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soulmate-game · 4 years

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Bio Dad Bruce Wayne Month 2020

Day 2: Father Daughter Bonding

Marinette had known her father was Bruce Wayne since she was thirteen, and the man showed up on her balcony one day in full bat-attire exactly one month after Hawkmoth appeared. He had apparently spent the whole month sorting through all of his magical contacts and trying to figure out who the heroes were so he could offer help—only to realize that the apparent leader of the duo of heroes was his biological daughter that he never met or told about his existence.

Okay, so the majority of the month was actually spent on him trying to figure out how to deal with the daughter he had never met becoming a superhero, even a leader of a team, without his assistance or influence whatsoever. But. Regardless. It ended up with him taking a Zeta tube at midnight in Gotham, and ending up on Marinette’s balcony as she got ready for school.

That was when Marinette learned about Bruce Wayne being both Batman and her biological father. After, of course, a brief heart attack at seeing a stranger outside her trap door.

But besides that short visit, Bruce had largely respected Marinette’s order request to stay out of Paris. He understood, after all he held a similar policy for metas in Gotham. Didn’t mean he was happy about leaving Marinette to deal with her supervillain without any reliable backup, but he stayed out of the city nonetheless.

But, there was Marinette’s lack of training to see to. She was not completely untrained, she knew at least two types of martial arts pretty well and her gymnastics ability was second only to Dick himself. But for a superhero? No, she needed a lot of teaching still. So Bruce had arranged for her to spend some holidays and a weekend or two that she could get away with over at Gotham (via Zeta tubes or other portal of course) for him and the other Bats to personally instruct her. Now, three annoying years later without any solid evidence to land Gabriel in the brig (though they all knew by then that he was definitely Hawkmoth), Marinette decided to switch things up.

She landed on a gargoyle’s head, on one of her rare patrols with Batman. She wasn’t Ladybug there, instead deciding to go by the simple name Rouge Wing, as both a play on her native language and the fact that red bats are considered lucky in China. She didn’t wear her Miraculous on these patrols, instead using the rare opportunity to develop her natural skills. And prove once and for all to her stupid brother that, yes, she could keep up with him. And, no, it didn’t matter if she didn’t grow up in a temple learning how to kill, she can still hang him upside down by his ankles if he upsets her one more time—.

Right. The gargoyle.

Batman landed on the rooftop behind her, raising an eyebrow under his cowl. “Don’t you usually make fun of me for perching like that?” He asked, crossing his arms. Robin landed on that same rooftop a moment later, choosing just to sit on the lip of the building and swing one leg lazily over the edge. He and Marinette tended to get along at least half the time nowadays, which Bruce considered An Accomplishment. Marinette only hummed, blue eyes hidden behind her red domino mask as she gazed over the dark city.

“I’ve just been thinking—“

“Nothing new there,” Robin interrupted. “Should I be on the lookout before you run into a wall again?”

Marinette tossed one of her batarangs at him, which he only had to duck to dodge. Sticking her tongue out like a Mature Teenager, she continued. “You guys do things really differently here in Gotham. Which makes sense, of course, because Gotham is a lot different than Paris. But…”

“But?” Batman prodded, deciding to sit on the rooftop and lean one arm on the lip of it so he could lean towards his blood children.

“But it’s been three years. You hardly ever get out of Gotham besides JL meetings or missions, Dad. And, well, if you promise to keep a handle on your emotions—“

Robin snorted, before realizing where this discussion was going. His eyes widened behind his mask in disbelief. “No way.”

Marinette glared at him half heartedly for a moment before completely turning around on her gargoyle and facing Batman. “We don’t see each other enough. And it’s not easy for me to come to Gotham all the time. So maybe, just this once, you can come to Paris and patrol with me? Next week, maybe?”

Bruce couldn’t talk for a moment, just staring at his daughter with his mouth slightly agape. Marinette had been very specific: no non-miraculous heroes in Paris. Period. Not him, not Robin, nobody, because she wasn’t sure she and her partner would be able to win against an Akumatized hero with years of experience.

Robin tossed a birdarang at Batman, which he dodged on instinct. “Well, he’s still alive,” he remarked to his sister. Rouge Wing had scooted closer somewhere during Batman’s shock, looking minorly concerned.

“What brought this on?” Bruce finally asked, making his daughter sigh in relief at the proof of his consciousness.

“Well, multiple reasons. For one, I know now that I am capable of at least restraining you until I have the chance to break an akumatized item, so there aren’t too many worries there anymore. And I only see you once every month if I’m lucky—“

“And her birthday is next week,” Robin supplied easily, smirking at the glare his sister sent him at that.

“Traitor,” Marinette grumbled, puffing out her cheeks a little. Considering the two of them were only a month apart in age, with Damian being the older of the two, it wasn’t unusual for Bruce to forget about one or the other. Summer birthdays in general were hard for him to remember, what with all the spring birthdays that he strained to keep up with.

“Oh, oh,” Bruce sighed, rubbing a hand over his cowl-covered forehead. “That’s right. I’m sorry, of course I’m more than happy to visit Paris next week. Maybe we can even do more than one day?”

Marinette relaxed, nodding. “That would be nice. Just, not in your civilian persona. Bruce Wayne is too recognizable, even in Paris, but a visit from Batman would be shrugged off as just us getting help. But, in order for everything to work, it would probably have to be a day patrol.”

Batman flinched a bit. That’s right— his daughter was a day hero. He wasn’t looking forward to patrolling in full daylight, but he owed her this at least.

“I’ll be there.”

—*—*—*—*—*

When Batman arrived on Marinette’s balcony (actually expected, this time), it was to see the poor girl covered head to toe in ribbons and balloons that all had some variation of “sweet sixteen,” “happy birthday,” and “16!” On them. She hadn’t even been able to transform yet, her Kwami just munching on a cupcake and giggling at her expense. She even had a party hat on her head, but judging by the way she was trying to wrestle it off it hadn’t been put on her head willingly.

“Need help?” Bruce asked when he entered her room, peeling his cowl back and grinning a little at the awkward sight she made. Marinette groaned, looking at him with the most pitiful expression ever.

“Please! Maman and Papan always like celebrating my birthday, and they’ve gone over the top a few times, but I think they went a bit…” she pulled at one of her pigtails, releasing a waterfall of glitter. “Crazy this year.”

Bruce chuckled, walking over and helping to untangle the various ribbons, streamers, and other celebratory restraints that had trapped the petite Parisian. Then, once she was completely untangled and only stubborn confetti and glitter remained, Bruce hung a small box to one of her pigtails by one of it’s bow-loops. She let out a surprised laugh, rolling her eyes at him before pulling it off and looking at it properly.

On a little white card it said: “Happy 16th, Marinette!” In Bruce’s handwriting. It was a small, black box with silver ribbon tied around it in a bow. Marinette couldn’t help but snort at the color choice, sending her dad a knowing look that he dutifully ignored. Carefully removing the bow and unwrapping it, she opened the box to see two little silver, bat-shaped hair pins. Carefully taking them out, she could feel that they were real metal, and surprisingly sharp.

“You can wear them however you want in your hair, to hold your bangs back or in your pigtails,” Brice decided to explain. “They have trackers in them—no, don’t give me that look. They only activate if you tap SOS on one of them. If you hold down the back of the clip, you can extend small blades if you ever need to cut yourself out of a trap or defend yourself.”

“You gave me mini batarangs for my hair,” Marinette teased, but immediately clipped them to her pigtails. “I love them. Ready for patrol?”

“Whenever you are,” he agreed before pulling his cowl back down.

One transformation and some travel later, and they were at the Eiffel Tower to plan their route.

“Obviously, Paris is too big for me to patrol the whole place on my own alongside school and Akumas,” Ladybug explained. “Even with Chat Noir’s help, it’s too big. So, just like you guys back in Gotham, we have routes that we rotate out. But the police here actually do their job and can handle most criminals, so our patrols follow a different logic than in Gotham.”

Batman nodded, holding his chin as he considered that. “That makes sense. Instead of focusing so much on the more crime-heavy parts of the city, especially since Hawkmoth hasn’t akumatized any criminals yet, it makes more sense to focus on areas around schools, tourist sites and other hotspots for recreation, and the general residential area.”

Marinette nodded. After talking a bit more about how she and Chat normally patrolled, and why, they actually hit the rooftops. It only took thirty minutes before Marinette had to intervene, grabbing Batman’s shoulder before he could punch a purse snatcher. The criminal in question, clutching a sparkly holographic purse in utter terror, couldn’t even muster the courage to run in the face of the famous Dark Knight. Ladybug glared at the older hero for a second before turning to the thief and shrugging with a lopsided smile.

“Sorry, he’s still not used to Parisian crime stopping. I’m reigning him in though, no worries,” she assured him. Just as the thief began to back away though, her yo-yo sprung out and wrapped him up head to toe, allowing Ladybug to grab the purse with a smile. “Thank you, I’ll take that. Remember Batman, minimal force. This isn’t Crime Alley.”

Batman grumbled. “It was just gonna be one punch,” as he zip tied the guy and dragged him to the corner for the police to pick up. Ladybug returned the purse.

“See? A daytime patrol isn’t that bad,” Ladybug remarked as she ran over the rooftops with Batman, deciding that sticking closer to her dad was more important than going as fast as possible. Batman grunted, but Ladybug saw his minuscule grin.

“I still prefer the night.”

“Only because you don’t stick out like a sore thumb at night,” she teased. And then the Akuma Alarm went off.

—*—*—*—*—*

Marinette panted as she lay sprawled over her bed, catching her breath. Bruce was slumped in her computer chair, cowl off and head curving over the top of the headrest. After a moment, Marinette spoke up;

“You look peaceful.”

“When I’m winded?” He cracked an eye open to shoot her a tired but still deadpan look. She snorted.

“No. With your eyes closed. And cheer up, it was only Gigantitan. Not anywhere near the worst we could have gotten.”

“I think you’re forgetting that I don’t have magic helping me out. Fighting giant children is not something I do often.”

“Oh please, you’ve fought way worse.”

“... that is true.”

“Dad?”

“Mmhmm?”

“Thanks.”

“Of course. Want to go back to Gotham with me and get ice cream before you have to be back for dinner?”

“Read my mind.”

—*—*—*—*—*

hi! Let me clarify something real quick guys. These one shots are for Bio Dad Bruce Wayne Month. Meaning, there are 30 prompts, one for each day of september. These one shots will NOT be connected unless previously stated! This one, as you could probably tell, has NOTHING to do with the story for Day 1. I’m just exploring a bunch of possibilities and letting my imagination run wild for these. Nonetheless, I will definitely tag you if you want. Thanks!

@momothefemur @ladybug-182 @starlightshield @trippingovermyfeet @greatcatblaze

#maribat #ml x dc #mlb x dc #b!dbwm2020 #bio dad bruce wayne #platonic brucinette #platonic daminette #B!dbwm #Day Two

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blackhakumen · 3 years

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Mini Fanfic #808: Enter Team Dark (Sonic X SSBU)

10:34 p.m. at Game Guy's Casino.......

'Loud Sirens'

'CRASH'

Shadow, Rouge, and Omega starts running away from an angry Game Guy and his group of security guards and hounds.

Game Guy: DON'T LET THOSE CHEATERS GET AWAY!!!

Guard Hounds: (Barks Angrily at the Running Trio)

Shadow: Rouge, this is the last time we're ever letting you take charge in gambling. Or even going to anymore casinos for that matter....

Omega: I agree to that motion.

Rouge: ('Sigh') Okay, look, before you boys starting pointing fingers, just know that none of this would've happened if that stupid Game Guy didn't try and cheat first.

Shadow: Does the saying "Two Wrongs, Doesn't Make a Right" never occur to you throughout your life? You didn't have to stoop to his level to begin with.

Rouge: (Starts Rolling her Eyes) Well, excuse me for having a weaker moral compass than yours, DAD! But you know just as well as I do that I don't let that kind of thing slide.

Shadow: (Starts Rolling his Eyes Himself) Yet you have no problem trying to steal the Master Emerald.....

Rouge: (Glares at Shadow) Hey! I don't do that anymore. That's all behind me now.

Shadow: Is this all because you're dating Knuckles?

Rouge: You're goddamn right. And as much as love to tell you how much that handsome knucklehead of an echidna means to me, I think now will be a perfect time for you to warp us out of here.

Shadow: Can't. I left the Emerald back at home.

Rouge: (Eyes Widened in Complete Shock) You WHAT!? WHY!?

Shadow: Because I thought since we were going to a relaxing, trouble and stress free vacation, I wouldn't have any use for it. Guess you proved me wrong.

Rouge: ('Ugggh') What are we going to do now? We can't out run them forever!

Omega: Fear not, companions! I have just now thought of a perfect plan for our escape!

Shadow: (Turns Back to Omega Along with Rouge) You have?

Rouge: What's the plan, sweetie?

Omega: (Pulls Something Put From his Fanny Pack) We can use these Dimensional Rings to sent us away from our current location.

Rouge: (Eyes Widened in Shock) Wait. You have them this entire time? How!?

Omega: Futuba Sakura had given them to me before our departure from the airport. She informed me to use them to visit her and the rest of the Smash Family in Isle Defino.

Shadow: Since when did you two started interacting with one another?

Omega: We have interacted on multiple occasions. She even invited ROB and I to Dungeons & Dragons on most nights. (Smiles Brightly) We are known as highly skilled alchemists of our party.

Shadow: (Smiles Softly at the E-Series Robot) That sounds great, Omega.

Rouge: (Already Started Gushing Over Everything Omega Said) Awwwww~ My baby's making new friends!~

'ARF ARF ARF'

Shadow: Okay. (Takes One of the Dimensional Rings From Omega's Claw Hand) I think it's time for us to leave now.

Shadow turns himself back around to throw the ring in front of them, causing it to enlarge itself while creating a portal.

Shadow: You two are ready?

Rouge: Yep.

Omega: Affirmative!

Shadow: Great. Let's go.

With a simple boost in speed, Team Dark has successfully when into the ring, leading them to their requested destination. It wasn't long until the ring itself managed to disappeared right in front of Game Guy's Eyes in time.

1:45 p.m. at Isle Defino......

It was a normal day in the tropical, resort like island....That is until a Giant, Rotating Ring sudden appears in the middle of it before slowing down stopping while showing Team Dark jumping out of it.

'THUD'

Rouge: (Starts Getting Herself Up From the Ground While Stretching her Back a Little) That.....was a close one.

Shadow: (Sighs While Getting Himself Up While Picking the Ring Up From the Ground) Yeah. Too close for our comfort.... (Turns to Omega) Are we at the right place, Omega?

Omega: (Uses his Eyes to Briefly Scan Around the Place) According to my sensors.....(Turns Back to Shadow and Rouge with a Thumbs Up) We are, indeed, in the correct destination.

Rouge: (Starts Looking Around the Place) So this is Isle Defino, huh? (Smirks a Little) Looks lovely.

Shadow: I can agree to that. Oddly enough, this is the place where father has gotten arrested at in the past.

Rouge: (Turns to Shadow with a Bit of a Surprised Look on her Face) Seriously? What did he do?

Shadow: Nothing. According to mother, he was falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit.

Rouge: ('Sigh') Ah jeez..... Well, here's hoping bygones be bygones for then I suppose.

Shadow: Agreed. But in the meantime, I'm gonna find ourselves a hotel room to stay in. (Walks Away) You two are welcome to come along if you like.

Omega: I will accompany you. (Follows Behind Shadow)

Rouge: You two go on ahead! (Walks Away in the Opposite Direction) I'm gonna a take a tour around the place.

Shadow: 'Kay.

Few Minutes Later at the Beach Side of Isle Defino.......

Rouge: (Sighs Relaxingly While Sitting on the Laid Back Bench Tail While Wearing a Bathing Suit) This is true paradise~

????: Enjoying the tour?

Rouge: (Looks up and See Shadow and Omega Looking Down at Her) Oh very. If I'd known this place would be this nice, I would've convince you to come here sooner. Did you boys find us a room?

Shadow: The hotel manager told us that the entire rooms are full. So we decided to rent one of the cottage houses nearby.

Rouge: Neat. So you two have any plans here in the meantime? I'm already planning on relaxing here~

Omega: I plan on exploring and learning about this island as much as possible!

Shadow: (Place his Hand on his Chin) I haven't really about it until now.... But I guess I could start by finding where everyone else is at first-

?????: (From the Distance) HOLY SHIT, YOU GUYS! Shadow, Rouge, and Omega are here!!

The trio turns and see a few familiar faces (Sonic, Amy, Tails, The Phantom Thieves, and etc.) making their way to them while sone cheering Shadow's name.

Rouge: There's everyone.

Shadow: I can see thATT! (Immediately Gets Pulled into a Group Hug)

Futuba: (Happily Rushes Over to Omega and Hugs Him) Omega-Kun!~ You came.

Omega: (Smiles Brightly While Gently Patting the Top of Futuba's Head) Yes. That I have, Futuba Sakura.

Futuba: (Giggles Softly) Dude, come on. You don't have to keep calling me by my full name. Futuba is fine enough as it is.

R.O.B.: (Happily Claps his Mechanic Hands Together While Making his Way to the Duo)

Omega: (Smiles Brightly at his Robotic Friend) R.O.B!!

Sonic: (Place his Arm Around Shadow With a Playful Smirk on his Face) It's been a while, faker.

Shadow: Sonic. (Starts Rolling his Eyes a Little) I see that your as hyperactive as usual.

Sonic: And you're just as moody as you've always been.

Tails: What made you guys come here in the first place?

Shadow: Well, due to a.....(Glares at Rouge) "certain" incident that happened back at the Casino.....

Rouge: (Sticks her Tongue Out at the Black Hedgehog)

Shadow: We decided to come here for the rest of our vacati-

Before he could finish his sentence, Shadow suddenly felt something hugging the lower half of his body. He looks down and see that it was none other than his adopted little sister, Hat Kid.

Shadow: (Chuckles Lightly) Hey there, you. It's been a while. (Gently Ruffles the Top of Hat Kid's Head) Did you miss me?

Sonic: Like crazy. The poor kiddo has been like that since we first got here.

Shadow: Really now? (Turns Back to Hat Kid) Is that true?

Hat Kid: (Happily Nodded) Mmhmm.

Shadow: (Chuckles Lightly Once More Before Kneeling Down to Hat Kid's Level) Well, you have nothing to worry about now that I'm here. And I can assure you that I won't be going anywhere else soon. So let's continue to enjoy the rest of the vacation together now, okay?

Hat Kid: (Nodded in Agreement Before Hugging Shadow Lovingly Again) I love you, Shadow.

Shadow: (Finally Hugs Hat Kid Back) I love you too, little siste-

?????: MY BABY!!!!~

And with that, Shadow suddenly gets hug tackled by Mario and Peach. And all was good in the world.

