#can you hear me screaming in pure joy that they have this lil shared thing to be continued like i need mORE

[bifairywife]

you know what?

stephanie giving jason coffee, for literally any or no reason at all, can something that can be so personal

and it only happened twice so far

[emersonfreepress]

ok ok in the spirit of community, how would the ros fair in a paintball war?

(referring to this ask! like the zombie au post this ended up making me think a lot 😅)

ohh... interesting, interesting... p sure the only paintball wars i’ve really seen were the ones featured in The League, Peep Show, and Community... but let me wrack my lil head...

ok, i ended up coming at this from multiple angles like the zombie au post 😅 always so much to consider in battle environments! and in the spirit of community, I'll stick with the individual player elimination style paintball match. in the woods with other e prep seniors. last one standing wins bragging rights

Gabe

Shooting skill | 6/10 - Experience with shooting and practice with Kile ofc

Stealthiness | 8/10 - He's done a fair amount of sneaking around during his after school activities, is super observant (or just paranoid lol), and naturally light on his feet. Good luck ambushing him.

Strategy | 8/10 - Strike deals. Do favors. Form alliances. Shoot 'em in the back once they’ve outlived their usefulness. ...What? It’s just paintball.

How does he win? | Graciously. Gabe likes winning, and especially via strategic manipulation, so it puts a smile on his face. And he's in a good mood so he treats a bunch of you to ice cream or smth 👀

How does he lose? | Slumps in frustration at being outwitted or taken off-guard, sulks about it for a little while. He's not that sore of a loser but needs time to lick his wounds and stop thinking of the different choices he could have made.

Kile

Shooting | 9 - The most accurate shooter of the cast and easily one of the best shots at E Prep. Lots of practice + talent

Stealth | 10 - They're stupid good at climbing trees and 100% consider that a valid method of ambushing their classmates. People start having flashbacks to 3rd and 4th grade recess and P.E. Scanning the trees. They just start taking people out with such efficiency it quickly starts ruining the game 😂

Strategy | 0? 10?? - “...Strategy? You just stay out of sight and kill 'em all, right?” (immediately scolded by Gabe for word choice 🙄) They really do mainly stay out of sight and pick people off with max stealth, like 😆 they'd be such a terror, people would need to take them out early for anyone else to stand a chance! They spend a lot of the game staking out the most frequented paths in the area and taking out groups quickly, all at once. Then they'll get around to stalking and picking people off one by one. The real fun...

Winner type | Stoic. Likes winning combat but the stakes were non-existent, so... the win is meaningless! this just infuriates the losers more 😅 such disrespect

Loser type | Sucks their teeth and tosses their paintball gun to the ground. "Y'all suck." (they're over it five mins later tho lol)

Jack

Shooting | 3 - This is nothing like shooting light guns... ☹��

Stealth | 5 - Not just due to his size making him an easier target, but homeboy is liable to get distracted by a cute squirrel or some pretty flowers 😂 He's not great at keeping his voice down either so good conversation would make him easy to seek out. He's just out here enjoying a beautiful day 😅

Strategy | 7 - All that movie-watching (and DMing) make him a valuable creative mind for problem-solving, but he needs a cooperative team to be effective. Rescued and recruited by Rupan/Rohan early on in the game ^ ^

Winner type | Disbelief! And everyone’s content and satisfied with him winning. Except Vivian/Vincent, that jealous fool

Loser type | Doesn't mind losing at all! He just hopes he was a good teammate and was glad to have fun ☺️

Jessie

Shooting | 7 - Comes from a family of hunters, girly knows how to shoot.

Stealth | 6 - Familiar enough with woods and stalking prey to be capable of sneaking around. Having too much fun to not giggle and get overly invested in the developing plot of the game. Even more easily distracted by critters and flora than Jack 😅

Strategy | 5 - Oh, she's just here to have fun. She'll go with whatever the person she's teaming up with decides, but can adapt easily enough.

Winner type | Surprised... then elated! Bouncing and happy and it's completely contagious. No hard feelings about a single thing. Convinces Heidi to invite people to the Emerson Estate—it's a hot day and they have a nice pool

Loser type | Same as Jack! Congratulates the winner with a hug because she's sweet like that 🧁

Rain

Shooting | 2 - This... thing is so cumbersome. And ugly. At least it shoots pretty colors.

Stealth | 7 - Small and used to sneaking around different environments and seeking out hiding spots. Their height and frame makes them harder to spot too.

Strategy | 4 - Hide!!! They’re not getting assaulted with paint and pellets!! Especially not after managing to make this ugly jumpsuit look cute?? Waiting it out is perfectly legitimate. Might share snacks if you decide to join them in hiding 😆

Winner type | Falls asleep in an unexpectedly cozy hiding spot and emerges as everyone thought they’d declared the winner. I imagine R and others yelling at them to get their gun while the original winner scrambles to get theirs, just for Rain to win by pure luck of the draw. Won’t stop them bragging about it, though! (I want this spurned runner-up to be Vi bc ofc)

Loser type | "So I can stop holding this thing?" Yawn. "I'm so hungry and bored, we've been at this for hours..."

Rupan/Rohan

Shooting | 4 - Ah, shit. These don't shoot anything like light guns.

Stealth | 7 - They sneak out and around town a lot 😂 They just force themself to be careful about how loud grass and bushes are.

Strategy | 7 - They’re treating this shit like an action movie and banding together a ragtag team of misfits to take down the strongest alliances and players. Savvy enough to reject Gabe’s and Curt’s offers to join, not opposed to strategic backstabs. They're very clearly just as focused on having fun as they are on winning—and playing Predator, which honestly works with Kile runnin around. They even brought war paint and borrowed a tactical vest. Is it mostly packed with snacks and weed? Maybe. Does it prove useful for negotiations? Hell yeah.

Winner type | Raucous celebration, just pure joy and adrenaline ☺️ Celebrates with their team, brags a bit, rubs it into Vi's face, makes fun of Curt, the usual. Then invites allies out to get pizza because it's the obvious next step

Loser type | Mostly disappointed they can't keep playing. They're a little sore about being left out of the action, but soon just start chatting with other marked players about how the game went for them. Plenty entertaining on its own, they want all the details

Vivian/Vincent

Shooting | 5 - They've got a little bit of shooting experience.

Stealth | 4 - They're overly sensitive and hate being in nature. Their skin is sticky, they keep feeling bugs everywhere, they've gotten dirt all over their pants, it's so hot, they keep WALKING into SPIDERWEBS, [flails about, screaming furiously]

Strategy | 8 - They have good ideas, they're just difficult to execute alone, especially since they're getting sunburnt and getting crankier and can't stop swatting at insects 😅 they're one of the first people to figure out that someone's taking out groups from the trees, so they stay solo and try to find a single person to team up with. Really what they need is someone who's a better shot but easy to boss around. They can probably just owe them for an in-school favor...

Winner type | Barely suppressed gloating. Vi somehow finds a way to be an obnoxious winner almost entirely by the look on their face. Once they're in a smaller group, they're passionately discussing the details of the game and happily boasting about their triumphs (while glossing over all of the whining and and slip-ups lol)

Loser type | Booo, such a sore loser. (Especially in the scenario where Rain wins 🤣) If they're outsmarted or outgunned in a clear, transparent way they'll growl and stomp off, then quietly glower and sulk for way too long. If they're double-crossed or beaten in an underhanded way oh lord —they're fighting it to the end. R can't help but get involved either way, reminding them it was a damn game with literally no prize. "C'mon, Vi, chill. You want ice cream? Let's get you ice cream."

Heidi

Shooting | 6 - Some shooting experience.

Stealth | 8 - She's very aware of her surroundings and her body. Perceptive yet quiet. Tactical. All residual traits picked up from her many activities over the years.

Strategy | 9 - Most likely to outsmart everyone. The first one to figure out groups are being targeted from the trees. Goes it alone and only open to trading (unless she sees Curt with Jess in which case she puts a quick pin in her plans to rescue her 😂). She also immediately figures out it's Kile, because ofc it is. Keeps close tabs on what groups are doing, knowing that eventually Kile will come down to ground level to pick off individuals and couples. Predator becomes prey 👀

Winner type | Proud but not boasting. She doesn't need to be. Victory looks good on her, natural and fitting. Thanks everyone for a good game then takes the girls for a long ride in the Cadillac 😎 top down on a bright day, baby

Loser type | Damn. She should have won this. Maybe if she'd... She probably could have... Then she snaps out of it, roped in by the celebratory mood of congratulating the winner. She's over any feelings of frustration or regret after getting to discuss the match with the person that took her out/the winner and there's no hard feelings. If anything this was fun as hell, it should be an annual thing. ☺️

Curt

Shooting | 8 - Some shooting experience and a natural knack for it. Good reflexes.

