#Lloyds eating candy somewhere

[abbloke]

Have this sketchy doodle of the ninjas that I drew just now!

Looks like it's gaming day for the ninjas!

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Get Your Head Straight

Epilogue for Sweet Treats AU: by character | chronological | epilogues

Warnings: these drabbles will include dark elements such as noncon, control, intimidation, and other stuff that may not be specified. Take this as your chance to scroll by.

Please let me know what you think.

🍫🍫🍫

Your soles scuff on the worn wooden floor.  Your resistance proves as futule as before. Nicky throws you down. You sprawl as you land on your back. You wheeze as the wind is knocked out of you.

You groan and roll onto your shoulder. You push yourself up and look around the grim space. A single standing lamp lights the frigid room, along with a dirty couch and a scratched up table. And something else. Someone else. 

You pull your shirt straight, your jeans still open as the button is scattered somewhere in the next room. You slowly lift yourself to your knees and hands. You move cautiously as shadows shift behind you. 

"Taking his damn time," Lloyd snarls as he chews. 

"Whatever. Those assholes can wait. Money will be there," Nick snorts. 

You crawl over to Birdy as she curls up on the other side of the dingy couch. She doesn’t react as you put your hand on her arm. You sense eyes on you and peer over at the men as they make quick note of your movement. They're hardly bothered as they go back to crinkling some bag or another, the crunch of their eating irritating. 

"Bird," you rub her shoulder as she lays with her back to you. She doesn't answer. 

For a moment, your chest surges with panic. Is she breathing? She's so still. You hover your fingers in front of your nose until you feel a warm wisp. Jesus.  

"Ah shit!" A holler comes from the next room and a bag, "fuck!" 

The door swings inward and Candy flies out, feet scrambling with the force of her ejection. Lloyd sticks his foot out to trip her up and she crashes hard onto the floor. She grunts and heaves into a series of venomous cackles. 

"What'sa matter shrimp dick? Can't take a punch?" She coughs out as her arm splays across the floor. She sits up with effort and it hangs without strength. The burly man with the mustache, you think they called him August, follows her out in a storm. 

"How much for only two?" He snarls as Nick casually blocks him. 

"Calm down," Nick pats his chest only to be swatted away, "thought you liked a challenge, big boy." 

"Little bitch," he rubs his jaw. "Didn't know a bullet to the shoulder made you fucking dumb." 

"Yeah, what's your excuse?" Candy sneers. 

You keep your hand on Birdy and watch helplessly. Shit. This isn't the moment to be defiant. You need to recover. You need a plan. As much as you admire her courage, you need her to stay alive. 

"Candy," you hiss under your breath, "please..." 

"See?" August waves towards you brusquely, "the other two can fucking behave." 

"Mmm, bit of a limp fish," Lloyd snickers. 

Disgust roils through you at his comment. You're pissed at Birdy, she didn't listen, but it isn't her fault these men are fucked. Even if she hadn't said goodbye, you don't know whether they would've done the same.

Candy looks over her shoulder and lowers her head. She exhales and gets up on her knees, turning to face you. As she walks on her knees, August storms forward but his fit comes short of her back. Nick shoves him back and tuts. 

"We already got damaged goods, alright? Those idiots in their spandex are gonna knock a few dollars off as it is." 

"Wasn't me. Hansen's the one got trigger happy," August grumbles. 

"Are you tryna finish the job?" Nick challenges. 

You're distracted from their machinations as Candy approaches. She looks down at Birdy, her derision shadowed in the yellowed light. You frown and stare at her until she looks back at you. She softens and shrugs with one shoulder, wincing as she pulls her limp arm into her lap and cradles it. 

"Again," Candy says. "Fucking again." 

"We did it once..." you whisper. 

"I fucking told you, Coco Bean," she rasps. 

"Not right now," you chide. "Alright? We're all here, we all get it." 

"She can lay and play broken bird all she wants. She's dead to me." 

"Candy, she made a mistake--" 

"She did more than that. You shoulda left her with Captain Fuckhead to begin with." 

"Stop." 

"I won't fucking stop," she hisses. "At least I'll get to see her reap what she sowed." 

"That's not--" 

"It's not fucking nice to sell out your friends," Candy snaps, "so fuck her right along with the jackasses." 

Her voice rises and the others hush. The men look over at her and she sneers, "yeah, you fuckers." 

"I swear to fuck," August curls his fingers to fists. 

"Focus," Nick snaps his fingers. "We gotta get on the road." 

You shake your head and Candy looks back at you. Not good. On the road... to them. You can't decide what's worse; them or the men they mean to sell you to. 

[boosmidnighthour]

As promised, here's the other Christmas one-shot I had been working on in it's entirety before I kinda just... didn't want to do it anymore. Happy New Year, by the way! Not really excited for 2025, but I hope writing will be something I can cope through it with.

Working Title: Merry Rating: General Audience Pairing: None (at least not one that I had come up with)

Divider by firefly-graphics

“You've never celebrated Christmas?!”

Zane winced at the sudden exclamation from Jay, who was still staring at him with his jaw dropped. He suddenly wished he had never said anything, all of his fellow ninja - including Wu and Lloyd - now looking at him. He was already strange enough; he didn't think that not having celebrated a holiday would make him that much stranger.

“Wh-What- What about Hanukkah? Kwanzaa?” Jay listed, looking near desperate.

“Uh… no?”

The lightning ninja stormed over and gripped his shoulders, a dark look in his mismatched eyes. “What the hell is wrong with your parents-”

“Dude, stop,” Cole finally stepped in, separating the two. “You're freaking him out.”

“Well… it is weird,” Kai admitted, Zane's heart sinking at the honesty. “Like, what kind of family doesn't celebrate the holidays? Even Nya and I managed every year, and we were flat broke!”

The ice ninja tapped his fingers awkwardly as the three argued for his sake, desperately trying to remember if maybe he had celebrated one of those holidays. It bugged him that he didn't know. Why couldn't he remember anything before a few months ago? He had an excellent memory!

After a few minutes, Jay finally sighed. “Okay, okay.” He looked over at the platinum blonde, a faint frown still on his face. “We're gonna make this the best first Christmas we can for you,” he started. “But first, let's watch a few Christmas movies; it'll getcha in the spirit of things!” A smile rose to his face, encouraging Zane's lips to mirror it.

Jay had quite the infectious smile, really.

So, with little Lloyd in tow, they headed to the living space. Cole and Kai went to grab  more seating, while Jay went off to grab some blankets and pillows, leaving Zane with Lloyd and… oh, Wu went off somewhere. It was just Zane and Lloyd.

The air felt stuffy between the two. It wasn't like they were the closest. Really, Zane should be more used to being the odd one out. But Lloyd made an effort to break the ice.

“Are you telling the truth?” he asked, eyeing the much taller student suspiciously.

“... Why would I lie about such a trivial subject?”

“Pity.” Lloyd looked him up and down for a moment before looking away. “But I guess your childhood could have sucked.”

Zane frowned at that, and didn't say much else, allowing the green ninja to suck at his candy cane.

Cole and Kai had managed to find a couple of beanbags, one of which Lloyd immediately jumped into. Nya would most likely take the other whenever she got back from her shopping trip. The folded chairs they had also grabbed were placed against the wall for now.

Jay was busy carefully taking his large pile of soft things down the hall, tapping his foot around in search of any tripping hazards. Zane took some from the pile, enough for the blue clad ninja to be able to see. With a quick thanks, he led the other over to the couch and plopped them down. Then he got busy working on making the seating arrangements more comfortable.

Cole gestured for Zane to follow him, and he was led to the kitchen. “Usually, we would have had more festive snacks to eat from, but this was kind of short notice,” he admitted sheepishly. He opened up a cabinet and pulled out a few popcorn packets. “Can you grab the M&M's? Ooh, and maybe a few candy canes, too?”

The ice ninja did as he was told, returning to his side with all of the requested candies when the microwave beeped. The earth ninja poured the first bag of popcorn into a bowl, then grabbed a handful of the M&M's, mixing it into the snack food. The candy cane he grabbed was crushed and sprinkled in, too.

“Won't the candy cane be a choking hazard?” Zane worried, though was quite pleased with the additions.

“Nah, it'll be fine.” That did little to soothe him. “Help me make a few more bowls, and we'll join the others.”

By the time they had finished and walked back to the living space, balancing a few bowls on their arms, Jay had finished comfy-ifying the couch, and Kai and Lloyd had picked out a few movies.

“What, needed supervision while you were in the kitchen?” Jay teased Cole, snickering at the embarrassment shown on his face.

“Can you seriously stop? I'm plenty capable of cooking on my own! I just wanted to show Zane a good snack.”

“Uh-huh…”

The two bickered while Zane set his bowls down on the coffee table that had been pushed in for just this occasion. Looking around, it was starting to feel a little home-y in here… it made him smile a little. It made him excited to see more of this holiday and its traditions.

As he was admiring the once shabby living space, Nya came in, arms full of paper bags. She grunted a bit with the effort of carrying them, but refused to put them down until she got to a table set aside for mostly decoration. She breathed out a sigh of relief as soon as she was done.

Though it was rather cold outside, she wasn't nearly as bundled up as Kai usually was. Her coat was unzipped, her scarf laying across her shoulders and down her torso instead of wrapped around her neck, and her hat was stuffed inside of one of her pockets. 

“Ooh, what didja get?” Kai started toward her until the end of a broomstick was jabbed towards his throat.

“Christmas presents,” Nya answered, more nonchalantly than her actions. “No peeking.” She proceeded to swing the broom at all of them. “That includes all of you.”

“Can I still help you?” Zane asked. “You looked to have been struggling with them, and there are many.”

She looked at all of the bags she had dropped on the table and she sighed. “Fine…”

“Ooh, good one, Zane!” Jay whispered with a gleeful smile. “You gotta tell us if you see anything good.”

That left him rather confused. Did Jay think he was trying to trick Nya? Or ignore her warning? He shook his head a little, incredulous, before making his way over to the ravenette and taking about half of the bags. He may not be as strong as Cole or even Nya, but he did know how to properly balance everything.

Zane followed Nya to her room, pushing her door open for her and allowing her to enter. Although the ninja all slept in the same quarters, Nya was the only one who had been allowed her own room. Wu had thought it necessary, not wanting to cause any trouble. Plus, he was set in his ways; unless married, men and women stayed in separate quarters.

“Where would you like me to set the bags?”

“Just in that corner is fine.” Nya took her scarf and coat off before she rustled around in the bags she had set down, pulling out a pair of plush socks. She noticed Zane's curious glance and chuckled. “They’re for Lloyd,” she explained, going through the bag again to bring out a bag of candy. “He's lucky he's getting anything, with how rude he's been all year. But I can't let the kid of a sucky Christmas, so I'm gonna stuff some candy into them for him to find.”

The ice student smiled. “That is incredibly thoughtful, Nya,” he complimented. “... Are presents a large part of this tradition?”

Nya's brow shot up in surprise, whipping her head over to look at Zane. Then she calmed down. “Right; Kai texted me. It's your first Christmas,” she breathed, weakly grinning. “Yeah- well, it's… It's not really what Christmas is supposed to be about, but… it makes the holiday more merry. The best gifts are the ones that tell you that people actually respect you or pay attention to you and your interests.”

He nodded, brow furrowing a little. The sense of panic he was beginning to feel… he hadn't gotten anyone anything yet, and it seemed like this holiday was very big. Stores would most certainly be busy, and might not have anything worthy of getting his friends. What if he wasn't able to get them anything? What if he didn't get them something that spoke to them? What if-

His train of thought was interrupted when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down,” Nya spoke, firm. “Don't worry about those gifts. You've still got a few weeks, and even if you don't get anyone anything, I'm sure everyone will understand. I mean, this is your first Christmas! You don't have to prepare gifts until you have a better grasp on this whole thing-”

“But I must!” Zane interrupted suddenly. “It would be rude not to. Plus, all of my friends mean a lot to me; I mustn't let them down.”

