#Estela Soto

[sapphicspaceart]

the twelve catalysts

[mysteli]

idk how many people will answer this but i’m gonna post it anyway. which endless summer character do you believe most deserved better? i’m just testing who fans of the books want to see stronger storylines for.

feel free to tell me why you think they deserve better. obviously they all do but u get it 🫶

oh yeah there’s also a reason i added mike instead of grace or raj or lo (mc)

[marmolady]

Fever: Part One (Estela x F!MC)

I'm still here. I'm still writing Endless Summer fanfic (slowly).

Book/Series: Endless Summer

Main Pairings: Estela x MC/Taylor (f)

Summary: Post-ending (Endless Ending) Safe in its protective bubble from the fiery destruction beyond, La Huerta still has some cruel tricks up its sleeve for those who might make it a home. PART TWO

Word Count: 3724

Warnings: Coarse language.

Comments and reblogs are hugely appreciated! Honestly, I just love geeking out about these characters, so if anyone ever wants to just do that with me....

AO3

__________________________

The sun rose on The Celestial, its rays filtering through expensive curtains. Taylor was up too, fetching a coffee before facing the breakfast rush.

“Coffee, babe?” she asked sleepily, and put a hand on her wife’s shoulder. Estela’s skin was hot to touch… but it did get warm in these rooms without the air-conditioner.

Estela groaned. Her whole body ached. It seemed she’d overdone it; the day before, she’d been part of a group that ventured into a part of the island unknown to them, taking stock of yet another of Rourke’s facilities-- which had turned out to be a not-especially-exciting long-abandoned storage building. She hadn’t felt the trek to be ridiculously strenuous, not by her standards, but perhaps she’d let her fitness slide.

“Thanks, Taylor.”

Taylor placed the mug on the bedside table and perched at Estela’s side. “Are you feeling okay?”

It was difficult not to snap back with an automatic. ‘I’m fine.’ There was no room in Estela’s life for weakness-- not from herself. Rourke was long gone, as were Arachnid, and there was little threat from Vaanti corners these days, but this was still La Huerta, and the last thing Estela wanted was to be caught vulnerable. But there she was.

She frowned, assessing her own symptoms. The body aches were one thing, but she was clammy as well. Some kind of tropical fever perhaps?

“I think I’ve come down with something,” she admitted.

Taylor put the back of her hand to her forehead. “I reckon you’ve got a temperature. We should probably get you checked over by the healers to be safe, and let Michelle know.”

Yes… best to rule out anything nasty. Malaria immediately came to mind. It wouldn’t be her first time….

Estela nodded stiffly, and hauled herself up in bed. She wasn’t right. She definitely wasn’t right.

“Talk to her at breakfast, I guess. Bring something back up for me, though, I think I’m better off staying put.”

A concerned but loving smile warmed Taylor’s features, and she leaned in to kiss her wife’s sweaty brow. “Honestly, the lengths some people go to for breakfast in bed….”

Michelle had a busy morning, with Sean having stumbled down to breakfast looking like death warmed up… determined to brave face his sudden illness away. Hopefully, just flu, but on a tropical island, and especially this tropical island, there was no taking chances. Quinn and Grace were quick to volunteer for rushing over to Elyys’tel to bring back one of the healers-- and Aleister insisted he come along too. With no phones, any kind of urgent medical need was a nightmare. Michelle was on her own, not even yet a medical student but the best their tiny community had.

She took a single glance at Taylor’s worried face as she strode, alone, through the doorway and knew immediately. Estela was down too.

“Let me guess; a fever? Aches?”

Taylor’s frown deepened. “So, there’s something going around?”

It had only been a matter of time, really. The twelve of them lived in close proximity, and were no doubt exposed to exotic diseases as they went about the island.

“Seems to just be the guys who went to check out that old storage shed yesterday… and I don’t think La Huerta does coincidence. I haven’t seen Jake this morning-- do you remember his room number?”

So, Taylor accompanied Michelle to Jake’s room, but found no response to their knocking of the door.

“I don’t like this,” Taylor admitted, her brow furrowed. From the Endless’ memories, she’d seen friends die before her, struck down by sudden illness. La Huerta, even with Rourke gone, Arachnid gone, and most of Vaanti society welcoming, was a deathtrap. “At what point is it reasonable to force entry?”

Michelle was equally troubled. Something about the way Sean had acted earlier gave her a bad feeling. He’d seemed… lost, somehow. And he was jumpy.

“Iris…,” she said, “she can put a message over the speakers like it’s nothing.”

Taylor’s eyes brightened. On edge and inclined to fret, she’d jump straight to getting Zahra to open doors. No… no need to go barging in. More than likely, Jake was just having a lie in anyway. He wasn’t exactly a ‘crack-of-dawn’ kind of guy anyway.

She nodded in agreement. “And if we get no response, she can tap into the security cameras so we can at least get a visual idea of if he needs help.”

Having had no response to ‘come out of your room so we know you’re all right’ over the loudspeakers, it came down to having a visual check-up.

Even fuzzy though the picture was, the sight was alarming. Furniture had been upended, a window looked to be broken, and a figure sat hunched over upon the bed. He was, at least, moving. An exchanged glance was all that was needed to ascertain that they would, in fact, be forcing their way in.

“Michelle--” Taylor reached for her friend’s arm as she started to walk. “Can you check in on Estela for me, just quickly? I don’t know how long we’ll be with Jake, and I’m starting to really freak out.”

“It wouldn’t hurt if we could get some more help along the way,” Michelle admitted. Jake was bigger and stronger than herself and Taylor; if whatever this sickness was caused him to be lashing out, they’d likely be up shit creek. “I’d feel better if we have someone with each of them until we know what we’re dealing with; seeing this… I don’t blame you for not wanting to just leave Estela alone.”

Estela made it to the bathroom in time to lean over the sink and vomit. The room spun. Someone had done this to her. She couldn’t pinpoint why, but she was sure of it. Had she been so blind to assume that just because Rourke was gone that his influence couldn’t still be the death of her? There was an impostor, and she had been poisoned.

She staggered back to the main room of the suite, and pulled Taylor’s obsidian dagger from the bedside table. She could feel her heart racing-- symptoms of her condition or just plain panic? She had to pull herself together, or this thing was going to kill her….

“It’s only me…. I’ve got Michelle here, too.”

The door opened, and Taylor was standing there. Someone who looked like Taylor.

It’s you.

Of course. What else but the cruelest of lies? This wasn’t Taylor; it couldn’t be, for this person-- if they were truly even a person-- was trying to kill her.

Taylor stepped forward, but hesitated as she glimpsed the knife in her wife’s hand. Something was wrong.

“It’s me,” she said again. Did Estela even recognise her? “It’s me, Taylor.”

The look she got back was icy, and Taylor rocked back on her heels, suddenly very nervous.

A cold whisper came back to her, a hiss dripping with venom.

“What did you do to her?”

“Estela-- it’s me. Sweetheart, I think you should lie down; you’re sick.”

“Where is she?” Estela demanded, louder now, and she lurched forward, only to need to be propped up by the bed-frame.

Holding herself upright-- or near enough-- Estela took in the figure who stood before her. Like Taylor but wrong. Everything about her was slightly off; it was a good copy, but this thing had no soul. It scared the shit out of her.

Estela was trapped. What was she to do-- stab this abomination to death? What if it had some physical connection to Taylor? Her legs shook and the room seemed to swim. If she could somehow incapacitate the thing… the Not Taylor… at least injure it enough to give the others a better chance.

But as she lurched forward, her vision blurred, and for the moment before she fainted, Estela knew it was coming. It was all over.

Taylor moved just fast enough to prevent her wife’s body from slamming straight to the ground.

“I’ve got you….” But would that even be a comfort? Estela either didn’t recognise her, or was seeing her as a threat. Why? “What the hell…. What the actual hell….”

She gently eased her wife into the recovery position.

“That’s right,” Michelle praised, clearly pleased that the first-aid boot-camp she’d insisted upon had made at least some impact. “Airway clear.”

Taylor looked up, shaken. “She was absolutely terrified of me.”

Michelle frowned, and continued taking Estela’s vital signs. “Whatever this disease is they’ve all caught, there seems to be some kind of psychotic element. Paranoia… maybe even hallucinations. Hallucinations aren’t that uncommon with a fever, but all three of them as severe as this? It’s got to be something specific to La Huerta.”

“So we’re stuck until the healers can make it over here.”

It wasn’t an attack, but all Michelle felt was her own inadequacy.

“We’ll treat the symptoms, even if we don’t know the cause. But most importantly, we can’t let anyone become a danger to themselves or others.” She shuddered to think how bad a turn things could have taken had Estela not been so physically weakened. And the way Jake’s room had been trashed-- what if someone had been caught up in that rage?

Together, they moved Estela onto the bed, and to their relief, she stirred in just a few minutes. Afraid to cause distress, Taylor quickly backed away so that she was out of sight.

Estela looked up at the face that blurred before her. Michelle. She seemed… safe. “It’s not… her. Not Taylor.”

Michelle remained cool and level-headed. “Are you saying that wasn’t our Taylor?”

Feeling relief at being understood, Estela let herself give in to the tiredness, her grasp on Michelle’s hand slackening. She nodded-- and the simple movement made her vomit again.

“It’s okay,” Michelle said gently, as she cleaned up with the efficiency of someone who’d dealt with her fair share of such messes. “I’m going to find out what’s happened. You just rest up-- I need you to trust me to bring the real Taylor home safe and sound.”

Estela didn’t risk nodding again, but closed her eyes, giving in to total physical exhaustion. Apparently trusting of her friend, she allowed Michelle to give her ibuprofen. Within a few minutes more, she was sleeping, and Taylor cautiously sat down beside her.

Michelle met Taylor’s eye, and reached to grasp her hand. “We’ll fix this.”

Uncomfortable though Michelle was in leaving Taylor alone with Estela, she didn’t see much choice other than to leave as briefly as she could to get help. Someone could stay with Taylor and Estela, someone could stay with Sean, and then they’d put some kind of a plan in place to deal with whatever Jake was going through. After what she’d seen in Estela… Michelle was nervous. She walked briskly to the elevator, and hoped help would soon be arriving from Elyys’tel.

That their ragtag group was far too isolated from Vaanti society hadn’t been missed; efforts had already been made to begin a dirt track along the coast for ease of access, and a pair of electric-powered all-terrain-vehicles had been acquired during one of the group’s explorations of Rourke’s remaining facilities. In time, it would get easier to connect to those in Elyys’tel-- especially in emergencies-- but for now, it so often felt that they were alone.

Michelle came into the dining area to find a blindfolded Sean being guided across the room by Craig, who had an arm around his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” she demanded. “I thought I told you to wait for me in the infirmary ages ago!”

Sean snapped back at her, exasperated. “D’you think I haven’t tried? It’s like I can’t trust my own eyes-- if Craig hadn’t come back down for seconds, I’d be stuck.”

Michelle flushed. “I’m sorry. It’s just been a shitshow of a morning and….” And you always fight me? It wouldn’t exactly help. Instead, she came closer to look him over and gently probe. “You’re having hallucinations?”

“That’s what I’m here for!” Craig said. “Fighting off his imaginary sabre-tooths. And, you know, if he thinks the floor is literally made of lava again….”

Hands on her hips, Michelle nodded her appreciation to Craig. He would always have Sean’s back, no matter how stubborn he could be in accepting that support. When she spoke to Sean again, her tone was not so sharp.

“It could just be a symptom of your high fever, but this seems so intense, and it’s not just you, either. The ibuprofen should start to help soon; in the meantime, we’re getting you to infirmary and you need to rest. Please, Sean. I feel so over my head with this one.”

“I’ll bet,” he said, leaning against Craig and braving pulling the cloth up from his eyes for a few moments. He offered her a shaky smile. “I am relieved to see you. Losing faith in your own senses… it’s honestly terrifying.”

Michelle returned the smile and squeezed his arm, wishing her stomach didn’t flip-flop around him the way it did. Things had gotten so much better between them-- as friends they were close-- but heightened emotion always brought her back to defensive where Sean was concerned. The hurt just wasn’t done healing yet.

“I might get you to go with Raj instead, actually,” she said, and she put up a hand when Craig opened his mouth to argue. “I’m not sure what state Jake’s going to be in; it seemed as though Estela was having a full-blown psychotic break, so I wanna go into this with someone strong on my side. And I’ll need Zahra to open the door.”

Craig let out a long “Shiiii-iiiiit,” while Sean’s tired eyes filled with concern. “Is she safe? She’s not going to hurt herself?”

