#sami wrote a thing

[samiholloway]

So anyway my labs are in

And my cholesterol is still high, and

My diet has to change; I'm still eating

The way my dad ate, even tho he's been gone

Five months, and it was how he ate

That took him. Getting older is

A bizarre daydream: a friend from college

Is getting a new knee next week; most

Of the girls aren't girls anymore,

And I've outlived four cats, each one a whole

Life curled in my chest. The world is hotter

Now, and the storms stronger, and everything

Is a worry: my blood, the weather, who's

President, who's behind the president,

How the future unfolds. I never thought I'd

Live so long for all these worries.

Despite it all - despite everything - I'm glad

I'm still here.

[samiholloway]

As soon as Kanamar The Wise set a single toe over the boundary of the small village of South Edge, she knew there was someone of great power here. Once she had a whole foot across, she knew it was someone who was untrained, and once both feet were across and she could get a proper taste of the magic that hung around the place the way the dust hung around the road long after the wagons were past, she knew it was someone she could work with.

Magic, being a force of nature, was as unpredictable as storms or wind or fire. Shed been looking for an apprentice for years now, half against her will, but had yet to find one she could work with; the kid in Crest has been too spiky in his power, not flexible enough, and the girl in Riverbend, though sweet, had a sloppy, slippery kind of magic that conflicted with Kanamar's so badly that they almost burned down the temple. The one in Bend Branch hadn't wanted training, which she knew was a bad idea without even needing to tap into her second sight, but you can't force a kid to learn, unfortunately. And the one in Fire On The Mountain had a darkness that was much more Durvin the Shadow's flavor, so she'd sent that girl his direction with a letter of introduction.

Kanamar didn't like taking apprentices, honestly. It was a lot of trouble finding them, a lot more trouble keeping them from destroying things or wreaking havoc or waking ancient gods or something. The less said about that, the better. But she was getting old and she had a lot of knowledge to pass on, and magical kids really did need training. Ones left untrained invariably wound up becoming everyone's problem in one way or another down the line.

So she followed the feel of the magic, looking for the source. A crow caught her eye, and hop-flapped around the village with her. Then a fox, slinking for shadow to shadow despite this being very much not a fox hour of the day. Then a cat joined them, and a handful of songbirds, and a small goat, and by the time she followed the trail to a little garden with a charming little fence around it, she was surrounded by a crowd of curious animals, children, and villagers trying to see what the obvious wizard was looking for.

Kanamar the Wise had excellent magic-sight and knew the second she saw her that the three year old playing in the garden was the source she was looking for.

She also knew that three years old was far too young to have this much power despite the evidence to the contrary, and so this child must be /immensely/ powerful.

So now she was faced with a problem: how was she going to apprentice a literal baby so that she wouldn't collapse under the weight of her own power, turn evil and destroy the whole world, or otherwise damage the amazing opportunity she was and had been given?

---

"You can't possibly take our daughter away from us!" The father said, when Kanamar told them she had to be apprenticed as soon as possible. "We know she's got power, but that's not an excuse!"

"She's our only child!" The mother said, tears running down her face, "We had such hopes for more but she's all we've been able to have, she means more to us than anything in the world!"

"And I've seen how you wizards live," the father continued, " all dark caverns and dank dungeons and drafty towers. No thank you! That's no place for a child!"

Kanamar wanted to get insulted about that one, it was a stereotype of wizards in general, but her own tower was in fact both dank and drafty and she hadn't been too sorry to leave it for the sunnier and warmer lands her closer to the coast. It was beautiful here, and her joints much preferred the gentle warmth and generally drier climate.

She sighed, and put aside her staff so she could crouch down before the little girl with much effort and a lot of silent cursing. The girl practically glowed with power; it radiated off her like the sun, and up close like this it warmed her like the sun, too.

"What do you think, little one?"

The girl smiled, and flowers bloomed all over the living room floor as if they were still in the garden outside, and birds looped and sang through the windows. The ripple of power that washed through the room and out over the town was so fresh and pure, Kanamar could only guess what would happen if she pushed her luck and tried to uproot her.

"It's decided then. The child will stay."

Her mother burst into fresh tears at this, weeping into her husband's arms, but happily this time.

"And I will stay too. This looks like as good a place as any to live, and she's got to get trained. We'll start as soon as my things arrive."

"Arrive...?"

Kanamar gripped the edge of the table and levered herself back into a standing position, then one hand on her back and the other on her staff, muttered a quick spell and made a series of complex gestures. The house shuddered, the space in the main room bent inward then outward, and when it returned to normal there was an extra room where once there had been none, and the garden wrapped around it placidly, a new plum tree of just Kanamar's favorite sort shading the window. She nodded once and headed for her new bedroom.

"Wait a minute, you can't just --"

But the child was clapping and laughing, and it filled the room with flower petals and sparkles, and Kanamar let her drag one of the bags in, and the little girl's mother put her hand on his arm to stop him from protest too much.

And that's how South Edge got two wizards.

You are a traveling wizard set out to find your next apprentice. One day you find a young child who is gifted with magic, but instead of taking them away from their family like everyone expects, you settle down in the tiny village to train them.

[chronicowboy]

i'm so tired of this push and pull we have every now and then over who would be the suave casanova and who would be the gameless loser when buck and eddie first get together. like i get it's fun to think about but it's just unrealistic. there is no world in which both of them aren't reverting to a teenager giggling and fumbling their way through their first meaningful relationship. they are both becoming the most pathetic men alive when they get together. eddie's never been in a relationship that hasn't felt like a performance and now he's staggering through this play without his lines improvising against someone saying "no but" instead of "yes and" because buck has never been with someone who means this much to him, who loves him this much, who he absolutely cannot lose. so he's following a script to which he only knows, or hopes he knows, the ending to (happily ever after) but he's just guessing his lines along the way. they're both going to be accidentally flustering the other a hundred times a day just by existing. they'll be in a permastate of blushing to the point of inventing new shades of pink/red. they'll both be pulling the most cringeworthy moves out there and laughing until their sides hurt about it. but crucially this is doing it for them both Big Time. they're getting sooo horny about how lame they are for each other. it's all about the give and take. it's about the balance.

[rpf-bat]

STEAL YOUR CROWN

Pairing: Johnny Cruz x Samy Elbanna

Word Count: 5,085

Summary: Johnny’s band signs up to compete in a high school talent show. When a younger student named Samy announces that he’s throwing his hat into the ring, too, Johnny’s competitive nature brings out the worst in him.

When sabotage goes a step too far, can he fix it in time? Or will both bands be forced to forfeit?

Written for Lost Sunday 2024. Enjoy your gift, @kraeuterhexchen!

Tags: Alternate Universe - High School, Enemies To Friends To Lovers, Talent Shows, Sabotage, Fist Fights, Broken Bones, Misunderstandings, Making Up, First Kiss

[icaruspendragon]

there’s this exchange student from the middle east in my art appreciation class and a few weeks ago we were talking after class and he made a comment that made me think, “oh! i have dead brother belongings that fit that category that are just sitting in a drawer. i bet sami would get some use out of them!”

and so i got the dead brother belongings and put them in a card and wrote a note saying, “based on our conversation last week i thought you might like these. i like knowing little bits of my brother are floating out and around in the world.”

and you wanna know what that motherfucker did? he had his mom send him some very nice soaps made from olive oil and several other nice and meaningful things and gave them to me.

and it’s not like being nice is a competition, but after receiving aforementioned gifts i thought, “he fuckin one-upped my nice gesture.”

obviously i’m not gonna let him get away with that.

so since he gave me something from his home, i too decided to give him something from his home. after a brief google search about popular middle eastern desserts, a short trip to the grocery store, and a trial run later, i presented sami with the fruits of my labor. a honey cake. he was delighted and said he would let me know how it is.

i think this may turn into some sort of “nice off,” but i’ll have to see how he retaliates during class on thursday.

stay tuned for updates.

[samiholloway]

They're waiting for me to refill the water in the fountain; it's a desert here, water is precious, and whatever these pigeons are, they know a gift when they see one. It's not for them, exactly. I put it out for the bees and the little songbirds, for the toads and snakes and neighborhood strays, but the pigeons like it too, and they've brought what I'm assuming is their God. Three bodies, one gaze, blurry edges, some number of eyes and wings.

A little more iridescent than pigeons usually are.

I don't consider myself superstitious, but I'm not about to mess with unusual spirit creatures coming in from the desert. That's on me. I should have been more careful, putting out an offering that tempting in a place like this. Aw well, they don't bother anyone, except when I take too long in the morning and their cooing starts to get Weird and makes the dogs bark, and that's easy enough to avoid.

