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world-of-fire-and-flight · 2 years ago

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Hello it is I, still awake at an ungodly hour- wait the sun’s rising—

ANYWAY! I was thinking of hero getting swamped with so much stuff that they kind of just shut down and haven’t processed a lot of things. The only who notices is villain, and instead of taking advantage of that like they should (they really should have-) they help them in a somewhat subtly way?

I am gonna attempt to sleep now :D -SleepyAnon

Frenemies

A/N: I felt this prompt on a spiritual level because I’m working on A LOT of stuff atm to get ready for the holidays and uh yeah…Sorry not sorry for how self-indulgent this may turn out 😊

Warnings: stress, burn out/over exhaustion

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Hero slumped in their uncomfortable desk chair, eyeing the endless stack of papers ruefully. The ache in their shoulder had grown to a constant shock of pain that traveled all the way up their neck and into their shoulder blade now. Twisting this way and that, they tried to loosen the stiffness in their body.

Their lips pursed, screwing their face up in discomfort.

They were never going to finish going through this pile of paperwork for the case, they were never going to finish writing their backlog of reports, and they most certainly were never going to finish their biology assignment before tomorrow night’s class.

Hot tears pricked Hero’s eyes. Groaning in frustration, Hero doubled over their desk and rested their head in their hands. Taking a deep breath and then another, Hero dragged their hands over their face and scrubbed their cheeks as if that simple gesture could wash away the dullness of their eyes from months of being over exhausted or—

Hero flinched, nearly falling out of their chair. Turning around sharply, Hero stumbled over themselves trying to get out of the chair and face the window.

Tap, tap, tap.

Hero rolled their eyes. Villain’s tapping grew impatient. Taptaptap.

Strolling across the room, Hero opened the window and crossed their arms, not allowing the hovering criminal to enter their dorm.

“What do you want?” Hero grumbled, glaring at their nemesis.

“Come with me,” Villain said, offering them a hand.

“Why?” Hero hissed, “So you can abandon me in the middle of nowhere so I’ll miss the test tomorrow and not only fail, but also so I can’t foil whatever your newest scheme is?”

Villain pouted. “Do you honestly believe I’d do something like that?”

Hero arched their brow.

“Okay, maybe I’d do something to delay you, but not in relation to school!” Villain quickly explained. “I’d never do something that evil. This shit’s too expensive to be pulling pranks like that. If anything, I’d kidnap you after the test. But this isn’t a kidnapping…although I guess it could be?”

Hero clicked their tongue. Reaching to close the window, they said, “Well while you figure out which it is, I’ll be getting my work done. Now if you’ll excuse me—”

They barely got the window closed an inch or two before Villain was grasping the bottom of the frame and yanking it back up. Staring back at Hero, they held the window open.

“When was the last time you had a break?” Villain asked.

“Right now, actually,” Hero lied, “So if you could just leave me alone, that’d be great.”

Villain’s eyes shifted to the room over Hero’s shoulder. Furrowing their brow, they opened their mouth to say something, but Hero took a step closer to the window and shoved them hard.

Slamming the window shut, Hero quickly latched it. Villain began their furious tapping, shouting at Hero to open up again, but Hero simply smiled. Waving at them, Hero pulled down the curtain and turned away.

One day, they vowed, they’d figure out which of their classmates was behind their nemesis’ mask. One day, but not today, they sighed as they wearily eyed the heaps of paper on their desk once more.

The warm scent of aged paper and ink hugged Hero’s senses. Surveying the library, Hero hoped to find a desk somewhere hidden amongst the stacks—preferably alone so they wouldn’t have to deal with human interaction but mostly so they could concentrate on studying for their midterms.

Weaving a path through the shelves, Hero ran a gentle finger over the spines. They didn’t know why they did, only that they couldn’t help it. The smooth textures, the occasional softness of a leather spine. It was about the only thing they’d smiled about in weeks.

It wasn’t that good things hadn’t happened to them in that time…it was just that they hadn’t gotten to enjoy what good did happen to them. Between their classwork, their extracurriculars, and their heroism, they barely had time to sleep let alone study, eat regular meals, or indulge in themselves.

Hero shook their head. They could focus on themselves after midterms. Once winter break rolled around, they could take a day or two to regroup and be selfish. But then they’d have to start their term papers and finish those reports their supervisor was looking for.

They were threatening disciplinary action now. Hero swallowed at the all-too-fresh memory. If they lost this job…they’d lose their scholarship and if they lost their scholarship…

Hero didn’t dare let that thought breathe. If they did, they’d have to face the reality of breaking down in the middle of the very public library.

They hadn’t realized how many people went to this school. Sure, they’d passed some of the regulars that seemed to be permanent fixtures of the library, but nearly all the study alcoves were taken up by people Hero had never seen on this campus before.

Worrying their bottom lip, they climbed the stairs. They prayed they’d find a table for themselves, alone and secluded from the common areas of the library.

Passing another table with a pair of students, Hero wondered if they should just give up and go back to their dorm. Turning down another aisle, Hero’s eyes lit up.

Nearly sparkling in the flickering florescent lighting, an empty table waited for them. Hurrying toward it as if there were someone waiting to steal it from them, Hero grabbed the chair like a life preserver and pulled it out. Unloading their backpack onto the wooden surface, Hero sat down on the hard chair and prepared themselves for hours of studying.

Sliding their laptop from their bag, Hero’s attention was drawn to someone sliding into the chair across from them.

“Uh, hi,” the person whispered. “I’m sorry, there just aren’t any other tables, and believe me I looked. Do you mind—cause I’ll leave if you…”

Hero offered a sympathetic nod. “No, it’s fine. You’re [Name], right?”

“Ah, so you’ve noticed me,” they smiled shyly. They pulled their laptop from a beat-up messenger bag but made no move to switch it on. “Maybe we could study together? Get to know each other a little?”

“Like you need help studying,” Hero laughed. [Name] was the best student in their biology class. And every one knew it too. Professor practically put [Name] on a pedestal, often looking to them in exasperation when someone answered a question incorrectly. Their reputation for playing favorites was one of the many reasons why Professor was a widely hated faculty member on campus.

Now if only Hero had known that when they’d elected to take biology. If they had, they would’ve taken chemistry instead despite being awful at chemical equations.

Chuckling, [Name] said, “That may be true for biology, but I’m hopeless when it comes to history. Why are they all named Henry? Or Louis? How am I supposed to remember the Sun King versus the dude who created the concept of divorce for his own gain?”

“Well, for one,” Hero laughed, “they’re from two totally different countries, and secondly I doubt [History Professor] will make all the choices Henry. That’s more of Professor’s style, if they even gave multiple-choice questions.”

Thoughtfully, [Name] admitted, “That’s true, but I’m still hopeless. So how about a proposal, I’ll help you study for biology, and maybe you could help me with history? Think about, we’ll both benefit from teaching the other what we know because it’s still going over the material and on the studying front, we’d be learning from the better student.”

Hero narrowed their eyes at them. Why did that sound like something Villain would say? Scanning [Name’s] face for any sign that they might be able to recognize them as Villain was utterly hopeless. Hero couldn’t picture Villain without their mask and they couldn’t picture [Name] with a mask on.

“All right,” they begrudgingly agreed, “it’s a deal.”

[Name] grinned at them. “Great! Then where do you want to start? Biology?”

“Sure.” Hero nodded.

And so began hours of pounding biology notes into their head and trying to help [Name] keep the European nobility from blurring together in their mind.

Hero had to admit that it wasn’t all bad. [Name] had made them laugh more times than they could possibly count. To top it all off, Hero could finally remember the phases of evolution. It wasn’t until the chime went off over the library’s P.A. system to signal it’s closing that they realized how much time had passed.

“Well…it looks like the dining hall’s probably closed by now too,” [Name] said, packing up their stuff. “Do you wanna, maybe, get something to eat? With me?”

Hero froze, their joints stiffening. “Uh…I, um—”

“It’s okay,” [Name] nodded, humming. “I get it if you’re busy. I mean it wouldn’t be midterms week if you weren’t.”

The piles of paperwork sitting on their desk flashed before their mind. Uncertainty wove through their gut, drowned out by the frustration simmering in their chest. “Do you know what? I would love to. I haven’t taken a break in ages thanks to all my…my studying.”

Hero’s heart furiously beat against their chest. They prayed that [Name] hadn’t noticed their near slip-up, but from the smile that had overtaken their face, Hero didn’t think they had.

“Great! I know just the place,” they said, hauling their bag over their shoulder. “And, if it would make you feel better and like you’re doing something still, we could always go over more of our notes.”

“We could,” Hero said slyly, “or…you could tell me about your next scheme?”

[Name] whipped their head around to face them. Stricken, their mouth opened and closed before they seemed to regain their senses. “H-how? How did you know?”

“I didn’t,” Hero admitted, glancing down at their feet. “But you and I have never spoken and then you seemed to know how busy I’ve been and you’ve said some things in such a way that only Villain could say and—you just admitted it!”

Glaring at them accusingly now, Hero watched as Villain’s face split into that same easy grin that they’d flashed them earlier.

“So does that mean we’re not going to dinner anymore?”

“Oh no,” Hero said, “I’m starved. You’re taking me to dinner and we’re going to finish studying and then you’re going to tell me about your next scheme so I can get ahead of the paperwork.”

Villain laughed, hooking an arm around their neck and letting their hand dangle over their shoulder, leading them out of the library. “You stress too much, dear Hero. Don’t you know it’s the holidays? I’m taking a vacation until after the next term begins.”

Hero rolled their eyes. They grumbled, “I’m so glad to hear it. Gives me plenty of time to finish my paperwork from this term.”

But hey, at least they’d gotten their studying done, right? Side note: It’s only been a few years since I’ve taken biology and I cannot, for the life of me, remember anything I learned in that class

#heroes and villains #hero x villain #my writing #writeblr #request fill #SleepyAnon #I LOVED THIS PROMPT SO MUCH!#i mean they're all good but this one hit me #also the one you sent me this morning? yesterday? idk the one about celestial beings is A+ like god-tier prompt #i'm excited about that one lol #no idea what i'm gonna do with it yet but i love it!!

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ddagent · 5 years ago

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If you could write more of phone sex operator Jaime, I would be every so grateful! I love the filthy things coming out of that man's mouth!

I don’t know what it is, Anon. Maybe it’s the cold. But I’m in an absolute filthy mood atm, so bring on the smut!

It was a Monday night, and work was slow. After a busy weekend where the lonely and horny called and called, Jaime hadn’t fucked someone with his words all night. Not wanting to get involved in a boxset lest a late call came in, he’d found a ripe orange and was tossing it up in the air. Up, down. Up, down. His phone bleeped. Text from Tyrion. Up, down. Up, down. His phone vibrated.

Well, hello. “This is Jaime. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with tonight?”

There was a giggle on the other end of the line. His stomach fell as he considered whether this was a prank call, and then: “You always say that every time I call.”

“Brienne.” His first-timer who now called once every two weeks. Usually on a Friday night. He grabbed the handset and settled in against the pillows. “You don’t usually call on a Monday.”

Another uncharacteristic giggle. “I’m at a conference. For…work.”

Ah. When there was a kitchenware convention in Storm’s End three weeks ago, Jaime had been swamped. “Are you in a hotel room, Brienne? Are you lonely?”

He pictured her biting her bottom lip. “Yes. I had a few glasses of wine at the bar and I just…I didn’t want to take anyone upstairs. I just wanted to hear you. I want you to talk me off, Jaime”

So far he enjoyed tipsy Brienne. She was a lot more forthright and gave him less shit. Not that he minded the banter. Made him half hard most of the time. He brushed the front of his boxer shorts; the material starting to tent. “What are you wearing, Brienne?”

“Nothing.”

He faltered. He’d had Brienne call him in pyjamas; in knickers and a t-shirt. She’d called him when she’d finished a long day at work and she’d called him after a long soak in the tub. But she never started the call naked. Jaime groaned and felt his cock stiffen even further. He pictured her long limbs spread out on the hotel sheets. Fuck.

“Brienne…” he said, his voice hoarser than it should be considering he was a professional, dammit. “What type of bed are you on? King, double?”

“Single. We–we didn’t have a lot of funding. Are you going to fuck me now, Jaime?”

“Yes.” His mind started creating a scenario for them to play. He tossed his t-shirt over his head whilst he finished working out the last details. “Brienne, does your bed have a hard frame around the mattress?” It did. “Good. Now, Sweetling, I need you to put your feet on that frame. Spread those legs wide for me, okay? Don’t touch yourself yet. Can you do that for me, Blue Eyes?”

A few shaky breaths echoed down the line. “Good. Good girl. I want you to close your eyes and listen to my voice. We met downstairs, you and I. You were alone at the bar; I saw you and wanted you. We talked; we flirted. It’s not important. What’s important is that you gave me your room key, Brienne.”

“That’s rather forward of me.”

“Not as much as me coming into your room to find you spread out like a buffet. Your legs wide open; your cunt dripping. I can smell you as soon as I come in the door, Brienne. I start taking off my clothes.”

She moaned. “Touch me.”

“So demanding.” Jaime took out his cock and stroked his length. He let out a deep sigh. “I want you to play with your breasts, Brienne. Roll your nipples between your thumbs and forefingers. Pull them; twist them until they’re aching. Are you doing that for me, Blue Eyes?”

“I am.” On the other end of the line, Brienne let out a series of stuttered moans. “Jaime, I want you to touch yourself for me.”

The hand on his cock stilled. “Brienne—”

“I’m touching myself for you; you should—” She groaned. “Cradle your balls. Run your thumb along the underside of your cock. Just—”

“—get myself off to the show in front of me.” It was all part of the scenario. Brienne’s mysterious one night stand building the tension as he grasped his cock and fucked himself to the sight of the goddess touching her breasts. “I want you to wet your finger, Brienne. Suck it between those pink lips of yours. Now circle your nipple.”

“Stroke yourself.”

“Oh, baby, I am.” He pumped his shaft; hand fisting the bedsheets. It was just part of the scenario, but fuck it felt good to be told what to do. “Do you want me to come on you, Brienne? Is that what you want? Or do you want me to fuck you? That cunt of yours is so wet, Brienne. So wet and you haven’t even touched yourself there yet. Do you think I could get you off with just my voice and your hands on your breasts? Do you think I could make you come without touching that pink, wet cunt of yours?”

