#it's still nov 12 in some time zone out there right ^_^;;

[ahiijny]

leap

[jaylleoo14]

An Indirect confession 

Unbeknownst to his knowledge of those simple words

>GN!ReaderxJade

A/N: For those who don't know, in Poetry there’s this thing where if you ask someone if the moon is beautiful it basically is an indirect way of saying “i love you.” And if the other person agrees then they are basically reciprocating and its mutual, so I guess you can get the gist of where this is going >:) muehehe (also sorry if the writing is kinda dry 😭My brain juices were not juicing 😔) This is also pretty lengthy so I apologize for the long read ^^;

[wc] 12.2k words

[disclaimer] Jade 

[characters] Jade, Ortho, Deuce, Jack, Grim, Floyd, Azul

Normally students tend to avoid going to Octavinelle, the dorm that seems notorious for its shady under swept deals and the students residing there seeming to be all hushed and tight lipped about certain information. Some things they shouldn't know, yet they do and it makes you wonder how exactly they get such information. Yet one thing is undeniable, and it's the fact that they have a great cafe which tends to be overpriced, but usually of befitting prices for what they serve and provide. 

Mostro Lounge, a chic sea themed cafe which is managed by Azul Ashengrotto and runned with students from all other dorms who seek to make extra cash. Its meals and tableware, everything from the music to the decor and the overall vibe was perfect for one to leisurely dine in and perhaps hang out and study. The calming hues of blue and purple, a shimmering accent of silver which compliments the place helps create a nice pleasant place and provides a great aesthetic. It surely did look pretty and elegant, the food there being just as delicious and the drinks delightful as the jazzy music sets in the vibes. 

Nov - 12, XXXX

It was during the colder season where the sun usually starts to set earlier and the days would be shorter, the nights getting longer to be able to view the starry sky. Although not too late, the moon had already risen and was in full view. You sat near the glass wall where a full display of the waters were open and of view to you, nothing letting it shy away from watching eyes. Nothing roamed in the waters as you can make out, the only thing lighting up the dark void passed the glass being the lights illuminating the room you currently were dining in. Different colored corals and sea plants can be seen wavering around on the floor-the currents making it wave around slightly, its movements kind of enchanting you as you zone out for a bit watching the steady pacing. 

“If you aren’t going to eat your food then I call dibs!” Grim exclaims right at the same time he snatches up your plate of food, to which you ordered some simple and light vermicelli noodles. The bowled plate is taken away and you didn’t even seem to mind honestly. The soothing jazz music, the calm night in the lounge, and the background noises of side conversations from other students which can be heard as the workers walk by to drop off their orders or bust their tables. It was almost lulling you into a state of drowsiness, the temperature just right for you to even take a nap right here and now. 

“Tonight is very nice, don't you think Grim?” You say almost absent mindedly as you continue to stare at the empty waters. Your form is still like a doll as you keep your eyes on the glass pane window. 

“Because you’re treating me out for food? Heck ya! Nyahaha!” His response only prompts you to roll your eyes and a smirk spreads across your face as you sarcastically shake your head. 

“Yea well maybe I won't next time. After all, what are the chances of you getting all full marks on Crewel's potionology test?” Grim can only respond with a confident and upbeat response, ensuring that he is bound to continue to excel and this was just the beginning. You can only scoff but in all honesty, you can't deny that you were indeed proud of him for being able to reach a perfect score. 

And if it weren’t for Jade’s help Grim wouldn’t have done so well. 

“Are you enjoying your night here in our humble dorm, Prefect?”

Speak of the devil. Jade comes up with a hand placed over his chest, giving you his signature smile as you turn to look at him, your head no longer facing the pane glass wall. Grim is engrossing himself in the food, perhaps the reason why he isn't feeling too timid with his presence at the moment.

“Surprisingly.” Your answer was short and blunt, but it was enough for Jade to chuckle a little as he finds amusement in your rather tired honesty. 

“Well I’m pleased to know that you are enjoying yourself in our lovely sanctuary (y/n),” his usual politeness being one of his main outward characteristically point. A yawn escapes from your mouth, placing a hand over to try and show courtesy and politeness as you nod your head to his response, not being so responsive. 

“You seem to be quite exhausted, Prefect, perhaps you should start heading back. Or if you want, we can lend you a room. For a certain price of course.” You don't even need to look at him to know that he has this sly little smile plastered on his face until Grim interjects before you can respond.

“Nyah, we actually prefer to go back to Ramshackle now that we are done eating, right my henchman?” 

“Once I’m done with my drink, then we’ll head back,” and just as you said, you reached over to cup the blue wine glass that was filled halfway with a fruity and sweet concoction of juices that danced on your tongue when you took a sip. Wanting to occupy yourself with something, you play around with the metal tube as you proceed to enclose your lips around the straw to take a generous sip of the beverage. Its taste was able to freshen you somewhat as you closed your eyes and relaxed a little on the leather seat, the smell granting you a satisfied hum. Grim next to you could only whine for you to hurry up - not wanting to stay any longer in the presence of one of the eel twin, but just to play around spitefully you purposely started to drink a lot slower and Jade can only watch as he’s always done and squint his eyes a little as his smile widens. 

Jade’s attention is brought onto the glass wall that he noticed you were staring at before, looking up only to be met with the glimmering silver that soaks into the waters swaying waves. The full moon looks back down at him as he continues to stand in front of your booth, continuing to sip your drink as Grim starts to lay next to you to take a nap.

“The moon is quite beautiful tonight, don't you think Prefect?” He says it ever so calmly, saying those words as if to spark another conversation with you. Though it only prompts you to start coughing and hacking as you accidentally slurped in your drink a bit too fast and it ended up going to the wrong pipe. You’re practically hurled over, hitting your chest as you wipe your mouth and Jade can only watch with wide eyes.

“Nyahh!? What happened?!” Grim springs up from the sudden jerking motion of your coughing figure and you clench the ledge of the table sitting at the end of the cushion.

“My, did I say something out of the ordinary (y/n)?” Once you look up to find his full attention on you, you can only try to calm down and inhale a breath as his display of a friendly smile bore into you. Why are you making such a big deal? It’s not like those words had any meaning in this world, so there's no need to be making such a big deal (y/n)!

You’re quite embarrassed honestly, especially because you thought he just confessed right then and there. But of course, that can't be the case because those words don't mean anything in this world like it does in yours. Quickly reaffirming yourself in your head, you let out another cough to clear your throat and catch your breath. 

“A-Ah, no uhm, I thought I misheard you is all haha. But ahem, I would say that tonight is rather lovely haha.” And you try to regain your composure as you divert your eyes and finish up with your drink. A small hum can be heard from Jades tall figure as he places his fist over his mouth. “Well, I see you are rather more awake now. Pray do tell what you misheard, I am curious to know what got you so worked up dear Prefect.” 

Your cheeks are only decorated in more of a slightly deeper shade of red, and suddenly the straw is very interesting to look at as you twirl it around in between your gloveless fingers. “You won’t get it, it won't make sense anyways. Just some nonsense.” You can only wave your hand dismissively and he can't help but grow even more intrigued as your brows furrow and you continue to brush it off.

“How unfortunate you can’t seem to try and help me understand, even though I went through all the trouble to help you and Grim with your studies. I find that rather unfair especially since I see that you two have bore fruit in your success due to my aid.” 

His words help you gain back your composure, resteeling yourself as you straighten your back and shoot him a placate smile. “Hmm? Whatever do you mean Jade? I’m paying you back by visiting you and dining at the place you work at so you can gain income. I think that’s plenty enough to repay you.” He only squints just slightly at you in response and you’re pretty sure you can feel as if you’ve triggered something in him be it good or bad - that's something you don't really wanna find out though.

“Oya? You came to see me specifically? I don't see it as a valid reason enough considering that's how one would usually repay others when they are indebted to them.”

You slightly pout at him, and as usual Jade always seems to counter your attempt of being sly and snarky with his own silver coated tongue. “Whaaat? Are you saying my visit isn’t enough for you? How could you, even though I came all this way just to see YOU specifically.” You lean into the cushion almost dramatically and animated to further emphasize your offended playful nature. 

He seems to be fairly accustomed to your playfulness and responds accordingly. “Although you claim to come over to Octavinelle to come visit me specifically, I account this is the first we are talking since you made your appearance. I believe Floyd has interacted with you more than I have today.” 

“Okay well point is, I still came over for you. And to express my thanks I was helping the profit of the Mostro Lounge. Not only will you benefit but Azul would greatly appreciate my patronage! Plus, Floyd is happy knowing I'm here. See? Everyone’s happy!”

Finding the littlest details possible, you make it as important as ever. But Jade is not fooled by your little over exaggeration and nitpicking. Of course, one would know another's tricks well when they themselves do it. And he seems to find great entertainment from the way you carry on with this drag. He truly does feel a sort of fondness for you with the way that you are. Not that he’s ever said however. 

“Are you assuming that I am satisfied with what you’ve offered me?” When you look up at him you can see the way his eyes look more meticulous now, as if he’s observing your every move. Dissecting you piece by piece as he awaits for your response, patiently waiting for when he could strike and counter your words. You leave your mouth slightly agape for a moment thinking carefully for what your next words were to be, carefully trying to see what you could say in response - however the pressure of having to hurry and say something quick overrides you because if you don't, then it would be like you couldn’t match up to him. Not like you could ever, but it wasn’t a nice feeling when you let others know they have a winning upperhand. And he seemed to relish knowing that you were feeling this pressure from the way he was looking at you.

“I am assuming you aren’t dissatisfied with it.” Putting up an undeterred front, you do your best to try and keep a steel-like straight face as you stare at his mismatched eyes. 

With the way his eyes go back to their non-disturbing look you can only assume you satisfied him with your play of trying to be undisturbed. The tension is then suddenly broken when Grim lets out a complaint, saying how he’s tired already and that he just wants to go home now. Sprawled over your thighs as his back lays against them as if he was putty, an unprompted sigh escapes your mouth and you pick up grim in your arms, standing up as you begin to excuse yourself. 

“Goodnight then Jade, I’ll excuse myself now.” 

“And as is the same to you, pleasant dreams to you Prefect.”And with that, Jade goes ahead and picks up the empty porcelain dishes and the glass cup, remnants of eaten food and a little puddle of liquid to show it had been put to its intended use. 

‘I came all this way to see YOU specifically.’ Your words replay in his head as he walks back to the kitchen, a slight sulky pout on his face to which no one is able to witness. 

“I wish you could say that more often my dear (y/n).” Setting them down into the sink, the water runs as he turns on the faucet. The pressurized water splashes as the dishes make contact and he can only stare down at it as he begins to think of you. A little susurrus naturally slipped out under his breath as the sound of running water deafened his words of one sided longing. “Hmm, it seems that they were trying to avoid agreeing about the moon… ” 

On the walk back to your dormitory, Grim looks up at you from where you hold him in your arms. “Hey Henchman, did Jade say something funny back there?” 

Looking down at him, the pale ashen color of the moon's rays blanketing you both as it illuminates your path, you can only give him a slightly wide eyed response. “It’s nothing. Just something from my world is all. What he said about the moon, it means something in my world…” Your voice can only trail off as you think back to the incident, the familiar expression of embarrassment starting to bubble up again as your face heats up to which you can't help but bury your face in Grims fur as you recall what a stupid reaction you must’ve given. Grim is grumbling and complaining as you indulge in his fuzziness, seeming a bit shocked and confused from your sudden outburst. “Yer squeezin’ me ahhh!”

Loosening your grip on him, he lets out a dying wheeze as if he finally escaped from a crushed boulder on top of him. The sound of your shoes walking softly on the ground fills the air aside from the huff you let out as you try and sort yourself out. 

You’re overreacting here (y/n), Jade doesn’t love you. He doesn’t even know what those words mean! And even if he did it’s not like you love him either. Though that simple phrase was enough to have you thinking about him the entire walk back, perhaps going to give you some sweet dreams just as how he wished you back when you left. 

He definitely knew what he was doing-as the leech he is-was able to slither his way into your thoughts as planned and stick there. Something similar to a parasyte as one can compare. The way he just sticks in your head as you now roll in bed, constantly replaying his words. Why do you keep replaying these words? Why does your heart race when you replay the scene in your head over and over again and you remember how his voice sounded? Why were you starting to make random scenarios in your head, visualizing him and you wa- SNAP OUT OF IT (Y/N)! 

Sure no ones ever said those words to you before but you have to remember that it means nothing! So what if the moon is beautiful? That's all there is! You must be crazy if you think you may be coming down with something regarding that little slimy eel. He doesn’t know what those words mean anyways, why would he say that to you?

Point is, he doesn't know. End of discussion!

. . .

He knows. 

Oh he soooo knows, though you don’t know he knows. At least, not yet.

Moving the pawn over to create space for the castle to move, Jade makes his move while hovering over the wooden chess pieces. Closely calculating every piece carefully despite there being no other attentive player on the other side. Not wanting to catch your attention like a snake hunting for its prey, he goes ahead and advances forward quietly.

Nov - 6, XXXX 

“Deuce! Jack! W-wait up for me, please!” You tiredly try to jog towards Deuce and Jack, though you would say it's less of jogging and more so walking at a jagged pace. Sweat drips down your form, drenching you and stains of sweat are pitted on your underarms and chest. You slow down, bending over as you place your hands on your knees to catch your breath. The sun's rays washing over the lands as you three stand beneath it, its heat adding onto more of excretion of sweat. 

“N-Never again. You two are trying to kill me!” Huffing and gasping desperately, Deuce comes over to pat your shoulder in hopes of comforting you. His hand placed softly atop of your draping shoulder as he slightly bent down to your crouched figure. “Sorry (y/n), I didn’t consider how today's club session would be like for people who aren’t accustomed to running so much at a consistent rate.” You can tell by the tone of voice that he genuinely felt guilty having you get put up with all that running, and Vargas being Vargas was not so lenient. 

“My feet are in so much pain. It feels comparable to wearing heels the entire day, I hate this so much.” A feigned sob is ushered out and as the reliable person he is, Jack comes over to try and comfort you as well. “I can lend you an arm if it helps. Really, you should have expected that much running at least when you offered to come participate in the track and field club.” To be fair, you only came because Deuce wanted you to check out the club in hopes that you’d be interested in joining. So you gave it a shot.

Never again. Jack shakes his head as if scolding a little child and the sound of him clicking his tongue can be heard, his brazen feathered white locks of hair swishing from side to side as he jerks his head. 

“I can lend you my arm as well! Please don't hesitate to ask for my help if you need it (y/n)! I’ll gladly let you rely on me.” Deuce’s sweet fluffy voice reminding you of a newborn hatched chick makes you soften up a bit, and despite being so sweaty you went ahead and latched onto Deuce as his offer seemed much more friendly and welcoming. He seemed to not mind it though, and Jack seems to not care whether or not you planned on relying on him. Though you acknowledge his outwardness to help. With a settled huff, you three began to walk down the dirt path that maps out the campus. 

“Maybe my feet hurt because I don't have the proper footwear.”

“Your preparation skills are even worse than I thought (y/n).”

“Look, what's done is already done okay? No need to keep saying stuff that would get me into a dour mood Jack.”

“You’re right, I didn’t mean to restate the obvious then if you’ve already acknowledged it.”

His words just make you hit him slightly on the arm, not in a hurtful way but a hit that was as light as when the waves would crash onto your feet in the sand. He didn’t mean to sound ill willed, but he has his ways of showing concern for those he cares about. He grimaces for a bit but simply overlooks it knowing that was just your usual play, noticing the way his ears would twitch from your usual playfulness - you guys had a comfortable dynamic and it showed.

“If you don't have any proper footwear, we can go stop by Sam’s shop and buy you some.”

Deuce suggestion diverts your attention back onto him, your arms still linked together as you lean on him for support while you stagger off, giving him a reaffirming nod. He seemed pleased to be of help to you, as if fulfilling the role of a good friend. 

 “Yea, let's go. I need to buy me some new socks anyways.”

“Socks? Not shoes?” 

“I don't think the problem is with my shoes. Although it may not be all the best to comfort me in running, it still gets the job done.”

Jack can only look down to observe your shoes as if to analyze what you said is true, trying to identify whether or not your words support your claim. His yellow sunset gaze which could be compared to how the sun's rays shined is heating you all right now as it bores down on you.

“Jack, before you say anything. Don't.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Don't look at my shoes, I’m poor okay. I feel like you’re secretly judging me.”

“Not exactly judging per say.”

“See! That doesn't make it any better.” A light chuckle originates from Jack as he playfully looks over to you, a small smile soon cracking on his caramel skinned face as his voice dies down. 

“How are you feeling Prefect?” A firm hand is now gripped on the other side of your shoulder, the feeling of your sweaty and sticky body meshing with your clothes as your scent muddles in with the fibers making up the cloth hugging your figure. Deuce has been walking alongside you now for the entirety of your guys walk as you head towards Sam's Shop, still quite a distance away. Feeling the need to check in on you, he continues to firmly lay his hand on your shoulder to better comfort you. 

“Deuce, you’re so considerate. I feel like I might just let out a heartfelt sob for how sweet you’re being right now.” You let out a feigned exasperated sigh - in response though Deuce’s reaction is one of surprise which you could feel without even looking at the way his body stiffens a little.

“E-Eh? This really is nothing though (y/n), you’re in pain after all. It would only be natural to help someone in need.”

“True, but you know this really helps a lot. I’m in so much pain, I practically don't wanna walk anymore.” 

“You’re over exaggerating a bit,” A little quip response from Jack makes you pout and shake your head to show you denied it. 

“Not true! Gosh if I had a significant other or something I'm sure they wouldn’t mind carrying me! Ah the convenience of having someone like that.”

“Do you really think they’d do something like that for you?” 

“Would you do that for your significant other?”

And without a second thought, he immediately answers. Only then does he seem to find how meaningless his question was upon answering yours. 

“I think having a significant other would be nice, but I don't think that's something I am trying to actively pursue right now.” Deuce chimes in his own thoughts and you let out a little laugh which also chimes just as beautifully.

“I think you’d need to be better at talking to girls first before you even consider trying to pursue one.” Light hearted laughter airs around you as you lean into his arm, your shoulders bumping up rhythmically. 

“W-wha-!”

“The last time you talked to a girl, or tried to court one - if you can even call it that - was the ghost that kidnapped Idia.”

Deuce sputters out, feeling a sense of embarrassment as you tease him about his interactions with the ghost bride, his face burning a bright red like the cards in which glossed a new coat of red paint on white roses. Besides you both, Jack takes into consideration your walking speed. He truly was showing consideration in his own way and it was something you didn't mind at all, in fact it made you feel appreciative for what he was doing. He would be leaving the two of you in the dust if he wanted to, only showing that he does indeed care about you. Deuce does the same of course, considering you are latching onto him for support as you stagger about. 

“I would understand why Deuce would just freeze up like that. When it comes to expressing those types of feelings it’s always better to actually be sincere about it.” Jack has always been more on the serious side, always viewing the perception of love as something that should last forever between you and your partner. A sense of loyalty and something not to take lightly of.

Love has many different meanings to it. A vast broad way to make a connotation of sorts which could be related in any way whatsoever. Something that you blatantly already knew of course. “Ok mister love counselor, I get that part alright? Besides, it’s not like you have to actually say you love them, I think it’d be harder to believe if you did say ‘i love you’ though.”

With his ears flattening with your sarcastic remark he should’ve known better than to say something that has at least more than once been thought about. 

“She didn’t require you to say ‘I love you.’ As long as you were a good enough candidate to fit her unrealistic, old fashion, and cliche ideal standards then you’d be good to go.”

“Okay but I meant it in a general sense. Not just for the incident with Eliza.” 

“What do you mean?” His question beckons to be answered as his tail waves from slight confusion, Deuce also sharing a similar if not more confused look. 

“Well if someone told you they loved you in a romantical sense, would you believe them?”

“Am I supposed to doubt them? That’d just be rude and disrespectful to their feelings.”

“Me personally, you could say it would also depend on who's confessing to me.” 

“That's true too Deuce. I could say the same. But I don't know. How could you believe someone who would confess such strong words towards you? I find it a bit surreal.”

“Has anyone ever confessed to you (y/n)?”

“Shut up Jack.”

A low snorkeling chuckle comes out unprompted as he muses himself in your dejected response and Deuce can only shake his head a little from the way the two of you have been slightly bantering with each other. Usually it would be Jack to be the one shaking his head, but you tend to bring out the mischievous and playful side of him. 