@keyenuta

@caleb13frede

@26shann

@cyber-wildcat

@ma-lemons

@albion-93

@princekirijo

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couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name · 5 years

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Any thoughts on Annabeth and Percy as parents? Poseidon just changing his cap from Neptune's lucky cap to world's saltiest grandpa sjsjsns

World’s Saltiest Grandpa is the FUNNIEST fucking thing I’ve ever heard in my life and it’s definitely happening jskddlsjfdkls

anyway I feel like the first one would definitely be a. uh. happy surprise™

like, they haven’t been married for a full year and are still settling into their new lives and one day Grover comes over to hang with Annabeth and he senses™ something and is like ‘hey….sweetie….why don’t we go to the drugstore’ and she starts flipping out lmao

anyway once she gets 3 positive tests she starts going into Planning mode, she’s got Grover there and she’s acting all rational and she’s talking about it to Piper and Hazel in their gc and she seems very calm and happy, and they’re coming up with cute ways to tell Percy right

like they started planning out a whole sweet little reveal thing

but then Percy gets home from work and this poor fucker isn’t even all the way in the door when she just screeches from across the room “I’M PREGNANT” and he’s like “W H A T”

so they’re screaming in excitement for most of the night after that lmao

if you think this isn’ t the biggest fucking gossip on Olympus then you’ve got another thing coming

Aphrodite has swooned 12 different times since the news drooped. Hera is screaming. Hestia is about to fucking set up camp in the Jackson’s backyard. Poseidon won’t shut the fuck up about how excited he is. Zeus is quaking. Apollo is weeping and has written multiple dramatic poems about this event. Athena is torn between fuming and excitement. Artemis has shown up to every single fucking doctor’s appointment disguised as a nurse. We’re talking 24/7 coverage on Hephaestus TV, baby

Annabeth is one of those bitches that lowkey thrives being pregnant. constantly glowing. everyone in her birthing classes hates her lmao

Percy 100% gets sympathy cravings and you KNOW it

Sally broke the world record for ‘worlds longest scream’ when she found out she’s SO excited

Piper literally will not stop buying baby stuff like every single week they get more packages of toys and clothes from her

Meanwhile Hazel and Frank won’t stop knitting baby blankets and hats and Leo built a fucking magical crib that would turn into a fucking indestructible barrier if a monster ever attacked AND includes a built in holographic light that will make the room look like it’s underwater

Percy and Annabeth are constantly just talking to the bump and not even in the cutesy way like she’ll fucking be at work and be giving out instructions and then go ‘that sounds good, doesn’t it _(baby name)_?’ or ‘Linda, ____ thinks that’s a terrible idea’ while looking down at her stomach and her coworkers think it’s hilarious

or they’ll be arguing about something and Percy’ll be like ‘Yeah, well, at least ____ agrees with me!’ lmao

She wakes up one day to find Percy put headphones on her stomach and is blasting Adele on them and she’s like ‘it’s classical music to make them smarter, Percy’ and he’s like ‘yeah but SOMEONE in this house needs to not be emotionally stunted so I’m giving them a chance’ jfsksdf

100% Nico has received a desperate phone call in the middle of the night because Annabeth’s craving shit that they can’t get anywhere near them at 3 am so he had to go on a shadow travel run to get it for her lmao

Her mood swings get so insane but like remember on Parks and Rec when Ann was pissed at Chris for just being. TOO supportive? 100% percabeth antics

Annabeth is So Determined to work through her pregnancy and not go on leave and it’s driving Percy absolutely insane

Every single morning he’s just like babe please….be a sane human… lmao

when she went into labor it was. hectic

they had been trying to plan a trip to either CHB or CJ so she could deliver with like Actual Healers who won’t get freaked out if people zapped into the room and also they’d be near family right

and then the kid was like what if,,,,,,,,I came more than a month early. wouldn’t that be fun

lmao so cut to a scene of Percy speeding down the streets of their little town, both of them screaming their heads of, a fucking flock of owls tailing after their car,

there’s a heavy thunderstorm happening and Percy’s screaming ‘hey ZEUS! NOT THE FUCKING TIME ASSHOLE!!!!’ lmao

so they get to the hospital right. Poseidon and Athena beat them there and brought their mortal families with them lmao

Everyone’s a mess. Fredrick is about to faint and Helen and Paul are trying to get him to pull it together. Estelle is terrorizing Bobby and Matthew so those three are barely paying attention to the baby situation. Sally and Athena have already threatened five different medical professionals to get Annabeth some drugs. Poseidon is practically fucking vibrating

While Annabeth is getting all settled in Percy starts calling all their friends to tell them and they are SO OFFENDED that they DARE to be in another state whilst Annabeth is delivering so everyone starts fucking scrambling to get there

Nico and Hazel shadow travel themselves, Frank, Reyna and Piper over. Leo, Calypso, Grover, Chiron, Rachel and Thalia physically wrangle Apollo into driving them there in his chariot. Magnus and Alex had to blackmail Sam to fucking fly them there. everyone else had to fend for themselves. everyone is screaming

just….imagine that fucking waiting room

Artemis did in fact disguise her way onto the delivery team and Percy’s just like….please don’t shoot my wife with an arrow. it’d be awesome if you refrained from doing that,

a nurse tried to tell Thalia that the delivery room was family only and she screamed and knocked her out before running into the room lmao

Grover’s hyperventilating practically the entire time and because of the empathy link Percy’s like dude YOU are freaking ME out so that’s a whole situation

between all the chaos in the waiting room and all the yelling in the delivery room this maternity wing has literally never been so stressed out before lmao

Annabeth looses all concept of cool and is yelling at the doctor even as she’s pushing

Percy’s hand ends up fractured

Fredrick is streaming all this on his facebook live and Annabeth is cursing him out whenever the contractions pass

but overall it was a good, safe delivery! no arrows through the chest!

Poseidon, storming into the waiting room, screaming at the top of his godly lungs: IT’S A BOY

everyone in the waiting room:

I don’t feel like coming up with names right now but the middle name IS Charles and NO I am not accepting any dissenting opinions on that

everyone’s crying while they rotate in and out to see them lol

Apollo’s trying to prophecy about how Amazing the kid will be and Percy’s got riptide out and is like ‘he is LITERALLY 3 hours old’

Pry This Baby Out Of Sally Jackson’s Arms, I Dare You

after a while the people that had to get there themselves start appearing and making even more of a scene. Like Clarrise just bursts through the doors holding the biggest teddy bear she could find and says absolutely nothing but scowls at everyone who looks at her while she’s holding the baby. the Stolls are fucking climbing in through the window holding a bunch of a balloons. Hedge is making mildly obnoxious jokes. all that

but anyway once they get settled back home and everything. they are the MOST paranoid first time parents lmao

every single little noise this child makes has them on edge. they tiptoe constantly. whom needs sleep

baby doctor on speed dial. “why’d he stop eating???!!?” “…maybe he’s…full?” “…oh.”

but when they’re not busying worrying they have the Cutest Fucking Baby In The World, good for them

Annabeth suddenly realizes taking leave makes sense. her and Percy are like glued to this kid. so many pictures. so many videos.

once he gets a little older and they have to, like, have Lives again, Percy constantly brings him to the aquarium with him and it’s. CUTE.

the baby LOVES looking at all the fish and petting dolphins omg

okay I’m tired so this is getting away from me but overall I’d see them having like maybe 3 or 4 kids.

all super cute. all smart. all get up to whacky antics.

add onto this if anyone wants to lol but….iconicly cute parents percy and annabeth thank you goodnight

#percabeth #percy jackson #Annabeth chase #pjo #hoo #asks #molly mumbles

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willddheartt · 4 years

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Run Away With Me | JJ Maybank | Part Two: Circles

Summary: Memories of the past come back as Jessie considers Lydia’s trip more and more.

Series Warnings: Substances (Weed, drinking), a little angst, smut, mentions of abuse/toxic family.

Word Count: 1.6K

A/N: Flashbacks in italics

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Falling asleep next to JJ but waking up and not having him there was something I had gotten used to, even though I hoped I’d get lucky one morning and he would be next to me. Sighing, I pulled myself out of bed. My father had already left for work and my mother was off god knows where doing who knows what, she was never the most reliable person in my life. The house was quiet as I moved about getting ready for the day, over the years silence in the mornings have been something I’ve come to love, there was nothing worse than someone talking to you right after your first wake up. Personally, I liked to at least shower in peace.

Working every day in the summer was definitely not how I planned to spend my days, but it gave me something to do other than sitting home in an empty house. I worked at the local grocery store, stocking shelves and ringing items through. Most of the time I worked by myself in the small store, with one other person in the back room who would rotate out with me on breaks and such. In reality, it wasn’t a bad job, the manager trusted myself and the other worker enough that she didn’t have to be there 24/7 and so the stress of messing up in front of my boss was gone. Once cleaning the store once for the day and making sure things were stocked and pulled up to look presentable, I sat behind the counter on my phone until someone came in. It was an incredibly boring and slow day, I lost track of time after 1:00 PM hit, counting the time down until I got off always made the wait seem longer.

The bell hanging above the glass door jingled as someone walked in the shop, being startled by the bell I jumped and dropped my phone on the counter, standing up straight only to relax when I recognized the back of JJ’s head as he walked around one of the shelves.

“Workin hard or hardly workin?” The boy chuckled “Bit of both,” I laughed, “What can I do for ya today?” I asked, leaning on the counter as he walked up looking at the fireworks behind my head. “Just a pack of rolling papers,” He sighed, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. “What's the magic word?” I asked, teasingly “Please,” JJ smiled, “It was actually bats, but I’ll take your please,” I giggled, ringing the pack of papers through and taking his money. “What time do you get off?” The blonde asked, leaning his side against the counter. “3:00, why?” He shrugged, “Just having some drinks over to John B’s this evening if you’re interested,” “I think I could swing by,” I smirked “I guess I’ll see you later, Baker,” JJ smirked back with a tip of his hat as he walked out the door.

After work I found myself walking over to the Chateau. JJ, John B, and Pope were gathered around a small fire, using an old tire rim as their fire pit. JJ stood back from the two boys slightly with his back turned to the direction I was coming from, as I walked up I held my finger to my lips so the other two boys wouldn't say anything, not making noise until I was close enough.

“Hey! JJ!” I yelled as I hugged him from behind. JJ jumped and turned around, clutching his chest as John B and Pope doubled over in laughter. “Jesus Christ, Jessie. You scared the shit outta me,” JJ sighed, putting his arm around me once he had recovered from the jump scare I just gave him.

I had been around John B’s in the past, most of the times JJ invited me, they made it clear that I was always welcome even if JJ didn’t say anything to me but I only ever showed up if the blonde boy asked me to stop by, not wanting to intrude on their solid quartet.

“Jessie, it's been a while,” John B smiled handing me a beer, “How’ve you been?” He asked “Good, Good, just the usual vibing with every punch life throws,” I chuckled “What have you guys been up to so far this summer?” “Pope’s been stressing about his merit scholarship,” JJ answered I gasped, remembering when he first mentioned it, “How far have you made it?” “One of the finalists,” “You’ve got it in the bag,” I said, encouragingly. “I hope,” Pope replied I nodded, “You really do,”

I looked around the yard, “No Kiara tonight?” I asked Pope shook his head, “She's got something with her parents,” “Oh shit, You weren't having like a guys night, were you?” I worried “No, just the usual drinks and stuff,” John B said, “JJ told us he asked you to come by,” “Okay, I didn’t want to intrude or fuck your plans up,” I chuckled nervously, taking a seat next to JJ on the log.

For the next few minutes, I could only think about how I had probably intruded on their plans and John was just too nice to say anything about it, my leg shook as I listened to Pope going on about how dead bodies in the movies are never realistic.

JJ put his hand over my knee, “Sorry,” I mumbled out quickly. “You good?” JJ asked quietly as to not disturb John B and Pope's conversation. I nodded, “You sure?” The blonde asked once again, I could never lie to him, he knew me better than I knew myself. “Here,” He mumbled handing me one of his many Juul’s “Thanks,” I mumbled.

After a few drinks my anxiety faded away, it seemed to be a distant memory as I laughed with John B, at JJ who had just tried to smoke through his nose and ended up coughing uncontrollably. Pope left not too long after dark, saying he had to help his dad with something in the morning. Once I realized how late it was, it was already too late for me to go home. John B told me I could take the couch for the night before waving JJ and I a quick goodnight and stumbling off to bed.

“You can take the bed, I’ll sleep on the couch,” JJ said as I moved the coffee table out of the way. “I’m fine on the couch, Jay, you can take the bed,” I said JJ shook his head, picking me up by the waist. “I know you, you won't sleep on the couch.” “I won't sleep anyway,” I tried to argue as JJ pulled me into Big John’s old room, only to have him shake his head at me once again, “Yes you will because I’ll be there,” “You’re impossible,” I replied sitting on the edge of the bed “You’re just stubborn,” He chuckled.

The days leading up to Lydia and I’s trip seemed to be going faster than I imagined, and I hadn’t come up with a good enough excuse yet I knew I was going to end up with her back on the island I escaped at 16. Never had I thought that I would be going back to the place I wanted nothing more than to run from when I was younger.

With everything catching up on me it felt fitting to break into the box I kept hidden at the back of my closet that was full of little mementos from the years I spent growing up on the outer banks islands. It was a memory box of sorts but I only saved items from the nights I didn’t want to end. A beer cap from my first drink, a movie ticket stub from my first date, multiple polaroids of my friends from around the fire, but my favourite of them all, and the one that brought back the most- a simple beaded bracelet. Seeing the simple bracelet that has always been too big for my small wrist brought a small smile to my face, the bracelet’s former owner had been one blonde surfer who would always hold a special place in my heart. I slipped it onto my wrist, remembering the night he gave it to me.

JJ spent all day trying to teach me how to surf, which had been somewhat successful as by the end of the day I was able to stand up on the board. But on my first decent-sized wave I wiped out and ended up skinning my knee on a rock that was hidden in the water. JJ helped me to shore and cleaned the nasty cut, before slipping his bracelet off and putting it on my wrist telling me how he found it in the sand after his first great day on the waves, he said it brought him good luck when on the waves and that it was now my good luck charm. JJ smiled when he told me that with the bracelet nothing bad would happen. I was just about as gullible as a child, believing his words. Still to this day, I thought about them, and that day and the bracelet had anything ever not been going in my favour. In a way, it brought me good luck by letting me get out, but in a lot of other ways it also brought me bad luck, however, that didn’t stop me from keeping it on as I looked through the box of random items and keeping it on even after putting the box away.

I forced myself to sleep that night even though I only wanted to think about if I would ever see him again, the events of our last night together kept replaying behind my eyelids as I drifted off.

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jovialyouthmusic · 4 years

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Girls’ Night Out

A multiple AU piece of fun featuring my female LIs

The boys have a plan - how will it work out? The girls are determined ot enjoy themselves...

Word Count 2180

A/N A little non con and near nudity.. not suitable for under 18s

5 Having a Ball

Lucy’s Drake settled back into the leather upholstery and reached out for his cut glass tumbler. He inhaled the scent of whisky, closing his eyes.

‘Speyside malt, no more than ten years’ he murmured, and Brad chuckled

‘You’re learning fast, grasshopper, it’s seven years old’

‘Well’ Lake replied ‘Now I’m in a threeway marriage with Lucy and the King of Cordonia, I get to actually buy the whiskey I want instead of having to sneak into your study and steal it’

‘You’re getting soft’ scoffed Chake ‘Though who am I to judge – I’m married to the Queen of Cordonia’

‘There certainly are more malts available than in my time’ John admitted. The four men lounged in high backed leather chairs in the smoking lounge of his old Regency club. It was not entirely authentic, as he’d allowed the range of whiskies served to include those from the time line of his guests – and conceded that smoking inside was probably not a good idea. He had only frequented the club for a short while, visiting when his father had fallen ill, and using it rather more often once he had started courting Elizabeth Dalgleish. The food there was a little more refined than the cook at his town house could manage, and it was a good place to rub shoulders with those who might give him advice on how to run his estate now that his father had left him sole heir.

The only one not relaxed by their surroundings was Bastien. He realised he was being unreasonable, worrying about how the women were faring in the club, but old habits die hard. He had tailed Leo into many dingy clubs and bars in the past, and he’d seen the kind of trouble that bubbled up unexpectedly, even in the better ones.

‘Chill, Bas’ Lake said ‘have a whiskey, they’ll be fine. I’m more worried about any men who try to tangle with them.’ Bastien slumped out of his usual upright posture.

‘It goes against my training’ he said ‘I want to be there looking out to stop trouble before it escalates’

‘Les won’t let anything happen, trust me’ Brad said soothingly ‘You know she hates conflict’

‘But this isn’t totally under her control’ he countered ‘We’re behind the screen’ Chake cleared his throat

‘Actually’ he said ‘I have the perfect idea as to how we could keep an eye on them’

-----

‘Strippers?’ Lizzy said, puzzled. Lucy doubled over laughing.

‘Oh you’re such an innocent’ she chortled. Sophia, who earlier on in the evening had been the voice of reason, sniggered and hiccupped. That left Charlotte to look out for their friend

‘Darling, a stripper is someone who takes off their clothes for entertainment’ she explained patiently. Lizzy frowned as she sipped her drink.

‘But why?’ she asked.

‘Well’ started Lucy ‘Because it’s fucking hot’ Lizzy didn’t dare ask what she meant and was wondering when she could call an end to the evening and be reunited with John.

‘Just watch’ Charlotte said, and leaned back in her seat. They had a table by the edge of a low stage, and were on their second round of drinks. Lizzy had continued with the drink Lucy had selected for her, as it reminded her somewhat of her mother’s tea parties amongst all the strange sights and sounds. She didn’t feel too drunk, though the room swam a bit when she went to visit the ladies’ restroom. The music here wasn’t too loud, and there was some sort of performance about to start. Lizzy jumped as a loud voice, seeming to come from nowhere, boomed out.

‘Ladies, hold on to your panties – Shanghai brings to you tonight, for one night only, the Cordonian Doppelgangers! Ladies, any resemblance to any person you might recognise is totally intentional. Let’s hear it for our manly hunks!’ Music blared out, and four men suddenly appeared with a flourish from the wings at the rear of the stage. They had their backs to the audience and swayed in time to the music that started up. To be more precise, they swung their hips in a way that made Lizzy feel rather hot. They wore jackets and trousers made of some sort of shiny black material, and had strange flat caps that she didn’t recognise.

‘Ladies, we understand tonight we have a party with us who are celebrating one lovely lady’s last night of freedom. Stand up Lizzy, show us your face – and your brave companions too’ Lucy leaned across to Elizabeth and hissed.

‘It’s okay Lizzy, we’ve got your back. Stand up and give everyone a wave – we all will’ Her legs trembled as she rose, Charlotte taking her arm reassuringly, and all four of them were applauded and cheered by the rest of the audience before they sat again. Lizzy’s heart pounded and her cheeks burned. As the music continued, one by one the men turned to face the audience, bringing their hats to cover their groins, and the voice continued

‘Ladies, let’s meet our performers - let’s hear a big welcome for – SNAKE! He’s got a python in his pants and he’s not afraid to show it’ Lizzy gasped as the first man took his hat away from his groin with a flourish as he swivelled his hips to the music. The whole room erupted, with women whooping, hollering and whistling, and Charlotte gasped in astonishment.

‘Oh my goodness’ she exclaimed ‘it’s my Drake! I mean - it’s not, is it?’

‘Second’ the voice continued ‘It’s GLAD – and no, that’s not a flashlight in his pocket – he’s just really glad to see you’ Lucy bounced up and down in her seat as the dancer prowled to the edge of the stage and leered down at her.

‘Ohhhh this is too good’ she crowed ‘He’s the absolute spit of Brad’

‘Thirdly – some lucky lady will be getting the attention of SEBASTIEN! He’s a stallion and he’s not shy’ Sophia shrieked with glee.

‘Fucking hell, Bas would NEVER do this’ she shouted. ‘Come here lover boy, I’m your gal’ Lizzy gaped at the spectacle, and trembled to see the final dancer turn around as Sophia’s object of affection stalked disdainfully to the edge of the stage and turned his back at the last moment to make a thrusting movement with his hips. She breathed a sigh of relief when it turned out to be the ‘other’ Drake, and not her John. She was sure she would die of embarrassment if he appeared.

‘Last but not least Ladies’ the voice went on ‘Let’s hear a warm welcome for BRAKE – he’s sure to break a few hearts – and he also tells me he’ll do his best to break you’

‘Oh my fucking god’ screamed Lucy ‘Take me boys, I’m all yours!’ She surged to her feet and climbed up on to the stage, grabbing hold of ‘Glad’ and turning her back to him, beckoning ‘Brake’ and pulling him to her so she was sandwiched between them. The music throbbed with a steady bass, and Lucy started to undulate and writhe between the two men.

They played along, focussing their attention on her, and to Lizzy’s astonished gaze, got hold of the neck of their outfits and pulled – and in one smooth movement the seams parted and they threw the garments to the side. The other two men stayed at the back of the stage, gyrating and bobbing in time to the beat as Lizzy goggled at her friend and her two companions. They were almost naked, wearing only their leather boots, hats, bow ties, and a strange pouchlike garment covering their manhood, held on by what seemed the flimsiest of thread.

As Lucy danced, the Drake lookalike suddenly flipped into a handstand in front of her, spreading his legs wide. He bounced up and down on his hands – he effectively jumped on his palms as he gyrated in a full circle in front of her, legs opening and closing as he went. She whistled and cheered with the rest of the audience until he arced his spine right over until his booted feet touched the floor and he sprang to his feet again, facing Lucy. Brad took his turn, facing her and stretching out his arms either side of her, shaking his torso and dropping to his heels before shimmying up again. Lucy swung her hips and gyrated too, hollering in appreciation as he repeated his move.

The music changed, and Lucy’s two partners grabbed a hold of her in a chair lift and took her back to her seat. ‘Snake’ came forward, dropping to the floor of the stage on hands and feet, making his way forward somewhat like a caterpillar, Lizzy observed, only more sinuous and powerful. He reached the edge of the stage and leapt off to stand in front of Charlotte, hand behind his head and his pelvis rotating before he leant forward to take a hold of her and throw her over his shoulder. He carried her to the stage screaming and protesting in embarrassment. ‘Sebastien’ had meanwhile been doing a little routine with the other two men, and went to place a chair centre stage. Lizzy wasn’t sure where to look.

Charlotte was placed carefully in the chair, and she sat, hand to mouth and wide eyed, mesmerised by her captor as he circled her, taking a hold of the back of the chair and dipping so his backside almost touched the ground. When he came back around to the front of the chair he faced her and ripped off his garment. She shrieked as he advanced on her, stepping so he was effectively astride her without touching. Again he gyrated his hips and leaned forward, hands either side of her to undulate his torso close but without making contact. She shrieked in embarrassment, turning her head to the side and laughing nervously.

Lucy whooped and hollered, and Sophia laughed and shouted encouragement, but with an eye on the fourth man. Lizzy’s mind was working overtime as to what might be in store for her before Charlotte’s turn came to an end and she was picked up bodily again and placed back in her chair.

Sebastien strode to the centre of the stage and moved forward slowly, stomping his feet and making thrusting gestures with his hips, eyes firmly fixed on Sophia. He made a little gesture with his head, lifting his chin and holding out his hand to invite her up on stage with him. Mesmerised, she got to her feet, eyes locked with his as he stood and waited for her. She reached him and they circled, never taking their eyes off each other until he pounced, seizing her and carefully laying her on her back on the stage. He stood over her with his boots either side of her hips, gyrating and gazing down at her. At last her resolve broke and she shrieked, hands flying to her mouth, drawing her knees up.

