#east bay kids

[midpenmedia]

Wanted to remind everyone, our after school filmmaking course is back!

Learn the art of storytelling, scriptwriting, camera techniques, and editing from industry professionals. Collaborate with aspiring filmmakers, unleash your creativity, and produce your own short films.

Lead by Pedro Arenas, with years under his belt of teaching film to kids and adults.

AGE: 10-17

Schedule: every Friday 4:30pm - 6:30pm, every Saturday 9:00am - 12:00pm, no classes on Thanksgiving weekend, between 19th of December and 5th of January, April 4, 5, 11 and 12.

Go to link in our bio to find us on activityhero and sign up!

[santaclaralocalnews]

One story about Bay Area Host Committee CEO and President Zaileen Janmohamed’s childhood tells you one important thing about this enterprising child of East African refugees from civil war and Idi Amin’s murderous regime: She doesn’t give up. “My parents were so nervous about being in a new country [Canada], and raising first-generation kids, where society was so different than what they were used to,” she said. Read complete news at svvoice.com.

[red-garden]

Picture if you will, a Shen Yuan who upon entering the world of PIDW, decides he must focus on his martial skills to train Binghe to better survive the abyss. No cultivation, no qi, pure fists. He absolutely hates it at first but his adorable disciples say he looks cool and the praise is going to his head. When the Bai Zhan kids come looking for trouble, he fucking suplexes one.

When it comes time for seclusion in the caves, he handily subdues and and helps a deviating Liu Qingge. LQG doesn’t remember the fight after the fact, and does not believe that SQQ of all people could beat him hand to hand, regardless of what the gossip on the peaks is. He challenges SQQ to a spar- no weapons, no time limit, no mercy.

The peaks are freaking out. The war god vs Qing Jing’s brawler? SQQ has never beaten LQG in the past but he’s so different now, who knows what will happen!

A crowd gathers around the training field. SQQ and LQG stand in the middle of it, dressed down for a fight. When the bout begins, it’s hard to make either man’s movements- both are going too fast to see! As the fighters begin to slow, the moves becoming clearer… that can’t be right… SQQ is pushing the war god back?!

LQG can’t believe it. Not only is SQQ not resorting to tricks, he also keeps flashing this stunning sincere smile which MUST be some sort of special technique.

A combination grin and sweep to the leg and the war god goes down! SQQ is straddling him, forearm against his neck, panting hard. LQG is tomatoe red- definitely from the exertion and NOTHING ELSE.

The crowd erupts- some cheering, most shouting in confusion. SQQ gets up, offering LQG and hand and clapping him on the shoulder. ‘Nice fight!’ He says, as true as the sun rises in the east with his eyes in happy crescents, sweat on his brow, pink dusting his cheeks.

LQG qi deviates right there on the field.

[depressedraisin]

here's how armand can still be bengali

why do i think so? no other good reason than i am bengali myself and i want armand to be. (also assad zaman's family is from bangladesh. bengali solidarity!!!)

bengal: the region in south asia comprising present-day bangladesh and the indian states of west bengal, odisha, assam and parts of bihar.

armand said in the season one finale, that takes place in 2022, he is a 514 year old vampire. is it 514 years including or excluding his human years? let's go with including. that means armand would have been born in 1508.

now what was going on in india and bengal in 1508? well, the mughals hadn't come to india yet; it's still about two decades before babur makes his way here. delhi was under the rule of the lodi dynasty, the delhi sultanate was in its dying days. most of north india, mainly uttar pradesh and bihar was under the jaunpur sultanate. bengal was still it's own independent kingdom, called the bengal sultanate. alauddin hussain shah had just seized power and become the sultan of bengal in 1494, beginning the hussain shahi dynasty (they ruled in bengal till 1538 when the mughals captured the region).

india as a country did not exist yet. even it's conception would be a few centuries away still. the subcontinent was a collection of big and small kingdoms and sultanates, constantly warring amongst themselves, some ruled by hindu rulers others by muslims, each with their own distinct histories and cultures. bengal was one of the most prosperous and thriving among them. the bangla language and bengali culture was just beginning to develop.

vasco da gama had arrived in india in 1498, landing at kozhikode on the malabar coast. this began the arrival of the portugese in india, and soon other european colonialists followed. they soon set up their capital in goa, built forts all along the western coast and established trade through obtaining licenses and exclusive permits from local rulers. they first made their way to the bay of bengal region around 1516, with the first portugese representative- a guy called joao coelho- coming to chittagong (present day bangladesh). the first factory was set up in chittagong the next year.

the portugese traded in spices and cotton and fruits and muslin and also slaves. the european indian ocean slave trade began with the coming of the portugese in the early 16th century. slavery in south asian societies had obviously existed long before, and it was a deeply complex and diverse system of dependency and regimes of slavery. slavery of youth and children was also pretty prevalent: it would not be uncommon for poor, farming families to sell away themselves or their children to zamindars (landlords) and colonial overlords in desperation. there were many, many cases of young children being forced to get onboard ships where they'd be held agains their will and taken to europe, the americas or south-east asia. goa and lisbon were the two cities that linked the movement of goods and people between the indian and atlantic oceans, but goa wasn't the only place where enslaved children were traded in portugese india nor lisbon the only european they were taken to.

one of those kids might as well have been arun.

i know the brief glimpse at the talamasca files showed armand's origin to be in delhi but in this particular scene he clearly says that he was sent *to* delhi, thinking he was going to work on a merchant boat.

this is just a theory i have btw. armand could've been from maharastra or the deccan as well idk. anyway.

armand is a monster, a vicious, villanious creature of unfathomable powers and ferocity. but he is also so deeply tragic. he had been forcibly torn away from his people and his land. he has no memory of his family or his humanity. he has lived for over half a millenium. the india he might've known hasn't existed for centuries, and he never got to know the one that exists today. the bangla he might've spoken no one remembers anymore. he has nothing left of the human he was except that name.

further readings (STRONGLY SUGGESTED!!!):

[sixx-sixx-sixx]

THE TRADER’S DAUGHTER — cooper “the ghoul” howard x female!oc

EDIT; FOLLOW @bonafideyapper FOR FUTURE PARTS

warnings(?): dbf!cooper, female!oc, oc is described as brown eyed (but feel free to picture whatever you want), proofread to the best of my ability (correcting capitalization is not my priority on my phone, this is hard enough to format as is), this series will have smut at some point but let me work up to writing that (meaning, let me smoke this joint and see where the wind takes me), there’s allusion to smut in this towards the end but it’s nothing wild

(this is part one of some) - part 2

Daisy hadn’t seen Cooper for a very, very long time. She’d never forgotten the charismatic cowboy that told her stories of the old world and of his encounters with creatures in the wasteland. The ghoul that would bring her little trinkets from his travels, gifting her a pearl necklace for her 10th birthday. A single pearl on a dainty silver chain that she would wear every day until it wore out. She was 13 when that happened, and was utterly devastated. Thankfully, she had charmed a local boy for a new chain, sneaking behind her dad’s back to go on a few dates with the kid. She’s continue to flirt with men and make empty promises to them to replace the chain each time it broke.

Cooper had gotten himself into some thick shit, spending a good time locked up by some raiders and other bullshit that got him sidetracked. On the other side of the goddamn wasteland, on the fucking east coast. How did he even get to the fucking east coast? By the time he made it back to the trading post, over a decade had passed, and it showed in the size of the once-familiar settlement. More gambling, more fighting in the streets, whole lotta bad shit that he didn’t have time to get involved with. He made his way through the town, his gaze trained on the old trading post at the center of town. He took careful notice of how men sneered at him as he passed by them, mumbling some racist bullshit about his ghoulishness.

Fuck them, he thought as he stepped up to the door of the trading post. He opened the door to hear the old bell jingle to alert his presence, watching as a young woman walked out from the back room with a routine “Welcome to Jo’s Shack, what can I get you?” leaving her pretty pink lips.

Daisy was almost in shock, seeing the ghoul standing in her doorway. She had assumed the worst over the years, as his visits had become less and less until they were not at all. She figured he was dead, shriveled up and baking in the sun. Or worse, she worried he had gone feral, which was always going to be inevitable in his case. Either way, she would keep extra chems stocked for the day he returned.

Cooper strolled towards the counter and looked at the girl, recognizing those big brown eyes from a mile away. “Hey, little flower. Your daddy around?” He asked her, his eyes flickering down to look at the pearl around her neck. Huh, he didn’t know she’d have kept it all those years. Pretty things were hard to keep around these parts.

Daisy’s face broke out into a grin and she gave him a little nod, leaning forward to get a good look at him. “Sure is, I’ll go get him for you. he’s not gonna believe this.” She had to fight to maintain her composure and keep her excitement at bay, going through the back room and up the stairs to the second floor of the shack to where her father was sleeping. In the ghoul’s absence, Daisy had grown to be a respectable trader, taking over the face of her father’s shop after growing up learning from the best. Although the population was tougher, she was just as tough, and nobody dared to fuck with Jo’s Shack or the woman running the place.

She stepped back out to the main room and leaned against the newly-reinforced counter, a bright smile on her face as she gazed up at him. He was just as handsome as she remembered, though she was never truly able to capture how his eyes lit up at the sight of her.

“Flower, you are just as pretty as a peach.” Cooper flashed her a wide grin, unashamedly flirting with the girl who he had essentially watched grow up. And whew, did she grow up good. He couldn’t help himself as he let his sunken eyes roam over the smooth, exposed skin of her chest, the tank top she wore under her unzipped jacket left little to the imagination.

