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dc41896 · 5 years ago

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Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS!!!! Hope this year brings unlimited success, an overabundance of positivity, and growth to all of you :)!! So this is a combination of an idea I had with a prompt idea submitted by @lovelymari4 who mentioned the reader going to Germany and running into Florian. Hopefully you, and everyone who reads this, like what I came up with!! (P.S. If you guys ever see me use the same name twice for different imagines, my bad I forget the names I use sometimes lol)

Pairing: Florian Munteanu x Black Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2,171

“Y/N! Take our picture in front of this fountain please?,” your best friend, Daya, asks posing with her boyfriend Zeke. Taking pictures of the couple was pretty much your job during your trip to Germany seeing that you were the dreaded “third wheel”.

Not that you really minded being the third wheel, both Daya and Zeke were your close friends and times with them were always fun. Well, fun in those times when you weren’t feeling the effects of being single. Seeing that it was New Years Eve, everywhere you guys went had decorations and flyers advertising about parties and how you didn’t want to be stuck at home alone.

Plus walking around a foreign country viewing beautiful statues and historical landmarks as the snow lightly fell around you made you wish that you could share that experience with someone like how Daya and Zeke were.

“Alright, I took multiples so hopefully you guys like them,” you answer, standing up from your squatted position as you hand Daya her phone back.

“Thanks Y/N! And I trust you, you know my angles unlike someone,” she answers tilting her head towards Zeke.

“Hey I take good pictures! You just don’t like them.”

“Right so are they really good pictures then?,” she asks, squinting her eyes as if she’s trying to figure out an answer to her own question.

“I mean the ones I take of myself get a good amount of likes so I would say so,” he counters with a smirk as you laugh at their discussion.

“Yea yea whatever. Y/N do you want some pictures too?,” she asks.

“Nah not this time, we can keep going-,” you start before being cut off by someone bumping into the back of you, causing you to stumble forward before being steadied by your friends.

“Um who the-?!,” you thought as you turned around to see who (or what honestly) hit you. Seemingly towering over you, you’re met with a muscular man wearing dark jeans, Nike’s, and a leather jacket lined with a soft material covering a black long sleeve shirt. His brown beard was soft and just as thick as his body, while his green eyes seemed to capture your soul, but not in an intimidating way, like you wanted to keep looking into them for as long as you could.

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?,” the mystery man asked in a deep, accented voice, slightly bending down to look in your eyes.

“No you’re fine! I mean fine like you don’t have to apologize because I’m fine not because you’re fine. I mean you are but-,”

“What my friend is trying to say is that she’s ok,” Daya answered looking at you amused by how you were acting.

“Yea that.”

“That’s good. I was recording a story for Instagram and my friend here failed to notify me in time that someone was there. I know very dumb and again I’m really sorry,” he replies, cheeks slightly red from embarrassment.

“It’s ok, just maybe don’t try to post and walk at the same time. Especially with people around,” you softly laugh, along with him and your friends.

“I’m Florian by the way, and this is my friend Leon,” he introduces as his equally fit friend moves forward to shake all of your hands.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Y/N and these are my friends Daya and Zeke.”

“Nice to meet you guys. Well, we don’t want to hold you up from what you guys had planned next, so hope you guys have a great day and Happy New Year!,” Florian smiles.

“Thanks and Happy New Year to you guys too!,” you smile before you and your friends turn to continue your sight seeing. After only a few steps, you hear Florian calling your name as he jogged to catch up you.

“You dropped your um…lip gloss?,” he states handing you the small tube and making you smile.

“Yea lip gloss and thanks, this is my favorite one so definitely don’t want to lose it.”

“And we wouldn’t want that to happen. I mean not we as in us, like I know you like it and I think it’s pretty and probably looks good on you too-,”

“It’s ok I know what you mean,” you giggle as he softly chuckles. There’s a small silence between the two of you. With his hands in his pockets as he slowly shifts from one side to the other, you could tell he wanted to say something else, but something was stopping him from getting whatever it was off of his mind.

“Hey I don’t want to seem creepy or anything, which honestly that statement in itself probably makes it creepy so this already isn’t going well,” he begins, pausing to laugh to himself and mentally grateful that you laughed too. “I was wondering if you and your friends had plans for tonight? Because if not, me and Leon are going to this party for New Years, and a bunch of our other friends are gonna be there, so you guys are more than welcome to join.”

“Um thanks that’s really nice of you to invite us! I’d have to ask them first though to see what they might be thinking.”

“Yea of course! Definitely think about it and I’ll give you my number so I can text you the address and everything if you guys decide to come,” he smiles as you pull out your phone. You had to admit watching his giant hand type on your phone was pretty funny. He didn’t have any problems maneuvering through the screens and buttons, but still the sight of such a bulky man with this small phone in his hands was quite a look.

“Amused by a huge man such as myself holding this small phone?,” he asks with a smirk giving your phone back. While you could hold in your laughs, the look on your face was plain as day to what you were thinking.

“A little, but not like in a bullying or ‘making fun of’ kind of way I promise.”

“It’s alright, my friends tease me about it all the time. And speaking of friends, it looks like yours may be having a very aggressive discussion.” Looking over your shoulder, you see Daya and Zeke’s hands going back and forth as both of them try to prove their point on something probably pointless.

“They’re probably arguing over where to eat. Let me go break them up before they bring anymore attention to themselves,” you sigh. “Thanks again for my lip gloss and I promise to message you about the party.”

With a wave and a final goodbye, you both went your separate ways. You, giddy from having an experience straight out of a romantic comedy and Florian feeling just as excited, hoping that he would see you again tonight.

______

Lightly spraying perfume around you, you walk out of the bathroom in your dark high-waist skinny jeans with black stiletto booties paired with a fitted, long sleeve, black turtleneck. Yea it was probably simple compared to the glittery cocktail dresses you were sure to see around tonight, but you were not about to risk pneumonia going out in this German winter.

“Aww look at our little girl all grown up!,” Daya gushed making you shake your head.

“Come on D, lets not embarrass her on her first date,” Zeke smiles wrapping his arm around Daya.

“Ok, both of y’all need to calm down, last time I checked I am grown up and this isn’t my first date. Now if you’re done mom and dad we need to head out before we’re late.”

“Ok, but not before we take a group picture!,” Daya smiles before reaching her arm up to make sure all of you were in the screen and snapping a picture of your smiling faces.

Arriving at the hookah lounge that Florian sent, you see the man himself standing outside now clad in a red hoodie, dark jeans, and a different pair of Nike’s. The street light above made his thick, gold chain gleam more so than it already was as he occasionally shifted from one side to the other with his hands behind his back.

“Hey, you didn’t have to wait out in the cold for us,” you greet as the three of you walk up to him.

“I know, but it’s easier this way so I can show you where we’re sitting versus trying to text it to you,” Florian responds with a smile.

“Woww thick, sweet, and looks like Hercules reincarnated? Sis marry him or I will!,” Daya whispers to you while you all follow him to the section him and his friends were seated.

“Can the man ask me out first? Better yet, can we get confirmation that he actually likes me?,” you whisper back, softly laughing at how your friend was basically trying to marry you off.

“What do you think this is?! Yea it’s not one on one, but open your eyes because he definitely asked you out it’s just in a group setting.”

Shaking your head, you direct your attention towards Florian as he introduces you to the rest of his friends seated on the plush couches. Meeting his crew made you truly understand the saying, ‘birds of a feather, flock together’ as all of his friends were equally as good looking and fit as he was. They also were just as nice immediately including you guys in their conversations and asking questions getting to know you.

Seated next to Florian, you both took turns talking with your friends and maintaining your own conversation. You found out he was an actor and lived in Germany, which would explain why he didn’t seem fazed when standing outside in the cold.

You also saw how down to earth and caring he was, which of course made you even more attracted to him and was something you didn’t want to happen. Not that you weren’t open to a relationship, it’s just long distance relationships were tough and came with plenty of challenges. That is if you guys became an actual item.

“Guys it’s almost time!,” Daya excitedly squeals, before joining Zeke at the bar to grab a glass of champagne.

“So if you don’t mind me asking, what’s something you wanna get out of the new year?,” Florian asks, green eyes seemingly hypnotizing you from how much attention he was giving you.

“This is probably gonna be really boring, but the basics as far as health, positivity, success. But what I’m most concerned about, is whatever is meant for me making it’s way to me for the next year, decade, and rest of my life,” you answer, twisting the stem of your own champagne glass between your fingers, making the liquid lightly swirl. “What about you?”

“Definitely more success and health, and I just hope to spend as much time with my family and friends as I can.”

Just as he finishes, you hear people around starting to countdown from 10 signaling that the New Year would be coming soon. Both of your groups stayed seated as the timer on the screens around went back from five and eventually got to zero making everyone yell out “Happy New Year!”

You hugged Daya and Zeke, before they turned to each other to have an infamous New Years kiss, which was on the minds of the other couples there as well. That was always the awkward part about New Year’s Eve parties. It seemed that everyone around you was glued to someone else’s face, while you stuffed yours with snacks.

Setting those thoughts aside, you turn to hug Florian and wish him a Happy New Year, to which he does the same; kissing you on the cheek and making you giggle as you squirm back a bit.

“Sorry, my beard’s a bit ticklish,” he laughs instinctively reaching his hand up to lightly graze his beard.

“No it’s ok,” you smile. In that moment, it was as if both of you were on the same wavelength as you both leaned in to meet the other’s lips. Lightly caressing your head with his hand, your hands find their way to his hoodie softly clutching the fabric as if to not ruin it. As you both pull apart, part of you is amazed at the fact that truly just happened while the other wishes it never stopped.

“You got some uh gloss on your lips,” you say, giggling as you hand him a napkin. Letting out a deep chuckle, he wipes the product from his lips before discarding the paper on the table in front of him.

“Is that the same lip gloss I handed you earlier?”

“Yea, why? You’re not allergic are you?!”

“No no! Don’t worry, I’m just thanking God that I gave it back to you,” he winks, causing that giddy feeling to well inside of you again, as all of your friends can be heard doing various wolf whistles and shouts around the both of you.

Taglist: @melinda-january @honeychicana @themyscxiras @fumbling-fanfics @lady-olive-oil @crushed-pink-petals @lovelymari4 @felicity-x0 @ellixthea @jojolu @jnk-812 @brwn-sgr @captainsamwlsn @nina-sj @itshinothey @wildfirecracker

If anybody else wants to be tagged, has asked to be tagged and doesn’t see their name, or only wants to be tagged for certain people I write for, just let me know! :)

#florian munteanu #florian big nasty munteanu #florianxreader #florianxblackreader #florianxWOC

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365daysofsasuhina · 5 years ago

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[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Ninety-Five: Out to Dinner ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Hyūga Hiashi, Hyūga Hanabi ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

Well...today’s the day.

And he has...no idea what he’s supposed to do.

They arrange to meet in the early afternoon, Hinata promising her father she’d use the morning to tend to some of her homework before taking the rest of the day off. Hiashi agreed, and so Sasuke arrives at her house at about two in the afternoon. And even after several hours to sit and think about it, he still has little to go on in regards to what a date is really...supposed to be. A few minutes are spent sat in the car, nibbling his lip in thought.

...now or never.

Getting out of the driver’s side, he gives the house a once-over. It’s a two story white craftsman, on a large corner lot with a sizeable, well-kept yard. All it needs is a picket fence and you’d see it in one of those magazines housewives are always drooling over. He’d know: Mikoto always has one lying around someplace, dreaming of remodeling their house.

Walking up the path to the front door, he gives the bell a ring. He texted Hinata five minutes before he arrived, but...well, he’s expecting someone else to answer the door.

And it turns out, he’s right.

Hiashi is who pulls it open, beholding Sasuke properly for the first time. Sasuke, in turn, does his best to stand in some manner that doesn’t look forced, but not too relaxed, either.

“...sir.”

“You must be Sasuke,” the Hyūga muses.

“Yes, sir.”

“...you needn’t call me sir. Mister Hyūga is polite enough.”

“Er...right. Is, uh...is Hinata ready…?”

“I believe she is finishing up. You may come in to wait, if you wish.”

“...thanks.” Stepping in to a tiled entryway, Sasuke just sort of...lingers, not daring to get his shoes on any carpet. The interior, like the exterior, is mostly white: everything is greyscale, light and airy. It’s...probably the nicest house he’s ever been in. His own is nothing to sneeze at, but...wow. This place is nice.

Hands in his pockets, he watches as Hiashi retreats out of sight. Well...so much for making small talk. But maybe he’s glad for it, honestly. They haven’t exactly gotten off to a good start…hopefully Hinata won’t take too much longer.

But before she comes downstairs, another person walks past: her little sister, Hanabi, who Sasuke has heard...very little about. Looking very much like her father with the same face shape and hair shade, she pauses as she catches sight of him.

...there’s an awkward moment of staring.

“...you Hinata’s boyfriend?” she asks, speaking past a stick of pocky in her mouth.

“Uh...yeah. That’s me.”

“...you’re hotter than I thought you’d be.”

As Sasuke balks, she breaks into a laugh, waving a hand and continuing on through the house.

...what was that?!

It’s then Hinata comes down the stairs, slowing to a stop as she catches his expression. “...are you okay?”

“...yeah. Just...met your sister.”

Understanding seems to brighten her face. “Oh...that explains it. She say anything...weird?”

“...she thinks I’m hot.”

She can’t stop a snort. “Yeah, that’s...Hanabi for you. She’s in that weird eighth grader stage.”

From another room, the younger sister calls, “I HEARD THAT!”

Hinata just rolls her eyes. “Ready to go?”

“I think so.”

“Okay...let me go say goodbye to my dad, then we can head out!”

“No need.”

Hiashi then rounds the corner, Hinata looking a bit surprised. “Oh! Well...Dad, this is Sasuke, Sasuke...this is my dad, Hiashi.”

“We had a...brief introduction when he arrived,” the patriarch assures her. “So, I suppose this is where I set the boundaries? Home by ten, and do call if you have any major changes in plans. Which...would be?”

“Uh...thought we’d go hang out at the mall, maybe catch a movie and some dinner…?” Sasuke shrugs.

Amusement flickers Hiashi’s lips for just a moment. “Agreeable. Do be careful, Hinata.”

“I will. See you when I get back.”

The teens then make their way back outside and into Mikoto’s SUV. As Sasuke does up his seatbelt, he mumbles, “...that was the most awkward introduction I’ve ever had in my life.”

Hinata can’t help a giggle. “I’m sorry...m-my dad’s really...stiff. He’s too serious, but...he tries.”

“He didn’t hate me?”

“If he hated you, we wouldn’t be in the car right now.”

“...okay then. So, uh...mall sound good to you? I...really have no idea what else to do. It’s where I go to bum around with Naruto most of the time.”

“Sure! In all honesty...I don’t even know what movies are playing right now…”

“Then we’ll both be surprised.” Backing from the driveway, Sasuke steers the car toward downtown, the mall soon looming before them. Once parked in the garage, they head up into the building proper. “Got any favorite places to browse?”

“A few, but...they’re mostly for clothes. I don’t want to b-bore you.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Um...there’s also a neat bookstore, with board games and stuff?”

“I think I know that one...should we start there?”

“Sure!”

They mosey, taking their time and window shopping on the way. Sasuke very rarely goes in most of the shops in the mall, preferring to just walk around and people watch, maybe peruse things in the displays. His allowance pays okay, but he prefers to save and splurge on stuff for his PC or games for his Playstation.

The bookstore is pretty busy, filled mostly with younger kids. But that doesn’t stop Hinata from looking over their puzzles and books, Sasuke observing a model train do its laps alongside a few tykes.

Without him looking, Hinata takes a small video of it, smiling behind her phone.

In the end she buys a few new books, Sasuke finding an old school PC game he used to play in elementary school to splurge on. Sheepishly explaining the educational title to her, he glances over as she giggles.

“I remember that one! It was on the computers in the library!”

“Yeah! I didn’t think you could find it anymore...maybe it won’t even play on my computer, but it was only ten bucks...might as well try.”

“Mhm!”

From there, they go to the in-mall cinema, picking a movie at random based on the posters. It’s a comedy, the pair sharing some overpriced candy and popcorn. Sasuke quickly grows a bit bored, but gets a kick out of Hinata paying rapt attention and laughing every few seconds.

...she’s so cute.

