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dickd0c · 4 years ago

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STRIKE

CHAPTER NINE — “strip or dare, pt. one”

Nic woke up at two in the morning at the sound of shouting.

She fell out of bed, scrambling to her feet as she wondered—Who's dying?

It only took her a few seconds of listening closely to the groaning and screaming to realize that nobody was dying. No, those were very familiar sounds to Nic.

Nic sighed, sitting back down on the bed with her face in her hands as she listened to what sounded like one of the guys railing a girl. The girl wasn't Athena—no, Athena's moans were much lower, and Nic wasn't entirely sure yet if she liked guys.

This was some other girl.

Laying back down, Nic listened closely, wondering who it was. The noise didn't seem to be coming from Athena, Riot, or Tank's rooms. Theirs were on the other side of the hallway. Realization quickly dawned upon Nic, that the only possible answer was that the noises were coming from Alpha's room..

Nic quickly hid under her covers as a blush dusted over her cheeks, though she wasn't sure why she was so embarrassed. She then suddenly frowned. So clearly Alpha wasn't gay, and it wasn't like he wasn't sexually driven—

No, the moaning and the spanking noises disproved that—

So why hadn't he slept with her yet?

Nic felt bratty just thinking about it. It wasn't like he had to... but why hadn't he?

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

It seemed he must have snuck the girl out, because she wasn't sitting there having breakfast with them the next morning.

"Sleep well, Alph?" Tank asked, his voice a little high pitched as he poured syrup over his ricotta pancakes.

Alpha rolled his eyes, cutting into his omelette wordlessly.

"I heard a few noises coming from your room, did you have a nightmare?" Athena added, looking at Alpha through her eyelashes.

Alpha's jaw clenched, but he still didn't say a word.

"So which toys did you use on her?" Riot asked casually, and that seemed to be the line.

Alpha slammed his fist down on the table, silencing everyone as he got up and walked to his room with the omelette.

As soon as he was out of sight, the remaining four burst out into a quiet fit of giggles, choking on their food.

"So, Nic," Athena said, after calming down from her fit of giggles. "We're planning on a game of Strip or Dare later tonight. You in?"

Nic froze, frowning slightly, as she wondered to herself whether she heard that right. "Strip or Dare?" she clarified, looking at Athena in confusion.

Athena nodded as if that was completely normal. "Yeah, it's a fun game we like to play. I think the idea is pretty obvious, but basically you get asked a dare and if you don't want to do it, you strip."

Nic's mouth formed an "O" as she glanced around at Athena, Riot, and Tank, who all seemed like this was a common occurrence in the apartment.

And, honestly, Nic wouldn't be surprised if it was.

"Sure," Nic shrugged, wondering suddenly if Alpha would be participating. She didn't want to ask, though.

After returning home from another peaceful protest, showering, and getting dressed in as many layers they could all possibly muster, the five of them (yes, even Alpha) found themselves in Tank's room.

Nic was feeling particularly warm, what with all the clothes she was wearing. At the very bottom she wore one of her lingerie, just in case she had to strip down a lot. It was a very see-through black lace one-piece with cut outs on her sides. Oh, and it was crotchless. On top she wore a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, nike pros, sweatpants, and of course, socks.

She was feeling a little nervous as she sat down on Tank's floor, back against his bed, and watched everyone else take their spots on the floor. She glanced down to the center of the circle, where she was surprised to find a random assortment of things, like ice and fruit. She looked back up at the people. Nic avoided eye contact with Alpha, instead looking at Athena who gave her an excited grin.

"All right, since Nic is new to this, why don't we give this an exciting spin?" she suggested, rubbing her hands together. "Oh, I should warn you," she said suddenly, giving Nic a serious look, "these can run pretty late, so don't be surprised if we have to do part two tomorrow."

Nic raised her eyebrows, but she simply nodded.

"What 'spin' were you thinking?" Tank asked, a smirk on his face as usual.

"Okay..." Athena said, making sure everyone was looking at her before she spoke. "Last one to get naked gets Nic for a week!"

Nic's mouth dropped while Tank and Riot muffled their laughter with their fists. "Wh-what does that mean?" she questioned, looking desperately at her companions.

"It means whoever wins gets you for a week," Athena reiterated like it was completely obvious. "Y'know. In bed."

Nic's cheeks blushed a bright red as she sunk back against the headboard, wishing she could hide herself. Never before had she felt as much like a sex toy for the four to just use than in that moment, but she had a hard time convincing herself that she hated it.

"Fine," Nic muttered, bringing her knees to her chest, "but what if I'm the last one to get naked?"

Tank piped up first. "Then you get to choose one of us," he offered, glancing at Athena who nodded in approval.

Nic sunk further down into her spot.

"Okay," Athena clapped her hands, clearly eager to get started. "Not many rules. You can't dare someone to do something to you, and no fourth base. If you don't want to do the dare—whether it was given to you or involves you—you take something off. As usual, we start out... innocent. Don't be afraid to get more risqué as the game progresses." She seemed to be directed that last bit at Nic.

"Alright, Athena," Riot sighed, leaning back against the wall across from Nic. "I dare you to kiss... Tank."

Athena and Tank exchanged grins from across the circle. Next to Nic, Tank leaned forward, meeting Athena in the middle. Awkwardly, Nic glanced away from them as their lips went to work on each other.

When they finally pulled apart, Nic let her knees move away from her chest, looking around at each person in the circle.

The next dare was for Riot to give Tank a hickey, which, after a short chuckle, he went right to work at. Nic watched with a dropped jaw as Riot kissed, sucked, and bit at a spot on Tank's neck. Tank had an unreadable expression on his face as he gripped Riot's shoulders for life.

Riot pulled away, examined the spot on Tank's neck, and sat back down with clear satisfaction on his face.

The game progressed, making it evident that the dares would only get worse. They all went in an order of doing the dares, but the people giving the dares out were random. So far, all Nic had to do was unclip her bra (which she put back on) and kiss Athena—nothing too special. Nobody had taken off any of their clothes yet

"Alpha," Athena said, catching Nic's attention. Athena had a sly look on her face. "Kiss Nic." Oh. Athena then pushed the bowl of melting ice towards Alpha.

Alpha, clearing getting the hint, popped an ice cube in his mouth. He turned to face Nic, his grey eyes steely and frightening as he leaned towards her. Swallowing thickly, Nic leaned in as well, breath hitching when their lips collided.

Nic was surprised to find out that Alpha's lips were rather soft. They moved against her slowly. He carefully parted her lips with his tongue, sliding the ice cube from his mouth into hers. Nic gasped slightly at the cold sensation mixed with his warmth.

Then, as soon as it started, it was over. Alpha pulled away and sat back down like nothing happened, leaving Nic with ice dissolving in her mouth.

And the game progressed as usual, getting a little more risqué as Athena had mentioned.

Nic had dared Tank to suck Athena's toes, and he complied a little too eagerly. Everyone else laughed as he closed his eyes and and matched his mouth to all ten toes turn by turn, leaving Athena agape with tears of laughter dripping down her cheeks.

Still howling with laughter, Riot turned to Nic and wiped a tear from his eye. "Wow. Okay, Nica. I dare you to..." He trailed off, thinking, when suddenly his face brightened up with an idea. "Oh! Play the rest of the game in handcuffs. You can take them off for a minute when you have to take your shirt off."

Nic's mouth dropped (she seemed to be doing that a lot) and her eyes fell to the center of the circle. "But... we don't even have handcuffs."

The group went silent, though Nic wasn't sure why. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alpha shift to get up. Wordlessly, he walked out of the room, leaving the other four exchanging glances with each other. When he walked back in, he was holding metal handcuffs in his left hand, making eye contact with anyone but Nic.

"I stole them from a cop," he said defensively as he tossed the cuffs in Nic's direction.

They all held in their snickers as Nic looked down at the cuffs. She was already missing her sweatshirt (she'd been dared to suck someone's dick; it was way too early in the game for that), so she could technically afford to give up the dare.

But the idea of wearing cuffs kinda turned her on.

As Tank helped her wear the cuffs behind her back, she turned her attention to Riot. "Hey, wait a minute," she realized, just as the lock clicked on the cuffs, "what happens if we have to finish the game tomorrow night?"

Riot smirked, as if the thought hadn't even occurred to him until she spoke. "I guess you'll have to wear them for twenty-four hours."

Nic grumbled to herself as the game resumed, everyone visibly amused by her new state.

Slowly but surely, everyone started losing their articles of clothing. Nic's socks came off, since those were the only things she could remove with her feet alone. Tank lost his sweatshirt and shirt. Athena had only lost her socks, willing to do basically anything. Riot let go of his sweatshirt and sweatpants. Alpha had all his clothes on except his sweatshirt.

The dares were getting more intimate, like when Riot was dared to palm himself over his pants, or when Alpha was dared to feel up Athena's chest under her clothes for at least forty-five seconds. Nic looked away during that one, for some reason unable to watch Alpha whenever he did anything remotely sexy.

"Nic," Tank said suddenly as the round came back to her. Nic could see his mind churning, knowing that she wasn't going to like what was coming her way. "I dare you to let Alpha spank your bare ass ten times."

Nic's breath hitched in her mouth. She wasn't sure how she was confident enough to look at Alpha and gauge his reaction. His face was emotionless like always, but this time, it seemed as though he was struggling to keep it that way. Nobody else seemed to notice, but Nic didn't miss it when his strong hand curled up into a tight fist.

Nic gulped, glancing from Alpha to Tank who was waiting expectantly. "Can you uncuff me?" she asked in a weak voice, shifting so her wrists were facing him. Nic honestly couldn't tell herself why she passed. If she'd been dared to let anyone else do that to her, she'd probably laugh (though get flustered) and lay across their lap within a minute.

When Nic heard the cuffs unlock, she swiftly pulled her t-shirt over her body, revealing the black lingerie. Know fully well that everyone could see her through the skimpy material, Nic tossed her shirt onto the bed. She dared to glance at Alpha, who was glaring at her dangerously. His stormy grey eyes sent a delectable shiver down her spine as Tank placed the handcuffs back around her wrists.

Oh, Nic would love for Alpha to spank her. He'd probably destroy her. But she was honestly too scared.

Then, the game resumed, Nic making the decision not to look at Alpha unless she absolutely had to. The dares were varying now, some of them going as far as third place, some of them silly and somewhat innocent. They didn't give Nic the most provocative ones, probably because they knew she'd be most likely to turn them down out of sheer embarrassment. Nic lost her sweatpants, though (lick Tank's asscrack, disgusting), and her socks (give Riot a hand job, which wasn't really fair since her hands were behind her back).

Sitting in handcuffs, her skimpy lingerie, and a pair of nike pros, Nic awaited her next orders.

"Suck Athena's fingers the way you'd suck cock," Alpha shot at her, leaving her in shock.

The way he spoke to her made her nipples tingle and her pussy leak through her crotchless panties. It was like there was an implied "you dirty whore" at the end of his sentence. It wasn't even that dirty of a dare, especially considering the other ones being given out, but the way he said it made her feel scandalous.

Nic moved over to Athena the best she could without the help of her hands. Bending over, she took Athena's forefinger and middle finger inside her mouth. Athena let out a soft exhale as Nic gently licked her finger tips. Her mouth slowly worked downwards, sucking and licking at Athena's fingers as she hollowed her cheeks. Nic bobbed her head up and down, wondering what she looked like to the boys.

"Enough," Alpha ordered, his voice lower and more strangled than usual.

Nic immediately popped her mouth off of Athena, moving back to her spot with a small smile.

Next to her, Tank nudged her arm and whispered, "Damn."

Nic grinned at him before looking at Alpha. He seemed to be glaring at her, but there was something else churning in his eyes.

The group agreed to one more round before going to bed and resuming the next day. Most of them completed their dares, except for Tank who took his socks off when he didn't want to suck Riot's dick.

Nic was shocked when both Riot and Alpha complied when Riot was dared to suck off Alpha. She watched with her lips slowly parting as Alpha twisted his hand around Riot's dreadlocks and pushed his head up and down his cock. From that angle, Nic couldn't see its size. The whole time, Alpha's eyes were on her. They pierced her eyes before dropping down to her chest, where her perky nipped were visible through the black lace. Nic wanted to cross her arms self consciously, but she obviously couldn't.

Alpha pulled Riot off of his dick right before he was about to come. He didn't look even slightly upset at his edged orgasm, though that probably had something to do with him being the one that stopped it. Nic watched him zip his hard-on back into his pants, full of awe at how casual and at ease he was about what had just happened. Nobody else seemed as shocked as she was.

It struck Nic that she'd never considered whether the boys were into dick or not.

The last dare of the night finally reached Nic. As they all yawned and tried their hardest to keep their eyes open.

Riot was the one that gave her the last dare. He thought hard about it, or maybe he was so tired that his brain was functioning at a slower speed. When he finally spoke, his words were, "I dare you to spend the night in Alpha's bed."

#smut #specops #specop #specopfic #specop fic #specopsfic #anonymous #riot #tank #athena #alpha #fanfic #fanfiction

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liw-the-melancholic-apple · 4 years ago

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How it may have gone - Humble Beginnings

A fic taking place in the marauders era. While the political climate seems to head to a conflict, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter are still just teenagers. Dealing with typical teenage problems.

But this year their little group grows. Who would have known that more prefects would be a good thing?

Masterlist

Six: The Christmas Party I

“I hate the fact that you have all afternoon to pack and sort things out and we have to rush tomorrow!” Nica glared at me.

“It only means that you have something to do tomorrow. I’ll just have to wait until it’s time to get ready for the party.”

“I expect you to help me”, Milla said passing the pumpkin juice.

We finished our lunch and walked over to the Gryffindor table where the Potter-posse was still ferociously digging into their food.

“Sit, sit, sit”, Pettigrew said while grabbing the big bowl of chocolate pudding.

“Why do you act like you haven’t eaten in days?”, Nica asked, when she sat down next to Potter.

“We were carrying out a very important mission this morning and missed breakfast”, he answered.

“What could possibly be so important that you’d miss breakfast for it?” Blair sat down between Pettigrew and Milla and eyed the fruit cake but didn’t take it.

“Somebody needed to be taught a lesson in respect”, answered Black while waving at the water bottle in front of me, I passed it.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Flint said some nasty things yesterday in Charms”, Black explained.

“So, we decided to die his hair pink and give him some matching robes”, Potter smirked.

“How did you get into his dorm?”

“We didn’t. We waited for him in the foyer, hexed him and then spent an hour in McGonnagal’s office”, Remus sighed. “Hey, is there still a blueberry muffin in that basket?”

“Yep!”, Chloe threw him one.

“What did he say?”, Blair asked. The boys all remained suspiciously quiet for a while. In the end it was Remus who answered, consciously calm and through clenched teeth: “Flint found out that Milla is muggleborn.”

“Guess you can imagine the kinds of things he said”, added Black.

“You hexed him for me?” Milla’s big blue doll-eyes welled up a bit as she looked from one of the boys to the other.

“That’s what friends are for, right?”, Potter winked at her.

Milla jumped up and first hugged Pettigrew, then Potter on her side of the table, ran around the whole thing and threw herself in Black’s and Remus’ arms. As Remus awkwardly hugged her back, Black and I grinned at each other.

“Thank you!”, Milla whispered trying not to cry.

“Anytime”, Pettigrew answered. “Don’t you dare cry, by the way, I’m not good with tears. Or girls, for that matter.”

That last comment was enough to have us all laugh for a couple of minutes.

When we strolled into the foyer Black had an arm around the still teary-eyed Milla and the conversation turned to Christmas break, which we would all leave for in two days.

“Are you guys gonna see each other, then?”, Potter inquired, with his lighter in front of my face.

“Usually, Milla and I woud see each other – thanks – but she’s chosen to abandon me”, I answered before inhaling the smoke.

“Please, abandon you! I’m going on holiday with my family. And you’ll survive! Crick, Jonas and Tristan will all be home for Christmas.”

“Wait, you live close to Cricket?”, Remus suddenly asked.

“Yep, we all grew up together in Marlowe’s Creek, why?”

“We live in Godric’s Hollow”, Potter answered. “And the boys all visit the second week of break.”

“Why’s that interesting?”, Blair asked.

“I told you about the party Crick and I go to on New Year’s Eve, right?” She nodded her head yes.

“That pub is in Godric’s Hollow. It’s the next town over from where we live.”

“So you’ll get to see each other over break? That’s not fair!”, Nica cried out. Potter looked me up and down for moment. “That pub is not Morgana’s Raven by any chance, is it?”

“You’re going, too?!”

“All of us”, Black answered and high-fived me.

“Not fair!”, Nica cried again.

Pettigrew wondered why Potter, Milla and I had never run into each other if we lived so closely to one another and Milla explained that we usually only went to Godric’s Hollow between Christmas and New Year’s to go to the Winter Market, which Potter found boring and childish.

We stayed outside and chatted until the first bell rang and all of my friends had to run like the devil was after them to make their classes in time.

I decided to smoke another cigarette and make a plan for packing my trunk. As much as I hated getting ready to leave, I was really looking forward to Christmas.

Upon entering the foyer I ran into Crick who told me that his parents would also take Felix and me home. Our parents were good friends and usually didn’t bother to all come to the platform. Last summer my parents had dropped the four of us off.

We went to the common room together and found ourselves in our favourite nook, discussing the plans for the holidays, Jonas’ progress with Elaine – none – and the party that would take place tomorrow.

Crick wasn’t sure how he should talk to Blair, because they both knew it wasn’t really a date and I told him to just be his lovely self and maybe compliment her.

“Tell her how amazing she looks in her dress! She’ll love to hear that”, I suggested thinking back to the weekend before and the dressing room incident. I had kept my promise to not tell anybody but I had also gotten a lot more conscious of what I said about my clothes or my body in front of her. Maybe, I thought, if she got some more self-esteem I could stop overthinking every single conversation.

From his date we moved on to mine who I’d meet on the third floor with his friends. Crick found that it was nice of me to go with him although I didn’t fancy him just so he could spent the night with his friends and not be the odd one out. I told him that Nica had cried the year before when all of us had gotten invited and she hadn’t. So, I knew how much it probably meant to Pettigrew to be able to go. He always was outshone by his three friends, either by their performance in the classes, their witty comments, or – if I was being honest – their looks.