Daisy thought his southern drawl was absolutely intoxicating as she slid a little box of chem vials across the counter to him, “Thank you, Coop. Don’t tell dad I gave these to you.” She winked and leaned back as her dad came out to greet his old friend, letting the two men greet each other like they hadn’t spent any time apart.

“Cooper Howard, you son of a bitch! I hope you brought me that Brahmin you still owe me.” Josiah grinned as he pulled the ghoul in for a hug, giving him shit over some long-forgotten wager on a card game. Coop patted him on the back with a shit-eating grin, “Yessir, why, yo’ momma’s waitin’ outside!”

Daisy watched Cooper closely as she stood beside her dad, taking in the way his skin had started to redden in places she didn’t remember being scarred over before. She had spent her whole adolescence infatuated with him, playing it off as a silly little girl crush on a big strong man (who had killed for her, but that’s a story for another day.) Her pulse quickened as she overhead her father invite the ghoul inside for a drink and to rest, watching him come around the counter to push through the curtains leading to the back.

It was fucked up, Cooper knew that. He knew it was fucked up to already be thinking about the woman behind him. Thinking about how sweet she sounded when she said his name, thinking about that little pearl necklace dangling in his face as she skillfully sat atop his—

He really needed that drink, and maybe a puff of his inhaler before he went feral at the thought of something as soft and pretty as his Daisy having anything to do with something as scarred and distorted as him.

a/n: okay yall what do we think about part one? I got to the app to post it and immediately rewrote the ending because I hated the original, so I hope this was good!

taglist: @savanahc @one-of-thewalkingdead @silverose365 @neverendingdumptser

[miryum]

Always in All Ways (Mattheo Riddle x Reader) Great Gatsby AU

Warnings: angst!!!! (but a happy ending) Reader wears a dress (once) cause it’s the 20s. Talk of kids and a future together. For the sake of incest, we’re gonna ignore the fact that Enzo and Mattheo are half brothers… And if you squint, there could be a sign of domestic abuse (but it is so little there that I'm not sure if you can call it that). Reader is married (not to Mattheo at first) and it's not technically cheating.... it's hard to explain. As always, swearing. Not entirely proof-read, but will get it done soon

Lorenzo Berkshire had moved into a gated, two story house, surrounded by a thick forest. The neighbourhood he had moved into was affectionately called Diadem East. 

Diadem East was surrounded by a large bay, which, in turn, separated it from Diadem West. Diadem East and Diadem West were similar in the fact that they were obscenely rich. Even though both had enough wealth to buy the island of New York, Diadem West looked down on Diadem East because of generational wealth. Diadem West had come from old money - long lines of families that treated life like a simple game of chess and they could move others like pawns. Diadem East were those who only recently came into money and spent it freely and without care.

Lorenzo had moved to Diadem East in hopes of getting away from his overbearing parents, and it helped that his cousin lived right across the bay in Diadem West. 

Y/n Pucey was a recent newlywed to Adrian Pucey. Lorenzo hadn’t been able to make it to the wedding, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to see his baby cousin married to a man fifteen years older than her. Y/n had always been Lorenzo’s favourite cousin; she was a bubbling, carefree girl, probably due to the fact that from birth, she had no restrictions with her father’s money. Now that she was married to the pretentious Pucey family, Lorenzo doubted she was familiar with the word ‘no’. 

What Lorenzo did doubt, however, was Y/n’s happiness. He remembered a time, back when she was nineteen, that he had visited her over summer break. She told him tales of a man that had captured her heart. Lorenzo remembered how Y/n’s eyes gleamed and her cheeks burned with her extensive smiling. He remembered laughing with Y/n in the sunroom, saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy.”

“I’m in love, Enzo,” she had replied simply. 

Needless to say, Lorenzo couldn’t wait to see his cousin again. He also couldn’t wait to return to a normal sleep schedule, given that his new neighbour wouldn’t stop having parties every single night that blasted light and music into Lorenzo’s bedroom window. It wasn’t until Thursday at four pm when a butler knocked on Lorenzo’s back door, holding a silver plate with a letter positioned on it. “Can I help you?” Enzo asked slowly, leaning on the door frame.

“Mister Riddle requests your presence on Friday night for a party he is throwing,” the butler said. 

“Mister… Riddle?” Enzo reiterated. “I’m sorry, who?”

“Your neighbour, Mister Mattheo Riddle,” the butler explained. “He wanted to welcome you into the neighbourhood.”

“Right,” Enzo trailed off. “I’ll be there.”

“Mister Riddle looks forward to making your acquaintance.”

****

The next day, Enzo drove up to Diadem West, the hilltop Pucey Manor looming over everything. As soon as Enzo finished driving up the winding gravel road, the front door swung open dramatically. Y/n stood there, arms flung wide. “Darling Enzo!” she squealed. “Oh, how I’ve missed you!” 

“My sweet cousin!” Enzo called back, bounding up the steps. He whirled Y/n up in his arms, swinging her back and forth, much to her delight. Her sundress flared around them in a swirling dance. “How have you been?”

“Lively,” Y/n answered simply. “How are those back home? You must tell me everything.”

Enzo flung his head back and said dramatically, “they miss you dearly, loving cousin. When I passed through town, everyone wept when they heard I was to see you. Jealous men came running down from their houses and begged me to take them with you. Mothers sobbed and cried out how they wished their daughters would turn out like you. Children dashed through the streets, racing after my carriage with joy.”

“They did?” Y/n beamed, gripping onto Enzo’s arms. “I do miss them, you know. Perhaps I should visit next summer.”

“They would all love to see you,” Enzo stated plainly. “Yet I have a question for you. Do you know of-”

“Lorenzo Berkshire,” a voice boomed from the front door. “What’s a man like you doing in these parts?”

Enzo stared up at Adrian Pucey, the esteemed husband of Y/n. “Adrian,” Enzo peeled himself away from Y/n and sauntered up the steps. “It’s nice to see you again.” He held out his hand for the man to shake.

“Get in here, good pal.” Adrian clapped Enzo’s hand and pulled him into a rough hug. Enzo let out a huff of air as he collided with Adrian’s chest. “Wonderful to see you as well. Tell me, how’s the stock business going?” Adrian placed a nonnegotiable hand on Enzo’s shoulder and led him inside the Pucey mansion. Y/n let out a noise of surprise and hurried in after them, determined not to be left behind. 

“Good, good.” Enzo made senseless conversation with Adrian as he tried to take in the curated house he was in. All the doors and windows were open, letting in a soft breeze and the stinging smell of the bay water. The curtains fluttered around Y/n as she walked, her eyes cautiously on her cousin and husband. No matter how she acted, Lorenzo knew of the whip sharp mind that Y/n had.

“And you know where he’s living, Adrian?” Y/n cut in, moving to recline gracefully on the settee. “In Diadem East!” 

Adrian’s brows rose and he turned to Enzo as the men sat on the couch. “Why not buy a house here? Hell, you’re welcome to stay in our guest room. Anything for a relative.”

“No, please.” Enzo held a hand up. “I’m perfectly fine on my own and I don’t want to intrude. It’s a nice, cosy house looking over the bay. In fact, if I look towards the right, I can see the end of your pier.”

“Really?” Y/n lit up, head turning towards Enzo. “How sweet. It’s almost as if we’re neighbours.”

“Speaking of neighbours,” Enzo took this opportunity to ask, “my own seems to be very eccentric.”

Adrian chuckled and poured himself some whiskey. “How so? Do you want any?” He gestured to the whiskey.

“No, but thank you.” Enzo adjusted in his seat and crossed his legs. “My neighbour throws these obscene parties almost every single night. I’m convinced that if it weren’t for the trees, I wouldn’t be able to get any sleep.” Y/n stretched out her legs and leaned her head back until it was resting on the arm of the chair. “But the oddest thing happened - he invited me to one tonight.”

“Really?” Adrian sipped his drink. “And who is this poseur?”

“A Mister Riddle.”

Y/n’s lips parted and, almost in slow motion, her eyes flickered to Lorenzo before going back to staring out the window to the gleaming blue water outside. “Riddle?” she murmured. Adrian glanced at her and Enzo’s brows furrowed. “I mean, there must be a thousand Riddles… why, in fact, just last month, I was introduced to a Ryder. Which is like Riddle, I guess.”

“Y/n, are you alright?” Enzo asked softly.

“Yes, are you well?” Adrian added on.

“I’m sure I’m fine,” Y/n said. “Perhaps just lightheaded. I’m going to go lay down now.” Her hand flit to her collarbone where a small chain was tucked under her dress.

“Okay.” Enzo stared after her, admittedly worried about his cousin, before standing and adjusting his suit. “Well, I'm afraid I have to go. Mustn’t be late to this fellow’s party.”

“Of course.” Adrian stood as well, in common courtesy, knowing that the two men had nothing in common or nothing to do with each other without Y/n as the mediator. “Riddle…” the man muttered. “I could’ve sworn I heard that name somewhere.”

“It’s a common name, you know.” Enzo chuckled as he swiped out the door. 

“Yes, I’m sure.” Adrian closed the door behind Enzo almost as an afterthought.

****

“What do you want, my darling? Anything you wish and I will make it happen.”

“I’m happy with just you, Matty.”

“That’s not a good enough answer, and you know it. Now, I’m going to ask again: what do you want?”