After that, they wander a little longer, Hinata dragging him into a rather...eclectic place with weird clothes, crystals, incense, and fancy glass sculptures.

“Oh, wow...look at that one!” Hinata points to a lion posed atop a rock. “It’s so pretty…!”

“You like lions?”

“I was...a big Lion King fan as a kid.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm!” She gives him a glance. “What about you?”

“Me?”

“Everyone has the Disney movie from when they were a kid. What was yours?”

“Actually, it was uh...The Black Cauldron.”

“Really?! That one was so scary!”

“Yeah, that’s why I liked it! No one else really seemed to, though...my brother was all about Hercules.”

“Aww, I love that one…”

“...you gonna buy that, then?”

“Oh gosh, no...it’s way too expensive.”

“...what if I go in half?”

“Sasuke, no!”

“You want it, don’t you?”

“W-well, yeah! But -?”

“I’ll pay half.”

Torn between stubborn refusal and longing, she bites her lip before giving in. “...oh, okay! But I owe you.”

“Whatever you say.”

Once the fragile artwork is carefully wrapped and put in a box, the pair make their way to the few restaurants on the main floor. “What sounds good?”

“Anything, really...that popcorn didn’t fill me up at all!”

They head into a grill, ordering and chatting as they wait.

“Are you nervous about state?”

“...yeah, kinda. Mostly I’m just psyched we’re going, but...now that we’re going? I wanna go all the way.”

“I bet you will.”

“I dunno...there’s a lot of good teams. But we’ll sure try.”

“I’ll be there to cheer you on, okay? Sakura said she’d go with me, since she and Naruto finally g-got together.”

Sasuke pauses for a moment. “...that doesn’t bother you?”

“...should it?”

“You liked him for a long time.”

“...well, I’m not what he wanted. And that’s okay.” She gives him a shy smile. “...and you liked me for a long time, so...m-maybe it’s only fair.”

“Is that why you asked me out?”

“No! Well...maybe partially. But also because I like you, and...I w-want to give this a try.” After a small hesitation, she puts a hand atop his own on the table, earning a small blush.

“...o-okay.”

After going out for dinner (and Hinata indulging in dessert, which Sasuke skips with his lack of a sweet tooth), they wander a little longer to let their meals settle. Then back to the car they head, both clearly disappointed the evening is almost over.

“...well, did you have fun?” he asks, maneuvering out of the garage.

“I did...a lot, actually. And thank you again for the lion...I am going to pay you back for that!”

“You can try,” he teases.

Pulling along the curb at her house, Sasuke walks her up to the door, hands in his pockets as she carries her few bags from her shopping.

“...thank you for taking me,” she eventually offers as they idle.

“Yeah, well...thanks for asking me,” Sasuke counters with a hint of a grin. “...it was really nice.”

“Would you...w-want to do it again sometime? Well...maybe something different, I mean, but another...d-date?”

“...I think I would. We’ll, uh...plan a bit more next time.”

Hinata giggles. “...okay.”

...another silence blooms.

“...well...I better get inside…”

“Yeah, I gotta get home, too.”

“Text me when you get home, so...I know you made it okay?”

“Sure.”

After another pause, Hinata hesitates for a moment before swooping forward atop the step. Lips give a press to Sasuke’s cheek, which quickly blooms red. “...goodnight.”

“...night,” he manages to reply, watching her head in. Blinking a few times, he then dares to grin, walking on air to the car.

...maybe this whole date thing isn’t so bad.

.oOo.

(This is a sequel to days 149, 168, 183, 271, 287, and 294!) hhhhh I have an early morning tomorrow and now it's 2am BUT I GOT THIS DONE xD More of the sports verse: they're on a date! Finally! And neither of them know what they're doing, lol - but at least they had fun x3 Anyway I REALLY gotta go, so...thanks for reading!

#sasuhina #uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #hyūga hiashi #hyūga hanabi #best years of your life [ au ]#365daysofsasuhina

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dutchpagan · 7 years ago

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Ogham - an introduction

So I may be Dutch, but there's interesting things to learn from all over the world and from all kinds of cultures. I've always had a love of the Irish ogham letters - probably since they're strongly connected to popular Celtic paganism, and to tree lore. Here's an introduction to the Ogham I wrote some years ago, that I think is still pretty accurate. Please let me know if you've any comments or questions!

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History About ten years ago I came across a book called Celtic Tree Mysteries by Steve Blamires. Now, I’m interested in Celtic stuff, and I love tree and mysteries, so this was the right book for me. Through this book (which in my humble opinion is quite a good start if you want to learn more about this subject) I learned about the Ogham alphabet. This early medieval Irish alphabet has become quite popular in modern Celtic Pagan and Druid circles, mostly as a means of divination, but also for other magical purposes.

As I said, the alphabet is early medieval Irish. It might have been developed when the first Christians came to Ireland and brought the concept of writing with them, but there is no actual proof of that. We have about 400 known inscriptions on stones, most of them names. The functions of these stones is unclear, but most researchers are of the opinion that they mark borders. Other uses of Ogham have been found in manuscripts, and these provide more insight.

Contemporary information on the Ogham is sparse; what has been written about it can be read in high medieval and late medieval manuscripts. These manuscripts are: The Book of Leinster (12th century) The Book of Ballymote (1391) The Book of Lecan (1416)

These manuscripts refer to older sources: The Scholar’s Primer, The Values of the Forfeda and the Book of Ogham. The Scholar’s Primer says that Ogham was only to be used by learned men – would they be monks or druids? The act of reading and writing was very elite in the early Middle Ages, so we can be sure that the average Irish farmer wouldn’t have been very familiar with Ogham.

The exact origin of Ogham isn’t known, but there some interesting myths and stories have been written down. In one of the manuscripts we find a legend about the origin of the Ogham: it was developed by Fenius Farsaidh, with the help of Goidel Mac Etheoir and Iar Mac Nema and a whole host of scholars. After the destruction of the Biblical Tower of Babel, Fenius went to search for the letters all over the world that together would make the most perfect language. Each letter was named after a linguist who best devoted his time to this task. Note that ‘Gaelic’ or ‘Goidelic’ (the name of the Irish language) comes from Goidel Mac Etheoir, one of the scholars that developed Ogham.

Apart from this legend, another link has been made by modern scholars with the Celtic Irish god Ogma, who may be compared to the Celtic Gallic god Ogmios. The names of these gods seem connected to Ogham (which, by the way, means something like ‘idea’ or ‘notion’). The Romans liked to compare foreign gods with their own gods and they dubbed Ogmios the ‘Celtic Hercules’, or at least an older version of their Hercules. According to these Roman sources, Ogmios was depicted as an old but strong man with one end of a chain through his tongue, the other end being attached to the ears of an eager public. This has been explained as the power of eloquence, or the power of words, in which the strength of this god lies. There is no direct connection between Ogham and Ogma/Ogmios, but could there be a divine element to the development of Ogham, keeping this part of mythology in mind?

Purpose and meaning The ancient Celts were mostly an illiterate people. It was the Roman world, and Christianity after that, that brought the written word to those parts in Europe that apparently had no use for it before. This is also the reason why we use the letters we have today instead of systems like the Ogham. Our letters are derived from Roman scripture, and more directly from the letters in medieval manuscripts (especially those made under Charlemagne). To be honest, Ogham isn’t a very practical script – so what was it used for?

Based on where the Ogham has been found, it appears that this alphabet had a few specific uses. First of all, as has already been noted above, Ogham has been found on standing stones, or monoliths. They are said to mark borders, and by doing that they also marked someone’s property. This might also be the reason why mostly names and short phrases (‘of the clan of x’, etc.) are found on these stones, instead of actual texts. There could also be some cryptic message in all this, since not many people were actually able to read Ogham, even in that time – but as far as I know this has been lost. Ogham that has been found in manuscripts seems to have a different function. It has mostly the purpose of learning, remembering and making connections.

But there are also certain stories in which the Ogham has a more magical purpose. From these old sagas we learn that Ogham was not only written down on stone, but also on wood. This is a material that doesn’t last, so there is no physical evidence, but it seems plausible that this was actually done in reality. There is even one instance where Ogham is written on metal. In the Book of Leinster we find an medieval legend in which an Ogham text on an iron ring around a stone says: ‘Whoever comes to this meadow, if he is armed, he is forbidden to leave this meadow without requesting single combat.’ The only thing stopping someone from simply leaving the meadow without a fight is the text itself – therefore it must hold some magical power. The semi-divine hero Cú Chulainn has another solution; he throws the stone away, with ring and all. In another instance, Cu Chulainn gives a small wooden spear to the king of Alba (Scotland) inscribed with Ogham – it says that the king is allowed to take Cú Chulainn’s seat at the court of Ulster.

There is slight evidence of the use of Ogham as divination in Irish myth, and this is what Ogham is used for today by many Celtic Pagans and Druids. In an Irish legend, a druid writes down Ogham letters on yew sticks and then uses them for divination, but it gives no further details. Nowadays, what is most popular is to make a branch for every letter and then use this set of branches in several ways. This can be done by blindly drawing one or several sticks and then interpret the meaning of the letter(s). Another way is to throw the branches on ‘Finn’s Window’ (based on the round diagram that can be seen on the parchment page from the Book of Ballymote here depicted) and draw a meaning from how the branches fall.

The technical details So, after reading all this, you’re probably wondering what this Ogham alphabet actually looks like. I’m not a linguist, but I’ll give you an outlining that’ll hopefully give you more insight. The Ogham Alphabet doesn’t have the sort of letters that we are familiar with. Its essence is lines; smaller lines that are placed in a series across a longer line. Ogham can be found on standing stones, where this line goes from bottom to top (and from top to bottom on the other side) . It can also be found in parchment manuscripts, where it goes from left to right. The notches on the long line, the actual letters, are called feda, which means ‘wood’. Is this just a figural way of speaking, since the long vertical line on a stone with the notches on each side does sort of look like a tree? Or is there more behind this? I don’t know this – then again, I can’t actually read Old Irish, excepts for the few words that are needed to understand the Ogham alphabet, so perhaps someone else can help me out here. On to the letters and their order:

B L F S N H D T C Q M G nG St R A O U E I EA Oi Ui iO AE

That makes 25 letters, of which the last five letters (the so called forfeda) were added at later times – so it appears the oldest version of Ogham had twenty letters.

Keeping these twenty letters in mind, there are four families/series, or aicmí (plural of aicme), that each contain five letters: Aicme Beithe, Aicme hÚatha, Aicme Muine, and Aicme Ailme. Note also that a neat quarter of these letters is a vowel and three quarters exits of consonants.

There is some confusion about the order of the first five letters. In many texts it says BLFSN, but in some other text it says BLNFS. As far as I know, it was Robert Graves in his famous book The White Goddess, who used the sequence of BLNFS first. This has probably to do with the poetic and mythological value he added to each letter, and also with his introduction of the so-called Ogham Tree Calendar. [The tree calendar gives a certain period or time of the year for each letter, e.g. 24 December – 20 January for Beithe. This is a strictly modern invention, though that shouldn’t say everything about its value.] The White Goddess has had a huge influence on many modern pagan and witchcraft traditions, and I think that it’s from this source that the BLNFS-sequence has seeped into the modern use of the Ogham alphabet. However, it seems that more historically authentic sources stick to BLFSN, so that’s the sequence I’m sticking with, too.

Some note about individual letters: iO was original P – for some reason this letter was replaced in later times, leaving the alphabet without a proper P-sound. AE was originally X or CH.

The ‘Tree Alphabet’ So what about the name ‘tree alphabet’? Actually, the Ogham was also a bird alphabet, colour alphabet, river alphabet, etc. It appears that there were many systems that were used for remembering the letters of the Ogham alphabet. Of all these systems (several hundreds, they say), the tree system has been most popular since early times. So, every letter got a tree attached to it, and by memorizing the trees, one was able to memorize the letters. A mnemonic aid of some sorts. Then again, we can’t rule out a deeper, perhaps even magical, meaning for using such a system.

The meaning of the letters connected to the trees was further developed in the uses of kennings, or phrases, known as the Bríatharogham. Three of these lists are known: Bríatharogham Morainn Mac Moín (who was a human judge) Bríatharogham Mac Oengus (god) Bríatharogham Cú Chulainn (semi-divine hero, we’ve already noted him in connection to the Ogham) The translations of these kennings can be found below, under each individual letter.

The separate letters

Beithe Literal meaning: birch, (a) being Letter: B Tree: birch (beithe) Book of Ballymote: Now Beithe has been named from the Birch owing to its resemblance to the trunk of that tree. Of withered trunk, fair-haired the Birch. Word Ogham of Morainn: Faded trunk and fair hair/withered foot with fine hair. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Browed beauty, worthy of pursuit/beauty of the eyebrow. Word Ogham of Oengus: Most silver of skin/greyest of skin.

Luis Literal meaning: flame, herb Letter: L Tree: rowan (caertheand) Book of Ballymote: Luis is named from Mountain Ash (caertheand) as it is the old Gaelic name for rowan. [Delightful] for eyes is Mountain Ash owing to the beauty of its berries. Word Ogham of Morainn: Delight of eye, quicken-tree; to whit, the flame/luster of the eye. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Strength of cattle/sustenance of cattle. Word Ogham of Oengus: Friend of cattle.

Fearn Literal meaning: alder Letter: F Tree: alder (fearn) Book of Ballymote: Fearn, Alder, the van of the warrior band for thereof are the shields. Word Ogham of Morainn: Shield of warrior bands, owing to their redness/vanguard of warriors. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Protection of the heart, a shield/protection of the heart. Word Ogham of Oengus: Guarding of milk, or milk bucket/milk container.

Saille Literal meaning: willow Letter: S Tree: Willow (saille) Book of Ballymote: Tthe colour of a lifeless one that is, it has no colour, owing to the resemblance of the colour to a dead person. Word Ogham of Morainn: Hue of the lifeless/pallor of a lifeless one. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Beginning of loss, willow/beginning of honey. Word Ogham of Oengus: Strength of bees/sustenance of bees.

Nion Literal meaning: branch fork, loft Letter: N Tree: ash (uinnius) Book of Ballymote: Nion, Ash-tree, a check on peace is Nion for of it are made the spear-shafts by which the peace is broken. Word Ogham of Morainn: Checking of peace/establishing of peace. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Flight of beauty, a weaver’s beam/boast of beauty. Word Ogham of Oengus: The flight of women/boast of women.

hUuath Literal meaning: horror, fear Letter: (silent) H Tree: white thorn Book of Ballymote: A meet of hounds is Huath (whitethorn), or because it is formidable owing to its thorns. Word Ogham of Morainn: Pack of wolves/assembly of pack of hounds. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Difficult night, hawthorn/most difficult at night. Word Ogham of Oengus: Whitening of face/blanching of faces.

Duir Literal meaning: oak Letter: D Tree: oak (duir) Book of Ballymote: Duir, Oak, higher than bushes is an oak. Word Ogham of Morainn: highest of bushes/highest tree Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Kneeling work, bright and shining work/most carved of craftmanship Word Ogham of Oengus: Craft work/handicraft of a craftsmanship.

Tinne Literal meaning: metal bar, ingot. Letter: T Tree: holly (cuileand) Book of ballymote: A third of a wheel is Tinne, because holly is one of the three timbers of the chariot wheel. Word Ogham of Morainn: Third of a wheel/one of three parts of a wheel. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: A third of weapons, an iron bar/one of three parts of a weapon. Word Ogham of Oengus: Fires of coal/marrow of (char)coal.

Coll Literal meaning: hazel Letter: C Tree: hazel (coll) Book of Ballymote: Coll, that is everyone is eating of its nuts. Word Ogham of Morainn: Fairest of trees/fairest tree. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Sweetest of woods, a nut/sweetest tree. Word Ogham of Oengus: Friend of cracking/friend of nutshells

Quert Literal meaning: bush Letter: Q Tree: apple (aball) Book of Ballymote: Shelter of a wild hind is is Quert, that is, an apple tree. Word Ogham of Morainn: Shelter of a hind, lunatic or death/sense [the time when a lunatic’s sense comes back to him]/shelter of a lunatic. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Excellent emblem, protection/dregs of clothing. Word Ogham of Oengus: Force of a man/substance of an insignificant person.

