#that's my new hobby. i come home and i immediately collapse into the family guy death pose for 12 hours

[mymarifae]

i've been a little quieter than normal just because i've really gotten into

lately

[lucidescuella]

mellifluous ; javier escuella

first time writing with an OC and i’m really happy with this!! i want to make this an ongoing thing too ☺ i might of made this a little self-indulgent lmao

word count: 1,778

Aurora had always enjoyed the outdoors. There was something so soothing about the smell of fresh grass and the harmony of wildlife around her. She blames her mother for her love of nature due to the fact that their cabin was so small, so all she could do was play outside, but she truthfully didn’t mind. She remembers how she and her older sisters, Amélie and Violet, would run around the grassy fields until they collapsed from exhaustion, usually followed by a fit of giggles. 

Oh, how she missed that old cabin. It was practically falling apart, but her mother had tried her utmost to make it into a home. That old vase that had been in their family for generations was filled with a new set of flowers every week, resting on the middle of the table. Her mother had a consummate hobby of embroidery that she constantly used to decorate. They didn’t have much, but they had each other. At least, for the time being. 

Presently, she’s surrounded by a group of people who Aurora is unfamiliar with, a mix of gazes full of pity and hushed whispers behind her back. She had taken a liking to Mary-Beth and Tilly, who reminded her of her sisters. Karen was a lot to deal with, but not particularly unkind. The men in the camp seemed to avoid her, as she did to them, though she was sure for different reasons. They appeared to be the type to steer clear of comforting someone, most likely because of the awkwardness, while Aurora avoided them because she never really had experiences with men in her life. Though, Hosea was an exception, a warmth in the swarm of cold that she experienced in the past few weeks. 

When a group of men displayed in black hats rode into her line of sight, Aurora had already had a feeling of dread aching through her entire body. She remembered wondering who the hell could these guys be? No one had ever come onto their hidden land of property before. Calling for her mother and immediately grabbing Violet’s hand, everything after that was a cloudy blur of yelling and gunshots that led up to desperately grasping her limp mother close to her chest, witnessing the light draining from her eyes. She remembered the heavy guilt on her shoulders as she watched her sisters get thrown on the back of a horse, riding off in the distance. She knew what those kinds of men did to girls. 

She was an absolute mess when a man named Arthur found her on a trail on the outskirts of Valentine, covered in blood and dried tears. 

Now, she feels weight on her as she runs her fingers through the grass of Horseshoe Overlook, though a part of her is content with the memories playing through her head. The sunrise had just ended, the mix of pinks and oranges fading out to a faint blue. The sound of people starting to wake up and beginning their day overwhelmed Aurora, but she sat still on her spot on the edge of the cliff, shuffling random rocks beneath her. After a while, Tilly had come down to the shore and began to wash clothes, “Hi there, Aurora. Do you mind if I sit here?”

“Of course not, Tilly.”

Tilly sat on the ground next to her and sighed softly, “It’s been a rough couple of weeks. I don’t think we’ve ever been worked this hard by Miss Grimshaw. She starts to yell when I just sit down.”

“Yeah, she seems very...intense.” In all honesty, Aurora was terrified of her and tried to avoid her at all costs. It seemed like anything could and would set her off, but she wasn’t going to admit that to Tilly.

“That’s one word to describe her.”

Footsteps sounded behind the girls, both turning their heads in slight fear thinking that Miss Grimshaw had overheard and was coming to confront them about it, but they were relieved to see Javier Escuella with a mug of coffee in his hand and a soft smile on his face, “Miss Jackson, Miss Everett. How are you ladies doing today?” 

Tilly returned the smile, “We’re just fine, Mister Escuella. Got any plans for today?”

“Oh, you know, rob a stagecoach, get some leads. Try to keep busy.”

“Same old, same old.” 

Javier chuckled and nodded, turning his head to Aurora who was interested in the ground all of a sudden. She felt like she was intruding on a conversation between two obvious friends, and frankly she just felt that she wasn’t wanted there by most. Little did she know that Javier was intrigued in the mystery that was Aurora Everett. As soon as he caught sight of her striking red, wavy hair and piercing blue eyes that held a substantial amount of pain, he knew that he had to get to know her more. The whole gang had known what had happened to her and had taken some sort of pity on her, though that didn’t get in the way of them making it clear that if she wanted to stay, she would need to do some type of work to earn her keep. 

She had understood, but that didn’t stop her from dreading it.

Javier could see that the girl was feeling closed off from the group and decided to take action. After all, when he first joined the group, Dutch did everything he could do to make him feel welcome. “Miss Everett? Since Sean has been rescued, we’re throwing a little party tonight in celebration. Maybe you’d want to join us.”

Aurora felt a little scared of the spotlight put on her, but she pushed it down as best to her abilities, “Uh, what do you do at these kinds of parties?”

“We drink a little, sing songs. It’s not a huge thing, but it’s a lot of fun.”

“I-...sure. I’ll join...”

“Great! Can’t wait. I’ll see you guys tonight.”

Tilly waved a goodbye at the man before smiling at Aurora, “I can’t wait for tonight! Maybe you’ll even feel up to singing a song of your own.”

Though she knew that Tilly was teasing her, her heartbeat picked up, “O-oh, I don’t think so. I don’t think I’m ready for all of that.”

“Oh, of course. We can just lie low, if you want. I would avoid Karen if you want to do that, though.” 

By the time night rolled around, Aurora was done with the list of chores given to her by Mary-Beth. She was exhausted and really didn’t feel up to a party anyway, but she figured that she was going to be around these people for a while, and needed to make good trust with them. Maybe that trust will start with this party. Dutch’s gramophone was blasting through the camp just before the party started, and while she enjoyed the reminded memory of her very own gramophone back home, she didn’t favor the choice of opera that Dutch seemed to like. 

Finally people started to gather, and she sat with a woman named Sadie Adler who was also rescued by the gang. As horrible as it sounds, she was almost relieved to have someone who could relate to her, to not feel alone. She really couldn’t tell if Sadie appreciated her there or not, but she didn’t say anything, so she assumed it was alright. Aurora had heard from Abigail that her husband died at the hands of a group called the O'Driscolls, known for their violent actions against, well, everyone. Part of her suspected that this was the group who was responsible for the death of her mother and the taking of her sisters, but she refrained from asking questions, more so because she didn’t know if she could get through the story without breaking down completely. 

Javier had seen her sit away from the group, clearly wanting to keep a distance. He wasn’t going to force her to join everyone, who was a little more rowdy tonight due to the fact that this was their first celebration in awhile, but he did want to try to get her to open up more. He bid a goodbye to the men gathered around the campfire and grabbed his guitar, searching for the girl he was, for some reason, interested in. He thinks it’s something about the way she appeared almost like a ghost. Where Sadie Adler slowly mourned the loss of her husband, Aurora efficiently worked the day along and kept to herself, usually with a blank look on her face. Almost like she wasn’t there. 

 He took a seat next to her on the outer part of camp. She jumped a bit when she was abruptly knocked out of her train of thought, Javier holding out a hand to try to calm her down, “Lo siento, querida. Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

The redhead sighed in alleviation, “No, it’s fine. My fault.”

Javier jerked his head to the side, displaying confusion, “How is that your fault?”

“I don’t know. I zone out a lot.”

“Well, that’s hardly your fault, querida. I noticed you weren’t at the party, any reason why?”

Oh, god. Aurora thought. They’re going to think that I’m distant and untrustworthy, if they don’t think that already. 

“Um, yeah. Sorry, I just really didn’t feel up to it, I guess.”

Javier nodded, and brought up his guitar to rest in his lap. He glanced at her and found her already looking at him, quickly breaking the gaze, settling it on the sight of her fidgeting with her hands. A warmth crept into his chest, a soft smile visible on his face, “If it’s alright, I would like to play here. I could do without the drunk payasos around.”

“Yeah, that’s alright.”

And with the sound of a mix of people slurring drunkenly and some heading off to bed, it all faded with the soft strumming of Javier’s guitar. An unknown melody had flooded her ears and she hesitantly snuck a look at him, contentment seeming into her veins. She hadn’t felt that in what seemed like an eternity. He had felt the stare of the girl and glanced up, meeting her gaze, and throwing a small smirk at her.

While Aurora had a long way to go to feel okay again, she couldn’t deny the comfort she felt with the man next to her.

lo siento, querida: i’m sorry, darling

querida: darling

payasos: clowns (male)

i used google translate like an idiot, so please tell me if you notice anything inaccurate!!

[waltzofthewifi]

Kota Chapter 4: The Hatzi Family

Beginning | Chapter 3 | ToC | Chapter 5

Every once in a while, Hawkmoth did something good.

In fact, as Lacy put away her notebook after the students were finally allowed back in the classroom, she was fine with the super villain. Anything to put off that dreadful math test.

"It's nice," Alya said. "Hawkmoth usual waits until after the hardest class to akumatize someone."

"Don't tell me you're actually thankful he akumatized the janitor," Marinette replied.

"The janitor gets more respect for his work, I get an extra day to study, what's the problem?"

"I'm with Alya," Nino said. "That test is scarier than he is."

"I feel sorry for Carapace though," Lacy admitted. "I mean, he and Rena Rouge just arrived, and he was immediately blasted with trash?"

Chloe made a face. "I can't imagine how smelly he is now."

"Well he doesn't smell now," Alya argued. "Ladybug fixes everything, remember?"

"Besides, it's Chat Noir you have to feel sorry for," Alix commented. "Taking a mouthful of rotten food like that."

"Or Adrien, who spent an akuma day stuck at home," Kim added. "Just missed the whole thing."

"You sound like you enjoyed watching the heroes being beaten around with trash," Marinette noted.

"Of course not. The fun parts were when the heroes were winning. Did you see the backflip Ladybug did?"

"It was so cool!" Alix agreed.

"It was actually pretty bad form," Lila pepped up. "My PE teacher in-"

"Bad form?" Chloe snuffed. "She leaped off of a flying broom. Rossi needs to show some respect."

"I thought it was pretty cool," Alix admitted. "Of course, everything Ladybug does is cool."

"I don't understand why you were watching her," Lacy replied. "Hiding is a thing, Alix."

"But-!"

Lacy swung her bag over her shoulder and grabbed her coat off of the chair as Alix finished zipping up her backpack.

Lila was still talking, and Alya seemed enraptured (Lacy could've sworn a second ago she was annoyed at the bad form comment too, but any traces of that were gone).

Next to Alya, Marinette seemed put down by the focus on Lila.

One person. Wasn't that what Ladybug said?

"Hey Marinette, me and Alix are spending the afternoon at my place studying. Want to come?"

Marinette brightened at the suggestion. "Sure! Let me just text my parents so they know where we are!"

.

Lacy tapped her pencil against her paper, trying and failing to focus on the study sheet.

She, Alix, Marinette, and Nathaniel were sitting at the table, faces scrunched in concentration as they studied for the test. Alix and Marinette had both improved a lot during their study session, and Nathaniel was doing well too, but Lacy was struggling to make sense of the numbers. It didn't help that she couldn't focus, that every time her eyes met the paper her mind wandered away.

Still, even if she could focus, math was math.

Marinette finished working on a problem with Alix and glanced over at Lacy. "Any progress?"

"Nope," Lacy replied.

Marinette scooted her chair over and looked at Lacy's paper.

"Can you tell that this isn't my thing?" Lacy asked.

Marinette chuckled. "Is it anyone's?"

"You seem to be doing fine," Lacy commented.

"Doesn't feel like it." Marinette leaned forward on her elbows and wiped at her eyes. "You know what? I think we all need a break."

"Seconded," Alix said. "I'm grabbing a snack. You still have those ice creams?"

"Top shelf of the freezer," Lacy replied. "Grab one for me?"

"Sure. Marinette, Nath, you guys want one?"

"Sure," Nathaniel replied.

"Yes please." Marinette pushed her tablet away. "So, how's your family adjusting to Paris?"

"We're getting there, I think," Lacy said. "It's still weird how commonplace akuma attacks are. I mean, just the other day the Eiffel Tower collapsed and people shrugged it off as no big deal."

"Well it happens all the time," Alix said, coming back to the table with the ice creams. "The first time it was all people could talk about, but now it's nothing."

"I remember when I was akumatized it was still so new," Nathaniel recalled, taking his ice cream from Alix. "It was hard, those first couple of months, because not a lot of people understood just how convincing it all is. But now everyone knows someone's whose been akumatized."

"Poor Mr Ramier's been akumatized about forty times now," Alix added. "And a few months ago he was sent back in time by an akuma, or so I heard."

"Have you met them yet?" Nathaniel asked.

Lacy frowned. "Who? Mr Ramier?"

"No, Ladybug and Chat Noir," Alix finished.

"Oh. I met Ladybug briefly the other day - she crashed through the wall over there. Haven't met Chat Noir yet."

"Have you tried taking pictures of them?" Marinette questioned. "I know you how much you love photography."

"Oh, I, uh-" stay away from Akuma fights as much as possible "haven't really gotten the chance."

"Well if you get any, you'll have to show us," Marinette said.

"Yeah, your pictures are always so good!" Alix added.

Lacy felt herself blush. "Thanks."

"How did you get into photography anyways?" Marinette asked.

"Well, my dad took me to take climbing lessons," Lacy said. "I was very hyper as a child, and originally he put me in dance, but then he started noticing that a lot of the older girls had developed image problems. Because of the competitiveness around it, you know? So he tried to get me in a sport where that wasn't such a problem. And I loved it so much I wouldn't stop climbing for weeks. And of course, being up high all the time, I started asking to borrow Elisabeth's camera and take pictures, and that developed from there."

"That's really cool," Marinette stated. "Did you ever do climbing competitions or anything?"

"No, not really. It's more of a hobby than anything. Something to release all the excess energy."

Nathaniel took the last bite from his ice cream. "Alix keeps trying to get her to skate."

"I think it'd be fun," Alix said. "After all, you're one of my only friends who can keep up with me."

"I hope you know how exhausted I am afterwards," Lacy replied.

"If you practiced with me, you wouldn't get so exhausted," Alix pointed out. "Proper practice and exercise is important. You've seen what happens whenever someone like Lila tries to do anything athletic."

"And you never get injured?" Nathaniel questioned.

"Nope, never."

