#just finished watching all of the old shows to prep for possible new tour

[amoontoyou]

the real question is will dan and phil bring back rize for the phagenda tour

[twerkinwithhazza]

Pumpkin Seeds

Author’s Note: UH OHHH BACK AGAIN. I’m back yall finally off hiatus all because my phone is broken LOL. Anywho tumblr is a totally different place and most of my mutuals are adulting now. I would love new tumblr friends and I’m gonna try to continue this writing stuff but I’m busy with adult things now lol and it really depends on if you guys like what you see. Please excuse my rustiness this my first imagine in years... literally. I’ll get better with time. This was also slightly edited but I know there bound to be some mistakes. Anyways watch the Golden music video for clear skin and I hope you guys enjoy!  I think it's so adorable that whoever requested this thought this request wouldn't speak to me lol ! It definitely did because this went from a blurb to a full blown imagine.

psst you can read my other work here!

Warnings: smut smut smut and more smut and possible shitty writing, dirty talk, light choking, and some cursing.

Glossary: (y/c/n)= your cousins name + (y/m/n)= your mothers name

Request: hi!!!! if you are wrtiting for Harry please can you do one where missus and Harry are at a family party and have a quickie in the bathroom? don’t worry if it’s not speaking to you lol xxx

Normally you and your husband loved spending time with your families. Harry was always playing a balancing act between filming music videos, doing interviews, writing sessions, and an occasional date night in the house that always involved a Postmates order from your favorite restaurants and the two of you binge-watching Netflix on shuffle. As much as the both of you enjoyed stuffing your face with poke bowls from Poke Papa and watching True Crime stories, it wasn’t exactly romantic or fulfilling for the both of you, just enough to hold you over until his schedule clears up. So when Harry finally got a weekend off, you guys were ecstatic! You spent the week cleaning the house and meal prepping so no Postmates would be needed and Harry used his free time in between interviews for shopping for special toys and pretty lingerie he wanted to see you model for him. Flirty text messages were sent back and forth during small work breaks about your plans for the weekend and now all the two of you had to do was make it Saturday.

You’re not gonna like this...

The 5 words that destroyed you and Harry’s weekend plans. Anne called while you were organizing your closet and announced that her and Gemma, along with your parents and favorite cousins were coming to town to spend time with the two of you. You tried to convince her that maybe a small dinner party at that new fancy restaurant downtown would be a perfect spot for a get together but she was adamant about coming over to cook the two of you a homecooked meal. Breaking the news to Harry was the worst part, he was clearly devastated (you swore you saw the man shed a few tears). Now here you were stuffing your mouth with Anne’s famous juicy cooked duck instead of your husband's juicy di...

“(Y/N) can you pass me the mashed potatoes”

Your dad’s strong yet muffled voice interrupted your train of thought and broke you out of your horny trance as he chowed down on his meal. Pushing the dish over in your dad's direction allowed you the chance to look around and take a glance at Harry who was making small talk with one of your favorite cousins. He was wearing a black button-down shirt, of course with a few buttons loose, and his cross necklace bounced on his chest as he laughed at your cousin's crazy work stories. You focused on his fingers, his infamous rings adorned his hands, you noted that they were slightly damp from eating and the condensation on his glass cup. As you were drinking in his appearance a small damp spot was forming in your panties but given that there were too many eyewitnesses including, yours and his parents so you chose to just clamp your thighs shut and stuff your mouth with more mashed potatoes. 

Harry deserved his credit as a husband. Despite his calm demeanor, he was very well aware of your little ordeal yet still managed to give interview advice to (y/c/n) and compliment your mom’s cocktail mix. He was quite amused by how increasingly frustrated you were becoming. He noted your concentrated face as you munched harshly on a string bean, hands clenching onto the fork for dear life. He decided to do a little temperature check to truly see how far gone you were.

“So what are we thinking for dessert pecan pie or crumble cake ?”, Harry questioned as he stuck his fork in his mouth, pulling it out again once all the gravy was licked clean. Your eyes finally met and you can tell that he was tossing the ball in your court, it was your job to show him how you wanted the game to be played.

“Mmm I don’t know I guess I’ll have some pecan pie but I really wish I had some pumpkin seeds”, you flatly said as you finished sipping your wine, maintaining full eye contact with him.

Pumpkin seeds. You and Harry were “outside of the box” thinkers, you had to be with his life as a celebrity not exactly pairing well with your shared sexual fantasies. You had code words to indicate to each other when you were craving the other one's touch, but you knew that using the same words around friends, family, and other public figures for too long would possibly cause some suspicion. So your code words changed with the seasons, literally. When the leaves started turning that classic golden yellow and auburn, your code words changed thus came the use of the word Pumpkin Seeds.

Gemma and your mom shared a glance, raising their eyebrows in collective confusion.

“Pumpkin seeds.. For dessert ?” Gemma finally burst out., both of your mothers soft laughter followed in the background.

“Heyyy” ,Harry pouted as he bopped Gemma on the nose with some gravy ,“ I have you know Pumpkin Seeds are one of our favorite midnight snacks”. 

“Gross“, Gemma stuck out her tongue and wiped her nose. You couldn't tell whether she was referring to the gravy on her nose, your choice of midnight snacks, Harry’s smug statement followed by a wink at you, or a combination of all three.

“Well we can be concerned with dessert once we break out the baby pictures, I’ve been dying to see the infamous skinny dipping picture (y/m/n) has been telling me about”. Anne clapped her hands together and hopped out of her seat heading to the kitchen. Your mother followed behind but not before instructing you to head up to the attic to retrieve the pictures. You glanced at Harry but he seemed occupied cleaning up the dinner plates with your dad. You let out a frustrated huff and made your way up to the attic to grab the photo albums. 

As you shuffled through old boxes holding Harry’s old tour outfits and your little knickknacks from your travels, you heard the attic door open.

“Pumpkin seeds huh?”, Harry lightly chuckled letting the attic door close and leaning against the door frame. 

You refused to make eye contact with him, continuing to shuffle through the bins locating a few photo albums as you went , “It was only a matter of time Harry and you know it. Our weekend got stolen and we haven’t... ya know in like two weeks. So, yes Harry I want some damn pumpkin seeds.”

You let out a huff. You didn’t mean to come off so sassy and aggressive but you were frustrated… sexually. Your cousin was getting more Harry time in the 3 hour family dinner than you had gotten in the past two weeks. You stacked the photo albums gently on top of each other and cradled them in your arms, finally turning to face your husband but you didn't have to look very far. Harry had closed that gap between the two of you, gripping your face and making you look up at him causing you to drop the albums in shock. 

“Well let’s get you your pumpkin seeds then”

That’s all it took and sparks turned into a flame, you and Harry’s bodies connected and a feverish makeout session broke out. You both were so hungry for each other after weeks of neglects and it just felt so damn good to finally connect. Harry’s wet kisses were making their way down your neck, nipping and sucking as he goes. You knew he was getting into it and normally you would be completely here for it if your kitchen wasn’t flooded with family members waiting to laugh at your baby pictures.

“Baby.. we��� fuckkkkk”, You moaned out as Harry popped one of your nipples out of his mouth before moving to nip on the next one. “Baby we can’t your mom is downstairs… we have to go”, you finally let out and glanced down at your husband as pinched your nipples between his finger tips. “When has that ever stopped us”, he slyly laughs. In one swift motion, he turned you around pulling your back into his chest pulling down your skirt. You couldn’t even get words of protest out, Harry had his hands wrapped around your neck and was already freeing himself from his pants and boxers. He pulled your panties to the side and let out a hiss as he watched a string of your arousal stretch from your dripping flower to his fingers.

“Baby please just do something”, you huffed out a soft moan as you waited in anticipation. The grip around your throat tightened as he entered you, both of you letting out a sigh of relief. Harry completely bottomed out inside of you, touching that special spot that only he could. Your walls clenched around him, holding him in snug almost as if your pussy was begging him not to leave. Normally the two you were very vocal during sex from dirty talk to his loud moans and your even louder cries of pleasure. However you both knew that wasn’t possible right now and kept your moans down as much as you could. Harry was not making it easy though and the noise coming from the two of your bodies colliding were basty in the best ways possible. With every thrust of Harry’s hip you could hear your wetness coating Harry dick and as Harry picked up the speed his balls roughly tapped on your clit, only adding to your pleasure. You could barely form thoughts let alone sentence, Harry was literally fucking you silly and using your G-Spot as punching bag for his dick, The sounds and the pleasure were clearly getting to Harry as well, the grip he had on your hips grew tighter and his eyes were squeezed shut. 

“Bloody fucking hell you’re so tight around me, can’t even take it”, he groans and throws his head back as he roughly draws your hips into his. It didn’t even feel like it was possible but Harry picked up the speed of his thrust continuing the assault on your poor needy pussy even further. The pleasure was all too much and that oh so familiar feeling hit the pit of your stomach and you were starting to lose your composure. Your moans were getting increasingly louder and your grip on Harry was growing tighter. Harry knew his wife and he knew your dam was getting closer and closer to breaking and he was determined to get you there. He placed a hand over your mouth and moved his other hands down to your clit rubbing it in slow circles. “ Look at you” he cooed cockily, “Taking me so fucking well like a good girl should. Barely let out a scream ‘cus you don’t want your parents to hear how much of a cock whore you are”. He knew you wouldn’t last long with the way he was talking to you and he was absolutely correct because his words were driving you insane. As the pressure was continued building up in your stomach, you felt the telling twitch in Harry’s dick that let you know he was approaching his end too.

“Gonna give me what I want uh? Gonna cum all over my cock and let me cum in that tight little pussy of yours. You gotta hold it in.. don’t want to leave any drops for our guest to find huh? Gonna be a good girl and hold all my cum in you?”, Harry grunted into your ear as you whimpered against his hands. You were seeing stars and feeling butterflies in the pit of your stomach and you knew it was only a matter of time before you both came undone.” Oh baby”, you whined and your head fell down as the pressure from your stomach finally was released as your orgasm spilled out all over Harry’s dick and thighs. The gushing feeling from your orgasm and your weak whimpers and cries drove Harry overboard, burying his face in your neck and his roughly groaning as he released inside of you. The two of you stayed connected for a bit, thighs stuck together thanks to your shared orgasm with Harry’s arm wrapped around your waist supporting both of your weights up as you composed yourselves. When he finally pulled out of you, you kept every drop he gave you tucked inside your tight walls just as promised. 

“So those Pumpkin Seeds huh”

[homeformyheart]

first choice (part 2) - noah harris x mc (mtfl)

author’s note: part 2 for “first choice.” there are mentions of characters from the freshman series (emily day, zig ortega, chris powell) – enjoy!

copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. moodboard created by me. series/pairing: my two first loves - noah harris x mc (emma price) rating/warnings: 18+; smut between the 🔥⚡ and ❄💧 icons word count: 4.9k based on/prompt: moodboard aesthetic / prom theme inspired by the royal masquerade choices book. summary: emma and noah’s relationship continues to blossom and hit a few major milestones as they finish out their senior year of high school.

read part 1 if you haven’t. read the follow-up fic, the perfect gift if you’d like.

first choice (part 2)

2 weeks later

emma blew on her gloved hands to try to warm them up. she was wearing at least three layers, a scarf, boots, and she still felt the freezing cold in her bones. noah looked over at his shivering girlfriend and chuckled, putting his arm around her and rubbing her shoulders.

“how are you not cold?” emma whined, turning her body toward him to get as close to his body heat as possible.

“i’m always warm and it’s technically above freezing,” noah said, bending down to kiss her forehead.

berry high and eastridge had a partnership with a local community program that helped coordinate and fund group college visits. emma had volunteered to help coordinate schedules across schools. it took a little bit of convincing, and promising a lot of kisses, but noah agreed to come on the trip. even though the NAUA scholarship didn’t pan out, emma was hoping that hartfeld’s second chance scholarship might still be an option for him.

“we’ll take a 15-minute break everyone, feel free to grab some coffee!” the tour guide announced as they approached the campus coffee shop.

“oh, thank god!” emma muttered, half-dragging noah with her as she raced to stand in line.

“hot chocolate or coffee?” noah asked, wrapping his arms around her waist once they got in line.

they approached the front as emma still debated her order. “vanilla latte, please!” she said, kissing him on the cheek before going to find a table.

she sat down next to the red-headed tour guide. “hey emily, how easy is it to find flexible part-time jobs on campus? my boyfriend’s a little worried about balancing everything.”

emily smiled. “first of all, you guys are such a cute couple. second, it’s pretty easy to find a job on campus or close to campus. but how to balance it all might be a better question for my boyfriend, zig, who took a full course load while playing football and working to support his family. i’ll see if he can take his break now.”

emily walked to the counter as noah came back with their drinks. emma accepted the warm mug gratefully and sighed as the latte warmed her cold fingers. noah slid in next to her on the couch, putting an arm around her shoulders.

the tall, tanned brunette barista sauntered over with emily, who quickly introduced everyone. emma shook zig’s hand and was surprised that he and noah went in for a fist bump.

“have you guys met?” emily asked, also seeming surprised.

zig nodded. “i helped prep noah for his interview with dean stafford for the second chance scholarship.”

emma’s eyes widened with recognition. “oh, you’re the one chris mentioned when i spoke to him about the scholarship!”

“chris powell? yeah, he’s one of our best friends and team captain. he showed me your film, noah, and we made sure to pass it on to coach with our recommendations. it was a no brainer, especially hearing about your story from emma,” zig said warmly as emily cuddled in close to his side.

emma tensed and looked down. a couple of weeks ago, the hartfeld football coach reached out to noah “out of the blue” and recommended he apply to hartfeld formally. that noah would be a top candidate for the second chance scholarship, so long as he was willing to play football for hartfeld and kept his grades up. the captain of the team then reached out and walked noah through the application process and connected him with zig to prep for the interviews, which not-so-coincidentally aligned with the trip’s scheduled visit to hartfeld. of course, all of that happened after emma found chris’ contact information on the scholarship website and spoke to him about noah.

zig kept talking about how the scholarship changed his life and made it so he could finally pursue the college education he wanted and was able to put the stigma of his past behind him. noah asked zig if he could have a moment alone with him. emma bit her lip nervously as she walked away with emily to give them some privacy.

“is everything okay?” emily asked.

“um, well, he may or may not be mad at me for going behind his back and submitting his football film to chris. i came across the second chance scholarship during my research and thought it would be perfect for noah. i didn’t tell him about it because i didn’t want to get his hopes up,” emma said quickly, a knot of anxiety forming in her stomach.

“well, it sounds to me like he’s very lucky to have someone in his life who cares so much about him and his future. zig and chris also wouldn’t be here if someone didn’t give them a second chance. it inspired chris to create the scholarship, and i really hope things work out for you guys,” emily said reassuringly as zig and noah fist bumped. she walked over to give zig a kiss and emma watched apprehensively as noah approached her, his face thoughtful.

“i’m sorry for going behind your back, babe. you were just so upset about losing the NAUA scholarship, i didn’t want to get your hopes up but i did a lot of research and thought the second chance scholarship would be perfect, since it covers tuition, room and board, and books, with football and boxing fulfilling the activity requirement, so any extra money you make can be sent to your mom. i had to convince ava to help me sneak into the A/V office, and i owe michael a big favor since he put the highlight reel together quickly to make the deadline, so i didn’t have time to explain, and…” emma blurted out. “are you mad?”

noah gave her such a tender look that the tension in her body disappeared. “how could i be mad at my gorgeous, selfless girlfriend who found a way that i could go to college while dealing with her own applications? but i don’t like that you felt as though you needed to keep this a secret. i want us to be a team, okay?”

emma tilted her head up and leaned in to give him a soft kiss. “okay. and i couldn’t just not help you. i care about you, babe. you mean a lot to me.”

noah lowered his head until his forehead was touching hers and closed his eyes. “what did i do to deserve you?”

she laughed. “you chose me, remember?”

“and you chose me,” noah said softly, leaving a kiss on her nose and lacing his fingers with hers as they left the coffee shop to rejoin the tour.

4 weeks later

emma was in front of her house at 7am, waiting for mason. she had texted him a few days ago asking if she could join him for a run. she was pleasantly surprised when he replied but she still wasn’t sure what to expect. she looked carefully at mason’s face as he jogged up to her house, trying to gauge his mood. he gave her a nod and she fell into place jogging beside him. when they finally reached the park and took a break, emma turned to face mason.

“thanks for hanging out with me again, i’ve missed you,” she said, her voice hopeful.

mason gave her a longing look before a small smile appeared on his face. “i’ve missed you too, em. i wish things could go back to normal with us, but i don’t think my feelings for you are going to go away anytime soon. and it hurts to think about you with noah.”

“i felt the same when you were with ava and i’m sorry if i hurt you. mason, you’ll always have a special place in my heart but i also really want my best friend back. i think we just maybe outgrew the old way we used to be friends with all the changes that happened this year, and with us going to different colleges and experiencing different things, maybe we just need to find a new way to be there for each other,” emma said slowly. she had given this a lot of thought over the last couple of months.

mason nodded thoughtfully, seeming to agree. “yeah, maybe we can talk over a milkshake?”

they spent the rest of the morning sharing a malted peanut butter milkshake and catching up on everything and anything. as the sun rose high in the sky, they decided to order food and continue talking like they used to, and emma was hopeful that they would be able to keep finding moments like this to reconnect even when school and life kept them miles apart.

