#DO Y'ALL START YOUR WEEKS AND CALENDARS ON SUNDAY?

[caressthosecheekbones]

going completely insane over my new calendar that starts the week at a fucking SUNDAY instead of monday, which is the only real and valid day to start the week with¡!!!¡¡!!! i've been putting appointments in all the wrong days accidentally and I hate the look of it soooooooo much bgsjfjhakdkkajhskdkI think ill buy a new one ugh

[as-is-above-so-below]

The Captain - Simon Riley x Sniper!Reader, Wife!Reader

Part 3: Let's Have a Baby

summary: Ghost’s sniper wife (reader) joins Task Force 141 on an op, against his wishes call sign: Freyja warning: MDNI, mentions of canon typical violence and death (ofc), implied child loss Note: The much-awaited part 3 of The Captain! Thank you so much for all of your support! And don't y'all, Part 4 is brewing ;) Enjoy and blessed be! << Previous | Next >>

“Mohawk’s gettin’ particularly long, Johnny boy. When’s the last time you took any off the top?” Freyja asked, tugging at the end of a long strand at the back of his head.

“Dinnae dae that!” Soap whipped his head around and gave her a look of playful irritation. “If it weren’t for that wee barra in your belly I’d knock ya one, lass.”

“You wish, tough guy.”

“Just you wait, soon as y’return to full duty, we’ll have a square go, ye fuckin’ weapon.”

“I’ll block off my calendar.”

She and Soap had grown rather close since they all returned to England following the mission. As promised, Ghost spoke with Price, who convinced Kate to transfer her to the 141 permanently. While she was on desk duty for now, being on the same team would be tremendously helpful in keeping their schedules in sync. The couple could carpool to and from the base together, and John would do his best to keep them from being deployed at the same time.

Plus, she got to spend all her day with her friends and husband, which was a phenomenal change of pace from their previous setup. It was far less lonely being surrounded by the bustle of the busy base and having other friends to talk to besides Price.

They had a standing ‘play date’, as Price called it, every Friday night, where they watched movies, played board games, and ordered takeout. Board games usually ended in a heated exchange between her and whichever unlucky soul had crossed her (usually during Catan), her normally fiery temper heightened with each month of pregnancy that passed. There had been several instances of Ghost scooping her up in his arms and hauling her away to cool off before (any other) objects were lobbed at someone’s head.

One time, Freyja was in rare form when Gaz refused to trade for a material she desperately needed, and whipped a pointed dinner knife in his direction.

“What is with you guys and throwing bloody knives at me?!” he cried, throwing his hands in the air as Ghost dragged her off, screaming obscenities in various angry-sounding languages.

Soap jerked the blade out of the wall. “Dunno if I should be turned on or terrified,” he had said thoughtfully, turning it over in his hand. 

“BOTH, YOU SLIMY, CHEATING MOTHERFUCKERS!”

Catan was banned for a few weeks after that incident, and Freyja gave Kyle the following day off as an apology, though he insisted it wasn’t necessary.

Freyja lowered herself into a chair on the other side of Soap’s desk and leaned her head on her fist, watching him do his paperwork. She’d already finished for the day but was waiting for her husband to fetch her and bring her home to prepare for another Friday with the boys.

“So, Captain, any big plans for this weekend?” Soap asked, still scribbling away at the stack of forms in front of him.

She pursed her lips and shrugged. “Nah. It’s our anniversary on Sunday. Have a routine visit tomorrow to see how the baby’s growing. Nothing crazy.”

“Anniversary?! You didn’t tell me that was comin’ up!”

Her eyes rolled with a chuckle. “Soap, we aren’t showy people. Never have been,” she started, adjusting to sit straighter after having slid down in the chair a bit. Her round belly had started to weigh down her body a few weeks back, and she was starting to feel the effects of back and neck pain. “We weren’t together for very long when we got engaged, if you’d even call it that. We got married a few days later, as soon as we got back to the UK. Didn’t want to waste time, given our line of work.”

Johnny laughed at this, tossing his pen into a mug he fashioned as a stationary holder. “Oh, I’d bet he just loved slappin’ his name after ‘Captain’, too,” he joked with a raised brow.

The image of a spinning circle on a computer came to mind because that was exactly what she was doing. Buffering, her mouth open slightly while she processed his comment. Her mind screamed at her to say something, anything, but nothing came out as she stared at the Sergeant.

He clearly picked up on her inner turmoil, because he asked, “What? What’d I say?”

Goddamn pregnancy brain. “Ah…Nothing. He didn’t like me taking his name, actually,” she mostly muttered, unable to find a way out of the conversation at this point. “He asked me not to change my name and I did it anyway.”

“I don’t get it, why wouldn’t Ghost want ya to change yer name?”

Freyja sighed as she rubbed a hand over the top of her bump, a recent habit for comfort. The baby hadn’t been particularly active that day, only offering a bit of shifting. “You’d have to ask him, John.”

She rarely called him John, so he knew the conversation was over on her part. “How’s your back?” Best to change the subject and move on. 

She was grateful for it. “Terrible. Even sitting here is bothering me.”

Soap lit up and he practically jumped to his feet. “I can do that thing I saw Ghost doin’ last week!” He was already in front of her before she could even answer.

He had been relentless ever since he caught their cute little private moment in the kitchen when she was supposed to be getting herself some fruit to snack on. Simon followed shortly after, offering to get her fruit bowl together for her so she could sit down again. Craving some semblance of independence, she instead offered to cut up her snack while her husband took some of the weight off her back.

“Walked myself right into that one. You just want an excuse to grope my belly.”

“Me? Never! M’offended that y’would say such a thing, Bonnie,” he feigned hurt feelings, pouting with his best puppy dog eyes.

“Alright, fine! Come’ere, I’ll show you,” she laughed, high up in her chest. Freyja pulled herself up with his hands and moved them to the more open space in his office. “Alright, so I’m gonna stand here—“ She turned to press her back against his chest and took his wrist in her hands. “—then you just wanna put your hands flat like this—“ She flattened his palms just under the swell of her stomach, by each point of her pelvis. “—and now you carefully pull up. Emphasis on carefully.”

She groaned at the sudden relief, her head falling back against Soap’s shoulder as he just barely lifted her stomach. 

“There w’are. Steamin’ Jesus, how’s such a wee thing so bloody heavy?”

“Yeah, now imagine carrying that around with your back twenty-four-seven.”

They stood silently for a minute, soaking in the relief from the lack of pressure on her disks. A small hand dragged across the underside of her stomach, pressing against Soap’s hand. His chest rumbled against her back, but he held steady.

“Will anyone be coming for a visit? When she’s born?” It was bold of him to bring up such a sensitive subject, but his curiosity got the better of him.

“No.”

“And you’re alright with that?”

“I have everyone I need right here, Johnny. Who else outside my husband would give my back a break and hold my giant belly?” She reached back to jokingly slap his cheek a few times.

“Where’s that husband o’ yours at? It’s gettin’ late.”

A soft knock on the open door had her turning her head. “I’m comin’, Jesus,” Ghost said, approaching with his hands in his pockets, t-shirt tight as ever. He took in her smiling form, intrigued by the scene in front of him. He smiled beneath his mask, eyes crinkling slightly. “How are my girls?”

Freyja flinched, a hand flying to her belly at the sharp kick. She sported an angry pout. “Ow! That hurt, you little–”

“Be nice. She can’t help that I’m her favorite.”

She pulled out of Soap’s hold, sad to lose the help on one hand, but thrilled to see Simon on the other. “You’re so obnoxious. I’m literally creating her organs and limbs, making sure she has ten fingers and toes, and I don’t get so much as a single hand or kick. But the second she hears your stupid voice, she’s suddenly an MMA fighter,” she complained, shoving at his shoulder. “Un-fucking-believable. I hate you.”

“Mmm, sure you do. How will I ever get back in your good graces?”

“I want Chinese tonight.”

“I think I can manage that.” Ghost bent down to gently, but briefly, touch his forehead to hers, one of their familiar gestures to refrain from more overt displays of affection on base. She would occasionally give him a peck over his skull mask, and they often shared passing touches, but neither partner was a huge fan of PDA. In the comfort of their own home, they were much more obvious, even around the other members of the team. Just not on base (save for a quick romp. Or two. Or– y’know what, never mind).

“Aw, lookit ya wee sook,” Soap cooed, nudging Ghost with his elbow as he walked past, gathering his things to head home.

She giggled and patted Simon’s pec. “He really is!”

Simon grumbled but guided Freyja to the door with a hand on her lower back. “If you lot keep talkin’ nonsense around me, I’ll pop a gasket.”

“It’s not nonsense, Simon. It’s a beautiful language. One that your people just so happened to smother into near extinction,” she sang, pursing her lips in a challenge as she looked up at him walking next to her.

“OOO, sick burn, lass!” Soap smacked their hands together, laughing heartily.

“Fuckin’ hell…”

~*~

Simon checked the time on his phone again with a deep sigh, shaking his head. He detested getting to work anything past ten minutes early, and it was currently five past six. Freyja had told him to go ahead and toss their baby bag in the car, which he had done ten minutes ago. He insisted they keep their ‘go-bag’ (her word, not his) with them, either in the car on errands or on base during the work week.

The area around their front door was littered with broken-down cardboard boxes from various toys and furniture from the nursery. The Task Force had turned out to be extremely generous uncles, to the point where the Rileys hardly had to buy anything. Johnny and Gaz were by far the worst listeners, continuing to purchase mountains of clothes long after Freyja and Ghost begged them to stop. Enough clothes that she would never have to wear the same outfit twice for the first year of her life.

Not even born yet and already spoiled rotten.

Her boots weren’t in the tray by the door, so she must have gotten to that part of her routine, at least. He pushed off the door frame in their entryway, making his way toward the living room. “Frey, what are you doin’? We’re already five minutes late–”

He cut himself off when he laid eyes on the sight in front of him – his wife, now 39 weeks pregnant, attempting to contort her body around her bump to lace up her boots. Simon allowed himself a moment to watch in amusement before clearing his throat and grabbing her attention. “Do you need help?” he asked, about to kneel in front of her.

She grunted and shook her head, then tried to smooth the mussed-up fly-aways that had started to poke up at the edges of her tied-back hair. “No, I can do this. I just did it on Friday.”

“Darling, that was three days ago. There’s no shame in askin’ for help–” He stopped again at the icy glare thrown his way, crossed his arms over his chest, and sat in the armchair across from her. “A’right, if you insist.” He had long noticed that she sometimes struggled to accept help with tasks she could normally complete on her own, if not for a protruding bump being in the way. He knew if she really needed help, she would ask.

This time, she propped the heel of her boot on the coffee table and attempted to stretch over her belly. She was proud of the strength and flexibility she had been able to maintain throughout her entire pregnancy, up until now. Not many people could say they could even see their feet this far into their pregnancy, let alone tie their shoes. After another minute of huffing and puffing, fingers just barely unable to graze the laces, she held her foot out to her watchful husband and sighed. “Fine,” she mumbled, crossed arms mimicking his.

He smiled softly under his mask, blue eyes twinkling with silent laughter as he slid to his knees at her feet, pressing the sole into his chest. “Thank you,” he praised, taking his time to focus on doing her shoes up at the tightness she liked to support her ankles, but allow breathing room at her calves. As he finished up the second foot, he heard a quiet sniffle and jerked his head up to meet her eyes.

Bloody hell, not the waterworks again…

He gently pushed her legs apart and settled between them, his gloved hands covering and rubbing her knees. “What’s wrong, love?”

Freyja wiped her nose with the back of her hand, then used the neckline of her t-shirt to swipe at her wet cheeks. “Nothing, I’m just annoyed. Feels like I can barely function on my own.”

“If I recall, you’re the one who insisted on working until she’s born.”

“Fuck you.”

“Promise?”

She playfully shoved his shoulder, rolling her eyes as she scoffed. 

Ghost pulled his mask up to his nose, just enough to steal a long, soft kiss from her, fingers still gripping her thighs. When they broke apart, he swooped down to press wet kisses on her belly. Freyja put the fabric back in place with deft fingers. “A’right, we sorted?” He smacked her thigh twice when she nodded and offered her hands to help her stand. “Good, you know how I am about bein’ late.”

“Maybe I’ll get lucky and she’ll be an early bird like her daddy.”

“Better than always being late like her mum.”

“Low blow, baby. Low blow.”

They made jabs at each other back and forth the entire ride to base (lovingly, of course) and during their walk to their offices, only pausing for the occasional passerby.

~*~

Kyle handed off a steaming mug of tea to Ghost, taking a small sip of his own as they watched the recruits spar with Soap. Most days, the three of them worked with the privates for a few hours, varying from marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, etcetera. Ghost tugged his mask up enough to enjoy his caffeine, the steam dampening the wrinkled fabric.

“How was your weekend, Ghost?”

He hid his subtle smirk behind the cup, the memory of their anniversary evening at the forefront of his mind. Ghost met Gaz’s gaze with a side eye, to which the Sergeant snorted with a throaty chuckle. Gaz fixed the brim of his hat lower to shade his eyes from the sun better. “Shouldn’t have asked,” he said, a bright, cheeky grin on his face. “Change the subject.”

Ghost thought back to that morning, snickering himself and cradling the mug with both hands. “Frey couldn’t tie her boots this morning.” He tried to hide his amusement, he really did. But both men burst into deep laughter, Gaz shamefully covering his eyes with his free hand as he imagined the Captain working around her stomach.

“Bloody hell, poor thing.” When they finally composed themselves, Kyle took a deep breath and wiped a stray tear from his eye. He sighed and placed his now empty mug on the ground, his hands now hanging onto the lip of his tactical vest. The Brit observed the training session, occasionally glancing over at Ghost to gauge his mood. Maybe he should mind his business, but Gaz also wanted to be a good friend to the Rileys. In the end, he decided to take the plunge. “I see it, y’know,” he said, choosing a careful tone.

Simon turned his head fully to shoot him a probing look, urging him to continue.

Gaz sighed to himself. In too deep, now. “Just something I’ve noticed. Seems like she’s done this before, s’all.”

Damn Kyle Garrick and his perceptiveness. How long had the Sergeant been sitting on that thought, watching and observing her mannerisms? Simon stood staring blankly at his companion, unblinking for too long. His heart clenched painfully, twisting and beating violently against his ribs. When his eyes did finally come back into focus, he covered his face again. “As you were, Sergeant,” he commanded, his tone stern and unyielding. Neither of them noticed the Scot break away from the recruits, reading a text from his phone.

“I don’t mean to pry, sir–”

“Lt?” Soap held the device up, brows knotted together. He didn’t make much of an effort to hide his emotions and was concerned. “Price needs ya, sir. Said he’s pretty sure yer wife’s been in labor for the last hour.”

The trio quickly appeared in her office, where she sat behind her desk, beads of sweat on her forehead as she typed away at her computer. John shrugged helplessly and then scratched at the stubble under his chin. About an hour into their daily morning meeting, where he brought her peppermint tea while they worked over files and potential recruits. They were mid-discussing her scheduled c-section when he noticed her breaths sporadically shake, or the muscles in her arms tightening for seemingly no reason. Price asked her if she was okay and was brushed off every time he prodded at her; when he finally had enough, he decided to call for reinforcements.

Freyja glared at the men, mainly aiming it at Price. “Traitor,” she growled, continuing to work through another contraction.

