#Marion thank you!!! This was such a nice surprise and gift | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

emilyoftheshadows · 3 years

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Person A catches a bus home everyday, but today, they're so exhausted that they fall asleep, suddely they feel a light tap on their shoulder and open their eyes to see a cute guy/gal/person smiling at them. "Sorry to wake you, bit this is your stop, i hope you slept well"

So, this is the first piece I have written and posted here! This is a fluffy drabble loosely based on the prompt above as well as some tik tok ideas i've seen. I hope you enjoy and don't judge too hard :)

~~~~~~

Aelin never knew that she could feel such a wide range of emotions in such a short amount of time. The hectic events she had endured earlier in her day had left her drained and in dire need of sleep.

She started out her mornings as usual - brewing her coffee with the help of an overly excited Fleetfoot. On the subway ride to work, coffee in hand, she explicitly remembered checking her emails for any important notices regarding her job. As an advertising agent, she dealt with multiple clients at one time. With her meticulously organized calendar and the help of her overworked assistant Marion, she was usually able to keep everything in check. Today was not one of those days.

As she entered her office, Marion greeted her with her tablet in hand- Aelin’s schedule color coded, labeled and sorted by hour.

“Good morning Ms. Galathynius, ready to hear your schedule for today?” Aelin nodded, sipping her coffee as Marion listed her client meetings for the upcoming day. As they entered her office, Aelin paused.

“Marion, could you please repeat that first meeting again?”

“The Havilliard Scotch pitch at 12?” And that was when Aelin knew she was fucked. This pitch was meant for a well known drinking company in New York, fast on the come up. Havilliard Sr. was known to be picky about his branding, scrutinizing most agencies that had helped him before. She had barely gotten this client, practically begging Nehemia for the job. As she worked the branding, she had become worried about the content she was producing.

She was so worried about this pitch, that she had taken her laptop home last night in hopes of triple checking her work for mistakes and to fine tune some details. And that's where her laptop was at that moment. At her apartment, across town, sitting on her desk, collecting dust. Her mind raced at how to solve her predicament. The subway ride to and from her apartment was too long of a trip to make before the meeting and, like an amateur, she hadn’t saved her files anywhere else but her laptop. She was completely fucked.

Marion stood in the doorway, confused on what was going on in Aelin’s head. Aelin decided to finally release herself from her stupor. “Marion, could you please go find Aedion for me? And tell him it’s an emergency.”

With a determined look on her face, her assistant went as fast as her short legs could carry her to Aedion’s office on the adjacent part of the building floor she was on. Within minutes, Aedion was standing at her door, panting like he had just sprinted the fastest race of his life. The good thing about having her overbearing cousin work with her, is that she knew that in any problem he would help in an instant. And this was one hell of a fucking problem.

“What happened Aelin? Are you okay? Were you hurt? Do you need an ambulance?”

“You idiot I am physically fine, but still screwed and I need your help.” Aedion released the first breath Aelin had seen him take since entering her office.

“You know, when Marion power walked into my office saying you had an EMERGENCY and she didn’t know what was wrong with you, I definitely thought you would be passed out on your floor with blood on your face. But, you know, thanks for the heart attack. Really woke me up this morning.”

Aelin rolled her eyes at him. He was more dramatic than her, and that spoke volumes in itself.

“Aedion, please it really is an emergency. I have the big pitch for the Havilliard Scotch today and I left my laptop with the presentation at my apartment.” Aedion’s eyes widened in surprise. He knew that Aelin had been obsessed about this pitch and that mistakes like this only happened to her once in a blue moon. Aelin saw understanding dawn on his face and took that as a sign to continue.

“Now, I know a while back I sent you the rough drafts of the branding from when I first got the pitch. Is there any chance that you have the email or presentation saved still? If I have the basis of the presentation, I have an hour to build on it and hopefully fix this.”

Aedion’s face fell at the request. “We can go look, but you know I’m not the best at organizing my files Ace. It could be anywhere on my computer or not at all.” With those reaffirming words, Aelin and Aedion walked at a brisk pace back to his office. Combing through Aedion’s computer was an agonizing process. There were files saved from years ago that should’ve been deleted, and backtracking through all the contents of his computer made Aelin want to stab her eyes out. But it was all worth it, because hidden in the depths of this man’s terribly organized computer was the presentation. With a quick click of a button, she emailed the document to herself. She gave a half ass hug to Aedion, then practically ran to her office to start reworking her pitch on the computer there.

Aelin believed it was pure adrenaline that enabled her to finish her pitch in time for the Havilliard meeting. With a strong foundation laid out before her from her first draft, she had constructed almost her exact pitch that was left at home. Aelin waited for the Havilliards in the boardroom, smoothing out her clothes as she paced at the front. Far too soon, Marion escorted Havilliard Sr., Dorian Havilliard, and their close friend and partner Chaol Westfall into the room for her presentation. The three men had sat down in silence with no introduction, except for a small encouraging smile from the younger Havilliard. Taking that as her sign to start, Aelin cleared her throat.

“Hello gentlemen, today I want to present to you the future of Havilliard Scotch…”

---

As the men had exited the room single file, Aelin finally allowed herself to relax. That had felt like the longest pitch of her life. Going into the meeting, she had known the men were notorious for being extremely serious and critical of their agents. What she had not expected was the whispered words between the men after she had finished her presentation. As she looked on, Dorian Havilliard had finally broken away from their circle to address her.

“Miss Galathynius, thank you for your time. We will get back to you shortly about our decision to run with this branding or not.” With a quick nod and gesture to his companions, the trio had stood up and left the room. She was utterly shocked. Aelin had poured her sweat and tears into this pitch, quite literally, and they had just thanked her and left. No critiques, no opinions, no nothing.

Quite honestly, Aelin was exhausted. She had spent most of her brain power reworking that pitch in that 45 minutes before that meeting and she had nothing left to give today. Yet, she still had a full schedule left to woo clients and work on her other projects. By the time Aelin trudged back to the subway, she was ready for a nice dinner at home followed by a restorative night of sleep with Fleetfoot at her side.

Now, as she entered the subway, she immediately noticed the mystery man sitting down a few feet away from her. The man was moderately built, with muscles that were outlined by the fabric of his long sleeve t-shirt. His style was simple with a pair of nice jeans and Doc Marten boots, but that just allowed one's focus to settle on the beautiful creation that was his face. Mystery man had a strong jawline, lined with a bit of stubble and scruff. His eyes were a beautiful shade of green like none that she had seen before, his head topped with luscious silver hair. As the subway started, Mystery Man continued to sketch drawings into his book. Now, Aelin was never one to back down from an opportunity to flirt with one of the most attractive men she had ever seen. She was a single woman in a big city, why the hell not. But her day had taken a toll on her, and she just didn’t know if this was the right time or place. So, she opted to put in her headphones as she waited for her stop, listening to relaxing music to calm her anxieties regarding the failed Havilliard pitch.

Seeing that her stop was next, Aelin rose from her seat to wait in line for the doors to open. As she waited, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Low and behold, there was the Mystery Man standing next to her with a piece of paper in hand. As she pulled her headphone out, the man silently handed her the paper. Looking down, she saw a pencil sketch of herself on the subway. The drawing was beautifully done with bold lines and harsh shading, contrasted by highlights created from the fluorescent lights of the subway. Her eyes welled up, immediately grateful for this thoughtful gift after such a horrible day. The Mystery Man saw her emotions, startled to see tears welling up in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude on your privacy. I just… I like to draw and when I saw you… I mean, it’s just you’re so stunning..” The man’s face flushed red as he tried to justify his beautiful art. Aelin laughed out loud for the first time today at his misunderstanding of her swell of emotions.

“Oh no, these are just tears of..uhmm.. happiness? I guess…” She started to flush at her own awkwardness, trying to explain her emotions this time.

“I just had a really rough day and feel like shit. But this drawing is beautiful and I really am grateful that such a talented artist like yourself chose me as your muse today.” Aelin watched as the Mystery Man reacted to such a lavish compliment, somehow developing an even deeper blush with a shy smile . Gaining confidence from his reaction, she decided to make her move before she exited for her upcoming stop.

“Hey, Mystery Man, why don’t I give you my number? Seeing that I am your muse and all, I would really like to learn more about your art.” It was a subpar pickup line at best, but hey, she had a long day and for the circumstance she thought it good enough. The man gave a deep timbered laugh at her pickup line, clearly enjoying their conversation now.

“I think I might be one step ahead of you actually. Flip the drawing over.” As she flipped the paper, she saw a messy scrawl with the name Rowan, and what she could only assume was his number. The sight of these two things brought her complete giddiness. Giddiness that made you want to jump in the air and pump your fist because you're so excited. She looked up at Rowan, smirking as she tucked the piece of paper into her purse.

As the subway doors opened and they were pushed apart by bypassers, she turned around one last time to look at the man who had brightened her day beyond belief. She winked at Rowan as she walked away, not missing the wide smile he gave in return as the subway doors closed and continued on to the next stop.

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heartlandians · 3 years

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Filling Empty Spaces (Amy/Mitch), part 121

Mitch and Amy find an unexpected connection due to absent lovers. Set around season 11.

A/N: I didn’t have a beta for this story, so hopefully there won’t be too many grammar errors.

* * * *

Amy leaned in from the barn office doorway to check on Lyndy who was playing in the next room while she had been doing the morning chores just few steps away.

The mother had brought Lyndy’s favorite toys with her from the loft, but instead of playing with them, the little girl had insisted she wanted to have Amy’s ribbons to play with, the ones she had won when she had still been jumping with Spartan. Lyndy had often admired them on the wall, not saying anything, just pointing them to show she was interested in them, but now she had insisted that she wanted to play with the ribbons and not Pogie or Lammie.

Even though Amy had told her what they were and where she had gotten them from, she wasn’t sure if her daughter really understood the meaning of them, but at the same time, it didn’t matter; Spartan was like a unicorn for Lyndy anyway, ribbons or no ribbons. That’s how Amy had always seen the horses Marion had worked with as well, and it was nice to see that continue in her relationship with Lyndy.

When Lyndy had asked for the ribbons, Amy had reached out on the wall and handed them to her. She saw no problem letting her daughter play with them despite their sentimental value. Even though they reminded her of the times she had been able to jump with Spartan - now she no longer was able to do it as much because of the horse’s leg injury few years ago - but she didn’t want to live in the past, she would rather be present and look for the future. The smile on Lyndy’s face was more important for her than the high she could recall having after clearing all those jumps.

“How’s it going, smiley-face?” Amy asked, and Lyndy looked up, smiling as she heard her mom’s voice. “Good, huh?”

“Yes”, was Lyndy’s prompt answer as she got back to playing. Amy was surprised how long she could find them entertaining as they were very simple in design, but that was the gift kids still had - to imagine things from something that didn’t necessarily spark anything for adults.

Amy smiled and started backpedaling from the door, so her gaze could stay with her daughter a little while longer, until she heard steps.

“Hey”, Lou said as she entered the barn.

“Hey”, Amy said, wondering what brought her sister here. “Did you want to use the barn office?” she guessed since Lou had stretched her visit to Hudson longer than she had planned, so all the work in New York was probably piling up. “Lyndy’s playing there, hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh, no. Thanks, though”, Lou said. “I was actually thinking if you would like to go on a trail ride? I was thinking I should probably do something with Venus. I feel bad about not spending time with her.”

Amy was surprised by the invite. “Oh, I would, but... I got Lyndy.”

“Georgie will look after her, I’m sure”, Lou said, waving her hand. “I think it could be good for you and me to talk.”

Amy didn’t appreciate the charge that sentence had, but at the same time she knew that if she wouldn’t diffuse that energy, it could explode. She gave herself a moment to think about it, but then nodded.

“Okay. I’ll just ask Georgie then”, Amy said, pulling out her phone.

* * * *

Amy had to admit that when Lou had asked her to join her and Venus for a trail ride, she had expected more talking. But they had almost reached Mustang Meadows before Lou opened her mouth.

“So... yesterday, huh? That was pretty crazy about dad’s dad”, Lou said.

Amy nodded. “Yeah”, she admitted. “I had no idea. Can’t believe he’s kept all that to himself. And he’s never said anything about this to you either?”

“No, not a word”, Lou said. “I’m just as surprised as you are.”

“So when will you be leaving back to New York?” Amy asked. “Only asking because I’m wondering if we’ll be able to visit dad’s dad before you go. I think it would be good if we would do it together. I think he might need us there, and it might be best if he was there for us as well. This is a lot for all of us to digest.”

“I still haven’t decided”, Lou shared, tenseness in her voice. “Who knows how long it’ll take for dad to come around for that, but we promised-- or well, I promised -- that we’d wait till he was ready. Maybe that’s tomorrow, next week, next month - or maybe never. But time’s ticking. We can’t wait forever.”

“I know, but you can never force anyone to do something they aren’t ready to do. It can only go wrong if it’s forced”, Amy noted.

“Yeah, I know”, Lou said, looking at her sister. “I was actually thinking... maybe you could come visit me in New York. You and Lyndy, of course.”

Amy was surprised. This was not what she had expected. “Me...? Why?”

“Well, I think you could use a change of scenery.” Lou shrugged. “I mean, I know after my divorce, I needed that. The trip to Dominican Republic wasn’t just for the girls, it was for me too. And I don’t think you’d go for snorkeling or sunbathing, I know you that much--”

“Well, that’s true”, Amy admitted.

“But I feel like you need a break. Just something... else, than this. I think New York could be a happy medium, you know”, Lou explained. “Besides, you’d get to meet Henry and see the new Maggie’s... It would also give us an excuse to really talk and spend time together.”

“Aren’t we talking now?” Amy asked, not liking the idea of leaving Heartland. As bad as some days could be because of all the memories and regrets attached to Hudson, she wasn’t sure she could feel the similar comfort the ranch offered for her in New York - or anywhere else.

“Well, yeah, but...” Lou sighed, looking at her sister. “Just think about it. It’s not like you have a lot going on right now.”

Amy wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be an insult of sorts, but she was willing to let it go. “Okay”, she said, even though she just couldn’t see herself boarding a plane to New York.

“I feel bad for not being here”, Lou admitted, “especially because I know what you’re going through. I mean, the divorce, being a single parent... I should have been there for you more.”

“It’s okay. I know you had your thing, you needed to chase it”, Amy said. Of course she would have appreciated a little more support, but at the same time she understood success was important for Lou and she worked hard for it. She didn’t want to be the one standing in the way of that. “It’s not like I couldn’t do this on my own. I mean, I have.”

“Thankfully you’ve at least had Grandpa, Lisa and Dad around”, Lou said, nodding.

“Yeah...” Amy said, but her response was so timid, Lou took a notice.

“Or...?”

“I just...” Amy was trying to find the words to say it. “I don’t mean this in a bad way, but... I feel like you divorcing Peter was different than Ty divorcing me. I mean, I liked Peter, but... didn’t he always feel like an outsider?” she asked.

She had never really formed a bond with Peter, not the one Lou had with Ty, anyway. It had always felt like they had nothing to talk about or anything in common. The only times she felt like Peter had paid attention to her - not just her as part of Lou’s family, but her as an individual - was when Ty had gone missing after the plane crash and when he had seen her baby bump for the first time.

