#Just so she could be independent and travel back home as needed and etc

[warlordess]

Still so confused about Robin being too poor to have a license when trailer trash Eddie Munson does??

And I sort of firmly believe he does have one because I'm assuming the local cops would have put the reputed illegally driving drug dealer's vehicle on cinder blocks/lock at some point if he weren't licensed.

[notesfromthepalace]

The Nara Smiths of this World

I'd like to begin with saying in no way, shape, or form, will I be bashing the beautiful Black woman, wife and mother, Nara Smith. I actually aspire to be like her.

I also prefer content and media (both digital and physical) that cater to the life I have been creating for myself:

Led by God

With a God-fearing man (soon to be my fiancé - then husband, God-willing),

As a wife and mother,

While having the time and ease to do things that bring me peace and happiness like basking in the sun, working out, creating dinner experiences, rolling in academia - simultaneously having a career with a lower tempo, hints my transition from one career field to another (another post for another day).

I love watching her content, especially all of the dishes she makes from scratch.

But what upsets me, are the Black women that make a mockery of her lifestyle and make the excuse like "who wants to be a traditional wife" or "ain't nobody got time for all of that" and people saying that her lifestyle is unrealistic.

Lets be real.

A lot of women who bash Nara Smith are jealous.

Nara Smith is a young woman who is also a model, married, with two children and a third on the way.

Besides being a model, what about my previous statement is unrealistic or unattainable?

"Well who makes everything from scratch like that?!"

Everyone outside of the United States of America, darling.

I implore all the women who read my blog to please travel outside of the United States. Everyone makes everything from scratch and not only is it healthier, it taste amazing.

My first experience in Europe was the Summer of 2017, as an intern at the University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

While interning, I also traveled to Germany and Amsterdam.

During my tenure in Europe, I walked everywhere, used public transportation (it was clean, on time and efficient if I may add), went to people's homes where they made their authentic dishes and simple ones from scratch - while simultaneously losing 15lbs, and not on purpose.

Making your desired entrees from scratch versus using products that are processed and already made with preservatives are better for your health. Not only do you taste the difference but you will feel the difference.

Back to the point of women being jealous of Nara Smith's more traditional lifestyle and leisure:

The unfortunate truth of this - speaking as a Black woman with real Black Women experiences - so many Black women are truly perturbed by Nara's choice to take the time to cater to her children, household and husband as she does.

I think most of this disturbance comes from the fact that as Black women, we're told from early youth to work so hard and earn so many accolades where we do not need a man/husband and to not submit to the idea of motherhood and marriage until you receive every possible degree, award and accomplishment - which turns into us working just as hard as men to achieve a certain status, settling down in our mid 30s, yikes!

I have recently transitioned from one career field to another due to my desire to not only become a wife, but a mother.

But not an overworked wife who does not have time to cater to herself, household and husband, but a mother who has the time to be as hands-on as possible, make dinner, be a part of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), etc.

This was my reality as a child. My parents were married; My father had a career that pulled him away sometimes but he was providing a comfortable life for my mother, sister and I. My mother chose to have an at-home daycare so she can make my sister and I breakfast in the morning, be home to receive us after school, help us with our lessons, and put us to sleep. She was intentional with her career choice so she could cater to herself, take care of her home and her family.

And there is nothing wrong with a woman choosing to still work to have some independence, but choosing a career that is not as demanding that she sacrifices her family for it.

I brought all of this up due to conversations I had with women in my previous line of work who tried to convince me that I could "have it all" as they like to say: meaning that I could have the demanding career and title, be married, and have children.

Anyone who knows me personally, knows that I am extremely observant. During the last four years in my career field, I paid attention and listened quite carefully to the women who had children in both orthodox and unorthodox manners. The women who were married, with a child or children said all of the following:

"There was a time I spent a year away from my child, leaving them at three months of age."

"I was on my feet working just to go home and still be working."

"I got divorced because he couldn't understand that I wanted a certain level of success and being at home would not push me towards that goal."

"I don't even have time for myself."

"I have missed so many important moments."

Mind you, there's more. And I'm not saying that you cannot be married, with children and have a demanding career. I just believe it is irresponsible for older career woman to perpetuate the narrative that you can have 100% of everything all at the same time - when it's not true. Something or someone is going to be neglected.

So when I chose to transition out of my previous occupation, all of these women kept trying to persuade me to stay, but then I looked at their lives, it was not what I wanted:

Woman 1: Divorced with a boyfriend, three children (two different fathers) - spent months at a time away from her children, struggles with being feminine; Top of the food chain at work.

Woman 2: Married closer to 40, one child, lives a flight away from her husband to keep her demanding career, spends weeks away from her son.

Woman 3: Divorced, two children, sleeping around (with people we know) and the joke of our department, falls in love fast, one son has joined a gang, ex-husband is in-and-out of jail; Has worked for our organization for 15 years.

Woman 4: Left her newborn after two months to take a position in another country for a year, marriage suffered tremendously, also another "big dog" for the organization.

Now, as a woman who wants the lifestyle I already described in the paragraphs at the beginning of my piece, are these stories that I would want to emulate?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

I won't go as far as saying that this is every woman's reality who has a demanding career, but even the women who stay married and have children have also told me that their marriage suffered tremendously and there is a closeness they lack with their children.

And again, that statement is not for the totality of working woman, but it's a shared experience of most.

When I told multiple women that I am ready to be a wife and a mother I was told I would regret it.

I don't and I won't.

I've had a job since I was 16; I have dated, traveled, lived in the city and suburbs on my own, and my truest desire is to live a life of leisure and peace, with my future husband and children.

So, for the girlies who are ready to settle down, leave the busy careers behind, do it!

Side bar - I just turned 26, I want to have my first child before 30 (and after I am married of course).

And do not, I repeat, DO NOT allow people's opinions, especially your Black female peers (it is what it is), to dissuade you from the lifestyle you truly desire, because they are the same women who complain about how miserable they are because of their choices, and misery loves company.

Choose your family, choose love, choose yourself.

With Love,

Sarah Chanel

[story-weavr]

In the far past, Kryptonians were a race that was enslaved and genetically modified by the more technologically advanced interplanetary invaders, the Coluans.

The Kryptonians fought and won their freedom and planet back. The tech left behind by the Coluans was used and improved on by the Kryptonians.

In one portion of their rich history, the Kryptonians themselves would go on to be planetary conquerors and settlers akin to Earth’s Roman empire.

In order to have a firm hold of their planet, Kryptonians introduced a mutagen into their DNA that would allow a member of their species to be able to reproduce with an alien sapient species.

The method by which to activate it would be for the Kryptonian to have had enough intercourse with a being that induces feelings akin to love (lust, respect, protectiveness, etc.).

Thus such people’s as the Daxamites came into being.

Later on, the Krypton’s leading government would become replaced by the Science guild. Eventually Krypton’s colonies would become independent civilizations.

Krypton eventually would become more and more closed off.

The mutagen, however, would continue to exist among the Kryptonian populace and at times be activated if only among the lower classes where traditional reproduction still continues as opposed to the Birthing Matrix among the upper echelons.

Lara Lor-Van, whose natural birth caused a scandal within the traditional House of Van, knew of the ancient mutagen that is dormant among Kryptonians.

Not wanting her son to be forever alone on a strange planet, she made sure to activate the gene so that Kal El would be able to father children with the Earthling he chooses.

More than a Earth decade later, a young Clark Kent had left Smallville to travel the world. In part, trying to find purpose again after losing his lover and best friend, Lex, to amnesia caused by an experiment on Krypton tech gone wrong. In another, fleeing from Lex’s father Lionel who was powerful enough to blackmail and threaten Clark to stay away from Lex.

In addition to his heart pain, he was losing his powers and was becoming weaker every day.

He had to rely more and more on Krypto, a dog who was mutated by the green meteorite of Smallville, & Lori Lemaris, a friend he made at the college he used to secretly visit Lex at.

It was only after he was examined by another friend (Immortal Man) he made on his travels that he found out what was happening.

Apparently, pregnant male Kryptonians would lose muscle mass and become more aggressive if they felt threatened. Instead of their stomach distending, their organs would rearrange for the growing baby. This was so that male Kryptonians would be unencumbered if they needed to flee from danger that their mate/family/allies would deal with. It would also discourage the pregnant male from engaging in stressful activities and focus on his well-being.

After an intense labor that eventually lead to Clark just cutting himself open, Conner Julian Kent was born. (Julian was from Lionel’s estranged brother Jules, a lawyer living in Smallville whom both boys loved and respected).

From then on, Clark swore to keep his child safe and to be a strong person Conner could look to as an example.

For that reason, Clark didn’t dare go back home until after Lionel died. In the meantime, he’d learn everything he could: about the world, humanity, & his and Conner’s heritage.

When he could finally return home, Clark decided to take the job offer he got from an editor at the Daily Planet. Because to do the most good, Metropolis, Delaware was the best place. Plus it was the city closest to Smallville aka “little Kansas”.

From there, he would be confronted by the so called philanthropist and man of tomorrow, Lex Luthor.

Having already grieved, Clark saw Luthor for what he really was: an immoral Machiavellian narcissist criminal who hated and looked down on humanity. Who would do anything and use anyone to get what he wanted: being the top of the food chain.

Clark was determined not only to stop him, but to never let him near Conner.

This began a war between a “meddling alien who is a threat to human progress” & “a man who could have done so much good if only he’d choose to do so”.

[one-strugling-bean]

Steven Universe songs as the Moomins because the two surprisingly coincide

On the Run- Little My decides to run away from home after she overhears Mama and Papa seemingly talking about giving her back to Mymble (she misunderstood). Little My is Amethyst, and pretty cross with the Moomin parents. Moomintroll is Steven, and just going along with Little My because "running away from home" for a day seemed fun. He just vibing-

Love like you - Snufkin thinking about Moonmintroll. It's just a very Snufkin song, imo. "When I see the way you act, wondering when I'm coming back or When I see the way you look, shaken by how long it took/I could do about anything/I could even learn how to love like you" COME ONNNN ITS SO THEEM

(more under the cut)

Peace and Love on Planet Earth - Snufkin or Moomintroll (or both) trying to teach Stinky the value of Nature and their precious planet. I love to imagine the song's ending as every member of the Moomin clan repeating the title lyrics.

Jam Song - Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden are on a picnic. They make up the song while eating the food Moominmama prepared for them. Little My is in a bush audibly gagging and Sniff is trying to find a way to steal their plan. Maybe Snufkin's there too providing the melody.

Be Wherever You Are - Snufkin shows someone the beauty of traveling and camping. That someone could be the Moomin gang (the kids), Ms. Fillyjonk, the Woodies, etc. Pick your favorite, basically.

I'd Rather Be Me (With You) - Moomintroll opening his heart to his sweetheart... I can really imagine Moomin in this song, idk. Now who he's singing it to? Snufkin? Snorkmaiden? You choose :]

Don't Cost Nothing - is it a stretch to imagine The Joxter singing this to a baby Snufkin? The idea that they don't need any big riches, or material possessions because they have each other and that's all he needs? I find the idea cute, at least.

Here Comes A Thought - Little My does something that makes her feel really guilty. Moominmama guides My through her emotions, teaching her how to deal with the situation. This is one of my favorite ideas from this list. And listening to the song, I can imagine it fitting so well.

Both of You - I'm going deep into shipping territory with this one, but I imagine Snorkmaiden and Snufkin as Pearl and Greg. Their friendship is torn apart because they both love Moomin, but Moomin chooses Snufkin at the end. And just like Pearl, Snorkmaiden was the 1st choice, eventually "replaced" by Snufkin. Moomin could be Steven, trying to get them to make up. He can't stand 2 of the most important people in his life to be upset at each other over him.

Comet - Young Moominpapa. Young Moominpapa. Young Moominpapa. I can just imagine a young Papa in this song, with all his dreams of grandeur and adventure!

Haven't You Noticed (I'm a Star) - I think Snorkmaiden would love this song. It would be her self-confidence anthem!

I Could Never Be (Ready) - another Papa Joxter idea. It's a lot of fun to imagine The Joxter struggling to learn how to take care of a baby Snufkin in the Mymble's house.

True Kinda Love - Estelle's voice gives me Moominmama vibes. And so does this song. It's just the right amount of comfort and softness and good advice.

Independent Together - just overall Snufkin vibes all around. Which might sound weird because of the "together" part. But idk. Vibes are vibes. And I sense his in this song.

Some of these seem like a stretch, but idc. Moomins and SU seem like such an obvious connection now.

[sam-glade]

Happy WBW! Since my pain is acting up thanks to the weather rendering me a barely moveable blob, I like to know today all about how disabled folks are viewed in your setting. Are they active members of the society? Seen as touched by the gods? Or even cursed by them? What about medical aids such as wheelchairs, hearings aids and such?

Hi Wynne! Hope the weather will change soon. I do love the question though.

All right, this isn't going to be a happy answer.

In Days of Dusk (based on real world's second half of the 18th century), we're way before the times of universal healthcare, and the state of medicine is in general terrible (pharmacology and psychiatry are a bit ahead of the time, but everything else - way behind). There are hospitals sponsored by wealthy individuals or families (nobility, aristocracy, guildmasters, etc.), sometimes genuinely, sometimes as publicity stunts, and they try to provide various aids to those they can reach, but those tend to be unsophisticated and barely enough.

Since gods don't exist - there's worship of the Five Elements and a belief in the Fate creating the Tapestry of Life, in which everyone's story is laid out for them - people with disabilities are neither touched by gods nor considered cursed, just unlucky and not favoured by the Fate. The attitude of their families and others around them depends a lot on how independent they are - someone who has difficulties walking can probably do fine as a potter or a weaver, even if they have to ask a family member or a friend to sell their work at a market, while someone needing a full-time caretaker is unlikely to fare well. It also means that the better off the family is, the easier the life gets for them.

Some visible disabilities present at birth can be healed with magical powers, but good luck finding a Crystal who can do it in the first place (the Army kind of hoards them). And they probably can't do much about invisible disabilities, due to lack of knowledge.

Here are some concrete examples:

The White Dragon, the legendary First Prince, suffered a permanent contusion during his last field mission fifty years ago. He's now wheelchair-bound. But, seeing as he is the wealthiest, most influential person in the entirety of the Sunblessed Realm, he can afford any accommodations he needs. Wheelchairs that could be pushed by others were a thing before his injury, however he's the sort of stubborn, independent person who commissioned engineers to develop a wheelchair he could propel himself (I imagine like the modern ones, with push-rims), as well as a special saddle, so he can still ride horses, though he can't mount the horse on his own. Similarly, modifications were made to his home - ramps along the steps leading to the main and back entrance, and probably a manually-powered lift. Still, he used it as an excuse to abdicate and pass the title of the Prince of Light to Anthea. There were other political factors, but the fact that he'd have to travel from the residence to the townhall to attend his duties, and that the townhall isn't at all accessible played into it a lot. But of course that's a special case of a very wealthy individual, and there are few who can afford it. Still, while I don't go into the broader details on page, I slightly hope that the example of him helped some other folks with movement-related and especially acquired disabilities.

I want to bring up Erya as an example as well. She has albinism, and has the exact opposite background to the prince. She doesn't know her father, and her mother was living in poverty, and decided that a child who gets so easily sunburnt that they can't spend days outside, and who looks so different that the mother didn't want to be seen with them, was too much of a burden. She abandoned Erya to fend for herself when Erya was about ten and it was obvious that she'd never look 'normal'. Erya survived in part thanks to her Sword - it allows her to manipulate shadows, so if she wears a hat, she can make the shadows darker and larger - and as with any Sword, it makes her more resilient and helps her heal faster. And in part, it was thanks to having a more nocturnal lifestyle, when being a part of the criminal underworld. Master Varré was her mentor and they brought her to the military academy, where they pulled some strings so that she can wear a wide-brimmed hat, which isn't normally a part of the uniform.

And by the time of The Truth Teller (1960s-ish) universal healthcare is becoming a thing. Additionally there exist educational and other institutions for children with special needs - I've seen examples of such institutions starting from mid-19th century in Poland, so they seem to fit perfectly well in the setting. They'd teach sign language, tailor their teaching methods to the pupils' needs, probably have some staff with medical background. There are also state-subsidised workplaces that hire people with disabilities - quite often factories with repetitive manual labour, like making brushes or packaging products. Unless you're Knacked. Then you're screwed. Lirivan is an example here. He was born with clubfoot (affecting both feet) and to a rather neglectful family, who didn't see him through the full treatment when he was a child, despite it being fairly simple and safe. Also, no access to magical healing at this point in time whatsoever. His parents at least got crutches for him, but not modded shoes as he was growing up. And since he turned out to be Knacked just before reaching adulthood - well, his prospects aren't looking bright at the beginning of the story. At that point he relies on crutches and is visibly disabled, but doesn't qualify for any aid from the state, because of his Knack.

