#yes: when i was in like 6th grade maybe? a first grader had decided to wash her hands without pulling her pants up and was just standing | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yessoupy · 4 years

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the @imetyouonljpodcast episode this week gave me lots of thoughts and feelings about star wars. more like, reminded me of all my thoughts and feelings around my first fandom. thus, I decided to write my own journey into and throughout star wars fandom, and what it means to me. buckle up, this story spans decades.

my very first memory of anything star wars-related is a yoda puppet that my grandmother had. it had to be from the original run of the movies, because I was maybe 4 in my first memory of it, and i was born in '86. my sisters and I loved it, and one of our cousins was deathly scared of it so we'd chase him around the house with it.

my second memory of star wars was going to the movie store with my dad and sisters and seeing our favorite yoda on the cover of a VHS. "yoda yoda yoda! daddy, it's yoda!!! can we get it?" we were holding up the display cover for return of the jedi. dad said no, we couldn't get that one yet because we had to watch them in order. so we rented a new hope and all I remember was falling asleep while artoo and threepio were trundling across the tatooine desert sands. at five I guess I was too young.

in early 1997 the special editions of the original trilogy were aired in theaters and I was in 4th grade. dad took us to see one of them (I think empire, at some point we'd finally finished a new hope). at school that grading period I sat next to a boy named mark and he noticed I was drawing little x-wing silhouettes on my paper. "you like star wars too?" he asked. when I said yes, he declared that because of my name, he was going to call me skywalker. that's the name on the back of my high school letter jacket.

in fall of 1998 I started the 6th grade and I came home from school one day to a hardbound book my mom had checked out for me from the library. heir to the empire by timothy zahn. mom pointed out where it said on the cover it was a trilogy, and I could get the other books when I finished this one. she hadn't found the young jedi knights series for me. she'd checked out a GROWN-UP star wars book.

in spring of 1999 the phantom menace came out and my parents' friend took me to see it on opening day because neither of them were free and I HAD to go that day. later on that year she took me to a star wars exhibit at the museum of fine arts. that was also the first time I saw a monet and a renoir. the exhibit had costumes (real costumes!!!) from the original trilogy and the newest prequel. I bought a book about the myth of star wars in the museum gift shop.

I read every expanded universe book our local library had, which was a lot. I had a lot to catch up on, too, since heir to the empire had been published in 1992. you never saw me at school without a star wars book. I read while walking in the hallways, even. in 6th grade I read during lunch, since I was in varsity orchestra with 7th and 8th graders and was terribly shy. they'd tell me I should socialize at lunch, not read my books, but... I wanted to read. I had a lot to learn. I have a lot to know.

I was in 7th grade when I read vector prime, the first in the new series. my first class of the day was science, and the boy I had a crush on was in that class. we had DEAR time at the beginning of that class - drop everything and read. not a hardship for me. that day, I read the part of the book where chewbacca was killed. I looked up, astonished. heartbroken. I locked eyes with the boy I liked. he nodded at the book and I showed him the cover. he nodded sympathetically. "they killed chewie," I whispered. he said "I know."

I wrote original characters in star wars fan fiction when I was about 13. I had an internet friend named rachel who lived in brisbane. then there was dave and 'roswell' who gave me ideas for my story. I loved being able to talk about the wide world of star wars with other people. we used aol instant messenger and email. my username in those days had 'skywalker' in it. I am pretty sure we met in an aol chatroom. I didn't find much of use on the official star wars site and I have probably visited it fewer than 10 times since 1999.

I read those books all through middle and high school. they were my christmas presents and my birthday presents. I moved into our family beach house after college. it sounds really nice but I didn't have running water because it was the summer after Ike hit. I would go to the used book store on 23rd street and buy a stack of star wars books and read them while I waiting for calls to interview for a teaching position. weekends I'd go into town to stay at a friend's house and help her with wedding stuff. I'd shower there, too. that's where my new stash of star wars books started, with me catching up on the legacy of the force series I hadn't read in college and then finishing up through the fate of the jedi as those came out. I felt that I had grown up with these characters. I remembered when kyp was just an orphan han rescued, when jacen and jaina were five years old, when corran horn had no wife, no kids, and was just finding out who his family was. I had capital o opinions about what color lightsaber i would have and why (silver; bc corran), I knew the geography of the galaxy and where everyone was from and my favorite planet was dathomir because women ruled it. I knew all of these characters' histories and motivations and the difficult decisions they'd made and had to live with. I loved them.

i never ventured into the online fandom space for star wars, even after I'd found other online fandom spaces, because I didn't feel like there was anything anyone could add to it for me. I was satisfied with all I'd gotten. sure, favorite characters had been killed (after chewie, the one who stung most was Mara, luke's wife), but people die. and in such a long-running series spanning so many years and trillions of miles of space... you come to expect it.

people would ask me ALL THE TIME when the sequels were coming out and I said never. then, disney bought star wars. initially I was excited (tears of joy happy) to have sequels confirmed. my mind raced, imagining a trilogy centered on the events surrounding jacen's descent to the dark side. the original actors would be the right age for that. who could play jacen?

then, the announcement came that the canon was now 'legends' and they wouldn't be taking any of it into account when writing the sequels BUT that didn't mean we wouldn't see old canon favorites. they announced adam driver as the villain and I thought "jacen." I held onto the idea that this knowledge I had, these years of knowing these stories, would still be worth something. that I'd be able to add new information to my mental bookshelves and maps. that my universe would expand further.

the force awakens was a bitter disappointment. I was upset from the crawl, leia's title making it clear to me that she wasn't chief of state, she wasn't the mother to three children, han wasn't her husband, and all of her history I'd grown to love really was gone. what I saw was the older version of a woman I'd met when she was 18 and hadn't seen her since her early twenties. I didn't know her.

I didn't know the galaxy, either. starting with the new jedi order series, a map of the galaxy was included in the front of each book with the planets named so you knew where everything was happening. the new galaxy was bare. it was small and knowable. while the hosnian prime system was destroyed in the movie, I'd never known it, and all the planets I DID know were similarly blasted out of memory. where was dathomir and its fierce warrior witches? if their planets were gone so were their people.

as the movie trudged on, a retelling of a new hope, I kept thinking, "at least let his name be jacen." I hung my hopes on this sith character being han and leia's son and sharing that name of the boy I'd known and the man who'd grown up to turn to the dark side. at that first shout of 'BEN!' I was angry. Ben?? that was the name of LUKE'S son! that was MARA'S child! Ben??? with three letters jacen solo and ben skywalker were also dead to the galaxy.

I know, I know. I should get over it. I AM thankful for poe dameron. the x-wing books were always my favorite. poe was familiar to me the way other new characters weren't. he was part of the new republic navy. I knew what that was. he flew an x-wing. I knew what that was.l and what company manufactured them. he was from yavin IV, I knew where that was and what it looked like. finn was a stormtrooper, yes, but the empire had not stolen children to be raised as stormtroopers. they were recruited like any other position. his story wasn't real to me, it wasn't something I could easily accept. and the idea that the new republic just LET the first order rise? leia's new republic would NEVER. but leia wasn't chief of state in this universe. leia hadn't had that power.

I read a lot of articles about the force awakens and the reactions to it, and never saw myself in any of them. the star wars fanboys whom I'd never known were painted as being angry because their fan knowledge was useless and "boo-hoo poor widdle fanboys" they would be mocked, rightfully. but that's why I was angry, ultimately. everyone I knew and loved was dead. worse, they'd never existed. "what do you think will happen?" some unsuspecting coworker would ask. I'd shrug, but inside I was yelling "who the fuck knows! my favorite characters don't exist anymore. nothing I know as this person you know as SKYWALKER means anything anymore."

it only got worse from there. One day I spent four hours figuring out how far the casino planet was from the drifting ships in the last jedi and doing math to figure out how long it would REALLY take to get there, using old canon star wars physics. I couldn't suspend my disbelief during that movie. everything was wrong. (the other space physics quibble I had was from TFA when poe is using comms while in hyperspace, and dropping out on a command and not... when nav told him to?? you'd fly right through a star!! were they HOVERING in hyperspace? none of it made sense.) I knew too much and too little to enjoy it.

TROS was a narrative mess already retconning new canon and I decided that I would only keep what I liked about the new canon (poe and his family) and pretend the old canon is all there is. one day I'll write the story of poe being part of the storied rogue squadron being sent by leia's new republic to put down the fascist upstarts at the edge of the unknown regions. one day.

one more quick story -- i met my college friend’s three kids for the first time when the oldest was 6. i’d sent a toy lightsaber as a gift when he was born, because i believe every child should get their first lightsaber from a skywalker, and his father had shown him the movies when he turned 4. when i walked into the house i said hello and he said, “i have some questions about star wars.”

we sat on the couch with the tfa visual dictionary, a book he’d gotten out of the library. every question he had was an excellent question, and i couldn’t answer any of them. “why does his lightsaber look like that? and why does he have the extra blades?”

“well, kiddo, let’s see what it says here about how lightsabers are made. i used to know all about it, but they changed everything on me.”

---

what i love about star wars since disney bought it:

poe dameron, cassian andor (and all of rogue one, i got over the fact that the movie wouldn’t be about rogue squadron it was PERFECT), solo (a fucking DELIGHT), the mandalorian, and i’m sure the cassian andor live action will be amazing and i’ll love it.

#star wars #fandom thoughts #i've just spent SO MUCH of my life being a star wars fan #and being perfectly happy to describe myself as such #edit i tried a read more but it didn't work so sorrryyyyyyyy

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covid-school · 3 years

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The Student COVID Experience

I followed a YES Prep Southside GIANT for an entire day to see life through the eyes of a student.

At this point in the year, we’ve tried to normalize certain practices and routines, but truth is it’s just not the same. School during C*VID is...weird. I know the teacher and leader side of COVID school and its experience, but I decided to (and kind of had to) engage in a student shadowing activity to see what a student experiences and what first hand thoughts I’d experience. Below is a re-cap and reflection.

A Day in the Life of Angel, an in-person eleventh grade student at YES Prep Southside:

Approximately 8:00 a.m., Angel and I arrive to school. In the car drop-off line, Angel and I both are required to have our temperatures taken.

After we arrive, we stand outside (6 feet a part of course), and wait until 8:30.

The school doors officially open, and we start heading towards the side door where we enter the building. We head towards our classroom where we will spend the rest of our day.

Once in the classroom, Angel and I both sit behind a 4-way plexiglass divider at the long table, she opens her computer to complete her daily health check, which asks her to agree that she hasn’t felt any COVID symptoms or been around a close contact, and she is cleared to stay on campus for the day.