Simon tossed the keys to their car to Price, who swiftly snagged them out of the air and slipped behind them. In the meantime, he tucked his mask into the back pocket of his jeans, his slightly overgrown blonde hair and the top of his head sticking up. He sat on the edge of the desk, looking down at her as she attempted to ignore his presence. His foot slipped a little on the floor, and he found a small puddle trickling across the floor from the space under her chair. “Anything you want to tell me?” he asked, impossibly soft and gentle for a usually deep, gruff military man.

“No.” She was an accomplished sniper and a skilled linguist and had been deployed on hundreds of special missions, interrogations, and rescues during her military tenure. She, however, wasn’t very convincing when it came to lying to her husband, especially when another sharp pain rippled through her body, forcing her to flinch.

“Wanna try that again?”

Her eyes watered uncontrollably, her lip trembling as she tried to keep herself together. The notion didn’t last long, and her head shook from side to side.

“How long?”

“Long enough.”

“Hm.” Simon turned her chair with his shin until she faced him. As he suspected, dark wetness was creeping up the fabric of her jeans. “We should get going then, yeah?” He tilted his head to the side, watching as she grabbed his hand in a fierce grip.

“Simon–” The woman choked on her tears, panic starting to claw its way up her stomach and wrenching her tight throat. “The OB’s out of the country,” she whimpered, barely a whisper.

“I know. Seems that she’s taken after her old man, like y’said,” he offered in an attempt to give her some comedic relief in her state. Simon could see the panic attack set in, and while he knew he couldn’t stop it, he could at least lessen its effects some.

“I was kidding.”

He smiled softly at her and squeezed her palm, drawing soothing circles with his thumb. “Don’t think she’s quite old enough for sarcasm, there, sweetheart.” He got down to his knees in front of her, sitting back on his heels, just under eye level now instead of towering over her. A familiar position for them as of late. “Looks like we’re doin’ this the old-fashioned way.”

She started crying hysterically now, nearly crushing his hand and cradling her belly. “Simon…I–”

“I know.”

It was as if their audience had completely disappeared, leaving just the two of them for what should be a private moment. But Soap and Gaz were still pressed to the wall by the door. In the months they had become close friends with Simon’s wife, she was almost always composed, her moments of hormonal rage the only outlier they witnessed. They’d never seen her such a panicked, blubbering mess, but Gaz had an idea he knew what it was about, even without specifics. For that reason, he chose to keep his distance and advised Soap to do the same with a tap to the shoulder.

“This–This isn’t the plan. I wanted…they’re supposed to take her out. I don’t want to push again.”

“I know,” he repeated. “I’m sorry, love, but you’ll have to.”

“Can’t we just–” A gasp cut her off, her features pinching together in pain while she rode out yet another contraction.

“No. We can’t.”

“I can’t do this again, Simon! I can’t!” Her chest heaved and she sobbed, struggling to catch her breath. Panic attacks had become more frequent during her pregnancy. There had been about five or six instances where an odd feeling or uncomfortable pain had anxiety washing over her, sending her into a spiral until they could get to an emergency room or OB, snapping at them to ‘just fucking check, for fuck’s sake’. This was definitely one of the worst. All of her meticulous planning, down to every nitty-gritty detail to ensure she didn’t have an episode went right out the window because a certain impatient Riley was eager to make her exit and simultaneous entrance to the world.

The world was collapsing around her, dark and suffocating. The cold pit dragged her back to what seemed like another life, where she lay curled up in a hospital bed, sick and hot and in the worst agony she would ever experience. Her bones burned and ached, struggling to sit still yet unable to move at the same time. Price’s phantom touch ghosted up and down her bare back in that place, brushed her sticky hair off her forehead, pressed a cold towel to her neck as violent sobs and forced, unnatural contractions tore through her—

She blinked when different, gloved hands slipped under her hair, the warmth of her skin bleeding through the material as he cradled her face. Her fingers slipped down to dig into his tattooed wrist. “You can, and you will. Take a breath,” he took a deep breath, guiding her through the exercise. He held the air in his chest before letting it out in a slow exhale, which she mimicked. Ghost summoned Gaz over and rose, pulling her up with him. “Good girl. Can you walk?”

When she nodded, Kyle slipped into the space beside her, offering his forearm for support. She knew Simon could have handled her himself, but it warmed her heart to see him leaning on their friends. John had been a great support system when Simon deployed on his own, but having so many hands to hold made her feel loved and understood.

“A’right then, let’s have a baby, yeah?”

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Copyright © 2023 as-is-above-so-below. All rights reserved.

[jerzwriter]

Reckoning

Book: Open Heart (Book 2 Timeline) Characters: Tobias Carrick & Casey, Aurora Emery Rating: Teen Words: 2,000 Series Summary: Found here Chapter Summary: A few months after the chemical attack, a friend at Mass Kenmore gives Tobias a good-natured ribbing, and then Aurora offers him some advice. A/N: I'm getting there, y'all! I'm close to sharing exactly how these crazy kids finally get together! It's only been three years in the making! lol I'm not sure how much interest there is in this anymore, but I can tell you this, I'm elated that I'm finally getting it done! 😊

The timing of this story is just after Christmas Through Your Eyes: Part One - A Proposition (I'll be working on their masterlist to make it more understandable this weekend. 😊)

With Warning Masterlist Tobias x Casey Masterlist || My Full Masterlist

Inside, it was a typical morning at Mass Kenmore, but the thunderstorm raging just outside the window made the stark white walls and fluorescent lighting feel more like a refuge. The familiar sounds of staff chatting and announcements over the PA were almost soothing, and Tobias couldn't have felt more at home behind his desk. Aurora sat before him, and while she was a relative newcomer to Kenmore, she, too, was at ease as the two doctors met to review morning rounds. They were discussing their final case when a knock interrupted them.

"Come in," Tobias yelled, and in bopped Amanda, a nursing supervisor whose tenure equaled Dr. Carricks. Her bouncing chestnut brown curls and glossy-lipped smile elevated the room's mood even before she held up two cups of Tradesman coffee.

"Hey, there!" she beamed. "I haven't seen you in forever, so I thought I'd bring you some..."

She stopped short when Aurora looked up from her seat, politely nodding before turning back to her laptop.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realize you were having a meeting. I'll just leave this for you." She placed the coffee on Tobias's desk. "We'll catch up another time."

"Tradesman," Tobias grinned. "Now that's my coffee. Why don't you wait, Mandy? We're wrapping up. I should be free in fifteen minutes."

"In fifteen minutes, I'll be starting my rounds with two interns in tow. Maybe after work? Will you be at the Puddingstone tonight?”  

The week had been busy, and one day melded into another. Peeking at his calendar, Tobias confirmed it was Wednesday - Casey's therapy night. He always drove her there, and on weeks when fate smiled on him, he’d share dinner with her, too.

"No can do," he frowned. "Tomorrow?"

"I’m off Thursdays. Maybe sometime this weekend?”

But he and Casey had plans. “Maybe Sunday night if I’m not exhausted.”

“Dear God, Carrick,” Amanda laughed. “When did you become such a hot commodity!”

Aurora tried to stifle a giggle but still caught Tobias’s attention.

“Yes,” he droned. “Are there comments from the peanut gallery?”

Aurora shrugged indifferently, her expression unreadable. “It’s just that rumor around here is that you were always a hot commodity.”

“Very funny,” he grumbled as Amanda broke into laughter.

“He was!” She jumped in. “Which is why I don’t understand why it’s suddenly so hard to see him.”

“I’ve just had a lot going on,” he replied nervously. “But things should settle down soon, and then I’m sure that....”

Ignoring Tobias, Amanda peered at Aurora. “Word on the street is he has a girlfriend! Can you believe that?”

“Amanda!” He barked. “Stop. That’s not true.”

“Well, how would I know?” she teased. “I never see you anymore, so it’s not like I’m privy to what’s going on in your life.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he mumbled. “It’s just...”

“You don’t have to explain,” the nurse interrupted. I don’t care —no one does. We’re all just glad that the grumpy period you had a few months back is over. It was so uncharacteristic! I’m happy to see you smiling again. I’d like to see that smile over drinks at the Puddingstone on occasion, but I digress.”

Tobias turned to an amused Aurora. “Go back to Edenbrook, Emery. It seems working here comes with a side of abuse.”

“Abuse?” Amanda chortled. “Dear God, Carrick. You don’t know what abuse is.” With a shake of her head, she turned toward the door, looking back over her shoulder before leaving the room.

“Lunch soon?”

“Sure,” Tobias nodded, eager for her to leave.

“Bye, Aurora,” Amanda winked. “Maybe you can get the truth out of him.”

The door shut, and Aurora dutifully returned to work, doing her best to conceal her cryptic smile. But Tobias wasn't letting it go.

 “What?” Tobias grumbled.

She raised her eyes inquisitively but ensured her face gave nothing away. “What... what? I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to. You’re thinking something... what is it?”  

“You really want to know?” she deadpanned.

“I asked.”

She closed her laptop and placed it to her side, crossing her hands atop her lap before she began.

“Before I begin. Is this conversation between Dr. Emery and her boss, Dr. Carrick? Or Aurora and her friend, Tobias?”

“You consider me a friend?” he smirked.

“That might depend on the outcome of this conversation, but for now... yes, I do.”

“Then, sit back and relax,” he grinned. “Because I’m asking you as a friend.”

“All right... what's the deal with you and Casey?”

“Oh, right to the point, I see!”

“Yep,” Aurora nodded. “And I’d appreciate you being just as direct... so? What’s the deal?”

“Deal? There is no deal.”

“Uh-huh,” she responded, picking up her laptop again. “If you’re going to bullshit me, I’m going back to work.”

Aurora had no problem with doing that, but Tobias couldn't get his mind back on work if he tried.

“I mean it. We’re friends—just friends," he continued. I don’t know why this is so difficult for everyone to accept.”

She closed her laptop again, this time with a deliberately smug gaze.

“She’s my friend, too, Tobias. Just my friend... but I don’t have to go around making that declaration. Normally, you don’t... when you're just friends, that is.”

Tobias ran a hand down his weary face and began swiveling in his chair. “It’s just getting old...that’s all.”

“What is?”

“No one believing me.... people threatening me about what will happen if I mess with her... I suppose that’s the next thing you’ll be doing, too.”

“Nope,” Aurora shrugged. The last time I checked, you were both consenting adults. What you choose to do together is not my concern.”

“Really,” he said with a raised brow. “Wow! That’s refreshing. I mean... nothing is going on between us... but, theoretically, if there were... you’d be OK with it.”

“I am OK with it.”

“That’s good to... hey, wait. What do you mean you are OK with it... there’s nothing to be OK with!”

Aurora crossed her arms and judgementally shook her head as she assessed him.

“You’re friends?”

“Yes!”

“Do you enjoy spending time with her?”

“Obviously.”

“Do you find her unattractive?”

“What? No! Casey’s beautiful,” he replied without hesitation, and Aurora rewarded him with a know-it-all grin.

“Do you think I’m stupid, Tobias?”

“Of course not!”

“Then it would do you good to remember that I was there. I was with you the day of the attack, from the moment you learned of it until I found you trembling in the chapel when it was over.”

“That’s not fair,” he countered. “That was an extremely difficult day for all of us. As I recall,  we were all pretty emotional.”

“Mmm-hmm. But I was also with the two of you when you first met. I had to bear witness to that disgusting animal magnetism you shared from its inception. Kind of gross, actually.”

He chuckled softly, but Aurora was shocked by his reaction. Was the Dr. Carrick... embarrassed?

“Nothing wrong with animal magnetism,” he replied. “But that was... it was a long time ago.”

“IT WAS FIVE MONTHS AGO!” she yelled. “Five months!”

“Yeah,” he replied softly. “But an awful lot has happened in that time... it feels much longer, doesn't it?”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I’ll give you that. Look, I’m not here to give you grief, but I have eyes. I see you two together, and from where I stand, you make each other happy. I don’t know why you both get so wound up if someone suggests there’s something there. Would it be so horrible if there was?”

“I hurt her. Badly, and not all that long ago.”

“Ah,” she smiled. “But a lot has happened since you met.”

“She’s not interested in me in that way, Aurora. She made that clear, and I... I respect that. I’m not going to violate her boundaries.”  

“Mmm-hmm. She told me you’re taking her away this weekend. To show her your hometown. Is that how you're not violating boundaries?”

“I... I just want to see DC at Christmas again. I was going to go alone anyway. I just asked Casey to come along... as a friend. It might be good for her to get away. It's not like we're sharing a room or anything! Ask her! I got a suite because she’s still afraid to be alone at night, but we’re not sharing a room! I’ll be there if she needs me, but I’m not....”

Aurora leaned forward and silenced him with a gentle touch to his wrist. “You know, you say far too many words for someone trying so hard to deny the obvious. You may want to work on that if you want others to believe you.”

Tobias’s face softened, and his composure settled. Aurora could see his defenses coming down.  

“This stays here?” He asked pointedly.

Aurora raised three fingers. “Scouts honor. What happens in Carrick’s office stays in Carrick’s office.”

“Casey... she’s incredible,” he sighed. “I knew that from the start, but I still had to go and fuck everything up between us. When she let me back into her life, she made it clear that she only wanted friendship from me. While it may not be easy, I’m honoring that. You should be proud of me... this is growth, Emery.”

“Growth is good,” she smiled. “Honoring boundaries is the right thing, but did it ever occur to you that she may have changed her mind? Did you ever consider she might feel the same way about you?”

 “No,” he shook his head. “No, she doesn’t. And even if she did, she’s not in a place to make that kind of decision right now. So...no.”

“You’re right, she’s not. And I am proud of you for realizing that. But that’s today, Tobias, and she’s getting stronger every day. I can see that. I know you do, too. Can you be patient?”

 “Historically?” He snorted. “No. Not at all. But now...I am trying.”

Aurora looked at her watch. “I hate to leave you, but I’m supposed to be at a consult with Dr. Ferrera in five minutes. But if you want to continue this talk, I can come by as soon as I’m done.”

“Nah,” he waved. “I’m good... but thank you.”

“Anytime,” she said, gathering her things. But Tobias called for her just before she got to the door.

“Aurora. Why don’t you have reservations about me... you know... aren’t you worried about Casey and... my past?”

“I have reservations about everyone,” she grinned. “But I know you’re not as bad as people make you out to be. As to your past, well, we all have one of those, including those who are threatening you. But, if I don’t want to be judged by my past, so I shouldn’t judge you by yours. Besides, Casey’s a big girl. She’s going through some stuff right now, but she still has a good head on her shoulders. If you guys decide to make a go of it, I’m in your corner.”

Tobias let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “I appreciate that. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome... but none of this matters,” she teased. “After all, the two of you are ‘just friends’.”

“Get out of my office,” he joked. “But promise... this stays between us?”

 “I’ll take it to my grave... and not only because I want no part of the drama.”

She stepped out of the door, leaving Tobias alone with his thoughts. He closed his eyes, wondering how it was possible to feel so much lighter yet emotionally depleted at the same time. Did he really just admit he had feelings for Casey... to Aurora... and himself? Did he actually say the words out loud?

