#this is the most normal day of thatchers life

[handbagman]

finishd it

[missingexaltation]

This got way longer than I thought it would. Basically, a 'Wayne centered' steddie mini fic.

I love the dynamics that we could have had with this mini family, so this kind of threw itself together.

Wayne's seen Eddie with the girls he brings back home. Well, he sees the backs of their heads as Eddie walks them out early in the morning, past a Wayne who's thoroughly exhausted from the night shift.

Eddie always knows he's there, always offering a shrug and apologetic grin before practically skipping back to his room. Rarely the same girl twice, that Wayne could tell, but (more often than he'd thought possible, and doesn't he feel like an ass for assuming) dressed in that white and green cheerleader outfit.

Not that Wayne judged. He and his brother, Eddie's dad, had both been the same back in the day. The popular girls seemed to love a boy from the wrong side of town, and (unlike his old man) Eddie was a good guy under it all, so Wayne knew he was treating them girls right. If only for the night at least.

The surprise was that it was girls he was bringing home.

His friend Danny, who'd given Eddie the part time job at Thatcher's, had called it years ago. Said that Eddie reminded him of his brother, and that Wayne had better get prepared for the boy's teen years because it was gonna be rough. Sure enough, the moment Eddie turned thirteen Wayne had come home to find him packed up and ready to be thrown out.

God bless Danny Harris and his foresight, because Wayne had had a nice little speech prepared for a year or more, ready and waiting. And Eddie had soaked it in, those big ol' brown eyes grateful, relieved and full of tears as he unpacked again.

So sure, the girls were a surprise, but he let it go. Assumed the kid was happy with both, or either, and if he wanted to talk about it then he knew damn well that Wayne would listen. He'd done the difficult part already, the rest just details and semantics, and Wayne certainly wasn't going prying into his nephew's love life. It was safer anyway, for him to stick with girls for now. Or however long.

It wasn't until after the most horrific week of Wayne's life where he noticed things had changed. Eddie was home, a free man, an innocent man, and for his troubles had been relocated (with his uncle) out of the trailer park and into a nice, quiet and expensive part of Hawkins. Courtesy of some official-looking government suits.

They'd taken Wayne aside, given him some bizarre, bullshit story, and it wasn't until a few days later that he'd noticed his bank account was overflowing with compensation money. After the week he'd had, Wayne knew enough to keep his mouth shut, and life had seemingly carried on as normal. Neither he or Eddie had to work again, if they didn't want to.

Seeing Richard Harrington's boy in their new kitchen was more than a surprise. To his credit, the boy was cooking some breakfast thing or another, and trying to encourage Eddie to get his ass in gear for school. He didn't notice Wayne either, but Eddie sure did.

He remembered Danny's advice. 'Don't treat the boys any different to the girls, Wayne. Eddie'll pick up on that.' So he just waved a good morning and went to bed.

A few days later the Harrington boy was back again, herding Eddie out of the door as Wayne was coming in it. Noting the time, a gentle 'don't be late, boy' as the door swung shut, and that was it until the evening and Eddie was traipsing in from school. His mama's big brown eyes eyes looking at Wayne like a wild animal trapped in a corner.

Eddie had said nothing, hiding his face with his hair, looking for the world like he wanted to say something, until he yammered out some excuse and fled to his room to hide.

'That Harrington boy seems nice. Polite.' Wayne offered later, over dinner. Conversationally. Lightly. Apparently enough to cause a reaction, and as he'd never seen Eddie so red-in-the-face embarrassed he decided to drop it. Just a shrug and a nod in response.

He didn't see the Harrington boy for a long time after that. But he kept an eye out. The changes in Eddie were remarkable. Contrary to popular belief, he was a pretty quiet kid at home (guitar aside), but now he was reflective. Moon-eyed and lost in his own head. Practically floating from room to room and always with that damn smile on his face.

He realised that he'd not seen (or smelt) any of Eddie's drugs since they'd moved into the new house. A call with one of Rick's buddies confirmed that Eddie was out of the drugs game (finally, thank Christ), so he could only assume that this dopey, lovelorn version of his nephew was a consequence of something else.

Or someone.

It occurred to him that in all the time he'd known Eddie, having raised him and loved him and taught him as much as he was capable, that he had never seen his boy in love before. And now, noticing Eddie swapping out his electric guitar for his acoustic, seeing the sunshine glimmering under Eddie's skin and beaming from his smile, it was overwhelming. Adorable.

A couple of months ago he'd thought his boy was dead, or hurt, and it had damn near devastated him. And now here Eddie was, alive and very much flourishing. Learning some song (by ear) that he wouldn't have been caught dead listening to a few months ago. Having giggly, hushed phonecalls on their new landline when he thought Wayne was out of earshot. Constantly smiling, an actual genuine, happy smile instead of his usual theatrical, false grin that he used to throw Wayne off the scent.

He'd confessed all of this to Danny, one night when Eddie was 'out with friends for the night'. Despite everything he'd hoped, he'd never thought Eddie had had much of a chance. The world was too grim and constricting, especially Hawkins. He'd done the best he could, loved that boy with all he had, and prayed it would be enough to give Eddie the best start he could offer.

He'd heard the things the other kids called him, he'd witnessed Eddie trying to get stains out of his clothes, or sewing up holes caused by being shoved to the ground. He'd held Eddie close in his arms and let him sob it out after a really tough day. He'd patched Eddie up when things got really bad, and had quiet words with his teachers. By and large, it all washed off, and come morning he was always ready to face the world again.

So yes. He'd told Danny everything and he'd cried. Real happy tears, though, and Danny was real fucking nice about it instead of making fun of him. They'd been friends since school, after all. Hell Danny had known Eddie most of his life too. Like the uncle Wayne should have been, in a life where Eddie's parents had been capable of raising him themselves. They'd celebrated with a six pack and toasted to what was hopefully Eddie's big turning point.

It took Eddie a few weeks longer, but he eventually brought it up himself. Kid was nervous, obviously so, but nothing out of the norm. (last time he'd been so nervous, he'd been summoning the courage to tell Wayne he was repeating his repeat year).

'So me and Steve are like a thing.' He said, just blurting it out like he'd been overthinking it. Wayne had paused, finished his bite of casserole, to give him a moment to think. 'He treat you good?' He asked.

If he'd not seen the way Eddie headbanged to his music, he'd have been concerned with how eagerly Eddie nodded his head, almost giving himself whiplash. As if his enthusiasm was the factor that was going to convince Wayne of his veracity.

'Well. Tell your boy he's welcome here anytime. I need to see what his intentions with my boy are, after all.'

Eddie had made a face, like he was disgusted, but also gleefully pleased. Like Wayne had passed whatever test he'd been set.

'I'm gonna marry him one day.' He'd declared, sighing dreamily. 'He's so fucking perfect, you know?'

'Language.' Wayne admonished, and chuckled to himself. 'And no, I don't know. On account of you hiding him away every time I'm home. Bring the boy around, let me get to know him.'

And so he did.

And, a few years later, he followed through on his declaration and married the Harrington boy.

[hearteyedbunny]

you mentioned an oc, Thatcher, in your tags on an oc prompt post. who's he?

these tags??

oh Thatcher. oh my sweet boy. he is most definitely "always having a bad time, all the time". LMFAO.

his name is Thatcher Black! he's a priest, in his early thirties and dedicated to his job and community. he's a very, very honest and kind man, he would do anything for anyone if they asked. he's devout to his religion and tries to use it in a way to better the world, not tear it down. that being said, he also struggles with putting himself first and standing up for himself because of it.

well. an angel named Abaddon (or Abby) is sent to earth to be his sort of... guardian angel. except they are incredibly bad at their job. I'm still working on their story, but they are using Thatcher to regain their status as a high ranking angel after being cast out because of...previous activities on earth not going as planned. I don't want to type too much, but just know Abby is not a good person and cares little for the people (especially humans) they hurt along the way of achieving their goal. they are just here to have a good time.

so! long story short, the two meet and Thatcher's entire world view is shaken to its core. sure, angels are real apparently, but there is no singular all mighty "God" that he preaches about, only several different deities running different aspects of the world, and the angels that work under them. all of his views are wrong, everything he preaches about is wrong, the book he runs his life by is wrong. he feels like a fraud, but tries to continue his life as normally as he can despite being shaken to his core. and on top of everything else he now has to deal with this angel taking up space in his life. and apartment.

their story is a bit long but Abby gets him into many a precarious and dangerous situation. Thatcher slowly unravels as they spend more time together, him falling in love with Abby being his absolute downfall and being the thing that ends up killing him. I haven't decided if his death is the "canon" ending, but it feels fitting for a man who loses himself and intertwines his life with such a dangerous otherworldly being.

SORRY THAT GOT LONG! him and Abby's stories are intertwined so I can't have one without the other. I should have just said Thatcher is Abby's punching bag and been done with it haha. Thatch is never having a good day ever in his life. but at least he gets to kiss a beautiful angel.

unfinished art of them for your viewing pleasure

[henriiiii-1001old]

[REDACTED] Street, Mandela County, WI: an Unholy Gift Ramble

Ruth's home is a way to view her in a more metaphorical sense. The neatly set up furniture and the carefully placed decorations - including pictures, paintings, and other decorative items - emphasizes her neatness and orderly mannerisms. When things are out of place, she gently puts them back in their spots, albeit not in the exact same place. Clothes are neatly folded into drawers, kitchenware is all neatly put into their own labeled drawers, and all the rooms feel bright and lively. They know they're being taken care of, and in return they give Ruth a sense of stability and comfort. The windows being open do help a lot with the general feel of the house too, the sun able to shine through them to give the house even more life and love.

Once Puppet practically takes over the household, however, Ruth focuses so much more on trying to escape - which turns into her trying to please him the best she can so he won't go out on angry murder rampages - that she forgets to tend to a lot of the household. She'll sometimes forget to do a certain load of laundry, but she usually gets around to it even if it's not all of it. She starts becoming forgetful because traumatic events happened while she was doing completely normal and mundane tasks. She forgets to do dishes, laundry, dusting, sweeping, everything to keep the house in order, but she keeps getting dragged away from what keeps her busy by the one who only gives her more and more of a reason to want to go back to those tasks.

One day, she is invited by Puppet to go out of the house for the first time. She gladly accepts and even forgot all the negative experiences and enjoyed what she had in the moment. The sunset was beautiful, dinner was amazing, and Puppet wasn't trying to be as controlling as he usually was. He even allowed her to drive home by herself! She didn't even have to promise not to simply drive away because he knew she wasn't thinking about that after everything he gave her that day. She simply took the keys and went home.

Oh does she wish she did though.

As soon as she returned home and opened the front door, she realized how much of a shithole her own home had become. Cobwebs appeared in almost every corner due to the walls being neglected, most of her pictures either gone or scratched out by puppet in a blind rage, dishes piled up in the sink from a week ago when Puppet's friends were invited over, piles of laundry sat just outside the laundry room and even inside her own room, the entire house smelled like absolute filth, and the windows that were bolted shut were always closed off by heavy curtains so not even the sun could try to make her days a little more hopeful. She realized she hadn't even taken a proper shower or even had a good meal until that day.

Her house was not itself anymore.

And neither was she.

...

Thatcher knew they'd have to clear out the house at some point. She didn't live there anymore anyway, so it would be better to do it now than to wait. The walls were left bare and empty, the true bleak color of it finally showing. The rooms were a lot more spacious but were somehow suffocating to be in. The emptiness of the house only brought more gloom than anything. It all felt like it was too early to leave it to rest.

Thatcher felt this the most. But he could do nothing more than walk out the front door and move on as he locked the house shut.

Everything was quiet.

[leatherdaddymoominpappa]

Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Villagers Ranked

Yeah I've been watching rtgame's W&G playthrough and I can't stand most of the NPCs but I thought I'd do a ranking anyway. This ranking does include the caveat that all of these characters would arguably vote tory and I'd fight them all.

Mr Paneer - litchrally the best character. Done nothing wrong. Just wants to run his shop, and sometimes make sandcastles. Only in-universe flaw is liking golf (but so does every guy here). Outside the universe itself, he's clearly a very poorly-written Asian character, but he's the most reasonable and normal villager in the game.

Mrs Gabberly - took an episode or two to warm up to, but she seems really nice. She even looked after Duncan when he was attacked, despite him being awful to her and took in the three whippets. I feel bad for her home life. She's clearly stuck in a toxic marriage and I think a divorce would do her a lot of good.

Major Crum - This is where the disliking characters starts. I mean, he's an army man and blatantly xenophobic. Episode three started - ever so slightly - warming me up to him. He just wants to go on the fairground ride and pretend to be in the RAF. I also like his and Gromit's relationship, with him treating Gromit like a human soldier, and Gromit going along with it.

Constable Dibbins - Was fairly inoffensive for the first three episodes, despite being a policeman. Episode 4 proved he was a massive prick. He doesn't get a country club membership (for now) and he goes all petty and vindictive and try to get it shut down. Jesus, man, there are only so many villagers, you'll get in the country club eventually.

Miss Flitt - 100% a Tory. Probably worships Thatcher. Her and Wallace's relationship is kinda interesting, from her dislike and dismissal of him to him winning her over through being brave and saving the day to losing all attraction to him because he's a dumbass. Shame I have no respect for anyone who is attracted to Wallace, no matter how briefly.

Mr Gabberly - A prick. His only redeeming quality is his love of birds. All he does is shout at his wife. Fuck that guy.

Duncan McBiscuit - Irredeemable prick. A knock-off groundskeeper Willie, without the comedy and charm. All he does is bully the other characters, especially if they talk to Miss Flitt. Is also unnecessarily bossy with Miss Flitt and tries to order her around, and fatphobic to Mrs Gabberly, the female character he's not attracted to. The only thing I will say in his favour is he might've just snapped from the English characters being assholes to him for being Scottish. IN ADDITION, I'm watching episode four now and he's trying to demolish the town to build a golf course??? At the very least, he does make an effort and change his behaviour for Miss Flitt by the end. He can still get tae fuck, though.

