#never been so lucky to have gotten a five star between 2 ten pulls before

[noctilucous-sunni]

honkai star rail tho….

hehe

[bokutosworld]

night time activities with hq boys

- the little things and shenanigans that they like to do with their s/o once the world has quieted down and people have gone to sleep zzz

wc: 1.9k words, fluff, sfw. 

characters: kageyama, hinata, yamaguchi, oikawa, iwaizumi, bokuto, kuroo, ushijima, semi, atsumu!

a/n: so this was intended to be a mini hc list but i got carried away in my feels and just wrote mini scenarios for my top ten hq boys. this is self-indulgent ngl mom i love them :’) 

--

💌 he always gets asked what's the secret to his clear and smooth skin. well, the answer is you. since the two of you started living together, you've gotten kageyama on board in your nightly skincare routine. he doesn't mind it even if tsukishima and hinata tease him endlessly, something about the 'king of the court' being soft for you. as soon as he comes out from the shower, he positions himself on the edge of the bed, letting you stand between his legs as you wipe his face with a toner, followed by a moisturizer. then you'll get a sheet of face mask and put it on carefully. 'thank you, y/n,' he'd always say with a smile before pulling you to his chest, laughter echoing around the room, as you both fall on the bed.

💌 you thought your relationship with hinata wouldn't survive the long distance. but despite the thousand miles separating the both of you and the difference in timezones, he made sure to always wish you sweet dreams and good night. sometimes, he would call you in the middle of practice or while he's sitting in the train during commute. if he's lucky to have a free day, he'd call you while he's also in bed and you guys would talk non-stop, exchanging stories, saying your i love yous and i miss yous. and when you're the first one to snooze, he'd chuckle in the background, taking a few screenshots of your adorable sleeping face before saying goodnight and ending the call with a smile.

💌 one of the things that made yamaguchi fall in love with you was your love for studio ghibli films. when the topic was brought up among your friend group, he instantly whipped his head to where you were and before he knew it, his feet were bringing him to you. you were already friends so you didn't mind him joining the conversation, he was mesmerized with how you passionately talked about your love for howl's moving castle or how you talked about the nostalgic soundtrack of from up on poppy hill. the rest was history and now, five years into the relationship, watching studio ghibli films every friday night has become a tradition to both of you. oftentimes, you would find yourselves cuddled on the bed, legs entangled and arms wrapped around one another. spirited away was playing on the laptop, the light illuminates the dark room as the both of you slowly drifted to sleep. it was in moments like these that you felt overwhelmed and satisfied with the security and comfort of being with him.

💌 oikawa was spontaneous - it kept you on your toes, always wondering what kind of surprise or gimmick he has prepared for you. the day before a big presentation, you were nervous and you made sure he knew it by texting him non-stop, sending him memes that expressed what you couldn't say in words. he didn't want to say you were overreacting in fear of getting on your bad side, but he has no doubt that after spending weeks in preparation that you can ace your presentation. still, he wanted to be of help to you and he knew just how to lift your mood up. it was 2:15 am when you were woken up by the incessant ringing of your phone. you pick it up, ready to shout at whoever was on the other side when you heard his laugh, 'grab your jacket, we're getting mcdonalds.' you didn't need to be told twice, almost running down the stairs so you can get your fix of your fave happy meal. after getting takeout, he drove you to a park and laid out a blanket. you sat and enjoyed your food in peace before he mentioned something about the stars shining bright tonight, turning to you with the biggest grin on his face, 'but i have the brightest star in the world right now by my side.'

💌 iwaizumi could never see what it was about video games that you loved so much. though after dating you since high school, he's been used to being ignored, put on voicemail, and being the second priority whenever you had a console in hand. but one late night, he got curious about the new title you were playing, super smash bros, and figured he could give it a try. you were surprised when he suddenly sat on the couch and scooted closer to make room for himself. he took your extra controller and asked to play for one round. little did he know that one game became two, which became three until the both of you couldn't keep track anymore as he kept losing and asking for a rematch. when you closed the game, the sun was slowly peeking over the clouds. you kissed him on the cheek before retreating to bed 'thanks for playing with me, iwa. that was one of the best games i've had.' he wouldn't admit it but he enjoyed it too, and he was thankful that he had the following day off or he'd be nursing an insane headache at work due to lack of sleep.

💌 people thrived off of the contagious energy that bokuto radiated, and you were no stranger to that. you were all too familiar with the intoxicating feeling that one can get by being around him. being with him, living with him, there were no dull days or quiet evenings. there would be nights that he'd still be high on the adrenaline that came from winning their game, that before sleeping, bokuto would drag you up your feet and get you singing your favorite songs. he didn't need a mic, his loud voice was enough and it reverberated around the room. you'd both be laughing, stumbling over the lyrics as you danced to a silent beat. jumping up and down, you're worried that the neighbors might report you to the guards in the apartment lobby. but none of it would soon matter as he'd suddenly collapse on the bed, pulling you with him. you fall to his chest and you hear the erratic beating of his heart. he lifts your chin up to look at him and he presses a chaste kiss on your lips, 'thank you for being with me all this time.'

💌 due to the nature of his job, you'd been used to kuroo returning home almost midnight due to doing overtime. often, he'd return to a dark apartment as you'd already be tucked in bed, drifting off to a deep sleep. but tonight was different. it was 11:45 pm and when kuroo turned the knob and swung the door open, he was surprised to see you sprawled out on the floor of the living room. a mess of polaroid photos, printed stickers, papers, and craft items were beside. you greeted him with a smile, he returned it with one of his own and question fell on his lips, 'what are you doing here?' he swears he melted on the spot when you said you were making a scrapbook of your moments and milestones together. something about the idea of you collating everything - from when you went on your first date, your first kiss, your first out-of-town trip - had the butterflies in his stomach go crazy. he loosens his tie and undos the first two buttons of his shirt before joining you on the floor, looking forward to staying up all night reminiscing your memories together.

💌 as soon as you and ushijima got home from date night, he'd head straight to the kitchen to brew your favorite cup of tea while you went ahead to wash up and prepare for bed. he'd bring two cups to the room, placing yours on vanity table and his on the nightstand. when you came out of the shower, you'd go straight to your vanity to do your evening skincare, noticing the tea he had prepared and taking a sip before putting on moisturizer. ushijima would take his place behind your back, a hand resting on your shoulder as the other leaned to get your brush. he'd gently comb your hair, dragging the brush slowly over your tresses. 'is this okay? it doesn't hurt?' you'd look at his reflection in the mirror, catching his eyes and you reassure him that it's fine. silence envelopes the two of you, but it's not the awkward kind. it's the one that puts you at ease, erasing your worries as he continues his action. when he finishes, he returns the brush on its spot, turning you around to give you a kiss, 'i love you.'

💌 semi notices something was wrong when you arrived home all quiet. usually, you'd run to where he was - often in the kitchen where he was cooking food or in his mini studio where he composed songs - but tonight, you made a beeline to your shared bedroom. he follows and observes as you throw your bag on the floor before falling face first on the bed. he swears he heard you take a big sigh and takes that as his cue to prepare a warm bath for you. semi makes sure that the water temperature is just how you like it, pouring your favorite bubble soap and lighting up your favorite scented candles all over the room. when he's done, he makes his way over to you, 'come on, sweetheart. i readied a bubble bath for you.' your ears perk up hearing his words and you get up, letting him take your hand as he brought you to the bathroom. he helps you take off your clothes and assists as you sit in the tub. and just when he was about to make his leave, you grab his hand, 'i'd be a lot more comforted if you were here with me.' knowing what you meant, he nods, ridding himself of his clothes before joining and hugging you from behind. 'you're okay now, i got you.'

💌 the past few days have been unkind to you and atsumu. with him being busy with extended training and you being occupied with an insane amount of workload that came with your promotion, you didn't really have enough time to spend awake at home. and atsumu misses you and your voice. it wasn't enough for him just to cuddle up to you when sleeping as he'd always feel bad whenever he had to leave in the morning. so despite knowing that you'd get mad for getting up before the sun has risen, he shook you lightly, 'hey, wake up, i want to show you something.' you opened your eyes slowly, looking for the source of disruption of your sleep, but when you realized it was atsumu, you simply groaned before raising your arms in request from him to carry you. he complies, carrying you bridal style to the car and he speeds off to a nearby park hill. when he alerts you that you have arrived at the destination, you rub sleep off your eyes and come out of the car just in time to see the sun rising over the horizon. the scene unveiling right in front of the both of you was so beautiful that you were left speechless. atsumu hugs you from behind, his chin resting on your shoulder and exhales, 'i missed you so much. let's take our time here, okay?' eventually, the two of you reported sick for work/practice but it was worth it.

[rpf-bat]

Celebrate The End Of Things With Cheap Champagne

Pairing: Frank Iero x Reader

Genre: Angst 

Summary: @sirloin-steaks requested a Frank story based on the song “New Year’s Day” by Taylor Swift. 

It’s December 31st, 2006, and My Chemical Romance are ringing in the New Year, performing live in Times Square. Frank invites you to come out, and see the show. But, an after-party at the band’s hotel, takes a turn, that nobody saw coming.

Trigger warning for substance abuse. 

You stood on the deck of the ferry boat, watching the bright lights of New York City draw closer and closer. You used to take this ferry every day, from your hometown in New Jersey, to your job in Manhattan. But, that seemed like so long ago now. 

Once upon a time, your friend and former coworker, Gerard, would catch the morning ferry with you. But, after the September 11th attacks, he’d quit his job at your company, and started a band. His decision had puzzled you at first. But, the first time you saw My Chemical Romance perform live, you had understood. 

That was also the night that you met Frank. His guitar playing was electric, and you told him as much, after the band finished their set. It had been at some shitty dive bar - the only venues that would take them at the time. But, he’d told you that night, that he, and Gee, and the guys, were going to make it to the big time. You’d admired his ambition, and the two of you became fast friends. And he’d been right. 

Now, four years later, My Chemical Romance was one of the biggest bands in the country. Their album, The Black Parade, had just dropped two months ago, debuting at #2 on the Billboard charts. They had gotten popular enough, to receive a prestigious offer. Ryan Seacrest had asked them to play New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, tonight, in Times Square! 

Millions of Americans tuned in every New Year’s Eve, to see the concert broadcast, and watch the ball drop at midnight. It was crazy to you, that your dorky friends from back home in New Jersey, had gotten “big” enough to perform alongside glitzy pop stars, like Christina Aguilera.

You were so psyched for them. It would also be the first time you had seen them in a while. Frank was the only one of the guys who still technically lived in New Jersey. When he was home, and off the road, he would come over to your house all the time, to watch movies, or play video games, just like in the old days. But, the last time that had happened, had been months ago. He, and the rest of the band, had been traveling around nonstop, doing radio and TV interviews, to promote the new album. In February, they were supposed to embark on a world tour. 

“But after tonight’s show, we’ll have a little bit of time off, before the tour starts,” Frank had told you excitedly on the phone, yesterday afternoon, when he’d invited you to the gig. “I really hope we get to spend more time together, Y/N. I missed you.” 

You had missed him, too - more than words could describe. Your heart ached whenever you drove past his house, knowing that he wasn’t in it. You had things you wanted to say to him tonight - things you’d been waiting to tell him for a long time. 

Your heart hammered as you stepped off the ferry, and began walking towards Time Square. The streets were packed with people, all rushing towards the same place you were. You knew some New Yorkers had started camping out at three o’clock in the afternoon, to get the best seats. If Frank hadn’t sent you a VIP pass in the mail, you’d surely have ended up in the way back of the crowd, nowhere close to the stage. 

You showed your pass to the security personnel, who were looking through peoples’ bags at a checkpoint, near the entrance to the Square. They waved you through to a special designated area, in the front row, for friends and family of the performers. You were pretty sure the kid on your left was the fourth Jonas Brother. You felt remarkably out of place. 

But, then your phone beeped, alerting you that you had a text. A smile crossed your face, when you realized it was from Frank. 

We r about 2 head onstage, he said. I will see you after our set, I promise! There’s nobody I’d rather ring in 2007 with :)

You heard the crowd start screaming, and your head whipped around, as you watched the announcer stroll onto the stage. 

“Please welcome our next musical guest - My! Chemical! Romaaaaance!” 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Their performance was amazing. They were one of a dozen artists performing tonight, so they only got to do three songs, before they had to get offstage and make room for the next act (Gwen Stefani, apparently). But, they put their whole hearts into those three tracks. Frank was jumping around like a maniac with his guitar, despite the freezing cold. Ray even had a pair of “2007” sunglasses on. 

You screamed for them, like every other girl in the crowd. At this point, you thought with a frown, there’s probably ten thousand people, with a crush on the same man, that I’ve been pining for since 2002. 

...Then again, you considered, the ten thousand other girls, don’t have backstage passes. 

Your frown disappeared, when you walked backstage, and a pair of arms immediately circled you. 

“Y/N!” Frank grinned. “Thank you so much for coming out and seeing us tonight!”

“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” you grinned, hugging your friend back. “You were amazing.” 

“Thank you,” Frank said sincerely, releasing you from his grip. “Are you ready to get out of this cold?”

“Where are we going?” you asked. 

“Back to the hotel,” he explained. “Ray’s not feeling so good.” 

“Oh, no,” you frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.” 

“Hi, Y/N!” Ray greeted, waving at you with one hand, while he pulled a tissue from his pocket, with the other. He blew his nose loudly. “....Sorry,” he muttered. “How are you?”

“It’s okay!” you assured him. “I’m fine...I’m sorry you’re not doing so well, though. You sound awful.” 

“It’s this East Coast weather,” he shrugged, throwing the tissue in a nearby wastebasket. “I hate doing outdoor shows, in the wintertime.” 

“You sounded great onstage,” you reassured him. “Nobody could even tell you were sick.” 

“The dorky sunglasses conceal how puffy his eyes are,” Frank confessed. “Poor guy didn’t sleep at all last night.” 

“Well, hopefully, I’ll sleep better tonight,” Ray chucked. “We’ve got two rooms at the Knickerbocker Hotel - one for me and Mikey, and one for Frank and Gerard.”

“Speaking of which,” you asked, “where is Gerard?” 

“Here I am!” chuckled a voice behind you, and you turned and saw your old friend Gerard, beaming at you. “Sorry, I was busy calling our cab. It’s so good to see you, Y/N! Thank you for coming.” 

“Thank you for inviting me!” you smiled back. “I’m really proud of you guys, getting to be part of such a major event.” 

“Oh, it’s surreal,” Gerard confessed. “I used to come up here with my mom and dad, and Mikey, every New Year’s Eve, to watch the show live.  I never thought I’d be in the show.” 

“We’re really lucky,” Mikey smiled, appearing beside Gerard, with a glass of champagne in his hand. 

“Ooh, where’d you get that?” Frank asked. 

“They’re giving them out to all the VIPs,” Mikey explained. “Would you like one, Y/N?” 

“I don’t think I qualify as a Very Important Person,” you confessed. 

“Nonsense,” Frank shook his head. “You’re very important to me.” 

“Yeah,” Mikey nodded. “You’ve been good friends with all of us for a long time. You can have whatever you want.” 

“No time for that,” Gerard shook his head. “Our cab’s here.” 

“C’mon,” Frank said, lacing his fingers with yours. “We have to go out through a secret exit, so that the fans don’t mob us.” 

“Oh, shit, really?” you chuckled. “I feel like a secret agent.” 

“Our lives have gotten so weird, honestly,” Gerard confessed. “I’m kinda glad that we’re gonna put some distance, between us and these crowds.” 

“Yeah, it’ll just be five of us, once we get to the hotel,” Mikey nodded. “Well...four. Ray is gonna go to sleep in our room, as soon we get there. But, the rest of us can party in Frankie and Gee’s room til midnight.” 

“Or later,” Frank grinned mischievously.

You smiled at your four oldest friends. “I can’t wait.” 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

“Ok, question,” you asked uncertainly, staring at the yellow cab in front of you. “How are we gonna fit five people in there?”

“It’s gonna be a tight squeeze,” Frank chuckled. 

“Well, hey, we’ve managed to fit in smaller places before, right?” Gerard pointed out. 

“True,” Ray laughed. “Remember when we were traveling around New Jersey, in our shitty little van?”

“We were all practically right on top of each other,” Mikey recalled. 

When the band had first started, you had gone with them, on weekend trips, to play a gig, in the next town over. You’d squished between the boys, somehow, and helped them carry their equipment into the venue. Watching them rock the faces off the local kids, had been so much fun. 

But, as time went on, they started getting offers to play at clubs across state lines. Day trips turned into months-long tours. You couldn’t commit to that - unlike Gerard, you still had a day job. And so, you started seeing the guys less and less. Then they’d gotten a record deal - and everything had gotten even more complicated. 

“That was….a long time ago,” you frowned. 

“Yeah,” Frank said wistfully. “I wish we had the chance to do that again.” 

“Well, now, most of the time, we don’t have to squish,” Ray pointed out. “We have a nice, roomy tour bus, with bunks and everything.” 

“You’ve come a long way,” you smiled weakly. 

You were quiet as you piled into the car. As the taxi started driving down the street, you stared out at the night sky, and the city lights flying by. Suddenly, Frank gently touched your hand, making you turn, and face him. 

“Hey,” he said quietly, giving your hand a squeeze, “are you alright, Y/N?” 

“Yeah,” you shrugged. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.” 

“Tonight’s supposed to be a party, remember?” he teased. “So, try and smile for me, okay?” 

“I’ll try,” you promised. It was far easier to smile, with him around. 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

You could tell as soon as you walked into the lobby, that this was a five star hotel. A crystal chandelier, cast a soft glow over the pristine decor. 

“We already got our room keys earlier,” Gerard explained. “So, we can go ahead up.” 

You nodded, and followed him and the guys to the elevator. 

“I think I’m gonna crash as soon as we get upstairs,” Ray confessed, sniffling into his tissue again. 

“I don’t blame you,” you said sympathetically. The elevator dinged, as you arrived at your floor. 

“Since I won’t see you guys until tomorrow,” Ray sighed, “Happy New Year, alright?”

“Happy New Year, Ray,” you waved, as you watched him unlock his hotel room door, and head inside. “Feel better soon!”

“Thanks, Y/N,” Ray wheezed, closing the door behind him. 

“Alright, let’s head into our room,” Frank grinned, opening the door to the adjoining room. “What do you want to do first?” 

“Let’s turn the TV on,” Mikey suggested, immediately looking for the remote. “I wanna see the other performances. They’re still broadcasting live right now.” 

“Oh, true,” you nodded. “We can still watch the ball drop tonight, on this flat screen!” 

“I wanna look at the room service menu,” Gerard grinned. “Y/N, you can have anything you want. Just let me know.” 

