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katehuntington · 5 years ago

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Title: Ride With Me (part fifteen) Fandom: Supernatural Timeline: 2008 Pairing: Dean x Reader Word count: ±5200 words Summary series: Y/N is a talented horse rider who is on her way to become a professional. In order to convince her father that she deserves the loan needed to start her own farm, she goes to Arizona for six months, to intern at a ranch owned by Bobby and Ellen Singer. Her future is set out, but then she meets a handsome horseman, who goes by the name of Dean Winchester. A heartwarming series about a cowboy who falls for the girl, letting go of the past and the importance of family. Summary part fifteen: The sun rises and it’s time to bring the herd home, but not before Dean reconnects with an old friend. Warnings series: NSFW, 18+ only! Fluff, angst, eventually smut. Swearing, smoking, alcohol intoxication, alcohol abuse. Mutual pining, heartbreak. Crying, nightmares, childhood trauma. Description of animal abuse, domestic violence, mentions of addiction. Financial problems, stress, mental breakdown. Description of blood and injury, hospital scenes, character death, grief. Music: Dean & Rocko scene: ‘Road To Perdition’ - The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Final scene: ‘Ride’ - Hans Zimmer. Check out ‘Kate Huntington’s Ride With Me playlist’ on Spotify! Author’s note: It’s about damn time, ain’t it? Thank you @kittenofdoomage, @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish and @winchest09 for helping me. You girls are awesome betas and friends.

Ride With Me Masterlist

Slow hoofbeats, little rocks and earth crunching underneath the thousand pound animal. Surprisingly light on its feet, never disturbing the quiet, as it scours the land for the last grass of the season. Calm breaths, taking in over a gallon of oxygen with each inhalation, followed by a soft purring sound when the air is pushed out through the nose. The cold of the night lingers and the air condensates. The first glint of the sun catches the moist clouds coming from its nostrils, turning the fierce creature into a dragon. Kind eyes, calm when it’s safe, but scanning the environment nevertheless, always on the lookout for predators. Pointy ears, flitting back and forth independently, picking up even the smallest whisper, like two little space antennas scanning the sky.

Dean watches the herd from a distance, with Y/N still sound asleep in his arms. He can tell she’s exhausted, because she didn’t stir once in the past three hours. The cowboy made sure she was fully covered with the unzipped sleeping bag, holding her close to keep her warm. She seems so comfortable, so trusting; it humbles him. Apparently she’s completely at ease being so close, her self-consciousness burned away by his never ending adoration. Of course he noticed the hesitation when they all went for a swim yesterday evening. She wanted to disappear, covering herself with her arms crossed in front of her chest, her expression shameful. And then there was the insecurity just hours ago, her mind clearly spiraling when he couldn’t give her the confirmation she so desperately seeks. Dean wonders what happened for her to lack confidence. If she has some douchebag ex-boyfriend maybe, who didn’t treat her right.

Staying awake wasn’t any trouble overnight, because he had plenty to think about. He’s not the guy to analyse his every thought, he'd rather stuff it all down and ignore them all together. But spending several hours under the Yucca tree, in an embrace with the one person that has his mind reeling, left him no option. So many questions, so much doubt. He wishes he had more answers, he wishes he could have a glance into the future in order to tell if he’s on the right path. If he can make it work with her, if he can step up to become the man she’s looking for. If she will stay with him, even after the internship, because the thought of her leaving brings back an anxiety that he used to experience when his family threatened to fall apart, which is exactly what happened, eventually. He came to one conclusion, though; he’s not going to let her go.

His gaze remains absently fixed on the horses, who have moved a few hundred yards closer. The oldest stallion of the herd had spotted the wranglers about an hour ago, but after careful observation decided that they weren’t a threat. It’s a beautiful sight, beams peeking over the mountain range, framing the horses’ silhouettes with gold. Small bugs twirl in the air like fireflies, surrounding the large animals. Dean squints and tips his head forward when the rising sun becomes brighter. The warmth is welcome; he hasn’t moved an inch over the past hours, not wanting to wake Y/N, causing the cold to settle in his bones.

A new dawn means they’ve got work to do and Dean is left no choice but to wake the heavy sleeper. The arrival of morning does the job for him, however; even with her eyes closed, the light seeps through. It triggers her to turn into him and hide her face in the crook between his shoulder and his chest. Y/N grunts, disagreeing with the time, and Dean sniggers. He’s not much of a morning person either, but his intern takes the cake. “Mornin’, Yankee.” She opens one eye and looks up, meeting an amused yet adoring smile. “Morning…” Groggy, she rubs her face with the back of her hand. “Five more minutes?” “You’ll miss the view,” Dean says, nodding at the horizon.

His eyes reflect the scenery he’s beholding, the colors vibrant as the sun hits them just right, adding amber to the jade in his irises. It peaks her interest, and Y/N turns her head to face the new day. Only leaving a crack for the light to pass her long lashes, she takes in the mesmerizing scenery. On the edges of her vision, a darker shade of blue transitions into a lighter one, the tones changing from cold to warm as they enclose the sun. Cirrus clouds catch the first rays, curling across the sky like wisps of silk hair. From cobalt to pale turquoise, from apricot to saffron. The painter of this picture used every color on the spectrum. And smack in the middle, the sun rises. So bright, she seems to be aware that planets orbit around her. The Superstition Mountains stand proud and tall in the south, the peaks catching the early light, making the volcanic formations seem blood orange, as if lava is erupting from the earth once again.

The herd is only a couple of hundred yards away now, grazing calmly. They don’t seem to be aware of the humans sitting on the top of the hill, almost as if Y/N is in a cinema, watching a gigantic movie screen. It would explain the idyllic Wild West decor, because such magic can only be created with CGI in a Hollywood studio. But they are here. Y/N can smell the air, sweet and earthy. She can hear the wind rustling small bushes and blowing gently through the canyons. She can feel Dean, the warmth radiating from his large form that has enveloped her. “It’s breathtaking,” she says softly, leaning into him. He places a soft kiss on her hair, and she smiles, content. “Thanks for letting me sleep.” He shrugs it off. “You needed it. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.” Y/N sits up and rolls her neck to loosen her muscles. “It’s going to be intense, isn’t it?” she guesses, getting to her feet. “I’d call it adventurous and exciting,” Dean chuckles, stretching his back now that he can move freely again. “Just like the old spaghetti westerns, y’know? Well… without the gun slinging and bounty hunts. It’ll be awesome, trust me.”

Y/N sniggers, strolling around the Yucca tree to meet her horse. She finds it cute how the tough cowboy, who’s closing in on thirty, is beaming like a little kid. After ruffling Joplin’s mane, she takes a small case from one of the saddlebags, which holds her toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste. She has found a new level of appreciation for these simple products of hygiene, given that she has been stripped from luxury and has to do with the absolute necessary. Especially since she’s not just kissing Dean in her dreams these days.

Looking forward to the day on his doorstep, Dean pulls his radio phone from the front saddlebag, turning it on and twisting the knob to find the channel. “Benny? Come in?” He lets go of the PTT button, the device beeping once when he does, then it’s quiet for a moment. Mirroring Y/N’s actions, he one handedly fishes out his toothbrush as well, but when his friend doesn’t respond, he pushes the talk button again. “You better get your lazy ass out of bed, Lafitte. Gotta bring the horses in.” Dean clips the radio to his belt. He has brushed his teeth, rinsed his mouth and cleaned his face by the time the farrier replies. “Good mornin’ to you too, Chief.” Dean grins at the slightly cynical tone of the Southerner. He pushes the button again, moving the speaker closer to his mouth. “We’re with the herd, on Black Top Mesa, close to Dutchman’s Trailhead. Ya’ll ready to move?” “Sure am, just cooking up some breakfast to go. Do you want some or did you already eat out?”

Y/N has never timed taking a sip of water worse, because it comes out through both her mouth and nose. Dean stares at her mortified before he snaps the walkie talkie to his mouth. “She can hear ya, you jackass!” he returns, his voice higher than he anticipated. “Oh, I bet she can.” The head wrangler shuts his eyes and cringes, turning away from Y/N to hide his red face. His free hand goes for his belt loop first, then rubs the back of his neck, before wiping the sweat on the denim of his jeans. Shit, this is embarrassing. “I - I - We… You know what? I don’t owe you an explanation,” he hisses into the radio phone. “I’m just saying, brother, if you haven’t yet, it’s gonna take us at least forty five minutes to get to ya, so--” “- Over and out, Benny!”

Quickly, he turns the device off, breathes out, and scoffs. That son of a bitch. Dean isn’t sure how he’s going to make Benny pay just yet, but he will taste his wrath. He carefully glances over his shoulder to check on Y/N, who he finds with her hand clasped over her mouth, trying her very best to contain her giggles. “You think that’s funny, huh?” he mutters, flustered. She laughs warm and hearty, wiping tears from her eyes as she approaches the cowboy. “You don’t need enemies with friends like him, that’s a given,” she chuckles.

He glances at her, his mouth pulling into a smile. She can spot a hint of relief, now that he knows she’s taking it well, but blood still warms his cheeks, making his freckles invisible. It amazes her every single time how all that confidence washes away once he loses direction. Benny was just teasing him, Dean must be aware of that. Besides, it’s not like the green eyed wrangler to take things easy, as he said so himself, so it’s not strange his Southern friend figured he covered at least a couple of bases overnight. She can feel a blush add color to her face as well, when the thought crosses her mind. Honestly, she too silently hoped he would have gone ‘down that road’.

“Well, unfortunately he assumed wrong,” she addresses boldly, taking the collar of his stockman coat gently between her thumb and index finger, reeling him in. “But he was right about them taking at least forty five minutes to get here.” Stunned eyes flick over her features, wondering if he’s imagining things or if she really just gained the confidence he’s lacking at this very moment. Once again she blows him off his feet with her newfound assertiveness, like she does every so often. Shit, she’s sexy when she takes the lead like that. “He sure was,” he returns, his hands now moving to her waist. “I know we agreed to take it easy,” she tilts her head slightly, folding her arms around his neck now. “So what should we do with all that time?”

Dean smirks at her from under his hat, shaking his head amused without breaking eye contact. What a tease. He couldn’t resist her to save his own life. Her radiance is brighter than the rising sun behind her. The pull he’s experiencing, the level of attraction, it’s so strong; he knows he’s going to have a tough time sticking to his boundaries. He has to, though, he has to do right by her. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have a little fun along the way. “I got a few ideas,” he implies. Before Y/N knows it, the strong wrangler lifts her up, pulling a squeal from within her, followed by a fit of giggles. He adjusts his grip when she folds her legs around his middle, smothering her sly grin with a sweet kiss. The low chuckle that escapes his throat sounds both gentle and gruff, adding to the wholesome sensation that fills her chest. By the Yucca tree, he lowers himself to the ground, still holding the cowgirl in his arms until she has found her balance and straddles his lap, a knee buried in the gravelly sand on either side of him. The intimate connection strengthens as they get lost in the moment, the laughs dying down, eyes falling shut.

Dean lets his fingers wander over the fabric of her clothes, tracing the lines of her neck, her spine, the curves of her hips. Feeling no pressure that this needs to lead somewhere right now calms him, because even though it’s proven to be difficult to keep their hands off each other, he knows she will give him the space he needs and, despite this little tease, she respects him more than he respects himself. He makes a little mental note when she whimpers, as he continues to leave a trail of kisses from the corner of her mouth, down her throat and her collarbone. Dean might not go down on the beautiful cowgirl today, but he will remember the little touches that make her sigh and squirm.

Their agreement to take it slow, combined with Benny’s remark, sparked something new. Since their first kiss, she has been willing, eager for more, but now that what she wants is just out of reach, she finds it difficult to control herself. He can tell in the way she touches him, the audible breaths that reach his hearing when their mouths aren’t sealed together, the longing in her eyes when she opens them for a brief second. Dean never thought he would say it, but taking their time might have an advantage he hadn’t considered before. Teasing him, tempting her… it’s an interesting way to pass the time. Making each other wait might feel like a torturous game right now, but when the moment does arrive for them to take things to the next level, it’s going to be something else. And just like that, the bachelor who didn’t waste a second to get around with so many women, doesn’t mind waiting for the one.

The two lay together for at least half an hour, making out like teenagers. Sweet touches, cute giggles, all smiles. If they could freeze time, they would. But when Dean glances north and notices the dust clouds coming from La Barge Canyon, they have to interrupt the intimacy; Benny and the others are on their way.

Five minutes later, Dean shrugs off his long coat, now that the sun has cast out the crisp of the night. He folds it up tightly and stuffs it into one of his saddlebags. Y/N has already mounted Joplin, at home in the Tucker trail saddle. The mare didn’t entirely awaken from her slumber apparently, because for once in her life, she stands still and doesn’t bounce around impatiently like a bronc in the holding box at the rodeo. Her rider has her wrists crossed on the horn, the reins casually between her fingers, as she stares at the herd ahead. “That’s the leader, isn’t it?” she says.

Dean turns his head, looking at the dark bay horse, who stands between them and his congeners. The animal stares back, ears perked forward, one of them flicking back to the herd every now and them. The stallion observes him carefully, he doesn’t seem entirely sure how to deal with the presence of humans. He’s alert, ready to bolt and take his herd to safety, yet at the same time curious. Understandable, because these youngsters spent most of their life living as feral horses, only seeing men when they were moved from the reservation to the large winter pastures closer to the ranch, and back to the mountains when spring was around the corner. “Yeah, seems like it,” Dean confirms, watching the beautiful creature. He returns his gaze to the task at hand, tying the sleeping bag behind Ted’s saddle, but then realization hits him. Wait a minute, is that…? The wrangler turns to face the interested horse again, who is looking at him from about two hundred yards away, like he seems to recognize the cowboy as well. Y/N glances from the wrangler to the horse and back. “Dean?”

But he doesn’t respond, slowly stepping away from Ted, narrowing his eyes to see better. The horse’s mane grew long, his forelock covering his face, the black hair growing all the way down to his nose, but a hint of a blaze still visible through the curtain. Dark brown eyes take Dean in as the stallion waits, so still that one could mistake him for a statue, save the wind playing with his tail. The low vegetation hides the white markings on his legs, so the wrangler can’t tell for sure. It can’t be. He couldn’t have grown that big, he wouldn’t be the alpha, he reminds himself. But besides the horse’s size and rank within the herd, there’s nothing that indicates the animal, isn’t him.

Dean moves his hand to his mouth, pressing the tabs of his thumb and index finger together, creating a circle, before he places them on his lips. He inhales and whistles sharply. The sheer, high-pitched sound moves across the land, reaching ears miles away. The ears the whistle was meant for, pick up the unique sound too and instantly the caution and doubt in the horse’s stance is gone. He neighs back, loud and strong, confirming Dean’s suspicion. “Well, I’ll be damned…” he breathes. “You two know each other?” Y/N wonders. Dean beams. “Yeah, we go way back.”

He leaves Ted and Y/N on top of the hill, carefully making his way down the slope without spooking the feral horse. But the stallion doesn’t feel threatened anymore, now that he recognizes Dean. He jogs up to him, taking a few more steps before he halts. Friendly eyes take in the wrangler, his nostrils flaring when Dean tentivally reaches, picking up his scent. As a content smile spreads across Dean’s face, he lets his fingertips brush the horse’s nose, soft as velvet. He takes another step, gliding the palm of his hand up his jaw now, to his cheek and then down his neck, following the flow of the horse’s dark hair. The short summer coat has already partly been replaced, now that the cold of winter will arrive in a month or so. Last time Dean saw him, he was barely two years old. A youngster, a boney juvenile, who was a tad small. Obviously the fellow needed more time. That’s why the wrangler gave his horse another year to grow. It worked out well, because look at him now. “Hey, bud,” Dean says softly, ruffling the horse’s mane. “You got big.”

From a distance, Y/N watches the reunion. She doesn’t know the whole story, but the connection between man and animal is unmistakably strong. They have a place in each other’s hearts and even though they have been apart for a while, that didn’t change. The leader of the herd, who one would expect to be dominant, accepts a human touch without hesitation. It’s an unusual response for a horse who has lived off the grid for years.

Warmth fills her chest, a smile on her lips, similar to the one Dean carries. It’s incredible to witness him around the animals that captivate them both. She has enjoyed his interactions many times before, watching him handle them on the ground, seeing him ride. Always kind, always respectful. He has a way with horses that is special. Her grandfather would have said he’s gifted. He also would have given her a thumbs up. Grandpa always offered wise words, often followed by silence, the quiet giving them even more strength. One of his sayings comes to mind: You can judge a man’s character by the way he treats his horses. Well then, if that’s a given, then Dean is definitely one of the kindest and most loving souls she has come across.