“Her physical symptoms are quite severe, but that means she’s at least not moving around and causing herself any harm. As soon as the others get back with help, I’ll have someone backing Taylor up.”

Shivering all over in spite of the fact that he was wearing nothing but a thin pair of shorts, Jake shuffled out the door of his suite. He’d heard voices from outside not too long ago. And voices over the hotel-wide speakers. But voices… he was hearing a lot of voices. Lundgren. Jeanine. Mike.

Can’t you give me some fucking peace?

Maybe he didn’t deserve peace.

Shifting shadows caught the corner of his eye. He never knew where to look; the movement, the telltale rippling of the air, it was there one second and gone the next.

No one could’ve survived that fall. And La-Huerta-raptor. Jeanine was dead and gone.

But where was the damn body?

He inched along the wall, though his legs could barely hold him up. With no drinks left in his room, he’d have to seek out something strong if he wanted to blot this out.

Was alcohol a wise solution to his splitting headache? Hell naw. But that wasn’t about to stop him trying.

“’f you’re gonna kill me, Jeanine, might as well come out and do it…,” he muttered, to no response. All in his head, or toying with him? Torturing him. Hell, she would get a perverse kick outta that.

He punched out at a wall and hollered. “What’re ya waitin’ for?”

Taylor stroked Estela’s dark hair. It was soft. She could run her fingers through it all day, quite honestly, and feel her beautiful wife, so staunch and strong, just melt into her. She placed a cool, damp flannel over Estela’s forehead.

It had been hard to let Michelle leave. Taylor didn’t know what she could do if Estela woke in distress… likely it would have been better if Michelle stayed and Taylor left, but she simply didn’t have it in her to walk away.

“I don’t know what dark place you’re in right now, but I’m with you.”

Whatever good that would do.

The door creaked. “Knock, knock?”

It was Diego, Varyyn right behind him.

“You can come in,” Taylor called. If they’d made it back from Elyys’tel, chances were that the group seeking out the healers would be with them. And answers, if they were lucky.

Varyyn strode forward, his amber eyes kind but serious. “Taylor, my people are familiar with this blight. I know you must be very afraid, but we have a very effective cure.”

Taylor exhaled with her whole body, almost slumping right over. “Oh, thank god!”

Tears sprang to her eyes, and she hastily wiped her nose. “I’m sorry. I think I pretty much blocked out how scared I’ve been. It feels like I’ve been holding my breath since I came up from breakfast and Estela was just about ready to pull a knife on me.”

With a wet croak, Estela rolled forward and retched, still unconscious. Taylor grabbed the bucket just in time.

“She’s not looking so good,” Diego said gently, and he sat on the edge of the bed, concern in his eyes. “I guess… at least she’s sleeping through it now.”

Taylor frowned. “She’d hate this. Being so vulnerable. Honestly, it makes me feel vulnerable… having her out of action. Jake and Sean too. You don’t realise how much security some people give until they can’t give it anymore.”

“You know,” Diego said, “Iris is gonna sound the alarm if anything dodgy comes anywhere near the resort. And I know we can’t all be Wonder Woman, but the rest of us have gotten pretty badass.”

“Yeah. I know that. This has all just shaken me-- the sooner the healers can at least start putting her right, the better.”

“They are going over everything with Michelle,” Varyyn said, “then, I suppose, they will come around to administer the medicine. If I remember correctly, it makes the patient very sleepy.”

“Taari actually had the same thing when I was, uh, a guest of her majesty. Poor little kid seemed like he was living a waking nightmare, but then whatever it was they gave him, it just… settled him. It was like he had a normal flu after that-- a bad flu-- but it was manageable. Within a few days, I never would have guessed he’d ever been sick.”

“We call it, in your tongue, ‘screaming fever’.”

“I guess that’s apt.”

“It is an affliction that comes from contact with the leaves of a poisonous plant. We are careful to remove this plant wherever we find it, but it persists, and children especially are at risk as they do not recognise it.”

“Children and humans….” Taylor sighed. They simply couldn’t keep up with everything La Huerta had to throw at them, even with the knowledge Varyyn shared. “But this won’t happen again. We need a crash course in dangerous plants-- edible ones too, while we’re at it. We’re too far away from Elyys’tel’s healers to not be prepared for things like this.”

Estela would be furious with herself for getting into this situation. But how could they know everything there was to know about all the hundreds of species on this island? It wasn’t anyone’s fault, it was just something they’d grow wiser around over time.

Taylor swallowed past a lump in her throat. “I’m still so worried about her. This might be something Vaanti understand, but for us, it’s new. And I know it’s serious, because Estela doesn’t show weakness, she just doesn’t.”

Diego shuffled closer and pulled his friend into a hug. “I know. There’s something so wrong about a weak Estela.”

“I know we’ve not even known each-other long, but I’ve never seen her physically vulnerable. Except… visions.”

“This isn’t like that, okay? This is just a blip.” He gave her a little nudge. “Like you said-- it hasn’t been long. You two were U-Hauling it before you even had a chance to experience one another puking your guts out.”

Taylor chuckled darkly. “I’ve never even known her with a sniffle. All we’ve been through, and the everyday stuff… you just don’t even think about it.”

Suddenly, Estela stirred, thrashing for a moment in her sleep before opening her eyes. She grasped the bedclothes with clenched fists.

Taylor froze, but her wife seemed to stare right past her.

“No… no…,” Estela muttered. Michelle had wanted to help, but there was no resting when that voice called to her… taunting.

‘Now that I’ve seen how well you turned out-- so strong in every sense-- can you imagine what could be achieved producing another natural heir with the Omega Specimen herself?’

Estela squalled, writhing as she tried to get up, to get to him, to rip his disgusting hide limb from limb. Something was holding her back-- what the hell? It was all out of focus, and then… Taylor. Not Taylor. The impostor had her… it had sold out Taylor-- her Taylor-- to Rourke.

Taylor would never have imagined the hatred she saw flaming in Estela’s eyes could be turned toward her, and for something burning so hot, it was like ice down her spine.

“It’s me--”

Nobody present had noticed the door swung open. In strode a tall and imposing Vaanti woman, her hair tied back in a tight bun, and clothed in brown garb. Michelle followed behind her. The Vaanti woman calmly approached, and without missing a beat, plunged a needle into Estela’s bicep.

“This will make her sleep.”

“Taylor, this is Ravyya. She’s head of the healers in Elyys’tel.”

 Ravyya turned to Taylor, expression sharp. “You are clearly making the patient’s fits worse. Leave the room until she is sleeping. We will not administer the antidote to wake her until the fever subsides.”

She was making it worse. And it hurt like hell. How could she be so selfish to risk getting Estela into this state again? Anyone else could have watched her instead….

Diego put an arm around Taylor, walking with her to the door. “Hey… Varyyn will stay with her. It’s going to be all right. I promise it’s going to be all right.”

And they walked away. Backs turned so as to not make things worse, but Taylor could hear Estela behind her, struggling. Fighting. The both of them-- well, all of them, really-- they were just along for the ride.

“La Huerta,” Taylor growled as she fought back tears, “is a fucking bitch.”

[wolfdude-8]

I plan on doing this for the entire series. So, if you wanna avoid spoilers, get the choices story app and play this (I'm not sponsored just really fixated on this particular story lol). To better keep track of this series, I'll put it under the tag: "endless summer in comic format (but I'm biased)".

I also have a little theme going on with the comic titles. Once I post more of them, maybe you'll be able to guess what it is 😉

[normal-thoughts-official]

Una probadita de tu conchita - Endless Summer fic

Three facts that are true: 1- In México, “concha” is a type of sweet bread covered in a crunchy topping, typically eaten during breakfast. 2- In Colombia, “concha” means pussy. 3- Varyyn is trying to learn Spanish. No problems whatsoever could arise from this.

Estela was a little jealous of how quickly the Vaanti learnt languages. It had only been a few months since Varyyn started learning Spanish and he could already communicate pretty well - sometimes the way he phrased things was a little awkward, but otherwise he had great grammar and perfect pronunciation. Estela was far from having any problems when it came to grasping other languages, but the remarkable ease the Vaanti as a species had was not something she thought any human could match.

It did work out in her favor, though. Because Varyyn was very eager to train Spanish as much as he could, and that meant that she got to speak Spanish when it was just the two or three of them, which was a relief.

Not that she struggled otherwise - her English was perfect, thank you very much. It was simply more comfortable that way. What did Diego tell her Varyyn had called it… “The language of his heart”. Speaking in Spanish made her settle into a conversation in the same way she settled into her own skin. It just felt right.

All of that is to say - even though they weren’t exactly close, she felt very at ease right then, talking to Varyyn in the kitchen as they prepared to make food for Diego. He had spent the week in California, visiting abuela Claudia and having some last-minute meetings that the editors insisted couldn’t be done remotely. He would be back in La Huerta in just a few hours, and Varyyn, the romantic that he was, wanted to welcome him with homemade food.

The problem, of course, was that Varyyn was not even particularly skilled at making Vaanti food, nevermind Mexican food. But since Estela was the only Catalyst at the island by then and she was well used to cooking for herself, she offered to help. Also, she had been to just about every country in Latin America, aiding in a revolution or another; she might not be an expert in Mexican cuisine, but she was probably the best help Varyyn could get.

(Well, except for Raj. And probably Milagros, who seemed to be able to draw infinite knowledge out of thin air. She still wondered how the hell Vaanu created him with the ability to drive a jet ski. But Milagros wasn’t there anymore and Raj was busy with his TV show, so Estela was the best realistic option.)

So in short - Estela was feeling very at ease, very confident in herself, peaceful even, maybe just a little sad, but mostly alright, when she calmly and unsuspectingly asked Varyyn what he was planning on making. A normal and predictable question that would, in an ideal world, lead to a normal and predictable conversation.

But there were few adjectives that applied less to La Huerta than “normal” and “predictable”, so naturally Varyyn responded by scratching his head and saying, “I was wondering if you knew how to make, ah…” he paused for a bit, as if trying to build the sentence in his head, “los Colombianos también tienen conchas?”

Do Colombian men also have pussies?

As Estela’s soul left her body, she contemplated her options. She would have been more than happy to stick with option one - set something on fire and stage an escape - but there was some merit to the idea that she could be mature and normal. She didn’t have many flammable items at her disposal, and it had been a pain for them to build this house for the Catalysts, anyway.

And anyway, apparently someone had to have this conversation with Varyyn, and better her than- actually, she couldn’t think of anyone worse to handle this conversation. Where was Michelle when you needed her? Estela was sure that she would have been able to handle this remarkably.

“No. I mean, yes. Well, some of them,” this was why she let Tío Nicolas handle the whole talking and motivating part of planning revolutions. “It’s not- okay, so did Diego explain to you what ‘trans’ and ‘cis’ mean?” Varyyn nodded, cocking his head curiously. “Okay, great. So, hm, there are trans and cis people all over the world, anywhere. It doesn’t really have anything to do with where they’re from. There are plenty of cis men in México, and plenty of trans men in Colombia. Diego just happens to be trans and Mexican.”

Varyyn looked at her in confusion. “And only trans men have conchas?” he asked, like he couldn’t wrap his head around the concept.

That… Was a question she didn’t see coming. What else did he think being trans was about? Maybe the Vaanti’s gender system has nothing to do with genitals. Maybe their genitals are completely different from those of a human. Maybe Estela doesn’t want to keep pursuing thoughts of Varyyn’s genitals. “Yes, only trans men.”

“I see,” Varyyn said, nodding thoughtfully. Estela was just about to pat herself in the back for how she handled this conversation. And then he added: “so you don’t have a concha, then?”

Why is this happening to me, Estela wondered. She didn’t believe in god or karma or anything like that, but she still believed that she never did anything so bad that she deserved this. Well, except for all the murder. But that was justified. If anything, surely she had already had her lifetime’s fill of psychological torture, what with her mother being killed and the entire summer of 2017. And yet, this was her terrible reality: standing there alone in a kitchen with Varyyn, being asked about her genitals, too shocked to do something like launch herself through the window and roll down the cliff and into the sea - anything but answering him.

“Uhm, that’s not- I mean, uh. Well I guess I, I do. I am a woman and… That is to say, cis women have them too,” she said, eloquently.

“You look red,” Varyyn noted.

“Yes. It’s the blood.”

Varyyn looked alarmed. “Blood? Where?”

“In my. Mind.” Estela shook her head. “Let’s start this over.”

“But you said there was blood!” Varyyn replies, frantically searching Estela for injuries.