“Thanks, Gee,” you grinned. “Should we get champagne to toast with, at midnight?” 

“I’ll get it for you three,” Gerard shrugged. “For me? I guess I’ll order a club soda. If they put it in a fancy glass, I can still clink it with yours when the clock strikes twelve.” 

“Yeah, that works,” Frank agreed. “Looks almost the same.”

You frowned. That’s right, you remembered. Gerard is about two and a half years sober now. 

You remembered going to see them, at their Englishtown show, during Warped Tour ‘04. Gerard had been a mess. You hadn’t seen him in two or three months, and you were shocked how much he’d deteriorated. You’d felt helpless. If you’d had more time, maybe you could have talked some sense into him. But, the very next day, he had to get back on his bus, and head to another gig, in Pennsylvania. 

Frank had called you on the phone, maybe a week later, and told you Gerard had decided to get clean, on his own. You didn’t know how, or why. You didn’t know fifty percent, of what went on in your friends’ heads anymore. 

“.....Y/N?” Frank called, his voice stunning you out of your thoughts. 

“Sorry,” you blinked. “Did you say something?” 

“Yeah, I said I’m going out to the balcony, to have a smoke,” Frank replied. “I asked you if you wanted to come with me?”

“Oh….yeah, sure,” you nodded, and followed him out. “Got a light?” 

“Here,” Frank said, pulling a lighter out of his pocket, and handing it to you. 

You took a pack of Marlboros out of your purse, and lit one. “Thanks,” you said, handing it back. 

Frank lit his own cigarette, and took a drag. You glanced over at him as you inhaled the nicotine, watching how the cool night breeze tousled his hair. 

“I thought you said on the phone, that  you were trying to quit,” Frank raised an eyebrow. 

“I should,” you sighed, exhaling smoke. “I know it’s bad for me.”

“Sorry for being a bad influence,” Frank laughed. “I know I got no room to talk.”

“It’s not your fault,” you shrugged, taking another puff. “I guess I’m just stressed tonight.” 

“About what?” Frank asked, looking at you curiously. 

“It’s stupid,” you mumbled. 

“Tell me,” Frank insisted, taking his free hand in yours again. Your heart raced at his casual touch. 

“I just…,” you sighed, unsure how to begin. “I never see you guys anymore.” 

“I’m sorry,” Frank frowned. 

“No, don’t be,” you shook your head. “I’m being selfish. I should be happy for you, right? It’s a good thing, that the band has gotten so successful, that you have fans in practically every city in the world, that want to see you.” 

“Yeah, they get to see me,” Frank groaned. “But, I don’t get to see my friends, or family - any of the people I love most - for months at a time.” 

The people he loves most. Your face reddened. Did you really fit into that category? 

“After tonight,” you asked, “how long will you be in town?” 

“The first night of the tour is February 22nd,” Frank explained. “The gig’s in New Hampshire, so we’ll be flying out the night before.” 

“So we have….slightly less than two months, to spend time together,” you calculated. “And after that, the next time you’ll be in my neck of the woods is…?” 

“Bamboozle Festival,” Frank replied. “That’s in May.” 

“Wow,” you frowned. “Are you playing all three days of the festival, or…?”

“Nah, just one,” Frank said sheepishly. “We’ll be in Jersey for a night….the very next day, we’ll be playing a gig in fuckin’ Maine.”

“The fun never stops, I guess,” you deadpanned. 

“I mean, it is fun,” Frank admitted. “I love being a musician. Playing my guitar, onstage, is all I’ve wanted to do, my entire life.” 

“Yeah, it’s your dream,” you said quickly, “that’s why I should just shut up, and let you…”

“You don’t have to shut up,” Frank interrupted. “Y/N, I want you to tell me how you feel.” 

“How do I feel, Frank?” you repeated, your emotions starting to get the best of you. “I feel like I don’t even know my friends at all anymore! I don’t want you to turn into a stranger, whose laugh I could recognize anywhere. I’m still working the same dead end job I had the day I met you….but your life has completely changed. You’re gone 80% of the year, and yeah, I know you text or call me whenever you can, but when I’m not there face to face, I still miss so much of your life! You used to be just….a guy next door, that I could listen to records and smoke with. Now you’re some….millionaire rock star. That coat you’ve got on right now is probably worth more than my first car, and you’ve probably got girls in every town, throwing their panties at you…” 

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t look twice at any of those girls,” Frank said, looking you in the eye, “if a certain someone, told me, that she wanted me to be hers, and hers alone.”

A certain someone….? you gasped. Did he mean…?

“Hey!” a voice interrupted, and you jumped, as the sliding glass door slid open, and Gerard stepped onto the balcony. “There you guys are!” 

“H-hey,” you stammered, taken aback. 

“Everything alright?” Gerard asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow. 

“Yeah, yeah, everything’s cool,” Frank mumbled, not looking at you at all, as he stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray. “What did you need?”

“We’ve got about five minutes til midnight,” Gerard smiled. “Figured you guys would want to come back inside, so we can count down the last seconds of 2006 together.” 

“Oh, right, of course,” you blinked. “Did room service already bring up the champagne flutes?”

“Yeah, they’re ready to go,” Gerard nodded. “....Wait. Where’s Mikey?” 

“We thought he was with you,” Frank said, looking confused. 

“No,” Gerard shook his head. “I went to the bathroom, and when I came back out, he was gone. If he’s not on the balcony with you guys, where did he go?” 

“I don’t know,” you shrugged. “Maybe he went to his and Ray’s room?” 

“Oh, yeah, that would make sense,” Gerard nodded. “Let’s go get him.” 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Gerard knocked loudly on the hotel room door. 

“Come on, Mikey!” he called. “We got three minutes til midnight, you’re gonna miss the ball drop, dude!” 

The door swung open, but instead of Mikey, a sleepy-looking Ray answered. 

“Mikey’s not in here,” Ray said with a yawn. “It’s just me.”

“Oh, sorry for waking you up, man,” Gerard apologized. 

“Wait,” Frank realized. “If he’s not in either hotel room, then, where is he?” 

“Maybe he went to go get ice?” Ray suggested. 

“Or maybe he went downstairs, to ask the front desk guy something,” you guessed. 

“Let’s split up,” Frank suggested. “You guys go down the hall and see if he’s by the ice machine. Y/N and I will look for him downstairs.” 

“Yeah, we can do that,” Gerard agreed. “Hopefully we’ll find him before the end of the year!” 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

“This elevator’s taking too long to get up here,” Frank said impatiently, hitting the down-arrow button a second time. 

“Wanna just take the stairs?” you suggested. 

“Works for me,” Frank shrugged. 

You followed him into the stairwell, your heart still pounding from the conversation on the balcony. What would have happened, you wondered, if Gerard hadn’t walked in when he did? 

Frank kept his eyes on the flight of stairs in front of you, not saying a word, as you walked past the sign, indicating that you were now on the second floor. 

“Maybe he didn’t go this wa...oh, fuck,” Frank gasped, coming to a sudden stop.  

Your blood froze, when you saw what he was looking at. Mikey’s unconscious body, lay sprawled across the bottom steps. He was face down….he didn’t even look like he was breathing. 

“Mikey, oh my god!” You ran to his side, flipping him over, so that you could see his face. “Frank, we have to help him!” 

The bassist looked deathly pale, and his lips had turned a horrifying shade of blue. You felt for a pulse. It was there, but it was disturbingly weak.

“Come on, Mikey, wake up!” you pleaded, shaking his shoulders. “Oh my god, what’s wrong with him?!” 

“I think he’s overdosing,” Frank realized, kneeling by your side. 

“On what?!” you gasped. 

“On whatever he went downstairs, to pick up from his dealer,” Frank growled. “Goddamnit! We need to call 911.” 

“Mikey!” a familiar voice called, and Gerard and Ray burst into the stairwell. 

“Oh, god!” Gerard gasped, when he saw his brother, lying eerily still in your arms. 

“I’m trying to wake him up!” you explained. “It’s not working...fuck, what do I do?” 

“He needs a doctor,” Ray realized, whipping out his cell phone. “....Hello? Yes, we’re having an emergency…...the Knickerbocker Hotel….umm, Six Times Square….please hurry….my friend isn’t breathing…” 

You shook Mikey’s shoulders again. His eyes fluttered open, but his pupils were like pinpricks. He gasped and choked, like he couldn’t get air into his lungs. 

“Come on, Mikey, hang in there!” you begged. Oh god, what if he died?!

You could see the headlines now. World Tour Canceled After Bassist’s Hospitalization. You’d wanted more time with Frank….but not like this, damnit! 

Since when did your oldest friend’s kid brother do smack?! 

I really don’t know anything about them anymore, you realized, tears clouding your vision as you listened to him wheeze. Minutes felt like hours. 

“Out of the way!” called an unfamiliar voice, and you gaped as two paramedics dragged a stretcher down the stairs. 

“Ma’am, we need to move him,” a uniformed woman barked. “Time is of the essence.” 

You let the EMT scoop Mikey up, and load him onto the gurney. 

“What did he take?” the second paramedic asked. 

“I….I don’t know,” you stammered. “We just found him like this.” 

“Ma’am,” the man pressed, “we’re not here to judge anybody. But, any information you have, can help us figure out what antidote he needs…”

“Here,” Frank said. “I found this next to his body.” 

He handed the paramedic a needle. Oh, god. 

“I see,” the paramedic nodded grimly. “Judith! Get this man two milligrams of naloxone, stat!” 

“Is….is he gonna be okay?!” Gerard gasped, tears in his eyes. “That’s my baby brother….”

“We’re going to try our best to save him, sir,” the female paramedic (Judith) promised. “We need to move him to the hospital, as soon as possible.” 

“We’re only going to be able to fit two extra people in the ambulance,” the male paramedic warned. “Who’s going?” 

“Me,” Gerard said immediately. “He’s my family!” 

“Who else?” the paramedic demanded. “We don’t have time to waste.” 

Mikey gasped for air on the gurney, his face growing bluer by the minute. 

“I’ll go,” Ray decided. “Frank, you stay here with Y/N, okay?” 

“O-okay,” Frank stammered. You clung to him,shaking, as you watched the paramedics drag your friend out of the hallway, to the ambulance waiting outside. 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

“.....Happy New Year!” the oblivious voice of Ryan Seacrest rang out from the television screen, as you walked back into the hotel room, wiping your eyes on your sleeve. 

Confetti was falling in Times Square, as the credits rolled. You’d missed the countdown. There had been no toast, no midnight kiss (although perhaps, the latter had been foolish to even hope for.) 

“This wasn’t how 2007 was supposed to start,” Frank sobbed, sinking down onto the bed. “Fuck!” 

“H-he’s gonna be okay,” you stammered. “The doctors are gonna save his life…”

“You don’t know that!” Frank cried, kicking a bottle of Dom Perignon off the coffee table. It shattered, sending broken glass and alcohol all over the floor. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry, Y/N,” Frank apologized, kneeling to pick up the shards. “I shouldn’t have done that…”

“Ssh, stop, you’re gonna cut yourself,” you warned, grabbing his hands. “We can clean that up later, okay? I understand that you’re only lashing out, because you’re scared…” 

“Of course I’m scared,” Frank wept, burying his head in your shoulder. “That’s one of my best friends.” 

“He’s my friend, too,” you said softly, stroking Frank’s hair. “I’m scared, too, but there’s nothing we can do now, but pray.” 

You sat down on the bed, and Frank sat with you, still sobbing into your shirt. You were choking back tears yourself. 

“I….I didn’t know he was doing that stuff,” you said guiltily. “I’m never around you guys anymore….I….”

“I didn’t realize the extent of the problem, either,” Frank confessed. “And I’m with the kid almost every day. I should’ve noticed, but I was too self absorbed, doing my own dumb shit…” 

“Ssh, it’s not your fault, Frankie,” you soothed. “We got him, to the people that can help him. That’s all we can do.” 

“It doesn’t feel like enough,” Frank sniffed, still clinging to you tightly. 

“No,” you agreed, your heart aching, “it doesn’t.” 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

You woke the next morning, to the feeling of warmth against your side. Your eyes fluttered open, and you realized that Frank was sleeping next to you. What?!

Your cheeks reddened as you stared at his sleeping face, so close to your own. “...Frank? Why are you…?”

Reality filtered back into your head, slowly, as you recalled the events of the previous night. Oh god….Mikey! 

Was he okay? You still didn’t know. You and Frank had sat beside each other on the hotel room bed, crying, clinging to each other for comfort. You supposed you had fallen asleep like that. 

“.....Huh?” Frank groaned sleepily. “Y/N…?” 

He shot up, jerking away from you, almost as soon as he realized, that your bodies were touching. “I...I’m sorry!”

“N-no, it’s fine…” you stammered. 

“Fuck….I need to check my messages,” Frank realized, groping for his cell phone on the bedside table. He sat up,and put his feet on the floor. “Owww!”

“What’s wrong?” you gasped. 

“I just stepped on a shard of the bottle I broke last night...fuck!” Frank swore. 

“Oh no,” you winced. “Is it bleeding?” 

“No, it’s just cut a little,” Frank shook his head. 

“Do you want me to call the front desk,” you offered, “and see if they can bring up some Band-Aids?”

“No, it’s not that serious,” Frank insisted, opening his flip phone. His eyes widened, as he clicked through his inbox. “Oh….oh, thank god…” 

“What?” you demanded. 

“Ray texted me, around like two in the morning,” Frank explained. “He said Mikey’s gonna make it. The doctors were able to reverse the overdose in time, and he’s gonna make a full recovery.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” you cried, tearing up from sheer relief. You had been so scared, that Ray’s text, would say that Mikey hadn’t survived. He’s gonna be okay. He’s alive. 

Frank, however, didn’t share your grateful smile. 

“What’s wrong?” you asked. 

“I’m sorry that you had to see that, last night,” Frank frowned. “We ruined your New Year’s Eve.” 

“It’s not your fault,” you shook your head. “I’m glad I was there, to help you find him. I wouldn’t have wanted you to go through this alone.” 

“I hate to ask you for even more help,” Frank grimaced, “but, we need to clean this shit up.”

“You’re right,” you nodded, leaning down to help him pick up the glass shards. “It wouldn’t be fair, to leave it for the hotel staff to pick up.” 

“Some bands dig trashing hotel rooms,” Frank sighed, grabbing a towel from the bathroom, to mop up the puddle of champagne. “Not me, though. I feel bad, making a mess, that some housekeeper is gonna have to deal with.” 

He’s a kind person, you thought to yourself, as you carefully placed the pieces of bottle into a waste basket. Not everyone would take the time to do this, after the night we had. 

“Shit, look at this,” Frank sighed, pointing down at the hardwood floor. “Nobody blew out the stupid scented candle, that Housekeeping lit before we checked in, to make the place smell pretty. Now, there’s dried wax all over the floorboards.” 

“You had bigger things to worry about last night,” you reminded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even notice the candle was still burning, with everything else going on. I would’ve reminded you to put it out.” 

“That’s not your job,” Frank said, pulling a guitar pick from his pocket. He tried to use it to scrape some of the wax up, but it didn’t seem to want to budge. “None of this is your job.” 

“What do you mean?” you blinked. 

“You said last night, that you don’t see us for months at a time,” Frank reasoned, scraping harder with his pick. “And then...last night, you finally see us again, and this happens.”  

“You couldn’t have predicted something like that,” you assured him. 

“We complicate your life, Y/N,” Frank frowned. “I complicate your life. You don’t need this fucking drama. The best thing I could for you, is probably just leave you alone. Stop inviting you to see us when we’re in town. I’ve grown apart from a lot of friends since I left New Jersey. Why can’t I just let this relationship go, too?” 

“I don’t want you to do that!” you protested. “Frank, our friendship is really important to me. I would be miserable if you suddenly stopped inviting me to hang out.” 

“I don’t just want to hang out with you,” Frank mumbled. “I want more than that.” 

“....Huh?” you cocked your head. 

“But it’s not fair, for me to ask you for that,” Frank signed. “Not when I know damn well, that I’m about to spend the majority of 2007, hundreds of miles away from you.” 

“Ask me for what?” you demanded. You suddenly remembered the words, he had spoken to you on the balcony, before your night had gone straight to hell. 

“I wouldn’t look twice, at any of those girls, if  a certain someone, told me, that she wanted me to be hers, and hers alone.”

“Nothing,” Frank murmured, picking fruitlessly at the wax on the floor again. “It’s stupid. Ignore me.”

“I won’t ignore it,” you insisted. “Frank, what were you going to ask me?” 

Frank looked at his shoes. 

You sat down on the floor next to him, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. “....Frank?” 

“I was going to ask you...to be mine,” Frank confessed. 

You gasped, audibly. No way….he really felt the same way about you, that you did about him?!

“But, it’s not right, for me to ask you, to make that commitment to me!” Frank said miserably. “Not when I’m just gonna disappear on you again. And...you saw, last night, what my life has turned into. What my band has turned into. I’m a mess….why would you want to be with someone like me?” 

“Frankie, I love you,” you said plainly. Now that you knew he returned your feelings, there was no point in hiding it anymore. “I’ve loved you for years.” 

He raised his head to look at you. His hazel eyes, swimming with tears again, stared into yours. “You….you mean that?” 

“Yes,” you said emotionally. “I’ve been in love with you for so long….but, you’re a famous rock star now. I’m still just an art school dropout. You can do so much better than me.” 

“Funny,” Frank chuckled bitterly, “I was about to say the same thing, about you.”

“Frank, there isn’t anybody better than you,” you sighed, and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him into a searing kiss. 

His lips met yours, hesitant at first, but then suddenly you were toppling to the floor, as he pressed himself against you, with four years worth of buried desire. 

Life was so short. You realized that now. 

His hands tangled into your hair as he kissed you over and over. “Be mine,” he gasped, coming up for air. “Please be mine, Y/N….even if it fucks up everything…” 

“Frankie, it’s okay,” you assured him, as you gazed up at him tenderly. “I don’t care if you’re gone a hundred nights. You’re worth waiting for. Just promise me, that when you do finally come home, I can….have you.” 

“Oh, you can have me any way you want me,” Frank breathed, leaning down to kiss you passionately again. “I won’t touch anyone else while I’m away on tour….nobody else is as beautiful as you. You’re the only one that I want.”

“You’re the only one that I want, too, Frankie,” you promised him, claiming his mouth once again. “I want you every day. Not just when you’re the toast of the town. Not just when times are good. I want to be there with you, through the bad times, too. I want to help you when you’re scared, or even when something fucked up happens, like last night... because I love you. I’ll stay with you, no matter what….even when it’s hard, or it’s wrong, or you’re making mistakes. I don’t care. I just want to be with you.” 