He stood up with a deep sigh and made his way to the window, pushing the blinds aside to watch the torrential rains pour down on the streets of Boston below. It was a baptism of sorts, the water washing away all impurities, absolving every sin, and when the sun returned, it would be a fresh start. Perhaps it wasn't too much to ask that he might have one, too.

When he returned to his desk, he mindlessly circled the days of their trip on his calendar. Patience. They'd be visiting his hometown... hers, too... surrounded by the magic of the holiday season... and he’d have to do his best to conceal his feelings. Patience. He had to do this... now if he could just figure out how.

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

[essenceofarda]

How do y'all visualize the passing of time/days/years?

For me, I visualize a day like a clock, and a week like a calendar strip, all in one long line with Sunday at the start, and Saturday at the end. While a week is not circular, by the time i get to Saturday, that day jumps to connect the week with the next week's Sunday, kinda like a portal loop (?)

For a month, I (kinda boringly lol) picture a mental image of the calendar month, but it's decorated with seasonal imagery of either the holidays or typical weather/motifs I associate with that month, but all the months together make up a large loop/circle, which brings me to:

For the year, I visualize the passing of time in a circle again, like a clock (since the seasons repeat). Winter is at where the "12" is on a clock, Spring is where the "9" is, Summer is Obviously the "6", and Fall is the "3"--So i guess my time clock goes counterclockwise lol (?). On this mind map of yearly time, each day is like board game tiles, because I can visualize the passing of time, (similarly to the monthly visual imagery) via the motifs, weather and holiday symbols etc that make up each tile of that period of time. in the middle of the Grand Loop of the Year is something that looks like if you took the inner workings of a clock, but it was made of organic, living materials. It's alive, breathing, beating, and growing.

My position in the yearly circle never changes... I'm always on the bottom-leftish area, but the loop shifts and circulates continuously, showing the passing of time...

Anyway, It occurred to me today that not everyone might visualize the passing of time the same way as me 🤔😅🤔😶

so I'm curious: How do You visualize the passing of time in your head?

[stargatevp]

I posted 474 times in 2022

71 posts created (15%)

403 posts reblogged (85%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@stargatelov3r

@stargatevp

@aurelia-which-means-sunrise

@dorothyoz39

@carsonsweebabyturtles

I tagged 117 of my posts in 2022

#sgvp - 60 posts

#stargate - 58 posts

#sg1 - 48 posts

#promo gallery - 48 posts

#stargate: sg1 - 44 posts

#sgvp promo - 41 posts

#sga - 31 posts

#mod dorothy - 26 posts

#dorothyoz39 - 25 posts

#stargate: atlantis - 24 posts

Longest Tag: 120 characters

#note: this isn't exactly funny as the expedition; esp. sheppard do commit actions that would be considered war crimes...

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Thurs 20th of January SG-1 sga

The Serpent’s Venom   Host: to be determined

Sun 23rd of January SGA 5x03 Broken Ties. Host: @dorothyoz39 (backup @1989nihil )

Time: 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / 9pm CEST

Links: Episode List | Watch HERE | Subscribe to Calendar

DM a MOD ( @arrowsbane @1989nihil @dorothyoz39 @angelblaze) for the password.

33 notes - Posted January 16, 2022

#4

Thursday 17th of November Stargate Atlantis 1x02 The Rising Pt. II Host:

Sun. 20th of November Stargate Universe 1x02 Air Pt. II. Host:  @dorothyoz39

Time:  3pm EST / 8pm GMT / 9pm CET

Your Local Time Thursday

Your Local Time Sunday

Links: Episode List | Watch HERE

DM a MOD: (@arrowsbane @1989nihil @dorothyoz39 @angelblaze) for the password.

33 notes - Posted November 15, 2022

#3

Thurs 27th of January SG-1 4x15 Chain Reaction   Host: to be determined

Sun 30th of January SGA 5x04 Daedalus Variations. Host: @dorothyoz39 (backup @1989nihil )

Time: 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / 9pm CEST

Links: Episode List | Watch HERE | Subscribe to Calendar

DM a MOD ( @arrowsbane @1989nihil @dorothyoz39 @angelblaze) for the password.

35 notes - Posted January 23, 2022

#2

Thurs 7th of April SG-1 5x03 Ascension   Host: to be determined

Sun 10th of April SGA 5x14 The Prodigal. Host: @dorothyoz39 (backup @1989nihil )

Time:  3pm EST / 8pm GMT / 9pm CEST

Local Time Thursday | Local Time Sunday

Links: Episode List | Watch HERE

DM a MOD: (@arrowsbane @1989nihil @dorothyoz39 @angelblaze) for the password.

38 notes - Posted April 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Halloween 2022 Election Fight

Comtraya and Tek'ma'tek, y'all! I know we said that, come September, we would restart the twice a week showing, and bring back SGA and SGU. However, since our anniversary is coming up again, we decided to implement those changes after that.

Regarding the Anniversary viewing on Sunday 30st of October: Last year we announced that for our Anniversary viewing on Halloween, we will be starting to show two spoopy episode, with one being SGA's Whispers as per tradition, and the other episode being another spooky SGA, SG1 or SGU episode. Please reply to this post with the number of the episode in the list. The one with the most votes wins and will be shown on our Anniversary Viewing this year together with Whispers.

Here's the list of spooky episodes to choose from: (SG-1 4x20 Entity was excluded since we watched it last year; SG-1 S05E08 The Tomb as well as S09E17 The Scourge removed in case people can’t deal with creepy critters)

1. Atlantis Season 4 Episode 4: Doppelganger During an off-world mission Colonel Sheppard unknowingly becomes host to an alien entity, which infects others in Atlantis and afflicts them with terrifying nightmares. (Clowns in boats)

2. SG-1 Season 3 Episode 4: Legacy When Daniel goes insane, SG-1 must deal with the legacy of Machello's anti-Goa'uld technology. (mental health care)

3. Atlantis Season 2 Episode 7: Instinct The team discovers a young Wraith girl who has been raised by a human, and is in hiding from the people of her human village in fear of her life. (Can a scorpion change its spots?)

4. Atlantis Season 3 Episode 9: Phantoms Sheppard and Ronon are influenced by a mind-altering device created by the Wraith while on a mission to rescue a lost team. (Trust no one)

5. Universe Season 1 Episode 17: Pain Dr. Tamara Johansen tries to track down what is causing the crew to hallucinate. (pain)

6. SG-1 Season 9 Episode 3: Origin Daniel comes face to face with the Ori, a fiery race of beings who demand the worship of mortals. Elsewhere, Stargate Command encounters the first Ori missionary in our galaxy. (Religion)

7. SG-1 Season 4 Episode 1: Small Victories O'Neill and Teal'c risk their lives to keep the Replicator bugs from gaining a foothold on Earth, while Carter helps the Asgard fend off a Replicator invasion. (Robospooders)

to recap: just put the number of the episode you want to see together with Whispers in the replies

Voting possible until October 27th!

49 notes - Posted October 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[redwineconversation]

Perle Morroni Olympique & Lyonnais Interview (January 21, 2023)

Blah blah standard disclaimers apply; @OL Comms all I want in life is a Starbucks medicine ball because COVID is not fun; Paul Wheeler was right about y'all and your actions only confirm it; you might hate social media but Perle Morroni hates it more; y'all know the speech.

Perle Morroni is criminally underrated and yes, I will die on this hill. If Lyon isn't able to convince her to extend then it will be criminal malpractice on behalf of Kang, Ponsot, Bompastor, and everyone else with signing authority.

But the Perle Morroni case also presents an interesting saga: for the most part, you have to be a top player to be recruited by Lyon. But there can only be 11 players on the field, which means you might not always start. So do you go to a team where you might not be a starter but they're capable of winning trophies, or do you stay at a club who isn't a title pretender but you get guaranteed playing time? What is worth more, winning, or a comfort zone?

Anyway, enough with the philosophical discussions.

Lyon - Perle Morroni: "The French National Team remains an objective for me"

Having found a certain amount of playing time again and performing better with Lyon, Perle Morroni still hasn't been called back up to the French National Team. The left back isn't obsessing over it, believing that her performances speak for themselves whilst talks regarding her extension have been taking place in Lyon.

Olympique & Lyonnais: One week later, Lyon is playing once more against Montpellier this Sunday (9:00 p.m.) in D1 Arkema in a packed calendar. Was this start in January not too difficult?

Perle Morroni: No, it's the opposite, it does us good. We started off with two wins (Paris FC in the league and Montpellier in the Coupe de France) so on the contrary, we were eager to start back up again.

Sunday, you will be returning to Montpellier, where you were born. Does it ever feel special playing against Montpellier?

It was more in the beginning where it was special because I was playing with PSG and I would meet them in the youth games. Now, it's been years, it's become normal, we often play against them so it's become the norm. They remain a solid team and are difficult to play against.

There was a preseason camp in Spain in early January. Was it important to start off this obviously important second half of the season?

Starting up against after a few vacation days, it's always a bit difficult, but we are with our friends again. We had fun in Spain, whether it was with the players or the staff. There is a really atmosphere in the group, it's been like that for a while, but this year, it's even more so.

Delphine Cascarino has been back with the group for a few weeks now. You two are close so this return must be exciting for you?

It's nice to see her on the field, touch wood, but I see she is feeling good, she is doing well physically and in her head there is only positive mentality. To have Delphine available, that only strengthens a team.

"I want to develop more as a left back"

On a personal note, you've played 17 games since the start of the season. A positive?

Obviously, it's nice to be playing more. When you're a competitor, you want to play as many games as possible, to win as much as possible. I've always given the maximum, I'm in a big club, but for sure on a personal note, I'm happy with this first half of the season, to be playing more so I can continue to progress.

For a while now we feel you are playing more freely, more confident in taking risks compared to last season...

It's when you play that you feel the best. The more you play, the better you feel on the pitch. You have good sensations, you're more "free" in your head. Lately, I've been playing consecutive games so I feel better and that allows me to get closer to goal the past few times. The players keep telling me I need to score so I'm shooting with more confidence, it might come eventually. It'll be nice to make a difference like that even if my role before anything else is to defend well. At this position, you have to be a complete player.

Defensively, it's rather encouraging to have only conceded five goals before traveling to Montpellier, no?

As defenders, it's one of the objectives we fixed for ourselves at the start of the season, trying and concede the least amount of goals possible. Beyond that, it's teamwork before anything else, even the forwards are involved. We can still improve because there were goals we could have avoided [conceding], but we're working with the staff to iron out the details.

You've been at Lyon for three years. How do you feel about it?

I arrived, I was 23, I'm 26 now, so I've grown as a woman and player. I only have positives in this adventure even if there were complicated moments. I feel better and better, I know myself better and better. It's been a good progression since I have been at Lyon and this season only confirms it.

"It's what happens on the field that should count, not social media"

Your path has still had a lot of ups and downs. How do you feel with it?

It's part of football. When I came to Lyon, I knew there would be ups and downs because it's a big club, but I am well surrounded by my family who really support me. It's part of your career as an athlete to have highs and lows, what's important is to get back up. When that happens, you become a force of nature.

This inconsistent playing time cost you a place with the National Team. Missing the Euros and the World Cup must have been difficult?

I handled it pretty well. After, it's true that I still had playing time last season, so I don't know if the head coach took those into consideration. It's obviously hard not to be selected, but I think I am in the best club in the world so I'm not worried about that. I'm pretty positive and I know it will come one day or another.

With your performances improving, are you paying more attention to the lists since the start of the season?

When you play at Lyon, you expect to be part of the lists when you see all the players surrounding you and they are getting selected. So you expect to experience the same thing. I look at the lists, but it will only happen by giving everything on the field, on giving your everything and winning the maximum amount of titles, be it with or without the French National Team.

Is the French National Team still an object?

When you are at the top level, you absolutely want to play with your National Team and that is the case for me. But beyond that, there are choices. I haven't really talked with Herve Renard but also, he has a lot of things going on.

"Lyon want me to extend"

The fact you are pretty reserved and less active on social media, could that play against you?

Maybe, but for me, it's performances on the field that should matter. Our talent should be there. But it's true where we're certainly in a generation where we are expected to be open with the media, or on social media. I'm not like that. I should probably improve on that for interviews, to be less reserved, but for the moment, I'm happy like this. The pitch is what matters.

Sonia Bompastor insists a lot on the psychological aspect. We get the impression she is often behind you, supporting you...

If she is supporting me, it means that she is counting on me, that she has confidence in me and she wants that I give my best when she sees I can do better, so I take it as a positive if that's what people think from the outside.

Beyond the French National Team, your future is undermined with a contract about to end. What will happen in June?

I'm focused on what is coming up in the second half of the season with all the matchups which are going to happen. But there are discussions with the club so it is nice that a big club like this one wants me to extend. I leave this to those in charge in and I concentrate on what is happening on the field. We'll see little by little what is going to happen in the future.

Would being a starter in another club to improve your chances of being selected something that you have to take into consideration?

My decision won't necessarily be based on the French National Team. There are a lot of elements to take into consideration, with my personal life, what is best for me, etc. I've been in France for a few years, but I am playing with a really big club with Lyon. There are a lot of things so that's why I don't like to think about it too much and when the moment comes, everyone will know my decision.

[lixiefixs]

Stage Fright - Yang Jeongin

Pairing : Jeongin x reader

Word count : 1k

Genre : Loads of Fluff

Warnings : None

Description : Jeongin wants Y/N at his play , although she forgets and tries to make it there on time, a confession comes out.

"Your gonna come right?" Jeongin followed you down the hallway pestering you to come to his play which was showcasing this weekend. "Yes Innie I'll come as soon as I'm fine at the cafe" you said rolling your eyes after telling him the 5th time this week.

You opened your locker to get your books for the next class , "Can't you just take a day off?" He said leaning against a locker. "I could but I don't what to" you said with a smug look on your face. "Y/N come on!!!" He said whining.

"Fine fine I'll come just head to class now." , "Promise right?" He said holding out his pinky finger. You chuckled "What are we 8?" , "Promise me!!" He practically yelled , "Fine! I promise I will be there".

With that he smiled and ran across the hallway hoping to get to class on time.

You and Jeongin have been friends since y'all were 6 , and you knew how much these things meant to him , he loved being on stage and being in the spotlight and you had to admit he was amazing at acting. You've been to all his shows so far and never missed one but you were afraid that you wouldn't be able to make it for this one since money was tight and you needed it for expenses around the house. Since your dad left you and your family , taking care of your younger brother has been your top priority. So you were working as a barista at the local cafe to earn some extra cash along the house.

But like always time flies and Sunday came in the blink of an eye. Jeongin's play started at 6 and it was already 7 and you were still in the cafe. Juggling the mugs in your hand , you brought them to the counter ready to prepare some coffees for the people waiting in line.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Said your coworker Seungmin as he was getting ready to start his shift. "No.....?" You said looking at him with a confused expression as you waited for the cup to fill up. Then realisation hit you. "JEONGIN'S PLAY!" You said smacking your forehead and hurriedly attending to the coffe about to spill. "Yeah you were supposed to be there an hour ago" he said taking his place at the cashier.

"How do you know?" You asked him. "You wrote it on our calendar" he deadpanned and you looked at the calendar and it was circled in Red written 'Innie's play 6 o'clock' , "How did I forget about that?" You said as you buried your face in your hands. "When does he arrive on stage?" Seungmin asked you , "7:15..." You said with a sigh , "You could still make it if you run!" He said and looked at you with a face you couldn't quite figure out.

