#not sure how deep into my blog history i want to go back fishing for prompts

[beck-a-leck]

For the AU ficlets, I come begging for more shameless indulgence: Dr. Trent x Pastor Carter 48. meeting again at a high school reunion au 🥺

I live to provide all of the shameless indulgence in tumblr prompt form!

Have a little high school reunion Trent and Carter in a slightly modern-ish AU, maybe perhaps just some pre-moving to Mineral Town AU.

Enjoy!

Ficlet AU Prompts

Trent sighed for what had probably been the tenth time in as many minutes as he carefully smoothed the adhesive nametag over his right breast pocket. The woman who had been handing out nametags at the reception table had looked vaguely familiar, but Trent hadn't recognized her last name. Then again, she had most likely gotten married over the last ten years if the ring on her finger and the swell of her belly indicated anything. On the other hand, he was at his high school reunion – the likelihood that people were lying to try and impress their former classmates or save face was higher than normal social situations. He joined the small throng of people who were shuffling into the hotel ballroom. The same place, supposedly, that had held their senior prom. He hadn't gone, he wouldn't know.

He scanned the dimly lit room, half looking for any familiar faces, half looking for the promised bar. He saw the bar at the far side, across the dance floor where a few people rocked and swayed to last decade's top hits under the lights of a disco ball, past the extensive display of posters and pictures of their high school years. Faces taken from the yearbook, group and club shots, those silly little 'elections' they'd done, most likely to succeed, prom king and queen, et cetera, and then somber in memoriam of former classmates who hadn't made it to their tenth reunion.

Trent sighed as he scanned the poster for any faces he recognized, there weren't many, fortunately, but he still felt a twinge of sadness at those who were there. With an uncomfortable lurch in his stomach, Trent recognized the name and face of a former patient, a car crash victim that had come through the ER while he had been doing his residency.

Trent pulled his eye onto the next poster; someone had kept a mint condition program from their high school graduation and had tacked it up with a collection of photos of classmates in their caps and gowns. Trent had gone to a large suburban school, his graduating class had counted nearly 500 students – by his best estimate of people in the ballroom now and nametags left on the table, less than half had deigned to come to their reunion. Actually, Trent had thought fewer people would come. With people flung far and wide across the globe in their adulthood, high school reunions weren't really the local events they had been ages past. With modern communication people who wanted to keep in touch with each other were already in touch, and life updates were easy to keep up with.

Hell, Trent hadn't even wanted to come to the reunion, not really. When he got the invitation, he half filled out the RSVP email out of curiosity, decided against it, had to go take care of a patient, and then forgot about the invitation until he opened his email again and accidentally sent off a half-finished response to the organizers. By the time they emailed him back, asking for the rest of the necessary details and if he had any desire to contribute old photographs or help organize, it felt impolite to refuse the invitation.

Trent made his way to the bar, grabbed a beer, and not feeling in any particular mood to dance by himself, wandered back over to the collage of pictures. He scanned them, looking for familiar faces. He hadn't sent in any of his own, so he didn't expect to find his face in the candid snapshots of laughing friends. But he found his yearbook photo, stiff toothless grin, unenthused and too thin and pimply and his hair cut unflatteringly in a style that was popular back then, and already too stressed out not knowing what was to come though undergrad and then med school. Trent laughed ruefully at this photo of his younger mug, looking just as awkward and ungainly as the classmates surrounding him. They'd all felt so grown back then, seventeen or eighteen, and on the cusp of true adulthood, looking back, even just ten years later, they all looked like kids. Goddess knew what Trent would think of this photo in another ten or twenty years.

He scanned the group pictures, knowing he would be in a few of the club photos. There, science club, hiding in the back row with the other taller boys, and math club, the very small Asian-American club. Enough extra curriculars to round out his resume and look impressive, but still leave him plenty of time to dedicate to his studies. No sports teams, Trent had never been very athletic. His stomach gave a weak lurch when he saw the varsity football team, the quarterback had been Trent's first crush on a boy, but then again half the school was swooning over the quarterback so he wasn’t alone. Unfortunately for Trent and most of the school, Travis had dated the same girl from freshman through senior year, so the crush had stayed a crush. Then there, in the debate club was Emily, the first girl Trent had dated. They'd been together for six whole months sophomore year.

He scanned the photos one last time, smiling despite the painfully embarrassing recollection of his most awkward years. There was a photo of his homeroom class, in matching t-shirts they'd made for their last week of school. He scanned the faces and tried to recall their names and found that he couldn't confidently place half of them. The last time he'd spoken to most of those kids was the last day of school. He wondered if any of them had also come to the reunion.

Another body stepped up to the photo board, Trent shot the newcomer a sidelong glance. He held a cup of punch in his hands, he was wearing a black suit, his sandy brown hair was cut short, he was clean shaven, and – Trent felt another swoop in his stomach – quite handsome in an everyman sort of way.

The man grinned at Trent. "Goddess look at us, we were just kids back then, weren't we?"

"Yeah." Trent took a sip of his beer. "Find yourself in any pictures?"

"Oh. I actively avoided any group activities in school, and I didn't bother with school pictures. But I think there was one I couldn't avoid; it was one of the days I actually bothered to show up. There." He pointed to Trent's homeroom group picture. There was mirth in his voice as he pointed, "There I am, the scowling one."

"That was my homeroom..." Trent did a double take between the sullen teenager with shaggy hair that had been dyed black, with a number of piercings and a couple tattoos peeking out from under his t-shirt sleeves, and the clean cut, easily smiling man with shining eyes, standing next to him sipping punch. He hadn't been wrong; he'd barely attended school enough to avoid getting held back or suspended. He'd had no friends that Trent knew of, had been, as Trent's father liked to loudly complain about, a 'no good shit kicking gutter punk.' And it was probably only because he had stood out like that in Trent's memory that the man's name came back to him.

"Carter?"

Carter's grin widened, "One and the same. Trent, right? I haven't forgotten everyone, have I?"

"No, you've got it." Trent offered his hand, and they shook. Carter’s hands were warm, slightly calloused. "How have you been? What have you been up to?"

“Oh, all kinds of things. Last ten years have been full of change for both of us, I imagine.” They stepped away from the photo boards to take a seat at a table. Carter’s eyes swept over Trent. “Let me guess, you went to med school, became a doctor, didn’t you?”

Trent’s eyes widened, why would Carter remember something so small like his projected career path from high school? “Yeah. How did you know?”

“It’s on your nametag.” Carter laughed.

“Oh, right.” Trent’s cheeks grew a little warm. He’d forgotten that nametags included professional titles, if acquired. And Trent didn’t go through eight years of medical education to not be called Doctor. He took another sip of beer before asking. “What about you? What are you up to?”

“Would you believe I’m in the seminary right now?” Carter laughed and took a drink. “I don’t think anyone who knew me back in school ever expected the angry, goth, near-dropout would end up becoming a priest, but here I am.”

The laugh lines were deeper on Carter’s face than most of their classmates. The wrinkles by his eyes were a little more pronounced. There were hints of past gauntness, a hollowness that was beginning to fill out. He’d been prematurely aged, looking older than their twenty-eight years. Trent suspected that Carter’s last decade hadn’t been as easy as it had for a lot of their peers. He’d seen a lot of faces come through the ER, aged prematurely by one substance or another.

“A priest? How did that happen?”

“Oh, a little of luck, a little divine intervention, and a lot of therapy.” He laughed again. Trent really liked the sound of that warm, easy laugh. “I didn’t exactly join up right after graduation, really it’s a recent development.”

They spent almost the entire evening sitting at that table, taking turns getting fresh rounds from the bar. They mingled with other classmates, making polite if mildly awkward small talk. Trent heard “wow, a doctor!” more times than he cared to count. But at the end of the night as he got into his car, he thought fondly that tonight wasn’t a complete waste of a Saturday. He left with Carter’s number and a plan to get lunch together on his next day off.

[aphrodite-would-be-proud]

Anon said: I hope I'm not too late to slip in a request! I was actually hoping for a more platonic request with Miche? Just how he would help out a new cadet on his squad or something... Maybe there having a hard time fitting in now that there on a section commander squad or even worried about an upcoming expedition. Miche is one of my biggest comfort Characters and I'm such a shy person lol...I love you blog by the way, it's such a comforting place...🥺

Miche reassuring you that you're enough.

{Miche & reader | tw:none | platonic, comfort | canonverse}

{ "The Interior of the Palm House on the Pfaueninsel Near Potsdam" 1834 by Carl Blechen 1798 - 1840 }

No one can deny that the survey corps had a...certain reputation between the people, for being ruthless, unhinged and not a place for someone hoping for a future.

Their leader is known for gambling with human lives, their strongest has a criminal history record and their most intelligent, does experiments that would put medical student dropout Frankenstein himself to shame.

In short, you'd be crazy for walking there with your own two feet and expecting a crumb of compassion.

You don't go looking for fish in the desert.

You've heard it all, those sayings people keep reciting like a broken record whenever you'd bring up joining the survey corps.

"You'll just end up titan food"

"Why do you want to throw away your life?"

"God your poor family…"

And despite all of that, you still marched on, despite everyone who told you to quit.

Not only did you join and stayed alive for so long, you've even managed to climb the ranks in record time.

So fast in fact that you were assigned to join a section commander's squad after a very successful titan capture mission that earned you a pat on the back from Erwin.

Being pulled from your friends and moved to a new place where you were surrounded by veterans who've been in their positions for 10 years or more, was quite sudden and shocking.

One thing that should've eased your nerves, was the fact it was squad Miche you're being put into.

Anyone in the survey corps can tell you that in comparison to other squads, this was the most...friendly per say, since they prioritised teamwork and coming back alive over everything else, knowing together they're much stronger and willing to protect each other no matter what.

While yes they did have their quirks, it was almost nothing in comparison to Levi's strict hygiene rules and Hange's workaholic routine or Erwin's unreadable intentions.

And yet, you felt unease at the whole situation.

You were clearly "that new cadet" in this old group of close-knit people, almost standing out even.

You wanted to prove yourself, you've done it before to all those people so why is it any different now.

Maybe...because they are actually experienced soldiers this time, and not strangers living in blissful ignorance inside the walls.

Maybe because you feel the growing burden of expectations set on you for being the newest person in the squad, and being put there by none other than the commander himself which would raise some eyebrows if you couldn't deliver.

Uncertainty and doubt began pooling up inside your mind, making you second guess decisions and overthink actions.

And it's not like the squad members were leaving you out, no in fact they were doing their best to include you.

….maybe even too much actually, it didn't help that all of them were outgoing people, it was overwhelming.

Nanaba was an unofficial stand in caption when Miche wasn't around. Having a confident yet compassionate personality made her protective of her teammates, almost like a big sister, earning her a lot of respect.

So much in fact that it would unintentionally intimidate people out of approaching her

Gelgar was a strong believer in Miche, loyal to a fault almost. Yet he wouldn't say no for a chance to relax and grab a couple drinks, being friends with so many people came naturally to him with his mellow personality and overall friendliness.

Maybe a bit much too friendly? That personal boundaries were often crossed without him realising it. 

Lynne was a good balance between the two, she was considerate of others feelings...even so much in fact that she tended to sugar-coat almost everything.

Thomas and Henning were close with each other, both serious and determined. But maybe because they were so used to each other that dealing with new people became...strange, for conversations with them resembled an awkward dad attempting to check on you but not actually putting much effort to understand.

Meanwhile, you were a reserved and shy person.

It was a miracle that you managed to get a group of friends in cadet training that stayed with you throughout the years, but now after being transferred it was all turned to dust.

You have to start again, meet people again and talk to them while wondering if they actually like you or are pretending to be nice because they don't wanna come off as rude-

On top of that, Erwin seemed to keep an eye on you after your last mission, silently conveying the trust and expectations he's putting your way, to not fail him and show you're worthy of this special treatment.

It was too much, too overwhelming and draining.

Dread and uncertainty loomed in the corners of your mind, only metastating in size as the date for the new expedition was announced.

To add fuel to the fire, apparently everyone seemed almost...excited or nonchalant for going out there again, like this is a mere walk in the park as they began making preparations and training.

Were you the only one that felt nervous? Oh god.

Your legs felt like they were weighted down by stones as you stared at the large board in front of you, a white sheet signed by the commander announcing next week to be the date of the expedition, several names listed below for who'd be required for service.

Your name was at the top, even with a line underneath it. The fact it was in cursive didn't make it any less gut-wrenching.

The chatter of people around you, discussing the plans and joking with each other, began blurring out at the back of your mind.

The weather seemed colder as shivers ran down your neck. A rolling feeling in your stomach making your throat tighten, your own voice inside your head was the only noise you could hear.

All those thoughts and worries creeping from underneath the dark corners that you've been pushing them into all this time, like a swarm drowning you in their "what if" and skepticism, full of doubt and illogical pessimism for worst case scenarios.

Thoughts that aren't even your own joined them, ones you never had and knew weren't true and yet amidst the storm it was hard to tell the real from the ones passing through.

You know you're capable, so why…

Are you capable?

Yes…

but are you really?

...

And how are you even sure?

Before it could pull you deeper into that hole of despair, something snapped your attention back to reality, a hand nudging your shoulder. 

"You really didn't hear me huh." The voice came from behind you, a tall figure stepping closer till you were in his shadow.

Miche looked at you with a tilted head, his lips pressed into a thin line as his eyes bore into you like he's attempting to guess what's going inside your brain.

You've been too lost inside your mind you didn't notice that you were the only one left standing in front of the board.

From the way Miche's shoulders fell after reading your expression, eyes softening after glancing at your name on the sheet, he was quick to catch on.

Before you could say something to save your face after being caught in this state by none other than your new captain, Miche just told you to come with him, making sure to walk beside you، protectively staying close that no one on your way would interrupt.

Passing the corridor leading to his office, you gave him an uncertain glance as he simply gestured for you to continue walking for whatever unknown place you're headed to.

Soon enough the buildings and stone streets faded the further you went on, grass and dirt roads taking its place.

It wasn't a long walk per say, but more of a secluded area that took both of you some turns in seemingly shady alleyways to reach.

You couldn't hear the horses or soldiers walking anymore, only the soft flowing of the nearby river.

The tall grass barely reaching below your knees, some ladybugs crawling on top of the scattered daffodils in-between, the closer to the river cliff you got the taller it became.

The first thing Miche did, wasn't explaining to you why you're here, or what exactly he was after.

No, he barely said a word even, only taking in a deep breath as the wind had the courtesy of pushing his bangs back, eyes finally in clear view now.

Gaze meeting yours, he gave you a nod, a gesture to do the same thing.

You reluctantly took a deep breath.

He smiled.

Both of you sat by the river, he gave you his jacket to sit on.

As the silence grew between you, even while it wasn't the uncomfortable kind, it was clear he was struggling to phrase something, the right words just not coming to mind.

Turning his body towards you, he finally said, "how about i just..listen, let it out.".

It wasn't easy, you can't just pour out your heart to your superior.

Not to mention the military wasn't a place for weakness, could you really openly admit to your worries?

Well, yes you could, because it isn't weak, it takes great strength to face something scary and admit to it.

It's strength that got you this far.

How could you ever mistake vulnerability for weakness?

Keeping true to his words, Miche didn't interrupt you as you slowly opened up about what's been troubling you.

He patiently listened, occasionally humming for you to go on whenever you'd lose track.

And by the end of it, after you poured out all your frustration, sadness and worries, it felt...like a weight lifted off your shoulders.

Miche looked at you with understanding in his eyes, as if he himself has been in this exact same position years ago.

...and maybe he was, considering his behaviour wasn't what's socially common, he would've definitely stood out back before he had the respect of being a captain.

He isn't a man of words, for actions spoke much louder.

That's why he became more attentive from that day on, offering to help you train, giving you a smile whenever you passed by and sitting near you whenever his squad were gathered so he'd ask for your opinion on plans or simply share looks whenever they began joking with each other.

He didn't attempt to make you change, instead he made changes to accommodate you.

You're part of the team and he made it clear.

And while he couldn't give reassuring words, he certainly gave his time and energy, paying attention to you, reading your moods and listening whenever life becomes too much.

Maybe he saw his past self in you, and wanted to give you all the comfort, attention and care he wished for back then.

Even if it was mere hugs and shoulder pats that he could offer, he knew small things can make changes overtime.

For him, it's not getting rid of your stress that he was attempting to achieve, no, for life is full of stress.

Instead, he wanted to offer you ways to deal with the stress, to acknowledge it as it is and be heard, to be understood.

Because while stress will pass either way, it didn't mean it had to pass painfully.

You weren't alone, he made sure of that.

Maybe he got too attached, maybe someone might say he's giving you special treatment, maybe Erwin would give him a backhanded comment every now and then.

But since when did Miche pay attention to these things? 

Well...he can't deny he might be giving you more break days than the other Cadets, larger food portions and even most of his time.

But he won't justify himself to anyone either, he doesn't have to.

Because after all, there really isn't any ulterior motives behind his actions, they were as simple as they came.

It was pure genuine care, the type that makes someone want to protect a person and watch them grow healthy.

The type that made him offer you a thumbs up after each training session, a proud smile on his face for how much you're learning.

Maybe some slight teasing about how if you keep this up, you might even replace him as the second strongest one day.

And while he said it with a joking tone, the hopeful pride-filled look on his face told a whole nother story.

you're not sure if it was a joke or a promise.

[botwstoriesandsuch]

I recently read Shades of blue after you rwcommended it and Oh My God was it worth it. That was beautiful and amazing and do you have any other recommendations?

✨MISSIONS ACCOMPLISHED✨

AAAAAA I’m so glad you read it!!! Honestly I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me for recs for awhile because I have.........a few...

Miscellaneous ships here, not just Revalink but the first lot are

- Pinesong by @a-perplexing-puzzle D-Do I even need to explain myself more??? I talk about this fic every other day of the week..... it’s just great vibes....soft and fluffy and angsty just *chef’s kiss* two gay boys searching through their old memories to remember how gay they are 

- Shades of Blue by @unapologetically-asexual OK I know original anon just said they read this but for you idiots that haven’t read it yet....uhhhh get on that. Nothing I could say would really advertise this fic better than this post

- somebody’s always looking (nothing’s quite as sweet) by @kouzaires One of my FAV Coffee shop AU’s for botw....so sof......so tender...........so warrmmmmm.............they characters are written so well.....just love it...a lot

- Broken Spirits by @legendoftoad It’s just AAAAAAAAAA??!!? My boys are hurting and the malice for half of it is frickin doing things to my boy and then of course you got your PTSD themes meddled in there and hnnnnnnnnnnhhhhhghgh my hurt/comfort itch is sufficiently scratched go read

- Linger On by ICanFlyHigher [idk if they have a tumblr] Ok I actually haven’t finished this fic yet but it’s been recommended time and time again so I’ve been reading this in my spare time I’m on like Chapter 12 or 13 I think but I can say with CERTAINTY that the writing is fantastic and tender moments are off the charts and my boys are so precious and also the Yiga are actually cool in this so that’s nice

- Learning Flight by homewardbound This is just *chefs kiss* *standing ovation* *throws confetti in the air* quality quality Revalink. Just a delicious chocolate cake of botw and Revalink. You got your mysterious Revali waking up 105 years later batter, and your angsty PTSD gay boys duo chocolate chips, and then you can chuck in some engaging sideplot elements as a few tall tiers, and then the cake is all whipped up with the wooden spoon of subtextual writing just mmmm delicious. and ALSO I betaed a thing that is gonna happen and let me tell you shit is gonna happen like VERY IMPORTANT SUPER COOL plot twists be happening so you better read it 

- Conversations After The End Of The World by @bismuthllie Ok this one’s a oneshot but I always go back and read it because...idk it just strums my heart strings a lot...I’ve said Pinesong was my first big Revalink fic I’ce read, but this was like...my first, first piece of Revalink content I read ever so...yeah <3 ....and also the art for this comic is fantastic too even thought it gives me the emotions......hahaha ok Revali it’s time to stop being dead

- I See You Swimming In The Sky by @unavoidablekoishi OK OK I know my logic isn’t the best considering it’s the only Revali/Mipha fic I’ve read, but god dammit it’s the best Revpha fic I’ve ever read I still need to catch up cause I’m like 3 chapters behind but this fic CONVERTED me ok, miphvali went from a “huh yeah the art is nice I can kinda see it” to “THAT FISH IS SIMPING FOR THE BIRD 24/7 AND THEY DESERVE EACH OTHER″ This is some *claps* GOOD. SHIT. Ok? *slaps roof of fic* This bad boy can fit so much charming characterization and interaction (and also has made me scream both happily and not happily on several occasions)

- Guardian of The Wilds by @no-themes-just-memes in which I constantly miscall it “Guardian of the Wild” because I’m stupid This isn’t so much a ship fic but it’s so cool Link is a spirit, Urbosa and Zelda’s mom are a thing, Zelda is HERE and she is AMAZING like no spoilers but holy shit Zelda is here and slaying in more ways than one and riding Satori and hhnnnnhhhhhhhh it’s all about those ~plot twists~ and tone changes ya know? very very very nice...

