#Eve Thermo scheduling

[crazydiscostu]

Eve Thermo Control and Smart Radiator Valve

Eve has garnered attention in the smart home market, particularly for their practical smart home solutions. The Eve Thermo Control and Smart Radiator Valve are a prime example of that. The following review delves into their key features, technical specifications, and potential for practical use, aiming to provide an impartial overview of how these devices perform. LFG! Eve Eve Systems, the…

[aph-mable]

My Uncle is a Nut.

by

Aph-mable

@thegatorsgoose

 Chapter 2

Lex stares down at his computer screen as he looks over the latest news about DALV Co.

Afterall, it's not that often that one of the guests at a Gala takes it upon themselves to save the day before any heroes show up.

Luthor was now interested in the very same young man that achieved this. Daniel Fenton, Vlad's Godson and the second youngest Co CEO next to Tim Drake-Wayne.

Even with a basic internet search on the boy there was plenty of information to find, both about his family and what connections they had.

Daniel's parents; Madeline and Jack Fenton. Doctors in both biology and engineering, working with the government, as well as the most well known pioneers in Ecto science, a very unique study.

They own a weapons workshop together and quite frankly put some of Gothams own mad scientists to shame with their inventions.

There is only one other child besides Daniel, who is quite a bright young lady named Jasmine Fenton, who’s currently working towards getting her degree in psychology.

Meanwhile Daniel Fenton has his own achievements that were not to be ignored. 

He was on the fast track to becoming an astronaut in his early teens, only to have that dream crushed after an accident that left him wheelchair bound and his grades to temporarily suffer, yet he continued to push forward.

There was news articles about how Daniel risked his life to save an endangered species of gorilla, he had been seen at many protests fighting for the rights of metas and the meta adjacent, and with him now as Co CEO of DALV co he was incharge over and currently the main inventor of the technology being made and sold. 

That last part is what caught Lex’s attention the most, especially since he was now a business partner with Vlad Master’s (much to his distaste), yet the man made very high quality technology that has proven him an asset for now.

So to find out it was the man’s Godson who was the one making the inventions provided something he desperately desired, a different person to make a deal with. 

Because in all honesty, Vlad Masters, both as a business partner and a villain in arms, was just horrible to deal with.

Vlad at the best of the times was attention seeking or grumbling about not getting his way, maybe bragging about his achievements as mayor. But at his worst? 

Luthar has seen that pompous dragon get very, very petty. somehow stealing others wealth, companies, even passion projects, just because he wanted to. And somehow, he always got away with it.

Yet at the last gala Lex got a glimpse into how much worse Masters could be. The entire night the man had been strangely territorial over his charge, much to the boy’s annoyance. Lex could have sworn he’d seen Vlad’s eyes go red when he was being held back from reaching his godson later into the night. His protectiveness was not like that of a parent’s, but rather a beast whose treasure was being messed with.

That in itself is worrisome, especially since it will affect Lex’s plans to become business partners with Daniel instead of his godfather. Add in the fact that Vlad is obviously a controlling narcissist… well, lex has always enjoyed a good challenge now and then. For now, all he has to do is schedule a meeting with the young Co CEO at a time Masters will be busy, and go from there.

Reaching for his phone Luthor dialed his secretary’s number as he smugly leaned back in his chair.

“Eve, can you get me Vlad Master’s schedule? I Have a meeting in mind.” 

__________________________________________________________________________

Danny was busy tinkering away at his work desk, music playing from a small speaker as he hyper focused on his latest invention. 

It was supposed to be an updated version of the phantom thermos, making it not just easier to capture ghosts, but allowing it much more space and durability as well as the ability to catch more than just ghosts.

He had long since retired the fenton thermos back to being a normal thermos for holding liquid, and maybe an emergency projectile if needed. He wanted a much more successful capture device and is slowly trying to move away from using Fenton works weapons all together.

By now all of team phantom made their own weapons and devices, both being much more ecto friendly as well as complementing their fighting style.

Danny still mostly used his powers and hand to hand combat to take down ghosts, but it’s still useful to have gadgets just in case he couldn't use his abilities.

Danny's mind starts to race with new ideas and possible upgrades to various inventions, including some exciting upgrades to his chair when a notification caught his eye, someone had entered the lab.

With a groan he puts his thermos away and dramatically flops further back into his chair just as whoever was planning to bother him approached….

Only to see a bald man in a suit raise an eyebrow as he kept a respectable distance.

Danny pulls his goggles up as he scans the man, he could have sworn he’d seen him before… oh right, the Gala Vlad dragged him to.

Turning his chair, Danny crosses his arms as he got a better view of the man, now remembering his name; Lex Luthor, one of Vlad’s newest business partners that was supposed to hash out plans with his Godfather. 

Mr. Luthor relaxed as Danny gave him his full attention, he even gave out a small chuckle under his breath as he read the boy's shirt that said ‘I’m not a mourning person’.

Not so subtly he switched his chuckle to a fake clearing of his throat as he offered out his hand.   

“You must be Daniel Fenton, I have to say you definitely made a name for yourself, especially after the previous Gala.” he kept a smug smile that he tried to hide as a genuine one. 

Danny took the guy's hand and shook it firmly as he was trying to figure out what, exactly, he wanted. 

“Yup that's me, though I prefer to be called Danny. Soo, who are you and what are you doing in my lab?”

“Straight to the point, I like it.” Mr. Luthor glanced over at Dann’s work bench before taking a much more relaxed slouched, “My name is Lex Luthor, and I’m here to offer a business partnership with you.” 

This made Danny freeze up in surprise, because who the hell is crazy enough to make a business deal with a teenager? Lex Luthor, Apparently! 

His face scrunched a bit as he leaned back in his chair, not fully believing that's what the man wanted, or at the very least it’s not as cut and dry as he’s making it sound. There has to be a catch here. 

“Why? Aren't you already Vlad’s business partner? You're already working with us.” 

Luthor nods as he walks around and explains his reasoning, “It’s true that i'm a partner of DALV co, but the details have yet to be fully hashed out, meaning I’m not quite a business partner with Mr. Master’s himself yet. And I’ll be honest here with you, I really don’t want to deal with him.” 

Once more Danny was surprised, yet he started to relax when he heard Lex wasn’t as friendly with Vlad as he first thought. 

“Really? That must be why he was trying suck up to you all night at the gala, I just assumed that was Vlad trying to flirt.” 

Danny couldn’t help but burst out laughing as he saw Lex’s face scrunch up in disgust after hearing that.

“Noted, and I really hope it’s not the case. I’m already thinking less of him as is, only to have that bar lowered to a tripwire is the reason why I’d rather not deal with him.  Hence why I wanted to come in and make a deal with you instead, since you're less of a.. What's the proper word here?”

“Narcissistic parasite?”

Lex snapped his fingers and grinned, “yes that! At the very least it’s obvious who here actually runs the show when it comes to the technological department. So what do you say, ready to make your first legit big deal in the business world?” once more he offers out a hand.

Danny rolls his eyes as he crosses his arms, raising an eyebrow and staring at the looming man. 

“Flattery will get you into many places, but I want to make a few things very clear; I don’t take deals unless I have control over the conditions. I’m not dumb enough to just say yes to someone who managed to get into my lab without Vlad trailing behind. So my rules or nothing.” 

“Very well, tell me your conditions, I’ll get my lawyer to write up a contract once we both agree.” Luthor mimics Danny’s cross-armed possession as the teen brainstormed.

Danny looked down at his lap in thought as his fingers tapped on his arm rests before he quickly shot back his answer. 

"If we are working together I want lab safety to be a top priority, meaning if I'm calling out something as unsafe you take it seriously. Next is schedules and restrictions.

 I'm still in online school and want to hang out with my friends and family, so no last minute meetings unless I can join in online or barring guests from seeing me, obviously you can look into them to be sure they aren't a security risk but beyond that they are welcomed. 

Lastly, as long as it's not in the lab I can eat whenever and wherever I want, I'm of course putting it on Vlad's tab if it's anything expensive.

Sound like a fair deal?" 

Lex humed for a moment as he tapped his chin before agreeing with a small nod.

"I'll agree to those terms if you agree to mine.

I'll go along with the lab safety protocol as long as you don't question what purpose we are collaborating on, well as long as it doesn't violate the rule of course.

Second is we have to work together at my labs in Matroplas, and I'm okay with meeting online if there is a time crunch or it's trivial, guests will need to be checked by security to be sure they aren't smuggling anything in or out.

Lastly for the budget, whenever we are collaborating it's a 50/50 split unless we agree on otherwise.

So what do you say, we got a deal?"

Lex holds out his hand for Danny to shake, which he does with no hesitation.

"Deal."

"Excellent! Now, how about we get some lunch while we work out travel plans" Luther claps his hands as he leads the way.

"Sure, as long as it's on yours or Vlad's dime I don't care." Danny follows after, placing the security protocol on as they leave.

As they ride the elevator down Danny thinks, Lex may be a nutty billionaire, but he’s not as bad as the fruitloop…

He’s a cheerio.

_______________________________

End of chapter 2 for now.

[avastrasposts]

The British Connection - ch. 13**

Took me long enough, but this chapter finally has some smut 😄

Cross posting this properly on Tumblr for the first time so it's been scheduled out throughout the day:

The plot follows MI6 agent Eve Edwards as she's assigned to help Billy Butcher and The Boys take down a new type of supe killing politicians on both sides of the pond. Not much fluff in this, plenty of canon typical violence, smut and extreme amounts of Britishness

Read on Ao3

“Fuck,” Eve sighed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “That’s the second time you’ve seen me cry in three days, Billy.”

“Don’t worry about it, you’ve ‘ad a rough time of it.” Butcher gave her shoulder another squeeze and on impulse he bent down and kissed the top of her head resting on his shoulder. “And I like how you’ve started callin’ me ‘Billy’. Am I growin’ on you darlin’? No more ‘Butcher’?”

“I guess we’re on a first name basis now,” Eve said and sat up straight again, lifting her head from his shoulder, Butcher kept his hand on her shoulder so that she still sat close to him. His big hand was comforting as he held her and she could feel the warmth radiating off his body where they touched.

“Ye, I’m not callin’ you “Genevieve”, darlin’, “ he chuckled and Eve smiled.

“Only my grandparents called me ‘Genevieve’, it’s just ‘Eve’.”

“Eve, I can do, nice an’ simple.”

Eve looked up at him and gave him another smile before she put her hand on his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

“Thanks for being human for a bit, Billy,” she said and stood up as she let go of his hand. Butcher watched her move over to the monitor, adjusting one of the dials before she stretched, arms over her head and yawning big.

Billy scooted his chair back in position and grabbed the thermos on the console.

“Coffee? Might do you some good, luv.”

“Thanks, that would be great.”

Butcher pulled out a couple of paper cups and poured the coffee for them.

“I’ve gotta tell ya, all those names you’ve got, a load of bollocks. Why would anyone ever do that to a wee one?”

“Tradition, I guess,” Eve said as she twisted herself to stretch her back muscles. “Genevieve was my great grandmother, apparently she was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria so I guess they wanted to keep that tradition,” Eve snorted loudly. “Horatia was my other great grandmother, a family name so apparently that one just had to be included. Daphne was my mother’s name so I guess that’s the most normal one.”

She sat down again, propping her feet up on the console. “I’m just grateful Genevieve can be shortened to Eve. Most people only know me as Eve Edwards.”

“Ye, Eve’s not too bad, the rest of them you can get rid of I reckon.” Butcher said, handing her a mug of coffee.

“Thanks Billy,” She accepted it gratefully. “I’m guessing you’re really ‘William’?”

“Ye, but that one doesn’t get used a lot. Generally, only when I’m in real trouble,” he chuckled with a mischievous grin at Eve.

“So all the time then?” Eve smirked, poking his side with her finger and he swatted it away with a smile.

“I stay out of trouble, I only get into trouble when I want to, like with you.” He gave her a look that made her stomach fill with butterflies, his double meaning plainly obvious.

“You’re flirting again, Billy,” she said, feeling herself blush as Billy turned in his chair and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees so that he was closer to her. “You were going to keep it serious while we’re on business.”

“We’ve got many hours left, gorgeous, let me entertain us a little at least,” he said, his voice lower now, as he reached out and caught her jaw in his big hand the way he’d done at the office. The pad of his thumb grazed across her bottom lip again and it sent sparks down to her core, making her press her thighs together.

Eve swallowed hard and found herself unable to look away from Billy’s dark eyes as he smiled at her. He was moving his chair closer again and she saw his eyes linger on her lips before looking up at her again. His thumb left her lip and he ran it along her jawline, sliding down over her throat as his big hand grabbed the back of her neck. Eve felt as if her heart was about to either stop or break out of her chest.

Only the sudden crackle of one of the monitors broke the tension as they both turned to look at the dark hotel room. Nothing moved in the room but Butcher dropped his hand from Eve’s neck and turned his attention to the dials, adjusting one to brighten the screen.

For a few minutes they intently watched all monitors, scanning them for any sign of McKay, but nothing showed. Eventually Butcher leaned back in his chair again.

“Alright, I’ll keep it serious,” he said, “no more flirting. For now”. The last was said with a grin and Eve felt herself exhale slowly, feeling the tension in the van simmer down. Billy’s attention seemed to have a dangerous effect on her and she felt it cloud her judgement, breaking her will to stay alert.

But now Billy seemed true to his word. As they settled in for the rest of the night he stayed away from any suggestive topics, instead he told stories about the different supes they’d managed to take down, letting her know he really had no love for any of them.

Finally eight am came around and there was a light tap on the door of the van. Eve slid it open and let Frenchie and Kimiko in to take over the shift. As Butcher and Eve got their things together, Frenchie updated them on how he was planning to get hold of the equipment needed to incapacitate McKay.

“Alright,” Butcher said to him, “If you need to leave for the supplies, get MM and Hughie to cover your shift here.”

He slid the door of the van open and let Eve out.

“Get in touch if anythin’ happens, we’ll be back tonight, hopefully we can get that fucker then. He’s got to return some time.”

“Qui, Monsieur Charcuterie,” Frenchie snapped a sloppy salute and closed the door behind them.

Butcher and Eve got into the car on the quiet street and Butcher started it up, pulling away from the curb.

“Now that we’re off the clock, darlin’,” he grinned, glancing over at Eve as he turned the first corner, “how about some more flirting?”

“Jesus, Billy,” Eve laughed, “We’ve just pulled an all-nighter and I’m betting you’re as hungry and tired as I am, and you’re still in the mood for flirting?”

“Like I told you yesterday, you’re gorgeous when you scowl at me so I’m gonna keep teasin’ ya.” Butcher reached over and grabbed her hand and put it on his thigh, where it had been yesterday in the car. “And this time you can go higher, darlin’,” he winked at her.

Eve really did scowl at him this time, as she pulled her hand back from his thigh, but not before making sure she gave his thick muscled leg a good squeeze that made him jump and chuckle.

“Alright, I hear ya, breakfast then. Let me take you out for breakfast at least?” Butcher asked, keeping his eyes on the road as they headed down FDR back towards downtown.

“Breakfast sounds good but I want to change out of my clothes first, I feel all rumpled after all those hours on the chair.”

“The diner I ‘ad in mind is near your flat, we can park in your street, it’s just round the corner.”

…

The morning traffic was heavy but eventually Butcher pulled up in front of Eve’s building. They got out and she led Butcher through the doors and into the lobby. She automatically went for the stairs, as was her habit, but Butcher thumbed at the lift in the lobby.

“Is it broken?” he asked.

“No, I just like taking the stairs, exercise and all that”, she replied.

Butcher just scoffed and walked over to the lift and pressed the call button. Eve started up the stairs, “I’ll see you up there, that thing is going to take forever”.

“Come on, keep me company then, luv. I’ll be lonely in there” he called back at her with a cheeky grin.

“No”, she called back, already halfway up the first floor, but she couldn’t help smiling to herself. The heavy flirting they’d been doing ever since they got back from D.C., and his irreverent charm, was starting to work on her against her better judgement.

When Butcher reached the 6th floor a few minutes later Eve was waiting for him in the hallway with an exaggerated look of someone who’s been waiting aeons.

“Finally!” she mocked as the door slid open and he stepped out.

“Miss me much, darlin’?” he chuckled and swaggered towards her with his arms outstretched.

Eve scoffed at him as she turned and led him to the door of her small flat. Unlocking she let them both in and closed the door. The place seemed even smaller with Butcher present and he sidestepped into the kitchen doorway to make room for her to pass through to the living room. She grabbed a clean t-shirt and jeans from her open suitcase on the floor and headed to the bathroom to change, dumping her old clothes in the hamper.

From the kitchen she heard Butcher give an excited exclamation.

“Oi, luv!” he called and she turned so that she could look out from the bathroom. He’d stuck his arm out from the kitchen and was eagerly shaking her box of Yorkshire Gold.