Muin Literal meaning: not certain – neck, ruse/trick, love/esteem Letter: M Tree: vine (finemhain) Book of Ballymote: Highest of beauty is Muin, that is, because it grows aloft. That is, a vine-tree. Word Ogham of Morainn: Highest of beauty, strongest of effort, Muin equals back of man or ox for it is they in existence that are strongest as regards effort./strongest in exertion. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Pack of wolves with spears, three vines/path of the voice. Word Ogham of Oengus: The condition of slaughter/proverb of slaughter.

Gort Literal meaning: field (as in: garden) Letter: G Tree: ivy (edind) Book of Ballymote: Gort, that is ivy, greener than pastures is ivy. Word Ogham of Morainn: Greenest of pastures, sweeter than grasses, due to associations with corn fields/sweetest grass. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Pleasing oil, corn/sating of multitudes. Word Ogham of Oengus: Size of a warrior/suitable place for cows.

nGetal Literal meaning: slaying Letter: nG Tree: broom (cilcach) Book of Ballymote: nGetal, broom or fern, a physician’s strength is broom. Word Ogham of Morainn: A physician’s strength, panacea equals broom/sustenance of a leech. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: beginning of heroic deeds, healing/beginning of slaying. Word Ogham of Oengus: Robe of physicians/raiment of physicians.

Straiph, Literal meaning: sulphur Letter: St Tree: blackthorn (draighin) Book of Ballymote: The hedge of a stream is straiph, that is, blackthorn. Word Ogham of Morainn: Careful effort, strongest of red, straiph equals sloe which gives strong red dye on metal/strongest reddening (dye). Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: An arrow’s mist, smoke drifting up from the fire/seeking of clouds. Word Ogham of Oengus: Increasing of secrets/increase of secrets.

Ruis Literal meaning: red Letter: R Tree: elder (trom) Book of Ballymote: The redness of shame is Ruis, that is, elder. Word Ogham of Morainn: intensest of blushes, it I reddening of a man’s face through the juice of the herb being rubbed on it/most intense blushing. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Arduous anger, punishment/glow of anger. Word Ogham of Oengus: redness of faces/reddening of faces.

Ailm Literal meaning: pine (?) Letter: A Tree: fir or pine Book of Ballymote: Ailm, a fir tree, a pine tree. Word Ogham of Morainn: Loudest of groanings, that is, wondering. Ailm or A for that is what a man says while groaning in disease or wonder/loudest groan. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Beginning of the weaver’s beams, ahh/beginning of calling. Word Ogham of Oengus: Beginning of answers/beginning of an answer.

Onn Literal meaning: ash-tree Letter: O Tree: furze (aiten) Book of Ballymote: Onn that is furze. Word Ogham of Morainn: Helper of horses, wheels of a chariot, equally wounding; whin/wounder of horses. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Strength of warriors, fierceness/[equipment] of warriorbands. Word Ogham of Oengus: Gentlest of work/smoothest of craftsmanship.

Ur Literal meaning: earth, clay, soil Letter: U Tree: heather (fraech) Book of Ballymote: Ur, that is heath. Word Ogham of Morainn: Terrible tribe, in cold dwellings; mould of the earth, or heath/in cold dwellings. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Completion of lifelessness, the grave/shroud of a lifeless one. Word Ogham of Oengus: Growing of plants/propagation of plants.

Edhad Literal meaning: unknown Letter: E Tree: aspen (crithach) Book of Ballymote: Horrible grief, that is, test tree or aspen. Word Ogham of Morainn: Distinguished man or wood/discerning tree. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Kinsman to the birch, aspen/brother of birch (?) Word Ogham of Oengus: Additional name for a friend/exchange of friends.

Idhad Literal meaning: yew-tree (?) Letter: I Tree: yew (idhad) Book of Ballymote: Yew. Word Ogham of Morainn: Oldest of woods, service tree, yes/oldest tree Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: strength or colour of a sick man, people or an age/energy of an infirm person. Word Ogham of Oengus: Abuse for an ancestor or pleasing consent/fairest of the ancients.

Ebad Literal meaning: unknown Letter: EA Tree: apsen (critchach) Word Ogham of Morainn: Fair-swimming letter. Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Fairest fish. Word Ogham of Oengus: [admonishing?] of an infirm person.

Óir Literal meaning: gold Letter: OI Tree: spindle-tree or ivy (feorus, edind) Word Ogham of Morainn: Most venerable substance. Word Ogham of Oengus: Splendour of form.

Uillen Literal meaning: elbow Letter: UI Tree: honeysuckle (edleand) Word Ogham of Morainn: Fragnant tree. Word Ogham of Oengus: Great elbow/cubit.

Iphín Literal meaning: spine, thorn (?) Letter: IO Tree: gooseberry or thorn (spinan, ispin) Word Ogham of Morainn: Sweetest tree. Word Ogham of Oengus: Mostwonderful taste.

Emancholl Literal meaning: twin of hazel Letter: AE Word Ogham of Morainn: Groan of a sick person. Word Ogham of Oengus: Groan of a sick person

#paganism #ogham #ogham runes #Ogam #celtic paganism #Celtic history #Long Reads

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arya3610 · 7 years ago

Text

Was tagged by @jay--may

Rules: Answer these statements and tag 20 people (i... don't have 20 friends I'm a loser)

I tag @hereforhistory, @space-juice-smoothie, @jeonghandled, @queenofminininjas and uuuhhh anyone else who sees this and wants to do it go for it, I’d love to see what you say

also if i tagged you and you dont want to, you can ignore me, its cool lol

ALSO JUST BEE TEE DUBS THIS IS A LOT LONGER THAN I THOUGHT LOL SO IF U DONT HAVE THE TIME DONT WORRY ABOUT IT

THE LAST:

1. Drink: Tap water lol

2. Phone call: I missed a call from my mom like two hours ago

3. Text message: my mom telling me to do my laundry

4. Song you listened to: probably Nightmares by All Time Low. It’s good, I’m a fan.

5. Time you cried: ah jeez, idk like... junior year? so 2-3 years ago. Everyone in the drama club went out for an after-party thing except me bc everyone forgot to invite me lol. found out about it later and cried pretty hard. still makes me sad tbh.

HAVE YOU:

6. Dated someone twice: id have to date someone Once for that ahahah. No.

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: No

8. Been cheated on: Nope.. Again, requires a relationship to begin with

9. Lost someone special: family members, yes, but in a romantic sense, no

10. Been depressed: um I've been sad plenty of times but idk about like “depression”? Maybe?

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: no lol I'm under the legal drinking age and also not into breaking laws

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS:

12. purple

13. blue

14. that kind of iridescent black where you can see rainbows in it

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:

15. Made new friends: Yeah! :D

16. Fallen out of love: No lol haven't been in it to fall out

17. Laughed until you cried: like once. it was this video

18. Found out someone was talking about you: um no? hopefully not

19. Met someone who changed you: I don't think so?

20. Found out who your friends are: wow this is worded aggressively lol. My friends are all great <3

21. Kissed someone on your FB list: Nope, no kisses from me

GENERAL:

22. How many Facebook friends do you know in real life: all of them lol Facebook is used for family (i don't get on it a lot, my family is awful)

23. Do you have any pets: I have a long haired German Shepherd named Micah! She is adorable

24. Do you want to change your name: Not really. I used to as a kid bc its super common, but I'm used to it at this point lol

25. What did you do for your last birthday: had cake lol ACTUALLY MY BIRTHDAY IS FRIDAY (7/28) SO IM EXCITED FOR THAT

26. What time did you wake up: like 8:25. and then I cursed my sister for waking me up so early lol

27. What were you doing at midnight last night: watching Ray Narvarez Jr. (Brownman) play Dream Daddy lol

28. Name something you can’t wait for: my books to ship in! I ordered a bunch of novels from Amazon :D

29. When was the last time you saw your Mom: last night :)

30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: maybe my family? I just wish they were more accepting and less super Christian republicans

31. What are you listening to right now: my brother watching Youtube videos in the other room. idk what he's watching but it sounds like a lot of yelling

32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: yeah, Tommy and I were co-valedicorians of our high school :D He’s super chill guy

33. Something that is getting on your nerves: My mom telling me i can't dye my hair again for a while lol

34. Most visited website: probably Youtube or tumblr

35. Mole/s: ALLLL OVER I am a very mole covered person lol freckles too, but not on my face which is weird

36. Mark/s: birthmark on the back of my right hip lol

37. Childhood dream: I wanted to be an Author bc I loved to read so much like all the time

38. Hair color: It’s a darker blonde with purple streaks and bits all over. the purple is fading out though. :(

39. Long or short hair: oh my goodness, my hair is long. It hits a few inches below my bra strap

40. Do you have a crush on someone?: nope, not really my thing lol

41. What do you like about yourself: I like my hair lol. No matter what else happens in my life, I can always say my hair is soft af

42. Piercings: lobe piercings and one up on the shell (thinking of adding another set of lobes and another shell one, but... in time, in time...)

43. Blood type: I don't know??? is this a thing Im supposed to know??

44: Nicknames: not really

45. Relationship status: Single and not really looking to change that for the moment

46. Zodiac: Leooooo

47. Pronouns: she/her

48. Favorite TV shows: SPN, Broadchurch, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine lol

49. Tattoos: NOT YET but I will... one day

50. Right or left hand: Right hand

51. Surgery: nope, I am a healthy child

52. Hair dyed a different color: Purple! love it, would do it again and again

53. Sports: Noooope

54. Vacation: went to Florida earlier this month lol

55. Shoes: what is this even asking lol like “shoes” how many, what kind? idk Im just going to skip it

56. Eating: nothing currently

57. Drinking: uh water? Stay hydrated kids

58. I’m about to: play Stardew Valley :D

59. Waiting for: uh. My motivation to finish my 20 AUs?

60. Want: a cookie rn like dang that sounds good

61. Get married: Maybe one day, but they’d have to be pretty great

62. Career: I am a college student, currently

WHICH IS BETTER:

63. Hugs or kisses: Hugs!! Warm hugs!!

64. Lips or eyes: Uh idc? I don't really pay attention to either I guess. Eyes?

65. Shorter or taller: This seems kind of shallow lol idk Taller?

66. Older or younger: as long as they’re nice, idc

67. Nice arms or nice stomach: um okay but how about nice sense of humor? :D

68. Sensitive or loud: my dog is loud, thank you for asking

69. Hook up or relationship: relationship I guess

70. Troublemaker or hesitant: these are weiiiirrrd queessstiiooonnsss

HAVE YOU EVER:

71. Kissed a stranger: Nah

72. Drank hard liquor: nope

73. Lost glasses/contact lenses: Nope! I’m very careful with my contacts and glasses

74. Turned someone down: Yes but it was for a good reason lol

75. Sex on first date: Aahahahahahaa Im Ace yo

76. Broken someone’s heart: Nope, no one really feels that way about me

77. Had your heart broken: nope, I’ve never fell in love with anyone

78. Been arrested: no, I was valedictorian lol I am the most boring child

79. Cried when someone died: no, but no one super close to me has died

80. Fallen for a friend: No, but my friends are great <3 <3

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

81. Yourself: I believe in a thing called love... just listen to the rhythm of my heart lol

82. Miracles: idk?

83. Love at first sight: i believe in infatuation at first sight that can develop into love. I also believe in an aesthetic/sexual attraction that can develop into love. idk about love at first sight

84. Santa Claus: He’s a good dude. You do you, Santa

85. Kiss on the first date: if ur feeling it man go for it. I’ve never been on a date so idk XD

OTHER:

86. Current best friend: idk I have a lot of important friends

87. Eye color: Brooown

88. Favorite movie: uh... I like Hercules a lot?

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qnangelica-blog · 8 years ago

Text

Stained Glass Eyes

Note: I’m a new fic writer! I love writing but I’m also super busy so I’m not sure how frequently I’ll get to write but I’m doing this so hopefully more often than not. Lmao also I started writing this like 2 years ago for a completely different fandom so the first few chapters (bc there will be more than one) the writing could be a little weird, I’m editing them and such but they’ll most probably be different than later chapters bc I’d like to hope that my writing has improved since then :) This is the 1st chapter, so it’s just getting things started, let me know if a part 2 is wanted!

Pairing: Lafayette x reader

Summary: (High School! AU) Lafayette and (Y/N) are seniors, and their paths only crossed under an unfortunate (and unlikely) event.

Warnings: some swearing, semi-badly translated french

Word count: 2310

Laf

“Merde” was my first thought as I walked into the school building. Three years into American high school, and I was not having une bonne fois (a good time). My friends were great, but I can’t say the same for Ridgeview High School. I was ready to go and explore the country, to bring justice to those who need it most. Instead, I was stuck in an old (and kind of dirty) building learning mostly boring things. Seulement une année de plus. Seulement une année d (Only one more year to go. Only one more yea)-

“Laf!” Hercules, one of my best friends (and partner and crime) yelled. He started barrelling towards me, having no mercy for the poor freshman he mowed down on his way over.

“Herc!” I shouted back, not being able to help myself. I ran towards him too, but, he wanted to high five, and I wanted to hug, so he ended up slapping me in the face and we both stumbled a bit.

“Fun.” I muttered, reeling slightly from the force of Hercules’ slap. Herc was laughing, seemingly unaffected by nearly falling to the ground. He was one of the few people I acted like a relatively normal person around. To most at Ridgeview, I was the aloof Frenchman, who wouldn’t give many people the time of day. I was with the “in crowd”, and no one could touch us. It bothered me that my friends and I didn’t bother to associate ourselves with people lower down on the “social pyramid", but Burr and Jefferson insisted that we had an image to keep up. As much as I enjoyed their friendships, their elitist attitudes really irked me, to the point where I could only take small doses of them. When we graduate Alexander, Herc, John, and I plan to band together and do something to help people in need. We just can’t agree on what to actually do. Start a nonprofit, become politicians, go on speaking tours, whatever it will take to make change.

“I would ask you how your summer was, but I spent most of it with you. How’s life?” Hercules asked.

“Eh, c’est pas grave, mais- (it isn’t bad but-)” I started talking but he was quickly distracted by Alex and John walking toward us.

“Johnny boy!” Herc yelled, yet again, a wide grin spreading across his face.

“Jerkules!” John shouted back. Good to see he hadn’t changed a bit.

When they got to us, I smiled at Alexander. “‘Bonjour, Hamilton.”

“Salut, Lafayette, ça va (Hi, Lafayette, how are you)?” He grinned back at me.

I rolled my eyes. “Je ne suis pas un grand admirateur d’ici (I’m not a big fan of here).”

Alex slapped me on the back. “Well, feel sad no more!” His signature grin spread across his face, then he nudged John.

“Attention people of Ridgeview’s main hallway!” Multiple people looked up, some getting their phones out in order to spread the word of whatever John was about to say. “Alex and I are having a party at my house this weekend. Tell all of your friends!” he yelled.

“Except Thomas!” Alexander quickly added, only half jokingly.

Everyone immediately burst into excited chatter; people knew John and Alex threw the wildest parties, so it was no question that the turnout would be huge. I, for one, was quite excited. I loved their parties, particularly because of the chance of les jolies filles (pretty girls) attending.

I talked to Herc for a minute before turning around to find John and Alex making out against my locker. “Hey! Non! If you two could not taint my locker, that’d be great.” John pulled away and smiled sheepishly, but then proceeded pull Alex a locker over and continue their antics.

I quickly got my Physics II book out of my locker so I could not have to see any more of John’s tongue being that far down Alex’s throat, and hurried down the hall to catch up with Herc, who was on his way to find his English classroom.

“Herc! Attends (wait)-” I bumped into someone on my quest for my friend. I looked and was momentarily taken aback. Elle est trés belle (she is very beautiful). Her (Y/E/C) quickly drew me in. I remembered that I wasn’t supposed to be friendly with those not in my social circle. I had never wanted to disagree with Burr’s philosophy more. However, after seeing a flash of fear in her eyes, I snapped out of it.

“Watch where you’re going.” I said, harshly. I know it was a bit cold, but I can’t show weakness or associate myself with someone as unknown as her, because I feared Jefferson, as did the rest of the school (except maybe Hamilton). I pushed down the emotion that came with bumping into her, and remembered what Jefferson said: “if you didn’t know who they are, then they must not be that important.”

It was lunchtime, and I was so relieved. Physics really was not my cup of tea, Mr. Jones’ lectures made sense when I was there, but as soon as I received the homework all of his words flew out the window.

