#posting schedu

[deepspacedukat]

Good Catch

This is just a little plot bunny that hopped into my brain. Literally no idea why, it just happened. So...enjoy! 😇

If anyone wants to be added to or removed from my taglist, let me know!

Cross-posted to AO3 here.

~*~

Vorik (ST:VOY) x Reader

[A/N: This is fluff with mild suggestiveness and a brief mention of a previous instance of Pon Farr.]

Warnings: Interspecies romance, Human/Vulcan romance, mild fear, idiots in love, both think their feelings are unrequited, mutual pining, angst, brief mention of past Pon Farr, spoilers for ST:VOY S3E16 "Blood Fever", mild spoilers for ST:VOY S4E1 "Scorpion Pt. 2", the beginning would make more sense if you watch S4E1 first but it's not entirely necessary, and I assume that you've seen "Blood Fever" if you're reading Vorik fanfics, so...🤷‍♀️, kissing, Vulcan hand-holding, touch telepathy, idk what else to put here because it's really just fluff.

~*~

The tension on the ship was already palpable when the chaos started. Everyone was on edge because of our uneasy alliance with a Borg cube, wondering how long it would be before they turned on us and tried to assimilate Voyager. The fact that Species 8472 had turned out to be hostile as well did nothing to alleviate the crew's stress.

With enemies in front of and behind us, all we could do was try to prepare to the best of our ability. I just hoped it would be enough. Vorik had been silent on our way to Engineering for the start of our shift. The silence itself wasn't troubling - Vorik was often contemplative early in the day - but the small frown just barely pinching his brows together...that was worrying.

Inquiring about his well-being had earned me no more than a noncommittal, murmured deflection. All I could think to do was give him a gentle smile and rest one hand briefly on his shoulder. Shockingly, that seemed to help. His forehead relaxed, smoothing out into his usual, calm, neutral expression.

For the next few hours, I noted that whenever I glanced over at his station, the Ensign seemed to have retained whatever sense of ease he'd regained in the corridor that morning.

Soon, however, all thoughts outside of my duties were wiped away. Red alerts began blaring, and it was all hands on deck as we struggled to regain control of Voyager from the Borg.

I'd just begun to cross the second level to access a different terminal when the ship gave an almighty jolt. Before I could brace myself, I was thrown toward the warp core. The low railing struck my back, and I let out a yelp of pain and fear as I began to tumble over the side.

Instead of finding myself flattened or shattered by the fall, however, a vice-like grip on my arm stopped my momentum and tugged me against a sturdy, warm chest. I grabbed at the shoulders of my savior, trembling with residual shock. Only after the ship steadied itself did I manage to catch my breath and glance upward.

Looking down at me with a protectiveness that I had never before witnessed from him, Vorik's shining brown eyes met mine.

"Thank you," I managed to squeak out, but speaking seemed as difficult for him as I'd found it to be. Instead, he nodded his head once and pressed our foreheads carefully together. Vorik knew I was terrified of heights.

After a moment, though, we were forced to pull away from each other and go tend to our duties. Short-lived comfort was all we could manage at times like that. Being stuck in fluidic space after we'd been forced there by the last surviving Borg onboard Voyager was definitely not the right moment to become distracted by our personal tension, even if it had been growing for years.

I knew nothing would ever truly happen between us, though. If he'd seen me as a viable partner, Vorik would've approached me when his pon farr happened the year before. Instead he'd gone for B'Elanna Torres, and I'd forced myself to stay away from him.

I'd requested a transfer to the night shift so that I wouldn't be on duty at the same time as him, and the few moments where our schedules overlapped, I tried to find reasons to be busy in other places.

Yes, his interest in someone else had stung, so I decided that until my own stupid feelings cooled down a bit, I'd keep my distance. Mostly, I just didn't want to embarrass myself in front of him. After all, that Vulcan could read me like a book, and at that particular point, I didn't want him to ponder my emotional state too closely. If he hadn't caught on to the fact that I loved him prior to his pon farr, I certainly wasn't going to change that after he'd made his non-interest known.

I hadn't been rude to him in the aftermath, especially since he was being viewed so poorly by so many of the crew for attacking B'Elanna in engineering, but I hadn't gone out of my way to talk to him, either. The whole situation was a mess, and although I didn't want him to feel alone, I definitely wanted to limit the number of opportunities that I had to make an ass of myself.

Eventually, though, it all came to a head one morning when I'd just finished my shift. As I approached the hall where my quarters were, I saw a familiar head of fluffy back hair standing at attention outside my door.

"Vorik?" I called, and he looked quickly in my direction. Standing even straighter - a feat that I hadn't believed possible - the Ensign acted formally, as if he was addressing a superior officer.

"Ensign, forgive me for disturbing you at this hour, but I...had hoped to speak with you in private," he said in that low, gentle voice that I...oh, I'd missed him more than I anticipated! I blinked in surprise, and opened the door to my quarters, answering his question.

"Would you like some tea or water or something? I know you need to go on duty soon, and I have some extra replicator rations...?"

"Thank you, but no," he murmured as we made our way over to my sofa. We'd held many debates and conversations here over the years, but it had been something like two months since we'd been together like this. I took a seat, but when he remained standing, I looked up at him curiously. "May I?"

"Vorik, we've been friends since before we came aboard Voyager. You know you never need to ask permission to sit down." He seemed surprised by my response, which, in turn, surprised me.

"I did not know if..." he stumbled over his words for a moment as he perched awkwardly on the cushion beside me. "After the incident in Engineering, I was uncertain whether you would be...comfortable with my being in close proximity to you."

I was silent for a moment as I processed what he'd said.

"You thought I'd be afraid of you?" My voice came out as barely a whisper, and when he nodded his head, my heart shattered in my chest. He looked so vulnerable, so afraid that I was going to scream at him or throw him out of my quarters.