Although Remus had all of those nasty scars in his face and on his arms that he was very tightlipped about and would never explain, his jawline was nothing short of a super model and his sandy hair looked always perfect. And then there was his infectious smile and outrageous height, that had enough girls gushing over him.

Black wasn’t the most wanted chap in the entire school for nothing either. He wore his dark brown hair to his chin and always in a “I-just-got-out-of-bed” kind of way that was effortlessly handsome. Combine that with the way his face looked as if it was chiselled out of marble, his dark grey eyes that always seemed to look into your soul and had that stormy mysterious quality to them and his bad-boy demeanour and you knew most girls dreamed of him when he gave them his signature smirk.

Potter was more ruggedly handsome than his friends. His messy hair and crooked smile made you feel safe but also invoked a sense of adventure. He was taller than Black and had a gangly quality to him, but he knew how to control his body and he had that confidence. Add to that his protectiveness – that not everybody got to see, Lily Evans was the best example of that – and you got yourself quite the charming chap.

Pettigrew was by no means ugly, but in comparison to his friends he was very average looking. His dirty blond hair just sat on his head, without doing much for him. His freckles were sort of cute, but not manly and his blue eyes always seemed watered down. Aside from that he was shorter than Black and the tiniest bit podgy. All in all he just didn’t stand out.

Crick listened to me describe the other boys with an open mouth. When I had finished he asked me to describe him as objectively as possible just so he knew I paid attention to him.

I closed my eyes, so I wouldn’t cheat and started: Crick was roughly the same height as Potter, towering over most girls in the school. He was built like a rugby player, broad shoulders, muscular arms and flat stomach. His blond curls were usually fairly short and gave him an American look that paired perfectly with his greenish blue eyes, diamond cut jawline, bushy eyebrows and toothpaste commercial smile. I knew for a fact that he was one of the most wanted guys in school.

“Why, thank you, Tea. That did wonders for my self-confidence.”

“You do not need any more self-confidence.”

We bickered a bit about whether or not he was self-conscious before he asked me whether Milla was going to the party alone. She was. Remus hadn’t asked her to go with her. Just yesterday Black and I had gotten worked up about that after dinner. According to Black Remus had made a couple more remarks about her and that he didn’t have a date for the party but he didn’t take any of Black’s hints that she would definitely say yes if he asked.

Milla had actually turned down two blokes in the last week. Ratchett from our year in Ravenclaw – an arrogant know-it-all none of us could stand – and Lamar, a seventh year Hufflepuff. She had told both of them that she had promised my little brother to be his date so he wouldn’t feel intimidated. The boldest lie I’d ever heard her tell, since Felix had given in to Siobhan Johnston after all.

When I asked her about it she denied that it had anything to do with Remus and said she just wanted to have fun with us girls and the boys without being held back by some random chap. I didn’t push it any further but I was sure she still waited for Remus to ask her.

“Why doesn’t she just ask him?” Crick’s face was covered in confused wrinkles.

“Because ‘a’ she still isn’t sure whether she’s into him and ‘b’ Milla is the most traditional girl you’ve ever met. Nica would go and grab the boy, bully him into saying yes, but Milla will wait for the boy to ask her. Simple as that.”

After an hour of gossiping and theorising we both headed to our dorms to start packing. A daunting task. I was never a tidy person and the idea of having to pack up my life terrified me. I decided to start with the big wardrobe and just threw everything that was in it on my bed. I would need clothes for tomorrow during the day, the dress for the party and my travel outfit. With those things on my desk I folded up the remaining clothes and sorted them into piles according to the kind of stuff they were.

I moved on to my drawers of bras, knickers and socks and by the time the other girls got back to the dorm my bed was covered in neat piles of clothes. Before I cleaned out my nightstand and the bathroom I got the huge trunk from under my bed and opened it.

“I don’t believe it!”, I yelled. “Remember how I went on about being stupid for having left my favourite ring at home?”, I asked the other four who had all turned to look at me.

“Yes, hard to forget.”

I held up the silver ring with a gigantic black gemstone on it, that I had gotten from my grandma for my last birthday.

“It fell out of my jewelbag and I didn’t see it…”

I put the ring on my desk to wear Saturday and Sunday and started filling the now empty trunk with my clothes while the other four stood in front of their wardrobes sighing. My nightstand could be cleared out completely, the only thing I left on it was the hated alarm clock. The book I was currently reading I threw into my backpack to take on the train.

A quick look around the bathroom informed me that I would need all of the things over the next two days. So, I came back into the dorm and took Milla to the terrace at the common room to smoke. After that I helped her sort her clothes onto her bed and then we went to dinner.

The others spent the evening packing while I teased Felix about his date with Siobhan.

If ever there was a long day, it was going to be this Saturday. While Slughorn’s club meeting were usually rather uneventful, his parties were legendary and an absolute highlight. Waiting for one of them to begin was therefore torture.

The girls and I had decided to sleep in to shorten the day and catch breakfast in the last half hour. That plan worked out rather well. When we entered the foyer four boys stood in front of the staircase shaking their heads.

“D’you know how long we’ve been waiting here?”, Remus asked with a stern look.

“Sorry, we don’t do waiting for parties well”, Chloe answered with a grin as she walked right past him.

“Why don’t you just have your smoke now? Just today we’ll break the pattern. I’m sure Peter will survive that”, Nica suggested.

“Or we could have second breakfast at your table”, Pettigrew countered.

His idea found a lot of supporters and so the nine of us sat down at the fairly empty Hufflepuff table. Before I could even scan it for coffee, Black held up a huge mug filled to the rim and shoved it in my hand. Then he filled one for himself.

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!” We clonked our mugs together and wiggled our eyebrows when we saw Remus and Milla sitting next to each other arguing about the last raisin roll.

“You already had breakfast! Be a gentleman for Merlin’s sake!” Milla won the argument and chewed her roll triumphantly while Remus buttered a scone grinning.

“What are you gonna do until the party starts?”, Potter asked Blair.

“No idea. I still have some packing to do but other than that, I think it’s gonna be a lot of sitting around…”

“Oh no!”, Pettigrew screamed. “No sitting around on the last day in Hogwarts this year. You will do something adventurous.”

“Like what?”, Nica asked eyebrows raised.

“We were thinking a snowball fight first, followed by a round or two of truth or dare, lunch, maybe we could introduce you to some our favourite short cuts in the castle and we also thought of playing a round or two of quidditch. After all we represent the two winning teams of this season.”

Potter was right. Hufflepuff had positively diminished Slytherin in the December game a few weeks back, which had probably led to the comments Flint had made about Milla and the insults I had to endure since then.

“I don’t know about the truth or dare”, Chloe said eybrows furrowed, “but the rest sounds great! If we went for the snowball fight first at around…”, she checked her watch, “ eleven we could take lunch at one o’clock and fully warm up for the tour of the secret passages.”

“Spoil sport”, Black smirked. “Fine we cut the truth or dare”, he sighed stealing a muffin from her plate.

“That was the last one, Black!”, she growled.

“Shouldn’t steal my fun, then…”

We finished breakfast, went for a quick smoke and made plans to meet in the foyer at eleven.

#marauders fanfiction #marauders era #harry potter #james potter #remus lupin #sirius black #peter pettigrew #original character

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more--than--music · 6 years ago

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2018 Albums of the Year

Here’s my albums of the year. 2018 has been a brilliant year for music, and so I thought I’d lay out my favourite albums, and the reasons why they’re my favourites.

10: Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Sex and Food

Kicking the list off at ten, we have the fourth full-length project from the New Zealand lo-fi psychedelic group Unknown Mortal Orchestra. An album that calls to mind at various points dusty late 70s grooves, 80s synth work and yet very modern production sensibilities, Sex and Food bounces between deeply introspective balladry, and funky danceable beats. A sure step forward for a band that only looks to become more experimental as time goes on.

9: Ben Howard – Noonday Dream

The Devon based singer-songwriter gives a compelling vision of the future of indie-folk with this transient and supremely accomplished set of songs. Taking a further stride away from the straightforward acoustic sound of 2011’s Every Kingdom, Noonday Dream shows an artist unafraid to utilise aspects of electronic and ambient music into his soundscapes, resulting in a transcendent, elegant, and above all beautiful set of tracks. The opening duo of Nica Libres At Dusk and Towing The Line are a particular high point.

8: Thom Yorke – Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film)

Surprisingly his first ever venture into soundtrack work, Thom Yorke’s masterful score for the Luca Guadagnino film of the same name could be in this list simply on the strength of its lead track; Suspirium is an otherworldly waltz, a spartan piano line presided over by Thom’s instantly recognisable vocals. But it is the deeper cuts for which this album earns its place; Open Again begins with a fingerpicked guitar progression that grows into a monolithic walk to the gallows and then fades out once more. A master at the height of his powers.

7: Sports Team – Winter Nets

Undoubtedly the least well-known name on this list, the debut EP from the London-based indie-pop outfit Sports Team has been one of my most played records yet this year. A cerebral mix of Jarvis Cocker-style lyricism preoccupied with the minutiae of suburban life, and pitch perfect indie rock arrangements teetering on the edge of chaos, this shows talent beyond their years; the only EP on this list, these five tracks managed to catch my attention early on, and have stayed with me through the year. Ones to watch.

6: MGMT – Little Dark Age

A name I would not have expected to see on this list at the start of the year, the comeback from the early 2000s electro-pop group is unexpectedly brilliant. Far from the runaway chart success of singles such as Electric Feel, Little Dark Age is full of tracks that could have been pulled from the dusty archives of pretty much any 80s synth bands, but combined with so many left-field production choices, and lyrics that belie a dark sensibility beneath the bright instrumentation, this album becomes a very mature release indeed. The single, Little Dark Age, is just magic. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

5: Car Seat Headrest – Twin Fantasy

Bringing us into the second half of this list is Will Toledo’s project Car Seat Headrest, with a rerecorded, remastered version of his 2011 breakout album Twin Fantasy. Toledo’s DIY ethos calls to mind contemporary Kevin Parker, of Tame Impala, although the two go about their self-imposed individualism rather differently. Toledo’s recordings retain the lo-fi teen emotion of the original Twin Fantasy, while adding the production sensibilities of Toledo’s later Car Seat Headrest ventures, resulting in such a dizzying barrage of pitch perfect indie ballads that display mature, incisive and insightful lyricism. The peaks of the album slip off the rails in the most glorious way, and culminate in simple, honest, and resounding emotional resolutions. Few albums so perfectly capture the teenage experience... a brilliant achievement.

4: Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer

It will come to no surprise to those of you who know me that Josh Tillman has made his way into this list; I have been following Father John Misty since last year’s existential crisis of an album, Pure Comedy. But God’s Favorite Customer is an entirely different beast- aside from the single, Mr Tillman, the typical luscious arrangements of a usual Father John Misty album are conspicuously missing here. Gone are the chamber pop orchestras and parlour ballads; here is FJM with an acoustic guitar, a month’s stay in a hotel room, and some utterly shattering songwriting. Tillman has abandoned his lofty perch overseeing the human condition in favour of personal, painful lyrics that dissect a failing relationship in real time. Many of these songs are addressed to, or from the perspective of, Josh’s wife, Emma, and the narratives are as autobiographical as ever. But the key here is that Tillman has ceased to be just an observer of the phenomena he comments on; in God’s Favorite Customer he has no choice but to experience them from the inside, and it makes for devastating listening in places. However, Misty has not abandoned all hope; closer We're Only People (And There's Not Much Anyone Can Do About That) ends the album with a remarkably beautiful and optimistic look at humanity, and leaves you ready to emerge from the hotel room, blinking against the sunlight, into the outside world.

3: Blood Orange – Negro Swan

London born producer, multi-instrumentalist, and general prodigy Devont Hynes, has outdone himself on his fourth project under the moniker Blood Orange; Negro Swan represents exactly the kind of progressive song writing Hynes is so sought after in the pop world for, and brings together a beautiful collage of sounds and textures to produce an album that is so of the moment, it feels like a time capsule of today. Swan embraces diversity, revelling in a celebration of sexuality and identity that feels almost carnival-like in its embrace of so many aspects of modern R&B and Hip-Hop. On what other album can you find Puff Daddy monologuing about his own fear of being loved? This whole project is filled with moments such as this, with trans black activist Janet Mock providing a loose narrative thread tying the album together. But for me, the true highlight of this album is Hynes himself; a young black artist showcasing a striking talent that simply refuses to obey the laws of genre or society. The musical prowess on show is undeniable; in particular, Hynes’ guitar work is so accomplished, tracks such as Charcoal Baby are sheer joy to listen to because of it. The vocals on this record are equally impressive; comparisons will undoubtedly be drawn to Prince, although personally I see Hynes as akin to Frank Ocean, both showcasing a new vision for R&B in the 21st century, and Swan feels in many ways a sibling to Ocean’s 2016 album Blonde, in its transient nature and almost soundscape-like mixture of sounds and feelings. Negro Swan is a glorious celebration in which all expression is embraced, and no identity is off-limits. This is what all modern R&B should aspire to.

2: Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Those monkeys, eh? Four years after their last studio effort, with each member having done something entirely different (and accomplished, see Alex Turner with The Last Shadow Puppets, and Matt Helders on the latest Iggy Pop record) with their sabbatical, no one quite knew what shape their return would take. Recorded in London, Paris and Los Angeles, the sixth album from the band synonymous with early 00s indie could have taken quite a number of directions; furthering the slick arena rock of AM, delving deeper into the baroque pop offering the Last Shadow Puppets pursue, or perhaps even a return to their raucous indie rock roots. Naturally, they did none of the above. The first sign of their step in a different direction was a video they posted in mid-April, announcing a return with an eerie synth line and a fuzzy guitar lick; in hindsight it was the perfect segue into the TBH&C era, both a nod to the leather-clad rock of AM, and yet the space-age synths and fictional space resorts of Tranquility Base. And when the album did come? Oh boy. I’m not sure a release in 2018 divided fans quite like the Monkeys’ did. I’ve heard it variously described as “sheer genius”, “derivative retro nothing” and “f*cking lift music”. It really was that polarising. I’m sure that from its spot on this list you can guess which camp I fall into. From the go, the surreal lyricism of Alex Turner is front and centre, and the record is all the better for it. From surreal references to Kubrick film techniques, and obsession with sci-fi jargon, to ridiculous pastiches of Hollywood clichés, critics weren’t short of liner notes to unpick. But the key for me was the way that the album, as all great sci-fi does, comments on modern life through the lens of futurism, while also keeping you scratching your head the whole time. Furthermore, the actual songwriting is as good as ever, with Turner making a tune about a less than perfect review for a taquiera on the moon into the rhythmic centrepiece of the album. I do have to confess, I am slightly biased; I’m a lifelong AM fan, and I did see this performed live, which only deepened my admiration of it but truthfully- listen to this album. Then listen some more. And then some more again. Because when it clicks, you won’t experience anything else even remotely like it all year.

Bonus Round

These are albums that I discovered in 2018, but weren’t released this year… they deserved recognition along with the rest of these projects.

5: Frank Ocean – Endless

Frank Ocean is one of, if not the, best and most innovative artists working in modern R&B. That much is undisputed. But until 2018, despite being a huge Frank Ocean fan, I had neglected his 2016 visual album, Endless. Perhaps this was due to laziness, not having Apple Music, or perhaps it was because for me it was vastly overshadowed by the release of the seminal Blonde a few days later. Or maybe I simply thought a visual album wasn’t worth my time. Whatever the reason, I was a fool to overlook it. Endless is an ethereal journey through Ocean’s psyche, with a vast soundscape of beautiful, flowing synths and guitars. Furthermore, Endless features some of Ocean’s best rap work since Channel Orange. A truly beautiful project, and Higgs is, for me, Ocean’s most devastatingly sad track… further evidence that Frank doesn’t put a foot wrong.

4: Leonard Cohen: Songs Of Leonard Cohen

In 2016, the music world lost one of its most treasured talents, in the form of Leonard Cohen. However, although I have always been aware of Cohen’s work (Hallelujah, his inspiration of Nick Cave, The Last Shadow Puppets’ Is This What You Wanted cover), I had never taken the time to sit down and immerse myself in his work. Well, I was very much missing out. His cinematic, confessional storytelling, and his instantly recognisable voice and manner, mean that his songs are almost exactly the type of ballads I love, and Songs is his finest work. From start to end, you see the world through Cohen’s eyes. A poet.

3: King Krule: The OOZ

King Krule (real name: Archy Marshall) is a divisive artist; many see him as a visionary, however he is also, to many (including my dad) just “the one with the awful voice”. To me, Krule is a fantastic lyricist and producer, with an instantly recognisable sound. From the moment you enter The OOZ, you are in Marshall’s world, a London of grimy concrete and eerie loneliness. However, there are moments of beauty among the sluggish, smog-filled music; Slush Puppy, despite descending into madness near the end, is a really quite endearingly desperate performance. Cadet Limbo also shows off Krule’s more jazzy influences, and is all the better for it. A view into the future of singer-songwriting.

2: Father John Misty: I Love You, Honeybear

Josh Tillman has already featured on this list once, and it’s no secret I think he’s one of the best artists working today. However, until this year, I had never given his 2015 romantic opus, Honeybear, a proper listen. I was turned on to Misty by his 2017 work Pure Comedy, and after an existentialist view on all of Humanity, a romance album seemed like a step back, so I didn’t give it the time it deserved. How wrong I was. Honeybear is a beautiful, tender, and being an FJM record, deeply satirical and funny, look at love, relationships, and society. It features lush, beautiful arrangements, and gorgeous melodies, all delivered with Misty’s characteristic tongue-in-cheek smirk. Not one track on the album is dead space, and there are several high points, right from the start. Favourite for me is I Went To The Store One Day, which is a simple, yet incredibly beautiful and moving ballad to close the album. Stunning stuff indeed.