[lunarcovehq]

ALL'S FAIRE IN LUNAR COVE - LUNAR COVE EVENT #7

Home you'll go and it's there you'll stay, and you've work to do in the morning, give up your dream of going away, forget your sailors in Galway

Once upon a time, in a small Rhode Island town known as Lunar Cove, a Council of Leaders gathered to discuss the upcoming holiday. The Fourth of July had hardly been a time for celebration, with the last Independence Day marking the first time the Catalyst had reached out to them via the warning 'be afraid'. But, to cancel the festivities entirely didn't seem to sit right with them either. If there was one thing the Lunar Covians needed now more than ever, it was unity and what better way to have everyone come together than to put on a summer faire of all faires? So, after much deliberation, Lunar Cove decided to host their first Ye Olde Renaissance Faire.

The faire will span across every corner of the town. From the far east to the far west, town goers will travel back in time to an age of adventure! Joining her majesty the 'Queen' on a grand visit to a 16th century English village. From cheering on your favorite knight at the Joust Tournament to meeting 'Robin Hood' and their merry band to feasting on savory sweets, tempting treats and so much more, Lunar Cove's Ye Olde Ren Faire has something for everyone and, if the Council is lucky, they may just be able to drawn the Catalyst out along with it.

REMINDERS

This is a plot-driven event that will start on 7/7 out of character while taking place over Fourth of July weekend in character. 

Please keep your eyes out for multiple plot drops that will be happening throughout the week which your characters can continually react to.

The tag for the event is lunarcoveevent7. Everything from pictures, outfits & threads etc. should be under this tag. Starters should have both the starter and event tag. 

This event is mandatory and, as always, big plots should be discussed with the admins before playing them out on the dash, so if you have any big plots you want to do, please let us know.

For anyone looking to bring in new characters, we will continue to have regular acceptances until our first plot drop on 7/17. After the plot drop, we will be temporarily pausing acceptance so as to not have new players come in at the height of what will bound to be some chaos on the dash. 

As for the Activities below: the below is written out in order of which activities are happening on which day of the week, but feel free to react to or post starters for any of the below in whichever order you would like. We just ask if you can hold off making any posts set after intermission during the performance of Midsummer's Night Dream until after the future plot drops are dropped.

We also made sure to include everyone's characters in one of the below activities, but feel free to have your characters take part in more than one/react to everything. We just wanted to make sure every character had at least one activity they could be part of.

Last, but not least, we hope you have fun!

ACTIVITIES

THY ROYAL COURT (OFFERED ALL WEEKEND):

To be or not to be of Royal Decree? Your votes are in! When entering the faire grounds you will be greeted by the Royal Court, starting with the one, the only, William Shakespeare (played by our resident @icexpackxjc) who will be dishing out his fair share of sonnets with the help of the Royal Prince, Prince Charming the Most Charming of the Charmings in all the Realm and Land (played by @readbentweenthelines ). After greeting our Royal poet and playwright, take your turn attempting to bow or cutesy in front of Queen Lizzie, our reigning Queen Elizabeth (played by Dilan Selvi @moonglowmagic, who will be decked out in a red wig and everything). She will be joined by her Lady in Waiting and Royal Cup Bearer, Lady Erica Owner of many Whosits and Whatsits Galore although be careful when she Pours (played by @illputabexonyou) and the Lord Chamberlain of The Reeds (played by @linden-reed). After bowing before your Queen and Shakespeare, you can join Princess Peanut Butter Cup (played by Reese Hawthorne, @crescentcrowd ), the Duke of Howling (Played by @xbigxbadxmatsuix), Countess Chocula (played by @akiss-from-a-rose ), & Baroness Priya the Gracious (played by @selcnophile) over on the main stage as Squiggles the Jester of Knock Knock and other Yoks (played by @masonxmahir ) attempts to gain a laugh.

The Knight's Joust:

But, your chance to cross paths with a Royal doesn't stop there! Located on the Town Green, in the center of the Ren Faire, is our Jousting Grounds. Jousts will be held there every day at 2p with Sunday's Joust being the Joust to end all Joust's. In one corner we have decked out in gold and blue, Sir Lancelot the Galavanting Lover and Arguable Traitor, but all around Decent Fellow (Played by Caleb Wright, @cantfightmoonlight ). While in the other corner wearing the colors of Black and Red is Sir Mateo of Thou Tubeth (played by @moonsongchorus ). Friends turned foe, the pair will battle it out before the winner takes on the final competitor in green and silver,  Sir Vival of the Fittest (played by @firefighterxefe ). Only one will be champion! So, get ready to join Squire Kit Havoc (played by @pitymisskitty ) to cheer on your knight as our heroes battle it out the 'death' or at least until one embarrassingly falls into the dirt.

THE FAIRE GROUNDS (OFFERED ALL WEEKEND):

The Feast of Thieves:

Come one, come all to satiate one's tastebuds with a number of different Medieval themed booths. Sucré will be transformed into 'Biscuits and Crumbs' as 'the baker', Bea Ramos ( @crescentcrowd ), will be serving donuts, funnel cakes and a number of other pastries. Happy Scoops is renamed to 'Churn It Up!', offering fried ice cream, fried oreos and fried cheese cake. The Moonlight Grill is renamed 'Drumsticks', where you can get yourself the iconic turkey leg, as well other classics such as BBQ Ribs, brisket platter, chicken nuggets and other savory treats. Peggy's Diner is transformed into 'King Arthur's Round Table' serving pretzels, blooming onions, corn on the cob, chicken pot pies and so much more.

Ze Bar Crawl:

Huzzah for the tippers! Join Jasmine St. Claire ( @cantfightmoonlight ) on the Seen it Route Pub Crawl as she takes you around the faire grounds from Pub to Pub. The Starlight Bar has been transformed into 'The Snuggly Duckling', Eclipse has been transformed into 'The Knight's Tavern', Bad Moon Brewery has been been renamed as 'Wolves Ale House' and High Tide has been renamed as 'The Flying Dutchman'. Make sure to tip your bar wenches. The larger the tip, the louder the ring of the bell.

The Jolly Roger Pirate Ship:

Ever want to walk a plank or join a swashbuckling crew? If so, you can board the Jolly Roger at the end of the pier where you learn knot tying from Jonah Rivas ( @jonahxrivas ) and see if life on a pirate ship is for you with Kari Channarong ( @conjvred ). You can even challenge the current captain of the ship, the Dread Pirate Roberts, Chai Rune ( @cantfightmoonlight ), to a fencing duel. If life of the ship is not your fancy, you can leave the way you came from the pier or take a dive into the hot springs after walking the plank.

Test Ye Luck:

Across town, located in the surrounding woods of Echo Acres is your chance to test ye luck at a bunch of different games both of skill and of chance. Join Sir Vival of the Fittest to test your strength and attempt to pull the sword out of the stone. Ralph Middlemas ( @rxmiddlemasx ) will be hosting a plate smashing stand where you can pluck up a sling shot. If you manage to smash a plate, a stuffed animal could be in your future. Don't miss your chance to win a prize at the ladder game, hosted by Azra Yildiz ( @moonsongchorus)- rumor has it the game is rigged, but maybe you can be the one to beat the nearly impossible climbing challenge.

The Rusty Knife:

Looking Sharp has been renamed the Rusty Knife for the weekend and join Meena Raja ( @cantfightmoonlight ) for your chance to throw knives, axes, darts and even arrows. Meena will walk you through the basics and then it is up to you to try your best to hit the target, but be careful. Rumor has it many of the knife throwers often have a pint in hand.

The Enchanted Forest:

While the real forest is filled with games and weapons to toss, the Hideaway down at Sunny Harbor has been turned into that of the 'Enchanted Forest' where the fae and witches thrive. Swing by the face painting booth where fae can deck you out in fantastical face paint and 'pixie dust'. If you'd rather have your hair done, you can join Frankie Esposito ( @lunadefresa ) at the hair braiding station where ribbons and flowers can be woven into your hair to complete your look. And if you're looking for a potion or elixer, swing by 'the witch's caldron', a booth where witches like Nesrim Erkal ( @conjvred ) and Briar Reed ( @briarreed ) will be concocting real potions for you to peruse and enjoy. But, be careful. There are flower sellers and peddlers like Kyle Kane ( @kylexkanex ) in the forest whom have been known to scam a person or two, handing the passerby a flower and not letting them walk away until they'd paid up.

The Kissing Bridge:

For lovers who want to test if they have what one may call 'true love's kiss' make your way down to the Kissing Bridge. If your love is true, then rumor has it, when you kiss upon the bridge, the flowers overhead will bloom.

The Wishing Well:

If you have a wish you'd like to make come true, toss a coin in the wishing well. Only be careful. We've already had one wolf, Safiye Yildiz ( @moonglowmagic ), fall into the well and we'd rather not have any more lassies fall in after her.

The Artisans of the Shire:

If you've come to the faire to shop, then you're in luck. Swing by Blush Boutique's booth that has been renamed 'The Mad Hatter' where you can rent the perfect garb for your day at the faire, styled for you by Kui James ( @thelatekuijames ). From costume rentals to selling crowns to a local haberdashery, the Artisans Booths sell everything you could possibly need and a number of different faire themed souvenirs.

How to Train Your Dragon:

The faire grounds wouldn't be complete without a number of rides for you to go on. With a dragon swing, a Roundabout (a carousel where 'riders' can adorn foam sticks and pretend they are jousting), a Dragon themed rollercoaster and the Dizzy Dragons teacup rides, there really is a ride for everyone of all different ages, so come swing by and give your tickets to Shay Thompson ( @selcnophile ).

The Black Swans:

The fun rides don't stop with dragons! If you'd like to take to the water, the Boathouse renamed 'the Black Swan' is offering paddle boat rides in swan themed boats for you and a partner.

Rotten Revenge & the Dungeon Maze:

With Medieval Times comes a Dungeon Maze and Blockades. Anyone may take a turn entering the hedge maze that will take you down into the basement of Town Hall where one can get a tour of the 'Dungeons'. In the Dungeon Maze, you will also find a cell where Sheriff Cavanaugh playing the role as the 'executioner' will be holding anyone who gets too drunk at the faire grounds. In the Drunk Tank, those who need a break will be offered water and refreshing fruit that the Sheriff will cut using a miniature guillotine to help sober you up. Outside of the Dungeon Tour will also be Rotten Revenge, a game where people can toss tomatoes at Sir Mateo of Thou Tubeth ( @moonsongchorus) and, Pizza Joe, our resident 'criminals' in the blockades, and the mud slide, a place where town goers can get down and dirty, literally.

Ye Olde Portrait Booth:

Make a memory that will last the test of time when you swing by this vintage photo booth. Hosted by Ronnie Bishop ( @itsronniebish ), you can have a costume change and use one of the many props the booth has on hand to take a photo that you can carry with you after the faire has gone and went on its way. At the photo booth, you can also take a photo with our resident 'mermaid', Billie Fitz (@swimmingwiththefitzes ).

Tis Fact or Fiction?:

Swing by the information booth to pick up a map from Ken Matsui ( @kenxmatsui) and have any fact checked. They can tell you whether what you're wearing is Medieval or in line with the Renaissance and what is and isn't historically accurate. Though we do warn you, there may be some attitude given.

Trinkets & Trade:

Do you fancy someone's crown and are willing to exchange your gauntlets for them? Or maybe you're a pin collector who would like to swap your unicorn pin out for another? Well, this Medieval version of a Pawn Shop is the place for you. No coins will be exchanged here. Instead meet Devrim Yener ( @lunadefresa ) to trade. Only goods are traded back and forth like one would with Middle School lunches.

The Collectors:

Anna Donnelly ( @moonsongchorus ) & Rangi Hira ( @faerietothe-otherside ), will be wandering around the faire grounds throughout the weekend, pulling along a rickety old cart with a broken wheel, dressed in peasantry garb, as they ring a bell calling for people to 'bring out the dead'. That will mark your cue to drop your trash off in one of their many bins, because as the local Black Smith, Kadir Aksoy, will tell you, littering is bad, even in ye old medieval times.

Ye Local Apothecary:

Were you drunkenly stabbed over at the Archery booth? Are you a sword swallower whose sword accidentally went down the wrong pipe? Well, have no fear. Our paramedic, Nico Castillo ( @nicocastillo ) is on hand to help out with any Faire related injuries.

THE SHOWS (CHANGE DAILY)

THURSDAY

The Fool's Stage:

Kicking off the Faire right, the Fool's Stage will be packed with a number of epic performances you won't want to miss. Hosted by Squiggles the Jester of Knock Knock and other Yoks, the performances will range from telling jokes, sword swallowing, spinning plate acts, a whip act and more. Some notable mentions including Brielle Rivas ( @cantfightmoonlight ) aerial performance, before Poppy Reed takes it away with a fire breathing routine that catches the eye of Princess Peanut Butter Cup who joined the peasants on stage to get in on the action.

Artisan Classes:

If the Fool's stage isn't your thing, you can swing by the Artisan's stage periodically throughout the day to learn a new skill. There is a class on glass blowing. Kadir Aksoy, our resident blacksmith, will be teaching you how to mold your own weapons. Or join Julian Chandler ( @julianrchandlerx ) the cobbler, to make your own leather works.

Fireworks:

Given that it is the Fourth of July and the first day of the faire, what better way to celebrate than with an epic Fireworks display overlooking the water? Grab a blanket and lay out on the pier as the town of Lunar Cove celebrates the start of Summer together.

FRIDAY

The Equine Shows/Pony Rides:

Head over to the Town Green where the Jousting Arena will be temporarily used for an Equestrian Show. Carmen Delgado ( @moonglowmagic) will be performing jumps on horseback. After which you will be invited down to the Arena for your own horseback riding lesson.

Game of Wits:

On Friday, the Artisan Stage will be replaced with that of a Game of Wits. Hosted by Theodore Moore ( @theodorexmoore ) before you lies three chalices and it will be up to you to decide which holds the potion and which doesn't. After the first Game of Wits show, the stage will be transformed into a Living Chess Board, hosted by Rohan Persaud ( @rohanxpersaudx) , where you will be assigned a team and move along the board as the pieces.

Robin Hood's Band of Merrymen:

Esen Demirtas ( @esendemirtas ) will have been running around the faire grounds all weekend dressed up as Robin Hood with Leyla Selvi ( @cantfightmoonlight ) and Paloma Villareal ( @lunadefresa ) dressed up as her band of Merrymen 'stealing' from the 'rich' and 'giving to the poor'. But, on Friday, you can join the group on stage as they put on their own show, teaching show goers how basic pickpocketing is done before they pluck up bows and arrows and try their luck at shooting an apple off the top of one's head.

SATURDAY

Ze Quests:

Are you fit to be an adventurer? If you think you're up for the challenge you can swing by the Gazebo where you will meet the Quest Master, Julian Chandler ( @julianrchandlerx ) who will give you a quest to fulfill at the faire. From finding a missing dragon egg, retrieving a unicorn's horn, plucking a mermaid's scale, stealing a handful of pixie dust and so much more, your true test to see if you are worthy of the title Champion begins now.

Best in Show:

Do you think your look is fit for Royalty? If so, sign up for the Costume Contest where you can strut your best stuff and the crowd goers can vote on which look is truly worthy of the title of the Diamond of the Season. (We will have an OOC survey for this, so if you'd like your character's look to be included, please post a picture out the outfit using the tag #lunarcoveevent7 before Friday 7/14).

Midsummer Night Dream: (PLOT DROP TO COME)

As the Faire draws to a close, Rohan Persaud ( @rohanxpersaudx ) and Brielle Rivas (@cantfightmoonlight ) invite you to watch the famed lover's tale with a twist. Briar Reed ( @briarreed ) will be playing the role of Hermia, Rangi Hira ( @faerietothe-otherside) the role of Helena, Jonah Rivas ( @jonahxrivas ) the role of Lysander, Julian Chandler ( @julianrchandlerx ) the role of Demetrius, Dilan Selvi as Titania, Rohan Persaud as Oberon, Linden Reed (@linden-reed) as Puck, and Mateo Rivera ( @moonsongchorus) as Bottom. Only as guests begin to return to their seats after intermission, they began to notice that something is far from right... (Stay tuned for future plot drops pertaining to this part of the event).

[nelll101]

A Place further than the universe (ep 6, 9, 10, 12)

The comparison between the first set of episodes to the second set of episodes is quite different. We see character development from multiple characters in the show. We see throughout the end of the show that the whole point of the show was to find true friendship and the powerfulness of such. As it relates to capitalism, what I took from it was that no amount of money or consumerism can give you the meaningful things in life. Shirase saved all this money and took a trip to the other side of the world just to find that what she needed wasn't really what she needed. She went there looking for her mother, and instead was content of not seeing her at all. She realized and accepted that her mother would never come back as before she couldn't accept the truth showing character development. This can be compared to Megumi making these lies and telling on Mari because she couldn't accept the truth about herself until, eventually, she came clean to Mari in that one scene. She states, "And because I wasn’t anything I didn’t want you to have anything”. Megumi still yet chooses to walk away from Mari's offer of coming with her because she realizes she needs to learn to live without her, showing some learned independence and character development. 