"It is the logical conclusion. You did request a transfer to a different shift, did you not?"

Of course he'd found out about that. I don't know why I expected that to remain a secret.

"Yes, but it wasn't because I was afraid of you, Vorik." That may not have been the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie. He seemed relieved, but I didn't want him to dig too deeply, so I changed the subject with a smile. "Now, what brings you here before your shift? How can I help you?"

"My main goal was to ascertain whether I'd frightened you. My subsequent objective..." he trailed off with his brow furrowed. "Upon reflection, I do not know whether this is logical, but I wished to determine what would be required to restore our prior level of interaction. I find myself...troubled by your absence, both in Engineering and in our leisure hours."

"You missed me?" The question slipped out before I could stop it, and just like that, it was Vorik's turn to look surprised.

"Of course. Did you believe that I would be indifferent or pleased to be without you?" Nodding my head, I watched as my friend cautiously moved closer to me on the sofa and placed his hands on my shoulders. "You lend me much metaphorical strength. I value your counsel...and your friendship."

My self-imposed isolation had ended that night. I spoke with B'Elanna and got transferred back to my original shift, which is why Vorik was there to save me when I nearly fell over the railing. If it hadn't been for him, I'd likely be lying in a crumpled heap on the lower deck by now. We'd rekindled our friendship after that lapse, but I knew it would never become anything more.

Regardless, Vorik had saved my life, and I resolved that once we were out of danger, I'd show him how grateful I was.

--

One minor war later, Vorik and I exited Engineering with the rest of our shift, and without a single moment's discussion, I found myself being led by a firm hand grasping my elbow.

"Vorik? Where are we going?"

"Patience." Was it my imagination, or was his voice rougher than usual? He sent the turbolift up before anyone else could board it, and the ride was filled with an undefinable sort of silence.

His grip slipped down from my elbow to my hand, and tingles erupted across my palm. He'd never touched my bare skin before. Vulcans were averse to such contact, and I'd always done my best to respect that boundary.

But he'd been the one to initiate this, not me. As the lift hummed along, Vorik's gaze slipped upward until our eyes met. A mere blink later, his eyes were hooded and hunger flooded his demeanor. Stepping closer to me with our hands still joined, the Ensign backed me up against the wall of the turbolift releasing a whisper of my name in that beautiful, low, silky voice of his.

The tingling in my spine intensified the longer he looked at me - and oh, did he look at me! His eyes seemed to bore right into my soul, stealing my breath and my thoughts with unerring skill. He'd looked at me before, but never the way I wanted him to...never like this.

That frightened me. Oh, the look itself wasn't disquieting, but the possibility that this could lead to something more – something that might damage my heart more than his preference of B'Elanna over me had a year before? That terrified me.

"I did not," he rasped, and I blinked in confusion. "I believed that you did not harbor the same regard for me that I did for you, and it was out of a desire to avoid needlessly damaging the relationship between us that I selected Lieutenant Torres. I did not wish to lose you. To equate yourself with her is the height of illogic, because none could ever compare with you."

Before I could respond beyond a stunned look, however, we arrived at the deck we'd been hurtling toward. The door hissed open, and he began tugging me through the corridors again. We passed through the door to Vorik's quarters, and everything clicked into place. He'd always preferred privacy, only allowing into his space those who needed to be there - like the Doctor and Lieutenant Tuvok.

And then there was me.

I'd never understood why he allowed me in when almost nobody else was permitted the same luxury, but suddenly it all made sense. I was allowed to be there when nobody else was because he trusted me enough to be vulnerable with me. He told me more about himself than he did anyone else. He spent more of his free time with me than anyone else. He knew more about me than anyone else did.

And I'd all but abandoned him after the incident with Torres! Guilt coiled hot and bitter in my gut, and I bit my lower lip. How did he not hate me? How could he have simply been content with our renewed friendship? He should've chewed me out or berated me–

My racing thoughts ground to a halt as the softness of his lips met mine.

Oh.

The kiss was gentle and brief, but it was easily the most tender gesture I'd ever received. When he pulled away just far enough to watch me open my eyes, his hands caught both of mine and lifted them to his chest.

"I...Vorik, that...isn't something friends do," I breathed, feeling like an idiot as soon as the words were out of my mouth.

"You are correct. It is not," he said with a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "but I had hoped that my attempts to demonstrate my interest were successful enough to convey that I desire you in more ways than a simple friendship will allow."

"Your interest?" I parroted, and he moved close enough that when I spoke, my lips brushed against his. The contact felt as warm as fire, as sweet as honey, and I was a starving. Ravenous for his touch, his affection, I craved him more than I had anything else in my entire life.

"You cannot have missed it. By Vulcan standards, I have been metaphorically throwing myself at you. Lieutenant Tuvok even suggested that I was being too overt." He grasped my waist, tugging me gently against him as his lips met mine again. A fleeting, barely-there peck later, my patience had stretched to the breaking point as I chased his retreating mouth with my own. "Is there something you need, ashayam?"

Blinking up at him, it occurred to me that he was doing this deliberately.

Vorik was teasing me.

And he looked almost proud of the reaction he'd drawn from me. Beautiful bastard.

"You," I whispered before I could talk myself into being more cautious. "All I need is you."

"Then you shall have me," Vorik promised as he lifted me into his arms and carried me toward his bed.

~*~

Taglist:

@akamitrani @android-boyfriends @attention-bajoranworkers @bigblissandlove1 @darkmattervibes

@emilie786 @groovyqueer @horta-in-charge @live-logs-and-proper @rookietrek

@slutty-slutty-vulcans @starrynightgardens @toebeans-mcgee

[hollowed-theory-hall]

hi! how common do you think students having time turners actually was, as we're only given a handful of examples? and do you think there was an ulterior motive to hermione being given the time turner? i really value your insights and this is a question that's been annoying me for years.

hi!