1: Everything Everything – A Fever Dream

I’ve known of Everything Everything for quite a while now, but in early 2017 I was gifted tickets to see them on their A Fever Dream tour, and it absolutely blew my mind. EE have crafted brilliant electronic indie music in the past, with catchy melodies and odd, skittering rhythms. However, A Fever Dream builds on this in the best possible way, building on their electronic sound and adding an even more fiercely of-the-moment view on songwriting. One of the highlights for me was Jonathan Higgs’ vocals, which electrified the music with a fierce intellect, and sparkling melodies. An ecstatic blend of so many musical styles, which results in a fantastic album. A masterpiece for today.

Okay, finally the main event. My album of the year 2018 is…

1: IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance.

Here we are then. Number one spot. And again, if you know me, you know there could never really have been any other album here. I first discovered IDLES earlier in the year, riding off the success of their breakout debut album Brutalism, an unstoppable punk locomotive of an album, with guitar and bass lines that are so, well, brutal, that they break down the door and hold you at gunpoint until you sit up and pay attention. This band is the perfect voice for austerity Britain, more mature than Slaves, more relevant than Sleaford Mods, and yet they walk an incredibly fine line. It’s almost impossible to define until you hear a band that possess it, but they simply make. So. Much. Sense. Joe Talbot talks with such a fiery intensity that it’s impossible not to listen, and an eloquence that is so often missing from punk. He’s so likeable, and oddly enough for punk, easy to listen to. However, don’t mistake that for the album lacking brutal riffs. Because it has those in spades. From the opening bass rumble of Colossus, JAAAOR picks you up by the scruff off your neck, and doesn’t put you down until the last manic notes of Rottweiler fade away. This is a rock record that defies rock, a punk record that doesn’t define itself as punk, and a political statement that bases its politics on the phrase “Love yourself.” This provides an infectious alternative to the toxic masculinity of so much mainstream rock, and a uniquely vulnerable take on an incredible variety of issues. Beginning with an immediate left-footing with Colossus, the album the catches its witty and caustic stride with Never Fight A Man With A Perm, going from strength to strength the whole time. I’ve never quite identified with a track lyrically as much as I’m Scum, a rallying call for liberals everywhere: “I'll sing at fascists 'til my head comes off, I am Dennis Skinner's Molotov / I'm lefty, I'm soft, I'm minimum wage job”and erupting into the chant of “this snowflake’s an avalanche”. It goes on to postulate about not caring about the next James Bond, as “we don’t need another murderous toff”. The next track is the joyous Danny Nedelko, an ode to Talbot’s friend, and frontman of Heavy Lungs, Danny Nedelko. It’s a quite magnificent celebration of immigration and diversity, and embodies the sentiment of the album as a whole quite simply with a roar of “Unity!”. Potent stuff. The next highlight (or rather lowlight) for me is the one-two punch of June and Samaritans. June is a singularly moving ode to Talbot’s stillborn daughter, building all the time to a non-existent crescendo, and repeating the six-word mantra “Baby shoes, for sale. Never worn.” Incredibly painful, raw and poignant; you feel as if you’re witnessing a moment that you really shouldn’t be, a would-be father grieving at the bedside. It then transitions into Samaritans, an anti-toxic masculinity manifesto, furious in its denial of male stereotypes: “Man up, sit down, chin up, pipe down”, and building relentlessly to sheer ecstasy of the decree: “I kissed a boy and I liked it”. Powerful, powerful stuff. Track eight, Television, is pinned down by a juddering riff complimented by the incredibly able drumming of Jon Beavis (a very much unsung hero of the group), and a wonderful self-love mantra. Moving on, Great is an anti-Brexit track than manages to reveal the hypocrisy of nationalism without ever moving into preachy politicism, which is Talbot’s greatest strength; he can make any point sound like the simplest and most honest declaration ever. Gram Rock and Cry To Me are witty, and the least overtly political tracks of the album; but even these apparent low points aren’t by any means stale, quite the opposite. Every moment of this record fizzes with energy. Finally, Joy rounds off with the magnificent Rottweiler, a searing discrediting of the UK media, ending in the wheels coming off as the tension built throughout the 42 minutes comes to a chaotic end, with Joe yelping “Unity!”over and over. I have one final thing to say about Joy; it’s production is pristine throughout, with clarity in even its most chaotic moments. This is my record of the year, because I feel no other record held my attention so completely, and was so representative of the sentiment of this year. Pure joy.

Well then, thanks for sticking with me. 2018’s been a belter of a year for music, and I can’t wait to see what 2019 brings.

#2018 #albums of the year #unknown mortal orchestra #ben howard #thom yorke #sports team #mgmt #car seat headrest #father john misty #blood orange #arctic monkeys #idles

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footballerindreams · 7 years ago

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The Birthday Stunt - Niklas Stark Imagine

Happy Birthday for the amazing @quack-and-yellow and Niklas Starksince their birthdays are just a day between them. To My friend! This is for you! Hope you like your present! But I have to warn you, this is a CRACK AND A SMUT! Please don't blame me if you cannot breathe because of too much scenes and laughs here. You know how much I love you.

---

Y/N POV

Here I sat on the bathroom, on lid of the toilet bowl, sighing heavily at the pregnancy test in front of me.

It’s positive.

Again.

Outside I hear the soft knock on the door.

“Mommy, are you okay? Are you sick?” my daughter Issa asked me.

“Yes dear. I’m okay. I’m not sick. Don’t worry.” I replied.

“O-okay, Mommy. Because I don’t know what to do if you’re sick. I don’t know how to feed Nica, she might cry again sooner and Micky and Nicky are fighting again.” My daughter worriedly say on the either side of the door.

“I’ll be out sooner. Don’t worry.” I replied to her and heard the footsteps going away from the door.

I really can’t believe that my life would turn out like this. It’s not that I don’t like it. I actually love it. Having kids that makes you tired at the same time happy and having a husband that is very supportive despite his busy games and travels. I too have work but it seems everything is in place. And we’re just in the first five years of our wedding and family life.

This part of my life started when I met my husband, Niklas, back when he represented the Under 19 of the European championship. I went to Hungary with my family to watch the final where they won. And being my uncle working as one the of team staff, he gave me a chance to meet the players, and that chance led me to him. We became close really fast, and since we’re both in Berlin, me studying and him playing, we got much closer and out of the blue we started dating. We’re both 19 that time. I thought I was very lucky to be with him. Physically blessed with a good-looking face; boyish yet sexy, an athletic body (it always shook me everytime I see him shirtless and THOSE LEGS!), and going deeper in detail, very good in bed; he is very well endowed I tell you. Nothing could compare. His feature and genes are as stark as his family name…which led me to be accidentally pregnant even before we turned a year in our relationship.

It shook us a bit, me being in school and him still paving his way to football stardom. But despite of that, he never left me and took the sole responsibility. Hell, he even initiated to talk to my parents to tell them what we did and I was silent all the time. My parents we’re upset, the least (and I was looking at my dad and even though he is much smaller than Nik, I could tell he wants to choke my boyfriend and lift him up to kill him. Luckily he didn’t.)

My parents accepted it moderately but they were happy that Niklas took it seriously. Nine months later, Issa came into our lives and Nik really prove to all that he is a great father as well. Few months later, just after the Bundesliga season ended, we were married. I returned to school after our marriage, juggling my life as a student, as a mother and as a wife and Nik being a footballer, a celebrity, a husband and a father.

Me and Nik we’re trying our best to be “careful” because of our “careers” but when Issa was more than a year old, I was pregnant again. I went to my checkup myself since Nik was very busy with trainings and stuff, and that is when I found out that I was carrying twins. I went home that time angry that when I saw him entering the house, tired and stressed, I yelled at him, blaming him of me being pregnant, unprepared and now having his twins. He spat back and we had a quarrel. It took a week for us to reconcile.

If there was a good thing out if it is that I graduated that time with flying colors. The only challenge was me marching on the aisle with my toga and a big belly with twins inside. I was awarded on the ceremony and Niklas was the one who went up with me and made me wear the medal I have and kissed in the lips in front of the crowd. And it was like reliving my wedding day, much more formal and extravagant.

Micky and Nicky looked exactly alike their father that I could see the future clearly that girls will be swooning, and be confused of them which is which because of their similarities. It was more challenging this time that me and Nik had a one year old daughter and now have to carry and babysit twins. It was taking a toll on us that both the grandparents are worried and were volunteering to care for them but we refused. Nik had been very understanding and I felt that he takes more time to care for all our kids rather than me despite the more hectic schedule has compared to be. I also started to get a bit jealous because the kids seems to like their father more than me but Niklas always reassured that they also love me as well, and that is especially they make mistakes and Niklas will reprimand them and come running to me for protection.

The blessing and the curse the Nik brings to our family repeats again when (un)surprisingly I got pregnant again with Nica. Thanks for one drunken moment of celebration to me being promoted as the manager of the hotel I worked for. Niklas was trying to console me for crying aloud at the house again. Good thing the kids are with their grandparents.

“It’s okay dear, we always get through to this.” Niklas said as he rubs my back while I sob.

“I know we can but Nik, Issa is just almost 4 years old. The twins are turning three in a few months, now there’s another baby coming. I am becoming a regular in the delivery room. It’s getting embarrassing.” I said in my sobs.

“We can manage that. Even if you don’t work I could provide everything for us, even more than usual.”

“You make it sound like I’m a breeding machine.” I argued.

“That’s not what I meant, Y/N. You know I could support you and will always support you no matter what.”

“Sometimes I think I’m regretting of making you my boyfriend and marrying you. Why do you have to be that big and long? And not to mention your strong and overflowing seed you have.” I mumbled.

“Hey. It sounds awkward. And I’m sorry for all the times the condoms are always broken. And don’t blame me fully on this, you liked it too.” Niklas rebutted.

“Whatever.” I sulked.

Nica came into our lives and her older siblings are so happy to see her. Issa finally has a sister to play with and the boys felt a sense to protect their sister. Niklas loved every moment with them but one time he sulked at me saying that Nica looks like me more than him. And I pointed out to him that he should not worry since his genes are “stark as his family name”, with our baby sporting the sky blue eyes her father has.

And now Issa is 5, the twins are 4, Nica is 2, and another one is coming. I know that accepting that birthday gift from him was a bad idea.

---

On the night of our birthdays...

“Happy birthday baby.” He said to me as he lays me down on the bed while sucking my neck.

“Happy birthday too.” I moaned.

We came home from our dinner date and now we’re taking things to the heights now. I unbuttoned his dress shirt and reaches my back to unclamp my bra. Because of my impatience, I forcefully opened his shirt making all the buttons fly all over the place. Him on the other hand, after removing my bra, he attacked my breasts by groping them firmly.

“I’m liking your breasts more and more. Now that our babies are weaned, it’s my turn to be fed with this.” He said before sucking my left breast while he plays with the nipple on the right with his fingers.

While he does that, I roamed my hands all over his back to his toned chest and down his abs feeling the little regrowth of hairs just under his navel.

“I always like it when your navel hairs appear. It looks hot. I don’t even understand why you always have to shave it and manscape down there.” I said.

“I’m not comfortable when I wear my undies and shorts on training. But you’re just in time I guess, they’re starting to pop out again.” Niklas said to me wiggling his eyesbrows.

“Ew. Gross.” I said while I grope his toned ass. “But anyway, I wanna see it. I kinda missed it.” I said as my hands travel to the front removing his belt and unclamping his formal slacks. He helped lowering everything he had down there until he’s left with nothing.

His cock is ready; long and hard and now pokes at the insides of my thigh, making me wet myself more down my core.

“No more foreplay, Nik. Please.” I said.

Nik looks at me with wide eyes. His blue irises stare at me and I swear I felt hypnotized.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to get hurt.” He asked with concern.

“Yes.” I nodded. “But just promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Please pull out when you come.”

“I-I could wear a condom if you want.”

“No need. We both know it still useless since it’s always ripped up in the end.” I replied with a giggle.

“I don’t know if it’s a compliment or an insult.”

“Just take it as a compliment. And besides, I missed you so much now I want to feel you without barriers.”

“Well I guess I should be proud of having this junior. You know, even my teammates say so. Some of them are intimidated. And some of the older guys say they’re jealous of me.” Nik says out of the blue and I don’t feel awkward because that’s what happens in locker rooms everyone could see every inch of you when you change.

“Do we really have to talk about that? Stop it and dig in.” I persuaded him.

Niklas hovered above me and kissed me in the lips. I focused on him a bit, feeling his kiss until I opened my eyes, widening when I felt the head of his cock penetrating me and making me moan then I whined when he pushed deeper inside and tears starting to well in my eyes and I closed, wincing.

“Oh baby.” He gasped. “Oh God, I love how tight you are.” He added while he pushed deeper inside of me until he reaches the hilt. He looks at me and he noticed that I was crying.

“Y/N are you okay?” he asked worriedly.

“It hurts Nik, but don’t mind me. It’ll be gone sooner. Just move.” I said back at him and he nods.

He slowly pulled back leaving the head of his member then pushed again in the same manner. I gripped on his back as he did.

“Oh. My. Gooooosh. Baby. We already have four kids but damn you’re still tight!” Niklas exclaims as he thrust faster and all I could do is to moan, whine then scream.

My back was arching when I felt that he was deeper inside me. I felt the head of his cock touching my cervix and I was worried a bit.

“Nik, don’t forget to pull out.” I said in my whines as he continues is moves.

“I know.” He groans.

We tried a few positions to say the least but it did not take long until we were reaching our peak. I was starting to cry in pleasure and he thrusts are getting sloppy and his breathing harshly. I felt his cock was much bigger than before and it was making me high that I started to thrust towards him as well while arching my back.

“babe. Uh. Lo-losen up a bit. P-Please. You said I’ll pull---out. I-I’m almost th-ere.” He whines.

I heard his plea but because of the pleasure it felt like I forgot how to loosen up myself. The pleasure was so good.

“Ugggghhh. B-babe. I’m gonna –c-c-c-cummm.” He shudders as he warns me.

Now I was screaming so loud with the pleasure while he’s trying his best not to let go until I loosen up. But it was too much for me and I came first, coating his super hard cock with my slick and tightening more around him, making him slide deeper within me rather pulling out and shot his load.

“Ahhhh! Ahhhh!...” he screams with every pulse I felt from him on my pussy. He was cumming too much (as usual). And it took a few minutes for me to loosen up and he pulled himself out. He grunts because of the pain and that he is still very hard and sensitive when he pulled out. And because he let out so much, I felt some of his load leak out of me.

“Why did you do that? I wanted to pull out but you didn’t let me.” He whined.

“I’m so sorry. It felt so good Nik.” I replied panting on the sheets while feeling the warm seed my husband left inside my cunt.

---

“Baby? Y/N?” I heard the knock on the door again. But the voice this time is Nik’s.

“Nik?” I asked.

“Is everything okay? Issa said you’re sick.”

“I’m-I’m fine.”

Probably he is not convinced, he unlocked the door and went in. He got the keys from our bedroom and opened the door seeing me sitting on the lid of the toilet bowl lowering my head while holding the pregnancy test. Then it hit him so fast.

“Baby Stark Number 5?” he asked and I nodded my head. He kneels beside me and hugs me tight.

“Well, we weren’t careful enough during our birthday stunt but that baby is still a gift. It’ll be okay.” My husband assured me and I looked at him.

“Five kids Nik. Five. How we’ll we do this?” I said while holding up the tears in my eyes.

“We’ll do it just like what we did with the four. We could handle it.” Niklas smiled at me softly and hugged me again. “I’m sure the kids will be happy and excited to have a baby sibling in the next months to come.” He added and he was right. The kids where jumping in joy when we told them.

And nine months later, Niklas Junior was born…and hopefully that is until him.

#niklas stark #niklas stark fanfiction #niklas stark imagine #niklas stark smut #football imagine #football fanfiction #hertha berlin #crack #smut #the birthday stint

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brokehorrorfan · 7 years ago

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Best New Horror Movies on Netflix: Winter 2018

There's an overwhelming amount of horror movies to sift through on Netflix, so I've decided to take out some of the legwork by compiling a list of the season’s best new genre titles available on Netflix’s instant streaming service.

Please feel free to leave a comment with any I may have missed and share your thoughts on any of the films you watch. You can also peruse past installments of Best New Horror Moves on Netflix for more suggestions.

1. Gerald's Game

IT was undoubtedly the most entertaining Stephen King adaptation in recent memory, but Gerald's Game may be the most tense. The novel - which revolves around a middle-aged married couple's attempt to spice up their love life - was seemingly un-filmable, but director Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil) takes a creative yet logical approach to successfully translate the story from the page to the screen. The direction is stylish, despite largely involving only two actors in a single bedroom. Carla Gugino (Watchmen) and Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek) star, both delivering brilliant performances, with Henry Thomas (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) and Carel Struycken (The Addams Family) in chilling supporting roles. Its left-field epilogue won't work for some, but the film remains a suspenseful, dead-filled experience that includes perhaps the most cringe-inducing sequence of the year.

2. 1922

1922 is an adaptation of a little-known Stephen King novella, published in his 2010 collection, Full Dark, No Stars. Like much of King's work, it doesn't shy away from the supernatural, yet it's firmly grounded in reality. The always-reliable Thomas Jane delivers a transformative performance in his third King film (following Dreamcatcher and The Mist). He stars as Wilfred James, a conflicted man who confesses to murdering his wife (Molly Parker. Deadwood) with the aid of his son (Dylan Schmid, Once Upon a Time) in 1922. Akin to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," Wilfred's unbearable guilt manifests itself. Cinematographer Ben Richardson (The Fault in Our Stars) utilizes a lot of natural light, while Faith No More's Mike Patton composes an atonal score. Writer-director Zak Hilditch (whose previous film, These Final Hours, is also worth seeking out) delivers a brooding, character-driven slow burner.

3. Raw

Raw made waves on the festival circuit when it caused multiple viewers to faint. It is indeed a uniquely repulsive film in more ways than one might expect - depicting everything from animal dissecting to bikini waxing to eye licking in graphic detail - but it's much more than a mindless gorefest. The French film is a compelling, darkly humorous coming-of-age story... with cannibalism. The plot revolves around Justine (Garance Marillier), a young vegetarian, as she enters her first semester at veterinary school. She receives the full college experience: hazing, coed living, experimentation, partying, flesh eating. Marillier's fearless performance is matched by a strong vision from writer-director Julia Ducournau.