“Well, he always said he did. Like he wasn’t welcomed in this family”, Lou said, still feeling sad about it. “And I tried to make it that he would feel like he was welcomed, but it just... it didn’t click. I don’t know why, but it just never happened. I guess it’s like you said - you can’t force it.”

“Yeah...” Amy said. “Where as with Ty... he became family. And that’s the crazy thing about this all - if we were still together, it would be the most perfect thing. That’s what you want for your husband to have, right, that attachment to your family. But now that we are divorced... it’s almost the worst thing you could have. Because how do I talk about my divorce to anyone in my family without them feeling they have to defend their son or brother or whatever he is to them? Maybe it’s a selfish thing to want, but when I want to just tell how mad something Ty has done has made me feel, I don’t want their response to be a defense for him. That’s not why I want to talk - I talk, because I want to be heard. As myself. I want my feelings to be validated, that’s why I’m opening up.”

Lou listened, realizing she had in a way been angry about the whole Mitch thing not only because of her relationship with Mitch and Amy, but also because of Ty, too. He was, in a way, like a brother to her, even after all of this, so no matter how much she wanted to claim to be on Amy’s team, she realized she was still rooting for Ty, too. Where as with Peter, no one had done the same for him - he had been the bad guy. During those months after their divorce, Lou had felt relieved that she had had her family on her side to sooth her and help her get back on her feet. It had been so clear to everyone who would be the one to be pushed out to make the divorce really what it had ought to be - a separation from one another in order for each of them to heal and move on.

“But because I already have that expectation - based on my experiences - about how those conversations with everyone will go, I don’t even want to bother. It’ll only make me feel worse. So I don’t talk. And I know it’s not ideal, but... what other choice do I have? I need to move forward, one way or another”, Amy said, suddenly feeling that “longing” for Mitch again. At least with him she had always felt validated. Like he saw just her, and not one part of this “Ty and Amy” duo. But at the same time she didn’t want to use him as a therapist.

“I’m sorry”, Lou wanted to say. “I guess I had never realized that.”

Amy nodded, accepting Lou’s apology. “I’m ashamed to admit, especially because I know the circumstances are different, but hearing dad say he had that anger toward someone so close to him - his dad, of all people - it felt like... I don’t want to say validation, but... that maybe it’s okay that this divorce has made me angry too. That I am allowed to feel angry, because other people feel angry too all the time. Because he had this person, his dad, someone so close to him there, but not really there... I don’t know, it just... it hit a nerve of some kind. It’s like I’ve had you all here, but at the same time... not really”, Amy spoke.

She felt like all this had been building up and in a way it was good to get it out, but at the same time she was scared for the response. There was always that “but would you think of someone else” when it came to her. For once, she just wanted to be Amy. Her own person.

“So yes... I have had Grandpa, Lisa and dad. But I haven’t really have them”, Amy said. “And I don’t blame you all. -- It’s like when we fight, and Grandpa wants us to stitch things up, he’ll always talk about your side to me and about my side to you. It’s an automatic response, because family is supposed to be together. And to everyone, Ty is family. But I also need people to realize that he divorced me. He walked away from me. So it hurts me to hear everyone defending him when I’m the one who was left behind. Why do I have to be the one understanding? When’s my turn to get a little sympathy? But at this point, I don’t even want it. I just want to be left alone. But even that seems to be too much to ask.”

“It’s not”, Lou said. She was shocked after hearing Amy’s side of things, especially because she had just assumed her sister’s life situation was now exactly how it had been with her couple years ago. But not every divorce was the same, even though they resembled each other on the surface. After all, mom had probably not had it the same either, especially because everyone had hated Tim at that point.

It was like a whole scale of different divorces; the one where you hated the person after the divorce (Tim), the one where you stayed distant, but somewhat neutral (Peter) and then the one where you still remained close (Ty).

“I’ll try to be better from now on”, Lou promised. “I’ll try to listen to you and not just wait for my turn to talk - or even think about Ty, at this point. I know it’ll be hard, because it’s like you said - he is still family - but you are my sister. We’ve grown up together, we have shared life experience. And maybe we are very different, but that still doesn’t change the fact that I love you so much. Always have, always will. And even if it’s not always easy with us, I’ll never stop fighting for you. I promise, Amy.”

Amy felt choked up, but smiled through the tears as she looked at her sister beside her. “Thanks, Lou. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

“Of course”, Lou said, reaching out her hand so Amy could grab it. “After all, it was you who made me believe in love after what happened with Peter. I really want you to have that same experience too.”

#heartland #fanfiction #filling empty spaces

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unicyclehippo · 4 years

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First impressions after the live show? Beaujester impressions or otherwise

‘Ah. Would you mind looking after Luc for a little while?’ Yeza asks with a somewhat nervous - but excited - smile.

Beau salutes him from the bathroom. ‘No worries, dude. Go get her.’

Yeza laughs, fumbles to return the gesture. ‘Thank you. Thank you, everyone. Ah - if you’ll just...excuse me,’ he says and in amongst the Nein’s gentle teasing, the halfling bobs an awkward bow and leaves, hurries back to his wife.

As Jester disappears into Marion’s chambers, her quiet apology for the bathtub reaching the bathroom, Beau does her best to sweep up the clay and the soot left by the burned incense, the pieces of the bathtub. These she separates, drops into a box Beau suspects once held a gift of some kind or is, like, some unnecessarily fancy bin. The largest of the pieces she just sets beside it. Maybe... if she figured out where all the pieces were supposed to go, Jester could mend it? Beau grimaces down at the hundreds of ceramic shards. Maybe not.

‘Beau?’

‘Huh? Oh, hey! I was just -’ She waves a hand toward the mess. Her other hand is cupped, middling sized shards held in it that she’d found under the shelves. ‘D’you reckon you could mend this thing? Or...?’

Jester grimaces too, looking at the extent of the problem before her. She steps into the bathroom beside Beau, shoulders jumping in surprise as something crunches underfoot. She smiles guiltily.

‘It would take a really long time.’

‘Right, right, right,’

‘But I promised my mama I would buy her a new one. Or find someone for her who will buy her a new one.’

‘Maybe you could ask the Gentleman.’

‘Beau.’

‘What? Is that - that’s stupid, got it,’

‘No!’ Jester grabs her arm, shakes it, not caring a bit that the shards Beau collected drop to the ground and break even more. ‘Beau!’ she squeals. ‘That’s a great idea!’

‘Oh no.’

‘Yeah!’

‘No, no, see I was just kidding - ‘

Jester squeals louder. ‘Oh my gosh it will be so romantic, I can send him a message and he can pick out the most beautiful bathtub and I can write -’ She goes a little breathless for a second, tail flicking right at the tip with excitement, eyes darting over Beau’s face. It’s clear that Jester isn’t looking at her, but rather past her to all the many plans she can concoct. ‘I can write a letter,’ she says quietly. ‘I have his handwriting now, I can say, Oh Marion, in your time of greatest need I am - um - fulfilling that need,’

‘We can workshop it. Or not. Because that’s - it’s an idea,’ she says, dropping the adjective she would ordinarily tack onto that. ‘But it’s maybe, you know, a tiny bit, uh,’

‘Too soon?’

‘I was gonna say hurtful,’ Beau tells her bluntly.

Jester’s face falls. ‘What do you mean? You mean - getting them together?’

‘N-no, not exactly. But, y’know, if the guy you liked walked out on you and then you had a kid and you raised her alone for years and he never came back and eventually you figured, y’know, he was either a piece of shit or something bad happened to him or maybe both or maybe he didn’t care or maybe he did and maybe he wasn’t ever in love with you or maybe he was and you flat out don’t know, and then you find out that he’s this crime lord up in Zadash and your bathtub breaks and that is what he writes to you about?’

Jester blinks, her surprise bleeding into faintly troubled, and thoughtful, and a soft distant kind of expression Beau doesn’t fully recognise. ‘Probably not the best.’

‘Prob’ly not.’

‘Hmm. I’ll think on it.’

‘Sure, yeah, you do that. I’ll - edit your letter, if you want. Help you workshop it.’

‘Even though you think it’s a terrible idea?’

‘I didn’t say that,’ Beau is quick to point out, mind racing backwards in their conversation to make sure that yeah, she definitely hadn’t said it. She had thought it, but that’s not the same thing. Jester is smiling at her when she comes back to the here and now, the mischievous smile that tucks into her cheeks, makes her dimples pop and her eyes glint. Beau rolls her eyes, shakes her head. Grumbles, without any real annoyance to the word, ‘Tricky.’

‘Well, I am a trickery gods protégé.’

Beau cleans for a little longer, waves Jester away to help Caleb with getting the magic he wants and starting on their clothes. With Caleb and Fjord gone to Yussa’s tower, and Caduceus following closely after when he sees Fjord step out, and with Yasha looking for a dog for their dinner (a joke? Uncertain), Beau realises that she is the only one left, and that they had all completely glossed over one very important fact.

‘Shit! Luc!’

She sprints down the steps from the third floor and when she hears the familiar sound of a shriek of dismay, follows it to Carlos and Luc and a smashed bottle on the floor.

‘Luc!’

‘That,’ the boy says, backing up, brown eyes wide, ‘was an accident.’

‘You need to be more careful, lad!’ Carlos cries, and scrubs his hands over his head, disturbing the slicked combover. ‘Enough with the sword! And the crossbow! Please!’

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ Luc insists, and Beau closes the distance quickly. Luc is in zero danger from Carlos, who seems more interested in making sure that the wine doesn’t soak into the nearby carpet - and that Luc doesn’t step onto any glass - but seeing the tall man towering over the young boy, and the raised voices, has her moving faster and her heart pounding in her chest.

‘Everything alright here?’ she demands, staring at Carlos. Without her meaning to, without looking, she sets a gentle hand down on the top of Luc’s curly hair, guides him backwards and behind her.

‘What? Oh - Jester’s friend. Yes, yes, it’s fine,’ Carlos sighs, and he lets out his breath in a gusting sigh. Runs his hands over the combover again. His brown eyes take in Beau before him, interposed between him and Luc, and his stance softens. ‘The lad is fine,’ he assures Beau. ‘Just rambunctious.’

‘That’s a good thing,’ Luc whispers up to Beau. He holds the back of her pants with one hand, peers out around her thigh to grin up at Carlos. ‘My dad says it means I’ve got lots of beans, but I haven’t had beans and toast since we left Felderwin.’

‘Do you like beans and toast?’ Beau asks.

Luc shrugs. ‘It’s fine? The fish here is weird but it’s fine too.’

‘Not a picky eater, huh?’

‘No, there’s heaps of stuff I won’t eat. I hate sprouts - ‘

‘Same.’

‘ - and there’s this red root that stains everything but my dad uses it for inks and dyes and stuff so we used to have it all the time,’

Beau lets him ramble on about food and shifts her attention to Carlos. The man has settled like a spooked chicken and he nods to Beau, hands lifted slightly. She relaxes a smidge. Fishes a few gold pieces from her pocket and sets them on the bar top. Then, as Luc continues to ramble, she leads the boy to the stairs.

‘ - and there’s this gross, like, pea thing and pea is already a funny word,’ he tells Beau, who snorts obligingly, nods, ‘but it tastes like sand. That’s probably my least favourite, it’s gross.’

‘Yeah, that sounds like shit.’

Luc giggles, eyes wide. ‘You said a bad word.’

‘What? Oh fu- uh - right. You’re a kid. Shi - ah crap. Balls. Oh no.’ Beau stops, rubs a hand over her face. Luc is fully laughing now, little hand clutching at the railing post he had dented earlier with his sword, and when Beau peeks through her fingers she finds that his smile is wide and honest and delighted.

‘You’re really funny. And rude.’

‘I’m - the rude part is right,’ she agrees. ‘Uh. Look, your mum and dad are gonna be - uh - talking for a bit so we told them we’d keep an eye on you. Is there anything you’re, like, wanting to do or do I...have to entertain you?’

Luc rolls his eyes. ‘I don’t need to be baby sat. I’m five.’

‘Oh, cool, basically an adult. You should probably be getting a job soon.’

‘What? No!’

‘No?’

‘No! I’m not old enough to get a job.’

‘But you’re five.’

‘That’s too young!’

‘Is it?’ Beau asks, feigning ignorance. ‘Shit, okay, what do you wanna do then?’

‘I dunno!’

‘Figure it out, or I’m gonna - uh - feed you sprouts.’

Luc gasps. ‘You wouldn’t.’

Beau grins, a little feral, mostly amused. She crouches on the landing in front of him so they’re almost of a height, her still a little taller than the young halfling. ‘Your mum hasn’t told you about me,’ she guesses. Luc shakes his head. ‘My name is Beau, and I’m a monk. I trained for years,’ she tells him, ‘to become a spy.’

‘Whoa.’

‘Yeah. Pretty cool, right?’

‘Yeah!’

‘One of my lessons was on how to torture people.’ It is only as she says it that she wonders if maybe a joke like that is a bit dark for a five year old, but Luc’s eyes only seem to widen further, sparkle a little more. It’s super weird - but weirdly nice - to be on the receiving end of what Beau can only categorise as extreme fascination. ‘I won’t stop with sprouts. I brought with me food from Xhorhas. They have vegetables,’ she tells him, voice dropping low and ominous, ‘that are soft and squelchy. Like boogers.’

‘No.’

‘Yep. Super gross. But good for you. And I’ll tell your dad that and he’ll make you eat them for every. Single. Meal.’

Luc shrieks and sprints away from her up the stairs, laughing as Beau pushes to her feet and follows. She lets him get fairly far ahead before her own competitive nature comes out and she picks up the pace, taking the stairs two at a time. It isn’t long before she catches up with him and it’s easy to hoist him off his feet and up into the air, hold him by the ankles as she marches him back down and out into the courtyard behind the Chateau. She had seen it when they arrived, the manicured yard, and the small training dummy raised there with a painted target and many, many dents from wooden crossbow bolts. Luc wriggles free when she lowers him down and races ahead, yelling back to her all the while about training, and look how high I can climb, and what is the coolest monster you’ve seen, and what’s it like being a monk?

It’s weirdly easy. Hanging out with the little dude, and answering all his questions - leaving the fallout for answering all of them honestly to Yeza and Veth to deal with in the future at some point - and catching the bolts when they whizz too close to her face, which sends him into another spiral of questions, and begging her to show off some of the cool monk shit that she can do. They’re in the middle of practicing wall-jumps - or, she is and he is jumping as high as he can in place with his stumpy little legs - when the others return and he slumps, exhaustedly, into her shoulder when she picks him up this time. Loops his arms around her neck in a loose hug.

Beau feels something twist in her chest as she hugs him back, carries him to his room, and she wonders if TJ will be anything like Luc. Outgoing, carefree, happy. Or if he’ll be more like her.

#prompt fill #cr tag #tagging my stories #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #sort of

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sunflowersloth · 4 years

Text

Compliments- Caduceus Clay x Reader

Requested By: Anon.

Request: “I absolutely loved your last caduceus prompt, so maybe you could do a fluff #2 for cad sometime? :0″

Warnings: Some innuendos and painfully obvious flirting

A/N: Kickoff to the sleepover! Hope you enjoy. The ending isn’t my favorite thing, but I worked super hard so I’m proud of the outcome. Hope you enjoy!