I don't think it's common at all. I was always under the impression Hermione was literally the only student who ever received a time-turner. I believe it had to do with Sirius Black being on the loose and Hermione being friends with Harry and not just about her schedule.

Even though the time turner Hermione receives is very limited:

According to Professor Saul Croaker, who has spent his entire career in the Department of Mysteries studying time-magic: ‘As our investigations currently stand, the longest period that may be relived without the possibility of serious harm to the traveller or to time itself is around five hours. We have been able to encase single Hour-Reversal Charms, which are unstable and benefit from containment, in small, enchanted hour-glasses that may be worn around a witch or wizard’s neck and revolved according to the number of hours the user wishes to relive. ‘All attempts to travel back further than a few hours have resulted in catastrophic harm to the witch or wizard involved.

(From Pottermore)

It doesn't seem like a common procedure:

“It’s called a Time-Turner,” Hermione whispered, “and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I’ve been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn’t tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I’d never, ever use it for anything except my studies. ... I’ve been turning it back so I could do hours over again, that’s how I’ve been doing several lessons at once, see? But ...

(PoA)

Considering how McGonagall had to send multiple letters back and forth and not just the one usual form for student time turners, it makes me believe Hermione was a special case.

JKR wrote her as a special case, according to her:

Secondly, I had Hermione give back the only Time-Turner ever to enter Hogwarts.

(From Pottermore)

Now, JKR basically wrote herself into a problem. The problem was why was Hermione the only student given a time turner and how could other students who achieved 12 NEWTs (Tom Riddle, Bill & Percy Weasley, and Barty Crouch Jr) could've done so without the use of time travel?

Let's start with the second question. How they could accomplish 12 NEWTs without a time turner? Honestly, it's kinda easy to explain. Like, I have sat over scheduling classes at Hogwarts for a while, knowing the amount of teachers and such. How classes seem to work is that between 1-5 years the students are divided into groups of two houses for different subjects.

For example, Potions & DADA are a joint class of Gryffindor and Slytherin, meaning that Hufflepuff & Ravenclaw take these classes together. Herbology is a joint class of Gryffindor & Ravenclaw (meaning Slytherin & Ravenclaw likely have Herbology together) and so on for other classes.

In the first 5 years, we see the elective subjects are similarly split. We see Gryffindor and Slytherin take their electives together (only Gryffindors in Divination and Malfoy and other Slytherins are at Care with the main characters). Later, in the NEWT classes in the final two years, many students seem to drop out and you have classes with all the students in the year for all 4 houses. (I might make a full post explaining all of this and the evidence for it in more detail, this is just an overview).

But basically, it means that for OWLs at least, it's very possible to take electives at another time with the other half of your year. Also, considering the number of students, over 5 years split in 2 plus 2 less split apart years and 11 teachers, each student is likely to have a few free blocks in their schedule due to there being only one teacher per subject. This would allow to schedule subjects so a student could take 12 NEWTs without any scheduling issues.

Now why Hermione's case was special. I think it's a combination of multiple things happening together.

First, It's very likely that with the complicated scheduling at Hogwarts Hermione fell on a year where her schedule really was impossible. We know Ancient Runes doesn't happen at the same time as Care or Arithmancy as she keeps taking it so it's possible they had a real scheduling problem that specific year for electives.

Second, I mentioned in the past I believe Dumbledore was aware Sirius was innocent and he was the one who told Harry and Hermione to use the time turner to help him and Buckbeek. When they go back in time, the past Dumbledore (who shouldn't know they went back in time yet) actively helps them with the plan to release Buckbeek:

They were still ten feet away from the forest, in plain view of Hagrid’s back door. “One moment, please, Macnair,” came Dumbledore’s voice. “You need to sign too.” The footsteps stopped.

[...]

“Where is it?” said the reedy voice of the Committee member. “Where is the beast?” “It was tied here!” said the executioner furiously. “I saw it! Just here!” “How extraordinary,” said Dumbledore. There was a note of amusement in his voice.

(PoA, 401-402)

I don't think Dumbledore knew exactly what the circumstances would be at the end of the year, but I think he and McGonagall agreed Hermione's scheduling issue was a good excuse to get someone near Harry with a time turner that just might save his life if the worst came to it. Or, at least something along these lines.

So, basically, a schedule that was unluckily impossible that year added to Harry's unique circumstances and I think it explains why Dumbledore and McGonagall would go out of their way to make her an exception. Or at least the best explanation I could come up with.

[sagetsukimura]

tagged by @princesssarcastia Wait, I have to CHOOSE???

0no ...

So, Honorable mentions are!

(Zack Fair (More FFVII), Zuko (Avatar Last Airbender) Obiwan Kenobi (Star Wars), Silk/Prince Kheldar (The Belgariad, his quips!), Hatake Kakashi (Naruto), Death (The Book Thief, his POV was really lovely), Salvos (Salvos, hilarious), Mercury Black (RWBY), Henrietta The Chicken (that one Labrynth fanfiction- Wait! what about Sarah? She grew so MUCH-), Himura Kenshin (Rurouni Kenshin), Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist), Danny Fenton (Danny Phantom), Ichigo Kurasaki (Bleach) and Stephan (Mercy Thompson Series, he brings me joy!)

... I should sto- Dabi (Hero Academia), Deidara (Naruto, again, holds a special place in my heart), -no I need to stop, think of your sleep schedu- (Shoutout to Shikako Nara from Dreaming of Sunshine, f-ing Awesome OC, and Alucard from Hellsing Ultimate ABRIDGED-) who needs a full nights sleep when I can dissect every piece of media I have ever encounted! Levi (Attack on Titan, obvs. Hange's great too) Dean Winchester (Supernatural, best quotes, and his actor voiced Jason Todd so~) Nadachika Hideyoshi (Tokyo Ghoul, my BOI TT^TT) I can't stop someone save me~! I havn't finished Baldur's gate yet but Astarion and Karlach are-

Nope! I have fics to read! I can't stay up all night gushing! I still have 87 tabs open! I can't list my every favorite character from every story I've ever read! It's too much! I'd have to make a new post entirely!