Shirase believes she has to go where her mom is, “to a place further than the universe”. I'm not sure what she meant by that as she wasn't referring to Antarctica, but she might've meant that she herself has to put herself in a different mindset and mentality (something further than the universe) to fully understand that her mother is gone and reach acceptance. The mind and the universe are both complex systems and by using your mind you can "transcend" to "many universes" (I guess). This seems to be metaphorical as finding her mom in the end was not by seeing her since she was dead, but something she had to realize within her.

Back to capitalism, I wasn't really looking for it in the last set of episodes and missed what was pointed out in class, and decided to try my best to look out for something in these episodes. After watching it, there is none. Antarctica was an escape from capitalism itself and Shirase's journey of finding her mother was something capitalism could not give her.

One scene that was relatable was Mari packing to leave for Antarctica which reminded me of leaving for college. Savoring food from back home that I wouldn’t get here (Mari savoring the pudding drink), taking one last look at my room (Mari doing so as well), etc was exactly what I went through leaving my hometown.

Also something I wanted to bring up, I watched Interstellar recently and some scenes when they were in Antarctica and the title of the show itself reminded me of that movie lol. Shirase still believes her mother is alive and is determined to go see her. She longs and wait everyday thinking her mom will come back and yet, doesn’t. She believes she has to go where her mom is, “to a place further than the universe”. In the movie, Murph feels the same way about Cooper (her father) and Cooper was quite literally somewhere further than the universe. The only difference is that Cooper was still alive but in a different universe while Shirase's mother was dead (unless her mother is still alive only in a different universe than which universe Shirase is living in ??? 😦🤔 To reference the title of the movie, I don't think it was meant to take literally as it is a metaphor so there is no actual place further than the universe her mother is in. There's no evidence in the show to leading us to think this or anything related to time travel like in the movie but just a comparison). Also they’re all on an expedition to Antarctica and in Interstellar they were on an expedition as well (to find new planets to live on).

Overall it was a nice show to analyze the characters and figure out the true meaning of "A Place Further Than the Universe".

[treyreddy]

BASICS »

Name: Theresa Reddy

Nickname: Trey

Birthday & Age: July 12, 1992 & 29

Hometown: Bray, Ireland

Length of time in Providence Peak: 2.5 years

Occupation: Professional photographer & artist

Gender & Sexuality: Cis female & bisexual

DIGGING A LITTLE DEEPER »

Trey grew up just outside of Bray, Ireland, in the foothills. Bray is a seaside town about 35 minutes south of Dublin.

So, yes, she has a pretty strong Irish accent.

Her family was very poor, meaning she lived off scraps and hand-me-downs. She’s the middle child of 5 — older sister, older brother, her, younger brother, and younger sister is the order.

Pop ran out on the family around the time her youngest sibling turned 3. He was never really missed all that much, he was a drunk and verbally abusive. However, his absence meant her mom had to work a couple of jobs to keep house and whatever food she could afford. Eventually her mom gave up on the older siblings, letting them fend for themselves mostly. Trey both loved and hated the freedom.

When it came to close-knit, Trey got along best with her older brother. Most days she was following him around and hanging out with him and his friends. Just being one of the boys with them, despite all the teasing for it.

Both in school and around town the Reddy family were outcasts, mostly because of their poor status, and the countryside was it’s own community where everyone knew everyone going back generations. The bullying and teasing at school was actually something a little easy to ignore. Trey didn’t have a lot of friends but she was independent enough that she didn’t really need much.

A hungry tummy and a lack of supervision meant that she got mischievous — sneaking into abandoned homes, exploring properties, stealing snacks from the market, etc. If the market owner ever knew what Trey was up to, they never complained or did anything about it. But she was caught sneaking into a home that she had thought to be empty, an American retiree had just moved in.

They became friends, him something like a surrogate father or attentive uncle. He taught her a lot of things and looked after her but he also thought she was a boy haha.

For a few years in her teens Trey kept her head shaved into a buzz cut and given her tomboy style and attitude, people that didn’t know any better mistook her gender.

After he found out though, he ran her off and told her not to come back again. That was the time it was really solidified in her life that people are generally temporary and don’t stick around for long.

When she was 13 her older brother went missing and was never to be seen or heard from again. For a good while Trey was devastated, he was her best friend and she was pretty lost for a while.

In school she did great, had excellent grades and went onto college a year early. There she found she had an eye for photography and could draw. With the push of a teacher she entered into contests and eventually won a few as she began building her portfolio.

With some success under her belt and some paid jobs that took her traveling, Trey moved to New York. There she really opened her up to all her talents, branching out from nature and landscape photography to much broader subjects and scenes.

In New York is where Trey met her muse and their relationship provided a lot of growth for her, both professionally and personally. When her muse wanted to move to LA, Trey reluctantly gave up her life in New York and followed them to California. Unfortunately the relationship fizzled out and they mutually agreed to go their separate ways.

Some of her work has been published in magazines like Vogue and Architectural Digest. In some galleries as well. The more she built up her reputation and portfolio the more she was seen and the more work she got. Eventually to the point of having a few shows at galleries with both her photography and artwork.

Leaving LA for Providence Peak was due to the work she was getting there and for the opportunities coming up with Colorado galleries. Plus, Trey and her muse had fallen into a bit of an on/off situation where they mostly still hung around as friends and did some work together, and they had asked Trey to come to Providence Peak as well. There were essentially too many reasons not to.

WANTED CONNECTIONS »

I’m pretty open here! I love the usuals: friends, neighbors, folks from New York or LA, anyone that she could have met while traveling, clients/subjects, the muse, exes and flings, and I’m happy to plot anything beyond!

LINKS »

BIOGRAPHY

MIRROR

MUSINGS

PORTFOLIO

AESTHETIC

[blacksunscorpio]

Aphrodite No. 1388

Have you ever found yourself inexplicably fascinated with Hollywood sex symbols, fashion, arts, or general glamor? You've probably chalked it up to your Venus placement or stellium in the 2nd or 7th [The houses Venus rules] but what if I told you that might not be the only reason?

Yes, Asteroid Aphrodite No. 1388 is the placement you may want to peep. Especially if she's making prominent placements or aspects to your inner planets. Note: Pay attention to conjunctions/squares/oppositions the most and orbs within 0-3 degrees. Trines and sextiles are of note but only if they are respecting inner planets, the ascendant, and at the aforementioned degrees.

So let's get into it:

Aphrodite in Mythology

was the goddess of sex, love, beauty, passion, fertility, prosperity, and procreation. She was also patron goddess of prostitutes and believed no one should leave this world a virgin. She was wife of the god Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths and fire but also the most notable lover of Ares [her 'Soul mate'. So what does she represent in the birth chart?

All of the above.

Asteroid Aphrodite in her elevated expression is all about love, beauty, talent, and sex appeal. She is compassionate and generous. Independent, strong in her femininity, and charming. This asteroid has the ability to see beauty in everything and has an innate knack for creativity and artistic talents. A developed and healthy expression of sexuality and passion [not the toxic kind but the kind true love stories are made of]. She's all positive pleasure and sensuality. Body positivity and healthy expressions of sex.

In her base or lower expression, she's a bit like a toxic Lilith. She'll manifest as using attractiveness for underhanded means. Infidelity, repression of the sexual drive, callousness in love or arrogance based on vanity, vanity in general, sexual manipulation, fickleness, fixation of impossible standards of beauty, or superficiality regarding aesthetics. [Basically everything wrong with fashion and beauty today.] She can also manifest in the 6th house and/or ill-aspected as those who suffer from body dysmorphia or those who suffer from eating disorders due to these impossible beauty standards. Physical perfection becomes an obsession.

Now, if you have this particular asteroid prominently based in your chart, you may find that you value beauty, pleasure, and romance. There might be a taste for refined aesthetics and/or one can just be naturally gifted with creativity and art. Career-wise, one could find themselves drawn to jobs that revolve around fashion, interior design, modeling, make-up, photography, cooking, etc. If she's touching Mars or in the 8th, one could find themselves making sex work a part of their career as well.

Aphrodite in the signs

Aries: Two words: Sexuality promiscuous. Like the sign of Aries, the fire burns hot then goes out. Freedom and independence are paramount and they value those who see things similarly. Getting too emotionally invested in others is not appearing to them in any way, here for a good time, not a long time. Sporty aesthetic. Athleisure. Sex will likely be hard and fast.

Taurus: Love of the material. Base-level treasure seekers. However, they are typically quite attractive and even look pleasant when they don't put much effort in. Follow trends and keep up with the day-to-day fashion world. Most likely an Instagram fashion influencer. Love of glitz and glam. Shinier the better. Diamonds are their best friend.

Gemini: Serial fuckers. Literally, this aphrodite placement will have a full black book of names. A thousand notches on the belt. A million notches on the bedpost... well, you get the idea. Very charismatic and uses their intelligence to seduce. Sapiosexuals. Stimulate their mind and you might keep their attention... for an hour as opposed to 15 minutes like the rest. Will know everyone and everything about everyone. Life of the party and will charm with their wit.

Cancer: The emotional lover. Don't let this food you though, hurt them and they'll pull out their pincers. This Aphrodite placement loves to be nurtured and taken care of and will often do the same. Mood affects appearance. Charms using one of two things: their hard to get energy [Crabshell] or their love of family and togetherness [4th house]. No in-between, really.

Leo: Worship me vibes. Lovers of attention. This placement is very prideful. They don't like to share [their lovers] at all. Typically though, because of their love of the spotlight, their fashion sense is impeccable. They are hard to miss and will usually light up a room. Ignore them and you'll wound them.

Virgo: Immediate/outwardly "perfect" appearance. Because of this sign's attention to detail, they are often very pristine in their approach. Clean sex- the type in the shower or when one is freshly groomed around the genital area. Will use their "perfection" to pull the cream of the crop in the dating pool their way. This placement can go far in the fashion world and may even become designers. Often do well as dancers or some sort of aesthetic career that involves "precision".

Libra: Serial Flirt. With Aphrodite here, it's like getting a double shot of Venusian energy. Pleasant, charming... naturally beauties not unlike Taurean Aphrodite's. Don't mind casual sex or casual flings but prefer relationships. Very focused on aesthetics and, like Virgo Aphrodites could go far in their fashion world or make-up pursuits. Can be very superficial.

Scorpio: Alluring vibe. They WILL fuck a lot. It's in their nature. Will be loyal if they are in a committed partnership though. Can give off scary vibes or RBF but they feel things deeply. Their aesthetic is dark colors, black as elegance, an intimidating style that appears edgy. Artistically may enjoy all things Tim Burton.

Sagittarius: Vagabond vibes. Eternal traveler. Eternal nomad. Epitome of promiscuity here. However, quite laid back. Their aesthetic probably has something to do with maps or cartography. Bohemian energy with pictures or fabrics from the far east or even Africa. Most likely has a buddha head somewhere in their home. Speak to them in an accent or different language to turn them on.

Capricorn: Independent vibes. These aphrodite placements are not keen on sharing their lives too much with others. Very business-like. Sexually though, they are insatiable. Machines. They like things to but black tie or button up. This does not mean they aren't laid back, they just like things to be all work with very little play until said work is done. Name brands and expensive suits/dresses? They're all about that. It's a status symbol thing. What Caps are famous for.

Aquarius: Avant-garde vibes. This placement will cut their hand off before they lose their freedom. More vagabond-esque than Sag tbh. Will love a style that shocks you or is out of the ordinary. Not traditional in any sense. Their sex will be kinky or they'll prefer it to have some sort of spice. Missionary? Nope. Expect a toy or ten. Pansexuals. Free love. Don't try to get them to commit unless they're ready.

Pisces: Subtle vibes. Subtle style. Dreamy style. Sexually they need to be emotionally connected. May find themselves falling in love often with the idea of someone than the reality of them. Lovers of the grunge and druggy era. 90's vibes are their aesthetic with a touch of the ethereal. Messy art studios, messy hair, even messier love lives. Might attract co-dependent types. Day-dreamy.

[pascalpanic]

ok can i request a din djarin x reader where the reader is a badass but usually seduces her bounties to capture them, and din is both jealous and confused (bc she could kick anyone’s ass) and she whips out the line “don’t work for misogyny, make misogyny work for you” thank you so so much

Atin’la (Din Djarin x f!Reader)

Summary: Being a female bounty hunter is a pain in the ass. When you meet a Mandalorian man and begin traveling with him, you meet seemingly the only man in the bounty hunting trade that respects women. Too bad he’s a hopeless romantic too.

W/C: 4k

Warnings: language, alcohol, misogyny, threats of violence, mentions of weapons, Din doesn’t know how to emotion. rude terms to address a female (whore, bitch, etc.)

A/N: I had so much fun working on this request you guys! Fic requests are definitely open if inspiration strikes any of y’all. The bounty they capture in the later part is a Zabrak! I did some research into different humanoid species, and for reference, Zabraks are the species with a ring of horns on their head; the most notable one is Darth Maul. I linked the wookiepedia page here so you can get a feel for what they look like if you aren’t familiar with the species. 

atin’la- tough

Being a bounty hunter and a woman is much harder than being one or the other.

Sexism runs rampant in circles dominated by men, and bounty hunting was certainly one of those circles. Finding a man impartial to women was the best you could get in hopes of employment, a man who actually gave a shit about the women was a dream. 

Luckily, you’d happened across a man who seemed to see directly past gender. A man who you weren’t even sure was a human, covered in beskar and refusing to even tell you his name. He asked you to call him Mando, and that was that.

You’d happened upon the man during a bounty hunt. You were an independent contractor, working for yourself. You’d pick up pucks from slain hunters, more often than not, or you’d run a spare job for Karga or his rivals. Money was the number one concern for you, over loyalty to a certain guild or a certain code.

The hunt was going somewhat easily. It all changed when you looked down and found a tiny green being sipping soup. It smiled cutely at you with tiny white teeth and you abandoned your mission for a moment to give the little thing a scratch on its head. He seemed to appreciate that, leaning into your touch and slipping his wide brown eyes closed.

The being’s father didn’t like that. You looked up to find a beskar-clad, broad-shouldered man pointing a pulse rifle at you. “Step away from the child.”

“Relax,” you said quickly, putting your hands in the air. “I’m not here for him.”

“How do I know that?” The modulated voice growled at you. 

“I’m an independent bounty hunter. Let me show you.” You grabbed a puck and tossed it to the man, who skillfully caught it while balancing his pulse rifle, aiming it directly at your heart. The man- well, you assumed it was a man- pressed the button, illuminating the dark alley with a holographic image of a mythrol. “See? It was registered to Jido Korden. He’s dead now. I stole the puck from his body.”

The black slit in the helmet looked from the puck back up at you. “You’re not Guild?”

“No,” you laughed. “Why bother working for one side when you can keep your opportunities open?” You asked, a smirk on your face. 

He shook his head. “I was assigned to this mythrol too.”

“That’s too damn bad, Mandalorian,” you shrugged and walked closer, snatching the puck back from his palm. “Unless you want to work together,” you snorted as you pocketed the little round piece, turning off the hologram. You looked down at the kid again. “Nice meeting you, squirt,” you hummed to the kid and scratched its head before turning to walk away. 

“Independent, huh?” The Mandalorian asked, lowering his pulse rifle.

You stopped in your tracks. “Yeah. What about it?”

“You have skills. I’ve seen your image before.”

“Better not have been on a bounty puck.” You crossed your arms and turned around. “Where is this going?”

“I… am in need of crewmates. This kid is a kriffing handful, and I can’t keep watching him and running bounties. It’s just not working out.”

“That sucks,” you shrugged. “Is this an offer?” He stared at you for a second, unreadable. His visor stared directly into your face. “Yes. Come work with me. We’ll take turns running bounties and staying on my ship with the kid.”

“Oh, you have a ship,” you raised an eyebrow as you looked up and down his body. “I’m not a working girl, you do know that?”

“Of course I know that,” the man said, annoyance evident in his modulated tone. “This is not a… partnership of that kind.”

You bit your lip and tilted your head as you looked at the man, the child, and back to the man. “50/50 split of payment.”

“60/40.”

“Don’t make me negotiate a higher rate,” you chuckled. “50/50.”

“Fine.”

You smiled. “Looks like you’ve got a partner, Mandalorian,” you said, hands on your waist. You walked closer and offered him a hand. He took it and you shook on the deal. You introduced yourself and he nodded. “What’s your name?” You asked.

“You can call me Mando.”

-

That was how your partnership with Mando began. Now, you’ve worked together for a few weeks. His missions tend to run longer than yours, taking upwards of a week. That leaves you on the ship with the child more, but it’s nice. It’s almost fun to pretend domesticity when the Mandalorian man is gone, playing with the child.

Green bean, baby boy, cutie, kiddo, nugget. The kid had many names under your care. You wonder if Mando ever calls him sweet names when you’re the one gone. You hum to the child and put him in his little knit hammock, hanging above the technically-shared bunk. It’s not really yours or Mando’s. One of you sleeps in it when the other is on the mission. One side has a small shelf with some of your belongings- your glasses, wax for chapped lips, a durasteel flask for water. The other is bare. That’s Mando’s side. 