8:30: transition from “Homeroom” time to the first period class. We have physics first, and Mr. Branna is an in-person teacher, so he walks in and we begin to get set up for the day.

Approximately 8:45: we log into Microsoft Teams, and wait for the class call to start. Mr. Branna goes on to teach the lesson for the day. The synchronous part of class goes from 8:45-9:30, and from 9:30-10:10, we have asynchronous time where we are given practice assignments to complete on our own.

The weird thing about COVID-school is “group work is all virtual.” What I noticed is that students prefer to communicate via chat versus outloud or in-person.

Approximately 10:15: We transition to World History. For this class, Ms. Walker is a hybrid teacher, and she teaches in person and remote students in the same Teams Call. We luckily have the luxury of having her in our physical classroom so if we need something, she can show us without sharing her screen. Sync time in this class is from 10:15-11 am. Async time is from 11-11:45.

11:45: We have Advisory until 12:10 and here, we get school and grade level updates. Angel and I had previously scheduled a virtual college tour that we attended starting at 12:00 p.m.

Noon: With the permission of Ms. Moss, our AP English teacher, we stay in the virtual college tour until 12:45. At 12:45, we join Ms, Moss’ Teams call, and engage in the lesson until 1:30, when async time starts and goes until 2:10. Ms. Moss spends async time checking in with students about grades and whatever else is going on in students’ lives. [Ms. Moss was a teacher at Southside for the first two founding years for this same class of students; she transitioned to a different school for two years and decided to come back for the founding class’s last two years. The classroom culture is very comfortable despite COVID restrictions.]

2:15: We transition to our last class, Pre-Calculus, where we stay until 3:45. In this class, we work through async time with Mr. Granger because the equations were challenging, and like Ms. Walker, he is a hybrid teacher and has over 45 students to tend to.

3:40: we start to sanitize our work stations with cleaning and sanitizing wipes, and sanitize our hands. We wait behind our seats to be dismissed. At 3:45 when they dismiss the walkers, we head to the gym where we must have our temperatures taken again. After that, Angel completes an additional health check that clears her for volleyball practice.

At this point, I end my shadowing and reflect on my day as a student of the founding class at Southside. These were the realities...

1. COVID school is LONG.

Students are used to days that are packed with about 6 classes that they physically move to and from. During COVID school, even moving from seat to seat is strictly prohibited. Around lunch, I could see them starting to lose steam. I found this interesting as I also tend to feel more tired in my last two classes. Because of this, it was easier to empathize with them.

2. COVID school is something we STILL have to get used to.

Students still need reminders of routines and procedures such as staying behind their own plexiglass, not sharing food or any materials, not entering other classrooms that are not assigned to their specific cohorts, etc. Although we have been living in this COVID world for over a year, students are transitioning in and out of physical classrooms every day and it causes the sense of normalcy to be almost non-existent.

3. Students need more opportunities to interact!

I noticed that one of the only times students were given the opportunity to interact with each other is when they were having lunch or in some async portions of class. Because of that, engagement was low and during “group” work, students weren’t comfortable interacting with students who they have been in classes with since they were in 6th grade!

When I think of ways I would try and combat these issues as a school leader, first I thought about why the issues are pressing. The main thing that stuck out to me is how crucial character development is for these students! Being eleventh graders means students have one year until they enter post-secondary classrooms or the work force and there are some skills that are mandatory to be successful in those places. One of those skills is social interaction that doesn’t come from a screen. This generation already focuses so heavily on technology and being behind their phones, that I would implement group work at individual work tables. Your table would become your “working group,” and you would verbally collaborate on assignments, discussions, projects and classwork. This not only ensures the growth in development, but gives students a real taste of what the workforce and classrooms will be for them in the near future.

Second, I would make sure my staff understood the importance of empathy and expressing that to students. I asked Angel at the end of our day together how she felt about school and she said she was very tired and drained from the day’s activities every day. I told her even though I’m teaching all day, I feel the same way because its exhausting to watch students struggle and become tired behind their screens in class after class. When I said I feel the same way, I could see Angel’s smile through her mask and she said “wow JW, I didn’t think teachers got tired because at least you guys get to move around from room to room. And while that could be true, overall, this experience has been tiresome for ALL and students need to know they are not alone.

The last thing I would do as a leader, and plan to do before the year is over just as a temperature check is create an assessment that analyzes what realistic suggestions students have for “COVID school.” For example, maybe students could have the opportunity to move seats and sit with friends in their cohort classrooms during lunch as long as they sanitize them upon moving. Small changes like this could help increase energy levels which will lead to higher engagement and participation.

Overall, I was inspired by the tenacity Angel shows by showing up to COVID school every day. While she did express some of her concerns, she also pushes through and helped me realize some pivots I can suggest for my campus in order for us to finish these last six weeks strongly. Thanks Angel :)

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essekknits · 5 years

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A few tips for a tutor (or a student)

Now, I’m a tutor. I never studied it, I’m a high school graduate who was looking to earn some money to pay for driving lessons so their parents wouldn’t have to. But somehow I apparently got better results than any adult that taught those kids before. So here’s what I learned.

People know the things that make them comfortable in learning. They know them better than me. On my first lesson with any student, I make it very clear that this is not school, and if there’s anything that makes them feel more focused, be it music, or playing with their pencils, or drumming on the table or anything at all, they can do it. So one of my students always fidgets with her pencil. Another student I had would mix cards. One had the tv on as background noise.

Learn different ways to do the same thing. Not every method of teaching works for every student, and sometimes I had to go through five different ways of explaining the same assignment before my student got the idea. That’s okay and natural. Everyone’s brains work differently.

Learn not just how to do something, but why. Especially important if you teach maths. Teachers don’t actually teach what Pi means until high school, and sometimes not even then, when you use Pi since 6th grade. For most of my students, learning what Pi actually meant made it a lot easier to study circles and learn the formulas related to them. So many other formulas too. When you teach your students the “Why”, it can help them make sense out of the “How”. It doesn’t always work, but in many cases it does so it’s worth it.

If there’s a difficulty somewhere, try playing with outside factors. The problem might be somewhere different than you think. In the year I’ve been doing this, I met kids that told me “I hate reading, I can’t do it” (I teach most of my students English as a second language, so it’s usually English where I encounter it, but I got it in Hebrew too). But the simple act of moving the text to Word, dividing it to smaller paragraphs and changing the font to something more comfortable to read (you’d be surprised how nice Comic Sans can be to read), made a huge difference. She’s thriving. No, it didn’t solve all the problems. She still has a very small vocabulary, but all of a sudden she can read. She doesn’t mix the letters as much as she did. She doesn’t skip lines or struggle with words she knows as much as she used to.

Divide the studying time. I work on full hour basis, and some of my students take an hour and a half, or two hours. Divide studying times.If you have multiple subjects, divide your lesson into different parts. If you have only one subject, allow short breaks. I let my students complain about their school experience. I share some of mine with them. I let them tell me about their day or week while we’re working, or when we take a break. Maybe this works just because I’m closer to their age, but I seriously doubt that, because I used to do the same with my seventy years old piano teacher.

Shorten the studying time if you need. Leave something in the end that your student actually likes as a reward. Like, we studied boring maths for a whole hour? Let’s finish with thirty minutes of talking about black holes, cause holy shit they’re cool. The subjects are endless. In those end segments, I already discussed god and biblical stories, Greek myths, black holes, hemophilia and how Queen Victoria almost killed all of Europe’s monarchies, axolotls, water bears, and platypuses (she didn’t know they were a real thing. She thought they’re something Phineas and Ferb invented). This Sunday I’m planning a short lesson about the immune system and vaccines (we didn’t get to do them in a while because of tests).

Music is the best way to learn a language. When I teach 6th graders English, I let them analyse Beatles songs. That way they enjoy music while also learning vocabulary and grammar. Disclaimer on this one: Queen songs are NOT good for this. They’re for older students to learn English. Not for 6th graders.

Can’t believe I have to say that, but don’t talk over your students. Be on their level. Kids learn a lot better when you are their equal instead of an authority figure. Humanise yourself. Tell them about a failure you had in the subject you’re studying, cause they’re most likely failing the subject now and are terrified that you’ll judge them.

While we’re at it, establish that you’re never going to judge them for failing, not understanding or asking questions. You’ll need to remind them every lesson that if there’s anything they don’t understand they need to stop you and ask, and you’ll never judge them. No matter how stupid they think their question is, no matter how many times they asked it, it’s okay and you’ll be happy to explain it again.

Don’t let your students say “I can’t do it”. A kid that says “I can’t do it”, or “I’m just not good at it”, is a student who is giving up. Change that way of thinking. Turn “I’m not good at it” into “we didn’t find the right way to do it yet”. When they say “I can’t do it”, point at a similar assignment that they already completed, and say “I don’t know about you, but this makes me think you can definitely do it”. Let them know you believe in their abilities. Challenge them to think that they can do it.

While answering an assignment, ask the student to tell you everything that comes to their mind. No matter how stupid they think it is, ask them to tell you their first thought. I learned that often those first thoughts, and the entire thought process, are really close to what needs to be done. They just need to look at it differently.

Sometimes, you won’t be able to teach. Accept that. In some lessons, your student will be unfocused, or bothered by something else, or distressed after something happened in their life. Maybe they had a fight with their siblings, maybe they have a relative who isn’t doing so well, maybe they had drama in their friend group. It happens. It’s out of your control. Try your best to help them focus, but accept that maybe you won’t succeed. Accept that maybe they’ll need to just vent it all, or they won’t be cooperative, or they’ll take their anger and frustration out on you (especially relevant in younger students). It happens. Don’t let them take their anger out on you, but don’t get angry back. Be kind and patient. Even if you didn’t manage to teach anything that lesson, you might be able to help a little, and that matters just as much if not more.

For the love of everything that is good, back your student up in front of their parents! If the parent belittle’s the child’s achievements while the three of you are together, tell them that you think they’re making a great effort and improving very well. If it was a hard lesson, and you didn’t manage to learn a lot, say you decided to give them a break in studying in order to learn to understand them better, so the next lessons would be more beneficial to all of you. Don’t get me wrong, if the kid doesn’t make an effort it’s a whole other story, and you should make the parents aware that there is a problem (still, without pointing fingers and shaming your student, and with as much subtlety and gentleness possible). But back your student up in front of their parents. Let them feel that if their parents are pressuring them too much, they have some form of authority that says “yes, things aren’t as good as we’d like them to be, but your efforts and improvements are recognised and appreciated”. If possible, help the parent acknowledge and recognise the improvement and effort.