“Make us a cup, won’t ya? It’s been donkey’s since I had a proper brew.” He actually had a genuine smile on his face, dimples and everything. She laughed at his excitement and went over to the kitchen.

“Let’s have a proper brew” she said, mimicking the ad as she poured water into a saucepan and set it on the small induction stove.

“I ‘aven’t seen Yorkshire Tea anywhere ‘round here, where’d ya find it?” he asked.

“I brought it with me, never leave home without it,” she laughed. “How British eh?”

“Bloody right too”, Butcher scoffed. “The tea here is rubbish. Nothin’ but fruit teas and ‘erbals. ‘S like drinkin’ perfume. I’ve been forced to start drinkin’ coffee just because of it.”

“To be fair,” Eve got a couple of mugs down from the cupboard, “their coffee is a hell of a lot better than back home”. Butcher nodded in agreement and watched her drop tea bags in the mugs and pour on the now boiling water and mash them around for a minute.

“Milk? Sugar?”

“Only milk, ta, luv” he replied.

She got the milk from the small fridge and let him help himself before adding some to her own. Butcher leaned back against the counter and cautiously sipped from the mug, letting out a low murmur of content as he swallowed the hot liquid.

“That’s nice, that’s really nice, tastes just right” he mused and took another sip.

Eve leaned back against the counter opposite from him and smiled at the domestic scene. The familiar taste of the tea, the warmth in her stomach and the comfortable silence that usually settled once everyone started sipping their tea. Even with Butcher the drink seemed to work its magic and he visibly relaxed, shoulders dropping, the usually permanent frown on his forehead disappeared.

“Ya know, the only thing missing”, Butcher said and looked up, “is a biscuit or two. One of them lil’ Hobnobs or Ginger Nuts, never seen ‘em over here either”.

Eve smiled, “Did you smell them, Billy?” she asked and pointed at the cupboard behind him. “Top shelf”.

He put down his mug and turned around, opening the cupboard.

“Well, well, will ya look at tha!” he exclaimed and pulled out a box of biscuits. “The ones with chocolate on them and everythin’ “. He pulled open the box and shook out two Hobnobs. “You’re a star,” he said, smiling at Eve, offering her one of the biscuits.

“I was saving them for a special occasion or a particularly bad day of being homesick” she smiled back at him, accepting the biscuit, “But whom am I to deny a countryman in need?” Butcher chuckled again and chased down his biscuit with a swig of tea and reached for a second one.

They shared a few more biscuits in comfortable silence before both their mugs were empty and Eve put them in the sink. Butcher disappeared into the bathroom and Eve went to find a clean jumper.

In the bathroom Butcher did his business and then stood in front of the cabinet, having a quick inner battle with himself before gently opening the door for a peek inside. It was an old and bad habit but people kept all sorts of secrets in their bathroom cabinets and he wanted to know more about Eve.

On the first shelf was her electric toothbrush and toothpaste, along with a small first aid kit, deodorant, hair brush and some elastic bands for her hair. On the second shelf was a number of small glass bottles with chemical sounding names he couldn’t understand. He picked one and looked at the clear liquid inside, none the wiser. Carefully putting it back he looked at the top shelf and spotted a two tone coloured egg shaped object. He picked it up and felt the light weight in his hand, trying to figure out what it was. The egg had a small hole towards its narrower end and the hole had a soft ring around the edge.

Eve was on the sofa in a clean jumper, typing on her laptop, when Butcher walked out of the bathroom.

“Wha’s this?” he asked, holding up the egg in his hand.

Eve looked up and spluttered.

“Butcher! What the fuck?!” She jumped up and reached for the object but he was too quick and with a cheeky grin held it up above his head. He was already much taller than her, with his hand outstretched she stood no chance in reaching up to grab it and he knew it. And she wasn’t fucking jumping for it!

“You’re going through my things now? I give you my tea and my biscuits and this is how you repay me?!” Eve was half way between actually angry with him but also trying to stifle her laughter.

“I’ll give it back if you tell me what it is,” he said looking up at the egg-shaped object, “I’m racking my brain here.”

“You really don’t know what it is?” Eve said with a doubtful look. She couldn’t quite tell if he was being serious or taking the piss, the usual Butcher style.

“A shaver, maybe?” he guessed, weighing it in his hand again.

“Give it to me and I’ll show you” Eve sighed and put out her hand, “If you don’t know you’ll never guess”.

Butcher handed her the object and she took his hand in hers, stretching it out and placing the round hole against the pad of his thumb. Maybe this was a bad idea, pushing the flirting with Butcher a step too far. But she pushed the metal shape on top of the object and Butcher felt light tension against his thumb, his brow furrowed in confusion. She pressed the button a few more times and the tension grew on his thumb, suction was being created, pulling the flesh of his thumb up towards the hole.

“Now do you get it?” she asked, watching his face for a glimmer of comprehension. It took him a few seconds and then he gave her a wicked grin.

“Bet I can do tha’ alot better” he leered, not a trace of embarrassment on his face.

“I bet you think you can.” Eve rolled her eyes and turned off the sex toy, removing it from his hand. She tossed it onto the sofa behind her. Butcher was grinning far too widely and closed the already small gap between them, stepping well inside her personal sphere.

“I really think I can, luv,” he whispered, bending down so that his mouth brushed against her ear and his warm breath tickled her neck. It made her give an involuntary shiver and he noticed. She tried stepping away but somehow her legs were not working right now and he took her immobility as a sign to continue and touched his lips to the soft skin below her ear, lightly kissing her neck and causing goosebumps to break out. A small sigh escaped her and she felt, more than heard, Butcher smile.

His beard gently tickled her skin as he moved his lips up over her jaw and reached her mouth. She fought with the rational side of her mind against the side that just wanted to give in and pull him on to the bed, it was only a few shorts steps away in the small room. His lips were warm and soft on her mouth and his hands were on her waist now, finding the delicate skin between her jeans and her jumper. His kisses got more intense, pushed against her still closed lips. She parted them for him and his tongue slipped in, finding hers and tasting it eagerly.

He felt too good, his warm, firm body pressed up against hers, his calloused hands grabbing at her waist and pulling her closer. Without even really thinking she reached up and put her arms around his neck, pushing her fingers into the thick hair at the back of his head and letting her whole body arch into his. He grumbled low into her mouth and one of his hands slid up her back under her jumper, leaving trails of warmth across her skin as he caressed it. Her kisses were more eager now, her tongue slipped into his mouth, tasting the tea and the chocolate from before.

A moment of clarity hit her and she pulled away from him, putting her hands flat on his chest and pushing him back. He stopped kissing her and looked down with a frown but his hands were still firmly around her waist and she could feel the extra heat radiating off him.

“This really isn’t a good idea” she said, shaking her head to clear the feeling his kisses had built up inside her.

He bent down towards her neck again.

“Why not, gorgeous?” he said in a low voice and kissed her soft skin. He had clearly figured out that this made her feel very good. His teeth nipped at the sensitive skin and she had to bite her lips to catch the moan.

”It feels good, for both of us I think”, he continued, between light kisses and nibbles on her neck. To make matters worse he let his hand slide up the side of her body, caressing the skin up towards her bra, letting his fingertips brush across her nipple when he reached it. She felt her throat constrict at the touch.

“We should focus on the job at hand, Butcher. Not get involved with colleagues.” She sighed as his fingers brushed her nipple again with a bit more force as he continued to kiss and tickle her neck with his lips and beard. “But you’re making it very, very hard,” she moaned as he pulled her in close again and let his tongue slip inside her open mouth.

She really had no will to resist him, his lips pressed up against hers in a way that made her insides flutter.

He chuckled against her mouth and pulled away a little, looking into her eyes.

“We know we’re not getting any further on the job today and MM or Frenchie will give us a bell if something goes down.” He let his hands slide down towards her waist and further, down to the back of her thighs. “Until then, we can enjoy the end of this lil’ dance we’ve been ‘aving since you arrived”

He grabbed her legs and easily picked her up, giving her a wide, mischievous grin, as he wrapped her legs around his waist. She knew he could feel how hot she was where her jeans pressed against the top of his crotch. There was no denying that she wanted this as much as he did, she was just a little bit better at analysing long term consequences. Billy Butcher never thought of the long term consequences of anything, he just did what felt right in the moment.

Which is what he did now. He crossed the short distance to the bed and laid her down on it, bracing himself over her with both his arms. He looked down at her with that cheeky grin she’d seen so many times.

“But if you really want me to stop, beautiful, just say the word.”

Her stomach knotted in anticipation of what he wanted to do and how good it would feel. Her brain still tried to find the logical argument to stop this now, but her instinct clearly wanted something else because her hands reached up around his neck and pulled him down without her brain giving any command. He sank down on top of her, holding himself up on one arm so that he didn’t crush her, and found her lips again. This time Eve opened her mouth and kissed him back straight away, her hands slipping into his hair and pulling him closer. His tongue eagerly slipped into her mouth and she felt him slide it over her tongue as she let a moan escape. His kisses were sending jolts of electricity through her and the way the tip of his tongue caressed her own made her ache for more of his touches.

His free hand moved down to her waist and slipped in under her jumper, pushing it up as he found one of her breasts again, cupping it, letting his thumb slide across her firm nipple. The sensation made her inhale sharply and he did it again as she felt his smile against her lips. He circled the hard peak and every pass made her whimper until he grabbed her whole breast with his big hand and kneaded it, relishing the feel of the warm, firm flesh.

The whole length of his body was pressed firmly against her and she could feel the bulge in his jeans straining against her thigh. As she shifted her legs to give him space she felt him push her hips open and his erection pressed against her core. From his mouth came a low rumble as he pushed against her, the fabric of his jeans creating friction between them. His hand left her breast, grabbed her hip and pulled her closer to his cock, bearing down on her pussy through the fabric of their trousers, grinding against her with heavy breaths.

She moved her hands from his hair and down to the neck of his shirt, wanting to feel more of his hot skin and that body that felt so good against hers. The buttons were stubborn and her concentration was faltering as Butcher continued to grind into her pussy and work his lips down along her neck. Every now and then he’d nip at the sensitive skin with his teeth and then kiss the spot with his open mouth, making her shiver every time.

Finally the buttons came undone, Butcher lifting himself up a little to help her reach the last ones before she could push it over his shoulders. He shook it over one arm and then the other before tossing it to the floor and reaching for the hem of her jumper, pushing it up over her head and letting it fly the same way as his shirt. He stopped short at the sight of her black bra, her nipples clearly pushing against the thin fabric, letting his hand slide over both breasts, tweaking her nipples as he went. Her moans made him give her a grin.

“And you though’ this was a bad idea, luv” he said, continuing to caress the silk of her bra, teasing her with his fingers.

“I still think it's a bad idea,” she gasped as he gave her right nipple some extra attention by slipping his fingers inside the cup of the bra and finding her warm skin. “I’m just choosing to ignore long term conseque…” her last word trailed off because Butcher had pushed down the fabric of her bra and enclosed her nippled with his mouth, playing with it and letting his tongue roll around it.

“Oh god, Butcher” she groaned.

“Just Billy will do, darlin’ ”, he smirked as he sat up slightly and slipped the bra straps over her shoulders and unhooked it at the back. It went the same way as the shirts. He propped himself up on one elbow and continued to kiss and nibble at her breasts with his mouth but now his free hand was making little circles on her skin, moving down towards the top of her jeans.

Her skin was smooth and warm under his touch and he enjoyed how every little nip at her sensitive areas made her twitch and moan. She couldn’t hide that what he was doing made her feel good and he wanted to make her moan louder. His jeans were becoming uncomfortably tight across his groin and he wanted to take them off, feel her hands and eyes on him as she stroked it.

His hand reached her jeans and he undid the button and pushed down the zipper before letting his hand trail down under the fabric. He felt a shiver run through her body and she arched her back slightly up towards his hand. His fingers reached the top of her underwear and he toyed with the edge of it, letting his fingers slip under it and then pulling back, teasing her as her breath caught in her throat. He could feel his fingers touch the top of her opening as they slid under the fabric, she was burning hot. She started squirming under his touch.

“Take them off, Billy” she groaned, her hands pulling at his hair.

He looked up at her, leaving her breasts damp from his kisses, and she pulled his face closer to hers, kissing him with her open mouth on his lips. He slipped his tongue inside her and let his fingers slide under the fabric again, and deeper down, into her slit, touching the top of her clit. She moaned, louder this time, against his mouth and pushed herself against his fingers.

“Easy, luv” he mumbled, letting his fingers gently slide across her most sensitive area, gaining more loud moans from her, it was slick with wetness and his cock started aching. He had to get out of these jeans. As he pulled his hand away from her pussy she looked up at him again, her usually green eyes were dark, the pupils nearly fully open.

“I think there was something in the tea” she smiled at him, “this can’t be all you, making me feel like I’m about to melt”.

“S’all me, beautiful”, he said, “but you are meltin’ ”, he held up his two fingers coated in her juice. She stuck out her tongue and gave his fingers a small lick and then took them in her mouth, sucking them clean. It was Billy’s turn to moan now as her tongue slid down and then up his fingers. He could practically feel her tongue on his cock and it strained a bit more painfully against his jeans.

“I need to shed these trousers, luv” he whispered and pushed himself up and off the bed.

She followed him into a sitting position and reached and grabbed his belt buckle, pulling him close as he stood next to the bed. Billy looked down on her, the light from the one lamp in the room was on her red waves, even more unruly than usual after squirming on the bed. He wanted to grab that hair and pull her into position but instead he gently laced his fingers through the waves, caressing her hair and waiting for her to unbuckle his belt.

Her hands let it fall to the side and swiftly undid both the button and the zipper of his black jeans, exposing his boxers underneath. They were straining against his erection but just to have the jeans off made him feel relieved. She pushed the jeans down, leaving his boxers in place and he steadied himself on her as he stepped out of them. Eve’s fingers ran along the edge of the boxers and he watched as she slowly pulled them down, letting the elastic graze over his hard cock, his moan coming from deep inside his chest. She looked up at him at the sound and gave him a grin.

“Nice to hear I’m not the only one moaning here”, she said, starting to caress him and place small kisses along his cock. That drew another moan from him, louder this time. He watched her trail a few fingers along the length of his cock, teasing him and letting his breath hitch as her nails tickled along the length.

“Luv, you’re killing me ‘ere” Billy groaned.

The sight of her mouth so close to the head of his cock was more than he could take. He wanted to grab her head and firmly guide her mouth on to it and watch it slide between her lips. His grip tightened in her hair and she knew what he wanted.

Looking up at him again she let her tongue slowly lick the head, tasting the precum that had formed at the tip. Gently at first, she only licked around the edges, but soon she sucked the head into her mouth and let her tongue roll around it, tasting him thoroughly before taking more in, moaning slightly as her lips stretched around his thick form.

Billy watched her take more of his cock into her mouth and tried to stop himself from thrusting his hips into her. His cock was soon slick with her saliva and her wet lips stretched around it as she let it slip in and out, sucking along the length of it, taking it deep in. Her dark eyes were turned up on him and the sight of his hard cock sliding in and out between her red lips made him clench his jaw as he felt the pressure build in his core. The tip of his cock brushed up against the back of her throat and he bit down hard on his lip, breathing deep. Forcing himself to think of Frenchie’s dirty trainers stinking up the office when he kicked them off he tried to pull back from the edge. He released his grip on Eve’s waves.

“Slow down, beautiful,” he murmured, pulling himself away from her with effort. “I’m not going to last long if you work me like tha’ “.

“I was thinking about your promise to do a better job than my toy”, Eve said, letting go of his cock and giving him a cheeky smile she knew would set him off.

“Oh, I will, luv, don’cha worry”, Billy’s grin was huge. He clasped his own hands, flexing out his fingers, like an athlete getting ready for a match, stretching his neck to one side and then the other before grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. His antiques made her laugh as he pulled her up. Reaching down he slid her already unbuttoned jeans down her legs, along with her underwear, leaving Eve naked in front of him as she kicked them aside. He slowly looked her up and down with a shameless grin before stepping closer to her.

“Eve, darlin, you really are gorgeous,” he murmured and bent his lips to hers, tasting his precum on her, as she opened her mouth to him. She pushed her hands into the hair at the back of his and pulled him closer, sucking in his tongue in a way that made his cock twitch. She moaned as she felt him push it against her stomach, the hard shape slick with precum and saliva.

Butcher pulled away from her mouth and cupped her jaw in his big hand, “Lemme know when it feels as good as tha’ thing and I’ll make sure to bring you higher,” he smirked and let his hand slide down her soft skin.

His hand found the top of her pussy and he watched her shiver and almost buckle as he slid a finger in between her folds. He slid his other arm around her waist and held her close to him, propping her up. Her pussy was just as wet as before and he found no resistance as he caressed deeper down her.

