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Samuel Little's Unmatched Confessions (Part 2)
2024.03.07 03:23 Humanoid_Pancake17 Samuel Little's Unmatched Confessions (Part 2)
Between the early 1970s and 2005, Samuel Little murdered a total of 93 women. Some were never found, and some were never identified, sadly. All of them were killed via strangulation.
In San Bernardino, California, in 1984, Little killed a 18 to 23 year old black woman.
In approximately 1984, Little met a “honey-colored,” short, thick, black female that stood 5’ 5” tall, weighed between 120 and 130 pounds, and was wearing shorts, near the intersection of Florence and I-10. Little drove with the black female up a grassy hill/slope leading to I-10, then stopped halfway up the hill, and dumped the black female’s body along a service road.
Little stated in the summertime of approximately 1984 (or possibly 1990 or 1991), he killed a black female in Fort Myers, Florida. Little described the woman as being 26 to 28 years old, standing 5’ 6” to 5’ 7” tall, and weighing 130 to 160 pounds. Little described the black female as having dark brown skin and a nice body. Little stated he originally met this victim two years prior. He stated he and “Jean” (Little’s long-time companion) used to go to her family’s house (in a black neighborhood behind, or possibly on, Nelson Street) and sell clothes to them. Little believed the woman he killed was the daughter of the woman he and “Jean” used to sell clothes to. The woman lived with her mother (and possibly other family members) down the street from a liquor store. Little stated he and “Jean” were staying at a hotel downtown when they sold clothes to the woman’s family. On the day he killed the woman, Little saw the black female outside of a liquor store on Nelson Street “with the shorts on and nice looking…clean and nice looking…” Little stated the black female was “mad about her husband or somebody.” Little stated the woman got in his car and he drove her to an “island” in the road, a wooded tract of land near some railroad tracks by a little section of cleared grass. Little strangled the black female to death and then left her body in the short grass with the woods right next to it. Little stated he left the woman in a “Grass isle…outside the city…wasn’t that far outside the city though, the railroad tracks, train ran by there.” Little stated “I think I got back on, what’s that highway that runs from Naples all the way up to Tampa, Fort Myers, that main highway…I think it might have been 75.” Little thought the black female lived at the house “Jean” used to sell clothes at. Little stated the family lived in a house behind “Nelson Street.”
Little killed a black woman in Tampa, Florida, in 1984.
In approximately February, March, or April of 1987, while driving his black Thunderbird, Little met a slender 5’ 7” to 5’ 10” tall, 120 pound, “pretty yellow skinned” black female that was a “crackhead,” at Tams Hamburger stand located at 51st Street and Central Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The woman lived in the motel next to the hamburger stand. The black female was wearing a mini skirt style sun dress. The woman got into Little’s vehicle and they drove to a laundry matt on Central Avenue, closer to downtown (possibly at the intersection of Martin Luther King). Little parked near vegetation in the parking lot of the laundromat. Little and the black female both climbed onto the back seat and he strangled the woman until she passed out. After the woman came to, Little strangled her again. Little drove “all the way-out Central Avenue past Imperial Avenue” until he got to a Seven Eleven type convenient store (possibly he took a right off Central Avenue). Little pulled the black female into the vacant lot next to the convenient store and dragged the woman to a rail. The woman became “hung up on the rail,” and Little left her on the iron pipe rail next to the convenient store. Little left the woman clothed in a dress and shoes. Facing the convenient store, Little left the woman on the right side of the store, approximately 20 feet away from the store. There were trees and vegetation in the vacant lot next to a big field. Little thought he was in the county.
In approximately March or April of 1987, Little met a 5’ 5” to 5’ 6” tall, 120 pound, approximately 19 year old young “honey colored” black female “crack head…gang banger” in Compton, California. The woman was a “blood,” had a red bandana on, and had tattoos on her body. Little took the woman to a parking lot in Compton. Little strangled the black female, who fought him “vigorously,” to death. Little drove the black female to the “Hills” out toward Hollywood. Little drove on a winding road around the hills with a fence around it. Little ended up near “Hollywood Hills.” Little pulled to the side of the road near a fence with heavy vegetation on the other side of the fence. There was a hill or drop off on the other side of the fence. Little picked up the black female and attempted to throw the woman over the fence. The black female got caught on the fence, and Little eventually pushed the woman all the way over the fence. Little stated he could hear the woman roll at least halfway down the hill. The black female was fully dressed. The fence was chain link and approximately five feet tall. Little believed he drove west out of Compton toward Hollywood.
On January 31st, February 1st or February 2ndof approximately 1987, immediately after getting out of prison, Little killed two women in Los Angeles, California on the same day. Little met the first woman, a dark skinned, “slightly chubby,” grey haired (grey and black) approximately fifty-year-old black female named “Granny” in Los Angeles, California. The woman was clothed in a dress, and Little thought he had sex with the woman. Little took the woman to a framed house with a concrete floor and no roof. Little stated it appeared construction had been stopped on the residence after the 2 by 4 framing had been completed. The structure could have been located in Inglewood, but Little was not sure. The structure was near where Little lived with his girlfriend “Jean” on Vermont Street and 81st Avenue. Little strangled the black female to death and left her in the structure. Little stated the structure may have been located behind San Pedro.
On January 31st, February 1st or February 2ndof approximately 1987, immediately after getting out of prison, Little killed two women in Los Angeles, California on the same day. Little met the second woman, a young 22 to 23-year-old “skinny black girl,” in an alley behind what he thought was her residence. Little described the woman as small, thin, and “dark skinned.” Little was driving his blue Buick station wagon with brown wood trim down the side, when he met the woman. Little did not think the woman was a full-time prostitute, and thought she was trying to hide making extra money from her family. The black female was dressed in pants and looked like the “gang banger type.” The black female was dressed like a “gang banger,” and wore a hat. Little strangled the woman to death in his vehicle on the side of a very clean alley that was next to the black female’s suspected residence. Little left the woman’s body behind her suspected house near the side of the alley.
Between January 31st and February 1st, of 1987, shortly after getting out of prison (and while on parole), Little met a black female wearing shorts near Central Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Little went to a drug dealer’s house and the drug dealer (pimp) told the female to leave with Little. Little walked down Figueroa Avenue with the woman and then turned left onto Florence Avenue. Little bought some “dope” with the female and then walked back down Figueroa Avenue to a vacant house located next to Florence Avenue. There was a gas station on the corner of Florence Avenue and Figueroa Avenue near the vacant house. There was a garage right in front of the vacant house with only a hook on the door. There was a fence around the house. The house faced Figueroa Avenue, the garage had a wooden door on rollers, and the house had a driveway. There was a brick residence next door to the garage. Little entered the garage with the female. The garage contained sawhorses, wood planks, and paint. There was a wide ledge or shelf around the interior of the garage. The ledge/shelf was approximately five feet off the ground, and made of solid 2 x 4’s. Little described the black female as having a “big” butt and being approximately 23 to 24 years old. The woman was “dark skinned,” stood approximately 5’ 0” tall, and weighed approximately 140 pounds. Little got onto the shelf/ ledge with the woman. The woman began playing with her necklace, and Little then strangled her. The woman fought and they both fell off the shelf onto a wide platform. Little then strangled the woman to death while sitting on the woman’s back. The black female was left fully clothed lying on a board/ elevated platform, laying on her stomach. Approximately two weeks later Little walked past the garage and the garage had yellow police tape on it. Little killed this woman a couple weeks after he got out of prison. Little believed he killed the woman in the middle of February. When Little walked by the garage several months later it had been torn down.
In approximately 1987, Little met a 5’ 7” tall, 140-pound light/ “yellow skinned” 26 to 27-year-old black female on Florence and Broadway Streets in Los Angeles, California. The woman advised Little she had just gotten out of the county jail. Little drove the woman to the Griffith Park area, and his car, a black Thunderbird, would not start after they parked. Little left his vehicle in the park, possibly behind closed gates. Little walked to a bus stop with the black female and had intercourse with the woman at the bus stop. Little then took a bus with the woman to his residence located at 81st Street and Vermont. Little gave the woman five dollars to eat food at a chicken establishment around the corner while he went inside to speak to his girlfriend “Jean.” A short time later the black female knocked at his door. Little stated he secured the keys to his green Mercury and then drove with the woman past Highway Five to the backside of Griffith Park. Little drove down a dirt road on the back side of the park that was next to or near a “superhighway.” The dirt road traveled through woods. Little strangled the black female to death and then laid the woman’s body by a tree. The woman was clothed in a dress. Little stated the woman had a “big” butt, and red panties.
Little stated he killed a black female in Monroe, Louisiana, sometime after 1987. Little took a Greyhound bus into town and stayed at a shelter downtown for two to three days. Little stole meat from a supermarket in Monroe and sold it in “the black neighborhood,” which he said the locals referred to as the “embankment.” This area was across the street from a graveyard and near some railroad tracks. Little described the black female as being 20-24 years old, standing 5’ 6” – 5’ 10” tall, weighing between 150 and 160 pounds, and being “yellow” or light-complected. Little stated the woman was a prostitute who worked for a madam named “Mammy Wae.” Little took the woman to a hotel where she signed her name on the hotel registry for either Room Number 8 or 9. The following day Little convinced the black female to go with him into a wooden shack/garage across the street from a McDonald’s and just down from the “big graveyard.” Little stated the garage was near a bus stop, and approximately one (1) mile from the bus station that was located in the county on the outskirts of town. The garage was locked, so Little and the black female had to crawl through a dog door to get in. Inside the garage were paint supplies, ladders, and tools. Little stated he strangled the woman to death and left her body inside the shed. Little stated he left the woman’s body on the floor of the garage between several ladders, and “bit her” causing the black female to bleed. Little said a day or two after he killed the woman, he saw yellow crime scene tape around the garage, so he immediately left town. On a later trip to Monroe, Little noticed that the garage had been torn down and the area was now a vacant lot. Little stated they were in the process of tearing down a lot of buildings, but the McDonalds was still there.
On Phoenix, Arizona, a Hispanic woman was killed by Little in 1988 or 1996. She was in her 40s.
In approximately 1991 or 1992, while driving his F250 van, Little met a short, dark-skinned, 23-year-old, 5’ 0” tall, 120 pound prostitute named “Linda” and her friend “Christina” on Figueroa Street. Little and “Linda” went to the alley behind Figueroa and Hoover where he strangled her and threw her over a possibly spiked wooden fence. The body landed in a backyard near a garage/sidewalk. The front of the house was at 71st and Hoover. The homeowners’ kid found the body. “Linda” was wearing “work clothes” – possibly a dress. After Little killed “Linda” he went to a liquor store on Hoover and saw “Christina.” LAPD was called and Little lodged a complaint against “Christina” for selling him wax instead of crack cocaine. LAPD arrested Christina on an outstanding warrant and let Little go.
In approximately 1991 or 1992, while driving his Ford F-250 van, Little met a 5’ 4” to 5’ 5” tall, 120 pound, 20 to 22 year old dark skinned “little” black female near Frontier Hotel and 3rd Street (the original Skid Row) in Los Angeles, California. Little stated the woman was a “crack head” from San Francisco. Little went several places with the woman including: 71st and Broadway, Griffith Park, Vermont Street, 74th and Broadway and Popeye’s Chicken. Little eventually drove down Florence Avenue to Central Avenue, and then drove “way out into the county (Central Avenue).” Little drove to a “bald head hill” that had a couple trees on it and was close to a couple houses. Little drove on a dirt road behind the houses and then drove up a hill on the dirt road. Little strangled the woman to death and left her naked body on its side or back next to some trees.
In approximately September or October of 1992, while driving his “raggedy Cadillac,” Little met a 5’ 7” tall, 200 pound “light skinned” black female at the Tam’s Hamburger stand on Figueroa Avenue and Imperial Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The woman lived off Figueroa Avenue in an apartment close to Interstate Ten going toward San Pedro. Little drove with the woman to his residence. Little then drove down Central Avenue to Compton in the rain. Little parked behind a store in Compton while some type of rioting was going on. Little strangled the woman to death. While strangling the woman, she honked his car horn and got the attention of a Hispanic male. The woman fought for her life before she died. The woman was wearing some type of religious turban on her head. Little propped the black female up in the front seat of his vehicle, like the woman was asleep and then drove to a closed down loan company or bank branch deeper in Compton. Little pulled the woman out of his car and dragged her to a manicured lawn behind the building. Little left the woman lying face down on the manicured lawn behind the building. Little left the woman lying on her side face down with her dress all pulled up in the rain.
In approximately 1992 or 1993, while driving his Cadillac, Little met a 5’ 5” to 5’ 6” tall, 160 to 180 pound, “dark skinned…big butted” black female in Los Angeles, California. Little met the woman at a liquor store on 49th Street and Central Avenue. The woman had a “big butt” and wore pants. Little drove “way out” out into the county, possibly down Central Avenue, and took the black female to a side road with “elephant grass” behind some trees. Little took off the woman’s pants and strangled her to death in his vehicle. Little dragged the woman’s body out of his vehicle into some “real tall” elephant grass. Little left the woman face down with her “big ol’ thighs” showing in the grass. The woman was naked except for having her shirt on. When Little dragged the woman, her shirt became pulled up over her head. Little dragged the black female by her shirt and left her in the county. Little stated he later found out that a helicopter flying over the body discovered the woman.
In approximately 1992 or 1993, while with his girlfriend “Blind Barbara” and driving his “same old raggedy…Cadillac,” Little met a 5’ 9” tall, 120 to 130 pound, slim, 24 to 25 year old Hispanic female in Los Angeles, California. Little believed the Hispanic female who had long hair, and was wearing a dress, was from Phoenix, Arizona. Little met the woman at a liquor store on Central Avenue and 22nd Street. Little drove around with the woman and then bought crack cocaine at some apartments off Figueroa Avenue. Little took the woman to an alley behind a business near Vermont Avenue until the business owner told them to leave. Little then drove around with the woman and drank Vodka. Little drove the woman west toward Hollywood. The Hispanic female stripped naked in his back seat [tripping]. Little drove to near where a Coast Guard telescope or observatory was located. Little described the building as having a round dome and being military in appearance. On or just off the same driveway as the observatory, there was a road that went downhill through some woods. Little drove down the road/hill with woods on both sides of it and stopped approximately 100 yards from a gas station/business park at the bottom of the hill. Little strangled the woman to death and pulled the woman down the sloped hill that had bushes and trees down it. Little dragged the woman approximately 30 yards down the embankment from the road into the woods. Little stated after he discarded the woman’s body, he filled up with gas at the nearby gas station.
On April 21st, 1994, in Little Rock, Arkansas, Little murdered a woman named Ruth, who was black, 24, 5'5 to 5'7, and 200 pounds.
In 1993, while driving his 1978 yellow Cadillac Eldorado, Little killed a black female in Las Vegas, Nevada. Little stated he was traveling to Los Angeles, California, when he met a black prostitute on Owens Avenue or Jackson Street. Little stated the woman looked like an “old housewife” and described the woman as a skinny, dark-skinned black female, 40-something years old, standing approximately 5’ 5” tall, and weighing 110-120 pounds. Little believed the woman had naturally short hair but wore a long-haired wig (as depicted in his drawing). Little thought the black female was wearing pants when they met. The black female introduced Little to her son, a 19 to 23-year-old black male, who was standing near the woman. Little took the black female to a motel room where he strangled her to death, then placed the woman’s body in the trunk of his vehicle and drove toward Searchlight, Nevada. Little described driving to the edge of the Las Vegas city limits before pulling over on the side of a remote road. Little stated he rolled the woman’s naked body down a steep slope into a ditch, then threw her clothes out further down the road.
In approximately 1996, while driving his blue Cadillac, Little met a 5’ 6” tall, 120 pound, 23 to 25 year old “golden colored” black female at Tam’s Hamburger stand on Figueroa Avenue and Imperial Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The woman was with a masculine looking lesbian black female. Little gave both women a ride and made a date with the black female the following day at 4:00 PM. Little met the woman at the same hamburger stand the following day. Little drove the woman to Vermont Avenue and 81st Street near where he was living. Little then drove to Vermont Avenue and Florence Avenue. Little strangled the woman to death in his vehicle. Little put the woman in the trunk of his vehicle and then drove the woman to a large field. Little dragged the woman out of the trunk of his vehicle and put the woman down in the weeds, possibly on her back. Little left the woman clothed in a black dress.
In approximately 1996, Little met a 5’ 5” tall, 200 pound, heavy set, 23 to 24 year old “chocolate brown” black female prostitute named “T-Money,” on San Pedro and Manchester Streets in Los Angeles, California. The black female was very popular and all the children in the area knew her name. The woman saw Little driving a car one day and agreed to go on a date with him. Little eventually took the woman to a hamburger stand that was located on Slauson Avenue across from a medical clinic. Little thought the hamburger stand was located at Slauson Avenue and San Pedro Avenue. Little strangled the woman to death in the parking lot of the hamburger stand and then dragged the woman’s body into an alley behind the hamburger stand. The alley was completely full of garbage, and barely passable. Little placed the woman in a pile of garbage and placed a decaying mattress on top of her body. Little thought the woman was clothed in a black dress.
In approximately 1996, Little met a 5’ 0” tall, 110 pounds, 23-to-25-year-old white female with blonde hair and blue eyes in Los Angeles, California. Little met the woman at a homeless camp off Central Avenue and Hooper Street by some railroad tracks. Little met the woman the same day he received his “SSI” check. The woman had a boyfriend. Little rode a bus with the woman to Western Avenue and digitally penetrated the female on the second floor of a motel. Little walked toward the K-Mart store on Vermont Avenue with the woman and then walked down Slauson Avenue and bought some crack cocaine. While at the “crack house” the white female left for about fifteen minutes with two “black guys” that were associated with the woman that was selling crack cocaine. The white female came back crying and told Little that the two black “gang bangers” had both had sex with her. The white female led Little to a vacant house with a fence that was off a side street of Slauson Avenue. The house was vacant, but in good shape, and there was an apartment type house next door to it. The white female led Little to the side of the house where there was a five-foot chain-link fence. The white female climbed the fence, and Little immediately followed her over the fence. They entered the house which had wooden floors in the front room. The white female walked back and forth on the dusty wooden floors and left footprints. Little strangled the woman to death in a bathroom inside the residence and then removed her blue jeans and tennis shoes in an attempt to have postmortem anal sex. Little stated he could not have sex with the white female. Little placed the female sitting up in a bathtub with her top on. Little stated the woman looked like she was sixteen and still alive sitting up in the bathtub. Little left the white female’s tennis shoes and blue jeans in the bathroom and then carefully wiped down his fingerprints. Little stated he was careful not to leave footsteps in the dust when he left.
In approximately 1996, while driving his Cadillac, Little met a 5’ 7” to 5’ 8” tall, 130 pound, approximately 25 year old “chocolate” black female in Los Angeles, California. Little originally met the woman near where she was living at a halfway house located off Florence Avenue and a dead-end street that buts up to Interstate Ten. Little described the woman as having a “big” butt, and “dark skin.” Little “messed around” with the black female across the street from the half-way house in a garage behind a vacant house, until she rebuked his advances. Little later saw the woman on 81st and Figueroa Streets wearing a long flower dress. Little took the woman to nearby automotive supply building. There was a driveway between the building and another building that led to the back of the building. There was an empty trailer (residential) and an empty/ dilapidated pickup truck behind the building. The “off-brand establishment” auto supply store was on Florence Avenue between Vermont and Figueroa Streets. The driveway to the back of the store was paved. Little got into the dilapidated truck with the black female and began strangling her. While strangling the woman, both of them fell out of the truck onto the ground. Little strangled the woman to death and then dragged the black female’s body to a nearby trash/ rubbish pile (possibly with beer cans). There were two garbage piles in the back area of the business, and one of the piles belonged to the adjacent neighbors. Little dragged the woman by her arms, while on her back, to the neighbor’s garbage pile. Little left the woman clothed in a dress.
A woman named Ann was murdered in 1997 in Pheonix, Arizona.
https://www.dps.texas.gov/news/new-details-released-unsolved-samuel-little-murders
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In San Bernardino, California, in 1984, Little killed a 18 to 23 year old black woman.
In approximately 1984, Little met a “honey-colored,” short, thick, black female that stood 5’ 5” tall, weighed between 120 and 130 pounds, and was wearing shorts, near the intersection of Florence and I-10. Little drove with the black female up a grassy hill/slope leading to I-10, then stopped halfway up the hill, and dumped the black female’s body along a service road.
Little stated in the summertime of approximately 1984 (or possibly 1990 or 1991), he killed a black female in Fort Myers, Florida. Little described the woman as being 26 to 28 years old, standing 5’ 6” to 5’ 7” tall, and weighing 130 to 160 pounds. Little described the black female as having dark brown skin and a nice body. Little stated he originally met this victim two years prior. He stated he and “Jean” (Little’s long-time companion) used to go to her family’s house (in a black neighborhood behind, or possibly on, Nelson Street) and sell clothes to them. Little believed the woman he killed was the daughter of the woman he and “Jean” used to sell clothes to. The woman lived with her mother (and possibly other family members) down the street from a liquor store. Little stated he and “Jean” were staying at a hotel downtown when they sold clothes to the woman’s family. On the day he killed the woman, Little saw the black female outside of a liquor store on Nelson Street “with the shorts on and nice looking…clean and nice looking…” Little stated the black female was “mad about her husband or somebody.” Little stated the woman got in his car and he drove her to an “island” in the road, a wooded tract of land near some railroad tracks by a little section of cleared grass. Little strangled the black female to death and then left her body in the short grass with the woods right next to it. Little stated he left the woman in a “Grass isle…outside the city…wasn’t that far outside the city though, the railroad tracks, train ran by there.” Little stated “I think I got back on, what’s that highway that runs from Naples all the way up to Tampa, Fort Myers, that main highway…I think it might have been 75.” Little thought the black female lived at the house “Jean” used to sell clothes at. Little stated the family lived in a house behind “Nelson Street.”
Little killed a black woman in Tampa, Florida, in 1984.
In approximately February, March, or April of 1987, while driving his black Thunderbird, Little met a slender 5’ 7” to 5’ 10” tall, 120 pound, “pretty yellow skinned” black female that was a “crackhead,” at Tams Hamburger stand located at 51st Street and Central Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The woman lived in the motel next to the hamburger stand. The black female was wearing a mini skirt style sun dress. The woman got into Little’s vehicle and they drove to a laundry matt on Central Avenue, closer to downtown (possibly at the intersection of Martin Luther King). Little parked near vegetation in the parking lot of the laundromat. Little and the black female both climbed onto the back seat and he strangled the woman until she passed out. After the woman came to, Little strangled her again. Little drove “all the way-out Central Avenue past Imperial Avenue” until he got to a Seven Eleven type convenient store (possibly he took a right off Central Avenue). Little pulled the black female into the vacant lot next to the convenient store and dragged the woman to a rail. The woman became “hung up on the rail,” and Little left her on the iron pipe rail next to the convenient store. Little left the woman clothed in a dress and shoes. Facing the convenient store, Little left the woman on the right side of the store, approximately 20 feet away from the store. There were trees and vegetation in the vacant lot next to a big field. Little thought he was in the county.
In approximately March or April of 1987, Little met a 5’ 5” to 5’ 6” tall, 120 pound, approximately 19 year old young “honey colored” black female “crack head…gang banger” in Compton, California. The woman was a “blood,” had a red bandana on, and had tattoos on her body. Little took the woman to a parking lot in Compton. Little strangled the black female, who fought him “vigorously,” to death. Little drove the black female to the “Hills” out toward Hollywood. Little drove on a winding road around the hills with a fence around it. Little ended up near “Hollywood Hills.” Little pulled to the side of the road near a fence with heavy vegetation on the other side of the fence. There was a hill or drop off on the other side of the fence. Little picked up the black female and attempted to throw the woman over the fence. The black female got caught on the fence, and Little eventually pushed the woman all the way over the fence. Little stated he could hear the woman roll at least halfway down the hill. The black female was fully dressed. The fence was chain link and approximately five feet tall. Little believed he drove west out of Compton toward Hollywood.
On January 31st, February 1st or February 2ndof approximately 1987, immediately after getting out of prison, Little killed two women in Los Angeles, California on the same day. Little met the first woman, a dark skinned, “slightly chubby,” grey haired (grey and black) approximately fifty-year-old black female named “Granny” in Los Angeles, California. The woman was clothed in a dress, and Little thought he had sex with the woman. Little took the woman to a framed house with a concrete floor and no roof. Little stated it appeared construction had been stopped on the residence after the 2 by 4 framing had been completed. The structure could have been located in Inglewood, but Little was not sure. The structure was near where Little lived with his girlfriend “Jean” on Vermont Street and 81st Avenue. Little strangled the black female to death and left her in the structure. Little stated the structure may have been located behind San Pedro.
On January 31st, February 1st or February 2ndof approximately 1987, immediately after getting out of prison, Little killed two women in Los Angeles, California on the same day. Little met the second woman, a young 22 to 23-year-old “skinny black girl,” in an alley behind what he thought was her residence. Little described the woman as small, thin, and “dark skinned.” Little was driving his blue Buick station wagon with brown wood trim down the side, when he met the woman. Little did not think the woman was a full-time prostitute, and thought she was trying to hide making extra money from her family. The black female was dressed in pants and looked like the “gang banger type.” The black female was dressed like a “gang banger,” and wore a hat. Little strangled the woman to death in his vehicle on the side of a very clean alley that was next to the black female’s suspected residence. Little left the woman’s body behind her suspected house near the side of the alley.
Between January 31st and February 1st, of 1987, shortly after getting out of prison (and while on parole), Little met a black female wearing shorts near Central Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Little went to a drug dealer’s house and the drug dealer (pimp) told the female to leave with Little. Little walked down Figueroa Avenue with the woman and then turned left onto Florence Avenue. Little bought some “dope” with the female and then walked back down Figueroa Avenue to a vacant house located next to Florence Avenue. There was a gas station on the corner of Florence Avenue and Figueroa Avenue near the vacant house. There was a garage right in front of the vacant house with only a hook on the door. There was a fence around the house. The house faced Figueroa Avenue, the garage had a wooden door on rollers, and the house had a driveway. There was a brick residence next door to the garage. Little entered the garage with the female. The garage contained sawhorses, wood planks, and paint. There was a wide ledge or shelf around the interior of the garage. The ledge/shelf was approximately five feet off the ground, and made of solid 2 x 4’s. Little described the black female as having a “big” butt and being approximately 23 to 24 years old. The woman was “dark skinned,” stood approximately 5’ 0” tall, and weighed approximately 140 pounds. Little got onto the shelf/ ledge with the woman. The woman began playing with her necklace, and Little then strangled her. The woman fought and they both fell off the shelf onto a wide platform. Little then strangled the woman to death while sitting on the woman’s back. The black female was left fully clothed lying on a board/ elevated platform, laying on her stomach. Approximately two weeks later Little walked past the garage and the garage had yellow police tape on it. Little killed this woman a couple weeks after he got out of prison. Little believed he killed the woman in the middle of February. When Little walked by the garage several months later it had been torn down.