The wrangler rubs the stallion’s shoulder, before he slowly turns around. He tries to beckon the beautiful dark horse with a simple shoulder movement, using only body language to invite the large animal to follow him. After a moment of hesitation, during which the stallion glances at his herd and back at his human, he follows. No rope, no pressure, no constraint, but free will. It’s hard to miss the pleased expression on Dean’s face when he looks up at the cowgirl, who still watches from Joplin’s back. “I know country boys aren’t known for manners, but aren’t you going to introduce your friend?” she jokes.

The stallion stops at the bottom of the small hill, aware that as the leader of his group, he still has a task to fulfill. He stands tall, checking on the herd, the autumn breeze catching his tangled mane, folding his tail around his hind legs. He looks almost mythical. “His name is Rock N’ Roll.” Dean takes him in, proudly. “But he goes by Rock’o.” “Is he yours?” she asks, curiously. The wrangler nods. “I was there when he was born. He had a rough start in life. I bottle fed him the first couple of months.” Amazed, she smiles at him. “No wonder you two are close.” He returns her expression, taking a moment to absorb the image of both the woman who is conquering his heart, and his horse who already claimed it years ago. “It’s gonna be much easier to bring in the herd with him on our side,” Dean says, moving to Ted’s left side, after which he puts his foot in the stirrup and swings the other over the saddle. “We have to handle it delicately, but he trusts me.” “You think he will follow you?” Y/N assumes, keeping Joplin on the spot, who seems to have woken up from her nap, now that Dean mounted his horse as well. “No, but he will keep the herd together. It's a misconception that the stallion leads the group. They are usually in the rear, driving up stragglers,” Dean explains.

The head wrangler glances over his shoulder at the growing dust cloud, an indication that Benny and the rest of the crew are closing in. Within a minute, he spots the four riders and their pack horses coming over the hill. The mischievous grin on the Southerner’s face can be spotted from far away. “Had a nice mornin’ ride, Chief?” he nags under his breath, once he has joined the two riders. Dean shoots him a glare, his fiery green eyes demanding him to shut up without using actual words. Y/N heard the farrier, however, and no one is prepared for the comeback. “Oh, we didn’t have time. Forty-five minutes isn’t nearly enough for what I had in mind,” she counters casually.

Dean snorts, caught by surprise, while Benny cocks his head at the intern, staring at her bug-eyed. Y/N doesn’t give the the blue-eyed cowboy another second of her attention and leads her horse to Ted, her fingertips briefly touching Dean’s thigh as she passes him, before she rides down the hill, her head held high. Amused, the head wrangler waits for his friend to catch the wide grin on his face, which he does once Benny snaps out of his trance. He shakes his head sniggering, his laugh rumbling deep and low in his chest. “Brother, you are in way over your head,” he states. “She’s a pistol.” Dean admittingly raises his brow, nodding in agreement while watching her ride off. “She sure is.”

“Yah!” In full gallop Y/N speeds up along the left flank of the herd, directing the horses back to a compact group every time they fan out. Benny and Macy are leading, Dean tailing, while Brad and Jon cover the right side. The head wrangler wasn’t lying when he said that it was going to be exciting, because she feels like she’s living a Wild West fantasy.

Joplin has her ears in her neck as she sprints away, cutting off two stallions who fan out. Her rider doesn’t even have to give a signal, the feisty dark mare knows exactly what to do. Even though she is smaller than the others, she stands her ground and didn’t think twice when one of the juvenile stallions took an interest in her. With a squeal and a firm kick she made clear not to mess with her, her zero-tolerance attitude keeping them at a safe distance. Y/N had a hunch Joplin was good at the job, otherwise Dean wouldn’t have chosen the strong minded horse for his intern, but she didn’t expect her partner to be this fierce. Unflagging, focussed, and fast as a bullet. It’s an absolute thrill to work with her.

They pursued the herd into O’Grady Canyon, the higher cliffs on both sides helping the wranglers keep them together. They passed the rock formations of Tim’s Saddle and Dean and Y/N briefly exchanged a look and a smile as they crossed the small creek. Revisiting the place where they shared their first kiss only two days ago feels special, that night’s energy still in the air. So much has happened since, and yet their journey has only just begun.

After a quick drinking pause, they continued, before the herd could fall apart. Some of the animals are restless, while others follow a lot more calmly. Using horses instead of dirt bikes or even a helicopter is a lot less stressful for the feral animals, but being chased makes them nervous nonetheless. Rocko’s laid back attitude towards the humans keeps the panic in the herd contained to a minimum, though.

Thankfully, the weather is working in their favor for a change. A cool breeze is sweeping across the terrain and swishing through the canyons, keeping the temperature from rising to the heights it reached in the past couple of days. It’s a good thing the conditions are a lot more tolerable, because the riding is intense. The wind, together with the stampede, does kick up a lot of sand, engulfing the wranglers in clouds of earthy particles. Dean, being at the back of the herd, has pulled his neckerchief over his nose, keeping the dust from entering his lungs.

Halfway through the afternoon, the wranglers have managed to guide the group of horses safely down the slopes on the east banks of the Superstitions. A time consuming detour, but crossing the mountains without a herd is challenging enough, not to mention with over a dozen wild animals added to the clan. After descending the much smoother slopes for hours on end, the canyon functioning as a tunnel and relieving the pressure from the riders, the walls on either side fan out. Before them lays the valley, the small town of Gold Canyon in the far distance to the west, the sun edging towards it as the day begins to close in on the night.

“Yankee!” It’s Dean who gets her attention, his voice rising above the sound of the stampede. Y/N turns in the saddle while she continues to follow the movement of her horse with her hips. Behind her, three young stallions have wandered away from the group in a matter of seconds. Joplin hasn’t noticed them yet, fixed on holding the flank ahead, but when her rider moves her hand to the left, she rolls away like a fighter jet. The little dark mare needs no encouragement and is at full speed within five strides, shooting across the terrain at a speed of forty miles an hour. Y/N has bent over Joplin’s neck, staying low in order to increase the aerodynamics. The fast rhythmic sound of hoofbeats tremor the ground, the wind rushes in her ears and drags tears from the corners of her eyes. The two cut off the youngsters, redirecting them back to the herd like they have been doing this together for years. Y/N’s partner in crime pushes her ears back and snaps her teeth, not so kindly advising the horses to hurry it up or else, triggering her rider to grin at her feisty character. Once the three join the others, the cowgirl lets out a cheer, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Dean was absolutely right, this is just like a spaghetti western.

They ride along the promontory of the mountains to their right, roughly following the Lost Goldmine trail. By the time the company passes a volcanic remnant called Turk’s Head, the sky begins to change, adding orange to the blues. A glance at her old watch tells her it’s 5.10 PM. Three days ago she kept feeling her back pocket for her phone whenever she needed to know the time, or felt the urge to check her messages, but not having her Iphone with her turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Who would want to stare at a screen and miss all the good stuff?

Ted’s strides are long and consistent, not a trace of fatigue noticeable with the bay gelding. From behind the group, Dean should have a good overview, if it wasn’t for the dust clouds obstructing his vision. The small particles cling to his skin, his lashes, the fabric of his clothes. He can still see the boys holding their ground well on the right, the steep slopes running up into the peaks of the Flatiron assisting them, working as a funnel. Benny and Macy are keeping a good pace; if they continue at this speed, they will be home before dinner. Y/N is doing outstanding on the other flank, forming a dream team with eager little Joplin. Thankfully, Dean has eyes up ahead, because the radio on his belt begins to crack. “Two miles to go, Chief!” Dean takes the radio phone and presses the PTT button before he answers. “Let’s bring them home, brother.”

With his thumb he twists the channel nob, switching to number four, before he calls in again. They should be within the perimeter now. “Bobby, do you read me?” It’s quiet for a moment, but then the static breaks. “Loud and clear, son.” The head wrangler smiles, glad to be delivering good news after three days and nights filled with nerve wrecking moments. Treacherous terrain, suffocating heat. Drought, snakes, minor injuries. “We’re comin’ in hot. Thirty minutes.” “The gates are open. I’ll tell Ellen to put the casserole in the oven.” Dean’s mouth begins to water when his aunt’s famous dish is mentioned. No disrespect to Benny, but after all that canned food, he can’t wait to sink his teeth into that delicious corn, beef, and onion stocked, stomach filling meal. “In that case, I’ll make it twenty. Over.” “We’re ready for ya. Over and out.”

The head wrangler hooks the radio back on his belt and glances aside. Rocko is galloping about thirty yards to his left, ahead by a few nose lengths. Sweat shimmers on his neck and shoulders, his dark bay coat almost black now. With big, powerful strides he pushes forward like a steam train, yet agile, maneuvering past rocks, cacti, and bushes. Even untrained, he has grown into a strong horse. Dean can’t wait to work with him. To strengthen that bond even more, to teach him. Watching the stallion by his side and under Dean’s wing as it were, fills him with pride already. It’s at this moment that Dean realizes; this horse is going to be something else.

Thank you for reading. I appreciate every single one of you, but if you do want to give me some extra love, you are free to reblog my work or buy me coffee (Link in bio at the top of the page)

Read part sixteen here

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a-dinosaur-a-day · 6 years ago

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Daemonosaurus chauliodus

By José Carlos Cortés

Etymology: Demon Reptile

First Described By: Sues et al., 2011

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda

Status: Extinct

Time and Place: Between 205 and 202 million years ago, in the Rhaetian of the Late Triassic

Daemonosaurus is known from the Siltstone Member of the Chinle Formation in New Mexico

Physical Description: Daemonosaurus is an interestingly little dinosaur, and an enigmatic one, with its placement within the dinosaur family tree holding significant importance for how dinosaurs organize themselves in their initial diversification. This was a small, bipedal dinosaur, only about 1.5 meters long and weighing no more than 22 kilograms. While its body was relatively normal of a dinosaur at that time - longer legs than arms, arms built for grasping, long tail and stout torso - its head was downright bizarre. The skull was very short and box-like, rather than long and narrow or long and rectangular like other predatory dinosaurs of the time. Daemonosaurus also featured very long and large teeth in the upper jaw, and teeth that projected forward out of the mouth from both jaws - in short, it looked fairly buck-toothed. It also had a slight notch in its jaws, which could have been used to grab hold of struggling food and trap it there. It also might be an example of paedomorphy - while the head seems fairly juvenile (including rather big eyes), the rest of the body has the fused bones of an adult. As a small dinosaur, Daemonosaurus would have been covered in fluffy protofeathers for thermoregulation.

Diet: Daemonosaurus would have primarily eaten small animals like early mammals and smaller reptiles, though baby dinosaurs from other species wouldn’t have been off the menu.

By Michael B. H., CC BY-SA 3.0

Behavior: Daemonosaurus, being a smaller theropod, wouldn’t have been a very bold predator. Instead, it probably waited in the shadows and undergrowth a lot, looking for a moment to strike at its prey. Hiding in the bushes, it was able to stay safe from larger predators, which frequented the environment. It probably would use its hands and mouth to grab struggling prey, and also defend itself from danger. With its very large eyes, it’s even possible it was somewhat nocturnal, and did most of its hunting in the safety of night. It probably took care of its young, though of course without fossil evidence of such it is hard to tell; and it would have been a fairly active, intelligent animal in its habitat.

Ecosystem: Daemonosaurus lived in the Siltstone Environment of the Chinle Formation, a famous ecosystem showcasing the rise of dinosaurs within North America at the end of the Triassic Period. Daemonosaurus is known from one of the later ecosystems of that formation, which makes its position as a fairly basal theropod somewhat surprising. This was a seasonally arid floodplain, with trivers that would occasionally flood and alternate between that and drying up completely. As such, the plantlife around the floodplain was mostly hardy ferns, ginkgoes, horsetails, and cycads - as well as a fairly dense forest of pine and other coniferous trees. Here Daemonosaurus shared its environment with many other Triassic weirdos, such as the Drepanosaur (lizard-monkey thing) Avicranium, ray-finned fish such as Hemicalypterus and Lophionotus, the phytosaur Redondasaurus, the small Aetosaur Stenomyti; and other Dinosauromorphs. There was the Silesaurid Eucoelophysis, the Lagerpetid Dromomeron, and another theropod dinosaur, Ceolophysis.

By Scott Reid

Other: Is Daemonosaurus a theropod? Probably. But its head is so weird - and its whole body, too - that the position of Daemonosaurus is a question within the early diversification of dinosaur group. Indeed, Daemonosaurus often changes how a phylogenetic tree turns out. This weirdness is something to keep an eye on for now, because the jury is still out - though basal theropod seems likely. And what a weird theropod lineage it represents!

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources under the Cut

Barta, D. E., S. J. Nesbitt, M. A. Norell. 2018. The evolution of the manus of early theropod dinosaurs is characterized by high inter- and intraspecific variation. Journal of Anatomy 232: 80 - 104.

Ezcurra, M.D. (2006). "A review of the systematic position of the dinosauriform archosaur Eucoelophysis baldwini Sullivan & Lucas, 1999 from the Upper Triassic of New Mexico, USA." Geodiversitas, 28(4):649-684.

Griffin, C. T. 2019. Large neotheropods from the Upper Triassic of North America and the early evolution of large theropod body sizes. Journal of Paleontology: 1 - 21.

Irmis, R. B. 2005. The vertebrate fauna of the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation in northern Arizona. p. 63-88. in S.J. Nesbitt, W.G. Parker, and R.B. Irmis (eds.) 2005. Guidebook to the Triassic formations of the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona: Geology, Paleontology, and History. Mesa Southwest Museum Bulletin 9.

Nesbitt, S.J., Irmis, R.B., and Parker, W.G. (2005). "A critical review of the Triassic North American dinosaur record." In Kellner, A.W.A., Henriques, D.D.R., & Rodrigues, T. (eds.), II Congresso Latino-Americano de Paleontologia de Vertebrados, Boletim de Resumos. Rio de Janeiro: Museum Nacional/UFRJ, 139.

Sues, H.-D., S. J. Nesbitt, D. S. Berman, A. C. Henrici. 2011. A late-surviving basal theropod dinosaur from the latest Triassic of North America. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 278 (1723): 3459 - 3464.

Sullivan, C., X. Xu. 2016. Morphological Diversity and Evolution of the Jugal in Dinosaurs. The Anatomical Record 300 (1): 30 - 48.

Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. 861 pp. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.

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steve0discusses · 5 years ago

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Yugioh S4 Ep8: Magic Mai

So fun fact, I was out of town around this Thanksgiving and I grabbed a laptop from my Dad’s stack of machinery he’s sort of collected over the years and lo and behold--he put Linux on it.

Like I dunno if you all can relate to this problem, but everything he touches turns into Linux and he’s trying to live this Windows free/Mac free lifestyle, and I get it, I’m friends with so many vegetarians, but like I hate this laptop. I'm using Gimp to make these screenshots...So I can re-do them later in Photoshop because...it just doesn’t feel right to put Papyrus on this computer. It already has Linux. This poor machine has suffered enough. Long story short, this’ll be a small update because right clicking on linux is ass.

Also, because I was on a laptop and realized how small my blog is for the first time--I don’t have control over the size of pictures in text posts, tumblr does, and in this particular theme it’s not allowing me to change the size, and so do me a favor. Click ctrl and + at the same time a couple times (I’m assuming most of you are on firefox). There. the pictures are the right size now. If you hated that, you can click ctrl and - but like lets be real, my font is occasionally...tiny.

Anyway, we start discussing this episode on the confusing legs of the last one, where Mai is evil now, and it’s really not entirely clear if she’s possessed or if she’s just always been this way, or if she just FEELS like it.

And that’s all this episode is about, start to finish--is this Mai’s choice or was this not Mai’s choice? The answer is the same as it would be for a normal person: it’s complicated. Maybe it’s everybody’s choice. Maybe it was because no one did anything that Mai went completely haywire? Maybe it was because Mai hid how she was feeling so no one had any idea she needed help? Or, overall, maybe Mai is kind of a toxic person and wanted to be this way? Especially while she’s on children’s cartoon card drugs?

(read more under the cut)

So to start off, a weird thing happened at the beginning of this episode. After about 4 seasons, someone finally mentioned this:

How many seasons has Yugi been talking to himself? Like, out loud. In front of everyone and Kaiba? This whole time, right? Like Valon just dashed my headcanon where I figured Yugi was smart enough to think his thoughts instead of speak his thoughts. He’s just not that smart, unfortunately.

