#I live in the upper Midwest okay

[good-night-space-kid]

From the perspective of someone with a good understanding of sustainability and how agriculture works, some of the things people claim as “eco friendly” are so insane

#I’m nearly every case the most eco friendly option is looking as local as you can #eating vegan isn’t inherently better #I live in the upper Midwest okay #eating locally grown beef is far more sustainable than depending on fruits and vegetables and grains that have to be important from halfway #across the world #and I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to understand that #additionally those water charts are neat and all #but irrigating strawberries for months is different than letting a cow drink out of a stream or even giving it water from a hose #a local cow for me is getting filtered river water from an environment that can handle that water being used for something other than nature #anyways. many thoughts about performative and uninformed sustainability that people follow blindly

[blade-that-was-broken]

For the soldier on AU, how do John's former squad mates react when they find out that he's been taken in by Bruce and is finally reconnecting with his family?

Depends on who it is.

Overall, they are really happy that John has been reunited with his brothers and that his brother took him in without fight. Like, they know very well that their estrangement was never either of the brother's fault or choice.

That being said, they are a family to him too (cept maybe Chaz, idk yet about him) and they are protective of one another.

Note: This is gonna get long... and as always, open to suggestions

PETE

Pete is retired and he's kind of an ass. When Bruce meets him, he doesn't know it's him and thinks he is either a bounty hunter after a criminal... or a criminal himself. It's a common misconception.

Pete also doesn't really care for Hawaii in general so there is that. He and Bruce do not get along, generally, and Bruce thinks he's condescending and a jackass. This is partially true. What Bruce doesn't quite realize is that Pete has a very certain way of showing affection and it is very difficult for others to understand it.

I'm not really sure how much Pete would come around but JD might eventually go and visit him. He'd live out in the middle of nowhere, probably either in the west/plains area of the U.S. or maybe the upper Midwest, idk yet. If JD did go visit him, Branch might come along or perhaps even one of his other brothers.

CHAZ

Chaz doesn't give a shit. At least not on behalf of JD. Those two do not get along. And I am not talking in a "siblings being assholes to one another" kind of way but a literal I would rather punch you till you're purple and never see you again if I could kind of way. This isn't one sided. They both don't like each other.

So IF Chaz ever met his family, which actually he might, he'd be kind of a manipulative jerk. Kind of that almost hypnotizing way of making JD's family like HIM over John's own company.

Which now that I think about it, that seems kind of on par with him, you know, with the whole "smooth jazz ruling" thing that he has in canon or even the tv series. So okay, chances, are he'll visit, mostly to be an annoying jerkface. And well, he's easy to get along with when he wants to be. He is hypnotic and charismatic and manipulative soooooo.... yeah....

It'll drive John nuts.

DICKORY

(Ft. Hickory)

Dickory is... apprehensive. Which is not abnormal for him. He has a way of looking at things and he is fairly naturally apprehensive and careful about people. Not people in general, but people close to the people he's close to.

Like, he's not careful about random people or even friends, but mostly friend's of friends and he also tends to look deeper into things, which makes him careful. This has something to do with him being naturally protective of the people he cares about. Or music. Ya know.

These people - John's brothers- are not the people that John knew when he was young - they are adults, with their own lives and all the things. They are different than how John remembers them and sometimes John seems to forget that. It's not entirely his fault, there's not much John can do about that. He's spent the last fifteen years kind of daydreaming about them sometimes.

However, Dickory knows how much this means to John - and how much these people mean to him - but he also has a lot of mixed feelings. He doesn't want JD to get hurt emotionally more than he already has with the time and forced estrangement. There is also the thing about none of the other brothers ever even attempting to try and find John that makes Dickory once again, apprehensive. He's protective - of yodeling, his brother, and his best friend - and so it can make him seem kind of mean to the others.

The only one who gets a pass with this is Branch due to his age and how he was far too young to really hold any concrete memories, although Dickory is practically heartbroken when he hears that Branch was never even told of JD's existence growing up. That makes him kind of dislike the brothers even more. It takes him quite a bit of time to warm up to them.

But since Dickory is John's best friend, the brothers do make an effort to try and get on his good side. I think Floyd and perhaps Clay kind of want to have his "approval" or whatever.

Hickory, on the other hand, jumps at the chance to befriend people. He and JD get along just fine and whenever Dick and JD are stateside and JD stays with Dickory nad his family, Hickory has been known to tag along. The brother's parents rather like JD too, he's always interested in whatever they have to say and the food they make. They also have this thing about yodeling. JD cannot do it well but he is always one to hear it. They trust JD to protect Dickory (even tho Dick is older) and aren't exactly like parental figures to JD but kind of a view on what parents are kind of supposed to be like.

Hickory thinks that JD will help him convince Dickory that Hickory joining the military is a good idea. He's not correct, as JD would never betray his friend in that manner. Anyways, when Dickory and eventually Hickory, meet John's family, Hickory is super excited. He's heard some things about them and he is very happy for JD that they have found him. He's not nearly as apprehensive and stoic in this manner as his older brother but faltered just a little bit when he found out Branch didn't know about JD. He's kind of between the age bracket with Floyd and Branch. He actually ends up kind of getting along with Floyd a bit but the brother outside of JD that he bonds with is actually Bruce. He loves running around the resort and playing with Bruce's kids. He's never had a younger brother or younger cousins or anything so he is rather fond of it.

Hickory does meet Tresillo probably. Not sure how they are going to be yet or if they get along. Tresillo is a bit more of Branch's friend so there is also that.

TRESILLO

Okay, I'm not entirely sure how this is all going to go.

It takes a while for Tresillo to go visit John. He feels guilty and even that John wouldn't want to see him (logically he knows JD doesn't blame him but the brain sometimes be that way) and I'm not even sure how he finds out where John is or how he gets to Hawaii to see him.

Tresillo absolutely LOVES that John has found his family again. At the same time, he kind of loathes it too.

Because if John has his real family now, what is the rest of them to him? What is Tresillo to him now? Does he matter anymore? Was Tresillo just kind of a stand in for one of his younger brothers?

These fears are quelled when he does face John in Hawaii. The guilt feelings don't entirely go away but he is made extremely aware that John absolutely does not blame him and the moment John sees him, it's like nothing has changed. He introduces him to whoever is there (probably at least Bruce) and since Bruce has heard plenty about Tresillo already, he kind of has an idea of how things work and how they are.

Bruce and Tresillo get along fairly well. They both like to cook and Tresillo is very interested in learning to surf. After he leaves the military, he will definitely grow out his hair to be more like canon but in the military, it's probably short at this point. It is entirely possible that Tresillo would try to get himself and his sister over to Hawaii at some point. This would be after Tresillo really feels like part of their family. He is a little apprehensive and awkward around Bruce's children, but he can usually sidetrack them with his dance moves and linguistic speaking skills.

Although Tresillo is closer to Floyd in age, he ends up bonding with Branch instead. He teaches him to dance and Branch takes it up real quick. They talk about their families and growing up a bit lonely, even with siblings, and do a lot of things together. Surprisingly, Tresillo doesn't feel super awkward with Branch or vice versa, despite the age gap, but then again, neither of them really had much in the way of friends their own age growing up either. Tresillo and Branch learn a lot about traps and Tresillo teaches him Spanish and they make things together sometimes. Mostly Branch making things. Tresillo is one of the first people who find out about Branch's crush on Poppy and kind of becomes Branch's wingman when he can. Tresillo gets his own crush on girl, which might be another reason he may move to Hawaii as well.

He's still a work in progress with things.

DELTA DAWN

His partner in crime/the law, his girl, his bff, right hand gal, go - to girl, all the things. These two are tight. Sometimes it's hard for people to really see it, since Delta sometimes has a tendency to be a little uptight and not fun, to some people, but there is something about the two of them just balance each other out. They are a fantastic team that definitely got some attention from higher ups, which led to them being stationed together - and then within the same squad when in an active-ish war zone. Growly Pete might have been the oldest with seniority, but Delta and JD were the ones that led the squad and kept them together.

Anyways, Delta comes when she can to Hawaii. She wasn't there when the accident happened and sometimes blames herself a little bit for not being there. As if she could have stopped or something. Once again, logically, she understands this is ridiculous but she's very close to her squad, JD in particular, and with them being such a close team, each other's faults tend to be shouldered as their own (this goes both ways).

Delta is extremely happy for John that he is reunited with his brothers. She has far less of the apprehension of Dickory and the assholeness of Pete, although she is very disappointed in his brothers that their families/friends don't know about him. It was like he had been erased from their lives and that breaks her heart.

Delta and Bruce generally get along. She's very grateful that Bruce took him in right away, Delta is helpful and dedicated and not bad of a cook. Bruce is unconvinced that Delta and JD don't harbor feelings for one another but after some awkward conversations and encounters, he doesn't say much about it, just kind of gives them weird glances. Bruce, however, is rather jealous of her hair. He's got some great hair but he also works at it. Delta... works less. However, they do kind of bond over this a bit. Delta is pretty good with the kids too, although not quite as much as John. She's very used to one crazy child - not several lol

Brandy and Delta get along very well and they talk quite a bit. They keep in contact with one another a lot and become pretty close friends. They do a lot of woman-typical things that Delta hasn't been able to do much of. She also goes to Brandy for advice when it comes to her sister and Claudia/Clampers.

Clay is kind of intimidated by Delta a little bit. Not entirely sure why - I don't even know if he's entirely sure why.

Floyd loves Delta's voice and immediately wanted to do a song with her. She's a little wigged out by it but flattered too. This is kind of how they bond, through music and such. I'm not sure on their relationship yet since I don't know what Floyd is as much like in this au yet. Suggestions, as always, welcome.

Branch goes through a short phase of being a bit jealous of Delta. He has, historically, not been very close with people/had friends/ been able to connect with others. John is one of the first that he really feels like he can be himself around, enjoys his company and connects with. Seeing Delta and how close she is with John, well, part of it dislikes how easy it is for them and part of him feels a little robbed. Delta has gotten to spend well over a decade being friends with John and Branch has only been able to start. He feels almost behind.

it's mostly when Delta goes out of her way to befriend Branch, that this starts to go away. Delta tries to bond and befriend all of the brothers. John is a huge part of her life - and always will be - and she wants to be involved, she wants his family to like her. Branch is absolutely no different. This helps their relationship and Branch's feelings. One; she might recognize a bit of how she's feeling. Two; he sees her as actually wanting to be his friend instead of just doing it because of John. Three; he really starts to see how different John and Delta's relationship is with each other rather than with Branch.

So they end up getting along fairly well. They are both pretty outdoorsy, just like John so the three of them will go on hikes, biking, camping, etc. But she also teaches him a bit of other things and they learn things together. It gets to the point where they will keep in contact, call and/or Skype each other. There is a bit of slight jealousy on John's part too at one point, but he also loves how they are getting along too.

These are just the squad mates I have right now but there are spots that are applicable to be filled so suggestions are welcome.

I know that was super long so if you got to the end of this, have a cookie lol

#soldier on au #ask #open to suggestions

[myemuisemo]

It's time to learn from Letters from Watson "What John Rance Had to Tell."

But first, Holmes explains some of his deductions. He does not explain what the long fingernails on the right hand mean.

