#One is based loosely off of skype but the big one in the middle is inspired off of an old website I frequented a LOT as a kid

[chocolatewoosh]

Drew the first picture of Astro, and then immediately got the idea to draw the second meme gjkglsndLKJDFSD

[takadasaiko]

One Hundred and Eighty Days (a Veronica Mars one shot)

FFN II AO3

Summary: Logan returns from his six month tour in the Persian Gulf. Part of my Spanning Years. Continents. series.

One Hundred and Eighty Days

Six months.

One hundred and eighty days.

It had seemed doable, especially following the nine years of silence that had spread between them after she'd left for Stanford. It wasn't like Veronica didn't have plenty to focus on with her father's recovery and getting back into the swing of the PI business. It helped to have her friends by her side rather than across the country, and the ability to - at least on occasion - Skype with Logan while he was away. She never would have anticipated that one hundred and eighty days could feel so fucking long.

She hadn't been sure she could meet his ship as it came into port. Forty-eight hours before she was knee-deep in a new case and twenty-four hours before she was neck-deep into it. Logan had told her not to worry about it. She'd be there or she wouldn't, but he wouldn't hold it against her if the case wouldn't give her a chance to get away. He knew how hard she was working. That carefully cool voice of his over their last Skype call rang in her mind and drove her crazy. So crazy that three hours before he was due in - up to her eyeballs in the case - both her father and Mac had demanded that she drive down to San Diego. He'd left his car with her anyway, right? Right. She should go pick him up.

Veronica made record time down to the Naval base where he would be docking and was shuffled through each checkpoint. Every time she expected to hit a snag, her name appeared on all the right lists. Logan may have said that it wasn't a big deal if she couldn't make it, but he'd clearly made sure she had a straight path in if she chose to show.

The docks were busy with husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends. New mothers pointed at the ship to their babies like they had any clue that that's where their dads had been for the entirety of their short lives. Veronica weaved in and out of the crowd, watching and listening and observing. Conversations about how long they'd been gone, about information sent home, about plans once they disembarked. Everybody was excited, which left Veronica - as she often was - the odd one out. She should be excited, she knew, but really she was just left with a tremendous amount of anxiety.

It wasn't that she wasn't excited to see Logan again, but she was equal parts terrified. As long as he was gone they were both looking forward to his homecoming. It gave them a goal, a north star to focus on. Now that his ship was docked and it looked like they'd start letting the officers off soon, Veronica couldn't push down the overwhelming fear that they'd fall back into old patterns. Chaos came to their door, they gave into the magnetic pull that felt so right in the moment, but it inevitably turned bitter as one or both of them did something to spoil it. There'd been so much pain in their past that sometimes she wondered if either of them were capable of healthy relationships. Logan, at least, seemed to be trying in a lot of ways, but it was easy in the short sprint of time that was her arrival back in Neptune to help him choose a lawyer and him shipping out. Now that they were both going to be in the same town, she knew it could make or break them, and after everything she wasn't sure she could take another break.

This was where she usually ran. Distanced herself and fled for the hills.

But here she was. Waiting for him.

She hoped it wasn't going to crush her.

Cheers sounded from the crowd and Veronica looked to where sailors were disembarking in their snazzy white uniforms. She waited and watched from her place where she could actually see - at least at a distance - who was leaving the ship, and finally spotted a familiar figure. Her heart leapt in her chest and her feet were moving before she gave them permission to. "Excuse me. Yeah. Sorry." She pushed her way through the crowd in the general trajectory of where she'd seen Logan making his way down and finally broke through the other side to find no familiar faces.

She'd missed him. He must have already gone…. wherever they went when they got home.

"Veronica?"

Veronica turned, recognizing the voice instantly above the rumble of the rest. Logan stood with the same bag he'd had slung over his shoulder the day he'd left, his hat perched on his head, and his thin lips slowly stretching out into a smile. "You made it."

She echoed his smile and then some as she launched forward and heard the sound of his laugh - full, not the amused chuckle she so often got over Skype - in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her. Her legs went around his middle and she felt him spin her around, kissing the side of her head because it was the only part of her he could reach.

He shifted her just a little so that she could lean into a real kiss, her lips melting against his and she felt him set her down carefully, deeping it. His hands rested on either side of her face and one of hers reached around to the back of his neck. He wasn't getting away until she let him, and that wasn't going to be anytime soon.

"Echolls, that her?" someone shouted off to the side and Logan reluctantly broke the kiss. He was still grinning and the other man that was wearing the same wings on his uniform that Logan sported gave him a mock salute and a wink, even as a woman slugged him in the shoulder, laughing.

Logan turned his attention back to her. "You got some time?"

"For you, I can make it," she answered.

Somehow his grin grew and he pecked a kiss to the tip of her nose. "Let's get home."

                                                   ---------

Home was a relative term. Logan had been living out of a small, studio-styled guesthouse off of Dick's main house on the beach before he'd shipped out. While Dick had another high school buddy - was there any other kind for Dick Casablancas? - moving in soon, he wasn't there yet and Logan still had run of it for at least his first few days back. If he needed to find a new place was a problem for another day. That night, he was home, Veronica was going to take full advantage of the fact that they had privacy there that they never would have gotten at her father's place. She really hoped one of those apartments she'd been looking at came available soon. This was going to be problematic if they had no place to go other than her dad's place.