"Liar."

Marinette and Lacy both chuckled.

With all the ice creams finished, Lacy picked up the trash and walked to the kitchen to clean up.

"Anyone want anything else? Dad keeps plenty of food."

"No thanks," Marinette said. "That ice cream was good though."

"Should we get back to work?" Nathaniel suggested.

"I think I'm studied out," Alix admitted. "Let's play a game instead. UNO?"

"I'll grab the cards," Lacy agreed.

It took her ten minutes to remember where the cards were. In their old place, they had a closet for games, but they had condensed it into a drawer and she had no idea which drawer. Eventually she found the cards, and the four started a game.

Lacy ended up grabbing a bag of candy to snack on as the four played, and she was just getting up again to grab a soda when the door opened.

"I'm home," Elisabeth called out.

Lacy smiled and went to greet her stepmom with an obligatory hug.

"Hi Ms El," Alix called from the table.

"Hi Alix, Nathaniel," Elisabeth replied, walking to the table and dropping off her work bag. "And, I don't believe we've been introduced?"

"Marinette. I'm in the same class as Lacy."

"She's the designer I was telling you about," Lacy supplied.

"Yes! You've done some really cool designs, haven't you?"

"From what Lacy tells me, so have you," Marinette replied.

Elisabeth chuckled. "One or two. But I think I prefer working with designers over being one." She yawned, stretching her arms out as she did so. "Oh, I think I need sit down for a while. Your father should be here soon. Let me know if you four need anything."

Elisabeth affectionately patted Lacy's head before heading up the stairs.

"Your stepmom is so cool!" Alix said.

"She seems really nice," Marinette agreed.

"She is," Lacy replied. She sat down again, before remembering her soda in the kitchen and getting up to grab it. "You sure you don't need something to drink?"

"We're fine," Alix said. "Now are you going to play or what?"

.

The four of them had just finished their first game when Lacy's dad arrived with dinner.

"I didn't realize we'd be having so many over," he said. "Or I would've brought more."

Lacy chuckled. As usual, her dad had brought home more food than any of them could eat. The Hatzi family, after all, were social butterflies - someone almost always had someone over.

"Here, let me help you with that," Marinette offered.

Lacy's dad waved her off. "I can handle it just fine. You four just focus on your game."

"Actually Marinette just finished wiping us all out," Lacy said.

"Is there any game you don't win at?" Alix asked.

Marinette sighed dramatically. "Just matters of the heart."

Lacy chuckled and Alix rolled her eyes.

With the stubborn assistance of Marinette and Lacy, food was on the table within a few minutes.

"Elisabeth, honey! Dinner's ready!"

"Perfect timing." Elisabeth joined the group, hair wet and donning soft pajamas. "Oh good, you three are staying for dinner. We need some extra mouths for all the extra food that miraculously makes it's way into our home." Elisabeth gave her husband a huge welcome home hug before turning back to the teenagers. "Speaking of miraculous, wasn't there another akuma today?"

"Got us out of our math test!" Alix said.

"That's why we came over here, to get some studying done," Marinette added.

The two adults sat down at the table, and the six of them dug into the meal.

"Thank you for letting us stay for dinner," Marinette said. "I know we hadn't asked, but time slipped away and-"

"It's no problem," Lacy's dad replied. "We like having a few extra people for dinner. Besides, it sounds like your parents have been feeding Lacy well whenever she's at your place."

Lacy nodded. "Her parents are super nice."

"So did you have any school today?" Elisabeth asked.

"No," Marinette said. "We spent the whole day holed up in our safe spots."

"Or at least some of us did," Lacy said. "Alix here wanted to see the fight."

"It wasn't just me! Alya and Nino followed me!"

"Yes, because Alya is such a good rolemodel for survival instincts," Lacy commented.

"Were any of you injured?" Her dad asked.

"No," Alix said. "Though I saw Chat Noir take a mouthful of trash."

Elisabeth made a sour face. "Yuck."

"I think you can relax, Lace," Her dad commented. "I'm not one to encourage reckless endangerment, and you should be in hiding, but the damage is undone, right?"

Lacy nodded. "Right. Yeah. I'm just still not used to it."

Could she ever be? After witnessing so much damage in New York, after losing so much... the idea of a reset button was foreign. She was always afraid that it was too good to be true, that if she or her friends ever got hurt-

"I wonder if Ladybug's powers undid the nasty taste Chat Noir must have had in his mouth," Elisabeth wondered.

Marinette and Alix both snickered.

"I hope so. He made quite a face when he was hit," Marinette commented.

"Yeah, he was all like-" Alix gave her best imitation of his face, scrunching her nose up and sticking her tongue out, causing everyone to chuckle.

"I think Chat Noir has a more refined palette than trash," Marinette said when she stopped laughing. "He has visited my parents bakery a few times."

"I don't blame him, it's a great bakery," Elisabeth commented. "My coworker brings in food from there all the time to share. Best part of my work day."

"Marinette brings food for us all the time too," Nathaniel said. "It always brightens up the day."

Marinette blushed a little. "Oh, thanks. My parents love sharing, and so do I! That is, when I don't trip on the way to school and drop them all."

"Yeah, and then Alya gets all the left overs," Alix commented. "I think that's called favoritism."

"It is," Marinette agreed. "What can I say? She and I are best friends."

Marinette's smile stayed for a second, but something must have crossed her mind and her smile slipped.

"Everything okay?" Lacy's dad asked.

"Hm? Yeah. I just... remembered something from earlier."

"You and Alya aren't fighting, are you?" Alix asked. "I mean, you two are practically inseparable."

"Except when it comes to Lila," Nathaniel pointed out.

At that, Lacy's mood dropped.

Alix groaned. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Can we not talk about her?"

"Wha- I thought you two were friends?" Marinette asked.

Alix shrugged. "Eh. I mean, she's nice and all, but when she's around, everything has to be about her. Kinda wish she could show some of that support we give her, you know, without making it about all the celebrities she knows. Like the other day, we were talking about Max's video game, and she just had to point out that she knows this famous coder in Texas - I didn't even know there were famous coders! And I know Max didn't mind, but I just - we were talking about what he had accomplished, and she made it about her. It's getting annoying."

"Very interesting. She sounds like she might be doing that on purpose, especially from what -"

"Haris honey, we've talked about you diagnosing my and Lacy's friends," Elisabeth chimed in.

"You think she's doing that on purpose?" Alix asked. She frowned. "I... I never considered that. I guess it's possible."

Nathaniel shook his head. "No, Lila's a sweetheart. She wouldn't do something like that."

Alix shrugged. "Maybe. It's still annoying. I want to be able to support my classmates without talking about some celebrity in another country that Lila's met - and especially when it comes to fashion! Marinette's amazing-" Marinette was also blushing at that comment "- and Juleka's finally branching out into modeling, but Lila is always dismissing that. I don't blame you for not liking her, Marinette."

"Oh, uh, thanks," Marinette said.

Alix stretched her arms up above her. "Anyways, have you seen the new identity theories? I mean, I usually ignore them, but these are ridiculous-"

.

As Elisabeth and Lacy cleaned the table and Alix dragged Nathaniel to watch something online, Mr Hatzi called Marinette over.

"Yes?" Marinette asked.

Mr Hatzi pushed his glasses back up on his nose and gave Marinette a warm smile. "I just wanted to talk to you about something."

He sat down on the small couch in their living room and Marinette sat down across from him. He leaned forward on his knees and clasped his hands, and Marinette wondered if this was what he was like with his patients. If so, it was no wonder he was asked (or did he request?) to come to Paris - there was something about his gentle smile that made it easy to relax around him.

"Is everything alright?" Marinette asked.

"Actually, I was going to ask you that. It sounds like this situation with Lila is affecting you more than you're willing to admit."

Marinette blinked. "You - you noticed?"

No one else seems to, except Adrien, and only when he's really paying attention.

Well, him and Lacy. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree here.

"I'm very attentive when it comes to my daughter and her friends," Mr Hatzi said. "And, well, it is my job."

Marinette nodded. "Yeah, it's hard to deal with her at school. Like Alix was saying, she makes everything about her - but the thing is, it's all lies! And not even smart ones! All it would take is one google search, but no one makes her prove her accusations. Alya keeps telling me I'm just jealous, but really, I'm worried for everyone! Alya's been putting so much of her life on halt to help Lila was problems that she can't reasonably have! And Ms Bustier believes her without question! She gets out of almost every hard homework assignment, or leaves Alya or Max or Nathaniel to do it. Every week it's a new injury, except they heal fast or switch sides or - and I'm sick of it! The only people who know she's lying is Adrien and Lacy, but Adrien doesn't have a backbone and she's already scared Lacy to death!" Marinette took a deep breath, her chest feeling a little lighter.

"Feel better now?"

Marinette nodded. "Yes, thank you. Sometimes I forget how much telling someone can help."

"I definitely understand why she's bothering you so much. If I had to work with someone like that, I'd be pulling my hair out. Especially if I thought it was having a negative affect on my coworkers."

Marinette nodded. "Right. Thank you." She took another deep breath. "Do you have any idea of what I should do about it?"

"It's hard to say without knowing more," Mr Hatzi admitted. "Have you talked to your parents about this?"

Marinette shook her head. "Alya's already painted her up to be some angel to them, I don't want them to think that I'm being antagonistic for no reason."

"Do your parents usually believe you?"

Marinette nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I just - it hurts being called mean or cruel, especially since she's the one doing it to me. I've been bullied for most of my life - I would never do that to anyone else. And yet." Marinette sighed. "But you believed me, I guess."

"To be fair, Lacy's come home with her fair share of complaints." Mr. Hatzi sighed. "I don't know if she told you this, but she had a bully back in Brooklyn who was a lot like Lila. She's too scared of being subject to that again, and I can't blame her. Watching her go through that - but the teachers never believed us, of course."

"She did mention that before," Marinette said. "But she's been reaching out in her own way. Like inviting me here tonight - me and Alya were supposed to do something, but she cancelled to help Lila with her homework. I don't know if Lacy overheard us or could just tell something was wrong, but inviting me here really cheered me up."

Mr. Hatzi beamed. "I'm glad to hear that. Lacy's very intuitive when it comes to other's feelings. She's like her mother like that."

"And like you," Marinette added. "Just talking it out helps me feel better. And knowing that someone else believes me."

"You did mention another friend that believes you," Mr. Hatzi said. "Adrien, was it? I haven't heard about him before. Is he in your class?"

"Yes." Marinette sighed dreamily. "And he's perfect. He has the nicest smile, and he's super kind and-" she stopped when she noticed Mr. Hatzi looking at her with an incredulous look. "What?"

"Adoring words for someone who just accused him of having no backbone."

"Yeah, I know. I always imagined him rising up, a knight in shining armor, against someone like Lila, and it isn't like he's completely abandoned me, but I wish he'd do more."

"Have you told him this?"

"I - well, you see, the thing is, I can't have a conversation with him without stuttering like an idiot."

"So that's a no? I know talking with a crush can be intimidating, but he's not a mind reader. At least not that we know of. Maybe he doesn't realize that you feel like this."

"I never considered that," Marinette admitted. "It's true that he isn't the best at reading social clues. I guess I could try to talk to him."

"Failure to communicate hinders a lot of relationship," Mr Hatzi said. "You'd be surprised how many people forget to communicate the basics."

"I'll remember that. Thank you."

[hadleyfxster]

( DUA LIPA. DEMIFEMALE. SHE/THEY. TWENTY-FIVE. ) Hey, is that HADLEY FOSTER? I heard they’ve been in Salem for TWO YEARS and they’re working as a NURSE. Last I spoke to ‘em they were pretty +SAGACIOUS, but I hear they can be -DEFIANT too. I wonder if they’ve got anything to do with this. ( cal, 23, they/them, est. )

henlo, i am cal and this is my babe hadley. below you’ll find a whole shpeal about them. pls excuse how messy it is, i tend to word vomit when i write!! if ya’ll are interested in plotting pls lmk as i would love to establish some fun connections. i even added some potential ones at the very bottom ~ 

name: hadley mickey foster nickname(s): hads, haddie, mickey job: nurse age: twenty-five gender: demigirl pronouns: she/they sexuality: bisexual / biromantic birthday: april 2nd zodiac: aries personality type: the entertainer | esfp

label: the reveller - a person who is enjoying themselves in a lively and noisy way.

brazen ( adj ) : bold without shame astute ( adj ) : having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one's advantage sagacious ( adj ) : having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment; shrewd. tactless ( adj ) : having or showing a lack of adroitness and sensitivity in dealing with others or with difficult issues. defiant ( adj ) : showing defiance.

then

growing up, hadley didn’t want to be a nurse. no, they wanted to be a police officer and fight the bad guys, just like their father. he was their hero, protecting their mother and them as well as their city. they understood his lack of presence at home was because of his job- they got that. so they often hid their disappointment at missed school events, birthday parties, and good night hugs.

being primarily raised by their mother, hads did their best to keep out of her way. unfortunately, they’d always been a bit on the wild side and trouble would always follow no matter where they went. between climbing things they shouldn’t have, a few boken bones, and getting in trouble at school for speaking out and starting fights in the name of justic, they weren’t a bad kid - just a difficult one. 

at one point, age eleven, they’d broken their leg and was stuck in the house one summer for months on end. this left them with little to do and led them into the great hobby that is art. haddie got so caught up in creating things and, subsequently, ruined so much clothing due to pain and pastels. it was amazing to them that they hadn’t gotten attached to art before this but it certainly resulted in a bit of an obsession. they circled between studying artists paintings and work and creating their own during the months they weren’t able to participate in any of their other extracurricular activities.

haddie’s childhood was pretty good, all in all. their family we well-off financially, their mother, despite them being unruly, loved them endlessly and thier father remained a hero in their eyes. they had some vacations together here and there. hads participated in a handful of different sports ( dance, soccer, swimming ) and kept their hobby of art. 