[lcnelyday]

the barton sisters - meet the siblings

lila and winnie knew they weren't part of a normal family, being the granddaughters of the matriarch witch of the pacific northwest. the matriarch, who holds power and leadership over the entire pnw witches, including canada, is to be replaced by a barton witch each time the prior matriarch passes, and lila and winnie always knew that one day, their names would be thrown in the ring and they would have to fight for the title, even if they didn't want to. because of this knowledge, they took very different routes, lila learning everything she could to be the best she could, the most vicious, the most merciless, and then stepping away until that fateful day, running from her family until she had no choice but to renounce the normal life she would build for herself. winnie on the other hand, said fuck it, believing she would never survive the trials of the matriarch, she left home as soon as she legally could and set off to have a normal life until her death bell tolls. however, she fell into it with some dangerous demons, and started hunting, working at a major preternatural hub, 'the good company', a bar that caters to criminals, vampires, witches, werewolves, demons and more. both sisters wait, pretending that there might never be a day when they get a call, demanding they come back to fight for the right to lead the witches.

lila barton - emma mackey - twenty seven - witch - bisexual winnie barton - sophie thatcher - twenty two - witch - homosexual

[i-rove-rock-n-roll]

An excerpt from Down We Fall

The wedding was going to be the highlight of the day. Everyone was excited, gossiping on how it was going to be the most splendid sight. The wedding of the century, now that the prince and princess had finally decided to get their act together.

At 5 o’clock that morning, the steward was wide awake, checking and rechecking his list as he absentmindedly struggled with his shoes. The first visit was to the kitchens. He watched the crew running back and forth, gathering ingredients and mixing bowls. The head chef already barking out orders, despite being the smallest woman in the kitchen, the steward couldn’t help but be amazed at her sudden power over the normally unruly kitchen staff.

“Thatcher, start making the hor'dourves-no, not alone you stupid boy, Janice will help you, won’t you Janice? Maurice, start peeling some potatoes, Michael can’t be the only one doing what I ask--Thatcher, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT MESS IN FRONT OF YOU? HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW WHAT AN HOR D'OEUVRE LOOKS LIKE? DON’T GIVE ME THAT ‘I WASN’T TAUGHT’ BULL, YOU’VE WORKED HERE FOR SIXTEEN YEARS!”

The steward slowly backed out, beginning to get the inkling of what the phrase ‘fear for your life’ meant.

Kitchens, check.

The next stop was the ballroom, where they had begun to divvy up the decorations for the castle. The steward entered to arguing, but thankfully, no screaming. Yet. The taller of the decorators seemed as though he had swallowed helium, his voice getting higher and more shrill with each statement from his partner.

“If we had just started with a few of the decorations each day this week--”

“IF WE HAD STARTED ANY EARLIER THE DECORATIONS WOULD BE SOILED.” the man cried, sharp arm movements punctuating the air between them as his partner rolled her eyes. “WE’RE RISKING ENOUGH AS IT IS DOING THEM ALL THIS EARLY IN THE DAY!” His partner raised an eyebrow.

“Are you finished?” The tall decorator nodded, suddenly sullen. The steward blinked, baffled by the sudden change in attitude, and shook his head. Nearby, a man hanging some of the decorations from the ceiling reached a little too far and the ladder tipped, crashing.with a force to shake the castle. The decorators rounded, prepared to yell at the man, before they heard his screams and looked up, seeing the man clinging to the rafters for dear life. The steward excused himself politely, though none of the people within the room had even noticed he was there, and he quickly made himself scarce.

Ballroom, check.

By noon he was only a little over halfway through the list, having found the florist to be quite normal. Stomach growling, he didn’t dare swipe much more than a sandwich from the kitchens. Not after he saw the head chef...he shuddered. She looked about ready to pull a Hansel and Gretel on that Thatcher kid. He suspected the only thing holding her back was that it would slow up the production time. Not to mention she'd ruin the oven, which was brand new.

Munching absently on a pear he snagged from a passing waiter, he continued on his way.

The tailor was an older gentleman, that spent more time jabbering about how each cut of fabric would've clashed in his day. How one couldn't pair a satin ribbon with anything lace of a particular color, unless you wanted to look the part of a true fashion disaster. The steward nodded politely, not listening to a word, and asked how the outfits looked. Satisfied when he saw no stains and that they weren't going to (hopefully) catch fire anytime soon, he bid the tailor adieu (even as the old man was spinning another tale about the woes of how no one wore plaid or navy anymore).

Tailor, check.

The reception was to be held both indoors and outdoors, with tables set up in the pavilion for the royalty, and in the garden, for the peasantry. The only real difference was that one group had to contend with possible insect invasions and maybe a paper lantern catching fire in the wind. Both groups, however, would get cake.

The steward counted the tables, missing the look on the one man's face when he told him he was a couple short, as the extended family was, in fact, invited. He just barely missed the screaming of “Where are we going to get another table?!” when he stepped out.

Pavilion, check.

The gardeners had spend ages trimming each tree and bush to round perfection. The didn't bother with anything intricate, as they had barely agreed on whether the bushes should be round or square, and nearly punched the man who asked why not make them triangles and be done with it.

Garden, check.

Blushing bride and groom?

He had just made to go find them when they came to him. Actually, they came out the window. Flew out of the window really. Glass shattered everywhere, and the steward could see the glint of metal as the soon to be married couple drew swords and tried to slaughter each other.

His quill snapped.

Of course nothing could go perfect.

[thephilosopheroffeelings]

I took my birthday week off and I went to Oxford for a day trip to visit a friend. I like Oxford and on the day I visited, it was rather quiet. We walked all day and chatted away. Smoking ban, Thatcher and her portrait at Number 10, socialism, conservatism, Esther Mcvey, The Holocaust, Keir Starmer. I stopped at one point and self-reflected: I promised myself - after leaving Turkey - not to take anything seriously when it comes to daily politics. I was deliberately - as my therapist suggested in Turkey - not following the news in the world and acting naive/ignorant to keep my sanity. Did I fail? I have a session with my therapist tomorrow morning, I will find out then.

I kept thinking about Thatcher's understanding of socialism, Mcvey's ignorance, and the UK's relationship with revolutions. All made me go and read Hannah Arendt again - I remember the first time I read “Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil” when I was back in university. It was eye-opening and the following quote stayed with me for a long time:

“The trouble with Eichmann was precisely that so many were like him, and that the many were neither perverted nor sadistic, that they were, and still are, terribly and terrifyingly normal. From the viewpoint of our legal institutions and of our moral standards of judgment, this normality was much more terrifying than all the atrocities put together.”

She was a romantic, realist, republican, democrat, conservative, and liberal for some. I do not know what she was but I know what she was not - a totalitarian. At 35, I realized my favourite quotes of hers have changed:

“For politics is not like the nursery; in politics obedience and support are the same.”

“The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution.”

The first one is my favourite because it summarises the last 20 years of Turkey or anywhere where transition from democracy to autocracy has taken place. The latter is my favourite because it makes me think and question: Her on the nose realism is on another level and so much needed. Revolution, and then what? Who would like to be under construction all the time? Have I become more conservative in the UK? To keep my sanity, I decided to take her following advice:

“There is hardly a better way to avoid discussion than by releasing an argument from the control of the present and by saying that only the future will reveal its merits.”

Sounds like she accidentally introduced mindfulness to the West? I am not sure about the psychological one but for sure for political mindfulness - if that's even a thing. If not, it should definitely be a thing - 'Political mindfulness with Hannah Arendt':

“Forgiveness is the only way to reverse the irreversible flow of history.”

“Under conditions of tyranny it is far easier to act than to think.”

“Evil comes from a failure to think. It defies thought for as soon as thought tries to engage itself with evil and examine the premises and principles from which it originates, it is frustrated because it finds nothing there. That is the banality of evil.”

“Loving life is easy when you are abroad. Where no one knows you and you hold your life in your hands all alone, you are more master of yourself than at any other time.”

[frosty-oak]

Sevenish English students and fiveish jugs of Pim’s

First act

I was in a Bristol Wetherspoon’s the other night (the one by Will’s if you’re a student), out for a drink to celebrate finishing my first essay. Three of five people had cancelled on me but I was determined to make friends and be sociable. While waiting at the bar I was telling the one person who had arrived that she had a very nice jacket, and the red converses (matching mine) were a nice touch. I worried that it seemed like I was flirting, so I made an offhand, not-very-subtle comment about my girlfriend, mostly because women do love my awkward charm and confused dress sense, but especially because of my strong feminist values (and social anxiety.) Once I finally had my pint of (really very cheap and slightly crap) Thatchers, we managed to find the only other person who had actually shown up; luckily with a host of friends. I awkwardly sat at the edge, introduced myself to five or so people, forgot all of their names and tried not to stare at the huge amount of empty glasses and pitchers on the table.

Main course

I began to stereotype slash categorise everyone at the table, deciding that Mary (not her real name) definitely listened to Lana Del Ray, and Harvey (not a real name either!) was a film buff who stumbled into the interesting side of socially clumsy. He also had a tendency to ask me about a selection of interesting films and books in rapid succession which went a little like this:

“Theo (that one is a real name), have you ever seen The Piano Teacher?”

“No sorry, why is it good?”

“Its alright. Whiplash?”

“Oh yeah that one was really good.”

“Hmm. Okay.”

And then the conversation would move elsewhere, I still haven’t figured out if there was a connection or he was just understanding/categorising me in his own way. Mary was then told off for vaping inside, it turns out that Spoons is surprisingly strict on the rules, as any seventeen year old trying to stay past nine PM will discover.

Chapter three

Things then took an interesting turn somewhere between ordering my second pint and it still not bloody arriving nine minutes later. Timothy (that ones definitely not her name, I’m bad at aliases) was telling us about her ‘type’ for some reason or other, and this was when my long standing theory  that an amazing amount of people have terrible taste in men was proved right. Timothy (I will get a better name eventually) described her type as “tall” going fine so far “brown hair” still fine “and emotionally unavailable” and oh dear we’ve fucked it. Someone else then said that they had a thing for men who were “mostly not into me” which is funny but also just bad, but then I was asked and got lots of brownie points by saying “my girlfriend” and showing a picture of her looking as gorgeous as ever (I normally get her to edit these so hi darling!) Despite what you might guess though, Timothy’s love-life is going absolutely fine! I’m kidding she committed flatcest immediately and then he shagged his ex the same day, and also he’s just a dick in general.

The fourth bit.

It was about when my pint finally did arrive and Mary had been warned for the last time, again, not to vape indoors that two new people arrived who looked a tiny bit like GTA characters. There was a bloke called Jacob or something (that actually might be his name I’m quite bad with names) and he had thick rimmed glasses and was unbelievably Bristol with his third Gallagher brother look and most importantly he started telling me about how he was doing a DJ set at a local club that was only for members. Which actually sounded like a lovely time but also unbelievably Bristol. He arrived with his friend who was the other side of the Bristol coin, with a collection of necklaces and bracelets along with bleached eyebrows. I didn’t actually manage to chat to her much but I did hear the stream of indie-post-pre-punk-queer-grunge-pop-indie bands that were being discussed and sounded quite good.

Around this time someone called smoke break and everyone disappeared and I quickly realised I was being left with a selection of coats and bags as I sat awkwardly (and slightly pissed as I had been to the bar to get a pint repeatedly) and waited for everyone to arrive so I could make my exit. Everyone has had that moment, generally in a bathroom but when you are quite drunk and are suddenly left with your thoughts and time sloooows doooowwwwwnn. Suddenly you are desperately trying to find entertainment in anything nearby, waiting for Instagram to load because somehow this corner of Spoons is a faraday cage. Just after the nearest ice age had came and went Mary reappeared and I made to leave but she convinced me to stay just a little longer until everyone else arrived.

The Final Act

In the final act of the night, we sat and discussed the tense, difficult and upsetting situation with her ex, which despite the many pints between us was actually a very interesting conversation. Unfortunately we were cut short by the bouncer arriving directly as Mary had raised her vape to her lips and he slowly marched over. Fair cop, and he was very lovely about it but we did have to go. I hovered outside and made a bit of chat as people smoked and finally said my goodbyes and headed for home. Uphill of course, its Bristol.

[taleasnewastime]

Dating advice | Part twenty

Summary: It’s been months – ok, it’s been years – since you last went on a date. And you’re sick of it. Sick of seeing couples kissing and holding hands in the street. Sick of your friends settling down. Sick of everyone buying houses and having families. You’re going to do something about it. You’re going to snap up a man, you’re going to tie someone down, you’re going to finally commit, you’re going to – you’re going to need a bit of advice.

Pairing: Yoongi x reader

Genre: fluff; angst; smut

Word count: 1.5k

Warnings: fluff, swearing

Authors Note: Over 50k later, we’re at the final part. I’d like to say a big old thanks for all the support on this and for everyone that has made it this far! THANK YOU!!  

Previous | Series masterlist

One year later:

Lots of things can change in a year. Some good, some bad.

At The Old Rectifying House there have been many changes. The staff are different, Lewis no longer works at the pub, he moved to university to study computer science, and Priya has officially been promoted to assistant manager, much to the owner’s annoyance. There are a few new members of staff, some still terrified of their boss which Priya secretly fuels with false gossip. There’s been a change in the regulars, most are the same but sadly one of the older men passed away. To the naked eye, the place looks and feels the same, but to the few that know the place more intimately there are more seismic changes, in both regulars, the small touches around the place – such as flowers on the tables – and more noticeably the mood of the owner.

There’s also been changes upstairs. Visually the place looks much the same, but if you look carefully there are different pictures in some of the frames and in some of the draws there are now clothes that definitely don’t belong to Yoongi. Granny knickers and lacy underwear, as well as jeans not in Yoongi’s size and skirts that he would deny all knowledge of wearing if questioned.

While you don’t officially live there, there is a large quantity of your belongings hanging around the place, much like there are some of Yoongi’s clothes at your place.

There are two toothbrushes in each bathroom. Floral shampoo in the shower that goes down quicker than you can use it. There’s food Yoongi wouldn’t normally buy and pictures around the room that weren’t there before. The plant life in his flat is thriving in comparison to a year ago and there are more often than not bouquets of flowers that were bought for you on the kitchen bar.