Nya stared at him for a long moment, before shrugging. “Alright… but don't get too up in your head about it, okay?”

“I won't.”

“Good. Now, let's go see if that movie is ready. I need a break.”

Zane led the way out, now more determined to understand Christmas than ever. It would be a good way of letting his friends know he understood. He was ready for this new challenge.

When the two entered the living room, everyone had settled down. Wu was say on a folding chair behind the couch, Jay and Cole were sitting on the couch, and Lloyd was still on the beanbag he had claimed earlier. Nya made her way over to the other beanbag, plopping down with a heavy sigh.

“Ready, Z?” Kai asked from beside him, holding a DVD case as he stared at the ice student expectantly. When he received a nod, he smirked and popped the DVD into the player.

Zane turned to the couch to see it was already packed - Kai having dove into the last available spot - and decided to sit on the floor in front of the couch.

So, obviously, this takes place before Zane finds out that he's a robot. We would've skipped over that at some point, after Zane understands what he likes about Christmas. Then a massive time skip to Dragons Rising, where he would help Geo, Bonzle, Fritz, and Spitz with their own Christmas. While they would have celebrated their own Christmas in the Land of Lost Things, or maybe even a whole other holiday (I'm sorry, this is the only holiday I have ever celebrated during December, and I'm not well-versed in the others), Zane wants to show them how special it can really be.

Zane's favorite thing about the holidays was just the fact that he got to be with his friends, and it's usually somewhat peaceful the day of the holiday. It's cheesy, but I truly don't think he would be all that into getting gifts. He enjoys giving them, yeah, but that's just not the best part about the holidays for him.

Instead, I wrote a Hallmark-esque Christmas one-shot. Because I have no self control lmao Maybe next year.

[ninocence]

Stealth had never been his thing, and Linus wasn't really gonna start now. As soon as he spotted his target, all bets were off and he was racing over to the younger girl excitedly.

"SUUUURRRPRISE!"

Yeah, there was no way that was going unnoticed by anyone.

"Missed ya, kiddo, but! No way were we gonna miss your special day!" Linus grinned, talking way, way too loud for a normal conversation but he was excited! Get off his back! "Been squirrelin' money away, just for this. It'll pro'lly end in a stomach ache, but it'll be soooo worth it. Go on, get your li'l paws in there!"

He was holding open a bag for Nino, chock full of just about every kind of candy or sweet thing he'd been able to get from the marketplace. Lloyd hadn't exactly approved of the overload, but Linus was the fun brother, so boom!

"Happy birthday, Nino!"

"Aaah! L-Linus??" Nino whirls around, a wholly different kind of surprise than what she'd felt when faced with her oldest brother. Linus had always been louder, more fun, wearing his heart more on his sleeve... It's never failed to lift up her mood before, and even after such a long time apart, and the sudden reunion, that hasn't changed. She looks up with a shy grin.

"Thank you for the present! Really, I'm just happy to be able to see you again," Nino says wistfully, though nervous fingers still twist around the handles of the bag as she takes it from him, "That's a great birthday present already, though I love the candy too! I'll make sure not to eat too fast...!" She'll put it somewhere safe in her room, and do her best to make it last.

She chews on her lip, hesitating for a moment. "This — um, this means you're not mad at me, right?" The question rushes out in a tiny voice before she could stop herself. He doesn't look mad, and Lloyd hadn't been mad either, but she just had to make sure. She'd turned against the Black Fang, after all, and she knows how important loyalty is to all of them.

It's probably a silly question, but she had to ask, just in case it's not silly at all but a very real concern. The idea of being with both her brothers again seems almost too good to be true, after all.

[basicallyjaywalker]

Did someone say an excuse to talk about manashipping (lloyd x jackie) and fuocoshipping (kai x hannah)? YES!!!

Manashipping

Backstory: Jackie ran away from home but ended up getting kidnapped by the Stone Army and taken to the Dark Island during S2. She joins with Garmadon and the Overlord and after he becomes good she continues staying and studying under him for S3. This is how she and Lloyd meet! It starts as them exchanging conversations in the yard between practice skirmishes, then staying up at night to talk, then a mutual crush neither of them knows how to address, then a full-blown love affair! Main conflicts that follow them are the fact that they both feel like they aren't worthy of the other unless they show them service in some way, often putting themselves in danger and falling apart when the other gets hurt because of them. The plus side of this is that they are both extremely devoted to each other and able to break through to each other when no one else can.

Favorite facts: Jackie is taller than him. T4T couple <3 I have the start of an idea for a fic about their romance but I'm waiting until I finish the series to complete it. I haven't yet seen DR but I know they're still together during it and training Arin and Sora together. Jackie's magic allows her to draw power from others and when she and Lloyd use their powers together it makes tracks of gold appear with the normal shimmery amethyst that shows up

I also have a playlist for them. I worked really hard on it and this is the perfect excuse to share it >:3 I might do a whole analysis of them based on this one day because it's currently divided into "Songs that fit how Jackie feels about Lloyd," "Mutual affection songs," "Songs that fit how Lloyd feels about Jackie" and I have the list somewhere in my mess of a desk

Fuocoshipping

Backstory: They first meet during the tournament and Hannah cannot STAND his ass. Kai feels pretty likewise (two stubborn people butting heads? Unheard of (adored trope)). Over time they grow closer through realizing that they share a lot of similar traits (being protective of those they love, feeling a need to prove themselves to others) and Hannah is extremely conflicted because her previous two attempts at love ended badly and she is never sure if she'll hurt Kai, he'll hurt her, or some terrible combo of the two. Through the power of healing and communication, though, they're able to push past that and be happy together <3

Favorite facts: also possibly T4T? give me a few more months the he/she Kai thoughts started coming around the same time as I thought about Hannah possibly being she/he. Kai found out Hannah's favorite candy was strawberry mentos and started eating packs of them before dates so when they kissed she tasted them on his breath <3 Hannah has filled pages worth of songs about this man and she will never show them to him. When they first started dating Hannah dyed red streaks into her hair.

I'm working on a project with these two at the moment actually! It's AU based but I'm pretty excited for it :) I've learned to stop trying to predict when my writing will come out bc it never works but it is in the works. In the meantime, playlist be upon ye! this should hopefully be a good mix of them being happy and cute together and Hannah having terrible horrible awful emotions in the early stages

I'm feeling like some Ninjago Oc x Canon appreciation! Reblog this post and use it as an excuse to talk about your Oc x Canon ships!

Share their backstory, your favorite facts about them, their ship name-whatever you want!

[didiersdragon]

@lingering-there (gratefully accepts ur candy) your wish is yours to keep~

more baby lloyd headcanons!!!

sometimes lloyd would fall asleep on couches, training room floors, kitchen table, outside, anywhere and everywhere because he would be too stubborn to admit he was tired and go to bed. whenever this happens, cole would pick him up and carry him back to bed. when they're out and if lloyd falls asleep, he would carry the kid like a baby, with his face smooshed to his chest and drool all over his shirt but cole wouldn't mind. lloyd finds out about this happening one day when cole picks him up when he isn't fully asleep and lloyd loved it. so sometimes he pretend sleeps just to make cole pick him up. cole would be oblivious but some of the other ninja notice and would only laugh fondly at lloyd's antics. i think even after tomorrow's tea, cole would continue to do this and lloyd still being the little shit he is (and also who loves his older siblings' attention too much) would fake pretend sometimes too, maybe not as much before but it still happened

during winter, lloyd would be attached to kai. like you will not find lloyd at least five feet away from kai. he's always holding onto his arm or cuddled into him on the couch and even sneaks into kai's room to sleep because he hates the cold feeling (it reminds him of when he was out alone in the streets buuut lets not get too angsty) you'd find lloyd waiting outside the bathroom when kai's inside too.

alternatively, during summer, lloyd follows zane around everywhere. he's not too close with zane and he doesn't know if the guy likes cuddling like kai. but zane is super chill about it. he invites lloyd to make cold treats like milkshakes, smoothies, popsicles and more together in the kitchen and lloyd is happy to help (and eat!) he stays by zane's side who is happy to make sure the other was cool enough.

adding to that, i do think kai gets a little grumpy bc his baby brother is spending his time as far away from him and so he complains from the door to the kitchen and zane is teasing him saying that lloyd is his little one now. lloyd jokes with him too but does end up making a special watermelon smoothie with bananas, strawberries and extra ice just for kai.

jay takes lloyd to his first con. lloyd is starry-eyed and completely awestruck the entire time by all the cool stuff going around and the cosplays too. they couldn't cosplay for that con but the next one they went to, they both go as fritz donnegan! everyone loves their costumes (thanks to nya and zane's help)

he loves forehead kisses!! it was when nya had hugged him after he was saved from the serpentine and she had given him a big hug and a familial kiss to his forehead. it made him feel so happy that he had shyly asked her again for another one when she tucked him into bed. it always made him happy bc his badass big sister would usually always be very hesitant when it came to affection but she would always make sure to place a small kiss on his head before she goes on a mission or sees him when she comes back. (*seabound spoilers* little bit of angst, but after seabound, he regret never getting one from her one last time)

in contrast to nya, kai adored affection and was never afraid to show it. it was lloyd who was hesitant at first, but after a warm cuddle after having a bad nightmare, he would always go to kai for affection. he bonded with him due to the events at the volcano as well but that kinda set it off. you'd find lloyd holding kai's hand whenever they were out, napping on his lap after training, hugging him everytime he has to go somewhere and so much more. kai was always the first to make sure lloyd understood just how much they all loved him and accepted him into their family. lloyd definitely got addicted to the affection he received and was worried that after tomorrow's tea, kai would stop with it. but kai made sure he knew that no matter how old lloyd got, he'd always be his baby bro.

despite how i always write abt kai and lloyd being the best brothers, i do think it took them a long time to reach that point. with how vocal kai had been about his distate for garmadon, lloyd thought kai hated him for it too. and that hurt him a lot bc he felt most comfortable with kai out of all the ninja. but kai-after countless conversations with nya- did learn and grow. tbh this fic perfectly describes how that whole process would be (this fic legit changed me and became one of my fav fics of all time, 100% recommend it)

okay that's it for now, i hope it's all good!! (and for more candy, perhaps ill add more.....)

[go-to-alt-this-one-is-broken]

Being Selfish (Jay x ASW!Reader)

*I wrote this before I went to sleep, so if it doesn’t sound good ykw

Somewhere in a dark room the artificial light of an alarm clock strikes 12:00. The reflection of someone's face on the small glass rectangle turns to a saddened look, ‘Happy birthday to me I guess’. Jay Walker lays in his bed trying to feel anything but sad and confused, ‘I’m finally 18, I have waited and wanted this moment forever– why do I feel so upset?’. As Jay loses himself to his thoughts, a soft knock on his door is heard. “Psst– Jay! It's me! Open up doofus!” a loud whisper is heard through the cracks of the door to Jay’s room on the bounty. 

Lighting up at the sound of the person outside his door, he shoots to the door. Taking a deep breath trying to compose himself, he opens the door to see you. You, with your captivating smile and strong gaze wearing loose pajamas covered in flour and other dry baking ingredients, holding a pan of frosted brownie sticks and other sickeningly sweet things and something else under. You grin “Happy birthday! Wanna watch movies and eat till we're sick?”. Jay stands dumbfounded, he had not told anyone when his birthday was. Then he realized, ‘right, oracle powers’ , still in a tired state he moves to the side of the doorway letting you tip-toe into his room, still trying to keep quiet and not wake the others. 