“Jaime.”

“Another time, maybe.” He picked up the pace on his own cock; calloused hand sliding up the length. He was close. So fucking close. “Keep those legs spread for me, Brienne. Fuck yourself with two of your fingers—don’t worry about starting with one; you’re wet enough to take them. Imagine it’s my cock, Brienne. Fucking you deep; fucking you hard.”

“Oh. Oh!”

“Come for me, Brienne. Scream that entire hotel down; let them know how good I’m fucking you.”

Oh, his Brienne was a screamer alright. The noises she made as she came – and Jaime picturing a long-limbed goddess writhing atop cool sheets – brought on his own orgasm. He spilled into his hand; his own cries coming through the line. He said her name in broken syllables as the waves of pleasure rushed through him.

Spent, he sagged back against his mattress. The other end of the line was silent, and then: “I really like the way you make me feel, Jaime.”

“I like making you feel good, too.”

Neither was talking about the orgasms.

#braime #jaime x brienne #mine: paragraph prompts #ship: braime #anonymous #fic: phone sex operator verse

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silverlightqueen · 6 years ago

Text

Ruin My Life - Part 3

RML masterlist

(fratboy!Jimin) - so much fluff (!!!) smut, angst to come

Summary - Fuckboy Jimin being a soft and fluffy little shit, while him and Y/N get kinda roasted/interrogated by the rest of the gang ft. Kookie being an annoying third wheel and Joonie being a real one 🤷🏽‍♀️

Word Count - 9.4k+

Warnings - not as smutty as part 1 and 2, shower sex, talk of pregnancy, that’s it I think

a/n: so here’s part 3!!! I really wanted to make this a lil fluffier and I think I mighta went a bit overboard lmao. Also this isn’t very thoroughly edited so there’s prolly some mistakes lol. Sorry that this is later than expected, I've been super swamped with school stuff atm, you guys know how it is, especially when you’re a lead in the upcoming school musical (fml) and a-levels are a huge stress (fml x2) not to mention my frequent panic attacks (fml x3!), so i’m super sorry for the long wait! Hope you all enjoy, and please message me, it makes my day!💕

Also check out my other work, all linked in masterlist!💕

silverlightqueen masterlist

‘Hey, guys,’ I say as I enter the kitchen, taking a seat at the breakfast bar with a yawn. When I woke up, five minutes ago, the bed was empty and Jimin was nowhere to be seen. I went for a quick wee, washed my face, put on some of Jimin’s socks and my bra from last night underneath Jimin’s hoodie, and then headed downstairs, surprised to find the house tidy and intact. I look up now, six pairs of eyes on me. Jin is stood at the cooker, making pancakes, and the other boys are sat around the island. ‘Um, good afternoon, y/n. I wasn’t aware you’d spent the night,’ Namjoon says, speaking for the group. ‘Yeah, I slept in Jimin’s room,’ I reply. ‘With Jimin?’ Jin asks with a raised eyebrow, and I shrug. ‘I fell asleep with an empty bed and woke up with an empty bed, so he might’ve slept with me, I don’t know,’ I reply truthfully. ‘Yeah, he’s gone out,’ Yoongi says, seemingly unfazed, going back to his food. ‘Where?’ I ask, and they all shrug. ‘He just said he’d be back soon. He’s been gone, like, twenty minutes,’ Jungkook says, blushing slightly when I meet his eyes. ‘I’ll call him if he’s not back in the next half an hour,’ I say, not worried because I know he’s a busy guy. ‘I hope you don’t mind me asking, y/n, but, um, is there a particular reason you spent the night?’ Taehyung asks, all of the boys a lot more chill and mellow with me compared to in the library and at the party last night. ‘Yeah, there is,’ I say with a note of finality, not saying anything else. ‘Another question; is there a particular reason I saw Jungkook leaving Jimin’s room last night?’ Hoseok asks, directing the question at both parties. Our eyes meet, and he shrugs, leaving the answer up to me. ‘Yes, there is,’ I say again, and small smiles appear on all of their faces.

‘Okay, you might all be respecting their privacy, but I sure as hell am not going to. Are you and Jimin like… you know?’ Jin asks, and I sigh. ‘We’re not dating, if that’s what you’re asking,’ I say, and they all look at me expectantly, waiting for the rest of the answer. ‘When I broke up with Eunwoo, me and Jimin used to… hook up, regularly. Pretty much every other day for a good few months. But then we stopped and didn’t speak for, like, two years. But on Thursday, after the events of the library, he came over that night. And invited me to the party the next morning, so I came, and then I stayed the night,’ I explain. ‘How did he manage to keep that from us?’ Hobi asks. ‘More importantly, why did he keep that from us?’ Tae asks, all of the boys shrugging. ‘I can answer that one,’ I say. ‘Let me guess. You didn’t want anyone to know?’ Jungkook asks. ‘Actually, no. It was Jimin that didn’t want anyone to know,’ I say, and they all look at me incredulously. ‘Seriously?’ Yoongi asks me, and I nod. ‘He has a reputation for one-night stands, nothing more. He didn’t want anyone to know that me and him were a regular thing,’ I say. ‘What a dick,’ Namjoon chuckles, shaking his head. ‘So what’s Kook got to do with this?’ Jin asks. ‘Nothing. Jimin just invited me,’ Jungkook says smugly. ‘No fair,’ Tae whines, and I roll my eyes. ‘Do you want something to eat, y/n?’ Jin asks, and I shake my head. ‘I’m taking that as a yes,’ he says, putting a plate of pancakes in front me, strawberries, golden syrup, whipped cream and all. I sigh, beginning to eat it, and they’re even better than the ones Jimin made me. ‘Thank you,’ I say, and Jin smiles at me.

‘Are you and Jimin gonna continue hooking up or…?’ Hobi asks. ‘Why, so you can take his place if not?’ Yoongi asks dryly, all of us laughing. ‘I don’t know. I don’t think so,’ I say, knowing that I’ll need to break it off if I don’t want to catch feelings again. ‘Why not?’ Tae asks, head tilted endearingly, and I sigh. ‘I don’t know. It’s just… not sustainable, right? I can’t go on like that with him. We’re not in any kind of relationship, we have no commitment to each other. It’s just weird,’ I say. ‘Not really. You’re friends with benefits. That’s like the best relationship a guy can have. No strings attached,’ Hobi says. ‘It’s not the kind of relationship I want though. I want to settle down, find a boyfriend. I’m graduating soon and then I’ll be working. It’s the perfect time to date someone,’ I say, and Namjoon laughs. ‘y/n, boyfriends aren’t part of schedules. You can’t put a boyfriend in a future plan. The right boy for you will come along completely unexpectedly, because that’s how life works,’ he says. ‘Yeah, and that right boy isn’t Jimin,’ I say. ‘Why not?’ Yoongi asks, looking at me thoughtfully. ‘He doesn’t date, you should all know that as well as I do. He wouldn’t ever want to settle down,’ I say. ‘Yeah, but is that the only reason?’ Jin asks. ‘Well, no. I just don’t really like him like that. He’s attractive, don’t get me wrong, and he has good dick, but other than that, I’m not into him,’ I lie through my teeth, Yoongi’s eyes narrowed at me. ‘Fair enough,’ Hobi shrugs, buying it, as do Jin, Jungkook and Namjoon, though Tae and Yoongi eye me suspiciously.

Jimin walks in then, stopping short when he sees me. ‘Hey, y/n,’ he says guardedly, frozen in the doorway, a chemist’s bag in his hand. ‘Hey, Jimin,’ I reply, the boys watching us amusedly. ‘What’s that, Chim?’ Yoongi asks, eyes trained on the bag in his hand. ‘Just some painkillers, for my migraine,’ Jimin says instantly, and I know he’s lying. But again, Namjoon, Jin, Jungkook and Hobi buy it. ‘Let’s see,’ Tae says, obviously not believing it. ‘I…’ Jimin trails off, and Yoongi grabs the bag out of his hand, pulling out a box of morning after pills with an amused smile. ‘I’m guessing these are for you, y/n,’ Yoongi says, putting the box back in the bag and sliding it across the counter. I pick it up, trying not to laugh when I see loads of pregnancy tests in there too. Hobi leans over my shoulder, trying to see what it is, before he gasps. ‘You didn’t even use a condom?’ he exclaims, and Jimin shushes him, clapping a hand over his mouth. ‘Shut up, hyung! I don’t want the whole frat to think I don’t wrap it before I tap it,’ he says, the cringey phrase making me roll my eyes. ‘Why then?’ Tae asks. ‘The condom broke,’ I say. ‘Whose condom?’ Yoongi asks, and I sigh, my hopes that no one would ask shattered. ‘Pardon?’ Jimin asks, obviously confused. ‘Whose condom broke? Yours or Kook’s?’ he asks, the other boys only just realising. When we stay silent, they all gasp. ‘Oh, my god! So y/n could end up pregnant with Jimin’s baby, or Kook’s baby!’ Jin exclaims. ‘Jin! Shut up!’ I nearly scream, and he claps a hand over his mouth. ‘Sorry,’ he says, and I shake my head despairingly. ‘Come on, y/n,’ Jimin sighs, ‘come up to my room.’ ‘Really, Chim? Gonna try to beat after all of that?’ Jungkook teases as I get up from my seat, taking my plate and the pills with me. ‘Yeah, don’t get jealous,’ Jimin replies, taking the pills from me and holding my empty hand, leading me out of the room. ‘You have bruises on your knees, y/n!’ Tae calls after me, and I try not to laugh, looking down to see said bruises on my exposed knees. We go up to his room, passing a couple freshmen on the way who eye me wordlessly, probably wondering why their playboy hyung is wandering around the frat with a hungover messy-haired girl wearing nothing but a hoodie that reaches half way down her thighs and a pair of way-too-big socks.

‘You told the boys, princess?’ Jimin asks me as he shuts his bedroom door behind us. ‘Hmm, I couldn’t really lie, could I?’ I ask, and he nods, sprawling out across his bed. He looks so attractively adorable, dressed in a pair of slim fit black sweatpants and a loose-fitting grey jumper, white socks on his feet and his wavy hair parted, exposing his forehead. He pats the space beside him in the bed, and I sit down, crossing my legs and facing him. I rest my plate on his stomach, both of us breaking off pieces of the pancakes, dipping them in golden syrup and whipped cream before topping each piece off with a strawberry, eating it all in one bite. ‘What did they say?’ he asks. ‘They were just surprised that you’d kept it from them, and they asked if we were gonna carry on as we are,’ I say. ‘What did you say?’ he asks, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘I said I don’t know,’ I reply, and he narrows his eyes at me. ‘Why?’ ‘Because it’s the truth. Because I’m at a stage in my life where I want a boyfriend, where I want to settle down, and you don’t,’ I say. ‘No, I don’t want a boyfriend,’ he teases. ‘Don’t lie to me, I saw the way you were looking at Kook,’ I joke, and he chuckles. ‘It’s a shame, Y/N. You’re the best I’ve ever had, princess,’ he says, looking up at me. ‘And you for me,’ I reply, and he grins widely, making me roll my eyes. We fall into a comfortable silence, finishing the pancakes, and it’s only when he’s putting the plate on his bedside table that I speak.

‘What will you do if I’m pregnant?’ I ask, and he nearly chokes, coughing with surprise. ‘That reminds me,’ he says, pushing water and the pills into my hands. I roll my eyes, taking a pill, his eyes on me the entire time. ‘So?’ I ask. ‘What?’ he replies, confused. ‘What will you do if I’m pregnant?’ I repeat. ‘Oh. Well, I don’t know. Depends what you want me to do,’ he replies, and I roll my eyes. ‘Don’t try to tell me what I want to hear. I want the truth,’ I press on, and he sighs. ‘If you wanted an abortion, I’d come with you to get it. If you wanted to give the baby up for adoption, I’d help you through the pregnancy and then find suitable parents for our kid. If you wanted to keep the baby but didn’t want me in its life, then I’d pay child support and leave you alone. If you wanted to keep the baby and want me in its life, then I’d be the best dad to ever walk the earth,’ he says confidently, his words warming my heart. ‘Yeah, right. What makes you think that?’ I joke, and he gasps, clutching his heart. ‘I’d be fantastic. I’d take it to and from school, I’d make its lunches, I’d take it to any karate or dance classes or anything like that, I’d always be doing fun day trips, I’d sleep in its room when it has a nightmare, I’d make sure we go on family holidays and day trips and stuff so it can spend time with its mum and dad at the same time. I’d be a great dad,’ he says. ‘Okay, a) you need to stop calling our hypothetical child ‘it’, that’s terrible. And b) would you really do all of that?’ I ask, my heart melting, and he grins up at me, running a hand through his hair. ‘Of course, princess. If you wanted me to,’ he says. ‘Of course, I’d want you to. I wouldn’t want our kid growing up with only one parent when they could have two,’ I say. ‘Would you want a boy or a girl?’ he asks, and I think about that for a moment. ‘I don’t mind, really. I think I’d prefer a boy first, but I’d be happy with either. As long as they become my best friend,’ I say. ‘Hell no. Our kid’s gonna be a daddy’s girl or boy,’ he says, and I scowl. ‘No! I’m the one that has to carry our kid for nine months, so they’re gonna be a momma’s girl or boy,’ I say, and he frowns at me. ‘Okay, fine, we can be equal,’ he says, and I nod, conceding.

‘What about names?’ I ask. ‘Park Aro for a girl, Park Taemin for a boy,’ he says, and I gasp. ‘What about my surname? Why Park?’ I ask. ‘It can be hyphenated if you want,’ he gives in, and I shake my head, ‘No, Park’s better than my surname anyway.’ He shakes his head at me, trying not to laugh. ‘What about you? What names do you like?’ he asks. ‘Park Hiroo or Park Kai for a boy, and Park Jisoo or Park Mila for a girl,’ I say. ‘Park Kai? That sounds so dumb,’ he says, and I pout, ‘I like Kai.’ ‘No way, we’re not calling our son Park Kai.’ ‘Well, I’m not accepting Park Aro either.’ ‘Good thing I like your girls’ names,’ he says, and I grin. ‘I like Taemin as well,’ I admit, and he laughs. ‘So our kids are gonna be called Park Taemin, Park Jisoo and Park Mila?’ he says, and I nod. ‘Shouldn’t we have another boy to even up the numbers?’ I suggest. ‘Yeah, I guess. We could call him Park Jimin Jr,’ he suggests. ‘Hell no. We’re not calling our kid Jimin Jr. Are you insane?’ I say, and he laughs. ‘What then?’ he asks, both of us falling into a thoughtful silence. ‘What about Minjoon?’ I suggest. ‘Park Minjoon? Yeah, that sounds good,’ he says, agreeing. ‘So, Park Taemin, Park Jisoo, Park Minjoon and Park Mila?’ I say, and he nods.