In approximately 1987, Little met a 5’ 7” tall, 140-pound light/ “yellow skinned” 26 to 27-year-old black female on Florence and Broadway Streets in Los Angeles, California. The woman advised Little she had just gotten out of the county jail. Little drove the woman to the Griffith Park area, and his car, a black Thunderbird, would not start after they parked. Little left his vehicle in the park, possibly behind closed gates. Little walked to a bus stop with the black female and had intercourse with the woman at the bus stop. Little then took a bus with the woman to his residence located at 81st Street and Vermont. Little gave the woman five dollars to eat food at a chicken establishment around the corner while he went inside to speak to his girlfriend “Jean.” A short time later the black female knocked at his door. Little stated he secured the keys to his green Mercury and then drove with the woman past Highway Five to the backside of Griffith Park. Little drove down a dirt road on the back side of the park that was next to or near a “superhighway.” The dirt road traveled through woods. Little strangled the black female to death and then laid the woman’s body by a tree. The woman was clothed in a dress. Little stated the woman had a “big” butt, and red panties.
Little stated he killed a black female in Monroe, Louisiana, sometime after 1987. Little took a Greyhound bus into town and stayed at a shelter downtown for two to three days. Little stole meat from a supermarket in Monroe and sold it in “the black neighborhood,” which he said the locals referred to as the “embankment.” This area was across the street from a graveyard and near some railroad tracks. Little described the black female as being 20-24 years old, standing 5’ 6” – 5’ 10” tall, weighing between 150 and 160 pounds, and being “yellow” or light-complected. Little stated the woman was a prostitute who worked for a madam named “Mammy Wae.” Little took the woman to a hotel where she signed her name on the hotel registry for either Room Number 8 or 9. The following day Little convinced the black female to go with him into a wooden shack/garage across the street from a McDonald’s and just down from the “big graveyard.” Little stated the garage was near a bus stop, and approximately one (1) mile from the bus station that was located in the county on the outskirts of town. The garage was locked, so Little and the black female had to crawl through a dog door to get in. Inside the garage were paint supplies, ladders, and tools. Little stated he strangled the woman to death and left her body inside the shed. Little stated he left the woman’s body on the floor of the garage between several ladders, and “bit her” causing the black female to bleed. Little said a day or two after he killed the woman, he saw yellow crime scene tape around the garage, so he immediately left town. On a later trip to Monroe, Little noticed that the garage had been torn down and the area was now a vacant lot. Little stated they were in the process of tearing down a lot of buildings, but the McDonalds was still there.
On Phoenix, Arizona, a Hispanic woman was killed by Little in 1988 or 1996. She was in her 40s.
In approximately 1991 or 1992, while driving his F250 van, Little met a short, dark-skinned, 23-year-old, 5’ 0” tall, 120 pound prostitute named “Linda” and her friend “Christina” on Figueroa Street. Little and “Linda” went to the alley behind Figueroa and Hoover where he strangled her and threw her over a possibly spiked wooden fence. The body landed in a backyard near a garage/sidewalk. The front of the house was at 71st and Hoover. The homeowners’ kid found the body. “Linda” was wearing “work clothes” – possibly a dress. After Little killed “Linda” he went to a liquor store on Hoover and saw “Christina.” LAPD was called and Little lodged a complaint against “Christina” for selling him wax instead of crack cocaine. LAPD arrested Christina on an outstanding warrant and let Little go.
In approximately 1991 or 1992, while driving his Ford F-250 van, Little met a 5’ 4” to 5’ 5” tall, 120 pound, 20 to 22 year old dark skinned “little” black female near Frontier Hotel and 3rd Street (the original Skid Row) in Los Angeles, California. Little stated the woman was a “crack head” from San Francisco. Little went several places with the woman including: 71st and Broadway, Griffith Park, Vermont Street, 74th and Broadway and Popeye’s Chicken. Little eventually drove down Florence Avenue to Central Avenue, and then drove “way out into the county (Central Avenue).” Little drove to a “bald head hill” that had a couple trees on it and was close to a couple houses. Little drove on a dirt road behind the houses and then drove up a hill on the dirt road. Little strangled the woman to death and left her naked body on its side or back next to some trees.
In approximately September or October of 1992, while driving his “raggedy Cadillac,” Little met a 5’ 7” tall, 200 pound “light skinned” black female at the Tam’s Hamburger stand on Figueroa Avenue and Imperial Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The woman lived off Figueroa Avenue in an apartment close to Interstate Ten going toward San Pedro. Little drove with the woman to his residence. Little then drove down Central Avenue to Compton in the rain. Little parked behind a store in Compton while some type of rioting was going on. Little strangled the woman to death. While strangling the woman, she honked his car horn and got the attention of a Hispanic male. The woman fought for her life before she died. The woman was wearing some type of religious turban on her head. Little propped the black female up in the front seat of his vehicle, like the woman was asleep and then drove to a closed down loan company or bank branch deeper in Compton. Little pulled the woman out of his car and dragged her to a manicured lawn behind the building. Little left the woman lying face down on the manicured lawn behind the building. Little left the woman lying on her side face down with her dress all pulled up in the rain.
In approximately 1992 or 1993, while driving his Cadillac, Little met a 5’ 5” to 5’ 6” tall, 160 to 180 pound, “dark skinned…big butted” black female in Los Angeles, California. Little met the woman at a liquor store on 49th Street and Central Avenue. The woman had a “big butt” and wore pants. Little drove “way out” out into the county, possibly down Central Avenue, and took the black female to a side road with “elephant grass” behind some trees. Little took off the woman’s pants and strangled her to death in his vehicle. Little dragged the woman’s body out of his vehicle into some “real tall” elephant grass. Little left the woman face down with her “big ol’ thighs” showing in the grass. The woman was naked except for having her shirt on. When Little dragged the woman, her shirt became pulled up over her head. Little dragged the black female by her shirt and left her in the county. Little stated he later found out that a helicopter flying over the body discovered the woman.
In approximately 1992 or 1993, while with his girlfriend “Blind Barbara” and driving his “same old raggedy…Cadillac,” Little met a 5’ 9” tall, 120 to 130 pound, slim, 24 to 25 year old Hispanic female in Los Angeles, California. Little believed the Hispanic female who had long hair, and was wearing a dress, was from Phoenix, Arizona. Little met the woman at a liquor store on Central Avenue and 22nd Street. Little drove around with the woman and then bought crack cocaine at some apartments off Figueroa Avenue. Little took the woman to an alley behind a business near Vermont Avenue until the business owner told them to leave. Little then drove around with the woman and drank Vodka. Little drove the woman west toward Hollywood. The Hispanic female stripped naked in his back seat [tripping]. Little drove to near where a Coast Guard telescope or observatory was located. Little described the building as having a round dome and being military in appearance. On or just off the same driveway as the observatory, there was a road that went downhill through some woods. Little drove down the road/hill with woods on both sides of it and stopped approximately 100 yards from a gas station/business park at the bottom of the hill. Little strangled the woman to death and pulled the woman down the sloped hill that had bushes and trees down it. Little dragged the woman approximately 30 yards down the embankment from the road into the woods. Little stated after he discarded the woman’s body, he filled up with gas at the nearby gas station.
On April 21st, 1994, in Little Rock, Arkansas, Little murdered a woman named Ruth, who was black, 24, 5'5 to 5'7, and 200 pounds.
In 1993, while driving his 1978 yellow Cadillac Eldorado, Little killed a black female in Las Vegas, Nevada. Little stated he was traveling to Los Angeles, California, when he met a black prostitute on Owens Avenue or Jackson Street. Little stated the woman looked like an “old housewife” and described the woman as a skinny, dark-skinned black female, 40-something years old, standing approximately 5’ 5” tall, and weighing 110-120 pounds. Little believed the woman had naturally short hair but wore a long-haired wig (as depicted in his drawing). Little thought the black female was wearing pants when they met. The black female introduced Little to her son, a 19 to 23-year-old black male, who was standing near the woman. Little took the black female to a motel room where he strangled her to death, then placed the woman’s body in the trunk of his vehicle and drove toward Searchlight, Nevada. Little described driving to the edge of the Las Vegas city limits before pulling over on the side of a remote road. Little stated he rolled the woman’s naked body down a steep slope into a ditch, then threw her clothes out further down the road.
In approximately 1996, while driving his blue Cadillac, Little met a 5’ 6” tall, 120 pound, 23 to 25 year old “golden colored” black female at Tam’s Hamburger stand on Figueroa Avenue and Imperial Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The woman was with a masculine looking lesbian black female. Little gave both women a ride and made a date with the black female the following day at 4:00 PM. Little met the woman at the same hamburger stand the following day. Little drove the woman to Vermont Avenue and 81st Street near where he was living. Little then drove to Vermont Avenue and Florence Avenue. Little strangled the woman to death in his vehicle. Little put the woman in the trunk of his vehicle and then drove the woman to a large field. Little dragged the woman out of the trunk of his vehicle and put the woman down in the weeds, possibly on her back. Little left the woman clothed in a black dress.
In approximately 1996, Little met a 5’ 5” tall, 200 pound, heavy set, 23 to 24 year old “chocolate brown” black female prostitute named “T-Money,” on San Pedro and Manchester Streets in Los Angeles, California. The black female was very popular and all the children in the area knew her name. The woman saw Little driving a car one day and agreed to go on a date with him. Little eventually took the woman to a hamburger stand that was located on Slauson Avenue across from a medical clinic. Little thought the hamburger stand was located at Slauson Avenue and San Pedro Avenue. Little strangled the woman to death in the parking lot of the hamburger stand and then dragged the woman’s body into an alley behind the hamburger stand. The alley was completely full of garbage, and barely passable. Little placed the woman in a pile of garbage and placed a decaying mattress on top of her body. Little thought the woman was clothed in a black dress.
In approximately 1996, Little met a 5’ 0” tall, 110 pounds, 23-to-25-year-old white female with blonde hair and blue eyes in Los Angeles, California. Little met the woman at a homeless camp off Central Avenue and Hooper Street by some railroad tracks. Little met the woman the same day he received his “SSI” check. The woman had a boyfriend. Little rode a bus with the woman to Western Avenue and digitally penetrated the female on the second floor of a motel. Little walked toward the K-Mart store on Vermont Avenue with the woman and then walked down Slauson Avenue and bought some crack cocaine. While at the “crack house” the white female left for about fifteen minutes with two “black guys” that were associated with the woman that was selling crack cocaine. The white female came back crying and told Little that the two black “gang bangers” had both had sex with her. The white female led Little to a vacant house with a fence that was off a side street of Slauson Avenue. The house was vacant, but in good shape, and there was an apartment type house next door to it. The white female led Little to the side of the house where there was a five-foot chain-link fence. The white female climbed the fence, and Little immediately followed her over the fence. They entered the house which had wooden floors in the front room. The white female walked back and forth on the dusty wooden floors and left footprints. Little strangled the woman to death in a bathroom inside the residence and then removed her blue jeans and tennis shoes in an attempt to have postmortem anal sex. Little stated he could not have sex with the white female. Little placed the female sitting up in a bathtub with her top on. Little stated the woman looked like she was sixteen and still alive sitting up in the bathtub. Little left the white female’s tennis shoes and blue jeans in the bathroom and then carefully wiped down his fingerprints. Little stated he was careful not to leave footsteps in the dust when he left.
In approximately 1996, while driving his Cadillac, Little met a 5’ 7” to 5’ 8” tall, 130 pound, approximately 25 year old “chocolate” black female in Los Angeles, California. Little originally met the woman near where she was living at a halfway house located off Florence Avenue and a dead-end street that buts up to Interstate Ten. Little described the woman as having a “big” butt, and “dark skin.” Little “messed around” with the black female across the street from the half-way house in a garage behind a vacant house, until she rebuked his advances. Little later saw the woman on 81st and Figueroa Streets wearing a long flower dress. Little took the woman to nearby automotive supply building. There was a driveway between the building and another building that led to the back of the building. There was an empty trailer (residential) and an empty/ dilapidated pickup truck behind the building. The “off-brand establishment” auto supply store was on Florence Avenue between Vermont and Figueroa Streets. The driveway to the back of the store was paved. Little got into the dilapidated truck with the black female and began strangling her. While strangling the woman, both of them fell out of the truck onto the ground. Little strangled the woman to death and then dragged the black female’s body to a nearby trash/ rubbish pile (possibly with beer cans). There were two garbage piles in the back area of the business, and one of the piles belonged to the adjacent neighbors. Little dragged the woman by her arms, while on her back, to the neighbor’s garbage pile. Little left the woman clothed in a dress.
A woman named Ann was murdered in 1997 in Pheonix, Arizona.
https://www.dps.texas.gov/news/new-details-released-unsolved-samuel-little-murders
2024.02.19 17:18 DiscoverDurham Things to Do in Durham this Week!
If you’d like to add an event to our calendar, submit an event here. Please check with the event organizers to see if events change due to weather. Have a great week!
See the full weekly calendar on our website.
Tasting at Ten at Counter Culture Coffee
12 p.m.
Biscuit + Marmalade Biscuit Beer Release at Fullsteam Brewery
Co-Working & Networking Social at The Glass Jug Beer Lab in Downtown Durham
4 p.m.
Friday Date Night Deal at OC Aerial
5 p.m.
Guided Museum Tours at 21c Museum Hotels Durham
Food Truck Friday! at The Glass Jug Beer Lab in RTP
6 p.m.
Tea Cup Gin and Tarot with Joy at Arcana
6:30 p.m.
Next Level Film Series: "Gaining Ground" at Hayti Heritage Center
7 p.m.
Live Vinyl Spinning by PhDJ at Beer Study Durham
7:30 p.m.
Tango Concert: Holly Nelson at Nelson Music Room
Lovell Bradford Trio at Sharp 9 Gallery
8 p.m.
Duke Jazz Ensemble with Vanessa Rubin at Baldwin Auditorium
Stereo Reveries at DSSOLVR Durham
A Metal Show: Blazoner, Antigone, Celaris at Moon Dog Meadery
Get Sad Y'all's Emo Prom at Motorco Music Hall
9 p.m.
Russell Favret Quartet at Missy Lane's Assembly Room
Sad Bitch Karaoke at The Pinhook
10 p.m.
Renaissance Disko: Pajama Jams at Rubies on Five Points
Puro Pisces Pari at The Fruit
parkrun Durham at Southern Boundaries Park
9 a.m.
Raku Workshop at Delores Pottery
9:30 a.m.
Botany Spotlight: Lichens at Sarah P. Duke Gardens
10 a.m.
Durham Farmers’ Market at Durham Central Park
11:15 a.m.
Field & Factory: A Look at Tobacco’s Laborers at Duke Homestead State Historic Site
12 p.m.
Crafternoons at Gizmo Brew Works
1 p.m.
Craft Cider & Mead Tasting Experience at The Glass Jug Beer Lab in RTP
2 p.m.
Mallarme Family Concert: The Harpsichord Diaries at Durham County Library
Open House at JIAR Mosque
4 p.m.
Breastfeed Durham's 6th Anniversary Gala: Uniting for Lactation Justice at The Durham Exchange
6 p.m.
The River Otters and Tarot with Kathleen at Arcana
Mix'n It Up at HERitage Wines
7 p.m.
ADF Showings at ADF's Samuel H. Scripps Studios
Carolina Tiger Rescue's Black Tie & Tails Ball and Auction at Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club7:30 p.m.
Jim Ketch Swingtet at Sharp 9 Gallery
The Cajammers at Succotash Southern & Creole Kitchen
The Fabulous Nite-Life Boogie at The Blue Note Grill
8 p.m.
David Foster & Katharine McPhee at DPAC
Metal Show: An Offering to Bragi at Moon Dog Meadery
Sam Barber - Till I Return Tour at Motorco Music Hall (sold out)
9 p.m.
Blind Tigers: Live Karaoke! at Rubies on Five Points
10 p.m.
This Never Happened Presents OCULA, Luzi Tudor and Otherwish at The Fruit
Jazz Brunch at Lula & Sadie's
11 a.m.
House of Coxx Drag Brunch at Counting House
BodEGGa Pop Up Brunch + Art Show at LouElla Wine, Beer & Beverage
12 p.m.
Al Strong Presents Jazz Brunch at Alley Twenty Six
12:15 p.m.
Public Tour at Duke Chapel
2 p.m.
Soul Sunday w/ DJ Soul at Congress Social Bar
String Break Band at Fullsteam Brewery
3 p.m.
Maud 2.23 Run at The Glass Jug Beer Lab in RTP
6 p.m.
The Hipocrats and Tarot with Rene at Arcana
The Musical Offering at Goodson Chapel
FLIP the NC Court: A Launch Party for 2024 at Motorco Music Hall
6:30 p.m.
Open Mic Night at Moon Dog Meadery
7 p.m.
Lilly Hiatt / Reverends at The Pinhook
8 p.m.
Joe Bonamassa at DPAC
Psychic Hotline Presents Makaya McCraven w/ Joe Westerlund at The Fruit
See the full weekly calendar on our website.
submitted by DiscoverDurham to bullcity [link] [comments]
See the full weekly calendar on our website.
Noteworthy Events
David Foster & Katharine McPhee at DPAC- The 16-time Grammy award-winning writeproducer performs songs that he wrote or produced from his four decades of hits and includes fascinating storytelling about the songs, artists, and moments of his life. Some of the songs David and Katharine perform include Celine Dion’s “The Power Of Love,” Whitney Houston’s “The Bodyguard”, Earth Wind and Fire’s “After The Love Is Gone,” Chicago’s ”You’re The Inspiration”, Josh Groban’s “You Raised Me Up,” Natalie Cole’s “Unforgettable” and many, many more. They also perform a selection of hit songs that are beloved by Katharine’s fans.
- Sat, Feb 24 at 8 p.m.
- $50+
- Celebrating the Season of Love with a special duet-style drag brunch, featuring performances by: Vivica C Coxx, Stormie Daie, Naomi Dixx and Spray J.
- Sun, Feb 25
- 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
- $25
- vs NC State
- Sun, Feb 25 at 5:30 p.m.
- $22+
Multi-Day Events
Movies at The Carolina Theatre- 2024 Animated Oscar Shorts
- 2024 Live Action Oscar Shorts
- 2024 Documentary Oscar Shorts
- Godzilla Vs. Gigan
- The Devil’s Kiss
- It Came From Outer Space
- It’s Only a Nightmare, Charlie Brown
- They’re Coming to Get You, Barbara!
- The Eye of the Salamander
- He Never Left
- The Hyperborean
- Kill Your Lover
- Saint Drogo
- Darker Than You Think
- Four Minutes Til Midnight
- Graveyard of the Foreign Invaders
- The Activated Man
- All You Need is Blood
- Bloody Bridget
- Dr. Sander’s Sleep Cure
- Livescreamers
- Shift
- Black Hearts
Friday, Feb 23
Events at Atomic Empire- 6:30 p.m. - Lorcana: Into the Inklands Release Event
- 7 p.m. - Magic: Standard Showdown
- 5:30-7:30 p.m. - Friday Night Live: The Simple Joy
- 6-8 p.m. - RTP Uncorked: Central Coast California Wine Class
- 4 p.m. - Duke Baseball vs Northwestern at Jack Coombs Field
- 6 p.m. - Duke Men's Lacrosse vs Jacksonville at Koskinen Stadium
- 7:30 p.m. - Duke Softball vs Villanova at Duke Softball Stadium
- 5-9 p.m. - Food Truck: Tacos Paraiso #1
- 8-11 p.m. - Open Mic Stand-up Comedy
- 8-9 p.m. - Well Seasoned
- 9-10 p.m. - Hush Hush
- 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. - Braxton Cook
- 11 p.m. - Office Hours with DJ Professor X
- 12 p.m. - NCCU Women's Tennis vs Hampton at Dr. James W. Younge Tennis Courts
- 3 p.m. - NCCU Men's Tennis vs Hampton at Dr. James W. Younge Tennis Courts
- 6-8 p.m. - The Duke Street Dogs
- 9:15 p.m. - J Vo & Co
Tasting at Ten at Counter Culture Coffee
12 p.m.
Biscuit + Marmalade Biscuit Beer Release at Fullsteam Brewery
Co-Working & Networking Social at The Glass Jug Beer Lab in Downtown Durham
4 p.m.
Friday Date Night Deal at OC Aerial
5 p.m.
Guided Museum Tours at 21c Museum Hotels Durham
Food Truck Friday! at The Glass Jug Beer Lab in RTP
6 p.m.
Tea Cup Gin and Tarot with Joy at Arcana
6:30 p.m.
Next Level Film Series: "Gaining Ground" at Hayti Heritage Center
7 p.m.
Live Vinyl Spinning by PhDJ at Beer Study Durham
7:30 p.m.
Tango Concert: Holly Nelson at Nelson Music Room
Lovell Bradford Trio at Sharp 9 Gallery
8 p.m.
Duke Jazz Ensemble with Vanessa Rubin at Baldwin Auditorium
Stereo Reveries at DSSOLVR Durham
A Metal Show: Blazoner, Antigone, Celaris at Moon Dog Meadery
Get Sad Y'all's Emo Prom at Motorco Music Hall
9 p.m.
Russell Favret Quartet at Missy Lane's Assembly Room
Sad Bitch Karaoke at The Pinhook
10 p.m.
Renaissance Disko: Pajama Jams at Rubies on Five Points
Puro Pisces Pari at The Fruit
Saturday, Feb 24
Events at Atomic Empire- 11 a.m. - Pokémon TCG: League Cup
- 1 p.m. - Lorcana: Into the Inklands Release Event
- 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Therapeutic Goat Yoga
- 1-2:15 p.m. - Goat and Horse Snuggles "101"
- 10-11 a.m. - Drag Story Hour
- 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Saturdaze: Fin The DJ of A Jam Called Whatevr
- 12 p.m. - Duke Women's Lacrosse vs Clemson at Koskinen Stadium
- 3 p.m. - Duke Baseball vs Northwestern at Jack Coombs Field
- 5 p.m. - Duke Softball vs Boston University at Duke Softball Stadium
- 7:30 p.m. - Duke Softball vs Michigan State at Duke Softball Stadium
- 1-8 p.m. - Food Truck: Evelyn's Tex-Mex BBQ
- 1-6 p.m. - Pop Up Gallery USA Market
- 4-6 p.m. - Live Music: The Hipocrats
- Every Saturday, 10-10:30 a.m. and 11-11:30 a.m.
- 4-5 p.m. - Lab: Improv 101 Class Showcase
- 5-6 p.m. - Lab: Sketch 101 Class Showcase
- 6-7 p.m. - Lab: Improv 101 Class Showcase
- 7:30-8 p.m. - Bull City Press Presents
- 8-9 p.m. - Golden Age
- 9-10 p.m. - The Racket
- 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. - Braxton Cook
- 11 p.m. - Office Hours with DJ Professor X
- 1-2 p.m. - Improv Jam
- 8 p.m. - A Metal Show: Presented by Shirley Roads Records
- 1 p.m. - NCCU Women's Tennis vs North Carolina A&T at Dr. James W. Younge Tennis Courts
- 2 p.m. - NCCU Women's Basketball vs Eastern Shore at McDougald-McLendon Arena
- 4 p.m. - NCCU Men's Basketball vs Eastern Shore at McDougald-McLendon Arena
- 7:30 p.m. - Love Stinks: A Variety Show of Lust, Betrayal & Revenge
- 10:30 p.m. - Y2K Dance Party Feat Gemynii + AYO VIP
- 2 p.m. - Downtown Durham Walking Tour
- 4 p.m. - Durham African American History Tour
- 6 p.m. - Downtown Durham True Crime Tour
parkrun Durham at Southern Boundaries Park
9 a.m.
Raku Workshop at Delores Pottery
9:30 a.m.
Botany Spotlight: Lichens at Sarah P. Duke Gardens
10 a.m.
Durham Farmers’ Market at Durham Central Park
11:15 a.m.
Field & Factory: A Look at Tobacco’s Laborers at Duke Homestead State Historic Site
12 p.m.
Crafternoons at Gizmo Brew Works
1 p.m.
Craft Cider & Mead Tasting Experience at The Glass Jug Beer Lab in RTP
2 p.m.
Mallarme Family Concert: The Harpsichord Diaries at Durham County Library
Open House at JIAR Mosque
4 p.m.
Breastfeed Durham's 6th Anniversary Gala: Uniting for Lactation Justice at The Durham Exchange
6 p.m.
The River Otters and Tarot with Kathleen at Arcana
Mix'n It Up at HERitage Wines
7 p.m.
ADF Showings at ADF's Samuel H. Scripps Studios
Carolina Tiger Rescue's Black Tie & Tails Ball and Auction at Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club7:30 p.m.
Jim Ketch Swingtet at Sharp 9 Gallery
The Cajammers at Succotash Southern & Creole Kitchen
The Fabulous Nite-Life Boogie at The Blue Note Grill
8 p.m.
David Foster & Katharine McPhee at DPAC
Metal Show: An Offering to Bragi at Moon Dog Meadery
Sam Barber - Till I Return Tour at Motorco Music Hall (sold out)
9 p.m.
Blind Tigers: Live Karaoke! at Rubies on Five Points
10 p.m.
This Never Happened Presents OCULA, Luzi Tudor and Otherwish at The Fruit
Sunday, Feb 25
Events at Atomic Empire- 12 p.m. - Ravnica: Clue Edition Launch Party
- 12 p.m. - Battletech February Campaign Day
- 1 p.m. - Lorcana: Into the Inklands Release Event
- 12 p.m. - Duke Baseball vs Northwestern at Jack Coombs Field
- 1 p.m. - Duke Softball vs Villanova at Duke Softball Stadium
- 3:30 p.m. - Duke Softball vs Elon at Duke Softball Stadium
- 5:30 p.m. - Duke Women's Basketball vs NC State at Cameron Indoor Stadium
- 12-4 p.m. - Food Truck: Chirba Chirba
- 2-4 p.m. - Hammered Trivia with Thor
Jazz Brunch at Lula & Sadie's
11 a.m.