Dont assume that your student is neurotypical!!! Please, don’t assume that your student is neurotypical, because if you do, you won’t be able to recognise the signs that they might not be. And if you don’t recognise the signs, you won’t know to help them. Many kids who need tutoring are ND. I suspect the majority of my students are ND. If I didn’t look for the signs I know (being ND myself and learning in a class full of other ND people), I wouldn’t have been able to help them study the way I did. According to their parents, I managed to help them in a way no other tutor ever did. One of my students’ grades in English jumped from 60 to 100 after two lessons, just two, because I knew how to approach the problems differently, in a way that would help and make sense for her.

All these advice are phrased as advice to a tutor teaching other students, but honestly? These would’ve probably helped me as a student as well. Treat yourself the way you would treat a student you are teaching. Learn what works for you. Listen to yourself. Be kind to yourself. I know studying is hard, and school can be hell sometimes, but you can get through.

#studying #tutoring #studying tips #tutoring tips

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dibs4ever · 5 years

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From his View

The first time Barbara spends time with Dick Grayson she’s 13 years old. He had come home after a particularly lengthy shift, it was one of the first times he allowed her to be home alone and she was getting ready to go to bed.

“Hey sweetie” he smiled

She shot him a grin “Hey dad, glad you made it home okay”

He nodded “I talked to Bruce Wayne this afternoon”

Barbara rose an eyebrow at his random conversation starter

“Ya know the boy you met at the gala last week? His new ward?” He continued

Barbara nodded

“Well Bruce was wondering if you’d go to the Manor after school, tutor the boy and spend some time with him maybe” he explained

Barbara shook her head “You didn’t tell him I would did you? Dick is 10 years old. The last thing I want to do is spend all my free time with a 5th grader”

Jim smiled picking up a cup she had left on the coffee table and set it on a coster “He’s actually in 6th grade, he tested a grade above”

Barbara sent him a glare

“It’s not babysitting, the kid knows nobody his parents just died and Wayne enterprises keep Bruce busy. Plus honestly, I’d feel better knowing you aren’t here alone for such long stretches” he sat beside Barbara on her bed

“So it’s babysitting for me? Dad, you just stopped making Mrs.Andrews watch me” she waved

Jim shook his head “He said he’d pay you for your ‘bus fee’” he used air quotes “Which means in Bruce Wayne code it may be worth your while” he nudged her

Barbara thought for a moment before letting out a sigh “Fine tell him I’ll be there tomorrow” she reluctantly agreed

It doesn’t take long for Barbara to grow fond of Dick. Two weeks later Jim is sitting across from Barbara having dinner listening as she goes on and on telling a story Dick had told her about how he had helped the elephant tamers birth a baby elephant that he even got to name.

She continued to spend time with Dick for another 6 months. Bruce pays her $200 a week but after 3 months Barbara finds herself enjoying spending time with the younger boy so much that she tells Bruce not to pay her to hang out with him, that she’ll do it for free. He thinks she’s slightly disappointed when Bruce tells her he doesn’t need her to come over anymore because Dick has joined an after-school club. Jim doesn’t have time to question her though because he has work issues to focus on. It seems that The Batman added to his crime-fighting in the form of a kid dressed in Red, Yellow, and Green.

He meets new sidekick “Robin” as Batman seems to be calling him one night on the rooftop. Unfortunately, this is also a night that Barbara comes to the station with her. She runs up to the roof startling both him and the spandex-clad youth I front of him. Barbara stops talking mid-sentence and just stares at the boy. Do his demise the boy stares back at her, both of them silent. Feeling uncomfortable with the “Staredown” Jim quickly rushes his daughter off but not before mumbling under his breath “Not on your life Boy Wonder”

A year later a new vigilant makes it on the scene, this one a female. Batgirl her name is. Or so hers heard. He hasn’t actually seen this one. He figures Batman thinks he’ll start questioning his motives, smart move on the Dark Knights part.

At the Wayne Christmas Benefit gala, he notices how Dick and Barbara seem closer. Their ages are still quite different, she’s 15 almost 16 and he’s 12 going on 13 in the spring. He’s in 8th grade she’s in 10th. He doesn’t understand what it possibly could be that has brought them closer as friends but he’s happy she at least has someone to pass time with during Galas. He chuckles to himself when he notices the secret glances Dick is sending to his daughter. A cute little childhood crush he thinks to himself “In your dreams boy, she’s far too old for you”

That same year Barbara gets her first boyfriend. Charlie a blonde haired boy in her pre-calculus class. It doesn’t last long. He breaks up with her when she won’t “Put out” at first Jim is outraged but then he smiles when Barbara tells him she gave him a black eye.

Not too much changes over the next year. Gotham is crazier than ever keeping Jim very busy and away from him most days. Which is why he’s startled when he comes by the apartment really quick to grab his back up glasses. He pauses when he hears voices coming from Barbara’s room. He knew Barbara was home but figured she’d be asleep by now. He listens in from the other side

“Would you relax?” He hears Barbara say with a giggle

Who is she talking to? He thinks to himself

“Are you sure your dads not home?” He asks—-he is the voice of Dick Grayson

What’s he doing here? He’s about to open the door when the conversation continues

Dick shakes his head “Your right I thought I head something. I just can’t believe you’ve kept this from him as long as you have.”

“Admitting I’m better at you at something”

“Never” Dick responds with a chuckle

“Why don’t you prove it” Barbara responded lightly

Dick chuckles “Oh believe me I will”

What is going on? Barbara is 17, Dick is 14. Yeah he knew they had gotten closer after he started high school and they began going to the same school but he didn’t think they were- he hears a squeaking and quickly flings the door open

But what he sees is not what he expects. He catches the tail end of a black and yellow cape. The curtain now flapping in the wind. He walks over and shuts the window causing the squeak to come again. Five minutes later an officer over the radio reports a possible Batgirl and Robin sighting

My daughter is Batgirl, Dick Grayson is Robin

Jim decides not to let on that he knows.

Barbara begins college the next year, Dick is 15 but a junior in high school. Robin, Batgirl and Batman are still going strong. They’re at the Manor for a private dinner Bruce is hosting. Dick doesn’t join them, something about not feeling well Alfred mentions.

He buys it until he overhears Barbara and Dick in the living room after dinner

“Hey Dick calm down,” she says softly

They’re both sitting on the couch

“I can’t Babs I don’t know how much more of this I can take. We fight constantly about everything” he says his face in his hands

Barbara shakes her head resting a hand on his back. He’s grown a lot over the last year but she is still taller than him. “Hey it’ll pass you two care about each other”

“I’m always going to be in his shadow” he stuffs his face further into his hands. “I feel myself turning into him and that’s not what I want to be”

“Hey” Barbara touches his cheek causing him to look up “You are not living in his shadow, and you aren’t turning into him. Dick, you are kind and sweet. You make me laugh. You might up the room when you walk in” she leaned forward pecking his cheek lightly

“I better go, my dads, gonna be looking for me” she stands

Dick nods “Yeah, thank Babs for everything”

She nods and walks out the living rooms other exits

6 months later Dick is gone. “Boarding School” is what Bruce tells Jim and the public. But Jim feels it probably has something to do with his Robin duties. Barbara doesn’t say much about it but Jim knows she has to be upset about her friend's sudden leave of absences

It doesn’t take Batman long to find a new protégé. Six months later a new Robin is on the scene. Batman doesn’t introduce him to this one.

It’s not for 2 years that Dick Grayson returns. He’s 18 now and grown quiet immensely in the past 2 years. He’s taller, broader and more masculine.

“Dicks taller then me now,” Barbara says with a smile. She’s sitting at the table across from him at the cafe they met at for lunch. With his job at the department and hers at the library, they don’t see each other much. Not to mention she lives in her own apartment now. She’s 21 and recently gotten out of a relationship with Jason Bard. Jason worked for the department, he was an alright guy but Jim wasn’t too devastated when they called it quits. Jim nods “Oh yeah?”

Barbara smiles “Yeah but only by an inch. He’s grown a lot don’t you think?”

Jim nods “Yes he has he’s not that scrawny boy anymore”

Barbara laughs “Dick was never scrawny, but I agree he’s grown into his features.”

Jim takes a swig of coffee “Where is he living? With Bruce again?”

Barbara almost chokes on her coffee cake “No he’s uh staying in Bludhaven. Actually, he is joining the police academy “ she explains

Jim nods “Wow well tell him if he needs any help I’d be more then willing to give my advice”

Barbara nods “I definitely will”

It’s a few months later that he is at a Gala. Everyone beautifully dressed. Dick and Barbara are attached at the hip. Just like old times. But now it’s different. They are laughing and giggling and there’s a gleam in both their eyes. They’re both exchanging glances. Barbra is touching Dick's bicep and occasionally running her hands through his hair, He catches Dick checking out his daughter more than once. He wants to be mad but he catches her doing it to him too. This isn’t cute like it was when Dick was a child. No, it worries him. His daughter now has feelings for Dick Grayson and he can’t do anything about it.

#Dickbabs #DickBabs fanfiction #dick grayson #barbara gordon

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current-mcr-news · 6 years

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Casual Interactions #1: Full Transcription

John: Welcome to Casual Interactions, a show about old friends getting together and telling stories. I'm John "Hambone" McGuire, and with me today are some of my oldest and dearest friends, Frank Iero and Shaun Simon.

Frank has been a traveling musician all his life, best known as the guitar player of My Chemical Romance, and singer of Leathermouth and Death Spells. He's currently fronting his own band and writing music as a solo artist.

Shaun is a writer and is best known for his work on The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, Art Ops, and Neverboy. He's currently working on Wizard Beach for BOOM! Studios.

I'm a jack of all trades, and if I told you what I actually did for a living, I'd have to kill you.

So to say that we're busy is an understatement. We are a group of friends who are just looking for an excuse to get together more and hang out. We used to do it over breakfast and we figured that eating eggs on mic would be a little too gross, so we're gonna do this podcast instead. How are you guys doing today?

Shaun: Hey, man.

Frank: Doing good, man. Doing very good. I'm very excited to see you guys.

J: I'm very excited to see you too, man.

F: Especially in front of a mic without eggs on your face.

J: Well, you know, I often have egg on my face. I do say a lot of dumb shit. However, it is a little better to not be chewing on microphone, or slurping, or-

F: I do have hard boiled eggs in my pocket that I'm waiting to bust out for later.

J: Is that what that smell is?

