#and my mom agreed and then they continued saying how women specially girls need separated spaces

[tedhugheshater]

normal people support female separatism <3

#saw the news with my dad and he often criticised feminism etc yk he’s an average middle aged man #and there was a case of this raped french athlete by her coach as a teen #and he started ranting about how that’s why he didn’t allow me into certain sports clubs as a kid because there were male coaches #and my mom agreed and then they continued saying how women specially girls need separated spaces #because ‘those monsters are out there’ etc #based family #and honestly idk much people who would disagree irl like yeah i mean sure most don’t support #full on female separatism but basically everyone does to some extent #that’s just. being normal and acknowledging women are oppressed lol #female separatism #mine

[loveazumane]

— 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧.

summary: sleepover saturdays were very special, especially because you get to spend the night with your best friend yachi

warnings: nsfw. fxf. cunnilingus (oral). mentions of alcohol. mentions of cheating. characters are adults and are out of high school.

word count: 1.5k

yachi hitoka was your best friend, and for as long as she could remember, she had the fattest crush on you since high school.

as best friends, you would have never suspected yachi of all people to hide secrets from you. but when you found out that she had a crush on you, you felt delighted and your feelings for her only sparked from friendship to something more.

at first, it was a silly little school crush that the both of you were afraid of pursuing. you were two girls, inexperienced in the dating department, and her mom was especially strict when it came to letting her go out.

a proper date would have been out of the question.

however, the more you stalled in admitting you had feelings for her too, soon enough, yachi had found herself a boyfriend and you were left with despair.

yachi had been spending more time with her boyfriend than you and you felt you were being isolated. but you weren’t able to give up so easily on what you wanted—especially when it came to someone like yachi.

so when you asked yachi to spend the night on a saturday, like you both would always do, you were relieved that yachi had agreed. “sleepover saturdays” were a sacred thing after all, and if you had never asked, yachi would have never thought to question you about it.

the two of you were cuddled together on the couch, your favorite movie, “jennifer’s body,” playing on the tv. it had been a while that you both watched the movie that you forgot there was a steamy scene in which two women characters made out with each other.

the beer glass bottles that were sitting empty on the table glistened as the scene began to play and you shuffled a little in your position, trying to get comfortable. the tension in the air was thick and heavy with lust—or maybe it was with the alcohol in your body that was making you feel a certain way.

as you watch the scene play, your mind begins to wander. what if that were you and yachi? unbeknownst to you, yachi was also wondering the same thing. what if that were you and her?

yachi clenches her thighs together to stop the throbbing between her legs and it doesn’t go unnoticed by you.

without thinking, you say, “are you horny?”

yachi glows a bright red and her head tilts up to look at you in shock and embarrassment. “i-i didn’t mean to be! i just…”

“it’s okay, you don’t have to be embarrassed.” you were being so bold, but that was what you planned to do, even though it came at an unforeseen circumstance. “i am too.”

yachi heats up even more. she knows she should pull away when she notices the two of your bodies begin to gravitate closer—she had a boyfriend for crying out loud!—but she was just so attracted to you and the feelings she tried to bury were still prominent.

eventually, your lips touch, and you can taste the bitter and sweet mixture of the flavored alcohol the two of you had consumed just a few minutes before watching the movie. the feeling of your lips against yachi was incredible. her lips were small and soft, and her tongue was delicate when it danced around yours.

a soft moan erupts from yachi and it gives you a signal to start caressing your hand over her body. you’re afraid she might stop you, but to your relief, she doesn’t. you continue roaming your hand down her waist until it grips her ass. another moan falls and she has to pull away and take breath from your greedy lips. when she does, you take the opportunity to pepper kisses down her neck that smells like baby powder and jasmines.

the movie you guys were watching was now drowned out by the soft breaths and moans falling from the both of your lips. even the air is thick and heavy from the heated make out session and lust that hangs in the room. as you travel your kisses down further, between the valley of her breasts and the softness of her stomach, you realize that she’s willingly giving her body to you.

“please,” she whispers. “touch me more. touch me down there.”

it was almost inaudible, but you can hear her. of course you can. your ears are perked up at its utmost attention and the sound of her precious voice would never go unnoticed.

you pull down yachi’s cotton shorts from her legs and it reveals her pink panties that have a darkened wet patch over her core. at the sight of it, you can feel yourself grow wet and you rub your legs together for some relief.