And he comes out with what is for me, as a modern reader, a doozy:

The A [in RACHE], if you noticed, was printed somewhat after the German fashion. Now, a real German invariably prints in the Latin character, so that we may safely say that this was not written by one, but by a clumsy imitator who overdid his part. It was simply a ruse to divert inquiry into a wrong channel.

What? A German fashion of writing?

OKAY. It turns out that, prior to World War II, German was written in different scripts than other European languages, which the University of Wisconsin has documented for us because German immigrants continued to use them.

Here are a snipper of UW's examples of Kurrent and Sütterlin, as well as capital letters from Wikimedia's Fraktur.

The Fraktur A looks so much like a U that I can't believe Lestrade wouldn't have read the word as "ruche" and decided the victim was a dressmaker.

Calligrascapes gives examples of Spencerian (U.S.) and Copperplate (UK) handwriting of the late Victorian period here. Lower-case A looks almost the same as in Kurrent. I feel like our wall-scrawler must have used Sütterlin.

That our killer is familiar with a German A implies he either reads German comfortably or corresponds regularly with people of German ancestry. Since Holmes says "a real German" would use Latin letters (so he corresponds with Germans or visits Germany), killer is presumably familiar with a German-American community, which is certainly plausible if he's from Ohio (or Pennsylvania, or much of the Upper Midwest).

Whew.

Holmes' passing mention of going "to Halle's concert to see Norman Neruda" is about seeing Czech violinist Wilma Norman-Neruda perform at an occasion organized by Anglo-German pianist and conductor Sir Charles Hallé (also Norman-Neruda's future second husband).

Finally, we arrive at the home of Constable Rance. Last episode, it was given as Audley Court, Kennington Toll Gate. The latter part is a real place, the site of a toll gate that was demolished about 15 years before the time of the story. Here's an old photo shared by The Underground Map.

Today the site of the toll gate is a plaza with public art.

The "long succession of dingy streets and dreary by-ways" suggests the cab ride was to somewhere near the old toll gate site (possibly just west of St. Mark's Church, which is the tower in the background), rather than directly to the triangle of land where it sat. There's not a lot of space right there, due to Kennington Park, which has a long history as a public common and site of hangings.

I suspect any police constable trying to live in London today would sympathize with Rance's living in a "sordid dwelling." Rance also takes bribes.

Rance is, of course, astonished by Holmes' powers of deduction. But what was the "drunk" man singing? I was sure in my heart that "Columbine" was "Columbia" (an old-fangled term for the United States) and searching for that made it possible to cheat when I Heard of Sherlock's discussion of this matter came up in my search results. It's "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean." Here's an audio file.

“Had he a whip in his hand?”

Where on earth did a whip come from? We've no such wounds on the victim, and the killer came with him in a cab.

I might not have gone but for you, and so have missed the finest study I ever came across: a study in scarlet, eh? Why shouldn’t we use a little art jargon. There’s the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it.

And... title drop! If this is the fates weaving the tapestry of life, surely it says something about Holmes that all the other threads are colorless besides murder.

#sherlock holmes #letters from watson

[bobcatmoran]

Ok. So. It's been awhile since I've done one these, I've gotten a decent amount of followers that I'm reasonably sure aren't bots, and it's time for Yet Another Intro Post.

So. Hi. I'm Bobcat. I've been going by that Nom de Net for over 20 years at this point, and it's Bobcat Moran and variations thereof on various social media sites, with the latter part to differentiate me from all the other folks who've decided to name themselves after the Super Secret Code Name of the cat-derived character from a novel featuring an expy of themselves that their best friend wrote in middle school.

Just me? Okay.

Anyway. I am very much an Actual Adult (she/her pronouns), living in the upper Midwest of the US, working at a job whose mission is to prevent any invasive species from coming into the country and trying to mitigate the effects of those we already have. Sometimes this involves being a literal treehugger, because hugging a tree trunk is the best way to get your measuring tape around it to get its diameter for surveys.

I've been fannish on the internet since the early '90s, and current fandoms include Les Miserables and tokusatsu, but my tumblr, if you haven't noticed, is a mishmash of whatever I find interesting/funny.

My askbox is always open, my tumblr is a friendly space for all letters of the LGBTQ community, and if at any point you feel the need to unfollow/block me for whatever reason, I promise I will not be mad. Please curate your online space to your own choice. Likewise, if you want me to tag something so you can block it, please let me know!

[theweirdwideweb]

Basically at this point I'm thinking all I can do is donate money. I want to move to Canada but my family wouldn't come with me. I'm unmarried and have no children to worry about and that is unlikely to change. I make okay money but not enough to buy a house. I live in a state where abortion will not be banned, so I think my best option is to budget, make extra money, and contribute it to local organizations getting women over the border to our state. Minnesota is the only abortion state in the upper midwest, literally 5 surrounding states have banned it or will. People from North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin will need to come here, so now I have to pinch pennies and figure out who is helping them.

[ghostonly]

Hello everyone, today i bring you:

Things Americans don't realize they have the shittiest version of

or

Things the Swiss Do Better

At the top of the list, brought to you straight from the bath,

Bathtubs

Are you a full sized adult who longs for the days of childhood when they could lie down in a bathtub and get fully submerged? Do you wish you could stretch your legs out instead of bending them in half and neglecting your ever-coldening knees?

The solution is easy! Go literally anywhere else!

Okay I admit I have actually no idea how most other countries do this; I'm in Switzerland right now staying with my partner. The tubs here are huge. Upon describing the ones I'm used to, my partner was absolutely horrified, so I have to assume this is the norm, because it seems much more likely that most places in the world make adult sized tubs than sad little baby sized ones like the US.

This thing is like 20ish inches deep. When I put my elbow to the bottom, my fingertips are only about an inch higher than the edge. I'm 5'7 and can stretch my full height, the top of my head only sticking a few inches above the edge on the sloped end. This thing makes me feel so short. I'm 250lbs and can rotate fully. None of my torso touches the sides unless you count my upper arms, which don't if I pull them tighter against me. I haven't had a bath like this since I was 6.

Yogurt

I spent my entire life thinking I hated yogurt. It turns out yogurt is actually delicious! ... If it's not American. That sad, overly sweetened, gelatinous, low fat nonsense we've been eating is an affront to good yogurt everywhere (but especially in Switzerland.)

Decent yogurt... It tastes less sugary, yet sweeter - the difference between a gas station donut and a piece of fruit you just picked off a tree. Don't get me wrong, I love a good gas station donut... Just not as much as literally anything here.

I was excited to share American donuts with my partner since donuts here suck, but the problem is that, while US donuts are better than any donut here, they are significantly worse than literally any other dessert here. I got here/brought them two weeks before Christmas. Sadly, they ended up getting composted. There was simply too much better shit to eat.

I digress. The yogurt has a natural sweetness, it's not as thick, which you might think is a bad thing until you realize that the thickness of American yogurt is almost definitely achieved with some kind of thickening agent to make up for the complete lack of creaminess. The yogurt here is thinner but more creamy. It's so nice that I've gone from adamant yogurt hater to eating one all but two mornings since I've gotten here.

Toilet paper

Okay this is a weird one and, again, I admit it could just be a gap in my experience, bit I have lived on the west coast, in the midwest, and in the south of the US, with many different people with many different preferences and I have yet to find toilet paper like this.

The toilet paper here does not have squares. The squares are elongated (rectangles). It's like two ply and it's not soft, but it is thick and firm. The US toilet paper market is so good about pushing a narrative about toilet paper needing to be soft to spare your asshole that we have completely fallen for a scheme that ensures we must use more toilet paper and end up less clean in the end.

Soft, thick toilet paper may feel nicer but you end up having to wipe more because it's never as good at staying together as they claim it is. They can do as many 'drag tests' as they want to show how it stays together, but a flat surface and a hairy ass are not the same thing. Anyway tmi but I use like half as much toilet paper now and never have anything getting left behind.

Doorknobs (THEY DON'T HAVE THEM)

That is to say, doors have handles here. Those round fuckers you twist are nowhere in sight. You might think this is a minute difference that isn't important but you would be wrong. Hands full? Just lean your elbow on the handle. Bam, door is open. Knobs might have been a stylistic marvel in the design world at some point but, practically, they're a fucking nightmare.

Chocolate

Okay I know you've heard this one before but it's usually Europeans scoffing at American chocolate so I'm giving you the American take which is that they're completely right to be scoffing at American chocolate.

I brought a bunch of expensive-ish, Dove mint chocolates with me to share with my partner. The fact aside that he doesn't like mint chocolate apparently, I ate one a couple weeks after getting here(I didn't before then because I was too busy horfing down Swiss chocolates) and it was like their goodness had just fucking disintegrated. I was so disappointed. I had been shoveling these in just weeks before coming here because they were impossibly good and so smooth and luxurious and now I have this big fucking canister of disappointment chocolate. It's not bad... But considering this is some of the better mainstream chocolate in America, that's a devastating downgrade in status.

Ferrero Rocher is extremely common here (it's Italian in origin, just south of Switzerland). I keep feeling like I'm the only one eating it and I finally asked my partner if anyone else is going to eat it because I don't want to eat all the fancy chocolates and he said, "It's not really exciting to us."

Hello??? This is the fanciest of mainstream chocolate in the US!!

The same goes for Lindt Lindor truffles, which are Swiss. They're so accessible here they're not even fancy, they're just average chocolates.

Don't even get me fucking started on the chocolate from the confectionary that we bought when I first got here. We got about eight pieces of different flavors and have only just finished them because each time we had some, we each had one piece. They were so fucking divine that I couldn't eat the rest in one sitting because I was too busy ascending to another plane of existence. Don't get me wrong, we took our time because they're really expensive, but I'm telling you that was okay. One of them was so good that it completely satisfied my desire for chocolate. That's how insanely powerful these chocolates are.

Conclusion

All of the things I hated about America, while in America, have become just kind of baffling to think back on since coming here. Like, how is the US even like this? How is it that bad? It has its merits, but mainly in character and culture, not in quality of life. Anyway, of you ever have the sliver of a chance to go to Europe, absolutely do it, even if its just to visit. I haven't been this happy in my life. Yeah that's largely because I'm finally here with the love of my life after five years of online-only, but a not insignificant chunk is also the quality of life. I've been poor and/or just skirting homelessness for the last 7 years, so this is like whiplash. Anyway I just wanted to share these things. Mainly the tub and yogurt, those are just mind-blowing. I hope it was all a bit interesting to read.

#Switzerland #America #culture #chocolate #food #breakfast #yogurt #Joghurt #bath #cozy #Europe #original

[chamomileeteaaa]

BIRD BLOG TIME FUCKERS

Okay so I have no clue how I'm gonna do this, I assume a format will arise as I go. But right now it's 3AM and I wanna talk about my favorite little birds: the Whooping Crane.

The Whooping Crane is one of the only two crane species native to North America, the other is the Sandhill Crane. (WE'LL GET INTO THOSE GUYS LATER I LOVE THEM TOO)

Anyway Whooping Cranes look like this:

LOOK AT THAT AND TELL ME THEYRE NOT SO CUTE???

Appearance:

You can identify adult Whooping Cranes by their white feathers and patch of red on their head, which goes from their beaks to their cheeks! This patch of red is actually skin and isn't very feathery. They have long, pointed beaks, usually a gray color as you see above. They have yellow eyes and long, thin legs. I've also seen that these cranes often have the tips of their wings black.

