I'm just always happy when I find ANYONE who's an STL native because this is one of those cities you have to basically be born in or actively STUDY to have a REAL understanding of. Like, even if you've been gone, I'm deadass flat fuck sure if I said "You could be king of your block, go two over and get shot dead in the street and the cops would piss on you." and you'd immediately understand exactly what I mean. (Oakland is what I consider STL's west coast sister city, and Baltimore to the east, close dynamics, and I've lived in Oakland, and half my family is from Baltimore) One street in the Central West End got a Whole Foods down from a row of urban mansions, two blocks up you on a dope set. And downtown and downtown north has gone APESHIT lately. Fuck.
Last time I was up in Ferguson it looked like it was doing well though, and it didn't look like it was from white creep gentrification. Come a long way.
No lies! I also get excited to meet anyone from St. Louis too. I met one guy from Hazelwood, that's it lol.
Before 2014, no one knew about Ferguson. I was saddened by the situation and how Ferguson was being recognized. When I left home and told people I'm from STL, they would follow up with "Oh are you from East St. Louis?" Dude, no, and that's Illinois but surprisingly not too many know that 😭. I've never been to Oakland or Baltimore but I can imagine that it gives a similar vibe. Detroit does that so adapting was easy.
I used to live in Central West End. I gotta check it out because I haven't been that way in a long time. My family moved out of Ferguson in 2018 I believe but I heard that it's doing better now. Best friend lives in Berkeley so she keeps me posted. New shit popping up everytime I visit.
I had a friend that was a tattoo artist who had a house in Ferguson but his family been around there forever so it wasn't like he'd moved in back in 2010 at peak Cherokee street gentrification era. Nobody gets that STL is like, 750 small towns that all hate each other. I stay in tower Grove South,.I was raised in Bevo. And yeah, I like Detroit too, I could see that being a hella easy transition (demf, Detroit electronic music festival, god. It's where I picked up calling abandoned buildings bandos, trapping up in Detroit out a Motel 6) Hazelwood seems like it's doing alright but murders have been up.
My brother from Philly who was a grower in Humboldt for 15 bought a house down on killakuk. He's the only white boy who will serve flower to the Ville, but... He was working a corner at 14 and we toured together and shit so it's not like he hasn't been around. He moved here and loves it. He says it's the most ratchet but also nice city in the country. 🤣
It really is lol. I spent a lot of time in U City until my best friend passed away. My trips are pretty short when I visit but I'm gonna attempt to stay longer so I can see all the changes.
Girl what part am I NOT from is more like it. LOL. We moved so much… Ferguson, Berkeley, Pine Lawn, Delmar Loop, North Side off Natural Bridge, Hanley Hills close to U city 😂
I moved away back in ‘96. Been living in Virginia since. I don’t get back home much especially since my immediate family moved. Still have a lot of family on the North Side and one really good friend in Hazelwood. It was nice to have found your Substack! It’s always nice to meet someone from the Lou!
Yes! It's a pleasure to virtually cross paths with you.
I rarely meet anyone from St. Louis. If you haven't seen Emil Ottoman's work on here, he's also from St. Louis. Reading 'Strangers in Costumes' is how he learned I was from St. Louis too.
I moved over 20 years ago and currently live in Detroit. Since living here I bumped into a guy that's from Hazelwood. That's it lol. I don't visit home that much, maybe every few years. I was living in Hampton, VA for a few years before moving to Detroit.
Nice. I wanted to attend Hampton U but my previous credits wouldn't transfer and I really didn't want to start over. I ended up going to school for my Associate's in Medical Assisting.
I love that ending. Fuck! To have their (likely wrong) perceptions and stories about others turned on them with the note was brilliant, a perfect punctuation and punchline to it all.
Making myself a character and writing a story about writing this story are my favorites.
'Jaxson's Therapy' and 'Strangers in Costumes' are two very important pieces to me. 1) I finally broke away from microfiction - eventhough I will never part from microfictions and 2) confirmation that I'm capable of writing short stories.
I'll be honest, I was a lil nervous about writing them because I didn't know if I could build them well. But I'm glad that it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be.
There's a possibility I could make 'Strangers in Costumes' a series. I really love the story but it was also a creative trigger to writing 'heavy body' shortly after.
You have every right to, this is excellent. I'll be sure to put 'Jaxson's Therapy' on my list.
Short stories are hard, but you pulled it off, this is good.