“Laf!” Herc shook me lightly. “You’re totally out of it. What gives?”

“S’il te plait (please), never speak like that again. And I just had to go through more than an hour of electric fields.” I smiled lightly. Everyone at the table groaned, starting to complain about their teachers and classes they had this year.

I looked over to Jefferson, who was sitting a couple of people away from me, as far away from Hamilton as possible. He smiled lightly at me and waved. “How’s your first day of school going so far, Laf?”

“Like I said, J’ai plus de une heure de la physique. Je préfèrais être mis dans un champ électrique que apprends plus de choses sur eux (I had more than one hour of physics, I would rather be put in an electric field than learn more things about them).” I said, scrunching my nose up and earning some chuckles from my friends at the table.

“Okay, but you notably did not say that earlier, because you were speaking in English at that point,” John pointed out, Hercules nodding as well.

A collective chuckle spread across the table, then quieted down slightly, everyone having their own conversation. Honestly, the lunches at my school weren’t half bad, nobody really complained about them, and they had all the elements that are needed for a growing teenager. It was surprisingly good for the classic American high school. I looked around the room, and my eyes immediately landed on cette belle fille (that beautiful girl) I bumped into earlier. She was sitting next to girl with dark hair and a pink dress, who was talking to her, but she didn’t really seem to notice. She was staring right back at me. I quickly averted my eyes, making sure no one had seen the exchange. Like I said before, I wasn’t really supposed to associate myself with people outside the group.

A few minutes later, I looked back, but this time the mystery girl averted her eyes when I caught her staring for the second time. Je me demande qu’elle veut. (I wonder what she wants).

The lunch bell rang, causing a collective groan to ripple throughout the cafeteria. No one wanted to go back to class, obviously. I had U.S. History next and I was okay with that. I liked learning about this still kind of new country, and what lead to the systems in place today. That was my last period because I had a free one after that, so I planned on just going to the library and hoping to get a computer to study before Alex drove John and I home.

However, all throughout history, I couldn’t get that girl out of my head.

(Y/N)

The first day back at school was always one of the best. You walked into the Ridgeview doors slowly, taking in the environment you would be in for the next nine months.

You didn’t mind school, you were an honors student and on the student council. You kind of just cruised along socially, some people knowing who you were, and others not (despite you being friends with some of the most known and respected people in school), and that was mostly how you liked it. You were excited for the first council meeting tomorrow, you wanted to see if something could be done about the lack of functioning computers in the library and the state of the school bathrooms, you only ever used the one at home.

Along with making changes to the school, you help out with the special ed students when you can. No one really messes with the student council, not because you’re all badass and terrifying-- quite the opposite, actually-- it’s just that you make meaningful changes and people respected you for that.

Suddenly, you heard a familiar voice project throughout the hallway. “Attention people of Ridgeview’s main hallway! Alex and I are having a party at my house this weekend. Tell all of your friends!” John Laurens shouted.

“Except Thomas!”

Hmm, a party. You’ll have to ask your friends about whether you wanted to go or not. You quickly went to your locker to get your French textbook and hurried to class so as not to be late.

“Herc! Attends-” you slammed into someone when walking down the main hallway. You recognized that voice. Oh no, you just ran into Marquis de Lafayette.

You looked up slightly, feeling embarrassed. You definitely had a slight crush on him. Thinking about him may or may not have made heat rush to your cheeks. You made eye contact with him; his face was blank for a split second before a look you couldn’t really read crossed it.

“Watch where you’re going.”

Oh. You nodded slightly and scurried away. Your crush on Laf was one sided and shallow. It’s clear that he’s super hot, it’s quite hard not to like him. He could be cold, distant, and mean, and didn’t like to associate himself with people who weren’t as popular as him. Oh well, you could always admire from afar, and pretend that he was super nice and wanted to make out with you… kind of like how Alexander and John were against someone’s locker. As cool as you thought they were, you were not incredibly enthusiastic to continue watching.

You hurried along to your class, trying to see if you could find your friend Angelica on the way. You had no such luck, not finding her in the halls. Suddenly, a pair of cold hands clamped themselves over your eyes. “Guess who?”

Spoke too soon. “Eliza!” you exclaimed jokingly, knowing it was not her. You turned around, smiling at your best friend. Her eyes were curious, her dress was pink, and her mood was fierce. She was holding a can of Peace Tea (typical) and a little box in her outstretched hand.

“What’s this?” you asked, taking the box from her.

“Well, I didn’t see you all summer because I was in Florida, so here!”

You opened the box, seeing an assortment of little charms for a bracelet she had gotten you on her vacation. The charms shimmered and glinted in the fluorescent hallway lighting, and made a delightful jingling sound as you picked up the bracelet and inspected it. You’re sure Angelica had spent a lot of time trying to find charms that said something about you, and you engulfed her in a hug. “Thanks so much, Angel!”

“It’s Angelica.” she grumbled playfully.

“Yeah, well tell that to kindergarten me who didn’t know how to pronounce your name,” you smiled. “What do the new charms mean?”

Angelica grinned. “This one,” she pointed to a little fist, “represents our friendship, because we’re bros.”

You snorted, doing your best jock imitation. “Totally, my main dudebro!”

She rolled her eyes and continued. “This one’s a needle, to represent sewing the broken heart charm back together.” Wow, Angel had put a lot of thought into this. “The boxing gloves is what ur boo thang Laf does, and the best person in the universe, a.k.a. me, so obviously you have to have a charm to remind you of us.”

You gave her a look of horror, making sure no one had heard her announce your crush on the school’s resident frenchman. It’s not like it wasn’t uncommon for people to have crushes on him, especially considering his looks, but even so, if anyone heard that you had a crush on the Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, you would never live it down. “Shhhh!” you shoved Angelica lightly.

She laughed, showing you the last charm. “This one’s a shooting star, representing my knowledge that you’re going places with your life, and the fact that you should always remember that your dreams are possible and worth reaching for.”

You pulled her into a hug. She put so much thought into this, you really couldn’t have asked for a better best friend. “Thanks so much, Angel. I got you some knuckle tape but it’s at my house, you can come over after school if you want.”

“It’s all good, girl. And sure, I’ll meet you out front after school, I gotta go give Peggy her charger and head to music.” And with that Angelica walked off down the hallway, being mindful of the lost freshman.

You gently readjusted your french book that Laf had jostled and headed off to class.

At lunch, you and Angelica sat together, along with Peggy, Eliza, Sally, and Maria. You arrived to the table, quickly falling into conversations about your summers and excitement for the upcoming year. However, you quickly became very busy staring at Laf, Angelica and Maria were trying to figure out the equation of the curve of Peggy’s butt with their graphing calculators, and Eliza and Sally were having their own little conversation.

Angelica leaned over and nudged you. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

You laughed. “As if I haven’t stalked his social medias for selfies all the time. I have seen many pictures in my years, young woman.” You continued to stare. You couldn’t help yourself, he was just so goddamned attractive. You’re pretty sure you could start a fan club for his biceps, you probably wouldn’t be the only one in it. The way his nose crinkles slightly when he smiled, or his tan skin, or how you really wanted to run your hands through his thick hair…

You were so busy staring and daydreaming that you didn’t notice him looking back at you. As soon as you snapped out of it, he quickly averted his eyes.

You hit Angelica’s arm repeatedly until she looked at you. “I just made eye contact with Lafayette,” you squeaked.

“I’ll start planning the wedding immediately.” She rolled her eyes, chuckling lightly at your antics, then added: “He’s not that great, you know.”

You mock gasped at her. “Angelica! We all know he’s all that great… looking.” You sent her a goofy smile.

She tried not to smile as she replied. “True.”

You looked back, just to see him staring right back at you. You were the one to avert your eyes this time. You turned to Angelica and started talking to her quietly, asking her what the eye contact could’ve meant.

Angelica just rolled her eyes again. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to get the invites out fast enough, your relationship with him is moving so fast!”

You laughed sarcastically. “Oh, ha fucking ha, Angel. You are actually the funniest person I’ve ever met in my entire life.”

“I know, I’m hilarious.” She stood up and bowed dramatically.

“Hey, did anyone hear about Lams’ party?” Maria asked the table.

“Oh yeah, what do you guys think?” I asked, looking around at your friends’ faces.

“Hell yeah I’m in, I’m always ready to look hot and find a cute guy!” Peggy exclaimed. After getting a look from Eliza and Angelica, she coughed. “I mean, I always love partying responsibly!”

“Alright, calm down Pegs.” Sally said, causing a collective laugh to spread throughout the table.

“I’m fine with it.” Eliza said, having everyone agree with her.

“Alright, we’ll go then.” You said.

“Yes! Squad up!” Peggy yelled.

“How about shut up?” You laughed, pushing her shoulder lightly to let her know you were joking.

Shortly afterwards, the bell rang, and you all made your ways to your respective classes. After school, Angelica and Eliza came to yours, and you studied and argued passionately about conspiracy theories. They went home later, and after they left, you ate and went to sleep, preparing yourself for school the next day.

#lol sorry for that ending #this is my first imagine on here pls don't roast me #hamilton #hamilton imagine #lafayette x reader #lafayette imagine #reader insert #hamilton fanfic

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lamiaward · 8 years ago

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Operation Out, part 3

I don’t own OUAT

Operation Out

Agents:

R. Mills. Enchanted forest alias: the Evil Queen. Storybrooke alias: Henry's mother, Emma's friend, mayor. Code name: Persephone.

H. Mills. Enchanted forest alias: non. Storybrooke alias : son of the mayor & Emma. Code name: Hercules.

" I also thought it would be handy to write down the aliases, so- " he flips a couple of pages to show her blank pages- apart from the several lines at the beginning. Even with Henry and Emma as a soothing palm , the words 'Snow White', still make that familiar burn her a little.

" I don't think I have everyone though- or all the information" she nearly melts at how enthusiastic he looks, more-or-less bouncing in his seat with enthusiasm. He had been warming up to her, after long and difficult months of struggle, but he had not been with her like this for a long time and she is slightly mortified to realize there are tears in her eyes. They could both be from happiness- or sadness at the remembrance of what she had once had all the time, what had been so effortless.

He looks at her , grins for a moment, mouth already opening to ask a question- then frowns. " M-mom? Are you okay?".

She swallows. You should not keep your feelings from him Regina, it makes him feel like shit! It makes him think he doesn't matter, or that you are lying. It's Emma's voice she hears, something she has actually said and they fought over. Now, it makes her press down on the urge to school her face, to make sure her little prince never sees how she hurts inside so much, how is simultaneously happy and terrified and angry.

" It is noth- " she quickly corrects herself when she notes the tension in him, the subtle way he holds his breath and his eyes start to harden- " It is not something I wish to trouble you with, Henry. Not- " she struggles. It is only the desperate fear of losing him again that makes her able to continue talking. And even then , the words are stilted and she is weak enough that she needs the slight pain of her nails in her own skin to be able to continue. " It is not that I do not trust you – or think you incapable. But you are young -and you deserve to be happy" she smiles self-deprecatingly. " Not burdened by your mother's faults".

He bites on his lips. " I don't think I mind your faults. I am not- " she wonders whether he inherited her disability to be able to speak about emotions freely , or whether it is just that he finds it difficult to bring them under words. " I am not talking about the stuff you did in the enchanted forest, but the small things. You tried to hide you were afraid or in pain or uncertain and that kind of sucks? I just want you to be honest".

" I am. Henry, I will try so very hard to always be truthful to you know".

He grins again. She inhales sharply and widens her eyes a little to stop herself from crying. She is not losing him, she finally admitted everything and – for now , at least- it seems that it will not cause her to lose him. She might be able to truly win, for once. (because what else is winning if not keeping on to this thing she has built with Henry and Emma, sometimes she is terrified to name- lest it is truly what she has been searching for all this time, and she has only found it now she stands to lose everything. )

" I notice" it takes her two seconds to lead her thoughts away from that dark place they sometimes go to, that terrifying what will I lose this time, and remember. It is good that he knows she is trying, that he hopefully knows she would try anything if it meant keeping her son.

" Good. That is- I am glad".

"Yeah, me too" he looks at her, hesitates and asks " are you okay, mom?".

" I am fine" when he mirrors her you-are-not-fooling-me-your-homework-is-unfinished look, she adds "I am not fibbing, my dear"

He looks at her for several seconds, then slowly nods. " Kay" after a short hesitation, he points at the page, then looks back up at her with a small grin. "Do you have all the information?".

" What kind of information, Henry?".

He shrugs. " About the townspeople. Their enchanted forest counterparts, what your curse took from them, what would give them a happy ending now… we need as much information as possible if we want to help them".

" I am afraid I do not follow, Henry. How is this going to destroy the curse?".

He bites his lip again. " Well. I started thinking. At first, all of this- " she is stuck, hallway between exasperation and fondness, when he makes a vague gesture " was just really simple- it was easy to see who was wrong and what had to happen, you know? It was kind of like in the comics".

He is silent for a beat, then swallows. She is already half-standing, ready to engulf him in a hug (if he will let her) before she can even be sure it is tears in his eyes. His next words surprise her ( and something else. Guilt, perhaps?) " I didn't really think – I am still not sure I believe you. Not about Snow and Charming anyways. But maybe- heroes can make bad choices so I guess I started thinking about what they would d-do".

She unfreezes, speed walks to him and opens her arms at the moment he jumps up, enabling him to hug her tightly. She can hear him – not crying, exactly. Perhaps he is trying not to cry. Please do not believe you need to hide your pain from me, mi Corazon. Not ever. She could try herself, but it would be pointless.

" I am so mad at you. I am so mad. But I don't want to lose you".

She squeezes him. " Jamás, mi cielo".

He squeezes back. She can feel him calm slightly and she has to fight herself not to pull him back when he slowly starts to pull away. Wiping away his tears is so instinctual she cannot fight it , though. Fortunately, he doesn't comment on it. Hardly squirms.

"You can't be evil anymore".

She opens her mouth, ready to protest, to say she never really was, she isn't the only one who made mistake, precious Snow White is as rotten as she seems innocent and pure- " They will take you from me. And I can't – I can't- " he pales and trembles and a part of her rears up like a spitting cobra and screams ungrateful! Ten years, I loved you. The other part rears back like a beaten dog, wants to reach for him.

She compromises. Her hand is on his shoulder and the words could be harsh- could be, but they aren't. " Would you truly abandon me?"

" If the curse breaks and you're still- " he points at the book. " that. Then I can't – mom, I know you can do better. I have seen it".

She just nods, presses her hand to her stomach as he moves away and sits down again. The atmosphere is still tense, her throat is closed and Henry looks close to tears (angry? sad?) himself. But it is nothing compared to the hatred (I don't think he hated you. That kid loves you, Regina, and far too much to ever hate you. Even if you were the evil queen) of before.

Henry slowly moves the notebook to her. " Take a look at it".

She is just as careful, nearly mechanic, terrified that their peace is like glass, will break as soon as she dares to breathe too loudly. " You still have not told me what the information is for, Henry".

She nearly shudders with relief as Henry relaxes and seems almost normal as he takes a large bite of what is left of his sandwich and chews before swallowing. The only thing that isn't ordinary, is how he looks awkward and slightly nervous as he looks again. "One page before this one".

He starts to explain as she reads.

" I got the idea when Emma got hurt during the fight with Frollo - you were screaming at her and I thought it was anger at first, but then you were healing her and let her stay the night. And I know I was supposed to go to bed, but I lingered and I heard you comfort m- Emma when she was upset about something"

He takes this moment to glance at her, obviously expecting a reprimand. And he probably should get one, because she had a reason for wanting him upstairs, far away from very complicated matters. Henry might have thought Frollo had merely been inebriated and resisted arrest (which is what Regina had told him) but that had not been everything at all. Even Regina hadn't gotten everything out of Emma- who grimaced as she rubbed at her bloody knuckles and seemed frail and livid at the same time- but it had been enough to nauseatingly take her back to a too-big bed and an old man that pretended he had just forced her into marriage for his darling daughter's sake.

There had been a reason the curse had made Frollo one of the town's garbage collectors, the proud man forced to clean rubble to rest of his cursed life, without knowing why he had chosen a job he hated like this and thought beneath him- but apparently it had not been enough to beat him. He had somehow managed to scramble enough money (perhaps steal it) to buy drinks for himself. Emma had not just found him 'shitfaced' but also trying to feel up a young woman ( 'she was like fucking eighteen, Regina, and that slimy, ancient fucking - ) that obviously didn't know how to make him stop. They both had not wanted to tell Henry the sickening details of what had truly happened, so had decided to give him the gist of what had happened.

