of a bedtime story, Ty? I can read you something if you want. - Thanks, Dad - Tyrone replied, tucking himself to sleep. - I think I'm gonna go to sleep now. - Then sweet dreams, son. Maybe you will dream about some great adventure, huh?

And with that, his dad turned off his night lamp, and walked out of the room, taking one more look at his sleeping son, as he closed the door.

Tyrone learned very quickly that adults often mistook "closed eyes" for "sleeping", and tonight he used the same camouflage technique to be left with his thoughts alone. Has his dad really rescued his mother that way? He knew it happened in fairy tales, but then again, he has seen some fairy-tale-like creatures on his own in the woods.

For at least half an hour, he rolled back and forth, debating whether or not his dad might have done impossible and... lie to him. Ideas were battling in his mind, and once he saw his dad kissing a tiger on their front porch, he knew he was going to fall asleep soon, and before even that thought has crystallised in his brain, he was snoring loudly.

The night's rest gave Tyrone time to formulate a plan to test his father's trustworthiness next night, and he did all in his might to let his mom tuck him in bed this time. His plan worked, and after supper and bath, he was glad to see the flaming hair of his mother peeking into his room.

- You want me to read you something? - she asked, and almost automatically reached for the thick, pink book he got for Christmas last year. - Uh-uh - he shook his head - Mom, can I ask you something? - Sure, sweetie. - and instead of sitting, she lay next to him, gently ruffling a single strand of his hair. - How did you and Dad start dating?

The question astonished his mom even more than his dad, but she recovered from the initial shock much quicker, as the same dreamy, warm smile he loved so much appeared once again on her face.

- Let me guess, Auntie Mabel told you something weird yesterday, huh? - Uh-uh! - Tyrone eagerly replied - And Dad told me yesterday, but I'm not sure if that was all true. - Oh, did he? - Wendy placed her hand under her chin and listened to his son. - Yeah, he said that you went to some cave, and there was a tiger there, and... - Oh, yeah...

Wendy sighed, and rolled to her back suddenly.

- I remember it now. You know, we should visit Dave some time. That old mine is like, in five minutes distance from here. He really is an interesting fella. - Wendy paused for a moment - Did your dad tell you how he tripped himself and me onto the ground? - No... - Tyrone said slowly, looking into his mother's eyes, waiting to hear more. - Yeah, we were rescuing him and we were all tied together, cos you know... - ... cos you always have to have your security rope tied when you go down into the caves! - Tyrone interrupted quickly. - Very good, Tyrone! - Wendy cheered and tickled him at his exposed neck - Anyway, we were tied together, except, it was your father, who tied ropes this time, and well, he's never really been good at it. I mean, he can babble about string and knot theories, but we, Corduroys, know string and knot practice! I was last in line, and I have redone the knots on my belt, but your dad haven't, they undid themselves and he plummeted straight onto me, almost knocking me out!

Tyrone leaped onto his knees.

- Were you alright, mom? - Sure I was, you need more than that to break me. - she chuckled - But, yeah, I had to scold him a bit after that, and when we were rushing out of that cave, I was in charge of securing the ropes. - Didn't that happen when you were walking out of that cave? - Tyrone scratched his head. - Oh, no, that was right at the start. - Wendy cleared her throat and turned on her side once more. - Your dad... he was always trying to impress me, you know. And I guess I let my guard down this one time. And when we were escaping that flooded mine, well, as I said, I made sure we all came out safe and sound. - So... there was no magical kiss or anything? - Magic kiss?

Wendy's eyes once again opened wide, though this time they were reduced to slits once she started laughing.

- Oh, me and your father didn't kiss until, like, a year later, I don't know why Dipper would say that we kissed back then. I mean, we were tumbling on the ground together, but that hardly counts as a kiss... - So, there were no tiger kittens to be rescued?

Upon hearing those words, Wendy suddenly stopped laughing, and though she tried to hide it, she avoided her son's eyes for a while.

- No, that was true, alright.

She turned back onto her side, and closed her arm around Tyrone, bringing him closer to her chest.

- Mabel was rescuing Dave, I found some old support beams, rotten as heck, but they had to do, and suddenly, I see Dipper dashing deeper into the cave. I didn't know what to do: the tiger roared behind me, Mabel didn't know what happened, I was keeping the planks together, and then, just before the water floods the lower levels, Dipper came out with three smaller tigers in his arms. - she spoke quietly, though her next words were even softer. - I've never noticed them. I was about to let go, but I saw your dad dash further, and I had to keep holding the ceiling.

Up until now, Tyrone wasn't sure if he was seeing correctly, but as the story progressed, he realised that the orange light of his night lamp glimmered in the his mother's eyes a bit too much.

- Yeah, not my proudest moment. - she wiped away the tears, and stared at her son, left with his mouth wide open. She immediately pulled herself together, and continued - You should have seen your dad back then. His arms bitten and scratched, his shorts all damp, he looked so miserable.

That didn't exactly cheer Tyrone up, but at least made him speak again.

- So, no magic kiss, then? - Yeah, sorry, but no, that's not how life works. - she once again rolled to her back - We had our first kiss when he was helping me with math homework for college. I guess then we really started dating, since we spent so much time together. Cos you know, your dad has always been an egghead-

She caught herself saying that word, and immediately backed up.

- I mean, I wanted to say that he was smart. Much smarter than me at these subjects. Don't use that word, okay, it's not nice, sorry I said that. - I know. Dad calls himself egghead too.

Wendy smiled, gave him a soft kiss, and with that, she got onto her feet.

- So, now you know how things really played out. - Thanks, mom. - Tyrone returned the kiss his mother placed on his cheek. - You sure you don't want me to read something, well, less touchy? - Nah, I'm good. I'm half-Corduroy! - he cheered. - That's my boy. -she smiled - Sleep well, honey.

His mother wasn't as easily fooled as his dad with the "closed eyes trick", and Tyrone had to pull a convincing snore to let her finally close the door to his room. He thought that his mom's story would settle things on, but instead, it opened even more cans of worms. He wasn't sure why adults said this phrase when they were troubled, but he definitely felt that way.

Now he had two versions of the story, and they didn't really match. His dad never said anything about math homework, and he wasn't sure why would he suddenly forget about this. His mom's story sounded much more believable, but there was something fishy about the way she told it. There was no way she would have missed three tiger cubs just lying on the ground. He hoped to feel relieved that his father wasn't lying to him, but now, a second, even more gruesome possibility opened up to him: were both his parents lying to him? And if so, have they done it before?

This night, it took Tyrone way more time to fell asleep, and no amount of rolling back and forth helped, until he was simply too tired to think. Before he fell asleep, he decided he needs to confront both his dad and mom tomorrow morning.

Tyrone chose the breakfast to do so, since it was a definite moment when they were all present in one room, and after hearing both sides of the story, it was now time to merge it all together to see which bits were true and which were not. Secondly, breakfast seemed a perfect time to settle important matters, as his family was currently in a week-long debate about which should be poured first: milk, or cereal. His father, as did Tyrone, opted for milk, and adding cereal later, while his mom was happy to do the opposite, both vocally expressing why their way was better.

He was about to ask his parents about their dating history, when there was a soft knock on the garden door, and the figure appeared in the doorway that suddenly pushed all matters aside.