“No. Well, I mean, yes. But that’s normal. We all have blood.”

Varyyn looked at Estela. Estela looked at Varyyn back. They both looked at each other.

“Anyway.” She continued, “I was just, uh, a little taken aback by your question. I mean, the Vaanti blush too, don’t they? Seraxa looked very purple during the whole ‘Grandma’ incident a while back. I thought she was on the verge of death or something, but then I remembered that red and blue equals purple,” she was kind of rambling by then, and suddenly she realized that she probably should change the topic of this conversation. “Anyway, we should get to baking. This is gonna take a few hours, and Diego is going to board the plane soon.”

As always, the mention of Diego successfully distracted Varyyn. “Yes. Of course,” he nodded.

For a few seconds, she thought there would be peace. She should’ve known that concept would remain as foreign as ever to her, because right after-

“Have you ever tried Diego’s concha?” Estela wondered if it was too late to convert back to Catholicism and ask god to come to her aid. Why did Varyyn keep coming back to this?

“I’m a lesbian,” she answered, because she really didn’t know how else to reply to this question.

Varyyn nodded, but he also frowned slightly. “I’m aware,” he replied, like that didn’t mean anything.

Estela just looked at him, stunned. Was Varyyn… Transphobic? That didn’t seem to make sense. She knew the Vaanti had a sex binary, of course, but they didn’t seem to particularly care about gender, and Diego had told her many times that it was a relief to see how no one cared about that. But maybe they didn’t care because they saw only sex. Maybe Varyyn still saw him differently.

“Diego is a man,” she said, her voice like steel.

“...Yes.” Varyyn was looking at her like she was fucking stupid, which was pretty unfair, considering he was the one who wasn’t making any sense.

“Lesbians… Are not attracted to men.”

“Diego has informed me of the human titles regarding one’s sexual preferences,” he even had the gall to act like he was confused.

“So why would you think I would do that?”

“Why wouldn’t you?” he shrugged, “Diego’s concha is delicious.”

I am dead and this is hell, she thought. That wasn’t true, of course. She wished she was dead. She wished for many things. She wished she had never learnt the Spanish language. A lifetime of cultural displacement would have been worth it if she didn’t get to experience this. She wished it was socially acceptable to shove her head into the sand to avoid awkward conversations. Actually, thinking about it, she didn’t really know how the Vaanti would see that. Maybe they would be perfectly fine with it. Maybe it was time someone put that to the test.

“You look troubled,” Varyyn observed.

God. How could she even begin to explain this to him? “We just, hm, don’t really talk about stuff like this,” she replied, rubbing the back of her neck, “it’s taboo. You know what taboo means, right?” Estela waited until Varyyn nodded. “Right. So it’s best if you don’t go around telling anyone about conchas, or-” she suddenly realized that she really didn’t want to say ‘verga’ to Varyyn, or in front of Varyyn, or within a hundred mile radius of Varyyn, or possibly to anyone ever, “-anything like that.”

Varyyn's eyes looked very wide. “Oh, really?” He said, his voice a bit too awed and vulnerable for this conversation, “I had no idea. It was the first thing Diego showed me.”

Slutshaming is bad, Estela reminded herself, but she really couldn't help but wonder how Diego managed to meet Varyyn pussy first. His clothes were a little torn when they rescued him but it was nothing that bad. Then again, she wasn't exactly checking for crotch tears.

“How taboo is it? You seem like close friends, so is that… Family only?”

She would assume he was doing this on purpose if it weren't for the absolutely wondrous look on his face. “Uh, you probably won't want to show that to your family either. It's more of an intimate partners thing,” seriously, did the Vaanti just show their junk to anybody? Estela thought she would have probably noticed that. Then again, Diego had a 6 months headstart to take the brunt of the cultural shock. Did he get them to cover their stuff before the rest of them were back? Because if so, Estela had a lot to thank him for. Maybe he would appreciate a fruit basket.

“Truly? Did he… Did he really trust me that much, even back then?”

The look on his face was so awed and sweet, Estela even felt her embarrassment ebbing away. As much as she didn't want to know the details of their sex life, the way this obviously meant a lot to Varyyn tugged at her heartstrings. Cultural shock could be awful sometimes, but the two of them always made it look wonderful.

“Well, I can't really speak for the circumstances, but- yes, I do think so. Especially considering that he's trans.”

Varyyn nodded. “If this is a sign of intimacy, I should see to getting Diego some as soon as possible.”

Why

was this happening to her?

“It's not��� I mean, I don't think it's about the concha itself. More… The act,” she was pretty sure she'd never been this red before, “that is to say, I'm sure what you've been giving Diego is just as good.”

Varyyn cocked his head curiously, so, in a desperate attempt to avoid further questions, she made a vague gesture towards him that she hoped would convey that dicks were not lesser lovemaking appendages or… Something. Varyyn frowned, then turned towards the counter behind him, still full of ingredients, and she supposed that was at least enough to distract him, because he looked even more concentrated on finishing Diego's meal. He nodded.

“Well, I can see this subject is bothering you, so we shall speak of it no further,” suddenly, Estela understood, clear as day, why Diego fell in love with this man so fast. “Let's focus on what you're comfortable with instead. What kind of desserts do you usually make in Colombia?”

Bit of a non-sequitur, but okay. Desserts were fine, desserts were safe. Estela could work with that. Desserts certainly couldn’t lead to that kind of awkward conversation.

“Well, there’s a lot. Dulce de brevas, postre de natas, flan de coco, enyucada…” Varyyn nodded politely, but he kept glancing at the table, and suddenly she understood. “But I don’t think those will be very familiar to Diego. I was thinking we could make churros.” Not exactly Mexican per se, but popular enough in… All of Latin America, really, that she knew how to make them.

Besides, she was pretty sure Varyyn could give him raw rice and Diego would still be grateful. Emotional even. He was a big fan of single tears running down cheeks and stuff.

So she showed him the steps, and he only mildly fucked it up (a good portion of the first batch was nearly lost because he gripped the piping bag like he was trying to strangle a tiger), and they continued working on Diego’s meal - chilaquiles with frijoles refritos and huevo estallado, nothing fancy but good and simple enough that they have time to fix any mistakes they (Varyyn) might make.

It actually went smoothly.

Until Diego arrived.

Varyyn immediately dropped the last churro into the hot oil, nearly hitting Estela with the skin-melting droplets, and dashed towards the cabin door. “Diego!” he exclaimed in joy, as if he thought he was dead, or something.

Diego laughed. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of reuniting with you.”

“Mhm,” Varyyn replied, sounding suspiciously like he had his face buried in Diego’s hair, “your editor meetings are very long.”

“You have no idea,” Diego sighed, finally making his way inside, before a wooshing sound made him yelp. “Oh, you really missed me, huh?”

“It’s not that. Although I did,” Estela could practically hear his smile, “it’s just, I was talking to Estela…”

“Estela?”

She emerged and waved. She did pride herself on her good entrance timing, and the churro had already been removed from the frying oil. “Hey, Guito.”

“Ohh, is that why it smells like food in here?” He grinned. “You know, as opposed to burning charcoal?”

Varyyn smiled slyly. “Estela has been a great help.” Then his face suddenly turned serious, “but that’s not what I wanted to say. Estela told me that conchas were something you only share with an intimate partner. I just… Thank you, Diego, for trusting me so much.” He sounded way too emotional for such a… Well, she'd have to think of qualifiers later, conversation.

Diego flushed in a way that would make Estela feel vindicated if he didn't look so pleased. “I mean… I never really thought of it that way. Is it for weddings in Colombia?”

Was Diego asking her if Colombians save themselves for after marriage? Did he think they were in the Middle Ages or something? “We're notthat old fashioned, Diego, Jesus.”

“Woah, okay, didn't think this was a sore spot,” he said, raising both hands as if Estela was about to put him in a headlock. “It's just not really like that in México? It's pretty casual. A breakfast thing, mostly.”

“A… Breakfast thing?” What in the actual hell was this conversation? Were Mexicans partial to morning sex? And if so, why must she learn about it?

“Yes?” Diego looked puzzled. “Why do you look so shocked? When exactly do Colombians eat conchas?”

“That's- we don't have a set time for it!” God, please, if you're real, smite me now.

God, once again, proved to not be real. “Alright then. Guess I'll avoid serving you conchas in the near future, just to be sure.”

Estela truly prayed that “serving conchas” meant the same thing in México that it did in English, because if not, then what the hell?

Actually, even in that context, what the hell?

“What the hell?”

“What?” Diego asked, looking like he was the one having a conversation that’s completely insane.

“I just, why is everyone so sure that I'd like to eat your-” God, she could feel the red crawling up her face, “just, yours, of all people?”

“Well, now I can't help but be offended. What's wrong with my-”

“Nothing! I mean, I wouldn't know! I don't want to know! You're handfasted to Varyyn anyway, why would you want me to eat your-”

“Again, it's seriously not that big of a deal for us. You can let anyone have your conchas, it's fine-”

“Diego, my love, I feel you're being culturally insensitive. This is clearly important to Colombians, maybe we should just let her be. More for us, anyway. And your other friends, if they're alright with that.”

What. “Are you guys looking for… Threesome partners?” Her voice sounded a bit squeaky.

“No?”

“What's a threesome?”, asked Varyyn.

“Don't worry about it,” the two of them said in worryingly perfect sync.

“Weird thing to proposition out of nowhere, Estela, Jesus. Like, no offense, but we're happy together. Also, I thought you were a lesbian?”

Estela endured years of training to withstand the worst kinds of conditions, which was the only thing keeping her from falling to her knees in agony. “That's what I've been saying!”

“Okay, I can't help but feel like we're having wildly different conversations. What's the deal with conchas in Colombia?”

“There’s no deal-”

“Then why are you being so weird about sweet bread?”

“What?”

“What?”

They stared at each other.

“I believe we are all lost,” Varyyn said solemnly.

“You know, conchas? Sweet bread with crunchy toppings, usually shaped like shells?”

“...Oh,” Estela said, feeling this moment brand itself into her brain to be revisited every time she tried to sleep for the next thousand years. “Oh, god,” she said, crouching and hugging her knees. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or mortified. Varyyn and Diego weren’t asking her to have oral sex with him in the middle of the kitchen. They wanted to make sweet bread.

They were talking about pastries the whole time.

She buried her face in her knees and willed La Huerta to regain its time-messing properties to propel her to the past and keep this from ever happening, but the universe, as ever, didn’t listen. No gods, energies, or saints had ever come to her aid. She had nothing in this world but herself, and it was up to her to deal with this situation.

“Pussy,” she said, miserable.

“...What?” Diego looked like he was going insane.

“Concha,” she said, in English, gritting her teeth and willing herself to withstand the agonizing embarrassment, “means pussy. In Colombia.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Estela agreed.

“Oh, god.”

“Yeah,” Estela agreed.

Diego also slid into the floor and buried his face in his knees. Faint groaning could be heard from his general direction.

“So when Varyyn said he had my concha, you thought he meant-”

“Yeah.”

“And when I said you should try mine, you thought I meant-”

“Yeah.”

“And when-”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, my god.”

“I believe I’m still lost,” Varyyn said. “What’s a pussy?”

“Varyyn, no,” Diego exclaimed, making exact the same face he did when they found Varyyn in the Observatory, “it’s not too late for you. Save yourself.”

“Vagina,” Estela said immediately afterwards. “Pussy is a crass word for vagina.”

“Oh,” Varyyn said, suddenly turning purple. “Oh.”

“Oh,” Diego agreed.

“Oh,” Estela groaned.

They contemplated the truth of those words, each from their spot on the floor.

*

Varyyn eventually cleared his throat. “So, to be clear, there is nothing special about baking someone conchas? You were talking about making love?”

“Try to look less upset, we're literally married.”

“I was feeling very special,” Varyyn smirked.

“Yeah, I bet you were.”

Estela groaned, mostly to remind them that she was still there. The last thing she needed was to end up… witnessing… something again.

*

The world keeps spinning and waits for no one, and humans (and Vaanti) need to eat. So after making the two of them promise to not tell this to anyone else and double checking that Varyyn was not crossing his fingers, they marched to the table like warriors, intent on finishing the day on a positive note.

Estela was surprised to find that the conversation moved smoothly, mostly thanks to Diego’s unwavering talent at running his mouth, and Varyyn’s appreciation of it. As frustrating as editors' meetings were, he was very proud of his book, and the fact that he already knew it would be a bestseller didn’t hurt either. Estela wasn’t exactly familiarized with most of the media he talked about, but when he talked about it, she suddenly understood how magic stories could be. His excitement was contagious, his insights were unique, and the stories filled the room like they once filled his ever-so-lonely heart.