Meanwhile, Mai has managed to attract this other (teenager?) guy and like...to go worse than Joey so quickly is kind of shocking. Mai just seems embarrassed by the amount of very young boys in love with her. And she’s not even a cougar about it, she doesn’t really seem to want this to happen but it keeps on happening.

And although he is essentially the card form of a drug pusher, Valon has this soft spot for a girl I guess to give him some sort of redeemable flaw. However, she only wears tube tops and minis and spends like hundreds of dollars on her hair, so it doesn’t really make him seem any less shallow, tbh.

PS I’m surprised, that unlike all the other characters on Yugioh, I can’t just type in Valon’s name into Google and get his age and weight. No idea what his age is, and if you know, feel free to tell me but he just seems...exactly the same age as Joey. He seems very 17. Maybe it’s the obsession with motorcycles and children’s playing cards? Maybe it’s his big ol childlike eyes? He just seems young and niave like how a teenager who just fell in love with a very angry older woman would.

Joey tries to remind everyone, multiple times, that this game is the worst idea ever since it requires one of them to super die, but Mai is on card drugs so I don't know why they bothered. Also, why is Joey still surprised by this after 4 seasons of this?

Yo it’s S4 and Mai witnesses magic non-stop but still has basically no idea how it works. She really did say “I have no soul” and it was like...I’m 90% certain she literally thinks she has no soul right now. Which I guess, statistically speaking, is rare to actually have a still intact soul after hanging out with the main villain, with the way this show typically goes.

Meanwhile, last episode it really sounded like Duke Devlin was driving to Pegasus’ company building. It really sounded like he would have gone directly there, since Weevil and Rex told him that Yugi was going to Pegasus.

Remember that Duke Devlin works for Pegasus and probably has his own parking spot.

So where did he go instead?

You know how there’s only one gas station in the entirety of America?

I can’t believe it blew up.

Y’all what is the red splotch in the middle of the pile ps? That is legitimately a pile of blood, right? I didn’t shop that in. There’s just a red puddle in this kid’s show.

Y’all what is that? Like was there a scene with a red handkerchief that I missed? Is that a red handkerchief?

But to move past the mysterious pool of blood that confirms those bikers are so hella dead, I have no idea why Duke was here, I have no idea how he got the tip off that Yugi visited this place, but then he turned around and went back to SF so like...I guess he’ll arrive 3 days from now because again, they are in Arizona. They keep telling me this is right outside SF but like--Mesas. There’s Mesas.

And then this happened.

That one guy on the writing staff who just stans Seto Kaiba so hard got into the drawing room, I see.

PS someone had to pose for this shot for them to draw this shot from this angle.

Meanwhile, lets see why Mai turned evil. Ah, because it is Yugioh, the biggest reason is that she has no friends (probably because she’s got the most acidic personality known to man) and isn’t card popular enough and got super bitter and jealous.

Speaking as an artist who is online, I can understand the frustration here. Sometimes (99% of the time) you work really hard and no one cares and you get like 2 notes. And honestly, why should they? Like, why do you do it in the first place?

Mai echoes a lot of the issues of Seto last season, where she wants so badly to be the absolute best to prove herself to the ghosts of her past who really don’t care any more.

But, since Mai was in a coma when Seto got through all of that, I guess she never got the memo and still seems stuck on just wanting to be the best with no other reason than “to be the best” which again, sounds so much like art school problems. This is everyone who has ever had an interest in animation. We all go through that phase.

Generally we don’t take peoples souls as a reaction to that type of discouragement, but then Mai made sure to mention in almost a foot note that she did spend like an entire season and a half trapped in Marik's shadow realm. And that kind of effed her up in a really big way.

Thanks, Marik.

Really feels like Marik should be dealing with this problem--really feels like maybe Marik is the only person that we can actually point to and say “Oh yeah, that guy is to blame for Mai right now” And he is the only person that Mai does not actively go out and try to kill.

And I’ll have you know I just deleted like a 15 K word rant about the difference between character assassination and your character just--evolving into a jackass, and how it’s OK to have your character change into a jackass, especially after trauma. I felt this need to really have to defend this ancient writing technique that people have been using since about as long as stories have been around.

Then I remembered “Oh yeah, I’m just making this point because a few number of very loud idiots on the internet want to have very lukewarm hot-takes about popular characters solely because they enjoy baiting people on twitter into getting into week-long arguments that don’t go anywhere.” and I just...let it go. I let it just...go into the ether. Ah. The peace that comes when you already know you’re right.

But anyway, back to Yugioh, which thankfully doesn’t take a stance on this nuanced subject, and only presents this very serious problem without actually offering a solution (because there isn’t a one fit’s all solution to falling off the deep end and getting into drugs and murder), Mai decides to just go and blame this decision she made on anyone else. Because, why take responsibility for your actions, when you can pin it on people who were on the other side of the freakin planet when it happened?

Like, I just want to remind y’all that she was in ATLANTIS.

I wonder how good the cell reception is in ATLANTIS.

I just...Mai is like in her mid twenties maybe thirty’s. She’s so arbitrarily old that she plays Yugi’s Mom in the video game spinoff where they’re reincarnations of medieval times. That’s how old she is.

Imagine if you made some epically BAD decisions because you were jealous of some teenager’s success and didn’t want to be weak anymore, and then you confronted those teens, and said “This is all your fault.”

Imagine looking someone as dysfunctional as Joey Wheeler and telling him “You made me like this” because lollllllll

And I present this as a joke but like basically this happens all freakin time. We’ve all had a friend like Mai. Past tense of course, because it’s really hard to keep a friend like Mai for very long. (One of my friend’s who went Mai destroyed my apartment one summer and then literally blamed it on me for going to California for 2 months and leaving her unattended.) But like...don’t let Mai’s do it to you. They can get better, but only if it’s their choice, really. You can’t force them to save themselves.

But, as Mai was finally ready to give up cards and probably improve her quality of life by a huge degree, unfortunately, she got sucked right back into the trap.

Bro note: being a serial murderer cultist is basically working at McDonald's in this universe so maybe this wasn’t even that weird?

But that aside, this is alllllmost like a dark version of “Mai got into an abusive relationship to fill the void in her heart” except she’s not even really dating this guy? Like she hates this guy? He’s just kinda there?

Y’all I really can’t tell if Valon is in an abusive relationship with Mai who is using him for power or if she’s in an abusive relationship with him because he only wants her pretty face and wants to kill Joey because Joey liked her once--and maybe it’s both? Maybe both of these people are just...really bad for each other?

Overall Joey is kind of tossed into this not-a-love-triangle and I’m like

“Hey show? show? Am I supposed to....were any these people ever dating? Is there supposed to be an implied history? Am I supposed to get attached to this?” because I mean...the only character who was able to get some actual physical romance on this show was Pegasus when he macked the ghost of his dead wife because, again, Pegasus is the freakin king of this entire show. Of course HE can do it.

But have this show clarify what the hell is happening between Valon and Mai? I’m gonna take a bet that we will never get to see it beyond Valon being like “Ain’t she a beaut!” Like Steve Irwin talking to an alligator, and Mai just pretending he doesn’t exist. Yugioh romances are so completely one way every single time. If something more than that happens, I’ll be

shook.

Anyway, as all the children on the show keep repeating over and over again, they haven’t had any contact with Mai since she left the freakin country and they went back to High School.

And so someone threatens to kill himself, as is Yugioh tradition, and someone else barks at him to NOT kill himself, as is also tradition, and they decide to play real cards next episode.

This whole entire episode, PS, Joey went out of his way to just...not play cards. that was this whole episode. Way to draw out a card game over three episodes, I guess.

Anyway if you want to read these from the start you can do so by clicking the link here

#yugioh #ygo #episode recap #photo recap #Yugi muto #mai valentine #Valon #joey wheeler #Tristan Taylor #Tea Gardner #That moustache sideburns guy? I think his name is Raphael or something?#S4 #Ep 8 #PS I just noticed my episodes were numbered wrong #so that's nice #I may also decide to do some tagging shenanigans so you can have a link to read which season you would like to go to instead of just from S1 #but that will be when I get bored over christmas I have some client stuff to wrap up right now

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madscientistjournal · 5 years ago

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Fiction: Victorian Velociraptor with Violets

An essay by Amada, as provided by Andrew K. Hoe Art by Leigh Legler

The opera troupe could handle Amada being a fake name, but not that I was dying. They could handle my seven-foot velociraptor–Rodelia–and I sneaking away at night, but not that we were breaking into factories, hunting without luck for the serum that could save me.

My life-fibers were unraveling, my mutations accelerating, so I addressed everyone at morning meal.

“Rodes mimics any sound she hears. Perfectly.”

Madam Chien and the rest of the August Court of the Full Autumn Moon round the desert camp stared like they didn’t understand English, though they did. I’d learnt enough Chinese to know. Or maybe they were examining the worsening rash on my cheek. I angled my face away. The troupe’s airship, Full Autumn Moon, floated overhead, a great redwood junk, paneled sails gleaming silver in the morning light.

“Why are you telling us now?” Madam Chien, the soprano, asked. Even in her sleeping robe she was glamorous, ageless, ready for the stage.

I swallowed. She’d been kind to us, and I didn’t like what we were about to do. “We didn’t trust you. But now, we want to contribute more.”

Rodelia scratched the ground, rumbling disapproval. Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh …

Madam Chien looked at Rodelia’s five-fingered hands–not the three-clawed manus other raptors had. “Her ability is … traitwoven?”

Traitwoven, like her capacity to stand erect, handle human tools. Her almost-human intellect.

I nodded.

“Such a barbaric land, America. It’s supposedly illegal, but there are raptor-butlers and raptor-porters wherever we land. Black slaves escape north, only to be dragged back south.”

I growled internally. Rodelia’s traitweavings weren’t done here, in America, but in Europe–in a mountain laboratory-fortress we’d escaped months back, life-fibers warped by one Baron Veer.

Mine, too.

Out of everyone, Madam Chien alone knew we left while the troupe slept, but not that we’d been raiding Veer’s American factories: Veritas’s Elixirs and Tinctures. No serum in last night’s raid, but documents indicated Veer himself would be in Phoenix. We needed to steer the August Court there.

“Rodelia can sing.”

That caused the stir I’d expected. Venerable Manager Shen, whose queue was always perfectly braided down his back, sputtered on his pipe. “She what?”

I nodded for Rodelia to demonstrate, but she hissed. Amada?

It wasn’t actually Amada she’d said, but a raptor-sound meaning me whenever she crooned it. Like she was now.

A-maaa-daaaa. Retreat?

I snarled, raptor-language being as much bestial gesture as vocalization. She flinched, as did everyone else. Because of Veer’s meddling, I understood raptors better than others. My human-ish ears didn’t grasp Rodelia’s full vocal meanings, but I parsed enough. To the troupe, to anybody watching us communicate, it must’ve seemed damned creepy.

Reluctantly, Rodelia opened her jaws …

… and Madam Chien’s ringing voice washed over the arid sands, the tree-tall saguaro, the ground-hugging ocotillo. It was a song from the The Dragon Bride, where the concubine stolen from her native land begged her captor-king for mercy, something Rodelia had heard many times now–

“How dare you!” the real Madam Chien exclaimed.

“She … doesn’t use her tongue?” someone asked. “Her teeth? She just … opens wide?”

“This could make Phoenix,” I said to the ground.

“Phoenix!” Manager Shen murmured. “Could we really book … the Orpheum?”

The troupe’s route coinciding with Veritas‘s towns was why we’d approached them. They hadn’t wanted a raptor-porter, though, nor her exceptionally strong, raptor-talking human. They distrusted traitwoven beasts. Velociraptors especially, them resembling the dragons they so revered. How old are you?, Madam Chien had asked. Sixteen, I’d blurted–my best guess. Madam Chien took Manager Shen aside, and grudgingly, he let us aboard.

She’d gotten me decent clothes. She’d left food out for us last night–raptor-kibble for Rodelia, salted eggs and rice gruel for me. If she gave us away now, I’d just claim Rodelia needed to roam.

Madam Chien kept silent, started fanning herself.

“Imagine a singing raptor,” Manager Shen murmured. “What show offers that?”

Madam Chien’s fan stilled. “You’d give my part away?” Everyone flushed, she being more mother to them than prima donna.

“Never,” I insisted. “Rodes’ll be a … pre-show attraction.”

Rodelia lowered her head, chest rumblings sinking to a low keening.

“We’ll call her the Rapturous Raptor,” Manager Shen decided. “Impressions only.” He turned to me. “Any sound, you say? Birdsong? Firecrackers?”

I nodded, avoiding Madam Chien’s gaze. Skin peeled off my knuckles, trickling blood–I shoved them behind my back. Rodelia would pull us to Phoenix. To Baron Veer. The source of serum, and all my present woes.

Without serum, I was getting sicker, and the airship’s floaty motion didn’t help. The Full Autumn Moon was bigger than Europe’s zeppelin-busses. Rodelia was in the parlor, where redwood flooring yielded to windowed viewing-bottoms, staring listlessly at red hills and cacti-dotted mesas passing below.

Her weavings were stable, but she was motion-sick, gloomily watching a mustang herd, tiny with distance, gallop up a dust-tail.

Velociraptors weren’t meant to fly. Even the Baron with all his noxious chemicals hadn’t woven any tolerance for flight into her.

“Veer’s here, Rodes. In Arizona. The one who did this to us.”

Another dust storm below–a raptor pack chasing the mustangs.

Once, velociraptors were turkey-sized, before traitweavers shaped them for work. Other animals had been shaped, too, but raptors were especially amenable to weaving. The practice became outlawed, but crates of woven raptors had already been shipped; some escaped, went wild. Now, Rodelia’s seven-foot cousins haunted these deserts.

“I wouldn’t … make it to Utah.” The files from last night’s raid listed a large Veritas facility there.

Rodelia rumbled. Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh …

I remembered enough of Veer’s laboratory to know I never spoke human words there. I picked up English and Chinese from other humans, but raptor-language was my mother-tongue. I was Veer’s handler. Didn’t talk, but drank serum, unharnessed and harnessed his raptors. Treated wounds. Held them as they keened in my arms. They obeyed my hisses and growls unquestioningly. Veer, though, wove command-words into his test subjects. If he was displeased, he’d utter those phrases; we’d shriek in pain until we complied. I remembered spilling serum because I was sick of it eroding my mind. He’d command-worded me, watched me thrash about before making me lap it off the floor.

But I could talk now. I could use Veer’s command-words.

Could make Rodelia address me.

Did she dream of running in a real raptor pack? Maybe she’d tried telling me, but I couldn’t understand. Maybe I didn’t want to understand, she being all I had.

“We’ll get serum from the Baron,” I promised. “Then–” What came after then? The airship jostled, and my stomach lurched. Finally, Rodelia turned to me, nosed my hair.

Rrrrrrrr-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh.

A-ma-daaa. Retreat …

Grateful, I reached up, grabbed her snout. “It’ll be okay, Rodes.”

I stumbled below-decks. My voice was getting raspier. My eyes darker. I wouldn’t be able to hide this much longer.

It was in the costume room Madam Chien cornered me. “You’ve found what you’ve been looking for all these nights, haven’t you? What’s in Phoenix, Amada?”

I shoved my cracked hands behind my back. “Fame for the troupe. Second chance for Rodes and me.”

Madam Chien sighed. “I was sold into opera, you know. Years I spent, against my will, training in Eastern and Western opera … but I lucked upon traveling countrymen. I didn’t need to get as familiar with an airship’s under-compartments as you and Rodelia. Besides myself, I didn’t steal anything–”

I didn’t twitch, but she nodded. “Even we can tell how sophisticated Rodelia’s weavings are. And … her scars–”

“Look, we just–”

“I don’t care about your past, Amada. I don’t care that you’re stealing my show, so long as my family’s safe. Whatever’s in Phoenix … Oh … your cheek’s bleeding–”

I hissed as she reached for my face. It’d steamed from my clenched teeth, instinctual, vicious. My sharp, sharp teeth.

I snatched a coat off the racks, a wide-brimmed hat, brushed past her.

“I once had a daughter!” she blurted to my back, stopping me short. “This family could be yours … if you’d–Wait!”

I pushed on. The troupe loved Rodelia. She was gentle, loved playing fetch. Me, though. If they ever discovered my true nature …

In the hold, I navigated chests to my loosened board: two vials of serum remaining. Funny, how this almond-scented substance I once despised, I now craved.

I sighed, but it came out, eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh …

Serum stabilized me, but it fogged my memory. My earliest remembrance was gripping the bars of a cage. Was I an orphan Veer captured? Someone nobody would miss, so he could practice human traitweaving?

Humans were the exact opposite of raptors–they took to weaving easily; human life-fibers rejected it. Thus, human traitweaving was forbidden.