He stripped his garment off, waving it in a circle above his head before throwing it to the side. The other three men continued to dance at the rear of the stage, stomping and bobbing to the heavy beat that throbbed in Lizzy’s chest. She was light headed as she watched Sebastien drop to the stage, hands either side of Sophia’s shoulders and feet either side of hers, holding himself inches away from her prone body, forcing her to lower her knees so she lay flat. She shrieked again as he brought his face close to hers, only a sliver of air between them. Lizzy put her hand to her face and peered through her fingers, apprehension growing. She could almost feel the heat between Sophia and Sebastien as he teased and tortured her, never touching, but making it plain what he wished he could do to her, his pelvis making thrusting movements that Lizzy didn’t quite understand. At last he stood and held out his hand to pull her up, throwing her effortlessly over his shoulder and taking her back to her seat. The music swelled and he went back centre stage to join the other three men.

They swung into a choreographed routine together, each taking centre stage to show off moves that made her feel hot all over again. They were clearly competing to see who could elicit the most noise from the audience. The music went on as they twirled and stomped, bobbed, writhed and thrust until they were all sheened with sweat. Suddenly the music dropped, and the voice came again.

‘Ladies, we have one more performer before it’s all over. Lizzy, please rise for the final member of our upstanding troupe…’ Lizzy gasped as the other women pulled her to her feet. From the rear of the stage strode John – her John, dressed not as the others, but in his naval uniform, buttons and boots gleaming in the bright lights, cocked hat held under his arm.

She saw nothing more as she grew light headed and fainted clean away.

#girls night out #Past times #sophia x bastien #Elizabeth and John #drake x lucy x brad #drake x charlotte

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titansandothersrp · 4 years

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Cooking Lessons

(This is a compiled roleplay between my Beast Boy muse and the Raven muse of @azarathian . This is a very old roleplay we wrote under different usernames, but I labeled our writing with our current usernames.)

titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): Even though he’d matured since he’d joined the Teen Titans, Beast Boy still had the tendency to push things. Things like Raven’s patience. First, a fly to sneak into her room. Then, a snake to sneak up behind her. Aaaand human form so he could talk. (Shout.) “Hey, Rae, guess what!” azarathian (Raven): She’d been buried in the pages of her newest book, eyes hooked to the words as they ran through her head and breathing shallow and light. The next chapter would be a good one - she could tell - and so was almost rushing to reach it. If a small sound that shouldn’t be there swept through her room, she wouldn’t hear it. The titan was engrossed. Nonetheless, all good things must come to an end… “Hey, Rae, guess what!” She had almost fallen right off her bed, and her eyes were wide as she flinched back at the shrill, unexpected voice. Soon enough, though, their cold stare returned. “How did you get in my room?” she sneered, completely disregarding his question. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): The green teen cackled and pointed as his fellow titan flailed. “Oh man! You should’a seen your face!” He sighed and calmed down. “Same way I always do. Now, guess what!” azarathian (Raven): She couldn’t tell if he was just pushing her with that answer, or being serious. Whatever the case, she’d be certain to confront it when she wasn’t being probed. If anything, she’d probably be better off just responding and moving the matter along as quickly as possible. Her forehead was flushed with a subdued rage. “What?” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Iiiiiiii got to do the shopping today~ That means I get to decide what we eat!” He had a list given to him, but he opted not to use it. “We’re having Vegan Toasted Coconut Cake today~” azarathian (Raven): “Nice,” she deadpanned. She really didn’t care. “And you snook into my room to tell me this… why?” Her voice was still sharp with impatience as her brow twitched a touch. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Because you’re going to help me.” He grinned. “Remember those pan…sludges you made that one time? Clearly you need cooking lessons and I’m here to help!” He jabbed a thumb to his chest proudly. “Yes! I’m going to sacrifice my time to help the less fortunate with my culinary prowess!” He placed the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically. azarathian (Raven): Her expression fell from anger to extremely unenthusiastic. She blinked slowly and let a stretched silence hang between them once he’d finished. That alone should’ve answered his offer, but for good measure she chose to voice her disapproval alongside it. “… Yeah, I’ll pass.” Her gaze promptly returned to her book as a message that the conversation was over. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Awww, c’mooooooooon, Rae!” He whined. “It’ll be fun! I know you like fun, even if you pretend you don’t.” azarathian (Raven): With a sigh, she lowered her book back to her lap. He was persistent as ever, of course. “Maybe your ‘fun’ and my ‘fun’ are different?” she suggested, more like a statement. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): His ears drooped as he slumped over, pouting at her. He hoped his alluring animal adorableness would sway her. azarathian (Raven): Her arms folded across her chest and brows lowered in irritation. Was her cooking really that bad that he felt an obligation to teach her? She guessed he did have a point… She knew she couldn’t cook - she wasn’t even going to try to deny that. And perhaps learning a recipe or two might be good for her, but… her book. For the moment, the girl stood her ground “No.” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): Cue a quivering lower lip and a pathetic whimper. Perhaps he could get her to join out of pity. azarathian (Raven): “Beast Boy,” she snapped, brows knitted together. Her glare practically commanded he give up and leave her back to her reading. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He flinched. Well… so much for that. He sulked out of the room to cook by himself. azarathian (Raven): Once the door slid shut behind him, she relished the peace and quiet that quickly returned to the room. At first, she hadn’t given his disappointment a second thought, merely reaching back for her book and sinking back into her pillows. Her eyes scanned for the place she’d been at before the noisy interruption. Even after a minute, she still couldn’t seem to find it… and began to acknowledge the underlying guilt that lurked in the back of her mind. He was trying to do a nice thing… Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, learning to cook something without setting the kitchen alight in fire and smoke. The girl bowed her head and sighed, before heaving herself from bed and making for the kitchen. “What’re we making again?” she said as she entered the Main Ops room to see a dejected Beast Boy rummaging the cupboards. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): Baking powder… baking soda… It’d sure be nice if their ingredients were a little more organized. Oh, what was he thinking? He could never keep things organized. His ears perked up at the sound of the monotone voice and he whipped around with a grin. “Rae! We’re making vegan toasted coconut cake!” He pulled one of two chef’s hats off the counter and put it on his head before grabbing the second and excitedly putting it on hers, whether she wanted it there or not. azarathian (Raven): A pair a violet eyes rose to the hat sitting atop her head with an air of disapproval. “I’m already agreeing to cook - you’re pushing it with the hat,” she said, hastily removing it and placing it back on the counter. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He rolled his eyes. “Fiiiiine.” He finished putting the ingredients on the counter and removed his gloves to wash his hands. azarathian (Raven): She literally only ever used the kitchen to pour a cup of tea or clean dishes… The entire situation of hopping right into a full-blown recipe was alien to her. She glanced around her surroundings, clueless of where to begin. “Sooo… What now?” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Well, you gotta wash your hands since we’re working with food.” He dried his hands and stepped away from the sink to give Raven access. “I’d take a whole bath so I could use all my animal limbs, but Robin said no one wants to eat food made with monkey feet.” azarathian (Raven): Raven almost cringed at the thought. “Robin would be right,” she internally thanked the masked boy for forbidding such a thing. The girl stepped over to the sink and proceeded to wash her hands before grabbing the nearest kitchen towel and wiping them dry. Okay, well that was easy, but she imagined what was to follow wouldn’t be. She turned back to the green teen and folded her arms, leaning back against the counter and looking to him as if to say ‘go on’. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Lemme check.” He pulled out a piece of paper with instructions he’d written on it and looked it over. “Let’s preheat the oven and measure out the ingredients. Set it to three hundred degrees.” He gestured to the oven as he got out some measuring cups. azarathian (Raven): So, he was giving task number one to her - not sure how great an idea that was, but she figured there was no harm in going along with it. Raven knelt down in front of the oven and sought out the temperature dial. Aaand, it looked like… this one? Well, it was encircled with numbers from 0 to 500 so she assumed it must be right. So she rotated the dial to just after the middle setting and, still kneeling, said “done.” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Good. It should beep once it’s heated up.” He measured out some shredded coconut and spread it on a baking sheet. “Now measure one cup of coconut flour and spread it evenly on that baking sheet.” He pointed to another baking sheet. azarathian (Raven): Her eyes moved to the direction he was pointing - okay, sounded easy enough. The magus walked towards the cupboard she knew held all glasses, mugs and cups, but halted in place. He said a cup of coconut flour, right? But there were multiple cups in the cupboard of varying shapes and sizes… “Uhhh, when you say ‘a cup’,” she began, “which cup do you mean?” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): Oh boy… He had no idea she was this clueless with cooking. “A measuring cup.” He pointed to the plastic measuring cup he’d used for the shredded coconut. “Specifically, one for solids. Measuring cups for solids and measuring cups for liquids are different. Just scoop it up or pour it in and spread any extra off the top so it’s flat.” azarathian (Raven): Okay… now she felt stupid. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all; maybe if it was with someone she knew wouldn’t tease her for it in the long-run. Although, he hadn’t seemed to tease her for it just now. Which was… weird. “Oh,” she breathed, a tad abashed by her mistake. Swiftly moving on, she placed one of the cups upright on the counter and looked to the bag of flour, which instantly glowed black. With her mind, Raven continued to levitate the open flour bag above the cup and pour - however, it seemed she poured with a bit too much force, and when tipped, the flour tumbled out too fast and dusted the entire surface with white. Not only that, but unbeknownst to the girl, a spatter had landed on her cheek as well. She stared wide-eyed at the mess she’d managed to make in the space of a second and slowly turned to her ‘chef’. “…Oops…” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): Oops? He turned around to see the counter coated with white. He snickered and walked over to the measuring cup. “Jeez, Rae. I thought I was the messy one.” He held his hand sideways and pushed the pile of coconut flour off the top of the cup. He held up the now adequately full cup. “One cup of coconut flour.” He didn’t seem to care much about the mess. He always made a mess when he cooked. He always cleaned it up afterwards. (After being told a million times by the rest of the team to stop leaving the mess for them.) azarathian (Raven): She let out a groan as she stared at the heap of flour - this stuff really got everywhere. It was twice she’d messed up already and they weren’t even five minutes into the recipe. Whilst Beast Boy rectified the situation as best he could - ignoring the mess, she noticed - Raven slumped, suddenly feeling quite useless. No wonder no one went near whatever food she seldom attempted to make. “Maybe I’m not cut out for this,” she admitted, assuming she’d just be slowing the boy down if she were to stick around. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Do you always give up this quickly?” He set the cup down and shook the flour mess off the baking sheet. A bit redundant, given they’d need to spread some on it in a moment. “No, you don’t.“ He thought about it. “You try hard with a lot of things. And you succeed with a lot of things too. You fought your own fate and saved the world. I think you can make a cake.” azarathian (Raven): She just blinked at him for a moment. Well… he wasn’t wrong. Perhaps she was giving up a tad too quickly. With slightly more determination than she had before, she pressed her lips together and gave a small nod before walking back over to where the recipe lay upon the tabletop. “Okay. You’re right,” she said. “So what’s next?” This time she’d be more careful. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He smiled. “ ‘Course I’m right~” He handed her the cup and gestured to the baking sheet. “Pour the flour on the sheet and try to get it evenly all over it.” azarathian (Raven): She guessed the kitchen was the one place she couldn’t act superior, however it didn’t stop her from rolling her eyes at his cockiness. With a hesitant hand she took the cup and turned back to the baking sheet placed before her. Then, opting to use her hand over her powers this time, she cautiously tipped the cup the slightest inch so a few flakes of flour fell lightly to the sheet. The girl took her time and remained aware of her force throughout. After a minute, she seemed to have sprinkled a decent amount of flour, though still a bit messier than she could’ve done. “That okay?” she asked, looking to him for acceptance. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He looked over at the sheet. “Looks good.” Not perfect, but he kept that to himself. No need to discourage her. The oven beeped. “Oh! Perfect! We can put them in the oven now. We’re just toasting the coconut stuff first before we move on to the other stuff.” azarathian (Raven): An internal sigh of relief. She’d done it right - and not made too much of a mess this time (although she was still aware of the powdery pile she’d left sitting on the other end of the counter from earlier). Once the oven beeped and Beast Boy relayed the next step, she murmured an “okay” and went to pick up one of the two trays. Putting a tray in the oven was something she could do flawlessly. “That’s one in,” she said, bending a touch with her hands on her knees to glance inside the oven. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He took the other sheet and did the same. “And that’s two. Now let’s set the timer for twenty minutes.” azarathian (Raven): “Mhmm.” She took a step back for him to take care of that himself, a small smile playing upon her lips. Feeling able to take a bit of action herself, Raven stepped around her teammate and placed her finger upon the recipe sheet to examine what was to follow in the process. “Okay,” she began, “Says now we prepare two cake tins while they’re in the oven - so we need vegetable oil.” She turned to him, finger still upon the paper. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He set the timer, turned to her, nodded, and got the vegetable oil out. He gestured to the oil with his hand. “Despite my efforts, I can’t find any vegetable cars to put this in,” he joked. azarathian (Raven): Almost instantly her smile fell as she crossed her arms and raised a lone brow. “Really?” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Aw, c’mon. Not all my jokes can be gems. It’s like the time I tried to enter that joke contest. I came up with ten plays on words that I hoped would qualify, but no pun in ten did!” azarathian (Raven): Another insufferable sigh crawled its way up her throat, begging to be released, but something else left the heroine’s lips instead - “I thought you were meant to be cooking, not burning,” she returned, a trace of triumph lacing her tone titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “I’m always burning hot~” He grinned and ‘finger gunned’ her. azarathian (Raven): Now she didn’t even bother, opting to merely stare right through him and blink three times slowly, allowing his own realization of how stupid he sounded to consume him without breathing a word. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He scoffed. “You’re gonna have to do better if you wanna win a joke-off against me. My whole life is a joke!” He joked while also making a jab at himself. azarathian (Raven): “Oh no, well there’s my life’s goal destroyed,” she deadpanned. Her arms dropped back to her sides as she walked over to the tins perched upon the counter and snatched the vegetable oil off the jokester on her way. She grabbed one tin and slid the other over to him. “Now, if you don’t mind moving this along?” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He sighed and quietly completed the next task. Why was making her smile so difficult? He knew she could. When they first started their team, he remembered how she’d told him he was funny and she’d even smiled. While he loved the boost to his ego, seeing a girl like her smile made his day. She always acted so melancholy. Making her smile was nothing short of a victory to him. He was able to make her smile by just being himself, so why wasn’t it working now? Though thinking wasn’t his strong suit, he found himself lost in thought, mindlessly going through the movements of making the cake without consulting Raven. azarathian (Raven): Odd… she’d been at least expecting a whine or a pout or something. He just went along with it - just did what she asked without argument. It was very unlike the Beast Boy she knew, but then again, she did have a tendency to shoot him down and bring a cease to his fun, whether it be pun-making or just initiating banter with her. Perhaps he just didn’t want an argument, she thought, though she really wouldn’t have minded him carrying on - it was just an unspoken game they played. It was just the way they were. But he was meant to retaliate right back. Clearly not this time. Feeling a faint pang of guilt, her brows creased towards her forehead a touch. But she was quickly back to her unreadable visage once more as she began drizzling the cake tin with the oil. She observed it, hoping she hadn’t put in too much or too little, before returning her attention to the boy beside her. “Kay chef, next?” she said to him, a newfound playfulness in the nickname. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): It took a moment for the fact she said anything to register. “Huh? Oh… uh… I just dusted one with flour. Now we do the other.” The fact he’d been called ‘chef’ hadn’t really clicked yet. azarathian (Raven): A small nod in his direction and she followed his lead, mimicking the same step and dusting the flour over the cake tin’s interior. Things were seeming to run a bit smoother now… “So that’s two tins prepped. Now we gotta actually make the thing.” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Yeah.” He checked the recipe. “Whisk together the almond milk, flax meal, and apple cider vinegar. You’ll notice I’m not using soy milk.” He grinned. “I learned you guys don’t like soy. Or at least, soy that pretends to be other stuff.” He realized she may not know what a whisk is, so he picked it up himself. “This is a whisk. Whisking is kinda like stirring, but it makes stuff, like, airy? And fluffy? Kinda hard to describe.” azarathian (Raven): These were seeming to be all ingredients she’d never used, or even heard of before. What on earth was flax meal? And honestly, she wouldn’t have noticed he wasn’t using soy milk without him alerting her to it, but having learnt his reason, she did appreciate it. Hopefully by the time they were finished, the cake would be edible enough for everyone to enjoy, and not burnt to a crisp due to her incompetency in the kitchen. Though Raven was unfamiliar with some of the ingredients, she definitely knew what a whisk was - so when Beast Boy described the tool to her, she felt like he was completely mocking her. “Yeah, I know that, genius,” she muttered, taking it from him. To be fair, he had every reason to assume she wouldn’t know, but that fact never crossed the girl’s mind. It wasn’t often she found herself in a position where she was being taught, and she perhaps could’ve been taking it better than she was in terms of pride. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He sneered a bit at her. Heaven forbid he tried to help. “That’s good, Miss What-cup-do-I-use. I’m guessing you also know exactly how to whisk and how to pour the almond milk out of the measuring cup without it dribbling down the side.” He’d had that issue himself in the past. He put the flax meal and apple cider vinegar into a bowl before measuring out some almond milk and handing it to her. “Pour this in the bowl.” azarathian (Raven): She inwardly cringed at the reminder of her earlier blunder, but only revealed her humility with a scrunch of her nose and purse of her lips. As he spoke, she crossed her arms and leant her weight to one hip - let him have his moment. “Fine,” she said blankly, taking the measuring cup from him. Did he really think she couldn’t pour some milk into a bowl? To prove her point, Raven proceeded to do so flawlessly. She then reached to her side for the whisk and gripped it tightly as she placed it downwards into the mixture. With a forceful hand - too forceful - she whizzed it around the center of the bowl at rapid speed. Perhaps it was just her luck, or perhaps it was the fact she did not know to initially stir the ingredients together slowly before whisking at a gradually faster speed, but the liquid in the bowl spattered out everywhere - mainly upon the upper half of Raven herself and the face of an unsuspecting Beast Boy a foot away from her. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): Huh. Guess she knew more about cooking than he thought… Or not. The changeling wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his uniform before looking over at Raven. She was covered in the mix. He could have made a snarky remark… if he wasn’t so busy laughing. azarathian (Raven): She honestly didn’t know what it was about her culinary skills that were so lacking. The girl had never really been taught by anybody, and though she knew the basics, it always seemed to be the specifics lacing a recipe that caught her out - like whisking too hard and losing half the mixture to the floor, in this case. Instantly, that shrill cackle hit her, and she turned to see her green friend as littered in cake mix as herself. The sight was ridiculous - how could she have made such a wreck of the kitchen in such a small space of time?! To her surprise, the changeling’s laugh elicited a soft one of her own, and her hand rose to her lips in attempt to stifle it. “Okay,” she smiled lightly. “So maybe you’ve got your work cut out for you.” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He cackled. “Usually, when I hear that, it’s directed at someone else.” He grabbed some paper towels for himself before handing her some. “You should’ve seen what happened when Negative Man tried to teach me to make his homemade veggie burgers,” he spoke as he wiped his face. azarathian (Raven): Her giggles simmered as she took the paper towels from him. “Can’t imagine it was as bad as this,” she admitted, smirk still present as she dabbed at her face. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He chuckled. “Ever see what happens when you use a food processor without a lid?” azarathian (Raven): “Ah…” Raven could only imagine the disaster that must’ve unfolded, and in sharing such a thing with her, she felt perhaps slightly better about her own incompetency in their venture thus far. Lowering her hand from her face, she glanced at the boy in front of her, and noticed he’d completely missed a giant patch of mixture still clinging to his cheek. “Um, you got… a bit…” she motioned towards her own cheek in the same spot, subduing another smirk. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He blinked. “What?” He wiped at the wrong side of his face. “Did I get it?” azarathian (Raven): “Um…” It was almost charming how utterly hopeless he could be at times. Having completely avoided the spot she’s pointed towards, she couldn’t help but relish in the sight of a still spattered Beast Boy, completely oblivious. “Yeah,” she lied, resisting the smile tugging at her lips. At least now she wasn’t the only one looking like an idiot. “So, back to this then,” she said with amusement, looking at the messy bowl she’d placed back down on the counter. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Right.” He nodded and looked to the bowl. “We’re gonna need more stuff for the mix…” He measured out more ingredients, completely oblivious. “Maybe I should do the whisking this time.” azarathian (Raven): “That’s probably a good idea…” Maybe having watched him do it himself she’d get the hang of it for next time. If there was going to be a next time, that was. She mused on the thought for a second; she honestly wasn’t disliking the experience as much as she thought she would. She supposed having a companion who could also oversee and correct her errors helped. He was almost, in a sense, building her confidence. “Is there anything I can do in the meantime?” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He proceeded to whisk the mixture. His ears perked a bit at the question. She wanted to help now? Yes! He couldn’t help the grin spreading on his face. “Yeah!” He looked over at the recipe. “Maybe you can start making the coconut vegan butter for the frosting while I do the whisking?” azarathian (Raven): “And, how do I start that?” she queried, knowing he had the recipe right in front of him. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He read off the instructions and ingredients. “You know teaspoons aren’t spoons for tea, right?” He decided to ask before explaining this time. azarathian (Raven): She was back to rolling her eyes, though this time in a more light-hearted manner. The magus picked out a teaspoon from one of the kitchen draws and, ignoring his comment, turned back to him. “What else do I need?” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “A fork and a small bowl to mix it in.” He proceeded to work on the actual cake mix. Being more accustomed to cooking, he could multi-task a bit. Cue the small talk. “Did you hear the Grim Reaper originally wanted to be a comedian? He misunderstood what people meant when they said he needed to work on his execution.” azarathian (Raven): She continued on with her task for the recipe, this time taking more care and using a gentler hand when it came to mixing. “You and him have that in common,” she drawled before eyeing his reaction. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “You mean we both knock ‘em dead?” He grinned. azarathian (Raven): “Would take an early grave over listening to more of your jokes,” she smirked right back. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Well, being a ghost is the in thing right now. Such spirit!” azarathian (Raven): “Now you’re just desperate,” she watched him through bored eyes. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He just shrugged and resumed mixing. azarathian (Raven): She followed suit and continued to mix as well, this time slightly surprised by the fact she was keeping it all in the bowl. A gentle hand was the trick, she was beginning to learn. Azar knows where she got the notion that aggressive handling of ingredients was the way forward. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): They finally managed to get everything prepared and the cake was in the oven. The kitchen was a mess, but, nothing was on fire or electrocuted, so Beast Boy considered it a success. “Okay. We got about half an hour while it bakes.” He took of his chef hat and placed his gloves back on before flopping on the couch. “See? That wasn’t so hard.” azarathian (Raven): If Beast Boy considered it a success, Raven considered it a miracle. Albeit, the cake wasn’t out the oven and completely finished yet, but with her friend’s guidance, she had managed to get through almost the entire recipe without screwing up too badly. And perhaps, with some luck, the cake would be edible by the time it came out. “Speak for yourself,” she sighed, collapsing onto the couch next to him. A stray hair fell in her face and she looked as if she’d run a marathon. “Thanks, though,” she said softly, feeling a small accomplishment within. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “No prob. So, same time next week?” He half joked. azarathian (Raven): “… We’ll see,” she joked back, unsure of whether she actually meant it or not. She had enjoyed the experience a lot more than she thought she would, and had learnt a few useful cooking tricks for the future as well, so she couldn’t really berate the idea of possibly doing it again. And who knew, perhaps this time the results of her efforts wouldn’t turn out to be burnt and bubbling sludge. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Alright.” He flopped his arm over and felt around. “Where’s the remooote?” He whined. azarathian (Raven): “Just get up and turn it on,” she stated, leaning back into the couch cushions. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “I thought I was the one who made unfunny jokes around here.” azarathian (Raven): “Can’t argue with that,” she mumbled just loud enough for him to hear, before standing and walking across to the TV herself. She knew he wasn’t going to do it. Once the TV turned on, she realized she had dominance over what they watched, considering he was too lazy to get up and select the channel himself. So she decided upon something that caught her fancy - a documentary on Lord Byron - then promptly slumped back down to the comfort of the couch. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): The documentary served as white noise, quickly putting the changeling to sleep. He was soon snoring slightly and drooling a bit. azarathian (Raven): Within the first five minutes Raven was hooked on the program. She figured Beast Boy had been too exhausted to even attempt to argue over what they were going to watch. She crossed one leg over the other and indulged in the period of rest they were getting after such a draining session of baking. At least when the oven went off they’d have a (hopefully) tasty reward for their hard work. After fifteen minutes, above the voice of the documentary’s narrator, Raven heard a deep, heavy breathing to her right. Prying her eyes from the television screen, they shifted to glimpse the boy beside her, who was now deep in a well-deserved slumber. A bemused smile crawled upon Raven’s face as she watched his chest lift and fall, then, careful not to disturb him, she stood from the couch and made her way back to the kitchen. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): The recent events influenced the shapeshifter’s dreams. He dreamed that he was on a cooking show and Raven was his assistant. He was able to cook perfectly, but Raven was a bit of a klutz and had a tendency to make mistakes. Whenever she did, he would make a joke and the audience would laugh. The dream took a strange(r) turn when Raven started crying at being laughed at. He paused the show to make jokes about himself for the audience to laugh at instead. He then gave Raven a hug to let her know everything was alright. “Don’t cry. It’s okay…” He slurred in his sleep. azarathian (Raven): Arriving back in the kitchen, the magus paced towards the recipe sheet sitting on the counter. She looked down and placed a lone finger back to the step they were up to. Twenty minutes had gone by now, and so only another ten remained before the cake should be able to come out of the oven. With a newfound confidence, Raven knelt down to peer inside the glass window of the oven. The cake was rising and looked like it was keeping its shape - a good sign. Perhaps this would be the first thing she’d make which was not only edible, but tasty. Still, she didn’t want to get her hopes up yet. She leaned against the kitchen counter for the following ten minutes, waiting patiently for the time to be up and watching the TV screen from a distance whilst she did. The sound was quieter from this far away, but she felt the need to be close to the oven to check on the cake every minute or two, just in case. And every minute or two, her eyes also drifted for a moment to the back of the sleeping boy’s head. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): If he were awake, Beast Boy would be proud. Now, however, he was dreaming another dream. Now, he was back with his parents, his biological parents. He was a child again, but still had his powers and was still called Beast Boy. His parents called him over to meet his new sister. It was Raven, looking like the little girl she was when Trigon had taken over. He didn’t question why she was a few years old, yet somehow just born. It was a dream, after all. “Hi! I’m Beast Boy! What’s your name?” He smiled at the girl. The girl stayed quiet, not saying anything. He cocked his head before taking her hand and running towards a tree. “C’mon! Let’s have fun!” azarathian (Raven): The oven dinged. With haste, she knelt down before it again and peered inside through the window. “Please don’t be burnt,” she muttered to no one in particular, turning the heat off and reaching for an oven mitt. With anticipation, she lowered the oven door, and was greeted with what looked to be a perfectly risen, golden brown cake. She exhaled a sigh of relief before pulling out the oven tray and placing it down on a heat-proof surface. Now it had to cool, before being frosted. Feeling a sense of triumph, Raven walked back to the sofa to continue watching her program whilst the cake waited in the kitchen and cooled. On her way round the couch, she spotted that same cake-spatter the boy had missed on his cheek earlier. Pausing for a moment, she eyed it, and watched him overcome by sleep. She wasn’t sure why, but stealthily, Raven leant down to his level and used the edge of her hand to swipe the patch away. She smiled to herself. He hadn’t awoken, hadn’t even flinched. For the next hour, she would sit back in front of the TV and get lost in another documentary while her teammate slept. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): The green teen continued to dream, climbing a tree with his new little sister. He was eventually able to get her name, Raven. “Raven, huh?… That’s cool… I can turn into a raven…” He mumbled in his sleep. In his dream, he proceeded to morph into a raven and perch on her shoulder, getting a giggle out of her. He smiled as he slept. “You think that’s funny?… I’ve got some jokes…” He murmured before he resumed snoring. A little while later, he woke up. He sat up on the couch and stretched with a yawn. Scratching his head, he looked to where Raven had been. “Man, I just had the weirdest- Where’d ya go?” azarathian (Raven): The hour passed quickly. Probably because she was really enjoying the show she was watching, not to mention relishing the much-needed relaxation time. The boy beside her was still lost in dream-land, and just as she stood to return to the cake, he seemed to mumble something in his sleep. She almost snorted. What on earth was he dreaming about? Clearly she was in it - unless he knew someone else by her name (very unlikely). The empath chose not to intrude upon his doze and whatever he subconsciously spouted any longer, opting to make herself useful and wander back to the kitchen where their cake awaited. She referred back to the recipe sheet. Of course, the cake needed to be frosted… Something she’d never tried before, let alone on her own. Still, it wasn’t going to decorate itself, and perhaps if she could create something that smelled this tempting, she could make it look just as much so. With difficulty, she tried earnestly to do her best at frosting the cake. Her hand slipped here and there, and the finish was slightly messy, but she did it. “Where’d ya go?” she heard from across the room. “Come here,” she returned, looking down at her ‘masterpiece’. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Mmkay.” He stood up and headed for the kitchen, assuming she needed help. “Did the oven go off yet?” His eyes widened when he saw the completed cake. “Dude! You did that by yourself?! How?! I mean… I knew you could do it!” He grinned widely and gave a thumbs up. azarathian (Raven): Appreciating the appraisal, she nodded and admired her efforts. “Yeah, somehow…” she said, smiling. “Wasn’t too hard, but it’s nothing fancy. Didn’t wanna push my luck.” After all, she seemed to have spent all her luck having produced a cake that looked as good as the one before her did. “You were asleep, so.” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “It looks good! Asleep… That reminds me; I had the weirdest dreams! You were in ‘em. We had our own cooking show and I was really funny and stuff! And in the other one, we were, like, siblings? You were my younger sister somehow and we were running around being kids,” he laughed. azarathian (Raven): Leaning one hand against the tabletop, the magus turned to him. “Wow, you funny? Must’ve been a crazy dream,” she smirked. “Weird imagination you got there.” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Oh, c’mon, Rae. I’ve made you laugh before.” azarathian (Raven): “Uh huh,” she muttered vaguely, choosing to swiftly change the subject and draw their attention back to the cake. “So, want to try it?” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): The subject change worked. “Well, it’s not gonna try itself!” He scampered off to get a cake spatula and returned, holding it up with a big grin. azarathian (Raven): Almost nervously, she slid the cake over to him. All that work would be for nothing if it tasted awful. “Okay, but I’m not taking responsibility if you’re poisoned.” titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He paled a little. “Did you put something in there that wasn’t part of the recipe?” azarathian (Raven): “No,” her eyes rolled. “But this is something I’ve made, don’t forget.” Consuming something Raven had made in itself was a frightening concept, from past experience. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Something we made.” He clarified as he cut two slices. azarathian (Raven): He was right, to be fair. Still, she was apprehensive. What if it tasted awful? Only one way to find out… “After you,” she insisted, hesitant to take the first bite. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Gee, thanks.” He got out a fork and took a bite. It looked good, it smelled good, and judging from the look on his face, it tasted good. azarathian (Raven): There was a pause. “Well? Is it safe?” she half-joked, eyeing his reaction and awaiting an answer before trying her own slice. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He thought for a moment before holding his slice away from her. “No. I better eat it all to keep you safe.” azarathian (Raven): Raven scoffed, clearly unconvinced. “I couldn’t let you do that,” she replied, before taking her slice in hand. “Gonna risk it…” To her surprise, it tasted good. Really good. She was shocked, to say the least, but mostly relieved and somewhat proud. “Wow. We didn’t die,” she joked. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): He snickered, munching happily on the cake. “Or maybe we did and we’re in Heaven.” azarathian (Raven): Taking another bite, she relished the taste and reminded herself of why something she’d worked on could turn out as successful as their cake had. It was thanks to his help. “Well, I’d say we did well, chef,” she remarked, offering him once more the satisfaction of being her superior. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): Beast Boy gasped. “Raven’s smiling and being nice to me! I am in Heaven! “ azarathian (Raven): Her blithe expression fell to one lacking all amusement. Brows flat against her eyes, she levitated a rogue spoon in black behind the other’s head and promptly flung it at his temple - light enough so it wouldn’t hurt him, but hard enough so it’d quell his smugness. “Don’t push it,” she warned, her signature drone returning, as she walked back over to the couch with her slice and plate in hand. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “Ow!” He yelped mostly out of surprise before rubbing his head. He sighed. “Well, that didn’t last long. Guess someone brought me back.” He sat down as well to eat his cake. azarathian (Raven): Well, someone had to keep him from getting too cocky. Raven took another bite before a thought occurred to her. “We should probably tell the others that we’ve made cake for them,” she said. titansandothersrp (Beast Boy): “They back yet? Robin and Star went on a date or something and Cyborg went to some all you can eat thing that didn’t know about him yet.” azarathian (Raven): “Oh, then maybe not,” she returned, somewhat disappointed, though she didn’t show it. The sooner her teammates got to realize what she was capable of making in the right hands, the better. And truth be told, she was very proud of her first success. “We’ll catch them later.” Raven nestled back into the sofa as she had before, observing whatever new show had come onto the channel that had been playing in the background whilst they’d been eating their first bites of cake. Secrets of Italy’s Ancient Ruins - nice. Feeling more content than she had in quite some time, the girl indulged in the treat on her plate and the documentary on the TV screen before her. There was one thing the two had forgotten, though… Behind them, the kitchen was coated in spilled ingredients, floury heaps and dirty dishes. Oh well. They’d see to it after the show was over. [ FIN~ ]