Immature cranes have the same long beak and thin legs, but instead of white feathers, have a tan, cinnamon-brown coloring and no red spot. As they age, their white feathers come in, so the more brown feathers they have, the younger they are.

Did I mention that Whooping Cranes are really big? Because Whooping Cranes are BIG

The average height of these guys is approximately five feet (range of 4'1" to 5'3" from what I've seen) when they stand up straight, making them the biggest birds in North America. Their wingspan is 7.5 feet on average, though despite their massive height and wingspan, Whooping Cranes weigh roughly 15 pounds.

Habitat:

Whooping Cranes live in marshes, wetlands, fields, anywhere wet and grassy. They breed in the upper Midwest and around northwest Canada, and migrate south to the Gulf Coast, around Mexico.

I should also mention that Whooping Cranes are very endangered as a species. In the 1940s, due to overhunting and habitat loss, there was once only 21 Whooping Cranes alive—15 migrate birds in Canada/Texas, and 6 that lived year-round in Louisiana.

With human intervention, the species has now risen to a population of roughly 800 (I found an exact number of 836, but can't speak for its accuracy).

Here's a migration map I took of off savingcranes.org (please visit them, they're so cool)

Diet:

Whoopers (I saw someone call them that) ate omnivores, eating a mix of insects, amphibians, crustaceans, reptiles, and small fish and mammals. They'll also eat grain, marsh plants, plant tubers, and acorns.

Fun Facts:

Whooping Cranes' call sounds like a squeaky door. People will try to tell you it's this majestic, one-note mating call, but it is a door hinge that needs some WD-40. Here's a few videos on what they sound like :)

( https://youtu.be/NFzkXdZjQJM

https://youtu.be/8EobJR_jkjs )

Because of how Whooping Cranes almost went extinct, biologists had used aircrafts to teach young cranes how to migrate. (Here's an article on it: https://www.npr.org/2016/03/02/468045219/to-make-a-wild-comeback-cranes-need-more-than-flying-lessons)

They mate for life! They search for a mate at around 2-3 years, and then mate for life. They'll also continuously return to the same nesting and wintering territories. However, should their original mate die, they'll find another mate.

It's late, otherwise I would do more😭

Sources:

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/whooping-crane

https://savingcranes.org/learn/species-field-guide/whooping-crane/

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Birds/Whooping-Crane

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Whooping_Crane/?_gl=1*10vkxuh*_ga*OTQ5Mjc2MzYyLjE2ODg1NDEwODY.*_ga_QR4NVXZ8BM*MTY4ODU0MTA5NS4xLjEuMTY4ODU0MTEyNC4zMS4wLjA.&_ga=2.29534207.1501623720.1688541086-949276362.1688541086

https://abcbirds.org/bird/whooping-crane/

I highly recommend checking these sites out, not just for Whooping Cranes, but for other birds.

#birb #birds #birdblog #bird blogging #infodump #this feels so awkward to do #hiiii there

[mlobsters]

supernatural s7e8 time for a wedding! (w. andrew dabb, daniel loflin)

i read a summary of all the becky episodes after seeing the first one. had some feelings (derogatory) about previous episodes. i was dreading this one

okay i got a question about "guano". every time they use this word i have to do a little mental lookup. is there a region in the US that uses guano regularly for going batshit/insane etc? i haven't lived everywhere but i have lived in the southwest, west, upper midwest, miami (lol it's its own region) and new england. and i don't remember ever hearing it said by anyone. john was in the military, was it something from him? anyway. stalling!

WAITRESS Yeah, okay. You came in here looking like somebody shot your puppy. DEAN Well, things are looking up now that your shift's over. All right. Uh, here's the deal. I have this friend. He's got this younger brother. Right? Cannon's a little loose. You know, his reactor blew a while back. It's not good. Um... My friend – he's, uh... He's kind of been sitting, waiting to see if he goes guano again. WAITRESS And I assume it just hit the fan? DEAN Well, that's the thing. It didn't. The kid's all reasonable now, considering he's crazy. Well, he's – I mean, he's not crazy. He – he's starting to seem like things might be getting a little better. WAITRESS Well, that's a good thing, right? DEAN It's a freakin' miracle. Except... when it happens during their, uh... their sacred annual pilgrimage to Vegas... and he goes off on some granola-munching hike in the desert by himself.

WAITRESS Well, maybe he just needs some time alone. DEAN Yeah. WAITRESS We all need to face ourselves sometime. DEAN Maybe he does. WAITRESS Wasn't talking about him. DEAN Speak of the devil. He's four blocks away? WAITRESS See? Baby bro needs you after all.

(of course, forever and ever amen.) when a stranger can diagnose and therapize you in 60 seconds flat. what a lot of backstory and happenings got dumped in that conversation. a yearly vacation, sam bailing to go vacation alone in the wilderness.

the way his hair is falling it looks like the mutant sideburns suddenly gained a lot ground 😂 (stalling)

how does his hair look so different every episode?

okay, leslie odom jr. i know the name, i've never seen/or listened to hamilton but i gather that's what he's known for? (i love music but don't vibe with musicals generally) i did watch smash though and he was in that, and the second knives out movie. shame he got stuck in this episode.

smash s2e1 on broadway - leslie odom jr as sam strickland

ok extra dumb murder of the week. splatting a dude's face with the baseball pitching machine

(live reaction)

SAM You know, I went after her, Dean. Maybe that's what's bugging you – that I'm moving on with my life. I mean, you took care of me, and that's great. But I don't need you anymore.

having an actress that's about the same age as dean play becky, and having her act so juvenile... it's just all bad and insulting and weird. and then adding in the inherent joke she is about fans... will i save the noncon rant for later? ha ha she raped him too right? heavy sigh

cannot figure out what i know him from. maybe the core?? but also he was a one-off in episodes of a lot of shows i've seen and he has such a distinctive face, i think it might be one of those i think is more familiar but really isn't. also maybe the movie roadtrip? which is so very much not my kind of movie but i definitely have seen it.

having garth be incompetent as a hunter is... again, a choice.

the core (2003) dj qualls as rat

now they tell us there was no sex. see it's funny, guys! just the drugging and the concussion and the tying up and gagging.

GUY Yes! And I'm very protective of my ass. It's one of my best features.

he's so charming in this part. say again it's a shame he got stuck in this episode

you know. it's not just the writing and the styling of becky. but the way she plays her... it's like every moment she's just making fun of a certain type of person.

crowley, sight for sore eyes

SAM Becky, look. You're not a loser, okay? You're a good person, a-and you've got… a lot of… e-energy. So, you know, just do your thing, whatever that is, and the right guy will find you.

no. *gets out the squirt bottle*

was this all just to have some goofy bonding experience to mend things after The Incident with the stabbing and the lying (mutton chop status 66%)

SAM Look, man, uh... When I was all dosed up, I-I said some crap. DEAN Oh, you mean, she – she wasn't your soulmate?

no, because dean is sam's soulmate duh. lol this show. sometimes i'll just be sitting here and think "canonical soulmates" and boggle all over again

SAM Shut up. I mean, I do need you watching my back. Obviously. DEAN Yeah, when, uh, crazy groupies attack.

DEAN I'm just saying. It's stupid to think that you need me around all the time. You're a grown-up. SAM Right.

SAM I mean, you basically have been looking out for me your whole life. Now you finally get to take care of yourself. About time, huh? DEAN Yeah. DEAN Right.

haha this is like, straight out of fic. both of them "ha ha you don't need me anymore :D" and they're both😟

made it through. they really like to shove good brother content into bad episodes, like Bugs.

#supernatural #spnwatch #spn 7x08 #spnhiky #smash nbc #leslie odom jr #dj qualls #garth fitzgerald iv #the core #hiky #becky rosen #andrew dabb #daniel loflin #sideburns #chopsurveillance

[rustbeltjessie]

Rust Belt Jessie’s NaPoWriMo 2023 Prompts: #1

New Seasons

I recently read an article about how the seasons are shifting due to climate change. Some seasons last longer, others are now shorter; therefore they don’t start or end when we expect them to, based on the calendar and the solstices and equinoxes. I’ve noticed this for years, and having it confirmed is both reassuring (I’m not imagining it!) and disturbing (for obvious reasons). That’s one way you could approach this prompt: what are the new, longer summers like? The winters that start later and are more erratic, but still last too far into the spring months? Get as dark and apocalyptic as you like. (Think of fire season on the west coast of the U.S. This shouldn’t exist, and is every bit as terrifying as it sounds.) Or sad, nostalgic—what do you miss about the way the seasons used to be? Or get weird and surrealistic—after all, living through these times is often weird and surreal. (I mean, it’s bizarre when it’s April and one day there’s a blizzard and the next day it’s 80 degrees Fahrenheit.) Or get hopeful, even utopic—what beautiful possibilities could arise from these new/changed seasons? Or, of course, you could combine any or all of those moods and modes.

Another way you can approach this prompt, which has less to do with climate change, is to think about micro-seasons, which exist in between—or within—other seasons; or, what seasons are like in a micro-climate as opposed to the larger climates which surround it.

Here in the Upper Midwest, where I’ve spent 43.90243902439025% of my life (I did the math), we’ve long had a micro-season people call “fool’s spring.” It’s that time in late February/early March, when it gets into the upper 40s or low 50s (I know that doesn’t sound that warm, but when you’ve spent months at freezing or below, it’s fucking warm, okay?), and we all go crazy and wear light jackets instead of down parkas and we sit out on our porches drinkin’ beers and we’re like heck yah, it’s spring! And we know it won’t last, but we always hope it will, and sure enough, our springdreams are blasted away by another blizzard and then a plummet into the teens.

Or maybe you live in a micro-climate. When I lived in the Bay Area, I remember summer being so weird in Frisco. (I know San Franciscans hate when people call it that. I’m taking a bit of poetic license and doing it anyway.) I lived in Oakland, and it would be hella hot and dry there, and then I’d take BART over into the West Bay—and it would be cold and damp as shit in Frisco. There’s actually a similar phenomenon where I live now; the tourism slogan for Racine used to be cooler on the lake. In the spring and summer, it can be anywhere from 5-20 degrees warmer inland than it is near Lake Michigan.

Or take Kurt Vonnegut’s assertion that in the northern parts of the United States, there are six seasons rather than four: Winter, Unlocking, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Locking.

Or, you know, in the immortal words of Homer Simpson: “Lousy Smarch weather.”

Whichever approach(es) you choose for this prompt, consider naming your new season(s), a la “Unlocking” or “Smarch” (but with your own twist, and in your own words, of course.)

Recommended reading:

Seasonality and Climate Change (via the EPA—or just web search “shifting seasons climate change;” there are a lot of results)

My therapist called it “climate despair” (by KB Brookins)

10 Poems About Climate Change to Read Right Now

Seasonal Poems

#napowrimo #glopowrimo #napowrimo 2023 #writing prompts #poetry #climate change #seasons #rust belt jessie #jessie lynn mcmains #i um…may have gone a little crazy this year #and put together an ebook of prompts/exercises for the month #the whole thing will be available (for free!) april 3 #but it’s not quite finished #and since i’m a couple days late #i wanted to get the first two prompts up now #also: #the words above the read more are the broad/general prompt #below the cut is my extended thoughts/ideas/recommended reading

[pizzaqueen]

30 for the ask game!!!!