The Baron must’ve been some genius to manage me: my ability with languages, how I’d learned reading so quickly, my raptor-strength–Veer meant more for me than raptor-handling. The more my mutations accelerated, the more I discovered.

But I didn’t want to see what other scaly presents he’d woven under my skin.

First show we tried, Rodelia clawed the sand, a foot from the curtain that might as well have been a canyon the way she’d dug in.

I shoved, but even my traitwoven strength couldn’t budge her. “Come … on … Rodes!”

Retreat!, she hissed. Retreat!

Beyond the curtain, Manager Shen stalled the audience. They’d heard Rodelia’s roars, though, were looking nervously our way.

Manager Shen’s nephew, Ah-Shen, eyed Rodelia’s sickle-claws. “Stage fright.”

“Are you kidding me?” I growled, shoving off Rodelia.

“I’ve been raised by an opera-troupe, Amada.”

I wouldn’t use command-words. I wouldn’t. But if we failed here, we lost everything. I bolted towards the airship floating above the redrock behind us.

“Um, Amada?” Ah-Shen yelled.

“Watch her!” I yelled back.

There was something else I’d been keeping under my loosened board besides serum.

When I returned, Ah-Shen was standing stock-still. Rodelia’s eyes rolled; she flexed human fingers–like gripping that battleax Veer made her wield for her duels.

In those scarred, lab-woven hands, I laid a doll. It was doe-eyed, hair in ringlets, lavender dress dotted with tiny purple flowers. Rodelia froze.

I flushed. “Her name’s … Victoria–”

We’d passed a general store weeks ago. Rodelia stopped before the window, looming over this doll, raptor-eyes gone liquid in a way I’d never seen before. The way she purred at that glass brought me back with some dollars Manager Shen paid me.

I’d been hedging, figuring how to give it to her–but now Rodelia cradled Victoria. Raptor eyes couldn’t cry, but …

Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh …

She clutched Victoria onstage, opened wide, and Madam Chien’s voice awed the audience.

Ah-Shen and everyone backstage crowded the curtains, but I stumbled off. My skin burned. Whatever Veer intended, I didn’t think my life-fibers were meant to hold a raptor.

From the stage, cheering. Applause.

I cried–my tears were black. What would happen to Rodelia? What of that creature the Baron stole, who was a girl before his experiments?

That day forward, Rodelia carried Victoria everywhere, slept with it cradled close.

The Rapturous Raptor was a roaring success.

Manager Shen swaggered onstage, Rodelia following. Someone yelled Spanish that she mimicked perfectly. Chinese prospectors shouted in some dialect, neither Cantonese nor Mandarin. She reflected it back.

Rodelia had to really concentrate for human voices. It was why we couldn’t communicate that way.

Despite being outlawed, human-handed raptors hauled rocks here. In hotels, raptor-bellhops stood ramrod straight. But I’d never heard anyone wanting a raptor who duplicated sound. Maybe Veer wanted raptor-spies, as well as seven-foot axe-wielding soldiers.

He never called her Rodelia. I called her Rodes, but she picked Rodelia. After hearing a child being called Rodelia, she’d started making uk-uk-uk-uk-uk noises, rocking her tail.

Veer called me something else, too, but I didn’t care to remember.

Rodelia’s raptor-name for me … that never changed. That, I remember clearly.

Lessened serum meant my memories were unclouding. If I was sixteenish, how old was Rodelia? An adult in raptor reckoning? If I concentrated, maybe I could …

Thunderous applause startled me back to present.

Rodelia tromped backstage, grabbed Victoria while Madam Chien and other performers passed for their show. Chien looked to me, but I ignored her.

After they exited, Rodelia snarled, using my voice: “Utah.”

I shoved up the sleeve of the coat I wore everywhere, uncovered the beetle-hide puncturing my skin. Not healthy raptor scales, but black, chitin-hard growth. It was worse round my spine. I knew she smelled the fever coursing through me.

“I’ve been taking serum, small sips, but that only affects the surface. My body’s rejecting it, Rodes.”

Onstage, Madam Chien sang the Dragon Bride’s sorrows, being captured from her faraway land, forced to marry a ruthless king. Offstage, Rodelia keened her own sad song.

Amada …

“He needs to pay, Rodes. He–raaaaaaaaa-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh …”

By the time we reached Yuma, we were making triple-earnings. The question was asked: could Rodelia’s performance be expanded?

“How about a doctor, Miss Amada?” Manager Shen asked gently. “It would be no trouble for us.”

I hissed, and he looked away.

Madam Chien was oddly silent. “Let them try,” she murmured. Everyone cheered.

Mei-Li the seamstress started a dress. Rodelia had to stand straight for various fabrics Mei-Li threw over her. Rodelia rumbled darkly; Mei-Li paled. I pointed her to Victoria sitting on a chair. The seamstress concocted a lavender affair with violets lining the bodice, a silver wig with purple flowerets like Victoria’s–these Rodelia accepted.

Gum-Loong the painter started painting the flower-set wig; the lavender dress; Rodelia’s regal stance; human hands–but just half her face, jaws open in mid-vocalization.

“I’ll do her eyes last,” he explained. “Something’s missing, though. With her hands.”

I studied the painting. He was right, but I couldn’t place it.

At Flagstaff, Rodelia strode onstage in dress and wig, gobsmacking everyone. But they cheered when she opened her jaws and released the “Four Part Song.” She hunkered offstage, rumbling disapproval. Soon as the dress came off, she cracked her spine, assumed her natural raptor’s crouch.

At Flagstaff, Rodelia strode onstage in dress and wig, gobsmacking everyone.

Manager Shen returned from town with a fancy-looking invitation. “The Orpheum in Phoenix has renovated–they want us to be their inaugural performance!” He squinted at the print. “A baron has requested us! Baron … Vvv-ver–”

“Veer,” I said.

Rodelia growled low.

“You’ve heard of him?” Manager Shen asked.

Every day, my memories sharpened. I remembered Veer watching his sword-wielding raptors duel, scribbling in that notebook he kept in his waistcoat pocket. “Oh, yes. Baron Veer loves a good show.”

We remained in Flagstaff to prepare The Dragon Bride–with Madam Chien and Rodelia.

Townspeople gathered amongst the bracken and cacti, watching us rehearse the part where the foreign queen, about to be executed by her captor-king, revealed her true form–the dragon–and, against her kind’s peaceful nature, stormed the court.

When Madam Chien had played the part alone, she’d signified this transformation with a mask, but today Rodelia switched places with her, charging onstage in her lavender dress, her flashing silver hair. She shrieked, shredded her dress. The crowd hooted.

While they applauded, Rodelia stalked to me.

RRRRRRRRRAAaaaaa! Leave Baron!

I removed my hat, bared my fangs. I’d seen my reflection to know I didn’t have eye-whites anymore, just sheens of darkness. “We escaped, but he’s … still … hurting … me.”

Rodelia nuzzled my forehead. Amada. He force. Now we choose.

Because of my decay, I understood her better now than ever before.

But it was too late. I pointed to the suited men among the still clapping crowd. Veer’s men. From this distance, everyone must’ve thought we were chatting about hairstyles. “He knows we’re with the August Court. We run, he’ll attack them.”

Rodelia roared, RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

She streaked across the sand, vanishing through some redrock. In the sudden quiet, I waved, replaced my hat. “BATHROOM BREAK!”

The crowd laughed.

Rodelia would return. She was just shocked; her raptor’s mind couldn’t conceive how human plots worked. But I’d explained it to her. We’d announced ourselves with the Rapturous Raptor. Now that Veer knew we were in Arizona, his associates would ensure we headed to the Orpheum. If we didn’t, they’d slaughter those she’d come to love.

I slept far from camp now. The turning worsened at night. Drifting between waking and sleeping, I imagined walking the laboratory’s corridors again–Veer made his subjects duel in booby-trapped mazes–and CLACK–I smelled serum. I ran towards light spilling from an opened door, but through that door I saw … me … human me … in a violet-set dress and silver ringlets, staring back.

I reached out–with no hand, but a scaly, three-clawed raptor’s manus–an old nightmare, something I dreamed often–

Behind me, this sad, sad moaning–UHHHHHHHHHH …

It was me—I was moaning–I was sad–

I jolted awake to Rodelia cradling me. I’d been sipping serum to survive, letting it addle my memories even as they cleared. I’d one vial left–for Phoenix. Rodelia crooned, eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh, raptor-eyes sad. She mewled her raptor-name for me, and as I drifted, I thought I heard in her calling something of wide vistas and the running pack, sun and sky.

Amada … Amada choose retreat …

My clawed hands clenched.

Never.

He had to pay.

From Full Autumn Moon‘s view amongst the clouds, Phoenix looked alabaster, enormous factories puffing smoke like carnival fairy floss. Atmospheric balloons floated over flagstone plazas, silver-skinned steam-cars and trains. A rose-winged dirigible bearing laughing passengers passed us, raptors shoveling coal in the engine compartment. We descended below Phoenix’s skyline, approaching a columned building and its landing square.

“The Orpheum,” Manager Shen murmured. “Newly renovated. You’ve recovered just in time, Amada!”

I wore a cream-colored dress Mei-Li made me. My skin was clear, my irises humanly brown again. But the raptor within clawed away. My whole body felt clenched.

I smiled for Manager Shen.

The airship didn’t anchor this time, but landed on the flagstones.

From a ramp, Rodelia descended in a new dress, alongside Madam Chien and everyone else. Rodelia’s sickle-claws click-click-clicked on the flagstones. Behind us, Ah-Shen and other stagehands bore props. I’d made Rodelia leave Victoria, hardening myself to her whines. Her hands twitched; she turned, sniffed, sniffed again, the picture of nervousness in a raptor.

“Wait!”

Queue bouncing, Gum-Loong the painter ran up to hand Rodelia … a lavender fan. The something that was missing. Rodelia flipped it open with dexterous fingers.

At the square’s roped-off edge, men and women in opulent dress applauded. The Baron was nowhere in sight, but he was here. Long as the crowd was around, he’d be careful.

Orpheum staff in crimson jackets ushered us inside. Plush seat-rows unfolded from the stage like layered rose petals, everything reeking of new wood, fresh varnish. They’d spared no expense. Madam Chien smiled, but didn’t look impressed.

I caught Rodelia eyeing me sadly. Since I’d downed my last vial, a curtain dropped between us. My ears had regressed; I couldn’t parse her raptor-nuance so well.

“Rodes. Look.” Reaching behind some boxes, I brought out Victoria. She purred in surprise. I couldn’t keep it away after all. “I’ll handle the Baron. You don’t have to do anything.”

She nuzzled her doll, not hearing me. Her home aboard Full Autumn Moon was assured. They were her family now, would care for her better than I ever could. She’d be safe, once I took care of Veer.

Yesterday, I’d pulled Ah-Shen aside. “In case I’m … busy … you’ll take care of her? See she has Victoria? That she gets to hunt off-ship?”

He’d cocked his head. “Of course. Is everything all right?”

“Everything’s perfect,” I’d replied. “At long last, we’re playing in Phoenix tomorrow.”

Baron Veer entered with the audience, surrounded by suited men. He didn’t see me, but, oh, I saw him from the rafters I’d climbed onto. I hissed. Black jacket, pasty face, a big man I could easily shred. He kept glancing to the stage, hungry for his escaped subjects–the ones he didn’t euthanize.

The last of the serum was fading fast. I was remembering the night he gave that order. He’d used his command-words, made me kill my raptors. My raptors! They watched me through their muzzles, not understanding what I was injecting them with. Through tears, I watched their eyes flutter.

There I was, one raptor left, holding that huge needle before Rodelia. She always obeyed me. Always. She … said something … something that broke the spell … my name … my raptor-name …

We escaped that night.

The stage lights dimmed, reminding me of my mission.

I gripped the beam. Rrrrrrrrrrrrr-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh …

All through the audience hushing, the first strains of song, the opening battle scene, I stared at Veer, feeling my body sear away any last dregs of serum. Weeks of turning reasserted themselves.

He squirmed, impatient for Rodelia’s appearance. He wasn’t into opera, didn’t know the story. If he uttered his command-words, I’d freeze, and he was fast with them. I needed to wait until he was completely absorbed. I needed to wait until Rodelia’s entrance.

Intermission, lemonade in sparkling glasses, chatter. Someone announcing the Veritas-sponsored renovations to gentle applause.

Veer renovated the Orpheum?

But the curtains rose again; Madam Chien, as foreign concubine, got dragged out. The king ordered her execution. She ran backstage and Rodelia strode forth–the Dragon Bride. Everyone gasped as Rodelia sang her rage and sorrow, ready for the slaughter. Below me, Baron Veer leaned forward …

He wasn’t looking at her. His head darted round … looking … for me?

His human experiment? The girl who’d lapped serum off the floor, while he took notes? Not just once. I’d been refusing serum for weeks, so he’d made an experiment of it.

Rodelia’s voice crescendoed, lifting Veer’s eyes upward. His eyes widened. With my raptor-hearing, I heard him whisper. “Subject Camille-Zero.”

I leaped down, claws extended, dress billowing like bat wings.

RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAA!

Rodelia’s soprano voice changed into a raptor’s call. In that split-second of mid-descent, I finally understood Rodelia–really understood her. She sung the song of the pack, hideous to human hearing, but to me … it was about sunsets and sunrises, cool night, hard sand under sickle-claws, tail held taut like a sail, guiding the sprint. It was my name, my true raptor-name she’d been calling me all along.

He forced us. Now we choose.

Do not kill for him, Mother. Not anymore.

I landed amongst screams, audience members leaping up. Onstage, Madam Chien and the others gaped.

Veer was within reach, a meat-bag ready for shearing … but … Mother … Why’d she … ? All this time, it wasn’t Amada she’d been saying …

“Camille-16-alpha–HOLD!”

I froze, collapsed onto one knee. Camille. That was my designation.

“Release the Scyllas!” Veer yelled. “Collect Camille-Zero!”

His men rose, pulling syringes from their jackets.

CLACK.

Somewhere in the Orpheum, a door had opened. There was hissing, the scent of cloying gas … and clanking–metal grating against metal. Something heavy, coming our way.

Veer made his subjects duel in booby-trapped mazes.

Rodelia shredded her dress, vaulted from the stage.

“Viktra-16-alpha–HOLD!” Veer commanded imperiously. Rodelia squalled in mid-leap, crashed onto the carpet. Veer’s men surrounded her quivering form. Retreat, Mother!

“Kill the Viktra!” Veer ordered. “Contain Camille-Zero!”

I remembered.

The Camilles were first, for infiltration. Their weavings were extensive; all died, except one. The Viktras were for combat. Was there a Scylla series, though? I roared, reptilian scales bursting through my cheeks.

People at the edges of the seat-rows gasped.

“My god … what is she?”

“She’s not human!”

They were right. I was no human turned raptor … but a raptor woven to look human.

The Baron was going to kill my daughter. A Viktra-clone, but my daughter nonetheless. Sprawled on the ground, Veer’s men mounting her, Rodelia’s wide eyes found mine. She opened wide, repeating what she’d said that night we’d escaped, the first part in Veer’s voice, the last in raptor: “Camille-16-alpha–free yourself, Mother!”

Lapping serum off the floor, for weeks, had lessened the dosage–I’d understood her that night.

And, as happened that night, I obeyed. I knocked my attackers back, leapt to Rodelia. Speaking was hard; I needed to concentrate: “Vvvvviktra-16-a-alphaaa–ssssssSTAND!”

Forced to comply, Rodelia righted herself, tossing off men, just as two saurian beasts lumbered into the hall. Raptors taller than Rodelia, in breastplates and helms, raptor-sized rifles in human hands, reeking of acrid rot and almond-scented serum.

People flooded the theater’s far sides as they bayed, “UUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHH …”

They were blind, eyes milky white. Their skin, ulcerous, wet. The gas–some serum-vapor–they were unstable, shambling forth unsteadily.

“Scyllas!” the Baron yelled. “Attack!”

Rodelia and I engaged. I landed before Veer, claws held high. Veer’s smug expression faded–he looked for his enforcers, but they were running–finally! He would pay!

A Scylla rammed its rifle stock into Rodelia’s jaw, crumpling her. A bayonet extruded from the other’s barrel.

I could end Veer so easily! But Rodelia … the Scylla raised its bayonet … Rodelia’s words, Now we choose—

Advance, or retreat? Utah, or Phoenix? Serum, or Veer? Veer … or … ? Kill, or … ?

Like the Dragon Bride, I poured my fury into a single call: STOP! The Scyllas froze, white eyes flicking to me.