“All this drippin’ wet heat in your cunt just because of me, beautiful,” he chuckled at her. She put her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest, trying to control her breathing. Billy could hear her moans grow more intense as he continued to slide his finger across her clit, he wasn’t even applying that much pressure yet, but her breathing was becoming laboured. When he thought she was too close to the edge he removed his hand, and she let out a small whine.

“I told you to take it easy, darlin’.”

“You’re making that bit very difficult,” she stood on her tiptoes to pull him down for a kiss, her mouth pressing against his hot lips as his tongue found hers. She let her hands slip up over his chest, finally getting a good feel of it. His skin was surprisingly smooth with sparse dark hairs that tickled her palms as she caressed him. She could feel scar tissue in a few places and she let her fingers gently explore them as they continued to kiss, his tongue pushing back into her mouth. His hard cock was pushed up against her stomach, and the heat radiated on her skin, she let her hand slip down and grab it but Billy smiled and pulled her hand away.

“Not yet,” he said, pushing her gently down onto the bed. “Crawl to the top and lay down on your back”, he ordered her and she complied. As she moved up the bed he watched her wet pussy glinting between her legs. It was all he could do to not fall on top of her and fuck her straight away, the sight was beyond tempting and his cock was throbbing.

Billy kneeled down onto the bed so that he was still looking down at her outstretched body in front of him. She was laying back on to the pillow at the top of the bed, head cocked slightly to the side as if she was studying him. As he watched she let her right hand slide down between her legs and push them apart, her fingers finding her clit and circling it. Her head fell back with a moan but she pulled herself back and looked up at him again.

“You’re taking too long, Billy”, she said and put her other hand up towards him, beckoning him down towards her.

“Just enjoyin’ the view, pet” he growled in a low voice, his eyes not leaving her fingers as they continued to circle her clit. “But stop doing tha’, I’m gonna do it better”, he smirked and finally bent down onto the bed, pushing her legs apart and positioning himself between them, his big hands were on her thighs, opening her up to his gaze. Eve groaned as he bent closer and slowly trailed some kisses and nips along the sensitive skin on the inside of her thighs, moving closer to her dripping centre. She arched her body up, trying to move closer to his mouth, low moans escaping her between her shallow breaths.

“Please, Billy,” she begged. Her hands were in his hair now, trying to pull him closer but he couldn’t be shifted.

“You’re so wet and hot, gorgeous, so sweet tasting,” he murmured, his voice lower than usual as he came closer to her pussy. Grabbing her right leg, he bent it at the knee, pushing it up towards her hip, giving himself better access as he slowly let the tip of his tongue slide up into her fold, finding her swollen clit almost straight away. When he finally touched it Eve shivered violently as if a small orgasm had already rocked her body, her pussy contracted around nothing. Whimpering loudly her fingers were tightening in his hair. He could feel the tension in his scalp and he let himself be pulled closer, his mouth fully in her pussy now.

Eve could feel his tongue work its way down and push inside, exploring how far he could reach, before pulling back and moving back up to her clit. Billy’s movements were unpredictable on her, he licked her with the tip, pushed harder against her clit, making her feel it deep down in her core, used his teeth to pull small sharp groans from her when he nibbled around the edges of her pussy until he pulled her clit into his mouth and started sucking on it, mimicking the motions of her sex toy. But this was better, this was so much better. He sucked gently at first but as her groans grew louder he increased his pressure. Her hips were pushing against him and he could feel the contractions starting to build in her pussy as he pulled her closer to the edge of her climax. Billy glanced up at her and saw her flushed face thrown back, her neck exposed, her breasts rising rapidly as she moaned his name.

“Oh Billy, god, I’m so close, so close!” she mumbled almost incoherently through ragged breaths.

She felt him move his hand up, sliding two fingers into her hot pussy without any resistance, and she was pushed even closer, her pussy contracting around his fingers as she felt him curl them back up, finding that sweet spot just inside her opening. He rubbed against it, adding friction and each movement made her convulse and cry out.

His mouth was on her clit, sucking it in, she could feel his tongue swirling around it and she moved her hips up against him, willing him to give her more. His fingers were sliding in and out of her, finding that spot deep in her cunt every time.

She could hear him mumbling against her clit, his voice vibrating through her and as he pushed in a third finger, stretching her pussy, she cried out his name. Her body tensed up, pushing her pussy against his mouth and he pushed her over the edge, letting his fingers work her through the climax, wave after wave rolled through her. Billy felt her pussy contract around him like a vice, and her juices soaked his beard.

A strangled cry escaped her as she arched her body up against his face and then collapsed on the bed. Her breathing was ragged and her chest rose with her deep breaths. Billy softened his hold on her clit but continued to lick her with smooth strokes until she pulled his head up towards her. Her eyes were dark and soft, strands of her red hair were plastered against her flushed cheeks. Billy moved up over her and kissed her soft, warm lips, he knew she could taste herself on him, his beard was damp from it. His hard cock brushed up against her stomach and Eve shivered, the thought of it inside her made her pussy contract again.

“Come inside me now, Billy” she said and moved her body under him so that his cock was pushed up against her still wet centre. “It feels so good after I come and if you’re good enough you’ll make me come again” she smiled up at him with a challenge.

Billy wasn’t about to turn down a dare like that and he grinned back at her while he took his cock in his hand and found her pussy with its tip.

“I know I made you come harder than that toy, babe, with just my mouth. You think I can’t make you come just as hard with my cock inside you?” His grin promised that he was prepared to back up his words, rubbing his cock up and down her slit, making her jolt every time he let it slip over her still sensitive clit. He saw it and he enjoyed it, making her breath deeper as her eyes dropped closed and she leaned her head back, relishing the feeling his cock gave her.

“Let me feel you inside me, Billy,” she murmured, “please.”

Billy groaned and looked down between them, the swollen head of his cock was pushed up against her wet opening, spread wide for him. He pushed in the head, feeling her cunt contract around it and he lost control. With a deep growl he pushed his whole length inside her. Slliding up and down her pussy, teasing her, had built up the pressure inside him to a breaking point, he needed to fuck her. Hard. Now. As he thrust inside her he felt her snug walls close around him, squeezing him tight.

“Ah, luv, Eve, you’re so fuckin’ tight,” he moaned, his hands finding her hips and pulling her down on to his shaft. Eve felt him stretch her out and push deep into her, she could only gasp as he bottomed out. He was filling her up, creating friction deep inside her and she felt how his movements stirred something deep inside her, hitting spots that made her cry out as a familiar heat started to build in her core. She grabbed onto his shoulders, digging her nails into his hot skin, needing him to envelop her with his heavy body as he thrust his hard cock into her wet cunt.

Billy pulled almost out, looking down to see his cock covered in her juice and he bit down hard on his lip. “Fuck, fuck, you’re so wet,” he gasped and moved down over her, letting her pull him down over her, her pussy contracting around his cock as she wrapped her arms around him and moaned into his ear.

He felt her wrap her legs around his waist, pulling him in again as he pressed his mouth on hers, pulling her tongue into his. He thrust harder again and his groans grew louder, he held a steady pace, trying to not to come too fast, needing to feel her come on his cock first. He pressed his face against her neck, trying to pull her as close as possible, letting his cock slam into her again and she cried out for him.

Her pussy squeezed him every time he pulled out, almost holding on to him and when he thrust back in he could feel how she contracted around him again. She was pressed up against his chest, breathing hard against his neck and ear, moaning his name now, as he slammed his hips into her with increasing pressure. She could feel her orgasm building up inside her again, his cock was adding friction to all the right spots and she groaned, her hands grabbing onto his shoulders.

He lifted himself up and slipped his hand in between their bodies, finding her clit swollen and slick. She gasped as he used his fingers to circle it, making her teether on the edge of a new climax.

“Darlin’,” he panted, staring down at her with heavy eyelids, his eyes almost black, “I need you to come on my cock, I wanna feel it, need to feel you drench me,”

He felt her pussy contract hard around him at his word and she cried out and dug her fingers into his back. Her climax broke over her, her pussy squeezing him tight as her body arched up against his chest, her whimpers filling his ears as she came undone under him. He groaned loudly, feeling his own release begin. Grabbing her shoulder with his free hand he pushed his hard cock deep into her as his cum shot out, needing to feel her tight cunt squeeze him dry. He continued to thrust into her slowly relaxing pussy as she came down from her second climax and he pumped the last of himself into her with slower thrusts, his head heavy against her neck.

For a few minutes all that could be heard in the room was their breathing, laboured and slowly calming down. Billy had collapsed on top of her as his arms gave out, he was vaguely aware of not trying to crush her too hard, but she didn’t seem to mind, her arms still around his neck and shoulders.

Eventually he let himself slip out of her, his cock softening. His cum was trailing out of her, making a mess on the bed. He pushed his arm underneath her and pulled her over himself, and on to the other side, laying her down on his arm so that he could look down on her. She smiled a small smile at him and reached up to touch the scar above his eye.

“Definitely better than the toy, but can I keep you on my bathroom shelf?”

“I doubt it, luv, but I promise to come an’ play with you whenever you need me” he said, his face softer than she’d ever seen it. “I run on tea and biscuits for tha’ particular skill set”. His smile was cheeky again and he bent down to plant a kiss on her lips.

[silverandarsenic-hcs]

Heyy here an idea for the cristmas spirit: Imagine that the Papas and ghouls are into it very much as well and the ghouls are like wearing instead of horns reindeer antlers and the papas are like #1 and #2 being in their normal robes but in red and white and w santa hats and #3 wears those tight ass shorts and theres written "Im your present" or "I were naughty this year" and he also wears red and white high knee socks 🔥

Wish you a merry christmas & a great new year and I hope you two are fine 💛

This is so cute omg. I know it's late but ive been so drunk i havent had time to write this so here are my christmas hcs

Papa Nihil: He wanted his kids to be like any other when they were small, so he let them indulge in a few christmas festivities - it was more of a winter solstace celebration than a santa claus treeinthehouse type deal at first, but his sons caught on quickly and for the last year papa I wasn't old enough to make fun of him, Nihil even dressed up in a santa suit with a fake beard and everything. He left the gift buying to Sister, and let everyone from the church decorate the huge evergreen tree in the garden with colored lights and glittering baubles. These days he just sits around and watches everyone partake in the christmas spirit

Papa I: Loved christmas when he was younger, because what child doesn't, but grew out of it quickly. He went through a long phase where he wouldn't even attend the event, telling everyone it was stupid and a church like theirs shouldn't be participating in such holidays. As he got older he softened a little when he realized it made everyone else happy, and that if he wanted to be liked he had to give in, so he dressed in red robes and had someone pick out presents for him to give

Papa II: You would think he hated christmas more than his brother, but it was a party, so of course he was down. For the month of December he's walking around with eggnog in his thermos, and getting wasted on mulled wine while he helps decorate the tree. He's only around for the ghouls baking cookies because most of the liquor in the building is kept in the kitchen, and he likes eating the raw dough. On the 24th he wears a dark green suit, and his finest Italian leather boots - he played santa for his younger brother when his older and their father wouldn't any longer. He hoped III was too young to remember. If anyone says anything about III's christmas spirit he just tells them he's pregaming for new years eve.

Papa III: Absolutely fucking loves christmas. All the red, the decorations, the gifts, the cookies, the big family dinners. He oversees every single christmas related practice in the church - making schedules on when to bake, when all gifts should be ready in the parlor, when dinner starts, and what everyone wears to the event. When he isn't in his robes, all month he's walking around in a red tank top and shorts that do say something stupid on the ass - "I've been naughty", "I'm your present", "Jingle these balls", "Unwrap me", and "Sleigh" are a few of his favorites. He drags everyone out to christmas markets in town for shopping and mulled wine and some fun in the snow. On the evening, he's in the kitchen overseeing dinner, making sure places are set just so, and serving themed drinks to everyone else relaxing in the parlor.

Copia: He's just as into Christmas as III, but he isn't quite ready to take over the hat and III isn't ready to give it up, so he's more of an assistant throughout the holidays. He's try to learn as much as possible so when he's finally allowed to take over he doesn't ruin it for everyone - apparently it doesn't matter who the current papa is, it matters who has the most spirit in their heart. Or whatever. He makes drinks, and cooks in the kitchen with III, and does most of the helping when it comes to the cookies. Though Aether is a good enough leader, they still can't be trusted alone in a kitchen anyone will ever have to use again. He gets his rats festive toys and decorates their cage in tinsel, and lets them indulge in any crumbs they can find.

The ghouls love christmas because it's tradition and that's always sacred to them, so they do everything they can to make the most of it. For the final week leading up, they trade their regular masks for similar ones with antler horns, and wear red and green versions of their regular suits. Swiss and Dew are outside setting fire to every tree around the decorated one - they say it makes the lights shine brighter. Aether is helping everyone get gifts for each other and making sure everyone gets their share of cookies, and Mountain and Rain are making snowmen all along the property from the second it sticks. The girls are head of tree decorating, and make sure they get every last decoration out of storage so it can look not just the same as last year, but better! Cirrus always buys more from the market anyways, and one of these years the branches are gonna be a little too heavy, Cumulus says. Every night leading up they all put on their themed PJ onsies and sit in front of the fireplace in the parlor and watch christmas movies. Dew hates the music but Aether makes everyone sing in chorus anyways

- Rosie, who is sorry this is late but wishes everyone a merry christmas anyways

[lady-charinette]

Chapter 2 - Strings & Papers Lukanette AU (Teacher!Marinette & SingleDad!Luka)

A/N:  Hi everyone! I’m very sorry for the delay of Chapter 2, I’ve been so busy at university and studying and everything. I hope to update faster next time, anyhow here’s the next chapter! :)

Tagging: @seraphkitty @canadianburd @macaknight @fher43 @vivilakitty @quickspinner @im-here-for-the-content @decaffeinated-happyshit @jessigurl-design @2sunchild2 @zebrabaker @didnwant2come @redscarlet95 @graduatedmelon @eve-is-the-dawn @anjuschiffer @alissawhited-blog @rudy-ruby @mystery-5-5 @winter-gardenflower @bresso23 @kayla-the-rambling-writer @teresarosiadeviluke2112 @captainmac6 @violatiger @crazywhitemofo @hauntedfreakdeputyhero @gingersnapnoir @a-marlene-s @omgelisahagemanuniverse @samslash @kryptored @lukatherat ​ 

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2

“Auntie Jule!” Leon stared up at his aunt, tugging on her the hand holding his securely as they crossed the street.

The woman didn’t answer immediately, eyes focused on looking left and right as they rushed across the street, once they made it safely on the other side, copper eyes stared down at the child questioningly. “Yeah, Leo?”

The boy pursed his lips in thought, trying to express himself in words, a feat his own father had trouble sometimes accomplishing. “Does…does dad have time to come to school sometime?” big brown eyes, his mother’s eyes, stared up at her expectantly.

Juleka Couffaine briefly stared at the sky, spotting the school not too far ahead, trying to recall her brother’s schedule. “Hmm…I’ll have to ask him. Why? Did something happen?” Worry immediately shot through her heart like an arrow, causing her grip to tighten slightly on her nephew’s hand.

He shook his head, much to her relief. “No, my teacher just wanted to see him!”

The woman rose an eyebrow in confusion. “Your teacher? Your homeroom teacher Miss Marinette?” that was weird, “Did she tell you why?”

Leon rubbed his chin, eyes squinty as he thought hard about yesterday and what Miss Marinette said. “Um…um….I think…I think…she said she would love to meet him.” He shrugged, not entirely sure if she had mentioned a reason. He remembered drawing his picture and hanging it up in class. Leon jumped, eyes wide and excited as he tugged on his aunt’s hand again. “Auntie Jule! Auntie Jule! I drew a picture yesterday you have to see it! Come on!”

The boy tightened his grip around her hand suddenly and marched forward like a soldier on a mission. Juleka stumbled before quickening her own pace, trying to keep up with the ball of energy that was her nephew.

Her thoughts were still on Leon’s words from earlier. Why did Marinette want to see her brother? She was sure Leon hadn’t done anything wrong, otherwise Marinette would’ve called herself or Leon would’ve mentioned something.

‘She said she would love to meet him.’

Juleka blinked, now very curious on the reason behind the sudden question. Then again, Marinette had a right to know where Leon’s parent was, up until now, it was Juleka she’d had regular contact with and who picked up Leon from school. Luka had attended parent meetings, but as far as she was concerned, Marinette hadn’t been there due to other meetings.

Taking out her phone while ascending the steps to the elementary school, Juleka typed in a quick text and sent it to her brother.

“Good morning Lea! Good morning Emma!” Leon’s excited shouts echoed in the hallways, greetings his friends with wild waving, immediately distracted from his initial goal of showing his aunt a picture he drew.

Juleka smiled, making small talk with the gathered parents ready to see their children off.

————–

A ping sound made the man quickly take out his phone, heart pacing in his chest worriedly.