The child is asleep, and you’re curled up against the back wall of the bunk, reading something on a holopad. Your home planet has a newsfeed you can stream, and you smile softly as you scroll through it. You take a sip of water from the metal flask and hear the child stirring. He wants to be near you, you can tell, as he reaches out a tiny three-fingered hand toward you. 

Shaking your head, you chuckle. “Alright, bud. Come here,” you allow, and the child jumps from his hammock onto your stomach, causing you to make a soft oof as he lands on you. The child giggles and crawls up your body, cuddling in against your chest. You set down the holopad and stroke the child’s big ears. He makes a little coo of happiness, snuggling in and closing his eyes. As much as you’d tried to get the child to sleep in his hammock, every night was like this. He wanted to be held and sung to and kissed between his big eyes. He was a baby, you suppose. You wonder if Mando indulges the child by doing this when it’s just him and the child.

As you close your eyes, you find yourself thinking about the Mandalorian. You liked him, you had to admit, making you smile placidly at the backs of your eyelids. He had a dry sense of humor. He was good to you. He’d indulge in conversation with you between the times one of you would go out on a hunt. He’d listen to you talk and comment along on your stories. He was good at domestics, you’d notice when you came back from your turn hunting. He’d wash and fold the child’s brown robes and his own capes, would polish his weapons and sometimes you could even smell remnants of cooking in the hull of the ship. 

Yes, you have to admit, you like Mando. He’s a good man. He treats you and his little green son well. In response to his kindness, you do what you can for him. You get treats at the marketplace with the child and leave them on his pilot’s seat for him to find. You polish his beskar for him at night when he sleeps, in just a helmet and his flight suit, up in the cockpit whenever the two of you are both aboard the ship. You write him notes of thanks and tuck them around the ship for him to find.

You fall asleep thinking about the man, the enigma shrouded in beskar and dark clothing, while you held the child close to your chest.

-

Mando likes you too. He smiles when he finds a note from you tucked in his pack he carries on missions. He snacks on the candies that you get for him, and even shares them with the child. He falls asleep in the same bunk, thinking about you, the child nestled alongside him. 

When he’s on a hunt, he thinks about you and the child constantly. He wonders if you ever think about him the way he thinks about you. He wonders if you consider him a friend. He views you as one. He pictures the way your eyes twinkle when you and the child get into mischief. He thinks about the way you laugh at his dry humor, the way you send a snarky comment right back at him. The way you’re good to him. The way he secretly yearns for you, for your touch, for your lips and your arms around him. 

Now, as he’s dragging a knocked-out twi’lek back to the ship, he hopes you’re asleep. He hopes he can catch a glimpse of how relaxed you look when you sleep, the way your nose twitches when you’re dreaming and you press kisses to the child’s head in moments of half-consciousness. He hopes he doesn’t wake you as he lowers the Crest’s ramp and walks up, quietly as he possibly can. The carbonite freezer is loud, and it wakes you. “Mando?” You call as you hear it, sitting up.

“Just me, cyar’ika.” 

You don’t know what the word means, but Mando loves to address you by the title. It probably means bitch or snarky one or sassy, you sometimes think. “How did it go?” You ask as you hear the heavy footsteps of the man come to the end of bunk. 

“Easily. He was hard to find but easy to take down.”

“The best kind. More time away from me,” you tease, rubbing your eyes and looking at the hulking man, the red and blue lights from various appliances just barely illuminating his shape. 

“You like it that way, I’m sure,” he teases back, sitting on the end of the bed and stripping off the beskar, setting it on the floor with a clunk. 

“Actually…” you trail off, smiling a little. “I was thinking we could do the next hunt together. I’d like to see your style. My next one is on Tatooine, we could leave the child with Peli. She adores him.”

He turns to look at you. It’s unbearably domestic, your hair messy and your shoulders bare in your sleeping camisole and soft legs visible with the shorts you wear, your glasses slipping down your nose. It’s hard to believe you’re a bounty hunter in this moment, he thinks to himself. You look so delicate and warm and soft. The opposite of him, rough and rude and harsh. “Who’s Peli?” he asks after a moment.

“Mando!” You laugh and smack his bare arm. “The lady with the wild hair. She runs the hangar?”

“That’s her name?”

“Yes, you bantha,” you grin and shake your head. “Her name is Peli. I cannot believe you.”

The child awakens at the noise and makes a noise of excitement as he sees Mando. “Hey, kid,” the Mandalorian chuckles and picks up the child, setting him on his lap. The child hugs him and Mando gives a soft laugh as he hugs him back, lightly. 

“Go back to sleep, cyare. I’ll pilot us to Tatooine and you can finally show me how terrible you are at bounty hunting.” He pats your calf softly, with an ungloved hand, and you do your best not to shiver at the touch of his strong hands on your bare skin. 

“You get some rest too,” you tell him with a soft smile, placing your hand on top of his. Your fingers are so much smaller than his, so much more delicate, and you trace the tips along the back of his hand. He nods and stands, setting the child back down next to your side. You lie back down and cuddle the child into your chest, trying not to think about how strong and warm his hand felt on your skin.

-

Once you arrive on Tatooine, you suit up. Your hair is slicked back to the best of your abilities, and your glasses are replaced with contacts. You pull on your skin-tight black tank top and black cargo pants, strapping your holster belt around your waist, slinging your ammunition belt over your shoulder, where it rests between your breasts. You strap one blade to your thigh and another to your upper arm, and pull on your trusted combat boots. You’re ready. “You can come down,” you shout up to Mando, who’s been patiently waiting in the cockpit for you to get changed. 

The man climbs down the ladder in his full beskar. Tatooine is a hot planet, so he’s omitted the cape for this mission. You can see a peek of skin when he moves his head, showing a little bit of tanned skin, and it makes you bite your lip and turn away. “You ready?” You ask him as you sling his backup pulse rifle- which you’ve claimed as yours now- over your shoulder.

He nods. “Looks like you are too.” The child has already been left with Peli, so everything is set. He walks closer to you and removes one of his metal vambraces, strapping it to your arm. It looks odd against your bare skin, only ever having seen it against the dark material of Mando’s flight suits or duraweave shirts. “This button,” he says and points to a triangular button, “is the comm in case we get separated.”

“You’re gonna be the one needing it,” you tease, pressing the button on his other vambrace. It makes a screeching feedback sound from being so close to the other receiver and you wince before pressing it again to turn it off.

“Sure I will,” he chuckles. 

“Show me the puck one more time?” You ask, looking up into the black T of his helmet. He nods and pulls it out, pressing the hologram. It’s a male Zabrak with a name listed beneath: Gar Thalcyon. Crimes: Bail Jumping, Resisting Arrest, Grand Theft X-Wing. “Shouldn’t be too hard. Men are easy,” you chuckle and take the puck, putting it in a pocket of your cargo pants. “Let’s go.” You walk out of the ship, leading Mando along.

You walk through the crowded marketplace of Tatooine, the Mandalorian man trailing behind you. Your head is held high. You don’t necessarily fit in; many Tatooinians wear robes and hoods to hide from the sun, but you obviously didn’t bother. The Mandalorian behind you most definitely doesn’t belong, attracting stares, but he doesn’t mind either. He’s used to it. 

Mos Eisley is, unfortunately, a dead end, you two discover after a day of searching. The bounty puck never indicates that you’re in the right location. Both you and Mando decide to get dinner at a cantina in town before you move on tomorrow. That’s what led the two of you to where you are: sitting in a more secluded booth, watching the cantina’s patrons get drunker by the minute. 

You’re sipping a bright pink cocktail, and Mando watches the world around the two of you, sneaking glances through his visor at you. “Isn’t this a little irresponsible for a mission?” You chuckle, swirling the skewer of fresh berries sitting in the glass in front of you. 

“He’s not around here. We’re not on mission time now,” he shrugs. 

“Oh, so is this like a date?” You tease with a smile. 

Mando freezes for a second. You hope you haven’t offended him somehow, but he tilts his head as he watches you. “Do you want it to be one?”

You bite your lip and swirl your drink faster. “I don’t know. It’s a little impractical for coworkers, for co-bounty hunters, is it not?” You chuckle, but there’s no humor in your voice as your throat goes dry. 

“It would be,” he nods in agreement. “But our job is only a contract between us. One that can be amended.”

You have a shy smile as you look up at him. “Do you want it to be one, Mando?” You ask. 

He’s silent for a moment. You mentally curse the beskar for hiding his expressions from you. 

“I do,” he finally acknowledges. 

The smile on your face breaks into a grin. “Then I guess we’re on our first date,” you laugh, sipping your neon-colored drink with a smile you can’t get off your face. “I suppose if we’re dating, I should know your name,” you ask him. 

It’s the first time you’ve pushed. You’ve never asked him to take off his helmet, never asked why he didn’t. You’ve been kind and caring and patient and damn, he wants to tell you so bad, but his eyes drift to the side and he sees a Zabrak walk in, and he immediately recognizes him as your target. 

Mando nods to the side. “Take him down and I’ll tell you.”

You look where he nodded and frown. “So much for a date,” you pout and look back at Mando. Sighing, you pick up your drink and stand. “Just know that I only have feelings for you, okay?” You ask, a hand on his shoulder as you walk to his side. 

“...Okay,” he nods, and you walk off, an extra sway in your hips. You may be wearing cargo pants, but your tight top and cinched belt accentuate your body. You’re gorgeous, Mando has to admit. 

The man sits at the bar and you pull up a stool next to him, smiling a little and sipping at your brightly colored drink. “Hey there.”

The man’s eyes look you up and down, and he licks his lips with an odd colored tongue. “Hey yourself. What’s your name, pretty thing?” He asks with hungry eyes. 

You need a cover name and you need it quick. “Manda,” you blurt with a smile, trying to hold back a laugh at the fact that you literally picked your date’s name- well, the one you know him by- but slightly augmented.

You rest your hand on the bar and the man picks up your hand, kissing your knuckles. “You can call me Gar.”

“Hello, Gar,” you giggle and bat your eyes at him. “What’s a man like yourself doing on Tatooine, hm?” You ask him, swirling your drink and sipping it as you look at him with doe eyes. 

He shrugs and looks forward, signaling the bartender for a drink. “I’m a wanted man, my dear,” he says with a salacious smile. 

He sure fucking is, you think to yourself, and you can’t help but snort. Maker, men are ridiculously easy targets. Your plays into your theme, at least. “Oh, and for what?” You ask, leaning in closer. You sneak a sedative dart from a pocket of your pants, holding it in the hand beneath the bar. 

“Stole an x-wing right off a Resistance base,” he chuckles, raising an eyebrow.

“Is that so?” You giggle, eyes wide. “How did you do that?”

He’s about to launch into a spiel when you stab the tranquilizer dart into the back of his hand. “Actually, don’t bother. I already know,” you chuckle, face close to his. He makes a noise of agony and surprise at the needle in his hand, and his body starts slumping. “Never lead by saying you’re a criminal,” you murmur next to his ear and stand, wrapping one of his arms around you and forcing him to walk along with you. 

“You’re a wanted man alright,” you chuckle as you walk out of the bar. You press the button on your comm. “Headed to the Crest. Cover our tab?” You ask into the vambrace. 

There’s a beat of silence. “Already on it, cyare,” the Mandalorian’s voice speaks through the beskar plate on your forearm. “How did you-

“Don’t work with misogyny, make misogyny work for you,” you grunt into the metal and drop your arm. 

The man groans as you drag him along. He looks drunk to anyone else, just barely coherent. “Fuckin’ bitch. Mandalorian’s little whore, huh?” he slurs at you, weakly trying to wrestle free of your grip but failing.

You push him into a nearby wall, twisting his arm at an impossible angle. “Try it again and I rip the horns from your head one by one,” you hiss into his ear.

“Okay, okay, sorry,” he whimpers and you let him go, pulling him into the earlier position.

Peli’s hangar is only a short distance away. As you enter, the green toddler squeals in excitement and runs over to you. “Hey cutie,” you laugh as you see him. Peli isn’t far behind. “Go sit with Peli a little longer, let me get this guy in the ship, okay baby?” You tell him, and he obeys, waddling back to Peli, who gives you a little wave.

“Goddamn,” the Zabrak man groans. “That mando is green under there, then? How could you fuck something like that-”

“I can and will slit your throat right now and let you bleed out. You want your life?” You murmur, grabbing the blade from your thigh and holding it to his neck. He nods frantically. “Then shut the fuck up,” you grunt to him and haul him up the ramp, into the carbonite freezer. He begs and pleads until the hiss of the freezer begins and the man is sealed. “Thank the fucking Maker,” you groan as the words stop. 

You climb back down the ramp to find Mando already holding the child and paying Peli. He thanks her one last time and you take the baby from Mando’s arms. “Were you flirting with him?” He asks, wasting no time. His tone is deadpan.

“Clearly.”

“Why the hell-”

“I wasn’t doing it for fun,” you grimace at him. “This is my fucking method. It’s much fucking easier, and if I have the advantage I might a well take it.”

“Well, I don’t like it.”

“That’s too fucking bad, Mando,” you practically spit, whipping around and walking deeper into the ship with the baby in your arms. “It’s my-”

“Din.” 

You turn around and look at him. “I’m sorry, what?” you ask, clearly annoyed. 

“My name is Din. Din Djarin.”

The anger fades from your body quickly. “Din,” you say back to him, slowly. 

He nods. “I… just got jealous, I suppose. I’m sorry.”

You finally offer a small smile, albeit a tired one. “Thank you. I don’t like doing it either but… it’s my way,” you shrug. 

He walks closer, putting a hand on each of your arms. “I get it.”

You smile softly and put one hand over his beskar-clad chest. “I told you, I only have feelings for you,” you tell him.

He nods softly. “I’m glad. I like it that way.”

Chuckling, you shake your head. “Well, Din. I suppose we could finish our date in here. I could cook something.” You look down at the little green child in your arms. “With him, maybe it’ll be more of a family night.”

Din cups your face in a leather-gloved hand. “Thank you, cyare,” he murmurs, thumb tracing over your cheek.

“What does that mean?” You ask him, looking into where you think his eyes sit beneath the helmet.

He presses your forehead to his, the beskar cool against your warm skin from the Tatooine air. “Beloved,” he murmurs, his fingers tracing your cheekbones.

A small gasp escapes your lips before they form a smile. “Beloved,” you hum back as he wraps an arm around you. “I like being called that.”

-

taglist:

@remmysbounty @mishasminion360 @softly-sad @blo0dangel @luxurybeskar @binarydanvvers

[royalequeenofships]

HSMTMTS Season 3 Predictions and Character Analysis

Ricky & Nini:

Ricky and Nini have a complicated relationship. I feel like they have the whole dynamic of “right person, wrong timing” vibe. They have chemistry and a bond with each other. However, for them to grow as a couple, they really need to have character development first. Nini really needs to figure herself out and who she truly wants to be and figure out her dreams and how she wants to pursue them. We had the whole YAC arc in season 2, where she goes there because she thought it was something that she wanted, but she realized that YAC was not truly what she wanted and isn’t what makes her happy. So, she’s slowly trying to figure herself out with independence and not relying on anyone except herself. In Season 1, most of her moments were with Ricky, with only the YAC arc really showcasing her independence, but her reliance on others in season 1 and parts of season 2. For example, Kourtney was the one who submitted her application to YAC, and partially her reasons for coming back to East High were also her relationship with her friends and Miss Jenn. Also, the fact that Carlos posted her song online, and she asked Ashlyn for help to write “Ain’t see nothing.” However, in episode 11 and 12, really starts showcasing her independence and stop relying on others for her journey. She BECOMES the one other people rely on, she hypes everyone up for their performances and is really figuring herself out and blossoming like the Rose. It is a great metaphor for Nini’s journey, and the fact that she herself calls Jamie’s brother instead of other people doing it for her, really makes it more special. Gina could’ve easily called her brother and be like “Oh yeah I have this friend who’s a great songwriter, yadda yadda.” But she does it herself, which is really great. Now with Ricky. Many people would agree with the fact that he truly does need therapy. He needs to learn how to handle change, and dare I say, realizing that other people are more important in his life. Personally, I felt like Ricky was very selfish this season. Last season, he was being selfish as he broke up with Nini because he couldn’t say I love you, and once school started again, he wanted Nini back so badly, but he proved himself worthy at the final episode when he stops being Troy to give Nini a chance to perform for YAC. However, this season once he and Nini are back together again, he was being selfish and thinking of himself again. When Nini goes to YAC, all he could really think about was how HER leaving was affecting him and his relationship with her.

