#happily discussing their new cards and trading at the end

[jestroer]

Beefs new episode might be one of my favourite Hermitcraft episodes ever now I think. It's so good, I love it

#it was like you know the episode in a series that everyone waits for since like the beginning of the season #everyone singing Cubs silly TCG song and it fucking up the audio so bad but it was wholesome and funny nonetheless #happily discussing their new cards and trading at the end #everything about the match #love it #hermitcraft #vintagebeef #shitpost

[dchahliagochat94]

Principles To Help You Together with your Van Visit in thailand

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If you have the high-demand car, you might be in a position to promote this privately and even obtain a higher lower payment than a person would likely if a person just traded your automobile in.

Make sure to understand all the particular accessible incentives before you begin talks. Do many study on trade-ins, discounts, warranties, bonuses and bank costs. This will aid a person get a far better deal, because a person will understand typically the landscape in advance. By no means buy a truck without test driving a car that first. Of which still includes brand-new vans and vehicles. Not only do you want in order to guarantee the auto is definitely mechanically audio, an individual also need just how the auto fits you. Decide in รถตู้เช่าเชียงใหม่ that the auto "feels" right. Some vans will be not created for higher people, as an example. Check out your credit score report before you head to the particular dealership to generate an auto purchase. Looking undertaking well financially currently, you may not be able to be able to spend the money for high fund charges that are usually associated with below stellar credit. It would be challenging to go to be able to a supplier, fall in love with an automobile and then fond out you can not afford typically the finance charges. Carry the time to be able to understand the particular price of ownership of the auto. Analysis the price associated with tire substitute since well since braking mechanism replacement. They are both the the majority of common repairs that will need to become made to vehicles. If you can not afford the auto tires, you most likely cannot afford to always keep the particular van. Regardless of whether an individual wanted to save funds, buy an excellent van, avoid buying a lemon or just have the ability to get control of the particular situation, this post features the advice a person needed. It only takes easy steps in the direction of gaining the information you need. When an individual use what might learned here, you will truly get precisely what you want. When a possibility easy to be able to buy the truck You could use our Chiang Niente affatto van leasing support first in order that every person can journey with the Chiang In nessun caso truck rental team happily at the warm and friendly price. and lower the cost of thing to consider In case buying a truck is not good Might have to pay funds to purchase an additional van. Car hire in Chiang No Therefore , it is definitely the most necessary thing to be able to provide van rental support in Chiang No for everybody plus the Chiang Niente affatto van driver crew. It really is ready to allowed everyone to employ the service. Perform not worry that the journey will end up being dangerous, safe with regard to sure. We expect in our Chiang In nessun caso van rental support. Look forward to be able to our Chiang In nessun caso van rental services.

#travel #news #business #transportation

[itacchhlypillow21]

Principles To Help A person Together with your Truck Trip in thailand

will move from investing in a vehicle to renting a new van The particular lorrie rental assistance is substantially more economical as compared to vehicle rental service. We recommend that a person rent a truck. with the Chiang Mai van leasing which usually is a good quality van of which may take you to be able to various destinations in Chiang In nessun caso very easily or would like to traveling to other provinces with a group of experienced, well visited by a crew of Chiang Niente affatto van rental individuals We are delighted to be able to take you in a pleasant and specialized voyage, comfortable within your style, allowing you to vacation with typically the staff happily without fear of danger, safe in addition to worry-free with typically the tour assistance. We have a large team ready to be able to take you upon your current travels. Where ever a person travel, we may take you. Many importantly, become safe since the truck driver has some sort of long experience inside driving a truck, making the basic safety of everybody inside the automobile feel too safe. With no everyone having to be able to be concerned that everyone's quest is not going to be joyful in the trip, Dra has got some sort of team that helps everybody to end up being safe and worry-free using a pleasant price plus specialist van program, as a consequence making Everybody does not be challenging to travel, so every person is happy along with the journey with our team. Wherever they will travel, they are usually happy and in ease with all the Chiang Mai van rental team. Well confirmed A bit little of knowledge is going a new long way in all situations in life. Purchasing a van is no different! This means you need to read advice from experts, seeing that detailed below, to ensure if you store for that auto, a person really understand what you aren't doing as well as how to receive the ideal deal. When picking the new motor vehicle, look at all involving your options. There will be many employed vehicles that have got incredibly low miles and even very low prices. Those to appear for are the ones that are already leased and delivered. These cars have been serviced at the particular dealership and usually have lots of manufacturing plant warranty protection still left. Prior to still stepping foot in the dealership, you will need to know what type of var you would like. If you have kids, probably you needs to be looking for a vehicle or perhaps large SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE (SUV). When it is just an individual, you want something even more sportier. Possibly รถตู้ให้เช่าเชียงใหม่ , being aware of what you need will make the whole process involving shopping for a new var easier. 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If the seller does not provide this service, you could purchase a single your self online for a new nominal cost. This kind of report can support you prevent purchasing a car that will has been inside a damage. If you are really cav shopping plus want to test drive some different autos, make sure an individual take your certificate and even insurance greeting card along with you. Several traders will want an image copy regarding all of them before you drive. This specific is just to protect them found in case somebody steals or injuries the car. In case you do certainly not you can keep them with an individual, they may well not let you test push. Whenever shopping intended for an used can, it would always be smart to stick together with certified pre-owned cars as this significantly reduces the likelihood you end up with a vehicle which is in inadequate condition. Just help make sure that typically the accreditation if presented simply by the auto maker rather than typically the dealer. Ask typically the supplier if you might have some sort of mechanic proceed over the vehicle you would like to buy. The shady mechanic you're great using should be fairly trustworthy. A person need to not employ one which the dealer engages. A fantastic mechanic can help you determine whether or not or not the vehicle is priced reasonably plus free of disorders. Don't fold to be able to pressure. The sales person doesn't want an individual to take off involving his dealership, thus he will probably let you know whatever it can take to be able to get you to sign some sort of contract at that will time. Ignore him or her. Do what exactly is best for you, and in the event that you must have many time for you to believe about it, take the period an individual need. Decide whether you would like a good used van or a new one. A fresh van has the particular obvious advantages, yet used vans can be a decent offer as well. There are many certified used vans now that include been found to work, plus cost substantially less than new cars carry out. Consider your moment any time shopping for a van. That could be really appealing to obtain the very first van a person notice because it appears great or this offers nice with capacity of. However , there might get a van out presently there that may be even much better intended for you. Look around plus make evaluations before you make a selection. Exploration the resale worth of the vehicle you are contemplating. In this way, when the particular time relates to sell the van a person are buying, it will be possible to get a decent amount of money again out of that. You may not want in order to end up stuck with a vehicle since you owe more than you may sell this for. In the event you presently have a truck that you need to offer, think about alternatives other than trade ins. If an individual have a high-demand car, you could be ready to offer this quietly plus acquire a higher down settlement than you might if you just traded the car in. Ensure you understand all typically the available incentives ahead of you begin transactions. Do several research on trade-ins, rebates, warranties, rewards plus bank charges. This will assist an individual get a better deal, because a person will understand the particular landscape in advance. Never buy a truck with out test generating this first. Of which even includes new vans and pickup trucks. Not only perform you would like to make sure the automobile is mechanically noise, an individual also want to see precisely how the vehicle meets you. Determine in case the automobile "feels" correct. Some vehicles happen to be not made for higher people, as an example. Check your credit report prior to you heading in order to the dealership to make an automobile purchase. Even if you are doing well financially at this time, you may not be able in order to pay the high finance charges that are usually linked to below good credit. It would be tough to get to a seller, along with adore with a vehicle and after that fond away you can not afford the finance charges. Get the particular time in order to understand typically the cost of control associated with the vehicle. Analysis the cost involving tire replacement unit since well as brake replacement. They are usually the two almost all common repairs which will need to be made to vans. In case you are not able to afford the wheels, you likely cannot afford to keep the particular van. No matter if an individual wanted to help save cash, buy a fantastic van, avoid acquiring a lemon or just manage to take control of the particular situation, this article has the advice a person needed. It just takes easy steps to gaining the ability you need. When you use what you've learned here, likely to truly get exactly what you want. In the event that a possibility convenient to be able to buy some sort of lorrie You could work with our Chiang In nessun caso van local rental support first so that everybody can travel with all the Chiang No vehicle rental team enjoyably at some sort of warm and friendly price. plus lower the cost of thought In the event that buying a truck is not great Might have to pay funds to acquire one more van. Automobile rental in Chiang In nessun caso Therefore , that is definitely the many necessary thing to be able to provide van rental service in Chiang No for everyone and the Chiang Niente affatto truck driver group. It really is willing to allowed everyone to make use of the service. Do not worry that this journey will be dangerous, safe for sure. We feel inside our Chiang Niente affatto van rental assistance. Look forward to be able to our Chiang No van rental assistance.

#travel #news #business #transportation

[anonbeadraws]

Randomroll for @witchy-queer, story for Jacint below!

✨i do commissions!| If you fancy tipping✨

Jacint was a people person. Minotaur. It couldn’t be helped, he was raised in a tavern, owned by his loving but ever presently busy parents, what else could he grow to love? Well, besides ale, i suppose. The tavern was filled everyday with new patrons and old, goblins and giants and orcs, that called the sprawling and odd shaped tavern their Local in the deep Verredain mountains. The tavern was warm, filled with food and flowed with drink and such things only lead to happy customers who will happily regale a tale or two of their own travels to the excitable little calf Jacint. They would sit him on their table or comfortably their lap (or on the floor if the story teller happened to be smaller than the growing boy), and tell him anything and everything. 

Jacint would tell you he had the perfect childhood. Jacint had no preference, he loved hearing the grumblings of the local miners about iron deposits and how ‘steel isn’t worth the anvil it’s made on these days’, just as much as the rip roaring adventures from the former rogue who’d made their retirement in the clean mountain air. As long as it was about ‘elsewhere’, Jacint wanted to know. He’d only really known the comfort of his tavern home, his parents being too busy running the place to take him elsewhere or really spend any quality time with the little one.  The patrons had some idea of their conundrum and seemed to all have agreed, without really discussing it, that the boy would not struggle for company or care while the taverns doors were open. There was rarely a time when the boy was not learning to play cards or discovering how dwarves could communicate by colour choices in their jewellery or very quietly, and out of view of the bar, learning from the rogue how to properly charm and pick a pocket. (Jacint didn’t do very well at this last one, he always felt too bad and rushed to return the item, his big earnest amber eyes smoothing over any complaints. The rogue decided to teach him to forge signatures instead.)  But as much care as his parents and their patrons could give him, Jacint grew up not knowing what he wanted to do, his life at 17 was at a loose end. He had learned pieces of trades but non grabbed him and he had no interest as a publican, besides helping as waiting staff and the odd bar work at rush hour. He had seen his parents life for himself, no time for themselves, no life outside of their tavern, no time to learn anything else or to want anything else. Yes, that was one thing Jacint knew, that he wanted to want to learn more, to lose that need would hurt his heart more than anything.  So his parents turned to the knowledge of their patrons, asking each new and old face to add their opinions as what should be done of the Tavern’s collective son. The eventual decision, after many heartfelt pleas and compassionate arguments against such an act, was that Jacint should be sent to the closest monastary. It’s far away, yes, but you will learn so many useful things there! and so many more books than we could provide, said his parents, trying their best to look hopeful as they helped load a cart of his few belongings. Perhaps, you will find the path you were looking for, added one of the patrons, a great scarred orc who was trying not to sniffle into their ale And consider, interrupted the rogue who perhaps knew the forlorn Jacint’s heart best ; all the new stories you’ll hear as you go. It was the last that helped Jacint, sat on the back of a mining cart that would take him part of the way there, waving goodbye to the only family and home he had known. That there was more, elsewhere.   The monastery was a small crumbling place, dug into a valley, and very different from the warm tavern. But there were books, as promised and new people, even if they were only interested in training and Ki and keeping themselves warm in the draft halls. But Jacint was a warm person and did his best to make friends with his fellow students, even if his rather larger form was a little clumsier than them in training. What he looked forward to most was the outings though.  Despite the monastery being quite isolated from the world, the Monks put it upon themselves to visit the surrounding villages, dispensing wisdom, medicine and sometimes the odd chore. It was their duty to keep the people around them safe and secure and Jacint was always the first to volunteer. Despite his size initially being, perhaps a little surprising to the halfing villages nearby, he quickly became quite popular amongst the people. He was kind, eager to help and to learn their ways and even happier to lend an ear as he worked. For some people, his help was physical, heaving logs or just keeping the children out from underfoot for an hour or so. (No one made a finer pony than Jacint, the children all agreed.) And for others it was his kindly nature and open heart that helped. Making a pot of tea and listening to the story of a life well lived or a heart broken or a loved one lost. He even helped the less popular of the people, the drunkards (a state he knew well and knew well how to help) and the pick pockets and the cruel, as it was his duty to do.One such being was Agata Flainfoot, an old bedridden widow who had driven all that wanted to help away, and now was only visited by the Minotaur. She had spat and sniped and said words that Jacint had only heard muffled under hands as a child as he cleaned and gently wiped her face and heated casseroles sent with him by kind neighbours. She had done so for months and he had stuck it through. It was his duty, even if it was hard, he reminded himself as he tended to the scratches she had left on his arm on his last visit. Even if other people repaid his kindness with food or flowers or a simple kind word. It was his duty and his promise.  He would still try to make conversation as he worked, talk about the day or question where an item on her mantle came from. Mostly there would be sniping, sometimes silence but as time went by, she would reply. More often than not to tell him to be careful with her things and when he once replied that; he would be careful, he was not a bull in a china shop it surprised him to hear her laugh. He would not hear it again from her, in the months he knew her, but it was something he held in his heart. The rusty ill used laugh from a sad, lonely woman. So, when she passed, he was not fully surprised when he got a letter sent from what remained of her family. What surprised him was that she had left him something. As he opened the sealed envelope, he had remembered some of her belongings being different from the rest of the village, as if they were foreign, though she had never answered his questions on the matter. She had never told him and now, never would. But she had left him something.   Inside the enveloped was a map, hand drawn and severely noted, of a forest, beautiful and vast with great stone pillars, lain in broken patterns. Scrawled on it, with fresh ink was; Go find them It was possibly, the last scrawling of a crazed and lonely person, a joke from someone who had enjoyed cruelty. Possibly. But researching possible places for this forest gave very few answers but there was enough there to make Jacint believe that there could be something in it. Something real. Go find them. Them. Them. ‘ Them’ was a tempting word. ‘It’ was a fine word and would probably convince others far better but ‘Them’ meant people, and people meant stories and perhaps Agata had listened to his heart more than he had known. Jacint had gone to his elders and shown them his discovery, told them this story but they had turned it down, as they had duties and of course, Jacint had acquiesced. Duties would always come first. So of course, when asked to deliver a document to a sister monastery across the country, being one of the strongest and most reliable of them, Jacint had eagerly agreed. It was his duty, of course he would. And the old map, well, if it happened to have been in his bag as he was packing, that was no-ones fault and if nothing else, the country was big and there were plenty of stories to hear on the way.  

#anonbeadraws #commission #dnd commission #character commission #Random Roll #randomroll commission #digital commission #digital art #dnd #minotaur #minotaur dnd #minotaur player #dnd backstory

[atths--twice]

Beneath the Light of the Moon

A little future fic where after a late shift at the hospital, Scully comes home to sit on the porch and drink some wine with Mulder, discussing her day and hearing about his own.

I saw a poem on my timeline on Twitter and from six short lines, a fic was born. I hope you enjoy the story I have created. I love it very much. The fluff... 💙

September 2022

Scully walked into her office and sighed. The later shifts at the hospital were always harder, but she was happy with how the day had gone. Well, content anyway.

She still had an hour to go, in which she would need to finish up her paperwork, leaving notes for the doctors on call in the morning. Sitting down at her desk, she sighed as he opened a file, rereading what she had written earlier, adding notes from the day.

As she moved it, reaching for the next folder, she heard a buzzing sound, and turned to her left, seeing her cell phone light up with a message from Mulder. She smiled as she picked up the phone and opened the message.

It was a picture of the moon, a bright full moon, taken from their porch, a small portion of the drive and the magnolia trees in the bottom corner. As she stared at it, the phone buzzed with another message.

Opening it, she found a picture of their porch swing, the new pillow Faith had insisted on sitting in the middle; white with numerous rainbows upon it. She grinned at the picture and then the phone buzzed again.

A picture of the porch chairs.

Then a picture of two glasses of wine on the table between the chairs.

She smiled, about to text him and tell him she would be home soon, when a message appeared and she sighed, the poetry of the words stirring her soul and arousing her all at once.

“Come home Beautiful lady I’ve left the lights on Though the stars And the moon Are burning brightly”

She exhaled, looking back through the messages and shaking her head; that man did know how to get to her. Exhaling again, she set the phone aside, not answering him, knowing it would only prolong things and she was now eager to hurry the paperwork along and get home to drink wine with him by the light of the moon.

Her notes may have been shorter than usual, but they were thorough and contained what was needed. Placing them onto Doctor McKay’s desk, she gathered up her things, walked out the door, and smiled as she headed to her car.

The gate to the drive was open, cutting out one stop she had to take in order to reach the house. She closed it after she drove through, not wanting Bella to run out and away. Driving up and parking beside the house, she saw him sitting on the porch, the white fairy lights on and the porch light off.

Smiling as she made her way to the stairs, she glanced at the moon across the field, wanting to see the view he had been enjoying as he waited for her arrival. Looking back at him, she grinned as she walked up the stairs.

“Hello there, beautiful lady,” he said and she stepped closer to him, bending and kissing him, her hand on his shoulder.

“Hello,” she breathed against his lips, kissing him again. Pulling back, she smiled as she took off her coat and tossed it onto the porch railing. Sitting beside him, she accepted the glass of wine he handed her.

