#but he doesnt know her story or her past. all those details are safe with darlene

[kylejsugarman]

Idk if you’ve answered this already but at what point in their relationship did Jesse tell Demi ab his past? How did that go over? How much does she know?

ive mentioned it some before but i haven't really gone super in depth!! as u all may know, i am very "and then everyone made it to alaska and everything ended up ok!! :)" minded, so i dont have a big dramatic revelation beat to my story and ultimately, jesse never tells demi that he's living under a completely new identity. however, he does tell her a Lot of other things, partially because he trusts her, partially because he feels guilty keeping things from her that might make her see him differently; he feels that she deserves to know how fucked up he is so she can escape him and avoid tying herself down to a mistake. jesse first tells her about his drug use after demi explains how her sister died, again out of that guilt and the expectation that she won't want to associate with a former(ish) addict, but demi saw firsthand how powerful addiction can be and isnt scared off. when it comes to his criminal history, it takes him a little longer to work up the nerve to disclose that stuff: he's afraid of both endangering her by letting her know what he's done and losing her. he drops a few things along the way, usually related to drug dealing and production since she was so understanding of that aspect of his past, but once they decide to get married, he feels that he owes it to her to be totally honest. the dark details of making and selling the drugs, being around violence and controlling figures. enacting violence himself. losing people. being sold into slavery. he leaves out specific identifying details (demi's never been a current events kind of person but he cant risk her connecting those dots) and places a lot of the blame on himself instead of trying to describe the people from his past who were pulling a lot of those strings. its basically an abridged version of the show's events, no names, no details in certain places (he doesnt even tell her which state he used to live in), and no forgiveness.

demi listens patiently the whole time, not asking many questions along the way. she tenses up when he touches on captivity, but otherwise her demeanor remains open and nonjudgmental. when it's over, she doesn't say anything, which is somehow worse than disgust. jesse is so wound up at this point that he flips out on her, insisting that this is her time to cut her losses. he's a criminal, a fucking murderer. he's evil. demi still doesnt react the way he wants and instead just waits until he's out of venom before reaching out to very gently smooth down his hair. petting the angry, upset dog instead of reflexively giving him away. "im sorry you've had to carry that around with you all this time," she says softly and that breaks him. because it Has been so hard carrying that around. demi asks a few more questions, clarifies a few more things, then tells him what she thinks. that she's seen how he acts now, how he treats people, how he treats himself. that she grew up with a father who sounds like the figures he alluded to in his story. that she is uncertain and insecure about a lot of things, but she's never been more sure that jesse is a good person and that she loves him irrespective of whatever came before. "im dangerous," he insists, a former fighting dog that would rather die than return to the ring. a hand on his own—"then why do i feel so safe with u?"

it's not perfect. there will always be things that jesse never shares with her and he will never totally forgive himself because as the one living person who knows the Extent of what went down, he feels that it's his responsibility to hold himself accountable for It for the rest of his life. demi's perception of him Does change, although not entirely in a negative way, and she is a little hurt that he expected her to bail so quickly and she can't lie and say that her mind doesn't occasionally drift to the fact that her husband has killed people. but at the end of the day, they're two broken people who were utterly convinced that their lives were over before they found each other. this is their second chance at life and they're never going to take that or each other for granted. whatever comes, they're going to face it together

[phantombs]

"I garden if you aren’t remembering correctly,” he answers like she’s mustered up the most baffling thing. “Thyme, heather, and even those stubborn orchids you see there. Why be nervous around someone like that?"

Goodness, she must really be sick. Then again, with Darlene leant against her palm, face ruby-flushed and lids at half-mast, she doesn’t leave much real estate for trifling arguments. Strange, though, Cường supposes, fingering out a bottle twined shut and sparsely filled. She’d been so vibrant and mystically doe-eyed. She came like misty lakes and daydreams in the summer--golden, butterfly bloated and a page out of fairytales, but now, she’s fumbling, and something ugly’s crawling up the sides.

Odd. It hits him like a stray breeze. He uncorks the bottle, walking up toward her. He thinks this is chronic, and over her breaths, there’s the whispers of something warbled and twisted--

Of dying. Or hurting. Or maybe tremendous grief, long smothered to choking and painfully hidden. Oh. You’ve got yourself some history, don’t you? he thinks, eyes meeting hers.

Cường, like a shadow, looms over. His free hand meets her shoulder to guide her to a chair, and the smell of summer-berries yet lingers on his mouth--from her platter, all strawberry-sugar-like. It blends strangely with the oil, pepperminty and strong on his fingers. “I make things flower,” he reminds. “So, how am I going to let you die on me? Don’t insult me. And don’t be dramatic. Look up.”

He fingers her temple. The whorls are slow. She sounds so... “This happens a lot, doesn’t it?”

@bethelbound, continued from here.

[salemorbit]

Hi, sorry if I'm overwhelming you with Requests, but I had an idea for an Imagine that I'd really love to see you write!! Could you please write some Headcanons for how Link, Zelda, Sidon and Revali (Age of Calamity timeline for Sidon btw) would react to a young woman who has a very strong connection to the Spirits being sent to teach Zelda how to unlock her power? Like it's a young woman, around 18 years old, who has a natural ability to communicate with all manner of Spirits, maybe even is part Spirit in some way, so she gets appointed by the King of Hyrule to teach Zelda how to do the same? And maybe she's super nice and excited too? Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!!

oh darling you're totally fine i really appreciate it :D

i hope i did this justice! it's a really neat concept

i also made it an x reader with those attributes if that's okay :)

~~~~~~

Hylia's Guide

[BOTW x fem!Reader]

Headcanons (Link, Zelda, Revali, Sidon)

warnings: none

takes place during Age of Calamity!

also for headcanon's sake,,,,,being a descendant of hylia in this case doesnt mean that you're of the same family? if that makes sense? okay so like reader is descended from hylia and technically so is zelda but they aren't blood related in any way HAHA hope that makes sense

~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~

Let's set the scene, yeah?

You were one of the descendants of Hylia from centuries past, now a ghost in the afterlife as part of the universe itself.

Naturally, you would be surprised when you became sentient once more and blinked open your eyes in the middle of Hyrule Field. In your head rang a soothing voice that you both heard in your head and felt in your bones. In an instant, you knew it was Hylia communicating with your physical form again after years of dormant sleep.

The voice instructed that you were to aid Zelda in her studies of connecting to her powers. Hylia could not intervene directly with Zelda, of course, but the most the Goddess could do was send someone in her place. And that was you: a descendant of Hylia's own bloodline resurrected from the dead come to help the princess in her efforts. Easy enough, right?

Convincing the King and his guards of the situation was difficult, let alone trying to get him to allow you to assist his precious daughter with her practice. The only proof that you had of any story that you told were the markings on your hands and chest.

Three distinct triangles etched themselves on your body: one on the back of each hand and the third on your chest. Your powers had long since been passed on to the next descendant of Hylia, but you were still full of the knowledge of how to use Hylia's gift and how to communicate with the spirits.

•••

Link

Link was wary of you at first, being the princess's appointed knight and all, but he soon figured that you weren't as much of a threat as he initially thought

You were kind and excited to meet someone else who also held Hylia's gift (albeit not necessarily awakened, but still) and Link knew that Zelda would be safe in your hands

While going on spiritual treks with Zelda and Link, you almost always made the meals because both Zelda and Link can't really cook lmao

Coming from an entirely different era, you had a big book of recipes in your head that you brought into reality with every meal you made, and Link definitely wasn't complaining

He appreciated your wide breadth of knowledge of different foods, plants, and wildlife that you might encounter on your travels

It made planning protective measures for the princess all the easier

Sometimes the ventures to connect to Hylia didn't bear any fruit (and that's okay because the gift takes plenty of patience!) and the mood could become solemn quickly

But you were always determined to lift the mood and lighten everyone's attitude, and it always worked!

You would excitedly ramble off stories about where you grew up or what you liked to do on your own travels back in the day, and it would always make Link feel warm that you had such fond memories you were willing to share with him

When Zelda needed time to herself to try to connect to the spirits and Hylia, you and Link would hang around each other and bond

Link would listen attentively as you talked about the cultural and time differences between your world and this one, sharing sympathy when you expressed nostalgia over your time lost

But you would quickly turn it around to the positives, which is what Link thought was a wonderful quality that you had

If you ever got caught off guard while on ventures by the Yiga Clan or rogue animals, Link would fight just as hard as he would in larger battles to keep you safe

Over the time you spent together, Link grew very fond of you and always was at your side if he wasn't immediately attending to the princess

Once your guidance and knowledge finally broke through to Zelda and her power awakened, Link was so proud of you for fulfilling your duty

He was worried that you would disappear from his life once you completed Hylia's task, but you connected to the spirits after the fact and bargained with them

At the end of it all, you were able to live your life through again with Link by your side :)

•••

Zelda

Goddess was Zelda relieved when she found out that she would be having a guide to help her unlock her powers

Upon meeting you, she was absolutely floored with your kindness and willingness to help her with her problems

You were a wonderful mentor to Zelda, teaching her things about the different spirits and how to harness the power that she never would have dreamed of researching on her own

And wow there was a lot of information HAHA

Zelda was also transfixed with the fact that you came from another lifetime, and you were more than happy to tell her all about your life before this one

She would also take very detailed notes about everything you said, enamored with the way you spoke and how excited you got about things you loved

Quiet study time in Zelda's room would often turn into challenges of you trying to make her laugh with small tidbits of stupid stunts you would pull

Of course Zelda couldn't hold back a smile when you were around, so the challenges would fall short but with you falling into fits of laughter

You always brightened Zelda's mood whenever she was down about a failed connection attempt, urging her to try more and be patient with herself

Zelda was thankful to Hylia for sending you because honestly she wouldn't know what to do without someone that was as kind and generous as you were with spreading knowledge about your gifts

And when they finally awakened, Zelda couldn't be more happy!

Hyrule was now safe with Zelda's power awakened and Ganon on the edge of being sealed away

She pleaded that you find a way to stay in her time and teach her more about the spirits and Hylia herself

Your heart warmed at the thought that someone wanted you to stay, and it warmed even more at the fact that someone loved you enough to want to keep you forever :)

•••

Sidon

Sidon met you when he was summoned with the other Champion successors

You were the first to greet him and explain what had happened with the time jumping and all that, and you helped to put his nerves at ease

His own excitable and boisterous personality bounced off of your own energy and buzz!

Fighting side by side with you, Sidon admired how you always had a strategy and were looking out for Zelda as if she was your own sister

He was surprised upon learning your story: never had he known that Hylia had the power like that to bring someone back to help those in the present

Sidon tried his best to stay by your side whenever he could, wanting to keep your blind spots covered just in case

In your time, you had known the Zora and actually knew King Dorephan when he was a young little guppy, and your stories of Dorephan never failed to make Sidon laugh

Sidon in turn shared his own tales of the evolved Zora Domain, and you found his storytelling absolutely captivating

Sidon felt a pull to you like he had to no one else before, and he nurtured that pull with his own heart

He made sure you had enough supplies, checked in on you immediately when you came back from a far off mission

Just an all around softie I think! Sidon has always been caring like that :)

When it was time for him to go back, you discovered a way that you could jump with him back to his own time

After all, your mission with Zelda from Hylia was over. Why shouldn't you be able to live your life through again?

You jumped back with Sidon to a world vastly different than the one you had just been in, and even more different than the one you were born into

But with Sidon, it always felt like home!

•••

Revali

Revali didn't want to be impressed, but he was Definitely Impressed

Your composure about the whole situation was amazing, and you handled all the questions everyone had with grace

And your kindness was overwhelming (in a good way) with the fact that you opened your mind to such possibilities of even being resurrected like that

Revali admired you through and through

He would be incessantly curious about what the afterlife was like, how the spirits communicated with you, what Hylia was like

You, of course, couldn't accurately answer most questions because, well, you couldn't remember, but you appreciated his desire to learn

You loved the way that he fought: with purpose and intent. There was little to no hesitation with Revali, he always had a plan

When you would go to treks with Zelda and Link to try to summon Zelda's power, Revali would make comments here and there insisting that he tag along just in case

Poor Rito really just wanted to spend more time with you, that's all!

If he did tag along, it would be to Lanayru with his knowledge of the cold weather

He would rattle off safety facts of mountain weather and gear you would need, and you would be happy to listen as long as he was talking to you

Revali would also love to hear about your old life, and since you could go on for hours about it all, he would sit and absorb everything that came out of your mouth

He was smitten in a matter of weeks!

He could see the care and sympathy you had for Zelda as she struggled and triumphed in her process of opening her powers, and he appreciated that you could care so much for someone like that

Revali subconsciously protected you even if there was a leaf that fell in the way of your path, as he was always on alert in case someone caught you off guard

As your time came to a close and Zelda awakened her powers, Revali demanded that you stay (with love, of course)

And stay you did, making a bargain with the spirits and living the rest of your second life in the company of the Rito warrior :)

~~~~~~~~~

hope i got this good!! i thought the concept was really neat and i kinda wished they did something like that actually :/ zelda didn't deserve that angst

requests are welcome :)

[mycptsdrecovery]

TW for abuse, mental health crisis, unreality, mental hospital mention

hi im a 19 year old and still living with my parents. ive been trying to move out since august and i planned to move out by december. in late december i was not having much luck with housing and i started having memories of not so great things my parents did to me throughout the years play in my head. i rly have no idea how to explain this confusing clusterfuck of a situation in just a tumblr ask but basically i want to know if the things my parents did count as sexual abuse.

from a young age my parents didnt respect my boundaries. my parents often touched my butt (it sounds so stupid calling it that idk what else to put) in seemingly nonsexual or accidental ways, but they didnt stop as i grew older. i remember the first time that i realised i was being sexually abused (thats how i thought about it at the time, idk). i dont remember what my dad did specifically but i was 8 years old-ish, i started puberty around then because my body hates me. it was probably to do with my butt/waist/ things and my dad touching them. we were about to go in a shuttle to the airport, it was like 2am. i remember i stayed silent through whatever happened but at some point during or after i remember bursting into tears and like... thinking to myself that my dad is sexually abusing me (i dont remember where i learnt what that is) and my dad asking me what was wrong but i refused to talk because i was scared. moments like these where my dad touched me in a way that didnt feel normal and i burst into tears happened multiple times. ive felt very uncomfortable around my dad for most of my life at this point. hes the kind of dad who doesnt talk about anything hes thinking or feeling, doesnt talk much at all or have many friends. we have rarely had conversations past surface level talk thats appropriate for strangers or acquaintances so i have never known whats in his head and whenever ive tried to get him to talk with me about something serious he shuts down and leaves. hes very neglectful emotionally, though he used to sometimes fulfil his emotional duties as a parent when i was a very young child according to my mum but he stopped at some point. for a really long time ive been afraid that my dad was sexualising me in his head or sexually attracted to me. ive grown up having nightmares about my parents raping me.

here are some of the things i remember my parents doing. some memories are not easily accessable and some have not been processed as an adult.

TW

-both my parent regularly touched my butt in a variety of contexts. i never confronted my dad about it because i knew he wouldnt answer me. i have learned to only hug my parents in a specific way so that my arm is always under their arms so i can stop them from putting their hands too low.

-my dad used to put his hand on my waist and hips/lower back. he was basically doing the kind of casual touch that you would do with someone ur in a sexual relationship with. he doesnt anymore because i have stopped allowing him to spend much time with me.

-my parents, mostly my mum have touched my breasts very lightly and casually. it could be seen as accidental but my mum has never responded to my frequent requests to stop touching me like this.

-my mum showed me her vagina once as... sex ed? i have no idea if this is normal which is kinda how i feel about most of the ?sexually? themed things my parents have done.

-my mum has always commented on my body in ways that made me very uncomfortable, such as often commenting on how i would be sexually harassed because of the outfit im wearing, even the necklace im wearing.

-my mum gave me several moderately detailed accounts of sexual assaults that hve happened to her, like for instance when i was around 6-9? she used a story of a sexual assault that happened to her while in a pool to say that i be afraid in public pools. the amount of detail was very unnecessary.

-one time my mum was telling me about how boys pinch girls buttcheeks to tell them they think theyre 'sexy'. then she pinched my buttcheeks a bunch of times even though i didnt want her to. im sure she did this many times and i was literally like 5 years old or something.

-my mum talked to my sister while i was in earshot about... how she would be ok with it if i married my 1st cousin? and she named him specifically. it made me feel rly weird around him.

-again my dad has always just given me huge predator vibes and ive always been super afraid of him.

this list is definitely incomplete but i dont remember anything penetrative or to do with anyone touching my genitals.

i tried to tell someone about the "sexual abuse" twice when i was 13, both during mental ward stays about 9 or 10 months apart. the first time is completely blacked out from my memory and the second one... they told the police. my dad was questioned and nothing happened because i never wanted anyone except the nurse who i told to know and refused to tell anyone any details. i just wanted to get a weight off my shoulders. instead i got a 3 or so year long period of my mum emotionally abusing me to a degree she never had. i was almost completely convinced that i had never been sexually abused. i still dont know if its true or not. the specific term my mum used was that i "mis-interpreted" my parents actions as sexual abuse. i didnt push back, i was too terrified of her and i just dissociated to cope with those years. i was very very isolated from anyone except my mum. i wanted desperately to be a young child again and felt like one most of the time. before 6 years old was the only period where i felt like my parents actually liked me.

when i was around 15 i started sexually getting involved with older men online. i wasnt attracted to them, i didntdesire them, i just was so traumatised from... whatevrr u want to call the way my parents treated me but i didnt feel that i had the right to be. i felt like i needed to get some "real" trauma and i dont want to say what i did but im lucky that none of these men ended up meeting up with me irl at least. the fucked up thing is that though it did traumatise me, i kind of felt better because i wanted something i could feel justified in being upset about.

now im 19 and my brain is hitting me with all these memories. i havent felt safe with my parents for most of my life. theyre neglectful and emotionally abusive towards me. they abused all my other siblings physically quite a lot and two of them have moved to different countries so that they can not live in the same place they grew up in. 2 out of 3 of my siblings have completely cut ties with my parents for years now. when i was 11 i recoeved an email from my brother telling me about our parents not being safe people.

ive started to consider the possibility of the constant violation of my boundaries counting as sexual abuse. i have a lot of sexual trauma symptoms and i have for a very long time. i grew up afraid that my dad was going to rape me. i think i was abused by my mum into associating holding my parents accountable with the punishment she put me through after she found out i reported them. i just want to know if im allowed to be upset about this. im terrified that this is normal, because if its normal that means i was a gross freak as a kid who just "mis-interpreted" these actions to be sexual abuse. i need to make sense of my reality somehow. im so confused.

you absolutely have the right to be upset by this. what they did to you was not okay. an adult touching a child intentionally in inappropriate areas is molestation, even if they played it off as not a big deal. many of the things you mentioned also sound like grooming which is often a part of childhood sexual abuse. i’m so sorry these things happened to you. i hope you are safe and can find a way to not be around your parents.

[zaneryne]

Ghost Part 3

Chogan had been at sea with Zane, for now, a day, and watched over her, thumbing over a necklace. He finally asked her about it, "You keep thumbing over that necklace, does it mean something?"

She still masked as a Tauren looks over to Chogan and then down at the necklace, sadness welled up in her eyes, "Yes....my...lover gave it to me."

Chogan cants his head to the side, "You say that with sadness, are they dead?"

She rubbed the chess piece and ring around in her hands and looks up and shakes her head, "No he is not dead...but it is complicated...."