“I want to be with you, too, Y/N,” Frank vowed, kissing your eyes, your nose, your mouth. It was like he couldn’t get enough. “You’re the woman I choose….because, hey, there might be lots of women who’d love to be my New Year’s Eve kiss. But, you’re the only woman I know, who would stick by my side, helping me clean up bottles on New Year’s Day.”

[ayamari-no-goshi]

Verboten 9 | (T)

ff.net | AO3

Fandom: Danny Phantom (DP)

Summary:   AU. When Danny was five years old, he went missing for 2 weeks. In the years that follow, his family tried to make sense of what happened, only for the truth to be discovered years later.

Warnings: rated T for violence, mentions of death, language. Be prepared for some very weird things

Chapter warning: discussions of death and injuries

Parings: Danny/Sam

Notes: originally uploaded to Ff.net. Cross-posted to AO3 and tumblr. This fic is very heavily inspired by folklore surrounding mysterious wilderness disappearances

Chapter 9

"So, did Frostbite tell you that there are other people from our school here?"

Danny raised an eyebrow at Tucker's question. His friends were working on catching him up to speed on what happened after he collapsed. It was fairly straightforward as they were taken to a different room to do a quick medical examination to make sure there were no injuries or signs of changes. Once Frostbite's medics were satisfied, they were given warmer clothes as lands of the Far Frozen were similar to those of the article circle. According to the Far Frozen, the clothes were kept in case they needed to temporarily house any humans they found.

Unfortunately, the one aspect of hospitality the Far Frozen could not provide was food. Not only was it difficult for them to procure, it was also easy for it to get contaminated. As such, they did not want to risk providing Sam and Tucker any form of food in case it triggered a change in them. Luckily, Sam still has some granola with her which she shared with Tucker, who whined about there not being meat available for a good ten minutes.

"Yeah, apparently Dash, Paulina, and that group were all taken right around the same time we were," Tucker continued.

"Was it Plasmius?" Danny held his breath as he waited for the response.

"No, it was someone else," Sam responded as she played with the hem of her jacket sleeve. "Frostbite said it was someone name Aragon or some of his followers. And as much as I don't like them, I don't think anyone should have been forced to deal with what they have."

"Should I ask?"

Sam shook her head. "Frostbite won't even let us go in the room while his medics work. They're apparently really messed up, and at least one of them is missing part of their arm. As much as I hate to say it, we might have gotten lucky that it was Plasmius that found us."

"That is a creepy thought, but I think Sam is right about that," Tucker agreed. "Although Frostbite didn't want to explain it to us, we got enough to know that they were targeted for their blood."

An icy chill passed, which was worsened by the lights signaling his switching of forms, passed through Danny's body as he tried to process what Tucker told him. If it bothered his friends, they hide it well. "What do you mean?"

"We're not really sure. Plasmius said something about it too, but both him and Frostbite didn't go into any detail. Sam said she thought she heard something about it?" He glanced towards the goth, who appeared to be deep in thought.

"Yeah, I think there are old legends about it," she eventually replied. "I can't recall the story, and even if I could, I wouldn't be able to tell you if there was any truth to it."

Danny just nodded. "What about Mikey? We saw him get taken too, right?" When his friends wouldn't meet his eyes, he grew concerned. "Guys? What happened?"

"Mikey… he… he didn't make it," Tucker admitted. "Some of Frostbite's men did find him, but, that other ghost, Youngblood, already…"

"What about his body? His family should at least be able to bury him."

"Danny… there isn't a body." Tucker's voice trembled as he spoke. Although they hadn't been close friends, Tucker still considered him one. "When he was found… they said he was now little more than a ghost designed to be another's doll. There was no signs of emotion or personality."

"Frostbite didn't want to tell us that," Sam continued, "but, we pestered one of the medics enough to let it slip. They said it was one of the worst fates a kidnapped human can endure."

"That… that's really messed up." Danny fell silent as he thought about Mikey's family, and how they would never be able to get closure. With a jolt, he realized just how worried his own family had to be. They nearly lost him twice before, but now, he wasn't even certain if he could return the third time.

With his body in a weird in between state, Frostbite had no idea whether or not he could return to the world of the living as ghosts could not remain there for long. There were so many questions. Would he remain like this? Would his human side eventually disappear? Did he still need to eat like a human? Could he still bleed? It was just as frightening as it was frustrating.

There had also been concerns whether or not he should be anywhere near his friends, but Tucker and Sam refused to remain separated from him. Although they were told the same thing Danny had been, they were being supportive of him. If his unintentional switching of forms was bothering them, they were hiding it very well. They also far more scared for him than by him which was extremely comforting.

A knock on the door was the only warning the three got before Frostbite reentered the room. "Good news," he announced as he approached them, "we have gotten reports there will soon be a portal opening near where you were originally abducted. Sam, Tucker, you and your classmates will be able to return home."

Excitement flashed across Tucker's face for a moment before it fell. "But what about Danny?"

"Ah, until we can verify he can safely return to your world, he is more than welcome to remain here." After the ghost glanced at Danny, he gave a reassuring smile. "However, we should find out soon. Before we even had a chance to contact our allies, we received a message from Master Clockwork."

"Clockwork?" Danny and his friends questioned.

Frostbite nodded reverently. "Master Clockwork is an ancient and solitary ghost of great power. It has been many years since his last contact, so we were very surprised when he reached out to us."

"So why now?" Skepticism colored Sam's voice. "If it's been that long, what's so special about Danny's situation to make him suddenly want to interact with others?"

"To be honest, I am unsure. While it is rare for him to contact others, we are uncertain if that is from his own desires or due to the Observants. Perhaps it is a combination of both." Frostbite gave them a gentle smile. "Sam and Tucker, it is almost time for the portal to open. Please prepare your things."

"No way! I'm not leaving here unless Danny's with us!"

As much as he appreciated Sam's declaration, he knew he needed to try to change her mind. "Thanks, Sam, but I think you and Tucker should go home while you have the chance."

Although Tucker sent him an understanding smile, Sam just glared at him. "And just leave you here? The last time we were separated, something weird happened to you. I don't want something to happen, and we never see you again."

"Sam, can't you tell Danny's worried?" Tucker placed a hand on her shoulder. "Whatever happened to him, he doesn't want to have happen to us."

"Thanks for the translation, Tuck. I also want to know you'll be far away from this place and safe," Danny walked over to his friend and gave him a quick hug before he turned to Sam and placed a quick peck on her cheek. "I'll find my way home. I promise. And, Sam? After this is all over, I'll treat you to that new restaurant you've been eying."

Sam's lip quivered as she tried to keep her emotions in check. "Are you finally asking me out?" Even her voice shook. After Tucker agreed with him, her fight had disappeared. "If you bail, I'm going to hunt you down."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Frostbite then escorted his friends out of the room while allowed Danny to collapse back on the medical bed. If he was honest, he didn't want to be alone, but it was too dangerous for his friends to stay by his side. He couldn't keep them safe, and the longer they remained by his side in the world of the dead, the more chances the world had to alter them.

Before Sam and Tucker were allowed in to see him, Frostbite explained the change could be caused by anything. Food and drink was the most common. It didn't matter if it was offered by a friendly or malicious ghost or simply found by a wayward human as it was too different from what was found in the world of the living. Some ghosts could purposely trigger the change. Frostbite was hesitant to explain how, but it almost sounded like they passed on an illness or curse. To make matters worse, simply being around ghosts or in the world of the dead too long could also trigger it.

He sighed as he waited for Frostbite to return. This world was toxic to humans, so he was it was him and not them staying behind.

….

Sam remained silent during the journey with the Far Frozen. She and Tucker were sitting in the rear of what appeared to be some sort of large sleigh which was pulled by strange glowing creatures which vaguely resembled huskies. Two of Frostbite's people were steering the sleigh while two more held on to the back and stood on the foot boards.

Across from her and Tucker sat an unconscious Kwan, Star, and Paulina. They did look terrible. All three had bandages and gauze on their faces, and bruises were forming on clear skin. Dash and the others were on a different sleigh which was following behind them.

As much as she hated to admit it, she was glad she never encountered the same ghost as the A-listers. Sure, Plasmius was creepy and potentially dangerous, but he never outright harmed them. However, she did admit that seemed directly related to his desire to keep Danny.

She sighed as her thoughts flickered back to him. He still seemed like the same person when he waved goodbye to her and Tucker, but she was scared that wouldn't be the case for much longer. No one knew whether or not Danny would stay like that, or if it was possible for his situation to worsen or reverse. If it worsened, did that mean he wouldn't be Danny anymore?

Frostbite mentioned he had once been human, but he could barely remember how he used to be. And if she heard correctly while Plasmius was talking to himself, memories were sometimes affected during the process of becoming a ghost. If that happened, would he still remember them? Would he still have the same personality? Would he act more like the ghosts who hurt the A-listers? She kept trying to push away those fears and remain positive, but every time she remembered his inhumanly green eyes, they came back.

Tucker tried to distract her by pointing out things on their journey. Even with everything, she had to admit the strange scenery was something else. The sky was still a strange mix of green and purple. There were floating islands in the distance and occasionally floating doors. If she looked downwards, there was some sort of ground and occasionally what appeared to be rivers and forests. However, she also sometimes caught sight of unsettling shadows which seemed to duck out of sight if she stared at them too long.

After Tucker mentioned the shadows, the two tried to convince themselves the shadows were nothing of concern. However, that idea was quickly pushed aside when they caught sight of the yetis steering the sleigh pointing at some of them before conversing in hushed tones. Before Sam could make up her mind on whether or not to ask if they needed to be concerned, the sleigh violently served to the side.

"What the f…?" Before Sam could finish, a barrage of green lights rained down on their right.

"Look!" Tucker pointed at something above them. "How much do you want to bet that they're not friendly?"

She glanced up to see what appeared to be a black carriage drawn by black pegasi with flaming manes. There was a flaming figure standing on the driver's seat brandishing a sword in one hand while firing the green light from the other. The sight would have been so wickedly cool if one of the yetis riding on their sleigh hadn't have thrown up some sort of bluish shield. It took her a moment to realize it was ice.

She wasn't expecting the green lights to cause explosions when they hit the ice shield. After one blew a hole in the shield which allowed another to damage part of their sleigh, she and Tucker huddled together in the center. Somehow, the A-listers remained unconscious. "Must be nice," she angrily muttered.

"Hang on, children!" one of the driving yetis told them as they directed the sleigh towards a nearby floating island which appeared to have a large forest on it.

The landing was rough. The sleigh bounced a few times before it began sliding over the rocky terrain of the island as it headed towards the ghostly forest. The ride remained turbulent as the yetis dodged around trees and rocks. Green lights and explosions followed them.

After several tense minutes, the sleigh finally came to a stop. Sam and Tucker shakily tried to stand, but the yetis told them to stay put and remain silent. Other than their breathing, Sam was unable to hear any other noise. Eventually, she whispered, "Tucker, do you see that?" as a strange green glow appeared deep within the forest.

"Yeah… I really hope that's nothing more than a ghostly firefly." Tucker's hope was quickly dashed as more lights began appearing, and as they drew closed, they almost looked like skeletons.

"Brace yourselves!" one of the yetis suddenly yelled before the sleigh jolted forward. However, it never had a chance to move forward. Before Sam could figure out what happened, she and Tucker were picked up by one of the yetis, who then ran into the forest. The A-listers were grabbed by the others. Sam had just enough time to get a glimpse of an army of glowing skeletons overtaking the sleigh before the sight disappeared behind a tree.

The yeti did not stop until the trees began to thin, and it wasn't a gentle stop. The ghost basically skid to a stop before placing Sam and Tucker down and instructing them to stay behind him. Sam peaked around the ghost, to see the flaming figure from the carriage standing in front of them. It wore black armor.

The figure brandished its claymore at them. "Hand over the humans. My liege is in need of them."

=================================

Regarding the Aragon reference: I was debating between him and Pandora, and ultimately choose him due to his status as a villain in the series.

As previously mentioned, per Greek mythology, ghosts needed blood to regain their sense of self. Which is why she was considered. However, there is an old story in southeastern Europe that I almost forgot about until was trying to double check something and was reminded of it. It falls into the weird gray area between ghosts, zombies, and vampires seen a lot in that region for centuries. They have creatures which start out as shadows and then slowly gaining a proper form which resembled what they had in life as they consume blood over a 40 day period. Once they reach 'maturity', those creatures have bodies which resemble what they did when they were alive and no longer have to return to the grave at dawn. As such, my brain went, "I'm using that."

If you're interested, I know one of the traditions translates them to "Howlers" or "Screamers" as they are known to pace an area during that 40 day period, kind of like weird listless zombies, and make strange noises. However, these tales do vary between countries and even villages so it may be difficult to find.

[linssikeittomies]

The Place Between Here And There - Chapter 9: ...And Happiness In Private Life

Masterpost     AO3 Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 3  Chapter 4  Chapter 5  Chapter 6  Chapter 7  Chapter 8  Chapter 9  Chapter 9(cont’d)

This one is super super short(actually just the first few scenes of the complete chapter) because I just can’t shake the writer’s block on this fic. I’m putting this fic on HIATUS, can’t say for how long, but I would like to finish it someday. Cowriters will always be extremely welcome!

--

It had been a major fuck-up to not press Vanya more about his family life last night. That had been the first time he had volunteered information, without any prodding from Al, and would have kept talking if only Al hadn’t been such an idiot! Yeah, sure, he’d been exhausted and in no condition to analyze whatever would’ve been told, but he could’ve done that later! Now Vanya had come back to his senses, and his lips were sealed tighter than Fort Knox! Uuuggghhh!!! Al frowned into his coffee cup while staring at the wall where Vanya had scribbled his number that first time. Back then Al hadn’t been surprised to get a number, but as time had went on, he came to realize that Vanya wasn’t the type of person who went around sharing his number with just anyone. He was picky about the type of people he socialized with, and honestly, it still kind of baffled Al that he had been one of those Vanya accepted. They couldn’t be more different – as charming as Al was, and he was very charming, he couldn’t really get Vanya. Al simply could not understand why Vanya didn’t want to talk about some things, or why he was content with being a silent participant in a conversation, how he could stand not having friends. His life seemed so profoundly lonely and boring, and he didn’t seem content with it, but he wasn’t willing to change it, either.

Maybe it was all just because of that mental illness he refused to acknowledge. It’s never easy losing your parents, and it sounded like Vanya had been pretty young when it happened. He said they had moved to the States in 1996, so Ivan had been, what, around... Uhm, 2015 minus 1996... that made 19... and now Vanya was 32 so that minus 19... Uhhhhhhh around 12. Close enough, Al had never been good at math. Well, 12 wasn’t that young, didn’t sound to Al like a death in the family would be that traumatizing at that age. Al had been 10 when Artie moved back to England, and it hadn’t fucked him up bad. So it wasn’t the exact same thing, but it had been close. Five years of radio silence from someone who was practically his older brother. That’s basically a death. So maybe it wasn’t just a simple death, maybe there’d been some weird, special circumstances. Could be that Vanya had been a huge mama’s boy. Or maybe it had been an accident he was present at, like a car crash. If it had been that, Al sure was lucky Vanya had survived. Kids are so fragile, they can die from the dumbest things. If he hadn’t survived, or if his mom had, Vanya would’ve never moved to America, and then Al would’ve never met him. Al hated thinking that it was a good thing Vanya’s mom had died, but he couldn’t help it – as infuriating and incomprehensible Vanya was, he really was The One for Al. Despite all their differences, despite all their problems, despite all their fights. Al was again reminded of their first ever fight, the one with rape fetish accusation. Dubois had been killed that same night, and Vanya hadn’t replied to Al’s texts until two days later. If Dubois had been found as quickly as the other bodies, within a couple days instead of ten, Vanya would have been too busy to ever be willing to fix his relationship with a guy he had only been dating a couple weeks, max. Funny how many hurdles they had passed without ever knowing they had existed. If Kyle had gotten to Al first, if Al had followed the street signs better, if Dubois had been found earlier… They were like Romeo and Juliet, destined to be together, star-crossed lovers. If that wouldn’t convince Artie that Vanya was awesome, nothing would! He was into occult crap so he must’ve believed in fate, too. Come to think of it, what if Vanya had met Dubois instead of Al that night? He did say they were very similar, he might have fallen in love with Dubois, as well. Al liked to think that he was a special case, that Dubois wouldn’t have been as invested and smitten with Vanya as Al had been from the get-go, but who’s to say he couldn’t have held Vanya’s interest just long enough for Al to pass by unnoticed? Or what if BK had chosen to kill Al instead of Dubois? If they really were that similar to an outside eye, it wouldn’t have mattered which one died. Al was lucky he had been too pissed off to even think about going out that night, or it might have been him strangled and castrated. He wouldn’t have put it past himself to pick up some random guy and agree to an alley fuck. Maybe Dubois had had a fight with his boyfriend, too. Maybe he hadn’t been past having revenge sex. Maybe he had liked rough sex. Maybe he wouldn’t have been scared by Vanya’s violent fucking. Maybe Vanya would have run into him and pounded him into blissful goo. Maybe Vanya would have liked imagining he was beating Al. Sliding doors, like Al had said about Kyle. In one continuity, Al was dating Vanya and Dubois was killed – in another, Al was killed and Dubois was dating Vanya – and in a third, Al had a one-night stand with Kyle, Vanya had no one to pull him out of depression, and Dubois was dead.