Logan's kisses were as desperate as her own as he carried her into the little apartment, his bag forgotten in the car parked outside and she was already tugging his uniform off. It was a blur of motion as they moved towards the bed that she hoped had been made up since the last time she'd been in it. They fell back and Veronica reveled in the fact that he was there with her and that he wouldn't have to leave first thing in the morning.

Some time later she was still reminding herself of that fact as they both lay back, pillows thrown from their place and neither of them wearing anything that they had been before. They were wrapped up in the sheets and she was curled up against him. She ran a bare foot up his leg and his fingers sent chills up her spine as they moved up her back, his touch light and delicate like he was savouring it.

This wasn't their first time back together after nine years apart, but it was the first time where they didn't have something looming over them. If it wasn't a false murder charge and her father in the hospital, it had been his orders to ship out as soon as everything was cleared. Now, back on shore-duty, they had some time. Time that left them lounging in bed, her hands traveling over exposed skin, and Veronica couldn't ignore the scars that she knew hadn't been there years before.

Logan caught her hand as it lingered against one just below his ribs, maybe two inches long, and pulled her fingers up to press a gentle kiss to them. He didn't say anything, but she caught his gaze and held it. "Am I allowed to ask?"

A rough chuckle left him. "You're Veronica Mars. I didn't realize you needed permission to ask anything."

Her fingers curled around his and she pressed herself up on her elbow so that she was looking down at him. His expression was soft. He wasn't going to volunteer anything, but he also wasn't telling her not to ask. He was just waiting on her.

"Where'd you get the scar, Logan?"

He pushed a long breath out from his nose. "About four years ago we were flying over… an undisclosed location -" he offered her an apologetic smile and she nodded the small acceptance - "and we came under fire. Shit happened, we had a hard landing, I took some shrapnel."

"Holy shit," she breathed, her fingers moving back to the scar that stood out against his skin.

"Yeah, wasn't fun, but I bounced back."

"Wallace always said you had nine lives."

His lips tugged outward at that. "I should probably check in on how many I have left."

"What…. happens?" she asked carefully, not sure exactly how she should phrase the question. "When you're on deployment and you get hurt, I mean."

He leaned back a little deeper into his pillow, loosing another breath. He wasn't comfortable with talking about this, that much was clear, but if she were to make a bet on it he wasn't used to it. Logan had never been one to volunteer certain things about his life. If people didn't push, he wouldn't say anything. She'd always been one to push. No stopping it now. If they were going in on this, they were going all in.

"When you enlist you have to give them a next of kin. I mean, technically, mine is Trina, I guess? Hell if I was gonna list her though."

Veronica snorted softly, her fingers moving across his torso to lightly scrap his ribs. She felt him tense at that, but certainly not in a bad way. "So who'd you list?"

Logan grimaced at the question. "Dick."

"Casablancas?" she choked out.

He shrugged. "Listen, I know Dick's an… acquired taste, sometimes, but he's loyal. More loyal than most of the people in my life." He sighed and Veronica felt him tighten his hold on her just a little. "People around me leave in one way or the other. Lilly died, my mom died, Duncan left… I'm not blaming anybody, just…. the way it is. Dick can be an asshole, but if I ever need him he's there."

She lay there for a long moment, her fingers still tracing up and down his side and she let his words soak in. If he had died overseas in these last six months - hell, if he'd been injured - she would have been at the mercy of Dick Casablancas to get her the news. Loyal he might be - at least to Logan - but that wasn't acceptable. Not in the longterm, and she wanted this to be longterm.

"Can you change it?"

"Change what?"

"The person who… I don't know. Gets that call?" Again, she felt like she was floundering for the right terminology. As she'd filtered through the crowd on the docks earlier that day it'd felt like people had been speaking a different language. She hadn't known what the acronyms meant or how to decipher what was being said. It was fine. It had all been in passing. But it wasn't, not really. Not if she was honest about wanting Logan in her life.

"Sure," he answered. "I'd just have to update my file."

"Then do it."

He huffed a small laugh. "Do what?"

"Change it. To me."

He tensed at that, catching her gaze. "Veronica….You'd be listed as my next of kin," he said slowly, as if somehow he thought she didn't understand that.

"I know."

"And you're good with that?"

"Are you?"

His lips twitched upward. "I am, but you..." He sighed. "What if the call comes in the middle of a case? What if you should have your focus on something else and you -"

Veronica leaned down, cutting the words off with a kiss. She felt his hands travel up her sides and pull her deeper into it. "I want you," she breathed out, her lips still dangerously close to his. "And I want you to know when you're out there that you have me to face if you let them hurt you."

Logan chuckled at that, leaning up to steal another kiss. "I love you. I never stopped."

"Me neither," she admitted softly. "I wanted to, but…. I think it was pretty obvious when you called after nine years and I flew cross country."

"I didn't know if you would."

"Yeah you did, you asshole," she laughed, kissing him again. "You knew it."

"I hoped." He shifted, easing her around so that she was on her back and he leaned over her. "You really want me to make the change?"

"I do."

"It's a big step. I know it doesn't sound like it, but -"

"Logan," she breathed, "I'm not going anywhere. Not this time. You and me, we're epic."

