#if the website crashes and we have to wait a few more days

[owlhousecrack]

WEBSITE UPDATE DAY IS SO FUCKING CLOSE, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

I WILL STAY UP TILL 2AM FOR IT, IDC, I NEED TO SEE THEM BACK

[mildlyromanticperv]

What did you expect of me?

Karina x MReader. Fluff. Enemies to lovers.

-For christ sake, what a bitch! -Your anger boiling in your heart and your brain tells you, no, yells you to go to your managers office and demand a fair treatment, it's just ourageous that among all the workers in the office you have to stay late every single day of the week to cover the "last project of the quarter".

No matter what you do, how hard you work, how many late nights and how many cups of coffee you drink at a day, it just feels like a prison in here, the office that hired you as the main developer for the website on their new brand "Supernova."

Plus, who names a project "Supernova"? Sounds like with just a simple code here and there you'd make the market implode and then explode in money... If your manager Karina expects for that to happen she's either naively hopeful or a total delusional.

-You, come to my office. -Her cold words stabs your brain, after a whole week hearing her low pitch condescending dictatorial voice you can't bear to listen to it one more time, but you need this job like, DESPERATELY need this job, so there's no talk back to the boss.

-Yes boss?

-We're behind on the project, have you been slacking off again? -Her cold judgemental gaze falls upon your black sacked eyes showing off the immense exhaustion you have tu put up with during the project.

-Look boss, I'm doing my best, I haven't slept well these past few days but I assure you I will have everything ready by next month even if the useless of my coworkers don't do shit. -Your tongye got the best of you and runs wild. -I just need to have a good night sleep, can you let me out early today?

-No, we are all hands on deck and you know that. -She sighs and rubs her forehead in a clear show of stress and disappointment. -Just go back to work and don't screw anything up.

Any person with enough patience would put up with that shit, but not you, not now at least. The condescending tone and the past sleep deprived week has been just too much for you, clearly you're not thinking straight anymore, or perhaps you're thinking clearer...?

-Fuck this.

-Excuse me? -She responds with equal or perhaps even higher anger.

-Fuck this Karina, I'm not doing any more shit today and I'm tired to put up with your fucking demands. Fire me if you want I'm going home to sleep. -You really shuld've thought that better, but what is done is done, you start to pick up your stuff and bracing yourself for the shouting match.

-You cross that door and you're suspended, one week half pay. -Surprisingly enough instead of picking up a fight and shouting her vocal cords off as she usually does, she just stares straight into your eyes with a gaze so cold it could freeze hell itself. -You're not the only developer in our payroll, if I wanted I could fire your sorry ass right now and make it so you never work as a developer never again in your life, so consider this a favour.

Breathe.

Don't let that tone of hers get into your core.

Just, breathe.

-Fuck you. -It's the only thing you get to say before actually leaving.

-One week suspension no pay, and don't you dare call me or text me asking to forgive you. Jackass.

With the anger oozing through your pores you just slam the door and head out. You start your car and praying you don't crash you go from 0 to 100 in just a couple of seconds screeching the tires of your car.

-Please god, take care of him... -She sighs under her breath.

But wait... What?

Take care of him?

During that next week there was absolutely no news from you on the office, things started to be more... tense. You've received a ton of messages from your coworkers basically begging him to come back, but the answer is defenitive: No.

However things don't ever go your way.

*Bzz* *Bzz* *Bzz*

-Hey, we need to talk, come to the office. -Again, that swee... No. Annyoing voice again.

-I'm suspended. -Your answer comes as soon as the thought hits your brain.

A sigh from the other line and a faint whisper.

-This man is going to be the death of me some day. -But then the usual tone returns. -Look, I made a rash decision and we need your intel, you're the one that knows the way around our software.

-I thought you had several developers in your payroll, I bet they can help. -You say sipping through the wine you bought for that dinner for one you've been pushing away so much due to the job.

-I'm asking nicely, and around here you know that's as rare as an unicorn. Just come here tomorrow and finish the project, we're ahead.

-Ahead? What do you mean ahead? You said we we're behind last week! -Your voice comes harsher and harsher, even though your chest is telling you not to.

Not to her.

-I lied to try and make things faster, okay? Just come and we can talk like professionals. -She couldn't come to acknowledge the fact that she just wanted to see you. She couldn't admit that she misses your cologne, your three day beard and your stoic gaze when you're so deep in thought. -I'll send you the advances that have been made.

Right away she hangs up the phone, relieved she didn't break down into yelling or insults. Right away an email arrives on your computer with such incredibly... small advances looks like you carried the entire project all by yourself.

-Why am I not surprised? -You sigh under your breath as you pause the movie you were watching and read what has been done, immediately you start chaning... well, almost everything.

Next day...

You should at least turn off the car, for real, have you seen how expensive the gas is around these days?

"Just go, I avoid her any longer... I- I don't want to..." -It's the only thought that crosses your mind, the thought of seeing her piercing eyes again, the feeling of her gaze piercing and burning through your very soul, the loud beating of your heart as you look at her lips...

Her lips...

If only she wasn't your boss, right?

-So, I checked the non existent advances the useless guys did, and...

-How you've been? Have you slept well? -For some reason her tone wasn't condescending anymore, the worry present on her voice...

Could it be?

-Yes, finally in months I've been sleeping great... -Her eyes, oh. my. god... Her eyes... -Anyways, I have everything finished now, you can present it to corporate. -You say trying to avoid her eyes as you speak sarcastically and look at your watch.

-Big date coming or something? -She asks, doing an awesome job yo hide the jealousy.

-Just wondering how long this will take. -She sighs again, feeling the anger and stress of your cold demeanor.

-Your week of suspension ends today and the weekind is off by legal, so you can go now and I'll see you on monday.

-Sure.

After that you just go back to your usual routine, the weekend goes great and the next week of work comes, with so much less stress that even the busiest day feels like a walk through the park. The time off work led you to watch so much shows, and so much free time, time spent in imagining your life outside of work with that person that would make your days so much happier.

Thinking of love.

What a great future you could have, perhaps you could get married and have kids, after all that's your dream.

In a year you'd ascendo in your job, start earning more, you'd start dating to finally get the chance to let you feel that love you so desperately look for, In a year your boss wouldn't be your boss and perhaps you could date her, in a year you'd buy your first...

Your boss? Date... your boss?

Why would you think that? She's a bitch.

"But she's a gorgeous bitch." You thought, perhaps... only perhaps... You wanted that, you liked your boss...

*Bzz* *Bzz* *Bzz*

Your phone rings with a text from your boss.

-Corporate loved the project, we were given monday to celebrate, so I'll be expecting you monday 7:00 A.M. sharp for the party.

-Got it boss. And hey, sorry for snapping out last week. -Perhaps this could be a beginning, you know you should keep things professional, you keep telling yourself to stop but flesh is weak.

-Yeah, just don't be late. -Her response cold as always after 5 minutes of writing and deleting, she's also in the midst of an inner debate, whether let herself feel what she wants to feel for you or just don't say anything.

But why? Why shouldn't you try? Because she's your boss? There's plenty of people that date with their boss and make it work, you shouldn't keep ahold of the prospect of your happiness just because people might judge, that's the whole point, living for yourself and be happy yourself. Isn't it?

That very Monday at 7:00 A.M. you show yourself at work wearing a new white T-shirt and some loose jeans, your usual wrist watch and a new cologne you bought just for your boss, nothing else is going to stop you.

-Hey, boss. -You came to talk to her made a nrevous wreck not really knowing what to do to get her attention.

-Oh, here he is, the brain behind it all. -She wrapped her arm around your shoulders and pulled you closer to present you to some corporate officers like if you were a prize, like you never shouted before... Like you two were friends... Being so close to her made your every sense enter overdrive and your nostrils welcomed her particular scent, that magnificent smell of lavender and strawberries sent your head over the moon.

The rest of the party went completely normal, talking here, showing off there... Taking glances at your boss every once in a while as well.

Wait, did she looked at you as well?

Was she blushing?

-Hey boss can I talk to you for a sec? -You got closer and whispered into her ear, not long after she pointed you to the balcony where you usually go to have your lunch.

-Make it quick.

-Look boss, there's no easy way for me to say this, but I think I should quit... I... I have feelings for you.

-Is that so? -Her cold demeanor makes you back off for a second, unable to tell the truth in her eyes you stutter.

-I know, I know that I was rude last week and I'm being just way too out of line. -Her eyes shine with a glint never seen before, in her mind the thoughts are divided whether she should speak from her heart, as Karina. Or speak from her brain as Ms. Jimin, regional Manager of your branch.

-You know you're my worker, and this is incredibly inappropriate.

-Don't you feel the same for me? I saw you looking for my eyes before.

-Don't be ridiculous, I'm your boss. -Despite the way she feels work ethics comes first, how can a manager could let a worker speak to her that way?

-I don't care. -It's the last thing you said before leaning forward and placing your hand against her cheek, caressing her soft skin and pressing your lips over hers.

For a second all that exists is you and her, together in a tight embrace holding her waist desperately thinking that if you'd ever let go of her she'd just vanish in the thin air. She responds to your advances letting your body invade her personal space, for mere seconds that feel like an eternity all that she can feel is your hands gripping her blouse until she lets go of any ties and wrap her arms around your neck, tipping into her toe-tips to match as much as she can your height.

-We... We can't... I'm your boss... -Her voice comes out cracking, breathing unsteady due to the raw passion she just felt a while ago. -It's inappropriate.

-I don't care, I'll quit if needed, I just care that I want you.

-I want you too. -She rests her head on your shoulder nuzzling her face in the crook of your neck.

You then caress her soft hair, taking a deep breath of her unique scent that send jolts of electricity along your brain.

-So what now, boss? -This time the words come out strong, lovingly, softly.

-Now we talk to HR, couples need to fill paperwork. -She pulls back and looks into your eyes again. -You always make me do more and more paperwork... -She then whispers in your ear. -Sweetie.

[wardenparker]

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Dating Your Ex - ch 8

Marcus Pike x female reader Co-written with @absurdthirst

When Marcus unexpectedly runs into his ex-wife he is plunged into a world of complications where rekindled attraction and deep-seated insecurities reign. Unfortunately for him, it is also a world where his ex-wife is not the only ‘ex’ around, as a new case crosses his desk that will require all hands on deck. ✨💖Inspired by and based upon absurdthirst’s Tequila. 💖✨  

Rating: Mature, but this blog is always18+ Word Count: 9.7k Warnings: **Blanket warnings for this series include: divorce, break ups, collegiate Greek life, underage drinking, food/alcohol consumption.** Some graphic flirting. Mentions of cannibalism and pregnancy. I promise it’s not in the same paragraph. Summary: An important shopping trip, a break in the case, a dinner with the Janes, and plans interrupted make for a very eventful day. Notes: All I’m saying, is that if I were Angie, I would have so much trouble keeping my mouth shut.

Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4 ~ Ch 5 ~ Ch 6 ~ Ch 7

You’re starting to go cross-eyed with Marcus’s case. And probably also from being a little tired, if you’re honest. Every night after work the two of you go to the apartment to pack boxes and then pick up dinner on your way back to the house to crash in each other’s arms after dinner. You wake up in the morning to espressos and shower sex like you’ve been doing it every day for years. Everything in your relationship is going well, and you’ve been communicating clearly and honestly about everything as you go. Except for one thing. Today you begged off of your normal lunch in the office with Marcus under the claim that Angie asked you for some girl time. In reality, Angie is meeting you downtown to do some shopping. It’s time to start looking for Marcus’s engagement ring.

For days Marcus has poured over websites to try to find the perfect ring for you. Except, it’s not the same as looking at it in person, holding it. When you beg off of lunch, he finds himself looking forward to the time alone so he can browse some jewelry stores. Knowing that he wants to get you a new ring when he proposes, he grabs his keys about ten minutes after you call him and heads out.

Angie promised to meet you on New York Avenue at noon sharp and she’s as good as her word. When you park your little car and hop out to find your best friend waiting for you, it gives you an extra boost of confidence that you didn’t know you needed. “Okay.” You Throw your arms around her and hug her tight. “I’ve got an hour before I have to get back to the lab and I don’t care about actually eating lunch. This is way more important.”

“So what exactly are we looking for?” Her hug back to you is equally as fierce and she looks at you over the rim of her Gucci sunglasses. “Lingerie?” She wiggles her brows playfully. “Toys?”

“Not quite.” Glancing behind her, you bite your lip and point to the elegantly simple storefront windows with glittering jewelry and signature blue logos on display. “We’re jewelry shopping.”

“Jewelry shopping?” Angie’s eyes narrow slightly. “I know that man is not making you get your own ring.” It’s very off brand for Marcus but she would ring his neck if he was trying to pull a stunt like this with you.