--

Usually we're good. I feed the birds, I grow a little garden when I can, in the evenings we cook outside after the heat fades. It's a slow, sleepy life.

Sometimes people aren't nice. This isn't a rich town, there's not a lot to draw resources out here. Sometimes people crack a little under the high hot skies, the same way the ground does, the same way the roads do. Everything turns to dust sooner or later.

Someone tries to rob me. Jams something into my back, says it's a gun, demands my phone, my wallet, empty my pockets. The sun is too bright, my blood is too loud, I'm babbling, hands shaking as I try to do as he says -- and something shadows me for a moment, like the sun blinks it's great eye.

The guy yells and the gun goes off and I throw myself into the hot dirt. It takes me a while to realize I haven't been shot, a while longer to open my eyes and get up. To turn around.

The guy is on the ground. My stuff is in a pile next to him.

And something big is leaning over him.

Something feathered. Three heads. Blurry outline. Iridescent.

There's not much left of the guy already.

I fall back on my ass and scrabble for my cigarettes and lighter, scrabble to light one. By the time I manage, the guy is a pile of tangled clothes and dust, and the feathered thing has shrunk down to more familiar proportions. I don't know why, but I hand the lit cig to the not-a-pigeon, and one of the beaks darts out delicately to take it from me while another of the heads bobs in thanks. I bob mine back. Light another for myself.

We sit there on the curb for a few minutes, little trickles of smoke trailing up to the sky.

And then I reclaim my phone and look up the biggest outdoor fountain i can afford for my yard.

Deep Water Prompt #3348

The three pigeons on the wire that faces my bedroom window are one entity, waiting and watching, heads following me as one. I cannot seem to get an accurate count of their eyes.

[sameergaza]

Hello guys, the content of this post will be a little hidden, I wrote, specifically, for my little sister, this girl who has not seen a beautiful day for more than 600 days, she has been living luxury and enjoying love, but fates changed and this devastating war came, and she changed her life instead of living a decent life to a life of poverty, hunger, displacement and murder, what is her fault to live all that, imagine your little child asking you for something and you can’t meet it for him, she is a very smart girl who loves her parents, and as you know we are approaching the blessed Eid al-Adha, Muslim Eid, as you know on holidays, people and children in general get ready and buy clothes and some toys, but at this time things are different for adults, because they take the subject somewhat seriously

But young children will not understand that, maybe they want to be happy even if the world is a war, hunger and destruction, a beautiful dress with a few games that children can be happy even a little, of course you know what I mean, so I dedicated this post to my only sister, I thought of collecting some money for her, to buy a beautiful dress and some clothes, and it is possible in addition to that a beautiful game, it will be at the peak of joy, it was in the previous holidays.

We will collect some money for this, with your permission, honestly the prices are very expensive, not how much exactly we want, but I think 200 dollars will be enough to buy a new dress, and maybe a new set of clothes, shoes and some bracelets, and maybe a small toy ❤️ .

Note that Eid will be on a date 06/06/2025

But we want to buy and prepare before Eid, so we will collect the amount within the next 3 or 4 days as a maximum.

We will start from now 🫂

Campaign verification link

[peachhcs]

sweet, sweet memories

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

the holidays bring the hughes’s and smiths back together in cape cod where nostalgia and the holiday spirit washes over everyone

wc: 5.7k

requested by anon to write about samy + will celebrating christmas and hanukkah. this turned into less samy and will and more all of the hughes siblings and smith siblings instead. also less hanukkah, i’m sorry about that but it is mentioned a lot! i forget sometimes that the hughes are half jewish, so this was a nice touch to add. i wanted to try a new writing style so i sprinkled in some old memories between the plot and wrote more grace x quinn x jack dynamic bc i feel like i never write about their relationship growing up, but anyways, this is long so enjoy!

au masterlist

for the first time in probably four years, all the hughes kids were coming home for the holidays. the hockey gods aligned for the devils and canucks allowing the three boys to have three days off before their next game which meant three days to fly home and spend the holidays with family after doing it through facetime for the last few years. the sharks followed the same schedule which meant will was flying home too, so with the knowledge that all the kids were coming home, ellen and colleen decided to plan a joint holiday at the smith's family home in cape cod.

so all their kids booked their flights for monday night and tuesday morning to fly out to cape cod. jack and luke were the first ones in after their game finished late that afternoon. ellen excitedly greeted her boys when they came through the door. "hi, hi. it's so good to see both of you," the older woman kissed her son's cheeks as they returned her tight hugs.

"hey mom, good to see you too. hi colleen, hi bill," jack greeted his "second parents" next, quickly exchanging similar hugs.

"it's so good to see you both. how was the flight?" colleen wondered, kissing the boys' cheeks too.

"really good. quick. thanks for hosting here," luke smiled brightly.

"of course. we're so excited all of you will be here for a few days. you two are the first ones here," colleen laughed.

"figures. when's everyone else coming?" jack wondered as he shedded himself of his jacket.

"samy and grace should be here in another hour. quinny and will aren't coming in until tomorrow afternoon," ellen explained everyone else's whereabouts.

"tomorrow afternoon?" luke sounded surprised that his older brother wasn't getting there sooner. ellen nodded though, "their game isn't starting until 9pm our time, so they're catching the earliest flight out tomorrow morning."

"damn. that's crazy. at least quinny has one more day of vacation than we do," jack chuckled. the boys ventured downstairs to the basement with their things. the usual rule was that luke stayed in will's room, samy stayed in grace's room, jack and quinn stayed in the spare room down in the basement, and ellen and jim were in the guest room upstairs.

when they were younger, the boys made the entire basement their "man cave" during the summer where they just took over the entire downstairs and will and luke bunked down on the couches. the same applied to the michigan lake house too before more friends started coming by. things were probably going to change now that will and samy were together, but that was a later problem the parents could work out tomorrow when everyone got in. for now, jack unloaded his bag in his and quinn's room while luke just threw his backpack and suitcase in the corner of the room.

the older boys caught themselves up with the parents while they awaited the girls' arrivals. jack and luke gladly told colleen and bill about their season so far, explaining how luke's second full year has been and jack overcoming his shoulder injury. finally, an uber pulled into the drive that was definitely either samy or grace. everyone crowded the front windows to see and much to their surprise, both girls jumped out of the vehicle and raced up the porch steps.

"surprise! we ran into one another at the airport," samy giggled when she pushed the door open.

"what a coincidence! i'm glad you did," ellen chuckled and pulled her daughter in for a hug. more hellos and hugs were exchanged between everyone as the girls got themselves inside.

"heya squirt," jack nuzzled his sister's head in typical older brother fashion. the brunette quickly squirmed out of his grasp.

"what's up rowdy," samy cheesed, flicking jack's hat off in response.

"good to know you haven't changed in a week," the older boy mumbled and let her go so she could say hi to luke.

"how were the flights?" jim asked.

"it was quick and painless. i made it through tsa in 10 minutes which i think is a new record for me," samy explained, bending down to greet the smith's dog they brought everywhere.

"good. glad to hear that. quinny and will are coming in tomorrow afternoon. we have the pregame talkshow up now," colleen nodded towards the big tv.

"ooh, good. i'm excited to watch this one," samy grinned and followed grace upstairs to put her things away for now.

the two girls came back downstairs a minute later and both families got themselves comfortable around the tv to watch their last two members battle it out on the ice in an hour. ellen and colleen busied themselves in the kitchen knowing they had a lot to start prepping for the christmas and hanukkah dishes since hanukkah started on the same day as christmas this year. the kids got the big couch where they spread themselves out between it and the floor. samy slumped down between luke and grace, sending messages to will that they were all watching the game from cape cod.

"so what've you been up to gg?" jack directed his attention to the oldest smith, the nickname being one he's called her since they were kids.

"not a lot really. trying to find my footing and thinking about moving," the older girl explained.

"moving? where to?" luke chirped up.

"i don't know yet, honestly. i really liked the west coast when i was there moving will in, but i don't know if i can be that far away from home," she explained.

"you'd have quinny kind of..close by-ish..you two would be on the west coast together!" luke exclaimed making grace giggle.

"i've been thinking about it and trying to look up apartments. i guess we'll have to see," she smiled softly. "what about you jj and moosey? how's the garden state?"

"it's a dream, g. you have to come visit us sometime. come to a game," jack said like he was so enamored by new jersey still after being there for five years.

"i know, i've been meaning to make plans to come see you guys, but i got caught up with college graduation this past may and then traveling," grace explained and the boys nodded in understanding.

"sorry we missed that. things got crazy busy in may," jack chuckled a bit as his head leaned back against the edge of the couch.