Staring at you as you place down the tray of sugary snacks on the bed, including you. “Why’d you show up?” you perk up at Jay’s voice, it's tired and groggy. “Wanted to celebrate with you, I figured you weren't gonna tell the others again this year knowing that they would be super extra about it so I figured I could at least do something nice” not adding on the part that you just wanted to spend some alone time with him, Jay nods in understanding. You scoot over to the wall while patting the spot next to you on the bed, signaling to Jay who was standing there not knowing if it was even ok for you to be in his bed that he can sit down. He complies due to feeling awkward just standing and watches as you pull out a laptop case from under the baking sheet, inside the case was (of course) your laptop. As you open and sign into it, you speak to him “so birthday boy, what do you wanna watch?” pulling up a free movie site and clicking on the search bar. Jay searches his mind, looking at your face illuminated by the computer screen. ‘Dang it, why do you have to be so pretty?’ ever since you came into his and the others lives with Lloyd you’ve only brought light. Jay knows that not only he feels that way, along with his other feelings toward you. “How about ______?” giving a random movie name that he’s seen a couple times, Jay continues thinking to himself as you press play. 

You’re about halfway through the movie when you begin talking again, “So… how are you holding up?” Jay (who is feeling a mixture of wanting to curse god and thank them) hums in response, which worries you, even with whatever amount of sleep you think Jay might have gotten before you came in he is usually more than happy to talk. Instead you get a distant look in his eyes and him taking another bite of the cotton candy flavored frosted brownies mix. After a few more seconds of silence he responds, “I don't know how I feel honestly, there's been so much that has happened that no one has truly acknowledged” he doesn't remove his eyes from the screen, not even daring to blink. “I mean, Sensei almost died. Not to mention the reason he almost died, I thought I was going to lose everything and everyone because of that giant snake”, Jay feels a hand on his shoulder and he shudders, when was the last time he was given any form of physical touch? Months from his parents, and anything remotely physical with his brothers  is violence with us all training together along with Nya helping from the side. Anything past that? and there's nothing. So when you pull him closer to you till he’s resting in your embrace while running fingers through his hair, he can feel tears brim his eyes. “Its so weird now, before I would’ve given anything to not have been born in a junkyard, to live a life with such action” he feels your arms tighten around him as he settles wrapping himself around you like a koala, “but now, I don’t even know why I hated it, I mean sure! Some of the kids who used to make fun of me for it were a pain, but I was surrounded by constant safety and reassurance” ‘why did I leave it?’. You can feel the tears burned into your shirt as you move Jay’s upper-body to face you, cupping his face. “Jay, I can’t tell you that everything will be alright because I know that it won't” he looks into your eyes with the same sadness and fear you felt during the attack, you wipe his tears, “but I swear to you, as long as I am here, as long as I live you will not be alone in this”. 

Kissing his forehead, warmth bloomed on Jay’s face, “Promise?” his voice is broken, a million moments of fear and terror that Jay will have to face flash through your mind, “Promise”. 

You hold each other longer in silence before Jay speaks up again, finally calmed down from crying, “Can I ask you something?” you nod. 

“With you coming to this world, why did you choose to help us even after you know all of the bad things that are going to happen?” You think to yourself for a moment. 

“Call it selfish but, I loved all of you'' Jay looks at you quizzically. It makes you chuckle as you hold his cheek once more. “Where I’m from, a lot of horrible things happened to me most that were from a very young age. I thought when I finally met you all that, having known personally what you guys will feel, that I could try to stop or at least lessen the pain” Jay is now looking at you. 

“Can I ask another question?” 

“Shoot” 

“Can I also do something selfish?” You nod, not fully understanding where he’s going with this. Jay leans in, now cupping your face like you did to him and closes his eyes. You find yourself doing the same, gently pressing your lips against his. It's a small and quick kiss, pulling away for a second before pressing back together again. In between the kisses you can feel each other smile, knowing that both of you now know you’ll have each others back for whatever's to come.

[sicksucculentz]

Lloyd head cannons

- Hes moody. He is the youngest member of the team mentally and with everything he’s been through it just manifests in mood swings a lot of the time

- mood swings or not hes still a joy to work with. When hes angry or sad he just looks and acts serious

- By far the second lest touchy right behind Wu. He craves touch every once and a while. He likes his space so distanced one handed back rubs, head pats, head scratchies, face pats

- For some reason he prefers to lay on his tummy. For example if the team is listening to Wu, playing video games, coming up with plans together Lloyd dosent sit down like the others he lays on his tummy. The other ninja made their thing to sit on him. He used to dump them off but after a short period of time it became something they just do

- Mixed with oni and dragon he has a high protein diet even including the occasional bone marrow!

- He finds himself drawn to shinny, flickering, shimmering, and reflective objects. Its nothing like Smegal from Lord of The Rings but he can’t help but stare and feel a base line urge to hoard it away somewhere

- Running from him can actually spur predatory instincts to chase. Of course hes in control and he can fight them like someone fights to NOT eat the cake but in a situation in witch most of the time the person running is not supposed to get away he follows the instinct, allowing it to drive him straight to the target

- Ever sense Lloyd started training with Mater Wu, Wu begun doing this thing where he would gently pinch the bridge of Lloyd’s nose and wiggle Lloyd’s head back and forth a few times. Weird at first but Lloyd quickly grew to find it comforting

- He still eats way too much candy. There's always some candy hoarded away somewhere

- When he was smaller and younger the team and him used to play King Rock down at the lake. The goal was to try and knock the ‘king of the rock’ off the rock and hold the position of the king of the rock for as long as you can. As simple and silly as it was there are lots of fond memories from it

- He’s given himself a concussion once because he tripped over a rock and bounced his face off Zane’s hard shoulder. Zane felt so bad

- He’s also fallen down face first in the snow and just laid there. Nya couldn’t stop laughing, she said he looked like he just gave up and left his body

- He kind of has a mild form of PICA. Jay once watched him pick up an acorn and just...try to eat it. He’s swallowed rocks, eaten dead bugs, chewed on flowers, crunched pinecones, and once even ate a little bit of coal all when he thinks no one is looking

- Noise maker in his sleep. The noises he makes are cute though; little whimpers, sighs, high pitched grunts, and whining sounds

- He loves to sleep all curled up into himself under a ton of blankets. He also likes to sleep without a pillow for some ungodly reason

- He’s just happy to have a mother again, as angry as he is at her for leaving him at the school for bad boys.  He can’t help it, her voice, her care, her motherly touch its all something he didn't get enough of he cant help but feel like a baby again when she pets his head, hugs him, cradles his head and gives him kisses on the forehead

- He sleeps A LOT.  He sleeps about half the day away every other day

[greenygreenland]

Riptide: Cole x Reader

-HAPPY 10th ANNIVERSARY NINJAGO!! -I write for females (just as a side note) because I’m a girl and it’s easy for me soooo yeah :/ -i know jay and cole are besties, but for this, let’s just say jay still likes to tease cole (friends do that anyway tho??)

Summary: Cole finds you at the beach trying to drown yourself. When he rips you out of the ocean, he realises you look familiar.

WARNINGS: Near-death (drowning)

The waves quietly lapped against the edge of the sand, tickling Cole’s toes as he made his way across the wet grains. The moon stood high in the sky, shining brightly overhead like a lighthouse. Cole promised to catch up with the others, but he couldn’t rip himself away from the calm of the waves. 

His heart stilled with the quiet waves, sinking into the wet sand like his feet. A cool breeze passed over his face and it brushed through his windswept hair. If only Ninjago could stay this calm. If only he could be like the ocean, free, never ending. 

Cole found himself walking deeper into the ocean and away from the banks. The waves slowly met his ankles, then his knees. It soaked into his rolled up trousers, travelling up until he was waist deep. He didn’t worry about being so far out since it was low-tide. And even if he did find himself getting swept out to sea, he still had his powers. 

Something softly splashed over to his left. He whipped around, immediately taking a defensive stance. As ineffective as it was, he’d rather be safe than sorry. 

Cole eyed the smooth waters. He wondered if it was a shark, or worse, a mystical beast he never heard about. For a few moments, it was quiet, save for the waves, the calm breezes, and Cole’s steady breath. “Maybe it was a fish.” he whispered to himself with a chuckle. Something brushed his leg and he reared back with a squeal. 

“Not a fish not a f--First Spinjitzu Master!” 

The first thing Cole saw was a shirt, then a bundle of floating hair and a face hidden among it. He wanted to freak out, but a girl was laying in the sand underwater. Underwater. He plunged under the cool waves, wrapping his arms around the girl’s torso and hauling her up. “First Spinjitzu Master... First Spinjitzu Master...” Cole placed a hand on his earpiece.

“Guys! I found a girl in the ocean. She’s unconscious and...I don’t think she’s breathing. Come quick!” 

“We’re on our way.” said Zane. The nindroid’s voice was a relief to hear. “We will arrive in five minutes, and as an extra precaution, I have phoned nine-one-one.” 

“Okay, great, great.” As Cole laid the limp girl on the grainy sand, he frantically looked her up and down. Even through the curtain of hair plastered over her forehead, he could tell her face was unnaturally pale. So much, that it could have been a mirror of the bright moon.

It suddenly occurred to Cole that he had to do something. The girl wasn’t breathing and she’d die if he didn’t do something. “Gyah! I’m not the smart one!” He ran a hand over his face. There was one thing Zane did bother to teach everyone in the group, whether it be for civilian use or themselves. Cole pictured Zane standing by his side.

Place the heel of your palms on the centre of the chest.

Cole placed his hands on the centre of the girl’s chest. 

Interlock your fingers. Remember to press two inches down.

Cole interlocked his fingers. 

I have read somewhere that pressing down to the beat of Stayin’ Alive is said to ‘do the trick’ and make it easier. 

And so Cole did just that. “Ha... Ha... Ha... Ha... Stayin’ alive... Stayin’ alive...” He wasn’t sure if it was working, or even if he was doing it right to begin with. How would pressing two inches down on someone’s chest do good? How would this save her from being killed?

Suddenly, she jolted upward, coughing and sputtering out a load of water right into Cole’s face. He didn’t care though. That meant the water had come out of her lungs, right? The danger had been avoided, at least for now. 

“COLE!” 

He whipped around, letting out a loud sigh of relief. Zane and Pixal took Cole’s place, reviewing her vitals and diagnosing her with whatever. He wasn’t sure what they were doing, so he stood off to the side as Jay babbled away. “What happened? Are you okay? How did you find the girl? You didn’t have to swim out there did you?” 

Kai looked at Jay weirdly. “Do you think Cole would swim out that far to begin with? He probably found her washed ashore.” Cole wanted to say something, but he was in a daze. The more he thought about the girl, the more he wondered where he saw her from. It was like a smell you know you’ve smelled before but can’t put a name or memory to. 

He ignored the background chatter and zeroed his gaze on her limp body as Zane carried her to the ambulance. When Zane turned around and motioned for him to come over, Cole finally came back to his senses. He could think about the girl later, right now, he had to answer some questions. 

Three weeks later

“Urgh,” said Cole. “Why do I have to go with Jay?” Sensei Wu raised a brow at him as if to say, ‘really?’. “What is wrong with Jay?” he inquired. “He is a brother, and brothers should be respected.” Off to the side, Jay loudly applauded. “Period. Brothers should be respected, Cole.” He rolled his eyes with a sigh. 