* * * * * emma kept hitting the refresh button on her phone mail app for the results of the photo contest she was expecting to hear about. she was sitting in the park with noah, who was attempting to study for midterms but kept looking over at emma with amusement.

“staring at your phone isn’t going to make the results appear magically,” he teased.

emma put her phone down and sighed. “i know, i’m just really anxious.”

“come here,” noah said, putting his book aside and pulling emma on to his lap. he wrapped one arm around her waist and used the other to draw her face closer to his. he left a line of kisses starting at her neck, working his way across her jaw, and up to her cheek. emma closed her eyes, tilting her chin toward noah so their lips could meet in a sweet kiss. she brought a hand up to the back of his neck and shifted so she could deepen the kiss when she heard the ping! from her phone. she quickly climbed off noah’s lap to grab her phone and read the new email that had arrived.

“oh my god, i won! i can’t believe it!” emma shoved her phone in front of her boyfriend’s face, who quickly scanned the congratulatory email and broke out into a wide grin.

he stood up, pulling emma up with him so he could wrap his arms around her and swing her around. “congratulations, babe. i knew you could do it! remember what i said when we picked that one?” noah asked, setting her back down on the ground and peppering her face with kisses.

after an hour of reading her write-ups for both photo options and looking at each photo carefully, noah grabbed the first one and handed it back to emma. “you should use this one. your write-up definitely brings the viewer into the moment and make it seem like so much more happened than the moment itself. and personally, it means the most to me since i was thinking of you when i scored that touchdown. i was so happy you were finally mine, the adrenaline made me feel like i could do anything,” he said, smiling fondly.

“how could i forget? i made sure to include it in my college applications because of that,” emma said, smiling.

6 weeks later

emma smoothed out the invisible wrinkles in her navy fit-and-flare dress outside of the neighborhood restaurant noah first took her to when he asked her to homecoming. it quickly became a fixture for them as a date night spot, but tonight was going to be the first time she met his mom and sister. to say she was nervous was a huge understatement.

noah took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “there’s no need to be nervous, i promise,” he said gently, giving her a kiss on the cheek before leading her toward a booth in the back of the restaurant.

emma waved shyly as they approached the booth. “hi, mrs. harris; hazel. it’s really nice to meet you,” she greeted tentatively. she was surprised when mrs. harris stepped out of the booth and wrapped her up in a big hug.

“it’s so good to finally meet you, dear. i’m so glad you could join us to celebrate!”

the rest of the evening was pleasant as they recounted how noah got selected for the second chance scholarship. emma and noah held hands under the table throughout dinner, giving each other side glances and small smiles when they thought his family wouldn’t notice. noah looked pointedly in the other direction when they started sharing embarrassing childhood stories, and emma just laughed along until the conversation eventually transitioned to emma’s future.

“so, emma, what are your college plans?” mrs. harris asked.

she saw noah shift in his seat and avoid her gaze. she hadn’t made any decisions yet but they also hadn’t really talked about their relationship long-term.

“um, well, i plan on focusing on fine arts so i’m deciding between the california institute of design and columbia university in new york,” she replied quietly.

mrs. harris clapped her hands. “oh my, those sound prestigious! i’m sure your family would want you to stay close.”

emma smiled half-heartedly and nodded. “yeah, california would be much closer to home.” but on the complete opposite side of the country from hartfeld, she thought glumly to herself.

dinner wrapped up shortly and after saying goodbye and promising to have dinner with them again soon, emma sat quietly in the drivers’ seat of her used SUV. her dad finally caved and bought her a car as an 18th birthday and congratulatory present after her acceptances came in. it was a safe, reliable car, perfect for the eventual long drives to and from college but emma was just glad to finally have a car of her own. emma looked over at noah with a twinge of sadness as she drove silently back to his house, stopping a couple blocks away so they could have some privacy.

“we should probably talk about what’s next for us, right?” she asked hesitantly.

noah shrugged. “we still have time before you have to decide. but honestly emma, i want you to make the decision that’s best for you. promise me you won’t factor me or our relationship into your decision.”

emma looked helplessly at how the moonlight seemed to sharpen the contours of noah’s face in the most romantic way; his eyes shining sincerely with every word he said. how could this kind, sensitive, gorgeous guy not factor into her decision? she sighed and nodded, “i’ll try.”

🔥⚡🔥⚡

he gave her a sympathetic but understanding look before taking off his seatbelt and reaching toward her. emma obliged, turning the engine off and climbing over the center console to straddle his lap. noah lowered his seat back, wrapping one arm around emma’s waist and the other around her neck, bringing her in for a kiss. emma sighed contentedly at the soft, sweet kisses that quickly grew heated. she ground her hips into his, trying to get her body as close to his as possible, as her hands tangled themselves in his hair. she moaned as he started kissing down her neck to suck gently on the soft patch of skin near her collarbone, one hand moving to palm her breast and the other trailing up the inside of her thigh.

they had agreed over winter break to go slow and that sex would be off the table for now, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t still have fun. emma was starting to get addicted to his touch and wanted to speed up her readiness for him even though logically she knew they needed to take their time; noah had more experience from his time in juvie but understood more than she did that he needed to go slow with her. they ended up meeting somewhere in the middle. emma let out a soft hiss as his fingers started stroking the fabric of her underwear and she ached to feel him inside. he pulled back to look in her eyes for permission and when she nodded, her lips swollen and eyes lidded, his finger dove underneath the fabric.

she could sense the smirk on noah’s face before it appeared as her hips started grinding against his fingers of their own accord and crashed her lips into his. he quickly added a second finger and emma moaned against his mouth; she wanted more. as his fingers continued their steady strokes, she unzipped his jeans as fast as she could, cupping him in her hands through the fabric of his underwear before diving her hand beneath his waistband. she felt him stiffen even more once she freed his cock from his pants and started stroking him; knowing that she caused this reaction sent a thrill down her spine.

“noah, please, i need more,” emma whimpered, rocking hard against his hand while trying to match him stroke for stroke.

“since you asked so nicely,” he murmured against her lips, pressing his thumb down on her clit and moving it in slow circles while maintaining his finger ministrations.

emma buried her face in his neck as she felt the pressure build below her hips; her body felt like it was on fire and she came apart shortly after, biting down gently on the patch of skin that connected noah’s neck to his shoulder to keep herself from screaming. panting slightly, she pulled back to look at him as he brought his fingers to his lips and began licking them. emma picked up the pace of her strokes and gave him a mischievous grin, leaning forward to capture one of his fingers in her mouth, tasting herself. noah’s eyes widened with surprise and she felt his cock twitch underneath her hand as she swirled her tongue around his finger. she moved back to lower her head to his cock.

he tried to pull her back up. “you don’t have to do that—” but she waved him off.

“just tell me what you want,” she winked, continuing her strokes as she started licking him playfully.

noah’s hips rose slightly. “you’re not going to have to do much, i’m close, babe. just keep doing— that, yes, god!” true to his word, after a few measured tongue swirls in sync with her hand strokes, emma felt noah clench and release but not without moaning her name. she swallowed as much as she could and grabbed a tissue from the center console to clean up the rest, grinning wickedly at noah.

“you are definitely full of surprises,” he murmured, bringing her up so he could give her a kiss.

❄💧❄💧

8 weeks later

emma stood in front of the refreshments table, trying to avoid constantly looking over to see if anyone was looking at her photos. but of course, she couldn’t help it and was glancing over every 15 seconds. she stopped when a pair of large, warm hands covered her eyes.

“guess who?”

she squealed and turned around to wrap her arms around noah’s neck. he had to take a step back to keep from falling over, and let his arms wrap naturally around her back. he leaned down to give her a quick kiss before she pulled away.

“thanks for coming, babe. let me walk you through it,” she said excitedly, grabbing his hand and whirling around quickly to lead him toward the wall where her photographs were on display at berry high’s end-of-year art show.

noah smiled and listened attentively as emma explained the themes she was going for and why she chose each photo and placed it where she did. he glanced over at the photos as she was explaining, but he cared more about observing the way her eyes lit up as she talked about something particularly moving, the way she tapped her chin when she was gathering her thoughts, or when a light pink blush appeared on her cheeks when she glanced over and caught him looking at her.

it wasn’t long before her family, ava, mason, and berry high friends arrived and she moved to greet them, giving them a similar rundown of her photos. noah took a couple steps back to observe the photos from a distance; he wasn’t that into art but could tell that emma had a real talent. of course, someone might say he was biased since her award-winning photo, which happened to feature him, was front-and-center.

“hey noah, how’s it going?” noah turned to his right to find mason standing next to him, looking up at emma’s photos.

“jennings. i’m good.” he really wasn’t one for small talk. “i’m glad you made it; emma’s been looking forward to seeing your reaction since you’ve always supported her photography hobby.”

mason turned to him, eyebrow raised. “thanks, i appreciate that. she used to always carry her mom’s camera with her everywhere.” he paused and noah, who always found a way to extract himself from conversations when the predictable lull approached, took a sip of his drink.

“i know we’ve had our differences but i just wanted to thank you for being there for emma. she means a lot to me, and she seems happy with you. just don’t hurt her,” mason said, putting a hand on noah’s shoulder as he turned away.

noah held mason’s gaze for a brief moment and nodded. mason gave him a nod in return and walked away. noah wasn’t sure if they would ever be friends, but he knew mason was always going to be in emma’s life, and at least now the two of them had an understanding.

the crowd was starting to thin out as the evening wore on, and soon it was just him and emma. he put an arm around her waist and brought her closer. “i’m really proud of you. your photos are amazing,” he said, leaning down to give her a soft kiss on the forehead. emma felt herself flush from the compliment.

“wait, i have one more thing i want to show you,” she ducked below the refreshments table to pull out a horizontal picture frame. she tucked it behind her back. “turn around and close your eyes!”

noah chuckled but obeyed; even though he was tempted to peek, he preferred seeing emma’s eager expression when she was waiting for his reaction to something. “okay, you can open them now!”

where her photos were before now hung a series of five photos, individually framed, but connected in a large horizontal design. noah stepped closer to look at the photos, there was the goofy one of them from homecoming, the selfie they took under the stars after emma agreed to be his girlfriend, and a few others. he looked over at emma, who looked giddy, prompting his eyebrow to quirk up in interest.

emma leaned forward to flip a switch hidden on the side. it was then that noah noticed a cord from the frame that was plugged in to the outlet below. when he looked back up, a soft light came from each individual photo, lighting up the letters P R O M ? in script.

noah stood there with his jaw open slightly, stunned. “wha-? aren’t i supposed to ask you to prom?”

emma shifted her weight nervously. “well, i wasn’t sure if you wanted to go to eastridge prom and since i’m at berry high, i figured i should do the asking. and i wanted to surprise you since, you know…” she trailed off and noah raised his eyebrow at her expectantly. emma blushed and looked down at her feet. “you said before that you liked that i could surprise you. i just want to make sure i keep you interested.”

he wrapped his arms around her to pull her in for a kiss. “you just keep being you, there’s plenty to like.”

“wait, is that a yes?” emma pulled back to look up at him.

noah just chuckled. “like i could ever say no to you.”

* * * * * emma couldn’t have imagined a more magical night, as stereotypical and cliché as that sounded. berry high had outdone itself with their prom theme, “the royal masquerade,” and the sparkly gold and silver décor. she couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she took in the balloon archway and the gold and silver painted vase centerpieces filled with red and yellow roses on each table. masks and crowns surrounded the vases, along with disposable cameras and costume jewelry, easily serving double duty as décor and photo props.

she turned her head to look at her absolutely handsome boyfriend. he wore a fitted black suit and bowtie with a boutonniere that matched the deep red of her dress and corsage. even though they had coordinated their outfits, she was still stunned when he came to pick her up. she had forgotten how good he looked in a suit. she kept sneaking glances at his profile the entire ride over (he drove them in her car after she made it clear she was not going to ruin her hair and makeup by riding on his motorcycle to prom), wondering how she got so lucky with noah.

“you’ve been staring at me all night, you okay?” he asked, holding out his arm for her as they stepped through the doors of the ballroom.

emma looped her hand in the crook of his elbow, hoping he didn’t notice how she lingered on his bicep. “you just look so handsome tonight,” she said, sighing happily.

noah smirked. “i think you’re the one who steals the show. you are absolutely gorgeous tonight, baby. dance with me?” he grabbed her hand and extended his arm, inviting her to twirl under it. emma giggled as she let him spin her around, the long skirt of her dress billowing out elegantly, before he put his arm around her waist and led her to the dance floor.

after taking their prom photos, dancing with her berry high friends, and enjoying the evening overall, noah quietly led emma toward one of the ballroom balconies. they stepped outside and let the night breeze cool them down.

“did you want to take a break?” emma asked, feeling grateful that she could lean against the railing and take some of the pressure off her stilettos.

noah didn’t answer but just looked at her softly as he rested his arms on the railing on either side of her, enveloping her in his arms. “i just wanted a little bit of quiet to admire my amazing girlfriend. i can’t believe we’ve been together six months already. it seems like not that long ago that we were dancing at homecoming.”

emma felt herself blush. “you are being really romantic tonight, you know that?” she said softly, placing her hand on his cheek and gently stroking it with her thumb. noah leaned down until their foreheads touched and emma felt an overwhelming warmth bloom from her heart and spread across her chest. in that moment, wrapped up in the tender way noah was holding her, she couldn’t help but feel safe and loved. she knew her feelings had progressed for a while now but wasn’t sure if she should wait for noah to say it first. her heart told her that she needed to seize this moment.

“i love you.”

noah’s eyes widened slightly. did she just say—? he blinked a couple times before a wide grin broke out on his face, his eyes lighting up with happiness. “you mean it?” emma nodded, smiling shyly. “i love you too. i’ve wanted to say it for a while now but you beat me to it,” he said, cupping her face in his hands and leaning down to give her a deep, loving kiss.

emma beamed and knew she was never going to forget this night for the rest of her life.

* * * * * summer came and went, filled with graduations (lots of tears all around as noah walked across the stage, with mrs. harris squeezing emma’s hand tightly) and grad parties, working part-time to have spending money for college, registering for classes, and planning out the road trip to school. but emma’s favorite part of the summer was how she finally got to spend it hanging out with ava at the mall like old times, reminiscing with mason at his treehouse or at the beach, helping mack find ways to express her art more productively, and going on lots of dates with noah. despite the memories she made that more than made up for missing out last summer, emma was ready to step forward into her future.

noah secured his motorcycle to the tow dolly attached to the back of emma’s car as she crammed in another box in the backseat. “that’s the last box, right?”

emma nodded, glad her dad got her a car that was big enough for both of their stuff but small enough that she shouldn’t have issues finding parking in the city. she watched as noah went back into the house to say his goodbyes and sent her dad a quick text update that they were getting on the road. their goodbye earlier that morning had been brief; he wasn’t thrilled that she was driving cross-country with noah, but agreed to trust her as long as she sent him updates every couple of hours and called him once she arrived at their scheduled stops.

she climbed into the car and put on her seatbelt, waving goodbye to noah’s mom who was waiting in the doorway. noah gave his mom a kiss on the cheek and climbed into the passenger seat. emma turned the key in the ignition and looked over at noah. “ready?”

“wait, not yet.” he leaned over and cupped her face in his hands before giving her a long, deep kiss. “i love you. now i’m ready.”

emma rolled her eyes but couldn’t keep the grin off her face. “i love you, too.”

she carefully pulled the car out of the driveway, following her phone’s gps toward the highway. she couldn’t help but glance over at noah’s profile next to her, wondering how she got so lucky. noah held out his hand and emma laced her fingers with his over the center console. he pulled their intertwined hands together to leave a soft kiss on the back of her hand, and when he looked back up at her, he was beaming. emma felt a feeling of gratitude and love swell within her for this wonderful man who chose her first.

* * * * * mentions: @khoicesbyk; @nyastarlight; @chetachisblog​; @robintora​;​ @shows-simp-card​; @brycesgirl​;

[emergenciesstory]

Fight Night

 Pairing: Fem!Reader x Boxer!Steve

Words:1880

Boxing AU. Sequel to Fight for you - but can be read as a one-shot (as can most of my work). For @star-spangled-bingo square “Free Space”. 

Summary: Y/n was a boxer for “The Gym” who is returning for a charity match. Coming back is like coming home, but what will happen when she is selected to go against her boyfriend- “The Captain”?

A/n: With everything going on (Pandemic)- I’ve struggled to keep up with the challenge and work and just life in general. But! I found some time and a need to destress and here we are! Hope you enjoy. Also- I try and write as inclusive as possible, but I’m female, and I picture myself, so i’m sorry. And I’m not a boxer, I just likes this AU so again- Sorry. 

   “Tonight’s line up is a special treat for fans new and old!” The reporter said, a smile on her face. She was standing in front of “The Gym” you had found as your second home. You finished packing your workout bag , listening in.

    “Trainer Tony Stark, formerly known as the boxer, Iron Man, has announced tonight to be the Charity match- bringing home boxers who have gone far, and some who have formerly announced retirement. Tonight's line-up includes Black Widow v. The Captain, The Soldier v. Former Partner and returning Vet. Little Minx, and lastly, The formerly retired War Machine v.  Honorary guest: The Falcon. We’ve been promised two fan based match off’s of the previously mentioned fighters and one surprise match!”