House of Coxx Drag Brunch at Counting House
BodEGGa Pop Up Brunch + Art Show at LouElla Wine, Beer & Beverage
12 p.m.
Al Strong Presents Jazz Brunch at Alley Twenty Six
12:15 p.m.
Public Tour at Duke Chapel
2 p.m.
Soul Sunday w/ DJ Soul at Congress Social Bar
String Break Band at Fullsteam Brewery
3 p.m.
Maud 2.23 Run at The Glass Jug Beer Lab in RTP
6 p.m.
The Hipocrats and Tarot with Rene at Arcana
The Musical Offering at Goodson Chapel
FLIP the NC Court: A Launch Party for 2024 at Motorco Music Hall
6:30 p.m.
Open Mic Night at Moon Dog Meadery
7 p.m.
Lilly Hiatt / Reverends at The Pinhook
8 p.m.
Joe Bonamassa at DPAC
Psychic Hotline Presents Makaya McCraven w/ Joe Westerlund at The Fruit
See the full weekly calendar on our website.
2023.11.23 23:42 HaykakanTxa Daily News Report: 11/23/2023
Date: 11/23/2023
Reading time: 11 minutes, 2317 words🪖 Military
According to the international law, Azerbaijan must release all hostages – report
Azerbaijan must release all Armenian political prisoners, POWs and hostages illegally held in Azerbaijan must be released immediately in accordance with the international law. The report indicates that on Sept. 19, 2023, an Azerbaijani offensive set the stage for the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from their ancestral land of Nagorno-Karabakh.Armenpress
Armenia not considering withdrawal of Russian military base from its territory – Deputy Foreign Ministry
Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan says Armenia is not seeking to withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) He added that Armenia is neither seeking the withdrawal of the Russian military base from its territory. Russian State Duma member Konstantin Zatulin expressed concern that the accelerating deterioration of relations between Armenia and Russia may jeopardize the presence of the Russia military base in Armenia's Gyumri.ArkaAm
🏛️ Politics & Government
Azerbaijani historiography is nothing more than a contrast between the desired and reality: Gardman-Shirvan-Nakhijevan
The Gardman-Shirvan-Nakhijevan Pan-Armenian Union has issued a statement regarding the circulation of fake scientific political discourse by Azerbaijan. The Union urged Azerbaijan to admit the numerous historical injustices committed against Armenians over the past century.Armenpress
Armenia didn’t veto CSTO decisions at Belarus summit despite not attending
Belarus State Secretary of the Security Council Alexander Volfovich said that the documents were agreed upon beforehand. The Belarusian foreign minister, Sergei Aleinik, confirmed that CSTO decisions are made by consensus.Armenpress, CSTO Secretary General to visit Armenia, CSTO Secretary General to visit Armenia upon the conclusion of the summit in Minsk, Russia regrets Armenia's absence at CSTO summit in Minsk
Some issues in talks with Azerbaijan require presence of mediators, says Armenian Deputy FM
Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan says some issues require the presence of mediators. Such issues include the rights of the forcibly displaced population of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to hold a meeting on border delimitation on November 30.Armenpress
Armenia, Azerbaijan agree to hold border delimitation talks
Armenia and Azerbaijan will hold a meeting on border delimitation on November 30. The meeting will take place on the state border of the two countries. Armenia's foreign ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan says the meeting will be held near the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.Armenpress, Armenian, Azerbaijani border commissions set to meet on November 30, Armenian Foreign Ministry confirms agreement on November 30 meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani border delimitation commissions, The Foreign Ministry confirms the agreement to hold a meeting of the demarcation commission on the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border
The Prime Minister meets with EU Ambassador to Armenia and Ambassadors of EU Member States accredited in Armenia
PM Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with EU Ambassador to Armenia and Ambassadors of EU Member States accredited in Armenia. The sides exchanged ideas on the processes taking place in the South Caucasus region.Armenpress, Armenian PM, EU Ambassadors discuss processes taking place in the South Caucasus, Armenia Foreign Ministers meets EU ambassadors in Yerevan
Arayik Harutyunyan receives the regional director of the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency
Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan received the delegation led by Barbara Boeni Slaats. At the meeting, reference was made to the humanitarian problems of our compatriots forcibly displaced from Nagorno Karabakh. Agreement was reached to continue cooperation on the reform agenda.Armenpress
UN Special Rapporteur briefed on the legislative reforms implemented in the Armenia's judicial system
The Chair of the Armenian National Assembly Standing Committee on Labor and Social Affairs Heriknaz Tigranyan held a meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence Fabian Savioli.Armenpress
Kremlin expects Pashinyan’s participation in upcoming CIS and EAEU summits
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov has said that Moscow expects Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's participation in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summits to take place in Saint Petersburg in December.Armenpress
Government to cover 1st semester tuition fees of Nagorno-Karabakh students
The Armenian government will compensate the 2023-2024 1st semester tuition fees of forcibly displaced students from Nagorno-Karabakh. The decision was adopted during the November 23 Cabinet meeting.Armenpress, The government will compensate the tuition fees of students forcibly displaced from Artsakh for the 1st semester of the 2023-2024 school year.
Armenia and India discuss energy cooperation
Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosyan has spoken via videocall with India’s Minister of New and Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh. Sanosan attached importance to the fact that Armenia recently joined the International Solar Alliance.Armenpress
Armenia, Iraq discuss perspectives of expanding bilateral cooperation
Second round of Armenian-Iraqi political consultations were held in Yerevan on November 22. The sides exchanged views on regional developments. The importance of high-level mutual visits and contacts was emphasized. The possibilities of developing cooperation between Armenia and Iraq in the trade, economic, educational, cultural, health, humanitarian and other spheres were discussed.ArmRadio, Armenia eyes stronger ties with Iraq
Pashinyan sees no “flow of migration” of Karabakh people from Armenia
Pashinyan believes there is no “flow of migration” of forcibly displaced people from Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia.PanArmenian, Pashinyan says there is no outflow of Nagorno-Karabakh refugees from Armenia
Armenia seeking to “radically” reorient foreign policy, says Russia
Armenia is demonstrating an intention to radically reorient its foreign policy, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.PanArmenian
Compulsory medical insurance in Armenia will cost 200 thousand drams a year - Minister
Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan said the system will be introduced in stages. The concept of the insurance plan was approved by the government in February this year. The health insurance system will cover all types of medical services, except for dentistry and plastic surgery.ArkaAm
Nikol Pashinyan highlights inclusion of Armenia in "BMZ-2030" reform strategy by German government
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Wednesday Niels Annen, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany. The sides exchanged ideas on the processes taking place in the region. The humanitarian problems of more than 100,000 forcibly displaced people from Nagorno-Karabakh were discussed.ArkaAm
Armenian Ambassador to Belgium receives patients injured in Stepanakert fuel depot blast
The Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to the Kingdom of Belgium hosted the forcibly displaced Artsakh citizens. The family members of the medical patients also participated in the meeting. The patients expressed their gratitude to the Armenian Embassy in Belgium, the hospital staff where they have received treatment, and the Armenian community of Belgium.Armenpress
We should help each other to find the right way of development, says Vice Minister of China Civil Affairs
Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan received the delegation of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China, headed by Vice Minister Zhan Chengfu. During the meeting, the perspectives of sectoral cooperation and a number of issues of mutual interest were discussed.Armenpress
President Khachaturyan and President Abdul Latif Rashid attend Armenian-Iraqi Tech Initiative in Gyumri
President of Iraq Abdul Latif Rashid visited Gyumri as part of his official trip to Armenia. He was accompanied by Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan. The Iraqi president visited the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies and participated in the Connecting Innovations Armenian-Iraqi Tech Initiative.Armenpress, There is a certain activity of economic ties between our countries. Pashinyan to the President of Iraq
Tsarukyan faces multi-billion dram forfeiture case
Former MP Gagik Tsarukyan is under investigation by the Stolen Asset Recovery division of the General Prosecution. Prosecution said it launched a probe into suspected illegally obtained assets owned by the business tycoon in 2020. The prosecution has since failed to produce any evidence proving the assets in question were obtained legally.Armenpress, Armenian prosecutors seek to seize79 real estate units, 42 cars, 86 billion drams, shares and stakes in 39 companies from Gagik Tsarukyan
Prosecutors seek forfeiture of total of 500 billion drams in illegally obtained assets
Stolen Asset Recovery Division seeking to confiscate 500 billion drams in 93 different cases. Assets include over 1000 real estate properties, 200 movable properties and shares in 270 companies. Prosecutor-General Anna Vardapetyan said November 23 that the stolen asset recovery division has filed 93 cases to court since 2020.Armenpress, Armenian prosecutors seek to seize79 real estate units, 42 cars, 86 billion drams, shares and stakes in 39 companies from Gagik Tsarukyan
PM Pashinyan lauds record number of registered jobs
Armenia has set a new historic record in the number of registered jobs, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said. Approximately 183,000 jobs were created during his administration since 2018.Armenpress, Pashinyan announces new record of registered jobs in Armenia
This is not the field, where we may justify the savings. Saribek Sukiasyan on development of science and its issues in RA
The development of science in line with the world is a strategic and agenda issue for Armenia. According to 2023 state budget, the funding of science increased by 155% compared to 2018. Saribek Sukiasyan said the minimum threshold for science financing, should be at least in the amount of 1% of the GDP.Armenpress
“For you, Armenia”։ Telethon 2023 to be held tonight
The 26th Telethon of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund, titled “For You, Armenia,” will be broadcasted live on Public TV. The three-hour program aims to showcase the diverse and expansive initiatives undertaken by the Fund.ArmRadio
AOKS building in downtown Yerevan returned to state ownership. Pashinyan dissatisfied with law enforcement agencies
A historic building in downtown Yerevan that used to house the Armenian Society for Cultural Relations and Cooperation with Foreign Countries (known as AOKS) illegally privatized through a scheme that involved a former minister of culture Hasmik Poghosyan. Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan told a government session that at the moment they were seeking to seize in favor of the state about 1000 units of immovable property. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan added that the public is dissatisfied with the pace of the process started to seize illegally obtained wealth.ArkaAm
Armenia to wind downincome tax refund scheme formortgage loans
Armenian government approves gradual abolition of scheme that allows mortgage borrowers to repay the loan at expense of their income tax. Scheme will not apply to mortgage loans issued after January 1, 2027 in Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir and Kotayk regions bordering the capital Yerevan. Scheme has been effective since 2018.ArkaAm
Armenian customs employees thwart smuggling of 10 kilograms of methamphetamine worth $2 million(VIDEO)
Armenian State Revenue Committee’s (SRC) officers discovered 10kg of methamphetamine estimated to cost over 800 million drams (almost $2 million) in a bus. The narcotics were hidden in a brown leather bag, the side walls of which were stuffed with methamphetamine. The bag was to be picked up in Armenia by a Chinese citizen L.L. who was detained on suspicion of drug smuggling.ArkaAm, An Iranian tried to import 10 kg of drugs worth 800 million drams into the territory of Armenia (VIDEO)
🧪 Science & Technology
Ardshinbank and Dalan Technopark sign cooperation agreement
Ardshinbank has become the main partner of the technopark, financing one of the largest projects in the construction industry. The agreement was signed at Dalan's construction site, attended by representatives of companies involved in the project, guests, and buyers. "Our goal is to create a dynamically developing business environment that will bring together leading Armenian and international technology companies in the region under one roof," said project leader Yervand Oganesyan.ArkaAm, Ardshinbank and Dalan Technopark signed a cooperation agreement
Vaccinations against chicken pox and coronavirus will be added to Armenia's National Vaccination Calendar
Starting from 2024 vaccinations against chicken pox will be added to Armenia's National Vaccination Calendar in stages. Covid-19 vaccinations will be included in the calendar for risk groups. Also, under this decision, vaccination against viral hepatitis-A will be carried out with one dose.ArkaAm
Russia to check technologies used to produce wines which it imports
Rosselkhoznadzor will be dispatching experts to countries, which supply wines to Russia, including Armenia, to check the technologies used for their production. The Russian law on viticulture and winemaking says that the government has the right to control the technology used to produce goods, including food, imported into the country.ArkaAm
🎭 Culture
Exclusive brandy “V&M” from the Armenia Wine Company will be available in the best stores in Armenia from December 1
Armenia Wine company will finally present the long awaited brandy. “V&M” is the name of the masterpiece of brandy art, which is a manifestation of unconditional love, devotion, honesty, and care for the homeland. V&M brandy combines all the taste and aromatic characteristics of the Armenian terroir, harmoniously mixed with French technologies.Armenpress
⚽ Sport
Yerevan hosts IBA Junior World Boxing Championships
Yerevan is hosting the IBA Junior World Boxing Championships. Around 600 young talents from around 60 nations will compete in 26 weight categories. Armenia will be represented by 16 athletes.Armenpress
Armenia’s Garik Karapetyan wins gold at IWF World Junior Championships
Garik Karapetyan has won gold in the men’s 102kg category at the IWF World Junior Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Armenian team's Gor Sahakyan and Alexandra Grigoryan also won gold earlier in the championship.Armenpress, Armenia’s Garik Karapetyan clinches gold at World junior Weightlifting Championships, Armenian lifter Garik Karapetyan becomes World Junior Champion
Donations to Armenia:
HimnadramServicemenFund
Armenian Wounded Heroes
ArmeniaFund
2023.11.23 00:58 Huckleberry9220 Barbara Kay Jolly
 | https://preview.redd.it/ri15ai5rmz1c1.png?width=253&format=png&auto=webp&s=15a75171b5e9873092474b1be82a9ac0dd16322a submitted by Huckleberry9220 to NotForgotten [link] [comments] Birth: August 3, 1957 Disappearance Location: Seattle, Washington Disappearance Date: August 22, 1976 Age at time of disappearance: 17 Hair: Black Eyes: Brown Height: 5'8" Weight: 130 pounds Sex: Female Race: African American Barbara Kay Jolly was last seen on Sunday, August 22, 1976 in downtown Seattle, Washington. She has a widow's peak on her forehead. Barbara has never been seen or heard from again. Circumstances surrounding Barbara's disappearance are unknown. There are few details available about her case, which remains active and unsolved. If you have any information on the disappearance or whereabouts of Barbara Kay Jolly, please contact the Seattle Police Department at 206-684-5582 or your local FBI office. ** I do all the research myself and the information on the case is from online sources and may or may not be correct. Sources: https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/3937dfwa.html https://charleyproject.org/case/barbara-kay-jolly https://ourblackgirls.com/2021/11/28/barbara-jolly-19-teen-disappeared-from-seattle-in-1976/ |
2023.11.07 17:21 harrysbongwaterr looking for advice/critique/feedback!
Hello there! I've spent a lot of time on Reddit but haven't really posted here before, so this is a bit of a new experience for me. I want to clarify that I'm not a writer, nor do I have any plans to become one. However, I have this fondness for writing. Back in high school, I wrote quite a few novels' worth of fan fiction on Wattpad (not my proudest moment), and now I find myself missing those long hours of typing away.
I should mention that I have no intention of publishing the story I'm currently working on. Still, I'm curious to see if, with enough time and effort, I could create something worth at least showing to my friends.
With all that in mind, I was hoping to get some feedback on my current character and basic plot points! I'm still in the very beginning stages, so please keep in mind that any names or details marked with an asterisk are subject to change.
I'm also looking for some ideas for a secondary plot. So far, I've been thinking about alternating between flashbacks to Indigo's childhood and the present day, but that might get a little dull. I'd love to hear your thoughts on what perspective you'd be interested in experiencing this story from!
Thank you in advance for your feedback, and please remember that I'm not a professional writer and have no intention of writing this for any reason other than my own personal enjoyment!
Character Profiles:
Indigo Jane:
- Indigo Jane is the enigmatic daughter of the late legendary rockstar, Ryan**, who was the frontman of the iconic band DANGER**.
- She exudes an air of mystery and is characterized by her secretive nature, displaying a touch of badass and competitiveness, though she can also be somewhat naive.
- Indigo is a gifted singer, songwriter, and guitarist, with an undying passion for music.
- Originally hailing from Los Angeles, she relocated to the tranquil haven of Santa Barbara to escape her tumultuous past.
- To sustain herself, she assumes the guise of a "nanny" while privately living off her father's fortune, steadfastly avoiding discussions about money.
- Indigo places the purity of art above the allure of wealth, and she turns to surfing as a means of coping with stress.
- As a 22-year-old woman, she sports a natural blonde mane, but she dyes her hair dark brown. She is often seen donning a Coca-Cola shirt while sipping the beverage.
- Indigo's most closely guarded secret is her illustrious lineage. No one knows about her famous father and her star-studded family.
Tommy**:
- Tommy possesses an aura of brooding intensity and is a compelling performer.
- By day, he serves as a bartender in downtown Santa Barbara, but his true yearning is for fame and love.
- Tommy grapples with substance abuse issues, which add layers to his complex personality.
- Raised in a tumultuous environment that involved constant relocation from state to state, he was ultimately ejected from his family at the age of 18.
- Tommy's journey brought him to Santa Barbara, attracted by the allure of Isla Vista.
- Like Indigo, he is a remarkably talented singer, songwriter, and guitarist, driven by a desire to ascend to stardom as a frontman.
- Willing to take colossal risks to find fame, Tommy is a 23-year-old figure, towering in stature, with unruly curly brown hair. His wardrobe typically consists of old jeans and flannel shirts.
- Tommy's secret, which unfolds in the climax of the story, is the unexpected transformation of his initial disdain for Indigo into a deep and passionate love.
Kaylin**:
- Kaylin is the embodiment of spunk, high energy, and free-spiritedness, characterized by her fiery and occasionally uncontrollable demeanor.
- Her musical roots stem from a classical background, and she assumes the role of the band's bassist.
- While bartending in downtown Santa Barbara, she draws from her upbringing in Los Angeles and the connections she formed in high school with Indigo through mutual friends.
- Kaylin initially pursued a degree at UCSB but decided to drop out when the band's prospects soared.
- She revels in the party scene and is exceptionally loyal and trusting, even to a fault.
- A 22-year-old woman with short blonde hair, Kaylin often dons whimsical clothing, reflecting her vivacious personality.
Kevin**:
- Kevin is a gentle and reserved individual who carries an air of awkwardness.
- His optimism and loving nature are tempered by a hidden secret.
- Kevin possesses a dual musical talent, proficient in both the piano and trumpet, and he juggles these skills while working as a grocery clerk.
- He is a student at city college, and his upbringing in Santa Barbara led him to initially live with his parents.
- Kevin idolizes Tommy and shares a long-standing friendship with Kaylin.
- As a 20-year-old man, he is tall and fit, with a helmet of blonde hair and a youthful dress sense.
- A significant revelation in the story is Kevin's secret: his homosexuality, a fact known to both Kaylin and Indigo.
Carlos:
- Carlos embodies intelligence, paired with a consistently laidback demeanor and kindness.
- He finds his joy in partying and his role as a children's surf instructor in Santa Barbara.
- Carlos is an avid surfer, reveling in the ocean's embrace, and he occasionally flirts with a player-like persona.
- As the band's drummer, he contributes humor and charisma, serving as a stabilizing force within the group.
- A 22-year-old man with tanned skin and curly black hair, he rarely buttons up his shirt, epitomizing his easygoing nature.
Plot Outline:
Part 1:
- The characters find themselves in a series of unfortunate events, leading them to search for new living arrangements and discover an old, eerie house in Santa Barbara.
- In their quest for affordable and immediate housing, Tommy and Carlos stumble upon a rental ad for the mysterious house, sparking their urgent search for roommates.
- Tommy approaches Kaylin, his only likable coworker, after hearing her complaints about terrible roommates. Meanwhile, Indigo gets evicted from her ex-boyfriend's residence and is offered a place to stay by Carlos.
Part 2:
- By chance, the group stumbles upon an incredible musical synergy, prompting them to seek a richer sound for their music.
- Kaylin suggests recruiting Kevin, who can play the piano, to enhance their musical depth.
- As Kevin moves in, there remains uncertainty about his contribution to the rent.
- Tommy initially underestimates Indigo but is humbled when she outshines him on the guitar, leaving everyone impressed. This sparks insecurity and competition within Tommy.
Part 3:
- The band navigates challenges but ultimately achieves success within the cozy confines of Isla Vista, composing songs together.
- Curiosity arises about Indigo's mysterious background, her lack of family connections, and her peculiar "nanny" gig.
- A heated argument erupts between Kaylin and Indigo when Kaylin recalls a significant detail from high school—she remembers who Indigo's father is but vows to keep this secret.
- Kevin's newfound independence from his family bolsters his self-assurance, and Carlos finds himself falling in love with Ariel while gigging around Isla Vista.
- Meanwhile, Tommy and Indigo's songwriting partnership commences, and Tommy, who initially believed Indigo was opening up, becomes increasingly frustrated with her secrecy.
Part 4:
- Discovered by a record label, the band releases an album, embarking on a nationwide tour and opening for a popular act.
- Departing from Isla Vista, the band members head out on tour. During the journey, Indigo makes a profound discovery about Tommy's collection of her father's music.
- This discovery prompts Indigo to contemplate the implications of Tommy learning about her lineage, leading her to distance herself from him.
- Kevin explores his sexuality and begins a flirtation with a stagehand.
- Kaylin observes the growing tension between Indigo and Tommy, which she fears may jeopardize the band's unity. She pleads with Indigo to reveal the truth to Tommy.
Part 5:
- The tour concludes, and the band members take time for personal pursuits.
- Indigo remains in Santa Barbara, dedicating her days to surfing while the others relocate to Los Angeles.
- Kevin comes out to his parents and spends the summer in LA with his new boyfriend.
- Kaylin leverages the band's newfound fame to gain access to exclusive parties in West Hollywood, frequently accompanied by Carlos.
- During a return to Santa Barbara, Carlos opens up to Indigo about Tommy's emotional state, recalling a worrisome scene he witnessed.
Part 6:
- Tommy is incensed by Indigo's unwillingness to open up to him, leading to a growing
rift between them.
- The record label pushes for the band to work on their second album, but Indigo and Tommy's strained relationship causes them to write individually.
- A revelation arises in Indigo's life when she encounters an old family friend, Larry**, who is deeply rooted in the music industry.
- Larry discloses his desire to work with the band but stipulates that Indigo must reveal her true identity. Indigo refuses him on his offer.
Part 7:
- The band grapples with the challenge of releasing their album independently and explores various avenues to secure a new label deal.
- Larry reaches out to Indigo once more, offering to sign the band, provided Indigo discloses her identity to the public.
- Indigo declines Larry's offer but keeps her connection with him a secret from the band.
- After months of exhaustive efforts, the band remains unable to secure a new label, driving them to a point of desperation.
Part 8:
- An unexpected opportunity arises for the band as they are offered a headlining slot at Coachella**.
- This development elicits a mixture of amazement and suspicion from the band members, who remain unaware of Indigo's connection to Larry.
- Indigo and Tommy's relationship shows signs of mending, and Indigo begins to feel herself falling for him.
- During the final rehearsal, Tommy and Indigo exhibit an electrifying performance, and their unspoken feelings for each other surface when Tommy kisses her.
- At Coachella, Tommy recognizes Larry and a prominent music industry figure. This leads to a revelation about Indigo's identity.
- A furious Tommy, fueled by alcohol, interrupts the band's performance and exposes Indigo's secret to the crowd.
Part 9:
- The public confrontation between Tommy and Indigo results in a decision for Indigo to part ways with the band.
- In the aftermath, the band releases their album independently and divides the profits among themselves, with Indigo disappearing from their lives.
submitted by harrysbongwaterr to writers [link] [comments]
I should mention that I have no intention of publishing the story I'm currently working on. Still, I'm curious to see if, with enough time and effort, I could create something worth at least showing to my friends.
With all that in mind, I was hoping to get some feedback on my current character and basic plot points! I'm still in the very beginning stages, so please keep in mind that any names or details marked with an asterisk are subject to change.
I'm also looking for some ideas for a secondary plot. So far, I've been thinking about alternating between flashbacks to Indigo's childhood and the present day, but that might get a little dull. I'd love to hear your thoughts on what perspective you'd be interested in experiencing this story from!
Thank you in advance for your feedback, and please remember that I'm not a professional writer and have no intention of writing this for any reason other than my own personal enjoyment!
Character Profiles:
Indigo Jane:
- Indigo Jane is the enigmatic daughter of the late legendary rockstar, Ryan**, who was the frontman of the iconic band DANGER**.
- She exudes an air of mystery and is characterized by her secretive nature, displaying a touch of badass and competitiveness, though she can also be somewhat naive.
- Indigo is a gifted singer, songwriter, and guitarist, with an undying passion for music.
- Originally hailing from Los Angeles, she relocated to the tranquil haven of Santa Barbara to escape her tumultuous past.
- To sustain herself, she assumes the guise of a "nanny" while privately living off her father's fortune, steadfastly avoiding discussions about money.
- Indigo places the purity of art above the allure of wealth, and she turns to surfing as a means of coping with stress.
- As a 22-year-old woman, she sports a natural blonde mane, but she dyes her hair dark brown. She is often seen donning a Coca-Cola shirt while sipping the beverage.
- Indigo's most closely guarded secret is her illustrious lineage. No one knows about her famous father and her star-studded family.
Tommy**:
- Tommy possesses an aura of brooding intensity and is a compelling performer.
- By day, he serves as a bartender in downtown Santa Barbara, but his true yearning is for fame and love.
- Tommy grapples with substance abuse issues, which add layers to his complex personality.
- Raised in a tumultuous environment that involved constant relocation from state to state, he was ultimately ejected from his family at the age of 18.
- Tommy's journey brought him to Santa Barbara, attracted by the allure of Isla Vista.
- Like Indigo, he is a remarkably talented singer, songwriter, and guitarist, driven by a desire to ascend to stardom as a frontman.
- Willing to take colossal risks to find fame, Tommy is a 23-year-old figure, towering in stature, with unruly curly brown hair. His wardrobe typically consists of old jeans and flannel shirts.
- Tommy's secret, which unfolds in the climax of the story, is the unexpected transformation of his initial disdain for Indigo into a deep and passionate love.
Kaylin**:
- Kaylin is the embodiment of spunk, high energy, and free-spiritedness, characterized by her fiery and occasionally uncontrollable demeanor.
- Her musical roots stem from a classical background, and she assumes the role of the band's bassist.