He grinned and leaned into the kiss. "Years and continents," he whispered.

"Bloodshed," she answered back and he laughed.

"You do love the bloodshed."

"Because anyone that comes after you -" her fingers danced across the four-year-old scar - "they have to come up against me too."

"And this is how we win the War on Terror," he chuckled as his kisses moved down to her jaw line and her neck.

Veronica wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in closer. This was it. One hundred and eighty days or nine years, it didn't matter. They always came back to each other. This time, though, she was determined that they would stay. She was his family now.

                                                  ---------

Notes:

I actually started on another fic and then this one just sort of tumbled into place as a compilation of a couple of different ideas that ended up fitting together very well. I love the idea of Veronica being listed as his next of kin if anything were to happen and that being a way that she's choosing to support him when she can't physically have his back.

I do feel like I should mention that I am not a member of the Navy, nor are any living members of my family, so there's a better than even chance I'll get a detail or ten wrong along the way, though from what I've heard canon does as well so there's that. :P

[cara-terra-pace]

Those Miraculous Kids

Miraculous Mysteries AU

Hey friends! I’m back with the actual (slightly more) fleshed out version of the MM AU. Quick note, it doesn’t take place in France, more like a made up place with made up towns. It is still Francophone, so they will still be speaking French.

Prologue

Here’s the original base for the au!

Anyway, onto the story!

Chapter 1- Running into people, plotting, and The Movie Trailer Voice

.......

Marinette Dupain Cheng had lived in Topaz Tills her whole life. It was a small town, nothing odd about it. Just the way she liked it. So when her parents decided to uproot her and move to a town called Moonstone Bridge, she was understandably upset. “Maman! Why can’t we stay in Tills? We don’t need a new store in Moonstone!” She complained as they drove to Moonstone. Marinette was sitting in the back of their delivery van, which her mother was driving while her father drive their personal car. “Ma fille chérie, you know exactly why we are going to Moonstone. Why do I know that? Because this is the seventh time you’ve asked in the last 3 hours and the 23rd in the past three days!” Her mother exclaims in the front seat, raising an eyebrow at her daughter. Marinette sighed and folded her arms. She leaned her head against the window, the smooth road keeping her head from bumping against it. She had left a lot behind. Her home, her bakery, and most importantly, her friends. Allegra, her best friend. The girl was a killer flute player. Claude, her next door neighbor. He always got the lead in the play and always made sure she designed and made his costumes. Allan, her friend since she was born. Their mothers set them up on play dates when they were little and they had been friends ever since. And Felix. She hadn’t known him nearly as long as the others, but he was dear to her, always keeping her on track. Tears started dribbling down her face. She still had their phone numbers, she reminded herself. They could still talk. But it wouldn’t be quite the same. Marinette was so busy wallowing, she didn’t realize they had arrived at their new “home”. It was a fairly big place, with the bakery on the bottom floor, with plenty of seating for guests. The top three floors all being her house. They had a basement where the kitchen for the bakery and storage was, and an attic which they had offered to help Marinette turn into a fun space to hang out in. Her parents had been working on this for months. Marinette had known about this for months. But now it just felt real. Marinette’s mother parked the delivery van in the driveway around the back and started unloading things. Marinette grabbed her backpack, purse, and suitcase to go check out her new room. The rest of her boxes with her stuff was already up there, all she would have to do was unpack. Her room was already partially decorated. A pale pink color covered all the walls. There was a built in desk that had designated areas for different things. There was a loft where her bed had been placed, and the furniture was all in the proper place. Having nothing better to do, Marinette started to unpack her clothes. She folded them, organized them, and then moved onto her jewelry. It took a while, just because Marinette was hesitant to unpack. But she finally ended up finishing unpacking her clothes and jewelry only to realize how much time had passed. It was 8 at night. She hadn’t eaten since lunch! Marinette dragged her backpack towards herself and pulled out all the sweets and foods she had stuffed in there. She shoved some of them into an empty cabinet above her desk and put the other on her empty desk, pulling out her laptop. She clicked the Skype app and clicked on Allegra’s contact. Allegra’s smiling face appeared on the screen. “Marinette! I know I saw you yesterday but I already miss you so much!” She cried, looking at her friend. Someone in the background moved closer to the screen. “Mari! We miss you little coccinelle! My mom won’t stop talking about you and how much she’s going to miss your family.” The person was Allan, who pulled Felix onto the screen. “Fe wants to say hi too but is a little bit embarrassed. Claude would say hi too but...” Allan continued as the screen was turned to Claude, who was sitting on Allegra’s bed complaining. Marinette didn’t know why until she saw the cast on his leg. “What did the Roi du drame do this time?” Marinette asked, biting into a pain au chocolat.

“Fell off the stage during bows. Not really his fault though, someone decided to push him to the front so he could get a solo bow, not thinking of how close they were to the edge. He’s lucky it was only his leg that was broken.” Felix supplied, since he was back to sitting on the ground behind Allegra again.

Marinette choked on her food and Allan started laughing as she started yelling for Allegra to bring the laptop over to Claude or she’d hang up. So Allegra toted the laptop over to the pouting actor and set it in front of him.