It’s you that tends to go to his more often than not. It’s easier and when he’s working a shift. You like making the use of the free Thatchers and making jokes with Priya at Yoongi’s expense, teasing the new staff about how mean Yoongi is and making up stories that he grumbles about but secretly smiles at. It’s nice to go upstairs, to curl up on his sofa, to sometimes go to bed and then have Yoongi crawl in beside you. You don’t as easily get that luxury if you stay at yours when he’s working.

There are other changes too. The two small bowls that sit under the breakfast bar weren’t there a year ago. There is a fluffy hammock hanging off a radiator that looks unused and various toys dotted around the room.

You’d finally convinced Yoongi to get that cat you’d thought would suit him so much. And while you kept dragging him back to that cat café, as well as different rescue centre open days, you’d finally convinced him what a great idea it would be. He’d grumbled the whole time about it. But you’d worked out how to get what you want, it wasn’t hard, if you asked enough times you found Yoongi didn’t stay saying no to you for long. In the end he’d give you anything you ask for.

When Yoongi finally agreed to getting a cat, he took the matter seriously. You caught him googling things in the evening, though he was quick to change tabs if he knew you were watching. He didn’t leap into getting any old cat, you visited several rescue centres before he picked the perfect cat for him. An older cat that had been in the centre for nearing a year, looked over by every other person and with FIV, a feline disease that meant he should be kept inside, ideal for a flat. He had the name Raven Fluffles. Yoongi refused to change it claiming it’s what he’d answer to.

“Look!”

You glance up from your book, feigning indifference. Yoongi’s stood, foot nudging a plastic ball, the bell inside ringing. The cat is sat next to him, looking up with much the same look you imagine is on your face. All black, with bright yellow eyes, he looks like he’d rather be doing anything else. He’s been with you for a few weeks now and though it’s taken time for him to settle into his new environment and his owners, you now wonder how Yoongi possibly picked a cat exactly like him. Because though the cat is acting like he’s disgusted, you know he’s a playful kitten inside, on multiple occasions you’ve caught him playing with his toys when he thinks he’s alone, and in the evening he creeps closer to Yoongi’s lap, giving into the scratches and cuddles he pretends to be unbothered by.

“What exactly am I looking at?” You ask.

“You missed it,” Yoongi says, eyes firmly on the ball at his feet. “But he definitely kicked it this time.”

“Like the other day?”

He shoots a look over his shoulder, eyes narrowing, before he looks back down at the ball. His toe continues its movement.

Now he’s not looking at you, you let your lips curl a little, giving away your feelings. It’s sweet really. Despite all his grumbling about getting the cat, it was him that bought the food and treats, it’s him that empties the litter tray with no complaint, it’s him that’s bought the mountain of toys that don’t get used. He’s been trying to convince the cat to play with them for weeks, and no matter what he says, he’s yet to be successful.

You’ve seen him tapping his lap gently while he watches TV, pretending not to be bothered whenever the cat decides not to sit on his lap. You’ve stumbled into the living room half asleep when you’ve heard him come up in the early hours from work but hasn’t come to bed and seen him laying out Dreamies, watching as the cat chomps each one up. You’ve seen the way he doesn’t think twice when adding something to the shopping for the cat, when he fights so hard over even the smallest of additional things you suggest for the two of you.

He loves the cat, and you can’t deny that you’ve become incredibly fond of watching the way he reacts around him. It’s like you always imagined. Your little picture of the future actually coming true.

“He probably just walked into it,” you tease.

“He reached his paw out and batted it.”

You hum, enjoying yourself and though Yoongi doesn’t turn to look at you, you know what you’re saying is working. It’s one of the things that hasn’t changed over the year, teasing each other is still a massive part of your relationship with Yoongi.

“Fine,” Yoongi huffs, giving up and giving away his true feelings.

He does a little stomp over to where you sit, a small pout forming on his lips. You put your book to the side, open your arms up for him to sit at your side. You smile as you look at him, smooth the hair that’s grown so long out of his face. God, you’re so incredibly fond of this man.

“I’m sure he did play with it,” you smile.

“He did.”

“He liked the catnip toy you bought. Maybe we should get him some more of that?”

“It’s not good for them to have too much,” he mutters.

“Ok, maybe next month as a treat?”

He nods, and your smile grows as you continue to stroke his hair behind his ear.

“God,” you giggle. “I love you.”

He looks at you, your hand moving to cup his cheek. He’s got a frown on his face, not the same look of surprise and utter joy when you first told him the words, this time it’s more annoyance.

“Why do you say it like that?”

“Because you’re just so dumb and yet I still love you.”

He rolls his eyes though the firm line of his lips starts to crack.

“You not going to say it back?” You goad, eyes flicking over his face, you’ve gotten so much better at reading all the emotions he tries to hide.

He looks at you, softness seeping into him now, relaxing all his muscles. “I love you too.”

You beam, and the look creates Yoongi’s small smile to grow. He winds his arm around your back so he can pull you closer.

“Though, I agree, why I have no idea. You’re so annoying.”

You giggle as you lean in, whisper just before your lips touch his, “oh shut up, you love it.”

You don’t let him agree or disagree, just press your lips into his. You know the answer anyway. Because even if he didn’t say the words back, he says it through every action he does. Because you’ve had your ups and downs and you’ve had your insecurities, but you know now. You love Yoongi and he loves you back just as much.

Taglist:

@minyoongiboongi @kookiecrumb @shydestinyyouth @minimoni7 @dopedreamfireparty @ilyk00 @hobiicores @here4btsfics @highly-functioning-mitochondria @ajw05 @xuxibelle @seoqity @jjksaveme @squakadoodledoo @jiminandhislostjams @rumpucis @bbsantc @likeshatteredrainbowglass @zae007live @mama-miss-shunshine @chaotic-floral @cowboylikevicky @yoonallthetime @feeling-woozi @neongreenlaces @jimilter @is-it-sander-oclock-yet @majamarantha @nuniah @sunshinerainbowsbts @driftapart

[mus1g4]

If you were to be sentenced to a long stretch of time, how do you see yourself? Predator or prey who is turned out on first day locked up? Are you the alpha who controls the cell block or are you the cell block cumdump?

I go back and forth…some days I want to be the alpha, setting the rules and turning out the weaker, but most days, I want to be turned out and be the cell block whore for a gang like the Aryan Brotherhood or bikers like the Hell’s Angels.

In my "real" life, I have normally been in command and responsible. However, I am also a nice guy and hate conflict. My leadership style is based on compromise rather than iron fisted command. I would say I am definetely Tony Blair over say Margaret Thatcher!

My desire to be an inmate, i believe, comes from a desire to escape (ha ha ha) responsibility. An inmate makes few decisions. No choice of clothing, food, work, getting up time, housing etc. It is a situation allowing for rare few conscious choices and therefore is a mental vacation.

When I am an inmate, I am a tough and somewhat crazy bastard. I like to dominate and be obnoxious, but as a loaner. I seldom seek leadership and prefer to raise my own particular Hell!!!!

So I am definetely a loan wolf predator!

[captain-josslett]

Broken Melody - Part One

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven,

Summary: Grammy Award winning Emma Danvers is the first to say she has a pretty good life. But what happens when it implodes around her and it looks like things will never be the same again?

Words: 10k+

Warnings: None... yet...

Pairings: Emma Danvers x Lena Luthor (Eventual)

Right! I wrote the beginning of this fic months ago. It’s going to get angsty so be ready. But the purpose of the first part is to introduce this version of B!D, a well known singer in a grammy award winning band. I honestly had a great time writing this first part!

Thank you for reading and let me know if you wanna be tagged or any general feedback will be greatly appreciated.

For @thewitchandtheassassin​, @natasha-danvers​, @life-is-hella-unfair​, @finleyfray​, @supergirl-writingz​,

The screeching of Emma Danver’s alarm makes her hazel green eyes shoot open. Normally on a Saturday she wouldn’t have her alarm set and would laze in bed. Especially when she is home from her latest world tour. However, today was going to be a day filled with the Superfriends, and she can’t wait!

Emma had mentioned at the latest game night that she wanted to check out a beach over an hour away from the city and how they could make a day of it. Kara, her Supergirl sister, instantly accepted the idea while bouncing up and down with excitement. Mostly everyone else agreed, happy to know the summer sun would be in full force that day.

Well they still had to persuade a few people, mainly Lena and Alex. But when Emma and Kara both knelt in front of the women with their identical Danvers pouts they were forcibly won over.

Emma smiles as she stretches and runs her hands through her wavy blonde hair. She quickly gets out of bed and opens her curtains. Sighing happily and just enjoying the sunshine blazing into her penthouse bedroom. Emma can totally see how Kara gets her Supergirl powers from the sun, how it recharges her and makes her the Woman of Steel.

After a few more minutes Emma turns and grabs her phone. While making her way to her ensuite she messages the group chat.

Emma: Gooooooodd Mmmoooorrrrnnnniiiinnnngggg!!! How’s everyone? Seriously can’t wait for today!

After having a quick shower Emma wanders back into her room and decides what to wear. She puts on her turquoise surf bikini with her tight black surfing shorts. She wears her blue jean shorts over the top, and a white tank top. She finishes her outfit off with her many bracelets, her apple watch and a layered necklace that has a star, sun and swan pendant. Symbolising each of the Danvers sisters. Alex is the star, Kara is the sun and Emma is the swan.

Swan became one of Emma’s nicknames in school due to there being a lot of Emma’s in the class. Her friends joked she was a swan princess due to doing ballet when she had asked them to come to a recital. Which they did and were in awe, but you know. Emma happily accepted the nickname, taking it as a compliment. Emma smiles as she looks at her ballet shoes strung over her mirror. ‘Another thing I need to get back into.’ Emma thinks wistfully. She still loves dancing, especially the latin styles like samba and tango. But she doesn’t have the time.

As she draws her attention to her reflection she definitely looks like a surfer chick, lean, toned and sun kissed. Which she was happily going for. She’s been dying to surf for ages but just hasn’t had the time. Her band had recently returned from a sell out world tour. And sadly most of the places they played at didn’t have beaches or the right surf. She felt sorry for her neglected surfboard in the back of the tour bus.

Her phone pings drawing her attention away from her musings. Emma laughs when she sees a few messages have already been sent.

Kara: Good morning sunshine! I’m sssoooooo excited too! Did you need me to bring anything else? I got all the food ready!

Kelly: Of course you’d have the food Kara!

Kelly: And good morning Emma! Shall I bring my swimsuit? Anyone going for a swim?

Kara: Ooo I am! And I think Emma is going to surf?

James: Why are you guys texting this early? I could have had at least another hour or more of sleep.

Alex: I agree with James… Emma, I hate you.

Emma chuckles at Alex’s message while she gets a bag ready with a change of clothes.

Emma: Love you too Alex!

Kara: Ahem… What about me?!

Emma: Love you too Kara!

Alex: You love me more though right?

Emma: No I love you both the same!

Kara: *Wink Wink*

Alex: Hey!

Nia: What am I just decoration?

Emma: No of course not Nia! I love you too!

James: What about me?

Kelly: And me!

Emma: Yes James and Kelly I love you both too.

Lena: Do you love me?

Emma pauses before she responds to Lena’s text. Honestly, she’s had a crush on her since the moment they met. But Lena is way out of Emma’s league. A CEO dating a musician and artist like Emma wouldn’t work. She’s not clever or brave like Kara or Alex.

Once when Lena had met her for lunch, Lena had explained what being a CEO entailed. Emma’s mind melted; it was so complex. Lena just laughed at her exasperated expression trying to figure it all out. “And that, my darling, is why you are an artist and I am a CEO.” Emma practically melted at Lena’s smile from across the table.

But that’s one of the things she loves about Lena, her passion for her work and drive for making the world a better place. And her smile. To Emma, Lena’s smile lights up the whole room.

Sighing Emma looks back down at her phone.

Emma: I love you the most… *Delete*

Emma: Yea I love you too. :)

‘Somewhat truthful…’ Emma thinks as she puts her phone in her pocket, grabbings her backpack, guitar case and placing it by the door. Kneeling on her sofa she pulls her surfboard up from behind, giving it a quick hug. Excitement surges through her veins at the thought of surfing the waves.

‘Rao I hope the waves are good today!’ Emma wishes as she swings the board around and accidentally knocks her recent Grammy on the floor. “Shoot!” Emma yelps and quickly drops her surfboard to pick up the award. Emma sighs in relief when she turns it over in her hands, seeing it wasn’t broken. Out of all her awards, this year's Grammy meant the most to her. The album had been a real breakthrough moment for her and the band, Axis, and they swept away the competition. Emma remembers the feeling of pride and honour when their name was called. How she and the rest of the band rushed to the stage in unison and linked arms as each said a thank you.

Emma carefully places the Grammy down and picks up her surfboard. Grabbing the rest of her stuff she locks the door behind her and takes the elevator down to her beloved yellow VW beetle. Which she affectionately calls the ‘bug’. Emma puts her stuff in the car and carefully straps the board onto the roof rack before getting into the driver's seat.

Taking her phone out she sends Lena and Kara a quick message to say she’s on her way to pick them up. Alex and Kelly are picking up Sam. Who did try and persuade Ruby to come but now as a teenager, Ruby has better things to do then hang out with her Mom and her Mom’s friends. James is giving J'onn, Nia and Brainy a ride.

Emma quickly plugs in her phone and chooses to blare out her playlist of her favourite songs. As she pulls out of the underground parking garage she starts singing and making dramatic hand movements as she dances along. Not caring if people see her.

Soon she’s outside Lena’s apartment building and as she turns the music down Lena Luthor herself was exiting the building. Emma’s mouth drops open with how beautiful Lena looks. And how different she looks too! Gone were the suits and smart wear of a CEO. Instead Lena was wearing a thigh length red patterned skirt that matched her red lips with a black crop top. To finish the look off she wore a black bowler hat.

When Lena opens the passenger door Emma quickly closes her mouth.

“Hi Em!” Lena smiles brightly at the blonde and leans over to place a kiss on Emma’s cheek. Making the blonde blush and causing her brain short circuits.

“Hi Lee!” Emma says more high pitched than normal.

Lena grins at her in amusement. ‘Rao I could get lost in those green eyes.’

“Er, Em… We gonna go?” Lena teases causing Emma to jump and pull away from the pavement. “So, how has your week been?”