Juleka normally sent a text at lunch, it wasn’t nowhere near lunch yet. Was it the school? Did something happen to Leon?

Luka’s heart raced wildly right up until he opened the chat, a relieved sigh leaving his lips when he carefully read the message from his sister.

‘Hey Lu, don’t worry, nothing happened. Was wondering when you’ll come to school, people are curious about Leo’s mystery dad.’ – Jule

Luka frowned. Mystery dad? He’d attended parent meetings before…granted, he didn’t come often to school like picking his son up like he wanted. He was sure some people did wonder about him, especially since he hadn’t met all the teachers yet either.

But he did come when he could.

“Something the matter?” his manager rose an eyebrow at the musician staring at his phone thoughtfully. “Something wrong with your kid?”

Luka snapped out of his thoughts, fingers flying over the screen to hurriedly send the message before pocketing the device again. “No, sorry.”

Bob Roth hummed, eyeing the man a moment longer before he pulled up a photo from his drawer. “Anyway, I wanted you to try and collaborate with my son for a few songs. He’s good on vocals, I thought you’d provide the back-up vocals and maybe some guitar on the side. How’s that sound?” the overly large lopsided grin on his manager’s face didn’t spell ‘a few’ songs, more like a whole album.

The picture of XY’s sleazy face stared at Luka, who grimaced at the too wide smile and the overbearing amount of jewellery on the younger man’s face.

Luka shifted uncomfortably in his seat, rolling the black and silver ring on his finger back and forth. “…I thought it was about producing more copies for my recent solo hit. Penny Rolling told me there weren’t enough copies in stock.” He rose an eyebrow curiously, wondering how they’d jumped from his music onto possibly collaborating with Roth’s son.

Bob laughed, a boisterous, too loud sound for so early in the morning. “Of course! Of course! We’ll get to that later, don’t worry Luka! Now, about my son-“

Luka wished there were more parent meetings.

—————–

Juleka’s phone vibrated with the zig zag pattern she’d set for her brother.

A message.

He must be bored, or stuck with Bob, that had been a very quick response.

She opened their chat and scrolled down to the new message, eyes briefly glancing towards Leon who laughed with his friends in class.

‘Sorry. Talk at lunch. Weasel’s here.’

So, he was with Bob Roth. Juleka rolled her eyes, sending a short ‘Good luck’ back to her brother. Any dealings with Bob Roth were mentally and physically exhausting, she just hoped Luka would have some free time during lunch to talk about school and Leon.

Juleka pocketed her phone as soon as she saw Marinette, who was watering the plants on the windowsill.

“Good morning.” The teacher turned around, setting down the watering can when she spotted Juleka standing at the doorway of the classroom.

“Good morning Juleka!” Marinette’s far more cheery greeting put a smile to her face. She was rarely ever in a bad mood and Juleka appreciated it. The teacher being in a good mood meant classes flowed smoothly and the other kids were infected with the positive energy she radiated. Mornings were always hard, standing up so early to get Leon ready for school if Luka had to leave even earlier for work, before Juleka herself had to head to work.

There were mornings that Juleka did get up for without complaint, when she would be treated to the too rare sight of her brother and nephew in the bathroom, her brother shaving and Leon trying to imitate him by spreading toothpaste over his mouth, which always elicited laughter from them. Or when Luka would play a relaxing tune to start the day at the breakfast table and the family would talk about their plans for the day.

She realized Marinette had asked her something and the woman grabbed her hair instinctively, feeling ashamed for having ignored her. “I’m sorry, what did you say earlier Marinette?”

The teacher smiled in understanding, shaking her head. “It’s fine Juleka. I just asked how your morning was.”

The woman smiled, heart warming at how considerate she was. “It was fine. Leon was a bit fussy while getting dressed, but it was alright otherwise.” She glanced at the two thermos flasks on Marinette’s desk and she smiled sympathetically. “Rough morning too?”

The teacher laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. “I forgot to eat breakfast this morning, but Alya thankfully packed lunch for me and some coffee. Do you want some? I have enough for three people!” both women laughed and Juleka politely declined, spying the clock on the wall.

There was more than enough time to enjoy some coffee with the kind teacher, but she had to get to work. “I’m sorry Marinette, I would love to, but I have to get to work.” She shrugged, but other woman understood, nodding in understanding.

“That’s fine, I don’t want to hold you up any longer.” She glanced to the side, until her eyes widened and she impulsively grabbed Juleka’s hand. “Oh wait! I almost forgot!” she dragged the stunned brunette with her towards the side of the class, a string reaching from wall to wall with many drawings attached to it.

Marinette lead her to one particular drawing and upon closer inspection, a smile automatically lit up the young woman’s face. “That’s Leon’s!” without even glancing at the messily scrawled name in the corner, Juleka easily recognized the bright blue hair of what looked like her brother’s stick figure and her own purple mixed with black, along with a flower clumsily drawn on top of her head.

Juleka rarely wore any kind of accessories in her hair, but Leon had always liked putting flowers in her hair and in Luka’s too. It was a trait he’d since he was four, the time where they went on a little family trip and Rose had shown her favourite spots in a garden they visited. Juleka was used to people – particularly Leon or Rose – putting flowers in her hair, Rose being the primary suspect.

Their house was full of flowers, according to Rose, all pretty things deserved to have a flower to accentuate their beauty.

Juleka, in her eyes, was no exception.

It still made her blush, to this day.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Juleka admired the creative picture, full of colours and adorable stick figures representing their family.

“Um…I’m sorry if I’m too forward but…” Juleka turned her head to look at the teacher, who suddenly shifted her weight and only hesitantly met her copper gaze. “May I ask about…Leon’s father?”

Juleka blinked. “My brother? Luka you mean?”

“Luka…yes.” Marinette seemed to test the name how it rolled off the tongue easily. “Does…I mean…is he home often?”

Honestly, Juleka couldn’t blame Marinette for asking, as far as anyone from the school staff was concerned, the principal was the only one who’d seen her brother more than a handful of times. Marinette had also been a bit unlucky, always missing each-other at parent teacher conferences.

She couldn’t help but giggle slightly. “Yeah, of course. But he works a lot, he’s busy but always manages to make time for Leon.” Warmth flooded her chest at the thought of the cute moments whenever she would stay over and catch her brother tiptoe his way to Leon’s room just to check if the boy was fine and sleeping.

When he would wake up earlier than he had to and prepare Leon’s lunchbox before collapsing on the couch for a few more hours of precious sleep. The sheets strewn about in his room, working on a new lullaby for Leon to fall asleep to whenever he had nightmares. It always made her brother anxious whenever his son shuffled into his room and crawled into his bed, small body cuddling up to his father to sought out comfort in the safety of his arms, who had never failed to offer that protection.

Marinette nodded, noting the expression on her friend’s face. “I see…I’m sorry if I’m prying Juleka-“

She shook her head, waving her hand dismissively. “Not at all, Marinette. You’re Leon’s teacher, you deserve to know about his family. It’s just…” she played with her bangs, nausea settling into the pit of her stomach. “Some things are…a bit more complicated. But Luka is a good dad, he always takes care of Leon and makes sure he doesn’t lack in anything. I’ll talk to him and try to clear his schedule so you guys can meet.” Her painted lips raised into a tentative smile, Luka’s message still at the forefront of her mind.

The polite smile remained on Juleka’s face despite the teacher’s yelp of mortification. “Thank you Jul- wait…h-how did you know I wanted to meet him?” the dumbfounded and increasingly nervous look on the teacher’s face made Juleka’s smile widen.

“Leon told me.”

“W-What?”

“Miss Marinette would love to meet him!’ Juleka imitated her nephew’s higher pitched voice, watching an interesting shade of pink spread over the teacher’s cheeks.

Hands quickly covered the teachers face in embarrassment. “Oh no, that sounds so wrong. I’m so sorry Juleka, I should’ve called personally!” Marinette groaned and ran a hand down her face, making her friend giggle.

“It’s fine, Marinette.” She squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “I assumed it was to meet him, I think you’re one of the few teachers who never met him before. It’s weird, it’s been a few months of school already.”

Marinette bit her lip, shaking her head helplessly. “I was so caught up organizing events for school, I had to cover shifts from a few colleagues so I couldn’t really attend all the parent teacher meetings. But I’ll definitely be there for the next one!” she grinned, giving a meaningful wink to Juleka. “And I hope you won’t be the only one I see there!”

Juleka smiled. “Don’t worry, you definitely won’t.” Juleka excused herself before she kneeled down to be at eye-level with Leon, who was off in the corner playing with his friends on a colorful carpet. They hugged briefly and Juleka bumped fists with him, which made Marinette smiled, before both women waved each-other goodbye.

With the majority of parents gone and students shuffling into the classroom, Marinette stood in the center and clapped her hands. “Good morning everyone!”

Many heads turned and almost all the children yelled back, some energetic, some tired. “Good morning Miss Marinette!”

———————-

Hours passed and finally lunch time rolled around.

Juleka’s steps were hurried, trying to reach the coffee machine before all the coffee would run out. She glanced at her phone, reading the time and wondering when her brother would be free. He did mentioned around lunch time, but-

Her phone buzzed in her hand, the screen flashing with her brother’s name.

Juleka quickly answered and lifted the device to her ear, blinking owlishly standing in front of the coffee machine. “Lu?”

The breathless voice of her brother greeted her back. “Hey Jule, sorry it took me so long. Bob took his sweet time and I had a performance that dragged on with the fans. How are you?”

Juleka scoffed gently, wedging her phone between her ear and shoulder and grabbing a clean mug from the shelf, deftly preparing herself some much needed caffeine boost.

“Fine, just have so much stuff to do about work. You?” she grabbed three sugar cubes from the bowl and threw them into her mug, watching the machine come to life and vibrate as it processed the coffee capsule within it, the pleasantly smelling brown liquid filling her mug.

“Fine, wished I was already home.”

A laugh left the woman’s lips and Juleka shook her head, grabbing her coffee after the machine was done. “We’re in the same boat.”

“I guess. How was Leon? I’m sorry I left earlier, Bob told me that meeting we had was important, a shame it wasn’t. I would’ve made Leon his lunch.” The man sounded disappointed and Juleka knew the father in him would reprimand himself over not making his son lunch, despite the circumstances.

Juleka rolled her eyes, taking a small sip from her coffee. “You’re such a dad, you know? Don’t beat yourself up over it, I made Leon lunch and it was fine. He was fine, Lu.” Juleka’s gaze caught sight of her fellow co-workers, smiling amicably at them before her feet carried her downstairs.

A sigh was heard on the other line. “Well, I am a dad for your information. No offense Jule, but you used to make a better lunch when we were in school.”

Another eyeroll. “I’m hanging up, Luka.”

“Hey, wait, don’t, I was just kidding!” he laughed and Juleka pursed her lips, shaking her head at her brother’s antics. “Sorry, anyway, what did you wanna talk about earlier when you sent me that message?”

Juleka stopped by the stairs, a slow smile spreading over her lips.

With a certain lilt in her voice and a positively devious glint in her copper eyes, Juleka finally settled at her desk, eyes absentmindedly scanning the sketches depicting models for the upcoming fall season.

She smiled. “Oh, right. You remember I told you about Leon’s homeroom teacher, Marinette?”

Thanks for reading everyone! Let me know what you think :3

[imitranslates]

Fukigen na Mononokean Ch. 77

Will Ashiya make it out of this schedule conflict...?!

Please remember to check out the official English release when it comes out, preferably on Crunchyroll if you’re able to!

The newest chapter can be read on the official website by clicking the yellow button labeled 読む!

Fukigen na Mononokean Chapter 77 - Chasing Two Hares At Once

Page 1

Sis: Merry Christmas!

Sis: This year's Christmas present is~~

Sis: A two-day, one-night family trip!

Ashiya: A trip?! Really?! Is this a prank?!

Sis: It's a bonafide trip.

Page 2

Nara: This will be the first time all three of us will be staying together on a trip~

Nara: I was shocked by this super gorgeous present myself!

Sis: It was a shock when you were hospitalized for fainting from anemia earlier this year.

Sis: Since you work at the shop when you're home, I thought it would be good to give you a refresher outside the house.

Nara: Those feelings alone are the best present!

Thank you, Chisa!

Page 3

Ashiya: By the way, big sis... when is this trip?

Chisa: New Year's Eve and New Year's Day!

Ashiya: Eh.

Chisa: ...Could it be, you already had something planned?

Chisa: We've always spent those two days together as family every year...

I didn't say anything when you were surprised before, but... you can't go?

Page 4

Ashiya: During winter break... I'm...

Page 5

Ashiya: Good morning!

Mononokean: Mornin'!

Abeno: Good morning.

Page 6

(Ashiya: Morning, Fuzzy!)

Abeno: (Ashiya...) Aren't you bringing an awful lot with you today?

Ashiya: I’m glad you brought it up!

Ashiya: I woke up early so I could make a lunch box!

Page 7

Ashiya: From today onward, we'll be fully absorbed in searching for Aoi-san from morning until evening.

Ashiya: Since there aren't any convenience stores in the forest, I thought I'd bring lunch!

(Ashiya: There are riceballs stuffed with salmon, kelp, and pickled plum!)

Abeno: Even so, can you really eat all this by yourself? (This amount...)

Ashiya: No way~ Your portion is in here, too, Abeno-san! I made enough for two!

Abeno: My portion?

Ashiya: If it suits your tastes, I'll make lunch from tomorrow onward!

Ashiya: There's warm tea in the thermos, too!

Aside from that, there's a picnic blanket, handwipes, insect repellent, and...

Ashiya: (Ah?!) I forgot the chopsticks!!

Page 8

Ashiya: Please wait, I'll be back in a minute.

Abeno: ...?

Abeno: Mononokean...? Isn't that guy in a weirdly good mood...?

Mononokean: It's a "We'll definitely find Aoi!" type of mood!

Abeno: Is... that what it is?

Page 9

(Ashiya: AOI-SAAAN!)

Abeno: !

Demon: !?

Abeno: (Damn it...

I got too absorbed in searching and it started getting dark again before I realized it...)

(Abeno: How troublesome...)

Page 10

(We'll end the search here. We didn't find anything today...)

(...But we've finished searching the general area around where I separated with Aoi.)

(I'll try expanding our search to the forest running along the barrier after tomorrow...)

Abeno: Ashiya! Let's get back to the Mononokean!

Ashiya: Have you found something?

Abeno: No...

Ashiya: Me neither...

Abeno: !

Page 11

Abeno: Hand over that bag.

Abeno: I'm not carrying anything, so I'll hold it for you on the way back.

Ashiya: No, no, I'm fine!

Ashiya: I'm the one who brought all this stuff, after all.

[Imagined Ashiya: Really!? Yay!! It was getting pretty heavy! Please take care of it!]

(Abeno: If you say so...)

Ashiya: But I really did bring too much today...

I'll have to downsize it for tomorrow.

(Ashiya: Abeno-saan, do you have any requests for tomorrow's lunch?)

Abeno: ...?

Page 12

Mononokean: Great job on your second day of searching!

Abeno: We'll search this area tomorrow.

Diagram: Rough sketch of the forest area outside the barrier.

Ashiya: Affirmative!

[Day 3 of the search.]

Ashiya: Abeno-saan! I'm finished searching over here!

Ashiya: I'll help you out on your side!

Abeno: He's quick...

[Day 4 of the search.]

Ashiya: This area is kinda slippery so I'll take care of it!

Abeno: In that case, let me have the medicine box...

Ashiya: No need, I'm fine!

[Day 5 of the search.]

(Ashiya: Haa...)

Abeno: Tired?

Ashiya: Not at all?

Page 13

[Day 6 of the search.]

Abeno: ......

Ashiya: (whispering)

Mononokean: OK.

Page 14

Abeno: "Okay"?

Abeno: What are you agreeing to?

Mononokean: Oh, were you peeping?

Abeno: ...?

Page 15

Ashiya: It's nothing.

Ashiya: I'm going to head home, alright?

Ashiya: Mononokean, the entryway, please?

Mononokean: OK!

Ashiya: Good work today!

Abeno: Good work...

Page 16

Mononokean: Good work~

Page 18

Abeno: I wondered if I should overlook it...

Abeno: But that shifty smile was just too disgusting.

Abeno: It's not nothing, is it?

Ashiya: ...It's n--...

Page 19

Ashiya: New Year's Eve and New Year's Day!! I'm going on a family trip!!

Abeno: ...Huh?

Abeno: Family trip...?

Page 20

Ashiya: But!

You can rest assured that I won't be taking off time from the search!

I've arranged to go after the search on New Year's Eve and meet up with my family!

Ashiya: But there's no way I would be back home by 9 o'clock New Year's Day,

So I asked the Mononokean to come to the place I was staying instead...

Right?

Mononokean: OK.

Abeno: So that was the "okay" from before...

Abeno: I don't mind picking you up somewhere else, but don't go making requests without my permission.