Caduceus Clay didn’t always know everything. In fact, Caduceus knew practically nothing about the outside world, making him the purest being in the whole group.

Of course, that meant he learned about the world from Jester, Beau, and Nott, which weren’t exactly the best influences in your opinion. Jester filled his head with her romance novel plots and Beau often made innuendos without telling the taller firbolg what they meant.

This caused stress for you. You had had a crush on Caduceus since the tall man had helped the group save you, Jester, Fjord, and Yasha from the Iron Shepherds. Since then, you cherished every moment around the pink-haired man, loving everything from his softness to the beauty he saw in the world.

However, Caduceus had a tendency to say things that caught you off guard more than you expected. Like now.

You were sitting in Caduceus’ garden at the top of the Xhorhouse tower, bathing in the pale light that flooded down from the tree. The garden was a safe space for you, and you often sat against the tree, listening to the sounds of the town and watching Caduceus as he tended to his flowers.

Today you had brought a book, a gift from Caleb, and were quite content with relaxing against the tree as Cad walked through the rows of plants and flowers. About halfway through, you set your book down to stretch. Getting up from your spot against the tree, you took a moment to walk through the flower garden, stopping alongside the daisies, your favorite flower. They were in bloom, despite the unnatural weather, and the aroma of the petals and pollen made you smile and sigh with pleasure. You crouched down and picked a flower gently from the bundle and carefully weaved it into your hair, smiling as the aroma became stronger.

You turned around to walk back to your book, only to be met with a large firbolg standing beside you. You instinctively stop yourself from running into, looking up at the smiling face that was shadowed by the wicker hat that he wore.

“Daisies really compliment your eyes,” Caduceus said, his tone warm and almost playful. You knew that a simple comment shouldn’t have set you off as much as it did, but for some reason, the thought that Caduceus, who thought every plant and flower was positively beautiful, thought your eyes reminded him of flowers was enough for you to lose all sense of mind. You blushed, mumbling a thank you before brushing past him to bury yourself in your book before Caduceus Clay could see what a mess he had turned you into with his words.

The next few days went off without any issue, but then the fight happened. A crazy fight with a dragon had led to almost all of the Mighty Nein with some kind of injury. Away from danger, the group was resting in Caleb’s small magic-made dome, healing and allowing you, Jester, and Caduceus to heal them. Once you were finished with healing Beau’s abdominal wound, you turned to Caduceus, who had just finished with Caleb. You noticed that the firbolg himself was sporting a small, but deep cut along his cheek.

“Caduceus, would you let me heal that?” You asked, walking towards him and pointing to his cheek. Caduceus touched the spot gently and seemed surprised to find blood on his fingers when he pulled back. With a slight nod, your hands were resting along Caduceus’ cheek, your eyes closed as you felt magic surge from your hand to the wound. You felt the skin begin to close beneath your palm, and when you moved it away, the skin was closed without a hint of a scar. You smiled.

“All finished.”

“I have to say, your fingers are like magic,” Caduceus said, in a low rumbling voice. You knew that Caduceus meant that in a purely platonic, kind way, but those words instantly caused red to erupt on your cheeks as both Jester and Beau began to cackle at Caduceus’ comment. Caduceus sent a confused glare to the pair, as you mumbled out a thank you and moved away to sit by Caleb, hiding your face in your knees as Caleb gave you a soft head pat of sympathy.

“What?” Caduceus asked, eyebrows furrowed. Beau waved him off, still laughing to herself as Caduceus simply shrugged. You stayed curled up until you calmed down, lifting your head up to see Caduceus across the bubble, focus off of you and onto Nott. You let out a breath of relief, earning an amused smirk from Caleb as you shot him a glare. You didn’t know how much longer you could handle these comments from Caduceus.

That night was the straw that broke the Moorbounders back. The Mighty Nein had been invited to a party thrown by the Martinet in Nicodranas, and you all had agreed to go in hopes of gaining more information. You had decided to let Caduceus and Jester shop for your outfit, taking some well-earned downtime to sit on the beach at Nicodranas and meditate.

The outfit that Jester picked for you was absolutely stunning, in your own opinion. You walked out of your shared room with Yasha and joined the rest of the group, and Marion Lavorre, in the lobby of the Lavish Chateau in your evening wear, earning a whistle from Jester and a warm smile from everyone else.

Whilst walking, you naturally fell back to walk beside Caduceus. The two of you walked together, usually with Caleb who was currently a few feet in front of you with the newly returned Veth. You walked in comfortable silence with him, when he looked down at you and smiled.

“I must say, you look beautiful. You remind me very much of the flowers that grew from my grandmother’s grave,” He said, a smile on his face. You were left speechless for a moment, your mind racing. Caduceus had mentioned his grandmother a few times during conversations and your mind picked out the specific time that Caduceus mentioned how he thought the collection of lilies and moss around the burial site was, and always will be, the most beautiful part of the Blooming Grove.

Your face erupted into red, as your heart began to beat out of his chest. You looked away from him, staring straight ahead and trying to calm yourself down as Caduceus stared at you, confused.

“Is there a reason that you’re blushing like that?” Caduceus asked, looking at you with concern in his eyes. You let out a mix of a groan and a sigh, before looking to Caduceus.

“Do you know what those kinds of compliments mean to me?” You blurted out, regretting it the minute it left your mouth. Caduceus stopped, seemingly trying to process what you had just said. You sighed, louder this time before you stopped to look at him. Before completely turning your attention to Cad, you waved Caleb off, not wanting anyone to witness you being rejected.

“What do you mean?” Caduceus finally asked, looking up at you with furrowed pink eyebrows. You looked into pink eyes, searching for anything, but there was only confusion.

“It’s just-” You took a deep breath, trying to get rid of your nerves- “I like you, a lot. You’re kind and wise, and super pretty, and every time you compliment me like you just did, I start blushing and my hearts start beating and I know that you’re just being nice and you don’t feel the same but I-”

“You think I don’t like you back?” Caduceus asked. You stared at him, before shaking your head.

“Not in the same way I like you,” You said, dejectedly. You were about to turn to finish the walk to the party, but Caduceus grabbed your hand before you could walk away. You turned to look at him, confused before he bent down and placed a soft kiss to your cheek. Your eyes widened as he stood back up, smiling at you with that grin you loved so much.

“I do like you like that. I’m sorry I didn’t make it more obvious. I thought my compliments were telling enough,” Caduceus said, his eyes soft. You let yourself grin, wide and happy before you grabbed his hand and pulled him down a little bit, getting on your tiptoes to give him a peck on the lips.

“Let’s go. We have a party to attend,” You said, relishing in the blush that settled on Caduceus’s pale face as you pulled him along to catch up with the rest of the Mighty Nein.

#critical role #crc2 #critical role imagine #critical role x reader #critical role campaign 2 #cr campaign 2 #caduceus clay x reader #caduceus clay #taliesin jaffe #critical role c2

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catalinaroleplay · 4 years

Photo

Gender & Pronouns: Cis male, he/him

Date of Birth: November 7th, 1982 (38)

Place of Birth: Boston, Massachusetts

Neighborhood: Ventura

Length of Residency: Since February 2020

Occupation: Singer and songwriter

Face Claim: Chris Evans

BIOGRAPHY

TRIGGERS: Death, Mental health, Alcoholism, Substance abuse.

Sorrow found Jack Adler when he was young. His parents were too impossible humans wrapped up in their own problems, making ends meet by any means possible. Jack’s father died young and he doesn’t quite remember him clearly. Sometimes he thinks he can smell the familiar scent of his old cigars from time to time, but the feeling passes just as it comes.

Growing up with a single mother with identity issues was never easy. Jack was the man of his house for as long as he could remember and a part of him never really minded it. He loved his mother and taking care of her felt more like a gift than a curse. It’s not long before Julia, Jack’s mother, brings someone home to meet her son. It was only a matter of time, though Jack was still extremely wary. He’s surprised to see a dark-skinned woman at their door standing beside his mother. They sat around the dinner table quietly, awkward tension in the air. He learns that her name is Samantha, she used to work with Julia, and she’s kinder than anyone Jack has ever actually met. Before they know it, she’s cracking jokes and Jack simply can’t contain his laughter. They suddenly feel like a family and they become just that.

If asked, Jack will always say Samantha is his mother along with Julia. They were his parents, the ones who truly raised him. His father will always remain loved and a vaguely remembered presence, but Julia and Samantha are his parents to the end. Jack grows to be a sweet young man thanks to them. He’s bright, kind, and works extremely hard. He’s no wiz by any means but he gets by and that was enough in their eyes.

By the time he’s a freshman in high school, he’s still sweet but a lot dorky. Nobody really thought he was anything special. He had a few close friends and that was about it. His entire first year of high school was more close to mediocre, very lackluster. Minus when he met fellow freshman and lab partner, Marion Stewart. To put it simply, Jack had a crush on Marion almost instantly. He adored her and she was absurdly nice to him which only made his feelings grow and grow. Though she never saw him as anything but a friend, Jack’s feelings remained.

It wasn’t until his sophomore year that Marion began to see him differently. He had started to grow into himself. He was handsome, bulked up all thanks to football tryouts, and was still just as sweet. Jack began to gain some prominent attention in school from classmates to teachers galore. But more importantly, from his longtime crush, Marion Stewart.

It wasn’t long before the two were smitten for one another. Jack, especially, fell hard and fast. While most said he was too young to feel this way, Jack was still certain Marion was the love of his life. So much so that they eloped out of high school, moving to Los Angeles together in order to pursue a career in music and songwriting which was a passion they both shared. They were a dynamite duo, their chemistry undeniable and warm. By the time they were 24, they had an award-winning album to their name and everything seemed close to perfect.

For Jack, things silently began to crumble. It started small at first, a few Hollywood parties here and there that had him exposed to heavy drinks and white powder. The destruction soon happened in a flash, Jack falling victim to the allure and peril of fame. His mind started to dwindle and lose all it’s luster, a newfound sorrow consuming him all at once. Marion grew worried, doing what she could to take care of her husband. But how long can a wife take care of their broken husband to no prevail? It was no shock when their divorce came, the likes of Jack & Marion going their separate ways despite fame and fortune and a promising career in the future.

Jack’s divorce destroyed him. While it should have been a wake-up call, it wasn’t. He plunged himself headfirst into destruction and bad habits. His alcoholism and substance abuse problems worsened by the day, his mothers becoming increasingly worried for him back home in Boston. They tried to call, to talk some sense into their son, but nothing seemed to work. To most (mainly the public eye), Jack Adler’s deterioration came as no surprise. Even in his happiest moments, there was a glimmer of sorrow to him. Something inside him was always a little broken and nobody, not even Jack, could truly figure out why. By the time Jack approached a fully broken state, he assumed that this was simply bound to become of him.

Despite his inner turmoil, his solo career blossomed. With now 3 award-winning albums of his own under his belt, you’d think he would feel beyond accomplished. He does, in small ways, but he still can’t quite shake the sorrow. Even with a loving and prominent fan base and Grammy awards lining his shelves in his comfortable Los Angeles home. In truth, he missed his wife. He missed her so much it made his entire body ache.

If you asked Jack Adler now what caused him to finally seek help, he’d say it came to him in a dream. But really he watched a friend die. While out doing what he always does, party, snort cocaine and drink himself silly, one of his closest friends complained of chest pain. Jack, already too high to fully comprehend what was happening, didn’t understand. He took him outside to get some air before he collapsed onto the ground right in front of him. Jack immediately dialed 911 with shaky fingers. His friend died in the hospital only minutes later due to cardiac arrest caused by a toxic combination of cocaine and alcohol running through his system. It was like one giant punch in the gut for Jack. That could have been him. His closest and oldest friend was dead and he could have easily been right there with him.

So, Jack packs his bags with the help of his management team and parents and heads to Catalina Island. He’s been attending a private rehabilitation center for outpatient treatment there for a while now, trying his best to get better and seek out a new perspective in life without any dependencies and all-consuming sorrow.

PERSONALITY

Positive: Creative | Alluring | Profound

Negative: Destructive | Melancholic | Reserved

Jack Adler is portrayed by Bucky.

#all #male #ventura #chris evans #town rp #city rp #death tw #mental health tw #alcoholism tw #substance abuse tw

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63824peace · 4 years

Text

Monday, 5th of december 2005

I saw the movie Always: San-cho-me-no-yuuhi again over the weekend, on Saturday. I watched it at the Navio Tohoplex in Umeda, Osaka.

I hadn't visited Navio since they renovated it. I felt so nostalgic when I saw traces of the older Navio Hankyu. I even saw the elevators that went straight into the theater. The Kitano Theater had already occupied Navio Hankyu's construction site, so they simply built Navio Hankyu around the theater.

Back then it had been Umeda's most popular theater. Popular films often filled the theater to capacity from morning until evening. No one who really wanted to see a movie ever let the crowd deter him. It compares with the Marion Theater in Ginza.

They built Navio Hankyu in the shape of a ship. Each floor looked like a triangular wedge of cheese. They offered an art gallery inside, as well as a number of restaurants. I would eat at one of the restaurants after watching a movie.

I entered the renovated Navio Tohoplex. It has a number of smaller theaters inside since it's a cinema complex. Unfortunately, they chose to show Always in one of the smaller theaters.

I descended to the seventh floor and entered theater number eight. They used to have restaurants there in the past.

The movie has run for several weeks already, so I was surprised to find the theater almost full. Always is a real blockbuster. I took a seat in the back of the theater, and I had a good view of the audience's crowns. I was astonished once more to see that half of the audience had gray heads... they were elderly. Saturday wasn't a workday, so people were more likely to attend the theater... but I remain stunned by the overwhelming nostalgic support that people over fifty have given the movie.

I heard that Always ranked number one in the box office for three weeks. The film's renown as a hit really woke up the older movie-going audience. We don't often see mature-aged people touched by a CG movie.

I felt freer to cry during my second viewing. I knew the story's development and I no longer scrutinized the special effects, so I could let myself go more easily. Tears fell endlessly.

In the theater, I heard the audience weep in Dolby Surround Sound. We rarely see people of all ages and both genders cry in a theater. The older generation especially wept tears in remembrance of that lost time. I felt as though they were the tears of the Showa Era itself.

I hadn't been to Osaka's Umeda in a long time. I had last been there for the MGS3 release event, so that meant that I hadn't been there in about a year.

Umeda is the city of my youth. I met so many people there when I grew from boyhood to adulthood. I experienced so many steps on my way to becoming an adult, like dating, taking a part-time job, shopping, and entertaining.

Umeda is really special to me. It's quite nostalgic... although I don't feel quite as much nostalgia now as I had when I walked there a year earlier. It's the city of my memories... have I been in Tokyo too long?

I hadn't realized that my gait had fallen out of sync with the rest of the Osaka pedestrians. Walking became difficult... I often bumped into others. Osaka's dialect aggravated my ears. I couldn't stand the poor manners that people displayed while crossing the street. The billboard colors and people's clothing seemed obnoxious and harsh, rather than vibrant like people usually regard Kansai color schemes.

I couldn't collect myself for some reason. I used to feel calm every time that I returned to Kansai, but I couldn't feel that way this time.

That was a real problem! Was I still a Kansai man?