- Auntie Mabel! - Tyrone cheered and jumped from his seat almost straight into the sweater-clad arms of his aunt, when he opened the door. - Oh, look at you, you've grown so much since I last saw you! - she ruffled his hair, and pulled him off the ground into a tight hug. - Mabel, you've seen him two days ago. - Dipper grunted from his over bowl, giving his sister a soft embrace, while picking his son from her. - Oh, shush, brother. I have one nephew, and I'm gonna measure him every... Single... Time! - she punched her brother's chest punctuating each word.

Mabel unceremoniously sat at the spare chair, and joined their breakfast. She seemed to prefer neither mom's or dad's way of eating cereal; with no extra bowl, she simply poured some of the sugar-coated treats into her mouth and topped it off with the luke-warm milk, munching on the mess in her mouth.

- Don't try doing this... - she grumbled, trying to chew - Or you might choke. I am... a trained... professional!

She spoke the last words quite clearly, after she swallowed the whole soggy mess in one go, and spread her arms, almost as if she was doing a magic trick, though only Tyrone seemed to enjoy it. And as auntie Mabel was about to perform something even more ridiculous, an inspiration hit Tyrone. He hasn't heard all sides of the story: there was a third person to observe how did his parents get together!

- Auntie Mabel, I've been asking mom and dad about something, but their stories don't really add up. - he suddenly blurted out.

An ominous silence fell in the kitchen. The three adults exchanged knowing looks, but only Mabel seemed to be interested in diving into this topic, while his dad and mom seemed somewhat terrified. They have obviously talked about this at night, something Tyrone hasn't predicted. He wasn't sure what adults do at night, come to think about it.

- Yes... and what is that question? - I wanted to know how mom and dad started dating! - Tyrone banged his spoon on the table. - Cos you said last time what "dating" means, and I wanted to know...

And, without pausing, before either of his parents could react, he re-told both versions of the story, gesturing wildly in the process, and only once he was finished, he realised that both his parents and Mabel wore a deep shade of crimson on their faces but only his aunt's was easy to understand, once she burst into laughter, releasing the air she's been holding.

- Oh, you guys have the wildest imagination. - she moved her stare from his dad to his mom, both still deeply flustered. - Alright, kiddo, I was there, with these two, and I can tell you how it really happened...

She cleared her throat, relaxed in her chair, clamped her right hand over protesting Dipper's mouth, placed a single finger of her other hand at Wendy's lips, and begun speaking.

- So yeah, we wanted to help Dave. Cos I haven't heard from him for months! And by the way brother - she turned to his dad - Yeah, that was his real name. I helped him write it on the cave, in big, shiny letters, like you couldn't have missed those! Anyway - she continued - I wanted to take him to some juice bar, or something, maybe a library, or the movies. I forced Dipper to go with me, and I bribed him by saying we can take Wendy with us. Because of course - she rolled her eyes - Your dad was madly in love with her. Oh, he might been saying he's over her, and all of that, yadda, yadda, yadda, but any woman who would look at him would tell: this guy's in love.

His father's attempts at correcting Mabel's story intensified, mostly by trying to reach Mabel's face, but her arm seemed just long enough to prevent his from doing anything other than banging into the table in sheer frustration.

- And so, we went to visit Dave. We took Wendy, because, let's face it, she was most skilled at cave-dwelling. And you just had to be there to listen these dorks yammering all the way. - Mabel shook her head - Because, you see, while she wouldn't ever admit it, your mom was at this point also in love with your dad!

At that revelation, another force, much fiercer than Dipper's, tried to stop Mabel, but even Wendy's power could not stop Tyrone's legendary auntie from stepping down.

- I think It's because that year your dad finally outgrew her. And if there is one way to make girl fall in love with you is to be a tall...

Wendy launched a cereal box at Mabel, but missed.

- ...kinda handsome, I guess... - she looked at his father - I mean, he was doing the stupid goatee at that point...

A wooden spoon flew over her head from Dipper's side, and a second one followed from Wendy's.

- ...and be all into adventures. So, we went into that cave. I went first, cos I've been there before. Your dad wanted to impress your mom, he did the ropes, she let him, and yeah, she fell. And Dipper did not kiss your mom, because she was perfectly fine! She just tripped and fell, but Dipper was all "oh no! The love of my life is dead now, better see if I can make her un-dead". - Mabel made an impression of his dad again. - So he ran towards her, and guess what, he tripped on the same rock, fell onto her, and I think he gave her a bump when your foreheads collided.

Almost unconsciously, both Wendy and Dipper moved their hands to their heads, massaging two invisible bruises.

- I mean, their lips might have brushed, I guess that's possible, but I think the definition of kiss is a bit more strict. - Seriously, Dipper? That's what you told him? - Wendy scoffed, wrenching out of Mabel's restraints - I think that head bump might have messed with your dad's brain. - she chuckled. - Hold on, sister, cos you're no better than my brother. - Mabel suddenly interrupted Wendy. - See, it was the kittens that really tied the two together. - Kittens, or cubs? - Tyrone asked, interrupting the story. - Neither, I think they're in college now. - Mabel replied - Anyway, your mom was so impressed that Dipper saved them, that, I guess, she finally gave in, and the two started dating. - And what about math homework? - Tyrone pressed. - Math? Oh, boy, your mom might not be as good as your egghead dad over here, but she's been doing your grandfather's taxes for like ten years. She didn't need homework, she just needed more Dipper.

At those words, their parents' faces were positively glowing with embarrassment.

- Oh, sure, she might call it that way, but it was just a pretence to get more smooching. Believe me, I caught them a few times, and somehow they were never calculating the roots of any parabolas there.

She finally let go of Dipper and Wendy's faces, who, perhaps due to sheer unease stopped fighting Mabel.

- See, the thing is, when you're in love, you kinda act weird. And stupid. Like a dork. Trust me, I've been through this many times myself! And your dad has already been the biggest one I've ever seen, so you can imagine what happened when he was near Wendy. And you - she pointed to his mom - You were always laid-back and cool, but once Dipper grew those few inches and his voice dropped, you started getting weak knees around him too!

A soft smile drew on Wendy's face, and as if in a mirror, another one appeared on Dipper's.

- Yeah. Love does make you a bit stupid. But that's okay, cos if that other person gets silly too, then you have someone else to help you in your life with, and you get your smarts back. - she grabbed, as forcefully as she did the cereal box, Wendy and Dipper's shoulders and moved them closer to hers - Well, kinda, in case of Dipper's. - Hey! - his dad protested. - And if you have a third person to help you get through this mess, - Mabel continued - Then you're in a safe hands. Am I right, guys? - Yeah, I think - muttered Dipper, trying to wriggle out of his sister's restraints. - Uh, sure, Mabel. - Wendy answered in a be-polite tone. - So yeah, your parents didn't lie to you, they just remembered things differently. That happens, I guess. - "I guess"? Mabel, you're the one who's teaching in pre-school, you should know more about psychology. - Silence, brother, Mabel is speaking. - Mabel spoke - And I know way more stories, though! You haven't heard the best things about your parents. I can tell you how I helped them during the wedding, and when the town was flooded with soap, and what happened after you were born...

She begun listing their shared adventures on her hand, and as he was about to continue his breakfast, her words suddenly jogged something in Tyrone's memory.