Holding it in her right hand, she held her left out to him, silently asking for his hand. He interlocked their fingers, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it.

“How was your day?” he murmured, kissing her hand once more.

“It was okay,” she answered, taking a sip of her wine, squeezing his hand and releasing it, bringing it to rest on the arm of her chair.

“Just okay? Hmm. Give me your high and low.” She smiled as she thought of the game they played with Faith, the high and low of the day, always trying to highlight the positive over the negative.

“Let’s see…” she said, leaning back, and resting her head against the chair. “Low of my day… there was only light cream cheese in the cafeteria.”

“Oh… that is a definite low.” She laughed and nodded, taking a drink of her wine.

“And my high…” She turned her head and smiled as she looked at him. “Knowing that you were waiting here for me.”

“Gross,” he said, shaking his head as he grinned at her and she laughed softly. Turning her head, she looked at the moon and sighed happily.

“What about you? What did you two get up to today?”

“Well… we decided on a color today.”

“What? Really? That’s exciting!” Looking at him again, he nodded and smiled. “So what’s the color then?” He cleared his throat and grinned as he lifted his glass to his lips.

“All of the colors.”

She laughed, the sound of it echoing in the still, dark night. Shaking her head, she looked at him and he nodded.

“So… then no decision has been reached?”

“No, Scully. The decision is all of the colors.” He spread his hands wide and she laughed again.

Over the summer, despite the heat, they had all been working on a non-tree treehouse. It was more of a playhouse, but Faith had called it a treehouse so often, that was what it had become.

Everything had arrived in a huge kit, the wood a light colored pine with a plan to paint it when it was put together and finished. Skinner had come over a few times to help with the building of it, the house more intricate than believed when it had been purchased.

When the last screw was put in, Faith had been over the moon, clapping her hands and hugging them all before she opened the door and stepped inside.

It was a decent sized house, one that Scully could stand inside with Mulder bending only slightly. One large room was all it had, but to Faith it was like a palace, considering all the things she had wanted to put inside of it. It had a Dutch door, the top of it with a heart cut out in the middle. There were seven windows, with window boxes beneath four of them. A gabled roof extended out over a small porch with railings on three sides.

They had numerous tea parties and even a movie night with a sheet hanging on the wall to project it upon. Mulder had needed some ibuprofen the next day, the house not quite large enough for his over six foot tall body to lay in comfortably.

But Faith had loved playing in there, always rearranging the furniture she had brought inside. Trading the books from the bookcase in her room to the small one in the treehouse, back and forth as her interests changed. Little plastic chairs were sitting on the small porch and the window boxes had real plants in little plastic pots, though they did not actually grow very well, as Faith dug them up frequently, curious as to how they were doing.

It was her house, however, and they let her do what she wanted with it- within reason of course. She wanted curtains and Violet, their wonderful neighbor, surprised her one day with white ones covered in rainbow colored polka dots. She helped her hang them up and Faith had loved them. She wrote Violet a thank you note, which had made Violet cry, hugging Faith and telling her she was more than welcome.

The color of the house… that had been a never ending discussion, the color of it changing every time they thought they had it nailed down. They had gone to the hardware store and let Faith pick paint sample cards, hoping it would narrow down her options, but instead she had walked out with a huge stack of them. She had laid them all out on the living room floor, laying on her belly as she had stared at them, her concentration unwavering, as she took the decision very seriously.

A color had not yet been chosen yet, and that trip to the hardware store had taken place over three weeks ago. She had decided against some of the samples, but there were still quite a few on the floor, with no one allowed to touch them but her.

“So,” Scully laughed again. “How did she uh… narrow it down?”

“Would you like to see?”

“Absolutely.”

“Come on then,” he said, setting his glass down and standing to his feet. Reaching for her hand, he pulled her to her feet and set her glass of wine beside his on the table.

They walked down the stairs and around the house, the moon alone bright enough to light their way. He squeezed her hand and she smiled, grabbing his arm with her other hand.

Standing in front of the treehouse, he took a flashlight from his pocket and turned it on, before opening the door and gesturing for her to enter first. She smiled, ducking only slightly as she stepped inside, the beam of the flashlight revealing how the decision had been made and Scully laughed quietly as she shook her head.

All around the room, as high as Faith could reach, a different paint sample card had been taped to the wall. Clusters of colors were together, some random lonely ones, and some in a rainbow pattern. There was no rhyme or reason to it and Scully found that her usual need for organization was overpowered by the beauty in the chaos of colors.

She smiled and looked at Mulder, who was also grinning as he looked at them. He turned to her and nodded with a shrug.

“She was in and out of the house today, as I fixed the clothesline, Bella always trailing after her. I went inside to get our lunch ready and didn’t even notice the paint cards were all gone from the floor. We ate lunch and she asked if she could go back outside and I said sure. As I was finishing the clearing up, she came in with a huge smile on her face, pulling at my arm and asking me to come see something.” He grinned again as he held an ocean blue card between his fingers and then let it go. “She was so proud of herself, telling me she had finally decided on the color and wanted to show me, but I had to close my eyes before she would open the door and show me.”

“Did she lead you in?”

“She did and I one hundred percent hit my head on the way inside. Not too bad, but still…” They both laughed and she looked at the color samples again. “As I looked at them, I asked her why she chose all the colors and she said because she couldn’t choose just one and she didn’t want to make them sad and hurt the other colors feelings when they weren’t picked.” He looked at Scully and she shook her head slowly.

“That girl,” she whispered, taking a deep breath. “She has such a kind soul. So diplomatic. That’s you, through and through.” She smiled at him and he shook his head.

“No, that’s both of us,” he corrected her quietly and she smiled as she rubbed his arm. Sighing, she looked around the small room again.

“How will we ever accomplish this, Mulder?”

“Well,” he said, turning off the flashlight, and the room was plunged into darkness. He slipped the flashlight back into his pocket and pulled her close as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I raised that question to her as well and I was told, “You can do it, Daddy. I know you can.”” He stared at her and she grinned.

“She has complete faith in you,” she quipped and he laughed softly.

“She does indeed. It’s scary sometimes, that’s for sure.”

“Why would you say that?”

“I… I just don’t ever want to let her down. To be less than in her eyes, but I know that someday, somehow, I will.”

“Mulder…” she whispered, shaking her head. “Neither of us will ever be perfect and while we strive to always do our best… there will be times when we fall short, either because of our own shortcomings or because she will find something we do to be so embarrassing.” She rolled her eyes and smiled at him. He chuckled with a nod and then sighed deeply.

“I know,” he whispered.

“But for now,” she whispered back. “You can do no wrong. You are her superhero, her helper, her confidant, her best friend. She knows that if she puts up all the colors on the wall, you will get it done. Not because she demands or expects it, but because you are her daddy and her daddy can do anything.” She smiled and he ducked his head with a smile. “Complete faith in you.”

“My Faith has faith,” he whispered and she nodded, stroking his face gently.

“She’s not the only one.” He bent his head and kissed her, her arms tightening around his neck as he lifted her slightly off the ground.

They left the little house, Mulder careful to not bump his head, and closed the door behind them. As they walked back to the porch, she took a deep breath as she grasped his hand, smiling at how happy she felt even as she imagined all the painting they would soon be doing.

“Do you want to head inside?” he asked as they walked up the stairs and she shook her head.

“Not just yet,” she said, sitting down and smiling at him.

“Then I will get us some more wine,” he said, picking up their glasses, dropping a kiss on her head, and walking into the house.

Bella came out, her tail wagging happily as she walked over to Scully, giving her a lick and nudging at her hand.

“Hey girl. How you doing, huh?” She rubbed her ears and pet her muzzle, scratching under her chin. “Did you have fun with Faithy today?”

“Mama?” She heard and turned her head to find Faith standing in the doorway, barefoot in her pajamas, a black nightgown with a sleeping rosy cheeked yellow moon and yellow and pink stars. Rubbing her eyes as she blinked in the light, she yawned tiredly.

“Hey, love. What are you doing up?” she asked as she sat up and opened her arms. Faith stepped onto the porch, climbing into her lap and snuggling close. “You should be sleeping.”

“I heard you talking and I wanted to see you,” Faith said quietly, the baby doll she had gotten for her second birthday and had loved ever since held tightly, as Scully wrapped her arms around her.

“Well, I’m glad you did. I missed you today.”

“I missed you too, Mama.” She yawned again and snuggled closer, her breathing already becoming slower. Scully smiled, rubbing her back and kissing the top of her head.

Mulder walked out, stopping in his tracks as he saw Faith on her lap. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and she smiled. Setting down their glasses of wine, he held his arms out to take Faith and put her back to bed.

Scully shook her head, happy to cuddle her for a while longer. He nodded with an understanding smile and sat down in the chair beside her.

Closing her eyes, she leaned back and  situated Faith to lay against her chest. Resting her right cheek on her head, took a deep breath, breathing in Faith’s sleepy scent.

“This,” she whispered, opening her eyes and looking at Mulder. “This moment, this past hour, this is my high of the day.”

He smiled and reached for her hand, connecting the three of them. She closed her eyes again and squeezed his hand gently, wishing she could freeze this moment and stay there forever.

“Mama,” Faith breathed in her sleep and Scully smiled softly. She knew she could never truly freeze time, as much as she may want to make it happen.

Tomorrow would arrive, the sun rising and taking this night away with it, but it would be remembered; by the brightness of the moon, the richness of the red wine, the taste of Mulder’s kiss, a treehouse room full of color samples, and the warmth of the little girl in her arms.

Let tomorrow come, she thought, kissing the top of Faith’s head again and sighing a happy smile.

Tomorrow they had a wish to fulfill, with a visit to the hardware store, and a rainbow selection of paint to bring home.

#The X-Files #XF Fanfic #Family Life: The Story Beyond the Series #Fluff #Domestic Fluff #Happiness #Love #Moonlight #Drinking Wine #Discussing the Day #All the Colors #Cuddling and Snuggling #Family Fluff

[star-spangledstud]

ROAD TRIP

Pairing: Steve Rogers x (female!) reader

Summary: You take the boys on a road trip. Steve has a big surprise.

Warning(s): fluff, an overload of sappy goodness and a snoring Bucky. 

Word count: 3700-ish. 

Just as the sun reaches its peak and the wind sends humid blasts of air through the air-conditioning system, Steve glances in his rear-view mirror for the fifth time in three hours. From a distance, he can barely make out the car that trails behind him along the highway. The shiny black vehicle behind his is surrounded in a cloud of sand much similar to the one that follows his own car, and slightly obscures his view. 

Even though he can hardly make out more than the outline of Sam’s car, his eyes are perfectly capable of inspecting and basking in the glorious view ahead of him. For hours it’s been nothing but sandy panes and distant canyons stretched across the horizon along the mostly deserted highway. It’s an incredible contrast to the busy streets of Brooklyn he’s so used to seeing and for the first time in months, he finds himself able to relax without having to think about missions and lurking alien threats.

He knows it was your idea to take the cross-country road trip with just the four of you, and the only reason why he even agreed to tag along in the first place was exactly that. Steve doesn’t think of himself as a particularly good driver, but with the roads mostly deserted and his best friend right beside him, he feels mostly chilled out, excited even, and he’s glad he came, because the scenery would have been lost on him if he hadn’t.

Speaking of best friends, Bucky is snoring so loud in the passenger’s seat his voice almost completely overtakes the sound of the mellow tones of Mac Demarco’s voice on the radio. Bucky has been fast asleep all morning, and even with the sun shining directly through the halfway opened window and onto his face, he looks extremely peaceful. A tad uncomfortable perhaps in his current position but peaceful, nonetheless. To this day, seeing his best friend content brings a feeling of happiness to Steve’s insides that he can’t quite put his finger on. It brings him a sense of relief that he’d been searching for years.

Even though Steve can barely hear the radio, he does hear the honking coming from behind him seconds after passing by an exit sign. He quickly glances in the mirror again and is immediately greeted with flashing headlights that shine bright, white light into his eyes. He signals back by flashing his taillights a few times in a row, and contemplates whether he should wake Bucky up now or let him sleep until they get off the road, but decides not to wake him until he pulls off the highway into a mostly abandoned parking lot that overlooks a field of cacti and dried grass blinking in the sun.

“Hey sleeping beauty,” Steve says with a cheeky smile while he nudges him gently, “bathroom break.”

Bucky groans and extends his arms above his head, his eyes falling on the gas station in front of the car. He watches an elderly gentleman entering the gas station wearing a cowboy hat and leather boots and rolls his eyes while he opens his door.

He steps out of the car and makes a straight line for the bathrooms, leaving Steve standing with his arm leaning against the burning rooftop of the shiny black vehicle as he waits for you and Sam. Apparently, Bucky is not a morning person, even though it’s technically already way past noon, and hopes his friend gets a coffee before getting back in the car.

Steve smiles brightly when you exit the passenger side, and his smile grows even bigger when you offer him a wave after stretching out your limbs. Sam locks the car and follows you over to where Steve is standing, the two of your engrossed in a discussion about which flavor of Ben & Jerry’s tastes better. Both of your sandal-clad feet drag across the sandy road, gravel rolling beneath your toes and bouncing off into the sea of sand like flying fish while you’re busy trying to convince Sam Chunky Monkey is an awful first choice. Cookie dough is clearly the best flavor.

“Pee break,” you explain when you fall in line with Steve’s step, “Where’s Buck?”

“Pee break. He beat you to the punch,” Steve says, grinning as he watches you enter the shade.

“She had four bottles of water,” Sam explains when you walk ahead of the guys, “your girl is thirsty as hell, my friend.”

He pulls down his sunglasses and winks at Steve, but Steve doesn’t reply. He punches his friend in the arm instead and begins to follow after you as he raises his middle finger in Sam’s general direction. 

He waits for you to finish going to the bathroom by the snack isle, and proceeds to watch you in amusement as you pick out two bags of sour candy and a bag of salt and vinegar chips from the spinning rack. Sam and Bucky are outside pumping gas while the two of you scour the isles of the gas station, picking up bottles of cold water, a watermelon Slurpee for you and more snacks along the way.

Steve takes in your appearance when you take a stand next to him in line. Your skin is glowing, highlighted cheekbones flashing brightly in his direction when you turn your head the other way. The Slurpee you’re sipping on tints your lips a soft shade of red, and your eyes sparkle when you meet his longing gaze.

“You tired of driving yet?” you ask as the two of you get in line for check out.

Steve drapes a heavy, glistening arm over your shoulder and kisses the top of your head. His lips, soft and warm against your skin, still give you goosebumps every time they come in contact with you.

“I wanna ride with you next,” you mumble when he kisses your lips, batting your lashes at him in a way you know he can’t resist. 

It was your idea to ride with Sam in the first place, claiming you wanted to get to know him better while simultaneously allowing Steve and Bucky some quality best friend time. Of course you didn’t know Bucky would be out like a light the entire drive, and you secretly missed the company of your boyfriend already. You couldn’t be happier when he agreed to take the trip with you, and so far it’s exceeded all your expectations and then some. Hell, even Bucky looks like he’s enjoying himself.

“How long before we get to the motel?” He asks when you place everything in your arms on the counter.

“Three hours or so,” you say after greeting the cashier, “there’s a diner on the same street where we can eat.” 

“Hmm,” he kisses your cheek and whips out his credit card before you find yours in your cross-body bag, “my girl’s done her research.” 

“Of course,” you beam when the cashier hands you the bags, “it was my idea after all.” 

Sam gladly trades you for Bucky. According to him, the Ben & Jerry’s discussion brought a cliff between your relationship that can’t possibly be fixed, and he needs time away from you to think about the future of your companionship. You laugh and flip him off as you gather your belongings from the backseat of his car, and skip happily to Steve, who’s leaning against the trunk while he waits for you.

“Forgot my sunglasses,” you say between pecks, “I’ll go get them real quick.” 

But he grabs a hold of your arm before you can turn around and from his back pocket appears a pair of black Ray-Bans. He gently pushes them onto your nose, and ten minutes later, the four of you are back on the road. 

The motel you booked earlier that morning - talk about last minute - is located in an old mining town on the edge of the desert. From the window of the room you share with Steve, you can see the bright neon sign flashing against a background of tumbleweeds and cacti illuminated by the undergoing sun. You plop down onto the king bed, hand rubbing your stomach after the heavy meal the four of you just shared while Steve grabs your overnight bags from the trunk of the car. 

“Come here,” you whine with outstretched grabby hands when he finally shuts the door behind him.

He chuckles, but follows your command, getting on the bed until he’s hovering over your body, warm breath scented like vanilla milkshake fanning across your face.

“Thank you,” you say sweetly, “for coming with me.” 

“Of course,” he says, “I wanted to come and so did the guys. You reminded us how important it is to take time off, even with our jobs.” 

You were terrified of the thought of dating an Avenger when you first met Steve in your local coffee shop in Brooklyn. You’d seen them on the news plenty of times of course, but had never come face to face with one of the mighty heroes until then. The two of you hit it off right away, and it didn’t take him very long to ask you to be his girlfriend. You remember the day like it was yesterday, and remember even more vividly how scared you were before meeting the rest of the team for the first time. 

It was your idea to take the road trip, because you wanted to get closer to the people who Steve trusted with his life. You liked all of them and wanted everyone to come along, but sadly not everyone on the team could get vacation time simultaneously, so instead of bringing the whole gang along, it was just the four of you. You’d been driving for two days straight now, and so far everything had gone smoothly. 

You’ve grown to love Sam, because the two of you can just bicker about absolutely nothing for hours on end, and you share the same dry, sarcastic humor. Bucky was harder to read in the beginning, but after seeing you and Steve together, he’s grown to love you like a sister, and you him like a brother just the same. 

“I know how much you love your job,” you say, “I just don’t want you to think I’m trying to rip you away from it.” 

He shakes his head, “of course not, baby. Like I said, I wanted to come. I enjoy spending time with you, and I can’t wait to spend two weeks with you and my best friends in a cabin by a beautiful lake.” 