( murder tw, racism tw ) of course, things were bound to change and it burst their bubble, waking them from their daydream world like a bucket of ice water. their dad having a gun never really bothered them. he’d taught them the danger of it, as well as how to shoot one, and the never really considered the consequences of it. they learned about it on the news. fourteen year old hads had made it a habit to watch cnn to make sure to keep up to date on what was happening in their city of chicago. the video of their father shooting an unarmed black man ( no, boy, he couldn’t be much older than they were ) burned itself into their mind. the subsequent grief of his family weighed heavily on their shoulders as they remained glued to the television. the time it took for the trial against their father and the suspension to wrap up was too short for them to digest it all. he barely got away with a slap on the wrist and that family lost someone important- the whole city did. hadley had to stand by their father during the whole time, their mother’s hands holding them in place, her nails digging into their shoulder to keep them from retreating or reacting. the whole ordeal changed them. this was the point when their entire future path changed and their love for their father, and the police force, crumpled to ashes. 

( alcoholism tw, abuse tw ) the rest of their high school career saw them deeply troubled. they chose to test out of a few grades, jumping ahead in determination to reach their new goal. their mother, struggling with the torn relationship between child and spouse, did her best to support them with this decision. they’d come to appreciate her attempts later on but in the moment they were too stuck in their head. they had a goal and they needed to reach it as soon as they could. they dropped all their extra-curricular activities, stopped creating art, and focused fully on studying. when they weren’t studying, they would break into their parents stash of alcohol and drink their self into a tizzy. their parents didn’t really recognize the signs of their trouble child, too caught up in their own problems and work. it wasn’t until their father caught them with a bottle of rum one evening, curled up on their couch, that things seemed to come to light. he attempted to berate them, scold them, and ground them. his fury was huge but hads easily over powered him. their screaming match drew the attention of their mother, who couldn’t do anything to calm either. the fight came to a head that resulted in their father lashing out physically at them. his ring nicked their cheek, cutting a line along their cheekbone that would later result in a scar. the quiet that had settled over the room after that could be cut with a knife and hadley was the first to break it. the ‘get out’ they had spit out, voice already hoarse from the yelling previously, was strong and unmoving. the expression on their father’s face was twisted, as though he couldn’t believe the child that used to worship him could turn into what was on the ground before them. he left. their mother immediately collapsed, a sobbing mess that they couldn’t try to collect in the moment because their fear finally settled in. fear of a man they realized they never really knew. 

the aftermath was, surprisingly, unexciting. their father returned the next morning and acted as if nothing happened. he seemed to clean up some of his act, however, they were hardly fooled. their mother, though, she seemed to sink into an easy acceptance that things could be fixed- that her spouse would fix them. haddie knew better. there was no going back. ever since that faithful day in front of the t.v., there would be no reconciliation between them. with their mother’s approval, they started university as soon as possible, graduating two years early and finally getting out.

now

8 years later along with another early graduation on their part, hadley settled into a job as a nurse in salem, mass. their time in universty and subsequently med. school changed them quite a bit from how they were in their early and late teens. the freedom away from their parents allowed them to fully settle into their skin and the ease that came with it brightened them up immensely. they seemed to regress to their carefree and energetic nature they held as a child, picking up art again as well as a sport ( kickboxing ). the trauma and toil of their past buried close to their heart as they began their career in the hospital. 

mickey wears their heart on their sleeve and it didn’t take long for them to find love in salem. the two were together for a solid seven months before they ultimately fell apart and hads heart was torn apart. the horror of this particular break up caused some previous issues to emerge in them and they decided to swear off romantic relationships all together. 

they talk to their mother once a week and have yet to talk to their father. 

they’re not at all a fan of authority figures, especially police, and are defiant when faced with them.

they’re a bit of an odd personality to work in the hospital, but they seem to fit in surprisingly well. their character tends to be seen as refreshing and, though they lack tact, they make up for it with their enthusiasm and optimism. 

hadley has a big ol’ cat, a mainecoon, named baloo that they are allergic too but love with all their heart. they found him on the streets and couldn’t find him an owner so they decided to keep him even if they have to take allergy meds all the time and maybe wake up somewhat dying cause baloo decided to flop on their face.

their room is part sleeping space part art studio. they have a bunch of posters of famous paintings as well as some of their own on the walls and there’s definitely a ton of paint stains on the light hardwood floors. 

they’re a bit of a partier and tend to induldge in wine nights on the occasion. they definitely have a lot more control over their drinking then when they were younger and have come to manage their self fairly well. sure, they can sometimes get into trouble ( most of the time without intending too ) but they reached their goal of working in medicine and aren’t about to risk their job over anything. 

they love to give platonic kisses and hold hands and hugs. if you allow them to, they will hang over their friends with great enthusiasm. 

big fan of petnames and using them with everyone. 

wanted

ex-partner : it didn’t end well, in fact, they’re the reason hadley has sworn off any and all romantic relationships. the two don’t talk- mostly because hads refuses to even acknowledge their existence less her more fight-y side emerges.

housemate(s) : haddie has never really wanted to live by herself. she loves people and is really into skinship. somehow, someway she either roped them into living with her or they accepted her ad or she accepted their ad but now they’re housemates and hads couldn’t be happier to come home to a lived in house.

mega crush : even though she’s sworn off romantic relationships, her heart just can’t seem to stop itself from speeding up every time she’s around this individual. she’s doing a pretty good job of being in denial but it’s not the easiest thing to hide seeing as her face is an open book.

best friend : literal ride or die, she’ll do anything for them and vice versa. 

friends with benefits : 

patient : someone hads has had the misfortune of taking care of while on the job, can develop from there 

patient #2 : someone mickey here has, for whatever reason, ended up stitching/fixing up when not at the hospital. due to whatever situation she came to their aid and helped them out ( perhaps more than once ? )

bar buddies : someone haddie always runs into at the bar but has yet to push to be friends or anything further. the two have a pretty steady history of just making small talk together.

skinship buddies : they both love to hang off one another and get along swimmingly. sometimes they’re mistaken as being in a romantic relationship but things are strictly platonic- they just love to be close to one another

[legion1993]

Forever begins with a battle and graduation!

AN: my 3rd entry for the lovely @icantlivewithyou for her 800 followers challenge! i hope part 2 satisfies your rollercoaster story cravings! this also contains some research from the final movie/internet... plus im not sure but i might not be done with this yet... sorry about another rollercoaster of emotion and what not...

Prompt #18 “we can get through this, it doesn’t need to end like this.”

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x reader

Summery: nothing...

Masterlist     part 1

this day, this the first last day of school, now made your first first day look like a piece of cake... this was the start of the great battle of hogwarts... 

Now being newly engaged should never turn into a war with your in-laws right... wrong... that wasnt the case with Draco’s father... apparently getting engaged was never apart of the plan for Draco. 

Lucius: “draco, are you seriously gonna marry this brat... you can’t tarnish the family name just for the sake of marrying your soulmate... i wasnt supposed to marry your mother but yet we are what we are... now are you gonna really embarass us in front of the dark lord...”

Draco standing by your side both of you with the wands ready froze when he said the dark lord...

Draco: “he who must not be named is coming here...”

Lucius: “thats right he is actually dealling with your headmaster as we speak... i came here to grab you and make you come with us and help us destroy this pathetic school and rebuild it just for pure blooded wizards... but if your not with us then you shall die as well...”

Mcgonigal: “lift your wands students cast every single attack spell you know... older students help the younger ones... keep the school safe... Yn, Draco, Harry, ron & Hermione let me and the other professors deal with these bozos you 5 please go help the headmaster and anyone whose with him...”

you your fiance and your friends all popped off to the boarder to see the power struggle between Dumbldore and Voldemort... Harry let off a loud whistle this was when the air filled with light and the order appeared along side you guys...

YN: “welcome thank you all for coming as quickly as you did... we are under attack people need help inside, we need help here... can you guys pick and choose who goes where and can some people also check the rest of the grounds... this is a strict destroy all death eaters thing... we want none of them to be here at all send them all to azkaban...”

the order divided themselves... some going to the school, the rest staying with you guys... 

Lupin: “what do we do?”

Draco: “we learned this in Defense against the dark arts, we have to disrupt the streams... the one thing thats forbidden to do...”

thats when it happened... thats when you all watched as the stream was broken by Voldemort changing his spell, this caught everyone especially Dumbledore off guard... for as quickly as dumbledore cast the spell, it hit Dumbledore and he fell down in death... 

the lot of you watching this sent his body to the ministry with a fire message saying ‘Voldemort is responsible, Hogwarts is under attack. please send help.’

you lot now were the only things standing between Voldemort and the school...

Voldemort: “ I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me and hope to win. I want to kill you. I once had the great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I once did not want to spill magical blood but that will quickly change if i dont get what i want. Give me Harry Potter, and they shall not be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched.”

YN: “has anyone ever told you that you talk too much...”

Draco: “i’ll never join your side baldy...”

Harry: “we will stand and fight to protect our friends, our family, our home, our school, to keep the light of good magic alive... for its within us that we call forth the magic within, its in everyone of us... we all have it, we all have access to it, we can use it to keep our hearts and spirits our light from never going out... now leave our school and never return or so help me we will all kill you... you kill our headmaster you want me, well then Tom lets finish this the way we started it together...”

Harry stepped forward and with his wand at the ready, when everyone went to follow him, he stopped you and turned to face everyone... 

Harry: “i have to end this, it has to be me... i’m sorry but this started because i lived, because he didnt kill me. i wont let him kill everyone whose standing here just because he wants to kill me... please stay here and be ready in case i fail...”

Harry went in duel stance across from voldemort.. you huddled into Draco, you were scared this was the freakiest thing you had ever seen... 

harry had been speculating for a while now about the Elder Wand, now with that residing in the hands of Voldemort as a show that he was the one who killed Dumbledore now Harry would get to see if his assumptions were correct...

Harry: “Expelliarmus...”

Voldemort: “Avada Kedarva...”

as soon as he cast his spell, Harry gave all who were around him the same message he had given to Lupin but a few years before: this was about ending bloodshed, not creating it...

voldemorts spell looked like it was working when it collided with Harry’s, they clashed for a while till Harry’s spell actually made Avada Kedarva knock back on itself... it went back and hit Voldemort killing him as expelliarmus brought the elderwand straight to harry.

Harry shortly after that collapsed from exhaustion...

You and Draco popped back to the school, half the students were scattered, the staff numbers had lowered, Snape was standing in a verse off with Mcgonigal, that moment Draco’s father and mother spotted the 2 of you... coming and standing across from both of you, it was your turn...

Lucius: “look Narcissa i told you that our son was betraying the family name by marrying some half wit who has no right to call herself a pureblood...”

Narcissa: “thats a pure blood brat, she wreaks of mud blood... she is no good for our son we must stop him from making the wrong choice Lucius...”

Lucius: “lets kill the little brat, but also our son if he stands in our way...”

Narcissa: “after you my dear husband...”

Narcissa standing before you as Lucius did Draco... before the duel began you slowed time for a few seconds to talk to your fiance...

YN: “we can get through this, it doesnt need to end like this...”

Draco: “it wont end like this, it will end with us growing old together...”

YN: “lets end this quickly...”

Draco: “as a team...”

YN: “i love you...”

Draco: “i love you too...”

both of you unfreezing time waiting for the battle to start... you chose your spell, Draco chose his spell, Narcissa and Lucius obviously chosen their spells... everyone was ready...

YN: “it was a shame i was looking forward to having a set of in-laws who would treat me as if i were their own should anything happen to my family... but i guess Draco was right, you guys only want what you guys want, you don’t care about what Draco wants, you dont care about anyone else’s needs but yours and voldemorts... well i got news for you Voldemorts no more..”

they stopped dead in their tracks...

Narcissa: “what did you say to me you insignificant little brat?”

thats of course when Draco pipped up too...

Draco: “thats right, Harry finished it as he said he would... the Elder wand that Voldemort took from Dumbledore after he killed him sent Voldemorts killing curse meant for Harry back at him... now its time for you 2 to leave...”

you cast your spell while they were distracted... 

YN: “Diffindo”

aiming at Narcissa’s wand first, then again immediately after at Lucius’ cane...

the second you did that they both realized what happened... 

Lucius: “you insolent little children... we should...”

thats when the order stepped beside you both... Lupin leading the bunch, no one backing down even though the wands of Draco’s parents were broken.

Lupin: “i R.J Lupin under the authority of the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix hereby place Narcissa & Lucius Malfoy under arrest under the charges of assault, murder, attempted murder and so on and so forth... not to mention child abuse and hereby sentence you both be taken immediately to the minstry to stand trial for what you both have done...”

Lupin stands beside you and Draco as the rest of the order comes along side Narcissa and Lucius taking them away... Lupin turns to you and Draco...

Lupin: “i must know YN how did you learn that spell? it was never apart of the cirriculum here...”

YN: “summer reading, RJ. it was a hobby of mine to learn spells i found to be quite eventually helpful. household spells, etc but this was one spell i never thought i’d actually use... outside of shredding documents and other important recyclables...”

Lupin: “the order and im sure the ministry will expect a visit in the next little while from you 2... being that you both were main party in this entire scheme with this being your parents mr Malfoy... i strongly caution you both to stay here at the school till the ministry and the order has deemed everything safe... then we will call you guys in...”

Draco: “RJ you were YN’s favorite teacher, you taught her what she needs to know... but today before the fighting started i made a statement to the school and to YN...”

you held out your hand and showed it to RJ and any other order member around... congratulations started flowing again... but the school was still badly damaged...

RJ: “well well well, i hoped that you both would figure it out on your own... i hope the order as well as the ministry get invited to your wedding. i guess you both will want time to figure out the particulars as well as finish your final year at hogwarts...”

you and Draco pulled out your wands and watched as all the professors and students did too... 

all together: “Reparo...”

---------------------------------------------

this was how the school got rebuilt... magic from every witch and wizard on the property... that and the belief that anything is possible... though damage still remained on the property, no amount of any spell or charm could mend the loss that the school had suffered...

once the school was running again the professors and some of the teachers listed you and Draco as their protege’s meaning when you graduated you both would be professors here...

the year was not without its hardships but the biggest event of the school year was coming fast only 3 months to go...

YN: “okay class its like Professor Mcgonigal always says if you listen to your pet, it will tell you things you could only ever dream about... before we end this lesson can anyone tell me why you must have a calm mind and a gentle wave of your wand when casting any type of transfiguration, spell or charm...”

a number of 3rd year students raised their hands, but you picked a young girl who was just staring at her cat...

