Red7VII

:ὁ Animalia [OPEN!]

Made some slight edits. For some reason I thought Zee was a wolf, too.

Haven for the Inhuman

I should have a post up today or tomorrow. Likely today.

:ὁ Animalia [OPEN!]

Location: Eukary Dormitory > Quad | Interactions: @BizarreLolli@Argetlam350

It was that time. The clock radio roared to life, blaring that classic What Does The Human Say song. Vance's first set of eyelids opened, but his second set was stubborn. Eventually those, too, retracted and his pupils quickly began adjusting to the light coming in from the window. He reluctantly rolled over and sat up upon the edge of his mattress, slowly realizing that he had crashed out fully clothed and just felt gross. Nothing a shower couldn't fix, though. He started stripping down and preparing his toiletries before making his way to hot water paradise.

* * * * *

"I'm going to get some chow," Vance answered into his phone to the caller's question. He felt much better having been fully cleansed and now adorned in a fresh pair of black jeans and a red t-shirt under his faithful leather jacket.

"Chow can wait," came the gruff, electronic voice of Butch out of the phone's speaker. "The Boss wants you to check out this bar. The Wolf Pack. The owner there is operating 'rent free', if you know what I mean. You need to go convince him that he should invest in 'insurance'."

"Butch," Vance shot back as he power walked across the quad, the Cafeteria nearly in sight. "I can't do that right now-"

"The hell do you mean you can't do that?! The Boss said-"

"Butch! Surely my dad intended for me to do this after school. At night. When bars are open!" Vance made no effort to hide the frustration in his voice. After a moment of silence, it was clear that logic finally found its way into Butch's mind.

"Just get it done," he said, conceding. "Report back when you're through." Vance didn't even bother with pleasantries or polite dismissals. He just ended the call with a press of his thumb before shoving it into his jacket pocket and shaking his head. How Butch got to be his father's #2, as dull as he is, Vance could hardly fathom.

When the young lion finally crossed the threshold of the cafeteria, he moved like a starved animal with blinders on, not distracting himself with anything around him. His eyes were simply locked on the meal to come. Vance filled a plate and quickly emptied it into his mouth, not even bothering to take a seat. He discarded his used breakfast wares and went back out into the quad. Once there, he stopped and took in a deep breath, letting it out very slowly.

He had been tasked with picking up collections plenty of times, but those agreements were already established. Shops and businesses would pay for a little extra protection against predators, ruffians and degenerates. Vance convinced himself that he was helping provide a service. However, he had never been tasked with initiating the shakedown and he had certainly never been to this Wolf Pack bar. Walking in to a den of drunken wolves and demanding tribute was going to be... an experience.

He rubbed his face with his hands as if his anxiety was actually sludge that he could simply wipe off his brow. If only it were that easy. With some food in his belly and an itinerary in motion, the black lion snapped to and rejoined the present. He looked around. As it happened, he could see a wolf just now near a bench. Perhaps this was an opportunity to get some intel ahead of tonight's mission. Maybe this wolven woman had been to The Wolf Pack. Perhaps he could extract some insight as to what and whom he'd be dealing with. As any predator would, Vance zoned in on the creature who stood alone, away from the crowd.

"I don't know what it is," he called out as he approached her. "I've tried everything," he continued to explain as he got closer to the lovely lupine by the bench, "but there is just something wrong with my eyes..." He abruptly stopped beside her and let his lips rear back into a toothy, cheesy grin. "...I just can't take them off of you." He extended a dark hand freckled with snowflakes. "I'm Vance and, besides gorgeous, you would be...?"

My Mother Died January 13

Thank you all for reading and, DC, I certainly do consider myself lucky. I hope the rift has not impeded upon your happiness.

My Mother Died January 13

A year ago today, my mother died.

She was a good mom and entitled to her quirks. I remember being there at the hospital when it was about to happen. When the plug was literally being pulled. Tonight I tried to remember what happened next. I'm a little embarrassed to say that I cannot remember in detail. All I can think is that I created a psychological block which, before today, I wasn't even sure I believed in. I seem to get figuratively cold as a defense mechanism, but the mental blocks are new to me.

But you don't know my mom and you don't know me and those bits of personal information would be like hearing about your friend's day at work talking about places you haven't been, with people you don't know. I'll spare you that. What I will provide, though, is the hindsight. A year later, here are my thoughts and I hope they help you.

1) Call.
I'm not a small talker. I hate that sort of awkward 'what should we say next' moment. What I know through experience, especially with my own kids, is that it doesn't really matter what you say. Just call. Tell a joke. Mention a highlight for the day. Ask her what's new or what show she's watching or make something up that you know will get a response, even if its in jest. The conversation can be 3 minutes long. It doesn't matter, she just wants to hear from you and feel like she's involved.

2) Be Yourself.
I am a people pleaser to a fault. I will often adjust my behavior based on the people around me to illicit the most favored responses, even if that means muting some of my impulses. Don't do that with Mom. She wants to see what she made and, sure, if she created a mini-me she would be flattered, but if she created something altogether new that she did not expect, I can't help but think she'd be intrigued. Not all parents are the same and I realize there are certainly sensitive issues that exist that can deter pure honesty, but my advice would be to try it anyway. Be weird. Make dumb references. Share the embarrassing bits. If you're lucky, this woman has been studying you your entire life. Show her the real you. It's what she's always been looking for.

3) Listen.
You mother is your nearest link in the chain of your lineage. She's the next step in learning where you came from and what the world was like. History repeats itself and you could only be doing yourself a favor by being an audience and letting her tell her story. Let her be important.

My mom's side of the family is broken. I have an estranged aunt who is practically treated like Voldemort and shall not be named and I still don't totally understand why. I have an uncle who won't speak to my grandmother and I don't have a clue as to what happened. And I never truly will. People love looking up their ancestry on various websites, but you've got a direct link to your history right in front of you. Ask. Listen. Absorb. I think many will be amazed to discover that their parents have faced some of the same conflicts, ultimatums, and life altering events that have already unfolded in the generation passed and perhaps you could take advantage of that experience.

But mostly do it so she can be heard. So she can speak. So she can feel that spotlight. On your loneliness day, I'm sure an ear would have been invaluable. Be willing to lend yours.

And that's really all I've got. I love my mother and I hope there is a promising and exciting next phase to Life's experiences, but I can admit that I should have done more of those three things. I probably could have helped make the phase prior that much more enriched. So I pass it to you to do better. Good luck and put yourself out there. You might be surprised at how pleasant it can be.

With love

For Whom the Bell Tolls

I have to pull out, I'm afraid. My appetite was a bit bigger than my stomach and I am afraid I have overcommitted to RPs. Good luck, though! It seems like a great cast!

Avengers NEO

I have to pull out, I'm afraid. I am about at my limit of commitment for RPs. Good luck, though! It sounds awesome!

Current Mood in One Gif

:ὁ Animalia [OPEN!]

@BizarreLolli, the track athlete you're thinking of is @IronPhinx's Gracie (The Deer)

For Whom the Bell Tolls - A Zombie Survival RP

@NaturalTendency, you should check out this link below:

OOC here

Thats where the game is currently taking place. To add an image, copy the url/web address of the image and then use the code [img]urlhere.com[/img]