- Firebird by @paellaplease Oh no, it’s Kip’s obligatory Firebird gush whoopsie poopsie who would have guessed surely not me. This is just my standard for Oc ship content now it’s so good I am gay for one fire girl Maiya is my spirit animal and I just wanna cup her in my hands softly even though I know she would probably burn me for it but it would totally be worth it. The writing is just superb and I am also gay for great imagery and action which this is chalk full of so go read it 

Ok it’s actually 2am right now and I still need to finish a bunch of AP work so I’m just gonna speed run the rest of these recs

@echogekkos writes such cute and soft Miphlink fics that are on my top tier list like this one and oh crap this post made me realize Healing Touch updated crap there are so many things I need to read and catch up on anyways want more miphlink angst? BOOM read the inspiration for eternity by Merakkli and oh what’s that? You want deep lore that was custom made with lots of hot ocs in a fic that spans way beyond BOTW welp here’s Hyrule Bound a universe entirely created by @themisadventurescrew which is yet another fic series that I am behind on crap but oh shit @kittmoon has started a chapter fic called Jaded Seas recently so you should go read that but also all of their oneshots are great as well so you should follow them and did I mention that everyone I’ve tagged are people you should follow because yeah anyhow here’s a crackfic about Goron children that had me shaking out of either fear or confusion for a few days by @angsttronaut ok moving on @thatsnotzelda writes beautifully just take a look at this angsty Revalink thing and also bambambambam you’ve been ambushed by @hatenostorms @going-fancognito @ashrel @lizards-writing-blog so now go request some from them because I said so they’re great also uhhh @idiotic-canadian and @moonchildrenn [Pins_and_Patches on ao3] hate happiness but that’s ok because I get to be emotionally wrecked by their angst and whump hurray! wait fUCK I completely forgot to rec this earlier but my first Zelpha fic was this gorgeous Coffeeshop AU by @theseventhsage called Dreaming of Coffee and Love so go read that *flipping through entire history of ao3* let’s see let’s see... All of the Rito Chronicles by  sturms_sun_shattered is great, and this Teba/Harth one is also a fav and oh CRAP my zelink content is just everything by @fatefulfaerie because it’s just *throws colorful streamers in the air* pretty and I love their writing welp I’m about to collapse lets just end it off with the z’s like @zzariyo and @zeawesomebirdie on ao3  they are some pretty radical french fries if i do say so myself and and ok ok read this other Zelpha coffee au which is also by @kouzaires and this Modern au also by @unavoidablekoishi ok that’s all I can remember right now bye 

[winterscaptain]

faith.

Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader

a/n: we start to heal, kids! if there’s interest, i’ll write up the outtakes (wink wink) from this and post it sometime soon. your feedback keeps me going - please tell me what you think! also, if you haven’t already check out the inspo blog for ajf! (here’s the nsfw one, too - but it's definitely 18+ only!)

reality check (part one) | unimaginable (part two)

words: 3.5k warnings: implied sex, language, miscarriage/pregnancy mention

summary: healing is bittersweet.

masterlist | a joyful future masterlist | requests closed!

“Everything looks fine down here. Since it’s been about four days, your preliminary recovery is finished. The key now is to let your body rest and reset.” Brienne removes her gloves and tosses them in the trash. “You can try again in six weeks, if you want, but no penetrative sex for two full weeks.” She washes her hands and points at you, then Aaron, with wet hands. “I mean it.” 

You share a look with Aaron while Brienne turns around for paper towels. His lips quirk into a wry, almost sheepish, smile.

Turning back to her, you ask, “Is there anything I should look out for or do differently or anything?”

Please tell me there’s something I can control. 

She shakes her head. “You’re doing everything perfectly. Keep an eye out for any heavy bleeding or anything that doesn't feel quite right in the next couple of weeks.” A warm hand lands on your shoulder and another reaches across you for Aaron, who stands and meets her in the middle, capturing her fingers in his palm. “I have faith in you both. I know this one was a little unexpected on all fronts, but if you want to do this for real, I will make sure I’m doing everything in my power to give you all the support and resources I can.” 

Aaron’s brown eyes are soft and grateful under his knit brow. “Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate it.” 

She snorts and squeezes his hand before letting him go. “Oh, Aaron. I have a feeling you and I will know each other for a long time - Brienne is just fine.”

+++

Aaron slides into bed beside you and wraps you up in his arms. “Hey.” 

“Hi.” You lace your fingers between his where his hand rests across your abdomen. “How’re you doin’?”

“I should ask you the same thing.” 

You turn in his arms, and he gathers you to his chest while you throw one leg over his hip and wiggle the other between his thighs. You just want to be as close as possible to soothe the ache in your chest - it’s working. “I’m okay. My bits have stopped screaming at me, so that’s an improvement.” For now, you ignore the fact that he’s avoided your question. Sometimes it's easier to let Aaron think he’s won - for a while, at least. 

“Indeed, it is,” he says through a laugh. “I more so meant the other thing.” 

“What, like my emotional state?”

He shrugs around you. “Yeah, I guess.” 

“I feel like there should be...something to look forward to. There’s still a part of me that’s really excited, but there’s nothing to be excited about.” You shake your head, burrowing further into his chest. “It’s hard to explain.” 

His hand rubs up and down your spine, firm and slow. “Makes perfect sense. I think I’m right there with you.” 

It’s quiet for a moment. 

“I’m so sorry, Aaron.” 

You can feel him shake his head and he scoots impossibly closer to you. There can’t be a single inch of skin he isn't touching, or at least that’s what it feels like. “There’s nothing you need to apologize for. Nothing to be sorry for. Sometimes, things just happen.” 

Your eyes close, exhausted, and you push back the thoughts that have been swirling around in your head for the last three days. 

Yeah, sometimes things just happen. Getting stabbed nine times in your home by a career serial killer? Just happens. Your wife getting murdered by that same serial killer, perhaps? Yeah, that just happens. Or maybe your best friend ‘dying’ and then coming back to life? Sure. 

Maybe a couple massive losses in a couple horrible years just aren’t enough. 

What’s next? 

I’ll take ‘Losing a Kid for 1600, Alex.’

“Hey.” He taps the middle of your back with his hand to get your attention. “I can hear you thinking.” 

You grumble, “Sorry,” and turn over, your back pressed firmly to his chest. 

“We’re okay, sweetheart. We’re fine. Jack is healthy, you’re healthy, I’m healthy. We’re getting married.” You snort, and he laughs. “Alright. We’re getting married...eventually.” That gets a giggle out of you, and he continues. “We’re looking for a house we can actually afford because of our fulfilling and important jobs. We have one fantastic son already.” He kisses your shoulder. “We’re in good shape.”

Well, when he puts it that way…

He pulls you close, nuzzling into your neck and running fingers up your ticklish sides. You squirm and a little peal of laughter leaves you. “I’ve got you on all of those, don’t I?”

You roll your eyes, and you know he saw it in the mirrored closet doors on the wall across from you. “If you think I’m going to argue with the youngest AUSA in District history, you’re nuts.” 

A satisfied hum leaves him, and he slips his hand under your shirt, tracing over your skin. “That’s probably a good idea.” Kisses find their way across your shoulders as his hands hike your shirt farther up your body. 

“Aaron,” you whine. “Brienne said no sex.” 

You watch him deliberate in the mirror, making play at deep thought. “...No. She said no penetrative sex, if my memory serves.” His hands wander down to the edge of your underwear and you squirm against him despite yourself. He drops his lips to the sensitive skin behind your ear, making you shiver when he whispers, “And my memory always serves.”

“Damn you.” 

He grins and ducks under the covers, throwing your leg over his shoulder as he settles between your thighs.

+++

The following Monday is your first day back at work, and it’s more than a little difficult to be normal. Aaron had only taken the day after to make sure he was available to drive you to and from Brienne’s office for your procedure, but you’d taken the rest of the week. You’re not sure what Aaron told them - maybe a flu or a stomach bug or maybe you “just needed some personal time” - but you imagined everyone would ask you about it anyways. 

Aaron presses a kiss to your cheek before the elevator opens. You make sure you’re watching when he falls into Hotch Mode as the doors part before you. It’s difficult to hold back your fond smile, but you manage. 

You set your things down at your desk, noting the small purple orchid and note sitting by your desktop. JJ turns in her chair to face you. “Hey! How was your visit with Dean?” 

Oh. That works. Good one, Aaron.

Dean had moved to New York to start with a new brokerage house at the beginning of last summer, and you’d been meaning to get up there to see him. It’s a highly plausible lie. It also helps that Aaron could sell water to a fish. 

Well, he is a lawyer. 

“It was great. Nice to take some time, you know?” You smile at her and you’re sure it doesn’t look quite right when her eyes narrow just a touch. Settling at your desk, you pick up the note addressed to you and open it. 

A flower for my flower :) I know. I’m gross. Sue me. 

(Or don’t...I’ll use my J.D. if you do.)

I love you. - AH

p.s. Don’t worry - I’ll water it when you're away. 

“Conference room in five minutes - Garcia’s got something for us.” Emily strides past you all on the bridge and you grab your tablet. 

Derek offers you a hand and you take it, tucking yourself under his arm as you walk. “What’s the orchid for?”

You shrug, covering how touched you really are by the gesture. “I dunno. I guess we just have a very thoughtful section chief.” 

+++

Inspired by Aaron’s cover story, you give Dean a call when you make it back to the hotel that night after an exhausting day scouting crime scenes that have every indication of a serial killer running rampant through the tiny Maine township.

“Hey babes! How are ya?” His chirp comes singing through the phone, and you find yourself smiling. 

“I’m alright.” 

You can almost hear his eyebrows raise. “Nope. Bullshit. What’s wrong with you?”

“Well, if anyone asks, I just got home from visiting with you for the week.” You start to unpack your go bag, hanging up a couple of your nicer work sets and setting up the bathroom the way you like it. 

“What’s Aaron lying about this time?” 

You laugh, but it tapers off quickly. “Well, as it happens, we had a really shit week last week and I had to take some time off.” 

He’s far more solemn when he speaks again, “That sounds like a little more than a ‘I got a flat tire on my way to work and my coffee was cold’ kind of shit week if you actually took time off.” He pauses. “Oh please don’t tell me you broke off the engagement.” 

“Not at all, not at all. Aaron and I are fine, but…” Going back and forth for a moment, you ultimately decide to tell him. Maybe it will get easier if you say it out loud. “I, um. I miscarried last week.” You’re proud of yourself for spitting it out with only a little stumbling, and Dean’s immediate concern brings tears to your eyes. 

“Oh God, honey. I’m so sorry. Do you want to talk about it at all?”

“I mean -” you take a deep breath. “No? I don’t know. I feel really shitty about it and we talked to Aaron’s mom and I know it isn’t my fault, but -” You huff, getting a little frustrated. “It was a girl, Dean. Aaron was so excited.” 

Something creaks in the background, and you know he’s just settled into the ancient armchair in the corner of his studio. “Don’t forget babe, you were excited, too. This isn’t just disappointing for Aaron, as much as you’d like to make everything about him.” 

You chew on the inside of your cheek. He’s right. “I know, but -”

“No! No buts. This is a loss for both of you, and it's huge. Like, I dunno why people don’t talk about it more. Your kid is your kid is your kid if you wanted them and they didn’t make it. It doesn’t matter if you met her or not - you knew her and she was yours.” 

So, maybe the tears weren’t finished. Dean stops talking for a minute, and you know he can hear you sniffling. 

“Are you going to try again?”

And isn’t that the question of the hour?

“Well, we didn’t really try for this one, but I think we’ve caught the bug. I was planning on talking to Aaron about it a little more when I get home -”

“What’s the case?”

“Maine, probably a serial killer,” you answer promptly, getting right back on track. You’re used to Dean’s quick interruptions. Context is important to him and you’re always happy to provide it. “I don’t think we’re going to try, per se, but I don’t think we’ll be too concerned about being careful either. That way it’s a pleasant surprise instead of something stressful or disappointing, you know?”

“Ah,” he says. “A ‘fuck it and forget it’ approach. I dig it. And we all know Aaron can ‘fuck it’ with the best of them - you’ll have to tell me how the ‘forgetting it’ part goes.”

You laugh despite yourself, wiping at your cheeks. “How do you always manage to make me laugh?”

His laugh sounds from the other side of the phone, and it warms you from your fingers to your toes. You can almost forget its nearly five below zero outside. “What can I say? Laughter is the virtue of the gays.”

Your phone beeps at you, and it’s Aaron. “Hey Beanie, I gotta let you go. Aaron’s beeping in on me.” 

“Go get your tub’a humbus, babe. I’ll talk to you later.”

You switch calls, and raise the phone back to your ear. “Hey, love. What’s goin’ on?”

“I just missed you.” You can hear the sink in the background and you check the clock. 

Ah yes, dishes before bed because someone can’t sleep if there are dishes in the sink. 

“Hi!” Jack shouts from across the kitchen, and it makes you smile. “I miss you!”

“I miss you too, my loves! Though, Aaron, I must say -” you stop yourself. “Am I on speaker?” 

There’s a shuffle, and his voice sounds a lot closer when he replies. “Not anymore.” You know he’s smiling. 

You laugh. “I was going to say, it’s a lot easier to abide by our no-contact order when I’m five states away.”

“Don’t remind me.” You can’t see him, but he sounds at least a little pained. “We’ll be almost done with that by the time you get home, which is nice.” 

“Very nice, indeed.” Settling into bed, you pull the covers up to your chin. “I wish you were here with me.” 

You can hear him walk through the house, getting some distance from Jack. “Yeah?”

“Mhmm. As nice as your new digs are, Chief Hotchner, sleeping without you when I’m on cases is really rough.” A light laugh leaves you. “I still haven’t gotten used to it.” 

He hums. “Well, I’ll make it worth your while when you get home, how’s that?”

“I’ll hold you to it,” you say with a smile. “Goodnight. I love you.” 

“Get some rest. I love you more.” 

+++

Your first hunch was right - serial killer with a preference for blonde women in their forties. Luckily, those factors alone made for a nice, neat, narrow profile, and you were down to a small pool of suspects within days. 

It’s safe to say your heart isn’t in it. You’re almost relieved when JJ calls you out on the way to the medical examiner’s office.

“What’s going on with you and Aaron?” Her bright blue eyes stay on the road as she speaks, but you know she’s completely tuned into you. “You guys seem...off.” 

“We’re fine - the two of us, I mean.” You’re not sure how much to want to tell her. She isn’t Dean. You have to work with her every day, and as much as she’s your friend, it’s hard to talk about this when she already has a son of her own and another on the way. “There’s just, um, some stuff going on at home.”

She reaches across the console and takes your hand. “Whatever it is,” and she sounds like she knows. “You’re not alone.” 

You look over at her and squeeze her hand. There’s something mournful and heartbreaking about the set of her mouth, and something cold and sympathetic washes over you. “Really?”

She nods. “Ours was a girl.” Her confession is quiet and her eyes never once flicker from the road. 

Your voice is just as quiet, almost a secret. “Ours, too.” 

+++

Aaron’s waiting for you in the bullpen when you land in the afternoon two days later. Without shame, you sail through the glass doors and into his arms. It’s a treat - you never feel like you’re truly home until he’s holding you, and you usually have to wait until you get home. 

Derek teases you both on his way back to his desk, and you flip him off. Everyone’s in high spirits and you’re surprised their good moods have rubbed off on you, as well. 

Emily releases you all early with the promise you’ll have your after action reports into her by tomorrow afternoon. On the way home, you tell Aaron about your conversation with JJ, and he’s so moved by it, you’re almost brought to tears again. 

+++

The next morning, Aaron leaves early for a meeting at headquarters in DC. He kisses you goodbye, and in your half-asleep state you grab his tie and make an attempt to keep him right where he is. 

It doesn’t work, but you’re rewarded with a couple extra seconds of adoration, even with your morning breath. He chuckles against your mouth. 

“I gotta go, baby.” 

You whine incoherently at him, but he dodges your reaching hands and  whispers close to your ear as he brings the covers up over your shoulder. “You have another hour before you need to be up. Sleep. I love you.” Another kiss presses into your temple, and you hear the bedroom door close softly behind him. 

When another hour lapses (during which you dozed, quite thankful he told you to get some more sleep), you rise and get ready to head into the office. Jack’s up and getting dressed in his room while you get started in the kitchen. 

But, of course, there’s no need. Aaron has a breakfast spread ready and covered on the counter, with coffee just finished in the percolator. 

A god among men…

You pull your favorites from the pile, and set aside a few things for Jack. This cut your prep time in half at least, so you’ll have a little more time to eat and get settled before you have to be out the door. 

Assembling breakfast is easy, and you and Jack share space in relative silence. He looks up at you over his eggs and grins. Oh, how you love that boy. 

+++

When you get into the office, JJ’s reading a note, a little white envelope tucked behind it. You’re the first two in the office - a shocker, considering the two children between you, both under the age of ten. 

“What have you got there?”

She looks up and you can tell her eyes are a little misty. “Just a really sweet note someone left on my desk.” Waving it in the air, she asks, “Want to read it?”

You smile, setting your things down. “Only if you want me to.” 

She hands it over, and you take it, immediately recognizing Aaron’s handwriting. 

JJ- 

I wish we didn’t know the same loss, but I’m selfishly glad it’s you. Thank you for taking care of us so well. 

As always, anything for you. Just say the word. 

  AH

 “You know,” JJ says as you hand the note back to her. “He wasn’t like this before you.” 

You snort. “Don’t I know it.” 

“No, I’m serious. Even before you guys got together, you made him better. This -” she holds the note up and flicks it, “never would have happened eight years ago.” 

+++

By the time the next case is solved and everyone comes home, Brienne’s orders have expired. Jack is long asleep and you find Aaron in his office. His head is propped up on his hand, elbow on his desk, as he reads over some esoteric legal decision he’s decided to research as a hobby. 

Like he’s not busy enough. 

In fairness, he did defend his newest activity over dinner a few weeks ago. 

“What else am I supposed to do after Jack’s asleep and you’re out on a case? Watch TV? Go to bed early? No, I’m going to review legal decisions and take notes so I don’t bore you to death when you get home.”

“Aaron, you could never bore me to death.” 

“I wouldn’t take that bet.” 

He looks over his reading glasses, and his eyes light up. “Welcome home.” 

You offer him a warm smile as you cross his office and round his desk. “Hi.” 

Aaron drops his pen and pulls you close by your hips, and you lean on the side of his chair. “How was the case?”

“I would hate to spoil Emily’s report that will inevitably be about three hours late getting to your desk on Tuesday.” 

He raises his eyebrows. “I see.” His hand drops down to the outside of your thigh, and you swing a leg over his chair to straddle him, getting situated on his lap. “You know, I still have work to do.” 

“What? Is this Supreme Court decision more interesting than me?”

He shrugs, leaning forward again and picking up his file. His chin hooks over your shoulder, and you settle against his chest as he continues to read. With a sigh, he says, “You’re wearing an awful lot of clothes for someone who wants something specific.” 

You huff. “Oh, c’mon. It’s not like I’m getting any in here.” 

“You don’t know that.” His voice is even, almost distracted, but when you shift over him you can tell he’s affected. “Something might surprise you.” 

“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

He takes another breath and, just like he’s done so many times before, says, “Sweetheart, I’m not suggesting anything.” 

+++

tagging: @arganfics @quillvine @stxrryspencer @agenthotchner @wandaswitxh @hurricanejjareau @fics-ilike @ange-must-die @ughitsbaby @rousethemouse @criminalsmarts @shrimpyblog @genevievedarcygranger @ssaic-jareau @good-heavens-chris-evans @angelsbabey @gublergirls @writefasttalkevenfaster @venusbarnes @hotchsflower @micaiahmoonheart @ogmilkis @marvels-agents100 @hotchslatte @risenfox @mrs-dr-reid @captain-christopher-pike @joemazzello-imagines @pinkdiamond1016 @pan-pride-12 @hotchlinebling @lee-rin-ah @sunshine-em @word-scribbless @jdougl-love @sageellsworth05 @nohalohoseok @giveusbackourbucky @bauslut @dreila03 @forgottenword @aaronhotchnerr @ssa-morgan @hotchnersgoddess @buckybau @phoenixfyre374 @sana-li @tegggeeee @abschaffer2 @ssacandice-ray @dontkissthewriter @ellyhotchner @a-dorky-book-keeper @lotties-journey-abroad @mrs-joel-pimentel-23-25 @laneygthememequeen @ahopelessromantic @violentvulgarvolatile @andreasworlsboring101 @mooneylupinblack @ssareidbby @violet-amxthyst @zizzlekwum @lcvischmitt @emmasjulixn @qvid-pro-qvo @mandylove1000 @simsiddy @slickdickwitchbitch @jeor @synonymforlame @roses-and-grasses @bwbatta @capricorngf  @missdowntonabbey @averyhotchner @garcia-reid-lovechild @cevanswhre @colbyskoalas @joanofarkansass @infinity1321 @katiejuliana @popped-weasels @evee87 @nuvoleincielo @spencerelds

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 108

And we are somewhat caught up!  My queue has run out at least, and I’m astoundingly glad it has, because now I get to thank a bunch of people who have just detonated my inbox with love, and kept me going.

Before I get into the gratitude: If, at any point, a comment a character makes does not make sense, please let me know. Send an ask, even on anon, because I am well aware that everything in my brain does not get a chance to make it in the story (example: Charly’s triangle comment here, and the fact that Noah’s dialogue in the beginning has an actual translation…)

First, shoutouts to @charlylimph-blog​, @baelpenrose​, and @quantumizedinsanity​ for the characters in this chapter and for being very, VERY dear friends to me.  A global pandemic and nationwide protests, along with a job change and a major move, have done nothing to hurt friendships that are already cross-country from each other.

Annnnd to everyone who has been blowing up my notes with likes and reblogs: @dierotenixe(hang in there! i PROMISE!), @iamverypotato​,@itscryptifssil, @steadynightninja​, @thepalemarcher, @feral-possums-in-the-bog​, @26fancyraptors​(MISSED YOU!), @werewolf2578​ (we don’t talk enough, how are you!?), @experimentalspades​, @odd-dream-worlds​, @duchess-katala03​, @pineapplewitchboi​, @dark-choclat-cupcake, @littleshydragon​, and all the others. 

I held my breath, bracing for what I knew was coming. Nothing came after several minutes, to my surprise.  I slowly lifted my head and opened my eyes, focusing on drawing deep, even breaths. Maybe he got bored and wandered off.  Maybe he had mercy on me….

Yeah. And maybe Grey is making genetically modified fish that fly.