4. Super Dark Times

From the first act of Super Dark Times, you might expect it to be a coming-of-age genre tale in the vein of Stranger Things and IT, but by the end you will find a film that shares more in common with River's Edge and Stand By Me. It's set in the '90s, complete with scrambled "adult" channels, but it doesn't beat the viewer over the head with nostalgia. Owen Campbell (The Americans) and Charlie Tahan (Ozark) star as best friends with a secret that drives a wedge between them. Co-writers Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (Siren) capture the adolescent banter better than most films, while director Kevin Phillips makes an impressive feature debut. Living up to its title, Super Dark Times is a dark, tense experience.

5. Cult of Chucky

Child’s Play is a rare horror franchise that has maintained its original continuity, thanks to having Don Mancini - who has written every installment and directed the latter three - as the driving creative force. Cult of Chucky, the seventh entry in the series, brings together the franchise’s three distinct story lines - Nica (Fiona Dourif) from Curse of Chucky, Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) from Child’s Play 1-3, and Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) from Bride/Seed of Chucky. Taking cues from A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warrior, the film takes place in a mental institution, where Nica bonds with the members of her therapy group. When they start dying one by one, Nica struggles to convince anyone that a possessed doll named Chucky (voiced, as always, by Brad Dourif) is responsible. Mancini’s well-paced script is fearless in its exploration of delightfully weird ideas, in addition to balancing the more serious tone with lighthearted fun. The result is as close as you can get to pleasing fans of all eras of Chucky. Read my full review of the film here.

6. The Bar

The Bar is the latest effort from reliable Spanish filmmaker Álex de la Iglesia (The Oxford Murders). It finds a group of strangers trapped in a seedy bar in downtown Madrid. Anyone that tries to leave is killed by an unseen assailant, with their bodies disappearing - blood and all - when no one is looking. Reminiscent of an episode of The Twilight Zone, suspicion grows and intrigue builds as the group must come together to solve the mystery. Iglesia does a fine job establishing an ensemble of quirky characters in a short time and then maintaining that momentum throughout the duration. He also injects his signature dark humor into the plot, helping to further set it apart from other contained thrillers.

7. Creep 2

2014's Creep (which is also streaming on Netflix and should be viewed first) was perhaps the last good, original found footage movie, made on a shoestring budget with copious improvisation. Star/co-writer Mark Duplass (Safety Not Guaranteed), whose eerie performance as an idiosyncratic murderer anchored Creep, and director/co-writer Patrick Brice return for Creep 2, which slightly expands the mythology without sacrificing the intimacy that made the first film so effective. Duplass' character now goes by Aaron, assuming not only the name of Brice's character from the first Creep but also his interest in filmmaking. Sara (Desiree Akhavan) responds to Aaron's Craigslist ad looking for a videographer, and it’s not long after their meeting that he admits to being a serial killer. But Aaron is going through a bit of a midlife crisis, so he employs Sara to film a documentary about him. Much like the first Creep, not a whole lot happens before the climax, but Duplass' eccentric character and vulnerable performance keep you watching with bated breath.

8. Killing Ground

Killing Ground is an unapologetic Australian thriller in the vein of Eden Lake, Wolf Creek, Deliverance, and The Hills Have Eyes. In other words, it's an intense punch in the gut. In the film, a couple's romantic camping trip is interrupted by unhinged locals against whom they must fight for survival. The familiar set-up is elevated by intriguing flashbacks to events a few days prior to the main story, the context of which adds even more weight to the harrowing situation. Although not the most original story ever told, Killing Ground is an effective, realistic debut for writer-director Damien Power.

9. Veronica

Verónica is a Spanish-language psychological thriller from Mexico. Co-directors Carlos Algara and Alejandro Martinez-Beltran opted to shoot the film in black and white with gorgeous, precise cinematography, bringing to mind the recent The Eyes of My Mother. A psychologist (Arcelia Ramírez) is offered a substantial sum of money to take on the evasive yet intelligent Veronica de la Serna (Olga Segura) as a patient. It's a simple set-up, consisting of little more than dialogue between the two characters, but the intriguing therapy sessions slowly reveal Veronica's deep-seated issues. The plot takes an unexpected, exciting turn for the final act, but it ultimately leads to a twist that is trite and, frankly, unnecessary. But don't let that deter you; the rest of the film is positively riveting.

10. Red Christmas

Red Christmas is a holiday horror film that - despite hailing from Australia - captures the typical Christmas season quite well, complete with the family drama it often entails. It also addresses the topical subject of reproductive rights, employs both a genre legend (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial's Dee Wallace, in one of her strongest performances in years) and an actor with Down syndrome (Gerard O'dwyer), and tells a decent horror story in the process. Similar to You're Next, the film features a killer interrupting a strained family gathering, blending home invasion and slasher influences. It won’t replace any of the classics, but Red Christmas is a fine addition to the Christmas horror pantheon. Read my full review of the film here.

11. Don't Kill It

Don't Kill It is a fun amalgam of horror, action, comedy, and western from director Mike Mendez (Big Ass Spider). A rash of homicides - in which each killer murders the previous killer - lead FBI agent Evelyn Pierce (Kristina Klebe, Halloween) back to the podunk Mississippi town she once called home in order to investigate the case. She reluctantly teams with Jebediah Woodley (Dolph Lundgren, Rocky IV), a self-described demon hunter, to stop the body-hopping demon on the loose. There are a couple of big, bloody set pieces that make the abundance of exposition worthwhile. Clocking in at a lean 83 minutes, the film plays like a more charming and entertaining version of a Syfy original movie.

Bonus: Dark

Comparisons between Dark and Stranger Things are inevitable - both Netflix original series concern a mystery of a missing child in a small town in which supernatural elements are at play - but Dark approaches the material in am much more subtle, subversive manner. In addition to Stranger Things' coming-of-age through a genre lens, the German show has the mind-bending rhetoric of Donnie Darko and the mystique of Twin Peaks, with a touch of Back to the Future for good measure. There may be a few too many characters for its own good, but the story - in which a disappearance in the present is somehow tied to similar events that occurred in 1986 - is undeniably well told and well shot. I'm already eager to binge a second season.

Bonus: Mindhunter

Mindhunter is an original series from executive producer David Fincher (Gone Girl, Seven), who also directs several episodes, with Joe Penhall (The Road) serving as showrunner. Based on the true crime book Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, it follows FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff. Glee) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany, Alien 3) as they conduct interviews with convicted murderers in the late '70s for their groundbreaking work in behavioral science. After an attention-grabbing opening scene, the show takes a couple of episodes to gain momentum, but it's virtually impossible to look away after that. There's an abundance of heady dialogue, in typical Fincher fashion, though it's never short of enthralling.

#netflix #gerald's game #creep 2 #super dark times #cult of chucky #mindhunter #1922 #best of netflix #article #list

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aly126 · 7 years ago

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2017 Romanian Nationals - My Recap and Ramblings

Romanian Nationals ended today with a predictable outcome, for the most part. Larisa Iordache, Catalina Ponor and Denisa Golgota were the stars of the competition, just as expected. Ioana Crisan was maybe one the surprises, with underwhealming results for her potential. This competition also featured Laura Jurca’s return to competition after a while off because of injuries. Maria Holbura and Carmen Ghiciuc, currently fighting for a spot on the Worlds team, did well on bars, but did not impress anywhere else.

This turned out to be incredibly long, so you can find the recap and my take on what’s been happening during the last couple of days under the cut.

After a great meet, showing improved routines since Universiade, Larisa Iordache became the most decorated gymnast here. She became 4x National Champion, winning the All Around, Bars, Beam and Floor finals, and also added a silver to her collection from the team competition. Her All Around score, 58.466, was the highest yet in 2017, though homescoring should be kept in mind.

Her DTY looked much cleaner than it did at Universiade, and her layout full on beam, though still subject to a ton of deductions, was a bit more laid out. Her triple dismount off beam is still iffy, and not completely rotated, which might turn into a big problem if it doesn’t get credited. She hit her beam routines on both days, which is somewhat encouraging, but given her record in World beam finals, I'm yet to get behing the '2 fulls in one routine' decision.

Her new floor is definitely growing on me, and her tumbling was good on both days, plus there’s the nice memmel/illusion combination. The EFs highlight was the debut of a new bars dismount, a difficult double twisting double back, which she hit well. All in all she looked great, and this might be her year at Worlds and I’m so here for it! *fingers crossed*

Catalina Ponor left these National Championships with a team bronze, and two silver medals, on beam and floor. During TF/QF, she counted two falls on beam, thus qualifying in last to BB EF, and a watered down floor routine, but came back stronger in EFs, where managed to finish 2nd on both events. She was still hesitant on beam in the EF, having to fight to avoid a fall on her acro series, and wobbling on several other skills, but ended her competition on a high note on floor, with more difficulty this time around, upgrading her second pass to 2x whips to piked full in. On both days, her last pass was a double twist, but I'm sure she's working on a triple for Worlds, and that’s definitely doable for her. She didn’t look particularly confident here, but it’s Catalina, she’ll be alright by Wolrds.

Denisa Golgota, who is still a junior, thus not eligible to compete at senior competitions this year, outperformed many of the her older teammates on the National Team. Beside getting silver in the All Around, and bronze on floor, she became National Champion on vault. Vault and floor are definitely her strong events. She fell on beam in TF/QF, thus not making BB EF, and while she did make UB EF, her routine is full of form issues. Her major problem on floor was her double arabian, a new tumbling pass she debuted at the EYOF earlier this year, but despite the steps out of bounds, the double arabian itself was clean and high, so if she manages to get the landing under control, she should be fine. She also has a double wolf turn in her floor routine, which is not exaclty pretty, and which she missed in TF, depite hitting a good one in warm up. Not much to say about vault, she won't medal in a Worlds final any time soon, but she does have a good DTY, which can be usefull in AA finals and TFs in next year's competitions.

I have to say I'm impressed with her for performing well, especially since she must feel the huge expectations everyone has for her, as she's constantly labeled as the Romanian team's 'savior' for the future.

Speaking of expectations, there's Ioana Crisan. I don't know what’s happening with her. Maybe she was injured, maybe the pressure was just too much, but whatever it is, it should be fixed soon, as it would be a shame to see such potential and talent go to waste. Even before the TF competition started, I noticed her looking like she was about to cry after not hitting in warmups, so this is obviously not a good state of mind to have at the beginning of a meet. I don't know if the National Team works with a sports phychologist, but as I've said a million times before, they definitely should.

Ioana came out of this competition with three medals, gold in TF as part of the Deva Team, bronze in the All Around, and silver on vault. The most notable thing for me, was her upgrading from a FTY in TF/AA to a 1.5 in EFs. Despite qualifying 3rd, her beam routine in EFs was a disaster, with 3 falls, and almost a 4th fall on the mount. She also missed on her bars set in the final. While three medals sounds good in theory, she did not look in great shape, her performance was definitely underwhealming given her potential. We will see if this interferes with her chances to get a Worlds spot.

Also in the running for Worlds are Carmen Ghiciuc and Maria Holbura, neither of which were especially impressive. They shined on bars, both making the podium in the bars final, Carmen getting the silver and Maria the bronze. In the All Around, Holbura placed 5th, while Ghiciuc was 10th. Bars was Ghiciuc's only EF, while Holbura also made the beam final, but fell.

Laura Jurca returned to competition after a long time off. She only did two events, vault and bars, making EFs in both. Despite not getting an individual medal, she did get a TF gold, as par of the Deva team. However, she is clearly still recovering from her injuries, having some catching up to do in order to get back to her former level. She has the FTY back on vault for the moment, and her bars work was a a bit hesitant. I really wish Laura can find the strength to fight back and get right back in it. She can help the team a lot since she was a competent all arounder, and I'd love to see her have the same success she had as a junior, now, at the senior level.

In other news, Iulia Berar is still gorgeous to watch, and she became a favorite of mine by default, for doing a scorpio turn on beam and a double scorpio turn on floor. Unfortunately she fell in the beam final, and her tumbling was too basic for her to make the floor final.

Shoutout to Lisa Marchidanu, a 2004 baby, who despite being very young and inexperienced, qualified in 3rd to both vault and floor finals. Some errors kept her away from the podiums in the finals, but hopefully, having such great results in QF while competing against more experienced gymnasts will motivate her to keep it up.

Anamaria Ocolisan, Nica Ivanus, Laura Iacob and Dora Vulcan were absent from this competition. Ocolisan injured her shoulder before Euros, so she’s probably still recovering. She seemed to attend a training camp at Izvorani recently, so she’s still training. Ivanus competed at the EYOF a months ago, so I don’t know what happened there. Same for Iacob and Vulcan.

#2017 romanian nationals #larisa iordache #catalina ponor #denisa golgota #ioana crisan #laura jurca #ioana stanciulescu #iulia berar #lisa marchidanu #anamaria ocolisan #nica ivanus #laura iacob #dora vulcan #carmen ghiciuc #maria holbura #m #team romania

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bigyack-com · 5 years ago

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The Week in Tech: New Decade, Same Old Trouble in Washington

Each week, we review the week’s news, offering analysis about the most important developments in the tech industry.WASHINGTON — Big Tech did not get the fresh start it had hoped for in the first full week of the new decade. Debate over political ads, privacy and the market power of the biggest companies were again front and center. And Facebook, the biggest target of criticism, picked up where it left off at the end of last year.Hi, I’m Cecilia Kang. I write for The New York Times about the tech industry’s often fraught relationship with the regulators and lawmakers of Washington.Facebook’s tough week kicked off with a Times report on an internal company post by Andrew Bosworth, a senior executive of Facebook and a self-described liberal, who warned against actions that could thwart President Trump in the 2020 election. The post, obtained by Kevin Roose, Sheera Frenkel and Mike Isaac, was a winding, 2,500-word essay in defense of the social network and Mark Zuckerberg’s stance on free expression — including misinformation — in political speech.The post from Mr. Bosworth, known as Boz and one of Mr. Zuckerberg’s closest lieutenants, didn’t sit well with many employees who had grown uncomfortable with the company’s hands-off approach. Other big social media companies, notably Twitter and Google, have set limits or outrightly banned political ads. Mr. Bosworth admitted Facebook probably helped elect Mr. Trump. But he said it was not for the reasons critics say. It wasn’t Facebook’s reckless handling of data, which allowed Cambridge Analytica to create psychographic profiles of voters, that did it. It was Facebook’s platform for targeted advertising that was so influential in the 2016 election. Mr. Trump, he said, used that platform better than anyone.Alexis Madrigal of The Atlantic explained why Mr. Bosworth’s internal post was so divisive in “Why Facebook’s Id is showing.” Mr. Bosworth argued that Facebook did not really need to change. After all, it’s not tobacco, he said. It’s more like sugar — not so bad if you don’t consume too much of it.The next day, Facebook was caught up on in an odd kerfuffle over a glowing article about five Facebook managers charged with defeating disinformation ahead of the 2020 election. The article, oddly, appeared in Teen Vogue without a byline. Why was Teen Vogue publishing an uncritical look at Facebook’s election integrity efforts?It got weirder. A label was added that tagged the story as “sponsored” editorial. Then the label disappeared. Then the story disappeared. I dug into the mystery with my colleague Rachel Abrams. The article was, in fact, a piece of paid content. Teen Vogue and Facebook both said the labeling fracas was all a big misunderstanding.On Thursday, Facebook was back to serious news: It released its policy on political ads, cementing a decision to allow lies by politicians to go unchecked and for campaigns to micro-target those ads to specific audiences.The reaction was swift and partisan. The Trump campaign lauded the policy and other Republicans said it was an affirmation of free speech. Democrats, including the leading member of the Federal Election Commission, were angry, and said the decision was nothing short of a threat to democracy.

Will the encryption fight get rebooted?

The F.B.I. and Apple have reignited their battle over encryption. As reported by Jack Nicas and Katie Benner, the F.B.I. asked Apple for the data on two iPhones that belonged to the gunman in the shooting last month at a naval base in Pensacola, Fla., possibly setting up another showdown over law enforcement’s access to smartphones.This is an old battle, covered almost three years ago by Katie and Matt Apuzzo, now a European investigative reporter for The Times. At the heart of the dispute is a disagreement over user privacy and national security, and we’ll be watching closely how this plays out.

Sonos take Google to court

Antitrust enforcement of Big Tech will be a central focus for Washington regulators. And competitors are taking notice. Sonos filed a lawsuit against Google in two federal courts. As reported by Jack Nicas and Daisuke Wakabayashi, the speaker company claims Google stole its secrets and used its market dominance to develop lower-priced speakers to squash competition. The case has the attention of a congressional committee investigating competition violations by Big Tech. On Jan. 17, the antitrust subcommittee of the House plans to take a road trip to Boulder, Colo, where Patrick Spence, the chief executive of Sonos, is expected testify.

Some stories you shouldn’t miss

How are we doing?We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [email protected] this email?Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here. Read the full article

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kadobeclothing · 5 years ago

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6 Secrets to Achieving Work-Life Balance, According to HubSpot Marketing Managers

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If you love your job, you’ll never have to work again.”?

Well, that myth is both false and incredibly misleading. In fact, research shows that the more passionate you are about a job, the more work you’ll actually do. The truth is, a successful career takes time, initiative, and hours of hard work. And, while some companies enable employees to successfully execute on their roles within 40 hours each week, you’ll occasionally need to work later or longer to excel at other organizations When you think you have the perfect job, you might tell yourself, “I clock in 70 hours a week because I’m doing what I love,” or “The family dinners I’m missing will be worth it in the long run.” But, while your role might not “feel” like a job, working long hours without making time for yourself eventually takes a major toll. In fact, research shows that throwing yourself into work too heavily could cause stress, burnout, and — commonly — a lonely personal life. Yes — Managers value employees who take initiative and put in extra effort when needed. However, your personal life is important to your physical, psychological, and emotional well-being. So, how do you continue to excel in your career while making time for yourself and your loved ones? The truth is, there’s no simple trick to achieving an ideal work-life balance. But, luckily, there are a handful of strategies that can get you pretty close. To help you juggle your work and personal life, even if you work remotely, here are six tips that I collected from a few highly-motivated HubSpot marketing managers. While the tips below work well for in-office employees, these can be especially helpful if you’re working remotely and finding it hard to separate your work life from your personal life.