The night had ended with both of them unsettled, and a stark awareness of the understanding and similarities between them.

What did you hear? Please, not anything that will-

"I was already getting ready to storm downstairs when you sat down next to Emma and you somehow- you made her smile for the first time in hours. And I thought , 'that's it' . "he finally breathes again- good, she was already starting to worry he would choke- and smiles with red cheeks and glinting eyes.

She glances at the notebook:

Operation out,

Stage: I.

Name: Redemption.

"We are going to redeem you"

"Redeem. Me?"

" Yeah. Read the notebook!"

Specifics: Redeeming mom - returning to heroics.

Strategies: bring back the townspeople's happy endings. Charity? Search for people that could be mom's friends (no villains!) in town.

Necessities: more information. Mom?

She turns to the next page. Breaths her nose, once, before she forces herself to read it. Snow white. Enchanted forest : princess Snow White Storybrooke : Mary Margaret (Teacher. Emma's friend) Curse: separated from true love. Happy ending: family. Strategy: ask mom where prince Charming is. She flips the page, has only a quick moment of relief before she is fighting the urge to roll her eyes again. Prince Charming. Enchanted forest: Shepherd David. Prince James/Charming Storybrooke : ? Happy ending: family.

She turns several more pages. Some hold actual names – Red riding hood, Jiminy cricket, Gepetto-, others are descriptions- the scary woman from the convent, the super nice man at the stables, the woman that mom buys roses for – and others could be anyone( shop lady, gardener). There are definitely of them however. So many, in fact, that she wonders whether she half-teasingly, half-exasperatedly asks " Do we require another curse, so we receive the 28 years it will take to help all these people?".

" Mom! You promised".

" I know. It is just- " she glances at the pages again, then sighs " a very long list".

" That's because you weren't lazy enough to cast a curse over less than an entire country".

" It had nothing to do with laziness- even though that certainly should not be excused and- ".

" Mom. There are more important things, like happy endings and the curse breaking"

"right. So who should we help?".

Henry fidgets a little. " You know, there is a reason their names were first".

" Henry, I can't- ".

He swallows. "They're my- they're I want to meet them".

She has gotten used to 'sharing' him with Emma, but from the way she clenches her fist like there is a heart in it, the clank! Of her teeth as she snaps her jaw and the throbbing at her head, she knows she is not ready to share Henry with the two idiots. The very thought makes thoughts creep into her head, images of the shepherd's body, of how easy it would be to stop those machines attached to him, of how she could tell a white lie about an insane teacher snapping, of how wonderful it would be to have Snow-

" M-mom" it is Henry's voice, quiet and desperate like she can't ever remember hearing it that makes it stop. She blinks slowly, tries a smile, wonders why that feels so unfamiliar and odd. He swallows. " You were being really weird".

" … Weird?" she says it like she is only barely awake.

For a heart-stopping moment, she thinks he will run. He glances at the door almost desperately, his hands are clutched around the seat of his chair, he is leaning forward, entire body tense. Then he narrows his eyes slightly, and she almost wishes he would run. It would almost be easier to bear than the disgust and loathing she expects to follow.

" You had this crazy expression. Like- " his eyes widen. " The curse is unravelling. Does that mean- are you, are you turning back into the Evil Queen?".

"Henry, no! " she takes a deep breath to sound more normal, not like that. " I am your mother. That is all I require to be".

" I don't believe you. I know you still hate them".

" But I love you"

" Proof it. Proof you I can trust you".

She grits her teeth, flexes her fingers like that will make the flames appear. " You wish me to help her".

" I knew it, I knew you wouldn't do it, I knew you didn't love - " it is the pain in her baby's eyes that makes her able to stop flexing her fingers, trying to summon fire, and instead walk over to him and bend over. It is like a knife in her stomach all over again when he pushes at her hands, glares at her.

" Henry. I do love you. No matter what your insipid teacher tells you, no matter what anyone tells you- I love you. I love you more than anything".

"But you won't help them ?"

She breathes in, out. Then nods, once. It is more of a jerk really. A spasm. But it is enough for Henry, whose face immediately brightens as he gives her a tentative smile. "Really? You will help them?".

One of her mother's favourite punishments was to wrap belts so tightly around her legs that she could feel the blood stop flowing. She feels like something similar has happened to her face right now. " Yes"

" You swear".

" Yes, I promise – there is just one issue Henry"

"You can't immediately take it back! You swore i-".

" If I reunite the two morons , their - " it is like swallowing cold medicine, honestly . "true love might break the curse. At which point everyone in this town will remember just how much they despise me".

Henry looks conflicted for a moment, before nodding. " We need to redeem you first. If everyone knows you've changed, that you have helped them- they should forgive you, right? I mean, that's what heroes would do…" he trails off, and she smiles at how much he resembles his younger self. Henry, aged four, was exactly like this on his first day of school: scared and uncertain- yet determined to show he was 'brave' and 'like an adult'.

She smiles at him like she did then, and knows he remembers as well when she says the exact same thing she did then " It is fine to be uncertain , and scared sometimes Henry".

" Yeah. I know" he swallows. " So .. we can't reunite Snow White with her prince? ".

She nearly grates her teeth, before she catches herself and instead only sneers. " Oh , we could. It just would uncertain their victory and my undoing ".

" I don't want you to be hurt. But- we can't leave gr- Snow like this, can we?".

more grating than nails on a blackboard, or the alarm clock going off, but only grimaces before answering. "I suppose I might know of a way to improve the state of Snow's mental health" she admits. The anger at helping Snow diminishes at the nearly giddy smile her son throws her.

"Really?"

" Yes. My vault still holds potion ingredients, as well as grimoires. I am unable to access my magic – but most potions will still function".

" So you have one that could help gr- Snow?".

"Well, the easiest solution would be to hand her a forgetting-".

" NO!" she can almost hear Henry thinking of a 'nice' way to tell her he doesn't trust her. It still stings- even if she acknowledges her slight smirk at the idea probably is partly the cause of his vehement declaration.

" We can't do that to her. Do you know anything else?".

She sighs. Pity. "I have an idea. It will not be a permanent solution- but it might give us enough time to prepare".

" How much time?".

"I have no idea. I never prepared for the curse breaking".

" Well, you must have prepared something. Some sort of plan, or failsafe " Henry throws her the look of a ten-year-old boy who knows his mother very well, knows she has several agenda's, was already researching college when he was just nine years old and is generally what a certain blonde woman would call a " control freak".

I cannot be untruthful. If he suspects another lie, I might lose his affection permanently. But if I admit what was my 'failsafe'- he could never accept that. " Henry, I am not certain whether- ".

He narrows his eyes. " Mom. What was the failsafe?".

" You have to understand, it was-".

" Oh. My. God. It was to murder the saviour, was it not?".

" No- " he slumps in his chair for a moment, before her words make him straighten and glare. " That would have been foolish, considering that may have destroyed the curse as well".

" Mom! ".

" I am merely being truthful! And for the react- I did not have a concrete plan. I figured I would capture the saviour, hold her prisoner and eventually discover how to solve that particular conundrum".

" Conun-what?".

"Conundrum. It means 'puzzle, or challenge'.

" I can't believe you wanted to keep E- " he freezes. " So uh – what- what made you change your mind!" she knows it is just a question meant to divert her attention, but she answers regardless.

" You" she smiles automatically, as she thinks of how tiny and strong and perfect he had been. " I got you and- I decided the curse breaking was a prize willing to pay if it meant I had the chance to be your mother".

They're both quiet for a while, smiling at each other. Henry's smile is small, and far more hesitant, but she attempts to only focus on the fact that he is even smiling at all. She has had to miss those smiles for ages, and then had to be content with smiles he tried to morph into glares as soon as he realized he was smiling at her. It has only been recently that smiles have once again become something Henry gives to her regularly.

" I am glad. That you choose me"

She looks up from where she had been staring at Daniel's ring. Stares at him for a moment, something tight and painful in her chest and crawling up her throat. It is odd- how people can hurt this much, and yet be so incredibly happy at the same time. " I am- " her voice actually cracks, so she clears it. " I am very happy too, Henry".

" Even if – even if I turned out to not be what you hoped?".

"Henry. Mi Corazon, you are everything I could have possibly hoped for- you are certainly more than I would ever have dared to hope for" she teasingly adds " Although I certainly did not wish for a son who believes cleaning your room means hiding dirty clothing and everything else you ought to clean, beneath your bed " .

"I was in a hurry. And I had other, more important things to do"

She shakes her head. " Henry, I know-".

"And my room is clean now anyways. More or less. Can we continue with the curse business?"

"I somewhat doubt that. And yes, that is fine".

He tugs the notebook towards him again, grabs the pen on her desk and starts writing. When he is done, he turns the notebook so she can read: Operation 'Out'. Stage 1, Redemption. Phase: Nostos.

" Nostos as in lake Nostos?".

" Uh-huh. Because that's healing water. And now we are going to heal her too!" he grins. "Besides, I think it sounds pretty cool. Don't you think?".

"It does sound quite 'cool', Henry" she sounds so uncomfortable and uncertain for a moment that Henry snorts. He tries to apologize again, but then ends up laughing uncontrollably. Which, in turn, makes her laugh again.

Soon , they are nearly choking on laughter without fully knowing why. It feels like old times.

Henry truly must have superpowers.

It is the only explanation. That, or she has finally lost her sanity and/or her common sense. Whatever the cause, it is still completely preposterous, inconceivable and infuriating. She is having lunch. That is not inconceivable- some foolish townspeople might make jokes about how she is a cyborg and only half-joke, but she does actually require food to survive. Like anyone.

No, what is inconceivable is that she is having lunch with Mary Margaret. Or Snow White, for this woman is not the meek teacher that would stammer and then somehow manage to talk back to her for approximately ten seconds, before flushing slightly and apologizing.

This is not that woman. There is nothing slightly naïve , empathic and lonely about this woman. Snow stares at her, eyes slightly narrowed. Usually, the way her fingers tremble where they are clutched around the hot chocolate, would satisfy Regina but there is something undefinable in her stomach. She feels unsettled, and it is worse than just sitting across her enemy.

"Miss Mills? " Snow prods, her eyes still slightly narrowed. Regina is distracted by the bags she has failed to hide with make-up, the way her face is sunken in, the burst veins in her eyes… it should make her happy, or satisfied. It should at the very least make her feel there's justice in the world. She does something very different.

"I will be right back". She tells herself to just return to where she can feel Snow staring at her, to get this over with, but for some reason she doesn't. She leans over the counter slightly, sighing and rolling her eyes and feeling oddly like it is all a show. Ruby stares at her when she orders, and stares even more when she remains there to wait for the food.

She places the two extra plates of fries and hamburger in front of the menace. "Eat. You look like you will faint any moment, or get carried away by the wind".

" I – no thank you. I am fine"

"You obviously are not".

Regina stiffens, the feeling in her stomach now replaced with frost. She can feel her heartbeat speed up- that eye-roll and the expression? That's not Mary- Margaret, that's Snow.

" The entire town knows that" Regina relaxes slightly; that sounds more like Mary Margaret than Snow.

" True. Which is partly why I asked for this meeting".

" I am concerned about my son's education, miss Blanchard".

It cannot be good for her heart, having it race, slow down, race.. Mary-Margaret would never lower her hot chocolate like that , tilt her head and give her a look that suggests the woman has a backbone. " I would never allow my students to suffer, because I- I- " it is like a flashlight with half a battery, honestly. The slight stammer and the way she holds herself, shoulders drawn together, is all Mary Margaret again.

" And how do you presume to do that? Your .. condition seems to only have worsened".

As Mary-Margaret stammers out a reply to that, Regina opens the flask she had kept hidden. As soon as the woman in front of her is distracted, she empties the bottle in a mug of hot chocolate. She is quick. No one notices. Snow White brings the cup to her lips- and drinks what she just thinks is just hot chocolate.

#regal believer #swan queen #season 1 au #Regina/Henry working together to break the curse

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veesworldofpureimagines · 8 years ago

Text

Our Boys pt. 3 (Washington x Reader x Smol!Hamilsquad)

“Your story Our Boys is my absolute favorite! I was wondering if you could do a scene from it where one of the boys has a nightmare or something that startles them (i.e.-sick) and goes and is comforted by the reader and Washington and maybe stays and sleeps with them that night?”

“I hope you're not tired of this story, but there's nothing I'd love more than an "Our Boys" Part 3 (hopefully not too far in the future)! The story is just so amazing and it makes me so happy, I've lost count of the number of times I've re-read it! Also, it's still up to you, but I'd just really be interested to see a bit of angst thrown into the mix - maybe the reader gets into an accident? Nonetheless, I just wanna thank you for the amazing stories you've written, and keep being brilliant! =D”

A/N: I’m so glad to hear that you guys are enjoying my writing and the story of Our Boys. I’m slightly surprised that it was able to get this much hype, but I’m super thankful either way!

For Our Boys pt. 1, click HERE

For Our Boys pt. 2, click HERE

Once again, I’m proud to present another installment of Our Boys! Please enjoy!

Warnings: Thunderstorms, hospitals, surgery, panic attacks, car accidents

Words: 8,730

Alexander was afraid of thunderstorms. (Name) found that out only a little over a week after her talk with Hercules on the front porch. Specifically, she found out one night when she was up late creating a lesson plan for her students.

The city had been plagued with rain for the past few days, but that night was predicted to be the worst of it all. Tropical storms were moving in from the coast and battering down the surrounding areas. (Name) had noticed that Alexander seemed a more twitchy and anxious than usual, but she could see that Hercules was taking care of it. The elder of the boys would be next to Alexander throughout the rainy evenings, keeping close to his youngest brother.

There was one evening, however, that Hercules was not there for Alexander.

(Name) had pulled a binder and several outlines from years past out of her desk drawer to start planning for the week ahead. A knock on her office door caused her to look up. There stood her husband, giving (Name) a tired smile.

“You should come to bed.” He advised, leaning against the door frame.

The wife smiled thankfully at her husband, stepping over to him and pressing a kiss to his lips. “I know… I just need to at least start a lesson plan. My kids are finishing The Little Prince soon, they’ll need to do something afterward.” She explained, her hands finding his.

George chuckled softly, looking out the window in (Name)’s office. “The rain’s really coming down hard now, huh?”

(Name) nodded in agreement. “Yes… But you should go on, love. You’ve been working the football team all week.”

The coach gave a hoarse laugh, his voice overworked from yelling at the high schoolers. “You aren’t wrong.”

“I know I’m not,” (Name) hummed proudly. “Now, go to bed. You need the rest. I’ll be there soon, promise.”

“Okay… Only if I can get one more good night kiss.”

(Name) rolled her eyes at the retired general’s behavior, pressing a longer kiss to his lips as she cupped his cheeks. George reciprocated the kiss, his hands going to rest on his wife’s waist. She could feel his lips turn up slightly in the kiss before pulling away. “Alright, you got your kiss. Now march, that’s an order.”

George chuckled at his wife, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Yes, ma’am.” He said softly before slowly turning away from (Name) and walking down the hall to the shared bedroom. She watched as her husband stepped out of sight before turning back to her office and her work.

She could remember even after they had only recently been married, (Name) was still working towards her teaching degree and there would often be nights where George actually had to carry his new wife to bed. It never ceased to make (Name) laugh, however.

Shaking her head to focus on the task at hand, (Name) went to her desk and sat down. Laying out her papers and pulling a pen from her desk, the woman began to work as a brisk pace as to not have to stay up all night. She looked up for just a moment to see light flash out in the night sky from outside her window.

“And after lightning comes the-”

A loud clap of thunder boomed outside, joining the sound of rain beating against the house in a chorus of Mother Nature’s wrath. (Name) let out a tired sigh as she went back to her work. She had to get it done...

“Um… Mom?”

Looking up from her plan again, (Name)’s gaze settled on Alexander as he peeked into her office. He was stood huddled against the doorframe, his brown eyes shifting nervously around the room before meeting (Name)’s own eyes. The woman gave the youngest of the boys a smile and motioned for him to come in. “What’s got you up, Alexander?”