“Oh god no.” You shake your head vehemently and nudge her toward the store. “I decided…I’m going to propose to him this time. Ring and all.” Since first having the thought, it had stuck to you like glue. There is nothing in the world that could convince you otherwise at this point, short of Marcus himself beating you to the punch. “When we were in college…do you remember me telling you about the night around a month after he proposed when he kept drunkenly apologizing for not being able to get me the best ring and me not having any clue what he was talking about?” It had been a whole confusing night and few days afterward, especially since you had loved the engagement ring that he did give you. “He meant he wished he could have afforded a Tiffany ring. Like his Dad got for his Mom. That’s what he considered the best. So…this time he’s going to get the best.”

“So you’re going to buy him a ring from Tiffany’s?” Angie could melt right here on the street. There has always been something so fucking loving and adorable about your relationship with Marcus and she’s glad to see that it’s back to that state again. “Moving in, proposing, next you’re going to be popping out babies.”

“Fastest pregnancy in human history.” Is the joke you make, knowing that to anyone on the outside the pace of your relationship seemed insane the first time and it does all over again. “I’ve been sneaking looks at their website and they just released a line of men’s engagement rings. So I need you to help me stay on track and not just get him something insane because it’s pretty.”

“I mean— it’s a man’s engagement ring.” She grins, looping her arm through yours to eagerly move towards the double doors. “They are all going to be insane.”

The gentleman who offers to help you once you’re inside the store is probably twice your age and extremely kind, probably assuming you’ve come in to choose a gift or to spoil yourself somehow. When you tell him that you want to pick out a ring for your boyfriend he nearly melts. You and Angie are ushered to a case across the store and given chairs to sit in so you can talk through your ideas with the salesman. Up front, all you really know is that you want Marcus to feel spectacularly spoiled. You want to make a fuss.

******

Marcus starts with some other jewelry stores, just to give them a chance. He's picked out other jewelry from the chains and it's been wonderful. He's just always dreamed of getting you a ring from Tiffany's like his father had with his mother. Her ring was probably her most prized possession, not in an unhealthy or greedy way, but the sentimental 'I'll wear it always' kind of way. Still, the practical side of him makes him stop into the other stores along the way and browse.

Tucked away in your corner with Angie and the kind salesman, you never even notice the front door of the store open again and you definitely don’t see Marcus step inside. You’re politely chattering away, beginning to look at the new collection of engagement rings just for men, and deeply in your own little world.

“Good afternoon, sir.” A young woman standing behind one of the front cases offers him a smile. “What can we help you with today?”

“Yes, I—” His eyes widen when he spots you across the showroom floor. “Uh, yes—” he quickly points to a case on the opposite side of the room where he will have to have his back to you. “Show me whatever’s in that case.”

“Certainly.” It’s an odd way to make a request, but she wears a professional smile and ushers him over to a collection of ladies’ rings. “Were you looking for a gift for someone special today?” She asks, trying to get a read on him.

“I am, but I also just realized the woman I am shopping for is in your store.” He knows he came off as odd when he insisted on coming over to this case. Turning his head, he sneaks a look at you over his shoulder. Wondering if you are dream shopping with Angie. The thought makes him smile.

“I see.” She smiles, a little bemused. “Would you like to proceed anyway? Or come back another time?” It is definitely the first time she’s been in this position, but she’s not afraid of a challenge in the least. “Perhaps I can go and have a subtle look at what she is browsing to give you ideas if you need them?”

“I—” he bites his lip, almost tempted to have the associate look, but he doesn’t want to do that. “No.” He decides. “I want her to dream and hope that I get something she will love.”

“Alright.” She smiles, seeing the clear determination and softness in this man’s face. He’s unmistakably in love, and proud. It’s an encouraging combination. “We won’t spy.” She asks the usual questions about ring size and metal preference, please when he knows both pieces of information. “And have you ever shopped with us before?”

“Window shopped.” Marcus admits. “My father shopped here a lot for my mother, but I’ve never purchased anything.”

“Well maybe we can change that today.” It’s not hard to be nice to this man, and her sunny smile for once isn’t forced. “What do you think she would like?”

“Something classic.” Marcus smiles. “Asscher or Emerald cut. Maybe a solitaire, or just a few stones on the band. Nothing too overwhelming. Something she can wear with jeans or for a formal night.”

“We can customize anything you like, of course.” He knows what he’s looking for, and that speaks to care. “Both cuts stack beautifully, as well, so you would have plenty of options for wedding and anniversary bands down the line.”

******

“I want it to be special,” you explain to the man helping you and Angie. “I know that sounds silly since it will be special just for existing, but…something a little out of the ordinary? His first wedding band was so simple because it’s all we could afford then.”

“It’s not silly, it’s charming.” Angie insists, smiling at how excited you are for this. She glances around and freezes when she sees a very familiar back across the store. The only reason it’s familiar is because she had just had dinner with him two days ago. “Marcus.” She murmurs, catching herself when you turn towards her. “Will love it.” She gushes.

“You think so?” You know that this is something that you want to do but it is unconventional, so encouragement helps.

“Yes.” She nods eagerly and glances back over at Marcus, just in time to catch his eye as he glances over his shoulder. Grinning, she winks at him and gives a small nod, promising to keep his secret.

“Okay.” Blowing out a steadying breath and reaching for your best friend’s hand, you rally your confidence and give your salesman a smile. “There was one I saw on your website which I’m curious to see in person.”

******

Back at the office, Marcus bites his lip as he looks down at the file. Of course he would nearly run into you and Angie. Curiosity has him wondering what had you so excited but he will try to get some answers out of your friend. See if it aligns with the ring he has fallen in love with.

Trying to keep from smiling too hard while you look at evidence for a murder case is not something you ever thought you would have to deal with, but here you are. Through a vast series of lucky accidents, the salesman at Tiffany had been able to help you find the perfect ring for Marcus and found it in stock in the store at that very moment. Angie and her infinite good taste had agreed it was perfect, so it is now burning a hole at the bottom of your purse in its signature blue box inside the matching blue shopping bag. Marcus would never guess in a thousand years what you had done and that made it all the better. You only needed to figure out where and when to ask.

“Hey.” He couldn’t stay away for the day, knocking on your doorframe and smiling when you look up from your work. “Brought you an afternoon pick me up.” He holds up the coffee tray with two drinks on it.

“Hey.” He is an absolute sight for sore eyes after staring at prints and lists for hours after getting back from your lunch break. “How’s your day been, love?”

“It’s been good.” Marcus comes into your office and plucks a cup out of the tray to hand to you. “How was your lunch with Angie?”

“It was good!” For a split second you almost sound too excited and you have to reel yourself back in. “There was a new place she wanted to try out.” Yep. Certainly not any place you’ve been before. “What did you end up having?”

“I stopped and grabbed a sandwich.” He shrugs his shoulders as if he hadn’t been picking out a life changing thing for you today, all while you were giggling in the corner.

“How about Indian take out tonight? Something kind of different? Special?” The cup he brought for you is your regular coffee order with just a little something different added to it and you hum happily when you take your first sip. “Ooo, that’s tasty!” Alright, maybe you’re not doing too great at playing it cool…

Marcus nods, knowing that he can’t just propose over some fancy dinner. It would ruin the surprise. Plus, he does want to wait until the case is over. Get the Jane’s out of D.C. “That sounds good to me. I could go for a curry.”

“Perfect.” The hall bordering your office is deserted so you lean over to give him a kiss, savoring the short show of affection. “Any progress on your end of the case?”

“A couple of leads that I actually wanted to follow up with you on.” Bringing you coffee hadn’t been completely selfless. He sets the tray down and digs out his notebook. “Does this make any sense to you?” He asks, handing it to you.

“Let’s see.” His notes are lists of names organized by family, with numbers beside each one – 1, 2, 3, 4, or an X. Beside each X is what appears to be a date, all in 1846 or 1847. All in the winter months between 1846 and 1847. “Where did these names come from?” You ask him, starting to pull file after file containing every printed image of the daguerreotypes you have out and laying them out in the top of your desk. It covers the entire surface but it’s worth it. “Was it a journal? A travel manifest?” It’s a thorough listing of a very large group of people.

Eighty-seven in total.

“I—I might…I recognize some of these names from a book I read…” And if you’re right, this isn’t just important to the case, it’s important to American history.

“It came from a family journal? Didn’t know those were a thing.” Marcus hadn’t fed it into the system yet, he couldn’t quite place it but it felt like important times in history.

“They weren’t always a thing.” You clear off your keyboard and start typing frantically, then pull up one of the images that was most clearly marked with numbers that Teresa - because you were now on a first name basis - considered likely to be location coordinates. Plugging the coordinates into your computer pulls up the Google Maps page for Donner Lake in California, and you sink back into your desk chair with awe on your face. “It’s the Donner Party.” You tell Marcus, wondering if that name even registers with him. He likes history, but not always the macabre stuff. And this is definitely macabre.

“The Donner Party….” He frowns, unable to place it but he’s heard of it. “It’s— I know that it was taught in history class on high school. But, I’m drawing a blank.”

“My brother-in-law gave me a bunch of nonfiction books for my birthday last year,” you explain, as if Marcus isn’t used to you pulling random facts out of thin air. He used to call it your X-Man power. “One of them was this book called The Indifferent Stars Above which was all about this particular journey west.” Rambling is a side effect of getting excited, but he’ll understand why you’re getting so worked up in a second. “In 1846, eighty-seven people including sixteen members of a family called Donner set out for California from Missouri. It’s one of the most disastrous, tragic tales in American history because…” All of a sudden you’re not thinking about dinner anymore. “The survivors had to turn to cannibalism to survive the brutal weather and traveling conditions they got stuck in.”

“Shit.” Marcus winces and shuffles uncomfortably. He’s never liked thinking about choices like that. The sheer desperation it would take to resort to cannibalism.

“Yeah.” That’s putting it mildly, and you nod your head. “The thing is…the settlement they were heading toward? I can’t believe I didn’t recognize it right away.” If you had, this might have been days of investigating instead of weeks, but there’s no use in dwelling on that right now. “Was Johnson’s Ranch, California. It doesn’t exist anymore, but it was right at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas back then. These coordinates…these pictures…whoever took the daguerreotypes and wrote that journal? They must have been on the journey.”

“So why would this be worth killing over?” Marcus frowns as he looks down at the information again. “There’s, what? Buried treasure?”

“Kind of? Maybe?” You look down at all the images and list of names again and can feel your head swimming. “The book said that families brought everything they had with them on the journey. That included assets, and in those days assets would have been not just paper money but actual silver and gold. Like bars of it. I think one of the families had it built into their wagon so it couldn’t be stolen. It was everything these people had. And there were multiple rescue missions. The last rescue mission was going out there for the last survivors, yes, but also for everybody’s stuff. It’s not impossible that this survivor, whoever they were, was hoarding or hiding or burying the wealth of some of the dead and made themself a map in photographs.”

“Now that might be worth killing to some.” Marcus’s eyes light up. “Do you think now that we have a location, we can pinpoint the area?” He asks you.

“I mean I’m no cartographer but the search area is a hell of a lot smaller now. We just need to remember that the terrain has changed in the last almost two hundred years.” He looks so excited and relieved, and you grab his hand to squeeze instead of giving him a hug because people are outside your door again. “Do you think people are going to have to go out there and dig? To see if they can find something?”

“It might be a possibility.” Marcus admits. “But that’s not up to me.” He grins. “That would be up to Agent Jane, back in Texas.”

“Let it never be said that the Smithsonian was not a friend of the FBI.” The way he lights up at your - and his - special involvement in the case so suddenly coming to a close has you grinning. “Do you think this is enough help that they can continue the case from Austin?”

“I can’t imagine why they would need to stay.” It’s been nearly three weeks of Patrick and Teresa being camped out in his office and conference room and he cannot wait for them to get on a plane. No hard feelings, but space is needed. Plus, it felt like Teresa was going to pop any day now.

“The sooner she’s back in Austin, the better for the baby,” you nearly read his mind as you sit back in your desk chair.

“Exactly.” Marcus sighs. “The last thing I want is for my ex to deliver her baby in my office.”

"She's not that far along." Even so, you can't help but laugh. "But they've been here for a while already, and I have to imagine she'll be more comfortable at home. A hotel bed is never as good as your own." It's a lot to process, the idea that this case will hopefully be out of his hands again soon, and you push back from your desk. "Do you want me to come with you to deliver the news? I'm still the FBI's official consultant until the case leaves Washington, so it's your call."