“Fine. Got a commission to complete before Thursday but I’m almost done. I actually have to thank you, it's the lovely couple we met at the recent gala we went to.”

Whenever Emma is back in the city Lena always invites her to the gala’s. Surprisingly Emma finds she enjoys them, especially when it's one of Lena’s charity events. Lena and Emma are both thrilled to find Emma has a talent in being able to persuade the rich attendees to donate their money. Even from those who have never donated before. “It’s the Danvers charms!” Emma would laugh and wink at Lena when the raven haired women would be dumbfounded at the cheque in her hand from a rival.

“Mr and Mrs Green?” Lena asks, remembering how the couple were enthralled with Emma’s work as an artist and musician. Their donation had been one of the biggest of that night. ‘No surprise there.’ Lena smirks.

“Yea them.” Emma nods while concentrating on driving. She does love the city life but driving through it can be such a pain.

“What did they ask for?” Lena inquires while picking at a loose thread in her skirt.

“Mainly a seascape of a view they had back in the UK. Thatchers rock… I think.” To be honest Emma had been surprised by the Green’s enthusiasm when she showed them her portfolio. How they were willing to wait for Emma’s tour to finish before getting their commission. It had been made easier that there was a reference to work on. Even though she has never been to that part of the UK. Mainly the cities dotting around the island. And even though Emma doesn’t need the money she enjoys doing something different. Her art gives her another escape.

“What style are you doing it in?” Lena asks as she bobs her head along with Emma to the music. Something she’s never done before until getting rides with Emma. Something about the blonde’s carefree attitude rubbing off on her.

“I’m using oil this time. I think it works better with the layering and it can really make the sea look like it’s moving you know? Well… If I get it right.” Emma realises she started to ramble and quickly cuts herself off. Certain Lena wouldn’t want to hear the techniques Emma has been using. “If all goes to plan the painting should look different with the different lighting of the day.”

“I am sure you will darling.” Lena smiles widely at her.

Emma smiles back. Feeling butterflies zoom round her stomach at the term of endearment.

“Thanks Lee.” Emma taps her thumbs to the beat while they wait for a light to turn green.

“How-”

“How’d-”

They both stop when they realise they both started talking.

“You go.” Emma motions Lena to continue.

“How’s everything going with the band?”

“It’s going really, really well! We are already writing songs for the next album. But we’ve also really benefited having this time off too.” Emma grins thinking of the other band members. 

In some ways they’ve become another little family to her. The four other guys were already formed and were looking for a female influence. Emma saw the flyer and thought ‘why not!’ before calling them and doing an audition. The guys were blown away by her voice and talent. Unanimously they agreed she can become a member of the band and ultimately making her the lead singer. That was over eight years ago when Emma was eighteen and Axis were well known in certain areas of America but when Emma joined their popularity skyrocketed. 

However fame didn’t matter to Emma, but she loves performing and writing music. Especially when she gets fan messages about how her songs have helped someone get through a difficult time and gave them hope. She always makes sure to save those messages.

“Sounds exciting.” Lena agrees, nodding her head.

“Speaking of deals.” Emma pauses to concentrate on the traffic. “How’d the deal with the Japanese go?”

Even though Emma wasn’t looking at Lena she could feel the big eye roll the raven haired beauty did.

“That good huh?” Emma jokes but feels for the CEO.

“Honestly it was a nightmare. They kept going around in circles and I’m just getting over the migraine!” Lena dramatically rubs her forehead. Which Emma misses from looking at the road.

“Ah no.” Emma frowns as she quickly looks at Lena. “Are you sure you’re okay to come to the beach?”

“Yes I’m fine.” Lena smirks at Emma’s concern.

“Okay, I am glad you’re coming.” Emma smiles brightly back.

Lena raises an eyebrow. “Did I have a choice?” Lena teases.

“Yes! But it would have made me very sad if you hadn’t.” Emma pouts dramatically and pulls off her best puppy dog eyes.

“And that’s why I said yes.” Lena chuckles at how adorable Emma looks.

Soon they pull up to Kara’s building and she’s already waiting outside. Piles of bags by her feet. Both Lena and Emma laugh at the sight. “Joys of being Supergirl I guess!” Emma jokes about Kara’s metabolism.

As she parks Emma can’t help but remember the day Kara became a part of the Danvers family.

Emma had taken to the alien quicker then Alex, especially as there was only a year age difference between the two blondes. She also found she became the bridge between Alex and Kara. Over time the three learned how to live with the new dynamic and would soon enjoy each other's company. Kara and Alex would laugh when little Emma would cheerfully yell that they were the three musketeers as they played with wooden swords or practically any activity that involved the three of them. Even making hot chocolate together.

When Kara became Supergirl Emma almost had a fit. She’d been in New York for a sold out week of gigs when she had seen the news in the early hours of the morning. Frantically she called Kara to see if she was okay and getting even more frantic when she realised Alex had been on the plane too. The two sisters were eventually able to calm her down after a lot of sobbing and panic from her end. When Emma returned to National City she held onto her sisters a lot tighter that day. Eventually the three ended up falling asleep together on the sofa. Emma in the middle of the two as they wrapped their arms around each other.

Emma’s musings were interrupted when Kara slammed the car boot down hard. Causing the car to bounce.

“Careful Kara!” Emma yells, knowing full well her sister would hear her.

“Sorry little one! I’m just so excited!” Kara squeals as she opens the backseat door before leaping in.

“Hey I’m only a year younger than you!” Emma frowns into the rear view mirror to glare at her sister. Who just sticks her tongue back at her while clicking in her seat belt.

They continue the hour long drive to the beach, chatting and singing along to Emma’s playlist. Lena watches on in amazement as Kara sings the melody and Emma does some beautiful harmonies around her. They all laugh and cheer when Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ comes on.

“Come on Lena! Join in!” Emma yells while she puts the volume right up. So Lena does. When the rock part of the song comes on all three of them dance and headbang along. Lena laughs as she feels so carefree. She pauses when Emma starts singing passionately to the next verse.

So you think you can stop me and spit in my eye So you think you can love me and leave me to die Oh, baby, can’t do this to me, baby Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here

Honestly she could listen to Emma’s voice for hours. Which is probably why she secretly went to as many of Emma’s gigs as possible. But every time she would go to reveal herself to Emma she would back peddle and leave. Knowing that someone as talented as Emma was way out of her league. Her pride for her friend as she watched with the Superfriends at Kara’s apartment as Axis won Grammy after Grammy, award after award. How they screamed with joy and hugged each other after each announcement. Plus Lena thought someone as pure and happy as Emma wouldn’t do well with someone broken like Lena. So she keeps her feelings to herself and tries to be content with being Emma’s friend.

Lena’s heart warms as she remembers meeting Emma for the first time over 3 years ago. She had been at one of her first game nights with the Superfriends when a knock sounded on Kara’s door. Everyone had looked at each other in surprise as no one was missing. Lena watched Kara bounce towards the door and as she opened it a continuous scream of surprise and happiness escaped Kara’s mouth. This caused Alex to rush over in response and suddenly scream as well. The two sisters practically tackled the blonde beauty out into the hallway where they fell into a laughing heap. Kara kissed the blonde’s head over and over while Alex held onto her like a koala bear and kissed her cheek over and over.

Finally they untangled and Kara dragged the other blonde into her apartment. Excitedly introducing everyone to her little sister, Emma. The Superfriends each individually greeted the newcomer and when it came to Lena’s turn Emma had stepped forward and gave her an affectionate hug. Laughing that Kara has told Emma so much about her that she feels she already knows Lena well. When Emma stepped away from the hug they both ignored the warm feelings racing around their bodies. Lena had to agree as both the Danvers sister’s spoke of Emma fondly and how proud they were of Emma’s success. Lena hadn’t told anyone this but she bought all of Emma's music to listen to it after Kara gushed about her sister. She instantly fell in love with the voice coming through the speakers.

Kara soon asked why Emma was in National City and Emma excitedly revealed that Axis was moving to National City. Lena again ignored the feeling of excitement that shot through her. And again Emma was tackled to the floor as both Alex and Kara leapt towards her in celebration.

“Lena?” Kara’s voice breaks through her thinking and Lena turns to look back at her best friend. Listening intently as Kara excitedly explains a new prototype Brainy is designing to help Kara not be so affected by Kryptonite.

“Maybe I can help with it?” Lena offers kindly.

Kara’s smile brightens up even more. “That would be swell!”

Lena gives Kara a small smile before turning back to the front. To be honest it still stings that Kara didn’t tell her Supergirl secret to the CEO. It had been two years after Emma had moved back to National City when Lena and Kara were having lunch but Kara was being called away. Again. Lena couldn’t stop herself and blurted out she knew Kara’s secret. She will never forget how Kara’s face fell and the promise of talking about it after she’s finished. Lena’s face grew cold as her walls shot up. She told Kara not to bother and stormed out of the restaurant to her penthouse apartment. She refused to see anyone or answer her phone. Allowing her past hurts and hatred to simmer and boil.

That was until a knock sounded on her door. She chose to ignore it but the knocking persisted.

“Come on Lena, please open the door. Let’s talk about this.” Emma’s muffled voice sounded through the door.

“Why should I?” Lena spits out as she draws closer, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.

“Because you shouldn’t be alone right now.”

Lena scoffs. “And why not?”

“Because you’ll allow your demons to lie to you and it will eat you up.” Emma had experience with this herself.

Tears fill Lena’s eyes and against the screaming in her head she reaches out and opens the door.

“Hey you.” Emma gives Lena a small smile before stepping into the apartment. Placing the takeout bags on the floor and pulling Lena into a tight hug. Allowing Lena to break down as she sobs into Emma’s shoulder. All her past hurts rushing forward and spewing out.

After she was spent Emma gently led her to the sofa and reheated the food. Making sure Lena ate. They talked long into the night and when Lena started rubbing her eyes from exhaustion Emma helped her get ready for bed. As Lena slid between the sheets Emma leaned down to give her a goodnight hug. But stopped when Lena wouldn't let her go. “Stay.” Lena whispered. So Emma grabbed a pair of her spare clothes she left for times like this and got in next to her. Lena shifted over to her and rested her head on Emma’s shoulder. Emma wrapped her arms around Lena and held her close. They don’t say anything more but drift into a peaceful sleep.

“We’re here!” Emma sings out, causing Lena to jump slightly. They pull into a car park right next to the beach.

“Oh wow!! Look at the sea! It’s so beautiful!” Kara gasps as she presses herself against the window and like an excited child she unbuckles and races towards the beach. Having already spotted Alex, Kelly and Sam setting up.

Emma snorts at her sister’s behaviour while she unbuckles her seatbelt.

“Er… She will help us with the food? Right?” Lena looks back at the overflow of food bags in the back of the bug.

“Yea as soon as she realises she will shoot back up here.” Emma chuckles while getting out of the car. And Kara did just that as Emma went to pay for a parking ticket she watched Kara race back up to them, in human speed. “Glad to see you helping.” Emma raises an eyebrow at her sister as Kara reaches the bug.

“Sorry! I just got really excited! It’s so beautiful here!” Kara bounces like a puppy.

“Now you understand why I dragged you here instead of going to the beach at NC?” Emma says while carefully unstrapping her board before lowering it and leaning it up against the bug.

“Yes, yes.” Kara keeps her eyes on the beach.

“Hey.” Emma smirks at her distracted sister.

“Yea?” Kara tears her eyes away to look at Emma. Smiling when Emma opens are arms and they hug. “Haven’t been able to give you one yet.” Emma says in her ear. Kara buries her face into Emma’s neck, enjoying the warmth and feeling of home whenever she hugs her sisters.

The car door closing makes them break apart. “Okay I think that’s everything.” Lena says while looking at the small mountain of bags.

“Thanks Lena!” Kara sings as she grabs half of the bags before Emma can tell her to only take a few. Hopefully no one will question how a slim woman can carry that much weight. Lena catches Emma’s eye and they both roll their eyes at each other.

“Jink!” Emma yells causing Lena to do another eye roll. Before Emma can reach down for her stuff Lena steps forward.

“Can I have a hug too?”

“Sure you can Lee.” Emma opens her arms wide and Lena almost tackles her with her enthusiasm. They both sigh happily as they hold onto each other a bit longer than necessary. Emma breaks the hug and steps back, grabbing her backpack, placing a few food bags on her shoulders picking up her guitar, and securing her surfboard under her arm. “Oh Lee don’t take that many, Kara will come up and get the last few.”

“Okay.” Lena nods while swinging a food bag on each of her shoulders and they start walking towards the beach. “Kara is right though, it’s really beautiful here.”

Emma smiles at her, happy Lena approves. The sand was a beautiful white which made the sea clear and looked like a gorgeous turquoise and teal. The richness of the colours makes Emma want to weep with happiness. They could pretend like they were in the Caribbean or on the Hawaiian islands.

“Hey Peanut!” Alex yells as Emma approaches her.

Peanut has always been Alex’s nickname for Emma since their parents told three year old Alex she was going to be a big sister. Alex had been fascinated about it all and when her Mom had told her the baby was the size of a peanut the name stuck. Even when Emma grew and was the size of tennis ball Alex would still refer to the baby as Peanut.

“Hey sis!” Emma yells back, dumping her stuff on one of the picnic blankets. Alex comes over and pulls Emma into a tight hug, quickly followed by Kelly and Sam. “Been a long time Sam, how are you?”

“I know I’m sorry!” Sam says as she takes a step back. “Life’s been hectic!”

“Oh don’t I know it.” Emma laughs. “Maybe you can ask your boss to allow you to have a life?” Emma teases while giving Lena a pointed look.

“Not my problem she wants to work longer hours then she is contracted!” Lena places her hands on her hips.

“Maybe she’s following her boss's example? And maybe the boss needs to cut down too? Maybe relax a bit?” Emma stalks towards her crush.

“Maybe-” Lena stops what she was going to say and tilts her head as she watches Emma approach. A smirk on her face. “What are you doing?”

Suddenly Emma reaches out and starts tickling Lena who laughs loudly and tries to swat the blonde away.

“Lena! She’s ticklish too!” Alex snickers as she goes through the food bags.