“you’re so cute, yachi. you’re already so wet for me,” you hum softly.

you press down against her clothed clit and she instantly arches and moans. “y/n…”

“hm?” you hum in response, looking up at her with dazed eyes.

“please…” yachi’s embarrassed to even say what she wants and she hides her face with the palm of her hands.

“you want my tongue?” you ask. you know she’d be too shy to admit it anyway. “yes or no?”

“y-yes,” she stutters.

you smile and tug away her panties, watching a string of arousal stretch as it separates from her wet cunt. you lick your lips in anticipation and take your time to admire how her folds are glistening under the flicking lights of the tv.

“your pussy is so cute, yachi,” you tell her. “it’s because you’re so wet for me.”

“p-please don’t say things like that, y/n! it’s embarrassing,” she squeals.

you giggle and slide your finger through the slick folds of her pussy. she gasps and you lick your lips again. “but i’m telling the truth. such a cute little pussy. i bet it tastes even better.”

before yachi can speak, you delve your tongue, swiping it over her clit. yachi gasps and her head falls back with her mouth gaping open. instead of taking in the view, you do your best to pleasure yachi by swirling your tongue around the sensitive bundle of nerves before lapping at her leaking hole.

“f—oh… it’s s-so good,” yachi stutters. “you’re so good.”

you hum in response, sending a wave of vibration through her pussy and she trembles underneath you. her toes curl as you continue your ministrations. your tongue laps greedily at her wet cunt and swirls around her clit at an incredible pace that yachi can feel herself slowly coming close to her orgasm.

in instinct, yachi’s thighs begin to squeeze close and you quickly snatch her legs and spread them wide. there wasn’t a chance you would let her stop you from devouring her pussy. just as you thought, she tasted so sweet on your tongue. the sounds coming out of her mouth were just as sweet too.

“i’m c-cumming,” yachi moans.

your eyes finally flicker up to see yachi panting and glowing pink. she’s truly feeling so sensitive to the way you lap at her needy pussy and it awakens a tingling need inside of you. you begin to rub yourself down on the couch as if it could give you some sort of relief. you wished you could just reach down your hand and play with your throbbing clit, but you’re dead set on holding yachi from squeezing your head and letting her cum.

finally, after your tongue presses against her pink bud, yachi screams in pleasure as her orgasm washes over her. her pussy clenches around nothing and flutters when you pull away to watch the cum dribble out her hole. you look back at yachi and see her so out of breath. most of all, her facial expression is written with satisfaction and it only has you scoffing. what would her boyfriend think of this?

what seemed to be a sleepover turned into something more.

“that felt so good,” she says, looking down at you with heavy lidded eyes.

you smile up at her. “it did, didn’t it? but i’m not done.”

you had just gotten a little taste of her. how could you give up now? you lean down once more and your tongue collects her drizzled cum and you swallow it. the taste lingers in your buds, and when it’s about to ease away, you go for another drink again. yachi flinches and arches and her hand darts down to grasp onto your hair.

“w-wait! i’m still sensitive,” yachi pleads.

you smile up at her. “i don’t really care if you are. i’m going to be enjoying your pussy until i’m satisfied.”

and yachi, as your best friend, knows that much. when you dive down and play at her clit again, she can’t even form words. all she can do is bathe in the abundance of pleasure you’re giving her. and from then on, sleepover saturdays extended to sundays… sometimes mondays… and eventually becoming a natural daily thing. but poor yachi’s boyfriend. he could have never guessed that his girlfriend was getting cunnilingus on your couch while yachi slept over at your house.

𝙢��𝙣𝙜𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧́ 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚: love prep room

#haikyuu smut #hq smut #yachi hitoka smut #hitoka yachi smut #yachi smut #yachi x reader #yachi hitoka x reader #🍎 — sour apples

[purplerose244]

My thoughts on Seabound!!! 🌊🌊🌊 (1/4)

SPOILERS ALERT!!!