Alexander warily made his way over to his foster mother, flinching at the sound of thunder. “C-couldn’t sleep.” He mumbled quietly, looking up at (Name). “What about you?”

“Just some planning for classes coming up.” The woman replied with a tired sigh. “Work that needs to be done.”

The boy only gave (Name) a silent nod, looking over at the papers scattered over the desk. His brow furrowed slightly as he pointed at one of the late papers that the french teacher had taken to grade. “The answer for that is wrong.”

(Name) picked up the paper, intrigued to see what Alexander had found. “Oh? How so?”

“There, the word la mélodie. The person put it down as masculine.”

“But it’s actually feminine.” (Name) agreed with a nod. She smiled at Alexander, gently ruffling his short hair. “Nicely done, Alexander. I still forget that you’re fluent in French sometimes.”

Alexander laughed quietly. “Well, I try.” He replied before jumping at the sound of thunder.

(Name) quirked a brow at Alexander’s reaction. “Scared of thunderstorms, Alexander?”

He nodded stiffly, looking out at the window as the rain hit the glass in a steady pitter-patter. “More nervous than scared… Back home before I met the guys… We had hurricanes pretty often.”

(Name) nodded in understanding. “I get where you’re coming from.” She murmured softly, watching as Alexander anxiously glanced from the window to the shelves that lined (Name)’s office wall. “I used to be scared of thunderstorms too.”

Alexander’s brows rose in surprise. “You did?”

She nodded. “I did. And I’ll show you how I was able to get control of it.” She offered, holding a hand out to Alexander. “First, though. We need to get something from the kitchen.”

Looking at his foster mother’s hand, Alexander meekly took hold of it. “O… Okay.”

Smiling, (Name) led Alexander from her office and down the dark hallway. When the two reached the kitchen, Alexander went ahead and sat on one of the barstools next to the counter while (Name) went to the fridge. She pulled out the jug of milk… She had to remind George they needed more. She walked to the stove and pulled out a small pot.

“What are you making?” Alexander asked as he watched (Name) poor the milk into the pot.

“Something that my mom used to make for me. When it was raining at night and I couldn’t sleep, she would make me some warm milk with honey.” The woman explained as she put the pot on the stove eye, then turned up the heat.

“And that would help?” Asked the young teen with a quirked brow.

(Name) nodded. “Yeah, it helped me relax… While we waited for the milk to warm up, we would just talk about things… I remember this one time I had just got in a fight with my best friend and my mom wanted to know what happened.”

“What happened?” Alexander inquired.

The woman chuckled. “Well… We had gotten in a fight over this one boy who we both had a crush on… Thing is, we were only in the third grade.”

Alexander snickered quietly. “What was the boy like?”

“Oh, every third-grader’s dream. He was good at kickball, he shared his snacks, and he was polite.” (Name) laughed, shaking her head. “My best friend wanted him so bad that she started telling stories that I still wet the bed.”

Alexander’s brows rose in surprise. “What happened after that?”

(Name) sighed, thinking back to the evening where she sat in the kitchen with her mother all those years ago. “Well, I told my mom how I thought I couldn’t ever forgive my friend, but my mom told me that boys were confusing creatures and that I shouldn’t invest time in them until I found the right one… So I let it go, I told my friend later that she could have the boy and that I wanted to stay friends with her.”

The young man nodded in understanding, looking at (Name) as she went on. “And you did, when you met Dad.”

The woman chuckled, nodding in agreement. “That I did… And he’s all I could ever ask for in a husband.” She turned to the milk that was now steaming and bubbling. Moving to get a couple of mugs from the cabinet, she turned off the stove and smiled at Alexander. “But enough about me… What about you? How’s school going for you at the moment?”

Alexander shrugged, watching as his mom worked. “Okay I guess…”

“You’re making all A’s right now, so I hear.” (Name) remarked. It helped to be part of the staff when you wanted to look in on your kids.

The boy nodded, a bashful smile making its way to his lips. “I like school… It’s one of the nicer ones I’ve been to in a while… Getting to go to the same school with my brothers didn’t happen often.”

“I’m sure you’re glad to have the chance to do so.” (Name) spoke, pouring the warm milk into a mug and mixing in the honey. She handed the young teen the mug before making one herself. “Alright. Drink up, Alex.”

Conversation flowed easily between the two as they drank the warm milk. (Name) was pleased to see how Alexander grew more drowsy as they went on. That was exactly how her mother would get her to forget about the storm outside. Just give him something to focus on, make him sleepy, and soon the storm won’t matter.

Alexander gave a yawn before setting down his empty mug on the counter. “Thanks for the milk, mom… It really helped.” He mumbled.

Smiling kindly at the boy, (Name) ruffled his hair lightly. “You’re very welcome, Alexander. I’m more than glad to help out.”

The boy met his foster mother’s gaze for a moment before shyly fixing onto the tiled floor. “Mom?”

“Yes?” Responded (Name) as she put the two empty mugs in the sink.

“Could I… Would it be possible…” Alexander blushed as he tried to get his point across. “W-Would it be too much to ask if I could sleep with you and Dad tonight? Just this once?”

(Name) processed the question for a moment before smiling at Alexander. “I think that can be arranged.” She agreed, holding her hand out again for Alexander to take.

Taking the woman’s hand, Alexander was walked through the house once more until the two reached (Name)’s and George’s bedroom. The retired general was asleep, but his bedside lamp was still on, much to (Name)’s disliking.

“I swear, he’s gonna go through all of our lightbulbs.” (Name) grumbled quietly, causing Alexander to snicker. She smiled down at Alexander, leading him to her side of the bed before she walked around to turn off George’s lamp. Such an action caused the general to stir ever so slightly.

“(Name)?” He spoke sleepily.

“I’m here, love.” She answered quietly, kissing his forehead. “We have a little guest with us tonight.”

George’s eyes opened slightly as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head as he watched his wife walk back over to her side. His eyes followed her form and landed on a timid looking Alexander, but he still gave the boy a reassuring smile. “Storm getting to you, Alexander?”

The boy gave a nod. “It’ll just be for tonight, sir… I promise.”

George watched Alexander as he shifted nervously next to his wife. Giving a quiet chuckle, he moved the covers as to open spots for his youngest foster son and his wife. “Come on in, then. You aren’t going to get any sleep standing around.”

Alexander gave a thankful smile to his foster father before climbing onto the bed, (Name) following just behind him. The young boy made himself comfortable between his foster parents, letting out a tired yawn before he shut his eyes. “G’night Mom… Dad…” He mumbled.

(Name) pressed a kiss to Alexander’s forehead. “Goodnight, Alexander.”

“Sleep well, son.” George added quietly.

Within a matter of moments, Alexander had fallen asleep, his form rising and falling in a steady rhythm of his breathing. George chuckled softly, looking at his wife as she pulled her covers up. “What about that work you had to finish?”

“My boys come first, George. Alex, John, Lafayette, Hercules, they’re going to take priority.” (Name) replied, smiling down at Alexander’s sleeping face.

George smiled at his wife. “I hope I’m included in that as well.”

“You know you are.” (Name) answered with a small grin before a yawn escaped her lips.

“Okay. Time for you to get some rest too.” George told her gently, reaching over Alexander and rubbing (Name)’s cheek with his thumb.

The woman nodded, taking hold of George’s hand and pressing a kiss to his palm. “I know. I love you.”

“I love you too.” He whispered in reply as he watched his wife close her eyes, soon falling asleep as well.

Apparently, John was the nervous type when it came to hospitals and surgery. The foster mother wouldn't learn of this until she noticed his unwillingness to sleep the night prior to his operation.

(Name) bit her lip nervously as she watched the doctor walk away. She looked towards her husband, but George seemed just as lost for words as she was.

“I can’t believe this…” She murmured quietly, leaning on George’s shoulder.

“I’m just glad that Lee is getting expelled for this. And I’ll be damned if his family isn’t paying some portion of the medical bill.” George sighed, rubbing (Name)’s back comfortingly.

“It's hard to believe that Lee has had it out for John since the day he started school… After a year and a half you'd think he'd be over it by now…” The wife murmured in agreement as she focused on her husband’s soothing gestures.

Everything had been going smoothly that day. (Name) had been teaching one of her classes when she got the call from her husband that Charles Lee had gotten into it with John once again. This time, however, was much more serious than the last time.

Charles and John had gotten into a fight while the two were setting up the gym for playing a game of volleyball. George had his back turned long enough for Lee to shove John into the net, causing one of the collapsible poles holding the net to fall, breaking the upper part of his humerus and scapula, dislocating both the joint of the humerus and something call the “Acromioclavicular” joint, and fracturing his clavicle.

According to the doctor, John would need surgery to repair what damage had been done. While it wasn’t a major surgery, (Name) was still worried about her son.

George took (Name)’s hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. “Come on… We should tell the boys what’s going on.”

Nodding at her husband’s suggestion, (Name) walked with George to the examination room where they had left their sons. John sat up on the cushioned table, his arm in a splint and a sling. Alexander sat on his left, Lafayette on his right, and Hercules had pulled the chair from the corner so he could be closer to his brothers. Upon seeing their parents enter the room, John paled with worry, Hercules stood from his seat, and Alexander and Lafayette shared quizzical and concerning looks.

“Well, according to the doctor, he says that once you're healed, you'll be just fine.” (Name) began, walking closer to her sons. John must have noticed something was off, because he was the only one of the boys who didn't find some relief in her statement.

“But…” George sighed, joining his family. “He says that you'll need surgery for that to happen.”

John let out a quiet whimper, bowing his head. (Name) let out a sympathetic coo as she went to kneel in front of John. She gently cupped his cheek, trying to give him an encouraging smile in hopes of keeping his spirits up.

“Will John really be okay?” Alexander asked, his gaze shifting from his mother and father.

“The doctor says it isn't a difficult surgery. He needs to set the break and put the joints back in place correctly.” George explained, relaying what the doctor had explained just minutes prior.

(Name) nodded, moving John’s curls away from his face. She was still amazed at how long his hair was growing. “You'll be just fine, John. I'll even stay with you tonight.”

His eyes brightened slightly, but (Name) could tell that John was still anxious.

“You sure you don't want us to stay?” Hercules asked his mother, his hands in his pockets as he stood at the hospital entrance with his two younger brothers and father.

(Name) nodded. “I'm sure. You all need to go home and rest. I'm sure that Aaron and the girls will want to know how you guys are doing.”

George stepped forward to his wife, taking her hands and giving them a squeeze. “You're sure that you're okay here?”

“George, we got him admitted, we have the surgery time scheduled, and John’s a nervous wreck. He needs someone to stay here with him.”

“I could-”

“You need to go home and rest. You've have a long enough day as it is having to take care of all that Lee business. The boys need it too.” (Name) told the veteran, giving his hands a squeeze to emphasize her point. “I got this.”

Finally agreeing, George let out a sigh before he kissed his wife’s forehead and gave her a hug. “Alright… Call if something comes up.”

“I will.” (Name) promised before turning to her other three sons. She gave each of them a hug, each saying their farewell and words to pass along to John. After watching her sons and husband walk to the car and leave, the mother let out a sigh before turning to walk back into the hospital.

Upon returning to John’s room, she found her son absent-mindedly flipping through the channels of the T.V. hung on the wall. He was in the hospital bed and changed into the hospital gown. When the boy took notice of his mom, he put the remote down with a sigh and looked over at her. “The guys gone?”

(Name) nodded, walking over to the chair next to her son’s bed and sitting down. “They are, so it’s just you and me until tomorrow.” She gave John a sympathetic smile, moving a hand to cup John’s freckled cheek.

The boy leaned into his mother’s touch, letting out another sigh. His eyes moving to meet (Name)’s. “Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Should I be worried about the surgery tomorrow?” He asked.

The woman shook her head, giving her son an encouraging smile. “No, baby. You shouldn’t be worried at all. Your father and I talked with the doctor and the surgeon that will be taking care of you, you’re going to be just fine.” She told the young teen. “I promise.”

John nodded, but he still didn’t look convinced. He opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped when a nurse came in to talk with (Name) and ask John what he wanted to eat for dinner that night.

The rest of the evening was much like that, the mother and son would watch T.V., have broken conversations that mostly consisted of reassuring comments, and eventually (Name) dozed off in the chair that sat next to John’s bed.

When (Name) woke up, it was dark outside the hospital room window, and John was still awake. Her movement caused John to look up from his lap, and she could tell that he hadn’t slept at all. His eyes looked red and his skin was paler than usual.

“John, why haven’t you gone to sleep?” (Name) asked quietly as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

He shrugged his good shoulder. “Couldn’t, I guess…” He mumbled. “Still worried about tomorrow.”

“Oh John, I promise you, there’s nothing to be worried about. You’re going to be okay.”

The young teen met his foster mother’s gaze for a moment before averting his eyes from hers once again.

Noticing John’s prolonging reluctance, (Name) thought of what she could say to her son to help ease him to sleep. “You know… Let me tell you a story about something that happened before George and I met you boys.”

John perked up and looked over to (Name). The boys seemed to be interested whenever (Name) and George spoke about their past. George had spoken about his past tours, and (Name) would tell stories about her relationship with George before they married, or stories before the boys had come to live with them.

“This was probably… The second tour George had to go on after we got married. He had two more weeks before he had leave time to come home. Well, we were planning on donating some of the things in the attic that we didn’t need anymore, so I decided it was best to go ahead to get some of the stuff down.” (Name) began, sitting back in the chair. “And you’ve seen the attic door, you have to open it carefully and make sure that it’s down all the way before climbing up them just so that the door won’t close up on you.”

John nodded. “Yeah, Dad and Herc had to get the Christmas ornaments from the attic when we were getting ready last year”

(Name) nodded. “Well… When I had pulled down the attic door and put the steps down, they weren’t down all the way.”

John’s brows rose, and his mother went on.

“And you know the glass light fixture on the ceiling a little ways away from the attic door?”

“Mom, you didn’t…”

(Name) laughed. “The spring went back, pulling the door back up with the stairs unfolded, and the stairs hit the light fixture.”

“Mom!” John gasped, surprised.

“It wasn’t pretty either, there was glass all in the hallway, and a shard even cut me on my side bad enough to where I needed stitches.” (Name) shook her head, covering her face with her hand as a blush came to her cheeks. “When I told George about it, he was less worried about the light fixture being replaced and more worried about the fact that I needed ten stitches.”

John listened to his mother tell numerous stories, and she could tell that he was steadily getting tired. She was in the middle of recounting the time when she and George had gone to New Orleans when she noticed that John’s eyes had closed and his breathing had steadied to an easy pace. She smiled and moved to gently pull the hospital blanket up to keep him warm while he slept. (Name) pressed a kiss to John’s forehead and hoped that he would sleep easy the rest of the night.

And sleep he did. When (Name) woke up the next morning, John was still asleep, and he stayed that way until George came by in the morning to see him before their son went to surgery.

“Don’t worry, son. You’ll be just fine.” George promised John, giving his good shoulder a pat.

(Name) nodded in agreement. “And we’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Thanks Mom, Dad… That means a lot.” John murmured before he was wheeled out of his room.

George and (Name) watched as the doors closed behind John and the nurses that wheeled away their son away. George gave (Name)’s waist a squeeze as he pressed a kiss to her head. “He’ll be fine.”