#RP: Cooking Lessons #roleplay #TAOMuse: Beast Boy #compiled roleplay #completed roleplay #azarathian

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penig · 5 years

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I was tagged by @yandereplumsim

We’ve seen the Get to Know Me post going around and it’s really cute so here’s one for us Simmers that’s more our style.

Family size at the start:

Varies. Like, a lot. Since I’m a rotation, all-neighborhood player, and also since I make neighborhoods for sharing, I need to have multiple families (at least five) and having them all be the same kind of family would be so, so boring. I probably start fewer single-sim households than other kinds because those are pretty boring by default, too. And I don’t do boring in games. That’s the opposite of games. So anywhere from 2-10 (counting pets into the total).

The Lifespan of my sims:

Hard to get a fix on this as I have never played a full generation to the death of the last one. In Drama Acres, Strangetown, and my full-game Widespot I give sims elixir and aging-off days when I feel they’re called for. In other game configurations I’m experimenting with aging mods. The Retro folder has Hat’s It’s the Proportion mod in it, and I’ve also got Phaenoh’s Let Kids Be Kids and thinking about when and where I might want to try it.

They’re more on the long side than the short one, though. I want a sense of satisfaction and completion along with the sadness when they die. It’s a big part of the escapist function of gaming. I’ve lost more people long before they were done than I’m going to think about right now. I don’t have to do that with sims.

Favorite family I have played:

“Favorites” isn’t a concept I believe in wholeheartedly, but you see those two in my avatar? Ernest and Sage Ann (Onions) Munny? They taught me this game and introduced me to the full depth of characterization it’s possible to get out of it and I love them. So much.

Am I a Malevolent or Benevolent God:

Benevolent, mostly. When I have a strong motivation to do something they find unpleasant (cf killing Vidcund for the GS Uberhood Challenge, killing Angel to trigger Widespot’s mess) I feel bad about it. Cruelty to the helpless is the worst, and it doesn’t get more helpless than sims. It doesn’t matter that they aren’t real and can’t feel it. Cruelty lies in the doer, not the victim.

What I like best about the current version of Sims I play:

Ever since I started making stories and began grasping after the technical aspects of it (so, about five years old), I’ve yearned to write a community story in which the reader could see how the individual arcs and choices and events of a whole bunch of associated characters intersected and created a larger coherent story. But if I try to do it in my usual medium it quickly gets large and cumbersome and anyway there’s no market for it.

In Sims 2, it’s the default mode! I don’t need any other versions, thank you.

What I am most anticipating for the current version of the Sims:

I know nothing about the current version of the sims except that conversions from it are usually absurdly high-poly and the hair looks awful. I don’t anticipate a thing from it. Y’all have fun with it if you want, I’ll be back here with the game that satisfies me.

As is my habit with these, I will tag the last ten people in my activity feed, skipping over the outliers who’ve got nothing to do with simming but just stumbled onto a Good Omens post, and paying no attention to whether or not you may already have done it. No pressure on anybody, if you don’t like this stuff don’t do it, if Anxiety knocks don’t answer. Let’s see here:

@squeezleprime, @simaddicted-sue, @mysticsims2, @nerianasims, @beauonther-blog, @strangetownies, @megadevotedlyfuriousbouquet, @cindysimblr, @andrewgloria, @vladora-sims

#ask meme #sims 2 #playstyle

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ramajmedia · 5 years

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Teen Harley Quinn Gets New (& Better) Origin in BREAKING GLASS

Harley Quinn may have been created as the Joker's girlfriend, but she's built a legacy and role in the DC Universe all by herself. It's about time Harleen got an origin story that focused on the young woman she always was, and the battles the forged her - as opposed to the man who 'broke' her. Which is exactly what Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass is here to deliver.

The new graphic novel for young adults is traveling back to Harley's own days in that demographic, as a fifteen year old kid from Gotham poorest neighborhood. Eisner Award-winning writer Mariko Tamaki (Supergirl: Being Super) and Eisner Award-nominated artist Steve Pugh (The Flintstones) are telling the tale, re-imagining the circumstances that led Harleen to become the Harley Quinn. Only this time, it's based on family, fairness, and what one girl can prove capable of when her friends are put in harm's way. And any fan who reads Breaking Glass is likely to wonder how her origin was ever any different.

RELATED: Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy Begin Their New Team-Up Series!

Screen Rant had the chance to speak with Tamaki and Pugh about creating this new graphic novel, the new drag club origin for Harley Quinn, their brand new incarnation of The Joker, and more. Read on for our full interview, along with preview pages showing Pugh's work, and the official trailer for Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass.

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I'll start by asking how you were approached for not just a young adult graphic novel from DC, but one giving Harley Quinn a new, teenage origin story. Was it easy for you to sign on?

MT: For me this is kind of a follow up to Supergirl: Being Super, in that I was in a conference room with a bunch of DC people talking about what I might do next. A similar project was offered up as something that I might do, and then when they asked me I had two very obvious questions. The first was who is the character I wanted to do, and I immediately wanted to do Harley. I get the first pick of everybody so I got Harley right away. Then when we talked about illustrators I was like, 'Steve Pugh, it has to be Steve.' Part of it is because I had just read The Flintstones series. I just thought that kind of physicality that he had in those comics I thought was something that would keep it in a style that felt real. Which was really important to me. It was ridiculous. It took a year to get approved but in terms of selection process, it was very simple.

Was Steve hard to convince?

MT: Steve was about to do something else when he agreed to do this!

SP: Yeah! I was lined up to go on rotation on one of the big DC monthlies, but Marie Javins, the editor showed me the script and I very ungraciously backed out. And DC were lovely about it, they totally supported me but they were surprised. I utterly loved the script, utterly loved the characters. And I wanted to be involved immediately. So it was a no-brainer for me.

You both got the chance to answer a question that most Harley fans have never even though to ask, which is: 'Who was Harley Quinn in high school?' Or even, 'What if her origin story had started while she was still in high school?' How did you land on this version of the story?

MT: To me it seems like a standard teenage story, and high school is part of that. I think it was a natural place to start to think about, in terms of the origin of someone's hero story, in terms of deciding to be a hero. And I think that school seemed like a great place to put her to encounter a bunch of different influences. She has multiple influences in this book. She has the drag queens that she lives with. She has this girl, Ivy, who she goes to school with who is incredibly smart and knows a lot about history and things that Harley is not very interested in. Then she has this other influence of the Joker. I think the thing about high school is it's a nice melting pot to put people in where they naturally encounter certain things. And especially because I wanted there to be a history of activism and a place for her to learn and talk about that stuff. That seemed like a natural setting for it.

In terms of this style of Harley and the rest of the characters, was that something you two took a lot of time to sort out. It's a different version of a lot of things readers will both recognize from DC Comics, and their real world high schools. Was that also a natural process?

SP: I really took my cues from what Mariko had put on the page. My planning stage is quite poor. I read the script and I imagine how it looks, I see it as a movie. But when I'm doing sketches and things, it never really works. Everything that I find works for me gets kind of designed on the page as the characters are moving about. I'm very much a sequential artist, I'm not very good at coming up with pin-ups or covers or things like that. I kind of find the characters as they're performing, and saying the lines, and emoting. That's how it worked, so it was very much script first and then I kind of ran with it and checked in to make sure I was on beat and in the right area of what everybody wanted.

It feels like these graphic novels are different from the regular ongoing comics, where you go in knowing that you're following someone, and will likely pass to someone else. Here, you get to design from the ground up, both in story and artwork. Do you start by asking what the version of Harley is that YOU want to make, or something you want to see in the character that you maybe haven't before?

MT: Yeah. Yeah! It's funny because I do feel like it's a narrative process: the first thing that I pictured was Harley Quinn on the bus on her way to Gotham. And what that character looks like, and really imagining a past and present and future for this character. I think the way she's designed is in terms of what she would have. She has this kind of knapsack type thing, jeans and a sweater, and her cap. It's what she would have on her. But at the same time, it's also us trying to get her to that place of the iconic Harley Quinn. What are all the things that she's narratively going to encounter that will take her to the place where she looks like the superhero that we know?

It was a matter of finding those things, and when I first saw Steve's character sketches for these concepts that we were looking at, it was really helpful. Because I could imagine this very excited and excitable kid, and what she would be like. It really helped because it gives you a personality, and a visual to go on that then feeds you for the rest of the story. Also we had the scripts but then we were editing in little chunks, so I could see her becoming more of a person on the page.

I imagine it all has to be in service of that core question of who Harley is, no matter what else you change. Was that something you each had in mind when entering this project, or something that you had to discuss to arrive at together?

MT: I think Steve and I mostly worked--like these last two days are the only times that Steve and I have ever spoken!