- Auntie Mabel, that's right, I wanted to ask you another thing: where do babies come from?

Mabel stopped her long speech, and for a moment, she looked exactly as perplexed at other two adults in the room. Almost at the same time, they all blinked, but before Wendy or Dipper could say anything to Mabel, she sensed that, jumped from her chair, wiped her mouth with the long sleeve of her sweater, and in no time travelled the distance to the door.

- Oh, my, look at the time, I've been here so long, and I completely forgot I left Waddles plugged.... and I have to water the iron... and walk the flowers... - she proclaimed loudly - Anyway, I'm sure your mom and dad will know all about it, kiddo!

She ruffled his hair once more, gave him a kiss on the cheek and waving goodbye, stormed out of their house.

Before he went to sleep that day, Tyrone opened the drawer of his night-stand, took a notebook he called "journal", and wrote down what he learned from his dad, mom and auntie, though he skipped the whole talk about where babies come from, substituting the complicated answer with a simple "Yuck".

The older Tyrone was, the weirder and more bizarre the world looked to him. There were so many things he didn't know about, and while he usually could rely on his mom and dad to help him understand those, it was utterly bizarre that a question existed which could cause adults to run away in panic. Perhaps there were more of them, some even more terrifying? That prospect might have scared other kids, but it only encouraged Tyrone more, and he knew he won't stop bugging his parents, auntie, and all their friends until he would learn the truth about everything.

And though he didn't know about it, somewhere, deep in the woods, something heard his call of knowledge, and slowly waked it back to life, lump by lump. Something more than eager to help Tyrone Pines with his goal, and utterly desperate to achieve its.

WHZ QRRZ CRU VWN, TCI POMI BOP WHEF XKE NXUOIKHR D FHCJQH, AIH BOP KHT RIDK

Lost species day is a thing. This year go and visit your favourite cryptid.

Tyrone Pines comes from a stunning piece of art by @elentori-art

#wendip #wendipweek #wendip week #wendy x dipper #dipperxwendy #gravity falls #dipper pines #wendy corduroy #bedtime story

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1dreality · 6 years

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“I feel sorry for whoever’s sitting behind my dad,” laughed a young girl five minutes before Niall Horan took the Greek Theatre stage in Los Angeles.

There were a lot of dads in attendance on Tuesday night, but perhaps unlike most occasions in which fathers must escort daughters to pinups' gigs, these dads likely shared the enthusiasm for Mr. Horan's songbook. It makes sense, given the earnest American soft-rock songwriting that defined Horan's 2017 No. 1 debut album Flicker, which came along citing influences in The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. Those are the daddiest of Dad Rock influences. Can you imagine the delight to all dads, suddenly given the green light to serenade their daughters with “Lyin' Eyes”? He played that well, young Horan.

This was the first of two nights for him and he wasn't shy in reminding the crowd how dreamy it felt -- particularly given he only lives up the road. He mentioned this twice, to deafening shrieks, of course. “It’s really handy 'cause I literally live 20 minutes away,” he said in his dad jeans and his dad short-sleeved shirt and his signature coif. “If you want, we could start some kind of a residency.” They would want that very much. Eleven months ago, Horan was here as a spectator, watching his former One Direction compatriot Harry Styles play for the opening leg of Styles' first solo tour. It was a month before Horan's own album release. Where Styles' record was front-loaded with promotion, the singles soon stopped coming. Horan, however, has played a steadier game. Horan is just steadier all around. The downside is that he doesn't have Styles' riskier swoon factor. Horan's safer approach won him “Slow Hands,” though, and an enormous U.S. radio smash, topping the Pop Songs airplay chart back in October. Had Styles bagged “Slow Hands,” perhaps it would have been game over.

It was show time at the Greek, and the screams for Horan were not as deafening as those for Styles. But it was a loud, unified whistle of stress and elation nonetheless. A blue light filled the stage and Celtic strings rang through the naked humid air as the Irishman sauntered on, a gorgeous red guitar strapped around his cheery frame. Horan has often been considered the “musical one” of his former boy band. He is always behind an instrument, usually a guitar. On Tuesday night, he switched to piano at one point for the non-album track “So Long” to show some variation. For the opener, though, he was all electric, fingering the strings and screwing his face as he belted out single “On the Loose.” That's a song that wears its Mac influence on its sleeve, yet falls more on the side of The Corrs (which is truly no bad thing).

When Horan auditioned on The X Factor eight years ago, Simon Cowell ridiculed fellow judge Louis Walsh for saying “people will like him because he's likable.” Walsh was right: Horan is so likable. Maybe too likable. As likable as an apartment with perfect air conditioning. You can't not like him. Despite his likability, he is not a natural solo star. He’s a player. Onstage, he shone most when pandering to the great chemistry he had with his merry band of English and Irish men, including a violinist and a pianist. You can see that he might be the member of One Direction most ready to get the band back together. His impetus for performing seems tied to the idea of sharing, not owning. Of course, the crowd weren't thinking about that. They knew all the verses and all the choruses and all the guitar solos too, relentlessly jumping up and down in the floor section and heeding to Horan's clap-along instructions.

The songs on Flicker fit him like a glove. They're natural and unforced, rendering him the one solo star post-One Direction who makes it look like it's no biggie. “Well good evening, Los Angeles, California -- holy shit!” he said by way of introduction. “You sold this one out for me. You’re absolute legends! Lovely stuff! All right.” Horan shares Styles’ provincial authenticity, seeming remarkably unaffected, considering the roller-coaster ride that must have come with being in one of history’s biggest pop machines. His sense of self remains intact. It may sound schmaltzy at times on the likes of “The Tide” (recalling peers such as James Bay or Shawn Mendes) and “This Town,” but it also sounds like Irish folk rock and childhood nostalgia. It sounds like the music Horan genuinely loves and has always loved.

His oeuvre isn’t very diverse, but it’s consistent and comforting. Vocally, he’s improved his transatlantic croon to a point where he can carry a full band. When he dedicated the first of two covers to his “favorite singer of all time” Bruce Springsteen and strummed out “Dancing in the Dark” onstage alone, it was a sweet moment -- but it was not an interpretation of a classic, rather an appreciation. The second cover was Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down.” Horan plays music because it makes him feel happy. Watching him enjoy it is like stumbling upon an open-mic performance and feeling glad for the singer.

Aware of the need to pull out some showbiz stops too, the evening called upon Texan support act Maren Morris to duet on country-tinged pop song “Seeing Blind.” They had an impromptu giggle onstage together -- evidence that Horan's show isn't compulsively over-rehearsed. Similar to Styles, Horan also brought out One Direction numbers of his own choosing: an acoustic version of “Fools Gold” and a souped-up electric spin on “Drag Me Down.”

For Horan, headlining here was a “bucket list” moment. “Playing under the stars in the hills of Los Angeles,” he said, romantically. “Thanks for making this little Irish fella’s dreams come true.” His is a casual intimacy. When talking up his favorite album track -- the title song -- he said he wrote it fast. “They don’t usually come that quick, not gonna lie,” he laughed. Asking the crowd to stick their phones in their pockets, he appealed for them to “go to that place in your head where this song takes you, and if you need to cry, do it now.” A fan screamed: “YES! I LOVE CRYING!”