“I know.”

~~~

“And you really didn’t feel anything?” Alexander asked as he sat at the edge of John’s hospital bed.

“Nothing at all!” John replied smiling now that his brothers were with him.

(Name) and George watched as their boys spoke with John as he explained to them his new experience when it comes to surgery and living in the hospital.

“So, how’d John do through the night?” George asked his wife.

“Well… I might have told him a few of our stories.” (Name) answered, resting her head on her husband’s shoulder.

George quirked a brow. “Which ones?”

“Well, now John knows that we’ve had to replace the light fixture in the hall, that you rushed home when you misheard me on the phone thinking that I had burned the house down.”

The retired general let out a laugh. “To be fair, the connection was bad, and it did not sound like you said ‘roast’.”

Lafayette had trouble with nightmares, and very bad ones at that. (Name) would learn that when she was alone with him while George had taken his brothers out shopping one day.

The house was unusually tense. It was one of those rare occasions where George and (Name) had gotten into a disagreement, and a loud one at that.

“All I’m saying, you could spend a little less time at the school and the field to spend more time at home, resting!” (Name) sighed as her argument with her husband ran through her head like a song on repeat.

“Stop acting like I’m so delicate!! Just because I’m retired from the army does not mean that I’ve become as fragile as a china doll!” George retorted.

“I’m saying that all this strenuous work is going to catch up to you one day, George!”

“No it won’t, (Name)! I’m stronger than I look!”

“But you’re not getting any younger!”

(Name) shook her head to shake the feelings of guilt that still hung with her. The argument was almost a week ago, and since both (Name) and George were as stubborn as brick walls, neither one could apologize first. The boys could feel that the house was thick with tension, and they were walking on eggshells to insure that they don’t spark another argument.

It was late one evening when (Name) was in her office, grading papers. The evening had been quiet, (Name) had been giving George his space, and the boys had long since retired to their room for the night. She looked up when she heard a muffled thump, but figured that it was something outside the house. When she heard it again, her brows furrowed in confusion. Standing from her desk and going to the living room, (Name) found her husband sitting on the couch and reading a newspaper.

“Hey, did you hear something a second ago?” (Name) asked as George turned to her, his brows furrowed.

“No… What did it sound like?” George questioned.

“I don’t know, a thump or-” She stopped when she heard a muffled shout come from the boy’s room.

Both (Name) and George rushed out of the living room and to the closed door of their son’s room. George yanked the door open to reveal something that stopped both parents in their tracks.

Lafayette was crouched on the floor, clutching his head and wheezing, Hercules was kneeled in front of his brother, and Alexander and John were watching their brother with worried gazes.

“What’s wrong?” George asked quickly.

“Laf, h-he…” John began.

“He’s having a panic attack.” Alexander answered, looking over at his parents before looking back at Lafayette.

(Name) stepped around John and kneeled beside Hercules, her son noticing that his mother was now beside him as he rubbed Lafayette’s back. “How long has he been like this?” She asked Hercules quietly.

“It just started, maybe two minutes ago.” Hercules murmured and he continued speaking in hushed tones in hopes of calming down his younger brother. “Laf, it’s okay… Mom and Dad are here.”

The boy flinched, letting out a whimper. “N-Non… Ils découvriront…” He muttered through his wheezing.

“Find out… Find out what, Lafayette?” (Name) questioned quietly as she placed a hand on his shaking shoulder.

“Mom…” Hercules sighed, looking at his mother and glancing back at his father. “Lafayette has been having panic attacks since you two fought.”

(Name)’s brows furrowed in worry and concern, she turned to her husband who looked just as confused as she did. Knowing it wouldn’t do any good to ask right now, (Name) glanced up at George as he walked to the other side of Hercules to murmur quiet words to Lafayette in hopes of calming him down. She noticed that her other three sons were looking in between her and George with worried glances, but the mother simply shook her head.

“Lafayette, I promise you, no one is mad or upset… We’re here.” (Name) promised as she rubbed her son’s back.

“Just take your time, son.” George added, keeping a hand on Lafayette’s shoulder.

There everyone sat for the next fifteen minutes. (Name) and George sat by Lafayette as his breathing steadied and his shaking eased, murmuring quiet words of encouragement and comfort. Cautiously, Lafayette looked up, his cheeks were wet will fallen tears, and his eyes were red. “Maman… Papa… I’m so sorry…” He muttered, sniffling.

“It’s okay, Lafayette.” (Name) quietly told her son, moving her hand from his shoulder to cup his cheek. “Come on… You’re okay.” She said quietly, her thumb wiping away the moisture from his cheek.

The boy nodded, glancing up from his mother to his father who gave him a reassuring smile.

“Boys, your mother and I are going to speak with Lafayette in the living room.” George said to their other sons as (Name) took Lafayette’s hands and helped him to his feet.

“Dad…” Alexander said worriedly.

George shook his head, placing a hand on Alexander’s shoulder. “It’s okay. No one’s in trouble. Just give us some time.” With that, he helped (Name) and Lafayette out of the room and down the hall.

When the three made it to the living room, Lafayette sat on the couch, bringing his knees up to his chest and keeping his gaze fixed to the floor.

“Lafayette.” George began, sitting in his armchair to the right of the couch. “What’s been going on with you?” He asked cautiously.

“We’re asking because we’re worried about you, Lafayette.” (Name) murmured, sitting next to her son and wrapping an arm around his back. “This isn’t like you.”

“Je suis désolé, maman.” Lafayette murmured. “I’ve just been… Having a lot of nightmares recently and this last one… It was just really bad.” He hid his face in his knees, letting out a shaky sigh.

George’s brows furrowed. “It’s better to talk about this kind of thing, son. Instead of keeping it bottled up like this, you should be able to tell us what’s going on.”

Lafayette glanced back up at his father and turned to his mother. “Well… It was before I met the guys… The foster homes I was placed in, the parents obviously weren’t like you two. They always fought and would sometimes get violent… I was in three homes like that before I met the guys, and two others with them before we met you both.” He explained, letting out a sigh and resting his chin on his knees. “When you two fought, it brought up memories that I had hoped to forget… And it brought back the panic attacks.”

(Name)’s brows knit in worry and concern for her son. He and his brothers had been keeping this from her and George because of their argument, probably in fear of sparking another fight between the husband and wife.

“Lafayette… I’m sorry that we make you think that you couldn’t come to us about this, and I’m sorry that we caused this.” George spoke, standing from his seat and sitting on the other side of Lafayette on the couch.

“Your father is right, Laf.” (Name) murmured, wrapping her arms around her son and hugging him. “I’m so sorry…” She could feel her son’s arms wrap around her and his hands clutch onto her shirt.

“It’s okay.” Lafayette mumbled, his voice muffled as he buried his face close to his mother. “I’m sorry for keeping this from you two… And for making the others promise not to tell you.”

(Name) chuckled, shaking her head and pressing a kiss to Lafayette’s head. “Don’t worry about that too much… This just needs to pass. We’re all okay… Right?” She asked, peeking up at her husband.

George’s eyes softened, moving a hand to Lafayette’s shoulder and his other ontop of his wife’s hand. “Right.” The retired general let out a quiet sigh, giving his wife’s hand a squeeze. “I’m sorry… You’re right about me needing to take a break for often. I’m not any younger, and overworking myself isn’t doing me any favors.”

The woman nodded in understanding. “And I probably worry about you too much, but it’s hard not to…”

“I know.” George replied, moving his hand from hers to cup his wife’s cheek. “I know.”

Just as (Name) was about to respond, a quiet snore came from Lafayette who was still clinging onto his mother as he slept. The mother let out a chuckle before looking up at her husband. “We should get him to bed.”

“Agreed.” George answered, helping his wife pull their son off of her so he could carry him to his shared room.

(Name) followed her husband down the hall and opened the door, noticing that her other three sons had been waiting nervously for Lafayette’s return. “Shh… He’s asleep.” (Name) whispered as she stepped aside for George to come in.

Hercules got up from his bed to help his father get Lafayette into a bed while John and Alexander went to (Name).

“Is Laf okay?” Alexander asked, his brows raised in concern for his brother.

“Just tired, Alex.” (Name) replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. “He’ll be fine.”

“Mom?... You and Dad… Are you two okay?” John asked cautiously.

(Name) looked from her two sons to George, who had looked up from Hercules. “What’d you say, love? We okay?”

George noticed the eyes of his sons having turned to him, and a chuckle left his lips. “Yeah. We’re okay.” He replied, pulling Lafayette’s blanket up before he stood and went to join his wife. “And boys… Next time something like this happens, please come to your mom and I. We’re here to help you and take care of you… If you hide things from us we can’t do that.”

“Yes sir.” Hercules answered as he stood by John and Alexander. “We won’t let this happen again.”

(Name) nodded. “Good… Well you three should get some sleep, okay?”

“Okay, Mom.” Alexander answered.

“Good night, boys.” George said to his sons, wrapping an arm around his wife’s waist. “Sleep well.”

“We will.” John promised, turning to head to his bunk.

(Name) and George took their leave from their son’s room and walked to their own.

“I’m sorry, (Name).” George murmured under his breath as the husband and wife tuned into their room.

“George, I know… And I accept your apology.” She replied, looking at her husband. “Not every couple is perfect. We’d be strange if we didn’t fight from time to time… We just need to be careful, considering how touchy a subject arguments are for the boys.”

“Agreed.” He said, pressing his forehead to his wife’s. “I love you, (Name)... And I’m lucky to have you.”

“And I, you.” She answered, closing the space between them with a chaste kiss.

Hercules couldn’t sleep when he was sick, especially when it came to keeping his brothers from catching whatever he had. Of course, that meant that he couldn’t share a room with Alexander, John, and Lafayette. He had told his parents that in order to remedy this, he had planned on sleeping in the living room until his fever broke. When that would happen, he didn’t know.

That evening it was just (Name) and the boys. George was out on a trip to an away game and he wouldn’t be home for quite some time. Not that the mother minded, she loved spending time with her sons.

(Name) was cleaning up after dinner as she heard her eldest son break into another of his recent coughing fits. She peeked into the living room where Hercules was splayed out on the couch, his face buried in one of the couch’s pillows. She made a sound of sympathy and walked over to her son, sitting on the arm of the couch. “You okay there, Herc?”

“Miserable.” He croaked. “Why does strep throat exist?”

“Because there’s someone who enjoys seeing humans suffer with sickness.” (Name) replied, rubbing Hercules’ back. “I’m almost done in the kitchen. Is there something you would like me to get for you?”

“Um… Some water would be nice.” He muttered, looking up from the pillow.

“Of course, Hercules.” (Name) replied with a smile, standing from her seat before returning to the kitchen. She finished with her own chores before getting a glass of water to give to her eldest son. When she returned, Hercules was sitting up, a blanket pulled up to his chin and a box of tissues in his lap. (Name) returned to her seat and gave Hercules the glass. He mumbled his thanks before turning his attention back to whatever was on TV. Which, just so happened had to be a Disney movie.

“Frozen, Herc? Of all the Disney movies you could choose from?” (Name) chuckled as Elsa belted out Let it Go.

“It’s what was on.” Hercules defended, a small smile making its way onto his lips. “Besides, it gives a good message to kids.”

“Yeah, don’t let love blind you, and you don’t need a man to be awesome.” (Name) spoke, leaning back against the couch.

Hercules rolled his eyes. “Please, we learned that you don’t need a man from Mulan. Sure, she liked Shang, but she was able to be a hero without too much of his help.”

(Name) nodded in agreement. “Very true.” She looked back towards the screen and sighed quietly. “You know, as magical as some of the Disney movies are, the stories that they’re based off of don’t always get a happy ending, especially when it came to being historically accurate.”

“Geez, don’t remind me.” Hercules laughed before clearing his throat. “The Little Mermaid, especially the Grimm’s version, talk about sad.”

“Well turning into sea foam isn’t exactly a happy ending. Snow White certainly had some parts left out of that when it was adapted into a movie.”

Hercules quirked a brow. “Yeah? How so?”

“Well…” (Name) got off the arm of the couch and settled on the cushion next to her oldest son. “When the Evil Queen sent the Huntsman out to kill Snow White, he didn’t bring back the heart of the boar, but the boar’s liver and lungs. The Queen actually ate the organs with the thought that she was actually eating Snow White’s organs, instead of the boar’s.”

“Gross…” Hercules shuddered.

“Then there’s how the Queen dies. In the Disney version, she’s chased off a cliff.” (Name) explained, folding her legs under her. “In Grimm’s version, the Queen is forced to dance on hot coals until she drops dead.”

Hercules’ brows rose. “Huh… Certainly doesn’t sound pleasant either way.” He mumbled.

(Name) shook her head. “And don’t even get me started on one movie that is so incorrect that I wouldn’t be able to watch it if it wasn’t for the music.”

Her eldest son looked at his mother in question. “Which one?”

“Hercules.”

George let out a quiet huff as he unlocked the door and made his way inside his house. He closed the door behind him and locked it tight. He turned and looked into the living room to find his wife and his eldest son asleep on the couch. On the TV was the DVD menu for Disney’s Hercules, and on the coffee table in front of the couch was one of (Name)’s mythology books. It was opened to a section about Hercules.

The retired general chuckled quietly as he turned the TV off. He walked to the hall closet and pulled out an extra blanket. Returning to the living room, he draped the blanket over his wife and pressed a kiss to her head. “Good night, (Name).” He whispered to her before leaving the room to get ready for bed himself.

“(Name), please be careful driving in this weather.” George cautioned his wife, helping her put on her coat and grabbing her keys. He looked out the window as rain pounded against the glass. He let out a sigh ad he looked back to his wife who was gathering her belongings.

“George, I’ve driven in the rain before.” (Name) told her husband, keeping her bag close to her. “I’ll be fine.” She looked into the living room where her five sons were debating over what to watch on TV. She chuckled softly as she noticed how much they had grown in these last couple years. Hercules had been such a wonderful older brother to Aaron since he had been adopted into the family, and for that she was thankful. Her other sons had also been great for Aaron, despite his and Alexander’s bickering from time to time.

“Boys, I’m heading out. I’ll be back tonight.” She spoke, gaining the attention of her sons.

Alexander looked up from his conversation with John to look at his mother. “Where are you going?”

“Just some shopping, Alex.” (Name) replied, looking at her other sons. “Do you boys need anything while I’m out.”

No one voiced a request, so Hercules spoke. “I think we’re all good, Mom.”

(Name) nodded in understanding. “Alright. I’ll see you boys later.”

“Love you, mom!” John called.

“See you when you come back!” Lafayette added.

“Drive safe!” Aaron finished.

(Name) chuckled before turning back to her husband, who still looked reluctant as to letting his wife leave the house. The wife gave George a small, reassuring smile before giving her husband a kiss. “I’ll be back soon, and safe. I promise.” She told her husband, her hands finding his and giving them a squeeze. “I love you.”

“I love you too, (Name).” He answered, pressing another kiss to his wife’s forehead. “Drive safe.”

“I will.” She replied, letting go of her husband’s hands and making her way to the door. She opened it, and then left, closing the front door behind her.

George glanced down at his watched as he began to fry the steaks that he was cooking for his family that evening. It had been several hours since his wife had left, and the weather had only gotten worse. He shook his head to push away his nagging worry, then turned his attention back to his cooking.

The four boys had stayed in the living room and had settled on the local news to see if there was anything interesting happening in town. He would glance up when he heard something that sounded slightly interesting, but there was nothing much being covered.

“Yikes…” He heard Alexander breathe.

George looked up from the skillet to the living room where a story played on about a nasty wreck on the nearest highway. His brows furrowed when the news girl standing in front of several police cars spoke.

“... Thankfully, there have been no casualties so far in this six-car pileup, but there are several drivers who are in critical condition. Everyone that has been injured in the wreck has already been transported to the nearest hospital, St. Andrews Medical, for treatment.” She spoke, her monotonous tone unchanging as the view cut from her to a panning shot of the cars involved in the wreck.

“Oh shit.” Hercules grabbed the remote and paused the TV, leaning forward from his seat.

George removed the skillet from the heat, turned off the stove, and walked into the living room to see what Hercules had paused the program for. Of course, once he saw it, he stopped in his tracks.

A car that very much resembled (Name)’s was seen in the wreckage. The back was crumpled in on itself, the front driver’s side window was shattered, the windshield was cracked, the front of the car seemed smashed, the hood crumpled up and the front bumper missing. The only way to ensure that it really was (Name)’s car, was the bumper sticker that acted as a parking pass for the school’s parking lot.

“Boys, in the car. Now.” George ordered, his voice raising in both concern and anger.

Within minutes, the five were out of the house and flying down the highway to get to St. Andrews, the same hospital where John had his surgery those few years ago.

“Where are the people who came in from the six-car wreck?” George asked quickly as he led his five sons into the Emergency check-in desk.

“Can I have a name, sir?” Asked the elderly nurse as she looked up from her computer screen.

“Washington.”

She typed something and paused, looking up at George once more and his five sons behind him. “And these are…?”

“My sons.” He answered quickly, growing impatient. “Can I see my wife, please?” He pressed.

The nurse looked over her shoulder and called to one of the other younger nurses behind the counter. “Mrs. Washington, one of the women from the wreck, can you take her family to see her?”

The younger nurse’s brows furrowed. “She’s being transported to a room, the doctor gave a preliminary check-up and is assigning her to a room now… Dr. Lester should be out shortly, sir.” She explained, walking to the counter and giving George a sympathetic smile. “You’re wife is lucky… She wasn’t hurt as badly as the others.”