...

(Most satisfing moment of any book, EVER, goes to Adolin Kholin from the Stormlight Archieves tho.)

TT^TT so many good characters, for so many different reasons... just know the above characters consistantly make me smile! But the Top 5 are especially near and dear to me. IE the ones I would hug or give a bad of candy too.

Ima tag... @oliocelottafanfics, @yellowcharm, @errantnight, @benkl45ene, @shitlinguistssay (sorry, I only tagged mutuals and you're the lucky ones! I'm curious if anybody has any more... obscure favs?)

[getvalentined]

I have become the squeakiest wheel in the official Patreon server and NOBODY IS ANSWERING ME.

Screengrabs and full text of my questions under the cut, preserved in case of removal in the server.

How is Patreon going to protect creators from malicious chargebacks and delayed remittal of funds?

Valentined [OP] — Today at 4:27 PM iOS payments can take up to 75 days to clear, during which time creators cannot request a payout of those funds. iOS payments can also be refunded within 60 days of the initial charge, and since we have no control over how iOS payments are processed, I don't assume that creators will be able to deny a refund request. Taking this into account, what's to stop someone from signing up for two months and then calling for a refund 59 days after the initial signup, leaving the creator in question holding the bag? Further, would the creator be responsible for refunding Apple's fees as well, as we see with Paypal? If someone signs up via iOS, paying $13 for a tier that should be $10, the creator gets $10. They can't payout that $10 for 75 days. 59 days later, they will have $20 from that supporter sitting on the books, unable to be paid out; at this point the user can call for a refund and recoup everything—is the creator now on the hook for $26 even though they only ever had $20 in their books? Are creators expected to remit rewards to supporters who paid through iOS with the knowledge that they probably won't actually have access to the money for more than two months, and there's no assurance that it won't be clawed back in a malicious chargeback? How is Patreon going to make sure creators who are taken advantage of in this way are made whole when the user already got two months' worth of rewards and didn't pay for any of it in the end?

How are we supposed to deliver rewards on a schedule on a rolling billing structure?

Valentined [OP] — Today at 3:51 PM The roadmap says the following: You won’t need to change how or how often you deliver benefits. Sending digital and physical goods to your members must become easier. We’re committed to making sure you still will be able to deliver benefits just once a month and ensure only the correct members receive them. I don't understand how this is supposed to even be possible on a rolling billing structure, or how Patreon intends to keep people from getting multiple months' rewards on one month's payment. Here's my clearest example for digital goods—physical goods are even worse, but we'll get into that eventually: I put up a monthly reward on the 3rd of the month in a tier-locked post. Presently, this sends an alert to everyone on that tier to pick up the digital reward, which they all have legitimate access to because everyone pays on the 1st of the month. With rolling billing, someone can sign up to that tier on September 6th and get access to September's reward from the tier-locked post as they browse the newly-unlocked content on the page; they will also get October's reward on the 3rd of the following month when they receive an email alerting them to the reward being available, and can then cancel the same day day without actually paying for October, because they get billed on the 6th. There is no way around this except to individually remit this reward to patrons as they become eligible throughout the month, rather than putting it up as a post locked to that tier. This means that I will need to check every day to see who is eligible for the reward and contact supporters individually with a link to pick up the reward, which could no longer be hosted directly on Patreon because I can't just make a tier-locked post without giving users who don't get charged on the 1st the ability to get two months' worth of rewards for the price of one. For physical rewards, this is even more untenable; even if a creator chooses to ship out rewards in two batches, once at the beginning and once at the end of the month, that still doubles their workload at minimum, throwing off schedules in place for years. There is no way to lock users out of the following month's rewards without increasing the workload of the creator to ridiculous levels and ruining any option for our work on the platform to run on a solid schedule. There is no way that I can see to deliver rewards once a month and still make sure that rewards are only sent to supporters who are current on their payment. How is Patreon intending to handle this? The roadmap says they're going to do it, but offers no information on how. Please do not link me to the roadmap again and tell me that it has more information, because it is not there. Just tell me how Patreon is going to handle this on a rolling billing structure, because I can't think of a single possible solution.

18+ creators already don't appear in the app; will they be banned for violating Apple's ToS?

Valentined [OP] — Today at 12:11 PM Patreon has asserted that having creators who don't accept payments through iOS is against Apple's ToS for the App Store—but 18+ creators literally can't. Given that 18+ creator campaigns are not findable on the app, or even on Patreon's built-in search, there's no way to sign up to support them anywhere but via web. According to Patreon's claims about what Apple does not allow, this means that 18+ creators are against the ToS altogether, as they can't accept payments via the app, and therefore keeping us at all will result in the app being removed from the App Store. It wouldn't matter if we all switched to subscription billing right now, we can't accept payments through the app and that's against Apple's ToS. What is Patreon going to do about this, exactly? Are we going to spend the next year with official emails trying to cajole us to change to an all-ages campaign and then get banned all at once on November 1, 2025, so that Patreon can keep Apple happy?

[taisoleil]

Sleep Asteroids 💤

If you wanna get into dream interpretation as divination, it's called oneiromancy.

Here's some asteroids on how to work with your dreams:

(658) Asteria- Goddess of oneiromancy

(3258) Somnium- Spirits who create dreams

Morpheus (4197) - Son of Sleep/ Personifies dreams

The Somnium are called the Oneroi (Dreams) in Greek. The three fly through two pillars when the sun goes down. The horn pillar is finding god like prophecies from your dreams, the ivory one is where false/meaningless dreams are found.