~¨:.:¨~

Ivan entered the office with three coffees in hand – two blacks and one with milk. This was the easiest Toris-like behavior to replicate, and would likely raise the least questions since it also benefited himself. He made sure to let Amanda see him set his own coffee down on the desk before giving hers, and she wasn’t weirded out. That was a relief. “Good morning”, Ivan said, without smiling, because that would have been pushing it. Amanda nodded in acknowledgment and took a sip of her coffee, then said a simple “thanks” before opening her computer. When Toris came in, she smiled to him and greeted him cheerfully. After she turned back to her computer, and wouldn’t see Ivan’s face, he also smiled slightly as he nodded his greeting to Toris. That day, Ivan concentrated on trying to replicate the smiles Toris often employed – the ones that didn’t express happiness, but were rather meant to ease to atmosphere. He made it look easy – it came out naturally, at the right time, and did what it sought out to do. Ivan only knew how to do sarcastic smiles, and by the end of the day Amanda was almost angry enough at him to actually say something to his face instead of muttering quietly to herself. Exhausted from the mental work, Ivan didn’t even bother getting out of his coat before collapsing face first on the sofa. “Rough day, huh?” Fredya chuckled. Ivan made a grunt, and Fredya crouched down to see his face. “I know what’ll cheer you right up – some quality cuddles and a good movie!” Ivan was too tired to correct him, and so let Fredya take off his boots and peel off his coat. He nearly refused the cuddles, but surprisingly found that he didn’t mind them much, after all. He still would have preferred a nap alone in bed, without explosions and dramatic bass going off every five seconds and Fredya’s elbow digging into his stomach. Somehow he still managed to fall asleep for a few minutes, not enough to feel rested, but much calmer than before. They heated up leftovers from yesterday, moved back to the sofa where Fredya picked out a new action movie without even finishing the first one, and Ivan took out his notebook to arrange his thoughts. About an hour passed, with Fredya saying whatever came to his mind and Ivan replying with a short comment every now and then, peacefully, until Ivan’s phone rang. That was starting to happen abnormally often – before he had crossed paths with Fredya, the phone would ring once every couple months, mostly work related. Now Fredya called him every once in a while when he was feeling too lazy to type, and even Katyushka seemed to have been bitten by the call bug. Two calls from her in as many weeks? Ivan hoped she was only calling to borrow some more money. “Excuse me for a moment.” “Work?” Fredya asked, pausing the movie. He still thought Ivan was actually watching that garbage. “No, it’s Katyusha. Unpause that mindless drivel.” Ivan got up from Fredya’s lap, already stressing about what was pressing on Katyushka’s mind. Don’t get him wrong, he loved both his sisters more than anything in the world, but Katyushka barely ever called for anything other than pressing matters, so Ivan had learned to associate calls from her with crying and pressure. “Yes, Katyushka?” “Hey, Vanya. Is this a good time to talk?” Katyushka greeted cheerfully. A weight immediately lifted off Ivan’s shoulders. “Yes, I’m at home. It sounds like something good happened, yes?” “I think so!” she giggled gleefully, sounding like the careless teenager she had never gotten the chance to be. “I was talking with Tasha earlier today and she told me some interesting news!” she sang teasingly. How odd, Ivan had no clue what news from Tasha might warrant a call to Ivan. If it was related to Tasha herself, Katyushka would wait for Tasha to tell the news herself, and there were few other people in their lives to get excited about. Tasha was interested in celebrity gossip, but Katyushka did not share that interest, so it couldn’t be a movie star getting married. “Oh? Pray tell.” “Don’t play coy with me!” Katyushka laughed. So it was news that Ivan should already be aware of. But then why would Katyushka be telling them to Ivan? “If you’re going to make me guess, we’ll be here the rest of the day”, Ivan replied. “You have a boyfriend!” His heart froze over in panic. “What?! No - I mean – Tasha told you that?” He was hardly intelligible, it felt like his tongue had thrown in the towel. “Uh-huh!” she squeed, for once oblivious to his terror, and Ivan could picture her jumping in joy. “She was jealous because you haven’t been spending time with her so she complained to me! Why didn’t you ever tell me?” “I – because – Tasha… Tasha gets jealous very easily, so I did not wish for her to know”, Ivan stuttered, panic setting in, before remembering that Tasha already knew about Fredya. He didn’t need to stay a secret anymore. Ivan was just so used to hiding his relationships from Tasha he did without thinking. “Hey, you could’ve told me! I can keep a secret!” Not from Tasha she couldn’t. Unintentionally or not. “Ooh, I’m so excited, it’s been a long time since you were with anyone! Is he nice? Good-looking? Does he also want kids? Gay or bi? Single or divorced?” Katyushka had always been the one most interested in romance, despite never having dated in her life. Since high school she had kept claiming that she didn’t have the time needed for a solid relationship. While that was true, if only because she would not let herself have the time, Ivan was sure the actual reason was Katyushka being afraid of the apple not falling far from the tree. Her mother and sister sure had trouble picking good men. “You are not giving me any time to answer”, Ivan said, both relieved and nervous. He didn’t mind Katyushka knowing about Fredya, in fact they would get along nicely, but Ivan was worried about her putting ideas into Fredya’s head. Ivan had only ever dated for fun, but each time his older sister had started planning weddings right away, and Ivan didn’t want to scare Fredya away so soon. “Don’t be nervous! I’m really happy for you! You know you’re not getting any younger and it doesn’t help that you’re so shy, plus you’re picky, so all the time I’m worried no one is good enough! So tell me about him!” Katyushka urged. “Well, um, he’s – um, American, he’s a little younger than me. He’s very lively. Please don’t tell Tasha –“  Right, Tasha already knew, as they had established at the very beginning of the call. Talk about conditioned behavior. “His name is Alfred. Do you remember the drunk man who paid our dinner in the Ladle? That’s the man.” “I do!” Katuyshka squealed in exhilaration. “So it’s thanks to me that you guys got together. You were so oblivious to his flirting that I had to give him some tips”, she giggled. “He seemed like a fun guy.” “He is”, Ivan agreed wholeheartedly. “He’s the complete opposite of me. He’s very social, for one.” “I hope he doesn’t drink as much”, Katyushka said, and although her tone wasn’t accusatory at all, Ivan immediately felt guilty. She had known about his drinking problem almost from the start, but wasn’t aware of how bad it had gotten in recent years. “He usually only takes a few beers every now and then. That night was a rare exception”, Ivan assured her. The only other time Fredya had gotten shit-faced was when he had tried challenging Ivan – Fredya learned from his mistakes, even if he liked to pretend otherwise. He always gave off the air of not trying at all, but sometimes you could catch a glimpse of the truth - Fredya did nothing by half-measures, he always did his best because nothing else was good enough for him. Being his best self was so effortless to Fredya, watching him was a joy, no one else could have such spirit. There was a beauty to him – a sincerity. “He’s – Katyushka, he’s amazing. Thank you.” “Vanechka… Oh my god, I’ve never heard you say that about anyone! Aww, that’s so romantic! When are you bringing him to meet us?” “Uh – I don’t think that would be a good idea. Tasha would get jealous.” “Come on, you can’t talk him up like that and then not let me talk to him! He still needs to get the family’s approval! Ask him if he’s free this week, I’ll make time!” She was so excited it would crush her if Ivan didn’t comply. It was still a difficult decision to make - he knew Fredya liked him, but doubtfully to the extent of wanting to meet his family. It would heavily imply a wish for long-term attachment, and Fredya was not the type to settle down. He would run to the hills the second Ivan implied wanting to keep him for life. But Katyushka had asked – Ivan had to do it for her sake, Ivan owed her, and not only for being the catalyst for their relationship. “Alright”, he finally said, and the answer was an overjoyed yippee that sounded wholly inappropriate from a 36-year old. “Let me know when he can make it! Talk to you later!” “Wait, you don’t need to hang up. He’s here.” With his heart thumping painfully, Ivan opened the bedroom door with shaking hands. Fredya was thankfully still concentrated on his idiotic movie so he didn’t notice. “Um, Fredya?” Ivan asked cautiously. “Ya?” he asked distractedly, popping a chip in his mouth, the crackle probably audible even through phone. “Katyusha is on the phone. She has a request.” “Oh, should I leave?” “No, no, it actually has everything to do with you. She would like to meet you sometime this week.” The reaction Fredya had to this invasion of intimacy was very far from the one Ivan had expected. Instead of being weirded out and declining outright, his face lit up in a smile wider than Ivan had ever seen on him. “Are you serious! Of course I’ll meet her!” He was so ecstatic that Ivan was sure he was not aware of the implications. He was afraid Fredya was running headfirst into something he thought was casual friendship. Even so, Ivan was afraid of stating clearly what meeting Katyushka was really about, because even suggesting meeting her implied Ivan wanted to tie Fredya down. He would not be opposed to it, if that was what Fredya wanted, but it would be very presumptuous of him to suggest it himself. “She seems to have a different idea of our relationship than we do, so please disregard whatever she might say about that.” “Chill, dude, I can handle girls. When?” “Vozlyublennaya sestra, pozhaluysta, ne govori nichego o svad'bakh ili detyakh”, Ivan pleaded to the phone, and Katyushka promised she wouldn’t. She had good intentions, but she wasn’t very good at keeping herself in check, rest assured she would forget all about the promise when she saw Fredya in the flesh again. Ivan put the phone on speaker so they could all weigh in. They eventually settled on Wednesday. Katyushka suggested gathering at Ivan’s house, but he was worried it would feel too domestic and final, and suggested a restaurant instead. He would of course pay for Katyushka’s meal, he couldn’t very well force her into paying herself when she was already behind on so many bills.

--

Vozlyublennaya sestra, pozhaluysta, ne govori nichego o svad'bakh ili detyakh.(Возлюбленная сестра, пожалуйста, не говори ничего о свадьбах или детях.) : Beloved sister, please don’t say anything about weddings or children.

Chapter name comes from ...счастья в личной жизни by Alla Pugacheva.

[waywardnerd67]

Red Pants of Sex

Summary: (Y/N) tags along with Jensen to his interview on Live with Kelly and Ryan. Characters: Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Reader Pairing: Jensen x Reader Warnings: Fluff/Smut Word Count: 2300 A/N #1: Inspired by Jensen wearing red pants on Live with Kelly and Ryan. Also, for my wifey @dean-winchesters-bacon for reminding me that I wanted *cough* needed to write this. Love you wifey! A/N #2: As always this is unbeta so all mistakes are mine. Likes, comments and reblogs are splendid and I will love you doubly for them! Enjoy! Special Note: This is a work of FICTION and should be enjoyed as such. I mean absolutely no disrespect to the Ackles family as I truly adore and admire them.

Also Check out: Red Shirt of Sex & Ginger Beard of Sex

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I stretched my arm out smacking the annoying machine bringing me out of my peaceful slumber. A strong arm snaked around my waist pulling me back against a firm body. A smile immediately spread across my face as the man who was the center of my everything snuggled against me holding me tight.

“Five more minutes.” He mumbled his voice raspy from being sleepy.

I chuckled, “You don’t have to convince me to lay here. If I had my way, we would stay in bed all day.”

His soft laughter rumbled from his chest and I felt his lips stretch into a smile against the back of my neck. “I could think of a few things we could do in bed all day.”

“I think your manager would be upset if you missed your interview today. I know Ryan would be pissed for you staying in bed all day with your little ole wife than seeing him.” I explained as he lifted himself up making me roll perfectly underneath him.

I looked up into the mischievous olive eyes of Jensen Ackles who never failed in all the years we had been together to make my heart flutter. “Ryan would understand after some groveling and a bottle of Scotch. However, my manager would not be.”

His head hung low with his sandy brown hair tickling my cheek and neck. I brushed my fingers along his arms over his broad shoulders and up into his hair earning me a low growl. He began to nip at my neck causing me to giggle until his soft full lips covered mine.

One of his large hands made their way under my shirt palming my bare breast. I hooked my feet around his narrow waist pushing him closer to my aching core as his hips grinded into me. He began a trail of open mouth kisses down my neck as a long moan escaped my lips.

“Yo Jay, you have ten minutes before we have to leave.” Came Clif’s booming voice through the hotel door after knocking on it a couple of time.

I laughed when Jensen groaned, “Rain check pretty girl?” he asked.

“Definitely handsome. Now get your fine ass in the shower so you can leave on time.” He quickly kissed my lips before rolling out of bed and stripping down to take his shower.

I had decided to stay behind and leave with his best friend and co-star, Jared Padalecki. It had been a while since Jared and I had some time together. The three of us had been friends since the moment we all met. Jared and I had instantly connected with one another driving Jensen crazy at times.

Having breakfast with him was relaxing and a much needed break from all the hustling around we had been doing. As we arrived at the studio, Jared stopped to say hi to the fans and take photos with them. I always admired the guys for the time they spent with their fans. Always making sure they knew how much they truly loved and appreciate them.

Jared and I stood off to the side as the show began. Kelly and Ryan starting the introduction for Jensen to come out on stage. When he did, my heart stopped. He walked out in a plain white t-shirt covered by a simple blue blazer and white sneakers. However, it was his pants that had caught my attention.

His long, bow legs were covered by dark red pants that fit him like a glove. Highlighting all the best features of his lower half including his muscular legs and bubble butt. He seemed to walk with more confidence than I could ever remember and that was a huge turn on.

“(Y/N), you alright? You’re breathing heavily.” Jared asked as I nodded watching Jensen sit down in his chair.

As the interview when on all I could do was stare at Jensen’s every little move. The way he would rub his thigh or fidget in his seat. It was driving me mad as I wanted nothing more than to drag him to the nearest locked room and fall to my knees before him.

“Now Jensen, your wife is here as well, and I have to say you are one lucky guy. She is absolutely stunning.” Kelly said as Jensen pointed over to me.

My cheek burned as he gave me his best breathtaking smile, “You don’t have to tell me how lucky I am. I already know. She could have ended up with this guy over here.”

Jensen began telling the story of how Ryan and I had gone on a blind date inviting me back to their house. “The moment (Y/N) and Jensen saw one another I knew I had no chance with her. I should have known not to bring her back to the house.” Ryan interjected.

Everyone laughed at the story, “I have thanked him repeatedly for bringing her because I wouldn’t be who I am today without her. She’s everything to me.”

The audience awed as I blew him a kiss. When the interview was over Jensen took some pictures with Ryan and Kelly then planned on meeting with the fans outside. My body was buzzing with pent up energy waiting for him to get in the car with Jared and me.

As soon as we were back to the hotel, I grabbed Jensen hand pulling him towards the elevators that lead to our room. I did not care if Jared was making crude comments as the elevator doors closed.

Jensen was chuckling, “Pretty girl, everything okay?”

I was tapping my foot impatiently as I watched the numbers flash with each passing floor. Finally, the door sprung open and as best as I could dragged my six foot one husband down the hallway. When the sound of the door latching shut I crashed my body against his. My lips pressing up to his as my hands reached around grabbing his perfect butt.

“Whoa, what has gotten into you?” He laughed as I bit my lower lip.

I brought one of my hands around his hip and over his length. He hissed rolling his head back as my hand slowly worked over his harden cock.

“Don’t laugh, but these pants are doing all kinds of things for me. It’s like that damn red shirt you wore while playing Demon Dean or when you grow your ginger beard out during hiatus. There is something about you and the color red that drives me crazy.” I said popping the button open on his pants.

When I looked up at him, his eyes were dark and filled with desire that I knew was only for me. The tension building between us was reaching a critical level and I broke first. I needed him. In any way I could get him, I needed to feel him. In my hands, my mouth, I did not care. I just needed him.

I sunk down to my knees my hands carefully pulling down the zipper of his red pants of sex. Hooking my fingers, I brought his pants and boxers down his thighs. His length stand firm just inches from my lips. I looked up at him one last time seeing his body rigid from holding back. He wanted me to be in control and that was just one of the many reasons why I loved him so much.

Gently, I ran my hand down his length feeling his body tremble as my tongue licked the underside of it. A strangled sigh slipped his mouth as I took him slowly into my mouth. There was no other man I had ever been with that I loved going down on. The way he tasted, the noises he made gave me the confidence to be bold.

“Fuck… (Y/N), that feels so good.” He moaned leaning back against the wall behind him. His large hands gathering into my hair guiding me over his cock.

My hands ran up the back of his legs to his ass pushing him further down my throat. The growl that rumbled from his chest send chills straight to my core. He was close to coming and I began to suck a little harder and faster using my hand to pump him at the base of his cock.

“Pretty girl… I’m gonna… fuck!” He cried out as he came deep inside my mouth.

Swallowing every last drop I licked him clean and as soon as my mouth left his cock he picked me up tossing me over his shoulder. I yelped as he gave my ass a firm smack grabbing a hold of it. I knew my time of being in control of over and now it was his turn.

Setting me down his lips crashed to mine as he kicked up his shoes and his pants along with his boxers. Both of us were breathing heavily as we parted. He tossed his jacket on the floor and pulled his t-shirt over his head. I could not help but to stare at the naked man in front of me.

It still amazed me after all this time that this beautiful man on the inside and out was mine. “See something you like?” He asked a smirk playing on his lips.

I nodded biting my lip the way I knew drove him crazy. He ran his thumb over my bottom lip pulling it from my teeth. His hands slipped underneath my blouse pulling it over my head and tossing it to the side. Next was my skirt that he dragged down my legs kneeling in front of me. His lips brushing against my stomach.

He pulled my panties down next his hands trailing up my legs to my hips pushing me back onto the bed. My legs slipped over his strong shoulders as he kissed his way up to her. I pressed my head back against the mattress as his tongue leisurely licked my folds.

“Oh, pretty girl I could stay down here for days tasting you.” He whispered against my mound making my body shiver.

His expert mouth began working me over as my body writhed against the bed. My hands grasped his hair as I shamelessly grinded my hips against his face. His arm snaked around my waist holding me in place as he pushed two thick fingers into me.

“Jensen!” I cried out as he slowly pumped into me over and over again.

His low chuckle against my clit pushed me over the edge. Gripping the sheets beside me I cried out coming hard on his fingers as his tongue licked me clean. Watching Jensen crawl up to me was like watching a cheetah stalking their prey.

As he looked down at me I bit my lip suddenly feeling bashful from what I wanted. I still got nervous asking for things even though we had done everything possible in the bedroom.

“What is it? What do you want?” He asked his voice deep and sensual.

My cheeks burned as he placed kissed along my neck, “Against the wall.” I whispered.

It was the only position we had only done once, and it had been in a fit of passion after a fight. Emotions were running high and Jensen had pushed me against the wall kissing me to keep me from arguing with him. It had been the hottest sex they had ever had, and I had been fantasizing about it ever since.

Jensen pulled me up from the bed picking me up as my legs wrapped around him. He pressed my back against the nearest wall bracing myself against it as his hands went to my hips. Aligning himself with my entrance I sunk down onto him slowly. I gripped his shoulders my head falling back against the wall with a thud.

His face was pressed into my neck and his muscles were straining as he held still for a moment. I slowly grinded my hips against his and he snapped them up pushing even further into me. I cried out holding onto him as he did it again.

“Oh god… Jensen again.” I moaned as his hands gripped my hips tighter.

He began to thrust up into me faster until I was practically bouncing on his cock. My back and head were thumping against the wall with each thrust. I opened my eyes to see his body moving against mine and I was in awe of his strength. Watching him, feeling him, hearing him was all too much and I could feel the coil within me about to snap.

“(Y/N), come with me... now.” He demanded, and my body immediately responded stars flashing before my eyes as my orgasm flooded my body.

He buried his head into the crook of my neck muttering out his own release. His arms wrapping around me holding me tightly as he pushed inside me a few more times. His body leaned against mine pressing me further against the wall.

He lifted his head to rest against mine, “Pretty girl if I promise to wear those pants again can we do this again?”

“Absolutely, handsome. You wear those red pants of sex and you can do whatever you want with me.” I chuckled as he smiled widely.

Jensen carried me over to the bed laying me down before getting in himself cuddling against me. I began to laugh as I could feel his cock getting hard against my ass. “Round two?” I whispered.