"Okay , Thanks Min!" You said , and grabbed your coat and dashed out the cafe and ran across the street , curse you for taking a job so far away from campus.

On the other hand , Jeongin peeked out the curtains and searched for you in the crowd but you weren't in sight. "Jeongin your up in five" said one of his castmates as she went to change her costume.

With a deep breath Jeongin walked on stage , the spotlight shining on him , he looked around in the crowd and he really couldn't find you , he could feel the sweat forming on his skin , 'Where were you? Couldn't you make time of him? Were you gonna be late? Were you really not gonna be there?' all these thoughts ran through his head, he took deep breaths , the lights blinding him. "What is he doing?!" He could hear the whisper yells of his teacher , "He could hear the faint laughs of the students in the audience.

Right then he saw the back door of the auditorium open and you rushed in panting, you smiled and waved out to him and Jeongin felt relief rush over him , "YOU GOT THIS INNIE" you yelled from the crowd , he smiled and took a deep breath and said his lines.

You were so proud of him , he was spectacular on stage , at the end of the play you cheered for him loud and clear and his smile shining brightly.

You went to greet him backstage , "Innie you were grea-" you got cut off with a tight hug. Jeongin wrapped his arms around you tightly and said , "I thought you wouldn't come" he said leaving you from the hug , "Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for the world" you said and you could swear you saw his cheeks turn a beautiful shade of pink. "Were you waiting for me though on stage?" You ask in a teasing tone. "Honestly... Yes, I was" , it was your turn to turn red.

"Y/N I.. I have something I need to tell you..." He said and your saw that his face was flushed now , his ears turning a bright shade of red. "I l-like you , as in more than a friend , I've liked you for a long time now actually , I just couldn't bring myself to say it.... You dint have to say it back if you don't feel the same way...." He said his eyes on his feet , his fingers fiddling with themselves. "I like you too" you said and he looked at you with shock written all over his face. "What? You think I would show up to everyone's play just because they are my friends? Hell no I got better things to do" you said laughing , he chuckled and pulled you close , your breath hitched and you closed you eyes and you felt his soft warm lips on yours. The kiss was short and sweet , but it felt like it lasted forever.

"Why don't we go celebrate!?" You said dragging him out the place , "Already planning our first date huh? Nice" he said with a smug smile on his face , you chuckled and interlocked your hands with his , "I don't mind it being our first date"

[kindcolors]

HELLO under the cut is a thing I wrote of a preverbial Red Mesa radio ep, i had a lot of fun writing it so i hope y'all enjoy :]

CONRAD: If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it’s adapting. Welcome to Red Mesa.

Folks, I’d like to start by talking about that football game we played against the Stone Meadow Dove Mourners last week. In a 3 to 17 victory, the Red Mesa Carpenter Ants took themselves a pretty trophy! This makes their second win of the season; with a streak like this, we’ll see them headin’ off to the finals once again to fight for that championship title.

When asked about the team’s win, coach Fatima Hassan had this to say: “I can see every equation. It’s all showing, living, pulsing through my veins. We have to win. We have to.” After speaking with reporters, Hassan rose from her chair, walked to the window in her office, opened the window up, screamed, then sat back down. Well, Fatima, we’re rootin’ for you and all the Carpenter Ants playing in the season!

I think we oughta get into the news.

The Haunted Puppet Theater would like to deny reports that one of their puppets has escaped containment, and has been terrorizing citizens.

“All of our puppets are really cool,” said the theater’s director, George Tristan. “So, if one of our puppets did get out, it would be really chill, not attack people. Especially if the ghost inside the puppet was, theoretically, the ghost of a vigilante who was hung following a false arrest. That ghost would be really. Chill.” Tristan put a very heavy inflection on the word ‘chill.’

In unrelated news, the Red Mesa Court House was set on fire last night. Of course, it was very quickly handled, but the cells did see a great deal of damage. The verdict is still out on who started it, and there are currently no leads.

Citizens of Red Mesa, the bell has tolled, marking the beginning of the most harrowing time of the year: it’s Girl Scout cookies season. Through Red Mesa, they will create their strongholds in front of the doors of the buildings we use most. We will have no choice. We will buy cookies. We must buy cookies. I fear what will happen if we don’t give our patronage to that sisterhood of sash-clad warriors. All proceeds go to buyin’ the Girl Scouts better tents for their reconnaissance missions, so stop and buy a box from ‘em!

A new woman came into town today. Who is she? What does she want from us? Why her perfect and beautiful eyes? Why her perfect and beautiful blazer? She says she is a ufologist. Well…we ain’t we all been ufologists at one point or another in our lives? But why now? Why here? And just what does she plan to do with all them files and whiteboards in that office she’s renting – the one above Richard’s Sub Shop?

Someone’s always down at Richard’s. Someone.

Next, let’s look into that community calendar! On Monday, the Intergalactic Bank of Red Mesa is hostin’ a barbeque, which is open to Red Mesa residents and beyond. If you’re itchin’ for some BBQ, go on down. Tuesday, Eagle Eye Records is havin’ a flash sale. You just walk in, and the owner Mason Yang will randomly assign you a CD. You have no say. Wednesday ain’t real. Why would a day be named Wednesday? I think you just made that up. Thursday is the Red Mesa Elementary soup drive. Load up any cans that didn’t fit in your doomsday bunker and hand ‘em over to fill up the elementary school’s! Friday. Friday. Saturday is our weekly required town meeting. Meet on down in City Hall. Ugh, watch out, though, I heard Marvin Campbell was bringin’ donuts. Ugh, Marvin. Sunday is the Parade. What Parade? Those invited know, so don’t you worry too much about it.

And now, let’s get to that traffic. Above us right now, there is a craft. It is round, cast in a blueish metal unknown to anyone on earth. Within that craft are three beings. Martians? No. Plutonians? No, of course not. They hail from the Dogtooth galaxy, from a planet they’ve left years ago. Now, they settle on Earth, but are reluctant to call it home just yet. There is a pair of mothers and a son. The boy shuffles in his seat; he refuses to buckle his seat belt. Both mothers waiver in an attempt to talk to him, both worried about making a first move that will solidify them as the ‘bad cop’. Finally, the driver twists in her seat and points one of her three fingers at the boy.

‘Xeon,’ she says, in a language I can only translate back to you, as the original tongue would be garbled over our sound waves, ‘Buckle up, now.’ With a huff, their son does as told, and he is secured in with a click. The mothers look to one another. They are thankful and surprised that this went so smoothly.

This has been traffic.

That new ufologist, we now know is named ‘Claudette’. Saw her out on the town last night, in the Sunset to Noon Saloon. I was out at the bar, nursin’ a drink whose name I already forgot, as is customary in the saloon. She was at a table with her team, with five glasses surroundin’ her. With a shaky step, she lifted herself onto the table and threw a toast out to the crowd of people in the saloon. She said we was the most ‘ufo-logically’ interestin’ community in the whole U.S., then backtracked on account of her doubting ‘ufo-logically’ was a real word. In the end, she settled on tellin’ us ‘Aliens are really neat, and there are a lot here. I love it here.’ She drank her shot and smiled, and boy, it was perfect. I fell in love instantly.

The Red Mesa Soup Kitchen would like to remind y’all that it is accepting any volunteers who wish to come on over and help feed refugees of the Blood Space War. No knowledge of how to cook is required, only a big heart and a resistance to acid. If that sounds like you, the Soup Kitchen is open from 7 am to 7 pm on weekdays, and from 7 am to 9 pm on weekends.

Now, everybody, I’d like to implement a new kinda segment into the show. She’s still in her early stages, so let’s see about the first few editions and let her grow from there: It’s the Red Mesa Young Author’s Corner! We got a whole lotta bright kids here in ‘Mesa, and I thought it was time to finally give them a little spotlight. I’ll read off three snippets of writing sent in by Red Mesa Elementry Students. First, we have a piece by Melody Fisher, Age 5.

“Before anything, there was space. Before that, who knows. Space spans out so wide, who’s to say that it isn’t all that ever was? Space, it’s so terrifying, it’s swallowing me whole, this is all I will be. This is all I will be, and that is horrifying. How scary it is to be so young, and know so much already. Someone free me from this curse.” Well done, Miss Fisher! You’ve got a real talent here!

Next, is Newt Oswald, Age 4.

“I saw a bunny. He went hop. He said so little, I said a lot. I saw a bunny. He went hop.” Mr. Oswald, you got a real eye for poetry! Keep it up, kiddo.

And last but certainly not least, we got in a piece by Harrison Ripley, age 10! He’s my nephew, and not to spoil, but I’ve read some of his stuff, and it really is a treat! Let’s read:

“When the man sat down, he realized he left his hat in the car. All that walking, and for what? To abandon the most integral part of his ensemble in the passenger’s seat? He could never go back for it now, not with the rain beating against the awning’s roof. He’d have to make do with his outfit as is, but would Cynthia even hold her interest in him, knowing how forgetful he’d grown? Three dates of jokes about the infamous hat, and the night he promised to finally show it in person, it gets left in the car. What a fool he was. What a waste of a man.”

Oh, Harrison, you did so well! All of you kids did! This has been the Young Author’s Corner.

Now, while it’s on my mind, why don’t we take a look at The Weather?

A strange man has been spotted ‘round town. He is described as 7’4, and he wears a pure black suit and a pair of sunglasses. Now, don’t get him confused with the members of the Red Mesa Police, who all also wear black suits and sunglasses. No, our police are usually draggin’ away people who know a bit too much about what goes on in galaxies beyond here. This man has been spotted following people but saying nothing. He only watches. Be careful out there, Red Mesa.

Everybody, here's your fact of the day: Did you know you got bones? Do you know how many? Well, it’s at least 4. No, 5. Try and count! I promise you got more than 5! This has been the fact of the day.

Oh, before I forget, here’s a word for our sponsor: A lover’s kiss is a unique, certain kind of comfort. For people with no interest in romance, this same feeling comes from the comfort of friends, or pets, but it is the feeling of love all the same. A tender smile, the first meow of a kitten. Everything good about the world is held in the hope we find in others. Love is found through the ones you kiss at the end of a long day. Dr. Pepper, whether you find that feeling in the brush of lips against your forehead, or the bristle of fur against your cheek as you turn in for the night. It tastes like a kiss, except not.

Now, it’s time for another round of Q&A with Conrad! This is the time to send in questions to me or the station, and I’ll answer one of y’alls questions once a week here, live, on the radio! Here’s a question: Hey Conrad, you know the cave beside the CVS? What’s in there? For the last week or so, I’ve felt compelled to enter it by a low voice only I can hear. What’s up with that? Well, very interesting question! The only answer I got is: how did you know that. This is the fourth letter I’ve received today about that cave. Why must you find out things that need to stay unsolved? Why can’t you leave well enough alone? Stop. Writing. This. Station.

Thank you for your question! We’ll answer another lovely question this time next week!

Claudette came by the studio! Nestled in her arm was a chart, which she kept scribblin’ on with a pen. I couldn’t see what was on it, but I’m sure it was real important. She told me that since the radio tower was so tall, it was a real hotspot for UFO activity. She asked for access, and I led her out to see it. When she saw it, she asked me if it would be alright for her to climb on up. I had to tell her no; the idea of that made me too stressed. Oh, her face fell a bit, I could tell she was disappointed, everybody. It’s so hard to keep people happy while considerin’ their wellbeing, but Claudette didn’t let me stop her excitement. She scribbled down a whole page worth out there and thanked me for letting her observe. I touched her hand, and it was just as warm as I expected it to be. So, So warm.

Well Red Mesa, the red of our sky is dimming, which means that night is drawin’ close. As the show for today comes to an end, I leave you all with the hope that today was kind to you. I hope you were kind to yourself too; unnecessary self-hatred attracts wolves.

Goodnight, Red Mesa, Goodnight.

[theunlabeledbitch]

Stuck Together pt. 9

[NOTE: Long chapter up ahead. Includes link for a song that is essential to the plot.]

---

"I'm sorry baby but this is really important."

Denali frowned as she watched Rosé pack her bag. They were supposed to go on a date the next day but to Denali's dismay, her girlfriend cancelled at the last minute.

Rosé had to meet with some people and will be staying for at least three days to finish some work. The past month had been very hectic for the both of them; they hadn't seen each other a lot due to the conflict in their schedules and for their date to get cancelled was almost heartbreaking for Denali. She had been looking forward to it since the day they marked their calendars for it. 

It wasn't that she didn't understand Rosé. It was just, she couldn't understand why the universe decided to spoil their date with work. 

"I'll be back before you know it." Rosé's voice broke Denali's train of bitter thoughts. She felt a quick peck on her lips before Rosé walked past her. Unsatisfied by the half-hearted kiss she received, she reached out to pull Rosé by the hand, crashing their lips together. Not a moment later, Denali heard the bag hit the floor and felt Rosé arms wrap around her waist. Denali deepened the kiss, before moving down to Rosé's neck to leave a mark. Rosé moaned at the sensation, barely keeping her thoughts intact as Denali pulled away, glaring at her. 

"You better not be meeting anyone else behind my back or else…" the younger threatened. 

"Or else what?" Rosé taunted, raising an eyebrow. Denali stared angrily at her for a while before beginning to pout. 

"Or else I will cry and no one can ever make me stop," she finally said, now fully sulking at Rosé. The latter's lips formed into a smile before placing not one but two delicate pecks on Denali's lips. 

"I would never dare look at anyone else, baby, I promise you that." 

Denali sighed before wiping the frown off her face. "Fine. Just...call me when you can okay?" She looked sadly at Rosé who gave a quick nod. After one final embrace, Rosé picked up her bag and went on her way, leaving Denali to feel all alone.

After taking a shower, Denali grabbed one of Rosé's shirts from the closet and threw it on, basking in the familiar scent of the woman she missed. This wasn't the first time Rosé had to work away for a couple of days but it felt like it was. She climbed onto the bed and curled up in a ball, burying her nose into the sleeves of the shirt until she fell deep into slumber. 

Denali spent the next day drowning herself with work just so she could take her mind off of Rosé's absence and their cancelled date. It was a successful ruse---until she got home. Immediately, the house felt empty, knowing that Rosé wasn't coming back that night. She thought about giving Rosé a call but she decided against it because she thought that the less interruptions she makes, the quicker Rosé would finish her work and come home. Instead, she dialled the number of the person she knew could give her the most comfort she needed. 

"Hi, mom." Denali almost sobbed when she heard her mother reply from the other side of the line. 

"Hey, pumpkin! How are you?" 

Denali flopped down on the couch, sighing deeply. "I'm...not so okay," she said truthfully.

"Why?" Her mom's worried voice sounded. "Did something happen?"

Denali shook her head as if her mother could see her. "No," she replied. "I just...Maybe it's just me but I feel like Rosé and I are going downhill." She heard her mother sigh but say nothing, a sign that the other was waiting for her to continue. "We've been quite busy with work and we were supposed to go on a date today but she cancelled. We've been planning for it since a couple of weeks back but at the last minute she said she had to meet some clients and not just that, she has to leave for three days!" 

Denali was fuming by the time she finished her sentence. She didn't realize this angered her so much until she said all of that. "Whoa, pumpkin, calm down," came the loving voice from the other side of the line. There was a moment of utmost silence before Denali's mother continued. 