“Now,” Wu interjected. “I want you both to visit Jamanakai Village. You will find Mystake’s tea shop. Get these and only these.” He handed Cole an old drawstring bag. It had a label on the string, but the handwriting was so wonky that Cole couldn’t read it. “If she tries to kick you out, tell her I sent you. That is all, I expect you both back by Thursday.”

Jay let out a long groan. “Why can’t Kai do it? Or Zane? Or Lloyd?” He smugly glanced at Cole. “Or even my wonderful girlfriend Nya? I thought they were the responsible ones.” Wu raised a brow and Cole snickered. “You will both go to Jamanakai Village. That is final. While you are out, do not forget to eat and whatever you do, no Elemental Dragons and no vehicles. You will walk the entire way to the village, am I clear?”

“Yes, Sensei.” 

To say the walk was gruelling was a nice way to put it. There were tens of thousands of other words Cole could have said to describe the terrible pain of having Jay around. Of course, he didn’t actually mean that, but hypothetically, the walk was terrible. 

“You know,” said Jay, “these birds are said to have been exported from the Dark Island.” He pointed to a nearby tree, where three or four birds sat. Their oily wings were like liquid obsidian. Funnily enough, the colour matched both Cole’s gi and hair. He watched as one of them flew away, fluttering straight over his head and into the sky above. 

Cole wondered if it would be nice to live life as a bird, but then he realised he wouldn’t have a bed or cake or chocolate and candy. 

“I’m guessing they were exported before the Dark Island became...you know.” added Jay. “I mean, how could these cute little guys be from there?” He reached out to pet one of the birds. It squawked and bit his finger. “OW!” Jay rounded on the tiny bird, who actually appeared to be laughing. “Bad bird! That’s a no-no! You don’t bite people like that.” 

Jay ripped off his glove and sucked on his poor finger. Cole stared at him as he whimpered. “Is it bleeding?” 

“Gwee, I fondt knowh.” 

Cole dug a hand in his pouch. He felt around and pulled out a band-aid along with a small alcohol wipe. “Here.” Jay took the band-aid and wipe, gingerly dabbing it on his wound and wrapping the band-aid around his finger. “Thanks.” 

“Yeah.” 

They continued on in a comfortable silence, caring only to watch the leaves sway in the wind. When they arrived in Jamanakai village, their feet were sore, and they were tired. Jay’s stomach grumbled, and so did Cole’s. 

“I knew we should have eaten before we left.” Cole muttered. Jay let out a long yawn. “Sensei Wu said we were supposed to be back by Thursday. That’s three days away without video games. Do you think I can survive like this? Do you Cole?” 

He wasn’t listening. A heavenly smell reeled him in like a fishing line. It was sweet, yet it smelled like green tea. Maybe it was cake; Cole hoped it was cake. “Do you smell that?” he seriously inquired. Jay knitted his brows together. “The bakery? Oh, it’s right there.” He pointed to a small shop to their left, where a girl stocked freshly baked cakes and buns. 

Cole could already imagine how pillowy and soft the buns would be. They would have sweet fillings that melted in his mouth, and the cake would be the perfect texture with the right amount of cream. He made his way to the bakery, keeping a keen eye on the fresh chocolate cake. 

“Cole, we’re not here to buy cake.” said Jay. “If we’re gonna eat, we might as well eat a real meal.” Cole rolled his eyes and pointed to a slice of chocolate cake. “I’ll take one of that, please.” 

The cashier took out a pair of sparkling tongs. “Will that be all?” she inquired with a smile. “My grandma just finished steaming the buns, they’re fresh.” Cole whipped towards the cashier. For some reason, her voice sounded so familiar. It was again, like a smell that reminded him of something he couldn’t quite place. Sweet, nostalgic, kind.

That’s right, he thought. This was the girl he saved on the beach. But before then, he knew her as the studious (Y/n) (L/n) from the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts. When Cole had no one to talk to in class, she was there. When he forgot his lunch, she shared it with him. When he decided to run away, she promised not to forget him. 

(Y/n) walked out from behind the counter. She handed Cole a bag of two containers. “It was you, wasn’t it?” Her voice was rather soft, like she were embarrassed anyone else would hear. “You saved me, on the beach.”

“Y-yeah, I did.” Was it just Cole or was it getting hot out here?  He didn’t need anyone to tell him his face had gone beet red. “Thank you Cole. I might have snuck ‘a few’ more cakes in the bag. That guy’s your friend, right? There are some buns in there for him too.” 

Cole met (Y/n)’s bright eyes. They weren’t as lively as he remembered, but they still held that warm glow that always made him feel safe. “I--uh--(Y/n)...” 

“Yeah?”

“Uh...do you still go to the Marty Oppenheimer School?” Do you want to hang out sometime? “I mean...uh...” How have you been? “T-thank you for the food.” He let out a nervous laugh and (Y/n) chuckled a little. “If you’re wondering, I graduated last year.” she said. Cole’s eyes widened. Had that much time already passed? 

“I live in Ninjago City now.” she added. “I didn’t think I would make it this far, but I did. I’m here in Jamanakai for the next three months before I go back to the city. I heard you’ve been up to things too--ninja stuff. Saving lives.” She smiled at Cole, as if the two shared an inside joke. 

“(Y/n)! Help me carry this, it’s too heavy for me!”

(Y/n) glanced over her shoulder. “One second, grandma!” She turned back to Cole and wrapped him in a tight hug. It was brief, it was sweet, and it made Cole remember just how close they used to be. “I have to get back to work. See you soon Cole?”

“Yeah.” he awkwardly replied. “See you soon.” He watched as she disappeared out back. When did he finally become taller than her? When had she actually spoken so nonchalantly? Last time he saw her, they were still kids. They were young, and even with responsibilities, they were still free. 

“Sooooo, you’ve got yourself a girl?” inquired Jay. He took the bag from Cole and made his way over to the fountain. The two sat on the ledge as Jay sifted through the food. There were buns filled with red bean paste, lotus paste, and even barbeque pork. Under that were five different desserts. Two velvety chocolate cakes, one egg tart, and three pieces of perfectly wrapped mochi. 

Jay took one of the meat buns. “Wow, this is really good. Tell your girlfriend to teach you how to cook.” Cole let out a short sigh. “She’s not my girlfriend, Jay. I haven’t even seen her in years.” 

“What? Why?”

Cole closed one of the boxes. He dug around the bag for a fork, but he grasped a small slip of paper instead. Jay peered over Cole’s shoulder with wide eyes. “Ooooo she gave you her phone number? See! Dating. Case closed. I’m gonna tell everyone when we get back.” 

“No you aren’t.” Cole retorted. “Like I said, I haven’t seen her in years. She probably only wanted to get back in touch.” Jay raised his brows and Cole elbowed him in the stomach. “Get your mind out of the gutter.” He pulled out one of the buns and took a big bite out of it. “We went to the same school together as kids. We became friends there, but when I ran away from home, we lost contact.” 

“So go talk to her!” exclaimed Jay. “Before we go, I’m setting you both up on a date, or at least a night out together. We’re not going home on Thursday, got it? We’re staying ‘til Saturday and that’s final.” Cole raised a brow in amusement. “I thought you said you wanted to play video games.”

“If your girlfriend has a phone, then she has video games.” said Jay smartly. Cole let out a bright laugh. All he really knew now was that he’d have to come to Jamanakai Village more often. 

NOTE: I will make a part two soon, so stay tuned! Tip jar

[grimbeak]

these are just random wip names i have but for the title thingy ask game:

1. Frogs in a golf cart

2. When Chickens attack

3. bob

4. chicken nuggets

5. sunshine tears

1. Dareth takes the ninja to a gof course on their day off (ronin goes along just to Judge and eat cotton candy that he got from Somewhere) and it just turns into a bunch of teenagers wacking each other with golf clubs and lloyd eating the balls because "they taste like grass and i ate grass all the time when i was still little"

2. Spin off minific of Mystery AU where Jay takes care of the chickens for the old lesbian married to the old german lesbian for a day. I will be using the experiences from a camp i go to that has chickens and from when my neighbor had chickens. The red rooster was a bitch and a motherfucker and pecked me a lot because i apparently didn't give him food fast enough AKA in the .5 seconds after i got into the pen

3. Crack fic where Morro comes back to life after DotD is over and instead of being smart and going to the ninja hes like "well shit they clearly hate me. i mean i did help them but that was for only one night and like yeah" so he just pretends to be a janitor named Bob and gets hired at the monastery

and no one realizes

at all

4. honestly its just a chapter name of The worst road trip ever where mac and red get drugged and spend like an hour talking about how helpful lesbians are (mac got lost behind an applebees one time ("why were you in AMERICA were CHINESE" "idk i just was") and a lesbian helped him find his way) and according to google you can get chicken nuggets at applebees so

5. rly soft plasma fic mb after s15?

[gaygraybles]

DO ALL 50 😘💕💕💕💕✨

thank you dear, this was a pain and it wont be formatted correctly sue me

1. do you have a crush on anyone?

yes 👀

2. what’s your favorite candy?

i could eat a hundred reces cups in one sitting so

3. favorite love song?

hmmm is hello my old heart a love song

4. what was your first kiss like?

gay///

5. what was your last kiss like?

VERY gay

6. sexual/romantic orientation?

gay!

7. do you prefer poems or love letters?

i prefer love comics actually lmao

8. favorite fanfic trope?

oof i have not read fanfiction in a while

9. have you ever been in love?

maaaaaybe 👀 yes absolutely

10. favorite milkshake flavor?

CHOCOLATE

11. dinner dates or brunch dates?

dinner dont fucking wake me up for brunch thats my sleeping time its 2am right now

12. favorite flowers?

lilies are the prettiest for a bouquet, sunflowers make me happy tho

13. favorite perfume/cologne?

i have this cologne i got from hot topic like a million years ago it smells like angsty teenager i dont know if it smells good or just familiar

14. favorite candle scent?

midsummers night, yankee candle makes it it smells crisp

15. what’s your ideal first date?

so im invited to an estate at the top of a hill after dark because it cannot be accessed during the day, I assume its because its hosting another event but when i get there it almost seems as though nobody has lived in the house for a hundred years, and in fact im sure ive been there before and there was no house there at all, but here it stands in front of me in a thick fog while the sky threatens to unleash a torrential downpour that would give me no choice but to venture into the house accompanied or otherwise-im getting to the date part hold on-

16. favorite love story?

oh fuck have any of yall read the bone houses by emily lloyd jones? its not rlly a love story but its the only one i can think of rn

17. what’s the most attractive thing a person could wear?

pants that fit 😒

18. chocolate, vanilla, or red velvet?

red velvet but mostly because of the frosting

19. snow, rain, or sun?

rain!!! but only because i live somewhere thats sunny 350 days a year

20. sweetest romantic memory?

walking through a park while the sun was setting and there was snow on the ground and on everything

21. favorite dating sim (and favorite character)?

ok honestly i played that fuckin arcana game for a minute and i liked asra, the Aesthetic

22. fictional crushes?

well they only make orange and grape i think so any other flavor would be fictional

23. what’s your dream wedding like?

wouldnt u like to know, weather boy

24. what makes you blush?

goddamn everything, existing in a physical capacity

25. do you believe in love at first sight?

ehhhhh

26. do you believe in soulmates?

maybe

27. denim jackets, leather jackets, or bomber jackets?

leather jackets leather jackets

28. what’s your sign?

yield

29. are you single?

no!