- While bartending in downtown Santa Barbara, she draws from her upbringing in Los Angeles and the connections she formed in high school with Indigo through mutual friends.
- Kaylin initially pursued a degree at UCSB but decided to drop out when the band's prospects soared.
- She revels in the party scene and is exceptionally loyal and trusting, even to a fault.
- A 22-year-old woman with short blonde hair, Kaylin often dons whimsical clothing, reflecting her vivacious personality.
Kevin**:
- Kevin is a gentle and reserved individual who carries an air of awkwardness.
- His optimism and loving nature are tempered by a hidden secret.
- Kevin possesses a dual musical talent, proficient in both the piano and trumpet, and he juggles these skills while working as a grocery clerk.
- He is a student at city college, and his upbringing in Santa Barbara led him to initially live with his parents.
- Kevin idolizes Tommy and shares a long-standing friendship with Kaylin.
- As a 20-year-old man, he is tall and fit, with a helmet of blonde hair and a youthful dress sense.
- A significant revelation in the story is Kevin's secret: his homosexuality, a fact known to both Kaylin and Indigo.
Carlos:
- Carlos embodies intelligence, paired with a consistently laidback demeanor and kindness.
- He finds his joy in partying and his role as a children's surf instructor in Santa Barbara.
- Carlos is an avid surfer, reveling in the ocean's embrace, and he occasionally flirts with a player-like persona.
- As the band's drummer, he contributes humor and charisma, serving as a stabilizing force within the group.
- A 22-year-old man with tanned skin and curly black hair, he rarely buttons up his shirt, epitomizing his easygoing nature.
Plot Outline:
Part 1:
- The characters find themselves in a series of unfortunate events, leading them to search for new living arrangements and discover an old, eerie house in Santa Barbara.
- In their quest for affordable and immediate housing, Tommy and Carlos stumble upon a rental ad for the mysterious house, sparking their urgent search for roommates.
- Tommy approaches Kaylin, his only likable coworker, after hearing her complaints about terrible roommates. Meanwhile, Indigo gets evicted from her ex-boyfriend's residence and is offered a place to stay by Carlos.
Part 2:
- By chance, the group stumbles upon an incredible musical synergy, prompting them to seek a richer sound for their music.
- Kaylin suggests recruiting Kevin, who can play the piano, to enhance their musical depth.
- As Kevin moves in, there remains uncertainty about his contribution to the rent.
- Tommy initially underestimates Indigo but is humbled when she outshines him on the guitar, leaving everyone impressed. This sparks insecurity and competition within Tommy.
Part 3:
- The band navigates challenges but ultimately achieves success within the cozy confines of Isla Vista, composing songs together.
- Curiosity arises about Indigo's mysterious background, her lack of family connections, and her peculiar "nanny" gig.
- A heated argument erupts between Kaylin and Indigo when Kaylin recalls a significant detail from high school—she remembers who Indigo's father is but vows to keep this secret.
- Kevin's newfound independence from his family bolsters his self-assurance, and Carlos finds himself falling in love with Ariel while gigging around Isla Vista.
- Meanwhile, Tommy and Indigo's songwriting partnership commences, and Tommy, who initially believed Indigo was opening up, becomes increasingly frustrated with her secrecy.
Part 4:
- Discovered by a record label, the band releases an album, embarking on a nationwide tour and opening for a popular act.
- Departing from Isla Vista, the band members head out on tour. During the journey, Indigo makes a profound discovery about Tommy's collection of her father's music.
- This discovery prompts Indigo to contemplate the implications of Tommy learning about her lineage, leading her to distance herself from him.
- Kevin explores his sexuality and begins a flirtation with a stagehand.
- Kaylin observes the growing tension between Indigo and Tommy, which she fears may jeopardize the band's unity. She pleads with Indigo to reveal the truth to Tommy.
Part 5:
- The tour concludes, and the band members take time for personal pursuits.
- Indigo remains in Santa Barbara, dedicating her days to surfing while the others relocate to Los Angeles.
- Kevin comes out to his parents and spends the summer in LA with his new boyfriend.
- Kaylin leverages the band's newfound fame to gain access to exclusive parties in West Hollywood, frequently accompanied by Carlos.
- During a return to Santa Barbara, Carlos opens up to Indigo about Tommy's emotional state, recalling a worrisome scene he witnessed.
Part 6:
- Tommy is incensed by Indigo's unwillingness to open up to him, leading to a growing
rift between them.
- The record label pushes for the band to work on their second album, but Indigo and Tommy's strained relationship causes them to write individually.
- A revelation arises in Indigo's life when she encounters an old family friend, Larry**, who is deeply rooted in the music industry.
- Larry discloses his desire to work with the band but stipulates that Indigo must reveal her true identity. Indigo refuses him on his offer.
Part 7:
- The band grapples with the challenge of releasing their album independently and explores various avenues to secure a new label deal.
- Larry reaches out to Indigo once more, offering to sign the band, provided Indigo discloses her identity to the public.
- Indigo declines Larry's offer but keeps her connection with him a secret from the band.
- After months of exhaustive efforts, the band remains unable to secure a new label, driving them to a point of desperation.
Part 8:
- An unexpected opportunity arises for the band as they are offered a headlining slot at Coachella**.
- This development elicits a mixture of amazement and suspicion from the band members, who remain unaware of Indigo's connection to Larry.
- Indigo and Tommy's relationship shows signs of mending, and Indigo begins to feel herself falling for him.
- During the final rehearsal, Tommy and Indigo exhibit an electrifying performance, and their unspoken feelings for each other surface when Tommy kisses her.
- At Coachella, Tommy recognizes Larry and a prominent music industry figure. This leads to a revelation about Indigo's identity.
- A furious Tommy, fueled by alcohol, interrupts the band's performance and exposes Indigo's secret to the crowd.
Part 9:
- The public confrontation between Tommy and Indigo results in a decision for Indigo to part ways with the band.
- In the aftermath, the band releases their album independently and divides the profits among themselves, with Indigo disappearing from their lives.
2023.10.26 23:53 generalpao Things to do in Houston this weekend - October 26th - 29th
🎃 🌟 🌟 🌟 If you enjoy these posts please take 30 seconds to sign up for my email list. Every signup makes a difference! Tell your friends. 🌟 🌟 🌟 🎃
Zach Noe Towers Stand Up @ Houston Improv @ 7:30PM
Myke Towers @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM
Michelle Branch @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Unknown Mortal Orchestra @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM With Amulets
Houston MiniFest @ Warehouse Live @ 6PM
Selin + Deniz Love @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM
🎃Ongoing - Zoo Boo @ Houston Zoo Count down to Halloween together with the Zoo - enjoy fun activities, dress up in costumes, and celebrate all things Fall.
‘The Batman’ Screening @ Market Square Park @ 8PM Grab your favorite takeout, awn blanket and enjoy a free movie screening of ‘The Batman’ (2022).
🎃Scream on the Green @ Discovery Green @ 6PM The annual Halloween celebration returns, with a costume contest, music and a screening of ‘Hocus Pocus.’
🎃‘Calavera Con Calavera’ Day of the Dead Celebration @ Miller Outdoor Theatre @ 7:30PM Join Mariachi for their musical numbers of traditional Mexican songs and dances with Houston Ballet Folklorico in celebration of Day of the Dead.
Dane Cook Stand Up Show @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM
Niko Moon @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Brandon Lake @ 713 Music Hall @ 7:30PM
Jeremy Zucker @ White Oak Music Hall @ 6:30PM
Shakey Graves @ White Oak Music Hall @ 6PM
Beach Fossils @ Warehouse Live @ 8PM With Turnover
Todd Terry @ Stereo Live @ 10PM
The Church @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM
Veeze @ The Secret Group @ 9PM
Shrek Rave @ RISE Rooftop @ 9PM
Gallery Concert: Bach’s Solo Violin @ MFAH @ 6:30PM / 8:30PM Concertmaster Jonathan Godfrey brings to life Johann Sebastian Bach’s most beloved sonatas and partitas for solo violin.
Farmers Market @ Market Square Park @ 9AM This fall, enjoy Houston’s best vendors in the very heart of downtown!
Ongoing - Saturday Stargazing @ George Observatory in Needville
🎃Day of the Dead Celebration @ MATCH @ 7PM Intempo Dance Ensemble presents an evening of dance and music inspired in the magical world of the day of the dead celebration.
🎃 Halloween Spooktacular for Kids @ Houston Symphony @ 10AM Jones Hall transforms into a ghostly sight as an orchestra full of costumed musicians performs all-time favorite spooktacular tunes.
Hollywood Hits in Concert @ Miller Outdoor Theatre @ 7:30PM Grammy Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir presents an evening of Hollywood hits, including songs by Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand, Lady Gaga, and more.
‘Intelligence’ Opera @ Brown Theater @ 7:30PM Coming from an award-winning team of writers and performers, this new American epic on the Civil War is a fusion of music, words, and dance.
Kathleen Madigan Comedy Show @ 713 Music Hall @ 8PM
Ryan Davis Stand Up @ House of Blues @ 8PM
Ronan Tynan @ The Grand Opera House @ 8PM
Parker McCollum @ Woodlands Pavilion @ 7PM With Josh Abbott Band
Joe Bonamassa @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM
KennyHoopla @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM
Senpai Squad @ Stereo Live @ 10PM
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM
Moon Walker @ The Secret Group @ 7PM
DJ Chetas: Bollywood Night @ RISE Rooftop @ 10PM
🎃Halloween Ball @ POST @ 9PM The Houston Halloween Ball is the city’s most wicked Costume Party event!
Dynamo vs Real Salt Lake @ Shell Energy Stadium @ 5PM
🎃 Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics @ The Bell Tower of 34th @ 6:30PM / 8:45PM Enjoy a special concert featuring songs from ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Psycho,’ ‘Ghostbusters,’ ‘Beetlejuice,’ and other Halloween classics.
Raphael Saadiq @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM
Chappell Roan @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Cuco @ White Oak Music Hall @ 6PM
The Mountain Goats @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM With Anna Tivel
Walter Etc. @ The Secret Group @ 6:30PM
Texas Eagles @ RISE Rooftop @ 2PM
FRIDAY & SATURDAY - Step Afrika! Dance Show @ Wortham Center Step Afrika! blends traditional African dances and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience.
🎃FRIDAY & SATURDAY - Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics @ Lone Star Flight Museum Enjoy a special concert featuring songs from ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Psycho,’ ‘Ghostbusters,’ ‘Beetlejuice,’ and other Halloween classics.
FRIDAY & SUNDAY - ‘Falstaff’ Opera @ Brown Theater This iconic production of Giuseppe Verdi’s final masterpiece is a fast-paced, life-affirming comedy.
🎃SATURDAY & SUNDAY - Galaxy Frights @ Space Center Explore the wonders of our galaxy as Space Center Houston transforms into a launchpad for space-themed Halloween fun.
All weekend - Michael Blaustein Stand Up @ Houston Improv
All weekend - A Tribute to The Moody Blues in Concert @ Houston Symphony Gordy Marshall of The Moody Blues joins the Symphony for stunning re-creations of classic hits like “Nights in White Satin,” “Tuesday Afternoon,” and “Go Now.”
All weekend - ‘Sweeney Todd’ Musical @ The Hobby Center LAST CHANCE - Stephen Sondheim’s musical masterpiece is a bold, chilling, and vibrant theatrical treat that never fails to shock and awe its audiences.
All weekend - ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ @ Stageworks Theatre LAST CHANCE - This groundbreaking Obie-winning Off-Broadway smash tells the hilarious story of “internationally ignored song stylist” Hedwig Schmidt.
All weekend -’The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)’ Play @ MATCH LAST CHANCE - Three people, one dead playwright, and 37 plays, all in just 90 minutes. The play takes you on a wild romp through all of Shakespeare's classics.
All weekend - ‘Clue’ Play @ Crighton Theatre Based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, ‘Clue’ is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery.
All weekend - ‘The Birds’ Play @ MATCH Inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s 1952 classic, this Conor McPherson adaptation is a gripping and unsettling look at human nature in the face of societal collapse.
All weekend - ‘Little Comedies’ Play @ Alley Theatre LAST CHANCE - From award-winning team comes the stunning new production of 5 one-act comedies written by the great Russian playwright Anton Chekhov.
All weekend - ‘Switzerland’ Play @ Stages Repertory Theatre Brimming with razor-sharp dialogue and dark wit, ‘Switzerland’ is a gripping psychological thriller that’s sure to leave you breathless.
All weekend - 'Always...Patsy Cline' Musical @ Stages Repertory TheatreThe musical play, complete with down home country humor, true emotion and even some audience participation, also includes many of Patsy’ unforgettable.
All weekend - ‘Reefer Madness’ Musical @ Art Factory Based on the cult-classic satire musical, Art Factory’s newest production is a side-splitting comedy with one-of-a-kind catchy repertoire.
🎃Ongoing - Texas Renaissance Festival @ Todd Mission On Saturdays and Sundays, the King invites all to his 16th century English village for a celebration of all things Renaissance!.
Ongoing - ‘Rembrandt to Van Gogh: Masterpieces from the Armand Hammer Collection’ Exhibition @ MFAH The exhibition showcases the renowned collection of the Hammer Museum at UCLA, including major works of art by Titian, Rembrandt, Cezanne, van Gogh, and others.
Ongoing - ‘Robert Frank and Todd Webb: Across America, 1955’ Exhibition @ MFAH See the famous works by photographers Robert Frank and Todd Webb as they individually made their way across the country in 1955, capturing the real life and diversity of American landscapes and towns throughout.
Ongoing - ‘Jordan Strafer: Trilogy’ Exhibition @ CAMHJordan Strafer’s uniquely pleasurable and perverse work examines the phenomenon of violence and power in the human world.
Ongoing - ‘Chryssa & New York’ Exhibition @ Menil Greek-born artist Chryssa’s pioneering works combined industrial processes and traditional sculpture-making to create monumental art pieces that respond to our urban, everyday environments.
Ongoing - Nestor Topchy’s Portraits Exhibition @ Menil This exhibition presents more than one hundred portraits made over the past twenty years by Houston-based artist Nestor Topchy.
Ongoing - ‘Longing, Grief, and Spirituality: Art Since 1980’ Exhibition @ Menil The mini exhibition presents artists’ response to the precariousness of life through the expression of longing, grief, and spirituality.
Ongoing - ‘Laure Prouvost: Above Front Tears Nest in South’ Exhibition @ Moody Center for the Arts French artist Laure Prouvost brings her surreal, immersive scenarios to Texas.
submitted by generalpao to houston [link] [comments]
THURSDAY - OCTOBER 26th
Tango Happy Hour @ MFAH @ 5PM Dance your way to happy hour with Houston’s vibrant tango community.Zach Noe Towers Stand Up @ Houston Improv @ 7:30PM
Myke Towers @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM
Michelle Branch @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Unknown Mortal Orchestra @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM With Amulets
Houston MiniFest @ Warehouse Live @ 6PM
Selin + Deniz Love @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM
FRIDAY - OCTOBER 27th
Punch Party @ MFAH Rienzi @ 6PM Get in the spirit of Halloween at Rienzi's masquerade punch party.🎃Ongoing - Zoo Boo @ Houston Zoo Count down to Halloween together with the Zoo - enjoy fun activities, dress up in costumes, and celebrate all things Fall.
‘The Batman’ Screening @ Market Square Park @ 8PM Grab your favorite takeout, awn blanket and enjoy a free movie screening of ‘The Batman’ (2022).
🎃Scream on the Green @ Discovery Green @ 6PM The annual Halloween celebration returns, with a costume contest, music and a screening of ‘Hocus Pocus.’
🎃‘Calavera Con Calavera’ Day of the Dead Celebration @ Miller Outdoor Theatre @ 7:30PM Join Mariachi for their musical numbers of traditional Mexican songs and dances with Houston Ballet Folklorico in celebration of Day of the Dead.
Dane Cook Stand Up Show @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM
Niko Moon @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Brandon Lake @ 713 Music Hall @ 7:30PM
Jeremy Zucker @ White Oak Music Hall @ 6:30PM
Shakey Graves @ White Oak Music Hall @ 6PM
Beach Fossils @ Warehouse Live @ 8PM With Turnover
Todd Terry @ Stereo Live @ 10PM
The Church @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM
Veeze @ The Secret Group @ 9PM
Shrek Rave @ RISE Rooftop @ 9PM
SATURDAY - OCTOBER 28th
Sip & Stroll @ MFAH Bayou Bend @ 4PM Enjoy live music, reading tea leaves, storytelling, magic performances, and craft-making for this spooky Sip & Stroll.Gallery Concert: Bach’s Solo Violin @ MFAH @ 6:30PM / 8:30PM Concertmaster Jonathan Godfrey brings to life Johann Sebastian Bach’s most beloved sonatas and partitas for solo violin.
Farmers Market @ Market Square Park @ 9AM This fall, enjoy Houston’s best vendors in the very heart of downtown!
Ongoing - Saturday Stargazing @ George Observatory in Needville
🎃Day of the Dead Celebration @ MATCH @ 7PM Intempo Dance Ensemble presents an evening of dance and music inspired in the magical world of the day of the dead celebration.
🎃 Halloween Spooktacular for Kids @ Houston Symphony @ 10AM Jones Hall transforms into a ghostly sight as an orchestra full of costumed musicians performs all-time favorite spooktacular tunes.
Hollywood Hits in Concert @ Miller Outdoor Theatre @ 7:30PM Grammy Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir presents an evening of Hollywood hits, including songs by Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand, Lady Gaga, and more.
‘Intelligence’ Opera @ Brown Theater @ 7:30PM Coming from an award-winning team of writers and performers, this new American epic on the Civil War is a fusion of music, words, and dance.
Kathleen Madigan Comedy Show @ 713 Music Hall @ 8PM
Ryan Davis Stand Up @ House of Blues @ 8PM
Ronan Tynan @ The Grand Opera House @ 8PM
Parker McCollum @ Woodlands Pavilion @ 7PM With Josh Abbott Band
Joe Bonamassa @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM
KennyHoopla @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM
Senpai Squad @ Stereo Live @ 10PM
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM
Moon Walker @ The Secret Group @ 7PM
DJ Chetas: Bollywood Night @ RISE Rooftop @ 10PM
🎃Halloween Ball @ POST @ 9PM The Houston Halloween Ball is the city’s most wicked Costume Party event!
SUNDAY - OCTOBER 29th
Rockets vs Warriors @ Toyota Center @ 6PMDynamo vs Real Salt Lake @ Shell Energy Stadium @ 5PM
🎃 Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics @ The Bell Tower of 34th @ 6:30PM / 8:45PM Enjoy a special concert featuring songs from ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Psycho,’ ‘Ghostbusters,’ ‘Beetlejuice,’ and other Halloween classics.
Raphael Saadiq @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM
Chappell Roan @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Cuco @ White Oak Music Hall @ 6PM
The Mountain Goats @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM With Anna Tivel
Walter Etc. @ The Secret Group @ 6:30PM
Texas Eagles @ RISE Rooftop @ 2PM
All Weekend
FRIDAY & SATURDAY - Island Oktoberfest @ Downtown Galveston Don your German costumes, grab your bier steins, and enjoy two days of music, dancing, authentic German food, a children's activities area, and more.FRIDAY & SATURDAY - Step Afrika! Dance Show @ Wortham Center Step Afrika! blends traditional African dances and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience.
🎃FRIDAY & SATURDAY - Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics @ Lone Star Flight Museum Enjoy a special concert featuring songs from ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Psycho,’ ‘Ghostbusters,’ ‘Beetlejuice,’ and other Halloween classics.
FRIDAY & SUNDAY - ‘Falstaff’ Opera @ Brown Theater This iconic production of Giuseppe Verdi’s final masterpiece is a fast-paced, life-affirming comedy.
🎃SATURDAY & SUNDAY - Galaxy Frights @ Space Center Explore the wonders of our galaxy as Space Center Houston transforms into a launchpad for space-themed Halloween fun.
All weekend - Michael Blaustein Stand Up @ Houston Improv
All weekend - A Tribute to The Moody Blues in Concert @ Houston Symphony Gordy Marshall of The Moody Blues joins the Symphony for stunning re-creations of classic hits like “Nights in White Satin,” “Tuesday Afternoon,” and “Go Now.”
All weekend - ‘Sweeney Todd’ Musical @ The Hobby Center LAST CHANCE - Stephen Sondheim’s musical masterpiece is a bold, chilling, and vibrant theatrical treat that never fails to shock and awe its audiences.
All weekend - ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ @ Stageworks Theatre LAST CHANCE - This groundbreaking Obie-winning Off-Broadway smash tells the hilarious story of “internationally ignored song stylist” Hedwig Schmidt.
All weekend -’The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)’ Play @ MATCH LAST CHANCE - Three people, one dead playwright, and 37 plays, all in just 90 minutes. The play takes you on a wild romp through all of Shakespeare's classics.
All weekend - ‘Clue’ Play @ Crighton Theatre Based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, ‘Clue’ is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery.
All weekend - ‘The Birds’ Play @ MATCH Inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s 1952 classic, this Conor McPherson adaptation is a gripping and unsettling look at human nature in the face of societal collapse.
All weekend - ‘Little Comedies’ Play @ Alley Theatre LAST CHANCE - From award-winning team comes the stunning new production of 5 one-act comedies written by the great Russian playwright Anton Chekhov.
All weekend - ‘Switzerland’ Play @ Stages Repertory Theatre Brimming with razor-sharp dialogue and dark wit, ‘Switzerland’ is a gripping psychological thriller that’s sure to leave you breathless.
All weekend - 'Always...Patsy Cline' Musical @ Stages Repertory TheatreThe musical play, complete with down home country humor, true emotion and even some audience participation, also includes many of Patsy’ unforgettable.
All weekend - ‘Reefer Madness’ Musical @ Art Factory Based on the cult-classic satire musical, Art Factory’s newest production is a side-splitting comedy with one-of-a-kind catchy repertoire.
Ongoing
🎃Ongoing - Zoo Boo @ Houston Zoo LAST CHANCE - Count down to Halloween together with the Zoo - enjoy fun activities, dress up in costumes, and celebrate all things Fall.🎃Ongoing - Texas Renaissance Festival @ Todd Mission On Saturdays and Sundays, the King invites all to his 16th century English village for a celebration of all things Renaissance!.
Ongoing - ‘Rembrandt to Van Gogh: Masterpieces from the Armand Hammer Collection’ Exhibition @ MFAH The exhibition showcases the renowned collection of the Hammer Museum at UCLA, including major works of art by Titian, Rembrandt, Cezanne, van Gogh, and others.
Ongoing - ‘Robert Frank and Todd Webb: Across America, 1955’ Exhibition @ MFAH See the famous works by photographers Robert Frank and Todd Webb as they individually made their way across the country in 1955, capturing the real life and diversity of American landscapes and towns throughout.
Ongoing - ‘Jordan Strafer: Trilogy’ Exhibition @ CAMHJordan Strafer’s uniquely pleasurable and perverse work examines the phenomenon of violence and power in the human world.
Ongoing - ‘Chryssa & New York’ Exhibition @ Menil Greek-born artist Chryssa’s pioneering works combined industrial processes and traditional sculpture-making to create monumental art pieces that respond to our urban, everyday environments.
Ongoing - Nestor Topchy’s Portraits Exhibition @ Menil This exhibition presents more than one hundred portraits made over the past twenty years by Houston-based artist Nestor Topchy.
Ongoing - ‘Longing, Grief, and Spirituality: Art Since 1980’ Exhibition @ Menil The mini exhibition presents artists’ response to the precariousness of life through the expression of longing, grief, and spirituality.
Ongoing - ‘Laure Prouvost: Above Front Tears Nest in South’ Exhibition @ Moody Center for the Arts French artist Laure Prouvost brings her surreal, immersive scenarios to Texas.
2023.09.28 21:44 generalpao Things to do in Houston this weekend - September 28th - October 1st
🌟 If you enjoy these posts please take 30 seconds to sign up for my email list. Every signup makes a difference! Tell your friends. 🌟
This might be the final weekend of HOT ASS WEATHER. Hallelujah.
Joe Dombrowski Stand Up @ Houston Improv @ 7:30PM
Guns N’ Roses @ Minute Maid Park @ 6PM With Alice In Chains
Sobredosis de Soda @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Lori McKenna & Brandy Clark @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM
Halston Dare @ RISE Rooftop @ 6:45PM
‘Tangled’ Screening @ Discovery Green @ 7PM
ROCO In Concert @ Miller Outdoor Theatre @ 7:30PM Take a seismic journey as ROCO’s 19th season kicks off with an exhilarating program of adventure, intrigue, and love.
Joji @ Toyota Center @ 8PM With Lil Toe & Savage Realm
NE-YO @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM With Pleasure P
Tash Sultana @ 713 Music Hall @ 8PM
Tate McRae @ Bayou Music Center @ 7PM
Anna Barbara @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Foy Vance @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM
MK @ Stereo Live @ 10PM
Blasterjaxx @ RISE Rooftop @ 10PM
Songs of White Lion @ Warehouse Live @ 7:30PM With Mike Tramp
Eyes Set to Kill @ Scout Bar @ 7:30PM
KPop Night @ White Oak Music Hall @ 8PM
Anime Night @ The Secret Group @ 9PM
Christopher Titus Comedy Special @ The Hobby Center @ 8PM
Russell Peters Comedy Show @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM
Kat Williams Comedy Show @ NRG Arena @ 8PM
Daniel Van Kirk Stand Up @ The Secret Group @ 8PM
‘Cinderella’ Screening @ Discovery Green @ 7PM
Mid-Autumn Festival @ Asia Society Texas Center @ 10AM Celebrate the autumn harvest and full moon with art-making activities, food & drink specials, and festival performances.
Chopd & Stewd Fest @ POST @ 9AM Celebrate the African diaspora with a unique and unparalleled food festival.
Farmers Market @ Market Square Park @ 9AM This fall, enjoy Houston’s best vendors in the very heart of downtown!
Salsa y Salud @ Miller Outdoor Theatre @ 7:M Featuring live music and choreography premiers, Salsa y Salud’s talented cast will keep you moving in your seats or dancing on the hill.
The Mavericks @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Piso 21 @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM
VNSSA @ Stereo Live @ 10PM
Josh Ritter & The Royal CIty Band @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM
KES @ RISE Rooftop @ 8PM
Five Dollar Friend, Deep Ella + Paco Estrada @ Warehouse Live @ 8PM
Z-RO @ Scout Bar @ 10PM
Family Zone @ MFAH @ 1PM On selected Sundays, families are invited to visit the MFAH for exciting activities in the galleries.