“I hope you know I’m going to push you in the water,” you smile. 

“Baby,” he snorts, “do you really think you can move me even an inch? I’m the mighty Captain America.” 

“You may be Captain America, but I’ll catch you off guard and have you soaked in no-time.” 

He kisses you deeply, savoring the sweet taste of your cherry Chap-stick and the scent of your vanilla body splash. Then, he gets up from the bed, taking your arms and pulling you up with him. 

“What are you doing?” you ask, frowning when he slips on his sneakers. 

“We’re going for a walk,” he explains, “come on.” 

You follow him outside, enjoying the lingering heat on your bare arms when the two of you walk around the premises of the motel. He grabs your hand and holds it, thumb rubbing gentle circles over your skin that leave you feeling warm from the inside as well. The two of you are silent when you walk, the only sound audible being the gravel beneath your feet and the occasional car driving along the road behind you.

An hour later, you return to your room and within minutes of your heads hitting the pillows, both of you are knocked out cold.

The cabin you rented for two weeks is even more beautiful in person than in the pictures you found of it online. It’s the perfect mixture of modernistic architecture with classic log cabin vibes, which are created by the wooden log exterior and glass panels that give a perfect living room view out onto the glistening lake. Inside, the interior is eclectic, futuristic furniture with deer heads mounted to the walls. You and Steve share the master bedroom upstairs, while Bucky and Sam each have their own room on the ground floor. There’s a fireplace in the living space that is connected to the kitchen, which you immediately begin to fill with the groceries you picked up shortly before your arrival. 

Remembering you have to feed three hungry men who eat like bears, you immediately start dinner while the three of them explore the surrounding area. Sam is particularly excited about renting a boat, and you’re not opposed to spending some time out on the water yourself. You decide to make something simple, pasta Alfredo, and make sure to place a handful of beers in the freezer to chill while you cook. Steve and Bucky may not be able to get drunk, but they can still enjoy a cold one. 

After dinner, Bucky and Sam disappear again for another walk with just the two of them, and when you voice your concerns regarding them getting lost in the woods, they - including Steve - have no trouble reminding you of their Avenger status. You’re embarrassed for a moment, until Steve kisses your cheek and the guys apologize to you. The grins never leave their faces, though. 

“Those two are awfully happy to spend time together,” you mention while washing the dishes, “I feel a bromance blossoming right before us.” 

“I’ll pretend to know what a bromance is and agree with you,” Steve places a dried plate back inside the cabinet, “I love you.” 

You smile, cheeks heating when he squeezes your side with his fingers before kissing you softly on the lips. You marvel at him, amazed with how much of a perfect boyfriend he is, and kiss him twice more before the sound of running water brings you back down from the cloud you’re doing cartwheels on. 

“I like your dress,” he says, “it’s very pretty.”

“Of course you like it,” you state, “I wore it for you.” 

Steve drops the towel in his hands onto the counter and moved behind you. He pushes you hair to the side and his lips ghost over the bare skin of you neck, fingers playing teasingly with the spaghetti straps of your pastel pink summer dress. 

“Did you, now?” He whispers in your ear, hands caressing your bare shoulders and upper arms in a slow manner. 

You hum in response and shudder when he kisses your neck, softly sucking and biting on the exposed skin. The way he manages to instantly find just the spot you like does something funny to your heart rate and breathing every time, and just as you’re about to order him into your bedroom, the front door opens, and two laughing men stumble inside. 

Steve groans from the loss of contact, but steps away from you nonetheless, and he follows the sound of laughter into the living room while you finish doing the dishes alone. Tomorrow the two of them can do it, you think in annoyance. This is your vacation too, after all, and the person who cooks is never the one who cleans. 

Just before you enter the living room, the three men are speaking in hushed tones. You can’t make out what they’re saying, but the conversation falls silent the second you walk in and the atmosphere feels tense. You want to say something about the newfound silence, but swallow your words when Steve speaks first.

“Wanna go for a walk?” Steve asks with a twinkle in his eye when he spots you, and you nod hesitantly, eyes scanning the guys’ faces.

Your feet graze the beautiful old rug, and you lean against the bookshelf that’s stuffed with encyclopedias and classic board games like Monopoly, scrabble and Clue. There’s a painting above the door you only just noticed. It’s a replica of The Allegory of Painting by Vermeer.

“Something wrong?” You ask, afraid of work-related issues rising during your first night at the lake, but Steve waves them away when motions for you to join him after ordering the guys to finish cleaning up the kitchen space. 

it’s warm outside when you step onto the wooden porch, and the sound of fireflies and lizards hidden from view creates a smile on your face. It’s extremely peaceful and quiet, just what the guys need; an idyllic getaway from their jam packed schedules as Avengers and the fast-paced New York City lifestyle. It’s nice to see Steve this relaxed, you think when you take his hand, and you follow him down the trail that leads around the lake.

This is the Steve you fell in love with nearly two years ago now. You loved him, every part of him, but you had to admit you preferred casual Steve over his alternative persona. With you, he could be his authentic self. No fronts, no righteous facade, just Steve, with flaws and imperfections and questions about life in the 21st century that he only dared to ask you because you’d never laugh at him for not knowing how to work induction plates and FaceTime.

“This place is incredible,” he says when turning back to look at the slowly disappearing cabin. 

It is. It’s better than any of the places either of you have stayed at since you started dating. Hell, it even beats Tony’s penthouse suite and the mansion he owns in the south of Greece. He let you two stay there for your one-year anniversary. You smile when thinking back on that time. 

Usually, you wouldn’t even dream of walking around outside late at night, but you’ve never felt safer with Steve’s hand clasped tightly in yours. You want him here, and the look in his eyes he gives you every time he tries to secretly glance at you lets you know he wants to be here just as bad. Exactly that is what makes your relationship work; it’s a companionship just as much as it is a friendship. 

It’s nearly impossible for you to imagine him on the job when he’s strolling alongside you on the trail illuminated by the light of the moon, nearly impossible to imagine the brute force he’s accustomed to using on a daily basis. Steve’s not a violent man by nature, but his willpower to win a fair fight and keep the world safe from inner- and outer-worldly threats require him to use his power and strength all the time. You know it’s a part of him and it most likely always will be and you’ve accepted it, but still, having a super hero boyfriend brings baggage you only have time to think about when you’re spending quality time with him. It’s during those times that you realize how busy he actually is, and even though you don’t blame him for it, it still saddens you. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” He asks, watching you bite your lip in thought. 

You smile at him, “I’m just very happy you came.” 

“Honey,” he presses, “I already told you I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” 

“I know,” you reply, “but I also know your job is your life, and I can’t help but feel as if I’m trying to take you away from it.” 

He takes your face in his hands and bends down until his eyes meet yours, “Don’t ever say that again, you hear me? I mean it. I. Want. To. Spend. Time. With you. Too much work isn’t healthy, and I need you to tell me to stop when I go too far.” 

The two of you continue walking further along the trail, until finally, you pass between a group of tall trees. 

Your jaw drops when you reach the clearing, tears pricking the corners of your eyes when you look at what’s in front of you. A dozen torches, spread around the clearing in the shape of a heart light up the entire area. In the center, a blanket and two fluffy pillows are spread out across the grass. Beside it is a picnic basket, filled to the brim with fruits, snacks, and a bottle of expensive wine. 

“What is this?” You ask when Steve leads you closer to the blanket, “Steve! Did you put Sam and Bucky up to this?”

You walk closer towards the scene, face glowing in the orange flames, “this is amazing!” 

“Y/N,” he says, pulling on your wrist to catch your attention, “I love you, baby.” 

You look back at him just in time to see him falling to one knee, and when he shoves his hand into his back pocket to retrieve a blue velvet box, your vision blurs until you’re rapidly blinking to keep the tears at bay. 

“I’ve loved you from the first moment I met you,” he says, “you keep me grounded when my head is too far up in the clouds. You make me want to be a better man every day. You shine brighter than any light in New York City, and I want that shine to be for me, and me alone. I want you to take my name, Y/N. I’m not worthy of you, but I promise you I’ll do my best every day to try. Please let me try.” 

You’re crying, ugly crying now, and you don’t even realize you’re shaking your head until he finally speaks the words you’re dying to hear spill from his heart-shaped lips, “Marry me, baby.” 

“Yes,” you manage between cries, “of course I will!” 

The diamonds sparkle around your finger when he slips it on, and you’re hanging onto his neck for dear life the second he lets go of your hand.

“I love you, sweetheart,” he mumbles into your hair, “love you so much.” 

“I love you too Steve,” you sniffle. 

Yeah, this really is the nicest place the two of you have ever been. 

#Steve Rogers #steve rogers fic #steve rogers smut #steve rogers x reader #steve x reader #captain america #captain america fic #captain america smut #captain america imagines #captain america x reader #avengers fic #avengers smut #avengers imagine #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers angst #captain america fluff #captain america angst #jammywrites #the avengers

[my-fan-side]

Unconventional

A/N: Okay, so here’s the Eris-Nesta Friendship (but still Def Nessian) Fanfic that I’ve started drafting about a couple months ago, but went back to it just last week while cleaning up some of my file in folders.So anyway, I hope you guys like it. Thanks for those who have liked, reblogged and have shown interest on this fic. I appreciate it very much and you have no idea how much that means to me. :)

Chapter 1

When Beron Vanserra died, the crown was instantly passed to his eldest son Eris. How he died and to whose hands he had, was never questioned by anyone, any more. What everyone was concerned, and intrigued for that matter, was what’s in store for the future of Autumn Court under its new leadership.

The dead was honored, traditions was observed, the people of the Autumn court grieved, and High Lords from all other courts sympathized with them. But as they say, the end of an era, is a beginning of another. And so, after all the of mourning, a celebration is very looked forward to.

“Invitations! We’re all going to a Ball next week!” Elain came in bouncing towards her family and friends lounging on the townhouse’s foyer. Everyone looked up to her, and to her red head mate who carries a couple of boxes in his arms beside her.

“Already?! Just a week after his father’s death, and a gathering to celebrate his crown is already happening. Eager much, is he?” Mor snorted with a mix of amusement and irritation as she took one of the invitations and stroke its elaborate design.

“Well, He is already the High Lord of Autumn. He already became one, the moment Beron took his last breath. This is Coronation Ball is just for formality.” Rhysand pointed out as he sat beside his mate. Feyre was admiring the red and gold intricate swirls on the invitation as well. It is beautiful, and if the invitation alone looked this extravagant, she could only imagine what more the actual party would be.

Elain finished distributing the invitations and was now seated on the sofa beside Nesta and Cassian. She frowns on the inner circles’ reactions though. She expected them to be at least a little bit excited for the ball, since it’s been a while since they’ve attended one from a different court. She thought that the animosity between the group and Eris has already subsided. She won’t say it out loud, but she thinks it was a relief to all of them when the throne was transferred to him. They all knew that if not for Eris, some of the treaties between Autumn and Night court wouldn’t have pushed through. He has shown good faith these past years, so she’s not really sure what to feel on their reactions. Maybe she still hasn’t truly understood how deep does the scars run among these people.

Lucien opt not to comment and just rearrange the two boxes he was carrying by the table. He is used to these peoples’ dislike toward his brother, he doesn’t blame them, there’s history there. Still, he and his brother managed to establish a civil relationship for a while now. He wouldn’t say that they are now best brothers, but for now, at least they were on the same page on being at least friendly. At the beginning he bears it for their mother, but as time passes by, Eris managed to show them that he is a better male than his Father was.

“Well, Elain is right! It’s been a while since we all visited another court for a celebration. We have been busy these past few weeks. So, I, for one, is very excited to go party!” Cassian winked at Elain and it made her giggle, Nesta snort, and the rest of the gang shook head and roll their eyes.

“Speaking of. Nesta, this is for you, for the party.” Lucien handed the box to her.

“For me?” Nesta took the box unsure what to make of it.

“Yes, the other box is for Elain.”  Lucien confirmed and handed the other box to his mate.

“Hey! What about me?” Feyre protested with a pout from the other side of the room.

“Uhmm. Well, the one for Elain is actually from my mothers. A late birthday present since I’ve mentioned to her that last week was Elain’s birthday.” Lucien explained carefully, hoping not to upset his first Archeron friend. Meanwhile, Elain blushes on receiving that gift. She knows what’s in the box, she has already opened it when they were still on the Autumn court. It was a beautiful long dress, perfect for next week’s occasion.

“Uhhhh, so is this an advance birthday present for me too? From your mother? Because my birthday is still a couple of months from now, and I wasn’t aware she knows about it?” Nesta asked with raised brows. She’s confused on why Lucien’s mom would give her anything at all, what more, a present?

“Actually, it’s not exactly from mother. That – is from Eris, sort of. He told me to give you that.” Lucien said with a raised brow and a smirk. Elain bit her lip trying not to laugh. Not because of Nesta’s snort when Lucien said it was from Eris, but because of the rest of the Inner Circle’s reaction. They were all rendered speechless looking back and forth between Nesta and the gift box. Azriel and Amren with narrowed eyes. Rhysand with raised brows. Feyre and Mor probably didn’t even noticed their mouths agape. And Cassian, Nesta’s mate, who’s face went from shocked, then confused, then angry in just a matter of seconds, was frozen still.

Nesta, however, seems to be unaffected and probably amused on their reactions as well. She took the cover of the box, saw a card atop it and read it. What’s written made her snicker. And before she returned the card inside the box, Cassian grabbed it fast and read it aloud.

“Nesta.

Here’s a dress that I hope you’ll wear on my Ceremony. I know I can’t tell you what to do, I’ve learned my lessons. But, just because you’re from the Night court doesn’t mean you’ll wear black and white only. Or Gray like you usually do. Really, you should spice up your wardrobe a little, will you?

Eris.”

The letter sounds teasing enough that they can’t help but wonder how close Eris and Nesta have really become. And why the heck they didn’t know about it. Well except Elain and Lucien.

Cassian’s nostrils flared, and crumpled the piece of paper with Eris note. He was about to say something, when Nesta punched his arm, not that hard really, just to make him stop seething.

“Will you stop being territorial. Gods! It’s just a note!” Nesta rolled her eyes at his mate.

“Sweetheart, this...” he raised the crumpled notes towards Nesta. “…is just a note. “But that—”  he point his fingers towards the dress that’s still neatly folded inside the gift box. “--is not! Why the heck is Eris giving you a dress? And since when are you two friends? Why did I not know this? Wha—” He wasn’t able to finish his blubbering. Nesta put a finger on his lips to shut him up and answers his questions calmly.

“One, he’s giving me a dress because he wants to--- for some reason. Two, I can’t remember exactly when we started to get along, but it’s not like it happened the instant I have visited Autumn court as an Emissary. And three, well… I don’t know why you didn’t know. I guess it just never came up. It’s not like we talk about him that much. Do you want to talk about him?” Nesta finished her statement coolly and with a raised brow towards Cassian.

“No.” He grumbled, he’s annoyed and mad. Too many questions running through his mind.

“I do!” Feyre answered back. “I want to know how you are friends. I mean, you go to other courts too, but it’s not like you have close friends from every courts?” she said and then crossed her arms. She can’t believe her sister is actually friends with Eris. And they must be closer than just the casual acquaintances, because he was literally giving her gifts.

Nesta tilted her head towards Feyre and answered her evenly. “And how are you so sure I don’t?” She crossed her arms too and face her younger sister. Like a challenge. The others kept quiet eyeing the two having a staring match.

Then Nesta sighed and leaned back towards Cassian’s arms. “I don’t get why you’re all bothered about this. I can have friends outside this circle and this court, you know? Like you do.”

“We never said you can’t or don’t.” Rhysand clarified.

“Of course. Of course.  I guess it just caught us off guard. We didn’t know.” Feyre let it go and leaned back towards her mate as well. “But you do?!” she then turned her attention to her other sister. Pointing out that among all of them, she isn’t surprise with this.

Elain nods her confirmation. “Well, keep in mind that I usually used to accompany Nesta if she has to go do her work in Autumn, and she chaperoned whenever I go there to meet Lucien there, back then. So, sometimes it’s the four of us who spend time together.” She continued and then shrugged it off.

“Yes, and I’m polite enough to leave them and give the two of them some time alone.” Nesta nods her head pointing to Elain and Lucien. “Because I may be overprotective, but I’m not going to hinder on what makes them… getting to know each other better.” She gave them both a soft smile which the couple returned happily.

“But my brother is stubborn enough as well and decides to not leave Nesta’s side, when she gives us space. You know, Eris might not be the sharpest knife in the bunch, but he knows what he’s saying when it comes to Court Trades and Treaties. And to be honest, when I saw their clash of words on that topic for the first time, I immediately thought that it’s either they’ll kill each other eventually, or miraculously be the best of friends in the end. Well, I guess miracles do happen.” Lucien finished and laughed at that. Elain laughed with him, she thought of that too. Nesta just wave off the statement but that little smirk was undeniably on her face.

“I actually agree with that.” Amren spoke for the first time since the discussion started. “Eris is…cunning and dangerous, yes. But he’s also clever and have the set of skills one leader must have. Just like some one we all know.” She raised a brow and a sly smile towards Nesta. “Maybe that’s why they get along. Besides, whether we all admit it or not. We are glad it was him that have inherited that crown among the Vanserras. We all know it was what’s best for the Autumn court.” She said then finished the wine she was holding.

Cassian was openly glaring at Amren, which the other felt but totally ignored, because how could she actually defend that bastard? However, he can’t say anything else to contradict her statement though, because he knew it was the truth. And everyone seems to think the same because there was a quiet stillness after Amren said her piece.

“Anyway, count me in! Because it will definitely be one heck of a party.” Amren smirked and pointed her wine glass towards Lucien and Elain’s position, her statement seems to finished the conversation.