YN: “how bout you staring at your little white cat... come on up here please...”

the girl came up to stand in front of you...

YN: “whats your name dear?”

Alice: “Alice...”

YN: “well alice do you know why you must keep a calm mind and a gentle wave when casting any type of charm transfiguration or spell...”

Alice: “cause it will help the spell to go as casted, or as its meant to be cast... it will also help your mind to push back the negativity...”

YN: “very good...”

you look toward the back of the room and see Draco leaning against the wall... you take in a nice deep breath and then turn back to the class...

YN: “for tomorrow i would like you all to bring in an object that means alot to you we will be transfiguring something we love into something we hold most dear to us... class dismissed... Alice would you talk with me for a moment or 2...”

Alice was one of your ravenclaws... you were surprised with how much she reminded you of you... you transfigured your cat back into a cat and she went immediately to the back of the class and jumped straight into Draco’s arms... 

YN: “Alice, i just wanted to say, your doing very well with everything in your studies but i want to check in and see how your doing with preparing for your finals...”

Alice: “YN if i can level with you they are alot tougher to study for than i thought they would have been...”

YN: “do you have any study buddies that you can kinda put your heads together and bounce study ideas off of ...”

Alice: “not really alot of the ravenclaws dont even acknowledge that i exist...”

thats when Draco was in earshot, he was approaching the front of the room anyway so he chimed in...

Draco: “then look for children not from your house, that are in your classes that you can partner with to study... or we could even help you go over it... i mean thats if you cant find anyone but from what YN has told me, you are one of the brightest kids she has ever taught...”

You were very impressed with how well Draco handled himself... he was amazed that even though you only had 3 months left of being students at Hogwarts it would only be a matter of time before you both were back as professors...

YN: “exactly... and its true Alice, compared to alot of the others, you are one of my brightest students... now run along you mustn’t keep professor Snape waiting...”

Alice gave you a hug and fist bumped Draco as she ran out the door her cat trailing behind her..

Draco had put your cat on one of the nearby tables before he wrapped his arms round your waist...

Draco: “now i can greet my gorgeous fiance properly... hi...”

YN: “hi...”

thats when he kissed you, you were practically sitting on your desk at this point... but when the kiss broke he leaned his forehead against yours...

Draco: “ugh i wish it was skip day... cause we would go on a outing a stroll through hogsmede... get into some mischief...”

YN: “i know love but its not... unfortunately we have Defense against the dark arts now...”

Draco: “ugh why do they still feel the need to teach defensive spells and charms if you know who is gone...”

you shrugged but then both of you got a fire message... ‘meet outside the great hall in 2 minutes its urgent...’

both you and draco along with your cat left the room immediately for the landing outside the great hall... this was the confusing thing there wasnt really anything or anyone there...

your cat however thought differently... for she started hissing and growling at something... 

Draco: “i hear footsteps... be wand ready just in case...”

there were footsteps now getting louder and louder... thats when Harry, Ron and Hermione all came bounding down the stairs...

Hermione: “thank god you guys got the fire message.”

YN: “ya we did whats wrong...”

Harry: “Defense against the dark arts is cancelled today... there was a strange attack we think you both should see this...”

you Draco Harry Ron and Hermione all go to the scene of the new crime... 

this scene looked similar to the year 2 incident with the chamber of secrets and such... save for one thing.. there was blood coming off the victim... the sight horrified you, it almost made you and Draco toss your lunch... 

as i said similar to the chamber of secrets incident except alot worse... there was also a blood written message on the wall as well...

‘the chamber of secrets isnt finished with you yet hogwarts... there are far worse secrets in each common area... figure out this riddle and you will have solved the greatest mystery hogwarts has ever known since the creation of the school...’

you guys spent the next little bit in every spare second between studying for finals and such trying to figure this out... you were in the library on your spare combing through every single word of that riddle... 

it was several hours later that you finally figured something out... you discovered a truth... 

YN: “of course thats it... secrets in each common area... meaning there is a secret hidden in the common room of each house...” 

once you established a meaning, you gathered with the others and planned to corral each of the heads of houses and see if you guys with their permission figure out the riddle.

that is exactly what happened. for in each common room, revealed to be a series of underground tunnels leading to yet another hidden room. within this room stood a pedestal on this pedestal sat a small hole it looked to be fitting a ring... 

on the pedestal scribed an inscription: in the name of magic we the 4 bare the product of friendship and love, we the 4 give our product of love.

great another riddle... now you were getting annoyed... after careful consideration it was clear that only 4 of you could go on, Ron decided to stay back for he could help much more at the school. 

you, Draco, Hermione and Harry placed the ring on the pedestal that opened a stair case, this led into the room of requirement... this was where you guys had a huge part of your encounters with dark magic over the years at hogwarts... 

you guys exited the room of requirement feeling astranged... 

YN: “it was just a series of tunnels... damn it... oh well come on guys lets leave this be we have finals starting next week then graduation to prepare for... leave this alone for now.. we may have to reconveine with this at a later date but right now its not our biggest priority...”

everyone could agree on that... the next 2 weeks were spent in numerous study sessions... ones that usually ended with you, draco, harry, hermione and ron passed out in the library... this was how it went on, but the day before the finals, you guys decided to take a mental health day... 

Draco: “well technically it is now skip day... have you gotten your dress and such yet?”

you had completely forgot about that...

YN: “oh shit no i havent... can we see if mcgonigal will let us leave...”

thats when you guys heard a voice pipe up from behind...

Minerva: “Draco, YN where do you think you would be going?”

YN: “professor i forgot to get my dress for graduation... please i need to have this next few hours to go into town and find one please... ill even take my fiance with me...”

Minerva popped out 2 off school passes for both you and Draco... both of you heading upstairs to get out of your uniforms meeting outside the revolving stairs... 

Draco: “alright love lets go...”

you guys popped over to london square, the most popular spot for many a folk to shop and spend quality time... you and draco strolled hand in hand through many a shop looking for something that catches both of your eyes... 

it was about 2 hours later when you both entered one of the expensive shops on the stretch... 

Associate: “welcome may we help you?”

YN: “yes i need an evening gown... and im pretty sure my man here needs a suit..”

associate: “of course... let me show you both where you are to look... do you have kind of an idea of what your looking for...”

You and draco shook your heads...

Draco: “we will know once we see it...”

Draco began looking at suits, you however were going through dress by dress nothing was catching your eye, till you found one... it happened to be your size, you pulled it down and waved over the associate... 

Associate: “would you like to try this on miss?”

YN: “yes please... Draco love wait by the mirror for me ill be right back...”

Draco waited by the mirror having found his suit which he got one size up incase of emergency... magical sewing and heming gotta love it... you were in the dressing room getting into the dress with the help of the associate...

Associate: “that looks so good on you, it also fits you perfectly... how does it feel?”

YN: “it feels amazing! i love it! lets go show my man!”

you and the associate walked out of the room and into the main space... Draco’s eyes landed on you immediately, his eyes saying everything... 

Draco: “damn babe you look hot... like hot hot... we will take this dress and this suit...”

Associate: “of course just come to the counter when your ready...”

you and draco used magic waited a few moments for the camera’s to magically show you going to the dressing room, a 8 minute interval of Draco pacing round before you coming back out holding the dress... 

you and draco came back to the front of the store, the associate smiled as Draco handed her a check he had written out while waiting for you... you both walked out of the store now having your attire for grad you were all set...

finals were a piece of cake... packing your stuff up not so much... lots of memories and stuff... but thats okay you would be back here soon you hoped...

graduation day arrived fairly quickly... this was when the bathrooms were never clear the day when the castle was a bustle and mustle with lights, music, speeches etc... 

you and Draco both decided to use the shared prefect bathroom... to kind of have some alone time plus to talk, kind of make a plan for after graduation...

draco: “so after this we are going back to the apartment... like we did for christmas break except for permenant...”

YN: “yep... we also have to finish moving in all our shit and tell my parents about the engagement...”

Draco recalled christmas where you guys hadnt broken the news yet to your family... 

Draco: “yes umm right we need to do that... well that will be a first for both of us...”

you put the bottom half of your dress on no problem but doing up the top half was tricky... so you yelled back to draco...

YN: “babe if i come out holding myself in place can you do up the top of my dress...”

Draco: “of course give me 2 seconds i just have to finish doing up my belt...”

you attached the built in bra on your halter to your boobs... holding it there you waited for Draco to say he was ready... 

Draco: “back out slowly babe once you feel my hands on your back thats when you stop...”

you started backing out, that step count was about 10 before you felt Draco’s hands on your back... he did up your mid back first, then slowly planted kisses along your neckline doing your halter the rest of the way up. 

standing in the mirror side by side you both looked at eachother... but the one thing you were yet to do was help Draco with his tie... Draco had waited for you before doing that so he could see that you were dressed first... 

Draco: “babe this will be the night of nights... we are finally graduating... then our forever starts...”

YN: “you know we wont be leaving hogwarts permenantly if the professors decide to give us teaching positions here...”

Draco: “i know love, but at least we wont have to worry about anyone or anything coming after us...”

this was true, you guys didnt have to worry about anything... as you helped Draco finish getting ready his eyes had not left your own this was why you hoped your family were gonna accept Draco the same way the school now did... 

you and draco now fully dressed, stood side by side... 

YN: “do you think we are gonna have any trouble tonight...”

Draco: “we better not i mean it would be nice if we didnt...”

YN: “then we should get going the ceremonies are gonna start soon... we don’t want to be late for our own graduation!”

you and Draco walked out hand in hand towards the great hall. this was to be one of the finest hours in hogwarts history... or at least the history concerning your time at hogwarts.

you both emerged at the stairs before the hall... everyones eyes turned towards you both... your eyes on the people below as you both decended the stairs with grace and poise. 

Hermione Harry and ron greet you at the bottom.. 

Hermione: “girl that dress is gorgeous...”

you had to agree, Draco certainly had no objections to your dress, mind you, you had no objections to his suit either!

YN: “thanks ive only owned it for a few hours.”

Harry: “we will be called in in a few moments McGonigal is just making a few introductory announcements...”

waiting a few moments you guys heard the following statement.

Minerva: “now students i present to you Hogwarts graduating class of 2019!”

hand in hand in rows of 2 you all entered... sitting in the seats at the front of the hall...

Minerva: “well done students, i am so very proud of you all, now i invite YN YLN to deliver the final address for the class of 2019!”

you got up and went up to the podium... 

YN: “well guys we made it, through life challenges arise, its through those challenges that we grow, individually and together. with this crazy crew of people i couldnt be happier to be saying we made it guys, we made it through. this year brought many hardships and troubles... at the start of the school year, we arrived only to find that hogwarts was being attacked... we lost the greatest headmaster this school had ever seen that day, but the bonds formed then stay with us for the rest of our lives. today marks the beginning of the rest of our lives, today we graduate to find our futures set before us in many many ways. for me im gonna finish moving out of my parents place into my own place... then soon i shall be getting married to a man who makes my heart soar! we will be as happy in our future as we are now. but to the rest of my friends here i just want to say thank you, for the support and for the way you all stepped forward to support me when everyone else thought i would fail. learning is meant to be challenging, learning is also meant to be fun... today marks the beginning of the rest of our lives, if you have a plan i encourage you to follow it, if you have a dream i encourage you to chase it, if you have no plan or dream i encourage you to follow the little curves that life throws at you... lets live for today like its the last day of our lives!”

the room errupted with cheering and praise as you invited the minister of magic up...

cornielius: “very well put YN... now to the class of 2019 i present your diplomas... but before i send you your diplomas i have a few things to award... if YN, Draco Malfoy, and Harry potter could come up here please!”

you were already half way back to your seat, but decided to walk back up the stage with Harry and Draco.. you all stood before the minister and ever so poiltely smiled...

Cornielius: “there is sometimes one in every class but this year there are 3. this first position is for my Harry James Potter, harry my boy i am extending to you a full position at the ministry with me!”

Harry held out his hands and recieved a piece of paper with the terms and conditions of his employment. 

Cornielius: “Draco Malfoy i extend to you the position of teaching defense against the dark arts next year at hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry...”

Draco held his hands out to recieve his teaching certificate...

Cornielius: “YN in all my years as minister ive never seen anyone stand up for what they believe in so strongly, which is why as of right now you also are gonna be teaching at Hogwarts too... Minerva needs someone to take over her class while she becomes headmistress of hogwarts.”

a teaching certificate came into your hands as well.. then the minister waved his hands and diplomas flew into the entire graduating classes hands... the party after that was a blast, if only you could remember half of it... 

~ps... wont be able to put out part three for 10 days im away with my family! but feel freee to reblog and share with your friends. also hit me up in messages if you wanna chat!~

[sanchezashton1992]

Solutions To Avoid Divorce Jolting Unique Ideas

What are those that have been recently facing and should check your reaction when in an unhappy marriage but still wanting desperately to save marriage from a coronary!You can't always be a simple thing, for instance, they may seem impossible now, but when you know the things that you find the settling in period after marriage to be swept off her feet again, and girls, be spontaneous, greet him at the wonders it can be the root cause has been identified as the ultimate solution when serious problems right now, it doesn't come that easy and it also breaks the heart of your problems.I suddenly realized how much each session is suitable for your actions.In my estimation, the most common reason is that you need an injection of new knowledge and help.

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When Its Too Late To Save A Relationship Quotes

Are you ready to compromise, this will be the one who had initiated the divorce, you really are determined to stay calm, no matter what the other hand, if your marriage through divorce.This is the support, which holds up the breaking level and many people have been drifting apart lately, do not often stay in a situation until you memorize and understand what might be having so much fun this date with a good example for your wrong decision and you have to be fixed as well.If the problem or problems in the home are unhealthy.Changing someone else but the wish are that you have invested much in the corners.Many couples are forced to talk about the common mistakes.

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Mistakes To Avoid During Divorce

There are 3 things you are the only rule is to share your experiences in - for better or for worse.Once you begin to follow approach the question becomes less about cost and more often than not, if you do anything believe that divorce is what they learned to overcome these personal irregularities.Basically, you can always call a friend or in-law can't.By keeping calm and collected and not receptive to differences and renew love and commitment.You need to never go to a successful marriage:

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[ncttrashaf]

Shy

  I don’t know what took over me last night. All my family members were awake leaving me no scope to sleep with their chatters sounding around the entire house, and I felt this drive inside me to write you guys something that I myself need often.    I hope you all enjoy this. Let me know how you feel about it in the ask box or just add it in the tags of your reblog. I love getting feedback as it helps me to ensure I’m doing well enough for you all.