“Of course you can come with me.” Marcus knows that you and Teresa are on fairly good terms. “We can tell them, pick up food and then lock ourselves in our house in our comfortable bed.”

“Oo, are we skipping packing tonight? What a splurge.” There isn’t that much left to do at the apartment, but it’s at least an entire weekend’s worth of dedicated work. “How positively indulgent of us.”

“If you want to give up a long, luxurious soak in the bath with a large glass of wine to celebrate the end of our assistance on this case and instead go pack boxes, I won’t stop you.” Marcus teases.

Sticking your tongue out at your boyfriend is exactly the kind of mature behavior he expects, and Marcus laughs as you turn off your computer and tidy your desk. Last thing is having purse and coffee in hand to follow him out of your office as you wonder if popping the question tonight would be a little too eager.

“Maybe we can be done with this before the traffic gets bad.” He offers eagerly. Completely unconcerned with ducking out a little early today, considering how many man hours he had put into a case that wasn’t his.

“Look who’s got so much pep in his step now that we have a good lead.” He’s positively giddy, a fact that makes you grin.

“I’m imagining my office empty.” He moans. “Void of one particular person. Of course I’m happy.” Things had been better since he had left Patrick with the bill at the club, but the man still sets his teeth on edge at times.

“You’re going to sit in silence the whole first day after they leave, aren’t you?” The sight of Marcus Pike is familiar in your office now and a few people wave or say hello as you pass through the halls and head for the stairwell. “Beautiful, glorious silence. I don’t know how Teresa does it. He’s always talking.”

“Blissful silence.” Marcus agrees, hand on your back even though you know the office better than he does. He still likes to touch you as you’re walking. “If I start talking that much, stuff something in my mouth.”

There are a half dozen dirty comebacks on your lips but you just chuckle under your breath and promise him that you will. “My usual paperwork and grant work will feel positively boring compared to helping in an FBI case.”

“Well now that I know what good work you do, I’m sure I will come up with other ways for you to help us out.” He teases.

“Yes, sir,” you murmur under your breath, making sure to flutter your eyelashes at him for good measure.

“You are such a brat.” He huffs, knowing that you know what that does to him. You’re doing it on purpose.

“Maybe a little.” With your tongue firmly planted in your cheek, you head out the front door of your office building with Marcus and pop through the parking lot to find his car parked beside yours. “I’ll follow you to your office so we don’t have to come back for my car later.” Normally you drive together, but lunch with Angie had meant needing your own car today.

“That works.” He can’t help but kiss you again, leaning against the car as he presses his lips to yours. “I love you baby.” He murmurs softly.

"I love you, too." The butterflies in your stomach are giddy, screaming for you to whip out the ring right now just so you can see him wearing it, but you tamp the feeling down and just enjoy kissing him back. Soon enough, you tell yourself. Soon enough.

Marcus opens your door for you, smirking when you roll your eyes at him playfully before he climbs behind the wheel of his own car. Pulling out of the spot and starting towards his offices to kick Patrick Jane out of his life for the foreseeable future.

******

"Ah! Our leader has returned!" Patrick Jane sits up from his reclining position in one of the rolling chairs in the conference room with his signature lazy smirk scrolled across his face. He's toned down his behaviour at his wife's request, but only slightly. "And with his lady. How lucky we are."

“How lucky indeed.” Not even that smug smirk can dampen Marcus’s buoyed mood. “Especially considering my lady has discovered the lead to send you on your way to solve the case.” It’s also a point of pride that you discovered things that the amazing Patrick Jane couldn’t. Call him petty, but it was exceedingly poignant for him.

"You found something?" Teresa looks up from her pages upon pages of notes with her eyebrows nearly hitting her hairline.

"That list of names." You nod, shutting the conference room door behind you and coming up to the table to look at the scans of the actual pages that had been sent from the Austin office. "I think if we fact check it, we'll find that the dates are death dates and the numbers one through four correspond to the four rescue teams that brought the stranded members of the Donner Party out across the mountains in the winter of 1847." Moving one of the pages in front of the Janes, you point to the list of names written out. "Look. Donner, and then the names of every member of the family that was on the journey to California."

Marcus is just petty enough to enjoy the astonishment on Patrick Jane’s face as he digests the information. Possibly wallowing in the fact that he hadn’t thought of it. “Huh.” He all he manages, sitting back and looking like the wind has been blown out of his sails.

"The first settlement on the California side of the Sierra Nevadas at the time was called Johnson's Ranch." The name that had been stumping you for weeks finally makes sense, and Teresa nearly facepalms when you say it. "I think the daguerreotypes might be clues that one of the members of the party took for himself to remember the location of hidden valuables. So many people died on the journey, it would have been easy to take and hideaway some of their belongings."

"And didn't go back for it." Teresa reasons. "So the wealth stayed buried and became a family legend."

“It does seem to lead that way.” It’s a completely extraordinary situation of that is what happened, but that will be what the Jane’s are left to figure out over the course of the rest of the case. Your part - helping to decipher the secrets in those daguerreotypes - has turned up much more than just some analyzed images.

“Huh.” Patrick leans back in his chair and sends you a look that is both shocked and intrigued that you wrapped it up so neatly into history.

“Of course,” you smile demurely, not even looking at Marcus so that you won’t laugh. “I’m no investigator. I’m sure there will be more of the mystery for you to unravel.”

“So I guess that means we should go home.” Patrick smirks knowingly, his eyes floating between you and Marcus, knowing you want him gone.

“Austin office will be thrilled to hear it.” Teresa has been the only one fielding phone calls from their superiors in Texas wondering what the holdup is, not Patrick. “Thank you for everything you’ve done to help. I know that this has been an…unconventional situation.”

Marcus shoves his hands into his pockets and nods. “Happy to be able to assist.” He offers, wondering if they will update him on the outcome but not wanting to ask.

“I imagine they’ll have us on the first flight home in the morning.” Living in a perpetual state of one-hand-on-belly, Teresa unconsciously soothes that hand over where the baby is currently sitting and leans back. “I don’t suppose you two would be up for a victory dinner tonight? Our treat.” The last is said definitely, giving her husband no room to make noise about the offer.

There’s no good way to politely decline the invitation and both of them know it. The plans for the night twirl down the drain as Marcus turns towards you, eyes on yours in silent communication.

Marcus’s expression would be unreadable to anyone else, but you can see the disappointment in the tightness of his smile. One more night with the Janes seems to be the sacrifice you’ll make together. Oh well – at least there’s no danger of you becoming overwhelmed with emotion and proposing at dinner now. “That would be nice,” you put on a smile. Teresa really isn’t so bad. You’ll just talk to her and block out her husband.

“Great!” Patrick leaps up out of his seat and moves over to where Teresa is rubbing her belly. “One last evening with ‘frenemies’.” He jokes, grinning at Marcus even though his hands on Teresa’s shoulders are soothing and supportive.

“I’ll find someplace nice.” Teresa decides, looking at the three of you before moving her eyes back to the table again. “It will take us a while to pack everything up and be ready to go. We’ll file the paperwork we need to before we leave DC, and I’ll make us a reservation.”

“Okay.” Marcus will have to make this up to you, but at least it’s only dinner and then they will be on their way back to Texas tomorrow. “Let us know. We’ve got some things to wrap up so I’ll give you my office to take care of things.”

You and Marcus beat a hasty retreat, leaving the conference room before Patrick can make a smart remark about whatever you may or may not be wrapping. “We’ll do Indian this weekend,” you murmur, reaching to briefly squeeze his hand.

“What’s one more night?” Marcus reassures you with a small smile. It will be ever better giving you what he bought when there’s no Patrick Jane to immediately needle you about it.

“Nothing we can’t handle.” After all, if you’ve survived nearly three weeks of it, one more night will be a cinch. “We’ll eat, we’ll suffer through one more awkward conversation, and we’ll come home to a relaxing hot bath. How does that sound?”

“A bottle of wine too?” Marcus asks with a grin. “Or tequila? Either one is good with me.”

“We’ve got that bottle of Prosecco that Angie’s husband recommended.” Marcus has been so excited about the recommendation that he’d popped out the next day and gotten a bottle to try. “Two days in the fridge is enough time to chill, right? We can have bubbly and a bath.”

“That sounds like the perfect way to end our adventure on this case.” Marcus smirks, imagining proposing to you in a bubble bath with bubbly.

"That is what we'll do, then." It sounds perfectly romantic, and if it just so happens to be a celebration of more than just your involvement in the case ending, then so be it.

“We can go to the apartment and grab a load to take over to the house if you want?” Marcus offers. “Or we can go home a little early and have sex so we are in a good mood at dinner.”

“I really don’t think you understand how to give choices,” you tease, knowing that it’s completely obvious which one you’ll choose. “There’s no contest there. At all.”

“I don’t know.” Marcus rolls his eyes playfully. “You might be all sexed out.” You’ve rarely had a night where sex didn’t happen. Only when one of you had put in long hours and where exhausted. He doesn’t want you to think sex is all he thinks about.

“Maybe someday.” A little shake of your head and a grin tucked up in the corner of your mouth tell him that it’s not likely, though. “Definitely not today.”

“At least we’ll be mellowed out for dinner.” He chuckles, looking forward to getting it over with.

“Let’s go home for a little bit.” You nod toward the elevators and offer him your hand. “Relax. Mentally stay ourselves for dinner.”

******

“Well, at least it’s not McDonald’s.” Marcus jokes as the two of you pull up to the valet station. “I didn’t expect anything this nice when they said dinner, but I’m sure Teresa is proving a point to her husband.”

"Either that or she's got a craving." The steakhouse has an exceptional reputation and you're not upset for one second about having a very nice dinner before what you're going to do when you go home. You had excused yourself to the bathroom right before leaving the house and used the time to choose a bath bomb with dried rose petals and a gorgeous rose-jasmine scent for when you get home again. Two of your big, fluffy luxury towels sit on the edge of the counter with the bath bomb on top. It sits right beside a little box of chocolate covered strawberries that you also picked up on the way back to the office from your lunch break - and the little Tiffany box all tied up in silver ribbon. When you follow Marcus into the bathroom for your wine soaked bath, the ring will be right in front of him. And hopefully you'll have timed it right, so that you'll be standing in front of him with the bottle of prosecco in hand when he turns around. You've never been so nervous in your entire fucking life.

“A craving, huh?” Marcus smirks as he slides his hand around your body to rest on your lower back after handing the keys over. “I guess that’s acceptable. It’s pretty much whatever you want when you’re growing a human.”

"Do you think there's a way you can preprogram your cravings?" You muse, scrunching up your nose as you grin at him and let him lead you into the restaurant. "Spending nine months craving steak or chocolate or fresh fruit sounds great."

“Whatever you crave, you’ll get it.” Marcus promises indulgently, smirking as he imagines you whining for something specific and he’s running to the store. “Has to be local though. I can’t fly to France for pastries every week.”

"If the craving turns out to be French pastries, I know a bakery on Wisconsin Avenue." And it is definitely a place you visit at least once a month like clockwork, so you can see your cravings tending that way easily. "I promise I won't make you get on an airplane for a snack."

“I would.” He admits that easily, grinning as he walks up to the host stand and gives the name. Not rolling his eyes when giving the name ‘Jane’.

“Oh yes, the other two members of your party arrived just a few minutes ago.” The well-put-together young woman smiles dreamily, either entirely taken in by Patrick Jane’s false charm or mooning over the pregnant Agent Jane as you had seen others do over the last few weeks. “Right this way.”

Marcus lets you walk in front of him, making sure that he does watch where he’s going in addition to staring at your ass. Taken to a table that is off to the side, the overall atmosphere screams intimate and if the menu is good, he might have to bring you back here.

“How lovely.” Patrick Jane lays it on thick when he sees the hostess walking you toward the table. He stands and pulls out your chair as though he were actually a gentleman and you can see the tick of displeasure in Marcus’s jaw but say nothing. “You both look divine. Find the place okay?”

“Perfectly.” Marcus nods towards Patrick and flashes a slightly warmer look towards Teresa before he is sitting down beside you. “This is very kind of you. And unnecessary.” He adds.

“A little something to show our appreciation.” Teresa contends. “You cracked the case today. That deserves celebrating.”

“Hopefully the rest of the case will be easy.” Marcus offers. “Might be your last one before the baby comes.”

“The last big one, I think.” Teresa has that otherworldly glow always associated with pregnant women and she sighs happily as she settles back in her seat. “Although we all know I’ll be playing armchair detective on maternity leave. No rest for the wicked.”

“Well, if I remember correctly, you had a hell of a team behind you.” Marcus’s Austin team had been good, although they were a little green on the field ops side. But Teresa’s department was much more hands on.