Unlike Styles, Horan doesn’t have any preciously topical slogans (i.e., “treat people with kindness”), just this endless pit of inherent niceness. It feels less protected, somehow freer. The crowd needn't be told to be whoever they want to be; they just are, singing their hearts out when Horan cued them. It's during “Drag Me Down” that you realize he’s the One Directioner who’s tied his solo career seamlessly to the group's back catalog. Maybe he was always the truest of them all. Earlier in the show, he talked up his Californian influences. The first concert he went to was The Eagles at the age of 4. He doesn't know for sure, but he said he figured those guys have played here too. (They haven't, but Don Henley and other solo Eagles have.) “That’s why I moved here,” he said, before leaving the stage for that 20-minute journey back to his house.

#niall horan #niall's solo project #niall's tour #flicker world tour #niall's concert review #harry styles #interesting comparaisons between Niall & Harry's show approach

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silentmight · 7 years

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BTS LIVE Trilogy Episode III the WINGS TOUR in Bangkok 2017

Sometimes, all it takes is a little faith and the wings you never knew you had will fly.

About a week and a half ago I YOLO’ed to Bangkok for BTS’ Wings Tour, and it’s a decision I absolutely have no regrets on. Just gonna keep this here as a diary post and concert impression of sorts!

The BTS Wings Tour in Bangkok holds special meaning for me in many ways, but I'll get to that later.

I haven't been to a concert this massive, no not even the local rock bands and gigs I attended while in Singapore can rival this full house of screaming fangirls. Queuing was intense and really stuffy, as Bangkok's weather can really fry you but thankfully I met up with Fonnoi (the girl I bought my ticket from; I randomly saw her post on FB) and then joined her for the concert!

I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO REGRETS PAYING FOR THE STANDING TICKET. We positioned ourselves to the back and could learn against the guard rails, which makes for good viewing cause everyone crammed to the front and I'm glad my height's at an advantage here lol :3 Also I guess I must be old because I was on energy saving mode until the lights went off; the younger fans were all screaming when their bias appeared on screen when they played the MVs to pass time.

As an introduction, they played Spring Day’s MV and when the first verse kicked in I started tearing… IN FACT I WAS SILENTLY CRYING THROUGHOUT MANY SONGS, PLEASE DON'T JUDGE ME idk man this is the first time I've cried multiple times during a concert because you can feel the atmosphere and I just have too many FEELINGS.

The boys came on stage and kicked off with Not Today- great way to get the crowd pumping and it's also my fav (hell all of it is). The playlist is pretty much faithful to the one listed on the wiki, you can go check it out there… Hearing Bapsae and DOPE live is such a treat. Anyway I'm, so very glad to be able to watch the BTS boys perform their solo songs from the Wings album, coupled with visuals and stage props that are reflective of their personality and song.

Jungkook’s ‘Begin’ displayed his smooth dancing, which felt like a silent sort of strength. Right after was Jimin's ‘Lie’, which holy shit I've been waiting to watch in person ever since this kid became my no.2… I cannot explain in words how 色っぽい sexy it is, goddamnit! Stop attacking my heart! I cannot fathom how Jimin can look like a marshmallow one minute and then like a wolf!! *tears hair out* My favourite part of the dance was when he was blindfolded onwards /COUGH and when he was lifted into the air by the backup dancers too.

And then… my angel Min Yoongi, aka SUGA’s solo. I usually am unable to listen to 'First Love’ because he outputs a ton of intense emotions when he raps, so when I'm stressed I skip it. Hearing it live is no shortage of his raw feelings, and just listening to him rap it live is truly amazing.

The singer line then performed Lost and Save Me, in which during Lost they started to walk all over stage and I'm glad I… am just less than 10 feet away from them… just seeing Jimin sing live, I can die happy. OH and after this was 'I NEED U', aka the one song that I love to butcher with @hweiro and @wataksampingan in the car. Their pronunciation of “I need you gurrrr” hasn't changed IRL either lol.

Rapmon’s solo really did it for me. The introduction was of him looking at a whale, and this is just my assumption: Was he looking at the loneliest whale in the world? Which he wrote Whalien 52 in the previous album? Is it an allusion to himself, because we all know his song 'Reflection’ is melancholic by nature? As the song progressed, it felt like some deep acid trip going through the ocean and the universe and finally Rapmon ends it by walking into an elevated phone booth… however hearing him repeat, “I wish I could love myself” with the concert visuals truly struck a deep chord within. I don't have a deep soul like him but I can resonate with the feeling of looking at life pass you by, you want to love yourself but it's hard as fuck.

V's “Stigma” was next, sorry my attention here died a bit so I don't remember much lol. The last two solos had me in a silent tearing mess though- J-Hope and Jin. J-Hope is SUCH a good performer, his stage charisma is great and we're treated to his childhood photos as he sang ’MAMA’. He had a long pause before finishing off the song, but in that last verse, he sang it with the intensity of his gratitude and love for his mother I just.. my eyelids were like a leaky tap okay. You can totally see the look of admiration and adoration when he looked up after the song ended. J-HOPE!!! ;____;

Jin… oh Jin. It took me so long to appreciate 'Awake’, but after watching him perform live, I see this song in a new light. He and the violinists/cellists were on individual raised platforms, while the backdrop is pretty simple. It felt like a dreamy sky, and on the front of the platforms were projected feathers. Tbh, from what I know of Jin is that he was mainly the visual, who can't really sing or dance so people were like, why is he even there? And perhaps Jin himself feels it too, being the oldest in the group. The line “Maybe I can, can never fly… I Can't fly like the flower petals over there” just struck me of that train of thought.

But to me, Jin, at that very moment you're flying- flying so high and you could touch the sky.

Feelings of inadequacy and yet wanting to keep on keeping on resonates too much within. This song really punched me in the gut and I was trying to not sniffle (and guess what my eyeliner didn't run lmao)

'Cypher 4’ was the rapper line just doing their thing and going wild, then next was FIRE. OMG I've waited so long to also see this dance in person and also sing along T_Tbbb The next couple of songs had them singing yet running all over stage and I took the opportunity to sneak some photos lol but I'm sad that Suga didn't really come to our side of the stage 🙁 Speaking of Suga, this fella is really funny... as for most of his rap lines he just held his mic up and let the audience fill it in woi wwwwww

I managed to sneak some photos of Jimin as he came over to our side of the pen during ‘LOST’- when the singer line started walking around.

Anyway, I have also been looking forward to the main dances of the night: J-Hope’s insane solo for ‘Boy Meets Evil’ and finally, ‘Blood Sweat and Tears’ in the FLESH. I love BST a lot so getting to see it live is just too much for my heart to take.. even with Wings Outro right after. Tbh I wanted to jump up and down like at a rave party with this song (and Dope/Fire) but.. no one else was doing so.. guess no one jumps at a kpop concert lmfao

I got to see everyone up close though, in particular Jimin, J-Hope, V, Jungkook and Rapmon. Damn, Rapmon gave a flying kiss to the small area of 4-5 i was squashed in and the girl in the front went BERSERK. lol Jimin also high 5’ed a very lucky person!