“I’m going to take this personally and hope that you also take me not taking your arm personally too.”

Jack is visibly taken aback with your proclamation as his ears perk up. “How childish!” 

“No it's not! You basically just told me that I'm not attractive!”

“Don't put words into my mouth!”

“Or! Perhaps you do have secret admirers and they are too scared to confess (y/n)”

Silence fills the air as you both have failed to think of such a possibility during the small moment of your little bantering, both your heads turning to look at Deuce who gives you guys a more serious face.

Relaxing a bit as Jack and you jaunted down, you go back to your usual casualness as the three of you continue your way to Sams. Your destination is not too far off as you three have been filling the time with conversation, making the walk feel shorter than usual. “Oh that might be true for most people. People may just be scared to confess to others.” 

“I mean you can always indirectly confess you know. A lot of people do that instead of outwardly confessing.” 

Deuce's eyes widen a bit with a type of child's curiosity and it only prompts you to further expand on what you meant. “Do you mean like a love letter?” Jack inquires and gives off from your earlier proposition. 

“Yeah, basically. Or you can say something to convey your feelings to them.” 

“Such as?” Deuce with his ample experience seems to show quite the interest despite stating some time ago that pursuing someone was not something he was actively trying to do. Though he still valued it as something to consider for future references in the case that a situation were to spring up and prompt him to initiate. 

An endearing smile scrawls on your face as you peer over to Deuce, Jack also listening intently as well. All this talking seems to have distracted you from the pain in your feet, but despite your hold on Deuce’s arm loosening you continue to keep your arms linked together anyways as the cool breeze comes to freshen you three up.“Well, there is this saying in poetry back in my world some people were fond of using some time ago. You basically ask someone if the moon is beautiful, and that's basically saying that you love them. If they agree with you then that's them reciprocating your feelings.”

“Ah, really? That’s some interesting and creative way of doing it. I feel like I wouldn’t be able to tell at all and only see it as a regular question though.” Deuce still nonetheless finds it rather intriguing. “Really? I’m sure there must be a saying similar to that here.” As you make it up to the shop, finally arriving after what felt like a short time despite the lengthy conversation, you find a familiar face. 

“Oh, is that? Ortho!” Waving over to Ortho, he reciprocates the friendly gesture and waves back. Seemingly, it appeared that Ortho just came back from some shopping from Sam's shop, quickly walking over in a spring-like gait.

“Ah! It’s (Y/n)(L/n), Deuce Spade, and Jack Howl! What a pleasant surprise to see you guys. Are you guys planning on getting something from Sam's shop?” His friendly personality was warming as usual and he was one of the people here whom you got along fairly well. 

Finally latching off of Deuces arm you decide to give it a try to stand as you also intend to approach Ortho with a welcoming and friendly smile. No longer leaning your weight on Deuce to help support yourself, you wince a little but endure the pain as you apply your usual weight onto your feet. Ortho seems to automatically notice and with the way his brows furrowed to show concern, Deuce and Jack come from behind standing close in the case that something happens.

“Ah prefect, you seem to be in pain! Your pain receptors and heart rate along with your tissue sensors seem to indicate you have a sense of soreness on your feet! Have you been over exerting yourself perhaps?” And as usual, due to Ortho’s inbuilt sensor indicator he seems to be all the more observant about your throb. 

“Aha you could say that. I joined Deuce and Jack in their club today so that's why. So here we are to buy some comfortable socks for me in the near future if this does happen again.”

Your lighthearted laugh doesn't seem to shake off Ortho’s concerned looking face however, so he offers to try and heal you up with some ointment packed on him. You’re grateful really, but you don't really feel all that comfortable taking your shoes and socks off right now in front of your friends after a hearty run.

“Oh no thank you Ortho. I really appreciate it but I’m sure I’d be better with some rest after. On another note, how about you search something up for me?” Your sudden change in topics catches Deuce’s and Jack’s attention as they both stare at your back as if knowing what you plan on asking. 

“Oh sure! If you insist so then I’ll leave you be then Prefect. What is it you wanted me to search up? I can get it in a blast!” His enthusiasm felt infectious and it quirks a small smile on your face despite the enduring pain. His body language conveying as such similar to how a human normally would if not for his obvious robotic decals and constructure. 

“Could you see if this saying means anything? ‘The moon is beautiful, isn't it?’” In a docile manner he quickly gets to it and with a few audible beeping computerized clicks he announces some articles and other works of literature where such a line would be found; similarly fitting the words or having the words exactly but not in a way to express someone's affection for another.

“Ah, I see. So your world really doesn't have that saying around.” You didn’t sound disappointed per-say, but you didn’t really expect much either. Upon noticing your lack of reaction, Ortho tilts his head curiously. 

“What were you hoping to find Prefect? I’m sure whatever it was we can find it together!”

Shaking your head lightly you only cross your arms and let out a slight sigh. “You see, back in (y/n)’s world, that saying is an indirect way to say ‘I love you,’ something you say to confess your feelings apparently.” Jack comes from behind and now to the side of you as he makes his presence more prominent. With an intrigued shine in Ortho’s eyes, he grips on his grocery bag slightly and brings a delighted fist up over to where his mouth would be. 

“Ah! On the way here were you guys perhaps talking about ways to confess to someone?”

“Er, not exactly. The topic kinda just happened as we were talking about how to indirectly confess to someone in general.” Deuce also comes in to step up from behind and by your side now as he too makes his presence more prominent. 

“Oh I see, the topic of love and confessions! How wondrous, should I search for some other ways to indirectly court or express your feelings towards someone?” 

Bringing a hand up to stop Ortho, you give him a little small smile to assure him that it wasn’t needed. “Thanks for the offer Ortho, but that was all I wanted at least. Everythings rather copacetic right now anyways haha.” 

“Anyways, we should better get going since I have some plans later.” Jack begins to announce as he proceeds to walk up and you soon follow after in a wobbly state, though still managing, as Deuce follows behind intentionally there to look out for you in case you’d need assistance. 

“Aww well alright then, it was nice talking to you guys. See you some time!” And with a fleeting goodbye wave, the three of you go ahead and approach Sam’s shop. Ortho now off with a tune playing as he goes down the dirt path road back to Ighynide. 

“Oh? How fascinating. To think such simple words convey tremendous feelings, fufu. Perhaps I should try saying it to them sometime when I have the courage.” Near the building of Sam’s shop, a ludicrous tall shadow looms behind a fairly covered tree.

Sneaking behind one of his towers, Jade picks up one of his pawns and sets it forward, diagonal to yours. Now swallowing and taking out one of your pawns he’s able to decrease your chess pieces. Moving your king further back out of sheer blindness and fear, all to which you know you should protect, Jade proceeds to think of his next move; now eyeing the knights in the back row which was still perfectly not in use aligned with his king and queen. 

Nov - 6, XXXX

“Sometime ago from the mirror chamber over to the botanical garden I saw Jack, Deuce, and my darling pearl (y/n) coming from the field as I made my way. I must admit, I indeed felt irked that they were clinging onto Deuce like that. However I kept my composure and decided to stay hidden and observe, something that I have always reaped benefits from.”

“To continue along, as I was listening to what they were talking about it appears that they were on the subject of how to court someone indirectly. Oh what a valuable insight to what my dearest has to say!”

In the botanical garden there sat the infamous student, Jade Leech. With no one around in the greenery place, there he sat talking to his mushrooms to which he cared for tenderly. In the placement of actual companions who could listen to his lovesick woes and scheming little ploys, it seems that he much prefers talking to his own plants which grow healthily from his careful attentiveness and candid affection. 

“Would my little shrooms care to know what it is my dearest had said?” To no response from the fungi planted in its bed of components, he only lets out a more passionate look to compel more. 

“The only thing they talked about was this saying back in their world. The person who asks if the moon is beautiful is quite frankly another way to profess your love in poetry. If the person who you asked it to agrees then they basically are reciprocating your mutual feelings. Isn’t that lovely?”

No response. If someone were to witness this surely they’d think that Jade would be a little crazy. Not like he’ll let anyone see him in this state though. Lest if they do then pray to the sevens that they would be able to see the next day come.

Adjusting the lighting to perfectly fit the conditions to aid its growth, Jade lets out a beaming smile as he thinks about the two things he tends to show more prominent love aside from his familial relations. You and his mushrooms. 

“If I continue to engage in social interaction with (y/n) then I am positive the likelihood of them returning my feelings would be higher. I’ve been doing so for the past few months now, perhaps I should start planning my confession.”

Sitting on a bench, he slumps in his folded arms ensuring that his head or arms were away from the bedded fungi; the edge of the earthy wooden table. Flashes of your face and scenarios playing in his head arise like a continuous movie film on repeat, the sound of your laughter and the feeling of his heart racing in his chest felt like he was immersed in the movie he was watching. Oh how he could replay them over and over again, a goofy love-stuck smile curling on his face as he buried it deeper into his arms.

“Jade! There ya are!” A sudden voice calls out to him and he springs up from surprise. He didn't hear anyone come in, just how long has he been in his own little world?

“Ah Floyd, what are you doing here?” Standing up from where he sat, he began to approach Floyd as he was coming over towards his way as well. A prime smile on his face yet he looked brighter than ever. 

“Azul needs ya. You’ve been gone for awhile, thought ya went out to the mountains again,” swinging down with a huff as he sits himself on the bench, he leans his head back to give him a rather laid back smile. “Good thing you were in here though, wasn’t plannin’ on tryna get you back all the way from the mountains.” 

“Oh my, did I perhaps lose track of time? Thank you for letting me know Floyd, I'll be sure to hurry along then.” The materialistic multitudes of sound coming together as Jade brushes and pats himself come together to accompany the brightful air around him. “Ah? Yer bein’ all smiley Jade, is it cus of these damn mushrooms or somethin?” 

“You could say it’s part of the reason, Floyd.”

With a click of the tongue and his brows slightly twitching, Floyd bounces up with a swift swing of his legs and starts walking alongside Jade. “Ugh, is it shrimpy again?”

“Gasp! How did you know?” As Jade makes a feigned gasp and his hand placed over his mouth, Floyd can only roll his eyes and shake his head from his fake and obvious display of faux surprise. “Urgh, keep yer lovey-dovey thoughts to yerself. I aint tryna hear all that sappy and weird stuff again.” 

“Oh dear, and here I thought you actually secretly liked to hear my woes Floyd.” With the both of them now walking off, Floyd and Jade start to talk about other affairs as they head back to Mostro Lounge.

Without realizing it, you move your castle over and take out his pawn resting on the black squares making up the chessboard. Too infatuated with his own plans, he fails to see you make a move with your knight and you proceed to place it on a white square. Ready to defend what you have left or ready to steal his pieces. 

Nov - 8, XXXX

The indifferent sounds of inharmonious male voices fill up the school halls as they go by their constructed schedule of schooling. Classes are left empty momentarily as students leave to head on and transition over to their next subject whether it be magic history or astrology, or perhaps they may skip and find the chance to slack off. 

A diversity of students are scrambling around and covering the school grounds, if seen above it might be like seeing a field of colorful jelly beans laid out on a structured maze platform. Stepping out of the classroom which is labeled at the top “1-A,” you and Grim along with many others go by the schedule as well; stepping out of the classrooms to head on over to their next classes. 

“Raaah~! I almost fell asleep there. Can you believe we’re gonna have an upcoming test in Crewel's class?!” 

A yawn can be heard and ushered out from your little fur ball of a companion, Grim. Resting on your shoulders you can only respectively share the same tired stare on your face as you step out into the school corridors. “We have a day or two maybe to study for it, it should be enough time to cover what we need to go over.” 

The wintery dim skies makes the air around you a bit more chilly than normal, making you feel a little drowsy even. “Mrmgh, why’d we have to get out of bed ~? It was the perfect temperature to sleep in!” As he then closes his eyes while resting on your shoulder, you can only give a sigh and roll your eyes as you make your way over to your shared class. With heavy eyelids and heavy limbs dragging your feet, you lazily make your way past the cluster of students. 

“Yea no kidding, I wanted to sleep in too. Any second longer and I would’ve succumbed to the comfort of our bed.” Bringing your hand to your face you start rubbing your drowsy eyes. “God the weather is so perfect to sleep in. A cold morning is so nice.” 

“I agree, I feel rather closer to home the more the temperature drops.” 

“WHAT THE FUC-/ NYAHHHHH!”

As you and Grim jump up into the air - his fur all frayed and animated looking like those Halloween black cats up on display windows during the spooky-season sales - Jade stands behind the two of you with a casual smile on his face. 

“Fufu, well I see you are rather more awake now.” Alongside him stood Floyd and Azul, the most recognizable sea trio ever. Floyd seemed to also be in a sleepy state as his slanted eyes were closed and his stance being all lazy and slump-like. Azul, ever the dashing man he is, looks back at you with a formal smile. 

“I must agree with you there Jade. Although the weather cannot nearly compare to the temperature at home, I find the cold to be rather comforting.” 

“W-What the hell Jade? Don’t pop up out of nowhere like that.” As you place your hand over your chest, the feeling of your heart beating rapidly due to the fright can be felt and heard in your eardrums. “Apologies, my intention wasn’t to scare you, Prefect.” Although you can't be too sure if he really was genuine with that apology, the look on his face said otherwise. And with a slightly scoffing click of the tongue you fix your posture and stand up with a straight posture to address him. 

“What do you guys want?” After you’ve calmed down, you press your palms on your hips, giving him a more stern expression. Grim is practically still recovering from the sudden scare as he clings onto your leg. “Oya? Asking us what we want? Why aren’t you a generous one (y/n).

“Indeed, if that's the case then I would like-”

“You know damn well that's not what I meant!” 

“Oi, shut it will you? Yer loud voice is botherin me.” Floyd speaking up in irritance causes you to divert your attention onto him and you flinch back a bit, making note of controlling your volume. Coming up to stand in front of Jade now, your attention is now placed onto Azul, his pristine air around him calling for professionalism. “To be quite frank, we heard your little call of distress just now and would like to offer assistance.” Smiling ever so politely as he places his hand on his slightly puffed up chest, you can only feel a sense of dread for what's to come. 

“You want to help us study for our upcoming potionology test? Why? What’s in it for you?” 

Feigning a shocked and offended look, Azul shakes his head slightly and you continue on just stare at him with disinterest. “Why, out of the goodness of my heart of course! I’m just trying to help my dear friend, yes? I’m just trying to show my comradery because friends are supposed to support and help each other.” Hearing his words make you snicker, and Jade can’t help but be amused a little at the show displaying your interactions with Azul. 

“Hmm? Shrimpy and little seal needs help with their studies? Oooh count me in~ hehe” Finally feeling awake with a sense of amusement, Floyds demeanor shifts to a more sneaky and cunning air around him. “Wait, I didn't even agree to this!” Grim lets out a similar statement as well, picking him up into your arms as you hold him for a sense of comfort. 

“Now now no need to be so rude. We merely just want to help.” You know damn well that he has other intentions other than to simply just “help,” and what other perfect way than to try and take advantage of the fact that you two had an upcoming test. “No way, I'd rather have someone else tutor us.” 

“Oh how your words and hostility wound me (y/n),” bringing a finger to swipe at his fake tears Azul then moves to the side and switches back up once again. “Very well, if you refuse to take my assistance then why not choose between the Leeches to tutor you?” 

Giving him the most “Are you serious” look ever towards Azul, you divert your eyes to look over at Jade and Floyd who stood beside each other. It was like you were in a bachelorette/bachelor show right now having to pick between which twin you wanted to date as Azul was the host. “W-Wait I never-”

“Time’s ticking Prefect, unfortunately we all have classes to attend so hurry won't you?” 

WHY IS HE PUTTING ME ON THE SPOT?!

Grim being firm with his whine and response simply says he doesn't want either and jumps out of your arm, scrambling off to class without you, seeing that you really were left alone in this situation. Thanks so much “companion.” Darting your eyes back and forth to Jade's polite yet somehow eerie aired smile and Floyd’s amused and up-to-no-good lazy smirk, you frantically blurt out one of their names without much thought. 

“J-Jade!” It wasn’t an easy pick, but in all honesty at least this eel can try and be tame for the most part. So scratch that, it was a rather easier and obvious pick. With a pleased smile on his face, Jade simply places a hand over his chest as if he was glad to have been chosen. “I will do my best to tutor you well then Prefect. Thank you for choosing me.” Ding Ding Ding! And it seems that (y/n) chose contestant number 2! Jade Leech! 

“Ehhh? Why didn’t ya pick me shirmpyyyy? It would’ve been so much more fun. Oh well, I’m not really feeling like tutoring ya no more anyways.” 

You guess calling Jade was a good call, but the slight glint in his eyes causes some uneasiness in you. Letting out a slight chuckle and a one-sided crooked smile, you look up to Jade who now as well stood in front of you. “Aha, yea.. I look forward to it as well.” As you make up your quick plans of when and where to meet, you four all go your own separate ways to head over to class. Thinking to yourself, you really had no choice or say in this with the way they gave you no options whatsoever.  

“Look at you looking so chipper Jade.” Floyd slightly remarks as out of the three, Jade's smile is ever so radiant. 

“Yes, I'm quite pleased that the plan went rather well.”

“‘Pleased’ is such an understatement. You seem more ecstatic to say the least, like how you are always with those batches of mushrooms.”

“Urgh, don't even mention 'em Azul. It's already enough having to hear him talk about his mushrooms and “Shrimpy this” or “Shrimpy that,” blergh.” 

“I’m glad to know I am not a direct victim of his ramblings with you in my stead.”

“Oh how you both wound me so.” And as the three walk off in the opposite direction, the show of bachelorette/bachelor has ended with you and Jade going to meet up for your little date. With Grim being there of course, but under Jade's care he is a rather easy case to take care of and Jade will ensure that things will be under control now. 

The first drops of snow in your heart flutter down as the first lingering thoughts of Jade come hither to rest in your mind. And as Jade proceeds to move his knights in places to ensure his next move winds up being a success, slowly breaking down your wall of pawns to get to the heart of what makes you stay in the game, to obtain your king and end the game. Slowly but surely, his methodical and strategic thinking would lead him to success and only then, would he be able to have your king. A game of chess to where you don't know you’re playing as he stares down at the chessboard.

I’ve been seeing him more often lately… A lingering thought nestles in as you make your way over to class.

Three pawns down, no moves made, and a clear break through heading towards your unprotected king. An open line is presented and clear for him to make a bold break for it. With slight hesitation as he's about to pick up his knight, he then draws back his hand and proceeds to bring his king up instead. 

Present Day 

Nov - 15, XXXX

“Hey Henchman, is it just me or have we been seeing Jade a lot more often recently?”

“Glad to know you’re finally noticing Grim, I've seen him around much more frequently since a couple months ago too. It’s quite…. Odd honestly.” 

I kinda wanna see him some more though…

 “You think he’s trying to get something from us?” Perched on the top of your head, Grim tilts his head forward a little to try and make curious eye contact with you. With his pitchfork-like tail wagging around in the air, you casually make your way down the stairs from NRC’s main building to head back to Ramshackle dorm.

“I hope not. Not like I'll just let him anyway, man I hope we don't see him again.”

I wonder where he could be right now… could he… be busy? It’d be nice to see him again…

With a lift of your foot, another step is placed off the hard slate wooden stairs as you now continue onward. Classes have ended and an assortment of dispersed students with colors consisting of their respecting dorms filter through the halls quickly. Some going back to rest in their dorm rooms, others maybe attending after school club activities, or perhaps some going to pursue their other hobbies. Whatever time is available, every student here uses it to the fullest.

“Ya could say that again. If he comes by again then I’ll just blow out my flames and cook him dry! Nyahaha!”

His arrogant laugh makes you roll your eyes as a soft smile forms on your face, slightly shaking your head with Grims weight on top. “Hah, sure, whatever you say Grim.”

“It's THE Great Grim!” 

With a flick of your wrist and a scoff, you couldn't bother to resay his name just for his own satisfaction even in a sarcastic manner. Tilting your head in a mischievous manner, you feel the weight of Grim scrambling and jumping off with a hoarse yelp coming from him. As he lands on his paws, you let out a giggle watching his scowling face directed towards you. 

“I was trying to look at the sky, but you were in the way, Grim hehehe.” Knowing that was not at all the case, before Grim could retort he pauses and it causes you to stop in your tracks as well. Standing on the gray pavemented pathway near the open ended exit from which you both came from, you looked down at Grim a bit curiously. “Grim? Why’d you stop?”