30. do you prefer to charm, or be charmed?

i just bought a box of beads to make bracelets so i guess i like to charm but that doesnt mean im good at it

31. guitar or piano?

my fingers dont bend right to play the guitar otherwise i would, i can kinda play the piano tho

32. favorite romcom (or any romantic movie)?

eugh no

33. do you fall in love easily?

yes and no

34. valentine’s decorations: yay or nay?

that would take up so much timeee, and for what, what does anybody do on valentines day besides eat candy and do laundry

35. would you prefer to propose or be proposed to? what’s your dream proposal?

wouldnt YOU like to know, weather boy 👀

36. cloud gazing or star gazing?

star gazing, im not awake when the stars arent out

37. do you like to dance?

not in public

38. what’s your OTP?

me and @enbyblades

39. kittens or puppies?

KITTENS

40. coffee, hot chocolate, or tea?

i like cold coffee everything else hurts my face

41. favorite soda?

barqs superiority its rootbeer with caffeine bitches

42. do you prefer gazing wistfully out the window or lying dramatically over the sofa?

please let my lie down im so tired

43. favorite ABBA song?

dancing queen u know its a classic

44. fuck/marry/kill? (anons name 3 people of your choice)

you you and you i guess, watch out

45. favorite pajamas?

every year i buy valentines boxers and use them as pj shorts, those are comfy

46. favorite liquor?

screwball is really good but if i have shit to do ill take vodka

47. do you think about love a lot?

i think about my love a lot yes

48. a walk in the park or a walk on the beach?

park!!

49. hand kisses or nose kisses?

hand, ull smudge my glasses if u kiss my nose then ill have to clean them and its a whole thing

50. what’s your dreamhouse?

I GET A WHOLE HOUSE????? i want a desk and bookshelves so bad

[themcuhasruinedme]

Vintage Film Fest (Pt. 1)

[Summary]: You and Steve have been dating for a while and you surprise him with a pair of tickets to a vintage film festival as an anniversary date

[Pairing]: Steve x reader

[Word Count]: 2,874

Tagging: @theashhole @dividedwecantfall @peterman-parker @avengerofyourheart @nataliarxmanxva @metalarmproblems @mcuimxgine @accio-rogers @imagine-assembling-the-avengers @that-sokovian-bastard @hellomissmabel @abovethesmokestacks @peculiar-persephone @bellameys @beccaanne814 @hymnofthevalkyrie @buckys-shield @callamint @redgillan @lancefvcker @thetalesofmooseandsquirrel @iwillbeinmynest @theassetseyeliner @lilasiannerd @aubzylynn @sgtbxckybxrnes @iamwarrenspeace @marvelrevival @httpmcrvel @avengersnthings @feelmyroarrrr @girl-next-door-writes @honey-bee-holly

A/N: Just taking a break from my Tony series cuz I hit a tiny bit of a wall with it... but this little gem decided to appear after I got done watching all of Laurel and Hardy’s shorts and movies (and because I have such a massive love for Old Hollywood films)... I encourage you guys to watch the movies and shorts I mention in this as they are all wonderful and amazing (heads up though: some of them are silent!) and all can be found on YouTube.

It had only been five months since you and Steve became a couple. The team had often wondered how you two had never met before since you both enjoyed pretty much the same things.

You did find it a bit odd that you never did run into him at the theater when it was doing a special showing of an “Old Hollywood” film because Steve and you enjoyed those very much. You also enjoyed listening to the music that he grew up with. There were so many things that you and Steve had in common that it almost seemed like you two were destined to be together.

As the six month anniversary of you two being together was coming up, you were trying to come up with something special for the two of you to do. And after endlessly scrolling through a google search of restaurants nearby, things to do in NYC and a list of “things to do on the weekend and staycations”, something caught your eye: Vintage Film Festival.

Getting a big smile on your face, you clicked on the link and started scrolling through the details. It read:

Join us for an exciting four day event! Our movies will range from old, silent films to early talkies, featuring the most well known acts from that era: Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. Come laugh, cry, smile and sing with your fellow “Old Hollywood” fans for an event to remember!

Schedule can be found here and movie times start at 4:00 PM (although we try to avoid changes, the schedule is subject to change)

You looked around the web page to see if you had to pay for it and sure enough, you did. After all, getting to have a four day event to see some of the most memorable black and white films couldn’t be free. But you were happy that it didn’t cost that much. For two tickets to all four days was only $100 a ticket. You bought them immediately and decided you were going to surprise Steve when they showed up.

You then clicked on the link for the schedule to see what was going to be played and your jaw practically hit the floor. You couldn’t believe how many amazing movies and shorts were scheduled to be shown; from Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights to Buster Keaton’s Cops, from Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last! to Laurel and Hardy’s Way Out West. Almost having tears come to your eyes, you quickly dabbed them away and closed your laptop while still having the biggest smile on your face knowing that you’d be spending four days with Steve and the best slapstick comedy movies and shorts to ever grace the planet.

The tickets arrived within a week and a half and you couldn’t be more excited to  give them to him, you just had to find the right moment. You came up with a couple ideas. One that included you making a special dinner and hide them under his napkin. Another was still making the dinner and “pretending” to watch a movie together afterwards and at the end it told him about the tickets. Another was the simplest of all: just tell him you had a surprise for him and to cover his eyes and pull out the tickets. You decided to go with your first idea.

A few days later, you made a lovely dinner for the two of you and Steve was a little curious at first because you hardly ever made anything special unless it was for a reason. But he was still happy that you were making dinner and when he took the napkin off the table, he had to do a double-take.

He picked up the tickets and looked at them, slowly studying every word that was on them. He then looked up to see you smiling wide and holding out to him another piece of paper. He took it and started to read it. You watched as his eyes scanned the paper and as they went further, a huge smile appeared on his face.

“The Gold Rush, Safety Last!, Cops, Brats... Seven Chances... Way Out West... City Lights...” he said excitedly. “Hun, this is.. this is just... how did you find this?!”

“Well, since our six month anniversary is coming up I thought it would be nice to do something and when I was doing some searching for things to do, this caught my attention. I knew you’d be excited about it.”

“Yeah! These are like, some of the greatest movies and shorts there are! Especially Buster’s and Charlie’s!”

You smiled at him as you went around the table and sat in his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck and placing your temple against his as you both started at the paper.

“This is gonna be some six month anniversary then,” Steve said, still smiling.

“Mmhmm!” you giggled and placed a kiss on his forehead.

When the event finally arrived, the two of you couldn’t contain your excitement. You both had stayed up late the night before to watch other films and shorts by the actors on the list. Needless to say, there was a lot of laughing going on and you now loved and admired Buster Keaton even more.

After Steve parked the car and helped you out, he offered you his arm. You smiled, linked your arm through and placed your head on his shoulder as you made your way to the entrance of the theater. The man stamped your tickets and ushered you both in.

In the lobby you watched the video screen above the concession stand as Steve went to get popcorn and a few snacks. You watched as it played through clips of some of the movies you were about to see on the big screen and you couldn’t help but chuckle at a few and smile when you saw Buster show up.

Steve came back over with everything and you took a few things out of his hand and linked arms again with him as you two made your way to the screen room. Finding seats somewhere in the middle of the theater, you both plopped yourselves down and settled in for night one of your wonderful four night event.

As you waited for the movies to start, more and more people started showing up. You looked around and couldn’t believe your eyes! The place was starting get packed. It amazed you at just how many people there were that enjoyed these kinds of movies still. A few minutes more and the place had every seat taken. You saw parents with their kids, old couples, young couples and grandparents with their grandkids. It brought a huge smile to your face seeing that everyone was here to make memories with family.

Then the lights dimmed and everyone cheered and clapped, excited to start the first night of movies and shorts. You linked your arm through his and smiled at him when he placed his other hand on yours, giving you a quick kiss on your temple. He then placed his cheek on the top of your head as the film started.

The first film to kick of this four night event was The Gold Rush. You watched as they showed the travelers trudging through the snow and smiled as soon as you saw The Tramp wander on screen. With his cute mustache, that adorable walk and the things he did with that cane, you couldn’t help but just love this character that Charlie came up with.

The audience roared with laughter as The Tramp tried to leave a cabin in a storm but it kept pushing him back inside. And the laughter continued as you all watched The Tramp eat a candle in desperation as there was no food around the cabin. A few quiet somber moments happened before the theater filled with laughter again as The Tramp cooked one of his shoes to eat.

The laughter came and went as the film went on and when the most famous scene happened, which was the “Bread Dance” scene, the audience cheered and clapped when The Tramp had finished it.

A little later, the movie was over and the whole audience went wild with cheers. This was already starting off to be a great night. You looked at Steve, who was dabbing away some tears. He looked back at you with a smile as you gently dabbed away the tear stains on his cheeks.

“From laughing so hard or because of a beautiful ending?” you asked.

“More than likely both,” he chuckled.

There was a five minute break in between as the next one was getting prepared to play. Steve thought it would be a good time to use the restroom and get some more napkins for you two to finish the rest of the popcorn. Both of you had only gotten through half of it and had one box of candy emptied. Steve made it back with a minute to spare.

As soon as you heard the music start when the room went dark again, you tried not to jump out of your chair with excitement. Tugging on Steve’s sleeve, you whispered, “It’s Stan and Ollie!” When the word Brats came across, which was the title of the short, you smiled even bigger. “Oooooo! This is one of my favorites,” you whispered again to Steve.

You loved watching Laurel and Hardy. They were your favorite comedy duo. And did you have such a love for Stan! Not to say that you didn’t love Oliver but good gravy that Stanley. Between his accent, the adorable and often times hilarious, facial expressions (especially his smile), the way he mussed up his hair and his whine in times of trouble, there was nothing you didn’t love about Stan.

The theater was quiet until Stan said, “If you must make a noise, make it quietly.” Everyone burst out laughing. The laughter kept going as Stan and Ollie tried to play a game of checkers and watch their kids (who they also played) but the kids kept causing trouble. And after the boys tell them to go to bed, hilarity still ensues with Stan and Ollie playing a game of pool and the kids still causing trouble.

The audience was still having roars of laughter when the kids started to accidentally overflow the bathtub, which then started to fill up the bathroom. And laughter still rang out when Stan and Ollie sang the kids to sleep. Even more rang out when Ollie opened the bathroom door, having all the water rush out into the room. As the short ended and the lights dimmed on for another five minute break, you went to the restroom and got a refill on your soda.

There were a few minutes to wait before the next short started. You looked over at Steve and smiled at him. He smiled back at you and wrapped his arm around your shoulder. “This is the best thing we’ve ever done. I couldn’t think of a more better way to spend our six month anniversary.”

You nodded in agreement and kissed him. “I sure hope they do this again. We might need to make this an annual thing if they keep it up.”

Steve chuckled. “We just might.”

The theater went dark once more for the next movie to start. And you couldn’t be more happy to see what it was. Harold Lloyd’s most famous film, Safety Last!. Sure it had great funny moments here and there at the beginning and middle but you were most excited about the part where Harold climbed up the side of the building and hung from the face of the clock. And when that scene finally happened, there were so many gasps and oh-no’s coming from the kids in every direction of the theater. And even though you knew that Harold was gonna be ok, you tensed up just a bit and held onto Steve’s arm just a little tighter.

Another five minute break happened after the movie was over. This break seemed to go by rather quickly and the lights soon went dark again and the next short started. You really had to contain your excitement when you saw it was one of your absolute favorite Buster Keaton silent shorts, The High Sign. You admired Buster quite a lot, especially his stunt skills. The man was in a league of his own when it came to the dangerous stunts that were put in his movies all because he did many of them himself, some of which could have killed him. And even though this short didn’t have anything dangerous in it, it still showed off his stunt skills quite a bit.

Laughs started already with the first title card: “Our hero came from Nowhere - he wasn’t going Anywhere and got kicked off Somewhere.” and continued when he jacked someone’s newspaper and opened it over and over, turning it into this humongous paper that practically swallowed him.