It's not like you had to keep it a secret from me in the first place, you know? (Your family trip...)

Ashiya: Well...

Page 21

Ashiya: It makes me feel guilty to go off and have fun at a time like this...

Ashiya: Even though I said, "We'll definitely find Aoi-san!"

I thought it'd make you disappointed like, "So you weren't really prepared after all..." (So I couldn't tell you...)

Abeno: (So that's why he's been going out of his way to be super considerate over the last few days...)

Page 22

Abeno: It's totally unnecessary for you to worry like that.

Abeno: I can't complain about what you do during winter break, so long as it doesn't get in the way of the search.

Abeno: ...Besides,

Abeno: It's not like you can have someone else take your place there.

Page 23

Abeno: That's why you should forget about work and have fun without any shame.

Mononokean: Bring me back a souvenir, okay?

Ashiya: !!

Mononokean: I'll come to pick you up on New Year's Day, of course.

And I'll send you off on New Year's Eve, too!

Abeno: Any other plans you need to confess?

Page 24

Ashiya: Abeno-san...

Ashiya: I'm sorry for trying to hide it instead of honestly telling you about it...

Abeno: Now there's a new way of prostrating yourself.

Ashiya: I'll buy a souvenir for Aoi-san, too...

Abeno: Don't worry about it. (More importantly, get out of the way already.)

(Ashiya: What are your plans for New Year's Eve, Abeno-san...?

Fuzzy: ......

(Abeno: If you must know, it’s spring cleaning for the Mononokean.)

[villainever]

Eve and the Performance of Morality

The "descent into darkness" as a format for a character arc is relatively common these days, especially in prestige television, and while it's more often played out with men than women, it's not unheard of as a trajectory for female characters. What's so interesting about Eve's development is how FAST it is happening. On a poorly-written show, this would be because the writers were rushing, too caught up in Point B to plot a satisfying journey there from Point A. But Killing Eve is basically a masterclass in good screenwriting, and it leaves us with the unshakeable feeling that this is the only way it COULD happen for Eve.

Other "descending" characters are so often ordinary, but transformed by their remarkable circumstances. They are pushed by the people around them and unfortunate events into compromising on their ideals and values, slowly shifting inch by inch until they've lost sight of who they were. And often, this is where they're killed off, or a redemption begins.

But even though she changes, Eve isn't transformed. She's REVEALED. And not just to us, but to herself. She isn't surrounded by people pushing her to darkness -- in fact, Elena, Hugo, Kenny, Jess and Niko are all trying to hold her back from it. Instead, she chases darkness. She follows Villanelle further and further, around a dozen corners in the gloom, and when the light's gone entirely, Eve realises that she can still SEE. Eve is made for the darkness, and Villanelle knows it from the beginning, but Eve is still working it out.

While I don't think Eve has the same compulsion towards violence that Villanelle does, I do believe they are an example of the nature/nurture conflict. Eve was raised by good people in a good place and got a good education, then married a good man and got a good job. "Nice and normal". At every turn, she was socialised and conditioned to mimic morality and empathy, and while Villanelle often acts this out as well, for Eve, the acting is still subconscious. She believes it comes from an innate impulse, rather than years of being told what to do and how to react. Neither Villanelle nor Eve really connect with people effortlessly on an emotional level, but Villanelle accepts that about herself, while Eve can almost pretend it's been bred out of her.

Eve's stable life and her moral framework are dependent on one another, so they implode at the same time. Staying in the realm of 'normal' with Niko necessitates a certain performance of conventional morality, but when Villanelle not only doesn't demand that performance but actually demonstrates an existence without it, Eve finds it harder and harder to maintain her home life.

Once the door has been opened, it can't be closed again. Eve is realising who she is, and more importantly, who she ISN'T. In 205, Martin says, "Don't add. Take away." And this is how we're experiencing Eve's arc. We take away outside pressure to be normal. We take away moral influences. We take away the expectation of goodness. And this leaves Eve looking a lot more similar to Villanelle than she's perhaps ready to admit yet to herself.

It's worth noting how Niko has identified Eve as self-obsessed, because she definitely is. But a lot of that self-obsession manifests in her fascination with Villanelle -- not only because Eve really likes Villanelle and stops caring about what distracts her from wholeheartedly pursuing her, but because Eve RECOGNISES some part of herself in Villanelle, and almost uses her as a mechanism for self-discovery. She watches what Villanelle does, and enjoys it, while being able to maintain the distance that comes from not having physically done it herself.

As I mentioned earlier, we've seen the "descent" arc before in modern television. One that springs to mind in Piper on OITNB. In S1, Piper commits increasingly selfish acts, but still considers herself a good person -- indeed, nothing she does can be really that bad, because she's a Good Person. Over S2 and S3, she continues downwards, until by S4, she's no longer able to reconcile the two versions of herself, so she decides she must be a Bad Person. Because of her pathological need to be liked, this doesn't work for her either, and ultimately, Piper ends up trying to do good things to become a genuinely Good Person.

Eve, I think, originally believed that she would hit some point like this, and bounce up from the bottom. But she won't. Why? Because at first, Eve thinks she needs people to like her, but she actually doesn't. She fires Kenny -- the last of their original team, the last person who knew Old Eve (not counting Carolyn, who has layers I won't get into here) -- and doesn't really miss him, or notice he's gone (eg. calling Hugo "Kenny"; they're interchangeable and missable). She wants Villanelle's attention, but Villanelle 'liking' her is different to the way other people might -- Villanelle wants her, is attracted to the best of the worst in her, is enjoying Eve's emergence from her crucible (or cocoon, depending on how you want to frame it). Eve's primary drive is Villanelle's interest in her, and that's certainly not holding her back in her journey.

Secondly, Eve doesn't actually care about being good. She's had numerous potential "wake-up call" moments -- stabbing Villanelle, facilitating the torture of the Ghost, nearly pushing the guy at the train station, Niko leaving, Villanelle killing someone right in front of her, etc. Yes, she had a minor breakdown over knifing Villanelle, but that was more the idea of Villanelle being gone than the stabbing itself, because the way Eve later says she thinks of it "all the time" doesn't sound as black and white as regretting it in its entirety; like Villanelle, she views it as a point of significsnt connection between them and I don't believe she'd let that go. Regardless, the point is that if she had a real gut connection to her moral compass, she would've bailed. Because really, her original mission is over. She caught Villanelle. She chased her and drew level and she's done.

But Eve's not done, because she's chasing not just Villanelle, but the Eve who can keep pace with her. She's chasing what Villanelle represents -- freedom from a system that doesn't fit Eve, not really.

What we have to remember, though, is that Eve has been socially and ideologically programmed for forty-five years. Most sociopaths lead typical lives and have long-term relationships and never really dig too deep into their psychology. It's doable. This is why Eve is slipping fast but not faster -- she's had a taste of liberation from her constraints, but her skin has long since grown over those shackles, so it's hard not to see them as a part of herself, and difficult to get them off.

But they'll come off, because Eve isn't a quiet woman with an average husband and a respectable government job. Eve is a chameleon, the way Villanelle is, only she's less deliberate and has been playing her character for far longer.

Which leads me to Villanelle's speech on life being boring and why it was so important for Eve to hear it. If we look at classic "chaotic" characters like Eve and Villanelle, they're often motivated by boredom, or rather, the desire to escape it. Villanelle and Eve are stuck in a world designed for other people.

The fact is, Eve has been bored forever. Eve was bored long before the pilot, when she was stuck in a holding pattern with Niko and imagining how she'd kill him, not because she wanted him gone but because it was INTERESTING. When she started keeping track of a female assassin but not even trying to report her, because she wasn't aiming for justice but ENTERTAINMENT.

Another fascinating element of their dynamic is that we as an audience are usually positioned to root for a redemption, but with Eve, we can't imagine anything more disappointing. We don't need her to turn it all around, we need her to dive in. Not only because it makes for a fresh storyline, but because great arcs are about characters finding who they are, and we have already grasped who Eve is. Along with Villanelle, we're waiting on her to realise it and act on it. Eve returning to her normal life would be a wolf among sheep, and I think Eve has gone too far. Not in that she's committed serious crimes she'd always be guilty of -- although she's getting close -- but because Eve is coming to understand she's not who she imagined she was, and any performance after this will be a conscious one. A decision to pretend. And guess what? That'll get boring, too. We root for a darkening Eve because we want her and Villanelle to escape that boredom, and escape it together, and forgetting this ever happened is not a way to do that.

I've smashed this out on my phone because I had a lot of thoughts and I'm not going to proofread because no one will actually read this. But essentially, I think we can expect Eve to continue using Villanelle as a proxy for a little while longer, until she's ready to cut loose her parachute. She hasn't committed to this yet because she doesn't want to forfeit the possibility of her old life to go back to (which is why she was upset over splitting from Niko even though she couldn't care less when he's actually around), but once she is reminded how horribly BORING it was, there'll be nothing to hold her back anymore. Because better to flame and implode than be smothered in a kitschy kitchen with a man you imagine blending up and pouring into a thermos. Better to be true and horrible than be nothing.

If you did read this thank you and I promise I'll stop writing mini essays and go back to regularly scheduled memes in a moment. I don't really do these because they don't interest anybody, but lmao, these two always get me thinking. hmu if you wanna trade theories lol.

[artificialqueens]

Ever Since We Met (Branjie) - branjie-mattel

Author’s note: Chapter three of Ever Since We Met. Sorry this chapter took so long, I’m working my ass off at the moment. I hope you’ll enjoy this one. Read on AO3

Chapter Three

The feeling was so unfamiliar to Brooke. The feeling of someone slowly tearing her walls apart, getting inside of her head, making her feel vulnerable. The feeling of actually wanting to let someone do all that to her. It was a completely new sensation.

She had been called the queen of ice for the majority of her life. Never showing too much of her emotions and everything she bottled up inside. Only every now and then with tequila running in her system. Brooke had never wanted anyone to see through her, to know her deepest darkest emotions. Never wanted anyone to get too close. 

But Vanessa. Funny, hysterical, gorgeous and hypnotizing Vanessa. Brooke wanted her to know, to see, to feel everything that Brooke was. She had never wanted anything, anyone, so much in her damn life and it scared her. She had always been fine with being as independent as she was, she took pride in it. She didn’t ever think that there would be someone that would make her want to tear her walls down, but Vanessa did.

”Spill it.”, Nina said as soon as Brooke entered the office that next day.

”Spill what?.”, Brooke acted as if she didn’t already know what Nina was talking about. 

”Did you fuck her?”

Brooke raised her eyebrows.

”No.”

”Did you kiss her?”

”Yes.”

Nina squealed in her seat and normally Brooke would normally have rolled her eyes at her reaction, but when thinking back at the moment, Brooke couldn’t help but to smile. 

”I’ve never seen you like this and I am living for it!”, Nina continued, unable to stop grinning.

”Don’t get too confident, it was just a kiss.”, Brooke told her and felt her own words sting a little because she realized in that moment that it was the truth. 

Her and Vanessa had shared a kiss or two in the alley at the back of a club. It could mean nothing to the other woman. Brooke didn’t know that. All she knew was that she desperately wanted for Vanessa to have felt the same as she did in that moment. 

”I can’t wait to watch this go down.”, Nina said a few hour later as they walked towards their latest regular lunch spot.

And Brooke was nervous. 

”Shut up.”

Like always, Silky’s loud voice greeted them as soon as they walked in and Brooke spotted Vanessa across the room within no time. 

”Vanjie, go take care of your woman!”, Silky shouted and Vanessa strutted over to them, her dress and apron looking particularly short that day for some reason, showing off her tanned, shiny thighs. 

Brooke licked her lips. 

”Hi.”

”Hey you.”

Nina was smiling and staring like a kid in a candy shop as she watched the interaction between the two. 

”How are you ladies today?”

”Great.”, Brooke said, not being able to focus when the only thing on her mind was grabbing Vanessa’s face and kiss her senseless against the table.

”Did you have fun last night, Vanjie?”, Nina asked, clearly referring to what everyone already knew happened between them.

”Oh you know I did.”, Vanessa licked her lips and Brooke thought she would loose control right there and then, every single memory from the previous night taking over her brain completely.

”So what can I get for ya’ll today?”, Vanessa’s leaned over the table a little and Brooke was full on staring at the tattoo on her chest. Wanting, longing, to run her teeth over it. 

Vanessa noticed.

”Two caesar salads please.”, Nina replied, barely being able to keep herself from laughing when she realized Brooke couldn’t get a word out.

Vanessa nodded with a smirk and walked away, swaying her hips with every step. 

”Well, I’m just gonna go ahead and guess that it’s not the caesar salad you’re so thirsty for.”, Nina laughed and Brooke realized her jaw was still hanging. She wouldn’t even be surprised if she was drooling.

”You’re enjoying this way too much.”, she groaned.  

”And you need to do something about it.”, Nina argued, wiggling her eyebrows and Brooke couldn’t even get annoyed. 

”I can’t believe I’m a full grown woman acting like a smitten teenager.”

”It’s cute though.”

Vanessa joined their table after a while. Talking, telling stories. Her foot brushed against Brooke’s under the table, their eyes lingering on each other as they spoke. Silky eventually sat down with them as well, telling jokes and stories about Vanessa that made her face turn red and Brooke’s heart flutter. She loved getting to know all these new sides to Vanessa. She felt like she finally really knew her. All the small parts and embarrassing details and Brooke adored them all.

But Brooke’s existence started to feel heavy after that, like she was running in circles. Another week had passed with her and Vanessa texting between late shifts at work and busy schedules. Brooke would see her at the café on some of her lunch breaks with Nina, they would flirt intensely every given opportunity, let their eyes linger on each other before Brooke would leave the place to go back to work. But Brooke wanted more now, the was the one thing she was certain about. She wanted to be closer to Vanessa. She wanted to kiss her again, to touch her again. She wanted her alone, not just a few stolen minutes at the café or text messages after work before falling asleep from exhaustion. She wanted more, she wanted it to be real.

”How do people actually do it?”, Brooke said one day to Nina over their computers.

”Do what?”, Nina shot her a confused glance.

”Dating, relationships and shit. I can’t figure out how people manage to get the time.”

”Well, you’ve dated before, right?”, Nina leaned back against her chair and Brooke rolled her eyes.

”If by dating you mean fucking strangers after a night out, then yes.”

Nina couldn’t help but chuckle.

”I’m serious though, I’ve never actually dated someone in my twenty nine years, is it because I am too busy or because I am a cold bitch, or what?”

”You’re not cold, not anymore at least.”, Nina winked and a smile started tugging at Brooke’s lips.

”It’s neither of those things, you’re just picky. To date and invest time in someone means giving up other things, like maybe you’ll have to skip breaks at work so you can finish early and still have time left on the day to be with the person. And it might mean giving up your alone time in the afternoon when you don’t really want to see anyone except your cats. And I just think you haven’t found someone that made all that feel like it was worth it, at least not until now.”

Brooke sighed at Nina’s words, she knew they were true. Brooke could easily blame her lack of romance in her life on her busy work or her attitude, but when it came down to it, it had always been her being terrified of giving up anything in her life and to compromise to make something with someone work. She had never felt the need to meet and be with someone the way Vanessa made her feel. The feeling of being ready to give up a lot of things was new, but Brooke was ready to do so.

”How do you always know what to say?”, Brooke smiled and Nina shrugged with a confident, cordially grin. 

”I don’t. I just know you.”

”And I think that if you just made time for it, you and Vanessa could have something very special. Everyone can see the connection between you too.”, she added and Brooke shivered. 

”Yeah, I think so to.”, she sighed.

So Brooke decided to really put some effort into it. It felt like a mission when she came in to work that next day, lunch box made from the night before in her bag, a big thermos with coffee beside her, ready to lock herself in the office. Her eyes were glued to the computer the second she walked into the office. 

”You look determined.”, Nina grinned as she joined her a few minutes later. 

”Got no time to talk today, Nina.”, Brooke said, fingers working the keyboard fanatically and eyes focused on the screen, but she didn’t miss the way her friends face lit up.

”Got it. Go get her!”

The perfectionist in Brooke was more than satisfied when she finished days worth of work before the clock struck seven, perfectly executed. She wasted no time as she pulled her phone up, as determined as ever. 

What time do you finish work? - Brooke

8:30, what did you have in mind baby? - Vanjie

I get off at 8, thought I’d maybe come by? - Brooke

I’ll be waiting mami. - Vanjie

She put her phone back in her pocket, smiling as she did and caught Nina grinning towards her, as usual. 

”Don’t even start.”, she said before Nina could open her mouth.

”I didn’t say anything.”, Nina defended herself, still grinning as she turned her face towards her computer.

Brooke felt like a kid on Christmas eve. Her fingers tapping impatiently against her desk and her eyes glued to the clock, which seemed like it didn’t move at all. Nina had left the office with a smirk at seven and Brooke tried, she really did, to focus on finishing her work but it was impossible. She was on her feet the second the clock turned eight thirty and basically flew out of the building.