6 Tips for Achieving Work-Life Balance 1. Set hard-stops for each workday. Despite the thought that successful employees will work late into the night, studies show that you’re least productive at night. Additionally, working late hours can make you tired in times of peak productivity during the day. If your role revolves around large projects or long to-do lists, you might be tempted to work late or on weekends to get more done. However, our marketing managers suggest setting hard stops so you don’t overexert yourself. “When working on a long-term project, it’s very easy to keep going into the night thinking, ‘I can get the whole thing done today,’ which was obviously bad for work-life balance,” says Joe Mayall, an associate product marketing manager at HubSpot. “Setting hard stops for myself in the evening really helped me balance things out.” “Set (and abide by) your own boundaries and accept that a task is usually not THAT important that it can’t wait until tomorrow,” advises Lisa Toner To prevent any tasks that you can’t plausibly complete in normal work hours, Toner says, “You should manage expectations with your manager about how much can actually be done during business hours.” When you’re working remotely, setting hard stops can be even more important. In a recent post, my blog colleague Christina Perricone explained that knowing when to stop working is a common struggle of remote employees who usually work where they live. “Since you miss out on the social cues to head out for lunch or end the workday that are inherent in in-office settings, you have to create them,” says Perricone. “Set calendar appointments for lunch or a walk or a midday workout. Otherwise, you might find yourself sitting in front of your computer for 10+ hours a day.” 2. Make time for self-care and breaks each day. Whether you’re working remotely or in an office, you can take steps towards managing your personal life without getting distracted from work. If your schedule allows, one way to do this is by blocking time for breaks or short self-care activities, such as taking a walk, on your calendar. “Schedule personal things in your calendar like workouts, phone calls with family or friends, or coffee breaks. Then honor those commitments. This will force you to take a break in your workday and do the things that will recharge and fulfill you,” says Jennifer Stefancik, a marketing manager in our acquisitions department. “When I get back to work after doing something personally fulfilling, like going on a run, I always feel more focused and energized.” Stefancik shares. 3. Be transparent with your manager and colleagues about your personal-life boundaries. While you need to set work-life balance boundaries for yourself, you should also be transparent about boundaries you’ve set with your team or manager. One way to do this is by noting your work and off-work hours on your company’s internal calendar. Additionally, you should also talk to your manager to come up with a schedule that enables you to experience and manage important moments in your personal life. One HubSpot manager who’s transparent with his team and creates a public schedule to embrace his life as a parent is Victor Pan, HubSpot’s Head of Technical SEO. “I cherish the small talk I do when I drop off my daughter at school and with other parents. To do this, I talked to my manager about blocking out time in my work calendar — which is shared externally to my peers and colleagues,” Pan explains. However, Pan notes that establishing a flexible schedule with managers won’t always be doable at other companies. “Being able to engage in work-life design is a privilege for teams with safe spaces, but it’s also something someone engaged in part-time work can consciously control,” says Pan. “At the end of the day, we’re here to make the most out of the time we have given to us.” 4. Prioritize and audit your to-do list. Along with establishing a transparent schedule that fits in both time for life and work, you can prevent yourself from instances where you’ll need to work overtime by taking on prioritization tactics and auditing your to-do list to ensure that you’re working efficiently. “So many of us get bogged down by never-ending to-do lists and as you check off one item, three more gets added. In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to focus on the high impact activities and reduce or cease the activities that do not drive significant results,” says Toner. To help her prioritize her tasks so that the most important items fit smoothly into her work hours, she draws out an “Impact/Effort Matrix”: a four-by-four chart where you list all your tasks on scales related to the effort needed to complete them and the impact they’ll create. Once she’s done filling out her matrix, Toner follows these steps: Review the activities in the high effort low impact bucket, and assess if you can simply stop doing them — these are usually not worth your time. Take the activities in the low impact, low effort bucket. Determine if you need to keep doing them or if they can be delegated to someone else. Look at the high impact, high effort bucket and research more efficient ways to achieve the same results. If so, move those items into the high impact, low effort square.

When you’re done using the matrix, “you should have one to two items remaining in the high effort, high impact bucket that you continue to work on over a longer period of time,” says Toner. “Everything in the low effort, high impact bucket should be the work you prioritize,” Toner adds. “By doing this exercise regularly you can learn if your to-do list is actually worth the time it takes to do it. Then, you can decide if you should stop, delegate, improve efficiency, or keep going.” 5. Schedule time off as needed. In a recent blog post where HubSpot marketers revealed how they prevent burnout, Irina Nica, a community and influencer relations manager, noted that taking time off can help you eliminate stress while also adhering to your personal life. “I was one of those people who would rarely take any time off because ‘there are so many things to be done,'” Nica said. “Even when I did, I still let some work slip into my day, even if that meant only checking my emails.” “Over time, I’ve changed my views on time off and it’s been great for my productivity,” Nica explained, adding, “I learned to disconnect in the evenings and during weekends. Now, aside from the regular summer and winter holidays, I take long weekends off every now and then. That helps me relax and refreshes my perspective.” Taking time off doesn’t necessarily need to be devoted to vacations or travel. For example, if you live with family, time off can be used for staycations, where you stay in and spend time with loved ones. Or, if you live alone, you could simply take a few days off to relax, video call friends, binge some TV, and perform self-care. 6. Physically separate work from your personal life. If you occasionally or regularly work from home, the lines between work and life can get incredibly blurry. Because of this, you might find yourself working too late or thinking about work when you try to relax in your home. Luckily, one strategy that can help with this is creating a workspace for yourself. “Try to designate a space in your home exclusively for work,” Perricone advised in a recent post. “Taking calls from your bed or writing memos in front of your TV likely won’t be very effective. You need a space that allows you to focus and be productive. That way, you can keep your work and home life as separate as possible.” Finding a Good Balance While the five tips were all slightly different, they all followed just a few major themes that you can keep in mind when aiming to achieve a work-life balance: Time off: Everyone needs breaks or time to disconnect from work. Even if you work remotely, be realistic with yourself about when you’ll need a break from work and schedule break times in your day or longer PTO accordingly. Setting boundaries: Schedule hard stops and breaks for yourself, while also setting boundaries related to your work hours with your team and manager. Prioritization: Recognize the tasks you can save until tomorrow and how to complete your weekly to-do list more efficiently. Separate work from life at home: When you work from home, the lines between work and life can get blurry. Be sure to use the tips above to help separate your work life from your personal life at home. You can also find more detailed tips in this remote work post. To learn more about how to be successful in the marketing workplace, check out these blog posts on avoiding burnout, productivity, and how to stay creative under pressure.

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biofunmy · 5 years ago

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The Week in Tech: New Decade, Same Old Trouble in Washington

Each week, we review the week’s news, offering analysis about the most important developments in the tech industry.

WASHINGTON — Big Tech did not get the fresh start it had hoped for in the first full week of the new decade. Debate over political ads, privacy and the market power of the biggest companies were again front and center. And Facebook, the biggest target of criticism, picked up where it left off at the end of last year.

Hi, I’m Cecilia Kang. I write for The New York Times about the tech industry’s often fraught relationship with the regulators and lawmakers of Washington.

Facebook’s tough week kicked off with a Times report on an internal company post by Andrew Bosworth, a senior executive of Facebook and a self-described liberal, who warned against actions that could thwart President Trump in the 2020 election.

The post, obtained by Kevin Roose, Sheera Frenkel and Mike Isaac, was a winding, 2,500-word essay in defense of the social network and Mark Zuckerberg’s stance on free expression — including misinformation — in political speech.

The post from Mr. Bosworth, known as Boz and one of Mr. Zuckerberg’s closest lieutenants, didn’t sit well with many employees who had grown uncomfortable with the company’s hands-off approach. Other big social media companies, notably Twitter and Google, have set limits or banned political ads outright.

Mr. Bosworth admitted Facebook probably helped elect Mr. Trump. But he said it was not for the reasons critics said. It wasn’t Facebook’s reckless handling of data, which allowed Cambridge Analytica to create psychographic profiles of voters, that did it. It was Facebook’s platform for targeted advertising that was so influential in the 2016 election. Mr. Trump, he said, used that platform better than anyone.

Alexis Madrigal of The Atlantic explained why Mr. Bosworth’s internal post was so divisive in “Why Facebook’s Id is showing.” Mr. Bosworth argued that Facebook did not really need to change. After all, it’s not tobacco, he said. It’s more like sugar — not so bad if you don’t consume too much of it.

The next day, Facebook was caught up in an odd kerfuffle over a glowing article about five Facebook managers charged with defeating disinformation ahead of the 2020 election. The article, oddly, appeared in Teen Vogue without a byline. Why was Teen Vogue publishing an uncritical look at Facebook’s election integrity efforts?

It got weirder. A label was added that tagged the story as “sponsored” editorial. Then the label disappeared. Then the story disappeared.

I dug into the mystery with my colleague Rachel Abrams. The article was, in fact, a piece of paid content. Teen Vogue and Facebook both said the labeling fracas was all a big misunderstanding.

On Thursday, Facebook was back to serious news: It released its policy on political ads, cementing a decision to allow lies by politicians to go unchecked and for campaigns to micro-target those ads to specific audiences.

The reaction was swift and partisan. The Trump campaign lauded the policy and other Republicans said it was an affirmation of free speech. Democrats, including the leading member of the Federal Election Commission, were angry, and said the decision was nothing short of a threat to democracy.

Will the encryption fight be rebooted?

This is an old battle, covered almost three years ago by Katie and Matt Apuzzo, now a European investigative reporter for The Times. At the heart of the dispute is a disagreement over user privacy and national security, and we’ll be watching closely how this plays out.

Sonos takes Google to court

Antitrust enforcement of Big Tech will be a central focus for Washington regulators. And competitors are taking notice. Sonos sued Google in two federal courts. As reported by Jack Nicas and Daisuke Wakabayashi, the speaker company claims Google stole its secrets and used its market dominance to develop lower-priced speakers to squash competition.

The case has the attention of a congressional committee investigating competition violations by Big Tech. Next Friday, the antitrust subcommittee of the House plans to take a road trip to Boulder, Colo., where Patrick Spence, the chief executive of Sonos, is expected testify.

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theramseyloft · 4 years ago

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3/10/21 Loft Notes

I collapsed from physical exhaustion yesterday around 6pm, so I'm taking things very, very slowly today.

To give you guys an idea of how functional I was, minutes before that happened, I tried to mark this new egg of Elliot's with a ?

I could not, even by muscle memory, work out what that was supposed to look like.

I gave that egg back to Elliot, made it back to the living room, and ceased being able to function.

I do not mean I got on the couch and fell asleep. I mean I was fully conscious, but unable to move of my own volition.

Patron: "She said her veins were falling out."

It legit felt like the big one down the center of my left arm had come loose and just slid down my skin.

Patron: "How are you feeling today?"

Patron: "I was wondering if you remembered"

Numb and sluggish, but having missed cleaning Monday, I can't safely put it off any longer.

So I'm just gonna have to take my sweet time about it.

Took meds. Just finished breakfast.

Patron: "oof :( stay well in tune with yourself and be careful. good luck today!"

Gonna do my best. Thank you.

Prooobaly gonna list crap I need to do here so I can keep up with it.

The block tower that is my executive function is a pile of splinters right now.

Think I have my feet far enough under me to get a roast started. Then vacuum.

Roast done.

Living room vacuumed.

Aaaaand auditory hallucinations confirmed. I swear, I hear a heavy downpour with high winds...

Buuut that is demonstrably not happening.

Vacuumed quarantine. Just kinda mechanically moved to the cages and forgot Gordon and April's exists.

Satin and Sprinks received their final doses of avionidazole. They will rejoin the flock tomorrow.

Heading out to the loft momentarily.

We'll see if our new arrival caused or got into any trouble.

I made that attempt to ? Elliot's egg because the timing is such that it could have been Elliot who stress laid the one I gave Alex and Dodger.

We may or may not know in a few days. XD But if a home comes up for Alex, I will at least have some one I can put his foster under.

Bluh. Shaky again, so pausing to snack and recover before heading outside.

Checked the calendar while sitting here.

Time to stop turning the egg.

And pay closer attention to the water.

It's due to pip on Friday.

Aside from adding to the water every three days or so and turning the egg whenever I passed, I have not interacted with it much. At candling, 6 days ago, it was developing normally and very much alive.

The wren is back.

Angel is fitting in just like Satin and Sprinks did when they got here.

Not afraid of the other birds, or bird-focused enough to go harass any of them.

Aside from occasionally biting me for having the audacity not to be his mom-wife, he's great so far.

He's 4.5 months, and bigger than everyone else here, except maybe Sprinks.

And Farthing.

Farthing may also outweigh him.

Patron: "Angel hatched that long ago?? Ahhhhhh"

Late November.

Ginger tread Danica

Oops! The wren got trapped in the porch!

It left when I held the door for it. XD

Tiny wild friend, no! XD

Leonard's kids are chasing him around the floor begging to be fed.

Patron: "They’re already on the floor!? Oh my goodness"

Their nest is on the floor. XD

They go flailing back to it when they get full.

Ginger tread Danica again.

Aaaand they have taken up Sprinks and Satin's nest, the night she is due to lay, when Satin and Sprinks are due to return in the morning.

They had claimed the nest next to that, uncontested.

If Nica lays in there tonight and gets driven off in the morning, I'll have to tuck another one in the broken incubator.

Think I'mma go ahead and bring them on back out to preempt that shit.

Ginger's dumb ass the second Sprinks and Satin reclaimed their box: "Uh. 'Scuse me. TF y'all doin' in my house?"

Satin and Sprinks: "Whose house, bitch?"

Sprinks, confident that Satin can handle a little dipshit 2/3 his weight, is having a snack.

Patron: "now that's a tussle i'd like to see on video lmao"

You might get to.

youtube

And I now have 20 minutes of footage of Ginger fighting Satin and Sprinks until they went "You know what? Fuck this shit!" And claimed the box one level higher.

Followed by Ginger and Danica not being sure whether or not they want that specific one after all.

Followed by several minutes of Danica begging Ginger to tread her, and Ginger responding by crouching for her to tread him.

And Vito being a cock blocking bastard.

After the video, Danica strolled over to the other end of the nest wall and attacked Elliot's chicks.

I ice cream coned her away.

And am still sitting here because she thought I was too distracted by typing to notice her try to go after them again.

Bitch, you won the nest you wanted. Why you trying to throw out peeps?

And he finally tread her again.

Angel will eventually learn that trying to bite my eyes will get him snatched off my shoulder and tossed.

This is not unexpected.

Pigeons go for eachother's faces in sereous disputes, and that seems to be instinctive.

So it carries over to how imprinted pigeons respond to what they consider a serious enough grievance. Aaaand human eyes are a larger target.

Patron: "is the grievance in this case is just you turning your head in his direction when he's willingly in your shoulder lol"

While not being his mom-wife, yes.

He likes me ok most of the time, but he wants his Mom-wife and is more upset with me than he is able to deal with yet for not being her.

There is literally nothing she could have done to prevent it.

Every pigeon hand raised by a human is like this to the new human.

And she took him so Val wouldn't hurt herself by refusing to let Zephyr help.

It was a necessity, and I knew to expect the behavior issues.

Khou would be HELL for any one else!

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bryanllamado · 7 years ago

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Edukadong Parangal 2017 x Boho

And as soon as the semester ended, we know what comes next–Qualifying Exam and Edukadong Parangal, the annual event in our college which aims to recognize the outstanding performance of its students (be it academic or not). After all the hard work and effort that we exerted in our studies and other activities, it’s about time that we see them come into fruition and there wouldn’t be a more impeccable time to do so than this. The theme for the event is Boho, so being there and looking at the crowd and the place takes you to the Coachella setting. #EP2017

6th of June – Tuesday

I went to ULS a bit early so I had all the time in the world to spend on waiting. It wasn’t long until the event formally started. Our college’s very own organizations COT–Singing, COT–Dancing, COEd Rondalla and COEd Chorale took the stage with their remarkable performances. I reserved an entire table for PWarriors but I ended up sharing it with Seedlings and the Koreans. Nonetheless, I still had a great time chatting with my friends. Of course, we wouldn’t let the event end without the mandatory photoshoot so my friends and I made the most out of our outfits and posed for the camera.

The awarding ceremony began and soon enough, it was our block’s (BSE21) turn to go on stage. I received two certificates–one as Member of BSE21 and another one as a member of COEd Sharks Bleachers. Compared to my contemporaries, I received the least number of certificates and it goes to show that perhaps, I haven’t accomplished much this academic year. Here goes my biggest regret as a student–not joining activities / competitions / contests that will hone my skills apart from academics. Maybe it’s not the recognition or awards that matter, it is the experience. But I’ll guess I’ll try to step out of my comfort zone… next school year.

After the awarding for our block, MJ, Cyra, Ayah and I headed to the Food Square to get foods and drinks–as dinner time is still an hour away. Sometimes, it is rewarding to be with a small circle of friends; everything is real and personal. When we returned to ULS, our friends are already enjoying their meals so we rushed to get our dinner. Just like the previous ones, I’m never too satisfied with the food but food is still food anyway. On another matter, the PWarriors were not able to take a photo together due to circumstances I could not disclose but, I made something out of what we had.