Stealth | 8 - Curt likes to say he gets along with the woods around these parts. Sneaking around is second nature to him. Really good hearing too. He's an easy target if you manage to seduce him though, having no issue leaving himself vulnerable if it means that kind of fun 😂

Strategy | 7 - Honestly, he's most interested in seeing how long he can get away with using charm and seduction for both protection and double-crossing 😂 Eventually becomes persona non grata and gets all of his ammo stolen by a vengeful mark, barely getting away in the process. Since that jig is up, he finally starts thinking a win might be nice... and so he teams up with the only competent player who would never betray him and also inspires the least vitriol in others: Jessie. What? Is his back-up plan using her as a human shield? No! 😚 Of course not! 👉👈

Winner type | Insufferable and gloating. Rubs it in a lot of people's faces, specifically Heidi, Rupan/Rohan, and any participants who genuinely don't like him. Brags to Gabe (who is completely disinterested in gassing him up 😂), then promises he'll make things up to Jessie (who didn't mind and had fun lol). Then celebrates by asking whoever he's flirting with these days for a quick date—and a ride in the Ferrari. Makes a scene pulling out of the parking lot. Ass.

Loser type | Doesn't care one bit as long as he had fun! And he always finds a way to have fun, it's why he's so carefree 😅

[daily-dose-of-sweets]

Cat Lover

James Aubrey X Reader

Summary: Based on Season 10 Episode 9 “The Mutilations of the Master Manipulator” You are there when they find the little orange tabby, Skinner. When Hodgins can’t take him, you offer up your home. You just have to convince Aubrey that it’s a good idea.

Words: 1444

“It sounds like something’s in here…” Hodgins mumbles softly as he turns his flashlight towards the other side of the garage.

You tilt your head, eyes scanning for any signs of movement.

“Whatever it is, it could be the source of the predation we found,” you ponder out loud, thinking back to all the marks on the body.

Hodgins hushes you, and out of the silence you hear a quiet creaking coming from the cabinets. Your eyes widen, darting over to meet his. There is definitely something in here. With a quick shared nod, the two of you creep forward, footsteps silent on the concrete. You keep your flashlight focused on the door as he reaches out.

“One…”

Your shoulders tense slightly.

“Two…”

What could be in there? A possum? A skunk? Neither sound too scary but the suspense is putting your nerves on end.

“Three!”

Hodgins rips the door open.

“Meew”

You gasp as an orange, furry head pokes out from the cabinet, wide eyes darting between you and the entomologist. Oh my gosh.

“It’s just a cute little kitty!” You squeak as Hodgins reaches up and scruffs the little guy, pulling him down into his arms.

What an adorable little cat! You crowd in close, gently scratching beneath his fuzzy chin. He immediately starts purring like a motor, eyes squinting with content. Gosh, how can one cat be so cute! You could literally die.

“Poor things probably been trapped in here ever since Fairbanks died,” Hodgins says.

A small pout pulls at your lips when you think about it, “I can’t imagine being locked in such a small space for that long. You poor baby…What are we going to do with you?”

You can’t just drop him off at a shelter, there’s no telling what kind of home he’ll go to! Or if they’ll even keep him. The poor cat’s already been through so much.

“I would say I’d take Skinner here,” Hodgin hums, frowning as he looks down at the creature, “but unfortunately, Michael Vincent is allergic. What about you?”

You take a moment to think it over. You’re currently living in an apartment with Aubrey, your boyfriend. It’s not super big...but Skinner would probably be happy. You’d get him plenty of toys and the fanciest cat food, he’d live like a king! Plus, the idea of snuggling down on the couch with the orange fuzzball to read a book seems too good to pass up. Yup, you’re convinced! Now you just have to convince Aubrey...later.

“I’ll take him home,” you grin and sweep the cat out Hodgins’ arms, letting him curl up into your chest, dirty fur and all, “Once we get him a good bath and make sure he’s clear of evidence at least.”

What a perfect little friend to have! You’ll get him a nice collar with a bell, a cat tower that reaches all the way to the ceiling, and maybe even some of those designer shelves meant just for cats! Then hopefully he won’t get bored while you and Aubrey are at work.

“I found a tablet in the victim’s house,” Aubrey declares as he comes into the garage, stealing your attention away from your new roommate, “I think this might explain…”

The brunet comes to pause when he looks up to find you, cat tucked comfortably in your arms.

“That’s a cat…”

“Correction!” You grin, albeit a little sheepishly, “This is Skinner.”

Aubrey spends a moment just staring at you, like he’s processing what you just said and the fact that you seem to tighten your grip stubbornly around the cat. Choosing to not address it just now, he clears his throat and brings his attention back to the tablet.

“I think this might explain all the screaming golden girls heard.”

With that, the topic is dropped for the moment, and you all crowd around the screen to watch a video play out of a young woman pleading with the camera.

---

“(Y/n)...I’m not so sure about this.”

Aubrey addresses you at the entrance to the lab, arms cross over his chest. You trot up to him, Skinner tucked in your arms, this time clean and well-fed. Aubrey’s light eyes stay locked on the cat, hesitant but not completely closed off. This is your chance!

“Please Aubrey?” You pull out your best puppy dog eyes, looking up at him pleadingly through your lashes, “Look at him, he’s so handsome...almost as handsome as you.”

The faintest flush spreads up his neck as he glances away from you, tense shoulders loosening a fraction. A grin breaks out across your lips. He’ll totally break.

You tug at one of Aubrey’s arms, forcing it down so he softly grips your waist as you lean into his side. His gaze turns back to you sharply, brimming with suspicion.

“Imagine it, both of us on the couch, curled up in a blanket, with a huge tub of popcorn while we watch a movie, and lil’ old Skinner here snoozing away between us, purring and happy because he has a home again,” you persuade him softly, “We can be his home, Jay.”

Aubrey begrudgingly looks down at the tabby, eyes narrowed as if he’s trying to decide if the small, fuzzy creature is a threat. Skinner tilts his chin up, sensing the gaze on him, and turns his wide, green eyes on the FBI agent. You watch intently as Aubrey clenches his jaw, holds it for a moment, before the tension completely drains from his body. You can barely contain an excited squeal when he reaches down and gently scratches the top of Skinner’s head before smoothing a hand over his back.

“He is pretty cute…” he admits quietly, as if he doesn’t want you to hear him.

“Is that a yes, then?”

There’s a solid moment of silence before Aubrey finally nods, “Yah, we can take him home.”

The excitement finally takes over as you go into a little dance, careful not to upset the tabby though. You wrap your free arm around your boyfriend, leaning up onto your tippy toes to press a quick kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Jay!!”

Aubrey can’t help but grin when faced with your overwhelming joy. He watches as you lift the cat in both hands, giving him a giant kiss on his fuzzy head before wrapping him in your arms again. A small chuckle rumbles through his chest at the slightly perturbed face the cat pulls.

“Looks like I have two boys to shower with affection now, huh? Isn’t that right Skinner?” You ask, purely talking to the cat, before you side glance at Aubrey, “Hope no one gets jealous…”

The bunet laughs again, shaking his head as he tugs you back to his side. You giggle as he presses a kiss to the crown of your head, hand gripping your hip a little tighter than before.

“The moment you start giving that cat more attention than me, I’m kicking him out.”

There’s a hint of humor in his words, so you know it’s a joke. Either way, you could never love anyone or anything more than you love Aubrey. He’s been there for you in all the good and bad times. Through rough cases and loss. You may love Skinner a lot already, but no one will ever match up to Aubrey.

“Ready to go home, Jay? Get Skinner all set up, maybe watch Aristocats, so he feels welcomed,” you suggest as you curl further into your boyfriend’s side.

“Of course, we can’t have him getting the wrong idea, after all.” Aubrey stays close as the two of you make your way out of the Jeffersonian, arm still wrapped around your waist, drawing you closer when the winter cold hits you. “Oh, by the way! I heard about this new restaurant-”

Your heart flutters at the excited gleam that fills his eyes when he starts telling you about the newest place that opened down the road from your apartment. You can’t help it, he looks so cute when he gets excited about something. You really got so lucky, meeting Aubrey and falling in love.

Skinner starts purring loudly against your chest, and when you look down, his eyes are set adoringly on your boyfriend as he continues to talk, telling you all about the menu and possible golden finds. You obviously don’t know what the cat is thinking, but you’re sure he already loves the man just as much as you do. It’s hard not to, after all.

It seems like you’ll be the one competing for Aubrey’s attention, not the other way around.

[turquoise-skyyyy]

I love biana(yes this is the title don’t question it)

Note: i am too uncreative to come up with a title, how are you today-

lil rewrite of that one scene in flashback where biana actually existed. if you don’t know/remember that scene, first of all, same, second of all, enjoy biana actually having center stage for once and block out the original from your memory :D

Word count: i have no idea why i have this when i can never be bothered to check the word count

There was a ringing sound. It was dull, and it seemed to echo in her head as she swam through the murky darkness. The black was growing lighter, but the ringing louder. She was sure Vespera was coming for her again, back to finish the job, and she would be all alone, drowning in a pool of her own red misery again.