Quietness hung in the air as the audience watched him read a “Wanted Ad” for an expert shot at a shooting gallery and sneakily take a cops gun to practice with. Laughter erupted again as he tried to practice but was absolutely terrible at it. It slowly died down but picked right back up when Buster went to the shooting gallery and got scared so bad that it knocked him right off his feet.

It got quiet again, except for a few whispers here and there about the man that owned the shooting gallery. You heard a child behind you say to their parent, “He’s really mean looking. I don't like him.” You smiled softly, knowing that this man was the bad guy.

You heard some of the children gasp when it showed that the very tall man was the leader of a gang of bandits that was going to kill someone that day. But laughter rang out again while Buster made an invention using a stray dog and a bone to make it seem like he was a great shot, which made the very tall man believe that Buster was perfect for taking out the person.

It became quiet once again as the audience watched Buster get asked by the man that was going to be shot that day to be his bodyguard but then also be told by the very tall man afterwards that Buster was gonna be the one to kill the man. But the hilarity and laughter ensued once more when towards the end after tricking the bandits, Buster outwitted them using every secret passage in the man’s house.

The next break in-between movies was a bit longer so if people wanted to walk around for a bit to really stretch their legs after being in their seats for a few hours they could, along with letting moms take care of the little ones that they brought. You and Steve took turns going to the bathroom and getting refills. Both of you stretched a few times to wake up those sleeping muscles and then it was announced that the next movie was going to start in a few minutes to give people time to get back to their seats.

The lights went off one more time for the last movie of the night. Another early talkie short from Laurel and Hardy called They Go Boom started which was another favorite of yours. 

Laughing started almost immediately when the audience heard Stan snoring and seeing the shade fly up after Ollie sneezed. It continued after Stan tied the shade down but flew up once again and fell off the window after Ollie sneezed, along with a picture that was hanging above the bed falling off and hitting Ollie on the head. The audience watched as Stan then tried to help Ollie get over his cold but things don’t go right at all as usual.

You heard some of the kids gasp when the landlord threatened to throw the boys out. Laughter rang out once more when Ollie accidentally overfilled the air mattress with gas and it raised the bed all the way up to the ceiling. The laughter was even harder, if that was even possible, when Ollie needed to sneeze which sent Stan into panic mode and the bed exploded also causing a hole in the room above them.

And as the screen faded to black the whole audience broke out into cheers and applause. Everyone started to then file out of the theater and out to their cars. You and Steve slowly walked to your car, your arm linked in his and your head on his shoulder.

“So, did you have fun?” he asked.

“Do you really have to ask?” you answered. “Besides, we have another three nights to go. I think that question would be best served at that point.”

You looked at him with a smile, knowing damn well that he wouldn’t even need to ask again. The two of you already knew that you would have the time of your lives with this. With one night of classics done, it was now onto night number two!

[incorrectgaylegoninjas]

GreenFlame Fluff

For the lovely @cocoa-comic81 who made my icon, and so I wrote this lil bit of Greenflame fluff for them! I hope you like it, story under the cut!

The sun shone bright on Ninjago, but raised voices heard distantly heard from Destiny’s Bounty as it sailed over head informed citizens that all might not be well. What could it be this time, they wondered in fear? Skulkin invasion? More Serpentine? What crisis had the ninjas sailing by?!

They watched in awe as the Fire Ninja, Kai, leapt from the ship and hit the ground running, no time for explanations. They cheered him on, sure he was on his way to save their city.

“I FORGOT OUR ANNIVERSARY!!” Kai shouted in a panic as he burst into a flower shop, eyes wide and panicked. “Code red, level ten emergency, someone help!” Several people stopped and stared, bewildered to see him in their midst, but one of the workers was quick to come over and offer her assistance. “My boyfriend and I have a date tonight, and I totally forgot that it’s our anniversary until about ten minutes ago,” the distressed ninja explained as he followed her around the shop trying to pick flowers for a bouquet.

The florist just smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’ll have you ready and out of here before you know it.” She quickly assembled a bouquet for Kai and refused when he tried to pay her, waving him off. “You’ve saved us enough times, that’s not necessary. Just keep our city safe, alright?” She smiled warmly. “Good luck on your date, and happy anniversary!” Kai thanked her and rushed out, mindfully clutching the bouquet.

Back on the Destiny’s Bounty, he quickly showered and shaved and got dressed, then spent a good twenty minutes trying fruitlessly to get his hair to behave before giving up, he was going to be late! Swearing, he grabbed the flowers and ran out again to go meet Lloyd for their date.

When he arrived at the restaurant, Lloyd was already there, sucking on a sucker with his other hand stuck casually in his pocket while he stared off into the distance. Kai paused when he saw him, taking a moment to just drink in the sight of the sun bringing out the gold in his hair and adding some color to his pale cheeks. He took a deep breath and held the bouquet behind his hand as he strolled up, hooking his other arm around his boyfriend’s waist and speaking near his ear, pressing a kiss to his head. “Hey you.”

Lloyd jerked in surprise at the initial touch but quickly relaxed, grinning at his Kai with a slight blush. “Hey yourself. I was starting to worry you’d forgotten.”

“Forget you? Never,” Kai chuckled (only a bit nervously), squeezing him gently. Lloyd laughed.

“Well, let’s go eat, I’m starving.”

Kai nodded. “But first - for you.” He produced the flowers with a bit of a flourish, grinning brighter when Lloyd’s blush deepened.

“H-happy anniversary, Kai.” Lloyd accepted the flowers, ducking his head shyly. Kai felt warm at the sight - he always found it so endearing, how Lloyd grew so flustered any time that Kai went out of his way to show him affection, even after a year of being together. He teased him about how cute he was when he blushed, but only to make him blush harder because he really did find it adorable.

Taking his hand, Lloyd led Kai into the restaurant. They ate, and they bickered and teased each other and laughed and told stories, Kai making fun of how Lloyd used to be such a bad villain focused only on stealing candy and Lloyd making fun of how Kai thought he was going to be the Green Ninja and Lloyd totally stole his thunder. They argued and squabbled, but Kai bought Lloyd ice cream after dinner and Lloyd took one of the flowers and tucked it behind his ear, and they both laughed as they walked aimlessly through the city.

As the sun started going down, Lloyd fidgeted nervously. When Kai looked at him curiously, sensing he wanted to say something, Lloyd bit his lip. “I...have something to show you.”

“Okay….? So show me.”

“It’s….I need you to come somewhere with me,” Lloyd explained. Kai was suspicious, but willing to indulge his boyfriend, nodding.

“Alright...lead the way, babe,” Kai encouraged, squeezing his hand. Lloyd insisted that he close his eyes, and Kai rolled them before obeying, keeping them shut despite his growing trepidation about what his boyfriend was up to, blindly following where Lloyd led him by the hand.

The noises of the city faded, and he could tell that they were climbing a hill. Lloyd made him sit, and then he heard the snap-hiss of a lighter followed by a fizzling sound before Lloyd sat between his legs, settled back against his chest.

“Okay...open your eyes,” he said quietly.

Kai opened his eyes, just before fireworks started going off. His eyes lit up as he watched the display, several booming rapidly in succession to form a red heart in the sky, the sparks of color gradually falling down and fizzling out.

“Did you like it….?” Lloyd asked nervously, twisting around slightly to look at him.

“Like it? Lloyd, that was great. I loved it,” Kai insisted with a grin. Pressing his palm to Lloyd’s cheek, Kai leaned in and gave him a kiss. Lloyd seemed to melt into him, gently clutching the front of his shirt as he kissed back. When Kai eventually pulled away, they were both breathing hard and grinning like fools. “You did that just for me?”

“Well….Jay helped, but it was my idea. I’m glad you liked it.”

Kai squeezed his boyfriend. “I’m so lucky. You’re too good for me.”

Lloyd blushed again. “Shut up, and happy anniversary.” Lloyd kissed his cheek, then settled back against his chest. They stayed there on the hill, watching the stars and quietly enjoying each other’s company. Another crisis was surely on the way, but for now, they were happy to just enjoy their anniversary.

[snowygears]

Okay not to butt in but I really really wanted to add onto this because I am an f-ing nerd abt this shit. Anyways-

Kai- He never really had been a morning person but now he especially hates them. Mostly due to the fact that he’s now naturally more nocturnal and always has to wake up in the middle of the night for a snack. (Okay this is a maybe but I think It’d be cute if he started squeaking out of habit when scared or surprised)

Zane- He turns his head. All the way around. He’s just so used to it that when someone approaches or talks to him from behind he’ll just... spin his head around. He’s also a lot more clingy and compassionate with his s/o because Snowy Owls pick a mate for life. (Will find somewhere to perch. He likes perching.)

Cole- His hair starts growing super quickly in the winter and fall so he starts wearing it in a loose bun or will just let it flow. He’s also become a big nap guy. If he lays on the couch for more than 20 minutes he will be out like a light. (Also occasionally just flops across someone’s lap cause he can)

Jay- Much like Nya he hates to sleep alone now. Can’t stand it. But he’s also become a little jumpy around Zane, not because he’s afraid of Zane but because of him being an owl. (Likes to lay upside down on the couch or on his bed. Doesn’t get head rushes.)

Nya- Loves incorporating fish into every meal. Honestly hates eating anything without fish in it. Likes helping cook, clean, and such a lot more than she used to. But only when Wu, Zane, and Kai are doing it. (Very good at whistling.)

Lloyd- Candy or fruits are a must. Sugar is a necessity. He likes staying clean and keeping everything around him clean, though he’s found the weird ability that he doesn’t need to shower anymore but still does out of habit. (Also loves soft things. Blankets, pillows, clothes, toys, etc.)

Au where some random new villain turns all the ninja into animals, what animal do you think they’d all be if that happened and what animal characteristics would stick with them after they turned back

Oooh...

Kai - A scruffy looking coyote - Kai was always known as having a pretty iron stomach, but no one could handle Cole’s cooking...until someone had spent a little while as a very opportunistic little omnivore.

Zane - A huge snowy owl - the others all think he got away without any residual side effects, until a night where Nya, Cole, and Lloyd all end up with braided hair. Turns out snowy owls will preen the young of their family, and Zane will braid (and wash, if given the opportunity) anyone’s hair.

Cole - An amur leopard - Cole now has an unfortunate habit of hiding snacks all over the Bounty. New boundaries had to be established after Jay found him in a closet eating a slice of cake.

Jay - A Mexican free-tailed bat - It took a while to figure out, but everyone agrees the echolocation is far more of a bonus than a real drawback.

Nya - a giant river otter - A now very social Nya does not like being alone at all. Lloyd had already moved into a fifth bunk in the boys’ room, she just nabbed the top bunk above him when sleeping alone was now unthinkable.

Lloyd - An adorable sugar glider - He freaked Kai out immensely when he entered a torpor state for the first time. Kai thought he was sick or injured and had fell into a coma, meanwhile Zane pulled out dinner from the oven and it woke him up no problem.

[fadingfartconnoisseur]

Vail, Colorado, Might Be Better in the Summer!

Lately, I’ve been diligent about visiting my most egregious travel oversights. In the past year, I finally made it to places like Miami and Poland; prior to that, I checked off Berlin, Amsterdam, and Chicago.

But what was one major oversight that I still hadn’t visited until this summer? Colorado.

I think I can tell you why. I don’t ski. So for someone like me who associates Colorado travel first and foremost with skiing, I never seriously considered it as a destination. Even though I knew intellectually that ski towns happen to have great hiking in the summer, it never occurred to me to take a summer trip here.

Then I got in touch with the tourism department of Vail, arguably the most famous Colorado ski town of all. Vail might be famous for its slopes and powder, but it turns out Vail really knows how to rock summer as well. So when they invited me to visit, I happily accepted.