“Traitor!” Emma yells as Lena starts her own assault. The two women fall to the sand in fits of giggles as they wrestle. Before Emma can gain the upper hand Lena straddles her and continues tickling her. “No! Lena!” Emma kicks out trying to shift the woman on top of her. But Lena was not budging. “Argh! I surrender! Please!” Emma wheezes.

“I win?" Lena stops and gazes down at Emma triumphantly.

“You win.” Emma coughs and when Lena moves off her she instantly misses the feeling of Lena’s weight on top of her.

“Are you ladies done or are you going to help?” Alex raises her eyebrow at them as they catch their breath.

“Yes ma'am.” Emma salutes before getting up, rubbing the sand off herself and reaching out to help Lena up. They smirk at each other and set to work getting the rest of the blankets and chairs out for the Superfriends.

Soon the other group arrives and they all sit chatting and relaxing. The men start setting the BBQ up, insisting they can do it, much to the amusement of the women as they try to do it without looking at the instructions.

Alex, Kara and Emma smile at each other as they share a look before giggling. The Danvers sisters have barbecuing in the great outdoors down to an art. But if it keeps the men happy they stay quiet. Sighing Emma turns away from the entertainment and looks out to sea, watching the waves and the surfers riding them.

Alex shuffles up to her, resting her head on Emma’s shoulder. “You can go if you want.”

Emma rests the side of her head on her sister’s. “I know, but the waves aren’t quite right yet.”

“Okay.” Alex wraps her arms around Emma, who returns the gesture and holds onto Alex. Emma moves her head and kisses Alex’s head before resting her own on Alex’s again.

Alex smiles and kisses Emma’s hand that's holding her close. At first Alex wasn’t too keen on the idea of coming to the beach, too much work to do at the DEO and an hour travelling seems like an eternity. But Alex is glad she came. They sit content.

“How can you tell if the waves are not right?” Brainy asks, having left J'onn and James to sort out the BBQ.

Emma looks up at him. “I don’t know, you just can. It’s a feeling.” Emma runs a hand through her hair trying to think of a better way to explain it. “Like when you are out there you know a big wave is coming, the wave. You just got to be patient and take the moment when it comes.”

Brainy tilts his head at her. “I think I understand.”

“Well I’m glad you did.” Alex snorts and yelps when Emma playfully slaps her bare arm.

“Oh come on I didn’t slap you that hard!” Emma laughs but rubs her sister’s arm.

“Anyone wanna play rounders?” Lena asks the group as she picks up one of her bags. She pulls out a rounders bat, which is shorter than a baseball bat, and ball.

“Rounders?” Kara asks, confused. “Don’t you mean baseball?”

“No, I mean rounders, it’s what we played at my boarding school. It’s the game that baseball came from. The first known account of it was in 1744 with the Tudors.” Half of the group look at Lena blankly, while the other half look interested and know who the Tudors are. “Basically you still have four bases, home runs etc. The bowler must do underarm, though we can do overarm…” Lena pauses. “It’s just different okay?”

“Sounds good to me!” Sam leaps to her feet and starts setting the four bases up. Everyone else follows suit and splits into teams, Lena and Sam being the captains of each team. On Lena’s team is Kara, James, Alex and Emma versus Sam’s team which has Kelly, J'onn, Brainy and Nia.

After a coin toss Lena’s team bats first with Sam being the bowler, or pitcher, as Alex yells out.

“And can we make a rule of no powers? We don’t want the ball getting batted into space!” Sam jokes as she jogs to bowler base.

“Sounds fair.” Kara says looking at J'onn who nods in agreement. She gets into position to bat. She hits the ball no problem and starts to run, but she hits the ball too high and Brainy is already waiting to catch it.

“Out!” Sam yells as Brainy holds the ball in his hand, causing Kara to skid to a halt. She turns and walks back to the team, kicking the sand as she goes.

“Hard luck sis.” Alex rubs Kara’s back when she comes back to the line up. Pouting all the way. Emma gives her a hug and kisses her cheek.

“You’ll do it next time.” Emma reassures her.

They watch James get into position and hit quite a good ball. He manages to get to third base before having to stop when Nia catches the ball while on 4th base.

Lena is the next to go and Emma can’t help but watch as she sways her hips getting ready to strike. Her ball goes low and far. She sprints off and her team screams and cheers when she manages to do a home run.

“Nicely done Lee!” Emma holds her hand out to high five the out of breath CEO.

“Thanks.” Lena smiles brightly at the blonde while holding onto her hand longer than necessary.

Alex is up next, feeling the pressure of going after Lena’s home run.

“You got this babe!” Kelly smiles from the 2nd base. Alex smiles back at her before readying herself. She misses the first ball.

“Strike 1!”

Huffing Alex gets back into position again. And misses.

“Strike two!”

“You got this Al!” Emma claps and encourages her sister.

Taking a deep breath Alex readies herself and watches the ball. She manages to hit it and sprints to 2nd base.

“Nice to see you Alex!” Kelly teases the red head causing Alex to gently shove her girlfriend.

“Right you’re up Emma!” Sam calls as she catches the ball.

Emma picks the bat up, wiping the sand off it and stands in position. Noticing the opponents are standing mainly to the left, Emma decides to trick them. When Sam throws the ball she quickly turns her body and whacks the ball to the right side of the field far away from the group. She runs half the way and seeing Brainy is still running to the ball she walks the rest of the way, dancing and blowing kisses. She starts sprinting the last few feet as the ball is being thrown towards Nia. The team celebrates her home run and they play a few more rounds, having a few collisions and lots of laughter. They have two more goes each and swap over. Lena takes over as the bowler. “Pitcher!” Alex yells as she runs to man 2nd base.

The new batting team does just as well and Sam’s team are one point behind. J’onn is up as the last batter, it’s all on him. If he gets a home run Sam’s team has won the game. Emma watches the ball carefully as Lena throws it and in a split second it's coming right at her. She reaches out her hand and catches it. Everyone stares dumbfoundead before yelling in surprise and either excitement from winning or groans for losing.

Emma’s team crowd her and she laughs at the attention.

“Emma?” A voice says behind her.

Emma’s head shoots round and she smiles when she sees her bandmates standing there.

“Guys?” She rushes towards them. Emma had told them of her plans and had invited them to join. They had said they were busy so it's a huge surprise to Emma that they stood in front of her. “What are you doing here?”

“We are… Wanted to talk to you.” Jack, the guitarist and other singer, says before he looks at the Superfriends behind Emma, watching them intently. “Alone.”

“Sure.” Emma shrugs, she turns back to Lena and throws her the ball. Emma walks with her bandmates along the beach until they are far enough away. Though Emma is sure Kara can still hear them. “So, whats up? Everything okay?”

“Er… So about that-” Danny, the drummer, starts but rubs his neck. Feeling very awkward. Frankie, the keyboardist, doesn’t make eye contact with Emma and shuffles his feet in the sand.

Mick interrupts. “We want to leave the band.”

Emma’s mind screeches to a halt. “Leave? All of you?”

“Yea Em. Just with Jack getting engaged, Frankie’s Dad being ill and Danny’s baby is due. We just don’t have the same drive like you do.” Mick looks sadly at her. “We are a great team, but it’s just not the same. After moving to National City we realised we want to settle, have families, the whole white picket fence thing.”

Emma places her hands on her hips, biting her lips to stop the tears threatening to fall. “What about the new album? We’ve already written most of the songs.”

“You don’t need us Em. You are the front runner and can do this with anyone.” Jack tries to reassure her.

“But they won’t be you.” Emma’s heart starts to break when she looks at the finality in each of their eyes. “And… And nothing I can say will change your minds?”

Her four bandmates shake their heads.

“Okay.” Emma looks up at the sky, taking a deep breath before looking back at the men in front of her. “Well, can we do a farewell tour?”

“Sounds like a good plan.” Danny smiles sadly at her and the other three nod.

“Can we give you a hug?” Jack asks quietly, hating seeing Emma so defeated.

Emma nods and they go in for a long group hug. But as the tears start to spill Emma breaks the hug and rushes back to the Superfriends. Ignoring any questions, she throws off her clothes and jewellery and grabs her board. Sprinting to the surf and diving into the sea.

She paddles quickly, still hearing voices, most likely Kara and Alex, calling after her. But she drowns it out by duck diving under a wave as it rolls over her and she resurfaces. Emma continues further out past the swell where she can stop and just lie there. Letting the board bob as she gazes at the horizon. Emma allows her tears to fall. Her face distorts with her disappointment and hurt.

‘What am I going to do?’ Emma thinks. She gets why the guys want to leave. Knowing this would happen one day. Or at least a break, but it still hurts. ‘Since when did it change for them?’ Emma stays like this for a while, lost in her own thoughts.

Some time later splashing behind her makes her turn her head and she sits up. A wet laugh breaks through her lips when she sees Kara and Alex balancing on a paddle board trying to reach her. Alex particularly looks like how a cat would look in this situation. On her knees and very tense having come to a very deep part of the beach. Alex doesn’t like not being able to touch the bottom, or see it. Kara is using the paddle, obviously using a bit of her super strength with how quickly they are going.

“What you laughing at?” Alex snaps.

“Nothing.” Emma smiles sadly at her while wiping the tears from her face. She swings her legs around and places them either side of the board. When the paddle board comes alongside Emma’s, Kara moves to sit down. Causing Alex to shriek as the board rocks dangerously. Emma reaches out and steadies it while trying not to laugh.

“Sorry Alex!” Kara apologises before turning her attention to Emma. “You okay?”

Immediately Emma’s smile drops and her eyes fill with tears again. She furiously rubs her eyes to stop them. “Yea fine.”

“No you’re not.” Alex sighs, hating seeing her sister look so unhappy.

“Guessing you heard?” Emma looks at Kara who nods sadly. Crinkle on her forehead evident of her concern. Emma looks down at her hands, not able to look at her sisters anymore. “I just… I get why…” Emma exhales deeply. “It just hurts you know. We are so in sync with each other and I honestly can’t imagine having to restart all that again.”

“But you will.” Alex reaches out and touches Emma’s linked hands. “Because your voice, your music needs to be heard Em.”

“Yea it's one of my favourite sounds, like ever.” Kara agrees. “But you know you will always have us, right?”

Emma nods, allowing a few more tears to fall.

Alex reaches out and wipes the tears from Emma’s cheeks. “And yes it sucks right in this moment but you will get through this. We will both help you through this.”

“Totally.” Kara agrees.

“Thanks.” Somehow Alex manages to hug Emma without falling in and Kara joins them.

Right on queue Kara’s stomach rumbles. “Oh and lunch is ready.”

“Uh oh the monsters coming.” Emma smirks as she looks at her alien sister.

“Race ya?!” Kara jumps to her feet making the board rock dangerously and had Emma not been holding Alex the red head would have fallen in. After making sure her sisters were okay Emma waves them off.

“Nah, you go on ahead, I’ll be right behind you.”

Emma watches her sisters go, hoping Kara has enough control not to cause Alex to fall in too far from the beach. She keeps her eyes fixed on them, slowly following in case Alex needed her. But when they reach the shore Emma lets out the breath she didn’t realise she was holding. Emma chuckles when Kara returns the paddle board they borrowed to get to her.

Shaking her head Emma starts slowly paddling into the swell and waits, her board moving with the ocean. Suddenly she feels a shift. Emma lies on her stomach and starts paddling hard. She smiles as her board gets picked up by the huge wave. Whooping as her board flies through the tube, she reaches out and skims her hand along the break. She comes out the other end and using the momentum turns her board, shooting her closer to the beach. Until finally her board slows down and she jumps off, wading the short distance to the shore.

“Hey!” A surfer approaches her, smiling flirtatiously. His brunette hair slicked back from the sea.

“Hi.” Emma responds while picking up her board.

“That was a sweet wave you just did!” His enthusiasm makes Emma smile.

“Thanks, kind of wish it went on forever.” She admits, cause really there was nothing like going through the tube of a wave. The colours and sounds were breathtaking.

“Ah man I know right?!” He laughs. “So, I was wondering if I could have your number?”

“EMMA!” She turns to look at Kara who is waving her arms about wildly. Most likely due to Alex saying she can’t eat until Emma joins them.

“Thank you but I’m kind of not available. Sorry.”

“No worries at all.” He looks slightly disappointed but still smiles.

“EMMAAAAAA!!!”

Emma laughs at how Kara’s yells got even louder. “Well I better go, don’t want my sister getting any more hangry.” Emma starts to walk back to the group.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Emma.” He calls after her.

Emma swings round but continues walking backwards. “You too.” She turns back around, smiling and shaking her head.

As soon as Emma gets near, Kara is loading her plate up at top, human, speed. Emma chuckles at the sight and digs the end of her board into the sand before taking the leash off and flopping onto the picnic blanket.

“Who was that?” Kelly asked across from her. Lena pretends she isn’t listening in as she gets some food.

“Oh just some guy congratulating me on my sweet wave.” Emma imitates the guy's accent which makes them laugh.

“And he wanted her number!” Kara teases while she sits next to Emma.

Whistles and ooo’s sound around the group. Alex watches bemused as Lena purses her lips before going back to a neutral expression.

“So where’s the number?” Sam asks excitedly, not missing Lena’s rigid posture.

“Meh, not my type.” Emma tries to play it off cooly while she grabs her top and shorts to change into again. Not minding that they will get a bit damp as the sun is out in full blaze. She also applies her suncream handing it around and reminding everyone to keep it topped up.

“Since when has hunky surfer boy not been your type?” Kara asks confused as she focuses on the surfer. “Honestly I could grate cheese on his abs!”

“Kara!” Emma laughs loudly while she dishes up a plate of food.

“You also said you weren’t available,” Kara presses on, missing the looks Alex was giving her. “Who's the lucky guy or gal?” Emma had come out as bisexual when she was a young teenager. Her Mom and sister’s supported her and Emma was glad she could do the same for Alex when she came out to her. Alex had even flown out specially to where Emma was gigging to tell her. At first Emma was really worried when Alex avoided eye contact and was nervously fidgeting in her seat. When Alex finally blurted it out Emma held her sister close. Saying how proud she was of her and her love for her sister hadn’t changed.