Thank you!! 😄

30. Tell us an idea for a longfic you want to write in the future.

I feel like I've talked (probably way too much) about all my longfic ideas already on here! Hmm. Which to talk about today? The one I'm most keen on is 'the one where Steve sees dead people', which is loosely inspired by the BBC show Ghosts. I posted a summary for it a while back, intending to post snippets here and there, but that kind of came to nothing XD here's the summary, though:

Steve thought he’d have his life together by thirty. Married, settled into a career, house in the suburbs, even have a kid or two. But he broke up with his fiancée three months ago, he’s still working a going-nowhere-fast retail job, he’s back to rooming with his best friend, Eddie, and the closest thing he has to a kid is Eddie’s cat. And, okay, he does own his own house, but it’s a fixer upper his grandparents bought in the boonies that they never got around to fixing up and is only just fit for human habitation. Not exactly the white picket fence life he always dreamed of.

But things could be worse. He likes living with Eddie and it’s not like Eddie’s got his shit together any better than Steve does. And maybe inheriting the rundown house from his grandparents is the kickstart he needs. It will be fun to fix it up with Eddie and maybe they can sell it. Split the profits. Invest it into their new dream lives, whatever they may be.

So, things could be better, but they could be a whole lot worse.

And then, of course, he dies. Only for a moment, but long enough that he can see ghosts. And he just moved into the most haunted house in the Midwest.

I'm still really keen on this idea, especially getting to make up ghost OCs!!

(Send me a behind the scenes fic question)

#pizzaqueenanswers

[the-firebird69]

Chateau Nouvelle | Wedding and Events Venue | Texas

We think our son is correct their components from the castle such as the roof that go on Dave's Castle that would be the two disneylands in the United States the other castles make up the rest of the castle yes however we're not sure which components he says he thought it might be that Mar-A-Lago is George Herbert and it has a similar look to that at the prompt and Bailey browns and it actually does inside mostly on the outside looks a little different but could easily be changed if you looked underneath the stucco. This is Dave's Castle and Trump was renting it out and got his ass pummeled and it's like Dave is doing it to him and he wants to do it to our son and us and people want to see the fight and want the fight and that's what the max are up to

Thor Freya

Olympus

Holy crap this is going to suck

Dan straight down below where we're storing stuff for the revolutionary war he says he thinks there's a ship or a board ship and that might be why the necromonger in the upper Midwest this is starting to make some damn sense

Okay so these bugs are here and they might be using them here too which is part of the motif and I understand it and George was always fighting them and one of the pics you see these monsters everywhere now I have to get going on something but I do see what you're saying this is the chateau that they want to put you in and it's old and it's not new and it's kind of gross he doesn't have any money to blow they wanted to spend a lot of money in air conditioning you'd have a heart attack every time you read it it says it's probably five grand a month doing what I'm doing but maybe one grandma is doing what he's doing he's just going to keep it at 75 everywhere except where he is close the doors and fresh air when he is can bring it down to like 1,200 is still have a heart attack from $50 which is too much for him so we can't figure it out I got to tell you this kid isn't a hell of a jam I've never seen it before it's very weird you're picking on this little kid all the time he acts like a little kid a lot of the time it's okay

Trump

Olympus we do know what they're doing stuff for but really it is true they're kind of abusing the living s*** out of him but we have to help and we're going to help now Houston Texas is a disaster already this is hitting and it's going to make it a mess and wow what an amazing story and the other one is ghwb property and it's true doesn't mess it up in there in trouble and we're watching them kind of crumble they're saying underneath their stores are things that are going to help them possibly giants like the first time around and they're talking to their elders finally these guys they ostracized

[gaykarstaagforever]

I'm from South Dakota and I love to see Kristi Noem getting the piss taken out of her on the national level. I hope it ruins her entire career. <3

But I would ask that you'd think before insulting South Dakotans as a whole.

Often people today can be too quick to write off entire populations because of where they live. I don't expect anyone outside of the Upper Midwest to think or let alone care about my home. But I care a lot. I work with local non profits to make positive, forward-thinking changes in my community. I would hope that our contributions to help our neighbors are worthwhile, even in our small corner of the world.

Thank you for your time.

Okay so I'm going to assume this is true, and not someone using the opportunity to troll me.

You're right. I went hard on South Dakotans, and that is bigotry, based on stereotypes. And I'm from Pennsylvania, so I'm hardly in a position to be making fun of white Conservative oil-field workers who like elk and meth.

Maybe that's why I got so mad. I see a lot of Pennsylvania in South Dakota, and it pisses me off in a personal way. Like, how can we let this shit happen? But we do, and I hate us and myself for it, even if that's unfair. But that's still a trashy thing to vomit onto the Internet, sans context.

I stand by that reblog as a comedy bit, because I stand by the bigger point about white minoritarianism that I was trying to make. But I shouldn't have thrown all the less-than-900,000 of you under the proverbial four-wheeler. I'm sure there are probably like 7 of you out there who are cool.

...Honestly I'm still shocked, if you are indeed being truthful, by the sheer statistical miracle of you actually seeing the original post! Maybe that dead dog can come back to life, too!

Let's just hope Kristi isn't nearby when it happens...

#reply #south dakota

[kyran-bareer]

Chapter 2: The Dinner of Dread

Alright, I'm back with chapter two. I hope whoever finds this story enjoys this chapter.

Alex had successfully dunked another win in Smash Bros. He puts down his controller and strolls downstairs where his mother was working on dinner. “Alex? Can you keep an eye on the door? Food’s almost ready but I don’t want it to burn.” He flops down onto the couch. “I have assumed the door-watching position!” He shouts. He scrolls through his social medias for a bit. Alex gets up and stretches until he finally hears a knock on the door. He walks over and pulls the door open. “Hello Alex!” Jun greets. He smiles and stands aside letting the two into the house. “My mom’s in the kitchen if you’d like to meet her, the food’s almost done!” Alex chimes. Jun nods and walks to the kitchen, leaving Alex and Rio by themselves. The two teens sit down and just kinda awkwardly sit for a second. Should I say something? Is she gonna say something, cause if she is I don’t want to interrupt her. Alex thinks. 

“So-,”

“So-,”

The two blush. “Uh sorry, you first,” Alex says. Rio shakes her head. “No, please.” Alex nods. “You go to Carmichael High, right?” Rio nods. Alex nods. “Cool, cool. That’s uhh neat.”

Alex taps his foot.

Rio fixes her hair. 

The living room was silent except for the occasional laughter from the kitchen of the two mothers making conversation. Alex hums briefly. “What kind of music do you like?” Alex asks. “Umm, I like Phoebe Bridgers. I listen to a lot of sad music.” Does Midwest emo fall into the sad music category? Alex thinks. “What about you?” Rio throws the question back at Alex. He clears his throat. “I’m really into Midwest emo, me and my buddy Grant got into the stuff in Junior high and it’s been one of my favorite genres ever since.” Rio nods. “Huh, didn’t have you pegged as a Midwest emo guy.” Alex cocks his head to the side. “What kind of music did you think I listened to?” Rio shrugs. “Like a Kanye West rap kind of guy.” Alex nods. “I mean I listen to Tyler the Creator and some other artists in that vein, not super interested in getting into Ye right now though.” Rio chuckles. “Fair, fair.” The two continue to sit in silence, but the silence felt less awkward than it was.

“Hey kids! Dinner’s all ready.” Molly shouts. The two rush to the dining room and sit down.

Rio and Alex sat across from each other. “So Alex, your mom tells me you play the drums?” Alex nods. “Yeah, I’ve been playing for a while. I’m in the school's jazz band.” Rio and Jun nod. Molly clears her throat. “He also auditioned for some upper-level ensembles. He didn’t get in this year, but we’re both thinking he’ll make it next year.” Alex nods. “They say that seniority doesn’t matter, but it’s almost impossible for anyone who isn’t a junior or senior to get in.” He explains. Rio looks at her mother, silently begging her not to bring up a certain little factoid. “Well, Rio actually plays the bass guitar! Alex you’ll have to make sure she joins up with the jazz band!” Rio slightly hangs her head. It’s not gonna be the same as back home Mom. Rio could appreciate what her mother was trying to do, but it wouldn’t work. Alex looks at Rio and smiles. “I’ll make it my mission Mrs. Gonzalez,” The four continue eating. 

Sometime later… “Okay, have a safe walk home and a good night!” Molly says to Rio and Jun. She shuts the door and goes back into the kitchen where Alex was washing some dishes. “Did you enjoy the dinner?” Molly asks. Alex nods, still scrubbing a plate. “Your cooking is always great, mom.” Molly rolls her eyes. “Not quite what I meant. Rio seems like an interesting girl. Her mother is really nice too!” Alex shrugs. “I tried talking to Rio before dinner but she seems kinda shy or something.” Molly pats her son on the back. “I’m sure that you’ll break her shell soon, you’ve got a talent for making friends kiddo.” Molly kisses Alex on the cheek. “Are you good to finish up here?” She asks. “Yup, go get some rest captain,” Alex says, saluting his mother. “Good night Alex!” I do hope I can be friends with her. It’d be nice to have someone other than Grant to talk to about things. Getting a second opinion on certain things would certainly help. Alex puts the final plate down. He heads up to his bedroom. He takes off his shirt, puts on a clean pair of shorts, and lies down in bed. He grabs his phone and puts in his earbuds. He lets the sounds of American Football carry him to sleep.

#writing #original work #YA #Cheesy #Romance? #creativity #summer project

[ffakc]

A Midwest Christmas - a Jeffrey Dean Morgan fanfiction

Again, I’m aware I’m late posting this. I know it’s no longer Christmas, don’t yell at me. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and I LOVE writing stories that are based around Christmas.

Jeff crushed out his cigarette and breathed hot air into his hands to warm them. He shrugged his shoulders a few times, almost as if he was psyching himself up.

“You okay, babe?” I ask and kiss his cheek, shutting the car off.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t know why I’m so nervous! I’m a grown ass man, damn it,” my boyfriend chuckles.

“They’ll love you, Jeff. You know my mom and dad love you already, you have nothing to worry about, baby” I give his thigh a squeeze and kiss his neck deeply. Jeff moans and tilts his head to the side.

“Please don’t give me a boner before meeting your female relatives,” Jeff chuckles. “I don’t know, babe. Dad might not love me after I walk through the door,” he gestures to his Seattle Seahawks beanie.

“He’ll get over it,” I laugh and open the car door. Jeff grabs the box of gifts from the trunk and holds my hand as we walk to the front door.

“Merry Christmas Eve!” I holler from the foyer. Jeff kicks off his boots.

“Hey sweetie! Hey Jeff, what’s up, brother?” my dad calls from the den.

“Hey, Mr. C,” Jeff smiles warmly.

“Oh no, oh no. You take that hat off! You’re in Bear country!” my dad laughs. “Just when I thought I liked you!”

“I knew you’d say something! GO HAWKS!” Jeff chuckles and tosses it onto the bench. My dad jokingly makes a fist. I roll my eyes playfully and ruffle his hair as we head upstairs. Men and their sports, I’ll never understand it.

“You can just set the gifts under the tree,” I whisper to Jeff and give his arm a squeeze. He waves at my female relatives at the table.

“Hiiiii! Merry Christmas! I’ve missed you!” my cousin Amy hugs me. “How’s New York?”

“Absolutely incredible. Every day feels like a new adventure with this one,” I gesture to my man standing behind me. “This is my boyfriend, Jeff!”

“Hi there, you must be Amy? I’ve heard so much about you!” Jeff shakes her hand and kisses her cheek.