Now on all fours, Grim perks his head up as if tailing an annoying fly around his head. With more cat-like animatics, Grim starts swirling his head just slightly and sniffing as if he can see a delicious aroma in those cartoon episodes. “Somethin’ smells good…” 

The cold weather makes it hard for odor particles to pass through due to the more compact molecules, however you can tell just how drawn Grim is to whatever may be causing the smell. Taking a big inhale, you try smelling whatever it is that Grim may be smelling, your chest puffing up as you take in a big amount of air in your lungs. 

“I don't smell anything Grim, what are you-”

“Ah! Over there!” It seems he has found the source of whatever it may be he was smelling, pinpointing it rather quickly as he scurries off. “Ah! Wait Grim! Where are you going?!” Before you can follow suit, not so far off a voice calls out and grabs your attention. 

“Ah, good evening prefect.”

Turning your head around, you’re met with no one but Jade. His voice divulging you and making his presence known. Although so suddenly and randomly, you can’t help but feel a sense of tingling in your chest.

Jade!

“J-Jade! What are you doing here?” Changing your position from almost sprinting off, you shift yourself back to face Jade instead to properly converse with him. Upon looking up at him, you note the clouded and dull gray skies as it soars vastly. 

“Classes have ended some time ago, I was merely on the way back to my dorm. I would assume that it’s the same for you, yes?” Jade stood comfortably, not another layer of clothing on him in sight to withstand the colder weather while he sticks to nothing but his usual uniform wear. You, on the other hand, had a thicker jacket on top of your uniform to help adapt to the temperature around. 

“Well, I was. That was until Grim ran off somewhere again. Hah, seriously I might as well forget about trying to chase after him. He can come back whenever he wants.” With a defeated sigh, you slightly slouch forward with your arms swinging from back to back. 

“Hmm well if that's the case, may I walk you back to your dorm?” 

You’ve been getting used to how casual he’s been lately, considering the amount of times you’ve been seeing each other through mere “coincidences.” Though recently whenever Jades around you can't but help to have that lingering feeling of wanting to stay with him just a bit longer. Whenever he leaves he immediately fills up your mind whenever you allow it to and you can't help but let your mind wander. Is this perhaps…?

“Hello? (Y/N)? Are you spacing out?” With his hand waving in front of you to snap you out of your daze, your unfocused stare comes back into reality and out of your thoughts. “Huh? What?” 

How adorable…

“I asked if I could walk you back to your dorm. If you aren’t feeling well then-”

“Oh no! I’m perfectly fine! I just spaced out for a bit haha. But uhm, I don't mind if you did accompany me back.”

In the way you responded allowed you to give you a sense of freedom to where you aren’t actually giving him a direct and decisive response. More so an indecisive one. Slightly fidgeting with the hem of your jacket you give him a lightly aired chuckle to ease up the atmosphere. 

“So I would say you want me to accompany you back, correct?” 

“Well I didn’t say that I didn’t want you to accompany me”

“You’re rather indirect with what you want (Y/N).” With a slight tut, shaking his head like a common motion of showing one's dismay you can only rile backup to defend yourself with reason. 

“No I'm not! I said I didn’t-! Hah, whatever. Fine, I would like it if you were to accompany me back to Ramshackle Jade.” 

“Fufu very well then. It would be my pleasure too.”  Seriously, he seems to always have a way with words. Putting you on the spot like that so easily and casually. 

But at least we’d be able to spend time together again.

The two of you make your way back over to Ramshackle, following the usual pathway you commonly take when out of classes. The silence lingering between you both causes you to fidget some more as you try to make it obvious you're not at all bothered by it. Staring straight ahead while you see Jade in the corner of your eye next to you as you both walk along-side each other, you can only wonder why he isn't saying anything. Usually Jade makes conversation with you whenever you two are together, perhaps he just isn’t feeling all that talkative. An unfamiliar tension is slightly there, one that wasn’t there before and you can't understand why but to only question it. 

Perhaps it's the cold, but you feel your cheeks slightly growing a little red. What other reason could there be? Next to you Jade remains silent while peacefully walking next to you, and without your knowledge, he smiles just slightly feeling a slight of anticipation.

“Curious, but do you maybe know why Grim ran off (Y/N)?” Jade finally breaks the silence by asking a question, you feel a slight relief in your chest. 

“Aha, I don't know. He said that he smelled something good… Maybe food? Probably someone is snacking around here and he may be a victim to Grim’s antics and persistence haha.”

“That is not the case” Looking over to Jade who sounds so sure of himself, it quizzes a question out of you. “What do you mean? How can you be so sure?”

“Why, I would know of course. Because I was the one who placed some salted steamed fish near the bushes.”  

“What? Then why’d you ask?!” With a nonchalant smile on his face it can only be contrasted to your taken back and startled reaction. Placing a hand on your back, Jade continues the path while guiding you along to continue further with him. “Wait, more importantly why did you do that?”

Jade stays quiet, that smile still on his face as he continues to keep his hand on your back. Wait, now that you think about it you two are going off course and straying from the usual path you take to head back to Ramshackle. With your heart quickening in your chest, you can only start to nervously sweat at where this is going. “U-Uh Jade? Where are we going? What are you doing?” 

As his eyes slowly turn to look at you, his head still facing forward however and his smile ever the same, you can't help but to shiver a bit and get a feeling that whatever he’s planning isn't going to go well. “Oya, there’s no need to be so nervous now. I thought we might take a detour to enjoy the weather a bit more.” 

“No but uh, you didn't answer my ques-” Suddenly bringing his hand from your back to wrap around your shoulders, he draws you close into his side and it prompts you to stop your walk and just freeze from the surprise. “Why? Well I simply wanted to be alone with you of course.”

Your whole right side of your body is pressed up against his left side. With wide eyes, you don't dare to look over to Jade, refusing to let him see your sudden flusteredness. Your heart is beating so loud that you’re hoping that he can’t hear it as well. His arm around you almost longingly, the sudden stillness as you both don't move a muscle, and the sound of your heart beating at a rapid pace as if on a roller coaster. You really wish you could say that the whole reason your face is red is because of the cold and your body temperature just suddenly dropped! But it would make more sense that you’d be blue and purple then red… So then why exactly are you-

“Oh dear, look at you getting so red in the face. Do you perhaps like the weight of my arm around you?” You didn’t even notice, too occupied in your own thoughts and spacing out, that Jade had proceeded to lean forward to be face to face with you. “Wha-!”

A pleased smile is formed as he sees you snap out of your thoughts and he leans back up and adjusts his arm around you to let it sit more comfortably. Looking back up at the scenery the sky has to hold, he holds you ever so lovingly and affirmably. 

“J-Jade what is- what are-! What’s going on!?” Matching the weather, you freeze stiffly in his hold, unfamiliar to his loving touch. It was rather unusual for him to make such a bold and tender move, a foreign feeling yet for you to adjust to. 

The sky is covered in splotches of clouded gray cotton, the meek shine from the sun is still blocked by the airy cold sheet of gas yet still blinding to look at. Inhaling the dewy air that gives oneself a sense of refreshment, Jade closes his eyes and tilts his head up to admire the brightened gray scale that vasts above you both. 

“Tell me, Prefect,” beginning to speak calmly, you try to distract yourself from your close proximity and focus on what he had to say next. “The moon is quite beautiful, is it not?” 

“What?” Killing your stiffness, you’re found to be quite dumbfounded and caught off guard. “What are you talking about Jade? It’s still daytime and the moon isn’t even-”

Pausing, you let his words sink in. The moon isn’t out. His arms are around you. You both are together, secluded. You are alone with him. No Grim. No Deuce. No Floyd. No Azul. Just you and him. 

Badum. Wait, is he…

Badum. Did he just tell me…

Badum. Badum. Badum. He knows what that means…

Badumbadumbadumbadumbadum! He just told me he loves-!

“Cat got your tongue? I hope that isn’t the case, it was the only reason why I sent Grim away from us after all.” His thumb is soothingly rubbing circles into your arm while he keeps you in place, ensuring you don't spring up or leave from his hold in any way. This was like his own way of trying to calm you down, fully aware of how thunderstruck you may be at the moment; the motions of his gesture somewhat helping. 

“Jade.”

“Yes?”

“Back in the lounge…. You….”

“Yes, indeed. I said the same thing then as well.”

“Then you… Are you saying- that you… Did you just…”

No longer looking at the sky, he turns his head to give you his full undivided attention, waiting for you patiently to make your conclusion. Still refusing to look him in the eyes, you droop your head lower just a little as you feel yourself getting smaller in his arm. Bringing your hands together, your fingers start to fiddle with each limb and cloth it can find near its reach, usually playing around with the hem of your uniform under the blanket of your jacket. 

Slightly opening your mouth, your brows furrow and you swear you can feel your knees go slightly weak if not for the support of his arm grounding you. “I…”

This man is playing with me right now. 

Without even having to look, you can just feel his eyes on you. Finally reverting back to your more casual self, you shake your head with a sigh feeling more calm. “Hah, okay Jade I love you too.”

“My, what a bold confession there.” 

“At least I didn’t confess indirectly.”Finally looking up at him, you give him a bit of sass as you roll your eyes and a chuckle escapes his lips. His grip becomes slightly more firm and if you were to lean on his chest, you can swear that his heart was beating just as loudly as yours. 

“You’re finally looking at me, my dear Pearl.” His eyes soften as you look into his olive and golden eyes, his voice laced with such affection that it makes your body feel tingling with how much warmth it held despite the cold air. “Pearl…” Slowly repeating what he said quietly, letting the words sink in further more, your eyes widen and a slight sparkle glosses over. His other hand comes over and cups your cheek, rubbing his thumb against the softness it brings. “Yes, my Pearl.” Jade droops his head lower till your foreheads touch, releasing his hold on your shoulder to then cup the other side of your face. Your cheeks might just be comparable to that of a hand warmer, but you can't help it. Not when he’s being so tender like this. Not when he’s locking eyes with you while giving you the most love-stricken smile ever. Not when you two are so close. “The moon is very beautiful right Jade?” You softly lull out, the growing thoughts of him filling up your head space.

“Very, it really is beautiful.” A little giggle ushers out, a giddy smile and tender hands. A loving look and a fond voice. A dovey feeling and a pacing heart. There, on the side of the public pavement road, stood two lovebirds where the trees bristle through the wind and hide them both perfectly. “It’s very enchanting if I must add. The moon that is. In fact, its shape and glow is similar to one of a pearl. A very beautiful one indeed.”

Tilting your head a little closer, your foreheads staying connected as he continues to hold your face and your hands on his, his words only make you quirk a wider smile. “You know, you’re making my heart beat very fast right now you know that? If I die because of you, you’d be put behind bars.” 

“Hmmmm, really now? And what makes you so sure I'd allow them to catch me so easily?” 

“Why do I like you?”

“In fact you don’t. You professed you love me not too long ago.”

“You’re right, unfortunately. I do, in fact, love you Jade Leech.”

Months of preparation, months filled with longing, months filled with shadowed moves, months filled with perseverance and patience, Jade Leech has finally accomplished what he’s worked for in one swell swoop from you. A kiss to the lips from the person who he always loved from the sidelines, now here in his hold as they reciprocate his mutual feelings. 

Can we stay in this moment forever?

Watching you with the way you close your eyes just to kiss him, can he just stay in this moment forever? Forever to see the way your lashes sprawl out, long enough for him to count each and every piece of hair. Forever to feel your lips against his, long enough to remember the sensation and feeling of your soft lips. Forever to engulf himself in your natural aroma, long enough to have a sense of peace when he smells your scent. With his eyes open, even in the kiss he can't help but to just close it. Not when someone so beautiful is right in front of him. The first to place a kiss and the first to draw back from it, you quickly turn back around and bury your face in your hands. 

Ah, they're getting all shy now. I wish it would have lasted longer…

“Ohmyfuckinggodijustkissedhimmmmm!” Whilst squealing in your hands Jade comes over and wraps his arms around your hunched figure, fully embracing you as he starts to feel gushy himself and nuzzles his cheek on the crown of your head. A big goofy silly smile on his face. 

“Oh what’s wrong my dear Pearl? You’re so red that it can rival Riddle's hair.”

“Hah, I wonder who’s causing such a symptom.” Removing your hands away from your face, you turn your head to meet Jade's beaming smile and red cheeks with your slight pouty and red face.

“I would gladly like to proclaim that I was the cause of such said symptoms.”

“Gosh why did I even-”

Turning his head closer to yours as he leans over your shoulder, his voice suddenly becomes low and serious. The way he can suddenly change the mood with his tone tickles your ear and sends chills down your spine in a good way. His arms around your figure hugging you securely like a vine wrapping itself against a gate. 

“I want to be the only one to make you feel this way, to have you look this way, to have you react this way. I would gladly like to be the reason for it knowing your affections for me are genuine. Just for you, I’d love to be that reason.” 

… 

“Fufufu, oh? To think your face couldn’t get any more red. Look at you, oh how wrong I was~”

“Jade you little-!” 

Turning around to engulf him in the same manner, you bury yourself in his chest. There you go, now you can confirm for real that his heart was indeed beating just as fast as yours. Standing still to hold each other in your arms, your red and burning face finding shelter in his bosom while he radiates a silly smile with red coated cheeks, you take the time to remember how things even came to be the way they are now. And as the two of you indulge each other, far off in Ramshackle dorm Grim is looking around to see if you’ve yet arrived. 

Moving his king up now in front of yours, thinking you’d make no move, he’s caught off guard as you pick up your king and take his. After all his chess pieces have eaten yours, nothing left but your king stood hopeful for him to take. Yet what a surprise of events that your heart took in the final move. It was a checkmate, and in the palm of your hand you gently held his king close to your heart. 

tag! - @thehollowwriter @pandaforcexd @officialdaydreamer00

I hope you guys enjoyed this read, sorry it took forever!

[jasminethetransvampire]

Fanfic Writer Questions

Alright so, @optiwashere tagged me in this question thingy, how fun! I was looking for an excuse to discuss this stuff. Oh, and I will be tagging @zawazawanightmares, @modusoperand1 and @trygrievousbutgirl-blog, though ya'll are under no obligation to participate if you don't want to.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Twelve, though that number is a bit misleading because one of those has 15 chapters and has been getting sporadic updates since December of last year.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

115,036. Which seems about right, I tend to get wordy.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I started with Baldur's Gate 3 but pretty quickly expanded to Chainsaw Man, which is mostly where I hang my hat these days. I'm also planning on writing for Kakegurui eventually, and maybe Dead by Daylight and Warhammer if the mood strikes me. Oh and I wrote one fic for Werewolf: The Apocalypse that wasn't very good, but I'm probably not returning to that universe anytime soon.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In descending order: Stress Relief, In Lust and In Leaf (E-rated Karlach/Shadowheart/Tav feat. recreational drug use) Through You (E-rated Power/Kobeni, chapter-based longfic) A Matron's Mercy (E-rated Minthara/Tav with lots of gender affirmation) Underdark, Under Pressure (M-rated Shadowheart/Tav, the first fic I ever published!) Waning Moon, Not A Moment Too Soon (E-rated Shadowheart/Tav, ball-slapping sex in a broom closet)

5. Do you respond to comments?

All of them! Though it occasionally takes me a while because of things like time zones and me needing time to think of decent responses. I love getting comments!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't really do angsty endings, I keep that stuff to the beginning and middle when it comes up at all, but by default this one probably goes to Would You Still Love Me if I Was Several Worms? because the ending is only very hopeful that things will work out alright instead of outright confirming it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh, hm... It's kinda hard to rank them, but I guess probably Hearts of Fire and Darkness, Eye Enough for Both, though there's no fic of mind that'd refer to as having an "unhappy" ending per se.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope! Not yet at least. I'm sure there's at least one person out there who hates my guts and thinks my work is trash, but so far they've been cordial enough to keep it to themselves.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yup! I like to think of it as pretty character driven, I always try to keep track of the characters' emotions and mental state during the intense gay sex.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

None yet, but I definitely want to write one for BG3 and Chainsaw Man eventually (as in, some time before the heat death of the universe). Both fandoms have a basically immortal lesbian and they deserve to meet eachother.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again, not to my knowledge.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I've definitely had writer friends of mine look over sections of fics I'm working on to provide feedback and criticism, but nothing quite so involved.

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

This is going to sound so stupid, but it's actually an OC x OC ship. See, once upon a time I joined a Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition roleplay server on discord. I played a terrifying, gay monster woman with way too much shit on her shoulders, and she ended up becoming the girlfriend of a blood-curdling, bisexual monster woman with a machete and a vicious streak. The scenes we wrote together there were beautiful and romantic and did wonders for my mental health. I am never going to forget those characters. Valerie and Jelena forever.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I wanted to write a novel that was basically just me throwing a bunch of mine and my friends' OCs into an angsty high school AU. It was going to be an attempt at a complex exploration of queerness, mental health and being born into a privileged but deeply abusive household. I gave up after chapter 2 because barely any of the people I showed it to for feedback got back to me, and I got demoralised. Now I write fanfiction and get feedback all the time.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Apparently, transfem rep and hurt/comfort. Which I guess I can kinda see, I'm good at hurting characters but I can never stand to see them in pain for long, hence copious amounts of comfort to compensate.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm bad at writing male characters and just flat out can't write hetero romance. Also, I'm slow as fuck.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I just don't do it, unless using Japanese honorifics when writing in English counts. If I need to have a character speak in Russian or Infernal or whatever, I just write "they said in X language" or something like that.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Technically there's a very shitty, unfinished, first-draft, collaborative Hotline Miami fic sitting somewhere in my google docs that's probably the first if I were to check the dates. It's never going to get published or finished, but one OC I made up for it still keeps cropping up in the stories I come up with in my mind, and if I ever go professional they'll see the light of day eventually.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I technically answered this question here! But the TL;DR version is: Through You and Another Way share the top spot, passion projects that make me a little emotional to think about.

[etiennekissborlase]

Ripples CTO Controversial Comment On Stellar Lumens Sparks Reactions

Ripple’s CTO Controversial Comment On Stellar Lumens Sparks Reactions https://bitcoinist.com/ripples-cto-on-stellar-lumens/ In a recent tweet, Ripple’s Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, made controversial comments about Stellar Lumens’ founder Jed McCaleb.  Schwartz referred to McCaleb as a “crazy fool holding a live grenade” when discussing the differences between Ripple and Stellar. As expected, Schwartz’s recent comments have caused a stir in the cryptocurrency community, with almost 200,000 engagements.  Controversy Between Ripple And Stellar In an August 2022 tweet, a crypto influencer asked Ripple CTO his greatest criticism of Stellar. Schwartz didn’t respond, but McCaleb noted that the Stellar ledger threatens XRP. The comment from Stellar’s co-founder indicated that both parties were not on good terms.  Related Reading: FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Pleads Not Guilty, Asks Judge To Throw Out Charges In a May 8 tweet, Stellar co-founder pointed at an update patterning to the latest program in the XRP community in Las Vegas.  According to McCaleb, the SEC chair should intervene to “set things straight,” as he was indirectly talking about the ongoing case between Ripple and the SEC. A few hours after the tweet, Schwartz called McCaleb a fool, telling crypto enthusiasts to beware of him. He gave an illustration using a video clip showing a police officer who accidentally ignited a live grenade in a car. Schwartz concluded that the video clip portrays who McCaleb is.  Some questioned the appropriateness of such language, criticizing Schwartz for resorting to personal attacks rather than focusing on the merits of Ripple’s technology. However, several others stood with the Ripple CTO. In response, Stellar’s co-founder stated that “envy is never a good look, Schwartz.” McCaleb further mentioned that there is an opening in Stellar for the Ripple CTO if he is interested in working as his secretary to take calls for him. Although the blockchain payment solutions of both communities aim to improve the financial sector, it’s impossible to tell whether or not their dispute will end soon. As the crypto industry currently faces a war with regulators, this is not the right time to attack one another.  It will be better for crypto companies to collaborate and strategize to win the battle, attorney John Deaton said.  XRP And XLM Market Outlook In the meantime, XRP trades at $0.4262, displaying a 24-hour decline of 0.49%. The token currently holds a market cap of more than $21.9 billion that has declined by 2.75% over the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, its trading volume of $1,110,436,120 shows gains of over 22% in the last 24 hours. XRP still stands among major tokens, according to CoinMarketCap’s ranking. Related Reading: Ethereum Declines As Exchange Deposits Hit Nov. 2021 Levels On the other hand, XLM has been trading more in the red zone than green in the past 24 hours, as its price declined by 0.55% within this period.  It holds a price of $0.08899 and ranks #27 on CoinMarketCap at the time of writing. It was among the first 10 tokens about five years back when it had a market cap of over $12 billion.  Featured image from CB Insight and chart from Tradingview.com via Bitcoinist.com https://bitcoinist.com May 09, 2023 at 09:30PM

[cyarskj1899]

media.giphy.com

Why Couples Should Engage In "Midnight Sex" More Often

Legs open at midnight can actually be a really good thing. #wink

Shellie R. Warren

Nov. 29, 2021 06:39PM EST

Something that I try to mention, as much as possible, especially when it comes to married and long-term couples is, if you want to go the distance, it's not just the "big things" that you've got to stay up on; it's the little things too. Something as simple as you being a morning person while your partner is a night owl can affect everything from quality of sleep to quality time to your sex life. That's why, when it comes to couples who have different sleep patterns who still want to have a fulfilling sexual dynamic, I'm all about encouraging them to do what is at the foundation for all successful relationships — compromise. Sometimes that means that an alarm clock needs to be set or someone needs to initiate some, umm, stuff (more on that in a bit) in order to get the juices flowing (pun intended and not intended).