For example, he would ask Gina for help on HIS own relationship, and sending Nini the message of how much he missed her and wishes she would be there because HE misses her so much. And thinking that Nini came home for him and him only. Plus, he thinks that the rose song that she wrote was SPECIFICALLY related to him, and then the whole situation with Miss Jenn and his dad, in which he was only thinking about himself and his feelings, with no regards to theirs. However, in episode 10, he finally stops being selfish and really opened his eyes to his surroundings, as he helped Carlos with his song for Seb. I hope this development continues, and once he realizes that he needs to stop being selfish, and is able to handle change and mature as a person, then maybe the Rini ship can happen once again. Another thing I’ve noticed about their “angst” in season 2 was the long-distance relationship, especially in episode 3. Although, Ricky and Nini were in the same city, throughout the episode, it still felt like they were going long-distance, which was probably foreshadowing their breakup. They only communicated through their phones that episode, and even at the end, their songs for each other wasn’t sang in person, but through the phone. As for predictions on the Rini relationship, I think that if Tim only plans on 3 seasons, then Rini will probably get back together at the end of Season 3, but if he has 4 seasons planned (which I am hoping for), then Rini will probably get back together then. Now we also have to take into consideration the career of Olivia Rodrigo. We do not know if she wants to continue with HSM, and even she herself is not sure. What I think will happen is, if Olivia decides she wants to take her music career to the next level, I think a really easy way to write her out without breaking the contract, would be to have her travel to L.A. to work on her music for the summer, so that there will be reason as to why she is absent for most of the season. This will probably take 1 episode to do and Olivia can spend the rest of her time focusing on her music. However, if Olivia decides she still wants to work full time in this season, then she might stay in Salt Lake and do the musical and write some songs for Jamie, etc but personally I think Olivia would want to focus on her music more than the show, as she posts about it more on social media than the show, and even with interviews. Nini might return for the final episode when summer ends and the new school year starts, so Olivia might just be in like 2 episodes. That’s my take on Rini for now, we get back to Ricky later.

E.J. & Gina:

Portwell is literally my favourite ship of the series, and it is just amazing. I personally would not like to see any angst in their relationship next season, but honestly it is probably going to happen and here’s why. Their relationship was built really steadily and took a long time to flourish. With other couples, like Seblos, Redlyn and Kowie, they got together awfully fast, taking 2-3 episodes to truly get together. So, the angst that those couples go through gets resolved rather quickly. Seblos with their relationship gets solved within 1-2 episodes, for the whole “does he like me because im the only gay one” storyline. Redlyn has the whole “Antoine” situation (which I will get back to later) and the “Red’s future” which again, took 1 episode to resolve. And Kourtney and Howie took 1-2 episodes to resolve the whole “Howie is from North high” and “Why Howie seems weird”. The reason is because those couples got together really quickly, and therefore their angst can be easily resolved through that, and wouldn’t really take time to fix. As you can see, Rini took a while to really get together. They were childhood friends off screen and we get to see their past relationship through flashbacks in season 1, but technically they took around 10 episodes to fully get back together. They have their cute., fluffy episodes for the first 4-5 episodes of season 2, but then their angst slowly starts to build at episode 5-6. It drags on until episode 8 where they fully break up, and counting episode 9 with their take on how they’re handling the breakup, so that’s around 5 episodes worth of angst for the couple that took 10 episodes to get together. So, with Portwell, they’ve technically been building them up at the end of season 1, but we’ll truly count the buildup starting from the Quincenero episode, which is episode 5, and they had 7 episodes worth of relationship buildup. So, I think, for the first 4 episodes, we’ll see some fluff and cute moments between the two when summer starts (and hopefully some kisses cuz like please I need to see at least one), but the angst will probably start in the middle of the season. It might take like around 4-5 episodes to fix, but I truly believe that they will not break up, and it will get resolved either near the final episode or the final episode of the season. Now for the REASON of their angst. I truly think the only “angst” worthy storyline is about EJ going off the college. As I can’t think of anything else that can topple their relationship. Firstly, EJ knows about the chocolates, which makes me think that he probably knows about Gina’s past crush on Ricky. Secondly, they resolved the whole “Big Brother” situation, and EJ knows that Gina doesn’t see her in that way. And the character development of E.J. and Gina. Back in season 1, they were arrogant and straight up ambitious people, who really don’t care about how others feel, but they truly changed as people in season 1 and 2, and had their character development moments. The contrast with them and Rini is that Season 1 focused on rini’s relationship development and season 2 and maybe 3 will really focused on their CHARACTER development. For Portwell, I think that would be flipped as they already had their Character development in season 1 and 2, so we probably will see their RELATIONSHIP development in season 3. So, since they already had their character development, I think it would be pointless to have unnecessary drama about their personalities or jealousy or whatnot, since they truly developed as people. So, the only thing I can possibly think of for their angst is EJ college arc. I know that they will probably fix it, but still I’m dreading to see it as I don’t want Portwell angst anymore. ☹ (ALSO PLEASE GIVE ME A PORTWELL DUET!! I NEED IT! Also, an EJ solo)

Ricky & Gina:

Personally, I do not ship Rina. I don’t think they would make a good couple; however, I think they would be really good friends. Someone they could confide in about their issues like Gina said “Sometimes I tell you things I don’t tell anyone else” and Ricky being like “I think we do that for each other.” We didn’t really get to see Ricky and Gina resolve their issues in season 2, partly because of Ricky’s character development. I am hoping to see in season 3, Ricky working on himself and fixing up his friendship with Gina. I think something that might happen is when Gina is going through her angst with EJ, and Ricky going through his own angst with Lily, they might be able to give each other advice and on how to handle it. However, PLEASE for the love of God, do not drag the whole love triangle back, because we do not need it. Gina has truly gotten over Ricky, and Ricky never seeing Gina as someone for his romantic relationship anyways, and he really needs to work on himself more, they should not be together as a couple. However, I do hope that they amend their friendship and is able to confide in each other once more, which I think will be cool and really help with Ricky’s character development.

Ricky & Lily:

Now this one. We know they will not be endgame, and I am 90% sure of the fact that Lily does not have romantic feelings for Ricky. Sure, she might find him attractive (and I mean who can blame her, Joshua Bassett is gorgeous), but she definitely does not like him in that way. We can see it when she “confesses” to him, she said to him “I like your brown hair and brown eyes” which are all physical descriptions of him, nothing about his personality which makes sense because she barely knows him, so how could she develop feelings for someone she doesn’t know. She has also stolen the harness, so we know that there would be no way that she likes him, and at the end of season 2, we don’t even get to see her feeling guilty about doing it, because she likes him. So that definitely setting in stone on how she’s only using him and manipulating him. Now for Ricky, yes you might be thinking “oh he’s calling her, why?” But Ricky does not know what we know. He was not there when Lily was talking to Gina about their roles as Belle, he was not there when Lily was laughing at Big Red, he was not there when she had a conversation with Miss Jenn, and he was not there when she planned with Antoine and when she stole the harness. In Ricky’s eyes, the reason that she was so mean to them is because of the Menkies, and their schools were enemies and rivals for it. He doesn’t know about Lily’s evil and ambitious side, and he believes that the Menkies might have made her that way. For example, he knows that the Menkies has turned Miss Jenn into someone different and a little bit mean, so he assumed the same for Lily, and when she asked for a second chance, Ricky gave it to her as he didn’t know. I feel like for the first couple of episodes, it will show Lily and Ricky “bonding” or getting to know each other, but Lily lying about the whole situation and really planning something behind his back, but we don’t know what yet. Maybe Ricky will be like “Huh, she’s a cool person, I’m starting to like her.” But then figuring out her plan, and finding out that she stole the harness. He then will be very upset and kind of heartbroken as he gave her a chance and she was only manipulating him the whole time. Maybe then, his character development will continue to grow and he will realize that he does not need to be in a relationship right now, and that he needs to work on himself and mature as a person. And I think him and Lily’s “relationship” will be a strong pushing point that he needs.

Seb & Carlos:

Now Seblos is one of my favourite ships in the show, and I love them to bits and pieces. However, as regarding their relationship, I feel like they have already resolved all their angst in season 2, it will be hard to make up angst for them in season 3, if they ever have one. I would like to say this though, I knew there was going to be angst for them in season 2, but the way they built it up, I thought the angst would be about how Carlos’ family is really rich, and Seb can’t compare because he lives on a farm, and it might make him self-conscious. Cause that’s where it seemed to be leading in the first few episodes of Season 2 (the sled, cashmere etc.). However, they brought a completely different angst to them which I thought was pretty surprising. Personally, I think they should’ve done the “class/money” difference in season 2, and then maybe the whole “why are you with me” angst for season 3, but maybe they MIGHT switch it around for season 3, and have the whole “class/money” difference then. Although, that’s probably the only “issue” I see for them ever, cause they’re a power couple and like what other angst could there be? Maybe they’ll introduce a new love interest but I highly doubt it because they already resolved the “I choose you always” in season 2. So, hoping there’s no Seblos angst, but if they do decide to throw in one, that might be the one they’ll do.

Big Red & Ashlyn:

Again, Redlyn is one of my favourite ships and they’re just so amazing. However, their storyline is hopefully again, all fluff for season 3, but one thing I realised that they didn’t really resolve in season 2 was the whole “Antoine” storyline. After episode 7, they never really talked about it again and introduced the new angst next episode with the whole “Career” thing. I feel like Antoine will be a more recurring character in season 3, as he only got like what? 10 minutes worth of screentime this season? (Maybe even less) and especially at the end as he joined Natalie in the final scene. So maybe there will be more of him in the next season, and slowly moving in on Ashlyn and making Big Red feeling like he’s not good enough, and then maybe Redlyn will FINALLY get their “I love you” confession then, because WE NEED IT! I’m manifesting for Redlyn “I love you” next season, and I think the whole situation with Antoine would be a nice way for Ashlyn to TRULY confirm to Big Red how much she loves him and how grateful she is for him, and vice versa. (Also manifesting for more EJ and Big Red friendship moments, like maybe Big Red goes for EJ for advice for his relationship with Ashlyn, and maybe EJ confiding in Big Red for Gina as well)

Kourtney & Howie:

As for Kourtney and Howie, they’re probably still going to work at the pizza shop together and continue to bond. A plot point that I think will be very interesting is maybe Kourtney trying to convince Howie to move to East High, but Howie kind of not wanting to, because he spent like 3 years there and it’s kind of his home. That might be a nice storyline to do, or it can be the opposite, where Howie is trying to transfer to North High, but Kourtney being worried like “Is he going to North High for me? I don’t want that, what if he hates it here”, but Howie confirming that he’s going to North High because the environment for him is better there and less competitive and toxic than North High. That might be a storyline that can happen for these two. I would also like for them to have a duet as well; I think Dara’s strong voice goes well with Roman’s soft voice and it would mesh well together.

Miss Jenn & Mr. Mazarra:

Now this one is a toughie, but I have some theories. Now we know that Ricky has given Miss Jenn permission to date his dad, which is another great character development for him, as he’s handling change and seeing other people’s happiness. However, as soon as he gave her permission, Mr. Mazarra confesses his feelings for Miss Jenn, which seemingly makes her happy, as we did get to see a little smile on her face when he did. Throughout Season 2, Benjamin was really the one comforting her, and giving her courage for the Menkies. We see it through episode 8, when he helped Miss Jenn film the commercial and how he put so much effort into making her coffee and setting up a table, just so she could relax. Same goes for episode 10, when she confides in him, and he acting like a therapist to her and accepting her anxious feelings, and helping her feel calmer and better. They are both opening up to each other. And I believe Miss Jenn truly appreciates him as a colleague and a friend. Now another moment is when Ricky’s dad comes to the show with flowers, and she was talking with Mr. Mazarra at the moment. When he called out her name, she smiles awkwardly and immediate turns to Mr. Mazarra saying something along the lines up “Why we always running into him?” and very awkwardly makes his way to him and you could tell she was slightly uncomfortable, with her awkward smiles and everything. This really contrasts from episode 3, where she herself walks up to Ricky’s dad and starts up a conversation, and how now, it is the other way around. Now, the whole problem of Mr. Mazarra leaving for Caltech. He confesses his romantic feelings to Miss Jenn, and really emphasizes on how she’s the only one who is stopping him from running off the California, which I believe that she is a big part of why, but also not fully. We really get to see Mr. Mazarra bonding with a lot of the students this season as well, E.J., Ricky, etc. I feel like he truly cares for his students, and in season 3, maybe he is thinking about if he really wants to stay in Utah for his students and of course, his budding relationship with Miss Jenn. Now, there was a scene in episode 4, where he was confiding to EJ about his rejection from Caltech. And he admits to EJ how he doesn’t think about Caltech very much anymore. He’s made his peace with it. This kind of mirrors EJ’s situation about Duke. EJ didn’t get into Duke from his own accord, but rather his dad got him in. Same can be said for Mr. Mazarra, EJ’s dad made the call for him for Caltech, and he didn’t really get in from his own as well, as he said previously, He was rejected many, many times. So maybe next season will really show him and his decision of staying at East High back in the fall, or leaving for Caltech. Now moving back to Miss Jenn. Next season, I feel like will focus on her and the students more, as this season, she was a really crappy teacher, and kept pushing them due to stress and wanting them to beat her ex at the Menkies. This season, I believe that she will return to the teacher that she was in season 1, and really focusing and hyping up the kids’ talents. I would love to see that Miss Jenn come back, and really help her students. Of course, the whole love triangle debacle will probably be fixed, I can maybe see Miss Jenn going out on a date with Ricky’s dad but thinking of Mr. Mazarra the whole time, and Ricky’s dad is a good man, so he might notice something is different about her, and tells her to go for it, her relationship with Mr. Mazarra before he moves or something. Also, since in season 2, we got to see Mr. Mazarra comfort Miss Jenn a lot, maybe this season will have Miss Jenn comforting Mr. Mazarra about Caltech, and if he truly wants to leave his students. Another thing I’d like to maybe see is Mr. Mazarra singing a song for Miss Jenn. We know that Mark St. Cyr has a good voice, as we saw from the Christmas special. So, him singing to Miss Jenn even though he doesn’t like musicals that much and all that, would show a lot of character development from Season 1.

Overall Plot:

Now, I have a few theories about summer. I’ve seen a lot of people saying they will go to a camp like “Camp Rock” which I think will be very likely to happen, and they put up a musical. What I can also see happening, is like High School Musical 2, where they go to a resort for work, and then putting up a musical there for the audience as well. Or they could just stay in Utah, and just relax for the summer, and not have any musical but just a lot of original songs about their summer in general and the stuff they’re going through. If they do a musical, I don’t think that they’ll do a musical from a movie or theatre, but rather write their own musical. I think it would be a really interesting concept, it can show us more imaginative and creative concept for a musical and have more original songs for the season. I would truly love to see that.

So that’s all for the character analysis and predictions I have for Season 3, sorry if it’s long lol

[thotsforvillainrights]

~Pivitol~

Summary: Things aren’t going so good...

Chapter: 17

Warnings: None

“Your phone is seriously bugging out. It buzzed so much you would think there was a fly stuck between the case. Is it your boyfriend?” Yuko reached over curiously and you smacked her hand away before grabbing your phone and hiding it in your pocket. “Um yes, and I’m not letting you step into the conversation this time either.” You huffed while continuing to work at your desk. Yuko sighed and rolled her eyes as she let her fingers fall back into line of the keyboard, meticulously tapping away at her work. “Chill, I wasn’t gonna pick it up and text him for you again. But anyway, I’m your friend right? Aren’t you gonna let me know what’s up? You seem off today.” 

You zoned out and debated whether or not to spill your guts to her upon this last hour before clocking out. It had been a week since you last saw Kai due to busying work schedule, and things were feeling a bit different lately. He was always texting or calling, trying to come over and hang out. It would’ve been fine but you needed to keep him away at the sake of focusing on your work and the important report due. Some big people were coming to the branch soon and everyone had to be on their toes or else there would be termination. Personally you needed this job to pay rent...or at least you needed it to feel accomplished for a bit. But that was just leading you into the thought of the issue at hand:

Kai was fully intent into getting you to move in with him.

“Yuko is it...I mean can you maybe...” You looked at the clock and sighed in relief. 5 minutes remaining. “Yuko can you take a 15? I’m about to clock out for today and I could use your company in the breakroom real quick.” That was code word for ‘please take a minute and I’ll explain it to you’. She nodded eagerly. Within the next 10 minutes you two were at the table munching on grapes and little fruit slices. “So the thing lately is that I’ve been feeling different with Kai. I mean, I love him and all but he’s been up my ass a little bit lately. My main concern isn’t really that though. I mean I know he’s been more of a loner until I came around so of course he’s gonna want to hang out often. My biggest concern is that he wants me to drop everything and move in with him. He wants to pay all my bills etc. yknow? He even told me that if I didn’t want to quit this job when I moved in with him that he’d literally buy me a car so I could travel to work and back.”

“ARE YOU SERIOUS!?” She smacked the table with excitement. You shushed her and looked around to make sure no one was coming in on the conversation. “Sorry but what the hell??? Y/N that’s like a dream come true right?! You don’t have to work, but even if you did then he would get you a new car AND you can live with him??? He’s going to spoil you!” While her eyes sparkled with excitement and the will to live vicariously through you, your eyes were dulled with a bit of annoyance and exasperation. “It’s not a dream world like you would think. Some of us would like to have time to function as an adult with ourselves without leaning on someone else for a while. I literally haven’t even been working here that long. And having someone buy me an entire car?! I could never think to return that kind of generosity. I couldn't afford to even if I tried and worked my whole life. I just wish he would give a little time to think about this mess and I wish he’d consider my feelings yknow? If I had some time maybe it wouldn’t be too big of a deal, but lately I’ve been feeling like I’m backed into a corner. I mean, look at these text messages from earlier!” You reached into your pocket and pulled your phone out, sliding it on the table for Yuko to get.