"How about, you invite her over for the weekend?" she said. "Maybe it's finally time for you to introduce her to us?" She could sense Denali's hesitation. 

"Look, sweetie, relationships need work. If you want to make this work then you have to try a bit more. You can drive down here on Friday night after your work, and we can have supper together and then breakfast before your dad and I leave for his highschool reunion. We won't be back until Sunday night so you girls have the house to yourselves for at least a whole day. Y'all can do whatever you want. Just don't forget to clean up and change the bedsheets." 

"Mom!" Denali exclaimed, blushing at her mom's final statement. She heard her mother laugh and then, she realized that maybe she was this angry because she was also sexually frustrated. She thought maybe they could do it that night but no, cancelled. "Fine," she finally agreed. "I'll talk to her about it when she returns. If she cancels again, that's it. I'm going to cry."

"Can't break up with her, can you?" her mother teased. 

"No." Denali pouted as she delivered her answer, not even wanting to think about breaking up with Rosé. 

A soft chuckle came from the other side of the line and Denali could almost swear it sounded like Rosé. But she pushed the thought aside, thinking she was hallucinating things because of how much she wanted to see her. 

"Okay, then," her mother said with finality. "Talk to her and then tell me if you girls are going because I need to fill up the fridge."

Denali smiled as she sank back into her couch. 

"Thanks, mom," she said. "I love you." 

"I love you, too, pumpkin," her mother replied, blowing a kiss into the mic before hanging up. 

*

When Rosé arrived the next day, she found Denali whipping up some mac and cheese in the kitchen. She quietly set her bag down on the floor before creeping up behind Denali.

"Boo!" Rosé shouted simultaneously with the stomping of her feet. To her surprise, Denali did not budge. Slowly, the latter turned to her with a little pout. "What's wrong?" Rosé asked worriedly. 

"Nothing, I just miss you."

Rosé sighed upon hearing the reply. She immediately pulled Denali into her embrace, gently squeezing the other's arms as she swayed her. "I miss you too, baby," Rosé replied. She leaned down to bury her face in Denali's hair, filling her senses with the sweet scent. 

"How about we go away this weekend?" Denali suggested, hoping that the other would say yes. Rosé pulled away, looking at her with interest. 

"Where are we going?" Rosé let her arms rest around Denali's waist as the latter put her arms around Rosé's neck. 

"I called my mom yesterday and she wanted to meet you," Denali said truthfully. She laid down the plans, gauging Rosé's reaction. To her dismay, Rosé had this unreadable expression on her face and by the time she finished her vacation pitch, she was nibbling on her lower lip in anticipation. "So?" she nervously asked. 

Rosé broke into a smile. "I'd like that," she said. Denali heaved a sigh of relief, letting her head fall on Rosé's shoulder. “Are you worried I would say no?” Rosé asked and Denali nodded. “Silly, I can’t say no to you even if I tried.”

“But you canceled on me the other day!” Denali protested, whipping her head up to glare at Rosé. The latter laughed, pulling her close again. 

“I know, baby, I’m sorry,” Rosé cooed. “I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

Denali narrowed her eyes at Rosé. “How?” she asked.

“We can skip to dessert,” Rosé suggested with a wink. “Your mac and cheese is burnt anyways.”

Denali’s eyes widened in shock as she remembered that she was cooking. “Shit!” she exclaimed, pulling away from Rosé to get the pan off the stove. She cursed under her breath for getting distracted and wasting the food she was cooking. However, she was secretly rejoicing because she knew she would finally be cursing for a whole different reason later.

*

Denali almost missed a step as she hurried down the steps of the building entrance to meet Rosé who was parked in front. She clocked out early so they could start their drive early as well. Rosé got up surprisingly early that day to shop for some snacks they could eat on their way. It was a 4-hour drive from their place to Denali’s parents’ house but Rosé was treating it like it was some sort of an excursion---not that Denali was complaining. It’s been long since she saw Rosé this excited about something and she loved it. 

So when Rosé handed her a dress she had never seen before, asking her to change into it while they stopped for some gas, Denali heeded. She went into the restroom to change into the new dress while Rosé filled up their gas tank. About fifteen minutes later, Denali came out, taking Rosé’s breath away. Denali had let her hair down; the soft curls that came from her bun were blowing gently against the wind as she made her way down to the car. The dress fit her perfectly; the light blue shade embellished with little floral details brought out the feminine side of Denali that Rosé loved so much. She looked like she came straight out of a movie and Rosé could feel herself falling in love all over again. 

Denali noticed the look Rosé was giving her so she decided to twirl playfully before asking Rosé what she thought of her look. 

“You look perfect,” Rosé said, almost in a whisper, still unable to take her eyes off Denali. 

“Well, your taste in clothing is superior so I guess it’s all thanks to you,” Denali replied with a giggle. It was only then that she noticed that Rosé was in a pair of jeans and blouse that she had never seen before either. The color tones of the outfit Rosé was wearing matched hers. Rosé was wearing a pair of high waisted light blue jeans and a white polo that had a low neckline, pretty much the same as her dress.

“You really bought new clothes for the both of us just to make an impression, huh?” Denali teased as they both got back in the car. Rosé only shrugged, pulling out of the gas station. They continued their drive and it wasn’t long until they arrived.

The house was a cozy bungalow set up right in front of the beach. Denali’s parents decided to sell their old house and move out here after her father’s retirement and so far, both Helena and William Zuckerman were enjoying their life far from the bustling city life where Denali grew up.

“Where are they?” Denali asked when she realized all the lights were out. She immediately got out of the car as soon as Rosé finished parking, trying to reach her mom, but the phone call kept dropping. Denali furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to dial one more time. “This is not a joke…”

Her words trailed off when an array of lights lit up from post to post, creating a pathway towards the beach. 

“...Is it?” Denali finished her sentence, looking both shocked and amused at the feat. She felt Rosé take her hand and lead her through the pathway. As they walked along the sand, Denali noticed a whole bunch of photos clipped on a wire, gently illuminated by the lights above it. They were photos of her; all of which she didn’t know existed. They were shots taken of her doing even the most mundane things in the place she called home with Rosé. She looked at each one of them, recognizing the quality of the photos that surely was a product of Rosé's favorite film camera. 

It was all beginning to make sense to her. What Rosé’s excitement was about. The dress. All of it. 

A few more steps took them right where they should be---at the beach, right in front of their closest friends and loved ones. 

Denali took a look around with tears brimming in her eyes as she saw her friends, Joey, Kahmora and Mik. Utica was there too, standing beside Rosé’s cousin Andrew, and Gammy. And of course, her parents were there, even Aunt Tami was there, looking proudly at her. She turned to yell at Rosé for making all this up but she choked on her words when she realized what the other was doing.

Rosé pulled a velvet box out of her pocket, taking Denali’s hand in hers. 

“Remember when I told you I’ll propose when I find the perfect ring?” Rosé asked with a smile. “Well, I found it, baby, so here goes.”

Denali tried to hold back her tears as Rosé knelt to the ground, opening the velvet box to reveal a beautiful emerald ring. 

“Nali, I love you and I’ve never been more sure of anything other than I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Baby, will you marry me?”

It took a moment for Denali to find her voice and give her answer. With a nod, she said the word Rosé was hoping to hear. 

“Yes!”

Their friends and family all cheered around them as Rosé put the ring on Denali’s finger. Rosé stood up cupping Denali’s cheek to give her a kiss. 

“Thank you,” Rosé whispered as they pulled away, wiping the tears off of Denali’s cheek. 

“Wha--Where did you find this ring? And how did you prepare all this?" Denali asked, out of breath from the euphoric feeling that washed over her. 

“Well, that’s Gammy’s engagement ring,” Rosé said proudly, looking over her grandmother who was in tears. “She gave it to me when I told her about my plans of marrying you. As for all this…”

***

5 days ago.

"You better not be meeting anyone else behind my back or else…" Denali threatened. 

"Or else what?" Rosé taunted, earning another angry look from Denali. 

"Or else I will cry and no one can ever make me stop," Denali finally replied and Rosé had to stop herself from laughing. 

"I would never dare look at anyone else, baby, I promise you that." Rosé said it with conviction. Denali had no clue what was in store for her. 

After one more reminder for Rosé to call her when she can, Denali finally let her go and Rosé was on her way. 

On her way to meet Denali’s parents.

She stole their contact number from Denali’s phone and asked to meet with them. She didn’t plan for it to be on the same day as her planned date with Denali but there was no way she was cancelling on her girlfriend’s parents because she was about to do an important task: ask them for permission to marry their daughter. 

Rosé didn’t really believe in traditions like this but she wanted to do it out of respect for Denali’s parents. She understood that unlike her, Denali had a close relationship with her family and if Rosé wasn’t keeping this a surprise, Denali would probably tell her to ask for her parents blessing before asking her to marry her. 

Rosé was prepared for the worst when she knocked on that door but to her surprise she was greeted with the warmest hug by Denali’s mom, Helena. 

“Oh dear, oh my,” Helena gushed, looking over at Rosé. “You’re even prettier in person than in the photos!” Rosé laughed, thanking her for her compliment. Helena called her husband over, who gave the same warm welcome to Rosé. 

“I’m glad you called and asked to meet us,” William said as they settled in the dining table for some snacks. “Denali seems very happy whenever she calls and tells us about you.”

“By the way, why didn’t you bring her with you?” Helena asked, sitting beside Rosé. 

“Oh, I’m here to ask you something that Denali isn’t supposed to know,” Rosé replied. She pursed her lips as the husband and wife exchanged confused glances. 

“What is it, dear?” Helena asked, looking gently at Rosé. The younger cleared her throat before replying.

“I want you guys to know that Denali was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Rosé began. “She was like this ray of sunshine that just made everything better. And I don’t ever want that to end. I want to spend the rest of my life with your daughter, so I’m here to ask for your blessing to marry Denali.” She looked at both of them hopefully.

After a minute of silence, William finally spoke up. “What if we say no?” he asked, looking seriously at the woman asking for her daughter’s hand. 

Rosé did not back down. She looked at him with the same seriousness. “I will still marry her,” she replied truthfully. “Because honestly, I can’t imagine life without her. Not after living the past year with her. I just can’t.”

The couple exchanged looks before breaking into a proud smile. Helena took Rosé’s hand, patting it gently as she said, “You have our blessing, dear.”

Rosé spent the rest of the night looking through old photo albums and listening to the growing up stories the couple were sharing about Denali. It was past midnight when the couple decided to retire to bed. On the other hand, Rosé was still full of energy from the welcome and blessing she got from Denali’s parents. She took out the velvet box from her bag and opened it. Inside was her grandmother’s engagement ring that was also passed down to her by her grandmother on her wedding day. She came to visit Gammy the other day to tell her about her plans about marrying Denali and to cheer her on, Gammy gave her the ring. 

The next day, after breakfast, Rosé came to accompany William to the fish market to get some fresh catch for lunch. 

“Were you surprised when you found out Denali was dating a woman?” Rosé asked as they walked back to the house. William smiled and shook his head. 

“I’m not sure if Denali remembers but when she was younger, she would always fall into a daze whenever she sees this one girl in her kindergarten class,” he said. “Every night at dinner she would talk about how beautiful that classmate of hers was. When their halloween party came, the girl came dressed as Cinderella. I remember her running up to me and saying, ‘Dada, I wanna marry  Cinderella when I grow up!’ For the life of me, I don’t know why I never told her she can’t marry Cinderella because she’s a girl. I never told her she should marry Prince Charming instead. I guess I just felt happy with how happy Denali beamed the moment she said that.”

William looked over to Rosé and gave her a proud smile. “I’m glad she found her Cinderella.” His eyes were a bit misty from the tears that threatened to fall anytime. “Take good care of her, okay?” he asked, earning a nod from Rosé. 

“I promise,” Rosé replied, raising her hand in pledge. 

“You better keep your promise, young lady,” William said in an overly serious voice. “Or I’m turning you into a mouse by midnight!” Rosé laughed, realizing where Denali got her harmless threats from. 

After lunch, she spent some time with Helena in the garden, watering and weeding the plants. Rosé sighed when she realized how beautiful Denali’s family was. 

“Everything alright?” Helena asked, hearing the younger one sigh for the nth time that day. 

Rosé jolted up, immediately shaking her head. “Nothing, I just…” she sighed again. “I just wish my family was like this, too.”

Helena nodded, slightly understanding Rosé even without hearing the full story. “Well,” she shrugged. “We’re your family now, too.” Rosé looked at her in surprise. “You’re a wonderful person, dear. Denali is blessed to have found you.”

Rosé was filled with nothing but the purest form of bliss. She had not felt this much warmth from people she barely knew in a long time. If anything, she felt like she was the one who was blessed to have found people like Denali and her family.

That night, they were busy laughing at Rosé’s story about her first encounter with Denali when Helena’s phone rang. 

“It’s Nali,” she said with a shocked look. William told her to answer it and put it on speaker and so she did. William and Rosé kept quiet as the conversation began. 

"Hi, mom." Denali’s voice was cracking and it broke Rosé’s heart because she knew what Denali was sulking about. 

"Hey, pumpkin! How are you?" Helena greeted cheerfully in an attempt to lift the mood. Unfortunately, the reply that came was, "I'm...not so okay.”

"Why?" Helena tried to sound as worried as she could. "Did something happen?"

"No," Denali replied. "I just...Maybe it's just me but I feel like Rosé and I are going downhill." Denali stopped for a moment before continuing. “We've been quite busy with work and we were supposed to go on a date today but she cancelled. We've been planning for it since a couple of weeks back but at the last minute she said she had to meet some clients and not just that, she has to leave for three days!" 

Rosé shuddered at the anger in Denali’s voice. The couple flashed her a sorry look, clearly knowing how Denali was like when she was angry.

"Whoa, pumpkin, calm down," Helena tried to soothe her daughter. She flashed a look at Rosé and smiled knowingly before speaking again. "How about, you invite her over for the weekend? Maybe it's finally time for you to introduce her to us?" She looked over at Rosé who seemed mildly intrigued about where the suggestion was going. 

"Look, sweetie, relationships need work,” Helena continued after a moment. Denali’s hesitation was apparent and her mother was having none of that. “If you want to make this work then you have to try a bit more. You can drive down here on Friday night after your work, and we can have supper together and then breakfast before your dad and I leave for his highschool reunion. We won't be back until Sunday night so you girls have the house to yourselves for at least a whole day. Y'all can do whatever you want. Just don't forget to clean up and change the bedsheets." 

Rosé blushed at the same time Denali screamed “Mom!” into the phone. The couple tried their best to keep themselves from laughing at the young ones. 

“Fine," Denali finally agreed. "I'll talk to her about it when she returns. If she cancels again, that's it. I'm going to cry."

"Can't break up with her, can you?" Helena teased, glancing over at Rosé who was grinning.

"No." Rosé chuckled a bit too loudly upon hearing Denali’s answer. She only realized it when Helena signalled her to shush, quickly covering her mouth with her hands.

"Okay, then," Helena quickly said in an attempt to cover up Rosé’s voice. "Talk to her and then tell me if you girls are going because I need to fill up the fridge."

"Thanks, mom, I love you,” Denali replied before they hung up. 

Rosé removed her hands from her mouth and tilted her head in confusion. “So...am I supposed to act like I haven’t met you guys yet when we come over here on Friday?” she asked, looking at Helena. 