    You smirked, your phone going off in the group chat, Wanda reminding everyone of the line up. You replied letting them know you were heading over soon, cutting off the TV in your apartment and pulling a hoodie over your head. 

    The chat blew up, the guys talking beef as you all ventured from different areas. As you approached the gym, you found The Falcon standing outside, phone in hand.

    “Hey, Sam, Right?” You smiled, holding your hand out.

    “Little Minx- Pleasure.” He shook your hand. “Any Idea how to get into this place?”

    “Y/n, please. We’re friends here. And You’d want the side door- Tony often forgets guests come in the main entrance on fight night. Follow me.”

    “Thanks. You know, this is great, the Charity fights are something I’ve tried to bring to my old box but they wouldn’t hear it.”

    “Maybe you should come here then. Tones likes to give back to the community- we do all sorts of things around here.” you slipped your badge on the door lock, hearing the click and holding the door open. “Welcome to the Fightbox.”

    Sam smiled, slipping into the members only areas you were so familiar with. You remembered what the visiting fighters room was, a smaller training room used for classes or storage. Sam seemed out of his element- still as a statue but not saying much. A laugh escaped your lips.

    “Don’t worry, I’ll give you the grand tour. Through here is the locker room- pick any along the wall for your things for the night.” You dropped your things in your old locker on the corner, grabbing the magnets on the side of the entry door with your name and a write on one. Placing your magnet on your locker, you Wrote “Falcon” on the other and handed it to Sam.

    “For your door, so no one accidently goes to use it.” You leaned on the one beside his, wrapping your hands. “Through that hall is the hold- similar to the one you came through last time you fought here. And if you go through the door to the left, it’s the viewing box.” 

    Sam was quiet for a minute, taking in all the information. “The viewing box? Sorry, my ring is smaller than here. They were, to say the least, money crazed. We just had a locker room.”

    “You used to fight at Brock’s, didn’t you?” you asked, smiling. Sam nodded. “Great fighter, bad guy. No biggy- I’ll show you. Tony listens to what we want, and tries to make it happen. This gym- it was our way to give back to the community here. It brings a lot of business.”

    “Is that why it’s on the bad side of town?” Sam mocked, following you into the viewing box.

    “Sort of. This was just where we had the space. Viewing box- you can see everything, but they can’t see you. Soundproof too. A place to watch but also get away from the fight if you need the headspace.” You stepped out on the balcony, even with the ring floor. Wanda and Pietro were setting the brackets and prepping the ring- both waving when they saw you.

    “We’re all family here. Everyone does their part. Everyone preps, cleans, and has a say in the fights.” You said, smiling at Sam. “And everyone is open to having a new family member.”

    “Depending on how tonight goes, perhaps I’ll talk to Tony about it.” Sam smiled, jogging over to help Wanda set one of the higher brackets she couldn't reach. You smiled, moving over to the visitors hold to set up the pre-fight workouts for everyone to warm up.

____________

The thing about Charity matches was that they were more relaxed than normal matches. The stadium was packed, food trucks stationed around the building to drum up business- as the concessions were closed inside to encourage this, but the oddest part of all, before your match, everyone went out and talked to the news station who covered all your matches. That’s where you found yourself now. 

    “This is MJ, coming at you live from The Gym, the location for tonight's Charity match! All of the profits from tonight's match are going right back into the community, and some directly as seen by the vendors here behind me. I’m currently joined by boxer Bucky Barnes, The Soldier, and his former fighting partner Y/n y/l/n, Known as Little Minx! How are you guys tonight?”

    “We are so excited to be able to pull something this big off. Being the last fight before the Three special matches- it’s really touching to end tonight the way this Gym began.” Bucky said, throwing his arm around your shoulders.

    “That is correct, Ladies and Gentlemen. Little Minx and The Soldier were the first to fight on this location- the grand opening of Tony Starks dream.” MJ said with a smile. “Y/n, last time we spoke- you told us you were looking toward the future, a possible family. How are things going with you?”

    “Well, MJ, I’m so happy to be able to cheer on all the fighters for the past six months since then. When Tony asked me to come back to fight tonight, I was thrilled. These guys, my team, we are a family, and it’s always growing. Steve and I are happy as ever, and I’m so thankful to this Gym for bringing us together.”

    Your’s and Bucky's pagers dinged- a sign your fight would be coming up shortly. 

    “Well, I’m so glad we got to speak- and will look forward to talking after tonight's fight. Any last words before the fight?”

    “I’m excited to get back in the ring with this girl- She’s in for a hellava fight.” Bucky laughed, pulling both you and MJ into a hug.

    “He’s going down.” You laughed, pulling Bucky behind you. “Mark my words.”

__________________________

    You stood in the ring with all the nights fighters, One last special surprise fight to go. The fans had pitted Nat and Bucky, followed by Sam and Bucky. You all stood around Tony, who held the microphone in hand. MJ’s crew was filming these last fights in the viewing balcony, and Tony played to the Camera.

    “Before we end the night with one last match, I wanted to say how happy I am for tonight's success! I’m so glad we can bring you all together here in town, and give back to the people who make this town worth being in.” Applause, hoots, and hollers filled the stadium. 

“We are so fortunate to have fighters willing to come back after retirement to give back,” Tony gestured to you and Rhodes, “and I’m excited to announce that The Falcon will be joining the Family here at The Gym.” You laughed and hugged Sam quickly, knowing he’d fit in great.

“We have one last fight for you all tonight, and I’m sure it will be quite the treat.” A drumroll of stomping feet grew in intensity. “Tonight, for the first time ever, officially that is, Little Minx v. The Captain!” 

You rolled your eyes teasingly as everyone cleared the ring but you, Tony, and Steve. You shook hands with Steve mockingly, but he pulled you in planting a kiss on your lips. The crowd cheered as you swatted him away.

    “The Captain is starting mind games already!” Tony sassed as you both went to your corners to Glove up. Bucky was coaching you, while Nat and Sam were in the other corner talking to Steve. Tony continued to talk to give you both a minute, but it was buzzing. Your adrenaline picked up as Bucky placed your guard in your mouth, hitting your gloves in your old patterns.

    “Make him regret challenging you.” Buck smirked, jumping down off the side of the ring. You turned, seeing Steve’s face shift into game mode. You met in the middle, tapping your gloves together, took two paces away, and the bell rang- round one.

    The two of you danced around, landing some punches. The bell rang, sending you to your corners. 

    “Practice Rep #4.” Bucky said softly. “He doesn’t know that one.” 

“The one with the kickflip?” You asked, mentally thinking.

“The reverse kickflip. You’ll throw him off.” You nodded, putting your mouth guard back in and stepping up. Steve was smirking, and you watched his movements on his feet. Left, Left, Punch, Right, Punch, Left. Repeat.  He did this twice before doing the opposite and then back to it. You counted it out, landing a couple hits. On his second switch, you flipped back, sliding down into a sweeping crouch to knock his legs out as you came around. The crowd roar was deafening- your signature move from long ago, but as you turned back to the middle of the ring, Steve was crouching away from you, holding his Jaw, gloves discarded. The bell rang out three times- signaling an interruption for possible injury. 

“Stevie?” You said, quickly moving towards him, ripping off your gloves. You tried to process if your foot had hit his jaw, it shouldn’t have, placing your hand on his back. “Are you okay? Did I-” Words caught in your throat as you moved in front of him, a coy smile on his face, no mark in sight.

“Little Minx,” Steve said, taking your hands. His voice was amplified across the Gym, throwing you off slightly. “I have loved you since I first saw you kick Bucky’s ass here on this ring. I knew I had to have you, and after months of trying to ask you out, you asked me out to Tacos after a match. I fell in love with you more and more each day.”

Your eyes were tearing up as you listened to Steve talk. 

“This is where we began, and it wasn’t a coincidence we would end the night in a fight. I just wanted to start a new chapter in the same place the first one began.” Steve reached behind him, pulling a ring out of what looked like thin air. 

“So, Y/n, Will you marry me?” Words escaped you as you nodded your head, sinking to your knees before him. Steve undid the wrap on your left hand, slipping the silicone ring onto your hand. He pulled you in for a kiss as all your teammates joined you in the ring, applauding. “Don’t worry, the real one is in your locker.” He sassed, holding you.

“I love you, Steven Rogers.”

“I Love you, Y/n Y/l/n.”

[eponymous-rose]

Best-Laid Plans...

We had a great arc-ending session last night, so I thought this might be a fun chance to share how I prep as a DM... and how things inevitably changed in the game itself!

(If you’re one of my players stumbling onto this, hi, and also thank you again for the amazing scotch. Please let me know you’ve found this account so I can be careful about what I give away in these posts in the future!)

Basically, the entire goofy premise of this arc was, “Hey, so bards have access to the spell Modify Memory. With carefully targeted concerts, a boy band could secretly be changing the fate of nations.”

This campaign’s set (mostly for my convenience in early-game worldbuilding) in CR’s Tal’Dorei campaign setting, during the year gap that happened toward the end of their first campaign. The party started in Kymal, since it was a good-sized city in the middle of everything that hadn’t really been explored too much in the show.

As the campaign begins, the monster-hunting guild from the show, the Slayers’ Take, are expanding their operation into Tal’Dorei’s Dividing Plains (in large part because Vanessa wanted to get Lyra out of Vasselheim for a while), and their first round of advertising for potential new recruits has pulled in a pretty good crowd. Under Lyra’s eccentric delegation, the players get grouped together for a job that involves checking out the mysterious disappearance of a bookish elf in town, under the assumption that some monstrous beastie has devoured him, and that beastie should probably be hunted. Instead, they find a lot of deep-dive research into the Feywild, along with a weird portal in his basement that takes them to a strange pocket plane where they fight some sentient plants and talk to an extremely creepy entity that offers them protection from scrying eyes in exchange for an ill-defined favor.

After getting jumped by a group of kobolds (one of whom they sort of accidentally befriend via cookie-related bribes and implications that they may be some sort of deity), the group decides that avoiding whatever’s trying to take them out is a good call. They head back to report a modified version of their findings to Lyra... and find her standing over the corpses of all the other Slayer's Take hopefuls, badly shaken and completely baffled as to why she'd do such a thing. They opt to hang out and wait for the authorities to take her into custody, which results in a bit of confusion and a night spent in jail with their kobold pal.

The city watch eventually opts to let them go, but offer the party a job joining their security detail for the city's charismatic but not-terribly-effectual margrave as he does a meet-and-greet tour of the local casinos. The group agrees to meet at the margrave's mansion that evening to help out... and they promptly spend the day smuggling illegal materials across the city wall for a friendly local tavern owner. As you do.

The meet-and-greet is fairly uneventful until the margrave enters one of the largest casinos in town (the two largest are, of course, fronts run by the Clasp and the Myriad crime organizations, respectively), at which point the party's recollection of events starts to diverge. The druid and the fighter see mysterious black-robed figures attacking from an upper balcony of the building, and are about to chase after them... when the other two members of their party suddenly collapse, unconscious and bleeding. The sorcerer and the ranger saw something very different. After succeeding at a wisdom saving throw that the others failed (the results of which were kept secret from the rest of the party), they managed to shake off the effects of a Modify Memory spell and see what really happened: a single black-robed figure stalking up to the margrave and shooting him in the head with a crossbow. They attempt to engage the attacker and are quickly cut down by the attacker's allies.

In the chaos, the party are joined by one surviving hopeful of that first night at the Slayer's Take, who'd disappeared before the carnage started: a human woman named Zo, who manages to smuggle them out through a passage underneath the casino. Once the injured party members are patched up, she reveals that she's a Spireling working for the Clasp. She's very careful to dance around most of the group's questions, and is very curious as to how they survived the attack on the Slayers' Take, which the group manages to avoid answering as well. It's all very tense, but eventually Zo strongly requests that they venture into the nearby mountains to find a powerful and ancient creature that once pledged its aid to the Clasp. When they hesitate, she casually threatens their families. Thieves' guilds, man. Often helpful, but definitely not nice. She smuggles them out of town through the Clasp's web of sewers and tunnels.

The group does a little meandering outside the city, makes some friends, has a good old-fashioned dungeon crawl, helps patch things up a bit between a devil and a deva (the most awkward of ex-girlfriends)... and everyone occasionally gets pulled into the Feywild for tests and trials, apparently being administered by an underling (a deeply sarcastic satyr woman who delights in her surreal brand of middle management) of the same entity that contacted them way back at the beginning. There's a lot of near-death experiences, an attempt at befriending a blink dog, and everyone winds up assigned a particular symbol. It's all very mysterious, but the party's getting stronger as a result.

Eventually, the group finds the Clasp's protector, a bronze dragon, killed with a dire warning written in its blood on the wall behind it.

They very nearly decide to make a run for it, but after some deliberation, they instead sneak back into Kymal to find that things are... pretty much normal, for the most part. According to the inhabitants of the city, the margrave's fine and dandy after the assassination "attempt". The party tries to head back to chat with their pal the tavern owner, but find his tavern abandoned and in the middle of being robbed... by a group including their old kobold buddy. The kobold cheerfully switches allegiances to their side (the fighter has a bag of infinite cookies), helps them chase off the robbers, and introduces them to a fastidious street-cleaner friend who witnessed a body being removed from the casino during the assassination "attempt".

The party finally decides to go poking around the margrave's mansion, where they run into their tavern-owner friend who seems to be doing the same thing. He admits that his relationship with the Clasp may be a little more friendly than he first implied, and says he's sniffing around on Zo's orders. He's startled when an ordinary-looking toolshed appears, covered in chains. The party realizes that the fighter's symbol from their Feywild excursion is a link of chains, and as soon as he touches the chains, they vanish.

The party, plus the tavern owner (a gold dragonborn monk from Marquet named Orshi), wind up in a strange sequence of puzzle rooms running under the margrave's mansion that generally require them to leverage the symbols they were given in the Feywild to solve - for instance, the solution to one puzzle can only be written in a book by the druid (whose symbol was a feather) using a feather quill, and the ranger (whose symbol was an eye) is the only one who can see the correct path through a maze.

And right in the middle of all those puzzles is where we left off!

So here's my preparation: 

I had a set of things that needed to happen in this session:

Finish up the puzzles with something that leveraged the symbol of a glowing star.

Reveal that the Fantasy Backstreet Boys (mentioned in passing at least once per session as passing through Kymal on tour) are an illusion created by a powerful group of magic-users to get them access to (and the ability to modify the memories of and/or get away with assassinating) important figures in towns across the Dividing Plains and beyond.

Answer some of the party's extant questions, because they'd been in the dark long enough and deserved some closure.

I set it up with seven brief (1-2--page) documents, laid out as follows:

Recap of the previous sessions (we hadn't played in a few months).

Puzzle rooms! The first puzzle was a play on a moving tile puzzle from an Uncharted game, where the hints leading to the correct path could only be found by having the sorcerer (with the symbol of a glowing star) be the one to light the room up. I decided at the last minute to be a jerk and also do the classic countdown puzzle room, where the doors lock behind the party and an extremely ominous countdown from 20 starts, which can be reset by pressing a button in the middle of the room (the idea being that the party's own paranoia will keep them mashing that button while they search every inch of the room... but it turns out that the countdown is just until the door opens and means nothing more; it's a great test to see how convinced your players are that character death is a possibility, because if they hesitate a lot you're probably pushing it too hard, but if they don't hesitate at all to let the countdown run out they're probably feeling a bit immortal). These puzzles are being manufactured by an entity with a vested interest in just plain annoying the group, so it seemed like a good call.

Description of the final cavern, where they see a single yuan-ti in a blue robe practicing his illusion of the Fantasy Backstreet Boys while on a conference call with his boss (whose voice is the only thing present, coming from the form of a floating silver orb). This one took some rehearsal, because I had the ominous dramatic background music slowly fading out to "Backstreet's Back" to time up with the reveal. That was a real “what is my life right now” moment.

Two documents with different dialogue possibilities based on whether the group is detected or manages to stay stealthy (if they stealth, they can potentially overhear a long conversation between this yuan-ti and his boss; if their approach is noted, they're likely to be attacked on sight).

Stat blocks for the yuan-ti (essentially a warlock) and two clockwork snakes he keeps under the stage, as well as a stat block for Orshi, who's likely to be fighting alongside the party to help make up for the extremely lopsided CR of these enemies. In addition, the room has some fairly poorly built security features in the form of statues scattered around the room - at initiative count 20, roll a d12 to pick the effect the statues have on everything in a 10-foot radius. Ideally, they're supposed to have negative effects (the yuan-ti is smart enough to do anything to avoid getting caught in those radii) like a stun, a brief application of the Confusion spell, sleep, etc., but they're malfunctioning and occasionally result in positive effects like a brief application of the Haste spell or a small pool of temporary hit points. Strategy-wise, Orshi will fight as long as the group does and will generally try to help them out where he can; the snakes are unintelligent and will often attack random enemies if surrounded instead of strategizing; and the yuan-ti is extremely smart and ruthless and will target one enemy until it's dead before moving on to the next.