Chogan, the youthful Tauren seemed confused by her words, shaking his head, "Love is never complicated, my mother and father said...how is it complicated?"

Zane looks or the porthole of the ship and says, "This war...Alliance versus Horde....he is a human, and me a Sin'Dorei....we both have obligations, even if I would love to run from it all....and now with being hunted, the person hunting me will kill him and my sister just to hurt me....so yeah it is complicated...I am running to save them...."

Chogan adjusts his sitting position, "This does not sound so complicated, you are strong, the tales of you say this....you cannot stop this thing that hunts you?"

Zane shakes her head, "It is a lot more complicated then just the story I tell....the man that is hunting me....he is yes just one man, but he is powerful and knows several people, one man sure I could take on, but an army...no.I rather me be alone, and the ones I love be safe and protected and happy....that makes me happy...."

Chogan sighs, her story sounded sad, it sounds lonely, he twist his bow in his hand trying to figure out how to say it and then just spoke of the story of his parents, "During the great fall, when Deathwing ripped our world apart, my clan was separated, you were helping half of the people with my father, this was away from my mother and me, but my father never stop looking for us, and we never stop looking for him, and we had many hurdles, where yes it sometimes seems easier to give up then stay looking. But we never stop fighting for what we wanted. We wanted a family, and we fought for this." Zane tried to stop him and he kept going on with such a muster, "My father see much evil in this world, he told me then the world fell apart, some did put difference aside but most still saw two sides, and now he said the world screaming and bleeding and we still cannot see past these bad words Alliance and Horde, he said at end of day we are people, there is no side, we are neutral and we get issue from both sides, but that never stop us from fighting for family....so if these people..." he stands up from the crates he sat on and gave his chest a pelt, "worth fighting for you, stand and fight, you should not run and hide, because the issue no go away, they still be here even if you hide from them. They stand more a chance with you then without."

Zane was speechless. She just blinked at the Tauren, he swatted towards her as she said nothing and went outside the hull to the deck. Zane left there thinking again and again of her sister, and Jon. Wherever the two were she thought of them in the moment.

All the while Norae'thas stood at the foot of the cliffs he fell at, looking at the water Zane had to of fallen into and ahead towards the Barrens, and growls, "Where did you go little ghost...." he thought of the past, them together once more.

They stood in Silvermoon City, near the marketplace in one of the several inns, Zane hair braided back and sitting around a collection of vials and bowls of water, he had spent the better part of her setting up flicking water at her and she swatting scrolls at him bickering at him to stop, she finally ranted out, "Stop it Norae'thas I am serious this time! I am onto something huge! That could change the school of frost magic and we could be the ones that found it...."

She would have been the one that found it, he admired she wanted to credit him, he nodded off, "Well it is your research, not mine, but flattered you would include me, okay, I shall stop, what is it you want to show me today?"

Zane nods and points to the water and then to him, "What if you recall this from water? Sort of like a vision of sorts?"

He looked at the pool of water and then at Zane, "And how would you do that exactly? Sounds ambitious...."

Zane nodded her head several times, and cupped her hands around one of the bowls of water, "Very....but started to think of how the magic works, think of a fossil or a track, something imprints or in case of a fossil dies and leaves an imprint of itself on the ground, anyone can come up and see the paw print or the body in the ground, but that is just visual, as seeing this bowl or bottle, that is one dimension of seeing, but what if...you could see the story of the object...throught the means of magic? When as frost mage uses frost magic, they understand frost magic as a whole, when a fire mage uses fire magic they understand fire magic as a whole, they don't go and respect the other elements, so to see a imprint of something in for example the ground, you should have to use a school of magic to show the imprint, but have to understand the magic that allow it to exist....so a fossil was once life or nature, and now lies in the ground, so earth, everything...all magics are in unison and we have to respect them as entities almost...."

Norae'thas yawns, "This all sounds very shamanistic Zaneryne, but okay, how would it recall a memory?" And what if you do not understand each school of magic?"

She rambled a bit, "Well if you wish to be a mage you should honestly learn all magics to be the best mage....but yes, the how....well....um...." she turns and grabs what looked by the bag a dusty bag of dirt for sure, and poured some of the loose dirt into the bowl, "I will show you, will imprint my hand in the dirt and then replay the memory of that....you see...nothing doesnt expel no kind of energy or magic, when a fossil became a fossil, they died, something ended a life, so nature expelled into the ground allow the imprint, when a mage throws a fire ball to hit something but misses, the fireball was not intended to hit the tree or the ground, there was a story in that spell, and we are all connected to Azeroth everything we do leaves an imprint...." she went on with her poetic connections to Azeroth and the schools of magic, she spoke of Nature's balance, the shamantistic look and then schools of magic, how she had all the time to research this all was beyond his comprehension. He just noticed she went on and on about how she was about to imprint this memory and play it back, he yawned at how boring it was about to be to see this explanation twice, as she set her hand in the bowl, printing herself to the earth and water, she started to imprint her memory. He changed her originally planned memory by stepping closer to her.

She nervously looked up and said, "What are you doing Norae'thas? Do not mess with my experiment ok...."

He curls his index finger under her chin and pushes her to look up at him, she bewildered, as he leans in and kisses her quite softly on the lips, like pure electricity that it went through her body feeling the first kiss between them. She slowly peeled her fingers from the dirt to rest the wet hand on her lips as she pulled away, and held her bottom lip, blushing wildly. Norae'thas chuckled, "That must be a much better memory then whatever boring one you were about to create."

Zane blushed beet red and just swatted him, "Don't just kiss me to make a better show or memory! Tha....that was not for real?"

Norae'thas tilts his head to the side, "The kiss? No that was very real...."  he boops her nose, "Now show me the memory magic so I can ravish you further Zaneryne...."

She goes silent, only to blush further and turns, stuttering a bit, "I...I am not sure we will be doing anything like that here...t.his is public area...." She swallows hard and hovers her hand over the muddy water bowl, "I will now cast pure frost energy into the bowl, fill the cracks, the details of the handprint and make the memory come to be....sort of command it to tell me....if that makes sense...." she rested her fingers into the bowl and started to channel frost magic into the bowl. The ice crawled fitting each inch of the bowl, the dirt, in the very water an image, an illusion cast in the bowl, show the first kiss again, replaying for the two of them.

Norae'thas was instantly aroused by this, this woman was discovering a new school of magic, and they would both be credited for his, he pressed his body to hers, wrapping his arms around her, "You will have to show me how you did that....."

Norae'thas now stood at the waters that Zane had fallen into, and follows the path, stopping at what looked like an old blood stain, he knelt near it, "You should have never shown me how to do that...." he dabs his fingers in the blood, his grin twisted in satisfaction to taste her blood again, and used his gloves to rip up the ground and grass stained with her blood, to toss into the waters. He hunches over and dips both hands into the water, expelling a large around of fel magic into the waters, he unlike Zane did not respect the other elements at play, he used the foulest of magic and forced the elements to respect him and give him what he wanted. He twisted the very research Zane did all those years ago. The water rippled violently staining a black and purple, before the lime green traces of the memory he needed to see, appeared. Zane in the water, blood escaping her nose and mouth, a torrent of bubbles, and her fighting to swim to the surface, his head followed watching the elf come to the shore and just sleep. He turns his head to the left, seeing the canoe, a Tauren coming and picking up Zane and taking her off into the Barrens. He removed his hands from the water and stood up, "Only so many cities in the Barrens....guess that is my start...." He walks into the Barrens to begin his hunt.

Chogan eventually returns to the hull and sees Zane was asleep, cradling, her lips pursed against the ring and chess piece that Jon gave her, kissing it several times in her sleep. Chogan sighed and tapped his hoof to her, "Hey, we are here."

Zane shifted in her sleep and looks at Chogan and starts to stand up and nods to him, "Before we part ways lets convene in the tavern, want to talk to you about things and help get you there faster, the best way I can."

Chogan nods agreeing to her. The went and met at the Salty Sailor.

Chogan and her taking a seat as two Taurens, goblins bringing a cup of mead and some bread and honey, they were near starved given the goblins did not feed them properly, Chogan ripping the bread in half, dipping to the honey he takes to smashing the gluten right into his snout, snorting and grunting as he gobbled it up, Zane pulling out her map, "I will use the last bit of my coin to buy you a Wyvern to the Plaguelands, closest I can get you, then you just need to go up here to enter Sin'Dorei lands." she moved her finger on the map, all the way up to Silvermoon City. She reached into her bag, and handed him a red feather, "You will need this to get into the court, pin it onto you, allows your passage into the mage court that she is with, the feather is our family crest, only those trusted by our family wears them...her name is Zainstra Dawnsky. Tell her a Ghost sent you. She will know what it means."

Chogan nods absorbing all the information. "What message would you like me to tell her?"

Zane thinks on it for a moment and then looks up at Chogan, "Just say this to her...the light of the dawn even shows in the grimmest of skies...." She leans back, it was the code that they came up with in case they were ever found out about. Zainstra knew to head to Stormwind in those times. That was all he needed to say.

Chogan nods, "Got it, where will you go?"

Zane shook her head, "I am heading north." She took her bread with her, downing the mead, "Lets head upstairs and get you a Wyvern." The two taurens truck it upstairs, their hooves making the old floorboards creek some kind of fierce, as they got up to the orc selling flights with the wyverns, the orc snorts, "Passage for ya both or just one of ya?"

Zane points to Chogan, "Just him. He needs passage to the Plaguelands." She hands out a bag of coin, big enough for the Orc to not ask questions. The orc takes the coin and looks inside and nods his head.

The Orc goes to get a large enough wyvern to hold Chogan. Zane nods to Chogan, "Safe travels with you."

Chogan nods to Zane, "As to you, and remember the fight for these people. They seem worth it."

Zane had nothing to say to that, she just turned and walked herself into the tavern to head out, when no eyes were on her she shifted her appearance again, becoming a plate wearing gnome adventurer with a large sword on her back, nipping off pieces of the bread into her mouth, she cackled insanely through her goggles, no one ever questioning it. She moved through all of Stranglethorn Vale to get up into Duskwood, her destination.

Norae'thas had gone to damn near every city in the Barrens before he finally got to Ratchet, this had to be where they went, just had to be, he started with the inn, walking in letting out a deep breath as he went to the inn, "Did a Tauren and Sin'Dorei female come through here? She was injured, can't imagine she or he could go that far...."

Takoda and his wife sitting in the inn waited for whoever was coming for her to show up and saw it be alone Sin'Dorei hunter. They stayed quiet, Takoda smoking on his pipe and his wife just sitting next to him, they said nothing. The innkeeper shook his head, "No, no one of the sorts came through here...."

Norae'thas grinds his teeth, he knew he was being lied too, and he hated it. He sucks on his teeth and turns his back, "I really do not have time for your lies sir, so....let me...." turns back around, "Pretend that did not happen, and let me ask again, did a Tauren and Sin'Dorei female come through here?"

The tavern owner shook his head, and leaned against the counter, snorting hot air onto the elf, "As I said....no."

Norae'thas grabs the orc by his back ponytail and slams his head onto the counter very abruptly, just one good time, and releases, the orc slams his head onto the counter and falls to his knees, and snarls loudly, "Get out of my tavern now!!!!"

Norae'thas shook his head, "I do not think I will be leaving...."

Takoda stood up smoking on his pipe, "Now-now-now, we do not need any of this violence, we are all just people enjoying our evenings, we came to the tavern to get away from all this violence or day to day stuff.... let's calm down."

There was always someone to diffuse the situation. Norae'thas turns and looks at the older Tauren and then at his wife and then back to Takoda, "Then you best tell the tavern keeper here to tell me my information and stop lying and then I will be on my way...."

Takoda sighs and says coldly to the elf, "You heard the orc yes? Your ears be bigger than ours, know you can hear better than you let up, he said no one came through here matching that description, so say your apologies and do as the owner says, get out of here."

Norae'thas knew they were lying, and he would get his answers some way, glaring at Takoda, his hand reached out behind him, as he stares at the cow said softly, as ice formed in his hand, "I must apologize to you dear orc....for ending your life!!!!" the ice shot from his hand, a shard as it struck the orc in his chest, impaling him to the wall.

The few patrons that were in the tavern that was not the Taurens gasped and cried in panic. Takoda stared down the elf and nods, "That was not necessary...."

Norae'thas laughs evilly, "Was very necessary, and before you ask why....the reaction, you did not shake, or wince or cry or gasp...nor did the female there....meaning you expected this behavior out of me....meaning you know exactly what I am asking about...." he throws a chair behind him across the room, "Now you can tell me what I seek and no one else will get hurt....."

Takoda and his wife did not seem to budge for him. Norae'thas glaring at them, "You must really hate the people in here...." he turned and drew daggers from sheaths, and walked towards the people in the tavern, they never expected him to do it, to just kill innocents for no reason, but they were wrong, people ran from him, backing into the corner of the tavern, screaming that the taurens knew something, but knew nothing more, they screamed for them to talk, giving Norae'thas all he needed to know they were involved. But did not stop him from snatching the hair up of a single human female, dragging her out the cornered pile up and drag her out in a display, "Now....you willing to talk? They claim you know something...."

Takoda's wife twisting her hands as if she was grinding pepper on his shoulder, wanting him to end this madness. Takoda watched the mad man act, "I will not talk to the likes of you, you use fear as a weapon....and that is not something I fight with!" The old Taurens stands up, holding his cane into the ground, "You unhand that woman now....she is not about this....."

Norae'thas glares at the angered old cow and twist the roots of the woman he held in place, she crying, begging for her life, her hair twisting and ripping from its roots, "Pleeeease let me go!!!!"

Takoda took the cane in both his hands, "Unhand her! Your fight is with me now!"

Norae'thas snickered, "Can you still move these days old man..." He tossed the human to the ground, "Fine you kill me and you and everyone in here are safe from me, but if I take you down, and I will.....you will talk and tell me everything or I will kill everyone in here in your honor...."

Takoda had enough of this elf, he pulled the cane from his left hand the bark of the cane splitting apart, roots and new leaves coming from it, shooting out an entanglement of roots, grasping and constricting the elf where he stood. Norae'thas did not expect it at all, figured the tauren was just old, maybe a warrior, did not expect a druid in the slightest, he was confined to his location, the Tauren leaped towards Norae'thas shifting into an impressive sized bear, tackling onto his body, pinned under him the teeth of the bear snarled down at him, drooling plopping on his forehead as he said, "Leave here with your life now!!! You will not harm these people!" His thorns and vines still ever twisting and cutting into Norae'thas.

Norae'thas tried to defy and break free, but the roots still kept him in place, his Tauren had him planted, seemed no way out, the roots weaving, further and further him onto the ground, he tried to scream to be released, but the roots wrapped around his head and across his mouth muting him. His hands planted to the ground, glimmers of green and purple came out each hand, portals ripping up from the ground, as out of the ground came two felhounds, both jumping onto the bear. The two felhounds on the back of the bear bite and rend their claws into his backside.

The Tauren staggers himself off Norae'thas as he tried to swing these pesky beasts off of him. Swung around quickly to fling one into the wall, disbursing into the very energy that brought him into the world, the second still on his back nipping and clawing at his fur. All the while Norae'thas started to sit up, tearing some of the vines off his body, his left hand free, tearing the gag over his mouth as he worked on the right side of his body. All the while the female Tauren watched no more, she acted out, she chanted out a shamanistic word, and a totem erupted from the ground, thunderous earth callings emitted from the totem, it made everyone in the room heavier than they naturally were, moved slower. Norae'thas stuck again, all the while the bear heave the felhound onto the ground and used his muzzle to bite the thing into a cloud of purple and black, gone. The Tauren stayed in bear form and snarled again, "As I said! You will leave here with your life!"

The earth totem held him on the ground, he could not move, he felt truly defeated, thinking back to the academy, with Zane, trying to remember her lessons. He in a bed with Zane, the two bodies nude, his fingers walked up against her bare thigh, all the way up to her shoulder, where he kissed her neck. They had recently entwined together as lovers do, she was cuddled against him reading one of her many books, seemed this was her life work. He reached over trying to mess up where she was reading. She swatted his finger away, "Stop it, Nora!"

He kissed and playfully nibbled on her neck, "Or what?" started tickling her mercilessly. She giggling and swatting trying to defend herself, only to be pinned under him, he holding her hands above him, "Now you are stuck!" He looked down at her nude body, and aroused different attention him as he ever grew, "And I like it...."

She felt him hardened among her body and sighs, "Nora we have spent all morning doing that, things are sore and need rest....besides, I think I am onto something, how to truly explain and describe what is happening when I command the elements...."

He keeps one of his hands to hers, releases one so she can move freely, his free hand caressed her neck, sliding down to cup her breast, "I cannot help it, your brain is so sexy....but please explain what you found, I will try to not ravish you." plucking his hand free from her breast and goes to place his hands on her face.

Zaneryne spoke, "Everything is in balance with everything, when a shaman uses an earthbind totem, it ripples a thunderous roar of the earth, shifting and moving things, the debris it causes is an unsettlement of air, allowing a shaman to cast a lightning bolt....that unsettlement is a glimmer of chaos, the meet in the middle as two elements and a thin line between them is chaos....which practically defines what all warlock magic is, pure chaos, so you could pull between those energies and create your chaos bolt must faster!" She looks up at him with a smile.

He listened and could not help himself, slipped his hands between his legs, guiding his girth back into her. All the while in reality he was bound by roots, a earthbind totem weighing him down, in his head played the lovemaking of the two, as he reached between the battling elements and allowed the pure chaos that was there wrap around his fingers, the glow of green and black built up and up before he hurled a chaos bolt through the room, striking the totem and the shaman that created it. The female Tauren threw across the room and hit the wall, falling to the ground, knocked out.

Takoda turned to see his wife thrown about so easily, he started to growl, as the elf tore his roots free from his body, and Norae'thas just said, "Tell me what I want to know and I will leave here with your wife still alive!"

Takoda did not want to sell her out or his son, he was not going to talk, but he was prepared to defend everyone still. He stood his ground, "I will not give you what you want!"

Norae'thas grunts, "Very well, you all will leave out of here in pieces....." he traces his hands up in the air, summoning a portal on the ceiling, hellish like bats rained out the portal striking down, biting and causing hell of Azeroth in that one tight confined room, everyone in there except the taurens screamed in horror, running, doing anything to get away from the bats. It was pure mayhem! His maniacal laughter only kept the portal open longer as an army of imps poured into the tavern, what bats weren't biting the imps where, countless imps filled the room, attacking the innocent people, crawling all over the bear and the knocked out tauren, biting, nipping, pulling and tugging, an innocent in the background, the human, screamed as an imp used a fork from the tavern to stab her in the eye repeatedly.

Takoda, had his share of imps pulling at his fur, biting him, scratching at his good eye, he threw his arms up, standing on two feet for a split moment as a bear, the fur shedding and replacing with feathers as he stood as an owlkin, striking down a beam of blinding Moonfire, eradicating a quarter of the imps. While the Tauren dealt with the imps, he could not stop fast enough as a bolt of chaos struck him in his chest, launching him across the room, tumbling through a pile of chairs and tables before crashing to a stop. Norae'thas walked towards the Tauren and ordered the imps to tear the people in the corner apart, they did just that.

The old tauren as an owlkin still, was like a flipped over turtle, stuck, he looked at the shadow of the elf as he lowered down to him, Norae'thas nodded, "You fought well cow...." He stabbed his dagger carefully, almost surgically into his side, through ribs, to tap the tip onto his heart, the Tauren wheezed in pain as he shifted back into a tauren and looked at the elf, pleading for his life now, twisting the dagger in a manner that if he moved any sort of wrong way it would strike his heart, "Now....that your stuck....you will give me what I want, any move you make, the tip of this dagger will strike your heart and kill you....now tell me what I want to know, I can make you."