“… I… I want a big house. Overlooking the water so our kids can play in the water.”

“Our kids, hm?”

“Oh, yes, Matty. Our kids.”

“Alright. And what else?”

“Hmm… and a big ballroom that we can dance in. And all the paintings will be our favourites. And big parties for every occasion. Perhaps a pool. Or a sunroom. And the largest bedroom ever.”

“Is that all?”

“As long as I have you, Matty, that’s all I ask.”

****

While everyone else arrived to Riddle’s party in new and shining cars, Enzo simply walked. People of all backgrounds were streaming in the doors and Enzo was pushed into the unrelenting mob of partygoers. Enzo shoved his way to the first butler he saw and presented his invitation. “Uh, yes. I have this invitation here…” 

The butler glanced down at the letter and said stoically, “you needn’t one.”

“Pardon?” Enzo had never been to a party where he didn’t need to be invited. 

“The guests come and go as they please - per Mister Riddle’s orders.”

“Alright,” Enzo pursed his lips together and nodded awkwardly. “Thank you. Do you know where I could find Mister Riddle?”

“No, sir,” the butler replied. “He likes to socialise with his attendees and be in the throng of things. He likes to make sure that everyone is comfortable and having a good time.”

Enzo hummed and nodded in thanks before allowing himself to be swept up in the current. He was carried further into the opulent mansion and Lorenzo needed to remind himself to close his mouth at the palatial nature of it all. 

Practically every surface was plated with gold or made of marble. The ballroom opened up to a balcony that overlooked a large pool which was currently populated with dozens of people. On the other side of the ballroom, a large sunroom was occupied by a throng of people, cigarette smoke wisping up through the open roof. The stars were obscured by not only the smoke, but by the fact that every light in the mansion was turned on. Marble stairs led down to another open room which held a stage and a band whose music filtered up throughout the rooms. Congressmen, celebrities, and random people off the street were packed into the house, booze and drugs were passed around and waiters tried to filter through the crowd to hand out refreshments and food.

As he passed, Enzo heard tidbits of conversations about their host. “Did you know he was a bootlegger?”

“No, no, I heard he fought in the last war.”

“Well, whatever it is, it’s all terribly romantic.”

“Well, I thought that he was chasing a girl-”

Enzo managed to fight his way to the balcony and snag a glass of champagne on his way. He sighed in relief at finding a bubble of air to himself. A man dressed in a finely pressed suit jostled into him and quickly apologised. “Terribly sorry, old friend,” the man said. “I didn’t see you there. It’s a rowdy party tonight, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Enzo replied loudly. “Is it usually like this?”

“Unfortunately,” the man grinned. “Although few frequent. I always find that many people come once and then never return.”

“You seem like you know an awful lot about Mister Riddle’s parties. Do you come here often?”

“Yes,” the man tsked. “As hard as I try, I can’t pull myself away from this old mansion. Something always draws me back. Did you know that Mattheo Riddle built this house from scratch?”

“I did not.”

“Yes,” the man laughed, his lips curing up. “Of course, he didn’t build the actual thing, but he bought the land and drew up the blueprints years ago. Six, to be exact.”

“Why is that?”

“No one knows for sure. There’s a lot of rumours circulating around Riddle.”

Enzo shouted over the music, “I was actually invited by Mister Riddle himself. But his butler seemed surprised by that.”

“Yes, it is very rare that one is personally invited to these gatherings.”

“Do you know where I could find him? Mister Riddle, I mean.” Enzo took a sip of his champagne.

The man laughed again and raised his own champagne glass. A smirk coiled up on his face and he said simply, “why, you’re talking to him, old friend. I am Mattheo Riddle.”

The party noise faded in Enzo’s ears. “Oh. I’m so sorry.” His hand shot out for Riddle to shake. “I didn’t mean to be rude. Pardon me, Mister Riddle.”

Mattheo Riddle shook Enzo’s hand, still grinning. His eyes held a mix of anticipation and happiness. Those who were close to Mattheo Riddle - which, really, was no one - had never seen such joy on Mattheo’s face. “Oh, call me Riddle. Or better yet, Mattheo. I feel as if I already know you, old friend. And, seeing as we’re neighbours, I hope to get to know you even better. How would you like to join me in my study?”

Enzo raised a brow and cliched his champagne fluke. “May I ask what for?”

“Oh, well, to tell you my life story, after all.” Mattheo clapped a hand on Enzo’s shoulder, much like Adrian had hours earlier. But unlike Adrian, Enzo found himself agreeing to go along with this man he only met today. 

Mattheo led Enzo down the hallway and nodded to a butler who was standing guard over an oak door. The butler opened the door up to Mattheo’s study, which was more of a library. The library was a much different aesthetic than the rest of the house. While the mansion next to Enzo’s little cottage was energetic and extravagant, Mattheo’s library was dark and cosy. Instead of gold and marble, it was made of oak and the flickering flames of candles.

“An impressive collection,” Enzo commented, glancing around the room at the rows of books.

“Why, thank you,” Mattheo replied. “It overlooks the bay, you see?” He pointed towards the window that, true to his word, was directly facing the large water. 

Enzo peered out the window and huffed a laugh when he saw Y/n’s house staring back at him. “That’s my cousin's house,” Enzo glanced back at Mattheo to see his gaze locked on the Pucey mansion. 

“I know,” Mattheo said quietly. 

“You know?” Lorenzo repeated questioningly. 

“Yeah,” Mattheo nodded. “You’ve heard rumours of me.” It wasn’t a question. Before Enzo could answer, Matthei continued, “but I can assure you, only one of those is true, old friend. I am… a helpless romantic.” Mattheo chuckled lowly, a sad layer in his eyes. Instead of sitting behind his large desk, Mattheo opted to lounge on a couch and Enzo sat in a loveseat next to him. 

“What do you mean by that?” 

“About… eight years ago I met this girl. God, she was absolutely perfect.” Mattheo gazed out at Diadem West. “I have been bereft of her for so many years… And I finally hope to make it up to her. I’ve become the man that will be good enough for her archaic parents.”

“Where did you meet her?” Enzo asked quietly.

“I was visiting her hometown one day, eight years ago. And I just…” Mattheo took a moment to wet his chapped lips. “She had all other eyes on her. She was simply walking down the street, yet she drew everyone to her. And when I was blessed enough to hold her in my arms… to kiss her lips is better than heaven.”

“May I guess her name?” Enzo’s smile grew larger. “Is this lovely, captivating woman my cousin, Y/n Pucey?”

“How did you know?” Mattheo’s voice was airy and wistful.

“Many men have tripped over their feet just to take a glance at my cousin. She is not only beautiful, holding the Berkshire genes, but witty, magnetic, and gentle.” Enzo finished his champagne and lit a cigar that Mattheo had offered him. “And, well, she might have mentioned you once or twice. She was in love with you when she was nineteen. Perhaps she still is.” Mattheo’s eyes snapped to Enzo. “Then she was married to Adrian Pucey. Honestly, I’m a little surprised that you��re living right across from her.”

“Yes, I’m aware of all that,” Mattheo stated. “But nothing has been an accident, Mister Berkshire. There’s a reason why I host parties every weekend, why I keep the lights on every night, why my home is directly across from hers, and why you, her cousin, is renting next to me.”

Enzo scrutinised this stranger across from him. “You’re obsessed with my cousin,” he stated, somewhat disgustedly. 

“No,” Mattheo whispered. “I’m in love with your cousin. I have always been in love with her - in all ways. And she is me. Mention my name around her and you’ll see.”

“I have,” Enzo admitted. “She looked as if she’d seen a ghost. But she also looked guilty, Riddle. She’s married. She has a life. She wants children.” Mattheo’s jaw jumped as Enzo continued, “you can’t rip her away from that. It’s been years, Riddle. She hasn’t seen you for years.”

“I know…” Mattheo trailed off. “But just to see her again would fulfil any wish of mine. I have a vow I need to make due on. I- uh, I was wondering if you could invite her over for tea. And I could drop by. Just one day.” Mattheo’s eyes felt dry and he quickly blinked. 

Enzo sighed deeply and after a long moment, said, “okay. Tuesday? At three?”

A weight lifted off of Mattheo’s shoulders. He now had all the time in the world. In his eyes, everything was finally falling into place. Mattheo would finally get to be happy again. “That sounds absolutely perfect.”

****

Tuesday was outrageously cloudy. Lorenzo could hardly see the sun as he drove back to his house. As he pulled into his driveway, he came to see an ostentatious green Rolls-Royce convertible that was blocking his drive. Enzo stared defeatedly at the car for a long moment, knowing exactly whose it was. 

Mattheo Riddle leaned on the hood and proceeded to wave at Enzo as if the man wasn’t hours too early to tea. 

“You have a watch, don’t you?” Enzo called out, getting out of his car. 

“I couldn’t wait,” Mattheo admitted. “I had nothing else to do today - well, that’s not true. I in fact cancelled some meetings that were set to take place today, but no worries.”

“You cancelled - you know what? Nevermind. Look, Riddle, I sure hope you know what you’re doing. Y/n… she’s changed from when you met her.” Enzo couldn’t look at his neighbour as he unlocked his door. Mattheo followed in after him, glancing around courteously, as if the real reason he was here wasn’t sending waves of nerves through his stomach. Enzo glanced back at Mattheo and moved to the kitchen to make some tea. Mattheo followed after him, his gait slow. “She used to believe that she could live any way she wanted,” Enzo continued. “But then she met Adrian.”