She had heard the same ringing in her ears when Vespera had struck the first blow, and suddenly her skin was prickling with the shards embedded in her skin and warm blood was dripping down her sides and the ringing was so, so loud- Biana shot up in bed, looking around wildly with her arms held up to shield the blows, but the ringing had softened to a tinny alarm and the only sticky wet dripping down was cold sweat. Biana groaned and reached out for the imparter on her jewel-encrusted bedside table, clicking the button without checking who had disturbed her from sleep. “Biana?” Dex’s voice filled the room, and he sounded a little out of breath. “What?” she snapped. She was so not in the mood to be his weird technopathy experiment buddy. “What is it?” “Sophie’s awake.” Biana’s eyes widened and she brought the imparter close to her face, uncaring of her wild bedhead for once. She could see the top part of Dex’s face and the side of Tam’s face and bangs. The view was shaky, most likely due to Dex’s other arm being out of commission.  “Really? Fitz too?” “...no, but Elwin says he’s fine!” Dex said hurriedly. “Just sedated.” “Oh.” Biana slumped back in bed, tossing the imparter onto the other side of the sprawling comforter. “Well, thanks for the update.” “Are you gonna come over here and visit?” Biana rolled over so that her voice was muffled by the pillow. The tiny crystals embedded into the pale purple pillowcase dug into her skin, but she pressed her face in harder. “Yeah, probably.” “Okay... see you then?” “Maybe.”

Dex clicked off, and the room fell silent.

Biana sighed and rolled over, running a finger over the light imprints the tiny jewels had left on her face. She avoided the scars.

A selfish thought crossed her mind. What if she just didn’t visit them?

After all, they didn’t come to see her when she was stuck in the healing center. They didn’t even bother to check up on her when she was finally released to go home. They left her alone, every single time...

And yet she was still slipping on glittering shoes and brushing her hair and covering her scars with brightly colored fabric for them.

“Hey, Dad, can I come with you to Foxfire?”

-ˋˏ *.·:·.⟐.·:·.* ˎˊ-

Biana almost left the room without saying anything. Besides the fact that it would be weird to pop up after having witnessed at least part of Sophie and Keefe’s... moment, it really hurt to see Sophie talking to Keefe so gently. Sophie cared about him, which was more than she had ever done for Biana.

Biana tried not to resent her for it too much. She’s the moonlark! She has important things to do! She’s supposed to save us all! She doesn’t have time for friends!

Well, that was, unless they were Fitz or Keefe.

Sophie would move mountains just to give them her time.

Nobody even bothered to check on Biana when she was in healing center, but Sophie ends up here and the entire gang plus the adults decide to drop everything to be with her. Biana nearly died, and sometimes she wondered how much would really change if she had.

But then Fitz woke up, and his eyes were clear and his words were determined and Biana couldn’t just stand there in silence. She couldn’t stay invisible when her brother was surely going to do something stupid the second she turned a blind eye. Even if he didn’t care about her anymore, she would never stop caring about him.

Sophie’s eyes widened at his outburst, stunned to see him awake. “You don’t think I’m losing my mind?

His jaw set at Sophie’s question, and Biana could see the stupid resolve sparkling in the eyes they shared.

“No, I think you’re angry, and I’m right there with you.”

Biana rolled her eyes and appeared in the dark corner she’d been hiding in. “So am I.”

“Vanishers,” Keefe grumbled. Biana flashed a sweet smile in return. “How long have you been there?”

“Not that long.” Long enough to see my friends have enough time for each other but never enough for me. “I snuck off with my dad when he went with Sandor and Grady to talk to Magnate Leto. But I stayed for this, because I wanted to make sure you guys didn’t decide something without me, since you’ve been super overprotective lately.”

“We have?” Sophie asked.

“Not you.” You don’t even care about me when I’m dying. “But Fitz refused to let me go to Grizel’s training sessions. And Woltzer won’t teach me either.”

“That’s because Woltzer doesn’t like you,” Fitz informed in that annoying, I know more than you because I’m older and perfect and everyone loves me voice. “You’re always sneaking off and getting him in trouble for losing his charge. Like right now.”

Biana plastered a grin on her face painfully. “It’s not my fault he can’t keep up with me. And all I’m saying is, I’m sick of being treated like I’m some broken doll because of what Vespera did- and you know that’s what you’ve been doing.”

“We found you passed out in a puddle of your own blood!” Fitz argued.

Yeah, and yet the second Sophie comes in I no longer matter. I can tell you guys care so much about me, Biana wanted to scream.

“You don’t have to remind me!” she snapped back. She rolled up one of the sleeves she had wrapped herself in earlier, showing off the scars she tried so hard to keep hidden.

Biana couldn’t believe Fitz wanted to talk to her about her own experiences when he always put them below his stupid pointless feelings about his stupid perfect Sophie.

Everyone was so perfect and Biana was so tired of trying to keep up when every part of her just wasn’t.

“The next time I take on Vespera, I want to win,” Biana said, tracing an arm down the huge scar on her bicep. It was the ugliest, but strangely, the one that bothered her the least. She was almost proud of it. Even if nobody else cared, she cared that she had survived and she had the mark to prove it.

“And I’m sure Tam, Dex, and Linh will want to get in on this,” she added. “Probably Marella too. Maybe even Wylie. We should ask them.” Because I haven’t forgotten them like you have. I haven’t thrown them aside for boys like you have, Moonlark.

Biana drowned out the rest of the conversation. It was just them dragging on and being upset and being friends and Biana wasn’t exactly keen on watching. But still, still, Biana couldn’t help but care when Sophie tried to insist that she was fine.

“I think you need to rest first, though,” Biana said, forcing herself to jump in. The room was growing more suffocating by the second. “Let the medicine do its job. You guys need to get better, okay?”

For the world’s sake, if not for Biana’s.

They gave her promises to rest and get better, Biana promised to get everyone else on board, and she almost made it out the door with Keefe. But Sophie never made things easy.

“Wait,” Sophie called. “Keefe still hasn’t said if he’s with us.”

Keefe’s returning smile was so sweet, his lingering hand as he took Sophie’s so plainly affectionate, that Biana had to turn away. Seeing them speak in those soft tones just poured an aggressive amount of salt into the open wound that they never stopped ripping open. They never even gave it enough time to scab.

She was out of the room before she could hear the words that spilled from Keefe’s lips, certain that if she stayed a second longer, they would have pushed her over the edge.

She darted into an empty classroom, pulling her sleeve down to cover her scars with clumsy, trembling fingers and pulling out her imparter. She hailed Dex, hoping the shaking wouldn’t be obvious on screen. He picked up, but she was speaking before he could say a word.

“Hey, Dex, got any science experiments you need help with?” Biana asked, unable to keep her mouth from quirking up into a soft smile when he let out a little shriek of pure joy. “I need a distraction.”

[comickergirl]

A (SPOILER-FILLED) List of Good Things in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, in no particular order:

The score

Seriously, any time Leia’s theme played I just silently thanked John Williams 

Rose Tico

‘doing talking’

The fact that the Skywalkers remain the biggest Drama Queens in the entire galaxy

I am referring, of course, to:

Leia ‘NOT TODAY, SPACE’ Organa, and...

Luke ‘I can make a fool out of you from literal LIGHTYEARS AWAY and look fabulous while doing so’ Skywalker 

I am...conflicted...over Snoke’s robe. I mean on the one hand, if you’re the Supreme Leader, then you have every right to terrorize the galaxy in something comfy, but on the OTHER hand, like. Where’s the menace?

See, this does not scream ‘fear me’:

To me it says, ‘I’ve had a long day, time to binge watch some GBBO.’

Which is why I’m torn. 

...You know what? You do you, Snoke.

Right then, moving on:

'Amazing. Every word of what you just said is wrong.’

Paige Tico, you big damn hero, you. RIP

BB-8

YODA

Rey’s lil’ smile @ the rain

Rose saving Finn (THANK YOU, ROSE, THANK YOOOOOU)

Finn DESTROYING Phasma

And calling her Chrome Dome

‘You’ll always be scum.’ ‘Rebel Scum.’

*cue emphatic fist-pump of pure joy*

Holdo having none of that mutiny nonsense 

Leia having none of that mutiny nonsense

Poe and Leia’s relationship really deserves its own post but I’ll try to sum up here: I think it’s really cool that Poe Dameron's mentors end up being two powerful ladies. We’ve got a lot of dude Jedi Masters in this franchise, so there’s a lot of guys mentoring other guys/gals, but not a lot of ladies being the teacher. (In the films)

The entirety of the Luke and Leia reunion. Beautifully shot, beautifully acted

This might be an unpopular opinion, IDK, but I’m very okay with the wrap up on the mystery of Rey’s parents. I actually agree with what’s been said by the cast in interviews, in that it’s kind of always...been there? In an Occam’s razor way. 

The shot of Luke and the twin suns setting. feeeeeeelings

The weaponized hyperspace jump splitting Snoke’s ship in two. VISUALLY STUNNING, MY GOSH.

‘Oh, you meant reach out, like...’