I'd love a series, but I definitely saw the seeds and themes of 'heavy body' in this and I am glad you went the route that you did. I'm sorta viewing this as a companion piece.
....Thats all we do heah in DA LOU... Good drop. I see U. Altho, for da record, Imma DELTA MISSIPPIAN NIGGA, All three of mah Novels are based in St. Louis (since I live heah now...off/on for YEARS). Its a lotta HOODOO n MAJICK heah most folks dont even realize....especially, since its a SISTER CITY to NEW ORLEANS. I gots a Lotta FERGUSON shit in mah books too including new joint dropping late 2025. I was living round da corner from where MIKE BROWN got EXECUTED. Covered that shit as a Journalist til it went sideways....and Dirty Cops start KILLING a lotta dem YOUNG BLM Niggaz n leaving they Bodies to Burn in Cars.
Yooo!!! This one had me hooked. I want more but won’t be greedy. I too love making up stories about strangers. Now i wonder what stories folks make up about me.
It's ok to want more from this story because I'm thinking about writing a second part. 😅
If someone wrote a story about you, would you wanna know? I can only imagine the stories people make up about me. I'm already a character in ARC's story 'Substack High'. This one had me smiling hard because most it is true 🤭.
I always appreciate you reading my work and sooo appreciate you sharing your voice as well.
Lemme go check out substack high! And me a character in someone’s story? Shoot I’d definitely want to read it. Even if I’m the villain! I’m too curious to not want to.
Reminds me of the beginning of the 2023 film 'Past Lives' and how one person can seem to have so many alternate lives / possibilities just by looking at them. Really dug the meta aspect of this piece as well, it immediately captures your attention and is very unique / innovative approach to storytelling. Well done 👏🏾
I have to read it a few more times to see exactly what I did because sometimes in the moment of writing I don't see all the details. Which is wild because why can't I see it 😂
thats a great piece of writing... a lovely undercurrent of lightly brooding menace and misanthropy the whole way through. your last lines reminded me of a story i forgot i was going to write. Thanks
its paticularly great because it makes the point you wanted to make but also it left me wanting to know more...to see what that interraction on the plane would lead to...that some moral might play out.
reading your piece again it gets better. knowing where its going you can see depths...think stories of your own. 😎
my story is something imspired by a set of car keys mistakenly posted through my letter box... then events happened which made me quite nervous for a few weeks... story been bubbling under for years. ...
Mysterious keys in a letter box? Interesting. I like it. I hope you finish it.
The story has different situations going on. Does the woman realize I stole her money? What happens next for the loadmaster? What's going on between the detective and me?
I wanted to keep each situation open for the characters.
Buildable stories. What do you think happens next?
In my mind, because of their impulsive nature, they go along with the note, but it's a case of mistaken identity. there has been a mix up with the seating on the plane, the intended recipient has the "Item" but no instructions; your protagonist has no consignment, but gets the instructions. - I can't tell what happens next - just a tense plane ride while you protagonist wrangles in their mind how to ride out the bluff and grift the situation - maybe the person with the "load" begins to wonder what is going on when the handler does not make contact. its a ripe scenario - maybe the old lady can realise the theft right in the middle of the tension....
Nick this is great and I like the idea of the mixed up seating. Nasty situations.
Yeah the old lady realizing her money is gone in the middle of the tension is wild. By that time I'm not even thinking about her. Too focused on the detective, the note and what I might be involved in. 😂
Damn, you from the hometeam?! This story is fantastic. Pacing is great, detailing is fantastic. Outstanding work.
I am! I'm in Detroit now and they've claimed me as one their own but I make that drive back home every few years.
Thank you so much for reading and your feedback.
I'm just always happy when I find ANYONE who's an STL native because this is one of those cities you have to basically be born in or actively STUDY to have a REAL understanding of. Like, even if you've been gone, I'm deadass flat fuck sure if I said "You could be king of your block, go two over and get shot dead in the street and the cops would piss on you." and you'd immediately understand exactly what I mean. (Oakland is what I consider STL's west coast sister city, and Baltimore to the east, close dynamics, and I've lived in Oakland, and half my family is from Baltimore) One street in the Central West End got a Whole Foods down from a row of urban mansions, two blocks up you on a dope set. And downtown and downtown north has gone APESHIT lately. Fuck.
Last time I was up in Ferguson it looked like it was doing well though, and it didn't look like it was from white creep gentrification. Come a long way.