Takoda spits on the elf, he was not going to talk. Norae'thas wiped the spit off and nods, "Hard way it is...." He stood up and walked towards the knocked out female Tauren, "Someone great once told me....that if you want to call yourself a master in anything you need to learn everything....now I was not very much like her, and did not learn every school of magic, who has that kind of time.....but I did learn enough of the magicks I needed to be the level of asshole I am....warlock is my Mastercraft, then we have some frost magic because well she was a frost mage and then....shadow magic....now you know why shadow magic is so important here?" He kneels next to the knocked out woman.

Takoda pants a few times, he did not honestly know, he gave no answer. Norae'thas answered for him, "Because I am about to rape the mind of your wife and make her tell me what I want to know...."

Takoda tried to struggle, but felt the prick of that dagger against his heart and stopped, growling, huffing and puffing, begging him to leave his wife alone. Norae'thas did not listen, he in front of the Tauren, placed his hand onto her head, between her horns, and channeled shadow magic into her skull, taking control of her mind, he could not see what she saw, but he did take control of her mind, he softly said, "Tell me about the Sin'Dorei woman that was here...."

The female Tauren seemed to be fighting with herself but could not stop her mouth from talking, "Grimsky was here...a hero among our people, my son...Cho...Cho...." she tried to not say his name, biting down on her bottom lip, causing it to bleed, the magic too strong for her to resist, "Chogan....found her near the Barrens, where Ashenvale touches the Barrens, brought her here...she was injured, bleeding, hurt, looked like she was attacked. We mended her, myself and Takoda, we used shaman and druid magic mostly but also apothecary potions. She healed nicely....she left on the boat, to Stranglethorn Vale...."

Norae'thas smirks, "Good good, where is she headed did she say?"

The Tauren still fought hard but could not resist the mind control, "No...she did not say, just that she needed to be on that side of the world....she traveled with my son Chogan, disguised as a Tauren female to not be tracked so easily...."

Norae'thas got the information he needed, he opened his mouth, forcing the tauren to look at him, "look at me!"

The Tauren looked at him, his eyes hollowed, face turned white as a ghost as he shrieked, only something she heard, the horrific mind scream, she started to thrashed about as she went through every moment of fear in her life again, beating her skull into things to get it out of her head. Norae'thas stood up not caring the woman was in pain, he turned towards Takoda who was screaming at him to make it stop, the woman pounded her head into the wall until she stops moving, unclear if she was dead or just knocked out. Norae'thas knelt down and sneered at the cow, "This could have been avoided if you just gave me what I wanted!" Before Takoda could say anything, Norae'thas pushed his dagger into his heart.

Takoda's good eye went wide, the pupil pulsing before he relaxed finally. Norae'thas pulled his dagger out, cleaning off the blood onto the dead Tauren's tunic and stood up, and looked at the army of imps who were picking apart the people in the corner, and waved them off, "Go ahead dance in there carcasses, have fun...." cracking his neck side to side he stepped out the tavern massacre and walked towards the dock, very poshly saying, "Now where were we...."

He gives an eerie hum and thinks back on those heated moments of sex with Zaneryne.

[ihaveastorminme]

hi! i badly want to read how ruthless are the gentle but the past but complicated jon/dany tag is off-putting. i dislike dany in general ngl, but since she never left KL and assuming she doesn't have dragons, is it safe to say that she's written differently? is she antagonistic at all towards sansa?

HI! im so glad you asked me, because i can dispell your doubts immediately. Dany and Sansa are friends in this fic

Not only are they friends, but they also share a secret and keep each other as safe as they can. I have tried to add a layer of believable distance between them - one that they are both aware of, in terms of power. How much power each has, the painful limits of that power and their own recognized right to keep secrets. How they both know that if Rheagar wants Dany to do something, no matter how hard Dany might fight it, she will have to do it. Even if it is in Sansa’s detriment. (though you will see that does not at all keep daenerys from being very creative with how she executes her brother’s orders) 

Dany is mostly there to serve as a ‘window to the past’ for both Jon and Sansa, because she can see how they are different with each other, (and different from who they used to be), since she knows them both. (she's allowing me to make those comparisons, without resortign to flashbacks). She was supposed to bring the past into the story, to showcase how much Jon has moved on from it; how they have both grown into a better understanding of human relationships. And eventually moving on to having better relationships eith each other and other people.

She also  serves as a person with a different pov on politics, a different agenda (in the sense that where Jon and Sansa want to gtfo ouf King’s Landing, Dany wants to stay and affect change). She serves to illustrate how troubled both her own past and Jon’s were, how unruly they used to be, how isolating King’s Landing can be, how toxic. 

Her relationship with Jon is only alluded to, tbh. I have not spent that much brainpower in its details because it simply was not a priority. Their present relationship is familial, if a bit conflictual, because Dany hasn’t seen Jon in a long time when the story starts and he’s changed quite a bit. So she doesnt really understand what he’s doing, and gets in his face (to protect Sansa btw). And her feelings on the matter are complicated, because there are remnants of possessiveness there, but the same way one is possessive of a friend, sometimes, when we feel them slipping away from us. Mostly she’s just pissed at jon for being an ass (at one point) and then she will be integrated into the story and will work with Jon and Sansa both. 

Mostly I have tried to write her kindly, with respect to what little I know about her from the books, since I have not read them. She does not have dragons, but she will have dragon eggs - however, I will not take the story far enough into the future to see them hatch.

I really hope i managed to lower your doubts. If you have any other questions, I will be happy to answer them. (if you give me some time, I will post an outline of the chpaters posted, like a summary for each of them, if you want to skip the ones where Dany and Jon come into contact - which to be fair is very little. It's like, two chapters from her pov? in chapter 12 we see whats happening through he reyes for a bit - because i needed a third pov to really bring to the forefront how weird sansa and jon were being - and it took someone who knew both of them well, to notice. and chapter 13 , where Dany confronts Jon. That's it, more or less. The other times they interact, they're with Others of their family and they dont really connect on a different level than that one.)

[julibf]

I AM STARTING TO BELIEVE THAT CERSEI MAY SURVIVE THIS WHOLE MESS........

I have to confess that I ALWAYS believed Sansa’s quote from season 2 to be a huge foreshadowing of a future event, I just couldnt figured out of whom or what. Then this past week it hit me that Lady Ollena refered to Cersei as the “worst person she has ever met” and something inside me just clicked.

So, I started to wonder if Cersei wont end in exile after all the mess she caused in the 7 Kingdom. That was the offer that Ned Stark gave to her right in the beggining....

“Exile,” she said. “A bitter cup to drink from.”

“A sweeter cup than your father served Rhaegar’s children,” Ned said, “and kinder than you deserve. Your father and your brothers would do well to go with you.”

— A Game of Thrones, Eddard XII

That would be a very surprising ending, thats for sure, since everybody and their mothers are expecting Cersei to die. The show made sure to leave the Valonqar part of the prophecy out, so maybe this would be the reason.

Now, I know that Cersei is a true villain in this story; she is selfish, destructive and causes death and destruction all because she wants the Iron Throne, she is pretty much a mirror for D@enerys, the other queen whose obssesion to the Throne leaves a trail of death, misery and pain. 

Their storyline lines are literally identical, so, it would seem fair to assume that both would suffer death in the end, but there is a very important difference between Cersei and D@ny and is that, Cersei is HONEST. She do all the terrible things she does because she wants power and the Throne. She doesnt make elaborate speeches about how she is doing all she is doing to improve the lives of her people; or pretends to be a savior; or lies about her reasons she enjoys to kill her enemies. Unlike D@eerys who will create a bizarre story about a wheel just to excuse her invasion of Westeros and never admits that she kills her enemies in cruel ways because she enjoys to see them die in a cruel way.... I think this little detail its important for George RRMartin. 

Also, Cersei has a lot of  Margaret of Anjour in her storyline, the woman many blame for the whole War of the Roses. Queen Margaret, in the end of the war, was taken as a prisioner by the victorious side, the Yorkists (which are mirrors for the Starks) “and was sent to France in exile, where she died by the age of 52....

I have to confess, this would blow the audience way. Cersei death its the one thing they are all expecting, for the main audience, she is the villain that will be cast down by the magical and good Targ Queen, no one expects her to survive, which makes me believe that George may find this ending too predictible and boring. 

sooooo, those are my crazy thoughts this friday.....

EDIT- BTW, this is a surprising idea that came to my mind since I always believed Cersei to die because of Tyrion speech to her

Tyrion to Cersei: I will hurt you for this. A day will come when you think you're safe and happy and your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth. And you will know the debt is paid. GAME OF THRONES - SEASON 2 EPISODE 8

This episode was written by George RRMartin himself, so, I always assumed this was Cersei Lannister ending...

But maybe, Sansa’s quote is about Tyrion. He is kind of terrible and he was the one who brought the Queen of Ashes to Westeros, soo, maybe he is the true worst one. And when they released the videos of the Houses for season 8, they showed us the scene of Tyrion and Jaime saying goodbye to each other once again..... hummm. I am getting the feeling that one Lannister will be exiled by the end of the show..

[buzzedbabe]

@thewolfdragon @richard-madden @maddennfl86 @thenorthremembersalways @thefashionprofessor @robbstarkmademedoit @what-would-wonderwoman-do

story below for those that can’t read it

How much time are you spending thinking about Bodyguard? A lot, I bet. The new BBC thriller, about the relationship between an ambitious and unknowable home secretary and her PTSD-addled protection officer, was written by Jed Mercurio of Line of Duty fame, and was cynically and artfully designed to hook, obsess and fixate an audience into appointment viewing.

Bodyguard is made to steal us away from all newly acquired suit-yourself, binge-watch and content-stream habits, with charismatic heroes who might actually be despicable antiheroes and a succession of frenzied plot twists that simply must be consumed on the night lest someone catch you out with a spoiler on social media. Even if that doesn’t happen, even if your viewing isn’t partly ruined by a stray Facebook comment, watch an episode even a little late and find yourself locked out of all the best conversations, the most detailed post mortems, most frenetic speculations. Bodyguard is, in essence, a middle-aged Love Island, a reason to gather excitedly round the screen at the prescribed hour in a way that hasn’t really happened since the late Nineties.

Bloody hell, it’s good, I tell its star Richard Madden. The 32-year-old Glaswegian actor made his name as Robb Stark in Game of Thrones and consolidated it as Prince Charming in 2015’s Kenneth Branagh-directed Cinderella. Now, after playing Mellors in Mercurio’s 2015 Lady Chatterley’s Lover for the BBC, he trembles on the verge of Poldarking himself into borderline indecent, heavily fetishised glory as Bodyguard’s David Budd, the protection officer at the heart of the story.

“Oh, right,” he says. His accent is broad, non-posh Scottish; unexpected to those who remember it as generically Yorkshire in Game of Thrones. His eyes are intense. He’s arch and funny; he’d probably qualify as dangerously charming if there weren’t also something watchful and cautious about him. “Thanks very much! I enjoyed playing something a bit more adult, less boyish. I’m keen to play more grown-up roles, without actually growing up myself. Pretending to be adult. I’m done playing princes. Princes and royalty and lords. Also, it’s nice not to do an accent.” David Budd is – conveniently – Scottish. “One less thing to think about. Shall we get a drink? It is a Tuesday night, after all.”

It’s a Monday, I point out, but all the same we order a beer and wine from the front desk of the photographic studio in which we sit.

This is not the first time Madden and I have met. Three years ago, he bowled up to me at a friend’s party and demanded to know why I hadn’t featured him in Grazia magazine’s Chart of Lust recently. A placing in the list (which I compile weekly, and does exactly as its title suggests – rates the most fanciable people of that moment’s news), is deeply coveted among those who present themselves as above that kind of vanity, but definitely aren’t. Newscasters, Hollywood A-listers, national treasures, disruptive artists (Grayson Perry once told me he’d pinned his mention up on the wall in his studio), award-winning novelists … I’ve been lobbied by spads chasing mentions for their political charges on more than one occasion. But this was the first time a candidate had ever approached me in the flesh. I was both impressed and amused by his front.

“It does my frail ego good,” he’d elaborated, which, I’d thought, demonstrated a surprising amount of self-awareness in a young actor.

I remind him of our first meeting.

“Oh, God. Great start,” he says. Then, “I’m just trying to work my way up [the chart].”

Well, let’s see how this goes, shall we.

One of the reasons I think Bodyguard resonates so hard with its viewers is that it’s dealing with themes of safety – and so are we all. Terrorist attacks, suicide bombers and rooftop snipers recur from episode to episode; our current nightmares, and most catastrophising daytime fantasies, the ones that flicker through our minds every time we board a plane, go to a concert venue or swipe into a subway system, are played out in high definition on our small screens. Madden’s David Budd thwarts and buffers and foresees and repels; a hero with a fantastically of-the-moment brief. If Poldark is our ultimate historical TV pin-up – manly, tortured, good with his shirt off – then Budd is our ultimate Threat Level: Severe pin-up – manly, tortured, good in a bulletproof vest (“An actual bulletproof vest,” he’ll tell me, “which is so comfortable, for five months”).

I run this theory past Madden. How nervy is he in London right now?

“I don’t feel unsafe. I used to be more panicky, but I’m just less uptight. A few years ago, I’d get off at Tube stations because I’d have a sense of something.”

How much of David Budd’s wariness did Madden inherit through the course of filming?

“You get to a point where you clock everything. That’s what I’m doing for 12 hours a day, so …”

Walk into a room, scope it out for the nearest exit?

“I did that anyway. My dad’s a fireman, so that’s built in. Check into a hotel, first thing I do, find the fire exit.”

Richard Madden was born just outside of Glasgow, an only boy among older and younger sisters. His mother, Pat, is a classroom assistant. There were no other performers in his close family – no pub-singer uncles, no sisters at dance school.

You’re, like, a rogue luvvie.

“Yup!” he says.

How does that happen?

“I don’t know. I was fat. And shy. Crushingly shy, going to what was a fairly tough high school. Aggressive. Masculine. So I thought the best thing to do would be to go and be an actor. Ha ha! Not go and play football. Or get good at boxing. I’ll go and be an actor. They’ll love that.”

Aged 11, Madden joined Paisley Art Centre’s youth theatre programme. “And of course, they did not love that. But then I managed to dodge a couple of years of school, because …”

Because he was good enough to be cast, as a young teenager, in professional roles: in the film adaptation of Iain Banks’ Complicity, and in a kids’ TV show called Barmy Aunt Boomerang.

“So I was like, ‘I’m going to be acting, and not go to school.’ And get paid.”

Did you realise you were good? “I don’t think you ever feel good at it.”

He gave up acting in his mid-teens – “Life got a bit shit, when you’re on telly, among your peers, and you’re 14 years old”. He returned to it when he was 17, “because you have a bunch of teachers going, ‘Right, now you must decide what to do with the rest of your life,’ and 17 is of course the best time to choose.”

In 2004, he began studying at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. “I wasn’t allowed to apply for drama school unless I applied for a ‘real’ course as well, which was computing science. I didn’t even know what it was. Had no interest. And then, luckily, the day before my first exams, I received a letter saying you’ve got into drama school, so I went to my exams and just wrote my name.”

At 22, barely out of the RSAMD, he was cast as Robb Stark in HBO’s epic, fantastically successful Game of Thrones. Stark is the noble, brave, integrity-hampered son of Sean Bean’s Ned Stark; a character with a genuine and credible claim on the kingdom’s iron throne, all of which condemned him to a phenomenally gruesome death in an episode entitled The Rains of Castamere, only fans of the show (among whom I count myself, unashamedly) call it “The Red Wedding”, on account of the blood-drenched ceremony during which Madden, his pregnant wife and his mother all die.

Madden says he thinks that early, formative brush with a TV career was both “a head-f***” and, “I was so thankful for it, because, going into the world of Game of Thrones, I’d already learnt so much from doing it as a kid, of feeling isolated, or getting arrogant because you’re on a TV show. I’d kind of done all that. I could deal with it a lot better.”

A lot better than whom, among your co-stars?

He cackles. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Yes! Can I guess? “No.”

Madden went into Game of Thrones knowing he would die within three series – the books on which the shows are based spelled out Robb Stark’s demise long before Madden was cast – which he thinks is a good thing, professionally speaking. “I didn’t just want to be known as that guy from Game of Thrones.” It also meant that his celebrity has, until this point at least, been tinged with pity, partly for the grotesque manner of his fictional death, partly because he was booted out of that juggernaut of a TV sensation early.

That might be about to change with Bodyguard. I am reasonably confident Madden’s fame is about to be tinged with something rather more lecherous. David Budd is in no sense a straightforward romantic hero – physically and emotionally scarred, with an undivorced wife and kids squirrelled away in a safe house – but heavens, he does brooding intensity well. His love affair with Keeley Hawes’ home secretary, Julia Montague, is as intensely sexy as it is quietly subversive, for making no reference to Hawes’ Montague being ten years older than Madden’s Budd. The whole thing is designed to charm the pants off us, and I wonder how prepared Madden is to receive the unbridled lust of thousands of women on social media.

If Twitter erupts with lechery …

“I won’t look.”

Why?

“Because if I do, and if I believe someone going, ‘Oh God, he’s hot,’ then I’ll also have to believe the person that goes, ‘He’s got pumpkin teeth.’ Do you know what I mean?”

Yes, but, you are widely considered handsome, so …

“I don’t see it.”

Truly not?

“Truly not.”

It is form for beautiful young actors to deny their looks, in the interest of seeming more humble and likeable than they really are, but I think, in Madden’s case, he could mean it. He tells me fame has made him feel less attractive, not more. “You chat to a girl at a bar, have a couple of drinks, and shy Richard is slowly going. This is going well. And then it’s, ‘My boyfriend’s a really big fan. Can I get a picture?’ And you go, ‘F***.’ You think they think you’re hot, but it’s because you’re on telly.”

I ask Madden if he thinks he’s irredeemably defined by the chubby, shy child he used to be.

“I feel like I should lie down on that sofa and give you a hundred quid.”

Were you really so scarringly fat?

“Thirty-eight inch waist when I was 12. I didn’t wear denim until I was 19, because denim is really hard to take up. My mum couldn’t take my jeans up.”

Would you say you have body issues?

“Absolutely, yeah.”

Despite all of which, Richard Madden does OK with women. When I originally met him, he’d been in the final stages of a long-term relationship with the actor Jenna Coleman, who stars as Victoria in the ITV show, and who is now in a relationship with her onscreen Albert, Tom Hughes. Since then, Madden has been gossip-column-linked to a succession of beautiful women – model Suki Waterhouse and TV presenter Laura Whitmore among them – none of whom seem notably put off by his pumpkin teeth.

“I think in the last year I was, as far as the tabloids went, dating seven different people. And when you receive a text saying, ‘Are you sleeping with blah blah,’ and you go, ‘No,’ that’s a bit weird.”

Who are you sleeping with?

“I’m not saying.”

But you are sleeping with someone?

“I am sleeping with someone. I am very happy with someone. There are pictures of it on the internet.”

If it’s the one everyone thinks you’re dating, I say – by which I mean the 21-year-old Ellie Bamber, with whom he was pictured most recently at the Serpentine Gallery summer party – then she’s another actor. Is it really a good idea to go out with other actors?