‘Aww, our little family is so cute already, princess,’ he says, and I laugh. ‘They’ll get the cute genes from you,’ I say, and he raises an eyebrow. ‘You’re cuter than me,’ he says, and I give him a ‘really’ look. ‘You are! Look at you right now! The cutest girl in the world. Wearing my hoodie with your curled hair and your fresh face. You’re adorable,’ he says, and I try not to blush. ‘Shut up, Park, you know you’re the adorable one. Your eye smile is the cutest thing known to man and that’s a fact, end of. I hope our kids inherit your eye smile,’ I say, and he shakes his head. ‘It’s a safety risk. You’re so funny that they’ll always be laughing so they won’t be able to see where they’re going and they’ll get injured,’ he says, and I try not to laugh. ‘Well, you’re so caring so you’ll always be on hand to cheer them up and look after them after they do,’ I say, and he laughs. ‘Well, you’re so clever so you’ll know exactly how to treat their wounds. I hope they get your clever genes,’ he says, both of us trying to one up each other, and I scoff. ‘You mean your clever genes, Mr. Class-President-For-Nine-Years-Straight,’ I say, and he bursts out laughing. ‘I hope they inherit your sass. They’ll keep everyone entertained. The boys will love our kids,’ he says thoughtfully. ‘The boys aren’t going anywhere near our kids. Bad influences. I don’t want our kids being able to do keg stands before they can even walk,’ I say, both of us laughing now.

‘Imagine our kids running around the frat,’ he says, and my eyes widen. ‘No way! Imagine the germs,’ I laugh. ‘Joon would adore Taemin, because he’s so gonna be the clever one. Hobi would dote on Jisoo, because her sass will keep him on his toes. Kook and Minjoon are gonna be the worst duo ever, because Minjoon’s gonna be so mischievous and naughty. Yoongi will absolutely adore Mila because she’s the cute little baby of the family and Yoongi’s just soft. Jin’s gonna try and teach them all life lessons but just end up teaching them how to end someone’s life with a few disses, and Tae and Mija are gonna be the cool aunt and uncle that’ll buy them whatever they want whenever they want it,’ Jimin says, his soothingly smooth voice spinning an entire fantasy world for me to live in. And then we both seem to realise what we’re doing, falling silent, eyes trained on each other. Jimin moves so he’s lying between my legs, my upper back against the headboard, his chin resting on my stomach. ‘Can you actually imagine if our baby starts to develop and grow in here?’ he murmurs gently, his hands on my stomach. ‘We’d make great co-parents, as long as you don’t have loads of girls over all the time,’ I reply, and he laughs gently. ‘If we were co-parents, I wouldn’t have time for girls. You’d be the only girl in my life,’ he says, and I smile softly. ‘And our maybe-daughter,’ I say. ‘It might be Kook’s, though,’ he says, and I sigh. ‘If I did end up pregnant, I’d want it to be yours,’ I admit. ‘Well, even if it was Kook’s, I don’t think he’d want to father it, so I’d step in,’ he says, and my mouth drops open. ‘You’d father mine and Kook’s kid if he didn’t want to?’ I ask, and he shrugs with a small smile. ‘I guess. It’s easy for me to say, but it’s all hypothetical, isn’t it? Neither of us actually believe you’re gonna get pregnant, and I think things would be a lot different than we’ve planned if you did, right?’ he says, and I nod in agreement, knowing it won’t be as simple as we’ve made it sound.

‘All this baby talk has actually given me baby fever,’ I say, and he laughs, his chin still resting on my stomach. ‘God, imagine if you actually did end up pregnant, princess,’ he says again, hands resting on my stomach. ‘It’d be insane. I don’t know if I’d keep it,’ I say honestly, not sure if I’m ready to provide for a kid. ‘Well, I’ll support you no matter what decision you make, you know that, right?’ he says, looking down at my stomach, and I nod, running my hands through his hair, letting the silky locks slip between my fingers. ‘We’d make a great parental unit. Can you just imagine it? Us two as a mum and dad? We’d be great,’ he says softly. ‘Yeah, but we won’t be together. We’ll just be co-parents,’ I say gently. ‘You know what we’re like, though. We end up behaving like we’re in a relationship every time we’re together anyway. I bet our kid would just think we’re together,’ he says, and I laugh, a small smile on his face as I play with his locks. ‘Are you gonna keep taking the pill now?’ he asks, and I shake my head. ‘If I do end up pregnant, taking the pill will be really bad for the embryo-slash-baby,’ I say. ‘When are you next due on your period?’ he asks, and I think for a moment. ‘What’s the date?’ ‘It’s the 18th.’ ‘Ah. I’m due tomorrow,’ I say, and Jimin’s eyes widen. ‘I guess we’ll know pretty soon then,’ he says, and I try to supress a laugh.

We both fall into a comfortable silence, Jimin’s eyes closed as he rests his face on my stomach, my hands messing with his soft hair. His hands, resting on my stomach, are adorned in different rings, as always, and I take the chance to have a proper look at them. They’re all silver, four on his right hand and two on the other. ‘I like your rings,’ I say softly, and he opens his eyes, looking up at me. ‘Which ones your favourite?’ he asks, looking up at me. ‘Uhm… this one,’ I say, tapping the one on his right little finger. It’s quite thin and looks like vines intertwined with one another, like pretty flowers. ‘Here,’ he says, taking it off and taking my hand in his. ‘This is a promise ring, okay? It signifies my promise that no matter what you decide to do with this hypothetical baby, I will support you and stand by you no matter what,’ he says, and I nod with a small smile, touched at the gesture. He slips it onto my left little finger, but it’s too loose. So he tries it on my left middle finger, but it’s too tight. So he slips it onto my left ring finger, and it fits perfectly. ‘Wait, is this your wedding ring finger?’ he asks, and I nod guardedly. ‘Do you want to put it on your other hand instead?’ he asks, before spotting the ring I already have on that finger. ‘I guess it’s just gonna have to stay here,’ I say, and he smiles. ‘What are you gonna say if people ask?’ he asks me. ‘I don’t know. I’ll just say Mija got it me,’ I say, and he frowns. ‘No, say it’s from me. Just say it was a birthday present, or something,’ he says, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘Jimin, you do know that people don’t know we know each other?’ I say, and he shrugs. ‘Well, now they will,’ he says.

We fall silent again, just enjoying each other’s company, and all I can think is that I’m making a huge mistake. Discussing children, a family, a future with Jimin is not a good idea. He’s made it clear that we have no future, at least not like that. But then he’s just sat with me and named our hypothetical/future kids! He’s so confusing. I just can’t understand him. One minute, he’s saying that he doesn’t want a relationship, and then he’s talking about our future family and giving me a promise ring! No wonder I’m falling for him so hard. He has a way with words, that everything he says just sounds like the truth. He can make you believe anything, and at the moment, he has me believing we have a future. Knowing him, if I do end up pregnant, he’ll run a mile and abandon me. There was a rumour he did that to another girl last year, and I won’t be surprised if it’s true. I decide mentally that after this whole pregnancy thing is over, he is going to be out of my life again.

‘D’you want to do something?’ he asks after a few minutes, looking up at me. ‘Like what?’ I ask suspiciously, and he sighs. ‘Not sex,’ he huffs, and I laugh. ‘Unless you want to, that is,’ he says with a mischievous smile, and I give his head a light slap. ‘I’m kidding, I’m kidding,’ he laughs, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘You’re not, though,’ I say, and he chuckles. ‘Okay, so sex is out of the question. How about we… watch a film or something?’ he asks. ‘Where? In the living room?’ I ask. ‘No, like at the cinema,’ he says, and I nearly choke. ‘Seriously? You want to go to the cinema? Isn’t that like the most relationship-y thing ever?’ I ask, and he laughs. ‘Fine, fine. We could watch something on my laptop,’ he suggests. ‘Remember last time we tried to watch something together on your laptop? We spent an hour looking for something and then ended up having sex,’ I remind him, and he grins at me. ‘I’m down for that,’ he says, and I swat out at him. ‘We could go get food?’ he suggests, and I contemplate this. ‘In a restaurant? Or get takeout and bring it back?’ I ask. ‘Either, up to you,’ he says. ‘I’d rather order food. I’m so gross, I don’t want to leave the house. Oh, actually, that’s it! I need to have a shower,’ I say, and Jimin raises an eyebrow. ‘Are you kidding me? I ask if you want to do something and you decide you want to have a shower?’ he asks, and I nod, stifling a laugh at his mildly incredulous tone. ‘Yeah, we had a threesome last night, which was so sweaty and sticky, so I definitely need to shower,’ I reply, and it’s almost like I can see the idea appearing in his mind, his eyes beginning to sparkle mischievously. ‘Yeah, okay, I’ll order the food now, and it’ll be here by the time we’re done,’ he says, trying not to smile. ‘By the time we’re done?’ I ask, with a raised eyebrow. ‘Yeah, by the time we’re done showering,’ he says, smirking. ‘Who says we’re showering together?’ I ask. ‘We should save water. Help save the planet. You know, for our Taemin, Jisoo, Minjoon and Mila,’ he says. ‘Don’t bring up our children whilst you’re trying to persuade me to have shower sex with you,’ I groan, and he chuckles. ‘I never mentioned sex, but if you’re down…?’ he says, and I sigh.

I think of the last (and only) time we had shower sex. I’m not gonna lie, it was pretty amazing, and so my final decision is influenced by that memory. ‘Fine,’ I sigh, and his eyes widen. ‘Wait, really?’ he asks, and I nod, a small smile stretching my lips. He jumps up from the bed, pulling me up after him. He presses his lips to mine, one arm wrapped around my waist and the other around my back. His lips move against mine, my mind becoming more numb by the second as one of my hands rests on his cheek, the other tangling into the hair on the back of his head. He backs us up into the bathroom, our lips still attached, tongues and teeth clashing, as he kicks the door open. We break apart from a moment, hastily slipping off our clothes, waiting until we’re both in our underwear until our arms come around each other again. He backs me up against the door, leaning down to press his lips against mine, and I thread my hands into his hair, the silky locks sliding between my fingers. I tug one of his lips between my teeth and he groans, the noise going straight to my core. Only Jimin can have me like this.

‘Get in,’ he says breathlessly, pulling away from me, and I shrug off my underwear and climb into the shower, Jimin rummaging through the cupboard under the sink before pulling out a condom, putting it up on the shower shelf. He pushes off his boxers, climbing into the shower beside me and shutting the door behind him as I turn the dial, the water beginning to pour down over our heads. He turns me to him again, pressing his body up against mine, brushing his plump lips against mine. He backs me up so my back is pressed against the wall, my head tilted back so our lips remain connected. I run my hands through his now sopping wet hair, one of his hands pressed firmly against my waist, the other resting on the side of my face. His plump lips encase mine, the feeling of his mouth on mine euphoric. I could kiss Jimin for days, not even have sex but just kiss him, and never get bored. ‘Do you need foreplay?’ Jimin asks against my mouth before his hand travels to between my legs. I spread my legs slightly, so he has better access as he runs one vascular finger across my slit, making me shiver. ‘I guess that’s a no,’ he chuckles after pulling away. ‘How do you want me?’ I ask him, and he contemplates this for a moment. ‘I want to take you from behind,’ he replies with a grin, and a shiver runs down my spine at his words. I turn around and he places a hand between my shoulder blades, pushing my back down, the water hitting the small of my back. I press my hands against the shower tiles to steady myself as he pushes one finger into me. I let out a quiet gasp, knowing I can’t be too loud because of all the other boys in the house. ‘So wet, princess,’ he murmurs through the noise of the water, pushing in another finger and twisting them around inside me. ‘Please, daddy,’ I whimper, and he chuckles. ‘Anything for you, baby girl,’ he says before his fingers disappear, the crackling of foil an indication of what’s to come. Only a few moments later, his hard length plunges all the way into me.

My head falls forwards, a moan escaping through my lips at the feeling, Jimin groaning behind me. ‘Tell me when you’re ready,’ Jimin says and I take a few deep breaths. ‘Ready,’ I reply and he begins to move in and out of me slowly, the water running down my back making it easier for him. He begins to pick up the pace, his breathing getting louder and deeper, whimpers and moans falling from my mouth every few seconds. After a short while, his fingers appear at my clit, applying slow pressure, and I know it’s so that he doesn’t cum before me. I let out a louder moan of his name, and he groans at the sound. ‘Louder, princess,’ he growls through gritted teeth. ‘But the boys, daddy,’ I reply and a hand lands on my ass, the slap resounding around the en suite. ‘If I tell you something, princess, I expect you to do it. Louder,’ he says, one hand maintaining its ministrations at my clit as the other gathers my hair into its grasp, pulling my head back. He thrusts into me particularly hard, my legs shaking at the feeling, and I let out a loud moan of his name. His fingers speed up at my clit, his hips snapping against mine repeatedly, his balls slapping against my ass. ‘Fuck, Jimin, yes, feels so good,’ I moan out, spurring him on. ‘y/n, stop fucking clenching, I’m gonna fucking cum,’ he groans, thrusts faltering slightly, his fingers rubbing at my clit furiously fast. I feel myself hurtling towards my high, my legs beginning to shake, and Jimin realises this, the hand around my hair snaking around my shoulder instead, pulling my body up towards his so he holds me up instead, the water hitting my stomach now. The new position means he’s going even deeper into me, his head grazing against the spongy spot deep inside me, having his name falling from my mouth repeatedly. ‘Shit, Jimin, I’m gonna cum,’ I moan, and he chuckles into my ear. ‘Not until I tell you to,’ he growls, and I nearly whine aloud, knowing he’ll make me hold on as long as possible. His fingers move impossibly fast at my bundle of nerves, his length still thrusting in and out of me at a furious pace, the combination of sensations having me right on the edge. ‘Please, Jimin, please, I need to cum,’ I moan. ‘Beg, princess,’ he demands, not letting up on me at all. ‘Jimin, please let me cum, your cock feels so good inside me, I need to cum, daddy, please,’ I whine, not even thinking about the words before they fall from my mouth. ‘Cum for me, princess,’ he whispers into my ear, and I know he only does so because he’s close too. My orgasm washes over me as I scream out his name, my body shaking as I come down from my high, just as Jimin reaches his own with a loud moan of my name. He holds me in place, thrusting into me as he cums, only stopping once he’s done.