F: That's what I have. I'm prepared, that's what I'm saying.

J: You were a Boy Scout for like 2 weeks. It's evident that you've actually survived your training.

F: When I was a kid though, I went to Catholic school and everybody wanted to be an altar boy, but I couldn't do it because I would see my dad on the weekends.

J: Right.

F: And I couldn't do Boy Scouts either and I was real depressed about that. I remember.

J: Yeah but you know, he taught you how to play drums so there's gotta be a-

F: That was the upside, upswing.

J: There's gotta be an upswing to it.

F: I didn't get touched-

J: Jesus, Frank.

F: -and I learned how to play drums.

J: We're not even a minute in.

S: I can't picture you as an altar boy.

F: I know, me neither.

S: You probably would've burned that altar down.

F: Well here's the thing, think about this-

S: Holding fucking fire in your hands on the fucking altar.

F: Later on, in my career as a grammar schooler in 8th grade, right before graduation, we were gonna have practice graduation. I don't know why you have to have practice for graduation.

J: They need to make sure you can walk in a straight line.

F: Yeah! Exactly. It's like a DUI, basically, yeah, for 8th graders. But we'd have them in the church. And I remember a few of my friends had these stink bombs, and they were like, "Oh, we should throw them in the church." And everybody was like, "No fucking way!" And I was like, "I'll fucking throw that shit!" And I took them and I threw them and I got-

S: Of course you did.

F: Of course I did. And then they wouldn't let me graduate.

J: You were an 8th grade domestic terrorist.

F: I think I was just pissed that I couldn't be an altar boy!

J: Well just think about how a church smells musty, base-line. Like any church you go into, you never walk into a church and go, "Wow! This place smells really good. They must be like, using Yankee Candles or something." It always just smells base-line musty. And then you add a stink bomb to it, in a room that's not very well ventilated either. Oh, Jesus!

F: Yes, I called it Frankincense. Later on though too, I remember I had to go to one of those retreat things because of this, and then I ended up getting in trouble there because we stole the wine and they caught us drinking wine.

J: How about you, Shaun? You ever an altar boy or a Boy Scout when you were a kid?

S: I was an altar boy.

F: You were?!

S: I was, yeah.

F: Oh!

S: I don't know if I have any stories, though. I just did the shit and left. Right?

F: But you have the knowledge and that's how you can judge if I-

S: Right!

F: -you could see me in that position.

S: That's why I can see you burning down the church... if Frank was an altar boy.

J: Now churches just burn when you walk into them. Which is like, gotta be a 9th level spell. Good for you getting to that level of wizardry... So why don't we take a second and step back and talk about how we met.

F: Okay, go ahead.

J: So we all grew up in different parts of town. Frank grew up in Belleville.

F: True.

J: I grew up in Clifton. Shaun grew up on the other side of Clifton. Now for those listening, the city of Clifton is shaped like a giant horseshoe, and this is in New Jersey. It borders 12 other towns, so where Shaun lived in Clifton might as well have been 4 towns away from where I lived.

F: Is it really shaped like a horseshoe?

J: It is shaped like a giant horseshoe.

S: It's shaped like horseshit.

J: Yeah. Just parts of it smell like horseshit. I actually did a report on it in the 6th grade and that's how I know it's shaped like a giant horseshoe. Borders 12 towns, don't ask me to name them now because I don't remember most of them.

F: I'm still thinking of like how- because I get lost everywhere, but maybe that's why I can't figure my way around Clifton.

J: Well you were only ever in Clifton, you'd never actually been outside of it. Like you went from Belleville into Clifton and you just never left.

F: That's true. That's true, yeah. We're talking about origin stories, right?

J: Yes!

F: Alright. I remember, because I met Shaun first.

S: Did you?!

F: Yes!

S: Oh, freshman year!

F: I don't even remember- freshman year orientation.

S: Oh!

F: I met you at the orientation.

S: That's like another world, though. Like, I feel like, I don't know.

F: It's alright, you can say you don't remember me.

S: No, I do remember you. I do remember you!

F: But you were friends with Eugene. And I was friends with Costa.

S: That's right.

F: And they were friends.

S: He used to steal cheese.

F: He used to steal cheese?

S: Didn't he used to steal cheese?

F: From who?!

S: I don't know!

F: I think you made that up, but maybe!

S: Maybe, maybe. He was just a really small kid and I used to think he used to steal cheese.

F: He might have!

J: I think you just projected that on him.

F: I definitely stole a lot of things with him. None of which I believe were cheese, but I mean, it's possible!

S: Maybe he was just mouse-like and I just- anyway.

F: So they would skate together and I remember finding out that you skated too, and then I would just bring a board and watch you guys skate.

S: Did you actually skateboard, though? Or did you just like-

F: I did! And then broke both my ankles, and I was never good.

S: Oh, okay.

F: I think I got as far as, like, I maybe landed 3 Ollies.

J: That's 3 more than me

F: So that's my first remembrance of you. But then you didn't stick around long.

S: I left after freshman year, yeah.

F: So we didn't even really hang out that much.

J: Now, I was 2 years older than Frank in high school, and so, I didn't even know up until we started hanging out years later that you were in the same high school as me because I wouldn't- not that I was like some cool older kid, I definitely was not. However, I wasn't at freshman orientation that year because I was a junior, so yeah. So years later we end up meeting again because of a mutual friend. It was Bruno right?

S: Bruno, yeah.

F: Oh yeah!

J: Because you went to Bergen Community College with Bruno.

S: Kinda went there.

J: Kinda went there. I mean, one does not simply really go to Bergen Community College.

F: Shaun didn't stick around any school for very long.

S: I didn't stick around very long.

J: He's just out there smoking cigarettes, hanging with the cool kids, being bad.

F: Yeah, and he can be an altar boy. I see, alright.

J: He can be an altar boy. He's quiet about it. He shuts the fuck up, he gets in there, does his job, and gets out. Like you, you had to make a production about it.

S: Yeah, Frank would've made sure everyone knew he was an altar boy.

F: This is true! This is true. Fucking drama... Drama boy! Drama altar boy!

J: I mean, I could imagine you like, "I'm an altar boy," and flashing your cross like you're a cop. "Yeah, here. I'm on the job. I'm on the job for Jesus."

F: Ah, shit. Alright, fine. Touché!

J: So, Frank and I played in bands together in high school, and we played with one of our friends named Bruno. Bruno brought Shaun along one night to hang and we've all been friends ever since! We've since played in bands together, we've since played in bands separately, and now we're here in Frank's basement recording a podcast.

F: Isn't that crazy? Fucking small world.

J: It's 20 years.

F: Is it really?!

J: It's about 20 years worth of friendship happening, culminating in this podcast.

F: I'm so old.

S: I don't feel like I'm 20 years older than I was.

J: No, neither do I, man. I still, like-

F: I do!

S: I also don't feel like I look it.

J: No, you don't.

S: I don't know if that's just me.

F: You kept your handsomeness.

J: You were always the looks of the band.

S: Yeah... I don't know about that.

J: So yeah, we love hanging out together. We are always looking for new reasons to hang out because it's hard when you get a little bit older. People have kids, people have different jobs, things that take you different places, some of us going all over the world. So what we're going to do every episode is talk about a different topic. So today we're really just gonna focus on our origin story. So that's how we end up all meeting, and then a little while after that... You know, Frank and I have been playing in bands together since high school, I played with a couple different people. Frank tried to go to college, I tried to go to college a few times, and then we ended up getting back together and deciding to start a new band, and that band ended up being Pencey Prep.

F: Yeah.

J: So we wanted a keyboard player, and we just loved hanging out with Shaun.

S: Wait, did you want a keyboard player-

F: I think we did!

S: -or were you just like, "We like hanging out with this dude, do something for us."

F: I think it was both.

S: It was a little bit of both.

F: Yeah!

J: A little column A, a little column B.

S: "Guitar is a little too hard to learn, here's a keyboard."

J: Right. And I was already playing bass. And that's what it was. We pulled a keyboard out from under the bed and said, "Learn how to play this and you can be in the band." Because we just wanted to keep hanging out with you. And that was it, you know, that's the real origin story of how Pencey Prep started. We just wanted to hang out more with Shaun.

F: This is true. Yeah! Here's the moral of it: is that we continuously manufacture things so that we can hang out with you, Shaun.

J: Like this podcast!

F: Yeah! That's just an ongoing thing. 20 years later, Hambone bought a bunch of mics.

S: Right, right!

F: Just to lure you to our house to hang out.

J: Because breakfast wasn't enough sometimes. I had to take it up a notch, recording you right now.

F: Yes, exactly. Goddamn it.

J: I mean, that's what it is. You look at a band like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, right? Like, what does Ben Carr really do? Well, apparently Ben Carr is a tour manager and he runs the whole day to day operations of the band. But back in the day, they just wanted to hang out with their buddy, they wanted something for him to do, so they said, "Well, just dance onstage."

S: Oh, that's right!

J: You should be happy, Shaun. We didn't make you dance.

S: Yeah, I wouldn't have done that anyway. We would've had to say our goodbyes back then.

F: Well, even early Pencey shows, there was a lot of playing verses- no, playing choruses! And then during the verses you would just smoke. Just smoke onstage.

S: So I was like, "Here's this dude, he's gonna stand there and look cool, smoking a cigarette."

F: Right, yeah. It was very Velvet Underground.

J: And you wouldn't even face the crowd either. You know, the whole band is going at it with the crowd, you were just turned sideways and just staring at whatever wall was in your direction on stage left, and just... smoking.

F: Judging. Just judging everyone. Yes!

J: Light it up during the verse, fly in for the chorus, Shaun Simon.

F: There it is! I mean, it worked.

J: That's what you did.

F: It did!

S: It worked.

F: That was a fun band to be in.

J: That was a fun band.

S: You know what's weird about that band? It feels like we were a band so much longer than we actually were. It wasn't that long, right?

F: You know what I think? I think that Pencey wasn't long. The time period after when we were doing I Am A Graveyard, that was longer.

S: Was that longer?

F: I think so.

S: Because we only had like 3 songs, didn't we?

F: Like 4 or 5. But I think that was the other thing too, we just liked hanging out so much that-

J: We didn't wanna stop.

F: We didn't wanna stop, yeah.

J: I feel like it was about a year and a half leading up to us getting ready to record the record. Then we recorded the record, we went on that one ill-fated tour across America, and then we just kinda restructured the band when Tim left.

F: Yeah.

S: No, actually we restructured the band and then we did I Am A Graveyard, and then Tim left.