Tags: @sjm-things @moonbeammadness @maastrash

@typicalmidnightsoul 

#nessian #eris and nesta friendship fic #nesta archeron #cassian #eris vanserra #acotar fanfiction #myfansidefanfic

[blogger360ncislarules]

For the first and last time simultaneously, The 100 actually gave its main characters a (sort of) happy ending.

By the end of the series finale, "The Last War," Clarke (Eliza Taylor), Raven (Lindsey Morgan), Murphy (Richard Harmon), and the rest of the (few) remaining juvenile delinquents who were sent down to Earth in the very first episode finally found themselves together, alive, and with no more wars to fight. As the music swelled in the background, everyone hugged and smiled. But since this is The 100, that "happy ending" also included the rest of the human race basically ceasing to exist. This show still has to stay on brand!

So how did we get here? Clarke killed Cadogan (John Pyper-Ferguson) while he was taking the "test" to see if the human race was ready for transcendence (aka the next step of evolution/joining a higher state of consciousness), and the test couldn't be stopped once it started. So the judge of the test, who was in the form of Cadogan's daughter Callie (Iola Evans, reprising her role from the prequel episode), changed into the person Clarke loved the most: Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey). Clarke was then forced to finish the test on behalf of the human race to save them from extinction, but since she murdered someone during the test, the Lexa avatar told her that she failed.

With the human race on the verge of being wiped out as a result, Raven stepped in to appeal the decision as the judge changed into who she loved the most: Abby (Paige Turco). And with Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) giving an inspirational speech to the warring Grounders and Disciples, stopping the battle before it ended in massive losses, the judge decided the human race was ready, and reversed its decision and all humans transcended, meaning everyone became golden beams of light and found peace. Only the living could transcend, and so that meant even Madi (Lola Flannery) could get her happy ending despite what Cadogan did to her in the previous episode. In a cruel twist of fate, it also meant that Bellamy (Bob Morley), the only member of the 100 who actually believed in transcendence and who died at Clarke's hands just a few episodes ago, did not get to transcend.

The other person who couldn't transcend? Clarke. Because she had failed the test, and to show that her actions have consequences, she was left behind on an abandoned planet. All alone, facing the rest of her life without any other human beings to keep her company, she used the stones to travel back to Earth to make a new, lonely life for herself. But the Lexa avatar returned to explain that people have the choice of whether or not they transcend, and all her friends chose to stay behind on Earth with her so she wouldn't be alone. It meant they wouldn't be able to have any kids (because they're the last of the human race) and they would only have each other for the rest of their lives and they couldn't transcend after they die, but they were alive, together, and finally able to live in peace. They all decided that exchange was worth it for Clarke.

So before trading the last "may we meet again" now that the show is over, let The 100 creator Jason Rothenberg (who made his directorial debut with the series finale) breaks down what that ending means, why he wanted to end the show that way, all those shocking character returns, and more below.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What were you trying to say with that ending, as all our favorite characters choose to stay on Earth with Clarke instead of transcending?

JASON ROTHENBERG: We wanted the moral of the story to be, simply stated, "Until we stop fighting, we're doomed." Until we stop killing each other in the name of country or tribe or even family, we're doomed to keep repeating that cycle of violence. And once we do and we link arms and we realize we're all in this together, then we can get to whatever comes next. In this case, it's transcendence. That was the moral of the story. Clarke doesn't get the gift of transcendence because of her actions; her actions have a cost, as the Lexa avatar said to her on the beach. Like Moses not getting to go into the promised land, she's going to be alone – until she sees her friends. We thought that it was the most beautiful way to say found family is important. They know that Clarke sacrificed so much for them, gave up so much of herself for them, that they were not going to let her be by herself. They are foregoing whatever transcendence is, they're giving that up to be together. As dark as the show has been at times, I feel like the ending – and I always say I was not trying to make people feel good most of the time and the show is not a show that was supposed to bring you joy, it's supposed to move you and make you feel sad or angry even – but here we were definitely aiming for people walking away feeling uplifted.

Why have all the main characters make that choice except for Clarke's daughter Madi?

Lexa on the beach, she says that Madi knew that Clarke would not want her to come back and be the only child. They're not going to have children, this is the last generation, they can't have offspring. And so, as a mother, Clarke would have obviously preferred for her daughter to transcend and go to whatever the next journey/adventure/whatever it is, it's obviously something special and unique and beautiful, as opposed to staying on the ground with her. That choice was made easier for Madi by the fact that Clarke wasn't going to be alone.

Was this always your original idea for how to end the show?

I can't really remember that we ever had the details of an ending. I always wanted to have it have the moral of the story be told, which is what I just told you. So however that was going to manifest, that was going to be the takeaway. And of course, as the world expanded and we went to another planet and we met other characters and we started exploring the universe via the interstellar subway system of the stones, the details of how we got there obviously changed. But the point was always going to be that.

Now let’s talk about some of the returning faces we saw in the finale – Lexa, Abby, and Callie. Did you always know you were going to have them come back for cameos?

It happened organically, for sure. Once we settled on what the rules of the test were, the idea that the judge takes the form of a person's greatest love, greatest teacher, or greatest enemy, then it became clear that it was going to be Callie for Cadogan, Lexa was my first choice for Clarke, and fortunately, Alycia agreed to come back and do it, and Abby obviously would've been for Clarke as well if Alycia hadn't agreed to come back. But it also made perfect sense that when we knew Raven was going to be the one to come in and appeal the verdict once Clarke failed, that relationship was so important to Raven that there was a beauty to that being her person too. The decisions were dictated by who was going to face the judges and what the rules of the test are.

Were there any other characters you wanted back for the finale as well but it didn’t work out because of scheduling or other issues?

When we landed on what the rules were, it was about who those special people would be. We'd already played Dad [Chris Browning], we already had Monty [Christopher Larkin] come back in a really special way, we'd already played a few of those cards in a previous season. So no, there was never anybody that we wanted to come back and didn't come back.

What about Bellamy? After his shocking death a few episodes back, did you ever consider having him back in the finale as well?

For me, it was Lexa all the way. When that idea came up in the room, it was one of those moments where, it doesn't happen very often, there was unanimity of excitement. Then it was about getting her to agree to come back. And we couldn't have Bellamy return in the end, because the rules of transcendence were only the living shall transcend. And so, unfortunately, he died short of that finish line, so he couldn't be there in the end, which is another tragic realization for Octavia certainly in the finale.

So why did you want to kill Bellamy in the way that you did when the show was so close to giving all the characters some kind of a happy ending?

Bellamy's storyline changed hugely this season as a result of needing to give Bob time at the beginning of the season. Everything kind of downhill was affected by that, including the ending. You want the decisions to always be driven creatively, and certainly when it comes to character deaths. Sometimes unfortunately though we have to react to situations outside of the writing, outside of the creative. That's not necessarily the case for him, but definitely, over the course of seven years, lots of characters died, and sometimes it was out of our control and we made the best of it.

Now that The 100 is over, do you have any updates on the potential prequel series?

All I can really say about the prequel is that conversations are ongoing. I'm hoping to be able to continue this universe because I feel like it's so rich and there is so much story to tell. But the discussions are far, far above my pay grade at the moment. The same day you find out is when I’ll find out.

Where do you see Clarke and co. going in the future now that they’ve all reunited on Earth and are starting a new life for themselves?

We're leaving them together, making that choice to stay together and live out their days peacefully. There's no one left to fight with. Jokingly, I suppose I could see like 70-year-old Murphy and 70-year-old Clarke are in like a blood feud and everybody else is lined up one one side or the other, except they're too old to really do any damage to each other. [Laughs] But truthfully the ending is supposed to imply that it's not happily ever after, but it's certainly peacefully ever after.

What are you most proud of, looking back on the entire series?

The legacy of the show, that we were bold, we pulled no punches, we told big stories, we had kickass female characters, and one of the most diverse casts on television. I'm proud that the show will exist and that people can discover it now in streaming. Hopefully, when it's consumed in a binge all at once, some of the things that perhaps didn't work for people will work better for the audience as they're coming to it consuming the entire series in two weeks rather than over seven years. It's bittersweet to come to the ending of something that has occupied such a huge part of my life for as long as the show has. It's been a long ride, we rode it to the end, and that's great but it's sad at the same time.

#and didn't bow down to bitter haters #THAT I'm real proud of #7-16 #the 100 #thank you the 100

[carmenlire]

Higher than the Big Trees Ch. 50 Epilogue Part II: 5 Years Later (Complete)

Amazing moodboard courtesy of @kindaresilient!

read chapter one

read on ao3

Happily Ever After: Alec and Magnus Lightwood-Bane People Magazine

The two of them walk into the little pâtisserie that had been chosen for the morning’s interview. They’re alone and the easy affection is obvious in the way they hold hands, in how Alec kisses the top of Magnus’s head as the two laugh at some joke between them.

Watching them, the reporter tries to maintain her objectivity but she can admit it’s difficult. She’d first interviewed Alec years ago when he was a rising star and had just swept through his first awards season, winning four Grammys and considerably more household notoriety.

At the time, she’d been struck by the man who reveled in his image and single status. To see him today as one half of an incandescently happy couple-- and to know why they’re on the cover of next month’s issue-- is a bit surreal.

Still, Alec and Magnus sweep into the restaurant and it’s just a few minutes before she’s starting the interview.

“So,” she starts briskly. “What’s new?”

Alec and Magnus look at each other for a minute before laughing and turning back to face her.

“Oh you know,” Magnus replies airily. “We’ve just adopted the cutest twins in the world and that’s kept our focus fairly well.”

Shaking his head with a soft smile, Alec joins in, “That’s definitely the most exciting thing that’s happened to me-- hell, all year.”

Taking the cue, the reporter leans in a little. Her eyes gleam but it’s considerably friendlier than Alec had initially thought. She’s getting her scoop but there’s genuine interest there, too, and not just a need for the exclusive they’ve granted People.

“The internet had a meltdown last week when you posted that photo on Instagram of the two of you, each holding a baby. Did you anticipate that level of fervor?”

Alec’s mouth kicks up into a lazy grin as he relaxes back against his husband. “People don’t like change and even when they do like it, they want to be the first to know. That’s why we’re doing this. The babies are getting old enough to where we’ll want to take them out of the apartment and I wanted to face the world before we made that first step.”

“Our children’s privacy and safety is of the utmost importance to us. While this isn’t an invitation further into our lives, we had the discussion and it was equally important to be able to acknowledge and celebrate that our family had grown from two to four recently,” Magnus interjects.

“How recently?”

“The twins are seven months old and we adopted them the day they were born. It was finalized earlier this summer.”

“A lot of people were shocked to see that you two were officially parents. Had this been the goal all along or was it a more recent desire for a bigger family?”

“My brother Jace and his wife Clary had their first kid a couple of years ago. I was away from home as often as I was in the city back then and neither one of us had any thought of settling down. But then Jace asked Magnus and I to be godparents and it became an elephant in the room for a little while. Neither of us wanted to come out and say that we wanted kids but every time we babysat or talked about kids in general, it was fairly obvious we were thinking along the same lines.”

“I never really let myself think of the possibility of being a father,” Magnus says softly, flicking his gaze from Alec to the reporter. “I always joked that my students were my children and that I didn’t have time for kids of my own. Alexander was home for a few months on a break, however, and as we started babysitting regularly I think there was a sort of mutual realization that our goals had shifted. Alec was like a new father, anyway, with the way he was constantly researching how to care for a baby. It was as adorable as it was exasperating.”

"Hey," Alec cuts in indignantly. "I wanted to be prepared! I wanted my niece to be as comfortable and safe and happy as possible."

Humoring him, Magnus agrees, "You did. But it was also a sign that maybe we were both ready and eager for that next step."

Alec nods along.

“Yeah, there were a few hard discussions about how to make it work and if we really were ready but at the end of the day, I love Magnus and I want it all with him.” With a laugh that edges on self deprecating, Alec adds, “I’m very happy that he feels the same.”

“Of course, darling,” Magnus murmurs before raising their joined hands up to his mouth for a kiss.

It’s quiet for a moment and the reporter watches as Magnus and Alec share a look that feels intrusive to witness, no matter that they’re in public.

Clearing her throat a little, she diverts the conversation. “The last time you two were on our cover was four years ago when we were given exclusive access to your wedding in Florence. In that time, things have changed quite a bit for you, isn’t that right Alec? Fans and media have missed you as you’ve moved to a position behind the scenes of the music industry.”

Alec takes in the question lurking in her tone and crosses one leg over the other. Absently fiddling with his wedding ring, he answers her unasked query with a raised brow.

“I’m just as active on my social media as I’ve ever been with the exception of keeping quiet about our kids. While my role has shifted to producing and writing, I’m still very much an entertainer and artist. It’s just that I keep more regular hours and get to spend more time with Magnus these days.”

Humming thoughtfully, the reporter’s eyes sharpen as she bluntly asks, “Do you miss it?”

“Touring?” Alec chuckles, shaking his head in a wondering yet confident gesture. “It’s not like I’ll never go on tour again. I’m just enjoying this time now. It’s been wonderful to challenge myself in a new area of the industry and establishing Iratze Records has been a very rewarding, if grueling, process. I still perform a few times a year and that’s enough for me. It’s more than enough that I get to have the best of both worlds.”

"And what about you, Magnus. You last book landed on the New York Times Bestsellers list in the nonfiction category where it's still sitting at number one. Last fall you were brought onto an Emmy winning show as a historical consultant and that's not to mention your duties as the Chair of the Columbia University's history department. Do you two find it difficult to juggle caring for kids with your demanding careers?"

"It's hard work," Magnus allows but looking at him, it's hard to picture the man breaking a sweat over anything. "We work hard, every day, to be the best we can be-- the best partners, the best parents, the best professionals. It's exhausting but I wouldn't trade my life now for anything."

Alec grins and it's a little dopey at the corners as he looks over at his husband with his heart in his eyes. "What he said."

“You sound like the picture of a happily settled man, Alec. It’s hard to believe that at one time you were known as a sort of Lothario. Is it true what they say then?” There’s a glint of humor in her eyes as she asks, “Do reformed rakes make the best husbands?”

Magnus is quiet though he flashes a quick grin as he looks down at his wedding ring. It’s a simple band but is obviously well cared for. They both seem to be waiting for Alec to answer and Alec does so, but not before taking his husband’s hand and interlacing their fingers.

“I love Magnus more than anyone in the world,” he says, “And there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him. The truth is, if he asked me to give it all up today, right now, I’d do it, no hesitation.”

Alec glances over at his husband just to see Magnus already staring at him, smiling with eyes so warm that he can’t ever imagine being cold again.

“But I wouldn’t,” Magnus says softly, thumb stroking over Alec’s where they’re hands rest on his thigh.

“But he wouldn’t,” Alec echoes with a quiet smile. He forgets for a minute that they’re not alone, that there’s a journalist right on the other side of the coffee table watching them with eyes that capture everything.

He comes back to himself after a minute though, looking over at her with an apologetic grimace that the reporter waves away, her expression far from annoyed and instead veering much closer towards enamored.

Clearing his throat, Alec says, “The past five years have been one hell of a journey and I couldn’t imagine anyone else by my side other than Magnus. I’m grateful every day that I stepped into that diner in the middle of the night and that Magnus took a chance on me. This next adventure, kids? I never thought that was in the cards for me.”

His voice is self-deprecating as he continues, “I never thought any of this was meant for me. I’m excited, though-- we’re excited to grow our family by two more and be the best parents we can be, every day.”

The journalist’s voice is warm, curious as she asks, “So is it fair to say that Alec Lightwood is still at the top of his game, even if he’s more concerned with his family and producing behind the scenes these days?”

Alec’s voice is confident as he answers, “Yeah. I’ve never felt better. I’ve finally found my place and that’s worth all the sold-out stadiums in the world.”

Magnus scoffs a little, though his expression is anything but doubting as Alec raises their joined hands up to his lips, kissing his husband just above his wedding ring.

As the reporter watches her subjects, the can’t help but think that this is one of the easiest, most enjoyable interviews she’s ever done. She’s writes the conclusion of the article as she watches the couple in front of her act like the newlyweds they haven’t been in years.

Alec Lightwood’s been a staple of these pages since he was a teenager. It’s been a long time coming, but the boy is now a man and instead of the confirmed bachelor we’d started thinking of Lightwood as a few years ago, domestic bliss is his best look yet.

There’s an easy contentment to Alec now, as he sits beside his husband and they banter back and forth, easily answering our questions between little inside jokes that we have no hope of deciphering.

We don’t mind, though. It’s hard to when the couple sitting across from you looks nothing but ecstatically happy.

We can’t wait to see what’s next for Alec and Magnus and their growing family. Best of luck to the Lightwood-Banes. We’re sure this is far from the last time we’ll see them between our pages!

Make sure to check out Alec’s new single What a Heavenly Way to Die, available now on a variety of streaming platforms and wherever music is sold.

#I can't believe this is finished! complete! done! #50 chapters and almost a quarter of a million words omg!! #httbt #my writing #malec fic

[alj4890]

Love Prompt

(Thomas x Amanda x a distraction from a certain Mr. Chris Evans) as prompted by @pixieferry 😉 with jealousy coming into play.

(Thomas x Amanda) taken from the regency era None But You storyline.

A/N after laughing over another prompt, the need to see Thomas jealous over Amanda's attention to Chris Evans came about. Unbeknownst to Mr. Evans, he will be set in regency England. Of course, because my mind loves to overthink everything, there will be two parts to this. And possibly another situation with these three in one of my modern AU’s. 

@graceful-popcorn @krsnlove @alleksa16 @hopelessromantic1352  @pixieferry @emceesynonymroll @buzz-bee-buzz @hopefulmoonobject @cora-nova @rainbowsinthestorm @lxaah11 @dr-nancy-house @friedherringclodthing 

Masterlist

Flummoxed Part 1

It had only a week since she left London. Only a week since he had last seen her smile. A week since they had discussed literature. A week without peaceful walks through fashionable Hyde Park. A week without those deeper emotions being brought to mind whenever she appeared in the candlelight of crowded ballrooms.