Slowly, carefully, I grabbed my fork and lifted a bite of pie to my mouth.  A glance at Charly showed a serious expression, nothing given away. Damnit. I knew she could see Arthur behind me, I was hoping for a telltale giggle, or a warning glance, something.  Right when a traitorous voice of reason spoke up belatedly to point out that Charly was never serious…

“You really will adopt anyone, won’t you?” Arthur asked as he came around to take the chair Jokul had just vacated.

Fuuuuuck…. Busted. “I didn’t adopt him!” I tried to argue. “I actually made a very concerted effort to avoid that!”

Unceremoniously, he snagged Charly’s pot pie, only to have his hand held at fork-point until he let go.  Without even acknowledging the lunch-standoff, he leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms. “You tried to ‘avoid’ it by foisting him off on Zach Khan, your… nephew, thing, and his girlfriend. Still adoption-adjacent.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to interact with him.”

“Uh huh. And how will you explain to poor Hannah that dear Ivan’s partner isn’t invited to Insert Winter Holiday dinner, hmmm?”

“I hate you.”

“Lies and deceit,” he rebutted calmly. “You adopted me first. Before anyyyyone on this ship. I daresay you’re quite fond of me.”

I scowled at him, shoving my remaining lunch in his direction. “Here, before you start poaching this direction.”

An eyebrow arched in the general direction of my fish pie. “That looks suspiciously like dairy.  You wound me.” Grabbing my fork, he poked at the lumps of meat. “I would have thought you would be at least a little subtle in any assassination attempts. Have I taught you nothing?”

“Of course you taught me something,” I cooed, jokingly, while I patted his arm. “The fastest way to a man’s heart is six inches of steel through the ribs, slight upward angle.  Cyanide smells like bitter almonds, so always use shortbread cookies to administer it. Three pounds of pressure will tear off a human ear, and even a three year old can bite through fingers,” I recited. “Also, the pie is dairy-free, surprisingly. The ‘cream’ is silken tofu and aquafaba, turns out.”

Charly was choking with laughter, while Arthur finally smiled at me. “See, I told you that you love me,” he gloated before scooping up a scallop and some crust. As soon as he started chewing, his expression changed from one of amusement to something strikingly similar to Mac when I flick water in his face.

“Scallops,” I explained. “I had the same reaction.”

“Heathens,” he managed around the mouthful.  After he swallowed it, he gave the dish a considering look. “Not bad per se, but… There is no fish in this fish pie. What is aquafaba?”

“Chicpea juice.  Usually it’s used as an egg substitute.  I guess they used it for consistency here.”

Charly leaned forward, narrowly avoiding landing an elbow in her lunch. “And how can you tell that’s what’s in there?”

Glancing over at his student, Arthur shrugged. “She has a point. This,” he poked at the sauce, “looks like heavy cream.”

“Tastes kind of nutty, though,” I explained. “Anyway, enough about food. What brings you down here?”

“Galactic Core Curriculum,” he explained. “That’s the excuse anyway. Alistair - Cthulu damn his soul - told me you were eating lunch here after fifteen minutes of questioning. Tyche told me Charly was with you, so I figured lunch with you, lunch with one of my favorite students, plus I can kill two errands with one meal.” Charly stared at him like he had lost his mind, but he ignored her. “When I arrived - lo! What to my wondering eyes should appear, than a certain former cult leader harassing said friend and student! What person could resist such a temptation.” Deflating dramatically, he scowled at me. “Imagine my delight to hear you giving him relationship advice,” he intoned flatly.

“I got him to go away,” I pointed out.

“Before I managed even one strike in a highly one-sided battle of wits.“

“Mr. Farro,” Charly cut off, glaring for all she was worth. “Jokull came in peace, he leaves in peace.”

“Oh, he would have left in pieces. His ego anyway.”

“Fucking triangles, I swear,” Charly muttered, attacking her lunch with renewed violence.

“Anyway,” I forged ahead. “Jokul was here for fifteen, twenty minutes. You had your chance.”

He glanced away with a cough. “I… may have been resisting the urge to vomit.”

“Arthur.”

“Relationship advice is… not in my skillset,” he admitted. “Tell you your partner is abusive? Can spot a mile a way.  Great for getting people out of bad relationships, with concierge crowbar service if necessary. Not great for saving them.”

“Crowbar? Really?”

“You know, for prying people out of bad situations?” He genuinely looked confused, so I left that one alone.

“For what it’s worth, Jokull wanted to talk to you about what he’s going through right now,” Charly added.

“Why in any galaxy…”

I had to laugh at that one. “Everyone treats him poorly,” I shrugged before giving Arthur a pointed look. “He’s having a rough time right now, feels like he has no one to talk to except Ivan, and thought you would have some insight into that kind of thing.”

“What part of this,” he gestured to himself with a fork, “implies anything remotely close to wanting people to like me and therefore actually knowing how to accomplish that.”

“I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer,” I muttered. 

Giving me a hard, thoughtful look, Arthur’s entire demeanor changed. “Ah… On a more serious note, though… yeah.  I don’t get why people not liking you is a problem, but you’ve told me before it’s something that bothers you, so it’s feasible it bothers other people.  I’ll make a point not to make it worse.”

Clearing my throat, I pushed the conversation on to the next topic. “You mentioned two errands earlier. One for me, one for Charly?”

“Right.” The relief to be changing topics was palpable. “For you, Councillor, Galactic Core is almost finished. Eino is already considering other ongoing-education programs, and you’re going to need to start scouting educators again.  That late-twentieth through contemporary Terran history course? Big support-base, turns out.”

“You wouldn’t tell me this without a reason,” I pointed out. “And you’re a History teacher. Volunteering?”

“I want it done right,” he admitted. “The idea being bounced around isn’t for a requirement that everyone take the course. Not at the same time, anyway.  History-focused educators only, approved curriculum.”

“Approved?” I asked. “By whom?”

“A committee,” he shrugged. “Eino, obviously. Xiomara, with her background - which, by the way, is ridiculous - “

“We know, we know,” Charly and I groaned.

After glancing between us for a moment, Arthur continued. “And me.”

“Why you?” I asked. “No offense, just trying to understand.”

“No offense taken, I’ll explain that part later, but I promise it’s for a legitimate reason. The point is, Eino and his committee approve the curriculum and number of slots. You and Tyche make the decisions for who is allotted where.”

“Fair point,” I conceded.

“Fine. The area of history I focused on for my Master’s degree has an important component that ties a lot together and makes revisionism harder - wait. What?” I could almost hear the gears squealing as they ground to a halt. “Did you just say yes?”

“Basically, yeah.”

“That was… disturbingly easy,” he gave me a skeptical look.  When all I did was grin, he slowly turned to Charly. “As for you, I wanted to talk to you about the assignment that’s due next Friday.”

“I already turned it in,” she pointed out.

“Which is what I wanted to talk to you about. It’s a week and a half early.”

“Right….” she nodded slowly. “And I made sure it met all the criteria on the syllabus.  Plus I had three different people proofread it.”

“All of which is admirable, and it would be considered a very well-done assignment,” he admitted. “If you didn’t have an extra week and a half left to make it even better.”

“Mr. Farro….”

“You aren’t in trouble, in any way shape or form,” he reassured her. “But I know you are capable of doing better than the assignment you already gave me.  I wanted to offer you a deal.”

“What kind of deal?” Charly asked suspiciously. “This isn’t illegal, is it?”

“What? No…” he sputtered. “Illegal!?”

“Gotta be sure,” she nodded sincerely.  I was reasonably certain she was giving him a hard time, but it was still hilarious to watch.

Shaking his head, Arthur did his best to recover. “The deal is this: if you stick with the assignment you already sent me, I’ll grade it as it stands. But. If you re-do it and hand it in on the original due date, you’ll be eligible for extra credit for your extra effort.”

“But I still get the grade on the one you already have, either way?” she asked skeptically.

“I’ve already graded it, and you won’t get a worse grade if you re-do it,” he promised. 

“I’ll think about it,” she hedged carefully. “That paper was a lot of work.”

“That’s fair,” he nodded. “What if you sent me an audio recording, instead? No extra writing.”

“I can do that,” she agreed, sticking out her hand. After Arthur shook it, she glanced at the time. “Shit. I gotta go. Sophia, don’t be late back to work, okay? Tyche won’t care, but Alistair may stop letting me have extra marshmallows in my cocoa when I come by your office.”

After she left, I gave Arthur a very serious look.  He tried to ignore it, but after about five solid minutes of The Squint, he caved. “For the love of… She’s smart, okay? You know, I know it. The paper she handed in a week and a half early was much more insightful than anyone else in the class.  They were assigned a research paper on the underlying causes of the breakdown in relations between the Ekomari and Shalt-kri’i.  Everyone focused on political ideologies, trade resources, navigational route control.  Standard causes for war, from a Terran perspective. Do you know what Charly Harper wrote her paper about?”

“Food?” I asked, going out on a limb.

“So close! Cultural differences, plain and simple. Ekomari are vaguely mammalian, and their diet consists of native arthropods. Guess what Shalt-kri’i look like?”

“You’re kidding me…”

“Not even slightly.  And! To add insult to injury, in a very close to literal sense, Shalt-kri’i greet each other as friends by spreading their appendages, a lot like a hug.  Whereas Ekomari show aggression by… standing up on their hindmost appendages and spreading the rest to look bigger.”

“And no one caught this before?”

“Not on the Ark, no.” He spread his arms wide. “No one even considered it.  Sure, the rest are good points, and they did make everything worse, more than likely, but the start?  She nailed it.”

“Then why have her re-write the assignment?” I was honestly confused at this point.

“The way she wrote it, I could tell she wasn’t confident about the answer at all.” He looked about as frustrated as I had ever seen him. “You get her talking about engineering, or pranks, she knows she knows what she is talking about. I want her to know that she is just as right about this as she was about that.”

Hard to believe that this was the same man whose office I had marched into, out for a pound of flesh and the blood besides, because the same woman we were discussing left his class in tears and begged me not to make her go back.  However…

“Honestly?” I ventured. “I want to hear this recording when she hands it in. I’m really curious about this.”

“You think she’ll write it?”

“Pfft,” I scoffed. “I know she will. You gave her a challenge where she can’t lose, but stands a lot to gain. I just hope you’re ready for that sound file.”

“I honestly can’t wait,” he smirked.

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[potscenarios]

Hello! I'm so happy to see you/this blog active again! <3 Can I request headcanons on Tezuka, Atobe and Sanada having a date with their s/o on a romantic place? :D Thanks a lot!

Hi there! Um, I'd like to clarify something since I noticed people have been 'welcoming back' me / the blog: this blog is completely new! I used to have scenarios blogs last time but I've never written for POT fandom before! So if you used to visit a blog with this same name, I just want to inform you that I'm not the same person with whoever used to run the scenarios blog under this name until it was deleted. Sorry for any confusion!

Anyway, here you go, I hope this is ok ♡ 

Tezuka

Hiking and camping (especially on the mountains) are his favorite dates and he thinks it's plenty romantic because 1) a lot of opportunities to just sit down and have long, deep conversations, and 2) when night comes, the air typically becomes colder so you always end up asking to snuggle with him (and he secretly loves it) and lastly 3) he loves to just stargaze under the bright stars, with you laying beside him and pointing at the constellations while telling each other stories from your childhoods.

If you have interest in fishing, he'll gladly invite you to a fishing trip! It won't necessarily be a romantic date, but just indulge him, ok? If you're new in the whole fishing as a hobby, he'll patiently teach you all you need to know about it, starting from the beginning. With time, as you get better, he would secretly get a little competitive about who can catch the bigger fish.

Stay-in dates with Tezuka usually consists of silently reading books together, watching some movies, cooking for dinner and having dinner together, doing light stretching exercises together - just some simple spending time together. He might do something special for you from time to time, or whenever there's a special occasion for celebration. In those cases, he wouldn't mind splurging a bit by taking you out to a fancy restaurant or booking a skiing trip for the two of you.

"I don't say this enough, but... Being able to spend time with you like this, it feels like a dream. Thank you for being here. I'm grateful to have you on my side."

Atobe

Oh boy. Romantic dates are his specialty. He knows how to set the mood and he knows the right words to say to make you swoon. The moment you exit your front door, he's the perfect escort to wherever you're going. He compliments your attire (even if you're just wearing a simple hoodie), places a kiss on your hand, and throughout the date he'll make you feel like you're a descendant of some sort of royalty.

He prefers to be out and about, surrounded by people who can cater to your needs and makes sure your date is flawless. Candle-lit dinners. Amusement parks. Boating. Going to watch musicals or operas. Overseas or domestic travelling. It'll be up to you to suggest simpler dates like staying in to watch movies (instead of him renting out a whole theatre) or having a picnic for just the two of you and a homemade meal (instead of having butlers and maids waiting on you while you're eating finger food made by Michelin starred chefs).

Stay-in dates with Atobe aren't exactly normal, in the sense that he prefers to spend it at his mansion, which is full of butlers and maids catering to your every needs anyway. Still, he wouldn't say no if you invite him to your abode. He won't complain too much, since it's a new experience for him and he's discovering some new things in exchange - like how unexpectedly pleasant it feels when you're drying his hair with your mid priced hairdryer (it makes the drying time longer than he's used to, but your shampoo smells so good and your fingers feels heavenly while they’re combing through his hair).

"What kind of date should we do next? How about renting a cruise ship on our summer break? Ah, but that's too far ahead, huh? That reminds me, there's a private charity gala coming up and I think you'll be interested in the cause - should we attend it?"

Sanada

When it comes him, it's quite rare for you two to have a typical 'romantic' date, because Sanada himself isn't a consciously romantic person in general. His style of romancing you is by being traditionally chivalrous: opening doors, making sure you're not walking on the side of the road, making sure you're comfortable before anything, etc. But this is his original self; he doesn't try to be chivalrous, it's just his upbringing and personality.

For him, romantic dates = dates where you're spending quality time with each other, preferably in private. He isn't much of a talker so it could be hard to start conversations, but I feel like Sanada could be talkative when he's already way more comfortable with you and when it comes to things he truly cares about. You'll find yourself falling into deep conversations with him, especially regarding things like your personal beliefs, your values, and what you stand (or doesn't) stand for. He can go from "So... What's... Your favorite color?" to "At a glance, some traditions look meaningless to us who are living in this century, however I personally think there is an interesting lore behind every tradition that could become a learning experience for us, much like history - but what do you think?"

Stay-in dates with Sanada wouldn't happen unless you're some way later in your relationship, but it's going to be an interesting adventure for you if you've never lived in traditional Japanese houses! He especially loves it when it's after dinner on a cool summer night, and you both sit out on the engawa facing the inner garden, just enjoying each other's company while listening to the sound of the cicadas. There’s also just something about seeing you in the morning, dressed in a yukata and smiling sleepily at him at the breakfast table, that makes him feel all warm and content.

"Did you enjoy today's date? I didn't think going to an amusement parks would be such an enjoyable experience, but seeing you having so much fun was pleasant to witness."

[momentsofbllove]

I watched The Untamed on Netflix and fell in love. Much to my delight I found out that there’s an entire genre of BL shows and series that I never knew existed!

Now I'm neck deep into BL dramas and I can't contain it any more. The people who follow my main blog have forgiven me for the 147 The Untamed posts that I stuck in my queue, but I doubt they'd stick around for the 500 posts about all the other dramas I've watched recently.

So... I’ve made a side blog, yay!

(My personal ratings: loved it 💜, liked it 💚, won't watch it again 💔

Shows I'm currently watching:

Noblemen Ryu's Wedding - 1/6 I love literally every second of this show already... but. I feel like we're only getting half the seconds! Every scene just jumps from one to the next without any transitions or explanations in between. It's like the writer's had a whole bunch of little scenes they wanted to create, but no actual way of tying them together. It's a bit discombobulating. Now don't get me wrong, this is a historical fake relationship story, with two great actors, comedy and a touch of sensuality that was done *chef's kiss* so beautifully! I love it... but it's definitely missing a lot. 💜

Fish Upon The Sky - 2/12 I'm liking this one so far. It's silly, and there have been more than a few cringey moments, but it stays in the 'cute' side of that more often than not so it's okay. I like the three main characters (the side ones are there for comedic effect only, so I'm trying to judge them only on that, they're where most of the cringe is coming from) and the story is moving along at a good pace. This is true University BL at its finest. I'd put it squarely on the lower end of 'loving it'. 💜

Lovely Writer - 8/12 Well, Aoey is back to being a boring, one dimensional antagonist with no actual story of his own. And I finally realized what frustrated me so much about Sib. He always makes sure to get consent and be respectful of Gene PHYSCIALLY, like asking for kisses, telling people not to take his picture without permission, etc. But he doesn't respect his agency in any other way. Refusing to leave the apartment when Gene asked him to, following him to his house despite being told Gene wanted space, MOVING IN NEXT DOOR after Gene asked for him to leave so they could start over and Sib could earn his trust back... none of that is respecting Gene's choices or personal agency and it bothers me so much! Also that comment Sib's brother made about Gene not being able to escape Sib was disturbing. 💚

History 4: Close To You - 5/? I love literally every second of Muren and Licheng and Xingsi... and every time the brother comes on the screen I want to start throwing things. It is such a dampener to the rest of what is actually a really good show. I'm disgusted that Xingsi forgave him and that the show is referring to r*pe as 'taking advantage*. Uhg. But I'm loving Licheng more and more and his pursuit of Muren is adorable and sweet and very sexy. So I'll keep watching. And thinking about the perfect poly triad that my boys could have been if the writers hadn't been awful. Think about, no one has done a three way friends to lovers story before! That would have been way more intriguing that r*pe apology. (Despite the fact that I love and adore 3 of the 4 main characters and one half of the couples I still can't give this a higher rating than the broken heart. What the brother did was unforgivable and it's so gross that they're portraying it in a romantic light. Most BLs keep their consent issues in the realm of 'dubious'. This one crossed a line I just can't forgive.) 💔

Y Destiny - 3/15 Okay, definitely liked this couple better than the first one. Although, despite the fact that this is supposed to be comedy, Nuea breaks my heart a little because he is obviously desperate for attention and it seems like the only way he knows how to get it is with his money or his sexuality. But the fact that Sun went from 'this kid is an arrogant brat and I can't stand him' to COMPLETLEY ENAMOURED with him in all of like 20 minutes was cute as f*ck, so I'm looking forward to the next episode. 💚

Hidden Love - 4/? This show is so fucking awful why am I still watching it?!! 💔💔

Manner of Death - 12/14 If I never watch the last two episodes, then I never have to admit that Tul and Max are probably never going to work together again, right? 💜💜

Shows I've watched so far:

(ones with links will take you to my personal in-depth reviews, this link will take you to a general review of all the shows I watched in 2020)

The Untamed 💜💜

Until We Meet Again 💜💜

Love By Chance 💚

Tharntype 💚

Why R U 💚

Together With Me 💚

Where Your Eyes Linger 💜

Because of You 2020 💜

HIStory 1: Obsessed/Stay Away from Me/My Hero 💔

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line 💜

HIStory 3: Trapped 💜

My Engineer 💚

Mr. Heart 💚

YYY 💔

Tien Bromance 💔

Roommates The Series 💚

En of Love 💔

#MyDay 💔

Quaranthings 💔

The Effect 💚

Dark Blue Kiss 💚

Theory of Love 💜

3 Will Be Free 💜

Craving You 💔💔

My Gear and Your Gown 💔

Like In the Movies 💜💜

He’s Coming To Me  💜

Oxygen 💔

Wish You 💚

Cherry Magic 💜

Life - Love On the Line 💜

Ingredients 💜💜

Color Rush 💚

Follow My Sunshine 💔💔

We Best Love: No. 1 For You 💜💜

To My Star 💜

Sotus 💜

Nation’s Brother 💔💔

You Make Me Dance 💜

A Tale of Thousand Stars 💜💜

We Best Love: Fighting Mr. 2nd 💜

Shows I want to watch:

2gether/Still 2gether

Sotus S

Bad Romance/Together With Me: TNC (maybe. i've heard things about these ones that are 😖 but also MaxTul have such amazing chemistry so I'm like 🤷‍♀️)

Long Time No See

A million more that I can't think of right now

Shows I need to come out immediately:

Between Us (WinTeam was the beginning of my intense love of side couples, so getting a whole series focused on them is a dream come true!)

KinnPorsche (I am so freaking excited about Jeff and Gameplay being together again! And Mile and Apo have incredible chemistry together. If they don't go too camp with this show, it's going to be amazing!)

Not Me (OffGun reuniting for a series that's not set in uni? Sign me the f*ck up!)

Bite Me (this looks really cute and I'm excited to see Mark in a role that doesn't make me hate him 😆)

Golden Blood (I've been intrigued by this one for a while, but that trailer... oh man, this looks right up my alley! Please give us a released date!)

Any way! Come into my message/ask box if you want to talk about literally anything BL related!

[wondersofdreaming]

Lost Boys - EIGHT

Characters: August Walker / Captain Syverson / Walter Marshall

Word count: 1.524

Warnings: I don’t know, there’s guns?

Author’s note: Everything in this story is a figment of my imagination, with inspiration and snippets from the movies ‘Mission: Impossible - Fallout’, ‘Sand Castle’, ‘Nomis/Night Hunter’. This is pure fanfiction. If something doesn’t make sense, it’s not supposed to.

And a little inspiration from ‘Furious 7’.

I do now own any of the characters from the movies that I write about in this story. Only the OFC’s are mine.

Tag: @katerka88 @littlefreya @hell1129-blog @mitzwinchester @mary-ann84 @valkavill @sciapod @henry-cavlll @luclittlepond @iloveyouyen @trippedmetaldetector @radaofrivia @omgkatinka @gothwhopper @fcgrizi @vania-marie @alyxkbrl​ @readings-of-a-cavill-lover​ @singeramg​ @onlyhenrys​ @henrythickcavill​ @madbaddic7ed​ @palaiasaurus64​ @mis-lil-red @queenslandlover-93​ (I’m so sorry I haven’t tagged you until now, love, I think I must have run into some technical issues when I wrote your URL in my document with tags, but you’re there now to stay)

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the list.