He rolled me underneath him smiling, “Oh god yes, we are going to spend the rest of the afternoon in bed.” He said leaning down and kissing me.

I could not think of any better way to spend an afternoon than making love with the man I love.

If you enjoyed this story then check out my Masterlist!

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[buckychristwrites]

Mine Is Black, Her’s Is Gold | Part 2 | b.b.

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Summary: A ghost of Bucky’s past comes back to haunt him, and soon he finds himself wondering if he was built to have a normal life, or if he was always meant to live as a broken man who can only make it by alone.

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: SO Fluffy

A/N: let me know what you think!!! :)

| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |

Masterlist

“I’m sorry, Barnes…”

“This can’t be happening.”

“This would’ve been the best episode of Maury.” Tony raised his hands up. “Is He The Father?: Terminator Edition.”

“For once, Stark, it would be nice if you would shut the fuck up.”

Bucky fell back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, while Bruce, Tony and Steve surrounded him. They were all silent for a while, letting Bucky soak in the news. Crumpled up in his hand was the piece of paper with the results of the paternity test, confirming him as the father to Zoey. Bucky’s head rolled to the side, making him look out the window to find you. You were walking up and down the hallway, bouncing Zoey up and down in your arms. The toddler’s head was resting on your shoulder, and he couldn’t tell from the distance whether she was sleeping or not. His stomach lurched at the sight. On one hand, he was filled with so much anxiety from the abrupt change in his entire life that seeing the kid just made him even more anxious. On the other hand, seeing you be motherly to this child, to HIS child, was enough to make his chest hurt.

“What are you gonna do?”

Bucky looked at Steve, opening his mouth but no words coming out. Because even he didn’t know what to do. Bucky had prepared for a lot of things in life, from being forced back into HYDRA’s control to the event of his death, but never everything like this.

“I don’t-“ He trailed off, raising his arms in the air before dropping them back down. “I don’t know.” When he turned back to look at you, he found that you and Zoey were gone. He sighed, turning back to the others. When he noticed them all staring, he stood up and walked towards the door.

“Buck,” He heard Steve call after him, but he kept walking, throwing the door open and letting it close behind him.

His head spun as he walked down the hallway. It felt like the air had been knocked out of him and he was struggling to catch his breath. He suddenly found himself running towards his room, going so fast that he was panting but he didn’t stop. He was just about to go through his door when you came out, a finger to your lips as you closed the door behind you. He stopped dead, almost crashing into you.

“Zoey’s asleep,” You said quietly. “She really is such a sweet- Bucky? Bucky, what’s wrong?” He was hyperventilating, his chest heaving hard and his heart beating so fast that he thought it would burst out.

“I can’t breathe,” He said between the quick breaths that wouldn’t subside. You grabbed his shoulders, making him look at you. His eyes were wild, wide, panicked. You pulled him towards your bedroom, pushing him so he was sitting on your bed before you shut the door behind you. You dropped to your knees in front of him.

“I think I’m having a heart attack,” He gasped, putting his hand on his chest. You shook your head.

“No, Buck, you’re having a panic attack,” You told him, which seemed to make him panic even more. “Hey, look at me! Just keep looking at me, okay? Focus on my voice.” He stared right into your eyes, listening to the soothing sound of your voice. You ran your fingers up and down his arms, from his shoulders down his biceps and back up again. He focused on how it felt to have your skin against his, and he wondered if the feeling of the cool metal on the one side freaked you out. But if it did, you didn’t show it. His breaths began to slow, and he could feel his muscles begin to relax.

“That’s it,” You said gently. “Just breathe, Bucky. Just breathe for me.” After what felt like hours, even though he knew it was only about ten minutes, his breathing was back to normal, and he was looking at the floor.

“I’m sorry,” He said, embarrassed. You squeezed his shoulders, and he looked up, not realizing your hands were still on him. He couldn’t help the fact that half the reason he was beginning to calm down was from the worry in your eyes and him knowing they were like that because of him. And the other half was because of the way your touch brought him back to reality in a way he’d never be able to explain.

“Your life just changed immensely,” You said, a soft smile on your face. “You’re allowed to be freaked out for a little while. It’s okay.” He nodded, not responding. On days like this one, he really thanked his lucky stars that Tony Stark had found and recruited you.

You waited for a while for him to say anything, maybe give any piece of information on how this situation came to be. Bucky put up a lot of walls, and tried very hard to hide his every emotion from people, but you knew better. Unlike everyone else, you paid attention. To his facial expressions and body language, to his little ticks and giveaways. So in this moment, with his head facing the floor and his arms around his chest, you knew there was something more that he wasn’t telling you.

“Tell me what you’re thinking about,” You said quietly, changing your sitting position so you were now cross legged. Bucky swallowed hard when he felt your hands leave him, and then he sighed.

“I was seeing a girl back in Bucharest,” He began to explain. “It was when I was in hiding, before I went to Wakanda. Her name was Amelia. We were only together for a year but- I loved her so much. I don’t- I hadn’t experienced anything like it before her.” He glanced up at you for a second before quickly looking away again. “And then everything in Vienna happened, and I was on the run. I left her, and I went to Wakanda, and I never tried to find her. I guess she had gotten pregnant, and hadn’t gotten around to telling me.” You nodded along with him as he spoke.

“Why didn’t you go looking for her?” You asked him. He shrugged.

“I was afraid that I would be putting her in danger if I tried to go after her,” He told you. “I thought that I was doing the right thing, by letting her be.” Your face scrunched up in conflict, and he thought that maybe you would question him further on that subject, but you didn’t.

“What all was in the envelope?” You asked him. “What all did it say?”

“She died not long after giving birth,” He said in a dead voice. “So the baby went to go live with her grandparents, and now they’re both dead. That’s why she’s here.” He let his head drop down so he could look at you. Your face was filled with sadness to match his own. Your head tilted to the side as you looked at him. He sighed. “This is really happening, isn’t it?” You snorted quietly.

“I’m afraid so,” You told him. He nodded, taking his time to respond. His head was going a million miles a second, and despite his now level breathing, he still felt a bit suffocated. You must’ve read his mind. “What are you thinking?” He laughed humorlessly, sitting up and running his fingers through his hair.

“I don’t know the first thing about being a dad,” He said sheepishly. You smiled as you were obviously trying to hold back a laugh. The look on his face was so endearing to you.

“You’re not supposed to know, that’s the whole point of parenthood,” You said, him flinching slightly at the last word. “Look. She’s a sweet little girl, she’s pretty quiet. Honestly, she’s so much like you that even if no one told me she was yours, I’d still suspect it.” His heart swelled slightly at your words and he turned away from you. You gently took his chin in your hand and turned him back to you. “Behind your hard exterior, you’re a gentle person who would never hurt a fly if it wasn’t trying to hurt the people he loves. You’re gonna be fine.” The smile you got on your face made him smile, and it was genuine. You stood up.

“I’m gonna go make dinner, do you want me to make you some?” You asked. He didn’t even try to hide his smile as he nodded at you. You nodded back, smiling widely at him before turning and leaving the room.

He adjusted his position on the bed, suddenly aware how alone with his thoughts he was. He stood, and without really thinking, he left your room. Hands shaking, he made his way back towards his own room. The door creaked slightly as he pushed it open, his teeth grinding as he tried to slow it down so he didn’t wake the sleeping toddler.

She was laying on her back, her her arms up ballerina style around her head. Her mouth was open slightly and her head was lolled to the side. Bucky slowly approached the bed, anxiously playing with his fingers as he stared at the little girl.

His little girl.

He slowly sat down next to her on the bed, looking down at her in awe. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, her little curls haloing her head. He watched her chest rise and fall with every breath, suddenly frightened that if he looked away, they would stop. She was the smallest thing he had ever seen, so small and defenseless. How was he expected to keep her safe? He was a trained assassin. The past five years of his life were him hiding from the torment that came from spending seventy years being held hostage by a murderous Nazi organization. Now he was on the other side of the tracks, being part of a superhero gang who risked their lives almost daily to save others. How was he supposed to do it all without putting this little thing that fell into his lap in danger?

She began to stir, her head suddenly turning up towards the ceiling as her face scrunched up. Bucky began to panic. Was he something he did? Did he wake her? What was he supposed to do? He looked at the door frantically, wishing that you hadn’t left. He stood up, his arms slightly raised with his palms facing the floor. When Zoey let out a slight sob, his heart began to pound again. He wasn’t ready for this. How was he expected to to be a father when he panics at his daughter crying?

The door opened, you peaking your head back in. Bucky whipped around and he had never been so relieved to see you.

“Is pasta and chicken okay?” You whispered to him. He nodded.

“Hey, so she’s waking up,” He said, pointing to Zoey on the bed, whose eyes were now starting to open. You looked at him with a blank face, making him nervous.

“Okay…” You said slowly. “So pick her up. Play with her. Keep her occupied. I’ll feed her dinner too.” Bucky turned to look at the toddler before turning back to you.

“But I can’t-” He began, but stopped abruptly when he saw your face drop.

“Bucky.” Your voice was firm. “You are her father, which means you have to learn how to do things for her and take care of her. I’m not always going to be here to help you.” He pressed his lips in a firm line and looked at the floor. You were right, and he was well aware of it. You sighed. “Stop overthinking it and just pick up your kid. She likes being held. And try talking to her. She can talk a bit too.” When he looked back up at you, you were gesturing towards the baby before slowly pulling your head from the door and closing it behind you.

He turned, his hands shaking again as he approached the bed once more. As carefully as he possibly could, he scooped Zoey up in his arms. She looked alarmed as she stared at Bucky while he adjusted her in his arms.

“Who you?” She asked, in the most gentle voice Bucky had ever heard and it made his heart swell.

“I’m B-” He stopped as he realized who he was talking to. “I’m uh, I’m your dad.” She tilted her head slightly, taking in Bucky. A strand of her curly hair fell in her face, and without thinking, Bucky slowly lifted his hand and lightly pushed it behind her ear. At the slight contact, she seemed to relax. Her hands reached up and pressed into Bucky’s cheeks, and she broke out into the biggest smile.

“Dad,” She said lightly, and that was the moment that she had pushed her way into Bucky’s heart.

_________________________________________

You were lost in making dinner, slowly stirring the pasta and the sauce together while humming softly to yourself. So lost in thought and in what you were doing, that you didn’t notice that you were no longer alone. The sound of a stool scraping across the floor interrupted your thoughts, and you turned to see Bucky sit down, Zoey in arms. The three year old was playing with Bucky’s hair, twisting it and running her fingers through it as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Your smile widely at the sight.

“Hey, Zoe zoe, you want some dinner?” You asked her. She turned to look at you, dropping the strands of Bucky’s hair that she had between her little fingers.

“Yes, peese,” She said excitedly, bouncing up and down in Bucky’s lap. You nodded, turning and grabbing three plates out of the cabinet.

“I see you managed to keep her calm,” You said casually while you scooped pasta onto the plate. When you looked over at Bucky, he was staring at Zoey as she played with the fingers on his left arm, completely amazed with the fact that they were metal. When he looked up at you, you could see the fondness in his eyes.

“Yeah, I somehow managed without you,” He said, making you roll your eyes in response. He looked at her, his face suddenly concerned. “She didn’t nap for long, should I be worried?” Without looking up from the chicken you were cutting up, you shook your head.

“She had a long day, she was probably just tired and needed a few minutes,” You told him. You pushed the plate towards her and handed her a fork. She stared at the food for a second and then finally, plunging the fork into a piece of chicken and stuffing it into your mouth. “Besides, it’s late and if she slept for too long, she wouldn’t go to sleep tonight.” He nodded. “And you’re going to want her to be well rested, or she’ll probably be a nightmare.” His eyes widened slightly in anxiety. He whispered your name, and when he looked at you, your smile faded away.

“What if I mess her up?” He asked you quietly. Your heart broke at the look on his face. Zoey turned around, holding up a piece of chicken to Bucky and lightly tapping it against against his mouth. He stared at her in confusion.

“She’s trying to share with you,” You said through your giggles. He glanced at you before turning back to Zoey and opening his mouth. Her face flooded with satisfaction before she put the chicken in his mouth.

“Thanks kid,” He said, returning her wide smile. You handed Bucky his plate before leaning on the counter and looking at him.

“And you’re not going to mess her up. We’re all going to help you. You don’t have to do this alone.” He smiled down at the countertop for a second before picking up his fork and digging into his food. You watched the two of them, as Zoey would turn occasionally and share her food with Bucky, or she would get distracted and he would pick up her fork and feed her to get her back on track. When you finally looked away to make a plate for yourself, you wondered if he really needed your help at all.

_________________________________________

Three in the morning.

Bucky had been awake all night, tossing and turning. Too much had occurred that day, and he had too much on his mind to sleep. On occasion, he would look over to the little makeshift bed they had put together for Zoey, a pile of blankets and pillows under a canopy of more blankets. She loved it, calling it her castle, and then she stayed inside of it until she passed out. For a while, he sat and watched her sleep, until you had come in to check on the two and told him that Zoey probably wouldn’t die if he took his eyes off of her and he needed to relax.

So now here he was, not sleeping a wink in favor of lying in bed and worrying.

He flipped himself so he was facing the window, forcing his eyes closed.

After he left Wakanda, with his fresh brain that couldn’t be penetrated by HYDRA, he considered what kind of future he wanted to have. Would he want to try to find love again? Get married? Have a family? He didn’t think so. While he didn’t have to worry about HYDRA, he was still known by many as the person accused of killing a diplomat, which put a target on his back wherever he went. Which meant that there would be a target on whatever family he tried to have.

But now he had Zoey, with her long curls and deep blue eyes. His heart burned with anger at the idea of anyone ever hurting her. It amazed him how it only took a short period of time for her to burrow her way into the deep catacombs of heart. She was everything you said she was. Quiet and sweet. And even he could see the resemblance in her behavior to his own.

A whimper from across the room interrupted his thoughts. He sat up and looked over in time for it to get a little louder, a little more consistent.

“Zoey?” He said out loud, getting out of bed and hurrying to her fort. She was still laying back in her pillows, hugging her stuffed horse tight to her chest. When her dad came into her view, her crying slightly subsided. Bucky kneeled down in front of her. “You have a bad dream? You scared?” She sniffled a little before nodding her head and holding out her arms. Bucky smiled slightly, before carefully putting his arms around her and lifting her up. “Come on, baby doll.” He bounced slightly, like he saw you doing earlier, as he carried the toddler to his bed. He set her on one side of the bed and tucked her in before making his way to his side. When he climbed back into bed, he laid on his side so he was facing her.

“Goodnight, kiddo,” He whispered, before closing his eyes. A few seconds pass before there was shuffling, and then a tiny body was suddenly pressed against his torso. When he opened his eyes, he found the little girl up against him with her face against his chest. His entire body got warm. Slowly, he adjusted his position so that his arm was around her, and she snuggled closer into him. Tucking the top of her head under his chin, he closed his eyes and, not long after, letting himself fall asleep.

_________________________________________

Tags

@nicole-sec, @stevieboyharrington, @built4broadway, @tannyator, @bucky-slut, @wintersthor, @pizzarollpatrol, @of-outerspace, @fallenaristocat, @gracefulish,

[amoretheiwa]

The Dark Knight and the Boy Scout

On time! For once! Here’s the end of my pre-written stuff so hopefully, I can get back ahead before next week. Enjoy!

Read on AO3

Breanna Wayne is turning 23 years old. It has been 4 months since Batman fought the Joker. While getting to know someone new at her birthday party, the contraption the media has taken to calling the Batsignal (thanks a lot, Gordon) lights up the sky. In the name of safety, Breanna sends her guests home and dons the cowl—only to run into the Man of Steel himself just a few hours after taking care of the situation. It turns out they’re both looking for the same thing, and Breanna reluctantly agrees to work with him for just this case.

Chapter 2: Enter Last Son of Krypton B

Close to two hours later and they walked out into the hallway, just 30 minutes before the gala was supposed to start. One of the people working for Ms. Iverson had directed a very shocked delivery boy to the upstairs at one point when the two women had ordered pizza. Even though there was going to be food at the party, it was considered rude to eat too much and it was not uncommon for guests to eat a small meal on their own beforehand.

Now, however, there was no reconciliation image of the two women messily eating pizza in sweats and t-shirts just an hour or so ago. Lois was wearing a dark red gown with no fancy beadwork or design on it. The neckline was cut close to the base of her neck, and instead of a regular sleeveless cut where the fabric would just end at her shoulders, it came in with a sharp point accentuating her shoulders. It was a little longer than floor-length and her shimmery gold heels peeked out with every other step that revealed toenails that matched the color of her dress. Her black hair was pinned back, the ends gently curled.

Breanna’s dress was a lighter fabric but just as dark but a blue rather than red. There was a slit that showed some cleavage and from the front that seemed to be it but the back was a rather sizeable cutout that stopped just above her hips. Her hair, with its natural curl, was pinned in a half-up-half-down look that showed plenty of her back’s skin. Her dress was the same length as Lois’ but with her extra two inches on the woman, her silver heels were visible with every step. Her toenails, like Lois’, matched the color her dress.

Where Lois wore a simple sparkling silver chain on her left wrist and a pair of gold and diamond earrings, Breanna had a thick, dull, silver bangle on both arms. A set of slim silver rings—just individual bands—on a few fingers added to the look, and her earrings were like a sheet of glowing silver that hung to just above her shoulders.

Their makeup was simple, the most attention paid to their sharp eyeliner and false eyelashes that had been placed masterfully. They were giggling, whispering to each other as they walked into the foyer. The door was open, and the event planner stopped her conversation with the head of security to stare at them for a moment. She excused herself quickly and caught them before they walked into the ballroom.

“Miss Wayne! Miss Lane!”

They both stopped, waiting for her.

“If I may say, you both look gorgeous tonight,” she began with a rushed breath. Breanna smiled, and Lois thanked her.

“Before you two enter the ballroom and truly finish preparing for tonight, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday Miss Wayne.”

Breanna smiled again and put a hand on the woman’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Racheal. This wouldn’t have been the same without you. Remember, once all the guests have arrived, you are more than welcome to join us. You look stunning yourself.”

Breanna gave the woman a once-over with her eyes and ignored the light blush that it brought forth on her dark cheeks.

Lois made a face at Breanna as they turned and walked into the ballroom. Breanna ignored her as well and waved at the quartet who were warming up. They would be performing throughout the night, and Breanna was finally feeling herself get excited. She had not allowed herself to celebrate her birthday in many years, and when she had it was more for others than for her own enjoyment.