Joe Wong Stand Up @ The Secret Group @ 8PM
Maluma @ Smart Financial Centre @ 7PM
The Aces @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM
Sofi Tukker @ Clé @ 2PM
FRIDAY & SATURDAY - OktoberFest @ Saint Arnold @ 4PM
All weekend - D.L. Hughley Stand Up @ Houston Improv
All weekend - Manhattan Short Film Festival Screenings @ MFAH Don’t miss a unique chance to view the always-popular compilation of short films made by the best of the next generation filmmakers.
All weekend - French Masterworks in Concert @ Houston Symphony Join music director Juraj Valčuha leads dazzling French masterworks from Ravel, Messiaen, and Poulenc for Houston Symphony season’s opening weekend.
All weekend - Life Is Shorts Festival @ MATCH TEATRX annual festival encapsulates Hispanic Heritage Month by exploring rich and inspiring short stories through live theatre and cinema.
All weekend - ‘Tutu’ Ballet @ Brown Theater LAST CHANCE - In all-American costumes with exuberant patriotic touches, this classic Balanchine work is set to five rousing marches from composer John Phillip Sousa.
All weekend - ‘Waiting For Godot’ Play @ MATCH The Catastrophic Theatre presents Samuel Beckett’s most famous tragicomedy that launched The Theatre of the Absurd.
All weekend - ‘Chicken & Biscuits’ Play @ The Ensemble Theatre ‘Chicken & Biscuits’ is a raucous family comedy so full of laughter and love, it’ll leave you begging for seconds.
All weekend - ‘Carmela Full of Wishes’ @ MATCH Told through the lens of a heartfelt sibling story, the play illuminates the beauty of working class neighborhoods and the power of community and family.
All weekend - ‘Forever Plaid’ Musical @ The George Theater LAST CHANCE - What begins as a tragic story turns into a fun, adventure musical full of classic harmonies and pitch-perfect melodies.
All weekend - ‘POTUS’ Musical @ Stages Repertory Theatre Inspired by real-life events, this uproarious, all-female farce took Broadway by storm in 2022.
All weekend - 'Always...Patsy Cline' Musical @ Stages Repertory TheatreThe musical play, complete with down home country humor, true emotion and even some audience participation, also includes many of Patsy’ unforgettable.
Ongoing - ‘Jordan Strafer: Trilogy’ Exhibition @ CAMHJordan Strafer’s uniquely pleasurable and perverse work examines the phenomenon of violence and power in the human world.
Ongoing - 'Ming Smith: Feeling the Future' Exhibition @ CAMHLAST CHANCE - The exhibition explores artist Ming Smith’s unique, multi-layered work in various formats.
Ongoing - Nestor Topchy’s Portraits Exhibition @ Menil This exhibition presents more than one hundred portraits made over the past twenty years by Houston-based artist Nestor Topchy.
Ongoing - ‘Longing, Grief, and Spirituality: Art Since 1980’ Exhibition @ Menil The mini exhibition presents artists’ response to the precariousness of life through the expression of longing, grief, and spirituality.
Ongoing - ‘Laure Prouvost: ABove Front Tears Nest in South’ Exhibition @ Moody Center for the Arts French artist Laure Prouvost brings her surreal, immersive scenarios to Texas.
submitted by generalpao to houston [link] [comments]
This might be the final weekend of HOT ASS WEATHER. Hallelujah.
THURSDAY - SEPTEMBER 28th
Ongoing - Happy Hour @ MFAH @ 5PM Meet your friends at the MFAH for the best night of the week. Explore the campus, visit the galleries, and get a drink at the bar. General admission is free.Joe Dombrowski Stand Up @ Houston Improv @ 7:30PM
Guns N’ Roses @ Minute Maid Park @ 6PM With Alice In Chains
Sobredosis de Soda @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Lori McKenna & Brandy Clark @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM
Halston Dare @ RISE Rooftop @ 6:45PM
FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 29th
Ongoing - Zoo Boo @ Houston Zoo Count down to Halloween together with the Zoo - enjoy fun activities, dress up in costumes, and celebrate all things Fall.‘Tangled’ Screening @ Discovery Green @ 7PM
ROCO In Concert @ Miller Outdoor Theatre @ 7:30PM Take a seismic journey as ROCO’s 19th season kicks off with an exhilarating program of adventure, intrigue, and love.
Joji @ Toyota Center @ 8PM With Lil Toe & Savage Realm
NE-YO @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM With Pleasure P
Tash Sultana @ 713 Music Hall @ 8PM
Tate McRae @ Bayou Music Center @ 7PM
Anna Barbara @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Foy Vance @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM
MK @ Stereo Live @ 10PM
Blasterjaxx @ RISE Rooftop @ 10PM
Songs of White Lion @ Warehouse Live @ 7:30PM With Mike Tramp
Eyes Set to Kill @ Scout Bar @ 7:30PM
KPop Night @ White Oak Music Hall @ 8PM
Anime Night @ The Secret Group @ 9PM
SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 30th
Dynamo vs Dallas FC @ Shell Energy Stadium @ 7:30PMChristopher Titus Comedy Special @ The Hobby Center @ 8PM
Russell Peters Comedy Show @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM
Kat Williams Comedy Show @ NRG Arena @ 8PM
Daniel Van Kirk Stand Up @ The Secret Group @ 8PM
‘Cinderella’ Screening @ Discovery Green @ 7PM
Mid-Autumn Festival @ Asia Society Texas Center @ 10AM Celebrate the autumn harvest and full moon with art-making activities, food & drink specials, and festival performances.
Chopd & Stewd Fest @ POST @ 9AM Celebrate the African diaspora with a unique and unparalleled food festival.
Farmers Market @ Market Square Park @ 9AM This fall, enjoy Houston’s best vendors in the very heart of downtown!
Salsa y Salud @ Miller Outdoor Theatre @ 7:M Featuring live music and choreography premiers, Salsa y Salud’s talented cast will keep you moving in your seats or dancing on the hill.
The Mavericks @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Piso 21 @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM
VNSSA @ Stereo Live @ 10PM
Josh Ritter & The Royal CIty Band @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM
KES @ RISE Rooftop @ 8PM
Five Dollar Friend, Deep Ella + Paco Estrada @ Warehouse Live @ 8PM
Z-RO @ Scout Bar @ 10PM
SUNDAY - OCTOBER 1st
Texans vs Steelers @ NRG Stadium @ 12PMFamily Zone @ MFAH @ 1PM On selected Sundays, families are invited to visit the MFAH for exciting activities in the galleries.
Joe Wong Stand Up @ The Secret Group @ 8PM
Maluma @ Smart Financial Centre @ 7PM
The Aces @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM
Sofi Tukker @ Clé @ 2PM
ALL WEEKEND
All weekend - THE PAVILION presented by the 4th Wall Theatre Company @ Spring Street Studios Set in a small Midwestern town, THE PAVILION revolves around Peter and Kari, former high school sweethearts who reunite at their 20th high school reunion.FRIDAY & SATURDAY - OktoberFest @ Saint Arnold @ 4PM
All weekend - D.L. Hughley Stand Up @ Houston Improv
All weekend - Manhattan Short Film Festival Screenings @ MFAH Don’t miss a unique chance to view the always-popular compilation of short films made by the best of the next generation filmmakers.
All weekend - French Masterworks in Concert @ Houston Symphony Join music director Juraj Valčuha leads dazzling French masterworks from Ravel, Messiaen, and Poulenc for Houston Symphony season’s opening weekend.
All weekend - Life Is Shorts Festival @ MATCH TEATRX annual festival encapsulates Hispanic Heritage Month by exploring rich and inspiring short stories through live theatre and cinema.
All weekend - ‘Tutu’ Ballet @ Brown Theater LAST CHANCE - In all-American costumes with exuberant patriotic touches, this classic Balanchine work is set to five rousing marches from composer John Phillip Sousa.
All weekend - ‘Waiting For Godot’ Play @ MATCH The Catastrophic Theatre presents Samuel Beckett’s most famous tragicomedy that launched The Theatre of the Absurd.
All weekend - ‘Chicken & Biscuits’ Play @ The Ensemble Theatre ‘Chicken & Biscuits’ is a raucous family comedy so full of laughter and love, it’ll leave you begging for seconds.
All weekend - ‘Carmela Full of Wishes’ @ MATCH Told through the lens of a heartfelt sibling story, the play illuminates the beauty of working class neighborhoods and the power of community and family.
All weekend - ‘Forever Plaid’ Musical @ The George Theater LAST CHANCE - What begins as a tragic story turns into a fun, adventure musical full of classic harmonies and pitch-perfect melodies.
All weekend - ‘POTUS’ Musical @ Stages Repertory Theatre Inspired by real-life events, this uproarious, all-female farce took Broadway by storm in 2022.
All weekend - 'Always...Patsy Cline' Musical @ Stages Repertory TheatreThe musical play, complete with down home country humor, true emotion and even some audience participation, also includes many of Patsy’ unforgettable.
ONGOING
Ongoing - Celebrating Oaxacan Art and Culture Exhibition @ MFAH LAST CHANCE - The exhibition aims to foster cultural exchange and provide a unique opportunity to engage with Oaxacan art.Ongoing - ‘Jordan Strafer: Trilogy’ Exhibition @ CAMHJordan Strafer’s uniquely pleasurable and perverse work examines the phenomenon of violence and power in the human world.
Ongoing - 'Ming Smith: Feeling the Future' Exhibition @ CAMHLAST CHANCE - The exhibition explores artist Ming Smith’s unique, multi-layered work in various formats.
Ongoing - Nestor Topchy’s Portraits Exhibition @ Menil This exhibition presents more than one hundred portraits made over the past twenty years by Houston-based artist Nestor Topchy.
Ongoing - ‘Longing, Grief, and Spirituality: Art Since 1980’ Exhibition @ Menil The mini exhibition presents artists’ response to the precariousness of life through the expression of longing, grief, and spirituality.
Ongoing - ‘Laure Prouvost: ABove Front Tears Nest in South’ Exhibition @ Moody Center for the Arts French artist Laure Prouvost brings her surreal, immersive scenarios to Texas.
2023.06.28 18:21 AdamantAce DC Next Pride Special #3
DC Next proudly presents:
Clifford Baker in... What Works for You
Written by deadislandman1
Author’s Note: This story takes place between Animal-Man/Swamp Thing #14 and #15
Clifford was almost back home when the click of a switchblade caught his attention. Whether he wanted to get back home early or not, duty called. So Clifford altered his flight path, flying into an alleyway, where a brown haired young man his age had just cracked his head against the pavement. A man in a hoodie stood over him, knife in hand, “Alright kid, your wallet or your life.”
“Is that the signature mugger catchphrase?!” shouted Clifford. “I hear it all the time!”
“Wha–”
The mugger turned around, only for Clifford to crash headfirst into him, sending him flying off into the wall. Smiling at a job well done, Clifford grabbed a loose pipe on the ground before bending it around the unconscious robber’s torso before forcing the ends of the metal into the wall.
The would-be victim groaned, rubbing his head as he got back on his feet, “Ugh…thanks. Was almost a fileted fish there.”
“You alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine…” The man looked between the mugger and Clifford. “Hey, I don’t know if you’re like…free or anything, but I know a place that has the best hot dogs in the city.”
Clifford grimaced, “I mean, I would, but I’m a little pressed for–”
A loud rumbling sound emanated from Cllifford’s stomach. He hung his head, “Alright…I guess I could go for a hot dog.”
“Sweet! I can call a–”
“Aw, no need for that,” Clifford pointed towards the sky. “Mind if I…”
“Uh….sure!”
Clifford scooped the man up in his arms before taking flight, passing the roofs in only a few seconds. As he flew up into the sky, his eyes widened, “Oh, realized I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Clifford, also Animal-Man.”
“I-I’m Zack!” said the man, clinging to Clifford.
“Nice to meet you, Zack. The flight’ll be over in a few minutes, so hold on tight in the meantime!”
“Way ahead of you, man!”
It wasn’t long before the two finally arrived at the spot Zack had fingered. Touching down on the sidewalk, Clifford walked up to what was very obviously a hot dog stand, where a man in a white hat flashed a smile at the duo, “Ah, Zack! You made another friend?”
“Seems like it.” said Zack.
Clifford grinned, “I’m a superhero! I’m everyone’s friend.”
“Well, everybody’s friend…” said the man, “I see you’ve met my best customer!.”
A rush of red tinged Clifford’s cheeks as he realized he’d forgotten to put Zack down. Zack had similarly forgotten that they were no longer flying. Leaning to the side, Clifford put his newfound friend down, allowing Zack to brush himself off before placing his order. After getting their food, Zack glanced up at the roof of a nearby building, prompting Clifford to ask if he wanted to fly up there.
Zack promptly asked if they could please take the stairs.
From there, the two walked up the roof, took their seats at the roof’s edge, and dug in. Clifford thought he knew everything about Nashville’s cuisine, but Zack had proven him completely wrong. After wolfing down his food, Clifford wiped the mustard off his lips before glancing off into the sunset, “God…I think I’m a bit nervous.”
“About what?”
“I don’t know…stuff,” said Clifford. “I don’t know if you saw my debut, but I got my ass beat pretty bad. Heck, I probably would’ve died if dumb luck wasn’t on my side. I’m better at this kind of thing but…I dunno I just feel like something’s missing.”
Zack finished his hot dog, grimacing before looking off into the sunset as well. “I think I get it. I went through something kinda similar a few years ago. Wasn't really sure about every part of me. I knew I liked guys already but… that didn’t mean I’d figured everything else out..”
“How so?”
“Well, for one, it took forever to pick the name ‘Zack’.”
“Oh,” Clifford nodded. “Okay, I gotcha. I follow.”
“I wanted to ask my mom if transitioning was right for me, but she was too busy doom-scrolling the internet about the state of the world to care,” Zack frowned. “I just kept looking and looking, tried to find anything I could to help me figure out if I was on the right track.”
Then, Zack smiled and turned to Clifford, “Then I met some people around here. They helped me figure things out, taught me that whatever identity or label I wanted to put on myself, it’s all a part of discovery. Sure enough, I felt confident enough to know what to call myself, to know deep down who I really am! Trust me, man, you’d think these kinds of things are just words, but when you find the right ones…you feel like a whole new you.”
“Wow,” Clifford’s eyes widened, “I…I never thought about that. It’s been a nasty couple of months for me but I'm still learning the ropes. I guess…I guess I’ve just gotta keep at it, get out of my own head, then I’ll feel more at home. I know it’s definitely not the same as what happened with you but…you’ve given me some stuff to think about.”
“Anytime dude,” Zack kicked his feet up before pushing himself to his feet, stretching his arms over his head, “Like the food?”
“I’m going there again,” said Clifford, following Zack’s lead. “They’ve got the beauty-in-simplicity thing down to a tee.”
“For sure! You wanna go there again together? I’m free in the afternoons most days.”
“I’d totally go with you tomorrow, but I’ve got a date with this girl and…”
“Oh…” Zack rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “I…I see.”
“Yeah…” Clifford swallowed. Why did things suddenly feel so awkward?
“Well…um…I still grab food there most days, so you might catch me there sometime!” Zack turned around, already shuffling towards the roof door, “I gotta go, but I’ll see you again sometime!”
“For…for sure!” said Clifford. He raised his hand to wave goodbye, but something was gnawing at him inside. This didn’t feel right, a part of him couldn’t let this farewell go the way it did. There was something he just had to do before Zack left, but he wasn’t sure if it was really the right thing to do for him.
Then he remembered what Zack said about figuring yourself out, and before he knew it the words left his mouth, “Can I get your number!?”
“Huh?!” Zack whirled around, and Clifford found himself blushing wildly.
“Uh…well, I know I’m going on a date tomorrow, but we’re not partners or anything and I don’t know how that’s gonna work out and stuff and…” Clifford was stumbling over himself already. “Shit, I just wanna keep in touch, especially since I might be…”
“Be…what?”
“Not straight?” blurted Clifford.
For a moment, the two of them stood in silence, not a word spoken between them. Then, Zack slowly grinned before bursting out laughing. Clifford looked on in confusion, “Wh-What are you laughing at?”
“S-Sorry! Sorry! I’m not trying to make fun of you, honest!” giggled Zack, “But I’ve never heard anyone shout ‘Not straight?!’ like that. It just cracked me up, that's all.”
Walking back to Clifford, Zack grabbed a pen from his pocket, taking hold of Clifford’s wrist before writing on his suit, “Listen good, I’m not gonna be your dating experiment, you can be sure of that. Unless you’re really, and I mean really interested in me, maybe it’s best to just not. But, if you ever need someone to talk to…I’m your guy. Plus, if you do think we’d be a good match…” Zack winked at Clifford before planting a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be around!”
With that, Zack pocketed the pen and walked off to the roof exit, flashing another smile at Clifford before leaving. The spot where the kiss was planted radiated with a pleasant heat on Clifford’s face, the type of heat you’d feel in a sauna. Stepping backwards towards the edge, Clifford walked off the roof before floating off into the night sky, in complete bliss. Even without a label, Clifford knew exactly how Zack made him feel. With a smile, he let out a couple of words just for himself.
“Heh…Wow.”
♦ ♦ 🏳️🌈 ♦ ♦
Pamela Isley and Barbara Minerva in... Glass
Written by VoidKiller826
Author Note: This story takes place after Wonder Women #30
Mornings had always been Pamela Isley’s favorite time of day. The former Poison Ivy found it calming, waking up early at five has become routine for her, a routine she picked up after getting out of Arkham, leaving that cesspool of a city Gotham and then moving to Gateway after accepting the offer to teach, putting that degree she earned from college to use for something meaningful and not for another corporation that pollutes Mother Earth.
Fixing herself up, Pamela stared at herself in the mirror of the bathroom she was in, a very well-maintained bathroom as expected in a place like this. The outfit consisted of a dark green jacket, a black button-up shirt, dark green pants, and black high heels. Her long red hair was loose, not tied up like usual, with the right side of her hair almost covering her eye.
Checking her clothes one last time, she nodded before turning to the door and found herself in the reception area of the one place that makes her uncomfortable to stand in, rivaling the now derelict Arkham Asylum - SCYTHE headquarters, home of the peacekeepers of Gateway City, also known as President Cale’s little fascist squad.
After signing in and getting checked for contraband, she was ordered to follow a SCYTHE soldier through the busy hallways of their HQ. After a few minutes of walking, going through another checkpoint, she finally found herself in the visitation area, much smaller than the last time when she visited months ago. The size of it was a typical room length, with a large window in the middle separating it. Two chairs were in the room, one on her side and one on the other. Her side is made for visitors, while the other was made for the criminals, judging by the metal door and the three cameras.
A beep echoed in the room as the red light on the other side of the room blinked, as if it were a warning. Then, the metallic door slowly opened wide, and in came first two SCYTHE soldiers, one was a grunt carrying an assault rifle, and the other she recognized to be the big guy who followed Hector Hall around, the one that carried the hammer. Behind them followed the prisoner, softer footsteps in contrast to the heavy ones of the SCYTHE agents, slowly stepping out of the shadow was a familiar face, one that made Isley’s heart skip after their eyes match.
Taking her seat was one Barbara Minerva, dressed in an orange jumpsuit. She had an inhibitor collar strapped around her neck, active in ensuring her powers as the Cheetah weren’t active which, knowing Barbara, she would see as a blessing rather than a hindrance.
The two women sat down, staring at each other for what felt like forever, before grabbing the twin telephones to communicate through the thick barrier between them. . “I have to say,” Barbara began, “Green is a bit too on the nose for you, Pamela. Not that I am complaining, you always looked good in green.”
Isley smiled, leaning closer. “And orange does match your fur even if the clothes are a bit too ugly to look at.”
“I do miss the days when I could walk around without being worried about my clothes…” Barbara complained, still smiling widely.
Warhammer coughed and then signaled the other soldier to follow him. “Give them some privacy…”
The soldier was taken aback by the order. “But the Commander said…” he tried to speak up, trying to remind the Warhammer of their duty but shut his mouth after remembering who he was talking to. “...Understood.”
The metallic door closed, leaving the two women on their own.
“You know… I could break you out of here,” Pamela suggested, pointing at the plants around her. “Just a simple command and all the children here could bust you out no problem.”
Barbara let out a small laugh. “That would be nice… A break out is pretty romantic.”
The two women shared a laugh. Pamela understood that Barbara saw this as a necessary arrangement, to be put in prison for her crimes, for the people that suffered because of her actions, and she wouldn’t ruin that or her own second chance, even if she wanted to.
“You look… healthy,” Pamela noted at Barbara, her fur now looking more vibrant - healthy, not sickly when Urzkataga had her under his control and pumping her with that black tar that was poisoning her. It was a slow process without the plant god’s ‘gifts’, but his death had freed Barbara from his control. “Much better than before.”
“You should see Ballesteros, he still looks like shit,” Barbara said in amusement, seeming happy to tell of her successor’s ailments. “He can’t take a shit without help. After pumping all that stuff in him, he looks like a hundred years old.”
Pamela snorted. Good, the beating he received from Artemis was good, but hearing that he hadn’t escaped karma inside was much better news.
Silence came between them, the two still staring at each other before Pamela put her hand on the glass, a wide space that separated the two. Barbara smiled, albeit much more softly than before, more lovingly as she touched the glass where Isley’s hands lay, trying to feel anything beyond the cold glass surface. But for all their powers, they couldn’t feel a thing. A simple glass wall separated the two, and all they could do now was wait to be reunited.
♦ ♦ 🏳️🌈 ♦ ♦
Tim Drake in... Lost in the Shuffle
Written by AdamantAce
Five years had passed since Bruce Wayne's death, and Tim had been constantly on the move. At sixteen, his father uprooted him from Gotham, leaving behind the crime surge and Jason Todd's losing battle as Robin, with Dick retired and wearing a police badge. Now at twenty-three, he recognised that it wasn’t just Robin's life that had disintegrated when he left Gotham; Tim Drake's had too.
During the week of his 23rd birthday, Tim found himself at a karaoke bar in downtown Gotham, sipping on a lemonade by himself. One college student stood on the shallow stage and drunkenly swayed to the music under the single stage light, hollered at and encouraged by his friends as he waited several measures to once again cry “Tequila!” for the amusement of many. This wasn’t Tim’s scene - he wasn’t much of a drinker, and even less of a singer - but he enjoyed getting out and seeing the city without a costume on. As he looked about the darkened room, taking note of all those in attendance - mostly college students - it disturbed him how so many were younger than him. It bothered him how he only had to be away for a few years, and the city had become a stranger to him.
Returning to Gotham after a troubled journey through Metropolis and Palo Alto, Tim found that everything had changed. Nothing that he had left behind was still waiting for him. Dick had moved on, Helena was traveling through time, and Jason was dead. He had changed too, he knew that, but his transformation felt incomplete, like a puzzle missing its final piece. And for the life of him, he couldn’t find it.
At sixteen, Tim had left his friends at Gotham Heights High, and now, at twenty-three, they had all moved on to bigger things - Bernard traveling the world, Mark at MIT, Ariana starting a career as a journalist in National City. Tim wondered where they imagined him now. Of course, none of them could guess he would be fighting crime and solving international mysteries, but would any of them be surprised to learn how he had been running in circles for the last five years?
But then something strange happened.
“Tim!?”
He turned to find a tall woman, clad in a loose green button-down and skinny jeans, calling out to him from the adjacent table. Leaving her companions, she made her way toward Tim, who rose in panic, trying to recall her name.
"Oh my god, it's been years!" she exclaimed, enveloping him in a tight embrace.
Tim suppressed the urge to squirm, with it being clear that she was clearly very comfortable with him in a way that few were. It was only when she pulled back and Tim got a closer look at her face that it finally clicked.
“Oh!”
Pasty skin, muddy blue eyes, brand new spectacles after needing to replace them every time they fell onto a chair before sitting down. But also longer hair - finer hair - of platinum blonde, and a whole different way of standing, of speaking, of smiling. She looked so different, but then - Tim figured - so must he. They weren’t 16 anymore.
“Ives!” Tim blurted out. “I— I didn’t realise you were still in Gotham.”
"Yeah, well," she replied, pulling a chair and gesturing for him to join her. "I stopped keeping track of wherever the hell you were years ago," she chuckled.
"You're a student?" Tim asked.
“Yeah, I took a couple years out after the ol’...” she explained. She gestured to her hair, which Tim now realised was in fact a wig. “Follicular cancer.”
"Oh god, I'm so sorry," Tim stumbled. It was overwhelming, but he couldn't complain.
"It's fine," she reassured him with a compassionate smile. "It turned out to be a blessing in disguise."
Tim raised an eyebrow.
She scoffed. "Alright, here's the story," she smirked. "When I got the diagnosis, my life came to a stop. I put my senior year on hold, and with all the doctor visits and consultations, everyone else just... grew distant."
“I know the feeling…” Tim nodded.
“Yeah, you’re not the who had cancer, Wunderkind,” she teased.
Taking a deep breath, Tim realized they were back to their old banter, with Ives effortlessly cutting him down. He laughed; some things never changed.
"But yeah, the old gang had scattered to the winds, and while it was hard with everyone gone, it did mean no-one knew the old Ives."
“Oh!” Tim exclaimed. “So it’s still ‘Ives’?”
“Sheridan.” She squeezed Tim’s hand gently. “Sheridan Ives. But we’ve been ‘Tim and Ives’ since we were kids. There’s no changing that.”
“Right,” Tim smiled. “Well, it’s fantastic to see you, Ives.”
“Isn’t it!?” Ives exclaimed. “I’m glad you caught me tonight. Last night was this rager at Kyle’s friend’s place and I was a real mess.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Tim replied. “Like a house party? When did you get so cool?”
Ives had always been withdrawn at school, one to lurk away from the public eye, content to keep a low profile, which had suited Tim just fine. After all, there were few kids Tim felt like he could relate to at school. But this new look on her, this new confidence, it was truly heart-warming.
"So, what's your major?" Tim asked.
"Computer programming," she exclaimed with excitement. "I'm working on this robotics project that would make you freak. And you?"
Tim blushed. "Oh, well, I'm not... I haven't..."
"Who are we kidding?" Ives retorted. "The kid genius isn't slumming it at Gotham U.”
"Actually, I'm not studying anywhere. I'm trying to figure things out first."