The aftermath of the fight: in the middle of any looting (some fun potions and a store of trade bars of gold and silver that were being used to help bankroll this operation), Zo comes in through a hidden passageway with some of the Clasp's people. She reveals that she'd sent Orshi poking around the tool shed explicitly as a distraction so she could get her people into the margrave's mansion to poke around. They found some of the margrave's very confused staff, but no sign of the guy himself, and eventually stumbled across a secret passageway leading from his sleeping chambers down here. They'd come down ready for a fight (and if the party had delayed another day in starting this whole exploration, that fight would've happened without them), but they missed the excitement. Zo answers a lot of the party's questions (I have six or seven potential questions listed along with some point-form answers she'd give) and helps them piece together that it looks like this yuan-ti and his boss are part of a larger cult that's been pulling in mercenaries and ne'er-do-wells across the continent to quietly usurp the leadership of cities and towns for some unknown purpose possibly related to one of their snake gods. The Clasp sent Zo to the Slayer's Take to make sure they weren't trying to make a bid for power in the city (which, surprise, was Vanessa's alternative motivation), and she coincidentally got caught up in this mysterious cult's more permanent way of dealing with this upstart organization that could pose a threat to their plans. She apologizes for the earlier brute-force tactics in getting them to comply, arranges to meet Orshi at his tavern the next morning to figure out how to proceed, and invites the party to join that meeting as well. Orshi invites the party to stay at his tavern free of charge.

As they're leaving, the party are briefly pulled into the Feywild by their very excited middle-manager satyr friend, who explains that, given their performance, she's been authorized to answer some of their questions. I wrote up a series of potential questions and answers about their employer (some unknown but immensely powerful Fey creature seeking to extend their influence into the Prime Material plane - essentially, the entire party is getting a bit of a Pact of the Archfey warlock vibe), the satyr (a minor dignitary with the Seelie Court who got herself into potentially fatal trouble and had this mysterious employer to thank for pulling her out of that situation), and the place where they've been training (not actually the Feywild, but a pocket dimension made to look like it). If they ask about the elf whose disappearance started all this, she reveals that he was doing research into the Feywild, made contact with their employer, and they'd been working together to start bridging the planes, which resulted in the portal they'd stumbled into. The yuan-ti cult got wind of his research and had him killed, which accidentally drew the attention of the Slayer's Take, which got them killed (with Lyra - an extremely powerful wizard - framed via Modify Memory spell to wrap up the loose ends). Once the questioning's done, she congratulates them again, and we leave it there for the night.

I also write something up for the possibility that the party is defeated: they have a different Feywild encounter immediately, where a more subdued satyr tells them that they've been revived/healed and are currently prisoners of the yuan-ti. She assures them that their mutual employer will be looking out for them, answers some of their questions, then regretfully leaves them to their fate. Whereupon, as it turns out, Zo is about to spring her attack...

So that's the preparation I had for this week's session! Very linear, without a lot of branching paths, but I also had to be very sure about every faction's awareness, motivations, and willingness to share certain information, so it wound up being pretty involved. It also felt really contrived on paper to have these info-dumps, but I suspected it would feel more natural to the players given how badly they were looking for those answers.

And... here's what really went down!

The party solved both puzzles fairly quickly (which was a good indicator that they may be getting a bit complacent vis-a-vis potential character death, which is Good To Know for ominous reasons). The stealth check into the main chamber was only DC 13, with a group check (so all they needed was 3/5 members to succeed), but they failed hilariously with a couple of natural ones, so the yuan-ti was ready for them when they arrived. The Backstreet Boys reveal was very funny.

Before the yuan-ti could just straight-up attack them, though, the party started taunting him mercilessly. He had snakes for arms (as you do), so they started asking how he did a whole variety of everyday tasks, causing a bit of an existential crisis. They pointed out the statues and asked if he really felt like he had to build an audience for his pretend band. The druid started flirting with him aggressively, which he was kind of into? This whole back-and-forth was being yelled across a cavern, so there was a lot of "WHAT? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? Seriously, I missed it, say that again." and at one point a couple people just got really amused by the echoes off the chamber walls and started yelling random words, adding to the chaos. The yuan-ti's employer was just listening to all this in confusion, and when the yuan-ti turned to explain what was happening, the ranger took the moment of confusion to attack.

The battle was really heated, with the fighter nearly dying a couple of times (the yuan-ti latched onto him with Vampiric Touch and kept leeching his life), Orshi taking an impromptu nap, and the sorcerer getting viciously downed by the yuan-ti after she managed to hit him with a Witch Bolt. Eventually, though, the clockwork snakes were dismantled, the yuan-ti was surrounded and out of spell slots, and he was down to 1 HP and extremely desperate. I was about to have him attempt an escape by transforming into a snake, but the party instead demanded that he surrender. I had the newly healed sorcerer roll a Persuasion check... natural 20. He compliantly went down on his knees and raised his snake hands in surrender; he's definitely smart enough to know it's best to live to fight another day.

The party tried to interrogate him, but he generally ignored what they were saying in favor of being a creep (quietly cutting in while the sorcerer was speaking to ask her what it had felt like to be so close to death, if she enjoyed the feeling, if she'd like to feel that again). The druid, in dire wolf form, responded by licking the side of his head until his hair was thoroughly messed up and he was coated in drool. They didn't get much information from him, and the group eventually decided to knock him out again.

A big debate followed: the sorcerer thought it would be best to help clear things up if they took him prisoner, but the druid argued (via replies to Message, since she was still a dire wolf) that nobody in this city would be competent enough to hold him prisoner and that it would be best to kill him. Lots of discussion followed while the group split up to do some looting, and eventually Zo's name was brought up, and it was decided that it might be best to bring him to the Clasp.

It felt like way too much of a coincidence to have Zo pop up at that moment, even thought that’s what I had planned, so I let them explore the cavern for a while, coming up with some great loot here and there, but also missing some very powerful items with slightly-too-low investigation checks. The conversation turned to the yuan-ti and the burning question that occupies everyone's minds if they think about it too much: if his arms are snakes... what other parts of him are snakes? The debate came to a head (sorry) when the druid, in dire wolf form, decided to try to pull off his pants and find out. I had her roll a general Dexterity check because she was, you know, a dire wolf.

Natural 20.

Biggest laugh of the night: the look on my face as I tried to mentally work out the logistics for a giant wolf pulling someone's trousers off Extremely Well, followed by "Okay. So. You know the tablecloth trick?" 

We all learned something about snake anatomy that day, and the new catch-phrase of our D&D group became "Sorry about your browser history, DM." After cry-laughing as a group for several minutes straight, I finally had Zo wade into this mess and start answering questions.

She was startled that they'd managed to keep the yuan-ti alive and contained (as was I, honestly, since that wasn't a possibility I'd planned for) and agreed to have the Clasp take him into custody. I am Extremely Delighted that this villain is alive. The group was very concerned about Lyra, and Zo agreed to pull some strings with the city's guard to get her released. The party brought up the death of the Clasp's protector dragon in the mountains, and Zo fell silent for half a minute, processing what that meant. Finally, they all agreed to meet up at Orshi's tavern the next day. Orshi offered to let them stay, whereupon they revealed that his place was kind of ransacked and they may have left a severed head on one of the shelves in his back room. As you do. 

They were on their way back, had their interaction with the satyr, and managed to hit nearly every answer I'd prepared for, and we called it a night from there.

Next session: wrapping up this plot, downtime, and a little fleshing out of backstories while everyone paints minis!

[grandthorkiday]

Mob AU! "Playthings" Part 12

(Note: This was written by an anonymous user. I had to log in on my account to copy/paste and re-submit it because tumblr was being dumb.)

[Link to mob!au anon’s “Playthings" fic tag]

[Start at Part 1]*

(*Note: Link is editable for other parts, just change the number. For mobile users, tag is “playthings part1”)

“Loki?”

“Up here.”

Val walked up the large staircase followed closely by Tony and Strange. They were fairly certain they were close to having enough evidence to arrest and charge Gast. The DA was chomping at the bit for the case to move forward and so was the State Attorney. There was a reluctance on the Federal level, but no one was sure whether that was politically corruption or simply because the entire case rested on Loki. And Loki wasn’t exactly a star witness.

Over the past weeks, he had admitted that he and his brother had ran drug operations for Sakaar, helped pay off and intimidate witnesses, and had been involved in a few murders. Naturally, while this all could be explained with the two being forced, everyone knew that the Defense in whatever trial came to pass would have a field day. That was, if Loki testified.

Today, they found him in a bedroom in Odin’s large estate home. He was sitting on the beige carpet, holding a book in his hands. He didn’t look up when they entered, his eyes fixed on the book.

“He lost this,” he said simply before they could speak. “He left it here a few weeks before we…left. He searched the entire apartment and couldn’t find it. It was a library book and…” Loki shook his head.

[read more cut]

“So uhm, this is Thor’s room,” Strange asked gently. Val had to hide a snort. The room was filled with old sport trophies and medals. Photos of the older brother smiling with former classmates and presumably old girlfriends and boyfriends were pinned to a corkboard behind a metal desk. The closet was slightly ajar and one could see gym shoes and several plaid shirts poking out. From all they had learned about Loki, this room most certainly did not fit him.

The brunette shrugged. “They kept it just like he left it. They even put out his laundry he had left behind.”

“Why aren’t you in your room?”

“After M-mom passed, I guess Dad felt…he needed the space.”

“Shit,” Tony hissed under his breath.

“It’s fine, really,” Loki tossed the book to the side. “Whether or not I got kidnapped, Dad would have changed out my room for a new office or trophy room or parlor or even a pool room. He was already planning it when I packed my things for college, but Mom told him to wait a year or so. Guess I got a few years reprieve.”

“We all process grief differently,” Strange began before being cut off.

“I WASN’T DEAD! I WAS JUST AS ALIVE AS THOR!” He glared at them, his eyes red and shining with tears. “HE NEVER… no one ever…only Mom and Thor…” He hugged himself, still defiantly staring at them. “You don’t even really care about me, do you?”

“Of course we do, kid,” Stark leaned in from where he was sitting on the warn out leather computer kid. “We’re trying to make this as painless as possible.”

“You’re trying to build a case. Once the trial is over, I’m just an old witness. You won’t care anymore. Hell, once I stop giving evidence, I’ll probably stop seeing you altogether won’t I?” He turned to Strange. “I’m a client to you. A patient. You’re paid to care about me. But you’re expensive. Dad won’t like that. You’ll be gone soon. Probably once he,” pointed at Tony, “tries to bill him. Oh, if it was Thor, you’d probably be so well paid that you wouldn’t need to take on a new client. But not for me. Not the fucked up adopted kid.”

“What about me, Loki?” Val asked.

He met the challenge head on. “You said it yourself! You did ‘wrong’ by me and now you’re trying to make it right! Well, guess what?! You can’t! What’s done is done! It worked out for the best for you. You rose through the ranks! I don’t know what else you want or need besides a clear conscience, but you don’t need me!”

“Is that why you left this morning? And yesterday? Because you feel no one cares?”

He shrugged. “I went for a walk.”

“Walks usually don’t involve cabs into the city.”

“Mine do.”

“Kid-”

“He loved me, you know? He cared.” Loki laid back onto the floor, stretching and running his fingers through his hair. It was almost a seduction gesture the way, as he dreamily stared past them. “He always said I was the prettiest. He liked when we slept in his bed to have me sleep in between him and Thor. We could make him happy. He used to come home in the foulest moods, and we’d cheer him up. He was so funny, he could make us laugh. I remember,” he giggled, “I remember one time Thor asked if we could have a puppy. Thor always wanted a puppy. And Grandmaster said, ‘Sparkles, why do you want a puppy when you have an old hound dog like me?’ And he got down on his hands and knees and crawled around barking and sniffing and growling at us. And then two days later, we got a puppy! One time, I got really really sick. I had a fever and I could barely stay awake. He held me on his lap and spoon fed me soup for two days. He and Thor would help me bathe and change my clothes. When my fever broke he nearly cried. ”

“Loki, he-”

“LOVED ME!” He sat up eyes focused and furious.

“He kidnapped and raped you!”

“Valkyrie!”

“What are the four of you doing in here?!” Odin was at the doorway, not daring to enter. Behind him was the security he had hired, a gruff man with a scarlet mohawk. The man had a permanent smirk and seemed to enjoy a cop, an ADA, and a psychiatrist being yelled at.

“We were gathering-” Tony began but was cut off.

“Not in this room! Never in this room. You may use my office or the guest room. As we discussed, didn’t we Loki.”

Loki stood, slowly. He pulled out his cellphone, a simple smart phone that he had managed to find a neon blue and yellow cover for, and checked something. He barely looked any of them in the eye. “Yes, Father.”

Odin nodded and glared at them as they filed out. He slammed the door to the room and watched as they paraded downstairs before turning and leaving, the security guard left behind to watch them with a smug smirk on his face.

“Uhm,” Tony nervously shifted foot to foot. “As much as I love feeling like a naughty middle schooler again, you think you up to talking today or are we going to have more emotional outbursts.”

“I have to talk,” Loki finally looked up from his phone, putting it away. “It’s either that or get kicked out.”

“Two steps forward, one massive fucking step back,” Strange whispered to Val. She nodded her agreement. Her eyes went up to the security guard who grinned broadly at her, showing a row of crooked teeth that reminded her vaguely of a shark’s mouth.

~2016~

“Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!”

Loki rubbed his eye as he entered the kitchen area of the penthouse. “I’m old!”

Grandmaster dramatically gasped. “Old?! My Lo Lo?! Never!”

“I am. I’m twenty five. Quarter of a century.”

“Fuck, the hell am I than? Ancient?” Thor asked as he threw a towel over his shoulder. “How do you want your eggs?”

“Fried or poached,” Grandmaster quipped only to be swatted by another towel.

“Doc says egg whites for you. I was asking Loki.”

“Poached please.”

“I swear to god if you give him one of your eggs-”

Loki stuck out his tongue. “It’s my birthday!”

Thor threw up his hands and turned back to the stove, loudly grumbling.

Gast chuckled, winking at the younger, leaning over the island he was sitting at to kiss him. He accepted it gladly, throwing his arms around the other. “So, you get a choice. Open your gifts now or wait until this evening at Pimpernel.”

“We’re going to Pimpernel?! For my birthday?!”

“Of course!”

“You act like he doesn’t take us anywhere!” Thor called over his shoulder. “If you recall we went to Scarcella’s for my birthday.”

“Quit bragging, Sparkles and finish breakfast.”

“I want my present now!” Loki bounced on the tips of his toes.

“Alright, alright sweetheart. One moment.” Grandmaster slowly stood. He adjusted his tan bed robe and leisurely walked back to his bedroom, humming and singing all the way.

Once he was gone, Loki raced to Thor’s side. “Do you know what it is?”

The older shrugged as he cracked several eggs into a pot of boiling water.

“Come on! There’s no way he didn’t run it by you!”

“I have been sworn to secrecy.”

“Asshole! Tell me!”

“Hey, what’s all this!?” Grandmaster had returned, holding a packet of papers.

“He’s grilling me for information!”

“Lo Lo!” It was said in a mock scandalised voice.

He stamped his foot and pouted. They always said he was cute when he pouted. Thor seemed now to agree because he leaned over and kissed him.

“Just go see. You’ll like it.” He whispered, rubbing their noses together.

“What about your present?” the younger brother whispered into the other’s lips.

“In a minute. Go see.”

He walked back to the Grandmaster who smiled as he presented the packet of papers to him. He had barely opened them when the older man proclaimed, “A trip to London! Three weeks, with all the museums and tourist traps you can imagine. And, yes, a trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour!”

Loki’s eyes swelled with tears. “Really?! We’re going? When?”

“In two weeks. You two will need to pick out a new wardrobe. So prep for a trip to the shops!”

He squealed and nearly knocked over Thor plating the food. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Before he could reply, the Grandmaster’s cell rang. He kissed both his boys and left the room again, this time with no singing or frivolity. Business call, then.

“Y'know we’re only going because he has business there, right?”

“I know, but think of all the places we can see! And no one knows us there!” Loki curled into Thor’s side. “We can be…us there. We can actually wear them!” He rubbed Thor’s shoulder where the sun and moon tattoo was just visible where his shirt slipped down. “And he might be too busy to notice!”

He could feel Thor grinning as he hugged him close, kissing the matching tattoo on his body. “Yeah. That would be nice.”

“What about your present?”

“I sketched it two nights ago. I may have been drunk so it could look like shit…”

“Show me!”

The blonde shook his head but took out his phone and showed the sketch of the rose tattoo he had been working on. “Still want it for your hip, right? And you wanted to look like Tyrell sigil?”

“Or my other thigh.”

“Well this is only part one of it. Still need to sketch out the other sigils too.”

“I know.”

“You may have to wait for-”

“I know.”

“Alright, back!” Gast re-entered the kitchen. “Doesn’t that look fantastic.”

“Your doctor is going to kill me for letting you have yolk and bacon.”

“Oh don’t worry, Sparkles. I won’t let anything happen to my boys.”

[joeybelle]

Oh, how the tables have turned - Part 6

Inspired by @clyde-prompts: “Some guys are rude and use ableist slurs against Clyde. The reader is with them, and although she feels bad about what’s happening, is too scared to say anything in front of her “friends”. She comes back to the bar a couple nights later to try and show him she’s not a bad person. They get to know each other and fall in love”. Doesn’t fully follow the prompt.