“All good things I hope!” Amy laughs.

“Yes ma’am. I’ve heard y’all are super close, and I love that. Family togetherness recharges the batteries.”

“I’m glad to hear it! I can’t think of a single holiday we didn’t spend together,” Amy gestures around the table.

“Have a seat!” my mom says. “Can I get you anything to drink? We have wine, beer, Coke Zero...”

“I’ll have a Coke,” Jeff replies and sits next to me at the long dinner table. I pull a small bottle of Crown Royal out of my bag.

“I’ll take a Coke as well,” I laugh.

“You came to party! I’ll take some too,” Jeff wraps his arm around me and kisses my cheek as I add the liquor to his glass of ice, “It smells amazing in here, Ma,” Jeff says to my mom.

“Thanks, Jeff! It’s a tradition on Christmas that we have Grandma, my mom’s, tacos. The shells are from a tiny little Mexican kitchen downtown, that’s how my mom always did it. I think we’re just waiting on Jessica and then we’ll be ready to eat!”

“Sounds delicious,” Jeff sips his drink.

“How’d you guys meet? You look super familiar, Jeff,” my aunt Janine remarks. I rest my head on Jeff’s shoulder.

“It all started when I began frequenting this coffee shop that opened near my, well, OUR farm while on hiatus from work. I couldn’t take my eyes off this brown eyed manager with the messy bun in her hair who would always ring me up and make my drink. Golly, she looked cute in that apron,” Jeff nudges me and everyone laughs as I blush. “I finally had to ask this pretty young thing out. I invited her over for dinner and the rest is history. One year and some change later and I can’t imagine my life with anyone else but my baby gal,” he kisses me softly. “Oh! I’m an actor, by the way. I’m currently on a show called The Walking Dead, I play the bad guy named Negan. A lot of people still recognize me as Denny from Grey’s Anatomy and John Winchester from Supernatural though,” Jeff smiles warmly.

“I knew those eyes looked familiar!” my aunt exclaims. “Wow, girl, a famous actor? Check you out!”

“He’s pretty great. I thought the concept of soulmates was cheesy til this man came along. I mean, nobody’s perfect, but Jeffrey comes pretty darn close,” I rub his thigh under the table.

“How old are you anyway? That gray beard says you’re old,” my 13 year old cousin Alyssa asks.

“Lys! You can’t just say that!” her mom quiets her.

“It’s okay, hon! I’m not offended at all! I AM old, real old. I’m 54,” Jeff laughs.

“And how old are you?” Alyssa turns her attention to me.

“24,” I link my arm with my man’s and nuzzle his shoulder.

“Sooo, you were 30 when she was born?” Alyssa makes a sassy face.

“Don’t push it, little girl,” Jeff teases and we all laugh.

*Jeff’s POV*

“So, this is the man cave, huh?” I glance around at the fishing poles adorning the chocolate brown wall and Chicago sports gear.

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice! It gets cold down here, but the fireplace helps!” my girlfriend’s dad Tim tosses some kindling on the fire.

“Super cozy,” I remark. I haven’t been this nervous in a long time. I had something I desperately wanted to ask him, but I didn’t want to just get right to it.

“How you doin’, bud?” my girlfriend’s grandfather Ray asks.

“Good, Ray! I’m really good, fantastic actually. It feels so nice to be off work for the holidays! Thank you guys so much for welcoming me into your home. Dinner was delicious and the Midwest hospitality is much appreciated.”

“You’re always welcome here,” Tim says.

“This is for you,” Ray reaches into his coat pocket. He passes a CD my way with small writing on the jacket, “To: Jeff. Love, Grampa.”

“Aww, what’s this?” I say, pushing my glasses up.

“Elvis Christmas songs. Something for you and your girl to dance to. You better treat her good,” he smiles his adorable old man smile.

“Thank you so much, Grandpa,” I get up and give him a hug. “You didn’t have to get me anything. So, um,” I clear my throat as I settle into the couch. “There’s something we should talk about. I mean, something I need to ask you. I don’t know, I’m shaky as hell. So, how do I put this?” I pull a small velvet box out of my pocket. “I brought this with me.”

“You want to marry me? Let me go get my dress!” Tim teases. Whew, a joke to break the tension.

“Yeah, totally! I, wow, I’m going to cry. Pull yourself together, Jeff. I wanted to know if I can ask your daughter to be my wife. She’s got me wrapped, man. When I look into her eyes, I just fall in love over and over again. I know it’s old fashioned of me to ask, but I thought I’d do the right thing and ask for your blessing. I love your girl so damn much, you have no idea,” I wipe tears away.

“I had a feeling this would be happening. You kept staring at me all through dinner with this lost puppy look in your eye, like I was going to yell at you or something! Jeff, I see the way she looks at you and it warms her dad’s heart. Every time you speak, she stops immediately what she’s doing and stares at you with hearts in her eyes. I’ve never seen my daughter so happy. Of course you have my blessing.” My heart begins hammering in my chest as my soon to be fiancée’s dad pulls me into a hug.

“Thank you so much, sir! Oh my god, I’m freaking out. Thank you, thank you! So, next question, where’s the best place to propose around these parts?”

“Well, downtown near your hotel on 5th Avenue, it’s all decked out in Christmas lights. Maybe you guys could take a walk down there?”

***

“What a great dinner, your family is so kind and welcoming!” Jeff says as we climb into the warm car. “I love you so much, doll.”

“I’m so glad you had a good time, honey. I knew you would! I love you too, Jeff. I’m so looking forward to the hot tub when we get back to the room, I don’t know about you.” Jeff slides his hand over my upper thigh seductively as I drive through the city in the direction of the hotel. I glance over at my boyfriend and he gives me the sexiest bedroom eyes. I could have just stopped the car and taken him right there. We jam out to our favorite Christmas songs and giggle like kids.

“Fifth Avenue,” Jeff mutters. “Pull over, babe.” I pull into a parking spot and Jeff grabs my face and kisses me deeply, “Let’s go walkin’ in a winter wonderland.” I smile and shut the car off and follow behind him. Jeff’s adorable spontaneity was one of his best qualities. He takes me by the hand as we look at the twinkling lights. There’s no cars on the road and the snow dampens all the sound.

“Hey, sweetheart?” Jeff places his hands on my hips.

“Yes?” I wrap my arms around his neck. We hold each other close.

“You’re so damn perfect,” he pecks my lips, I run my fingers through his soft gray hair. “I tried to come up with a long romantic speech, but words are failing me. You’re everything I’ve hoped and dreamed for. You’re the reason I wake up in the morning. You’re the reason I can’t wipe this smile off my face. Every time I look into those gentle brown eyes, I’m reminded of why I fell in love with you all over again. A life without you is a life I don’t want to live. You’re my entire world, sweet girl.” Jeff pulls away and reaches into his pocket.

“Oh my god,” I sigh, “Jeffrey, I-I-“ I’m utterly speechless. Jeff brushes away the snow on the sidewalk with his gloved hand and gets on one knee.

“Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?” Jeff smiles widely, opening the velvet box and revealing a simple, shimmering band. That man knew me so well, it was exactly the

“Oh god, Daddy! Yes! Yes, Jeffrey, yes I’ll marry you!” I jump up and down excitedly. Jeff’s hands shake as he slides the ring on my finger. I gasp with delight, “I love you. Oh baby, it’s beautiful!” Jeff gets to his feet and rests his forehead against mine as we both cry tears of joy. My breath quavers from excitement and the biting cold as Jeff kisses me over and over again.

“I want you to be mine forever,” he whispers against my lips.

“Forever and ever. Oh my god, my heart is racing! You’re so amazing, I love you so much.”

“I love you the most, baby gal.”

***

Jeff and I could hardly keep our hands off each other as we hustled to the elevator.

“Merry Christmas!” the front desk agent calls out.

“You too!” Jeff replies with a friendly wave. I untie my coat as the door to the elevator shuts. I tangle my fingers in my silver fox’s thick hair and moan as he kisses my neck and pulls down my sweater, brushing his scruffy beard against my chest as he kisses and sucks gently.

“Jeffrey, you naughty boy,” I gasp. His large, slender hand find its way between my thighs. “Please, Daddy,” I whine. Jeff slides his fingers down the front of my leggings. He pulls them out just as the elevator chimes, my face goes red as I readjust my Christmas sweater and Jeff fixes his hair as if nothing ever happened.

“Merry Christmas!” an innocent, elderly Mrs. Claus looking woman greets us.

“Merry Christmas to you too!” I reply, the cool air of the hallway hitting Jeff’s saliva on my chest, causing me to shiver with delight. We laugh to ourselves as Jeff opens the door to our suite. Oh, that poor old lady, I hope she didn’t hear too much.

“Let’s see, how about we celebrate with a drink!” Jeff says with a wide smile, slinging his coat over a chair.

“Hmm, how about something sweet? I kind of want dessert after all those tacos,” I wrap my arms around my now fiancé’s waist as he kisses me, his large hands squeeze me closer.

“Your sweater reminds me, how about a White Russian?”

“I am, in fact, the Dude. One of my favorites,” I reply with a laugh.

“Hmm. Vodka, check. Coffee liqueur, got it. Cream, hmm. Cream, cream, cream,” Jeff taps his chin. “Got it!” he grabs some half and half packets from the coffee station.

“Ah, resourceful! I like that!” I kiss him and sit on the bed, “I’ll get the bath ready.”

I draw the bath and Jeff hands me a drink, setting his on the rim of the tub. He unbuttons his shirt revealing his hairy chest and stomach. He kisses me.

“I love you so much,” he says. “Nice ring you’ve got there.”

“Thanks!” I run my fingers down his chest, “My handsome fiancé gave it to me.”

“He must be a lucky guy,” Jeff’s pants come off and he slides into the tub with a loud groan.

“Jesus, that feels so fucking good,” he runs his fingers through his hair. “Come on in, baby gal, the water’s fine.” Jeff bites his lip eagerly as I take my clothes off. “You’re so sexy, you know that?”

“I could say the same about you, darlin’,” I reply, tossing my bra on the floor. I tie my hair up as my fiancé looks me up and down. I climb in the tub, opposite of the rugged older man that I was so lucky to call mine. Jeff grabs my leg and begins kissing the length of my calf.

“When and where do you want to get married?” he asked with a sly smile, kneading my legs.

“Honestly, I’ve always dreamed of a fall or winter wedding. You know how I feel about hot weather,” I take a sip of my White Russian.

“Babe, it’s too hot! This is stupid! Ninety degrees? Ew, fuck that!” Jeff imitates my whining. I laugh.

“You know me so well!”

“Daddy, I have a headache!” Jeff cackles.

“Will you shut the fuck up?” I playfully splash water in his face with my foot. Jeff sputters.

“I give you shit because I love you!” he wipes his face.

“I know, and I give it right back to you, asshole! What were we talking about again?” I giggle.

“Wedding plans?”

“Oh, right. So, definitely a fall wedding. What about on the farm? Ballrooms have never really struck my fancy. That little area off beyond the pastures would be beautiful, don’t you think?”

“I agree, I don’t need a big gala with a stuffy tuxedo to show everyone how much I love you. Ooh! How about under that big tree where we had a picnic and carved our names?” Jeff places my legs on his shoulders.

“J hearts K, yeah, I remember,” I sigh longingly. “That’s where you first told me you loved me.”