"don't sweat it, i get it. the card from all of you was super nice," the blonde smiled. it wasn't often that the older siblings got to really catch up with one another, so they were really taking advantage of it these next few days.

when they were younger, it was always quinn, jack, and grace against luke, samy, and will. the older three took charge of the younger three—a perfect split—but as life happened and things got busier, all six of them were never around at the same time anymore. being in cape cod reminded all of them of the memories they made in the house and out on the beach fifteen steps away if they widened their strides.

summer of 2012

"why would i listen to you?" luke protested to his 13 year old brother. quinn rolled his eyes, already not excited about going out to the beach, "because i'm older than you and in charge."

"who put you in charge? you're not even that much older than me," the younger boy continued and poor quinn was losing his patience with luke.

"mom put jack, grace, and i in charge because she's gonna take her chance and trust all of us out on the beach today without her watching which means you have to do what we say," quinn emphasized the last part.

"i'm 9. i don't need a babysitter," luke complained. "i'm a year younger than grace!"

"i don't make the rules, moose. i'm not arguing with you anymore," quinn walked away for his own sake. he heard luke huff and then probably hurry off to find their mom. the older boy wandered back into the kitchen where will and samy were at the counter finishing their snacks and grace was doing samy's hair for her.

"moose is being an idiot," quinn mumbled in annoyance.

"don't call him an idiot, q. he just wants to feel included," grace defended luke.

"included? i am including him. i was just telling him the rules for today. i'm not taking the fall if he chooses not to listen to us," the brunette shrugged.

"dude, what'd you do to moose? he's all mad now," jack came into the kitchen a moment later.

"i didn't do anything! he's being a brat," quinn argued while jack just shook his head.

"you shouldn't poke the bear. you know how he gets," the younger brunette dug himself out another juice even though ellen said only one before they left.

"whatever. you guys are dealing with him if he starts again. i'm already done," quinn shook his head.

all 6 of them finally made it out of the house after another fifteen minutes. luke and will took off to the water where quinn was yelling at them to only go out to their waist since their parents weren't there. he was probably the one who took this "in charge" thing the most seriously. samy wanted to build a sandcastle so grace opted to help her do so.

things were going fine for a good seven minutes until luke came running back up the beach holding his palm with teary eyes. quinn, jack, and grace immediately rushed to the boy's side. "moosey, what happened?" quinn urged and then they all saw the piece of glass sticking out of his skin.

"oh no," jack muttered.

"i-i was just trying to find seashells and then i felt something poke my hand.." luke got out in sobs.

"hey, it's okay. it's not your fault," grace was quick to shush his cries, always the one who knew how to manage everyone's emotions.

"mom's gonna freak when she finds out," jack mumbled.

"she's never gonna put us in charge again," quinn frowned when he realized he already messed up his role of protector. he wanted to fix this, so he had to act fast. "j, you run inside and find a bandaid, wet cloth, and antiseptic," the older boy instructed.

"roger that," jack took off back towards the house.

"it's gonna be okay, moosey. we're gonna get you fixed up. it doesn't even look that bad," quinn assured and grace nodded in agreement.

"i-i'm sorry, quinny. i didn't mean to," the younger boy was still crying.

"it's not your fault, i promise. you were just playing around. it's whoever left glass on the beach," the older brother mustered his best smile in hopes of making luke feel better.

"when i was 8, i cut my foot on glass too. not a fun at all, but with the right medicine, it will be okay," grace added, trying to lift the boy's spirits.

"will i be able to swim still?" luke wondered, his tears finally settling.

"maybe not today, but once the cut heals, yes. it should only take a few days," quinn nodded with another smile.

jack came back running with all of what quinn asked for. the three got to work with fixing up luke's hand. quinn took the lead and pulled the little piece of glass from his brother's hand. grace used the antiseptic to clean the cut up real good before jack laid the bandaid down.

"see? good as new," grace grinned.

"thanks, guys. sorry again," luke frowned.

"not your fault, moose," quinn said and urged his brother to go have fun again. will begun helping samy with her castle in the meantime so luke quickly joined in. the oldest hughes held his hand up for a high five.

"good work everyone. mom will be proud of us," the older three grinned.

now two of the oldest tuned themselves in to the game beginning to unfold as quinn and will took the ice, a scene their 13, 11, 10, 9, and 7 year old selves never would've even dreamed of.

—

the next day, christmas eve and the night before the first night of hanukkah, everyone awaited will and quinn's arrivals. colleen and ellen pulled samy and grace to help them in the kitchen while somehow jack and luke evaded the help and went outside to the beach. it was cold for a december day, but warm enough that the breeze felt refreshing instead of freezing.

"god, i love being back here," jack hummed, his toes sinking into the soft sand.

"it reminds me so much of being little considering we don't come out here a lot anymore," luke shared the sentiments. the last time either of them could remember being in cape cod was probably years ago when luke was just starting the dev program. it seemed like being in cape cod was filled with old memories while the lake house in michigan was the bridge to the new memories and friends that filled the house each year.

cape cod would always be the hughes's and smiths to keep close to them and a place to fill whenever the families wanted time together.

as the day ticked by, there was probably dishes worth of food to eat in the next couple of days which wasn't surprising at all. ellen and colleen always went overboard with the food anytime they started cooking, so they were trusting all the kids and bill and jim would eat it all.

the last uber holding the final two kids pulled into the driveway around 4:40pm. samy was rushing down the steps to greet her boyfriend and brother first. she embraced quinn who eagerly scooped her into his arms much like jack and luke did. "wow, long time no see, little hughes," quinn grinned.

"glad you're finally here quinny," samy beamed and jumped towards will next. the blonde lifted her into his arms in a similar manner even though they did just see one another a little over a week ago.

"hi pretty girl, i missed you," will kissed her cheek.

"i missed you. great game last night. you guys were so good," samy praised both boys as they got their things from the back.

"eh, it was nothing," quinn played off the canucks win with a small shrug.

everyone else was waiting on the porch step for the boys. they went through all of the hugs with everyone and smiley hello's. ellen was finally glad to have all of her kids under one roof plus grace and will. the younger smith squeezed both of his parents and sister in tight hugs. "so good to see you again, will," colleen gushed after not seeing her son since visiting a few months ago.

the large group made their way back inside, tasteful aromas filling their senses from all the cooking happening. "good flights i assume?" ellen asked.

"long eight hours, but yeah. it was fine," quinn nodded.

"he snored the whole time," will exposed the older boy, snickering with luke and samy.

"alright, i get it. i snore. you do, too," quinn poked the rookie's shoulder.

"you guys get settled and then i'm sure everyone's hungry so we can eat dinner fairly soon. everything is almost all ready," ellen grinned.

"i'm assuming you're kicking me to the basement, right?" luke motioned between will and his sister who's faces flushed at his words. "i don't have to sleep in—"

"nah, it's fine. my stuff is already all down there anyway. gg, you get a room to yourself for once," luke teased while grace laughed. even though the couple had been together for more than a year now, the older three were still adjusting to seeing the new dynamic within their family. what used to be a divide between girls and boys most of time was now mixed in as they got older. they also just weren't around anymore to fully get used to the idea of samy and will dating after avoiding one another because "boys and girls had cooties."

"just don't be too loud when you start—"

"and that looks like the cue for will and quinn to put their stuff down," samy cut luke off before he finished his sentence. the curly-haired brunette just winked while the others snickered. the young couple's blush got worse as samy rushed will upstairs before anyone said something else uncalled for in front of their parents.

"it never gets old," luke mumbled to himself, collapsing back onto the couch.

"and i'll never get used to it until they get married probably," jack shook his head slightly.

quinn, jack, and grace could picture the first summer they started noticing changes in samy and will's relationship.

summer of 2018

samy and will were 13. luke mumbled something to jack in passing one day when he claimed that will kept inviting samy to hang out with them when he's never done it before. jack didn't really think much of it, also not really caring for luke's 15 year old moodiness as a 17 year old. no one really thought anything of it until quinn caught sight of the two younger ones on the porch together playing cards by themselves. he raised his eyebrow.

"what are you creeping at?" grace noticed quinn by the window.

"samy and will are out there playing cards by themselves," the older boy pointed out. grace went over to look for herself and sure enough, her brother and samy were smiling and laughing as they played two person uno.

"do you ever feel like this summer feels different?" the 18 year old wondered.

"different how?" grace grew curious.

"i don't know like everyone feels a million years older," quinn shrugged.

"i mean..we are older. you're starting sophomore year of college. luke's starting usntdp this fall. jack's almost done with usntdp..." grace listed off all the differences.