“Hm.” Mattheo made a low noise in his throat, fingers reaching out to play with the teacups that hung from a shelf. 

“She’s not… unhappy with Adrian,” Enzo tried to explain. “But she’s putting her happiness aside for the grandeur of life.” 

“I could give her that grandeur,” Mattheo muttered. 

“Do you know how people back home would treat her if they found out she got divorced from Adrian Pucey just to marry a man who is rumoured to be a bootlegger?” Enzo asked, aghast. He roughly swallowed and said quietly, “I’m sorry. That was out of line.” 

“No, no,” Mattheo waved him off, still seemingly fascinated by Enzo’s teacups. “It’s perfectly in line. You make a valid point. Though I can assure you, I am not a bootlegger. Far from it.”

“Then what is your line of work?” 

“Never you mind. When is Y/n coming?” Mattheo turned to Enzo, changing the topic at an alarming speed. The teacups were long forgotten.

Enzo exhaled and dunked a teabag in the teapot. “She said she’ll be arriving around three. However, that means that she’ll either be arriving at two-fifteen on account of wanting to escape Adrian, or she’ll arrive at four-thirty because Adrian needs something from her.”

“Let’s hope it’s the former,” Mattheo growled.

As if on cue, the two men heard the rumbling of a car approaching. The air in the room stilled. Mattheo’s face dropped and he turned pale, staring at the door. They heard Y/n’s honey voice call out, “Lorenzo!” Enzo quickly came to his senses and rushed to open the door. Y/n was driving up, waving her hat enthusiastically in one hand. A smile split on Enzo’s face as he rushed over to help her out of her car. “I must say, I was wary when you asked me to visit without Adrian,” Y/n chatted as Enzo escorted her into the house. “I couldn’t possibly think of anything you would need from me.”

“Can’t I just ask you over for tea?” Enzo chuckled. “Does everything I do need malicious intent?”

“Based on your past, yes.”

Enzo rolled his eyes playfully. After he took Y/n’s coat and hat, his eyes darted around his house, but he couldn’t find one trace of Mattheo anywhere. “Why don’t you sit down and I’ll… I’ll grab the tea,” Enzo muttered. He moved to his kitchen, and seeing his back door ajar, he shoved it open. “Where are you going?!” he cried out to Mattheo who was currently halfway across the lawn.

Mattheo spun back to Enzo, fear deeply rooted in his expression. “I can’t,” he whispered after he jogged back to Enzo. “I can’t do it. You’re absolutely right. She... she has a life. And probably doesn’t even remember me. It would be cruel to subject her to such emotions. I don’t want to cause her any harm.”

Enzo shook his head. “I will not have invited my cousin to tea under false pretences,” he said slowly and firmly. “You owe this to her,” he added. 

A droplet of rain fell from a passing cloud and fell faster and faster until it splattered on Mattheo’s wrist. The water was absorbed by the cuff of Mattheo’s shift, but a small bit of the water rolled down onto his hand and drifted its way down to Mattheo’s ring finger. A thin gold band sat snug there. “Do you know what a pyrrhic victory means?” 

“Yes.” Enzo frowned inquisitively. “It’s victory that cost the victor more than it did the defeated. But what does that have to do with Y/n?”

“My love for Y/n has cost me everything,” Mattheo muttered. “But she is everything. I'm used to people hating me for my wealth and how reserved I am. What I'm used to isn't people's love. And now, my love is with Y/n and I'm not letting anyone ruin that or take it away from me.” More raindrops began falling from the sky until a gentle pitter-patter could be heard all around them.

“So why don’t you come in and tell her that?” Enzo asked, gesturing towards his door. 

Mattheo’s jaw jumped but he nodded, giving in. He shuffled through the door and into the living room where Y/n sat. Enzo grinned to himself and shut the door behind them before hearing Y/n gasp and the sound of a glass breaking. Enzo cursed to himself, knowing one of his precious teacups had now lost its life.

“M- Matty?” Y/n murmured, eyes wide. “Oh- oh, dear.” She stared down at the broken teacup on the carpet and bent down, hands shuddering. Mattheo crouched down as well, maintaining eye contact with Y/n the entire way. Y/n shook her head and focused on cleaning up her mess. Enzo noticed her whole body was trembling and he took a step forward as if to console her. Mattheo beat him to the punch. He grasped her forearms and helped her up, leaving the teacup behind. Y/n sniffed and repeated, “Matty?”

“Yeah, darling. It’s me,” Mattheo murmured, stepping closer to her. His hold on her arms softened and his cheek brushed against her forehead. 

Y/n exhaled shakily. “What are you doing here?” she whispered, tipping her head to lean into a more intimate position with Mattheo. Enzo slid out of the room, smirking faintly.

“I live next to Enzo,” Mattheo said, neither one bothering to look for Y/n’s cousin. 

Y/n chuckled humourlessly. “Tell me the real reason, Matty. I know you better than this.”

Mattheo smiled - the truest smile Enzo had ever seen on his neighbour’s face (not that Enzo was watching from the next room) - and leaned down to bump his nose against hers. “I could never hide anything from you. Not that I ever would, but I digress.” Mattheo reached down and gently lifted Y/n’s hand to his lips. He pressed featherlight kisses along her fingertips and confessed, “a year after you married Adrian, I built a house across the bay. The mansion whose windows are alight every single night with fireworks going off every weekend… that’s me, darling. Trying to get you to even glance over at me. Renting the neighbouring cabin to your cousin… that’s me. Every little detail, down to my car, is so I can see you again.”

“You did all that for me?” Y/n ran a soft thumb over Mattheo’s jawline, making the man shiver. 

“And I will do so much more,” Mattheo promised. “I am yours, my love. Always in all ways.”

****

Y/n sat curled in Mattheo’s lap. The pair was under a tree on a picnic blanket, far from the L/n Villa. “I’m sorry I couldn’t spend my birthday with you, Matty,” Y/n murmured to him. “I know you had a surprise for me.”

“It’s alright, darling,” Mattheo whispered back, dragging his fingers through Y/n’s hair. “I know nineteen is a monumental birthday for your family.”

“But now you have me all to yourself,” Y/n lightly laughed, turning to grin at her lover. “What was the surprise you had for me? You’ve been awfully suspicious these past few days, Matty.”

Mattheo hummed, looking to the sky and rhythmically tapping his fingers against you. “Well, I don’t know, my love,” he teased. “What could I possibly get the most perfect girl for her birthday?” After your protests, he continued, not before kissing your temple. “I got you my heart,” he whispered. Out from his pocket, he pulled a thin chain. Dangling teasingly from the chain was a golden ring. “So I can be with you always,” Mattheo explained quietly. 

Tears pricked at Y/n’s eyes as she gently took the necklace from him and thread the chain through her fingers. “You… you’re being serious right now?” Her focus was drawn to Mattheo’s own ring finger, where she noticed a new, immortal band lay proudly. “Are you…?”

“Only for you,” Mattheo reassured her. “Don’t worry. It’s my way of showing my devotion.” He twisted the necklace around her neck, clipping it there. 

“Only for me?”

“Always in all ways,” Mattheo vowed.

****

Y/n frequented outings with her friends much more often as of late. Adrian only sent Y/n away with a half-committed kiss on the cheek and eyes fixated on his golfing or his business contracts. Y/n would get in her car (or Enzo’s if he was feeling nice), and drive down to Mattheo’s mansion. Most days, there would be other cars there, waiting for Riddle’s house to open to party. They would be carrying booze and wearing all fashions of clothes, and when they would walk up to his door only to be turned away, they would pout and groan. Mattheo’s house wasn’t blazing his lights anymore, nor were there any fireworks crackling each weekend. His car was kept parked in his garage and his smile was constant. 

The first time Y/n had gone over to Mattheo’s mansion, so conveniently and coincidentally located across from hers, she had been in awe. “It’s exquisite!” she had exclaimed. She had run all over the house, marvelling at the floors and the ceilings, dragging Mattheo along behind her. Mattheo laughed loudly, his joy echoing off the walls. Of course, all of the art decorating his walls was accented to Y/n’s taste and the colour palette was exactly as Y/n had hoped for all those years ago. 

“Dance with me,” she beckoned Mattheo one day, already spinning on the deserted dance floor. Mattheo would lock the doors to his manor and keep out the partiers forever and always if it meant he could see Y/n on his dance floor, waiting for him. 

Mattheo stared at her, his eyes bright with love. He swept her up in his arms, pressing her close, and they danced to nonexistent music. Y/n rested her head on Mattheo’s chest and whispered, “this is nice.”

“This is very nice, indeed. I hope to do it more often.”

Y/n’s fingers gripped onto Mattheo’s shoulders. “Matty…” she whispered. “You know my feelings for you. But I- Adrian-”

“Please don’t speak his name,” Mattheo pleaded. “And I know about him. But I don’t care about him. Please tell me you don’t care about him either.”

“He is my husband, Mattheo.”

“That doesn’t mean you care about him.” Y/n took a breath and stepped slowly back from Mattheo. His mouth parted slowly and desperation filled his eyes. His hands reached out in anguish. “Please, my love. Don’t do this.”

“I will never love him as much as I love you,” Y/n clarified gently. “But I don’t hate him, either. Over the years, I have come to care for him. It’s a complicated feeling, Mattheo, I’m sure you understand.”

“Marry me,” Mattheo suddenly declared. “I promise, my dearest, I will give you all and more.”