The sun was about to set as Brooke stopped in front of the café, her hands were shaky as she pushed the door open. It was empty, the tables were clean, the lights were off and there was not a person in sight until a curly head popped out from the door to the kitchen. 

”Damn, mami, you really wasted no time coming here, huh?”, Vanessa laughed and Brooke looked at the clock behind her.

8:31

”I’m quick on my feet.”, Brooke shrugged, smiling, ”Where’s Silky?”

”At home. They all are. I’m closing today.”, Vanessa told her, something intriguing in her voice that Brooke couldn’t exactly tell what it was.

”Oh.”

Their eyes locked.

”You wanna help me clean up in the kitchen?”, Vanessa broke the silence and Brooke raised an eyebrow.

”Am I getting paid for this?”, she teased.

”Depends on how well you do it.”, Vanessa purred and Brooke could feel her heart start to pound harshly underneath her ribs.

Brooke followed Vanessa into the kitchen like she was in a trance. 

”I’m glad you wanted to come by, I don’t like finishing late and having to walk home by myself with ten creeps stalking my ass on the streets.”, she said as she started drying the dishes with a towel, Brooke could only watch.

”Also glad I get o see that pretty face of yours.”, she added with a smug smile.

”Well consider this being me paying you back for when you took care of my drunk ass walking the streets alone at night.”, Brooke told her and Vanessa laughed, tongue poking out from between her teeth.

And if it wasn’t the cutest thing Brooke had ever seen. 

Twenty minutes went by with Vanessa finishing the the dishes and eating left over Cheese Danish from the café, and Brooke happily kept her company, telling her stories about her life, listening to Vanessa go on about anything and everything in return. Telling Brooke little stories about how she got to know Silky, how she got the job, and Brooke listened carefully. Taking in every word and every detail. Fascinated by the way someone so small and angelic could talk so much and have that voice. Brooke adored it though, enjoying the fact that it was quickly becoming her favorite sound. But she could listen to her talk twenty four hours a day, Brooke thought. And not that it wasn’t possible, because Vanessa talked a lot. 

”- And then I ended up here, met your fine ass my second day of work and knew this was a good job for me.”, Vanessa finished the story with a smirk, putting the last clean plate on a shelf.

Brooke was about to say something flirty back but noticed piece of food on Vanessa’s cheek and started chuckling instead. The brunette paused whatever story she moved on to telling now, a confused look appearing on her face.

”I’m sorry, but you’ve got some food right there. By your dimple.”, Brooke grinned and Vanessa touched her cheek, failing to wipe it away. 

”Let me.”, Brooke hopped down from where she was sitting and took a step towards the shorter woman. 

The look on her face was new to Brooke, she looked nervous in a way she hadn’t before, staring at Brooke, captivated. It made Brooke lose her ability to speak for a second.

”There.”, she breathed as she let her fingers brush against Vanessa’s cheek.

The small piece of food was gone but Brooke didn’t remove her hand. Their eyes were locked, staring in a way that felt like they could set each other on fire any second. She tentatively brushed her thumb over Vanessa’s lower lip and watched her close her eyes at the touch.

”Brooke-”, she started.

And Brooke wasted no time, crashing their lips together fiercely, recognizing the taste and the sensation immediately. 

And she wanted more.

Vanessa’s hands found themselves around her neck and Brooke carefully slipped her tongue into her mouth, slowly licking her lower lip, feeling Vanessa shake under her hands. 

Their lips worked together like they knew of nothing else and when Vanessa backed them up against the broken dishwasher, pushing her body against Brooke’s, the blonde thought she was going to burst into flames. The heat spreading in her body like a fire. It was already too much yet not enough, like they couldn’t find a balance. Brooke put her hands on the back of Vanessa’s thighs, lifting her up on the sink in one swift movement. She gasped into her mouth and Brooke was completely gone.

She pulled back for a second, watching Vanessa’s face, the way her eyes had darkened and how her lips were starting to swell. Brooke’s eyes dropped down to the big tattoo on her chest and she dived forward, ran her teeth over it, licking up her neck, over her ear, capturing her lips again and again. 

She carefully reached behind Vanessa to slowly undo the apron and Vanessa responded by yanking herself forward, pulling Brooke closer with her legs wrapped around her waist. 

”Please.”, she breathed as Brooke softly put her hands on her ass, placing kisses over her chest and neck, anywhere she could reach. 

Brooke was euphoric. She had wanted this, dreamed of this for weeks. Imagining every single possible scenario where this could happen, the kitchen of Vanessa’s work not included in any of them, but it didn’t matter.

She needed it now.

She took her hands from her back to her thighs, letting her fingers ghost over them up and down a few times, feeling Vanessa shiver at the touch, pulling Brooke even closer, pressing up against her body. 

They were kissing fast, more passionately now, possessive almost and the blonde felt Vanessa tremble when she slid her hands up her dress. Fingers desperately clinging onto Brooke. 

”Brooke.”

Brooke saw stars in her eyes.

”Do you want me to fuck you, Vanessa?”, she breathed, barely audible, but Vanessa heard, her eyes blown with lust as she desperately rolled her hips up one more time.

”Brooke, please.”

And with that, Brooke was completely gone and slowly, teasingly, let her fingers make their way under the layers of her clothing. Her fingers slowly sliding between Vanessa’s legs, moving them in circles, making Vanessa pant breathlessly into her ear, working her hips up against Brooke, immediately desperate for more friction. 

”Fuck.”, she breathed weakly, and Brooke couldn’t help but smiling as she slid her tongue into Vanessa’s mouth again, loving the feeling of the brunette clinging onto her, moaning and gasping because of her.

Brooke felt like she was high. High on the sounds leaving Vanessa’s mouth against her own, the movement of her hips onto Brooke’s fingers, the sensations of her nails scraping against her neck. She was quickly becoming addicted to the sound of Vanessa panting, begging for more into her ear, holding onto Brooke’s body like her life depended on it. Brooke moved her fingers deeper, faster now, stroking Vanessa with her hand under the yellow dress, sinking her teeth into the sensitive skin on her neck.

”Come on, baby.”, Brooke heard herself say.

”Come on.”

With that, she felt her short body tense, heard the way her raspy voice got stuck in her throat just before Brooke’s name left her lips as the blonde brought her closer and closer to the edge. She watched her brown sparkly eyes roll back as her legs started shaking even more around Brooke, her nails digging just a little deeper into her neck, and Brooke wasn’t even sure what planet they were on when Vanessa came with her name on her lips. 

”Holy fucking shit.”, she breathed and Brooke kissed the corner of her mouth. 

”I’ve never heard you lost for words for so long before.”, Brooke grinned, gently sucking on the sensitive skin below her ear. 

”Jesus.”, she said, still breathless, and Brooke chuckled. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, nothing but breaths and slow kisses between them.

”Well, now I have to clean this bitch again.”, Vanessa eventually said as she jumped off of the sink and slammed her hand against it. 

Brooke threw her head back laughing. 

”Was it worth it though?”

”Baby, I would clean this shit ten times over every single day if it meant you would do that every time.”

Vanessa quickly cleaned the sink again, wiping away any tracks, any memories of what just happened.

Brooke didn’t want this to end.

Never.

Vanessa stood on her toes to kiss her again, pushing Brooke backwards so that she was leaning against the fridge. Her kisses got more eager again as she rolled her hips onto Brooke’s, placing her small hand on the waistline of Brooke’s pants.

Brooke knew where this was going but didn’t want the moment to be over so soon so she grabbed Vanessa’s wrist, pulling it up towards her face before she got the chance to unzip her pants.

Vanessa looked at her in confusion.

”Come home with me?”, Brooke asked quickly, her eyes glued to Vanessa’s, desperate to drag the moment out for as long as possible.

Vanessa said nothing but smiled brightly, her eyes shining under her thick lashes as she nodded. 

Brooke was driving them back to her place, feeling her mind go foggy from the feeling of Vanessa’s hand traveling higher and higher up her thigh as she casually continued talking about her day. Her fingers ghosting over Brooke’s sensitive skin.

She couldn’t focus at all. 

Her grip around the steering wheel was like she was holding on for dear life. Vanessa grinned, knowing exactly what she was doing.

”We’re here.”, Brooke turned the car off. 

“I know. I drove your drunk ass here a few days ago, remember?”, Vanessa grinned, lips light like a feather against Brooke’s before they stepped outside the car and into the building. 

Brooke barely got to close the door behind them before Vanessa surged forward, gluing their lips together so fast and hard Brooke thought she would fall. 

She dropped everything on the floor as she led the shorter woman backwards towards her bedroom, lips still working over each other hungrily. Brooke thought her legs would give in from under her. 

She started to lead Vanessa towards the bedroom, carefully picking her up so that her back was pressed against the wall. Their bodies as close as possible.

She could feel Vanessa’s pulse against her chest, fast and loud.

Vanessa linked her feet together around Brooke and grabbed hard at her shoulders, keeping herself up although Brooke’s hands were right there under her thighs, keeping her in place. 

As their kisses turned more desperate and Vanessa’s grip on her shoulders got to the point where it was almost painful, Brooke carried her to the bed, positioning herself on top of her smaller body. 

Hours went by. Neither of them even knowing the time. Neither of them bothering to look at the clock. Not caring. As far as they were concerned, they were the only people in the world right at that moment and time was something made up. It was everything Brooke had fantasized about. Their bodies wrapped around each other. Eager hands everywhere they could reach. Vanessa’s head between her legs. Brooke’s fingers inside Vanessa. Kissing until neither of them could breathe. Moans disappearing into the night and fingers chasing the others pleasure. Whispers of ”Let me make you feel good” and breaths of ”More” echoing between the walls. Neither seemed to get enough until they eventually fell asleep from exhaustion. Naked and tangled together. 

Brooke was the first to wake up the next morning, Vanessa’s hair tickling against her face. Brooke pulled her closer, not wanting this, whatever it was, to end. She tried her hardest not to think about it too much, but her thoughts wandered to all the places she didn’t want them too. Would this be over now that they had slept together? Was that all Vanessa wanted in the first place? Was that all Brooke wanted? She didn’t want to analyze it any further and nuzzled closer into Vanessa’s curls instead, hand stroking her waist slowly. 

”Good morning.”, Vanessa said, her morning voice low, raspy and sultry in a way that made Brooke’s whole body heat up.

”Hi.”, she whispered against her neck, placing slow, lazy kisses there. 

”You slept well?”, she asked then, feeling Vanessa turn around in her arms, coming face to face to Brooke.

”You know I did.”, she smiled, Brooke melted.

”I think I heard your neighbors fucking in the middle of the night though.”, Vanessa added, pointing at the ceiling.

Brooke bursted into laughter against the others lips.

”I mean it was probably just payback from last night. You weren’t exactly quiet yourself either.”, she said with a grin and immediately saw Vanessa’s eyes turn darker with lust, fluttering her lashes seductively.

She didn’t have to say anything before Vanessa flipped her onto her back, straddling her waist.

”How do you turn this shit on?”, Vanessa said an hour later when they finally managed to get out of bed, pointing at the coffee maker.

Brooke looked at her and raised an eyebrow, amused.

”What? I ain’t never made fancy coffee like this before.”, Vanessa said and Brooke broke into laughter.

”You work at a café and don’t know how to make coffee?”

Vanessa couldn’t help but to smile, her teeth showing between her soft, still a bit swollen, lips.

”I know how to press the buttons on the machines at the café, not using complicated shit like this!”, she defended herself and Brooke got up to kiss the smile off her face.

She thought back to how many times she had wanted to do that before.

”You’re adorable.”, she sighed.

”Oh yeah?”, she shot back, a devilish smile on her face and Brooke felt that fiery tingling feeling in her body but only shook her head with a smile.

”Let’s eat something.”

”I know something you could eat.”, Vanessa’s continued, smile growing wider and Brooke laughed loudly this time.

”You’re impossible.”, she grabbed her face and placed the softest kiss on her lips.

Vanessa smiled brightly as she watched Brooke manage the coffee maker, placing slices of bread in the toaster and feeding the cats. Vanessa picked Apollo up, the other cat, when he finished eating and placed him in her lap. And that was a sight Brooke could get used to, she thought. The feeling of everything falling into place struck her there and then. The feeling of not needing her usual routines and structure. It scared the shit out of her. She was worried that this thing between them might be just a one time thing, that their little bubble could pop anytime now. And that maybe it was just a game to Vanessa after all. Maybe she would delete Brooke’s number and never look her way now that they had slept together. She just couldn’t stop worrying and felt the anxiety build up even more as she tried to listen to whatever story Vanessa was telling her now.

”You alright, Brooke?”, Vanessa asked after a while, noticing the change in her.

”Yeah.”, she shifted uncomfortably on her chair, ”Yeah.”

She could tell Vanessa didn’t believe her, and as if she had just read Brooke’s mind, how she doubted everything, she asked:

”So I expect you to finally ask my ass out on a real date now.”

Brooke didn’t even try to hide the smile growing on her face and Vanessa winked.

“Friday? Around seven?”, Brooke smiled, watching Vanessa’s face light up.

“It’s a date.”

”It’s a date.”, Brooke confirmed. 

And Brooke thought to herself that morning, that maybe she could allow herself to feel, for once. Maybe she could allow herself to fall for someone. Maybe all those nightmare scenarios of what catching feelings for someone would be like weren’t true after all. Maybe it was worth it.

[nebulousneuroticism]

Well, it’s been a few days.  Much has happened.

Tl;dr: lots of frantic social events, and yesterday I spilled the beans to my family about dating that cute girl.

Tomorrow (technically right now) is Christmas, so merry Christmas, everyone!

On Saturday, my dad woke me up early for our long drive.  We ended up having to wait for a half an hour for my sister’s boyfriend to arrive before we could depart.  Even so, we made good time, and arrived at my grandparents’ house five hours later, in the mid-afternoon.

It was a lot of socializing, from that point forward.  I played a lot of pool, and some car games.  Between my grandparents, my uncles, and various cousins and inlaws, there were twenty-two people in attendance, mostly around college-age or higher.  It was pretty exhausting... I had a couple drinks that evening, and then savored an hour or two of quiet after everyone went to bed.

I did not sleep well that night.  Of the twenty-two people in attendance, thirteen slept at my grandparents’ place, and I ended up sleeping on an ancient pullout couch with my dad.  I had a rather restless night, and was woken early by the sounds of a dozen people walking around nearby.

Sunday was more of the same.  Lots of standing and sitting around, talking, playing games, etc.  We did our gift exchange, and my gift (local foods and sauces) was well-received.  We did one of those unnecessarily adversarial “white elephant” things, and my favorite cousin ended up with my gift, which was nice.  I got a cozy new blanket and a thermos, which was adequate.  We also took a bunch of family pictures.

We left around five o’ clock, and I drove home with my dad.  I was really tired, and I got a little headache from the road, but five hours later we made it home.  I went straight to sleep.

Monday was a little less eventful, but also a bit stressful.  I slept in, played a little Fire Emblem, and hung out with my family.  At dinner, we were discussing relationships, and my parents were joking about finding an arranged marriage for me, and I finally spilled the beans about me and that cute girl.  It’s... hard for me to remember exactly how I explained it, but the major pieces of the puzzle are out there now.  On one hand, I feel kind of relieved that they now understand that we’re more than just friends, and this gives me some latitude in scheduling time together--I don’t need to sneak around anymore.  On the other hand, I feel very exposed and am really wondering what they think about me now.

Shortly after dropping that bombshell, I vacated the premises for a game night with my best friend and our pretty-eyed friend from high school.  That was a lot of fun; we played two board games with her, her fiance, and her brother, and then we went home around midnight.  It was really good to see her again.  I think that was a positive night.  I got home, completely exhausted again, and went straight to sleep.

Today, at last, was free of any major drama.  I spent a pretty relaxing day playing Fire Emblem and prepping food for tomorrow’s meal.  We had a delicious dinner of ribs, brussel sprouts, and potatoes.  We also went to Christmas Eve mass, which I endured for the sake of my mother.  There was a cute choir member to look at, at least.

Tomorrow is Christmas!  It’s been a wild few days, and tomorrow will continue to be very social--my aunt and uncle are coming for dinner.  It’s been a lot.  But it’s Christmas, and I’m excited.

[roseforthethorns]

Renaissance Faire AU

Miscellaneous Prompt Table (009)

Word Count: 1633

Full bunny under the cut

James has been working the same Ren Faire for fifteen years as the resident blacksmith. In the off season he sells his wares online (thanks to his best friend and flatmate Tanner for helping him run his website) and he also works with horses from several different stables. When he was a child in the Scottish Highlands, his parents’ farrier noticed his interest and began teaching him what he knew. James insisted on attending a vocational school to train as a blacksmith, and after completing his training there, he apprenticed himself and continued his studies. Five years later saw him working the Skyfall Faire for the first time.