“Yes and no. Yes, because you understand what each other’s going through. No, because, there’s a certain level of self-focus you need, in order to do the job you’re doing. That’s hard on all relationships, because what am I going to talk to you about? I walk up and down for 12 hours a day, dealing with this character’s shit. That’s all I’ve done, every day, for the past three months … I really haven’t got anything to offer you as a friend.”

We return, briefly, to Bodyguard. He says he got on brilliantly with Keeley Hawes. “Love her, love her to pieces. She saved my arse, because it’s not a fun job. It’s not a comedy. But then Keeley and me, me and her, off screen, were just like two kids.”

Were you paid the same?

“No idea. I imagine she earned more. I care less about how much other people are paid, and more what it takes for me to shut up and go and do my job. The equality thing needs to be addressed hugely between male and female co-stars; I know that from friends of mine. But there’s only so much I can do for myself. Agents and lawyers, they do all that stuff. I just kind of deal with what I need to, so I don’t look a producer in the eye and f***ing hate them when they’re talking about their villas, and you’re thinking, shit, I’m getting the bus at the weekend, because I don’t have the money for a cab, you know?”

How rich are you?

“Not very. People think I am, because of Game of Thrones, but you know, when I signed up for that I was 22, with f*** all on my CV, so I was paid f*** all.”

Then, somehow, we end up talking about his body again.

“In between filming, I eat pizza, drink, don’t work out, get fat, then it’s six weeks till you have to be naked again. It’s always six weeks. Actually, that’s if you’re lucky. I have ten days till I take my clothes off again this time.”

What’s the occasion?

“I’m filming Rocketman, the Elton John film, and I play John Reid, his first boyfriend, his manager for 28 years.”

A straight man in a gay role; casting that has become contentious after Disney named comedian Jack Whitehall, who is straight, as the voice of its first openly gay hero.

“Yeah, and Taron Egerton [who is playing Elton John] is a straight man in a gay role,” says Madden, “and I think we’re all f***ed if we start going down the route of you can only play a gay part if you’re a gay actor. Diversity, equality and pay – of course we need to make sure of all that, but at the same time … I read reports that so and so’s pulled out of this role because they’re not transgender, and you go, yeah, but they’re a f***ing actor, and they’re probably really f***ing good in the part, and maybe that is part of the reason why that film’s getting made …”

We wind up with him telling me he isn’t bothered about an Oscar. “Because, who won best actress last year? Best actor? Best supporting actor? What won best musical?”

No idea.

“So what does it matter?” he says.

After which, he is beautifully mocking (off the record) about a very famous actor’s latest endeavour, before hugging me goodbye and pretending – well – he hopes to see me again soon, socially. Richard Madden made it to No 2 in the current issue of Grazia’s Chart of Lust Bodyguard continues tomorrow at 9pm on BBC One. Episodes 1 and 2 are on BBC iPlayer

[loyalbreed]

      Cent has decided to back away for the time being; because he feels that it is effecting people he has come to appreciate. That he doesnt know how to return such kindness that was given to him in full. And much like the beginning when the catfish thing first happened, he is overwhelmed and doesnt know where to begin to reach out to people. Again like the beginning, the only people who spoke to him about it wanting an answer. Were the people directly effected by it? Myself included, versus people who just kept using it against him?          The Catfish thing was resolved and ended well between many people who were effected actually. The person who owns the blog that is being linked about him is scrambling to delete it since it was kept by her and a lot of others. To make sure it was out there that what had done, did happen. And that it wasn't over looked either; the fact Cent asked to keep that blog up. Should be important notion alone over who he is as a person. It was not to be brought up negatively again and used as a tool to populate someones obsession and anger over him. Since it seems to continue to happen by the same people staring a new issue every so often when he has people comfortably having fun with him. Which makes me upset because it seems that if a community is happy; unhappiness needs to happen.

        I do not like long posts--and honestly this didnt stay short. But I want say how upset I am this happens again. Considering I was one of the close to him when Cent Catfished; its really stupid to see people who had nothing to do with him at the time. Bring this up as if they were really the ones effected most directly from it? Further you are bringing up bad feelings that many people have already come to let sit on their chest and deal with ultimately.        To further delve into my own sense of okay this post is about me, even though this isnt. I need you all to know how Call Out Culture is ineffective and Bad. From my stand point with my experience I want to leave you with a short burst of information about myself and how we handle it along with DCF, a separate government branch, DDS, and her therapists.         My sister is severely mentally disabled. For the rest of our lives we will be taking care of her. She cannot wash herself. She thinks that Star Scream from Transformers is real and often comes to talk to her. I told her once she couldnt date a toaster as a joke, and she threw the toaster at me screaming about it. She really thinks star scream is attractive, and often details herself with obsessions with Aliens and outer space. She thinks God is evil-- because God made her this way. And cant understand why that is a sad thing to say. She just gets frustrated; frustrated is her essence of living. And acting out on it is how she is derived of.          To continue, she has pushed me down stairs. Abused me. Told me to die. Tried killing me several times. Has emotionally abused my little brother to the point we have a separate staff of people in and out of our house for him.           This is nearly every day for me; every day it is. Is kayla alright? did she do something? Did she hurt someone? did she hurt herself? no? Good good. Today was a good day.          How is this relevant toward this situation and pertaining toward things going on; the thing is rather then take my sister out of the house considering how constant this is. The government stresses on keeping her in the home and helping us all as a whole keep together. When a break is needed; and it can be afforded. She goes into Respite Program where she leaves for a week or so. She is actually going to one soon, and is very excited because they are going to go out a lot!            To reiterate the government keeps disabled individuals who may be a threat to the family within the home. With emergency issues and things that need happen--and yes when she says she wants to kill you she means it. As someone she has tried to I can say that much alright.           To make a point; People who are an issue you do not merely remove them and or kick them out. Indeed themes need be addressed and if their are serious manners of which Pedophila is being actually done then we and you. Need to contact police enforcement. They will take you seriously; it is a serious endeavor. You can involve Tumblr Staff as well, there are channels to pull with if there is something volatile that need be addressed. I implore you to. Yet often times it seems when posts are made, the latter is true.              To highlight the issues where, Cent condones or romanticizes these things that are being said. If you read these rules it is not the case. He states that he will participate in these things but does not want just anyone asking him. Nor does he want anyone shipping with the character as he doesnt understand why it is you would? It is weird to think that from these text alone you would take context otherwise-- Especially knowing before this post was presented. Cent talked about how on his Bel blog he doesnt want to make people feel like his Bel is pushing on them or making them uncomfortable. And that he would never participate in noncon. Or that on King Arthur; he does not do any of these themes what so ever. That these themes are only present on the villainous character he does not even participate in roleplaying anymore.              To round this over; it is getting upsetting seeing how this is effecting one another when the general idea is ‘ i just want to be happy and want people to talk/do things with.’ Rather then ‘ i want nothing to do with this person. ‘ So many people are stressed out and want to talk to cent. Reach out to Cent. But are constantly being told otherwise; its sad and im happy to know that people exist out there that know in actuality how dealing with problems work. Versus adhering the idea that you need kick someone out.                    I fear those people. Because i fear letting my sister do something around someone and someone not understanding and condoning her for it when they only have a minuscule of the story. Seeing as people cant even understand someone who makes sense how would you understand someone like my sister? Its cool you can say now ‘ oh But no we arent talking about that. ‘ Yet the only reason why you can feel this way is because you know the story behind my sister, many of you dont know anything about Cent save for interacting with him and that he makes you laugh.          So Im going to Tell you one thing about Cent that for me now that you know my story makes me happy to share.           Seeing that Cent came out from such a bad place, being such a bad person, doing such horrible things but choosing to do better made me believe in others again. It made me believe that even if my sister does all the things she does. There is always a spot and place for her to truly come about and make a better decision too. True, Cent is a more able bodied man and isnt disabled like my sister. But its just the fact that he does and he could and he can. That makes me believe anyone can.           It makes me feel like no matter who you were in the past; you can always chose to be better then that. And no matter how many times or who wants to believe who you are in the past dictates who you are in the future. Wont ever mean as much; That anyone despite the things they have done can always chose to be a better person then what they had been. And cent really does solidify that fact. As someone who knew him from the time as a cat fished. That got catfished by him. Literally back stabbed by him. Only to come down and talk again as friends.                   I feel like I get to say that not anyone else, and Im really glad to be able to say that lmao. He is my closet friend and will always remain to be.             I don’t mind if you feel you do not want to talk to me or think I romanticize his issues as someone who has gone through so much. So much and more, you would not begin to understand. I feel you are more then welcome to believe that but I know there are people who talk to him and know what he does and feels the same. And are comfortable with the rounded world they have created with friends.              And I really ( SHOUNEN VOICE ) I really just believe in people--people change. And Cent makes me realize that this is possible. And you cant just remove people out of your life thinking they wont. And because I know better and because I am an adult with my head well on my shoulders. I can make that decision, i understand if you cannot yet or are afraid or uncertain. I implore you to keep yourself safe just know that some of us feel chill. and we are all alright btw!! So dont feel like we are being attacked or manipulated by cent. 

But I insist you stop thinking that trying to get rid of someone is going to solve an issue. People continue living and breathing every day regardless of what you think or want to happen? No one is ignoring the issues or ignoring the fact that stuff happened if you are scared or uncertain as well about them feel free to add me and we can always group convo and you can let your feelings bare. Or anyone really? just be mindful and fair?

This isnt going to make Cent come back i really just feel like. I want these feelings to be known and that if you are ever called out personally I will gladly give you a chance of your own. I can only hope to god, that he would give that chance to my sister one day if something happened. And to anyone and everyone, as well as  teach other people that everyone deserves that much.

[maxattack-powell]

The Freshman: 2-1

Book 2 - 1 Chapter 1: Winter in Hartfeld

Masterlist - go here for other chapters and related original fics

Disclaimer: The following are fics (adaptations from actual game chapters AND original works) to Choices: The Freshman and The Sophomore stories. It is a fictional adaptation. I (we) do not work for Pixelberry Studios, the game developer or own the rights to the characters Chris Powell, Nicole or any other IN GAME character. All of the ORIGINAL characters, storylines and events were developed for my adaptation of The Freshman story.

Comments: I enjoyed playing Choices The Freshman… and then I found this awesome group of people and their works - I’ve loved it all, very much so. Deciding that I wanted more interaction than the options allowed, I’ve gone through the first book, chapter by chapter (omg painfully slow) to follow the story (95-99% I’d say) and add to it as I felt would benefit. Now I am doing the same to Book 2 as well.

Basically, I wanted to include certain things that weren’t really full fic worthy, adding more substance to the story. However, I did add some full size fic moments also… some are included in cannon chapters and some are their own full chapters in between. I wanted to see MC and Chris through their freshman year… with more angst, fluff, sweetness, real life and overall detail. So, if you like that pairing then you’ll be satisfied, otherwise sorry James & Kaitlyn fans lol. I even added some parts from Chris’s POV, so that we have a chance to see what he’s thinking, knowing what she experienced.

NSFW moments in future chapters - Mature Readers Only Please

Paring: MC x Chris

POV: ~MC~ or ~Chris~

~MC~

Morning finally comes for the last day of Winter Break. MC is sad, but also beyond excited to get back to Hartfeld. She’s missed her family and friends while at school, but now what she misses more than anything is a single person. The thought baffles her mind, but she accepts it with a warm embrace as it just feels right.

Early yesterday, she told her mom that she wants to get to Hartfeld bright and early, which was slightly different than the original plan. That mornings text from Chris might have had something to do with it, seeing how just thinking about the text makes her stomach flip. MC assumes her mom knows why, but she doesn't care. She just wants to get there, to see her friends, and to see Chris. The only thing she wishes she could change would be to bring Max. Leaving him gets harder every time.

Her bags were packed and ready before she went to sleep the night before, so when the alarm went off this morning she was easily jumping out of bed and getting dressed within minutes. She did take a moment to send a ‘Good Morning, handsome’ text to Chris, beating him to the punch, a rare win for her over the Winter Break.

Even With all of her preparations, her mother moves slowly around the house, as if she had nowhere to go all day. MC was trying not to become furious with her, but her mother knows she wants to get back to Hartfeld. She internally grumbles about losing her truck to her dad. He had to sell his car after he lost his job, and since she wasn't using her truck during first quarter, he commandeered it. Now she was actually without wheels, something she hoping to have soon at Hartfeld. She wasn't going to give up though, she would find a way.

After a few minutes of following her mother around pointlessly, MC drops to the sofa with a huff. That's when she notices a message from Chris.

‘Morning, beautiful. Decided to sleep in huh?’ She can see the smirk on his face when he typed it. She quickly checks the time and sees that it's only just now about 9 a.m. She frowns and wonders what he means. Then it hits her. He's been on the road for hours at this point, how could she forget. He had asked her last night when she was going to leave in the morning, and now she knows why - he left in time to meet her at Hartfeld.

The crease in her brow deepens when she counts back the hours to guess at his departure time. She frowns and sends him a message. ‘You better not be texting while driving. And OMG, what time did you leave?!’

She quickly shakes her head and sends another. ‘Don't answer that. Don't text while driving. Dont read this!’

MC smacks her palm to her forehead lightly and rubs down her face when she realizes what she just did. Clearly, she’s not thinking straight. Maybe she didn't get enough sleep, or maybe she's distracted. Suddenly her phone rings, making her about jump out of her skin. She quickly lifts it to see who it is and grins when she sees Chris’s picture.

She jumps up from the sofa and bolts to her room, narrowly missing her mother as they pass in the hall. She blindly kicks her door shut with her foot as she answers the call. “You better not be driving Christopher Powell.”

She hears him laugh lightly on the other side. “I wouldn't dream of it. I promised… a long time ago. Do I need to prove it?”

MC shakes her head even though he can't see it. “No. I trust you.”

“Good. Now, what are all these texts about… you made me pull over. I have a hot date to keep.” She can hear the grin as he says the last sentence.

“What time did you leave this morning?! You should have taken your time… it's such a long drive.”

“Nah, I’ve got good coffee and let's just say I’m highly motivated to start the new quarter…”

She laughs. “Oh yeah? And why is that exactly…”

“I’ll let you assume what you will.” He laughs but gets quiet when he hears Max bark. “Are you… are you still at home?”

She sighs. “YES. My mother won’t hurry up… I’ve been ready to leave since last night.” She grumbles.

Chris laughs. “Well, that's alright. Gives me time to get settled and ready for you when you get there.”

“Ready for me, huh?” MC lowers her voice, teasing Chris.

He doesn't miss it, letting a frustrating sigh out over the phone. “MC…”

“Whaaaat…” She asks innocently.

He doesnt fall for it. “Okay, thats enough from you. I’m going to get moving again. Message me when you get close. I’ll be there in less than a minute, kay?”

She smiles, knowing he speaks the truth. ��Alright… See you soon, captain.”

"I cant wait, baby… you guys drive safe.”

“You too, please.”

They hang up and MC immediately feels relieved. Even though she wanted to leave at least an hour ago, she knows it won't be long before she gets to see Chris again. She lays there for a minute before her door flies open suddenly, her mom leaning against the frame dramatically.

“I'm late, I'm late. For a very important date. No time to say ‘Hello, Goodbye’. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!” Her mother sings, ending with a chuckle as MC throws a pillow at her head. “So ungrateful... “ She scoffs as she turns and disappears down the hall, her voice fading as she yells back. “Well, are we leaving today or what…”

MC doesn't hesitate as she jumps off her bed and runs down the hall to catch up. The drive back was pleasant, the pair discussing school, movies and books as well as other interests they share to pass the time. It makes the time fly, and MC is grateful for it. She enjoys talking with her mom, but she dearly wants to get back.

It's the first official day of winter quarter at Hartefeld. MC’s mom parks her blue SUV in one of the campus parking lots and gets out to help her with the luggage. “Brrrr! It's so cold here! Good thing I took you shopping for winter clothes, huh? Told you you’d need them.”

MC closes the passenger door and heads towards the back to meet her mom. She’s dressed in a soft grey sweater, fluffy black scarf and a dark green army style jacket with a fuzzy hood. She has knee high brown leather boots on top of her skinny jeans, helping her stay warm. Her hair's a little longer than before the break, but not enough to consider a cut quiet yet, otherwise she looks exactly the same.

As her mom opens the back hatch, MC pulls out her duffle bag and drops it on the ground, giving her mom a goofy grin. “Yup, I’m eternally grateful, Mom. And it’s not like I didn't need them at home. It’s just about as cold at our house.”

Her mom closes the door and sighs as she brushes her hands off on her pants. “Yes, I believe you are correct. I probably just miss some of the places we lived before. We had so many warmer options in the past. The were much more agreeable than our home now during the winter.” She sighs and shakes her head. “So… are you glad to be back?” MC can see the mixed happiness and sadness in her mom's eyes.

She gives her a big smile. “Of course! Partying all day, every day.” She holds her smile, trying to appear completely serious.

Her mother's mouth falls open. “Is that all you've been doing?”

MC keeps a straight face, her smile unwavering. “Well, that and petty crimes. I’m trying to stay well-rounded. It's always good to diversify you know.”

Her mother snorts at her. “Very funny. Just make sure you take full advantage of your time here, okay? These are important years.” She reaches for MC to give her a friendly pinch, but she dodges just in time, laughing at her mom.

MC sighs when she jumps far enough away, rolling her eyes. “I know, mother…”

She turns and looks around the snow-covered campus, shielding her eyes against the reflected winter sunlight on the snow. When she turns back to her mother, she receives a knowing smile.

“Let me guess… looking for that special someone?” She laughs softly.

MC shakes her head at her mother, suddenly regretting telling her more about Chris over the break. A huge grin splits her face as she looks down at her duffle. “Maybe…”

“So, is it, you know… official? I know you young people ‘don't do labels,’ but you did go to formal together. And then you guys took those two trips together, right?” Her mother prods. “I’d say that's pretty official.”

MC gives her mom a look, hoping she will drop it, as she and Chris have yet to have that type of talk. Sure they had spent hours, almost daily, talking and texting, sending snapchats and facetiming… for weeks during winter break. Not to mention their time spent together… first to California and then to the National Championship, both thanks to a Hartfeld alumni.

Her thoughts pause for a moment as details from both trips flash through her mind, her neck starting to flush towards her cheeks. There was never a good time to bring it up, at least not from her point of view so far. And even though Chris had said what he did the night before the championship, she wasn't sure if he was ready to lock down and label the thing.

“Well, if your trip to L.A. or to the championship game together is any indication, I’d say you mean a lot to him.” She flashes MC an honest smile. “Might be time to get official, MC.” She gives her daughter a playful bump, shoulder to shoulder.

Just then MC spots Chris approaching through the snow. He was right. It only took him about a minute to get there after she sent the last text. He waves at her, a big cheesy smile on his face. She immediately feels warm as his eyes roam over her body and search her face. She has been beyond excited to see him, in the flesh, again. But she had no idea it would affect her physically like this.

Her heart starts beating faster and her palms begin to sweat, even in the cool crisp air. None of it changes her smile though as it continues to grow with every step he takes towards her. She watches his chest flex under his henley, smirking to herself as she just knew he would wear it today. Chris knows how much she loves it on him, so his wearing it now is very intentional.

Her mom steps next to her and does not hide the fact that she's staring. “Wow, the pictures you showed me did not do him justice…”

MC quickly tears her eyes from Chris and glares wide eyed at her mother. “Mom! Just…be cool!”

Her mother’s eyes go wide and she covers her mouth. “Sorry!”