Today, let's talk about why the clock should, at times, be set for midnight. Because again, whether that's when you're already in your REM state of sleep or it's when you're binging on your favorite TV series, there are some special and specific reasons why "partaking" when the clock strikes 12 that can make already-spooning-naked with your partner totally worth your while.

1. Have You Ever Been Awakened to “Receiving��? Whew, Chile.

I know that a fair share of men read our content because many of them have written me, so if any of you happen to be peeking into this article, it's not that we women don't enjoy being awakened out of our slumber. It's that some of y'all need to shift the way that you do it. Asking us over and over again if we're asleep when it's abundantly clear that we are or jabbing us with your erected friend isn't exactly our definition of seductive. Now what will get us going is awakening us with a kiss on one of our erogenous zones or taking a little trip to our treasure trove (so to speak).

From what I've read and researched, we tend to spend somewhere around two hours a night dreaming and it's not uncommon for those dreams to have a sex theme. I've personally experienced dreaming about copulation only to be awakened to some cunnilingus and chile...CHILE. Ain't nothing like that killer of a combo! (And yes, I am yelling it!) 

So yeah, this goes to the fellas and us ladies — one of the best things about having sex at midnight is the amazing ways that we can wake up our partner or be awakened by them. Y'all betta ask somebody.

2. You Tend to Be Calmer

Something that naturally tends to happen whenever you're feeling anxiety on some level is your cortisol (your stress hormone) spikes which can do many things to your system — one of them being that it can cause your libido to tank. Let me tell it, that's why a lot of couples don't have as much sex as they should. They've been running around all day, only to come home to get ready for the next day. Then, once they get into bed, they are so exhausted that, while the spirit may be willing, the flesh is indeed weak.

How about this, though? Say that you fall asleep at 10 p.m. and then purpose in your mind to get up at 12 a.m. so that you can indulge your partner for 30 minutes (maybe more). Since you got a two-hour nap in, you'll automatically be calmer and somewhat rested and thatcan make participating in sexual activity so much better. For you both.

3. You’re Less Distracted

One of my favorite things about doing anything in the middle of the night is the world is quiet. No traffic on the street. No people blowing up my phone. Shoot, even the internet (i.e., social media) is slower (as far as there being less traffic). And when you're less distracted that makes it easier to focus on one thing — and one thing only. And when you are truly present during sex, that makes it so much more intense and satisfying. Right?

4. It Can Be Super Spontaneous

A theatrical producer by the name of Wei Wu Wei once said, "Spontaneity is being present in the present." I adore everything about that frame of mind because it's a reminder to treat every single minute as if it is something special, precious, and worthy of making the most of. Sex is not exempt here either because rather than always pulling out a calendar to see when you and yours can "fit it in", imagine just rolling over in the middle of the night and being like, "Damn, I love this man. I've gotta have him now because now is all that matters to me." (Cue Darius Lovehall inLove Jones) When sex is very "in the moment", it tends to be passionate, electric, erotic, steamy, and just all-around rapturous in the very best ways possible! You have to try it out to truly know.

5. It’s Romantic As All Get Out

I once heard someone say that romance is all about being very intentional in how you express your love. I agree, which is why I penned "What Does It Truly Mean When Someone's 'Romantic'?," "10 Romantic Dates You Can Go On (In Your Own Home)," and "Tonight's The Night For A Really Romantic Sexual Experience" once upon a time for the site. And when you are super affectionate with your partner in the middle of the night, you surprise them with a small token that expresses how you feel about them, you massage that area of their body that they mentioned was sore earlier in the day, you whisper how special they are to you in their ear — you do something that lets them know that you feel so blessed to be with them, yes, at midnight, that can be really romantic which can cause things to get really sexy…really quickly.

6. You’re Typically Hornier During a Full Moon

Yes, the moon is up and out way before midnight (especially during the fall and winter months). Still, I am a BIG TIME A Different World fan and I remember Denise once telling Dwayne that her idea of romance was being awakened by her partner in the middle of the night, just to look at the moon (I can totally dig that!). You know, aside from how sweet cuddling up in the light of a full moon can be, there are also studies to support that a lot of us ovulate around that time (which makes us hornier and more fertile) and, because there is a stronger gravitational pull altogether, that can cause our arousal levels to significantly increase as well. 

So, even if you're on the fence about trying this midnight thing out any other time, at least do it on a full moon. December 2021's happens on the 7th. You can find 2022's calendar right here. You're welcome. #wink

7. It’s a Great Morning Conversation Starter

There are plenty of studies out in cyberspace that point to the fact that the way you choose to start your day can really set the tone for how your day continues and even ends. And while this is definitely a cosign for morning sex(including morning quickies), it can be for midnight sex too because say that you have sex from midnight until 1 a.m. and then you and your boo up for the rest of the evening. 

You're able to get more rest. Your oxytocin levels will be higher because you'll feel closer to (and safer with) your partner. You may even sleep in an extra 15-20 minutes or use those early sunrise hours as your pillow talk time to share how he sure did put it down last night (cue Jill Scott). And when you're well-rested, when you feel connected to your partner and the sex just a few hours ago was bomb? How can that not have you walking on air the next day?

8. You’re Already Naked…RIGHT?

Last year, another writer for this platform penned, "Yes, Sleeping Naked Could Help Your Anxiety & Sleep Pattern." Listen, other than when I'm on my period (for obvious reasons, I'm thinking), I have been sleeping naked for years now and I can't imagine doing it any other way. I feel freer. I'm not as hot. And it gives "her" some time to breathe. And back when I had a man in my bed? Wheeeeew-weeeee. Something about that skin-to-skin action, even in a sleeping state, is top-tier! And when you've got all those biceps, that chest, and those strong legs wrapped around you, how could you NOT pass up the chance to let a lil' sumthin' sumthin' slide in during the midnight hour?

Listen, I may have sold you, I may have not. But you can't convince me that having some midnight sex, at least a couple of times each month, isn't the key to taking your sex life to another level. Talk about making the most of what bumps around in the night, chile. *exhale*

Featured image by Giphy

Common Sex Problems Couples Have (& How To Fix 'Em) ›

Sent from my iPhone

[a-flickering-soul]

2020 summary in my writing!! I wanted to join in the party visual artists do at the end of the year where they look back at the progress they made and since 2020 was the first year I actually started writing a Lot (wonder why) I wanted to make a template! Transcript below cut!

Slide 1: 2020 Summary of Writing – a-flickering-soul / Kirjavi

Slide 2: Total Words: 136, 432 words. Longest Work: 108, 492 words (WIP)

Slide 3: Word Count Trend. Image description: a picture of a Microsoft Excel graph where the Y-axis runs from 0 to 160000 (word count) and the X-axis runs from 0 to 14 (months). From months 0-5, the increase is slow, and from 5-10 it’s much faster, then it slows from 10-12.

Slide 4: Top Fandoms. Image description: a picture of a Microsoft Excel pie chart where 77% of it is EverymanHYBRID, 18% of it is Mob Psycho 100, 4% is Miscellaneous (later clarified as TribeTwelve, Adventure Zone: Commitment, and Original Content), and 1% of it is Star Wars).

Slide 5: Top Lines of the Month

Jan: “They breathe together as the sun stretches gold fingers through the window.”

Feb: “He leans back against her, soul-hurt.  “Her hands rub soothing circles over his skin. ‘She’s right, what she says. It’s in your nature. You see someone hurting and you want to fix it. And that is brave, and strong, to do that over and over again.”

Mar: “’Trust me,’ Ren says quietly. Hux doesn’t. He doesn’t. But he holds still anyways and lets him place his fingers at his temples.”

Apr: “’Does it get easier?’ he asks quietly. “Firebrand is silent for another long moment. Easier? he says. No. No, it never gets easier. “Noah sags against him, boneless, hopeless, exhausted. “Firebrand brushes the hair off of his forehead and reaches to grab a tissue for him. It gets better, though, he says. That I can promise. It gets better.”

May: “Steph looks around, up at the bountiful sun, then back down to her feet. She sits down in the grass, buries her head in her hands, and tries not to think about the smell of her baby’s head and how she had just begun to babble.”

Jun: “MARYANN: I love you too. It’s okay. (A pause.) It’s not, really. But I’m too old to be mad at you.  “They sit in silence—the comfortable, heavy silence of two people who have grown as familiar to each other over the years as a hand is familiar to a glove. Ambient sound rushes and grows like the susurrus of trees.”

Jul:  “’Fair,’ Steph says, ‘but it’s fast, remember? Even walking all weird on four legs. What if it catches up to me?’ “He grins at her. ‘You forgot you’re not alone anymore,’ he says. ‘You call me. And I’ll come running.’”

Aug: “She pulls him down back to her level again, and by the time they are finally in his car, speeding down the road with the autumn wind weaving through the windows, the streetlights have come on one by one, flooding the night with light.”

Sep: “A simple in-and-out job, and they would take the kids out for some food and Teru would pretend not to want the last takoyaki and Mob would give it to him anyways and Reigen would ramble on about how they are eating him out of house and home even though Serizawa knows only two days ago he came home with a 6000-yen Majesty Palm nearly as tall as him and they had more than enough money to treat two high school boys and two adult men to some fucking takoyaki–”

Oct: “’I only eat when it’s funny,’ he says loftily. ‘Come home with me tonight.’  “‘Okay,’ says Serizawa. He tastes like ramen, rich and savory, when Reigen leans in to steal a kiss instead. It should be weird, but it’s not. This whole thing should be weird, but it’s not. Reigen’s learned to take weird but good things in stride over the past few years.”

Nov: “Habit takes a few steps closer to Corenthal, moving casually, controlled. He presses his forehead against the muzzle of the gun, a rictus grin on his face. Corenthal’s hands are still steady, but his breathing turns jagged and uneven.  “HABIT (Conversationally) You can’t kill me in a way that sticks, Doc. You know that, don’t you? “

Dec: “Steph stays awake. She does not sleep. She watches the slow shift of moonlight as the night grows old, how it stretches over the faces of the people she has grown to realize she not only cares about but depends on in order to gentle herself like a wild animal. The rise and fall of their chests, the quiet gentle shifting as they sleep. “She keeps watch, throughout the long night.“

[fanfic-scribbles]

My 2020 Tumblr Top 10

I did this last year and thought it would be fun to do it again this year. Happy new year, and may 2021 treat us all a little bit better.

~

1). 220 notes - Mar 8 2020

Gremlins – Bucky/Steve/Reader

This is a new shirt.

Bucky really likes it.

It, too, is gone.

“What the fuck,” Bucky says and flings the not-favorite shirt across the room. It lands with a ‘thud!’

And an “Mm!”

He whips his head around and sees you peeling the shirt off your face. You give it a once-over and then turn a wry smile at him. “At least it’s clean.”

You hand it back and look over the small piles of clothing scattered across the bedroom floor. “What’s going on? Is that shirt still missing?”

“Four shirts,” Bucky grumps and flings the one he’s holding down to the floor. He rests his forehead on your shoulder and sighs. “I don’t know what the hell I did with them.”

He expects comfort, but the way your body tenses is…confusing. At first he thinks he’s heavy or has somehow made you physically uncomfortable, but before he can pull away you rub his shoulders and absolutely every aspect of that motion feels awkward.

And when you say, “I’m sure they’ll turn up eventually,” he knows you’re hiding something. He just doesn’t know what.

Or why.

2). 167 notes - Jun 19 2020

Life of the Party – Bucky Barnes/Reader

“Don’t relax; we’re not safe yet.”

You don’t even realize it at first; you’re so fucking done with the whole damn day you just roll your eyes and say, “Boy, you’re a real party, huh?”

He freezes in the middle of loading a gun and you gasp when you realize when he just said. Well shit.

“You know,” you chuckle, because what is your life right now, “–I thought we’d be in the middle of pulling off a prank or something. Not, you know, a war zone.”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t…think of it,” he says, then flinches and looks at you, brows creased in worry. Or is that aggravation? No, that looks like worry.

“Cool,” you say and smile at your soulmate. “I have no expectations to live up to. That’s nice.”

The lines in his face soften. He raises one eyebrow. “What expectations do I have to live up to?”

You run your hand over your arm absently, though the words are covered by a jacket. His eyes flick there and linger. “Well, I always thought you were a troublemaker,” you say lightly. “But here you are, saving my life.”

3). 72 notes - Sep 20 2020

Marry Me – [established] Steve Rogers/Reader and [past/future?] Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes

A hand sets on your shoulder and you flinch. “Sorry,” the voice says. He sounds gentle, so you look up with a cautious sense of hope.

You gasp at who it is. “Bucky?”

His smile is pained, but he holds out his hand and helps you up. “I guess Steve told you at least some of it.” He looks back and frowns, then faces you. “I’m sorry but we’ve gotta go.”

“I should call Steve,” you say and pull out your phone.

“No. In fact–” Bucky snatches it from you and tosses it into a nearby garbage bin. You barely get out an offended yelp before he’s dragging you along.

“They’re tracking it,” Bucky says, speeding up. “And they’ll be back soon.”

You get to a motorcycle and Bucky grabs a helmet and holds it out towards you. “I know Steve doesn’t have a lot of reasons to trust me right now, but please. I want to help.”

You take the helmet, because you trust the latter sentence. And it’s not his fault he’s wrong about the former. You think you’re the only one who actually knows why.

4). 67 notes - Jan 5 2020

Dinner Date: Chapter Two – Steve Rogers/Reader

“Hi lovebirds.”

I jolted back from the table as someone– two someones– slid into the empty chairs on our sides. It was just Clint and Natasha, but they looked shockingly normal and well-matched. Clint looked nice, like a normal person and not an absolute disaster, while Natasha seemed mildly dressed down in an obviously well-loved jacket and muted colors.

“Is your hat a polar bear?” I asked, staring at her beanie. It had little ears and everything. “That is so fucking cute.”

“Thanks,” she said and pulled over a menu from the little stand in the center of the table.

Steve cleared his throat. “Natasha. Clint. What are you doing here?”

“Looking into a new lunch place,” Natasha said, not even looking at him. “It’s a free country, Steve.”

“Then maybe you can get your own table, Natasha.”

I had no idea what the hostility was all about but Clint started picking at Steve’s plate, distracting him long enough for Natasha to lean closer to me and say my name. “So you’re making an honest man out of our captain?” she said.

“Oh my god Natasha.” Steve was so red I practically had to smother myself to keep from laughing. “We talked about this!”

“We did,” she agreed easily but angled her body towards me. Something about her face made it easy for me to stop laughing. “You said I couldn’t talk to her while she was on her own. So now you get to be present for it.”

At first I couldn’t fathom what ‘it’ was, until I took in Steve’s face (a mixture of annoyed and concerned), Natasha’s body language (very business-like), what Natasha had said (about making an “honest man” out of Steve), and added it all together.

“Is it shovel-talk time?” I asked in wonder.

5). 62 notes - Jan 28 2020

A Little Pickle – Gabriel/Reader

“Gabe.”

“I’m just saying– we have to wait for our heroic rescuers anyway, so why not have a little fun in the meantime?”

“Gabriel.”

“Oh no. Full name.”

“Oh yeah full name. However, ‘on the bright side,’ I now have one whole bar of cell service and I’m sending a text out.”

“Don’t you want to wait?”

“No. Oh look, it just went through.”

“Shit.”

6). 60 notes - Nov 11 2020

Dinner Date Chapter 12 – Steve Rogers/Reader

He didn’t say anything at first. He turned slightly to wrap both arms around me in a hug. “You’ll always be safe with me,” he murmured and squeezed momentarily. “I can promise that.”

“I believe you. I trust you, so much,” I said. I kissed his shoulder. “Thank you. For staying with me, and not going after him– even though I know you probably wanted to.”

“I did,” he admitted. “But I wanted to make sure you were okay more.”

I took a satisfyingly deep breath. Sleep was pulling hard. “You’re the best.”

“And you’re soft,” he said and gave me a gentle kiss. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell.”

“I know.” I smiled and let my body relax fully at last. “I trust you.”

7). 58 notes - Dec 22 2020

Supernatural Fic Masterlist

8). 52 notes - May 15 2020

Dinner Date Chapter Seven – Steve Rogers/Reader

“Hello Natasha,” I said to the woman looking intently through my cupboards. I had a bunch of questions: ‘what are you looking for,’ ‘do you think I keep a safe in there,’ ‘your hair looks very bouncy today are you going somewhere nice,’ and, my personal favorite, “How did you get in my apartment?”

“Trade secret,” she said and shook a half-empty box of cereal. Okay, by the sound of it there was a lot less than half. “Do you not have any real food?”

9). 49 notes - Feb 27 2020

Dinner Date Chapter Five – Steve Rogers/Reader

“I’m sorry,” I said, still buried in his shirt. “It was really nice.”

“It was.”

“I’m sorry I fucked it up.”

“You didn’t fuck anything up,” he said, too quickly.

“I did; I just got…overwhelmed, I guess?” I lifted my head for a moment, barely caught a glimpse of his expression, and then immediately shoved my face back in his chest. “That sounds stupid; forget I said anything.”

He shook with quiet laughter and I grumbled, “Shut up or I’ll pinch your tit.”

“Don’t move too fast for me sweetheart,” he said and, damn it, that made me laugh. He cleared his throat and said, “Would it make you feel any better to know you weren’t the only one feeling overwhelmed?”

10). 48 notes - Feb 11 2020

Dinner Date Chapter Four – Steve Rogers/Reader

“What time is it?” I asked, already sinking into a measure of comfort. At last.

“Almost midnight,” Steve said, sitting next to me. He handed me the cow, which was nice, but…

“It’s late,” I said and looked at him. “Do you want to stay tonight?” Wait, that was terrible, I was gross. “You can have the bed, if you want; I can take the cou–”

I didn’t even get up on my elbows before Steve lay down, wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me into him. I snuggled even closer and he flicked off the bedside light.

“You know if you wanted me to stay you could just say so?” he chuckled in the warm dark.

“It seemed rude to assume you’d want to,” I said and shut my eyes. “You’ve been so good to me. I don’t want to…take advantage.”

“I don’t mind,” he said softly, running his hand up and down my back. “I hated being sick. I like being able to help.”

“Mmm.” I started drifting off. “Did you have someone to take care of you?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, a little sadly. “My ma was busy a lot but she always did what she could. Bucky took over the job. He was even stricter than she was.”

“Good,” I said. “You would need someone to browbeat you into bed.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I really did,” he said fondly. “But you couldn’t blame me. God; the home remedies we had…”

“Don’t give me nightmares,” I said without meaning it.

“All right,” he whispered, a smile in his voice. “Go to sleep, sweetheart. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

Created by TumblrTop10

[levifold]

Did some more translations for bnha 288 spoiler images. As always they’re amateur translations so take with a grain of salt and always support the official releases by Viz Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. 

Spoilers below

Images are probably easy enough to find via the r/bokunoheroacademia reddit thread. Not linking directly this time cos it reduces chances of it being zucc’d

1

Small text: 　ヴィラン　敵侵攻中一方上空では…?