Maz’s all-too-brief cameo

‘Blibbity blobbity bloop’

Crystal Critters

Rey + Lightsaber remains the best ship, let’s just all agree on that

I mean, c’mon guys, she clearly chose Lightsaber over Kylo. True love, right there.

Speaking of ships (if we must)...

Sorry, Dreadnought fans.

MEANWHILE, that third act Falcon entrance? PERFECTION.

‘Oh, they hate that ship!’

Rey, re: Falcon’s ball turret: ‘Oh, I like this!’

(Really, guys, from planetfall onward...just great stuff.)

Okay friends...I have deliberately formatted this so that the inevitable Kylo bashing is all concentrated down here. If your form of SW positivity does not include ragging on Kylo, I suggest you leave now, while those warm fuzzy feelings are intact

But if, like me, you have no qualms about hating the villain of the movie, read on

RIGHT, OKAY

More Good Things about TLJ: The Anti-Kylo Hour

Snoke using force lightning to zap Kylo’s evil, murderous butt

Rey, speaking for us all, re: shirtless Kylo, ‘don’t you have a cowl to put on, or something’

Rey ultimately rejecting Kylo’s evil, murderous butt

Kylo can go take a long walk off a short pier, for all I care

(Have we picked up on the fact that I love to hate Kylo Ren yet? No? Well let’s continue, then)

If we’re going to be subject to an evil, manipulative force bond between these two--then I’m glad one of the meetings involved figuratively shooting Kylo with a blaster

Make no mistake--I hate Hux almost as much as I hate Kylo, but I admittedly had a few, ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ moments as I watched them interact

Kylo Ren Is the Poor Man’s Vader by Design--the title of my TED talk

ALSO we can dispense with the ‘Snoke’s the REAL big bad’ nonsense

Because Kylo’s gone from the Actual Worst to the Supreme Worst 

ALRIGHT, thus concludes--oh, no, wait, one more

REY, SHUTTING THE FALCON’S DOOR IN KYLO’S EVIL, MURDEROUS FACE

Okay, thus concludes anti-Kylo hour

Let’s return to more pleasant thoughts...let’s talk about REY:

Staff training that turned into lightsaber training for no other reason than Rey being like: why not

Rey’s Jedi Look™

(Sincere question though: I understand most of the outfit--it’s just more layers on top of what she was already wearing but where the heck did she get the boots?)

That part in the fight against the red dudes where she drops the saber and takes out his/her knees

‘Lifting rocks’

I like that the beacon to light her way home was shared between Leia, Finn, and Poe

As a Finn/Rey fan, this film was a struggle (and no, not because of Rose, I’ll not hear one unkind, angry ship-war-driven word against her, thank you very much) but because those goobers weren’t together

‘Where’s Rey’

‘Ask about Finn’

The HUG

Anyways

Rey finally met Poe!

And the film ended on this lovely moment between Leia and Rey and WHEN DOES IX COME OUT?!?!?!

WAIT ONE LAST THING I know who Snoke reminds me of, it’s been bothering me all weekend:

(Please tell me someone other than myself remembers the Ketchup Vampires)

[voltron-legendary-pretender]

Awaken, My Love

Summary: Prompt fill from a lovely anon - Keith hurts Lance during his Galra awakening and is really upset about it. Lance can’t bear watching the one he loves in so much pain and he does everything he can to make him feel better. Sad but fluffy with a happy ending! Whump overload >.<

*side note - they cannot put Keith in a pod while he is changing as it could mess up the process and could lead to further difficulties in the future so our lil baby boy is just gonna have to suffer for a while.

Warnings; Non-descriptive injures, mentions of blood, mentions of vomit

This has been sitting in my drafts for months now as I am a perfectionist and I felt as though there were some sections that needed a bit more umpf ya know?

I really enjoy writing for you guys please dont think I’d ever just abandon this blog I just wanted it to be as good as I could make it but in the end I decided to give myself a break and I’ve decided to post without edits! 

Hope you enjoy don’t hesitate to leave a comment or a critique I read them all and welcome constructive criticism of my work :)

I am here to become a better writer so please tell me what Ii need to improve on/ what you would like to see from me next!

Panic filled Lance’s sleep-clouded mind when he was startled awake that faithful night to find his boyfriend Keith writhing around their shared bed in immense pain, releasing high-pitched screams of pure agony. They both knew this day would come, but neither of them could’ve guessed it would be so soon.

Lance swore he could feel each individual heart strings being torn to shreds as he looked on helplessly. He watched in horror as Keith’s skin began to exhibit small patches of purple and claws ripped their way through his nail-beds tearing the skin off his fingers and causing blood to flow freely from the fresh wounds. Keith spluttered out more blood along with several of his human teeth before turning to Lance, his now golden eyes glazed over from the disorientating pain.

“H-help me” he pleaded pitifully in a voice so broken Lance wondered if he’d ever be able to piece him back together.

All concept of time had faded during the ordeal, but after what must have been around 20 minutes of what could only be described as hell, Keith’s yells and cries had subsided and been replaced by soft whimpers accompanied by the silent tears we streamed down his now purple face.

As Keith fell into a restless slumber the gravity of what had just happened hit Lance full force. All their lives would be changed forever and that worried Lance.

What if Keith was different when he came around? What would become of the team? What would happen to the love they once shared?

With each awful thought came a further pang of anxiety, they landed Lance’s stomach like raindrops hitting the bottom of a tin bucket, threatening to overflow at each additional worry. Lance was tempted to wake the others, he really hated going through this alone; he could really use one of Hunk’s famous hugs right now, but deep down he knew that if everyone were to arrive into the small room it would only upset Keith more, and right now keeping Keith as comfortable and as safe as possible was priority.

The training Lance had received from Coran all those months ago when it was first discovered that Keith was part Galra had now kicked in. The “So Your Boyfriend’s Galra?” crash course had been extremely helpful to Lance and it gave him a deeper insight on how to care for Keith. Keith often suffered from bad migraines and ran abnormally high fevers from even the smallest cold, afflictions that could usually be cured by bed rest and tender words of comfort from Lance, but this, this was a whole new ball park.

Lance was soon snapped back to reality however as Keith’s whines grew louder and he once again began to thrash around on the bed.

“Okay, you can do this!” Lance reassured himself as he got off the bed and made his way to the door to fetch a first aid kit, a damp cloth and a water pouch for Keith. He was going to do exactly what Coran had instructed all those months ago, back before Lance’s worst nightmare became a reality.

Letting out a shaky sigh as the sliding door whooshed open, Lance turned back around to face Keith’s disheveled form one last time before promising;

“I’ll keep you safe love, we’ll get through this.” in a barely audible whisper, more so to calm himself than Keith.

On his arrival back things were bad.

There was a lot more blood and Keith had vomited on himself. It was as if Keith’s body was shedding itself inside and out. Clumps of hair accompanied large pieces of torn skin and broken nails on the once blue duvet that was now stained a deep purple with blood and bile. It was heart breaking. Lance was frozen in the doorway in pure horror. 

Keith hadn’t noticed Lance re-enter the room, yet as he curled in on himself on the bed he feverishly chanted Lance’s name like a mantra,

“L-lance, -ance ahh ah d-don’t t l-eave pl-lease m-mak-e ahh it it s-st ah stop”

That was it. 

Coran’s no touching rule be damned, Keith needed to know Lance was there for him, no way was this boy ever going to feel abandoned ever again.

Placing the first aid materials down on the bed-side locker, Lance quietly scooched up behind his beautiful boyfriend, my God, he didn’t deserve any of this pain.

A gentle rub on the back that Lance intended to be a form of comfort back-fired quickly.

No sooner had the palm of his hand made contact with Keith’s back did the latter boy let out a hiss that sounded like that of a wild panther’s, before turning around with claws bared and slashed Lance across the chest.

“D-don’t t-touch me!” He yelled as Lance flopped back into a kneeling position in disbelief. He held his hand to his aching chest and pulled it away only to find fresh crimson liquid pooling in his palm.

Sheepishly looking down Lance caught sight of the three angry claw marks that had ripped through his pajama top and were causing blood to ooze out of his once flawlessly smooth skin.

He needed help. Fast.

Grabbing the remote beside his bed he set off the alarms in the castle to wake everyone up before leaving a frantic message.

“Guys, I-I need you all down h-here right now, arghh K-Keith’s changing. I I need h-help, hurry p-please”

Before he knew it the remaining paladins had arrived accompanied by Allura and Coran. Keith was now yelling again and more blood began to stream out of his mouth. Everyone was taken aback by the scene they were witnessing but soon sprang into action to help.

It was all a blur. Lance could vaguely remember being carried to the infirmary by Hunk, along with two other concerned voices which later turned out to be Coran and Pidge, Allura and Shiro left to deal with “the Keith situation”.

Dizzy and delusional from the blood loss, Lance began to cry and apologize to Coran.

“I-I’m sorry I d-didn’t d-do wh-what ahh you you t-told me, I - I w-want-ed him to to kno-w that that I-I...”

Lance’s sobs were cut off by Coran placing his strong hands on the trembling boys shoulders before speaking “Hey look at me” he said in a voice so gentle Lance couldn’t help but comply.