Chris jogs over and sweeps MC up in a big hug. She wraps her arms around his neck as he spins her around, staring into her eyes the whole time. He appears to be completely unaware of the audience next to him, having eyes only for MC since he spotted her from across the field.

MC laughs and squeezes her arms around his neck. “Whoa! Down, boy!”

Chris chuckles and gently lowers her to the ground, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around her. “Sorry… just happy to see you.” His 6’3” frame folds around her slightly shorter one, only slightly having to lower his head to make contact with her forehead as he stares into her eyes.

He loosens his grip on her, turning to face her mom, finally noticing her presence next to them. He holds out his hand and gives her a friendly smile. “Hi, you must be MC’s mom. I’m Chris.”

MC watches as her mother gushes over her… ‘Well, you can't call him your boyfriend, MC…’ she suddenly thinks to herself. She sees her mother's face become giddy as she shakes his hand.

“So handsome! And a strong grip, too…” She smirks.

MC’s face flushes. “Mom, what did I just say?! You're gonna creep the poor guy out…”

Chris turns his head to face her and tilts to the side, clearly amused. “Heh, no harm done. I certainly don't mind being called handsome.” His eyebrows pop once to show his amusement.

“I’m starting to see why MC never shut up about you the whole time she was home…” Her mom continues, causing MC’s face to flush an even deeper red as she snaps her eyes over to glare at her.

Chris turns his gaze away from her mother and back towards MC’s blushing face. “Really?” His smile expands like a sponge in water.

“I wouldn't mind hearing what she had to say, exactly…” MC watches as his mischievous eyes sink to her lips momentarily before they pop back up to hers.

MC sucks in a deep breath and grinds her teeth, quickly whipping her head towards her mother. “Agghh, stop! This meet-and-greet is officially over. Goodbye, mom.”

She starts pushing her mother towards her SUV, eager to split the two up.

“All right, I’ll leave you two alone. It was nice to finally meet you, Chris.” She waves at him as she opens her car door. “MC, make sure to call home at least once, okay?”

MC forces a huge smile and quickly responds. “I’ll do my best. Bye!”

Her mom waves one more time before getting into the SUV. “Bye, sweetheart.”

She turns to Chris and watches him flash her a cocky grin as he shoulders her duffel bag.

“C’mon, let’s get you back to the suite. Everyone’s been dying to see you.” He wraps his free arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.

“Aww… I think I need some alone time with you first…” She lifts her hand up to his chest and runs it up around his neck. She can feel him softly groan at the contact.

It has only been four days since she last saw Chris, then another three weeks before that. Well, in person anyway. They had communicated daily since they last saw each other at the dorm the day after they returned from California. She remembers how much he hated doing that, leaving her alone to wait for her ride while he began his long journey home. She made him do it though, not wanting him to get tired or have issues on the trip back. So she forced him to leave. She never let him know at the time, but she hated that part too.

He pulls her closer, nuzzling next to her ear. “I was thinking the same thing. But I’m pretty sure they’re gonna grab you as soon as you walk in the door.”

She flashes him a flirtatious smile. “I guess we’ll just have to stay out here a while longer then…” She lifts up a little to press her lips against Chris’s, running both her hands up and around his neck into his hair.

He closes his eyes and melts into her lips, only speaking briefly when they break for a breath of air. “Guess so…”

He drops her bag in the snow and leans closer to kiss her deeply, wrapping both arms around her and holding her impossibly close. After what feels like hours, they finally break apart and gaze into each other’s eyes for a long second. Chris smiles at her as he leans close to her ear, kissing her neck softly a few times.

“Let’s finish this later. Our suitemates will kill me if I keep you away from them any longer.” He quietly says into her warm skin.

MC smirks at him. “Well, I wouldn't want that.” She steps back, breaking the embrace and grabs his hand. “Let’s go say hi.”

She squeezes the same hand and he quickly scoops up her bag and flings it back onto his free shoulder. The two of them walk slowly across the campus towards their suite, enjoying their time together, hand in hand. As they cross the quad, MC spots a glamorous young woman looking around campus, clearly lost.

She makes eye contact with MC and hurries over to them as they draw nearer with an ingratiating smile on her face. “Hi there, you couldn't possibly direct me toward the faculty offices, could you?”

Chris turns to look at MC. “I think you're a little more familiar with those than I am, right, MC?”

The woman takes a step back, her mouth suddenly agape. “Hold up… you’re MC?!”

MC cautiously glances at Chris, his brow furrowed as he listens to the strange interaction. “Uh… yes.” She finally spits out, her eyebrows coming together as she studies the woman. “Do I know you?”

The stranger gives her a sickeningly sweet smile. “Not yet… but I certainly know you.”

The woman looks sidelong at Chris, a sly grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. “So… that must make you Chris.”

Chris raises an eyebrow at her, shifting uncomfortably next to MC as he gives the woman a crazy look. “How did you--”

The stranger interrupts him before he can finish as she eyes them both. “I should’ve recognized you both sooner. You're exactly like I pictured…”

She smirks. “You know what? I think I can find my own way from here. My friend just texted me directions.”

A bewildered look crosses MC’s face. “Uh… okay.”

The young woman hustles off, throwing a last lingering look over her shoulder at the stunned pair. They both watch her for a moment, waiting for her to be well out of hearing range before Chris turns his befuddled face to hers.

“Um… who was that?” He blinks a few times.

She frowns at him. “Your guess is as good as mine…”

They both watch her disappear in silence before looking at each other one last time, simultaneously shrugging and starting their journey again. They arrive at the suite to find Zack and Tyler in their usual spot on the couch, their eyes glued to the videogame on the TV.

Tyler looks up first and smiles. “Hey, MC! Long time no see!”

Zack quickly looks up and flashes her his usual grin. “Sup, doll! I’d get up and hug you and all that, but…” His eyes jump back to the screen as he tilts his head to it.

MC snorts at him and laughs. “Don't worry. I can see you're really busy.”

Chris just shakes his head and chuckles. “Have you guys moved at all today?”

Tyler suddenly looks perplexed as he tries to sort through his memories. “I think I got up to go to the bathroom? But don't quote me on that.” He purses his lips and nods.

“That's it? Respect.” MC laughs at their craziness.

Zack grins. “We’re in the zone. We’ve achieved a state of serious flow.”

Tyler bounces in his seat, clearly excited. “We’re this close to beating Yothag, Thrall of Xelia! This is the furthest we’ve ever gotten!”

MC looks at them both with endearment and a little bit of sarcasm. “I’m very happy for you both. Are Abbie and Kaitlyn here?”

Just then, Kaitlyn pops her head out from the back hallway, a big smile on her face. “MC! I thought I heard your voice… come here!”

Kaitlyn runs over and wraps her up in a tight hug, pulling her from Chris’s warm embrace. He winks at her and takes her bag down the hall to her room. Over Kaitlyn's shoulder, MC sees Abbie coming out of her room, passing Chris in the hallway, clearly excited to see her as well.

“Hey, MC!” Her shy friend waves at her with a smile.

“Abbie! Aw, it’s so good to see you guys. I really missed you over break.” She flashes them a huge smile.

Kaitlyn takes a step back and bounces a little on her toes. “Same! Now, enough small talk… Abbie has some serious gossip to share, don't you, Abbie?”

Abbie is caught off guard by Kaitlyn's sudden question. “Oh, uh…” She glances over at Tyler and tries and fails to hide a smile. “I might…”

MC can't help but let her grin spread across her face as she lowers her voice a little. “Ooh, you and Tyler? Tell me everything! I know you guys went to formal together. I assume things went pretty well after that?”

Abbie blushes. ��You assume correctly.” She glances at Tyler once more before continuing. “We didn't end up meeting up over break, but we did talk online a lot. And on the phone. And on video chat.”

“Aw, Abbie! Are you two finally together for real now?” MC pauses, suddenly excited at the idea.

Abbie blushes and catches Tyler’s eye, raising her voice so he can hear. “What do you think, Tyler? Are we together?”

He briefly looks up from his game with a adorably cute grin. “Totally.”

MC suddenly taps Abbie on the arm to make her turn back to her. “Wait, video chat… no clothes or clothes?” She quietly jokes with her friend.

“Oh my god MC!” Abbie’s mouth falls open and she swats at MC.

Kaitlyn turns to grin at Abbie. “You didn't answer the question, Abbie…”

Abbie snorts at them both before she grins again. “Clothes, obviously.” She clears her throat. “It is way too soon for… that.”

Tyler perks up and looks away from his game. “Too soon for what?” He eyes her curiously.

Zack elbows him and nods towards the TV. “Dude, focus!”

Tyler looks back at the screen just as Yothag, Thrall of Xelia devours his character with one snap of his spectral jaws.

“Nooooo!” Tyler wails.

The controller falls from Zacks limp hand as he sighs and pouts. “Game over, man.” He turns to MC. “See what I have to deal with, MC? Ever since these two got back from break, they’ve been making googly eyes at each other.” He humorously glares at Tyler. “It's completely throwing off Tyler’s game!”

MC raises her eyebrow at him. “This is exactly what you wanted Zack…”

He looks at her for a moment and then shrugs, a small grin slipping across his lips. “Eh…”

MC, Kaitlyn, and Abbie sit down on the couch while Tyler powers off the game console.

“Speaking of game, hows your love life going, Zack?” MC wiggles her eyebrows as she shoulder bumps her best friend. “You and Brandon were the hottest couple at formal if I remember correctly.”

Zack quickly throws his hand up. “Oh, we’re still the hottest couple at basically any social function. Except now it's a little more ...official.” His eyebrows jump slightly at the word.

MC raises an eyebrow at him, surprised that two of her good friends are now officially seeing someone. “Seriously?”

Chris reenters the room just in time to hear Zacks news. “Nice one, man!”

Zack flashes Chris a big smile. “Thanks! He’ll be coming to our party later, actually.”

“Ooh, that reminds me. We’re throwing a party tonight. You down?” Kaitlyn turns towards MC.

MC nods at her bubbly friend, ready to start the new quarter with a great time. “Definitely.”

Just then, MC’s phone vibrates. She looks down to see a text from Professor Vasquez. ‘Looked out my window and saw you performing your characteristic woe-is-me shuffle across the quad. Report to my office ASAP.’

MC sighs and glares at her phone. “Wow, I haven't even been back five minutes…”

Her phone buzzes again, and she glances down to see a winky face emoji on screen, immediately confusing her. “What the..?”

She almost instantly receives another text. ‘Disregard. New phone. I’m not used to this contemptible touch screen technology.’

Abbie notices the change in her mood and frowns a little. “Everything okay, MC?”

MC sighs. “Only if you define ‘okay’ as Vasquez suddenly having the ability to text me orders at all hours of the day…”

She shakes her head and stands. “I guess I’d better go see what he wants. See you guys later…”

As she heads towards the door, Chris follows, taking her hand in his. “Wait up just one sec, MC…” He lightly tugs on her hand to slow her down.

She turns and looks into his eyes, curious. “What’s up?”

“I know Vasquez is expecting you and all, but… I was thinking maybe I could walk you over?” He holds her gaze and gives her a small smile.

“Plus, there’s some kind of winter festival going down in the park… There’ll be hot cocoa, live music, chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” His grin grows.

“Sounds pretty romantic, right? And we still haven't had much of a chance to catch up…” He gives her hand a gentle squeeze and rubs his thumb over her knuckles slowly his eyes searching hers.

She looks at him for a moment, watching the corner of his lip curl higher. The look he's giving her makes her toes tingle. She doesn't want to go to see Vasquez, she wants to be with Chris, wherever that is. Especially when he gives her that look. Her heart beats harder in response as a small smile appears on her lips.

“Okay. Let’s go check out the festival. I’ve never said no to hot cocoa, and I’m not about to start.” She takes a step closer to him. “And… you're pretty cool, too.”

“I’ll take it.” He grins and shifts closer, running his free hand around the side of her neck, his thumb running across the edge of her jaw as he leans in for a soft kiss.

They separate only to put their jackets and shoes on before heading outside. Once downstairs and outside of the dorm, the pair cross the quad to the park. Her arm is hooked through his,  while she snuggles close in the crisp air. They stop by the frozen fountain and look down at the glistening ice. Chris turns to MC and grins as the smell of roasting chestnuts and hot cocoa reaches them both.

“It seems like a long time ago since we had a slip ‘n slide set up here.” MC stares into the ice as the memories of their first day at Hartfeld float through her mind; the first day she met all of her amazing new friends. The first day she met Chris.

“Yeah. The campus looks so different.” Chris takes a long deep breath and closes his eyes for a moment, absorbing the wonderful aromas.

MC watches him as they stand there for a moment longer before he opens his eyes and they begin to slowly walk down the main path. She has learned that this is his favorite time of year, as it was one subject they thoroughly covered during their winter break conversations. She loves that he gets so excited about the holidays, spending time with his family and friends and just the overall magic of this time of year.

While she has a good time with her own friends and family, after meeting the guys on the championship trip, MC almost wishes she could have been with him in Cherryfield over the last few weeks. His friends seem like great people from everything she’s seen so far. And if Chris is that close to them, she knows they are. Ryan and Ethan already feel like her best friends.

Then there is his family, who sound beyond adorable from all the random things Chris had told her over the break. She wants to meet them so badly, because she knows that it will help her see an entirely new level to Chris.

He finally opens his eyes and tilts his head to look into hers. “Aren't you glad you decided to come with me?”

She can't help but stare back, his deep blues pulling her in. “Definitely.”

MC glances down at the snowy path, reflecting on her memories. “I guess a lot has changed since fall quarter.” She speaks softly.

~Chris~

Chris grins at her when she looks up. “Not everything.” Chris shifts their arms to hold her hand in his, before leading her over to a nearby booth, where a student volunteer fills two styrofoam cups with hot chocolate and hands them roasted chestnuts.

Chris lets go of MC’s hand to quickly grab the offered cups and stuff the bag in his pocket. “Thanks man.”

He turns to MC and hands her a cup before they continue their walk. Clutching their new steaming cups of hot cocoa, MC and Chris walk further into the park. The soft strains of holiday music fading into the distance as they settle onto a private bench.

Chris blows onto his hot cocoa softly as he watches MC, his eyes bright with enjoyment. She licks her lips in between sips, and he watches intently. He wants to be that cup of hot chocolate right now. He wants to taste her lips, knowing they would be doubly sweet with the chocolate on them. She sees him staring and blushes a little before turning her eyes away for a moment.

“Mmm… maybe it's just because I’m freezing, but this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.” MC clutches the cup tightly between her hands, her eyes shifting up to his briefly before she turns them away again, her expression fun and flirty.

“If you’re cold, it's the perfect time for me to give you your Christmas gift.” Chris reaches into his back pocket and produces a crinkled package. “I, uh, wrapped it myself.” He chuckles.

He hands it to MC with a lopsided grin. She holds it close for a moment, looking into his happy eyes as she takes in a long breath. She quickly looks down and tears open the paper to reveal a pair of soft, wool gloves.

“Wow… these are the softest gloves I’ve ever owned! And they’re just the right size...” She looks over to him after she puts them on, clearly impressed with how perfect they are.

“I can't take all of the credit for that.” Chris laughs. “I got them at the clothing shop where my mom works… I showed her a picture of you, and she was able to guess your size.”

He watches her face as she hears his words. He wants her to know that he’s told his mom about her, that he's confident in his feelings to not only tell his mom about her, but ask for input.

~MC~

MC’s face warms as she realizes that Chris must have talked about her to his mom after they returned from Nationals. “That’s a pretty neat trick.”

He flashes her a soft smile. “I’ll tell her you said that.”

“I didn't realize your mom works in a clothing store. I haven't really heard that many stories about your life back home…” She looks up at him sweetly, indirectly asking him for more information as curiosity gets the best of her.

“I... “ Chris frowns suddenly. “I don't like to talk about it. But, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” He stands and offers his arm to MC.

She happily takes it and they start walking slowly down the path. As they take a few silent steps she wonders if she’s hit a nerve. He clearly isn't excited to share something, but she has no idea what it is.

She gives him a small smile, carefully choosing her words as to hopefully avoid a sore spot. “What about your family?”

Chris looks down to the ground as he begins to answer her question. “Let’s see… there’s me. My mom. My brother Kyle is 10, and my sister Jo is 8.”

MC smiles. She remembers him talking about them some over the break, but he never went into much detail. She wonders why he is so guarded. “They seem pretty awesome...”

He turns his eyes to hers, his own a little melancholy although he gives her a small smile. “They really are.”

“So you had a good break?” She raises her eyebrows as she squeezes his arm, trying to be supportive.

“It was great to see my family. It always is. I gave my little sister a game ball signed by the whole team…” He begins to chuckle. “She and my little brother promptly went outside to play with it in the snow.”

“Sounds like she's a trouble.” MC laughs.

He shakes his head and grins through a scoff. “You don't know the half of it.”

MC hesitates, sensing some tension about the one person left unmentioned. “Your dad--”

Chris clears his throat and looks up and down the path to an unknown distance. “Was a long haul trucker.”

MC’s voice becomes quiet as she looks over at him carefully, unsure what he means. “‘Was’?”

“Let’s…” Chris sighs and shakes his head, quickly replacing his frown with his normal happy smile. “...not get into that today. It’s a happy day.”

He turns to look deep into her eyes, his plea obvious inside them. “My mom, Kyle, and Jo are everything to me.”

She gives him an understanding nod and rubs his upper arm. “Can you tell me more about your hometown?”

He nods, happy to oblige. “Cherryfield, Maine. The blueberry capital of the world.”

She blinks a few times. “So why is it called… nevermind. Wait, is that why you like blueberries so much?” She grins at him, receiving the same in return as they both recall their strong blueberry muffin bond.

“Maybe?” He laughs.

“I’d love to take you there sometime. Its beautiful…” He pauses and looks away, almost as if ashamed. “...but also dirt poor. There’s the high school, a tiny downtown, and exactly two restaurants.”

He turns to look at MC, a hint of sadness swimming in his eyes. “If I couldn't throw a football, I’d probably still be there, scraping by like most of the guys I went to school with. I’m not going to lie. It was hard to be back home. Now that I’ve seen more of the world, my town looks awfully small. It’s beautiful, of course… but the people are dirt poor, and mostly unhappy.”

He stays quiet for a moment as he searches her face. It doesn't take long for his grin to grow as he looks at her. “And… of course, I missed you.”

“You did, huh?” She tilts her head, curious about his statement.

“What’s with the slack jaw?” He raises an eyebrow at her.

She clears her throat. “It’s just… I feel like I know you so well in certain ways. The two of us have had some uh, great… moments together…”

She feels her face flush warm. “But… we still don't know much about each other's past.” Her eyes flick back and forth across his eyes, trying to learn whatever she can.

Chris lets out a long sigh and looks forward again, away from her searching eyes. “Trust me, it’s not important. My past is the least interesting thing about me.”

“I’m sure that's not true, Chris.” She playfully bumps him as they walk, hoping to get some type of reaction from his suddenly stoic demeanor. “But for the sake of enjoying this date, I’m going to let you off the hook for now.”

~Chris~

When he turns to look at her with a grin she winks at him and he laughs. “Lucky me.” He watches MC, his eyes bright with enjoyment.

She can't help but giggle at his expression. “What are you smiling about?”

He clears his throat and looks away bashfully for a second before he musters up the courage to look back into her eyes and hold the gaze this time. “I guess I’m just happy. I told you. I uh…” He reaches over and covers her smaller hand with his much his larger and warmer one before he shrugs slightly. “I just… missed you.”