Small text: 　Up in the sky in the middle of the Villain Invasion

SFX: 　ゴオオオ

SFX: 　*engines roaring*

Title:　No. 288　助け出せ‼タケオさん

Title:　No. 288 Save Takeo-san!!

 2

Person 1:　まだか…⁉　あと5分以内に現着したまえ！

Person 1:　Not yet!?  Please do something to arrive within the next 5 minutes!

Pilot:　���ークスやミルコじゃないんですから無理ですよ！　　全速力で飛ばしてます　危険あので座ってて下さい！

Pilot:　I’m not Hawks and Mirko, so that’s impossible!  I’m currently flying at full speed. It’s dangerous so please sit down!

SFX: 　ゴオオオ

SFX: 　*engines roaring*

Pilot:　まだ身体も全快というワケじゃないでしょう

Pilot:　Your body still isn’t completely healed yet

 3

Person 1:　今も命が奪われ続けていると言っているんだ　　論点をすり替えないでくれ！

Person 1:　And I said that right now lives are continuing to be stolen. Don’t try to sidestep the issue!

Person 1:　労ってんすけど‼

Person 1:　Though I appreciate your hard work

 4

SFX: 　ドドド

SFX: 　*thudthudthud* (the sound of many people running)

 5

Person 1:　目標現在　那鳩市　（なばと）を　およそ100km/h　で　直進中！

Person 1:　The target is currently headed straight for Nabato city at approximately 100km/h

Person 2:　速すぎないか⁉

Person 2:　That’s too fast isn’t it!?

Person 3:　正確には「デカすぎる」だ

Person 3:　More accurate to say “too big”

Person 4:　頑丈すぎるも加えとけ！

Person 4:　I’d also include “too sturdy”!

 6

Person 1:　土竜のような互い爪で建物を掻き分けてる！　　瓦礫が飛び散って奴の図体以上に被害規模がデカイ！

Person 1:　Like a mole, he’s using his claws to push his way through the buildings! There’s debris flying around. The scale of damage from this guy’s body and his surroundings is huge!

Person 1:　進路周辺5㎞は避難区域になる‼

Person 1:　Increase the evacuation zone surrounding his path to a 5km radius!!

 7

Person 1:　このまま我々が進み敵（ヴィラン）も直進し続けてくるならば

Person 1:　At this rate, if we continue forward and the villain continues straight

Person 1:　約8分後！会敵することとなる！

Person 1:　In about 8 minutes! We’ll meet the enemy!

Person 2:　被害は既に未曾有の領域に達している…‼

Person 2:　Official notifications state that damage has already affected an unprecedented area…!!

 8

Person 1:　これは我々の罪だ‼

Person 1:　This is our responsibility!!

Person 1:　彼らは　ただそこで暮らしていたでけだ！　　まだある命を‼死んでも守れ‼我々への罰をこれ以上他者に被らせるな‼

Person 1:　They were just living there! 　There are still those alive!!  Protect them until death!! We will bear this punishment and more for others!!

 9

Skeptic:　ヒーローが迫ってきてる

Skeptic:　The Heroes are approaching

 10

Mr Compress: 　衛星?　からの映像か?　便利ね

Mr Compress: 　Footage? From satellite? That’s convenient

Skeptic:　これを便利と感じる　文化レベルを恥じろ

Skeptic:　This is convenient to you?  Your level of civilisation is embarrassing

SFX: 　カタタ

SFX: 　*clattering*

Skeptic:　山荘ほどではないが…　かなりの数だ

Skeptic:　Not as good as around the mountain villia… but a fair amount

 11

？Skeptic:　我々が今　こうしていられるのも結果論でしかない　　相手の出方には依然　気をつけねば……

？Skeptic: It’s only due to hindsight that we can be this way right right now.  

Our opponents’ attitude is as it has been.  If you get to the root of their motivation……

Mr Compress: 　あ⁉

Mr Compress: 　Ah!?

Mr Compress: 　ストップ‼そこアップしろロン毛‼

Mr Compress: 　Stop!! Zoom in on that Long Hair!!

Skeptic:　それが人にモノを頼む態度か…?

Skeptic:　Is that sort of attitude to have when asking people to do things…?

 12

Skeptic:　こいつら…‼噂をすればだ…!

Skeptic:　These guys…!! We we’re just talking about….!

 13

Toga:　みすたー‼

Toga:　Mister-!!

Toga:　装備！だして下さい

Toga:　Equipment! Take it out please

Mr Compress: 　えちょ待って急に来ないのおじさん照れちゃ…

Mr Compress: 　Eh, wait a minute, approaching me all of a sudden has me flustered…

SFX:　ダー

SFX:　*dash* (sound for running away from something)

Toga:　はやく!!!

Toga:　Hurry!!!

Mr Compress: 　ひえっ

Mr Compress: 　Eep

SFX:　スチャ‼

SFX:　Sucha!! (honestly couldn’t find a meaning)

Toga:　じゃ

Toga:　Bye

 14

Mr Compress: 　おぉい　ちょっと‼　おーもー　気付かなきゃ良かった‼

Mr Compress: 　Hey wait!! Oh, jeez, is good to recognise (them)

Mr Compress: 　だめだよ　降りちゃ‼危ないって！

Mr Compress: 　But you can’t go down there!! It’s dangerous!

Toga:　モヤモヤしたままじゃ気持ち悪いので

Toga:　All these pent-up feelings are making me feel awful

Toga:　私は聞きに行かないといけないのです

Toga:　I have to go and ask them

 15

Mr Compress: 　今じゃなくていいでしょ‼　　荼毘もなんか言えよニヤニヤしてねぇで！

Mr Compress: 　I doesn’t have to be now!! Dabi don’t just smile, say something!

Dabi:　どお―――でもいい　　おい余計なもん見てねえで早く始めろよ焼き殺すぞ

Dabi:　Whaaaaatteevverr.  Hey don’t look at unnecessary things or I’ll start early by burning you to death

Skeptic:　…貴様らというやつはぁ～～～‼

Skeptic:　… And you wonder why you’re called a bastard~~~~!!

Spinner:　トガ

Spinner:　Toga

Spinner:　俺たちゃ偶々寄せ集まっただけの　はぐれ者（もん）たちだが……

Spinner:　I know we gathered together merely by chance, we strays, however

Spinner:　トゥワイスがやられて悔しいのは　　おまえだけじゃねぇ

Spinner:　Twice getting done in is frustrating, It’s not just you (that’s feeling that)

 16

Spinner:　敵連合（ここ）は　あいつにとって唯一の居場所で

Spinner:　To that guy, the League of Villains (here) was a unique place where he belonged

Spinner:　そのボスが恐らく「俺たちが集まること」を望んでる

Spinner:　For the Boss, he most likely desired it to be “For us to gather”

 17

Spinner:　勝手するのは　（Indecipherable kanji）（俺たち）の本領

Spinner:　Doing things our own way is our speciality

Spinner:　ただし必ず戻ってこい

Spinner:　But be sure to come back

 18

On comms:　大型敵（ヴィラン）が見えたぞ‼

On comms:　I can see the giant Villain!!

On comms:　速い‼

On comms:　He’s fast!!

On comms:　避難を急げ!!!

On comms:　Hurry and evacuate!!!

 19

On comms:　敵（ヴィラン）に対して直角に逃げて下さい！

On comms:　Please escape in a perpendicular direction to the villain!

On comms:　屋内にまだ人が残っている！手分けして救出しろ‼

On comms:　There are still people indoors! Divide up and extract them!!

Asui:　ウラビティこっちにまだ二人！

Asui:　Uravity, there’s still 2 people here!

Uraraka:　わかった！

Uraraka:　Got it!

 20

Uraraka:　フロッピ――‼

Uraraka:　Froppy--!!

Bystander:　うわあああ‼

Bystander:　Uwaaaa!!

 21

Uraraka:　手荒でごめんね！

Uraraka:　Sorry about being rough!

Asui:　ありがとう　助かったわ！

Asui:　Thanks for the help!

SFX:　ギュン

SFX:　*whoosh*

 22

Old Lady:　そこの二人～‼助けておくれええええ!!!

Old Lady:　You 2 there~!! Please help meeeeee!!!

Old Lady:　寝たきりの夫がいるの‼　一人じゃ重くて動かせない

Old Lady:　It’s my bedridden husband!! He’s too heavy to move alone

 23

SFX:　バッ

SFX:　*whirls around*

Uraraka:　もうあんな距離に…‼

Uraraka:　At that distance…!!

Old Lady:　この奥の平屋にいるの早くう‼

Old Lady:　He’s in the back of my one-story house, hurry!!

Uraraka:　フロッピ－二人を安全な場所へ！

Uraraka:　Froppy, get those 2 to a safe location!

Asui:　ええ

Asui:　Yeah

Asui:　気を付けてね！怪我しちゃいやよ

Asui:　Be careful! Don’t get hurt

 24

Uraraka:　一人でも多く

Uraraka:　One person or many

Uraraka:　助けるんだ!!!

Uraraka:　Save them!!!

 25

Old Lady:　タケオさあああん!!!

Old Lady:　Takeo-saaaan!!!

Uraraka:　すばらしい健脚…‼

Uraraka:　Magnificent walker…!!

 26

Old Lady:　健脚にもならぁ!!!

Old Lady:　If I’m a good walkerrr!!!

Old Lady:　だって　タケオさんは私を愛してくれたから!!!

Old Lady:　It’s because it comes from Takeo-san’s love for me!!!

SFX:　ぐっ…

SFX:　*swallow*

Uraraka:　大丈夫です‼私が助けます‼

Uraraka:　Everything’s okay!! I’ll save you!!

 27

Toga:　本当に⁉

Toga:　Really!?

 28

Uraraka:　トガ…

Uraraka:　Toga…

Uraraka:　ヒミコ!!?

Uraraka:　Himiko!!?

 29

Toga:　久しぶりだね　お茶子ちゃん

Toga:　Long time no see Ochako-chan

SFX:　ス…

SFX:　*slides in covertly*

 30

Uraraka:　待っ…

Uraraka:　Wai…

SFX:　バッ

SFX:　*zoom*

 31

SFX:　ドオオ…

SFX:　*gloom…*

SFX:　ゴオ…ン

SFX:　*gwong* (sfx for anxious and depressing atmosphere)

 32

Toga:　梅雨ちゃんともお話ししたかったなぁ

Toga:　I also wanted to talk to Tsuyu-chan

SFX:　バッ

SFX:　*whirl*

 33

Toga:　梅雨ちゃんは大切なカアイイ　お友だちだもの

Toga:　Tsuyu-chan is a preciousss friend isn’t she?

 34

Toga:　出久くんともお話ししたいの　　私いつもボロボロになってる　出久くんがカッコよくて大好き！

Toga:　I also want to talk to Izuku-kun.  I’ll always love the Izuku-kun whose appearance frequently becomes beaten up

 35

Toga:　お茶子ちゃんもカアイくて大好き

Toga:　I loove Ochako-chan too

Toga:　私　お茶子ちゃんみたいにたりたいの

Toga:　I want to be just like Ochako-chan

Toga:　だから　教えてお茶子ちゃん

Toga:　So tell me Ochako-chan

 36

SFX:　ダン

SFX:　*thud*

Toga:　私を

Toga:　How

Toga:　どうしたい？

Toga:　Should I do that?

 37

Uraraka:　………っ！　そんなこと聞くために…！

Uraraka:　………..! Just to ask that…!

Uraraka:　さっきのおばあちゃんの…〝血〟を奪ったの…？殺したの…？

Uraraka:　Did you steal that old lady’s blood…? Kill her…?

 38

Toga:　〝そんなこと〟…

Toga:　“Just to”…

Uraraka:　私…　この手で抱えてたんです

Uraraka:　I… held (him) in these hands

Uraraka:　私は今　一人でも多くの人を助けたいの…‼

Uraraka:　Right now, I want to save people whether it’s one person or many…!!

Uraraka:　トガヒミコ‼　邪魔するなら　　今すぐあなたを捕まえる！

Uraraka:　Toga Himiko!! If you get in my way, I’ll arrest you immediately!      

Small text: 　対立―…　次回衝突‼

Small text: 　Confrontation-… Next time, clash!!

Bnha ch 289 will be in WSJ 48 published on 2nd Nov (Japan time)

in other words, no ch next week.

[soysaucevictim]

Final week of current challenge/program!

-

Nov. 21

I woke up barely before 1PM, today.

After some browsing and while listening to the Final TS YouTube Member Stream...

First, today’s DD. 30 side [elbow] plank knee taps with EC (15/15). Admittedly gotten through by the skin of my teeth and slightly sagging form.

Second, Day 25 of the YAC. 3 sets: 50″ boat pose + 50″ knee hug hold. Definitely taking some digging in. This final week is going to really kick my ass, I can tell. (As is frequently the case with these things.)

Last, Day 25 of TEN. Tendon Strength day. Counted 5 sets completed within time, +1 more overtime (to even things out at 3/3). Very manageable work.

I then got some dishes done and made today’s Hello Fresh meal. Chicken sausage and tomato risotto. It had lemony zucch ribbons, but one of them didn’t survive shipping too hot. I personally liked it and it was okay/accessible for pops. Never had zucch this way (marinated & uncooked), but I rather liked it (I ate all of it myself d/t dad’s dental situation and bro’s past complaints about sourness in things)!

Hit the showers and spent most of my night chatting and making Incorrect Sanders Sides Quotes from Metalocalypse. Which was pretty fun, ngl.

Got to bed in the red zone again, roughly same time as yesterday.

-

Nov. 22

I somehow woke up before 11AM... even tho that meant I was undersleeping by a few hours.

Spent time browsing before getting in my workout pretty early.

First, today’s DD. 2′ butt kicks with EC. I counted 250 reps, happy I maintained a bit above a steady 2/sec pace. I was re-listening to Inverness’s “Lost My Mind“ as BG noise. That song had a great and sustainable tempo to work along.

Second, Day 26 of the YAC. 3x50″ supermen holds, 50″ rest. Similar feelings as yesterday - things are getting pretty tough!

Last, Day 26 of TEN. Cardio day (and/or abs). I counted exactly 7 sets completed withing time. I kinda upped the pace in the latter 2 sets to try to gt all 7 in time. I did opt for stepping in/out of plank rather than jumping - just because of my energy levels. The up and downs were pretty tough - and plank rotations the least fun to do. Think there was a typo too and was told to always go by illustration > text. So I did plank jacks not plank kicks, too.

Spent good deal of rest of night chatting, watching Back to The Future with a friend, and other miscellany.

Got to bed a bit earlier than yesterday.

-

Nov. 23

I woke up a bit before noon.

After a bit of the usual and some errands, I did my exercise fairly early today.

First, today’s DD. 1′ hollow hold with EC. Intense, but manageable work. The minute felt a bit shorter than I expected today. Maybe because I was excited about a delivery I was expecting to arrive later.

Second, Day 27 of the YAC. 3 sets: 50″ boat pose + 50″ knee hug hold. Still a bit tough, but happy I could get through it.

Last, Day 27 of TEN. Cardio day. I counted 8 sets completed within time, +1 more overtime. I was mostly done with that last one by the time the chimes sounded. Noted a bit of complaining in left ankle and right knee - but I tried to mind how I made the impacts. Guts weren’t super happy and distracting - but I enjoyed it otherwise.

Made the family some dinner, installed that SSD with the tool kit that arrived today (which was a bit nerve-wracking, didn’t want to break or fry anything in the new laptop), and spent rest of night working on setting it up (while also chatting).

Got to bed a couple hours later than yesterday.

-

Nov. 24

I woke up after 11AM.

Spent a few hours setting up the new computer further and some dishes, before today’s exercise..

First, today’s DD. 2′ skiers with EC. I counted 85 reps by the end of it. Given the ROM of these, it was physically a challenge to get all that close to 1/sec. Regardless, a fun one.

Second, Day 28 of the YAC. 3x50″ supermen holds, 50″ rest. This took some doing - might’ve been made a bit tougher after all those skiers (which kinda has a deadlift action to it - as far as the lower back muscles are concerned.)

Last, Day 28 of TEN. Arm day. I barely managed exactly 15 sets in the duration - kinda sped up that last one to get it done in time. Tough, but not too shabby!

Spent a good chunk of the night getting the new computer set-up for art streaming. Me and friend eventually hit a soft wall for energy to go forward with that that night. Spent rest of it chatting and the usual BS.

Got to bed a little earlier than yesterday.

-

Nov. 25

I woke up after 11AM. Grossly underslept.

Got to group again today. I was there early so I threw down a couple sentences into that fic while I waited in the meeting room. Group went well enough, talked about grounding stuff.

Got home and did my exercises shortly after.

First, today’s DD. 10 cross tricep extensions with EC. I fully admit my form was a bit sloppy, but acceptable. I know you should drive the action equally between the arms, but I often leaned into one side to start the action before drawing on the other arm more.

Second, Day 29 of the YAC. 3 sets: 1′ boat pose + 1′ knee hug hold. That got pretty brutal, but I’m happy I was able to get through all the sets without dropping.

Last, Day 29 of TEN. Ab day. I counted 7 sets with in time, and 1 extra overtime. Neck was happy it could take a break for this sequence.

I then made today’s Hello Fresh Meal. Thai ginger curry. I was pretty much the only one who liked it (but then I do enjoy curry.) Probably won’t see a reprisal anytime soon.

I spent rest of day in kind of an overtired haze (with some Thanksgiving anxiety in the mix). Mostly the usual stuff and chatting.

Given how exhausted I was, I have no idea WHY I stayed up to around the same hour as last night.

-

Nov. 26

I woke up proper around 2PM.

I’m glad I elected to stay home for Thanksgiving today (and that Dad decided to stay too, he definitely thought Grandpa crossed a line last time I was over there.) Bro brought home some of what grandma made for the family, though.

Anyways, after some YouTube + Tumblr stuff, did my exercises...

First, accidentally redid yesterday’s DD because [stress] brain thought it was the 25th still. :P

Second, Day 30 of the Yoga Abs Challenge. 3x1′ supermen holds, 1′ rest. I made the dubious choice of eating some of the Thanksgiving dinner today. Did contend with a lil bit of heartburn after set 2, but I’m happy I could get through it.

Third, Day 30 of the TEN Program. Tendon strengthening day. I counted at least 3 completed circuits, maybe the 4th was within time. But my computer display went to sleep and didn’t hear the chimes before confirming timer was stopped.

Last, today’s DD. 1′ toe tap hops with EC. I counted 92 reps by the time was up - hovering at 1.5/sec. Not too shabby, was tempted to try to hit 2/sec, but at the rate I was going at, i didn’t feel up for it today. A pretty fun little exercise.

Did some dishes, spent time chatting and watching some stuff with a friend. Did a little bit of writing too.

I got to bed later than yesterday.

-

Nov. 27

I woke up after 11AM.

After some YouTube, I did my only intended exercise for the day (active rest day) - today’s DD. 20 up/down planks with EC. Wearing long sleeves always helps. Took a bit of grit - but mission accomplished.

I spent some time archiving my fitness blogging again.

Then I made today’s Hello Fresh Meal. Mozzarella and herb chicken. This was an enjoyable one for the family. I also appreciated that it was mostly a “set it and forget it“ kinda recipe too. Sometimes it’s nice to not have to babysit the meal so much and chill. (Especially on low energy days.)

After some of the usual, I did some dishes and updated my sleep data logs and revised some of the fitness archive. Spent rest of night chatting about that and about writing stuff.

I got to bed a little earlier than yesterday.

-

Summary of Experience:

I completed my challenge and program on the 26th.

The Yoga Abs Challenge started to really kick my butt in the last week - but I’m glad I got through it. The boats were a little relaxed (knees bent) - but no less a cakewalk. Though specified otherwise, I’m kind of glad I did this before my main workout. (Probably would’ve dropped earlier on the ab days, that’s for sure!)

I really enjoyed going through the TEN Program! It was fun to try to challenge myself to get as many circuits/sets in those ten minutes as I could. My numbers (minimum completed in time; might be worth charting this data by category of WO - such as “cardio” vs “arm” days):

3 sets: 2 days

5 sets: 7 days

6 sets: 4 days

7 sets: 7 days

8 sets: 3 days

9 sets: 3 days

12 sets: 1 days

14 sets: 1 days

15 sets: 2 days 

And I counted 16 days where I did at least one extra set overtime, either for symmetry (especially in the cases of “tendon strengthening” days) or because I was mostly done with it before the chimes sounded!