“How is she? What’s wrong with her?” Aaron asked quickly, his eyes wide with worry.

The nurse was reluctant to reply, but the gazes of George and his sons convinced her. “She had to get stitches, about fifteen on her forehead because of the window shattering next to her. She has a concussion, and her wrist is fractured. She may have minor whiplash, but she should be okay with time to heal.”

George visibly relaxed, as did his sons. Aaron, however, still didn’t look as convinced as the rest of his family… For obvious reasons. He wasn’t ready to lose someone else to a car accident.

“Dr. Lester should be out soon, and as soon as he gives the okay, I’ll take you back to see Mrs. Washington.” The nurse explained with a reassuring smile.

The retired general nodded, looking over to his sons before motioning them to sit down in the nearby chairs.

As the boys sat, they couldn’t relax. Alexander was nervously fidgeting, John couldn’t stop bouncing his knee, Lafayette tapped on the arm of the chair, Hercules looked up every time someone walked by, and Aaron held his head in his hands as he waited for some news of his adoptive mother. George noticed this behavior from all of his sons and sighed. He was just as worried as them, and would give anything to just see his wife.

Minutes that felt like hours passed, and a man in a white lab coat and scrubs came out, approaching George and his sons. George stood up, his sons following in suit.

“You must be Mr. Washington, and your sons.” The man spoke, nodding to the young teens. He held his hand out to George, which he took. “I’m Dr. Lester, I just finished treating your wife.”

“Is she okay?” George questioned.

Dr. Lester nodded. “She’s on some painkillers, but she’ll be fine. She got some stitches because of a cut on her head, and her arm is in a cast… While I was stitching her up, she asked for you and your sons.”

George let out a sigh, shaking his head. Of course his wife was asking about her family instead of herself. That’s just the kind of woman (Name) was. “Can we see her, please? We’re just really worried about her.”

The doctor nodded. “Right this way, Mr. Washington.” He spoke before leading George and his sons down a hallway. The Washington boys were led quickly, weaving past nurses and carts as they followed Dr. Lester. Soon enough, the doctor stopped at a closed door, turning to George and his sons as they caught up. “Now she might have fallen asleep since I left. You can still be in with her, you'll just have to be quiet.” He explained.

“Of course, thank you very much, Dr. Lester.” George said, giving a thankful nod as he heard his sons murmur their own thanks to the doctor.

As Dr. Lester left, George carefully opened the door, making note of the darkened room. He walked in, and his sons followed in behind him.

There in the darkened room laid an unconscious (Name) Washington. Despite her peaceful look of sleep, (Name)’s injuries didn’t look any less painful. She looked battered and bruised, a rather substantial cut on her head that had been stitched closed, her right arm had been wrapped in a white cast, and all the while she looked so peaceful.

George approached his wife while his sons were more reluctant to move forward, taking her good hand and giving it a squeeze, his fingers finding her wedding band and lightly tracing it. He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, freezing when (Name) shifted slightly.

The woman opened her eyes to see her husband leaning over her, and she gave the retired general a small smile. “Morning, commander.” She chuckled quietly.

Her husband let out a huff, shaking his head at his wife. “Honestly… You get into a car wreck and that’s all you say?”

“Well, I can say that it wasn’t my fault.” (Name) replied, giving George’s hand a squeeze before spotting her sons standing back. “Hey. Don’t any of you want to say hi to your mom?”

Hercules was the first to step forward, walking to (Name)’s other side and giving her a forced smile. “Hey, Mom… You look great, all things considered…”

(Name) chuckled, meeting Hercules’ gaze. “Thanks for lying for my sake, Herc.”

Alexander came up after Hercules, standing by George. “How are you feeling, Mom?”

“I’ve felt better, Alex. But thanks to the meds they have me on, it’s hard to feel any pain right now.” (Name) replied, letting out a sigh. “But just thinking about how I’ll feel after they wear off will be a different story.”

John and Lafayette went to stand by Hercules. The eldest brother gave both his younger brothers reassuring pats on their shoulders.

“Glad to see that you’re okay, Mom.” John said to (Name), trying to give her a small smile.

“Oui, we were worried about you.” Lafayette agreed with a nod.

(Name) gave her sons a sympathetic smile. “Well, I’m glad that I’m okay too… I’m sorry that you all worried about me.” She looked over Alexander’s shoulder to see that Aaron had still remained close to the door. Carefully, (Name) shifted in bed and brought her legs over the side, letting them dangle over the edge.

“Easy, (Name)...” George warned his wife, putting a careful hand on her back.

“I’m fine, George.” (Name) looked up at her husband before turning her gaze back to Aaron. She gave the boy a smile before holding her arms open to him. “C’ome on, Aaron. You’re the only one who hasn’t said a word.”

The young teen hesitated but he walked forward into (Name)’s opened arms, gingerly hugging (Name)’s battered body. He let out a quiet grunt as he was surprised by the strength of (Name)’s hug, even in her state. Still, Aaron hid his face in his adoptive mother’s neck, clutching her hospital gown. “I was so scared… I didn’t want to lose someone else in an accident…” He whispered quietly to (Name).

“I know, Aaron… But I’m here. I promise I will be.” She murmured, pressing a ginger kiss to the boy’s head.

George smiled at his wife, resting a hand on her shoulder. “How about I go ask when you can be discharged?” He suggested.

“That’d be great.” (Name) replied, pulling away from the hug with Aaron and giving her husband a meek smile. “I doubt that I’d be able to sleep in a hospital, especially if it meant my boys couldn’t be nearby.”

The retired general chuckled, pressing a kiss to her head. “I think the same could be said for our boys.” He murmured to her before walking out of the room.

#reader insert #hamilton imagine #george washington #washington x reader #george washingdad #smolhamilton #smollaurens #smollafayette #smolhercules #smolhamilsquad #hamilsquad #hamilsquad x reader

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brianculmo · 6 years ago

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My Hardboot Splitboard Setup

After a lot of research and pondering I decided to switch to a hardboot splitboard setup last April. Unfortunately there has turned out to be very little information on the subject, and diving into this whole hardboot world has proven to be quite the experience in tinkering and problem solving. I try to be an intentional as possible with my gear purchases and decisions, and building out my current setup has been exactly that. I realize that there is so little information out there regarding all this stuff, I figured I would share some of my thoughts on how I ended up with the setup I have now.

The obvious first question was why hardboots? This is a complicated answer and the reasons are many. My personal reasons are as follows:

- Uphill efficiency, significantly less weight swinging on feet each step

- Walk mode comfort while skinning, longer strides

- Lateral stability on the uphill for sidehilling and skinning confidence

- General weight saving

- Speed of transitions

- Crampon compatibility, mountaineering ability

- Lack of suitable suitable/appealing soft boot options

- Downhill sacrifice vs uphill sacrifice

- Never extremely impressed with downhill comfort of normal split bindings

Once I decided on hardbooting was the way to go, it has been a very long road to actually getting to a point where I can see the advantage. Things have finally come together after months of research, modding, setting up, testing, more modding and more adjusting. Here is my setup as it is now:

My Current setup includes:

-Arc’teryx Procline Boots (lite version, the non carbon ones)

- Spark R & D tech toes

- Spark R & D canted pucks

- Spark R & D Dyno DH bindings

- Jones Hovercraft 156cm

-Jones Pro Skins

- Phantom Heel risers

- Phantom Hercules Hooks

The Board/skins:

This is the least unique part of the setup. It’s simply a rad board that rips and is playful. The skins work great and didn't need to be trimmed at all. Jones has a nice proprietary tail clip/hook for the skins which is really simple to use and is lighter than a lot of other ski tail clip options out there. The only complaint I would have is that the skins don’t grip quite as much on really steep stuff compared to other High traction skins that I have used.

The Boots:

Upon first thinking about hardboots, I tried find as much info as possible about splitboard hardboots online; there was not much out there. I quickly realized my boot options were narrowed down to the Dynafit TLT6 and the Arc’Teryx Procline. The TLT6 has been a go to boot for boarders for a long time now, although pretty significant mods were needed to make them work better. I was able to go try on both the TLT6s and the Proclines, and my decision was pretty easy as soon as I tried both boots on. The Proclines felt significantly better in every way compared to the TLT6. The Proclines felt lighter, there was a much more free feeling walk mode, and the flexing seemed to be more beneficial to snowboarding. The boots split cuff works really well for snowboarding, with far less material above the ankle compared to the TLT6. Even out of the box, the boots felt in the range of being able to ride with. I knew mods would probably be necessary, but I wanted to ride in them to get an idea of the extent of mod needed. I thought about the carbon version of the Proclines, but they apparently weren't actually any lighter than the normal version. Plus the carbon version was apparently stiffer than the plastic version, and stiffness is the opposite of what I needed for snowboarding. Plus, saving a couple hundred dollars wasn't bad either. I also went with the “Lite” liner over the “support” liner. The Lite liner is thinner and less stiff than the support liner. Again stiffness is less important for snowboarding, so it was better to go with the lighter, more flexible, less stiff option.

I only had one serious concern with the Proclines, and it is a well established issue. The toe bail on the Proclines is very small and less than ideal for purchase with a splitboard binding. The general shape of the toe and its low profile has also been known to cause problems with certain bindings. There are some solutions out there to remedy this concern. I reached out to Phantom Splitboard bindings about the ability for Proclines to fit in their system, and they said it was possible with an extended set screw.

The Bindings:

Everyone in the hardboot splitboard world points to Phantoms as the go to choice. I was really interested in their system and did a lot of research on it. The shape of their toe bail connector was still suspect for me with the shape of the toe on the Procline boot. They assured me it would work, but from pictures and posts I saw, you would have to set the front angle quite high to accommodate the lack of purchase on the front. The security and confidence of that connection is super important, as it would be very bad if that failed. One more negative of the Phantom system is the inability to add a cant to the setup. Having a canted stance is something that was important to me with hardboots. With already limited flex, especially laterally, the ability to have a canted stance would really help with comfort and board control.

Enter the Spark R&D Dyno DH binding:

I was able to find some information on the 2019 Spark Dyno DH binding and the improvements and possibility made it a real contender for me personally. Spark had created a toe connector out of metal that was lower profile and fit the shape of the Procline much better than that of the Phantom. No odd set screw rigging was necessary. The Sparks are also compatible with their canted pucks. The bindings just slide in and click in just like the Tesla T1 binding system that I was previously riding. They are easy to transition and seem to clear snow well. Although every single ounce isn't super important to me and I am not sure on exact weight, but I remember reading somewhere that the Spark bindings are actually slightly lighter than the Phantom setup. There is certainly not a weight disadvantage in the Spark system. The setup for these bindings was also a process. The amount of adjustments to accommodate different sole lengths are a lot, but the instructions do make it pretty clear as to what you need to do. I was unfortunately right between 2 recommended lengths, so I had to do a mix of adjustments to get my boot to fit. Once they are dialed the bindings are solid, just don’t expect to rip right out the box.

Spark R&D Tech Toe:

It was rad to see Spark manufacture in house a splitboard specific tech toe. This is another step towards hardboots becoming more accepted in the splitboarding world. The quality of construction is great and it is nice to not have to use an adaptor plate in order to use a dynafit tech toe. This is truly the best option on the market for boarders as evidenced with Phantom partnering with Spark to make a co-branded version. I have the Spark version because the anodized blue looks cool and matched the Dynos and no other reason.

Phantom Hercules Hooks:

These hooks are super simple and really low profile. Having a static hook option is really appealing after dealing with other options flapping around and working to varying levels of success out in the field. I am all about the elimination of moving parts if possible, and Phantom came up with a bomber setup that just works. These things are super light and crank down the board great. The setup on these was quite a process of dialing in though. It took a lot to get the right tension for keeping the board tight vs being able to actually get the board apart. Once its dialed it is great and you don’t have to worry about it at all out in the field.

Phantom Heel risers:

These machined pieces are exactly what you want in a heel riser. They are well built, and solidly constructed out of metal. I can easily rise both levels with a pole. These things just work. The one wish I have with these is a simpler/ better solution for split skiing. They currently recommend looping a voile strap around the riser and your foot. While that would work, it does not seem like the kind of elegant solution that I have come to expect from Phantom. Hopefully Phantom or Spark can figure out something better there.

Boot mods:

I rode in the boots once completely stock and made some clear conclusions. They are great on the uphill. The walk more in the Proclines is leaps and bounds better than any snowboard boot out there and most ski boots really. The lateral stability while edging finally gave the splitboard the same stability that skiers take for granted and splitboarders yearn for. I left all the buckles loose on the way up which helped with more flexibility. On the downhill the boots performed better than expected with no mods at all. It was clear that the forward lean was way to severe for any comfortable riding. I ride my resort board with 0 forward lean, so the angle of the ski boots was aggressive on the calves and quads. The lateral stability was acceptable and the boots just rode like a really responsive soft boot.

I had to do a lot of thinking and staring at the boots in order to figure out how to decrease the forward lean as well as accommodate for forward flex. The Proclines have specific system for locking the boots in ski mode and adjusting the angle of this adjustment by even just a few degrees was going to make all the difference. The boot needed to flex backwards a few degrees while still being able to flex to a forward position about equal to where it sits stock.

Warning: doing any of these mods will void the warranty of your boots. None of this is approved by the manufacturer. This is what I did to my boots, but most people will find a solution that works for them. I just want to provide more info for people who want to get an idea of what can be done to mod the Proclines.

To achieve this I had to make a few adjustments:

1. Cut off/ grind down the rectangle on the inner cuff that sits inside the hole for the outer cuff when in ski mode.

2. Sand/grind down the top of the outer cuff on the top of the back. As the boot flexes backwards this part hits the strap/ plastic area above it, thus stopping the boot from flexing further back. I grinded down this area as much as I could before running into other functional hardware.

3. Dremel out the outer cuff hole to a larger size. Specifically the bottom edge of the rectangle shaped hole on both the left and right side. I took about a 1/4 inch of material off here.

4. Sand the lip down of the inside cuff on the side to allow the outer cuff to slide over it.

5. Drill out a larger hole for the wire to go through on the metal switch. This allows the spot where the boot stops going back to be further. This could be done by replacing the entire wire with a piece of paracord and lengthening it compared to the length of the wire. I did not want to go through that process and a piece of paracord would have much more flex in it (which might be better for flex, although I am not convinced). I might eventually go to a paracord for this piece, but for now this setup is working. I took maybe an 1/8 of an inch off of the hole. This might seem like a small amount, but it makes all the difference in allowing the boot to articulate further back.

6. Drill a hole on the top edge of where the old rectangle used to be on the inner cuff. I put a #8 bolt through the hole with about ⅜” sticking out the outside. I put a lock washer on the inside and a lock nut plus one regular nut on the outside. The space above the bolt will be the forward flex amount, and the space below the bolt will be the max the boot will be able to flex back. I found that I have to really weight the boot backwards in order to get close to the max backwards lean. I put a bolt on each of the inside and outside holes. I tried just one bolt on the outside and it actually provided a lot more lateral flex by doing so. I think it was actually too much lateral flex even, as it felt some control might have been sacrificed there as well as risk of the split cuff failing due to too much flex in a way it is not intended to flex at all.

As my boots are now I would say that the minimum forward lean is probably about 1 or 2 degrees, not the 0 I have at the resort, but well within the comfortable range for riding. This is probably compared to at least 3 or 4 degrees as the boot is stock. The flex amounts much better replicated a soft boot and high back. I think I would still like to be a little bit further back for the lean, but I can continue that evolution after some more testing. As mentioned before the lateral flex of the boot is quite good out of the box. This mod actually helps a little bit with lateral flex too. The amount of room the bolt has on the left and right side determines the amount of lateral flex. I didn’t dremel out the holes to the left or right at all, but the bolt is smaller than the stock rectangle, so there is a natural play in there which helps with lateral flex.

As with any new ski boot it definitely helped to break the boots in a bit and get the liners heat molded. The fit is getting more dialed now, and I can start to use the buckles more often on the up and down to lock down the fit a bit more without causing significant pain.

There are still some more upgrades and adjustments to be made with the setup, but for now this thing rips and I feel more confident than ever to get to new zones safer and more efficiently. I hope this information is useful to somebody out there.

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