“We talked or whatever, like everyday… ” She gives him a curious look before she continues,

“And then there was Nationals…” They both grin cheekily at each other, causing her to full on blush and look down at their connected hands as he lets out a soft laugh.

“Okay, I missed you, too. Winter break was too long. Even with the trip last week...” She looks up and bites her lower lip as she locks eyes with him.

“Yeah I know, we did talk… and text… and FaceTime a little…” He shakes his head and laughs, his entire body shifting with embarrassment. “But it’s not the same.”

He squeezes her hand and clears his throat before changing the subject. “Anyway, what kind of stuff did you do the rest of the time?”

She looks at him for a few seconds, watching as he forces his body to relax. “Hmm, I caught up with my high school friends some, but you knew that. There were some parties… and we watched an old movie that we can't seem to let go.” She laughs. “Spent time with the family of course.”

“How did that go? Is everyone doing good?” Chris inquires with sincerity.

MC lets out a weak laugh. “It was… mostly good.” She frowns a little. “Well, the job I told you that my dad got… it was only temporary. He still hasn't found permanent work, but my mom was able to get her old job back at least.”

Chris frowns as he picks up on her demeanor. “Well, that’s good, right?”

She gives him a small smile. “Yeah… but it’s just enough to support them. She’s not exactly making college tuition money. They sold his car and had to take my little truck for now too, so he can continue looking for work.”

He takes his hand off hers to wrap his arm across her shoulders and pull her close, kissing her on the temple. “I hate to hear that, I’m sorry. But you still have Vasquez though, right?”

“Yeah… right.” She frowns.

Chris pulls her even closer, squeezing her upper arm with the hand he wrapped around her shoulders. He leans over and lays his forehead against her temple before he softly speaks. “It will be okay, MC. I promise. Just like first quarter, we will figure it out.”

She lets out a long sigh. “Thanks Chris. Sorry for getting mopey…”

He winks at her when he straightens up and she looks into his eyes. “No reason to be sorry.”

MC quickly thinks of something else to change the subject. “So, besides what I saw myself… how was your break? Did your family have a good Christmas?”

He laughs as memories begin to cut across his thoughts. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Do you have any pictures?” She looks at him hopefully.

He raises his eyebrow and laughs. “Ayuh, I have a few…” He pulls out his phone and swipes through his photo stream.

“Here’s my brother and sister… making dinner on Christmas Eve.” He grins as he shows her the picture he took with them behind him, selfie style.

MC smiles as he recalls that night and the mess they made. She listens to him intently, smiling hard at his faint accent as he reviews the events of the night.

He turns to see her face and stops, his left eyebrow arching up sharply. “What?”

Chris then lets out a short knowing laugh. “Are you laughing at the way I speak again…”

She shakes her head. “I’m not laughing. I love it.”

“Oh, you love it…” He smirks at her as she blushes after realizing her word choice.

She tries to shrug it off, making him feel butterflies for a moment as he watches her backpedal hard. He decides that she can bring up his accent anytime as long as she continues to look at him the same way.

“Well, my family doesn't really have any accent. We’ve moved around too much over the years and they came from all over. So I uh, I think yours is... neat.”

He pulls her close. “See, I think that's neat. You're a chameleon. You can go anywhere and blend in. No one will ask you where you're from.”

“It's really not that obvious, yanno… Sorry if I’m bothering you.” She gives him a sweet half smile-frown.

“You could never bother me, MC. I love that you like to listen to my voice…” He says it in a slow, husky tone as he gives her a flirty look, making her laugh again.

He instantly knows that her laugh is and will always be, his favorite sound. Something he will forever love to hear daily. He takes the moment to nuzzle into her neck right near her ear, receiving a shiver in response, making his lower abdomen tighten in return, sliding his arm from her shoulders down around her waist as they slowly continue to stroll down the path.

~MC~

She asks to see more pictures and he obliges, scrolling through more images of his family and of course, all of his friends. Some she recognizes from FaceTime calls and from their trip to the championship. She can’t wait to meet the others and hang out with Ryan and Ethan again.

He stops on a particular picture when MC puts her hand on his. “Oh my god… you guys are so cute.”

She studies a picture Chris tells her his mom took. It’s of Chris and his siblings on the couch after they had fallen asleep together. Chris in the middle with his head leaning slightly over the back, his mouth slightly open because of the odd angle. His brother Kyle is on his right, leaning on Chris’s shoulder. His sister Jo is tucked under his arm on his left, snuggled up as close as she could possibly get with his arm wrapped protectively around her. All three are passed out, bundled tightly together, the Christmas tree sparkling in a blur behind them.

She looks up and sees Chris studying her face, a small smile on his lips. “I would love for you to meet them someday. They are great kids. Pretty sure they are going to make me look bad as they grow up…” He lets out a hearty laugh.

She shakes her head at him and pulls his arm tighter around her waist. “I don't think that's actually possible.”

A sad look crosses his face for a moment but he pushes it away and lets out a huff of air. “Heh. Yeah…”

MC picks up on his mood shift and nudges him slightly with her shoulder. He gives her a quick grin and he starts scrolling again. She jumps next to him suddenly.

“Wait! Go back!” She demands, almost knocking the phone from his hand.

He stops and gives her an odd look before he slowly starts scrolling through his pictures backwards. When he pulls up a particular shot she lunges at his phone, excitedly grabbing it with both hands. She studies the picture with wide eyes, etching it into her memory as much as possible.

“Who took this?” She holds it up to him and he laughs and looks away, a faint red tint creeping up his neck.

“Uh, Jo did… My little sis-ta.” He smirks as he leans closer and purposefully enunciates the way he says sister as MC giggles and continues to evaluate the picture.

The picture is of Chris, on a shore in Maine during a sunrise. He’s facing the barely visible sun as it creeps into view, lighting his front while the rest of him remains in a dark shadow, creating drastic contrast. His sister must have snuck up on him to take the picture, because his focus is way off into the distance, almost like he's searching for the sun itself. He appears deep in thought, but happy at the same time. She finally looks up and finds him studying her face again. This time with an odd look on his own.

 “What?” She asks apprehensively.

He tilts his head. “Just curious… of what you're thinking about?”

She looks back at the picture, still holding his phone in her hands. “I guess I’m wondering, what you were thinking of here. How she managed to sneak up on you like that. It must have been something…” She looks over at him. “Do you remember?”

~Chris~

Chris lets out a small laugh. “Ayuh, I remember.” He lays on a thick accent to purposefully make her smile again while he stalls for a moment, trying to decide how, or possibly if he should answer truthfully. “Jo kept trying to get me to tell her for the rest of break after she took it. But I never told her...”

MC must sense his hesitation because she scrambles to retract her question. “It’s okay, if you um… If you don't want to say. I just think it's a nice picture…” She quickly hands him his phone and shyly looks forward, avoiding his heated gaze.

Chris stops walking then, tugging her until she stops as well from his arm wrapped around her waist. He holds the phone up in front of his face to study the picture for a moment before he shifts it directly into MC’s line of sight. He tilts his head towards her slightly, his arm tightly wrapped around her, before he speaks.

“I don't mind. If you really want to know.” He looks at her as he speaks slowly. “I was thinking of you.” He watches her swallow hard, absorbing what he just said about the picture.

She eventually turns to look at him, her voice quiet and soft. “Can I have it?”

Chris smiles warmly at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners as his happiness grows. “Of course.”

He pulls his phone back and sends her the image through text. MC smiles as she hears her phone ding with the message notification.

She unwraps herself from his arm and grabs his hand before pulling him into the snowy quad. “Come on. We’re at a winter fair! let's do some winter stuff.”

Chris gestures to a group of students knee deep in the thickest snow banks in the area. “How about we build a snowman?”

She nods and stops to look at them before turning to him. “Sure thing… but I’m fresh out of magic top hats.”

He laughs, instantly getting the reference. “Gah, I love that movie.” He chuckles. “Guess we’ll have to use our imaginations instead.” Chris hunkers down and starts packing snow together.

MC quickly kneels beside him to help. “We can use two of the chestnuts for his eyes! We can name him… Mr. Chestnut.”

Chris doesn't even try to hide his laughter, enjoying her goofy sense of humor. “Wow. How creative.”

He effortlessly lifts two sizable balls of snow onto the largest, stacking them perfectly. He watches her as she moves around the snowman, her face soft and happy, making his chest swell.

MC gives him a mock pout. “Hey! You’re going to hurt his feelings!” She packs snow between the sections, securing the snowman’s upper body and head.

Chris returns with a mock apology as he pats the snowman on the head. “Aw. Poor guy. Sorry, Mr. Chestnut.”

~MC~

MC notices Chris shivering slightly as he finishes putting the finishing touches on the snowman with his bare hands. She suddenly feels horrible.

“I didn't realize it since I was wearing gloves… but your hands must be freezing! Maybe you can wear my gloves?” She quickly takes them off and hands them to Chris.

He looks at her thankfully but gives her a sweet smile from the offer. “But these gloves are the perfect size for you. My big hands won't even come close to fitting.” He gives her a wink.

MC frowns. “Oh, yeah.”

She shakes her head and sighs, thinking of another way to warm him.

Chris gently grabs her wrists and puts the gloves back in her hands. “Please put these back on. I couldn't stand to watch you shiver. Even for a second.”

MC blushes as he holds her gaze with a very serious look, daring her to disobey. She smiles and shakes her head while she puts them back on, racking her brain for another solution. Then it hits her and she takes a step closer to him.

“Quick! Put your hands inside my coat.” She unbuttons her jacket and opens it to him as she eliminates all the space between them.

Chris looks at her with concern. “Are you sure?”

MC frowns at him and raises her voice slightly, very worried about his hands. “Just do it!”

Chris snaps to and reaches under her coat around her body, his icy hands touch her warm skin as they run along her waist, pulling the hem of her shirt up. He grimaces as she feels his hands pull the warmth from her soft skin almost instantly.

MC gasps as if the air was sucked straight from her lungs at the ice cold contact. “So… c-cold!”

Chris flinches and begins to remove his hands quickly. “You told me to do this!”

She swiftly grabs his retreating hands through her jacket and holds them to her skin as she shudders for a moment, trying to focus on something other than his frozen digits. “I… I know.”

She takes a few breaths in and out, clenching her eyes shut for a moment before she looks up to meet his very concerned eyes. She shakes her head to let him know it is okay and leans in, wrapping him with her own arms, holding them together chest to chest. He sighs and leans his cheek against her’s as they stand like that for a few minutes, his hands finally starting to warm up. She lets out a light laugh once she can start to feel his fingers move again, no longer the ice sculptures they were just minutes prior. She leans back and looks into his eyes, now softer but still full of concern.

“This is… actually starting to feel nice.” She feels Chris relax against her finally, looking at her somewhat apologetically.

~Chris~

She sucks in a quick breath as he begins to move his fingers around under her shirt, familiarizing themselves with her soft skin again. She looks deep into his eyes as Chris continues to blindly explore. He struggles not to react to the memories that start to pop into his head. Memories of the last time he touched her like this in his hotel room only a few days prior.

“I almost forgot how much I missed you touching me.” A small grin cracks across his face as she continues, “Almost.”

Chris pulls his now normalized hands out from under MC’s jacket and away from her warm skin, knowing he can't continue down this path here and now. He helps her button her jacket again as she struggles with her new gloves. She gives up with a huff and stands there, watching him dutifully button each one with a smirk, until she is warm and cozy again.

“Let’s get some more cocoa. It will help warm us up.” Chris grabs her hand and they both run back to the cocoa stand for fresh cups.

Chris takes a long sip after blowing across the top a little. “That feels so… good…” He sighs and cherishes the warm cup in his hands.

MC watches him over her own cup as she takes a sip as well. “Careful. You’re going to make me jealous of a cocoa cup.”

He lowers the cup and gives her a sultry look. “Maybe you should be.”

They both start softly laughing as they keep eye contact while finishing their cocoa, each peering over their steaming paper cups and drinking through playful grins. After a few minutes they finish their second cups and toss them in the trash as they pass by on their walk. They end up near the string quartet that begins to play a winter waltz as they move to a quieter part of the path.

Chris slows down and turns towards her, making her stop as well. He lightly cups her cheek in his hand and rubs his thumb over her bottom lip as he gazes into her eyes. His voice becomes very low as his expression turns serious.

“When I got home after nationals, I had a nightmare, you know…” He swallows hard and takes a deep breath. “In it, I showed up here today, and you didn't exist. Everything we’d shared last quarter and over the break… it had only been an illusion.”

He squeezes her hand, trying to force the panicky feeling from his body. Even thinking about it now was making him feel like it just happened, that she isn't real even though he’s holding her right now. He takes a deep breath.

“I woke up in a cold sweat, picked up my phone, and scrolled through my photos until I found one of you.” Chris gives her a weak smile.

~MC~

“Aww, Chris…” MC smiles softly at him, feeling the anxiety rolling off him, making her chest tighten as he continues.

“And then I knew you were real. And I took a deep breath and went back to bed.” He lets out a held breath of air, his bangs moving a little from the force.

He hesitates for a moment before suddenly leaning in and kissing her hard on the lips, his stubble lightly caressing her cheek. She only stays stunned for a fraction of a second from his swift invasion of her lips, quickly giving in and forcefully kissing him back in return. She can feel the power behind his kiss, his need to prove that she’s real and actually here, in his arms. So she gives it to him.

She lets him in when he asks, his tongue soft but demanding with hers. She matches his exuberance as he becomes excited with her level of participation, and she makes sure he knows it is real. She reaches up behind his neck, holding him close to her with one hand and running her fingers through the hair on the base of his neck with the other. When he pulls back, his eyes are a familiar deep blue, cutting straight through her with raw intensity.

“We… should find somewhere… private.” Chris holds her close, leaning his forehead to hers, trying to slow his breathing as he closes his eyes, forcing himself to focus.

She does the same, forcing herself to breathe slowly, trying to lower her elevated heart rate while her head spins. They hold each other tightly for a while, almost as if they are afraid they might disappear.

Disrupting their moment, MC’s phone beeps again with another text. She sighs and almost pitches it down the snowy path, knowing exactly who it is without looking. She squeezes it tightly before Chris gently grabs her hands with soft pressure, silently asking her to let go and relax.

She looks to him then, finding his focused stare as he gives her a reassuring hug. “Later tonight. We’ll make up for lost time. I promise.”

He gives her an excited smile. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

They walk back towards the quad hand in hand. They split off at a certain point on the path, each going their separate ways; Chris back to the suite and MC towards Vasquez’s office. Chris doesn't let her leave without a quick kiss to her temple as he hugs her close. MC swears she can still feel tension in him and makes a mental note to talk to him later. He glances over his shoulder at her one last time just when she does the same to him. They both smile warmly before turning back towards their destinations.

As MC walks into Vasquez’s office she is immediately addressed by the professor. “MC. What took you so long? I’ve been waiting for… Hrrrk.”

He suddenly bends over and coughs into a handkerchief. When he pulls it away, she notices a red spot bleeding through the white cloth. He quickly stuffs the handkerchief in his pocket before James can see it. James does however hear the cough and consequently finds the professor folded over.

Concern instantly covers his face. “Professor, are you--”

Vasquez quickly cuts him off. “I’m fine. James, could you get me a glass of water?”

James lingers for a moment, his eyes glancing back and forth between the professor and MC. He then frowns before nodding and walking out of the room.

MC frowns at Professor Vasquez when his eyes meet hers. “You need to tell him.”

He glares at her. “Don't you dare try to tell me what I need to do. You need to remember who's in charge here… who holds your future in the palm of his hands.”

“Well… I’m sorry.” She sighs, feeling defeated from this situation.

He stands up straighter and eyes her suspiciously. “Interesting. Last quarter, you would have barked back some insult at me. Perhaps you’re capable of evolving as a character.”

Her face scrunches up in irritation. “I’m not a character. I’m a person.”

He lets out a small chuckle. “Whatever you say…” He clears his throat and looks back down at his desk. “Back to your question. I’ll tell James when the moment is right.”

She rolls her eyes and frowns. “You mean when it causes the most drama?”

He snorts at her. “No… when I’m ready.”

Just then, the office door bursts open, and the young woman from before enters with James at her heels.

“Professor Vasquez. How nice to finally meet you in person.” She extends her hand towards him. “Let me introduce myself… I’m Yasmin Udoka.”

James quickly comes around her and places himself between them. “I’m sorry, Professor. I tried to tell her you were busy, but--”

Yasmin waves him away. “It’s my job to push for what I want, James. It’s what makes me the best agent in Manhattan.”

Professor Vasquez looks at her less than amused. “I’m afraid you're about forty years too late to sign me. I already have an agent, Charles Wallace!”

She smiles sweetly at him. “Charlie retired on Tuesday. I took over his client list and jumped on the first flight here. I used the flight to catch up on your latest book. Very provocative stuff. Especially the MC character.”

MC quickly turns to glare at the professor. “Vasquez! You actually named your character MC?”

He scoffs at her. “You should be grateful! You’re being immortalized in a work of classic literature!”

Yasmin smiles at MC in a way she doesn't like. “If half the stories I read are true, you’ve had quite an interesting freshman year so far…”

MC’s eyes narrow a little. “Oh yeah? What exactly did he write about me?”

Yasmin's smile becomes even more twisted and unappealing to MC. “Oh, I wish I could tell you, but I couldn't possibly violate Vasquez’s trust like that.”

MC glares at them both. “I guess I’ll just have to wait for the book to come out like everyone else…”

Professor Vasquez ignores her response. “On to business. What do you want, Yasmin?”

“First, a little bookkeeping We need to renew publication rights for Winter in July. That includes going digital! I’m afraid no one reads print anymore, dear…” She holds her hand up to look at her nails.

Vasquez quickly snaps his eyes up from his desk and glares at her. “Don't patronize me. Just because our entire culture’s sinking into a morass of shallow self-absorption doesn’t mean I have to help the slide.”

She walks over towards his desk, digging in her bag for a stack of papers. “All I need is your signature, Enrique. Then you can go back to your ivory tower and sneer all you want.” She holds the document out across his desk.

“I… I’m not ready to sign. I need to think about it.” He gruffly replies, quickly looking away from her extended hand.

She pulls it back towards her, taken by surprise. “What’s there to think about? Your book sales could double or even triple if we release Winter in July on digital platforms.”

MC and James share a worried look from their places on opposite sides of the room. They already know why the professor doesn't want to sign, not to mention that he will probably get upset if she keeps pushing.

“I said I need to think about it, okay? As far as I’m concerned, the matter is closed for discussion.” He gives Yasmin a serious glare. “I’d rather focus on finishing The Freshman. Hopefully it will serve as a cautionary tale to today's youth.”

MC sneers at him from her spot in the room. “Yeah… a cautionary tale. As in… never trust your professor.”

“You’ve clearly misidentified the theme of my book, MC. Whether you trust me or not is a moot point. You have to work for me.” He looks at her, his face devoid of emotion.

“So it’s a book about the way millennials are subjugated by a corrupt power structure set up by your generation?” She grinds out between clenched teeth.

“Interesting take. I like that angle…” Professor Vasquez smirks. “But… it still ignores the main character’s central flaws.”

“What flaws? I bet you can't even come up with one example.” MC is tired of holding back.

After being ridiculed as nothing other than a character in his book, pure substance for his story, she's had enough. Now she's seething.

“Actually, I’ve got half a book’s worth of examples. And by the end of the year, I should have enough to finish this thing.” He gives her a haughty smile.