“It’s not fair to Adrian,” Y/n protested, her hands dropped to her sides. “We don’t live in a life where one can just divorce their spouse to pursue another. You know of the rigidity and the silent rules that if we don’t follow, the exile we face.”

“Exile of what?” Mattheo cried, helplessness in his voice. “You can move in here. I can give you the life we dreamed of.”

“The life I dreamed of included my parents and my loved ones,” Y/n objected. “Not an isolated life with only one of the many I love.”

“Anyone you love can come visit you if they want,” Mattheo offered. “I won’t push anyone away. I just want you.”

“You know they won’t visit,” Y/n’s voice broke. “You know people will ridicule us. And I am so sorry, Matty, but I don’t know if I could live with that.” Mattheo didn’t speak for a long moment, staring at Y/n’s neck. “What’s wrong?” she eventually demanded. “Do I have something on my collar?”

“No,” Mattheo murmured softly. “It’s just… you kept it.” He pointed to Y/n’s neck and reached out to finger the chain around Y/n’s neck. The woman couldn’t help but shiver under his light touch. “You kept it,” he repeated. Carefully, as if afraid he might break her, Mattheo lifted the hidden necklace that was tucked under Y/n’s dress. “My ring.”

“I couldn’t bear to get rid of it,” Y/n’s breath hitched and she swallowed back tears. “I’ve never taken it off. Even- even on my wedding day.”

Beside himself, Mattheo chuckled, though it quickly turned to a gasp for breath. “So even when he made love to you, you always kept my ring around your neck?” Tears slipped down his cheeks and Y/n reached up to quickly wipe them away. 

“I don’t want you thinking about that,” Y/n muttered, shaking her head at the absurdness of it all. “Please… just be here with me.”

“I’m here,” Mattheo could hardly get a couple words out. He pulled her close to him and pressed a firm kiss on her forehead. “You still haven’t said no to my proposal.”

Y/n laughed loudly. “I didn’t think you were being serious.”

“With you, I am always serious,” Mattheo grinned, bending down to look her in the eye. “And that wasn’t an answer. Why are you avoiding the question, darling?”

Y/n sighed, a coy smile on her lips. “Would I simply leave Adrian? What of my things? Adrian would come looking for me, you know?”

“I would buy you whatever you’re missing a thousand times over.” Mattheo stared at Y/n, his eyes holding all the tenderness that a lover was supposed to have. “I would protect you and Adrian would never know where you are. He will never harm you, I promise.” 

Y/n tapped Mattheo’s chest thrice and hummed. Mattheo’s heart fluttered and his lips brushed against her temple. Silently, he begged all the gods he knew of that Y/n would agree to be with him. His lips moved wordlessly, pleading, before Y/n said, “I will call you tomorrow, Matty. I’m sure Adrian already knows of our endeavours, but give me one night to collect my thoughts. Can you give me that much?”

“Of course, my love. Whatever you need.” He kissed Y/n’s forehead again. “Always in all ways.”

“Always in all ways,” Y/n repeated.

****

“Where are you going?”

Y/n’s shoulders tensed and she slowly turned around to face Adrian. A packed bag was on her bed. “Enzo, the sweetling cousin he is, invited me to stay with him,” she said. “I thought it would be fun to spend a night in East Diadem. To see how others live.”

“You? In East Diadem?” Adrian chortled a laugh. “And why, pray tell, would you do that?” 

“Because I love my cousin,” Y/n reiterated firmly. “Are you forbidding me to see my family?”

Adrian’s head hung and he shook his head. “I may be rich, but I’m not stupid.” He hesitated before stating, “I know about Riddle.”

“My old friend?” Y/n asked smoothly. “Yes, he was a friend of Enzo’s. That’s how I met him, you know.” She cleared her throat and zipped up her bag. 

“You’re fucking him, aren’t you?” Adrian then suddenly shouted out, his hair flying out of place and his face turning red. “He’s fucking my wife, that bastard! Why, I should- I outta- you bitch!” He growled and whirled around, dragging a hand through his hair. 

“Adrian.” Y/n held up her hands, trying to soothe his emotions. It was the only way she learned how. “I haven’t been unfaithful to you, I promise. I made a vow on our wedding day and I have since upheld it.”

Adrian grunted and demanded, “so tell me you love me.”

Y/n swallowed. “I- I love you, Adrian. Just not in the way you want me to.”

Her husband let out a yell of frustration and slammed his hands down on the back of an armchair. Y/n flinched. After a tense moment, he hissed out, “go, then. Leave me.” His voice rose to a crescendo and he shouted out, “but know that I will never let you back into this life again! No one will ever let you step inside Diadem West without rumours and hatred trailing behind you.” He let his voice drop and as Y/n shuffled back, he raised his head and looked at her, pleadingly. “I want to make you stay,” Adrian whispered. “I want to tell you all the ways I love you. But… But I think we both know I can’t.” He took a step towards her and held a hand out as if he wanted to cup her face in his palm. “You are so beautiful, Y/n,” he muttered. “But he makes you feel alive. You- you deserve that.”

“So do you, Adrian,” Y/n choked out. 

“I know,” he nodded once, conceding. “I know.”

****

It took four weeks for Y/n to officially move into the house across the bay. Immediately, she had sought out her cousin and stayed with him for some time. She spent many of those days sitting out on the lawn, staring out to the bay and her old house. Her hair would whip across her face and sometimes, Mattheo would come and sit a couple feet away from her, not saying a word. Mattheo knew she was experiencing the eroding feeling of guilt. He didn’t dare disturb her thoughts if, eventually, it would lead to him. What’s a couple more weeks when he had been waiting years?

Then, one day, Y/n turned towards Mattheo and said, “you promised to love me always and in all ways.” 

Mattheo’s head whipped toward her. The shame in his eyes was deep. “Yes,” he uttered.

“I think I’m ready to take you up on your offer.” 

Mattheo broke into a smile.

A year later, the pair was married. The band that had been around Y/n’s neck was now around her finger. Y/n’s parents refused to attend and she had spent the night crying in Mattheo’s arms. Enzo had taken the place of her father and walked her down the aisle. The wedding was sparse and while Mattheo’s aunt had come to offer her congratulations, as had one of Y/n’s old friends, the couple knew that their life would be a lonely one until they either made new friends or Y/n’s old friends in Diadem West came around. But they were happy. 

Grand parties weren’t a frequent occurrence, though every month or so, Mattheo threw a celebration for an unimportant holiday, simply to show Y/n off. He finally had the pleasure to kiss her in a room full of people and not be ridiculed. However, parties weren’t needed. As long as Mattheo woke up with Y/n in his arms, he would call it the most wonderful day ever. 

And when years had passed and their children would move out to begin their own endeavours, the house would lay empty. After decades had gone by and the mansion was simply a statement of extravagant wealth and the jubilance of society, people would wander in the house, marvelling at the gold and marble. Whispers would echo the hallways of the great love story that transpired within its walls. A large, dusty old portrait of the couple still hung above the fireplace, their eyes holding as much love as there was water in the bay.

[hihigherdi]

I love this girl.

I ended up privatizing my experience at acupuncture last night. I woke up with it so heavily on my mind and this….absence of rage. A noticeable, significant absence. Something happened, I’m not sure what but I’m so thankful it did.

I drove to East Bay to get some Christmas shopping done - I’m about halfway through, just a few more things. I took my time, tried a few things on and like what size pants I’m fitting in. I’m happy about my presents, I splurged on everyone and am getting the kids gift cards and cash, but also something to open. In the past I’ve been anxious about presents, what if they don’t like them? But it’s different this year, it really is the thought that counts, the effort.

I’ve also decided to take my sister to Greece next year. Ahhhh! I’m a little freaked out about the money but I’m just going to do it, it’s her bucket list trip and she’s been so incredible. I bought her a Greek flag coffee cup and a travel book so we can start planning. It will either be April/May or October - I kind of want to do October so it can be the first thing I do after I leave my company.

I’m so happy with where I’m at right now. Not tons of energy but enough. Still coughing, but better. Not feeling anxious or depressed, more of myself. Some hope and excitement for the future is beginning to show itself again. The kittens are healthy. Thank you, thank you.

[iww-gnv]

An Oakland-based Popeyes franchisee operating restaurants in the East Bay and San Joaquin County was expected to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars after a federal investigation found that minors as young as 13 years old were allegedly working at the fast-food chain restaurants, the Department of Labor announced Wednesday.

[midpenmedia]

AFTER SCHOOL IS HERE! If your child enjoyed our summer camps, they will love this. This year we offer 3, repeat it, THREE after-school classes for kids. We got animation, we got filmmaking, and we got acting! You can learn more and sign up via this link: https://www.activityhero.com/search?view=activity&q=Midpen+Media+Center&location=Palo+Alto%2C+CA+94303%2C+USA&radius=50&activity_types=camp%2Cclass%2Cevent

[cringywhitedragon]

Some Halloween TC Rambles/Headcannons

It’s spooky season so to celebrate why not share some little bite-sized ramble ideas for some of the TC/TT cast for the spooky season

Being in the hospital can suck, especially for children during the holidays. Caduceus is well aware of that which is why both of the US (To fix the discrepancy in New Blood, I head-cannon that Caduceus has 2 branches in America, Caduceus USA East (Maryland) and Caduceus USA West (Angeles Bay)) and the European branches like to hold a little day of celebration. Staff will decorate the halls and most of the children patients will get the chance to participate in little activities related to the season. That even includes a little trick-or-treating event.