Our block’s band–The Achroma, composed of Tin, Nica, Dairen, Anne and Van–also performed on stage. Our blockmate, Paw, is also a member of the band but she missed the performance. They had a total of three songs: Royals - Rolling In The Deep Mash Up, Akap and Blank Space. I am so proud of the fact that some of my friends get the chance to showcase their talents to a larger audience (although I wish I could do the same thing as well). The night didn’t end on a high note but it’s still wonderful watching my peers do their thing and kill it on stage. *claps*

For my OOTD (or shall I say, OOTN) for the event, I didn’t go shopping–contrary to my routine each time our college holds General Assembly, COEd Jam and Edukadong Parangal. I relied solely on what my closet has to offer (out of the need to thrift); so I just chose a checkered polo, a white printed tee, a new pair of gray skinny jeans and a pair of boots. I was supposed to sport a pair of shorts but my shoes won’t fit in with the style I’m opting for. Check out the photos below for my final look:

I still enjoyed the night–despite the not-so-danceable set list of the night’s last act. Sayang! I was so eager to party and dance that moment but I guess that night is not the time for that. If there is one thing that sums up my realizations that instant, it’s that excellence must be pursued; always strive hard to reach your goals. Perhaps, I could’ve done better academically or chased after achievements that could be added to the pile of things I have accomplished. Di bale na. At least, I have proved to myself that I worked hard to earn what I have now and that is what matters now.

Thank you COEd for another unforgettable night!

Stay tuned for another school-related entry. #comingsoon

Till the next entry! Bry. 061217

#uncat #uncategorized #article #blog #blogging #blogger #journal #life #personal #writer #writing

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liw-the-melancholic-apple · 4 years ago

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How it may have gone - Humble beginnings

I realise that noone read part one. But i got 15 parts on my computer, so i'll just upload them...

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter are a bunch of things. But mainly they're teenagers. In their 6th year the political climate in the magical community gets colder and conflict is near inevitable. At hogwarts that leads to more animosity between some of the students. But it also bands some together.

Another prefect in the group doesn't seem like a good idea on paper, but it turns out that the soap opera aspects of high school as well as the downsides of wizardry are better faced with Friends. The more the merrier.

Masterlist

Two: Making contact

It had been at the same time a long and a short night. Long because I spent hours and hours discussing my visit to Dumbledore’s office with my best friends Chloe and Milla in the Common Room and started all over again when Chloe’s boyfriend Magnus and his mates Crick and Joe showed up. Short because when I finally went to bed I already heard the birds chirping.

No surprise then, that I was anything but willing to get out of my bed when Milla carefully hit me with her pillow stating that breakfast had already begun. That wasn’t unusual. Since first year Milla, Chloe, Blair, Nica and I went downstairs just in time to have breakfast and had to the first class of the day. I didn’t see any reason to get up early just so I could hang out in the common room an half hour before going to first period. Especially if you could spend that half hour sleeping in your warm and comfortable bed.

“Like it’s started a while ago”, Nica added and I opened my eyes. Unhappy and grumpy I got out of bed already missing it and stumbled into the bathrooms on the other side of the dorm. I took a quick shower that woke me up somewhat and halfheartedly brushed my teeth.

Uniform and ties in place I fished my robes off my chair standing at the group of study desks in the middle of the round dorm, checked for the yellow badge and threw them on. Hair pulled in my signature topbun and dark lipstick applied, I collected all the books and parchment I needed for the day to store them in my torn up but deeply loved grey and black fabric backpack. I had found it at a market in Portugal the summer before my third year and used it for everything ever since.

Chloe and Blair were still in the bathroom getting ready, so I opened a window to check the temperature. It was the first week of November and autumn had really arrived. It wasn’t cold but it wasn’t warm either and a fine mist of rain fell. I quickly closed the window again and went to the big ebony wardrobe beside my ebony bed with mustard yellow velvet curtains.

I found my dad’s old leather coat that I had begged him to let me take to school in September and threaded it through one of the backpack straps. I knew that I was going to spend some time outside throughout the day and didn’t want to risk a cold. Thinking of my time spent out in the grey I checked the little front pocket of my bag and found the silver case and zippo.

We left the common room together with Magnus and two random very stressed first years, breathed in the pancake and freshly baked role air that evaporated from the kitchens and took the short hike up the stairs to the Great Hall.

Just as I was about to land on the ground floor of the castle leaving the stairs someone called my name followed by: “Skip the step!” I instantly scanned my surroundings to figure out whether I was still half asleep and had wandered off to the southern staircase to the third floor, where the trick step is located, when I saw Potter and Pettigrew laughing hysterically leaned against one of the pillars in the foyer.

Right, that happened. It was far too early for that kind of shenanigans. I still wasn’t awake enough to deal with people. “It’s far too early for that kind of shenanigans”, I mumbled as we passed them entering the Great Hall.

“Oh, come one, De Witt”, Potter moaned following me and my friends inside. “I thought we were partners in crime now. You can’t just go back to hating us!” I smelled coffee and walked quickly towards my house table, grabbed the biggest cup I could find and filled it with the wonderful liquid energy. Turning around I took a big sip of it. It was still too early for shenanigans with Potter but I felt better armed with the cup.

“I don’t hate you, Potter”, I said leaning against the table. “Or you”, I added looking at Pettigrew.

“Why are you so grumpy then?”, Pettigrew looked at me with a weirdly suspicious expression.

“I’m not particularly grumpy. I’m just not a morning person”, I explained when a raisin roll was waved in front of my face. “General rule is to only speak when absolutely necessary until about ten”, Milla explained after I had taken the roll. She pulled me onto the bench next to Crick, where I sat still facing the two Gryffindors and not my plate. I swung one of my legs to the other side of the bench when Potter sounded a lot happier in saying: “So, if we tell you to skip the step after first period you’ll find it hilarious again?”

“Well, maybe not hilarious. But I could appreciate it.”

“Deal!” The pair turned around and left the Hall again. I finally sat down the way you’re supposed to sit at a breakfast table and started munching on the delicious raisin roll, some pumpkin juice and yoghurt.

“Partners in crime?”, Crick raised one eyebrow ridiculously high.

“I think he’s exaggerating a bit”, I shrugged.

“But I did admit to being on his side in the whole thing. Even if I didn’t necessarily mean for him to know…”

“So, they are your friends now and are going to hang around a lot?”, Nica asked, eyes trailing off into nothing, a vague smile on her lips.

“Ah! Snap out of it, will you?”, Magnus snapped his fingers in front of her face. “He is head over heels in love with Lily and that won’t change any time soon.”

“Yeah, I know. But a girl can dream, can’t she?”, Nica hit him against the chest.

“Wait, that’s genuine affection?��, Blair got in on the conversation. “I thought he just played a really long con prank on her. Trying to see when she’d snap”, she explained looking a little confused.

“Nah”, Crick laughed to himself. “It has to be genuine. He just isn’t himself around Lily. Not as smooth as he usually is.”

We had to take their word for it. My time with Potter and his band of pranksters was limited to the meals and since we didn’t exactly run in the same circles we usually didn’t speak. Sure, being prefects and all I did regularly see Remus – an Lily Evans for that matter – but we rarely did night shifts or stuff like that interhouse and interyear. So, we didn’t talk all that much.

Crick and Magnus on the other hand were sixth years just like Potter and had a bunch of classes with him. Their expertise was definitely bigger than ours.

“Do you not talk to your sister?”, Magnus continued toward Blair. “She must know.” Blair’s sister was a sixth year Gryffindor and good friends with Lily Evans.

“Well, yeah I do. But neither mine nor Marlene’s lives revolve around Potter. However much he’d like to believe that”, she laughed.

“And I don’t think she and Lily have picked up on him acting differently around them. For all I know they can’t understand why he won’t just let it go.”

“Maybe we should just tell Lily. Stir the pot a bit”, Crick winked at Magnus.

“Potter will kill you.” Crick shrugged and got up.

“Potions it is”

The sixth years left us to our own devices and strolled to the dungeons.

“Aaaanyways, you’re friends with Potter now?” Nica looked at me all excited.

“I don’t think so Nic. We might be allies, though. Who knows. But I’m not really expecting him to invite to his birthday party.” Nica sighed and got back to her pancakes.

Milla glanced at her watch an notched me with her elbow. I downed the rest of my second coffee and got up with her. We waved at the rest of our friends and made our way out of the Great Hall and to the courtyard doors. I put on my dad’s leather coat and Milla wrapped herself in the biggest scarf I had ever seen, then we went outside and ran over to one of the roofed passage ways.

I flicked open my fancy silver cigarette case as Milla struggled with a wet paper package. We both lit up and inhaled the deathbringing smoke with content expressions. If I’m honest, we were a bad influence on one another at times. I had gotten her into smoking when she came on holiday with my family last summer, who had just found out that I had started. On the other hand, when I met her I had been an absolute morning person but her late night talks and antics had changed that over time.

We were comparing our mugglestudies-answers of the test we had the day before for the 100th time when a knowing smirk appeared on Milla’s fine porcelain features as she focused on something somewhere behind me. I turned around and found Remus and Black the elder walking toward us smoking as well. Milla’s smirk widened a bit when both boys examined us with puzzled looks, clearly hung up on the cigarettes.

“Would ya look at that”, Black said finally. “We’re already rubbing off on goodie-two-shoes. It’s not even been twenty-four hours. You’re showing potential, Goodie.”

“Goodie-two-shoes?”, Milla’s fair eyebrows disappeared into her fine fringe.

“That’s what they called me yesterday because I didn’t know about the buzzing triangle”, I explained and she nodded.

“Right, in the waiting room.”

“Have you already disclosed all our secrets?”, Remus asked grinning.

“I wasn’t aware that they were secrets.” We were just about to get into a discussion on the definition of secrets and the unwritten rules regarding them, when Black interrupted us:”Remus, are just gonna ignore the fact the she smokes? After one half evening with us, that she didn’t even spend talking to us?” Milla flew into a fit of laughter at his ego and I couldn’t help but chuckle myself.

“I don’t actually think that that’s our doing, Pads”, Remus answered grinning even wider.

“But she’s a rule-loving know-it-all prefect, for Merlin’s sake! How can she be smoking?”

“I’m sorry if I messed with your world view, Black, but as far as I can tell Remus is a know-it-all and prefect, too, and you’re not complaining about his smoking.”

“Cause he isn’t all that crazy about rules”, he explained, annoyed tone in his voice as if to say that that was obvious.

“Who said Jette is?”, Milla countered extinguishing her cigarette and pulling on my arm to get me to go in. We didn’t wait for an answer and just waved them good-bye in synchrony before we hurried to get to Charms class.

“So much for not going to hang out with them”, Milla snorted when we were back in the foyer.

“That was two conversations before first period. Is that more in one hour than in the last four years?” I thought on that for a moment.

“Not counting the last two months and Remus, yes.”

Milla snorted again and imagined how much Nica would freak out if she told her about that development and the growing chances of her spending time with James Potter. I was still sceptical about that.

Nica wasn’t. She instantly made plans to engage and entrap Potter in a conversation about Quidditch and the upcoming match of Ravenclaw against Gryffindor that was only ten days away. Milla and Blair got into it with her, although they seemed to enjoy Nica’s excitement more than the idea of talking to the Gryffindor Captain.

I let them chatter away and decided to pair up with Chloe for the practical part of Charms class. Semi-focused we conjured vague images of our holidays, as instructed by Professor Flitwick, not really succeeding at creating livelike holograms, while discussing the last and the next Hogsmeade weekend.

The houseteachers had finally given in and made the whole weekend available for trips to the village rather than just the Saturday which meant that Chloe didn’t have to choose between spending the day with us or her oh-so-lovely Magnus. The second weekend of October she had opted to go to the Broomsticks with us on Saturday first, then do some good old shopping-therapy and do some cheesy couple stuff with Mag on Sunday. The next Hogsmeade weekend was this week and coincided with their one year anniversary. It was obvious that she really wanted to just spend every single minute with Mag but she was too polite to say it.

“I mean I could do some last minute giftshopping on Saturday with you and then go for a romantic lunch with him on Sunday, right?”

“You already got all the presents you can possibly give him, Chloe. Just ask him to block the entire weekend for you and wander through the crisp November air snuggling up to his side, when the wind gets too brisk and find a quiet spot to snog 36 hours straight. None of us will blame you for it.”

“You’re impossible!” She screamed waving her wand carelessly, sharpening up her hologram that showed her and Mag at some Cabana barely wearing any clothes and kissing passionately. I immediately stopped caring about her weekendplans and started interrogating her about that image – and all it implicated – as she quickly let the hologram disappear looking to her feet.

“Oh. My God!”, Milla squealed very atypically on our way to lunch, when Chloe confessed her very grown up escapades of the last summer holiday to her, Blair and Nica. Joe had wisely found other people to talk to but kept looking over at our reactions from which he probably deduced exactly what Magnus and Chloe had been up to over the break. And – as we learned now – the past two months in the castle.

“You did not sneak around in broom closets!”, I yelped overdrawn scandalised expression on my face, channelling my grandmother when she heard people had kids without being married.

“Shhhhhh!”, Chloe definitely already regretted telling us but we had the time of our lives thinking out loud where she could have found the perfect spot to sleep with Magnus without being found out by us, Filch or any other students and teachers.

Although she was terrified by the conversation and knew that we’d only stop when she told us, she kept it a secret, earning a lot sighs and outrageous theories. To be honest, I wasn’t all that interested in the place she’s found – I doubted that I would have need for it in the foreseeable future – but I didn’t dare ask her how it actually was. And I guessed that the other three girls felt the same.

We usually talked about everything during Milla’s aforementioned night-time talks, that left me a mess in the mornings. No secrets. And up until now we’ve always been brutally honest with each other. Did it take us a couple of week to admit we liked someone to the others? Yes, of course it did. But we confessed it eventually. The same was true for random snogging, holiday flirts and more serious subjects like where we stood on the whole bloodpurity thing or the passing of grandparents, aunts and uncles. We were really, really honest with each other.

And in none of those really, really honest conversations had any of us mentioned to not being a virgin anymore. I reckoned we all were dying of curiosity but for once found ourselves to embarrassed to admit to it. So, we kept busy torturing Chloe a bit more by getting louder and louder as we theorised about her secret hiding spot until we walked down the staircase to the foyer and the Great Hall and there were too many people to guarantee discretion.

Nica gave Joe the Okay-sign and he nodded but stayed with Irving, his Quidditch teammate. If it hadn’t been for Irving I might have made the team. I had tried out for Beater ever since second year and every year Irving and Milla bested me. Milla was an absolute ace and there was no way anybody would ever get her out of the team. No way in hell. Irving wasn’t that accurate with the bludgers but he had a great eye which meant that even if he didn’t aim precisely or hit his target he usually rattled the opposing team anyway. I was more precise but I lacked that eye for strategic blows. And at this point Milla and Irving had played together for four years, so, there was that against me, too.

We had just gotten to the middle landing of the two-sided marble staircase in the foyer, when someone shouted: ”Skip the step!” In an unnatural volume. God, they were not going to let that go. In an attempt to just satisfy them and not get sucked into a never-ending running gag I leaped into the air legs as close to a mid-air split as I could manage and landed three steps further down, only shortly losing balance.

Applause broke from the foot of the stairs where all four members of my newly founded fanclub cheered for me. I overdid a bow in their direction, let my friends catch up and was planning to just go and have lunch but that was not possible anymore.

I should have known that playing along with their little joke would motivate them to further involve me in their what-ever-they-were-doing and I most definitely should have known that Nica would not pass up this chance to entrap Potter in Quidditch talk. Stupid me, had I not gotten carried away with the silly step I would already be slurping my chili.

“Hey, you were right”, Pettigrew smiled widely at Milla. “She’s more fun after ten.” Milla gave him a warm smile back.

“You said you’d appreciate the joke, you even denied finding it hilarious”, Potter yelled. “And then you come through like that!” He pulled me into an unexpected hug.

“Very Cirque du Soleil”, commented Remus friendly nodding to the rest of my gang acknowledging their existence.

“Ah, I was going for Nutcracker of Swan Lake”, I sighed.

“Just as well”, Remus allowed and we both had to laugh at the confused faces of Potter, Black, Blair and Chloe who had never heard any of those terms.

“Seems we need to hand in a motion to update the mugglestudies curriculum”, Milla commented now grinning.

Nica completely ignored our little discussion of ballet and repeatedly kicked me against the bend of my knee.

“Ouch! Well, guys, do you actually know each other?”, I complied fairly awkwardly gesturing between the Gryffindor boys and Hufflepuff girls.

“I’m Nica!”, Nica extended her hand towards Potter as enthusiastically as humanly possible. I had to work hard not to burst into laughter and met Blacks eyes as I did so. He struggled, too. I raised a finger to my lips and he gave me quick nod, then we both straightened out.

“James”, Potter said, not the least bit surprised by Nica’s excitement and shook her hand elegantly.

“And that’s”, he continued, “Remus, Peter and Sirius.” He pointed at each one respectively. Hearing someone refer to them by their first names was odd. I mean, I knew they had them, but the student body had silently agreed to refer to them by their last names or “Potter and his lot”. I assumed it had to do with the fact that they were called to McGonnagal’s or Dumbledore’s office at least once a week, always by their last names. It just sounded more familiar.

I only started calling Remus Remus, after we met in the prefects’ cart the last September first and he introduced himself as Remus. Had we not seen each other regularly at the prefect meetings though, he would have still stayed Lupin forever.

Nica shook everybody’s hand and looked at me eyes open wide, chin pointing to Blair. I took the hint.

“Ehm, now then, James, Remus, Peter and Sirius meet Chloe, Blair and Milla.” I followed Potter’s example and pointed them out. What followed was a very weird and very formal shaking of hands and mumbled hello’s.

“Oh, wait, wow, your voice sounds so familiar.” Potter kept holding Blair’s hand, much to Nica’s disliking. But other than looking annoyed she remained calm.

“Have we talked before?”, Potter asked looking at her, clearly trying to place her face, but he couldn’t.

“I…no”, Blair wasn’t comfortable with his attention or his holding her hand still.

“But a lot of people say that I sound just like Marlene, so maybe that’s what got you?” She suggested and Potter’s face, as well as the other boys’ lit up again.

“A lot of people are absolutely right! You sound just like her. That is unbelievable. Didn’t think it was possible.” Black rambled sending all of us into heartfelt laughter.

“What?”, he then asked, eyes narrowed, focussing on each one of us.

“The only difference between your voice and Regulus’ is that you sound just a bit hoarse all the time!”, Chloe practically screamed and laughed again.