“She just can’t stand to be idle.” Patrick smiles at her like it’s the biggest compliment in the world and flags the nearest passing waiter to ask for a wine list.

Marcus raises his brows slightly and glances over at you. He wouldn’t order wine while you were pregnant, but that was just him.

“Just because I can’t, doesn’t mean you all shouldn’t.” Teresa shrugs, as if reading the silence at the table were that easy.

“How about a spritzer?” Marcus suggests. “Wine can be added on, but you can have the spritzer with us to celebrate?”

“Perfect.” It shouldn’t have been down to Marcus to be thoughtful of the situation, but you squeeze his leg under the table in quiet pride. He is always going to be the person to think of others’ comfort in any situation. It’s one of the things you love about him.

Patrick grins, obviously about to say something but the waiter comes to the table to take the drink orders.

Drink service is quick here, apparently, and it's apparent fairly quickly that the choice of restaurant was due to Teresa's cravings. Seafood appetizers are her top mouthwatering options and Patrick sits back, encouraging her to order as much as will please her for the whole table to share in the offerings. It's nice to see them actually be a little playful together, you can't deny that at all.

It’s amazing that Marcus doesn’t feel the sting of loss like he might have before. He doesn’t wish that it was him with her when Patrick rubs her belly or leans over to kiss her. Instead, he finds himself tangling his fingers with yours under the table and bringing them up to kiss your hand, thinking about the day when that’s you heavy with his child.

"So how is the moving going?" Teresa asks, deciding on a topic that should be solely happy.

Marcus looks over at you with a grin. “Surprisingly quick.” He admits. “I honestly was a little skeptical, considering she had lived in her apartment for so long, but we are blending things together very nicely.”

"The house is perfect." And even though some people might think it should bother you that he had bought it with Teresa in mind, it was never her home so the thought barely ever enters your mind. "I think we'll be ready to hire a truck for the furniture and the end of the boxes very soon." Fitting your lives together has been as easy as breathing, and you're just praying that the next step goes just as well.

“It’s a lovely home.” Teresa offers, having seen it when Patrick insisting on showing up one night to talk about the case. Of course he had snooped and a tour had been given. “We are looking for bigger than my apartment. The cabin isn’t practical for every day.”

"I'm sure you'll find something fantastic. Austin is a beautiful city." The one time you had been there was a flight layover, but you'd left the airport to meet a colleague for lunch and what you saw of the area was vibrant and lively.

Marcus nods in agreement. “It is, plus the school system is actually pretty good, so there’s that.” He might have looked into it before he was offered the position in D.C. He had never been shy about wanting a family, but he’s happy that it’s now going to be with the first woman he ever imagined having kids with.

“Already planning for it?” Patrick smirks as though he hasn’t eavesdropped on every morsel of information he could get from the two of you. It’s like catnip to him.

Marcus just glances over at you and squeezes your hand. “One day. If she wants.” He wants kids, never made that a secret, but it was and will always be your decision to have them. Or to decide how many you wanted to have.

“So one day soon, then.” It eases Teresa’s guilt in a way that she’s not terribly proud of, to know that Marcus has found someone - or found someone back again - who wants a family as badly as he does. When Marcus looks at you curiously, you shrug a little with feigned innocence. “I may have been picking Teresa’s brain about pregnancy,” you admit with a grin.

“You always did get giggly around pregnant women.” Marcus hums, remembering all the times you would coo over ladies out in public. It had helped feed that perfect image of how life would go, and made it devastating when it was ripped away.

“Well, I figured it would be nice to get a more comprehensive image of pregnancy.” Gathering information is an essential step in decision making, as you’ve discussed with your therapist, and it’s helped you not jump to conclusions as much in your adult life. “Teresa’s had a slightly different experience than my sister and it’s been really fun to talk about.” Under the table, you gently squeeze Marcus’s leg again to tell him everything is okay.

“I’m sure every woman has a slightly different experience.” Marcus flashes you a smile. “At least it’s not us carrying the babies, as much as we whine when we’re sick? The species would be doomed.”

“Nah, you’d be a champ.” Even though Marcus hates to be sick and would pitifully beg you to make him tea with too much honey whenever he has so much as a sniffle, you know he would be so proud to carry his children if that were the case. “I do have to wonder what men’s maternity suits would look like though. Do wide lapels compliment a baby bump?”

He laughs and shakes his head. “Maybe I’ll gain those sympathy pounds with you.” He jokes, patting his stomach. “Wouldn’t take much to convince me to stop running.”

“Actually,” Teresa chuckles, finding the whole calmness of this dinner very therapeutic. “We talked a little about exercise routines and low impact workouts. So you might switch from running to walking once you’re expecting.”

You tilt your head at Marcus and send him a smirk as you reach for your drink. “Exercise is important for fertility, too.”

“I think I’m getting plenty of exercise.” Marcus smirks back at you and sends you a subtle wink. “But if working out more is what is needed, then….” He shrugs playfully.

That has you almost choking on a sip of your drink, and Teresa nearly snorts as Patrick snickers under his breath. Yes, you are four very mature adults. “It’s good to know you’re enthusiastic, baby,” you laugh, shaking your head slightly at everyone’s reactions.

Marcus grins and picks up his own glass. “So is this one the only baby? Or have you talked about more?” He asks the other couple, showing an interest in the workings of their relationship now that the awkwardness of it all had firmly been buried.

“We’re thinking so.” The habitually soothing hand that Teresa has on her stomach is nice, but some other aspects of the pregnancy have been less than ideal.

“Just our little prince.” Patrick boasts, puffing up like he somehow consciously influenced the fact that the baby is a boy.

Marcus understands, and he nods towards Patrick seriously. Having a daughter would probably terrify the man after losing his first in such a shockingly violent way. “Well, I hope everything goes smoothly.”

******

Without the tension of the case and with the promise of soon being separated, dinner isn’t the arduous task that you had feared it might be. Patrick only got on Marcus’s nerves lightly and Teresa’s good mood seemed to buoy her husband, so by the time you’re standing from the table to go leave with bellies full of steak and seafood, everyone is still smiling. Of anyone you’re probably the most off kilter, but that is only because the ticking clock on one of the most important moments of your life has hit the eleventh hour. As soon as you get home, you’ll hopefully have a whole new reason to celebrate.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Marcus can feel the tension dripping off of you as the four of you start to wind your way through the restaurant to say your final goodbyes. The two of you trail behind Patrick and Teresa slightly and Marcus keeps his voice down to not alert Patrick to any potential issues.

“I’m okay.” As much as you hate technically fibbing to him, you flash Marcus a sideways smile as you walk. “I think I’m just sleepy from having a full belly. Maybe…when we get home, do you want to have that bath?”

"That sounds perfect." He relaxes slightly, just on edge for any sign of unhappiness now that a second ring for you is waiting in drawer in the bathroom. He hadn't been able to open the small safe without you noticing and he didn't want to draw attention to himself before leaving for dinner.

You say your last goodbyes at the valet stand, giving Teresa a careful hug and shaking Patrick’s hand out of an abundance of manners, and watching as they pull away in their rental car. “That’s it,” you laugh as the next car to pull up to the curb is Marcus’s. “We’re free.”

“We are free.” Marcus can share your relief and chuckles. “Is it safe to admit now that I’m so fucking happy I didn’t end up with Teresa?” He confesses as he opens the door for you. “I’d much rather be with you and not put up with Patrick Jane intruding on my life every opportunity he gets.”

“I don’t think you would have to deal with him for that long, honey.” The expression on your face is cheeky as you get into the car and you’re still smirking when he gets in beside you and buckles his seatbelt. “You’d either be in prison or a mental health facility for going crazy and killing him.”

Marcus barks out a laugh and shakes his head. “You’re right.” He laughs, looking over at you. “I’d be howling at the moon.”

“I’m glad you didn’t end up with Teresa, too.” You lean over the center console to kiss him before he can turn the engine over. “But that’s purely selfish.”

“Selfish on my part too.” Marcus admits, grinning at you. “You like liquor licked off your body. And I like that.”

“Teresa wasn’t into body shots?” Helpfully, your mind conjures the idea of him drinking bubbly off you in the bath.

“No.” It’s not badmouthing his ex, but he doesn’t elaborate beyond that. “You are though. You love me licking anything off your body.”

"Your love of whipped cream had nothing to do with the actual cream." You giggle, sitting back and tangling your hand in his as he pulls out into traffic. The drive home won't take long at your heart is pounding just a little bit harder with every passing minute.

“Of course.” Marcus smirks and looks over at you with a lecherous grin. “But would you have it any other way?”

"Never." After just a second of deliberation, you pick up his hand in yours and bring it to your lips, grinning evilly as you press a kiss to his palm before slipping his middle finger into your mouth to swirl your tongue around the digit in perfect imitation of the way he likes his cock licked. It's too good to not tease him.

“Fuuuuuuuck.” Marcus groans, cock twitching and he wishes he could just snap his fingers and have the two of you home and naked. “That’s mean.”

"It's not mean," you're giggling again as you kiss the back of his hand again. "It's a preview."

“It is mean.” Marcus pouts. “Because we aren’t home.”

"Don't be sad, baby." The dramatic frown on his face and the big, puppy eyes he aims your way at the stop light make you pout right back at him. "I'd offer to give you road head but I don't think we could escape DC traffic without getting noticed or even pulled over."

“I have a badge.” Marcus argues, although he would never let you do that. The word would get out and he won’t risk your reputation.

"We'll take a long drive through the Virginia countryside some weekend and find a nice place to fuck on a picnic blanket, how about that?" A favourite date of yours back in the early days could enjoy a very nice revival now, as long as you find the right place to do it. "Road head, too." You promise with a giggle. "It'll be very romantic."

“Road head is romantic, huh?” Marcus laughs and shakes his head. “We should find a little place to park. More room in the back of the SUV than my old college car.”

"Sounds like fun. I guess we know what we're doing next weekend, huh?" Sitting back, you watch the streets go by as it starts to drizzle rain and allow yourself a soft, contented sigh. "I love you, baby."

“I love you too.” He promises with a full heart. Your relationship, while not glossing over the past, was even better than it had been back then. Both of you knowing where you stand and what you want out of life.

******

By the time he pulls into the garage beside your little Mini Cooper, your heart is pounding. Optimistically you have maybe five minutes until he walks into that bathroom upstairs and you ask the most important question of your life. Not that you aren't ninety-nine percent sure that you know what his answer will be, but the anticipation is still nerve-wracking.

As soon as Marcus hits the button for the garage door to close, his phone starts to ring. “God, I hope this isn’t my parents.” He groans, although he’s fairly certain it isn’t. It’s too late for his parents.

Whoever he thought it might be, he definitely didn't expect to see the caller ID for the INTERPOL Paris office splashed across his phone, and Marcus shoots you an apologetic look when he answers the phone. "Director Pike?" The man on the other end of the line has a thick Parisian accent but speaks perfect English, thought his voice is very obviously agitated. "René Ducasse, INTERPOL cultural heritage unit. I apologize for the hour, monsieur, but things are moving quickly here."

“Monsieur Ducasse, how may I help you?” Marcus’s tone takes on a professional edge, polite yet brimming with authority. He frowns, calculating the time in Paris and blanching when he realizes it would be four-thirty in the morning.

"There has been a break in the case concerning the pair of missing Cassatt paintings that your Federal Bureau of Investigation has been searching for." Ducasse is a gum chewer as a form of nervous habit, and Marcus can hear him unwrap a piece on the other end of the phone. "We have less than forty-eight hours to prepare the sting, and hoped you might be interested in having the operation be a collaboration between our offices. We would send you in undercover to participate in the auction, as your face is far less well known here." He chuckles under his breath, knowing the cover is an easy one. "A wealthy American throwing their money around, you know?"

Marcus’s brain is rapidly processing this situation and he nods, shaking his wrist to look at his watch. “We should be able to catch a flight tonight.” He knows it might be tight, but he grins. “I will call you back with my itinerary.”

"Merci, Director Pike, I will watch for your call." The relief in Ducasse's voice is audible, along with the first smack of bubble gum being chewed. "And I will brief you myself when you arrive."

“Thank you.” Marcus ends the call and looks at you with both apology and excitement in his eyes. “So, um…I have to go to Paris. For a case. Do you want to come with me?”

"Seriously?" You're starting to not believe what he had told you about his job being less exciting than other FBI offices, especially if impromptu trips to France are a real-life possibility. "Yeah. Absolutely. I'll use a vacation day for tomorrow. Unless..." The nearly giddy look on his face makes you laugh. "Am I being asked to consult on this case as well, sir?"

Marcus opens his mouth and then closes it. “Actually…” he tilts his head thoughtfully. “This is about a pair of missing Cassatt paintings. A Smithsonian director would be useful on the team.” It might be a slight misappropriation of your title, but it would work.