After a short intermission, they returned with ”There Will Be Better Days” and I was already expecting to bawl at this song because of how easy you can sing along to the lyrics (and their meaning), and fucking bawl I did! Before performing this song Rapmon was like, don't be sad, we'll walk together always in our hearts and towards better days always and damn, I'm moved. I could mainly understand whatever RM was saying cause he's the only one speaking in English haha…

Last song of the night was 'Spring Day,’ which was a fitting end to the entire concert. And with that, the Wings Tour has come to an end.

If I didn't take leap of faith in messaging a total random stranger, who is now a concert goer and new found friend, I would never experience this. People precaution one against randomly asking and buying something from online strangers but if I never spotted Fonnoi’s post on the IME thread, I would never have this experience. I've been shown so much hospitality and warmth throughout, and I'm glad we could establish that trust. I'm really thankful to her for selling the ticket at an ok price!

I guess this concert and trip alone fulfills one of my small dreams; to YOLO to another country solely for a concert and to also solo travel before I'm 30. Honestly I thought I'd never be able to do it but just slog away and slave at work- growing old and letting all my youthful dreams die as I leave behind the vestiges of youth. It might have not been to Japan for sakanaction (still a dream), but I'm infinitely grateful that I was able to watch another one of my favourite groups perform live… not to mention seeing Suga, my ultimate BTS crush and also Jimin in person.

Here’s some sneak shots I took:

Rapmon!!! He’s so charismatic.

#diary #bts #bts wings tour

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spiteweaver · 7 years

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“I’m here, I’m here!”

“Steady on, Seaglass!”

On faltering wings, Seaglass alighted in the village square and promptly collapsed into Banrai’s waiting arms. His legs felt like jelly, his face was numb from cold, and every bone in his body (the ones he could feel, anyway) throbbed with a deep, dull ache that would last for weeks to come.

In short, he was a wreck--

--but at least he’d made it.

“The baby!” he exclaimed, pushing away from Banrai and snatching up Dreamweaver’s hands in his own. “Where’s the--oh.”

For the first time, he noted the roundness of Dreamweaver’s belly, and knelt before his founder reverently, eyes glistening with wonder. He looked up. Dreamweaver nodded, and Seaglass pressed his hands to their stomach. There were a thousand things he wanted to say, but all of them coalesced into a single word: “Wow.”

“You’re right on time,” Dreamweaver informed. “They should be coming any day now.”

“How many?” Seaglass asked, breathless with excitement.

“Only one,” Banrai replied, “according to Isaiah. Priyanka disagrees. She foresaw two.” He laughed. “They’ve been arguing about it for a week!”

“That snake Errol is taking bets,” Dreamweaver said, “if you’d like to throw your lot in.”

“I think I’ll pass. I wouldn’t wanna be labeled a snake.”

“A wise decision.” Dreamweaver smiled and allowed Seaglass to take their hands again, a bit more gently this time. “Now, onto business--”

“Already?” Seaglass said. “I just got here!”

“Where on earth were you?” Dreamweaver asked. “Night of the Nocturne ended nearly a week ago, you know? I distinctly remember you promising to be back in time to help with the festivities.”

“Ah, well...” Seaglass hunched his shoulders and cast a pleading glance in Banrai’s direction. Banrai returned it with one of his “I’ll pray for you” grins. “I meant to write to you about it,” Seaglass said, “about extending my stay in the Icefield, I mean, but I--I suppose I just lost track of the time.”

“It’s all right,” Banrai replied, “we knew you would!”

“I’m not scolding you, dear,” Dreamweaver said. They then beckoned for Seaglass to follow them. The group walked round to the other side of the square, bustling with morning commerce, and retreated into the warmth and safety of the founders’ home. “I’m merely curious. We were beginning to worry.”

“It’s nothing bad!” Seaglass assured as he sidled into the foyer. “Actually, it’s really good! Tops, if you ask me!” A big, toothy grin split his face nearly in two. “Jìng’s coming to live here with me!”

“He is?” Dreamweaver asked. “That’s wonderful! Oh, Banrai, would you--?”

“Tea,” Banrai said, rubbing his mate’s shoulders as he squeezed past them into the kitchen, “I’m on it.”

“It’s grand, innit?” Seaglass said. “I told him--well, I told him the truth, that I’d missed him all these years, that I really couldn’t do without him, and he said he’d come! He said he wanted to come!”

“Well, we’ll be happy to have him!” Dreamweaver said.

“I knew you would be! I told him as much!” Seaglass hurried to pull out a chair at the table for Dreamweaver, then flopped down in a seat across from them, head propped in his hands. “You’ll love him, Dreamy,” he said. “He’s smart, he’s loyal, he’s--”

“Perfect?” Dreamweaver supplied.

“More than that,” Seaglass said, “he’s everything.”

“You talk about him the way I talk about Banrai,” Dreamweaver said, and laughed when a bright blush spread like wildfire across Seaglass’ face.

Seaglass leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling as if it were the most interesting piece of architecture he’d ever laid eyes on. “We’re, ah, together now,” he said.

“Oh?”

“Mmm. He--before I left, he just, uh--went for it.”

“Kissed you, you mean?”

“Mmm.”

“My, my.” Dreamweaver leaned forward, their palms splayed against the table. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?” they asked. “This is big news!”

“I’m still getting used to it,” Seaglass confessed in a quiet, distant tone of voice. “I thought about it the whole trip back, and I still think maybe I dreamed the whole thing. I don’t deserve him at all.”

“If anyone deserves him, it’s you,” Dreamweaver insisted. They reached out and cupped Seaglass’ cheek in their hand. It was warm, and Seaglass instinctively pushed into the touch. “You’re too down on yourself,” Dreamweaver said. “You’re a good drake, Seaglass. You’ve earned your happiness, and I’m glad you’ve found it.”

“Thank you,” Seaglass said. “Having your blessing means a lot to me.”

“You always had it,” Dreamweaver said.

“Thank you.”

When Banrai arrived with the tea, talk turned to what Seaglass had missed while he was away. Seated there, in Banrai and Dreamweaver’s breakfast nook, in a place he had always associated with warmth and light, Dreamweaver told him of Shard Clan’s troubles, of their journey to the Isles, of Opal’s arrival and departure, and of the twin Shards’ studies into exaltation.

Slowly, with each word spoken, his joyful expression fell, until he was staring hard into his half empty tea cup with furrowed brows and a bitten lip. “Junior’s involved in all of this then?” he asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Dreamweaver replied. “We’ve allowed him to resume his regular visits to the Isles for the time being, but that’s subject to change.” Their expression grave, Dreamweaver looked up and caught Seaglass’ eye. “Something is interfering with Priyanka’s Sight.”

“What?” Seaglass’ grip on his mug tightened. “That’s not--I didn’t think that was possible.”

“Nor did we,” Dreamweaver said, “but she informed us that this has happened on other occasions, when spying on particularly magically gifted beings.”

“The Shards?” Seaglass suggested.

“We aren’t sure,” Banrai replied, “but Dreamweaver thinks it might be our Shard.”

“Our Shard?” Seaglass repeated. “Junior? Abaddon’s son? That Shard? He’s barely out of his teens! It--it took me years of my life to master something as simple as basic elemental manipulation, and you think Junior’s out there blocking a high-level seer’s Sight?”

“He’s gifted, Seaglass,” Dreamweaver said, “in a way I haven’t seen in centuries. I’m beginning to wonder if Abaddon isn’t right, if--if Shard really was a gift from the Arcanist, Himself.”