Locals Think Vail is Better in Summer

It turns out that Vail locals know something all the ski tourists don’t — Vail is even better in the summer. Almost everyone I talked to in Vail told me that this is their favorite time of year.

What makes it that way? Far and away, the beauty of the mountains. Hiking around here is not just an activity you do a few times a year — it’s a way of life. Colorado is often ranked the healthiest state in the US, and it’s easy to see why when the outdoors are this visually appealing.

It’s far less crowded and crazy than in the winter months. It’s not quite low season — low season would be around May or October, kind of in-between months — but it’s nowhere on the level of winter. And accommodation prices are lower, too.

The weather is mild. Like many high-altitude destinations, you could conceivably have several different kinds of weather in a single day, and it’s best to layer up — but that’s better than freezing in your ski boots.

I arrived on a plane from hot and sticky New York City and set out to discover what this town had to offer.

Exploring Vail Village

One of my all-time favorite movies is Dumb & Dumber. And just like my hero, Lloyd Christmas, I was a native New Englander with a chipped tooth*, a hopeless romantic spinning around in Colorado for the first time, high on altitude sickness and definitely without warm enough clothing, spellbound by the beauty of a Rocky Mountain village. I really should have driven my sheepdog.

As soon as I arrived, I set out for a walk around Vail Village. Every turn I made delighted me even more. “That hotel is so Alpine.” “Those trees are so pretty.” “OH MY GOD THE VAIL FIRE STATION, I wonder if Ryan from The Bachelorette still works there!!” (Spoiler: he does.)

*Boston. New Years Eve 2009. Beer bottle to the face. Got it patched in Bangkok for $17 but it fell off a few years later. It’s a subtle chip; you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely.

The architecture in Vail is so distinctive — it’s definitely influenced by Switzerland and Austria, but it has its own Colorado spin on it.

Vail Village is small and walkable, and a lot of people choose to bike around. You don’t need a car in Vail at all. And that’s not all — in the winter the paths are actually heated, so you don’t have to worry about slipping on the ice or snow!

Later in the trip I rented a bike and rode around the town. Vail has several covered bridges, and some of the highest botanical gardens in the world, named after former First Lady Betty Ford. She and President Ford loved Vail and spent a lot of time here.

(Also, this has been a big summer for me visiting presidents’ vacation spots — first, Truman in Key West and now here!)

Hiking Through the Mountains

I wanted to get deep into the mountains right away, and I was jazzed to be hiking the next morning. My guide, Peter Suneson of Walking Mountains, an outdoor outfitter that focuses on education and sustainability, picked me up in an electric car. We drove us to Uneva Peak, home to a lovely, and relatively easy hike in the Vail area.

Peter, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Owen Wilson, is a naturalist from Oklahoma with his master’s degree in Environmental Studies. As we climbed the mountain, we talked about literature, business, protecting the environment, and everything in between.

By this time, I had been in Vail for less than 24 hours. Coming from New York, that’s an 8,000-foot altitude change. Altitude affects everyone differently, but that’s a big jump no matter who you are. The night before, I sipped one glass of wine over the course of two hours and it still made me loopy; as we began hiking uphill, I felt my blood pounding in my head with each step.

Uneva Peak is a great choice for an easier hike. It starts with a steep uphill but then becomes very gentle. Peter told me I was handling the altitude better than most people. I grinned but knew better than to gloat — altitude can affect you differently each time, and I had lucked out this time.

The whole time we hiked, the phrase “God’s own country” kept passing through my mind. It’s not a phrase I use in my life, but it seemed so suited to the countryside surrounding Vail. A place so beautiful that its maker could only be beyond our knowledge.

Vail is a popular area for mushrooming! We passed several mushroomers hiking the trails, each of them lamenting how few mushrooms were around that day. CASE IN POINT: ONLY GO MUSHROOMING IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING, AND THESE RED MUSHROOMS ARE POISONOUS.

Even a mushroom like this could be edible if you cut out the bad parts! It might take you awhile, though…

There are so many tall tree stumps on the mountain. Peter pointed out that they are that height because loggers cut them down in the winter and they were partially buried beneath the snow.

That really struck me — much like when I was in the Scottish Highlands and found out that people often didn’t wear shoes, even in the winter. People suffered so much just to live. Imagine how difficult your life would be if you had to cut down trees in three-foot-deep snow.

The mountains are covered with strawberries — small, concentrated, natural strawberries. The perfect snack in the middle of a long hike!

As we finished up the hike and walked back down to the electric car, I realized that this was the best morning I had had in quite some time.

Spa Time at the Sonnenalp

I stayed at the Sonnenalp Hotel, which only intensified my Dumb & Dumber nostalgia. This resort was pure Alpine coziness, with lots of antlers and hand-carved wooden furniture. And the staff all wore name tags with their hometown on it. Many came from all over Europe and I loved chatting with them about their homes. I’m pretty sure my waiter from Birmingham, England, didn’t even realize I was faking a Brummie accent the whole time! (It’s the only one I can halfway pull off…)

  And then there was the spa. THAT SPA.

The Sonnenalp is famous for its spa, and justifiably so. I got a nice facial (and for what it’s worth, a month later, I haven’t had any major deep-under-the-skin breakouts since — that is super rare for me).

But it’s also a beautiful setting — and the best part is hanging out by the giant fireplace in your robe, sipping a cup of tea.

LOOK AT THAT FIREPLACE. Is that not the most inviting fireplace you’ve ever seen?! Give me a thick book and I could have spent the entire day there, surviving on apples and herbal tea.

I didn’t try the pools, but I loved that they were indoor/outdoor pools — it must be fun swimming from the inside into the snowy mountain environment outside!

(Spa photos courtesy of the Sonnenalp.)

Hiking with Llamas

Perhaps the most special and unique experience I had in Vail was hiking with llamas! Yes, you can go on a hike accompanied by these furry beasts. This excursion is run by Paragon Guides, who offer all kinds of Vail tours but are best known for this insanely Instagrammable excursion.

Our llamas were named Kareem and Bailey. Soon I learned that Kareem was an avid hummer and Bailey went crazy for blueberries.

Here our guide was Paul. Like so many locals I met, he fell in love with the mountains and moved out to Denver with his wife, only to spend a lot of time looking out the window and wishing he was in the mountains, not just looking at them. Then he quit his job, he and his wife moved to Vail for real, and he became a guide!

Llamas are a lot of fun. They’re pack animals, so they can comfortably wear a lot of weight, and you won’t have to carry as much. And they did not stop eating. Even if we only stopped somewhere for a few moments, the llamas heads would be on the ground, munching on grass or weeds.

On this excursion, we hiked outside Minturn, a cute town with an Old West feel just west of Vail. Very few people were out on the trails, leaving us in blissful isolation.

At one point, Kareem sneezed on me. I yelped in shock and everyone in the group burst out laughing! I couldn’t help but laugh, too. I’ve had worse things on me than llama snot.

We had a wonderful picnic in a clearing, sharing strawberries and hummus and building our own sandwiches. Kareem and Bailey, for their part, didn’t stop munching on grass the entire time.

This was such a wonderful day. If you want to do something truly memorable in Vail, make it this hike. I hope that you have Paul for your guide, too; he’s such a wonderful and affable guy!

Where to Eat and Drink in Vail

Vail is a resort town full of athletic people — it should be no surprise that there are tons of great eats around the city.

And not just the rainbow jimmy candy apple above from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory that I swore I only bought for Instagram purposes, then ended up eating in the privacy of my hotel room. Oops.

The #1 recommendation I got from friends and readers was to eat at The Red Lion, and they said the food was simple and delicious. They weren’t lion (ugh, I hate myself) — I stopped in for a bowl of chili and a local beer after my hike with Peter, and to say it hit the spot would be the understatement of the decade.

I was excited to eat at Matsuhisa for nostalgic reasons. You might remember that my first job out of college was working as a concierge for an exclusive credit card. One thing we did was dining reservations, and I booked my clients at the Matsuhisa restaurants in Vail and Aspen all the time.

It was so nice to finally eat there as a guest! One of the standouts was the lobster tacos, pictured above, as well as the black miso cod and the lavender margarita.

If you’ve got cash to spend, definitely splurge on the Wagyu beef. You cook it on a hot stone in front of you! It sizzles hard, then melts in your mouth…

Probably the most Vail dish I could have possibly eaten was a special fondue at the Swiss Chalet at the Sonnenalp. This was a Mexican-inspired jalapeño fondue! Vail is a popular destination with Latin American travelers, Mexicans in particular. This dish marries the Alpine look of the village with the ingredients of their visitors.

If I lived in Vail, I would be at the Vail Brewing Company all the time. They have several excellent beers on tap — including one called a Hot Mess Blonde. They also have Hot Mess Blonde merchandise, which makes an excellent gift for your favorite blonde friend. (This is where I inform you that my sister is a blonde.)

I can only imagine how great this place is after a long day of skiing!

If you’d like something a bit stronger, check out the 10th Mountain Whiskey and Spirit Company. They distill their own vodka, whiskey, bourbon, and even moonshine! Yep, I tried it and found out I can’t stomach moonshine any easier than I could while in college. I did, however, love their cordial — fruity and boozy in all the right ways.

If there’s any classic Vail restaurant that tops the lists, it’s Sweet Basil. This restaurant has been in business for decades — so long that they often bring back classic dishes on the list, adding the year it was introduced. Who knew the Caesar salad was introduced in 1978? Or that tuna kung pao was the dish of 2004?

My favorite was a modern dish — the octopus. Octopus so often comes out rubbery, but they really knew how to cook it to tenderness here.

My personal favorite restaurant in Vail was Pendulum, a gorgeous fine dining spot in the heart of the village. Their heirloom tomato toast blew my mind — sometimes the simplest dishes, if prepared with fresh ingredients, can be transcendent.

Also good was their lobster pasta, a dish I did not think I would see on any menus this far inland…

But the biggest standout was the sweetcorn crème brûlée topped with kettle corn, toasted marshmallows, brioche, and honeycomb. LOOK AT THAT THING. I’m not the biggest sweetcorn fan, but this tasted as sensational as it looked.

The Takeaway

I had such a great time in Vail. You can see that from the pictures. But since the trip I’ve been trying to figure out what really stood out to me, what made it special and different and extraordinary. That’s one reason why I like to wait a few weeks after a trip to write about it; I like to let it sink in and marinate.

What I loved most about Vail was hiking through the beautiful mountains while having intellectual conversations. Just walking through the mountains with interesting guides and being able to have next-level conversations about literature and climate change felt like a novelty. I feel like I’ve never had that experience before; it was so nice to have it in Vail.

I also loved that Vail was unquestionably a resort town, but it was populated by real people, interesting people, people who pulled back the curtain a little bit and showed you their inner lives. I don’t often go to resort towns, but Vail felt different from many that I’ve visited. Vail had an honesty, a frankness, to it that I haven’t seen in other places.

And another thing that made me laugh was Vail style, especially on the Friday night I spent in town. On the first day, I actually felt overdressed in jeans — everyone was in workout clothes! But by the time evening rolled around, some of the women were still wearing workout clothes or athleisure while others were in super fancy designer duds with elegantly coiffed hair. It made for great people watching, that’s for sure!

But more than anything, Vail was a reminder that I love the mountains more than almost anything — perhaps even more than beaches. Mountains give me joy and rejuvenation, and Vail has some of the best mountains of all. I certainly found that out on this summer trip.

Now, what’s next? I think it’s time for me to finally learn to ski.

Essential Info: In Vail I stayed at the Sonnenalp Hotel, a luxurious Alpine wonderland that I loved. It’s definitely a splurge property, but if you want to go all out in Vail, I couldn’t think of anywhere more thematically appropriate than here. Low season rates from $330. The spa is included for all hotel guests; the 50-minute facial costs $155. See more Vail hotels here.