No lies! I also get excited to meet anyone from St. Louis too. I met one guy from Hazelwood, that's it lol.
Before 2014, no one knew about Ferguson. I was saddened by the situation and how Ferguson was being recognized. When I left home and told people I'm from STL, they would follow up with "Oh are you from East St. Louis?" Dude, no, and that's Illinois but surprisingly not too many know that 😭. I've never been to Oakland or Baltimore but I can imagine that it gives a similar vibe. Detroit does that so adapting was easy.
I used to live in Central West End. I gotta check it out because I haven't been that way in a long time. My family moved out of Ferguson in 2018 I believe but I heard that it's doing better now. Best friend lives in Berkeley so she keeps me posted. New shit popping up everytime I visit.
I had a friend that was a tattoo artist who had a house in Ferguson but his family been around there forever so it wasn't like he'd moved in back in 2010 at peak Cherokee street gentrification era. Nobody gets that STL is like, 750 small towns that all hate each other. I stay in tower Grove South,.I was raised in Bevo. And yeah, I like Detroit too, I could see that being a hella easy transition (demf, Detroit electronic music festival, god. It's where I picked up calling abandoned buildings bandos, trapping up in Detroit out a Motel 6) Hazelwood seems like it's doing alright but murders have been up.
My brother from Philly who was a grower in Humboldt for 15 bought a house down on killakuk. He's the only white boy who will serve flower to the Ville, but... He was working a corner at 14 and we toured together and shit so it's not like he hasn't been around. He moved here and loves it. He says it's the most ratchet but also nice city in the country. 🤣
It really is lol. I spent a lot of time in U City until my best friend passed away. My trips are pretty short when I visit but I'm gonna attempt to stay longer so I can see all the changes.
👏🏾❤️🔥👏🏾
Dope!
Thanks Andrew. I stretched myself a lil more with this one.♥️
Yeah I agree. I like it.
Well written. I wanted more! I’m also from St. Louis!👋🏾
Ohh what's up Precious!💖
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned because I'm currently developing more to the story. That wasn't the original plan but I'm giving it a try. 😊
I’m definitely staying tuned, you hooked me with the first part!
Great!
What part of STL are you from?
Girl what part am I NOT from is more like it. LOL. We moved so much… Ferguson, Berkeley, Pine Lawn, Delmar Loop, North Side off Natural Bridge, Hanley Hills close to U city 😂
Just everywhere 😂
When I moved to St. Louis I lived in Central West End and then migrated to Ferguson. Best friends lived in Berkeley and U City.
I moved away back in ‘96. Been living in Virginia since. I don’t get back home much especially since my immediate family moved. Still have a lot of family on the North Side and one really good friend in Hazelwood. It was nice to have found your Substack! It’s always nice to meet someone from the Lou!
Yes! It's a pleasure to virtually cross paths with you.
I rarely meet anyone from St. Louis. If you haven't seen Emil Ottoman's work on here, he's also from St. Louis. Reading 'Strangers in Costumes' is how he learned I was from St. Louis too.
I moved over 20 years ago and currently live in Detroit. Since living here I bumped into a guy that's from Hazelwood. That's it lol. I don't visit home that much, maybe every few years. I was living in Hampton, VA for a few years before moving to Detroit.
Same, I rarely meet anyone from St. Louis. And I graduated from Hampton U! 😊I’m gonna check out Emil Ottoman, thank you!
Nice. I wanted to attend Hampton U but my previous credits wouldn't transfer and I really didn't want to start over. I ended up going to school for my Associate's in Medical Assisting.
I love that ending. Fuck! To have their (likely wrong) perceptions and stories about others turned on them with the note was brilliant, a perfect punctuation and punchline to it all.
The pacing was good too, I am happy I read this!
Thank you 😅
I read it twice this week and I still love it.
Making myself a character and writing a story about writing this story are my favorites.
'Jaxson's Therapy' and 'Strangers in Costumes' are two very important pieces to me. 1) I finally broke away from microfiction - eventhough I will never part from microfictions and 2) confirmation that I'm capable of writing short stories.
I'll be honest, I was a lil nervous about writing them because I didn't know if I could build them well. But I'm glad that it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be.
There's a possibility I could make 'Strangers in Costumes' a series. I really love the story but it was also a creative trigger to writing 'heavy body' shortly after.
Thank you for taking time to read it🙏🏽🩶✨
You have every right to, this is excellent. I'll be sure to put 'Jaxson's Therapy' on my list.