“That, or…” Helena trailed off, her eyes glimmering. “You can propose to her on Friday.” William stared at her in shock and Rosé in excitement. “I mean, do you really want to put it off for too long?” Helena reasoned. “You can tell us how you want to do it and we’ll help you with preparations.”

“Really? You would?” Rosé exclaimed. With a final affirmation from her future in-laws, the deal was sealed and the planning began.

***

“Told you she’s a keeper,” Joey nodded after Denali reiterated everything Rosé told her earlier. 

“Yeah, yeah, you’re a brilliant one,” Denali replied, playfully rolling her eyes at Joey before looking over to where Rosé was being fawned over by her mom and Aunt Tami. 

They were gathered on the porch, hanging out with some drinks and stories, and most of all, happy thoughts for the newly engaged couple. As the night grew deeper, their friends left to go back to the hotel where they would be staying. Andrew and Gammy were supposed to drive back but after Denali’s parents insisted they stayed the night, they finally agreed. 

“And what about us?” Denali nudged her mom after Gammy and Andrew settled in the only guest room in the house. Her mother only grinned at her in reply. 

“I believe your wonderful wife-to-be over there has plans for both of you,” Helena replied, pointing towards Rosé who was washing the dishes. Denali gave her mom a suspicious look before walking over to Rosé. 

“Rosie, where are we staying tonight?” Denali asked, resting her chin on Rosé’s shoulder. 

“Are you tired?” the latter asked as she finished up the chore. Rosé turned around to get a good look at Denali who was nodding. “Well then, I guess we should get going then.” Rosé called out a good night to Helena and William before taking Denali back to their car. They drove for a good thirty minutes before they reached their destination. 

It was a villa that Rosé had rented for the weekend, situated at the edge of the town, looking over the calm midnight sea. Denali sighed in awe of the view as they walked towards the house. She chuckled, thinking about how extra Rosé was and how she could have prepared all of this in just five days. 

“What?” Rosé asked, looking over her shoulder to find Denali standing still in her place, just lovingly staring at her.

Denali shook her head with a smile. “Nothing,” she said. “I just can’t believe this is actually real. I feel like I must be dreaming.” Rosé walked back towards her, pulling her in for a soft, and gentle kiss. 

A mix of emotions exploded in Denali’s soul. She couldn’t explain exactly how she was feeling but she was feeling magical. She kept her eyes closed even after they pulled away from the kiss, not wanting the feeling to end. 

“Baby, look at me.” Rosé gently ran her thumb across Denali’s cheeks and the latter’s eyes fluttered open. “I love you.”

She delivered the words with her whole heart and soul and as she looked into Denali’s eyes she knew, she would never tire of saying those words. 

*

Months after the magical proposal, the wedding preparations were almost done; their wedding outfits have been delivered, the venue has been booked, the invitations have been sent out. The only thing missing was the actual ceremony.

With only just a month to go before their final day, Rosé decided to go somewhere she didn’t like going to: Harvey’s grave. She felt like she needed to see him one last time before the wedding, just to know that it was okay for her to finally let him go and move on with her life. 

“Hey, Harvs,” Rosé greeted as she put a hand on his tombstone. “I’m sorry I didn’t visit you that often. I just...I couldn’t believe that you were really gone.” Rosé sniffled, wiping a tear away from her face. “I’m here today, though, because I wanted to tell you that I’m finally getting married. She’s an amazing woman and I think you two would have been great friends. Her name is Denali. She’s smart, and caring, and beautiful, and...she loves me so much I can’t even believe it sometimes.”

Rosé’s eyebrows knitted together as she became unable to hold back her tears. 

“I miss you, Harvs,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry. I wish I could have done more. I really do. But… I want to let you go now. I want to stop hating myself for what happened. Is that okay?” Her grip tightened around the cold rock as she continued to cry. “Denali, she… she deserves to have me completely,” Rosé continued. “And that won’t happen unless I let you go, so that’s what I’m doing. I’ll let you go now, Harvs. And I hope...I hope you’re proud of me.” She placed a kiss on her hand before running it across Harvey’s name. “I love you, Harvs.”

Rosé gave one last glance at her brother’s grave before walking away. She had only taken a step when she stopped in her tracks, recognizing the woman that was in front of her.

“Hi, sweetie.”

Her mother looked like she had been crying. Rosé realized that she must have been standing there long enough to hear everything she said on Harvey’s grave. 

“What are you doing here?” Rosé asked, too tired from crying to act hostile towards her mom. 

“Well, uhm,” her mom waved an iPod in the air with a tight smile. “We heard from Gammy that you’re getting married soon and I just wanted to give you this. You weren’t there when we were cleaning up Harvey’s room and uhm, there was a note on this that said this was a song for your wedding.” Nora took a cautious step to hand it over to Rosé. She heaved a sigh of relief when Rosé took it without any qualms, giving a tight smile before leaving. 

“How did you know I was here?” Rosé asked, making her mom turn around. 

“We went by to your place and Denali said you went to visit here and so we went here,” Nora replied. 

The mother and daughter stared at each other for a while. Nora was about to leave again when Rosé called after her with the name she never thought to hear again. 

“Mom,” Rosé called out and Nora looked at her hopefully. “Do you wanna, uhm... listen to it together?” She held out one of the earphones to her mom who gladly took it. They sat down in front of Harvey’s grave, staring at his name as the music played and his voice came on. 

‘Okay, Ro-ro-ro-your-boat! This isn’t an original song but I’m recording this anyway because this came on the radio while I was on the way to school and I just thought this would make a great wedding song for you. You know, for when you actually grow a heart and fall in love with someone.’

Rosé laughed despite the tears that were running down her cheeks. The soft sound of the piano began playing followed by the voice she missed hearing. 

‘I never I never thought I needed saving

I was right where I should be

Good God, I know it's dangerous

But it's you that I need

I'm in love this time

I'm in love this time

What have I done?

What have I done?’

Rosé glanced over her mom who was silently crying beside her. It was only then that she realized how much her mother had been hurting. Maybe even more than she was. As Harvey’s recording continued to play, Rosé’s eyes wandered towards the car that was parked on the driveway. She could see her father’s silhouette from the window and it was then too that she realized he was probably the one who was hurt the most about what happened.

‘What have I done?

Oh no, what have I done?

You be brave for me, now’

Rosé removed the earphone and stood up, walking towards the direction of the car as Harvey’s voice echoed in her mind. 

‘Oh no, what have I done?

You be brave for me, now’

Rosé tapped on the window of the driver’s seat, tears streaming down her face as her father stepped out of the car. 

“Dad…” she sobbed, running into his outstretched arms. She buried her face in chest like she did when she was a kid. Her father put his hand on her head, trying his best not to cry.

8 years. It took 8 years for them to finally be released of the anger and pain that has been weighing on their shoulders. 

8 years and a 5-minute recording was what it took for Rosé to heal.

Her parents gave her a ride back to her and Denali’s apartment. The drive was mostly quiet but it was the best kind of quiet Rosé has ever heard. Because in it, she found her peace. They pulled up in front of the building and Rosé thanked her parents for the ride. She got out of the car but then quickly turned on her heel. She tapped on her mother’s window and waited for her to roll it down.

“Uhm, if you guys want to come to the wedding,” Rosé began. “Gammy has an invitation so you can look up the venue from there.” Her parents stared at her in shock and she just shrugged. “I just uhm, think it would be nice if you were both there.” Her features softened as she looked her parents in the eyes and gently smiled. “Actually,” she corrected herself. “I would love for you guys to be there.”

Her mother smiled gratefully as did her father. 

“Then we will be there.”

*

Denali poked her head out of the bedroom when she heard the door click. She saw Rosé’s puffy eyes and immediately ran up to her to offer a hug. “How was it?” she asked as they walked towards the couch. Rosé lied down on Denali’s lap, offering her one of the earphones. 

“Mom and dad came,” Rosé said. Denali smiled, hearing that finally, Rosé was calling them mom and dad again. “They gave me this. It’s Harvey. Singing a song for my potential wedding.” She hit the play button and once again, she heard her brother’s little monologue before the song came on. She didn’t cry this time. Instead, she smiled as she held Denali’s hand closer to her chest, running her thumb across the ring on the other’s finger. 

‘So there it is! Congratulations on your wedding! I mean if you ever decide to use your heart other than to pump blood in your veins.’

Rosé chuckled when she realized she hadn’t reached this part of the recording yet because of that moment with her dad. 

‘Anyways, I love you, Ro. You’re the best sister anyone could ever ask for and whoever you end up with will be the luckiest person alive.’

In the background, Rosé could hear her own voice, calling her brother down for dinner before the recording ended. Denali leaned down to place a kiss on Rosé’s forehead.  “I guess he’s right,” Denali said, running her hands through Rosé’s hair. 

“I am the luckiest person alive.”

---

[A/N: their looks for the proposal are down below! i hope you enjoyed reading that chapter as much as i enjoyed writing it!]

[jackednephi]

On daily scripture study

Kind of a long post. I'm on mobile so no cut. Sorry :(

Ok so I'm gonna try doing something this year that I haven't in the past and that's reading my scriptures every single day. In the past, I've been hindered by like approaching it as the Ideal like we learn in seminary which is Deep Study every single day. Obviously, I ended up failing because that's such a lofty goal. I mean, it always ended up being good for me because it would inevitably deepen my study. I'd involve Google in with the footnotes and get really deep into things. Like the post I have forever ago about Nephi's sword type of thing. But research rather than happenstance and it's part of why I know so much about kosher laws off the top of my head

Something else I think has been a hindrance to this goal has been the idea that I need to bust out my physical scriptures to do so and, at least when I was in high school, the only comfortable place I had to do this was the couch in the living room. Also, if I'm being honest, I was definitely doing Way Too Much (as is the common Mormon trap tbh) But I'm not doing Way Too Much because what work I get is by no means full time. I do what I can around the house, but that's limited to weather, spoons, and so on. I'm in the process of applying for disability but that's not an all day, every day type of affair. I'm going back to school eventually and studying for the GRE in the meantime but, again, even with all this, I have a lot of open time. And I have a comfy bed if nowhere else

ALL THAT SAID, I wanted to know if anybody used the LDS library app for reading and how that worked out. I figured if I can make time to read bits of fanfiction/otome apps every day, then I can try to read the scriptures every day. Also, is the app good for study? I know it's good for church use so will be good for casual reading but a big reason I haven't relied on it for daily reading is that I'm worried about relying on it for regular study

I mean, I've always been partial to physical books and scriptures (I can write in them and I like the heft and can use them even when headaches crop up) but I need to be realistic with myself. Sometimes I can't even get out of bed for hip pain and can't even prop myself up to read a physical copy. Plus, I do NOT want my kids (the buns for those of 6ou unaware) thinking it's something they can destroy cause we give them phone books and stuff to shred and scriptures are similar enough. But again, not sure if the app is good enough for me to kind of "retire" my scriptures so to speak. Especially since I really, really, REALLY like marking them and writing notes in them. I know there's a little notebook thing but, again, I've been reluctant to explore it because I was pretty sure there was no way it could be as good as physically writing

How does everyone else approach what to study too, by the way? Do y'all go "I will study what we are in Sunday school this year" or do you just eat up the BOM year after year instead? Do you switch it up from day to day just going wherever? Do you start with the ensign and work from there? Conference talks? Because that's technically scripture too, right? Also, would it be a good idea to maybe record my progress in my journal I use for scriptures and study maybe? Like the date, where I read from and to, maybe some quick notes? Or would that be too ambitious for now? I was thinking it would be good to see if I've been actually accomplishing reading every day and adjust accordingly if I wasn't. Maybe printing out a little calendar or chart and giving myself a cute little sticker as a reward for that day to mark my progress

Like the goal is to get myself to make this a habit. It has never ever been a habit for me and that definitely needs to change. Like I do read scriptures but never daily like we're told. I want to give myself as much opportunity for success as possible and, considering I'm 25, I clearly have yet to figure out what I need to do for success. I'd tried every day in the mornings in high school but needed to wake up at 430 to do that due to morning JROTC practice three days a week and seminary the other two. Then, who's going to wake up that early on the weekends to keep that kind of habit? Not a growing, anorexic, overscheduled teenager, that's who

Then, I'd have after school stuff. Drama, choir practice, viola practice, fencing, or karate depending on the year, piano practice/lesson every day except Sundays, JROTC stuff depending on time of year and if stuff was coming up, a MOUNTAIN of homework, and by the time all that was done, it wasn't like I was in any shape to do more studying. I wanted to play video games or draw or read or otherwise destress. Then, I was inactive in college so why would I go out of my way to form (let alone keep) a daily scripture habit

So do I go for a same time every single day type thing? I attribute the past failure of that to circumstance. A set time is fine when I have/remember to take my meds. But that will probably fall apart other days and habits are consistent things. Maybe I should aim for, instead of a time, more of a "as soon as I wake up, have had food and meds" type of flexible thing so I'm not beating myself up for sleeping in until noon when I meant to get up at 8? Or do y'all find later in the day better because you're not having to worry about the Rest Of The Day setting in on you? I'm thinking after me waking might be best so I'm not feeling guilty for taking time away from my family

Regarsing frequency, should I start with doing it as often as possible? Shoot for once a week then slowly increase it? Go whole hog and get it done daily even if it's just a couple minutes? I genuinely do not know. The year my family and I read the BOM every day together, I was in elementary and not doing too much. We did four chapters a day, more if they were short and less if they were long, but my parents really were the ones who dictated that so I don't really know how to do that myself

Anyway, I really want to make sure this goal sees success and then, in time to come, I can deepen it to be rigorous study rather than just reading every day. Thus all the questions. I also know different people are different and what may work for y'all may not work for me. But I would like real answers as to how y'all do your scripture habits as opposed to like Advice y'know? Like get real specific with it so I can have a good idea of what works for different people so I have a concrete idea of things to try

Nobody is obligated to answer any of these questions by the way. Just I wanted to ask them and throw this out there to all of tumblrstake so I could get a good range of answers. Daily scripture study is such a nebulous concept to me that I definitely need concrete examples as opposed to vague advice. Also no I'm not gonna pray about how to know how to do things. HF doesn't work like that. I mean I will pray for guidance to know when things are working or not but I can't do that until I'm actively Doing The Thing and how am I supposed to actively Do The Thing if I don't really even have a starting place

Like do I hit up the church website and comb through conference talk after conference talk about "read your scriptures daily" in hopes of finding a more practical how to? I'd think there would be less of that and more admonishing. I was also born in the church so idk if converts get some kind of lesson from the missionaries the rest of us don't about how to read daily. If so, can we like spread that to the general populous? Cause I would appreciate it

Anyway, sorry for the wall of text. Vann had Questions

Feel free to hit up my inboxes by the way. I do read everything even if some asks sit there for like months at a time because I never get around to answering them

[thisweekingundamwing]

TWIGW Feb 18 - 24, 2018

Happy Roundup Day!! Once again, a special thanks to everyone who submitted works; it makes our job so much easier, and helps us catch things we may miss in the shuffle. You only need to dive into the Gundam Wing tag to see just how much love still exists in our fandom.

Also, as this is my first week as a mod, please be gentle if you don’t see your work here. It’s difficult to fill in the blanks beyond the submissions we receive.

Thanks so much and have a lovely week!