My hike with Peter was through Walking Mountains Science Center, a local nonprofit focused on sustainability in Vail. Peter offers full-day hikes for $80 per person, or half-day family hikes (age 8+) for $30 per person. There are also several free programs; check the website for details.

My llama hike with Paul was through Paragon Guides. The Take a Llama to Lunch Tour costs $675 for 1-4 people and extra people are $89 each. This hike takes you through the backcountry and can be adjusted for any level. They also offer multi-day llama treks.

While you can fly directly to Vail, I came from Denver Airport on the Colorado Mountain Express, a shuttle van that takes you door-to-door. It was an easy two-hour ride through absolutely gorgeous landscapes. I planned to use the free wifi to work, but it was so beautiful that I just listened to music and zoned out while taking in all the beauty. And we stopped at Starbucks halfway — yay! One-way fares cost $84-97.

On the way back to Denver, I took the Bustang bus, which is linked with Greyhound. It was a simple bus ride along the same route and dropped me at Union Station. One-way fares cost $17.

Be careful with the altitude. Vail is 8,000 feet (2,445 meters) above sea level. Peter recommended people arriving from sea level spend a day acclimating before attempting a challenging hike; a gentle hike is fine. Hydrate, take your time, and keep in mind alcohol will likely hit you much harder than at home. Canned oxygen is for sale throughout Vail if you need extra help.

Be sure not to visit Vail without travel insurance. Whether you get appendicitis and need to be hospitalized, or your phone gets stolen, or an injury means you need to cancel all or part of your trip, travel insurance will help you when you need it most. I use and recommend World Nomads as travel insurance for trips to Colorado.

This campaign is brought to you by Vail Tourism, who hosted and compensated me in Vail. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Have you been to Vail? Does it look like your kind of place?

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[inmomorium-blog]

Episode 2:A Wild One in Every Generation of Women

Hello, I’m Matthew. This is In Momorium, a punnily named podcast about grief.

On this episode, we’re going to learn more about Debbie’s background by listening to her talking about her grandmother and then her mother. There are some digressions on mom’s part and some interruptions from me, both in 2009 and today.

A quick disclaimer, this recording was initially meant as notes for a writing project, and there are a lot of irritating background noises, including an obnoxious lovebird and some banging noises. I’ve cleaned it up as best I can, and it gets vastly better around the two-minute mark. There are some digressions on Mom’s part and some interruptions from me in 2009 and today, so please stick with us.

Now in her own words, here’s Debbie telling a tale of my two favorite mean old ladies.

 “Ninny was born on a farm near Paul’s Valley either 1904 or 1906 I don’t remember but she was born before Oklahoma became a state, it was still Indian Territory, and her daddy was a rancher, and her mother had a millinery shop, she made and sold hats, so Ninny always really liked hats, she always wore hats… So, um, her dad’s name was Lloyd, her mother’s name was Natti, her name was Cincinnati, and they called her Nattie, or Nat. and she had a uh, her older sister Alma, was the oldest and then she was the second child… and her father really wanted a son, and because the boys didn’t start coming until after Ila was born, he kind of made granny his boy, and they called her Bill or Billikins, although her name was Ila Inez, and she got out and rode horses and branded horses and raised hell and beat the hell out of all her brothers, and subsequently a good many of her husbands… She had six brothers and a younger sister.  

 Alma had two daughters, she had Magdalene and Lena Mae, and Magdalene was my hero, I always wanted to grow up and be like Magdalene, and I thought Magdalene was so tall, and as an adult I was way more than a head taller than Magdalene. There was a wild one in every generation of women, Ninny was the wild one in her generation, then Magdalene was the wild one in her generation, I was the wild one in my generation, then Audra was wild, now I guess Courtney is catching up, so something is happening to the generations.   

Granny lived at the farm, grew up at the farm, and left as soon as she could. She married Floyd (Charles Floyd Rushing) and they’d had Indianola when Ila was 18 or 19, I don’t remember. My mother lived with her dad and her grandmother, because Ila took off, she decided she didn’t want to be married anymore, and when Indianola was about three, she just left and left her there with her dad and her grandma, and lived the life of a flapper, she had all kind of neat stories about all these scrapes she was in, and these adventures that she had, she went from one end of the country to the other end of the country. Granny was, claimed to married 17 times, and I don’t recall her ever having gotten a divorce, but back then, I guess, If you were gonna party with her, you had to marry her, so she was married a whole bunch of times.       She would come and live with us for a while, then she and mother would get crosswise and so she’d pack her stuff up and she’d go away, then she’d come back. When I was small, mother worked in Doctor’s offices, and had to leave me at a nursery, and I never did like the nurseries and for whatever reason I would become annoyed with the nursery people, and then I would call my grandmother, who would come and get into a cuss fight with the people that owned the nursery, and get me thrown out and they wouldn’t take me back, but granny wouldn’t keep me, so she just would come and break me out of the nurseries and mother would have to find another nursery, so I went to a lot of nurseries when I was little …     Ninny owned restaurants and boarding houses, she always talked about being an “ole restrunt woman” and I remember one time when I was probably nine or ten years old, mother worked at the cigarette counter at a drug store at Jones-Balou drugstore that was at Britton road and May avenue… So granny picked me up after school and took me up to the drug store where mother worked, and was gonna buy me a hamburger, and they had a lunch counter that only was built up about half way, so that you could see the people sitting in the booths and you could see behind the area where they cooked, where the grill was, it was open, and we ordered my hamburger and I’m sittin’ there, and, granny hops up and says “You nasty son of a bitch you’re not cook a hamburger that I’m gonna by god eat!” and so she gets up and gets behind the counter and makes our hamburgers, and during that time, everybody in the store is running back there to get a look, because when she said that, she said it loud enough for them to hear it from down the block. And I was probably as mortified as I have ever been; I wanted to slink down out the booth and into the floor, that’s one of my most embarrassing moments. 

 But Granny was full of embarrassing moments; she would always do really strange things. She didn’t care who was around when she did, and some people thought that was her charm.    

“What about when your mother was little?” … She grew up on the farm, and “had to walk a mile to school with a potato in her pocket to keep her warm on her way to school and then it was her lunch” and when she was six, her dad remarried, and she never liked her step-mother, she thought her step-mother was just horrible, but I thought she was really nice. Bertha. The last I heard, she was still alive, and she’s 93 or 94. And with Bertha, Floyd had three more children, he had Willis Andrew, and Willy Calvin, and the daughter who was the youngest, was named Lila Clementine, when Lila married, she married a fellow named Bill Tinpenny, so her name was Lila Clementine Rushing Tinpenny, because of that, they called her “Sis” ...  They used to go all the time to the farm when Joey and Janice were little, I remember being drug down there a time or two, but I was always the city cousin that come visitin’ and all the little country cousins would make fun of because I didn’t want to roll around in the cow shit, and I was afraid of all the farm animals, and when we went down there I always stayed as close as I could to Bertha, because I didn’t want to be aggravated by all those other people. By the time I was ten or 12 years old, I put my foot down and said “I am no longer going to the farm” and I didn’t. The last time I went was when grandpa passed away…     

   When mother was 13, she made up her mind that her mother needed her, that she needed to go and live with her mother, and so she did. Living with her kind of consisted of them being “on the road”, they’d hitchhike one place then another or they’d go on the train, and there was a lady whose name was “Boots” she was married to uncle Gus at one time, now Marilyn wasn’t Gus’s child, but he was the stepfather she was the closest to, she was real fond of him and she kept in touch. They kinda ran with mother and granny for a while, the lived in Colorado for a while, they lived a few places.  Ninny and Boots Stayed buddies even though boots didn’t stay married to Gus.

Her first husband was Joe. She either got married at 14 and had Janice at 15, or married at 15 and Janice at 16. Mother had become sexually active and Granny pushed her into marrying Joe. She always contended that she didn’t love Joe, but between Joe and Granny, Granny was afraid she’d get pregnant and then Granny would be stuck having to raise the kids. So she coerced and urged her and kinda forced her into marrying Joe.

“Where’d she find him at?”

He grew up in Lindsay; they were all in Lindsay, that’s where Mother grew up. And, uh, I guess he was a Fuller brush man or something and he would come and visit her and bring her candy bars and sit on the porch and they would spark. But they got married and in the beginning, I know, she only stayed with him for maybe 10 year, 11 years, something like that. There were several times he beat the hell out of her. He beat her up one time when she was pregnant. And of course he was real demeaning. In order to keep her under his thumb, he was all “You know, nobody is gonna want you, and you’re stupid, and the only kinda job you’ll ever be able to get is slinging’ hash somewhere, you’re fat and dumb and ugly..” and all those kind of things. 

She went to work when Joey and Janice were in school. For a time she worked at Jackson Cookie Company, there was a cookie factory that was right by the house and she worked there. Then she went to work at the Capitol. She had made her mind up that she was ready to get loose from Joe about the time she got this job, and uh, she went out and got him an apartment and helped him get his linens and his dishes and all the things he was gonna need and packed his ass up and moved him out. 

Mother was quite a looker- I never saw that, but apparently she was extremely attractive when she was young. She had the real Lana Turner, kinda voluptuous sweater girl type of figure. I saw a picture of an office Christmas party when she was young, and the women were sitting along a sectional couch, and the men were standing behind the couch to pose for this picture, and every single one of the men were clearly, visibly ogling mother, and the other women they weren’t even looking at.

One time, Mother, we had a little friend I had fallen in love with when I was real small that worked as a soda jerk at the neighborhood drug store. That was a real popular place to go when I was young, that was where people would go to the lunch counters or go there for ice cream or sodas. This characters name was Wally, and he was crazy about Janice, and I was crazy about him. He carried me around on his shoulders and let me get back behind the bar of the drug store. Mother was sitting at the counter with, uh, somebody, and this guy came up to her and said “Lady, are you leavin’ pretty soon? Are you gonna be here for a minute?” and she said that she was. So he come back a little while later dragging this little girl, and drug his little sister clear over to the counter to see Mama, and told her to “Say hello to the purty lady!” and that’s a line we always used for everybody...

And she worked, and Mother, bless her heart, got involved with an awful lot of men who were married, and their wives never did understand em, and they were always gonna leave their wives and come and marry her, and they never did. 

After she passed away, I was always real close to Magdalene but I had spent a lot of time on the phone with her as mother was ill and when she died. Magdalene told a story about some guy they had known when they were young, and he lived out in the area where she lived, and she had gotten reacquainted with him, they talked, and they’d go out to dinner... by this time Magdalene was in her late 60s and so was this guy... and the guy had asked her to marry him, they were thinking about getting married. During one of their conversations he happened to mention that one of the most memorable afternoons of his lifetime was a rainy day that he was in a motel room above Kachi’s dance studio with Indianola. I guess Magdalene knew that he knew mother, but didn’t know that he knew mother quite that intimately. After that she broke it off with him, wouldn’t talk to him no more, wouldn’t have nothing to do with him, and obviously didn’t marry him.

Mother was real busy, and of course, back then women didn’t have, they didn’t get divorced as a general rule, and Mother and Granny both entertained quite frequently. Joey and Janice were embarrassed and shamed by the neighbors who had known Joe, and knew that they were married, and would keep track of the cars that would be spending the night with mother, and they’d asked the kids when they caught them out alone, you know, “Who was that that spent the night?”

Mother was real busy with her, uh, dance card.”

Next time on In Momorium, things take a darker turn as Debbie tells some family legends involving kidnapping, murder for hire, and murder for incestuous necrophilia.