“Hell’s bells.” Seaglass ran a hand through his hair. “Fine time I picked to go back home.” He sipped from his cup thoughtfully, then squared his shoulders. “So what’s going to be done about Junior?”

“We’ll be speaking with him soon,” Dreamweaver replied, “before the month is out. I don’t want to believe that he’s gotten involved with the Shards’ studies, but I feel he may have, and if that’s the case, we’ll need to put a definitive end to it.”

“That Opal fella,” Seaglass said, “you’re sure he’s gone?”

“He’s no longer in Shard Clan,” Dreamweaver replied, “but that means he could feasibly be anywhere else.”

“Hell’s bells,” Seaglass said again, “what a ruddy mess.”

“Sorry to spring all of this on you,” Banrai said. “You’ve only just got back, and you made a three week journey in just a few days’ time. You must be exhausted.”

“Nah,” Seaglass replied with a wave of his hand, “I needed to know. I can’t lend a hand if I don’t know what’s going on after all.”

“There’s more to discuss,” Dreamweaver said, “but for now, you should rest.”

“If you’re sure it can wait, I’d appreciate it.” Seaglass stood, and his legs nearly gave out from under him. “I’m in worse shape than I thought,” he admitted. “Thanks for the tea, Banrai.”

“It wasn’t any trouble,” Banrai insisted. “Do you want me to walk you home? You’re a little unsteady...”

“I’ll be fine,” Seaglass said, “just gotta get my land legs under me again.”

Even so, Banrai and Dreamweaver saw him to the door. He pulled his traveling cloak tight around his neck and made to leave, but paused in the open doorway, a hand on the frame.

“If anything happens,” he said, his voice a low whisper beneath the cacophony of the market outside, “wake me.”

“We will,” Dreamweaver promised.

“I mean it.” Seaglass turned to face them. They couldn’t see it, but his eyes were hard. “I’ve got an ill feeling about all this. Lots of funny things happening all at once. Don’t keep me out of the loop just ‘cause I’ve been off and away for a bit.”

“We won’t,” Banrai vowed.

Seaglass gave a stiff nod, turned back towards the square, and let the door swing shut behind him.

#flight rising #fr #zach writes #clan feldspar #feldspar lore #the seaglass arc #c: seaglass #c: dreamweaver #c: banrai

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valerie · 4 years

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TWITL – week fifty-two – when you don’t know what day it is

It’s that time of year when you’re not sure what day of the week it is. Or at least for me. I decided that instead of one whole big chuck of time off during winter break, I’d make two long weekends of five days each. As I begin this, I’m at the first day of my second long weekend.

Xmas trees at the park

I last posted on Christmas, which was a lazy sort of day that ended at one of our locals for drinks and dinner. Going in to work the next day was odd but I had plenty of time to do my work. I worked a half day on Friday, which was even odder. We were pretty much a skeleton crew both days and it was nice and quiet in my building. After work on Friday, I went to see a movie!

Knives Out – I very much enjoyed this movie. I love murder mysteries and trying to figure out what actually happened. The performances were all stellar and of course, I loved watching Chris Evans. I used to have a big thing for him and now it’s quite settled. I still think he’s dreamy and in this movie, he was rather dreamy. Lovely Chris Evans aside, the movie was a great watch and a definite recommendation…

my latest piece from 1888 Design

Much to the chagrin of the hubby, I went on a sort of online shopping spree during this winter break. Among my recent purchases: another lovely piece from 1888 Design (I cannot resist a sale), a Tyler Rich t-shirt (to complete my current collection of Tyler t-shirts), a t-shirt and tour book from Jack Whitehall‘s online store, a new computer, a pendant that’s The Witcher themed, and Bath and Body Works stuff. The first three orders were made before Christmas and the first two arrived before the holiday (joyous!). I didn’t expect the Jack stuff to arrive too soon because they were coming from Great Britain and I had no idea how long it would take to get to me. I had no way to track the order, having only gotten notification when it was sent off. So imagine my great surprise when the mail arrived on Friday afternoon and my Jack stuff was one of the deliveries!

new stuff

The t-shirt fits nicely and the tour book is super lovely. It’s bound like a graphic novel and the pages are thick. I was so delighted for the delivery and it arrived sooner than I expected, which was a wonderful surprise. The tour book is a fun read, filled with pictures from Travels with My Father and other things, an interview with Jack, and writings from his parents.

something new

RANDOM FANGIRL THOUGHTS

I never did post that “break up” letter to that one Listworthy of mine. Do I just not want to post that kind of negativity? Has my regard finally turned to a sort of indifference? I’m not sure. Maybe so. My better nature has finally soothed away enough of the bitterness and I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t care if my former Listworthy has decided to trust a backstabbing hypocrite. Okay, maybe I haven’t quite gotten over it.

The following resonated with me (emphasis mine):

“I don’t need to tell anybody here, we live in a moment where everything immediately seems to default to outrage,” Abrams continued. “There’s a kind of M.O. of just either ‘It’s either exactly as I see it or you’re my enemy.’ … It’s a crazy thing that there is such a norm that seems to be devoid of nuance and compassion — and this is not about Star Wars, this is about everything. Compassion and acceptance … We knew, starting this, any decision we made—a design decision, a musical decision, a narrative decision—would please someone and infuriate someone else.”

JJ Abrams responds to criticism of The Rise of Skywalker, says you can’t please everyone

I know the notion that I fangirl over shows and artists can be considered an odd thing at my age but I’ve accepted the fact that this is what I am. So I do understand when fans are protective over the characters or stories that they love. What I do not understand is the venom spewed by these so called “fans” when an adaptation or plot course has deviated in some way from their own personal vision of the characters or stories. Do they think the version they conjured in their head is the only true version? Do they think that others cannot have just as valid a version? What if the actual creator of the stories actually approves of the adaptation, do the fans dismiss and disregard this? I understand a thoughtful debate on quality and comparison of source material vs an adaptation. What I don’t understand is the default to outrage and the blind insistence to not see another side.

And then it’s hard when you love something someone you know has decided to hate.

I’ve found myself self-censoring my social media and to some extent my blog in regards to showing love towards something new I’m fangirling because someone I know has been vocal to hating it. I don’t directly engage but I’ve been trying not to post too much about loving it in consideration of this person who quite vehemently and quite venomously HATES this new thing that I love. I feel that if I post this thing that I love, the person who hates it will take it as a personal attack when it’s not. It’s just me loving this new thing. The hateful venom saddens me but I don’t take it personally. So then why don’t I just share my love? Why am I putting so much thought into not offending this one person when this one person obviously doesn’t care who is offended?