More about dreams in my article here: https://www.taisoleil.com/articles/2021/10/12/tg9z2rfgrl0wdqb5sy0ph48gzrxukv?rq=Dream

As always, I got a 3 part Patreon exclusive covering more tea about dreams: https://www.patreon.com/posts/56817402?utm_campaign=postshare_creator

[i-cant-find-a-damn-name]

Sorry i havnt been posting. I try to keep up a schedue but meh. School keeps me busy. Anyways! Anyone who subscribed, liked or reblogged my post! THANK YOU? YOU GUYS ARE SO SWEET? YOU GUYS MAKE MY DAY EVERY 🦆ING DAY!!! LOVE YA ALL!

[lovelynim]

Hiiii congratulations for 400!!!

For the game could you do Lee!Aqua and Ler!Ruby or Miyako (the pink haired lady who takes care of them.) ((Yes I had to google her name))

Sometimes Aqua makes such scary expressions, they've really got to make him lighten up!

Thank youuu, and the game really is so fun! I'm enjoyed everything you write for it, even though I don't even watch some of the shows! You're just that good!

Hi Anons!

Ahhh, I was really excited to write something for Aqua cuz I love his vibes huehuehuehue also ruby really does give off the impression that should tickle him out of the blue just to mess with him hehehe

I feel like I was a bit unfair with Aqua on the poll, tho, but oh well, he deserves it ~

So, shall we see how this one will turn out? ~

Aqua looked away, his lips curling into an awkward smile as he tried to avoid eye contact with his twin sister as much as possible. Slightly shifting his position on the couch, he couldn’t help but to grow more and more nervous as Ruby kept intensely staring at him. 

“So?” She insisted, her voice making Aqua jolt in place. Ruby pouted, getting impatient at her brother’s silence.

“W-well,” he muttered, still trying to figure a way to avoid the topic as much as possible or to, at least, put his answer in a mild way. If it was any other person, Aqua wouldn’t have problems turning them down, no matter what the offer was. But as for Ruby… specially when she resorted to such a direct approach.

“‘Well’? Just say it already!” The girl snapped, sitting back for a moment while looking at Aqua with serious, piercing eyes. 

Shivering in place, he sighed. If he knew she planned to corner him like this, he would have already prepared an excuse beforehand. “Ahm… I think I won’t have time, you know, my schedu-”

“Nuh-uh,” she interrupted, grinning, “I already checked and you don’t have any recordings scheduled for this week.”

“But I told the director I’d hel-”

“Yesterday you told us he doesn’t have any project currently going on and that he is just discussing some ideas,” Ruby’s grin grew even larger, leaning forward, “come on, it’s just a dance practice, you can even wear a mask!”

“I don’t dance, Ruby,” Aqua sighed, placing one hand on his sister’s shoulder and gently pushing his back, trying to recover some of his personal space.

“And that’s the point of a dance practice!” She insisted, holding his arm as she cornered him again against the couch, “I need some new content to post! And Kana doesn’t want to do it!”

“T-then why do I have to? I’m not even in your grou-”

“Because you are my dear twin brother and you’d do anything for your beloved sister.”

“...I wouldn’t put it like that,” Aqua chuckled, but instantly regretted his words as it seemed to have sparked something inside Ruby. Something dangerous.

“Aqua…” Her grip around his arm tightened, the annoyance in her voice was clear. Uh oh.

“Ruby, I ca-”

“As your sister, I also know a lot of stuff other people don’t,” she said, sounding a little too threatening for her brother’s taste, “stuff about you, brother.”

Those words triggered and brought some of Aqua’s childhood memories back to his mind. One, in particular, when he found out that his new body was more sensitive than his previous one.

“Ruby, d-dohOHON’T!” He protested, letting out an embarrassing high pitched laugh as his sister reached for his side, squeezing it mercifully. Her other hand, previously holding his arm, was already trying to find its way to his ribs while all Aqua could do to fight the tickling back was press his arms down. “Plehehease! No tihihickling! Ahaha! Stohohop!!”

“Stop?” Ruby spoke, a clear smug both in her tone and in her face. She wiggled her fingers, breaking her brother’s facade into a puddle of boyish laughter.

[allie-campbell-bradshaw]

Chapter 6: Bet

Chapter 6: Bet

A/N: I’m BACK! Welcome to the sixth chapter of Top Gun: Baby, a love story following Bradley Bradshaw and Allie Campbell. This story is sequential, so if you have not already read the first few chapters, please go back and do so! All links to chapters and their mood boards can be found on my masterlist. I mention this in my notes for every chapter, but just in case you missed it– I do not give permission for my work to be re-posted without credibility. If you do want to post this story to your page, please be sure that you tag my account or at least mention its original source in your post. Again, thank you for being here and I hope you enjoy :)

Warnings: mentions of sex, mentions of nudity

BRADLEY’S POV

Thank God for Sunday! Not long after she left, Emmett texted me that he was going to need the room for a few hours, which didn’t actually end up mattering because I stayed on the Bay until sunrise with some other midshipmen.

When I got back to our dorm room, Emmett was passed out naked on his bed, bare ass completely exposed as he laid on his stomach. There were 3 empty condom wrappers on his desk, and the whole room gifted the aroma of sex.

He laid there snoring as I sunk down onto my bed, finally feeling the exhaustion of pulling an all-nighter overwhelm my being. Never again! I’m not young enough for this shit anymore. Luckily for me, I was able to quickly shut my mind off, falling into a deep sleep. The best part about being this exhausted…No nightmares!

I spent most of the day sleeping. Although, Emmett was convinced I was hung over. He tried to give me a rundown of everything that happened on Saturday, but I interrupted him, claiming that I didn’t need to hear it.

Before I knew it, we were waking up to the alarm that we set early on Monday. The training we underwent in the summer allowed us to quickly spring out of bed and change into our workout wear. Another benefit of having Plebe Summer over with was that we got to wear our own workout clothes whenever we were on the track doing our own personal workouts in the gym.