Ives sensed Tim's uncertainty and paused for a moment. "Patience suits you, Drake," she remarked. "You know, I should thank you."
"Excuse me?"
Ives blushed, taking a deep breath. “You probably don’t even remember,” she began. “Your pop had to work late once so you got the bus with me after school, and you were obsessing over Ariana, Zoanne, or Darla…”
Tim felt a wave of embarrassment.
“Anyway, after I gave you some… pretty good advice, you asked me something, and it cut me deep.”
“Go on, what was it?” asked Tim.
“You said ‘Ives, how come you never wanna talk about girls?’” Ives replied. Memories of that moment started flooding back. “I said ‘I don’t know’, and you said…” Ives grinned. “You read something online about ‘asexuality’, and that ‘apparently’ some people just aren’t interested in ‘that stuff’ or romance.”
“God,” Tim cringed. “I thought I was so clever, trying to solve my friends.”
“Yeah, well,” Ives gestured to herself. “I didn't even know asexuality existed until that day. And years later... you were right. When I got to college, I fell in with a new crowd in the LGBTQ+ student society and discovered the rest from there.”
“Wow, I really don’t know what to say,” Tim admitted. “I never thought…”
“Well, that’s what I always loved about you,” Ives smiled. “For how smart you are, for how your brain never switches off, you just… always had the right thing to say. You didn’t have to think about it, it just came naturally.”
Tim thought back to being fourteen, juggling his efforts to prove himself to Bruce, balancing patrols, school, and dealing with the despair of a nonexistent love life. He always felt overwhelmed, but the truth was that it really did come easy to him, even if he had taken on too much. Back before he would overthink everything. It was then that he decided he had to get back to that; he said he needed to figure things out, but maybe what he really needed was to stop searching for an answer and start just doing what came naturally.
In response to Tim's stunned silence, Ives smiled and continued speaking. "So, what about you?"
“What do you mean?” asked Tim.
“Well, straight kids don’t fall down internet rabbit holes researching queer identities, do they?”
“They don’t?”
Tim thought about it for a moment.
No, he thought. Perhaps they didn’t.
“I don’t know,” Tim responded.
“Oooh,” Ives sat forward in her chair. “Another mystery to solve then?”
“Maybe,” Tim replied. “Or maybe I’ll just know the truth when I see it.”
♦ ♦ 🏳️🌈 ♦ ♦
Decisions, Decisions
Written by GemlinTheGremlin
What do you do when your ex-girlfriend texts you, asking to take you out for dinner?
Your immediate first reaction is to jump state, but you throw that one out immediately once you clock you’re overreacting. Though, as you scroll up and read through your previous messages with her and remind yourself of how badly it all ended, maybe running away wouldn’t be so bad. So you put a pin in that idea and think of some more options.
You watch the little line in the reply box blinking at you expectantly. You think of all the times you stayed up texting her, giddy like a kid, as she told stories how she used to do gymnastics as a kid and how she found out she was gay and how she broke her arm in middle school. You remember when watching the blinking line used to evoke excitement rather than dread.
So you decide not to reply; it’s better for both of you if you just try to move on, and you can’t do that if you keep meeting up with each other. Besides, you think to yourself, it’s been almost two years, she’s almost definitely already moved on by now. But this thought gives you pause. If she’s already moved on, then why is she texting you? Did she realize how good she really had it and then come crawling back?
Probably just a rebound.
You lock the phone defiantly. You’re no one’s rebound!
So there you sit, arms folded, proud of your decision. You think about all the more interesting things you could be getting up to instead of sitting in a cramped diner overflowing with people, across the table from a woman you haven’t seen in years. You could watch a new TV series, or finally catch up on that new documentary everyone’s been talking about. You could listen to some music, or have a nice relaxing shower, or–
Your phone goes off, and without thinking about what you’re doing, you’ve pulled the phone up closer to your face in one swift movement, staring down at the screen. Just an email. You’re… somewhat disappointed.
Your disappointment is then replaced with confusion. Oh, so now you do wanna go see her!
Fine. Now you decide to reply. But what do you even say? “Sure” would be too impersonal, and a huge “Hey! How are you?” message would come off as needy. You begin to type a coy “I thought you’d never ask” before chickening out and deleting it. Maybe she’d appreciate you supplying some options, so you offer up a few of the local (cheap) restaurants.
Your finger hovers over the ‘send’ button. You can’t help but dwell on how you left things - how she was instrumental in the uprooting of your life as you knew it. You think about what she was like that night; you think about how off her face she was, and how you could barely recognise her anymore. You were just trying to help her, and after two years, maybe it worked. There’s only one way to find out.
You hit send.
The next few minutes smear together. You find yourself just staring at a wall, lost in thought - in nostalgia - when your phone chimes once more. This time, instead of immediately checking the notification, you hesitate. It’s been hard the past two years, and knowing that you’d have to see her again when it was all over… almost made it worse.
You eventually cave and check your phone. She’s picked a venue from your suggested list, and has asked if you want to meet in - you check the time - ten minutes. You immediately scan your room for any clean laundry, before digging through your wardrobe. How do you find something that says “I’m meeting my ex for the first time in years, but I’m totally chill and sexy about it”?
You manage to swiftly cobble together something closer to “I was told I had 10 minutes to get ready”, but at least you found something. You frantically apply lipstick with one hand as you type “Sure, I can do that” into your phone with the other, surprised at your own dexterity. And finally, as you finish staring at yourself in the mirror, you finally feel ready. Well, as ready as you’ll ever be.
So, having made your choice, you grab your keys and head out. At least you know that, whatever happens, you’ll still have your potted plant waiting for you when you get back to the van.
♦ ♦ 🏳️🌈 ♦ ♦
Cassandra Cain in… Painted Faces
Written by ClaraEclair
On a warm summer day in Gotham City, with the sun shining and the sky clear, shouts of joy, celebration, and pride filled the air as an impossibly large parade of people chanted and cheered their way down Conroy Boulevard in Somerset. Within the crowd was an endless variety of different people, all celebrating their lives and pushing forward to the future, hoping for continued betterment.
Among that massive crowd were Cassandra Cain and Christine Montclair, hand in hand marching down the street, wearing various colourful pieces of clothing, their faces painted with flags — Cass with oranges and purple hues of a lesbian flag, Christine with the pink, blue, and purple of the bisexual flag.
Christine confidently led Cass through the crowd, holding her hand and guiding her with a smile through a world Cass had never seen before; one of life, of love, of acceptance, of defiance, and of pride. There were no words Cass could find to describe how she felt as she saw the people around her — though overwhelming at first, the energy the crowd displayed was almost intoxicating.
Making their way below giant flags waved by various attendees to skirting around large banners, the two women eventually made their way around to the front of the parade, admiring all that they found themselves a part of. Hours passed as the parade finished at Robinson Park and the crowds shifted to older demographics for the performances on the park stage.
Opting for a quieter evening, Cassandra and Christine opted to take a bus to find somewhere to sit down for dinner, finally deciding on a small family owned restaurant in Chinatown that Cass frequented between patrol and sleep.
“So, what do you think of your first parade?” Christine asked excitedly as the two of them sat in a booth within the restaurant, hands still intertwined.
“It was… a lot,” Cass said, thinking about how many people were involved in marching down the streets of Gotham. “But it was fun.” Christine squeezed Cass’ hand lightly, unable to hide her smile as they took a moment to appreciate their time together.
“You two look like you’ve had a good day!” called out the owner of the restaurant, a woman named Jackie. “” She asked in Cantonese.
Cass paused at the words, freezing for a moment in an attempt to remember what Jackie had taught her. Learning English had been difficult enough — she still felt as though she didn’t know that much — adding another language on top of it scrambled her thoughts when she had to try and remember her lessons.
“” responded Cass, speaking slowly to focus on her pronunciation and intonation, hoping she said the words correctly. Beside her, Christine leaned on her elbow, resting her chin in her hand, watching Cass with adoration.
“So you have been listening to my lessons!” teased Jackie, nudging Cass lightly with her elbow. “What will you ladies have this afternoon?”
“I’ll have a wonton soup,” Christine said, watching as Jackie wrote down the order, then looked at Cass.
“Chow mein, please,” Cass ordered, receiving a smile from Jackie as she noted the request and walked back into the kitchen to deliver the order to the cooks.
As the food was delivered, and the two spoke with Jackie about a myriad of topics, the darkening sky eventually called for them both to leave, heading to Christine’s apartment for the night.
After washing up, removing the paint from their faces, the two found themselves cuddling up on the couch, watching the latest late-night B-movie starring Gotham’s most middling actors for cheap entertainment. Hands intertwined again, Cass rested upon Christine’s chest, half watching the movie and half listening to her heartbeat.
“That’s wrong,” Cass said as she noticed a poorly performed martial arts move from one of the actors on-screen.
“Oh, really?” Christine asked, giggling lightly.
“Yeah,” Cass said. “They are all bad fighters.”
“If they’re so bad, why don’t you go do it right?” Teased Christine, getting a scoff in response.
“I could kick their butts,” Cass responded, resisting the urge to point out more incorrect moves.
“I’d pay to see that.”
Soon, the movie faded into the background as both of the women fell asleep on the couch, holding each other closely. Neither wished to be anywhere else.
Happy Pride from DC Next!
submitted by AdamantAce to DCNext [link] [comments]
DC NEXT PRIDE SPECIAL
June 2023Clifford Baker in... What Works for You
Written by deadislandman1
Author’s Note: This story takes place between Animal-Man/Swamp Thing #14 and #15
Clifford was almost back home when the click of a switchblade caught his attention. Whether he wanted to get back home early or not, duty called. So Clifford altered his flight path, flying into an alleyway, where a brown haired young man his age had just cracked his head against the pavement. A man in a hoodie stood over him, knife in hand, “Alright kid, your wallet or your life.”
“Is that the signature mugger catchphrase?!” shouted Clifford. “I hear it all the time!”
“Wha–”
The mugger turned around, only for Clifford to crash headfirst into him, sending him flying off into the wall. Smiling at a job well done, Clifford grabbed a loose pipe on the ground before bending it around the unconscious robber’s torso before forcing the ends of the metal into the wall.
The would-be victim groaned, rubbing his head as he got back on his feet, “Ugh…thanks. Was almost a fileted fish there.”
“You alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine…” The man looked between the mugger and Clifford. “Hey, I don’t know if you’re like…free or anything, but I know a place that has the best hot dogs in the city.”
Clifford grimaced, “I mean, I would, but I’m a little pressed for–”
A loud rumbling sound emanated from Cllifford’s stomach. He hung his head, “Alright…I guess I could go for a hot dog.”
“Sweet! I can call a–”
“Aw, no need for that,” Clifford pointed towards the sky. “Mind if I…”
“Uh….sure!”
Clifford scooped the man up in his arms before taking flight, passing the roofs in only a few seconds. As he flew up into the sky, his eyes widened, “Oh, realized I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Clifford, also Animal-Man.”
“I-I’m Zack!” said the man, clinging to Clifford.
“Nice to meet you, Zack. The flight’ll be over in a few minutes, so hold on tight in the meantime!”
“Way ahead of you, man!”
It wasn’t long before the two finally arrived at the spot Zack had fingered. Touching down on the sidewalk, Clifford walked up to what was very obviously a hot dog stand, where a man in a white hat flashed a smile at the duo, “Ah, Zack! You made another friend?”
“Seems like it.” said Zack.
Clifford grinned, “I’m a superhero! I’m everyone’s friend.”
“Well, everybody’s friend…” said the man, “I see you’ve met my best customer!.”
A rush of red tinged Clifford’s cheeks as he realized he’d forgotten to put Zack down. Zack had similarly forgotten that they were no longer flying. Leaning to the side, Clifford put his newfound friend down, allowing Zack to brush himself off before placing his order. After getting their food, Zack glanced up at the roof of a nearby building, prompting Clifford to ask if he wanted to fly up there.
Zack promptly asked if they could please take the stairs.
From there, the two walked up the roof, took their seats at the roof’s edge, and dug in. Clifford thought he knew everything about Nashville’s cuisine, but Zack had proven him completely wrong. After wolfing down his food, Clifford wiped the mustard off his lips before glancing off into the sunset, “God…I think I’m a bit nervous.”
“About what?”
“I don’t know…stuff,” said Clifford. “I don’t know if you saw my debut, but I got my ass beat pretty bad. Heck, I probably would’ve died if dumb luck wasn’t on my side. I’m better at this kind of thing but…I dunno I just feel like something’s missing.”
Zack finished his hot dog, grimacing before looking off into the sunset as well. “I think I get it. I went through something kinda similar a few years ago. Wasn't really sure about every part of me. I knew I liked guys already but… that didn’t mean I’d figured everything else out..”
“How so?”
“Well, for one, it took forever to pick the name ‘Zack’.”
“Oh,” Clifford nodded. “Okay, I gotcha. I follow.”
“I wanted to ask my mom if transitioning was right for me, but she was too busy doom-scrolling the internet about the state of the world to care,” Zack frowned. “I just kept looking and looking, tried to find anything I could to help me figure out if I was on the right track.”
Then, Zack smiled and turned to Clifford, “Then I met some people around here. They helped me figure things out, taught me that whatever identity or label I wanted to put on myself, it’s all a part of discovery. Sure enough, I felt confident enough to know what to call myself, to know deep down who I really am! Trust me, man, you’d think these kinds of things are just words, but when you find the right ones…you feel like a whole new you.”
“Wow,” Clifford’s eyes widened, “I…I never thought about that. It’s been a nasty couple of months for me but I'm still learning the ropes. I guess…I guess I’ve just gotta keep at it, get out of my own head, then I’ll feel more at home. I know it’s definitely not the same as what happened with you but…you’ve given me some stuff to think about.”
“Anytime dude,” Zack kicked his feet up before pushing himself to his feet, stretching his arms over his head, “Like the food?”
“I’m going there again,” said Clifford, following Zack’s lead. “They’ve got the beauty-in-simplicity thing down to a tee.”
“For sure! You wanna go there again together? I’m free in the afternoons most days.”
“I’d totally go with you tomorrow, but I’ve got a date with this girl and…”
“Oh…” Zack rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “I…I see.”
“Yeah…” Clifford swallowed. Why did things suddenly feel so awkward?
“Well…um…I still grab food there most days, so you might catch me there sometime!” Zack turned around, already shuffling towards the roof door, “I gotta go, but I’ll see you again sometime!”
“For…for sure!” said Clifford. He raised his hand to wave goodbye, but something was gnawing at him inside. This didn’t feel right, a part of him couldn’t let this farewell go the way it did. There was something he just had to do before Zack left, but he wasn’t sure if it was really the right thing to do for him.
Then he remembered what Zack said about figuring yourself out, and before he knew it the words left his mouth, “Can I get your number!?”
“Huh?!” Zack whirled around, and Clifford found himself blushing wildly.
“Uh…well, I know I’m going on a date tomorrow, but we’re not partners or anything and I don’t know how that’s gonna work out and stuff and…” Clifford was stumbling over himself already. “Shit, I just wanna keep in touch, especially since I might be…”
“Be…what?”
“Not straight?” blurted Clifford.
For a moment, the two of them stood in silence, not a word spoken between them. Then, Zack slowly grinned before bursting out laughing. Clifford looked on in confusion, “Wh-What are you laughing at?”
“S-Sorry! Sorry! I’m not trying to make fun of you, honest!” giggled Zack, “But I’ve never heard anyone shout ‘Not straight?!’ like that. It just cracked me up, that's all.”
Walking back to Clifford, Zack grabbed a pen from his pocket, taking hold of Clifford’s wrist before writing on his suit, “Listen good, I’m not gonna be your dating experiment, you can be sure of that. Unless you’re really, and I mean really interested in me, maybe it’s best to just not. But, if you ever need someone to talk to…I’m your guy. Plus, if you do think we’d be a good match…” Zack winked at Clifford before planting a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be around!”
With that, Zack pocketed the pen and walked off to the roof exit, flashing another smile at Clifford before leaving. The spot where the kiss was planted radiated with a pleasant heat on Clifford’s face, the type of heat you’d feel in a sauna. Stepping backwards towards the edge, Clifford walked off the roof before floating off into the night sky, in complete bliss. Even without a label, Clifford knew exactly how Zack made him feel. With a smile, he let out a couple of words just for himself.
“Heh…Wow.”
♦ ♦ 🏳️🌈 ♦ ♦
Pamela Isley and Barbara Minerva in... Glass
Written by VoidKiller826
Author Note: This story takes place after Wonder Women #30
Mornings had always been Pamela Isley’s favorite time of day. The former Poison Ivy found it calming, waking up early at five has become routine for her, a routine she picked up after getting out of Arkham, leaving that cesspool of a city Gotham and then moving to Gateway after accepting the offer to teach, putting that degree she earned from college to use for something meaningful and not for another corporation that pollutes Mother Earth.
Fixing herself up, Pamela stared at herself in the mirror of the bathroom she was in, a very well-maintained bathroom as expected in a place like this. The outfit consisted of a dark green jacket, a black button-up shirt, dark green pants, and black high heels. Her long red hair was loose, not tied up like usual, with the right side of her hair almost covering her eye.
Checking her clothes one last time, she nodded before turning to the door and found herself in the reception area of the one place that makes her uncomfortable to stand in, rivaling the now derelict Arkham Asylum - SCYTHE headquarters, home of the peacekeepers of Gateway City, also known as President Cale’s little fascist squad.
After signing in and getting checked for contraband, she was ordered to follow a SCYTHE soldier through the busy hallways of their HQ. After a few minutes of walking, going through another checkpoint, she finally found herself in the visitation area, much smaller than the last time when she visited months ago. The size of it was a typical room length, with a large window in the middle separating it. Two chairs were in the room, one on her side and one on the other. Her side is made for visitors, while the other was made for the criminals, judging by the metal door and the three cameras.
A beep echoed in the room as the red light on the other side of the room blinked, as if it were a warning. Then, the metallic door slowly opened wide, and in came first two SCYTHE soldiers, one was a grunt carrying an assault rifle, and the other she recognized to be the big guy who followed Hector Hall around, the one that carried the hammer. Behind them followed the prisoner, softer footsteps in contrast to the heavy ones of the SCYTHE agents, slowly stepping out of the shadow was a familiar face, one that made Isley’s heart skip after their eyes match.
Taking her seat was one Barbara Minerva, dressed in an orange jumpsuit. She had an inhibitor collar strapped around her neck, active in ensuring her powers as the Cheetah weren’t active which, knowing Barbara, she would see as a blessing rather than a hindrance.
The two women sat down, staring at each other for what felt like forever, before grabbing the twin telephones to communicate through the thick barrier between them. . “I have to say,” Barbara began, “Green is a bit too on the nose for you, Pamela. Not that I am complaining, you always looked good in green.”
Isley smiled, leaning closer. “And orange does match your fur even if the clothes are a bit too ugly to look at.”
“I do miss the days when I could walk around without being worried about my clothes…” Barbara complained, still smiling widely.
Warhammer coughed and then signaled the other soldier to follow him. “Give them some privacy…”
The soldier was taken aback by the order. “But the Commander said…” he tried to speak up, trying to remind the Warhammer of their duty but shut his mouth after remembering who he was talking to. “...Understood.”
The metallic door closed, leaving the two women on their own.
“You know… I could break you out of here,” Pamela suggested, pointing at the plants around her. “Just a simple command and all the children here could bust you out no problem.”
Barbara let out a small laugh. “That would be nice… A break out is pretty romantic.”
The two women shared a laugh. Pamela understood that Barbara saw this as a necessary arrangement, to be put in prison for her crimes, for the people that suffered because of her actions, and she wouldn’t ruin that or her own second chance, even if she wanted to.
“You look… healthy,” Pamela noted at Barbara, her fur now looking more vibrant - healthy, not sickly when Urzkataga had her under his control and pumping her with that black tar that was poisoning her. It was a slow process without the plant god’s ‘gifts’, but his death had freed Barbara from his control. “Much better than before.”
“You should see Ballesteros, he still looks like shit,” Barbara said in amusement, seeming happy to tell of her successor’s ailments. “He can’t take a shit without help. After pumping all that stuff in him, he looks like a hundred years old.”
Pamela snorted. Good, the beating he received from Artemis was good, but hearing that he hadn’t escaped karma inside was much better news.
Silence came between them, the two still staring at each other before Pamela put her hand on the glass, a wide space that separated the two. Barbara smiled, albeit much more softly than before, more lovingly as she touched the glass where Isley’s hands lay, trying to feel anything beyond the cold glass surface. But for all their powers, they couldn’t feel a thing. A simple glass wall separated the two, and all they could do now was wait to be reunited.
♦ ♦ 🏳️🌈 ♦ ♦
Tim Drake in... Lost in the Shuffle
Written by AdamantAce
Five years had passed since Bruce Wayne's death, and Tim had been constantly on the move. At sixteen, his father uprooted him from Gotham, leaving behind the crime surge and Jason Todd's losing battle as Robin, with Dick retired and wearing a police badge. Now at twenty-three, he recognised that it wasn’t just Robin's life that had disintegrated when he left Gotham; Tim Drake's had too.
During the week of his 23rd birthday, Tim found himself at a karaoke bar in downtown Gotham, sipping on a lemonade by himself. One college student stood on the shallow stage and drunkenly swayed to the music under the single stage light, hollered at and encouraged by his friends as he waited several measures to once again cry “Tequila!” for the amusement of many. This wasn’t Tim’s scene - he wasn’t much of a drinker, and even less of a singer - but he enjoyed getting out and seeing the city without a costume on. As he looked about the darkened room, taking note of all those in attendance - mostly college students - it disturbed him how so many were younger than him. It bothered him how he only had to be away for a few years, and the city had become a stranger to him.
Returning to Gotham after a troubled journey through Metropolis and Palo Alto, Tim found that everything had changed. Nothing that he had left behind was still waiting for him. Dick had moved on, Helena was traveling through time, and Jason was dead. He had changed too, he knew that, but his transformation felt incomplete, like a puzzle missing its final piece. And for the life of him, he couldn’t find it.
At sixteen, Tim had left his friends at Gotham Heights High, and now, at twenty-three, they had all moved on to bigger things - Bernard traveling the world, Mark at MIT, Ariana starting a career as a journalist in National City. Tim wondered where they imagined him now. Of course, none of them could guess he would be fighting crime and solving international mysteries, but would any of them be surprised to learn how he had been running in circles for the last five years?
But then something strange happened.
“Tim!?”
He turned to find a tall woman, clad in a loose green button-down and skinny jeans, calling out to him from the adjacent table. Leaving her companions, she made her way toward Tim, who rose in panic, trying to recall her name.
"Oh my god, it's been years!" she exclaimed, enveloping him in a tight embrace.
Tim suppressed the urge to squirm, with it being clear that she was clearly very comfortable with him in a way that few were. It was only when she pulled back and Tim got a closer look at her face that it finally clicked.
“Oh!”
Pasty skin, muddy blue eyes, brand new spectacles after needing to replace them every time they fell onto a chair before sitting down. But also longer hair - finer hair - of platinum blonde, and a whole different way of standing, of speaking, of smiling. She looked so different, but then - Tim figured - so must he. They weren’t 16 anymore.
“Ives!” Tim blurted out. “I— I didn’t realise you were still in Gotham.”
"Yeah, well," she replied, pulling a chair and gesturing for him to join her. "I stopped keeping track of wherever the hell you were years ago," she chuckled.
"You're a student?" Tim asked.
“Yeah, I took a couple years out after the ol’...” she explained. She gestured to her hair, which Tim now realised was in fact a wig. “Follicular cancer.”
"Oh god, I'm so sorry," Tim stumbled. It was overwhelming, but he couldn't complain.
"It's fine," she reassured him with a compassionate smile. "It turned out to be a blessing in disguise."
Tim raised an eyebrow.
She scoffed. "Alright, here's the story," she smirked. "When I got the diagnosis, my life came to a stop. I put my senior year on hold, and with all the doctor visits and consultations, everyone else just... grew distant."
“I know the feeling…” Tim nodded.
“Yeah, you’re not the who had cancer, Wunderkind,” she teased.
Taking a deep breath, Tim realized they were back to their old banter, with Ives effortlessly cutting him down. He laughed; some things never changed.
"But yeah, the old gang had scattered to the winds, and while it was hard with everyone gone, it did mean no-one knew the old Ives."
“Oh!” Tim exclaimed. “So it’s still ‘Ives’?”
“Sheridan.” She squeezed Tim’s hand gently. “Sheridan Ives. But we’ve been ‘Tim and Ives’ since we were kids. There’s no changing that.”
“Right,” Tim smiled. “Well, it’s fantastic to see you, Ives.”
“Isn’t it!?” Ives exclaimed. “I’m glad you caught me tonight. Last night was this rager at Kyle’s friend’s place and I was a real mess.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Tim replied. “Like a house party? When did you get so cool?”
Ives had always been withdrawn at school, one to lurk away from the public eye, content to keep a low profile, which had suited Tim just fine. After all, there were few kids Tim felt like he could relate to at school. But this new look on her, this new confidence, it was truly heart-warming.
"So, what's your major?" Tim asked.
"Computer programming," she exclaimed with excitement. "I'm working on this robotics project that would make you freak. And you?"
Tim blushed. "Oh, well, I'm not... I haven't..."
"Who are we kidding?" Ives retorted. "The kid genius isn't slumming it at Gotham U.”
"Actually, I'm not studying anywhere. I'm trying to figure things out first."
Ives sensed Tim's uncertainty and paused for a moment. "Patience suits you, Drake," she remarked. "You know, I should thank you."
"Excuse me?"
Ives blushed, taking a deep breath. “You probably don’t even remember,” she began. “Your pop had to work late once so you got the bus with me after school, and you were obsessing over Ariana, Zoanne, or Darla…”
Tim felt a wave of embarrassment.
“Anyway, after I gave you some… pretty good advice, you asked me something, and it cut me deep.”
“Go on, what was it?” asked Tim.
“You said ‘Ives, how come you never wanna talk about girls?’” Ives replied. Memories of that moment started flooding back. “I said ‘I don’t know’, and you said…” Ives grinned. “You read something online about ‘asexuality’, and that ‘apparently’ some people just aren’t interested in ‘that stuff’ or romance.”
“God,” Tim cringed. “I thought I was so clever, trying to solve my friends.”
“Yeah, well,” Ives gestured to herself. “I didn't even know asexuality existed until that day. And years later... you were right. When I got to college, I fell in with a new crowd in the LGBTQ+ student society and discovered the rest from there.”