"Thomas Hunt you are a damn fool." He muttered to himself. The carriage rocked along the English countryside edging ever closer, mile by mile to Lady Amanda's country estate in Doncaster.

He could practically hear the laughter from Lord Ryan Summers and Sir Chris Winters when they received their notes that he would not be joining them for dinner Tuesday evening. Once they realized he was journeying to a certain lady's home to simply deliver a book he thought she might enjoy, there would be no end to their teasing.

___________________

A few days later...

Hudson entered into the drawing room at Snowfield Abbey and bowed. "Forgive me, my lady, but there is a gentleman here to see you."

"Oh?" Amanda took the card from the salver and a surprised smile formed on her lips. "Please show him in Hudson and then ask Mrs. Timms for a tea tray."

He nodded and stepped back out into the hall. Amanda stood and nervously smoothed her dress. If only she had been given more time to change her dress! Aunt Lucy would be devastated to know she entertained a visit in such a simple, old dress. With a final glimpse in the mirror to smooth a stray curl behind her ear, she turned with a calm expression.

The dark blonde haired gentleman walked in and bowed. "Lady Amanda, it has been too long since I last saw you."

She held her hands out in a warm greeting and smiled. "Welcome back to Snowfield, Mr. Evans. I had heard from your aunt that her favorite nephew was returning to Doncaster."

He sat down across from her, his dimples deepening. "Aye, well I had a need to revisit all I counted dear before leaving again."

Amanda clasped her hands together. "Are you truly going on another adventure so soon?"

His sapphire blue eyes twinkled with excitment. "I have a little over a month before returning to my duties with the East India Trading Company."

Amanda's smile dimmed at the distance and time he would be away. "Still searching for your buried treasure?"

His own smile faltered at the childhood memory. He reached over and took her hand. "I will always return home. I shall never leave for good. How could I possibly stay away?"

Amanda pulled her hand away when Hudson entered with the tea tray. He left quickly when he heard the front door bell ring and returned with a gentleman she had not expected to see at Snowfield.

"The Viscount of Kirkwood, my lady." Hudson announced before bowing out again.

"Lord Hunt! This is a surprise." She stood and curtsied.

His steps paused when Chris stood up beside her. Amanda smiled warmly at the viscount. "My lord, allow me to present Mr. Evans."

The two eyed each other and reluctantly nodded their heads in greeting. After another tense assessment, he presented the book to Amanda. Her joy at the fact he had not only thought of her when he saw this but had also made a special trip to bring it to her touched his heart and brought a slight smile to his lips. She set the book on a side table to read later and motioned for the gentlemen to sit down.

Amanda asked Thomas if he would care for tea and rang for a fresh pot. She prepared their cups while the two men continued to study the other in curiosity.

"Mr. Evans was telling me of his plans with the East India Trade company." Amanda offered a plate of biscuits toward each man.

Thomas took one and sipped his tea. "Oh? Where will you be placed?"

"It is undecided at the moment. Perhaps back to the West Indies or even to a new outpost in Singapore." Chris answered, eyes narrowing at the times Thomas's gaze remained on Amanda. Her cheeks turned a rosy shade too when she noticed.

"I'm sure your family and friends will be sad to see you go." Thomas remarked.

"Some more than others hopefully." Chris countered, looking at Amanda.

The conversation continued with the gentlemen discussing their plans while both hinted at a closeness with the lady between them. Neither seemed to have a definite claim upon Lady Amanda, yet both appeared to be teetering on the brink of making her their own.

Thomas frowned as he set his cup back on the tray. "Thank you Lady Amanda for the tea. I believe I should return to the inn and settle in for the night."

Amanda stood when he did. "I shall walk you out. Excuse me, Mr. Evans."

Chris heard the mantle clock chime the hour and stood too. "I'm afraid I also must leave. Aunt Prudence is expecting me for dinner."

Amanda rang for Hudson to let the stables know of their departure. Both men began to offer their arm to escort her. Thomas managed to beat Chris to it. She slipped her hand into the bend of his.

They stood on the front steps of Snowfield when Chris's horse was brought out first. He bowed over Amanda's hand, pressed a kiss to her knuckles, and promised to see her again before he left. "Perhaps if the weather is fine tomorrow, we could revisit our childhood haunts. Go fishing."

Thomas cleared his throat. Something deep within him felt the need to not allow this upstart to have a special moment alone with her. "I haven't fished in ages."

Amanda looked up at him and smiled. "Then you must join us tomorrow. I can prepare a picnic lunch and we shall make a day of it."

His dark eyes took in the hopeful happiness on her face and he agreed to come. Chris exaggerated clearing his throat to break whatever trance the Viscount had Amanda in and said goodbye once more.

She smiled while waving goodbye. Thomas noticed its sudden disappearance when he rode off. "You will miss him a great deal when he is sent away."

She looked up at him and slowly nodded. "I have known him for most of my life. It is difficult to imagine him being so far away. I worry for his aunt and cousins. They practically worship him. His time in the Caribbean was with multiple visits from his family. They won't be able to do that easily if he is sent to Singapore."

Thomas looked out at the rolling green hills of her home while fighting against the question of did this adventurer hold her heart. He seemed a hopeless dreamer to Lord Hunt, one that did not think of those that cared about him. Thomas didn't want to hear how heartbroken she might be nor did he relish the thought he knew was true about himself. If she were in love with Mr. Evans, he would do all he could to see her happily settled with the devil may care gentleman.

Amanda noticed his pensive expression grow darker. "Lord Thomas? Is something wrong?"

He shook his head and nodded toward a garden to the side of her home. "Walk with me a moment."

"Of course, since you asked." She teased, taking his arm again.

His frown eased some. Thomas covered her hand with his as they walked in companionable silence. "I've missed this." She said softly. Her cheeks turned red when his eyes immediately turned to her. "Our walks." She quickly explained, praying some monstrous gopher had dug a hole she could fall into.

Thomas squeezed her hand. "I've missed them too. Summers isn't as quiet as you are when walking."

Amanda's laughter brought a smile to his face. "No, I imagine he is quite different."

"That is putting it lightly." His frown returned when she removed her hand to cup a rose to smell.

"I meant to thank you for the book. Ever since you recommended Persuasion, I have wanted to read more of the late Ms. Austen's works."

Thomas bowed his head. "I thought you would enjoy Northanger Abbey. Catherine seems to have an imagination similar to yours in the story." The viscount lost his train of thought as he focused on the lady. He wished he were an artist to capture the loveliness of Amanda at this moment.

Surrounded by a variety of flowers, her white dress highlighted the abundance of nature's colors around her. Amanda's creamy skin, hazel eyes, and dark hair added to the contrast. The smile on her lips at his comparison of her and the main character was one of his favorites. It was one he noticed she had for no one else but him. All mine.

Ignorant to the tortuous thoughts and strong feelings the viscount was consumed with, she walked over to a bench and sat down to watch the sun set. Thomas joined her at her invitation.

She settled her gaze on him when his attention was drawn to the swans in the pond, turned golden by the brilliant orange sky. She thought he was quite possibly the most handsome man of her acquaintance. His looks though were not his only redeeming quality. He showed his kindness in so many small ways that seemed much more enduring than some grand gesture. She knew what a true friend he was from comments Sir Chris and Lord Ryan had made and she had witnessed it herself. As her eyes traced his stern profile, she wondered if he would ever come to see her as the lady of his heart. Most likely not.

He turned to her and stilled when he realized she not only caught him about to stare but he found her doing the very same. They looked at one another silently before turning in wordless agreement back to the sunset. Thomas glanced down at her hands loosely clasped in her lap. He reached over and took one to hold as the last of the sun's rays touched the horizon. The peacefulness of the shared moment was broken by the horses of his carriage clomping along the drive.

"I should take my leave." His deep voice ruffled her senses in the purple of dusk.

She stood and took his arm as they made their way slowly back to his carriage. Thomas bowed and pressed a lingering kiss to her hand. "Enjoy the book, my lady. I look forward to hearing your thoughts."

She smiled at him and promised to begin it tonight. "Are you staying long? I know my aunt would enjoy a visit with you before you return to London."

He didnt know how to tell her he had made no plans beyond this point. "I am free of responsibilities for a week or so?"

Her smile made him nearly promise to come by each day. She invited him to choose an evening to dine with them. "Aunt Lucy should be back home tomorrow evening. Shall we say the day after for dinner?"

He nodded. "That would be agreeable."

"Wonderful! Oh! Do feel welcome to come by and ride over the land. There are some marvelous trails that lead to travel. I shall be more than happy to point them out during our fishing adventure tomorrow." She added.

His lips curved at her gentle friendliness. "I might very well take you up on that, my lady. Perhaps if you are not too busy, you would care to join me on these jaunts?"

"Of course." Amanda tried to keep her voice even though she wished to squeal in delight.

With another goodbye, Thomas climbed in his carriage and observed her through his window. She stood by herself, watching his carriage until it turned a corner and disappeared on the road to town.

[ishikawadesu]

What I bought - Aug to Dec 2018

I think? I was looking for my last tag and it was on July, so I guess this post counts as everything I got for the rest of 2018 I didn’t post here. I think I did tweet them but I’m not gonna search for those over there now haha. Also, maybe it’s not everything since I did a quick look at my phone but I know I didn’t purchase much because of the treatment I was last year for a couple of months and also because I had a strike at work too... so saving up money has been hard even until now xD

I’m also gonna comment about my experience with proxy services... both good and not so good ones orz.

So, I invite you to take a look under the cut!~

Stage Stars Mag. Vol. 3 + Sparkle Vol.35 + Touken Danshi formation of Tsuwamono CD Type A

Yeah, I even posted scans from the magazines already xD (You can find them on my scans tag, they are the last stuff I have scanned and showed them here). It was also my last purchase on CDJapan haha. Tsuwamono songs are still one of my favorites on my phone ♥

Sea Opening Movie ~Special Edition~

This movie has a special story you know haha. Everything went... really wrong xD First, the movie was released on July 10th, but Slfshop posted that the main DVD had an audio flaw, so I contacted my proxy about this and they said they would wait for the new DVD that would be sent at the end of that month for free. This was my last order from Accio Tokyo before they closed down their services. So the new DVD arrived the first days of August, they contacted me and we were discussing the last details and I just had to wait for their invoice... and it never came, not soon at least. 

Days and weeks passed and I was trying to contact them for an answer and there was a day I just gave up... until I received an email at the end of September from them but from a gmail account orz. They apologized and finally the order was shipped at the beginning of October. But when the order arrived home, no one was to receive it xD So around the middle of October, I went to get it to my post office in one of my work breaks, but when I arrived there, I had realized my documents were robbed on the bus! Everything, credit cards, money and my ID and without my ID, I couldn’t get the damn package! So yes, it was a pain because I just had my phone to call home to come to get me... I was almost in tears because of my bad luck xD At the end, the woman of the post office had mercy of my miserable luck and accepted an old ID my dad had... but I was no longer in the mood to watch the movie in that moment xD Of course, I watched it time after and it was sad but the weird thing is that I didn’t heard any difference in audio or I’m so deaf? I still don’t listen to the CD by the way orz.

So this was far my worst experience trying to purchase something via proxy, but also my luck didn’t help at all xD

Di kita Malimot Visual Book + Cast Size Summer 2018 Special Issue + Sakiyama Tsubasa Crescent Moon Single (4 versions) + Sakiyama Tsubasa UTOPIA Album (4 versions) + Sakiyama Tsubasa Photobook, Pencil and 3 Bromide Set from his 29th Birthday Event!

I don’t have luck anymore with Tsubasa trading cards, I had one repeated with Crescent Moon and another one with UTOPIA xD (I’m too lazy to post them now haha) The Di kita Malimot clear file is so cute and since I haven’t seen scans of Cast Size, I might post some of them along with other scans I want to post... it’s been a while since I don’t scan stuff after all ^^

And also, I’m so happy with all the Sakiyama stuff I received >.< UTOPIA album is awesome, the fact Tsubasa wrote two songs, his father one and his voice that he has been improving since the beginning... I’m so proud *cries*

And all of this I got them via proxy thanks to @beansproutsong, as usual. I’ve never had an issue with her or with any of my packages so I can say this is my good proxy experience so far xD When you talk to someone directly and not with a group of people that run a website is better (for me at least) because it’s more customized and it’s always good to talk to someone nice and kind. And also, reasonable prices, something I appreciate so much haha. I think I’ve been using her service for a year already! I've recommended her to some people and they’ve had similar experiences so far. You can also contact her on her Twitter @angelic1408 and to know more about her proxy service, please go HERE. You can check my tag with the stuff I have received from her HERE as well.

Shinken Ranbu Sai 2018 Goodies!

These ones I got them from the lovely @need-a-little-haikyuu on her trip to Japan to see the boys last year ♥ I loved Ishikirimaru bromides and the keychain is happily on my wall. She also wrote me something ahsgahshasajs. Again, thank you so much Eri for this and your friendship so far! ♥

I think this is all xD Well, I’ve been purchasing some stuff online as well because shipping is always a pain to my wallet orz. Now I need to get some Tsubasa stuff like his first live and Toumyu stuff but we’ll see. I work so hard to get them so yes, I think I deserve some more goodies haha.

#what i bought #toumyu #sakiyama tsubasa #dikita malimot #sea opening #sparkle magazine #cast size magazine #stage stars magazine #proxy service

[kaismontyr]

A Theoretical Meeting: If Tau entered the Mass Effect Galaxy

I was asked to note down what I think would happen if the Tau ended up, somehow, entering the Mass Effect galaxy/universe and how it would effect the social and political environment of it. I’m not sure how to break this down into segments but I will try.

First Contact: Non-aggressive, if anyone but the Turians manage to come across the larger ships. The Tau would want discussions first but if the Turians end up firing shots thinking it’s an invasion (not too unreasonable if it was following the Reaper War) then the Tau would not hesitate to defend themselves.

If it was a peaceful start, then the rest of things would again mostly be a social and political thing. If not, then it would probably be another First Contact War, except that the Tau would have a tech advantage in shields and weapons but not in faster FTL travel.

Turians: Would probably not react kindly to a new player as powerful as the Tau stepping in. Empires sitting next to eachother tend to fight a lot. The Tau would stand in the position of the newcomers who just want to be friends in the hope of gaining the sympathy vote from the other races. Especially seeing the trade negotiations and tech sharing otherwise. They would never vote to let the Tau have a significant space in Citadel territory as they would see it as an invasion waiting to happen. No shortage of suspicion, at least for the first long while.

Asari: As was suggested, would want to play the 1000 year lifespan card to win negotiations. Would have a difficult time with the Water Caste as they are prepared already for that kind of tactic from other situations. Lack of “biotics” or psykers would interest them as the Tau would be physically incapable of it. Mostly friendly interaction. Some may see them as male versions of Asari at times.

Salarians: Spy vs Spy. Both sides would try to look in on the other to see what they are doing. Not out of malice, but curiosity. The vastly different line of scientific investigation between the two would be too interesting not to try uncover.

Humans: Tau would be immediately suspicious but find an advantage over their relatively small holdings compared to the Imperium. The less xenophobic mindset would allow more happy trade. Still would come prepared for betrayal.

Krogan: Krogan, meet Kroot. Kroot, meet Krogan. Those two would get along well. The Krogan would probably happily be auxiliaries for the Tau in exchange for the Tau helping get them more planets, help terraform and reform the agricultural landscape of their planet, and possibly investigate the genophage. All as leverage, of course. The Krogan have no scientific advancements that the Tau necessarily want. They are good muscle though.

Quarians: Buddy buddy from day one. A ship-borne race that are almost all born engineers? The Earth Caste would have a field day. I can imagine that the Quarians would happily integrate with Tau and take older Tau vessels for themselves. The larger amount of space being a luxury and the chance to see how the Tau systems work would give a few generations of Quarians a Pilgrimage gift to bring back. The Tau could use the space-ready engineers for long term missions and tying their own Ether Drives into the relay system to boost along. 

Batarians: The Tau would prefer to glass the planet. If the first thing they hear is that the Batarians are usually terrorists, pirates, and good for nothings from the more upper class Citadel politicians, they will swat them whenever they see them. May cause an incident or five.

Geth: See Quarians.

General Council Attitude: Almighty suspicion at first. A big new power is never good. The Tau would push for embassy rights, planet rights, and try to get to the top through Citadel means. A Council spot would not be far from their top desire, and a Tau spectre... They would operate stealth teams without the need for Council permission anyway, honestly. A certified Spectre from the Tau Empire would be more of a political move, but also a public message that the Tau are there to stay.

Traverse Attitude: The Tau would move in and just take what empty planets they want before officially joining the Citadel. Certain rules only apply after you agree to them. They would have a heavy military presence there and create a new sept of their own. Near enough to Council space to flee if need be, far enough spaced along the border to be an effective guard line. Strong enough in numbers to move on anyone moving on them.

#Mass Effect #Warhammer 40k #A theory post

[pines-troz]

For Want of a Hat

Summary: Stan is called upon by his nephew to watch his four-year-old kids, Dipper and Mabel, over the weekend. Things are fine until Stan discovers Dipper’s biggest insecurity: his birthmark.

November, 2003

When Stanley Pines received a phone call from his nephew and niece-in-law asking him to come down to Piedmont, California to babysit the twins over the weekend while they were away for their friend’s wedding, the con man thought it would be a piece of cake. The last time he saw Mabel and Mason they had celebrated their first birthday, certainly the twins couldn’t have changed that much since then. Stan would watch the tykes for three days, make sure they don’t get into any trouble. Easy peasy, right?

What Stan did not expect was to be captivated by his niece and nephew to the point where he was wrapped around their chubby little fingers.