Emmett and I were on the track as the sun was rising, pushing ourselves more and more each day. We decided that Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays would be track days and Tuesdays and Thursdays were muscle days.

The objective of the first year in the academy is to get big, and because of that, first year students did not have a limit in the cafeteria. They encouraged us to consume way more calories than normal, promising that by the end of your 4th year, you would be ripped. Well, that was if you were as conditioned as Emmett and I were, which almost everyone was.

Natasha promised to join us in our workouts once she gets the “all clear” from the doctors on campus. During the last week of plebe, she fucked up her knee on a hurdle, letting her exhaustion get the better of her focus as she attempted to leap over the wooden bar. For that, she was no longer the top runner for ability at the end of Plebe (a friendly competition where we see who has the best record–which she was smoking me at), having to settle for second place…She was pissed about it all!

Emmett and I were changed into our navy working uniforms and in the cafeteria by 7:30. It was flooded with people and the line to get food was nearly 20 minutes. I was modest, still allowing my appetite to catch up with my exhaustion that I haven’t fully recovered from. Emmett on the other hand was stuffing his face, claiming that he was still starving after giving a “stunning brunette” all of his energy on Saturday night.

Natasha and Javy saved us seats. They were getting a lot of shit from two upperclassmen who were standing by our two chairs, wanting them, but my two friends were spread out, their legs and feet resting on the two chairs. They sat up when they saw us and the two others rolled their eyes and walked away. I think we were all surprised to see so many people.

Our conversation started with showing each other our schedules and making a pact to sit together when we could:

 Mathematics: Calculus I

M,W,F: 9:00am-10:10am

 Chemistry: Modern Chemistry

T,R: 8:00am-10:30am

English: Practical Writing

T,R: 7:00pm-9:00pm

Government: U.S. Government and Constitutional Development

M: 6:00pm-9:00pm

Cyber Security: Introduction to Cyber Security

W: 6:30pm-9:30pm

Flight Training I

M,T,W,R: 10:45am-1:00pm

Natasha and I had Calculus together, the other guys opting into taking the easier math course. Same went for chemistry. All four of us were together for English and Government. I was alone for cyber security, the others deciding to take that in the spring. Of course, Natasha and Javy would join me for flight training, which doesn’t start until the second week of school. Our first week is lecture based, where we discuss the anatomy of the cessna that we would be flying as well as going over safety procedures. This would most definitely be my favorite class, and the one I was looking most forward to.

I was very anxious for the pre-assessment that we would take on Thursday. It was going to be on the cessna in the simulation room. All of us had to take it in order for the Academy to determine how they would group us in flying lessons. I’m not going to lie, I’m very fucking anxious for this exam! Since I had quite an amount of background knowledge over the cessna that he let me fly when we were younger, I felt as though the pressure to be a top candidate was on! 

“Now what’s the number one rule?” Maverick said as he made his way to the left side of the airplane, Bradley walking over to the right.

“Don’t tell mom.” Bradley stated, obviously hearing this over and over again.

“Good!” Maverick exclaimed as he climbed into his white cessna. 

Bradley, who was entering the 7th grade, had been begging Pete for years to let him fly his airplane. It wasn’t until that very summer when Pete gave into his adopted son’s pleas.

Pete would tell his mom that he was taking him to batting practice, when in actuality they would be in the air. Bradley loved to be in the air with his “dad”, but was aching to get his hands on the controls.

Bradley climbed in next to him and paid attention to everything Pete was saying, explaining how to take off, how to glide, how to hold steady, how to land, etc. The young boy memorized every movement Pete did with the control sticks, not wanting to make a mistake on the first day.

Eventually, the two had swapped places on the runway, with Bradley sitting in the pilot's spot, staying quiet as Pete spoke with the control tower, under the pretense that Pete was in control of the airplane.

“Copy, clear for takeoff” Pete said, giving Bradley a nod as the little boy rumbled the engine and took off on the runway. Pete only had to reach over once, to help him get the plane in the air as they got closer to the end of the runway.

It was like this almost every day from May to September, Pete not willing to let him fly during the school year when he needed to focus on his studies. It was like this every year until Bradley was a sophomore going into his junior year, when his mom’s doctor gave them news that would change their lives forever. He would spend his free time taking care of her, watching as she deteriorated until there was nothing left for the cancer to take away from him.

Pete never took young Bradley in the air after that, but they always kept the secret from his mom, not wanting her to be any more disappointed or saddened than she already was.

“Bradshaw?!” Natasha yelled from the table. “You with us?”

I looked up at her when she called me out, realizing that I had been deep in my thoughts, reliving memories of flying when I was younger…

“I-um…,” I began, struggling to find words without sounding too cocky, “I’ve flown a cessna before”.

Natasha looked at me impressed, raising her eyebrow as her eyes began to light up.

“Bullshit!” Javy interjected.

“No really man,” I began, “I did. Many times when I was younger.”

“With who?” He asked in a tone that made it seem like he was still skeptical.

My face froze as I thought of him. His eyes looking down at me and smiling as I grew up. His coaching in the airplane as I learned various maneuvers. His soothing voice assuring me that everything would be okay when he caught me in moments of mental weakness, mainly when we would talk about my dad.

I didn’t know everything I wanted to about him, but enough that I was content with the information that I had. He was born and raised in Texas, went to the naval academy, met my mom at Virginia Beach during a weekend getaway with other academy students, met his best friend and pilot of his F-14 when he was in flight school, married my mom right after he got his license, and loved being a father. When he was home, he changed every diaper, fed me every bottle, gave me a bath every night, and sang to me as he rocked me to sleep. He loved being a dad, and had planned to request a leave of absence after Top Gun so he could make up for missing the last few months of my life. I was turning three on the day of the graduation, so mom worked extra hours and came to visit him for his last 3 weeks of classes so we could be together on my birthday. That’s why we were there. A decision that was both a blessing and a curse. 