--Mod Rem

Fanfiction:

A Little Piece of Gundam Wing

The archive is being ported to AO3! Check it out!

Amberly, yourbloodlikewine

In This Light

Duo spent the last semester working in his older brother's coffee shop. He's resigned himself to a boring spring when a stranger appears, shaking up his entire life.

Eli left home last fall, choosing to spend the last six months living out of his van on his travels from the Midwest to the East Coast. By the time he arrives at Ink's, the novelty of traveling alone has started to wear off. Still, the last thing he's expecting is to meet someone who's going to change all that for him

Pairings: 2xOC, 3xOC, SoloxOC

Warnings: Original Characters - Freeform, Alternate Universe, child abuse mention, Sexual Assault Mention, homophobic parents, Re-Written Characters, Drug Use, Violence, off screen murder, gratuitous author indulgence

Ammiehawk

If He’s Anything Like Me

What if not one, or even two, of the Gundam pilots had a son together, but all five? Some genetic experiment gone awry, or is something else at work here? Yaoi

Pairings: 2xSeverus Snape, 4x1, 3x5

Warnings: Crossover - Harry Potter

@claraxbarton

The Green Door

Duo visits an adult novelty store for the first time.

Pairings: 5x2, 3x5, HxM, 1xR, 2x3x5

@duointherain

To Be Human is to Love

Duo and Heero are working a damaged part of their new colony, things go wrong.

Pairings: 1x2

Warnings: Spaced

@kangofu-cb

If You Let Me

If Trowa could give the new residents one rule for surviving the ICU, it would be ‘Don’t Touch Anything. (Especially The Patients.)’.  In reality, he’d actually give them a lot of rules, possibly with diagrams for clarity.  But his main rule essentially covered the bases. When you worked in one of the largest ICUs, in the biggest medical center in the country, at a hospital known for taking on unstable patients for the most complex and risky surgeries that were performed no-where else, new residents were a menace. Until he meets Dr. Maxwell, the newest anesthesia resident.

Pairings: 2x3, background HxD

Warnings: Alternate Universe - Medical, Doctor/Patient, Nurses & Nursing, Fluff and Smut, this is literally my feel good thing guys ok, I mean I’m not saying there won’t be any angst, but basically this is all WAFF

Of Infinity

The morning after "On The Edge."

Pairings: 2x3x4

Warnings: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, just a big orgy honestly, tithes for 2x3x4, also a sequel, sort of cocktail friday

Lsama_no_miko

Posted multiple fics, too many to list here

Check out their page here 

Maldoror

The Source of All Things

Center, a planet where magic and technology blend. Or more accurately, fight tooth and nail. A planet of Sources, holes in our boring dimension letting through arcane power, chaos and pseudo-deities. In this hot-house of myths and very real dangers, Trowa and Quatre find a mysterious man at the end of a shamanic voyage. Portents suggest this Heero Yuy is crucial to Center’s survival. He’s important enough to have some interesting enemies after him, at any rate: a devious killer and thief called ‘Shinigami’, and a very irate Dragon. Beyond them looms an even greater threat. Indeed, the greatest of them all.

Pairings: 3x4, 2x5, eventual 1x2x5

Warnings:  alternative universe, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Plot Twists, fairly graphic depiction of sex, Mild description of self-harm, Mathematical Magic, weird science, crones - Freeform, Magic and Technology brawling and eventually screwing, Eventual Threesome, Kinda, Insanity of arcane origin, The universe is a pile of marbles and other dubious allegories

Two Halves

The two kingdoms of Sanq and Lin were at war for years; a conflagration involving magic, armies and political murder. The conflict left both nations devastated and strewn with refugees. The king of Sanq finds his infant son, lost at birth, among the death and the ruin, a miracle he barely dared to hope for. But there isn’t just one boy, there are two, clinging together like two halves of a whole that cannot be separated. Decades later, the truth behind that second child’s existence will put a hole in the world, or possibly save it.

Pairings: 1x2

Warnings: Fantasy AU, medieval setting with magic, starts with our heroes as children, Cousin Incest, sort of, eventually, being royalty this is in fact the norm and rather expected of them, Canon-Typical Violence

@remsyk-blog

Distracting Dissertations 

All Wufei wants to do is finish his dissertation and enjoy the rest of the weekend. He just needs to take care of a few distractions.

Pairings: 2x5

Warnings: Smut, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Just an excuse to do it, How else can I put this?

SmallSound

Two Truths and a Lie

A few years after they join Preventer, Duo and Heero are sent on a space mine clean-up mission. Alone in space together for several weeks, the two ex-Gundam pilots find they have time to find out who they are and who they want to be.

Warnings: Some fluff, Some angst, Sex, New love, Polyamory Negotiations, this is gonna be a long one

Thai_Tea_Addict

Wolves and Lambs

On the cusp of war, Remus Lupin discovers he has a son. Facing a prejudiced wizarding world unwilling to believe Voldemort has returned, Remus must now navigate his duties as both a member of the Order and as a father to one Duo Maxwell. Duo doesn’t know a lot about families, but he knows war. HP Fifth Year, Post-GW main series

Pairings: 1x2, 2xHP, 3x4, Romione

Warnings: Harry Potter crossover, Family Reconstruction Act, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Politics, Wizarding Politics, War, Disturbing Themes

@yesacia

Mission: Christmas

Duo gets tired of spending Christmas alone, and realizing he's the only one who celebrates inspires him to bring the others in on the festivities.

Warnings: Duo and Quatre are bffs, Quatre is guilty, Duo just wants y'all to have a merry christmas ok

 Late Night Reading 

Duo reflects a little bit about his love for reading and makes an interesting discovery about a parallel between one of his favorite fictional characters and his long time friend he never noticed before.

T for language. This is just sort of an idea, pretty short, it's based when the guys are in their 20s and still adjusting. Comes out of the On Again, Off Again universe.// an older fic from my FF.net account

Pairings: 1x2

 Random Duo Thoughts 

Random drabbles about Duo's Life Post-War

Pairings: 1x2, 2x3

Warnings: On-Again/Off-Again Relationship, Blurbs from a bigger project

 Random Quatre Thoughts 

Thoughts of Quatre Post-War

Warnings: Recreational Drug Use, Drug Use, Lonely Quatre

Snippets:

@cosmostar​

One of the Road - WIP Featuring Heero Yuy and Cathy Bloom

@gw-ficrecfriday

Just Because - Snippet of Quatre Winner, Dorothy Catalonia 

@lemontrash

Thursday (300) - WIP 2x5 

@lbro009

Insider Snippet: Midii Une - WIP Wednesday

@lifeaftermeteor

LAM!verse snippet - Heero en Route 

@noirangetrois

Dancing with the Duke - WIP for Rewrite the Romance 

@relenaforpresident

The Agreement - 1xR 

@terrablaze514

Touched by an Angel - WIP Wednesday 1x2 

Thirsty for a Change - Snippet Sunday 1+4. Quatre POV

 Photo Edits/Manipulations

@goldenfirefox

Keep Your Word You Fool! 

Headcanons / Meta / Discussions:

Multiple Contributors

Possible HCs Discussion 

@lifeaftermeteor

Dr J and Professor G 

@gundamwing-ellesmith

Heero’s Birthday 

@robo-rad

Office Workers HCs 

Fanart:

@arubees

Zechs and Duo 

@drkstars-art

Bizarre Circus - Trowa Barton and Quatre Winner 

@enukoblr

Duo Maxwell 

@noelleian

Duo Maxwell 

Lady Une 

@vegalume

Color of old sketch - 1x2

@zibelinbelt

Meet-up in Town 

Cosplays:

@kirkettecosplay

Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell 

@simulacraryn

Treize and Une - Featuring @renmaxwell and @shinigami-of-excellence 

@shinigami-of-excellence

Treize Khushrenada 

Calendar Events:

Cocktail Friday

https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/

A new prompt every Monday!

Submissions should be posted Fridays between 3 and 5pm EST, and tagged with @gwcocktailfriday

Interview with a Creator by @remsyk-blog @interview-with-a-creator

Remsyk has created an online interview for fandom creators to fill out and then she features one each week so that everyone in the fandom can learn a bit about each other.

If you haven’t filled out her interview, go! do! now!

This week’s interviewee is @vegalume​ found here

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Grave Numbers in Alone

Okay Everyone! The genius of @wdway has struck again. Her numbers prowess is totally making my summer. We're gonna talk about the dates on the grave in Alone. A LOT of us have written theories about what these might represent. I think most of the theories out there have some merit, but like most things TD, they haven't been confirmed in a big way yet.

One of the things we talked about, especially during S7, was that we might see Beth in an episode that aired in November or December. Honestly, at least for me, that was less because of these dates and more because of 1) The St. Nicholas/Pickle theme (we saw a ridiculous amount of pickles in S7) and 2) the November calendar behind the Beth walker in Them.

Obviously November and December didn't work out for us in S7. Once she didn't show up in the MSF, we kind of let it go because we were still convinced she'd show up in S7. If she shows up in S8, the November/December dates still COULD be a thing, but so far it hasn't panned out very well for us. ;D

All that said, check this out:

The dates we see on the grave stone are November 12, 1837 and December 10, 1874.

Guess what, Bethyl junkies? This year's MSF (8x08) will air on December 10th. 

And--wait for it!--8x04 will air on November 12th. 

These dates haven't fallen on Sundays since before S4 aired, y'all. And we know Gimple has up until S15 at least planned out. Even if he didn't have that far planned out in S4 (I think he did, but whatevs) I'm sure he had planned out far enough to know which episode Beth would return in and could figure out the air dates.

Also remember the St. Nicholas/Christmas theme. After writing my St. Nick/Pickles Theory, I really didn't think the Christmas theme meant a literal Christmas date. In the legend, St. Nicholas's gift was to resurrect three boys (yes THREE) who had been murdered. And Daryl never got anything from Santa Clause, right?

So Daryl's gift from St. Nick will be Beth's resurrection. That doesn't mean it has to happen at Christmas time. It's all about the symbolism people. The St. Nick/Resurrection story really isn't about the holiday at all. It's about the man who was the saint.

But now, looking at these dates…hmm. I doubt it will be Christmas thing for the characters in the show, but it may still be Christmas time for us, the audience.

And understand, I still think there's a good chance we'll see Beth earlier in the season than that. Maybe as early as 8x01. But of course there's simply no way to know for sure.

The other possibility is that we, the audience will see her early on. Other characters might as well. (Remember that Carl brings Maggie the music box in 5x10 and all the parallels in 8x01 with him, Rick, the gas station, etc.) but maybe Daryl just won't see her until later. Remember, this is HIM receiving something from St. Nick. That's what his "I Never" in Still was about. It wasn't about Rick or Carl or even Maggie.

I've also always said that I think he'll see her at a distance at first, but not be able to get to her right away for whatever reason (remember Red Poncho Guy). So maybe he'll see her in the Nov 12 episode, but the two of them won't actually reunite until the Dec 10 episode, which incidentally is the MSF.

Given that the calendar behind the Beth walker in Them was seen by Maggie and Carol, but not Daryl, I think they'll see her first, in the November episode. We've said Carol will probably play a role in her return, so I think it's significant that it's Maggie and Carol at this part (who were also the two taken by Paula's group of Saviors in 6x13; yeah, not a coincidence).

Daryl probably won't until one of the December episodes. Maybe he'll finally reunite with her in the MSF, just as he should have been able to in Coda, but really didn't.

Oh, one other thing? The Nov 12 th episode (8x04) will be exactly three seasons after Slabtown. Perhaps another Beth-heavy episode? And of course the MSF will be exactly three seasons after Coda. Just saying.

So this was my big ah-hah moment last week when @wdway sent me this. But I'll also give you a little more, just for your info. @wdway started messing around with the numbers (her God-given talent) and came up with the following.

I think you guys know this, but just so were all on the same page: this will use season and episode designations (like 1x01 = season 1, episode 1) but also series numbers. So, there are 6 episodes in the first season, 13 in the second season, which = 19. So the series number for 3x01 = 20. Hope that makes sense.

So Alone, where we see the "Beloved Father" grave with these dates is episode 48 for the series. As many people have pointed out in the past, 1874-1837 =37. If you go forward 37 episodes from Alone (to series episode 85) that's 7x02, The Well. If you go backwards 37 episodes from Alone, it's 2x05, Chupacabra. It may not be entirely clear why these episodes might be important, but consider some facts in the plots of these episodes.

The Well is where Carol is healing from her injuries at the Kingdom, after being shot. Remember she begged that Savior to kill her, and you know, MORGAN SAVED HER. Basically, she came REALLY close to dying, but didn't. This is also the episode where she met the man who will probably be her long-term love interest. (Carzekiel for the win!)

For 2x05, it's where Daryl is injured and alone, and has to fight his way back to TF. He sees his apparently dead brother, who later turns up alive, and is shot in the head by Andrea, yet survives. Basically, he came close to dying but survived. It was even a head shot in his case. Throw in an Andrea parallel and I don't think you could ask for much more.

So then @wdway decided to add the two years together. 1837+1874 = 3711. Well, there's another 37. Don't know if that's on purpose, but in case it is, she thought she'd play around with the 11 as well.

11 Episodes back from Alone is 4x02, Infected. (May be a coincidence, but this is series episode 37, so both the 37 and the 11 are present here.) The biggest thing that jumped out at her here was that this is where we see Daryl digging graves. We have to side-eye that because all of the Bethyl-in-a-graveyard stuff.

(Keep in mind that they used Daryl digging the graves both as a promo image beforehand, and to make a Daryl figurine from. This image of him in an empty grave is important. And the scene itself is very small and short.) I'd also submit that there were lots of other parallels in that episode (see my re-watches for details) but I'll admit by itself it's not a super-big Beth or TD episode. At least, not on the surface. But…give us a second to convince you.

Forward 11 episodes from Alone is…um…Coda. So we have Daryl digging a grave 11 episodes back from Alone. We didn't actually see them put anyone in that grave. So it really was an empty grave. Then, 11 episodes forward from Alone was Coda, after which Beth's body disappeared, and she got no burial. See what I mean?

So then, just for good measure, she went 37 episodes forward from Coda. We get 7x13, Bury Me Here. Not only is the episode number the same (Alone = 4x13 and Bury Me Here = 7x13) but there's a graveyard/burial theme going on here. 7x13 is where Benjamin dies, Morgan kills and buries Richard (the S7 promo pic of the empty grave came from this episode) and I also believe we see Carol digging graves for walkers in that episode.

So, I've said before that I think Beth could show up at the Kingdom first. I'll admit I've gone back and forth about it. We have more evidence of her there than at the other communities. And I don't mean that I necessarily think we'll see her there first, but rather that after she's revealed, she may go to that community before Alexandria or Hilltop. There IS evidence of her at all the communities, to be fair. So I could be wrong. But there's just MORE there to suggest Beth than at the others.

@wdway got excited about what she found with these numbers because she also believes Beth will show up at the Kingdom first. I think she's more firm in her belief of that that I have been. And I gotta say, she's convincing me more and more. Think of it this way:

37 episodes (the difference between the years on the gravestone in Alone) from Alone is The Well, 7x02. 37 episodes from Coda was Bury Me Here, 7x13. Both were Kingdom episodes and Carol-heavy. Daryl wasn't in either one.