"I suddenly feel very fancy and very lucky." And very much like you want to sprint up to the bathroom immediately to grab his ring and stash it away before he can see it - if you have a chance to propose to Marcus in Paris? Oh yeah, you're absolutely going to take it. "Why don't you tell me what you can of the case while we're packing and I'll send an e-mail to my boss with an update before we take off." Sometimes the convenience of a cell phone for things like big last-minute events is very helpful. "But first." You lean over the center console in the car and peck a kiss on his cheek. "I really need to pee, so I'm going to run upstairs."

“Okay. I’m going to book us some flights.” He’ll also make a call to his boss, getting the go ahead to bring you so there aren’t any issues with that later on, but he doubts there will be.

"Okay." One more quick kiss and you bolt into the house and straight upstairs. The stack of towels and bath things you had set up on the counter are still sitting there proudly along with the candles that you had pulled out, and you snatch up the little Tiffany box with a relieved sigh - like a part of you was something worried that it wouldn't be there when you got home. Without knowing what to expect, the first things you can do are wipe off your make up from dinner and pack up your toiletries. Luckily you had used your two suitcases to bring over clothing from the apartment last week and now you use the smaller one to start packing up some professional yet fashionable clothing and one really beautiful cocktail dress for a nice dinner out. Even if you're going there for work, you will take time for at least one dinner with Marcus in the city. You want to show him your old neighborhood in Montmartre and have drinks at Harry's. Sort of a greatest hits tour of your years there as a graduate student.

It takes about twenty minutes to get everything settled and flights booked before Marcus is bounding up the stairs. “Sorry. I know we had plans tonight but I upgraded our tickets to first class.” He offers, shooting you a grin. “Didn’t cost an arm and a leg when I just have to pay the difference between what the bureau would have booked.”

"We had plans for a bath." You're carefully folding the dress you selected from your shared closet when he comes upstairs, and you shake your head at him for the little extra of upgrading your tickets. It's good thinking, you'll both sleep much better on the flight. "We can have a bath in the hotel in Paris tomorrow and it will be just as romantic."

“I don’t know if I could ever get more romantic than a bath in Paris.” Marcus snorts. “That’s prime romance. Especially since we are going to be posing as a wealthy couple so our room is the Versailles Suite at Le Meurice.”

"It is not." The way your jaw nearly unhinges in surprise makes your voice drop and you gasp. "What the hell kind of cover are we supposed to have, royalty?" He's told you what he can of other undercover jobs he's done before, but nothing had sounded as opulent as this. "I better rethink what I'm packing if you want us to pass for ultra wealthy. Office clothes don't scream opulence."

“We can buy what we need and expense it out.” Marcus informs you with a grin, sending you a small wink. “So leave room to bring clothes home.”

"Do you have any idea how long we'll be there?" Not that you have any objection to staying just as long as the FBI could possibly need. It's a welcome working vacation. To go to France right after the Janes leave is like a gift from the universe.

“According to Monsieur Ducasse, it will be at least forty-eight hours, possibly a week to wrap up.” Marcus theorizes. “We are to pose as wealthy Americans attending a black-market art auction.”

"Living out my caper movie dreams." You flash him a grin as you scoop up all the responsible workwear trousers and blouses that you had chosen and plop them back in the dresser to replace with dresses. "Do we get to come up with our own cover?" Okay, you might be a little excited about this...

“We will have some guidelines to work inside, but details of the background are normally created by the people going undercover based on what they can keep straight.” Marcus explains, pulling out his own clothes to pack.

"That makes sense." The two of you talk through things while you pack, with Marcus outlining the standard way that operations like this are normally run and giving you a little background on his INTERPOL colleague that has called him in. By the time you're toting your suitcases downstairs to get back in the car, you have enough information to fire off an e-mail to your boss and to start thinking about places you might want to be when you bring out that ring again. This won't be pure vacation - you're not naive enough to believe that - but you're determined to find a moment to make special.

“Shit.” Marcus realizes that he’s almost fucked up. “Let me run back inside.” He tells you after closing the trunk. “Just stay here.” He bolts for the door, cursing himself for almost forgetting to grab your ring.

What better time to propose than in Paris?

------ Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @katheriner1999 @littlemousedroid @harriedandharassed @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @hardc0rehaylz @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri @adancedivasmom @madiebear @tanzthompson @emilianamason @bigsdinger @xocalliexo @pedr0swh0r3 @avaleineandafryingpan @charlyrmv @avidreader73 @iceclaw101

tCIGtDYE: @missmarmaladeth  @afro-hispwriter  @rosmarinus @mythrielofsolitude @jxvipike @avaleineandafryingpan @hnt-escape @supernaturalgirl20 @scorpio-marionette @bobafvcker @midnightevermore @dinoflower   @pearl-aqua-tears @itsbaehyungbitch   @pepperminticedcoffee @anticipayosbot @girlofchaos @speedynana @loveslide @noisynaia @just-here-for-the-moment @goodgriefitsawildworld @curiouskeyboard @iarellanouus @mymistery09-blog @seasonschange-butpeopledont @thenightdreamsballad @pondsofravenclaw  @sherlock221b114679797 @pimmyxyone @theredwritingwitch @ghostinhours @timpletance @strawberryjamcheesecake @amb11 @a-little-shade-of-kiki @wildemaven @tuquoquebrute @supernaturalgirl @ellenmunn @iceclaw101 @toxicfrankenstein @catsandgeekyandnerd @missmarmaladeth   @theincredibleinkspitter @agiroflee98 @lyonessofnarnia @we-could-have-been @totostits @scorpio-marionette @kikis-writing-world @trappistmonksofthefuture @danichz  @88dragon06  @scorpionerd @myrealmofchaos @movievillainess721 @firekissed13 @qseomik @acollectionofcells1 @captain-of-my-game1992 @alician87 @lovesbiggerthanpride @justgonewild @hiyorinatsuki   @pinkrosethorne @apocalypticwafflekitten @groovycass @rebel-fanfare    @d0cthunder @gooddaykate @purplerain04 @astridflowers @frasmotic @dornish-queen​

My Masterlist!

[konigsblog]

Hi Orla! ☺️

I hope you’re doing okay. I’ve been seeing a lot of hate on your page recently and I’m sorry about that. :(

Especially with the recent one you just responded to. Like what?? How could someone sit down, type that out, then submit it like they actually know you? I don’t understand how people can be so ignorant. It’s not even ignorance at this point, I just cannot find the words for it.

I’m sorry you’re dealing with all these people, honey. It’s sucks so much. It baffles me that people cannot just block you or filter their content and just continue on with their life. Instead they have to come in your inbox and ruin your mood.

I hope you know that you’ve got supporters here! And that we love and appreciate you vv much, my beloved. It sucks that there’s so much negativity, but I hope messages like mine can help you get through it! 🫶

Anyways, how has your day been, my love? What did you eat today? Have you been drinking enough water? Did you do something you enjoyed today? I hope you did.

Sending you a big hug and plenty of kisses along with good vibes! I love you vv much, my gorgeous Orla! ❤️❤️

~Berri 🍓💕

hello, my sweet berrie !! :33 🫐🍓 i appreciate your lovely words and your constant support and kindness. i guess it's just frustrating to see people so... evil? there isn't a word to describe how i feel about these people, but i don't give them too much thought. i enjoy writing, and what i choose to write doesn't make me disgusting, insane, or immoral.

a lot of the hate i receive is the same old insults, occasionally someone will send a death threat or similar to that, and other times it's bait. i try to focus on the amount of support and how people wait for my uploads, it's motivating to know that people care and that i'm not alone, especially when i have people insulting my brain and saying 'i have a few screws loose'.

i love you guys a lot, your support and motivation is endless and it means a lot to me, especially since nowadays i'm receiving more and more hate from daft twats that can't read a tw. i'll never apologise for the content i write, ever. there is no apology for it, because it's not wrong. if they don't like it, they can leave, and they said that they had me blocked, but still decided to come back. doesn't that show a level of obsession? that despite having someone blocked, they're still on your mind? i wonder if these people have a hobby outside of shaming writers. they'd be better off shaming people that create porn websites, where real rape tapes/videos are uploaded.

my day was alright, boring, but not that bad. i was pretty tired, i crashed later in the day which explains why i didn't upload earlier. i'll try to get a couple of posts out once i catch some sleep, since it's currently four in the morning and i'm unable to sleep from my nap earlier... i did eat, and... i think i should probably get some water... 😅 i'm horrible for remembering things like water. 🥲

sending you lots of love, my sweetest !! i really do appreciate when people reach out to me, i'm thankful that people care :') 💗

[blindrapture]

Rapture Update:

so that's it. end of act 2. you have now read all of the new act 2, which totals out at 130,000 fucking words that I managed to write in an intensive two-month streak earlier this year.

the seven-part finale, "Don't Speak Its True Name," is 30,000 words alone. most of those words come at the latter half of it.

the finale was not easy to make. I still look at it and wonder how shaky its supports are, it is not a conventional construction, it is a strange mess of theme and psychology.

but one thing is absolutely true: it's way better than what it used to be. and so is all of act 2. act 2 is pretty much an entire fucking novel.

we are all now wondering where act 3 will go. "we" includes me. I am not proud to say it, but I have only so far written one single log for act 3.

after I finished act 2, a powerful burnout hit me in the fucking face. seriously, I did a lot of work in just two months, I also set up the Website and managed art on top of writing, y'know, 130,000 words. so the burnout came and I had a serious crash, and plus the heat of summer wore me down, and I started getting really sick. and then when I stopped being sick, my parents' shit started up again, and I'm still... dealing with that now, managing solicitors for my mum and helping sort out bills.

I did still keep thinking of rapture. I am constantly thinking of rapture. there is more art being managed, there are many pages of Notes for the new act 3, I have done several days of work on act 3 just setting up some preliminary theme and structure. act 3 will come.

but I don't think we will continue the Daily Distribution model.

rapture will no longer come once a day.

that worked when I had a backlog. the backlog has run out.

I am likely to post logs When They Are Done, but I'm going to wait a bit before I post the start of act 3. the first few logs of act 3 are kind of a Unit, and I'd like to have them all come out together.

I apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment.

you'll have to just... stay tuned. I'll try to give more updates along the way. it is entirely possible that I'll just Get Back Into It and start churning out logs regularly, and the schedule will be similar to daily. but right now that's not how it is.

but if you want content, like, act 2 is all right there. tell your friends to read it. subscribe to my youtube channel or something. email me, or send me Asks, or reblog stuff and ask questions.

what was your favorite part of act 2?

[theluckyr]

Despair

What if your precious Valorant account got hacked along with the memories?

They were mad, seethe in anger. How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you How dare you to took their precious (y/n) away. This is not Them, it feels different. Everyone was furious. From Yoru about to throw his cup which immediately sage stepped in, Cypher panicking as he looking through the codes, account securities, to Raze who also want to throw her bombs as well. Everyone was in a panic frenzy. They hate this, this is not (y/n), where's (e/c) eyes that stare at them with love?, where's that gentle voice to soothe their thoughts ? Where's the smile that they love to see? For the past few days, the agents tried to hold their composure but that didn’t take long for the only punching bag in the HQ broke as the Cypher and KJ pulled all nighter to fix this and tried to limit these heathens movement, from changing all of the skin collections to default, make a fake crashing every time they want to queue for compe (Ruining y/n’s hard work? Not gonna happen), when they tried to import their crosshair and settings the game crashed and it would go back to (y/n) usual settings . When the agents found out that (y/n)’s account was about to get auctioned on some sketchy website. That was their very last straw.

But right before they post the account to the auctioning site , their computers crashed. Blue screen for a long time. When they tried to booted up the CPU, it didn’t turn on for days. They tried every single method in a book and video tutorials. Then suddenly it turned on, but before it showing his desktop, the background was plain black with a red pop up that says

“Throwing your rotten unforgiving ass to hell is simply too merciful. May you two suffer the consequences”

When those two hackers logged in to the things they used for their hustle was unavailable, the money in their bank account was wiped clean, their hustle’s reports were gone, but as they kept clicking and clicking and clicking and clicking and clicking on other things. Some private information about them began to show on the screen, covering the things they wanted to do. From IP address, bank details, their ID, where they worked, when was the last time their presence was caught on security cameras, their embarrassing facts about those two, and many more. Until the last nail in the coffin was a recent police report for cybercrime along with a recorded phone conversation.

*Beep*

“Hello this is the internet crime complaint center, This is xxxxxxxx speaking”

“Why yes, I would like to file a report for a cybercrime?”

“Alright then, when did the cybercrime happen?”