Warnings: Language, first person POV, mentions of wasps and bug spray - lethal combo, IDK what I’m doing.

Word count: ~4700

Rating: Mature

Setting: Pre-heist

A.N: I kept delaying this part because I wanted to post it together with part 7 (since 5, 6 and 7 are meant to be one big chapter), but it isn’t finished yet and it might take a while until I finish it since Sunday is my only day off and that might be pretty busy too. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy it and sorry for the wait! Any feedback is more than welcome, and if you’re bored send me a message, I love talking to people. Just remember that I’m on European time and if I don’t reply right away I might be sleeping or at work.

Tags: @lonelyravenclaw @kyloren-supreme-ben @onmyknees4steve @elsablackswift @helloimindelaware @mwcritics @makingtimemine @littlekylo

Saturday came with an unexpected wave of heat and humidity that left me unable to move without sweating buckets. Still, I was thankful it wasn’t raining again, although by the way the air felt it would probably start raining soon. Since my house had no AC, I was a bit reluctant to have people over. Nothing I could do now, besides keeping cold drinks on hand and setting up the garden hose in case anyone needed some quick cooling down. (Me. It was definitely going to be me.)

Finding all the ingredients to make muffins from scratch had been a challenge, especially since it seemed that everyone and their mother chose to make something involving blueberries. After getting the ‘I’m sorry, we just sold the last one’ answer from all the local stores, I headed to the nearest supermarket, and then to the next one, where I had to battle a couple of old ladies to get my hands on some. I only won because I was faster, but by the look they gave me as I ran away with the blueberries, they were set on getting revenge. I would have to live in fear for the rest of my life.

Fortunately, when Jimmy’s car pulled into the driveway, I had everything ready. I was pretty sure I had enough ingredients to potentially feed a small village, but I was really excited by the prospect of baking. It had been a long time since I had a working kitchen and the time to cook (and also, someone to cook for), so I may have exaggerated a bit. I was planning to make blueberry muffins, chocolate chip, raspberry and white chocolate, and maybe banana if anyone wanted more. And sandwiches for lunch, something quick and filling that I could put together in minutes so I could help if they needed me. There was a chicken parmesan casserole already prepped in the fridge, ready to throw in the oven for a filling dinner later on. By the amount of materials piled in my garage, it wasn’t a job that would be finished in a few hours.

Sadie bolted out of the car with a huge grin on her face and attacked me right away. Jimmy looked reasonably awake, but Clyde looked like a total mess. I guessed he really wasn’t used to waking up this early, since I assumed he was pulling long hours at the bar. I felt bad for him, but not so bad that I wouldn’t smile at his sleepy face.

“I have coffee,” I said instead of good morning.

“Don’t worry about him,” Jimmy laughed, earning a sideways glance from his brother. “It just takes a while to wake the bear from hibernation.”

“Well, I’m sorry…”

“One,” Clyde interrupted me, and it took me a moment to understand what he was talking about, but the tiny smirk in the corner of his mouth clued me in.

“That’s playing dirty,” I said, crossing my arms. Technically I wasn’t apologizing to him, so it didn’t count. Did it?

“Still counts,” he mumbled as he passed me.

I shook my head and smiled. This was going to be a long day, and I would enjoy the hell out of it. “Anyone want breakfast?” I offered, but Jimmy shook his head.

“We’re good,” he said, pulling a ladder out of the back of his truck. “We better get started soon before it gets too hot.”

“Well, at least come and get some coffee. It’s cold brewed.”

“What’s that?” Jimmy asked, a confused look on his face.

“It’s a fancy type of iced coffee,” Clyde explained. “You put it in cold water and…”

“Why would you drink cold coffee,” Jimmy asked me, completely ignoring his brother who shut his mouth with a frown.

“It’s refreshing,” I said, shrugging. “It’s perfect for hot weather.”

He didn’t seem convinced. “Yeah, it’s just some of that sophisticated New York shit you brought with you, isn’t it?”

“Oh come on,” I laughed. “It’s not that fancy. It’s just imported Brazilian coffee that I ground yesterday especially for you guys. Coarse ground, steeped into cold spring water for a whole day. Perfect!”

“Wow,” was all Jimmy had to say, but I could see him stifling a laughter.

“Authentic Brazilian coffee and expensive vodka? You must be really high maintenance,” Clyde said, with a serious face.

“Yeah,” I said, winking. “As high maintenance as someone without a working AC unit, a leaking roof and a mostly unfurnished house can be.”

He smiled and I let Sadie drag me for a tour of the house. It wasn’t much to see, but she was really excited to find Clyde the Bear occupying half of my bed. To my embarrassment, I had to admit that I had gotten used to sleeping with the huge toy. It was a really good cuddle buddy and I had gotten into the habit of talking to it when I was feeling like the house was too empty. Yes, I was that pathetic.

Fortunately, Sadie was the only one to see it, and I was sure none of the adults would invade my bedroom without permission, so I would be spared the embarrassment. Unfortunately, my secret had been safe exactly one minute and twenty-five seconds, exactly how long it took Sadie to find her uncle and rat me out.

“What?” I replied to Clyde’s amused smile. “I’m basically five. I have no idea who let me be an adult.” If you have no plausible excuse, just run with it. Better than trying to deny it and fuel the teasing. “You lost a muffin for spilling my secret, little lady,” I said, pointing a finger at a laughing Sadie.

Clyde’s smile grew broader seeing that I wasn’t denying it, but it wasn’t a mocking smile. He was quite cute that Saturday morning, with his sleepy face and his messy hair that looked curlier than usually. There was still a tiny bit of his usual shyness, but it wasn’t as noticeable as before.

“Anything I can help you guys with?” I asked, when Jimmy returned from my garage with some more tools.

“Umm… no, not yet,” he said, scratching his head and looking at the roof. “We’ll call you if we need help.”

“Alright,” I said, turning to Sadie. “Do you wanna help me make muffins? I’m not sure I can do everything myself.”

She excitedly followed me to the kitchen. I had made some space the day before, moved the boxes to a corner of the living room, replaced the dining table with a smaller, foldable one I found in storage. Even with an energetic kid running around, there was less of a chance of any accidents happening. Or at least, I hoped. The memory of Clyde catching me in his arms was still pretty fresh in my mind.

To my surprise Sadie was really good at following directions and actually gave her best. I would have been able to make all the muffins in maybe a third of the time if I had done them at my own pace, but the point was to entertain her while her dad fixed my roof. I didn’t get to spend much time with kids while I lived in New York, since I’d been too busy surviving, but Sadie was such a good kid that I actually enjoyed it. She was quite talkative, telling me stories about her brothers, her mom and dad, about her school and about Clyde and Mellie, so by the time the first batch of muffins were in the oven, I felt like I had been part of the Logan family for ages.

Working in the kitchen ended up being a bit distracting, I found out pretty early on. After getting out all the necessary materials, they set up the ladder and Jimmy climbed into the attic, leaving Clyde on the ground to hand him things. Right in front of my kitchen window. I fought the urge to call my parents and curse them for designing the only entrance to our otherwise unused attic right in front of my window, so I’d be forced to watch Clyde Logan stretch as he handed tools to his brother, but I remembered that the house was built by my grandparents, and I’d need an Ouija board to contact them. But as time passed and my eyes kept darting to the man outside—whose t-shirt was juuust a bit too tight and his muscles just a bit too taut—I was actually considering Ouija-ing some carefully considered well-wishes to my ancestors. I did my best, however, to focus on something else.

If I were to be completely honest, if Sadie hadn’t been there to distract me from being too distracted by Clyde, I would have probably just pulled a chair in front of the counter, poured myself a perfectly brewed cup of iced coffee and indulged into staring out the window. I mean, that’s how a considerable amount of porn movies started: a hot dude fixing something, a horny woman leering at him and the rough sex that follows, I thought, absentmindedly fanning myself with a napkin, and it wasn’t because of the constantly increasing temperature in my kitchen.

“Do you like uncle Clyde?” Sadie asked, making me snap out of my thoughts.

“Yeah, don’t you?” I tried deflecting the question, turning around and opening the fridge. The cool air coming out of it was a blessing. I really needed to get some air conditioning installed as soon as possible.

“Yeah, but that’s not what I asked,” she giggled.

Of course not. “What did you ask, then?” Play dumb until they get bored, I thought to myself, however I had forgotten just how persistent kids could be.

“If you like like him,” she said in a serious tone.

“How do you like like someone?” Keep playing dumb.

“Oh you know,” she giggled once again and hopped of the chair coming next to me and the still open fridge. “You wanna go with them on dates, and hold hands, and kiss… and make babies and then get married and live happily ever after.”

Well, that escalated quickly. “In that order?” I asked, getting two sodas from the fridge and finally closing it, just as it started hysterically beeping at me.

Sadie shrugged as she took the can I handed her. “So do you like him?” she continued, making me almost choke on my drink.

“What makes you ask that?” I tried further deflecting the question, because kids should never be trusted with sensitive information, certainly not one as talkative as Sadie.

“You keep staring at him,” she laughed and I cursed myself for being caught red-handed.

“I don’t stare at him,” I lied, but I was sure it wasn’t very convincing. “I was just looking out the window, that’s all.” Sadie kept smiling and I shook my head. In the end it’s not like it was that big of a secret that I liked him. After all, he knew and he was the only one that mattered. But I didn’t really want her blurting it out in public and making it more awkward than it already was. “Okay, maybe,” I said, giving her a serious look. “But that’s gonna be our secret. If you tell anyone I’m gonna find out where you live, hide under your bed and tickle you right as you’re falling asleep,” I threatened, approaching her while wiggling my fingers in a pretty menacing way. “Promise?”

“Promise!” she giggled, trying to hide from my tickle attack.

“Okay, great! Do you want a sandwich?” I changed the subject. I was starting to think that

The Logans would age me prematurely. Not that I needed any help in that department.

I showed Sadie how to make some icing, just to keep her busy while I put together some sandwiches. She wanted a turkey ham one, with extra mayo and crusts cut off and I made it exactly as she wanted it. Cut it into quarters to make it easier to eat, but Sadie was really taking her whisking job seriously, so I resorted to feeding the pieces to her over the bowl.

I glimpsed out the window to see an amused Clyde watching me feed his niece, a big piece of my own sandwich sticking— pretty comically I assumed— out of my mouth, his hands full with what looked like some old wood. I shoved another piece of sandwich into Sadie’s mouth, swallowed what remained of mine and went to open the window. The boys had been working for quite some time, so I assumed they’d be hungry already. I knew I was, and the only thing I had done all morning was watch a kid paint my kitchen in muffin batter.

“Would you like to take a break? Grab something quick to eat?” I asked, leaning onto the counter, and trying to get my head out the window. He didn’t seem opposed to the idea, and after throwing the old wood in a pile of garbage, he climbed up the ladder to talk to his brother.

“Jimmy said he’s not hungry yet. Maybe later.”

“Are you hungry?” I pressed, because he really looked like he had skipped breakfast. While the cup of coffee I had given him earlier seemed to have woken him up, he still looked a little sluggish.

“A bit,” he shrugged.

“Ok, I’ll make you a sandwich and you can eat it while working,” I said and he nodded. “What would you like?”

“Anything is fine.”

I quickly put some things together, making something that was definitely not instagram ready, but it was pretty filling and I knew it would taste pretty good. Placed it on a plate and pushed it towards the open window.

Clyde had come down from the ladder, a new layer of dust and debris covering him. He had specks of dust caught in his hair and a dark smudge on his nose, like he had tried scratching it with dirty hands. He had to at least take a break and wash his hands, but Jimmy called him from the attic, needing something else. It seemed he wouldn’t be having a moment to spare.

I sighed and pulled back the sandwich, cut it into small wedges like I did with Sadie’s and grabbed a piece.

“Clyde, come here,” I called, extending my arm through the open window, once he was back on the ground. He looked at the dirt covering his hands and then at the piece of sandwich in mine. “Bite,” I said motioning to the food. He looked at it a little confused, but then smiled and came closer. He bent down to my level and took a tentative bite. “Put more strength into it, Logan,” I laughed.

I didn’t even try to keep a straight face, because a grown man, built like a brick shithouse eating out of my hand was both comical and surprisingly enticing. He was also laughing and I hoped he wouldn’t choke on the food, because I was sure I wouldn't be able to pull the Heimlich maneuver on him. He took another quick bite as Jimmy called his name again and his lips briefly brushed my fingers. I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks, and I returned to the kitchen.

“Don’t laugh at us, young lady,” I said, pointing at Sadie with what was left of the sandwich, “we’re Adults.”

I had to quickly check on the muffins in the oven. They were done so I took them out, placed them on the cooling rack and shoved another batch in. By the time I was done, Clyde had returned and was hovering near the window. I hopped onto the counter to be able to reach better. I gestured for him to stick his head inside as I took another piece of sandwich and brought it to his lips. He was a little too enthusiastic taking a bite and accidentally nipped my finger.

“My fingers aren’t part of the meal, Logan,” I laughed, while Sadie climbed onto a chair next to me.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, and I could see a blush creeping up his cheeks.

“One!” I grinned, because now I wasn’t at a disadvantage anymore.

I took another piece of sandwich and shoved it into Sadie’s giggling mouth. By now I was sure that both of them could feed themselves, but it was just too funny to stop and both of them seemed to enjoy it.

“I’m your bird mama now,” I proudly announced, placing the last bits of food into the open and waiting mouths of my newly adopted baby birds.

A loud shriek coming from above made me jump off the counter, knocking over a glass that shattered on the floor. Clyde scrambled to remove himself from the window without breaking anything, and hurried to climb up the ladder only to be almost knocked down by a panicked Jimmy.

“What the fuck?” I breathed, completely forgetting that there was a child with me and I should have been watching my language. I grabbed Sadie and carried her over the shattered glass, hurrying to get out the door and see what was going on.

“Do you have bees or wasps in your attic?” she asked, and seemed a lot calmer than me.

“Maybe?” It was possible, I couldn’t deny it. “Is he allergic to them?” I asked, feeling a cold shiver run down my spine.

“No,” she giggled, and somehow that didn’t do anything to calm me down. “Just scared.”

I dropped the girl down on the grass and ran towards her father. Jimmy looked a little pale and his breathing was laboured, but didn’t look injured.

“What happened?” I asked.

“He got scared of some wasps, that’s what happened,” Clyde explained with a frown on his face, but I couldn’t tell if his tone was judgemental or not.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, placing a hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “I had a team come over right after I moved here and they said they took care of any rodents or insects. They told me I had some wasps in the attic, but that they sprayed everywhere and removed the nests and that it shouldn't be a problem anymore. It’s my fault, I should have checked beforehand.” Now I realized just how stupid and unprepared I was. What if he was allergic and he had gotten stung. I didn’t really want to imagine what would have happened.

“No, no! It’s not your fault. I know there are wasps in attics, and I checked before starting work, but these… these just came out of nowhere and I panicked.”

“I’m so sorry, Jimmy,” I apologized again.

“He just needs a cold beer and he’ll be fine,” Sadie said, showing up out of nowhere with a beer bottle in her hand. She seemed really used to this situation, so it might have been a somewhat common occurrence.

“Thanks, Sadie-bug,” Jimmy said, taking the bottle from her hand.

“Hey, you shouldn’t go into the kitchen,” I said, frowning at her, suddenly remembering the broken glass. “There’s glass everywhere.”

“It’s okay, I jumped over it,” she smiled, incredibly proud of herself, completely ignoring the fact that she could have slipped and landed in the pile of shards. Yep, the Logans would be the death of me. I sighed.

“Well, y’all wait here while I go clean up and fetch the bug spray.”

“I’ll help,” Clyde offered, and I didn’t stop him.

As the day was getting hotter, so was my kitchen. With the oven running for so long, it was almost too much. I could feel beads of sweat starting to form on my forehead. Clyde seemed to be taking it even worse than me, but I almost expected it, with his fair skin and all. I considered opening another window, but at this point I knew it wouldn’t make any difference, since it seemed to be just as hot outside too. We’d have to suffer.

Clyde started sweeping the floor while I took the muffins out of the oven. Due to the whole commotion I had forgotten I had some in, but luckily I saw them in time, before they turned into a pile of charcoal. Sadie would have been sad. I kept glancing at Clyde as I moved around the kitchen. His t-shirt was quickly getting soaked, and I couldn’t stop looking at how it stuck to his broad back. Get a hold of yourself, you foul woman, I scolded myself and I started looking for the bug spray.

“Three,” he said as he caught me stealing another glance.

“What? No! Nope. It wasn’t said to you, it doesn’t count.”

“It does count.”

“No it doesn’t,” I said, pointing a finger at his nose. “Plus it was something I had to apologize for. Someone nearly died attacked by wasps.” I didn’t know why I was resisting, after all I just had to buy him a couple of drinks, and to be honest I wasn’t opposed to spending more time with him. I just didn’t want to lose at this stupid game we were playing.

“Well that’s why you have one apology a day,” he said in a serious manner. “Don’t waste it.”

“It wasn’t meant for you so it doesn’t count,” I insisted. “Unless you wanna follow me around to see just how many times I apologize to other people, you won’t be able to know for sure. And come on, don’t make it too easy,” I said, winking at him.