"yeah, yeah, but besides the obvious. something just feels different. like maybe everyone's all grown up now that we aren't needed anymore? quinn admitted and grace's expression fell.

"not needed? i don't think we can ever escape that being the oldest siblings," the girl laughed a little.

"i mean with the smaller stuff, you know? it feels like everyone's found their footing. i mean samy and will don't avoid one another anymore. cooties must've rubbed off," the brunette laughed too.

"we'll always be needed, q, just for different reasons, but i understand where you're coming from. it is weird seeing them get along so well now," grace peered out of the window again to catch another glimpse.

samy followed will to his room. it was roughly decorated with famous hockey players he picked out when they were like eight and stayed exactly this way since colleen and bill never found the need to redecorate the beach house rooms. "wow, i feel like i'm eight again," will admired the old medals and posters on the wall.

"this whole house feels like a time capsule to me. we like never come here anymore," the girl settled onto the bed.

"i know. it's cool being back though. feels like those really old times when we were little," will grinned when samy giggled at the memories. the blonde began unpacking some of his things before joining his girlfriend on the bed.

"how've you been?" he wondered.

"i'm good. you?"

"better now that we get to spend a few days together," the blonde cheesed earning a blush on samy's cheeks.

"i love you. how are you feeling about the game from last night?" because of how late everything was and will's early flight, the couple hadn't gotten a chance to talk about it like they usually would.

"fine. it was fine. i knew we would lose against quinn again," will shrugged, playing it off even though samy saw right through the disappointment settling into his body. she tugged his glance towards her, "i know it's hard losing so much, but it's nothing on you."

"i know, i just..it's still weird adjusting to the whole pro life and going from being one of the best to..semi average," the blonde shrugged.

"semi average? babe, give yourself some credit. you're way better than semi average. it may not seem like that right now, but you're gonna prove yourself. the fans love you," samy quickly reassured.

"i just wish our program was stronger or..we had something different. i don't know. i know having mack and i on is definitely turning it around slowly, but..still," will released a sigh, deflating even more with samy hated seeing.

"i get it. it's discouraging, but it's all the more reason to keep pushing for that change. plus, you have at least 3ish..maybe 2 by this point days off, try to take advance of them and just let your mind rest for now," will knew his girlfriend had a point so he smiled and tried forgetting about the team and hockey for now.

"i will, thanks. i love you too," he leaned in to peck her cheek. samy flushed, threading her fingers through his messy curls before heading back down stairs knowing someone would come up looking for them if they didn't.

the dining room finally got put to good use again as everyone found their unassigned, assigned seats while the boys helped bring the dishes out. colleen bill took each head of the table while everyone else filled in around them. likewise, the older siblings sat on one side while the younger ones sat across from them—the old and young divide still showing.

"i wanna say how grateful i am to have everyone here to celebrate the holidays this year. i couldn't be more grateful for having all my sons here and colleen and bill for opening this cherished home to us this year," ellen spoke up before anyone dug in. her expression glowed with joy and happiness seeing all four of her babies look back at her with similar expressions.

the entire dinner was spent with loud laughter and stories of the past few months since summer. hockey was the main topic, but samy continued getting praised for her recent win along with the excitement of being almost halfway done with college already. quinn shared updates about vancouver. jack and luke talked about jersey like they've been living there their whole lives and will expressed how happy he was in san jose. it seemed like every kid was finding their footing which warmed the parents' hearts.

once dinner concluded, the yearly tradition of receiving matching pajamas the night of christmas eve continued. it was even more special this time around because hanukkah was tomorrow too. all six kids opened the familiar shaped gift at the same time, wondering what the theme would be this year.

"oh my god, it's all of our teams," jack saw it first, always being the first one to rip through the wrapping paper. he held the pants up to examine it closer.

"we got them custom made so the pants have your team logos and your shirts are tailored to your specific team," ellen explained.

"wow these are awesome. thanks so much, mom," luke beamed, going to kiss the older woman's cheek.

"we want pictures, so go put them on!" colleen said and urged all the kids to change. they ran to the bathrooms or the bedrooms making the parents laugh. five minutes later, all 6 of them were in the new clothes sporting their teams.

"wow, i love them. you guys look so good," ellen gushed.

"i could totally fuck with these. i'd wear them out honestly," jack proudly declared and posed him his set.

"okay, everyone on the couch like usual," ellen instructed. the kids got themselves in order where the younger ones sat up on the actual couch while quinn, jack, and grace crowded them at their feet. wide smiles painted everyone's lips as the parents squeezed together to capture the memory.

"sooo adorable, oh my god. thanks for being good sports about this guys," colleen smiled when the last photo was taken.

"you guys better get some sleep, we have a big day tomorrow. santa is coming and we're lighting the first candle on the menorah," mrs. hughes clapped her hands together in excitement. obviously, everyone was too old to believe in santa, but she liked saying it nonetheless because they were all still kids in her eyes.

"if you hear commotion on the roof, it just may be the reindeer," jim teased making everyone giggle with childlike excitement.

it was nice because none of them had really felt this excited about christmas like this in awhile. maybe it was something about being all together again that brought the magical feelings back.

"see you all in the morning," jack cheered and made his way downstairs. everyone else said goodnight to the parents and retired to their rooms.

samy and will cuddled together in his bed. "so what'd you ask santa for christmas?" the blonde cheesed in a whisper.

"well, i want one of those dyson air wraps for my hair. i asked for some new socks. some shirts and pants. all the usual. you?" samy giggled as she tried remembering the list she sent her mom a few weeks ago.

"honestly, i didn't really know what i wanted. new sweatshirts? more dress shirts," will shrugged a bit.

"i didn't really know what i wanted either honestly. i kind of told my mom to surprise me. i'm excited for you to see the gift i got you though," the girl grinned.

"oh really? am i gonna love it?"

"i mean, i hope so," samy snuggled in closer to her boyfriend's chest. he squeezed her arm and kissed her temple.

"i'm sure i will. i love anything from you," will laughed and they actually fell asleep pretty fast. after the long day of traveling, will was knocked out and samy fell asleep from his familiar scent alone.

the morning of christmas, a very special tradition was always carried out and luke and samy were already awake to continue it on. the two met in the quiet kitchen, "ready?" the older boy wondered.

"so ready," samy grinned.

every year since they could learn how to be quiet, samy and luke had a tradition of waking up everyone in the house super early using a different method each year. in past years they've splashed water on people's faces, blew air horns in their ears, threw fake rubber bugs on people—it was endless and the most fun the siblings had.

this year they were going with silly string. hoping that 5 cans was enough, they crept downstairs to where jack and quinn were.

winter of 2016

"shh, we have to be quiet," luke whispered to his little sister as they crept upstairs to jack's room. they were giggling like crazy with one another in hopes that no one would hear them coming.

their mom bought them the air horns weeks ago, hoping that by asking for them weeks in advance, she wouldn't find out what they'd be using them for. the tactic worked because no one in the house knew what was coming as they inched closer to their brother's room.

jack was a pretty heavy sleeper in general, so they hoped the loud air horns would do the trick. once they blew them, everyone in the house was bound to hear, so they had to move fast throughout everyone's rooms so they could all get a taste of the loud handheld machines.

"we go on my count," luke instructed and samy nodded. he carefully pushed jack's door open where the middle hughes was spread out across his bed snoring loudly.

it was seven in the morning, the latest they left anyone sleep before they set their yearly tradition and prank into motion. luke and samy hovered right over jack's head.

"3"

"2"

"1"

the loud sound blew through the air straight into poor jack's ears. he jolted straight out of bed, eyes wide with fear.

"wake up it's christmas!" luke and samy yelled before hurrying out of the boy's room. they pushed quinn's door open right next door, not hesitating to blow the air horns.

"get up! get up! it's christmas!" the oldest hughes jumped straight up too.

grace was their next victim in samy's room. "wake up!!" she yelled in the girl's ear who flinched.

they ran into their parents' room, jumping on ellen and jim's king sized bed and blowing the horns. "merry christmas!!!"

they were such menaces because mr. and mrs. hughes woke up startled and scared someone was breaking into their house until they realized it was just samy and luke.

they kept blaring the horns as they ran downstairs to the basement where will was asleep. the poor blonde grumbled something and tried covering his ears with the pillows. samy and luke ran back up the the main floor where they spun themselves around to announce the day ahead.

"it's finally christmas! everyone wake up!" the two yelled.

it was the cruelest way to wake people up, but it worked every year because everyone was usually awake within the thirty minutes samy and luke made their grand entrances.

this christmas was going to be no different. luke pushed his brothers' door opened where jack was spread out on the bed and quinn was sleeping the opposite direction. the siblings shared a glance, feeling bad for just a second, but knowing everyone should just expect it by now.