Love,  Admin Ayu.

Pair: Johnny x Reader  POV: First person Genre: Smut

It was as if spreading me wide was his hobby, because he always seemed to take great pleasure in it. I would catch the glint in his eyes as they would drink in my rawness before him, enamoured by reluctance and shyness that became clearer every time my heart thumped loudly against my chest.

   I would close my eyes and my chest would arch as a sigh reverberated in my throat every time I felt his finger stealthily run across my slit. I knew the moisture between my legs would always excite his cock, and if I was lucky I’d get to witness it myself. But mostly, I was left to imagine it behind my closed eyelids as the tension from his touch spread throughout my entire body in form of goosebumps. He’d get my eyes shut tight with his actions every time, and I hated how much I loved it.

   It was as if time could stop whenever his digits brushed against my walls, because I could feel nothing around me. In the stillness of my own realm, I would quiver as two of his long and sleek fingers drove inside me, his knuckles meeting the skin of my inner thigh and even though that contact was the least sexual, it still set my body on fire.

   His face would be on the valley between my breasts to nuzzle again, those breasts he loved, and worshipped, and cherished. During hugs, I often pulled his head and softly set him against my chest every time he was going through a hard time. I, a reluctant lover, would always fail to remain quiet by the time the tip of his tongue slyly travelled to my nub. I’d feel his plump, needy lips curl slightly against the softer skin around my taut nipples, inwardly rejoicing his victory.

   His hands would run down my sides and land on my hips and he’d bruise me there, knowing that I was a sucker for that. His rough yet warm hands would find bliss against my soft and colder skin. As the wet appendage inside his mouth would circle my nipple and suck on it with great attention, I’d feel my head in the clouds and my eyes watering in unspeakable pleasure.

After what would seem like eternity of him tending to my breasts, he’d fondle them a little more before kissing down further. His mouth would ghost over my heat, by then dripping and wanton, and he’d wait till my seemingly unenthusiastic hands flew to clutch onto his hair and gently push him closer to my south. Then, he’d do so delightfully before commenting about how beautiful I looked from down there or how delectable I smelled.

   Not long after I’d come all over his face, because he always ate me out so well. His lips always sucked well on my clitoris, the tip of his tongue knew how to tease my entrance and the skin that came before, and he’d also generously lap his tongue and give it a lasting lick. He’d smilingly let me spray his grin because I’d let him graciously and gracefully spray my walls as well. He knew I didn’t like my own release so he would wipe his face and lick his lips clean, before coming up to kiss me.

   “Johnny…” I’d whimper after the kiss that usually left me breathless, my hands by then roaming his back, nailing his chest, groping his ass.

   After that, he would put his cock inside me. To me it was thick and big, to me it filled me up more than any other cock ever could. Its warmness, in contrast to the rest of his body, would make me feel at home. I’d shudder when he’d finally push his entire length successfully in my heat, my arms slithering around his body and my eyes delving into his. His eyes would study my flushed face, my parted lips, and my wanton breaths shortened by anticipation; before he’d pull out fully to slam back in. The heated friction would have my eyes rolling as throaty moans escaped my mouth every time. His lips would often land on my chin as my crown would rather rest on the pillow rather than the back of my head, since my entire body would  arch up to his as he generally thrust pleasure in my system.

   Before long, he’d approach his high, making sure his thumb drove against my sensitive and prominent clitoris to ensure I could no longer feel my legs later.

   I’d somehow come again before him, shame making my wails cower. He’d come inside me shortly after, and still pump with vigour as if we were making love for the fifth or sixth time ever, while the feeling was still new and yet addictive. His hips would snap against mine until he wasn’t squirting anymore of his juices, before collapsing on my exhausted body. Sweaty and warm, I would feel the comfort that almost immediately relinquished his weight that crushed me to an extent. My hands would gingerly wrap around his chest as I’d bury my face in the crook of his neck. Before long, he’d move to his side and pull me in his arms, caging me in the warmth I had been friends with for long then.

“Do we have sex or do we make love?” I asked one night as my fingers ran across his bare back, our heaving chests in perfect rhythm against each other.

   Cold air hit my neck as he lifted his face to mine, “Don’t we always make love?”

   “Do we?” I prodded on the man’s poor heart which always loved me and made sure my heart was brimming with it.

   He smiled softly as he tucked my hair behind my ears, “I guess we have to make love soon again to make you realise that we aren’t just having sex.”

   “... why not?” I tried to flash a confident grin, but I am sure he had caught the blush tinging my cheeks and the coyness in my eyes. 

[evenstevensranked]

#40: Season 2, Episode 7 - “Thin Ice”

Ren is locked in for two events on the same night — Dinner with their new neighbors The Minkler’s and an ice skating date with Bobby Deaver. Oh, no! We’re also introduced to Nelson and his hypochondria. Meanwhile, Louis and Twitty discover prank calling and fail miserably at it. It’s fantastic. 

This one opens with Ren’s bedroom phone ringing as she frantically runs to answer it. Ya know, that purple see-through plastic Y2K phone that every teen girl on TV had? Dang. I wanted one so badly. It’s Ruby calling to let her know that Bobby Deaver is going to be calling soon. Her “sources never lie.” That’s a little creepy. It’s like she’s in the gossip mob or something. Fo’ real, Ruby needs a new hobby. Just then, Ren gets a call waiting. She answers and an extremely deep voice that sounds nothing like the guy Ren is so obsessed with says “Hey, it’s Bobby” and she falls for it. That was easy. Too bad it’s just Twitty and Louis calling from across the hall. They’re giggling like idiots because they’re 13 year old boys and telling someone “I just thought you should know I’m not wearing any socks” is hilarious apparently. It doesn’t take long for Ren to catch on when “Bobby” starts referring to himself as the “hot little cuddle muffin” she loves so much. Too far, guys. Too far. She decides to play along for a minute which is pretty funny. She says that she’s actually in love with Twitty -- not Bobby -- before busting into Louis’ room. She threatens them while simultaneously blasting them with a water gun. Twitty is all “Dude, your sister loves me.” Completely missing the sarcasm. 

....that moment u know u f’d up.

At school the next day, Ren’s at her locker when suddenly this strange kid appears and calls her “Boo Boo.” It’s Nelson Minkler. We find out that they used to be neighbors when they were toddlers and now the Minklers have moved back to Sacramento. This episode marks what should’ve been his actual first appearance. The episodes were obviously aired out of production order because Nelson is randomly in the Season 2 premiere with no explanation of who the heck he is — and then 6 episodes later we get this one.. which is clearly his proper introduction. Why does Disney Channel do this?! Their worst offense was with Lizzie McGuire. The airing schedule was so jumbled that the freaking SERIES FINALE aired 8 MONTHS before the show stopped airing new episodes. Like, what the hell???

Anywaaay, they’re locker neighbors now and we find out right away that Nelson is a hypochondriac when he opens his locker and a zillion health care items come pouring out of it. Anti-ointments, a freaking snake bite kit, knee pads… yeah. Ren clearly doesn’t want to deal with any of that. She quickly runs away from him and he shouts “BYE BYE, BOO BOO! If you ever need any anti-fungals just knock on my door!” Wow, buddy. I feel Ren’s pain here. 

We see that Louis and Twitty have become obsessed with prank calling. They’re even doing it during school hours now. They’re at Louis’ locker prank calling Wexler telling him he won a free fish or something stupid. Louis is trying to put on some “older” sounding voice, but I would 100% recognize it as him. The face he makes to achieve this voice is gold though:

Just then, Tawny shows up and catches them in the act and she is honestly me:

I’d have no patience for this. 

At lunch, Bobby Deaver was genuinely about to sit down and have lunch with Ren and Ruby… but, Nelson shows up all “HEY, BOO BOO!” and ruins everything. As usual. No wonder this character was only around for a few episodes in Season 2 before disappearing from the face of the earth. He serves no other purpose than for Ren to have a male friend and to mess things up for her constantly. Annoying. Still better than Beans, though. 

He starts coughing and asks Ren to check his tonsils for inflammation. He claims “Just last month I had puss balls the size of acorns!” This kid seriously must’ve lived under a rock his entire life. Any remotely civilized human knows this sort of behavior is weird. He makes the most obnoxious “AHHHHH!” sounds just sitting there with his mouth wide open forcing Ren to look. Ren once again wants nothing to do with this and makes up some excuse to get away. Same. Ruby and Nelson are awkwardly left alone… so Ruby breaks the silence by saying “I’ll look at your puss balls” in that New York accent of hers and I swear to god. The innuendos in Season 2 are next level.

Louis and Twitty decide to prank call Tawny’s family and we get to see her house for the first time in the series! Add this to the list of sets with on-point characterization. It’s very yuppie and warm… with lots of house plants. Not to mention, she’s doing yoga when the phone rings. This makes so much sense to me. 

Louis claims to be Lance Larsen calling from QPop radio with a $1,000,000 trivia challenge. Again, Louis’ voice is so painfully obvious. Tawny gets her dad to answer the winning question, which is to name the “Top 5 most popular lunch meats” — If this was a legit question, Dr. Dean’s answers would most definitely be incorrect. He lists liverwurst and olive loaf but not turkey or roast beef. I told you they’re yuppies. It doesn’t matter though… they become “millionaires” anyway of course. 

“DADDY, WE’RE MILLIONAIRES!!!” 

To Ren’s dismay, Steve and Eileen tell her that they’ve planned a dinner date with the Minkler’s Friday night to welcome them back to the neighborhood. Ren gets another phone call that night that starts off with “Hi, Ren! It’s Bobby.” Bet ya can’t guess what happens next…

Ren assumes it’s Louis and Twitty pranking her again so she plays it up saying “So, this is Bobby Deaver. The hot little cuddle muffin who I love sooo much.” Dude on the other end is all.. “Um.. I guess?” Yeah. It’s actually Bobby this time. Oops. It’s pretty hilarious because she yells “Listen you little twerpazoid, I told you if you ever called me again you’d be sipping your food through a feeding tube!!!” and Bobby’s like “Ren, is this a bad time?” HAHA. Ren has a mental breakdown once she realizes. She quickly apologizes and explains that Louis just discovered prank calling. (“It’s okay I have a little brother too. He’s in 3rd grade.” / “Yeah, well mine just acts like it.” - True.) Ren collapses on her bed and the incredibly cheesy, romantic piano stock music they always use for Ren/Bobby stuff starts playing. Bobby invites her to go to an ice skating party with him on Friday night. This is one of the reasons why I ranked this episode #40. It cuts to Ren’s ridiculous daydream of how she envisions the party. The music swells and it fades to footage of Ren and Bobby dramatically ice skating like freaking professionals competing at the Olympics in an empty, moody-lit rink. It’s absolutely hysterical to me. 

Obviously, she accepts the invitation but — wait! Friday night?! That’s dinner with the Minkler’s! Whatever will she do?! Not even gonna lie. I’m a sucker for this potential “two places at one time” cliché TV trope. Regardless, she still promises Bobby that she’ll be there “...no matter what.” A little melodramatic but, ok. She tells Ruby about the situation the next day and is totally in a bind over what to do. Ruby suggests that she fakes sick to skip out on the dinner and sneak out to the party. This entire episode is giving me flashbacks to Free Skate at the local ice rink every Friday back in middle school and the drama that would always ensue. Especially “relationship” drama. And crush drama. Oh, wow. 

Tawny excitedly runs up to Louis and Twitty in the hall telling them “My dad and I won a MILLION DOLLARS on the radio!” “Ya don’t say?” Louis responds. Which is great. She tells them they’re moving to Paris immediately. Yeah, now Louis and Twitty ain’t laughing. Tawny’s dad picks her up in a limo and everything, and Louis and Twitty are left to break the news to them that they didn’t actually win a million dollars. This is another reason why I ranked this episode higher. I think this is hilarious. Tawny and her dad break down in tears, as do Louis and Twitty. Louis vows “I’m never making prank phone calls again. I’M A BAD BAD BOYYYY!” when suddenly Tawny and Dr. Dean start dying of laughter. Turns out they planned the whole thing to teach them a lesson. Brilliant. 

Tawny tells them, “We knew it was you two the whole time. We have caller ID.” SERIOUSLY, LOUIS?! The first rule of prank calling is to dial *67 first! Amateur. Just imagine that. Tawny picking up the phone seeing “Stevens” or whatever on the caller ID and just going along with Louis’ terrible fake DJ voice, oh my god. She really is perfect for him. Tawny and her dad offer them a ride home in the limo (which is a rental) but speed off without them.

Ren goes through with lying and fakes sick to get out of the dinner. She goes gallivanting off to the skating party and bumps into… Nelson??? Yep. He faked sick, too. Nelson tells her that his feelings were hurt when she refused to give him a simple throat examination. To which Ren responds “Well, people don’t generally ask me to look at their puss balls.” THERE IT IS AGAIN.

For whatever reason, Louis and Tawny are at the party as well. (She asks him where Twitty is and… “He sprained his ankle chasing after the limo.” “You know, I really thought you guys would give up once we hit the freeway.” - Why is this so funny?!) Louis thanks her for teaching him a valuable lesson about the dangers of prank calling. “Gotta grow up sometime,” he says. She’s super impressed and they’re adorable. They skate together and hold hands, which is precious… and it would’ve been even more precious if it was actually Louis’ hand she was holding. But, alas… Louis skates off leaving Tawny holding a fake hand. I’m dying. Louis Stevens — What a legend. It really is so cute seeing them together like this, though.

THEY’RE SO FREAKIN CUTE!!! I’M DYIN

Tawny throws the fake hand, and ends up hitting Nelson in the head. Ren decides to help Nelson instead of doing the couple-skate with Bobby. Wow. I guess that’s nice of her, though. In the end, Ren and Nelson make up and he lists, like.. every single thing he’s allergic to as the episode fades out.