We stay as we are for a couple minutes, the water falling down onto us as we take deep breaths, regaining our strength. He pulls out of me, the feeling of emptiness making me shiver as he opens the shower door, throwing the used condom into the bin beside the sink. He shuts the door again, smiling at me. ‘You’re so good, princess,’ he praises, pressing his lips to mine briefly before turning to get the shampoo from the shower shelf. I realise he has my favourite shampoo and conditioner, and I look at him in confusion as he turns back towards me. ‘What?’ he asks innocently, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘Okay, so maybe I’ve kept these since the last time you showered here,’ he says, and I laugh. We’ve only had shower sex once, but I used to shower here quite regularly, buying myself two lots of shampoo and conditioner when I went shopping; one lot for my apartment, and one lot for here. ‘Will it not have gone off by now?’ I ask, scrunching my nose, and he inspects the label. ‘It’s good for another… nine months,’ he says, and I nod, impressed it’s lasted that long. He squirts some of the shampoo into his hand, a lot more than recommended on the bottle, and then looks up at me expectantly. ‘Turn around then,’ he prompts, and I do so. His hands appear at the back of my head and he begins to massage the shampoo into my locks. The pads of his fingers against my scalp feel even better, dare I say even better than the sex we just had, and my eyes flutter closed, my head falling back so he can access the top of my head better. ‘Am I doing it right, princess? Or do you have to do it a certain way?’ he asks, breaking me out of my euphoric reverie. ‘No, you’re doing it right. I’ll do yours after,’ I say, and he chuckles lightly. ‘Okay,’ he replies, and I can hear the smile in his words.

Once he’s done with mine, I do his as I said I would before we wash it out, me going first. As he rinses his out, I shampoo mine again. We fall into a pattern, me rinsing out my second lot as he shampoos his hair again. I condition mine whilst he rinses, and lather up my body as he conditions. I rinse off my body as he lathers his up, washing his off as I lather up again. We take turns under the water, switching places wordlessly, the only noise being the running of the water, the sound of our hands and the occasional word. I begin to wash off my body for the second time as he lathers up again, joining me under the water as I rinse the conditioner from my hair. We stay under the water together for a while this time, Jimin pressing his lips against mine, and we only break apart when the water begins to turn cold. Jimin gets out first to pass me a towel from the cupboard under the sink before wrapping one around himself. I admire him as he does so, the fluffy white towel slung low on his hips, his hair pasted down to his face, droplets of water adorning his perfect body. He grins when he notices what I’m doing, puffing out his chest in a pose, and I roll my eyes, unable to keep the small smile from my face as I wrap my towel around myself. I step out of the shower, leaning over the sink to wring out my hair so it doesn’t drip everywhere, as Jimin heads into the bedroom. ‘Shit, Jimin, I don’t have any clothes. Not even any underwear!’ I exclaim, following him into the bedroom where he’s holding a bag of his out to me. I take it from him, opening it to find a load of my clothes. ‘Oh, my god, Jimin! You kept these?’ I ask, and he nods proudly, obviously misreading my emotions. I hit him with the bag, and he yelps, jumping away from me hastily. ‘What was that for?’ he asks reproachfully, pouting adorably at me. ‘So you didn’t think to bring any of this to me?’ I ask, emptying it out over the bed.

It’s mostly underwear, expensive lingerie that I thought I’d lost, but there’s some other stuff in there too; a pair of jeans, some leggings, a hoodie, a couple tops, a leather jacket and a super cute sexy dressing gown I’d worn on Jimin’s birthday as a treat for him. ‘I didn’t think,’ he admits, and I shaky my head. ‘I washed it all for you, though,’ he says, and I try so hard not to smile at the thought of him washing my clothes in secret, not wanting the boys to catch him. I turn to look at him, looking so adorable, and I sigh in defeat. ‘Thank you, Jimin,’ I say, and he smiles widely, his eyes disappearing. I pick a pair of black pants and bra, pulling them onto my damp body. ‘God, you look so good,’ Jimin says, now wearing just a pair of black boxers. ‘Says you,’ I say, pressing brief kiss to his cheek. ‘Have you got any deodorant I could use? Like an unscented one, or something?’ I ask, and he grins, disappearing into the bathroom. He appears a moment later with the brand of deodorant I’ve used for years. I laugh as I take it from him, applying it under my arms, when someone knocks at the door. ‘Who is it?’ Jimin calls as I shrug on the dressing gown. It’s black and sheer with fur around the sleeves and bottom hem which reaches mid-thigh. ‘Jungkook!’ the younger boy shouts from the other side of the door and Jimin looks at me, the question on his face. ‘Come in!’ I call, knowing he saw me stark naked yesterday, so this sexy dressing gown is nothing. The boy steps in tentatively, eyes falling first on Jimin, and then me.

‘Did you guys just have shower sex?’ Jungkook asks, shutting the door behind him and settling himself onto Jimin’s bed, on top of my clothes. I tut quietly and he grins at me, not moving. ‘Yes, we did,’ Jimin replies with a smile. ‘Thought so. The whole damn frat could hear,’ he says, chewing on the gum in his mouth. ‘Why ask then?’ I ask. ‘Thought I’d see if you’d lie,’ he replies, offering me some gum which I accept with a small smile. ‘Jimin, where’s your hairdryer?’ I ask. ‘Top drawer,’ he says, pointing to the chest of drawer pushed against one wall, a big mirror sat atop it. I take out the hairdryer, plugging it into a socket as Jimin and Jungkook speak about something I’m not paying attention to as I’ve zoned out. ‘What’d you think, y/n?’ Jimin asks me, and I turn to look over at them. ‘Sorry, what? I wasn’t paying attention,’ I say. ‘Party down at Kappa Phi Nu tonight?’ he asks, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘Kappa Phi Nu?’ I ask, for two different reasons. First being that Kappa Phi Nu are Jimin’s frat, Alpha Sigma Phi’s, rivals and second being that my ex, Eunwoo, is part of Kappa Phi Nu. ‘Okay, I know they’re our rivals which is an even better reason to go. We’ll show up super late and then make it way more fun so everyone knows that we’re the better frat. They’re always too pussy to come to our parties, so we’ll show them who’s boss. Steal their drugs, their alcohol and their girls,’ Jungkook says. ‘Don’t objectify girls,’ I say absentmindedly, thinking about Eunwoo. ‘That’s not the reason why she doesn’t wanna go, Kook,’ Jimin says before walking towards me, tapping my chin so I look up at him.

‘Listen, y/n, we don’t have to go if you don’t want to, but I think it’ll be good for you to see him again, not as a couple like the last time you saw him. And you’re the one who broke up with him, remember, so you can’t act all heartbroken over him,’ Jimin reminds me gently, not a single ounce of venom in his voice. ‘It’s not that. It’s just… it’s been so long since I saw him, and I feel bad. I saw him, about a year ago, and he tried to get back with me, Jimin. I don’t want to have to go through rejecting him again,’ I say, and he nods thoughtfully. ‘If you’re with me, he won’t try,’ Jimin says. ‘We’re not dating, though. We’re friends,’ I say, Jungkook snorting at my words. ‘He doesn’t need to know that. If he thinks we’re together, he won’t try anything,’ Jimin says, and I think over his words for a minute. ‘I don’t have any clothes,’ I say, and he tilts his head questioningly, motioning over to the bed with a raised eyebrow. ‘My makeup’s at the dorm,’ I say weakly, and he sighs. ‘You don’t need it but if you wanna wear some that bad, call Mija and get her to bring you some. The two of you can get ready together in here,’ Jimin says, purposely making it so that there is nothing I can blame saying no on. ‘Fine,’ I give in, and he grins widely, Kook cheering from the bed as Jimin presses a quick kiss to my lips. ‘You taste like mint,’ he observes, moving away from me to find something from his wardrobe.

‘Wait, Jimin, where’s my phone?’ I ask, and he motions to the clutch sat on the bedside table. Jungkook reaches out, throwing it to me, and I catch it deftly, pulling out my phone and leaving the bag on top of the chest of drawers. I’ve had several missed calls and texts from Mija and I curse inwardly as I dial her number, knowing I’m in for it now. ‘So you aren’t dead then?’ she says coldly when she answers the phone. ‘No, babe, I’m not, and I’m sorry. I only woke up like an hour ago,’ I say, and she tuts. ‘You’re still at the frat?’ she asks. ‘Yeah, I am, and I’m safe,’ I say, Jimin and Jungkook watching me in amusement. ‘What happened last night? I assumed you’d gone upstairs with Jimin and that you’d stay the night, but it’s now 3pm. I thought you’d be home by now,’ she says. ‘I know, I know. But Jin made me food and then I had a shower and now I’ve only just remembered to call you,’ I say. ‘Well, when are you coming back?’ she asks. ‘I was actually thinking you should come here,’ I begin, and she laughs. ‘What for?’ she asks. ‘The KPN boys are having a party tonight and we’re going and you should come,’ I say, and she stays silent for a minute. ‘So why would I come to you now then?’ she asks. ‘Because their frat is within walking distance of here so if you bring your stuff, we can sleep over here tonight instead of paying for a taxi home or one of us having to drive. And if you come over now, Jimin said we can use his room to get ready together. You just have to bring our makeup and stuff with you,’ I say, and she sighs. ‘Do all the boys know about you and Jimin now?’ she asks. ‘Yeah, they do.’ ‘So you’re just gonna end up spending the night with him, right? What about me? And that’s Eunwoo’s frat, right? This is just a recipe for disaster.’ ‘No, Mija, I would never ditch you for Jimin,’ I say, Jimin pretending to be hurt in front of me. ‘I know, but I don’t want to stop you two spending time together,’ she says. ‘No, you’re my girl, and I enjoy spending time with you, just as much as with Jimin. Even more, to be honest,’ I say, Jungkook bursting into laughter and Jimin hitting him with a pillow, the two of them beginning to fight. ‘And, anyway, you and Tae are good friends, right? You can chill with him for a bit too,’ I say. ‘We do the same course. Does not mean we’re friends,’ she says, and I sigh. ‘Well, regardless. And Eunwoo doesn’t matter. I’m not gonna even look at him all night and if he comes to speak to me, I’ll leave,’ I say, and she sighs. ‘Fine. I’ll be there in twenty,’ she says. ‘Wait, wait. Can you bring food?’ I ask, and she sighs again. ‘Make that forty.’

‘God, who knew you two were so domestic?’ Mija’s sarcastic voice comes from the door. ‘Mija. It’s been a while,’ Jimin says with a grin, holding out a fist which Mija bumps her own against. ‘Where’s the food?’ I ask her, sat on the floor in front of Jimin who sits on the bed, brushing through my now dry hair, the mirror set up on the floor in front of me, leaning against the wall. ‘Here,’ she says, thrusting out a pizza box to me. I take a bite of the first slice, holding it up above my head for Jimin to take a bite, Mija watching us amusedly. ‘Right, when are we going to this party?’ she asks. ‘Not until around 8.30ish,’ Jimin says. ‘You’re kidding? Four and a half hours?’ she asks, Jimin nodding with a small smile. ‘The boys are just about to start watching Me Before You downstairs so bye,’ she says, disappearing out of the room, leaving a big bag lying on Jimin’s bed. ‘Does she hate me?’ Jimin asks, and I laugh. ‘No, of course not. She’s the one who told me to text you on Thursday night,’ I say, and he raises an eyebrow. ‘Mija can just come across as… I don’t know, hostile? Mean? But honestly, she’s a good person with a good heart. And she likes you,’ I say, and he nods. ‘Can I ask you something?’ I say after a few moments of silence, Jimin nodding, watching me in the mirror. ‘Do you guys not get along with the other boys in the frat?’ I ask. ‘No, we do. They’re great boys, but we’re all kind of… split up into groups, I guess? All the other boys kind of stick together based on their ages, but us seven just get along. We’re the only group that aren’t age-based, because our relationships stretch beyond that. But, yeah, the other boys are great. We just aren’t as close to them,’ he explains, and I nod. ‘I just wondered. It’s always seemed like everyone’s divided, but I get it now,’ I say.

Over the course of the next couple hours, Jimin and I get ready, taking our time. We sing along to my playlist which plays gently in the background, Jimin doing his hair as I iron a white shirt for him and a black bodysuit of mine, creased after being crumpled up in Jimin’s bag for god knows how long. I begin doing my makeup as Jimin styles his hair, taking ridiculously long. We’re both in and out of the bedroom and the bathroom, repeatedly bumping into each other, getting cuddles and kisses from him each time. It gets to around 6.30 and Jimin’s ready, his white shirt tucked into a pair of black ripped jeans, a silver bomber jacket over the top, black brogues on his feet. His dirty blond hair is swept back, exposing his forehead, silver earrings in his ears and silver rings on his fingers. He’s laid out on his bed, scrolling through his phone, as I make the last few finishing touches to my makeup, misting the setting spray over my face. I’ve paired black jeans and black heels with my bodysuit, my makeup light and natural, only a pair of silver hoops in my ears and Jimin’s silver ring on my ring finger, my own rose gold ring on the other. ‘You look great, princess,’ Jimin praises, eyes raking over me. ‘I feel like something’s missing,’ I sigh, frowning at myself in the mirror. Someone knocks at the door then and I cross over to open it, letting Namjoon in. ‘Hey, hyung,’ Jimin smiles at the older boy. ‘Hey, Chim. You guys both look nice,’ Namjoon says. ‘I don’t know, Joon, I feel like I’m missing something,’ I say, and he inspects my appearance thoughtfully. ‘Ah, I’ve got it!’ he exclaims, darting from the room excitedly, a few banging noises audible from his room down the hall before he reappears, something silver and sparkling in his hand. ‘Here,’ he says, holding it up to my neck, and I let him clasp it on, before he turns me towards the mirror. A thick silver choker sits at my neck, looking like genuine diamonds, and I remember when Namjoon wore it, looking more beautiful than ever. ‘Ah, Joon, I love it!’ I exclaim happily, turning to hug the boy, Jimin watching us with a smile. ‘Keep it, it looks nice on you,’ he says, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘As beautiful as it is, hell no. It looked way better on you,’ I insist, and he laughs.