I mounted the long escalator leading to the Hankyu Umeda station's central gate. I held the handrail and looked at my feet - something just didn't feel right.

I looked up and didn't see anyone in front of me. Everyone stood on the right side of the escalator en-masse, and I had reflexively stood on the left. The escalator passengers going down glanced dubiously at me. I - a supposed Kansai man - had become an alien in Osaka.

People in Kansai form a line on the right side of the escalator, and people in Tokyo line up on the left. We simply do these things-no one formalized them. I heard that the habits switch somewhere around Nagoya, a city situated between Osaka and Tokyo.

"Where do I belong?"

After I asked myself this, I moved slowly to the right side.

I enjoyed the live version of Green Day's album Bullet in a Bible so much that I purchased its studio recording, as well as the Japanese release of their album American Idiot. The Japanese version has two discs and includes a bonus track, Bakuhatsu Live!~Tokyo, which they had performed at Makuhari Messe on March 10, 2005.

My favorite tracks are Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Wake Me Up When September Ends. It came with a lyrics card, so I'll memorize them to sing at Karaoke. I doubt that karaoke versions exist, though.

In the afternoon, we shot the footage for Metal Gear Saga at the sound-mixing studio. Lui handled the actual shooting, and KojiPro's Takahashi-kun obtained another camera to make doubly sure that we got the footage. We had rehearsed it last week, so everything went smoothly. We actually finished shooting ahead of schedule.

I changed into another jacket, and we filmed a video-letter that will run at one of our programmers' wedding party.

We got a real surprise when our make-up artist arrived for the shooting. She had worked with us last year at TGS 2004. A year and a half later, we met back together.

Murashu suddenly started wearing glasses. Four-eyes Murashu!

He explained that he wore them because his eyes were bloodshot.

Sexy glasses!

Shinta wore glasses too... was it a coincidence? Four-eyes Shinta!

Shinta wore glasses for the same reason that Murashu wore his. Had they contracted an eye disease? Or had they been in cahoots last night?

Double sexy glasses!

The InterLASIK eyesight operation had become very popular at KojiPro around the beginning of this year. Ryosaku lost his glasses, and then the Colonel lost his... and then pairs of glasses diminished day by day.

KojiPro's glasses diminished heavily within six months. I seriously considered having the operation at one point.

And now the four-eyed boys have returned! The times have reversed, and we see glasses in December... oh those sexy glasses!

I went to Jinbo-cho to get some pictures taken of myself for publication purposes. I only learned today that I needed to do so when Ichiro Kutome the Braggart King told me about it. We had planned to eat Torinabe together, but Torinabe turned into photography without my even noticing.

"Torinabe has chicken in it, and since the Bird Flu is still pretty hot conversation, let's settle for our usual tempura."

We changed our plans, and he took me to Jinbo-cho. Yet he didn't leave our taxi in the direction of the tempura restaurant once we had arrived at Jinbo-cho.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I want to show you a store. Come on, let's go." He walked into an alley.

He walked deeper into the alley as he spoke. I had no choice but to follow him through the maze of alleys. It was like a hedge-maze garden. I would have gotten lost if had we been separated. I lost my sense of direction after several turns right and left. Yet I felt as though I had been there before.

"Haven't we been here before?" he asked.

"I think we came to a second-hand bookstore around here together, didn't we?"

Suddenly, the King of Used Books stopped. My eyes settled on a nice-looking shop named Higurashi. They had set up photographic accoutrements (such as the camera and the lights) in front of the shop. Mr. Kato, the photographer, and his assistant Hasshy had prepared to shoot photos in the cold weather outside.

I'm always so grateful for Mr. Kato's work.

"I've walked into a trap again!" I thought, but I quickly resigned myself to the cold weather as soon as I noticed Mr. Kato and his assistant. I consented to the photo shoot even though I had only worn casual clothing.

We stood in the gallery of the painter Mr. Kuniyoshi Kaneko. People often use the place for movie or photo location shoots. It's a great place to go for a location shot.

At least the King of Location-Hunting showed good taste in that.

The King of Presents had gone out of his way to set up this photo shoot as a gift, once he had learned that Mr. Kaneko once interviewed L'Arc-en-Ciel's Hyde there. I also noticed memorabilia from my much-loved Jean Cocteau inside the gallery.

Ah, all that made me really happy!

The King of Consideration sure is thoughtful.

We took a photo of the gallery entrance.

We took a few more photos inside the gallery. Hasshy turned out to be a fan of L'Arc-en-Ciel. I learned that Hyde had sat in a particular chair. We shared an animated conversation about the band for a while.

We finished taking pictures safely at 9 P.M.

Thank you so much everyone!

I'm also grateful for the art club Higurashi's cooperation.

We wrapped up by taking a commemorative photo with Mr. Kato and Ichiro Kutome. Hasshy actually pressed the camera shutter. I pressured him in good humor, saying, "This will appear on a blog that's received over 600,000 visitors!"

He took the photo very well.

Mr. Kato is a marvelous man. Five years have passed since we first met, when he took my photograph for the limited edition of MGS2. The King of Introductions had introduced me to Mr. Kato. Since then I have requested Mr. Kato's services every time when I need photos taken of myself. He also took the photo for HIDEOBLOG.

His photographs are superb of course, but I just plain like him. I always find his conversation really interesting when we take a break. He really expands my knowledge.

He's a pretty cool old man.

Good photographers are attractive people. A photographer's sensibility and talent draw out the subject's charm, be it a person or scenery. I only have limited experience with photographers, but the good ones are always interesting people too. Their soulful sensibilities become the true subjects of their photographs, whatever the concrete subject might be.

Photography is a subjective art... it isn't objective. We didn't really get pictures of me today. Rather, we got pictures of Mr. Kato's perception of Hideo Kojima. If I think of them this way, then I don't feel as embarrassed to appear in them.

I ate tempura at Yama-no-ue-Hotel. I don't know why, but I always eat tempura here with the King of Tempura after we finish an MGS game. We first came here about seven years ago when we completed MGS1. Neither one of us had proposed the habit... we just fell into it naturally.

We ate today to celebrate the completions of Subsistence and MGA2.

Ichiro Kutome handles all of the art direction for KojiPro's MGS-related packaging. The King of Tempura had been reckless once and became a father. Now he seems to have grown up a little. He understands now that the tempura batter is just as much a part of tempura as the bulk. He has become more sensitive to subtleties.

Afterwards we went to the cafe Milonga Neova, where the Cafe King often goes.

We drank a Belgian beer named Guillotine. It had a good body and was really tasty. I'd like to drink it again.

The cafe's closing hour hit at 11 P.M., and they threw us out. The King of Evictions had only worn a T-shirt, even in that cold weather.

Strangely enough, I didn't feel too cold. Perhaps that's because the Showa Era's warm appearance remains there in Jinbo-cho.

The Showa Era lives on in people's minds and in Tokyo's charm.

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cas-backwards-tie · 5 years

Text

Pinball & Motels

Clyde Logan x Reader

Prompts: 154: “There’s only one bed...” + 132: “I haven’t slept for four days...”

Warnings: None.

Words: 1,904

A/N: I love cheesy/cliche romantic tropes! Haha, thank you! I love this. You might think the place they visit sounds unrealistic and weird but actually, I visited a place exactly like that this summer! It was super fun. @joeybelle I know you don’t prefer reader inserts, but I hope you enjoy this!

“It’s already three in the morning, Clyde. We’ve still got a long ways to go. I think we should just stop at a motel or something.” Taking his eyes off the road for a moment to glance over at you, he looks drained. Eyelids drooping and the rims of his eyes bloodshot, it would be clear to anyone that the both of you are tired. “I can see what’s up ahead at the next exit and call to make a reservation? Better than showing up and hoping they have rooms.”

“Sure,” Clyde yawned, an obvious sign that this is a needed decision. Driving any further tonight, even with taking turns, is just a reckless idea. Running a hand through his hair, Clyde’s eyes bulge as he tries to wake himself up. His actions make you quietly chuckle, turning down the radio to call a motel you found on Google that’s a few exits down the highway.

Leaning against the counter with a big smile spread across your lips, you wait for Clyde to put the money a customer just gave him into the cash register before he turns back to you, wiping down the counter with a rag. “So...” drawing out the word, your voice laced with a tone of mischievousness. He looks at you, the corners of his lips drawing up into a tiny smile.

“So?” he draws out his words, obviously playing along.

“I know this is kind of random, but I was thinking... road trip: this weekend. What do you say?” Clasping your hands together and standing tall with confidence in your plan, you knew you’d need Clyde’s help regardless of if he wanted to participate.

“A road trip? Like... just, you an’ me?” Smiling, you nod in response. Clyde lets out a short hum before going silent, focusing on the counter as he wipes down the part you’d previously been leaning against. “Where to?”

Slamming the truck’s passenger side door shut as you hop down onto the ground, you glance at the piece of equipment you guys are hauling back to West Virginia. Standing still, Clyde stares at you from the sidewalk. “Are you sure it’s safe to leave this here all night?” Looking from the secured item hidden underneath a tarp you were now grateful he’d suggested bringing, your worried face meets Clydes.

Sighing, Clyde shrugs. “No? But we could at least get a few hours of rest before heading back down the road. Plus, ya already called the front desk. I don’t think they’d be too thrilled to know they’re losin’ a customer when it seems like we’re the only folk here.” Looking around the parking lot, it’s true. The place sure seems deserted, and with the darkness enveloping everything it only furthered the appearance of a ghost town. A brisk breeze sweeps through your dress, a shiver running down your spine. “Come on, it’ll be fine.” Waving for you to follow him, Clyde carries the duffle bag you guys had brought in case of this.

Standing in front of the multipurpose building, you smile in excitement from knowing what’s inside. A gas station, slash restaurant, slash arcade. Who would’ve thunk this to even exist? Whoever it was, you’d claim them a genius.

The left corner of Clyde’s lips curl inward in a frustrated manner. Great. He’s still mad. “You ready?” You ask excitedly, shaking a little to try and get him excited too. After all, he is the reason you’re here. Swiftly turning around and walking toward the door, you look over your shoulder at Clyde in a teasing manner. No way he’ll stay outside the whole time. Plus, you’ll need Clyde’s help to move the item you came for.

The bell hanging by the door chimes as you enter, an older man a few yards away perks up behind the counter, raising his hands with a smile on his face. “You must be the lil’ lady who called about buying one of my ol’ beauties.” Rounding the counter, he approaches with a gentle smile and a welcoming air about him. “An’ you said this is a gift, right? Come on, follow me.” The man puts a gentle hand on your shoulder and the bell chimes again, drawing your attention to it. You were right, of course, Clyde finally decided to join you. Waving him over, he reluctantly makes his way over to you and the old man who’s looking curiously at Clyde.

“This is Clyde, I’m actually buying it for him as a late birthday present!” The man’s mouth forms an ‘O’ as he nods, his smile getting brighter as he motions for Clyde to follow.

“What a sweet surprise! That’s just splendid. I can already tell ya that she’s a keeper,” the man winks at Clyde as you follow him toward the back, passing by arcade machines you’d seen in Dave and Busters awhile back. Walking into the very back room, one of the machines has a sign taped on it claiming it’s off limits. Turning around, he rests his hand on the machine as he rubs the side gently. “I had to put the sign up cause you know how kids are, always fiddlin’ around with stuff that ain’t theirs and causin’ mischief. Gosh, I remember those days. Cheryl and I used to go to the arcade over in Marion and we’d play all afternoon, sometimes we’d go to the drive-in theatre to watch a film. You know how it goes.”

Listening to the man’s thoughts, you smile at the stories he rambles on about. “I’ve got this one here up for sale, and I got three other of em’ in that side room over there. Whichever one ya want, I’ll give it to ya’, same price.”

“Is it okay if we take a look at them?” Wanting Clyde to pick out his present, you were simply happy to partake in this journey and do something nice for your boss and closest friend in Boone County.

“Oh, sure. Go on an’ take a look at em’ all. I’ll even give you some quarters on the house since yer buyin’ one of the machines.” Patting the machine his hand had been resting on, you look over at Clyde with a smile.

The lady at the front desk didn’t seem unfriendly, but most certainly in an unpleasant mood. Maybe she’s tired too. Handing over your credit card, the lady takes it and places a keycard in your hand while returning your card with it. “The room is to your left and at the end of the hallway on the second floor. Breakfast is at five.” Nodding, you both thank the lady and head over to the stairs, making your way to the room.

“Thank you for yer business, Doll. I’ll be right back with the cart so don’t you worry. I hope this does yer bar well, Clyde!” Turning to face the man in question, you lean against the counter waiting for the old man to grab the cart, smiling teasingly at Clyde.

“So? Are you still mad at me?”

Clyde makes a face as he shakes his head, baffled. “What? No. No. I was never mad at you, Y/N.”

“You’re a bad liar, Clyde.” A hearty chuckle escapes you with his failed attempt.

Clyde glares at you, finally relinquishing as a smile spreads across his lips. “Well, I certainly owe ya for goin’ through all this trouble for me. Gettin’ me a pinball machine for the bar… that’s, real sweet of ya’. Thank you.”

Face breaking into a toothed grin, you can’t help but feel the desire to hug him. “You’re welcome. I know we were talking about ways to liven the bar awhiles back, and I knew your birthday was coming up so I thought ‘why not?’ Plus, it wasn’t too too expensive. You can always repay me later, though I don’t expect you too.”

“You don’t expect me too? How come?�� Clyde’s brows furrow slightly at the words, hand snaking into his pocket as his body tenses up.

“Clyde- I’m not- I don’t mean it like ‘oh, I don’t think Clyde will pay me back,’” you mimic in a low voice with hands on your hips. “I meant that I don’t really want you to pay me back? I don’t expect that from you. Firstly, it’s a gift, for your birthday. And secondly, you already do enough for me Clyde. You gave me an ally in an unfamiliar place when I needed one. You gave me a job, and now, you, at least- I hope this isn’t too forward- give me friendship.” Hand coming up to rub up and down his arm comfortingly, Clyde relaxes at the touch.

“Mmm… I don’t think that’s too forward. I would’ve considered us friends for awhile now, actually.”

As the old man returns with the cart to help move the pinball machine outside and into the back of the pickup, you mumble quietly to yourself. “That’s good to know.”

Sliding the keycard through the scanner, the door pops open. Pushing into the room, your panic begins to rise. Clyde moves around you to set the duffle bag on the bed before noticing your frozen stance. Glancing back at you, his brows furrow in confusion. “There’s only one bed…”

“Uh…” Clyde’s lips part as his hand comes up to scratch his beard for a moment, taking a glance over at you.

“I-it’s okay. I mean, I thought they told me there was a pull-out couch too, but… this is fine.” Your voice comes out sounding less confident than you’d intended, but then again, could you really be confident in trying to justify sleeping with your boss?

“I-I can go ask for another room if ya’ want? They seem to have plenty open judgin’ by the cars in the lot.”

Shaking your head, you quickly retort, “No… it’s fine, Clyde. I mean, it’s already enough money, and well, it’s just one night, right?”

Nodding his head, Clyde stays silent as he unzips the duffle bag lying in front of him atop the bed. “I suppose… though I promise, I won’t do nothin’, I’m a gentleman.”