He stopped sweeping and looked at me for a few moments. “Alright,” he said, resigned, “it’s still one, then.”

I grinned and went back to looking for the can of spray. I found it by the time the floor was cleaned and both of us drenched in sweat. With the oven turned off and the window open, I was hoping it would eventually cool down, but there was no sign of that happening anytime soon.

I grabbed the can and went outside, Clyde following me closely. It was some type of industrial grade bug spray I had brought with me from New York. There’s nothing better than New York to teach you how to deal with a bug problem. I knew for a fact that it worked on wasps too, because I manually sprayed some before I called a team of professionals to deal with them.

That being said, I wasn't overly thrilled by the prospect of going into the attic to battle god knows how many angry wasps, but I had no choice.

“I can go up there,” Clyde offered, but I could see he wasn’t thrilled either.

“Nah, you’re too tall to fit in there,” I said. The attic was nothing more than a cramped space between the roof and the ceiling, it wasn’t big enough for Clyde to stand properly.

“But…” he objected.

“My house, my rules,” I cut him off and started climbing the ladder.

The only upside of this whole situation was that Clyde was getting a great view of my ass, as he held onto the ladder to stabilize it. I really hoped he was enjoying the view, because soon I’d probably come back down stung by wasps and doused in bug spray, which I suspected wasn’t such a great look on me. I climbed inside the attic and glanced down. By the light blush on his cheeks and his averted gaze I was pretty sure he’s enjoyed the view. Of course, it could have just been the heart, but it could also have been my ass.

I didn’t step inside as full of courage as I wanted, but at least there was no one up there to watch me cowardly look around for the stingers. The space was incredibly hot and full of dust and my throat and lungs didn’t like it one bit, but I kept as silent as I could so I would hear the wasps. Luckily, there was a big hole in the roof where Jimmy had started taking off the tiles, so there was more than enough light.

I found the culprits after a few minutes of searching. They were trying to build a new nest next to a beam, and I ruthlessly sprayed them before they could attack me. I felt sorry for them, but this was my house and they should have found a better place to invade. I took down the half built nest, as the exterminator had told me to do, and sprayed the spot where it had been attached.

I left the can next to Jimmy’s tools before climbing down. In case anything like this happened again, at least he had a weapon.

“All done,” I said, hopping down the ladder. I was greeted with some enthusiastic cheers. “How about we take that break now? I think the muffins have cooled down by now and they’re awaiting to be tasted.” More enthusiastic cheers. “I think I’ll bring the food outside, it’s a bit too hot and stuffy in the house. Sadie, wanna help me? There’s the hose, you can wash up if you want, or you can use the bathroom inside.”

I placed the food on paper plates and Sadie carried them outside one by one, hopefully without dropping anything on the ground. We placed a big blanket on the grass, because bringing out the table and chairs would be too much work and everyone decided it just wasn’t worth it. Sadie said it felt like a picnic and we just went along with that.  

I came out with cold drinks and nearly dropped the bottles when I rounded the corner, because a shirtless Clyde dousing himself with the garden hose was really something I wasn’t expecting to see. The whole porn idea flashed through my brain again and I almost turned around and went back to the house but that would have been a bit too obvious, especially since Clyde turned his head and looked at me. I averted my gaze and hurried to the blanket.

Jimmy was grinning and I wanted to strangle him.

“Whatever’s behind that grin, I don’t wanna hear it,” I warned him and placed the bottles on the blanket, plopping next to him.

“I ain’t saying nothing!” He lifted his arms in a defensive gesture and opened a beer bottle, but the grin still plastered on his face scared me. So that wasn’t very reassuring.

“Well I can almost hear you thinking it.” I didn’t know what ‘It’ was, but I was scared.

“I don’t have to say anything, your blush speaks for itself,” he said, grabbing a sandwich, and I wanted to shove it down his throat whole so I’d be sure he’d keep his mouth shut, but Sadie reappeared from somewhere around the bushes and I knew better than to allow myself to be violent in front of a kid. For now at least.

However, he kept his word and didn’t say a thing while we ate, but he did snicker when Clyde joined us. He wasn’t shirtless anymore, thank heavens, because if he were I’d probably spontaneously combust, but his t-shirt was wet and stuck to his chest in all the right places and... okay, this wasn’t that much better. I did my best to focus on anything else for the remainder of the meal.

The food— and especially the muffins— had been very well received by the Logans and it made me really happy. It felt nice being appreciated and also it felt nice to be able to do something for the people who were giving up their free time to help me out. I was really lucky that someone cared enough for me to do that.

But I think what made me the happiest was Clyde’s confession that he hadn’t eaten muffins so tasty since the ones his mother used to make. It was sad that since she passed no one made them muffins anymore, so I promised I’d bake more for them if they agreed to build me another mailbox. With hand painted butterflies and all. Jimmy almost choked laughing and recounted the story in more (embarrassing) detail than Clyde had and by the time we finished eating, my jaws were hurting from laughing so hard.

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[sneakyhomunculous]

RPT Phoenix Report: Back to Back!

Part 1: Preparation 

“How should I begin this? I’m just so offended; how am I even mentioned by all these fucking beginners?” 

Let’s back up a bit. 

I’m coming into this half season fresh off a 5th place finish in the last MC, which means I’m qualified for RPT1/2 and PTFinal 1. 

From what I could make of the shoddy convoluted details at the beginning of this year; I believed I had a serious upper hand in the Rivals race. 

Only 4 tournaments count. The 3 I am qualified for and the 2nd PT final which I’ll have multiple chances to que for as well. 

Almost everyone else has at most 1 RPT Q and a pipe dream. 

With this info, I decide I am going to go for it. I know I am still an underdog, but I believe I am one of the few people in the world in this spot to somewhat reasonably set this goal of top 12 paper rivals for myself. 

At the same time, the world we live in is an Arena dominated one. 

I hate it of course. 

Like most of you reading this; I play the game for mostly 1 big reason [the fierce competition]. Arena is severely lacking in this department.

Only standard, a mindless ladder with the only reward being a single lottery ticket into a ~15k USD 0.5% equity drawing. (that requires you to play standard for 8 hours on a saturday there will assuredly be a GP you want to play.) 

A petty, infuriating chore. 

Bc standard is so chalked and flooded with players anyway; You are forced to play casual [but ranked] drafts against the bots.  

Slamming BO1 games with 15 land decks until your eyes bleed and the mythic achievement is reached! 

Then you close the unbearable program down not to be touched again until the next time this chore is required; or the lottery drawing is happening.

Nice system! 

All that being said, I’m still not going to handicap myself, and so I decide I will go for Arena as well. 

Unfortunately I have no early advantage there, and the spots are obviously unbelievably high variance. 

There are only 2 Invys and 2 Mythic point challenges, and if you miss the first invy you are almost drawing dead at a 1-12 spot. Especially with special invites and re-ques for top finishers all factored in. 

So far I am failing on the Arena front. 

I was too attached to my beautiful Urza Oko deck (I didn’t prepare enough for the first MCQW I would be double queing along side the modern GP in Austin. It cost me as I woke up and played poorly to a swift 2-2 exit with Jetski Fires before heading over to the GP) 

I lost a win and in and got 17th there. Never have I played a tournament with a bigger edge over all non mirrors in the field! Unfortunately I played 7 mirrors and managed a lowly 4-2-1 in them. 

I can’t make it through these gauntlets on autopilot anymore. 

I’m only 27, but my seemingly rapid reduction in processing speed has made me feel like I’m somehow getting too old for this grind.  

The way I have dealt with it? 

Accepting it. 

As much as I hate to admit it; I am not the same 17 year old wunderkind anymore and the young guns have a big edge on me. 

I have to take all the necessary steps to take care of myself and do everything in my power to make sure when I’m in the trenches; inside the matches in the important tournaments; I can be as focused on the games as possible. This is just so I can make the playing field close to level. 

Otherwise I am going to be reading cards, and playing slow unconfident magic. 

This is a big one; I believe. 

I think one thing a lot of players are lacking in pushing themselves to higher levels is the confidence in their decisions. I used to struggle with this a lot (still do sometimes) and I would constantly second guess things multiple times every turn. 

Over time, I’ve learned that if you put in the work... 

You practice; 

Play actual games and learn the interactions; 

You can really lean on your instincts and exude confidence in yourself that goes a long way in winning matches of Magic the Gathering. 

(Look at almost all of the best players. They are confident in their decisions in the games, even when they end up making mistakes.) 

But enough with the nonsense; let’s get to the tournament prep so we can blaze through that boring shit and get to the sweet 16 PT rounds 

(spoilers: there may be more than 16) 

Collin Rountree is torn between testing with Me Ty Will and the Houston Slack, and testing with team 5% captained by Allen “The Process” Wu. 

Of course the choice is obvious, but Collin doesn’t want to leave all the local bangers in the dust. 

He lobbies on our behalf, and Me Ty Will and Eddie all join team 5%. 

I am not a stranger to large testing teams. 

I spent four PTs testing with team TCG/SCG and we averaged around 15 people. The difference was that we always met up in person a week or more ahead of time for an intense testing period, and also I guess we had more dueling personalities.

Shoutout to everyone on those squads those were great times. 

But when you have Steve Rubin Seth Manfield Corey Burkhart Andrea Mengucii mixed with Brad BBD Martell Kibler mixed with Me Fennell GerryT Josh Cho mixed with Ari Lax trying to organize everything for everyone..... 

Anyone who knows these people can see how this led to some logistics issues and some heated arguments about who is not pulling their weight, or who is just showing up late and mooching, or who keeps brewing decks with no mana bases and sideboards and bringing them to Brad telling them they are great and we have to play games with them (another shoutout to Fennell, hope he reads this and fires up a modo draft tonight. And shoutout to Brad for creating the no 75, no games rule. You can’t fucking say you made a deck if you don’t have a manabase or a sideboard, and some brewers out there may need to hear that again.) 

Team 5% (7.1673746%) is all online testing. 

We use a discord with dedicated channels to all the constructed decks, all the limited topics, logistics, and chalkdiesel/washed bad beat/rant rooms/RIP Rimrock Knight etc. etc. so you can see how it stays pretty clean, organized, and simple. 

But no really, having so many people gives us an edge on many fronts. 

There is usually always someone available to battle. We can cover a lot of ground really quickly. Multiple people are brewing and many people are tuning the known decks. Lots of different opinions and we end up covering all the limited archetypes quickly as the drafts pile in. 

All of this being said, my best two PT results from the past are when I worked alone. 

I usually draft infinite (75-100) times (when I lose I drop and draft again. And sometimes I drop when winning just to draft again) and I just try to play the best deck in constructed. 

This I have learned is a recipe for success for me. 

But I was happy to join this team. My intention was to just do the same thing, but have some people to talk to while I drafted 75-100 times and tuned the best deck. 

I worked with a few of these players back in the TCG days (shoutout to Ari and Corey, and again to Corey for winning the PT let’s gooooooo) and everyone that I heard was currently on this 5% team; I liked. 

So for my testing I did almost purely magic online. 

I did around 60 drafts after all was said and done. In constructed, I played a ton of UW control and small amounts of all the other stock decks, and watched a lot of streams. 

I wanted to be familiar with the format but not go too hard until the days leading up to; during; and right after the first 2 RPTs. 

What a weird dynamic, having 2 pro tours 5 days before deck submission for your pro tour. 

It really worked out in our favor because our team is so big and we were able to quickly attack the new and perceived future metagame. 

Nothing at those two tournaments made me waiver from wanting to register UW control. 

I was still beating everything, and I predicted the metagame would be 20%ish UB invertor and then spirits, red, black, and sultai delerium/invertor uro decks would be all around 10%. 

When I say I was beating everything, I was beating everything. 

Granted these were in leagues, but it was mostly all against real decks and my constructed rating was skyrocketing above my limited. 

Not a thing I am accustomed to. 

I had a 17-1 record against mono red, and no cap. I had a 12-2 record against mono black. I had a 8-1 record against UB invertor. 

I crushed Collin so badly with our teams current front running mono white devotion that he decided to add 4 Gideon Ally of Zendikar to the maindeck and try again. 

A 4-0 for me later in which he resolved 5 Gideons led to him telling the discord he is off it. “Bursavich just beat me every single game and I resolved gideon in all of them.” 

The only deck I ever lost matches to was spirits but I still won more than I lost against it. 

Around Monday our team was all piling on to the breach deck realizing how good it was, and I joined in to. 

I played a prelim and a league and immediately bought all of the cards from cardkingdom. But after my next few matches I was feeling very conflicted. 

I was very worried how bad UW was against breach, but I didn’t think breach would break 7-8% or the metagame anyway. And I can tweak UW some to have a shot I tell myself. 

The breach deck is obviously busted, but it’s a combo deck with a weird puzzle-like 3 step combo. 

First you have to get 2 lands into play and then play lotus field, then u have to play a thespians stage and copy it, and then u have to kill your opponent with ur huge amounts of mana. 

But the deck is so consistent and sort of resilient that I found myself trying to play it like a midrange deck. 

I have these faes and grazers and pores and viziers, I can block! And Fae for planeswalkers and grind people out or take all these weird dynamic lines... and then I realized I was fucking up a lot. 

The games are not always intuitive to me, and I won’t be able to live with myself if I register this and play horribly to lose games I should win, considering there will likely be some number of games my deck fails and I can’t win (or my opponent is prepared with damping sphere or one of the other 1-2 cards that do anything at all to stop this abomination of a deck) 

So a few hours after ordering the breach cards I am going to bed Monday night and I know I’m going to play UW control... 

Shoutout to the squad though! 

They really crushed it over these few days and perfected the breach list and had all the matchups figured out down to the T. 

Our limited meetings were great and I believe they really helped everyone a lot and we had an overall great showing in limited. 

I spend all day Tuesday and Wednesday with magic online open and the discord on my other monitor. 

I occasionally jam some games with teammates but for many many hours I just stare at my UW decklist while catching up on the latest breach tech. 

I just stare at the deck..... 

For hours

I went to get lunch and came back and stared some more. 

It was perfect and there was just nothing to cut. 

I wanted another hard counter in my deck but could not find the space. 

I have been moving 1 card around here and there, swapping 3rd field of ruin for the 4th Glacial, swapping back, then swapping back again. going down to 1 absorb and back to the 2/2 split back to 1. Moving around seal away D sphere narset lantern thassas intervention Mystical Dispute elspeth etc. etc. but mostly keeping the same core 73-75 cards the same. 

With a few hours left in submission and all the data pouring in, we realize that LSV Huey and a large swath of great players have all been spotted in leagues today playing breach. 

I am suddenly panicked bc the matchup is still quite bad. 

I have a few good cards, but nothing to swing it past like a 33% matchup at best.

I know damping sphere is my only real option if I want to respect it, and I’m of the mindset that doing so is normally a bit silly. 

While the deck is obviously busted, it’s been 5 days and many players are uncomfortable playing decks of this style. 

My general guess is that it breaking 6-7% of the field will still be unlikely, and I think it pushing above 10% would be crazy. 

So I can expect to play vs it once on average?? 

Not so fast. 

This is a new RPT with a wide open field, but still a lot of goats at the top. 

Turns out you almost always have to defeat multiple goats to get the trophy in PT’s... 

And I didn’t fly to Phoenix just to have a good ole time and settle for 6th place, so I man up and delete 2 Monastery Mentor for 2 Damping Sphere. 

This will hurt me in mirrors and vs Invertor, but I am confident I will be fine anyway. 

With 10 minutes left in submission I consider adding a 3rd sphere but am too lazy to open back up my laptop and know I won’t be able to cut any of the beautiful cards in my sideboard for it anyway. 

Enough with the boring shit; let’s get to the tournament!!! 

Part2 coming tomorrow!

[aspireandb]

Hire Me! (Or Don’t):  How Being Unemployed Was the Time Of My Life

On the outside, it seemed like I was on my way to having it all.

I was working a decent paying job, with the glass corner office and brand new car to prove it. I just moved into my own spacious two bedroom apartment, leased the spare bedroom out to my cousin, and adopted an adorable pomeranian named Vixie (aka my child). The year before I had the privilege of addressing an arena full of my schoolmates and their families at graduation, as their class president. That position itself was the culmination of many years of servant leadership, having held multiple positions on campus while taking a full course load and working two jobs to pay my tuition.

Let me tell you something.

All of that hard work didn’t matter in the real world!

Addressing the Class of 2015 at Commencement

Although I worked continuously during college, was entrusted with managing people, events, and budgets up to almost a million dollars, even completing an internship in NYC, and starting my own brick and mortar business to garner a depth of experience in business and operations, nobody cared. Then I landed at my first real (read: full time) job.

Within two years I worked my way up from the lowest position in the company to the heartbeat of it all: the intake department. I was responsible for screening patients and onboarding them to our visiting nurse services. The job was easy yet stressful. There were many difficult personalities to deal with, and I knew deep down that I was capable of way more than just making phone calls, entering medications into a computer, and getting cursed out by nurses and patients almost every day. Time went by and state budget cuts meant layoffs. I somehow managed to dodge two rounds that eliminated some of my closest coworkers and even my supervisor. Combined with an increase in #shadyofficepolitics, it occurred to me that my days in the corner glass office might be numbered. So, when the executive vice president came knocking on my door just two weeks before my 26th birthday, I knew what time it was. I packed my things and went out the door with my chin up.