Finally Nya's season! Our queen, our water goddess, our amazing girl gets what she deserves! 😍😍😍

What I know about the season beforehand is that Nya's powers apparently are getting problematic for some reasons? Which is a pretty common topic in other shows but it's a first in Ninjago, usually the elemental powers don't have focus and I LOVE that we now get to see stuff like that 💕💕💕

I know there should be Wojira involved, trusting The Island to deliver that little foreshadowing at the end of the episode 🤷‍♀️ Also Maya is back... MAYA IS FINALLY BACK AFTER SEVEN SEASONS YES!!! 😭😭😭

I have nothing else to say, I have no idea what this will bring, hopefully something as good as Master of the Mountain! 🖤

Alright, here we go!

GENERAL THOUGHTS

Warning reader, I might be fangirling to an extreme because I love mah girl Nya and I've been wanting Kai and Nya's parents to be back ever since Hands of Time ended. So yeah... screaming alert 😅

At this point I don't doubt that the intro is great, we reached such a level of animation and we got The Fold 😍😍 Love the marine vibe and how it's similar to The Island, because it's a great intro 👌

NOW I like the writing! Maybe they rushed the dialogue's quality for The Island to get here? It's just fun and in character, maybe it's just me but I'm enjoying it a lot for now

How many episodes are in this? Wiki says ten, then I checked again and it's sixteen like with Master of Mountain... eh, it looks good so far so it's fine whatever happens 🤷‍♀️

A BIG SPLASH

Oohhh, new villain! One that uses... flames... huh, does she know there's literally a master of fire in the ninja team? Eh whatever she looks cute, give it up for Miss Demeanor!! 👏👏

Wait... OMG IS THAT ERIN MATTHEWS??? WE GOT MACY!! ❤❤❤

Whoa, we're finding out where did the order of the vengestone from season 13 come from?? YAS! CONTINUITY!

Yep, there it is, Nya lost control... her attacks look so cool 😍

Lol that kid trying to be a nindroid and Zane being offended 😂😂 Sorry hun, you're that popular

Aaahhh, thank you Ninjago! You gave me back Nya the perfectionist 😂 I was worried her reaction to her powers wasn't going to be in character but it looks fair so far. Brings me back to Possession, my favorite season 💙💙💙

WE GOT BACK THE FACT THAT SHE CAN MAKE IT RAIN!!! YAS!!! I might be easy to please but I love these details 🤩

🤯🤯🤯 Okay they are definitely going somewhere this time and I LOVE IT, because wow. WOW. Are we actually addressing the forever questioned fact that wind and water weren't elements that Chen needed at the Tournament? Are we giving a reason for them to exist outside the main set of elements and the elemental masters?? Duuuude, season 15 don't let me stop you, keep going 😍

Mm, so water and wind are connected to Wojira (now I see the connection with the special). Are we setting the ground for a new master of wind? 😏😏 It's risky going for a Morro replacement but it's a super intriguing idea! Oooor Edgy Boy TM might come back? WHO KNOWS I'M CURIOUS ANYWAY 🤩

Love how it is universal knowledge that Nya is super indipendent 👌

YES YES FINALLY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MAYA!!! 😍😍😍 Is it too much hoping into a Ray cameo as well?? Pleaaaase? Also addressing Krux after so many seasons, this feels exciting!! 😊

This is what I'm talking about, training, fighting scenes, show me everything that water goddess can do! 🌊🌊🌊

Aaahhh, Nya flexing her mightiness through anger, just to remind us that she is the descendant of a water master as much as of a fire master 😅

YES YES YES YES IT'S HAPPENING FINALLY AFTER SEVEN SEASON THE FIRE WATER PARENTS ARE FINALLY BACK!!! 🔥🌊🔥🌊🔥🌊 I'M SO HAPPY I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG!!! 😭

RAY IS THERE TOO HECK YES!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 I shouldn't get this excited at only the first episode... WHO CARES RAY IS BAAAAACK!!! ❤❤❤

Omg Maya is definitely different from what I expected, turns out Kai's enthusiasm came from her 😂

Oh look at my flame babe 😍

He's so happy his parents are here, he's a total family man ❤❤❤

Nya is maaaaad... 😅

THERE SHE IS

WELCOME BACK JILLIAN I MISSED YOU 💚💚💚 Would it be too much having a "Your voice sounds familiar" moment with Maya and Lloyd? 😂

I'm so stoked for this! I want all the interactions I've missed for all of this time, asap!! HECK yes!! 😍😍😍😍