“Oh Claude! Now I’m really glad my parents left the leftover perishable sweets with your mom!” She said, Claude brightening at the mention of sweets.

“Thank your parents for me petit gâteau! For I am on extreme bed rest for the next week and a half and I am extremely bored already!”

Marinette talked with them for a little while more before she was told by Felix that she should go to sleep. Looking at the clock, she agreed. It had been 2 and a half hours and she still had to unpack tomorrow. She pulled out her blankets, pillows, and sheets and quickly made her bed. She plugged her phone into her charger and almost immediately fell asleep.

……. Marinette woke up to see her mom in her room, putting her stuff away. She looked up at her when she realized she had woken up.

“I figured you should go out, maybe explore Moonstone a little bit?” That translated to “Get up and go try to find friends. You aren’t allowed to be a shut in.”

So she reluctantly rose from her bed, slowly getting dressed into black flowy fabric shorts and loose pale pink t-shirt, tying her hair into a bun and wrapping a pink ribbon with black spots around it. I went downstairs and grabbed the tartine that her father had left on the counter for her. There were still tons of boxes littering the house, but Marinette just sidestepped them and slipped on the white sandals she had left downstairs. Her mom saw she was ready and handed her her purse and phone from her room before shoving her out the door, tartine in hand.

Stepping down into the bakery, Marinette reluctantly walked outside and began to explore. There were plenty of businesses nearby. They were all fairly busy, as summer vacation would start for the schools in only two weeks. Her parents had decided she wouldn’t start school until the fall because there was no purpose if they weren’t going to be learning anything. So when she walked past the school, she saw tons of teens walking inside, all excitedly chatting about summer. She was so focused on trying to get past the crowd of people and over to the library a few buildings down that when she bumped into a group of people she completely wiped out.

“Oh mon dieu! I am so sorry!” Marinette blurted out, quickly standing up and running to the library.

When she finally reached the library, she hid in the section with design history. She was looking through the books when one fell in front of her from the top shelf. She leaned down to pick it up and looked at the title. History of Moonstone Bridge: Volume 13.

“Volume 13?” She muttered, flipping through the pages while walking to a nearby table.

She only realized she should’ve looked up sooner when she slammed into someone, falling backwards and almost hitting her head on the floor, but the person she bumped into grabbed her before she could.

“Sorry!” Marinette squeaked, picking up the book and standing back up. She had slammed into a guy who looked about her age. He wore a blue and red hoodie and gray jeans, and there were two people behind him who were staring at her like she was crazy and that’s all she could focus on.

“It’s fine. We were actually hoping to bump into you.” The girl behind the blue and red hoodie boy said, walking up to her.

“Uh… why?” Marinette wondered aloud, pulling the book closer to her chest as the girl looked right at her.

The girl laughed and tossed her brown and red hair over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, we just wanted to know who you were, since this is the second time you’ve almost injured yourself while walking. Hi, I’m Alya Cesaire. The hoodie dork is Nino Lahiffe and blondie right there is Adrien Agreste.”

Marinette blinked for a second before introducing herself.

“M-my name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’m really sorry about bumping into you!”

The blondie, Adrien, stepped up to her.

“Hi Marinette. Sorry if you mind me asking, but what book is that? I’ve never seen it before, and the library barely gets any new books.” He asked.

She handed him the book and Alya, Nino, and Adrien all gasped. Marinette looked at them, rather confused as to their surprise.

“This book… doesn’t exist. There’s not even a volume 1 for this book. It’s just volume 13!”

As they all begin to talk to each other, they walk to the checkout counter to get the book. Alya checked it out under her library card and led the group to a small cafe next to the library. They sat down, ordering snacks and drinks, and Marinette finally spoke up.

“So, we need to talk about this book. I only just got here yesterday, so I have no idea what this town’s deal is. Would you guys mind giving me the rundown?” She said

Alya cleared her throat and started speaking in a movie trailer narrator voice. “Moonstone Bridge is a small and quiet town with a dark past that no one talks about. The mayor’s son, the police and fire chiefs’ oldest son, and the restaurant owner’s middle daughter are the only ones to actively question what is going on. They explain this to the baker’s daughter, who they invite to a stake out that night.”

Alya smiled and switched back to her normal voice. “So, you in?”

Marinette shrugged. “Well, it’s not like I have anything else to do.”

Alya threw her arms around the girl and Nino and Adrien laughed. Marinette gave Alya her phone number so they would be able to contact each other and they began to talk about the book again.

“So, we should skim through the book and see if anything catches our eye.” Alya said, putting it in view of all four of them.

They quickly skimmed through the first two chapters the less interesting history of the town being in those chapters. But when they reached the third chapter, it was like they’d hit the jackpot. One half of the chapter was torn out, which was interesting. The first half of the chapter was the story of how the town became cursed.

It basically blamed this guy named Peter who met a girl named Tilly, who was the daughter of the mayor. Apparently, he was “the human embodiment of darkness and bad luck.” As the book put it. Tilly was madly in love with Peter, which no one could understand since Tilly was “like a rainbow in a rain storm, like a little ray of sun that made everyone’s luck increase tenfold.”