“I am so proud of you, do you hear me? You did amazing, Keith will be fine, but this is an extremely traumatic thing to go through, he needs you to be there for him okay? Right now your job is to get better so you can be there for him, all you need to do right now is focus in getting better alright?”

Lance nodded meekly in response.

“That’s my boy!” Come on now let’s get you into a pod and you’ll be right in a jiffy!” Coran announced.

Right as Lance stepped into the pod the older man embraced him in a warm hug.

“We all love you Lance, were so proud of you, you did so well” were Coran’s parting words. New tears sprang from Lance’s eyes but for the first time in a long time they were tears of joy, of pride. Yeah, he did good.

Just a couple of hours later the pod door whooshed open and Lance fell into the loving arms of his second family. Everyone was there except for Keith and Shiro.

“How is he?” Lance questioned no one in particular.

“Better” Allura supplied with a grimace. “It appears the worst is over, Shiro’s with him now”

“He’s been calling your name this entire time, he thinks you hate him” Pidge interjects sadly.

“Yeah” sighed Hunk. “he’s really beat up about the whole thing, he didn’t mean it.”

“I know that!” Lance practically yells. “I gotta see him is he still in the room?”

“Yes, unfortunately moving him to the med bay would have done more harm than good at this stage” Allura stated.

“Go to him my boy!” Coran said to Lance as he was already half way down the hallway.

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Lance yelled back down to the others.

Lance was greeted by a very tired looking Shiro at the door who let him back into the room.

Hey how you doing buddy?” Shiro whispered. It appeared Keith had passed out again and Shiro was trying to keep him as well-rested as possible.

“I’m fine, why is he in restraints?” Lance replied, motioning towards Keith who looked worse for wear. Shiro let out a deep sigh before explaining.

“After he hurt you, he went nuts, he-he said he was a monster.” Shiro looked down sadly before continuing. “We had no choice he kept hurting himself, we tied him down so he would stop, some of the wounds are pretty deep, I’m stitching them up now while he’s out.”

“Oh God” Lance’s heart was broken. 

He approached the chair placed beside his boyfriend’s head and leaned down to kiss his his pain stained face as he took one of Keith’s bandaged hands into his own.

“Thank you for taking care of him Shiro. Go get some rest, I’ll take it from here” Lance said with a soft smile as he used his thumb to rub soothing circles onto the back of Keith’s injured hand.

“Are you sure Lance?” Shiro questioned.

“Yeah, totally” Lance replied instantly, eyes still locked firmly to Keith.

“I’m never gonna leave your side I promise” he whispered into his partner’s blood-soaked mullet.

“He really loves you you know” Shiro said as he stood in the door way.

“Yeah, I know. I know.”

At some point Lance must’ve dosed off, only to be awoken by the sound of Keith muttering in his sleep. His face was all screwed up and it appeared he was having a nightmare.

“ahh no no monster, m-monster no n-no Lancee no don-t leave-e me n-no ahh”

Lance felt like he could drown in the sadness that was flooding his insides at the sight of the boy he loved in so much pain.

“Ssh, I’m here, I’m here, I love you Keith, so much, shh it’s okay” Lance hushed as he stroked Keith’s hair.

With that his eyelids snapped open.

“Lance!” he gaped.

“Hello love, how are you feeling? Let me take these restraints of they can’t be comfy-”

“NO!” Keith yelled. “I’m a monster, I’m evil, I’ll just hurt you, please, don’t l-let me hurt you” Keith began to sob.

“Hey, hey it’s alright. It was an accident Keith! Ii love you babe. I’m so proud of you for making it through this, you are so strong dear” Lance consoled him as he unlocked the restraints before opening his arms up for a hug. Keith seemed to hesitate for a moment before throwing himself full-force into Lance’s warm embrace.

“I- I was-s so so scared” he hiccuped out in between sobs.

“I know darling, I know. I’m here now, I’ll never leave you, we’re gonna get through this okay?” Lance said softly as he planted kisses across Keith’s neck and shoulders. They held each other for some time before Lance broke contact.

“Let’s get you cleaned up a bit yeah?” he suggested. Keith nodded before nuzzling back into Lance’s chest one last time before sitting back.

Accessing the extent of his remaining untreated injuries, Lance concluded that at least some of the deeper wounds should be attended to before they got some much needed rest.

Lance worked slowly and gently, whispering words of encouragement and showering Keith with kisses whenever the battered boy began whimpering in pain. After a while, despite how careful Lance was, it was all becoming a bit too much for Keith. His breathing became audibly deeper and faster as he squeezed his eyes shut and gripped onto Lance’s shirt.

Noticing this change, Lance placed down the antiseptic soaked cloth he was holding and tipped Keith’s chin upwards to meet the other boy’s gaze and examine his face. 

“I-I don’t feel good” Keith hiccuped.

Lance felt his forehead and sighed. “You’re getting feverish again. I think we’ll leave this til later, okay? Do you need your bucket again?” he asked tenderly as he swiped Keith’s greasy hair from his face.

Keith simply nodded as he began clutching his stomach letting out little whines of pain.

“Here you go love” Lance held the bucket in front of Keith as the shaking boy retched violently into it, bringing up nothing but bile and a little blood.

“It’s okay, your okay” Lance reassured as he rubbed small circles on the small of Keith’s back. Keith merely whimpered and leaned back into Lance’s comforting embrace in response.

“Hurts” he said in a cracked voice.

“I know pet, I know” Lance sympathized as he used a fresh cloth to wipe Keith’s face clean.

“Here have some of this and then we’ll go to bed alright?” Lance reasoned, guiding the pouch of water to Keith’s bloody lips. He waited patiently as the smaller boy took a few small sips before screwing up his face in pain once more as he clutched his stomach.

“Okay, that’s enough for now.” Lance soothed.

“I’m just gonna strip the bed and we can cuddle okay?” Keith nodded furiously at this suggestion and Lance giggled.

“Alright, lemme just put you on the chair for a minute and I’ll bring you right back, okay?” Keith nodded once more.

As Lance began to slowly guide Keith off the bed and into a standing position he could feel the other boy trembling.

“Are you alright to do this love?” He asked concerned and Keith nodded in response yet again. He had to brave! He was already so weak and pathetic. This isn’t who Keith was.

However, standing even with the support of Lance proved to be too much for Keith, knees buckling beneath him, only to be saved from crashing to the floor by Lance’s arms.

“S-sorry I-I thought I c-could”

“Ssh, it’s alright love, I’ve got you, I’ve got you” Lance reassured as he carried Keith bridal-style to the chair, He planted a quick kiss on the top of Keith’s head before getting to work on quickly changing the bed sheets. Lance decided to use the red duvet with matching pillows that had patterns of smiling kittens all over them, he knew they were Keith favourite, even if he  was too stubborn to admit it.

Within a few minutes both boys were wrapped up in their own poorly constructed blanket burrito for two. They held onto each other simply starring into one another’s eyes.

“You’re beautiful” Lance smiled lazily, Keith’s new cat-like ears pricked up and Lance laughed softly. Keith’s blush turned into a frown.

“You know you don’t have to say those things to me anymore. I- I know I’m not a monster anymore but-but you don’t need to stay with me, I’m not what I was, who I was you don’t have to -” he began to ramble before Lance stopped him by leaning in for another kiss. This one was deeper, more needy than the many that came before, yet it was still soft and warm and not at all harsh in the way that was so uniquely Lance it made Keith’s head spin and his heart flutter.

“Don’t be so silly” Lance spoke as they broke apart.

“You’re still the same Keith I fell in love with, you’re just a lil fluffy now.” Lance spoke softly motioning towards Keith’s new purple coat.

“You’re not a monster, what happened was an accident okay? I love you. So much. Keith your gorgeous inside and out, my God you’re so beautiful. You’re the sweetest person I’ve ever met, when we were together I feel like I’m with a better version of myself. Keith you’re my best friend, you deserve the entire universe and I’m just so happy I get to share my little section of it with you everyday, I could never ask for anymore” As Lance spoke he wiped the tears that were now spilling down Keith’s face.

Thank you Lance he sniffled into the crook of the other boys neck as he listened closely for the gentle and constant rhythm of Lance’s heartbeat.

“Your m-unm --se” he mumbled.

“What was that dear?” Lance questioned.

“I said your my universe Lance” Keith smiled up at his boyfriend proudly, showing the first signs of being his normal corny self again.

That night they fell asleep in each others arms, as they had done so many before, tentatively listening to the beating of their hearts and feeling the rise and fall of each others chests as they drifted into a peaceful slumber.

They’d be okay. They had each other.

[khymer-vulture]

Happy Father’s Day!

I decided to post a story for this day, I’ve written it a couple weeks ago, but I still feel like the theme is most appropriate, since Zack is in dad mode.

Also I did mention a while back about secretly editing Sanctuary, it was to make the house a lil bigger...now you’ll know why lol

Takes place after Last Chapters

Life had many various stages with each new step being taken, some were happy, and others were emotionally taxing. Life had its rewards and struggles.