My birthday, two weeks post-layoff, trying to keep my sprits up

But in the days that followed, depression set in. How dare they lay me off! I was too smart, too talented, too much of an asset. I was planning to go on vacation for my birthday- in fact I just finished filling out the request form 15 minutes before I was given my pink slip! That would have to be scrapped… I ripped the form up in anger. Worrying about money, I spent days in the house going stir-crazy. I went to visit my friend Monique in NYC to get a change of scenery, and went to the Strand Bookstore, a place I always wanted to visit but for some reason never did. While leisurely browsing the shelves something clicked: I had all the free time in the world to do whatever I wanted!

So I did whatever I wanted.

I cut my hair and dyed it blonde. I went to a different beach almost everyday and got mega tan. I began reading books again. I started two new businesses. Eating healthy became easy because I had time and energy to prep meals. I finally got my passport. I went on a learning tour to Honduras and met with kids who were deported from the US. I visited a healing cellar made completely of pink salt in Maine, and learned how to bodyboard in New Jersey. 

The Salt Cellar in Portland, Maine

I finally participated in a flash mob! Bravely stepping up to the mic and freestyling in a crowd of Yale students was crazy cool. My sister and I stumbled upon an awesome museum party DJ’ed by Kitty Cash at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian. Noshing on barbecue at a lavish estate in Connecticut became reality. Harlem brunch with my college girlfriends served up a reminder that I come from a wildly successful tribe that loves me.

My college crew and I- all grown up!

Now don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all roses. My car got broken into, twice. My cousin threatened to move out with only two weeks notice. Paying bills early no longer became the norm. So-called friends randomly disappeared. My parents became skeptical that I wasn’t looking for a job (I was, just with no success), which led to many disagreements.  My mother had to have major surgery. I had some down days. But all of these burdens felt light, now that I had time and energy to process them properly, with no frumpy work clothes making me feel invisible, or drama-hungry coworkers to appease. Baggage that I had been carrying for years- failed relationships, unrealized potential, melted away as I sought therapy through experiences, friends, and fresh air. Even the failed job interviews paid off. If a company gave me a obviously crap reason for rejecting my application, I emailed them back, politely but firmly explaining why they were wrong and they would regret missing out on a candidate like me. I found courage to stand up for myself even if it wasn’t exactly proper etiquette. I discovered my voice.

Making my mark at a school for children of sanitation workers in Honduras

Many of us look at being unemployed as a curse. I definitely did at first. It can seem scary facing the possibility of bill collectors and not eating, not to mention giving up happy hour and girls’ trips. But we, especially as women, need to take the time to discover and reinforce our strengths, pursue our dreams, and spend time with those closest to us. It is completely possible to lose your true self in the hustle and bustle of trying to be successful. On the day I lost my job, if someone tapped me and said this summer would be the most breathtaking one I’d ever have in my life, I’d have a crazy side eye waiting for them. But it truly was amazing, and what would I have to show for it if I would’ve spent my time agonizing over my old job? I watched my old coworkers complain about office drama on social media while I was boarding planes and suntanning. That place with the corner glass office? It closed for good just a few weeks ago. But me? I’m as happy as a girl can ever be.

[fashiontrendin-blog]

Competitive Camping and Fried Chicken: A Cross-Country Road Trip Money Diary

http://fashion-trendin.com/competitive-camping-and-fried-chicken-a-cross-country-road-trip-money-diary/

Competitive Camping and Fried Chicken: A Cross-Country Road Trip Money Diary

In this edition of MR Money Diaries, Annabel, a 29-year-old who’s on a road trip amid a life transition, documents her expenses for seven days.

I’m in the midst of starting a new life chapter. My husband, our cat and I are moving from San Francisco, where we’ve lived for the past seven or so years, to New York. The move was decided last fall when we realized we could no longer bear the questions from our families about when we were going move back (we’re both from the East Coast). Luckily, we had both hit a good place in our respective work lives to move on to the next project or whatever, so we decided that would be our last lease renewal.

We decided we didn’t want to just get on an airplane and show up in Manhattan. Instead, we’re currently taking a month to drive through the West, Canada, and New England, mostly camping with a few stops to stay with friends and in Airbnbs along the way. Noah, my husband, built out the back of our 2001 Honda CRV with a platform for a bed and lots of storage space. We do a good amount of camping in our regular lives, so we already had a lot of the “gear” required. Don’t worry; I flew our cat, Baby Angel, back to my mom’s house in Jersey. We’re not extreme enough to try to bring her on hikes.

I’m 29 and have been working in tech for the last three years. Noah is a woodworker and runs a skateboard magazine called Skate Jawn. God, we sound like two hipsters who have a million-dollar budget on House Hunters, but that’s not the case. Money is indeed a worry. I don’t have a job set up for when I get to New York, so watching my cash flow is a high priority. Noah and I also did a good amount of saving for the overall move. We are aiming to only spend the savings from two rainy day funds throughout this trip:

1. We began saving and rolling our loose change when we first got to San Francisco. Seven years later, we ended up with a little over $1,200.

2. At one of my restaurant gigs, I got some great advice from another server: Save every one dollar bill you ever get. If you get ones in your tip outs, save ‘em. If you break a five and get ones back, save ‘em. I didn’t 100% honor this, but after about nine months, I ended up with $1,000 stashed away. The little things, ya know?

Okay, enough with my Suze Orman impression; let’s get down to business. Here’s what I spent over the course of one week of our road-tripping.

Our seventh day on the road: Jackson Hole, Wyoming → Yellowstone National Park

Woke up to watch the sunrise on the Tetons with my buddy Jill, who’s been hosting us for the past two nights. We had to get up so early that the coffee shop in town wasn’t even open yet, so we tailgated and made coffee using our camping stuff while that big ole sun came up.The three of us got back to Jill’s house by 8 a.m. and pretended we were going to make breakfast and go for a hike, but really we all fell back asleep until 10:30 (come on, it’s Sunday).

Noah and I said our farewells and hit the road around noon. We spent half an hour in the parking lot of a gas station deciding if we should go west into Idaho to go on a waterfall/hot spring/campsite adventure (did I mention we’re trying to go to as many natural hot springs as possible?) or go straight to Yellowstone. Decided it was risky to go to the hot spring since it’s early in the season and it might be muddy or cold from the snow melt and headed for the Yellowstone west entrance instead.

It was kind of hectic when we got to the campsite. It’s first come, first served, and there were only a few spots. Four other campers pulled up as soon as we got there and jumped on claiming a spot before we could figure out what to do. It worked out in the end — we got a site, but there was a lot of pressure coming from adults trying to sleep outside for a minute.

Felt good about the amount we spent today. We prepped a bunch of food at Jill’s house the night before, so we were able to eat that instead of buying any meals.

Our eighth day on the road: Yellowstone National Park

We woke up and immediately reserved our site again after what we saw go down last night. One fun/gross thing about this campsite is there are elk and bison wandering through it almost all the time. It’s pretty cool, but there are huge mounds of scat (a.k.a. poop) everywhere. Neither of us stepped in any, but I wanted everyone to know the facts.

We’re pretty much sleeping on a wooden plank with two inches of padding on it, so I did a little fake yoga (stretching on a yoga mat) while Noah made coffee and breakfast, which was breakfast burritos we made back in Jill’s kitchen our last night there.

After we cleaned up breakfast, we turned our car from a bed on wheels back into a driving machine and headed into town. I stopped at the post office to pick up stamps. I’m trying to be good about getting and writing postcards everywhere we stop. It’s been nice to reflect on what we’re up to and to let the people I love know I’m thinking about them since cell phone service is generally limited most places we’re going.

We drove around to all the hot springs and geysers today. It’s pretty early in the season, so almost all of the trails are still closed from snowfall. There are these built-up walkways going through crazy fields of geysers and hot springs. The colors were nutty, and it kind of felt like we weren’t on earth anymore … but then a huge tour bus would unload and we’d be reminded where we were. We did see Old Faithful and got super touristy at the gift shop. Then we both started getting cranky, so I got us coffee and yerba mate to help us from turning on each other.

Ended the day with a rainbow over the lake and tons of sweet, tiny baby bison with their mamas near our camp. Came home with just enough sunlight to cook dinner (quinoa with veggies and beans) and play a rematch of gin rummy, which I lost sorely. I also wrote a couple postcards.

Our ninth day on the road: Yellowstone → Montana

We woke up and did the usual cook-breakfast-and-break-down-camp thing. Camping takes a lot of work. There isn’t really that much time to sit around and chill because we’re alway cooking or cleaning something. Sort of missing city life where I can go out and get a slice of pizza and not worry about having enough sunlight to finish up before the bears come. Just kidding about the bears (but not really).

Leaving Yellowstone today. We took one last walk around some very pretty and very stinky hot springs.

Made it to Montana! Hung out with our friend who makes pretty jewelry filled with the ashes of people’s dead pets. He took us out for some really good fried chicken, which felt fitting since we’ve been eating pretty lean the past couple of days. Went to the hardware store to get some stuff for reinforcing our bed in the car.

We took a drive to watch the sunset over some mountains. I’m sad to say that I’m getting a little numb to all this nature and beauty. I’m sure I’ll miss it once we get back to a city, though.

Our tenth day on the road: Montana

This was a big day for prep. We’re planning to be off the grid camping for the next week or so, meaning we need to have enough food ready to go. To make things easier, we like to pre-cook a few things and pre-chop as many veggies as we’ll use because chopping veggies outside can be a bummer.

Went to the little grocery store within walking distance from our friend’s house to get a couple things to make breakfast with. Then spent a few hours re-sewing the curtains we hang in the car for privacy while we’re sleeping. Noah took the opportunity to re-pack the car for the fourth time! It’s really getting more efficient, but he’s completely obsessed with everything having a place in the car. We then went to town to get more groceries at a bigger grocery store with more options for our next camp . Then back to prep mode.

Finally, we went out to dinner in town. Probably spent a little too much, but we wanted to say thanks to our friend for putting us up and showing us around town.

Our eleventh day on the road: Missoula and Flathead Lake, Montana

Very chill day, money-wise. We woke up and made breakfast and then hit the road to head north. Stopped in Missoula to do laundry at a laundromat and use Wi-Fi for planning, then kept heading north to a free campground near Flathead Lake. It was a really pretty drive; the area around Flathead is a microclimate where they can grow great cherries. It was too early in the season for us to actually try the cherries, but all the orchards were blossoming — very pretty stuff.

It was rainy when we got to the campsite. We caught a break in the rain to cook dinner and play some cards and then passed out. The rain sounded nice on the roof of the car.

Our twelfth day on the road: Lussier Hot Springs, Canada

Woke up from a rainy night camping by the lake and made a quick breakfast, then got outta there. We’re heading for Canada today! We stopped in the town near Flathead Lake to hit Safeway for some orange juice and kombucha because we felt like treating ourselves.

We made it over the border in no time, which I was worried about just because we have so much stuff with us. Not that there’s anything bad news in there — it would just take forever for them to search it all.

When we got to the hot spring, we met some friendly folks who had lots of tips about what to do in the parks. Eventually we found a nice campground near the hot spring, split a bottle of wine cause apparently it’s Friday and watched an epic sunset over the nearby lake.

Our thirteenth on the road: Banff!

Woke up a little later than we hoped. We were going to get a sunrise soak in the hot spring, but kinda overslept. Thanks Friday wine. We did eventually wake up and make it to the hot spring, though. Got a quick soak with a badass older couple who were chilling up to their chests in this very steamy water. Made coffee, breakfast and then lunch roadside, so we saved some money there.

It turned into a pretty expensive day once we got into Banff. We found a visitor’s center to get on Wi-Fi and figure out camping/activities, and I immediately needed greasy food for some reason. I was craving pizza and a beer, but this is Canada after all, so I got some poutine and Chardonnay. Not sure if that’s the Canadian equivalent, but I dug it.

Thanks to some tips we got from those hot spring friends we made yesterday, we shot to camp in the town next to Banff because the town itself is crazy expense. We found a nice little campground in Canmore. They didn’t have potable water available, so Noah went to the gas station down the road where apparently Dasani is doing a promotion and only selling water in six-packs of plastic bottles instead of one big jug … hi, we have too much plastic in the ocean, how is this a promotion? We got them anyway, so there’s that.

Went to bed early because we’re planning on a little kayak trip tomorrow.

I feel okay about the amount of money we spent. I think we were hoping to find more free camping along the way and not have that extra expense. For two people who are technically on vacation, this feels like a pretty low number. To be honest, we were already keeping track of our spending when Amelia asked me to get this going. It was nice to include some journaling on top of the tracking we had going. Cooking for ourselves has been a big change from our life in San Francisco. We definitely do a lot of cooking at home, but going out for drinks or dinner with friends is real life and it adds up. I’m hoping to be mindful of that when we get to New York. Hey, maybe I’ll keep this money diary train rolling, who knows?

Big takeaways and accomplishments are:

Got Noah into 2 Dope Queens.

Being in nature makes me happy, so I need to find ways to get into it when we live in New York. Ugh, what am I going to do during winter?

Going to bed without the TV on really improves my sleep.

Photo by Edith Young; Art direction by Emily Zirimis.

[2700fstreet]

THEATER / 2017-2018

ON YOUR FEET!

The Emilio & Gloria Estefan Broadway Musical

Featuring music and lyrics by Emilio and Gloria Estefan Directed by Jerry Mitchell Book by Alexander Dinelaris Choreographed by Sergio Trujillo

So, What’s Going On?

The scene: Washington, D.C., 1990

The curtain rises as… Latin pop superstar Gloria Estefan preps for a huge concert while her husband, Emilio, and their son watch from the wings. Emilio tells Gloria her tour bus will have to make an unexpected stop and she’ll have to give up her day off. Annoyed, Gloria heads to the stage to sing one of her hit songs.

Cue flashback.

In 1966, young Gloria María Fajardo lives with her mother (also named Gloria), her grandmother, Consuelo, and her sister, Rebecca, in Miami. Their family has emigrated from Cuba to the U.S. following a violent political revolution. And while little Gloria’s father fights overseas in Vietnam, the women in the family keep things humming at home…literally: little Gloria has a talent for singing and songwriting, and she often performs Cuban songs for her neighbors and friends.

Young Gloria sings and dances while helping her family with the laundry.

As Gloria grows up, word begins to spread about her voice, and, in 1974, a young local musician named Emilio Estefan comes knocking at her door to ask about the songs she’s written. He convinces her to come play a tune for his band, named the Miami Latin Boys, and soon she joins the group as its lead singer.

Time passes and the Miami Latin Boys have transformed into the Miami Sound Machine. The band is booking tons of gigs, which frustrates Gloria’s mother, who feels Gloria should be living a normal life at home and helping her ailing father. Seems like a classic case of “protective mom,” but there’s a bit more to it: Gloria’s mother had her own shot at the spotlight once, but she let her dream go. Consuelo warns Gloria her newfound career may be stirring up old issues.

In a flashback to Havana in the 1950s, we see Gloria’s mother in action on stage.

Take a listen… The real-life Gloria Estefan sings “Mi Tierra” (“My Land”), the song performed by her mother’s character in On Your Feet!.

Despite the tensions at home, Gloria continues to sing with the Miami Sound Machine, and the band starts attracting listeners across the U.S. and South America. In fact, things are going so well that Emilio and Gloria speak to their record producer about “crossing over” into the English-speaking pop world. But the producer hates the idea. He suggests their sound and their Latin names just aren’t “American” enough. Emilio reminds the producer that immigrants count as Americans too, and decides to take matters into his own hands. He and Gloria get creative and market the band’s latest English single, “Dr. Beat,” to clubs and disc jockeys. The song takes off…and a romance between them starts to bloom.

Gloria and Emilio start to fall in love.

With each other for inspiration and support, Gloria and Emilio produce a newer, even bigger English single that captures hearts across the country: “Conga.” Thanks to the song, Emilio is able to get the attention of his studio executive, but the boss doesn’t want to give the band the contract it deserves. A few hits later, however, and Gloria’s talent and popularity can no longer be ignored. Finally, Emilio helps Gloria and the band secure a multi-million-dollar deal.

“Conga” becomes a hit on dance floors across America…and around the world.

Take a listen… Gloria Estefan revisits her hit song “Conga” in a live concert.

But all of this success—and the touring that goes with it—doesn’t make Gloria’s mother very happy. Even worse for Mrs. Fajardo: Gloria wants to take her sister, Rebecca, on the road. Worried her family is falling apart, Gloria’s mother threatens never to speak to Gloria again. And she doesn’t. Not for two years and an entire world tour. Which brings us back to where we started…

Washington, D.C., 1990

Gloria finishes her show and decides to call her mom to try and patch things up. When there’s no answer, she boards her tour bus with Emilio and their son, Nayib.

Then, disaster strikes.

A massive collision destroys the bus, injures Emilio and Nayib, and leaves Gloria in danger of permanent paralysis. Will she be able to walk again? Will she be able to sing again? And, perhaps most importantly, will she be able to repair her relationship with her mother before it’s too late?