“No one, I just wanted to get him off my back.” Emma says nonchalantly but inside she was freaking out. She’d said it because yes she wasn’t available because her heart belonged to Lena.

Kelly gives Alex a look and watches as Emma settles in-between Lena and Kara under the umbrella they were sitting under. Alex doesn’t miss how much closer Emma sits to Lena than her sister.

The Superfriends continue talking and when everyone has finished eating they split off to do their own thing. Alex and Kelly go for a walk, mainly to come up with a plan to get Emma and Lena together. While Kara, J'onn, Sam, Nia, Brainy and James play volleyball. Girls and against boys. “Original.” Emma mutters causing Lena to snort.

Lena and Emma opt to stay with everyones stuff. Lena is happy to sit back against the pile and read a book she’s been wanting to read for months but never had the chance.

Emma sighs as she looks at her guitar case. Twiddling her thumbs for a moment she draws her knees to her chest and watches the waves. But not feeling quite ready to get back in.

After half an hour Lena puts her book down and focuses on Emma. “Something on your mind?” Lena asks, nudging her shoulder into Emma, causing the blonde to sway.

“Guessing Kara told you?” Emma keeps her eyes fixed in front of her.

“Yes, she was relaying what was being said.” Lena says apologetically.

“It’s okay. Makes it easier in a way.” Sighing heavily Emma turns to look at Lena. Who is watching her with concern. “I just don’t know what to do. I need to look for new bandmates, but that just seems so daunting. Can I really go through that all again?” Emma runs her hands through her hair. Huffing she looks back into emerald eyes. “Okay if we don’t talk about it? Just enjoy what we have right now?”

“And what do we have?”

“Great company, good food and a wonderful view.” Emma motions to the beach around them.

“Yea, I can do that.” Lena keeps her eyes on Emma.

“Go back to your book Lee. I’ll be fine.” Emma tries to smile reassuringly.

Lena doesn’t buy it but starts reading again. She watches Emma from the corner of her eye as she shuffles over to her guitar case, opening it and pulling the guitar out, making sure it is in tune.

Emma gets her songbook out of her case, opening the page to a song she had started writing. Making sure she doesn’t hit Lena with her guitar Emma settles back down. Grabbing her phone she hits record and starts plucking. Softly singing to herself.

Tell me somethin', girl Are you happy in this modern world? Or do you need more? Is there somethin' else you're searchin' for?

Emma pauses as she remembers a chorus of a song she’s been working on. She quickly flips to that page and moves her fingers to find the chords. She continues to play. Not realising her soft singing has steadily got louder.

I'm falling

Emma sees Lena in her mind as she sings. Her pain at falling for her friend and not having the courage to take it deeper.

In all the good times I find myself Longin' for change And in the bad times I fear myself

Sighing Emma looks at the sea before turning her head slightly to look at the raven haired beauty. Whose focus is on the book in front of her. Returning her attention to her notebook Emma keeps playing and singing.

I'm off the deep end, watch as I dive in I'll never meet the ground Crash through the surface, where they can't hurt us We're far from the shallow now

Lifting her head she focuses on the sea again.

In the shallow, shallow

In the shallow, shallow In the shallow, shallow We're far from the shallow now.

Emma pauses and stops the recording. Running a hand through her hair which starts getting more wavy from getting wet.

“Wow Em.” Lena breathes out.

Emma turns to Lena who put the book next to her. “You like that?”

“Yes, seriously… I don’t have the words.”

“Thanks, it’s not really finished. It needs another verse…” Emma goes through her notebook but comes up empty. Replaying the first verse Emma closes her eyes to figure out the words for the second verse.

Tell me something, boy

“What rhymes with boy?” Emma mutters to herself. “Toy? No… Void?”

Aren't you tired tryin' to fill that void?

Emma sighs as she remembers friends she has lost due to depression and addiction. Knowing how hard it is to feel whole and get out of the pit.

Or do you need more? Ain't it hard keeping it so hardcore?

She sings through the bridge and the chorus again, making sure it all fits. But to her horror she realises she stopped the recording.

“Crap!” Looking down her phone wasn’t where she left it. Instead it's in Lena’s hand.

“I could see you didn’t press record so I did it for you.” Lena answers Emma’s questioning gaze as she presses the button to stop the recording.

“Thanks Lee.” Emma takes her phone and grabs her pen, listening to the recording and writing the song out in full with the chords.

Lena watches Emma. “Do you usually write songs that quickly?” Lena asks, fascinated.

Emma laughs in response. “No, not usually. I guess I was more inspired.” She shrugs, placing her guitar back in the case with her notebook. She shuffles back over to Lena. “Can I?”

Lena looks up and nods, letting Emma lean down, resting her head in Lena’s lap. They do this quite often and it always makes Lena’s heart skip a beat. Slowly she puts her book down beside her and runs a hand through Emma’s hair. Looking at the view and doing what Emma said, enjoying the moment.

Time passes on and Emma watches the group playing volleyball. Kelly and Alex have joined them, Kelly staying with the girls while Alex went over to the boys side. Emma smirks when Kara would not so sneakily use her powers to gain an advantage.

But Emma’s attention diverted back to the sea, the tide was coming in and the swell had gotten bigger. Turning her head to look up at Lena Emma pauses. Her eyes linger on Lena’s chest before taking in her profile. ‘Rao she’s so beautiful.’

“Okay if I catch a few more waves?” Emma asks, finding her voice.

Looking down Lena smiles. “Sure.”

“Thanks Lee.” Emma sits up and presses a kiss to Lena’s cheek. As Emma takes her clothes off she grabs her board and runs to the surf. Lena touches her flushed cheek and smiles softly.

Soon the volleyball group end their game, the boys team winning by a few points. They head back to their set up, laughing at how both J'onn and Kara leapt for the ball, only to miss it completely.

“Hi Lena!” Kara says while sitting next to her best friend. “How's the book?”

“It’s…” Lena looks down at the book and realises she’s only got through part of the first chapter. Her attention had mainly been watching Emma surf. “Slow.”

“Ah I hate it when that happens!” Kara hands Lena a drink while they sit and watch Emma. Who had just gone through another tube, much to the excitement of the surfers watching in the shallows. “I don’t know how she makes it look so easy!”

“It’s one of her many talents.” Lena agrees, though there is always a feeling of anxiety whenever anyone she cares for is in any body of water.

“Totally.” Kara says before sighing sadly.

“Kara?” Lena asks concerned for the Super.

“I just… She’s worked so hard. I know she will come back from this, but when Alex and I got to her she… She just looked so broken.” Kara sighs again. Worry filling her eyes as she watches her sister.

“She didn’t want to talk about it. But said how daunting it is to find new bandmates. Which I can understand.” Lena knows how hard it is to make friends in general.

“Yea it’s not the easiest of processes. She needs to click with them, for them to become in sync with each other and then get on with them. How they managed to drive around in that tour bus all over America and later the world is beyond me!” Kara says with wide eyes, she had joined Emma for a few gigs and thankfully the venues weren’t too far from each other. But Kara found the journey long and boring.

“Kara, anything slower then you flying is beyond you!” Lena's teasing causes Kara to laugh loudly.

“True!”

They continue watching Emma who attempts a few aerial tricks. The spray of the sea flying high above her. “She wrote a really beautiful song just now.”

“Really?” Kara perks up and Lena nods. “Think she’ll play it for us?”

“Maybe.” Lena hopes Emma does. She really wants to hear it again.

While Emma still surfs the Superfriends play UNO. Laughing at how competitive Alex is getting and only getting calmed down when Kelly gives her a gentle kiss. 

As the sun starts to slowly descend Emma finally gets out of the sea. Waving goodbye to a group of surfers she had been talking to.

She notices a fire has been built in the centre of the Superfriends circle and a few of them are roasting marshmallows.

Emma’s body is completely shattered but she smiles at the feeling. Making a note to come back here as much as she can. Even if the weather isn’t perfect like today.

The Superfriends greet her while she grabs her stuff to change. Alex stands and uses one of the blankets to block anyone’s view of Emma. Kara joins in and goes to the other side. Emma scoffs knowing full well she can change without showing anything and there has been no paparazzi bothering her.

Finally dry and feeling much warmer Emma sits next to Lena and places her head on her shoulder. She can’t help but yawn and let her eyes drift.

“Tired Em?” Alex teases from across the circle and smiles at Lena whose cheeks are tinged with red.

“Uhmm.” Emma confirms. “Do we have any more food?” She asks, keeping her eyes closed. “Or has Kara eaten it all?”

“Hey!” Kara swats Emma playfully but causes Emma to jump and glare at her. “Sorry! Did I hurt you?” Kara asks, panicked.

“No, I was just surprised.” Emma sighs before resting her head back on Lena’s shoulder.

“Well I did see a pizza place as we drove in. Maybe we can order?” Nia asks.

“Sounds like a good plan to me!” Emma gives a thumbs up. Pizza is one of her favourite foods.

With the joys of technology the friends order and half an hour later a pizza boy with a mountainful of pizza boxes comes towards them. They thank him and dig in. Emma grabs Lena and her pizza, two cans of soda and some salad left over from lunch.

“M’lady.” Emma holds out the cans which Lena takes. “I got some salad too.” Emma places the container in front of Lena.

“Thank you Em.” Lena says touched that Emma thought about her. She opens the lid and wonders how she can eat it. Looking up she sees Emma holding out a knife and fork for her and she smiles.

“You may need this.”

Lena grins back thanking her and takes the cutlery from the blonde.

Emma happily munches away at the pizza, rolling her eyes when the debate about Hawaiian pizza is brought up.

“Personally I don’t see anything wrong with it.” Sam defends laughing at Brainy’s stunned face.

“But to have a fruit on a savoury dish… it just does not compute.”

“Brainy.” Emma gets the alien’s attention. “Have you actually tried it?”

“No I have not.” He looks appalled that Emma would ask that.

“Then how’d you know if it doesn’t work?” Emma tilts her head.

After a moment of thinking Brainy nods. “Fair point.”

“Next game night I will order one and you can try it!” Sam says happily while winking at Emma, who smiles back.

“Just keep it away from me.” Alex says, shivering at the thought.

“Sorry to change the subject, buuutttt, Emma.” Kara says making Emma freeze while her last pizza slice was near her lips. She lowers it slightly while looking at her sister, who is beaming from ear to ear.

“Yea?”

“I saw you working on a song, wanna share it?”

All the Superfriends turn to look at Emma expectantly. Always appreciative of hearing anything Emma is working on. Taking a deep breath she lowers the slice back to the box and wipes her hands on a napkin.

“Peanut, you don’t have too.” Alex says glaring at Kara. Emma would do anything to make her sisters happy, Alex knew this. So did Kara. And yes, they would both exploit it sometimes.

“No, it’s okay. Would be great to get everyone's opinion.” Emma grabs her guitar and notebook. Reminding herself of the chords. “So… This… Well…” Sighing heavily, Emma closes her eyes to control her nerves. “I kind of imagine this as a duet, but with, well, the band breaking up. I may have to rethink it a bit.” Emma focuses on the fire in front of her, feeling too embarrassed to look at anyone.

She starts playing the chords and sings. Allowing the music to wash over and for her voice to carry with the wind. Emma adds the new verse but as she nears the end she feels her emotions take over, her frustration at her situation and the need to release it. She improvises. Closing her eyes and allowing herself to go with it.

Whoa-oh-ah-oh-ahh

Emma belts out, slamming her fingers into the guitar strings as she increases in passion and volume.

I'm off the deep end, watch as I dive in I'll never meet the ground Crash through the surface, where they can't hurt us We're far from the shallow now

A smile graces Emma’s face as she lifts her head.

In the shallow, shallow In the shallow, shallow

Emma softens her voice, allowing the natural end of the song to take place.

In the shallow, shallow We're far from the shallow now.

Emma allows the last chord to hold longer than necessary. She keeps her eyes closed and waits.

A huge roar around her causes her to jump and open her eyes. A crowd has gathered round the group and are applauding her. The Superfriends all clap wildly too, Alex wipes tears from her face and Kara beams as brightly as the sun. Emma turns to look at Lena and her smile is as bright, if not brighter then Kara’s. Her green eyes simmering with tears. Emma watches as one falls and she gently reaches out and wipes it away with her thumb.

She then acknowledges the crowd with a small wave and thanks them with a bow of her head. They soon disperse, returning to their own groups and Emma sighs in relief.

“So, was the song okay?” Emma asks while picking at a chipped bit of wood on the base of her guitar.

“Okay?” Alex's voice booms causing Emma to quickly look at her sister. Alex’s eyes are wide. “Okay? Em that song… Wow I don’t have the words!”

“That’s what Lena said.” Emma smiles at the two women.

“Well it’s true.” Lena grins back, nudging her shoulder into the blonde’s.

The other Superfriends nod and agree.

“It really moved me.” Sam says smiling at Emma who blushes in response.

“Yes.” Brainy adds. “Very- touching.” Nia smiles at him. Emma grins too, happy Brainy was able to express himself.

Emma plays a few more well known songs and the Superfriends join in. But as the sun dips slowly into the horizon Emma stops and hands the guitar to James who continues playing. Not as well as Emma but enough.

Emma heads back towards the surf, wading in up to below her knees. Taking deep breaths she watches the colours change, memorising the rich reds, oranges and yellows. Lena comes and stands next to her. They watch in comfortable silence and Lena links her fingers with Emma’s. They smile softly to each other before watching the sun dip under the horizon.

(Part Two)

[neil-neil-orange-peel]

Do you reckon you could do a seven deadly sins list but with Rik characters? :eyes:

This is tricker than it looks, primarily because so many of Rik's characters fit into multiple sins. Here's a take:

Pride - Adonis Cnut

A bit of a left field choice, I know. Especially as most of Rik's characters are hugely egotistical and full of themselves - usually undeservedly so, which is where the humour comes in - so there were certainly a lot of contenders for this spot (hello, Rick, Richie, Alan). I chose Adonis because of what Rik had to say about him in an interview for Believe Nothing. Adonis is extraordinarily intelligent, unlike most Rik characters, so I suppose you could say he has reason to be prideful. However, this aloofness makes him detached from normal people. Rik pointed out that he doesn't understand what pubs are for, or popular TV entertainment (and isn't there a bit where he questions what Birmingham is?). He's so full of himself and his intellect that he's actually quite incompetent where normal things or popular knowledge is concerned, so his pride leaves him with several cultural blind spots.