 Rachel and Isaac continued to live their life with their small family, their son Caleb had eventually learned about their past and it was a difficult time for the both of them to speak such an ugly truth to him. The world can be kind but also cruel, and Caleb was understanding of that. Despite the past both Ray and Zack had lived, their son knew that his parents did everything to give him a good life, and refused to see the two in a dark perspective.

 Even after dark secrets were learned, things continued as normal, with an occasional visit from the old Reverend here and there.

 While Caleb was in school, Rachel found herself a job to work, a simple flower shop where she could make different bouquets and even took up sewing different ornaments to perk up the look. She wanted that feeling of independence to support her family, and she still felt like she owed the man of the cloth for aiding her and Zack for so long. Like before, Gray did not want to accept payment, but Rachel proved to be just as stubborn as Zack and insisted. The old priest quietly relented, but chose to take the money to be put into savings just for Ray and her family. He felt a sense of pride to see the pair take on their own sense of responsibility.

 When both Zack and Rachel were alone, the two relaxed in the little haven Ray had made, just sitting there in their own little world with Zack holding Ray close in his arms while the woman leaned against him on his lap. This innocent time of togetherness was a secret guilty pleasure to Isaac, even if they didn’t do anything, just having her close made him feel content.

 Sometimes Ray would read one of her books, sometimes the two would chatter away, or they would just do nothing and enjoy the intimate togetherness.

 Rachel faintly blushed as she felt her husband gently press his lips against her neck and run a hand underneath her shirt to caress her abdomen. Isaac did enjoy the feel of her silky skin and loved the smell of her alluring natural scent, once the cool metal of his wedding band touched Ray’s skin, he felt her flinch from the touch, and it caused him to chuckle.

 “That’s never going to get old,” he teased.

 Ray huffed as she glanced up at Zack, then pulled him in for a quick peck on the lips. The gruff man accepted her token of affection, and didn’t hesitate to deepen it. As the two eventually parted lips, the couple stared at each other for a while, then Ray gently caressed the man’s cheek.

 “We made quite a life together…didn’t we?” she rambled.

 Zack felt his cheeks grow faintly warm, never in his life he thought he would settle down, and have a family like a normal person – he didn’t regret it though, not by a long shot.

 “Y-yeah…” he replied, his slight embarrassment showed in his voice.

 Ray knew that topic often left him flustered, it amused her and often liked to see his reaction. She brought her hand to Zack’s, entwining his mischievous fingers with hers as she stared off into the distance.

 “Caleb’s grown to be more independent nowadays,” she spoke.

 “Is that…good or bad?” Zack asked.

 “It’s good, he’s growing up and showing he’s capable of taking care of himself,” Rachel replied, “It’s kind of comforting to know that we did a good job at being parents…but it’s kind of sad too.”

 Zack quietly listened, he did feel a sense of pride after hearing Ray’s answer, but he was curious about what else she had to say.

 “Sorry to say that, I only said it because whenever I see Caleb…I just see him as the small child we brought into this world,” Ray continued.

 Zack thought about it, she was right, even he had shared the same sentiment. It must be the feeling that most normal parents get when their child is growing up.

 “Do you miss being a mom or something?” he shyly asks.

 Ray faintly blushed, “I’m still a mom, Zack…but…yeah, I miss the stuff I used to do.”

 Zack’s already warm cheeks began to grow hotter as more thoughts swelled in his mind, he even felt his heart at his throat as words began to fill his mouth, yet was unable to speak them. He swallowed hard and buried his face in her neck as he began to mumble lightly under his breath, Ray knew that Zack wanted to say something, but it was a subject that was too embarrassing for him to ask – from all the years spent with this man, she eventually deciphered his body language.

 “What’s wrong?” she asks.

 Zack grumbled in the back of his throat as he tried to force the words out.

 “Do you…want…to have…a-another?”

 Ray felt her heart pound rapidly from his question, she turned her body around to embrace the man tightly, then pressed her lips against his once more. The man felt his own heart beat just as wildly as he ran his fingers through his wife’s flowing hair.

 “I would, absolutely…” Rachel whispered as soon as they parted lips, “I think we should talk it over with Caleb first…”

 That would make sense, instead of surprising their son. His opinions mattered too, because they were all a family.

 When the two had the time to talk with their son, Caleb seemed rather happy to have a sibling in the household, and approved of the idea for the family to have one more addition. Gray was eventually given the news as well, and was rather surprised over who asked the question first, but like before, he helped make arrangements to aid the pair.

 “Your spouse has told me thou art the one that has requested the growth of thy family…I’d never expected someone such as thee to make the request first,” Gray said to Isaac.

 It was just the two of them outside, reflecting on the news of the future child.

 Zack mumbled under his breath as he kept his eyes away from the old Reverend, even though he could feel the strange and proud parental stare coming from the old man.

 “I like seeing Ray as a mom…it’s when she’s the most happiest,” Zack replied, “…fuck, growing up with Caleb made me feel pretty damn good too…watching that little munchkin grow up is kind of…”

 “Rewarding?”

 “Y-Yeah…” Zack said, “…people like me and Ray wound up making a damn good kid like him. Even after that talk we had about the past…that kid doesn’t judge us.”

 “Caleb does have quite the pure soul,” Gray spoke, “thou must be proud of him.”

 “Damn fucking proud.”

 “Art thou afraid of thy next child?” Gray asked, “I recall thou had quite the problem with nerves the last time.”

 Zack growled in slight annoyance, but shyly replied, “…A little…I was really confused and fucking unsure of myself last time. I guess I have some confidence now.”

 “To take the step on thy own accord is proof enough of thy grown confidence,” Gray said, “You and this life thine both have made surprise me with each passing year. I’m quite proud thou hast found happiness thou have sought for so long.”

 Isaac never hear anyone praise him in that way, it felt like his inner child screamed out inside of him with joy, he quietly swore to himself as he focused his heterochromatic stare at the priest.

 “…Th-thanks old man…” he said. His voice was hesitant, but his eyes showed gratitude.

 The old priest smiled to the man, then lightly pat his shoulder as he decided to let the family be until his next visit.

 Time passed as the couple made their attempts to conceive, though Zack did feel some frustration when they yielded no results, but Ray would just softly smile and remind him to stay patient. When the day came and was finally met with success, Zack felt a little excited, though he still felt a bit of nervousness because he cared for the health of his wife as well.

 The memories returned to him, there were days where Ray felt tired and slightly weak, or sometimes she was overcome with dizziness. Zack would even recall when her emotions fluctuate beyond her control, but he also remembered how damn beautiful she was with that natural glow that emanated from her. After experiencing the times before Caleb was born, Zack knew exactly what to do now instead of being outright confused. Though, there were moments that he didn’t want Ray to overexert herself, even Caleb was around to help out when he felt it was needed.

 Months went by, and the familiar stages of bringing a child into the world had resurfaced, Zack seemed to notice the randomizing mood side effect didn’t show but he was aware that Rachel had been extra cuddly and affectionate – not that he was complaining, he kinda liked that side of her.

 “Shit, why aren’t you like this all of the time?” Isaac whispered into her ear.

 Ray faint her cheeks grow warm as she felt Zack’s hands tenderly caress her belly, she didn’t want to admit that she found that gesture during her pregnancy rather pleasing - at least, not yet.

 “Because you get embarrassed when I do.”

 Zack paused for a moment, then buried his face in her neck - she got him there.

 “Told ya,” she added.

 Soon, the two could hear a voice from the living area, “Get a room, you two!”

 Now Zack couldn’t hold back a snicker, he didn’t know who Caleb inherited the mischievous wit from more, him or Ray, but damn did he laugh when it showed.

 “He gets it from you,” Ray said as she ruffled her husband’s hair.

 “Psh, please…you’ve done your share of running your mouth,” Zack retorts, then scooped her up in his arms.

 “Ah! What are you doing?”

 Zack had that devilish grin that he was known for, then saw him turn the other way to shout, “You heard the man, time to go get a room…let’s go, Ray.”

 As Ray felt Zack carry her to the bedroom, she could hear Caleb shout in a flustered manner, mostly consisting of ‘Oh my god’ or ‘I was just kidding’.

 They were quite the “unique” family, but it was a loving family nonetheless.

 The day finally came for their second child to be born, it was a girl this time, and the two stuck with the name that was once planned in the beginning – Ellie.

 Her hair was a dark amber color, and her eyes had inherited the golden hue from Zack’s odd-colored stare.

 Zack didn’t feel that sense of skittishness like he had felt previously, now that he knows how it feels to have a child. He wasn’t overcome with a sense of panic when he held the small infant in his arms, but rather, a warmth. Even Caleb was curious about his new sibling, watching his dad cradle her in his arms with that familiar protective look on his face.

 “Were you like that too, when I was small?” Caleb asks.

 “Well, yeah…but, I was kind of scared too, you were so freakin’ small,” Isaac replied, “I was worried my big arms could squish ya.”

 Then he allowed Caleb to hold his sibling for the first time, watching him immediately bond with her.