“Aw, it was, wasn’t it? You packed us a picnic and everything! You’re just a regular Ina Garten, aren’t you? Remember me yelling at the dogs to stay away from the alpacas? ‘Guys, those aren’t puppies, they’ll kick the shit out of you!’” Jeff laughs.

“Well, if I’m Ina, you’re Jeffrey! Hey, look at that! It works!” I tap my glass against his. “Those dogs are so cute, but they’re little shits sometimes.”

“Oh, absolutely they are,” Jeff agrees. “Wow, that cute barista who I was scared to ask out is going to be my wife? How did I get so damn lucky?”

“You were scared to ask me out? Why? We would always chit-chat back and forth.”

“Yeah, I don’t know why. I think it’s because I didn’t want to be THAT guy. You know, the guy who thinks the food service worker is flirting with him just because she’s being nice,” Jeff rolls his eyes.

“I didn’t get that impression from you at all! I think you’re sexy as fuck, and have since the day I first met you. If I thought you were a scumbag, I wouldn’t have flirted back. And I wouldn’t have had sex with you on the first date, would I?” I tease.

“You’re right. Man, that was a wild night, eh? My heart still beats fast when I think about it,” Jeff grins. “You looked so damn good in my shirt too. Come here,” he holds out his arms and I make my way to his side of the tub, sitting on his lap. He runs his manly hands all over my body and buries his face in my neck, kissing and moaning, “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Mrs. Morgan.”

“I love the sound of that. I get to be your wife and I’ve never been happier in my entire life. I love you so much, Jeffrey.”

“I love you too.”

We eventually climb out of the tub, after kissing and laughing and talking til the water turns our toes to raisins. I wrap myself in a fuzzy bathrobe and Jeff quickly does the same. I climb in the big, fluffy bed and Jeff snuggles next to me. He wraps his slender arms around me and I immediately drift off to sleep.

***

“Merry Christmas, gorgeous,” Jeff’s croaky, sultry morning voice rings in my ears like church bells. He kisses my forehead, his scruff brushing against my skin. I squint my eyes at the bright sun bouncing off the snow and flooding our suite.

“Merry Christmas, Daddy,” I curl up closer to his warm body. I close my eyes and bury my face in his chest, “Has anyone told you that you look like Santa Claus with your beard?” I laugh and kiss his collarbones.

“Every damn day on social media,” Jeff chuckles. He moans softly at my touch. I stop and hold out my left hand, my vintage gold band shimmering in the light.

“Just had to make sure I wasn’t dreaming,” I smile.

“You ain’t dreamin’, sweet girl. You’re going to be my wife,” Jeff kisses me and strokes my hair. He climbs on top of me, our naked bodies still cloaked in the beige comforter. He buries his face in my neck, leaving sloppy kisses.

“Daddy,” I whimper.

“Yeah, baby?” I hold his face in my hands.

“Nothing, I just like looking at you. You sure are pretty. What do you say we have a little fun before going back to Mom and Dad’s?”

“I would want nothing more,” I reply as Jeff pulls the blanket over his head and begins kissing down my body. I giggle with delight as his beard tickles me. Best. Christmas. Ever.

Tag list: @negans-attagirl @jdmbbycakes @iluvneganandjamie

#denny duquette #fanfic #fanfiction #greys anatomy #jeffrey dean morgan #negan #the walking dead #older man younger woman #christmas #engagement

[pucking-insane]

Gotta Get Back By Christmas

Player: Jack Hughes Word Count: 2219 Warnings: Christmas and mild cursing

Ever since the Hughes family moved in next door to you when you were fifteen, your families had always spent Christmas and Christmas Eve together. And even though the Hughes family was Jewish and Christian, you still celebrated both winter holidays.

“You know, honey, a watched pot never boils.” Ellen said as you stared out the Hughes’ window waiting for your boyfriend to come home for Christmas.

It was Christmas Eve at five in the afternoon and you were still waiting for Jack. He had played last night in Chicago and he should have flown into Detroit hours ago.

Jack Flight got delayed again, I hope to be in by 8

There was a snowstorm barreling through the upper midwest and Chicago seemed to be the next victim. Jack’s flight, which should have taken off at nine this morning, had already been delayed by six hours.

You only had limited time to spend with your boyfriend before he had to be back in New Jersey and these delays only shortened the time you got to spend together. To be quite honest, it pissed you off. In all reality, the next time you would be able to see Jack after Christmas was your spring break, and that was a long way away.

Quinn, on the other hand, had played a home game last night in Vancouver and was able to catch a red-eye into Detroit shortly after the game had ended. Luckily, he missed all of the snow and didn’t have a single delay.

Your Dad and Jim were watching TV in the living room and Luke and Quinn were most likely playing Chel on Luke’s Xbox in his room. Your mom and Ellen were cooking dinner like they did every year. You were sitting on the Hughes’ couch not really paying attention to anything other than the fact that Jack wasn’t home yet.

Jack was the only one missing and it really made you upset. You had a huge surprise for Jack that you had planned on giving to him tomorrow and it would just break your heart if you couldn’t give it to him on Christmas.

Jack Finally boarding…

Y/N YES

Jack Should be in Detroit in the next 2.5 hours Have to turn on airplane mode I love you…

Y/N To the moon and back

“Jack is finally taking off.” You tell everyone at dinner after your phone buzzes.

“Wonderful!” Your mom says, knowing that you’ll at least somewhat engage in the conversation now that you knew Jack would be home by eight.

Even though Jack wasn’t home, you still continued with your Christmas traditions. You, your mom, and Ellen did the dishes as the boys went outside of a game of street hockey.

Once the dishes were done, the ladies would sit in the living room and talk until the boys came inside.

“You okay?” Ellen asked you after noticing that you kept checking your phone every thirty seconds.

“I just miss Jack. I haven’t seen him since November when I went to Vancouver and even then we didn’t have much time together.”

“I know, honey,” Ellen says wrapping you in a hug. Ellen was like a second mom to you and so moments like these were really special to both of you. You were the daughter she never had.

“I mean we text all the time and I’m distracted with school a lot, but seeing Alex and Cole all the time makes me miss him even more.” You were a freshman at the University of Wisconsin studying Kinesiology. Being at Wisconsin allowed you to be with your friends from the NTDP, like Alex Turcotte and Cole Caufield. You were crying into Ellen’s shoulder at this point, just wanting to be cuddling with your boyfriend.

You three ladies talked for another hour before you finally got the text you had been waiting for.

Jack Flight just landed, see you soon

“Hey, Jack just landed. I’m gonna see if Quinn and Luke want to come with me to pick him up.”

“Okay, honey, drive safe.” Your mom told you.

You put on your jacket and grabbed your car keys.

“Dukes! Q!” You yelled as you walked out of the house. “Jack’s flight landed and I’m gonna go pick him up. You guys coming with?”

“I call shotgun!” Luke yelled as he raced to the garage to put his hockey stick away.

The half-hour drive to the airport was full of laughter and poorly sung Christmas songs including “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “Santa Tell Me.”

When you reached the airport pickup line, Quinn took over the driving so you could go inside and wait for Jack.

Your eyes scanned the baggage claim area, looking for your boyfriend. When your eyes met after two minutes of searching, your feet could only run towards Jack. He dropped his bags as you leaped into his arms, wrapping your legs around his waist.

“I missed you so fucking much,” Jack whispered as he held you.

“Not nearly as much as I missed you.” You whispered back, tears streaming down your face. “I was literally crying in your mom’s arms I wanted to see you so bad.”

You let go of Jack and jumped to the ground. His steel-blue eyes stared into your Y/E/C ones and he pulled you in for a kiss. The kiss was passionate yet gentle. Neither of you wanted the moment to end so you only pulled away when neither of you had any air left in your lungs.

“I love you, Y/N,” Jack whispered as he pulled away.

“I love you more.” You stood on your tiptoes and planted a gentle kiss on his lips. You smiled up at your loving boyfriend. “Now let’s get you home. Everyone’s waiting for you.”

“Oh thank God you two are back.” Quinn sighed as you opened the back of the car to put Jack’s bags in the car. “We were thinking y’all were making out in baggage claim.”

Both your face and Jack’s face went red at Quinn’s comment.

“So you did make out in baggage claim!”

“You know you would do the same thing if you didn’t get to see Victoria for months on end,” Jack smirked, knowing he was pushing buttons.

“Victoria?” You raised an eyebrow at Quinn as you got into the back seat of the car with Jack.

“Victoria’s his girlfriend out in Vancouver,” Jack smirked, knowing he revealed something that Quinn didn’t want him to.

“Whatever.” Quinn scoffed as he started the drive back to Plymouth.

When you got back to Plymouth, you helped Jack bring his bags inside. Jack greeted his parents first and then said hi to your parents.

It was around 11 when the eight of you stopped talking in the Hughes's living room, or solving the world's problems as you like to call it.

Your parents went home, leaving you, Jack, Quinn, and Luke to your annual Christmas Eve sleepover.

“No funny business, ok, baby girl.“ Your dad said as he kissed you on the top of the head. You just rolled your eyes.

The boys grabbed the thick blankets that we go on Jack’s floor for Quinn and Luke to sleep on. You and Jack would sleep on his bed, while Quinn and Luke slept on the floor.

You made some popcorn for the four of you to munch on while you talked. Everybody situated themselves in Jack’s room after you all put pajamas on. For you, your pajamas consisted of Lululemon joggers and one of Jack’s USA hockey sweatshirts.

“Who you texting?” You ask Quinn, who had his eyes glued to his phone.

“No one.”

“He’s totally talking to Victoria,” Jack smirked.

“Oh yes, Quinny’s mystery girl.” You said with a giggle. “Tell us all about her.”

“Well, her name is Victoria. She’s a student at the University of British Columbia, but she’s originally from Ottawa.” Quinn explains.

“How’d you meet her?”

“So during the home opener, I accidentally shot a puck into the crowd and it nailed her right in the head. She was treated by the team doctor and in between periods, I went to make sure she was okay and I made sure she got home safe, asked her out and the rest is history.” Quinn told you, a smile on his face.

“You really like her don’t you?”

“I think I’m in love with her, to be honest. We only started dating like two months ago, but everything just feels natural with Victoria.”

“I know the feeling,” Jack said, placing a gentle kiss on your cheek.

“You two are disgusting,” Luke said after pretending to throw up.

“One day, you’ll feel this way about someone and you won’t think it’s disgusting.” You point out to Luke.

“Yeah,” Quinn agrees. “So is there a girl? Or a guy? We’re fine with either.”

“First of all, it would be a girl,” Luke explains, a blush spreading across his face. “And second, no, there’s no girl. Just hockey.”

“Aww come on Lukey, you’re no fun.” You pouted.

The four of you carried on in your conversation until you dozed off in Jack's arms.

When you woke up on Christmas morning, your head rested on Jack’s chest. You could feel the rise and fall of every breath, which only made you want to fall right back asleep. Jack has his arms wrapped around you, keeping you close to him.

Quinn and Luke had already gotten up. The alarm clock on Jack’s nightstand read 8:30 and you figured your parents were already over, so you decided to get your butt out of bed. Only problem, Jack’s death grip didn’t allow you to move.

“Jack.” You whispered. “Come on, baby, time to get up.”

Still nothing. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. You started close to Jack’s ear and placed a kiss on the edge of his cheek. Your lips traced his cheekbone until you got to Jack’s lips. You felt Jack’s breath hitch and Jacked kisses back.