"you get quinn, i'll get jack," luke whispered and samy nodded.

she pointed her fire at her older brother who looked so peaceful sleeping. when luke gave her the signal, she shook her can and started spraying directly in the boy's face.

quinn, who wasn't a heavy sleeper, woke up immediately, "hey, what the fuck!" he yelled which woke jack up.

"woah, what the fuck is that?" they covered their faces.

"merry christmas!" samy and luke yelled before racing out of the room and back upstairs.

they went to ellen and jim's room, not even waiting to start spraying in their direction. "wake up! wake up! it's christmas!" the older couple winced when the substance touched their faces.

"luke. samy," ellen said sharply making her kids run out of the room before they were caught. samy bursted into will's room and she felt so bad getting up and leaving him alone in the bed, but it was also still so fun to wake him up like this.

"merry christmas smitty!" luke started spraying first. it rambled into the blonde's hair where he flinched away, hiding under the covers.

"hey! what the hell!" he grumbled.

"sorry, baby. get up! it's christmas!" samy giggled and ran out of the room to grace's.

no one was thrilled with the silly string wake up call and what samy and luke forgot was that they left their extra cans down in the kitchen where quinn and jack found them after they ran up the stairs.

the older brothers raced up to the second floor and sprang into action, spraying down samy and luke in return for the cruel wake up alarm.

"take that!" jack exclaimed and now all four siblings were having a silly string battle in the middle of the hallway. it was going everywhere on the walls, in their hair, on their clothes.

will and grace came out a second later when they heard the yelling. "take one!" jack threw a can to grace.

instead, she decided to spray the older boys back. they freaked and tried running away back down the stairs, but everyone just followed them instead.

the war continued in the kitchen. will grabbed his own can and now it turned into every man for themselves. counters were used as shields. corners weren't safe anymore. entryways became hiding places. silly string was everywhere.

when ellen, jim, colleen, and bill finally made it out of their rooms, they were greeted with a large amount of silly string everywhere.

"i can't say i'm mad because samy and luke always think of something clever to wake us up with," bill laughed.

"let's just be glad it wasn't water this year," ellen mumbled and decided to brave going downstairs where the war was still happening between the kids.

they had all made it outside at this point. the entire yard became free range. samy tried hunting down will, but he cornered her first and sprayed her hard with yellow.

"can it be a truce if we're dating?" samy said, blocking her face from the string.

"truce. nah, i come to play," will shook his head. the girl took off towards the beach knowing they couldn't spray on the beach because it was public property.

will still followed her but stopped when he saw that she had stopped too. he raised his eyebrow until he got closer and saw nothing but white covering the sand.

"oh my god, it snowed!" the girl squealed and ran onto the snow covered beach.

the blonde grinned, watching his girlfriend fall back into the snow even though she was still in nothing but her pjs. he quickly followed after her.

"will, it snowed! i haven't seen snow on the beach in so long," she was so happy and the silly string war was forgotten.

quinn, jack, luke, and grace came looking for the two. when they got closer to the beach, they caught sight of the snow and all of their faces lit up.

"no fucking way, it snowed!" jack hurried ahead.

"i haven't seen snow on this beach in so long," grace mumbled in disbelief.

jack copied samy and will. he stared making his own snow angel. being from michigan must've made them have thick skin because none of them were complaining about the cold in just pajamas.

"this is so cool," luke mumbled, pulling his phone out for a picture.

the silly string war quickly turned to a snowball fight. when the parents finally made it outside, they couldn't even be mad anymore because the joy on their kids' faces was like no other.

it really was some christmas miracle.

[trippiexlove]

Story Masterlist

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Ch. 2

Previous Part

Today was another stressful day for Evren of dealing with patients and running around like her head was cut off. She took a quick moment to sit at the nurses station next to Zahria. She pulled out her phone for what felt like the hundredth time today.

"You been checking your phone all day," Zahria turned from typing on the computer looking at her.

"Nothing, it's-" she hesitated, trying to figure out if she wanted to tell her best friend or not "well you know how last week you joked saying I needed to write someone in jail"

"yeah-" Zahria eyes widen slowly "wait, you did it?!"

Evren nodded her head, Giselle letting out a squeal "Girl it's not that serious"

"Who is it? Did he write back?" Zahria was now completely turned around facing her, eager for her to answer her questions. 

Evren chuckled lowly at her friend, "his name is Josh and no he hasn't wrote me back yet"

"How long has it been since you wrote him?"

"It's been a couple weeks. I've been checking my messages everyday since"

"Maybe something happened," Zahria shrugged her shoulders "do you have a picture of him?"

"Yeah" She pulled up a picture showing her, whose eyes widen. 

"Damn sis he is fine" she grabbed her phone looking at Josh's profile "what the hell he do to land him 15 years?"

Evren shrugged her shoulder a bit "I have no idea, I wanted to ask when I first sent the message but I didn't want to seem pushy. I want him to tell me on his own" soon the familiar chimes of the intercom came on, paging Evren

She grabbed her phone from Zahria sighing, placing it back into her pocket. "Hopefully he writes back soon"

Evren nodded in agreement before walking off in the direction she needed to go.

Evren sighed as she walked into her house, taking her shoes off at the door. She dropped her keys onto the foyer table, bypassing the living room and kitchen heading straight up the stairs. She went into bathroom turning on the shower.

She hopped in taking a quick shower and doing her night routine. She threw an oversized shirt and put her bonnet on. As soon as her head hit the pillow her phone dinged. She was going to ignore it but she felt an urge to check it.

New Message from: Fatu, Joshua #1759

She sat up quick, in disbelief he wrote back. She clicked on the notification reading over the message. 

What's up ma

I apologize it took so long to write back, shits been real hectic in here. I appreciate you writing me. Evren is it? You'll have to tell me how to pronounce it one day. My name Josh but I go by Jey.  I'm 39, I'm from Florida but live out here in Georgia and I'm a twin. 

Now that we got most of the basics out the way, I hope to hear about those cliche things soon. I'll be looking for it.

Jey

She felt like a high school girl who just got a note from her crush. She quickly typed a reply back to him before locking her phone and letting sleep wash over her.

It was another day in the cell block, everyone sitting in their own space in the common area. Jey sitting with his usual group he hung around. Sami, Xavier and Kofi. 

They were playing cards while Jey sat back observing everybody. 

"Yo Uce you hoppin' in on a game" Xavier shuffled the cards preparing for the next game. 

Jey shook his head slightly "nah I'm good" his focus landed on somebody walking over and standing right in front of him. 

"Well look who's back from the hole" Jey looked at the young dude, who goes by Bron. He crossed his arms as he stared down Jey. 

Jey sat back unphased keeping a straight face "and look who's back from the infirmary," he eyes the fresh cut and bruise on the side of his face "how's your face feeling" 

Bron expression soon turned sour taking a step towards him. "You think you're funny huh?" 

Jey slowly stood out his seat, coming eye to eye. "I don't think I'm funny, but if you keep testin' me that black eye ain't gonna be the only thing you gon' worry bout" 

Bron gave him one last look before huffing, walking away. Jey shook his head before a guard came up to him. "Fatu, it's your time to go check your mail" 

Jey nodded before being escorted over to the area they can make calls and send messages to family. 

He sat down at the computer putting in his information. He saw he had a few messages, a couple from his brothers and a new one from, from Evren. He opened hers first reading the message. 

I'm glad you wrote back. For a second there I thought you wouldn't. I know you said you wanted to hear the cliche things about me so here's a few. I like to read, I love traveling and experiencing new things. And I love flowers doesn't matter what kind. 

I love that you're a twin. I don't have any siblings, since I was adopted at a young age. And before I forget I am a nurse. I work in the O.R. helping out with surgeries, and oversee patient post-care afterwards. I think that covers everything for me. Now what about you?

xo, Ren 

Jey couldn't help but be intrigued by Evren. It was something about her that he couldn't put a finger on quite yet. He didn't even know what the girl looked like. 

He typed out his message to her before replying back to his brothers. They were just sending him updates on certain things back home. Once he was done he headed back to the common area before they released everyone out to the yard.

Evren was on her lunch break with Zahria. The girls were at their favorite taco spot. 

"I swear if Dr. Rhodes don't stop hitting on me, I'm reporting his ass to HR" Zahria rolled her eyes as she took a bite out of her food. 

"His ass is a creep," Evren shook her head "I had to tell him bout himself the other day. Just kept flirting while doing a surgery, like focus on the patient not me" 

Her attention went to her phone signaling her she had a new message. She knew immediately who it was and grabbed her phone so fast. 