Less than an hour later and everyone was there, even those with a tendency to show up fashionably late. Breanna greeted all of her guests with the courtesy her parents had instilled in her before their passing, and it was with a twinge in her heart that she made small talk with a few old family friends. It was with partial relief that she noticed a tall blonde man stumbled his way in her direction.

“Excuse me, if you will Mr. and Mrs. Hendrickson. I have a friend to see,” she said with a smile. It was with a forced air of joviality that Breanna greeted Oliver Queen. He for once did not ignore her hand as it was stuck out in a handshake, and they both squeezed a little tighter than necessary.

“Ollie, good to see you well!” She said.

“Not as good as it is to see you, Bre.”

“How are things in Star City? Business going well?”

He nodded, eyes sweeping behind her.

“Things are pretty swell, even with Queen Consolidated. What about here, in Gotham? How’s Wayne Inc going?”

Breanna pulled her hand back, making a show of rubbing it on her dress.

“Gotham is Gotham, as always, and we’re about to change it to Wayne Enterprises soon.”

His eyebrows shot up as he redirected his attention back to her.

“Really? That’s an odd change.”

Breanna shrugged, grabbing two flutes of champagne as a server walked back. She handed on to him and took a sip before replying.

“It was time for a change.”

Before either could say something else, Lois appeared, towing someone as tall as Oliver over behind her. She grinned at Breanna and more or less pushed her into space next to Ollie. He had hair just as dark as Lois’ or Breanna’s, and blue eyes as well, but his face was smooth and handsome in ways Oliver’s was roguish. He wore a pair of glasses that Breanna immediately saw as fake, but as he nervously pushed them back up on his nose she recognized him as Clark Kent, a writer for the Daily Planet. Or, as Lois often referred to him, Smallville.

“Breanna, Mr. Queen, this is Clark Kent.”

As Oliver shook Lois’ offered hand, Breanna couldn’t tear her eyes away from Clark’s. He smiled at her and cleared his throat. When they shook hands, it wasn’t like when Oliver had tried to squeeze the life out of hers. His grip was gentle, and his hands were barely calloused. It took an extra second to fully pull her hand back but she swallowed before speaking.

“Wonderful to finally meet you, Clark.”

He flashed a smile that Breanna couldn’t help returning.

“Thank you for inviting me, Miss Wayne. Happy birthday, by the way.”

Breanna shook her head.

“Please, call me Breanna, and thank you.”

Oliver barked a laugh and Breanna turned to face him.

“That’s right! It’s your birthday, that’s why we’re here. Happy birthday, Bre! Maybe now that you’re older you’ll stop being so serious.”

Breanna closed her eyes and didn’t care that she was visibly losing her patience with the man. Lois’ suppressed laughter didn’t help and Breanna opened her eyes to see a waiting Oliver sharing a look with Clark.

“Tell me, Ollie, how long have you been back? Three months? Five?”

He narrowed his eyes at her and took his time answering.

“It’s been close to a year now.”

“Ah,” she said, raising a hand to brush against her chin. She turned to face Clark and Lois. “You see, Oliver here was presumed dead five years ago when his father’s ship was lost at sea. He was quite the party animal in his prime, but I never shared the same tastes.”

Oliver quirked his lips.

“Seems like you still don’t.”

He clapped his hands together.

“Well, with that, I think I’m going to find a different crowd to hang with. Ladies, Clark,” and with that he was gone. Breanna let loose a sigh and put a hand to her forehead.

Lois couldn’t stop herself anymore and let out a pealing laugh, and Clark looked back and forth between the two women.

“Am I missing something?” He asked, not unkindly. Breanna waved a hand at him.

“No, it’s no secret that Oliver and I have never gotten along. I’m sorry that you got somewhat involved in that, Clark.” He shook his head, pushing his glasses up on his nose again.

“No need to apologize.”

Lois glanced between the two and slung an arm around both of their shoulders, bringing the three of them awfully close—Clark was taller than Breanna and Breanna was taller than Lois.

“C’mon, let’s find somewhere better suited to talking.”

Ten minutes and three conversations later the trio finally found their way to the breakfast table in the Manor’s kitchen. It was a diner-like booth that curved so as to accommodate more people, while out of the main walkways of the rest of the kitchen. Breanna was sipping from a glass of almond milk, listening to Lois recount one of her funnier incidents that resulted in yet another rescue from Superman. Breanna laughed, moving her glass farther away from her face, and tried desperately not to snort. When they all calmed down and it was quiet, the heiress turned to face the newcomer.

“So, Clark, tell me—is Smallville really as small as Lois makes it sound?”

Clark glanced at his colleague with an exasperated expression. She just shrugged her shoulders and took a long drink from her glass of water.

“It probably isn’t if Lois has been exaggerating again. There’s a lot of farms so geographically wise it’s not so tiny but it’s the population that really makes the name match the place.”

Breanna nodded once and leaned forward.

“Did you grow up on a farm, then?”

Lois snorted and they looked at her.

“Bre, you’re looking at the most country boy you could hold to find this far north.”

Clark rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat, swirling the water in his glass.

“I’ve adapted to city life fairly well,” he met Breanna’s eyes. “Mostly.”

“Mostly?” She asked, and he winced.

“There have been a few mishaps over the years,” he started. Lois chortled and sat forward.

“He just isn’t as lucky as me and doesn’t have Superman picking up after him.”

They all laughed, the conversation continued for another twenty minutes. It ranged from the differences between small town and big city life to the differences between Metropolis and Gotham. The topic had just turned to Batman and Superman when Alfred appeared behind Breanna.

“Miss Wayne, what is the point of hosting such an elaborate party if you yourself do not attend?”

Breanna leaned back, tilting her head so that she was looking at her surrogate father upside down. She grinned and he felt a twinge in his heart; it wasn’t often she was happy without some sort of regret or heavy air degrading the emotion.

“But Alfred, what’s the point of having a party if you can’t sneak away?”

He rolled his eyes and walked around the back of the booth, sliding in to sit next to his charge. She scooted over slightly, giving him more room, and he rested his hands on top of the table. Lois smiled at him.

“Alfred, this is Clark Kent. He works with me at the Daily Planet.”

Clark stood up just enough so that he could reach across the table and shake Alfred’s hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Pennyworth.”

“The pleasure is all mine, and please, call me Alfred. I enjoy reading your articles, especially the culturally focused ones.”

Clark blushed a little, a light pink that dusted his entire face.

“Ah, thank you, sir. I never really got to travel as a kid and so when work sends me anywhere I’ve never been I try to learn about the culture, local and national, and end up writing an extra two articles.”

“Tell them about that time you almost ended up married to a chieftain’s daughter in the Amazon,” Lois elbowed him, grinning.

Clark groaned but Breanna didn’t let him get away with telling the story.

More time passed and eventually, Alfred nudged the three of them back out into the foyer, which had some people mingling but not nearly as many as were still in the ballroom. It was while they were there talking that Breanna noticed something that made her entire countenance shift. Lois noticed first and followed the young woman’s gaze through the windows over the door.

“Oh,” she said softly, and soon everyone in the foyer was also looking out at the Gotham skyline. The Batsignal was lit, throwing the shadow of a stylized bat against the permanent cloud cover. Breanna sighed and put a hand against her temple. Lois gave her a look, and she shook her head.

“I guess it’s time to send everyone home,” she said mournfully. Clark turned back to look at her, no longer as distracted as he had appeared the last few seconds.

“Why? If the Bat’s signal is up wouldn’t that mean it’d be safer to keep everyone here?”

Breanna shook her head, already turning towards the ballroom.

“The Batsignal goes up whenever the commissioner wants Batman’s help, and if could be something as little as information on a case or as big as the Joker showing up again. It’s better if my guests are safe at home than here, a potential target regardless of what is happening.”

Breanna took swift strides into the ballroom and it was obvious by the hushed chatter that the party goers had also noticed the light in the sky. She signaled the quartet and they paused their playing. It took almost a full minute but eventually, she had everyone’s attention. She took a deep breath and grinned, making sure to look at the entire room.

“Thank you, everyone, so much for coming and helping me celebrate my 23rd birthday. It has been wonderful chatting with each other and catching up with some amazing refreshments and spectacular music,” she nodded at the servers standing together and the quartet that was already packing up their instruments.

“I’m afraid, though, that in the interest of safety, it is time for everyone to go home. There’s no rush but I wouldn’t want anyone to get stuck here should something happen in the few minutes.” There was a polite scattering of laughter and the chattering picked up again. This time, the entire room had a lighter feel to it as the guests each began to shuffle their way towards the front doors.

Breanna turned to face Lois and Clark, sighing.

“Anyone out in the gardens will be found by security in the next few minutes and sent on their way as well. Can Lois and I walk you out, Clark?”

The man exchanged a quick look with his colleague before nodding.

“Of course, thank you again for inviting me.”

As they walked out, Breanna smiled up at him. The height difference wasn’t severe enough that she was craning her neck, but it was obvious enough that she was grateful for her heels.

“No, thank you for coming! I’ve heard so much about you and read enough of your articles that I knew that I had to meet you.”

Clark smiled, that light blush covering his face again.

They stood outside, on the brick roundabout that circles the foundation 30 yards away from the front door. Lois gave her coworker a quick hug and Breanna shook his hand and they said their goodbyes. He walked off towards the valets with a wave and the two women turned to go back inside. They had their arms looped together and were silent as they watched the rest of the guests file out.

As soon as the cleaning was started by Ms. Iverson’s people Breanna was heading towards her study. Lois followed her, not quite sure what she was supposed to do. As she followed her younger friend into the room, Breanna locked the door behind them. Alfred was already standing there, waiting by the tall grandfather clock. He nodded at them and reached up to rotate the hands into a specific arrangement—12:17—and pushed the center, and with a low rumbling the clock swung out, revealing an elevator. Lois knew her mouth was hanging open but she couldn’t help it.

Breanna smirked and put her hand on a scanner. When it flashed green the door to the elevator opened with a quiet hiss and she stepped inside. She gestured for her friend to follow, and Lois eagerly stepped inside.

“I will take care of Ms. Iverson and her people, Miss Wayne. Expect me on the comms as soon as I am done.”

Bre nodded and pushed the down button. The door closed and they began to go down. It was when they stopped that Breanna spoke again.

“Welcome to the Cave, Lois.”

[twentysomethinginorlando]

Wine & Dine Weekend Part One: The Expo and 10K

New Post has been published on https://twentysomethinginorlando.com/wine-dine-10k/

Wine & Dine Weekend Part One: The Expo and 10K

Fall brings many events to Orlando from the Halloween events of Not So Scary and Horror Nights to Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival. One of my favorite events is the Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend. In 2014, I ran the Jingle Jungle 5K, which was my first RunDisney race, and in 2016, I ran the Inaugural Lumiere’s Two Course Challenge, which saw the former Saturday night race move to Sunday morning and add in a Saturday morning 10K. This year I decided to keep the streak going and signed up for my fourth Challenge Race to run both the Wine and Dine 10K and Wine and Dine Half Marathon for a total of 19.3 miles. This would be two more notches on my 30 by 30 plan, that I now have to rethink due to Disney canceling all the West Coast races for the foreseeable future. 

This would be a smarter decision if I was capable of staying on a training schedule. I am not. I draw up really pretty schedules and charts in my bullet journal, then never make it past the first run. (Sometimes I don’t even do the first run.) So November 3rd saw Jay and I heading to the Expo for packet pickup and the last time I went running was during Hurricane Irma. Treadmills for the win. 

When the Wine and Dine Half Marathon was a night race, it ended at Epcot where the Food and Wine Festival was still open. When it moved to a morning race last year, they added the Post Race Party in the evening starting at 10:00 p.m. I didn’t make it last year because I was exhausted from the run and didn’t feel like driving back to Epcot to go to a party by myself.

Party admission is included with the Half Marathon or Challenge registration, but has to be purchased separately for anyone else. I was determined to change that this year. For weeks I had been debating if I should buy Jay a ticket to the party or simply sign him up for the race since I was looking at spending $80 for just the party or $199 for the party and the race. He was game for either, but as time ticked closer to the start date I never had the spare funds to swing registration so we decided to just get him a party ticket at the Expo.

Silly Chelsea, things never go according to plan. 

We arrived at ESPN Wide World of Sports early Thursday afternoon and headed for the Field House. I’m used to everything always being in the same place, but RunDisney seems to like messing with me at the moment. Packet pickup was still in the Field House, but you went left instead of right and everything was upstairs. The only thing downstairs was the Official RunDisney store. I remembered to print my waiver in advance this time, but had forgotten it at home and had to stop and reprint it. Picking up my Bib was a breeze and we started to head out of the building, until I noticed a sign that read “Last Minute Registrations”. I stopped dead in my tracks and I swear it was like my ears perked up like a puppy. I looked at Jay, “Wanna run with me?” 

Apparently registering at the eleventh hour for a RunDisney race actually is fairly simple as long as the race is not sold out. They had us sign him up on our phones like normal and then he just showed them his driver’s license. They had preprinted waivers to fill out and bibs ready to go, just without his name on it. Instead of having a detachable part for shirt pick up, there was a sticker for them to cross out. The whole thing took about ten minutes. My only complaint is he got put in the last start corral, but I really shouldn’t have expected anything else. That was probably all that was left. I’d have to move back to run with him, but that was a small sacrifice to make. 

I decided not to bother going downstairs to look at the Official RunDisney merchandise since I never actually buy anything, and we headed outside. We stopped into Will Call to pick up Jay’s Post Race Party ticket and $15 gift card, which took no time at all. I grabbed a brochure for the Post Race Party and I was super excited when I saw how many characters would be out. It also listed The Adventurers Club as entertainment and I found myself intrigued. The Adventurers Club was an old part of Pleasure Island, and my friends frequently talk about it like I should know what it is. 

We then headed to the J Center to get our shirts. I picked up my three long sleeved shirts, and Jay got his one. I knew mine would fit but I had Jay try his on over his shirt to be sure. We rounded the corner to head toward the exhibit booths and found none other than Mickey Mouse waiting for us. We hopped in the extremely short line and it was our turn in about five minutes. Mickey was so excited when I told him it was Jay’s first RunDisney race! 

We headed back for the car with one last stop for the traditional photo with the medal backdrops outside. We were about halfway home when Jay finally had it sink in what he had just gotten himself into. I don’t train because I’m semi-lazy and my work schedule makes it hard to make time for running, but at least I know what I am capable of on a RunDisney course. Jay hadn’t been for a run since the Color Run 5K in March, and that was his first race ever. 

“I have to keep how short of a mile?” 

“A sixteen-minute mile.” 

“Oh, I can do that.” 

“Except you have to go faster if you want to see characters.” 

“How much faster?” 

Cue evil laughter. 

Friday was an easy day that involved a much-needed trip to the grocery store and seeing Thor: Ragnarok. (Two thumbs up, highly recommend.) I laid out all my clothes for the race, and duck taped the apron to make it short enough to run in. Then I went to bed around ten to try to get some sleep before my alarm went off at 2:20 a.m. 

No alarm should ever go off that early, but such is the RunDisney life. 

I arrived at Epcot around 3:45 a.m. and went straight for the buses. Security laughed at me because apparently my Running Buddy* isn’t big enough to count as a bag. Call me crazy, but if it’s big enough to hold a pocket knife, it should count. The ride over to the Ticket and Transportation Center went quickly, and I was there a few minutes after 4:00 a.m. 

All the character lines were HUGE. I hadn’t seen them this long since Wine and Dine last year. Even Darth Vader’s line wasn’t as long as Mickey and Minnie’s. I jumped in line anyway since I didn’t have much else to do and I thought being in line would be warmer than being in the open air. It was freezing, and I was grateful I’d swapped my shorts for capris, but wished I’d found my space blanket.  

The characters were being pulled at 5 a.m. to go to the Finish Line. My theory is that is so people would go to their start corrals on time. My friend Andria joined me and we caught up on things before we bailed the line around 4:55, a.m. since there were still about forty people in front of us. We headed for the start corrals with some other friends of hers and split off to go to our respective corrals. I made a swing by the bathrooms and went to Corral D.  

There are two gentleman who are the Commentators for all the RunDisney races, and a woman who joins them sometimes. I’m really curious what they do the rest of the year. Their names are Rudy, John and Carissa. (Yes, I had to look that up.) They’re really funny and good at keeping the crowd’s energy up, but they say things that would get regular Cast Members eaten alive, like jokes about drinking at the Finish Line. My favorite thing I heard this year, I think it was Rudy who said it, but I could be wrong, was, “When you see couples crossing the finish line together, and they’re holding hands and you think ‘Aww, that’s so cute!’ That’s really just him making sure she doesn’t finish without him.” 

They did the same thing with the start corrals for Wine and Dine that they did for Star Wars in having less corrals and sending people off in smaller bursts. I still don’t care for it, but it matters less on the 10K than it does the Half. I started at 5:53 a.m., thank you runner tracking. It didn’t take long before I was annoyed with the Chef’s Hat falling off my head, and I stuffed it in the pocket of my apron until I got to the parts of the course that would have Photopass Photographers. 

It was the exact same course as the Star Wars 10K back in April, meaning the first three miles or so were basically empty, open road. There was a marching band cheering the runners on at the first turn, and then the first characters were somewhere between the second and third mile markers. I didn’t recognize the music playing until I saw them, but I don’t hear “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” too often. It was the Three Little Pigs! They’re rare so their line was fairly long, and I kept going. I met them way back during my College Program and got hug attacked by the Big Bad Wolf himself. 

The course made the turn onto the ramp to Hollywood Studios, that I affectionately refer to as the “Death Turn” because it’s one of the only hills on the course and it’s at a terrible angle. Halfway up the hill was the 5K marker, and my time came in at a pace of just under fourteen minutes per mile. My Fitbit and Pokémon Go don’t get along so I’m reliant on RunDisney’s tracking text messages to gauge my time. At the top was a Green Army Man barking orders to keep running and taking photos. For some reason he’s always on a hill, and I’ve just learned to dislike the Green Army Men so much because of it. 

The only good news about that stupid ramp is what comes up, must go down. Running downhill is my favorite. I made the turn into the Backstage Entrance to Hollywood Studios and found myself entering the Fantastmic amphitheater just behind Tower of Terror. I started to run down that hill as well and saw the longest line I had seen all day, and had to make it almost to the bottom to see who it was. I stopped dead in my tracks: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit had finally made his Walt Disney World debut! 

For those unfamiliar with Oswald, he was Walt’s first character before Mickey Mouse. Walt found out he didn’t own the rights to his own creation, Universal did, which led to the founding of the Walt Disney Studios and creation of Mickey Mouse. Way to go, Universal, you created your own worst enemy. In 2006 Bob Iger was able to purchase the rights to Oswald back from Universal and the character began making regular appearances at California Adventure in 2014. As far as I know, November 4th was his first ever appearance at Walt Disney World and, despite scouring the internet, I haven’t been able to find any proof to the contrary.  