SP: [Laughs]

MT: We work through our editor Marie Javins, and I will say, she was a really good rudder for keeping us on track. That's a really amazing part of the DC Comics Editors, because they are so well acquainted with who these characters are, and the vast histories of them. They kind of keep you on track. They're the guards in the bowling alley, when you're playing in the little kids' bowling alley... Just making sure that you don't go so far out of what's legible as this character. But I feel like at the same time, Harley is such an iconic personality. That kind of playful strangeness of her is so pungent, that it was really easy to stay within who that person was. Or who she is. For me.

SP: Yeah, she's just endless charisma, enormous potential, looking for something to aim herself at. That quest for a purpose for family and for someone to care about her, and someone for her to care about. I feel like that's the common thread that's always been in Harley's journey. Falling in with the wrong sort, and falling in with the right sort, and which side grabs her destiny.

MT: Yeah. Yeah.

It seems a unique challenge, to decide who is this Harley and what is this story about.... now what does she look like? Because you know there is a whole army of cosplayers just waiting to show their love by bringing these looks and personality to life. I am so eager to hear any insight you can offer about developing that wardrobe--I imagine it starts with the natural progression you spoke about, but where do you go from there?

MT: Did you just read a lot of teen magazines Steve, what was the process there?

SP: [Laughs] Just observation, I suppose. I just remember people from college and how they carried themselves, and how they kind of experimented with looks. Harley is just exactly at the age when you're trying to find yourself, and the costumes were about--as Mariko said--she starts with what she's got. A gym bag that she's hooping her arms through and using it like a haversack, and the woolly hat. Then she picks up things along the way and creates looks. The drag queens help her out and widen her horizons. It moves organically and in many ways, a lot of this stuff is made up on the page. There is an enormous amount to be said for planning ahead. But what I tend to find is if I do character sketches and work it all out beforehand, the things that work in the character sketches almost never translate to the sequential panels. Because you don't see the character from that front-on, side-on view, you see them doing things. And things that work in a design in those kind of character sketches don't really flow when the character's leaping onto a ladder, up the side of a building, or something. It's really just kind of instinct.

Well you touched on what has to be one of the best changes you make in this origin story, which is to give Harley Quinn a drag mother. And I will now not be able to to ever see it any other way...

MT: Yayyyy!

SP: [Laughs]

So where did the idea of MAMA and her crew come from, and what was that like, bringing this drag paradise to life?

MT: I am an obnoxious fan of RuPaul's Drag Race, and drag. Certainly for me, my introduction to--my own personal style really evolved when I was a teen going to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Meeting a group of people who are incredibly theatrical, and playing with gender, was definitely something that was very fundamental to me. I wanted to have a figure that was a caring, loving figure for her. The head of an atypical family. I don't know, sometimes I think Mama looks like... relatives that I have? [Laughs]

We really wanted to surround her with people who were very comfortable outside of the status quo, so to join her there and give her a group of people to fight for, was really important for the story. Then coming up with drag names is one of my favorite things to do for this book. One of the drag names is--my friend Billeh Knickerson, who is a poet, Mia Culpa is the drag name that he came up with--and then I asked him if I could use that. Then for me it's also my history with queer theater, having them really embrace Maxima Impact. This really big, over the top drag. Which I think is the perfect place to put somebody who is figuring out their superhero persona.

SP: It was just so great. It was so great to be doing a book where the characters were emoting, and acting, and not just kind of doing the "grrr" face for 22 pages. Designing them was a challenge, but it was also a lovely experience, you know? I always work out from the yes. Like on The Flintstones, with Fred, I wanted a big slab of a man. But the eyes had to be like super, super kind.

MT: Yeahhhhhh.

SP: That's where I started with Mama as well. Working out from the eyes and then just seeing a face that you could trust. You would put your life in her hands. And at the same time, wanted to make sure that the world looked after her. The other drag queens had their own personalities in and out of drag, and Mariko wrote very specific bios for each of them. I worked that into their designs, their facial structure, and the style of cheekbone or how hooded the eyes were. There is a certain Scottish character in there, and I've got a lot of Scottish friends, I made sure... There is a very specific look around the eyes and the cheekbones of a Scottish man, and I worked all that in. Just a fantastic cast to work with, I love these characters. And I've been them quite often in the mirror! [Laughs]

MT: [Laughs]

SP: To work out how each of them look. They've each got a specific body language, a specific way of moving around the scene.

MT: I was saying to Steve later, one of my favorites scenes is when you see the drag queens out of drag, and you can see their physicality our of drag, and connecting that to them in drag. I think that's really fascinating in the comic.

When you're taking this story into that community, is there an added sense of responsibility to portray those people, that style, that culture, in a respectful way?

MT: I think there is a responsibility when you're representing people to be accurate. I definitely have a lot of amazing people who helped me and gave me advice and answered questions that I had, so I wasn't just going on the fact that I watch RuPaul's Drag Race every day [Laughs]. I don't think that makes me an expert in anything. I certainly felt a responsibility to make sure that people were being well-represented, or that I was considering what was going into their presentation in this. I mean the point is not just to make the story diverse, but to make the story interesting. I think that multiple perspectives in this story is what makes it interesting. It is very much a Harley Quinn story, and I hope Harley Quinn fans enjoy it, but I also think there is a story that is about all of these influences on her, that make her a more interesting character as a result.

SP: Yeah. I definitely felt the weight of responsibility. Because you know that when communities don't see themselves in particular media very often... you've got a responsibility to do it right. But at the same time you've got to put that responsibility to one side so you can do the work, and make the characters people, and not worry about making them too perfect, or too this, or too that. They've got to be allowed to breathe, and be empathetic, and live, and... You know, I took it seriously. I took it very seriously.

We all know that it is historic moment when a new version of the Joker in introduced. Without spoiling anything, what can you tease readers with for this new Joker? I don't even know where you would start in conceiving a new version, but from his first appearance, this is a Joker a lot of people will never be able to forget.

MT: I mean I don't know where Steve came up with the actual design of the Joker, but I was visually taken aback when I first saw it. Just, 'Oh my God!' It's so weirdly terrifying when you first see the Joker in this book. And again it really fits in with the story, it's not about taking an iconic character and putting him into the story, but this is the story of Harley Quinn, and who the Joker ends up being in this version of her life. It was kind of the x factor for me, because I had no preconceived visual of what the Joker would look like. And now I'm totally obsessed with this version of the Joker.

SP: Oh wow! That's very cool [Laughs]. Again, he was designed on the page. The Joker has a silhouette, we know what the Joker is supposed to look like, but I was trying to create this... it's a weird thing to say, but he's supposed to be a ransom note. You know when you cut out letters from a newspaper and paste them on a page? He's supposed to be a little bit like that. Just like Harley, he's finding himself and he's moving forward. He develops, over the story, and gets a little bit odder and little bit weirder, and his t-shirts get a bit more sinister each time. That was the thought process really. I won't describe what he looks like fully, but it's just a shopping bag full of ideas.

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass is available now at most major book retailers. Head to DC's official page to order your own copy today, and read on below for the official cover and full plot synopsis:

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass is a coming-of-age story about choices, consequences, justice, fairness, and progress and how a weird kid from Gotham's poorest part of town goes about defining her world for herself. From Eisner Award and Caldecott Honor-winning author Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer, Supergirl: Being Super).

Harleen is a tough, outspoken, rebellious kid who lives in a ramshackle apartment above a karaoke cabaret owned by a drag queen named MAMA. Ever since Harleen's parents split, MAMA has been her only family. When the cabaret becomes the next victim in the wave of gentrification that's taking over the neighborhood, Harleen gets mad.

When Harleen decides to turn her anger into action, she is faced with two choices: join Ivy, who's campaigning to make the neighborhood a better place to live, or join The Joker, who plans to take down Gotham one corporation at a time.

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass is at once a tale of the classic Harley readers know and love, and a heartfelt story about the choices teenagers make and how they can define--or destroy--their lives.

MORE: Harley Quinn is PREGNANT in Batman: Curse of The White Knight

source https://screenrant.com/harley-quinn-breaking-glass-book-novel/

#screenrant

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spooky-ghostwriter · 5 years

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Dressed to Kill - Chapter Twelve

<– Previous Chapter

Next Chapter –>

Tsukiko wove her way around crowds to the field containing performers' trailers. After going through a couple rows, she finally found one with three crossed daggers painted on the door. She pounded away.

“Come in!” Stiletto's voice called.

Tsukiko did so. Stiletto clearly did not have the same problem as Tsukiko felt with her own trailer; Stiletto's barely had an inch of blank white remaining. Shelves of bladed weapons lined the walls. Most common were the common daggers Stiletto had flung in Galen's direction, but Tsukiko noticed a display of shuriken, things shaped like butcher cleavers, and small axes that Tsukiko believed were tomahawks.

Over the window lay a double-bladed battle axe. It was ludicrously large; Tsukiko wouldn't have believed Stiletto could swing the monstrosity, let alone throw it.

Stiletto had managed to furnish the trailer in ways that Tsukiko wouldn't have thought possible given the space. A makeup stand sat beside her bed. A vast collection of cosmetic products were neatly organized on the right side. The left held a plastic mannequin's head and shoulders.

For a moment, Tsukiko wondered if Stiletto's hair were a wig, but the mannequin had more to offer than that. A red blindfold sat over its eyes. Tsukiko mentally thanked every deity she could think of that Stiletto hadn't been blindfolded while Galen was her target.

Then, Tsukiko noticed a bow tie under the mannequin's chin. It was a shiny silver, with yellow lining its wings. It would not have matched Stiletto's normal outfit of red, and even if it had, Tsukiko found it hard to believe that she'd ever wear a bow tie.

Stiletto sat at the makeup stand. She didn't turn to face Tsukiko, instead continuing to apply some product to her hair.

“Ah, Tsukiko,” She said. The mirror's reflection told Tsukiko that Stiletto did not look particularly pleased to see her. Still, she politely added, “Good show tonight.”

There were many things Tsukiko wanted to say to Stiletto in return, but the impending threat of dryads kept her from doing so.

“Yeah,” Tsukiko managed. “Vercingetorix wanted me to get you. There's a dryad coming.”

Stiletto stood up immediately. She grabbed a bandoleer full of knives from somewhere around the stand and threw it over her shoulder.

“Did he say what kind it was?”

“Apple tree, if that means anything to you.”

Stiletto paused.

“I see. I was wondering why Vercy sent you to get me instead of sending a stagehand.”

Tsukiko said nothing, deciding that Stiletto would satisfy her curiosity without prompting.

Stiletto pulled the bow tie off her mannequin's neck. It unraveled into a ribbon, dangling pathetically from Stiletto's fingertips.

“This is a Religalia,” She said simply.

“It is? I thought Vercingetorix had them all.”

“Our old stage magician left the Religalia with him, yes,” Stiletto said. “But Vercingetorix entrusted this one to me afterwards – the Bow Tie. It is supposed to create a bow whose arrows never miss their target.”

Stiletto dangled it over Tsukiko's hands.

“Take it,” She said.

Tsukiko touched the ribbon hesitantly.

“Why don't you use it?” Tsukiko asked. “I've never fired a bow before. I can run back and get my Tank Top.”

Stiletto shook her head. “The Tank Top won't help. Apple tree dryads have small weak points – apple hearts surrounded by impenetrable bark. You'll need precision to kill them.”

“Okay,” Tsukiko said, taking the ribbon. Her main question still remained unanswered. She opened her mouth to speak again, but Stiletto cut her off.

“Come on, let's go,” Stiletto urged. “We don't have time for idle chit-chat. I assume you don't need help to tie that bow tie?”

Tsukiko frowned, tying it herself as she followed Stiletto out of the trailer.

Within minutes, an Alesia Circus truck raced out of the circus grounds. Vercingetorix drove, with Stiletto as his passenger and Tsukiko occupying the back seat.

“Now, about this dryad,” said Vercingetorix. “It is a little... ah... bigger than the pumpkins you fought previously, Tsukiko.”

“Got it,” Tsukiko said, unconsciously running her fingers across the Bow Tie around her neck.

“Most apple tree dryads have three apple hearts. Some have as many as six,” Vercingetorix said. “We'll be meeting Miss Isle at the location. She and I will draw the dryad's attention. It's up to you and Stiletto to destroy the targets. If even one apple remains, the dryad can regenerate the others in a matter of hours. It's imperative that we destroy all of the apples before it reaches the circus.”

The three of them scanned their surroundings for a few moments.

“Ah, there it is,” Vercingetorix said, gesturing out the left window.

Tsukiko tried to follow his gesture, but wasn't sure what Vercingetorix was referring to. A large, grassy hill lay to their left. A few trees lined the boundary between road and grass, but even with all the suspicion Tsukiko could manage for them, they simply looked like ordinary trees.

Beyond the hill stood a tall forest, its trees blocking the horizon. Tsukiko assumed the dryad was among those trees, but she found it hard to believe she couldn't identify what Vercingetorix had noticed so clearly.

“The way Miss Isle was describing its speed, I expected it to be much closer to the circus by now,” Vercingetorix said idly. “She's done a good job forcing it back.”

Stiletto waggled the walkie-talkie in her hand. “Should I ask her for a signal?”

“Please.”

“Miss Isle,” Stiletto said into the device. “We can see the dryad. Send up a firework.”

“Roger!”

Tsukiko looked out the window, concentrating for a sign of a firework. Given that the sun had not completely set and her newfound fear that Vercingetorix and Stiletto had much better vision than she did, Tsukiko strained her eyes to make sure she wouldn't miss the cue.

A flash of orange pierced the sky; Tsukiko immediately spotted the firework rippling through the air.

Tracing down from the explosion, Tsukiko decided that Miss Isle must have been on the grassy hill. In fact, with the firework as a clue, she could even see a faint humanoid silhouette.

That must be her, said Tsukiko. But why can't I see this dryad?

Something moved in her peripheral vision. She turned her head back towards the forest. Part of the treeline had indeed shifted. A clump of leaves, a huge green cloud that she'd thought belonged to multiple trees, rotated.

For an instant, Tsukiko wondered if that cloud of leaves was the dryad, but then Tsukiko saw the creature in its true form. She realized the piece of the puzzle she'd missed.

There was no forest.

The entire mass of leaves and foliage behind the hill moved. The rotation she'd first noticed was merely one of its shoulders. This creature was six-legged, though its shape more closely resembled a wolf than any animal that should have six legs. Its head was disproportionately small and low, barely visible across the field, giving it a stance more like a turtle than any other creature.

“So...” Tsukiko swallowed. “When you said the apple tree dryad would be a little bigger than the pumpkin dryad...”

“Is that what you told her?” Stiletto laughed.

“I didn't want to frighten you,” Vercingetorix said, in a tone most unconvincing to Tsukiko. “But in all fairness, most of what you're seeing is its leaves. Think of it as a cat's hair standing on end. The tree itself should only be... say, eighty feet from snout to tail?”

“Oh, is that all?” Tsukiko asked sarcastically.

She tried to hide her fear-widened eyes by resting her forehead in her hand, arm against the door.

“I wish I'd brought my tank.”

Tsukiko was somewhat interested to see Miss Isle out of her clown apparel, but it was not the case. She still wore the garishly multicoloured outfit of her trade, conical hat and all. Her make-up was starting to run from the sweat she'd worked up chasing the dryad, and her costume was lined with dust and scratches, but she still had a faint smile and a grenade in her hand.

“Are you all right?” Vercingetorix asked, as the three of them ran towards her.

“Doing just fine!” Miss Isle replied. With a look towards the lumbering beast, she added, “This thing is a bitch and a half, though. I don't think I've done anything.”

“You've slowed it down. Without your help, it could be at the circus grounds by now,” Vercingetorix said. “Stiletto and Tsukiko should be able to handle it.”

“Should be able to?” Stiletto scoffed. She stood tall and proud, knives already between her fingers. “How many apples are there, and where?”

“I only saw one.”

“One...?” Vercingetorix muttered. “We've never seen less than three before. This could be a different species. Perhaps, and hopefully, a less advanced version.”

Miss Isle passed a set of binoculars to Vercingetorix. He and Stiletto took turns looking over the behemoth in the distance.

“Is that the Bow Tie?” Miss Isle asked Tsukiko. “Good on ya.”

Tsukiko gave a nervous smile as thanks.

“All right. We have more time than I thought, especially if we only have to destroy one apple,” said Vercingetorix. He passed the binoculars to Tsukiko. “Let us make sure we can rely on your Bow Tie.”

Tsukiko brushed her blonde streak out of her eye and maneuvered the binoculars into position. The texture of thick, brown bark filled her lenses. She felt Vercingetorix hold the binoculars and adjust her view.

“There's an apple on its neck,” He said.

Tsukiko found it. Among the beast's cracked skin, she saw the unmistakable shiny red surface of an apple. It was not dangling freely like she'd expect of an ordinary apple, but half-embedded into the bark.

An instant later, the apple expanded and contracted, to the rhythm of a heartbeat.

Tsukiko shuddered. She muttered, “I thought 'apple heart' was just a metaphor...”

“We do not deal with metaphors.” said Vercingetorix, “Now, tug the wings of your Bow Tie, and believe with all your soul that you can hit that target.”

Tsukiko felt the wind flow through the grass and whip through her hair. She breathed, trying to calm her mind.

No... I don't need this kind of preparation, Tsukiko thought. She put her hands on her tie. I've seen the Tank Top. The Jumper. The High Heals. A bow coming out of my tie, and its arrows hitting this target even though I don't know anything about archery?

That's nothing.

Tsukiko pulled the wings of her tie. They gave way immediately. Wires emerged from the wings, expanding into a handle the further the tie came from her neck.

The wires began their transformation. Tsukiko had expected a simple curved stick with a string, but the Religalia had other plans. Some of the wires formed levers and pulleys. In addition to the single bow string, two cables ran tight between the main pulleys on either side of the bow.

Part of the wires on the outer edge of the bow extended and flipped like a hinge. They traced a circle, and transparent wires filled in the rim. Two of the ordinary opaque wires crossed the center, giving the bow's newfound sight a crosshair marker.

“Hey, you did it!” Miss Isle said. “Nice!”

“Well, go on,” Stiletto said. “Let's see the Bow Tie in action.”

“I'm missing something,” Tsukiko said. She held the bow firmly in her left hand, but her right hand was empty. She pinched the air. “Where do I get arrows?”

“The tie,” Vercingetorix said simply. “Raise the bow.”

Tsukiko did as she was instructed.

“No, no. Straighten your arms. Keep your head perpendicular to the target.”

“Like this?”

“Ah... sort of,” Vercingetorix muttered. “Stiletto, could you – ”

Stiletto grabbed Tsukiko's arms. She turned her towards the dryad. Straightened Tsukiko's arms. Turned her elbow. Tsukiko felt like a mannequin being posed for a clothing store. As Stiletto turned her legs for her, Tsukiko made some noises of frustration and discomfort.

“There,” said Stiletto. “That's an archery stance.”

“Still don't have any arrows,” Tsukiko said dully.

“Pretend you do,” said Vercingetorix.

Tsukiko put her left hand at the back-most string. She pinched the nothingness where an arrow would go. Then, she felt wriggling in her neck. A wire poked itself out of the Bow Tie and slithered down her arrow-holding arm. Tsukiko felt that this would have been a weirder sensation to someone who didn't have a pet ball python.

The arrow coiled past her fingertips. One of its tips expanded into fletching and a nock, which fit itself against Tsukiko's bow string. The other side of the wire appeared to stay the same size, but glimmered in a way that made Tsukiko aware of just how sharp it must have been.

“I found an arrow,” Tsukiko reported. Miss Isle giggled, but Stiletto tapped her foot impatiently.

Tsukiko turned her eye back through the bow's sight. It provided either very little or no magnification, so Tsukiko wasn't sure where she should aim her crosshairs.

No, Tsukiko thought. That's the wrong attitude. This is magic, isn't it? The arrow will find its target.

Tsukiko centered the crosshair on what she assumed was near the apple, not stopping to question whether it was truly perfect or not.

Good enough.

Tsukiko let go of the bow string. She felt the tension through the bow, rippling down her arm. The arrow vanished from her vision instantly, sailing off towards the creature of tree and leaves.

Tsukiko stretched her arms. She looked back towards the behemoth, feeling some pang of sympathy, and for the life she had extinguished. It was regrettable that humans and dryads couldn't live peacefully, but Tsukiko wasn't willing to risk the lives of her performer friends and audience members trying to build that relationship.

Tsukiko would be as cold-hearted as she could manage, until every dryad was as dead as the target her arrow had struck.

On that note, Tsukiko had to wonder why the dryad was still standing.

“By the way, you missed,” Stiletto said, eyes buried in the group's binoculars.

“What?!” Vercingetorix demanded. He grabbed the binoculars from Stiletto's hands and looked in them himself. “The Bow Tie can't miss!”

He paused.

“No... I see the arrow. It's a full foot away from the apple!”

Stiletto, Vercingetorix, and Miss Isle all turned to look at Tsukiko. Stiletto looked relatively emotionless. Vercingetorix showed fear and confusion. Miss Isle had a sort of sympathetic look on her face.

“What?” Tsukiko snapped. “Give me a break. It's not my fault the Bow Tie doesn't work! I only saw the thing for the first time like, ten minutes ago!”

“Yes, but... the Tank Top worked so well for you...” Vercingetorix trailed off, sounding heartbroken. He sighed. “You're right, Tsukiko. I suppose there's a lot we don't know about the Religalia.”

He raised an index finger.

“Stiletto, if you'd be so kind as to finish the dryad?”