“I know, that’s why I don’t mind.” Shrugging, you give him a small, hesitant smile. “Plus, we’re friends, so it’s not too, too weird?” Clyde chuckles at this.

Both of you quickly getting ready for bed, slipping into your respective side of the bed. Facing him, you give him a small smile grateful for the way today went. “This was a good idea. Thanks for doing this, Y/N. I feel like I haven’t slept in four days!” Laughing, you know he’s just being dramatic. Clyde, for as long as you’ve known him, has always been one for dramatics.

“Then it most certainly was a good idea if you’re really that tired!” Both giggling like fools, the pull of sleep starts to draw you in. Settled in bed and content with how the day has gone, you turn off the lamp on the nightstand. “Goodnight Clyde.”

#clyde logan x reader #clyde logan #logan lucky #clyde logan drabble #fluff #drabbles #my writing #cheesy #cliche #one bed trope #clyde logan fluff

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katybeth23 · 5 years

Text

A/N

Part 5 {final} to ( cowboy take me away)

As the ultrasound continued, measurements were taken and questions answered.

They shared a laugh { and some embarrassment on Jacks behalf) when the doc asked them if they had any idea of an approximate conception date ~ Lisa had a fairly good idea, whereas Jack on the other hand went a deep shade of red at the thought of having to answer such a fiercely private question.

Lisa gently rubbed his leg as if to let him know that it was ok, she knew he was embarrassed { that was Jack }, but even so she gave him a soft kiss and a wink just to add to his already awkward demeanour.

There was nothing though that could prepare either of them for the sight before their eyes on the ultrasound screen.

This small bean like figure with tiny arms and legs, and it’s own little heartbeat. Jack stared at the screen in a trance like state, he would never in a million years imagined that the gift of fatherhood would be bestowed upon him again, over 40 years after the birth of his beloved Marion.

Lisa lay there watching her husband then watching her unborn child and for the first time in a long time she felt completely content with her life.

After numerous checks and double checks Lisa was given the all clear to fly home and it couldn’t have come quick enough. They were both eternally greatful for the care Richard Delon had given Lisa and Jack made him promise he would come and stay at Heartland when he next took a vacation.

Lisa slept most of their flight home, they both knew there would be a barrage of questions on the arrival back at Heartland; but one thing they had both unanimously agreed on is that they would share their news with the family that evening at the welcome home supper Lou was preparing.

They had learnt the hard way that secrets were not an option in the Bartlett/Fleming/morris/Bourden household; so tonight everyone at Heartland was in for an amazing surprise.

After more kisses, hugs, sighs of relief and the monumental amount of questions they were prepared for; Lisa looked across at Jack and gave him a soft smile before excusing herself. She was exhausted and decided to take a nap before Tim, Casey, Georgie & Jade joined the rest of the family for their welcome home supper.

Jack watched Lisa as she quietly retreated to their bedroom, he himself was feeling the effects of jet lag and decided that a quick nap before the others arrived might be a wise idea.

About 3 hours later Lou knocked quietly on Jack & Lisa’s bedroom door, it was just after 6 and she knew they would both most likely want to freshen up before supper.

Jack was awake, he had been watching Lisa as she slept peacefully beside for the past few hours.

He thanked his grand daughter and gently woke Lisa, letting her know that supper was almost ready before rising and changing himself.

Lisa was coming out of the bathroom when Jack re entered their bedroom 20 mins later. He couldn’t wipe the smile of his face;

“What?” Lisa asking playfully as she pulled her hair back off her face and into a clip.

“Ohh Nothin” was his reply

She shot him a look that was a cross between a “choose your words wisely jack” and “come on out with it I dare ya”:

“Ohh I just noticed your usually flat stomach has all of a sudden got itself a little bit of a ‘bulge’, that’s all”

his smile broadening and voice teasing

~Lisa had always looked after herself and she was as fit as many woman half her age. She had mentioned to Jack quiet a few years earlier and on more than one occasion that he was the first man that she had ever felt truely comfortable with; Dan had constantly made remarks about her weight, her hair and how she was expected to look, whereas she felt Jack always accepted her and loved her for who she was; right from the very beginning ~

“Oh have you now” Lisa played along

“Well I’ll have you know Mr Bartlett that there is only one person to blame for this ‘so called’ bulge your talking about”,

her eyes lighting up as she let out one of her tell tale giggles.

“There is??” He sounded astonished

“And who might that be Mrs Barlett?”,

Jack was trying as ardently to remain as straight faced as he could but edging closer to Lisa by the second.

“YOU!!!!” she proclaimed proudly before throwing her arms around his neck (being mindful of her plaster cast) and kissed him fervently.

“You know”

Her tone now playful

“You should count yourself lucky Mr Bartlett; this little ‘bulge’ was such a long time coming and I made it with someone quite special”; she gave him another quick kiss, a cheeky wink and a pat on his backside before disappearing back into the bathroom to get ready.

Jack couldn’t help but laugh ~ the Doc has been right, he wasn’t too old and it was Lisa he had to thank for that!

It was a wonderful feeling having Lisa home safely and all his family at Heartland for supper. As he sat at the head of the table, surrounded by laughter, chatter, the clinking of glasses Jack felt more relaxed than he had in a long time. His family was what he was most thankful for and now was as good time as ever to share the news that it was again about grow.

Jack reached out and gently held Lisa’s hand in his. She glanced over and flashed him a beautiful smile; he new she was nervous; the truth be told so was he, but they knew that being open and honest right from the beginning was the best way; it was the only way!

Jack stood from his chair, Lisa’s hand now gently touching his upper leg.

“I want to thank everyone for coming tonight and for all the effort you put into preparing for it” Amy and Lou both looked up at their grandfather and smiled.

“I don’t need to tell you how happy I am to have Lisa back home {matter a fact I’m pretty sure you figured that out for yourselves} ;

Everyone at the table, including little Lyndy laughed; all knowing full well how much Jack had missed Lisa these past weeks.

Jack paused and glanced down at his wife, she was watching him intently with her piercing blue eyes, encouraging him to continue with out needing to say a word.

“My life” jack cleared his throat

“OUR lives have changed dramatically these past few days, I’m not real sure what the best way to say this is”

There was a long pause

“So I’m just going to come straight out and say it” : everyone was silent.

“What is it Grandpa?” Lou asked apprehensively before looking across to Lisa

“Grandpa?”

Lou looked at Jack

“Lisa? Are you ok?...you said all your tests were good, yeah?”

Both Lou and Amy were hanging on Jacks every word;

“It’s ok girls” Jack smiled as he reached to touch Lou on her shoulder.

And with a deep breath he began:

“Lisa is fine, actually she is better than fine. Yes she did have a slight stomach virus whilst travelling with Evelyn; however the main reason for her feeling so unwell is that; well...”

the words just wouldn’t come out.

Lisa hadn’t taken her eyes off Jack this entire time; she rose from her chair and placed her arm around his waist.

“The reason I was so unwell, which has come as a complete shock to us both is because; Well, Jack and I are going to have a baby”

The two of them almost in unison sighed in utter relief...

There were squeals of elation, tears and the odd ‘old Joke’ from Tim, but all in all everyone agreed that this was the best surprise ever!

The rest of the evening went by in a blur; everyone ( especially Lou & Amy) were elated at the news of the impending new addition; endless conversations about their new aunt or uncles arrival evolved; attempts to explain to Katie how it all worked; there was more laughter, more questions and Lisa had never felt more accepted and loved by Jacks family than at this very moment.

“Well Jack” Tim couldn’t wipe the grin off his face,

“To tell you the truth old boy, I didn’t think you still had it in ya”, his grin was growing by the minute.

But Jack had all the confidence in word tonight;

“Well Tim”; Jack leant in nice and close ;

“Well I guess now you know better dontcha”, and with a solid pat on the back and a sly wink, it was Tim who for once was lost for words.

After the last dish had been washed and put away, the good nights had finally come to an end Jack slowly made his way through the homestead turning down lights as he went.

He assumed that Lisa would be fast asleep given the nights excitement, however he was pleasantly surprised to find her propped up in bed waiting for him.

It had been so many weeks since the two of them had slept side by side in their own bed; Lisa turned to her side and snuggled in close, resting her injured arm gently on his bare chest.

Jack could feel the tiny ‘bulge’ that was Lisa’s stomach pushing up against his waist; he reached under the covers and felt the tiny mound with his calloused hands; Lisa sighed as she snuggled even closer.

Jack knew this time things would be different, he knew Lisa would allow him to be involved, that he would make sure she had his suppport whenever she needed it.

“I’m so glad everyone was so happy tonight” Lisa lifted her head as her eyes met Jacks;

“Me too Lise” he bent forward to kiss her tenderly; Lisa deepened the kiss and

rolled over so she lay directly over Jack.

“Hey” he whispered looking deep into her crystal blue eyes;

“You better watch it; this is what got us here in the first place”

Lisa half giggled half laughed all whilst trying not to make too much noise; Jack leant in, but this time the kiss was more passionate it almost took her breath away.

“I don’t mind” she whispered.

As the cold night set in, Jack and Lisa drifted off to sleep they would rise the following morning to a new day and more importantly a new chapter in their lives; one that would bring them more love, joy and adventure that they have ever deemed imaginable.

#heartland fanfiction #jisa #lisa stillman #jack bartlett #heartland #my fics

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youcantkillamutant · 6 years

Text

A Map Made in Heaven (Chapter 3)

Prologue...Chapter 1...Chapter 2

Author: youcantkillamutant

Fandom: Marvel (Black Panther)

Pairing: Erik Stevens/Killmonger x Black!OC

Summary: Erik ‘Killmonger’ Stevens is the biggest bootlegger in South Carolina, but he wants to be more than the middle man. After he receives a letter from an ‘old friend’ of his father, he embarks on a quest to find his homeland. Enter Audrey Cade, the finest mapmaker in the County.

Warnings: Mentions of slavery, cursing, violence, blood

Words: 5K+

A/N: Back with that 1920’s bootleggers AU that absolutely no one asked for! Thank you to @k-michaelis as always for the review and love! And thank you everyone else for reading liking and reblogging I love hearing what y’all think of the story :)

I only own my original characters of course. As usual Marvel don’t sue me I’m broke.

Listening to: The Long Way Around by the Dixie Chicks, Pay Dearly by Johnnyswim, and The Good War by Kimbra

CHAPTER III

June 12, 1920: Charleston, SC

“Are you done yet?” Erik sang this question, as he had for the past few days. The pair were in Cade’s Atlas, Erik watching Audrey paint broad border lines and etch forests into existence.

“Didn’t your momma tell you a watched pot never boils Mr. Stevens?”

“My momma’s been in penitentiary since I was six.”

“I—I’m so sorry.” Shock staggered Audrey’s words. Over the past few days, Mr. Stevens watched Audrey work. He was a fairly quiet audience, questioning her technique and methods not to challenge her, but for his own edification. He rarely shared anything personal, unless it had to do with Wakanda.

“Pigs take anyone they can.” Erik shrugged, but Audrey had a feeling it wasn’t as casual as he played it off to be.

“Do you ever go see her?”

“She told me not to.”

Erik could remember the day they took her away. It was the last time he cried. His whole world sat out on the porch, mom pouring lemonade and dad rocking in a chair. Erik was playing with something, though he couldn’t remember what. Sirens whined louder and louder as they approached the house. Erik’s mother turned to him, eyes soft.

“Don’t come looking for me.” Tires screeched on the pavement.

“But Ma!” Car doors slammed.

“You don’t need to see me like that baby. Promise me you won’t come.” Men shouted, boots pounded on the steps, N’Jobu placed his hand on Erik’s shoulders.

“I—I promise momma.” The pigs pulled her away before he could utter another word.

“Just give me another hour. I’ll be done then, I promise.” Audrey’s voice, low and cautious, pulled Erik back to the present. Audrey decided she was done questioning Killmonger for the day, and focused on the map.

When Audrey opened the note from Mrs. Kae, she was disappointed. It was only a few words, more of a riddle than a clue: Wakandan blood runs strong and rings true, but the key we are given glows bold and blue. Gibberish. Audrey didn’t bother showing it to Erik, but she didn’t want to throw it away either. She taped it in the last page of her sketchbook, returning to the page to puzzle over the words after Erik left the shop every day for lunch.

Audrey kept a list of notes on Wakanda’s possible whereabouts next to her as she drew. Mrs. Kae had mentioned the sea and a forest, so Audrey knew she was looking for something on the coast. North or South? Erik had mentioned that before everything “went to shit” he remembered his father taking business trips to Wakanda. He informed Audrey that his father would return with gifts from “home” for him and his mother the next day. That meant that it couldn’t have been more than a few hours drive from Charleston. North or South? Klaue had only mentioned a ferryman and the silent water. Audrey decided to interpret that as a fact that the bridge to Wakanda wasn’t on a rocky bluff. The closest thing to that description was the Francis Marion National Forest to the North.

The fact that Wakanda was unmapped is what made Audrey’s brain hurt the most. Even with all of the information she was able to pull and rationalize, Audrey could still be wrong. She could be miles off. Or the whole place could just not exist. That was the most frustrating part for Audrey. She hated to think that all of this work she was putting in would be worthless if Wakanda isn’t real.

The map had taken longer than usual because she was constantly fighting herself for trusting Erik’s word, a criminal’s word, that Wakanda exists. Audrey did her best to remind herself of Killmonger’s seedy background otherwise she might find herself beginning to like him. She began to make up outrageous stories about him to keep her feelings in check. Erik brought her dinner? He probably picked it up from Roland’s after punching a man and leaving him to drown in his own blood in a city gutter somewhere. Erik brought her a new set of ink pens? He probably found them on the black market or stole them from an art store three towns over. Or he could just be nice… Audrey shook herself from her spiraling mind. Mr. Stevens is a client, nothing more.

“Okay, I’m done.” Erik leaned over Audrey’s shoulder, admiring the map and inhaling her scent. Fresh parchment and brown sugar.

“Well then baby doll, It was nice doing business with you.” Erik reached to grab the map, a sort of listless sadness falling to his gut, but Audrey snatched it out of his reach.

“I’m coming with you.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m coming with you to find Wakanda.”

“Says who?”

“I do. I made the damn map Stevens!”

“Yeah and?” Audrey was too busy flitting around the shop to see Erik’s unimpressed expression. “What about your momma? You just gon leave her with the shop?”

“Yes I am. She can handle the shop, she’s done it before. I’m going.” Audrey was out of the door and hopping up the stairs to her apartment when she finished. She dragged Erik along to make sure he didn’t drive off without her. “Just have to grab a few things…”

Audrey ignored Erik’s grumblings as she pushed her way through the apartment door, bee-lining to her bedroom and dragging out a backpack she had only used a few times. It was bulkier than she was used to, but she had no idea how long this search would take. Erik on the other hand was frozen in the kitchen. Sure, he’d been into women’s bedrooms before, but he wasn’t here for that. Erik was beginning to believe that Audrey would never see him as anything other than a client, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to test her limits either. He’d gotten what he wanted, the map was within his reach, but he didn’t want to shake Audrey either.