“Damn, can I get a wake up like that every morning?” Jack said groggily.

“Sorry, Jack.” You giggled. “Now get up I need my coffee.”

You crawled out of bed and made your way down to the kitchen. Your parents were already over, sitting in the living room with Ellen, Jim, Quinn, and Luke. You made yourself a cup of coffee with the Keurig and situated yourself on the floor by your parents.

“Jack coming?” Jim asked.

“Yeah.” You took a sip of your coffee. “You know how much of a zombie he is in the morning.”

All eight of you sat around the Christmas tree, passing out presents to each other. When it came to your turn to give Jack his present, you handed him one of the biggest boxes under the tree.

He tore open the festive paper and opened the box to expose three smaller boxes.

“Open the big one first.” You instructed him.

He took the biggest present out of the box and opened it to reveal a red and black jersey.

“Babe, this is my jersey.” He cocked his head in confusion.

“I know.” You say with a slight smile. “Open the bigger one.”

He gently opened the second box.

“A plane ticket?”

“Look closer.”

“No way.”

“Wait what?” Luke questions. “What’d you get?”

“You’re coming to Jersey?” He looks at you with tears in his eyes.

“We’re on the same flight out of Detroit tomorrow night.” You said with a huge grin on your face. “I also talked with Nico and got it arranged for me to go on your next roadie.”

“I love you so much.” He pulled you closer to him.

“There’s one more.” You mentioned to him.

Jack opened the last gift, a letter addressed to you.

“Dear Y/N,” Jack read. “The Rutgers University Admissions is pleased to offer you admission as a transfer student for Spring 2020.”

Jack said nothing as he picked you up and spun you around.

“I didn’t think it was possible to love you more.” He said, tears streaming down his face.

“Are you happy?” Ellen asked her son.

“The happiest.” He said pulling you in for a kiss. “Now my present for you is going to look silly.”

“It could never.” You replied.

He handed you a long, slender gift, the kind of gift that was most likely expensive and either silver or gold.

You gingerly tore the paper exposing a black velvet box. You looked towards Jack, who still hadn’t stopped grinning, and he gestured to keep going.

Inside the box was a silver chain with a few pendants. One was a dainty compass, another a J, and a small disc that read “No Matter Where.”

“Jack it’s gorgeous.” You smiled, feeling your eyes fill with tears.

“You like it?”

“Jack, I love it.” You smiled more, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.

When all of the gifts were unwrapped, it was just you and Jack left in the living room.

“So you’re really coming to Jersey?” He asks, obviously still in shock.

“I’ll be moving in for the spring semester, yeah.” You smiled.

“I can’t believe you.” He smiled back.

“I love you so much.” You pulled Jack in for a kiss.

“To the moon and back.”

#jack hughes #jack hughes x reader #nhl devils #usntdp #writing #hockey imagines #hockey #christmas

[mattzerella-sticks]

Reflection, a Buddie fic, jealous!Eddie, 3.8k

Eddie Diaz knew a few things. His wife, Shannon, was no longer with them. While he will always love her, it was time for him to move on. Surprisingly, his heart already did without his notice. It set up camp in the hands of his best friend, Buck. And he was too late to do anything about it.

Because Buck has a personal trainer. Buck has a crush on his personal trainer.

If Eddie ever meets the man, he might dip back into his 'phase'. But knowing how that might hurt Buck, he hopes they never run into each other. At a party in Buck's apartment, there's a high chance their paths will cross. Only what happens when Eddie meets Buck's personal trainer?

Eddie stands in a corner, scanning the crowd for a particular face. Shoulders tense, expression smooth like the marble of Buck’s kitchen counters, he broadcasts a very clear message - stay away. Appropriate behavior if Eddie were back at his station overseas and not at a party. A party celebrating a very important person in his life.

He catches Buck’s eyes in the crowd, the other man in the middle of a conversation. Buck lights up, waving him over. Eddie declines, darting away to sip at his beer. Too slow to miss him deflate at the snub.

His heart stutters over itself. A low growl rumbles through his mind, sharp teeth chewing him out for causing Buck’s smile to dim by ten percent. Barks at him to push off from the wall and join him, even at the risk. Slide in close and interrupt Buck while he works through his fifth tangent. Because Eddie knows his friend loses the plot easier than a loose contact and everyone around him looks antsier than soldiers during a surprise mine sweep.  Eddie would then reel him towards an ending, helping lighten the social traffic.

It’s exactly what he wants to do. But a phantom hold keeps him from following through on the fantasy. The fear that, if he were to go over and enjoy himself, the very person he wasted already too much time searching for would surprise him and ruin his fun.

If there’s no fun had there’s none to ruin.

“You doing okay there Eddie?”

Hen and Chimney double team him, fencing him in and blocking his view of the entire party from his post. Any chance of escape stolen by Hen bracing her arm against the wall and Chimney spreading his legs in an awkward way that he finds comfortable. “So I’m not shifting around all the time.”

“But it’s a tripping hazard!”

Chimney smirked, “Too bad.”

Eddie frowns, carefully constructed mask slipping to expose his raw nerves. It rights itself in the next moment. Only the damage was done.

“What’s wrong?” Hen asks, “This is supposed to be a party! Why are you the treating it like a funeral?”

“I’m not -”

“Eddie’s not imagining himself at a funeral, Hen,” Chim interrupts, “no, no, it’s like he’s surveying a fire for any stragglers.” They snicker into their drinks, Eddie rolling his eyes at their antics.

“Real funny, you two,” he sighs, “Look, sorry if I’m being a little bit of a buzzkill but I’m not in the mood to party.” “Then why’d you come?”

He answers with a soft gaze towards the apartment’s entertainment section, Christopher sitting wedged between Denny and Harry playing with Denny’s Switch. Two more controllers added since his birthday, so they can all play Mario Party. Christopher shakes the controller madly to win whatever mini-game randomly chosen, laughing when Harry knocks into him.

“Hurry up dad!” Christopher urged Eddie. He waited by the front door, bouncing with excitement. Eddie shrugged on his jacket, telling him to be patient. “But I want to see Buck!” he said, grinning, “Don’t… don’t you want to?”

Eddie did, but he wasn’t alone. There’s another person here that probably feels the same flutter in his stomach whenever Buck’s form crosses their gaze. Except they can act on it, whereas Eddie has to wait for his stomach acid to digest those damned butterflies.

“That’s sweet,” Hen says, cup over her heart. “But that’s not explaining the stiff upper lip thing your face is doing.”

Chimney nods, “You’re no Brad Pitt but you have a better poker face than this, man.”

His lips thin further, and Eddie wishes a tornado would sweep through the room and suck him out of the apartment. It’s the only natural disaster he feels his family aren’t equipped to handle, meaning they’re less likely to rescue him from death. Although Eddie believes, even if a tornado found a way to travel across the Midwest and to Los Angeles without dissipating, his Texan blood would keep him alive for the fallout. “Maybe I would perk up a little if people stopped harassing me about why I’m not the life of the party?”

“Hey, don’t make us out to be the bad guys,” Chimney says, “we’re first responders.”

“We’re just doing our jobs,” Hen adds. Her finger pokes his chest three times, on the fourth Eddie waving it away.

Chimney steps closer, voice lowering to a whisper. “Really though,” he says, Eddie straining to hear him over the background chatter, “are you okay? You can tell us?”

“Was it therapy?” Hen asks, “I saw you leaving in a huff. Completely ignored me by the way…”

Eddie winces, unaware Hen saw him storm out of their therapist’s office. “My bad,” he winces, scratching his neck, “I would’ve said ‘hi’ if I saw you.”

“I know,” she says, “I could tell you weren’t paying attention. You had this intense glare in your eye like you had before we showed up.”

“Is that what it is?” Chimney arches a brow, “Something your therapist said that rubbed you the wrong way? A breakthrough you weren’t ready to hear?”

Chimney throws darts blindly and lands one close to the bull’s-eye without thought. Eddie bristles at how closely his friend’s guesses were. Although there are a few facts he has wrong.

Like the breakthrough Chimney thinks Eddie wasn’t ready to hear? Not true. Eddie understood his newfound feelings for Buck almost immediately. Already experienced the blinding, gasping fear that came with the development. Scared how things might change, to be around Buck, and what would happen if his affection went unanswered. Especially since he couldn’t hide his heart as easily as he thought. Frank sniffed them out at their session after Eddie’s revelation.

“Why did you shut down just then?” he asked, leaning forward in his wheelchair, “When you were talking about Buck.”

“I didn’t shut down,” Eddie said, crossing his arms. “I finished with the story… not much else to talk about.” Frank chuckled, rubbing at his eye. “What’s so funny?”

“Usually when it comes to the topic of your… friend , Buck, I have trouble getting you to move off the topic.” Shifting, he brings his pen to the notepad and scribbles a few words. “Has there been another rough patch in your relationship?”

Eddie scowled. “I wouldn’t say that. We’re fine.”

“Fine?”

“ Dandy. ” If falling in love with your best friend and coworker could be boiled down to a word, it wouldn’t be that. But did Frank expect Eddie to tell him the truth?

He did. They spent half the session verbally sparring about Buck, Eddie drawing his line in the sand and making sure Frank wouldn’t wheel across it.

“I thought you didn’t like talking about Buck?” Eddie growled. Squeezed the arms of the chair in an effort to keep his cool. “Why are you making this such a big deal?”

“Because you’re making it one.” Frank lost any pretense of entertaining Eddie’s efforts then, laying into the other man. “You think I’m being annoying with this? Imagine what might happen after you leave this room. How are you going to react when your mood shifts when talking to friends or family - or Buck? When you spend time with Buck will you shut down like you did earlier? I assure you that will only draw more suspicion your way.”

Eddie sunk into his seat. “I can handle myself…”

“Or,” Frank continued, “why don’t you let me help you through whatever you’re working through in this safe space. Where, I promise, there is no judgement.”

He mulled it over for a minute, giving Frank the benefit of actually considering his offer. A scene played through his mind, Eddie in the same room with Buck. Neither doing anything important than existing next to each other. In the sequence Buck turned to him and grinned, little birthmark rising slightly and eyes squinting like he stared up at the sun.

Eddie hoped his cheeks didn’t burn like they were in his head, in that room with Buck.

“Okay,” he started, thumb brushing back and forth across his knee, “if you want the truth…” It spilled forth rapidly, Eddie accidentally twisting the knob on his faucet off and unable to stop it. Went over how, after Shannon, Eddie didn’t know if the hole in his chest would ever be filled. That the pain from losing her once hurt so long, and this time her exit was more permanent.

But, without his notice, someone grabbed a shovel and set to work. Slowly Buck stepped into a new role. Went above and beyond what a friend normally did. Especially given his own condition, dealing with the possibility that his career and life were forever over. At first Eddie thought Buck used his time with him and Christopher as a distraction. To numb the terror of not being able to return to the firehouse. Except the cast came off, and Buck stuck by their side. Became even bigger parts of their lives. Sometimes he picked up Christopher from friend’s houses when Eddie or Carla was busy. Or joined them in grocery shopping. Stayed late into the night, helping Christopher to bed and chatting with Eddie until it was one in the morning. No matter how hard Eddie begged, though, Buck would return to his apartment. Eddie watching him hop into his Uber and waiting until he received a text from Buck to go to sleep.