All of that is to say, Estela was feeling fine, recovered even, maybe still a little embarrassed, but mostly alright, when-

“Wait,” Varyyn said. “When you said that what I was giving Diego was just as good, you meant-”

Estela screamed.

[choicesficwriterscreations]

Endless Summer Masterlist 2024

✒️= Fanfic | 📱= Text Fics/Edits | 🎨 = Fanart Ⓜ️ = Mature Content 18+ | 🔥 = Explicit/NSFW 18+ 🏳️‍🌈 = LGBTQIA

July 2024

in The End 🎨🏳‍🌈 | Estela Montoya x F!MC - @marmolady

April 2024

Quinn Kelly 🎨by @ladylucitor

March 2024

Grandchildren: Beatriz ✒️🎨🏳️‍🌈| Estela Montoya x F!MC - @marmolady

Never Had a Friend Like Me: Part 1 ✒️ | Diego Soto & MC - @marmolady

February 2024

Estela Montoya x F!MC Fanart 🎨🏳️‍🌈by @marmolady

January 2024

Grandchildren: Leonel 🎨🏳️‍🌈| Estela Montoya x MC - @marmolady

[trans-medbiz]

“nostrils quivering”が、「鼻がむずむずします」では決定的にまずい訳（やく、わけ）

アメリカの作家Gary Sotoが書いたThe Pool Partyという児童文学作品の冒頭部分を課題とした訳例と講評を拝読しました。講師はある児童文芸翻訳家で、対象読者は小学校中学年以上ということです。

翻訳として２箇所どうしても気になるところがあったので（下記の4.と5.）、それ以外の蛇足も含め、それぞれ英日併記し感想を記します。

(1) Rudy was in the kitchen slapping together a sandwich for his sister, Estela. ルーディは台所でねえさんのエステラ用のサンドイッチに手早く具をはさんでいました。

この和訳では、「の」が連続していて「ねえさん」と「エステラ」（初出）との関係がわかりにくいと思います。読者には「エステラ用」という言い回しが、あたかも「ピックニック用」とか、「エステ用」とか何かの目的を指しているようにも読めてしまいそうです。 また、「slapping together」は、子どもが適当に（おぼつかない手つきで？）調理している様子を描写しているのでしょう。「具をはさむ」などと言わなくても、「こしらえる、用意する」あたりで足りるくらいのさらっと流した表現と思われます（「fixing」などと言い換えられるかもしれません）。何か挟まないサンドイッチはありませんし。

(2) She had promised to do more yard work if he sneaked into the house to make a sandwich. 家にこっそりはいってサンドイッチを作ったら、庭仕事を多めにやってもいいというのです。

この和訳だけ読んだら、すべてが「ねえさん」の行動のようにも読めますが、原文は「do more yard work (for him) if he…」という趣旨のはずです。日本語は主語がなくても成立しますが、動作主を暗示できる「家にこっそりはいってサンドイッチを作ってくれたら、庭仕事を多めにやってあげてもいい」としたほうが子供向けには親切かもしれません。

(3) The bologna looked like a tongue wagging at him. ボローニャ・ソーセージがまるで自分にむかって舌をつきだしているようでした。

「舌をつきだしている」は、「舌をだしている」「あっかんべーをしている」あたりでもよさそうです。ところが、応募和訳例への講評は以下のようになっています。

「ソーセージそのものが揺れているような、生きものっぽい訳語も、ちょっと気味が悪いです。「あっかんべー」・・・なども、わかりやすいとは思いますが、ちょっとくだけすぎで、必要ないように感じました。」 読み方、感じ方は人によって千差万別なので、どうこう言えませんが、講評でダメ出しされた表現については、むしろ原作者はそれに近い効果を内心狙っていたのではと思ってしまいます。 個人的には、ソーセージの切れ端が舌のようにぶら下がって（揺れて）いるという描写は、少しも場違いとか気味悪いとは感じません。むしろ、うまい、はまっていると思うのですが。 ここは、ストーンズの例の舌のロゴのような状態を指しているのでしょう。このロゴとかタクシーに乗ったアインシュタインがしつこいカメラマンに向けたあの有名な写真の表情を日本語で描写しようとすれば、真っ先に「あっかんべー」が思い浮かぶのではないでしょうか。英語圏でも似たようなものはあるはずですが、「あっかんべー」でさえ、児童文学では（でも）「くだけすぎ」なんでしょうか。

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー(4) His heart pounded, not from fear but from the giddiness of sneaking around behind his mother’s back. 胸がばくばくします。といっても、母さんにかくれてこそこそして、しかられるのがこわいというより、気が高ぶったからです。

さて、今回のハイライト１です。どう読めばこんなテキトー訳ができるのでしょうか。どのような根拠に基づいているのでしょうか。 この文のカンマ以降の構造は、言うのも恥ずかしいくらいですが、「not from」と「but from」が対比されており、それぞれの中身は完全に独立しています。中身が両者を行き来する用例は見た記憶がありません。中身を共有したければ、別の構文にしたうえ、一般的には前者に説明の語句が付き、後者には（指示）代名詞などを用いるはずです。適当にごちゃまぜにしてトンデモ訳をでっちあげては翻訳学習者が混乱します。第一、ご自身で説明できないでしょう。 この訳例によれば、「気が高ぶった」理由が説明されていません。一見、「こわい」理由と同じようにも思えますが、そういう訳出にはなっていないのが問題なのです。 言うまでもなく原文は全く逆です。「気が高ぶった」理由が、「母さんにかくれてこそこそして」であり、「fear」の理由はどこにも説明されていません。「庭仕事をさぼっている」こと、「一人で勝手な行動をしている」ことなどかもしれませんが（上記1.と2.参照）、原作者は説明する必要なしと思ったのでしょう。子どもでもわかる心理状態ですし、焦点はあくまでも「but from…」の方にあるからです。したがって、読む楽しみを奪う「しかられる」はおせっかい訳ですね。

(5) He sniffed the envelope, nostrils quivering. ふうとうのにおいをかぐと、鼻がむずむずします。

本課題のハイライト２です。この「におい」とは、手紙に振りかけられていた香水です（下記7.参照）。主人公は匂い過敏症などではなく、強烈な異臭や劇薬を嗅いだわけでもありません。この部分の講評は以下のようになっています。

『「鼻をひくひくさせて、封筒のにおいをかいでみた」だと、なんで最初から鼻がひくひくしているのか不思議です。・・・行動の順序を理解して訳文にちゃんと反映できるようにしたいです。』 私はこの訳例と講評を読んでを読んで呆気にとられ、唖然としました。いかなる状況でもこんな訳が成立するはずがありません。ダメ出しされている応募者の「鼻をひくひくさせて、封筒のにおいをかいでみた」のほうが原文に近いですし、講師の訳例よりはるかにまともです。

むしろ、「なんで最初から鼻がひくひくしているのか不思議」という疑問こそ不思議でなりません。何か匂いがすれば、思わず知らず何の匂いか確かめようとするものです。散歩していたら「何か匂ってきた、シチューかな」とか、「このみかん古くなってないかな、クンクン」とか・・・。匂いを確認しようとするときの、ほとんど反射的なしぐさを描写しているにすぎません。うちの犬は臭いがかすかなときほどしきりにクンクンしますが、この人の鼻は強烈な臭いを嗅いで顔をしかめたり、のけぞったりするような生理的反応としてしか動かないのでしょうか。 講師は、この文の構造をどのように解析されたのでしょうか。訳例を読む限り、「匂いを嗅いだ結果、鼻がむずむずした」という因果関係、時系列（ご本人のいう「行動の順序」）と解釈されているようです。だから「なんで最初から鼻がひくひくしているのか」とトンチンカンな疑問を呈されているのでしょう。

この文の前半と後半は、原因と結果ではなく、同時進行（付帯状況）であることは明らかです。このような付帯状況の構文に出会われたご経験がなかったのでしょうか。かりに、原文が、本来というかフォーマルな形である「He sniffed the envelope, with his nostrils quivering.」だったら一体どう訳されるのか知りたいものです。 この分野ではベテランとして何冊も訳書を出して、多くの後輩に翻訳を教えていらっしゃる翻訳家のようですが・・・（この方による他の課題も複数拝見しましたが、講評の言葉遣いが訳文同様そこそこ微妙かなという印象）。

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

(6) It smelled like the stuff his mother would dab on her wrists on those evenings she went dancing with his father. 母さんが父さんとおどりにでかける夜に、手首にふりかけるような香りがしました。

どんな部位であれ液体、気体の形ではなく、「香り」自���（微粒子？）を直接「ふりかける」のは困難でしょう。単純に「the stuff」を見落とされたのでしょうか。「ふりかけるもの（香水）のような」あたりが無難かもしれません。

(7) Rudy ran out the back door with the sandwich and the invitation, which trailed a sweet scent of perfume. ルーディはサンドイッチと手紙をもって裏口からそとにでました。甘い香りがいとをひくようにつづいてきます。

今回の課題文から引用した７つの文の中では、この文はそれほど大きな問題ではないかもしれません。ただ、運悪くこのとき、ルーディは匂いがす��ものを２つ持っていました。２文に切るにしても、１文のままにするにしても、「甘い香り」がしていたのは「手紙」ですから、原文の関係代名詞を反映できる訳文、語順にしたかったところです。 本題に関係ありませんが、ひらがなが多いと読みにくいですね。この文では使い分けの基準もよくわかりかねます。小学校3〜４年生以上が対象なら、もっと漢字を使うべきではと思っていまいました。

[condadodecastilla]

Emiliano en Amaya y otros estudios de Historia y Arqueoetnografía de Cantabria - Libro

Recopilación de nueve estudios de Arqueoetnografía e historia de Cantabria que han sido publicados en diversas revistas especializadas. Entre ellos, destacan los relativos al espacio de la “Cantabria histórica del sur” y los capítulos “acerca de una estela perteneciente a la necrópolis altomedieval de San Miguel en Soto de Campoo, el relativo a la misión desarrollada en Amaya por Emiliano o San…

[frontproofmedia]

Boxlab Promotions to host WBA KO Drugs card December 8

Orlando, FL (November 27, 2023) Boxlab Promotions is proud to announce they will host the World Boxing Association (WBA) KO Drugs fight card on Friday, December 8, at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, FL. The card will air live on DAZN at 7:30 PM ET.

The KO Drugs fight card precedes the 2023 WBA Convention, which takes place December 11-15 at the Caribe Royale Resort. The 2022 WBA Convention was also held at the Caribe.

“The WBA is honored to return to our home, the Caribe Royale Resort,” said WBA President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza. “We are confident that our 2023 convention will be even better than last year’s. Prior to this great event, we had a spectacular KO Drugs fight card. That is the hallmark of Boxlab Promotions.”

Tickets starting at $40 are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com under WBA KO Drugs. Doors open at 5:30 pm, and the first fight begins at 6.

The KO Drugs fight card features multiple WBA regional title bouts.

Headlining this exciting evening of boxing is an intriguing ten-round contest for the WBA Fedelatin lightweight title between Idalberto Umara and Fradimil Macayo.

Fighting out of Miami, FL by way of Cuba, Umara’s 11-1 with 8 KO’s. On July 28th, Umara scored a vicious one-punch knockout over former Olympian William Encarnacion in the second round. The knockout, which came via uppercut, is among boxing’s best in 2023.

Representing his native Venezuela, Macayo’s outstanding professional record is 16-1 with 13 KO’s. In his most recent bout, Macayo defeated previously unbeaten Armando Ramirez Almanza via unanimous decision. He also holds amateur victories over 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Robson Conceicao and 2012 Olympian Wellington Romero.

Blue-chip prospect Kevin Hayler Brown challenges Marcos “El Tigre” Jimenez for the WBA Continental Americas junior welterweight championship. Originally from Cuba, Brown lives and trains out of Las Vegas, Nevada, under Trainer Ismael Salas. On May 26, Brown, 3-0 (2 KO’s), won a hard-fought ten round unanimous decision over Julian Smith.

Representing Higuey, Dominican Republic, Jimenez is 25-10 with 17 wins by KO. Jimenez battled several contenders and world champions, including Diego Magdaleno, Carlos Molina, Anthony Peterson, Jose Felix, Ryan Martin, and Ladarius Miller.