Even as four-year-olds the twins were as precious as when they were newborns. Mabel and Mason (who insisted on being called Dipper) Pines were small, yet energetic children who stole Stan’s heart yet again. Mabel was quite the talker, informing him of her many interests, which range from stuffed animals to unicorns, and asking him questions about what he likes. Dipper, though a tad quieter, also talked to Stan about his favorite books and showcased his Monster-Mon trading card collection to him. When Stan brought up his occupation as proprietor of the Mystery Shack, Dipper immediately asked him questions on the different creatures he worked with, such as the Loch Ness Monster (or Nessie as Dipper called her), Sasquatch, and the Mothman.

Fortunately for Stan, he  was able to watch over the kids on Friday with no major issues whatsoever.

Now it was a lazy Saturday morning when Stan decided that he should spend some quality time with the niblings outside the house. As he put away the dishes from breakfast, the fifty-something-year-old man brought upon a suggestion for the kids.

“Alright kiddos,” He announced as he put approached Mabel and Dipper, who were still sitting at the table. “Since it’s a beautiful day outside, how about the three of us go to the park?”

The kids responded with whoops of joy while they pumped their fists in the air. Dear Moses these kids are so precious...

“Why don’t you kids go upstairs and get ready.” Stan said.

“Okay!” They chorused in near unison. Dipper and Mabel began to run up the stairs to get ready for the day.

You’re doin’ alright Stan, He thought to himself. The kids were easy to take care of. Just engage them in some fun activities and they’ll tire themselves out well before bedtime. Stan had enough hard cash in his trunk to pay for any expenses, but he was willing to shell out every dollar he had just to make the twins happy. Everything was going according to plan.

Dipper marched down the stairs alongside his sister, wearing a camouflage army helmet (which he had for no discernable reason). Stan was confused with his nephew’s bold fashion choice to say the least.

Once the tiny children jumped from the bottom step of the stairs, they jogged towards their Grunkle with beaming smiles.

“We’re ready Grunkle Stan!” Mabel hollered in a bubbly voice.

“Let’s get goin’!” Dipper added with equal excitement.

Stan wanted to take in the overall adorableness of the niblings, but his gaze was still focused on the old army helmet that practically swallowed half of his nephew’s head.

“What’s with the weird hat kiddo?”

The boy stared at him with a blank expression. It was as though no one had ever questioned his helmet before. “Your hat’s pretty weird too Grunkle Stan.” Dipper sassed, causing Mabel to giggle.

The old man was miffed by his nephew’s snarky attitude, but he was secretly proud of the kid. But Stan was not going to allow Dipper to walk outside the house looking like an active member of the military.

“Okay lieutenant, are ya gonna tell yer old man here why ya have that helmet on? We’re only goin’ to the park, not the battlefield!”

Stan was about to take off the helmet, but Dipper smacked the old man’s calloused hand. The boy looked visibly upset by his Grunkle’s action, his eyes piercing through the old man’s soul.

“Don’t!” Dipper snapped angrily, his hands now guarding his helmet. His furious reaction shocked his grunkle, but the old man refused to bow down. 

“Well why not?” Stan argued.

“Cause I don’t want anyone to see my birthmark!!” The boy yelled.

Stan was taken aback by the pain in his nephew’s voice, but his face soon softened with concern. The big dipper birthmark on his nephew’s forehead truly made him unique, to the point where it became his nickname. But others were too blind to see its beauty and would be quick to mock such a special feature.

Dipper’s situation eerily mirrored that with his brother Ford’s. Born with six-fingers on each hand, Ford was quick to hide his hands when approached by others. Stan tried to make Ford feel like his abnormality was something positive, from high-sixes to adopting ‘Sixer’ as a playful nickname.

Stan looked back at his nephew and was immediately dismayed at how downtrodden the boy looked. Dipper still held a secure grip on the sides of his helmet while Mabel was comforting him. Stan was going to whatever he could to lift his nephew’s spirits and he knew exactly how.

Stan smiled at the boy as he knelt down to meet with him at eye level. “Tell ya what kiddo, we can go to the store and I’ll get a hat for you and your sister. Now how’s that sound?”

“You’d really do that for us Grunkle Stan?” Dipper questioned, his eyes glimmering with a sense of hope.

"Of course kid." Stan affirmed, giving him a concise nod. His approval garnered a cheerful response from the twins.

“We’re gonna get new hats Dipper!” Mabel exclaimed. “And we’re gonna buy the best hats in town!”

“Yeah!” Dipper agreed enthusiastically.

“But first, I’m gonna make sure that you wear a more stylish hat on the ride there.” Stan said. Taking off his fez, he placed his most treasured hat onto Dipper’s head. Oddly enough, the fez perfectly fit the boy’s crown.

Dipper looked up to see Stan beaming. “Lookin’ classy there slick!”

Dipper flashed a toothy grin at his Grunkle. Stan felt his heart swell at the sight of his happy nephew.

When the three arrived at the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart , Mabel immediately latched onto Stan’s side.

“Pick me up! Pick me up!” She happily pleaded, tugging at the end of his Hawaiian shirt. Stan grinned at his niece and obliged.  

“As you wish sweetie!” He scooped her up in his meaty arms, causing the girl to giggle as she was lifted up. Dipper looked up at his sister with a smile. Stan noticed his boy was still standing beside him.

“You want to be picked up too little guy?” He offered.

Dipper shook his head, staring at the old man defiantly. “I don’t need to be picked up. I’m a big boy.”

Stan smiled at his nephew for displaying his desire for independence at such a young age. “Whatever floats your boat Dipper. But you have to hold my hand while go through the parking lot, capiche?”

“Capiche.” Dipper firmly replied.

Stan took the boy’s small hand into his large, calloused one. As they walked through the parking lot, Stan glanced at the two children, both looking at the store with a sense of adventure and wonder. He held the twins close to him as they cautiously walked by the passing vehicles nearby.

I don’t deserve to be in the presence of these wonderful kids… Stan thought with heavy self-deprecation. If the twins learned of who he truly was, he was certain they would think ill of him. But he couldn’t let his remorse swallow him whole. He had a job to do and it was to watch over the kids. There was no way he could afford to screw that up despite his record of getting into awful situations.

Once the Pines family approached the clothing section, he settled Mabel down next to her brother and he knelt down to talk to the twins.

“Let’s take a look around and show me which hats ya like to get, okay?”

“Okay!!” The twins chirped.

Stan watched his little twins eagerly scouring through the aisle with deep contentment. The scene that unfolded before his very eyes tugged at his heartstrings more than he would have liked. Seeing Dipper and Mabel giggling as they raced towards the end of the aisle reminded him of more happier times with his own twin. The times he and Ford spent their days running around the beach of their small New Jersey town. The time in which they pretended to be explorers akin to those from the movies, searching for whatever ‘artifacts’ they could find. Their long hours building the Stan o’ War, discussing their future plans filled with adventure, treasure hunting, and babes.

Stan stopped himself. He couldn’t bring himself to remember his falling out with Ford. Not now, not in front of the kids.

The fez-headed man hoped that his niece and nephew would keep their strong sibling bond well through adulthood. The last thing he wants for the kids is to end up like him and his brother. Bitter from late adolescence only to be astronomically distant as adults, even in the literal sense.

“Grunkle Stan!” He heard Dipper pipe up. “I found my hat!”

The five-year-old Stan inspected the hat, noting the red and black colors as well as the dinosaur skeleton smack dab in the middle. The emblem was eerily similar to a certain movie poster that he couldn’t recall.

“Whatcha got there kid?”

“A T-Rex!” Dipper proclaimed. “A tyren…” His face soured as he struggled with vocalizing the scientific name for the dinosaur. But after a few moments, Dipper’s eyes lit up as he made a second attempt. “A Tyrannosaurus Rex!!” The small boy proudly declared, proud that he was able to correctly pronounce a difficult word.

“It most certainly is.” Stan noted with a grin. The boy certainly had a lot of smarts for his age. Maybe too smart for his own good at times. Stan couldn’t even remember saying words that long when he was four. But he was secretly proud of his nephew nonetheless.

The old man saw his nephew taking off the prized fez and handing it over to him. Stan gingerly accepted his iconic hat. Just as he placed the fez back on his head, Dipper quickly tried on the dinosaur hat, adjusting it carefully so that it perfectly concealed his Big Dipper birthmark from view.

“That hat suits ya kiddo!” Stan praised, playfully tipping up his nephew’s hat as he flashed the boy a grin. Dipper gave his Grunkle a grateful smile, no doubt swelling the old man’s supposedly stone heart.

“Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Stan!” Mabel squealed. The little girl sprinted up to the two, gripping onto a magenta visor. “I found my new hat!” She declared as she placed the item on her head.

“You look very nice pumpkin.” Stan complimented. “Now how about we pay for your hats and then go out to the park?”

“Yeah!!” The twins exclaimed.

Mabel ran towards her grunkle and he immediately picked her up. Stan softly took Dipper’s hand and they began their walk to the checkout area.

“Grunkle Stan.” Dipper spoke up. The con man looked down to see his nephew giving him a tearful smile. “Thank you for getting hats for us.”

Stan was in awe of the boy’s gratitude. Having picked out a hat had meant so much to Dipper. The kid could finally be able to go out into the world without having to worry about anyone else gawking at his birthmark. Stan had given Dipper the confidence he needed.

Grunkle Stan smiled back at his nephew. “Anything for you kiddo.”

#gravity falls #grunkle stan #stanley pines #dipper pines #mabel pines #pines family #gf fanfiction

[thorne93]

Decisions, Decisions (Part 5)

Prompt: Imagine Tom Hiddleston has a crush on you and he is feeling jealous of James McAvoy on “The Graham Norton Show” because James talks about how great the chemistry was between you, his co-star, and him in your latest film.

Warnings: language, sexual content, adult content…?

Word Count: 5007

Note: Beta’d by @like-a-bag-of-potatoes​ - This fic would NOT be possible without you, and @amarvelouswritings​ - who let me badger the hell out of her. Thank you both a million! Used @theartofimagining13​ imagine

Also, some of the timelines are going to be off in this, to make stuff fit, and James’ wife and child are nonexistent - nothing against them, just easier to write if he didn’t have an ex wife and child. Texts are in italics