“God,” Eddie scrubbed his face, “I had it bad for him this whole time and I didn’t notice?”

“You wouldn’t be the first,” Frank comforted him, smiling, “When we go through trauma, it’s easy for things to fade into the background while you heal. Things change, around you and inside, that you might not notice for awhile because the immediate pain takes up all your attention.”

“I guess you’re right,” he sighed, “I spent so long being glad that I had Buck… I didn’t examine those feelings too closely because I was just happy that the pain from missing Shannon wasn’t there.”

“And when Buck abandoned you, as you mentioned in a previous session…” Eddie shifted in his seat at Frank’s choice of words. “How did you feel? Really feel? Looking back on it with the clarity you have now?”

“I… I don’t know,” Eddie said, “I guess it… pushed me over the edge. Two people I loved choosing to walk out on me and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Felt like I was letting Christopher down because I couldn’t give him a stable home… was more like a hotel with one of those revolving doors. It made me mad. And I wanted to hurt people, because maybe then I wouldn’t be hurting inside... God,” he wiped his eyes, laughing, “Buck was right. He was part of the reason I had my… phase . If he found out… his ego was insufferable before.”

“Your confession is safe with me,” Frank told him, “I’m glad we could work through this in today’s time. If you held out a bit longer I was afraid we’d be cut off in the middle and it’d be forever to get you to where we’re ending today.”

“Thanks, Frank,” Eddie said, standing, “I… I needed this.”

He scheduled another session the following week, proactively dealing with his issues. While they covered many things in the hour there were still more to discuss. When his next appointment arrived Eddie wasted no time dumping the remaining worries at Frank’s feet. Like a man dangling off the edge of a skyscraper begging for someone to help him away from the edge.

Frank hauled him onto solid ground with sound logic. “If Buck is all that you say he is,” he explained, “than in the possibility where he didn’t return your feelings occurred, he wouldn’t call it quits like that. You need to have a little faith that things can turn out good.”

“It’s hard, though. When every time I have that faith it all goes sour on my end.”

“Well maybe this time things will turn out differently.”

Eddie took Frank’s advice, deciding that the next moment alone with Buck he would hand him his heart and pray he kept it.

However he could never be alone with Buck.

In the following weeks, any chance where they were the only two in the room was spoiled by a third party joining almost immediately. From fellow firefighters to random strangers. Christopher, when Eddie tried sneaking out to meet Buck. Caught and forced to bring him along since he cannot say no to his son. While at the park, watching his son play, he thought about telling him there. But then Athena walked in, apparently on patrol. So desperate Eddie considered faking an emergency so he could claim the ambulance for him and Buck and confessing on the way.

Eddie was desperate.

Instead of risking a felony, Eddie went with an even riskier option.

“Buck,” he sidled up to his friend, swinging an arm over his shoulders, “You good to join me in the gym for a little one-on-one?” Not the safest place given how accessible their gym was in the open floor plan. If he timed the barbell lifts right, Eddie could give them some protection.

Buck deflated, stepping away from Eddie’s hug. “Sorry, Eddie… no can do.”

“What? Why?”

He frowned, tilting his head in confusion. “Really? You know why…” At Eddie’s silence, Buck continued. “Ever since the accident I… I can’t work out like I used to. I had to switch up how I do things and… find new ways.”

“Oh,” Eddie mirrored his expression, “How, uh… how have you been exercising then? Because - I mean - you’re still looking fit and everything and you had to keep up your strength when going through training of course…”

Buck smiled, ducking his gaze to hide a blush. The sight of flushed skin sent chills racing down Eddie’s spine. “Been doing some classes, got a personal trainer… who I really like. He’s - uh, he’s cool. Derek, I… it’s been different, but uh - uh new. In a good way.”

A good way. Said to the floor yet Eddie still bears the brunt of the blow. Repeatedly suffering with each mention of ‘Derek’. Especially since, after first finding out about him, he becomes a recurrence in his life.

“There’s this really cool trick Derek showed me that’ll cut cramp recovery in half the time.”

“Derek, he had this really funny story he was telling in the middle of our planks…”

“I didn’t think yoga was that effective, but after one class with Derek I can see why people do it.”

Derek. Derek. Derek. He took his place in Buck’s life as his exercise partner without him knowing. The longer he waits the better chance he has of graduating from ‘trainer’ to ‘boyfriend’.

But Derek keeps him at bay. The specter of him shadows every conversation they have. Eddie imagining telling Buck his feelings only to be shot down because some random guy swooped in and struck the scalding iron while Eddie didn’t even know the metal was hot. As more time passed, Eddie sparingly saw his friend.

“It could be nothing,” Frank said. Eddie ignored him, pacing the room. “If you talked to him -”

“I mean it’s perfect,” Eddie spiraled, “being a trainer means that he can get close without there being any questions. Touch Buck’s muscles or - or press his chest to Buck’s back while showing him how to do a move or whatever.”

“If he does then that’s harassment, Eddie. Buck pays him to be his trainer and nothing more.”

“But it could be something,” Eddie turned to him, “The way he talks about Derek… there’s this stupid smile on his face that he gets when he has it bad for someone. Had it when he told me about Abby, when he was with Ally... “

“Did he ever have it when he was with you?” Eddie stayed firm in his silence, refusing to answer him. Frank continued, undeterred. “You’re jumping to conclusions without all the facts. If you talked to him -”

“It wouldn’t make a difference! He’s already gone on some other lucky jerk.”

“And is that so bad?”

He stiffened. “What do you mean? Of course it’s bad!”

“I don’t believe you think that,” Frank said, “To me, it sounds like you’re using this Derek as an excuse to back out of confessing your feelings to Buck. You’re afraid Buck might say no. Having Derek there is the perfect option because if he’s in Buck’s life than you don’t have to tell him.”

Eddie imploded. Glared at Frank, biting down every bit of bile he wanted to spew at his therapist. Swallowed it all and stormed from the room before he did something he regretted. Carried that dark cloud with him from the parking lot to Buck’s apartment where they surprised him with another party. Celebrating him being off blood thinners and hopefully not have it end like last time.

“What happens in therapy stays in therapy,” Eddie mumbles, pushing off the wall, “now if you’ll excuse me.” He escapes them, squeezing through the sewing needle loop between Hen and Chimney.

They follow, matching his hurried pace. Trying to carry the conversation even though Eddie keeps dropping it.

Luckily he sees a distraction by the mirror. Christopher stares at himself, smiling. Eddie walks over and crouches down next to him. “Hey, buddie, what are you looking at?”

“Denny said I had a piece of spinach stuck in my teeth,” Christopher says, “but I… can’t see it.”

Eddie studies his son’s teeth, aware of the figures standing behind him. “I don’t see it either.”

“Denny probably did that so he could cheat,” Hen sighs, “boy is the sorest of losers.”

“You should get back to your game, then, before you end up in last place.” Eddie squeezes Christopher’s shoulders, resigned to losing his shield against the circling vultures. He reaches forward and places a hand on the mirror’s frame, using it to steady his ascent.

At full height, Eddie notices his reflection fading somewhat. Suddenly a figure pops up, smiling and sweating, frozen in mid stretch.

“Whoa, whoa, hey,” Buck rushes over, smile twitching with nerves, “what, uh… what’s everybody doing?”

Chimney jerks his thumb at the scene. “Wondering why there’s a man trapped in your mirror?”

“There is?” Buck feigns surprise, eyebrows disappearing into his hairline. “I don’t - I don’t know how he got there?”

“What? Of course you do, Buck,” Maddie says, joining the conversation, “I helped you set him up and everything.”

“Maddie -”

“Maddie,” Chimney cuts Buck off, “you know what’s going on?”

She nods, pointing to the man in the mirror with her cup. “Being Buck’s sister I was the only one who was forced to listen to him complain about how he was going to lose everything he worked so hard for. Just because he couldn’t work out like he used to because of the accident. One day while listening to him go on and on about it this ad popped up for mirrors that double as personal trainers.” A string snaps in Eddie’s mind, the sound echoing madly. He looks over to Buck, the other man watching his feet while his ears burn. “Anyway I said I would personally buy this mirror for him if it would get him to shut up. He agreed, but only if he liked it. Day after it arrived Buck wasn’t complaining anymore. Best paycheck I ever spent…”

“Wait,” Hen glances between Maddie and the mirror, “so this is a personal trainer?”

“Yeah,” Maddie leans over to tap the glass, despite Buck’s attempts to stop her. The screen shifts and an array of faces smile at them. Derek’s larger than the rest, head enlarged and name clearly labeled below it.

There he was. Derek .

“You can pick from a whole array of trainers depending on what classes you want. It’s really interesting, and Buck seems to like it.”

“Maddie -”

“I figured you all knew about it since he’s replaced complaining with praising his trainer Derek,” she chuckles, elbowing her brother. “Little teacher’s pet.”

“ Maddie .”

Their small crowd thins after that. Christopher returns to his game, and Chimney leads Maddie towards the kitchen to steal some more food. Eddie stares at Derek, a mixture of confusion and relief churning in his stomach.

Hen sidles up to him. “You wanna know something?”

“What?”

“That Derek guy kind of looks like you.”

Eddie whips around in shock, ready to fire a denial. She dips before he can pull the trigger, safe by her wife’s side. Loaded and nowhere to go, Eddie looks at Derek. Sees how, in a certain light, they could be reflections of each other. However Derek’s hair is much longer than his, pulled tight in a bun, And there’s a mole under his nose that draws the eye to it without trying.

Derek disappears, the mirror returning to normal. It’s his face gazing back at him now, Eddie’s a few inches to his side.

“So,” he says, “you’ve met Derek.”

“Yeah. I did.” Eddie turns to him, “Why didn’t you tell me he was in your mirror? I’ve been here how many times, used this mirror, and it had a double life?”

“I… I guess I was embarrassed,” Buck tells him, wringing his hands, “of…”

He guesses, “Of him being in a mirror.”

“Well, that,” Buck says, eyes bouncing around the room, unable to meet Eddie’s stare, “and, because…” His words dissolve into dust.

Eddie understands. Finally sees what he needs. An emotion reflected in his own eyes, not distorted by doubt or fear.

“Y’know,” he starts, running a hand across the mirror’s surface, “this is pretty cool.”

“...It is.”

“Yeah,” Eddie says, smiling at Buck’s face in the mirror, “think you could invite me over the next time you use this?”

Buck frowns, “Why? You already got a good routine going.”

“I’ve been in the mood to shake things up,” Eddie tells him, “and besides… I missed working out with you.”

“You did?” Mood shifting rapidly, Eddie swoons at the dizzying grin lighting up Buck’s face.

“Of course…” Eddie’s hand runs across Buck’s reflection, petting his chest, “there’s a lot of time I have to make up for. We can start with exercise and… go from there.”

Buck nods enthusiastically. “I’d like that.”

The party goes on without them, both men are lost in their own world. Eddie feels the darkness that ate at his heart fade, replaced by the warm embrace of understanding. In lieu of talking Eddie prepares for his exercise date. Stretches the words in his mind so they’ll be ready for the day. Imagines how it will go. And, when successful, Eddie kisses Buck. Derek long gone from the mirror. Only them captured inside it.

#9 1 1 fox #buddie #buddie fic #Evan Buckley #Eddie Diaz #Christopher Diaz #chimeny han #hen wilson #maddie buckley #buck x eddie #buck/eddie