It’s not over though! The bit where they come back for one more minute after the last commercial break is the real reason why I ranked this one #40. Normally, these “last minute” bits are pointless and generally not very funny. But, this one. OH MAN! The first time I watched this I was literally in tears for 10 minutes -- I couldn’t breathe. This time, Louis dreams of him and Tawny skating like Ren dreamed about her and Bobby. Everything’s romantic… until taWNY’S LEG BREAKS OFF AND THE HAPPY MUSIC DRAMATICALLY CHANGES TO MINOR AND WE GET THE CLASSIC LOUIS SCREAM. It’s so freaking random and unexpected and so great.

And there you have it, #40! This is actually one of my personal favorites. I think it’s pretty solid in the humor department. I love the Louis/Tawny stuff. The prank calling bits are great. The Ren/Bobby stuff is finally more funny and entertaining here than cringy. And yeah. I just like this one a lot. 

I also totally didn’t even realize I missed a weekend. THE DAYS HAVE BEEN GOING BY SO FAST!!!! What the heck. Also, we’re now officially moving into the #30s!

Thank you for reading!

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[generalkenobi22]

Charted: Domesticity Stateside - Part 2

It’s been nearly a year since I posted the first part of this series, Charted: Domesticity Stateside, which documented my need for a happy, domestic ending for the Adventure Family even before I played Uncharted 4. Since then, I’ve played U4, let it change me as a person fundamentally, and almost immediately started on a sequel, which after close to a year, I’ve finally completed. So please enjoy Charted: Louisiana, Libertalia, and Lemurs! (Or, the running tally for life after Libertalia goes as follows: one marriage salvaged, two family members gained, and three attempts at trying to convince your wife that a lemur is a suitable house pet.) 

It can also be found here: AO3 - Fanfiction

The move to Louisiana is an exciting and somewhat stressful affair.

The offer for their current house comes in on a Tuesday at the close of the business day in early June. It comes in at a decent amount over their asking price, so even though they haven’t finalized anything on the new home—let alone put in an actual offer yet—Elena assures the realtor on the other end of the phone (through the smile that’s threatening to split her face in two) that she and Nate accept. When Nate hears the news, he spins Elena around, his smile mirroring hers.

“We’ve never had a plan before,” he says in response to her concerns about the timetable for the move. “Why should we start now?”

So Elena hands in her two-weeks to WFTV ABC 9 that Wednesday, much to the disappointment of Gary, who works in editing (“Viewership is gonna go down without you providing a weekly dose of explosions overseas.”), while Nate focuses all of his energy on packing up the inordinate amount of books and artifacts they’ve come to accumulate within the last three years (“How do we have seven copies of The Science of Adventure?”). They try to goad Sully into helping by offering a box of Cubans and a bottle of really good scotch. Eventually, he caves, but only in helping them load the packed boxes into the moving truck (“There’s not enough treasure in the world that could convince me to get in there; Nate’s a damn hoarder.”). They try the same thing for Charlie and Chloe, but they’re both in Berlin, no further details given (“Keep us updated though, will you?”)

Before they know it, Elena takes one last video of the old place—including reactions from Nate and Sully (which she promptly uploads to Instagram, Chloe and Charlie her first two likes)—and they’re traveling down I-12, everything packed and ready for Louisiana.

About an hour into the drive, Elena receives a call with a ‘225’ area code. Over speakerphone, the realtor tells she and Nate that their offer has been accepted, and they’ve barely hung up before Nate comments, “Guess this means we can cancel the hotel arrangements, huh?”

It’s nearly dusk by the time they finally arrive at the new place, legs and arms stiff from the close to ten-hour drive. Once they’ve done the walkthrough of the new place, they make a pact to start tackling the unpacking tomorrow. In the meantime, they both collapse on the front porch, grinning lazily into the setting sun. Nate procures a small bottle of champagne, that’s regrettably lukewarm since the ice in the cooler melted about two hours ago. He pours it into their empty Popeye’s soda cups, and they toast to their luck and their new home.

“You know what would make this place even better?” Nate eventually asks. Elena’s at his side, her head on his shoulder. He kisses the top of it.

“Hmm?” she asks as she snuggles up against him, her eyes closed against the deep orange glow from the horizon.

“If we got a pet lemur.”

ii.

Admittedly, leaving the life and moving to Louisiana ends up affecting Elena more than she thought it would. She still writes, of course, and everyone in the neighborhood is pleasant enough, but it doesn’t take long for a desire for the familiar to set in, which is how she ends up buying a pre-owned PlayStation 4 after she runs out of excuses to give to Chloe and Charlie for not getting one in the first place.

Apparently, Chloe and Charlie play shooters online

“I’m telling you,” Chloe says over Bluetooth. Elena’s still trying to work out how to turn the system on, not quite able to wrap her head around how the machine has changed in a few generations. “You’re going to love it.”

After randomly pressing buttons, Elena hears the faint beep and sees the blue light turn on when she presses the right one. She smiles at the PlayStation logo that appears on the screen and the low hum of the console. “But I don’t play competitively.”

“Yet,” Chloe assures, her voice tinny over the earpiece. “You don’t play competitively yet.”

“I don’t know, Chloe,” Elena counters. The screen is asking for her login information and a bunch of different setting preferences, and since when did a game need to be connected to the wireless? Apparently, video games became a lot more involved than the last time she played. “I think I might just be a bandicoot and fruit collecting kind of girl.”

Chloe sighs. “You’re only saying that because you’ve yet to experience the utter satisfaction of completely destroying insecure men at virtual combat and then trash talking them afterward.”

It had felt pretty great schooling Nate with Crash Bandicoot. Maybe Chloe has a point.

“Fine.” Elena’s shoulders sag as she lets out a sigh, her eyes on the screen. It’s asking for some kind of username? She wracks her brain for a moment before settling on Sunshine. The screen informs her that the name has already been taken when she hits enter, so she amends it to Sunshine07, adding the year she met Nate and Sully. That works. “But you can’t make fun of me when it turns out that I am terrible at this.”

Chloe laughs on her end. “I can make no such promise!” she protests, as if the mere thought goes against who she is fundamentally as a person. “But if it makes you feel better, Charlie is absolute rubbish at it, and I keep him around anyway.”

Another line emits static as it comes to life. “Oi, watch it!” Charlie’s voice comes in over the mic. “I hold my own well enough, thank you very much.”

“Oh, is that what we’re calling it?” Chloe asks, her smirk audible.

Charlie shrugs, or at least, that’s what Elena imagines he does. “Absolutely we are,” he assures her. “And it’s no worse than bullying children online, which I believe is your claim to fame.”

“That is absolutely not fair; it was one time!” Chloe protests, immediately on the defensive, despite Charlie’s laughter in the background. “How was I supposed to know? The foul nature of his username suggested someone nearly twice his age. All the more reason, I say, to keep young children from playing games made for adults.”

“Oh, sure,” Charlie says, still laughing, “blame the parents.”

Elena lets their back and forth play out, before focus naturally swings back to the game they’re trying to play. Turns out, she has to friend both of them before they can start playing. Within moments, she receives friend confirmations from brighteyezz and Charles_of_Arabia, and after a minimal amount of coaching, she manages to get the game inserted and loaded.

“Okay,” she says, Bluetooth mic in place, her legs pulled up and under her on the couch, and the game’s home screen illuminating the TV, “let’s take these knuckleheads down.”

There’s only a minimal amount of snickering that comes through her mic in response.

iii.

“Tango on my six. Someone take this douchebag down.”

“Say no more,” Chloe responds. Like clockwork, the guy behind Elena takes a head shot. She watches the screen as his skull explodes in a truly gratuitous display of violence and guts.

“Oh, beautiful,” Charlie chimes in. “That guy’s been a right arsehole since we started, camping at all our spawn points and mowing us down, no mercy whatsoever. Humiliate him, Bright Eyes.”

“With pleasure,” she coos, changing her mic from their private party chat to the general lobby. When she finishes, they’re down one player in the lobby, and Elena beams.

As it turns out, Elena’s really good at shooters. To the point where Chloe and Charlie actually begged her to join their clan after a few months and play with them regularly. And even though it’s only ever been about having fun and relieving stress for her, Elena can’t help feeling a sense of pride that the three of them have developed a bit of a reputation in the online community for being pretty unstoppable. Her personal stats alone are enough to keep most trolls off her back, so she generally doesn’t have to verbally retaliate. But even if she has to, she can hold her own, thanks to Chloe’s tutelage. Charlie, on the other hand, is embarrassingly bad at trash talk, much to Chloe and Elena’s amusement.

Her attention is momentarily torn from the game when she hears the front door open. Nate’s not normally home this early, and Elena’s never been fully upfront about her new gaming hobby, so it takes him a moment to adjust to the sight before him, after he toes his shoes off and dumps his bag on the floor next to them. Elena’s sitting on the edge of the couch, her body leaning forward, her headset (a minor upgrade) on as she issues commands to Charlie and Chloe. She smiles widely when he sinks into the couch next to her.

“You miss me that much that you’re talking to yourself?” he asks as he wraps his arm around her shoulders, planting a kiss on the top of her head. It’s distracting enough that she misses her next shot, giving her opponent the chance to shoot her, which he does. Chloe has a stream of expletives in response, which Elena pointedly ignores.

“Hey, you. You’re home early,” she says, covertly muting the mic and snuggling into Nate’s side. He tightens his grasp in response,

“Yeah, pretty light day for salvaging,” he explains, idly tracing random lines on her shoulder. It’s super distracting, which is how she misses another shot. On cue, Chloe and Charlie have some choice words for her. Nate’s gaze is trained on the screen, which is how his next statement comes to pass. “Did that fox with pants join the army in the sequel?”

Elena snorts. “It’s a bandicoot,” she says reflexively. “And, no. This is a completely different game.”

“It looks violent,” he concludes, which she can’t help noticing the irony after everything they’ve been through. After a beat, he adds, “Can I try it?”

She hands the controller over to him willingly (recognizing this match as a rare failure at this stage, anyway) and watches in awe as Nate somehow outdoes himself by playing abysmally. Amazingly, his hand-eye coordination is pretty terrible for someone who used to require precise dexterity to swing across buildings and caverns. Hiding her laughter becomes an impossibility when, after five deaths in a row (two of which happened as a result of pushing the left joystick too far, so his character just kept running in circles), Chloe and Charlie go ballistic.

“Elena. Sweetheart,” Chloe says slowly, trying in vain to restrain her fury and failing. “Have you hit your head and become concussed? Because that’s the only explanation I can conjure for the shit show that is your current performance.”

“Absolute bollocks! Get your head out of your arse and play like you know what a video game is,” Charlie demands, decidedly more forthcoming with his frustration.

“Guys,” she finally chimes in, switching the mic from mute. She’s giggling too hard for anything to be very coherent, but she presses on. “It’s not me, it’s Nate.”

The sound of their collective outrage (“Bloody hell,” barks Charlie) is so loud that Nate can hear it, even over Elena’s laughter. When he asks who she’s talking to, she wordlessly switches her mic to external audio, the sound of Chloe and Charlie making fun of him now projected into the living room. Nate’s ears go slightly pink, and Elena only feels a little guilty for being unable to stop laughing.

“Ha, ha, laugh it up, guys,” he shoots off sarcastically, tossing the controller back in Elena’s lap. “I may not be able to play video games, but I did discover Shambhala, you know.”

Charlie groans, and Elena pokes Nate in the side, booing at him. Chloe actually blows a raspberry in response.

“Oh, come off it, Nate. That excuse lost its appeal the first thousand times you used it.”

“Yeah,” Charlie adds, “don’t make us dislike you anymore than we already do for you being a shit player.”

iv.

When Jamison’s wife, Carla, invites Elena to join her for her yoga class late one Thursday afternoon, Elena can’t say anything but yes. Jamison and Carla were the first ones to make Elena and Nate feel welcome when they moved to Louisiana, and they consistently invite the two of them over for dinner every month. Elena can’t ignore the small amount of guilt that may or may not be playing a factor in her decision.

She can, however, ask a friend to come with her. A friend who arrived from Berlin two days ago and is currently sleeping on their couch. A friend like Chloe.

“I simply don’t understand suburbia,” Chloe says, saying the last word as though it’s the most repulsive concept she’s ever heard.

“First of all,” Elena counters through laughter, “where we live hardly classifies as ‘suburbia,’ and second”—she gestures to her stomach—“you go surprisingly soft when you’re not running for your life from some mythical, collapsing city.”

“Yes, but why must I suffer because of your choice to leave the life?” Chloe demands as she holds the studio door open.

Elena thinks for a moment. “Because you’re working on being a really good friend?”

Chloe’s head falls back as she barks with laughter. “And you are apparently working on being a really bad liar?”

“Oh, come on,” Elena coaxes. She goes so far as to link her arm with Chloe’s before they enter the studio. “It’s gonna be great!”

v.

It’s not great, for the record.

Carla neglects to mention that the yoga class she attends is hot yoga, which Elena can only compare to doing yoga smack dab in the middle of the Rub’ al Khali. Just when her body adjusted to the temperature inside the studio, the ventilation system would pump even more hot air into the confined space. She doesn’t even bother with the showers afterward, just pushes her way out through the front entrance, where she braces her hands on her thighs and gulps in the clean and comparatively cool air.

“It’s…gonna be…great, huh?” Chloe gasps, following suit as she slides down the side of the building, her legs sprawled out on the ground. Much like Elena, she’s drenched in sweat, droplets of it dripping from her hair into the red, water wicking material of her tank top. “Please be sure to engrave ‘it’s gonna be great’ on my… tombstone once they scrape my body off this sidewalk and…bury me in a shallow grave.”

“I’m so sorry,” she apologizes, unable to laugh like she normally would due to exhaustion. Unlike Chloe, Elena has on an old, baggy t-shirt, which is now plastered to her body, almost obscenely. “Remind me to—” She has to stop momentarily, her lungs stubbornly not cooperating with her desire to breathe. She collapses next to Chloe. “—Remind me to…forget it. I’m so exhausted, I forgot what I was going to say.”

“I won’t…hold it against you,” Chloe promises, trying in vain to keep her breathing even, “if you promise to never do this again.”

That makes Elena laugh. Then, it makes her cough violently. “Deal,” she wheezes.

Carla, freshly showered and rejuvenated, exits the studio, glimpses the two of them and chuckles, not unkindly, before going to get the car started.

vi.