Peter was accused of plotting against the mayor and though Tilly defended him, he was convicted and put in jail. Tilly managed to break him out and they went off to get married when they were caught by Tilly’s childhood friend Tamara. Tam let them go and promised to cover up their escape. Tilly was overjoyed and let go of Peter’s hand to hug her friend. But Peter’s bad luck came through. Right after Tilly let go of his hand, he was shot in the back by her father, who had followed Tam without her knowledge.

Peter’s blood soaked into the ground, marking the town with the darkest kind of magic. Tilly screamed, her heart breaking. She was brought back home and locked in her room. But they didn’t count on what Tilly would do. She was able to detect Peter’s magic and linked onto it. She then placed a slightly different curse. It didn’t specify what it was, but the last sentence was the most ominous.

“Is it finished or has it ever really begun?” Marinette said, closing the book.

“That’s insane! I’m pretty sure that’s real too! My great-great grandmother was Tamara Cesaire, and she lived right next door to where they said Tilly lived.” Alya replied, her eyes sparkling.

Nino, who had been listening to the story very closely said something neither of his friends expected, but Marinette was pleased to hear.

“W-well, I guess that means that we should stake out the school. That’s where the former mayor’s house stood.”

Marinette cheered and jumped up, taking the book with her. Adrien, who had been pretty quiet up until then, leaned down to pick up something that had fallen when Marinette jumped up.

“Is this yours?” He asked, holding up a necklace. It was a simple silver chain with a ruby and a black gem that she couldn’t identify imbedded in a little circle on the bottom.

Marinette took it from him and her eyes widened as she felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She held onto the book and necklace tighter, falling back into her seat.

“Did you feel that when you touched it Adrien?” She asked, her voice muffled a bit as her head rested on the table, the sour feeling slowly fading, being replaced by warmth.

“Felt what?” He replied quizzically, Alya and Nino also looking quite confused.

“This weird feeling. It felt… unwelcoming. Almost like it was telling me to leave. It’s gone now. Now… it just feels warm, like I’ve suddenly been welcomed inside to a warm fireplace or something.” She explained, lifting her head up and sliding the necklace towards Alya.

Alya looked at the necklace, then Marinette, and then picked up the necklace and walked directly behind Marinette.

“Lift up your hair.” She instructed, unclipping the necklace.

Marinette did so, and Alya clipped the necklace into place, making sure it didn’t tangle into Marinette’s hair.

Nothing happened after that, so they got up to leave the cafe.

“Wait, why aren’t you guys in class?” Marinette said, suddenly realizing that it was still just 10:30 in the morning.

“Exams finished for us yesterday. We basically just have to come back for role call and dismissal. Other than that, us Juniors can do whatever we want!” Alya’s exclaimed, twirling.

It was also probably helpful when your parents were some of the most powerful people in town, Marinette thought.

They began walking to the bakery, which wasn’t opening until the weekend. Since Marinette couldn’t get in through the front, she went around to the back and jumped up to pull down the fire escape that was attached to her rooftop garden. She started climbing up, making it up to the roof without only a bit of struggling.

She looked down at the shocked teens and giggled, a light and melodic sound.

“Come on up you guys, I’ll make sure you get back in time for dismissal!”

They scrambled up to the rooftop, Alya tucking the book into her side satchel so she didn’t drop it.

Once they all reached the top, Marinette smiled and gestures for them to sit down on the brand new pink lounge chairs. They were surprisingly comfortable.

Marinette settles in the last lounge chair, and crossed her ankles.

“So… will I see all three of you tonight at the school? Because I need to know how many snacks and flashlights to bring.”

...........

Chapter 1 is finished! Hope you enjoyed it! I worked really hard on this. The stakeout will be in the next chapter, I just didn’t want to cram it into this one, it kind of felt forced when I tried that.

(Edit: The link for AO3 isn’t working for me right now, maybe it is for you but I’ll try to fix it. If you want to read all this on AO3, just search the title of this story)

-Avery

[notthetoothfairy]

KLAINE ADVENT 2017: LoveSick (11/24)

Summary: Kurt has SCID and can’t leave his house. Ever. Luckily, Blaine moves in next door.

A/N: A fic?!?!?! Yes, my dears, after what feels like an eternity, I finally wrote a new thing. I was going to do just one prompt for @klaineadventbut - ha ha ha, and ho ho ho - never mind, I’m writing an entire story. And I’m late. Sorry about that!

The plot is loosely based on “Everything Everything”. Saw it on the plane, didn’t end up liking it all that much but I loooved the premise for Klaine, so here it is. :D It’s not all that realistic, sorry about that, but I tried to make it as accurate as possible!

Beta: @a-simple-rainbow (who’s surprised? not us - we’re basically fandom wives)

Read: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

Read on: AO3 (to be added later)

KEY

“Dad, stop fussing and leave for work.” Kurt sighs. “I’ll be fine, like all other 364 days of the year.”

“Kurt.” His dad’s face changes from worried to stern.

Kurt briefly indulges his dad and stares back. “Dad.”

“Take a moment for yourself today, okay?” Burt asks. “That’s all I ask.” He smiles at Kurt. “And now I’m going. I love you, bud.”

Kurt returns the smile. “Love you too, dad. And take a moment for yourself as well.”

“Always do. By the way, that shirt you designed looks great on you.”