Meanwhile, it's Carol and Maggie that see the November calendar in Them. Not Daryl. Kind thinking Carol and Maggie will reunite with Beth in the November 12th episode at the Kingdom, y'all.

(And how does Maggie fit in? I don't know. It would be total conjecture to try and guess. I mean, they could do anything. Maggie could randomly go to the Kingdom to see Carol or swap supplies or something, and be there with Carol when Beth shows up. Or could be nothing like that. Who knows?)

Some other numbers:

Again, 11 episodes back from Coda is Alone. 37 episodes back from Coda is 3x03. This is where Merle shows up, alive and well after being presumed dead for two seasons.

November = 11th month, December = 12th month. 11+12 = 23.  23 episodes back from Alone is 3x06, Hounded. That's where Glenn and Maggie are taken by Merle (kidnapped and separated from TF) and where Daryl finds Carol after assuming she was dead for several days. (Remember Carol's knife/Beth's knife). And Michonne leaves Woodbury (the lair of the villain). That's important only because she reunites with TF after that. I'll come back to this point, because while going through all this, something else big hit me.

If we go 23 episodes past Alone, we get Here's Not Here, 6x04. So many parallels in that episode I don't want to name them all. But Gimple wrote that episode entirely. There's a major grave theme going on there as well with Eastman's graveyard.

She also tried using the days in the dates. Dec 10, Nov 12. 10+12 = 22.

22 Episodes before Alone = 3x07. We actually see Carol reunite with TF in this episode (yeah!) and Michonne finds TF.

So here was my big epiphany about Michonne in S3. We could relate this to Beth just in that Michonne leaves the imprisonment of Woodbury and finds TF. It's not really a reunion as this is the first time she's met them, but still. She has to survive on her own in the woods (Merle is trying hard to kill her) and she eventually makes it to TF.

Well, Rick and Carl are the first ones to see Michonne when she shows up at the prison (*coughs Rick and Carl at a gas station in 8x01*). But even more than that, we see Rick and Michonne lock eyes across the chain link fence here. Even that early, there were hints at their romance. Granted it took them…wait for it…THREE FREAKING SEASONS to finally hook up. And how many seasons is this past Coda again?

We all totally picked up the Bethyl parallels in 6x10 when Michonne and Rick finally got together romantically. Especially the entwined fingers. So I don't think it's a stretch to parallels the two relationships in other ways, even stretching back to S3.

Anyway, back to 3x07. @wdway also makes a good point about Carol, after reuniting with TF, having to be told who is alive and who is dead. She didn't know Lori had died (though she had a pretty good idea about T-Dog). And she didn't know Judith had survived.

I can see Beth needing to have a very similar conversation. Not about Lori, of course. But about Glenn. And everyone else she once knew (Sasha, Ty, Noah). And she never learned that Judith got out of the prison, so she'll be surprised Judith is still there.

Another parallel? In this episode Maggie is assaulted (nearly) by the Gov. This has been said before, but we can parallel Maggie/Glenn's imprisonment to Beth/Daryl's in many ways. Maggie/Beth both had to deal with the threat of rape. Glenn/Daryl were both beaten badly at some point. Even the order of events is eerily similar.

If you go forward 22 episodes from Alone, we get 6x03, Thank You. Glenn death fakeout anyone?

Okay, I think I'm gonna stop there. @wdway had more intricate details, but the short of it is that no matter what path you use with these numbers, you can see Beth's arc in it. The consistent characters we're seeing in these episode numbers are Beth, Daryl, Carol and Morgan. 

And I know there will be people that don't buy into the intricate math stuff. That's cool. Totally you're prerogative. But keep in mind what I said first: these dates on the Alone headstone haven't fallen on a Sunday since before Gimple took the reins. And Gimple is a careful enough planner, that I don't think most of these patterns can be ignored.

Either way, I'm super excited for S8. Anyone else? ;D

(Special thanks to @wdway for sharing her genius with us!)

[brytay1982]

For #surrenderDecember today, I'm going to something that I've been doing, but didn't realize I wasn't doing enough of, and that's planning my goals. A few months ago (July or August to be exact), a former classmate @specialshereese started this very simple journey with a group of friends. In this group, we were meeting every Sunday at 9pm, which some weeks were hard for me attend because I was working late night. However, once September came around, I literally added this event to my calendar, and it became part of my routine (along with other things). I was always sharing and showing my monthly calendar, but I rarely showed people my digital calendar, because not everyone understands how much I plan out my day behind the scenes. I will always remember with a specific tech (won't say where... thought y'all got me) saying that if someone asks him about doing something, he would place it in his calendar immediately. That one truly stuck with me. Now, on the goal side, I'm already pushing to work on my goals, which I'm gonna try to work on today during my down time. 2020 is LITERALLY 28 days away. I'm not letting anyone or anything stop me from setting seeing or achieving my goals. That's all I'm gonna say about that. Everyone enjoy your Tuesday and fair warning, the quote today just might hurt based on how good it'll be. https://www.instagram.com/p/B5m36fmFOpB/?igshid=11n6g4g6v86n0

[oselatra]

2017 Arkansas Times Whole Hog Roast preview

Al the pig meat you can eat.

It's fall, y'all. How do we know, besides, you know, the passing of the autumnal equinox last week? Because it's time again for the Arkansas Times' meatiest event of the year, the fifth annual Whole Hog Roast. So clear your calendar and make plans to attend the pork smorgasbord from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, at the Argenta Plaza in North Little Rock. The recipe remains similar to last year: Seven teams made up of chefs and seasoned pitmasters will roast 100-pound hogs from Farm Girl Meats in Perry County; and four amateur teams will smoke their best pork butt. Attendees get to eat their way through the competition, along with sides provided by presenting sponsor Ben E. Keith, for just $15 in advance at centralarkansastickets.com, or $20 at the door.

Event wrangler Brian Kearns, of Simply the Best Catering and the Canvas restaurant at the Arkansas Arts Center, encourages anyone who has ever wanted to smoke a pig to come watch the process. Teams will probably start setting up midday Saturday, get their fires going in the evening and put their hogs on to start cooking around midnight. Hog roasters can cook in any manner they like as long as it's done on-site. "There's a lot of different ways to do it, but the trickiest part is getting it to finish at the same time — how you build your fire, what temperature you keep," Kearns said. His preferred method is in a cinder block pit; many of the teams will have elaborate smoking rigs attached to trailers.

The hogs the pros are roasting aren't your run of the mill swine. These are Boston Mountain Hogs, a heritage-style breed Katie Short of Farm Girl Meats developed with growers in North and West Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. They're bred to be physically active, which means the fat is marbled throughout the meat, which gives it more flavor potential, Short said. Plus, Farm Girl's 130-acre farm provides plenty of room for the swine to run free, foraging on seeds, nuts, blackberry and greenbrier crowns and, if they're still hungry, a locally milled, specially balanced grain. All that natural food adds to the flavor, Short says.

The Argenta Plaza is at Sixth and Main streets in downtown North Little Rock. Doors open at 1 p.m. and food will be served at 2 p.m., rain or shine, and the party will continue on until 5 p.m. Flyway Brewing Co. will have its mega-popular Bluewing Berry Wheat, Early Bird IPA (especially good with spicy sauce, co-owner Jess McMullen says) and Free Range Brown Ale (the ultimate barbecue beer, McMullen says). It and wine will be for sale for $5. Local rockers Good Time Ramblers share a bill with the sweet-harmonizing Wildflower Revue.

Professional teams

@ the Corner

The ladies who own and run the downtown breakfast and lunch destination @ the Corner — sisters Helen Grace and Leila King and their sister-in-law, chef Kamiya Merrick — have stepped up their hog-roasting game since last year's event. Leila King says they had such a good time at the event last year, @ the Corner commissioned a custom-built smoker on a trailer for catering and cook-offs. This year's plan is to brine the hog for several days in Rock Town Distillery's bourbon, Rebel Kettle's Working Glass Hero beer and spices. Then they'll rub it down with their house rub mix and smoke it as long as possible, using hickory and a Rock Town bourbon barrel to make their fire. "We wanted to include as much local stuff as possible," Leila King said.

The Argenta Buttrubbers

Charlie Hart with the Argenta Buttrubbers team said he's the "builder," tasked with constructing and maintaining the cinderblock fire pit where the team will cook their hog for the event. Veterans of the amateur Boston butt-only class at previous Times hog roasts, the team — which is sponsored by the Memphis lunch spot Blink SCO — will be moving up to the whole pig this year, with most of the cooking handled by barbecue purists Ricky O'Rourke and Josh Wills. Cooking a whole hog requires a different technique, Hart said, including not allowing the hog to get so hot that it combusts, making sure it cooks evenly, and carefully tending the fire through the night. Hart said the team did a practice run earlier this year over pecan and cherry, cooking an "Asian fusion" style hog on a pit designed exactly like the one they plan to use for the Arkansas Times Hog Roast. They went through a whole rick of wood, Hart said, which they pre-burn over a specially prepared barrel in order to harvest the hot coals for their pit, lined with firebrick for reflective heat. The result was, he said, perfect.

Flyway/Count Porkula Before Flyway Brewing Co. unveiled its tasty menu full of the likes of smoked duck and wild boar brats and bacon-wrapped quail, the brewery hosted "guest pitmasters" from time to time. That's how co-owner Jess McMullen got to know Kelly Lovell of the local food trailer eatery and catering company Count Porkula. One of the best brewery kitchens in town teamed with the barbecue champs of the food truck scene? We're expecting big things.

Four Quarter Bar

Conan Robinson may be best known for managing Midtown for many years and owning new North Little Rock favorite Four Quarter, just down Main Street from the event (after party!). But those in the know recognize Robinson as a longtime purveyor of delicious grub: burgers (natch), but also delicious pulled pork sandwiches, a Cuban and pulled pork nachos. A perennial hog roast participant, Robinson plans to brine his hog, slather on his signature Four Quarter rub and cook it in a cinder block pit.

Grumpy's Too

While other teams will be using smoke, glazes and rubs to set their hog apart, Chris Finkbeiner with Grumpy's Too plans to differentiate theirs by the cooking method. After thoroughly injecting their hog with the Grumpy's house marinade, they'll be using what's known as a "China Box," aka a "Cajun Microwave," an enclosed roaster that cooks the hog top-down by piling hot coals on the metal top of the box. Finkbeiner said the technique will cook their hog in about half the time of other teams, leading to a savory Cuban-style pork that's roasted rather than smoked. Another secret weapon will be chef Josh Smith, who Finkbeiner called his team's culinary expert. Smith recently won the award for student chef of the year at the UA-Pulaski Tech Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute, and will serve as a co-captain of the Grumpy's Too five-person team.

Ristorante Capeo

Bryan Isaac of the Italian favorite Ristorante Capeo in Argenta was taciturn in his description of plans on how his team would prepare its whole hog. "We're just gonna cook a hog and have fun." How might they cook the hog? "Put it on some heat and then take it off some heat." But what about a touch of Capeo in the preparation and seasonings? "We don't serve whole hog at Capeo." So your guess is as good as ours.

Vault

Mike Easley (executive chef and visionary), formerly of Restaurant 1620 and Cache, and Cody Mayfield (sous chef) are busy putting together Vault, a new restaurant in the 1909 Citizens Building in Hot Springs, so it makes sense they'd want to keep it simple for the hog roast. But Easley says that's also so their Farm Girl Meats hog can speak for itself. They'll brine the hog with simple sugar and salt and use a cinder block rig. Easley said the Farm Girl owner Katie Short has done her part by raising the hogs in kindness; he'll respect the pig by doing as little as possible to the meat.

Easley has also worked with the James Beard Restaurant Rioja in Denver and trained under Jennifer Jasinski; he met Mayfield when he moved to Cache Restaurant in the River Market District.

Amateurs

Onebanc Roadsters also plan to participate, but weren't available before press time.

Smokin' Butz

Smokin' Butz team leader David Carpenter said his team's strategy is simple: Cook some great pulled pork. A veteran restaurateur who helped open several Central Arkansas institutions, including Sherwood's longstanding Zaffino's and Little Rock's new Main Street anchor Samantha's Tap Room & Wood Grill, Carpenter said his team plans to carefully select their Boston butt for a particular ratio of meat to fat, coat it down with a secret, homemade pork rub that is "a little unique," and then smoke it low and slow until it's done to perfection. Sides will be a little unique, too, including slow-roasted and smoked potatoes, along with breaded, deep-fried eggplant strips. As fitting with pulled pork, both sides will be decidedly Southern, Carpenter said, but with a twist.

Wilson's A1 BBQ

A veteran barbecue caterer, Alisha Pagan said that her secret weapon for the Arkansas Times Hog Roast will be her wood selection: a secret blend of carefully selected fruit and nut tree wood that allows for a strong smoke flavor while imparting a fruity sweetness to the meat. It's the same wood blend she uses when cooking pulled pork for her popular catering company, Wilson's A1 BBQ, which has been in business for two years. You can find them online at http://ift.tt/2fqOImx. Also distinctive will be Wilson's signature rub, a secret blend of spices that Pagan is keeping close to the vest, but which she hopes will help her pull off a win in the amateur category. Keeping things very down-home, Pagan said her team plans to dish up a side of greens with smoked meat along with her family recipe cornbread, and then lay on the sweetness with candied yams.

AHH Townley

A former Navy pilot who came home to Arkansas a few years back to run the family business, Townley Pools and Spas, David Townley will be using the hog roast to show off the versatility of an item he sells a lot of in his store: the Big Green Egg ceramic cooker. Townley Pools and Spas offers the whole line of Big Green Egg products, which burn wood charcoal and can be used to cook everything from ribs to pies thanks to their unique, insulated design. Townley plans to cook his team's sides and pork butt entirely on Mini Max Eggs, a tailgating-sized version that's the smallest member of the Big Green Egg family. Townley's team will be utilizing rubs created by the Georgia-based Lane's BBQ (another product sold through his store) to start, then will smoke over a mixture of apple and peach wood to give the pork a sweet flavor. For sides, Townley plans to make what he called "sorta-white coleslaw," a unique take on slaw that utilizes Lane's BBQ's Sorta-White barbecue sauce, along with a classic cornbread.

2017 Arkansas Times Whole Hog Roast preview

[josegarzon]

ATTENTION FORT MYERS/CAPE CORAL SAD SQUAD! Get ready to yell Taking Back Sunday and My Chemical Romance lyrics to each other's faces 😜 Mark your calendars: Saturday September 9th. Venue info coming soon. 18+. Pre-sales go on sale the first week of August and WE WILL SELL OUT so I will recommend y'all to get tickets as soon as they go up. $10. DJ sets by The Bunny The Bear 's Matt and Modern Day Escape 's James. Select Start 's singer Joe and yours trully will be doing a short DJ and acoustic set playing all the classics😘 LETS GET SAD!!! 🖤 PLEASE SHARE!!!!! 🖤🖤🖤🖤

[blackfeministwriter]

Happy Sunday! It's the first day of the week! Do you know what that means? PLANNING!!!!! What is your schedule like this week? What are your goals? Do you have any meal prep do complete? Have you filled out your calendar? Have you made a list of the politicians that you will contact this week for the resistance? Do you have your to- do list handy? Use your Sunday's to get a jump start on the week. You might be pleasantly surprised at how it will change your week for the better! Love y'all! #SundayPlanning #ToDoList