Erik surprised himself when he admitted that he wanted a partner on this trip. Someone to share the frustration in the search, the joy in the discovery and the disappointment should things go wrong. Don’t think like that Erik. Don’t think that shit into existence. Instead of staying in his own mind, Erik observed Audrey’s tiny apartment. The kitchen was covered in paintings of the world. France opening to a window over the silver sink and Greece crawling across the cupboard doors. The wood floor creaked as Audrey flitted back and forth, shoving one last shirt into her bag and grabbing her pencil case.

“All done!” Audrey bounded down the stairs, Erik following slowly behind.

“You’re really going to leave your mom?”

“I’ll write her a note.”

“Are you sure that will be en—” Erik stopped short when they arrived back in the shop. Audrey breezed past him, kissing her mother on the cheek and grabbing a few maps on the table behind her.

“Ma! I was just abut to write you a note.” In a moment of brattiness, Audrey turned to Erik to stick her tongue out.

“I’m going on a research trip with Mr. Stevens.” Audrey’s mother nodded to her. She had done this plenty of times, running to the nearest train station and hopping on the express to explore another state. It was all a part of the job.

“Alright honey. You be careful.” She gave Audrey what looked to be a bone crushing hug, releasing her after a few moments and turning to Erik.

“I’d like to speak with you before you go Mr. Stevens.” This time Audrey stopped short, wondering what her mother was up to. “Go on Audrey, he’ll meet you at the car in just a minute.” Audrey pushed down the embarrassment she had from being shooed away by her mother and walked out of Cade’s Atlas, refusing to linger at the door.

“Audrey is my only child, I try to let her do what she wants, but I’m still her momma. Now, I don’t know what the two of you are up to, but if you hurt my girl, there will be a price to pay.” Killmonger admired the strength in Mrs. Cade’s delivery. He even laughed a little at her last statement.

“Mrs. Cade, is that a threat?” Erik didn’t have to wonder where Audrey got her fire from.

“Of course not. You of all people should know it’s a promise.” Mrs. Cade’s voice dripped with serpentine sweetness and Erik’s vicious smile mirrored her own.

“I’ll return her in one piece Mrs. Cade. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”

—o—

With the map in hand and a tank full of gas, the pair of explorers could have set off that second, but Erik had a few things to take care of in town. He parked in front of Oakies as usual, opening Audrey’s door in a heartbeat. Instead of following him in though, she made her way to Junie’s Sweet Shop. If she was really on her way to discover Wakanda, she needed to see her best friend one last time.

When she entered, Audrey tried to remember every little detail. She didn’t know when she’d be back. She waved to the kids out front, giving their new puppy a scratch before making her way to the back. Junie was slamming a wad of dough down on the counter. It hit the linoleum with a slap and the scent of cinnamon and sugar flew through the air to Audrey.

“I’m gonna miss your cinnamon scrolls?” Junie looked up to see Audrey’s exaggerated pout as she whined.

“Why are you gonna miss them young lady? Going somewhere?”

“Kind of. I mean yeah I’m leaving for a bit. I came to say goodbye.” In all the time she’d known her, Audrey had never made a point to say goodbye to Junie. If she ever left, it was never for more than a few days and Junie would see Audrey at the shop the second she returned. Junie could tell that something was different this time.

“Goodbye?”

“For a little while I guess. I’m going on a research trip…with Mr. Stevens.”

“With Killmonger?” Junie narrowed her eyes, though her hands never stopped kneading the dough she was working on. Audrey flinched at the laser focus Junie had on her.

“Are you sure you aren’t eloping?”

“Junie, what? No! Why would you say that?” Audrey sputtered question after question while Junie shrugged.

“People talk Audrey. They’ve seen his ride at your shop all hours of the day…” Junie trailed off suggestively, and Audrey slapped her on the arm.

“We are not eloping. We’re going to find Wakanda. It’s a research trip.” Audrey did her best to emphasize the professional nature of this trip but Junie ignored that in favor of her own assumptions.

“I’m sure you can elope in Wakanda.”

“Junie! We’re not getting married. Now can you pack us something sweet for the road?” Audrey did her best to reign in her frustration. Junie loved to tease Audrey about any and all gentlemen callers she had. She wasn’t technically wrong, Mr. Stevens had spent a lot of time at Cade’s Atlas while Audrey was making the map, but that didn’t mean anything was going on with them.

Junie filled a small box with cookies and muffins and Audrey requested more, sliding a $20 bill into Junie’s pocket.

“Audrey! You take that back! I don’t want your money.”

“Too bad!” In reality Audrey just wanted $20 worth of sweets, because if all she got was that little box, it would be gone before she could blink. In the time they’d spent together, Audrey found that Mr. Stevens tended to eat most of her sweets. She was beginning to think those gold fangs were fillers for cavities instead of intimidation tactics.

Junie loaded up two more cake boxes full of treats and the two women hugged their goodbye. Arms full, Audrey crossed the street to Oakies. Someone opened the door for her and she entered the juice joint for what could very well be her last time. On stage a woman murmured about ‘hell, calling me home’ with a cellist by her side and some kind of electric piano in front of her. She waved to the bartender, taking a seat at the golden booth Mr, Stevens claimed as his throne.

“Killmonger sir, Ms. Cade has returned.” Erik nodded to his best bartender, Emerson as he gathered his bags. Killmonger had already put his club in the right hands, contacted his distributor’s and warned them of his hiatus, and ensured that Mrs. Floyd could air out his apartment every few days. He wasn’t quite sure how long this whole search could take. He gathered the envelope from his father last, and made his way to Audrey.

“Finished with your goodbyes baby doll?” Audrey stood and narrowed her eyes at his tone.

“What? The biggest bootlegger in the County doesn’t have anyone to say goodbye to?” Audrey’s tone was teasing, but for the first time Erik truly thought about it. Most of his colleagues were just that, colleagues. Erik didn’t do friends. Too messy and too much work. But, Audrey may be on to something. There was someone who had been on his mind since this morning. Years longer than that if he was being honest with himself.

“There might be one person. If you don’t mind a little road trip?”

—o—

June 12, 1920: Ridgeland Correctional Institution; Ridgeland, SC

Audrey should really stop agreeing to road trips with criminals. The pair, well Erik, had packed everything into the car with ease. Erik barely allowed Audrey to carry the pastries to the car, and she wanted to kick her fluttering heart for reacting at his gentile act. Mr. Stevens could be kind when he wanted, but Audrey hasn’t forgotten that threat. She doubted she ever would which is why she was pinching herself for agreeing to yet another road trip with Erik ‘Killmonger’ Stevens.

Erik felt…unsure of how he felt. He tried to rationalize his choice as he sped South. Audrey was silent, reading some book about tides and sketching periodically. For once he wished she would open her big mouth and talk, if only for a distraction. Erik needed a distraction so he could stop thinking about what he was about to do. He missed his mother. Of course he missed her, but he made her a promise and he was about to break it. He was about to break a promise he kept for over a decade. All to say goodbye.

“Don’t come looking for me.”

Erik took the long way around. He’d mapped out a route to the Ridgeland Correctional Institution when his mother had first been taken. He knew every road that ran through it, every conceivable way to get to his mother. Still, he never once took it. He’d planned elaborate escape plans in his head, even thought of assembling a team at one point, but never acted on it. He soaked up every detail of the place, from the rotting wooden sign to the cracked pavement.

As he approached the door, he felt excitement bubbling up. The kind he remembered from childhood, when his father would return from Wakanda with stories and gifts. He was going to see his momma. He felt his heart rise at the prospect of telling his mother he was finally going home. He huffed a quiet disbelieving laugh at the realization. After all of these years, he was returning home. He felt closer to N’Jobu just thinking about it.

Audrey walked cautiously behind Erik. She’d never been to a jail before and certainly not the main penitentiary for the county. Audrey wondered if he was meeting with some criminal before she remembered the conversation they’d had this morning.

“My momma’s been in penitentiary since I was six.”

Erik pulled open the door with the kind of confidence Audrey could never muster when walking into the holding cell of the worst criminals in the state. She saw Erik’s small smile reflected in the window of the door as it swung wide. He held the door and ushered her in, and she watched Erik sign in at the front desk. They waited for a moment in silence, and then Erik was called to the front again.

He disappeared through a slate grey door with an old mean-faced white man following behind. Audrey found herself holding her breath as she waited. She watched the seconds tick by on her watch, doing her best not to catch anyone’s eye. She tried, but she couldn’t help looking at the families that sat waiting. Babies and mothers and brothers and sons all waiting to see someone they loved beyond belief, behind the iron bars of a shitty cell.

She caught the eye of a little boy unintentionally. He was staring at her, and she only turned to look at him when she felt his look. He was young, way too young to be in the waiting room of a prison. He had big brown eyes chubby cheeks and ears he might grow into. She gave him a wave and he waved back happy with the attention. Before she could do anything else, Erik burst through the doors. He strode through the waiting area, right past Audrey, and into the bright, hot day.

“Excuse me.” Audrey waved to get the receptionists attention. The white woman drew her blue eyes up to her face, confused and bewildered.

“My partner went back to see someone, but he just stormed out. Did something happen?”

“Name?”

“Erik Stevens.”

“Oh! Yes m’am something did happen.” Audrey raised a brow, encouraging her to elaborate and quickly. Audrey had no way of knowing if Erik would leave her stranded here.

“He came to see his mother, but she…well she passed away.”

“What?”

“He came to see his mother but she died here a few years ago.” Years? Shouldn’t he have been notified? even if he wasn’t next of kin, he was her son. The courts could have sent him a letter or something. There was no point unloading those questions on this broad though. She didn’t seem to be the type of girl with the answers, but Erik deserved something from this place.

“Did she have any personal affects?”

“We throw everything away after a year if no one comes to pick them up.” The woman got a look at Audrey’s face and apologized. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Sure you are.”

—o—

June 13, 1920: Rantowles, SC

Audrey was happy to see that Erik hadn’t left her stranded, but she wasn’t sure how to breach this conversation. In the end he opened the door for her, and they didn’t talk about anything at all. The sun was falling fast in the sky and Erik pulled over at a motel, got the pair separate rooms and bade Audrey a goodnight.

Erik wanted to shoot himself in the foot for the hope he let find its way into his heart. He should have known his mother would die in that place. Everybody dies there. Everybody dies. The fact that he let himself believe he might still have one parent alive was the dumbest thing he’s done in a long time. He couldn’t believe he was stupid enough to believe he could see her again, after all of these years. He let his self-loathing put him to sleep, praying to Bast or whoever the hell else could hear him that he’d wake up tomorrow feeling better than he did today.

Morning came and Audrey was up with the sun. She spread the map out on her bed again, feeling the forests they would go through to find Wakanda. A knock sounded on her door, followed by a command to be ready in ten minutes. Audrey was glad to see that Mr. Stevens could still talk, even if it was doling out demands. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what he must be feeling. She didn’t want to. That didn’t stop her from trying to empathize with the man when they were back in the car and on the road.

“If you want to talk, I’ll listen.” Erik gazed at Audrey for as long as he could before pulling his eyes back to the road. They drove for another hour, Audrey noting the sign for the city of Rantowles again.

“What are we doing here?” Erik only slid the clutch into park and let the automobile idle.

N’Jobu always told Erik if he wanted to come home, he should bring a gift. That’s why he made this pit stop in Rantowles. To pick up a little gift. Ulysses Klaue was waiting outside of his gunmetal grey building with a khaki backpack and a maniacal grin. Audrey couldn’t figure out why the hell Klaue was coming along and she “accidentally” stomped on Erik’s foot when he ushered her out of the front seat and pointed to the back seat.

“I’ve got to be honest, I don’t like the idea of being the third wheel on your honeymoon. Why am I needed along this little adventure again?” Killmonger had an easy answer for Klaue, that Audrey had never even heard before now.

“Audrey’s got most of the location figured out, but having you along will help us to be sure we’re on the right path.” Audrey wanted to slap him for keeping her in the dark, but refrained. Besides, you can only hit so hard from the back seat.

“Alright, I’ll come, I’m due for a vacation anyways.” Audrey tried to ignore the shivers that rippled down her spine as Klaue laughed and they sped north on highway 17.

—o—

June 13, 1920: Francis Marion National Forest; Awendaw, SC

Killmonger pulled into a dirt patch and threw the automobile in park. The trio of explorers hopped out the machine, Audrey begrudgingly accepting the assistance of Erik’s hand. She was still getting the hang of these clunky hiking boots, not to mention the pants. The three of them made quite the group, matching in khaki and burdened with backpacks.

“Does this look familiar to you?”

“It’s dirt and trees boy, I need to get closer if I’m going to remember.” Audrey noted the way Erik’s fist clenched at the word ‘boy’ and prayed he wouldn’t do anything reckless. She warily watch Klaue make his way to the treeline making an aborted movement to follow when Erik pulled her back, into his chest.

“Audrey.” Her head whipped around at the sound of his voice in her ear. She stared at him in disbelief. Sure they spent a lot of time together in the past week, but he’d never dared to touch Audrey.

“Hmm?” Audrey reply was distracted by his scent, and that was not what Erik wanted to hear.

“Audrey! This is serious. You need to stay close to me. No matter what.”

“What?” Audrey heard the urgency in his voice but couldn’t understand it. No, she didn’t trust Klaue, but they weren’t going on some crazy dangerous mission. For all intents and purposes, this was just a hike in the woods.

“I made a promise to your momma that I would bring you ba—” Erik rolled his eyes as he was interrupted by Klaue.

“What are you two whispering about back there? Come on love birds! It’s time to find the hidden city.” Klaue nearly giggled with glee. Audrey gave Erik a look that shamed him for inviting this crazy man on their hunt for Wakanda but he only nudged her forward with a palm on her back.

Walking across the treelike was like stepping into another world. Suddenly everything was deeper, greener. The trees enveloped the group and Audrey was grateful for the hand on her back. She could get lost in these woods in a heartbeat seeing as they’d barely been mapped. When Audrey had requested the maps to the area, she found the only ones available had been from the parks’ inception. The ragged edges and faded borders had left a lot to be desired and Audrey noted that she should probably convince the state to let her redo the maps when she returned.

They walked until the sun was high in the sky Klaue leading them north, then south, then west. Audrey protested each time he led them in another direction, but for some reason, Erik listened to Klaue instead of Audrey. In fact, he barely said a word to Audrey the whole time they were out there, instead using the time to banter with Klaue. It’s not that Audrey was jealous, she just couldn’t understand what she had done to make Erik act so cold with her.

Either way, she was sick of their shit. After lunch, she resolved to go her own way, with or without the boys. The trio sat in a clearing where the trees filtered the sunlight. Erik admired the way the light bounced off of Audrey’s brown skin and prayed she remembered their conversation. He had a plan, and she’d already ruined it by coming along. He didn’t need to alter it any further, not even for a pretty little bird.

“Now Klaue, I think you owe me an explanation.” He pulled a pistol from his back, and Audrey stumbled back, behind Erik. They hadn’t even finished eating. Klaue glanced up, bits of ham hanging from his mouth and falling into his beard.

“Woah boy. What’s all that about?”

“Oh this? Just a little incentive. Why are you leading us on a wild goose chase?” Erik sauntered up to Klaue, and Audrey followed behind, under the guise of getting something from her backpack. She had a feeling this is what Erik meant earlier today when he told her to stay close.