Yasmin frowns. “I take that to mean, you don't have any more pages for me?”

“Actually… I’m getting an idea for my next chapter now… of course, this is going to require a bit of ‘help’ from MC and James.”

James takes a step back, his face clearly showing his disagreement with the plan. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Leave me out of this. I’m your mentee, not your puppet.”

He flashes MC an apologetic smile as he realizes what he just said. She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms as she glares at the professor.

Vasquez gives him an eerie smile. “Hear me out.” James and MC share worried looks.

“There’s a nice benefit in this for you, if you play your cards right.” He clears his throat. “Here’s my proposal: MC is going to put on James’s play, here on campus, next week.”

The other three all look at each other with shocked confused glances.

“And Yasmin here is going to watch. If she likes it, she’ll take James on as a client.” Professor Vasquez finishes with enthusiasm as MC and James stare at each other in shock.

Yasmin’s eyebrows lift as her eyes widen with surprise. “I will?”

“Think of the drama! James’s future on the line… an agent out to land her first client after inheriting a bunch of literary dinosaurs… And at the center of it all, a girl who risks losing her scholarship and getting thrown out of school.” He chuckles to himself as his eyes lock with MC’s.

Yasmin grins. “That does sound compelling. Very well, then. I accept.”

They shake hands over his desk before she turns towards James. “I’ll look forward to watching your play, Mr. Ashton. It had better be worth my time.”

MC takes a step forward, her expression showing her concern. “How am I supposed to put on a play just like that? I don’t even know any actors!”

Professor Vasquez gives her a blank look. “Oh, you won't be using actors, MC… The stars of this play will be a few of my favorite characters… you and your friends.” His eyes narrow as his grin grows.

[pumpkinofthedale]

themxerte replied to your post “With the introduction of Moira, and the discussions and scandal a lot...”

Universes. And yeah those are maybe weak spots but I simply don't believe that a company that has the whole game dedicated to the grey moralities of how you see good and evil differently from a different point of view (World of Warcraft) would make such a damn boring, not complexed evil character.

Heya friend, I was wondering if you had actually taken the time to read my entire 1.5k word post detailing how I think Moira fits into the reaper story line.

However if you have read it and still feel that I feel that way about his characterization, allow me to elaborate and include and cite actual evidence. I love Gabriel Reyes and I firmly believe that he will be the epitome of grey morality within the story.

That being said there is nothing, nothing within the story saying that Reyes didnt get some of his powers before the fall of overwatch. In fact given the track it seemed the devs would go down earlier, I’d argue it was canon that he had at least some of them since SEP at the very least. I still think it’s canon that he had some of them before the explosion.

I also never said that he got his smokey wraith powers before the introduction of Moira. I said that I believe something was wrong DNA wise because he was an earlier test subject within the SEP program than Jack, and that his DNA, the fabric of his existence, was deteriorating causing a boatload of problems that no one was willing to risk getting caught up in major legal trouble to fix. I believe his body smoking is part of that. It’s probably something completely out of his control until Moira enters the picture.

 The way the devs worded their unveiling of Moira at blizzcon and her relationship to Gabriel Reyes, they implied that it’s plausible that Reyes didn’t necessarily get his powers from Moira, but instead Moira got her powers from studying Reyes’ DNA and it’s degeneration. A theory heavily backed up by in-game lore:

“Repairing Degenerative Genetic Structures” with a large post-it note that says “Draft”

Not to mention the blizzcon panel

Geoff Goodman: “It [Her Fade ability] has some similarities to Reaper’s wraith form…uh which is…it’s funny how that works out.” Michael Chu: “You know, we obviously - there’s a…there’s a close relationship between Moira and Reyes-slash-Reaper, and I think one of the fun things we were able to do is to sort of hint at some of those things in her, uh, abilities.” Geoff Goodman: “She’s helping Reaper out and is like, ‘You know, I think I could make this better, I have an idea.’”

Blizzcon 2017

On to my other points:

“We sort of saw Overwatch really open up to the world, and listening to players and the stories they were telling and what they imagined the Omnic crisis to be really made us second guess what we were doing in First Strike,” said Kaplan. “We thought, ‘Hey, if we go down this path, it really closes all these doors.’”

Fan theories about the Overwatch cast’s pasts abound, and players produce fiction, art and other original content in droves. Although animated shorts and digital comics have had success in filling out the game’s universe — particularly the most recent comics, “Uprising” and “Reflections” — the Overwatch team found that a 100-page graphic novel no longer made sense as supplemental reading material, six months into the game’s life.

“Part of the magic is that everything is not tied off and explained to players,” Kaplan said of keeping Overwatch’s canon less defined. “There’s a lot going on in Overwatch right now where I think that the story in players’ heads is often even cooler than what we can deliver to them.”

Jeff Kaplan May 2017 during a polygon interview

One very important thing to remember is that early previews of that 100 page graphic novel showed Gabriel Reyes as an ominous figure with heavily shadowed lighting. I believe that fan input especially on how Reyes is characterized, and the theories involving him had a lot to do with the cancellation.

 Yes, Gabriel Reyes manipulated Overwatch into helping innocent lives in Kings Row during the uprising comic. Even as Reaper he’s shown to kill very very few people. Like 2 people on screen max, and neither of those people were innocent. They worked for Vialli one of the top talon “bosses”. 

I’m not saying that Reyes is going to just let innocent people get caught in the crossfires of his plans. Kings Row can’t boil over into a full out omnic uprising because that will absolutely be a catastrophe that could trigger another full-out omnic crisis. He’s shown to be more pro-active in making sure people are safe than Jack is.

And Talon doesnt know about his involvement with the capture of doomfist or Overwatch’s intervention. This is extremely important information to remember. Gabriel Reyes is a man who works in the shadows, and I firmly believe that he has no firm allegiance to anyone, but rather to the ideal of making sure that nothing like the Omnic crisis ever happens again while he still lives/functions.

Every single one of his talon missions that would have brought the world closer to an omnic crisis (Katya’s assassination, retrieving information about the whereabouts of former overwatch agents, stealing doomfist’s gauntlet, killing Jack or Ana) has completely and utterly failed. The man is a tactical genius and so far every mission save picking up doomfist and infiltrating talon and killing vialli’s men, has failed. Against people he’s worked along side before. 

There is absolutely no way he doesn’t know what they’re capable of. The dude outsmarted god ai programs, you really think he wouldn’t have been able to calculate his former friends’ actions and adjust his missions accordingly? Hell, he even knows it was sombra that fucked up the assassination, and he did nothing about it.

Gabriel Reyes is an incredibly intelligent and calculating man. He was probably the president of the chess club in high school, and as every chess player knows, you have to be at least 2-3 steps ahead of your opponent. On any normal type higher level you should know the next ten moves and each possible outcome. Someone on Reyes’ level has hundreds of different moves calculated at any given time.

So now imagine for a moment, that Gabriel Reyes is not some soft goober of a man some people make him but instead a calculating morally grey person who understands exactly what is at stake if talon wins. He’s lived through one crisis, but the world is only just beginning to truly bounce back. It was essentially Armageddon. It cannot happen again.

Talon has infiltrated overwatch.

Talon has infiltrated blackwatch.

Talon has has most likely infiltrated the UN.

Conventional methods of tracking and dealing with spies hasn’t been working. The head of the Overwatch anti-talon task force is dead and his wife is missing. He is doing what he can to help, ie sending mccree to kings row to deal with the uprising situation as well as manipulating overwatch to help. Sending Genji to help apprehend doomfist. Things that talon doesn’t know about because it isn’t strictly blackwatch shit going on. It’s a man on vacation, a commander checking in with his friends and updating them on a situation. It isn’t direct involvement at kings row. It’s manipulation.

But overwatch is strangled in even more red tape and controversies and it’s failing. It cannot properly do its job anymore and Gabriel Reyes is running out of options. Mccree and genji have left; who can he trust but himself.

I believe he did plant the bomb to blow up the zurich base. But I also happened to notice that only Jack was caught in the blast besides him. None of the main overwatch agents were caught in the explosion. He has cool smokey wraith form so he can probably survive, that’s probably one of the ways he was able to survive, though there were obviously some serious complications. I’m sure other overwatch members died in the blast, but he seems to have waited until the base was relatively empty. 

Talon can trust him now. Something went wrong of course he has a vendetta. 

Except, he is ineffectual. His direct actions with winston to secure the names and locations of former overwatch agents in order to fulfill that vendetta prompts winston to recall the old agents. His actions with Hakim and talon reunite Jack and Ana when he has a chance to kill both of them. Overwatch is being reformed except this time, it’s not under the UN’s control. 

Meanwhile reaper, seeming terrorist with a vendetta against overwatch who “inadvertently” cause overwatch to reform a few years after the fall as an independent organization away from the control of the UN and likely away from the clutches of talon’s shadow puppets there.

But he also has their trust which means that innocent people have also likely died by his hand in his quest to infiltrate and take out talon. I also have no doubt in my mind that he probably would kill Jack or Ana or any of his friends if they do actually interfere with his plans just as i do believe that if he felt that it was necessary, he would let innocents die.

“What’s important to us is that their motivations are not purely rooted in being evil, despite how they might seem on the surface.  As we reveal more about these characters, we want people to be able to empathize and understand their beliefs.  Because sometimes what makes a villain a villain is the extent to which they’re willing to go to reach their goals.  And one thing that we find most important when we’re talking about our villain characters is that there is nothing to say that a villain cannot be as charismatic or more charismatic or as likeable as a hero character - because, like the old saying goes, ‘every villain is the hero of their own story.’”

Michael Chu early March 2017

Reyes has a lot of potential to be an almost antihero. Someone who does some shady under the table shit, but only because he thinks it will help the world. I think Blizzard has realized this and why it hasn’t cemented a lot of things in canon. They want to wait and see what it is that fans could seriously enjoy. They love fan feedback. That’s why they created Moira! That’s why they cancelled the 100 page graphic novel about the omnic crisis! Because they want to be able to see their story evolve just as much as the fans do.

anyways. I’m not putting this one under a cut so people don’t have to take the time to click the button to see ALL of what i have to say about the subject (even though I have tons more to say, but I’ve spent so much time on this that I kind of want to be done rn)

[diabolik-alice-vixen]

Could you tell us more about your OC? How is her relationship with the Sakamaki brothers? And, does Yui also exist in your story? 👀💕

Excellent question! So first ill talk about Alices relationship with the boys.

Alice actually does not like the boys at all. Especially Laito. She doesnt apprectiate any man that treats women like garbage. Due to her coming from a very abusive home and dealing with all different types of trauma, she is always on the defensive. She comes across mean or hateful. She doesnt know how to let anyone in. Alice is much like subaru in that aspect. She can however be very kind and has a very tender heart to those who actually are respectable and general good people. She is overall a good person but her bitterness and grief makes her come off as well... A bitch.

After losing her sister, and having nowhere to go Karl Heinz took Alice in. Unknown to her she is not human. She is a descendant from the first demon Lilith. ( this is something I will go into later) Karl Heinz took her in as a apparentice. Taught her ways to defend herself , how to kill supernatural beings, and letting her help with experiments. There are those in the demon world that want to rebel against Karl heinz and seize power for themselves. So After an attack on the sakamakis much to Alices disagreement Karl heniz instructed her to live in the mansion. And made it very clear that the boys will incur his wrath if she ends up dead. She keeps a watch for suspicious activity, keeps Karl heniz informed and helps keep the boys safe.

Yui does infact exist and actually Alice and Yui become very good friends. Yui does for Alice what she does for the boys in all the routes. Pulls her back from the dark place her heart is in and slowly Alice begins to open up. Alice acts as sort of a protective big sister for yui and isnt afraid to defend her when ever the boys do their shit.

As far as each boy goes she doesnt particularly like any of them . She does help reiji with house keeping and cooking. Though her potty mouth and very "unlady like" attitude does result in much scolding. Her and Shu don't particularly exchange many words to each other. Her and the triplets relationship is not a good one. She keeps her distance from kanato. Her attitude and outspoken mouth tends to set him off. Ayato and her argue constantly on how he treats yui. She finds him pretentious and an overall asshile. However laito is the one sakamaki boy that she hates the most and laito cant get enough of it. Being a victim of sexual assault, she doesnt take sexual harrasmemt very well at all. Laito makes it his mission to piss alice off anychance he gets and likes the fact Shes so against him.

Subaru and alice at first don't get along at all. Two very ill-tempered violent tsunderes that do not trust the opposite sex in one house? Yeah recipe for a disaster. But overtime 😌😌 well.. Yall we'll see..

I will be going into further detail about Alices past and her race. To put it simply she is the eve Karl heniz has been searching for. A human that possess supernatural abilities. Hes trying to push alice into unlocking that side of herself, which is only triggered by intense anger or sadness. So him being the manipulative shit he is, heknows theres a possibility the boys will push her to that edge and puts her with them.

[traumabrained]

(1) (warning: sexual, physical, and emotional abuse mention as well as suicide mention) hey, I've been struggling lately with the possibility of having experienced CSA. I experienced severe emotional and physical abuse and sexual harassment as well as neglect for years (I still am. I've been diagnosed with PTSD and other disorders because of it) but CSA is a different story. I've always had a feeling I had been sexually abused but I can't remember anything before the age of ten

(2) my mind has blocked out the early parts of my childhood for the most part. because I don't have concrete memories of the event I feel nervous investigating the possibility. when I was ten I was hospitalized for trying to kill myself and one therapist there was convinced I'd been sexually abused but I didn't remember or wasn't admitting I had been. at the time I didn't know they felt that way until I found out two or three years later from my mother

(3) teachers have asked my mother at conferences if I was being sexually abused at home or had been in the past because of the symptoms they saw me display at school I guess? i do show all the symptoms of it to this day. the more personal symptoms i suffer from include switching between extremes regarding sex (hyper sexual and sex repulsed), excessive bathing, bedwetting past the normal age, rape nightmares

(4) (I went through a week where I had them every night and got so anxious to fall asleep that I ended up going 46 hours without sleep. I have them a few times a month now) and adult-like promiscuous behavior when I was incredibly young. one time I was talking to my mother and she said something then I recalled a vague memory of SOMETHING from so long ago and I immediately had a panic attack, started sobbing, and disassociated severely, and I couldn't register why I was reacting like that(5) it was like a subconscious reaction. a similar event occurred between my significant other and I. one time we were doing something intimate and I'm usually the dominant one but I asked to switch roles and when he did and got on top of me I instantly freaked out, started hyperventilating and sobbing, and it was such an extreme reaction.

you really do display pretty much every symptom of csa, and like. there’s really...not any other causes. like there’s no other reason, at least as far as i am aware and i have researched this extensively, for this to be happening to you, or for you to display these behaviors. and the fact that multiple people who handled kids as their job, asked your mother if you were sexually abused, is also. quite telling. (that your mother denied it without even like. checking to see. is also pretty telling about your home life, and about her character)

it’s not abnormal for victims of csa or non-sexual child abuse to repress pretty much their entire childhood, if you didn’t know. so just because you dont remember, doesnt mean it didnt happen.

my usual advice (hahh the fact that i have usual advice for people who suspect they are victims of csa is awful) is to try to bring up the memories in a safe environment--preferably, a therapists office. obviously, you have already experienced what can happen when those memories are triggered--what you had is a flashback. this doesnt mean you actually remembered any of it--the idea that “flashback=suddenly you are re-experiencing the event in vivid and complete detail” is misinformation thats commonly perpetuated in media. while some people do have flashbacks like that, it’s pretty rare. the most common kind of flashback is where you experience the emotions you had during the trauma. 

anyway. trying to get the memories back is generally a very unpleasant process, especially if you are doing it without a therapist, and in some cases, you will not ever recover those memories. if you can recover them, though, it can eventually help you heal more completely than if you never remember.

from what you’ve written, it very much seems that you are a victim of csa, i’m so sorry

[prill-ocs]

Meemo Story Revisions

OKAY. MY INTERNET'S BEING SHIT RIGHT NOW AND SO I'M TAKING THAT AS A SIGN TO TYPE THIS STUFF UP THAT'S BEEN STAYING COOPED UP IN MY HEAD. Obligatory blah blah it's gonna be mostly word vomit from me so don't be surprised if it gets disorganized :')

Original lore post here: [ x ]

Misc doodles w/ Fay and Meemo: [ x ] ( I actually need to redesign Fay lmao)

So I'm still keeping the part Meemo doesn't remember much of his early childhood, aside from that he was alone from the start. ( Actually though, I have Thoughts regarding reincarnation and past lives, considering the fact that he's a ghost type hehe. )

ANYWAYS, he lives on the outskirts of some town, which he eventually ventures into out of curiosity. So this is where the main reason for changing up Meemo's story a bit comes into play. I was thinking about how it seems like. Kinda unreasonable? That the townspeople had such an adverse reaction to Meemo's presence, so I was trying to think of what could explain that. What first came to mind was mimikyu's dex entry and how their true appearance would shock people enough that they die. SO I WAS LIKE...HMM...Maybe something about his appearance would inexplicably bring about some kind of resentment in people, whether intentional or not? But then I realized that that effect would then carry onto Raku, and as we've seen, that doesn't seem to do anything LOL

To try and compromise then, I was thinking that mimikyus are pretty rare, or at least around this time where Meemo was still young. They're misunderstood and so they're perceived as something to be feared and treated with caution (especially since ghost types already tend to get a bad rap in my canon).

WITH THAT BEING SAID! Once Meemo comes into town, people get to talking about his presence, with them talking and speculating amongst themselves if he's one of those so called mimikyus. It plays out pretty much how it was in my original post, where a bunch of unrelated misfortunes in the town take place (crops aren't great, weather's pretty bad, etc.) and of course they're all coincidental. Meemo nonetheless gets blamed for them and so, timid as he is, retreats back to where he had been living and tries his best to keep to himself, even if it is lonely.

A month or so pass (or however long seems reasonable for his presence in the town to be at least a little bit forgotten lmao), and in comes Fay, the pikachu. As stated before, she's a whimsical and air-headed person, and had gotten lost finding her way back to the town that she had just moved into. ( I figured her moving in would explain why she hadn't known about Meemo in the first place)

Fay spots Meemo playing by himself in the forest, and gets a little concerned that this presumably young child is out here all by himself. She approaches him which in turn startles Meemo, and he runs off into hiding. Unsure of what else to do, Fay returns home for the day. There's a cycle of her coming to the forest to see if Meemo's still there and attempting to at least greet him, and Meemo consequently going into hiding; but each time, he lingers a little bit longer and she's able to talk to him, even if he doesn't respond back with a lot to say. At one point, Fay even tries asking for his name; but Meemo doesn't know it and doesnt rremember if he even had one to begin with. All he knows is that the townspeople had been calling him something "mim....mimi?" and he's mumbling trying to remember what it was. Fay hears it as "Meemo" and of course the name sticks, as Meemo can't really say no anyways cuz he's not sure!!!

After going back and forth from the forest, some of the townspeople start to notice this and warn her that there's a monster lurking there and that she should be careful. Fay can only assume who they're talking about, but she goes back to Meemo to ask him about the things the townspeople are saying.

By this point, Fay's gotten Meemo to trust her enough that she can get close to him and have some semblance of a convo with him. It's a bit of a stretch, but she asks if he wants to come live with her, since she feels bad that he's out here all alone. She makes it clear that they'd cover up his appearance if he was okay with doing so, and that he had to be very careful. Meemo, desperate to want to try living with other people and have an actual home, agrees to this.