“It doesn’t matter” I ended up muttering to the group, before breaking their conversation again and grazing across the room, taking in the looks of all of the upperclassmen that were now filtering out of the room as they made their way to various classes.

My eyes froze on the table that was in the far right corner, right to my 11 O’Clock…She was there. Sitting with the same two friends whose backs were to me. I could tell they were the same from their hair colors. The brunette was in a set of deep purple scrubs and the other one had her hair pulled back in the same way she did the other day, wearing light green pastel scrubs. She was the only one in a different color. Her once curly flowing hair was now pulled up in a high ponytail, she had a pink headband in her hair that pleasantly matched the navy scrubs that she had on. She reached up and gently scratched her nose, sporting a light pink fitbit that matched the color of her headband.

“Who’s she?” I asked the table, keeping my eyes on her so they knew who I was talking about. 

Natasha looked over to follow my gaze and then back at me, smiling widely. I dropped my eyes from the girl to meet Natasha’s, wanting to have complete focus on the information that I could tell she had, and was willing, to communicate with me.

“Allison Campbell,” Natasha answered, “Goes by Allie. She’s a nurse on base, I briefly met her when I fucked up my knee. She just applied to medical school.”

“Oh” was all I could manage to mutter, looking up at her again. She was laughing with her friends, a clear white smile was painted across her face as she enjoyed the conversation that was occurring with her friends. Watching her facial expressions made me crack into an admiring side smirk. Her smile was captivating.

“Don’t even think about it.” Natasha stated, noting my face. I looked back at her and furrowed my eyebrows, not understanding what she was saying, “She doesn’t date midshipmen. She’s notorious for rejecting all of them that try to come after her.”

I looked back at her, with slight disappointment in my eyes.

“Sounds like a challenge to me!” Emmett yelled out.

Natasha burst into a laugh at what Emmett said, “Yeah like you think she would settle for you!”

“Not me!” Emmett responded, “Him!” He yelled, motioning over to me.

“Me?” I asked him.

“No dick head, the air,” He responded sarcastically. “Of course you! Who the fuck do you think I’m talking about?!”

I smirked at him as I stole another peak at her, before bringing my eyes back to Emmett. 

“What do you think Bradshaw?” Emmett asked me, “You up for it?” There was silence as I processed what he said, thinking about all of my options. I now knew that Allison, Allie, was a hot target in the eyes of the midshipmen, and she was not interested in any of them. On the other hand, there was a part of me that wanted to take a shot. I didn’t want to be another statistic, another identity that she added to her long list of names of men she had rejected, but I also didn’t want to live the rest of my life wondering if my life would've been different had I talked to her. Wooed her. Played with her a little.

“Need some motivation?” Emmett asked, taking note of my silence, “100 dollars. I bet you 100 dollars that you can get Allie Campbell in bed with you by the time we graduate”.

I let out an airy laugh at Emmetts challenge, mentally rolling my eyes. Natasha and Javy were eyeing me eagerly. I knew it would be difficult. I knew it was nearly impossible, but what was the harm in trying? She has rejected THEM, not me. I was a different story. A different person. I am sure I had the ability to achieve something that no one else has.

I smirked over at Emmett, who had his hand extended to mine. He was smiling from ear to ear and lit up when I firmly put my hand in his, giving a little shake, sealing our newfound gamble.

[follow-up-news]

A Kansas City man accused of shooting a Black teenager who mistakenly came to his door last month is scheduled to be back in court Thursday, days after a judge ruled that court documents in the case will be sealed and kept from the public.

The hearing for 84-year-old Andrew Lester is to set new dates for future hearings in the case and is expected to be brief.

Lester has pleaded not guilty to first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting of Ralph Yarl, who knocked on Lester’s door on April 13 while trying to pick up his young brothers, who were at a home a block away.

Yarl, who has celebrated his 17th birthday since the shooting, suffered gunshot wounds to his head and wrist and continues to recover at home.

Lester remains free after posting $20,000 — 10% of his $200,000 bond.

The shooting drew international attention amid claims that Lester, who is white, received preferential treatment from investigators in the hours after he shot Yarl. President Joe Biden and several celebrities issued statements calling for justice for Yarl.

Lester admitted that he shot Yarl through the door without warning because he was “scared to death” he was about to be robbed by the Black person standing at his door.

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Giant, wild-eyed statues of Kid Cudi suddenly appeared this week in Paris, New York City and off the coast of Long Beach, apparently marking the release of the rapper’s latest album, “INSANO.”

The 33-foot, silver-colored statues all depict the Cleveland native with his arms outstretched, with blue and red lights shining eerily through empty eye sockets and a gaping mouth.

After the first statue appeared in Paris at the Place de la Bourse, the French news agency AFP described it as depicting the rapper in a “demonic posture,” and said that his management reported it was due to start blaring music from the new 21-track album later in the day.

The Long Beach version of the 39-year-old Grammy winner’s likeness appeared on a barge in Alamitos Bay on Friday morning, according to a statement city officials posted on social media. Officials said the statue was for a “private promotional event at a local business,” but that it could be seen from any city beach along the coast.

After leaving the bay, the Cudi-carrying barge floated up and down the Long Beach shoreline till Friday evening, the city said. Over the weekend, it’s scheduled to pass by Redondo, Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica and Malibu, the Long Beach Post reported.

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[curlabroad]

How to visit Hill of Crosses ( Kryžių kalnas)

Hill of Crosses is one of the main attractions in Lithuania. As I wrote in my Siauliai post, many people only visit Siauliai to see the hill. During my first visit to Lithuania, I passed visiting this famous attraction. The information on the internet was so complex. There was not any clear information on how to visit there. When I discovered it was indeed a bit problematic but not as much as people overstated, I became kind of furious that I missed out. So, when I had the chance, I went there immediately. The hill looked nothing like I have seen before. Some may think the hill is related to solely religious intentions. But it is not true. The hill has a tragic backstory behind it and should be respected as such. I wanted to create this brief post to help anybody out there struggling to plan their visit.