The year James turns forty-one, he notices a new addition to the cast of the Faire. He’d heard they were looking to hire new members but had forgotten until the first time the royal retinue passes by. James looks up from where he’s finishing the shaping on a new helm to see a slender young man with dark curly hair walking down the path. Several knights and a few other courtiers are with him, and as he approaches the stalls, everyone stops what they are doing to bow or curtsey.

The man is very energetic and is enthusiastic in his greeting of different stall keepers and patrons of the faire. James can hear him loudly complaining about having to mingle with the commoners, but even he can hear there is no heat in the man’s words. As he draws closer, James notes the brocade on his doublet and the gold circle set in the man’s hair. This must be the new prince hired for the year. James smirks; he is definitely attractive, and James is comfortable enough in his bisexuality to allow himself a long ogle.

Finally, the young man reaches James’ stall, and James, wiping his hands on his apron, bows to the “prince” with a heated smirk. “My liege? I’m afraid I’m not acquainted with your name. I’m sure it’s every bit as musical as you are handsome.”

“Prince Q, son of King Mallory and heir to the throne of Skyfall.”

“That’s quite a mouthful,” James replies with a pointed look at Q’s crotch. “I wonder if the package matches the name.”

“You ought to be more careful with your words, Blacksmith. I could have you thrown in the stocks.”

“But you won’t. You’d miss out on my clever tongue. It’s every bit as hot as my irons, and I know how to use it.”

“Is that a fact? An expert in more than one trade?”

“Give me time and I can master every trade.”

The Prince smirks back and leaves James’s forge; that smirk gets James through the next three days and features in every single daydream.

He sees Q again a few days later while on his lunch break. He is walking down one of the paths of shops to find a small booth filled with gorgeously designed metal and wirework creations with the very man he is thinking about behind the counter. Q sees him and blushes, clearly fighting the urge to hide. James slows down and ends up moving forward as if he might spook him, much the way he does when shoeing a nervous horse.

I’m James- I run the blacksmith forge just up the path. I saw you yesterday. You play the prince?”

Q nods and briefly meets James’ eye. “Q. Yes. The part is only a few days a week, and I can sell my inventions on the other days.”

“May I take a look?”

Q nods and watches closely as James examines the trinkets. They’re gorgeously crafted, little soldiers that have moving arms and dragons with wings that flap. Minute hinges attach moving pieces, and many of the creations are welded metal or wrapped wire.

“These are really well made- you must have quite the knack for close work.”

Q blushes and nods at the praise, and James has an idea.

“I’m on my lunch break- would you like to join me? We can sit on that stump and eat. If you want some company.”

To his delight, Q agrees. They sit on the stump while James eats, Q sipping something from a thermos covered in wrapped wire. James asks gentle, informal questions to get to know the young man better, and by the end of the hour, Q is starting to ask his own questions. He seems a very bright, intelligent young man, a design and theatre major in Uni who now works as an artist and inventor who does some community theatre on the side. If anything, James is even more intrigued, and he asks if Q would like to swap schedules so they could have lunch again. Q smiles at him and actually looks excited at the prospect, and they swap their timetables.

James sees him in character the next afternoon, doing another round of the shops and bantering with the patrons. Several children are eagerly waiting to speak to the prince, and for all of Q’s proud blustering, he instantly crouches when speaking to the children so he can look them in the eye. James seeks him out later on their shared break and brings him a large ice cold water. It is far too easy to get dehydrated working at the faire, and Q is quite grateful for the refreshment.

It goes on like this for several weeks. In sharing their matching lunches and breaks, James and Q swap stories, and Q warms up to him more and more. Q is rather shy and reserved, introverted when left to his own devices, but he lights up with all the energy in the world when he is acting. “It used to baffle my best friend Eve in Uni. She called me a changeling.” Q shrugs and eats a small piece of the turkey leg James has brought to share. “I can inhabit a character, but in real life I like my quiet.”

James nods at this. “My best mate is my business partner. Alec is all fire and energy, and I love him like a brother, but he can be a lot.” He smiles warmly at Q. “I like a good bit of silence too. Especially when I can share it.”

A week after that conversation, James is bringing lunch to share when he sees Q sitting on their stump with a child next to him. The kid cannot be more than ten, and he is completely engaged in wrapping wire around a stick. “Like this?”

Q beams at him. “Very good! Now you want to work on keeping the coils tight and even.” He demonstrates with his own stick. “Just like this.”

James watches for several more minutes and only approaches when the kid’s mum collects him and buys several of Q’s figures. They share their lunch in silence that day, but Q is smiling more than he often does, and James, looking back at that summer later, realizes that seeing how Q is with kids is the moment he falls in love with him.

Two weeks before the end of the faire, James finally asks Q out for a proper meal and drinks, which Q accepts. They spend the evening sharing a large helping of fish and chips and several pints in a back booth at a local pub. Q relaxes a little and even leans against James a few times, and afterwards, James walks Q back to the flat where he’s staying during the faire.

“I enjoyed this. You’re a marvel, Q.”

Q blushes and smiles at James. “You’re very kind, and you’re the first person in a long time I’ve met who knows how to listen as well as he tells stories.”

“Well, I do aim to please.”

Still blushing and smiling, Q leans in and kisses James. It’s chaste and a little bit drunk, but it is perfect. “Good night, James.”

Lunches are a little closer now, food shared a little more. Q does not regret the kiss (neither does James), and they work together to feel out how things are working. With three days to go before the closing events, James hands Q one of his business cards with his mobile number scribbled on the back. “I don’t want this to end with the summer. I want to keep seeing you.”

Q bites his lip as he looks at the card, an unconscious act while he’s thinking that makes James want to kiss him all over again. Q does the same and hands James one of his cards with his mobile number on it. “I do too, James.”

Their schedules are tight the next few days, but on the final night, Q the prince slips away from the festivities and James the blacksmith finishes dousing his forge and they meet at their stump and share several passionate kisses beneath the night sky.

Six months later, Q moves in.

Two years later, James proposes. When they marry, he and Q work together to make their wedding rings.

They adopt two children a few years later, a boy, Arthur, and a girl, Brienne. James is Dad and Q is Papa. They live in the country where Q and James have their shops in town,. Eve is now a full partner with Q, bringing her own talents in fabric design and metalworking to add to his designs, and she helps run the shop when Q is home with the kids.

They still go to the faire every summer and share their lunches on the tree stump. On their tenth anniversary, they bring the kids to show them where Dad and Papa met and where they fell in love. And where, after James proposed, they carved their names into the tree stump that saw so much of their courtship.

[jendoesjapan]

ALT Hygge

So a while ago I saw these ALT Gothic posts and I thought they were brilliant. They were absolutely marvelous for setting the “Halloween mood.” Recently, I discovered the term “hygge,” which is essentially the Danish word for “enjoying life’s simple pleasures” (think cozying up by a warm fire with a cup of hot cocoa). Gothic is to Halloween what Hygge is to Christmas, so I thought I would make an ALT Hygge post to get my fellow gaijins into the holiday spirit!

- You come home after a long day of Christmas lessons. The Kokatsu is warm and inviting. As you sip a piping hot matcha latte, you binge-watch your favorite YouTubers and their Vlogmas videos.

- You wake up in the morning and can see your breath while standing in your chilly kitchen. You put on your warmest socks, and to stay extra warm, you slip 2 sock kairo sheets inside. Your automatic hot water heater is ready, and you press the button to fill up your thermos with herbal tea. You have no lessons today, so you plan to sit at your desk and write fan fiction.

- It’s Christmas Eve and you are alone in a foreign country. You have to work tomorrow in a mostly empty office, because everyone will be with their families. You could wallow in sadness, but you don’t. You turn on your favorite Spotify Christmas list and look for cookie recipes online. Soon, the sweet smell of sugar cookies fills your apartment. Your Daiso Christmas lights twinkle merrily. You plan to share the cookies with your Kyoto Sensei tomorrow. “This isn’t so bad; maybe I can make this place home,” you think and smile to yourself.

- You decided to splurge and buy an osechi ryouri for New Years. You managed to convince the closest friend you have in town to do the same. After a day of hunting for fukubukuro together, you come back to your place, exhausted but happy, and eat your delicious bento. The two of you open up your Fukubukuro together and trade a few things. Finally, you ring in the New Year with a couple of highballs. You reminisce about your favorite things from your home countries.

- On your walk home, the overwhelmingly delicious smell of bread causes you to look up from your phone. A cute little bakery has just opened up. You pop inside and buy some curry pan and a chocolate filled croissant. You come home to eat your spoils. You light the candles that you paid an arm and a leg to ship from overseas and crawl under your thickest, coziest blanket. The apartment complex is empty because everyone is still at work. You revel in the silence and end up falling asleep.

- One of the really social ALTs in town schedules a gaming night. At first you are nervous and shy, but decide to give it a go. It is a small group of 6 people, and you end up having a deep, meaningful conversation with an ALT you hadn't really talked to before while the rest of the group shares insults and laughs over MarioKart. You realize that each of the ALTs present is from a different country: Ireland, Jamaica, South Africa, Singapore, Canada and New Zealand. You smile and think about how lovely it is that there are so many nice people in the world.

I hope you guys enjoyed it. :-) Keep it going and add more ALT Hygge stories!

[cosmosogler]

after this many instances, i can’t tell if being dressed up like an ice cream cone just makes my day horrible or if being dressed up like an ice cream cone is what makes me feel a little sillier after a horrible day.

i dunno. pastel colors are just cheerful. i like these shorts and they only go with the ice cream shirt and the pokemon shirt.

well. i tried to sleep early last night but i was kept awake by, hmm, the usual sort of memories that make your eyes snap open when you’re laying alone in the dark. snoop won’t protect me the way i know eve would. i could feel the, just... heaviness wearing into my face as i tried to settle in and get some sleep.

it keeps me up a lot of nights. weird things set it off. laying in certain positions. unpredictable trains of thought, or maybe my thoughts just get derailed every now and then. certain noises. makes it hard to get comfortable.

i don’t have to “bury the hatchet” with dad if he doesn’t acknowledge there even is a hatchet, right? because his behavior during the family vacation was unacceptable and he never said even one word about it except to be passive aggressive the last month at home.

i wonder if mom notices that i ask about my brother and sister and the dogs but not dad. honestly i don’t really care how he’s doing... i don’t have energy to devote to things i don’t care about and i don’t have the energy to pretend i do care either.

i actually don’t usually ask mother how she is doing either. i feel like that’s a bad habit to get into. i really don’t have any other resources right now though. since i’m three hours ahead of my family now i really can’t... find any good time of day to call my siblings and chat with them. not that i was talking to them that much at home anyway...

anyway i went to school. i left at 7:55, which is TECHNICALLY before 8. i had woken up while it was still dark, 6:30... it was hard to get moving.

no one was at the department when i got there except people who were actively teaching classes so i sat at my desk and tried to power through the quantum homework by myself. i did get a little help with the problem i had trouble with last night from an internet acquaintance, and i did the third and fourth problems by myself with not too much trouble. 

jennica came into the office about 10 minutes before class and i asked her for help. she pointed out what i should focus on and i compared it to algebra distribution and she said “not at all.” then she proceeded to describe how to do the problem using algebra distribution and i got annoyed but i didn’t say anything at the time. quibbling about what to call the thing i was doing cost me time i needed. i tried to do the rest between mechanics and quantum and didn’t get it done. i had to turn it in anyway. i was a little over halfway through it. at least i ha all the other problems done.

after quantum i was hanging out with the other students in suzanne’s office and we were talking about how to manipulate operators because the professor had not been clear on what exactly he was doing when he showed us some stuff at the end of class. he’d skipped a step or two and we were trying to kind of reverse engineer his final equation. jennica disagreed with us about where we could put the operator, even though it was clearly shown in the book. then she started doing the exact same thing we had just done on the blackboard and continued to disagree with us while using the math we had just used. i got that angry static in my head so i went out to try to eat some lunch in my office.

i know she’s probably smarter than i am, or at least a more consistent worker, but it’s frustrating to argue with someone who agrees with you but won’t consciously agree with you. and it’s frustrating to argue with someone when you’re using facts from the textbook with the page open and they are saying “no, that’s wrong.” and then not explaining why they think that.

but she got the homework done and i didn’t. so.

anyway i was checking my emails while i was unpacking my lunchbox and i found the email from the physics adviser. 

(aside- i instinctively spell it “advisor” and i can’t figure out why because every spellcheck keeps correcting me. i looked it up on google and the dictionary says either is fine but i don’t like the red line.)

so my test scores were so bad that i had to meet with him in less than two hours to discuss “schedule adjustments.” i responded the responsible way: by freaking the hell out. i paced around in my office for about 30 minutes before i gave up on trying to sit down and i went out to the counseling center for my group intake appointment. i also stopped by the pharmacy. and i tried to call mom four times. she didn’t answer. i talked to oz about it a little bit while i was walking and waiting at the center. 

i know, deep down, that in my field any sign of weakness or inconsistency is basically death. getting sick will get you laid off when finances get low. being a woman will get you laid off when finances get low because if you’re a woman you have to be exceptional to be considered average. (white) men with the very same qualifications get priority. 

i do not have the advantage of good health. i just don’t. this seriously hurts my ability to perform on a rigorous class schedule. this is why i think that i may not... get my phd. i am afraid that knowing i might not get it is what will cause me to not get it. i’m afraid that the lack of confidence is going to be the deciding factor here. but i can’t not know about this. it’s a very real handicap for me. when i am too stressed for too long my internal organs start permanently shutting down apparently.

ha ha, in a few years i’m not going to have any non-vital organs left. probably.

during my intake interview i started crying and said i was very unhappy today. i felt really bad for taking this interview and making it about this upcoming talk with the advisor. i had brought up that one of my goals for group would be to make the transition to graduate life... at that point i was worried about it still being “graduate” by the end of the day though.

you know, when i went to the pharmacy, i kept telling myself “i’m not going to need those later” in an effort to talk myself out of refilling my medications. i’m not going to need those later, it doesn’t matter, nothing means anything.

when i looked at the front door i sighed and said to myself, “but i will need them later, won’t i.” and that heaviness fell over my entire body again. i’m not afraid to die as much as i am afraid to survive.

mom finally called back as i was leaving to get to the advisor’s office back in the physics department. i told mom what was going on and she said “well, talk to him then!” and i dunno, i felt so brushed aside. i didn’t tell her i was afraid of losing my tuition waiver or my paycheck because of the change in course credits or whatever was going to happen. 

the professor was very nice as usual. he did tell me that my prelim results were extremely worrying. i actually almost passed the thermo portion of the test, but i got essentially a 0 in literally every other subject. he wanted me to drop down into undergrad courses for two out of my three subjects. it ended up that undergrad quantum meets exactly during my classical mechanics lecture, so i got to stay in graduate quantum. he said that was very risky. i told him it wasn’t that i was deciding to take a risk so much as that looked like it was just how it was going to be. he said yeah. 

he was nice about it... he told me that once the university had taken on a graduate student they couldn’t just screw them immediately and that he and the board had put a lot of effort into adjusting my schedule to make sure i had a chance to succeed. and retaking one graduate course next year won’t put me too behind schedule. but if i don’t get a b+ or higher in any of the courses i’m taking now i would be in a lot of trouble schedule-wise and gpa standard-wise.

i dunno. i feel like i didn’t actually have any control over any part of this situation. i feel like i got cheated out of the potential to do well on that test by my eight-month illness. i feel like i should have kept going anyway even though i could only eat so little that i had even lost a lot of weight. 

feeling cheated is the worst. or, one of the worsts.

i feel like i don’t have any control over the direction my life is going in. i mean... i’m making choices, i’m making a lot of them every day and lots of compromises and calculations. but big picture wise i am severely limited by how sick i get and by how dumb i am. i didn’t have any choice about how my schedule was going to change. i didn’t have any choice in which grad school i got to go to. 

i guess i made the choice to go to grad school at all. 2 choices is NOT very many though.

i chose to cough up a pile of money for snoopy’s well-being. mike told me that it is worth it, cats will definitely live longer if they are on the prescription diet after they get kidney disease. snoopy doesn’t have a lot of control over her life. i try to give her some say in what happens. i ask to pet her, i stop brushing if she doesn’t want to even if she’s still kinda grimy. it’s sometimes easier to figure out what cats do and don’t want than it is to figure that out with dogs. 

i’m not gonna compensate for the lack of control in my life by grabbing snoopy’s though. i’m just trying to recognize that i can work within some parameters. even if i’m not happy about the way my academic life is already falling apart around me 10 days into the semester.

so i got a new e&m class and professor with the undergrads. his teaching style is a mess but i already know the material very well from this part of the course. i’m kind of surprised and shocked that he is doing this part of the course so early- why aren’t they working on point charges and forces BEFORE they do flux and green’s theorem and stuff like that? 

he asked me to meet with him tomorrow after lunch. so i’ll be doing that i guess. i need to look up his course web page and syllabus...

after class i was feeling REALLY bad so i went home. i said hi to snoopy and cleaned her litter box and sat around for a while. then i made spaghetti for dinner. it was missing something, and i’m not sure what it was, but i know i didn’t have it anyway. i’m thinking i should use a different kind of marinara sauce.

then i ate a ton of oreos and listened to a taz episode. it was really good... the podcast, i mean. the oreos had gotten a little stale. i forget that it’s humid here and food ages differently.

i had meant to get to some homework from my to-do list but i spent the night diddling around on the computer doing basically nothing instead. i also had ice cream because i just really wasn’t feeling good at all emotionally and i wanted sugar. 

tomorrow i need to teach two labs in a row!!! hopefully it will go better than my first one, which did not go well at all!!!!!

i’m not sure how to proceed here. i didn’t really... read anything tonight. like the lab manual, which i did want to brush up on before i tried to teach the lab again. there was all kinds of weird stuff in there that we didn’t do in the practice lab last thursday and i wanted to be more familiar with it. maybe i can do that before i leave tomorrow. i’ll try to get up a little earlier... 

man, i don’t want to sleep at all. i remembered my dream last night. i kept getting talked over by neckbearded dudes. i couldn’t do anything without getting interrupted, and also i was in a part of “dirt college town” that i had never been in before and it was difficult at best to navigate. at the end i was wandering around in a swamp (which was also in a computer?) and there were the nerds trying to “find secrets” and also there was a bear. i wanted to be alone i think. well, i do now.