"Damn girl," Zahria couldn't help but laugh "who got you grabbing your phone like that?" 

A wide smile bloomed on Evren's face as she read the message. "It's Josh," she breathed, angling her phone so Zahria could see the screen.

I won't go that long again without writing back. Damn, you a nurse? How's that life? I know it gotta be hectic. I don't like to do much, but I definitely like to travel. That's the first thing I wanna do when I get out.

Having a twin ain't all that. His ass be getting on my nerves but we close at the end of the day. I got 5 other siblings, my twin and I the oldest. We come from a big ass family and we all close with each other. 

Jey

"He seems really down to Earth and really interested in you"

Evren looked at Zahria slightly blushing "You think so?"

Zahria smacked her teeth "Damn right, he would be crazy not to" 

"I don't know Zah," she slightly shook her head "we just started talking to one another"

Zahria shook her head no "I'm not saying y'all getting married tomorrow, just feel him out and see where it goes" she shrugged her shoulder, focusing back on her food.

Evren blew out a breath nodding. Sending Josh a message back. 

Glad you're ok. I can't imagine having 5 siblings. It must have been fun growing up. Since it was just me and my parents, never really had a large family. 

Being a nurse has its days. I enjoy what I do. The people I do it with, that's a whole different story. 

Is there a specific place you want to visit once you're released? 

She locked her phone putting it away in her purse. The friends enjoyed the rest of their lunch together before heading back to the hospital. Hours later, when Evren started her next set of rounds she felt her phone vibrate, seeing she had a new message from Josh.

Growing up in a big ass family has it challenges. I love everybody in my family, but they get on my damn nerves sometimes. So you ain't missin' out on nothin'. 

I hope you ain't overworkin' yourself. If anyone fuckin' with you just let me know. But to answer your question, I would love to just go where my family from. Samoa.

Evren smiled at the message. His last comment not going unnoticed. Putting her phone back in the pockets of her scrub. She had another surgery she had to scrub in with Dr. Rhodes. It was quick and simple and they were done in no time. She checked the time and seen it was nearing 7 as she scrubbed out. 

She felt a presence behind her, a hand being placed on her lower back. She quickly turned around seeing Dr. Rhodes, already smirking at her.

"Can I help you Dr. Rhodes?" She removed his hand from her back. Lifting and eyebrow at him.

"Please, I told you, you can call me Cody," his smile sent shivers down her spine, and not the good kind.

"I rather call you Dr. Rhodes" she tried to side step him but he got in her way again "Is there something I can help you with Dr. Rhodes?"

"Why in a rush? I know you're getting off early tonight and it just so happens so do I. I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner together"

Kairi politely smiled "Thank you for the offer but I will have a decline"

"Oh come on," he tried grabbing her hand but she pulled away before he could "don't be like that"

"Dr. Rhodes I hope you can understand," she narrowed her eyebrows a bit looking him up and down "this is strictly professional. I appreciate the invite but no thank you" She gave him a once over before leaving out the scrub room. 

She stopped by the nurse station to say bye to Zahria since she was staying her whole shift. "I'll see you later girl"

Zahria noticed the look of irritation on her face "You good?"

"Dr. Rhodes on his b.s. again," she rolled her eyes  "I swear I am about to report him to HR for harassment"

"Girl I will find him myself and cuss him out. Can't take no as an answer like the creep he is"

Evren shook her head "he's not even worth it so don't waste your time" she checked the time seeing it was a quarter pass 7 "let me get home, I'll see you later"

Zahria gave her a nod, giving her a hug as Evren made her way out. She quickly got to her car, making the quick drive home. 

She got inside, leaving her shoes and keys by the door. She rushed upstairs to take a quick shower, changing into an oversized shirt and shorts. She threw her bonnet on and getting in her bed before slowly falling asleep.

The gritty expanse of the rec yard was a familiar cage, the chain-link fence a constant reminder against the bruised twilight sky. Basketballs thumped a ragged rhythm, punctuated by the strained grunts of men pushing their bodies. Jey, usually a coiled spring on the makeshift court, found his focus fractured. He moved through the drills with Sami, his body going through the motions, but his mind kept snagging on the thought of Kairi.

Sami, ever the perceptive one, noticed the shift. He snagged the errant basketball, its worn leather familiar in his calloused hands. "You're off today, uce," he observed, a knowing glint in his eye as he watched his friend wipe sweat with the edge of his faded t-shirt. "What got your head in the clouds? Finally dreaming of that gourmet prison grub they keep promising?"

Jey scoffed, but the corner of his mouth twitched with a private amusement. "Nah, nothin' like that." His gaze drifted for a fleeting second towards the distant, imposing walls before snapping back to Sami.

"Something's got you distracted," Sami persisted, his tone laced with playful curiosity. "You missed that pass I teed up for you. That's like you missing a free meal."

A small smile touched Jey's lips. "Just something happened the other day."

Sami's eyebrows arched. "Random in here usually involves contraband or a new set of rules from the guards. Spill it."

Jey hesitated, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features. "I got a message from someone."

"A message?" Sami bounced the basketball idly. "From who? Your lawyer finally remember your name?"

Jey rolled his eyes. "Man quit playin'. Just… someone."

"Ooh, 'someone'," Sami drawled, his smirk widening. 

A hint of defensiveness entered Jey's voice. "Nah, nothing like that. I won't expectin' it."

"Oh really?" Sami leaned in conspiratorially. "Somebody caught your attention, huh?"

Jey let out a soft sigh. "Look, I put up a profile on one of those pen pal sites, you know? Didn't really expect anythin' to come of it."

Sami's eyebrows shot up. "No way! You? Mr. 'I don't need nobody' actually put yourself out there?"

Jey shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Shit, I was bored so why not? Anyway a girl reached out." Jey sighed, knowing he fucked up letting it slip.

"A girl?" Sami's smirk widened. "Well, well, well. Look who's finally making connections. What's her name?"

"Aye keep your voice down uce," Jey said quickly, looking around. "But I can't tell you all that. We been talkin' for a minute now."

"Talking how?" Sami pressed, his curiosity piqued. "Letters? Or you finally figured out how to work that dumbass computer in the library?"

"Messages, mostly," Jey replied, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "but that's all I'm tellin' you, already told yo' ass too much"

"Messages with a girl you met on a pen pal site," Sami repeated slowly, a playful glint in his eyes. "Protective already, huh? You haven't even met her in person, and you're already guarding her like she's the last phone call you get this month."

Jey shoved Sami playfully on the shoulder. "Shut up, man. It's not like that."

"Alright, alright," Sami conceded, raising his hands in mock surrender. "My lips are sealed. For now. But you know I'm going to be all over this later. A pen pal! You sly dog. You gotta tell me more bout her."

Jey shook his head, a small, private smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he bounced the basketball with a renewed focus, though his thoughts were clearly elsewhere. Sami watched him, a knowing and amused expression lingering on his face, the unspoken questions hanging between them in the fading light of the rec yard. 

They continued playing ball til they heard the familiar whistle being blown. Signaling their time in the rec yard coming to an end. 

Previous Part

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[samiholloway]

Everyone who saw it was sure it was the sun falling from the sky. It wasn't, of course, but the fire flaking the shielding off the ship's skin as it tore through the atmosphere made it as bright as the sun, and then brighter, washing out the blue-green of the sky until it was the only brightness one could see. When it landed in the water just where the horizon met the sky, the last blast of it's light was blinding, and the loss of it after, when the smoke and steam hit the air, darkened the whole sky.

The Drae were already in the air and heading toward the crash, their six wings beating against the buffeting winds, their riders armed and strapped low over their broad backs. Those who stayed on the beach whistled and roared and herded the witnesses up away from the flooding, as smaller bits of burning wreckage followed the ship down.

Write a piece about the sun falling out of the sky

[neodymiumcuilz]

Please, see Palestinians as human, help Sameer and his family 🍉🍉

The dehumanising of Palestinians is abhorrent, every day you see on the news how dozens of people are killed and massacred.

Their lives aren't reported on, their names aren't said, as if they are just bugs and don't deserve to live.

Every single human life is an entire universe. Every single person who was killed deserved to live, have dreams and a future.

Dozens of people are humiliated, traumatized. Killed and maimed. Families are destroyed and torn apart.

New estimates say that 400,000 people have been ruthlessly murdered.

Please, Sameer ( @sameergaza ) has been reaching out to me, he needs help to support his fundraiser. He gets hardly any donations, if you can donate, you have no excuse not to.