Oh, are we looking over the Miss Demeanor, vengestone situation? Mm... for now at least... WHO CARES FIRE WATER PARENTS!! 🔥🌊🔥🌊🔥🌊

THE CALL OF THE DEEP

Imma just slow clap for The Fold because this is another amazing intro, one of those things in this show that stays awesome no matter what happens 👍👍

So Maya gave Nya her discipline and perfectionism, but not the passion behind it 😂 I like this, it's not your conventional master of water, although I'd say it's different from the impression she gave me back in HoT. Maybe this is how she is when she's not trapped for fifty years? 😅😅

Is it too much asking for Kai and Ray bonding while the water women get the work done? 😅😅

Is this the sequel of Green Eggs and Ham?

Green Pancakes and Ham? 😂

Oh it's seaweed nevermind... at breakfast? I'm all for sushi rolls but this is a little 😅 Although since Maya missed their childhood she probably never cooked meals for them... how did I get myself sad 😢

Whoa, Maya is a strict teacher! I got flashbacks from my first and only dance lesson, teachers nitpicking every single pose, uuurrrggg I feel ya waterlily 😡

Again, not a fan of Misako, but coming from her the whole speech about wanting to be there for her child makes a lot of sense

Yes. YES.

YEEEEESSSS KAI AND RAY FAMILY BONDING THIS IS EVERYTHING I'VE EVER WANTED I'M GETTING ALL OF MY WISHES GRANTED FOR THIS ONE ❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤

AND MY FLAME BABE IS SO GLAD HE GOT HIS PARENTS!!! 😭😭😭

Lol with Kai's new hair they look even more related 🤣

Ray also sounds so happy he gets to have his moment with his son 😢 I feel so blessed in this moment 👍

Also this scene makes a lot of sense. Nya grew up to be indipendent, one that succeed in most of stuff without problems, she built her life without any help and doesn't look for it. Kai grew up more insecure, he got some walls up but loves to take care of others and be taken care of. With a childhood lost he looks forward to a bit of softness ❤❤

Did Maya make real bacon for that sandwich? Do I smell some favoritism? 😅 Or maybe she really wants Nya to get onto the water mind setting idk 🤷‍♀️

Little tiny complain, why isn't Jay doing the fixing? Did he give up mechanics completely? It feels like we haven't seen him do tech stuff in so long, I miss techy boy in action 😞

And no, having to check on the bathroom doesn't count 😅

Aww robot date 💜🤍💜🤍

AAAHH ROBOT DISASTER 😱😱😱 ZANE DANG IT YOU WERE DOING SO GOOD NOT TRYING TO DIE IN THE LAST TWO SEASONS!!

Oh that was weird, weird magic purple wave thingie?

I DID NOT ASK FOR A SEASON WITH A BEST GIRL AT THE EXPENCE OF ANOTHER BEST GIRL PIX DON'T YOU DARE DO THIS TO ME 😱😱😱😱😱

"Well this is troubling." I love this samurai so freaking much 💜💜💜

GUYS THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND EPISODE, I'M A LITTLE SCARED NOW 😢

Okay Nya admitting that something's wrong looking so apologetic, girl you don't need to do that you already own my heart 😭

Alright, I'm guessing this is Wojira's power or something, and they will have to go down below and find out why... just throwing this in, maybe Maya did something? Because she wanted to finally be with her family and needed an excuse? JUST A THEORY WITH NO BASE I REALLY HOPE I'M WRONG!!!

Okay, two episodes and I'm BEYOND engaged, let's keep it up! 😍

UNSINKABLE

Getting an idea how this episode might end already 😂😂

Look, I love best girl Pixal, but I'm kinda sad that she seems to be the only one tinkering at this point. Like, I saw Nya fix little stuff, while Jay dropped engineering altogether, I miss my engineers team 😭

Aww, the guys didn't want to crush Pixal's dream of an unsinkable boat 💜 But honestly yeah, I agree with Cole, this might end badly 😅😅

Thank goodness

I was worried they forgot about Jaya ❤💙❤💙 Jay is such a cutie omg

Nya: Mm, going on a potentially dangerous mission with unstable powers in the heart of my element or... mom's tofu pancakes... *yeets herself over the ship*