“Wow, I really don’t know what to say,” Tim admitted. “I never thought…”
“Well, that’s what I always loved about you,” Ives smiled. “For how smart you are, for how your brain never switches off, you just… always had the right thing to say. You didn’t have to think about it, it just came naturally.”
Tim thought back to being fourteen, juggling his efforts to prove himself to Bruce, balancing patrols, school, and dealing with the despair of a nonexistent love life. He always felt overwhelmed, but the truth was that it really did come easy to him, even if he had taken on too much. Back before he would overthink everything. It was then that he decided he had to get back to that; he said he needed to figure things out, but maybe what he really needed was to stop searching for an answer and start just doing what came naturally.
In response to Tim's stunned silence, Ives smiled and continued speaking. "So, what about you?"
“What do you mean?” asked Tim.
“Well, straight kids don’t fall down internet rabbit holes researching queer identities, do they?”
“They don’t?”
Tim thought about it for a moment.
No, he thought. Perhaps they didn’t.
“I don’t know,” Tim responded.
“Oooh,” Ives sat forward in her chair. “Another mystery to solve then?”
“Maybe,” Tim replied. “Or maybe I’ll just know the truth when I see it.”
♦ ♦ 🏳️🌈 ♦ ♦
Decisions, Decisions
Written by GemlinTheGremlin
What do you do when your ex-girlfriend texts you, asking to take you out for dinner?
Your immediate first reaction is to jump state, but you throw that one out immediately once you clock you’re overreacting. Though, as you scroll up and read through your previous messages with her and remind yourself of how badly it all ended, maybe running away wouldn’t be so bad. So you put a pin in that idea and think of some more options.
You watch the little line in the reply box blinking at you expectantly. You think of all the times you stayed up texting her, giddy like a kid, as she told stories how she used to do gymnastics as a kid and how she found out she was gay and how she broke her arm in middle school. You remember when watching the blinking line used to evoke excitement rather than dread.
So you decide not to reply; it’s better for both of you if you just try to move on, and you can’t do that if you keep meeting up with each other. Besides, you think to yourself, it’s been almost two years, she’s almost definitely already moved on by now. But this thought gives you pause. If she’s already moved on, then why is she texting you? Did she realize how good she really had it and then come crawling back?
Probably just a rebound.
You lock the phone defiantly. You’re no one’s rebound!
So there you sit, arms folded, proud of your decision. You think about all the more interesting things you could be getting up to instead of sitting in a cramped diner overflowing with people, across the table from a woman you haven’t seen in years. You could watch a new TV series, or finally catch up on that new documentary everyone’s been talking about. You could listen to some music, or have a nice relaxing shower, or–
Your phone goes off, and without thinking about what you’re doing, you’ve pulled the phone up closer to your face in one swift movement, staring down at the screen. Just an email. You’re… somewhat disappointed.
Your disappointment is then replaced with confusion. Oh, so now you do wanna go see her!
Fine. Now you decide to reply. But what do you even say? “Sure” would be too impersonal, and a huge “Hey! How are you?” message would come off as needy. You begin to type a coy “I thought you’d never ask” before chickening out and deleting it. Maybe she’d appreciate you supplying some options, so you offer up a few of the local (cheap) restaurants.
Your finger hovers over the ‘send’ button. You can’t help but dwell on how you left things - how she was instrumental in the uprooting of your life as you knew it. You think about what she was like that night; you think about how off her face she was, and how you could barely recognise her anymore. You were just trying to help her, and after two years, maybe it worked. There’s only one way to find out.
You hit send.
The next few minutes smear together. You find yourself just staring at a wall, lost in thought - in nostalgia - when your phone chimes once more. This time, instead of immediately checking the notification, you hesitate. It’s been hard the past two years, and knowing that you’d have to see her again when it was all over… almost made it worse.
You eventually cave and check your phone. She’s picked a venue from your suggested list, and has asked if you want to meet in - you check the time - ten minutes. You immediately scan your room for any clean laundry, before digging through your wardrobe. How do you find something that says “I’m meeting my ex for the first time in years, but I’m totally chill and sexy about it”?
You manage to swiftly cobble together something closer to “I was told I had 10 minutes to get ready”, but at least you found something. You frantically apply lipstick with one hand as you type “Sure, I can do that” into your phone with the other, surprised at your own dexterity. And finally, as you finish staring at yourself in the mirror, you finally feel ready. Well, as ready as you’ll ever be.
So, having made your choice, you grab your keys and head out. At least you know that, whatever happens, you’ll still have your potted plant waiting for you when you get back to the van.
♦ ♦ 🏳️🌈 ♦ ♦
Cassandra Cain in… Painted Faces
Written by ClaraEclair
On a warm summer day in Gotham City, with the sun shining and the sky clear, shouts of joy, celebration, and pride filled the air as an impossibly large parade of people chanted and cheered their way down Conroy Boulevard in Somerset. Within the crowd was an endless variety of different people, all celebrating their lives and pushing forward to the future, hoping for continued betterment.
Among that massive crowd were Cassandra Cain and Christine Montclair, hand in hand marching down the street, wearing various colourful pieces of clothing, their faces painted with flags — Cass with oranges and purple hues of a lesbian flag, Christine with the pink, blue, and purple of the bisexual flag.
Christine confidently led Cass through the crowd, holding her hand and guiding her with a smile through a world Cass had never seen before; one of life, of love, of acceptance, of defiance, and of pride. There were no words Cass could find to describe how she felt as she saw the people around her — though overwhelming at first, the energy the crowd displayed was almost intoxicating.
Making their way below giant flags waved by various attendees to skirting around large banners, the two women eventually made their way around to the front of the parade, admiring all that they found themselves a part of. Hours passed as the parade finished at Robinson Park and the crowds shifted to older demographics for the performances on the park stage.
Opting for a quieter evening, Cassandra and Christine opted to take a bus to find somewhere to sit down for dinner, finally deciding on a small family owned restaurant in Chinatown that Cass frequented between patrol and sleep.
“So, what do you think of your first parade?” Christine asked excitedly as the two of them sat in a booth within the restaurant, hands still intertwined.
“It was… a lot,” Cass said, thinking about how many people were involved in marching down the streets of Gotham. “But it was fun.” Christine squeezed Cass’ hand lightly, unable to hide her smile as they took a moment to appreciate their time together.
“You two look like you’ve had a good day!” called out the owner of the restaurant, a woman named Jackie. “
Cass paused at the words, freezing for a moment in an attempt to remember what Jackie had taught her. Learning English had been difficult enough — she still felt as though she didn’t know that much — adding another language on top of it scrambled her thoughts when she had to try and remember her lessons.
“” responded Cass, speaking slowly to focus on her pronunciation and intonation, hoping she said the words correctly. Beside her, Christine leaned on her elbow, resting her chin in her hand, watching Cass with adoration.
“So you have been listening to my lessons!” teased Jackie, nudging Cass lightly with her elbow. “What will you ladies have this afternoon?”
“I’ll have a wonton soup,” Christine said, watching as Jackie wrote down the order, then looked at Cass.
“Chow mein, please,” Cass ordered, receiving a smile from Jackie as she noted the request and walked back into the kitchen to deliver the order to the cooks.
As the food was delivered, and the two spoke with Jackie about a myriad of topics, the darkening sky eventually called for them both to leave, heading to Christine’s apartment for the night.
After washing up, removing the paint from their faces, the two found themselves cuddling up on the couch, watching the latest late-night B-movie starring Gotham’s most middling actors for cheap entertainment. Hands intertwined again, Cass rested upon Christine’s chest, half watching the movie and half listening to her heartbeat.
“That’s wrong,” Cass said as she noticed a poorly performed martial arts move from one of the actors on-screen.
“Oh, really?” Christine asked, giggling lightly.
“Yeah,” Cass said. “They are all bad fighters.”
“If they’re so bad, why don’t you go do it right?” Teased Christine, getting a scoff in response.
“I could kick their butts,” Cass responded, resisting the urge to point out more incorrect moves.
“I’d pay to see that.”
Soon, the movie faded into the background as both of the women fell asleep on the couch, holding each other closely. Neither wished to be anywhere else.
Happy Pride from DC Next!
2023.06.05 06:01 mikewhitewriter Is Paseo Nuevo generally a family-friendly place in the evenings? [mental health and drug use]
I just visited downtown Santa Barbara for the first time in many months. My wife and I live in the Santa Ynez Valley, and we savored a stellar meal at Bettina's in Montecito for a treat.
We then stopped by Trader Joe's on Milpas to grab some groceries. Upon returning to our vehicle, the whole night had felt safe and enjoyable up to that point. It wasn't until we decided to stop by Paseo Nuevo for dessert that things took a drastic turn for the uncomfortable.
We found a spot at the Paseo Nuevo parking garage easily enough; that was no issue... As soon as we exited the car, we saw streets littered with garbage and walls tagged with graffiti. There was always the occasional marked curb or beer can on the ground here or there in the city, but the area of State and Ortego seemed to look especially filthy tonight.
Walking just 2 blocks from our car to get dessert and back, we saw too many drugged-out people to count, homeless people asking for money, and people loitering with brown bags on every area of State Street we passed.
This didn't feel at all like the Santa Barbara I grew up with. It didn't feel this way even 6 months ago.
No longer wishing to finish our dessert at a table on the street, we headed back toward our car. In doing so, we saw emergency response tending to an unconscious individual who'd seemingly been found by passersby — he was passed out in the middle of the square between Dargan's front door and State Street.
I really hope he's okay.
I have to ask: Is this the typical vibe on State Street during the week, or did we just catch an off-night? 😞
submitted by mikewhitewriter to SantaBarbara [link] [comments]
We then stopped by Trader Joe's on Milpas to grab some groceries. Upon returning to our vehicle, the whole night had felt safe and enjoyable up to that point. It wasn't until we decided to stop by Paseo Nuevo for dessert that things took a drastic turn for the uncomfortable.
We found a spot at the Paseo Nuevo parking garage easily enough; that was no issue... As soon as we exited the car, we saw streets littered with garbage and walls tagged with graffiti. There was always the occasional marked curb or beer can on the ground here or there in the city, but the area of State and Ortego seemed to look especially filthy tonight.
Walking just 2 blocks from our car to get dessert and back, we saw too many drugged-out people to count, homeless people asking for money, and people loitering with brown bags on every area of State Street we passed.
This didn't feel at all like the Santa Barbara I grew up with. It didn't feel this way even 6 months ago.
No longer wishing to finish our dessert at a table on the street, we headed back toward our car. In doing so, we saw emergency response tending to an unconscious individual who'd seemingly been found by passersby — he was passed out in the middle of the square between Dargan's front door and State Street.
I really hope he's okay.
I have to ask: Is this the typical vibe on State Street during the week, or did we just catch an off-night? 😞
2023.03.30 23:50 JameGumb724 My Childhood Babysitter Just Gave Me A Creepy Old VHS Tape of My Sister and I and I'm Horrified By What's On It
The checkout line of the local grocery store in the home town I left behind. I tried to keep my eyes forward and avoid eye contact as I paid for my frozen dinner and hoped to get out of dodge before I had to talk to someone I knew, but hadn’t talked to in 15 years.
“Jame,” I heard a woman’s voice chime from behind me.
I couldn’t help but utter the word “fuck,” drawing a grin from the high school-aged checkout girl.
I put the smallest smile humanly possible on my face and looked over my shoulder to see a woman with a poof of gray hair standing at my hip with an armful of groceries sloppily spread across the chest of the dirty Garfield Christmas sweatshirt she wore in September. I don’t think I had actually seen the woman since I was nine years old, but I instantly recognized her as Barbara, the woman who ran the daycare I went to when I was very young, .
I stuck my credit card in the machine and started the process of paying for my groceries before I spoke.
“Barbara?”
Barbara’s cracked lips spread into a wide smile across her wrinkled face.
“Yeah, I can’t believe you’ve grown into…when I watched you, you were this tall,” Barbara said and then held her hand flat at about the level of my waist.
“Yeah, yeah. People grow, it’s true,” I agreed in a manner I hope wasn’t as snarky as it seems writing it out now.
I let out a nervous chuckle and started to backpedal, away from the checkout line.
“Are you staying at your folks’ place right now?” Barbara asked.
“Yeah.”
“I ran into your sister about six months ago. I’m so sorry to hear about your mom,” Barbara went on.
Barbara ignored the cashier and stuck me with a hug before I could slip any further. I felt her bosom awkwardly smash up against my rib cage.
“Thank you,” I muttered.
Barbara thankfully pulled away from me.
“I told your sister I remembered two things about you. You walked on your toes for some reason, and you and your sister constantly talked about monsters a lot. You two were always really, really scared of ‘bloody monsters.’”
*
I couldn’t get the second thing Barbara said out of my head as I drove up the highway towards the house I grew up in and both my parents had died in within the past couple of years.
I called up my sister. She didn’t answer. She hadn’t answered her phone in months. I don’t know why I even kept trying. I left a voicemail.
“=It’s Sam. I just ran into Barbara. The lady who ran our daycare at the store and she said something weird. She specifically mentioned we always talked about monsters and being scared of ‘bloody monsters.’ Weird she specifically mentioned that, but I wanted to talk to you about it. See what you might have remembered. I kind of remember being scared a lot, but would never have thought it would be something enough for her to mention 15 years later. Call me back. Bye.”
I wrapped up my message just as I pulled up to the dirt driveway which snaked up to my parents’ house and the tin mailbox with our last name printed on it in big, sloppy white painted letters which were so faded they could almost no longer be read.
I expected to feel the familiar touch of dry paper envelopes when I stuck my arm in the mailbox, but instead brushed up against the stiff plastic of an unmarked VHS tape.
My dead parents still had a VCR hooked up and ready to go in their living room. It ironically sat next to a DVD player I gave them about 20 Christmases ago they never set up.
My fingertips started to sweat when I pushed the tape into the VCR, hit play and looked up at the blue screen of the TV. I had no clue what I was about to watch.
I took a deep breath when I saw the video open up to a grainy shot. I gulped that breath down when I immediately recognized the setting.
The fake wood paneling of the play room in Barbara’s double-wide trailer which housed her day care was unmistakable. I can still remember the box of a room which was kept empty except for one basket of toys. All those years later, the stale, empty space still gave me a hollow feeling and tingle in my spine.
The video cut back to blue again then crackled back to life with a grainy image of myself. Probably seven. Dressed in Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles pajamas and a bowl cut with a cowlick which sat atop a melon head which was too big for my skinny body.
“What’s your name?” A groggy male voice I remembered as belonging to Barbara’s husband Dale asked my younger self as I looked away from the camera.
“Jame,” the younger me mumbled on the camera and winced against the sharp lighting which shone in my face.
The camera quickly zoomed out and panned a little to the right to reveal my sister Mandy standing next to me in Little Mermaid pajamas.
“And what’s your name?” Dale asked.
Mandy took a little longer to answer. She quivered. Appeared on the verge of tears. I took some time to take in the setting again. Out the window behind both of our little bodies, I could see it was night. Yet, I had no memory of ever being at Barbara’s daycare at night.
“Mandy,” the word barely dribbled out of my sister’s pursed lips.
I heard a woman’s voice mutter something I couldn’t make out off the camera and then the room went dark. I could now just barely see the outlines of my sister and myself in the almost complete blackness.
The sounds of myself and my sister beginning to cry filled the darkness for a few seconds before being drowned out by the sound of a quick shake of the entire room. It sounded like someone had thrown down a basketball on the floor as hard as they could and then caught it on its way back up. Then again. The crying sounds got louder.
“There it is,” the woman’s voice off-camera got a little louder and I was able to identify it as belonging to Barbara.
“Please. No,” my sister cried out.
One more thud sound reverberated through the room followed by a few seconds of silence and then a horrible screeching sound of a siren rang out.
The screeching siren went for a few seconds and then came to an abrupt stop. The lights flicked on and Mandy and I stood in our same spots, panting and trying to catch our breath.
The thud sound returned. This time, the thud sent my sister and I flying into opposite corners of the room. We each hit the fake wood wall hard and crashed down to the ground.
“Stop. We gotta stop,” Barbara’s voice yelled out from off-camera.
I saw a younger Barbara walk into frame for a second and then the video cut out.
The video came back on and changed to a close up shot of Barbara sitting in a chair in the blank play room with her plume of blonde hair done up in spectacular fashion and her cheeks rouged. She looked like she was doing one of those old video dating personals from the early-90s.
“My name is Barbara Daniels. I am from Adams Grove, Oklahoma and I believe we have discovered paranormal powers in our home manifesting themselves in the bodies of two young siblings who attend our daycare. What you will see on this video tape is either a spirit or the work of a demon, some kind of pol-ter-a-geist, and we would like to request the Supernatural Advocates come to our home, in Adams Grove, and help us in an episode figure out what is happening with these children,” Barbara stopped for a moment to collect herself.
“Can you please explain the situation with the kids?” Dale asked from behind the camera.
“The children are ages seven and 10 and attend my daycare. These episodes start when they fall asleep in the night and they wake up in a daze before they fall asleep again shortly after. After they wake up they seem to have absolutely no memory of what happened. However, they constantly talk about how they are scared of ‘the monsters,’ and ‘the bloody monsters,’ though they do not have many details about what these monsters are. We made these tapes to show what is happening to these kids in hopes they can get the help it appears their parents don’t want them to get before something bad happens.”
The video opened again with Mandy and I standing in the room in our cartoon pajamas trembling.
Barbara walked into frame and put her hands on each of our shoulders.
“We’re right here,” Barbara said so quietly the camera barely picked it up. “This is the last time.”
Barbara got back behind the camera. The lights flicked on and off in the time it took for her to get out of the shot.
The thud sound from the earlier footage began again and the room shook. The younger me dropped to the floor and stuck his face into the carpet. Mandy just kept staring at the camera, seemingly frozen.
Another thud. Mandy dropped to the ground like a bomb went off.
“Fuck you,” Mandy screamed at the camera. “I’ll fucking kill you,” she screamed again and her voice seemed to drop about 10 octaves.
“Has this happened before?” Dale asked quietly from behind the camera.
No answer from Barbara.
“You’re a fucking cheater. Mike Blake is a fucking cheater and everyone needs to know it. You probably have fucking herpes now or something from her dirty pussy,” Mandy took a few defiant steps towards the camera and pointed a flexed finger at the lens with hate burning in her eyes.
“Who is Mike Blake?” Dale asked.
Again, no answer from Barbara.
I knew the answer to the question. Mike Blake was my sister’s soon-to-be ex-husband she broke up because he was cheating with a bar slut from town.
Mandy collapsed onto the floor on the screen and younger me rose to my feet at just the same time as the lights started flickering every half-second the way they do when you take the light switch and turn it on and off as fast as you can.
Then the video cut out.
I wasn’t going to waste time with a call now. I got back into my truck and drove straight to Mandy’s house on the other end of town.
Much like my parents, Mandy lived down a long, muddy private driveway which snaked off the highway and led up to a large, but worn-down and rustic house at the top of a steep hill. A pack of filthy dogs announced my arrival when I pulled into her gravel driveway and looked up at her house as a thick stream of smoke billowed out the chimney and into the tall trees.
The dogs nipped at the dirty cuffs of my jeans when I walked up to the porch and noticed there didn’t seem to be a light on anywhere on the property despite the fading sunset and near darkness of the woods around the home. The only light I was able to see came from a candle lit in the window of the living room which sat next to the front door.
I knocked softly on the wooden front door with my eyes stuck on the living room window. I noticed a breeze walk by the lit wick of the candle a few moments after my knock. I held my breath as I listened to footsteps approach the door on the other side.
I was shocked by what greeted me when the door opened. I recognized Mandy, but it looked as if she was wearing some kind of Hollywood special effect makeup which made her look like a real life witch. Wrinkled and just slightly hued yellow, her skin looked like that of an 80-year-old dying woman’s, not that of a woman just in her early-30s. Her eyes were sunken in her skull like a shrunken head and her hair was a tangled rat’s nest on the edge of dreadlocking.
“You shouldn’t have talked to her,” Mandy said before I could get a word out.
“You got my message?”
“You shouldn’t have talked to her,” Mandy repeated.
Mandy waved me into the darkness inside her home and shut the door behind me.
The house was as cold as it was dark. I shivered through my winter coat when I followed Mandy into the candle-lit living room. I took a seat on the dewy couch in front of a coffee table littered with dirty dishes and dirty laundry.
“It’s freezing in here,” I muttered through clenched teeth.
I looked across the room to see Mandy offering me a cigarette from her seat in a stained easy chair.
“No thanks,” I said with a shake of the head and took the VHS tape out of my jacket pocket.
“You shouldn’t have talked to her,” Mandy cut me off and eyed the tape. “And I’ve seen that tape too. She gave that shit to me. She must have copies or something.”
“At Barbara’s house? The lights going on and off, us flying around the room and talking about horrible things that happen later in life?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“What the hell is that?” I asked.
Mandy lit up another cigarette.
“You know that thing Barbara told you about us always talking about monsters? That was the monsters on that tape. She told me something where we had to stay the night there and they noticed we had night terrors and these poltergeist abilities and they recorded it to try and get us on some show where some experts would try to help us, but they ended up never sending in the tapes. I told her to get lost, but regardless, we’re both fucked. I think talking about it, made the monsters come back.”
One of Mandy’s cigarettes started to sound really good.
“I couldn’t really remember the monsters or ever really thought about them until I ran into Barbara at the deli. I think they are probably coming back for you too. They terrorized us as kids. I keep seeing this horrible, dead-looking man all around the house,” Mandy explained.
“What are they? The monsters?” I asked.
“They seem to change, but they come when you try to go to sleep and they hide in the shadows - cling to the corners, closets, where it is dark. I don’t actually get a good look at them much, but they seem to just look like hideous people. The one I see the most is this guy covered in blood.”
The images started to come back to me just a little bit. Like the mismatched puzzle pieces of a night of blackout drinking might after weeks pass. I could picture myself waking up in the middle of the night in my parents’ house, tip-toeing in the dark on the way to the bathroom, or Mandy’s room to seek shelter and seeing the shadows down the hall or behind the shower curtain or shaking the doors of my closet.
I suddenly felt as if the monsters were crawling all over the room. The childhood fear which paralyzed my every step once the sun went down started to come back. My panicked eyes scanned the room, looking for them. I saw none, but I felt them.
“If these things work in the dark, then why don’t you have any lights on?” I asked.
“You try paying electricity bills when you can’t sleep and your piece of shit husband leaves you alone. They shut the power off,” Mandy finally seemed to show some energy when she spoke.
“What are we going to do?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Mandy mumbled.
“Should we go to Barbara with the tapes?” I asked.
*
Barbara’s house was exactly the same. Raised double-wide with brown and tan paint and a wooden deck raised up off the ground level and a big tool shed. I almost felt like I had traveled back in time just going to the place.
Barbara gave us a frazzled look when she saw us standing on her porch. She followed it up with one of those looks someone gives when they pretend to be excited to randomly bump into someone, but are actually horrified about it. You could see the breath get sucked out of her in an instant.
“Oh hi,” Barbara spoke after a few frenzied seconds. “Do you want to come in?”
“Here’s fine.”
I whipped the VHS tape out of my jacket pocket and pushed it in her face.
“What is this?”
“That’s the tape we made for the paranormal help show.”
“Why did you stick it in our mailbox?” I cut off Barbara.
“I didn’t put that in your mailbox,” Barbara said defensively.
The gears started to turn in my head. She was telling the truth. Barbara was behind me in line at the store when I bumped into her and I went directly to my truck and raced to my parents’ right after that. There was no way she got that tape into the mailbox after we talked.
“I admit,” Barbara going on broke me out of my thought process. “I took that video, but I gave it to your grandmother years ago, both tapes.”
*
My father’s mother was a very complicated topic and figure in our lives. I vaguely remember her as a steady presence in our lives in my very first memories. A rail thin woman with long red hair and pale skin, I seem to remember her always giving me really good salty, sweet cookies that she made, so I thought she was pretty cool.
Then, suddenly, she was completely out of our lives. No Thanksgiving, no Christmas, no birthdays, no weddings, funerals, just gone. Without any explanation from either of my parents. It was like she had never even existed.
I didn’t think about my grandma after she disappeared until high school, when Mandy told me she found out our grandma was the person who ran the psychic business along the highway a few towns over. I thought about dropping in there for years, but I never did.
I figured it was time to finally pay that palm reader by the highway a visit.
The red and purple neon sign I remembered still buzzed in the window of the little house on the edge of the little village of Branchford. It was nearly 9, but the sign still burned the word OPEN into the night.
“You think she’s still alive?” Mandy asked as we sat in the truck, looking at the house. “Mom and dad are already dead.”
“They died super young. I think she’s only like in her late-70s, or something. We’ll just have to find out, I guess,” I answered.
We walked up to the door and pressed an electronic doorbell. Classical chimes rang out from inside of the home.
The door opened before the chimes stopped and we came face-to-face with the grandma we hadn’t seen in more than 20 years. Her long red hair was shorter and had turned gray and her face was a lot less sharp, but it was definitely her.
“I knew you were coming,” grandma said before ushering us in.
Grandma sat us down in her fortune telling/palm reading room and poured us cups of hot tea without asking if we wanted them.
“You watched the tapes?” My grandma said once we all sat down on deep purple furniture.
“Yeah, look, I don’t know what happened between you and mom and dad, but I don’t care. I just want to know what this is and what we can do about it,” I explained. “I don’t want to end up like her,” I finished and pointed to Mandy..
My grandma took a deep breath and started in...
“It’s a lot more simple than you might think. When you two were young, I started to notice you had some of the psychic abilities I have. The two of you could see things that hadn’t happened yet, or see people in places before they were there or in states, ages, they had not appeared yet. Your parents wanted to put you in therapy, but I knew the only true way you could get through it all was to understand it. I tried to tell your parents that, but they wouldn’t have any of it. They just put you straight in therapy to block it all out, and it worked, for a long time. I instead tried to work with your babysitter, who was a client and it started to work, but your parents found out. Then they cut me off. I had to wait until they died to reach back out to you about it and it is good timing, because I can tell your powers have come back and they only come back in this way, when something very big is about to happen. Something the power wants to tell you about.”
“Now what?” I asked.
My grandma’s face lit up.
“You need to come back. I can explain to you that what you might think are monsters are not really monsters at all, they are probably just people you know flashing before you at different stages, moments, of their lives that you will see. You need to be prepared for the night visions experienced on those tapes as well, because they are coming back.”