Feedback is appreciated.

MASTERLIST

[ONE] [TWO] [THREE] [FOUR] [FIVE] [SIX] [SEVEN] [NINE] [TEN]

“Don’t worry brother. I’ll save you instead.”

There was a knock on the door. August quickly closed the laptop. He moved with stealth towards the wooden entrance, silently clicking the safety off on his gun. He looked into the peephole and let out a breath of relief.

He opened the heavy door to let his tech-associate inside.

“Were you followed?” He asked as he investigated the hallway, it was empty.

“No,” Marc sounded offended. “Listen, Lark…”

“My cover has been blown, call me Smith.”

“Fine, Smith. You’re in deep shit. The bounty on your head has doubled, and now it’s definitely dead instead of DOA. You need to move away from here, go to some island and lay low for a few years.”

“Marc… I don’t have a few years.”

“Smith, you’re being hunted. Every government agency in the world is looking for you.”

“I know.”

“If you are recognized, I won’t be able to help you out of this country.”

“I know.”

“You need to keep moving.”

“I have a place in mind. But you’re not going to like it.”

“If you say that shitty cabin in Northern Thailand…”

“I won’t say it.”

“But it is that place. Fuck man! That place has no connection to the outer world! No internet. The nearest village is 10K away…” Marc took a deep breath, “But it is the safest place for you right now.”

“When can you arrange a flight?”

“Let me talk to my contacts. I’ll have a plan by tomorrow.”

Melanie could guess from the knocking who was on the other side of the door. She smiled brightly at the grumpy face that met her.

“Good morning, Walter,” she chimed happily.

“Morning, where’s my brother?” He grunted.

“Answering a phone call. Coffee?”

“Yes, black, no sugar.”

Melanie poured the dark liquid into a mug and handed it to him. Lucas walked out of his bedroom with a grim look on his face.

“Luc, what’s wrong?”

“That was Aiden. The bounty on August’s head has doubled. It’s up to two hundred million now, and they want him dead.”

Lucas plopped down on the sofa and ran his good hand over his beard.

“Then we better get started on finding him,” Walter mumbled.

“I don’t even know where to start,” Lucas’ voice sounded hopeless.

“You can start by telling me, when and where you last saw him.”

Walter wrote down the information, Lucas was giving him in a little black notebook that looked brand new.

“My brother, Charlie, works for the FBI, he should be able to help a little with this case.”

“Should I arrange for travel plans for Iraq? That’s where you last saw him,” Melanie inquired. The two bulking men stared at her.

“Don’t think he’s back in the Middle East, Mel. He might have passed through and gone across the border to hide in another country,” Lucas explained.

“Then how are we going to find him?”

“We’d have to speak to the people that know him. His colleagues, his adopted parents, his friends, if he had any, and so forth,” Walter chimed in.

“Alright, then it seems we’re going to Virginia after we’ve talked to your FBI brother.”

Walter and Lucas swallowed their cooled down coffees, they were mimicking each other without knowing it. They held the mugs the same way, on the opposite side of the handle and chugged the black liquid. They would lean their heads back a little to catch the last drops before putting down the empty cup with a loud thud.

Melanie was amazed by the two men, who looked so much like each other, but at the same time looked so different. One with long curly hair, the other with a military styled buzz cut. They both looked intimidating as hell, and Melanie prayed she’d never get interrogated by those two brothers.

Walter led them towards his truck. The drive took almost an hour before he parked at what looked like an abandoned warehouse.

Melanie felt Lucas tensing up next to her. He made sure to walk in front of her. She knew it was to protect her, but at the same time, she was annoyed, because he knew that she knew how to bring a man to his knees, in more ways than one.

Walter opened the steel door. He motioned with his head to follow him.

Inside looked to be a normal old warehouse with an abundant number of wooden crates. The smell of the room was awful. The waft of rotting fish and mould mixed together in the worst way possible hit Melanie’s nostrils. She nearly gagged at the odious place.

A door opened across the room, lighting up the dark room.

“Good to see you out of the police station for once, little brother,” the man said with a smile. He wrapped Walter into his arms. Melanie noticed that Walter didn’t wholeheartedly return the hug. Charlie Marshall was taller than his adoptive brother, but not as broad and muscular. His blonde hair was cut short at the sides and longer at the top. His deep ocean eyes were dancing with mischief until he locked eyes with Melanie. The smile disappeared from his lips and was replaced with a more curious look.

“Charlie, this is my brother, Lucas, and his sister, Melanie,” Walter introduced them. Charlie walked around his brother and greeted Lucas with a firm handshake, while he kissed the back of Melanie’s hand.

“Pleasure to meet you both. Walt told me about you last night, come in and I’ll show you what I’ve found so far.”

Lucas was burning holes into Charlie’s skull. Having not liked him kissing his sister’s hand. Melanie was elated to be shown a little attention.

“Charlie, back off. She’s not here for you,” Walter grumbled and walked into the tiny office space. A black-haired woman was sitting in front of multiple screens, tapping on the keyboard in front of her at lightning speed.

“This is Raven, she’s a hacker and technology expert. We’re doing this behind the scenes because we want to find your lost brother as soon as possible,” Charlie explained.

Raven didn’t look up but grumbled a greeting of some sort.

“How are we going to find August?” Lucas asked.

“With this,” Raven motioned to the screens. The monitors filled out a picture of the earth moving. A picture of August sitting on the top left.

“What does it do?” Melanie asked.

“It’s using all the cell phones with cameras to find him, kinda like God’s Eye from Fast and Furious.”

“Is this legal?”

“Not at all. That’s why we’re here, hiding from the rest of the world. This is only used during emergencies, and I consider this an emergency.”

“Found him yet?” Lucas grunted. He stood behind Melanie with a rank back and stern look. Walter stood almost in the same stance next to him, except he had his arms folded across his chest.

“Last time he was seen, was in an unused airport hangar in Northern Italy last night. He could have travelled anywhere since then,” Charlie said.

“How long?” Walter muttered.

“Hours, days, weeks. I don’t know, he’s really good at hiding,” Raven threw her arms in the air.

“Then there’s nothing to do but go to Virginia. Call us, when you have something, and thank you, Raven, for helping us,” Melanie sent the pale woman a soft smile and went to walk out the tiny room. Lucas, Walter and Charlie followed her to the truck.

“Thank you, for your help so far,” Lucas told Charlie and held out his good hand.

“If I had a lost brother, I’d do anything to find him too.”

Charlie winked at Melanie and walked back into the building. Walter drove the two back to the hotel in silence. Everyone was grumbling over their own things.

“Thanks for your help, Walter,” Melanie cut through the silence when he parked.

“I’m coming with you to Virginia,” Walter told them.

“What about your daughter?” Lucas asked.

“She said, and I quote: ‘You either find your long-lost brother and bring him home, or I’ll be the worst rebellious teenager that’s ever existed in the history of police-dads.’”

“Three tickets to Virginia, coming right up,” Melanie smiled.

The plane ride was fast and short. They landed, got their luggage, found the rented car and drove to the hotel. Another huge suite with three bedrooms. At first, Lucas wanted three separate bedrooms next to each other, but Melanie had stubbornly told him off that he needed her help with his broken arm. Walter didn’t have a say in anything as Melanie shut him up with a fiery glare.

They ventured out towards the house where the lost brother had grown up. The house looked like it needed a loving hand with the front garden, and the paint on the front door was slowly peeling off in large spots.

Walter rang the bell and knocked loudly. They heard a commotion inside before the door was opened. A short woman with greying hair stood in front of them. Her eyes widened and tears formed at the corners.

“August? Is that you?”

[heathenarmyimagines]

Title: A Different Time (Final)

Summary: Now that they know how to go home it is time for the Vikings to go back to their own century.

Pairing: Ivar x Reader

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen

Taglist: @ubbesgirl, @shewolf2000, @tis-itheapplepie, @atequila, @demoncrypt1066, @greennightspider, @badbitsh13, @fireismysaftey, @minarawr, @laketaj24, @hvitserksgirl, @blahblahcookiesdoma, @fabulous-peasent, @sforsammmmmi, @minmiin1d, @courtrae89, @letsloveimagines, @tomarisela, @titty-teetee, @beyond-the-ashes@elenawrit, @mblaqgi, @whenimaunicorn, @chuflisworld, @mystruggledlife, @moose-squirrel-asstiel, @syreni-dea, @trashqueenbitch, @alykatv, @mbaku-babygirl, @perfectus-in-morte, @beyond-the-ashes, @neeadinghugs, @readsalot73, @triumphantreturnofpies, @anarchy-is-coming, @tephi101, @alicedopey, @ivarslittlebadgirl, @jtrstp, @nejijjeoroo, @charlylama, @ivartheblessed, @captstefanbrandt, @fabulouschrissi, @ivarsrideordie, @3x5gurl, @the-writer-appreciation-blog, @lolabee9, @captainfoxy22, @young-ugly-god, @im5ftbutmythroat66, @bribyyy, @irishhiggins, @cadetomlinson, @keclleon101, @slutforragnarssons, @ltkeke, @meeeeeeeeeps, @lille-kanin, @opalscarab, @ssraven7, @ivarandersen, @concretewaywardangel, @funmadnessandbadassvikings, @sharon-is-tired, @cadetomlinson, @mystruggledlife, @chuflisworld, @justmarissa97, @lol-haha-joke, @weirdly-randomly-awesome, @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanim, @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers, @alexa040004, @buckythetinman , @burntmythroatskullingmytea,@jorunnravenslayer, @two-unbeatable-beaters, @buffy-the-vampire-blogger, @arses21434, @ltkeke, @captainfoxy22, @chinduda @letsshamelessqueen-m @my-soul-is-the-moon @we-are-transcendent, @sparklemichele

To say that the mood had been ruined by Sigurd last night would be a massive understatement.

Neither you nor Ivar even had the energy to speak about what had just happened, even if you did what would you say?

“I love you and we are perfect for each other but you need to go back to a land before toilet paper.”

Yeah right.

So you both just went to sleep.

Now you were waking up and Ivar was gone, but you knew last night hadn’t been a dream because your laptop was open with all kind of nonsense typed into the Google search bar. It didn’t take a genius to realize that Ivar had woken up before you and messed with your computer.

With a small sigh you closed the laptop and got out of bed to take a quick shower and brushed your teeth.

Dressed in pajamas you walked into the den and found everyone sitting around, looking very deep in thought.

‘I take it Ivar told you all about Sigurd.’ you guessed.

‘He did, he is also spouting nonsense about wanting to stay.’ Bjorn said with a scowl.

‘It is not nonsense, we have been for three days and nothing seems to have changed. Why leave if there is no reason?’ Ivar argued.

‘We all have reasons! I have a wife and children, and an entire country to raid! Not to mention that if we are all here what will happen to Kattegat? Hmmm? Our father’s kingdom, King Finehair has been waiting for years to take it over. What will keep him from doing so if we are here?!’ Bjorn shouted.

‘I do not care about Kattegat! What is it to me?! What was it to Father?! He was never there! All he wanted to do was get away from that barren place, so much so that he found England and Paris.’ Ivar spat.

‘You knew your father a short while Ivar, I knew him most of my life. Yes, Ragnar hated ruling, but he knew it was his home. Its where his family was, it’s the world he built for his sons.’ Lagertha said.

‘Why are you so keen on returning Lagertha? Are you really so eager to face me in combat?’ Ivar growled.

Lagertha smiled softly before she stood from her seat in the armchair.

‘I may not be eager, but be assured I’m ready.’

‘Hey! None of that! Not here, save all of that for when you are home. Ivar...you all are going home, I don’t like it either but Bjorn is right. You all have big roles in history as well as lives to live, you can’t just stay here.’ you said with finality.

Ivar looked visibly upset but said nothing back, and the others all seemed to take that as Ivar agreeing.

‘Good, now take the ax and send us all back.’ Bjorn said impatiently.

‘Wait.’ you said before you could stop yourself.

‘What is it?’ Ubbe asked.

‘Let’s go out, one last time. We could go to a park, get in one last good memory together before you go back.’ you said.

Sure you were procrastinating but you couldn’t help it, you really didn’t want them to leave. You didn’t want to go back to waking up alone and only having the television to keep you company.

‘I agree with (Y/N), I do not wish to have our time with her end on a sour note.’ Hvitserk said as he moved to stand between Ivar and Lagertha.

Ivar scowled at Lagertha one last time before he nodded.

‘Good, let’s go and get dressed. We can get you all ready to leave when we come back.’ you said.

The air in the room was still heavy but everyone moved to their rooms. 

As you picked out your clothes you kept having to tell yourself that you were doing the right thing, but it was hard to feel that way when all you wanted was for them to stay. 

Nonetheless, you pushed your own emotions to the side and finished putting on your sundress and white sandals. 

While you were putting on some lotion someone knocked on your door.

‘One second.’ you called before standing up and opening the door, revealing Ubbe.

‘Is everyone ready?’ you asked.

‘Not yet, but I wanted to tell you how much we all appreciate you doing this. I know it is not easy, but it is necessary.’ he said.

You nodded, keeping your eyes closed to keep them from watering.

‘Yeah, I know, but let’s not talk about it. I want to enjoy the last day with you all as much as I can.’ you smiled.

The two of you left your room and went to wait on the couch for everyone else.

While you were going through your purse making sure you had everything you needed you got a good idea.

‘Hey Ubbe come here.’ you did, motioning for him to sit closer to you.

He looked confused but did as you asked, once he was close enough you held up your phone.

‘What is this?’ Ubbe asked in wonder as he looked at his own image on your screen.

‘A picture, I want to have a few things to remember you all by, just look at the phone and smile.’ you explained.

Ubbe smiles and you do the same, once you were satisfied with angle you snapped the pic.

‘Yay, you are very photogenic.’ you comment as you showed him the picture.

‘What does that mean?’ 

‘It means you look good.’

‘Well I could have told you that much.’ he said smugly.

For the next minute or so you and Ubbe take more selfies and once everyone else came out you got one with each of them, all of them being fascinated to see their own image.

‘I really am quite handsome.’ Hvitserk said.

‘So humble Hvitserk.’ you smiled.

‘Come on, we can get breakfast at a diner, one that I don’t work at.’ you said.

You all moved out and loaded yourselves into the car.

As you drove the car was filled with joyous conversations, the vikings were speaking of all the things they would miss from this time and all the things they missed from their own.

While it was great to see that they were all excited in the backseat you couldn’t help but notice that Ivar was not participating in the conversation at all.

You reach over and put a hand on his and gave it a squeeze, if only to show that you saw that he was upset and you cared.

Once you arrived at the diner and got out you all headed inside, you were glad it wasn’t busy right now so you got a good table.

The server got everyone’s order, just the usual breakfast plates for everyone and orange juice for you.

‘So...this is it for us, our last meal together.’ you said.

‘It is, I must say that we will all miss you (Y/N).’ Lagertha said.

‘Aw I’ll miss you guys too.’

‘I’m going to miss this world, I wish I could have seen more of it, especially those sex toys. It would be amazing to have a mouth in my satchel for long journeys.’ Hvitesrk sighed.

Bjorn hummed a noise of agreement.

‘What are you whining for, you grab a girl on every raid, more than that if you are overly excited.’ Ubbe teased.

‘Been a little busy if you hadn’t noticed, not been on a raid in ages.’

‘You’ve got girls all over York too.’ Ivar said as he took a sip of water.

‘It gets boring having the same six girls.’ Hvitserk shrugged.

‘Six? You have that many?’ you asked.

‘Not that much.’

After that the rest of breakfast was spent chatting, laughing and teasing; it was as if the gloomy cloud had temporarily vanished and left everyone to enjoy their time together.

Even Ivar was laughing and making jokes with Ubbe and Bjorn, you imagine this was how they all were before everything happened.

Eventually everyone finished their food and you paid and tipped the server before you all headed to the park, you made sure not to go to the popular spots like the new playground or the lake.

You parked in the older play area, nothing was wrong with it, but a few years ago the city had built a bigger and better one closer to the lake so parents could watch their kids play while fishing.

‘What is this?’ Ubbe asked as he helped Ivar into his chair.

‘A playground, little kids used to come here to play, no one comes to this one anymore.’ you answered.

‘Did you play here?’ Hvitserk asked as he moved toward the swing set.

‘Yeah, here sit here and keep your feet off the ground.’ you smiled as you ran over and placed the viking in the swing.

Confused he followed the directions and once you were sure he was situated you began pushing him on the swing.

‘Swing your legs but keep your feet off the ground.’

The others were fascinated and curious to see what other wonders your favorite childhood play place had to offer. Within ten minutes Ubbe and Hvitserk were on the swings, Bjorn was spinning Lagertha on the merry go round and you were running Ivar all over the wheelchair track.

Everyone was having a good time and you felt like a little kid again, except you were not in that great a shape as you were back then so you had to stop to catch your breath.

‘Hold on...whew!’ you panted.

‘Are you alright?’

‘Yeah, totally...just need to a second.’ 

‘No more running for you.’ he suggested.

‘Thank you.’ you said as you began to push his chair again, walking this time.

‘Father would have loved you...Mother too.’ 

‘I would have loved to meet them.’ 

‘Do you think your mother and father would like me?’ Ivar asked.

‘My Mama would be thrilled that I let her meet you, if only to tell you embarrassing stories about me, my Dad? He’d try to kill you...if he doesn’t kill me first.’ 

‘Why? Because I’m crippled?’

‘Because you’re a boy, I’m his first born and he seems to think I’m still too young for anything involving a boy. Eventually he’d back off enough to drink a beer with you, and I’d have to remind him that I’m an adult.’ you replied.

‘What do you think would happen if I did stay?’

‘Ivar-’ you sighed.

‘I know that I can’t, but what if I did? What would happen between us (Y/N)?’

For a minute you didn’t reply, thinking it over in your head, what would happen if Ivar could stay here.

‘Who knows, maybe we would be together and everything will be amazing, I’d find a way for you to be able to go out in public and we’d live happily ever after.’ you hummed.

‘Or I would one day let my anger get the best of me and push you away, like I do with everyone I love.’ Ivar said.

You saw an old bench under a tree and placed Ivar beside it before you took a seat.

‘Maybe it would be my religion that pushes you away from me, Ivar you would not be the only one at fault if things went bad.’

Ivar took your hand and placed a kiss on your knuckles.

‘Want to know what would happen if I could take you with me?’ he asked.

‘What would happen if I could go with you to Kattegat?’ you asked with a smile.

‘I would make you my wife, and I would plan a grand wedding so massive even Freya would attend to bless our marriage. Then I would make it my mission to fill you with as many children as possible.’ Ivar said.

You chuckled, not at all surprised by how large Ivar’s dream already was, he was very famous for his ambitions.

‘How many kids, all boys?’ you asked, placing your head on his shoulder.

‘At least seven, and of course a man needs daughters to spoil.’

‘Nothing is worse than a spoiled little girl.’ you scoffed.

‘You would keep her humble...just like you would have kept me sane.’ he whispered.

‘You are not crazy Ivar, you do not need me to tell you that. You are no different from any other man, except in the fact that you are the greatest man that I have ever met in my life.’ you said seriously. 

Ivar looked shocked to hear such kind words spoken to him and seemed too stunned to even speak, so he just squeezed your hand gently as he looked away.

The two of you sat there in comfortable silence, listening to the birds and bugs, just enjoying each other’s company while you could.

Eventually Ubbe came to find the two of you to tell you everyone was ready to go home.

His words held a deeper meaning, it was not your home he was talking about.

The ride was filled with silence this time , as everyone seemed to take in the fact that they were really about to leave. No more discovering all the new technology, learning all the new customs or trying new foods; once they got back to your house they would say their official goodbyes to you and your world.

While they came to terms with that you were dreading going back to living alone in that house again. Once they were gone you would go back to quiet mornings, shopping and cooking for one, and spending a majority of your time either on the couch or in your bed.

More than anything you were feared seeing Ivar leave, you knew in your heart that you would never find another guy like him. A guy who would make you feel the way he did emotionally.

It was something you noticed while you were comforting him during his panic attack, sure at the time he was clearly not feeling his best but you had remained calm in the situation. Something you had been trained to do since your brother did have seizures often when he was younger, keeping calm is important in that situation. While whenever you had to deal with that type of thing you acted composed, but inside you were always panicking.

With Ivar you were genuinely calm, you knew he would be okay and had no worries. It was as if you knew nothing would ever break him, he was Ivar the Boneless. A man who would become history’s most notorious viking, he would conquer an entire world when he went home.

You could not keep him from that, no matter how much it broke your heart to let him go.

Soon you were parked in your driveway and there was no more time to take it all in, it was time for them to leave.

Everyone got inside and you told them to gather all of the things you had bought them that they wanted to take with them. As they did that you went to the garage and got all their weapons and the bag filled with the clothes they were wearing on when they first dropped into your pool.

In less than half an hour you were all in your living room, they were back in their battle clothes with their weapons and holding a few things they’d chosen to take with them.

Hvitserk had a small necklace with a cute crown charm, he said it was for Ubbe’s wife, a woman called Margrethe. Lagertha had a ceramic owl that she said reminded her of a pet she had back home. Ubbe was holding an hourglass and he was also holding Ivar’s snow globe. Bjorn had taken a ship in a bottle that he claimed to only be taking to assure himself he hadn’t gone crazy and imagined all of this.

Ivar sat in his chair, with his eyes focused on his bound legs.

‘OK you guys please just remember that before you die you have to burn these things to ash.’ you told them.

‘Why?’ Hvitserk asked.

‘Historians spend years and years digging up things you guys left behind, it would be weird if they found a necklace that was made in China in twenty eighteen with a bunch of viking swords. Don’t leave any evidence of this stuff, swear it to me.’ you begged.

‘We swear it on our rings.’ Bjorn said honestly.

‘Good now there is one thing left.’ you said.

‘Saying goodbye.’ Hvitserk said sadly.