“That and your attempt to hide the posh accent”, I expanded her answer still giggling but his quite happy face had changed at that last comment to a somewhat brooding state.

“Sorry?”, I tried to get him back to his annoyingly loud natural state. I didn’t succeed exactly but he waved his hand dismissingly. I did not miss the look Remus and Potter exchanged at my comment and his gesture but I knew better than to say something. Clearly, none of my business.

Nica had just opened her mouth, when Blair cut her off:” Have you already been to lunch or are you still going?”, she looked at Pettigrew.

“Still going.”

“What are we waiting for, then? I’m starving!” Chloe grabbed Milla with one hand, Remus with the other and in doing so successfully moved all of us towards the hall.

We sat down at our respective tables without really talking – or entangling – which caused Nica to hit Blair and then Chloe over the head with her Charms workbook.

“What?”, they both said in the exact same tone, causing some other classmates to look over to us.

“Had you not could have waited five more minutes before dragging us here? I didn’t have chance to start my Quidditch plan!” You had to admire her determination and passion.

“Oh, I had completely forgotten that over Chloe…”, Blair blushed a little, shooting an apologetic look at Nica.

“I’m sure you’ll get another chance to set that plan in motion, Nic. If you just hang around Jette. I don’t think they’re gonna let that whole step-thing go any time soon.”

I blew out some air but didn’t say anything.

When I was getting up to maybe go take a nap before the afternoon classes, I noticed some waving at the table right next to ours. Both, Remus and Black tried to get my attention. Once they realised they had it Black pulled out a box of matches and Remus pointed at the door.

Why not? I thought to myself.

“Milla, you done yet?

“Hmhm” She gulped down her pumpkin juice in record time and stuffed the last two potatoes into her mouth, nearly choking in the process, but grabbed her giant scarf and bag nonetheless. I turned back to the still gesturing boys and nodded, rolling my eyes.

We met up with not only Remus and Black, but also Pettigrew and Potter at the head of our table and headed towards the foyer, when Nica grabbed my arm and forced herself between me and Milla. The both of us exchanged a very amused look, both telling the other that we had no idea her crush on Potter was this big.

We rushed to the passage way we had already been in the morning to escape the still misty rain and cold wind. It turned out that the entire Gryffindor gang smoked, something that was entirely new to me, but not at all surprising and absolutely not changing my view of the world. I smiled to my backpack as I put away my case.

Potter offered Nica a smoke and I could see her wrestling herself.

“Nica doesn’t smoke, she just likes the change of scenery to clear her head”, Milla said before I had even thought of something.

“But, thanks, anyway.” Nica smiled up at Potter who couldn’t help but smile back. Her smile always reached her small, almond shaped freakishly yellowish-green eyes, which turned her normally strict seeming face in the most friendly and inviting one you’ve ever seen. It’s infectious. Which is very annoying when you’re trying to be mad at her.

“Any particular reason you’ve nearly broken your arms to get us here?”, I asked, then lit the zippo and consequently Milla’s and my cigarettes.

“Can’t we just enjoy your lovely company?”, Black said, eyes darting to Nica and Potter, then back to me as he wiggled his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes again.

“Of course you can. Just seems unlikely”, I countered.

“Well, there are two particular reasons for us to just enjoy your company right now.” Remus inhaled way to much smoke and calmly blew it out before he went on talking. “First, I’d like to know when your last class of the day is.”

“Why?”, Nica said now wiggling her own eyebrows. Remus blushed ever so slightly.

“Because Jette and I are supposed to report to Madam Pince for detention immediately after class. I was thinking it’d be more fun if we would arrive and work together”, with that last sentence his eyes had found mine again.

“Right, that. More fun. Uhhhhmm. I think I’m done after potions.” Milla confirmed. “So, I’m off at around 15:00.”

“Same. Wanna meet here and mentally prepare before reporting?” I grinned at his choice of words but actually liked the idea of getting one more smoke in before we would organise books for Merlin-knew-how-long.

“And secondly”, Black beamed, “we thought you might like to know what Mulciber and his lot got, after Pince and Hagrid were taken.” His inquisitive eyes on me I nodded: “Of course, I wanna know.”

“They’re headed to the east wing dungeons for a week or”, Black lifted his hands indicating a quote “however long it takes to assist Mr Filch in his endeavour there.”

“There are dungeons in the east wing?”, Nica’s eyes crossed a little while she tried to remember ever having heard about that.

“Yep. It’s mainly storage and stuff like that. I think the archives might be there, too.” All three of us girls made approving noises to Remus’ answer.

“What’s Mr Filch’s endeavour, then?”, Milla wanted to know.

“He’s organising, tidying up, cleaning and throwing away. And Mulciber gets to help him. Without any kind of magic”, Pettigrew seemed to grow a good three inches as he talked. He either hated Mulciber as much as I did or he simply didn’t like tidying. Maybe both.

“How do you even know all that?”, I finally said.

“We ran into Reg this morning when you had your date with Remus and Sirius that no one invited us to”, Potter smirked. “Slytherin has been up in arms about it ever since last night.”

“Nice. At least they got the worst detention. Gotta take what you can get”, I commented, threw away the butt and looked up at the clock tower.

“Well, then, I see you”, I pointed at Remus, “between 15:00 and 15:10 here this afternoon for detention. I’m off.”

I turned on my heel, grabbed my bag from the ground and walked back towards the castle dreaming of my bed and the half hour that I could lay in it to gather all my strength for detention. I was quite certain that it would be bad. Pince didn’t like me.

♠♠♠

Armed with the biggest smile I possibly ever smiled I entered my dormitory at 15:50. Chloe looked up from her homework that she was doing at her desk in the middle of the room and distorted her pretty face while simultaneously running her quill through her hair, getting it stuck in one of her light brown blow-out curls. Instead of saying whatever she wanted to say to me she made a noise somewhere between annoyance and pain and I walked over to help her untangle the feather.

When we head succeeded she was massaging her scalp with a frown, positively inspecting me.

“Are you seriously ditching your detention?”

That biggest ever smile returned to my face. “No”, I beamed, “I’m already done.” Chloe checked her watch, then the clock on the wall, then looked back at me. “It hasn’t even been an hour” Her voice went up at the end of that statement.

“Still not ditching. Remus and I showed up at the library and Pince told us to put the returned books on her desk back into their shelves and sections. We did that. And then she said she didn’t need any other help today as she needed to let us do something tomorrow.” My smile turned to into a grin and finally Chloe got my point. “He is rather fair. And good at keeping up appearances. Reckon Potter, Pettigrew and the Blacks got a little more to do with Hagrid and from what I heard in potions Mulciber got actual detention with Filch.”

“Right, on paper we all got a week of detention but Remus and I will probably be spending it organising books for no longer than an hour a day, his friends might sit in the hut preparing food for some beast or another and Mulciber can die down in the dungeons going over school records from the last eight centuries.”

I threw myself on my bed in absolute bliss. This day had started mediocre at best and got better and better and better. I looked around the room.

“Where the hell is the rest? I didn’t see them in the common room.”

Chloe sighed. “Milla and Nica are at the pitch."

“Again? They were practicing yesterday, weren’t they?” She nodded.

“Our first game is in December. Sian could take it a little easier. Especially, with this weather.”

I looked out the window and realised I was very content not being on the quidditch team. The misty rain of this morning had turned into a steady downpour and the wind had also picked up the pace. It wasn’t storming out, but it was cold and windy and wet. Nobody would like to be out there. And yet at least seven of them were, trying to battle the storm and improve their quidditching.

“I think she just really wants to win the cup as Captain”, Chloe put her quill down and let her homework be homework.

“She was so close last year but got etched out by Gryffindor and next year she won’t be here anymore. The fanatic that she is, she couldn’t stand leaving unsuccessful as Captain.”

“Huh.” She was right. Sian Glassock had been a chaser on the Hufflepuff quidditch team ever since her second year and nobody expected anybody else to take over the title of Captain from Mitch, than her. She was obsessed enough to really motivate the rest but enough of a team player and decent person to not alienate the team.

I was pretty sure she wanted to go into potionmaking after school, being a winning Quidditch Captain in her last season wouldn’t do a whole lot for her in that, but Chloe had a point in saying that Sian probably couldn’t stand leaving her team without having made them proud and getting them to their best performance. She was such a maniac. But a friendly one.

“Blair isn’t watching, is she?”, I asked in horror as I noticed the bed to the far right was also empty and Blair’s jacket was nowhere to be seen. She couldn’t be stupid enough to sit in this weather.

“Nah, Marlene wanted something. I think they’re in the Great Hall. Or maybe upstairs in the prefect’s hallway.”

“Okay, good.” Talking to her sister was better than sitting outside to be cold. And it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the McKinnon girls had chosen the prefect’s hallway to talk in private. We all did that when we needed a space that nobody else would get into.

It seemed to be an unwritten rule among the prefects to just ignore the misuse of our offices or bathrooms. The hallway was just a short corridor with the famous prefect’s bathroom, a storage room, archive, two offices with eight desks each and a fairly cosy conference room.

Every single one of the 16 prefects and all eight head students had access to each of the rooms. So. Theoretically the hallway was nearly as busy as a common room but when someone opened the door and found a group or a pair of people hanging out, they’d just close it again and acted as if nothing happened. Sometimes whoever was in the room would just charm it to either not open without permission or to show a hologram of an empty room, so that one could do exactly what one wanted to do.

We had been hanging out there a lot after Crick had made prefect. I remembered having had long nights on the conference room’s fluffy, soft couches with all of Crick’s and my dorm…

“The prefect’s conference room!”, I yelled. Chloe gave me a disapproving look because of the volume, then a confused one because of what I had said.

“For instance. Why’s that exciting you?”

“Not Blair. You! And Mag! That’s where you snuck off to, right? Crick gave Magnus the keys. How did I not see that!!?” It was hard to tell but I was pretty sure that Chloe blushed. I was right.

“Let’s see what they’re up to in the common room!”, she avoided actually answering and dragged me to the stairs.

We had barely stepped into the round domed room when Felix waved me over. “Mum wrote”, he said when I had fallen onto the golden-yellow lounge chair at his table. I instantly got a bad conscience. I hadn’t written home once in the two months we had been back at school. I loved receiving letters but I was rubbish at writing them. And with the extra prefect-duties I had this year, my time was too valuable to tell my parents that I had little time to write to them.

“She’s going shopping in London with Gran next week and wants to know if we need anything”, Felix went on. “Send her your measurements and a list.” He looked me up and down. “Or give them both to me and I’ll send them.”

I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, leaving a dark brown lipstick mark on it. “You’re the best! But I don’t think I need anything.” He rubbed his cheek in disgust but he smiled.

“Course I am. Just think about it. I’ll write back Sunday.”

“Do you have a dress for Slughorn’s Christmas Party?”, Chloe asked.

“He hasn’t even announced it yet”, I laughed back.

“Yeah, but you’re gonna be invited, right? You were last year and now that you’re also a prefect you are basically destined to do great things in life and he needs you to remember him once you’ve done them.” I threw the black cushion from my chair at her.

“There haven’t been any of his dinners yet. Maybe he’s grown tired of that weird club…” Slughorn’s dinners were usually a strange affair. Milla, Blair and I had been invited for the first time last year and found it all very awkward. It was just a group of different students from all houses and years answering questions about their families and plans for life. Granted, the food was excellent and last year’s Christmas party was good fun but those dinners were not for me. I had managed to only go to two out of the four that had happened last year, by pretending Felix was homesick and needed me.

This year I wouldn’t get to use that excuse, he had already told me he didn’t mind it last year but he also didn’t want his friends to think that he was a wuzz. He had turned thirteen last June and started exhibiting teenage-tendencies when it came to other people’s opinions.

“I don’t think that he’ll ever grow tired of that club. Besides, I quite liked the party last year. Hope he invites Mag again this year.” Chloe wasn’t a member of the stupid club but Magnus was. Promising herbology prodigy, according to my potions master. She got the best of both world’s by dating Mag. Didn’t have to go to the dinners but got to enjoy the lavish Christmas festivities he put on.

“True… But if you go with Mag and I invite Nica we could also all beg our parents for the money and use one of the December Hogsmeade weekends for a dress shopping session.” Chloe swayed her head from left to right with a distant smile on her face.

“That would be nice, too.”

We hung out with Felix and his third year friends, mainly gossiping about the teachers until the Quidditch team entered the common room, drenched, sneezing and unhappy. Sian looked pretty happy with herself but her bad conscience was very visible. She ushered her team to their respective dorms and ordered them to take good, long, warm showers. Nobody protested.

“Bet you a galleon that Nica is cursing like a sailor and that Joe will be out cold for three days”, Chloe chuckled, before Magnus came by, kissed her and splattered some water of us before heading to his shower.

“Charming”, Felix commented as he wiped his face dry.

#marauders textpost #marauders era #marauders fanfiction #harry potter #james potter #sirius black #remus lupin #peter pettigrew #lily evans

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nicalaadventurera · 7 years ago

Text

Salut! Finally writing down the last leg of my USA Trip. So sorry for dragging this series for too long. I have been busy at school trying to balance the surplus of assignments and projects before deadline. On my previous blog, we talked about our trip to Pensacola, Florida and to the US Space Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Today, I’m writing about our trip around Birmingham and to the Six Flags over Georgia then back to NYC and back to Manila.

*Note: I’ll be posting the website links of the establishments I’ll be writing about here at the end of the blog*

We started off for that day quite late as we were quite dead tired from our past day’s adventure. We decided to go somewhere near and off we went to the Birmingham Zoo. It was a bit of a long drive going to the zoo and the best part? We passed by the “fancy” houses of Mountain Brookside.

We saw all sorts of mansions and castle-like, monastery-esque style houses. My eyes had a total feast and all that I could utter were “ooh”, “wow”, “ahhs”. 😲😮

We finally reached the zoo at the end of the road and nearby was the Botanical Garden. We were suppose to go there as well, but time had constrained us and so we had to pick only one. We chose the zoo.

The zoo was huge and had a lot of divisions, there were even constructions on the way for adding up Asian species. They had far more animals that I have never seen on our local zoo which made me really excited to see them in real life.

Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest… 🎶🎶 #USA #LesVoyagesdeNica #Alabama

A post shared by Nica Gerona (@nicagerona) on May 29, 2017 at 10:12am PDT

They also have a quite interactive zoo which was really good for kids and adults alike to further understand this beautiful creatures.

Beautiful #Alabama #LesVoyagesdeNica #USA

A post shared by Nica Gerona (@nicagerona) on May 29, 2017 at 10:22am PDT

We enjoyed every bit of scenery and learning about the animals too. We had pizza for lunch on their pavilion and although it shutted up my growling tummy, I was still looking for rice. Haha.

Hello there! #USA #LesVoyagesdeNica #Alabama

A post shared by Nica Gerona (@nicagerona) on May 29, 2017 at 10:43am PDT

Flamingos #Alabama #LesVoyagesdeNica #USA

A post shared by Nica Gerona (@nicagerona) on May 29, 2017 at 12:10pm PDT

After the lunch, we went to the primates section then the aviary followed by Alabama’s local species. My favorite part so far were the flamingos and the lorikeets. They are such beautiful colorful creatures that are definitely an eye candy.

Find someone who will stare at you like the way I stare at this Lorikeet. #USA #LesVoyagesdeNica #Alabama

A post shared by Nica Gerona (@nicagerona) on May 29, 2017 at 12:33pm PDT

Interesting!

On the Alabama wilds section, we almost missed out the bear that looked so cuddly and yet deadly. They also featured old Southern houses that looks so quaint and homey.

Old Southern Houses #Alabama #LesVoyagesdeNica #USA

A post shared by Nica Gerona (@nicagerona) on May 29, 2017 at 1:37pm PDT

The last part of the section were the barn animals and you can pet them too. Though I was a bit hesitant, I just enjoyed taking pictures and gazing at them. Haha.

After the zoo experience, we then visited my Uncle’s dad, Mr. Doug Phillips and even met Matt (my Uncle’s older brother) along the way. We had a great time chatting and ended it around past 6pm, passing by Ate Chariz (another Pinay who gave us biko, a Filipino rice cake delicacy) and went home dead tired. We had to rest early as our last adventure on will be on the Six Flags!

I have heard of Six Flags from my aunt before and I have been wanting to try out their death-defying roller coaster rides. I always love to give myself a mini heart attack during this rides. Sometimes I make poor life choices. Haha. We left a bit earlier than our usual and the as you can see the clouds looked ominous so we were really praying that we get to enjoy Six Flags before it pours.

Last hurrah! #USA #LesVoyagesdeNica #Georgia

A post shared by Nica Gerona (@nicagerona) on May 30, 2017 at 12:13pm PDT

The theme park was really huge and you need to plan out your rides to maximize the park. We, the adults decided to go the high rides instead while the kids take on the kiddie rides. Our first ride really made my innards jump. I was really short that the crew had to push me down to touch the flooring of the ride. Haha!

Some rides made me almost flew out of my seat and I had to hug on the bars for the love of my life! I also literally saw my saliva go up and down before dropping on my knees which made me laugh and drool more. Yeah, I was classy like that.

However, some rides made me nauseous too. Like this Batman ride that had a lot of loops. We had to stop for a while to rest and continue for the Goliath and Dare Devil. By this time, it was drizzling a bit and some rides were having technical difficulties, but thrill of riding exceeds my safety fears. Haha.

Would you dare? #Georgia #LesVoyagesdeNica #USA

A post shared by Nica Gerona (@nicagerona) on May 30, 2017 at 12:15pm PDT

Facing the giant. #USA #LesVoyagesdeNica #Georgia

A post shared by Nica Gerona (@nicagerona) on May 30, 2017 at 4:54pm PDT

Thank goodness, my Uncle and Auntie were adventure-seekers like me and my brother. We rode the Goliath thrice and had a super great time together while the elders sat and rest. Sarreh mom and dad.

It then started pouring and we decided to ride the train and see more of the theme park while being sheltered from the rain. We went down on the first stop to roam around and look for kiddie rides for my younger cousins. Sadly, there were only a few rides open since it was raining. But we found one where we all enjoy and even had a contest of the getting the highest score. It was a great bonding experience.