I'm making too many screenshots of the Smith family... WHO CARES THEY ARE BACK AND THEY ALL LOOK SO GOOD!!! 😍😍😍😍

Aww Ray wants to play with his son and his friends so CUTE ❤❤❤ Still can't believe they play Prime Empire after everything that went down 😂😂

Whoa whoa whoa, Kai and Cole are sitting this one out? That's actually interesting, I'm pretty sure I saw Cole's scuba suit in the sets though so I didn't expect it... lol it's actually kinda fair that the two that used to be afraid of water aren't going 😂😂

Bet Kai is happy to stay behind because he gets to spend time with his dad 😭

Also studying the fire elementals?? Uhm, yes please?? TELL ME EVERYTHING ABOUT MY FLAME BABE!!! 😍😍😍😍

I'm sure this one scene...

... made so many lavashippers happy ❤🖤❤🖤 Cole you got Ray's blessing

Ninja team acting cool while Jay is being Jay, it's how it always goes, it's the entire show's description and I absolutely love it 😂 That wink though 💙

PIRATE ZANE IS BACK 😂😂😂 Haven't seen him since Possession, and this time he's not even malfunctioning 👌 Pixal is so done with his dorky boyfriend 😝

Of course Jay already has a ghost butler theory going on 😂

OF COURSE IT'S MAYA 😂😂

To be honest muffins would sold me too 😅 Not sure if she will make them out of tofu again though...

It's actually really interesting that we still haven't met the actual enemies, it does build up excitment! Very curious about these squid guys 👍

Well what do you know, the Unsinkable sank. Who would have thought?

... yeah same, sorry Pix 😅

FIVE THOUSANDS FATHOMS DOWN

Aaaahhh, Nya fixing stuff! That's more like it!! 😍😍

Oww, that one speech, I've been waiting for so long for that! Maya just wants to catch up with her daughter and it's not her fault she was separated from her children, but Nya did everything on her own with Kai. Only fair she isn't seeking for her help right now... still sad 😢

Pff, with this ninja team there's not a moment of privacy 😂😂

Maya cleaning his future son-in-law's laundry what the HECK 😂😂😂 To be fair Jay has a bit of a history of having to change underwears during sea travels 😝

Zane was attached to a battery? When?... are you talking about that one scene in Prime Empire? Cause that's not really a flashback I wanna ha- whoops never mind got the flashback 😱

Maya looks more calm now, I think she's trying to act more reasonable and she's got good points 👍 I know people were a little weirded out by how more cheerful she looks in comparison to Hands of Time, but I think she gets the most serious and rational when time needs. That's actually fascinating of her 🤔

CALLING OUT AN ATTEMPTED MURDER

THIS GIRL IS TOO GORGEOUS MY HEART CAN'T TAKE IT 🤩🤩🤩 Like my gosh that smirk, what the heck Pix 💜💜💜

Okay but Jay looking at Nya until the doors are completely closed?? CAN YOU FEEL MY JAYA HEART BEATING?? ❤💙❤💙

Whoa green gas I thought this was Nya's season 😂

MAYA WHY ARE YOU SAYING THIS STUFF YOU'RE SCARING ME 😱😱😱 I SWEAR LEGO IF YOU BROUGHT BACK WATER MOM JUST TO KILL HER OFF I'M GONNA SUE YOU 😭😭😭

I really REALLY like the atmosphere of the entrante of the temple! Super sealike and ancient! 🌊🌊🌊

Maya: off we go, into the spooky old temple! (Why does it feel like something Kai would say? 😂)

Oh gee, someone sleeping in the deep, who could that be? Coff Wojira coff

Whoa the jellyfishes look pretty lifelike!

HERE HE COMES

WELCOME BACK GILES!!! ONCE AGAIN ON A LEGO SHOW I MISSED YOU SO MUCH YOU AND YOUR GODLIKE VOICE!!! 😍😍😍😍 Gosh he's a villain but he's got Clay's voice, how can I even try to hate him?? 😅

Alright, knocking down my water girls, that is pretty hateful material... BUT CLAAAYYY 💙💙💙

So they need the two amulets to wake up Wojira? Isn't one on the island? Fire dad and son coming to the rescue? WHO KNOWS BUT I'M ENJOYING THIS A LOT SO FAR KEEP GOING SEABOUND 😍😍😍

#ninjago #ninjago season 15 #ninjago spoilers #ninjago seabound #ninjago nya #nya smith #ninjago kai #kai smith #ninjago jay #jay walker #ninjago cole #cole brookstone #ninjago zane #zane julien #ninjago pixal #pixal borg #ninjago maya #maya smith #ninjago ray #ray smith #spoilers #wojira #ninjago misako

[sinqrowithascythe]

Torn Families, a RWBY story

Hello there! it has been a few days now and the story is ready, so here it is!