‘I’m going to miss you guys.’ you managed to say as a lump formed in your throat.

Hvitserk and Ubbe stepped forward and pulled you into a group hug, you ignored the stink of their clothes and how rough the armor felt against your skin, you just held them as close as you could.

‘We will never forget you (Y/N), you’re the one we lost.’ Hvitserk said as he pulled back.

‘No matter what happens when we get back home I want you to know that my first daughter will have your name.’ Ubbe smiled.

‘Oh that’s so cute.’ you smiled as you wiped your tears.

The two of them stepped aside and allowed Lagertha to pull you into a hug all her own, she held you tightly in a way that only a mother could.

‘You will always be a daughter to me, I am sad to leave you.’ she said before pulling back and placing a kiss on your forehead.

Then Bjorn stepped forward and kept his eyes on anything but you.

‘We are all thankful to you for housing us and feeding us in our time of need, none of us will forget your kindnesses, this I swear on both my arm ring and my life.’ he said formally.

You rolled your teary eyes and hit him in the chest.

‘Shut up and give me a hug you mean old man.’ you said as you wrapped your arms around him as best as you could, certain that you looked like a child next to such a large man.

‘I will miss you too Bjorn.’ you said.

Now came the last person you wanted to say goodbye to, Ivar; and by the way he was still looking down you assumed he didn’t want to hear it either.

‘Ivar.’

Before you could say anything past his name Ivar had suddenly grabbed your arm and pulled you down into his lap.

‘Don’t say it. Let me imagine that I will see you again one day...please don’t say it.’ he whispered into your ear.

You tried closing your eyes to keep the tears from falling but it did not work; you hadn’t actually stopped crying since you started but now you were all out bawling into Ivar’s shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around you and held you as you sobbed, and you were sure that you felt a few tears on your shoulder as well but Ivar didn’t move an inch or make a sound.

With all the willpower you had in your body you pulled back and placed a kiss on his lips, not a deep or lustful, but you tried to bid him farewell this way since neither of you could handle it being said out loud.

‘I will see you again.’ he said.

‘Yeah, and we’ll have that big Viking wedding you promised me.’ you said, trying to smile through your sobs.

‘Then you will give me many children.’

‘Dozens of them.’ you said as you stood up and turned away from everyone, if only to give all of yourself a minute to regain your composure.

Once you had finally silenced your sobs you turned back around and found Bjorn holding the ax.

‘It is time for us all to go home Ivar.’ he said as he held out the weapon.

‘Finally.’

Everyone jumped as Sigurd appeared, standing by the fireplace.

‘Sigurd.’ Ubbe said in awe.

‘Did you miss me brother?’ Sigurd asked with a smile.

‘Of course I do, we all do.’ Ubbe said.

‘It has been chaos since you died, as you have noticed.’ Hvitserk said.

‘It couldn’t have all been avoided, but some of it could have been.’ the ghost said passive aggressively.

‘Why are you here Sigurd? Is me making the sacrifice not enough, do you need to see it too?’ Ivar spat.

‘I am only here for one thing, and is none of your concern, you’ve said your goodbyes to the woman you love, now take the ax and make your sacrifice.’ 

Ivar looked ready for a fight but Ubbe’s hand on his shoulder let him know that this was not the time to lose his temper.

Bjorn once again held the sword to Ivar.

You dug your fingernails into your palms to keep yourself from knocking the ax out of Bjorn’s hand.

‘Take the ax.’ you forced yourself to say.

Ivar looked over at you and he just looked deep into your eyes, before saying the one thing you needed to hear from him before he left.

‘I love you.’ he whispered before he put his hand on the ax.

At first you thought you were imagining the sky blue glow that seemed to be coming off of all of them, but after you blinked and it was still there you knew it was real.

They were all glowing, and the brighter that beautiful blue glow became the harder it was for you to see the vikings. Eventually the light was so bright you had to close your eyes to shield them from the glow.

Soon the light dimmed enough for you to open your eyes again, but there was nothing there. 

The only thing left in front of you was an empty wheelchair, and as much as you thought you had been prepared for it the wave of absolute loneliness knocked the wind out of you.

You barely recognized the wrecked noise that clawed its way out of your throat as you broke down literally to your knees.

It felt as if you were going to be physically sick from how hard you were sobbing, but you couldn’t stop.

‘Do not cry Miss.’ Sigurd said, his voice softer than it was before as he placed a cold hand on your shoulder.

‘Leave!’ you snapped at the ghost as you stood up and turned on him.

‘I will, but not before I put you at ease.’ 

‘How can you put me at ease?! I just met and lost what may have been the love of my life because of some stupid siblings rivalry from centuries ago!’ you yelled.

In anger you pushed him back, mildly surprised when your hands actually make solid contact.

‘Believe me I understand a broken heart and I know that right now you curse me and blame me for the ache in your chest, but allow me to put some of your worries to rest. Let me tell you how Ivar lived his days without you.’

You did not want to hear that right now, you were still trying to cope with the fact that Ivar was long dead now, but you knew that later on you would go nuts wondering what happened to Ivar.

‘Tell me.’ you said as you sat down on the couch, taking the time to wipe away your tears.

‘Ivar had many great victories in battles and war, and many failures in love. He never forgot you, and he never found a woman he could love as much as he did you.’ Sigurd said

You felt like a shit person for feeling any amount of comfort in those words, but you were a little glad to know that Ivar didn’t forget you.

‘Was he happy?’ you managed to ask.

‘...No, Ivar could never truly be happy without you by his side, but he tried to be for your sake. He died in his bed an old man in one of his many kingdoms, with his wife and children at his side.’

Your eyes watered at that bit of information, and you were unsure if you were sad or happy about it.

‘He had children.’ you repeated.

‘Yes, and he left you a message...here.’ Sigurd said as he held out the ax to you.

At first you had no desire to touch it, but you did notice carving all over the handle that wasn’t there before.

Reluctantly you took it and saw that it was in fact writing, it was the English alphabet but you didn’t understand the language. You remembered Ivar wanting to learn to read and write in English, but you never got the chance to teach him so this was most likely Old English or Latin.

‘What does it say?’

‘It says, To my love, I’ve missed you everyday since I last saw you. It has been thirty four years since that sad day, and I am on my deathbed. My wife is sleeping beside me, I must say that in a way I do love her, she gave me many children, but it is not the love I have for you. I sometimes deep in my mind curse myself for not being a filthy Christian, if I were I could see you in heaven one day and be happy with you.’ the ghost read.

Your knuckles were white from how hard you were gripping the ax, you were determined to stop crying this instant.

‘Ivar was better for meeting you, and so was his personal life with our brothers, and because of you I can finally dine with father in Valhalla. For that I am thankful to you, as are the Gods, they will not forget your sacrifice. When you are ready, they will bless you, farewell Miss.’ he said before he vanished just as he had last night.

Now alone, you began crying again, the sound of your sobs seeming to echo through the empty house.

It felt like all you did for the next two weeks was cry as you moved around the house cleaning the rooms the Vikings had used. The last room you did was your sister’s, the room that Ivar used.

You slept in there until Ivar’s scent left the sheets.

Eventually you had to return to work after your vacation was over, but your boss was still very upset about the altercation that had happened during your last visit. He had been cutting your hours and giving you dead shifts that required a lot more work with less tips.

After a month of this you were fed up and got a job at the buffet with your friend, the pay was better since it was hourly and you were also given tips.

Your finances were greatly improved but your mother needed a very expensive surgery and you couldn’t afford to throw all your money into that without putting your siblings allowances at risk.

So you figured the best thing to do was to list your home on Air B&B for extra money. It really killed two birds with one stone, you were able to afford the procedure and the house was alive again.

The guest kept you busy and some were real cheapskates but it was better than doing nothing all day and crying.

One afternoon you went to your email and saw that someone wanted to use your home for the next two months while he and his friends looked for more permanent homes in the city.

You emailed back and you both agreed on the price and time period before you finalize everything. 

At last came the day and you were making sure everything was ready for your guest, the bedrooms were clean and the fridge stocked. 

Like usual you took off the day of your guests arrival so you could give them the tour and you always like to prepare them dinner on the first night to introduce your guests to Texas.

There was a knock on your door and you went to open the door with a smile like always, but your polite smile quickly became a dropped jaw.

It was Ivar! 

Standing right at your front door, your mind was filled with a million questions. How was he here, how is he standing, what the hell is going on?! 

None of those questions could fall from your lips because before you could catch yourself they were on his.

You had thrown yourself into his arms and kissed him, overwhelmed by a flood of joy to be seeing him again after all these months.

He pulled away and looked at you awkwardly.

‘Um excuse Miss.’ he said with a stunned face.

You backed away and looked at him, taking in his jeans, muscle shirt and the headphones around his neck.

This was not Ivar, not your Ivar anyway.

‘Is this how you greet all your guest or am I special?’ he smiled nervously.

‘I-I uh… oh my God I’m so sorry I thought you were someone else entirely.’ you apologized, completely mortified. 

‘No no, it is fine, I can think of worse greetings.’ he smiled.

You shift your feet nervously as an awkward silence fell over you two.

‘Anyway, I am Alex Høgh Anderson.’ he said, mercifully breaking the silence.

‘Of course, I’m (Y/N) (Y/L/N) welcome to Dallas.’ you said.

Before he could reply you heard a car door close, causing you to look behind Iv- Alex and you saw Ubbe and Hvitserk.

This time you refrained from running up to them, not wanting another awkward moment.

‘Let me introduce you, these are my buddies Jordan and Marco, guys this (Y/N) she will be hosting us.’ he introduced.

The two of them greeted you politely with waves and short hellos. 

Jordan was wearing sweats, while Marco was in straight up pajamas.

You step aside and let them all in to begin showing them around the house.

As you walked around you were struggling to keep calm, but you managed to get through it.

Of course Alex was the last one to be shown to his room while the others began unpacking. 

‘Ok this is the master bedroom, the bathroom is stocked with towels and toiletries let me know if you need anything. I’ll be in the kitchen cooking if you have any questions.’ you said.

‘Thank you and um...whoever you thought I was must have been a very lucky guy.’ Alex smiled.

You blushed as you left the room to scurry into the kitchen to start on dinner.

The second you entered the kitchen you nearly ran back out.

‘I take it you did not miss me.’ Sigurd smiled.

The ghost looked much better than he had last time, his clothes were no longer bloodied and he appeared to be brighter now.

‘What the fuck are you doing here? And what the hell have you and your Gods done to Ivar, Ubbe and Hvitserk?’ you whispered angrily.

‘Nothing, my brothers are all feasting in Valhalla, those are regular men that the Gods lead to you. What happens now is all up to you.’ 

‘What are you talking about?’

‘I told you that the Gods would not forget what you have done, nor would they leave you heartbroken.’ he said.

‘A replacement?’ you asked.

‘Who are you talking to?’ Jordan asked as he came into the kitchen.

You looked back to where Sigurd had been literally a second ago but of course he was not there now.

‘Just myself, trying to decide what to make for dinner.’ you lied.

‘Oh yeah Alex said you would make dinner some nights. I was just coming to ask for the WiFi password.’ 

You gave him the password and also took the time to ask him if any of them had any food allergies, thankfully none of them did.

‘Great, I’m sure you and your friends are all tired after getting off the plane, you can all chill out in the rooms while I cook.’ 

He thanked you and headed out, leaving you alone once more, for a minute you waited for Sigurd’s ghostly self to pop up again but he didn’t.

As you began cooking you think back to when you first developed feelings for Ivar, and how strong they were. It had taken you so long to even begin to move on and live day to day without crying at the thought of him.

You did not think you could ever feel that strongly about another man again, and a small part of you didn’t know if you wanted to.

Nearly two and a half hours later you were done with dinner; the chickens were baked, potatoes roasted, broccoli buttered and steamed and rolls were glazed with sweet honey butter. For desert you thought ice cream would do fine, since you were not sure if they would be still be hungry after dinner.

After you set the table you got out a simple bottle of champagne and put on ice, once you were satisfied that everything was ready you went to get your guests.

You never opened the bedrooms if the door was closed, it just seemed like a rude thing to do, especially if the person was a paying guest.

Jordan got right up when you knocked and told you he would get Marco, since apparently he was a heavy sleeper. Which you knew to be true when he burst into Marco’s room and you saw him straight belly flop onto his friend.

You tried not to laugh as you knocked on Alex’s door, telling him that the food was ready and he opened the door wearing sweats now. 

‘Thank you, I was starving.’ he yawned as he stretched.

‘Good I cooked plenty, should put you all right back to sleep.’ you smiled.

‘Already trying to get me in bed?’ he teased.

‘You are not going to let that go are you?’ you asked.

‘My first kiss in a new country? Nah I’m going to hold on to it for a while.’ he smiled.

‘Whatever, lets just eat, hopefully Marco is up.’ you said as the two of you walked down the hall.

‘The foods ready?’ Marco said as he finally came out of his room, wide awake with a completely exhausted Jordan behind him.

‘Yes it is.’

Finally you were all seated at the table eating and drinking while you all got better acquainted with each other since they would be staying here for two months.

‘Wait so you guys are opening a shop?’ you asked.

‘Sort of, we design and build custom furniture, the company we work for decided to go international and opened a location out here and sent us to start it off.’ Jordan said.

‘That is so dope, I actually was looking to redo the front room, maybe I’ll be customer number one.’ you smiled.

‘And we would make sure your furniture was our best work, least we could do after this amazing meal. I don’t even eat broccoli but this is delicious.’ Marco complimented.

‘Aw thank you so much.’ you smiled.

The night went on and not a crumb was left of anything, you all were full and ready to go to bed for the night.

You all got up and headed to your rooms, your room was right across from Alex’s so you two were the last ones left in the hall.

‘Um, Alex.’ you said before he could go into his room.

He turned back to you and you inwardly cursed because a small part of you hoped he hadn’t actually heard you.

‘I just wanted to say thanks, for not telling the others about...you know.’ 

‘Why would I? You don’t tell too many people when you find such a great treasure.’ Alex smiled down at you.

You were so (pleasantly) surprised by his straightforward flirtation that you couldn’t think of what to say.

Luckily Alex took mercy on your awkward self.

‘I was wondering if you would like to go out for coffee and a walk tomorrow morning. The other two will no doubt sleep until two in the afternoon if we let them.’ Alex suggested.

He had just asked you out for a date, like a real date! You hadn’t been out with any man since Ivar and the rest of his family had left, in fact you hadn’t been thinking about romance at all.

Maybe Sigurd was right and it was time to change that. Ivar would have wanted you to be as happy as you could be.

‘I would love to.’ 

‘Great, um is eight a good time?’ he asked.

‘It’s perfect, I will see you then, good night.’ you said before you finally went into your own room.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath to try and calm your racing heart. When you opened your eyes they fell on the ax on your bedside table.

With a sad sigh you walked over to it and ran your hand over the carving.

‘He’s not you Ivar, I could never expect him to be, but I will try to be happy with him. Just as I’m sure you tried to be happy for me.’ you said softly.

[nazariolahela]

Something Domestic: Chapter 12

A/N: Hey y'all! This story is told in first-person narrative, from Riley’s (MC) POV. There will likely be smidges of canon in this, but not too much. Thanks for reading, and please leave feedback, and/or if you would like to be tagged.

Catch up here

Series Tags: @burnsoslow @aworldoffandoms @dcbbw @ladyangel70 @texaskitten30 @sunandlemons @jlynn12273 @indiacater @jared2612 @rainbowsinthestorm @drakesensworld @badchoicesposts @msjr0119 @katurrade @blackcoffee85 @cynicalworlds-blog @hopefulmoonobject @beardedoafdonutwagon @cmestrella @sugarandspice-milkandhoney @superharrietsuper @custaroonie @lady-calypso @ritachacha @olympianpantsuit @desiree-0816 @the-soot-sprite @kate-mckenzie @narrytheworld​ @octobereighth​

Synopsis: When Riley Brooks takes a new job as a nanny for the affluent Rhys family in New York’s Upper East Side, she assumes she’s just going to care for the children of the couple who hired her. But instead of just school pick-ups and afternoon snacks, she also finds herself spending time with Liam, the handsome divorced dad. Can Riley control her feelings for Liam while still performing the job she was hired for?

All characters are the property of Pixelberry Studios. Thanks for allowing me to borrow them.

Chapter Summary: Riley and Liam become “official,” but a shocking revelation threatens to destroy their relationship.

I stand in the kitchen of Liam’s penthouse, going over my plans for today. It’s only been a day since the divorce became final, but it feels like things are starting to look up. Liam and Madeleine worked out a schedule to take the kids every other week. This week is Madeleine’s week. She dropped them off at Liam’s house this morning before heading to work. I showed up for my shift shortly after. The schedule is set up for me to take Charlotte to school, spend my day with Philip, and then she picks them up at 5:30 p.m. Everyone agreed this would be the smoothest transition for the kids.

As I put the final touches on my itinerary, my mind wanders to last night with Liam. I’ve been replaying it over and over again in my mind all morning. His touch. His passion. How good our bodies felt together. I almost orgasm just thinking about it. I hear Liam’s footsteps approaching and turn to find him entering the kitchen. He wraps his arms around my waist and whispers into my hair. “You busy tomorrow night?”

“Oh, you know. The usual. Comfy pants. Junk food. Real Housewives.”

He smirks. “Sounds good. But what if I can offer you good food, good company, and really good sex?”

I blush. Is it hot in here? Or is it just him? “I’m listening.”

“Let me take you out on a date. I’ll wine you, dine you…” he grins seductively. “...well, you know the rest.”

I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him down to meet my lips. “You had me at good food.”

He groans and grabs my ass, lifting me up, and sets me on the kitchen island. His hands slip under my blouse, his fingers tracing up my sides, and toying with the lace of my bra. I tug on his tie and take his bottom lip in my teeth. “Where are you planning on taking me, Mr. Rhys? So I know what to wear tonight.”

“Well, if all goes as planned, you won’t be wearing anything. But if you must know, I’m taking you to Masa, so dress accordingly.”

My eyes widen. Masa is one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city. It’s also considered one of the most expensive restaurants in the world. One meal will set you back around $500-$600 and the waitlist for reservations is at least three weeks out. I wonder to myself how he was able to score a table at a place like that, but then I remember his family pretty much owns the city. He notices my expression and smiles.

“Don’t give me that look. You’re worth it and I want to spoil you. Let me have this.”

“Fine,” I sigh. “But just this once. You don’t need to spend that much money on me. We could hit up the drive-thru at McDonald's and I’d be happy.”

“I know. That’s what I like about you. Now, get your sexy ass upstairs and get my kids up. I’ll pick you up at your place at 8 p.m. tomorrow.” He steals one more kiss before helping me down off the island. I make my way upstairs and get the kids ready for the day. Once they’re both dressed and fed, we head off to school.

After dropping off Charlotte, Philip and I hit up the “T.Rex: The Ultimate Predator” exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. The place is buzzing with groups of school children chaperoned by adults. I keep Philip close to me as we make our way through the crowd. As we walk by a 12-foot-tall skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex, he tugs on my hand to get my attention.

“Riley? Do you think he comes to life at night?”

“What?”

“T-Rex. Does he come to life and play fetch?”

I give him a confused look. “He’s extinct, buddy. And has been for about about 65 million years.”

He looks back at me and gruffs in annoyance. “In Night at the Museum, he comes alive and plays fetch with Larry. He also drinks from the fountain.”

Whoops. Guess I didn’t see that movie. Feeling like a total dumbass, I grab Philip’s hand and guide him to the next exhibit.

After our daily ice cream stop, we pick up Charlotte from school. She tells me about an upcoming field trip her class is having and hands me a permission slip looking for chaperones. I wonder if nannies can even chaperone school field trips. When we get back to the penthouse, I set the kids up in the playroom with art supplies and watch them paint. Philip paints images of dinosaurs and Charlotte paints a dog. My mind wanders to my date with their father tomorrow night and the butterflies in my stomach start fluttering up a storm. Holy shit. I need to find something to wear. I fish my phone out of my tote bag and give Hana a call. She picks up on the second ring.

“Ohmygods, Hana. I need your help. Liam is taking me to Masa tomorrow night and I have no idea what to wear. What’s the dress code like for a place like that? Is it black tie? Can I wear my sponsorship dinner dress again?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down. What time is he picking you up?”

“8 p.m.”

She chuckles. “Okay, we can work with that. Meet me at Carmina at 6 p.m. tonight and I’ll help you pick something out that will blow his mind.”

“You’re a lifesaver, girl. What would I do without you?”

“Well, your rent would be much higher, that’s for sure,” she says with a laugh.

We say our goodbyes and hang up, and I return to the kids. When Madeleine arrives home a few hours later, I bid farewell and hail a cab to Carmina. I pull up outside the store and see Hana and Meghan leaning outside the store, locked in a loving embrace. My heart bursts at the sight of my best friend finally finding her happily ever after. Hana notices me approaching and smiles.

“You ready to find a gown that will make this guy fall in love with you?” she asks.

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but I want to find something that will make him want to skip dinner altogether.” She rolls her eyes and turns to Meghan and the two share a knowing look. “Okay, Lovebirds,” I laugh. “Let’s go inside and find me a dress.”

The three of us enter the boutique and began browsing the racks. While Hana continues to search for a dress, Meghan approaches with a few draped over her arm and ushers me to an open dressing room. As I begin to disrobe, I hear her speak from the other side of the door.

“Hey, Riley? What are Hana’s parents like?”

I stop dead in my tracks. Oh shit. “Uh...they’re ...they’re interesting.”

She sighs. “You don’t have to sugar coat it for me. She told me they don’t know she’s gay. It’s just that she wants me to meet them tomorrow night and I think she wants to tell them about us. I want to know what I’m walking into.”