“A few days ago, a couple of young men called me and said I need to change my windows software. They checked my computer and said I might need an upgrade for $3800. Next day, when i checked my bank account, i don’t have any money left”

“Okay, did you call the bank?”

“I did”

“Alright, may I know your name so that we can update you?”

“No need”

“Why?”

From that the caller told the hackers was, their whole personal data is now at the hands of the authority. They were doomed.

Meanwhile, (y/n) spend their times to contacting the customer service. But waiting for the reply was agonizing. They already spend real life money on that account, now it’s all gone??? Just like that???? When their notifactions rang, they immediately checked it and there it was a legitimate email from Riot telling that their account was safe, all they needed to do was to change the password. (y/n) immediately filled the password, logged in and they screamed in joy. Some of the agents also screamed when they saw (y/n) again and some were sighed in relief. Now, (y/n) would take extra care of their account. Although now they have more VP than ever before and for the past few days, the shop's selection was (y/n)’s favorite skin for half the price was odd. But who knows? Also an article about two hackers got caught thanks to an anonymous tip? Huh.. strange

[warrior-u-preservation]

Interview with The Path Podcast (Full written responses)

(Note: The interview itself will be different, since mod myne represented both mods on the podcast. However, this includes our full feelings on the questions that were provided to us.)

Who are you and how did you end up walking the path of a "warrior u" writer/comic creator?

Myne: I go by worldismyne for fandom related pursuits.

I'd like to clarify that Aisha Thani is the creator of Warrior U. Just like multiple people have written for Stan Lee's creations, I'm just a writer who's received permission from the creator to distribute and monetize works within her universe.

I've been in the WU fandom since 2014; at that time Aisha made the comic, ran an in character ask blog, a concept art blog and the main blog. I can only imagine how much work that was. A hard drive crash killed about 6 or so pages of Ambrosia, the last story arch she was working on; three weeks worth of updates up and gone. I watched writer’s block take hold and kill my favorite series in real time. Having to go back and redo work she’d already done had given her time to look at it and go ‘I can’t post this, this is awful’, but by then all of us were waiting for the next update for over a month, she couldn’t go back and rewrite the entire arch. It didn’t help that this was the origin story for a fan favorite character, so there was all this pressure to make it perfect. Instead, after about six artists made fan comics to feed the hungry fandom… she announced the end. The website, the blogs, one by one they all ran into issues and got shut down. Hundreds of pieces of art and story concepts just… lost. Once the comics were rereleased on gumroad, that was it, the fandom slowly died. Before this project, the last time the creator posted new content was in 2017. Then in the middle of the pandemic, out of nowhere I get 70+ notifications from Coffee reblogging the pieces of art I had saved from the old blog, including drafts from the unfinished issues. 

Coffee: well, i go by coffee online, im 20 years old and when im not working on my various personal projects i work part-time. i was introduced to warrior u WAYY back in the day (i think i was like 9-ish?) by my brother who found out about it through some unknown and mysterious ways. back then i had very limited internet access (meaning i could only visit sites that could be loaded by the internet app on my nintendo dsi), so i pieced together a bit of a plot from what i could find on google images. i wasnt able to fully read the comic until i was 13 (i had to BEG my mom to pay for the pdfs lol), but it had kinda always existed in the back of my mind ever since i was introduced to it. i decided a little over a year ago to start out the tumblr blog because i had recently read through the comic again and was really sad about just how hard it is (or i guess WAS now) to find a lot of things related to the comic. as the name of the blog suggests, its original purpose was to preserve/archive warrior u stuff so it could be more accessable to your average internet user who might not wanna go digging through internet archives. it was originally for official content EXCLUSIVELY, but myne talked me into also including fan-made content (and im glad he did, its WAY harder to find some fan content than i remember it being just a few years ago). its kinda hard to tell how good of a job it does at BEING that archive, but i like to think it could be useful to someone out there.

i had toyed with the idea of finishing the last official story arc- ambrosia- near the beginning of the blogs lifespan, but i knew that it was too big of a project for me to do myself. i didnt wanna dissapoint people by leaving the ALREADY unfinished arc STILL unfinished. i had written in the "about" section of the blog that the dream was a full fandom revival, but i didnt actually expect that to happen. when myne joined the blog we eventually started playing with the idea of finishing ambro. i forget how exactly we officially decided we would do it, but we did! at some point near the beginning of ambro, we had also decided we were gonna write our own fan-arcs and post those too, and the rest is history!

What was it about warrior u that made you say "this is it. i need to make more content of this."

Coffee: honestly? i think it was just how much i enjoy introducing people to the comic. i already make tons of fan content on my own time, so that wasnt really the crazy part. i had shown a couple of my mutuals the comic after i re-read it, and the feeling of seeing other people actually talk about and even make ART of warrior u was absolutely surreal. i guess thats what happens when you just silently admire a dead fandom for years LMAO! another big part of it was HOW the comic ended. after taking a hiatus, the creator ended the comic mid-arc because creating it just wasnt enjoyable anymore, and thats obviously completely fair. however, the arc it ENDED on was elaborating on the backstory of one of (if not THE) most popular characters at the time (and my personal favorite), so i had always wished that the issue could have been finished. its kinda hard to put into words, but finishing ambrosia was like a love letter to the comic and its creator to me. as flawed as the plot of that arc may be (and as unsatisfied with it as the creator was, at least back then) i still felt like it deserved to be finished. it was like fixing an old toy from your childhood, i felt like we were taking care of the comic in a way, giving it the love it deserves. maybe thats just my tendency to personify objects and get overly attached to them coming through, but hey thats how it is sometimes LMAO

Myne: When the comic was still on hiatus after the harddrive crash, some people had asked Aisha if she wanted to hand the series over to other artists to help her. She said she wouldn’t even know where to begin that process or if she’d wanted to do it. I would have offered then, but my skills as an artist and a writer weren’t nearly as strong. I held onto the drafts thinking, one day I’d do it. 

Myne: After Coffee and I started talking I realized, I can do it now. I know what kind of style of pens were used, and I whipped up a page, just the line art and sent to Coffee as a thank you. I thought, it isn’t much, and it’ll take me forever to color everything, but if there’s one person willing to read it, I’ll try. When I explained how difficult it’d be for me to color, he offered to do it for me. Suddenly a page that would take a month for just me to do on my own took 3 days.

Myne: Something, that seemed like a monumental task became a realistic goal. We were able to find, restore, and edit 45 pages within a few months. I’m still amazed we were able to do weekly updates without missing a day. Coffee asked if I’d ever be willing to write fan issues while we were working, not realizing I was the author of the longest fics in the series. Of course I said yes. Seeing Warrior U get finished, even through fan creation, was something I’d wanted to see for years.

You're from Az right, how is the webcomic weeb culture over there as opposed to california?

Myne: Idk about much about Cali, I've noticed the cons are more... professional? Where as Arizona cons have more of a fanclub vibe. Most panels are hosted by your fellow nerds rather than sony or production companies. I will say, that it's become more common and widespread in the last ten years, with multiple anime specific events year round. Back when I was a kid, I'd get made fun of for drawing 'japanese' people all the time.... it was pokemon fanart... Where as nowadays, I feel the average kid recognizes most big name titles thanks to hulu and such. 

What are your favorite anime/manga/webcomics and do any inspire your work?

Coffee: not really an anime, manga, or webcomic, but ive always been super inspired by the "scott pilgrim" series. when i was in middle school i was SUPER into it, reading all the behind the scenes stuff i could find. it even made me look into "comic illustrator" as a career option, but i also did the same thing with "game designer" and "animator" so yknow. as for webcomics, the only one i ever really got into was homestuck. side note- the overlap of oldschool homestuck fans and warrior u fans is FASCINATING to me. my current theory is that all these tumblr kids were looking for other webcomics to read while homestuck was on one of its MANY hiatuses(?) and so a bunch of them flocked to warrior u! theres tons of homestuck crossover content and references in fan art on our blog (some of the art styles also look homestuck-ajacent) so its at least clear that a lot of fans back then were also really into homestuck. ANYWAYS other than that i havent really read many other webcomics tbh? weird considering i MAKE one now but what can i say, im more of a Gamer than anything lol. as for anime, my favorite is easily keroro gunso (or sgt. frog if youre using the dub name)! its another thing i discovered when i was young (this time i was like 8) and have just never gotten over. theres a lot of Questionable stuff in it (prime example is an adult alien being madly in love with a 14 year old girl) but if i dont look at canon its not real so i love it anyways <3.i honestly dont know how many people really know about it since the western fanbase is so small, but its like HUGE in japan (or at least it was at one point, the titular keroro has a cameo in lucky star as a keychian) and the manga is still running to this day iirc. it was created by mine yoshizaki and the basic premise is that a platoon of frog-like aliens come to earth to take it over but they really suck at it. they begin living with humans and from there its kind of a mix between a slice-of-life and monster-of-the-week anime. i cant really say anything in depth about the manga because ive only read the first 5 issues of it, which are basically the same as the anime (fake fan smh), but ive heard that it gets more mature and serious than the anime does (which i guess is bound to happen when it goes on for so long). also the manga has some ecchi moments and blood used for slapstick purposes so if anyone wants to check it out just keep that in mind lol.

Myne: Obviously Warrior U. I'm a bit of a visual novel fiend, so Danganronpa is a series I've found a lot of inspiration from over the years. More recently  Though for the comic, I draw mostly from late 80s / early 90s high fantasy. Things like Labyrinth and Robinhood: Men in Tights. Honestly anytime I get stuck trying to come up with a gag, I look to Mel Brooks. 

So in continuing someone else's work, do you feel a sense of pressure to be just as good as the original?

Coffee: i definitely felt that way when it came to ambrosia, but i feel a lot less pressure when it comes to our upcoming issues. i wrote and made thumbnails for a few small scenes in ambro and i was SO SCARED of those scenes being noticably worse than the rest of the issue. i know the original creator has seen our version of ambro and those scenes by extention, but i dont know her exact thoughts on them. im satisfied with them but theres probably always gonna be that kinda star-struck stage feeling at the thought of the creator reading the scenes i wrote. its like getting stage fright. for our upcoming issues i dont feel as much pressure because theyre fully fan-written. our comics arent official in any sense of the word and theyre basically just fanfiction with extra steps, so its not nearly as stressful as trying to tie together an "official" story. there definitely WOULD be that pressure if we were ever given the rights to warrior u or something (which i dont want to happen) because then it WOULD be official yknow? also if the creator decides to keep up with what we post ill feel a bit more pressure, but i get the feeling that she wants to distance herself from warrior u a bit so im not sure how likely that would be.

Myne:  I do. Partially because, the fan content we’re making is completely free while the original series is purchasable on gumroad. So there’s a chance that some people may start with what we’re working on, then go backwards to the original.  I'm hyper aware of the tonal shift that's about to happen, no matter how much I try, I can't perfectly emulate someone else's writing style. The best I can do is capture the spirit of it. I just keep repeating "it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be". It's a little harder taking that advice now that it's my scripts we're turning into issues. There is some freedom in knowing the series was never meant to be perfect though.

What drove you to writing the longest fanfiction for the series and how did it feel to be recognized and promoted by the original creator?

Myne: When I was younger, I would write fanfic instead of paying attention in class, and I really wanted a full story about the leads getting together. Knowing that the creator was reading every fanfic at the time added more fuel to the fire. I had a guaranteed audience, the audience. I was so grateful that she recommended it to other fans. That fic was 25k, I've written about 100 K in the last year to help maintain interest in addition to new pages to the comic. To that I blame hyperfixation and hiatus brain. You have to be the biggest fan of the thing you're making.

So i see the that most of your work including the webcomic Warrior U is on tumblr why did u choose to promote om tumblr as opposed to other webcomic outlets like webtoons, mangadex etc?

Coffee: the answer to this one is actually pretty simple; i already had a warrior u blog and tumblr is the social media/blogging site that im most familiar with! we have recently started using comicfury and tapas, but that was entirely mynes idea. im personally pretty content with just hanging out in my little corner of the internet so any attempts to expand or get the word out is mostly (if not entirely) mynes doing LOL!

Myne: It's interesting you bring up those two actually. Webtoons recently come under fire for being pretty crummy to it's indie comics, particularly if you write in any genre other than romance. Mangadex is a pirating website, so most of the comics there are fan translations rather than uploads from the creators : they had a pretty bad data breach a few years back too. At first we only had permission from the creator to upload on tumblr. Once we got permission to move forward with the fanmade run, we branched out to tapas and comicfury. They seemed like the best options for the genre and style we write in. Even still, we see about double the growth in readership on tumblr as opposed to the other outlets, and I think that's mostly because the blog updates daily, even though we only publish one page a week.