Kurt fumbles with the dark green material. He’s really proud of it – especially the v-neck that none of his other, more medical-looking shirts have.

“Thanks, dad,” he says.

“You should make me one.”

“Way to spoil my Christmas surprise.” Kurt rolls his eyes. “Would you leave already?”

“Jeez, bossy. You’re so much like your grandma sometimes. I feel like I’m a kid again, being told off for stealing her cookies.”

“Dad, you’re going to be late.”

“Alright, alright.” Burt holds up his hands in apology. “I’m going.”

With that, his dad leaves the kitchen. Kurt follows him to the foyer, a series of rooms separated from the rest of the house – from Kurt, to be precise – by glass doors, where Burt leaves most of his outside belongings and puts on his streetwear over the decontaminated clothes.

He watches his dad get into the car and pull out of the driveway. As soon as there is no chance for him to see Kurt anymore, Kurt sprints up to his room and waves to Blaine.

“Go time!” he adds, smiling widely. Blaine sends a beam his way that makes Kurt’s spine tingle.

The night before, when Kurt was getting ready for bed, Blaine asked whether they could talk. For a moment, Kurt thought he was going to tell him some sort of bed news, but then Blaine spent about five minutes stumbling his way through asking Kurt whether he would like to ‘meet’ him sometime. He wasn’t even finished actually asking when Kurt said, “Tomorrow, 8.15 in the morning, by the living room.”

Never having been more excited that his dad works Saturdays, Kurt wills away his nerves as he goes down to the living room and heads straight toward the window that faces the backyard. Blaine shows up a minute later, clad in a dark blue coat, a scarf and a beanie hat that makes him look more hipster than he usually looks with his bowties and cardigans. His face is a bit flushed, like he ran downstairs and crossed both of their yards to get to Kurt. Maybe he did. The thought makes Kurt smile grow even more.

“Hi, Blaine,” he says when Blaine’s finally in front of him, only the glass and a few steps between them.

“Hi, Kurt.” Blaine looks Kurt up and down in wonder. “You’re… wow, you’re taller than me.”

Kurt suppresses a grin. “Sorry?” he tries.

Blaine laughs. “I like it.” Kurt can only make out the words through the glass if he’s very quiet but it helps having Blaine so near that he can read his lips as well. They’re getting better at that. Two months of window conversations are paying off.

“You do?” he asks happily. “And you… you look cozy.”

“It’s actually not as cold outside as I thought. I feel a bit hot,” Blaine admits.

Kurt’s not going to tell him to lose some layers, obviously, but he can’t help but remark, “Good thing you’re not actually stepping inside, then.”

“I want to, though,” Blaine says. “Sometime else.”

“It’s a date,” Kurt breathes out, nervously noting that he just called it a date. They never specified what… this… was. But Blaine was fumbling so badly on the phone, it just-

“Another one,” Blaine confirms with a smile. Kurt swears he feels his heart jump a little. “Even if it’s a bit weird to go on a date at 8.15 in the morning.”

“8.20,” Kurt corrects, just to have something to say, given that all his nerves are screaming, You’re on a date! “My dad just wouldn’t leave.”

“Does he have a sixth sense for sons who schedule secret get-aways to the living room?” Blaine asks, grinning brightly.

“No, he’s just-” Kurt wants to make an offhand comment, explain the day away like it’s nothing, but he can’t. It’s Blaine, for one, and it’s also his mother. “My mom died on this day nine years ago.”

Blaine’s eyes widen. “Oh, Kurt… I had no idea. I mean.” Blaine gulps. “Of course I didn’t. But- I’m sorry, Kurt. If you need to be alone…”

“No,” Kurt says firmly, fighting against the pressure behind his eyes. “I miss her, of course, and I usually cry my eyes out on this day, but I told you to come over so I wouldn’t be alone. At least for like two hours before Carole comes over.” He rolls his eyes. “I’m sorry we’re on a schedule.”

“Don’t be silly,” Blaine says. “It’s nice to… well.” Kurt watches as he attempts a formal bow. “Nice to meet you. You know, officially. Kind of.”

Kurt laughs, eyes watering. “Likewise. My mom would have totally gone for your sense of humor, you know?”

“Awkward but weirdly adorable?” Blaine tilts his head and gives him puppy-dog eyes, driving the point home.

Kurt bites his lip, fails to hold in a grin, and says, “Something along those lines, yeah.”

“Is that her?” Blaine asks, pointing behind Kurt. Kurt follows the line of his finger to the urn on the fireplace.

He turns back around and nods. “Mom, meet Blaine. Blaine, meet mom.”

“Hi, Mrs. Hummel,” Blaine says at once. “This is weird.”

“It is,” Kurt agrees. “And she would like you to call her Elizabeth, I’m sure.”

“I’ll reconsider after our third date or so,” Blaine replies.

“Smooth.” Kurt laughs. “Planning the third date while still on the first. You’re very thorough. Do you have cue cards as well?”

“Uhm, no. For some weird reason I was convinced we could manage to hold a conversation,” Blaine says, pretending to frown. Kurt thinks back to their long talks at the window, on the phone or texting, how Blaine probably knows more about Kurt than Rachel at this point.

“You’re definitely right.”