Half-dressed, I open the door and move toward her. “Honestly, they’re kind of overbearing. They’ve been trying to set her up with this guy for the better part of a year. She’s told them numerous times that she’s not interested, but they keep pushing this narrative that she needs to be a wife and a mother to be happy. Especially her mom. I think she’s afraid that Hana’s going to die an old maid, so she’s trying to find her a husband before it’s too late. It’s not an excuse, but I wonder if she thinks Hana isn’t capable of finding happiness on her own.”

Meghan nods. “I remember how it was for me when I came out to my family. I guess I’m just wondering how they’re going to react. I’m glad Hana has someone like you to support her.” She leans in and gives me a bone-crushing hug then walks out of the dressing room to find her girlfriend.

After trying on half a dozen dresses, I finally decide on a sexy sequined charcoal gray number with a plunging neckline. Liam is going to lose his shit when he sees me in this. And the best part; it’s on sale, so if it gets “damaged” at the end of the evening, at least I’m not out that much money.

***

It’s just before 8 p.m. Friday night when I hear a knock on my apartment door. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves and make my way to the door. He stands on the other side, looking absolutely breathtaking in a dark suit. His blue eyes sparkle as they travel the length of my body. So glad I went with this dress.

“You look beautiful,” he says in a low voice.

“So do you.”

He takes my hand in his and leads me downstairs to the limo. He opens the door for me, but stops me before I enter, pulling my hand to his mouth and kissing the back of it. I feel my cheeks heat. His eyes study me, taking in every detail of my face. Suddenly, he looks away and clears his throat while adjusting himself. “We should go. We don’t want to miss our reservation.”

I smirk and climb into the limo. He climbs in behind me, and once we’re driving, I find myself trying not to stare at him. He notices me watching him and gives me a wink as he takes my hand in his and sets it on his thigh.

Twenty agonizing minutes and one steamy make-out session later, we arrive at the restaurant. The maître d' greets Liam like they’re old friends and the hostess shows us to our table. The tables are lit by single candles and soft music fills the air. A bottle of champagne sits in a bucket next to our table. Liam grabs it and pops the cork, pouring two glasses.

“Wow...this is fancy,” I say, sipping my champagne.

“I’m glad you like it.”

I look around, noticing servers taking orders from the other tables. “Where are our menus? What’s good here?”

Liam smiles. “Actually, there are no menus to order from. Only chef-selected meals prepared by Chef Masa Takayama himself.”

I nearly spit out my champagne. Oh, gods. This is one of those restaurants. I suddenly feel extremely uncomfortable. Liam notices me shifting in my seat and reaches across the table, placing his hand on top of mine.

“Hey. It’s okay. I know this seems like a lot, but you’re important to me and I want to show you that.”

“You didn’t have to bring me to a place like this though. I’d be happy at Applebee’s.”

He fake scoffs. “Applebee’s? Only peasants eat that crap.” I roll my eyes and he brings my hand to his lips, placing a kiss on it. “I’m kidding. If you’re really that uncomfortable here, I’ll take you wherever you want to go. Just say the word.”

I smile. This man is willing to give up his exclusive reservation for me. How did I get so lucky? “No, it’s okay. We can stay here. I already got dressed up. It would be a shame for it to go to waste.”

The reflection of the candlelight dances across his face and he watches me intently as I sip my champagne. He leans in and whispers in my ear. “What do you say we order our food to go and take this back to my place?”

We stumble into the penthouse, kissing and running our hands along each other’s bodies when a voice interrupts us.

“Is this what you do when you’re supposed to be watching my kids?” I turn around to see Madeleine standing in the kitchen, a look of pure rage on her face.

Liam steps away from me and addresses her, his tone laced with anger. “What are you doing here? And where are Philip and Charlotte?”

“They’re with Rashad, and don’t worry about what I’m doing here. What are you doing? The nanny? Really, Liam?”

“At least it wasn’t with one of my co-workers. While I was still married.”

“No, just the woman entrusted to look after our children,” she sneers.

Awkwardly, I make my way toward the door. “I...I think I’m gonna go.”

“I don’t think so, bitch!” Madelene snaps. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you will not jeopardize my children’s safety for a fucking payday.”

“Excuse me? What the hell are you talking about?”

Madeleine snorts. “Don’t play dumb. It’s unbecoming.” She retrieves a magazine from her purse and slams it down with force on the coffee table. “This,” she says. Liam��s eyes go wide. I look down at the magazine and feel the color drain from my face. No, please no.

Ohmygods, this is my worst nightmare. How could this happen? I look at Liam and his face falls. “Riley? What is this?”

“What do you think it is?” Madeleine says. “She sold us out to the fucking tabloids.”

“What? No! I-I swear… I had nothing to do with this.” I turn back to Liam. He continues to stare at the magazine, his face void of any emotion. “Liam? Liam, listen to me. I don’t know how this got out, but I didn’t leak this. I swear on everything we have.”

Madeleine laughs dryly. “You expect me to believe that? You were the only person besides our families who knew about this. Don’t think I don’t know about your little obsession with these trash rags. You left one laying on the kitchen table a few weeks ago. And Mara said she buys them for you every week. What? Did you think you could just sell details of our private lives to the tabloids, and then fuck my ex-husband and everything would be cool? How much did they pay you? I hope it was worth it.”

My voice shakes. “Ma-Madeleine. I swear. I didn’t leak this.” A lone tear escapes and rolls down my cheek. “Liam, please. You have to believe me. I would never do this to you. To Philip and Charlotte. I care about them. I would never put them in danger.” He continues to stare at the magazine, not speaking or making eye contact with me.

“I want you out. Turn in your keycard. You are officially relieved of your duties.”

“Madeleine, please...”

“I don’t want to hear it. You’re fired. You’re lucky we don’t take your ass to court and sue you for publishing private facts about our family. And you are to have no contact with my children or I will have you arrested for stalking.”

Mara appears to escort me out and I sob loudly, losing all control. I retrieve my keycard from my purse and hand it to her. She frowns and places her hand on my arm, guiding me to the elevator. The ride down to the lobby is quiet except for my cries. I wonder why Liam didn’t come to my rescue. Does he actually believe that I leaked the story to the press? It’s hard to tell when he just stood there and said nothing as Madeleine ripped me a new one.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Brooks,” Mara says as she escorts me out of the lobby and into the street. She stands guard until an Uber arrives to take me home.

I get into the car and break down. The tears stream down my face as I lean my head against the glass, watching the penthouse disappear into the distance. Before tonight, I had a great job and a man that I could possibly see myself falling in love with.

Now, I have neither.

[marshmallow-phd]

Secret in His Eyes

Spinoff of Sins of the Father

Genre: Mafia Au

Pairing: Luhan x Reader

Summary: A vacation exploring China’s famous city was supposed to be relaxing. When you witness a horrifying murder, you instead find yourself in police custody, unable to run. Trying to stay alive, you meet Luhan, and you believe you can trust him. You never imagined that he might be the one you should be running from.

Part: Prologue I 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I Final

**

This city was beautiful. The touristy parts, anyway. You were sure that – like every other city in the world – Beijing had its ugly scars, too. But you stayed in the areas that all the brochures and websites bragged about, saving you from having to see those not-so-shiny places.

You’d been saving up for this trip for the past year and a half. All your life you wanted to experience just one place new. Then you’d be perfectly content going back to your ordinary life with your office job. Or maybe this trip would just make you eager for the next one. It was kind of a toss up at this point in your youth. But you wouldn’t worry about whether or not you could be content with your boring routine until you were back home. For now, you’d continue exploring, taking in the beautiful, ancient architecture that was so unique to the region, visiting the art and history museums to learn more about what you were seeing, and trying all the street food you could get your hands on. Your main focus was to take in all that you could and not forget a single moment.

When you’d first arrived in Beijing, a nauseated feeling had bubbled up in your stomach. You were in foreign territory, completely on your own, with very little knowledge on how to navigate this roaring city. The feeling refused to die down as you checked into your hotel and searched the maps you’d been given by the front desk worker for something to eat. Even with as exhausted as you were from traveling, sleep didn’t come easy. By some miracle, however, you woke up the next morning much more at ease with your surroundings. Still nervous about getting lost or accidentally offending someone, but it wasn’t as threatening a feeling as it had been before. Going throughout your day, you nearly forgot all about your worries, too absorbed in your findings to pay attention to it.

By day three, you were practically a local. It was so magical, each new finding, that you couldn’t believe this was truly your reality, like soon you’d wake up to find it was all a dream.

“Oh, back again?”

You blushed as you bobbed your head in greeting. There was one vendor in the market place near your hotel that you kept coming back to. A mother and daughter team sold the most delicious baozi you’d ever tasted. Granted, your experience was limited to a few blocks, but it was a common street food and none compared to this dynamic duo’s. While the mother didn’t speak English, you were able to communicate with the daughter well enough.

“It’s my favorite treat,” you admitted shyly. The daughter waived you closer before pulling out two steaming, fresh buns, wrapping them carefully before holding them out to you. When you started to pull out your wallet, she shook her head. “No. These are just for you. Since you like them so much.”

You pursed your lips. “That doesn’t feel right.”

“You’ve been a loyal customer,” she laughed. “It’s the least we could do! However,” she rounded the cart, coming up close to you as she lowered her voice, “tonight is the Shangyuan Festival. My mother will be staying in, but if you would like to join me to make her happy that I won’t be alone, we’ll consider that payment.”

It still didn’t seem fair, but you laughed anyway. “Yes, of course!” You’d noticed the streets being decorated with paper lanterns since your arrival – some were the traditional round red ones you were used to, but others were shaped like flowers and animals, beautifully crafted and painted, making you stare in awe. “It’d be nice to have someone show me the festival.”

“Good! It’s settled then. We will close before the sun sets, so meet me here then. We’ll walk my mother home and then I will show you the festival!”

You nodded eagerly. Before parting so you could hurry to your other planned activities for the afternoon, you finally learned the daughter’s name: Shishi. It was cute and not something you’d really heard before.

The afternoon hours seemed to fly by and before you knew it, the sun was beginning to disappear from the sky. As quickly as you could, you ran back to the stall, careful not to ram anyone down in the process. Shishi was still waiting for you patiently, her mother shaking her head at you in a scolding manner.

“I’m so sorry,” you huffed, half doubled over from your exhausting sprint.

“It’s okay,” Shishi laughed at you. “Let’s get Mother home and then we’ll attend the festival.”

You nodded and stepped back for her to lead the way. Their home wasn’t too far from the stall and once Shishi saw her mother inside, the two of you took off towards another district in the city where a big crowd had gathered near the Chaobai River.

Lanterns of all shapes and sizes hung from nearly ever ledge. Children ran around the streets while carrying sticks that held small paper fish on the ends of strings, making it looking like schools of fish were swimming through the air. Different sweet scents drifted up to your nose, making your mouth water.

Perhaps seeing that ravenous look in your eye, Shishi pulled you over to one of the vendors, getting each of you one of those sugar coated sweets made by the true experts of the trade. The artists didn’t have fancy, expensive culinary schooling; they simply had tradition and a love for the for food.

You continued to walk along the street in order to take in all the sights happening around you. This was the reason you’d come to the beautiful city of Beijing. The joy and laughter around you was infectious and you felt as if you were on the receiving end of a precious gift. All the pictures and blogs in the world couldn’t truly capture the feeling, the essence of the festival and the deep rooted traditions happening before your very eyes. No matter what happened to you on this trip, you knew tonight would be something that you would never forget.

**

Luhan leaned back in his chair and waited rather impatiently for the underling to arrive. It was ten minutes past the time he was told to be here and Luhan was losing his patience.

For the past month, he’d had a man inside the main police department of Beijing and he needed his updates. Lately, the cops had been one step ahead of him while conducting his deals, putting several of his suppliers behind bars and ruining his business. His own customers were getting antsy, hence why he needed the information to squash the rat.

Leaning up against the wall to his right, Kris chewed on a toothpick between his teeth. “I thought he was supposed to be here by now.”

“Unfortunately, Xiaofei isn’t known for his punctuality,” Luhan huffed. He picked up the glass ball he kept on his desk and inspected it, although there was nothing wrong with the small paperweight. In the low lighting of his office, he could only make out a faint shadow on the smooth glass rather than his reflection. The small globe was almost completely see-through except for the etched continents covering the surface. While he couldn’t quite say that he held the world in his hands, the little globe gave him a sense of accomplishment, even when things went a little askew.

“I still think we should have sent someone else,” Tao whined from the couch. He was staring up at the ceiling, hands folded behind his head for a pillow as he reclined on his back. His suit jacket was draped across the back of the couch to save it from wrinkling.

Luhan rolled his eyes. He was tired of having this conversation over and over again. “Xiaofei already had connections within the office, I’ve told you that. Plus, he’d be able to blend better than most.”

There weren’t many people in the world Luhan could trust, the top two being in this room. Everyone who worked for him was under constant surveillance and he occasionally had to clean out the filth with little crumbs of fake information. It was how he survived all these years. The Chinese underworld was ruthless. He hardly had a moment where he wasn’t watching his back.

Just then, the door to the office creaked open. Tao sat up, eyeing the crack that wasn’t quite big enough to let a human through while Luhan placed the globe back down on the desk with a heavy thump. The vaguest outline of a shadow, visible against the white door frame, flinched at the sound. Luhan could practically smell the stench of fear radiating off of the underling from his seat.

Picking up his feet and placing them back down on the floor, Luhan growled, “Just come in before I lose my patience and shoot you through the door.”

That little threat did the trick. Xiaofei scurried inside the office, closing the door behind him with a sound that was halfway between a click and a slam. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as if he was trying to keep the contents of his stomach from spilling out onto the rug. The police uniform Xiaofei had been given was wrinkled and half untucked. Were his men really such slobs?

Clearing his throat, Xiaofei straightened up and then bowed at a ninety-degree angle. He was putting on a brave front, they all knew. And Luhan would let him play his little act.

“Sir, I have not been able to find the leak within the department as of yet.” The voice that left Xiaofei’s mouth didn’t match the round, burly face he was born with. It was of a higher pitch, not fit for his age. The face that Luhan imaged the voice belonging to was one of a rat, pointed and sharp, all the features focused in on the center. It was a face that fit Xiaofei’s character much more closely.

“Did you even really try?” Tao spat. His dark eyes were narrowed at the underling. He was not one to take kindly to a lack of results.

“Y-yes, sir,” Xiaofei bowed quickly to the silver-haired boss. “The department is very tight-lipped. They don’t take too kindly to new faces. It’ll take me another few months to get them to trust me.”

“We don’t have another few months,” Kris snarled, flicking the toothpick at the trembling man. The little piece of wood stuck to Xiaofei’s shoulder, but he made no attempt to brush it away, accepting the small but humiliating action.

Luhan let out a long sigh in order to make his displeasure known in a much more subtle manner. “Xiaofei.” The man flinched at the sound of his name even though Luhan didn’t raise his voice above a causal level. “Before I sent you in there, you swore to me that you had connections inside. Now, that wasn’t a lie, was it?”

“No, sir, I swear!” Xiaofei staggered on his feet as he tried to plead for his life. As soon as Luhan stood, the coward fell to his knees in a showy sign of respect. “My connections are good. It’ll just take a little more time. Please. I will find the leak. I swear it.”

Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, Luhan bent down and stared Xiaofei down. “You have one month left. I suggest you bring me back something viable at the end of that time frame. If you don’t, then you’ll be replaced.” Letting him go with a forceful shove, Luhan headed for the door. He only paused long enough to give one last warning. “I like to think of this organization as a well-oiled, well-maintenanced machine. The only way to keep it working is to upgrade the parts that have become useless. And there’s only one thing to do with useless parts, isn’t there?”

Though Xiaofei didn’t look back at Luhan, the shiver that ran down his spine and shook his shoulders was visible enough proof that the message had been received. With confident steps, Luhan glided down the hall of the mansion he called home. Soon, he would find out who was undermining his operations and he would make sure they regretted ever going up against The Deer before he ended their life for good.

**

Your feet were aching and throbbing, but you still weren’t ready to go home for the night. Stuffed full of delicious street food made only during this special time, you continued to follow Shishi through the crowds, stopping every once in a while to watch a choreographed dance by a group of performers ora magic show put on by a man you suspected might be tricking the audience in more ways than one.

The stars above were beginning to come alive for the night, adding to the mystical atmosphere. Only the strongest were able to be made out against the fading backdrop thanks to the stronger lights of the city. It made you a little sad, not being able to see a sky full of twinkling stars, but you pushed that emotion away, preferring to focus on the happier commotion around you.

However, when you brought your eyes back to the festival, Shishi was gone. You whirled around several times, but you couldn’t find her. Over and over, you called out, but no reply was ever sent back your way. Frantically, you shoved through the crowd. Had something happened to her? Or had you simply been separated? It was your own fault for dawdling and not paying attention. Panic was starting to set in. Until you saw a familiar bun of black hair resting on top of a head that was about Shishi’s height.

You followed the bun through the crowd until the owner disappeared into an alleyway. She took a few more twists and turns before you finally caught up to her, grabbing her shoulder in relief.

“Shishi!”

When she turned around, however, you were frustrated to find that it wasn’t your friend, but a stranger you’d never seen before. She threw you a snarled look even as you bowed out an apology over and over again. Soon you were alone again and utterly lost. The only light to see by came from the more occupied main streets, but you weren’t sure which one you should head towards to try and find your way back. Every direction looked the same. You cursed yourself for not paying more attention the further you got from the main street.  

Crash!

You jumped back against the brick wall, collapsing down to hide in the shadow of a dumpster when you saw a man fall to the cracking asphalt, his head bouncing off the ground as he landed hard on his back. Even in the dim light, you could make out a stream of blood running down from his nose and over his lips before dripping off his chin. When another man stepped into your line of vision, you shrank farther back, practically melding with the grime-covered trash bin.

The man who was still standing pulled out a gun and pointed it down at the one on the ground. As if knowing that his end was near, the first man simply groaned and turned his face upwards towards the sky. The man with the gun chuckled and began speaking in Mandarin. You couldn’t understand a majority of the words leaving his mouth, but one word did stick out to you: Lu. He repeated it a few times, mixed around in sentences that you couldn’t make out.

Then he shot the man on the ground, the bullet slicing through his forehead.

You couldn’t stop the gasp that your shock and horror forced out. Immediately, you slapped a hand over your mouth, praying that he hadn’t heard you. Seeing that there was just enough space between the wall and the dumpster, you scrambled to better hide yourself, hoping that you weren’t simply jumping into the barrel for an easier target.

Footsteps slowly headed in your direction, crackling the loose pebbles under his shoes with each step. You squeezed your eyes shut and sent up a silent prayer to anyone who might be listening. And apparently, someone was.

Sirens blared from a street close by. You barely caught the man disappearing around the corner when you risked opening your eyes. Slowly, you crawled out from behind the dumpster. Your hand landed warm and sticky, making you jump back with a scream when you realized it was blood pooling out from the dead man’s head.

Two new voices shouted and you threw your hands up to show you were unarmed. A bright light made you squint and you couldn’t tell who was approaching you, but you hoped it was the police. The light finally lowered. You let out a sigh of relief. The two officers lowered their guns and exchanged dumbfounded looks.

You had no idea what kind of mess you’d stumbled into.

[amoveablejake]

The Death Star Versus, um, The Death Star

Bayern Munich against PSG, a Champions League final preview, sort of. 

Before I begin this, I have a small disclaimer. I was not going to write a Champions League Final piece. I just wasn’t going to do it. I have sat at my keyboard for the past half an hour starting and then deleting quite a few different ideas for today’s entry but none of them have clicked. I think thats mainly because today is quite a big day in the world of football and even though this is not a football blog I feel that as I have mentioned it here and there I would be remiss if I did not talk about one of the biggest games in the football calendar. But I promise, this isn’t going to be a traditional football piece and I will try to make it at least somewhat interesting for those of you who don’t care at all. And then tomorrow we’ll have an album of the week post to absolve me of my sins. 

Perhaps I should explain the title. Bayern Munich and Paris Saint Germain are two giants in European football. No, they are two juggernauts. The difference there being that they should not only be classed as huge but as overwhelming forces aswell. They are also both seen in their own ways as bad guys. Bayern are perhaps seen as the bad guys in the Bundesliga as they are just so damn good and it seems that no one can stop them. Well, not yet anyway but as I’ve mentioned before I am a die hard Dortmund fan and I have every confidence we will take that title one day but lets get back to business. PSG because, well, a lot of people have an issue with their owners. PSG are owned by Qatar Sports Investments which means that they are state owned team. Yes, this does mean that they get a lot of money and whatever advantages comes with that isn’t really the issue here, the issue is that a state owns a football team. That shouldn’t be allowed. I’m sorry, but it shouldn’t. A football club should not be owned by one autonomous power especially one that, how do I put this delicately, has some of its own problems on the global stage. Now, we won’t get too deep into the weeds about PSG’s ownership here but its important context to know as we move forward. 

Paris Saint Germain are a team I like. I don’t like the ownership, and I don’t like that the team is being used more as a brand than a club, see Nike and its almost celebrity status for further details, but I do like the actual club. I love Paris as a city and so naturally I looked to their football team. I did not know when I was younger the problems that it has off the pitch but on the pitch I liked what I saw. And also, they play in Ligue 1 so they are Europe’s underdogs. That might sound like an odd thing to say when they are backed by a financial powerhouse and win in France 90% of the time but thats just it, they win in France. Now, before I make a lot of French enemies here, this is not a dig at Ligue 1. Its a good league, but PSG is a big fish in a small pond. It does not have the same competition that exists in Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga and especially the Premier League. Thats okay, it just means that when it comes to the Champions League they are sort of the underdogs. Also because they have never won Europe’s most prestigious trophy. If it was any other team in the final tonight playing against Bayern, five time champions, I think they would get unanimous support especially a team who could make history but because it is PSG neutral fans are left with a decision to support the Death Star or, the Death Star. 