" I wrote her story and asked for money to help her start over but unfortunately I have only collected 35 out of 2000 dollars so far. I have tried my best to spread the word and I have sent it to many friends but unfortunately everyone let me down but I don't blame them for what they did I don't know what their circumstances are but I really hope for your help my aunt is in dire need of it. She is trying to get shelter, some bedding and buy some food that's all I did not ask to rebuild her house She only needs to buy a tent. Please don't let me down. I can't tell her I didn't raise the money for her. She's already broken enough. At least she'll be a little happy to have a tent and some food. An entire family has been torn apart by the loss of their only son and the destruction of their home. I believe that if I don't raise the amount, they will all be wiped out. Don't they deserve to live? Don't they deserve a second chance? Isn't it enough that they lost the most precious thing they own? My aunt still hasn't gotten over the loss of her only son and I don't think she ever will, but why don't you stand by her for a little while? She really needs your help, guys. "

Please, listen to his message, try and comprehend his suffering. We cannot comprehend the Palestinian experience, of a genocidal holocaust as the world watches on and on, and does nothing.

Dont just reblog and move on, Sameer's aunt lost her son. After 21 months of genocide - try to imagine? Just try to imagine the amount of families wiped out entirely by the occupation.

61% of HIGHLY ACHIEVABLE 10k goal raised.

Please follow @sameergaza to support him.

tagging for reach:

@salemruinseverything @bifrosted-flakes @a-scary-lack-of-common-sense @tooningin @charmsterz @thou-art-of-the-stars @sandersgrey @ofide @rukafais @officialpenisenvy @theonpilled @fleurrice @sonknuxadow @selkiebrides @primarining @roakkaliha @lostacelonnie @huzni @laurajameskinney @gamb0fficial@evilponds @fmab @zzoupz @4waystreet @dinodamage @yurischolar @lune-tic @lipid @newporters @witticismz @dovv @capricornpropaganda @iso7010 @juliuscaesarofficial @palentonga @parsleyrosemarybotch @tadpoledyke @nosferatu-library-for-palestine @userpeggycarter @thedigitalbard @melon-colli @demilypyro @stuckinapril

@xxx-sparkydemon-xxx @a-shade-of-blue @raangmanch @ot3 @tamamita @alluraaaa @theinconvenientlifestyle @sar-soor @rana-temporaria @rana-temporaria @randommmmie @random-autie-fangirl-old @ladycelebrianofimladris @laurellament @magz @magicpandacats @determinate-negation @alientitty @tumbalaria @crows-sorrows @mayoiayasep @estrellasrojas @esperantokomencanto @secretpersonapruneeggs @troythecatfish @ourient @one-time-i-dreamt @fictionkinfessions @fifthnormani @postanagramgenerator @twosandwich @summerslushies @turquoisewavesstitch @paranormal-librarian @pangur-and-grim @nectarinegirl @bookskittychad @omegaversereloaded @maester-cressen @maryajunkova @wormthe @wayneradiotv @leovaldeeeznuts @lmaonade @purpleweredragon @bahrmp3 @greek-freak101 @extremelycursedimages @sharingresourcesforpalestine @kiirodor

[acehimbo]

Hello guys, I wrote the story of my aunt, which was two days ago, and I published her story here on Tumblr to compensate her for part of what I lost, but unfortunately all that has been collected is 5 dollars so far, has our life become cheap for you, my friend, so that you can read the post you wrote and see what happened to my aunt’s pain and a big loss in the past few days, you will know that she urgently need help, I try to convey our voice to all people, but they don’t care about our order, you are our only hope, my friend, you have lost the most precious thing you have, you can reconsider that, my friend, and rethink to know that we really need to stand by her a little 💔

https://www.tumblr.com/sameergaza/788492704074072064

Please, there is a specific deadline of only 12 days. The first day ended yesterday and I only collected 5 dollars. Now we are starting our second day in order to help and compensate her even with a small part of what she lost.

6089/8000

[fuckyeahsamlake]

I absolutely loved working with the brilliant Sami Ryhänen on Theatre of the Absurd. Art collaborations when it clicks are my favorite thing. There was plenty of that in Alan Wake 2, but it's very liberating to do that outside games and purely as art. Sami contacted me and suggested this and I'm so happy I said yes. I wrote the poem, he created the sculpture and Petri Alanko recorded my voice-over and created the audioscape (you need to visit the gallery to get the full experience). The Utopia exhibition is open till the end of August. (X)

Photos by Antti-Jussi Kaikuru.

[samiholloway]

The maiden didn't have much say in the matter and isn't any more pleased about it than the dragon. It's early after dawn, the golden rays slanting through the morning under a thunderstorm rolling in from the east. The maiden looks at the dragon. The dragon looks at the maiden.

She puts her hands on her hips when this goes on somewhat longer than it needs to, and her scent -- the usual fearful scent humans generally have around great old dragons -- pitches downward into annoyance. Which amuses him, because it's been a long time since someone was around long enough to get annoyed with him.

He doesn't know what else to do with a maiden, so he shifts sideways, revealing the way to his cave. "Would you like to come in?"

"oh, so you speak? You don't just gobble girls up and spit out their splintered bones?"

The light makes her hair look something like gold in firelight, and that's something a dragon can appreciate. Otherwise, humans mostly just look like humans. "Why would I spit out the bones? That's the best part." He smiled a toothy dragon smile, letting his voice drop down to a deep rumble like the foundations of the earth shifting. Her bravery wobbles and she swallows hard, but she doesn't back down, so he laughs and waggles a wing at her. "Oh come on, girls are too small a meal, and human bones splinter and get stuck in my throat. Much prefer cows these days. Come inside before the rain gets you more surely than I ever could."

So she does. She gives him a wide berth until the entrance of the cave forces her to move closer to get out of the oncoming rain (and she tries not to look surprised when he holds up his great black wing to shield her from it while letting her through, nor when she looks up and sees that the underside is darkly irridescent like a crow's feather). He tries not to show that he saw her trying.

The cave is cozy by dragon standards, and warm by both human's and dragon's. It's also absolutely packed with riches.

"um." She says.

"Yes," he says. "That part of the myth is true. I don't suppose maidens much like sleeping on gold?"

"Not as such," she says, her hands behind her back as she skirts the room, examining the various carefully sorted piles of gold or jewels or artfully made ancient treasures. "But I'm sure something here could buy me any number of beds. If I choose to stay."

"if you choose," he agrees.

"Do you have need of a maiden?"

The great dragon crawls thoughtfully up onto his largest pile of gold, settling his limbs and tail and wings around him much the way a cat would, if a cat had wings. And was big enough to knock over a whole barn. "Maidens do seem to attract knights, and that's always bothersome..."

"But we also are good at visiting towns without getting attacked with flaming lances?"

"And why might I need a town? The one here has mostly been an annoyance, and the one before -- well, I'm afraid that one didn't much like living near a dragon and didn't survive the conflict."

She sits on a stool more ornate than anything else she's ever seen, and leans her elbows on her knees. "Maybe having a maiden to argue your case might prevent things like that from happening."

"Or I could just send you home with some gold tomorrow."

"That'll only make the greedy aware of the riches here, confirming the stories about dragons and hoards and such. You'll never have a moment's peace."

"Don't you want to go home?"

"Not particularly. I have to admit being a dragon's maiden wasn't really on my list of ideal professions, but since my choices before this morning were 'arranged marriage' or 'poverty as a spinster', it's not all bad."

He folds his claws and props his chin on them, rumbling in his chest. A little smoke leaks from the slits of his nostrils, somewhat like a pensively puffed pipe.

"I could buy you a cow?" She looks around. "Heck, with all this, we could raise the best herd in the valley and you could have cow whenever you want."

"Now that, my dear, sounds like a better argument."

He reaches one great black claw out to her and it takes a moment for her to translate the gesture into human terms: he wants to shake on it. So she does. And as the thunder and lightning catch up to the rain outside, while they are warm and dry inside, the dragon starts moving one of his smaller piles to make a space for his new maiden, and the maiden starts making a list of all the things she'll need to find in the hoard or bring back from town to make a home here.

An old dragon just wants to be left alone, but the new village that just cropped up a few decades ago keep leaving gifts at his doorstep… and now they’ve just left a maiden!

[chronicowboy]

you are doing the lord’s work every time you smile at me, i don't believe in anything anymore except you and me supremacy - for keeps, lucy dacus

[haddonfieldwhore]

lowkey - damian priest

damian priest x gn!reader

word count: 1.9k

warnings: langauge, drinking, implied nsfw, readers age isn’t specified but i wrote this as if they’re around rheas age so age gap warning just in case, scripted violence

after it being teased for the last few weeks on raw, you were finally going to be moving from nxt to the main roster and joining the judgment day, arguably the most powerful group in the wwe today. you were more than excited, considering that you would be in a group with your best friend rhea, as well as just some really cool, talented people. you had been friends with rhea since middle school, and had only met the guys in the group a handful of times, but you could already tell you were going to fit in well. however that didn’t mean you weren’t nervous to be making your main roster debut, tugging awkwardly at your ring gear as you stood with rhea in gorilla.