[rgcfootball]

RATTLERS OUTSCORED 17-14 IN CLOSE LOSS TO EP WINN MAVERICKS

By Kenneth Roberts, Freelance Writer

Five turnovers proved fatal to the Rio Grande City Rattlers' victory hopes as the Eagle Pass Winn Mavericks emerged with a 17-14 triumph in a crucial District 14-5A Division I battle at Joe R. Sanchez Stadium on Friday afternoon, Nov. 27.

The defeat damaged the Rattlers' hopes of gaining a state playoff berth in the shortened 2020 football season marred by Covid-19. The Rattlers still have a chance to gain a playoff spot if they win the regular season finale this coming Friday.

The Mavericks got off to a fast start, leading 7-0 at the end of the first quarter and expanding their margin to 14-0 early in the second stanza. The Rattlers scored on the last play of the first half to cut the deficit to 14-7 going into intermission. The Rattlers scored on a 72-yard run by Marc Perez on the second play of the third quarter to tie the score at 14-14. The Mavericks kicked a 22-yard field goal with just over six minutes remaining in what proved to be the decisive score.

The Rattlers got one last opportunity when they recovered a fumble at their 42 with 2:30 remaining, but the Maverick defense intercepted a deep pass two plays later to wrap up the game.

The Rattlers were stymied by two first half turnovers inside the Maverick 30, including an interception at the 4, and another turnover set up what proved to be the winning field goal. A fourth turnover ended a promising Rattler drive late in the third quarter.

Running back Marc Perez provided most of the Rattlers' offensive firepower, highlighted by a 72-yard touchdown romp. Quarterback Kevin Guerra scored the other Rio touchdown and had some success passing the ball. Quarterback Jose Padilla scored one touchdown and rushed for well over 100 yards for the Mavericks, and running back Ethan Casarez scampered 26 yards for a touchdown and set up the winning field goal with a 25-yard run.

On the game's opening possession, the Mavericks stormed through the Rattler defense with a 75-yard, 11-play scoring drive. On a third and nine play at the Winn 37, quarterback Jose Padilla rolled out around right end and kept the ball for a 10-yard gain to the Maverick 47 and a first down. Three plays later, Padilla kept the ball around left end and sprinted down the sideline for a 25-yard gain to the Rio 20.

Running back Ethan Casarez then hammered out a seven-yard gain to the 13. In a second and goal situation three plays later, Padilla kept the ball through right tackle and powered his way across the goal line for a three-yard scoring run with 7:50 left in the opening quarter. Emmanuel Oviedo booted the extra point to boost the Mavericks to a 7-0 lead.

The Rattlers gained excellent field position by fair catching a short kickoff at their 42. Two plays later, quarterback Kevin Guerra connected with Bryan Perez for a 13-yard completion to the Maverick 41. On the next play, Marc Perez stampeded through right tackle and found ample running room for a 16-yard gain, but was stripped of the ball and the Mavericks recovered at their 25.

Two plays later, Padilla attempted a short pass to the left side, but the ball was deflected and Rattler defender Sotelo Lara made the interception at the Maverick 23, giving the Rio offense a golden opportunity.

Three plays later, Kevin Guerra dropped back to pass, scrambled to his left, and sprinted down the sideline for a 17-yard gain to the 1, but a holding penalty moved the Rattlers back to the 18. On fourth and three, Marc Perez hammered through right tackle for a five-yard gain to the 11. On third and two at the 3, Guerra tried a pass across the middle but the ball was deflected and a Maverick lineman made the interception at the 4.

The Mavericks then executed a 96-yard scoring drive as Padilla ripped off rins of 13, 16 and 11 yards. On a third and six play, Ethan Casarez took a quick pitch around right end and motored down the sideline untouched for a  26-yard touchdown romp with 9:11 left in the second quarter to expand the Mavericks' margin to 14-0.

Late in the second stanza, the Rattlers set up shop at their 11, but Guerra connected with Ricky Falcon for an 18-yard completion to the 29. On fourth and one, Marc Perez pounded out a two-yard gain to the Rio 40. Perez then scampered through right guard for a 13-yard gain to the Maverick 47. Two completions of eight and six yards by Guerra to Bryan Perez moved the ball to the 27. Marc Perez and Guerra ripped off gains of nine and six yards to advance the ball to the 12.

Four plays later, on second and goal, Guerra kept the ball through left guard and powered through multiple defenders to lunge across the goal line as the first half clock ran out. Robellin Montes kicked the extra point to cut Winn's halftime lead to 14-7.

On the second play of the second half, Marc Perez ran a sweep around right end, outran several defenders, and sprinted down the sideline untouched for a 72-yard scoring romp with 11:15 left in the third quarter to tie the score at 14-14.

The Rattler defense stopped the Mavericks cold on their next two possessions, but the Winn punter blasted a punt that rolled dead at the Rio 18 after covering 60 yards. Guerra connected with Ricky Falcon for a 10-yard completion and Marc Perez ripped off a 13-yard run to launch a promising drive. On fourth and one, Perez ran a sweep around right end for a six-yard gain to the Winn 40. On first down, however, Guerra rolled to his left and aimed a pass toward the sideline that was intercepted by a Maverick defender at the 31.

Five plays later, Maverick quarterback Jose Padilla kept the ball through left guard for a 22-yard gain to the Rio 31. An attempted reverse was stopped for an eight-yard loss, forcing Winn to punt from the Rattler 38.

Early in the fourth period, a Guerra pass on the left side was intercepted by a Maverick defender and returned inside the Rio 20, but a personal foul penalty against Winn forced the Mavericks back to the 35. Ethan Casarez then exploded through left guard for a 25-yard gain to the 10. Two plays later, Padilla connected with a wide open receiver in the end zone, but the score was nullified by an illegal man downfield penalty.

Two plays later, on third and goal, Padilla kept the ball through left tackle for an eight-yard pickup to the 5. On fourth down, Emmanuel Oviedo drilled a 22-yard field goal with 6:22 remaining to give the Mavericks a 17-14 advantage.

After an eight-yard run by Marc Perez gave Rio a first down at its 37, the Rattlers faced a fourth and eight situation at their 39. Perez, lined up as the punter, raced toward the left sideline, but was stopped at the 45, two yards short of a first down.

On a third and six play, Padilla kept the ball through the right side for a seven-yard gain to the Rio 34 and a first down. Two plays later, however, the Rattlers' hopes were rejuvenated when Padilla fumbled a snap and the Rattlers recovered the loose ball at their 42 with 2:30 left.

On second and seven, the Rattlers' last hopes were snuffed out when a deep pass by Guerra on the right side was intercepted inside the Maverick 35 and returned for an apparent touchdown, but the score was negated by a block-in the-back penalty. The Mavericks then took a knee twice to wrap up their 17-14 victory.

No individual or team statistics for either the Rattlers or Mavericks were available as of late Sunday, Nov. 29.

Marc Perez supplied the bulk of the Rattler offense as he rushed for well over 100 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown romp. Kevin Guerra contributed a short touchdown run to conclude an 89-yard drive as time expired in the first half. The Rattler defense played well for most of the game, especially in the second half.

The loss to the Mavericks broke a two-game Rattler winning streak. The Rattlers, now 2-3 in district play, still hold slim playoff hopes if they win their season finale on Friday night, Dec. 4 against the San Antonio Southwest Dragons in San Antonio.

[puresephone]

alright motherlovers i’m going to be intuiting this here tarot spread. i asked some of my beautiful decks for the overall message and energy for today, 11/11! today is a very special and magickal day especially in regards to twin flames and twin flame energy.

anywho lets get into the reading. okay so this is my first ever reading so it might be sloppy but we’re just gonna roll with it bless

so the first card we have is transformation (aka the death card) which is ruled by scorpio. it’s all about change and letting go of the past to embrace renewal or new beginnings. let go of unhealthy attachments, fears, and grudges that may be holding you back from this opportunity for another chance or a more fulfilled life.

clarified by the eight of wands in reverse, the message i’m getting is to NOT RESIST THIS CHANGE. go with the flow, but don’t rush blindly into situations today ill-prepared and don’t try to run from or delay these changes. full moon in taurus is tomorrow which reminds us to let go of old energies that no longer serve us, while remembering change is the only constant in life.

ask yourself (from the guidebook): are there loose ends that need to be tied up? are there people in my life i need to express myself to? what needs to be completed so i can have a fresh start?

then we have power (aka strength, ruled by leo) in the reverse, which for this deck, just means to pay extra attention to it.

this card is calling you to remember you have all the inner strength and willpower you need to deal with these changes ahead of you, if you are someone who finds change hard to manage.

remember to approach every situation from a place of love. set aside the time to resolve issues and speak from a place of compassion. this mercury retrograde in scorpio, especially, it can be easy to get caught up in black or white thinking or feeling slighted. give other people the benefit of the doubt and remember mistakes happen in order to be learned from. (from the guidebook), ask yourself: what am i supposed to be learning here and how can i make this situation better?

clarified by the four of cups in reverse, what i get from this is a few different interpretations. i feel someone who has been withdrawn from the world, caught up in introspection or perhaps avoiding dealing with reality or their problems. i feel someone who isn’t being honest about how their true feelings and instead, choosing to isolate themselves from someone or people who love them. i feel someone who needs to look inside themselves and meditate and be honest with themselves. don’t ignore synchronicities.

ultimately though, when four of cups comes up reversed, i see the end of a period of stagnation and apathy. because this is a clarifier of the strength card, perhaps we feel reinvigorated remembering our true power as spiritual beings. we can now seize opportunities and manifest our dreams into reality (full moon in taurus tomorrow, nov 12, is PERFECT for that)

then we have the the third card which is the throat chakra. the chakras are energy centres of the human body and when the throat chakra comes up: COMMUNICATE! speak your truth and be honest. speak from a place of love. know that what you think and say matters. express yourself, the throat chakra is also about creativity. do something artsy today, maybe something involving words. journal or write a poem. sing or listen to music. do some positive self affirmations! express gratitude!

clarifying the throat chakra, we have the three of wands. this is a card all about new opportunities and moving forward. this is a card that represents fresh starts and to embrace change. three is represented by the empress, a number and card of creation. your planning and hard work is paying off, but also remember to dream beyond limits and be flexible and and keep an open mind!

the three of wands also reminds us that the journey has only just begun. there’s still time to turn back, but not for long. any time i see this card, i think of that scene from lord of the rings: fellowship of the ring when sam says:

Sam:

This is it.

Frodo:

What?

Sam:

If I take one more step, I'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been.

Frodo:

Come on, Sam. Remember what Bilbo used to say: "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to."

speak your truth and be honest with yourself. you’ll never know how far it’ll get you or what opportunities could lie ahead

then we have the card emotional withdrawal in reverse. the border is green, signifying a connection to the heart chakra. this card is represented by the number 8, same as the strength card: passion, control and power. we need to use our courage and strength to continue our journey into this new beginning or undiscovered territory.

what i’m getting from this card is to be aware of emotional withdrawal. it’s good to take time for yourself as seen by the reversed four of cups, but don’t isolate yourself from the people who love you. these cards are actually similar to one another in my opinion. it’s okay to meditate on a situation and have alone time but as we already know, the only constant in life is change. you can’t emotionally withdraw and isolate forever.

with the number 8 here, it also means “infinity” so maybe you’ve felt stuck or like you don’t know how to get out of this withdrawed state. remember your inner power and to speak your truth and from a place of love (not fear) and everything else will follow. be in right alignment with yourself first.

clarifying emotional withdrawal, we have the five of swords. fives in numerology represent conflict. the five of swords comes up when there’s been a disagreement, falling out or conflict of some sort and you’re walking away with a sense of sadness or loss. feeling upset and resentful is also common with this card. you can feel like you’ve lost trust, dignity, respect, or company. the advice here is to PICK YOUR BATTLES

five of swords can also point out you may feel in competition. it’s not appropriate to win at any cost. someone else’s success does not equal your failure and certainly don’t try to bring other people down.

when the five of swords comes up in a reading it could be an invitation to apologise. brooding or trying to be right at all costs just makes relationships and situations all the more complicated.

because the five of swords is clarifying the reversed emotional withdrawal card, i’m sensing it’s an optimal time to properly apologise to people who you may have hurt or perhaps today you will be approached by someone who has hurt you (it is mercury retrograde after all). come out of your cocoon with emotional maturity and show you’re someone with integrity. learn from your mistakes and move beyond past mistakes and conflict into something new and brighter.

(gdi tumblr didn’t save my draft so i need to rewrite this part) then we have the fertility card (the empress) in reverse. again this deck isn’t meant to have reversals and when reversals do come up, just pay extra attention to it. i find it funny how i mentioned the empress earlier and boom here she is. so three is the number of creation, of taking an idea (the magician) and making it into a reality (the empress)

the empress is ruled by libra which is ruled by venus. love on yourself today and show yourself some self-care. indulge a little bit, treat yourself. take comfort in knowing the seeds you’ve sown and coming to and everything is going to work out. today and tomorrow are prime times for manifesting abundance.

hold yourself from a place of love and nurture your relationships. go out and connect with nature if you can today. growth is on the horizon and look at things you find beautiful today. things that give you pleasure, that make you feel love or good about yourself. care for yourself first and then show that care for others.

the empress is clarified by the sixth chakra, archangel metatron. honestly i know nothing about metatron so i’m not going to pretend i do. but the sixth chakra is the third eye chakra which is all about our inner guidance. follow and trust your intuition today and pay attention to your dreams tonight. clarity will make itself known today and you’ll likely have a spiritual download or realisation of some kind.

going back to the first card of this spread, transformation, the woman in the card made me think of having an epiphany. today something will click, the dust will settle, and what you need to know will be revealed. this card can represent a new beginning and a deeper insight of what’s been going on. this new beginning i’m feeling is tied to the realisation you’ll have today.

oh my god one card left

the last card is an affirmation for us all today:

“I find a deeper meaning and personal growth amid the discomfort.”

all in all today, despite uncomfortable situations or talks we may have today, ultimately these are the happenings that help us grow. we will never grow without changes or setbacks, without feeling out of our comfort zone. embrace the change and let go of negativity of the past. make way for renewal and beautiful transformations. the strength of our character will shine today. trust your intuition and go along for the ride.

[bi-badass-geek]

Blizzcon 2019

Lmao fellas everyone was jokin how shit its gonna be and guess what ... we weren’t wrong tho at least we got pc titles not mobile like late april fools last year. Can’t make long post at the moment so it’s gonna be pretty brief.

They started with ‘apology’ i heard only piece of it and all i got from it was we will do better in the future let’s all move on nothin bout now.

First title we got on screen was “Diablo IV” which had kinda shitty graphic (like from mobile) if ya ask me but i hope its cause yt and other things that happens while streaming stuff. 5 class in total tho they talked bout 3 at the moment : Barbarian, Sorc and Druid.

 After opening they talked more bout D4 from which we found out : Sorcerer is elemental carnage intarnation , you can custom features of characters like scars hair and other details like this. Talents goin back , runes and skills gonna have tree system or somethin along that way ( they only showed talents tree looked fun if ya ask me), Sets are still game but won’t dominate the game, more push for legendaries we gonna see a lot of them. Open world no more do act this act that now (doesn’t feel Diablo much that way but *shrugs*). 16 time size, social hub which people already complained bout feelsbadman, events in the world you can finish with others (mmo feels much i’m right) and in some areas you can do pvp (kids gonna cry when they outplayed from lied party strategy i feel it already) mounts (horses was what they showed only so far the looks with armors and throphies at the side of it The Witcher 3 vibe much guys i wonder if that’s Roach). Bonus to previous feature combo dismount mounts (GW2 hmmm). They talked somethin bout fire places that inspired DS but not sure if it’s a thing in the actual game or was only concept. They were like let’s talk bout dungeons and hell then procided with showin us concept art only 22/20. Druid will have companions we saw 2 wolfs also can change into bear for example which was interestin.

After demons they went with ‘Blizzard Arcade’ but if its like special abonaments or just con thing i have no idea it was a mess tho ‘Starcraft II’ fans will be able to play vs AI agents, some commander comin back.

Second game they went for was HOTS from which we gonna get Deathwing (however you spell this pal) one of whihc everyone will get when its up and rollin, from now till 10th Nov. all heroes are free to play.

Third on plate was ‘Warcraft’ which i have next to 0 knowledge but from what i read its just old content that smells like other titles from miles away. ‘Warcraft Reforge’ beta open Thursday with virtual ticket. Said title is havin 25 anniversary also World 15th and since everyone likes vanilla actual quote mates they sellin ice cream vanilla there L.M.A.O., Classic will get update soon so tip finish quests if ya have any. New pet gonna be for sale next month all cash from it will go to 2 charities. 3 events cause anniversary whoever finish all will get obsidian pet or somethin like that. Sylv will clap Lich King if i’m correct and tear crown apart ( Go Queen!) preorder fever starts today and it’s literally Shadowbringers vibe from FFXIV or Shadowkeep from D2 *insert can i copy your homework meme* Name of the expansion is “Shadowlands” (so original) which gives new dungeons,raids also zones : Ardenweald,Maldraxxus, Bastion etc.

Forth nap material was “Hearthstone” aka new expansion bout dragons (which is cool still not gonna buy and play it) ‘Descent of Dragons’ on launch day ya get 5 free cards from set. Sept out you can pre purchase today yay! New mode ‘’Battle...’’ 8 players that works together gettin creatures till one remains.  12 Sept-beta (even tho we got Nov already i don’t get it so don’t ask me)

The last but not least i gonna be as bold as i can and say its game after D4 gaymers were waitin for aka “Overwatch 2” weirdly enough O1 will have updates with new maps etc so idk why anyone would feel the need to buy 2 really but whatever floats your boat. Story missions and hero missions which first is like campain and second adventure from Diablo (what they said) , you will be able to lvl up characters (actually showed that on Tracer) Custom skills will guess its either looks or in single cause i only glared at this part (feelsbad bein busy when you want to watch shit), PvE aspect, PvP new maps, New looks (mostly just hair and armor parts if ya ask me) New heroes we saw peak from ‘good guys’ side Soju is the name or somethin like that and works like some kind of soldier at least that was speculations. At the booth ya can play on Torano already. Nice touch skins etc will be transfered from O1 to O2 so yall gamble addicts can chill at start.

[sharperthewriter]

Chapter 16 of SFV

Chapter 16 - Day 2: The Hailstorm

(still Nov. 19, 10:45pm)

The Stoppable-mobile pulled back to the hotel as the gravy-soaked Kim parked it in the parking spot and putting it in gear.

"Ron, we are going to leave early tomorrow." Kim said, hiding her frustrations on how Day 1 of the vacation went.

"How early are we talking about, KS?" Ron asked.

"We are talking super early, like, at 8am. So I want everyone to be up by 5:30am." Kim instructed her family. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" came the unison reply from the other three Stoppable family members. Rufus also nodded his head.

"What about Mary and Canna?" Ron asked, pointing to the camper.

"I will have to keep a close eye on them, especially Canna." Kim said as she unbuckled her seat belt. She got out of the van, followed by Ron, Rufus, and the kids.

As they closed the doors to the Stoppable-mobile. Ron was then reminded of something.

"Oh, Kim! I forgot that I dropped my set of keys in the car." he said while walking back to the van.

Kim then remembered that the driver's door lock was rendered useless due to the fact that she used her GJ-issue laser lipstick on the vehicle earlier to rescue Justin.

Turning behind, Kim exclaimed, "Ron! Don't open the car! You might activate the..."

And as Ron opened the door, loud noises emitted from the Stoppable-mobile.

"...car alarm!" Kim groaned at Ron's forgetfulness. He had activated the worst part of the vehicle.

The alarm was so loud that it even awoke some of the other hotel guests who were sleeping.

"Can you shut the damn thing up?" one female guest asked. "It's annoying!"

"I'm trying to sleep here!" exclaimed a male guest from the second floor.

Kim replied to the guests while covering her ears. The other Stoppables, plus Mary and Canna, also did the same. Canna was also chewing on tobacco and spitting it out in her empty water bottle.

"Don't worry! I'll get to it!"

She took a baseball bat that they packed for Justin to play with at the Lipskys and started to beat on the hood, for that was where the alarm was it. This motion caused the right strap of her leather overalls to slip from her shoulder again

"Shut the hell up, you stupid damn alarm!" Kim shouted, hammering at least five dents in the hood and in the quarter fender before it finally stopped. A distant thunder was heard.