Just a warning first though, this story does feature gore, character deaths and angst.

Everyone had their reasons for attending Beacon academy, and most would tell you without so much as a second thought.

“As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the story books... Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!” Ruby Rose, 15yr old combat prodigy and leader of team RWBY.

Others, however, aren’t as comfortable in disclosing the truth about their circumstances, like: The beautiful, yet closed off Blake Belladonna, Faunus in hiding and secret Ex-White Fang agent.

“The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided Faunus.”

Most would assume that this is where the list ends, but there is another. A third option, or category, where they’ve been truthful but they just haven’t shared the full truth.

This is where the scraggly hero of our fable is found.

When asked for the reasons behind which Jaune Arc has strived to be a Hunter and train in Beacon (which is a regular occurrence among the student body, it’s pretty obvious why), our bumbling blonde will reply with something along the lines of “To become a hero” …. “To become a great Hunter, like the warriors in my family” or “To help people” which is true….

But…there’s more to it, there always is.

Rarely does someone ever question the reason he chose this path or after any event that led to such a decision, but it does happen occasionally. Some of the first conversations with his friends and even Ms. Goodwitch herself raised the question, with Jaune himself being quick to dismiss it or just repeat himself. Forcing the subject to be left alone question, with, replacing the young Arcs would-be interrogators interests with dissatisfaction and a quick change of topic. This is where the truth remains hidden, a burden laid heavily on our young Knight’s shoulders, where he intends to keep them.

But that wouldn’t make an interesting story, so here we go!

This tale sheds light upon that which our very own Jaune Arc would keep hidden, partially for the sake of his friends, but also to keep Jaune from crying himself to sleep… again…

Long before Jaune was launched from the school’s cliff faces into the emerald forests or the acquisition of his “Vomit Boy” moniker, as courtesy of Yang, the Arc found a burning resolve to fight the creatures of Grimm and protect those who could not protect themselves that rivalled the very star he stood under.

The Arc family estate was a large, dark brick house held deep within a forest, found on an island located beyond the western coast of Sanus. Close enough to still be considered a part of the kingdom, but also far enough for people to be left in relative peace from large city environments, bandits and any extremely dangerous Grimm.

Here, the Arc family lived and prospered, laughed and loved for days and years on end, with the only real worries being the evil bath times and dreaded bedtimes, family’s patriarch receiving minor wounds from guarding the small island village (But everyone just said he looked cooler anyway, so it’s a win!) or the sisters engaging into yet another fight over something that seemed to shake the very foundations of reality to them at the time.

“That’s MY hairbrush!!”

“You have, like, 10, just let me borrow this one!”

The house was run by the matriarch and the eldest of the sisters when their father was away, keeping Grimm from presenting danger to the village where they lived. The younger sisters and Jaune often played their days away, when their mother wasn’t home schooling them in the study where she spent most of her time, even outside the education of her children.

One sunny, beautiful day, with the sun was streaming through the leaves and trees and bringing light and life to all the woodland, waking to every insect, animal and plant found within, this family would be shattered.

The green glow of the forest created a feeling similar to a protective aura of warmth and protection. Here, the four youngest Arcs find themselves running past all manner of compassionate and cool streams with looming, yet comforting trees, hiding amidst the natural playground formed by the rocks of landslides long past and prickly piles of twigs that once held strong to their larger companions. The day was not unlike any other the children had been allowed to previously play in, perfect.

The juvenile Arcs were playing their usual rounds of “Hide and Seek” or “Tag” or some of their own invention, when the eldest of the assembled four found an oddity, one which had never caught her attention before. The Arc estate held no boundaries, save the forest itself as it was separated by a long stripe of a field before another forest began, not five meters away from their own, yet the children had never travelled, nor noticed this odd circular emptiness beyond their own patch of trees. “Yeah, that is weird” The three younger members of the Arc clan agreed, “Let’s try playing in that other forest! I bet there’ll be even better hiding spots and even bigger trees to play in!”