‘Anyway, I came up to ask if you guys want food. We ordered Panda Express,’ Namjoon says. ‘There won’t be any left if Tae’s had his hands on it,’ Jimin says. ‘And Mija, she’s crazy for it,’ I say, Namjoon grinning. ‘It hasn’t arrived yet, and we haven’t told them. They’re in Tae’s room,’ Namjoon says. At his words, Jimin sits up instantly, our eyes meeting, wide with shock. ‘They’re in Tae’s room? Just them two?’ Jimin asks. ‘No, I think Kook’s with them,’ Namjoon says, and Jimin rolls his eyes. ‘God, he’s such a third wheel,’ I mutter. ‘We’ll be down in a minute, hyung,’ Jimin says, Namjoon nodding before leaving. ‘You look so good,’ Jimin says, climbing off the bed and walking over to me. ‘Says you,’ I reply, hooking my arms around his neck. ‘No, you look better than me. Silver’s definitely your colour,’ he says, arms sliding around my waist. ‘No, it’s yours,’ I reply, tapping his jacket. ‘Aww, we’re matching,’ he says with a grin, and I roll my eyes. ‘God, we’re gonna look like such a sickly couple. Eunwoo can’t even make any mistakes as to whether or not we’re together,’ I say, Jimin laughing. ‘The worst thing is, we’re not even together and we play the couple better than real couples,’ he says, having me nodding in agreement.

‘I can’t wait to take this off you tonight,’ I say, a hand on his jacket over his chest. ‘Yeah? Tell me more, babe,’ he says, voice low, looking down at me. ‘When we’re walking back and I’m cold, I’ll take this off you and wear it myself,’ I say, trying to hold back my laughter. ‘That’s not what I meant!’ he exclaims indignantly as I burst into laughter, running away from him and out of the room. ‘Don’t run away!’ he shouts behind me, running after me. I sprint down the stairs, trying not to fall in my heels, Jimin thundering along behind me. I burst into the kitchen where the other boys sit and stand around, Jimin hot on my heels. He grabs me as I try to duck behind Hobi, tickling me. I burst into fits of giggles as his fingers work at my sides, my eyes clamped shut, my hands fruitlessly trying to push him away. ‘Stop, stop, I’m sorry,’ I breathe out through my laughter, Jimin finally letting up with a grin on his face, both of us panting. ‘Hello to you too,’ Yoongi says dryly, not taking his eyes off his phone. ‘You two are so annoyingly cute,’ Jin says with a roll of his eyes. ‘Um, thanks?’ Jimin says as I jump up onto the island, legs swinging. ‘You look nice, y/n,’ Hobi says, and I grin at him as Jimin takes the seat beside my legs. ‘Thank you. You guys all look nice too,’ I smile as I take Jimin’s hand in mine, fingers playing with his cold rings. They’re all dressed in flattering outfits, jeans or trousers with smart tops and nice jackets, pretty jewellery and shoes to match. ‘Wait, y/n, is that… is that Jimin’s ring?’ Namjoon asks, eyeing the ring on my finger. I look at Jimin expectantly, waiting for him to answer the question, but he just grins back at me, leaving it to me. ‘Uh, yeah, it is,’ I say, the boys all staring at us in silence. ‘And you two aren’t dating?’ Jin asks sceptically, both of us shaking our heads. ‘Right, okay,’ he replies, shaking his head despairingly.

The doorbell rings then, Hobi running out of the room to answer the door. ‘How can you guys afford all this stuff? The house and the parties and the clothes and the shoes and the food and the hair dye,’ I say, the boys laughing. ‘Jin’s dad owns this house so we don’t have to pay rent, and we all have ‘jobs’ at Jin’s dad’s company so that’s where we get our money from,’ Yoongi explains, putting quote marks with his fingers around the word jobs. ‘It’s not like that,’ Jin sighs, Namjoon raising an eyebrow. ‘What is it like then?’ ‘Yeah, he owns the house, but we still pay rent to him,’ Jin begins, Jimin interrupting. ‘We don’t. The other boys do,’ he says, my eyes widening. ‘No, it’s just because we have jobs with him that we don’t have to pay rent,’ Jin explains. ‘What are your jobs?’ I ask as Hobi walks back in, hands full of Panda Express bags. ‘One day a week, we have to drive up to Head Office, about fifteen minutes from here, and do any deliveries they need doing,’ Jin says. ‘So Jin hyung has Mondays, Yoongi hyung on Tuesdays, Hobi hyung on Wednesdays, me on Thursdays, Jiminie on Fridays, Taehyungie on Saturdays and Jungkookie on Sundays,’ Namjoon explains, my heart warming at hearing the nicknames he has for his dongsaengs. ‘So is it a lot of work?’ I ask as Jin begins unpackaging everything, dividing it up onto plates. ‘I don’t want much, hyung,’ Jimin says to him. ‘Nor me,’ I add. ‘We’ll just share,’ Jimin says, smiling up at me, before answering my question. ‘It’s not much work at all. There’s usually about three deliveries a day, and Jin’s dad pays for our petrol, so it’s literally so fine,’ Jimin explains. ‘Is it well paid?’ I ask, the boys laughing. ‘Very well paid,’ Namjoon replies, and I smile at the thought of Jin’s dad looking after them all so well.

‘Shall I text Jungkook? Tell them to come down?’ I ask, Jin nodding as he hands out our plates. I text Jungkook, hearing them all running down the stairs mere seconds later. Mija’s dressed in a black bodysuit with a grey leather skirt, a pair of heeled ankle boots on her feet and her makeup natural like mine. Jungkook and Tae look smart too, like the other boys, and I notice that Tae has on a grey bomber jacket, the same colour as Mija’s skirt. Jimin seems to notice too, the two of us exchanging a little glance. I scoop some food up onto a fork and go to put it in my mouth when Jimin opens his cheekily, wanting me to feed him. I roll my eyes before feeding him, and that’s how we eat; me taking a bite before feeding the next one to Jimin. ‘You two are so gross,’ Mija says, looking at us. ‘They’re like so domestic. It’s super weird,’ Jungkook agrees. ‘I think it’s cute,’ Hobi says. ‘No, it’s weird,’ Yoongi says. ‘Oh, my god, leave us alone!’ Jimin exclaims in false hurt. ‘Yeah, get off our dicks,’ I add, feeding Jimin a bite. ‘When you get off his dick,’ Tae replies, and I roll my eyes, the others laughing. For the next hour and a half, we all just chill in the kitchen, laughing and joking together. Mija and Tae sit next to one another, awfully close, and Jimin and I exchange excited glances every time we see the two of them talking quietly or laughing together. Being with the boys in such a relaxed environment is nice, getting to know the sober versions of them and seeing their relationships with one another. But, of course, nothing good lasts forever. At 8.30, we decide we’re going to take shots every five minutes up to 9 when we’ll head down to the party, all of us getting more and more drunk with each one. ‘Right, bitches!’ Jin exclaims, ‘you ready to crash a party?’

#bts #bts series #BTS jimin #jin #jimin #park jimin #bts smut #bts imagines #jimin fanfiction #jimin fanfic #jimin smut #park jimin smut

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homesteadchronicles · 6 years ago

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If you receive this, send it to 10 people you love & appreciate and try not to break the chain 💕💓💗💝

I don’t normally engage in the chain messages like this, but I got a personalized version of this today that made me smile super wide, so I would be happy to spread some positivity around here!

1. You, my friend. Duh. I get legitimately giddy reading your work. But even moreso, I feel such a kindred spirit with you (weird phrase, I know - couldn’t think of a better term atm) because I see you encouraging and uplifting people throughout all of writeblr every single day with such genuine interest, excitement and compassion. It means a lot to see someone else fighting to inspire people here, too.

2. @incandescent-creativity - although I have met countless lovely people here, you are one of the few I truly consider a friend. Whether we’re spazzing over our adorkable babies or fawning over someone’s work or crying about how much we love Stardew Valley or even tackling the deep issues in life, it means so much to have met you here. Thank you - I never take you for granted, my friend.

3. @merigreenleaf - I know you have had such a difficult season in life, my friend, and I am so very, very sorry. My heart mourns right alongside of you. Even still, every post I see from you makes me so excited, because you bear such a natural, remarkable talent. You possess uninhibited, limitless creativity, and it’s an honor to see it pour out of you so freely when life does not interfere. I have been genuinely praying for you since I first saw your post, my friend, and I believe in a better season to come.

4. @fatal-blow - I want to learn to be as passionate about my work as you. Don’t get me wrong, I love my stories. But you love to tell people about your stories, show your art, dive into worldbuilding and darn the consequences! I’m far too hesitant to do that and I want to learn from you.

5. @aschenink - I’m pretty sure I brag on you all the livelong day, but legit, you have one of the most beautiful writing styles i have ever seen. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Your work is living poetry and it evokes such powerful images and emotions inside of me. I can’t wait to see your name on the bestseller list.

6. @cogesque - you mean the one responsible for my recent steampunk obsession? Why yes, that’d be Cog. I believe in you, my friend. I trust in the quality of your work and of the fanbase sure to follow. Thank you for being real and for treating us to glimpses into your magical, albeit brutal, world. Metal of the Undying will change us all.

7. @ratracechronicler - I don’t brag about you enough, I really don’t. You’re just the best. Seriously, you have such a sweet, genuine spirit to you. There is not a single air of pride about you, and you relate to everyone with authentic interest, all the while working away at your own expansive projects. You’re one of those people I constantly tell myself “I need to spend more time getting to know her”

8. @bluemartlet - you are constantly participating in my weekly themed days and it means the world to me! Even when I think no one will participate or I am swamped with unpredictable life problems that interfere with my ability to produce quality weekly content, you have been a steadfast member of my little community, and I thank you.

9. @ardawyn - beautiful graphics, beautiful characters, beautiful writing, beautiful heart. Seriously, what more could I ask for?

10. @paladin-andric - the one who inspires me to write more and more every single day. I could never touch your work ethic as far as writing is concerned, but boy do I one day wish to do so. Keep at it, my friend! You’ve got greatness within you.

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jockbots · 2 years ago

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Hey, Mori!!! 💖🙌👑

I noticed the 'weird asks' ask game on your dashboard, so can I submit these: 1, 9, 10, 14, 22, 30, 45, 48, 51, 56, 58, 62, 71, 88, 93???

Also, how you've been doing? And happy birthday (idk when your bd is, but since it's the end of the Leo season, it must'd already happened, so there you go 🥳🥳🥳)!!! 🎉🎉🎉 I just hope you're doing fine.

See ya soon and take care! 🤗

(And you look gorgeous with short-hair... just an observation. 👀👌)

SUP JOLI ✨️✨️✨️

im so glad u asked c:: first here r my answers!!!

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, watter bottles, or soda cans

wine glasses bc they r fancy af but also mugs bc i am always looking for the correct serving of tea

9. favourite smell in the summer

fave summer smell has to currently be my favourite juice! which is apple and elderflower is so sweet and refreshing!!!

10. games you were best at in p.e

yikes i hated pe but u was weirdly good at discuss and actually represented my class one time and one. and i played netball a little and was okay at it

14. favourite non-chocolate candy?

fruitella, strawberry flavoured! or haribos original star mix (minus the eggs bc icky)

22. role model?

currently i have 2 bc i will always always look up to dolly parton but atm bc of harp goals i also adore deborah henson-conant who is a jazz harpest that is just not only extremely talented but just like so ambitious and creative and funny i want to b here so baad

30. places that you find scary

offices like especially boss offices or like principal offices i have many reasons and mainly its just theh give me major anxiety if its something that can be discussed outside of an office on a shop floor or over zoom im all in ITS WEIRD I KNO but i am a weenie

also on the beach with the tide coming in COVERED IN FOG it may seem aesthetic but ITS ACTUALLY FUCKING TERRIFYING U HAVE NO IDEA HOW FAR U HAVE TO GO U JUST HAVE TO TRUST THERES A WAY TO GET OFF

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero

lol ok so judging by the content i post youd think fantasy obvi but actually im a giant sci-fi nerd that seen all the classics, read mostly sci-fi novels and played space themed games. fantasy was always second. HOWEVER lotr always takes 1st place so ye weird little weenie

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

i am loyal to the pinapple and therefore will joint the ranks of the pineapple

51. current stresses

the basics required to being a single 20summin living alone in an expensive country with a creative job, why dont luthiers and musically professionals get paid more? am i working hard enough? am i good enough at my job? is my mum going to b ok in her later years? can i take care of her? r my brothers going to be able to move out too and have their own lives? how old is my dog now? is she mad at me for leaving? is my best friend ok? should i get their mums number bc they r v sick ITS A LOT LETS CLOSE THAT BAG UP

56. favourite tradition?

58. four talents you're proud of having

okokok 1) being able to kind play the harp 2) speaking welsh 3) being able to draw sometimes 4) being able to read electrical drawings

62. seven characters you relate to

yoooo here we go 1. Maeglin 2. Red Alert 3. Mia Thermopolis 4. both Guiera and Meis from Promare 5. Raph in all continuities 6. Zagrius from Hades and 7. Jim Hawkins from treasure planet... how did i not kno i was nb???

71. least favourite pattern

burbery blachh icky its just cheap wannabe tartan!!!