“Camille-16-alpha!” Veer yelled, “TWO STEPS BACK!” My feet moved, one, two. But I dropped claws of my own volition.

Children, I begged the Scyllas. Don’t kill for him! Their armored heads turned to me, rifles lowering.

The Baron was talking, saying it was over, the Scyllas were deaf to all but his voice, a new traitweaving after my escape–and I didn’t care. I’d listened enough to him, when I should’ve been listening to Rodelia, my clone-daughter. These Scyllas were my daughters, too.

Children!, I pleaded over his words. I understand now. I thought I had to kill him. That killing was the only way for him. For me. I was wrong. You can choose—

Veer stamped his foot. “Camille-Zero, you will listen! Scylla-16-alpha–COLLECT CAMILLE-ZER–”

“Scylla-16-alpha–TURNABOUT!”

Veer blinked. He hadn’t spoken, but his voice …

Rodelia was standing now, jaws open. She’d heard that order many times. The Scyllas faced Veer.

“That’s not me, you fools! Scylla-16-alpha–BELAY PREVIOUS ORDER!”

The Scyllas wickered, confused.

“Scylla-16-alpha,” Rodelia commanded. “ATTACK!”

Despite their blindness, they leveled rifles with alarming accuracy. People surged for the archways, no longer caring how close to the Scyllas they got. The Baron turned, but I grabbed him, plunged claws into his midsection–he screamed. I yanked out his notebook, years of scribbled notes.

His work disintegrated in my fist, pages spilling instead of blood. Fabric tore as he broke away. The Scyllas stalked after him.

Wait! I called, Don’t follow. Please! They ignored me, clanking through the archway he’d disappeared through.

Beyond, I heard Veer shouting, “Help! Velociraptors in the theater–some monster in a dress!” There was gunfire, the Scyllas’ sad moaning.

Rodelia nudged me. Mother?

I didn’t have teeth anymore. Fangs. I had fangs. A tongue that struggled forming human sounds. I couldn’t protect her. Not without my human words. It hurt to breathe. Twice, she’d saved me. I had to save her.

“Vvvvviktra-s-si-sixteeeeeeen-alphaaaa,” I managed. Rodelia cocked her head, confused.

The rest, I said in raptor: Run. Live. Don’t follow me.

“AAAAAAAAA-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

She thrashed, shook her head wildly in denial. She moved towards me, but I raked her forearm, drawing blood. She screamed, turned, and was gone. It hurt. Like something ripped from me, vanished forever. I crouched by the stage, claw-hand brushing something:

Not Victoria … the fan. Still carrying her scent.

“Come, Amada.” I smelled Madam Chien. She pulled my arm over her shoulder, dragged me along until we crashed into the screaming night.

She took me to some empty house. The August Court wouldn’t leave Phoenix for a while. I wanted to apologize, but I couldn’t talk anymore.

“You poor child,” Madam Chien said, sounding far away. Her words blurred. “Veritas … found Veer’s notebook … He was perfecting the serum off you … It would’ve allowed monstrous weavings–”

I was losing my human ears.

My ability to tell time, too. She brought meat that I turned from.

Sunlight burned me. I crawled in a ragged robe, smeared with melted skin. Madam Chien lit candles I cowered from.

But the flickering glow struck something my ruined eyes remembered. I found my feet. Click-drag, click-drag, click-click. Something rectangular. What was the word … door. In it, a woman in a violet-set dress. Her face wasn’t finished.

“Hello, Amada.” I flinched; it was Gum-Loong. The painter.

“The investigators want an exhibit,” Madam Chien said from behind me. “An illustration of her … augmentations. We never took a daguerreotype of her–”

Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh … They weren’t bothered by the sounds I made. I touched a claw to the frame.

I reached out–with no hand, but a scaly, three-clawed raptor’s manus–an old nightmare, something I dreamed often–

It was me–my best part. Rodelia, who loved a doll named Victoria. How long was I in Veer’s laboratory, shaped by his chemicals?

The Camilles were first. Their weavings were extensive; all died, except one.

Madam Chien held out a familiar-looking dress, sewn anew, absent of her scent. Madam Chien helped me into it. Gum-Loong prepared his brushes, but I made a sound.

“Here.” Madam Chien pushed the fan into my claws. “We couldn’t find Victoria.”

It took several sessions, what with my weakness. Each time they left the easel, I crawled to the meat they’d brought, and fed.

How long did I writhe on that floor, feeding, shivering?

After each painting session, the image evolved. She was singing. Calling me forth. My raptor-hearing had finally come. Songs of sunlight. Desert sand. Running with the pack. I tossed my robe. Tail raised, I click-click-clicked outside.

So many raptor scents in the night. Enslaved in mines, in hotels, locked in pens. I had many children once. I would have many children again.

But first, my daughter.

I called into the desert, to announce my coming.

RRRRRRRRR–AAAAAAAAAA–EH-EH-EH-EH-EH-EH-EH …

Amada (last name unknown) is currently at large in Arizona. She is wanted by the authorities of Phoenix for the destruction of the Orpheum Opera House, for questioning regarding the now defunct Veritas Elixirs and Tinctures, for the trial of Baron Helmut Veer concerning illegal experiments. Be forewarned, she is 5 feet 2 inches, sixteen years, brown-eyed, and of slight build, but possesses strength and agility most uncanny. She was a raptor-handler for an opera troupe. She speaks and reads many languages, is familiar with airships, and converses with raptors. $500 reward–yield her up.

Andrew K. Hoe is an associate professor of English and speculative fiction author based in Southern California. He is also an assistant editor and narrator for Cast of Wonders. Though he is excited to appear in Mad Scientist Journal, he is actually not a mad scientist–but insists that nobody can be perfect.

Twitter: @andrewk_hoe

Web: andrewkhoe.wordpress.com

Leigh’s professional title is “illustrator,” but that’s just a nice word for “monster-maker,” in this case. More information about them can be found at http://leighlegler.carbonmade.com/.

Fiction: Victorian Velociraptor with Violets was originally published on Mad Scientist Journal

#Amada #Andrew K. Hoe #Dinosaurs #Genetic Engineering #Leigh Legler

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healthbeautygoddess · 5 years ago

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How to Boost Your Immune System, According to Experts

Immune-strengthening moves backed by research and recommended by doctors.

With COVID-19 still a threat and the flu, common cold, and other bugs lurking, you want to make sure your immune system is ready to mount a strong defense and keep you from getting sick. “The best strategy at this point is two-fold: both prevention of infection and strengthening the immune system,” Valerie LeComte, DO, an emergency medicine specialist in Southern Colorado, tells Health.

With this in mind, we reached out to doctors and other medical experts to find the top immune-boosting habits they recommend to their patients. Some of these help block the initial infection; others fire up your system so you're able to get better faster if you do come down with something. All are simple and easy to incorporate into your day-to-day routine.

Eat foods rich in antioxidants

"While no food or supplement can 'cure' or even 100% prevent you from catching a virus like the coronavirus or the flu, some foods have been shown to help bolster immunity," Cynthia Sass, Health contributing nutrition editor, told us. Citrus fruits, red bell peppers, almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, beans, and garlic all have research behind them to back up their immune-boosting claims, said Sass.

Lisa Ballehr, DO, an osteopathic physician and functional medicine practitioner based in Mesa, Arizona, suggests focusing on color—think dark green, red, and yellow veggies and fruits — to help fortify your system with antioxidant phytochemicals that research suggests fight viruses. Aim for nine to 10 servings a day, she tells Health.

Work up a sweat regularly

Consider this the extra push you need to step away from the couch and onto the yoga mat: a 2019 scientific review in the Journal of Sports and Health Science found that moderate to vigorous exercise can power your immune response, lower your risk of illness, and reduce inflammation.

“Exercising regularly and eating healthy are the most significant factors for your immune system,” Timothy Mainardi, MD, an allergist and immunologist based in New York City, tells Health. Research shows that people who live more sedentary lifestyles are far more likely to get colds or other infectious diseases, he says.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends squeezing in a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week, or 75 minutes at vigorous intensity. A 15-20 minute at-home workout, jump rope or jog-in-place session, or brisk walk around the neighborhood several times a week are good ways to work some sweat into your schedule.

Score consistent sleep

Maybe you're giving sleep short shrift because you’re overwhelmed by working from home while prepping all your meals. Or you find yourself unable to nod off because of the heart-racing anxiety so many people are feeling right now. We get it, but not prioritizing your shut-eye can have serious health ramifications.

“There’s an association with lack of sleep and getting sick,” explains Dr. Mainardi. Case in point: In one study, “medical and surgical residents who would notoriously work 100-hour weeks during their residencies were at a much higher risk of not only getting an infectious disease, but also reactivation of a past one.”

Also, don't assume you can just catch up on sleep after a night or two of staying up late or tossing and turning. “Research suggests that it does not offer the body any advantages over getting a steady dose of shuteye every night,” says Dr. Ballehr Remember, your body is busy at rest, and it’s designed to sleep when the sun goes down. (Oh hey, circadian rhythm.) “It’s during this time it repairs itself so one can arise feeling renewed,” she adds.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults between 18 and 64 need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, while older adults need 7-8 hours, and children and adolescents require even more sleep. Aim for the amount that's right for your age group, and try to be as consistent as possible. Turning in and waking up at roughly the same time every day is healthier than an all-over-the-place sleep schedule.

Wash your hands this many times

You've heard over and over how best to wash your hands since the coronavirus pandemic began. But it bears repeating, because it's just such an easy and effective way to prevent any infection. “Washing your hands is an extraordinarily good way of helping one from getting sick,” advises Dr. Mainardi. Plain old soap and water is all you need, but it’s important to scrub up for at least 20 seconds—the length of singing “Happy Birthday” twice—as the CDC says that’s the minimum time needed to significantly reduce the number of microbes on the skin.

But no matter how good your handwashing skills are, they won't help you evade infection unless you know when to scrub up. “You should do so before and after any type of risky exposure,” says Dr. Ballehr. In other words, after you pee or poop, as well as following a sneeze or cough you shield with your hand. Hit the soap and water before you prepare food, after caring for a sick loved one, treating a wound, or touching any publicly used door handles, knobs, switches, or surfaces, says Dr. Ballehr. If you hands are prone to dry skin, the right moisturizer can help.

Use the right hand sanitizer

If you can’t get to soap and water, hand sanitizer is the next best thing. Just be sure to take a peek at the alcohol percentage first. (Alcohol is the active ingredient working to kill viruses and bacteria.) The CDC recommends using hand sanitizer with an alcohol percentage greater than 60%. (In light of the coronavirus, the CDC also says health care professionals should use hand sanitizer with at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol, two different types of alcohol commonly used.)

Consume probiotics

The bacteria in your gut may affect your body’s ability to fend off infections, which is why Dr. Mainardi suggests eating foods that contain so-called "good" bacteria, organisms that are beneficial for gut health. Fermented foods and beverages—think kombucha and kimchi—are chock-full of the good stuff. You could also consider a probiotic supplement, or incorporate these recipes into your weekly meal plan.

Just a warning though: it's not known if all probiotic foods and/or supplements are safe for some people who are immunocompromised—those with a chronic illness such as diabetes or HIV, or undergoing chemotherapy, for example. If you have concerns, check with your doctor first before taking any probiotic.

Get enough zinc

Dr. LeComte says the trace mineral zinc is needed by the body to make all of the different cells of the immune system, and for those cells to function properly. “There are multiple studies that show people with low zinc are more susceptible to infection,” she adds. The National Institutes of Health also associates zinc with immune functioning and wound healing.

While you can typically get the daily recommended amount—11 mg for men, 8 mg for women—through whole foods like oysters, red meat, seafood, beans, nuts, and whole grains, Dr. LeComte suggests considering a supplement after talking to your doctor and getting your blood levels checked to see if you aren't getting enough from food alone.

Limit alcohol intake

Moderate alcohol consumption doesn't appear to have any positive effects on your immune system, and binge-drinking (more than four drinks in two hours for women and five for men) has been shown to impair immunity in previous research.

“Alcohol temporarily increases the number of white blood cells, which are the infection fighters, in your bloodstream,” says Dr. LeComte. “But as your liver is clearing the alcohol from your system, your white blood cell numbers fall below normal for at least five hours. And while there does not seem to be any good data measuring white blood cell levels for smaller amounts of alcohol, it is assumed that even one or two drinks can blunt your immune system response.”

As for heavier drinking, a 2015 study review in Alcohol Research: Current Reviews described an association between excessive alcohol intake and a greater susceptibility to pneumonia. More research is needed to clarify the association, but if you’re working hard to stay healthy, it’s best to limit your alcoholic intake—or forgo it entirely.

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#health #covidー19 #imunesystem #vitamin #minerals #probiotics #exercise

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reading-writing-revolution · 5 years ago

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This is long but an important insight..m.

Yu Li - Posted originally

February 8 at 8:09 AM ·

Thanks for speak out! Mario Cavolo

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加油中国！When the United States 2009 H1N1 swine flu emerged, an international emergency, a declared global pandemic, it eventually infected 60 million and initially killed a minimum of 18,449 cases that year. But the final story of the H1N1 global pandemic was far worse than that, with close to 300,000 deaths, according to the final tallies in 2012 reported by the CDC, as you will read below.

Which is why I am scratching my head at how bizarrely negative forces are attacking China and Chinese people as it engages a remarkably aggressive front addressing this Corona virus outbreak which started in Wuhan, central China. I am forced to ask and answer a few questions.

During 2009 H1N1 outbreak, I don't recall xenophobic anti-America attacks across the globe, do you? In fact, do you recall it took six months for the U.S. to declare a national emergency? Did any government from the onset in April 2009 through the end in April 2010, including the month of June, when H1N1 was declared an international emergency global pandemic, then send out a notice to its citizens that they should leave the United States? Close their borders to American travelers? Nope, not a peep.

Like I said, something's not right, folks. I am reading hateful vicious attacks on the Chinese government for their supposed intentional conspiracy to intentionally under report the number of infections, yet that is exactly and always the case with such flu outbreaks no matter what country and the CDC reports illustrate that crystal clear. The U.S. H1N1 swine flu numbers were vastly underestimated and updated three years later, because dear friends, that is the nature of such viral outbreaks which don't care which country they started in. There is never enough man power, there are never enough test kits, there is never enough medicine or medical supplies. China is not trying to hide these hardships, they are well known, they are being reported on the news daily in China. There are always people who die, thousands of them whom we'll never know if they actually died because of a particular virus. Those are the facts, not any problem unique to China's healthcare system or government.

Its not a conspiracy, its just tragedy.

According to the June 27, 2012 research report followup three years later, it gets much more disturbing when you learn about the CDC's final estimate of the H1N1 virus global death toll. You and I find at this at this article at the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy website, the CDC's 18,449 total deaths number was "...regarded as WELL BELOW THE TRUE TOTAL, mainly because many people who die of flu-related causes are not tested for the disease." So during the 2009 outbreak, was anyone accusing the American medical and government authorities of hiding the numbers? Were Americans with hidden cameras strolling into the Mayo Clinic to PROVE how many people were really dying? The absurdity of these vicious attacks are that whether or not a person specifically does have the Corona virus or some other viral bug presenting as pneumonia, the treatment is the same supportive treatment anyway.

Something's not right here folks. The world should be applauding China's unprecedented, broad, aggressive response. (WHO officials and many other government and healthcare officials across the globe are.) I am on the ground here in China READ IT HERE watching with my own eyes and it is quite incredible by any measure, not to mention an enormous economic sacrifice.

Instead of looking at the will of an entire system of government acting faster than any other government on the planet could, we are one month later, still busy bashing a few local government officials in Wuhan who should have told us a couple weeks sooner. And yes, that is true those local officials screwed up. And by the way, those officials are in deep trouble for it. Just like the recent Puerto Rican politicians who are in trouble when we learned they didn't distribute hurricane emergency supplies that were sent to them to help during last year's terrible hurricane. A disgrace. Individual people screw up all the time and hopefully justice gets served later, but that's not an indictment of an entire country's government. Secondly, on this point, every provincial government has sent out a notice to its government officials pretty much saying that if they are stupid enough to do the same, they will face the wrath of harsh punishment. I don't doubt it for a moment. Lets contrast to what countless western politicians have gotten away with and remain in office to remind all of us that human error, stupidity and greed is not unique to any particular skin color or race or country. "What about..." reactions don't help.

And here's the mic drop for you: "The CDC researchers estimate that the H1N1 2009 pandemic virus caused 201,200 respiratory deaths and another 83,300 deaths from cardiovascular disease associated with H1N1 infections." Total: 284,000 deaths. Shocking, isn't it?