[virtuosinovel]

Ch 48 - Expansion

“Welcome back Benjamin. It’s good to see you again and know this time we’re on the same team. Please sit down,” Victor said as he motioned to the chair in front of his desk.

“Thanks, it’s great to be back. So where do we go from here? You guys don’t exactly have a need for an international spy, do you?” Benjamin asked.

“Well, it’s not like we don’t do any intelligence whatsoever. We do quite a bit, but it’s mostly high tech and mostly counter-intelligence to make sure we don’t get blind-sided. We don’t go into other countries to conduct operations,” explained Victor.

“Great. I’m a dinosaur here. Depressing,” said Dudley.

“Don’t feel bad. So am I,” Victor laughed. “But I may have just the spot for you, at least for a while until you find your own niche.”

“Great, what do you have in mind?” asked Dudley, sitting forward in his seat.

“Well, I usually wouldn’t trust a newcomer with the information I’m about to give you. But hell, you already blew the whistle on the world’s biggest superpower so I guess that’s good enough for me. Come over here for a minute,” requested Victor. He waved Dudley over to his side of the desk so they could both see Victor’s screen. Victor hit a few buttons and the screen started dialing an international number for a video chat.

The call was answered from the other side. All Dudley and Victor could see were several people wrapped from head-to-toe in arctic outerwear: heavy coats with fur-lined hoods, snowboard masks, goggles, and gloves. The one who answered held up a finger to the camera as if to say “hold on a second” and then pointed at a steel building a few yards away, indicating they were going inside to answer the call.

The camera on the other computer spun around and led the person into the steel structure. The computer was set down on a table and the screen shot stabilized. The receiver came around to the other side and pulled down the fur-lined hood. Black, curly ringlets of hair emerged with some snow on the ends. It was a female evidently. She continued removing her mask and goggles. Her cheeks were rosy from the outdoor elements even though she’d been bundled up.

“Hey baby,” Victor said cautiously. He apparently didn’t expect to catch the woman in this state. And who was he calling baby? This wasn’t like calling his nieces “someone special to him” or “sweetie.” This was clearly a romantic interest.

“Yeah, save it. Do you have any idea how cold it is here?” the woman retorted with her face frozen in incredulity.

“Well, I’ve read the weather reports, but if you are asking me to get a point across then no, I have no idea and I feel really bad about it. But hey, Copenhagen is nice, right? You haven’t spent all of your time up there in the tundra, have you?” Victor asked, frowning.

“Copenhagen is charming, but that doesn’t help me at this very moment now does it?” she continued, pouring herself a warm drink out of a thermos, still slightly shivering.

“Honey, this is Benjamin. Benjamin, this is my wife and the best sport in the world, Lira Freeman.”

Lira Freeman? She’s alive? What the hell?

“Nice to finally meet you Benjamin. I’m glad you didn’t succeed in killing my husband,” she said. Like the others, she was very nonchalant when discussing Dudley’s aborted mission. It was as if nobody thought he could’ve pulled it off even if he had tried.

Benjamin finally managed a “Nice to meet you too, I thought…..”

“Oh, you thought I was dead? Yeah, well you can’t believe everything you read on the internet Benjamin. Although I’m not sure my current circumstances are much better than floating lifeless in the South China Sea,” she said, glaring at Victor.

“I’m sorry baby, but who else was I going to send? I owe you one or ten or…..”

“You can’t count that high so don’t bother,” she interrupted, seemingly in a better mood after warming up a bit.

“How were the Danes? Any final word?” Victor prodded.

“The Danes are absolute peaches. The negotiations went just like I planned. It helped a great deal the yugi-kroner exchange rate kept skyrocketing as we discussed all the details. By the end, they were so glad to get rid of this piece of ice they almost threw me a ticker tape parade.”

“Oh, excellent news!” Victor said. He was genuinely pleased about his new acquisition, whatever it was.

“Great, I’m glad you’re happy. What you’re going to do with this place is beyond me. Now can I come home please?” she asked, going from sarcastic to almost pleading now. “I miss the island.”

“Sure baby. The jet will be there tomorrow morning. Only one more night away from home.”

“Thank God! See you when I get there. You can start thinking of ways to make this up to me. Farvel, min elskede,” she said in her newly acquired Danish as she blew Victor a kiss and signed off.

Victor closed the computer and looked at Dudley, whose head was cocked in contemplation.

“So, that’s my wife. You know, the one who fell overboard on a cruise ship and was never heard from again?” Victor started.

“Yeah, so about that,” Dudley said, fumbling for words.

“Well, first of all, the footage was doctored. Lira never jumped or fell overboard, she stayed in Macau when we were in port and flew to Copenhagen from there.” Victor explained.

“Okay, I’m following the story so far. But why fake her death?”

“To keep our negotiations with Denmark a secret of course. Lots of people freaked out when they heard we were buying this island from Australia. They wanted to stop the deal but couldn’t. It was too late. But if they got involved earlier they may have succeeded. We needed a head start, so we had to make people believe Lira was dead. Once we convinced the world of that, she was free to conduct negotiations without too much hassle or publicity. The Danes also agreed to keep it secret. They didn’t want to piss anyone off until the time was right.

“I’m still lost,” said Dudley. “Negotiations for what?

“Greenland,” Victor said straight-faced.

“What? Why? Greenland?”

“Lots of reasons. First of all, it’s the biggest country we thought might be for sale if we asked nicely. I use the words “for sale” very loosely here. It’s a lot more complicated than just buying Christmas Island and moving here, since the Danes and the Greenlanders have a complex set-up. But Greenland has an enormous amount of natural resources and there’s more livable space than people think, especially with global temperatures rising.”

“Are you planning on moving your operations to Greenland?” Dudley asked. “Why would you leave the island? Didn’t you see the footage? It’s freezing there.”

“No, not moving, just expanding. This island had a population of about 1,000 people when we got here. Greenland has between 50 and 60 thousand. We can make a real impact. Start another society based on our ideals. And there’s also something to be said about not putting all your eggs in one basket. We may be doing great here so far, but one tsunami or cyclone and we’d be hurting. We need another place to call home, or at least be able to call home if we need to. Incidentally, the southern part of Greenland is beautiful a good part of the year. We just happened to catch Lira when she was scouting up north a bit.”

“I don’t know. Seems silly to me. Couldn’t you just buy another island?”

“Yeah, but another island wouldn’t have the sheer potential of Greenland. Few places do. We’re talking hydrocarbon galore, hydro-electric power, iron, uranium, platinum, copper, titanium, rubies. The place is a gold mine, literally and figuratively, but the locals have never had the technology or the financial resources to do anything about it. They’ve sold most of their mineral rights and other valuable assets to foreign companies or countries and are now getting screwed out of hundreds of billions. We outlined a way to stop the bleeding by making a paper purchase of the country. Unlike Christmas Island, we won’t assume control of the government there. Instead, we’ll be there in more of a consulting capacity. But we’ll have enough power to start playing hardball with some of the people taking advantage of the place,” said Victor, getting into his dreamer groove.

“A little white knight action with plenty of benefits to Virtuosi?” asked Dudley.

“Yes. Most of us will still have Christmas Island as our permanent address and just travel there as our skills are needed. We’ll offer jobs to Greenland’s current citizens if they’re qualified or can be trained. Then, the market will bring people from all over: Russia, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and Canada.

“That’s the great thing about a market economy. We’ll make it worth their while to come, and they’ll come. No need for me or any of my top managers to go there and run things. Some might go on short details, like Lira did for the negotiations, but new leaders will be created there by necessity and convenience. Of course, Wilbur and Eve will need a deputy to go there and oversee the initial security of the place for a while,” explained Victor, staring at Dudley.

“Me?” asked Dudley.

“I know it’s cold but hey, you should be in jail for the rest of your life, right? What’s a little cold?” returned Victor.

“Is this your version of banishing me to Siberia? What makes me qualified to go there and manage things?” Dudley asked.

“Lots of your agent training is transferable. You’ll report straight to Wilber and he’ll give you guidance as needed. I think it’ll be good for you to see how this works from the ground up instead of coming in after a couple of years like you did here. Think of it Benjamin, this is like our gold rush. It’s literally the Wild West up there; or the Wild North if you prefer to be literal. It’s like a Jack London novel. You could be our trusty sheriff,” Victor said, getting more animated as he talked.

Dudley frowned and fidgeted in his chair. He wasn’t big on the idea, but it was hard to say no to Victor.

“What if we agree you split your time between there and the island? We’ll make Randall the co-sheriff and you guys can work out a schedule. Come on, it’ll be fun. We’ll make it a two-year assignment and then we’ll find something else for the two of you to do. Who knows, maybe one of you will want to stay there.”

Dudley had no choice. He was already getting a second chance most people didn’t get. He would get bored staying in one place for too long anyway, so why not take the job and make the best of it?

“Okay, it’s a deal,” Dudley relented. He and Victor shook hands. Victor reached into his bottom desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of bourbon and two crystal glasses. He poured a double shot in each and handed one to Dudley.

“To new beginnings,” said Victor as he raised his glass.

“To new beginnings,” repeated Dudley. They tapped glasses and emptied the contents. The liquid warmed Dudley all over as he thought about his new mission. This one wouldn’t end with him trying to assassinate someone he respected. This time he had a good idea of what he was getting himself into. Or so he thought……

[homefarmuk]

Using Eve Extend to control our Eve Thermo TRVs over WiFi

Using Eve Extend to control our Eve Thermo TRVs over WiFi

One of the first smart home devices we purchased after moving in were Eve Thermo TRVs so that we could get better control over our air source heat pump central heating system. The only drawback of these TRVs is that they are Bluetooth and this means you had to physically go from room to room to change settings or tweak heating schedules. But not anymore thanks to Eve Extend.

(more…)

[longislandweekly-blog]

A brief and mostly gross history of zero-gravity grub

John Glenn, the first American to eat in space, eats applesauce during the Friendship 7 flight in 1962. (Photo courtesy of NASA via National Air and Space Museum)

Filling the void in your stomach while floating around the inky black void of space is no simple task. For reasons known to rocket scientists but somehow lost on this writer, the foods we eat while enjoying Earth’s favorable atmosphere and gravity could very well become deadly projectiles while in a space station, in a lunar lander or anywhere else astronauts spend their zero-gravity time.

Thankfully, some of the smartest minds in the universe have made it their mission to figure out what foods are safe for space feasting and how exactly we can consume such fare without triggering a cosmological incident.

Puréed beef and vegetables issued to John Glenn in 1962 (Photo courtesy of National Air and Space Museum)

That’s One Small Nibble For Man, One Giant Bite For Mankind

According to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, astronaut John Glenn was the first American to eat in space during the Mercury space program. It happened while he was aboard Friendship 7 in 1962 and his meal (if you can call it that) consisted of tube-packed applesauce, along with xylose sugar tablets and water. Yum. At the time, no one knew exactly what would happen if the human body attempted to digest food in space—so feel free to add another layer of heroism to Glenn’s résumé.

Space food in the early 1960s was based mostly around army survival rations, which included a lot of puréed food in tubes, sucked through a straw. But it wasn’t just applesauce, as puréed concoctions of beef and vegetables were also “enjoyed” by early space travelers.

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International Space Station food (Photo by NASA)

Assorted bags of snack food and dehydrated food, as served on the ISS. (Photo by NASA)

Skylab food and tray from 1973-4 (Photo by NASA)

Pineapple Fruit Cake (Photo courtesy of National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution / Eric Long)

Compressed, dehydrated peaches (Photo courtesy of National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution / Eric Long)

Deep Space Freeze

NASA’s second manned-space mission, Gemini, saw some advancements in space grub. Dehydrated, freeze-dried and vacuum-packed foods introduced a new way for astronauts to get their allotted 2,500 calories per day in space. Usually consisting of bite-sized morsels, these freeze-dried foods were coated in gelatin to prevent crumbs from clogging the ship’s instruments and causing a space catastrophe.

A typical Gemini meal included a beef sandwich, strawberry cereal cubes, peaches and gravy-packed beef cubes. Water guns were used to reconstitute the food into something at least resembling an edible product. The one (only one?) drawback was cold water was used to rehydrate the food, meaning all meals on Gemini—including the beef cubes—had to be eaten at frigid temperatures.

Apollo Ate

With Apollo, a hot water gun was introduced so the astronauts could get a (sorta) hot meal while on a mission. And in one of the greatest cosmo-based culinary advancements in history, Apollo 8 astronauts, on Christmas Eve in 1969, opened their meal packages to discover thermo-stabilized turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce—this meal did not require rehydrating and could be simply eaten with a spoon. Sweet land of liberty.

Meanwhile, the spacesuits for the Apollo 13 astronauts were adorned with built-in canteens that would enable the crew members to drink while they walked on the moon. Of course, thanks to Tom Hanks and company, we know that the Apollo 13 astronauts never actually made it to the moon and thus never got to use these handy space sippys.

Bulgarian space food (Photo source: Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0)

They Put A Meal On The Moon

When American astronauts landed on the moon in August 1969, it was considered one of the greatest technological achievements in human history—it was also considered one of the sickest burns ever and it was directed squarely at the Russians (ya burnt).

But what seems to have been lost to history is exactly what Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (and Michael Collins, I guess?) ate when they walked on the lunar surface. Thanks to Smithsonian Magazine, we finally have a definitive answer to that pressing question. It was bacon. Yes, bacon. When the lunar module was readied for its mission to the moon, bacon cubes were one of the first meals stored in the cabin. And as it happened, meal A, the first one scheduled to be eaten after the moon landing, consisted of sugar cookie cubes, pineapple grapefruit drink, coffee and bacon cubes. Indeed, the sea of tranquility was the first site of America’s never-ending bacon fad.

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Dippin’ Dots Rainbow Ice (Public Domain)

Tang (Photo by Roadsidepictures via Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Magazine ad for Tang

Space Oddities

One of the foods most closely associated with space cowboys isn’t a food at all, but rather, a beverage. Tang—an orange dust that becomes a drink when mixed with water—was used to make water aboard space missions drinkable, as apparently the onboard life support system water boasted a chemical aftertaste. Tang fixed that problem, for the most part. Years after he retired from space missions, noted moonwalker and famous curmudgeon Buzz Aldrin declared to the gossip site TMZ in 2013 that “Tang sucks.” Never change, Buzz.

Then, there’s Dippin’ Dots. This fraud of a product has been declared as “the ice cream of the future” since it debuted in 1988. These liquid-nitrogen dosed mini ice cream balls first found fame in 1992 at the Kennedy Space Center, which is probably why they are associated with space travel. However, according to (somewhat) extensive Internet research, Dippin’ Dots have never left Earth’s atmosphere.

Modern Meals In Orbit

The advancement of science and technology means that astronauts may never have to suffer cold, gelatinous beef cubes ever again. These days, it’s actually possible to cook in space, as the International Space Station actually boasts a galley where astronauts can cook tacos, cookies and more in zero gravity. I can hear Buzz Aldrin grumbling from miles away.

From beef cubes to applesauce tubes, Long Island Weekly's Steve Mosco shares a brief and mostly gross history of zero-gravity grub. A brief and mostly gross history of zero-gravity grub Filling the void in your stomach while floating around the inky black void of space is no simple task.