Who’s Who

Gloria Estefan (born Gloria María Fajardo), a Cuban-American singer and songwriter Emilio Estefan, a Cuban-American musician and producer, Gloria’s husband Gloria Fajardo, a teacher and former singer, Gloria Estefan’s mother José Fajardo, a policeman and soldier, Gloria Estefan’s father Consuelo, Gloria Estefan’s abuela (grandmother) Rebecca “Becky” Fajardo, Gloria Estefan’s sister Phil, a New York record producer Little Gloria, a young Gloria Estefan Nayib, Emilio and Gloria Estefan’s son

Cuban Water, American Roots

“I came to Miami when I was two years old…my Mom kinda replanted us. But she watered me with Cuban water…everything that [my family] did was to keep alive the culture that they thought that we would go back to.” – Gloria Estefan

On Your Feet! is a tale of two very passionate and talented immigrants who came to the United States during a time of political turmoil in their homeland of Cuba. Starting in 1952, Cuba began its extended period of uncertainty, beginning with a military coup spearheaded by a corrupt and oppressive Fulgencio Batista (whose name you’ll hear mentioned in the show), followed by another coup conducted by the polarizing leader Fidel Castro.

After Castro established a new government in 1959, many Cubans—including the Fajardos and the Estefans—chose or were forced to move to the U.S. But Cuban families were often separated, and many had to leave promising careers behind. Still, the Cuban culture continued to thrive on American shores, particularly through its music. Today, cities across the U.S. are buzzing with the sound of Cuban dance rhythms, and artists like the Miami Sound Machine keep mixing Latino beats with traditional jazz and pop, creating a unique sound that’s both Cuban and American.

For more on the history of Cuba/US relations and info on Cuba’s revolution, go to:

Check This Out…

On Your Feet! features many recognizable songs that have been played on the radio (and at parties, weddings, dance clubs, etc.) for decades. Listen up for these tunes while you watch the show—and don’t be afraid to sing or dance along if the actors encourage you to.

Choreographer Sergio Trujillo wanted the moves in On Your Feet! to feel as authentically Cuban as possible. He even went to Havana to study native Afro- Cuban dances. Keep an eye out for these intricate steps during the show, especially ones that involve two people partnering up and moving together, which is an essential component in Latin dance. Pick up a few steps… Sergio Trujillo talks about his career and his process for getting On Your Feet!... well...on its feet.

This story includes many flashbacks to different time periods and different countries. Watch out for the ways in which the lighting, costumes, and set designs give you clues about where and when the characters are (hint: pay special attention to the different colors used in each scene).

Lots of the music in On Your Feet! will be sung in Spanish. For those audience members who don’t speak the language, pay close attention to the singers’ voices and facial expressions. You’ll most likely pick up the meaning of each song based on the energy and emotion the performers convey.

Think About This…

On Your Feet! is a combination of big, bold musical numbers and smaller, more intimate scenes between two or three people. Which moments do you prefer? Which scenes are more successful at moving the story along? Which are best at making you feel for the characters?

Most stories have an antagonist, but in On Your Feet!, the villain isn’t always easily identified. Who or what do you think operates as the “bad guy” in the show? What forces are most responsible for the troubles the characters endure?

The Estefans and the Fajardos are affected by stereotyping throughout the show. In what ways do you observe the non-Latino characters making incorrect or misinformed assumptions about Latino immigrants?

On Your Feet! is an immigrant story, but it’s also a human story. Can you think of similar tales in film, TV, or theater where the main characters fight for their dreams in the face of adversity? In what ways are these stories similar to the biography of the Estefans?

Go Behind-the-Scenes

To learn more about the making of On Your Feet!, check out this video series:

Episode 1: “Here We Are”

Episode 2: “Writing the Show”

Episode 3: “Casting the Story”

Episode 4: “Directing the Musical”

“Stand Up and Take Some Action”

One of the major themes of On Your Feet!—and the message of its title song—is to challenge yourself to take action in your daily life and claim control of your future. Both Gloria and Emilio come up against impossible odds, but they insist on forging their own personal and professional triumphs through hard work and determination.

Why not use their efforts to motivate yourself to reach for your own life goals? Choose a friend or family member and decide on a cause or achievement you can work toward together (this can be a joint plan or two individual projects; one for each of you). Next, make a pact that you’ll hit a specific milestone on the road to your end goal by a specific date.

For example: Want to apply for a dream summer job? Make a promise to your chosen buddy that you’ll have your forms filled out and ready by next month. Ask them to make a similar promise to you and make sure you both hold each other accountable for having completed your tasks.

Need another example? Say you’re hoping to give back to your community on a regular basis. Consider creating a shelter, soup kitchen, or local government volunteering schedule for you and your friend. Once that’s done, be certain to check in on each other’s progress every week.

If you feel comfortable with social media, keep track of all your accomplishments on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or any platform you prefer and use the hashtag #standupandtakesomeaction. Remember to ask your friend’s permission before posting about them.

Explore More

Go even deeper with the On Your Feet! Extras.

An important final note:

This past December, Gloria Estefan and four other artists received the prestigious 2017 Kennedy Center Honors. When told she was being awarded this honor, Ms. Estefan made the following comment:

“Little did I imagine when my parents brought me as a toddler to the United States from Cuba, in order to be able to raise me in freedom, that I would be receiving one of this nation’s greatest honors. I feel privileged to be included in the galaxy of stars that have received the Kennedy Center Honors and I am grateful to be considered among the many talents in this great country that have been bestowed this exceptional accolade.”

The ceremony was broadcast on December 26, 2017. You can see footage from the annual event at www.kennedy-center.org.

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All photos by Matthew Murphy.

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Theater at the Kennedy Center is made possible by

Major support for Musical Theater at the Kennedy Center is provided by

© 2018 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

[rusticrevivals]

Getting back to blogging slowly, as we are still frantically busy with garden, guests and special events (this time fun ones, NOT ones I’m responsible for organizing!)  We’ve had someone staying with us here at Blue Belldon every 2nd week since the beginning of May, and this is going on until just after Thanksgiving… We love having guests, though – especially when they pitch in and help with the garden and animals, as many have been doing!

Here’s a summary in photos (the caption for each photo is directly below it) of some of the goin’s-on since July 1st.  I will be touching on many of these things in more detail, in postings of their own, AND offering some gardening and preserving ideas I’ve come up with this year in the next 4 or 5 blog postings, but for today, just relax and enjoy:

Starting from July 1st, (written about previously) when we sang with the mass choir and also The (New) New Denmark Minstrels (the little group I’ve been trying to keep together and train to sing in three part harmony!), this is how the summer  has gone.  Above, finishing “Ida May”, which has become a well-complimented ditty that I wrote with guitar accompaniment about the lady who settled our farm. That’s Mom directly to my left, and Richard’s the only man wearing a white shirt.

Richard and I have spent a lot of time in the early summer harrowing our pastures and planting timothy in the top meadow.

We then had neighbours come to cut and rake the hay, and friend Zeb behind us and ‘down the marsh’ helped get the bales in. Chevy, as always, seems unconcerned by any goings-on.

  Chevy’s big head and body will be taking in a lot of hay this year, as well as the beet pulp we’ve discovered we need to feed him to keep weight on!

Despite rain, cold and constant black flies, Mom/Joy has worked hard getting the garden weeded and was also in charge of all the flowers. Zeb’s Mom, Pierrette has also helped us plant more wildflowers around the farm, and we hope next year might be even more beautiful in various spots!

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Just a few of the wildflowers and also the scarlet runner beans I plant for quick and dependable climbers (around the wagon wheel).  Also, this summer I let the cilantro and borage grow in the garden to their full heights and flowering as the bees LOVE this and help cross-pollinate our veg.  The wonderful weeding job has been primarily done by Mom, as I was down with strep for most of July. Her friend Shirley Robinson helped quite a lot as well in July, and Richard did go through the paths with the rototiller also… (taking out a freshly planted row of carrots as he went, of course).

  Here’s the wildflowers we’ve cut for various vases recently, as well as some lunch veg.  Spinach had to be replanted a 3 rd time as we love it so much, and the first two didn’t ‘take’  due to heavy rains in June.  Ontario readers may be surprised to learn we are JUST NOW, in Sept., getting some ripened tomatoes!

Earlier than last year (we also had a two-week drought in early August! Crazy year!) we had to start picking apples.  I’ll have another blog post on all the things we ‘ve done with ours and a neighbour’s apples this year, but Richard had fun experimenting with ‘toys’ to peel and core them!

Smitty has had to go back on the chain for most of the summer, as he still bites through washing line cord and certainly through rope, and if not tied up, chases cars and people on the road (and still may possibly bite them and neighbours coming over to visit!)  He does have access to porch and lawn, shade and sun, and of course – those beautiful views, plus one of us is walking past him for a pat nearly every 20 minutes or so, so don’t feel TOO sorry for his pathetic-looking mug! (Thanks to Leanne for the photo!)

On one of Mom’s doctors’ appointments in Fredericton (2 hours from here) we did stop in the lovely village of Hartland as a bit of sight-seeing and to see the world’s longest covered bridge…

Any other touristy-stuff was just done by Mom, as Richard and I can’t really get away:

Mom and her only grandchild Sydney, named for my father whom he never met, on the beach in P.E.I. in July

Sydney and Mom’s friend and avid blog-reader Shirley Robinson in Charlottetown. (I’m pretty sure she was holding the 2nd ice cream for my Mom; she wouldn’t like you all to think she was having TWO! )

Sydney is taking after his aunt Julie with a love of Musical Theatre. They all went to see “Anne” on stage, and Syd had to have the hat and wig…  Aunt Julie’s very first role on stage was when SHE was in Grade 6 (same as Sydney this year) and SHE played Marilla! (under the direction of Mr. Peter Wright).

Richard did get away for several days in July to take his car down to the Atlantic Nationals in Moncton, a show he and his brother have often visited ( once with me, also, 10 years ago…)  Both the main street of the city as well as the largest park are FULL of over 2,000 old vehicles.  This is NOT a good way to help one live self-sufficiently and organically, helping nature to help you… but it IS a passion of Richard’s…

Richard left the farm for 5 days to drive 3 hours to Moncton in his ’73 Chevy Nova to enter his dream-car-show, the Atlantic Nationals.  People drive their old vehicles from as far as the Yukon to enter this, so Richard and his brother Jean-Marc (who used to own the Nova) had a wonderful time.  Richard stands proudly by his beast (the reason our horse is also named “Chevy”  and the goat’s named “Cammie” because Richard USED to own a Camaro as well)

Zeb also likes to help the Nova get polished, and Leanne, from Scotland, missed out getting taken for a car ride last year (the car was in pieces at that point) so last week Richard made sure both young folk had a tour of New Denmark in it:

Chevy of course IS a beast, as Sydney’s visit shows… He likes to stand like a statue when small children are around, so he doesn’t accidentally trod their toes (no such consideration for adults, of course!)  Both Sydney and Leanne (now a professional horse trainer, an addition to the days we both took pony treks out in the highlands of Scotland together!) had a good time keeping Chev in shape for the winter months, when Richard will really be using him out in the bush!

Not to be outdone, of course, Cammie has to get in on all the action as well:

above, Leanne from Scotland, (I’m her adopted ‘Mither’), me in a selfie that’s tricky to get with a squirming goat!, Sydney my nephew and Cammie showing off.

Of course, it isn’t just about hard work and fun with the livestock.  While Leanne was here we picked an entire tree of crab-apples, and she and Richard both helped me prepare them (in various prep ways!) for the same things I did last year with them: crabapple sauce, crabapple juice (great in smoothies!), crabapple jelly and something new I tried because we got sick of quartering them and had some fairly big ones on the south-west side of the tree:  Spicy Pickled Crabapples. (mmmmmm….!!!)  Various food preserving methods will be written up later in the season for anyone interested. But of course we also have the usual peas and beans to work on gradually throughout August, so it’s all hands on deck for THAT!  (About 40 recycled bags and containers in the deep freeze with all of those at present).  Right now we are starting on the edamame,  (7 rows of it!) and because we all love those so much, we’re looking at various ways of preserving and eating them. FULL of protein!

Richard had his car show, and I (Rustic Revivals) had a show in Plaster Rock at the end of August as well. It was fun to have a bigger booth space than ever before, and even be right beside the big log house that is the tourist information booth! (Yup, that’s right, there’s Richard in the background, heavily engrossed in a Steve Berry or Clive Cussler).

While Chevy may be the Pot of Gold (I did own a pony named that once, we called her “Potsy” and she starred with my “Rainbow the Clown” when I did that professionally for a few years) at the end of this lovely rainbow, a dream really did come true for me right after this:

Got to meet long-time hero of mine, Ron Turcotte (above). Ron is from the area, and not only had his first racetrack rides on the famous Canadian horse Northern Dancer, but rode to fame as the exclusive jockey for Secretariat, piloting him around to be the first winner of the Triple Crown (all 3 tough races!) in 25 years, AND winning the Belmont by an unprecedented (and un-dreamed-of, even!) 31 lengths!  Ron was part of the CBC documentary on New Denmark a few weeks ago, with Jonny Harris’ Still Standing:

In the first photo, above, Mom seems to be the centre of attention of all the CBC cameras and mics, whilst she unconcernedly munches a Danish sausage from our local butcher, Ron Hansen.  However, they are really rushing to keep on top of Jonny himself, as seen in the second photo, and Mom keeps a close eye on the activities, as she’s been watching Still Standing on her laptop of an evening lately (remember, we have no television services).  Three out of the four ladies behind the Danish Delicacies table have all sung with Richard and myself at some point, showing you what a truly small community we are!

Leanne snapped this shot of the New Denmark museum’s barn a few weeks ago, ready for Jonny to come out and do his locally-based hilarity. And there’s Jonny with our own Megan Bach, Miss New Denmark (see my previous posts on the crazy times of the beauty pageant:  Hill-billy Hootenany: Purty Pals and Gingham Gals as well as Founder’s Day Festivities) .  The New Denmark episode will be airing on CBC next spring (Season 4). I’ll be sure to let you all know in advance!  If you hear Jonny singing  Frere Jacques in Danish, I was the one who got to write it out phonetically for him!

T R E E S  were an important part of our summer, of course –  (above, my brother-in-law Boyd, with my sister Jennifer)  —-not just climbing them to pick fruit, but lying under them in the hammock, (not much time for that, but our guests enjoyed!)  BUILDING in them as well, swinging in them AND, for Richard and Leanne, zip-lining through them!

I helped Sydney build a tree-house out in the birch grove, and will treasure this photo Mom took of us.  He didn’t get to enjoy the platform-sitting (with his book) for very long before he was whisked away, but we all hope he’ll be back to enjoy other Blue Belldon summers with us.  My sister Jennifer probably isn’t so keen on this next photo, as it’s no doubt reminiscent of me ordering her about throughout our childhoods and constantly explaining how to do things, whilst she actually DOES them. (Tree-climbing used to be one of my favourite things, but with my bad knees now, it’s simply out of the question, so Jen had to go up and fix a few things Sydney didn’t quite make strong enough!) :

I love the above shot of a summer day at Blue Belldon Farm, with a tire swing we erected for Sydney, and Chevy grazing in the distance… and alongside the house – here comes the nephew with a ladder to help with the tree-house-building!

And below is a shot of Richard and Leanne practicing to do their zip-line through the trees and across the gorge. I didn’t go to watch, as there were many beans to pick and crab-apples to can, so Mom didn’t get a shot of Richard actually on the line going across the Grand Falls gorge, a mistake about which she has yet to stop hearing!

For the last month and a half, we’ve been rehearsing in our ‘meeting room’ for the skit I wrote for the 100th anniversary of our church this past Saturday night.  Here are neighbours, Peter Jensen, Barb Christensen, Richard, Zeb (played Ned Kram, which spells Denmark backwards) and myself.  I won’t show you the skit being performed until I do a whole blog post on the fun we had Saturday night, but to give you a tantalizing look, what is Mom doing in a togo? Helping me with costume-fittings!

And here’s a few more teases:

above (clockwise) Me in the wings with Zeb, me with Miss New Denmark, spinning the wheel Richard made for the Pastors’ Trivia Challenge I ‘forced’ them to do (or so our Pastor Ralph will have you believe) me playing for the New Denmark Minstrels, and Richard singing a solo I wrote for him about the building of our church on the hill… Thanks to Mom for snapping these. Leanne was the official photographer for the night, so, as she’s just arrived back in Scotland, we’ll wait a few more days for her pics.

Most people think of the Maritime provinces as having lots of sun and sand involved in a summer. Obviously, when you live inland in the mountains, that isn’t the case!  But Mom and Shirley got to see some sand with Jennifer’s family in P.E.I., and Richard saw some on the coast over by Moncton at the car show.  We felt badly that we were too busy to get Leanne to see some (although being from Aberdeen area and working on an oil rig, she hardly needs to see more ocean!). However, yesterday a friend of Pierrette’s and Zeb’s, Yolanda, kindly drove her all the way to the Bay of Fundy so she could see the amazing tide-work and pad about in the sand.  Good-bye, Summer, ‘we hardly knew ya!’

Summer in Summary Getting back to blogging slowly, as we are still frantically busy with garden, guests and special events (this time fun ones, NOT ones I'm responsible for organizing!)  We've had someone staying with us here at Blue Belldon every 2nd week since the beginning of May, and this is going on until just after Thanksgiving...