Dr. Niguel isn’t a big fan of the whole tradition unlike the rest of the staff as he usually just spends the whole day cooped up in his lab. Though it hasn’t stopped him one year from using a small pumpkin to test out a new surgical laser he was working on that then proceeded to sit on his desk proudly for the rest of the week leading up to Halloween or the rare thank you Leslie got when she decided to bring him the leftover candy from that year’s hospital trick-or-treat.

Tyler and Amy often go out trick or treating together when he can with this little tradition beginning as far back when she was just a toddler. Though this did get put on pause when Amy came down with GUILT but it didn’t stop them from finding other ways to celebrate together (Though there was a bit of somberness about in Tyler’s eyes at the possibly that Amy wouldn’t recover, yet that all changed after Derek came around and well you know the rest.)

Resurgum does have some similar traditions for Halloween a bit like Caduceus but on a lesser scale because they are a much smaller hospital.

While it’s not one of the busiest holidays in terms of calls, Maria Torres still gets a handful of strange cases that she and the other paramedics have to respond to that involve people doing stupid stuff sometimes. But hey, at least it’s not Christmas, The 4th of July, or Black Friday which often tend to be a whole lot worse.

Naomi, similarly to Victor, wasn’t really one who paid much attention to Halloween until Alyssa came into her life. The two went trick-or-treating one year with Alyssa dressed as a cat and Naomi has become known by several children who trick-or-treat in the neighborhood as the house that hands out those types of candies that look like eyeballs and fingers and whatnot (But hey, the kids, manly the boys, love it)

And just one more just for fun. About a year after the whole GUILT Pandemic, Derek had invited Angie to his place one Halloween after their shift had ended just to hang out when a group of kids passed by. One of them recognized Dr. Stiles as the one who had saved his dad which lead to the poor doctor to get surrounded by the boy and his friend group who were just in awe. When asked by Angie on what his costume was supposed to be, the kid responded that he was dressed as a doctor like his hero. Angie would not let poor Derek live that down.

[bittersweetaucreator]

Fnaf Ask Goldie Anything Layout Redone

1 Security Office

2 West Hall

3 East Hall

4 Supply Closet 1

5 Freddy's Office

6 Supply Closet 2

7 Kitchen

8 Freezer

9 Loading Bay

10 Dining Area

11 Show Stage

12 Pirates Cove

13 Backroom

14 Medical Area

15 Restrooms 1

16 Restroom Closet

17 Entrence/Lobby

18 Henry's Office

19 Foxy's Backstage

20 Front Desk

21 Break Room

22 Locker Room

23 Backstage

24 Matinence Room

25 Basement

26 Safe Room

27 North Hall

28 Arcade 1

29 Toy Area and Arcade 2

30 Toy Stage

31 Party Room 1

32 Party Room 2

33 Party Room 3

34 Kids Cove

35 Restrooms 2

36 Restroom Closet 2

37 P.b's Naproom

38 Quiet Room

39 Supply Closet 3

40 South Hall

41 Prize Corner

Red Emergency Exit

Blue Entrence and Garage Doors

[follow-up-news]

On a muggy July evening, Delaware state biologist Jason Davis is doing what kids have done for ages: Trying to catch a firefly. It’s nowhere near as easy as the summer evenings of his own childhood, with only a few in this large wetland between a bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Davis sees the double flash of a male and chases after it. It zags west. Davis follows. It zigs back east. Davis says the bug seems to be toying with him: “I think they’re having fun.” Finally, he flicks a long net to snare what some people call a lightning bug. ”That was four years of high school lacrosse,” he says. The firefly that Davis chased, the Bethany Beach firefly, is so rare that it’s likely to become the first of America’s fireflies to be put on the Endangered Species List later this year, experts said. It’s in trouble due to rising seas from climate change, and rising housing developments. Davis and others estimate no more than 1,000 are left. For many Americans, the flash of the firefly calls up memories of summer childhood evenings gone by — and now, the worry that the bugs are disappearing.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The movement to ban Republicans from using public bathrooms is launched. : [Thanks Robert Scott Horton]

* * * *

[from Anne Lamott]

I have located my pink pussy cap but am not yet ready to put it back on. These things take time. A whole week passed after the election before I could turn on CNN. My personal husband has a tool he promotes The Things I Do Every Day, and once again, I wrote out my list: Prayer, chores, meditation, my animals, friendship, walks, a little writing, a nap in the late afternoon,

Also, I live by Auden’s advice: Trust in God, take short views, and read the New Yorker. (I am sure he meant to include People magazine, and Us.)

When I feel most like a walking personality disorder, I go to meetings of other people who have somehow, miraculously gotten and stayed sober, and other meetings for people with tiny control issues and the disease of good ideas for other people, usually family, and one other group of people like me who have eaten entire carrot cakes in their car in parking lots.

(I am addicted to almost everything, except gambling, although I do get a thrill loading dollar bills into change machines, when the quarters drop down, often getting more change than I need.) (It’s really sad.)

I also go to church every Sunday and five days after the election, I drove to the east Bay with my friend Teri. The sermon, projected on the screen behind the pulpit, was called You Must Have Forgotten Who You Are.

And I had. I’m a news junkie who couldn’t look at the news, someone for whom reading has been the great love of my life, who couldn’t read the papers or Twitter or get lost in a book. Someone who rises up in protest against war and political madness. An agitated, self-righteous woman of peace and love.

But I noticed a few things,

I noticed that I was not alone. I was with a dear if cranky friend, the single most Jewish and lesbianic person I’ve ever know, with whom I ride to church every Sunday. Our shoulders were touching.

And I was in what Martin Luther King called the beloved community, a rich, gathering of people who were singing their pain, and their gratitude and faith, their hopes, focused not on their grieving, terrified selves but on the sweet, sweet shepherd of their lives, and other people’s hurts.

I started remembering who I was, not in my head but in those connections— a dear friend, my community, and the sacred. I could breathe again in a way that I hadn’t since November 6h. This little church starts the service with Sacred Breath from the pulpit, where we all close our eyes and breathe in holiness, as one. Of course, I’m sitting there going, Breathe in God’s love—my butt itches, I wonder if I left the back door open and the kitty got out, and the coyotes ate her—deep breath out—I’m so happy to be there, that woman should wash her hair more, my butt still itches. But when all else fails, follow instructions, right? So I breathed.

In her sermon, the minister made a passing reference to Jesus’s admonition that when injured, we turn the other cheek. Some theologians think that turning the other cheek is actually an act of civil disobedience- a protest, of sorts, standing firm in what we believe in—to do what is right, which in the end always means love. This is so subversive, to take injury and say, You don’t decide who I am.

But when does the resistance to the rising tide of Christian Nationalism begin? My darling friend, the writer Douglas Foster had texted me that morning: “It already has. Pro immigrant organizations burgeoning in every city. Big philanthropic moves to clothe, feed and house people. Lots of examples of new public housing and mental health provisions seeking to scale up, support groups for women, and families with trans kids who will need help getting to places where their health care needs will be met. You, me, a bunch of others.”

After church, Teri and I always eat sandwiches as we drive home, the sacrament of peanut butter and jelly, possibly my favorite food, the sacred elements of dark bread, creaminess, sweetness. We unwrapped our sandwiches, tapped each other’s food in a toast, no pun intended. Cheers. And it was good.

Anne Lamott

[spindle-girl]

Flare 2.7

walking to the train stop with new friends/mentorees + Sveta

“What Victoria was saying, how she was saying she was happy, seeing the kids happy, and how she felt energized after.  I don’t have that.  I don’t have a way to recharge when I’m not at one hundred percent.”

same

“I like people, parties, noise, really letting the walls drop away and having fun.  There are things I’d want to go out and do which I can’t.  Things I’m not comfortable talking about with Kenzie present.”

or not

“Weld’s kind-of dad figure was the Director in charge of the Boston PRT,” Sveta said.  “He was also kind of in charge of looking after Ashley, because her town was close to Boston.” “Making sure she didn’t do too much damage?” I asked. “Yes.  And gradually trying to get her used to the idea of cooperating with the good guys, making sure she was staying reasonably healthy.  They reached out regularly, letting her know there were better options.  Except that Ashley was a different Ashley.”

i wonder if he was the guy that wanted to recruit Rachel and she was his first run at it since it didn't seem to go as well. i do have a hard time believing that any of the Directors would try something like this to the extent Sveta is describing. i know not all the Directors were the same per se, but that kind of job typically has a specific type of person in it just through standard policies

That put Tristan, Byron and Chris close to center, Kenzie out west, Rain out to the far northwest, me a bit to the east, and Sveta and Ashley a bit further to the east.  With the trains I was figuring it might take about four or five hours for Kenzie to get to where Sveta and Ashley were situated.  It would take Rain another couple of hours, depending on how far north he was.

has anyone made a map for Gimel? just asking out of curiosity since i've seen a couple ones for Brockton Bay

“Tinker stuff breaks,” I said. “It does,” Kenzie said. “It would also be liable to break or break down when you needed it to work the most.  During disasters, or times when there aren’t a lot of downtime.” “That’s very true,” Kenzie said.

lay off the girl Victoria she's trying to help :/ am i forgetting a time where she had a bad experience with tinker tech or is this just wildbow trying to tell the audience tinker stuff isn't as good as they make it out to be? the one time i remember tinker tech not working out is maybe the Arc 4 fight with Leet, but that's his whole thing, and the explosion Coil used to fake his death, but that was on purpose.