 Life was going peacefully for the family, and thankfully Zack never got to see Rachel’s protective mama-bear mode again – though he secretly did warn Caleb about it.

 Gray had accepted the role of grandfather figure for the children, even if they were not related by blood. Zack seemed amused to poke fun at the old Reverend whenever Caleb always referred to him as Grandpa. Aside from that, Gray had noticed the man’s demeanor has gotten much calmer over the years, almost as if his past deeds were in fact a distant memory now.

 Like with Caleb, when Ellie got a little older, Rachel would take the child with her whenever she was in town. One day, she decided to take her to her place of work. She wanted to show her new child to the owner of the shop while planning on an eventual return to do some work. Time seemed to fly during their conversation, and Rachel noticed that it was starting to grow dark, if she had spent too much time away, she knew that Zack would come out to escort her back home. It did make her feel safe during the times of her employment.

 She said her goodbyes before leaving the building to head home and possibly meet up with her husband on the way back home. Rachel held Ellie close to her as she walked down the sidewalk, remembering her usual route back home, and anticipated Isaac to show up any moment soon.

 Noise could be heard in a nearby alleyway, was it her husband coming to meet her?

 Ray paused for a moment as she glanced curiously. There was a figure staring at her, but Rachel could feel a hostile vibe coming from it, she glared defensively as she held her child close. The figure was quick to grasp the woman and drag her into the alleyway, but Rachel did not hesitate to shove herself from his grip.

 “Don’t fucking struggle…” the strange man growled, then pulled out a knife, “…give me whatever you got and maybe I won’t hurt you too bad…”

 Soon, she began to hear her child start to whimper, she brought a hand to gently caress the back of her head to soothe her, but it began to agitate the man.

 “Shut your fuckin’ brat up, or I’ll shut it up for you…”

 Rachel shot the man an intense glare, “You can threaten me all you want, but don’t you dare threaten my child, understand?”

 The man appeared surprised to see someone standing up to him, then held his knife up threateningly, “Or you’ll what?”

 Rachel was ready to unleash the wrath only a mother could bring upon the world, but she saw the man’s arm twist and contort behind his body and watched as bandaged fingers grasped at the man’s throat. It may not be the mother that the man shouldn’t fear at all, but the father.

 Zack angrily held onto the man as he tightened his grip with both of his hands, Ray could see a sort of bloodthirsty glow coming from his golden eye, and could hear a growl coming from his breaths. Ellie’s whimpering had progressed into cries, Ray tried to quietly hush her, even Zack’s parental instinct didn’t want to hear his daughter cry from fear.

 “Ray…head on home…I’ll take care of this bastard…” Zack spoke softly, then his expression changed to a gentle one as he glanced to Ellie, “hey…don’t cry, baby girl…your dad’s got this…”

 The cries reduced back to a soft whimper and Ray reluctantly stepped back to return home, she knew Zack was more than capable of taking care of himself, and the safety of their child came first.

 As soon as Isaac watched Rachel leave to head home, it was just him and the man that pulled a knife on his family. His former soft expression changed back to rage, then twisted the man’s arm yet again to make the knife jab against his own side.

 “You made a big fucking mistake…” he growled, “two actually…you threatened my wife and made my kid cry…you think I’m gonna let you walk away breathing?”

 The man felt Zack’s grip tighten even more on his windpipe, he carefully maneuvered his other arm down without getting the angered man’s attention, then dropped the blade into his free hand. Before Zack could notice the man’s lack of struggling, he suddenly felt something stab him into his abdomen, the bandaged man let go for a second as he stumbled back.

 Isaac saw the knife stick out of him, and felt a surge of rage burning deeper inside him. That all too familiar sense of bloodlust was beginning to overwhelm him as he glared at the man, he ripped the knife out from his body and gripped onto it tightly. This man was now his prey.

 When Rachel had returned home, she noticed Gray was there, it seemed the old priest had paid a visit while she was away and Isaac asked him to keep an eye out while he went to retrieve her. The Reverend noticed a troubled look on both Rachel and Ellie’s face, and Zack was nowhere to be seen.

 “What seems to be the matter?”

 “A man tried to attack me and Ellie on the way…Zack stayed behind…I’m worried about him,” Rachel replied, “I should go back to check on him…”

 “No, thou must stay here and tend to the children. I shall fetch Isaac…”

 Rachel was ready to argue, but Gray did have a point, she was gone long enough, and she didn’t want Caleb to worry as well. The woman sighed as she let the older man go retrieve her husband, while she went to take care of her children, it was around dinner time after all.

 Meanwhile, Gray quietly walked down the street, he knew the back alleys was the best place to find a man like Isaac, especially if the situation had called for a confrontation. The old man was quick to spot drops of blood on the ground, then a small pool, and eventually it began to trail to another location. The trailing drops eventually became large drag marks, which meant that the situation turned deadly, and he knew who the victor was – but he wasn’t expecting the sight he would eventually see.

 Zack was crouched over a corpse, repeatedly stabbing at what once was a man, but had become horribly mutilated. The white cloth that had covered Zack’s body were completely stained crimson with blood, along with the rest of the articles of clothing.

 “Isaac.”

 The man swiftly turned his head as he pointed the bent and bloody knife towards Gray, there was that familiar crazed look in Zack’s heterochromatic eyes once more, followed by his insane grin. It appears that an old demon had returned to reclaim Zack.

 “Isaac, thou dare wishes to turn a blade on someone new?” Gray asks.

 Zack didn’t reply, but only let out a sinister laugh as he slowly approached the old man. Gray was not going to be afraid, yet he was worried for him.

 “Isaac, what would’st thou do if it was not me standing here before you…what if it was Rachel…or perhaps young Caleb?”

 Hearing those names halted the man for a moment, like the sane part of him had taken hold once more from recognition, Zack dropped the knife as he continued to charge towards Gray. The Reverend felt the man roughly grab at his clergy robe by the collar and yank him close while his other arm reeled back for a punch. Gray did feel a slight bit of hesitation as he saw the clenched fist propel towards him, but Zack stopped at the last second before making impact.

 Zack had a furious expression, but his crazed look was no longer there. His fist then changed to an accusing point, and directed it at the older man.

 “Don’t you ever fucking bring them up like that again…” Zack growled, “…you’re god damn lucky that my kids like you…”

 Gray breathed a sigh of relief as he felt Zack let go of his robe, “I do apologize, Isaac…it was a low thing to do, but it appeared to be the only way to snap thee back into reality…”

 Zack stared at the tattered corpse nearby, then glanced at the bloody cloth covering his scarred hand, the other clasped at the stab wound to try and stop the bleeding.

 “…He pulled a knife on Ray…made my fucking kid cry…then the cheeky little bastard stabbed me,” Zack rambled, “I was fiending to kill after that…”

 Gray stood beside the man as he looked to the body, “…There will be prying eyes and high suspicions once the body is discovered…”

 “Don’t think that I don’t know that already, I fucking ripped the shithead apart,” Zack growled.

 “This will not be easy, but I shall see to disposing of any evidence of thy own doing. Go back home to the family, Isaac…thy spouse worries, and thou art wounded…but in such a condition, please be discrete,” Gray commanded.

 The Reverend was right, waltzing back home completely slathered in blood would be a terrible idea, he would have to sneak in back home and clean the blood stains off his body.

 “Please, do take care, Isaac…” Gray said as he watched the man slowly walk off.

 Zack clenched onto his wound, it wasn’t the first time he had to do it, as he still bore the massive scar across his belly to prove it. He had to tread carefully to keep it from bleeding out even more, but he was glad that the knife didn’t stab him too deep, or hell, that he wasn’t bleeding profusely to render him unconscious.

 His home was within his sight, all he needed to do now was crawl in through the bedroom window and discard his bloody attire, not to mention, tend to his wound as well. Zack remembered that Ray kept one of the windows unlocked in case she wanted to let in some fresh air. The man carefully climbed into the house and slowly got to his feet as he made way to the bathroom.

 Rachel began to hear sounds coming from her room, but never saw or hear anyone enter the house.

 “Caleb, keep an eye on your sister real quick.”

 Caleb nodded as he picked up one of Ellie’s toys and bought it in front of her to play with.

 Ray slowly opened the door to the master bedroom, she saw one of the windows was open and there was a small trail of blood leading to the bathroom.

 “…Zack?” she beckons.

 Now she heard a swear, it was him.

 “Zack…are you alright?”

 There was no answer for a moment, until she saw the door open, Ray held back a gasp as she saw her husband was covered head to toe in blood stains.

 “Did that man hurt you?” she asked.

 Zack grumbled as he clenched at his gut, “Yeah…it’s nothing big…but I fucking lost it with him…I almost attacked the priest.”

 “Where is Gray now?”

 “Cleaning up my damn mess…” Zack sighed, then glanced at Ray, “…could you please patch me up? I’m still bleeding here…”

 It had been ages since she used a thread and needle on flesh, she lightly nodded as she went to retrieve a sewing kit to stitch up Zack’s wound.