So of course, Fay has to go out and try out different outfits to see what Meemo likes, but what he eventually ends up with is something he makes himself - a mask and outfit that pays homage to Fay.

To avoid suspicion about Meemo's sudden presence at Fay's house, she says that he's a relative that she's caring for and the reasoning for his covered up face is that he's terribly shy. The townspeople, while wary, go about their business.

This is new information, but Fay is actually a schoolteacher, and while she'd love to introduce Meemo to her class, she knows how risky that is. Meemo, on the other hand, really wants to mingle with the other kids. I want to say maybe a few months pass before Fay, against her better judgement, decides to let Meemo join in.

So possibly a few months go by. Meemo's learning a lot (which was a plot hole I had before, I think. cuz I was like...Meemo had to have learned some stuff *somewhere*, which would be impossible in his post-Fay isolation). However, he is still a little more withdrawn than the other kids, since he's afraid they'll find out who he really is; so he does keep some distance from the others.

Originally, I had Meemo's wardrobe slip-up be completely accidental. This time around, I want to say it's market shopping day for Fay and Meemo. They bump into some of the kids from Fay's class and they ask permission to hang out with Meemo. Meemo looks to Fay for permission, and she hesistantly lets him, though of course she tells him to be careful.

The hang out starts off pretty normal, and Meemo's actually feeling pretty good about it. Like, maybe making friends was actually possible for him now. One of the kids gets a little too comfy, though, and starts asking Meemo why he's so quiet all the time, and why he's always wearing these clothes and mask, etc. etc. They start tugging on Meemo's cloak, trying to coax him to take it off, and Meemo starts to panic. He tries asking the kid to stop, but they're being really persistent about it. Once they attempt to reach for his mask instead, Meemo *really* gets nervous and out of reflex, uses a shadow claw on the kids arm, giving them a small gash.

The kid is now *pissed off* and the other two that are with them grab Meemo while the injured kids yanks Meemo's mask off. All 3 of the other kids gasp in horror, realizing it's the monster that had shown up in their town months ago and who their parents had warned them about. They all flee, leaving Meemo to cry alone in the small alleyway that they had been in.

After fixing his outfit back up, Meemo hurries back to find Fay, who notices he's visibly upset. The two of them return home, and Meemo tells her everything that happened. Realizing that things are about to take a turn for the worst, she tries to get things in order so they could flee town, knowing that it wouldn't end well if they stayed there.

Unfortunately, they're too late, and the kids had snitched to their parents; so this is where it ties back together with my original post. Basically an angry mob comes barging into Fay's house, demanding she hand Meemo over. Fay tries her best to put up a fight, but it's quite obvious the two of them are outnumbered. She gets caught in the crossfire of an attack meant for Meemo and is fatally injured. Meemo is overcome with emotion from all the events that had occurred and seeing his guardian fall right in front of him was the icing on the cake.

Meemo goes into a frenzied state, with his shadow tendrils going haywire everywhere and attacking everyone who had trespassed on the home that he and Fay had made for themselves. He comes out of the ordeal as the last one standing, all tattered up and bloodied. Fay's actually still alive, but very much on the verge of dying. Meemo falls to his knees beside her, now bawling at this point, while she apologizes to him for not being more careful. Fay reaches up to cup Meemo's face, smiles at him one last time, before she finally takes her last breath.

And this is stuff I've covered before. Meemo takes Fay's body to the place they had originally met in the forest and buries her there after having a small ceremony for her. He knows it's not safe for him to stay around those parts anymore, so as soon as he's able to, he sets off to find a new place to live.

After wandering around for a while, he finds an abandoned home that seems to be a good distance away from another town. Over time and with some work, he fixes the place up and settles in. After learning his lesson the first time, he doesn't get too comfortable with the residents in this new town, and only goes when necessary. (Eventually he does grow his own produce to sell, but that's not until a little later since it takes him a LONG time to be comfortable around other people again)

Fast foward many years later, he stumbles upon Chai, an abandoned baby pichu. Meemo thinks this to be a cruel joke from the gods, but also feels that raising Chai could be retribution for what happened to Fay; so he initally raises Chai out of guilt, but soon comes to care for him as if he were his own child.

As for Raku and Meemo, well. Y'all know how that goes down :')

SO YEA. UHM. I DIDN'T MEAN TO MAKE THIS AS LONG AS IT WAS. I just felt like if I had kept it like in my usual bullet point style, I wouldn't be able to say all the details I had in mind LOL

I think the only thing that I have trouble figuring out are the time frames of these things happening? Like ngl I still have no clue how much time has passed since Meemo went on the killing spree to the current time.

If I still wanted to go the route of Blanca finding out what Meemo had done, I think he'd have stumbled upon Meemo's original town. Mimikyus are a little more common now, but still a rare sight to see. I think it'd make more sense for a very long time to have passed so that the whole tale of mimikyus being bad luck is now just one of those tall tales from the old days; so someone seeing Blanca would be like "Wow hey are you a mimikyu? Y'know, this town's had a pretty interesting run-in with one, YEARS ago." and so on and so forth.

As for how Blanca would come to know that *that* mimikyu in the story was Meemo...well.....To be decided I guess LOL

Like I guess, there'd be a plaque or something at Fay's house, recounting what had happened and name dropping the two of them (Meemo and Fay).

*throws hands up* NOT SURE!!! WE'LL SEE!!!

[thoughtswithcoffee]

Persona 5 Royal - Thoughts with Coffee

So this is going to by my first Review-ish thing where i will give my opinions on this game however Im the best at transferring my true thoughts onto paper so if anyone see’s and reads all this i would love the feedback and to help me with my basic English because I lack common grammar and punctuation skills  

I will try to make this as spoiler free as possible and i will make a post shortly after this one with spoilers in it however i will leave it with no tags so another person cannot stumble upon without getting spoiled. 

In this post i will be talking about my general feelings and the background of some scenarios that i expierenced whilst i was playing and my opinions on those whilst trying to remain spoiler free  

The game opens with a cinematic of all the characters that you will eventually met throughout the course of the game however the game semi-expects you to already know the cast of Persona 5 already. The thing is that Persona 5 royal is a retelling of the original Persona 5 with quality of life features and more gameplay time to for a newcomer to join in to. However this does not mean that newcomers to the series cannot jump into this game, they very much can and will fully understand the full story and plot, ALSO just because the game includes 5 in the name doesnt mean that you need to play the other 4 games in the series to understand this one. This game follows the final fantasy syndrome of which different numbers in front of the final fantasy means different world and different story but share some of the key aspects such as magic and names of abilities etc. 

so the game begins with this fancy cutscene of the protag flipping about and doing super dope tricks trying to escape from the a security team?? the reason why this is a question mark is because when the protag encounters them they changed into this large creatures and they try to attack you. the protag uses some kind of power that remains nameless for the introduction however this is where the games new features take form in which the protags starts to use a grappling hook to move about the facility trying to remain sneaky and undetected and then the music (which is considered the best thing i have ever listened to from a video game soundtrack) cuts off and the enemy surrounds you. you start to hear voices coming from your allies saying that the have noticed some weird energy that is closing onto you and BOOM the new character appears performing an elegant dance whilst killing half of the enemies that protag was being surrounded by and another battle begins with new music that was included into this version truly showing that this is only the beginning of the new content . you quickly defeat them and you escape them and quickly get captured and integrated by the police. a prosecutor named Sae Nijima has demanded you to tell the full story behind several cases that all relate to the phantom thieves because the protag is the leader of this criminals and is going to be put on trial etc. this is the stage of the game where you get to name the protag and goes from the very beginning of the story to retell how the protag unlocked his powers and who the hell was the other folks that were talking to him and how he got there. 

this is a very strong introduction to the story and to the whole game keeps up this trend of giving you information early on and then holding that over your head whilst you try and figure out in your head how everything goes down for example Sae says that the first target was a gym teacher who had admitted to his crimes and was the starting point of the phantom thieves, what the game does was showing the player who that character was and what he did but it leaves out how and why did these characters choose to go after that person and how were they able to make this person to admit to their crimes. 

The game truly begins when you take control of the protag who i will call MC from now on saying that he needs to find the place he was staying at because he was moved to Tokyo because of a crime he commited in the past and this is apart of his probation that he has to complete and attend school etc. 

the MC meets up with his care giver aka coffee dad called Sojiro Sakura and makes it very clear from the get go he does not care about you or the MC at all aslong as he stays out of trouble he can do what he wants. he also give MC a cute wee notebook that allows the player to finally safe the game.  all of this happens within the first i would say 15 minutes so im going to speed it up. 

MC starts to walk to school but starts raining and he goes for shelter he sees a cute girls and tries to slide into those DMS until some dude totally cockblocks you but offers to give you and the girl a ride to school. MC declines but the girl accepts and then they drive off. this is when you met the MC’s best friend Ryuji Sakamoto who firsts gives you small details on who those folks were aka the girl and the guy that pick her up. Those characters are called Ann Takamaki and a teacher called Kamoshida. according to Ryuji that kamoshida is an asshole and he totes deserved to get shot or something and that Ann is totally hooking up with him on the DL. this is when they start making thier way too the school but get transported to A big ass castle where the school is meant to be. this is the beginning of the second part of persona 5. the first being that of a ordinaray school kid hanging out with friends and then the second being going to this other world and killing monsters and fighting demons.  they walk in get captured and try to escape only to find Kamoshida with underwear and cape on talking shit and trys to excute the boys. The MC is having non of it and goes berserk by hearing a voice inside of his head telling him to “break the chains of rebellion” and he awakens to his power of the persona called Arsene. 

I will then leave the story details there because beyond this point this gets into spoilers however this is only the introduction of the game. eventually you met up with all the characters and save the world however 2 new characters that werent in the original being one called Kasumi yoshisawa and other being a counciler that all of the cast gets to have one and one convos with. To then unlock the new content you need to hang out with these folks until in game till a certain major key event in the story happens then after you make a couple of choices they new content for the story unlocks. 

However new gameplay options appear such as better menus changing the battle combat a tiny but effective bit, a new area for the MC to explore and to gain benefits from for the second side of the game. and new areas to bring friends to and a new place called the theives den. 

This is just my basic look outline of what the game brings to the table but in my own personal opinion i believe that this game brings alot to the table and however is done so well and brings this series into the mainstream media this has also increase fans expectations of previous and future games of the series and i now believe where this can become a problem. the orginal persona 5 was rushed although they had planned orginally releasing the game in 2014 it didnt land in our hands till 2017 and was still felt like the game could of landed with some polish with come characters not getting enought screentime or some elements of the game could be abused for High exp and money etc. however this version was then only a year later to be in the works and was set to be released for Japanese audiences for decemeber 2019 and for the rest of us sometime in 2020. this to me was a clear way of them saying he is the directors cut of the OG game however the only reason it was cut was because we wanted a second version of the game to be out there and i truly believe that although yes was a selfish marketing decision was a smart one because they know it works when the enhanced version of persona 4 called persona 4 golden came out it was the selling point of the console it came out on and for then the second console it came out on and was the only reason most gamers point that console to begin with creating alot of profit for the persona team. however i do believe that the changes to the game play not the story are incredible and im surprised that they made a game with interesting battle features to begin with feel even more polished. i just wish they spent more time on the story aspect of it all. 

this is not to say that the story is bad infact i believe its one of the strongest stories that a persona game has developed so far its just with some aspects they fail at explaning things in full detail or they is some things that are completely overlooked and then forgotten about until the end where the player goes back and wonders when are they gonna answer that question.  

My only other complaint about this whole game is that they have locked the new game added on story behind certain tasks that got to be completed and if a newcomer doesnt complete that they would need to either reload an early enough safe to hopefully met the requirements in time or to replay the game and to trial and error until they unlocked the new content that the bought the game for.

and that my thoughts with me coffee 

[jennmoslek36]

  SO MANY OF the Dozier related posts on Finding Florida have been about the school itself. I’ve written about the dark history, the structures & our experiences BUT I’ve only really spoken of the victims, in generalities. This was never done on purpose; It was mostly out of respect to the victims, those who survived & those who did not, & of course the families of both groups. It may have also been a way to avoid getting too close & personal; At the end of the day I’m a mom of a 9-year-old & an Auntie to a 5-year-old, both boys. To look at them knowing that boys of the same age were forcibly plucked from their homes & placed into an environment that would change, if not end their lives makes me physically ill. Whatever the reason, it’s time to talk about the MOST important part of this entire endeavor, the reason why I’m willing to continue this uphill battle:

THE BOYS…

    A MOTHER’S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

IT WAS A late December night when I would get a call that would again change the direction that I was going. I answered & heard “Jenn, It’s Dawn Chase.” I was floored. I had seen her son’s story & had felt compelled to send her an email a couple of months before. The problem was that the open letter that she had posted on the website was written years before. I knew I was taking a chance using the contact info that had been attached to it but what did I really have to lose at that point? Thankfully, she did happen to see my email!

    DURING THAT CALL, I told her about what I was trying to do & what had happened so far. I also told her about how I had gotten her son’s name to begin with. He had been the very last name on a list of about 15 other boys that another former Dozier boy had given to me. This list was different than the others…The Boys on this list had ALL served time at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in the 2000’s & EVERY single one of them could attest to the abuse that was happening at the school. These Boys were “Game Changers!” NOT only would they be able to back up the claims of the Whitehouse Boys that had been there in the 50’s & 60’s BUT they could also offer proof that the abuse NEVER stopped. Marianna didn’t care about changing OR righting the wrongs of the past; They just wanted it ALL to go away, whatever the cost may be. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet that there were kids being beaten until the very day that Dozier closed its doors in 2011.

      A LIFE INTERRUPTED

HIS NAME IS Christopher Sholly. He is a son, a brother, an uncle, an aspiring model…And yes, he is also yet another unfortunate victim of the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys. Chris’s story runs a bit broader though as Dozier would be only one of many stops in Florida’s Juvenile Justice system; ALL would fail him miserably. What started as a couple of tees having a fight at school would result in a 13-year-old boy becoming entangled in Florida’s corrupt Juvenile Justice System for the next 4 years; ONLY ending when he would be herded into the dark abyss of adult prison life. There would be NO trying out for his high school sports team, NO nervous fidgeting while he attempted to ask a girl to homecoming OR prom. He wouldn’t even have the luxury of celebrating the remaining birthdays of his teenage years at home with his family. All of the things that most of us take for granted.

  IT WOULD BE the Fall of 2004 when Chris would 1st come into contact with the Arthur G Dozier School for Boys. Near completion of his program at the Jackson Juvenile Offenders Center (JJOCC), he was looking forward to finally going home & getting on with his life. Claiming that they needed to free up spots for Juveniles that were considered “flight risks”, Chris was sent to Dozier.

      HE WAS ASSURED that his credits from the JJOC program would transfer with him, So he believed that he would complete his remaining time at AGDSB & be released on schedule. By now, we ALL know that Dozier doesn’t offer happy endings. Chris would be NO exception.

        FROM THE MOMENT he stepped foot onto the campus, he was taunted, severely beaten & verbally assaulted. When he wasn’t being personally abused, he had to witness others receive the same treatment. But Chris did his best to stick it out, knowing he was only a matter of weeks from getting his life back. It would be when he started to fear for his life that he would finally say something.

    DURING A PHONE call with his mom, Chris had the courage to tell her what was happening at the school. His mom, doing what most loving moms would do, immediately went to authorities. The Florida Department of Children & Families (DCF) was called in to “investigate.”

And….

      NOT ONE FREAKING thing happened! Now maybe a proper investigation was done & it was decided that this was just another case of a pissed off “juvenile delinquent” throwing around claims of abuse to get back at everyone for locking him up. That’s just got to be the case, right??

      IF THAT THOUGHT crossed your mind, I can assure you that you couldn’t be more wrong! As it turns out, the DCF caseworker assigned to investigate the claims of abuse was conveniently related to a Dozier staff member. But NOT just ANY staff member …It was THE staff member accused of abuse.

        RETALIATION

IT MAKES ME sad to think about what so many children are now privy to at such a young age. It goes way beyond a child finding out that “Santa’s NOT Real” OR discovering that NOT all fairytales will have a happy ending. It’s realizing that the “Boogeyman” not only exists BUT takes the form of a man who is given too much power & has too much evil & hate inside. Being in such a position could be a good thing, if you decide to use that power to impact a child’s life positively. Obviously, most of the Dozier staff made a very different choice OR we’d all be hearing an entirely different story today. Yet, how powerful can you possibly be when your chosen victim is a child?

      THE ANSWER IS quite simple; Beating a 13-year-old unconscious OR breaking his bones does NOT make a king BUT a coward. These real life “Boogeymen” would finally meet their match in the form of a teenaged boy. He may have been scared to death of not getting to go home OR worse, NOT making it out of the system alive, yet he decided to stand up for what was right.

      “BUT I’M NOT AN ADULT”

IN SPITE OF the extreme retaliation that he would face, Chris would continue to report the abuse to his mom during their phone calls. She, in turn, began a crusade to get her son out of Dozier. Dawn spent her days reaching out to ANY official that she thought could help. She wasn’t going to stop until her boy was either transferred to another facility OR was sent home. Chris would eventually be transferred out of Dozier, though it wouldn’t be in a positive way. With approximately 6 years left until Dozier would finally close its doors for good, they weren’t about to allow another blemish to mark their record. The superintendent came up with a plan to keep that from happening; File assault charges on Chris stating that he had assaulted a guard & this time, they would make sure that he wouldn’t step foot inside another juvenile facility…This time he would be charged as an adult.

      EVEN WITH THE evidence & witness testimony supporting Chris’s version of events, the corruption ran too deep…At just 17 years old, Chris became a child inmate sent to serve his sentence in a VERY adult prison. 

  ALTHOUGH I DID my best to tell Chris’s story, I barely scratched the surface of what he’s gone through. Fortunately, he kept a detailed journal documenting what he went through & with the help of his mom, compiled entries, letters & other important info…They then made ALL of the content public. If you’re interested in hearing his account, here is the link:

https://christophersholly.blogspot.com/2007/04/christopher-shollys-diary-abused-in.html?m=1

    I STRONGLY SUGGEST taking a few minutes to read through these entries… Besides, who better to tell this story but Chris himself?

    ♤Please Consider Helping In The Fight For Justice By Signing The 1st Petition: https://www.change.org/p/jenn-moslek-re-investigation-of-the-arthur-g-dozier-school-for-boys

  ☆ IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW SUFFERED ABUSE, PASSED AWAY, WENT MISSING OR WITNESSED ANY WRONGDOINGS WHILE  AT “THE FLORIDA INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL FOR BOYS” AKA “THE ARTHUR G. DOZIER SCHOOL FOR BOYS” OR THE OKEECHOBEE SCHOOL FOR BOYS, PLEASE REACH OUT VIA HERE AT findingflorida.blog OR ANY OF THE CONTACT INFO LISTED BELOW!!☆

  Want More “Finding Florida?” BE SURE TO “SUBSCRIBE”! FOR PRIVATE CONTACT SEND EMAILS TO:  whitehouseboys2018@gmail.com

  FOR ALL DOZIER RELATED INFO:

http://thewhitehouseboysonline.com

AND

http://www.whitehouseboys2007.com

  FOR FULL PHOTO GALLERIES & ADDITIONAL LOCATION INFO FOLLOW ME ON FB AT:  @GRAVEAdventuresFL

    INVESTIGATING DOZIER: Christopher… SO MANY OF the Dozier related posts on Finding Florida have been about the school itself. I've written about the dark history, the structures & our experiences BUT I've only really spoken of the victims, in generalities.