Was there a travel ban for any length of time to and from the United States?

Did China, Germany, Japan or any other country close their border to American travelers?

Today I noticed in the updates that following the United States Department of State policy suggesting U.S. citizens leave China, the United Kingdom embassy just released the same recommendation to subjects of the kingdom.

In 2009, did UK subjects in America get a notice from their kingdom to leave America? No.

Did the world suggest we isolate from America? Close the U.S. borders!? No.

Did Americans get xenophobically attacked and targeted by anti-American sentiments like the Chinese are experiencing now? Um, no.

Fascinating and disturbing to say the least. If you're an expat currently in China, unless you're in Wuhan, fact is that you're most likely safer and more peaceful and more stable by simply staying put than by leaving right now. You couldn't be safer than in this country, where almost everyone is staying home and dutifully isolating themselves with awareness. Not to mention that the Chinese government's decision to safeguard the society, the families, the people, is coming at a devastating economic cost in the hundreds of billions.

I have a friend in Mesa, Arizona. He told me earlier that the big popular China City buffet, a huge busy place, has no customers. Does that make any sense at all?

Let's test our ability to reason, to be rational:

If you were in Miami and you heard that there was a virus outbreak that started in Milan, in central Italy, would you cancel your dinner reservation at the Italian restaurant that night in South Beach? No. Would you buy a pizza next week at Joey's Pizzeria in Delray Beach?

If you were in Singapore and you heard there was a virus outbreak in Dallas, Texas in the central United States, would you stop going to your favorite local Texas southern BBQ restaurant with the owner from Houston, in Singapore?

Would you avoid olive-skinned dark-haired Italian-looking people on the street in Chicago? Would you avoid big guys wearing cowboy hats, cuz they're obviously from Texas in Singapore cuz there's a virus in Dallas and they might have just gotten off the plane? There's a strange senseless bullying extremism and activism in today's society and you should do your best to avoid it and not be a part of it. It is fomented by a small group of extremist activists while definitely not supported by your average mainstream person who is simply exhausted by their outrage-inducing antics.

Finally, here are some straight up, sensible accurate descriptions of this Corona virus which started in Wuhan, China. Its not called the China virus and neither was H1N1 called the America virus. Whether two weeks or two months from now, this flu season type virus will have passed and the joy of Spring will have arrived. Just like every flu season. However, don't misunderstand me. The extra caution and the remarkable response by the Chinese governments and people together to quell the spread of this virus was warranted because, yes it is correct that this corona virus is nastier than the usual annual flu bug, as was H1N1 in 2009. As of now, what we can confidently note the following regarding this Corona virus:

This Corona virus is highly contagious, it spreads quite easily. It binds to lung tissue and so in particular, likes to cause pneumonia, that's what infection of lung tissue is. That's more severe than a respiratory infection which is only in your throat or bronchial tubes.

The Corona virus currently has a 2% death rate. That's a lot higher, around 20x higher, than a more typical annual flu virus with a death rate of 0.1%. However, a 2% death rate is still much lower by comparison to the SARS virus which had a 9% death rate or the MERS virus with a really nasty 37% death rate.

The Corona virus is causing severe symptoms in 10-15% of cases. 80% to 90% of deaths from this virus are happening in elderly patients, mostly with other existing health problems, not younger people. That characteristic by the way, is in contrast to the America 2009 H1N1 swine flu virus which in fact had a higher death rate amongst younger people including children rather than those over 60 years old.

China identified and shared the Corona virus genome in record times, in only days and of course, immediately shared it with all international health and disease organizations. Medical researchers are already discovering that certain existing anti-viral medications seem to be effective against this Corona virus.

Its impossible not to marvel at China's broad and aggressive domestic response directed by the provincial level governments to restrict movement, restrict transportation, restrict business for a period of time combined with the voluntary dutiful cooperation of its 1.3 billion citizens who are in the majority quietly staying at home these weeks to let the virus pass; this model response is already being hailed by the international community as a remarkable unprecedented response setting a new standard in understanding what is possible for future outbreaks in whatever country they may occur. Is it inconvenient and costly. You bet.

Like I said, something's not right with the way humanity is responding to what's happening here. I haven't put my finger on it because well, its certainly complex and the world is upside down in many other ways that I also can't for the life of me understand or explain without ending up writing a very thick book.

But I do know this: It needs to stop. This vicious, political, xenophobic racist attacks and smearing of all things China needs to stop. Its really not helping anyone in the political corridors of Washington nor is it doing anything to help the man on the street who is just concerned with taking care of his family.

My family is originally from the Basilicata region of Italy, the little hillside Italian towns of Potenza and also, Grottola, which is just outside of Matera. They left their home country and moved to America where I was born, in Yonkers, New York. America became their home and it was my home until I left, too. Now over two decades ago, I left the United States, the country I was born in, the country that has plenty to admire and plenty to improve. But I left and I came to China and now China is my home. If you had asked me thirty years ago if this was my life plan on planet earth, I would have said you were nuts or a really bad fortune teller. But that's how it has turned out. I am truly blessed with my lovely Chinese wife and our family living here in Shenyang in China's northeast. You get my meaning? I am a mature adult like many with the powers of observation. I can easily see that whether we are talking about China or the United States or any other country, their societies and their governments have good points and bad points.

The xenophobia needs to stop now. Whether in a couple of weeks or months later, this nasty flu type Corona virus will begin declining and the joy of Spring will arrive. Between now and then if you don't have anything good, anything supportive to say about China or Chinese people, how about you just keep your mouth shut.

Mario Cavolo, Shenyang.

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sunamerican · 5 years ago

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These 6 PROVEN Tips Will Help You Save on a Home Loan in Mesa

Are you planning to buy property in Arizona? Look no further! We want to help you SAVE on your next Mesa home loan.

Worried about not saving on your next home loan? We are here to tell you we’ve got your back! Now, you’re probably wondering why we are so confident in helping you 😉

Well, we have an AMAZING team of loan officers ready to provide you with the most personalized financing options AND we offer tons of different home loan options to see any type of scenario. With mortgage lenders AZ, you could save thousands of dollars and still live in your dream house. Below are some of our favorite tactics that are effective for saving money on your next home loan in Mesa. Number three is our Favorite so make sure you don’t miss it!

1. Maximize Your Home Equity Home equity simply refers to the portion of your home that actually belongs to you. You can use home equity to your advantage and save on your mortgage. Utilizing your home equity perfectly can come in handy in reducing your monthly payments and helping you pay off your debts faster (bye bye debt!) One recommended way of doing this is using the cash-out refinance option. How does this work? It allows you to refinance your mortgage and borrow simultaneously. Ask us about this option if this sounds like a good scenario for you!

2. Take advantage of Reverse Mortgage Arizona Now that you are familiar with how home equity can help you save on your next home, you can also use it to obtain a reverse mortgage in Arizona. This particular technique is suitable for loan borrowers who are approaching retirement age. This type of mortgage allows you to access your home equity and use it as collateral for borrowing again. This type of loan does not warrant repayment until you no longer use the home as your primary residence. A reverse mortgage can help senior homeowners to meet their financial needs. Check out our Reverse mortgages page for more details and find out if this is the best route for you.

3. Consider Flexible Payment Approaches One specific approach that is quite effective is the biweekly home loan repayment. It allows you to repay your loan half at a time every two weeks, hence you end up making 26 total payments. Typically, this helps to shorten the life of your mortgage, reducing the accruing costs and interests. In the long run, this will help in scraping years off of your home loan life, and definitely make you pay less. Make sure you are familiar with your lenders’ biweekly payment schedule since guidelines do vary.

Some mortgage companies in AZ charge some fees for this service so be sure to inquire first. For instance, if your loan repayment schedule allows for additional repayments, you can divide your monthly payments into half, especially if the repayment is calculated monthly. Over the long haul, you will end up paying an additional month’s worth off your mortgage each year, and probably pay it all off sooner than you had expected. 🎉👏🏼

4. Consider An Adjustable Rate Mortgage. An ARM as it is commonly referred, allows your interest rates to fluctuate and match the market prices. This approach is particularly recommended for any buyer who is not planning to live in their home for more than five years. This is because ARMs offer you lower interest rates for the first five years before they start to fluctuate.

5. Look For A Cheaper And More Flexible Loan Rate. Conduct in-depth research concerning the options you have. Don’t just take a nosedive into a home loan you don’t know much about. Most importantly, always choose loans with lower rates and those that are flexible enough to allow multiple repayments. For any homebuyers who have their eyes on refinancing at any point in the future, it is highly advisable that you ensure the expenses do not surpass the potential benefits.

6. Maintain Your Repayments Even When Interests Go Down. It may feel tempting to lower your repayment as soon as mortgage interest rates go down. Before you do this, don’t forget that this will have an impact on your loan principal. Maintaining it at the same level as it was before the lowered interest rate will help reduce your principal by a reasonable margin, more so if the drop is consistent.

Are you ready to SAVE on your home loan? Find the BEST personalized option to help you save money now. Be sure to get with one of our expert loan officers and we’ll take care of you.

View & Download original content source @ https://www.sunamerican.com/these-6-proven-tips-will-help-you-save-on-a-home-loan-in-mesa-3-is-our-favorite-tip/

#mortgage #real estate

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gfeyecenterblog-blog · 7 years ago

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Schedule an appointment with the professional eye doctors in Phoenix AZ to treat your eyes well.

http://www.gfeyecenter.com/eye-care-in-mesa-arizona/

#Eye doctors phoenix az #Eye doctor mesa az #Eye care mesa arizona #Arizona eye specialist

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originaljediinjeans · 5 years ago

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It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar–a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn’t realize what he had seen–then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn’t a map in sight. …Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back.

~Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

The cat, we discover a few pages later, is not a cat at all, but a human witch who can transform into a cat. Her name is Minerva McGonagall, and she is the first wizarding character we meet in the series, though unknowingly through the disbelieving Muggle eyes of Vernon Dursley.

Professor McGonagall is a Harry Potter character I have always admired. Since I got into cosplay I’ve been wanting to sew myself some emerald-green robes so I could BE her. This summer, I finally reached that goal, and wore the robes to a Harry Potter party hosted by my cousins down in Mesa (and in the middle of July, at that).

Last night I wore McGonagall for my family’s ward Trunk or Treat, and I’m planning on donning the hat again on Halloween night, at least for part of the evening, since it’s a warm costume and the nights here in northern Arizona are sure nippy. And I might wear it again to LDS Institute in the coming weeks—I wear cosplay to Institute sometimes, since I live in a small town and there aren’t a lot of events I can get to.

One of the brilliant things about the Harry Potter series is that J.K. Rowling shattered the stereotype of wizards as wise old mystics and witches as evil crones. In her wizarding world, the identity of a witch or wizard can be applied to people in a variety of backgrounds, personalities, and career choices.

Minerva McGonagall is a witch, and she is also a classy woman, a strict teacher and an immovable leader. She is Albus Dumbledore’s right hand, as well as his close personal friend. She is Scottish, according to her bio born in Caithness. Jim Dale gives McGonagall a pronounced Scottish accent in his audiobooks. Maggie Smith herself was born in England, but her mother was a Scot. What does that have to do with anything? Just the fact that Scotland is awesome, and so are the people from there.

People more versed in cinema are more familiar with Dame Maggie Smith’s other roles in her long and illustrious career. Not to mention, she was a total bombshell when she was younger.

The Meta Picture

To be fair, I haven’t seen Downton Abbey. However, I DID see Sister Act when I was in high school, how could I forget? But to me and a lot of people my age and younger, Smith will always be McGonagall.

Maggie Smith is a bit hardcore herself. During production of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and during the filming of Deathly Hallows Part 2 she contracted shingles—but she persevered through both. Wow.

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McGonagall is the head of Gryffindor house, but she favors the color green, which is my personal favorite color. And as mentioned above, she is an animagus who can transform into a cat, and I am a huge cat person. In the books, she also has a bad habit of running into Harry, Ron and Hermione while carrying a stack of books and then dropping them when they say something shocking.

As head of house, McGonagall cares immensely about her students. She’s the kind of person and teacher who does not tolerate shenanigans from pupils, but instead wants them to take their studies and behavior seriously. McGonagall is actually a perfect example of how a person with no children of their own can still be a parent by being a mentor to youth.

One of the most interesting things about McGonagall is that she isn’t afraid to let her feelings show. She cried when Harry’s parents were killed. She cried for Hermione getting petrified. She openly wept for JOY on a Gryffindor flag when they won the Quidditch cup.

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✨❤️ Professor McGonagall! ❤️✨ She’s definitely one of my favourite HP characters!! Which professor would you like to see me draw next? 😊💕 • #minerva #minervamcgonagall #mcgonagall #professormcgonagall #harrypotter #harrypotterart #hogwarts #cute #kawaii #chibi #gryffindor #instaart #instadaily #instaartist #illustration #illustrationoftheday

A post shared by Naomi Lord (@naomi_lord) on Feb 27, 2019 at 10:15am PST

Harry Potter has two mom figures in his life. Molly Weasley is the mom that spoils him. Professor McGonagall is the tough love mom. She doesn’t let Harry get away with his stupidity. She is protective of him, too: for instance in year three she knew better than to just let Harry keep a Firebolt that was gifted to him anonymously.

The one time she did spoil him, though, was when she bought him that Nimbus 2000 in year one, because McGonagall looooooves Quidditch.

BuzzFeed

McGonagall did have a lot of respect for Harry because of his Quidditch prowess, and for his willingness to stand up for what was right. In spite of her being tough on him, Harry had a lot of respect for Professor McGonagall. Like, enough respect that when Alecto Carrow spat on her the Death Eater got the Cruciatus Curse from Harry.

Warner Bros./Instagram

In Harry’s fifth year, McGonagall had no qualms about expressing her distaste for Dolores Umbridge.

After Albus Dumbledore’s death, McGonagall provided fearless leadership, and she was a commander as well as a soldier in the Battle of Hogwarts. Afterward, she took her rightful place as headmistress, and she holds that post to this day. She’s a survivor.

I may be a Slytherin, but I would follow Minerva McGonagall to the ends of the earth with only mild complaining. Here’s to me cosplaying the fearless, hardcore Minerva McGonagall for dress-up occasions and conventions to come!

BuzzFeed

Minerva McGonagall: An Appreciation It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar--a cat reading a map.

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dontcallmejoel · 6 years ago

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[ File Name: The Lesson ]

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a grassfire. It’s one of those forces you watch coming at you, like a a dust cloud but with grace, or an incoming tsunami wave with color and character. A brilliant stripe of licking fire, leaving a trail of char. Everything alive joins that line of fire, becomes something bright and fearsome for one instant, and what’s left is death-black and heat that lingers only as long as it takes for the oxygen to rush back in.

When you touched the electronic key to the steel cuffs on my wrists and walked me out of the interrogation cell in Grand Mesa, I was thinking about grassfires. How desperately I’d rather be one, the thing that could swallow you and all this up, than what I was: pinned. Waiting. Knowing any minute that fire’s coming for me.

You’ll be asked how you did it a handful of times. Not by anyone, not many get to see just how far removed I was from conventional recruit material I was, though there are times I toy with the image of the Strike Commander fixing you with a look like you went to the pound and came back with a feral raccoon and asking That one? Really? in his patented son-I-was-older-than-dirt-when-your-only-experience-with-tits-was-as-a-food-source voice. Not that I think you’d ever told anyone, you like your secrets too much, you wouldn’t claim bragging rights when there was a perfectly good air of mystery to be had.

Reality’s fairly simple, actually. You don’t really beat around the bush. Instead you stride in once I’ve cooled down a bit, the pale fine dust of the Gorge still clinging to the lines of your beanie. “Well. You made that easy.”

Can’t really describe my own expression, but I imagine my sullen glare turned to surprise and something else real quick. Sure felt like there was a major shift in the muscles of my face, enough for a clumsy, “What, now?” to tumble out of my mouth, anyway.

“Here I thought extracting you would be a chore. Instead you play hero and stay behind while your felony-level friends scamper off to safety.” I’m not proud to say I sputtered, but, well, I expected some scornfully misconducted threats that’d I’d get to snarl back at. Not you, looking like a block of stone that’s just been vaguely amused, sliding a goddamn employment packet across the table to me. “You’ll like your benefits. They don’t kick in until you’ve made rank-”

“Hold up. What the hell?”

Your eyebrow raises, making me think of the old school teacher that used to mind the younger kids. When you speak again, measured and with a whiff of disappointment, you sound like her, too. “We’re discussing the generous terms of your new career. I took the liberty of filling most of it out for you. I think you’ll prefer it to the other option.”