 “Let’s get you cleaned up too…there’s rubbing alcohol under the sink…” Ray said to her husband.

 His least favorite thing when it came to patching up wounds, the sterilizing liquid always felt like freaking acid on his open lesions. Zack reluctantly retrieved the bottle, then began to tear off every bit of his splattered wrappings, along with the stained clothing. Ray returned with a needle and a spool of thread, she took the task of disinfecting the wound first with the alcohol, then heard Zack growl out frustrated swears as it began to eat away any potential bacteria.

 “Alright, sit still…and don’t flinch…”

 “I won’t, it’s not like it’s the first time you’ve done this shit for me, Ray…just…be a little more gentle with how you do it this time,” Zack murmured.

 “I will…the wound isn’t as big…it shouldn’t take long…”

 Rachel was carefully stitching the wound closed, Zack would wince every now and then from feeling the needle pierce and exit his skin, but it was a bearable pain.

 The memory of the man’s carcass came to his mind again, and let out a sigh.

 “I’m kinda glad Gray came instead of you…fuck…I probably would’ve never snapped out of it,” Zack mumbled, “…I couldn’t live with myself if I had done that shit to you too…”

 Their old oath was for Zack to kill her, but he had already done so in a unique way, he had killed what made Ray who she once was. Zack killed her old identity of Rachel Gardner and she was given the life as his wife, Rachel Foster. To kill that would be painful to him.

 Rachel paused for a moment to press her lips against Zack’s, she could feel him freeze from surprise, but allowed her to continue as he eased up.

 “You would’ve snapped out of it…don’t go doubting yourself…” Ray softly spoke.

 Isaac felt his cheeks grow slightly warm, then leaned close to tenderly bump heads with her, “God damn, do you know how fucking important you are?”

 “Very…”

 Zack slightly grinned, “…Good girl…”

 Stitching was finished, and all there was left was to clean the remaining bits of blood that stained Zack’s skin, Rachel was quick to get a damp cloth to help run it against Zack’s body. His skin wasn’t heavily coated, thanks to his wrappings absorbing most of the blood that had splashed against him.

 “Hey…is Ellie alright? I really didn’t want to see her cry like that…” Zack asks.

 “She was a little shaken up, but she went back to normal after Caleb played a bit with her,” Ray replied.

 She could hear a sigh of relief coming from Zack, she smiled to herself as she felt glad to know that Zack was still concerned to their child’s sense of security.

 “They’re both lucky to have a dad like you watching over them,” she added.

 Annnddd, there was Zack’s trademark flustered look. Boy, did she enjoy seeing that.

 “G-god dammit, Ray…saying that embarrassing shit again…”

 “I’m just saying the truth…I know how you hate liars,” Ray said as she kissed her husband’s forehead. “How about you stay here for the rest of the night? I’ll bring you something to eat, after I tell the kids that you’re back.”

 After losing quite a bit of blood, it did leave him a little drained, it was an offer that he didn’t want to pass up.

 “That sounds good…thanks Ray…um…let them know that I’m alright…just tired,” Zack said.

 “Will do, now get some rest…”

 Soon, he had the room to himself, and decided to lay down on the large bed that occupied his and Rachel’s room. It didn’t take long until he had drifted off to sleep, perhaps he was more worn out than he had thought. Even Rachel was surprised to see him sleeping away when she returned with some food for him to eat, perhaps another time.

 When Zack awoke, he saw that dawn had already broken, and was quite surprised just how long he had dozed off. In the bed was Rachel, snuggled up against his chest as she held onto him tightly, and close by was their daughter’s crib.

 Waking up to such a sight and the thought of being in this family made the man feel content. Sure, he had almost relapsed to his old self, but he wouldn’t regret in dealing with any foe that posed a threat to his family. Ray may have her supposed “mama bear” mode, but Zack could be just the fearsome protector as well.

 Should anyone dare to come between the two and their children, there would be hell to pay, and they would not hesitate to take on any opposition - no matter how big or how strong. This family they had built together was their entire world, and they would never let anything tear it from them.

[newssplashy]

“I’m next oooo” – Toyin Abraham taps into Linda Ikeji’s pregnancy story

Nollywood Actress, Toyin Abraham has reacted to the news of Queen Blogger, Linda Ikeji’s Pregnancy.

Toyin, who recently got engaged to her ‘Lawyer Bae’, took to her Instagram page to congratulate Linda.

See her post below;

Earlier today, Linda Ikeji personally announced the news herself, she wrote;

Did you guys read the title of this post? Should I write it again? Oh God, I can’t breath…lol. So let me say that again…I, Linda Ikeji, is going to be a mum. Somebody please pinch me! Gosh, I can’t get over it.

2018 started with me finding out I was pregnant. When I missed my period and my friend and I did a home pregnancy test and it read positive, my friend began to cry with happiness but I was just there staring at the stick like, you’re not messing with me, are you?

This is real and not a joke on me, right? I refused to believe it and asked my friend to drive me to a lab for another test. And there it was confirmed, I was pregnant. Me, Linda, I am going to have my own child. Please don’t wake me up from this lovely dream..lol

So many women have had children, so what’s the big deal, huh? Lol. Well, you see me, I’m somewhat of a different case. There’s something about me that I have never talked about publicly before and that’s the fact that I love children so much (I took that from my dad), and I am particularly obsessed with babies, and I mean that literally. Their pureness, innocence, little beautiful faces, tiny hands and soft cheeks make me just want to be around them.

I grew up in a compound with a lot of neighbours and believe it or not, as a teenager/young woman, I was the unofficial resident babysitter. I swear, ask my siblings. I literally carried all the new born babies born in that compound at a period of time until they grew up to a certain age. Their mums used to come drop the babies at our house whenever they were tired or wanted to go out, this was, of course, to the annoyance of my family…lol.

The first baby I carried was a boy named Makoba (wonder where he is now, this was about 20 years ago, he will be a big boy now). From the first day I carried him, I didn’t want to let him go…so every time I had free time, and his mum hadn’t brought him to me, I would walk two floors up, knock on his family’s door and ask them if they wanted me to take the child off them for a while. I was always happy when they said yes. After him other mums started dropping their kids with me.

Back then my sisters and I used to take turns to cook every day of the week. So whenever it was my turn to cook and I was babysitting and they insisted I go cook, I’d tell my sisters to either hold the baby for me so I could go cook or they go cook. They always chose the latter. Lol.

Then my siblings started having children and I started to feel more joy. These were no longer neighbours’ or friends’ children, these were my nephews and nieces. My family! And carrying them brought me even more joy. Like for example, whenever I see my sister Laura’s son, Ryan, I shriek with happiness. He’s the love of my life…lol. If I was planning to go out and I heard my beautiful nephews and niece were coming over to the house, most times, I change plans and just stay home with them. I’m a homebody, I like to stay home (that’s why I bought a big house…lol).

So now imagine that in a few months, I will look down at a baby, and it won’t be a neighbor’s child, a friend’s child, a sister’s child, but my own child, my own flesh and blood, carried in my womb. My own son. It’s surreal. I can’t get over it.

You guys think DJ Khaled is obsessed with his son, Asahd? Wait until this one gets here. He’s not even here yet and I already ordered a Bentley Mulsanne for us. I swear! Lol. Like, I can’t keep calm. Oh and please, nannies, stay away from me. I’ve got this covered! Thank you. Lol.

Sometimes when I’m lying down and I feel him moving around inside me (he’s so hyper already, constantly moving around…lol), I just get up and cradle my tummy and smile. Lol. I can’t wait for these months to go by so I can meet him. My own son!

Dear son, of every dream I have had, every achievement, every milestone, out of all my accomplishments and titles, all the money and worldly possession I have, nothing compares to you. You are my greatest blessing, my gift from heaven, my greatest dream realized. I love you more than life itself and I can’t wait to meet you and give you so many kisses. And of course, spoil you! You will hear ‘I love you’ loud and clear so many times, you will beg me to stop. I can’t wait to hold you in my arms. .

I know I’m going to be the best mum ever! I was born for this and I am finally ready! And now I want to do more, achieve more, so lil man will be proud of his mama.

Considering how much I love children, sometimes I wonder why I didn’t have them earlier. But like my dad said, miracles like this finally happen when God is ready to share you.

Anyway, as you all know, I’ve always shared every milestone, every good thing that’s happened to me over the years with you guys and I definitely wanted to also share this joy with you. I’ve been wanting to scream about this since I found out many months ago but my family and friends have been telling me to ‘calm down Linda, calm down’…lol. I’m now way into my second trimester, so I guess it’s okay to share my joy.

May God grant you what you desire the most and may all your dreams come true.

Oh, by the way, I’ll be having a baby shower in a few weeks and I will definitely love for some of you amazing, loyal female readers to come celebrate with me. Will communicate when the time comes.

Plenty kisses and God bless

Linda Ikeji

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The post “I’m next oooo” – Toyin Abraham taps into Linda Ikeji’s pregnancy story appeared first on INFORMATION NIGERIA.

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