88. your greatest wish?

to live comfortably in my own little cottage with my dog bonnie. also i wish i could b a conductor for an orchestra idk y i kno barely anything abt music but i think id lv it

93. nicknames?

o jeez the current ones i have are sibster, kitty, mori, kat, kathleeeeen, little p, squirrel and meimei

second thank u for asking ive been pretty swamped my job is v demanding and ive been kind of letting it take priority plus but im going on holiday in a week so hopefully i can unwind and do some of my own hobbies.

and yes!!! it was my bday last month! it wasn't anything special i was working lol

annnnf THANK U THANKU i lv having short hair v much but boi does it need more attention that long hair like i have to actually fix my hair a lot more in the morning so i dont look batshit

#JOLIIIIIII #halloohi how r u #hit me up in dms bro we r moots #also dude u straight up light me up when i see u on the app im like oh tg theres still cool kind ppl here #ask #theelfmaiden

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visit-ba-sing-se · 4 years ago

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I am adding more onto 2.) because thinking about alternative universes is how I escape reality atm:

so book 2 and Azula and Zuko are kind of on team avatar (even though they obviously still have a lot of things to unlearn)

Aang is the first one to give them a hand because that is just how he is, and that turns out to be especially good for Azula (at first she is really sceptical and always assumes he is planning something/ expects something in return when he says something nice or does something supportive but eventually she kind of accepts that he is just a kind person who cares about her without demanding anything)

The Swamp episode but Zuko and Katara have a long talk because they both see their mother (Azula sees her father, looking at her in disappointment)

In occupied Omashu they still meet Mai

Mai gets a glimpse of Azula when she chases the “rebels” who attempted to attack her family during the first night there and is just like “was that...always doing everything to be firelord one day Azula? here? in the earth kingdom? Undercover??”

And Azula on the other hand gets excited and wants to get her for the team but then again is very aware of the possibility that Mai could just turn them all in since that is what they were raised to do, plus after everything that happend and especially the time with the gaang she realised that she was not really a good friend to Mai in the past)

Anyhow they kind of run into each other during the hostage trade and Azula is prepared for a great scene but Mai is just like “treason huh? Sounds more interesting than just sitting around with a straight face and I hate it here anyway. Are we getting Ty Lee, too?” (obviously they still have things to work through but now they have time and an environment that makes this possible)

Yes I also just want this so that Aang and Ty Lee can be friends and you may judge me but i am right

The Beifongs are not really affected by the earth kingdom being taken by fire nation, except for Toph`s wrestling matches being even more underground and illegal so Toph joins them like in canon

Mai and Toph bond about having to put up a facade to please your parents and finding relief in developing great fighting skills even though their kind of bonding mostly means training together and insulting people

Also Azula gets really mad about how Toph is treated by her parents (because how can they undermine her talent ?!?!? Why would you waste those skills ?!?!). This leads to her getting into an argument with Zuko when she claims that “Our father would never done that, he always made sure we trained our bending” and Zuko is like “Huh you mean like he kept pushing us to our limits and pitting us against each other? Because that also was not good for neither of us”

She runs off after that but Katara finds her obsessively training her bending and talks to her until she is ready to return and reconcile with Zuko (”look, I know big brothers who think they know everything can be annoying from time to time but in the end I think he is trying the best he can to protect you” “I know, and I think I also know that he is right. But if I admit that I have to give up on the image I have on my father, and on everything he made me out to. And then I don`t know how much will still be left of me”)

Anyhow they still head for Ba Sing Se which is under fire nation rule but the earth king is still there as their marionette and they hope to convince him to openly call his people to arms for an uprising during the day of the black sun

I am going to make a cut here because this got so long again but I have more stuff stored in my brain so...what if I shared that later....hahaha jk....unless...

How do you think the story would change if lu ten survived? His death seemed to be the starting point of a lot of major events in the series, so I'm curious as to how they might've changed (for worse or better, if they even happened at all) if he didn't die

Okay so I thought about this a lot and basically came up with 2 alternative universes. Starting point for both is the assumption that if you Ten had not died, Iroh would have continued the siege and emerged victorious, returning to the fire nation as the conqueror of Ba Sing Se (it is very important here that we have to keep in mind that this is not grand master of the white Lotus Iroh. This is “You should visit Ba Sing Se before I burn it to the ground Iroh.) Ozai, on the other hand, sees his chances to become fire lord being vaporised and decides to take action (in the from of poison in Iroh’s tea). From here, there are two alternatives:

1.) Ozai succeeds and becomes fire lord as planned. He still banished Zuko, who only now is accompanied by Lu Ten who refuses to believe the official story behind his fathers death (which was that Iroh had accidentally killed himself by making tea from a poisonous plant)

Zuko is hell bent on finding the avatar, Lu Ten the the older one and experienced soldier kind of acts as his impulse control

Lu Ten gets more and more suspicious about the circumstances of his fathers death, especially after meeting Zhao who drops some hints (since he is Zhao who you really should not entrust with things. Not even if you are fire lord. Especially not if you are fire lord)

It all falls into place for him when Zhao tries to have Zuko killed

This is in fact his “damn maybe the fire nation is not so great” moment

He has another of those moments during the siege on the north, where he sees Zuko who he sees as his little brother nearly killing himself just to please his cruel father

Also during this siege he is able to see all the pain and destruction meanwhile during the Siege on Ba Sing Se he basically just saw the glory for him, his father and his nation

Book 2 would of course be already more different due to the fact that Ba Sing Se already is fire nation territory but the sub plot for Lu Ten and Zuko would still be two royal fire nation kids learn that imperialism is bad

Lu Ten actually struggles a lot with the image of himself and his father which he has to completely revise but end of book 2 is ready and willing to make up for what he did and all the harm he caused (even though he knows that he never fully could)

He decides to fight the fire nation now openly and asks Zuko to side with him, but Zuko decides to return home with Azula instead

Book three kind of stays the same, Lu Ten escapes to find the masters of the white lotus who he had picked something up about during his travels now more then determined than ever to fight

He eventually helps to free Ba Sing Se (”I cannot make up for what I did here in the past, but I can fight to give these people back their future)

2.) Ozai fails and is found out. He is either executed for his crimes or dies after a dramatic Agni Kai against Iroh. Iroh shows the rest of his family mercy, but of course the kids, especially the fire bending prodigy Azula, are a burden. So he offers them a way to restore their and there fathers honour: bringing him the Avatar

Of course both would be determined to do so (Zuko also probably still has a scar from when Lu Ten mockingly challenged Azula to an Agni over the same matter. Zuko stepped in for her, not because he did not trust in his sisters skills, but because he knew that Lu Ten had always had a tendency to cheat. His instincts proved to be right)

It would take them a while but they would actually grow closer to each other during their search since Ozai would not be there to push them against each other anymore

Zuko still tries to protect his younger sister as well as he can (from the knowledge of what their mission truly means, from the people they encounter and the hopelessness that just increases more and more. Prodigy or not, she is his little sister, and some things are bad and can’t be fought with bending, not even lightning)

Azula on the other hand has sworn to end this mission successfully and afterwards make Zuko the next fire lord instead of Lu Ten

I feel like under this circumstances their tipping point for “maybe the fire nation sucks” would come quite early, for Zuko it would probably be Zhao blowing up their ship with Azula still on it (”they say we are without honour and they are the honourable ones, but how much honour can a man have who can’t even look the girl he wants to murder in the eye when he does?). For Azula it is when Zuko nearly dies during the siege on the north (he had held onto the mission despite not believing in it any more until then since he knew how much it meant to her and how important it was to have a goal to focus on and a hope to kling to)

Which leads to a very awkward “yeah we were chasing you before but we are just unlearning everything we got indoctrinated with and want to be good now so...can we join your team maybe?” either of the end of book 1 or beginning of book 2 (I feel like they would probably fight everyone before making that announcement. Azula bends lightning into a tree just to use the moment of surprise to talk)

After some back and forth, the gaang accepts them in

Iroh might not be planning to use Sozin’ comet the way Ozai did but someone still had to kick the fire nation out of the earth kingdom so the quest goes on but I am really unsure on how expect for that Mai and Ty Lee should be involved

Maybe Iroh can be reasoned with after meeting the actual avatar?Or after seeing his own niece and nephew turning against their own nation so fiercely? Or maybe he just becomes the fire lord he was meant to be after his father and loses all traces of good qualities he had along the way

Of course way more theories are of course possible but I found those two quite interesting and I hope you did, too, lovely anon!

#lu ten lives au #zuko #azula

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violetsystems · 4 years ago

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#personal

This is week two. To be fair, I woke up in a fairly horrible mood. My final paycheck was not what I had expected it to be. There’s not a lot that I can expect in terms of transparency these days. Still don’t even have final paystubs to work with. So I have to always improvise. The last week has been a wake up call as to who I can rely on. In absolutely catastrophic times like these, it is only me. I definitely feel like my entire life has been disrupted. At the same time, no one cares enough in real life to ask or reach out. People are scared. Embarrassed. Maybe too overloaded with their own problems. I’ve been scrambling to move money around to make sure bills are paid through August just in case. Every day there seems to be a promise of a new lump sum but no solid date in sight. I spent yesterday biking to the bank to fix an error in a transfer. I sent money to my credit union to pay a bill ahead of schedule and the bank somehow reversed it. Taking the money out instead of putting it in. It may well have been my own mistake. I withdrew money and went to deposit it at an atm to fix it quickly. Every PNC bank that accepts deposits for my credit union no longer does. So there was absolutely no place to fix the error myself. I spent more time at the bank and on the phone getting suggestions on how to fix it. In the end, I got dinged thirty two dollars but rectified it with both parties by handling it myself. I also spoke a bit with a banker about the future in terms of checking accounts and investments. This morning I woke up to a message from TIAA that a small windfall went from process to payment in that same account. They sent that at one thirty in the morning. The overwhelming message here being that throughout the process people were still working with me. I felt embarrassed and vulnerable. And this is week two. And this is still all easier to navigate than the unemployment system. I am not unemployed. I’m self employed. Technically I’m on severance though I am in a limbo of sorts. It’s all not very clear. Also I don’t even have a state id or driver’s license to claim that at the moment anyway. Only a passport that expires in 2021. I do have enough money to lock myself down for a long while. And as horrible as yesterday was to deal with on my own, I learned I have far more options than I realize. And also that working any harder for more money right now is unhealthy. Even the printer that was on it’s way from Dell to print my resume is delayed until August 15th. Too bad everything is online anyway.

And then there’s the state of things in this world. Yes, my health insurance expires in October. Yes, I have the money to pay COBRA. Yes, that’s expensive. Yes, there’s a lot of taxes that the government is getting from me this year. And yes, Mitch McConnell probably would use me as the poster boy for pension denial. The free nest mini that YouTube sent was reading the news headlines the other day. One of which that DeutschBank was being sued for it’s ties financially to Jeffrey Epstein. The other big one in Chicago is longtime speaker Madigan tied to a scandal with ComEd regarding bribes. All this money is invested and stored in these great financial institutions. Come twenty years after how many ever lawsuits and scandals, will my pension be safe? Will I even be alive? People made decisions in the short term to secure their long term survival. I was not part of that survival so I am on my own. The process is pretty clear to me. And thus, with some heavy penalties I decided to completely decouple and divest from twenty years of my life of constant employment. I don’t lose sleep at night. I don’t worry about how I feel about China. I don’t worry about who I am sexually attracted to and why. I don’t even worry about anything beyond August other than keeping myself alive, happy and healthy. And this has grown out of two weeks of experiencing the world and my country. Shit is fucked up. Nobody wants to admit it. Things will crumble. I’ll still be out there in the bike lane trying to get my shit together before everything seizes up. And the police will still park in that bike lane to openly intimidate me. You can’t even get more than one roll of quarters at a time from the bank now. And imagine if I had to deal with this and still bite my nails about where my next paycheck comes from. My next paycheck comes from me. I spent years working on music, my identity, and being a good person. I was brainwashed into thinking that was not enough. Now I am the only person I can rely on. It’s strange. Harsh. Emotional. But there’s no real breakdown. And what I see from my perspective and optics is not what the world sees. And in times like this, how you handle yourself says it all. When the world is flailing and failing every step of the way. My feet don’t waver. And my instincts aren’t held back. It’s a pretty fucking feral time for me. Although I really haven’t changed much. I don’t have any time to apologize really. Because I’m owed way more than you can imagine. On paper.

I do these weekly because it is part of my regimen. Staying healthy and connected during times of extreme isolation is imperative. The reality that we may go back into lockdown is going to fuck with a lot of people’s mental state. Things are shaky for me right now for sure. But not in a way that threatens the roof over my head or my high speed connection to the internet. A lot of people want to jeopardize that from the outside without ever walking a mile in my shoes. People see it now. See just how long it’s been going on. How many lies people told about me to make me stumble. How many people out there are projecting openly and why. All the trainees at the police academy who make it a point to park another squad day after day in the bike lane on my route to downtown. People are obstinate, angry, disorganized and irritable. And it will only get worse until it implodes. They don’t stop and reflect. They don’t understand their place in the ecosystem. They don’t love thy neighbor. They preach it. But it’s more of a way to keep other people in check. It’s also from the Bible. Matthew for the record. I’m not Christian. I accept all religions. I quote the Quran as much as I’d quote the Bible. In an election year, politicians like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio ignite and manipulate voters about Hong Kong over the same type of rhetoric. China returns the favor by sanctioning both of them. It’s great theatre. But I live in a city that has revealed to me a painful truth. It’s got nothing to do with politics or sentiment. It’s all about money. How much you have. How stable it is. And how connected to the swamp that will drain over time due to the laws of physics. People built their fortunes on pyramids that will not weather the storm. The storm is just out there. If you’ve ever biked in a city all season you know how it feels to bike against the wind chill across a bridge. I doubt any of your politicians who were elected on huge piles of cash ever felt that connection to nature. I have. I’ve lived. I’ve survived. And I keep looking sexier doing it every day. And I don’t have to cry about it. I don’t have to command everyone’s attention. I don’t have to say anything. It moves within me. Fear does at times too. Which is why I plan and take action. I set goals for myself. I don’t rely on validation much. I rely on myself. I think maybe deep down I’m beginning to show you that more than I ever could in the past. It’s not easy. But I’m not angry. Not anymore. I do think it’s all kind of funny. And I do still remember how to smile. I smile a lot when I think about you. If you think about me make sure not to worry. I’ll be alright. Stay fine and stay safe. <3 Tim

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travelingtheusa · 7 years ago

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LOUISIANA

9 Nov 2017 (Thu) – We went into Baton Rouge today. When we were here in April of last year, it was Good Friday and everything was closed. First stop was at the State Capitol Building. We took the elevator to the 24th floor and were able to look out over the area from the observation tower. You could see refineries wherever you looked. There was also the Huey P. Long Bridge, first bridge built to span the lower Mississippi River.