"Thank you!" the redhead exclaimed, taking a deep breath. Seeing that the right strap has slipped off again, Kim decided not to fight it and unhooked the overalls strap instead.

"Now...if you don't mind, I'm going to get the lemon squares that Ron made for the Thanksgiving dinner for the Lipskys into the suite's fridge." Kim replied, getting Nana's most important, and treasured, heirloom from the van and into her hotel room. There were 16 lemon squares total that she had brought in.

"I got the keys, KS!" Ron exclaimed while grabbing his keys and closed the door to the van.

"Now...let's all get back to sleep and have a peaceful sleepy night!" she then insisted to the guests. They all turned out their lights.

Thunder also began to rumble , closer to their area.

(11:30pm)

After taking a shower, Kim was now finally out of her gravy-colored overalls and shirt and now in her husband's Middleton High football jersey that barely covered her breasts and Club Banana boxers. She only had panties underneath the boxers and was wearing her glasses. This was considered her usual night wear.

The kids, in the meantime, were asleep on the pullout couch as was Rufus.

She was also playing on her tablet while watching an old episode of the Dr. Zone Files on the TV. It was the episode where Time Ape was captured by the Statues of Windsor, where one looked at them, they would become frozen forever.

This was when she got out her KP Kimmunicator Pendant to get with Wade. The now 22-year old tech whiz of Team Delta at Global Justice appeared in a hologram form.

"Hey, Kim!" he said with a smile, "It's getting kinda late here."

"Hey, Wade! I know." Kim said with a smile, "How's Ken holding down the fort?" She was speaking of one of her fellow team-mates on the Team Delta squad, Ken Trepid.

"Him? He's doing fine! Stopped a few robberies with the help of Slam." Wade replied with a smile. How's the first day of the Stoppable vacation?"

Kim groaned, "Ugh...here's my verdict on this sitch!" She then gave a thumbs down.

"Stoppable Vacation Curse got in the way?" she asked.

"So far, Ron almost accidentally locked Justin in the van...again..., we had bird poop on the van, plus the quote-en-quote fun times with the Bumblebees thing of me ripping my overalls, and us getting banned from the local Smarty-mart here due to crazy vegans that we have as relatives!" Kim explained all of the incidents they've had on Day 1 of the trip.

"Not a very good start, huh?" Wade replied with compassion, "Hopefully, things'll get better! I'll catch you up in a couple of days."

"Okay, Wade, get some rest now." Kim suggested.

"Oh, and one other thing and don't tell anyone this but...I got a special surprise for Joss when we get to the Lipskys." Wade said with a whisper, "But don't let her know about it!"

"Lips are so zipped!" Kim said while zipping her lips with her fingers.

"Night, Kim!" Wade said as the hologram of him disappeared.

Ron, in his pajamas and bunny slippers, looked out the window.

"This doesn't look good, KS." he said.

"What is it this time, Ron?" Kim asked, rolling her eyes.

"The storm's on the horizon!" Ron replied, "You might wanna check the NWS."

Kim checked the NWS on her tablet. There was a lot of orange and red headed towards North Platte.

"Ewwww..." she remarked, "...you're right on that front."

"Should we warn the kids?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I think we should if a Severe Thuderstorm Warning or, God forbid, a Tornado Warning is issued!" Kim said,. "Alexa is much more scared of even regular thunderstorms than Justin is. So I'd hate to see how she fares with this sitch of a storm."

"I understand, KS." Ron replied before switching to the other important thing. "What are we going to do for breakfast though?"

Kim simply pulled out the hotel info and said, "The hotel has a restaurant on the premises that opens up at 6. We can eat the buffet there and then check out at 8. Simple!"

"You make everything sound so easy!" Ron replied, cracking a smile.

"I do, Ron!" Kim giggled. She also got out her planner and stylus pen. "Now...how should I wear my overalls for tomorrow?"

"Which ones are you going to wear?" Ron questioned Kim's denim fashion sense.

"The Club Banana flare ones." Kim replied.

"What is the difference between those and the baggy ones you packed?" Ron asked.

"Two reasons, Ron." Kim said. "The first is that they have the zippers on the side instead of the side buttons and the second is that, if I do wear them with the bib down, which I certainly will, they won't fall down on me as long as the zippers stay up unlike the baggy ones which require a belt."

"I'd say to go with the one-strap up approach." Ron replied.

"And then..." he smirked, playfully lowering his wife's boxers, "...go for both!"

"And I have the perfect way to style a button-down shirt to go along with it!" Kim replied with a grin.

"What about the Oh Boyz Concert?" Ron asked.

"Oh that? I'm definitely going with a belt for that one!" Kim said. "That's the one I planned to wear the manipulated buckles one."

"Good thing that I didn't get the lowest score in the Oh-Boyz challenge!" Ron chortled.

"Jason is gonna be the unlucky one who has to stare at Tara's bare ass for that moment once they get on the stage." Kim grinned.

"The poor, poor sap!" Ron snorted at the fate of his ex-Mad Dog football team-mate.

Kim looked at the alarm clock and it read 11:50pm.

"We gotta get to bed now, Ron." she said, resting her head on the pillow. "We got a long drive ahead of us tomorrow."

"Way ahaead of ya, Kim!" Ron replied, doing the same.

Kim turned out the lights and both the hero duo...and husband and wife...closed their eyes and went to sleep.

(12:45am)

A sudden thud was heard from the ceiling above. And then another...and another...and another! The thunder was booming loudly and lightning flashed from their window.

This woke Ron up from his sleep. Kim, however, was still deeply asleep.

"Huh...what's going on here?" he asked half-groggily. Ron's eyes were half-asleep. "Has Mr. Barkin been turned into a gill monster?"

Rufus was also stirred awake by the storm. At the time, he was the only one that was fully alert and awake. He was chittering loudly in fear to his owner.

"Rufus...the Bueno Nacho dining room is closed at this time." Ron muttered, "Can't you go back to sleep?"

Rufus grunted and pointed to a blaring message on his smart phone. He pointed to the obvious red glaring message on it.

Ron grabbed his smartphone and, all of a sudden, his eyes were wide awake.

"KS! KS! Wake up now!" he exclaimed, rushing to his wife's side of the hotel bed.

"Ron...why are you up?" Kim uttered, "It's almost 1 in the morning...go to bed?"

"How can I go to bed when we got a TORNADO WARNING!" Ron screamed the last two words.

Kim was jolted awake by what her husband said and exclaimed, "Oh my God! Ron! We have to The kids!

The thunder and hail was getting to be louder and louder. Justin and Alexa rushed into their parents room.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Alexa exclaimed in tears, "The thunder monster is out there!"

"I'm totally scared!" Justin whimpered.

"Everyone! To the bathroom!" Kim exclaimed, pointing at the bathroom, the only interior area of their hotel room without any windows.

Ron grabbed his smartphone and he, his wife, Rufus, and the Stoppable kids all scurried into the hotel bathroom.

He tapped his phone on the Tornado Warning issued for the NWS.

"The NWS has issued a Tornado Warning for the counties of Lincoln and Perkins counties until 1:45am. At 12:29am, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was spotted about 10 miles south of North Platte moving northeast at 40 mph. This storm is also capable of producing baseball-sized hail..."

"Wait..." Kim gasped. "...baseball-sized hail?!"

"That's what the report said, KS." Ron said while pointing to the report.

"Oh great..." Kim muttered, "We're going to have to check on the damage of the Stoppable-mobile once all this stuff passes."

All the Stoppables could do was to sigh in despair as the sheets of rain and hail continued to pound against the hotel, and against their poor 20-year plus old minivan.

It wasn't until around 2:30am that the storm finally subsided and the Stoppable family can finally return to their beds.

[starcunning]

Suffer Me to Cherish You: 16 Nov

I had to get up so early to get this done. I could have slept in an hour because I forgot time zones existed, but oh fucking well. Enjoy Fanfest, everybody!

Previously: Week One, Week Two Previously: 11 Nov, 12 Nov, 13 Nov, 14 Nov, 15 Nov

Despite her diffidence, there was a sense of longing in the words. The grasses grew thick in the Emprise, waist-high on the dark knight and her charge, and Myste let the tufted heads of seed hulls skim over his open palms as they passed. Rhalgr’s Reach lay just beyond, where the ruined colonnade met a cave, its mouth framed in a facade of stonework. There was a white figure, stark against the shade, like some sort of perverse silhouette, who lifted his head as she approached.

“Where’s the other one?” X’khilo Nunh called. “Fray is … indisposed,” Shasi settled on. As she drew nearer, she lifted her hand just a fraction at the wrist, and Myste curled his fingers around her own. “Pity,” said X’khilo. “I could’ve grown to like him.” Shasi felt annoyance prickle up her spine, not sure if that were Fray’s reaction or her own. Whatever the case, it moved her to mutter, “The feeling was not mutual.” Clearing her throat, she spoke more clearly. “This is Myste. Myste, this is X’khilo Nunh.” “I’m her father,” X’khilo told the boy. Shasi only closed her eyes a moment on that statement. “It’s nice to meet you,” Myste said, very solemnly. X’khilo did not return the pleasantry, only stared back at the pair. “You never told me who he is to you,” he said. “Fray’s get?” Shasi bit back a laugh. “No,” she said. “An orphan from Ishgard. I’ve been looking after him.” She lifted her hand, extricating it from Myste’s, and clapped him on the shoulder, shaking him gently. “And he looks after me.” “It’s a shameful thing to raise someone else’s child,” X’khilo said, eyes narrowed as he averted his gaze. Myste looked wounded by that, and Shasi lifted her hand to the crown of his silver hair, shaking her head.

“Did you bring the rest of the tribe back with you?” she asked. “Come now, Shasi,” X’khilo said, with a grin that flashed too much tooth to ever really be friendly. “X’shasi,” she corrected. He ignored her. “You know that’s the council’s decision.” “Right,” she said, not at all convinced. “What did they decide, X’khilo?” “They decided that I should go first, see how settled things were, and then we could begin the process of emigration gradually.” “Of course,” Shasi said. “Well, I hope you know that for those too old or weak to make the trip on their own, I’m willing to hire a caravan to see to their safe transport,” she said, locking eyes with the Nunh. “I will.” “I left a linkpearl with X’rhinne, so perhaps I’ll get in contact with her to make arrangements.” “You can just call her Rhinne,” X’khilo said, rolling his eyes. She could, and she had done so often enough while in conversation with the old healer. But to do so in front of X’khilo felt dangerous, as though that connection gave him some path to her.

It had been weakness enough to suggest that Myste meet him.

“So what about this one,” X’khilo asked after a moment, jerking his chin at Myste. “Your little cuckoo.” “I want to help people,” Myste told him. “Ah, another of that altruistic lot,” X’khilo said, and Shasi could not fail to note the roll of his eyes as he said it. “Why should you do for others what they can do for themselves?” “The things I can do for you can be done by no other,” Myste pronounced. He seemed more confident when he spoke on the subject, standing taller. His excitement animated him, brought a smile to grave features, and Shasi could not help but to smile herself. “Is there someone from your past you’d like to see again?” he asked. “Someone you lost?” X’khilo Nunh simply stared at Myste, and then looked at X’shasi. “Seriously?” he scoffed. “Yes,” Myste insisted, all the confidence of a moment before shattered. “Yes,” Shasi echoed, more calmly. “I know it sounds hard to believe, but Myste can return the dead to life—at least for a little while. I’ve seen him do it.” “I’ll believe that when I see it,” X’khilo snorted. “Fine,” Shasi challenged, “then ask.” X’khilo narrowed his eyes at her, then turned his flinty gaze on Myste, his black-tipped ears pressed back against his skull. “I want to talk to her mother,” he said. “X’shakkal Halha.” “Is that—” Myste began, but Shasi cut him off. “Yes,” she said. “Do it.”

It still hit her like a punch to the kidneys when she heard a woman’s voice call Khilo’s name. Astonishment was written plain upon the aging Nunh’s face, and Shasi turned to follow the line of his gaze.

Picking her way through the grass was a miqo’te woman of about Shasi’s own age. Her hair was a tarnished silver, shaggy but short, tossed by the breeze that rippled through the grass. Her eyes were silvery, too, framed by the dark lashes Shasi had inherited from her. She wore a leather-reinforced bliaud, and from her ears dangled a pair of amethyst cabochons. Shasi lifted a hand to tug at the earrings dangling from her own ears, a fingertip tracing the silver figure inlaid over the stone. The very same gryphon rampant glinted on the woman’s earrings—the same earrings. Her mother’s earrings. But X’shakkal looked younger than she did in most of Shasi’s memories.

X’khilo recognized her in an instant just the same. “I didn’t think it was really possible,” he said. “I know,” she laughed. “I thought I would never see Gyr Abania again.” X’khilo stepped out of the shadows of the Emprise, into the sunlight and the tall grass. He stood a head taller than her mother, the long, fluffy fur of his tail blown about by the wind.

“Look how happy he is,” Myste whispered, sounding overjoyed himself. And Shasi had to admit it was true—she had never seen X’khilo look anything like this calm and content—he seemed always on edge around her, for some reason she could not fathom.

“I thought I would never see you again,” X’khilo said, leaning in to press his forehead to Shakkal’s. There was the briefest tremor, Shakkal’s ears swiveling back for just a moment before she leaned up to meet him. “You have me now,” she said. “What can I say to you?” “Explain something to me,” X’khilo said.

Shasi reached down to pluck up a stalk of wild grass, winding it through her fingers like a cord. The prayer beads from Fray’s funeral were still looped around her left wrist, and she unwound them a moment later, the soft clatter as she turned the beads about the circle lost to the wind. She felt an unease in her chest, not sure if it belonged to her or not.

“What is it?” Shakkal asked after a moment, straightening. She looked up at him with soft eyes—eyes Shasi had never seen in her mother’s face before. “Why did you leave?” X’khilo asked after a moment. Shakkal reached up to adjust the lay of the fur ruff about the Nunh’s throat, straightening his white leathers. Shasi knew the gesture, had been on the other end of it dozens of times—from the first time she’d put on the dueling jacket to the very last, the morning they marched on Carteneau. “You know why,” Shakkal said, looking away, not at her daughter but toward the eastern horizon. “You’re standing in the ruins of my reasons why.” “We would have been fine where we were,” X’khilo protested, closing his deep blue eyes. “The royal forces weren’t going to come all the way up the mountain just for us.” “You’re so sure of that,” Shakkal said, the corner of her mouth quirking upward in amusement. “Why?” “Because it’s been decades and they never came,” said X’khilo. “You can say that now with the benefit of hindsight,” X’shakkal told him, stepping back so she could run a hand through her hair. “We didn’t know it at the time. It seemed best to be prepared to fight,” she said. “To make sure others were given the same chance. We knew the art. It would have been selfish to hoard it.” X’khilo shook his head: “It could have gone poorly for you. For the tribe. Why give up the advantage?” Shakkal squinted at him: “It was war, Khilo,” she said. “We didn’t have the time to be that small-minded.” She took another step back. “You never taught it to me,” he said, looking away. He cast his gaze about, and it settled on Shasi for a moment. Myste stepped closer to her, and she settled her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “What would you have done with it?” Shakkal wondered. X’khilo turned his face to hers once more, the scar upon his jaw twisting his frown into a scowl. “Defended myself,” he said. “From unjust challenge.” “If you could not keep the seat, ‘twere better you lost it in any case,” Shakkal said, the words falling carelessly from her lips.

Shasi could see the lines of anger write themselves upon X’khilo’s form, the way he drew his shoulders up and his ears swung back. His anger troubled her less than had all that passed before; the memory of that easy affection made Shasi wary.

“And what did your altruism get you?” X’khilo demanded to know. “Did it save your home, when the Black Wolf came to take it? Did it make your life any easier in Ul’dah?” Shakkal only stared at him, dumbstruck as Shasi had never seen her in her life. “Did it get you killed?” X’khilo pressed. “No,” Shasi protested from her place on the sidelines. Those hard eyes turned on her, almost black in their anger. She had not inherited them from him, nor her mother’s bewildered silver stare. “Maybe you got her killed instead,” he said. “If you want someone to blame, I’m as good a target as any,” Shasi told him, setting her jaw. Her tail twitched behind her, batting restlessly at the grass. “Stop it, all of you,” Myste whispered. “I’m sorry, Myste,” Shasi said, “but this has been coming a long time.” She lifted her chin and her voice: “I’ve asked myself the same question,” she admitted. “I’m sure everyone who lost someone at Carteneau has spent the last decade doing the same.” “She’s right here,” X’khilo said. “Did she kill you?” he asked, turning his gaze on Shakkal. “I don’t know,” she said, her shoulders shaking. “Did she get you killed?” “I don’t know!” “Why did you leave, Shakkal?” Khilo demanded to know, reaching out to take hold of her by the arms. “Why did you take our daughter and run away?” “She’s not your daughter,” Shakkal shouted back.

She wasn’t?

“But you knew that,” Shakkal added a moment later. X’khilo looked across the field at X’shasi, the force of his gaze like a physical blow. “Yes,” he said. “I knew. I just never understood why.” “I can’t give any answer that would satisfy you,” Shakkal said. “I know,” X’khilo said. Then he said, “If I ever see you or your little cuckoo again, it will be much too soon. I can’t believe you would do this to me.”

X’khilo’s indignation did not move her. His anger did not frighten her. She was much too much in shock for that, and the only sound that reached her was Myste’s sniffling. Shasi dropped to her knees, holding her arms out to him. X’khilo Nunh spat upon the ground as he passed them.

“I didn’t know,” Shasi whispered. To herself, to him, to Myste; she wasn’t sure, only sure then that it needed to be said. No one answered. “Mama,” she called across the meadow, “why didn’t you tell me?” X’khilo’s stalking footsteps receded into the distance, echoing in the cave that led to Rhalgr’s Reach. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to Myste. “Forgive me.” “No,” Myste said, and Shasi felt as though she might crack in half again. “No, no, it isn’t your fault, we did not fail …” “I don’t know that we succeeded,” Shasi said, bowing her head to rest her forehead against Myste’s. “He will not thank us for the closure he found … if he found it at all.” “No, that is not his way,” Myste agreed. Shasi lifted a hand to brush her thumb over the boy’s cheek, wiping away his tears. A fresh spate fell, and a deep sorrow gripped her, echoed within by a second voice. “I wanted to speak to her too,” Shasi said. But she could hear the whispers of the abyss, and knew her chance had passed. “Forgive me,” Myste whispered. “I can’t hold onto them long after … when he ran away, he stopped thinking of her, and I couldn’t … what cruelty.” “Family can be … complicated,” Shasi said with a sigh. “You did nothing wrong, Myste.” “That’s not true,” he said. “I stole from you. Go on … reclaim that which I took. Make yourself whole, at least.”

It took her a long time to pull away from Myste, to push herself to her feet. There was no recognizable trace of her mother as she looked out over the landscape, only a dark wound in a sunlit meadow, seething with blackness. She gazed into its depths and swore she felt the presence of flame, flickering unseen. The taste of it on her blade was ash and ruin.

“You wouldn’t call her again if I asked, would you.” “It’s not wise,” Myste said. “Will you come with me a little ways? I want to say a prayer for her.” “There’s a shrine to Rhalgr in the Reach, isn’t there?” “Yes,” Shasi said, “and maybe I should go there, but I don’t want to just now. Rhalgr and I have always had a … contentious relationship.” “Then where will we go?” Shasi lifted a hand, pointing at the shape of a ziggurat where it broke the landscape. When she let it fall to her side again, Myste laced his fingers with hers.

There was no trace of the qiqirn that had taken up residence in the ruin at one point. Shasi wondered if that was because Clan Centurio had driven them out, or if Lyse had managed to coax them elsewhere somehow. She hoped it was the latter, but did not set much store by the thought. It was quiet for her visit, and that was enough.