And so, they did just that.

Back at the Arc family homestead

The eldest four daughters of the house were treated to a rather large shock while preparing lunch as their mother had, seemingly from no-where, screeched “NOO!” like a banshee might and flung herself out of her chair, falling to their kitchen floor. You see, Jaune’s mother was paralysed, on the account that after her thighs reached halfway down, they were missing, an incident that predated Jaune’s memory and of which she refused to speak, hoping she never had to tell her children and shatter their innocence. And though it placed her within a wheel chair that stopped her from performing the tasks that the oldest of the Arc spawn find themselves occupied with most days, her smile was as radiant and genuine as when her first child was born, finding real purpose in her role as a mother.

Each did their best to help their fallen mother, only to be thrown aside, much harder than they even knew their mother could push. “One of you, run to the village wall as fast as you can, find your father, tell him that Jaune and the triplets have left the stave!”

“Why?” “What does that mean?” “Huh?” Each questioned, their faces twisted with confusion and fear.

“Just GO! Right now! We don’t have time!” The oldest among the females of the home all but roared at her children, her terror evident on her face, scaring the 4 younger women. Pushing her fear aside, the eldest to ran out the door and sprinted down the trail into the town, where the guard and her father stood vigilantly, while her younger two sisters helped their mother back into her chair and checked to see what had happened.

“Mom, what’s happening?” “You scared us” “Why’d you tell Saph to get dad?”

“I’m fine, but your siblings are in danger…”

“How? We thought they were playing outside” “Yeah, they play in the forest every day! Why’s it so dangerous all of a sudden?”

“Hmmmmm…. The forest that surrounds the house is… special, you’ve seen how there’s something of a circle-like-field around the house cutting us of from the rest of the woods?” She questioned, obviously impatient and uncomfortable, much to the dismay of her daughters, never before seeing her so scared in their lives.

“Yeah” “uh-huh” They replied in kind.

“Well, your mother has a special power and can sense, and almost see, what happens in this circle, if you can imagine” Chuckling the last part, the nerves still very present in her voice. “Normally, your siblings always play in this circle, where it’s safe and where I can see them, but, because we live so far from town the woods next to ours can be filled with scary, dangerous creatures. I don’t know why, but, the triplets and Jaune have wandered into that forest and your father needs to find them, before something bad can happen.” looking away through the kitchen window, into the picturesque scene of the serene forest outside.

Meanwhile, Jaune and his elder sisters were playing a renewed game of tag in their new playground, their eldest sister rushing for her father, while the three under her found comfort in their mother, as a new found fear grew for their youngest sibling’s lives. This new version of tag involved a “Strength in Numbers” strategy, where the title of tag didn’t pass on to another player after contact, but spread so that the match only ended when everyone was ‘it’, basically creating two teams of ever-growing chasers and continually dwindling chase-ies.

Jaune, despite taking part and enjoying himself immensely in the game, found himself growing rather nervous, as he could have sworn, he had heard his mother mention not to go into the forest beyond their own at some point before, but none of his sisters could remember and said he just imagined it. Which inevitably led to them teasing him and saying he was a “Scaredy cat!” which, to a seven-year-old boy, was an offence of the highest order. So, with new resolve and determination, Jaune played with his sisters in the forest, running deeper and deeper into the unknown woods, finding a new and magical parts of the surrounding nature with each new game.

Nothing, it seemed, could go wrong for out four young Arcs, however, we all know what follows these kinds of observations.

The fight had started as nothing more than a simple debate. “I SO DID tag you!”

“Nu-uh! You only got my dress!”

“Did not! I tapped your shoulder! You’re it too now!” “Nu-uh” “So, too!”

This repeated for a few minutes, the two eldest of the triplets bickered back and forth until…

“Jaune!” Both shouted in unison, the fire in their eyes and voices startling the poor boy “Y-yeah?” His anxiety growing, as each girl looked ready to throttle one another all the way home.

“I totally got her, right!?” “No, she sooo missed me, you saw right!?”