Greed - Alan B'Stard

He was obviously going to be on this list. The most evil of Rik's characters just had to be on a list for the seven deadly sins. Alan could easily be any of these sins but I think greed best suits him because Alan. Is. So. Very. Very. Greedy. Most of the episodes revolve around his financial exploits and we again and again see that he will always, always prize his own bank balance above human life (unless it's his human life, of course). He's the spirit of Thatcherism: greedy and self-serving. I mean, he readily admits it:

PIERS: Yes, but you're a millionaire already! You don't need the money!

ALAN: No, I don't need it, Piers, but you see I want it. Because I'm very, very greedy, Piers! That is why I became a Conservative.

Lust - Lord Flasheart

Alright, so again, most of Rik's characters would fit into this box. Rik had the pervy face down to a fine art. I've picked Flash because his whole thing is that he's sex mad and always up for it. It's all he talks about. I believe Rik described him as "a walking penis". Is there a sentence that passes his lips that isn't some kind of sexual innuendo or boast about his own sexual prowess? Flash is a guy so controlled by his lust that, on the wedding day of his old school chum, upon meeting the bride to be he immediately begins snogging her in full view of everyone gathered and then whisks her away without a care in the world. This comes, of course, after he flirts with almost all of the guests.

I've seen Flash compared to Red Dwarf's Ace Rimmer and in many ways he's a more vulgar version of Ace. The swashbuckling hero... With an insatiable libido.

Envy - Micky Love

The rest of these were all done and dusted before I figured out who to select for envy. Rick and Richie and even Alan in a certain way could have fit this, but I thought other sins fit them better. A lot of Rik's characters are deeply insecure and bitter, and lash out at others because they're intimidated and jealous. The problem is, usually one of the other sins is more dominant in them. Then I remembered Micky Love - a character who made several big wigs in showbiz just a little uncomfortable.

He's a showbiz "has been" who has already gone through the obligatory divorce, drugs, drink and sex scandals, and has rehabilitated his image via a family gameshow. He isn't cool anymore and he doesn't understand how to be cool anymore. In normal life, that's just what happens; that's what differentiates the generations, in a way. But Micky is (or was) a star and so he can't afford to be out of touch, so instead has become increasingly paranoid about his image and whether or not his show is going to be axed. He's also deeply resentful of a younger comedian called Greg Deane, who he thinks is going to replace him. He says he doesn't think Greg is funny, but really he is envious because Greg "gets it" in a way Micky just doesn't anymore. Micky is exactly the type of figure the whole of Filthy, Rich and Catflap is satirising and I think he's seething with envy.

Gluttony - Richie Rich

This might seem a bit a random choice. I struggled a little with gluttony and did almost pick Rik's Dreamytime Escort because of all the binge drinking. Richie for gluttony is... Less straight forward.

This is more to do with desiring excess than indulging in ten course banquets. Richie is so desperate to make it big - even though if you ask him he'll tell you he already has - so in that respect I could have possibly put him down for envy or greed. But, really, Richie isn't envious of the stars - he loves them and thinks he is one of them! And I think his desire for fame comes more from a delusion about being talented and because he wants attention, rather than simply because he is greedy. So, why is he gluttonous? Because he is wasteful and lacking in self awareness. Part of the sin of gluttony is taking excess resources that those less well off would have needed and Richie does do this - whether it's smashing milk bottles and running over milkmen; stealing and destroying food in a supermarket and then not even using any of it; merrily caking himself in dishes from a fancy restaurant; or, the big one, getting all other British celebrities blacklisted so only he can appear on TV, Richie frantically indulges in whatever he thinks you do when you're in showbiz and then moves on to the next thing five seconds later. For the image? The life? He seems to do it without a thought. So, this one might be a more tenuous link (and to be fair, Eddie also joins him on most of these exploits, they're a tag team) but I think Richie Rich is quite gluttonous.

Wrath - Rick the Prick

And here is our beloved People's Poet! I had to include dear rat boy, how could I not? Rick could also be a few of these (namely pride or envy or perhaps lust) but. Really. He is so angry! And so quick to anger too. That's why Vyvyan has so much fun teasing him - he's so easy to set alight. I know the character of Rick was an amalgamation of some of Rik's standup characters: mostly Rik/Rick(?) The Poet, who I think is more dominant in Rick, but also Richard Dangerous, which is why Rick is so bloody loud and chaotic.

Rick's fury is the self-righteous wrath of a wannabe lefty anarchist leader of his generation, who has just discovered politics and social justice and thinks the world is so unfair and that only he notices this. It stems from something well meaning (in most people, in Rick it's also pretty self serving) but the uncontrollable nature of his wrath is a sign of immaturity. It's a stage of immaturity that I think a lot of us go through... It's just Rick is going through it a little late. As well as this, there's the factor that Rick is a posh little rich boy who was bread on conservative values and isn't what he pretends to be and I think that knowledge only adds to his wrath, because at the end of the day he's probably a very confused and frustrated young man.

Sloth - Richie Richard

I debated briefly which one to give to Richie. Envy was a close contender and so was pride. To be frank, however, it has to be sloth. Richie is one of Rik's most miserable characters - perhaps the most miserable. He's so lonely and sexually frustrated and desperate for meaning in his life... But he never seeks to do anything about this. Not really. He'd rather just moan about it. We're given the impression that Richie comes from a higher social class than Eddie so the fact that Richie is also at the "bottom" with him suggests he fell there. He clings on to the myth that he is "better" than his contemporaries - smarter than them, more moral, with more social nous - but in many respects he is worse. Eddie is on the dole. What about Richie? Has he ever had a job or sought to acquire one? Why does he choose to spend his days inside their dirty flat, wanking? It's because it's easier than trying to make his life better. Because that's hard, especially considering how far he's let himself drift. And so he just does nothing and stays miserable.

He's quite a tragic character, though still very funny for us. I think he sort of represents a fear of what it's possible to become if you don't push back against your struggles and instead just let yourself go, having no control over your life. Rik did say he thought Richie and Eddie were what he and Ade would be like if they hadn't made it... Depressing, eh?

~

And on that cheerful note, we're done! 😂 Please excuse how my waffles got increasingly longer, I really can't help myself. What do you lot think? Which Rik characters would you list as the seven deadly sins?

Thank you for the ask! I've had lots of fun with this. ❤️

[spectrumed]

5. sleep

It hardly gets dark in the Swedish summers. Between dusk to dawn, you’ve got about an hour to fall asleep before the sun rises again. If you struggle to fall asleep that fast, you can invest in some good window blinds. Or you can do as I do and place one big pillow over your face. Then the birds start singing around three o’clock in the morning. You can practically hear the sounds of Edvard Grieg’s Morning Mood playing at around four o’clock in the morning. Around five o’clock in the morning, it is as bright as midday. Did you have a good time sleeping? Or did you pace around in a circle having one hell of a panic attack? I thought you took some of those sleeping pills you got prescribed, they should have helped you fall asleep… wait, you did take them? They didn’t work? Oh, they did work, you just felt your body falling asleep while your mind stayed awake? That sounds terrible, real terrible. Very well. It’s morning now. Want some coffee?

You could form a religion out of sleeping. Let’s have sermons where we fill a whole auditorium full of beds and have our congregates take a big collective nap. Sleep for the sleep god! Pillows for the pillow throne! Sleep is a billion-dollar industry, there’s a plethora of handy products you can buy that promise to send you on a luxury liner to dreamland. Pills, mattresses, dreamcatchers, whatever your snoozy heart desires. You can go to a proper doctor and they might help you, or you can settle for the placebo effect and go to some fraudulent quack, instead. He might make you swallow some pills that contain arsenic, but hey, arsenic is a naturally occurring element. It can’t be all that bad for you if it is natural. And you do want to sleep, don’t you? If you take this pill in your mouth and swallow it with a glass of water, I promise you, you will sleep for a very long time.

The esteemed former president of the United States of America, Donald Trump, claims that he only needs four to five hours of sleep every night. While Mr. Trump is well-known to be a paragon of honesty, I do doubt he’s telling the truth. No, I actually do believe him when says that he only gets about four or five hours of sleep each night, I just don’t believe him when he says that is all he needs. He doesn’t look very well-rested, does he? And Margaret Thatcher, the similarly adored former prime minister of the United Kingdom, claimed that she also only needed about four hours of sleep every night. Yes, while researching the sleeping habits of famous monsters, I’ve come to the conclusion that amongst powerful individuals, not getting enough sleep has become a proper badge of honour. The belief is that if you don’t get enough sleep, that must be because you are living such a vibrantly successful life, and are so career-driven, that you simply haven’t got enough time to sleep for the full eight hours. People who sleep for more than four hours are lazy liberals. Go-getters like Trump has got to be out there, working, making decisions, raping women, and showing daddy what a good boy he is. Sleep is for the weak. But maybe I am weak. I sure like sleeping.

It’s the cultural hangover our society has had since the 80’s. Back when the yuppies wearing jackets with obscenely padded shoulders would happily chuck down eight to ten espressos in one go while A Flock of Seagulls was playing on the radio encouraging everyone to go running. And to be fair to them, with the constant fear of the doomsday clock hitting midnight, they really had no reason to think that they’d survive the decade. The new millennia, it seemed, would have no cities, no nature, no humans, only radiated mutants scouring the rubble that remains of civilization for cans of preserved something edible. Self-destructive behaviour was in. It was fashionable. Doubt people got enough sleep back then, between snorting coke and wondering if the next pandemic that hits the night clubs would start killing as many straight folks as gay folks. Well, here we are in the new 20’s, and we’ve got a pandemic that does appear to kill people regardless of sexual orientation. Sure, the looming threat of nuclear obliteration has been lessened dramatically, but we’ve largely come to exchange that anxiety for the fear of total environmental collapse, instead. No wonder 80’s nostalgia is a big thing right now. History doesn't repeat itself, but It often rhymes, said Mark Twain (supposedly.) I wonder how much coke Mark Twain would snort if he lived in the 80’s.

I notice a palpable difference in my mood and mental state when I’ve been getting good amounts of sleep. Lack of sleep results in lack of clear thinking. Caffeine, though it is something I am chronically addicted to, does not help fix a sleep-deprived mind. There are no tricks of revolutionary “life hacks” one can employ to get out of sleeping. To recover from depression, one has to sleep. Sleep often and sleep well. I cannot understate the importance of being well-rested. You cannot process information if you are tired. I am reminded of my teenage years seeing friends of mine who’d stay up all night, then come into school shuffling like agonised zombies. They got so frustrated when the teachers reprimanded them for snoozing in class. Well, dummies, it is your fault for drinking several dozen cans of Red Bull every day! I know that sleep does not always come easy. I know the terror of insomnia. But, c’mon! At some point, you’ve got to realise that sleep is essential. Maybe most of your problems stem from the fact that you refuse to get enough of it? Here’s where the tough love comes in. If you wanna get better, kiddo, then listen to me. It’s bedtime. Yes, I know you’d rather stay up late playing monopoly with your friends, but I’m confiscating your dice and I’ll only give it back to you when you’ve gotten some good sleep. Okay? You hear me, missy? You listen to your daddy now, and go to bed. No ifs or buts about it, princess, I’ve made myself clear. I know what is best for you, and you know that I am right. I’m your daddy.

But what if I can’t seem to fall asleep? Normally, it takes a long time for me to fall asleep. It is not uncommon for me to stay awake for two hours, maybe more, before I finally begin to sleep. Fearing that I won’t fall asleep gives me anxiety. That anxiety keeps me awake. I turn my body. I try lying on my side. First my left side, then my right side. I then try to lie on my back. I’ve got a song stuck playing in my head. Not even the whole song, just a ten-second segment of it. It’s playing over and over. I’m worried about the future, will I ever find security, will I ever find a wife, will I get to grow old? I worry about death. I keep hearing the music playing, it’s grating. I rearrange the pillows, in hopes that will make me feel more comfortable. But no, I keep tossing and turning like a fish caught on land. I’m getting frustrated. If only I could shut off my brain. I’m constantly thinking. I turn to my side again, but now I notice I’ve moved arounds so much that now the bed has shifted away from its position next to the wall. There’s now a gap between the bed and the wall. I almost fall down that gap. I get up and I push the bed back against the wall. I lay down in bed. The song is still playing.

How am I ever going to become a successful businessman if I am wasting so many hours just trying to get to sleep? This is the time I should be spending on the phone, yelling at people and making inappropriate sexual comments to my female employees. That is what good executives do. I need to get my life in order. I need to exercise more. I should practice mindfulness. I should get a life coach, a personal trainer, a stylist, an accountant, an assistant, a trophy wife, and a mistress. I need people in my life to take care of me. It’s funny how rich people create the sort of environment around them where people will take care of all their needs, effectively infantilising them. These people don’t even get to decide how to dress themselves. They’ve got fancy apartments, but they don’t choose any of the furniture. They’ve got art on the walls that they don’t like, but the art looks expensive, and that is all that matters. They’ve got kids, but they don’t raise them. Their spouses are cheating on them, but in fairness, they are cheating on their spouses. They don’t really even know what their jobs entails, as they’ve gotten promoted so many times that they’ve ended up in a position that is totally outside their realm of expertise. But they’re so powerful that no-one is able to fire them over their pretty blatant incompetence. They’re successful. They’ve made it. But they still can’t sleep at night. They only manage to successfully fall asleep at night after swallowing a fistful of pills along with a swig of vodka.

It must be easy being a self-help guru. Well, what I mean to say is that all you really need is charisma, which is something you need to be born with. But you don’t need to do any actual studying, any real research, or any kind of soul-searching or deliberation. All you need is to state what is obvious. You go on stage in front of an anxious audience, mostly composed of middle-class salesmen and miscellaneous white collar ghosts. You smile, show off your eerily bright teeth, and they clap. You tell them to go take care of themselves, to eat more healthily, to take walks, or go swimming, and love their partners. You tell them to drink less, or maybe, if they feel like it, they could drink more. I am sure you could spin alcohol as a positive or a negative, depending on what crowd you’re talking to. Tell them to appreciate family. Tell them to appreciate others. Live, laugh, but most of all, love. Tell them to go clean their rooms. Tell them to remember that if they’re on an airplane that is about to crash land, they need to put their own oxygen mask on before they can help others put theirs on. If you don’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else? Now, go to bed!