You reach across the table, giving me just enough time to note the long scar on your palm before your hand lands on the packet and scrapes it aside to reveal a sleeker page. I don’t need you to explain: it’s a ambush mock up, one with a small militia’s worth of men and firepower, neatly arranged around a flimsy-looking holding facility in Arizona.

“The US government would greatly appreciate it if Overwatch took care of the Deadlock threat.” I scoff at that. The post-Crisis US government didn’t give a rat’s ass about Deadlock or the Gorge except when we interrupted their tax flow. “You can take the packet, and this area will be deleted from the Overwatch hotspots, or you can be an active member in helping me clear it for good.”

I try to hold your cool gaze. The rage crackling in my bones wants me to, but you’ve had me in checkmate since before you entered the room. Since before you caught, since the moment I told Ashe to go on ahead, I’ll catch up later. I must need one last push, because you say, “Unless you want to bet your white-haired cohort won’t leap at the first chance to break you out. I was never in a gang myself, but I hear once you reach squad tattoos,” my left arm slides off the table out of sight, like it’d retroactively keep him from seeing, “loyalty to each other is to the death.”

My eyes drop to the table. To the plans. It took you five minutes, and I’m under your thumb.There are matches that burn longer. But then, you always were good at your intros.

[ Part One ] [ Part Two ] [Part Three (soon) ]

#ficlet #[[ ic drafts ]]#long post

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jordanmu · 6 years ago

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BABY, I’M YOURS ⇻ AULEX.

TAGGING: Alexander Montgomery, Autumn Rose and mentions of Riley Rose.

LOCATION: The Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West. Mesa, Arizona.

TIMEFRAME: 2/14, late evening.

WARNINGS: NSFW.

NOTES: Long af. Finished Discord para; After their Valentine’s Day dinner, Autumn and Alex have to be a little sneaky in order to have sex.

AUTUMN ROSE

If anyone could make Autumn Rose feel like a princess for a night, it was Alexander Montgomery. After everything the two of them had been through, he still had a knack for making her feel as if she was the most important person in the world (to him). Not only did he make Autumn feel like this, but her daughter was able to feel like a princess for a night. It’d been a lovely night for the three of them, and all Autumn wanted to do was show Alex exactly how grateful she was. She wanted to kiss him for hours, until her lips were swollen and she couldn’t breathe anymore. Even though she knew she should address the hurt she’d been through, she couldn’t help but just focus on how in love with Alex she still was and would always be. It was almost midnight and in true Riley Rose fashion, she was very much awake and talkative. Autumn had somehow convinced her to stay in ‘her room’ and let her and Alex have privacy, with promising her she could stay up as long as she wanted to. Autumn knew she wouldn’t last long, so she happily walked back towards her own room, smiling softly at Alex because they were finally alone. She didn’t necessarily trust Riley to stay put, so she didn’t immediately go and jump on top of Alex like she wanted to. Instead, she kissed him softly, and then rest her forehead against his. “Thank you so much for today. I somehow convinced her to stay put, but I don’t know how long that’ll last.”

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

For the past six years, Valentine's Day had been a chore for Alexander. At first, he'd been single and had used it as an excuse to hook up with random single girls at clubs. When he started dating and subsequently married Sam, he only celebrated it because she wanted to - every reservation, every bouquet of flowers (never roses), every generic necklace he got her, it was out of obligation. That's what one did for their significant other, right? That's what Valentine's Day was about. Yet, this was the first Valentine's Day he actually cared about - one with Autumn and Riley in Phoenix, of all places. They'd all dressed up and gone to a fancy restaurant, celebrating as if they were a family, and he enjoyed every second of it. It didn't matter that it hadn't been just him and Autumn. In fact, he welcomed that Riley was there too. She was the most important part of Autumn's life, and Alexander wanted both of them to know that she was important to him too. He didn't realize, though, that she had a knack of staying up way past her bedtime and even though he wanted to chuckle at that, he knew that it would be counterintuitive and would earn him a glare from Autumn. And so, as Autumn led her to the other bedroom, Alexander stayed behind, shrugging off his button up before hastily putting on a t-shirt then taking Autumn's present from his duffle bag. While not the best place to carry it, it was still the most practical. "Thank you for wantin' to spend today with me" he murmured against her lips as he kissed her again, chuckling quietly before pressing his lips against hers one more time. "I got you something" he whispered, pulling away in order to grab the jewelry box from the bedside table then handing the long, velvet box to her, "don't say that I shouldn't have bought you anything. I wanted to. Go 'head. Open it." Inside, there was a rose gold pendant necklace, with a simple, yet beautiful diamond... and there was no way he was going to tell her how much it cost.

AUTUMN ROSE

“Of course I wanted to spend today with you,” Autumn told him, her tone matter-of-fact. There wasn’t anyone else in the world she’d rather spend Valentine’s Day with, and she felt so lucky that she was finally able to after six too long years. She kissed him back, enjoying their casual and quick kisses, secretly loving the fact that it was becoming their normal, even though she shouldn’t. She got distracted by her thoughts when she saw the necklace, gasping softly as she took it out of the box. “It’s gorgeous, Alexander,” she murmured, looking at it for a moment before her eyes flickered back up to him. “Will you help me put it on?” She stood up and immediately pulled her hair up into a ponytail, making sure to get everything out of the way. Autumn was still in her dress from dinner, and she was sure the necklace would look amazing with it. After he helped put it on her, Autumn looked in the mirror and couldn’t help but smile. Most times, she never really felt beautiful. But with the way Alex was looking at her, she couldn’t help but believe it too. She blushed and turned back towards him, pulling him in for a gentle kiss. “Thank you so much. I.. I didn’t get you anything, but I did draw you something.” She walked over towards her book bag, pulling out a page from one of her sketchbooks. It was a simple sketch of Autumn and Alex, but was dated with Valentine’s day six years ago with them kissing cuddled up on his couch. Our last Valentine’s, it read, and underneath it said, to many more. She handed it to him, shrugging. “It’s not much, but I figured I could give it to you today.”

ALEXANDER MONGOMERY

Alexander let out a breath as he looked at Autumn wearing the dress he'd gotten for her along with the necklace, a low whistle escaping his lips as he saw how beautiful she looked - breathtaking, really. Even though he wanted to say something along the lines of wanting to rip off the dress off of her, he stayed quiet, kissing her back just as softly before she pulled away to get something for him. The fact that she'd been drawing lately meant the world to him, even more so that she was sharing her art with him again and going out of her way to make something for him. To Alexander, it meant that she was slowly on her way to being herself again - that, more than anything, was the biggest gift she could give him. "To many more" he read with a smile, nodding and leaning in to kiss her again, murmuring against her lips about how much he loved her sketch. "You're amazing" he whispered as he pulled away, looking at the sketch and smiling again, "you even got the stubble down, huh?" He ran his fingers along his jaw, glad that he'd shaved earlier - he had a feeling she wasn't the biggest fan of his full beard. "You tellin' me I should shave more often?" he asked, smirking at her, "Hm. You tellin' me you like the feel of my stubble when I'm between your legs?"

AUTUMN ROSE

"Thank you," Autumn whispered back when he told her that she was amazing, feeling as if wild butterflies were attacking the inside of her stomach. No matter how long the two of them knew each other, it felt like Alex would always make her just a little bit nervous. She had just recently gotten back into art, and the fact that he appreciated her work so much meant everything to her. Especially because he was one of the reasons her muse slowly started to come back. It wasn't what it used to be, but Autumn was working hard to finally get it back. She was shaken out of her thoughts when he mentioned his stubble, watching his fingers intently as they danced along the skin of his jawline. Autumn had been grateful that Alex shaved for the night, and she felt her cheeks grow warmer when he mentioned him in between her legs. She let out a breathy sigh, not being able to take her mind off of what he just said -- him, in between her legs. "Stop it," Autumn chuckled nervously, wrapping her arms around his neck and reaching up to kiss him, hoping Riley wouldn't barge in anytime soon.

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

"You stop thinkin' about me between your legs" Alexander countered with a shake of his head, giving her a look that let her know that he was certain that's what she was thinking about given the pink tint of her cheeks. "Besides... we can't have none of that right now, babe. Who knows if Riley's sleepin' or if she's gonna wanna come in and chill with us instead." As he spoke, he kissed her neck and traced the necklace with his index finger, loving the fact that she was wearing something he'd given her. He'd always spoiled her, sure, but this was different. Now it was different. Before, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to make it official, citing wanting to be a single college guy but, really, believing that he wasn't good enough for a girl like her. Now? Now he knew that no matter the hardships or his insecurities, he wanted to be with her. "We shouldn't be doin' this" he whispered against her skin then pulled away, looking at her innocently though there was a hint of a mischievous glint in his eye. "We gotta be angels tonight, babe."

AUTUMN ROSE

Autumn couldn’t help but frown when Alex told her that they couldn’t do anything right now because of Riley, but was soon distracted by the way he was kissing her neck. It clicked almost immediately that he was teasing her, and she let out a breathy chuckled when he told her they needed to be angels. “No, no teasing,” Autumn whispered, feeling like she needed to be extra quiet just in case. Even though it was possibly for Riley to walk in at any moment, all Autumn knew was that she wanted Alex. “It’s Valentine’s Day, and I want you..” She trailed off, blushing simply because she said she wanted him. Alex was well aware that she was bad at making the first move and getting things going, so his teasing was a way to just have her wanting more and more. “I just want to kiss you right now,” Autumn told him quietly, pressing her body flush against him. Her dress was a little tight but she loved it, especially because she could still his hands against her through the fabric. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, forgetting about the world around them. “It’s Valentine’s Day and I want you to kiss me.”

ALEXANDER MONTOMGERY

Alexander loved that she was taking control of the situation, telling him - and showing him - what she wanted. While she'd always had a little difficulty with that, he knew that when she wanted something, even if she was embarrassed to say it, she would end up voicing it out of frustration. "I wanna kiss you too" he replied in a voice short of a whisper, his hands finding her hips as their bodies pressed impossibly close together; his fingers gently gripped her there as she looked up at him, her blue eyes shining up at him. "It's Valentine's Day and I'm gonna give you what you want" he said as he leaned in, his left hand traveling up her body so he could cup her cheek, "but let's be real..." he trailed off, his lips brushing against hers for a moment before he continued, "it ain't just today. It's tomorrow. It's the day after that. It's... for however long you want me." He didn't let her reply to that, wanting to delay that talk about the future for a little while longer. Not today. Today, he was going to give her what she wanted. Closing his eyes as he pressed his lips against hers, he tangled his hand in her hair and deepened the kiss, his tongue brushing against hers. 'I love you' he wanted to say, as he'd been wanting to say to make up for the times he didn't say it, but he kept quiet instead as he led them to the bed. "Lay down" he whispered against her lips, knowing they'd have to break the kiss for a second, but also knowing being in bed would make it so much better.

AUTUMN ROSE

Any thoughts of Riley possibly showing up in the middle of them kissing disappeared, and all Autumn could focus on was exactly how much she wanted to kiss him. If she was given the chance, she'd kiss him for hours on end. Just feeling close to him and knowing that he wanted it too was more than enough. Forever how long you want me, he'd said, and she knew that they should talk about what was happening between them, but right now those things weren't important. They had lost time to make up for, and for Autumn, that was all that mattered in this moment. She couldn't help but moan softly against his mouth, grasping at his shirt to bring him closer to her. She always wanted more from him, no matter how much she got. She nodded when he told her to lay down, admiring him in his clothes for just a moment. He was so incredibly handsome, and she couldn't believe that someone like him wanted someone like her. "Okay," she whispered, turning away from him and walking towards the bed. Please don't wake up, Autumn thought about her daughter as she sat on the edge of the bed, scooting until she finally was laying down. Autumn was nothing if not awkward in these situations, and she couldn't help but smile up at him nervously, her head resting on the pillow. "Is this okay?"

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

"Yeah, baby, this is okay." Alexander was used to this - telling her things were okay and reassuring her that what she was doing wasn't wrong and that she was allowed to do things with him that she otherwise wouldn't. It pained him to know that she'd been in a 'relationship' that made her think she had to think twice about the smallest things. Hopefully, he would be able to help her get out of that mindset eventually. Even though he wanted to take his t-shirt off and tear her dress off of her, he knew that it wouldn't be the most prudent thing to do, especially since they didn't know if Riley was actually asleep or still awake in the other room. "I can't get enough of you" he admitted as he settled between her legs, using his arms to hold himself up as he looked at her, "I could spend the rest of the night kissin' you like this and I wouldn't care. I just... fuck, babe, you know you drive me crazy, right?" Alexander smiled at her before he leaned in to kiss her, a kiss that gradually morphed from gentle to hungry, his hands slowly making their way under her dress. "You gotta be quiet, baby" he whispered against her lips after a moan - was it his? Hers? He wasn't sure. "Can't be too loud."

AUTUMN ROSE

"Okay," Autumn murmured, satisfied with herself when he told her that it was okay. She second guessed herself often, and most of it was thanks to her 'relationship' with Xavier. No matter what, she was under the impression that she wasn't good enough. Alex was good at convincing her otherwise, but some things were harder to shake. Autumn sighed happily when he settled on top of her, her arms wrapping around his neck and bringing him in close, pressing their heads together. The words I love you were right on the tip of her tongue, but she kept quiet instead and listened to his words, coming to terms with the fact that she probably wouldn't stop blushing tonight. She got lost in kissing Alex, loving the way it felt to having him all over her -- his hands, his tongue, his lips, his body. Autumn just wanted more, but the looming thought of her daughter held her somewhat back. Autumn couldn't help but rock her hips forward, trying to create some type of friction between the two of them, needing it. "But you feel so good," Autumn whined quietly, her fingernails dragging over the back of his t-shirt, wanting him as close as possible. "I can't help it."

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

Instead of making another dirty comment in order to make her blush, he moaned quietly as he also moved his hips against hers, glad that he was wearing slacks instead of jeans - he could feel her better like this. "You feel fuckin' amazing" he whispered against her lips, sliding her dress higher until it wasn't really covering her thighs anymore and instead, was pooling by her hips. He slowly dragged his fingers along her legs, hitching one over his waist so he could have a better angle to press himself against her. "You can't be loud" he reminded her before dragging his teeth along her jaw, softly biting down on her skin as he continued to grind his hips against hers, "but you can grab my hair." Another gentle bite. "Or scratch my back." His tongue dragged along her collarbone before he continued, "or bite my shoulder." His hand teased the inside of her thigh, "but you can't moan my name like I know you want to. You can't beg as loud as you usually do. You can't ask for more by all but screaming it. Can you do that?"

AUTUMN ROSE

"Ohmygod," Autumn groaned quietly as she felt Alex pressed up against her. It made her feel dizzy with how much she wanted him, and to feel him straining against his slacks drove her wild. Though she'd never be able to bring herself to do it, she just wanted to rip off their clothes and have him be inside of her. He made her feel desperate, something she wasn't really used to feeling. Autumn knew that she was wet, and she wondered if he could feel it through her panties yet. He was grinding against her and telling her she couldn't make any noise, and even as he talked to her she had to stop herself from saying his name. She pressed her face against the crook of his neck, moaning quietly and nodding as he told her exactly what to do. She preferred that Alex was in control because she trusted him -- and that meant the world. "I'm gonna try.." She whispered, fingers digging into his shoulder as she pushed her hips up to meet his, wanting so badly for there to be less clothes in between them. Just before Autumn could work up the courage to tell Alex exactly that, she was distracted by a shuffling sound outside the door. A giggle was heard from outside the door, and Autumn froze up immediately. Riley. "Mommmmmmmmy," Riley said in a sing-song voice, clearly still very awake. "Can I come in, pease?"

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

While Alexander enjoyed taking his time when it came to Autumn - and he did take his time when he could, praising every inch of her body and telling her that she was beautiful, even though she had never believed him - he knew that this was different. This was filthy and rushed and though he was teasing her, he knew neither of them would be able to hold on for much longer and he'd be taking off her panties soon and unzipping his slacks as well. "Been wantin' to fuck you since you put that dress on" he whispered against her skin, tugging her earlobe between his teeth before adding, "just takin' off your panties and fuckin' you hard and rough, just the way you like it." She was wet, he could feel it, and it only made him want her more. Because of that, he hadn't heard anything else until Riley's voice came from outside the door, asking if she could come in. "Fuck" he cursed under his breath, all but jumping off of Autumn and trying to catch his breath as he ran his hands through his hair, eyes wide as he looked at her. "I should go to the bathroom. I know you're just as horny as I am, but..." he cleared his throat, motioning toward his crotch - the problem was that for him, it was visible. He couldn't help but laugh at their predicament, getting up and fixing her hair and wiping her lips with his thumb until she was decent before heading to the bathroom. "Guess we should get used to this, huh? Ain't gonna be the last time this is gonna happen." It was a promise of a future between them, in a way - where Riley was present and they had to scramble to find a way to act as if nothing was happening. He was okay with that, though. Any future with them was the kind of future he wanted. "I'll come out in a little bit, when I've calmed down. I promise to make it up to you later."