“I came here once as a girl, so small I barely remember it,” she said. “We must have left here not long after.” “Why?” Myste wondered. She looked down at him. “I wasn’t always a dark knight. I don’t know that I always will be. I was sure I’d be a red mage all my life, but look at me now. But my mother … the art was important to her. And it was important to her that I learn it, too, even after we left. Especially after we left.” “Why?” he echoed, in the guileless way of curious children. “Because the art was born in Gyr Abania, and so was I, and she wanted me to have that.” “Do you ever regret it?” “No,” Shasi said, kneeling down in the dirt and laying her sword aside. “She taught me to defend the weak, and to offer my aid wherever it was needed. Especially if I was asked. So … in a way, you could thank her for the fact that you are here with me, too.” That seemed to make him smile a bit. “Then I will say a prayer in her memory too.” Memory. What a curious thing. Shasi closed her eyes with a sigh. “She seemed … different. Strange. She’s been gone a decade already, but I …” She shook her head, feeling the weight of her mother’s earrings as they swayed with the motion. “I always got the sense there was someone she missed, but … I didn’t dream it would be him. And maybe it wasn’t, if I’m not … if I wasn’t …” “We’re so many things when we’re alive,” Myste said. “And then death comes, and all of a sudden, we no longer exist …” “And the living are left to make sense of our contradictions.” Shasi took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

She could feel the sunlight on her skin, seeping too warm through the black of her gambeson. There was a gentle breeze, and she could taste dust with every breath, but there was the scent of growing things, the haze of late summer settling over her shoulders. Soon it would be autumn, as it had been when she had first crossed the wall. She felt so distant from the woman she had been then, untouched by love and loss, unhoned by grief. There was an ache in her chest when she thought of it—all those she had met; all those she had left behind. The terrible cost that had mounted all around her so that she could kneel in the dirt and think of her mother. She did not flinch from it.

Welcome back, Fray said, and it startled her so much she had to bite back a yelp. “What’s wrong?” Myste said. Shasi’s eyes snapped open, flustered. Don’t tell the boy a thing. “It’s nothing,” Shasi said. “Just a bug bite.” He looked at her so strangely that she had to laugh, and for a moment he joined in. “So many things,” he echoed, all the joy fled him. “Have we done more harm than good?” “Who’s to say?” Shasi wondered. “I hope we have,” he said. “You are still a good person. You can still be a good person.” Shasi didn’t know quite what to say to that. “I hope she would agree with you.” “One more … and then yours, isn’t that it?” “If you still agree to it.” “All the lives we’ve shattered … we can make them come together again,” Myste promised. All the wishing in the world will not make the broken shield come together again, Fray whispered. Shasi knew who she wanted to believe. As surely as she knew the truth. “I’d like to stay here just a little longer, and then we’ll go somewhere else. Find someone else. Alright?” “Alright,” Myste said. “Go and play. It’s good for a boy your age to go and play.”

Sunlight streamed through his hair, staining it gold as it streamed out behind him. Shasi watched from a distance, but all the ease had gone from her.

You know what this is, don’t you? Fray said. Tell me you’re not this blind. Shasi shook her head. “I think I’m starting to understand,” she said. A lie, however sweet, is nevertheless a lie. “Was she lying to him?” Shasi asked. “Is that what it was? Why? What have the dead to fear from the living?” What do you want me to tell you? Fray asked. Think carefully about the question. “Oh,” she said. Such a small word. Such a heavy burden. She could feel Fray’s frustration. Ware the penitent, for theirs is a compulsion all-consuming. “What should we do?” You won’t kill him. The thought seemed an affront to her. She didn’t need to say so. The only child you’ll ever have? You won’t kill him. “I could always adopt an orphan from the Brume, teach him the dark arts you’ve taught me.” That would require you to bring someone else into the hell you’ve made for yourself. “You know me too well.” I am you. “So what do we do?” You know what he is. Who else would you go to? Shasi closed her eyes and sighed. “No. No,” she said. Go on. Who do you trust with the knowledge of what you’ve done? Who do you trust with your grief? “Vesper Bay it is.”

[goodguidanceptc]

Ironman New Zealand Race Report  March 2, 2019

Welcome masochists and insomniacs. When people ask me about my races, I usually try to deliver a balance of facts (split times, data, total race time) and feelings (mind & body perceptions, key moments) in an entertaining yet succinct report. As usual, that often means STRONG LANGUAGE. Here goes:

Prologue:

A few weeks prior to the trip, I learned that I’d been selected for the “Ironman New Zealand Experience,” an online contest, administered with typical Kiwi approach by the local council. Read: relaxed, with ZERO Ironman lawyers involved. Six men and six women were selected--based on online posts--to learn a haka, perform at the athlete dinner and attend an after-race luncheon that included a presentation and performance of Maori history and traditions. 

I suspect my "pick me! pick me!” post got me plucked from a small applicant pool. Supporting evidence: of the twelve selected, two others were my training buddies from Chicago, Christine B. and Bernie Mc. SIDE NOTE: Each winner was allowed one additional guest at the luncheon--so a very special thanks to Christine for graciously counting my wife as her guest which meant I had both my wife and son at the luncheon.

Haka is Maori for “breathe fire.” Historically, hakas were performed by Maori warriors prior to battle. These days they are performed ceremonially to celebrate major milestones (marriage, retirement), honor important guests or--perhaps most notably--to intimidate opponents at athletic events (here’s a link). Outside of New Zealand, the most famous and awe-inspiring hakas are performed my the Maori All-Blacks National Rugby team prior to each match. 

I learned that there are hundreds of haka versions, each with its own inherent weight baked into the story it’s presenting. Although it was very different than the aggressive, male-only, pre-battle version the All-Blacks perform, I personally felt a tremendous honor and reverence for the one we learned.

The haka preserves indigenous culture, energetically injects traditional language into a modern forum, gathers and channels group energy by seamlessly melding ritual gesture and movement with raw emotion. It all adds up to a sum greater than it’s parts that’s simultaneously respectful and rebellious. Taken as a whole, the haka is something like how the Incredible Hulk would dance if the Incredible Hulk danced.

All of which is just to say that before I even started the race, I’d already experienced that tremendous joy that comes with receiving an unexpectedly perfect gift. IMNZ was already a success before the race even started. Now, let’s get back to facts...

Total race time = 11:33

Not a PR, but a mature result. “Mature?” you may be wondering, “Really?” Granted, few people would describe anything I do as mature, so perhaps a better word is un-deluded. Why? Because plantar fasciitis made for a “No-Run November” (all long runs performed in a pool), I hadn’t done enough resistance training, and winter holidays not only make it impossible to train, they make it nearly impossible to fuel properly. 

In his book, Elite Minds, Dr. Stanley Beecham suggests giving yourself a W when you trained your best and an L if you didn’t. My record for this training sequence (Nov-Feb) was 89-20-11. ( I gave myself T for Ties on days when training went right but something else went bad...usually diet.) In other words, a respectable-but-not-stellar W average (.741) earned a respectable-but-not-stellar result.

But still, the haka was awesome.

Pre-Race

Slept well. Ate well. No mechanical issues. Huddled briefly with most of the training buddies and Iron sherpas prior to warming up properly in the water.

Swim (1:06 total swim time)

Clear sighting, aggressive line, good tactics (drafted when possible), and even got some help from the current towards the end. That said, the two turn buoys at the far end were both a raucous scrum. First time I ever took a hard shot to the lip. My best swim ever. 

T1 (7:49)

"T1 is a 400 meter run from the swim out...” My ass. If that’s 400 meters, I’m Leslie Jones from SNL. Plus, AFTER the “400 meters,” a winding grass staircase comparable to any third-floor-walk-up or Wisconsin helix--easily another +50 meters at an +8% grade.

Once I did get up Mount Metric Bullshit, I moved right along. Sprayed on some sunscreen, stuffed a plastic bag under the regular bike jersey with some light gloves (in case it was nippy for the first hour), shoes on in the tent. Go.

Bike (5:38, technically a bike PR)

Two loops. Windy? A tad. The outbound tailwind was so strong, I struggled to maintain target watts. Get that? I didn’t have to pedal as hard as I’d trained to because I was easily traveling +20 mph on flat sections. Ditched the plastic bag and gloves at the first aid station because it was sunny and mild and I was feeling really great. Of course, logic dictates that inbound would be a shitstorm. Which it was. Oy. Mixed with some crosswinds too just in case you, oh I dunno...tried to pee on the bike and took too long...or wanted to take in some nutrition. Nasty. I caught myself using a bastardized mantra from IMAZ, “Frontside fast side, backside strong side” which morphed into “Out bound, throw down; In bound, get down.” whenever I was tempted to chase or draft.

A word on drafting: it’s illegal in Ironman races. BUT! By slipping into the draft zone of somebody passing faster than you are passing then letting them go, you can save energy and still stay within the letter and spirit of the rule. That said, 12 meters = 6ish bike lengths so don’t be the fucko that lingers.

Repeated that song and dance inbound on both loops. It’s a terrible thing when you can’t stay in aero-position because you gotta pee but can’t pee because the wind stuffs any momentum you need to keep your leg straight long enough to break the seal. But it WILL keep you legal.

For you data geeks: Normalized Power was 197 but I AVERAGED 20 m.p.h.

Another notable: the bone-shaking chip-seal they use to pave most New Zealand roads. It just rattled my whole rig from pedals to fingertips to helmet. That shit literally rattled my Torpedo bottle right out from between my aero-bars about halfway through. I’d already taken in the nutrition so I left it (apologies to all the Tidy Kiwis and the whole leave-it-like-you-found-it philosophy) and just held fresh bottles in with my thumbs as needed.

T2 (4:13)

Efficient but could have been a tad quicker. At this point in the race, I was on plan, feeling good and ready to attack the run. Nutrition was on point. Legs were solid, stomach was a non-issue and weather conditions were near ideal. Sunny and delightful low 70s. I was actually looking forward to Run Special Needs where I’d planted a fresh shirt and an extra bottle of nutrition.

Run (4:36 aka: avg 10:39/mi)

I went sub-4 hours in Louisville under raining mid-40 degree conditions. If I could have just matched that, I’d have delivered a juicy PR of under 11 hours.

It seemed reasonable that flat IM-LOU shitstorm would vaguely equate to hilly IM-NZ sunny delight, yes? 

No.

That three loop run over what my training bro Andrew T. would call offensive hills was having none of that nonsense. Turns out, I was woefully undertrained. My legs were just not up to the second and third loop of hills, despite biking to plan, executing nutrition properly, and taking the first loop at a very easy RPE.

In past reports I’ve shared some of the actual mental chatter that runs through my head but in this case none of my mantras were very interesting or helpful. What I have learned to do when I’m truly falling apart is to reinvest in technique. Focus on the extremely immediate present, which I used to counter punch one particularly angry and persistent neg that I just couldn’t shake. See if you can pick it out of the following scientifically gathered brainwave transcription:

...chatter-chatter-chatter...BREATHE...left-right-left-right-Toe-off-knees-up-hands-up-lean-easy-at-the-ankles-glutes-tucked-somebody-fucking-LIED-to-me-goddamBREATHE!-Toe-off-knees-up-hands-up-lean-easy-at-the-ankles-glutes-tucked-somebody-fucking-LIED-to-me-goddamnit-Toe-off-left-right-left...chatter-chatter-chatter...BREATHE

On a slightly more-vulnerable note, I will share this: typically, a few tears leak out at special needs. Hormones? Pain? Mental breakdown/relief that the marathon is half over? All of the above, probably. Just a few moments of a grown man losing it. (Do NOT watch Ricky Gervais’ After Life while jet lagged. But DO watch it. Amazing. Shut up. Don’t judge my process.)

Anyway, I was all business during the Special Needs of this run but lost it right after a particularly steep descend where some guardian bros had set up an “unofficial aid station” consisting of Red Bull, handles of vodka, and liters of Jaegermeister. A runner just ahead of me had grabbed something off their card table and their robust cheering were suddenly horrific screams warning him off of chugging it. I was just tickled and toasted at the same time and it all came gushing out. Just all kinds of quads burning gasping ugly face craughing (learned that word from a tweet praising After Life, btw). Of course my male ego would NEVER allow me to overly express vulnerability in front of the drunken bros, thoughtful though they were. So I kept running. A woman running along side me kindly asked if I was okay, I said, “Oh...yeah...this...just happens,” between gulping breaths, “The good...news...is...it’s much...later...than usual.” Which cracked her up, so... y’know, pay it forward.

After slogging my way through the third loop, and making my way through the finishing chute, where the normally incomparable Mike Reilly butchered my last name, I was told that I’d been on the leaderboard during the bike and immediately fell off during the run.

So even though I did not over-bike, I did under-train. Plus, I did not need to go directly to Medical in shock, which suggests that my race plan, nutrition strategy and execution was pretty spot on. IMAZ was a PR of 11:19 and IMNZ was 11:33.

OVERALL RACE GRADE: C. Just a C. 

OVERALL EXPERIENCE GRADE: A+

As with prior races, IMNZ yielded some incremental improvements. As I said at the top, this was a mature result, with which I am unsatisfied. I haven't yet done my best race. I haven’t yet DONE MY BEST. There is clearly opportunity for improvements to all five aspects of my racing:

Swim was well executed. Still room for growth.

Bike was properly executed. Adequate. If anything, I could have pushed more.

Run. Ugh. Time to throw myself into Runner’s World and CARA and make like Forrest Gump and Prefontaine and Mo. Also, back to Hokas. Or maybe Altras. The Brooks I ran in were farts. The blisters on my toes had blisters. Not kidding.

Fuel strategy and execution was on point, although I was a few kilos heavier than previous races. Holidays and too few resistance training sessions.

Transitions were adequate.

Am I one of the guys at the pointy end of the bell curve? Clearly still yes. Maybe I’ve just evolved beyond a standard group training plan. Self-Coach? I’ve got the credentials and experience. Back to a previous coach? Maybe a new coach? I’d take some applications. Yes.

In the meantime, I’ll see you in Chattanooga for some 70.3 action in May, 2019. That’s only two build cycles. Ima go noodle around in TrainingPeaks.

WAIT. HERE’S THE BERNIE STORY...

Bernie McNally is one of those people I am just glad to have in my life. This race report would be wholly inadequate if I didn't share how this amazing woman is absolutely unstoppable.

First, she got everybody who trained for New Zealand (at Well-Fit) a fleece.

I forgot to mention she broke her ribs in a bike accident a few months ago.

Then, in what can only be described as the luck of the Irish, she charmed her way into the “New Zealand Experience” haka class. Just showed up and got in. Turns out one of the women selected didn’t show up. Classic.

Here’s the unstoppable part: at around Mile 110 of the New Zealand Full fucking Ironman race, she hit a cone and went over her bike handle bars. Road rash up her arm, split her knee open and cracked her head/helmet on a curb. A bystander said, “Do you need some help? I’m calling an ambulance.”

Her reply?

“Just help me get my chain back on.”

So he did. And she finished the bike. The medics in T2 told her she needed stitches.  She said she didn’t have time, to just patch her up so she could get on with it. She finished the race with half an hour to spare. Words fail.

All I know is this: whenever I’m feeling like I can’t get it done--and it can be anything from driving in traffic to folding laundry to a holding pace on a long run--I know exactly what I’ll hear. 

A thick, sassy, Irish brogue doing the haka.

WITH GRATITUDE FOR…

I’m very grateful to my lovely wife Susan and my wonderful kids, Peter and Veronica for their support. Susan, you are my salvation.

I’m grateful to have the expert professionals Coach Russ and Coach Sharone and the entire Well-Fit staff and athletes who generously share their wisdom.

I’m grateful to my inspiring and impressive training partners. Especially the seven hardcore savages that got it done in New Zealand--Adam, Christine, Dan, Kelly, Megan, Mike, Will and Bernie.

I’m very grateful to anybody willing to excuse my terrible smell, deplorable language and barbaric sounds during training.

Maximum gratitude to Well-Fit, Get-A-Grip, Fleet Feet and all the pools I use.

I’m grateful for Crushing Iron (C26), Matt Fitzgerald, Joe Friel, Training Peaks, Scott brand bikes, Apple, Ironman.

Thank you to all the on-course maniacs cheering and making signs and wearing all sorts of crazy outfits to show love and support. For strangers exercising.

I’m grateful that I’m able to race triathlons. I’m grateful to you for reading.

[newstfionline]

For governments right and left, a season of discontent

John Lloyd, Reuters, Nov. 23, 2018

Democratic governments are rarely popular for extended periods, and often have to scrape by with low polls, noisy demonstrations and constant pressure from the media. And though authoritarian regimes can squash dissent and muzzle the news, they too face rising discontent. These patterns aren’t new, but now they happen as administrations of every kind are under increasing, and new, pressures--and the challenge of recession looms.

In the democratic world, France is the present exhibit A. Some 300,000 of its citizens wearing yellow safety jackets came out in force last weekend to protest quite hefty fuel price rises. The numbers went down to around 10,000 after several days of demonstrations, but a planned blockade of Paris this weekend will show if the protests are deeply felt enough to last, or have been a one-off show of dissatisfaction.

French President Emmanuel Macron is presently held in low esteem: an early November poll showed the candidate he beat to become president, Marine Le Pen of the right-wing National Rally, formerly known as the National Front, is two points above him in voting intentions for the European parliament elections next May.

Many of the French protestors are from rural areas and small towns, where public transport is scanty. The protests often underscore the theme that the centrist Macron is the “president of the rich,” unworried by several rises in fuel prices--measures the government says are designed to prompt a shift to more environmentally friendly vehicles. Faced with the choice between cleaner air or lower prices, the protestors choose the latter--and at least one poll shows that 73 percent of the country supports them.

Where there is some space for protests in authoritarian states, people use it--often, too, manifesting a determination to protect living standards. In Russia, “trust” in President Vladimir Putin has sunk to 39 percent. “Approval” of the president is higher, at 67 percent in September, though a drop from 82 percent six months earlier. The major reason is another sharp rise--this time in Russia’s retirement age, from 60 to 65 for men and 55 to 60 for women. As Macron can point to his once-popular pledge to run a “green” government, so Putin can show that the plunging population of Russia has left too few economically active workers supporting too many retirees. But still they come on to the streets.

In Egypt, the falling popularity of the military dictator Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stems from austerity measures he introduced in 2016 after a $12 billion IMF loan specified cuts and other painful reforms. This year he won the presidential election with 97 percent of the vote; the other candidate had made it clear he was a Sisi supporter. Egyptian voters, knowing dissent can be savagely punished, had nowhere else to go. Abstention was the real protest, with the turnout at 41 percent--even lower than the 47 percent who went to the polls in the previous presidential election.

In China, protest is tightly suppressed as President Xi Jinping continues to press the Communist party to both spread his political thoughts--now formally written into the constitution--to every one of China’s vast, 1.4 billion population, and to ensure that control be as total as possible. Growth is still over 6 percent--but that is significantly lower than in the past several years, and is still falling. Xi seems to be anticipating unrest as budgets are cut and is raising defenses ahead of time.

Economic slowdowns always have social and political consequences, sometimes violent. A new recessionary period is confidently predicted, and probably soon. The Economist noted last month that “the IMF thinks growth will slow this year in every other [than the United States] big advanced economy. And emerging markets are in trouble.” When that happens, countries both free and unfree are likely to struggle to contain the effects.

The rise of populism exacerbates this. Populists don’t just introduce tougher immigration rules and prompt revolt against liberal institutions; they give shape and organization to deep chasms in both rich and emerging economies. In the latter category, last month’s election of the former army officer Jair Bolsonaro as president of Brazil is testament to a large nation, governed by the left for more than a decade, now expressing its fear of rampant crime, disgust over a corruption scandal enveloping the former Workers’ Party administration and discontent caused by the country’s dismal economic performance.

In Brazil, as in France, the United States, Italy, the UK and beyond, the haves and have-littles regard each other with mutual incomprehension, often with contempt. It’s most evident in the United States because President Donald Trump likes to stir it up--as he did before the congressional midterm elections by stoking fears about Central American migrants heading for the United States. But it doesn’t end there. Populism’s best energy comes from a refusal to acquiesce in the inequities of the world--once a motor force of the left, more often now found on the right.

At times, the success of the national populists render the formation of government itself impossible--as in Sweden today, where neither the center-left nor the center-right coalitions can govern without support, but both refuse to make a deal with the far-right Sweden Democrats, who hold the balance of power with almost 18 percent of the vote.

Nor will these social chasms be filled, even where populist administrations fail. The distance is not just between the parties, but among the citizens--one which will only get larger when recession comes, and challenges institutions like the euro, still inadequately protected by a more integrated euro zone economy. It will also attack central banks, which have lowered interest rates to or near zero and have few shots left in the locker.

Commentators, scholars and politicians call for new beginnings, new parties, new policies. But the required trust doesn’t exist for broad, radical, cross-community action in democracies. And in authoritarian societies, repression will have to be ratcheted up to heights we have not been recently used to see, to keep a clamp on protest. Failing a recovery of trust, real trouble will come.