Jack in Brighton

WRITING

“I’ll Dream of You Again” – The re-write is going SLOW on this story but it is plodding along. It’s a bit hard to add new bits and then try to re-write previous bits that end up contradicting the new bits. I still love the story A LOT so I’m going to keep writing it. Maybe I’ll even let people read it someday. It’s utterly ridiculous so it might just be for me for awhile…

already time for a re-watch or at least lots of screencaps…

RANDOM OTHER THOUGHTS

It’s a little strange to think we’re heading in to the 20s. When I was growing up, I used to think, “How old will I be when 2000 hits?” or “How old will I turn in 2000?” Now, it’s very strange to realize that 2000 is nearly twenty years ago. I can’t remember every turn of the new year but I do remember what I was doing when it went from 1999 to 2000– I was walking down the hall to leave work as I had to work swing shift that December night, 1600 hrs to midnight. A few weeks later, I’d be in Pasadena for a Hercules/Xena convention and I’d meet Ryan Gosling again. It would also be the last time I’d see Kevin Smith (“Ares”). Twenty years ago seems like a long time and then not…

Kevin Tod Smith… such a beautiful man…

What adventures await in 2020? Will I finally declare Jack Whitehall a Listworthy? What story will I write for November? What concerts will I attend and will I get a photo with someone I adore from afar? Will Tyler Rich get that number one song? Will I finally get my next tattoo and if so, what will it be? Will I finally post that “break-up” letter? Will another fella catch my eye?

I’m not one for resolutions but this time of year, I do take the time to assess where I am in life and what I might want to adjust to achieve better balance. Even though there’s an abundance of negativity out there and reality is a bit of a crap show, I believe there is enough beauty and light out there to see us through and that’s my focus. I’ve learned not to react or engage directly with certain things, instead opting with venting privately with people who are of the same mind. When I post on social media, I prefer to keep it light and happy and loving. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m not aware. I am. I just choose to ignore it because life is too short to dwell on other people’s negativity. It’s fun to talk shit about it but those are for private moments. Just because someone wants to spew venom doesn’t mean I must engage. So I don’t. I turn instead to the things that make me happy…

Rey & Superman – last ones standing…

If you made it this far, cool beans! Thanks for reading my rambling thoughts. Now go on and do something that brings you joy. Here’s to a lovely end to 2019 and a 2020 filled with amazing adventures. CHEERS!

from TWITL – week fifty-two – when you don’t know what day it is

#TWITL – week fifty-two – when you don’t know what day it is

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leigh-ann-page · 6 years

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Happy New Year (only 48 days late)!

Let me share with you why. Our holidays were spent very low key. We had Christmas in our beautiful home in Colorado and rang the new year by watching the ball drop on YouTube and then heading to bed by 12:30AM. Following that was back to work as usually for 10 days and THEN…of to fulfill one of my most coveted bucket list items as well as do some major coffeeshop research for my up and coming coffeehouse! This blog will not discuss much about the coffee experience…its much more to share my travel experience. So what was this great trip I speak of?

………..14 DAYS IN EUROPE!!!!!

We started in London. Landing on a Friday morning early, quickly learning about the “black” cabs from the airport ($130 later), checking into our hotel and then setting out to see London. Day one was spent with no sleep and running on excitement and adrenaline. Day two, we played on the Underground, saw Piccadilly Square, visited a very old pub, checked out Buckingham Palace and visited Harrods where we enjoyed high tea and sight seeing one of the largest department stores in the world.

Day three, we took the train to Liverpool, where we got settled in for the night and waited for our tour guide (my business partner’s cousin Hannah) to come and show us around. We visited Chester and lapped up the amazing history there. There were buildings as old as the 1400’s still standing and still in operation which had my face smiling, my heart pounding with excitement and my giddy girl behavior in full effect. Later in the day, it was of to the Cavern (yes, the place where the Beatles and many others extremely famous bands got their start) and listened to some music before heading off to dinner to enjoy some of the BEST fish and chips I’ve ever had. Thank you Hannah!!

Our final day in Liverpool, we rented a car, which I made Tyler drive because… wrong side of the road and steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car therefore I was nervous Nelly. We drove to Whales to see the teahouse I had been dreaming of visiting for two years and low and behold…it was closed for the season!!!!! But here is the lovely picture I was able to to take of it and now have a reason to go back!

Our time in Whales was very fun as we had tea (well Tyler had a beer) in the local hotel bar and then walked the tiny town finding the most authentic Dutch bakery and devouring some of the most amazing pastries. Then the snow came and it was time to head back for our flight to Amsterdam!!

Amsterdam was a quick trip. We arrived at 9:30 PM and headed straight to the hotel. After a decent night of sleep, we headed into the city for the day. WOW!!! It was impressive to see. No intricate architecture necessarily but still a vast amount of history. We walked that entire inner circle of the city, saw more sex shops than I could have counted, visited the red light district because it was a must and then the fellas enjoyed partaking in the local legal “fun” while I enjoyed the hookah. Amsterdam was a whirlwind trip with very little variety. We found quite a few coffeehouses and enjoyed some local coffees and snacks but there was nothing that made me say…I will miss this place. However, I would love to visit Old Holland and see the windmills.

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Next on the journey was Italy. Jet setting over to Florence, Italy, we landed around 11:30, grabbed a cab to the hotel and got a few hours of sleep so we could get up the next morning and head to our coffee making class. WOW!!!! Mokaflor of Italy offers intense classes or a short little 3 hour class that discusses the growing, harvesting and roasting process of coffee (we learned so much) and then moves on to pulling a proper espresso shot and making a cappuccino. This was an amazing day! After that, we headed back to the hotel, grabbed a shuttle to town and had a fabulous dinner (lasagne for me, pizza for Tyler and calzone for Drew). The following day was spent walking Florence from what felt like, end to end. We discovered the hot spot for capturing great panoramic shots of the city. While we were basking in the Italian beauty, Tyler had noticed an old chapel so we embarked on the small hike to it. People….it was one of the most spiritual experiences I’ve ever had. I cried uncontrollably nearly the entire time we were in there. Just amazing. Finishing out the day, we found some pasta that made us know we would miss Italy and then headed back to the hotel. For dinner on this final night in Florence, we decided to dine in the hotel restaurant. I have two tips: 1) Food in any hotel is “hotel” food and 2) Pepperoni in Italian means peppers. We ordered pepperoni pizzas and got pizzas that were COVERED in raw red and yellow peppers. Upon realizing that the language barrier was worse than we thought, we told her we were looking for sausage, to which she assumed we wanted more sauce so they added the peppers to the sauces, processed it in a food processor and then topped the pizza with it. After a quick google search…LESSON LEARNED!!! Now off to Pisa. We walked all over Pisa, found great pizza (finally), saw the leaning tower and then headed of to Paris.

Up, up and away we go….to Paris! Pastries, coffees, the Eiffel Tower and did, I say pastries? Paris was simply meant for me to enjoy the eating of pastries and get my walk on through the city. And THAT, my friends is what we did! Starting with a quick pass through a patisserie for a croissant then we came to Ladurée who is world renowned for their macarons (and rightfully so). We popped in there for a nice little sit down pastry and some coffee but the pièce de résistance was the 18 macarons we got to enjoy for the remainder of our stay in Paris. After enjoying that tasty treat, it was off to the Eiffel Tower where Tyler and I took the stairs to the first level but the rain made the stairs slick and then there is that little issue I have with gripping fear of falling so to go any higher would have meant that Tyler would be carrying me but he also didn’t want to go higher so problem averted and we headed back to solid ground. It was a grand experience that I will cherish forever. Finally, the walk back to the hotel commenced while we endured the rain and enjoyed the sights. The Seine River was flooding and it was quite a sight to see how hight the water was only to discover that the week we left England to come back to the States, it began flooding the city. Our last day in France, we enjoyed a beautiful breakfast of pastries in a century old restaurant and that made the final moments in Paris dreamy. Now back to England via the Eurorail traveling under the English Channel.