I turned hard to go back up the hill, and almost ran into someone in my haste to get in line. I had almost made it to the back when I remembered that the course would repeat the next day, and Oswald would likely be out again with a much shorter line. I turned and kept going. I had made it past the entrance to Tower of Terror before I regretted my decision, but it was too late to turn back. For someone who doesn’t care enough about time to train, I hate stopping. It’s so hard to get going again! 

I was in and out of Hollywood Studios in under ten minutes. As I headed out the front, I passed a group of people wearing Wizarding robes and carrying signs for the Hogwarts Running Club. I love the Hogwarts Running Club to begin with and the fact that they’re willing to get up that early on a Saturday to cheer people on is just amazing. 

The course headed to the Boardwalk on the tiny, congested sidewalk. As I rounded a corner, I saw a bunch of people stopping to take a photo of the full moon over the Tower of Terror. Once again, I should have stopped but kept going since I didn’t want to deal with taking my phone out of my pouch and getting it back in. 

Next to the Atlantic Dance Hall they had a group of four women on microphones cheering people on and posing for photos. I think they were supposed to be from a vineyard. Near the end of the Boardwalk was Genie in his Hawaiian shirt and Goofy hat. I think they bring him out for almost every race now. 

The course headed backstage at Epcot behind France and brought the runners out beside the U.K. pavilion. I got a good look at some of the construction going on, and I’m curious to see what happens with the Ratatouille ride. I made the left turn that took me past Canada where Koda and Kenai from Brother Bear were out. I knew they were on the schedule for the Post Race Party so I continued. I really need to learn to care less about time and more about characters. 

I made the turn by Spaceship Earth to go backstage towards the Finish Line and there was a Gospel Choir in the usual place singing their hearts out. One last corner and I could see the Finish Line, and I started running as hard as I could. I crossed the Finish Line with a time of 1:30:29 and a pace of 14:34 a minute. Not great, but not bad at all. I went to get my medal and they were doing that annoying thing where they just hand you the medal instead of putting it around your neck. IT IS AN EXPERIENCE DISNEY AND YOUR VOLUNTEERS KEEP RUINING IT. I appreciate their volunteering, and I get that it’s more work, but come on, do it right. Did Leia hand Luke his medal in Star Wars: A New Hope, or did she put it around his neck? I was waiting for the one girl who was actually putting them on people’s necks and the guy standing next to her kept trying to hand me a medal so I finally just took it because it was so awkward. When you add in Jay’s registration, I spent over $500 on these races. I WANT MY MEDAL ON MY NECK NOT IN MY HAND. 

So I put my medal on my own neck and moved down to get my free cooling towel, snack box and Powerade. I should have taken a water too, since I finished the Powerade before I even made it to the character lines. I jumped in line for the Chipmunks since they’re my favorites after Mickey and Minnie and I wanted to save the mice for when I was with Jay. I finished off everything in the snack box before it was my turn for photos. Chip and Dale were proud of me, and Chip liked that I had a chef’s hat like them. Then I made my way back to my car so I could go home and take a nice long nap before getting everything ready for the Half Marathon. 

Check back for Part Two where Jay and I take on the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, and we see exactly how hard it is to run a race with only two and a half days notice! 

*This is an affiliate link. To read Twenty Something in Orlando’s affiliate link disclosure, click here.

[watchingthesuperbowl]

Grading Super Bowl XXXVIII

What was the final score?

New England 32, Carolina 29

How much of the game was close? What was the “edge of your seat factor” like? (20 points)

Considering the whole game from start to finish, there has never been a closer, more “edge of your seat” Super Bowl than this one. Super Bowl XXXVIII set the record for the longest scoreless period at the start of the game, but there was a scoring explosion in the final three minutes of the first half.

After the Patriots opened the scoring with a Tom Brady-to-Deion Branch touchdown pass with 3:05 left in the second quarter, the floodgates opened. Jake Delhomme led the Panthers on the second-longest touchdown drive (to that point) in Super Bowl history, 95 yards in eight plays, to tie the score at 7-7 with 1:07 left. This gave Brady a chance to do his thing and turn nothing into something. The Patriots stormed downfield, going 78 yards in 49 seconds to take a 14-7 lead. It perhaps should have stayed 14-7 for the rest of the half, but a squib kickoff backfired badly on New England. Taking over at their own 47, Carolina got a quick 21 yards on a draw play to Stephen Davis before John Kasay drilled a 50-yard field goal on the last play of the first half. It was 14-10 Patriots at the half.

After a scoreless third quarter, the fourth quarter looked something like an Arena Football game, in which you got the feeling the winner would be whichever team was able to get a defensive stop. Antowain Smith scored just seconds into the fourth to give New England a 21-10 lead. Delhomme, who wasn’t the most talented quarterback in the league but may have been the most unflappable, was unflapped. He led his offense on a quick 81-yard touchdown drive to cut the Patriots’ lead to 21-16 after a missed two-point conversion.

I understand why Carolina coach John Fox went for two, but I wouldn’t have done so. Being down three is obviously better than being down four, but a four-point deficit is much, much better than five. If you’re down four and you score a touchdown, an extra point puts you up by a field goal. If you’re down five and you score a touchdown, you don’t have any choice but to go for two, a decision that fails more often than it succeeds. If you’re sitting there thinking that I’m Monday morning quarterbacking here, I guess I’d say two things: First, it’s Tuesday afternoon. Second, I always hate it when coaches do this, regardless of the result. I’m okay with mad genius types like Chip Kelly giving their players an opportunity to get to the line of scrimmage and make the choice based on what the opposition is giving them. I’m not okay with blind allegiance to the sacred “when to go for two” chart with nearly an entire quarter left in the game.

So with the Patriots up five, Brady responded by driving deep into Panther territory and...throwing an interception. I know, right? I didn’t see it coming either. Very un-Brady. That was the defensive stop Carolina needed. It took less than a minute for Delhomme to take them 90 yards downfield, grabbing a 22-21 lead on an 85-yard completion to Muhsin Muhammad. Remember when I mentioned that if you’re down five and you score a touchdown, you have to go for two, a decision that’s likely to fail? The Panthers did, they did, and they did. Instead of kicking the two extra points and presumably going on top 24-21 midway through the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, they overthought things and it cost them two points.

Those two points didn’t matter - at least not right away - because the Patriots took the ensuing kickoff and burned most of the remaining clock on a clutch touchdown drive to regain the lead, 27-22. After the touchdown, Patriots coach Bill Belichick chose to go for two and succeeded, stretching the lead to seven points, 29-22. Delhomme and the Panthers answered, going 80 yards in 1:43 to tie the game. With 73 seconds left in the clock and Carolina kicking off, it looked like we were going to get the first overtime in Super Bowl history.

And we would have gotten that overtime, if Belichick and Brady weren’t sorcerers or something. They appear to have used their black magic to get Panthers kicker John Kasay, a former first-team All-Pro, to boot the most important kickoff of his life out of bounds. That gave Tom Brady the ball on his own 40. When you give Brady the ball near midfield, with a minute on the clock and three timeouts, needing only to kick a field goal, you’ve pretty much already lost. Brady completed four passes to drive New England to the Carolina 23 yard line with less than ten seconds left on the clock. Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri had already missed two field goals in the game, but he nailed this one to give his team an incredible 32-29 win.

There were 37 points scored in the fourth quarter of a game that went down to the wire. It was fantastic to watch. (Score: 20 out of 20)

Was there any kind of comeback? Was there ever any indication that the team which was trailing had a chance to come from behind and win? (15 points)

Yes to both. It looked for all the world like the game was headed to overtime, where obviously the Panthers would have had every chance to win. Had Carolina pulled off the comeback victory, it would have been (at the time) the biggest deficit ever overcome in a Super Bowl, and that  11-point comeback would have taken place entirely in the fourth quarter and overtime.

But they didn’t. So I can’t give this category a perfect score. (Score: 14 out of 15)

Did the great players come through with great performances? (15 points)

Tom Brady did Tom Brady things, going 32-48 for 354 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He led a handful of hugely important scoring drives as the clock wound down in both halves and he pulled out a win throwing the ball downfield in a situation where an awful lot of teams would have played it safe with swing passes, slants and run plays. In essence, he did exactly what you would expect of one of the greatest quarterbacks who has ever walked the earth.

Brady is the only obvious Hall of Famer among the offensive skill position players, but virtually all of the star skill position players showed up to play. Panthers receivers Muhsin Muhammad (4 catches, 140 yards, 1 TD) and Steve Smith (4-80-1) shredded the New England secretary, particularly in the second half. Patriots receivers Troy Brown (8-76-0), Deion Branch (10-143-1), and David Givens (5-69-1) were all consistently dangerous.

The only star-quality player who didn’t have a good game was Panthers running back Stephen Davis. Davis finished seventh in the NFL in 2003 with 1,444 rushing yards, but was kept under lock and key for most of Super Bowl XXXVIII. Apart from the surprise 21-yard draw play that caught everyone in the stadium by surprise at the end of the third quarter, Davis ran for 28 yards on 12 carries. Overall, it was 49 yards on 13 carries. Not a great day for one of the elite backs in the NFL. (Score: 13 out of 15)

Were the teams historically great? (10 points)

The Brady/Belichick Patriots are pretty clearly the team with the longest sustained dominance in modern NFL history. They’ve been one of the top teams in the league without fail for two decades now. Their greatness is incomparable in terms of longevity.

The ‘03 Panthers were...not great. They led the league in nothing and outscored their opponents by just over a point per game. A staggering seven out of their 11 regular wins were by a field goal or less. They were a pretty good team that caught a whole bunch of breaks.

Don’t misunderstand what I’m trying to say; the Panthers absolutely deserved to be in the Super Bowl and nearly won the game on their own merits. But when looking at the 2003 season in aggregate, Carolina could easily have been 7-9 or 6-10. They’d have had to be unlucky to have a record like that, but they also had to be extremely lucky to win 11 games and a division title.

Between 1997 and 2007, the Panthers had fewer winning records (2) than head coaches (3). (Score: 8 out of 10)

Were there memorable moments that will be talked about for decades? (10 points)

Like the Super Bowl three years earlier, Adam Vinatieri won it at the finish with a clutch field goal. Vinatieri is unquestionably one of the best kickers of his generation, but those two Super Bowl-winning kicks are the sort of thing that earn a guy a free trip to Canton, Ohio and a complimentary sportcoat.

Pretty much the entire fourth quarter is remembered as one of the greatest ever played in a Super Bowl. It was Hagler-Hearns on a football field, with two evenly matched foes on the day trading haymaker after haymaker in an epic battle. In the fourth quarter alone, the two teams combined for 37 points and 422 total yards. It wasn’t a matter of poor defense, but instead a pair of offenses that were executing perfectly. (Score: 8 out of 10)

How was the quality of play? Were there a lot of penalties, punts, and turnovers? (15 points)

It was one of the best of all time in this category. There were only two total turnovers, the lines blocked well, and both offenses and both defenses went through periods where they looked great. The only two areas where the quality was subpar were penalties (20 total penalties) and two missed field goals by Vinatieri that should have been fairly routine. In Vinatieri’s defense, the turf in Houston wasn’t great and his plant foot wasn’t gripping well. (Score: 13 out of 15)

Are there any other factors that add to the greatness the game? This covers things like weather, story line, rivalry matchup, legacy franchises, unexpected results, etc. (15 points)

Two words: Wardrobe Malfunction. It had nothing to do with football, but the infamous incident in which Justin Timberlake “unintentionally” tore part of Janet Jackson’s clothing off, revealing her breast to a national television audience. This doesn’t make the football game any better or worse, but it did make watching Super Bowl XXXVIII a memorable experience.

As for the game itself, the fact that the Panthers were playing for a championship just two years after going 1-15 was a great story. Not only were they in the Super Bowl, they had qualified for the game with a 28-year-old quarterback who was undrafted coming out of college, started the season as a backup, and had recently been a backup in NFL Europe. Jake Delhomme came out of nowhere to become the face of the NFC champions.

As I mentioned earlier, the Panthers had made a habit of winning tight games during the season, with most of their victories coming in games decided by three points or less. That luck carried into the postseason, with the Panthers blowing an 11-point lead late in the divisional playoff game against the Rams before escaping Missouri with a double overtime win.

It was clear as the game approached that the Patriots were, at the very least, on the verge of a dynasty. This game would go some way towards determining whether New England would be the team of the decade or whether that designation would remain up for grabs. En route to the AFC title, the Patriots won the divisional playoff against Tennessee in one of the coldest games in NFL history before meeting Peyton Manning and the Colts in the first of what would become many Brady vs. Manning playoff games. (Score: 11 out of 15)

How does the game grade overall? (sum of all previous categories, 100 points)

87 out of 100. Super Bowl XXXVIII is tied atop my ratings with Super Bowl XIII, which is appropriate. Sports Illustrated’s Peter King called this the greatest Super Bowl ever played. I’m okay with that description, though I personally can’t separate XXXVIII and XIII. Both were incredible football games.

Ratings and rankings of Super Bowls I-XXXVIII:

T1. Super Bowl XIII - Pittsburgh 35, Dallas 31 - 87 points T1. Super Bowl XXXVIII - New England 32, Carolina 29 - 87 points 3. Super Bowl XXXVI - New England 20, St. Louis 17 - 86 points 4. Super Bowl XXIII - San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16 - 85 points T5. Super Bowl XXV - New York Giants 20, Buffalo 19 - 84 points T5. Super Bowl XXXIV - St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16 - 84 points 7. Super Bowl X - Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17 - 80 points 8. Super Bowl XXXII - Denver 31, Green Bay 24 - 77 points 9. Super Bowl VII - Miami 14, Washington 7 - 74 points 10. Super Bowl XXX - Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 17 - 69 points T11. Super Bowl IX - Pittsburgh 16, Minnesota 6 - 68 points T11. Super Bowl XXXI - Green Bay 35, New England 21 - 68 points T13. Super Bowl XVII - Washington 27, Miami 17 - 67 points T13. Super Bowl XXVIII - Dallas 30, Buffalo 13 - 67 points 15. Super Bowl XIV - Pittsburgh 31, Los Angeles 19 - 65 points 16. Super Bowl XVI - San Francisco 26, Cincinnati 21 - 62 points 17. Super Bowl XIX - San Francisco 38, Miami 16 - 61 points T18. Super Bowl III - New York Jets 16, Baltimore 7 - 58 points T18. Super Bowl XXII - Washington 42, Denver 10 - 58 points 20. Super Bowl XXI - New York Giants 39, Denver 20 - 57 points 21. Super Bowl XXVII - Dallas 52, Buffalo 17 - 55 points 22. Super Bowl XXXIII - Denver 34, Atlanta 19 - 53 points 23. Super Bowl VI - Dallas 24, Miami 3 - 52 points 24. Super Bowl XX - Chicago 46, New England 10 - 51 points T25. Super Bowl I - Green Bay 35, Kansas City 10 - 50 points T25. Super Bowl XXXVII - Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21 - 50 points T27. Super Bowl XVIII - Los Angeles Raiders 38, Washington 9 - 49 points T27. Super Bowl XXIV - San Francisco 55, Denver 10 - 49 points 29. Super Bowl XXVI - Washington 37, Buffalo 24 - 48 points 30. Super Bowl VIII - Miami 24, Minnesota 7 - 47 points 31. Super Bowl XV - Oakland 27, Philadelphia 10 - 44 points 32. Super Bowl IV - Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7 - 43 points 33. Super Bowl XXXV - Baltimore 34, New York Giants 7 - 42 points T34. Super Bowl II - Green Bay 33, Oakland 14 - 40 points T34. Super Bowl V - Baltimore 16, Dallas 13 - 40 points 36. Super Bowl XXIX - San Francisco 49, San Diego 26 - 39 points 37. Super Bowl XII - Dallas 27, Denver 10 - 38 points 38. Super Bowl XI - Oakland 32, Minnesota 14 - 35 points

[mechagalaxy]

Sten Hugo Hiller - Holmes Havoc Including interview with Kyra Mainer (#672650)

Mountain Climbing Mecha Combat

Brought to you by ANN, A News channell for Mecha Combat

Highlighting the July 3326 Holmes Havoc

Including interview with Kyra Mainer (#672650)

Holmes on K2. I wondered if I should bother, The normal grades to join up was way above mine. But I had gotten special invitations, so I could sneak over and take a look. The worst that could happen was I ended up getting nothing, but I might get a Bronze if I was lucky. Bruno had my Holmes formation ready, two Novum scouts to keep over watch and see ahead was attached as usual. Arriving early at the mountain I parked at the top so my crew could enjoy the view. I had to return to the compound to keep abreast of the paperwork.

When I came back to the mountain slightly over two hours before scramble my crew hung grimly to the slopes. How had they accomplished such a feat? Most of the competition had twice or even three times my mass! Then it dawned on me, they were still in their main formations. In fact there were just 3 of us who had gotten into formation yet. xZydrex from Defenders of Bunny had less than a quarter of my tonnage. But Melissa Powell from HF: Mecha Pirates was another story. She held the top and had 38 grades, 265 ton and 7 mechs on me. The job seemed impossible, but just for laughs I launched some attacks. They weren’t effective, but I had nothing else to do. Opening my supers I continued. If I couldn’t budge her, having supers to do so later was meaningless. My 23rd attack went through her defenses, and I settled on the top. I admired the view, but expected the opponents to start changing into correct formations and blow me off the top any moment. I kept expecting that right up to when the light flashed and it was over. Those who was at the tops when it ended, and received Gold, Nephilax and invitations to harder climbs were:

Div 1 (26 players): Bernard Johnson, Juggernaut (23m,53s) Div 2 (13 players): Sten Hugo Hiller, Star League (2h,34m) Div 3 (25 players): Able Hunter, Star League (1m,11s) Div 4 (27 players): Kyra Mainer, Defenders of Bunny (3h,15m) Div 5 (17 players): Darryl Proctor, Red Comet (46m,5s) Div 6 (26 players): Yusuke Paul Okabayashi (5h,53m) Div 7 (18 players): Ila Mari Anthonsen, today and tomorrow (24m,52s) Div 8 (29 players): Paul Michael, Renegades (33m,14s) Div 9 (15 players): Stug Hill, Behemot (43m,50s) Div 10 (12 players): Borg Queen, Summer Break (5h,21m) Div 11 (13 players): WaspIIC, Hammer`s Stallions (2h,57m) Div 12 (26 players): Jordan Belifart (1h,20m)

Total Participants: 247, Total Medals: 173 (of 180 possible)

3+9(2s)+4+3+6(1s)+0+9+0+2+2+0+0=35 Bronzes and 3 Silvers went to players who had at least point mech overweight. Total Participation was reduced by 22 since the 20 ton, and 7 Bronzes were sent for resmelting.