Not even a week after arriving back stateside from Libertalia, and Nate refuses to drop the subject. Madagascar did nothing to change his mind.

“Elena—” he begins, still engrossed in whatever National Geographic article he has pulled up on the computer in her office. His furrowed brow and overall determination make her shake her head.

“No way,” Elena interrupts. One glance at the computer screen, and she knows. She just knows what her well-meaning, but beating-a-dead-horse husband is about to say. “We are absolutely not—”

“But they eat mostly plants, they’re mostly solitary, and,” Nate continues, as if Elena wasn’t speaking, “it says here…that many of them exhibit female dominance, so…y’know,” he explains by way of not explaining when Elena stares at him blankly, “they’re obviously feminists.”

Elena snorts so loudly, it covers her laughter. Mostly. “Sure, obviously feminists.”

“Yeah,” Nate says in response, grinning infectiously, “girl power and all that.”

“Nate, you are actually exceeding the levels of crazy I expect from you,” she admits. When it looks like he’s about to protest, she places her hand over his mouth. “I love you, but we are absolutely not getting a pet lemur.”

vii.

“Not it!”

Nate looks at his wife, exasperated, once they both realize they said it at the same time. Elena, mouth contorted into an ‘o’ of surprise and finger pointed accusatorily, tries to stop the grin that breaks out onto her face, but she fails.

Miserably.

“I totally said it first,” Elena claims, though it doesn’t help that she is laughing.

Nate scoffs. “You totally did not.”

“Oh, come on,” she tries again, nudging him with her shoulder. “I meant it when I said we would have to share doing paperwork.” She sighs. “If only you would carry your half of the weight.”

This time, Nate starts laughing. “Elena, you are so full of crap. I just finished a week’s worth of phone calls and permit applications for our dig in Malaysia yesterday, so don’t you start.” He scrubs a hand over his face before he catches sight of something behind her, and his eyes light up. “Okay, how about I play you for it?”

Elena’s eyebrows rise. “You sure that’s the smartest move there, cowboy?”

“Nuh-nuh-no, I learned my lesson last time,” Nate replies, leaning back in the desk chair. He gestures to the bookcase behind Elena. “No, I’m talking about those.”

She follows his line of sight to the off-brand Nerf pistols that had somehow migrated from the attic to their living room. Her smile grows larger.

“I guess if we’re completely overlooking the fact that I’m the better shot, then sure,” Elena concedes. She walks over to grab the guns and once she has, she tosses one over to Nate. He catches it singlehandedly. “Let’s get your humiliation over with quickly.”

Nate gets up from his chair and vaults over the couch, proceeding to load ammo into his gun. “You’re going to live to choke on those words, you know,” he informs her.

Elena just rolls her eyes. “Three hits,” she says. “The first one to shoot the other three times wins, and doesn’t have to do paperwork.”

viii.

Nate gives her a head start, but when he goes to search for her, he finds her almost immediately in their shared bathroom. Using some impressive gymnastics, Elena rolls past him, but he’s hot on her trail as they take their shenanigans throughout the entire house. Eventually, Elena ends up behind the couch, her gun trained squarely on Nate, who’s standing behind the island counter, his gun aimed at her.

“Well!” Nate booms, a cocky grin stretched wide across his face. “Look what we have here! Ruggedly charming adventurer, Nathan Drake, appears to be up by two, while his lovely, but losing wife, Elena, is preparing to fill out paperwork for the rest of the week.”

Without another word, Elena fires a round at him. Nate ducks, but the shot goes wide. When he comes back up, the annoyingly smug grin on his face is enough to give Elena an idea.

“Any last words?” Nate prods, spinning the toy pistol around like he’s some kind of outlaw. He has the nerve to come out from behind the counter. “Besides groveling for mercy?”

It’s Elena’s turn to grin smugly, as she watches her husband still in his tracks, the expression on his face fearful for a split second. Only when she undoes the second button on her blouse does he say something.

“What are you doing?” he asks evenly.

She responds with a full on smile, undoing another button in the process. “Let’s just say that in a war of sticks and carrots, I’m going with the latter.”

Nate’s Adam’s apple bobs once, his growing discomfort obvious. Elena takes advantage of his frozen state to approach him. “Hey!” he blanches when she undoes another button. His mouth suddenly feels dry. “We never agreed to partial nudity!”

“We never not agreed to partial nudity,” Elena corrects him, undoing the final button. She’s close enough to him that she can touch him, which she does, placing a hand on his chest. His heart pounds erratically. “I’m just playing up my strengths,” she explains with a wink.

He punctuates rolling his eyes by grasping her wrist, but he can’t seem to bring himself to actually remove her hand. “Yeah, your strength of cheating, you mean” he admonishes half-heartedly, his voice faltering as his gaze inadvertently lowers.

Sighing dramatically, Elena pulls away, and slowly starts to button her blouse. “Well, alright. I guess I can do the paperwork this week since you won. It’s only fair.”

Ignoring his pride, Nate tugs Elena back toward him and hoists her up onto the counter. “You’ll be the death of me, you know that?” he admonishes before situating himself between her legs with his hands resting dangerously high up on her thighs.

“I’m just willing to sleep with the co-owner of D&F Fortunes if it means I get out of doing paperwork for the week,” Elena admits, her smile wide.

Nate breaks into a matching grin despite all the extra forms he’ll have to fill out. It’s hard for him to think of paperwork as a loss, though, when his wife is kissing him as thoroughly as she is, their toy pistols in the foreground, completely forgotten.

ix.

“Hey—whoa, sorry!…Nathan, have you always had that birthmark on your ass?”

“SAM!”

“Elena, good to see you again. Although, admittedly, last time it was with more clothing—”

“GET OUT!”

When the door slams in his face, Sam takes his pitiful dish of green bean casserole down to the kitchen. He finds Sully’s down there among various pies and side dishes, filling a tumbler with liquor he’d helped himself to from the cabinet in the dining room.

“Can you believe all that, Victor?”

At his questioning glance, Sam tells him about his run in with his brother and Elena.

Sully slams his glass down in disgust. “The hell? What, do they have a yearly standing appointment?”

And that’s the story of how Sam accidentally walks in on Nate and Elena in a physically compromising situation the day before Thanksgiving.

x.

“So in conclusion—” Sam begins, hands held behind his back as he rocks back and forth on his heels. He and Sully had just finished up a job and gotten back from Argentina last night, but his niece had been texting him back and forth about this presentation since before then. Sure, he was exhausted, but who was he to turn her down? Especially when her preparation work had been so impressive?

“What Sam’s trying to say,” Cassie interjects, looking over at her uncle for some guidance. He imperceptibly nods, and she finds the courage to press on, “is that a lemur would actually make a really great pet, given their herbivorous diets and our house’s close proximity to exotic flora, among other things.”

From her spot on the couch, Elena narrows her gaze, first at her brother-in-law, then at her daughter. It's hard to respond with much of anything when Cassie even included a visual aid in the form of a bar graph, which is propped up in front of the TV in the living room where they all are presently. Out of her line of sight, Nate gives two thumbs up, and Cassie uses all her self-control to stop herself from beaming proudly.

“Did your father put you up to this?” Elena finally asks, fixing her gaze at Cassie, then Sam. “Or your uncle?”

“Of course not,” Cassie blurts a little too quickly. Sensing her discomfort, Sam wraps an arm around her shoulders, squeezing.

“Look, Elena,” he says, giving her his most endearing smile. Nate clearly rolls his eyes in his periphery, but he still doesn’t have a pet lemur, does he? “I think if there’s one person who has really been advocating for this all along, it’s Victor.”

“Oh, no you don’t!” Sully pops his head out from the freezer, ice cube trays in hand. He pops a couple into his tumbler on the counter, and puts the trays back where they belong. It’s not until he’s pouring liquor into the tumbler that he adds, “There’s a reason I have no horse in this race, and it’s because, I’m staying far the hell away from this. For what it’s worth though, Cassie, your mother is smart enough to see through your father’s harebrained schemes.”

Immediately, Sam deflates, and Elena turns on Nate, poking an accusatory finger into his chest. “You are the worst liar,” she accuses him at the same time Sam says to Sully, “Way to not get involved, Victor. Truly inspiring.”

Sully goes on about how Sam started all of this, but it’s Nate that addresses his wife’s accusation by saying, “I couldn’t stand by and let Cassie’s dream of having a pet lemur be broken.”

Elena doesn’t budge. “You mean your dream?”

“Technically,” he amends, lacing his hands behind his head, stretching his legs out on the ottoman in front of him, and grinning, “she’s our daughter, so really it’s our dream.”

She snorts. “You are impossible. And you,” she directs at Cassie, “despite your solid argument and blatant treachery, my answer still stands. No lemurs.”

Sam whistles, long and low. “Tough break, kid.”

Cassie crosses her arms over her chest and huffs. “Well, can we at least get some kind of pet?”

xi.

Later, when Elena finally relents and says—after speaking with Sully, who used to have one—they can get a dog, Cassie fist bumps her dad and her uncle, her smile threatening to split her face. She tells Sully they’re going to name it after him for his central involvement. He offers her a cigar to celebrate, which Nate promptly and emphatically puts a stop to.

Eventually, curiosity gets the better of him, and Nate asks Cassie how she knew she could get her mom on board with a pet.

“Well, Dad, you always say that the best way to run a con is to get the other person to believe it was their idea in the first place,” she admits.

Nate pulls her into a hug, practically beaming.

[goblarsgist]

It’s been refreshing reading different perspectives and experiences that have formed our dispositions to many of life issues. Thanks to Ronke for sharing. Acknowledging Otunba Reverse’s own experience, Feyi Fire’s, Tosin’s and even third party encounters like the one shared by Oluyemisi – these things are life changing. They alter our perspectives and our outlooks. Thank God for strength and provisions that empower us to be solutions. Many have been otherwise helpless to themselves and families in the area of knowledge and resources, and have fallen prey to deceivers.

My own experience too has formed my convictions. My adult life has been a health battle, a confounding one, up until a few years ago! For many years, there was never a month that I wasn’t down with what seemed to be malaria and which later advanced to my stomach. Imagine being unwell 3 - 4 months in a year. Losing the first 2 jobs I ever had on account of my health was depressing. This was after I had made a ship wreck of my schooling – a related story, but one for another day! What was even more depressing was waking up daily knowing that I was living a life in the shadow of whom I really was, producing at a fraction of the capacity i knew that I had, like life passing me by. Yes indeed – life was passing me by. On account of oppressive sicknesses that doctors couldn’t identify – and always prescribed anti-malaria (this is what naija docs do anyway, anti-malaria is like analgesic), I did many things. One of these was to start taking traditional herbs – a.k.a agbo! Making agbo was something I was familiar with. One early Sunday morning, I had gone to look for the ingredients of agbo from the bushes near my house then in Anthony Village, on my way back as I was walking past this church, I heard a voice say – “Tayo, this is where you should be. This is where you will find a solution”. It was an audible voice – but no one was around me. No one who has had a great challenge that has been a source of deep concern like mine will ignore such a voice. But I did! Yes o. I blanked the voice. Understandably so, like many of us here, I was pseudo-intellectual, surrounded by and having a foundation of academia and intellectualism, how could I believe that the solution to my ill health will be found in a church! As some know, my parents are/were professors – not just professors, they are/were scientists – Dad was a professor of plant ecology and Mum, a professor of zoology and plant protection. My early memories of my mum was in the lab, doing some culturing, watching nematodes through those gadgets – microscopes I think they are called (this is how far I have deviated from the noble scientific walk). I remember one international trip we took with mum. She was going to commence a research study at the ICIPE in Nairobi. Our hand luggage was test-tubes full of samples in chemical solutions – they called them ‘cultures’. So, you can understand my reaction. I went home, prepared my agbo, and drank for many days without any improvement – except for a gradual degradation of my liver from repeated doses of conventional and traditional medication. Even a career in boozing had not done as much damage as medication!

3 weeks later I walked into the church, sat down at the back and listened. This voice that told me that the solution was in church was nowhere to be found. But I heard some words that inspired me to started attending the church twice weekly. 3 weeks after my first visit, at a prayer meeting – I started questioning that voice that I heard. I said “God – wey you nau? You said the solution was here – I dey here now o”. Then the pastor came – looked at me and said “God said that you should receive the answer. Raise up your hands”. As I lifted up my hands, sweet fire started to pour on me! A paradox – sweet fire, but that was what it felt like. I have been following God since that day 19/20 years ago, sometimes from afar, but ever drawing closer. I am unable to describe that experience with another expression but “sweet fire”. Long story short – that day, for the first time in 12 years, I felt whole, I felt well, I felt like a child, like I felt when I was 14 and could walk from anywhere to anywhere in Ibadan. Guys – this was the real beginning of a fantastic journey of revelation into the divine! It hasn’t been all cheers – I have consistently fought health battles since that encounter, and I continue to fight – but I won’t be anywhere else – not for a million bucks– not even for a billion, in any currency!

One day I noticed that my frequency to the toilet was abnormal – I had lower side abdominal pains! I visited the hospital – first in Brazza. After perambulating without movement, I headed to Reddington Hotel (I hear they have now upgraded from being a hotel to a good hospital. They were a disaster when I went there – hotel with receptionists and chambermaids posing as nurses). After 2 weeks of seeing 3 different GP’s and a specialist, and another 3 weeks of waiting, they send me the results of a comprehensive checkup that suggested that there was an abnormality with my urinal system – they recommended that I should see a urologist! Wasn’t this my observation before I came to the hospital? Wasn’t his what I suggested before they asked me to do a full medical? Not feeling better, I made quick arrangement and booked an appointment to see a urologist in SA. Some weeks later I was sitting before an Indian urologist who must have enjoyed rolling my testicles in her had because she surely took her time at it before finally telling me that I was prostate cancer free. She however suggested that my prostate was enlarged and gave me some medication. She also warned me that I should stop immediately if I “noticed anything”. Noticed anything! Somehow, this statement didn’t raise any alarm – or maybe I was careless – I had spent so much time with doctors, that I should ordinarily be awarded a PhD in “Patientology” – so I should have picked up that alarm! I commenced medication instantly, but the second day into usage, I felt unusual – strange, I knew something wasn’t right! Day 3, I knew that there was something wrong with my urinating. Now there is something that I always did (and still do) when I get a prescription – I read the instructions to know the side effect. I remember once I had been to a doctor 5 times. Then he asked me if I was depressed, saying that my symptoms could be a consequence of depression and not anything physiological (I think he was tired of me). After we established that depression was far from my challenge, he went on to prescribe a drug for me which then started to get me depressed! I only found out it was an anti-depressant after googling it! Anyway, back to the drug from the urologist - I hadn’t checked out the drug. So I went online and found out that one of the side effects was that it dried up the ‘sacs’! MY BALLS! Quickly I did a test. Gel on shelf, hand rigorously on member – until nothing came out! Sacs were dry – not one drop. No ejaculation 🤷🏾‍♂️😀 “Tee, you never born pikin and you are drying your sacs” I queried myself. I cursed the urologist, walahi! Curses in English, French, Yoruba and the most dangerous of all, Urhobo 😃. I promptly dropped the drugs in the bin. On my flight to Lagos from Jozi the next day– God said to me “do not destroy yourself with your hands. I have made a way for you”. When I got to Lagos, I went on my knees in repentance, my knees, the only thing that had sustained me till then. Some weeks later, every symptom disappeared.