“Woooowwww...”

“Yeah, a bit much right?”

“No no not that! I mean wow, a Mercedes? Figure you can take one for the team and give it to me instead?” You reached to take your phone and bonk her on the head a bit. “Cut it out, this isn’t time to joke!” You groaned and gripped the sides of your head. Yuko sighed and rubbed the top of her head before moving her chair to sit next to you and hug you. “Do you want my honest opinion even if it hurts? Or do you want me to sugar coat it?” She asked you as she nestled into you tightly. You sighed and hugged here back, uttering your answer for the honest opinion. “I don’t think you’re worried about taking things to fast with him are you? I think you’re content and comfortable with him. I also think you really love him and care for him. I really don’t think the timing of your relationship matters all that much because speed is different for a lot of people in this world and we don't all go by one set time limit for everything. I think that you’re just too prideful sometimes. Maybe you come from an environment where you had to depend on someone for so long that now you cling to the thought of singularity and independence. I think that if you were ever in trouble that you wouldn’t think to ask for help at all because you’d want to get out of things yourself even if you drag yourself through the mud to do it. I think even when provided with a means to keep working here that you still don’t move in with him because you might be worried about leaning on him and the fear of him possibly holding his acts of kindness over your head to manipulate you later on scares you. Because maybe this happened before in your life with someone that wasn’t so kind? But at the end of the day Y/N you need to trust him and fall back on him a little bit. You’re not losing your independence or your sense of self just by moving into a house with your boyfriend yknow? And when someone offers you an entire car just to get you by their side everyday? That means he really must love you. He wants this moving in thing so bad that he’s willing to get you whatever you need to do it. Maybe just think a little bit harder on it and get him an answer okay?” Yuko pulled out of the hug and smiled gently at you before peeking down at her watch. “Oh shit! I’m like 12 minutes over for my break, gotta jet! Text me later and let me know if things get any better!” Just like a jet of lightning she was out of the breakroom and back at her desk, furiously typing away and trying to catch up to herself. You laughed lightly and put your phone away as you headed out of the office and back home.

When you got off the elevator to your floor, you gasped at Chisaki standing right by your front door. “Oh Angel! You’re a bit late today. I took the liberty of bringing in your mail from your box downstairs by the way. Oh here, let me get this bag for you. Oh yeah did you think about the thing we talked about the other day? Can you get back to me with an answer now? I was looking into some good moving services the other day when I figure why not just have Rappa and Katsukame come lug the heavier stuff. We can move your bed to  guest room or we can sell it if you want to. Oh and the extra Tv we can move to the-”

“Oh my God Kai please STOP. I’m literally begging you to stop this! You’re literally all down my throat with this shit. You’ve made plan after plan and I never gave you a yes for any of this just yet! I asked you for time and you’ve given me barely ANY to get my head in the right space for all of this! Why are you pushing me so damn fast like this?! You’re making plans to sell my stuff now too???”

“Y/N...I just thought-”

“YOU CAN TAKE A MOMENT TO CONSIDER MY FEELINGS PLEASE!??? What if I say no huh? What if I just never move in with you then what??? Will I be stuck for the rest of this relationship listening to you continue to make plans for me and beg me over and over and over until I say yes to whatever the hell it is that you want me to say yes to?”

“Y/N...”

“Kai please, I’m begging you to just give me some space.”

“...Understood...” He gently placed your mail on the table and headed out the door swiftly. You collapsed on the couch and sighed loudly, rubbing your temples and trying to navigate the throbbing of the oncoming headache. Worst of all, the overwhelming feeling of guilt was slowing trickling down and filling you up until you felt absolutely awful for everything you just dumped on him. You sighed and got up to trudge off to the shower where you could think and wash your worries away. Meanwhile, Kai wasn’t doing very good himself. After leaving your apartment in a hurry he was left in a state of confusion, sadness, and numbness wondering where exactly he went wrong. “Back so soon my boy? That was a quick trip! Is my beloved in-law out there with you? I assume you must’ve picked her/him/them up to come here instead yes?” Kai simply stared at Pops with annoyance before huffing and heading downstairs to his office. “Without a single word eh?” Pops sighed to himself and slowly stood up. “I suppose I had better go speak to him then.” The old man made his way belowground and went straight to Kai’s most likely location: his office. He knocked twice and listened at the door. 

“Whoever it is I suggest you leave before cleanup crew has to mop your insolent body from the concrete.” Pops held in his chuckle and shook his head as he entered the office. “Still haven’t changed all these years eh? You know you were quite like this as a child too. When you used to get upset you would have a very mean way about you, but you never scared me kid. You don’t scare me now either. So now tell me what’s got you so upset today? Lovers spat perhaps?” Kai immediately snapped his head up and stared at Pops. “How the hell did you know that.”

“I wasn’t born yesterday boy. I was married with a kid once. I know more about this stuff than you think. I’m going to go out on a limb and say you must’ve caused this. Judging by your prickly personality, what did you do.”

“Victim blaming when I’m your own son? You’re a very cold man you know.” Kai joked dryly and Pops smiled. “If you must know, I don’t know what the hell happened. I was just visiting Y/N since we hadn’t been with each other for a few days. I can’t begin to imagine what caused the argume-” Kai paused and thought about the words pouring from your lips. Aside from all the bitterness he felt from being chewed out for the first time he actually heard what you said and pieced it altogether. “I suppose I may be laying a bit much on Y/N right now. I just crave her/his/their presence more often and every hour not spent with my Angel is driving me insane. I’m damn near on the verge of wanting to kidnap but then I remember how that’s shunned on by society.” Pops laughed and shook his head. Yes the boy hadn’t changed much at all, even throughout the years. “I want Y/N to move in with me so much so that I’ve gone about finalizing things without permission. Which by the way reminds me, there’s going to be a new car in the driveway in another day or two. Don’t panic, I bought it for Y/N as a gift. I used the money from those drug dealings I was doing for that week. And BEFORE you lay into me about it, I shut it down and won’t be interacting with it any more in the future.”

“You say that and you had better run through it for real this time young man, or it’ll be you moving out of this house instead of Y/N moving in. Do you hear me?” Pops threatened with a scowl and Kai rolled his eyes. “Yes.”

“Now beside all that, I would be over the moon if Y/N were to move in with us! However, you have to be gentle and take your time with these things. You always tend to take things far past their limits and I can understand that Y/N must be feeling drowned in everything you’re bringing forward. Take a moment, give some time, and I guarantee everything will be just fine between the two of  you.” Pops stood up and placed a gentle hand on Kai’s head as he passed to leave out of the office. Once left alone, the young head stared at your contact in the phone debating on whether or not he would call you. He ultimately decided on giving it time to air out before getting in contact with you again. It was the hardest thing he would do, but he wanted to prove to himself he could take things slow. At least slow enough to let you calm down and make your choice. 

Still...the silence was killing him.

[malfoys-demigod]

All These Years - Spencer Reid x Reader

Requested by anon: Ahoy, could u write a Spencer fic where Readers adopted parents are unsubs on the case she & the team are working on? She doesn't get on with them, so the FBI are her real family. She's badass, and even Morgan is a bit scared of her when she gets the confession out of them. Behind the glass, Spencer is talking to him and Rossi about asking you to become his girlfriend and move in with him after you've been dating for a while but have been best friends for years.

Warnings: Abuse, death, etc. 

“I hate Las Vegas,” I complained, saying ‘Las Vegas’ with disgust. “I may have lived there, but I will never consider it my home.” 

“What’s in Las Vegas, Lil mama? Got yourself an actual boyfriend you’re hiding from Reid?” Morgan joked, sitting across us in the jet. I gave Morgan a serious look, causing him to put his hands up in defeat, terrified, “I’m sorry, you must really hate it there.” 

 I looked at Spencer, who must have been sad but understanding as he knew my reasons, “You know you’re the only thing I don’t hate about Vegas, right?” I held his hand tightly. Las Vegas was something I did not take to heart lightly. It may have been the place I first met Spencer since we were neighbors, but it was also the place where my parents died and where my adopted family raised me. 

I never did love my new family. I sometimes wished I was in the car with my parents where they died. My new family only took me in, hoping I was a potential move to higher their social standing. You see, they were what Rose in Titanic called, ‘new money’ and they wanted their image to look good by becoming a ‘four-member household family. So when I was 5 years old, my new parents Robert and Maria took me out of foster care into their family, along with their son, Peter. 

When they saw that I wasn’t into their pretentious and insecure life, they immediately shut me down, ignoring my needs and wants, only doing things to me that would help their image look better. That’s where I got my rebellious and cold side. Every time I was brought to galas and high-class events, I’d always take the chance to spite and humiliate them, attempting to embarrass them. I became a strong person at a young age as they physically abused me after each spite done to them once we were at home. From there on, I knew my actions had consequences, so I decided to save myself from more bruises and scars. Nobody at my age at these high-class events liked me. They could sniff that I wasn’t one of them, so I was friendless. That was until Spencer moved, residing beside me. I knew he wasn’t one of those socialists so we became friends. It was too unfortunate that we never went to the same schools as he went to a public school while I went to a private one. I thought I could manage different schools but at the age of 12, my best friend moved to California to attend college at Caltech. He once too thought it was the end of our friendship, but I told him to wait 6 years for me as I planned on running away for college. And I did. That’s where I got my independence. 

I grew strongly independent as I saved up all my allowances these 6 years to finally run away to California. I wasn’t accepted into Caltech but I managed to get into the University of Southern California which was only 20 minutes away from Spencer who was getting his doctorates, meaning I still had the chance to see him, and I did almost every day. 

When I finished University and when he finished getting his two doctorates, we applied together into the FBI academy, becoming agents at the Behaviour Analysis Unit. The team found it cute and humorous how we were best of friends, making them play matchmaker a few years after, managing us to going out together. We’re not yet labeled as ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ yet but we’re somewhere there and it was good enough for them, especially Morgan. 

Despite having a case that revolved around the mass killings of socialites, I still prayed that my family was dead or that I wouldn’t bump into them while working on the case. But I was wrong. I found out my brother Peter was one of the latest casualties whose body was dumped and we managed to pin an unsub, a Michael Brown, who was rejected from high-class society and killed the socialites he encountered, but he confessed that he didn’t kill Peter. The team was hesitant to believe him, but I did. As Spencer and I were rewatching my parents of television, begging to stop the murders, I found their body language quite odd. 

After convincing Hotch that there was something weird about them, we traveled to my old house, interviewing them. It was challenging, seeing them after so long. They didn’t even bother taking a second look at me as they preferred to talk to the rest of the team. I knew they were disappointed in me leaving but I was the only one who could get them into confessing. 

I made my way into the living room where they sat to talk with Morgan. “Let me talk to them, Derek,” I asked politely but seriously. “Y/N, we don’t want to talk to you-” “LISTEN TO ME.” I forcefully interrupted, “I know there’s something up between you to and you better tell me quickly. I want to get out of this state as quickly as possible.” I screamed, scarring my parents to jump.

“I-I didn’t do anything.” my mother stuttered. 

“‘I’ so that means you didn’t kill him,” I then turned to my father, “But he did.” My mother jumped and went on her knees, crying her eyes out, “P-please, your father didn’t mean it, he was only trying to lecture Peter. It was an accident.” 

“So let me guess, you helped him dump Peter’s body somewhere far away from this house and tried to frame it on Michael Brown? Fucking pathetic, mother. We’ll be discussing more of this at the police department.” I said, looking at the team, “Let’s go.”

As I walked with Spencer, hand-in-hand, Morgan followed behind, patting my back, “That was badass, Y/N. I’m again sorry for that joke in the jet, I didn’t know.” 

“Not to worry, Morgan,” I reassured him. 

On the way to the police department, Spencer wrapped an arm around me, holding me tightly, “I’m sorry about Peter and your parents, love.” I placed my head on his shoulders, “There’s nothing you have to be sorry about. My family never loved me. In fact, they aren’t my family, I consider you and the team my family.” 

SPENCER’S POV

As we arrived, Y/N asked me if I could take her place to follow up on any questions with Rossi behind the glass. I was beyond grateful for this opportunity as I wanted to talk to her parents. 

Before entering I stopped Rossi, “I don’t think there’s anything to follow up with them concerning the case but I was wondering if you could sit with me as I tell them something concerning Y/N and me.” Rossi smirked, knowing where this would go and nodded, “Anything for you, kid.” 

When we stepped in, Y/N’s parents looked up as they saw me, a familiar face. “I still can’t believe you and Y/N are still in touch, in fact, working alongside each other.” Maria faintly smiled. “How was she been?” 

“For your information, she’s been flourishing.” I proudly said. 

“Oh?”

“Yes, after she left you, she attended University at the University of Southern California, graduating top of her class with honors. We were 20 minutes away from each other so I’d constantly helped her in her academics and made sure I was there for her all the time.” 

“You’ve been a good friend, Dr. Reid.” Maria nodded. 

“Well, we’re more than friends actually. We’re not exactly boyfriend and girlfriend yet but we’ve been going out for quite some time and we’ve been happy together. We complete each other. I love her with all of my heart and I just want to let you know that I’m planning to ask her to be my girlfriend and have her move in with me. I don’t need your permission, I’m just letting you know.” I said full-heartedly, looking at Rossi who gave me a small thumbs up. 

Before Maria could speak, Robert finally spoke up, “Well we just want you to know that despite our reputation has shattered, we’re glad Y/N has someone like you to be by her side when we didn’t. You two will make a great couple.” he faintly said. 

“Thank you, and I know we will.” I stood up, walking out with Rossi who still hasn’t left his smirk. 

“When are you going to tell her, kid?” he asked

“Now,” I replied. 

I ran outside the interrogation room, only to find her sitting at a desk, patiently waiting for me. As she saw me, she stood up walking towards me, “How’d it go-” I stopped her by kissing her passionately, wrapping my arms around her body. As we let go, I took a deep breath and said, “Y/N, I love you so much, you know that.” I spoke, “It’s about time I ask you to be my girlfriend and move in with me. Will you do me the honor and accept?” 

She happily nodded, “I accept a thousand times.” she hugged me, “The only thing good about Vegas is you, Spence and that’s not a coincidence.”

[nicknellie]

Anonymous requested: Julie and the Phantoms are on tour and Juke are dating, one stop on tour Luke gets sick  (woke up with fever, swollen glands, sore throat etc) and the doctor diagnoses him with strep and an ear infection and Julie takes care his stubborn butt back to the hotel because he doesn't like to let down the fans since they have to cancel few shows.

Anonymous requested: alive guys, out of school in the real world, now all living in an apartment together. The 5 Times Luke Was Sick, and The 5 Times Julie Cured Him and maybe add in the 1 time Luke returns the favour of taking care of Julie.

Anonymous requested: Luke and Julie are married and have a daughter (Rose, 3). Rose and Luke end up waking up sick with the flu and Julie takes care of them, and she gets worn down from doing everything and caring for them. And even with him being sick in bed he lays with Rose when Julie’s beat and cuddles her when she feels sick even though he feels the same. Cute family fluff basically.

We Will Fight To Shine Together

The entire week had been hectic. Julie – along with her boys, Luke, Alex, and Reggie – had finally got the keys to their new apartment and had spent the whole of the previous two days hauling their belongings there from their respective homes. Ray Molina, protective as always, had been breathing down their necks in a frantic and worried attempt to help them out, the presence of Willie and Flynn had resulted in less unpacking and more Cardboard Box Wars, and most of their things were strewn about in unlikely places after the chaos of unpacking; just that morning Julie had found Alex’s drumsticks in the fridge.

But they were finally there, they were finally home, and there was nothing to worry about. Everything in the apartment seemed to be in order, they weren’t set to go on tour for another six months so the stress of that was still a way off, and the band’s new-found sense of freedom and independence hung over them like a rainbow. There was nothing that could have gone wrong. Nothing except–

“Dude, you look sick! And not in the good way.”

Julie had been sat atop the kitchen counter, watching Alex prepare their breakfast, but she looked towards the door when she heard Reggie’s exclamation. Stood in the doorway, bundled in about four hoodies, his eyes bloodshot and his nose running, was Luke. Reggie was right – he looked as if he were about to keel over and die. His puppy dog eyes were wide and watery and he looked utterly dreadful.

“Luke,” Julie said, hopping off the counter and heading over to him. “Are you feeling alright?”

He shook his head and sniffled pathetically. “I’m sick,” he grumbled.

“Yeah, you look it,” Julie said. She took his hand and gently led him towards a kitchen chair. He collapsed into it with a relieved sigh as if he couldn’t have bared standing any longer.

To Julie’s surprise (and slight annoyance) Alex and Reggie were laughing.

“You must have the weakest immune system known to man,” Alex joked as he put the group’s breakfast onto plates.

“On the bright side, Willie owes me ten dollars,” Reggie said with a beam. “I bet him you wouldn’t last two weeks before getting sick.”