We then took the elevator down to the second floor. There was a school group going through the building at the same time and they were noisy and in the way. We tried to navigate around them. There was the Senate and the House with their desks and accoutrements. In the Senate Chamber, there was a light on one panel in the ceiling. An explosion caused by a bomb splintered a desk and a piece shot up into the ceiling. It is still embedded in the ceiling.

We went down to the first floor. It was there that Huey P. Long, Governor of Louisiana, was shot by an assassin. He died two days later. There was some beautiful stained glass around the doors. We didn’t notice it coming into the building but admired it on the way out.

We then walked over to Capitol Park Museum. It was all about Louisiana – its founding, culture, and governance. There was also a school group touring that museum, too. It was very interesting.

We walked back to the parking garage and stopped at Another Broken Egg to get lunch before retrieving the truck. We drove five blocks over to the Old State Capitol and parked in another parking lot. We should have parked here first. It was $7 for 8 hours. The garage was $8 for 4 hours.

The Old State Capitol building was constructed like a castle. It was burned by federal troops during the Civil War in 1862. Twenty years later it was renovated and reopened. Later, the capitol was moved to the new building and the old building was left to deteriorate. It was picked up by a historical group that returned it to its former grandeur. The stained glass ceiling was breathtaking, as was the floating staircase. They had a remarkable video presentation about the history of the building. It was done by someone who worked for Disney and the quality was outstanding. They had a Gratitude Car out front. That was very appropriate.

When we were done exploring the old state capitol, we walked across the street to tour the U.S.S. Kidd. Unfortunately, the attraction was closed. We walked back to the truck and returned home.

8 Nov 2017 (Wed) – We left Westwego at 9:30 a.m. The weather was mostly clear with minor sprinkles once in a while. I am surprised with how many oil refineries there are in Louisiana. I would have expected to see them in Texas, but the skyline has many huge refineries pumping out smoke.

We arrived at the Cajun Country RV Park in Port Allen just outside Baton Rouge at 1:00 p.m. The sign had the words “RV Park” blacked out. It is apparent this is a campground primarily devoted to long-term residents. I think there is only one site put aside for over-nighters (that’s what they called us). We’re here for two nights. We have full hookups and (FINALLY) we have great WiFi. The data plan on our jet pack expired a week ago so we have been limping along with the limited options on my cell phone. Our plan reset today so we are back in business (so to speak).

After check in, we drove to Zachary to visit with Frieda (our sister-in-law). Her sister, Ingrid, and Ingrid’s granddaughter, Harper, were visiting as well. We had a delightful lunch where Frieda prepared a very filling meal. Ingrid and Harper left later on and we stayed to chat with Frieda. It was a most delightful visit.

7 Nov 2017 (Tue) – We drove to River Road to visit some of the plantations today. First stop was at Destrehan Planation. It had been built in the late 1700s and was run by a Frenchman with about 200 slaves. It passed through the family until it was sold to Amoco Oil in 1954. They used the mansion for a keeper’s house, then later for a club house. They abandoned it and the house fell into disrepair as vandals slowly destroyed it. Eventually, a historic group got the house and restored it. The docent was a pleasant young man who recounted the history of the family in a very interesting way.

Next stop was four miles down the road at the Ormond Plantation for lunch. I had lemonfish and shrimp, and Paul had a fried chicken dish with the most delightful sauce. After lunch, we drove an hour to the San Francisco Plantation. It was another extravagant home with a history of family ownership and sales to different owners. It is currently owned by Marathon, an oil company. Guess they decided to make money off the tourists. Behind the plantation is a huge complex of oil refineries. It looks like something from off-world.

We got back to the campground at 5:15 p.m. We quickly fed the animals, walked Bonnie, and changed clothes before taking off for New Orleans to join our nephew, Ric, and his family for dinner at EAT. Parking and traffic was a bear. There were tourists everywhere (doesn’t anyone work and go to school any more?). There were seven full size buses lined up taking on passengers. Where were they going at that time of night? We wound up parked five blocks away from the restaurant. The dinner and the company was very enjoyable.

6 Nov 2017 (Mon-Paul’s birthday) – We drove to New Orleans to the Navy Federal Credit Union. Mike and I went in to change over the financial records for the Nomads. Paul and Cheryl sat out in the car. The representative who work with us was nice but oh, so, sloooow. We were in the bank for well over an hour. We took the previous president and treasurer off the account and put Mike and me on. We entered our contact information and made a deposit. They had a special offer to open a 1-year CD at 3% so I moved money from savings to a CD.

The four of us went into the French Quarter. We enjoyed beignets and café au lait at Café Du Monde. For lunch, we ate at the Central Grocery. They claimed to sell the “original muffaletta.” It was a sandwich made on Italian bread with salami, cheese, and olive salad. The sandwich was huge! They cut the full sandwich in quarters and a half-sandwich in half. We both bought half-sandwiches.

After lunch, we walked around Jackson Square admiring all the paintings and drawings by local artists. There were several homeless people around the area begging for money. One guy cursed at me when I told him direct deposit and ATM cards mean nobody has cash anymore. I behaved in a very unchristian way and flipped him the bird. Another character tried to challenge Paul. The street beggars were pretty bold and there were a lot of them.

There was also a beautiful minor basilica in Jackson Square. Cheryl and I went in to admire it. The guys stood on the corner waiting for us to come out. Bah, humbug.

After dinner, we played cards. Mike & Cheryl came over and taught us how to play double pinochle. We used to play pinochle years ago so we needed a refresher. Double pinochle was significantly different both in the number of cards you get and in the play strategy. Additionally, the scoring is different. It was fun but a little frustrating.

5 Nov 2017 (Sun) – We drove to the mall today to look for shoes. We did not find what we wanted in any of the stores we poked around. Paul picked up some items at Home Depot. After we got back to the campground, Paul got our DISH satellite working. I spent about a half hour on the phone getting our DISH account set up. It is nice to have access to the channels that broadcast our favorite shows. Maybe we can get back on schedule.

We went to Copelands for lunch. They make the BEST red beans and rice. We bought more beans and rice to take home. For dinner, we had leftovers. Mike and Cheryl arrived from Rayne. We enjoyed a pleasant campfire until the mosquitoes came out. They were eating us alive despite the bug spray we put on. We had to call it an early night.

4 Nov 2017 (Sat) – Everyone bid one another farewell and departed for their various destinations. Mike & Cheryl were staying one more day in Breaux Bridge so they could go to a music festival somewhere. We left at 9:45 a.m. and headed off towards New Orleans. I am amazed at how wet this state is. We googled Siri to find out which state is the wettest and Louisiana is second after Florida (which is weird since it bills itself as the “Sunshine State”). We drove for miles and miles on elevated roadways over swamps and lakes and rivers. And wherever there was dry land, there was a truck parked and somebody fishing. These folks must eat a lot of fish.

We arrived in Westwego at the Bayou Segnette State Park at 12:30 p.m. It looks like this was a state park at first, then they added the campground. There was nowhere to pull over and park while checking in at the office. I had made reservations online so we drove straight to our campsite. The confirmation said we were assigned to campsite C1055. There was no 1055. We did find a space #55 so we pulled in there. I called the office to confirm we were in the right place and the lady chided us for not stopping in the office (typical state worker – couldn’t see the problem for want of the rules). We set up then drove back to the office to check in.

The campground is right next to the Mississippi River. There is a huge flood wall between the river and campground. We drove to the other side to take a look at the cabins. It was pretty neat! The cabins are floating on the water connected only by a walkway from the cabin deck to the shore. There are 16 cabins and they are on poles that allow them to rise and fall with the river height. Each one had a fish station right on the deck. The cabins were pretty large, too.

I spent a good deal of the day getting the Nomads paperwork and records in order.

3 Nov 2017 (Fri) – We spent the day hanging around the campground. A few of us got together to play Murbles. It is a lot like bocce ball, except the balls are a lighter weight plastic. A team of two each get three balls. There is one white ball. Someone throws the white ball out then you take turns throwing your ball at the white ball trying to get as close to it as possible. The person with the closest balls to the target wins a point for each ball. Ten points is a game. It was fun, especially when Paul started throwing the white ball in hard-to-get-at places (like under the picnic table).

At 4 p.m. we all drove to Buck & Johnny’s, an “eclectic and Italian restaurant with a Cajun flair.” The menu had some different items on it. We ordered appetizers all around and after an hour, placed our dinner orders. Everyone seemed to be happy with their meal. The building was an old converted garage. There are oil cans light fixtures, a corrugated tin ceiling, old tin signage and lots of brick on the walls. At 6:30 p.m. a guitarist began playing. The acoustics were poor and you couldn’t really hear what he was saying. They also offer a Zydeco breakfast on Saturday mornings. Sounds like fun.

The place was opened by two friends – Buck & Johnny. One of them passed away but the other partner still keeps his name on the restaurant. The guy who died was a former Army ranger. He had a collection of challenge coins that were on display in the corner. In addition, there were certificates and flags from his career in the military. All of us veterans were duly impressed.

2 Nov 2017 (Thu) – They broke records for rainfall yesterday. Lafayette got over five inches of rain. Although we don’t have many puddles around the campground, the ponds and creeks are visibly fuller. It was amazing that it could rain so hard and so long and not flood us out.

Paul took the truck into the Ford dealer this morning and I continued working on the caravan data. When he got back, I cooked breakfast with some leftover food. It probably could have tasted better. It’s been a while since I cooked bacon and eggs.

Later, we drove into town to pick up a few things. Paul got more coaxial cable to hook the satellite dish up with. We stopped in Winn Dixie to pick up a few things and spent more than I expected. We also stopped at WalMart where I picked up some binders and dividers for the caravan information we are collecting/preparing. We stopped at Poche’s Market for lunch. There was so much food that we brought the leftovers back for at least two dinners. I also bought some cracklins.

At 3:45 p.m. we walked to the club house for happy hour. We were first to arrive. I made broccoli cheddar bites (tater tots but only with broccoli rather than potatoes). Thirteen of us enjoyed the social meeting which lasted until 6:00 p.m. We returned to the camper where I reheated our leftovers from lunch. We sat and enjoyed the good reception on the TV now that Paul has the satellite hooked up. Maybe we can catch up on some of our favorite shows.

1 Nov 2017 (Wed) – Tom & Sandy called this morning and we talked for half an hour about the caravan. Paul took the truck to a Ford dealer. The CHECK ENGINE light came on yesterday so he wanted to get that looked at. I stayed home and spent the morning investigating the resources for our 2019 caravan. I called four visitor centers in Utah to check on events and activities that might be happening while we’re there. The Iron Man Marathon will be taking place in St. George during the first weekend of May so we’ll be sure to avoid being there at that time. I learned some very interesting things and am enjoying the project of planning this caravan very much. It’s going to be lots of fun!

Paul returned without getting the truck repaired. The two dealerships he went to were too busy to do anything today. One offered to look at the truck tomorrow. He will bring it back.

At 4:03 p.m. we got a call from Mike, President of the Nomads. He reminded me that we have happy hour at 4:00 p.m. every day. So we pulled on our rain coats (it poured all day long) and walked down to the social area. A few members of the group left today. The group of us that were left visited for an hour. The phone kept pinging with alerts for flooding in the area. I don’t know where all that rain kept coming from.

31 Oct 2017 (Tue – Halloween) – No one came trick or treating today. I missed the costumes and giggling children. The rest of the group went on a swamp tour today. We didn’t go since we have already done one of those before. We drove to Dillard’s to do some shopping. We walked around a shopping mall for a couple of hours and bought a few things. We stopped at Wendy’s for lunch then drove to Camping World. Paul picked up a coaxial cable for the satellite. We then stopped at WalMart where Paul was able to get a 90 degree connection for the cable.

I had wanted to make a special dish for the Attitude Adjustment Hour back at camp but we returned too late for me to make the broccoli cheddar tots. So we brought our usual Cajun crackers that we have been bringing to all the social hours.

Happy hour took place from 4 to 4:30 p.m. That was followed by a chapter meeting where I was voted in as the new secretary-treasurer for the Nomads. Then we shared a potluck dinner with each other. I made a blueberry dump cake which was nearly all consumed. It always feels good when something you bring gets fully eaten. It means everyone liked it.

30 Oct 2017 (Mon) – Today was the end of the National Muster. Everyone packed up, said their goodbyes, and went on their ways. We went to City Hall to pick up the mail we had forwarded. The clerk couldn’t find anything and suggested we go to the post office to see if they had the mail there. We drove to the post office where the clerk had two envelopes for us. They didn’t deliver it because they knew it didn’t belong to the employees there. Even though City Hall put out the address and offered to accept forwarded mail for persons attending the SMART muster, the post office decided to hold the mail. I thought they were required to deliver it to the address on the envelope, no matter what. Boy, the rules sure change as you go around the country.

We left Rayne at 9:45 a.m. bound for Breaux Bridge, 21 miles east. Unfortunately, there was an accident on I-10 and the highway was closed. We had to take backroads (that’s always fun in an oversized vehicle) and didn’t arrive at Poches (pronounced POH-SHAYS) RV Park at 11:30 a.m. About 18 members of the SMART Nomads chapter are here. We will be having a meeting tomorrow night where I will be formally installed as the secretary-treasurer.

At 3:00 p.m. we all formed a convoy and drove to Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn in Lafayette. What should have been a 20 or 30 minute ride took over an hour. I don’t think there’s a straight road in Louisiana except for I-10. We had a road closed because a bridge was out and that led to a merry ride. Finally, when we got there, it was a very nice restaurant. Paul and I both had lump crabmeat sautéed in butter. Scrumptious! The food was excellent although quite expensive. Our bill was $116. Ouch!