Orlando native Jeovanny “El Rayo” Estela looks to keep his perfect record intact when he meets Mexican knockout artist Juan Egana Elizalde. Estela, 13-0 (4 KO’s), scored a first-round stoppage of Luis Caraballo Ramos in September. The 23-year-old has a large following in Central Florida and has improved each time out. At 11-2 with all his wins coming by knockout, Elizalde’s won eight straight fights.

In a battle of unbeatens, 2020 Dominican Olympian Euri Cedeno, 6-0-1 (6 KOs) challenges Cuba’s Yoanki “Diamante” Urrutia, 13-0 (5 KOs). This highly-touted middleweight contest is scheduled for eight rounds.

Women’s standout Jasmine Artiga, 11-0-1 (5 KO’s), vies for the WBA Continental Americas Super Flyweight title. The Tampa, FL native faces an opponent to be named in a ten-round contest.

In an eight-round super bantamweight bout, Mexico’s Israel Rodriguez Picazo, 20-5 (19 KO’s), challenges Wilner Soto, 23-13 (12 KO’s) of Colombia.

Junior welterweight Aaron Aponte, 7-1-1 (6 KOs) of Hialeah, FL, squares off with Mexico native Roberto Almazan Monreal, 11-21 (4 KOs) in a six-rounder.

Undefeated Orlando native Jean Guerra Vargas puts his 6-0 record on the line when he takes on Colorado Springs, CO’s Pedro Hernandez, 7-15-1 (2 KO’s) in a four-round contest.

International standouts Abass Baraou, 13-1 (9 KO’s) of Berlin, Germany, and Nigeria’s Opeyemi Adeyemi, 9-0-1 (7 KO's), face opponents to be named.

“The entire team at Caribe Royale is proud to once again serve as the host for the WBA Convention,” said Amaury Piedra. “It’s great to have all the international visitors and boxing legends returning to Orlando. This event helps showcase the area and will bring a strong viewing audience via our broadcast partner, DAZN.”

Located just minutes from the Walt Disney World® Resort in the nation’s number one convention and tourist destination, Caribe Royale Orlando is the only AAA Four Diamond all-suite meetings resort in Orlando. A TripAdvisor 2022 Travelers’ Choice Award winner—among just 10 percent of hotels worldwide to receive the distinction—the upscale Caribe Royale Orlando is emerging from a $127 million renovation that includes fully remodeling all of its one-bedroom suites, an all-new 50,000-square-foot grand ballroom (bringing the total meeting space to 220,000 square feet), and an inviting new lobby. To learn more or to book a visit, event, or meeting, visit www.cariberoyale.com. Follow the all-suite convention hotel

[gonzalo-obes]

IMAGENES Y DATOS INTERESANTES DEL DIA 30 DE MAYO DE 2023

Día Mundial de la Esclerosis Múltiple, Día Internacional del Síndrome Prader Willi, Semana Internacional de solidaridad con los pueblos de los territorios no autónomos, Semana Europea Contra el Cáncer, Año Internacional del Mijo y Año Internacional del Diálogo como Garantía de Paz.

Santa Emelia, Santa Juana, Santa Lorena, San Fernando, Santa Estela y Santa Juana de Arco.

Tal día como hoy en el año 1516: Carlos I es nombrado heredero del trono de España, en Aragón, tras la muerte de su abuelo Fernando el Católico.

En 1539: El conquistador y explorador español Hernando de Soto desembarca en la bahía de Tampa (Florida, actual Estados Unidos) con 600 soldados para emprender la búsqueda de oro.

En 1925: El ingeniero Dick Drew, que trabajaba en la empresa 3M (Estados Unidos) patenta la cinta adhesiva transparente, más conocida como cinta scotch.

En 1967: El territorio al sudeste de Nigeria se declara independiente como la República de Biafra. La guerra que provocará con Nigeria supondrá que mueran más de un millón de personas de hambre en los sucesivos años.

En 1971: La NASA lanza la sonda espacial Mariner 9 para la exploración de Marte. Siendo la primera en dejar en órbita una sonda alrededor de un planeta.

En 1992: La ONU decreta un embargo total contra Serbia y Montenegro.

En 1998: Ocurre un terremoto de magnitud 6,6 en el norte de Afganistán, causando la muerte a más de 5.000 personas.

En 2018: Ocurre la Masacre del Día de las Madres, en el que manifestantes contra el gobierno de Daniel Ortega, en varias ciudades de Nicaragua son repelidos mediante disparos. murieron 19 personas y más de otras cien resultaron heridas.

[norringtondeservestheworld]

It’s been 4 years and I still miss them.

[playchoicesconfessions]

Sent by @salex93

'Why can't we get another sequel for endless summer'

POSTS/CONFESSIONS DO NOT REFLECT MOD'S PERSONAL OPINIONS!

[mysteli]

ENDLESS SUMMER CONCEPT BOOK SNIPPET 2

Here's another snippet for the book I'm writing. This is a draft of the opening. It's nowhere near finished but I wanted to share what I wrote. Feel free to provide some feedback about the description given here. It's a scene containing Lo's (MC) first vision. All the characters are here for now but it may not stay that way and I will be sharing more of these <3

FIRST VISION

Everything was silent. Unusually silent. Lo couldn’t even hear the whistles in the wind or her footsteps on the path. A path her body was forcing her to follow, while her mind seemed ready to escape. It was as though time had stopped all around her, as she was nearing a destination. No movements in the typically tantalising trees. No sign of wildlife; instead, everything was hibernating. 

  An unfamiliar kind of night had dawned. In fact, it was an entire universe. As Lo peered upwards, stars hadn’t left any part of the sky untouched. Sprinkled everywhere, as a fluorescent full moon stood proudly centred in the midst of it all. She had never seen a sky so full, never in the city. Despite everything else being frozen, the night still carried its character.

  Peace may have been exerting from the space above her but an eeriness creeped up her spine, as she continued to wander towards something unknown. In front of her looked like nothing. The frightening part was it being nothing. Whatever had warped her here wasn’t prepared to give her any answers. Even as she closed the distance between her and the darkness, it was still as pitch-black as the sky back home. In reality, she wanted to stop but her body wouldn’t allow her to. 

  Finally, Lo reached the dust. At this point, her mind was enraged, fighting to get away from whatever lurked beyond. Again, her body ignored it all and dragged her into the gloom. For a couple seconds, there was nothing - not even a sign that she was still moving. Then the mist cleared and Lo could feel her feet on the ground again. Her mind had paused its bitterness, going into complete shutdown.

  As her vision focused, she found herself in a foggy forest, an ominous air surrounding her. For the first time, control of her body returned to her consciousness but it was done commanding her to run. Curiosity had already taken over at this point, and was in full effect. Before her stood 11 graves, memorialised with handmade wooden crosses and engraved with names she mostly recognised. All were completed with what appeared to be freshly dug holes and all but one was empty. With a lost expression, she analysed each and every one.

  Quinn Kelly. Estela Montoya. Sean Gayle. Grace Hall. Aleister Reed. Michelle Nguyen. Raj Bhandarkar. Diego Soto. Craig Hsiao. Zahra Namazi. 

  All of these names, Lo recognised. Seeing all of her old friends’ fates laid out like they were nothing but cattle waiting to be slaughtered. Then, her eyes scanned the final grave, the only one with a fate already sealed. Jake Mckenzie, it read. Despite this being a name she was unfamiliar with, tears threatened to pour just from the sight of this particular resting place. Defeated, she hung her head, an urge to mourn welling up within her. Then, she noticed something that definitely wasn’t there before, even when she was wandering.

  Dog tags clung to her thin neck, swaying despite time still feeling stuck. Overcome by a breakdown, Lo grabbed hold of them, desperate to understand the meaning of them. Releasing a sharp exhale, she lifted her head and all her tears had suddenly dried. One last look at the sky revealed that one specific constellation was outshining all the others. 

  Andromeda.

[marmolady]

Never Had A Friend Like Me: Part One

Hey, @mauvecatfic... some Diego for you!

Summary: Endless Ending timeline. Elderly Diego and Taylor reflect on a lifelong friendship. Part one of two.

Word Count: 3741

Tagging: @saivilo, @edgydepressedchoicesthot, @sceptilemasterr, ​@mauvecatfic @rhemenway888

Thanks for reading!

__________________________

La Huerta, 2090

“Hey--” Taylor said as she settled down amongst the soft cushions of her favourite chair, knowing full well she’d be needing to call in assistance when the time came to haul her old body up from them, “I came up with the perfect idea for our next marathon.”

“’Marathon’? Between the two of us, we’re lucky to get through one movie without someone dozing off.” Diego grinned at his friend. His best friend of seventy years.

“That’s what makes it a marathon, because it takes so damn long. We take our time, savouring the laughs, the tears, and appreciating the artform.” A glass of wine, some cheeses, to break it up. And the two of them would reminisce, and Diego would point out his favourites of the crew’s filmmaking choices… or those that were notably bad.

“How about ‘the Zac Efron trifecta’?” Taylor suggested, showing her age. “High School Musical, followed by Hairspray, followed by The Greatest Showman.”

“Let’s just see if we can get through ‘Julie Andrews Fest’ first, okay?”

They did this fairly often. Just chilling out to the tune of films meeting their assigned theme. At the age they were, ‘just chilling out’ was pretty much requisite. Taylor’s arthritis had worsened considerably in the last year, and Diego’s respiratory issues were easily triggered by any amount of exertion. They were reasonably healthy nonogenerians… but they were nonogenerians.

You got to an age where you didn’t know when your best-friend-movie-weekend would be your last one. Naturally, a lot of the choices were deeply nostalgic old comforts. Created from nothing into a white American woman with a built-in noughties childhood and adolescence, the lyrics to all the songs in High School Musical-- and some of the dance routines too-- were something innate to Taylor. She’d been born with it. Later, she’d discovered that Quinn had been obsessed with the series as a kid and had found it a comfort as she shared it with her mom during long months housebound. When Vaanu was piecing together what ‘human’ looked like, something from Quinn’s consciousness must have been picked up. So many of those little things made up Taylor, and now that so many of her friends had passed on, they meant all the more.

There weren’t many of them left now. Quinn, who’d fought so valiantly to even survive adolescence, was still hanging on, the youngest of the group at coming up to ninety-four. Estela was still there, rather more mobile than the others, but then she was stubborn, gritting her teeth through the aches and pains and soldiering on. Aleister was… struggling. Taking one day at a time since the loss of his beloved Grace some months before. But he got up in the morning, and found his inner strength when needed to chide his sister for being a pig-headed idiot pushing her shrinking limits too far. Zahra had long been a respected figure among the Vaanti, and she was still the go-to person for technological know-how, even though anyone seeking her help was advised to do so only with an armoured layer of thick skin. She did ‘cantankerous and acerbic old woman’ to perfection, and her mind remained just as sharp as her tongue.

Taylor leaned back in her chair, feet up on an ottoman and wearing a well-worn pair of slippers.

“We’re going to have to become more selective,” she admitted. “And I know we traditionally do movies, but one last Doctor Who binge?”

Everything was getting to be ‘the last time’. Diego had put off their re-watch of The Lord of the Rings trilogy time and time again for that very reason; saying goodbye needed to be given the weight it deserved. Soon, he’d brave it, but for that one, Varyyn would need to join them.

“You couldn’t have picked a longer running series, Tay?” Diego teased. “We’ve got decades of life left in us to watch this stuff, you know….”

“Oh, ha-ha. You know I’m a David Tennant era girl. The rest I’ll take or leave. Like I said, we should be selective.”

Diego grunted a chuckle, and readied the next movie in their Julie-Andrews-a-thon, The Sound of Music, pausing before pressing ‘play’.

“Hey, I said ‘selective’, not that we couldn’t watch this-- you know I love--”

“Yeah, but think of the big old family sing-along we could make out of this,” he said, eyes twinkling. “We could even drag Zahra up here, keep her heckling muscles strong.”

Taylor’s grin broadened. Her family and Diego’s family were one and the same. Liv and her spouse, Jeimy, had lived on La Huerta a few years now-- and Rosa had lived there for a few decades. Their family was human, and Vaanti, with grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and nephews and nieces, and in-laws. It was their weird little family they’d made at the end of the world, and then everything that had grown from there.

“All right, I’ll share my bestie… this time. But we’re telling the hordes to bring their own snacks.”

“You’re on.”

They waited together in companiable quiet for the others to arrive. Taylor found herself studying the peaceful profile of her old friend as he began to doze. No doubt, he still felt a young twenty-something on the inside, just as she did. She could almost still see that young man, somewhere beneath the grey hair and the wrinkles that told a lifetime of stories.

Their stories.