Stiletto pulled a dagger from her thigh. Compared to the ones in her show, it was much longer, practically a sword. It looked far less decorative than her normal daggers – it was clear that this one was made to kill, not to impress.

“Gladly,” Stiletto said.

She wound back her arm, requiring Tsukiko and Miss Isle to avoid her reach. She took a wide step, almost a leap, as she hurled the blade forward with all her might.

Vercingetorix kept the binoculars trained on the dryad and its apple heart. A second after Stiletto's throw, a grin crept up on his face.

“Direct hit,” He said. “You got it.”

Stiletto crossed her arms. “Well then, let's go back to the circus. Miss Isle said there was only one heart, so – ”

“Wait...” Vercingetorix said. “No, I was wrong.”

The beast raised its tiny head. A low roar, lower than any sound Tsukiko had ever heard, echoed across the landscape. Tsukiko felt the vibrations in her bones with more intensity than she heard the sound.

“What do you mean?!” Stiletto snapped. Now, she grabbed the binoculars from Vercingetorix, with no less frustration than he had taken them from her. “I didn't miss!”

“You didn't miss, no!” Vercingetorix said. “But the dagger didn't pierce the heart! It only left a tiny cut!”

Miss Isle and Tsukiko shared a solemn look.

“I was wrong,” Vercingetorix said. “This is not a less advanced version of the dryad. It's rid itself of several weak points to strengthen the one remaining!”

“There's no way that dagger wasn't enough!” For the first time, Stiletto's voice was no longer the confident, cool tone Tsukiko had heard. Her voice wavered in fear. “It should have buried itself up to the hilt in that monster. I don't have anything else that can pierce that well!”

“Then you'll have to throw something else harder!” Vercingetorix cried.

The beast's head turned towards them, the source of an unending noise and a slight bit of pain in the dryad's neck.

Two glowing eyes, disproportionately small for even its puny head, stared at them. Half of the head opened upwards – a mouth. Inside the tree beast's jaw sat similar fangs to the teeth of the pumpkins Tsukiko had fought so long ago.

Of course, scaled up with this dryad, those fangs were taller and wider than Tsukiko herself.

The creature moved towards them. Stiletto and Tsukiko bolted to the left; Vercingetorix and Miss Isle to the right.

Tsukiko let the bow leave her grasp as she ran. Luckily, the bow never touched the ground – the wires crept up her arm and disappeared back into Tsukiko's neckwear.

“That Bow Tie...” Stiletto muttered. “It's clearly responding to you.”

Tsukiko barely heard what Stiletto had said. She kept running, but Stiletto grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

She turned; Tsukiko saw the creature in its full glory. The dryad faced away from Stiletto and Tsukiko. The beast's head was far on the other side of the mobile orchard of its body. The closest part to Tsukiko and Stiletto was the creature's tail, an entire fully-grown tree hanging off of its backside for stability.

Vercingetorix and Miss Isle were on the other side, still running.

“What do we do?!” Tsukiko asked frantically. “The apple heart thing is on the other side!”

“And the two of them don't have any piercing weapons,” Stiletto said. She rubbed her temples. “If only we could rely on the Bow Tie. I'm sure a bow's power could pierce that heart.”

“Take it!” Tsukiko cried, grabbing the ribbon. “I'm not an archer! I'm surprised I even hit the dryad!”

“Freya wasn't an archer either!” Stiletto spat. “And she was always able to hit her target. She never missed even once. She always tried to pass it off as the Bow Tie's power – as a trick – but I guess in the end there's nothing special about that bow. It was Freya's skill, after all.”

Tsukiko stood, stunned at the resentment in Stiletto's voice.

Stiletto shook her head. “Never mind. This isn't the time.” She pulled a bandoleer off her arm and laid it out on the grass. Knives of various sizes and shapes lined the band. Stiletto ran her finger across their hilts.

“None of these...” She muttered. “None of these will scratch it. Damn. I wish I knew archery myself.”

Stiletto paused. She looked thoughtfully towards Tsukiko.

“What did you say earlier? After 'I'm not an archer'?”

“That... I was surprised I even hit the dryad?” Tsukiko asked.

“Now that you mention it,” Stiletto said softly. “You're right. You shifted your stance after I fixed it for you. And your arm is so tiny. You shouldn't have been able to lodge an arrow into the dryad's bark even with all your strength.”

“Give me a break!” Tsukiko cried. “I did the best I could!”

“That must be the Bow Tie's power,” Stiletto awed. “It won't make the arrows curve in mid-air or seek out their target. It will fire an arrow straight, with the power it needs to pierce the target, even if it should be impossible.”

“That doesn't sound so great.”

Stiletto laughed. “If I had a set of knives that did that much for me, the dryad would be dead on the ground. Let's test my theory.” She raised her binoculars. “Fire an arrow at the tail.”

Tsukiko gave a nervous look to Vercingetorix and Miss Isle. They were still quite far from the creature's head; Tsukiko wondered if the dryad could even move precisely enough to attack something as tiny as a human.

She pulled the bow from her tie. She assumed the stance Stiletto had positioned her in earlier, drawing an arrow back.

“Wait, no,” Stiletto raised a hand. “Give it as little power as you can. Barely enough to move the arrow.”

“What?”

“It's a test. Do it.”

Tsukiko frowned, but saw no harm in it. She pulled the bow string back less than an inch. She let go, expecting to pick the arrow off the ground.

Instead, the arrow shot out of her hand, just as it had when she'd used all her strength.

As Stiletto still had the binoculars, Tsukiko couldn't tell exactly where the arrow landed, but the grin on Stiletto's face told her everything.

“I was right,” said Stiletto. “The arrows won't chase their target, but they will fly perfectly straight. Not only that, but they'll fly at a killing speed, even if they weren't fired with one.”

“So then...”

“All we needed to do was have you look through the binoculars while you aimed. There's no way you could have aimed properly at the apple without them,” Stiletto shook her head. “I suppose Vercingetorix had too much faith in the tie. And I suppose I didn't have enough.”

Tsukiko shook her head as well. “I shouldn't have fired like I did.”

“It's all right,” said Stiletto. “Now that we know, we can kill this thing.”

“What? How?” Tsukiko asked. “The apple heart is on the other side!”

“That's fine,” Stiletto replied. She pulled a throwing star from the bandoleer on the grass. “You can see Vercingetorix without magnification, right?”

“Yes...” Tsukiko said, voice full of hesitation.

“Aim at his head.”

Tsukiko paused.

“Th-the dryad's head? I can't see that either.”

“No. Vercingetorix's head.”

Tsukiko turned to Stiletto. If she hadn't been stunned to silence, she would have said something to the effect of 'are you insane?' - apparently, her expression carried that exact meaning, for Stiletto responded in kind.

“We're running out of time. I need you to aim directly at Vercingetorix's forehead. If you can do that, I'll do the rest.” Stiletto held up a throwing star. “Just trust me.”

That was the final straw.

“Like hell!” Tsukiko cried. She tried to fling her bow away in anger, but it broke into wires and retreated into her tie. “The one time you missed – the person you hit – I bet they trusted you too, didn't they?!”

Stiletto paled.

“You know about that?” She asked, her voice quiet. “Henry, right? Such a blabbermouth. Which is strange, all things considered – ”

She was cut off by the crackle of her walkie-talkie. The two of them watched as the beast spread out its six limbs. It leaned over Miss Isle and Vercingetorix, like a cat who had finally cornered its prey. Its tree-sized tail began to wag. Then, Stiletto's walkie-talkie began to speak.

“Stiletto, Tsukiko, we're cornered,” said Vercingetorix's voice. “There's no way out. Get back to the circus.”

“Or save us!” Miss Isle's frantic voice cried.

“Evacuate everyone, and tell Ravindra to prepare as much fire as he can. That's the only thing I can think of to stop this creature.”

“I have another plan,” Stiletto said into the device. “Vercy. Do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

“Even after that time I hit you?”

It took a moment for Tsukiko to process this.

“Absolutely,” Vercingetorix said, with no hesitation. “I pressured you into that trick. You told me about the risks. It was my mistake. If it hadn't been you throwing the knife – if anyone else had've done it – I would have died. I trust you completely.”

Stiletto closed her eyes and nodded.

“Thank you, Vercy. I need you to stand still for about thirty seconds.”

“Understood.”

“Vercingetorix was the target you hit...?” Tsukiko wondered. “But – ”

“He trusts me. Are you happy now?” Stiletto asked. “Now aim at Vercingetorix! If you don't, he'll be dead in a minute anyway!”

Tsukiko's heart raced ever faster. She had to admit, Stiletto had a point.

Fine, Stiletto, She thought. I might not trust you with Galen's life, but if Vercingetorix trusts you with his, I'll do it.

She conjured the bow, and assumed her stance. Tsukiko drew back the string, and made sure that the faint shadow of Vercingetorix's forehead was in the direct center of her bow's sights.

Stiletto raised her throwing star. “Wait for my signal.”

A second passed.

“Fire.”

Letting go of the arrow was one of the hardest things Tsukiko had ever convinced herself to do. The arrow flew, disappearing from Tsukiko's vision instantly.

Well, said one part of Tsukiko's mind. You've just killed a guy. Congratulations.

You shut up, said the rest of Tsukiko's mind. Stiletto has a plan.

The dryad let out a loud roar, a hundred times louder than the cry it had released earlier. Tsukiko clasped her hands over her ears, but couldn't block out the earthquake-like feeling in her feet. The dryad's limbs splayed out to either side; it fell, kicking up an enormous cloud of dust.

Stiletto's walkie-talkie crackled again.

“Tsukiko, you did it!” Miss Isle's excited voice cried.

“Yes, good job,” Vercingetorix said, much more calmly. “We can see the arrow sticking out of the dryad's apple. I don't know how you managed it, but you just saved us.”

“Uh...” Tsukiko stammered. “I don't know how I managed it either.”

It was then that Tsukiko noticed Stiletto's hands. Last time Tsukiko had looked at her, Stiletto had been holding a throwing star. It was now gone.

Just like when Stiletto had knocked the Tank Top's hat off Tsukiko's head, she needed an instant to piece together what must have happened.

“Stiletto... did you hit my arrow out of the air?”

“I changed its course, yes,” Stiletto replied, picking up her bandoleer. “It's a good thing the apple was where I remembered it.”

“How?!” Tsukiko demanded.

Stiletto laughed.

“And don't say a knife thrower never reveals her secrets! That's my thing!” Tsukiko warned. Stiletto's laughter, along with the flood of relief flowing through her body, made the warning much more light-hearted than it could have been.

“There's no secret to reveal,” Stiletto said. “I've had years of practice, my dear.”

“You know what's cool?” Miss Isle asked, as the four of them approached the circus' truck. “Being alive. Being alive is pretty cool.”

Miss Isle had been heading towards the back seat, but Stiletto took the handle first.

“You can ride shotgun,” said Stiletto.

“Wait a minute,” said Vercingetorix, half-way into the driver's seat. “Miss Isle, didn't you take your own vehicle?”

“Oh, right!” Miss Isle snapped her fingers. She waved to the others before running off. “See you back at the circus!”

Vercingetorix shook his head. “I swear, that girl has no memory.”

They drove off, with Tsukiko and Stiletto both in the back seat. The two women were silent, staring out of their respective windows as the sun continued to set.

After a few minutes, Stiletto spoke up.

“I'm sorry,” She said.

Tsukiko turned her attention away from the window.

“If you only knew a little bit about the time that I missed, I completely understand why you'd be upset about Galen being in my shows,” Stiletto explained. “I thought you were just acting, but I understand now that you were actually worried about Galen being in danger. That wasn't my intent.”

“Well,” Tsukiko muttered. “Apology accepted.” She paused. “But now I'm curious. You hit an arrow out of the sky with a throwing star. What could you have possibly been doing that made you actually miss?”

“Ah, well, that was a trick I came up with,” Vercingetorix said. “I wanted some more cross-performer shows, so I borrowed one of Pierre's ghost lions, and had Henry mime out a path for them to walk.”

“That was all fine,” Stiletto said. “But then you got Ravindra involved too...”

“So technically,” said Vercingetorix, the three of them walking through the circus grounds some fifteen minutes of explanation later. “The trick was illegal in three states and all of Canada. But we didn't learn that until the next border crossing.”

“My new rule of thumb is to limit the number of unicycles on stage to three or less,” Stiletto said. “So far, that's been enough to get by without any more mishaps.”

“What about bicycles?” Tsukiko asked.

“Better, but still no,” Stiletto replied. “Tricycles would work, but people always think of them as childish. And really, there's no sense complicating the act. The simpler it is, the safer it is. In the end, that's the most important part.”

“Precisely,” Vercingetorix agreed. He looked at his watch. “Ah, we made good time tonight. We'll need to send in a clean-up crew, but for now, I need to discuss Pierre's schedule.”

“Don't let him take my timeslot!” Stiletto ordered.

“We'll see,” Vercingetorix said, wandering off.

Stiletto scoffed. “Pierre's been after my timeslot for years now. I wish he'd get it through his brain that it's mine.”

She snapped her fingers.

“Right, of course – speaking of timeslots, Tsukiko, you and Galen were scheduled to be in my next show,” She said. “But I'll talk to Vercingetorix about finding someone else. You two can just focus on your own shows.”

“Hang on!”

The words were out of Tsukiko's mouth before she had properly considered them. However, today, Stiletto had shown Tsukiko the impossible once again, even after she'd decided that Religalia and dryads were perfectly reasonable.

How could she say no to a further dive into impossibility?

A few days later, Tsukiko once again watched Stiletto's act from the safety of the offstage corridors. While she waited for her cue, she switched between her gargantuan bag of popcorn, third candy apple of the night and the last dregs of her smoothie.

“Now this is a very special show,” Stiletto told the audience. “Please welcome Alesia's very own Tsukiko Tanner on stage.”

Tsukiko wiped the food debris from her gloves and jumped up onto the stage, giving a polite wave to the applauding masses.

“Now, Tsukiko has joined me for a show or two in the past,” Stiletto explained, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. “But only to demonstrate the differences between a stage magician's method of knife-throwing and real knife-throwing.”

Tsukiko mouthed the words 'mine is better' to the audience, though she wasn't sure anyone but Galen would be able to tell.

“However, this show has her take on a more active role,” Stiletto said.

She gestured to the target on the opposite side of the stage. Without hesitation, Tsukiko walked over to it, turned around, and grabbed the handles.

“This is a good time to mention the circus' policy on ticket refunds,” Stiletto added. “In the event that a performer is – for any reason – unable to perform during their scheduled show, all you need to do is find Vercingetorix and he'll be happy to exchange your tickets for any other show that night.”

Stiletto pulled a dagger from her leg.

“Of course, Tsukiko's show is the last show of the night, so there won't be anything to refund them for.”

“Oh goodie,” Tsukiko said, with practiced sarcasm.

“Ready, Tsukiko?”

“Ready enough.”

Tsukiko may have felt her grip on the handles tighten, but her body stayed perfectly still as Stiletto wound back her arm and brought down the blade. Even as the dagger disappeared from sight and she heard the thunk of metal embedding itself in wood a mere inch from her ear, she didn't flinch.

After all, Stiletto's target was much larger, closer, and slower than an arrow.

The audience began to applaud. Tsukiko and Stiletto shared a smile.

“One down,” said Stiletto. “Let's go for twenty.”

#dressed to kill #original fiction #tsukiko

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grandrsachilles · 6 years

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Here is my Les Mis experience

(its really long but what the hell)

I was sat on the 2nd row so I was so close to the stage and at times the cast were no more than 5ft away and it was crazy

As soon as the first note to ‘Look Down’ played I was crying

Valjean and Javert screaming their names at each other

The way they had the stage rotate as Valjean was walking round finding work was so awesome

The Bishop and Valjean ?? Is this a ship?? There was definitely something going on there, the way they looked at each other whilst the Bishop had his hands on Valjean’s chest (Valjean had his hands over the Bishop’s) and when the Bishop went to leave the stage they still held hands until they couldn’t anymore

‘Valjean’s Soliloquy’ was amazing, the first time we really got to experience Valjean’s vocals and Dean Chisnall’s voice is AMAZING and I teared up

I loved how in the factory Fantine had one friend who stuck with her and held her hands and tried to reassure her when she had been thrown out until she was dragged away off stage by the other women

Also the factory workers were a mixture of men and women though it was only the women that were horrible to Fantine

‘I Dreamed A Dream’ was pretty emotional, Carley Stenson’s voice was so powerful

‘Lovely Ladies’ was done really well I liked how the prostitutes were all in the centre stage and there was smoke and it was really cool with all the effects and how they had Fantine coming back with short hair

AND BAMATABOIS I cannot stand that man he was so horrible to Fantine and how the women rallied against her trying to comfort her after she attacked him and he threw her onto the floor

The cart scene was incredible, how everyone was running around the stage and then when the cart had fallen some of the cast were practically right next to me like rolling and tumbling

How they did ‘Who Am I?’ was pretty cool, how he was alone but then he was standing before the court showing his 24601 brand on his chest

Fantine’s death scene was really sad, how she got out of bed and collapsed and Valjean carried her back to bed and she died in his arms and that bright white light that shone on her once she had died got me real good

THE CONFRONTATION I loved this part and how they chased each other around Fantine’s bed?? And Valjean picking up a chair and smashing it on the floor and then threatening Javert with a chair leg what a man

Little Cosette was so adorable, her voice was incredible for someone so young

The Thenardier’s were so funny throughout the entire thing, just small comments and actions

‘Master Of The House’ was really good and there were multiple laughs during the performance

‘The Bargain’ was also pretty funny, the things the Thenardiers did when Valjean wasn’t looking like the faces they made at each other and afterwards when they had the money and Mdm Thenardier was rubbing it on herself and Thenardier grabbed her and they ran off stage

THE DANCE SCENE VALJEAN AND LITTLE COSETTE HAD AFTERWARDS WAS SO BEAUTIFUL and how she changed super fast into a nice dress and Catherine

‘Look Down’ was really good again and when Enjolras and Marius appeared !! And some of the ensemble were right next to me again which was awesome

Marius and Cosette meeting each other was really cute and he tried to help her during the robbery scene

Montparnasse like grabbed Eponine during the robbery and she attacked him and pushed him away but then he helped her with the robbery and his outfit was just so Montparnasse?? Like top hat and a better tailcoat than all the others??

When Javert appeared during this and Valjean had gone, Patron-Minette and the Thenardiers were all on the floor next to Javert and Thenardier crawled towards Javert’s feet as he sung ‘in the absence of a victim dear inspector may I go..’ And Javert just glared at him and he shuffled back towards the others really quickly and whispered guess not to the others

‘STARS’ WAS AMAZING once again the vocals were incredible, the Javert was an understudy played by Lee Van Geleen and he was an amazing Javert

‘Red and Black/ ABC Cafe’ was soo good, Samuel’s voice he’s such an awesome Enjolras like his voice was just perfect for this role and THE HAIR he was amazing but when Enjolras said ‘dont let the wine go to your brains’ he stared at Grantaire who stared back in disbelief and pointed to the guy behind him

Grantaire then continued to lovingly stare at Enjolras throughout the song (minus the parts when he was annoying Enjolras with his lines)

GRANTAIRE PUT THE BOTTLE DOWN

Grantaire literally sulked and sat down and read a newspaper for the rest of the song whilst everyone else was gathered together listening to Enjolras

I LOVED how this transitioned into ‘Do You Hear The People Sing?’ how they moved from the cafe into the streets to rally people, and Enjolras in the cart omg

‘In My Life/ Heart Full Of Love’ was so cute and how Marius just climbed the gate and held Cosette, it was also really cool how the gate rotated to fit where the scene was more focused AND Toby’s Marius was so well played like his Marius was so awkward and adorable

‘ONE DAY MORE’ OMG I’m still not over this, how Enjolras came onto the stage wearing the red vest and went between Cosette and Marius and then when they were all doing THAT walk across the stage and the last couple lines got to me SO BAD

Also Valjean handing Catherine to Cosette and packing her into her bag to leave for England omg

‘On My Own’ was pretty good and again emotional

And at the barricade when Javert had been found out and Gavroche the little savage has no chill

And Grantaire whilst singing ‘bravo little Gavroche you’re the top of the class’ picked him up and put him on his shoulders

When Eponine came back to the barricade and was shot it was SO sad like a ‘Little Fall Of Rain’, the blood and Marius’ sobs as he hugged her body and after she was carried away during ‘Night Of Anguish’

During the first attack Grantaire tried to protect Gavroche and everyone screamed get down and everyone did except Grantaire who stayed stood on top of a box with his arms wide and he said bring it on and Feuilly and Courf I think kept shouting at him to get down and he eventually did when they dragged him down

Them gunshots though every time I would full on jump they were SO loud and sharp

And ‘DRINK WITH ME’ afterwards holy hell, during Grantaire’s part Courf pointed him out to Enjolras who then ran down the barricade and grabbed his shoulder before standing in front of him and they stared at each other for a while before Grantaire literally THREW himself into Enjolras’ arms and they hugged for a few seconds and I cried

Grantaire and Marius also hugged multiple times

‘Bring Him Home’ has always been my least favourite song but Dean’s performance was just INCREDIBLE and I LOVED it and how Marius went to sleep hugging Eponine’s hat just broke my heart

Gavroche’s death omg, just before when Marius and Enjolras were talking Grantaire made sure Gavroche was okay and safe and two seconds later he had run around the barricade and then he was killed once he had thrown the ammunition over the barricade and it was really sad

Marius was then shot and Grantaire was crying over him trying to wake him up

And then he and Enjolras shook hands and Enjolras smiled (which I guess in a way was do you permit it?)