“Well, I want to hear all about Rachel’s newest plans for your future Broadway Bubble Babies career.”

“Oh god, you won’t believe how detailed her thoughts on this are. We’re both taking online singing classes already but now she wants to enter this career prospects mentoring program and see if they can get us mentors over Skype. And she wants us to co-produce a YouTube version of The Last Five Years, since it’s a musical for two.”

“Uhm, I need to meet her already!” Blaine gushes. Kurt loves how much he loves Rachel from Kurt’s stories alone. “That sounds like the greatest idea ever!”

The two hours pass in a flash. Kurt basks in Blaine’s focused and passionate attention, listens to Blaine talk animatedly about the New Directions’ madness during competition season and they make plans for a Skype session with both of their best friends so that Blaine can meet Rachel and Wes, Blaine’s best friend at Dalton, can meet Kurt.

Blaine’s in the middle of telling Kurt about his family’s Christmas plans when Kurt hears the key to the front door turn in the lock, and then the unmistakable sliding sound of the front door opening.

“Sorry for interrupting,” he says with a sad smile. “But it’s Carole. It’ll take her about five minutes to actually get in and change and all that, but you should probably get going.”

Blaine’s sad face matches his.

“It’s not that I don’t want my family to know about you,” he tries to reassure Blaine. “But today, I kind of wanted to take this moment for myself.”

Blaine waves it off. “Don’t worry about it. I know it’s easier this way. You don’t have to tell them at all if you don’t want.”

Kurt smiles knowingly at Blaine’s quick agreement. “You’re scared of my dad, aren’t you?”

“Terrified.”

Kurt’s cheeks are hurting from smiling so much. “You don’t have to be,” he promises. “Well, I guess this is goodbye for now.”

“Goodbye for now,” Blaine echoes. He pulls off his left glove and lets the hand come to rest on the window. “This was nice, I had fun.”

Kurt’s right hand shakes slightly as he lays it on the glass to mirror Blaine’s. If he pretends hard enough, it’ll feel like they’re touching.

“I had fun, too,” he whispers, locking eyes with Blaine. “You’re fun.”

Blaine’s face is so close to the window now Kurt feels like he could count all his eyelashes (an ambitious endeavor), name a new color after Blaine’s eyes (smouldering honey gold) and remember the shape of Blaine’s lips well enough to draw a picture of them later (to have something to kiss at least).

“Kurt…” Blaine blinks at him, visibly intrigued by Kurt’s intense stare.

Kurt breaks out of his little fantasy world with a big sigh.

“To be continued,” he says firmly.

“I know.” Blaine huffs out a laugh. “But I really don’t want to go right now.”

“I’ll text you as soon as I’m upstairs.” Kurt rolls his eyes when Blaine stays rooted to the spot. For the second time today, if a bit more reluctantly this time, he says, “Would you leave already?”

He watches as Blaine retreats to his house, fumbling with the key to his front door before pulling it wide open and slipping inside.

It feels like the perfect metaphor for what he’s doing with Kurt’s heart.

[atticusblog2016-blog]

New Post has been published on Atticusblog

New Post has been published on https://atticusblog.com/internet-is-the-future-of-education-in-africa/

Internet is the ‘future of education in Africa’

A net is an imaginative tool that could enhance and transform Africa’s education area and make contributions to the economic transformation of African international locations, a new look at by using the Internet Society suggests.

The study, whose effects were released at some stage in the simply-concluded two-day African Regional Internet and Development Dialogue in Kigali, the day before today, suggests that net gives an opportunity for addressing the learning needs of numerous agencies in Africa, inclusive of the bulk of novices which might be presently out of faculty.

Dubbed the “Internet for Education in Africa,” the observer says a mixed studying surroundings that leverages net can potentially help connect education to paintings, enhance the competencies that allow teens to get right of entry to employment, empower lifelong rookies, and importantly, aid women, ladies and disabled human beings to take part in getting to know without space, time and other cultural and social obstacles.

Blended gaining knowledge of is a schooling machine that mixes on-line virtual media with traditional lecture room strategies.

“The participation in the international financial system is now dependent on 21st-century talents, which incorporates the capability to navigate within the digital global. Progress in international locations like India, China, and South Korea suggests that connectivity serves as a basis for getting right of entry to facts economic system jobs and advancing improvements,” it says.

The look at shows that in Africa, using the net for learning is a real opportunity. More than 1 / 4 of the African populace (334 million) has got admission to a net, the general public of which can be young human beings.

There were 147 million Facebook users in Africa as of June 2016.

However, such get admission to net and use of social media has no longer been harnessed systematically to improve schooling and learning at the character and institutional degrees, the observer says.

The Internet for gaining knowledge of

Dr. Lishan Adam, one of the lead researchers at the back of the take a look at, said it became additionally a part of reviewing the position of Africa in international education commitments.

The Role of Internet in Business

  The internet performs a prime function in each thing of our contemporary life. Internet technologies play the first-rate role in business. As an enterprise owner, knowing the function of the net in business will help you are taking benefit of the powerful possibilities it gives to grow your business and make operations extra powerful.

Here are special methods in which the internet has contributed to the fulfillment and boom of corporations.

Communication: The internet makes verbal exchange rapid and price efficient. Businesses use net technology inclusive of Skype internet and video calls, e mail and video conferencing to make the verbal exchange in reality immediately.