Julie put her hands on her hips and glared at the two boys who immediately ceased their laughter. She knew she could be quite terrifying when she wanted to and she didn’t like abusing that power too much, but this was a situation she felt called for it.

“You two are seriously lacking compassion,” she scolded, pointing to and from Alex and Reggie. “Your friend is ill and all you can do is laugh at him. It’s mean – he has it difficult enough right now.”

Luke, pouting pathetically, nodded in agreement.

Alex and Reggie, both looking suitably chastised, muttered, “Sorry Julie.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t apologise to me.”

“Sorry Luke.”

“That’s better,” she said. Julie took herself out of Mother Mode and returned to Supportive Girlfriend. She gently ran her fingers through Luke’s hair – he relaxed a little as her touch. “I’m going to take you back to bed, you’re going to get some rest while I look up your symptoms, and then I’m going to take care of you.”

Luke’s eyes widened. “It’s probably just a cold. You don’t have to do that.”

“I don’t, but I’m going to. Come on.”

Julie sent one more cutting glare to Reggie and Alex before helping Luke stand and leading him back through their little apartment to their shared bedroom. She eased him back into the bed, helped him make a half-nest-half-fort with the pillows and duvet, then grabbed her laptop and set up YouTube for him. Then, she pulled up a tab on her phone and sat beside him on the bed.

“Do you feel like you’re going to be sick?” she asked.

Luke shook his head.

“Are you feeling dizzy at all?”

“A little bit,” he croaked.

She smiled knowingly. “Sore throat too?”

He closed his eyes and nodded.

Julie asked him more questions, then determined that because of the stress of moving his immune system had utterly crashed and some nasty bug had seized the opportunity. According to the internet, he needed plenty of bed rest, he should have been kept warm, he needed a lot of water, and most of all he simply needed to not do anything for a while.

“But we’re supposed to go to the studio tomorrow to record a bunch of songs,” Luke protested when Julie told him. He sat up abruptly, but eased himself back down, a hand rested against his forehead, wincing.

“You’re not going anywhere like that,” Julie told him. “I’ll call the studio and let them know we’ll have to record your parts a different time. Don’t say anything,” she commanded as he opened his mouth to argue again. “I’m not changing my mind.”

He grumbled something she couldn’t quite hear but assumed was something childishly rude – it had certainly sounded as if he’d been mocking her voice. She ignored him and instead headed back out to the kitchen. Julie grabbed painkillers and a large glass of water and took them back to Luke who had started a long YouTube playlist of Bondi Rescue videos.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be sitting in front of a screen if you’re dizzy,” Julie contemplated, handing him the tablets and the drink. Luke looked up at her with a mixture of sadness and fury in his eyes.

“I’ve already lost my health, I can’t lose Bondi Rescue too,” he said.

She breathed a laugh and sat back down beside him. He immediately melted into her side, his head rested against her abdomen. She stroked her fingers through his hair and felt him sigh at the touch.

He was asleep within minutes.

*

Julie and the Phantoms were on tour. It was a moment they had all been anticipating ever since they’d inducted Julie into the band. The four of them had saved up enough money to buy their own tour bus emblazoned with their faces and the band’s logo and were spending nine months driving across the United States and Canada to perform their show to sold-out crowds. Julie could hardly believe it was happening.

Right that moment, part of her wished it weren’t happening.

Julie had been led to understand that before she joined the band and became the responsible one, Alex was the ‘parental figure’ who had kept Luke and Reggie (both far more boisterous by nature) in check. If anyone had told her that on the second leg of their tour, she would not have believed it for a moment. Alex was sat in the passenger seat beside her, but was leaning over the back of it to swat at Reggie who was kicking the back of his seat. Both were calling each other childish names and their hands were flapping about like they were having a catfight. Julie had given up trying to stop them about two hundred miles ago.

Looking after them sometimes felt like having a pair of toddlers. Though more often it was like having three toddlers because Luke would find a way to join in on the shenanigans. But right then, in the backseat beside Reggie, he was oddly quiet.

“Luke,” Julie called over Alex and Reggie’s squabbling, readjusting the mirror so she could see Luke behind her. “You okay?”

Luke nodded then tried to clear his throat. “Yeah,” he said, voice gravelly. “Sore throat, that’s all.”

Julie frowned. “Are you sure? You don’t sound good. Will you be able to sing for tomorrow’s show?”

His eyes widened frantically at the mention of the performance. “Of course! I’ll be fine, it’s just a sore throat.”

It was, unfortunately, very clearly not just a sore throat.

Julie pulled the tour bus into the parking lot of their hotel and the gang all headed to their rooms. Julie and Luke were sharing, partially to save money and partially because they wanted to. Before they went to sleep, Julie checked again with Luke to see if he was alright and again he told her in that rough voice that he was fine.

However, when they woke up Luke seemed distinctly worse for wear. He was radiating heat like the sun but shivering as if he were in the arctic, he was complaining of pain in his right ear, and when Julie looked down his throat she saw that his tonsils were swollen and covered in white spots.

“You’re not going on stage like this,” she said, shaking her head. “No way. I’m calling a doctor.”

“I don’t need a doctor,” Luke insisted, attempting to hoist himself into a sitting position but giving up quickly. “It’s just a sore throat.”

“You can try telling me that again when you can swallow more than a drop of water,” Julie said before picking up her phone and calling the nearest doctor.

Luckily, the doctor was able to come out to the hotel so Luke didn’t have to even get out of bed. The doctor took one look at his symptoms, then turned to Julie.

“Looks like strep throat,” they said, snapping their latex gloves off. “The pain in the ear is because of an ear infection that came after the bacteria travelled from the throat to the middle ear. I’m going to prescribe him a course of antibiotics, he’ll need to take them all otherwise the infection will come back stronger. I recommend he doesn’t perform for at least another month to give the infection ample time to heal.”

“A month?” Luke tried to yell, but it came out as an outraged breathy whisper.

“Yes,” the doctor said, looking down at him over their glasses. “Your infection is particularly severe, Mr Patterson, and if you want to finish your tour then I suggest you take my advice.”

“We can’t cancel shows,” Luke protested weakly. “Think of how excited everyone’s been…”

Julie smiled to the doctor and saw them out of the room. “Thank you very much,” she said. “I’ll make sure he gets those antibiotics and plenty of rest.”

Once the doctor was gone, Julie called Flynn, the official manager for Julie and the Phantoms and Julie’s lifelong best friend. “Cancel every show for the next month,” she instructed. “Doctor’s orders.”

“Are you alright, Jules?” Flynn said, immediately sounding concerned. “I can come over and take care of you, whatever you need, I’ll book a flight right now–”

“I’m fine, Flynn,” Julie assured her. “It’s Luke. He’s got strep.”

“Oh no.” Flynn’s worry morphed into something akin to disappointment. “He’s literally the worst one of you guys to get ill right now.”

“Tell me about it. He’s furious that we’ve even suggested cancelling the shows.”

“He gets it’s for his own good, right?” Flynn asked.

Julie shook her head even though Flynn couldn’t see her. “He knows that but he doesn’t want to let everyone down. He’s been more excited for the tour than the fans have – he doesn’t want any of it to go wrong and this is about as wrong as it could go.”

“I’m sure he’ll get over it once the ‘get well soon’ messages start arriving,” Flynn said.

“I think that’ll just make it worse,” Julie countered. “Anyway, it’s fine. There’s nothing we can do. Just make sure everyone knows the next shows are cancelled.”

“You got it, boss. Good luck with Luke.”

“I’ll need it.”

Julie hung up on Flynn and headed back towards Luke. He was still sat up in the bed, looking very sorry for himself as he pouted with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Hey,” she said softly, crouching down next to his side of the bed. “I’m going to make you some hot honey and lemon water – my mom always made it for me when I got a sore throat. It’ll help, I promise. Is there anything else you want?”

“I want to do the shows,” he said petulantly.

Julie shook her head firmly. “You heard the doctor – none of us are going on any stage for another month. Flynn’s cancelling the shows as we speak.”

Luke looked aghast. “No!”

“Yes. You’re sick, Luke. And think about it; if this were me or Alex or Reggie in your position, what would you say to do?”

“I’d say we should cancel the shows until you got better,” he said as if the answer were obvious, then he seemed to hear his own words and deflated a little. “Fine. I suppose this is for the best. I… I just feel like I’m letting everyone down.”

Julie intertwined their fingers and held his hand tightly. She gave him a soft, reassuring smile. “You aren’t letting anybody down, Luke. It’s not your fault that you’re sick and there’s nothing any of us can do about it now. All that can be done is for you to rest and take your meds so that the next shows we do are as good as they can be. Okay?”

He rolled his eyes sighed, but there was the tiniest smile playing about his lips. “Okay.”

*

Julie had said it was a bad idea from the very beginning, but the boys had insisted that they’d done it before and it was perfectly safe.

It felt good to be proven right, but less good to be vomited on.

The first problem was that there was definitely not enough room anywhere in their tiny apartment for three grown men to attempt the famous lift from Dirty Dancing. Julie had pointed that out. She had pointed it out almost a dozen times. Every time, Reggie had told her that they didn’t actually need a lot of space, trust me.

The second problem was that their heights simply didn’t add up to a safe lift. Luke and Reggie were of a similar build, but Alex was much taller and there wasn’t really anywhere for him to go – if he held up one of the guys, they’d be held at an angle; if he were the one on top, he would likely crush the other two.

The third and final problem was that none of the boys were dancers and had no training or experience, therefore none of them knew how to do the lift properly and safely. Julie had stretched this argument to its breaking point but the three idiots had not heeded her warning.

And so they had done the lift.

It had started out strong. They had decided that Alex would be the one in the air, so Luke and Reggie had got into position with their hands outstretched and Alex had taken a great running start and leapt at them. To their credit, the boys held Alex in the air for a solid three seconds before Reggie lost his balance and Luke’s grip slipped, and the three of them went tumbling to the ground.

Julie watched in unsurprised horror as Alex fell flat on top of Reggie and scrambled to get off him, while Luke dropped far too close to the dining table and whacked his head on its corner with a grotesque thud.

He was out cold.

Julie muttered a curse and hurried towards him. Alex and Reggie gathered around slowly too, warily looking down at Luke, clearly feeling guilty.

“Luke?” Julie said to the unconscious lump in her lap. He was heavier than he looked – she privately understood why they had decided to lift Alex instead. “Can you hear me, sweetie?”

After a few more minutes, Luke came to, groaning and cradling his head.

“Hey,” Alex said, smiling brightly. “You’re awake! Sorry about that, we–”

Alex didn’t get to finish his sentence because Luke interrupted him by loudly and violently throwing up on Alex’s shoes. A little bit hit Julie’s dress and she quickly yanked the fabric out of the way.

Alex looked at his shoes disappointedly. After a long while he said, “I am going to the bathroom. Either to shower or be sick, I’m not sure yet,” and then disappeared.

Reggie was a deathly shade of green, staring at Luke and the vomit.

“If you don’t like it you can go, Reggie,” Julie said. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

Reggie nodded and followed Alex out of the room, wide-eyed.

“Let’s get you to bed, huh?” Julie said. Luke nodded vaguely, his eyes far away, and she led him through the apartment to their bedroom. She only just managed to get him into bed before he started slipping into unconsciousness again.

It was plain as day that Luke had a nasty concussion. Julie tucked him into bed, then switched off the lights and drew the curtains so that it was almost pitch black. She got him an enormous glass of water and readied all the painkillers she could find, as well as grabbing a large bowl so that he didn’t have to run to the bathroom if he needed to be sick again. Then she looked up concussion on her phone – it said that if he’d woken up after being knocked out then he needed to go to hospital; she wasn’t sure how she was meant to get him there now that he was unconscious again.

Julie decided to wait until he woke up again. She laid down beside him on the bed and pressed the gentlest of kisses to his forehead.

“You’re such an idiot,” she whispered. “I love you.”

*

Julie loved her boys usually, but sometimes she really believed they lacked the common sense necessary for general survival.

“You did what?!”

Luke, Alex, and Reggie looked between each other frantically, stuttering for excuses.

“Uuuuhhhh…”

“Nothing really out of the ordinary, I don’t think.”

“Pretty sure it was actually you who did something they shouldn’t have.”

Julie raised her hands and the boys silenced. She glared at them, half furious and half exasperated.

“Are you seriously telling me – or rather not telling me – that after all the times I specifically told you it would be a bad idea, you went and got hotdogs that were being sold out of the back of an Oldsmobile?”

“In our defence,” Reggie piped up, raising his hand like a kid answering a question in class, “they smelled really good.”

“Wish they’d tasted as good as they smelled,” Luke grumbled. Alex hit him.

“I have never met anyone with less common sense!” Julie yelled, waving her arms. “What is wrong with you? What made you think it’d be a good idea? How did you not think that it was the dodgiest set up for any fast food ever?”

“Relax,” Reggie said, “street dogs haven’t killed us yet.”

The highly questionable hotdogs did not, in fact, kill them. However, the next day all three boys were overcome with food poisoning so horrible that Julie simply could not take care of them all by herself.

That morning she sent a quick text to Willie to offload Alex to him: Come and get your dumb boyfriend, he and his idiot friends ate bad hotdogs and got sick, you can take one. Twenty minutes later, Willie showed up to take Alex back to his apartment, an ungodly amount of blankets in his hands when he arrived at the apartment.

Reggie was the least ill – he could pretty much take care of himself and at the very least he wasn’t throwing up everywhere. He stayed on the couch, watching some cartoon on repeat. Julie let him be.

Luke, on the other hand, was quite the task. He was feeling and looking absolutely dreadful, unable to move himself from his bed and being sick whenever he tried to do so much as drink a glass of water. Julie truly had her hands full trying to take care of him.

Despite his protests, she called the studio and cancelled their appointment with Luke today. He was in no fit state to record any hit songs right then; he could hardly even open his mouth without sick coming out of it.

Feeling particularly frazzled, Julie finally allowed herself a little break from rushing around after Luke to relax, just for a moment. She settled herself comfortably onto the bed beside Luke once his sickness had calmed down a bit and fired up Netflix. She could feel his doleful eyes on her as she selected a movie and let it play.

“I’m sorry,” he croaked.

“Are you apologising for being sick or for eating those hotdogs even though I told you not to?” she questioned.

Luke had the good grace to look a little ashamed. “Both.”

Julie shifted a little to wrap her arms around Luke’s midriff. “Don’t apologise for being sick. It is your fault, but don’t say sorry for it. I will accept your apology for disobeying me though.”

Luke rested his head against Julie’s shoulders, shuffling further into the covers. “We should have listened to you, I know. But if you could have just smelled those hotdogs…”

“Yeah, I’m sure they smelled great mingling with the stench of petrol,” Julie deadpanned. “I’m starting to think you three need constant adult supervision.”

“We are adults.”

“That’s why I’m so worried.”

Luke huffed a laugh, but then frowned. “I feel bad. You’re always the one taking care of me. Just once I want to take care of you.”

Julie raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying you want me to get sick?”

“No, no, I didn’t mean that,” he said hurriedly, even though Julie had been joking. “I just meant that you do such a good job with this every time. I want to give you a break.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Julie assured him. “But… if I ever do get sick, I’ll make sure to come straight to you and you can take care of me. Deal?”

“Deal,” Luke said with a soft smile.

*

It had been many years since Luke had been really sick. Julie had naively thought that maybe they’d get lucky and he’d never be sick again. Maybe his laughable immune system had finally caught up and had strengthened itself against what most people could avoid easily.

Wishful thinking.

Flu season was set to ruin Julie’s life. She had woken up one Monday morning and followed her usual routine, heading to her daughter’s bedroom to wake her up for preschool. She had shaken little Rose awake, but the three-year-old had been extremely hot.

“Oh, sweetie,” Julie had said gently. “Are you feeling sick?”

Rose, rubbing her teary tired eyes, had nodded and cried very quietly.

Julie had pulled her into a hug. “Okay, honey. You go back to sleep. It’s alright.”

She laid Rose back down, tucked her back in, and encouraged her to sleep. It took a long time and a lot of tears from Rose, but eventually the little girl drifted back into a fitful slumber. Feeling like all she wanted to do was go to sleep herself, Julie headed back to her own bedroom and shook Luke awake.

“Luke,” she whispered. “Rose is sick. I’m going to call the preschool and tell them she won’t be in, but then I’ve got to get to the studio. You think you can take care of her today?”

Luke sleepily opened his eyes and groaned as he shifted into a sitting position. He held a hand to his head – it looked far too similar to him steadying his balance for Julie’s liking.

She sighed. “Please don’t tell me you’re sick as well?”

Luke tried for a smile. “No, no, I’m alright. I’ll take care of Rose, don’t worry.”

He tried to swing himself out of bed, but Julie didn’t miss the way that the sudden movement made him wince. That and the fact that he clapped a hand to his mouth, the other held over his stomach. Unsteadily, he got to his feet and headed to the bathroom. A few minutes later, he came back to the bedroom looking sheepish.

“I’m sick too,” he said quietly.