Oh, Leet's teleport failing to drop the real Skitter on a bomb in Arc 16 too, but again that's Leet's passenger hating him. Every other case tinker tech worked exactly as intended and even better

“It’s an attempt on my life,” Rain said.  “Lives could be lost.  I don’t want yours to be one of them.  I would feel insanely shitty if you jumped in to help and you got hurt or killed.” “Insanely?” “Yes.”

not too surprisingly to hear from the guy who's power make a guilt aoe attack

“Whatever you’re going to say, I’ve heard it before,” Sveta said. “What the fuck’s going on with you, huh?  What’s wrong with you?” he called out. I turned my head to look at him.  Sveta squeezed my arm, then shook her head a little. “Hey, you’re weird,” he called out.  “You’re freaky.”

i hope no one tried saying this was unrealistic like they did with the bullying cause yeah, people will just be assholes for no reason

I stopped in front of another piece of graffiti.  It wasn’t crowded in with anything else, so it stood out, almost a piece of art in how it was spelled out on a ruined wall, half-toppled. THIS IS HOW THINGS ARE NOW I had the paper in my hand, I had my doubts, but the nagging feeling ceased being nagging and became acutely clear as I looked at the statement. “Fuck that,” I said.

a bit on the nose, but fair enough

End thoughts:

yay Tattletale! fair warning, i'm not going to be unbiased when she comes on screen. also, Victoria joins Taylor in never fucking sleeping and going out to do dangerous shit lol

[lobster-tales]

Baby Blue and the Starlight Kid

Rating: T Chapter 1 This work is available here on AO3.

Chapter 2

Blue had only tried to bring in one high-dollar mage before, a former cow boss who had managed a large ranch, only to be found out by one of his employees. At the time, Blue was early in her bounty hunting career, having mastered the 'dead' piece of the wanted poster but still learning how to bring collections in 'alive'. She found the man easy enough with her magic tracker: the trick was capturing him. Blue tried to intimidate him, but he laughed her off, saying he'd wrangled steers bigger than her.

When intimidation didn't work, she course-corrected to kindness, but he'd already seen her hand and wasn't interested. He blasted her with magic, knocking her out cold, and when she woke, he was long gone.

Blue heard about him a few weeks later: an older, more experienced bounty hunter had brought him in. She eavesdropped long enough to learn that high-dollar bounties couldn't be handed off at any small town sheriff's office. Often when an outlaw was captured alive, the one who set the reward price wanted to see them in person to ensure that the individual was in fact the right target before any monetary exchange.

She kept this in mind when she first heard about Luxanna--who, she learned, preferred Lux--Crownguard. Like most folk, she heard about Lux long before she saw the poster. The Crownguards were a family of wealthy politicians back east: they were visiting Saint Kayle for some ceremony, during which Lux 'exploded'. Blue didn't know the details, the accounts all varying, but she did learn that Lux had run away shortly after, catching a train and disappearing into the frontier.

Blue suspected there would be a bounty long before it was officially announced. While waiting for the details, she investigated the 'explosion' site. She had expected charring and embers, but the damage didn't reflect any fire, just... magic. Blue gathered a few samples of glowing shrapnel and fed them to her tracker. When it came to magic, like called to like, the tracker guiding her to Lux's signature. As she pursued, she checked each town's wanted board. The day Lux's poster appeared, Blue swiped a copy and committed the information to memory.

The pursuit gave her time to form a plan. In the month since the explosion, the Crownguards had returned east, having business or politics or some mixture of both to manage. She reckoned that once she had Lux in her possession, she would need to take her to a town with a train station. From the few lawmen Blue had spoken to, it sounded like the reward was mostly from the Crownguards themselves, not the law, so it stood to reason that the Crownguards or one of their representatives would want to see Lux in person before transferring the money.

So Blue aimed east, directly east, for the town of Everpeak. Any other time, she would avoid Everpeak, but in this case, the strong law presence and train station would be convenient for her needs. She just had to hope the sheriff, like most lawmen she encountered, was willing to overlook her outdated $3,000 reward in favor of settling Lux's much higher payout.

And she had to hope that Lux didn't notice they were traveling in the wrong direction until it was too late.

Blue had also prepared herself for Miss Crownguard's demeanor. She'd only crossed paths with a few high-class dandies from the east, but if Lux was anything like them, she would have high expectations for their journey. Blue kept her guard up, ready to put her foot down if Lux made any outlandish requests.

Blue also expected her to keep quiet for the first part of the journey, as Lux already seemed suspicious of her. But within the first few hours, Lux Crownguard began talking. And boy, did the woman talk.

"So," she began. "Baby Blue. I'm guessing that's not your Christian name."

"Nope."

"Do you mind if I ask what your real name is?"

"I do mind."

"... Alright." Lux shifted on Sevika's bay: the horse was tall, wide, and stubborn, but Lux matched his strong will and settled him enough for their brisk walk. "Do you prefer the whole name? Just Blue? Or just Baby?"

A weird shiver ran up Blue's spine at the thought of Lux calling her baby, and she clarified, "Blue is fine."

"So, Blue. Where are you from?"

"Small town. You wouldn't know it."

"I might. My friend Caitlyn moved out this way, so I know a little about the territory."

Blue named a town, a random one, and instead of Lux admitting that she didn't know it, she gave a simple "Ah. I'm from Demacia. But I guess you know that."

"Yep."

Lux continued to ask questions, some personal, some just for the sake of conversation. Blue gave vague answers to the personal ones, or straight lies. Some of the conversation questions amused her: what's your favorite flower? What's your favorite color? Those questions she answered honestly, despite herself, in short bursts that Lux would respond to with either her own opinions or the occasional anecdote.

Blue was resistant to the talk at first. She never spoke to her collections, as anyone she brought in alive was often gagged with their own wild rag. Blue had heard enough pleading, cursing, and sob stories for one lifetime. Hell, she'd lived through enough of them.

But she found herself enjoying Lux's talk, just to have the consistent sound of her voice. The trail was so quiet, and Blue was used to days at a time without speaking to another person.

Then again, the idea of being so close to that $50,000 also kept her spirits high.

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An hour before sunset, they made camp in the woods, near a creek that still flowed strong with storm-water from the night before. Blue had purchased some deer jerky and hard biscuits from the last town, which they split while she heated a can of beans over a modest fire. To her credit, Lux didn't seem overly picky when it came to the food, as Blue suspected she might be. In fact, her manners quickly fell aside as she tore into the beef jerky and biscuits, then all but drank her portion of beans.

Lux let out an unladylike belch, which brought her back to her senses but made Blue chuckle. "Pardon me," Lux said, her hand splayed on her chest. "I- I haven't had much to eat the last few days."

"Eat as much as you want, kid," she said.

Lux wrinkled her nose. "Don't call me kid. We must be around the same age."

Blue shrugged, gathering up the dishes.

"Wait," Lux said, "I'll clean them. Just in the creek, right? You got soap?"

Blue cocked an eyebrow at her.

"What?" Lux asked.

"Just didn't think you were the type, ki- Lux."

Lux folded her hands in her lap, looking sheepish. "I'd like to clean myself up a little as well. That, um, bounty hunter roughed me up a bit."

Blue noticed then. Lux's blonde hair was still caked with dirt. The fabric of her fancy dress, which had at one time been blue and white, was now mud-streaked and ripped.

Even though it was the nature of the trail, Blue felt a strange sense of guilt. She was prepared to put in a little more effort to keep Lux happy, expecting her to make a stink about cleanliness and manners. But Blue had been so focused on the journey that she hadn't stopped to consider Lux's comfort, and apparently Miss Crownguard wasn't one to make a fuss. Blue found herself pleasantly surprised at her resilience.

Blue kept her face impassive though as she rose to her feet and stretched. "Fine. Let's get you some soap."

Lux followed as Blue led her to the riverbank, mirroring her as she kneeled beside a yucca plant. Blue sawed a few sharp leaves off the yucca, using a nearby rock to smash the leaves into dark green fibers. She balled the fibers up in one fist, dipped them in the creekwater, then worked the fibers into a fine green lather over her palms. "Here," she said, slapping the foamy ball into Lux's outstretched hand.

Lux squeezed the fibrous soap, lather leaking through her fingers, and a smile spread over her face. "Mighty fine," she murmured, fascinated.

Blue left her there with a curt "Don't wander off," and returned to the campsite.

While Lux washed up, Blue rifled through Sevika's saddle bags. It was the usual bounty hunter stock: territory map, spyglass, hunting knife, some cigarillos, a few crimson wild rags, and other scattered belongings. She held up a ratty copy of the Bible. "Huh. Didn't think you'd be the repenting type, Sevika." She opened the Bible to reveal a secret stash of drawings, all sketches of women in various stages of undress or completely naked. "And I was right."

She admired a few of the drawings, then took stock of the bay's saddle. Her poncho, a bedroll, and an old rifle were strapped to the back, a lasso buckled to the saddle horn in front. All that, along with the enchanted handcuffs, made for quite the haul, and Blue snickered to herself, pleased.

Blue pulled the poncho over her head and took to tinkering with the cuffs, breaking them down, replacing the outdated pieces of her own pair. She was so caught up that she didn't notice the sun set. Only when darkness began to settle around her did she jerk her head up, realizing that Lux hadn't come back.