It is always nice to see a team win something for the first time and as I said I do sort of like PSG, but I don’t want them to win. I don’t think they should. If they win it would be validation for the way the team is run, and it doesn’t need that. I don’t want it to have the praise for winning when quite frankly it is run appallingly and is not the team that it used to be. Yes it wins every year in France but at what moral cost. I would rather support a team with a conscious who loses then a juggernaut with absolute power. If we can look past all of that it is a dream final, two teams that play some very exciting football will come together for what I’m sure will be a historic match but I don’t think I can look past PSG. And Bayern, they’re not really a Death Star, not in the same way at least. They’re a team that are just so damn good and if you don’t support them then ofcourse they’re the bad guys. But at least they’re bad guys who are sad about blowing up Alderaan. 

As I said up top, this wasn’t a piece that I wanted to right but I felt perhaps that I should. I felt I should because it is an important game but also because its an opportunity for the spotlight to be on an ownership scheme that should just not exist. I know its only football but sometimes, it can be way more and this, this is one of those times. So as much as it pains the Dortmund fan in me, Bayern don’t let us down. 

[bugaboowritings]

How Animan Worked Out (With Masc!Mari) Fic

Nino has a fat man-crush on Mari. 

Made it gay thanks to @knoxursoxoffpenwriter69. 

At this point, I think I want to rewrite episodes with Masc!Mari. It’s a nice task and good exercise to make me more creative with set ending. Plus, it’s fun to put my own twist on things. Also I used ‘american’ terms for the school system since it’s easier to understand, but if you know what is what in french please do tell me. 

Masc!Mari is an AU created by @daloochsdoodles. 

“Sorry, Alya.” Mari grimaced, swinging his locker closed. “I have to babysit that day. Even if Manon gets picked up early, it takes me a good day to a week to bounce back.” Shivering as he thought about the glitter incident. A nightmare that he still can't forget.

Alya hummed in agreeance. “She’s truly a wild card." Pressing her lips together like she always did when she had a counter-argument. "Buuuuutttt- try having two Manon’s living with you 24/7.” Alya stomped her feet and made her best “baby-doll eyes” impression. “But Mari, pleaseeee! Hang out with your best friend before we become old and grey and regret missing out on the good old days.”

Mari gave her a blank stare. Informing her that she wasn’t winning this battle. Alya signed in defeat. “Okay, are you at least free to get lunch?”

“I can always open my schedule up for food.” He confessed. Making Alya roll her eyes and push him back playfully. Only to stop laughing when he missed his footing and tip back a little too far. Alya’s face suddenly switches from joy to pure horror. Happening all in slow-motion as Mari felt his soul leave his body. Prepared to feel his back land on the cold floor. Panicking, even more, the moment Mari felt someone’s shoulders with against his. Dragging an innocent soul to his clumsy doom.

“MARI! Oh my god!” Alya rushed to her knees picking up the papers that went flying up in the air as a loud smack hit the floor. Watching her best friend went on autopilot. Spitting out apologies like they were hot coal in his mouth. Mari’s face burned up with embarrassment.

“I’m so so so so sorry- I didn’t mean to. Gosh, my luck isn’t the best. I’m so sorry about this, here let me help you-” He stammered, quickly scooping up the loose-leaf paper on the floor.

“It’s fine. Really.” The other person mumbled, shoving everything in their backpack. Keeping his voice low to make less of a scene. “You don’t have to worry much, rea- Mars?”

Mari broke their neck at that. He hasn’t heard anyone call him “Mars” in some years. It was an old nickname that he picked up when he was a planet in a school play. Playing the planet “Mars” and singing a song about its carbon dioxide atmosphere. Cringing when he thought back at it. His performance was so memorable that his whole class started renamed him after his character.

“Uh- Nino?” Mari questioned back before getting a nod from him.

“Wow, Nino. It’s good to see you again!” Mari beamed. Standing up now to his full height. Looking back at Nino before handing off his work. “I haven’t seen you in like- forever.”

Nino admitted the same thing. Not helping himself as he gawked at Mari’s height. Normal reaction after meeting a friend that doubled in size since middle school.

“I’m sorry, again.” Mari shyly smiled, looking around for any more lost papers. Tensely itching the back of his neck.

“No! No-no problem.” Nino jumped. Hiding the red that appeared on his face with his cap. “We’ll all good, really dude.” Bring another sunny grin to Mari’s face.

Coughing to bring their attention to her. “Then that means you forgive us making you almost making you lose your report, Turtles, the Best Pal of The Sea,” Alya judged, raising her well-groomed brows at that title.

"If you're going to bullshit your essay, spice it up."

“Alya.” Mari shushed, receiving her “what” face. Shrugging off her friend's looks before handing it to Nino who said,

“It’s a report for Mr. Malume. He said to write an essay that 'fun or meaningfully'. I wrote it last minute and Noel had 'Finding Nemo' on repeat the whole day- yesterday so I guess that 'inspired' me.”

Alya couldn’t help the chuckle that came up from her throat. Mari snorted.

“Hope it goes well then.” Already turning around before saying, “I’m Alya by the way. Mari’s best friend.” She held out her hand for Nino to shake. “A.k.a. the editor of the Ladyblog and lover of muffins.” Ignoring Mari’s eye roll as she shameless plugged in her blog.

“Sorry to cut our time short, Nino, but I was promised lunch by a friend.” She hinted, motioning Mari to follow her lead.  

“You know where the bakery is at right?” Mari asked. Letting Alya go-ahead to their usual spot.

“The best bakery in Paris?" Nino praised, slinking his bag around his shoulders. "Couldn’t forget it.”

“Great. Then you should totally come by.” Mari trailed off. Walking backward before shooting him a wink. “Don’t be a stranger.”

Leaving the DJ alone by his thoughts and shit essay as Mari caught up with Alya, who had a sudden craving for some fries.

----------

Sipping the last drop of her smoothie with her chewed straw, Alya finally asked the question that bubbled in her mind. "So Nino and you have a long history then?"

"We were friends back when we were like eight or twelve or something." Mari closed the white kitchen cabinet. Letting his hand rest on the handle as the other pulled out two bowls for their ice creams.

"God, it's been too long." He mumbled, tugging on his lip, in deep thought about the last time he had a proper conversation with Nino. Not noticing Alya sucking the air out of her cup like she was a fish out of water.

"I haven't spoken to him after I started my tr- actually that's a lie. We spoke at a school assembly! Granted it was a 'hello' and 'good-bye'. . ." Mari thought back to his old memories with Nino. They were the same classes for some years. Up until the beginning of high school is when they quit having lessons together.

"Ah," Alya hushed. "Tea?" She smirked.

"Shush Alya." Throwing a metal spoon he drew from the kitchen drawers. "Don’t make it seem like we ended on bad terms." Not stopping the reporter's stupid grin as she only giggled some more.

-------

The bakery’s bell jingled as Nino pushed opened the front door. The scent of baked goods calmed his nerves. Relieving him since the whole walk there was a hot mess. Nino tried prepping himself mentally to not freak out or mess up his words since he planned to hang out with Mari the whole day. SO he had to try his best to not become a total mess-

"Nino!" Mari greeted, looking up from the counter. Swiftly wiping his hands on his apron then sweeping back his messy hair. 

OH NO, HE’S HOT! 

I’m a total mess, Nino acknowledged as his palms grew sweaty. 

 "I didn't expect to see you.” Quickly adding, "-this early, I mean. Most people I know aren't really morning people." Mari explained, not noticing how Nino awkwardly smiled back. Fatigue seemed to trickle off Mari’s face once he saw his friend. Showing off a toothy grin. 

Which made Nino crossed between relaxed and hella nervous (which should have to cancel out, but those two emotions just wrestled in the pit of his stomach) as Mari’s eyes stopped the words from coming out of Nino’s throat. Mari could bring anyone to ease with one of his smiles, but there was something about his eyes that made people sweat and burn. Nino's face composes a thin smile, nodding to whatever Mari was rambling on.

"-breakfast then. Right, Nino?"

"What?" Nino slapped himself mentally. Excusing himself and asking Mari to repeat himself.  Already praying for an Akuma attack to save him from this moment.

"Do you want anything?" Mari nodded toward the pastries which were fresh from the oven. Still warm from toasting to a golden brown.

"It's my treat."

"I have to clean up before we can go out so you have something as you wait." Already pulling a clean plate by the counter. Motioning to the glass display between them for Nino to take a look. 

Nino wanted to say that he didn't want anything, but his brain didn't like the idea that Mari could possibly take offense for denying a free pastry. Or then like him less. Which could make Mari not want to hang out or maybe even be his friend. Nino's adolescent mind could write novels using the outrageous scenarios it made up on the spot. It wasn't until he met Mari's eyes again. Which like a wave, brought him back to ease.

"The chocolate croissants are calling my name." He hummed. Causing Mari to chuckle.

Okay, maybe this isn't so bad, Nino thought. Returning Mari’s bright smile. 

----

Mari slurped the last drop of his slushie. "How did you know about the panther? I came here like, not even last week and didn't even see ANY of this!" Throwing his hands up to motioning all the panther posters. Holding up his drink to prove his point. "They even had themed-food! Granted, it's just a different cup but still!!" Mari's enthusiasm gradually rubbed off to Nino, who couldn't help to laugh at Mari's reaction to everything. It was like watching a little kid gush about an amusement park. Making him feel like time hasn't passed between them. As if they were eleven again. Mari surely had that part down since he acted like it.

"Mari!"

Nino and Mari both turned to see two guys their age walking towards them. Turns out it's Max and Kim. Max waves as Kim raised his arm in salutation.

"Yo, Mari! Nino!"

"Hey, Kim, Max; what are you doing here?"

Kim gave a smug grin."We heard the new panther's here. I wanna see who's get the bigger guns!"

Kim shamelessly flexed his arms before getting a comical eye-roll from Max. Nino heard Mari whisper under his breath if he was the only one that didn't know about the panther. Not helping the chuckle that slipped his lips. Earning him a light elbow jag from Mari.

"Do you want to come with us?" Max promptly asked.

Nino stopped the panic from dripping into his words. "We were actually on our way to see it. . ." Nino trailed off. The whole point was to get close to Mari, not with the boys. Nino was already cooking up a plan to get out of this mess.

"Cool!" Kim grinned. "We can just head there together!" Throwing his arms over Nino and Mari, pulling them to the panther enclosure. All without a second thought.

--------

Otis, the panther's care keeper, slid a metal dish covered in raw meat at the foot of a tree. Watching the black feline gracefully leap down from its playground to this meal. Otis rubbed the bridge of his nose in thought before scribbling something down in his notes. Flipping thought them before marking some charts and - then messing up a whole page with his blue pen in shock. Scorning the source of the sound that spooked him and the panther. Not to his surprise, it was a child banging on the glass. However, not any child but a teen with nonsense for brains.

"Whoa! Look at the size of that piece of meat it's eating!"

"Kim, don't hit the glass like that!" Mari barked, bothered by his actions. Kim didn't budge from his spot as he gawked at the black cat. Nino watched Max suddenly type something in his phone before informing them more about the panther.

Dropping another fact, "It's a typical diet for this feline species since it requires the strength to run at speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour." Looking up from his screen to see the panther himself. Moving closer to the cage in awe. "So it needs quite the amount of calories."

Everyone nodding to that as they watched the wild animal rip up its lunch in smaller pieces. All as if it was an episode of Animal Planet in front of their eyes.

Of course, Kim had to ruin the tranquil moment.

"60 miles per hour? Is that all? I could have sworn panthers were much faster than that." Bending his legs in some simple stretches like the ones he did before a swim or a race.

"I bet that I could beat it in a race."

Squishing his face on the glass screen again. Cooing at the panther. "Hey, kitty, kitty. How about a little race with me, huh? Last one's a rotten egg!"

"Kim, calm down."

"Cocky, are we?"

"With a 6 feet-per-second wind behind you and 45 degrees to the north-east... I don't think you'd be a rotten egg. You'd be lunch."

"Not another challenge, please."

The group reasoned with Kim to stop provoking the animal. Which grew more aggravated every minute Kim stood there. Knocking it in his head that they WEREN'T here to do that. Not noticing the growing frown on the zoo keeper's face. Hushing curses as Otis jingled his keys to find the right one to the door.

"Kim, have some sense and leave the animal alone." Mari snapped. Flicking Kim's forehead. "You're making the panther growl and the zookeeper here is about to kick us out if you continue!"

Kim sighed, letting his shoulder slump down. "You guys are no fun." He huffed. Nodding his head towards another exhibit. Already leaving as he got his last remark in.

"Let's leave that poor widdle kitty alone with its babysitter!"

Followed by an ow as Mari kicked him.

-----

"Serious, you are no fun."

"Neither is this. Pass." Nino huffs. Dropping his outrageous dare before Kim could have the chance to change it.

"Rinnnngggg! There's the bell," Max held on to an imaginary microphone before commentating, "Nino has now lost his ability to reject this next truth or dare. If he still has the guts to say no then he gets the ultimate punishment. Care to explain it, Mr. Dupain Cheng?"

Mari held back their laughter. Holding on his own imaginary mic and his earpiece. Mustering up the best newscaster voice he had. "Thanks for that Mr. Kante. If Nino dares to reject this truth then he will have the chance to win a trip to clean Kim's gym locker for the next wee-"

"MARI!"

Confused to hear his name called out again, Mari turned around. Having the boys follow his actions until they came to view a pretty girl with glasses. Waving to Mari, who like a puppy-dog raced to her before excusing himself from his friends.

So long for alone time, Nino mumbled.

Kim, Max, and Nino watched as Mari hugged the girl. Both exchanging some words before the girl started to throw her hands around. They were a bit too far to hear what they were saying but by the looks, she had something important.

-----

"BIG! Not just the run of the mill story but it's BIGGER, Mari!" Alya exclaimed. Barely able to hold her excitement in. "The best part of it is that Nadja asked me directly! SHE WANTS ME on this STORY! She wanted ME to report on it!" Alya gushed, not believing that this isn't a dream, but reality!

"That's amazing!" Mari cheered. Feeling the high Alya was one as she screamed at him on how her dream was on the verge of coming true.

"RIGHT!" She huffed, throwing her hands around. Almost tossing up the bag she had in her hands. "I just knew that I had to tell you in person-Crappppppppppp." Losing her enthusiasm as she noticed the bag and the time on her watch.

"I have to go give my dad his lunch. I left the twins with Nora, so I have to split before things get out of control." Alya and Mari pulled each other in a hug before Alya dashed off to her father's office. 

"I'll call you!" Mari yelled. 

"Better." She replied. Not having to turn around for Mari to know that she still had her grin. 

-----

"Seriously, dude." Nino groaned. "Mari doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Well, who was that chick then?" Kim pushed on. Poking Nino's shoulder before brushing him off. "Mari has been a loner for like -ever! Why is he covered with ladies, now!?"

"If any girl that Mari talks is his girlfriend, then he's married to all of Paris then!"

"That's Alya Cesaire," Max pulled up her Instagram. "She's the editor of the Ladyblog and is the new girl from our school. She recently moved for her father's new job and her mother works at Le Grand Paris. Not to mention her sister is notorious kickboxer here. Getting the best seats at every match she fights in." 

Nino and Kim looked at Max with blank stares.

"What?"

"Max, how did you even-"

"She's tagged Mari in a lot of her pictures." He nonchalantly says. Before liking one of Alya's photographs. "Everything else is in her bio."

Before the boys could even say anything else, Mari came back running. Mumbling a 'sorry'. At that moment, Kim jumped the gun before Nino could try and shut him up.

"Dupain-Cheng," Kim smirked, wiggling his brows. "When were you going to tell us that you were off the market?" Slinking his arm around Mari's broad shoulders.

"What market?"

"Kim, just stop." Nino hissed now clearly annoyed. However, that made Kim more pushy the more he was told no.

"You know, the market." Wiggling his eyebrows more furiously. AS if that would help and make his point. Kim just looked like an idiot.

". . .What."

Max stepped in, "Kim thinks that Alya and you are an item." Double tapping on another picture.

Mari couldn't help but awkwardly laugh at that. "Bold of you to assume that I'm taken."  Shrugging off Kim's arm. "Alya and I are just close friends."

With that Nino sighed a breath of relief. Mumbling a 'thank god', slumping down to a nearby bench. Quickly losing the color from his face once again. He didn't say that out loud, did he? Looking back to his friends who looked back at him with a perplexed expression. Kim then broke the silence with a loud gasp. Max looked up from his phone, connecting the dots in his head. Mari's face grew a big grin.

Plotting his hand by Nino's head, Mari leaned in. Watching as Nino's blush grew bright and bright. Mari's nose scrunched up, a cute quirk he had for years, something he did when he was examining something thoughtfully. Mari's dark eyes narrowed making Nino sweat bullets.

"Nino, oh my god!" Mari exclaimed. "You have a crush!"

At that point, Nino had two options. Confess to him or play dumb. However, his knowledge of romance from soap operas told him to shout:

Yes, I do Mari. It is you that I care for.  I know we been through much and been away from each other for some years. However, that hasn't stopped the passion in my beating heart for you. You are still the Mari I know and care for. Please let's stay together as we developed our bromance. Let me be your rock. Let me be there when you have a rough day. Let me hug you and smell the flour and sugar on your sweatshirt after working a long day in the bakery. Dude, I would do it all for you. Just let me-

Nino decided to play dumb before his mouth spilled out a whole ballad.

"Whattttttttttt." Nino squawked. His voice was now higher than normal. "Whatchu mean?" Pulling his head back like a turtle going in his shell. "I don't have a crush on anyone."

"That's the biggest lie of the history of lies." Kim jumped. Swiftly pushing his way to Nino's face. "Luckily, we have a way to break liars here." He grinned.

"Nino Lahiffe, you own us a truth." Kim huffed. Crowded by three curious guys, Nino was in a position he wouldn't want anyone in. “Or you will be cleaning my gym locker after practice.” 

Nino frowned at that. “Why is that even the punishment? Can’t you easily do that?” 

“WE’RE ASKING THE QUESTIONS HERE!” Kim barked. Only to regain his stupid grin from before. Making the hair on Nino’s neck raise. He felt his weak knees buckling in place. His arms growing heavy as his stomach was rocked with his boundless anxiety. Mom's spaghetti    

"Do you like Alya?"

what.

 "What?"

"I mean the signs are all there. He got irritated whenever we were talking about Mari and Alya being a thing." Kim pressing the fingers in his hands as he went on. "He even told us to knock it off when we were thinking of ship names."

"Not to mention, he seemed pretty relieved to know that they were still single," Max noted, pushing up his glasses to the bridge of his nose.

"Come on, guys," Nino reassured. Trying to play it cool. "You are just imagining things." Picking at his ear. Avoiding eye contact.

They were off by a mile, but they were getting too close for his liking. 

"He's totally is crushing on her." Kim smiled all smugged. "The denial  just proves it."

----------

Yeah, Lady Beetle knew it wasn't right, but he just couldn't help himself. He loved playing matchmaker and he felt like Andre, the Ice Cream Man, the moment he "protected" Nino and Alya from the Akuma attack by locking them together in the empty gorilla cage.

Ignoring Chat's stare as he evilly giggled to himself.

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S3 Ep 43: Tea Can Just Knock Over Joey Wheeler With Her Index Finger

Guys guys guys, my favorite Character is back. That’s right--the storyboarder!

So this episode looked helllla nice for a Yugioh episode (again, this is Yugioh, it will win no awards.) It wasn’t as nice and fluid as the episode where they temporarily killed off Joey Wheeler, but I give it a good 2nd place.

You can tell we’re getting to the climax of the season because they’re throwing down their most entertaining art people onto the screen, giving us about 5 zillion dutch angle fashion close-ups of Marik’s cabbage face, and a whole lot of zany and hard to very hard to draw fish-eye lens angles of Pharaoh.

Also, everyone wears flared bell-bottom pants now. New stylistic decision, as decided just now. Everyone in pants now has flares. Even if their pants are cargo pants. How very 00′s. (my pants were flares from like birth until 2006, it was a good trend, super comfy, bring it back.)

(read more under the cut)

First off, Evil Marik decided to rewrite Marik history a little bit with some hilarious retconning that only the most evil Marik would think is legit.

I mean I was there when Marik was introduced and was a complete asshole all of S2. I remember when Odion considered murdering the hell out of his little brother because this Marik guy was such freakin tool and his Dad was an evil cultist bastard. I...I’m gonna go on a limb and assume that calling Marik a “loyal servant” is a freakin stretch. Marik made his choices. Yes, his bad side killed his Dad, but they have made sure to indicate that yes, this is the evil inside of Marik, something that he himself caused--but most of the things that Marik has done (with the exception of killing his own Dad) is still Marik. He did that.

The fact that his evil side can’t quite connect that his good side and evil side are at all the same however, is fitting for an evil Marik to think. More and more, Marik and Marik are becoming 2 different people, and this game is the deciding factor to finally give this guy full autonomy of his other half.

We’ve seen this type of contrast before with Bakura and Ryou--where Ryou and Bakura don’t really get along but have always been clearly different people, so the culpability of what they do tends to fall on Bakura. (which is a pretty GRAND assumption, I still think Ryou is a precious but absolutely still shady little bastard) So, it’s a little different that Marik considers himself two completely different people when it’s just...not the same. Marik’s alter ego is just an ego. More like how Yami was in Season Zero but a little bit more evil. Both Marik’s have the same upbringing and the same source.

It’s been kind of an interesting progression now I can look back on it, where slowly the two have been clashing to the point that they are in fact different, disparate people now. The fact that Marik points out how his situation similar to Yugi and Pharaoh being a host is almost like “well yeah, it would have been nice to see how the whole Season Zero Yami evolved into more of a separate person over time, I’m glad you inferred that, and I’ll never get to see it, thanks” But again, all that is inferred. Whether Yami Yugi eventually became Pharaoh over time or whether Pharaoh is a big retcon of Yami Yugi for the new series in order to keep the culpability for what he does off of Yugi Muto was never directly spoken in the show so it’ll be left to your fanfictions.