Short stories are hard, but you pulled it off, this is good.
I'd love a series, but I definitely saw the seeds and themes of 'heavy body' in this and I am glad you went the route that you did. I'm sorta viewing this as a companion piece.
Yes I agree. Thank you so much for the encouragement! I've been needing it so much lately.
When I get on the other side of 'heavy body' I'll be switching my focus to short stories.
Oooooo! I cannot wait 😁
....Thats all we do heah in DA LOU... Good drop. I see U. Altho, for da record, Imma DELTA MISSIPPIAN NIGGA, All three of mah Novels are based in St. Louis (since I live heah now...off/on for YEARS). Its a lotta HOODOO n MAJICK heah most folks dont even realize....especially, since its a SISTER CITY to NEW ORLEANS. I gots a Lotta FERGUSON shit in mah books too including new joint dropping late 2025. I was living round da corner from where MIKE BROWN got EXECUTED. Covered that shit as a Journalist til it went sideways....and Dirty Cops start KILLING a lotta dem YOUNG BLM Niggaz n leaving they Bodies to Burn in Cars.
Hoodoo in St. Louis doesn't surprise me. I've never been to New Orleans but I would like to visit it at least once.
I noticed you had published books when I first started following you. I'm adding them to my list.
Thanks for reading Pimp! I look forward to reading more of your work.🙏🏽♥️
Yooo!!! This one had me hooked. I want more but won’t be greedy. I too love making up stories about strangers. Now i wonder what stories folks make up about me.
It's ok to want more from this story because I'm thinking about writing a second part. 😅
If someone wrote a story about you, would you wanna know? I can only imagine the stories people make up about me. I'm already a character in ARC's story 'Substack High'. This one had me smiling hard because most it is true 🤭.
I always appreciate you reading my work and sooo appreciate you sharing your voice as well.
Ooh a part two would be so nice!
Lemme go check out substack high! And me a character in someone’s story? Shoot I’d definitely want to read it. Even if I’m the villain! I’m too curious to not want to.
I STAN!
You snapped with the concept for this piece 👌🏾
Reminds me of the beginning of the 2023 film 'Past Lives' and how one person can seem to have so many alternate lives / possibilities just by looking at them. Really dug the meta aspect of this piece as well, it immediately captures your attention and is very unique / innovative approach to storytelling. Well done 👏🏾
Always appreciate you reading my work🙏🏽♥️
I have to read it a few more times to see exactly what I did because sometimes in the moment of writing I don't see all the details. Which is wild because why can't I see it 😂
😂 the beauty of releasing things out to the world. Sometimes the audience catches things an artist does on a subconscious level
Yes and I'll never get tired of audience interpretations
thats a great piece of writing... a lovely undercurrent of lightly brooding menace and misanthropy the whole way through. your last lines reminded me of a story i forgot i was going to write. Thanks
its paticularly great because it makes the point you wanted to make but also it left me wanting to know more...to see what that interraction on the plane would lead to...that some moral might play out.
Nick I appreciate you and thank you so much for reading. Interested in reading your story.
The last part, yes! Big test of morals. I was discussing it with my husband and suggested adding the note.
reading your piece again it gets better. knowing where its going you can see depths...think stories of your own. 😎
my story is something imspired by a set of car keys mistakenly posted through my letter box... then events happened which made me quite nervous for a few weeks... story been bubbling under for years. ...
Mysterious keys in a letter box? Interesting. I like it. I hope you finish it.
The story has different situations going on. Does the woman realize I stole her money? What happens next for the loadmaster? What's going on between the detective and me?
I wanted to keep each situation open for the characters.
Buildable stories. What do you think happens next?
In my mind, because of their impulsive nature, they go along with the note, but it's a case of mistaken identity. there has been a mix up with the seating on the plane, the intended recipient has the "Item" but no instructions; your protagonist has no consignment, but gets the instructions. - I can't tell what happens next - just a tense plane ride while you protagonist wrangles in their mind how to ride out the bluff and grift the situation - maybe the person with the "load" begins to wonder what is going on when the handler does not make contact. its a ripe scenario - maybe the old lady can realise the theft right in the middle of the tension....
Nick this is great and I like the idea of the mixed up seating. Nasty situations.
Yeah the old lady realizing her money is gone in the middle of the tension is wild. By that time I'm not even thinking about her. Too focused on the detective, the note and what I might be involved in. 😂