Our final days overseas were spent in England. I fulfilled my very nerdy side by going to King’s Cross Station and seeing Platform 9 3/4 (if you’re not a Harry Potter fan you won’t understand the reference) and trying to make it to Parliament and Big Ben but the rain defeated us and we never made it there. However, it was the trip of a lifetime and I cannot wait to return to the UK for a much longer visit spent seeing the northern countryside and heading up into Scotland.

If you read all the way to here, THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME. I hope you enjoyed my recap of my trip and please let me know if you have any questions in the comments section below.

WARNING: This is a long blog! A recap of my European vacation in January! ENJOY! Happy New Year (only 48 days late)! Let me share with you why. Our holidays were spent very low key.

#amsterdam #bucketlist #coffeehouse #england #european vacation #france #italy #vacation

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reasonablyunqualified · 7 years

Text

Killian Boyd Tries To Kill Himself Because Of Very Serious Matters

by Lili Buchanan

Killian Boyd was going to kill himself on July 31st, exactly at 9pm, by jumping out of his bedroom window right out onto the rainy London pavement. It wasn't that he had had enough of life and couldn't take all the misery any more – on the contrary, Killian was about 30, generally quite happy with his life and about to get married. Moreover he had wonderful experiences to look forward to and colourful memories to look back on, and nothing indicated really that he had a reason to commit suicide.

He had a lovely childhood – a most ordinary one -, his parents were caring, although, one must admit, rather boring, and his brother was a kind, friendly fella, and Killian and him got along perfectly well. Therefore Killian had no childhood tragedy to dwell on, no screwed up memories of horrible Christmases ever came back to him during sleepless nights and he definitely wasn't ruined by anything nasty that might have happened during one Easter break, when he was seven, and could have involved lots of shouting and throwing plates.

He went to university in London, studying something rather useless (not to be confused with pointless tough!), probably Aesthetics or Philology or Theoretical Linguistics, which made him quite happy, as he was the kind who could spend hours reading in the British Library's dimly lit café.

He probably dated some girl during his uni years, but nothing came out of it really; she was majoring in Chemistry and Killian had always hated Chemistry, which frankly, didn't make things easy.

After graduation, he decided to travel and see all of the world's magical places, therefore, as most people who decide to travel, he, too, stayed right where he was; got a job, and didn't go absolutely anywhere.

He worked for Random House as an assistant to the assistant of one the junior editors, which mainly involved emailing and photocopying and had nothing to do with books, but at least he didn't have to make coffee for anyone, but himself.

Killian met her there, in the office, right in front of the annoying blonde Irish secretary's desk; she was the PA of a fresh and daring, new, aspiring writer (meaning rubbish and limitedly interesting) and he fell in love with her in about 34 seconds. Her name was Angela or Poppy or Wendy or Tilly or something undeniably British and she was the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. She had butterscotch-blonde hair, sky-blue eyes and a very pretty, curly figure. He went up to her and shyly asked her out on a date, forgetting to introduce himself beforehand, and to his, her and the annoying blonde Irish secretary's surprise, she said yes. They went to this cute place in Covent Garden the next Thursday and after finally introducing himself properly, everything was right on track.

Love was nothing like Killian imagined. It wasn't hot and desperate and needy and cathartic, it was quiet and understanding and beautiful and she moved in with him after six months, without him actually noticing anything had changed at all. They ate porridge together every morning, which was really nice. Killian had always liked porridge, especially with strawberry jam, though she preferred maple syrup.

Killian noticed the first grays in the hair of his reflection the very day he got promoted and proposed to Angela-Poppy two days later, on a sunny Friday. She said “Oh, of course, why not, I suppose.” instead of a simple yes and he absolutely loved her for it.

Up to this point things were generally quite wonderful, marvellous even, and definitely satisfactory in every possible way. Killian had everything he never dreamed about (he just wasn't the dreamy type) and he felt successful in Tackling Life's Totally Horrible Nasty Problems.

But there was one thing, he didn't expect. Something that completely ruined everything, something that took away all his happiness, something that sucked out of him all the willingness to live. Wedding planning. Combined with the fact of course that Angela-Wendy didn't even want to hear about it. She told him so the next morning after the proposal, stating that if he wanted anything fancier than a white summer dress (the one she bought in Portugal last summer) and a registry office (the Marylebone one, because that was closest) he would have to do it all by himself. Mainly because, as she said, she wasn't interested in giving out free alcohol and food to a hundred people whom she very much disliked (you don't choose your own family after all, nor your fiancé’s for that matter) and definitely loathed some of them (she was talking about Uncle Rupert, of course).

So on a terrible Saturday afternoon Killian Boyd sat down and started planning his wedding. Because although, he wasn't the fancy type and he didn't much mind uneventfulness (his greatest adventure that month was trying porridge with raspberry instead of strawberry jam on one Sunday – he didn't like it), but he wanted his wedding with Wendy-Angela to be special and unique. So he ordered some wedding planning books on the internet and from then on read those instead of the Guardian at the breakfast table and that's how wedding planning started to slowly overtake his life. Because unfortunately trying to distinguish between pearl white, porcelain white and egg shell proved to be much more stressful than he anticipated and soon he found that his biggest problem in life was that he had to choose a flower decoration from the range of sixty irritatingly identical ones. He also wasn't that thoroughly interested in the question of what kind of bow they used on the invitations. And then something even more terrible happened. He had to start on the seating arrangements.

Aunt Cecily didn't want to sit next to Uncle Rupert, for understandable reasons, but Uncle Rupert couldn't be seated anywhere else, because he hated cigarette smoke. As it turned out Dennis Holden's girlfriend did want to come after all, only Dennis forgot to mention he had a plus one, but this was nothing compared to the anxiousness caused by Cousin Emily calling Killian 6 times on Monday to make sure she wasn't sitting anywhere near John Mills – whom she had the misfortune to date once – and was also a “bloody racist pig” and frankly who invited him in the first place. This was not all, of course – there were nine people who were vegetarian, but six of them who hated tofu, furthermore two allergic to chocolate, but wanting to taste the cake.

Killian had enough. Frankly, he felt broken, crushed and pretty much dead inside. So after a particularly long call from Cousin Emily about John Mills (“He's the nastiest of them all, I'm telling you!”) Killian sat down to his desk, got out his wedding planner and put it down to July 31st, 9pm with neat black letters –

kill self.

And there it was, 9pm came and Killian didn't have to think about plates and flowers, decorations and seats and all that any more – he finally had a way out. He stepped in front of his bedroom window determinedly, looked out into the darkening London evening and got ready to jump. He took a deep breath and-

'Killian, darling, can you please put the kettle on, love? Earl Grey for me, one sugar!' he heard Angela-Wendy-Tilly calling from the bathroom. Killian paused for a moment, then let out an annoyed sigh, and finally closed the window.

'I know how you drink your tea,' he murmured distractedly, considering what other day would be suitable for killing himself. He didn't find one. His calendar was full.

'Oh well,' he said grumpily and went to put on the kettle.

#killian boyd tries to kill himself because of very serious matters #lili buchanan #from my imagination of all places

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