J: Then Tim left. Then that was the end of the band.

S: Then Frank joined My Chem.

J: Yeah, I mean it was a really great time. The thing about that is to me , I look back on the record kinda cringing-ly. Because I just can't listen to it, it's really hard to get through. And it's funny when I look at kids who were our age, recording now and the kinda stuff they're doing. And granted, I know technology is very different, but the idea of our playing ability at 19, 20, 21, versus a kid who's 19, 20, 21 now's playing ability, it's like night and day.

F: Oh my god. Oh, I know.

J: It's like, god bless that it happened before the internet and nobody caught on that we stunk. We were tight! We were a good band but we were like the high school band and everyone else is doing laps around us.

F: I feel like that's the thing too is like, now you see these young kids, 11 and 12, going on YouTube and learning how to play, and really giving it their all. It's insane! I would just listen to records and smoke pot in my room and try to figure stuff out. And I don't know, there wasn't that outlet to get better. You actually had to go and take lessons from somebody. And it was like, "Fuck that."

J: And taking lessons sucked.

F: I know.

J: I mean I'm not shitting on anyone who does take lessons.

F: No, no!

J: But when I was a kid I was like, "Dude. I don't wanna take lessons, I just wanna go out and do this." However, I realize now that it takes a lot of effort to make something look effortless.

F: Yeah!

J: And I also look back at that record fondly because where I am today, kinda where we all are today, is because of that record. Like, the friends that I have and the family I have in my life, I met all because I was in the music scene. I think we all did, right? We all did.

S: Everything kind of originated from that band.

J: My friend Carrie hit me up from Tennessee the other day and she was like, you know, talking about the Pencey Prep record. And I was about to just shit all over it because it's- well it's hard for me to go back and listen to. But she gave me the perspective and she said, "Hey, because of that record, because you were in that band, we met. And because of that, your other friends have met and now they have families and they're all together because we were all kind of in that same place at the same time." I have a profound sense of gratitude for the record. I just can't listen to it.

F: I wouldn't change anything, because everything ended up the way it did. That's wonderful. But if I could Doc Brown it, and just tweak little things here and there, I'd definitely- there's a lot that I would tweak.

S: Yeah, if someone played to a click track.

F: Well, click- click would help!

J: Lots of auto-tuning.

F: But that's- yeah! I mean that's the thing. There are certain things that you listen back and it's cringy, but that's because you were a fucking teenager! It's supposed to be.

J: Right, and it was a very different thing being a teenager when we were teenagers, and being a teenager now.

F: Yeah.

J: Night and day.

F: I totally agree.

J: I would not survive as a teenager now.

F: No! Fuck no! I'd be naked on the internet somewhere.

J: Somewhere.

F: It would ruin my goddamn life! Totally. Doing some dumb shit.

J: Yeah, absolutely.

F: We had VHS recorders. Destroy that shit.

J: Yeah, absolutely. My friend George Bungle lores over my head that he definitely has pictures of me when I was wearing eyeliner and flat ironing my hair, and I was like, "Please!" I was like, "George, just let me find a wife first, because it'll be harder for her to leave me once those pictures come out. There would be lawyers involved."

F: Yikes. Yeah. Well, that's the thing too, is like, I do have minor interactions on social media. Just like, through Twitter and Instagram, stuff like that. Facebook is an animal that I can't understand so I just decide not to use it.

J: It's all racist

F: Is it really?! Jesus!

J: Facebook is where you go to figure out which of your friends have actually been racist this entire time.

F: Oh my god! Ugh.

J: Yeah, just stay off it.

F: That sounds terrible.

J: It's pretty bad.

F: So anyway, I'm not going on Facebook then. But people will send like, pictures of like, a moment in time, just this fucking split second moment in time, but, "Explain this." I'm like, "Motherfucker!

S: What do you mean?

F: Yeah, exactly! "What are you talking about?" You have to explain every goddamn moment of your life that's been captured in some sort of video clip or like still, or photo, like- So you'll see some questionable hairstyles, or styles of things. And certain things maybe made sense in a moment because you were making fun of something, but when it gets taken out of context, it makes no sense. But my response usually is like, "Alright, yeah, that may have been questionable, but I will show you 100,000 people that are wearing their hair like that still, right now, because I did that."

J: Absolutely! Absolutely.

S: What? Are they talking about your dreadlocks?

F: Oh, that's one!

J: That's one!

S: Is that one of them? Remember when we cut those off?

F: Yeah!

S: Threw them out the hotel window-

F: In Chicago!

J: Chicago, yeah!

F: Yeah, we planted them.

J: I mean, they're technically biodegradable, right?

S: Yeah.

F: No!

S: I don't know about that.

J: Oh, no, they're not!

F: No. Those are bad for the environment. That's why Chicago is the way it is. Because we threw them out the window.

J: Frank's old dreadlocks. I'm sure there's a tree growing where you threw that dreadlock outside of the hotel where I'm staying at next week.

F: I don't know if you remember this, though. That started out of a joke because we're all in the back of this van, and we were talking about the music that Tim liked, which he was really into nu-metal and weird shit.

J: Oh my god, yeah, I remember.

F: And I started tying knots in my hair, and they turned into that, and we put like, crazy glue in it

S: Ew.

F: And that's how it started. And then it just got real nasty.

J: I wonder if people like, because you know everyone like, lives on their phone now, like the distraction in the back of the van. I don't think a band would ever do that now because they're gonna be so distracted being on social media. Whereas, to pass the time you guys were really busy throwing my Thin Lizzy CDs out the window and gluing your hair together!

F: Oh man!

J: You left the case, though, which I always thought was funny.

F: Did we leave the case?

J: You did leave the case.

S: Why- who threw your CDs out?

F: It was a tape, it was a tape. I think-

S: Why did we decide that was a good idea?

J: How many times can you hear "Jailbreak" on the same tour?

F: That! Yeah, it was like, "The boys are not back in town. we have to stop." It just got to be too much.

J: It was the first intervention of many.

F: Alright, here's another thing about origin stories. I remember this like it was fucking yesterday, and Shaun will vouch for this. Those early My Chem tours in the van where you would have to bring these billfolds of CDs.

S: Oh, absolutely.

F: That was like 100 pounds of CDs that you were bringing with you every tour, to just pass the time, stuff like that. It was fucking horrible! Everything would be scratched and destroyed by the time you got back.

S: Start it all over.

J: Oh yeah, absolutely. Because every bump in the road-

F: Oh my god!

J: It's the same thing when we used to drive around. So we had a van, a yellow school bus van, that I bought for like 800 bucks. The thing was the drizzling shits. It was a terrible, terrible van, but we needed a van to go on tour, and all we wanted to do was tour, so we went and I got the van and we got it fixed up. And the very first night of tour, we were playing at the Loop Lounge for our tour kickoff party. And as we were driving the van to the rehearsal space to go and pick up the gear, I bumped into a curb, the timing belt jumped, and we almost missed the first day of the tour. And it was all downhill from there because this van also, the anti-freeze hose popped, and destroyed the van's on-board computer so we got stuck in Minnesota.

F: Can we dive into that story a little bit more? Because that was the whole reason of the tour, was this one show that we got booked. Was it with Les Savy Fav? J: It was Les Savy Fav at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. So the 7th Street Entry is the smaller part of the First Ave. which one of the biggest and most famous rock clubs in America. You've seen it in Prince's "Purple Rain," and the whole point of the tour was that we got this gig at the 7th Street Entry with Les Savy Fav, and we were traveling out there to go and do this show. Now on the way, besides the timing belt jumping, we had a problem with the seal on the gas tank, so we could only ever fill the tank up-

F: This is true, I remember!

S: That's right!

J: We could only ever fill the tank up three-quarters of the way, so that was the second problem.

F: But you kinda didn't know how far you were going. You just thought, "Alright, that's three-quarters of a tank," and then it would seep in and you would smell gas all day.

J: And we would smell gasoline.

S: And wasn't it like, we were nervous about flicking cigarettes out the windows?

F: Yes! But it didn't stop us.

S: We just kept smoking.

J: No, and I remember going and getting that fixed, getting the seal fixed, and just sitting there, and the guy was literally- he had the van up and he's underneath it and he's smoking a cigarette and he's checking it, and I'm like, "This is how I die! This is officially how it ends for me." Thankfully, it didn't. So, take us back. Frank, we were driving to Minneapolis.

F: Driving to Minneapolis. This was the show, man. This is it, we were gonna make it. This is the like our big show! And so we stop off in Minnesota, right?

J: Right.

F: And we're like, "Alright, we're gonna get a good night's sleep. The next day, we're driving to this show, we're gonna play the biggest show of our band's career. We're gonna have our CD. It's gonna be great. We're gonna do this." So we head out and I think it was maybe 2 hours into a 3 hour drive, and the van was like, "No, you're not." Because it just like- you ever see like, in a horror movie where like, someone cuts a stomach and just the bowels fall out? That's how- everything. Like, the poor girl just fucking disemboweled on the highway.

J: So the hose popped-

F: Blood. Car blood!

J: Anti-freeze everywhere! And now I know what hot anti-freeze smells like. It smells like hot maple syrup.

F: Yeah.

J: So we pull over to the side of the road. Thankfully, there was a Ford dealership literally 1,000 feet where we were at the top of the hill. So we got them to tow us there. It cost $666.34 to repair, which I called my dad. I was like, "Dad, please! Please, let me use your credit card, we're stuck out here!" And he did. Like, my father has-

F: The greatest.

J: -always been so supportive of the music that I've played, the music Frank's played. So he came and he gave his credit card number over the phone to this car dealership outside of Minneapolis, and we never made the show.

F: Uh uh.

J: We didn't play the show.

F: Did not play the show. Did not pay him back either. Fucked up! Sorry. Oh shit.

J: He just put it on my tab. It's like, "How many times you drop out of college, John?" And just add it up, you know. So I mean, so that was the first Pencey Prep tour. You know we played- our friend, Neil, who was in the band, he booked the tour, and this is back when e-mail is just new. Like, you know, there is internet, but people have like Juno and AOL. There's no high speed internet, you know. You used to call CBGB's to get a gig, they didn't have an e-mail address. You'd have to call at like Tuesday or Thursday between these hours and if you did not call during those times, or you couldn't get someone on the phone, you weren't getting booked to CBGB's. So, this is so many years ago! Like you think about it, this was 2000! This is almost 20 years.

F: Was it 2000? Or was it 99?

J: Oh, maybe it was 99 at that point, yeah! I mean, you know, you and I have been friends- I graduated in 97, I met you in 1995. And then I met you a few years later so-

S: Hm...