Meanwhile, Yugi has decided that they’re going to try and purify the Marik situation and save the good side. This is sort of the Yugioh thing, to dispel the bad forces from people and leave behind hollow husks, so yeah...it tracks. I mean...there’s very little Marik left to save, but it’s better than a husk, amiright? Better than what happened to freakin PaniK, RIP. I’m sure erasing over half of your identity will go over real well for Marik and be absolutely painless.

And then we had a lovely scene that, for those people doing scene redraws from anime, as has been a popular trend on art blogs lately--this is your episode for Yugioh. This episode’s got moody lighting, we’ve subdued all our weird ass colors into one concrete palate (remember how green the carpet used to be?) we got interesting elements of Marik being here despite being chopped into pieces. We got so many ellipses drawn in perspective (y’all I could write an entire posts just about ellipses but I’ll spare you). It’s like Yugioh gave itself a redraw.

I can’t believe this shot came out of freakin Yugioh.

Also, this guy was an ASSHOLE for the past 2 seasons but the show was like “time to make him likeable” and so they dropped some good ass cinematography and sung that sad backstory tune on the trumpet and you know what? It works.

+++++++++++++++RANT ABOUT REDEMPTION ARCS FEEL FREE TO SKIP THIS MASSIVE WALL OF TEXT++++++++++++++++++++++++

Now I think the arc of Marik is pretty simple and people are pretty chill with it. But, I’m gonna talk about villain redemption arcs just in general--gonna sidetrack a little from Yugioh for a moment. Partly because I watched 6 seasons of Once Upon a Time, which is basically Villain Redemption Arc Controversy: The Show.

It bothers a hell ton of people when TV shows have to make a villain redeemable, but there’s only one episode left so they put their hands up and say “but I swear the good side of him was always good” But, does that mean Marik’s going to make up for all the murder and sending people to the shadow realm? No. He never will. Even if Marik was completely his bad half the whole time, it still wouldn’t make up for the damage done. Dead people are...DEAD.

Marik can’t actually make any choices right now to redeem his character. All he’s doing is accepting he will never be a full person ever again. Hence why he is in slices and pieces, and in several shots is trapped either in an empty glass or a window. The choice to redeem him is entirely on other people.

And that’s the thing about redemption arcs that I want to bring up--how much of a character’s redemption relies on what the villains do to “Make up for what they did”, and how much relies on everyone else to redeem them. I think the tendency is for people to assume that the villains should be doing 90-100% of the redeeming, but unless they have a time machine--they can’t do any. Even if they freakin die to sacrifice themselves it’s still like “that character was basically little Stalin, right?

I’ve seen like a million ways to write a redemption arc, but none of them, not a single one that I can think of, can ever truly make up for the things the villian has done. There’s no way that Darth Vadar was suddenly going to become a good Dad, no matter how many Palpatines he can toss into a...whatever that was at the end of that movie. That’s the riddle behind what makes redemption arcs so engaging--By all cultural standards these villains should always be tagged a “bad guy” but, we, the audience, are being challenged to ignore those standards.

And I know a lot of people see redemption arcs as a quasi-religious sort of adventure into atonement, where we’re supposed to see ourselves as the villain searching for some type of forgiveness from a higher, most-likely-a-reference-to-Jesus-power, but I don’t really see them that way. Maybe it’s because, I dunno, I haven’t killed anyone recently or possessed other people’s minds or strung them up to anchors and dropped them into the ocean. But if you see yourself as a Marik, then go for it, I won’t stop you.

But, to me, a redemption arc is more of a question posed for us as viewers. Since it is impossible for the writers to ever fully redeem a character, the only ones doing the redeeming are the people watching it, who’s reaction will differ wildly from person to person, and that’s what makes it fascinating.

And like, that’s my thesis here at the very last paragraph of this long meandering rant. Redemption arcs aren’t about “hey is this person good enough to be redeemed (because that will never happen)” it’s “are you too good to redeem that person?” It’s a large scale experiment on the viewers watching and that’s why it makes people so freakin pissed and uncomfortable. Every redemption arc calls them out directly, and for some people it’s just like--the world ends or something. I have seen actual internet mobs develop over...a villain redemption arc. Which is weird.

And so I’ll leave it with my other spicy take that...you don’t have to redeem every villain when the question is asked. I mean these aren’t real people. The questions of “would you redeem this person” is asked entirely hypothetically. And that’s what makes up stories, not just the interaction of the people inside the stories, but when it affects the moral structure of the readers directly, and seeing how for some people, that can be a very intense and deep reflection. (which usually leads to a hell ton of either retconning fanfiction or a hell ton of really, really angry posts)

bro’s just told me that Yugioh is just a redemption arc for season 0 Yami Yugi. Bro and his spicy headcanons. This one holds some water though, lol.

++++++++++++END OF A SUPER LONG RANT ABOUT VILLAINS THAT I HELD IN FOR THE ENTIRE 6 SEASONS OF ONCE UPON A TIME, WOW A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD OPINIONS ABOUT CERTAIN CHARACTERS THAT THEY JUST EXPECTED EVERYONE ELSE TO HAVE, AMIRIGHT????+++++++++++

Anyway, back to jokes.

Again, Storyboarder just...nailing these weird ass shoes that are somewhere between a dress shoe and a boot. Shoes are hard to draw, y’all. This storyboarder. And they even made sure that the shoes looked very small and precious the way Yugi shoes would be. Little Cinderella size 5 Yugi shoes.

Oh finally.

So it was only a matter of time before the people who actually care about being possessed noticed this situation, it just took like...a season longer than I thought it would. I’ll be honest it was quite cathartic for them to actually address for the first time in what feels like a long time “SHOOT, GHOSTS!?!?”

Although it was kind of funny that the biggest reaction to all of this came straight from Joey. Yugi still doesn’t care, Tristan’s decided to just accept this, and Duke is just slowly backing away. But Joey’s going to try and do the work that Yugi should have done last episode.

HOT DAMN.

So, lets go over the Yugioh power chart here. Tristan can punch out Bakura. Tristan can also defeat Seto Kaiba with a broomstick. Joey can kick Tristan, even when Tristan is armed with a broomstick, so hard that Tristan flew through a metal door and bent it completely over backwards. Tea, however, can knock Joey completely over with one single index finger.

How has this girl ever been abducted? Was she just bored?

Bro wants to bring up that she once incapacitated a man with her butt. Just falling on top of a guy and hitting him with her butt of steel. Was she even in danger from the shipping container when she could just bat it away? She once choked out Season 0 Yugi Muto. She was always fine.

Credit to Joey, he keeps trying, and it gives us, for the first time, a sneak peek into what it must be like for Yugi and Joey to hang out on the offtimes that Yugi switches over and Pharaoh hasn’t quite gotten the memo.

This is in fact, the second time that she’s done this.

(meanwhile, sitting next to Odion, is one single cargo pocket floating in the air, gently smoking a purple haze like incense)

Welcome back Odion! I only now just realized how freakin jacked your neck is.

Like y’all his neck is wider than his head, hot damn.

Anyway, this show is secretly all about the power of big brothers, so I assume he’s going to start the mile long crawl to the top of the tower and then just...walk in...just walk right into a shadow game...?

...no one thought to stay with Odion? Like not even Serenity? Or at least leave him a weelchair? what the hell?

Odion always gets the worst wrap, this poor guy.

Anyway if you just got here, this is a link to read these recaps in chrono order from the beginning and watch my progression of knowing nothing about Yugioh to knowing a lot about random facts about Yugioh but still knowing absolutely nothing at all just like Socrates.

And here’s that shot of Marik for y’alls anime scene redraws, knock yourself out.

[ducklooney]

My first fanfiction-Quack Pack fanfiction?!

Here is finally something to do, I would just ask for some mistakes that I have right now on fanfiction to correct me and show me some things that are wrong, since they are certainly written the way I imagine those things. Thank you in advance for your help. Since unfortunately not only on Tumblr, but also on Instagram and on Deviantart and other social networks there are few things related to the cartoon series "Quack Pack", I decided to write fanfiction. Since unfortunately there is not much fanart related to Quack Pack, I wish there was a little more, I actually thought I was drawing related to it, but since I do not have the conditions for it, and I draw on my computer and it turns out a little bad, I decided to do better with fanfiction writing, but not the ones most write, but quite different, mostly from my perspective, the way I would like it to be in my fanfiction. Who will and who will read and like what I will write about now (I will post at the beginning on my blog, then I will see what happens later), he can. Freely draw based on my story, and I would love to be a little more fanart related to the Quack Pack. I know the Quack Pack has had some problems and I'm sure to include many things in my fanfiction story, first and foremost from the comic book world, and this fanfiction is actually going to be some kind of crossover. Please note that this is my first fanfiction and there will probably be mistakes I make and please correct me. Thank you for your understanding. And if I forgot, it would mostly be based on Donald Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck (but in the Quack Pack version) and Daisy Duck, but there might be characters that could appear, but unfortunately they didn't appeared in the Quack pack but will certainly pop up in my fanfiction story, but it will be a surprise. There is so much to begin with, and I will certainly start over and this story will be divided into parts. Here I am going to start with my fanfiction story and I want you to enjoy my story and apologize in advance for some things I have offended by something and made some mistakes that made you offended and I apologize for that. And yes, if there are any questions, feel free to ask me. Here's a start:

Morning. It was dawn, actually. July month. Yesterday was over thirty degrees, and it's not easy for ducks to keep that temperature under so many feathers, and so is Donald Duck, who has experienced everything in his life and so on. He slept in one solid dream, and he certainly dreamed of beating the Evronians as a Duck Avenger, or of fighting Maui Mallard with his martial arts, or how he, as a Double Duck, perform special espionage missions to save the world or simply how he likes to fish on one lake and enjoy it. Whatever it is, he certainly loves that kind of dream. However, someone interrupts him, in the sense of someone or something interrupting his dream. Yes, it was a boring alarm clock and digital. It was four o'clock in the morning and Donald slammed his fist into his alarm clock to turn it off. He turned off the alarm clock and stood up all awake, realizing what day it would be like today. Yes, he will have a lot of work to do, both as a cameraman and as a reporter, but not with Kent Powers, who fired him long ago, but with Everett Ducklair, his chief. Yes, Donald hated Everett as much as he did Kent Powers before, as he kept upsetting his life by forcing him to do some trivial things instead of his main job, such as cleaning toilets, hallways, halls, and the like. Fortunately, for all his work, he was paid a lot of money, and with that Donald could be satisfied, first of all, because he devoted all his money to his beloved nephews. When he had some free time or a break at work, he thought of Huey, Dewey, and Louie, who were no longer young children and could soon be adults. They have long since entered puberty, their personalities have formed, and they will soon start whether or not for a year in high school. Although they had different traits, they still acted as a team except in some things. Donald, of course, first went to the bathroom to do his work, so he washed and brushed his teeth. Afterwards, he put on his Hawaiian shirt and went to have his breakfast. After breakfast, he got ready for work, but before he went to work, he wanted to go to his nephews' room to see if they were sleeping any longer. As they continue to sleep, Donald merely smiled at them and slowly approached them and gave them his parental kiss on their cheeks, but they did not notice or feel it after they slept soundly. Donald then left their room and walked down the stairs to retrieve his business bag. Yes, at that point it was five o'clock in the morning, but of course Donald had to get to work early, as his boss had ordered him to do. He had to be at work at six o'clock. So he took it in his bag, in the meantime he heard a loud voice, and Donald replied:

"Silence!", And gestured Donald with his index finger to his beak as a sign of silence, and pointed to the top floor, thinking it was one of his nephews. As the loud noise stopped, Donald turned to the hall and then to the door and meanwhile, his nephew Louie Duck appeared in his pajamas with a backwards cap and said to Louie his uncle: "Can I please Uncle Donald go with you to work?" "No!" Donald replies loudly, "you can't go to work, and besides getting out of bed now, is it too early to play and go to school?" "Uncle Donald, so we're on vacation now, school's not working during the month of July, have you forgotten that? Besides, we'll be alone when you're gone," Louie said, and Donald suddenly thought and put his hand on his forehead as that he had done something wrong. And they sit in a small chair in the hall.

I almost forgot about it. Yes, I worry about you, that something bad doesn't happen to you. I can't quite leave you alone. Especially not to my worst neighbor in the history of humanity, Neighbor Jones, and his family. It just makes a mess in my yard and makes my life even worse, and again I would not move, ”Donald said, sad. "Don't think so badly Uncle D, you're for my brothers and for me my best uncle, and also the best parent we have. You always think of us and keep an eye on us whenever you can, even if my brothers and I make hell instead let’s make paradise for you. ”Louie said as she approached her uncle. Uncle Donald hugged Louie crying with happiness and said, "You never make me hell, even if you sometimes ruin my house, but I'm very happy to have you, as if you were my sons and not my nephews. Without you I'm empty man." "Don't, Uncle Donald. So you have the best cousins you have, you have your girlfriend Daisy, who is also our aunt, you have Uncle Scrooge, you have best friends Panchito and Jose, and Goofy certainly, our mom Della, who is in space right now, and now I can't remember who else. But you have more support than you think, "Louie said, hugging his uncle. "Oooohh... Thank you Louie, but I have to tell you something and please promise me you won't tell your brothers or anyone, especially Fethry Duck. Okay?" "All right, Uncle Donald. But why?" Louie asked, wondering who was hiding something, since he was of such a nature that he neither loves nor can lie. "Here, Louie, why. You and I know that Uncle Scrooge and I had a fight, don't you?" "I know, Uncle D. I'm sad it must have happened, and I haven't seen Uncle Scrooge in a long time. I know he's a lot of stingy and hard-hearted, but I know for sure, and I believe he surely deep in our heart, thinks of us, and we probably miss him . ”Louie replies sadly. "Ooohh ... I know Louie, but then again, he only thinks of himself and his business and especially his money and I don't think I'm sending you there. In my opinion, better come to you Webby and Mrs. Beakly, than you to you go to Scrooge. And I wouldn't argue about it any more. Okay?!” "All right, Uncle D." Louie sighed miserably. "Next, my only real friends are Jose Carioca, Panchito, partly Goofy, Gyro Gearloose and Fenton. They are the only ones who give me confidence," Donald replied. "What about One? Lyla Lay? Kay K? Reginella? Don't they matter to you? And what about Fethry and Gus Goose?" Louie asked mysteriously. "Be quiet! Don't hear anyone. I know, but these are my private affairs, so don't talk to anyone about this or you won't go on adventures with me like Duck Avenger! Okay?!" - Donald replies angrily. "All right, Uncle Donald," Louie replies. "Yes, I know you very much love my cousin Fethry, or your further uncle, but I'm afraid to make a mess again so I have to pay big fines later. Remember the last time Fethry guarded you?" Donald asked. "I remember. But it was fun. We had a great time with Fethry and my cousin, or Fethry's nephew Dugan Duck," Louie says excitedly. "I know, but a mess was made, and besides, I had a lot of reports from my awkward neighbors. I can't allow such things next time. You understand what I'm talking about, don't you?" "I know, Uncle Donald. I know." Louie says sadly. "Then you know why I can't trust you, my cousin Gus Goose." "I know, because he only thinks about the food he eats all the time," Louie replies. "Not only that, but because he's too stupid," Donald replies. "Okay, but he's fun too," Louie replies. "Yes I know, but I can't take the risk again. What I'm talking about is babysitting, and since I can't trust everyone, I can only entrust that job to Dickie Duck, Goldie's granddaughter. I just hope she's not too busy writing her student master's work. " "Dickie is great. I don't mind being a babysitter. She's never bored with it," Louie replies happily. "I'm glad about that. I'll talk to her and if she's free, she'll come to watch over you. Okay?" "Ok, Uncle D." "Now, back to bed." "All right, Uncle." "And don't tell anyone about this, okay?" "Ok. And good luck at work, Uncle D."                                                                "Thank you Louie. Goodbye! See you in the evening," Donald said, getting up and heading for the door, in the meantime ringing the phone. "Who's calling this at this time ?!" Donald mumbled and picked up the phone and asked, "Who is it?" “Can I keep your nephews safe?” Fethry asked cheerfully in his sweater, living two blocks away from the Donald. "Noooooo!" - Donald angrily answered and hung up. Poor Fethry. All in all, he takes his bag and wristwatch, leaves the house, runs to the bus station, manages to catch the bus and leaves for work. However, it was six o'clock in the morning. Louie Duck goes to his room and goes to his deck chair (this was also his bed) and in his pajamas, wearing his cap on his head, reads a comic book while his brothers sleep. But Louie didn't read any comics related to super heroes, he read a comic about Darkwing Duck, which really existed in his world.

End of Chapter One.

[begoodstewards]

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day everybody. It’s the 50th anniversary, which seems a bit absurd considering Earth was here long before bipedal creatures started walking around naming things. It is flabbergasting to think that in 1970 our relationship with our home planet was so toxic that officially getting a single day to focus on repairing it seemed like a massive victory.

In the 200 years since the First Industrial Revolution we were already doing irreparable damage. Forests were clear cut at alarming rates, mountains were toppled and stripped of their substance, waterways were fished bare or polluted until they were uninhabitable, and the air was choked with smog and fumes. The Industrial Revolution brought more people out of poverty than any other movement in history, but it did so at the expense of our relationship with the earth.

In the last 50 years we have made great strides in mitigating the damage we inflict on the natural world. It’s a constant struggle, the balance between progress and conservation, but the 50-year trend shows we are heading in the right direction. Unfortunately, I cannot help but feel that we are addressing the symptoms and not the underlying root of the problem. The environmental movement is almost entirely about what we as humans do to the earth, and how to protect the planet from the human species. This good vs. evil paradigm leads to the politicization of any issue that hints at environmentalism.

The earth does not need our protection. It was here long before we were, and it will be here long after we are gone. We, as humans, need the earth. Using our ingenuity, we have invented ways to grow our population beyond that which our ecosystem could previously support. We have focused our efforts on technologies that allow us to get more from less so we can continue to become more prosperous. We have also created a bubble of consumption, but at some point, that bubble will collapse. Whether resource shortages, natural disasters, disease, or any of the other myriad disasters nature has up it’s sleeve our way of life is fragile and beginning to crack.

I have spent a lot of time, as I’m sure most of you have, over the last couple of months reflecting on my way of life. I think a lot about my grandparents, part of the Greatest Generation, that grew up in the Great Depression, fought the forces of evil during World War II, saw the moon landing and the development of penicillin, and witnessed the greatest advancement of technology and prosperity in the history of the world.  They taught me a lot about life and were massive influences on my worldview.

The stories that keep coming to mind for me right now are the ones from their childhood. They milked cows, worked the cotton fields, sewed their own cloths, cooked their own meals, played in the creek, and took long walks through the forest. These stories wrapped me in a fantasy world, a place similar to the world in which I lived as a child but quainter and in sepia tones. In middle school we were learning about the Great Depression when it dawned on me that they spent their formative years under the cloud of an historic economic downturn. I thought their experiences must be agonizing, like my grandfather’s memories of The War, which is why they hid them from me. When I asked them outright about their experiences during the Great Depression, I found that my assumptions could not be farther from the truth. All the stories about milking cows and jumping in the creeks were from the Depression era. They grew and raised their own food, built their own homes, made their own cloths. They were self-sufficient, and because of this they really had no idea that the Great Depression was even happening.

My grandparents found careers, my grandfather a carpenter and my grandmother a healthcare worker, and they moved to town. They built a modest ranch home in a nice neighborhood and made a decent living and their children grew up never wanting for much. Still, my grandparents tilled up a quarter acre in the back yard and planted a spring and fall garden every year. The flower beds surrounding the house would explode with color every spring, and the sweet gum and poplar trees would provide a glorious shade to cool off in the depths of August in the deep south. My grandmother would wash the disposable plates and put them back in the cabinet, and we ate cereal from re-used cool whip containers. This all seemed ridiculous at the time, and the grandkids would all giggle and poke fun. But, my grandparents knew what it was like to have to make the most of what they had, and the lessons from their childhood were not forgotten well into their nineties.

It’s amazing how a global pandemic can take the most complex aspects of our society and make them seem trivial, while simultaneously making the most basic aspects of human existence seem revolutionary. I think deep down that most of us realize how close we came, and still are, to total collapse. A lot of us are getting more exercise, planting gardens, and seriously reevaluating how we are using our resources. We are strengthening our relationship with the earth.

I started the Good Stewards of the Earth organization to help regular people get involved in outdoor recreation. I hoped maybe to one day lead hikes, give clinics, and possibly have a scout program. With all the goings on in my everyday life I haven’t had the time to make it much more than a title under which I collect pictures of me and the family out in the wild. I have also struggled to find a career that makes me feel that I am having a positive impact on society and nature. I work in the outdoor industry and I love my job, it has honestly gotten me closer to reaching that goal than any of my other careers. Still, I want to do more.

I believe right now is the time to grow the Good Stewards into an organization that truly benefits mankind, and to use my skill and passion to have a positive impact on the world. I want our focus to expand beyond outdoor recreation and to help people foster a relationship with the earth. I want to help people be more self-sufficient using skills I learned from my grandparents. I want to influence lawmakers and businesses to conserve our resources and make decisions that will make us less vulnerable to existential threats. I want to see a society where we benefit from our outstanding technological advances without losing sight of what makes us human.

Over the next few weeks, we will launch our new website, BeGoodStewards.org, and will begin drafting our mission statement and plan of action. We will begin a series of educational videos and blog posts too. We will start our search for a board of directors while filing with our Secretary of State’s office and petitioning the IRS for 501c3 status. We will also begin raising money to fund these endeavors. I’m also going to begin asking for help. If you can make a financial contribution it will be much appreciated, and if you have advice or encouragement that is even better. You can reach me at begoodstewards@gmail.com. If you have ideas or constructive criticism, please reach out. If you are inspired by our mission, please follow us on all forms of media and share our posts with your friends and family. Most importantly, join me in trying to be good stewards of the earth.