Julie sighed haggardly and looked to the alarm clock on her bedside table. She needed to be at the studio to start her recording session in half an hour, but no part of her was willing to leave her husband and daughter alone while both of them were seeming awfully ill. She quickly made her decision.

“You get back to bed,” she said gently to Luke, taking his hand and leading him back to the bed.

“No, I need to get Rose,” he said, but he grudgingly followed her.

“I’m going to get Rose,” Julie told him as she sat him down and tucked him in. “I’ll bring her here and you can stay snuggled up together. I’ll call the preschool, run some errands, and I’ll check on you both later, okay?”

Luke nodded and lifted Julie’s hand to his lips as if to kiss it, then seemed to think better of it and dropped it. “Okay. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Julie went back to Rose’s room. The little girl was fast asleep, wriggling around a little as she dreamt, her black curls that were the same as her mother’s spread out over her pillow. Gently, Julie picked her up and held her tightly to her chest, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head as she carried her to her own bedroom.

Luke smiled as Julie entered the room with Rose cradled in her arms. He lifted up the duvet so that Julie could lay Rose down beside him. As she put Rose down, the little girl woke up. She looked around, seeming surprised to have been moved. Then she began to cry very, very quietly.

“Dada,” she wailed, tiny fists clutching at Luke’s pyjama top. “Mama!”

Julie was exhausted. She could see a long day ahead of her, looking after both of the most important people in her life as they battled this disgusting illness. But as she looked at them – tearful little Rose snuggled up with Luke, who had his arms around her tightly, stroking her back soothingly as he whispered shushes – she felt a little bit of that exhaustion melt away, replaced with love.

She perched herself on the bed. “Rosie,” she whispered, tucking one of Rose’s stray hairs behind her ear. “If you quiet down, Mama will sing you a lullaby.”

Luke’s eyes widened. Behind the bloodshot sickness, Julie could see the love and admiration he had for her in them. She beamed at him, and he smiled back as if in awe of her. She felt her heart swell with love.

Rose hushed a little and Julie began the lullaby that her own mother had sung to her when she was little. It was a traditional little rhyme, simple and easy, but the beautiful melismatic notes strung together like bunting made the rising melodies sound ethereally pretty. It had always been one of Julie’s favourite songs.

Rose fell back asleep, huddled in Luke’s arms. Luke reached his hand out of took Julie’s hand.

“You’re perfect,” he mouthed, trying not to wake Rose.

Julie smiled, gently kissed his hand, and finally got up to phone the preschool.

*

Julie never got sick. It wasn’t in her nature. It just didn’t happen.

Except for that one time.

Julie woke up with the highest temperature the thermometer had ever recorded, her head was spinning like she was on a rollercoaster, and her muscles felt so fatigued that she couldn’t get out of bed.

And yet, she said to Luke, “I swear I’m fine.”

Luke, in a rare moment of knowledge and common sense, didn’t take her word for it. He seemed almost excited for her sickness – Julie wasn’t sure how to feel about that – and he pulled her into a tight hug.

“No,” he said firmly, “you’re sick. I’m going to take care of you.”

And he did. The very next thing Luke did was make Julie up a hot water bottle and bring it to her to help combat her chills, then he brought her three boxes of paracetamol and an entire pitcher of water. He called the doctor’s office for advice, then dragged the entire television set up to his and Julie’s room from downstairs. He got Rose ready for school and before he left the house he assured Julie that he would be back soon and she didn’t need to worry and, “If you need anything, just call me and I’ll come straight back.”

Julie couldn’t help but smile despite her tiredness and awful feeling. “I’ll be fine, Luke. Get Rose to school before she’s late.”

“I love you,” Luke said.

Rose, stood at the end of Julie’s bed, said, “Love you, Mama!”

“I love you, Rosie. Have a good day.”

Julie watched the love of her life and her perfect daughter leave the room and listened to their footsteps heading downstairs. Maybe she felt absolutely terrible and perhaps like she was going to be sick, but when she had someone like Luke looking after her it didn’t feel quite so dreadful.

[thistle-and-thorn]

my goal-setting manifesto

So recently @woodswit wrote a super thought-provoking post about struggling with the benefits of loving feeling fit and struggling with external validation regarding fitness and so this is kind of my reference guide for myself about goal-setting and the way *I* need to remember to think about it.

I minored in a very specific form of organizational management in college and a huge part of that curriculum was goal-setting. We were encouraged to make one-year, five-year, ten-year career plans, we learned how to set SMART goals, how to identify what steps were right for you, etc. Well, babies, I did not need this curriculum because in high school we had done this exact same curriculum. SMART goals, college planning, etc. Bitch, I knew how to plan my life and, bitch, I had it planned. I was a very high-achieving and ambitious student—I went after awards, AP scores, good grades, letters of recommendation. The school system I attended was very typical of an American school in that those things were the primary indicators for success and the “quality” of our grades determined our classes (and subsequently our social groups) and myriad other things. I was a “good girl” and bought into and benefitted from this kind of structure immensely.

Well. I also have struggled with severe anxiety and periodic depressive episodes that significantly interrupt my daily life and ability to care appropriately for myself. These disorders reached a critical mass at the midpoint of my college career and, after two very bad semesters (one of which ended with me getting a tiny sexy scar from fainting into a doorway), I realized I needed to make significant changes to my priorities. More specifically, I needed to examine the method by which I was defining and collecting achievement and validation. So, after much therapy (I love u Claire), soul-searching, several glasses of a very good local hard cider, I decided to write out the way I goal-set now that enables me to actually breathe and not spiral into self-hatred.

Why Do We Need Goal-Setting?

I actually think that goal-setting is deeply important. If you are a dreamer, I would even say that goal-setting is essential. Personally, I’m a planner/dreamer and enjoy setting goals. It comforts me. Getting a little organized around amorphous ideas like “I want to be a novelist” or “I wish I could travel the world” allows those things to become attainable.

Process and Product

I would say that there are two ways of thinking about goals:

1. Product-Oriented: This is the type of thinking that was taught in my management classes and is exactly what it sounds like. If you do these steps, then you will get x-result. An example of a well-written product-oriented goal is, “By Tuesday, I need to complete three research reports.” (This is true, and I completed them today motherfuckers.) It’s concise, attainable, and happens within a set timeframe.

2. Process-Oriented: This type of thinking focuses on what you will learn or benefit from accomplishing an activity. When I was teaching preschool, an example of this would be taking the kids for a nature walk or free drawing, basically doing an activity where there is no expected result. There is nothing to achieve, there is no medal. The work and the discoveries you make doing the work is the reward. A process-oriented goal would be, “I want to learn about characterization from writing this story.”

In woodswit’s example, she talks about the benefits that cardio exercise has on her mental health, how much happier and confident she is when she is doing a certain variety of exercise regularly. She also talks about how she used to do intense sports.

In this case, a product-oriented way to frame that discussion would be, “I want to get back to the weight I was when I was playing sports” or “I want to be able to lift fifty pounds again.” You will take smaller steps to reach that product—changing the way you eat, figuring out a plan for to work up to lifting heavier things. But the product-oriented way is ultimately a binary—you will either be able to lift fifty pounds or not, you will either reach the weight you were or you won’t. But the process-oriented way to think about these things would be, “I love biking and want to do more of it. Every weekend this summer, I will bike a different rail trail in my county.” The process-oriented method is less specific, but it takes that pressure away from your performance—in the biking example, the only expectation that is set is that you’re going to travel to different bike trails, not that you have to go to every rail trail in the county or that you have to complete the whole trail when you go or that you have to do it in a certain time, just that you are going to go.

There is space for both of these methods, and they are best used in conjunction with each other. Product-oriented is useful, especially in financial situations. A goal for 2022 is to visit my childhood best friend in her new home, halfway across the country. Say I want to go in May 2022 and I figure out that it will cost me roughly $2000. I should probably set a goal with steps to save $2000 by May. It’s also beneficial for the smaller steps to bolster your path to your big dreams—When I was a kid, playing piano gave me a lot of discipline and I would like to have that habit again. That is a process-oriented way of thinking about playing music, but you will probably need to set smaller, product-based goals to achieve it—you will need to select a song and learn to play it, within that song you will need to master it measure by measure.

When we are trained to reach for product, it is hard to recognize the value of process-orientation. A phenomenal example is my WIP. The story I am writing now has 3% the amount of kudos as my biggest fic. I also had a goal of updating every Tuesday. By product standards, that story is a flop. It has the least amount of engagement of anything I’ve ever written, and I haven’t updated it in like two weeks. However, why do I write? I write because I enjoy it, I write fanfic specifically to practice new skills. This story has stretched my abilities and I’ve grown from working on it. By process standards, it’s the most successful of my fics.

And in terms of bigger life things? Process-oriented is the way to go. Why? Because if the pandemic taught us anything, it is that life is not linear. It is nearly impossible to set a straight path—be it up a corporate ladder or a fitness goal—why? Because life sucks. Someone dies, you become ill, it rains, you fall in love, you fall out of love—minute inconveniences happen every day. Process takes the pressure off of your performance because you can’t perform all the time. This is essential in fitness goals because our physical state is especially ephemeral. Of course, it happens in other areas of life, too. An example: In the autumn of 2017, I fell into the deepest depression I have ever been in before or since. I could not remember to shower, let alone do my anthropology homework. As a result, for the first time, I was struggling to create the basic products—like, you know, homework—expected in my classes. That was even more devastating. Around the midpoint of the semester, I realized that product was not sustaining me and if I didn’t want to drop out or harm myself when I “failed”, I had to change my approach.

Once my classes became less about “I need to feel my Middle East studies requirement so I can get a History degree and get an A so I can get on the Dean’s List,” and I reconnected with, “I want to learn a lot about the Middle East,” the products came more naturally. They came more imperfectly, too, but I was able to complete the product because I put less pressure on making them to a certain standard. It became easier to recommit to my goal of being a college-educated woman when I remembered the why of receiving a college education. In woodswit’s original post, she acknowledges that the definition of intense exercise is different for every individual. But it’s also different for the individual at different points in their life and recognizing that intensity and success are arbitrary standards is an essential part of reframing your goal-setting as being process-orientated.

How Do I Goal Set Now?

I still goal-set and a lot of my goals could be likely defined as product-goals. However, they are all made with a long view in mind—if I set a goal to run a 5K, what am I going to get out of it besides just saying that I can run a 5K? Here are ways that I stay process-oriented throughout:

1. Goal Periods

I have three times of year when I set goals: January, June, and Lent. I will set a date on the calendar every year to sit down and just think about what I want to accomplish just in the next twelve-month period and what vision I have for myself in three to five years. No more than that.

January is when I set my personal goals and June is where I set my professional ones. I keep a spreadsheet throughout the year of experiences I would like to have. I will look to this list for inspiration. In January and June, while goal-setting, I check in with the opposing goals. So, in June, I checked in with my progression on my personal goals. I rethought if those goals were still realistic and if I was benefitting from them and in what ways. Then I recommitted to them or adjusted them to help me reach them.

2. Holistic Goals

Unless it’s curing cancer, there is no single goal worth putting all the rest on hold for. Each goal is a battle, and your life is the war. This is a deeply privileged example but: the goal of living independently the first two years out of college was probably achievable. But the effort to achieve that one goal meant that, like, six other personal and financial goals would not be met. So, I put off my career goals and stayed at home and taught preschool for two years. It meant a delay while it seemed like my other friends were growing up and achieving at faster rates, but the temporary strain of achieving a particular goal is sometimes worth it when it dominos into other opportunities.

3. Goal Bundling

I bundle my goals now as a part of my goals check-ins. An example of this is: I loved studying abroad and would love to spend more extended time in the country I studied in during undergrad. I would love to go to graduate school. Ipso facto, presto change-o, I should look at graduate programs in that country and see if that is an achievable goal.

This post is a good example of all of this lol. Why did I write it? there won't be an audience for it but the process of setting all of these thoughts on to paper was cathartic, creating a reference guide on this topic for myself when I am depressed is important, and that has to, has to, has to be good enough.

[ofxgwen]

kristine froseth & she/her / cisfemale‷ watch out , gwendolyn ‘gwen’ arnolds has crash-landed into roswell !! they look twenty-three years old and celebrate their birthday on may 15th. they are from san joaquin, california, reside in aurora apartments and are currently working as a plant nursery owner. one thing you should know about them is that finds peace and serenity when she’s gardening and working in her greenhouses ( neptune, she / her, 27, pst)

- B A S I C -

Full Name: Gwendolyn Meadow Arnolds Nickname(s): Gwen, Gwennie Age: 23 Occupation: Owns her own floral shop, named The Meadows Nursery, and has her own garden and small farm at home. Her shop is where she sells her own harvests. She’s an avid gardener. Double Majored in: Horticulture & Business Management Birthday: May 15th Zodiac: Taurus

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual, Biromantic Alignment: Chaotic Good

- F A M I L Y -

Father: Benson Arnolds Mother: Jewels Arnolds Siblings: Older brother

- A P P E A R A N C E -

Height: 5′7′’ Weight: 118 lbs Hair Color / Type: Dirty blonde / Straight. She wears it long, and it reaches down to her mid-back Eye Color: Blue Tattoos / Piercings: Ten (small) tattoos (five of them are five different types of flowers, three of them are inspirational quotes, and two of them are animals). She has five piercings in each ear - three in the lobes and two in the cartilages.

- P E R S O N A L I T Y -

(+) Independent, Adventurous, Friendly, Vivacious (-) Gullible, Fickle, Naive, Quixotic, Passive

- L I K E S   /   D I S L I K E S -

Gardening

Being out in nature

Hiking

Swimming

Healthy Eating

Yoga

Dancing (Contemporary)

Painting & DIY crafts. Where most people watched TV when they have down time or are bored, she paints, draws, and does crafts instead.

Jewelry making

Listening to music - she’s a total 70′s girl at heart, so she listens to a LOT of vinyls from Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkel, Bee Gees…etc. Goes to music festivals whenever she has the opportunity.

Animals - she takes in stray animals whenever she crosses paths with them, so she’s got a small menagerie on her 5 acre property.

Doesn’t own a TV, so she doesn’t watch a lot of films or shows. The only time she actually sits and watches stuff, is when she’s at other people’s residence. She grew up without TV, so she’s WAY behind on her pop culture references.

- B I O G R A P H Y -

Grew up in a small hippie commune, located on an impressive farmland in San Joaquin, California. Was raised there, alongside her (much) older brother, by her loving but unorthodox parents Benson and Jewels Arnolds - both of whom were straight up hippies from the 60′s / 70′s.

Her parents were vegans way before it became a mainstream and ‘trendy’ thing, and they passed all of their ideals and beliefs onto her brother and Gwen.

She was born and raised on the cruelty-free lifestyle - on the beliefs that eating or using and wearing anything that came from animals was a crime against nature.

She has joined riots and protests alongside her parents and brother and the other people who lived among them practically since she could walk, and so readily calls herself an Animal Rights Activist.

Was home-schooled by her mother throughout her entire school years, so she’s been very sheltered her whole life.

She spent a lot of time all throughout her childhood helping out in the greenhouses and around the farm by tending to the crops; particularly the flowers.

The farm in which the commune resided on was encapsulated by fields of wild flowers and Gwen was always out exploring and gathering colorful bouquets to bring back to the house.

She never had a TV growing up, so she spent a lot of her time outside, helping out around the farm, and simply exploring. She loved being outside, and surrounded by nature.

When she got into her teenage years, Gwen, and the few close friends she’d formed with other kids her age of the commune, often spent their summers going on days-long trips around California, seeking adventures and simply just living the life of nomadic teens. They hiked and backpacked all over the state, and even ventured as far as Nebraska on a few occasions.

Her parents were all about encouraging Gwen’s need for exploration and adventure; they never once stopped her from going off on her trips, trusting that she would come back when she was ready. Hippies, they were odd that way.

She was devastated when her brother left the commune - the two were very close, so him moving away to Roswell really upset her - but she understood that he wanted a life of his own outside of San Joaquin. She understood because she, too, wanted the same thing.

At the age of 16, Gwen permanently left California as well in order to do more traveling, but eventually she settled in Roswell, happy to be reunited with her older brother. When she got there, she decided to go to get her GED and go to college, where she studied Horticulture and Business Manage for four years, earning her BA. She knew that she wanted to build a garden and open her own nursery shop, so she took those majors with that career path in mind.

While she was going to school, she waitressed for a while in order to save up all the money she could, putting it all aside with the goal in mind to buy some land on the outskirts of Roswell and to turn it into a nursery business.

After graduation, and with the money she had saved, the small loan she got from the bank and the even larger sum of cash generously gifted to her by her parents (that they had saved from their marijuana business and the money they earned from the farm), she was able to buy herself 10 acres of land. She spent the next year landscaping and planting her garden and setting up her industrial greenhouses.

After the first and rather successful year of growing and selling her goods locally, Gwen was finally able to open up her own storefront in downtown Roswell, which she named The Meadows Nursery, and that was where she did most of her business - selling the produce and plants that she grew on her land, year-round. The shop itself was very new, and between running it and personally overseeing her crew of workers and the many crops grown within the greenhouses and the open gardens, Gwen was kept extremely busy.