J: Yeah, 99.

S: 99, yeah maybe.

J: 99 was the first Pencey- the first and only Pencey tour.

F: Right!

J: So you know, we made the towns, we played the clubs, then the van had another problem where we got to, I think, Missouri of all places, and had to fix the gas tank again. And we were at a point, our last show of the tour was Columbus, Ohio in this basement. I forget the name of the club but it was a basement club and the guy stiffed up for money, because he's like, "Well I'm not gonna pay you guys, you didn't bring anybody.” It's like, "Well, we're from fucking New Jersey!" So we gunned it all the way home, we would not turn the engine off because we were afraid it wasn't gonna turn back on. Do you remember the CD that was stuck in the CD player that we had to listen to the entire 10 and a half hour ride home?

F: No.

S: No.

J: "Stay What You Are" by Saves the Day.

F: Oh god! So bleak!

J: It got stuck in the CD player, because everything was going on, why wouldn't that go wrong?

F: Well, that's the thing. That's a great record, but like, to listen to over and over again on our- already being depressed. Fuck!

J: Yeah, we got our asses kicked on that first tour, you know? A little while after that, Neil wasn't in the band anymore. And then a little while after that, we became I Am A Graveyard, and we did a couple years of that, still slugging along, and then the rest is history for Frank.

F: For everybody!

J: Yeah.

F: You guys did The Hostage after that, too.

J: We did do The Hostage for a little while. The Hostage, I think, we lasted maybe 6-7 months.

S: I think we played, like, 3 shows.

J: We played 3 really awesome shows.

S: Really, yeah, really good shows.

J: We had a good buzz about us, but the other guys in the band were dicks. You know what, I take that back. Dan wasn't a dick, Paul wasn't a dick, it was the other guy that was a dick.

S: Yeah.

J: So... He got a little too big for his britches and the band had to break up.

S: Well the problem with Dan, he... I remember, I think I was talking to you, and you with My Chem, you were like, "Yeah, why don't you guys come out and open for us?" You remember that?

J: Yeah.

S: In like Pittsburgh, or something like that. And then Dan was like, "Oh, I have to work because I have to pay my car lease," or something.

J: Yeah, yeah.

S: And it was like, "Dude, where's your fucking drive to do this?"

J: The thing about being in bands and the things about doing any kind of like, artistry, or any kind of like, going into business for yourself, takes sacrifice.

F: It does.

J: Putting the time and effort into doing something that's outside of working 9-5, it takes hard work. Like, you could either make that decision to work 9-5 for someone else, or you work 18 hours for yourself.

F: My dad and my grandfather were musicians and they played all the time, and it wasn't always something they did full time, for a living. It was something they could do- you know, they had to have another job to support. But my dad would always tell me like, you know, "There's music and then there's a music business, and one, very often, has nothing to do with the other."

J: Absolutely.

F: And the thing about, you know, music- the business side of it is so cutthroat and unforgiving at times.

J: Right.

F: And there's no justice in it. Some of the best players are still looking for a fucking gig.

J: Absolutely!

F: You could have a degree that you spent thousands and thousands of dollars on, and years and years of your life trying to obtain, and you can't get a fucking job.

J: Right.

S: Yeah.

F: So it would behoove you to have a safety net, or like, a real job so that you can, you know, afford to do these things. But very often, that's not conducive to this life. Know what I mean?

J: Right.

F: So you kinda have to throw caution to the wind and say, "Fuck it. I'm gonna sleep on a bench if I have to, to do this kinda thing," and that's not the smartest thing I know.

J: Yeah, it's definitely not the smartest thing, and I'd never like-

F: It's not easy either.

J: I'd never begrudge Dan, uh, for doing that-

F: No!

J: The thing is, you know, where we- how we grew up, you have to go to college, you have to get a job, you have to do this, you have to be responsible. And not everyone is ready to go off and join the circus.

S: I just felt like with The Hostage especially, that you know, me and you, Hambone, were on the same page with that. And I felt other people weren't.

J: Oh, definitely not.

S: You know what I mean? I feel like me and you were ready to go, if go was a thing that happened.

J: Right.

S: And the others were like, you know, "I still have to do this so I have to work around my fucking flat tire on my fucking Mom's car."

F: It's very easy to say, "Hey, yeah, I'm down for the cause." It's another thing to do it.

J: Yeah, absolutely.

F: That's the scary part.

J: In the words of Jim Teacher, "Everyone wants to rock and roll, no one wants to pay the price."

F: This is true, man. If it were easy, everybody would do it, right?

J: Absolutely. Absolutely.

F: Fuck! But that's the thing, too, is- you know, the shitty thing is that- even if you have the talent and you have the heart and you take the risk, you still gotta have the luck. It's like, "Motherfucker!" It's like this perfect- it's like winning the lottery!

J: It is.

F: It doesn't make any goddamn sense.

J: For me, I didn't have the luck. My luck took me in very different directions and I'd never change anything about it, I'm super super grateful for it. You know, however, I hit a point where I was in my early 30s and I was like, "Shit, I kinda need to get like, a job job, and make some money because I got nothing." And that was cool, it was alright, because I have a work ethic. When you're a person who's passionate about their art and what they create, you know, whether it's Shaun's writing, Frank's writing music, I'm producing podcasts now, you always have that reason to get up in the morning and kick yourself in the ass and go take care of business. So I was able to go find a crazy job that if I told you what I did for a living, I'd have to kill you. Uh, made a bunch of money, and then I was able to kinda come back to the thing that I love the most, which is playing music, and being creative. Sometimes you just have to take a knee and reassess your situation. Redefine your ideas of success.

F: Yeah! Absolutely.

J: You know? So, I mean, I got my happy ending.

S: There it is!

F: There it is!

J: So do you guys have any final thoughts on the origin story?

F: Oh man!

S: I feel like we didn't cover a lot.

F: Yeah! We could probably keep going on the origin story, I think, for a couple- maybe we could take a break and then do another episode of origins.

J: Alright, so what we're gonna do is, we're gonna wrap this episode up. This'll be Origins-

F: Origins 1A!

J: Origin 1. This is part 1 of the origin story. Yeah, this is just the story of Pencey Prep and friendship, and next will be the story of Pencey Prep and Friendship: The Dark Knight Rises. So, you know, we'll find some catchy subtitle for it. Frank, where can people find you?

F: I live- New Jersey.

S: Don't give them your address!

F: I use Instagram. I have an Instagram called frankieromustdie, I have a Twitter that's @frankiero, and I have a website I guess, frank-iero.com. Because somebody had frankiero.com.

J: How rude!

F: Yeah!

S: Is that why there's no A in it?

F: Oh, what's that?

S: Isn't that- don't you do something where there's no A in your name?

F: I was- yeah, I was doing that for a while, too. So I could at least cut through some of the fakers. It's like faker He-Man, dude. Somebody has frankiero.com, I don't know who it is. I think, I don't know if there's like, I think there's companies that like, go out and buy, just domain names and then try to like, hold them ransom.

J: Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean I'm shocked that I got hamfistedproductions.com.

F: Dude.

J: I'm shocked that we got casualinteractions.com!

S: Do we have that?

J: Oh yeah!

S: The website?

J: Oh, I got it.

F: Oh, nice! See?

S: Oh shit! Look at you, man!

J: I'm proactive.

F: Now, here's the thing! You could use that for this.

J: Yeah.

F: Right? And it'd be alright. Or you could start like, a weird porno hooker thing and make a lot of money.

J: Oh no, that's why we're sitting on it.

F: Right, right!

J: I'm gonna wait until someone wants to pay us. When the money comes rolling in, we're splitting it three ways, we're going to Cabo! Shaun, where can people find you?

S: I don't use anything. I have Twitter, @shaunsimon.

F: You have a Twitter?

J: You do have a Twitter.

S: I have Twitter.

F: Oh, alright. I'll check it out.

J: He's been known to tweet. What do you have in stores right now?

S: What do I have in stores?

J: Yeah, what books out right now?

S: Oh, nothing! I just- one of my books just was announced a few months ago called Wizard Beach. It's coming out in December, I believe.

J: Alright, very cool.

S: It's a comic book. Not a prose book, so.

J: Maybe one day, you'll write some prose.

S: We'll see what happens.

J: Well, when this episode drops, Wizard Beach will probably be right around the corner so definitely check out Wizard Beach at your local comic book store.

F: Wait, if you write a prose book can you title it "Every Prose Has Its Thorn"?

J: Yes!

F: So good.

J: You can find me at- you can check out my other podcast. It's The Vintage RPG Podcast, it's a gaming podcast. We talk about Dungeons & Dragons and other RPG games. You could also find me at maitaitv.com, for my punk rock Tiki podcast Mai Tai Happy Hour.

So, for Shaun Simon and Frank Iero, I'm John "Hambone" McGuire. Join us next month for another episode of Casual Interactions. Until then, hold onto your friends.

#frank iero #hambone #shaun simon #casual interactions #1 #casual interactions 1 #full transcription

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endgamehale · 6 years

Text

The Falling of James Barnes

Hi guys!! So I usually post on ao3 but I decided to start posting my works on here? i’m kind of new to this lmao sorry

read it on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13079523

and leave a comment or just enjoy here!

It's like Bucky is seeing him for the first time, like he's falling in love all over again.

"Stevie," he croaks out. There are tears in his eyes.

.......

He remembers the time Steve and him had first met. He'd seen the blue eyed boy sitting in the grass, glowing like an angel. He had talked to Steve that day. Found out it was the first time in weeks he had been allowed outside. Bucky had flashed him a boyish grin, telling Steve he was glad that he was better now, and that they were best friends.

He remembers the time he'd first saved Steve from being beaten to death. It was after school in their 6th grade year. Steve had told some fellas to stop picking on a little 4th grader, so they beat up on him instead. There was blood coming from his lip and his nose and his eye was swollen shut, but he looked just as angelic as the first day they'd met.

He remembers the first time Steve had gotten sick- real sick. It was in the 4th grade, during winter. He'd gotten something called pneumonia. He was in bed for weeks- so sick he couldn't even stay awake. He was really sweaty, too. Bucky had been there. Every day. Even fell asleep a couple times when Steve got so bad he couldn't breathe and needed to use his inhaler. Especially when Sara had to work nights. When Steve had woken up, Buck was there. "Bucky? You stayed?" Steve's voice was raspy and cracky. "Till the end of the line, Stevie." There was a ghost of a smile on both of their faces. "Till the end of the line."