Enjolras then ran to the top of the barricade and tried to take the flag but was shot and the epic death fall??

BUT then Grantaire ran up to the top after Enjolras was shot and threw his wine bottle at the National Guard and was then shot and killed

How that bright white light shone on each one as they died, was that really necessary???

When the barricade rotated and Enjolras was fallen backwards over the barricade it was so sad but looked SO awesome

The sewer scene was also really good, like how a light would shine on Valjean and Marius and each time Valjean was carrying Marius in a different way it looked awesome

JAVERT’S SUICIDE WAS DONE AMAZINGLY

First off the vocals again, and secondly how it was performed?? There was a bridge on the stage and he climbed over the railings and as he stepped from the bridge to the stage the bridge went up and Javert ‘fell’ and it just looked so amazing??

‘Turning’ was so sad and ‘Empty Chairs At Empty Tables’ when they all came and stood behind Marius omg my heart

The wedding scene was so beautiful, some of the barricade guys came back to dance and the dancing was really pretty

When Thenardier sang ‘this ones a queer but what can you do’ the guy who was Grantaire (Raymond Walsh) stopped dancing, let go of his partner and once again stared in disbelief at Thenardier and the audience

The ending will forever get to me

When Fantine appeared and I started to tear up and then once he had gone and Marius was holding Cosette as she cried and Eponine appeared behind them

THEN everyone reappeared and I SOBBED badly it was so sad yet beautiful

Don’t even get me started on the bows at the end

I started crying even more I was so sad it was over but soo happy with the cast and the entire thing

The entire theatre gave a standing ovation and Id never experienced that with a show and it was incredible and that made me cry even more

AND during the final bows the cast were SO close and they all looked so happy and thankful and I cant

Im SO glad I got to see the new cast in one of their first weeks they were seriously incredible and I recommend it so much

I also got to meet some of the cast afterwards and they were all SO nice

BEST NIGHT EVER

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ayellowbirds · 6 years

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Keshet Rewatches All of Scooby-Doo, Pt. 4: “Mine Your Own Business”

(”Scooby-Doo, Where Are You”, Season 1 Episode 4)

AKA “Fred Is Incapable of Recognizing Pain In Others”

The episode opens over the ruins of the ghost town of Gold City, above which a banner still hangs welcoming visitors. A storm rages, thunder crashing and lightning flashing. A vulture looks over the town, and crows as if trying to respond to the thunder. It also crows as if it was an animal completely unrelated to a vulture, because North American “new world” vultures rarely vocalize and can only make grunting and hissing sounds.

What? You thought i wouldn’t waste text on ornithological complaints? Look at my URL.

Into this scene lumbers a lanky old prospector, his eyes hidden beneath the wide brim of a drooping hat.

Meanwhile, Shaggy’s sure they took the right turn. In spite of the map being obviously upside-down, made obvious by way of the text. Shaggy and Scooby are horrified when Velma reveals that they’re at Gold City, “the old ghost town”.

Well, of course that’s upsetting.

Except, you know.

THAT’S JUST A MAP OF GHOST TOWNS, AND NOTHING ELSE

WHERE DID YOU THINK YOU WERE GOING?

WAS IT THE ONLY MAP LEFT AT THE GAS STATION?

Thank goodness this is no longer a problem our GPS-abundant society needs to worry about. Our road trips will only get us lost in spooky places when the settings glitch or the machine turns malevolently sentient.

As the impossibly vocal vulture crows at their entry into town—I guess if Scooby can talk, a vulture can let out strangled screaming noises like the wails of the sinful dead in Gehinnom—the gang catch sight of a place to spend the night.

Welcoming!

Drinking game part three: any time a member of the gang tells another to ring a bell or knock on a door, reevaluate your choice of beverage and pause to properly hydrate with a glass of tap water. Fortunately, there’s no need to fear: the owner looks like he could be Daphne and Fred’s beefy time-traveling son.

Did people ever wear ascots and kerchiefs as much as this show would have us believe?

Big Ben introduces the gang to Hank, the ranch caretaker, a grim-faced yet gentle-sounding old man who looks like he’s one stiff breeze away from collapsing into dust. When Velma and Daphne compliment the accommodations and wonder at the total vacancy, Hank explains that it’s because of the Miner: the Miner Forty-Niner.

The next instant, Velma has lipstick matching Daphne’s. You’d think this is an animation error, but in my educated opinion, the girls used the distraction of old Hank’s rambling superstition to sneak in a quick smooch after getting worked up at the prospect of a night to themselves without the boys.

Hank relates that the Miner came to town in 1849, and “can’t rest until he finds the last vein of gold”. In a bit of a twist, it’s not the Miner who moans hauntingly at night, but the gold mine itself, calling out for the ancient prospector.

Velma, you’ve got a little something right there....

For whatever reason, the Miner has been coming up to the ranch to scare away guests, and even Hank has had it, planning to book it in the morning. This is all the motivation Fred needs to make the gang go investigate the ghost town, driving the Mystery Machine out into the center of Gold City.

Entering a ruined saloon, Shaggy places an order, and someone slides a pair of mugs towards him and Scooby.

Well that won’t cut the dust. Shaggy and Scooby are spooked by this just in time for a player piano in the corner to start up, convincing the duo there’s ghosts about until Velma explains the automation. Further investigation antics lead the gang to conclude that there’s nowhere left to look, and they make their way out... or they would, except for the detail of a mirror they pass by.

Pictured: a missed opportunity for a joke about Scooby thinking he’s let himself go.

Scooby’s attempt to flee turns up a newly-made map of Gold City with some strange coded directions in the corner, which Velma concludes is a safe combination. Headed down to the safe in the very same abandoned hotel, they discover that it was already open, and empty... because it contains a secret elevator! The whole gang pile in, since naturally a hidden wooden elevator in an abandoned hotel in the middle of a ghost town is going to be safe.

Miraculously, the descent brings them right into the sealed-up mine, where the Miner Forty-Niner continues to watch them from the shadows. After Shaggy nearly kills the gang by mistaking a handful of dynamite for candles, they discover a passage with functional lighting, and Fred commands the group to split up. Probably as a safety measure in case Shaggy finds more “candles”.

While Shaggy and Scooby encounter and flee the Miner, we get a brief glimpse of Fred serving as something other than the straight man and group leader: the big lug falls through a rotted wood floor and winds up covered with flour from toes to nose.

Naturally, he runs into the Boy Blunder and his amazing Wonder Dog, who are at this point freaked out enough that they mistake him for a ghost and run right back into another meeting with the Miner. I could go on about the requisite minecart chase sequence and reused animation, but something more significant happens as soon as the gang is reunited:

Daphne falls through a rotted wooden floor! Of course, Fred is completely understanding, having experienced the same thing mere moments ago and having been humiliated oh wait he’s just going to be an asshole about it.

Time for everyone’s least-favorite “informed attribute”! Fred’s such a dick about it that he’s started turning into an owl, a bird known for its twin powers of impossible neck rotation and spite. Never mind that a mineshaft is way more dangerous to fall into than a storeroom full of sacks of flour, or that Daphne hasn’t actually suffered any more accidents than Shaggy or Scooby. What a douche. What a were-owl douche.

Once again, the final clues come together—a sound system wired through the mine to play recordings of ghostly moaning, and samples of crude oil in mason jars—and Fred forms a plan to captured the miner that relies on Shaggy’s vocal talents and Scooby... being disposable. The Great Dane is made to pretend to be a Great Train, driving a pump-car down the minecart tracks while Shaggy makes choo-choo noises to convince the Miner a train’s a-coming.

This plan really shouldn’t work. Why would there be a steam locomotive in a sealed mine? But the Miner Forty-Niner isn’t the most canny villain, and flees... but of course, the plan goes awry once again, and once again, Scooby crashes into the villain instead of simply trapping them. This results in the revelation that the looming Miner was wearing short stilts to seem taller, and of course, that means he’s old Hank.

The gang explains Hank’s plan to scare Big Ben away so that he could buy up the ranch and surrounding land for dirt-cheap to make it rich on the oil he discovered, and Ben laments that Hank didn’t just bring him in on it and form a partnership.

I’m a little vague on what crime Hank committed, but really, it can’t be anything that will keep him locked up long, could it? Yeah, he was menacing the kids and possibly trespassing (the actual ownership of the mine isn’t clear), but this doesn’t feel nearly as concrete as the previous episodes’ art & yacht theft schemes or villain who turned out to be an escaped criminal wanted in multiple states.

Even more unsettling is the realization that we’ve yet to see the classic "meddling kids!" bit! Only one of these first four episodes actually has the villain explaining any of their schemes, and the others instead rely on the gang gathering together later on to discuss the costumed crimes after the police have come and gone.

The most we get this time around?

(like what i’m doing here? It’s not what pays the bills, so i’d really appreciate it if you could send me a bit at my paypal.me or via my ko-fi. Click here to see more entries in this series of posts, or here to go in chronological order)

#scooby doo #long post #KRAOSD

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kierancampire · 3 years

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I just saw a video talking about having weird experiences, and i forgot how many i have had, i probably don't even remember all of them

I have always had a very unique appearance/clothes, like, i have never seen anyone look/dress like me in my area, and people instantly seem to recognise me when i am out in public. It's been a few years since this last happened, but when i was in school/college i literally had multiple people, including family members, come up to me and say they saw me somewhere, but the thing is, i was never in the location these people said they saw me, my family would even say "I know this wasn't you, but i saw your twin again", and i have never seen this person. Like, once i even got into an argument with someone in college as they were adament they saw me in the town centre, my hat in my hand, which i never take my hat off but i find it weird this other Kieran wears hats too, looking at the sky and spinning in circles. This person refused to let me say it wasn't me, even when others verified i was in class when they said they saw this person, they were still adament it was me. Like i said, been a few years since the last sighting but it used to happen all the time

I've never really liked apples, like, i don't think they're awful, it is just one of my least favourite fruits. One day i had an urge to buy Pink Lady apples and they were probably the best things i have ever eaten, i ate 2 in a row and had to stop myself from eating a third. When i was telling my mum about these apples, she said they were my nans favourite who died recently

I also, to the point it is upsetting me, am repeatedly, and i mean repeatedly am seeing my birthday date lately, either the month and day, or the year, but i am seeing it everywhere. Probably the weirdest instance of this being i was watching a YouTuber and he created a character, he randomly gave it the birthday of 15th March 1996. Like, before i was seeing the day and month, or the year, but never together, but he randomly seected my full birthday. But like i said, this is happening so much now it is freaking me out

There was another time i had just done a food shop that day, went to bed, next thing i know i am awake and standing by my fridge, the fridge door was open just a crack. It's like my brain somehow knew the door was open and all this food i bought was gonna go bad, so it just put me by it to close the door

I also can't tell you how many times i was with a friend, we randomly decided to walk a different route, then ended up bumping into people we know, like, once this happened 3 times with the same friend on the same walk

Then of course there was the time my mum randomly found the doggy day care as a work experience place while i was in college, when the boss came to see me she screamed i stole her sofa, turns out we ordered the same sofa from the same seller seemingly at the same time but got our corner pieces mixed. Then an owner reported her phone was missing, a girl i was working with let her brother know, he was a bin man and had already picked it up but he recognised the phone already as he used to date the owner. Then i had a dream that my co-worker was pregnant before she told anyone she was, speaking of

I had a dream my mum gave birth to a boy called Jake, who had blond hair and blue eyes. I told my mum this as i thought i prophercised what her baby would be (she was pregnant at the time). That ended up not being true, but a few years later my aunt gave birth to a boy with blond hair and blue eyes, who she called Jake, she never knew about my dream

I am sure there has been more too that i am forgetting. Like, i am not a spiritual/psychic person, I'll always find a logical/scientific explanation for things, and i find spiritual people kinda loopy, but at the same time there have been some super weird experiences in my life that i can't explain. Like that one night i woke up and saw my wardrobe had fell and rotated, yet it woke no one up, not even me who is a very light sleeper and it happened right next to me, then the fact that i couldn't lift/rotate it without it tearing my bed, which didn't have a tear when it fell. But like, after watching that video i was like "There have been quite a few things happen in my life that seem a bit more than a coincidence"

One odd experience that i do know the reason for, was once my lizard went missing and i could hear him making a noise, yet no one was helping me find him. I lifted my bed with one arm and such ease and desperately looked for him under my bed, while i held it above me with the one arm. I later tried lifting my bed again, even with 2 arms i got it barely an inch off the ground. But i have heard adrenaline gives you an untapped "super strength" in times of need

#personal

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laurenborrelli · 6 years

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Allora, va bene

Ever since studying abroad in rome 4.5 years ago, I have been anxious about my next trip to Italy. Could it possibly live up to the experiences I had while living there? But it was not a matter of competition. I have graduated university, moved to Boston, worked in Architecture for 3 years, and traveled to 6 countries since. I am a different person now - so I tried to be excited to experience the same environment in a different way!

My roommate (Stephanie) for my first two years in Boston had moved to Rome to live with her boyfriend. Since Kate has never been to Italy and knows Stephanie, we decided to venture together to visit her! And while Stephanie sporadically moved home just 10 days before our flight...we made the most of quickly booking two new hostels in Rome and forgetting the money we suddenly had to spend. Everything happens for a reason. And that reason made our trip even better.

Itinerary:

Thursday, April 19th 2018: My flight departed Boston at 9:30pm. Kate’s left Chicago at the same time. As I boarded the plan I got a voicemail of her panting “Lauren - I just made my flight - I ran through security - they held the door for me - see you in Dublin”. So now that I wasn’t going to end up doing this trip alone, the journey began LOL. We met in Dublin and shared a pints of Guinness and Magners in an airport with the best amenities I have experienced. 6 hrs later we flew to Rome. It’s 8pm and we plan to take the train from the airport to Termini Station. I validate my ticket in the machine - all good. Kate goes to validate her ticket - rotates the ticket the other way - and pushes her ticket all the way into the machine and gets it stuck. The train is to depart in 3 minutes and our Italian consists of “scusa me” and “mis dispiace” uhhh ticket-a-stuck? Luckily the snail speed of the ticket attendant to walk over, open the machine, get us our ticket didn’t deter us from running to barely make it on the train. WHEW giggles and sweat overwhelmed us. We capped on the night by checking-in to our hostel and headed to a spot up the street for food. The dinner consisted of with bread + nduja spread and two personal pizzas. Safe to say we went to bed with full bellies and tired minds.

Saturday: Kate survived her first night in a hostel! She talked in her sleep the whole night...which I’m sure the 3 french, 2 british, and one not sure guys were pretty thrilled about! We were the two girls in an 8 person room...bachelor pad! LOL JK they were all under 20 y/o but very polite and easy to stay in a room with! The morning walking tour began with a cornetti and cappuccini at a small cafe where I used to frequent when I had meetings for a design competition Premio Piranesi. Moving on to Santa Maria Maggiore, through Monti, around the forum before the crowds, and checked-out my old lunch nook at the Campidoglio. Then down the stairs along Via Maior Arenula to see where my Cartography classes used to take place and crossed the Ponte Vittorio to check out the Vatican all before noon! There was a choir singing and thousands of people with matching hats...then suddenly the pope comes strolling out in his glass-less mercedes! He goes zipping around and suddenly comes within 10 feet of us!!! Kate and I look at each other in awe...ok we saw the pope in our first 24 hours in Rome we can die happy now. We later found out this weekend was Rome’s birthday, so there was a plethora of activities going on this weekend! After all of this excitement we FINALLY realized how hungry we were!! Pizza al taglia at La Boccaccia in Trastevere and found my old apartment! Then around the Pantheon and the journey back uphill to rest our legs at the hostel. With sunburned noses and hungry bellies we headed in Monti to Pasta Chef. Its a casual pop-in restaurant with a 4.9 rating on trip advisor - the paper plates and plastic cups makes it not seem like a roman restaurant. But the food was SO FREAKING GOOD! Grabbed wine and a tiramisu to go and wandered to check out the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps at night. Ahhh what a perfect night cap to an amazing first day in Rome!

Sunday: Early morning at the Coliseum. My first time here since it was under renovation before! We beat (some) of the crowds and scheduled a 12am tour. We went inside anyways just to compare what it would look like during the day. As we left the crowds were in full form. Walked around circus maximus and say more bday celebrations kicking off. A huge parade of gladiators took off and we caught them at the campidoglio. Porchetta sandwich for lunch at my all-time fave Baccanale in Campo de Fiori. Espresso granita at Tazza D’oro, to Piazza Navona, then up to the Borghese Gardens. An earth day festival was happening. 75% of the sustainable crafts consisted of spray paint. Aerosols...earth day...jersey show...it all seemed too ironic. Spritz and pastries in the gardens and home for a quick nap / packing before the midnight tour! Made it all the way there despite all of the sketchy guys and cat calls and there was not one entrance point open. Of course the police barely spoke english and made inappropriate comments so we snapped a quick photo of the colosseum light up and quickly jumped in an uber. So did the ticket booth mean 12pm not midnight?...

Monday: Delicious breakfast at a cafe before our 8am train to Como! At our connection in Milan, the second Kate stepped foot on the train it started to depart. Whew barely made it. After struggling at the grocery store in Como with our luggage / weighing every produce item (what does the check-out counter do then?) and touching produce without a glove. We made it on the bus with all of the middle school kids getting out of school...lucky us! Our airbnb was about 30 mins from Como in a tiny waterfront town called Careno. The hosts met us at the house, showed us everything, and could not have been more helpful! We basked in the sun on the beautiful balcony with some snacks and rose. Ahhh now this is the relaxing part of the vacation. It was a beautiful ten minute walk down to the rocky beach basically through people’s kitchens. The water was cold and clear with a couple friendly “buon giorno” heard as we wandered down. Finished the day with some carbonara on the balcony and Italian dancing with the stars.

Tuesday: An early bus ride to Bellagio to go kayaking! Kate’s all-time favorite kayaking tour because it was 20% paddling and 80% chilling. Just us two on a tour with the guide, Mich. We asked him any questions we could think of about Italy - even how old kids are when they start smoking. The answer was 13 btw... We then had lunch of pizza at a hidden gem he recommended called La Grotta. Wandered through the shops to buy beautiful ceramics at Magda Guaitamacchi. The owner was an older woman who spent most of her adult life practicing art in London. She was the sweetest and really made our afternoon. We then spent a couple hours hanging at the park at the point. I did a bit of watercoloring and mostly enjoying the turquoise water against the snowcapped alps. We then hopped on a ferry home and enjoyed a spritz while on board. Our airbnb hosts graciously got us a reservation for the only restaurant in the tiny town of Careno. We had the corner table as the server had grown up with our host. The meal consisted of multiple courses, each with a particular backstory. All of the fish was caught in the lake and it was a wonderful way for us to learn about the history of the area. As we ended with the best limoncello I’ve ever had and bill way too discounted, our server grabbed keys and let us into the church next store. At first it seemed a bit like a horror scene but actually turned out to be magical and show how selfless his actions were. We went to bed absolutely stunned how we could meet three incredibly kind and giving people all in one day.

Wednesday: We checked out of our airbnb and trekked down the steep walk to the ferry launch with our suitcases. After running, sweating, and some last-minute help from our server the previous night (we stumbled upon him opening the restaurant) we made it on the ferry! A leisurely but packed ride to the town of Menaggio on the Switzerland side. It was the holiday for Italy’s independence after the collapse of WWII, so transportation and store times were a bit skewed. Luckily the visitor’s center was open and held on to our luggage free of charge! We strolled through town and had a beautiful waterfront lunch with sammies and spritz. After espresso and gelato we grabbed our stuff to take the ferry all the way to the train station in Como. The town of Como was absolutely packed! Happy we didn’t spend much time there as we grabbed snacks and took the train to our next destination - Modena! We arrived and checked into our next airbnb just in time to catch sunset on the rooftop. People were out drinking and celebrating. We could hear their cheering and signing resonating form the roof it was hilarious.

Thursday: We took the train in to Parma for our day filled with food tours! For my bday, my dad had found a guide who would take us to all local producers in region. It was just Kate and I on our personal tour with her! First stop: Parmigiano Reggiano! The name comes from the rural area of Parma and Reggio Emilia (clever). We got to see every step of the process and enjoy some delicious samples too. Next stop: Lambrusco winery! A refreshing wine with vines that are very young - completely different then my experience in Tuscany. Then to the Proscuitto and Culatello! Delicious meats but the parts hanging in the butcher’s stations were a bit much. How huge these pigs must be is also quite disturbing... Then to lunch at a small restaurant along a horse race track. Pretty heavy local cuisine which actually put me to sleep on our car ride back into town...oops! Finished off the tour with balsamic vinegar. Very interesting of every age is a blend of the old with the new - different then the rigidity of some aged foods. With bellies full of very rich indulgences, we headed back to Modena and grabbed aperitivo at this awesome spot in town. Great vibes, super friendly staff, gorgeous men drinking rose and on bikes, well behaved dogs, a bit of house music, and chips with our spritz...ahhh perfect end to a day once again.