AUTUMN ROSE

Autumn couldn’t help but erupt into a fit of giggles at the look of surprise on Alex’s face, and even more so when he pointed at his crotch as a reason to why he was making his way to the bathroom. She nodded, leaning forward and giving him a gentle kiss. She was still trying to catch her breath, and she pushed herself off of the bed and tried to regain some normalcy before she talked to her daughter. She tugged at her dress and straightened it out, winking over at Alex as she made her way towards the door. “Honey bun,” Autumn sighed as she opened up the door to see a very awake Riley. The young girl looked around the room for Alex quietly, furrowing her brows when she couldn’t find him. She turned towards her mother, and though Autumn knew that she wanted to find Alex, she needed to put her foot down. Autumn grabbed her hand and started leading her back to bedroom, even though Alex was willing to wait things out for Riley. She gave her a speech on how she needed to be a big girl and go to sleep, but ended up dealing with a crying Riley instead. “But I don’t want to go to sleep,” Riley cried, sitting on the edge of the bed with her arms crossed across her chest. Autumn sighed, she disliked having to do things like this. She was never really good at telling her no.

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

Alexander knew Riley was looking for him, but he couldn't go out there yet. While he waited, he thought of every little thing that wasn't Autumn underneath him, wet as her body writhed and squirmed, wanting more - sad shit, seeing old people naked, baseball, how bad New York City smells. After a while, his breath had significantly evened out and the evidence of what he and Autumn had been doing was long gone. He furrowed his brows as he got out of the bathroom and heard Riley crying, pursing his lips at the sound; the last thing he wanted was to hear either of them sad. "Hey" he whispered, gently knocking on the door and letting himself in, making his way to the bed and giving Riley a hug. Alexander soothed her by softly rubbing her back for a moment then looked around the room to see if she had any books laying around after she'd pulled away from him. Although he wanted to tell Riley about their plans for the weekend, he was sure it would sound like a bribe and that was the last thing Autumn needed to have on her hands. "How 'bout we read you somethin'? You think you can try and sleep after we read you one of your favorite stories?"

AUTUMN ROSE

“Look at that.. Alex’s so sweet, isn’t he?” Autumn said softly, loving the way he acted with Riley. Without being prompted, the younger girl immediately wrapped her arms around Alex and climbed over to him, forcing him to hold her and cuddle her. She chuckled, loving the sight of seeing the two of them together. Riley was still crying, talking to Alex about how sleep didn’t sound fun, while Autumn searched for books in the bag she’d brought for Riley. She found a couple of books and gently put them on the bed so she wouldn’t disturb them, and made her way over and sat down next to them. Riley was finally done crying, and by the time that Autumn good look at her she could tell that a sudden wave of exhaustion hit her. “Actually, I have a better idea. You’re such a big girl, right? How about you read by yourself and then go to sleep? I want you to impress mommy by showing me how much of a big girl you can be.” Riley nodded, still pouting, and climbed out of Alex’s arms. “Okay, mommy.” Autumn tucked her in, telling Riley the whole time how she was so proud of her for being big a big girl. Usually, her daughter would get exhausted after crying, and it seemed like Riley was suddenly too tired to even pick up the book. After Alex said good night, they made their way out of the room and Autumn closed the door behind them, chuckling quietly. “Oh my gosh. That just happened.”

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

Although both he and Autumn had known that Riley interrupting them was a possibility, it had still been a surprise to him - mostly because he'd been so into it that her little voice didn't register until it was a second too late. Nevertheless, he thought she was absolutely adorable and made sure to help Autumn get her to sleep. It wasn't even because he wanted to get back to it, but rather because he wanted to help Autumn; she'd had to do this on her own for the longest time and had only recently been able to get help from her mother and sisters - it was about time she knew she could count on him to help with Riley too. Once Riley had cried herself into exhaustion, they finally were able to bid her good night and head back to the room. Alexander couldn't help but chuckle as Autumn was, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug from behind then kissing her temple. "Is this what parents gotta go through when they're tryin'a get it in?" He murmured, resting his chin on her shoulder, still hugging her from behind. "I could get used to that..." he mused quietly, trailing off and not realizing what he'd just said - it was normal to him to talk about the future, "we could get creative."

AUTUMN ROSE

Autumn couldn't help but focus on the fact that Alex had referred to them as parents, smiling softly as she realized how much he had already fallen in love with Riley. Ever since she gave birth to her, Riley had been Autumn's number one priority. It seemed as if Alex understood this and did everything he could to make sure that the two of them were happy and content. Instead of commenting on what he had said, she nodded and kissed him on the tip of his nose, happy to think about a future with them. It was easier to forgive him when she realized that he envisioned a future with the three of them. "Creative?" She quirked an eyebrow, giggling as she led Alex back towards her own bedroom. Even though Riley had fallen asleep, there was no promising that she would stay asleep. After she closed the door behind them, she turned towards him and gave him a nervous smile. She could still feel that her panties were soaked, and remembered what it felt like to have him pressed up against her so perfectly. "What're your ideas?"

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

Just because the effect she had on him wasn't visible anymore, didn't mean Alexander didn't want her anymore - in fact, it was quite the opposite. Ever since they met, he ended up going back to her for many reasons, even when he was an asshole and said he wanted to sleep around. The main one, though? His feelings for her. She had always been and would always be the best he ever had. "Someone can't get enough of me" he teased, picking her up in one swift move and leading her to the bed. While Riley was currently asleep, he was sure that it didn't mean she'd sleep through the night - and he was okay with that. Like he said, they would just have to find a way to be creative. "First of all..." he trailed off, gently laying her down on the bed, "we ain't gonna be gettin' undressed. It's gonna be rough, filthy and quick and you're gonna have to be quiet. I gave you ideas. S'up to you know how you're gonna keep yourself from screamin' my name."

AUTUMN ROSE

"I can't help it," Autumn giggled shyly when Alex mentioned she couldn't get enough of him, letting out a small squeak in surprise as he scooped her up in his arms. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him, not even as he laid her down on the bed. He didn't even have to touch her or kiss her, and she felt her panties grow increasingly wet -- almost to the point of of being uncomfortable. She squirmed underneath him, feeling overwhelmingly hot as he continued to talk. It was almost like the whole thing with Riley hadn't happened, and he could just as easily have her head spinning in mere moments. "Oh, God," Autumn whispered, feeling somewhat desperate to have him right now. "Okay, I can do that. I can do that if it means I get you.." She trailed off, her thumbs hooking into his belt loops as she tugged him closer, blue eyes staring up at him, and she knew that he could see how much she wanted him. She wanted to voice it, anyway. "Alex.." She started, biting her lip as he eyes flickered down to his lips. "I want you so bad, please.."

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

The intensity in her eyes was driving Alexander wild, the way she was looking at him told him all he needed to know; she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. While he was the one who told Autumn that she needed to be quiet, he had to remind himself as well that Riley was in the other room and he couldn't be as vocal as he usually was. He would also have to focus his energy elsewhere - perhaps by leaving marks all over her chest. "You're always gonna get me, baby" he whispered, the words coming out a little more vulnerable and soft than he meant them to, but he was making sure that she knew his promise for the future was one he intended to keep. When Autumn begged, he was pretty much a goner and he hastily pulled up her dress as he had before so it could pool at her waist. He quickly pulled her underwear off of her, maneuvering it off of her legs as well and throwing it on the floor as he once again settled between her legs. His fingers teased her, a deep but quiet groan rumbling in his chest as he noticed how wet she was for him. "For me?" he asked, continuing to tease her before slowly sliding his index finger inside of her. "You want me that bad, huh? Tell me. C'mon, baby. Tell me what you want."

AUTUMN ROSE

Something about having to keep her clothes on made the whole thing much better to Autumn, and she couldn’t help but love the way he discarded of her underwear so quickly, looking at her as if he wanted to devour her. Her back arched slightly when she felt Alex’s fingers teasing her for a moment, and a gasp got caught in her throat. She opened her mouth to tell him that yes, it was for him, but cut herself off with a quiet moan as she felt his finger inside of her. “Ohmygod,” Autumn mumbled, her hips thrusting upwards, wanting and needing more of him. Feeling these types of things were overwhelming for her, and she was never entirely sure if she was doing it right. When she was with Alex, she tried her hardest to just.. be, and say what she wants. Which is exactly what Alex wanted her to say. “You, you.. I want you,” Autumn stuttered in her words, her fingers digging into his shoulder just a bit, craving something else. “I just want.. everything with you. I just want you...” Autumn swallowed, gathering up the courage to look him in the eyes as she said it, “I want you inside of me.”

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

As Autumn told him that she wanted him, Alexander curled his finger just right, smirking as he felt her fingers digging into his shoulder as she tried to be quiet and also tried to get more from him. There was something pretty damn thrilling about having to do this while still fully clothed, and even more so knowing that they had to be quiet and make minimal noise. When she murmured exactly what she wanted, he let out a deep breath and leaned his forehead against hers, continuing to work his finger and eventually adding another. "Back pocket" he whispered, hoping she could reach "I got my wallet there. Just look for a... fuck, babe, you're so wet - should be a condom there." What? He was prepared in case she wanted to have a little fun with him after dinner. "I love you" he whispered, the words barely audible as he groaned a little louder than he meant to, his fingers teasing her and driving him insane as well in the process.

AUTUMN ROSE

Even though plenty of years had passed, it seemed as if Alex still knew exactly what to do in order to drive Autumn wild. He moved his fingers just right, pressing up perfectly inside of her and while it felt nice, she craved a lot more than just his fingers. She bit down on his shoulder gently as she held in a groan, rocking her hips up rhythmically to meet the thrust of his fingers. It seemed as if Alex felt just as overwhelmed as Autumn as he stuttered on his words, but she understood one thing -- there was a condom in his wallet that was in his back pocket. The fact that he'd brought one along made her blush and she leaned forward and reached around, fishing for his wallet in his back pocket. She grabbed it, looking up at him nervously as she took the condom out of the wallet. She set it on the bedside table and then handed it to Alex, giving him a shy smile and kissing him softly. "Please, baby."

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

Though Alexander enjoyed taking his time with Autumn - he knew Xavier had never actually wanted her and sex between them had been for his pleasure only - so he could praise and kiss every inch of her body, constantly telling her that she was beautiful, they both knew that it wouldn’t be the case tonight. He couldn’t keep teasing her and definitely couldn’t spend half an hour going down on her, making her come undone with his tongue. The last thing they needed tonight, on Valentine’s Day, was to be interrupted. Though he hated to remove his fingers, he did just that, maintaining eye contact with Autumn as he licked them clean, giving her a wink before he unbuttoned and unzipped his slacks and quickly grabbed the condom. Even though experienced, he still fumbled around with it, finally rolling it on himself and looking into her eyes as he hitched her leg on his hips, his own body angling in a way he knew would make her crazy. Alexander cursed as he slowly pushed inside, his lips crashing into hers as he tried to swallow their moans in a deep and hungry kiss. Fast. Rough. He had to remember that as he started to move his hips.

AUTUMN ROSE

Even though Autumn and Alex usually took their time when they were together, tonight was different. It was rushed, rough and sloppy -- and she loved every single second of it. Any moment that she could be with Alex like this was perfect, and all she could do was watch him with wide curious eyes before he pushed himself inside of her. She wanted to scream out his name and tell him exactly how good it felt, but instead she buried her face against his neck. She moaned out his name, finger nails digging into his back as he thrust into her perfectly. She couldn't even find the correct words, knowing that this needed to be quick and they didn't have a lot of time. He kissed her, and she couldn't help but moan against his mouth, her hips meeting his every single time. She bit on his bottom lip hard, distracting herself from how good it felt and how perfect his thrusts were. "You feel so good," Autumn managed, her voice hoarse and thick with want. Her fingers thread in his hair, tugging at the hair as his fast pace continued, just needing him close.

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

To Alexander, it was difficult to maintain a steady rhythm - it was sloppy and rough, their hips meeting halfway as they both tried to find the perfect angle, which wasn't hard. They'd always had great sexual chemistry once Autumn had let go of her inhibitions. When she was lost in the moment, deep in the thralls of euphoria and pleasure, she was more bold and often told him exactly what she wanted. Even after all the time that they'd lost, they were still a perfect match both between the sheets and out. They knew each other's bodies, knew what felt good to them both, knew what the other needed to hear to drive them mad. Tonight wasn't any different. They were both doing things to drive the other crazy, keeping their moans and pleads quiet as they continued to meet each other halfway. Even though he was sure he'd ripped her dress, he'd roughly pulled it down by her chest, needing to elicit a moan from her as he flicked his tongue on her nipple. He was teetering on the edge, but wasn't there yet, his lips finding as much of her skin as he could and marking her as his all over. He could feel her hands on his hair or shoulders, her breath against his ear; she was leaving her mark on him as well and he knew he would feel the effects of her attempts at keeping quiet well into their trip. "Bite me" he whispered, his forehead against her collarbone, their sweat mingling together as they continued their pace, "scratch me. I don't care. Do what you want to me."

AUTUMN ROSE

"I love you," Autumn whispered in the middle of the thrusting and groaning, feeling closer to him than ever. No matter how rushed this was, she felt a strong connection to him in every sense of the word. It was as if her skin was on fire wherever he touched her, leaving his mark as he nibbled on her skin when it felt too damn good. Autumn did everything in her willpower to bring him closer -- wrapping her legs around him as tight as possible, tugging his hair, thrusting her hips up to meet his every single time -- and it never felt like enough. She kept teetering on the edge of bliss but held off, wanting to finish at the exact same time that Alex did. This was dirty and beautiful all at the same time, and when Alex had told Autumn to bite him, she couldn't help but oblige. She tugged his head down roughly, nibbling on his earlobe before sinking her teeth into the crook of her neck, her moans being muffled by his skin. It felt as if her legs were shaking, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to get right on the edge with Alex, riding it out with him. She dragged her fingernails down his back, and even though his clothes were still on, she knew that she was making a mark and she was more than happy to do so. A few more painstakingly perfect thrusts, and Autumn felt like a goner, and she moaned much louder than she meant to. "I'm.. I'm close. I want you to come with me, baby, please.." Autumn was panting, lips red and swollen as she looked up at him, cupping his face in her palm. "Come with me, Alex."

ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY

Perhaps Alexander didn't know what life would bring him in the future, and he wasn't sure he even wanted to know what was ahead and instead wanted to face it head on whenever it happened. But when Autumn told him she loved him, even in the middle of raunchy, filthy sex, he knew that that was something - perhaps the one thing - he really wanted. For the longest time, he'd believed that baseball was his first love, but Autumn was his true love. "I love you too, baby girl" he whispered against her lips, knowing that they were both close and loving the fact that they were connected even then. While he knew that Autumn needed a little push, he enjoyed that she took his advice and started biting him, scratching him, leaving marks all over him for him to remember her later. He didn't care if they were visible and didn't care if the guys would see and give him grief for it for the rest of camp. As they both almost reached their peak, Alexander and Autumn had almost forgotten that they were supposed to be quiet. They groaned loudly, Alexander even more so when she was begging for him to come for her, blue eyes pleading for them to both come undone together. He nodded, whispering that he loved her before he finally let go, looking into her eyes as he did so. It was intimate - a lot more intimate than fucking in their dress clothes should've been - but it was them. They'd always been connected. Again, he told her that he loved her, kissing her softly as he came down from his high.

AUTUMN ROSE

Even in the midst of raunchy sex like this, things with Autumn and Alex had felt intense. She kept her eyes trained on him as they came undone together, muttering that she loved him over and over again. She rode out the orgasm happily, kissing all over his cheek and down to his neck. Autumn felt the buzzing all over her body, loving the way he felt inside of her even afterwards. She stared up at him, chest heaving, not being able really say anything. She was completely speechless. As she finally felt the last bit of her intense orgasm, she fell back against the bed and let out a happy chuckle. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt something like that, and of course it was all thanks to Alex. She kissed him back sloppily, feeling out of it and drunk on the way she felt with him on top of her. She pressed her forehead against Alex’s, listening his labored breaths as well. “That was..” Autumn started, still not completely there. “Wow.”

#alexsmu #autumn.#autumn x alexander.#ft: autumn x alexander.#aulex x 009.

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