Tags: @wordacadabra   @frenchfrostpudding @lisssays @cocosierra94  @staceycasey123 @lucianightwolker @tacohead13

~~~~~~~~~~

Friday night you went to a few stores for some dresses. You found one thing you liked, and you reserved it for the “other” dress. But for the main dress to go to the premiere with Tom, you needed something dazzling. You spoke with Trish, your stylist, and asked her if she could work with Versace on a design you had in mind. She said she would work on it.

Tom was texting and calling quite frequently, sending you two more bouquets of flowers with another poem on each card. The calls became more familiar, a little more flirty, and you sent him a new watch to his hotel and some chocolates - since you knew they were his guilty pleasure.

James had contacted you a few times but he had a couple of interviews related to Split coming out soon so he was rather busy. But in a way it was good because you were able to spend more time and attention on Tom - that was a good thing, right? You weren’t so sure, you were already in so deep with both of these men, you didn’t need to have the decision be any harder than it was.

The premiere was tonight, Tuesday night and you were getting ready while Skyping with Ida.

“How is life going, secret agent?” she asked with a laugh.

“It’s good,” you answered as you grabbed the Versace gown that was one of a kind, pulling it out and grabbing the matching accessories Trish had picked for you.

“So….do they know yet?”

“No,” you said shrugging, taking your tablet into the bathroom while you curled your hair at your vanity and began applying makeup in your cute Victoria’s Secret robe that you got while being a guest model on the annual fashion show.

“But haven’t they seen the tabloids?”

“Yes, and I told them it was just dinner.”

“So you lied,” she surmised.

“No. We did have dinner.”

She sighed. “Alright. I can see you aren’t going to be honest with them.”

“Ida, how can I? If I come out and say ‘I’m dating both of you because I don’t know who I like more’, they are going to make the decision for me and I don’t want that. Let’s get of this topic please. How is the article coming?”

“I meet with MTV in an hour. So far so good. I got some good material from Guns n Roses.”

“Nice. I bet that was fun. Where are you, anyway?”

“For today and tomorrow I’m in New Orleans.”

“Cool. Have I shown you the gown?” you questioned.

“You haven’t! Let me see, let me see!” she demanded excitedly. You opened the garment bag and showed her the red velvet long sleeve dress that had a neckline that plunged with diamond strings between the cleavage, and opened on the sides with more rows of diamonds and a slit that was only knee high.

“My god, woman, you’re going to give poor Tom a heart attack in that!” she exclaimed, admiring the dress.

“You think?” you questioned, unsure.

“Oh yeah. Those are going to show off the girls very nicely. You’re going to be stunning! I can’t wait to see all of the shots of you two together. Oh, how are you going to keep this a secret from James?”

You shrugged as you put the dress back up and finished with your make up. “If he asks about it, I’ll just say Tom asked me to come as a friend. You really needn’t worry about this,” you said.

She threw up her hands in a surrender. “Alright, alright. I’ll leave it be. I’m just jealous, I suppose,” she informed and stuck her tongue out. “Oh, I gotta go. Have fun! Lots of love!”

“Bye, sweetie.” You hung up the call and finished getting ready. You slid the dress on, put on the black velvet peep toe pumps to match, a diamond choker and matching earrings, grabbed your satin clutch and went to the kitchen to wait on your date. You were actually early for once.

James texted you.

“Just thinking about you, hoping you’re having a good night.”

“I am,” you responded, a smile coming across your face, as his words sunk in. “And you?”

“It would be better if I was with you.”

“You’ll see me on set tomorrow,” you reminded, ignoring how that comment made you feel.

“Not soon enough. Can I see you tonight?”

“I already have plans. I’m sorry. What about tomorrow night?”

“Aye aye, mate, that will work. See you tomorrow then.”

“au revoir pour le moment”

The doorbell rang and you happily skipped over to it.

“Tom!” you greeted, throwing the door open.

“Mademoiselle,” he greeted with a wide grin. “You look absolutely stunning. I see your stylist put my money to good use,” he remarked.

“This is actually a custom design I made,” you informed.

“Oh? It becomes you. It’s rather...daring,” he noted with a gulp.

You shrugged delicately. “Yes, well when you’re this good looking, why hide it all?”

“Indeed. Shall we?” he offered, gesturing to a car waiting for us.

“Absolutely.” You grabbed your clutch from the counter and locked the front door. You two got inside the luxury sedan and headed on your way to the premiere.

“Are you excited?” you asked.

“I’m nervous, to be frank. I always feel uneasy seeing films I’m in for the first time.”

“Why is that?”

“I feel like I’m my worst critic. I feel like I will critique every little thing I do.”

“And do you?” you wondered.

“Most of the time no, but then I do and I sit there wondering if everyone else noticed the blunder as well.”

You shook your head with a gentle laugh. “Tom, you’re a wonderful actor. Everyone loves you, and hell even if you have one miniscule facial cue that was off, so what? The directors and producers must’ve liked it,” you said. “I know you and I know how hard you work and how good you are, don't let anyone persuade you differently.”

“That’s very sweet,” he said before suddenly leaning in to kiss you, taking you by surprise, but to be honest, kissing him felt amazing after not seeing him for so long. When he pulled away from the loving kiss, he was still rather close. In a low voice, he said,  “Thank you for accompanying me, I know you’re busy.”

“Oh please, I’m happy to come. I’m just blessed you chose me over about a million women who would kill for this opportunity.”

Tilting your head up with his fingers on your chin, he looked into your eyes and said, “Yes, but they aren’t you.” He planted a few more kisses on your ruby red lips before pulling himself away. “I’m sorry, if we keep going we’ll smudge your makeup, and we can’t have that.”

You cleared your throat, just then realizing your arousal. “Mmm, no we can't have that.”

Finally, you made it to the premiere and you joined the line of cars that was letting celebrities out onto the teal carpet.

“You ready?” you asked, trying to get Tom spirited for his debut.

“So long as you’re by my side,” he breathed, gazing at you with that lost-in-the-moment look. He was swimming in your eyes and you couldn’t help but dive right into his grey-blues, the moment was cut short as Tom’s door was opened and he was greeted by Luke, Tom’s agent.

Luke bent down and leaned his head in. “Hey, Tom, you can go ahead. Oh, hey Y/N, how are you?” He waved slightly at you.

You smiled warmly at him. “I’m fine, Luke, how have you been?”

“I’m on my toes with this one here,” he informed, gesturing to Tom. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you. So do you. New suit?”

“Why yes it is.” He looked up and then bent back down. “Okay, it’s your turn.”

Tom climbed out then helped you out, immediately the flashes from dozens of cameras were blinding you. You never understood how the other celebs didn’t get dizzy as hell with all the flashing and shouting and chaos. People were calling to Tom for questions about Kong, Thor, other projects, and you… To dodge the question about you, he simply said you were there as a friend, thankfully. You hadn’t discussed the whole “Do we confirm or deny us dating?” PR bullshit yet, and the general rule in Hollywood was - if you haven’t discussed it, you deny it. The last thing anyone wanted in this business was for their secret lover to be outed when they didn’t want to be.

You took several photos together as Tom had his hand on your waist and your hand around his. While Tom was being asked about his films, you were pulled by a few people to ask about Juxtaposition and Renegades, the one you just got signed onto. Tom stepped away from you only a few times when he was asked to photograph with Sam and Brie. Brie and you complimented each other’s dresses and hugged, promising to talk after the movie.  

After what seemed like a million questions, hugs, familiar faces, new faces, autographs, photos, you made it to the end of the teal carpet and into the theater where you sat with Tom, Brie, Sam, John, and then all around you were the directors, producers, and editing team. The movie was absolutely incredible and you leaned over and whispered little compliments to Tom each time his acting was so on point you wanted to just scream. As much as you were an actress, you were a huge fan of films. You couldn't help but forget you knew half of these people as they transformed into their roles. It’s a stunning and surreal experience to say the least.

Once the film was done, you were lead to a private room for the after party which was huge. Music was playing songs from the soundtrack of the movie, so many guests were already dancing, colleagues of the trade were greeting each other, a few photos were being snapped. You and Tom walked in and soon Brie found you two.

“There you are, hey guys!” she greeted, coming up and hugging each of you. “Y/N, I haven’t seen you in like a year. How are you? I hear you’re working on...Juxtaposition, is that right?”

“Yep,” you replied nodding. “I’m fine. You did wonderfully, by the way! Excellent work in Kong.”

“Oh,” she said lightly, waving you off. “He’s the real star, the stud on your arm,” she insisted, motioning to Tom standing next to you who was blushing now.

Tom smiled and offered, “I’ll go get us some drinks. Brie, anything?”

“Champagne, please,” she requested kindly. She turned back to you as he left. “So, Tom, huh? Is it serious?”

“We don’t know yet,” you said honestly. “We’re just...going with it for now.” You shrugged as you both eyed him walking across the room.

“Well he’s an amazing man. He’d be a hard one to let go. Unless you’ve got someone on the side…” she insinuated.

Your eyes flickered to her and they said more than your words could.

“Gotcha, I’m not saying anything. Not my place to judge or say anything,” she said.

“Thank you,” you breathed. “And you? Anyone new?”

“Not that anyone knows about,” she informed with a devious expression.

“You scandalous girl, you,” you teased nudging her with your arm.

Tom came back with champagne for everyone.

“A toast,” you said, raising your glass. “To your successful, wonderfully acted, amazing movie, may it blockbust until the cows come home!” All of you laughing as you clinked glasses.

Brie excused herself as you and Tom sipped on your drinks for a few minutes, talking about the movie and your comments on it. He got pulled away by another director and said he would be right back. While you waited, you texted Ida about the movie and your night thus far.

You were so busy Tweeting, Facebooking, and checking Instagram, and being approached by a few other colleagues, that you hadn’t noticed Tom was gone for thirty minutes. Finally, he returned.

“I am so sorry about that, every chance I had to come back I got pulled another direction.”

“It’s fine,” you assured kindly, you knew just how that could happen at functions like these.

“Let me make it up to you. Would you care for a dance?”

“Yes, I’ve been dying to!” He grabbed your hand and led you to the dance floor. The song that was currently playing was rather upbeat and allowed you to dance almost a tango sort of a dance. You were dancing so well that a crowd began to form. Tom had several dancing lessons through his career and was an excellent partner and a terrific leader. Your feet swept across the dance floor as you glided. Somewhere in your bones you knew you two looked marvelous as the crowd of friends and stars watched you two move about the floor, making it your own. Too soon, the song ended but then it went into a perfect waltzing song and you thought you would squeal from delight. He took you in the proper frame and you began waltzing. Again, the crowd watched, mesmerized by every move you two made.

His hand in yours and his hand on your waist gave you a wave of butterflies as he led you across the floor, staring into your eyes and you staring back. The intimacy was so thick between you two it made your knees weak. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say this was a scene for a romance movie. The dancing continued for the rest of the evening, you knew your feet would be sore as all hell tomorrow, but you didn’t care.

The after party ended and some people were going to the “after-after parties” but Tom knew you had to work in the morning so you two piled into the car and set for your home.

It was quiet and dark in the car, the perfect atmosphere for you to play with his hands, lacing your fingers around his, tracing little patterns.

“I had a lot of fun tonight,” Tom informed in a low voice in your ear.

“Me too,” you said as you peered up through thick lashes. Like someone flicked on the electricity, the lust erupted between you two and Tom was leaning over you, his mouth on yours as your hands moved to his curls and pulled slightly on them, causing him to bite your lip as a sexy laugh escaped both of you. It took a hell of a lot of willpower to not practically jump him there in the backseat, so much so that you found yourself a few times slightly grinding in your seat. You continued to kiss, nip, bite until you were at your house.

Watching Tom on screen for Kong was incredibly sexy, and you just happened to be dating him. Needless to say, you had a scratch that needed itching after watching him handle a gun and be incredibly masculine.

Courage capturing you for a moment, you asked quietly, “Would you like to come inside?”

“I’d love to.”

He got out and helped you out and you lead him inside by his hand, a giant grin painted on your faces. As soon as the door closed, he grabbed your face in his hands and began kissing you heatedly as he pushed you against the door, his hips and arousal pressing against you, making you melt into his arms. You couldn’t help but pick your legs up suddenly and wrap them around his waist. This seemed to launch him into a full blown frenzy as he carried you like that to the bedroom and had his way with you. He was better than you’d ever imagined.

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

The next morning, you woke up earlier than your alarm, kissed Tom on his back, and went out and make coffee, a frittata and some homemade fruit waffles in your silk, short robe.

“Smells good,” Tom said, his boxers hanging low on his waist as he came into the kitchen, making that familiar throb appear between your legs.

“Thank you, it’s almost ready.”

“You looked damned sexy with after-sex hair, in nothing but a robe,” he complimented as he came up behind you while you cooked, rubbing all over your body. You got lost in the sensation quickly and turned around and started kissing him over and over again. He picked you up, turned off the stove, and put you on the counter and took you again, amazingly well. Your name on his lips sounded like heaven as he thrust into you until you both found release. As well for him, shouting “Tom” over and over, seemed to bring him closer each time you screamed it.

When you were done, you ran and got ready, eating quickly as you were dressing, Tom following suit. Your cars rolled up, ready to take you both to your destinations.

“I had a really great time last night,” you said as you walked out together into the cool morning air. “Thank you for the dresses, so much.”

“My pleasure. When can we see each other again?” he asked fervently.

You bit your lip. “I don’t know. I think filming is about to pick up some more. I’ll check my calendar and let you know, will that work?” None of that was a lie, thankfully. A lot of interviews were about to take place soon.

“Sure.” He smiled and kissed your forehead then climbed into his car as you made your way over to yours, ready to head to the set.

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

A little over a week had passed and Tom was keeping in contact most every day, sending sweet notes that made your day brighter, while James worked on set with you to make you laugh and feel sexy and vibrant and strong. They both ended up sending more gifts to your house. Tom sent a book, one of your favorite authors and it was a book you didn’t own yet. James sent you a locket with a note that said, “Fill it with memories to keep close to your heart.” He must’ve remembered you saying you missed your parents back home and how sometimes you felt a little homesick and lonely out here.

It seemed like life couldn’t get any more perfect, except now there was only one problem - who do you choose? You thought after the first two dates it would be easier, simple, but it wasn’t. They both possessed qualities that women craved in men, and more often than not, went above and beyond to make you feel special, not to mention you were attracted to both. This was supposed to be a quick experiment, two or three dates and then you’d leave one, but you found yourself unable to choose between your Brit and your Scot.

It was Friday and you had an show with Jimmy Kimmel and decided to wear the pink lacey dress that you bought with Tom’s generosity. It was cut short and made you look almost like a modern day princess, prim and proper.

When the show was over, you were in your hotel room, hoping to catch some sleep before your red-eye flight back to LA when James called.

“Hey, there,” he greeted, your favorite accent coming at you through the phone, immediately relieving you of all stress.

“Hey,” you greeted back softly.

“I saw the show. You were wonderful.”

“Yeah? You think?”

“Yeah, absolutely marvelous. The dress looked beautiful on you too, the pink really brought our your eyes.”

Without thinking, you replied, “Oh thanks, Tom bought it for me.” Shit. What did you just say?

“Tom, as in Tom Hiddleston?” he said carefully.

“Yeah,” you said innocently, trying to disbar any concern or suspicion, as you closed your eyes and you bit your lip.

A bit of silence passed on the phone as you anxiously awaited any response from him.

“I see. Are you sure there isn’t anything going on with him? He seems to be around a lot lately,” he said, a bit of annoyance in his voice.

“He’s just a friend,” you asserted and left it at that.

He laughed lightly on the other end of the line as he said, “I suppose I’m being a bit jealous, aren’t I? I’m sorry. Well it looks beautiful on you. Say, I was wondering if when you got back tomorrow if you’d like to run lines again?”

You chuckled seductively. “Run lines like we did last time where we got nothing done? Or run lines where we actually work?” you teased.

“We’ll see where the night takes us,” he flirted.

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

“See you when you get back, Y/N, I’ll be counting the minutes.”

“Au Revoir,” you quietly said.

“Bonsoir ma fleur de minuit,” he responded beautifully. From what you remembered of your gathered French, he just told you, “Goodnight, my midnight flower.”

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

Saturday night, you made dinner and set the table and told James that you had made food so you could focus on work rather than pigging out on junk food like last time. You got wine chilled, made a quiche, some roasted potatoes, and made a dark chocolate cake for dessert. One thing you really missed from Oklahoma was all the home cooking, all the big meals, the family events….

James knocked on the door precisely at 6 and you welcomed him happily. You ate food, thanking him for his gifts, telling him you missed him and he returned the warmth. He said he was happy to do those things, he complimented your cooking, and was happy to see you again as well.

“Well, should we get through some of this scene for Monday?” you offered.

“Let’s. And hopefully we can get through it this time without someone distracting me,” he chastised.

You both stood from the dining room table as you made your way into the living room with your glasses of wine.

“I distracted you?” you asked.

“Well, I wasn’t the one to bring up Narnia,” he mentioned, shrugging with a playful expression.

“You’re just lucky I didn’t put on X-Men,” you warned, sticking your tongue as he sat on your couch.

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

You blushed as you turned your head away to sit your wine down on the coffee table.

“I...I-uh...I sort of...Have a crush on your character,” you blurted out so fast and mumbled you weren’t sure if he heard you.

“What was that?” he demanded through a small bout of laughter as he leaned up, trying to look at you.

“I...Have a crush on your character,” you said again, but slower and less mumbled.

He laughed as he leaned back and clapped, throwing his head back. “Oh that’s amazing. So you have a mutant kink? Or is it purely a Chuck kink?”

You took a sofa pillow and hit him with it. “Shut up,” you warned with a tease. “Can we just read our lines?”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry,” he offered, throwing his hands up in an apologetic manner. He grabbed his script book and you grabbed yours. At first it was easy to get into character and you both read the lines seriously for about forty five minutes, a few times over before you moved on, and suddenly it was the makeout and sex scene that you had yet to shoot. You’d done two makeout scenes so far but this was the final one between your characters.

“Oh, we can skip over this if you want,” you said, shrugging, a blush creeping into your face. “I don’t think we need to rehearse that if you don’t want to.”

You looked up from your script to see what he wanted to do and you would’ve sworn someone put him under a lust spell. He was eyeing you hungrily, his pupils dilated as he alternated between biting his lip and licking it.

Your mouth and throat ran dry as you squeaked, “James?”

“Let’s rehearse it, if you don't mind.”

“I don’t mind,” you breathed, eyeing him.

You read your cues and started the kissing, gentle at first but then it was supposed to become more forceful, and James did just that. He pushed you with his hands on your shoulders onto the couch, his mouth molding with yours as you ran your hands long his back, your legs automatically coming to rest beneath him. His hands were rubbing your shoulders, then glided up to your hair as he pulled your head to the side and bit your neck, this wasn’t in the script at all but you weren’t about to stop it.

Eventually, you found your legs open and he was cradled between you as the kissing deepened, you pulled at the hem of his shirt and tugged it off, he was opening your blouse when your phone rang.

Between kisses, he asked, “Do you need to get that?”

You almost answered no, but then you realized it could be your family.

“Uh, maybe, it could be my family.”

“Ah,” he said as he climbed off of you and you jumped up and grabbed your phone from the counter. You saw Tom’s name across the screen and dashed into your bedroom and closed the door quietly.

“Hey, you,” you said, half hoping he would make this a quick call so you could return to what you were doing.

“Hey, how are you? Having a good weekend?”

“Terrific, how’s yours?”

“The usual. I had the London premiere today, then tomorrow I meet with Chris for something on Thor.”

“Ah, yeah, yeah.”

“Are you okay? You sound a little...busy?” he wondered.

“Oh, no, I was just...studying my lines.”

“Right, right! I’ll let you get back to it then, I should start getting ready anyhow. It was nice to hear you.”

“You too.”

“Well goodbye,” he said kindly.

“Bye.”

You hung up and rushed back out to the living room where James was waiting for you.

“Was it family?” he questioned nonchalantly.

“Uh, no, it was Tom,” you answered honestly. You were going to try being as honest as you could with them, even if a few lies got sprinkled in, it was killing you to do this to them but...you were selfish.

James scoffed as he grabbed his shirt and pulled it back on. “For a guy who’s just your friend, he sure is around a lot,” he noted with an annoyed tone.

“James, please. He just--”

“Just what?” he demanded as he got up. “Y/N, we were in the middle of a moment there and you stomped on it for a friend. I don't mind if it was your family, I get it, you want to talk to them whenever you can or if it’s an emergency, that’s fine. But when I’m in between your legs, it would be nice if your attention was on me and not that British bastard,” he spat at you.

“No, James, I--”

But he ignored you as he went to the door, wrenched it open, then slammed it shut. You stood there, stunned. What were you going to do? You considered calling Ida, but your phone rang in your hand and you nearly jumped out of your skin. This time, it really was your family. Sighing, you answered.

“Hey, Mom,” you greeted, faking some cheer. You weren’t unhappy to hear from her, you were just distraught from James’ outburst.

“Hey, bubbles,” your mom replied with your nickname. You earned it growing up because you were constantly blowing bubbles and loved bubble baths. “How’s my celebrity daughter doing?”

“I’m doing,” you said simply as you started to clean up dinner. “How’re you, Mom?”

“Oh, I’m alright. I saw you in the news.”

“Yeah? What’d it say?”

“It says your dating those two European boys,” she informed. You groaned internally. You did not need this on top of what else was happening.

“Something like that.”

“Hmm, well be careful. Your daddy says those boys are only after one thing,” she warned.

“Lucky for me I’m after the same thing,” you said back, teasing in your tone.

“Y/N!” your mom responded and you could just see her shaking her head as you laughed.

“Oh, Mom, calm down. I’m just having fun. I’m dating some men, what’s the big deal?” you asked as you finished loading the dishwasher.

“Well, nothing I guess. They’re saying awful things about you though and it just makes me madder than a wet hen.”

“Eh, you can’t let it affect you. I don’t even read that stuff and when I do, I remind myself that no matter what I do, I’m going to have those comments happen,” you reminded.