You know all this stuff. Me telling you that you should sleep more doesn’t really help you. You know that you should sleep more. It’s not like as if you’re too dumb to realise that. And it’s not like as if you’re too dumb to realise that it is better to drink in moderation, and that you should smoke less weed. There are many small little things you can do to improve your life, to stop being a terminally unemployed slacker. It’s like your grandpa who tells you stories about life after the war when you could walk into the biggest building in town, slam your fist against the table and demand to be given a job and a house and a wife and a couple of kids, and that was all you needed to do. He can’t comprehend the fact that society doesn’t work like that, any more. Most people my generation have given up hope of ever owning a home, at least if they happen to live in the vicinity of a larger city. It seems that, no matter where you live, the cost of homes has risen to an impenetrable degree. It seems just as likely that you will be able to afford your very own genetically-engineered pet dragon before you will get to be a house-owner. It’s the fault of those damn boomers, why bother changing your ways, when the boomers are still in charge? Others may accuse you of wallowing in your own depression, but you are perfectly aware that this is exactly what you are doing. You are self-aware. But self-awareness on its own is not enough to motivate anyone. You still can’t see the point in doing anything constructive with your life. Life just feels so aimless. It’s easier to sit, smoke weed, and watch cartoons.

Pop psychology is problematic. To say the least. Take all those self-help gurus suffering from their messiah complexes and put them through the shredder. Don’t buy books thinking that they’ll offer you the kind of treatment you would get from an actual psychiatrist. I know that, depending on where you are in the world, treatment can get very expensive, but you’re not going to get better reading the book of some self-aggrandising narcissist’s collection of wishy-washy platitudes. Dr. Phil has done great evil pretending to be a therapist on the TV, and Jordan Peterson (despite having once been an esteemed scholar) has turned a generation of young internet-savvy zoomers into proto-fascists obsessed with the monogamy of lobsters. Pop psychology has become a guise for cult leaders to reap new followers. Getting treatment should not feel like joining a new religious movement. Maybe I’m just one of those annoying atheists, but I dare say, psychiatry works at its best when it's secular. You should not look at your psychiatrist as a prophet speaking to God. They’re just a doctor, and you need treatment.

I do not aspire to create a self-help blog. I do not promise that reading this blog will help you in any way. I would be overjoyed if someone came up to me and told me that I had inspired them to seek help. You may tell me that reading my words have made you feel less alone, knowing that others have gone through all these things that you are going through. When I felt at my worst, I remember reading the memoirs of people I admired who had similarly struggled in their lives, and I felt less alone. But none of those books pretended to exist principally to help others. Those books did help me, through the candid descriptions of struggles that I thought I was alone in experiencing. Knowing that some people had pulled through, managed to find a light at the end of the tunnel, it made me think I could one day be like them. The books didn’t seek to fix me, but they offered me a perspective that came to be very valuable later on, when I started going to therapy, and when I later started taking medication. Sometimes that is all you need. Not someone standing over you and telling you to go to bed, or to clean your room, or to stop drinking. You know all that, already. What you really need is the reassurance that things can indeed get better. Sleep will come.

[dimitrescus-bitch]

Setup (Amy Mitchell x Reader)

You didn’t like having to move in order for your daughter to go to a new school. Everything about the situation was complete bullshit. You hadn’t been with your daughter’s father in years. He’d been completely out of both your lives until his campaign for mayor, where he used your sexuality as part of his “I’m accepting” apology after a video of him being a dickhead was released. Nobody in the community had really known that you were a lesbian until then (unless they were one of the moms you’d slept with) and your sweet little girl was bullied out of her school. 

“I don’t wanna go!” Heather cried as she held onto your leg. It wasn’t going to be easy, getting her to go back to school. You knew it wasn’t, but you promised her this school would be different for the both of you. You pried her arms off of you and knelt down in front of her. 

“Heather, sweetie, you have to go to school. Just like I have to go to work. I promise that I’ll be here to pick you up on time. If you’re good today, we can go out for ice cream little lady,” you promised her. Heather perked up a little at the thought of ice cream. Before, you’d always worked long hours and normally she walked home with some kids to the neighbor’s or your mother’s. 

“Will you walk me to my class?” Heather asked you. You stood up and offered her your hand to hold. 

“Of course I will. It’s pretty scary going to a new school,” you told her. You understood more than anybody, you’d switch schools at least once a year growing up. It was partially that you’d grown up in a military family and partially that you’d always had some trouble assimilating. You dropped Heather off at her classroom and gave her a hug goodbye. “Remember, good day, ice cream.” 

“Good day, ice cream,” Heather repeated back to you, doing the same finger guns you’d given her. You turned around and started walking out of the school when you heard someone say something to you. 

“She’s absolutely adorable.” You turned to see a very friendly looking woman. “Hi, I’m Kiki. I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.” 

“We’re new. I’m Y/n, and thank you. It’s her first day here, she’s pretty nervous,” you said and Kiki nodded. 

“Well, if you’re free one weekend, my friends and I like to go out and get some drinks,” she offered. 

“Thank you, I’ll have to check, but that sounds nice,” you told her. The two of you swapped numbers and you rushed off to work. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“Mommy!” Heather exclaimed as she ran towards you. It had been a long time since you’d seen your daughter that happy after getting out of school. You scooped her up and carried her across the crosswalk and to the parking lot. “I was super duper good. Does this mean we can get ice cream?” 

“Ice cream, and since you were super duper good, I’m thinking we can work out a deal to get those rainbow sprinkles.” Heather smiled even brighter and you set her down. “How do you like this new school sweetie?” 

“Good, they’re nice here,” Heather told you. You put Heather’s backpack in the car and then helped her with her seatbelt. The two of you got ice cream and then Heather gave you the flyer for the PTA meeting that was on Thursday. “Is Grandma gonna come watch me when you go?” 

“I’ll see. If she can’t, I’ll find a good babysitter,” you promised your daughter. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Thursday came faster than you expected, but Kiki helped you to find someone to watch your kids. It was the daughter of one of the other women going to drinks with you on Saturday. Just so you could kind of vet the woman, Kiki invited you to a lunch with the three of them. 

“Hi, sorry I’m late,” you said as you slid into your seat. “Um, I’m Y/n.” 

“Hi, I’m Amy, and you’re fine,” Amy introduced herself. Next to Amy was Carla, who reminded you of a woman you’d once hooked up with in college. You fell into an easy conversation with Amy, who found your work pretty interesting. You trusted Amy, so you assumed that her daughter was also trustworthy. After school on Thursday, you took Heather over to Amy’s so that she could meet the girl who’d be babysitting her. 

“I swear that she’s normally a lot more shy than she is now,” you said as you watched Heather playing in the yard with Amy’s daughter. “It’s nice to see things going back to how they’d been before.” 

“Before?” Amy asked and you nodded. 

“Heather’s father and I are very different people. He wanted certain things for her like Catholic school and since he paid for it, I let him enroll her. Well, he wanted to run for mayor, but something happened during his campaign and to prove how tolerant he was, he outed me as a lesbian to the community,” you explained. “It wasn’t just the kids who were terrible to Heather, it was the teachers and the parents too. Thatcher wanted her to finish the school year there though and wouldn’t let me unenroll her.” 

“That’s awful,” Amy said as she glanced at your daughter playing outside. “I’m really sorry that the two of you had to go through that.” 

“She’s happy here now, and we haven’t even been here a week. She’s telling me about her friends, and that there’s another little boy with two mommies,” you said with a small smile. “I’m just hoping she doesn’t start asking where her other mommy is.” 

“Is there another mom in her life?” Amy asked and you shook your head. “That’s hard to believe.” 

I guess some people are thrown off by the kid.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

A few months went by and you’d gotten pretty close with the other moms, especially Amy. The two of you spent the most time alone together. Whenever you went out drinking with them, you’d always stay over at Amy’s. For awhile, you’d slept on her couch, but then one night, you started sleeping in her bed with her. Heather normally stayed at Amy’s house with Amy’s daughter watching her or at your mother’s if it was a Friday or Saturday night. 

“Ah, just the hot lesbian I was looking for,” Carla said as she got out of her car. Today was one of your days off, so you were going to get something special for Heather. “I think I got you a date.” 

“I’m not looking to date right now, but thanks anyways,” you told Carla. She sighed and boxed you in against the door of your car. “You’re getting a little close.” 

“I can get closer, but I’m not who your date is with. Come on, you obviously like her and she likes you. She’s hot and isn’t all the craze about MILFs these days?” You stifled a laugh at Carla’s question. “Anyways, just go here and enjoy yourself. Oh, and wear that blue shirt that Amy likes with a couple of the buttons undone.” 

“Specific, but okay I guess,” you said and Carla gave your ass a pat before she left you alone. You got a text as you were getting groceries of the time and place of your date. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“Y/n?” You froze at the sound of Amy’s voice. For a moment, you were sure you were mistaken, but then you saw her sitting at one of the tall tables near the bar. “I take it that you’re my date tonight. I was told to look for a blue shirt by Kiki.” 

“Carla said to wear the blue shirt, sans a few buttons,” you said as you took a seat. “So, I guess we’re on a date.” 

“It doesn’t have to be a date. I know that your focus isn’t on a relationship right now,” Amy told you. “It’s hard to build new ones when you’ve got kids to worry about.” 

“I mean, you understand, so it should be easier for us, right?” you reasoned. Amy pursed her lips as she mulled over your words before nodding in agreement. “Then I see no reason why we can’t enjoy this date.” 

“Do you even actually like me?” Amy asked you curiously. 

“Of course I do. The question is, do you like me?” you asked and Amy nodded. 

“Pretty sure I’ve made that clear several times.” 

“Hey, I tend to disregard statements made while one is drunk. It’s more fair that way. There’s a not a lot of first date stuff to talk about,” you noted as you searched for a question. 

“We skip the small talk, skip the drinks, and take a walk?” Amy suggested. 

“I’d like that, I swear I saw Carla when I walked in,” you said and Amy slid out of her seat. The two of you joined hands as you walked outside and along the sidewalk. “I love the city. It’s so lively.” 

“Don’t you live nearby?” Amy asked and you nodded. “Maybe we could take a walk there...” 

“It is a one bedroom,” you told Amy. 

“We don’t need a lot of space,” Amy said as she leaned in to peck your lips. You bit your lip and kissed her back. The two of you stood on the sidewalk kissing until you heard whistling coming from one of the bushes. 

“Let’s get out of here,” you said quietly. Amy nodded and let you pull her along towards your apartment. 

Taglist: @storiesofsvu @xixxiixx​

[bittybattybunny]

Currently calling this au BCU and it’s kinda turned into less romance than my normal AUs and more dad time

After she’s adopted Kaya often stops by Thatcher Industries main office if she needs Ru to sign off on stuff for school (namely permission forms she needs signed for sports meet ups or such. honestly he’s happy to sign off on most things so long as she’s not fighting crime)

However Kaya always gets a really weird feeling around one of her dad’s workers; specifically his assistant’s “older brother” something about him really unsettles her every time and King loathes him. (the reason is Craft is actually Loki. And while he doesn’t know Kaya’s exact deal he knows there’s something off with the teen and wants to attack her to see what happens. this intent is what unsettles her spidey sense)

I mentioned I did some “Nightingale” Sketches! Eclipse (Rather Amaris Nightingale) was a woman with poor health and a sharp mind, her elder brother Dr. Sena nightingale was a researcher for the military back during the days before the first world war. While working on a way to improve stamina and health Sena was able to create a formula to enhance, but it had a lot of issues. While he was passed out (drank too much in his frustration) his sister had a look and made some notes (realized it had issues binding to the y chromosome) and when Sena found this out was both thrilled and upset cuz he had a feeling no one would volunteer. But his sister ended up despite his protests and became the first super solider codenamed “Nightingale”. Unlike Cap in the films however, they sent her straight into the field with no training to test it out. She ended up getting pretty hurt as she adjusted to her new body. Despite it all she remained diligent and did her best, learning to fight on the go. She ended up during the battles, saving a small black cat, and this helped her when she had her big confrontation with “Horizon” a group who sought to ‘unify’ the world. But during an infiltration, her brother was taken to her dismay. and she had to fight Twilla the leader of the Horizon group. She was severely injured and was about to detonate the entire facility with her inside to get rid of all the horrible tech but was Saved from the explosion by Loki god of mischief. It turned out the black cat she saved and had named “Craft” was none other than the chaos lord themself. She was taken by the god to Asgard to recover and spent her time healing there. After a while however she did want to return home (even knowing the time passes differently between worlds) but due to how bad her injuries had been and how the serum interact with the energy in Asgard, she had a bit of memory loss when they returned to earth. Craft took up being her ‘brother’ and helped her get a job at Thatcher Industries (and met a familiar face which was confusion for both parties) He won’t tell her she was a solider because he wants her to try and have a decent life without that (but she winds up becoming a hero again anyway)  (btw Ander/Tim’s Friend is thor in this and he and Craft have a good relationship without rivalry, Craft really is more interested with Earthlings than anything so Ander deals with Asgard with Odin (tim))

Then some fun Kaya doodles, one of her just swinging around the City, then showing her hero costume off. The first also shows a bit how King will “attach” and become her claws. She wears a simple tank top and leggins with her bulky socks and then throws a sweatshirt on the top and called it her “hero costume” with a mask she made herself (she also hides her webshooters in bulky wrist cuff fingerless gloves) This was the outfit she wore when Ru met her

The far right is the outfit Ru had commissioned for her, because while he hates her fighting crime, he knows he really can’t STOP her. But he can take measures to keep her safe and help her own image. He got the outfit from @/doodleimprovement’s Jose who works in his PR department. Ru had it made from thick materials (at least on her vest) with a black and red theme (Since red is Kaya’s favorite color and King is Black) it has a bulletproof lining, shoulder, elbow and knee pads and boots with grip so she can still climb walls but also absorb some impact when she lands too hard.

She cried when he gave it to her.