Eventually the park had to close due to the rain and as we were on our way out, we saw the Georgia Cyclone, which was a wooden rollercoaster who was still running. We rode it three times and had the best time. It was juggle of a ride, it was bumpy and scary fun. I think I hurt my shoulder so bad from hitting but it was worth it.

Although we only rode a few of the rides because of the rainy weather, the good part was the short lines. I still can’t complain cause I get to ride Goliath, the Dare Devil, and the Georgia Cyclone who was put down by July 30. Huhu. I at least I get to try it thrice. 😦 We ended our Georgia adventure and ate at Arby’s and I enjoyed their burger/sandwiches a lot too.

We went home late and started packing our stuff. It was kinda sad to pack your stuff and know that it’ll take time before I get to see my cousins and Aunt and Uncle again. But we just chatted the night away and slept for the big trip tomorrow.

That morning was a silent one, we were trying to not be emotional and did some last minute packing too. Mims (my Uncle’s mom) came over and helped us. She even sent us chocolates and jerkies to snack on the train back to NYC. By the time we were leaving, my cousin Raicelle got really sick and so she had to be left at home. We just gave her a kiss on her forehead and big squeezy hugs and few words of wisdom before we left.

We laughed on the car ride as we didn’t want to be emotional. We checked in our baggages but somehow the Amtrak in Birmingham wasn’t too strict with the 50lbs rule per bag. It was a small station so we had to wait on the hallway and the train got delayed for hours. We were a bit worried cause we have a flight to catch and time zones to compute whether we’ll make it to the flight.

We were all praying that we won’t miss the flight. Honestly, we ate almost all of the snacks that Mims gave us at the lobby area of the station. Haha. When the train arrived, everybody was a bit cranky due to the delay but we were more of emotional than irritated.

Goodbyes are one of the most painful things in this world. But, the hope of seeing each other soon gives us the antidote to the pain of leaving someone we love behind. Goodbye #Alabama and thank you to the Phillips Family for their love and warm hospitality. To Pops for fetching us on the train station and allowing us to enjoy the use of his house at Gulf Shores. To Mims and Aunt Kathy for the yummy meal we ate as soon as we arrived and the snacks to take home. To my Uncle Tep and Aunt Cecille for being our tour guides and warmly accepting us into your home, for all the experiences we shared. To Raicelle, Tate and Tahlia for giving us the joy of playing and hanging out with them. To all the Phillips family, for the kind words and welcome. We hope to meet more and all of you on our next visit. Till we see each other again! #USA #LesVoyagesdeNica

A post shared by Nica Gerona (@nicagerona) on May 31, 2017 at 4:00pm PDT

When the train finally arrived, we were all crying. I was bawling and so was my uncle and what made my heart break was to see my aunt and little Tate cry. Typing this now even makes me cry. We truly enjoyed our bonding with them and saying goodbyes are too painful. It really pains me to hear Tate say “I don’t want you guys to go.” So instead of goodbyes we instead said, “See you all soon”.

We had puffy red eyes as we board the train and slept most of the train ride. The train crew gave out free complimentary drinks and snacks which I think is because of the four hour delay. They also opened the cafeteria and had free unlimited coffee (we had to pay $3 during our first ride). We just give the server a tip as a way of saying thank you for the service, though the meals and pastries are still paid for.

By the time we reached New Jersey, we got delayed again for some problems by an hour or so. The air conditioner even shut down and it was really hot in the train. I was in pain that day too as the “flow” came in with a good timing and worried about our flight. We reached NYC and had to wait an hour before our baggages were released from the baggage section. My dad and I were computing the number of hours left for our flight plus the fact that we need to ride the subway going to the Airtrain.

It was a true amazing race in any sense. We were even debating which train to ride whether we had to go uptown and downtown. Thankfully, I found the signboard and we all boarded the train. I told my dad to look for people with baggages and follow them as for sure they were going to the airport as well.

We thought we’d be able to settle calmly on the train and guess what? The train operator suddenly announced that there were some changes on the route and some stations that we’d only pass by. The “good” part was that he removed the screen signs and instructed us to listen to his announcements. The “best” part was that I couldn’t understand a word he says. I could only pick on few words but most were gibberish. I could literally feel panic creeping in.

I am just so thankful for the man who sat beside us and noticed that we really confused and told us when to go down and what the operator said. Which was a big relief for all of us, I mean I understand English and can speak English well, but with differences in accent, I find myself confused. Nevertheless, we reached JFK airport just in time for the check in and finally settled down. We changed clothes because, hygiene and had a small meal with whatever snack we had left.

It was the year of 2000 when my dad resigned from his work at the airlines. The first thing I said to my mom was "How are we going to the States now?" Fast forward to 2017, that little girl's dream to visit America came true and went even beyond that she could imagine. This was the longest 19 days of my life that was filled to the brim with fun and goodness. I am most thankful to the Lord for all the blessings and surprises He has in stored for me and my family through out the entire trip. #LesVoyagesdeNica has come to an end for now, but as always, till our next adventure! #USA #NewYork

A post shared by Nica Gerona (@nicagerona) on Jun 2, 2017 at 3:10pm PDT

The flight home was more relaxing since we all sat together and thank goodness for China Airlines’ yummy meals which filled us up till our flight back home.

Overall, the US trip was an exhausting, sleep-depriving, body clock wrecking, adventure-filled memory of a lifetime. I am hoping and praying that we will go back and see more of the United States. But for now, my blog series ends here. I do hope you guys enjoy our trip and see you all soon for the next #LesVoyagesdeNica!

Check out the links provided below: The Birmingham Zoo Six Flags over Georgia Arby’s Amtrak

Merci beaucoup et á bientôt!

Blogged: USA Trip (Day 16-19) Salut! Finally writing down the last leg of my USA Trip. So sorry for dragging this series for too long.

#Alabama #Amtrak #Arby&039;s #Birmingham Zoo #Dare Devil #Georgia #Georgia Cyclone #Goliath #Les Voyages de Nica #New York #Six Flags #USA

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candy-corps · 7 years ago

Text

Down Where It’s Wetter

Minion belongs to dark-blue-mondays

Minion hadn’t really known what to expect when he arrived at the beach at dawn. Yes, Nica had agreed to the swim, but it had been so long since he’d swam with another fish. Unless you counted the ones he hunted in his tank…. But there she was, nervously swimming in circles in the shallows waiting for him. His face lit up with a toothy grin.

He’d left the suit on the beach and enthusiastically jumped into the lake. It too a minute to get used to real lake water in his gills instead of the filtered stuff. He didn’t have tastebuds or a nose but the sense of real complex flavorful water across his gills was like a human taking a deep breath of fresh mountain air. Immediately he had the urge to chase Nica, to nibble on her scales. But he was a polite fish above all, and so he simply swam lazily to where she waited.

She looked nervous and said something about the beach being dirty, but he assured her that he was fine. And he followed her out into deeper waters, curious to see where his prospective mate spent her time.

“And this is the … boulder” Nica explained, pointing at a random rock as she showed him around. “I use it for navigation” she went straight ahead, swimming to it and turning around. “Like - … Like - here is the … - Um, Azlariel’s place. He will not eat you“ she assured him right away, her fin moving up and then down in a calming motion. “And there’s my … “ Well … Home.

Minion swam behind her, careful to let her lead the way in the expanse of open water. It felt good to swim like this, away from tank walls and

“It is a lovely nest Miss Nica,” Minion said earnestly. “Well protected under the boat. I bet it keeps away predators” He looked up and saw the chandelier hanging from the bottom of the boat and flashed a toothy smile. He’d already seen the fish table in her heap of treasure and he assumed the diamond encrusted coin was nearby. It made him feel good that she had accepted his gifts. All morning he had been wanting to chase her through the water, perhaps nip a few of her flaking scales from her back….. but he was trying not to be too forward.

“Ahem, are there good hunting grounds nearby?” he asked, trying to cover his lustful thoughts.

Lovely. Oh thank, thank goodness. Nica sank in a pile of coins nearby, too relieved to stay upright.

“It’s open sea, silly - everything is hunting grounds. Well maybe not from that point … till over there” she admit, her eyes moving to one end of the pile to the other. She hated dead bits on her coins. “The rest’s off.”

Minion swam up and started doing lazy loop-de-loop circles in the water. He was showing off a little, but he thought it was better than just staring at her. “Well we could hunt anywhere, but I bet you know where all the best schools are,” Minion said, trying once more to flatter her.

She did know, Nica thought, glowing brighter. He was trusting her judgement. And swimming not bad for a landlubber fish -

“Weeeell … “ she admit, lifting off the ground again. They could try at a place she had in mind.

This turned out so much different from how she’d thought of. Minion wasn’t overly disappointed at her - at least he didn’t look like it … and it was so nice to swim with someone talkative. Sure there was Azlariel, but with him she was the one to do most talking, too.

“We could try over there” she guessed, again taking the lead and swimming away.

Minion swam excitedly after her. Soon they found a large school of perch and the pair occupied most of the rest of the hour hunting both alone and as a pair. He even got that chance to nip her a few times, though mostly under the guise of lunging for a fish that scampered away at just the right moment.

He couldn’t help but marvel at her. Clearly she spent much more time out in the wild than he did. Most of the fish he hunted lived in his relatively small tank so it took him a while to adjust to hunting in open water where he couldn’t corner them into a glass tank wall. But she was magnificent, her sharp teeth flashing as she bit and raced with savage grace. Soon his belly was fully and he was watching her chase down her last bites with half-lidded lovesick eyes.

So that was enough, huh? At least she was full. Nica grinned wide, very happy with their combo attack. They were being like sharks! Just … slower … and more chubby, too. “Better than the fishflakes home?” she couldn’t help but tease him, knowing well that both knew better. Minion could have any fish he wanted … when he wanted. Nica swam down to him and turned once around, her mood a little lighter. Hunting always cheered her up.

And made Minion … sleepy? She blinked once in slight confusion, his eyelids pretty low.

“Absolutely!” Minion replied, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. He was just having such a wonderful time and she was such a wonderful fish. They made a wonderful hunting pair. Just wonderful.

“Miss Nica?” he asked, high off the fish equivalent of endorphins, “Could I… I mean… if it’s not to forward…. I would like to make you a nest. In the sand.” And he started swimming in circles, forming the intricate layers and lines in the sand. It was a formal gesture; he didn’t actually expect her to lay eggs in it right then and now. But his instincts were driving him to show her that he would be a good mate that would make a suitable place for their young.

He what - ! Like … Was he really sure that was the time? Nica swam after Minion, panicking a little while he was drawing patterns in the sand. Oooooooh. What to say.

Did she feel flattered? Yes. Did she feel stressed? Maybe. Was she ready for any of that …

Probably not.

The pink fish sank down and watched from a sand dune while Minion was working. He was so enthusiastic that she didn’t have the heart to tell him to stop, though it was most certainly wrong of her not to. Where was the line here?

Minion took his time, making a careful and quite good-looking nest. When he was done he swam over to Nica, the pride apparent on his face. He was silent but his expression was eager to know what she thought.

Nica had looked carefully, smirking a bit as she saw the patterns emerge. Pretty. Not sparkly, but …

“Is anything you do not fantastic?” she had to wonder, swimming up to him to see the structure better from above. “Wow.”

Minion fluttered his fins bashfully. “I…. I don’t do everything fantastic,” he says humbly. “You should see me try to do our 10Q filings with the SEC….” He makes a face. He likes to help with keeping all the financials for Megamind Inc neat and tidy, but he’s not a fan of dealing with government bureaucracy. “Anyway, I’m glad you like it,” he adds sheepishly, unsure what to say next.

Well she didn’t even know what it was, and so it hardly counted. “I like it” she affirmed. Wasn’t that an equivalent of getting flowers - she could look at it and get to bite every creature that got close enough to harm it. Yeah …

Nica swam further towards it, keeping the height, and turned to face Minion. ”And I think you’re pretty great.” Her esca flared up, but then dimmed right after. She had to think about how disappointed he’d be in her when he’d know at what she was all bad at.

The tips of Minion’s bothra began to glow in soft warm pulses and he fluttered his fins with dizzy excitement. “T-thank you Miss Nica,” he sputtered. “I think you’re pretty great too. You’re an excellent hunter,” he added. “Much better than me.”

“ … That may be true” she admit after a while, keeping her body askance as she still peeked to the side. Her own body glowed brighter, but she still wasn’t convinced.

Because at the end of the day, wasn’t Minion a worse hunter because he spend so much time taking care of his companion. She did not. She wasn’t hip enough to be with Bruce because she wasn’t half seagull or something. Nica began to swim off, her fins moving slowly.

Minion’s heart sank when she started to swim away, but he mustered up his courage and quickly swam to catch up with her. She was glowing so he was pretty sure she wasn’t mad. “You have lovely scales Miss Nica,” Minion blurted out, unsure what else to say. And Harrison had told him that flattery was the key to wooing mammalian women….

Yes, that too, Nica thought, swimming askance again and then turning around herself one time - still swimming. Now that Minion followed though she raised the tempo She didn’t mean to swim away at all - just swim. She actually did a circle around the nest Minion’s been making.

“You and Harrison are real gret pals, eh” she wondered, peeking back at him.

Minion relaxed considerably when he realized she was just circling the nest, not trying to get away from him. “Oh yes, Harrison and I are bonded. We’re family,” he says proudly as he catches up.

“We came to this planet together and someone has to look after him. Sometimes he tries to survive on nothing but donuts and alcohol and he’s not very good with the financial details of the company. I make sure everything runs in ship shop shape,” he boasts, doing loop de loops to show off as he swims alongside her. “Have you found family here on this planet Miss Nica?”

“Well … ” First of all it always let her loose her trail of thought when he was calling her ‘Miss’ Nica. But it made her feel like a lady, which she liked, admittedly.

“There’s Azlariel… and Bruce .. Makkazzar … and Pandora” she listed. All the people close to her she really cared about. Next to the puppies, of course.

“Makkazzar is teaching my Harrison Sir self-defense,” Minion said proudly, now swimming around her in excited circles. He loves talking about the people he loves and assumes she will want to do the same. “My Sir says he might dress like he’s still a hobo, but he has a good heart. I don’t know the others however. Is Bruce a bat? I believe Wayne Sir once mentioned a Bruce that was a bat….”

“Eh - Uh, yeah of … sorts! We call him, uh … super bat” she remembered, chuckling. He liked that. It was just hard now to keep looking at Minion when he swam around her, but it didn’t stop Nica to try and swim against the swirl Minion was creating.

“You know, because …. there’s micro bats. And mega bats and … Well it fit” she finished, just talking when she could see him.

Minion couldn’t help but grin. Nica seemed to want to look at him and he figured that was a good sign. His fins fluttered with excitement. “Of course!” he says, eager to agree with her. “Family is very important. I have my Sir – Harrison – and his mate Wayne Sir and their spawn once he’s born.” There is no mistaking the pride in his voice. “And the cats, Helen and Bella. Have you ever met a cat Miss Nica?”

“Ehhh sure” she replied. She didn’t, like, land on Earth just yesterday. “The captain - eh, Makkazzar - he has a nice one. Maurice.” Yeah, this was the one cat she got along with. All else would get eaten for looking at her for a second too long.

It was kinda strange, swimming like that and facing another - she’s never met a fish in the wild who’d done for so long. She floated closer to him and pulled her right fin flat to her side - the one closer towards him.

Minion was also relishing the experience of swimming alongside another fish. He’d swum among other fish of course, but none with which he could have a conversation. “I’m not entirely fond of them myself,” Minion confessed, “but one of the cats, Bella, is some kind of magical cat. And she’s considerably more intelligent. She never looks at me as though I might be fun to bat out of a bowl.”

His little ichthyoid heart began to race as she came closer, almost as though she wanted to touch. He tucked his corresponding fin against his own body and let their sides bump. His sharp-toothed grin grew even wider. “H-how are you enjoying your swim?” he asked nervously, hoping she was having as much fun as him.

Was she enjoying it? It was safe to say that coming here was his best present he got her. Nica passed with what little impulse she got and a swam in a circle back around to meet Minion.

“Is great” she replied, just as if her smile and glow wasn’t telling him that yet.

“Oh,” Minion replied bashfully, suddenly unsure of what to say. “Well, we, uhhh, we can do this again sometime. Not just swimming but I could show you some places around the city…” he babbled, fidgeting his fins. Things were going so well and he had no idea what to do without Harrison to advise him.

“We could do that” Nica affirmed, swimming around Minion for once. “Though … it’s kinda nice to swim along.” When they were ashore, they’d be in their own suits again. Which yes, made her feel safe, but also detached … somehow.

“Well, um, actually, I was thinking we could go see a movie?” Minion asked, fins fluttering nervously. “There’s one coming out soon about a fish you see, Finding Dori. It’s actually a sequel to Finding Nemo which is about another fish and it always makes me blubber like a guppy. So…. perhaps you could accompany me to see it?”

Nica laughed. “Yeah, I‘d wanna see that.” More Minion crying than the movie, really, but that too may be nice. “I don’t think I saw it.” Naaah … didn’t ring a bell. She leaned to her side as she kept thinking about it. But … no.

“P-perhaps you could come over and we could have a movie night?” Minion asked shyly. Harrison and Wayne often watched movies together as part of their mammalian mate bonding. “We could watch it up in my Sirs penthouse or you could visit my tank. I have all sorts of waterproof screens in the water,” he says with a certain amount of pride. “I usually use them for work not movies but then we could swim together. And I have some delightful dried prawns that make excellent movie snacks.”

Free food. How could she say no. And why should she, really.

“Uuuuuuuuum okay. Should I bring something? I tried to do a movie night with Azlariel before. He didn’t like Pandoras human food too much but it was fun. And traumatizing.” They were watching some shark movie. The sharks didn’t win.

Minion quickly swims in front of her, facing her and blocking her from swimming forward. “I promise it won’t be traumatic Miss Nica,” he says solemnly. “And you can bring whatever you’d like.”

#Nica RP #Nica and Harrison's Minion RP

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