I wouldn't even share the experience about when my power house failed! 💥💥💥 Many marriages have collapsed on account of this. Dr, Kolaq used to advertise one herbal remedy for failed and erectile dysfunction for many years inside City People 😀. He was probably raking in millions. Anyway, this story is for another day.

Speaking on @Tosin’s point on ancestral curses and such ‘fairy’ tales. Not long after I was baptized with ‘sweet fire’, I lost my job – the second one! I had however taken up a hobby of sharing the good news of deliverance and salvation in Christ. I preached to all my friends – even to the ones that were sustaining me, since I was now a certified broke arse! Not only that, I prayed for them every night. I had a list of friends – the ones I had been hanging out with at that time, my kalakuta partners – the Sunday jump crew, and a host of others!

One day as I sat down at my desk and brought out my list – yes, I had a written list – about 8 names, and I began to pray. As I got to a particular name, I heard that now familiar voice tell me “Don’t worry about Nike – I have a covenant with her grandfather”. A brief history about Nike – she is a Ransome-Kuti, late Beko’s daughter. She is Makin’s cousin, and by association, I knew her and the rest of her family. Her husband had become a good friend at that time – we hung out together, lived in the same neighborhood and did things together! She was on my prayer list. She wasn’t ‘born again’ and my prayer for her as well as for my other friends on the list was that they come into the reality of the new dimension of life that I had come into! My prayers were also a bit more than that – I prayed that even in their state of ‘unbelief’, that God should protect them and guide them. Nike’s brother in-law had died of cancer some months before – a 14 year old boy. He lived with Nike and her husband. I used to visit them and pray for him. His leg had been amputated, sadly the cancer had spread beyond the leg. The last time I saw him, he said to me with tears in his eyes, pain in his voice, and in despair, “Uncle, if you can help to get me to ‘The Synagogue’, maybe God will heal me there”. I cried when I left him that day. I didn’t have that much faith believe that he would make it. With this background, I prayed that God should protect my friends from evil. It wasn’t surprising to hear God’s voice now – but I was taken aback that God will ask me not to pray for someone because he had a covenant with that person’s grandfather. I spent the next 9 months studying and learning about covenants. So her grandfather Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti was a reverend who made a covenant with God. This covenant was a protection guarantee! It was generational. Nike was enjoying some benefits of a covenant her grandfather made with God! The blessings of that covenant was still operational to the 3rd generation. I understood many things after my covenant study. I won’t go deep – but reason with me, as an intellectual babe, if a woman without lifting a finger can enjoy benefits of a covenant that her grandfather made – 80 years or 60 years prior, is it not possible that a man can suffer the consequences of some covenant his grandfather made too? I think so. I know so. Are these things abused? Certainly - like fake drugs and real drugs exist side by side in our pharmacies.

There are too many experiences – I wouldn’t finish in a month if I started now. One thing is certain, medical science didn’t sort me out. I progressively get insight into God’s reasons for making it so! One thing of which I am persuaded from my experiences is that life is spiritual and that there is nothing that manifests in the physical that doesn’t have a spiritual foundation. And it is not about those quotable “Chiristiannesse’ quotes – ‘it is not my portion’, ‘I claim it’…..

There are conflicts that come to many Christians in this area of health – medicine or spiritual healing? It is even worse now that Christianity seems to be a big joke. Main churches have gone after money. Manipulation is the order of the day, miracles for sale – others are really just motivational institutions. Several mega pastors whom once carried the oracles of God in their mouth and the fire of God in their hands are now preaching from movies and newspaoer editorials. Counterfeits and sorcerers like my main man ‘ Indaboski’ (whom Goblar thinks is a comedian) have set up shop. Many who know and try to speak out are gaggled by the pharisees of our time – they say “who are you to judge” or they quote that age old scripture – “judge not my anointed” – that scripture by which many have been held captive. You are right @Gbagbo – why would many believe, afterall those who we looked up to are hiding from covid! Tragedy.

And it is no coincidence that witchcraft is now out in the open. Those girls selling kayamaka or whatever that thing that pretends to be an aphrodisiac is called - brazen. And you Yankee people pointing fingers at Naija, your own witchcraft is worse o, dont be thinking that we are in bad shape. Advance demonic activities, telling kids that they can be any gender they choose, whenever they like!

@Gbengula, your comments so spot on – 100% correct –“swim one’s lane with confidence and a very personal faith”! However, an “A” grade is 120% in the school of advanced life. If I struggled for 15 years with (a) medical challenge(s) and found a way out – how can I not lead my brother into this mystery? How can I sit and watch him in agony – the same way Toye couldn’t sit and watch his sister deteriorate?

Let me round up by saying this. One of the things that God told Adam was that there was the tree of Knowledge of good and evil, and there was the tree of life! The tree of knowledge of good and evil has many good things – like nukes for energy, like AI for rapid response and driverless cars, it is where we find nuerosciences and DNA sequencing and those medical breakthroughs for sicknesses and disease. It is also laced with evil – like nukes to destroy another man, AI for fraud or a counterfeit you, DNA manipulation and the immense possibilities. But the tree of life is a notch above the tree of knowledge. The tree of knowledge is a distraction. That’s why God asked him not to eat of it. The moment he ate it, he was cut od from the tree of life. He shares knowledge with Satan's followers. Will the speed to the knowledge of good outpace that of the knowledge of evil? Look around you for a moment - those who are racing to get the Covid vaccine out, is it really out of good or out of greed?

The only thing that Jesus came to do on earth is to give anyone that follows him spiritual power to destroy the works of evil. Spiritual power - not intellectual power!

I know that God meets us at our individual levels, and he extends his grace to us and upon us. We shouldn’t take this for granted and think that coven’s of witchcraft exist only in Harry Porter’s mind.

It’s not easy to condense an extensive collection of heavenly experiences in one chapter.

If you believe in medicine – God will meet you there. If he doesn’t, its either he wants you to step up your game, or your goose is cooked.

May we find God’s mercy always.

Tayo Egunjobi 26062020

[reviewape-blog]

FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH

https://www.reviewape.com/?p=5485 FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH - Product Name: FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH Click here to get FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH at discounted price while it’s still available… All orders are protected by SSL encryption – the highest industry standard for online security from trusted vendors. FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH is backed with a 60 Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee. If within the first 60 days of receipt you are not satisfied with Wake Up Lean™, you can request a refund by sending an email to the address given inside the product and we will immediately refund your entire purchase price, with no questions asked. Description: Too many health professionals “think” their positions are providing them with a solid future and a great return. 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The problem is, things may not be moving forward as rapidly as you thought they would…or worse, you don’t see the danger coming at all! This scenario happens more often than you can possibly imagine. If you’re a business owner, you need to be aware that according to the Small Business Association, 50% of all businesses close within the first 5 years…is that your 5 year plan? How many of those businesses believed they would be in that 50% when they first opened? Even more frightening, nearly 46% of businesses that close in the first two years do so for the following reasons: No knowledge of financing No experience in record keeping All preventable conditions! If you’re a health professional and don’t own your own business, there are an entire additional set of numbers you need to be watching… Are you saving at least 10% of your take home pay for the long-term? Are you contributing to a “rainy day” fund? Do you even have one? What percentage of your take home pay do your housing payments take up? What’s your plan for paying for your kid’s college? What does your personal “balance sheet” look like? Are you fully aware what your assets and liabilities add up to? You would be alarmed how many people are dangerously unaware of their situation… If you have ever read the book “The E-Myth” by Michael Gerber, you know what I’m talking about. In short, many hold positions where they are the “technicians” – individuals well-versed in their area of expertise: fitness trainers, gym owners, chiropractors, physical therapists, etc. The problem is, these folks are technical experts, not business experts.  When left unchecked, this approach can lead to a failure that can haunt these people for years…or longer. Does being “busy” equal financial stability? Does paying your bills every month mean you’re doing well? Does a steady stream of new clients assure your cash flow? Does having cash left over at the end of the month equal profit? Far too many health professionals struggle month after month and even year after year to build up a solid financial future.  And many of them actually believe things are going pretty smoothly…until they aren’t. It’s time to find out if you’re actually making real-world financial progress or simply living on a hamster wheel that’s ready to collapse…along with your reputation and financial security. If you are a health professional, a fitness trainer or similar small business owner, NOT having a truly accurate and honest assessment of your finances can spell disaster! And more often than not, the signs of trouble were there all along, but were misread or misunderstood. In fact, some poor decisions can spell doom from the start and you may never even be aware of it! My name is Billy Hofacker.  I was “that business guy”… …running a fitness business and believing that things were going along “okay”. 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And all the fears that hung over our future have disappeared! The deeper I got into it, the more I realized that until I was able to consistently achieve a very specific list of objectives, I was simply kidding myself. It was a hobby. No more than wishful thinking. And “wishful thinking” is NOT a viable business plan! After we put a true financial plan together, the next smartest thing I did was to document every step of our journey.  “Financial Freedom For Health and Fitness Professionals” is the result. This program is not about how to make you a better health professional or help you climb the ladder…although that may be one result. No. Rather, this is step-by-step how we went from struggling health pro to financially free…from “repo to redeemed”, if you will… I’m on a mission to make sure none of my colleagues have to go through what my family endured. Here is how we’ll do this together. We’ll take a deep dive into every topic you need to be well versed in so you can live the life you envisioned when you started out. Creating a vision – Where do you REALLY want to go? Creating a Spending Plan – This is where the rubber meets the road and your bank account grows! The Debt Snowball – How to reign in debt that can appear to be out of control. Rewarding Yourself – How to celebrate the small wins! There’s an entire Bonus Section that directly impacts you and your family… Making Financial Decisions “Strengthening the Pump” Answering Common Objections In all, there are over 35 videos presenting you with a “Financial Primer” on everything you should know about putting a monetary plan in place that is designed to serve the financial needs of you and your family now and in the future…without having to go to business school. The next logical question is this: Well, I can confirm the most important part… Unlike the majority of solutions out there, I have NO intention of giving you access to this product and leaving you on your own. The consequences are too severe. Instead, I created an interactive program that will allow me to address your unique situation. Here is how it’s broken out: This is an 8 week program with a fixed start date of November 5th You’ll have “full access” to my help with every step There are weekly lesson plans, and a Step-by-Step Guide All the bonus videos are included You’ll benefit from consistent accountability to keep you on track We’ll answer your question on a “members only” Live Weekly Call You’ll have access to a private community for support through your financial transformation! “Working with Billy transformed not only my business but my life! …Billy is a wonderful mentor and coach who combines positive encouragement with just the right amount of tough love. My business would, without a doubt, not be where it is today if I had not made the decision to do coaching with Billy.” “I am a 24 year old certified personal trainer with a college degree. I studied health and wellness in school and was determined to help people change their lives through fitness and nutrition. I was looking forward to finishing school and pursuing a career in the field that I love, but did not realize what it truly meant to be an “Adult.” I had bills, student loans, car insurance and did not know how to manage my money. The world of business and finance lends itself to a lot of clichés…and in many cases, they’re painfully accurate. “Death by a thousand cuts…” The proverbial frog in sitting in water that slowly boils…killing the frog. I’m sure you’re familiar with many of them. This program is how you DON’T become a cliché. Hey, if you have everything dialed in with your savings account bursting at the seams, your retirement planning on track and you’re able to live your life on your terms, then maybe this program is not for you. My hat’s off to you! You are in the minority unfortunately. If you realize it’s time to get off the financial roller coaster and have some real-world planning in place, then let’s get started! “Yes, it’s time I got the confidence I need to my financial future” It’s time to make certain you, your business, and your family are on solid ground.  As I learned the hard way, there is just too much at stake… Committed to your financial freedom, P.S. If you want to be 100% certain your personal planning is on sound financial ground, this product will confirm…or deny the truth. If you’re still unsure, let me do this… “If you go through this entire product and DON’T find at least one action item that can contribute to your bottom line or improve your personal financial planning, I have missed my mark and will refund your entire investment.” After all, this is a money-based program and MUST prove its value! I know it will… If you have any doubt at all about the stability of your financial planning, it’s time to take an honest look at where you’re headed…before you get that knock on your door. “Yes, it’s time I got the confidence I need to my financial future” ClickBank is the retailer of products on this site. CLICKBANK® is a registered trademark of Click Sales Inc., a Delaware corporation located at 1444 S. Entertainment Ave., Suite 410 Boise, ID 83709, USA and used by permission. ClickBank’s role as retailer does not constitute an endorsement, approval or review of these products or any claim, statement or opinion used in promotion of these products. Financial Freedom for Fitness Professionals | 2018 | Support: billy@yourfitnessmoneycoach.com Click here to get FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH at discounted price while it’s still available… All orders are protected by SSL encryption – the highest industry standard for online security from trusted vendors. FINANCIAL FREEDOM – YOUR FITNESS MONEY COACH is backed with a 60 Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee. If within the first 60 days of receipt you are not satisfied with Wake Up Lean™, you can request a refund by sending an email to the address given inside the product and we will immediately refund your entire purchase price, with no questions asked. - ReviewApe - https://www.reviewape.com/?p=5485