“Boy, you better put that gun away”

“Answer my question.” Erik pressed the pistol into Klaue’s temple.

“You don’t want to go there boy. Those people are savages—”

“Wrong answer.”

Bang! Birds erupted from the trees, wings beating loud like the blades of boat fans. Audrey stumbled, falling on her butt as she gaped at Erik’s back. Erik, meanwhile took his time wiping the blood off of his pistol with Klaue’s own handkerchief. He turned and offered her his hand, but Audrey scrambled back before she scrambled up.

“What the hell was that? He was helping us!”

“Was he? He wasn’t leading us anywhere close to where you think Wakanda might be. He was wasting my time. Our time.” Killmonger was annoyed he even had to explain himself.

“So you shot him?” Audrey fired back and began to pace. “Oh lord, I’ve just witnessed a murder.” She whirled on Erik “You made me witness a murder!”

“You said you wanted to come baby doll.” He sneered the endearment. “Besides, we don’t need him to find Wakanda. You made the damn map.” He tucked his pistol back into his pants, and bent down towards the corpse of Klaue.

“So why would you—” Audrey’s voice gave out and so did she. She had no idea what this man was planning, and at this point she was too shocked to try deciphering him.

“You gon’ help or nah?” Erik was busy moving the food off of the picnic blanket while he spoke and the words came out muffled.

“Absolutely not!” Audrey was offended at the mere suggestion that she might help Killmonger move a dead body.

“Well you either need to help out up or dry up. I’m not trying to hear all that noise.” It had been a while since Killmonger had quickly killed a man, and he forgot how much he reveled in the lingering silence of a dead body.

“Whatever.” Audrey scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Once you’re done with that Stevens, maybe you can do something useful like help me look for the country you’re so keen to find when you aren’t murdering people.”

“Watch your tone baby doll. Don’t forget how easily I can snap your pretty little neck.” Killmonger didn’t need to be close to Audrey to scare her. His threat rang in the air between them while he wrapped Klaue’s corpse in their picnic blanket.

“Besides, any white man who’s been to Wakanda ain’t never had good intentions.”

—o—

With Audrey’s directions, the pair and some ‘luggage’ found themselves on the shore of a sandy beach. No rocks or bluffs, just perfect sand and calm waters. That was enough to bring a smile to Audrey’s face, but she couldn’t see a bridge of any kind. She decided to return to the tree line and look for anything out of the ordinary. This time, Erik trailed behind her, dragging the dead man’s body along quietly.

He didn’t touch her again, even when she tripped and landed on her hands and knees in front of him. He watched her fall, and she looked back to see him staring as she rose. Audrey glared back, ignoring the feeling stirring in her stomach in favor of finding anything that could prove her map right. She finally saw something where the trees kissed the sand and sea.

“What kind of tree is that?” Erik was surprised to hear Audrey speaking to him at all, but drew his gaze to the tree she was talking about.

“I don’t know, it looks like all the others.” It wasn’t, and Audrey could see that. Most of the trees in this region were lushly leafy and slender trunked. This tree was the complete opposite. It had a thick gnarled trunk and was bare branched. It almost looked like it was pasted there not planted in the ground.

“No it doesn’t. It looks like a baobab tree. Baobab trees don’t grow in the South, or in this country at all.”

“So?” Ignoring Erik, Audrey started towards the tree, palms out. It felt like a normal tree, though the bark was smoother than she expected. She stopped down to inspect the trunk, roots, and soil, looking for any sign that this was a sign. Erik was a bit more hesitant, dropping Klaue’s body to the ground with a thud. Before he could touch a fingertip to the tree Audrey spoke.

“You said your dad was from Wakanda right? And that they had their own language? What did it look like?”

“I can’t describe that shit baby doll.”

“Did it look like this?” Erik stooped down beside Audrey brushing her small shoulder with his broad one. He was shocked to see the Wakandan alphabet spelling out: Welcome Home. His breath hitched.

“Yeah. It—” Erik ran his fingers over the tree and for a moment the pair could have sworn it glowed blue. He caressed the letters again and there was another ebb of sapphire light. Audrey grabbed Erik’s wrist and pushed his hand on the tree trunk, holding it there with her own.

“Stevens, put both of your hands on the tree.” Indigo light pulsed through the tree trunk like blood through veins. Erik tried to focus on Audrey’s words and ignore her brown hand on his.

“What?”

“Just do it. I think the tree knows you’re Wakandan.”

“That’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever…” Erik couldn’t finish his sentence because the world fell open before him. More specifically, the bridge to Wakanda rose from the sea.

A/N: So this chapter ate my whollllle weekend lol. I wasn’t sure I’d get it out today but it wouldn’t leave me alone either. I thought about breaking it up into two chapters but...that...never...happened? This is basically the end of Part 1 of this story and the rest will be Erik and Audrey in Wakanda, which I’m excited to write! Hope you guys like it!

As always I love reviews and reblogs :)

Taglist: @ontheroadtoenlightenment @thatrandomfangirl98 @muse-of-mbaku @k-michaelis @dreadedphilosphy @panthergoddessbast @princessstevens @killmoncoochie @queenamaniii

#A Map Made in Heaven #erikxblackOC #erik killmonger fic #black panther #bp #black panther fic #mine #my writing #Erik Killmonger #1920's AU

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duckybeth99 · 7 years

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The Baby Shower (Future!Beth)

#beth writing #ghosty beth #future beth #Alejandro wilson #mcgillicuddy sunshine #ghosty blogging #johnny bosteau

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stacks-reviews · 7 years

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Must Reads Part 5

Happy Friday! This week on Must Reads we have a gun-slinging Snow White, zombie babies, evil plans, a hangman, and more.

--The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee (8/8/17) All sixteen-year-old Genie thinks about it how to get into a top-tier college. That is until the day she finds out she is a celestial spirit; straight out of Chinese folklore, who is strong enough to break through the gates to Heaven with her fists. Helping her adjust is new transfer student Quentin Sun. Genie will have to dig deep to be able to control this new power. But the more she trains, the more she realizes the secret of her true nature is entwined with Quentin. I was drawn to this one because of the cover. It shows a girl doing a superhero landing (thank you Deadpool). Comparing that to the title I was expecting something more to due with her being a superhero. It sounds like it could be pretty good. I was mainly drawn in because the play on the title compared to the cover.

--The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente, illustrated by Ana Juan Twelve-year-old September used to have a ordinary life until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day a Green Wind stops by her home and says her help is needed in Fairyland. September is to enter the enchanted woods to retrieve a talisman for Fairylands new Marquess. And should September refuse or fail then the Marquess will make life miserable for the citizens of Fairyland. Along the way September will make new friends: a book-loving Wyvern and a boy named Saturday. This just sounds really good. I really want to get to know the book-loving Wyvern.

--The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch Magdalena is the daughter of Bavarian hangman Jakob Kuisl. In 1659 the Thirty Year’s War is finally over and there hasn’t been a witchcraft mania is decades. Until a boy washes ashore with a mark of a witch tattooed on his arm. The town suspects the local midwife, Martha Stechlin. Jakob’s job is to torture Martha until she confesses but Jakob believes she is innocent. With the help of his daughter and her would-be suitor, they race against the clock to find the true killer. Then other dead orphan is found with the same mark and the town becomes frenzied. And more than one person reports seeing a devil with a bone hand nearby. At first I thought this series was going to have more of a focus on Magdalena but as I read the description of a few of the books, it sounds like the focus will be more on Jakob. Though Magdalena and her suitor do help it looked like Jakob is doing most of the work. The descriptions of the ones I looked at make the series sound pretty good. It feels like it should be a nice blend of sci-fi (at least I think it was labeled as sci-fi) and mystery. Even if the magic isn’t necessarily real.

--Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory The first zombie outbreak occurred in 1968. Wanda and her daughters find the body of a mother with her baby wrapped up in her arms. It is stone-cold, not breathing, and doesn’t have a pulse. But then his eyes open and he begins to move. Wanda hides the baby from the authorities that would kill the baby and decide to name him Stony. Against all scientific reasons, Stony begins to grow. For years his adoptive family keep him hidden away until the night that Stony is forced to flee. And Stony learns that he isn’t the only dead child in the world. I don’t read a lot of zombie stories and I definitely don’t watch a lot of zombie shows or movies. I loved The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan and I enjoyed both The Girl with all the Gifts and The Boy on the Bridge by M.R. Carey and I own but still haven’t read Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion. But there were times when I was afraid to read them once it got dark out because I was worried about having nightmares. At one point it time if you had said zombie (or the z word as I started to call it for a time) to me close enough to when I went to bed, I would have zombie nightmares. It’s not that bad anymore but I still didn’t read them very much when it gets dark out. But every now and then there’s one I want to try. Raising Stony Mayhall sounds like it will be really good and goes along the line of the smart zombie as we have been seeing lately in different media. It makes me think of M.R. Carey’s two books mentioned above so I thought I might enjoy this one.

--Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M. Valente A Nevada silver baron forced the Crow people to give him one of their most beautiful daughters, Gun That Sings, in marriage to him. They have a child together but Gun That Sings dies in childbirth. This world has no place for a half-native and a half-white child and is hidden away. A very wicked stepmother decides to name the girl Snow White for the pale skin she will never have. Another twist on a fairy tale. I love it every time I see a twist on a fairy tale but the hero is some kind of awesome fighter. And for whatever reason, lately I have been wanting to read more books with gun fights in them. Whether or not this Snow White will actually become a gunfighter remains to be seen. The descriptions I double checked on Barnes and Noble and Goodreads never said if she did. I really hope she does and I hope that it might also be the name she chooses for herself. Although, there would be something to be said about keeping the name if she defeats it and doesn’t see it as a mark of shame or humiliation as I’m sure her stepmother would want.

--Slaves of the Switchboard of Doom by Bradley W. Schenck “After a surprise efficiency review, the switchboard operators of Retropolis find themselves replaced by a mysterious system they don’t understand. Nola Gardner pools their severance pay to hire Dash Kent, a freelance adventurer and apartment manager, to find out what happened. Dash discovers that the replacement switchboard is only one element of a plan concocted by an insane civil engineer: a plan so vast that it reaches from Retropolis to the Moon.” The first part of the summary for this books describes it as, “A madcap, illustrated mashup of classic Buck Rogers and Futurama. Ray-guns! Robots! Rocket-cars! Retropolis! Alliteration! Exclamation points!....a gonzo, totally bonkers vision of the future imagined in the 1939 World Fair--a hilarious, illustrated retro-futuristic adventure.” It sounds like it could be pretty funny and that’s why I decided to add it to my list. If it will be that funny, we’ll just have to wait and see.

#the epic crush of genie lo #f.c. yee #the girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making #catherynne m. valente #the hangman's daughter #oliver potzsch #raising stony mayhall #daryl gregory #six-gun snow white #slaves of the switchboard of doom #bradley w. schenck #books #sci fi books #book recommendations

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keveddotp-blog · 7 years

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Journey Of Confusion: 8

The Best Things Are Unexpected

Edd, Kevin, OC, Nazz, Eddy, Ed, Rolf

Romance, Experimenting, Confusion, Discovering, Hurt

Summary: Edd is Confused about his feelings and sexual orientation. He had a dream that makes him rethink everything he’s ever thought of his childhood bully. Edd starts to question things more and discovers a whole new equation he’s never come across love?

"A fantastic meeting, this year is shaping up to be the best. See you all next week same time and place," Edd says as he collects all his things to go. Walking out the photography room that they held their weekly yearbook committee meetings at. But when he starts walking down the hall he spots someone all too familiar down the hall looking all too casual leaning on the wall. The closer he gets he can't help but have a slue of questions circling in his head. Why did he wait up for me? Why is he suddenly being so nice to me? What changed? Trying to fathom what goes on in Kevin Barr's mind will always plague him.

But what he doesn't know is that both their dams are slowly cracking and true feelings will spill out soon. But who will break first only time can tell.

"Hey Kevin, so what brings you to the art section of our school," Edd asks in the most casual manner with the biggest smile plastered on.

"Got off practice 15 minutes ago, thought maybe you'd changed your mind on that ride," Kevin says all to aloof.

"Well since you're here why not," Edd says walking ahead but turns and smiles at Kevin when he doesn't hear him behind him.

"Rad, let's get us home I'm starved," Kevin says jogging to catch up, hoping his face isn't as red as it feels. It just overly hot in here that's it he tells himself.

"Honestly same here since I skipped lunch but I'm too famished from the day to cook," Edd says looking obviously drained, then he gets an idea. "Kevin, to say thanks for inviting me to eat dinner with you on Sunday would you like to join me for some take out?" Says not being able to meet his eyes in a load of a rejection.

"Yea, that be rad I'll just ask my mom if it's cool when I get home but I'm positive it will be yes my mom loves you she thinks you're a better influence than most of my friends," Kevin says with a laugh.

"They do say mother knows best," Edd says with a cocky smile.

"I won't argue with that."

Edd walks ahead once more trying to conceal his blush.

They finally head out all the meanwhile throwing back ideas on what he should order. So far Chinese and Italian are top picks.

"Listen it is your birthday tomorrow so I'm a let you win Chinese it is."

"Giving up so easy, not like you Barr are you sick?" Edd asks in a teasing manner.

"Haha naw just consider it an early birthday gift," Kevin says teasing.

"My, my what the charmer you are Barr," Edd says jokingly.

"I can be, and only for you Marion," Kevin says elongating his last name followed by a hardy laugh.

"You making fun of my family name Barr," Edd says in fake anger.

"Naaaw I would never, me? No," he says with the slightest smirk.

"Don't make me change my mind Barr," Edd says warning Kevin. They ride the rest of the way in a comfortable silence.

Finally pulling into his driveway he turns off the car and turns to Edd started back where they left off. "You really wouldn't feed me."

Edd feeling guilty for a second until he see's the slight smirk that Kevin tried his hardest to conceal but failed.

"Try me,"

Edd says opening up the car door and getting out.

"Damn Edd I see you, where all this sass come from."

"There's more to me that you don't know Kevin," Edd says walking around to the front of the driveway. “But you're welcome to find out," Edd says with a wink.

Kevin turns feeling his face heat up pretends to wipe a smudge off his dad's truck which just by looking they aren't hard to find.

"Kevin, I'm going to go freshen up let me know what your mom says, I'm going to take a quick shower to wash this miserable day off."

Kevin feeling for the guy but didn't say anything but "See you in an hour?"

"Definitely, food should be there by then as well."

"Rad! See you then." Kevin walks away with the biggest smile. Edd walked the small distance to his house with a matching smile.

Finally, in his house the first thing he does is remove his shoes, hang up his light jacket and he begins to strip not something he normally did but he was so worn out to care for once. Stripping down to just his underwear but halfway up the stairs he turns around and sees his mess of clothes and gets this unbearable itch so he goes back down to pick it up and heads back upstairs and drops it in his laundry basket. Turning on the shower, but while waiting for the water to warm up he starts to look at himself in the mirror and analyze himself something he normally never use to do but seems to be doing it a lot more lately. He's being too critical of what he sees staring back at him. Shaking his head to try to rid himself of the unpleasant thoughts he finally hops in the shower even though it hasn't fully warmed up yet the shock of the slightly cold water brings him back to reality and helps him forget for a while.