___________________________

La Huerta, 2078

“Here you go,” Taylor said, a smile in her voice as she pushed the door open with her hip. “Breakfast in bed. You can’t say we don’t treat our guests right!”

With a soft moan, Diego propped himself higher against his pillow. “Pancakes? Who’d have thought recovering from heart surgery could be so sweet? I’ll never want to leave this bed if you keep this up. The usual pain aside, I feel pretty lucky.”

It was fortunate indeed that he’d had somewhere to go to for help just a short hop from La Huerta. And it was fortunate indeed that Taylor and Estela’s old home had enough room for them to care for him there-- and enough space that Varyyn could exist there comfortably in secret for the necessary recovery period. It was Liv’s home now, shared with her spouse and elder daughter, though the latter had temporarily moved in with her brother at the old Montoya place to make room. Still, with six people and three bedrooms, it was a very full house.

Diego met his old friend’s eye. “Thank you. Really.”

The reply was quiet and sincere. “It’s no problem.”

Taylor helped Diego with his breakfast tray. “It looked like Varyyn was enjoying his morning stroll around the big yard. I worried about him feeling trapped here, but I guess at our pace it takes a good while even to do one lap of it all.”

“He quite likes it,” Diego said. “Which is a relief-- I feel guilty enough taking him from his home. Varyyn doesn’t like the invisibility suit much anyway, but even if he did, I don’t think he’d so much as leave the property while I’m like this.”

“You’re very loved, you know.”

“I feel it right now,” he said softly. “Sore, and scared at being faced with my own mortality, and definitely very loved.”

The company was good. Liv was something between a niece and a daughter to him, and he loved her dearly. He never saw as much of her as Taylor’s other daughter, Rosa, who now lived on La Huerta, so the opportunity to catch up was welcome. Liv’s spouse, Jeimy, was a gentle presence, quietly seeing to it that their recuperating guest could want for nothing. Like Taylor, Estela had remained close to Diego’s bedside during the frightening days in hospital, and now put her considerable will-power into ensuring he took care of himself through the next phase and offering a shoulder to Varyyn should he need it. She didn’t tend to say a whole lot, but never left it unsaid that she cared. Even those few words weren’t really needed though… Diego knew.  

Taylor’s voice cracked as she spoke again. “I’m just relieved to have home from hospital. God, actually, I’m just relieved to have you out the other side of going under,” she said. “We’ve lost too much… I’ve lost too much, and I couldn’t bear it if you….”

Diego put a bony hand on hers. He felt his own eyes welling as those dark days, not so far in the back-view mirror, came flooding back. Of Jake and Craig, and the gaping holes they’d torn with their departures, one after the other. Everyone must have been bricking it, as he’d have been if any of them had been taken into hospital for heart valve replacement surgery, a vulnerable old man of eighty-two, whose body could so easily have given up the ghost.

Taylor sniffed. “But with your ticker sorted, you’ve no excuse to bail out on me anytime soon.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Except home to La Huerta-- and maybe one last go round Disney World. I still can’t believe we got kicked out that time….”

“Ha. I blame that crowd of people wanting a picture with Varyyn-- way to get us unwanted attention!” Taylor chuckled, heartened by her friend’s ability to see beyond the recovery period. Maybe they should go and do something fun, a last hurrah. “It’s not far to Florida. I’m sure we can pull that one off… but we’ll get you healed up and recovered first. Deal? I need you to be okay.”

Diego met her eye and nodded. He’d never not take her fears for him seriously.

“No more scares. I don’t think Varyyn could take it either.”

It was strange to be in this place. Less and less he’d leave La Huerta… less and less there’d been a need to. There was no blood family left. He was contentedly retired, living the life of a revered old storyteller in Elyys’tel. And much of his chosen family-- Taylor and Estela, Grace and Aleister, and more recently Zahra, Sean and Raj-- had taken up residence back on La Huerta, choosing to spend their twilight years, well, home. The younger generation did most of the running around, visiting frequently, while the bulk of the ageing Catalyst gang remained settled in the place that had changed everything. More accustomed to life in a Vaanti village than he was the world he’d been born into, Diego had long lost the desire to go back, even to visit.

“No,” Taylor said quietly. “He’s been worried sick.”

This would probably be the last time Diego and Varyyn would visit the extended Montoya family in San Trobida. Diego had been a frequent guest at old Tio Nicolas’ place whenever Taylor and Estela were staying with him, and later was a frequent guest in this house as his friends put down their own roots. All the photographs on the dresser he’d looked at a thousand times before; Taylor and Estela on their second wedding day, young Liv with a broad grin and a gymnastics medal, a middle-aged couple he knew to be Estela’s grandparents, and one of the many, many group photos taken on a Catalyst reunion-- he’d guess the date to be sometime in the 2040s. And there was one of him and Taylor, arms around one another and grinning; he was pretty sure it had been taken at a party to celebrate the launch of his second book. It had been a pretty tipsy night, so neither remembered it being taken, but he’d always loved how damn happy he looked in that picture. Taylor had once told Diego he ‘represented her side of the family’. He felt it. This room was more home than any other off La Huerta had ever been.

“Hey?” Taylor broke the long silence. “I’m gonna go grab a slice or two of toast, but I’ll come back. If you don’t mind, can I sit up on the bed with you? I think… I’m having a clingy day.”

There was no question at all.

____________________________

La Huerta, 2070

Taylor took a deep breath as she stepped off the plane. This was it. They were home for good.

“Grandma!” came the holler of little Aurora, nine years old, soon to be wrapped in a cuddle.

“We’re here! All in one piece, thanks to Captain Georgie,” Taylor announced. It had been a few years since Georgiana and Benny took over from their father as La Huerta’s go-to pilots, and she’d been tasked the very important job of bringing two of the Catalysts back to the island.

“Can we go on the plane?” twelve-year-old Leo clamoured, peering past his grandmother.

“Why, you’re going somewhere?” Estela asked, stepping down onto the dirt and taking in the familiar scents of La Huerta.

Leo shook his head. “I’ve just never checked out the cockpit,” he said. “But I swear I’m happy to see you too!”

They all did the rounds of hugs; Taylor and Estela’s younger daughter, Rosa, lived on the island with her Vaanti husband, and the reunion was always emotional. Sean and Jake’s youngest, Georgie, also lived here-- like Diego, she was almost as culturally Vaanti as she was anything else-- and her little family had also come down to the airstrip to greet the newcomers.

Diego held back patiently, dying though he was to throw his arms around his old friend and welcome her to the rest of their lives. He wasn’t about to get between those kids and their grandmas-- both Leo and Aurora had been talking about little else for weeks.

With tears in her eyes, Taylor squeezed little Aurora as she came in for hug after hug, only letting anyone else get a look in when she latched on to Estela for a few seconds before switching again. Of Taylor and Estela’s five grandchilren, Aurora was the youngest, the only blonde of the bunch, and the one who most resembled Grandma Tay-- and not just physically. Their bond was especially tight; Aurora had been in floods of tears last time they’d said goodbye. There’d be less of that now. Of course, the trade-off was that Liv’s clan in San Trobida would become the family they’d have to fly to visit…. There was really no winning once one’s children spread their wings and put down roots away from the maternal nest; she and Estela could not be with all of them all of the time, however much they wanted to be.

“Hey, G’ma!” Leo took an opportunity to get a look in, putting an arm around his grandmother. He was as tall as her now-- how and when did that happen?

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” Taylor asked, and she had to crane her neck to kiss his head. Goddamnit, kid, stop growing so fast! “Have you been up to much while we were gone?”

“Mostly just school and stuff,” he said with a shrug. “Dad’s been giving me some guitar lessons, though.”

“You’re giving the drums a rest?”

Leo grinned, his dark eyes alight with the mischief of a kid with a penchant for making a lot of noise. “For now.”

With Leo soon back to the important business of kicking a ball up and down the beach with Georgie’s children, Niraea and Rauan, and Estela being shown the jewellery Aurora had made, Taylor exchanged hugs and greetings with Rosa and Homori. She found herself choking up as she looked over her daughter’s shoulder and into the world that had been the making of her… where she was truly home.

There was nowhere else I was ever going to wind up in the end, was there?

And there, meeting her eye, was Diego. What she didn’t owe that man…. Her smile broadened to match his, and with a kiss to Rosa’s hair, she stepped away.

“Where’s my hug, Diego? You finally got your way-- we’re here, and we’re here to stay!”

Diego laughed. “It was only ever a matter of time. I know you… and this is your happy place.”

She embraced him, then took his hand and squeezed, before raising their joined fingers to her face to wipe away those pesky tears.

“It’s really good to be home, you know? It’s really good to be home.”

________________________

La Huerta, 2060

With a grunt, Diego sat down upon the sand. They hadn’t walked far from Elyys’tel. He was tired, the toll of the past few days being felt all over.

“I’m sorry,” Taylor said heavily. “I really am sorry. For your loss, and for being a pushy jerk when you plainly told me to give you space.”

Diego gave her a soft nudge with his shoulder. He’d needed to hear it, that apology. Things had been hard, as though every part of him was in conflict, and he’d been helpless but to let it all blow up inside him. He’d needed his best friend, but mostly he’d needed her to leave him the hell alone to work out his own head.

 “Hey, you got the message eventually. Took you long enough, but… I think I can forgive you. I know Varyyn has too.”

 A fall-out with Taylor had been the last thing he’d needed, but it was just that kind of a week. Of course, his father dying had to coincide with the most vital phase of Varyyn’s handing over the title of Elyyshar to Taari, and of course Taylor in full ‘fix everyone’s problems’ mode would come in all overbearing just when he needed to be left to process. Looking back, he could see how Taylor needed to feel as though she could help, to overcompensate for the helplessness she’d been battling over her daughter’s struggles back home.

Things had been rocky between them for a few days, but space had done its job. Sitting out there in the place where they each felt most themselves, feelings and fears could come tumbling out, for he was ready for it now.

“So, now it’s just Mama,” Diego was saying. “I have even less reason to go back-- I know she wouldn’t recognise me anyway. What would I say if she did? There’s nothing more I’m willing to apologise for; I’m not apologising for being me.”

“And you shouldn’t. Not ever.”

Diego looked into his friend’s face, desperately seeking comfort as he’d done countless times before. Any anger over how she’d behaved was gone; now he was ready to talk, and he just wanted that same old honest and loving support he trusted her to give… even when the conversation itself scared him half to death. What it could say about himself… the very man he was…. When he spoke again, the words came out rushed and fearful.

“My cousins will keep visiting… I know they will. But Mama’s going to be one of those tragic dementia patients sitting abandoned in a nursing home, her only kid having wiped his hands of her. It makes me feel just sick with guilt.”

“Hey,” Taylor said gently. She  tenderly brushed a lock of her behind Diego’s ear. Her heart ached for him. It was so damn unfair, but that, it seemed, was life sometimes. All she could do was listen. And actually listen this time. “You’re getting eaten up over someone who’s betrayed your trust, who’s had every chance to put the work in and heal things but chose not to. You still love your mom, but you love yourself more. That’s not abandonment by my reckoning.”

A tear rolled down Diego’s cheek. “Just… just feels different now. The roles are reversed, and she’s the one who needs looking after.”

Taylor frowned thoughtfully. “I wish I had the answers. I really do. A big part of me wants to tell you ‘screw that asshole, she made her bed and has to lie in it’, but you’re the one who’s going to have to be able to live with yourself. If living with yourself means spending some time with her, even just one visit to get closure, it doesn’t mean you’re just bowing down to the pressure she put on you all those years. Whatever you decide, do it for you.”

They quietly watched the waves roll in.

Diego found himself envying his friend. Taylor didn’t have a family, so they couldn’t hurt her. She’d never felt rejection-- certainly not from anyone who’d promised a lifetime of love. He always came back to Taylor, it just came naturally, but the flickerings of resentment reared their heads, even as the two of them stood shoulder to shoulder on the beach. How could she possibly have a clue?

He brushed away his tears. Of all the times he’d wished he was in Taylor’s shoes instead, it always came back to truth that he was proud of the man he’d become… and that man had been shaped by the life he’d lived and the people he’d loved-- whether they returned it or not.

And Taylor… cared for him. She loved him. So, he’d take her as the wonderful, flawed person she was and appreciate her presence in his corner, even when she botched the execution. At least she screwed up and then made amends, she wasn’t too proud to be wrong. In contrast, he didn’t think he could recall an instance of his mother owning up and apologising even once in his life….

Diego sighed loudly. No one else could decide this one for him. His decision… well, he’d already decided. He just had to find a way to forgive himself.