Friday: A full day in Modena and my 26th bday! Morning at cafe with beautiful, innovative interiors. Walked around town and stopped in several stores for fun shopping. Walked through the food market where the Chef Massimo Bottura shops everyday. I made reservations for us to have lunch at his more casual restaurant Francescetta 58. Once we arrived, boy oh boy was I treating myself on my bday! We had a wonderful bottle of white wine with our tasting menus. Kate got the typical 3 course option and I treated myself to the regional 4 course upgrade. The dishes were the best I have certainly ever had and we left with the largest smiles on our face. Best meal ever on my actual bday?...this seemed like a dream. We then walked off a bit of the food and noodled up to the Ferrari museum. Pretty cool space with very modern architecture and the cars were pretty sick to see. The design of each car is so immaculate and just like with any museum, its awesome to see people appreciated the design of something. Being in the design industry this is something I admire and hope I can implement more in my type of work (even if it isn’t something common in the U.S.). Ended the day with apperitivo and a late sunset on the rooftop. And gelato cake in my favorite italian flavor of Amarena. Ah what an awesome day!

Saturday: Took the train back to Rome and arrived at a different hostel for the final leg of the trip. We grabbed a late lunch at Pasta Imperiale - a casual spot similar to Pasta Chef and then headed to my favorite museum Museo dei Fori Imperiali. It is Trajan’s market which was accidentally found below ground in a street repair! I have never been in a building that is an artifact in itself! Great how interactive it is and puts the extensive Roman history into perspective. An evening then of apperitivo and walking around Monti with a reasonable bed time.

Sunday: Early morning visit to the Trevi and the Spanish steps before the crowds then hopped on a train to see family an hour south! It was Kate’s time visiting our extended family and seeing the town our great-grandmother (106 this year!) is from. Carlo and Paula picked us up from the train station and gave us a beautiful tour of their lush garden. It was filled with vines for wine, fig trees, strawberry planters, and a beautiful brick oven. After a delicious lunch we headed up to Ventosa where my great-grandfather is from. We saw the house my nana gave birth to our grandpa. We saw her old home that is still abandoned and looks like it was bombed just yesterday. Then went down the hill to Santi Cosma e Damiano and walked through the church that my nana got married in. She also left her diamond earrings in the palms of the saints the night before she moved to the U. S....The piazza outside is where my great-grandfather apparently saw my nana coming out of church and realized he wanted to date her. He had come back from the U.S. to find a nice Italian wife that would move with him... and then there were facebook icons graffitied in the wall next door. Oh how times have changed! LOL The views from these tall towns are stunning and the younger family members speak much better english then last time! So it was fun to converse with time about their recent European travels and what life is like form them living in the larger town of Latina. Took the train back into Rome in the late evening and grabbed dinner at a fancy food court in Termini Station that our hostel host had recommended.

Monday: Last day in Italy! We walked all through the city up the Giancolo to see the cannon launched at noon. We walked around the tempietto and hung in the Villa Doria Pamphilj park. Then down the hill to the Vatican, to find out that it was completely mobbed and would take us forever to even get inside the chapel. Next time, Kate! We grabbed lunch at the most modern restaurant I have seen in Rome called Bar del Fico. It was great and I hope more like these start to pop up! Similar type of restaurant that Modena is filled with! Then spent the afternoon bopping into a couple art stores, checking out Ara Pacis and back up to grab spritz in our fave little garden bar at Borghese Gardens. We even stumbled upon a gelato festival!!! This was an awesome surprise and while I didn’t have the appetite for it, Kate certainly did! The flavors were incredibly diverse and unique and she had the largest smile on her face the entire time! We ended the night grabbing pizza at Alle Carrette.

Changes since my last visit:

Security: This was my first experience going through a metal detector before entering a church! Man things have changed in Rome since I lived here...but for the better! Better for this precaution then to have a scary situation inside the church. To get into St. Peter’s square we even went through many check points - one including the guard making me drink my water in front of them. Ah yes just water no acid ;)

Spring flowers: This time of year there were flowers growing everywhere! The wisteria around the wedding cake building made it look a bit less...intimidating. The pink and white flowers along teh spanish steps were beautiful too.

Old apartment: It’s converted into a beautiful restaurant/hotel. Which is a relief because the place was falling apart and felt like a lost opportunity when we lived there. Pretty surreal walking around but not a sappy feeling, just happy that I got to have my time there.

What will never change:

Coffee: UGH it’s inevitable to not go a morning without a cappuccino or an afternoon without an espresso. Even kate was having a cappuccino every morning by the end of our trip! They just prepare it so perfectly well that how could anyone not resist.

Work hours: We would be in a park in the middle of the day and it would be littered with people! It was awesome to see how lively and happy everyone was, but why aren’t these people at school or work?... Our Parma tour guide had said full-time jobs aren’t prevalent in Italy now, but is it really THAT bad?

Men: SO. MANY LOOKERS! Very few people acted on it but definitely intimidating for walking around in the evening as two girls. However I did realize if you want to feel good about yourself - go to Italy. If you want to feel bad - come back to the U.S.!

I feel very blessed that the universe brought Kate and I together for this trip. The trip never felt overshadowed by my previous experiences and I could not have been happier to spend it with someone I care so deeply about.

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leondaltons · 3 years

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either mali/tayla or giselle/oliver (or both idk, u choose), for the dating hcs meme 🥰

askajsa I did BOTH because I have no self-control lol

where they first met and how

well, funnily enough both met at school (Mali & Tayla at the Academy and Giselle & Oliver at the Institute) when they were paired in a group project!

how long their ‘flirting’ phase was before feelings got involved

Tayla started flirting with Mali quite a while before they actually got together, she wanted to make sure Mali knew she liked her but was also giving her time to come to terms with her feelings

For Oliver and Giselle is a little more complicated lol. I think that before they started their thing they never directly flirted, you know? Maybe there was a passing comment or a joke with a bigger connotation behind it, but direct flirting with Oliver personality AND Giselle engaged? nope hahaha

who fell for who first ( if applicable )

For Mali and Tayla, Tayla was the first one to fall no doubt here. But in Giselle & Oliver I think it was more or less at the same time!!

where their first date was and what it was like

Tayla took Mali to a museum and to get some coffee after it!!! It was actually super cool and chill, Tayla wanted for Mali to be comfortable and not to feel too pressured

When they started to officially date I think Oliver took Giselle to this really fancy restaurant but I think it was probably a little awkward; however once they left the restaurant and he walks/drives her home and she invites him in for some coffee things relax a little more, so it’s a good end of the night

who asks who out and how ( with a sign? spelled out on a cake? just a simple ‘will you go out with me’? )

Tayla lol, but with a simple ‘do you want to go out on a date with me?’

with Oliver and Giselle it’s kind of given they are kind of going to go out jashajsa, like they have said ‘i love you already’ and gone through a lot so it’s like kind in there that they should go on a proper date. I’m thinking Giselle probably hints it to Oliver to ask her tho ahahha

who proposes first

This gets better explained in another question but Tayla and Oliver

if they keep / kept their relationship secret or let everyone know right away

Mali and Tayla keep their relationship a secret until Mali feels more comfortable with everything

Giselle and Oliver need their relationship to be a secret jashajksahsa at least the first time. Once they are official without nothing in the middle they keep it in secret for a little until the drama of the wedding passes lol

where the proposal happens and how ( kiss cam at a baseball game? on a hillside surrounded by ducks? at a disney park? )

Tayla kind of brings the topic of conversation with Mali some weeks/months before the proposal, so she knows what Tayla is going to do. But it’s very intimate in their apartment during a fancy dinner Tayla cooked

For Oliver and Giselle i’m thinking they are having a lazy day in a lake similar to the one they used to go back in the Institute and he asks her there, it’s simple but full of meaning

if they adopt any pets together

Tayla is a loser for dogs so I think she talks Mali into adopting one!!! Giselle is a cat lady and i’m sure she and Oliver adopt at least two cats ♥

who’s more dominant

Mali

And then for Giselle and Oliver I think it’s both of them depending the mood

where their first kiss was and what it was like

For Mali and Tayla it was probably in an empty classroom or in one of their dorms. Tayla was saying that if she knew telling Mali how she felts was going to ruin their friendship she would just shut up because it’s obvious that despite given her time to think Mali wants nothing to do with this and that she understands but Mali interrupts her and kisses her

For Giselle and Oliver they are at the lake back in the Institute! She kind of dared him to go skinny-dipping into the water and once they are inside they are splashing each other and having water war but somehow he ends with his arms around her and their faces too close and he asks Giselle if he can kiss her and she just takes him from the nape and kisses him!

if they have any matching couples stuff ( mugs? sweaters? pillowcases? )

Tayla gets her and Mali matching sweaters for christmas non ironically ajshajsha, she looks so excited and with puppy eyes that Mali can’t say no hahaha

And nothing for Oliver and Giselle

how into pda they are

Tayla enjoys pda but knows how Mali is, so she respect her a lot in that aspect and keeps it to a minimum

and then I think Giselle and Oliver aren’t much into it. I think the sense of decorum and property is something that Giselle can’t stop having even after resigning to her royal title, and Oliver is a little grumpy to showing too much in public lol

who holds the umbrella when it rains

Mali, Tayla is too tiny ajsajksa

Oliver

where their usual ‘date spot’ is ( if applicable )

Tayla and Mali hang out a lot in the library!

Giselle and Oliver usually go to this lake in the Institute grounds so no one can bother them or the music room

who’s more protective

mmmm I think that for Mali and Tayla is a tie, Mali is really protective of those she loves and Tayla is protective about everyone ajsajska

For Giselle and Oliver is hard, but I will go with Giselle because Oliver has a hard time exteriorizing everything lol

how long it is before they sleep together ( can be as in ‘had sex’ or as in ‘shared a bed’ )

Mali and Tayla shared the bed a few times like even before they started dating but it takes them a while once they date until their first time

For Giselle and Oliver I say it takes them some weeks, maybe a month, until they sleep together after they first kiss

if they argue about anything

Mali and Tayla have exchange of opinions multiple times but their first big fight is when Tayla founds about Mali true intentions

Oliver and Giselle tend to have small discussions about a lot of stuff but not big arguments. Again, their first big one is the night before Giselle’s wedding

who leaves more marks ( lipstick, hickeys, scratchmarks etc. )

Mali

And Giselle, I think she really enjoys marking Oliver…..

who steals whose clothes and how often

Tayla

Giselle

how they cuddle ( spooning? facing each other? )

Tayla and Mali facing each other

For Giselle and Oliver it takes a while for him to get comfortable with it, then at first they start spooning and after a while they start facing each other, and now they rotate hahahah

what their favourite nonsexual activity is

For Mali and Tayla I would going out for a walk around the city

Giselle really loves when Oliver tries to teach her how to play the piano, or even just sitting there watching him play

how long they stay mad at each other

Tayla can’t stay mad for too long UNLESS the situation was bad enough lol but given the circumstances Mali can stay mad for some days (it’s hard for Tayla to do something that upsets Mali that much tho)

In Giselle’s case she can stay angry for a while if the situation deserves it but I don’t think Oliver can stay mad for too long

what their usual coffee / tea orders are

Tayla loves sweet things and Giselle loves black tea with some lemon and one sugar spoon

if they ever have any children together

I think it takes a while for Mali to warm up to the idea of children but Tayla always wanted kids so I think years after they are together they end up adopting at least one kid

Giselle also always wanted to have kids but I think in this case it’s more of an accident, but i’m thinking that after the first they have, at least, one more

if they have any special pet names for each other

Tayla likes calling Mali ‘babe’ or ‘honey’ ajshasa

and Giselle calls Oliver ‘Oli’ and ‘babe’

if they ever split up and / or get back together

When Tayla learns what Mali is doing at the Academy (and Mali informs who Tayla father is) Tayla really needs some space to process everything, it’s not an official break up but they don’t really talk or anything for like two weeks

Giselle and Oliver kind of break up before Giselle’s wedding lasjaksa I mean, he keeps telling her she has to go with it, she leaves angry and hurt, so I would say it’s a break up lol

what their shared living space is like ( messy? clean? what kind of decor? )

Mali and Tayla’s it’s messy, not with dirty things but I would say a lot of stuff in every available surface and mismatched things because Tayla really likes colorful things but I don’t think that’s really Mali’s vibes lol

Giselle and Oliver’s place is so aesthetically pleasing!!! Light colors and big open spaces with a lot of windows and natural light! a neutral mix of vintage and modern furniture which works so well and usually always in order

what their first christmas / hanukkah / etc as a couple was like

Tayla invites Mali to celebrate Christmas at her house! Her mum cooks and bakes everything! and chances are that Tayla aunts, uncles and grandparents come too! Tayla forces Mali into a Santa hat and it’s actually super fun and warm

For Giselle and Oliver I would say is weird, this is Giselle's first new year without her family (despite them being terrible parents it was her family) so it’s probably just the two of them. I say they probably order some fancy takeout but Giselle insists on cooking the dessert. When the clock strikes twelve they go out for a walk joining hands and not letting go not even once. When Giselle drops some small tears, Oliver cleans them and kisses her forehead. It’s small, weird, new and intimate but it feels like promises and new beginnings.

what their names are in each other’s phones

Tayla has Mali as ‘Mali 💕’ and once they start officially dating Giselle has Oliver as ‘Oli’

if they have any ‘couple traditions’ ( buying a new mug for their collection every year? baking every friday evening? )

Every Saturday morning Mali and Tayla go into the city and get breakfast in their favorite food place!

Once they are out of the Institute Giselle and Oliver stay at one of the others' homes (or their shared house…) and try to cook something and watch a movie while eating. They take turns every Friday and the cooking usually goes from “wow so good!” to “this is impossible to eat both because you can chew it and tastes extremely bad”

who falls asleep first and who wakes up first

Mali falls asleep and wakes up first

Giselle falls asleep first but Oliver wakes up before her

who’s the big spoon / little spoon

Mali little spoon and Tayla big spoon

Oliver big spoon and Giselle little spoon

who hogs the bathroom

For Tayla and Mali I think Tayla but only because it takes her a while to have her hair ready

And then I think that Giselle

who kills the spiders / takes them outside

Tayla takes the spider outside

Oliver kills the spider lol

#oh god this took a while ahhaha #thank you cami! ♥#seraphinadelacroix #ask #murderverse: giselle x oliver #academyverse: mali x tayla #cami🍃

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germanyinusa · 7 years

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Apply for CBYX!

For those of you who have not heard of CBYX, it is an exchange program between Germany and the United States that is sponsored by the U.S. Congress and German Bundestag. For one year, youth age 15-18 live with a host family and attend German high school. Going the other way, German high school students do the same here in the U.S. Best part is that CBYX is a full scholarship! Sound intriguing? We hope so. We bring this scholarship up now as the deadline for applications looms in the distance--December 1st. In order to arrange the details and finish the app in time, now is the time for action if you want to throw your hat in the ring for this prestigious scholarship.

To help you conceptualize the before, during, and after of being a CBYXer, we asked our social media expert Claire, who completed her year in 2010, to talk with us about her experience.

What made you initially apply to CBYX?

I applied to CBYX for a few reasons. My uncle moved to Germany many decades ago, and I’d grown up hearing this mysterious language being spoken by him and my cousins when they visited. My brother and I would sit with our German-to-English dictionary trying to pick up what was being discussed. That interest combined with a natural sense of adventure led me to favoring the more untraditional path of doing a year abroad in high school and wanting to do it in Germany. Unfortunately, being an exchange student in high school isn’t as common in the U.S. (yet), so winning a full scholarship helped convince my parents and school to support it.

How did you arrange the year abroad with your school?

Arranging a year abroad in high school is difficult if your school hasn’t had a student do it before you. I was the first at my school, and so I had a meeting with my guidance counselor as soon as I could to discuss my options. I suggest bringing materials with you about the prestige of the program, and emphasizing your flexibility. For example, I took online courses for English and History before I left for the year as they wouldn’t be comparable in Germany. I also took the SAT’s abroad as to be on track for applying to college when I returned. Basically, I’d speak in statements with your school about how you will arrange the year rather than coming with questions--as it opens up the door for them saying it isn’t possible or that you would need to repeat a year.

Was it difficult to learn German? Did you speak it before you left?

I hadn’t traveled outside of the U.S. before CBYX, so for me it was shocking to get off the train in Berlin and suddenly everything was in German--signs, announcements, labels. I had two years of middle school/high school German at my disposal which gave me limited vocab to work with. At first, I prioritized what I said because it often required running into a word I didn’t know, which was exhausting. But word by word and day by day my German improved. I was very motivated to learn because with each word I learned my daily life became a little easier and I got to show my true colors a little more. It is a humbling experience to have to lean on people a little more for help speaking or to learn the words for things, but it’s all part of the growing pains of learning a new language and tons of people have done it before you so there is no shame in it.

What was living with a host family like?

I lived with a family in a residential part of Berlin. At home in Pennsylvania, I had a single parent, was the only girl, and was the youngest of four. In Berlin, I was the middle child and had two sisters. The family welcomed me as one of their own, and despite my preconceived notion of all Germans being tall and blonde, I found myself blending in in a family of short brown-haired females. My first day with the family, my host sisters and I played dress up-- giggling as we threw leopard print bras over our shirts and wore big clown-like glasses. I knew then that I’d found myself in the right home.

At the same time, it isn’t all easy--nor is your normal family. Living in someone else’s home requires some flexibility to their set routine, and communicating why you do what you do--which your mom doesn’t have to ask because she has seen you since you were born-- but your host family has not.

What were the biggest cultural differences you experienced?

As cliche as it is, I was shocked by how blunt Germans were. I was used to a lot of sugar coating and it took a while to appreciate how Germans communicate. I also had to get used to the independence given to people my age, as there was a lot more hand-holding and rules back in the states. In Germany, I was treated mostly like an adult, which was duly awesome and scary as it meant quickly taking on a lot of responsibility. Lastly, using public transport was a big difference from taking a school bus or being picked up in a car by your parents. It put a lot of new pressure on me to know how to get home or remember bus routes and schedules.

How is German school different than American school?

German school was WAY different than an American high school. At least in my school--which was an Oberschule, I ended and started at a different time almost every day, depending on which subjects I had. I had a class of about 20 kids who I had my core classes with and my teachers rotated to us instead of vise versa. Exams made up the majority of my grade rather than homework or participation and exams didn’t include multiple choice but rather short answers and essays. Also, there was no such thing as substitute teachers, rather if a teacher had vacation or was sick, you just didn’t have that class. This said, every school is different, so yours may resemble an American school more.

Is there a “good” year to do it?

I did my CBYX program during my junior year. This is arguably the most tricky year to do it, as colleges are looking closely at your grades and most people take the SAT’s that year. It is definitely possible though and I had no issue graduating or getting into a good college. There are pros to doing CBYX as a gap year between high school and college, in that you don’t have to stress out as much about your grades at your German school and can defer your college acceptance.

Did you get to travel during the year?

I got to travel a lot. Some host families will take you on their family vacations. With other CBYXers living across the country and the abundance of train options, it is easy to visit them too. Additionally, going back to young people being given more independence in Germany, it is not unusual to go with friends to other countries and stay in youth hostels or travel in general without parental supervision.

Have you returned to Germany since?

I have been lucky enough to have returned to Germany several times in the years after my program, and also to have had my host family visit me in Pennsylvania. My host family still refers to “my bedroom” and when I’m back I curl up on the couch eating Erdnussflips with my host sisters and watch German soap operas like no time has passed. There are certainly still things about Germany I don’t understand and words I haven’t learned yet, but CBYX solidified Germany as a second home.

How has having completed CBYX helped you in the years after?

CBYX truly changed my life course, academically and professionally. Seeing an entirely different tax, welfare, and education system in Germany inspired me to study economics in college. I’ve volunteered supporting high school exchange students ever since I returned to the U.S. and have helped choose new generations of CBYXers. Speaking German has connected me with Americans and Germans alike in my city which has been the core source of a lot of my friendships. I also eventually found myself working at the German Embassy, which obviously wouldn’t have been possible without my year living there, the German skills I acquired, and the connections that came out of that. There are people who walk away from CBYX and don’t use their German again or don’t feel the draw to return back to Germany, but if you do choose to keep involved in German relations, CBYX is a very supportive, diverse, and well-connected community.

What advice would you give those applying to or on the program?

The best advice I received was as I was leaving on the airplane. A chaperone told me to “say yes to everything”. This year is a chance to try out a new sport, a new way of talking, a new style, a new way of being--lots of things that wouldn’t be possible or easy back home where everyone knows you. It is a chance to ask questions and expose yourself to new viewpoints. So just say yes. Personally, doing so led me to visiting my first nuclear power plant (I did not know the word for this and said yes anyhow) or to a planetarium show that blasted nothing but Queen (which if you haven’t done before, I highly recommend). I tried cow’s tongue, which is surprisingly delicious on bread, and fell off my bike twice during a community bike tour. I exited my comfort zone more than I stayed in it and came back feeling like I’d lived years within just one. I’d broken outside the bubble of home and gained a new understanding of myself in the process.

If you want more information on applying for CBYX or hosting a student, check it out here: http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org/

#German #High school #Study abroad #CBYX #State Department #Congress #Bundestag #Scholarship #Travel #Youth #Germany #Deutschland #PPP #Apply

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