Do you have any plans on creating your own webcomic/manga?

Coffee: yes and no. i sometimes draw small fan comics and id like to make more polished and "finished" ones in the future, but nothing with any kind of overarching plot, at least not in the near future. i have a very hard time making original content for whatever reason. i DO have one (1) personal project that is completely original, but i plan on making a game with that. then again i have NO idea what im doing with that project anymore so who knows, maybe one day i WILL decide to turn it into a comic! only time will tell…

Myne: I have a visual novel I'm working on. It's about teen super villains that have to go to reform school. Think teen titans meets gifted kid burnout. The game's been in development hell since our first alpha build and writing about apocalyptic civil unrest wasn't as fun as it was pre 2020. We're about 200k into the draft for the full game and we're having to switch engines, which means cutting a bunch of features, but we're slowly getting there. If that fails, I'll try adapting the story into a comic.

To those people who will see this and decide to strut down the path of comic creation what is some advice you can give them?

Coffee: i think the most HELPFUL advice i could give would be this: you dont have to do everything by yourself. i personally have taken tons of inspiration from indie artists/game designers/etc. some prime examples of this are daisuke amaya aka pixel (who created cave story) and toby fox (who created undertale and deltarune), who both made incredible pieces of art that were defining to me as a person when i discovered them either entirely alone or almost entirely alone. you hear stories all the time of these great pieces of art being made by one or two people, and ive always wanted to be like that. as a result ive alwasy had a hard time reaching out for help when it comes to my art, feeling like if i cant do it all alone that itll never be as good as it could be. as a result though, all this mindset does is keep things from actually getting done and needlessly stress you out. NONE of the warrior u comics would exist if i had never gotten help from myne, and the blog would have probably gone inactive a LONG time ago too. i think thats the biggest lesson ive learned from this whole thing personally. theres absolutely no shame in working with a team of people if thats what needs to happen to see a project be realized.

Myne:  One, try not to put more than 8 panels on a page, that's helped me a bunch with page layout. And two, find someone you can show your work to. That can be a friend, a mutual online, a family member; as long as you have that one person asking "what happens next" you can keep writing. The stories/comics I have that are the longest are because of that. 

What inspires your art and what would u say you consider your style to be?

Myne: Invader Zim, Danganronpa, and Pacthesis have heavily influenced my art style. (pacthesis made a series of free dating sims on deviant art). I've always considered my art style to be pretty shoujo manga, but lately some of my pieces have been labeled too western for weeb spaces.

What advise can you give the next person who wants to draw art and share it with the world?

Coffee: i give the same advice to everyone i meet that says theyre thinking of making art in any form, and i mean it from the bottom of my heart: DO IT! im so in love with art of all kinds and the process of creating it, and i think that getting into any creative hobby is nothing but a good thing and i deeply believe that everyone should do it. whether you wanna draw, write, make music, develop games, sculpt, knit, etc, do it! quality doesnt matter at all, you can make the most technically awful thing in the world but as long as you enjoyed the process of creating it then it still has value. dont be nervous about your art being good enough. if you dont want to share it then you arent obligated to! i dont share like 90% of the stuff that i make but i still create art almost every single day! recently my qpp (queerplatonic partner) has gotten into drawing and im SO happy for them. they primarily use mspaint and a mouse to draw and their art is SO adorable and i love it so much, and im not just saying that because i love them. it doesnt matter what skill level you start at or what tools you have, you can always start making art. and dont compare the art that you make to others art, which i know from experience is a VERY easy trap to fall into. i dont have as much to say about that point because im not as passionate about it but uhhh yeah :3

Myne: Social media algorithms are not going to make you happy; no matter how well you play the game and low engagement does not mean you're a bad artist. If you keep posting and talking to other artists, you'll find your audience.

So at wonder con where we met ylu were cosplaying power from chainsaw man with a group of girls who were cosplaying other chainsaw characters. Do you girls normally group up and cosplay and if so how did you get into it?

Myne:  I was born into cosplay. My parents were gamers and cosplayers, and I started picking my own characters to cosplay when I was 14. I started getting more into it in college when I could find other people to cosplay with, it wasn't until this year I started aiming for photoshoots. I tend to be in at least one large group cosplay a con, and bring a different costume every day.

What was your favorite cosplay you've done?

Myne: It's a toss up between Persona 5 Joker and Alluring Secret Rin. Those were the ones I put the most work in that still hold up. Though I'm currently working on Eris from the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, and that may overtake them.

Have you ever thought to cosplay someone from Warrior U?

Myne:  I do actually! I've cosplayed as the main character Finn a few times. I really like taking simplified designs from comics/cartoons and turning them into heavily detailed looks. '

Where do you see warrior u being in 5 years from now?

Coffee: man, honestly if were STILL working on this project 5 years from now that would be CRAZY. this is already the longest ive worked on a single project before, along with being the most ive ever gotten DONE for a project, so thinking about what it could be like in 5 years is like. WOW. by that point we would have archived most (if not ALL) of the older stuff we could find, so our blog would probably just be new pages and fan interaction if were still going! the dream is still for a full fandom revival, and weve already got a small active fanbase (of like 5 people but still) so who knows, maybe that dream will be a reality?

Myne: We have at least 3 years worth of story drafted and lined up, and even more outlined. So ideally still updating. By then, we'll have some physical releases of the finished arcs that we've written available for purchase online and at select events. The creator has said she has no interest in making physical releases of the original run. I'd love for that to change, but I respect her decision and I won't press the matter. I'm just grateful we have permission to sell anything we make using her characters. 

If you could go back in time 5 years, what advice would you give yourself?

Coffee: 15 and 16 were ROUGH ages for me tbh. i wont get into it because its super personal, but i was struggling with a lot and just generally not having a very good time. i think the best advice i could give to myself would just be that like. things will eventually get better. no matter how dark or hopeless things may be, theres always a silver lining and a light at the end of the tunnel. now if 15 year old me would have taken that to heart is a whole DIFFERENT question, but thats what i would say. 16 was like right before i (finally) started getting treatment for my mental health, so i think considering everything thats what i would say.

Myne: So many bad things happened during those five years, but… I wish I knew what burnout felt like, so I could recognize it. I have this tendency to put my self worth into “how much have you done today”, so once I started working full time and my father passed,  I couldn’t recognize that I was physically and emotionally exhausted some days and needed rest, so I’d just punish myself mentally for not being more motivated. You shouldn’t need permission to rest, and I felt like I had to. It’s healthy to ‘nothing’ sometimes, especially if you’re dealing with things you have no control over.

Coffee: thank you for interviewing myne and i for your podcast :D!! its absolutely wild to think that ive done anything interview-worthy and yet here we are! for anyone thats interested in the comic because of this, i also emplore you to go check out the creators current comic "si3lah" (pronounced like si-ayn-lah i think? the 3 is a stand-in for an arabic letter) on gumroad! it deserves way more attention than it currently has and you should 100% go support the original creator if you like the stuff we do (wink wink).

[nautilusopus]

extremely specific memory that i feel like someone else must have an analogue of somewhere

up until halfway through third grade until i was abruptly pulled out, i went to this pretty ritzy private jewish school attached to a massive community building that also had jewish summer camp, and so when it let out in the summer we’d all just hang out in this huge lobby and buy snapple from the cafe there. 

the lobby was attached to this holocaust remembrance museum, which was also pretty ritzy. there were interactive displays there on touchscreens (and bear in mind, this was first established in like 2004 when that stuff was not widespread OR cheap to set up) that would let you get more in-depth about important military figures, donors, or where other things were in the building. a pretty big chunk of money went into this setup. 

what i figured out pretty fast was that these touchscreen displays were still technically computers running regular-ass windows xp, just with a specialised program running on them, and that they’d have to be connected to the internet to function the way they did. if you could trick the holocaust program into crashing one way or another, or simply get clever with where the mouse was positioned so you could deselect the task or convince it to right-click (there was no keyboard in order to to maintain the illusion that these were specalised displays), you could back out of it and do whatever you wanted

and i was like 11 so what i wanted to do was play line rider.

there were security guards there, of course, but they were intensely focused on the front doors to keep people from trying to shoot up a school full of jews (something that sadly wound up being extremely necessary later on), and they had no reason to monitor us. why would they? there were a few counselors hanging around (also waiting to leave), we didn’t break things, we knew better than to try and climb inside the displays and touch historical artifacts. if a bunch of kids want to crowd around a monitor and be really, really, really into holocaust remembrance for some reason, more power to them!

for about two weeks i was the coolest kid in camp for knowing how to “hack” the boring touchscreen display computers and get not only flash games working, but also this cool new website called “youtube” that had just come out and had all sorts of craaaaaazy videos on it! the computers were slow as hell (they were super cheap prefabs never meant to do more than display text and jpegs), and you had to fight with the mouse the entire time, but unlike school computers these ones didn’t have a website filter on them because presumably nobody anticipated someone hijacking it to (attempt to, remember no keyboard) play fancy pants adventure.

i never got directly caught in the act, but i guess someone else, or perhaps i, must have forgotten to bring the holocaust program back up when they were done. or maybe they decided to look into all the crash reports the computer must have been logging for their low-resource holocaust info widget. either way, one day i came back to find someone stationed by the kiosks and admin permission required to even run the browsers. the moral of this story is cover your goddamn tracks or you’ll ruin it for everyone i guess.

[the-good-projxct]

June 19th, 2024

10:03 pm. Listening to run me dry by Bryson Tiller babbyy. I saw on IG that Aniza went to see Bryson Tiller in the Siggz. Baby gworl is living my East African in Americana dreams. Hehehehe. Wow, hello Gøod Blog. I can’t even remember what I wanted to call the readers? Was it Goodies? LMAO, kinda sounds like my coochie. Anyway, whatevz. I had such an interesting day. It took me a long while to fall asleep last night. I was mostly home chilling on tuesday, I literally left the house because I wanted McFry’s chicken and chips. After I got up today, I decided I wanted to do my hair and feel nice. Then Kendi and I walked to the Chief’s office in my neighborhood to try and sort out my ID. The walk was nice as it was a sunny day. Once we got to the chief's office, they told us to go to Langata. So we hopped on TWO matatus to get there, it didn’t take long. Once we got there, they heard us and the lady told me to come back tomorrow with all my paperwork printed. Sigh. At least there is some movement. I have been dealing with this ID situation for like three months and I am low key over it. I am glad I took it upon myself and Kendi came along. Sometimes waiting on people is so frustrating. So yeah, I am hoping tomorrow pans out bc after that I can apply for a passport and get my drivers license, get mpesa and just exist as a Kenyan. The adventure was fun. Moving around this city with KendiKane is always a vibe innit. Something about sorting this ID situation is giving me hope about my life in Kenya as a Kenyan. I still sometimes wonder what life would be like if I had chosen Barbados. Anyway, I needed to come here to sort my paperwork and I chose here because of my family. I still wonder what could have been. My wanderlust is kicking in. I was thinking of a summer in NYC with King Zoulien eating poke bowls on a fire exit as the sun sets on a blistering hot day. That just feels like LIFE. Or a coconut on a Bajan beach while listening to the waves crash around me and some Rihanna tunes on the speaker. Tbf, I hope the ID settles too so I can feel more stable here and not feel one foot out the door. I applied to go toa global peace and leadership conference. I applied as a volunteer bc mandem ain’t got no money to pay 150$. But it seems like a fitting sorta ting. The keynote speaker is Ruto. LOLOLOLOL. How you gonna speak on peace when you’re over taxing your people to the point of revolution? I applied though because I feel like it fits with my studies, interest and future plans. Also, some nice networking possibilities. Getting a DL, a job and ID are my goals over the next few months. I have some plans/schemes up my sleeve. But mostly I want to finish the Gøod manifesto. Y’all Christinito sent me the website while I was in a bar on Friday and OMG. WOW. OMG. Mandem really did THAT. It is perfect. Even the colour schemes, the planet placeholders, the stars, he linked the music. I am so grateful I went to him and that he saw the vision. Honestly, I was feeling meh about finishing this. I was feeling meh about it all. Turns out all I needed was some inspo. I am so inspired. I am now ready to finish the 20 single page essays and Love as its own 8 pager. I Love when inspo comes unexpectedly. I always say with my writing and drawing that I cannot really force it. It’s a feeling. And I can feel the end of this is here. I am so excited. I am so ready. And then Life in Kenya can truly begin. Life is Gøod. I am Gøod. Ase. Ase.