29 Oct 2017 (Sun) – We went to the catered breakfast today. It was basically the same old fare. There was a membership meeting at 10:30 a.m. I played a card game with Tom & Sandy at 1 p.m. It was interesting. You have a team of four (another friend of Tom & Sandy made up the fourth hand). Each member gets dealt 13 cards. You turn them up and when the game leader calls out your card, you remove it from your hand and put it in the center of the table. You play five hands and ante 25 cents for each hand. Each team brings their ante to the front where it is combined into one big pot. On the last hand, you ante the 25 cents then also put $1 into a kitty. The person who puts all their cards in the middle first wins the pot. I split a pot with two other guys winning $11.25 each.

At 5:00 p.m. we had the closing ceremonies. A group sitting next to us kept playing with their cell phones for the hour the ceremonies went on. The lady next to me was especially annoying, scrolling through facebook and passing the phone back and forth amidst comments and laughter. We had to shoosh them several times. When the ceremonies were over, I went over and chastised them for their rudeness. They defended themselves by saying they heard every word that was said. They couldn’t have with all the talking and laughing they were doing. In addition, we couldn’t hear because of their noise making.

Our catered dinner was served at six. It was stuffed chicken, green bean casserole, rice with some kind of meat in it (could have been ground beef), and a slice of fruit pie. After dinner, there were about a gazillion door prizes to be awarded. It was a long night.

28 Oct 2017 (Sat) – We ate the powdered eggs at the catered breakfast this morning. The caterer also provided sausage gravy and biscuits (which Paul enjoyed). There was a 2018 National Muster planning meeting at 9:00 a.m. I sat in on the meeting because I wanted to match names to faces and also find out what was planned for next year’s muster. Paul and Tom played murbles; a kind of bocce ball game but with lighter weight balls.

At 10:00 a.m. there was a seminar on caravans. The caravan wagon masters for 2018 (there were four) all stood up and described their trips. Then Tom got up and described our planned caravan for 2019. Another member, Carl, stood up and described his plan for a caravan up the west coast. He had been thinking about something with the National Parks but apparently we preempted him (you snooze, you lose).

At 1:00 p.m. we took the tour bus to activities in the area. There were three stops. The first was to a former Ford dealership in Crowley. Ford used to ship his cars by taking off the fenders and wheels, standing the cars on end in freight cars, and delivering them to Crowley. They were then taken to the dealership where they were reassembled and sold at the dealership. The dealership closed in the 1950s and other activities were housed in the building over the years.

Next stop was at the Germanfest Museum. The small town was settled by German immigrants and the curator described the family lines from 1867 forward. They also had sugar cookies made from a recipe brought from Germany over 150 years ago. They were very tasty.

Last stop was at Kelly’s Landing. This was fun by a farmer who grows rice and harvests crawfish. He described the process for growing both, then provided us with a delicious dinner of gumbo on rice with potato salad. For dessert, we were served peach cobbler. At 6:00 p.m. a Cajun musician came in and played an accordion style instrument for us. It was quite enjoyable.

We got back to the campground at 7:00 p.m. After feeding the animals and taking Bonnie for a walk, we went over to Tom & Sandy’s RV for coffee. Jim & Theda joined us and we had a lively evening telling stories of camping and traveling around the country.

27 Oct 2017 (Fri) – There was no breakfast this morning. Tom & Sandy and we had a talk with one of the representatives from National about the caravan we want to do. He reviewed our idea and gave some suggestions and pointers on running a caravan. He has been on and led several caravans himself.

At 11:30 a.m. there was a men’s luncheon in the pavilion and a ladies luncheon in the auditorium. Many of the ladies wore fancy hats (one had a gumball machine on her head) and we had all been asked to come in our “going-to-church” outfits (no shorts, tank tops or cut offs). There was a fashion show as well. About six of our members modeled clothes that were donated by Dillards. It was fun.

After lunch, we met with another member of SMART to discuss our caravan plans. Following that, we went to a Nomads meeting where Tom & Sandy joined the group and I volunteered to be the Secretary-Treasurer.

The skies opened up and the rain poured down. Tom ran back to camper to get the truck and then drove us all back. We ran in, fed the animals, then drove back to the auditorium for Attitude Adjustment Hour, a catered dinner, and entertainment by a comedian. She was very funny. They again handed out about 70 door prizes. It is amazing that they got so many prizes to give away. The board must have worked really hard to gather up so many items.

26 Oct 2017 (Thu) - We went to the catered breakfast this morning. We brought several throw rugs to give to the White Elephant Sale. That was a popular item! The breakfast was set up on a long table with plates on one end and another set of plates in the middle of the table. It was an awkward set up. People coming from the end of the table ended at the point where the second line was picking up their plates. People were getting all jammed up trying to pick up their plates with the people trying to get by with their food. The eggs tasted like they were powdered. The bacon was sliced so thin I could see through it. There were also grits and biscuits but I didn’t have any.

At noon, we joined Tom & Sandy, Jim & Theda, and their friends Willie and his wife, for a tour of the Bayou Rum Distillery in Iowa (a city in Louisiana, not the state). There was an introduction video then we walked into a small warehouse where they had vats and pipes. A guide described the process as none of the machines were running at the time. Afterward, we had a tasting of four different rums and wandered around the gift shop. That was followed by lunch at Boudreaux’s Cajun Trio.

At 4:00 p.m. Paul and I went to the First Timers meeting. The National President welcomed everyone then introduced the regional directors and chapter presidents. We were all encouraged to actively recruit new members.

At 5:00 p.m. there was Attitude Adjustment hour followed by a shrimp boil. There was SO much food! We all took leftovers back to our campers. During the dinner, Paul and Tom spoke with Phil (our wagon master on the Alaska caravan) about doing a caravan to the national parks in Utah. Phil had mentioned he was thinking about doing that so we wanted to make sure we weren’t stepping on his toes in following through on his original thought. He gave his blessing so now we are off to making plans for a new caravan to do in 2019. Tom & Sandy will be the wagon masters since they have already served as tail gunners on a caravan, and Paul and I will be the tail gunners. It will be fun!

25 Oct 2017 (Wed) – We did the laundry this morning. The laundromat was just a few blocks down the road. There was only one woman in the place. The washer was $2.00 and the dryer was $0.25 for six minutes. We put the laundry in and then went looking for propane. There was no place to get it in Rayne so we drove 15 miles down the interstate to Lafayette. AmeriGas had a sign on the fence saying they were not filling propane tanks today for some technical reason. We then drove back down the interstate one exit to an RV dealer. They filled our tank.

We returned to Rayne, dropped off the propane tank at the campground, then returned to the laundromat and moved the wash to the dryer. After it was done, we stopped at Gabe’s Cajun Shack for lunch. If you wanted something breaded and fried, that was the place to go. We both got fried chicken. It wasn’t bad.

The opening ceremonies were held at 4:00 p.m. There was an acapella group called the Sweet Adelines who entertained us with songs. There was the pledge of allegiance, the star spangled banner, and the MIA/POW table. There were introductions, announcements and the Mayor of Rayne was a guest speaker. Dinner followed then 70 door prizes were awarded. I won a basket of cookies, coffee and tea.

24 Oct 2017 (Tue) – We went on a food tour this morning. There were fourteen of us who carpooled to a pick up point, then waited for the tour bus to arrive at 10:00 a.m. Somehow the driver lost the keys to the bus and had to get someone to bring another key to her. She managed to work out the problem and arrived at our location at 10:40. She turned the bus over to our tour guide (who had been waiting with us) and we were off.

We stopped at a donut shop and had a kalache and halves of two donuts with coffee. Good start. Next stop was Nunu’s, a grocery store, where we got samples of boudin, cracklin, sausage, and chicken patty. Boudin (pronounced BOO-DEEN) is a mix of pork sausage and rice in a casing. You squeeze the casing and push the meat and rice mixture into your mouth. I bought a package of four boudin sausage links. Fezzo’s in Broussard was next on the schedule (we ate at the Fezzo’s in Crowley the other day). We were given a baked oyster and alligator kickers. I gave my oyster to Paul and ate half of the gator. It was better tasting than the fried alligator we ate at the frog festival a few years back. A café named Ton’s was the next stop. We had gumbo and potato salad to eat. You take a small amount of potato salad on your spoon then dip it in the gumbo. The mixture of the two is a delightful taste treat. A stop at BJ’s Sandwich Shop followed. We had a taste of a shrimp Po’ Boy that was exquisite. After the stop, the tour bus was trying to back out of the parking lot onto the busy street. I had been across the street taking a picture of the shop so I jumped behind the bus and stopped the traffic so our guide could back out. Finally, our last stop was at Papa T’s Café where we had the most delicious bread pudding.

We got back to the campground at 2:30 and at 4:00 we went to the Nomads social hour. We left at 5:00 to feed the animals then met Johnny & Linda, two friends we made on the Canadian Maritimes Caravan. We drove with them to Fezzo’s for dinner. Tom & Sandy and Jim & Theda (from the Alaska Caravan) joined us. The food was good and the company very pleasant.

23 Oct 2017 (Mon) – We drove to WalMart to pick up some Halloween cards and gifts. We also picked up a food processor. Since I am trying to stay away from all grains, I am following recipes that require grinding and pureeing foodstuff.

Next stop was at the post office to mail off the cards and gifts. Then we met Tom & Sandy at “3 Peas in a Pod.” When we first pulled in to the parking lot, it was raised eyebrows and “What the heck is this place?” There were old, broken gas pumps in front. The restaurant was in the converted gas station. It didn’t look like much from outside but the inside, although small, was very nicely decorated. There were about 8 tables and we were the only people in the place. The husband of one of the “P’s” took our order. He no sooner left to turn in our order when people started to arrive. Very soon, the restaurant was full and people were waiting for tables. Poor Larry was the only server and it seemed to take forever to get our food. It was good and we also got a military discount on the bill.

We went to the Nomads chapter meeting at 4 p.m. After the meeting, we had a potluck dinner. There were some very good things to eat, as well as some questionable things on the table. The company was fun.

I spoke with Miranda later tonight. She and her husband are experiencing serious financial problems and I tried to help her put together a working budget. Kenny needs to get a better paying job in order for them to be able to pay their bills. New York is a very expensive place to live. I hope we can help.

22 Oct 2017 (Sun) – We hunkered down inside the camper all morning with thunderstorms and heavy rain pouring down on the area. Sheba spent the time hiding in the closet. Registration was scheduled to take place today from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. At 1:15 p.m. we rode over to register. There was a long line outside the door, meaning they were having some problems that were making the process drag. We decided to drive into town and come back when the line was gone.

Paul got fuel then we decided to drive to the place where we bought cracklins last time we were in Rayne. (Bonnie ate the cracklins we bought yesterday at the rice festival. As a result, she has diarrhea.) The man at Fontenot Slaughter House only had one bag of cracklins. He said he fries them up fresh every day but it being Sunday and with the rice festival in town, he didn’t make as much as usual. We bought the last bag and said we’d be back during the week. We tried to find the Savoy Music Center where we watched a Cajun jam session last time we were here but we ran out of time.

We hurried back to the campground. Registration was set to end at 2:30 p.m. We arrived at exactly 2:30 and found there was still a line. Not as long as before but still a line. At first, we were asked to come back tomorrow then we were allowed in. The registration process was very confusing. There were gift bags for registrants filled with brochures about the area and other various sundry items. After registration (where we paid for camping) we came to a station to confirm tours we signed up for (we will be taking two). Then we stood before the First Timers station. Because this is our first national muster, we are considered first timers. They rang a bell, everyone clapped, then we were given name tags branding us as first timers.

At 4:00 p.m. we went to the Nomads social hour. Apparently they had a chapter meeting which we were late for (again). We visited for a while, then returned to our camper. We walked Bonnie and enjoyed dinner. The rain stopped about 2:30 p.m. and the sunset was pretty. The weather is forecast to be sunny for the rest of the week.

21 Oct 2017 (Sat) – We drove into Crowley to meet up with Frieda and her sister and husband, Ingrid & George. It was the 81st International Rice Festival and a cousin of theirs had a John Deere tractor on display that belonged to their father. The cousin had found the tractor buried in the mud in back of the farm and restored it. It was displayed in a long row of old tractors, almost all of their engines running. It was quite noisy! There was also a corn husker machine, a kernel cutting machine, and a corn meal grinder. We walked down to the main thoroughfare and saw an endless row of food and vendor booths lined up on the boulevard. We couldn’t find any place to get food and sit down, so we drove to a seafood restaurant called Fezzo’s. The food was very good.

We returned to the campground after stopping at WalMart for groceries. At 4:30 p.m., we went to the Nomads social hour. It turned out to be a regular meeting that started at 4:00 p.m. Oops! We bought 50-50 tickets, signed up for a potluck dinner on Monday, and introduced ourselves (along with everyone else) to the group. We said hello to the Wagon Masters, Carl & Gwen, from our Maritimes Caravan. Carl and another member of the Nomads, Paul, are both running for second VP.

Later in the evening, the skies opened up and we got a heavy thunderstorm. Poor Sheba hid in the closet. The RV stayed dry. We enjoyed cheese, apples, and crackers for dinner. It’s nice to be retired and not worry about making proper meals for a family from time to time.

20 Oct 2017 (Fri) – It was a long ride today from Shreveport to Rayne. We arrived around 2:45 p.m. There were signs up directing everyone to the SMART National Muster. When we entered the park, a guy on a golf cart led us to our RV space. We had to back in along a long row of RVs. There is a pole every so many feet with six electrical and six water spigot hookups. There is also one sewer port to be shared as well. The rig next to us was having some kind of problem with the sewer. They got a maintenance guy from the park HQs to come work on the sewer port. He told them that they had been having a problem with that particular port. Disgusted, they decided to move to another spot so now we have nobody right next to us on the right side.

The RV Park has over 700 campsites spread out over a large grassy area. It is an ideal location for a large gathering of campers. Sandy (who is working the registration desk) said they have over 230 rigs registered to date. It promises to be a fun ten days.

After set up, we walked around the park and found friends from previous caravans. There was Phil & Nita, Wagon Masters from the Alaska Caravan. Scott & Evie and Jim & Theda from the same trip. We walked over to the area where the NOMADS were having happy hour. When we joined SMART, we also joined some local chapters – The Texans, The Nomads, and The Full-Timers. The Full-Timers and the Nomads were co-joined into one group. We have never attended any of the rallies or musters of any of the groups before this so we are considered first- timers even though we have been members of SMART for four years.

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