Finally, out he changes into a pair of sweatpants and a comfy crew neck sweater. Then goes downstairs and sits in his dad's recliner and orders the Chinese. After placing the order he starts to think he ordered way to much his hunger really got the best of him. Well at least now I'll have leftovers for tomorrow, that is if Ed doesn't come over and eat it all, he thinks with a smile. How he loves that loveable goof but he sure can eat. Remembering the time he spent all day cooking a special meal for his parents return from helping the locals in Burundi and his parents texted him after 3 hours of slaving away making only their favorites they texted him, sorry will be gone an extra week love mother and father that week turned into three. But not one to let things go to waste he invited Ed and Eddy over and they ate fancy French food and stayed up all night watching movies. Also being a shoulder to cry on that night when he couldn't take the bottled up feelings of his parents never being home and always getting his hopes sky-high just to have them crash and burn into a million pieces of pure sadness and longing for normality.

A knock at the door breaks him from his thoughts, walking over to the door he opens it expecting Kevin but sees the last person he was expecting after what happened today. He sure wasn't expecting to see Eddy but here he was in all his 5 ft 5-inch glory. But he didn't have his usual aura of cockiness or self-confidence. "Eddy hello."

"Yo Edd, can I come in we gotta talk."

"Of course, but I have company coming over in a bit can this be quick sorry," Says sheepishly.

"Don't tell me Edd, it's blocked head isn't it?" Edd says growing mad and almost forgetting why he came over.

"Yes and you can't be mad he's also my friend, and It would be great if we all could get along maybe hang out together."

Edd knew he was threading thin even suggesting it.

"Edd get real, super chin and I will never be friends."

"Fine, don't then, but you can't be mad when I do hang out with him. He's also my friend whether you like it or not Eddy plus you have no right to tell me who I can and can't be friends with."

"NO, you're right but.."

"But what Eddy, to insert more lame insults please just stop ok," Edd says getting mad and losing patients with Eddy. If Edd hated anything more than his ocd and his parents never being home is people telling him he can't do something cause of, insert lame excuse here, also badly structured reasoning.

"Edd your like family, I'm just trying to look out for you and I have a bad feeling about Chinsdale ok."

"Eddy can you stop with the chin insults already there's nothing wrong with his perfectly sculptured face ok." Edd says increasing in volume from how mad he is but softens with what he says next "and secondly thank you for caring but I'm an adult now as of tomorrow, and I can look out for myself have been since I was 10." Edd says walking over to Eddy to give him a hug. "Again I'll be fine remember brothers for life," Edd says holding up three fingers to his head then salutes. Something they did as kids but haven't in a long while.

"Yea bros for life," Eddy says returning the salute.

"Alright, I'm out, call me if anything happens ok?" Eddy says as he's walking out the door.

"I will but trust me nothing will happen."

"Still have me on speed dial?"

"You know it, ahead of my parents," Edd says with a sad laugh.

"Cool, see you at school tomorrow?"

"Yea most definitely," Edd says before closing the door. He goes back to sit on his father's recliner, and closes his eyes for just a second with a smile plastered, things could not have worked out better between Eddy and him. He thought he was going to lose his best friend for a second but he should have known that their friendship was stronger than this. A knock at the door brings him back from his thoughts getting up to answer the door he peeks out the peephole and sees Kevin at the step and an unknown walking up to his driveway holding bags. Opening the door he says "Kevin right on time."

"I'd sure say so," Kevin says grabbing the bags before Edd has a chance. He walks ahead of Edd to the kitchen. Edd stayed at the door to tip the delivery driver.

"Man this smells good, good call on Chinese dork this smells amazing."

"Well I did only order my favorites so I'd hope so," Edd says as he retrieves two plates and utensils to eat with.

"To drink would you prefer soda or water?"

"Surprise me," Kevin says as he fixes himself a plate.

Edd places a water in front of Kevin and sees his face fall a bit.

"What's wrong Kevin?"

"Nothing dork all's good, just I usually prefer something fizzy with my meals but waters cool too," Kevin says missing the smile on Edd's face.

"I thought so, let me switch these out," Edd says switching the cola in front of him for Kevin's water.

"You think you got me all figured out don't you?"

"Simple men want simple things," Edd says as he fixes himself a plate.

"You calling me a basic bitch?" Kevin says trying to get a rise from Edd using the curse word.

"More or less yes," Edd says with a cocky smile eyes fixed on his plate.

Kevin just stared wide-eyed for a second, one Edd allowed a curse word especially in his own home and secondly, that sass he couldn't tell if he liked it or loved it.

"Ouch Edd that hurt." Edd looked over surprising him again.

"Should I go get my first aid kit for that burn," Edd says in the most casual manner.

"Damn Edd," Kevin says eyes fixed on Edd, mouth open.

Fixated on his plate mid-bite he says, "Your food's going to get cold if you just keep staring at me."

5 minutes pass by with them just eating in a peaceful silence. Kevin being the first to break the calm bubble.

"Yo dork so you excited to be entering adulthood tomorrow?" Kevin says.

"I've been adulting since I was 10 so honestly no," Kevin was surprised by Edd's answer one he made up a word, not like him and secondly whatever funk the dork was suddenly in he was determined to get him out of it even if it took him all night.

When they finished eating they did the dishes together with Edd washing and Kevin drying. Something Kevin never did at his own home but when the dork asked he was more than happy to help.

"Movie time?" Kevin asked hopeful but got the answer he was expecting.

"More like homework time," Edd said with a big smile, eyes sparkling with life.

Upstairs in his room Edd occupying his desk and Kevin on his bed they whipped through their history homework. But Kevin has a harder time doing his calculus homework, unlike Edd who finished with ease. Turning around Edd sees Kevin flipping off his calculus homework and can't help but laugh.

"Kevin hurting its feeling won't make it do itself, here let me help." Edd goes to sit next to Kevin and looks over and is surprised to see it blank with immense erase marks.

"Oh dear, Kevin why didn't you tell me you had no comprehension for this I would have been helping along with mine."

"Well, I didn't want you to think I was just another dumb jock," Kevin says not meeting his eye.

"Of course not cause I already did," Edd says sly. Kevin playfully pushes Edd on the shoulder.

"But seriously I need help here if I fail calculus I won't be able to keep playing football and I need that scholarship that I know I can get to pay for college but if I don't pass I can say buy to that dream."

Edd was impressed by Kevin's dedication that he promised to help him pass calculus. And any other class that he needed help in.

Another hour passed by and finally there both done with everything. It still being early only seven they decide to head down stair to watch a movie. Edd giving Kevin full range to his movie collection again.

Half way through the movie Edd starts dozing off he slumps into the couch and his head falls on Kevin's shoulder.

Kevin slightly chuckles, looks over at Edd and whispers "dork." But can't bring himself to wake him so deciding against it so he tries his best to concentrate on the rest of the movie. Looking over a few minutes later he can't help but think how peaceful Edd looks asleep and maybe adorable so he pulls out his phone and snaps a pic of Edd asleep on him from a high angle capturing them both in the pic that Edd himself won't see or know about for a year.

When the movie ended Kevin just sat there and looked at Edd asleep on his shoulder contemplating what to do remembering how light he was when he picked him up after the situation with Alex he could just carry him to his room. But deciding not in case he woke up he wouldn't want to scare him so he just gently shakes him awake.

"Edd, wake up the movies over," Kevin says softly.

Edd stirred awake lifting his head and sits up but as he comes to completely his face goes slightly red realizing he slept on Kevin most of the film, oh dear.

"I'm sorry for falling asleep on you," Edd says head lowered

"Dude no worries the day really wore on you," Kevin says.

"Yea, It really did."Edd says looking up meeting his eyes giving him a small smile, "thanks."

Kevin looks confused but Edd continues. "For earlier and everything the last two weeks you helped me out of situations I otherwise would have been toast so thanks."

"Don't worry about it that's what friends are for."

"We should call it a night I'm beat, I'll walk you out?"

"Yea," Kevin says collecting his bag walking to the door Edd follows and opens the door for him. Kevin steps out but turns to him.

"I had fun so how about movie and pizza at my house next time?" Edd can't help the smile and answers "Yea sounds good."

"By the way Happy Birthday."

"My Birthday isn't until tomorrow"

"I know but here happy early birthday, " Kevin says pulling out a small badly wrapped gift.

"You didn't have to"

"I didn't open it," Kevin says smiling.

He unwraps it careful even though he had no idea where to start it was all rolled up and taped hastily all around it. Seeing what it was he starts to laugh.

"You left it at my house last week, surprise," Kevin says.

"Very cute, thanks," Edd says smiling looking down at the pocket sized hand sanitizer. He knows he must be blushing hoping it's dark enough out here that Kevin can't see, glad now that he didn't turn on the porch light.

Hearing Edd say it was cute made him feel good inside.

"I know it's dumb but I thought it be funny," Kevin says with a smile rubbing the back of his neck.

"I love it best gift ever, even though I bought it," Edd says with a laugh but he generally meant it when he said best gift ever. He carried it everywhere they went that year.

"Glad you liked it just wait til tomorrow." Kevin says walking aways but turns and says "Goodnight see you in the morning for that ride."

"Goodnight," Edd calls back heading inside but what Kevin just said won't leave his head "Just wait till tomorrow," did Kevin get him another gift?

That night he slept well but slightly restless with one thing in mind.

#kevedd #eene #kevedd fanfiction #ed edd n eddy #fanfiction #eene fanfiction

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unicyclehippo · 4 years

Note

Jouska for Beau imagining all the ways confessing to Jester would go, maybe? I love your writing!

she thinks about telling her when they step out from tidepeak and into the nicodranian streets. the midday sun casts a statue of gold out of jester and she wants to say - something? anything? but the moment passes. fjord’s shoulder bumps into hers and he mutters an unbothered ‘sorry, careful,’ before slinging an arm over her shoulders. beau reaches up. wants to curl an arm around his waist, wants to return his easy affection. instead, she flicks him and shrugs the arm off.

he doesn’t seem to mind. ‘the day is ours!’ he says, voice pitched for their entire group to hear. ‘what the fuck do we wanna do? what’s the plan!’

‘we have a plan?’

‘first that i am hearing of it.’

‘i never really took you for a planning man, fjord, that’s nice, that’s seems like - ah - like growth. that’s great.’

‘do we wanna see if orly is around?’ someone finally suggests, and they draw their attention from teasing fjord toward their actual mission.

‘or visit your mum, jester,’

‘yeah, totally, yeah we can do that for sure, yes,’

beau thinks about saying it. saying something—hey, why are you upset? hey, do you not wanna see your mum? hey, i think you’re sad, which is a thing i can super recognise and relate to because i’m a bit fucked up at the moment and maybe it’s hypocritical of me to say this but i’d do anything to maybe ease a fraction of your pain, if you’d let me try.

she doesn’t say any of that.

she thinks about telling her when jester comes back in the afternoon, dress bag in hand, hanging the hook over the top of the door and peeling back the bag to show the suit beneath. it’s easily the nicest thing anyone has ever done for her—the only gift beau can remember being given, maybe ever, certainly for a long ass time—and it’s not some handout thing but a suit. that jester—and caduceus, sure—had made. for her. for her, specifically.

‘jes...it’s—‘

words fail and she grabs for her friend instead, wraps her in a tight hug.

‘thank you! this is—yeah,’

‘that’s the reaction i was looking for,’ jester says with a laugh. ‘try it on, we have time for some minor alterations maybe. let me know how it fits!’

‘you’re not staying?’

‘i have to give yasha her dress and fjord his coat. but i’ll be back!’

‘to try on your dress?’

jester’s smile is contained, barely, and she nods a few times fast. ‘did you look?’

‘nah. figured you’d want it to be a surprise. unless—i mean—did you want me to look?’

‘no, no, a surprise is good! it’s going to be beautiful.’

beau thinks about telling her then. that the dress has no choice—it’ll be on jester so of course it’ll look amazing. that she’s looking forward to it. that she could get a matching tie or something, if that’s what jester wanted. she thinks about telling her that jester surprises her all the time with her thoughtful nature, her kindness, her creativity—her beauty is the least surprising thing about her.

she doesn’t say that either.

they don’t get the chance to dance. beau does, and fjord, but that’s to escape suspicion and it totally works and it’s the smallest bit weird at all. but the rest of them don’t and it’s kind of sad, beau thinks, that they’re invited to a shindig like that—fancy, beautiful, good food once she stops freaking out about the drifting eel-like creatures that move through the tables—and they spent the whole time following essek around and not having any fun at all.

the party is winding to a close by the time they make it back—ostensibly to thank the marquis for having them, in reality to collect marion from where they had abandoned her and maybe, maybe, let someone know about the man mysteriously trapped on the balcony above. faint music drifts through the space still from a band set in the shadowed corner, out of sight.

the glow from the small hanging lights makes jester’s shoulders shine and glitter as she makes her way toward where they had seen her mama last.

‘jester?’ the girl turns at the sound of her name, brows raised. ‘do you—i know you didn’t get to enjoy yourself tonight, what with lord fuckhead finding us straight away and the whole thing with—lord thane.’

jester shakes her head, laughs. ‘it was kind of fun, actually. telling sharpe what to do.’

‘yeah that was a power move, that was awesome,’ beau agrees. nods. she lifts a hand to her ascot, adjusts it nervously. this is stupid, this is so fucking stupid, she shouldn’t do it, she shouldn’t—‘do you wanna dance?’

‘with you?’

beau forces a smile. feels it form rough, unkind, exactly not the way fjord has taught her. ‘i mean, you’ve got your pick of dance partners. i just thought—this could’ve been your scene and you should get to enjoy it. at least for tonight.’

‘that’s true. okay!’ jester hurries back to her, holds out her hand.

beau takes it.

she thinks about telling her. comes pretty close, too. thinks about telling her how lovely she looks in the dusk pink dress, how beautifully her tattoo comes up in the candlelight.

‘your mum is somethin’ else, huh?’

‘mhm!’

‘beautiful voice. and it’s pretty wild that she stepped out for you. that’s hard for her.’

‘yeah. it really is.’

‘well. you deserve that.’

‘mama being uncomfortable?’

‘your mum stepping out of her comfort zone for you. she’s working hard.’

‘she really is.’

beau nods. takes the hand jester offers her and steps close. it is jester who closes the distance, setting her other hand on beau’s hip with a cheerful ‘we have to stand like this, beau!’ and yanking her right in. they sway slowly, turning to the gentle music, and beau hums when the music repeats itself.

‘i’ve never been to a real party before.’

‘most of them are shit. super boring. lots of rich bastards talking about how much money they have and what they’re gonna do with all of it.’

‘have you been to a party then?’

beau shrugs. ‘a few. nothing as nice as this place, but a few. always had to wear a dress. this is nicer.’ she thinks about telling her what it means, how it feels, to be seen by jester. ‘this is good,’ is what she says.

#cr tag #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #tagging my stories #prompt fill #im literslly falling asdlep so sorry if this doesnt mske snt sesnr

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