Getting to his feet, he held out a hand to pull Taylor to hers. Then, they continued their walk. They walked the well-trodden and yet constantly-changing strip between Elyys’tel and Catalyst’tel, bare feet in the shallows, the water pleasantly cool as the sun neared the horizon.

“I know who I am,” Diego said, after another long stretch of comfortable, if emotional, hush. I’m not a cruel person.”

“Cruel is the last thing you are,” Taylor said, soft but full of conviction.

Diego’s chin trembled. Sorry, Mama. This is me knowing what I’m worth.  “My head knows I can’t give Mama any more. My heart’s just going to need to learn to let go.”

They fell quiet once more.

“Sunset’s really pretty tonight….” Diego said quietly after a while. “Guess it’s not all doom and gloom.”

And in the morning… the sun would rise again.

_______________________

La Huerta, 2042

“I wanted to put something to you,” Taylor said nervously. “It’ll need you and Varyyn to sit with it a bit, so don’t worry about giving me an answer now.”

“That sounds… pretty ominous to be honest.”

This was supposed to be just a relaxing stroll along the beach before dinner, but Diego was immediately on alert for something big. Admittedly, Taylor had dropped some pretty gargantuan bombs on him in the past.

Taylor chuckled and shook her head. “Before you freak out-- we’d like you to be Rosa’s godfather. Or the agnostic equivalent anyway. Basically, if anything were to happen to ‘Stel and me, you and Liv would share custody of Rosa and take care of her together-- whether it’s here or back in San Trobida.”

Diego took it in with a nod, turning it over in his head. She was asking the world and giving the world… but was it her heart talking over her head?

“You don’t think-- I mean, I’m sure you’ve thought of this-- that in a worst-case scenario she’d do better with some of the guys in San Trobida who she’s got to know a bit more?”

Diego watched as his friend’s face crumpled before him. “I’m sorry-- I didn’t mean--”

Taylor turned away, wrestling with herself as emotion overcame her. “God, you don’t have to be sorry. It’s… it’s what Estela said initially too.” She looked back to Diego, her eyes rimmed with red. “It’s just different with you. What we have is special; I’ll never have a connection like that with another person. You’re my other home.”

“Is one not enough for you? Greedy cow,” Diego teased gently, but he wrapped Taylor in his arms as he did so, bringing her in so they were forehead-to-forehead. He got it. His deep sense of belonging with Varyyn didn’t take away the warmth and security he gleaned from the tight bond he had with Taylor. It was more like… a familial bond. They’d each grown and gone their separate ways, but a piece of their hearts resided with one another and always would.

“I would always, always be there for your girls,” he said.

“I know….” Taylor said shakily. “You’ve just been such an amazing ‘special uncle’ to Liv; it would be wonderful for Rosa, you know? She needs all the support systems we can give her.” She sighed, and gave a weak laugh. “It goes without saying, doesn’t it. I guess… I guess….”

As she trailed off, Diego considered her quietly. Taylor’s past year had been intense, and the distance between them had made it difficult for him to be the shoulder he wanted to be her. The bags under her eyes were telling, and the way she so clearly longed for closeness with him.

“It’s hardly a surprise… mortality being on your mind. What with the anniversary just been,” he said quietly.

Twelve months prior, Estela had been grievously injured in an attack by a young and brash admirer of the late General Salazar. Vastly more experienced in fighting as she was, Estela had managed to stave off mortal harm, but it had been far too close a shave for comfort. Miles and miles away, Diego had been there with Taylor, talking her through the terror and despair down a phone line. Of course, Jake flew a plane to bring him back to San Trobida as soon as he could, but he felt his isolation from the rest of the world in a way he rarely had before or since. His best friend had him now, though.

Taylor nodded, sniffing. “I thought I’d moved on from it. ‘Stel’s going strong. We actually needed a jolt to make us stop and really consider how we wanted the rest of our lives to look-- maybe we wouldn’t even have Rosi now if it wasn’t for the wake-up call. But it scared the absolute shit out of me.

“Obviously, I don’t think either of us are going anywhere, or we wouldn’t have even thought about adopting. It just sneaks up on me with how close we came. Life’s pretty fragile.”

“How are things going with Rosa?” Diego ventured gently. “Smooth sailing since we last talked?”

“She seems pretty happy, doesn’t she?” Taylor replied, fully aware of just how obvious her deflection was. But this was Diego, so she relented and shared. “I think security will come in time for her. Right now the threshold for meltdowns is really low-- the slightest hint of either of us using a stern tone with her or being disapproving in any way, and she goes to pieces.” She gave a dry little laugh. “Obviously I feel a complete asshole for ragging on Estela that first time it happened. Rosa barely gives us a reason to reprimand her in any way, she’s so desperate to please, but we’re human beings and we get frustrated.”

“Bet it makes you feel like absolute shit, though! Only human or not.”

Taylor met his eye and nodded again. “It’s a lot. I’m with her all day-- though we’re confident she’ll be ready to go to a real school next year-- and I’m hyper-aware of how she’s perceiving me. I’m pretty sure she is happy for the most part; her speaking’s come on in leaps and bounds, and there’s so much affection between us.” She gave a sad shrug. “I just wish so badly that she didn’t have that fear, that she knew with total certainty that she’s ours unconditionally. She doesn’t deserve to be scared like she is.”

“It’s just time, you know?” Diego said gently. “You did a pretty good job of convincing me you were unconditional, and I had even more years of baggage collected than Rosi does. Just… time.”

“Yeah….” Taylor’s shoulders slumped. There was no magic shortcut.

“I’ll come and pay you another visit-- soon. I want to stay with you a while; if what’s holding me back from saying yes is that Rosa doesn’t know me well enough, then we fix that. She’s basically my niece, and I already love her; we’re on catch-up compared to Liv at that age, but I’ll work on it ‘til we get there.”

A smile came to Taylor’s face, growing ever-broader.

“What?” said Diego, “I take it you’re on board with that? I don’t need to Airbnb it?”

Taylor couldn’t help but laugh. “Buddy, how long have you been out here? Airbnb went down the tubes years ago! And you know full well, if you come to San Trobida and stay anywhere other than the Casa Montoya, I will be mortally wounded.”

“Heh, well, I can’t have that.”

[sceptilemasterr]

Endless Winter (ES Book 2) Act 2, Scene 5 - A New Year Dawns

Title: Endless Winter

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Quinn, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: It's New Year's Eve on La Huerta, and the Catalysts are determined to make the most of it.

Previous Scene: Any Port in a Storm

Masterlist: Link

INT. ELYSIAN LODGE RESORT - LOBBY

Several hours later, the sun is just beginning to set outside the windows of the Elysian Lodge’s expansive lobby, which has been completely transformed into an ornate party room, complete with marked-out dance floor in the center of the area. A series of tables laden with food have been set up near the walls, with a haphazard arrangement of various candles scattered around. Craig, dressed in a tight-fitting dress shirt and tie, leads Furball around the room as the little fox freeze a series of impromptu “ice coolers” around the bottles of champagne and other drinks scattered about.

CRAIG: Nice job, little guy!

FURBALL (proudly): Mrrrrrffff!

Raj emerges from the kitchen, dressed in a suit and tie with an apron over it, bringing another food-laden tray out into the lobby. Quinn follows close behind with a tray of desserts, a similar apron to Raj covering her ornate blue dress.

QUINN: Where should I put these?

RAJ: Over here is good!

He indicates a table, and she sets her tray down. Raj looks down at one of the fruit trays and frowns.

RAJ: Hey… has someone been eating all the strawberries?

CRAIG: Don’t look at me… but I think I spotted Alyssa usin’ some strawberries to practice her Time Lord stuff.

RAJ: Aww… (brightens) Ah, never mind! Good for her. If I know anything, it’s that the Time Twins are gonna be the key to getting us out of this place. Besides, there’s still a bunch more fresh strawberries in the kitchen fridge!

FURBALL (excitedly): Ffrrrruuulll!

A few of the Vaanti trickle in, all wearing haphazard mismatches of formalwear. Varyyn, dressed impeccably in a suit and tie, accompanies them.

VARYYN: Hello, Centaurus. I am told today is your people’s New Year celebration. I thank you for inviting us.

Varyyn bows deeply. Raj blushes and laughs.

RAJ: No need to be so formal, Varyyn! You invited us to your festival the other day, the least we can do is return the favor!

Michelle and Ian enter the lobby, chatting animatedly about school. Michelle is wearing a sparkling golden dress, while Ian is dressed in a black tuxedo with matching bowtie.

MICHELLE: --so I think you’d only need one more bio elective if you already finished Genetics and Ecology. And the MCAT, of course, but I’m pretty sure you can take that anytime…

Michelle’s voice trails off as she sees the newly redecorated lobby. Behind her, Sean and Grace walk in, chatting excitedly to one another.

MICHELLE: Wow! Look at this place; Raj, you did all this?

Raj turns and grins broadly at her.

RAJ: Yep! With plenty of help, of course. Quinn here was--

He stops abruptly when he turns and sees Quinn is no longer in the lobby. He frowns, puzzled.

RAJ: …Uh, Quinn was right here a minute ago. Huh.

IAN: This place looks amazing! Perfect for a Raj party!

RAJ: Haha, thanks!

ALYSSA (O.S.): Alright, let’s get this thing started!

Alyssa strides confidently into the lobby, wearing a long white dress with a plunging neckline. Michelle looks her up and down approvingly.

MICHELLE: Wow. Looking good, Alyssa!

ALYSSA: Thanks, Michelle! You too!

Alyssa frowns as she looks around the room, evidently searching for something.

RAJ: Hey, Alyssa, everything okay?

ALYSSA: Yeah, I’m fine, just.. y’seen Top Gun anywhere?

It takes Raj a moment to realize who she is referring to.

RAJ: Oh, you mean Jake? Actually, I haven’t seen him since--

A sudden commotion from the top of the lobby stairs draws Raj’s (and everyone else’s) attention. Emerging from the second-floor hallway, Jake, Estela, Quinn, Diego, Aleister, and Zahra stand on the landing, all fully done-up and impeccably dressed. Alyssa, Ian, Michelle, Varyyn, Grace, and Craig all stare open-mouthed at the sight of their respective significant others, completely lost for words. Estela frowns.

ESTELA: What? What are you all looking at?

RAJ: Hey, there you all are! Come and join the party!

All of them descend the staircase, though Estela is blushing heavily as she does so. She doesn’t look entirely comfortable in her formal dress. When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she beelines immediately for Ian.

IAN (stunned): I… uh. You. Wow.

ESTELA (shyly): I… I know Raj wanted us to dress up for New Year’s, but I never… really went to big parties or anything. Is this right?

Ian smiles warmly at her as he takes her hand in his.

IAN: More than right. Wow. Uh... I actually can’t even think of any other words right now.

In spite of herself, Estela giggles.

ESTELA: You… uh, you’re looking pretty good yourself.

Ian blushes heavily. Near the back of the room, Raj plugs his phone into the stereo system, but nothing happens. He frowns.

RAJ (frustrated): Damn, and here I thought this would work…

Craig and Zahra approach him.

CRAIG: Man, can’t believe it’s been a whole year already.

ZAHRA (frowning): …It hasn’t. We skipped six months, remember?

CRAIG: Oh. Right. Duh. I knew that!

ZAHRA: Raj, y’need some help?

RAJ: Yeah, I’m tryin’ to get the music working, but…

Zahra takes his phone in her hands and fiddles with it for a few moments. Before long, party music starts playing through the whole resort.

RAJ: Awesome! Thanks, my dudes!

CRAIG: Anytime!

ZAHRA: Craig, you didn’t do anything.

CRAIG: What? Naw, I… uh…

Any retort he may have had is cut short when he looks back at her in her formal dress. Craig can only stare open-mouthed.

ZAHRA: Huh. Guess there may be perks to dressin’ up like this after all…

Zahra playfully reaches out a finger and closes Craig’s mouth for him. Near one of the tables, Jake pours himself a glass of whiskey and raises it into the air.

JAKE: So! Who’s up for a toast?

ALYSSA: Personally, I can’t believe I’m still sober. Drink, please!

ESTELA: What are we having?

Jake grins and glances toward Ian.

JAKE: Why don’t we let Hero Boy pick?

IAN (surprised): I… what?!

ALYSSA (smirks): You heard him, “Hero Boy.”

Ian looks nervously at the assortment of drinks laid out on the table, feeling put on the spot.

IAN: I, uh…

Alyssa nudges him, glancing meaningfully toward the glass of whiskey in Jake’s hand.