He remembers the night Sara had died. Steve was a mess. There were tears on his face, but he wasn’t moving. Looked like he wasn’t even breathing. He stayed like this for hours until he snapped, throwing and kicking shit and screaming until he couldn’t breathe. Bucky was there to hold the inhaler to his lips and stroke his face.

“It’ll be okay, Stevie. I gotcha. Sleep.” His best friend slept with tear stains on his cheeks that night. Bucky wiped them away, his body intertwined with Steve’s.

He remembers the first time they’d held hands. They had been at the water all day, summer heat finally getting to it’s humid parts. The sun was setting on the walk home, and they decided to take the back way. Steve had looked over at him and smiled, before looking both ways up and down the street, grabbing Bucky’s hand. Somehow, they’re able to make it all the way home without having to part hands, sharing shy glances. It's the first time Bucky's ever been nervous. Steve Rogers was the one to do it. They were 13.

He remembers their first kiss, just some days after they first held hands. They were at the water again, but relaxing in the cool shade of a tree, where no one else could see them. Their hands were intertwined and no words were spoken until Steve had turned on his side and analyzed Bucky's face.

"You're the prettiest boy I've ever met, Buck." Bucky could feel his face turn a deep pink, and felt Steve lips pressed on his own. It wasn't a pretty kiss, just lips pushing on one another. Steve pulled back and smiled at his friend before laying back down, looking at the sky.

He remembers their first fight. Bucky had been out with some dame, dressed up and ready to dance. 5th time this week, and it was Friday. He'd barely been home. Doesn't remember why he didn't come home to Steve, god knows he would've loved it. Maybe the fellas were making assumptions about him and Steve's relationship again. Maybe he'd been mad. He doesn't know. He knows that when he got home, Steve had been angry. Jealous.

"What the fuck, Barnes?" Steve wasn't yelling, but his voice was loud-powerful.

"Whatdya mea, "What the fuck" Stevie? I was jus havin a good time." Okay, he was a little drunk.

"Yeah, with every dame in Brooklyn. If you want to screw them all, Buck, then stop crawling in my bed at night. I'm tired of it." There were tears in Steve's eyes, and his voice grew more quiet as he continued to speak, "I know you have to go and make sure no one knows you're gay, but this hurts me."

Bucky remembers not going out for all the next week, and hardly at all after, mostly double dates with Steve.

He remembers when he found out he was being shipped out. He tried telling them he had to stay, that he was a caretaker to his friend who was too sick to live on his own, but they wouldn't listen. So he grinned when he'd told Steve, acted like it wouldn't hurt him at all. He tries to ignore Steve's face, like someone had just ripped out his heart and then punched him in the nose. He felt the same. They spent the day together at home, with Steve drawing Bucky. At the end of the night, when they were both cuddled into each other, Bucky spoke.

"Stevie, I know you're worried, but I'm coming back home to you." He felt Steve's head burrow further into his chest.

"Buck. Please don't die." Bucky felt warm tears on his chest.

"Nah, Rogers. I'm with you till the end of the line." Steve chuckled.

"Till the end of the line."

He took a picture of Steve on a polaroid, to keep in his cap while he was away. His boy was so beautiful.

He remembers when he'd seen Steve as Captain America, looking 10x bigger than he did in Brooklyn. Remembers wanting to beat the shit out of him because, what the fuck did he tell Steve? Not to get into trouble. What did Steve do? Got into trouble. He had been scared- maybe the serum had changed his boy. Made him different. When he looked in his eyes, all doubt fell away. Steve was still his Stevie. His blue eyed angel.

He remembers the first time Steve and him fucked with Bucky on bottom. They had never gone all the way before, Bucky too worried for Steve’s health. Now? Steve was Captain America, and Bucky wanted it up the ass. It had been rough to start- animalistic. They were both much too eager to start it slow, but when Steve put more then two fingers in him, the movements became gentle.

“You ready for me, Barnes?”

“Yes, captain.”

So Steve fucked Bucky that night, slow and hard. Made sure to draw out Bucky’s orgasm, fingers in the bottom’s mouth when he could no longer keep quiet. Moaning when Bucky came around him, clenching and whimpering Steve’s name.

Steve made sure to cum in Bucky, making him hold it all in there, and calling him a good boy after.

He remembers asking Steve to marry him- after the war. Before they’re on the train. He knows he wants to spend his days with Steve. All of them. Till the end of the line, right? Sure, gay marriage isn’t legal now, but maybe soon. If not, him and Steve will just be together. For the rest of their days.

Steve says yes, tears in his eyes. He kisses Bucky like it’s the last thing he’ll ever do- and funnily enough it kind of is.

He last thing he remembers falling from the train car. Steve’s face. His scream. He’s falling and he can’t stop it. He won’t make it. So he chooses to remember Steve, who’s always been there. His best pal. Till the end of the line.

“Stevie,” he croaks out. There are tears in his eyes.

He hits the ground.

#stucky #angst #smut #stucky smut #feels #i don't know how to tag #captian america tfa #pre serum steve #pre serum stucky #post serum steve #boys falling in love

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digimonadventuresleepawayca-blog · 6 years

Text

Chapter 1:Sleep Away Camp

Donny: Hey so I’m Donny and I’m from earth. Brookhaven, Ga to be exact. However, that’s not where we are now. Let me back up so you're not completely confused here. My full names Donald Archer the 4th and I’m a Freshman in high school. I needed a summer Job to keep me busy. So me My best Friend Sierra and My cousin Kimber decided to try being camp counselors for underprivilege children. Sierra’s Twin brother and his friends tagged along due to the alone in a cabin with no real adult supervision part. Cue the slasher movie music. So let’s get back to me I’m 15 a Scorpio with medium brown hair. I’m also a cock sucker. Maybe being a camp counselor was a bad call for someone so vulgar. I enjoy fall winter and yeah that is about it as far seasons go. My favorite color is green and I have an older sister named Dana. The pretty blonde Victoria secret model is my cousin Kimberly or Kimber for short. Her favorite colors Pink so you may catch her wearing a lot of it. Her parents are never around so she spends a lot of time at my house or alone in her pool house. She me and Sierra are really close Her dad Malcom is my mom’s brother. Next off we have Sierra Cotton. Sierra is of black heritage and is the snarkiest girl I know. We became friends instantly in 6th grade when she and her twin brother Chris moved from Queens, New York. Her favorite band was Flyleaf. So we bonded over our love for their totally not Christian music. Remember how I said some of his friends tagged along. Well Sierra’s mom thought she could pull a fast one and get the house to herself for four weeks. SO she easily talked the pot head Chris into going. Chris and me are cool with each. Sierra is older than Chris by a couple of minutes so she’s always a bit bossy with him. She embarrasses him around his two friends Joaquin and Grayer a lot. Which leads us to our resident asshole in black Joaquin Baldwin. Yes he’s a Baldwin. He’s attractive cunning and all the things I myself look for in a male sex partner but he’s a mean-spirited bully and I hated him. I wished the black plague on him.. He and I were acquaintances at one point until he moved away to some place called Oildale in California.. When he returned all his hair had grown out and he was totally weird but not on crack. He and Chris never met prior to Chris moving to Brookhaven but he quickly reconnected with Grayer and thus they formed a masculine 3 some. Next, we have Grayer Osbourne. Grayer is the resident pot head he’s big into conspiracy theories and is your guy if you want to score some weed. He and Kimber were once extremely close but following Kimber’s sister’s death had a falling out. Grayer is extremely nervous at times so his weed helps him with his anxiety inability to not freak out.. Our final member of the team is our wild card a complete stranger to us in the beginning. Her name was Heather and she was an 8th grader and daughter of the owner of Camp Knot Krystal Lake. We were tasked with picking her up so that all the counselors could arrive together. So we all piled into a van and headed for Heathers. Joaquin and Grayer brought the weed.. We pulled up to Heathers 30 minutes after leaving My house. Her house is a medium sized one in a subdivision. She comes out in high wasted jean shorts a hoodie and a brown shirt with brown boots. Her hair is long wavy and pushed to the side. She’s 5/3 and skinny with pale skin. She sits next to Kimber who is wearing a hot pink cardigan, a flower dress pink ballet slipper. Her hair is ash blonde with pink tips .It’s wavy and down but the sides are pulled back. Sierra is wearing a Misfit’s tank top a mini skirt thigh high black socks, a black choker and combat boots. Her hair is jet black and in braids. Joaquin has a mohawk a black sweater with the sleeves rolled up black skinny jeans and combat boots. Next to him is Grayer who is rolling a few joints. He has shoulder length red hair and freckles he’s pale as snow. He’s wearing a black Bring me the horizon shirt. Black skinny jeans and checkered shoes. Donny is wearing a Egyptian printed shirt and a brown vest Khaki skinny jeans and beige shoes. Next to him is Chris who is wearing a red flannel shirt Jean shorts and red slipper shoes. After they get started on the road for a little they begin to talk. Joaquin: So I hope everyone likes Metal cause um yeah I don’t really care what you like. My car my rules Chris: Fuck you too. He turns the radio on. News Reporter: Hurricane Lucy has turned into a category 5 and Is headed toward Florida. Meanwhile China is experiencing extreme heat changes. In Australia it’s snowing. It’s almost like the movie The Day After Tomorrow. All over the globe things are going bad. Donny: That movie was terribly inaccurate. Joaquin: Yeah well so is just about everything Hollywood puts out. You comfy can you read the map?

Donny: Yeah I’m fine.