“you’re gonna do great, salem,” rhea smiled, using your ring name. your gear matched the judgment day colour scheme, black and purple with lots of chains and studs on your ring jacket. the judgement day would be going out first, and then kevin, sami, and jey would pick off the boys, and raquel would attack rhea. all you had to do was run out there and help rhea; easy enough right?

things were going smoothly, rhea and the boys wishing you luck as they passed by you on the way to the ring. damian patted you on the shoulder, and you looked up at the man who towered over you, like you were sure he did most people, standing at six foot five. you had to admit, he was incredibly handsome, his long hair and dark eyes suiting his features perfectly.

“you’re gonna do great,” he smiled, and you nodded, thankful that they all seemed to accept you into the group already.

“thanks. i’ll see you out there,” you smiled, and he gave you a fist bump with his massive hand, and headed out with the others. even though you were on opposite teams in the ring, even kevin, sami, and jey wished you luck as they passed through gorilla, as did raquel.

it felt like only 3 seconds had gone by, when in reality it had been about 2 minutes before your music kicked in, “the witching hour” by in this moment blared through the arena as one of the backstage crew members gave you your que to head down the ramp. you ran out, your anxiety not letting you look at the amount of people in the crowd as you got to the ring and slid under the bottoms rope, pulling raquel off of rhea. the two of you attacked her and chased her out of the ring, leaving just you and rhea standing there. you looked at eachother, and rhea made it seem for a second that she was going to attack you, but instead extended a hand for you to shake. you took her hand in yours, and the rest of the judgment day, who had also scared off their opponents, joined you in the ring. the moment finally sank in, and you looked at the thousands of people in the crowd, and your heart pounded in your chest, the judgment day music loud in your ears as you all exited the ring and headed up the ramp, damian and finn on either side of you with their arms over your shoulders.

once you had made it backstage, rhea stole you out of their grip, wrapping her arms around you in a hug and spinning you around, causing both of you to laugh.

“you killed it! that was great!” she yelled, and the guys agreed.

“how do you feel?” finn asked, and you took a deep breath as rhea set you back on your feet.

“i feel great! i would have been a lot more nervous if you guys weren’t out there with me, so thank you,” you admitted.

“no problem. we’re like a family, and now you’re a part of it too,” dominik said, and appreciated it more than you could say.

“priest, i think you know what time it is,” rhea smirked evilly. “it’s time to show salem how the judgment day parties.”

“say less,” damian laughed, throwing an arm over your shoulder again as they all led you out through backstage, a handful of superstars congratulating you on your debut, before you got to your cars and left the venue. you and rhea were in her car together while the guys were in another, and as much as you already loved them, you were happy to have a moment with your best friend.

rhea passed you the aux chord and you turned on ‘cyberhex’ by motionless in white, and she nodded in approval.

“so now that it’s just us, how are you feeling after your main roster debut?”

“it was amazing. i have to admit, i am a little overwhelmed, since you and the guys are such an established group, but i’m also so grateful to be joining the judgment day. i just hope they like me,” you answered.

“you mean the fans or the boys?”

“both, but i meant the boys. they all seem really cool, i don’t want to intrude on the group, you know?”

“i get it. but they love you already. if they didn’t you would know,” she laughed, and you felt slightly relieved.

“thanks rhea.”

“no problem. you have your ‘initiation’ match next week, right? against raquel?”

“yeah. i can’t believe my first solos match on raw is against her,” you said; raquel wasn’t someone that would go down without a fight.

“you can do this. i know you can, and the rest of the judgment day knows you can too,” she said, parking her car as you had arrived at the hotel.

•••

one thing was for sure; the judgment day knew how to throw a party. it had been non stop celebrations for about 4 hours when you all calmed down and decided to put on a movie. there was only a small couch and an arm chair in the hotel room you were currently in, which was finn’s room. he was in the chair, you, damian, and rhea sat on the couch, and dom was sitting on the floor in front of rhea, who occasionally played with his hair. you knew the romance between them was just a storyline, but their real life friendship was adorable. you were starting to get sleepy as it was nearing three am, and you were cuddled under a blanket from your suitcase, since the a/c in the hotel room was giving you goosebumps, and you could feel your eyes getting heavy.

as damian shifted next to you, his hand bumped against your thigh, and he muttered a soft apology under his breath. the small amount of alcohol in your system gave you some extra confidence, you took his hand in yours under the blanket and placed it back on your thigh without saying anything, your hand over his to keep it there. he shifted again so his leg was against yours, and you cuddled into his side, resting your head on his shoulder as you let yourself fall asleep.

damian shook you awake gently a little while later, and pointed to rhea and dominik asleep in the one bed, and finn passed out in the other.

“i’ll walk you to your room, unless you wanna sleep on the couch,” damian offered quietly, as not to wake anyone up. he stood up first, pulling you up off the couch by your hand, and you grabbed your bag. it wasn’t until you got into the hallway and the door locked behind you that you realized rhea had the key card to your room.

“fuck,” you mumbled, and damian turned around.

“what’s wrong?”

“rhea has the key to our room,” you replied, feeling like an idiot.

“c’mon, you can stay in my room,” he laughed at you pouting, and started walking down the hallway. when he noticed you weren’t following him, he looked back. “no funny business i promise.” you rolled your eyes playfully, but hurried after him as he led you to his room.

“what if i want there to be?” you asked quietly, as you’d caught up to him. damian looked down at you, a little surprised, before placing his hand on your lower back and pushing you gently.

“then walk faster,” he mumbled, and you smiled as you finally reached his room. he unlocked the door and let you go in first, and you noticed that there was two beds. “did you enjoy your welcome party?” damian asked, and you smiled.

“definitely. rhea wasn’t kidding when she said you guys knew how to party,” you smiled, turning towards him.

“party doesn’t have to be over, if you don’t want it to be,” he said, his voice low as he stepped closer.

“what did you have in mind?” you asked, smiling as you felt his hands rest on your waist, pulling you against him. he leaned down to kiss you deeply, and your hands rested on his chest, his arms circling around you. damian backed you up until your legs hit the end of the bed and you sat down. he backed away, staring down at you.

“are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, and you nodded, your head surprisingly clear after the few drinks you’d had; the nap had sobered you up a surprising amount. you slid off the bed and dropped to your knees in front of him, your hands resting on his thighs.

“i want to,” you assured him, and his head fell backwards as your hand slid over the front of his jeans.

“fuck,” his voice was deep as your hands fought over the buckle of his belt, damian eventually letting you undo it as his hands cradled either side of your head. “this has to stay a secret for now, okay?”

“i know,” you smiled. “it’s kinda more fun that way, isn’t it?” you asked.

“you keep surprising me,” he shook his head.

“is that a bad thing?” you asked, undoing the button on his jeans after successfully undoing his belt, and sliding the zipper down.

“definitely not.”

•••

you woke up to the feeling of someone trailing gentle kisses over your shoulder and up the side of your neck, and you murmured softly at the sensation, tickling slightly.

“good morning,” damian’s deep voice mumbled next to your ear, somehow even deeper than usual after just waking up. your legs were tangled beneath the covers, the white hotel duvet the only thing covering your bodies other than the purple love bites that were scattered across your skin.

“good morning,” you smiled, your eyes fluttering open as you rolled over to look at him.

“it’s only nine so i don’t think the others will be awake yet if we want to sneak downstairs before they wonder where we are,” he offered.

“rhea’s gonna figure out that i didn’t sleep in our room eventually. i’ll just tell her i slept in the extra bed. i have to say - this was kind of out of character for me; i don’t think she’ll expect anything as long as you cover those,” you smiled, poking one of the bite marks you had left on his shoulder.

“can do. as long as you hide those,” he pointed to the hickeys on your neck, and you laughed.

“deal. i do want breakfast though, so yes; we can head downstairs.”

“sounds good. you can shower first if you want,” he offered, and you smirked.

“you could join me.” you had no idea where your sudden boost of confidence was coming from, but you felt comfortable with him considering you barely knew him.

“i don’t know how productive that’s gonna be…” he trailed off, kissing your lips.

“is that a no?”

“that’s not what i said,” he smirked, and pulled the covers off of your bodies, dragging you towards the shower.