IAN: Alright, how about this one?

He grabs a similar glass to Jake and pours himself some whiskey as well, then pours two more glasses for Alyssa and Estela. Estela takes a sniff of her glass and frowns.

ESTELA: What is this? It smells like sawdust.

JAKE: Trust me, there’s an art to whiskey. Now, the key to appreciating it is--

ESTELA: Getting it over with. Cheers.

She clinks her glass against Ian’s and throws back the whiskey. She winces.

ESTELA: It burns.

IAN: That bad, huh? Sorry, I--

ESTELA: Pour me another.

JAKE: Looks like Dragon Rage’s a fan, y’all.

Ian pours Estela another shot of whiskey as the four of them clink glasses and toast to the new year. In another area of the party, Varyyn and a few of his Vaanti warriors sip their own drinks as they chat with Diego, Lila, Raj, and Quinn.

VARYYN: It is interesting that your people count your years. You say this year is…?

DIEGO: Well, in a few more hours, it’s about to be 2018.

RAJ: Y’know what Varyyn here needs? One of those party sunglasses with the year on ‘em. Then he’ll never forget!

He, Quinn, Lila, and Diego burst into laughter. Diego claps Varyyn’s shoulder and pulls him into a hug.

DIEGO: Varyyn, I know you probably don’t get it right now, but we will take a picture next year while wearing those, okay?

VARYYN (warmly): I trust your judgement, my light.

Diego and Varyyn snuggle into one another as Quinn glances wistfully across the room. The camera follows her gaze to where Michelle stands chatting idly with a few of the others…

Some time later, the sun has set and most of the Catalysts are noticeably tipsier than they were previously. Several of the Vaanti warriors excitedly clink glasses of whiskey together with a triumphant cheer, then all down their drinks in one shot as Zahra looks on approvingly after downing her own glass.

ZAHRA: Doin’ great, guys! Now this is a New Year’s party!

Behind her, Aleister takes a seat at the grand piano as Michelle stands beside him. The others all crowd around. Aleister begins to play Auld Lang Syne.

MICHELLE (singing): Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never come to mind…

Aleister accompanies her, infusing each note with a delicate, classical touch. A few people sniff back tears, including Quinn and Grace.

MICHELLE (singing): For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne…

Alyssa looks pensively up toward the ceiling while Jake wraps an arm around her. Estela and Ian look deep into one another’s eyes. Raj sniffs back a tear. As Michelle begins the final part of the song, Quinn stands up and joins her:

MICHELLE AND QUINN (singing): We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, For auld lang syne!

Everyone bursts into applause. Aleister stands and takes a formal bow. Quinn and Michelle look at one another; Michelle is the first to blush and look away. Jake walks up and claps Aleister on the back.

JAKE: Nice job, Schroeder. Didn’t think you had it in you.

ALEISTER: Ah. You are most welcome. I did enjoy that quite--

RAJ: Whoa! Everyone, hold up! I almost forgot; we still gotta sing “Happy Birthday!”

Everyone looks back at Raj. He grins broadly and gestures to the crowd.

RAJ: Dunno if I mentioned it to everyone yet, but with the skip forward in time, we missed a bunch of birthdays! Including Aleister, and the Time Twins here! …Not to mention myself, of course!

He steps between Alyssa and Ian, pulling them both into a group hug.

RAJ: Anybody else we missed? Who’s had a birthday between… uh…

GRACE: June 6th and December 26th!

Aleister, Michelle, Craig, Quinn, Estela, Zahra, Raj himself, and the Czasa twins all raise their hands.

RAJ: Alright, cool! Aleister, if you don’t mind?

He gestures to the piano. Aleister nods and takes his seat once again at the keys.

DIEGO: Are we even allowed to sing it? I heard it was copyrighted--

CRAIG: Who’s gonna stop us, bro? Unless… (completely seriously) Dude, does Rourke own the rights to Happy Birthday? That’d be his most evil plan yet!

Zahra shakes her head and sighs. Aleister begins to play, and everyone else starts singing along, with the Vaanti catching on after the first few bars…

EVERYONE (singing): Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear…

A variety of names are all shouted out at once. Ian makes a point to sing Estela’s name rather than his own, and she likewise sings his name in return. They both smile warmly at one another.

RAJ (excitedly): Dudes, that was flawless! Best birthday song ever!

CRAIG: Ha! Take that, Rourke!

Everyone applauds and hugs one another after the song. Lila stands off to one side, glancing around at the others with a strange expression on her face. She glances around furtively for a moment, then quietly slips upstairs as the others continue celebrating.

SEAN (shouting): Hey! Don’t forget, it’s only a few minutes ‘til midnight!

Everyone startles at this pronouncement, glancing at various clocks… which all show completely different times. Sean shrugs.

SEAN: Well… as close as I can tell, anyway. Who knows on this island?

ALYSSA (laughing): Fair enough. Alright, let’s do this!

RAJ: Craig, you ready for our master surprise?

CRAIG: You know it!

Craig and Raj lead the others up onto the roof of the Elysian Lodge. A large crate full of red flares has been set against one edge of the roof; Craig rushes toward it excitedly with a lighter in his hand.

MICHELLE (worriedly): Uh… guys?

JAKE: Are those flares?

Craig stops and turns around, grinning broadly.

CRAIG: Yup! One of those commando dudes dropped ‘em! Me and Raj thought--

JAKE (fiercely): Don’t you dare light those--

RAJ: Aww, c’mon, don’t ruin our fun! I’d have thought you’d be all about this! What’s the harm in--

Estela crosses her arms and steps closer to Raj, glaring angrily.

ESTELA: So, right now, we’re hiding from a death squad of highly trained, well-armed mercenaries… and your plan is to shoot off a bunch of flares directly over our location.

She holds her death glare on the two of them. There is an awkward silence before Craig and Raj finally glance at each other, both clearly embarrassed.

CRAIG: Okay, when you put it like that…

RAJ: Sorry guys. No fireworks this year.

Raj looks down dejectedly and starts heading toward the stairs, when suddenly:

GRACE: Wait! Look!

Everyone follows her gaze off toward a distant mountain range, where the sky is lighting up in beautiful, otherworldly colors. Jake and Alyssa exchange a shocked glance: the colors are identical to those they had seen during their first day on La Huerta, back at the airstrip.

SEAN: What is that?!

VARYYN: Ah, the Lights of Vaanu. Among our people, they are believed to be a sign of good fortune to come.

JAKE: Dunno about y’all, but I’d say we could definitely use some good fortune right about now.

Raj shrugs.

RAJ: Well, it’s not fireworks, but it’s close enough for me! Fifteen seconds ‘til midnight!

Everyone starts looking around at one another, most of them pairing off: Alyssa with Jake, Aleister with Grace, Craig with Zahra, Diego with Varyyn, and two of the Vaanti with one another. Quinn looks as though she is about to approach Michelle, but shies away at the last minute. Ian nods toward Estela, who approaches him. Ian starts to turn away, when Alyssa not-so-subtly kicks him with her heel, pushing him back toward Estela.

IAN (annoyed): ‘Lyss!

He bumps into Estela, who awkwardly catches him in her arms.

ESTELA: Oh! …Hey.

IAN (awkwardly): …Hey.

Everyone else starts counting down from ten. Ian scratches the back of his neck and glances away from Estela. Alyssa shoots him an “are you kidding me?” glance, while Diego raises his eyebrows so far that they nearly vanish into his hairline. Ian sighs and nods in acknowledgement, then takes a deep breath.

EVERYONE: Five… four… three…

Estela steps close, the brilliant otherworldly lights reflecting in her deep brown eyes as she and Ian gaze at one another.

ESTELA: I…

EVERYONE: Two… one… HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The other couples all pull one another into New Year’s kisses as those who are single celebrate in their own ways. Ian starts to hesitate, then relents and pulls Estela into a deep kiss. When they part, Estela smiles up at him.

ESTELA (laughs): I almost thought I would have to do everything myself. Again.

IAN (laughs): Guess I just thought… I was worried you might not want--

He is interrupted by Estela pulling him back in for another kiss. Elsewhere, near the rooftop jacuzzi, Diego and Varyyn sit side-by-side, just breaking apart from their own midnight kiss.

VARYYN: This tradition of yours. Kissing at midnight.

DIEGO (awkwardly): Well, it’s not exactly my tradition--

VARYYN (warmly): I enjoy it quite a lot. Does it apply only to midnight?

DIEGO: Well, uh, if you’re asking if we can kiss again… I won’t say no.

VARYYN (ecstatic): Wonderful! Then, may I…?

Diego nods, and he and Varyyn kiss once more. In the background, Raj can be seen nodding at the two of them, and Craig groans and hands over some cash. Elsewhere, Jake and Alyssa stand hand-in-hand, gazing off at the multicolored lights.

JAKE: Looks familiar, huh?

ALYSSA: How could I forget? That was kind of a big day for me. Y’know.

JAKE: Why, ‘cuz you met me?

ALYSSA (teasingly): Don’t get too excited, Top Gun. A lot more happened than just that.

JAKE: Alright, answer this: were you really looking at those lights the whole time?

ALYSSA: I--

She laughs and rolls her eyes in tacit admission that her attention had indeed been elsewhere at the time. Jake wraps his arms around her and pulls her in close.

ALYSSA: What do you say we take this somewhere else?

JAKE: What were you thinkin’, Princess?

ALYSSA: Somewhere with a bed, if you know what I mean…?

JAKE: I am never gonna say no to that. Lead on.

Alyssa takes him by the hand and leads him back downstairs. As the night continues on, several other couples do the same. Diego and Varyyn are on their way toward the stairs when Diego stops for a moment near where Ian and Estela are sitting.

DIEGO: Go ahead, Varyyn, I’ll catch up. I’ve just gotta check on something first.

Varyyn nods and continues down the stairs. Diego approaches Ian and Estela, resting a hand on the former’s shoulder.

IAN: What’s up?

DIEGO: Can I talk to you for a sec?

IAN: Uh… sure?

Ian gives Estela an apologetic look, and she nods in response. Diego leads him over to a secluded area of the rooftop and lowers his voice.

DIEGO: You know the night’s not over yet, right?

IAN (genuinely confused): What?

DIEGO: Ian! Seriously! Surely you noticed the other couples heading off, right? Me included?

IAN: Yes… and?

Diego seems to be fighting the urge to facepalm.

DIEGO: You. Estela. Do I need to say anything more?

IAN (nervously): Okay, I get what you’re saying, but… where would we even go? It’s not like the lobby is exactly private, and--

DIEGO: This is a hotel, Ian! Are you kidding right now? All the bedrooms you could possibly want! Just go find one!

IAN (laughs): Alright, alright. I’ll ask her. You know, she might say ‘no’--

DIEGO: With how she’s been looking at you all this time? If she says ‘no,’ I’ll literally eat my shoe. Not even kidding. (sighs) Just ask her, would you?

IAN: Will do, Diego. And thanks for the push.

DIEGO (shrugs): What can I say? It’s kinda my job.

He nods at Ian, then turns to rejoin Varyyn and head back downstairs. Ian steels himself, then heads back toward Estela.

ESTELA: What was that all about?

IAN (awkwardly): Diego. He, uh, not-so-subtly hinted that… we should… y’know, ‘find a bedroom.’

ESTELA (coyly): Oh? And what did you think about that?

Ian scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.

IAN: Well, uh… if you said ‘no,’ I’d definitely understand--

ESTELA (genuinely confused): …Why would I say ‘no?’

IAN: Dunno, guess I just thought--

She holds a finger up to his lips and smiles.

ESTELA: You think too much.

With a wink, she takes him by the hand and leads him downstairs…

_______________________

Note: If anyone was wondering, Ian was born at 11:59 PM December 31st, 1995, and Alyssa was born at 12:01 AM January 1st, 1996.

Next: The Fourteenth Vaalta (Coming soon!)

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

Endless Summer Tag List: @mysteli @edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlessly-searching-for-you @lovelywrites

[lantsov-vanserra]

endless summer

jake mckenzie 🐺🎖🚁

estela montoya 🦀🇪🇸🐉

sean gayle ⚽️⌚️🦅

quinn kelly 🧁🧜🏻‍♀️🥣

aleister rourke 🔭🎹🐍

grace hall 🎨👓🦢

raj bhandarkar ♐️🍷🥘

michelle nguyen 💄🦚💊

craig hsiao 🎮🍺🐻

zahra namazi 📟🎶🎧

diego soto ✍🏻🎬🐕