If you are newly discovering Lithuania it is normal that you never heard of Hill of Crosses. Even though it is one of the most popular destinations in the country it is not generally known by the public outside the Baltics. Maybe you have seen those memes on the internet and became curious. Hill of Crosses also went viral on social media. A user claimed Lithuania had no vampires by posting a photo of the hill. I am adding a screenshot of that post below. Afterward, many people carried out the joke by telling how it was built to prevent the strongest vampire that is under the hill from escaping. Unfortunately, the reality is of course much more different but also heartbreaking.

The main story is similar to the Hill of Rebels located in Siauliai city center as to how Hill of Crosses started is also related to the uprisings towards Russians. In the late 18th century, Lithuania became a part of the Russian Empire after the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth parted. Following this, uprising movements happened. Some sources say that families who could not locate bodies of rebels -their loved ones- started putting up symbolic crosses to the hill. Other sources tell that as the Russian tsar has forbidden proper burial in cemeteries families started the hill.

The hill is now covered with lots of crosses made from wood, metal, and other materials. The number of crosses including the prayer beads and little monuments goes up to a few hundred thousand. People when they visit, leave their crosses too so the number keeps growing. Hence, the Hill of Crosses is both a historical and spiritual place. 

Transportation

The main problem with the Hill of Crosses is reaching and leaving there. Public transportation, or basically the bus is a bit problematic but definitely not impossible. 

From Siauliai City Center to the Hill of Crosses 

1. Hill of Crosses is located around 12 km outside the Siauliai city center. 2. There are no city bus lines that go there. 

3. You need to take a bus towards Joniškis from the bus station. Joniškis is a whole other town btw. 

4. When you get into the bus, you need to tell the driver to drop you off close to the Hill of Crosses. Make sure to remind the driver during the ride in case they forget. 

5. The bus will leave you close to the intersection point of the road that goes towards the hill. You need to walk around 2 km from that point.

Congratulations, you made it. Also, Google shows an Information Centre (Šiaulių rajono turizmo ir verslo informacijos centras) on their map nearby. I personally haven’t seen such a building. There were only farm-fields there. 

From Hill of Crosses to the Siauliai City Center 

You will probably spend around one hour checking out various crosses and monumental items located on the hill. When it is time to leave: 

1. Walk back to the point where the bus dropped you off on arrival. 2. Cross the road that runs toward the city center 

3. You need to catch a bus coming from Joniškis. There isn’t a bus stop there. You have to catch it by raising your hand or something similar to catch the attention of the bus driver. 

4. If you check the bus schedules on Autobusubilietai, you will see the schedules are a bit irregular. So it may not be the case that a bus will immediately come when you arrive at that point. If you miss the bus you need to wait more times out of nowhere. 

What I recommend for visiting Hill of Crosses? 

If you have a car or are travelling with a car, just drive it here. The road in front of the Hill of Crosses is available for free parking. 

Take a BOLT or taxi there. You can ask the driver to wait for you a bit if you think you will be quick. If not you need to call one back again. Another option is taking the Joniskis bus on arrival and calling a BOLT or taxi while coming back if you happen to miss the bus or not looking forward to waiting.

You can also ride your bike there from the city center. The road that goes there is a highway but Lithuanians are really respectful to the bikes and are careful drivers from what I have experienced. 

Accommodation and Food 

Well, you probably understood that Hill of Crosses is in the middle of (almost) nothing. So it is no surprise if I tell you there are no facilities nearby. If you want to spend the night around or eat something before or after your visit; you need to stop at Siauliai city center. 

To read about my accommodation and food suggestions you can check out Visiting Siauliai 

As you see, visiting the Hill of Crosses requires a bit more effort than anywhere usual in Lithuania. However, trust me, it will be worth it! The spirit is so unique here. If you are religious you can also take your own crosses or prayer beads you leave.

Hope this post was clear enough and encouraged you to pay a visit there. When you are there, make sure to also stop by the Siauliai to visit attractions missed by many tourists. Also, now you’re on the road, there are lots of amazing places to visit around Lithuania.

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I’ve started posting a story over on my Simstagram!

I was going to post it on here but since my schedued posts go up to like June next year I thought I’d drop a link here if anyone wants to follow!

[thesweatzone]

POSTING SCHEDULE

This is the first post I will be making on this blog concerning what, when and how I will post. My schedule may wary a bit based on my private life, so I ask you to be patient, but one thing I can promise are regular updates that will keep me, as well as you, motivated to continue our journey.

•MONDAY: Meal Monday

•WEDNESDAY: Community achievements

•FRIDAY:  Fit Friday

•SUNDAY: General weekly update

If you look at the schedule above you can see roughly how chapters will look every week. I will give you frequent updates on how I am doing with my fitness program and I will do weekly and monthly overviews where I will summarise all my progress and what I have learned.

-On Mondays I will also give you tips concerning foods, meal preparation and I will write about different types of eating habits.

-On Wednesdays it is your time to shine. I will be collecting updates on your weight loss journey too. If you decide and feel like this could maybe be something that would help you, you can DM me and join us by writing weekly or daily updates about your fitness journey which I will then gather (from multiple users at the same time) and post every Wednesday so you will all be able to read the journeys, struggles and victories of your fellow followers of this blog (of course this is optional but the more updates, or even just short thoughts, we get the better; you can be anonymous or credited).

-On Fridays I will post about different workouts, their reviews and tips on how to make them as effective as possible.

Those are the things that you will be able to see every week in this book but there will be other chapters, which will come randomly.

-M

[winchesterwhorehouse]

Bowties6k • Minor Characters: Ash

Now that I’m dead, I’m finally living!