She cursed her lack of awareness and reached in her own saddle bag for a pair of goggles. She switched them on, seeing clearly through the settling darkness, and made for the creekbank.

Lux was gone.

Panic seized Blue's heart, and she tried to keep her hands steady as she fished out the magic tracker, breathing a sigh of relief when the glowing arrow pulsed at such a rapid pace that the light was almost steady. She followed it's point further down the creek, slipping between foliage as she rounded a corner.

She caught a sliver of bare skin through the trees and froze in place.

Lux was kneeling beside the creek with her back to Blue, wearing only an underskirt, her torso bare. Her blue and white dress dried on a rock nearby, her hands glowing with a soft white light as she worked the food grime from their mugs.

She was intruding, Blue knew that, but something kept her there. Not the magic that illuminated Lux's hands, however Blue did admire the control it must take her to keep her light low like that. Not the sight of Lux's naked back either, though she'd be lying if she said the idea of that warm skin didn't send her heart racing, especially after reviewing Sevika's stash of racy photos. But what really captured her attention was the large bruise on Lux's back, in the perfect shape of Sevika's boot-print.

The bruise was only the beginning, as Blue looked further. Lux's ribs stuck out a little too starkly, various scrapes and scratches lining her arms. The fancy dress had hidden all of it, but now it was clear, written all over her body, what she had gone through in the last month.

Lux ended her song and Blue panicked, stuffing her magic tracker in her pocket as Lux glanced over her shoulder. Blue bolted back the way she had come, embarrassed. When she returned to the campsite, though, she realized that Lux might not have a way to get back, with only her glowing hands to guide her.

Before Blue could set back out, though, Lux emerged from the edge of the firelight, clean dishes in hand.

Blue cleared her throat and said gruffly, "I told you not to wander off."

Lux averted her gaze, returning the dishes to Blue's saddle bag. "I'm sorry, I ran out of soap."

"You could have gotten lost."

Instead of responding, Lux knelt by the dying fire, shivering under her dress as the cloth hadn't fully dried. "I... I don't think I could get lost. I know this sounds strange, and I'm still figuring out my powers myself, but..." She looked around the site, as if searching for something. "I feel this... pull from you. Even when I moved further down the bank, I knew where you were all along."

Blue felt the weight of the magic tracker in her pocket. Like called to like, that's how she'd designed the device: she fed fragments of magic to it, then those fragments led her to the source. None of her other mage collections had mentioned feeling a pull to the tracker, but as she mulled it over, it only stood to reason that the magic called both ways.

But of course, the kid didn't need to know that.

Blue leaned back on her bedroll, smirking. "It's alright, I tend to have that effect on women."

Lux wrinkled her nose, though Blue got the sense that her disgust was more playful than genuine. There was also something strange in her expression, a kind of curiosity, as if a silent question had been answered.

Lux took Sevika's bedroll and bedded down for the night. A breeze rustled through, lifting the damp fabric of Lux's dress and causing her to shiver.

Blue listened as the dying embers cracked, harmonizing with Lux's shuddering. She huffed to herself: when had she gone soft?

She tossed Sevika's poncho to Lux, who jerked at the surprise. Lux frowned at her, running her fingers along the fabric, a light smile on her mouth as she settled down with the poncho over her, serving as a blanket. "Oh, thank you! Goodnight, Blue."

"Goodnight. Lux."

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Deputy Caitlyn Kiramman was not a fan of bounty hunters.

She understood, of course, their necessary role in the frontier, where lawmen were few and far between, too busy protecting their settlements to pursue criminals. But she still disliked them.

She especially disliked Sevika, who had maintained an iron grip on the territory surrounding the Lanes. Sevika was the epitome of a frontier bounty hunter, all rough and coarse and violent. However, though Caitlyn disliked her callous grunts and bruised collections, she did have to admit that she was capable and effective in her work, and kept the Lanes free of criminals.

So when she heard that Sevika had arrived at local saloon horseless, bountyless, and without her belongings, Caitlyn burned with curiosity.

Rather than approach Sevika herself, however, she let her partner, Vi, handle the talking.

While Caitlyn took on the deputy role with a grim severity, Vi's approach to sheriff-hood was much more... easygoing. She chose to connect with the members of their small town, particularly those that were troubled, in an effort to provide community and companionship.

And Sevika certainly fit the bill that day.

Vi returned from the saloon several hours later than expected, swaying slightly: Caitlyn wondered how many whiskey glasses it took to get Sevika to open up.

Despite her loose demeanor, Vi's face was gloomy, and she slumped in the sheriff's chair opposite Caitlyn.

"Well?" Caitlyn asked. "What happened to her?"

Vi answered with only two simple words, but they coiled like a rattler in the pit of Caitlyn's stomach. "Blue's back."

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

Gestation 1.2 Live Reactions

(This is me, writing reactions as I read, because why the fuck not. They're not complete, mature thoughts taken after I sit back and evaluate what I've read. Consider them as such)

My thoughts were on Emma on the bus ride home.  For an outside observer, I think it’s easy to trivialize the importance of a ‘best friend’, but when you’re a kid, there’s nobody more important. 

Yeah, that definitely feels like it hits/rings true for me.

Of course, what's weird about this phrasing here, are the 'when you're a kid' and 'for an outside observer' bits. Like, that's more self-aware than I think Taylor should be, and the latter part especially feels like something someone reflecting back on these events years later would say, rather than what someone in the moment would think?

But maybe that's just Taylor's voice.

A friendship that deep is intimate.  Not in the rude way, but just in terms of a no-holds-barred sharing of every vulnerability and weakness.

"Not in the rude way"? I'm... I mean, contextually I think I guess this means like 'not in a sexually intimate' way, I guess, with the use of that phrasing, but that's got to be the weirdest way to put it I've seen, nor did it seem altogether necessary. I don't think anyone would have assumed it was meant that way. I certainly wouldn't have, but it's not like it ruins the work.

That notebook was – had been – my notes and journal for my hero career.  The testing and training I’d done with my powers, pages of crossed out name ideas, even the measurements I was using for my costume in progress.  After Emma, Madison and Sophia had stolen my last backpack and stuffed it in a wastebasket, I had realized how big a danger it was to have everything written down like that.  I had copied everything over into a new notebook in a simple cipher and wrote it bottom to top.  Now that notebook was spoiled, and I was looking at having to copy some two hundred pages of detailed writing into a new notebook if I wanted to preserve the information.  If I could even remember what was on all of the ruined pages.

And so the history of the wormverse turns. Without this, without the kickstarting element, and having that kickstarting element destroy so many of her notes and ideas... she doesn't go out half-cocked like she does. Doesn't face Lung, doesn't meet the Undersiders... and so the wormverse turns.

Many worm fics, especially Altpower fics, do indeed start with the Locker, or even whatever the alternate trigger is, or somewhere similar, and that is understandable, but it also makes a great deal of sense for Wildbow to start here. Three months between the locker and Taylor actually doing anything would have been very dull to read, even if much of it was skipped over. And having Taylor immediately go a-heroing as soon as she was recovered (as much as one can be) from the Locker would have been indicating a very different sort of personality for Taylor. Taylor did got get the most immediately useful power - and she's already probably a pretty thoughtful person, based on what I indirectly know of her.

So it's another key establishing character element for her. I can certainly see why - if every character is established so well - so many of Worm's cast burrows themselves into various people's minds and won't let go. I can see why Worm would have grabbed readers once they started, with all these well-placed hints and details.

Okay, so it had been harder than that.  Not just any spider worked, and the black widow spiders themselves were hard to find.  They weren’t typically found in the northeastern states, where it was generally colder, but I was fortunate that that key element that made Brockton Bay a tourist destination and a hotspot for capes also made it a place where black widow spiders could live, if not thrive.  Namely, it was warm.  Thanks to the surrounding geography and the ocean bordering us on the east, Brockton Bay had some of the mildest winters you could find in the Northeastern States, and some of the most comfortably warm summers.  Both the black widows and the people running around in skintight costumes were thankful for that.

Which came first? Brockton Bay being unusually warm for it's location and thus black widows? Or black widows and this Brockton Bay being unusually warm for it's location?

With my power, I had ensured the spiders could multiply.  I’d kept them in safe locations and fattened them on prey I directed straight to them.  I had flipped that mental switch that told them to breed and lay eggs as if it was summer, fed more prey to the hundreds of young that had resulted and had earned countless costume spinners for my trouble. 

Honestly, this is a reason shard-granted powers are pure bullshit (affectionate), because sweet jesus, this level of control over the bugs, which should have minds humans can't understand? That should not be so simple, and yet.

Yeah, I needed a life.

Yet another cornerstone of a stable timeline. Taylor not having a fucking life.

It wasn’t a great looking costume, just yet.  The fabric was a dirty yellow-gray.  The armored sections had been made out of finely arranged and layered shells and exoskeletons I’d cannibalized from the local insect population and then reinforced with dragline silk.  In the end, the armored parts had wound up dark mottled brown-gray.  I was okay with that.  When the entire thing was done, I planned to dye the fabric and paint the armor.

Knowing what Taylor will be experiencing shortly, it's kind of surprising she didn't realize how villainous her costume looked, but I do suppose I can understand a combination of a desperation to be a hero and being too close to it, and probably just... not wanting to think of it, etc, was a factor.

Also, and like - I've seen lots of very clear dates for various events, where do those come from? It's not in the text, is that something Wildbow provided later? did people run the numbers using the existing dates and just hope they weren't missing anything?