My timepiece showed 28 elapsed minutes when the light flashed. Only three Gold medals changed ownership during that time, although the Div 3 Gold changed hands plenty of times between Colin Toenjes (Heroes) and Able Hunter. Five of the Gold’s were held for over two hours. We had two unaligned winners this time; Yusuke Paul Okabayashi in div 6 and Jordan Belfart in div 12. Only clan to claim two Gold this time were Star League. Sten Hugo Hiller and Ila Mari Anthonsen repeated their Gold performances from the 20 ton.

I was elated. When a teammate wins, the odds of getting an interview is much better But as I started to make my way over to Able to get a blow by blow account of his epic struggle vs Toenjes, perhaps even a glimpse at the Battle ROMs, I was blocked. Normally I am not that easy to intimidate, but the looks I got from the gang made me wonder if I should worry. One of them gave a signal to follow and the rest fell into a circle around me and forced me to come along.  I knew who they were, anyone in my business knows the Ten Who Were Taken. But why their mistress, Kyra Mainer, wanted me was unknown.  Perhaps she wanted me to pull out Boris and Keikko while she still had a lab? Then she better talk to her dad, contract was his to cancel.

But it turned out to be another purpose. The mysterious Lady of pain had decided to give me an interview. I quickly reviewed what I knew. First appearance in the Climbs in `77, First Gold In the Triple Rainbow Baconary `89, this was the sixth triumph. Been with Defenders of Bunny for all the time, one Gold and plenty of Silvers there.

Sten Hugo Hiller  Congrats on the win in the KOTM. Is it the sixth win?

Kyra Mainer  This is just my sixth

Sten Hugo Hiller  Your first medal was in the laser Chrono in march `77. Are Chronos something you prefer, or are you of the once a year is too often crowd?

Kyra Mainer  I Like the limited Chronos, you know like rainbows. That way you can make up with preserverance and focus what you lack in raw niode power. Unlimited you just can`t beat the spenders, because they don’t have to choose between being in their KOTM formation or their main. But Chronos get old in a hurry though, like Marathons. You don’t run a bunch of them in a row

Sten Hugo Hiller  I get your drift. Your first Gold was in Triple Rainbow, are they a favorite of yours?

Kyra Mainer  I used to love the Rainbow style, but as my base got bigger my tonnage got smaller compared to the spenders

Sten Hugo Hiller  General problem for us poor folks. When it comes to limited, do you prefer Mecht ype like this event, or tonnage like in the 20 ton we just had?

Kyra Mainer  I like the Holmes Havoc and iMech tournaments because they allow those of us without a ton of Niodemechs to get competitive. So Mechtype where you take the bought Beasties away and let the Warriors fight on even terms. I like war because you have to combine unlimited and specialists, but I can’t compete unlimited With many Warriors at my grade who have all Niodemechs. You need to level the field somewhat. I have been adopted by two Novum, and they helped my Holmes lineup here. But the limit was two non Holmes and some used heavier machines.

Sten Hugo Hiller  Novums are called the best mechs ton for ton, I think that is grossly underestimating them. If you were to design a new KOTM, what would Your favorite be?

Kyra Mainer  I would love to see an Icecapades. All except two freons, and no Mechs over 70 ton. Like the upcoming Ratman, but With less blowing yourself up. Seventies tend to be ruled by Niodes, so why not do a Crystal Version?

Sten Hugo Hiller  Sounds great. From your mouth to the Developers ears. Were you in the Metaverse, and how did you do at the Birthday party?

Kyra Mainer  I was not wary lucky during the Birthday party, and After hearing the rest of the family swearing about the bugs in the Metaverse. Tipping point for me was no snackbar, life is too short to manually return every gift. I love that return all button. I mean, games should be play, not work. Oh, and the Equipment was kind of bunk. I had a look at what was offered, and the crystal stuff was missing some of the best cheap options. Kind of like this universe, just favoring spenders even more.

Sten Hugo Hiller  Yes, took a lot of work to get anything in the Metaverse. How are you set up for resorces when it comes to upgrading. Affluent or in desperate need of MOAR?

Kyra Mainer  I am ok for basic upgrades, but getting the niodes to equip bigger Mechs are hard. To be fully competitive you need the big machines, but the gear is stupidly expensive. They need a lot of it, and perform so poorly using Crystal that it seem the Developers want the gap between spenders and free players to Widen as you rise. It’s OK, it’s their game, but it limits the amount I play outside of war. I don’t want to be a big and thin high-level pushovers. I don`t want to camp either, if I don’t play regular I will probably just find something else.

Sten Hugo Hiller  Got to look at what you have. In many cases a good 70-75 tonner can defeat a not so good 85-100 tonner. You have been around almost as long as me. What advice would you give to green Warriors just joining up?

Kyra Mainer  Grind through the campers! Seriously, there is a hump you have to get past of the ten thousand faces of Bob Goetz, and the old RND crowd. The alts having all the Niode Machines. Once you hit that wall, you think you are done, but if you keep leveling at a reasonable pace you rejoin actual players, With only a few camping trolls to worry about. Play KOTM, fight in the wars, watch for the days when your Crystal weapons outpace your niode ones, then cash in big. Turn your Liquid Torches into equipment to make one Mech at a time into a champion Machine

Sten Hugo Hiller  Good advice, but I was thinking more along the lines of favorite Mechs, Weapons and Equipment

Kyra Mainer  Crystal mech, look for ammonite; good Critical killer and critkill is what allows Crystal David to take out Niode Goliath, You can’t outpunch them, so out snipe them instead. Use freeze and Critkill to stop them from shooting back or even shooting at all. Don’t try to damage stack against all Niode enemies, they are going to beat you all the time.

Sten Hugo Hiller  Sound advice. Do you have anything else to add?

Kyra Mainer  Yes. I have seen some of our newer clan mates do this mistake, because you can get away with it at lower grades, but it hurts when you get higher. If the cockpit don’t have a good precision, sell it. I don’t care what else it does, if you can’t hit, all it does is Waste a cockpit slot you could use for something that help you hit opponents

Sten Hugo Hiller  Again essential advice. Thank you for the time and have a nice celebration. Oh, you probably know already, but don’t let Boris and Keikko give you any of their Hard Liquor.

Kyra Mainer  No Kidding!! Do they even have blood in their alcohol supply?

Sten Hugo Hiller  Never been measured to less than 68% blood

Kyra Mainer  Good thing Mechs have limited self driving modes... Thanks for the interview, time to try out my new Nephilax.

She rose, and her crew surrounded her as she went for her newest prize. Any fresh winners who want to give a piece of their mind and earn a handful of Niodes can try to get in touch after the

Upcoming event: Reverse Ratman (Namtar/80ton) Again we have a split format. Consider it a max 80 ton, but in div 1-6 all but two Mechs must be Namtars. In div 7-12 you can use Namtars, but no need. Weapons and equipment is supposed to work as normal.

Event ends August 25 between 2000 and 2030 New York Time.

[twentysomethinginorlando]

Wine & Dine Weekend Part One: The Expo and 10K

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Wine & Dine Weekend Part One: The Expo and 10K

Fall brings many events to Orlando from the Halloween events of Not So Scary and Horror Nights to Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival. One of my favorite events is the Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend. In 2014, I ran the Jingle Jungle 5K, which was my first RunDisney race, and in 2016, I ran the Inaugural Lumiere’s Two Course Challenge, which saw the former Saturday night race move to Sunday morning and add in a Saturday morning 10K. This year I decided to keep the streak going and signed up for my fourth Challenge Race to run both the Wine and Dine 10K and Wine and Dine Half Marathon for a total of 19.3 miles. This would be two more notches on my 30 by 30 plan, that I now have to rethink due to Disney canceling all the West Coast races for the foreseeable future. 

This would be a smarter decision if I was capable of staying on a training schedule. I am not. I draw up really pretty schedules and charts in my bullet journal, then never make it past the first run. (Sometimes I don’t even do the first run.) So November 3rd saw Jay and I heading to the Expo for packet pickup and the last time I went running was during Hurricane Irma. Treadmills for the win. 

When the Wine and Dine Half Marathon was a night race, it ended at Epcot where the Food and Wine Festival was still open. When it moved to a morning race last year, they added the Post Race Party in the evening starting at 10:00 p.m. I didn’t make it last year because I was exhausted from the run and didn’t feel like driving back to Epcot to go to a party by myself.

Party admission is included with the Half Marathon or Challenge registration, but has to be purchased separately for anyone else. I was determined to change that this year. For weeks I had been debating if I should buy Jay a ticket to the party or simply sign him up for the race since I was looking at spending $80 for just the party or $199 for the party and the race. He was game for either, but as time ticked closer to the start date I never had the spare funds to swing registration so we decided to just get him a party ticket at the Expo.

Silly Chelsea, things never go according to plan. 

We arrived at ESPN Wide World of Sports early Thursday afternoon and headed for the Field House. I’m used to everything always being in the same place, but RunDisney seems to like messing with me at the moment. Packet pickup was still in the Field House, but you went left instead of right and everything was upstairs. The only thing downstairs was the Official RunDisney store. I remembered to print my waiver in advance this time, but had forgotten it at home and had to stop and reprint it. Picking up my Bib was a breeze and we started to head out of the building, until I noticed a sign that read “Last Minute Registrations”. I stopped dead in my tracks and I swear it was like my ears perked up like a puppy. I looked at Jay, “Wanna run with me?” 

Apparently registering at the eleventh hour for a RunDisney race actually is fairly simple as long as the race is not sold out. They had us sign him up on our phones like normal and then he just showed them his driver’s license. They had preprinted waivers to fill out and bibs ready to go, just without his name on it. Instead of having a detachable part for shirt pick up, there was a sticker for them to cross out. The whole thing took about ten minutes. My only complaint is he got put in the last start corral, but I really shouldn’t have expected anything else. That was probably all that was left. I’d have to move back to run with him, but that was a small sacrifice to make. 

I decided not to bother going downstairs to look at the Official RunDisney merchandise since I never actually buy anything, and we headed outside. We stopped into Will Call to pick up Jay’s Post Race Party ticket and $15 gift card, which took no time at all. I grabbed a brochure for the Post Race Party and I was super excited when I saw how many characters would be out. It also listed The Adventurers Club as entertainment and I found myself intrigued. The Adventurers Club was an old part of Pleasure Island, and my friends frequently talk about it like I should know what it is. 

We then headed to the J Center to get our shirts. I picked up my three long sleeved shirts, and Jay got his one. I knew mine would fit but I had Jay try his on over his shirt to be sure. We rounded the corner to head toward the exhibit booths and found none other than Mickey Mouse waiting for us. We hopped in the extremely short line and it was our turn in about five minutes. Mickey was so excited when I told him it was Jay’s first RunDisney race! 

We headed back for the car with one last stop for the traditional photo with the medal backdrops outside. We were about halfway home when Jay finally had it sink in what he had just gotten himself into. I don’t train because I’m semi-lazy and my work schedule makes it hard to make time for running, but at least I know what I am capable of on a RunDisney course. Jay hadn’t been for a run since the Color Run 5K in March, and that was his first race ever. 

“I have to keep how short of a mile?” 

“A sixteen-minute mile.” 

“Oh, I can do that.” 

“Except you have to go faster if you want to see characters.” 

“How much faster?” 

Cue evil laughter. 

Friday was an easy day that involved a much-needed trip to the grocery store and seeing Thor: Ragnarok. (Two thumbs up, highly recommend.) I laid out all my clothes for the race, and duck taped the apron to make it short enough to run in. Then I went to bed around ten to try to get some sleep before my alarm went off at 2:20 a.m. 

No alarm should ever go off that early, but such is the RunDisney life. 

I arrived at Epcot around 3:45 a.m. and went straight for the buses. Security laughed at me because apparently my Running Buddy isn’t big enough to count as a bag. Call me crazy, but if it’s big enough to hold a pocket knife, it should count. The ride over to the Ticket and Transportation Center went quickly, and I was there a few minutes after 4:00 a.m. 

All the character lines were HUGE. I hadn’t seen them this long since Wine and Dine last year. Even Darth Vader’s line wasn’t as long as Mickey and Minnie’s. I jumped in line anyway since I didn’t have much else to do and I thought being in line would be warmer than being in the open air. It was freezing, and I was grateful I’d swapped my shorts for capris, but wished I’d found my space blanket.  

The characters were being pulled at 5 a.m. to go to the Finish Line. My theory is that is so people would go to their start corrals on time. My friend Andria joined me and we caught up on things before we bailed the line around 4:55, a.m. since there were still about forty people in front of us. We headed for the start corrals with some other friends of hers and split off to go to our respective corrals. I made a swing by the bathrooms and went to Corral D.  

There are two gentleman who are the Commentators for all the RunDisney races, and a woman who joins them sometimes. I’m really curious what they do the rest of the year. Their names are Rudy, John and Carissa. (Yes, I had to look that up.) They’re really funny and good at keeping the crowd’s energy up, but they say things that would get regular Cast Members eaten alive, like jokes about drinking at the Finish Line. My favorite thing I heard this year, I think it was Rudy who said it, but I could be wrong, was, “When you see couples crossing the finish line together, and they’re holding hands and you think ‘Aww, that’s so cute!’ That’s really just him making sure she doesn’t finish without him.” 

They did the same thing with the start corrals for Wine and Dine that they did for Star Wars in having less corrals and sending people off in smaller bursts. I still don’t care for it, but it matters less on the 10K than it does the Half. I started at 5:53 a.m., thank you runner tracking. It didn’t take long before I was annoyed with the Chef’s Hat falling off my head, and I stuffed it in the pocket of my apron until I got to the parts of the course that would have Photopass Photographers. 

It was the exact same course as the Star Wars 10K back in April, meaning the first three miles or so were basically empty, open road. There was a marching band cheering the runners on at the first turn, and then the first characters were somewhere between the second and third mile markers. I didn’t recognize the music playing until I saw them, but I don’t hear “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” too often. It was the Three Little Pigs! They’re rare so their line was fairly long, and I kept going. I met them way back during my College Program and got hug attacked by the Big Bad Wolf himself. 

The course made the turn onto the ramp to Hollywood Studios, that I affectionately refer to as the “Death Turn” because it’s one of the only hills on the course and it’s at a terrible angle. Halfway up the hill was the 5K marker, and my time came in at a pace of just under fourteen minutes per mile. My Fitbit and Pokémon Go don’t get along so I’m reliant on RunDisney’s tracking text messages to gauge my time. At the top was a Green Army Man barking orders to keep running and taking photos. For some reason he’s always on a hill, and I’ve just learned to dislike the Green Army Men so much because of it. 

The only good news about that stupid ramp is what comes up, must go down. Running downhill is my favorite. I made the turn into the Backstage Entrance to Hollywood Studios and found myself entering the Fantastmic amphitheater just behind Tower of Terror. I started to run down that hill as well and saw the longest line I had seen all day, and had to make it almost to the bottom to see who it was. I stopped dead in my tracks: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit had finally made his Walt Disney World debut! 

For those unfamiliar with Oswald, he was Walt’s first character before Mickey Mouse. Walt found out he didn’t own the rights to his own creation, Universal did, which led to the founding of the Walt Disney Studios and creation of Mickey Mouse. Way to go, Universal, you created your own worst enemy. In 2006 Bob Iger was able to purchase the rights to Oswald back from Universal and the character began making regular appearances at California Adventure in 2014. As far as I know, November 4th was his first ever appearance at Walt Disney World and, despite scouring the internet, I haven’t been able to find any proof to the contrary.  

I turned hard to go back up the hill, and almost ran into someone in my haste to get in line. I had almost made it to the back when I remembered that the course would repeat the next day, and Oswald would likely be out again with a much shorter line. I turned and kept going. I had made it past the entrance to Tower of Terror before I regretted my decision, but it was too late to turn back. For someone who doesn’t care enough about time to train, I hate stopping. It’s so hard to get going again! 

I was in and out of Hollywood Studios in under ten minutes. As I headed out the front, I passed a group of people wearing Wizarding robes and carrying signs for the Hogwarts Running Club. I love the Hogwarts Running Club to begin with and the fact that they’re willing to get up that early on a Saturday to cheer people on is just amazing. 

The course headed to the Boardwalk on the tiny, congested sidewalk. As I rounded a corner, I saw a bunch of people stopping to take a photo of the full moon over the Tower of Terror. Once again, I should have stopped but kept going since I didn’t want to deal with taking my phone out of my pouch and getting it back in. 

Next to the Atlantic Dance Hall they had a group of four women on microphones cheering people on and posing for photos. I think they were supposed to be from a vineyard. Near the end of the Boardwalk was Genie in his Hawaiian shirt and Goofy hat. I think they bring him out for almost every race now. 

The course headed backstage at Epcot behind France and brought the runners out beside the U.K. pavilion. I got a good look at some of the construction going on, and I’m curious to see what happens with the Ratatouille ride. I made the left turn that took me past Canada where Koda and Kenai from Brother Bear were out. I knew they were on the schedule for the Post Race Party so I continued. I really need to learn to care less about time and more about characters. 

I made the turn by Spaceship Earth to go backstage towards the Finish Line and there was a Gospel Choir in the usual place singing their hearts out. One last corner and I could see the Finish Line, and I started running as hard as I could. I crossed the Finish Line with a time of 1:30:29 and a pace of 14:34 a minute. Not great, but not bad at all. I went to get my medal and they were doing that annoying thing where they just hand you the medal instead of putting it around your neck. IT IS AN EXPERIENCE DISNEY AND YOUR VOLUNTEERS KEEP RUINING IT. I appreciate their volunteering, and I get that it’s more work, but come on, do it right. Did Leia hand Luke his medal in Star Wars: A New Hope, or did she put it around his neck? I was waiting for the one girl who was actually putting them on people’s necks and the guy standing next to her kept trying to hand me a medal so I finally just took it because it was so awkward. When you add in Jay’s registration, I spent over $500 on these races. I WANT MY MEDAL ON MY NECK NOT IN MY HAND. 

So I put my medal on my own neck and moved down to get my free cooling towel, snack box and Powerade. I should have taken a water too, since I finished the Powerade before I even made it to the character lines. I jumped in line for the Chipmunks since they’re my favorites after Mickey and Minnie and I wanted to save the mice for when I was with Jay. I finished off everything in the snack box before it was my turn for photos. Chip and Dale were proud of me, and Chip liked that I had a chef’s hat like them. Then I made my way back to my car so I could go home and take a nice long nap before getting everything ready for the Half Marathon. 

Check out Part Two where Jay and I take on the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, and we see exactly how hard it is to run a race with only two and a half days notice! 

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