She sighed. “I know, but you’re my daughter and the things they’re saying….”

“I know,” you said quietly. “They’re idiots, Mom, don’t listen to them.”

“I saw you on Jimmy Kimmel too! I recorded it and I’m going to show Bethany.”

Bethany was your next door neighbor back home and your mom’s best friend.

“Oh, good. Did you like it?”

“I loved it sweetie. I also saw you on that Graham Norton show.”

“Oh…” You laughed uneasily. “That was...uh...well that was just…”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me, dear, I was your age too once, remember?”

“Momma, you scandalous devil,” you teased with a grin.

“Hey, you’ve got it sweetheart, you need to flaunt it before age takes it away like mine.”

“You’re still beautiful.”

“Well thank you dear. Well I won’t hold you up, baby, I just wanted to check in. I love you, I’m going to go to bed.”

“I love you too. Tell Daddy I told him I love him too and tell everyone back home I said hi.”

“I will.”

You bid each other goodnight and hung up.

#decisions decisions #tom hiddleston #james mcavoy #tom hiddleston fic #tom hiddleston x reader #james mcavoy fic #james mcavoy x reader

[monleonrpg]

WELCOME TO MONLEON:

FULL NAME: Natalie Nordegraf

OCCUPATION: Musician, Record Producer and DJ

AGE & D.O.B.: 26 / March 10th, 1994

RESIDENCE: Foncebadón

ORIGINALLY FROM:  Monleon, Florida

HOW LONG THEY’VE BEEN IN TOWN: 17 years

BIOGRAPHY:

TW: light mentions of drugs and abandonment

Raised between New York and Florida, Natalie Nordegraf’s life was always a dichotomy of pushes and pulls, but then again, they were the type who loved working against the status quo. Their earliest memories were of white picket fences, people coming to their beck and call, and the quaint, pictorial scenes from their bedroom balcony―marble fountains and a great verdant lawn where they usually ran about, lost in a world of their own. Their early life was very much a spectacle: behind the scenes, nannies and professional caretakers played the part of their mother, and in the spotlight, on dark stages before the flashing paraphernalia of paparazzi, their mother played the part she had forsaken for the sake of freedom. Natalie, far from being a true conglomerate of Charlotte’s ornamental grandeur and Thomas’ natural born charisma, tried to smile through it all despite their discomfort with being in the spotlight, both a shot of malt and its remedy combined in a sweet dose, auburn-haired and brown eyed, a flaming glory which was only waiting for morning to bloom.

A pop of color in any landscape and incredibly ironic in a sense that was often viewed as different; they were the giggle at the funeral, the kid living in the phrase “go big or go home”. Growing up as a small celebrity in a big state, it wasn’t only the family money (vintage Porches, two rugged Golden retrievers, a snapping flagpole in the circular drive through), but the reputation which preceded them; which came to define the Nordegraf’s only child. Their family had long forged a straight and scenic path before Natalie, smoothing out every possible inconvenience that could have risen. Thomas was the money and the name, Charlotte his beloved, docile wife; and Natalie—well, Natalie was the one who seemed to break up the image of their perfect family, the one who appeared in the doorway, bright-eyed and tousle-haired, clothes stained with grass stains. Wild, unrefined.

Natalie was born with the kind of brain that took some growing into. Not necessarily on their part; they never questioned their own peculiarity when it was the rest of the world that seemed to lag a pace behind. Truthfully, Natalie was happy to be Natalie, but they were never happy being lonely. They loved having friends, few as they came, fleeting as they were. Lanky for their age and awkward, they sought out human connections eagerly and did not fail for lack of trying; making other kids like you was just a little harder when they seemed to exist on a different wavelength, and communication across frequencies didn’t come easily to them. When everyone else rushed outside to play kickball or hopscotch, Natalie spent their recess indoors—tapping at the glass of the classroom’s monarch tank, craning their neck nearly ninety degrees to solemnly peer at the hanging chrysalises. When the girls were chatting away about TV shows and giggling about their classroom crushes, Natalie tried to join in with a lively discussion about the latest Lord of the Rings book they’d just finished or their current favorite band to listen to—but got nothing but dirty looks in return. Once, after watching everyone else trade Pokemon cards at lunch, Natalie had brought in hand-made cards of their own creature inventions and shared them around happily. They’d found them all crumpled in the trash at the end of the day, the drawings crudely vandalized. At the time, they didn’t really understand it, but the reason for their ostracization was simple: “gifted” did not cancel out “weird” in the eyes of other fifth-graders.

So like most oddballs and offbeats, childhood was simply a waiting game for Natalie. There eventually came a time when being different was no longer the leprosy of the playground, and dragging around an over creative mind didn’t always get in the way of every social interaction they attempted. Being quirky was no longer weird; it was admirable, enviable, a label that came with it’s own inverted cool factor even in the face of the letterman-wearing jocks and pony-tailed cheerleaders. Now that the barriers had been lifted, their friendly and extroverted personality left them with no shortage of friends. Their quirks flourished in the company of those who could appreciate them. High school was also an era of enlightenment for Natalie in other ways; with their extraordinary knack for learning multiple instruments and blossoming love of all things artistic, they’d never even realized how starved they’d been on the music and art curriculum of their previous years until they started teaching themself. From the first time they learned to read sheet music to holding a guitar in their hands, they felt the click of something falling rightfully in it’s place. It didn’t get much closer to love at first sight than that.

For someone who’s brain had seemed to have a decent enough start, their personality took longer to fully bloom. Maybe it was those early years of classroom and home isolation that had stunted it, or the fact that even their identity needed some time to catch up with their creative flow; whatever the case, only by their last years of high school did the “weird girl” start to resemble the real Natalie Veronica Nordegraf: finally coming out as queer and non-binary, of eccentric style, multiplying tattoos, and the speaking rate of a NASCAR engine. The strange, colorful appearance gave off one impression; opening their mouth into an excited conversation about making synthesized music beats or the latest episode of Attack on Titan turned it into entirely another. By the time they embarked upon their four years at University, Natalie had self-actualized into such a bundle of contradictions that everything about them seemed designed purely to baffle people—but truthfully, they were never the kind of person to blueprint their personality.

Their parents decided that it was better off keeping their one and only child away from the spotlight for fear of extreme scrutiny concerning their peculiar nature. Unsurprising as Natalie hadn’t ever truly felt seen by their parents—especially after coming out. Their relationship with Charlotte and Thomas was always a difficult one, if anything non-existent. Still, when Natalie was just a freshman in college, their mother had a mid-life stroke and it affected them all the same. Natalie was ready and willing to drop all their classes and fly home on the next available flight, but their father assured them there was no need for such drastic measures—they were to stick to their studies, and things would be just fine at home. And they were, for a while. Charlotte battled her way through a long, slow recovery to retrain some of the functions she’d lost, and regain pieces of the charismatic, sharp-witted woman she’d always been—until the second stroke blindsided them all. This bleed was worse than the last. It was a hemorrhage Hiroshima that wilted Charlotte Nordegraf overnight, and wiped her personality clean like a hard drive. Natalie didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to their mother—the real Charlotte, not the empty husk that had replaced her by the next morning.

Their mother’s steep and sudden decline was a fissure that would eventually crack the family completely in two; Natalie, helpless and frustrated in grief, found themself blaming their father for not prioritizing their own mother over a year or two of school. Maybe being at home would’ve helped her. Maybe it would’ve changed things. The crack soon widened into a chasm when their father admitted that he was looking into long-term care facilities that could provide for his wife better than he could; Natalie protested vehemently, but argument after argument amounted to nothing. From that moment on, Natalie let the distance between them grow without so much as another phone call. Taking on one part-time job, then another, Natalie found that a constant stream of work kept their brain a little too exhausted for them to continue on with their studies. Eventually, instead of becoming a security blanket school became a burden; and Natalie found themself dropping out.

The next three years passed by in a blur after that; they shacked up with some friends turned roommates, got a few new tattoos, learned more instruments, and tried to focus more on their passions despite the unresolved trauma they carried with them. Eventually, Natalie moved inside the old house that their father never frequented and that they grew up in—entirely too large for one person but they found a small solace in the space surprisingly. Ever since, Natalie has tried to anchor their life as best as they could in their hometown. Though their family is now a family of their own choosing: people who love them as unapologetically as Natalie loves them. Though their heart may still ache for what has been lost, it’s a pain that will soften with time; for now, they are content to find comfort simply in belonging. All those years of loneliness, all that time spent hungering for friends to call their own, and it’s back home in Monleon that they’d found their place—and the utmost fulfillment of a puzzle piece that’s finally discovered where it fits.

They prefer to dwell in the positive. Natalie’s passions include music, playing gigs with their band Dommy Mommy Propaganda, gaming, learning to play new instruments, animals, burgers, fries, beer, and lots of weed. On a typical night out, Natalie will be amiable, easygoing, give off a lot of himbo/bimbo energy while being effortlessly awkward. As they talk weightlessly, you may notice a sadness lurking behind their eyes. As they swig their beer, you may also notice them absently thumbing the tiny, claw-machine silver pendant that hangs around their neck—the rare gift from their mother. Though they still dare to dream big; they are currently getting into producing and putting more of their music out there.

NATALIE NORDEGRAF is portrayed by BRIGETTE LUNDY-PAINE and written by TOMMIE.

#a #nb

[jacewilliams1]

Two memorable days of flying with my son

I like to think there are a handful of driving forces in my life. Family and flying are two of those and, thanks to a supportive family, I sometimes get to combine those. My jack-of-all-trades FBO/mechanic/pilot/instructor career choice often means that flying takes me away from the family, but during a special couple of days I got to share an airplane delivery trip with my nine-year old.

The trip was simple. A long-time customer called to request my services for two trips. He needed me to fly him to Florida in his TBM 850 for a week’s stay. Also he was wondering if I would be willing to deliver his Carbon Cub from Florida to Iowa. He, of course, had me at Carbon Cub and the tentative dates were set. I let my wife know that I had a few more overnights in my future. We briefly discussed that our oldest son Sullivan might enjoy the trip, but I kinda felt it might be too much for a nine-year old and I certainly didn’t want to burn this little aviation nut out.

The night before the trip, the boys helped me get the TBM ready and I thought the plan was firm. It was… until Sullivan overheard us talking about how long it would take me to get home in the Carbon Cub. His response was, “You’re flying a Carbon Cub home from Florida? Can I go?” Megan and I looked at each other: I’m thinking his weight won’t be much of an issue, and Megan’s thinking it’s the end of the summer and the boys have been fighting a lot.

This is gonna be fun…

The last thing I need on a long trip is a distraction, but Sullivan has been a great little flying buddy from nearly day one. He’s literally flown hundreds of hours with me and he is a great stick holder, traffic spotter, and chart/NOTAM reader. So here we go: 2000 miles, two airplanes, and two days with my son. I could hardly wait until morning!

The trip, like so many adventures in my life, starts and ends at PEA (Pella Municipal Airport.) This is our home airport, five minutes from our home, where I soloed, where my dad instructed in the 70s, 90s and after, and where we have run a little FBO for nearly 20 years.

The first leg was PEA-DSM – 12 minutes in the air with Sullivan in the right seat. He has ridden in the TBM before and even tried his hand at the controls. But in typical Sullivan fashion, each flight brings a new level of appreciation and a new series of questions. Today’s fascination was the feather check, which he immediately connected to the angle of the blades he saw on the preflight. I was sure he would bring it up again.

We landed in Des Moines and picked up the owner and his family. Sullivan happily moved to the back so the owner could join me up front. The trip down was three hours and 15 minutes and as perfect as it could be. Sullivan joined in playing cards in the back and even learned a couple of games he planned to teach us. He occasionally put on a headset to talk to us up front, including additional propeller feathering questions. Once he learned where the ETA is on the MFD, we heard him periodically tell the other passengers how far we were out (to the second).

We landed at Leesburg, Florida, and were greeted by the excellent FBO there and a couple of corporate pilot friends from Pella who were there for the day. I knew they would be there, but forgot to tell Sullivan – which made it a good surprise for him and a good reinforcement that aviation is a very small world.

As we descended, the typical midday Florida CB clouds were appearing and as we took the short ride to the grass strip to get the Cub, they were growing. I was not hungry and thinking about the forecast thunderstorms so I forget to get lunch for Sullivan. Possibly good risk management but bad parenting. Sullivan’s subtle hint was, “Dad I can’t remember where we had lunch.” I made sure he was ok for a while and promised him a cheeseburger at the first stop.

We picked up the Cub at a beautiful grass strip, appropriately named “Grassroots.” The hangar door was opened, and the airplane looked as good as the last time I saw it, and I had a strong desire to fly it. Scattered thunderstorms would be developing soon and the goal was simple: get as far as we could that day, with low risk. If that was 30 miles, no problem. We were traveling by light airplane now and we would go with the flow.

Like the businessman stranded in Mayberry, we were about to see the beauty of a slow-paced life. The battery was weak on the start and life experience told me it was a sign of things to come. Sullivan rode in this Carbon Cub a few years ago, but he got refreshed on its performance in a hurry.

As we climbed to pattern altitude before the end of the runway, he was doing pilot talk (“This baby really climbs;” “We wouldn’t be near this high in the Champ, she’s got a ton of power.”) in an excited kid’s voice. I was thankful for a good intercom and headsets because I couldn’t get enough of that.

Father and son and sun – a perfect combination.

We were off and heading north and it’s hard to explain how good things felt. Father and son and sun and a great airplane to boot. Sun and puffy clouds turned to more gray and rain shafts as we continued. We had ADS-B to the iPad and XM Weather to a Garmin handheld, but the eyeball is the best way to work around this stuff. Sullivan was interested in the weather; he watched snakes of lightning in the distance and commented about the cool air coming in the vents as we got close to rain showers. The ride was not completely smooth, but Sullivan is a seasoned pro and he didn’t seem to even notice.

The first fuel stop in an airplane you’ve never flown cross-country should be deliberately short of where it could be and ours was. We targeted Valdosta or Albany, Georgia, as the furthest we intended to go. As we approached Valdosta, the showers were filling in to the north and it looked like time to stop. We landed, taxied to the FBO and the first noise we heard after the headsets came off was thunder in the distance.

Our timing was good – the storms were building – so now it was to work on getting the light Cub (which suddenly seemed very fragile) into a hangar. When we attempted to start the airplane to take it to the hangar, it was evident that the battery was a problem. The generous FBO staff helped us get the airplane in a hangar and we borrowed the crew car to shop for a replacement battery. Fortunately, since we were dealing with an experimental aircraft, an exact replacement battery was found at a nearby NAPA and it was quickly installed.

With the battery installed, it was evident that the rain was staying and Valdosta was our overnight stop. As someone who averages one night a week in a hotel by myself flying for customers, I can’t begin to explain how cool it is to sneak my son along for a night.

After forgetting lunch, I promised Sullivan he could order anything he wanted for dinner. He took me up on my offer and skipped the kids’ menu and went for the steak and ribs combo. He ordered a flavored tea like me and took note of the waiter’s offer of unlimited refills and flavor options. Like any flight crew on an overnight, we reminisced about the day’s flying and chatted about what might be going on at home. I was not used to monitoring my copilot’s caffeine intake and Sullivan got our money’s worth on the tea refills. On the short walk back to the hotel, it became evident that Sullivan won’t be falling asleep anytime soon.

It rained nearly non-stop all evening and into the night. Sullivan now thinks that Valdosta is just about the rainiest place on earth. It’s fun to pull up ForeFlight radar sometimes and say, “Sullivan, guess where it’s raining today?” Like any pilot he gets that “been there, done that” tone in his voice when he says “Valdosta!”

We stayed up late like kings in our two hotel beds watching many episodes of “American Pickers.” Somehow I hadn’t watched it with Sullivan, who is an old soul himself and he remains hooked on it to this day. The alarm came early in the morning and the weather looked as if it might be a good day to finish the rest of the trip.

We ate a hotel breakfast together (another special father-son chat) and caught an Uber ride to the airport. Although the forecast was good, fog started to develop as we headed to the airport. We were taking no chances on this trip and we were happy to wait together on the FBO couch as long as needed (although we both knew we could have slept in a little longer). The fog delay eliminated a small surprise stop in Tullahoma at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum for my little Staggerwing fan. It wouldn’t be too far out of the way, but I knew if we stopped it would eliminate any chance to get home before an approaching weather system.

The fog cleared and we were off above green trees and scattered low clouds. The first leg was picture perfect. I don’t know what my pilot-dad sees from heaven, but I remember thinking he’d love to see Sullivan and I gliding over those scattered clouds in a shiny Cub. The whole trip became a geography lesson for Sullivan. We talked about what we had seen from high in the TBM on the way down and now we were experiencing the change in sights and smells from Central Florida to Southern Georgia. We saw logging below, which triggered a lot of discussion about the when’s and how’s of logging.

Watching the world go by from the window of a Cub.

As we started passing over fields, Sullivan asked what kind of fields they were. I noticed we passed by Jimmy Carter Regional Airport so I said with Dad-like confidence, “Those are peanut fields, son.” Whether I was right or not, Sullivan was happy with the answer, and he said he could almost smell the peanuts through the open window.

Our first fuel stop of the day put us just west of the Atlanta Class B at an airport with more than 5,000 feet of runway, lots of hangars, and self-serve fuel. Sullivan was excited to show off the Carbon Cub as we pulled up to the self-serve pump. After all, a nine-year old doesn’t have to spend much time on YouTube to know that Carbon Cubs and other fat-tired taildraggers ooze coolness.

As we got out of the Cub, a young line guy in the fuel truck pulled away with a nod. We fueled ourselves and headed inside for a restroom break and saw no one. No one asked about the airplane, our trip, or where we were from. Sullivan, who loves to talk to people at airports, was noticeably disappointed as we took off for our longest leg.

“What was that, a turtle airport?” Sullivan said, looking back as we departed. “Everyone put their head in their shell when we showed up.” Wow! I thought to myself, not only does he understand the problem with that experience, he’s put a name to it. Sullivan was sitting in the back in the sling seat with ForeFlight running on an iPad in his lap as we climbed into the smooth air.

His view was not as good as mine. He’s a great passenger but he’s a flyer too and loves to try his hands on the controls of anything we fly. I asked if he would like to fly and I felt his hand grasp the stick before he could say yes. After some swerving left and right, he developed a way to hold a heading using the iPad and he flew most of our longest leg to Murray, Kentucky.

Our experience at Murray was different, as we expected. Johnny Parker was working his last days before retirement as the airport manager. I’ve spent many days waiting for passengers at Murray and Sullivan has met Johnny at Oshkosh and Blakesburg. We got the full-service treatment from Johnny’s replacement while Johnny admired the Carbon Cub, with Sullivan pointing out all the cool features.

We grabbed the courtesy van and ran into town for some Culver’s cheeseburgers to go. As we were heading north again in some afternoon bumps, Sullivan declared, “These are the best cheeseburgers ever.” I smiled, knowing the kid eats Culver’s burgers weekly and he was enjoying eating with me in the airplane as much as I was enjoying it with him.

After the burgers were gone, we were over terrain that looked a little more like home. Sullivan asked the inevitable question, the elephant-in-the cockpit if you will, “Will we make it home tonight?”

“No guarantees, buddy, only if we can do it safely.” I didn’t want either one of us to have get-home-itis when we were flying. We took turns flying this leg.

A little diversion north and we were well clear of weather in the St. Louis area. We stopped at a small airport in Illinois for some self-serve fuel. As we pulled up to the pumps, there was a car at the terminal, but by the time we were done fueling no one was in sight. Sullivan missed out on another chance to show off the Cub and talk about our trip. We used the restroom and loaded up; we were in range of home now, there was plenty of daylight, and the weather looked as if it would hold off until after dark. As we climbed out, Sullivan said, “Another turtle airport, Dad.” He gets it.

I said, “That’s why we work hard to make sure our airport isn’t a turtle airport, buddy,” and he knew exactly what I meant by that.

A trip that will live forever in a boy’s memory.

A few minutes into the leg, Sullivan asked if it would be ok if he closed his eyes to rest a little while. He had been a trooper and, of course, I told him it was ok, but secretly I was sad that I wouldn’t hear his voice from the back for a while. I realized how much I had enjoyed spending every waking moment with him for the past two days. Fortunately, Sullivan got his second wind after about 45 seconds and father-son front seater/back seater chatter continued.

We crossed the Mississippi and discussed it a while. Our home state greeted us with 3000 overcast and scattered rain showers. Once in Iowa, Sullivan asked if we would make it home tonight: “No guarantees.”

When we dodged a rain shower by Ottumwa 33 miles from home, he asked again: “No guarantees.” And when Pella was in sight: “No guarantees.” Sullivan got my point and just before our mains touched runway 16 at Pella he asked again: “No guarantees, but it’s looking pretty good.” We both had big smiles as the wheels touched.

The trip was complete.

It was a highlight of our summer and we talk of it often. Times will change, and no doubt Sullivan and his little brother Meyer will take on other interests in addition to or in place of flying. But for a couple of days, Sullivan and I floated above God’s green earth together. We had a job to do, we got it done, we learned about what makes airports special, we smiled, we ate, and we enjoyed each other’s company.

It was a time I’ll always cherish and it was made possible by an enthusiastic nine-year old, an understanding customer, and a long-suffering supportive wife. I apparently didn’t burn Sullivan out. He’s asked if I think we could borrow the Carbon Cub to take to the High Sierra Fly-in and little Meyer is five now, so I have some time to look for a similar work to share an adventure with him.

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