Growth: The internet performs a large position inside the boom of organizations. It gives companies a possibility to reach a wider global target audience. Promoting through the internet is also a manner to growth income and reach the desired boom degree. Business can also enlarge by using having a web department.

Marketing: One of the position of the net in the commercial enterprise involves marketing and advertising. Most corporations are taking advantage of the net to market their services and products to an international target market. The maximum super net technologies right here encompass engines like google such as Google.

Networking and Recruiting: Social networking websites play a role in commercial enterprise networking by means of connecting like-minded specialists. Through the internet, human beings have located business partners and excellent employees.

Outsourcing services: ecommerceThe net has helped cut expenses by using outsourcing offerings to international locations where it is less expensive to provide these services. Apart from the price reduction thru the outsourcing function of the net in the enterprise, outsourcing permits companies to pay attention to their middle services and become more efficient.Online Shopping Role: One role of the net in a commercial enterprise is the deli-commerce websites and on line charge solutions that allow people to save on-line from the comfort of their personal houses.

  Future Of The Digital Marketing Industry

The ordinary idea of having acquainted with new gadgets or manufacturers in the wake of going to the opening or keep has officially changed. Rather those gadgets or brands in recent times achieve the patron by mobile telephone, lengthy variety casual communication destinations, applications and so on.

The virtual marketing industry encourages at the forte of improvement. It is hard to ace since it reports the diverse varieties of modifications ever too swiftly. To prevail right here it is basic to accomplish a concord among an unmistakable comprehension of the styles, selecting a first rate pass plan and creating a deliberate stroll in the suitable heading.

There are a number of the techniques which must be and are being taken up to know about in addition to ensuring the future of advertising. These strategies can assist to an amazing extent to maintain on and keep an amazing grip at the digital marketplace if seen in a short time period. They are as follows:

Social interactions

Social transformation is some thing which has not been given its complete due. It drives era and the web primarily based enterprise destinations which can be recognized to find out openings that can display signs and symptoms of development in addition to own transformation charges and increment new exchange channels in the virtual marketing destiny.

New techniques of payments

Internet commercial enterprise locales will earnings by using the coming of new on-line installment strategies like EVM Visas. Advanced advertisers have the obligation of making sure that their clients’ protection troubles are maneuvered carefully via instructing and consoling them.

Marketing automation

Once just a bastion of big organizations with well-known brand names, advertising, and marketing mechanization has now grown to become out to be incredibly crucial for any commercial enterprise that wishes to take off high. Any advertiser can now remember letting all of it out due to its straightforwardness and reasonableness to observe up the virtual advertising traits.

Dynamic algorithms

Search algorithms and calculations can by no means be identical. Other than Google, there are algorithms like Facebook, Bing and Twitter’s mash up. Their internet crawler comes about page suggests the substance which positions maximum increased in keeping with their choice.

Creators for content

Content makers have become out to be greater crucial than any time in recent memory. Quality written substance is the very last finding out aspect and assumes a critical component in advanced selling. There is a remarkable hobby for substance makers, similar to students, and they are not something but hard to find out. Advertisers do not require simplest an incredible author, but somebody who is aware of and comprehends their forte. His perception of the subject must be exhaustive, if plausible as a remember of fact.

  The Pros And Cons Of Online And Traditional Education

Today, on-line education has to turn out to be extra than a less expensive and less time-ingesting alternative to school room or traditional training. Online boot camps in recent times offer students with programming and design capabilities in an effort to take much less time to get as opposed to the same old university setting. But in case you are currently on the verge of choosing between taking an internet course or a conventional one, take into account sorting out some of their professionals and cons.

Online Education

Savings – Prices for on-line courses and education programs have become less expensive. Also, there are loose tutorials being presented already. In fact, there are those who managed to construct their careers with loose assets by myself.

Flexibility and Convenience – Even whilst you are hired or looking after an own family at home, boosting your present day information and skill can nevertheless be feasible. There are on-line publications so that it will only require round 10-20 hours per week. The mere choice of running from home will make it lots easier so as to healthy this into your hectic time table.

Marketable Skills and Job Focus – As adversarial to traditional training, online guides will cognizance tons greater on coaching hard and unique skills that will help you get the task you want. Boot camps, as an example, are designed to put together you for layout and programming jobs. Rather than gaining knowledge of fashionable crucial thinking and analysis abilities, you may be practicing for obligations you may be doing within the team of workers.

Digital Skills – There are certain competencies born on-line like a way to use social media websites and learn content material advertising. Hence, it is simplest natural that it will likely be the very best to examine them through on line education.

Keeps Skills Updated – This shape of education is certainly the nice way of preserving your abilities updated, maximum particularly in relation to programming. Bear in mind that the sector of online courses is rapidly adapting to the days and new traits.

As for its cons, it has restrained career options. This means that via this path, you can’t be an attorney or health practitioner. You won’t additionally have the usual university experience. This is handiest advocated for individuals who are self-directed and influenced.

Traditional Education

Experience – This is genuinely what you are paying while you visit a college. You will experience dwelling in a dormitory, attend communal activities and events, and be part of a team or a club. In truth, the real training is simply secondary for some college students.