[pensacolarentalsbyowner]

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[buzzmeehsblog]

Hassle-Free Doorstep Mobile Repair Services in Pune with Buzzmeeh

In today's fast-paced world, our smartphones have become an integral part of our daily lives. From staying connected with loved ones to managing our work and personal tasks, we rely on our mobile devices more than ever before. That's why it can be incredibly frustrating when something goes wrong with our phones, whether it's a cracked screen, a malfunctioning charging port, or a dying battery. If you're in Pune and in need of reliable mobile repair services, look no further than Buzzmeeh. We offer a range of convenient and affordable repair solutions that come right to your doorstep, ensuring that you don't have to waste time visiting a repair shop or dealing with long wait times.

Why Choose Buzzmeeh for Mobile Repair in Pune?

At Buzzmeeh, we understand the importance of your mobile device and the impact it can have on your daily life when it's not functioning properly. That's why we strive to provide the best possible service to our customers in Pune. Here are just a few reasons why you should choose us for your mobile repair needs:

Convenience: Our doorstep repair service means that you don't have to leave the comfort of your home or office to get your phone fixed. Simply schedule an appointment with us, and our skilled technicians will come to you at your preferred location in Pune.

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[hammadreh]

Revolutionizing Dining: The Evolution of Food Ordering Systems

In today's fast-paced world, the way we order food has undergone a significant transformation. Gone are the days of waiting in long queues or making countless phone calls to place an order. With the advent of food ordering systems, the process has become more convenient, efficient, and accessible than ever before.

Evolution of Food Ordering Systems

Traditional methods

Traditionally, food ordering involved either visiting a restaurant in person or calling them to place an order. While this method served its purpose, it often led to long waiting times and the possibility of miscommunication.

Emergence of online ordering

The introduction of online ordering revolutionized the food industry. Customers could now browse through menus, place orders, and make payments directly through the restaurant's website.

Introduction of mobile apps

The rise of smartphones further transformed the landscape of food ordering. Restaurants began developing mobile applications that allowed users to order food on-the-go, anytime and anywhere.

Benefits of Food Ordering Systems

Convenience

Food ordering systems offer unparalleled convenience to customers. With just a few clicks or taps, they can have their favorite meals delivered to their doorstep without having to leave the comfort of their homes.

Time-saving

Gone are the days of waiting in long queues or being put on hold over the phone. Food ordering systems enable customers to place orders quickly and efficiently, saving them valuable time.

Accessibility

Food ordering systems have made it easier for people with disabilities or mobility issues to order food. With features such as voice command and screen reader compatibility, these systems ensure that everyone can enjoy the convenience of online ordering.

Types of Food Ordering Systems

Websites

Many restaurants have their own websites where customers can browse menus, place orders, and make payments.

Mobile applications

Mobile applications have become increasingly popular for food ordering, offering users a seamless and intuitive ordering experience.

Third-party delivery services

Third-party delivery services such as UberEats and DoorDash have gained popularity in recent years, allowing customers to order from a wide range of restaurants and cuisines with just a few taps on their smartphones.

Key Features of an Effective Food Ordering System

User-friendly interface

An effective food ordering system should have a user-friendly interface that allows customers to navigate menus, customize orders, and complete transactions with ease.

Secure payment options

Security is paramount when it comes to online transactions. A good food ordering system should offer secure payment options such as credit/debit cards, digital wallets, and payment gateways.

Order tracking

Order tracking allows customers to monitor the status of their orders in real-time, from preparation to delivery.

Customization options

Customers appreciate the ability to customize their orders according to their preferences and dietary restrictions. A good food ordering system should offer a wide range of customization options to cater to diverse needs.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Food Ordering System

Cost

Cost is a significant factor to consider when choosing a food ordering system. Restaurants should weigh the upfront costs, subscription fees, and transaction fees associated with different platforms.

Integration capabilities

A food ordering system should seamlessly integrate with other systems such as POS systems, inventory management software, and loyalty programs.

Customer support

Reliable customer support is essential to address any technical issues or concerns that may arise. Restaurants should choose a provider that offers responsive customer support services.

Challenges Faced by Food Ordering Systems

Technical issues

Technical glitches such as website crashes or payment processing errors can negatively impact the customer experience and erode trust in the system.

Competition

With the proliferation of food ordering systems, restaurants face stiff competition to attract and retain customers.

Customer satisfaction

Maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction is crucial for the success of a food ordering system. Restaurants must ensure timely deliveries, accurate orders, and responsive customer service to keep customers happy.

Future Trends in Food Ordering Systems

AI integration

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to revolutionize the food ordering experience, with advancements such as chatbots, personalized recommendations, and predictive analytics.

Virtual kitchens

Virtual kitchens, also known as ghost kitchens or cloud kitchens, are on the rise, enabling restaurants to operate without a physical storefront and focus exclusively on delivery orders.

Sustainability initiatives

As consumers become increasingly environmentally conscious, there is a growing demand for sustainable food delivery options, such as eco-friendly packaging and carbon-neutral delivery services.

Conclusion

Food ordering systems have revolutionized the way we dine, offering unparalleled convenience, efficiency, and accessibility. By leveraging technology and innovation, restaurants can provide customers with seamless ordering experiences that meet their evolving needs and preferences.

[callmeghostly]

Okay, well this is going to be different from my horny weeb content but I don't know where else to post it...

TW: Mental Health discussions, trauma dumping (possibly), General Angst

if you are not in a good headspace to read this, don't. please - Take care of yourself, I'll be back to my regularly scheduled shit posting after this brief message.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay -

To make a long story short, I'm.. I don't know what is going on anymore. I feel like a shell of myself, an empty husk.

To clarify;

these last few months I have been back and forth about being an absolute shell of myself, In November I lost my job without any real reason - Not to worry though, I started a new job this past Tuesday, this will come back up later.

I also have been in a relationship for the last, almost 6 years (again, this comes into play shortly)

Now, none of you know who i am, or what I am like outside of this chaotic website, which is why I'm sharing it here. I have been slowing spiraling and I have no one to talk to about it so I'm going to scream it into the fucking abyss and hope that works.

This last week while it should've been happy and refreshing, has been absolute bullshit and hell in a handbasket. I've been feeling some type of way about my relationship for months now - Am i comfortable? you're supposed to feel like roommates after the initial honey moon phase, he's just not the affectionate type, Etc. The more time I spend online the more i don't find myself 'awwing' at couples, I feel jealous, unloved and unwanted - I'm 24, I should know that EVERYONE on the internet is only going to show the best side of themselves, and I do.. so I can't help but find myself confused over all of this. I've noticed I've pulled away from him, not becuase I want to necessarily. Heres the thing, I know he cares - He wouldn't have been there for me through half of the things he has been if not, but at this point I feel cared for - not loved, and only cared for out of obligation.

On top of this, I feel like my strongest assets are not knowing how to communicate with people effectively and by proxy, pushing those people away.

I feel like the fights I get into, both with my partner and my friends, are due to lack and breaks in communication in tone. Which is definitely something I need and am trying to work on.

In this last week I have gotten into, verbal disagreements we'll say, with two of the people in my life, on the same day and ever since then, I've been foggy mentally.

So, lets wrap back around -

I started my new Job this past Tuesday, it was fine - however due to my fucked sleep schedule from being out of work for 2 months I had been up since 12am and I had to set through training from 8:30-5. I was fucking tired and ready to just crash, however that same night content that I had been waiting on dropped, now something to note - My partner and I have a 2 bedroom apartment, one we use as an office- I get very loud and obnoxious when I see things I enjoy, which he doesn't like to listen to me scream (which is fair) so I told him, possibly rather harshly to admit my own fault, to give me a few minutes becuase I knew I'd be screaming (from excitement) or he could put his headset on, and That pissed him off and other than some hurtful words we didn't talk much therefore ruining both any appetite or enjoyment for the content I was watching, never the less I tried to do both and regardless, my night was soured regardless.

Moving forward from that, I trauma dump on one of my friends - she was so gracious to listen and I would like to be clear, I am in no way trash talking her or this situation. I know she may see this (If you do, Hi I love and appreciate you, I promise) I just... Need to frame the situation. She listened, gave me advice and tried to make me feel better, in turn I came across as an absolute dick, misreading a conversation and upsetting her causing her to log off for the night.

5 days later, I can't shake either of these incidents and to them, life is back to normal, and here I am - Screaming at strangers on the internet for someone to care.

I don't know what to do, I feel like a cornered animal with no outlet or way way of escape - I just, I want to fall in love with being alive again and I feel like that is the worlds hardest ask - I'm slowly shutting myself out and down..

There is no way to wrap this up peacefully, light heartedly, or humorously. There are so many other things I could add to this, and while no one is going to read this - It's gone on for long enough. So, I'll end it here.

Moral of the story; Take care of yourself, try to love yourself first and maybe things will turn out okay for you.

to whoever may see this, I'll always be here for you all if you need someone to that, I promise.

Sincerely,

Ghostly

[aisha-ot]

Hi there everyone,

I’m back and ready to update you guys on this new journey.

If you thought the last trip had some turbulence I don’t think you are ready for this one …

So this semester is all about psych. Get used to the word because you’re going to be seeing it quite a lot over the next few weeks.

This semester we’re working in John Conradie old age home. Which is a HUGE difference from working on physical aspects in a high turnover hospital like King Edward. The switch from physical to psych may be tough to follow but don’t worry we’re all on this journey together and I know we’ll wrap our heads around it eventually. Oh and not only are we in an old age home, we’ve also started something new where we visit a community in Durban every Monday and trust me when I say there is so much to talk about so fasten your seatbelts as we’re about to takeoff.

In this weeks blog we’re going to be looking back at our journey over the past few years and reflecting on how I’ve grown as a person and how I see myself growing in this new block. First and foremost I want to talk to you guys about the community we’re visiting and how it has already shifted my perspective on this degree and on my life personally.

As of 2022, around 18.2 million people in South Africa live in extreme poverty (You can find a table of the statistics below).

We always drive around and see these communities around Durban and South Africa in general and I know we always feel a pang in our hearts as we drive past thinking about the living situation of those living in the shacks. But let me tell you, nothing, absolutely nothing will prepare you for actually going into these communities and seeing how our own South African people are living. My heart shattered going into the crèche and seeing little kids with such bright smiles and hearty laughs in such poor conditions. Although community block has been such a common conversation amongst us ot students since first year, it was always just a conversation in my head I never actually processed what we were going into. It was as if the second we walked into the community my eyes began to see a whole new perspective on life and I cannot be more grateful that the degree I chose is pushing me to see these things and not keep me closed up in a little box. I cant lie, I am absolutely terrified for what’s next and more so for next years community block like this flight is about to crash. But I know that everything I’ve learnt over the past few years and everything I’m about to learn is what steadies us along this journey and I cannot wait to use my abilities to uplift these communities.

Moving onto the last two days at John Conradie. My word is it a change. I have been in hospitals like King Dinizulu or King Edward since we began fieldwork in second year and although it was difficult and a lot of work I thoroughly enjoyed it. But moving to an old age home has turned my OT world upside down. I’m working with new patients that are elderly and I’ve never worked with them before so their behaviors and their difficulties and problems is something that’s going to take some getting used to. It’s not that theres anything wrong with the facility at all, in fact, TAFTA is doing such incredible things for elderly people in South Africa and just being at John Conradie for 2 days has made me learn so much about them. Their staff are amazing and so kind, they look after the elderly and are so patient with each and every one of them. Below is a link that will lead you to TAFTA’s website which tells you all about their projects and about all the good they’re doing for our elderly South African’s and I suggest you give it a read because it’s honestly so heart warming knowing that there’s organizations like this that care for our people.

Seeing as first year was online, I had no idea what Occupational Therapy actually was. I was terrified that I wouldn’t know what I was doing or that I was doing everything wrong but looking at where I am now makes me so much more confident in my skills. Personal growth often comes from facing challenges and learning from experiences. It's about embracing change, adapting to new situations, and gaining a deeper understanding of yourself and looking back I can confidently say I’ve improved. I’ve learnt about my strengths and weaknesses and found areas that I need to improve in. At this point I can say I’m stronger when it comes to more physical OT aspects compared to psych. At the moment I feel lost starting this new psych block because my brain isn’t wired to think as quickly for a solution to the different problems I’m seeing. But don’t worry guys, this is day 1 of many to come. By the next blog or actually maybe a few later we’ll be seeing a whole new Aisha. My confidence has definitely skyrocketed since psych block last year. I know how to confront my clients and how to adapt to a change in situations but I know from now that I need to work on my interaction with elderly people because their behavior is different to what I’m used to. It’s nothing to worry about, just a little turbulence on our journey but as we already know, no flight on this journey is smooth but we get there eventually. I’ll see you guys on the next leg of this journey with your skills bags packed and ready to take on the next flight. 🫶🏼