Chris: They put things out? I thought they were all remake happy this decades. Grayer: that and super hero movie after superhero movie. He switches the station to another. “Faith No More-Epic” begins playing everyone stays quiet until they exit the neighborhood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsqhV8kDkBw Kimber: So Heather, what does this camp look like? Sierra: She just wants to know how hard she will have to rough it. Heather: Well we have no wifi but the cabins have air condition and basically anything you could ask for. We have nightly camp fires with the kids and for the most part it’s a pretty easy job. Just do activities with the kids and hang out. Kimber; Sounds better than sitting in the pool house all alone all summer. Heather: you’re parents not in town? Donny: Are aunt Colleen and Uncle Malcolm ever in town? Heather: You two are? Donny: Cousins. Joaquin: Twinkie eyes on the map before we get lost. Heather: are you sure you don’t want me in the front I’ve been going every summer since I was 6. He ignores her and keeps driving. Grayer: Uh Heather you smoke? Heather: Weed? Yeah a little here and there why? Chris: He’s always looking for new clients is why. He’s not smart enough to low key advertise. Kimber: Must be the weed killing all his brain cells. Grayer: That is a myth browski. Heather: So how do you all know each other? Chris: Sierra here is my twin sister, Kimber as you already know is Donny’s cousin. Grayer and Joaquin are friends of mine from elementary school. Sierra is friends with Kimber and Donny so it’s kind of like a big group that kind of exists without ever really being around each other. Sierra: What he means is we know of each other but we rarely chill unless to smoke at Kimber’s. Do you have any siblings? Kimber nudges her. What? Oh shit I forgot sorry. Heather: it’s fine yeah his name was Austin but he went missing two years ago. Kimber: Yeah we kind of did the research on the place afterwards. Heather: Oh So you heard about the freshwater sharks then? Kimber: Fresh water sharks? Joaquin: She’s kidding blondie. Kimber: Oh right anyways umm yeah where did you get those shorts? Heather: Forever 21 at Lennox. Kimber: we must get some and soon. Grayer: I am going to pass the blunt to Joaquin first since he’s driving then he’ll pass it to Donny and so on or whatever. Heather You want to join us? Heather: Sure .Kimber what exactly do you have in that big purse of yours? Kimber: Oh umm you caught me. My whole closet basically. I brought some Jeans my pink cow girl boots a crop top. My curling and flat Irons tanning lotion. A Bathing suit My makeup bag a Mirror candy and a lighter in case I want to smoke later. Heather: You fit all that in that bag Sierra: She’s very resourceful. She’s also got suit cases. Heather: I only thought to bring playing cards Uno and the basics. You know we have consoler t-shirts we wear right. Kimber: Really? They come In pink? It’s my favorite color. Heather: Neons yes. Joaquin passes the Joint to Donny who is reluctant to take it. Joaquin: Hey twinkie hurry up and take it before I get burned. Donny: Are you sure? Joaquin; What you scared it’ll be like kissing me? Donny: No It’s just you barely smoked it Joaquin: Dude take it now. He burns his finger. Great now I’m burned dude just look at the map and get me there. I’m might wreck now that I have to drive one handed. They continue smoking until everyone is hungry and they stop at a Taco Bell for lunch. The Boys sit together while Heather the girls and Donny all sit together. Grayer: So Kimber is looking good. Joaquin: Dude just try and fuck her already, this crush has been going on for over 10 years. Grayer: Has not and you can’t just go up to a girl and be like hey let’s fuck. Chris: has so. And Uh Joaquin you’re one to talk you have something to confess? Joaquin: What do you mean? Chris: You specifically asked for Donny to sit up front with you. If you’re gay dude it’s cool. Grayer: Just don’t be a bottom. I hear that it hurts. This one dude got set to the hospital with rectum bleeding. Joaquin: Aint no dude putting anything up my ass. If you must know it’s because he’s the only one of you I know can read a damn map. That heather girl is too much of a know it all for me. Chris: I dare you to go over and kiss him. Grayer: No dude no! That is way wrong. Joaquin: Twinkie! He yells across the Taco Bell. The girls look over Sierra gives Chris the evil eye. Chris: Sorry He umm yeah. Joaquin: Donny I uh I like your face. Want to suck them together. Kimber: He’s good but you can try the whore house we saw on the way here. Joaquin: Funny. The girls turn back around. Sierra: I got an Idea. Kimber: what? Sierra: Let’s pour a laxative in their drinks. My mom packed me some incase I got constipated. She pulls out a thing of Milk of Magnesia. Donny: apparently you get constipated Kimber: I just got the irony of this conversation. Heather: I’ve never had the shits from Taco Bell. Donny: Can you pour a whole bunch in Joaquins? Sierra: certainly. The boys all 3 get up to go to the bathroom shortly after giving Sierra the chance to spike their drinks. They all hop back in the van afew minutes later. Mid conversation Joaquin begins to feel the effects. Joaquin: ah shit my tummy hurts I’m gonna have to pull over. Grayer: Dude mine too hurry up. Chris: Wait a minute my drink looks kind of milky! Sierra. Joaquin: What? Chris: She spiked our drinks. Joaquin: With what? Chris: The laxative my mom gave her. Kimber hands Grayer some toilet paper. Kimber: Have fun. Chris: You are so dead! Sierra: I never confessed to anything. The boys quickly run out of the van to shit the girls wait a little but then decide to leave and see what is taking so long. A Storm seems to be approaching. Heather: Did it suddenly get cold to you guys? Kimber: now that you said something yeah. Donny: Kimber is that bag not extremely heavy to carry? Kimber: Kind of but I had to pack a lot of stuff for reasons. They finally reached the boys who are playing in a lake. Sierra: how cute they’re bathing together. Joaquin: Only because you gave us the shits. Kimber: Aren’t you worried something might bite off your manly parts. Joaquin: It’s called wearing underwear. Heather: did you guys check for leeches? Donny: Clearly they haven’t seen stand by me. Grayer: Shit dude it’s fucking cold. I think I’m going to head out. Joaquin: Pussy. Grayer: suck my dick. He quickly swims to the edge of the lake and gets out to sit with the girls. Kimber notices blood coming down his leg. Kimber: Grayer oh my god check your pants I think you’re bleeding. he reaches into his boxers and spots a leech on his penis. He rips it off and begins screaming like a girl. Kimber runs over to him to calm him down. It’s ok. It’s ok. Sit down I’ll um get you a band aid. Donny: Hey there are leeches in the water get out! Joaquin and Chris do so and find a ton of leeches on their body, They spend the next 20 minutes picking the leaches off. Joaquin: We don’t have to be at the camp site until tomorrow right? Heather: I mean My dad’s expecting us but no we don’t set up until tomorrow why? Joaquin: Let’s uh you know camp out. Kimber: are you crazy have you seen the discovery channel. Heather: No why? Kimber: The mer-fish it like totally eats people. Heather: You’re kidding right? Joaquin: we have sleeping bags I don’t see why not. Plus, I don’t feel like driving anymore. Chris: I’m in. Sierra: how fun camping with a bunch of boys. Grayer: I’m in if Kimber is. Joaquin: of course, you are. Donny: I’ll stay. Kimber: Ok fine just let me get my sleeping bag. that night everyone is hurtled around the fire smoking a blunt. Heather: So I called dad and he was worried but said to have fun. Kimber: you guys realize this is how every Friday The 13th movie starts right. Joaquin: Nobody have sex and will be fine. Donny: we smoked weed so we already broke a horror movie don’t. Joaquin: shit you’re right. It’s getting cold out. Chris: whoa look up at the sky. It looks like. Sierra: a circle right above us. Grayer: you think it’s aliens. Chris: Illuminati confirmed. Kimber: Is this really all boys think about? Sierra I’m afraid so. Joaquin: as opposed to what girls talk about make up and marriage. Kimber: So what you don’t plan on getting married? Joaquin: I don’t plan on dating, relationships are pointless. Heather: My parents have been together for 25 years so not all of them. Joaquin: That’s good for them, Not everyone is so lucky. Chris: and this has nothing to do with your abusive step father. Grayer: Ah shit you had to do it. Joaquin jumps him and they begin to fight. Sierra: is this really necessary? Donny: it’s a straight guy pride thing. Kimber: I didn’t realize they had that with the amount of girls they brag about sleeping with. Sierra: and then they want to call us sluts. Heather: They don’t plan to do this in front of the children, right? Grayer: These two you never know. The fight goes on until Joaquin punches Chris into the water and starts to drown him at this point everyone steps in to save Chris. Kimber: So now that you’re all wet and covered in leeches again can we please eat? Sierra: Eat what? Donny: You mean you didn’t pack food either? Grayer: I have gummy bears. Kimber: You have edibles not gummy bears. Joaquin: You have a pole and some wire? Heather: Why so you can fish? Joaquin: Shit no so I can strangle and beat Chris to death. Chris: He’s kidding. Joaquin: Try me again Bro. Chris: Truce I promise never to bring up your countless issues again. Joaquin: Oh fuck off. A gentle breeze begins to blow. Kimber: You know second thought maybe this camping thing is a bad idea. Can we leave before mer-fish appears please? Joaquin: Yeah I think we should grab our shit and go. Donny: It’s 3 hours away and it’s already night. Joaquin: And you can sleep all day tomorrow. Heather: Nah my dad usually wakes us up early. Joaquin: Why did I want to do this. Chris: Not touching that one. Sierra: let’s just go. Everyone piles back into the van and they head off. Joaquin: So do I keep going on 285 or what? Donny: Huh? Oh right yeah will be there in about another 3 hours if you do. Joaquin: That isn’t what I asked Twinkie? Donny: Yeah 285 north. Joaquin: Great. How’s Uh Dana? Donny: who my sister uh she’s fine. Why? Joaquin: Small talk Idk everyone else asleep and this is a long drive. Donny: It’s just you never speak to me Joaquin: Aren’t you always with the girls? Donny: Yeah Joaquin: Well I’m not. I don’t like groups. Sure Chris and Grayer are ok but too many people and you’ve got a problem. Next thing you know the cops are involved Donny:That happens to you? Joaquin: I’m Sure you’ve hear about the parties me and the guys go to. Donny: Chris and I barely speak. Joaquin: Well yeah I get into a lot of cop trouble. it looks like it’s about to start pouring. Oh how I wish I was asleep right now. Donny: Same I hope we get our own cabins. Joaquin: Same Grayer snores like a mother fucker. Donny: Well that will be fine. Joaquin glances to the back of the van. Joaquin: Stop by my bed and I’ll make sure you don’t hear anything. Donny: lovely gay jokes Joaquin: Sorry, I can be a little mean sometimes, I’m just unsure how to talk to you. You seem so unapproachable. Donny: I’m unapproachable. You’re the broody sits in the corner sulking one. It’s extremely scary. Joaquin: and you’re the flamboyantly in your face talkative one whose an expert on every subject. All I’m saying is it’s hard to compete Donny: So because you think I’m smart you don’t talk to me. Joaquin: basically. But uh yeah I’m having trouble seeing the road. Donny: I think going straight sounds like a good idea Joaquin: let me roll down my window. He see’s the road clearer but he’s getting drenched. He swerves the van a little. Donny: Well that will wake them up. Joaquin: This weather is crazy. I should pull over Donny: Wait hold on. Joaquin: What why? Donny: That bright light ahead. Joaquin: What is that other driver doing on this side of the road? Don hold on I’m about to do some crazy shit they don’t allow in driving school. He swerves the car right into the light which turns out to be a space time portal. The car is suddenly floating into a dried up river basin. Everyone at this point is awake and concerned about their safety.

#digimon adventure

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