“Okay, great,” I said sarcastically. “I know my vision. It's me, getting on my flight back to Houston tomorrow with a good night’s sleep.”
I got up and Mandy followed me out the door. Grandma stumbled after us with tears in her eyes.
“You have to come back. I feel something very big coming,” my grandma pleaded from her open doorway.
Mandy and I ignored grandma. We walked out to my truck, got inside and drove away.
We pulled away with a tension sweating out of our pores and into the cramped cab of the single bench truck. Mandy wasn’t talking, but I sensed she may have thought I made the wrong decision.
I reached over and turned on the radio to try and cut through the animosity in the air.
All that came out of the speakers was static. I scanned through more stations. Nothing but static.
I stopped the dial when I finally reached a station which had sound. The nasally drone of a newscaster speaking in a monotone leaked out the blown speakers.
“Tornado warnings have been issued for Shelby, Brockton and Ogden Counties. Residents are advised to seek shelter immediately,” the newscaster’s voice announced.
The world outside had seemed to maintain an eerie calm all night, but I noticed the trees which lined the highway were swaying violently. Large piles of debris and shrubs were skating across the highway in front of us.
A branch broke off a tree and landed in the bed of my truck with a hard thud.
The world outside the truck had turned into complete chaos as we drove into the meager downtown of Branchford.
A strangely familiar sound cut into my ears as I slowed the car next to an abandoned church. It was that siren screech from the VHS tape where my sister and I were in the playroom at Barbara’s house. It was a tornado warning siren, bellowing from the fire station in the middle of the town.
I parked the car in front of the church.
“Come on,” I screamed as loud as I could as I opened the door and let in a horrifying gust of wind.
I pushed myself against the wind and out the door. I kept running until I reached the open front door of the church.
On the ground of the church, I struggled to breath and looked back out the open door where I saw no sign of Mandy. I waited for about five seconds before I crawled over to the rows of wooden pews and tucked myself under the first one I could reach.
I covered my head, clenched my teeth and prayed the tornado would pass without killing me. I had survived tornadoes before growing up in Oklahoma, but had never been this close to one and was sure I was going to die in the rickety church surrounded by abandoned Bibles and the guilt of leaving Mandy behind.
Looking back now, the time I spent beneath the pew was probably only about two minutes, but the time crawled when I was there, curled up, fighting against the wind felt like two hours.
I at first thought I was going to be able to ride out the storm in the church, but then I felt my body lift up into the air. I felt myself soar through the air for a handful of seconds with my eyes shut tight before I crashed hard into the ground and opened my eyes.
I was in the yard of the church facing where the church once stood. The faded white building had been reduced to a few scraps of wood and some pews which were flipped over on their side.
The siren still rang out at ear-splitting volume, but I heard what is the most-disgusting sound I have ever heard in my life. It sounded like someone coughing, sneezing and barfing at the same time.
I turned around to locate the noise and saw Mandy stumbling around the grass behind me, covered in blood which poured out of deep gashes on her forehead and neck. My heart stopped. I had seen this image before, but instead in the dark of my parents’ house, inside my closet when I opened it up to confront the monsters. The last images I had of my sister, stumbling around covered in blood from the tornado, trying not to die was the image of the monster. The bleeding woman who haunted my childhood was Mandy. The “bloody monster.”
I tried to scream out to Mandy over the roar of the siren, the blasts of the wind and through my froggy throat, but I couldn’t even hear myself scream, I just yelled in vain until a coat of red blood washed over my eyes and I passed out.
*
I woke up in a hospital bed with every single atom in my body aching. I could barely breathe, but I was alive.
There wasn’t another soul in the room, just the lonely periodic beep of some machinery, my pain and a little bit of light which came from the hallway through the open door.
I survived. Mandy did not. I would find out later that day that she bled to death in front of what was left of the church.
There was no one to help me pick up the pieces of what happened, but I was able to figure it out mostly on my own. The terrifying incident that Mandy and I kept having playing out in the night Barbara caught on camera was us seeing the future of the tornado incident where Mandy would die and I would almost die. The monsters we would see were each other, covered in blood, 20 years older and not looking anything like people we would recognize when we were kids.
Grandma was right, her feeling that she needed to warn us was true. The visions had tried to prepare us to survive the most-dangerous moment of our lives, but we weren’t able to harness it because we weren’t trained.
My grandma would be the only person who would come visit me in the hospital the week I was there. She accepted my apologies and understood why I dismissed her at first.
We never really talked about the visions or seeing into the future in the hospital. We mostly just bonded. She even brought me some of the amazing salted chocolate chip cookies she used to give to me as a kid on my last night in the hospital. We ate them and made plans for me to come back to her office and start working on properly handling my powers when I was ready.
My usual work routine and life helped put me back at ease and heal for the first couple of weeks back in Houston, but it would not last. After about two weeks, the night visions from my childhood started to come back. At first they were mostly just feelings or sounds or a sense that someone was watching me, but things came to a stomach-turning head last night.
I woke up because I felt the blanket pull off of my head as if someone had tugged it back towards my feet. Having to pee, I got up out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
Trying to keep myself from fully waking up, I didn’t turn on the light in the bathroom, just starting pissing in the near dark. Things were going smoothly until I noticed a shadow and heard the faint sound of something swaying behind the shower curtain.
I clenched my teeth hard and whipped open the shower curtain. Dangling from the shower head was the gray, naked corpse of my grandma. Noose around her neck.
I screamed and ran back to my bed before I was even finished going to the bathroom. I laid frozen until the sun came up.
I started calling the number my grandma gave me, but am starting to get very worried because she hasn’t answered any of my calls..
submitted by JameGumb724 to nosleep [link] [comments]
“Jame,” I heard a woman’s voice chime from behind me.
I couldn’t help but utter the word “fuck,” drawing a grin from the high school-aged checkout girl.
I put the smallest smile humanly possible on my face and looked over my shoulder to see a woman with a poof of gray hair standing at my hip with an armful of groceries sloppily spread across the chest of the dirty Garfield Christmas sweatshirt she wore in September. I don’t think I had actually seen the woman since I was nine years old, but I instantly recognized her as Barbara, the woman who ran the daycare I went to when I was very young, .
I stuck my credit card in the machine and started the process of paying for my groceries before I spoke.
“Barbara?”
Barbara’s cracked lips spread into a wide smile across her wrinkled face.
“Yeah, I can’t believe you’ve grown into…when I watched you, you were this tall,” Barbara said and then held her hand flat at about the level of my waist.
“Yeah, yeah. People grow, it’s true,” I agreed in a manner I hope wasn’t as snarky as it seems writing it out now.
I let out a nervous chuckle and started to backpedal, away from the checkout line.
“Are you staying at your folks’ place right now?” Barbara asked.
“Yeah.”
“I ran into your sister about six months ago. I’m so sorry to hear about your mom,” Barbara went on.
Barbara ignored the cashier and stuck me with a hug before I could slip any further. I felt her bosom awkwardly smash up against my rib cage.
“Thank you,” I muttered.
Barbara thankfully pulled away from me.
“I told your sister I remembered two things about you. You walked on your toes for some reason, and you and your sister constantly talked about monsters a lot. You two were always really, really scared of ‘bloody monsters.’”
*
I couldn’t get the second thing Barbara said out of my head as I drove up the highway towards the house I grew up in and both my parents had died in within the past couple of years.
I called up my sister. She didn’t answer. She hadn’t answered her phone in months. I don’t know why I even kept trying. I left a voicemail.
“=It’s Sam. I just ran into Barbara. The lady who ran our daycare at the store and she said something weird. She specifically mentioned we always talked about monsters and being scared of ‘bloody monsters.’ Weird she specifically mentioned that, but I wanted to talk to you about it. See what you might have remembered. I kind of remember being scared a lot, but would never have thought it would be something enough for her to mention 15 years later. Call me back. Bye.”
I wrapped up my message just as I pulled up to the dirt driveway which snaked up to my parents’ house and the tin mailbox with our last name printed on it in big, sloppy white painted letters which were so faded they could almost no longer be read.
I expected to feel the familiar touch of dry paper envelopes when I stuck my arm in the mailbox, but instead brushed up against the stiff plastic of an unmarked VHS tape.
My dead parents still had a VCR hooked up and ready to go in their living room. It ironically sat next to a DVD player I gave them about 20 Christmases ago they never set up.
My fingertips started to sweat when I pushed the tape into the VCR, hit play and looked up at the blue screen of the TV. I had no clue what I was about to watch.
I took a deep breath when I saw the video open up to a grainy shot. I gulped that breath down when I immediately recognized the setting.
The fake wood paneling of the play room in Barbara’s double-wide trailer which housed her day care was unmistakable. I can still remember the box of a room which was kept empty except for one basket of toys. All those years later, the stale, empty space still gave me a hollow feeling and tingle in my spine.
The video cut back to blue again then crackled back to life with a grainy image of myself. Probably seven. Dressed in Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles pajamas and a bowl cut with a cowlick which sat atop a melon head which was too big for my skinny body.
“What’s your name?” A groggy male voice I remembered as belonging to Barbara’s husband Dale asked my younger self as I looked away from the camera.
“Jame,” the younger me mumbled on the camera and winced against the sharp lighting which shone in my face.
The camera quickly zoomed out and panned a little to the right to reveal my sister Mandy standing next to me in Little Mermaid pajamas.
“And what’s your name?” Dale asked.
Mandy took a little longer to answer. She quivered. Appeared on the verge of tears. I took some time to take in the setting again. Out the window behind both of our little bodies, I could see it was night. Yet, I had no memory of ever being at Barbara’s daycare at night.
“Mandy,” the word barely dribbled out of my sister’s pursed lips.
I heard a woman’s voice mutter something I couldn’t make out off the camera and then the room went dark. I could now just barely see the outlines of my sister and myself in the almost complete blackness.
The sounds of myself and my sister beginning to cry filled the darkness for a few seconds before being drowned out by the sound of a quick shake of the entire room. It sounded like someone had thrown down a basketball on the floor as hard as they could and then caught it on its way back up. Then again. The crying sounds got louder.
“There it is,” the woman’s voice off-camera got a little louder and I was able to identify it as belonging to Barbara.
“Please. No,” my sister cried out.
One more thud sound reverberated through the room followed by a few seconds of silence and then a horrible screeching sound of a siren rang out.
The screeching siren went for a few seconds and then came to an abrupt stop. The lights flicked on and Mandy and I stood in our same spots, panting and trying to catch our breath.
The thud sound returned. This time, the thud sent my sister and I flying into opposite corners of the room. We each hit the fake wood wall hard and crashed down to the ground.
“Stop. We gotta stop,” Barbara’s voice yelled out from off-camera.
I saw a younger Barbara walk into frame for a second and then the video cut out.
The video came back on and changed to a close up shot of Barbara sitting in a chair in the blank play room with her plume of blonde hair done up in spectacular fashion and her cheeks rouged. She looked like she was doing one of those old video dating personals from the early-90s.
“My name is Barbara Daniels. I am from Adams Grove, Oklahoma and I believe we have discovered paranormal powers in our home manifesting themselves in the bodies of two young siblings who attend our daycare. What you will see on this video tape is either a spirit or the work of a demon, some kind of pol-ter-a-geist, and we would like to request the Supernatural Advocates come to our home, in Adams Grove, and help us in an episode figure out what is happening with these children,” Barbara stopped for a moment to collect herself.
“Can you please explain the situation with the kids?” Dale asked from behind the camera.
“The children are ages seven and 10 and attend my daycare. These episodes start when they fall asleep in the night and they wake up in a daze before they fall asleep again shortly after. After they wake up they seem to have absolutely no memory of what happened. However, they constantly talk about how they are scared of ‘the monsters,’ and ‘the bloody monsters,’ though they do not have many details about what these monsters are. We made these tapes to show what is happening to these kids in hopes they can get the help it appears their parents don’t want them to get before something bad happens.”
The video opened again with Mandy and I standing in the room in our cartoon pajamas trembling.
Barbara walked into frame and put her hands on each of our shoulders.
“We’re right here,” Barbara said so quietly the camera barely picked it up. “This is the last time.”
Barbara got back behind the camera. The lights flicked on and off in the time it took for her to get out of the shot.
The thud sound from the earlier footage began again and the room shook. The younger me dropped to the floor and stuck his face into the carpet. Mandy just kept staring at the camera, seemingly frozen.
Another thud. Mandy dropped to the ground like a bomb went off.
“Fuck you,” Mandy screamed at the camera. “I’ll fucking kill you,” she screamed again and her voice seemed to drop about 10 octaves.
“Has this happened before?” Dale asked quietly from behind the camera.
No answer from Barbara.
“You’re a fucking cheater. Mike Blake is a fucking cheater and everyone needs to know it. You probably have fucking herpes now or something from her dirty pussy,” Mandy took a few defiant steps towards the camera and pointed a flexed finger at the lens with hate burning in her eyes.
“Who is Mike Blake?” Dale asked.
Again, no answer from Barbara.
I knew the answer to the question. Mike Blake was my sister’s soon-to-be ex-husband she broke up because he was cheating with a bar slut from town.
Mandy collapsed onto the floor on the screen and younger me rose to my feet at just the same time as the lights started flickering every half-second the way they do when you take the light switch and turn it on and off as fast as you can.
Then the video cut out.
I wasn’t going to waste time with a call now. I got back into my truck and drove straight to Mandy’s house on the other end of town.
Much like my parents, Mandy lived down a long, muddy private driveway which snaked off the highway and led up to a large, but worn-down and rustic house at the top of a steep hill. A pack of filthy dogs announced my arrival when I pulled into her gravel driveway and looked up at her house as a thick stream of smoke billowed out the chimney and into the tall trees.
The dogs nipped at the dirty cuffs of my jeans when I walked up to the porch and noticed there didn’t seem to be a light on anywhere on the property despite the fading sunset and near darkness of the woods around the home. The only light I was able to see came from a candle lit in the window of the living room which sat next to the front door.
I knocked softly on the wooden front door with my eyes stuck on the living room window. I noticed a breeze walk by the lit wick of the candle a few moments after my knock. I held my breath as I listened to footsteps approach the door on the other side.
I was shocked by what greeted me when the door opened. I recognized Mandy, but it looked as if she was wearing some kind of Hollywood special effect makeup which made her look like a real life witch. Wrinkled and just slightly hued yellow, her skin looked like that of an 80-year-old dying woman’s, not that of a woman just in her early-30s. Her eyes were sunken in her skull like a shrunken head and her hair was a tangled rat’s nest on the edge of dreadlocking.
“You shouldn’t have talked to her,” Mandy said before I could get a word out.
“You got my message?”
“You shouldn’t have talked to her,” Mandy repeated.
Mandy waved me into the darkness inside her home and shut the door behind me.
The house was as cold as it was dark. I shivered through my winter coat when I followed Mandy into the candle-lit living room. I took a seat on the dewy couch in front of a coffee table littered with dirty dishes and dirty laundry.
“It’s freezing in here,” I muttered through clenched teeth.
I looked across the room to see Mandy offering me a cigarette from her seat in a stained easy chair.
“No thanks,” I said with a shake of the head and took the VHS tape out of my jacket pocket.
“You shouldn’t have talked to her,” Mandy cut me off and eyed the tape. “And I’ve seen that tape too. She gave that shit to me. She must have copies or something.”
“At Barbara’s house? The lights going on and off, us flying around the room and talking about horrible things that happen later in life?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“What the hell is that?” I asked.
Mandy lit up another cigarette.
“You know that thing Barbara told you about us always talking about monsters? That was the monsters on that tape. She told me something where we had to stay the night there and they noticed we had night terrors and these poltergeist abilities and they recorded it to try and get us on some show where some experts would try to help us, but they ended up never sending in the tapes. I told her to get lost, but regardless, we’re both fucked. I think talking about it, made the monsters come back.”
One of Mandy’s cigarettes started to sound really good.
“I couldn’t really remember the monsters or ever really thought about them until I ran into Barbara at the deli. I think they are probably coming back for you too. They terrorized us as kids. I keep seeing this horrible, dead-looking man all around the house,” Mandy explained.
“What are they? The monsters?” I asked.
“They seem to change, but they come when you try to go to sleep and they hide in the shadows - cling to the corners, closets, where it is dark. I don’t actually get a good look at them much, but they seem to just look like hideous people. The one I see the most is this guy covered in blood.”
The images started to come back to me just a little bit. Like the mismatched puzzle pieces of a night of blackout drinking might after weeks pass. I could picture myself waking up in the middle of the night in my parents’ house, tip-toeing in the dark on the way to the bathroom, or Mandy’s room to seek shelter and seeing the shadows down the hall or behind the shower curtain or shaking the doors of my closet.
I suddenly felt as if the monsters were crawling all over the room. The childhood fear which paralyzed my every step once the sun went down started to come back. My panicked eyes scanned the room, looking for them. I saw none, but I felt them.
“If these things work in the dark, then why don’t you have any lights on?” I asked.
“You try paying electricity bills when you can’t sleep and your piece of shit husband leaves you alone. They shut the power off,” Mandy finally seemed to show some energy when she spoke.
“What are we going to do?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Mandy mumbled.
“Should we go to Barbara with the tapes?” I asked.
*
Barbara’s house was exactly the same. Raised double-wide with brown and tan paint and a wooden deck raised up off the ground level and a big tool shed. I almost felt like I had traveled back in time just going to the place.
Barbara gave us a frazzled look when she saw us standing on her porch. She followed it up with one of those looks someone gives when they pretend to be excited to randomly bump into someone, but are actually horrified about it. You could see the breath get sucked out of her in an instant.
“Oh hi,” Barbara spoke after a few frenzied seconds. “Do you want to come in?”
“Here’s fine.”
I whipped the VHS tape out of my jacket pocket and pushed it in her face.
“What is this?”
“That’s the tape we made for the paranormal help show.”
“Why did you stick it in our mailbox?” I cut off Barbara.
“I didn’t put that in your mailbox,” Barbara said defensively.
The gears started to turn in my head. She was telling the truth. Barbara was behind me in line at the store when I bumped into her and I went directly to my truck and raced to my parents’ right after that. There was no way she got that tape into the mailbox after we talked.
“I admit,” Barbara going on broke me out of my thought process. “I took that video, but I gave it to your grandmother years ago, both tapes.”
*
My father’s mother was a very complicated topic and figure in our lives. I vaguely remember her as a steady presence in our lives in my very first memories. A rail thin woman with long red hair and pale skin, I seem to remember her always giving me really good salty, sweet cookies that she made, so I thought she was pretty cool.
Then, suddenly, she was completely out of our lives. No Thanksgiving, no Christmas, no birthdays, no weddings, funerals, just gone. Without any explanation from either of my parents. It was like she had never even existed.
I didn’t think about my grandma after she disappeared until high school, when Mandy told me she found out our grandma was the person who ran the psychic business along the highway a few towns over. I thought about dropping in there for years, but I never did.
I figured it was time to finally pay that palm reader by the highway a visit.
The red and purple neon sign I remembered still buzzed in the window of the little house on the edge of the little village of Branchford. It was nearly 9, but the sign still burned the word OPEN into the night.
“You think she’s still alive?” Mandy asked as we sat in the truck, looking at the house. “Mom and dad are already dead.”
“They died super young. I think she’s only like in her late-70s, or something. We’ll just have to find out, I guess,” I answered.
We walked up to the door and pressed an electronic doorbell. Classical chimes rang out from inside of the home.
The door opened before the chimes stopped and we came face-to-face with the grandma we hadn’t seen in more than 20 years. Her long red hair was shorter and had turned gray and her face was a lot less sharp, but it was definitely her.
“I knew you were coming,” grandma said before ushering us in.
Grandma sat us down in her fortune telling/palm reading room and poured us cups of hot tea without asking if we wanted them.
“You watched the tapes?” My grandma said once we all sat down on deep purple furniture.
“Yeah, look, I don’t know what happened between you and mom and dad, but I don’t care. I just want to know what this is and what we can do about it,” I explained. “I don’t want to end up like her,” I finished and pointed to Mandy..
My grandma took a deep breath and started in...
“It’s a lot more simple than you might think. When you two were young, I started to notice you had some of the psychic abilities I have. The two of you could see things that hadn’t happened yet, or see people in places before they were there or in states, ages, they had not appeared yet. Your parents wanted to put you in therapy, but I knew the only true way you could get through it all was to understand it. I tried to tell your parents that, but they wouldn’t have any of it. They just put you straight in therapy to block it all out, and it worked, for a long time. I instead tried to work with your babysitter, who was a client and it started to work, but your parents found out. Then they cut me off. I had to wait until they died to reach back out to you about it and it is good timing, because I can tell your powers have come back and they only come back in this way, when something very big is about to happen. Something the power wants to tell you about.”
“Now what?” I asked.
My grandma’s face lit up.
“You need to come back. I can explain to you that what you might think are monsters are not really monsters at all, they are probably just people you know flashing before you at different stages, moments, of their lives that you will see. You need to be prepared for the night visions experienced on those tapes as well, because they are coming back.”
“Okay, great,” I said sarcastically. “I know my vision. It's me, getting on my flight back to Houston tomorrow with a good night’s sleep.”
I got up and Mandy followed me out the door. Grandma stumbled after us with tears in her eyes.
“You have to come back. I feel something very big coming,” my grandma pleaded from her open doorway.
Mandy and I ignored grandma. We walked out to my truck, got inside and drove away.
We pulled away with a tension sweating out of our pores and into the cramped cab of the single bench truck. Mandy wasn’t talking, but I sensed she may have thought I made the wrong decision.
I reached over and turned on the radio to try and cut through the animosity in the air.
All that came out of the speakers was static. I scanned through more stations. Nothing but static.
I stopped the dial when I finally reached a station which had sound. The nasally drone of a newscaster speaking in a monotone leaked out the blown speakers.
“Tornado warnings have been issued for Shelby, Brockton and Ogden Counties. Residents are advised to seek shelter immediately,” the newscaster’s voice announced.
The world outside had seemed to maintain an eerie calm all night, but I noticed the trees which lined the highway were swaying violently. Large piles of debris and shrubs were skating across the highway in front of us.
A branch broke off a tree and landed in the bed of my truck with a hard thud.
The world outside the truck had turned into complete chaos as we drove into the meager downtown of Branchford.
A strangely familiar sound cut into my ears as I slowed the car next to an abandoned church. It was that siren screech from the VHS tape where my sister and I were in the playroom at Barbara’s house. It was a tornado warning siren, bellowing from the fire station in the middle of the town.
I parked the car in front of the church.
“Come on,” I screamed as loud as I could as I opened the door and let in a horrifying gust of wind.
I pushed myself against the wind and out the door. I kept running until I reached the open front door of the church.
On the ground of the church, I struggled to breath and looked back out the open door where I saw no sign of Mandy. I waited for about five seconds before I crawled over to the rows of wooden pews and tucked myself under the first one I could reach.
I covered my head, clenched my teeth and prayed the tornado would pass without killing me. I had survived tornadoes before growing up in Oklahoma, but had never been this close to one and was sure I was going to die in the rickety church surrounded by abandoned Bibles and the guilt of leaving Mandy behind.
Looking back now, the time I spent beneath the pew was probably only about two minutes, but the time crawled when I was there, curled up, fighting against the wind felt like two hours.
I at first thought I was going to be able to ride out the storm in the church, but then I felt my body lift up into the air. I felt myself soar through the air for a handful of seconds with my eyes shut tight before I crashed hard into the ground and opened my eyes.
I was in the yard of the church facing where the church once stood. The faded white building had been reduced to a few scraps of wood and some pews which were flipped over on their side.
The siren still rang out at ear-splitting volume, but I heard what is the most-disgusting sound I have ever heard in my life. It sounded like someone coughing, sneezing and barfing at the same time.
I turned around to locate the noise and saw Mandy stumbling around the grass behind me, covered in blood which poured out of deep gashes on her forehead and neck. My heart stopped. I had seen this image before, but instead in the dark of my parents’ house, inside my closet when I opened it up to confront the monsters. The last images I had of my sister, stumbling around covered in blood from the tornado, trying not to die was the image of the monster. The bleeding woman who haunted my childhood was Mandy. The “bloody monster.”
I tried to scream out to Mandy over the roar of the siren, the blasts of the wind and through my froggy throat, but I couldn’t even hear myself scream, I just yelled in vain until a coat of red blood washed over my eyes and I passed out.
*
I woke up in a hospital bed with every single atom in my body aching. I could barely breathe, but I was alive.
There wasn’t another soul in the room, just the lonely periodic beep of some machinery, my pain and a little bit of light which came from the hallway through the open door.
I survived. Mandy did not. I would find out later that day that she bled to death in front of what was left of the church.
There was no one to help me pick up the pieces of what happened, but I was able to figure it out mostly on my own. The terrifying incident that Mandy and I kept having playing out in the night Barbara caught on camera was us seeing the future of the tornado incident where Mandy would die and I would almost die. The monsters we would see were each other, covered in blood, 20 years older and not looking anything like people we would recognize when we were kids.
Grandma was right, her feeling that she needed to warn us was true. The visions had tried to prepare us to survive the most-dangerous moment of our lives, but we weren’t able to harness it because we weren’t trained.
My grandma would be the only person who would come visit me in the hospital the week I was there. She accepted my apologies and understood why I dismissed her at first.
We never really talked about the visions or seeing into the future in the hospital. We mostly just bonded. She even brought me some of the amazing salted chocolate chip cookies she used to give to me as a kid on my last night in the hospital. We ate them and made plans for me to come back to her office and start working on properly handling my powers when I was ready.
My usual work routine and life helped put me back at ease and heal for the first couple of weeks back in Houston, but it would not last. After about two weeks, the night visions from my childhood started to come back. At first they were mostly just feelings or sounds or a sense that someone was watching me, but things came to a stomach-turning head last night.
I woke up because I felt the blanket pull off of my head as if someone had tugged it back towards my feet. Having to pee, I got up out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
Trying to keep myself from fully waking up, I didn’t turn on the light in the bathroom, just starting pissing in the near dark. Things were going smoothly until I noticed a shadow and heard the faint sound of something swaying behind the shower curtain.
I clenched my teeth hard and whipped open the shower curtain. Dangling from the shower head was the gray, naked corpse of my grandma. Noose around her neck.
I screamed and ran back to my bed before I was even finished going to the bathroom. I laid frozen until the sun came up.
I started calling the number my grandma gave me, but am starting to get very worried because she hasn’t answered any of my calls..