“Uhhh…” Was his only response. Truth be told, Jaune hadn’t seen the incident in question, he was too busy trying not to get caught himself, he only came up to them when he saw they were fighting again, wanting to help.

“C’mon! I’m fine, right!?” “No, I definitely caught her!”

Jaune was not comfortable in this situation. In fact, he was scared, scared that his sisters were fighting and felt useless that he couldn’t do anything about it. This is until an idea came across his mind.

“What about Rock, Paper, Scisso-!” “AAAGGGHHH!!!” The high, piercing wail that blocked Jaune’s solution had come as a shock to everyone. They were all frozen in place, the fear and pain that filled that scream had turned them all to stone. And a sudden realization donned upon Jaune, one that only seemed to strengthen the anxiety currently lacing his blood.

“W-w-wait, th-there’s only three of u-us here…” Upon a quick count, they found that they were, indeed, one sibling short. “The scream must have come from her! We have to find her, she’s in trouble!”

“Maybe she just found a big spider! She’s terrified of them!” The oldest of the group stated, a fact which was well known within the Arc household.

“We just have to find her and get her away from wherever she found it!” The younger of the girls offered. This conclusion helped each of them relax, as spiders were the most dangerous of the creatures that they knew to inhabit the forests that surround their home. It brought them comfort, but they weren’t in their woodlands anymore.

They moved quickly towards the origin of their sister’s scream, until they unfortunately found her.

In a small secluded area of the forest, a clearing in the trees where the river widened considerably and was surrounded by large stones that easily dwarf the giant that was their father (as far as they were concerned), where the sun seemed to shine atop the water so bright that you could swear it was fragmented like the moon and resided in the river itself. This was where they found her.

However, the beauty of nature wasn’t what made them stop, nor was it the sight of their sister happily frolicking in the water after overcoming her original fear and relief flooding the trio of loving family members. No, it was the exact opposite to all those beautiful and much more preferable sights (Hell, they’d prefer to have found a spider, really).

What stood in the clearing, over their sister, was a monster.

A monster so dark, it made the moonless night sky seem bright. With markings so red, the blood that splattered its maw seemed pale by comparison. All of this packed onto a fur-skinned nightmare product between man and wolf. And their sister… stuck underneath.

No, stuck wasn’t the right word.

The creature didn’t hold her down, it didn’t need too, the girl below it simply couldn’t move. She was missing large chunks of her little body. They could see her shoe on the other side of the clearing, her foot still occupying it. A few feet from her there was some bloody assortment of meat, maybe something from inside, no-one could tell. Her neck had also seemed to disappear and had replaced itself with bloody chunks of something.

Each child, each one that still had a beating heart, remained completely still. No movement, no thought and no emotion, still enough were to make a statue jealous. The shock they felt was all they could feel, their brains refusing to process the sight before them. The first to break free of the paralysing chains holding his mind was Jaune, still looking into the large, half lidded and dull eyes of his older sister. The eyes that had once been so full of colour and everything right with the world, Jaune had found comfort and happiness in those eyes’ countless times before, being the two youngest of the family had created a close and tight bond between the two. And now, they laid in the red, stained grass, upside-down, staring at him with nothing, endless nothing, a perfect void, drained of any and all life.

Fear and sadness welled within Jaune, faster than the tears that had decided to occupy his eyes could, with his sister’s emotions following in turn.

The negativity had come crashing out of them in waves, comparable to a landslide, only cursing them further. This alerted the creature, its posture bolting upright slouching over the corpse of the young girl turned lunch. It turned at the waist, revealing just how long its arms really were, easily twice Jaune himself, each one holding a different end of the girl’s right arm. What was most terrifying was its canine-shaped head. The lupine resemblance almost uncanny, the bloody maul full of teeth as long as it’s claws and wet with a liquid that Jaune tried his best to forget the source of. The ears atop the skull of the creature pointed toward the sky, looked sharp and swivelled around, until stopping, pointed at the children.

What scared them the most were its eyes, the cold, harsh eyes that were the antithesis of its prey. Where the girl’s eyes had been full of life, joy and hope, the creature’s own orbs reflected hate, despair and death. It’s fitting really, that the eyes of love and hope had been filled with the deepest and most alluring of azure blues and the ones that killed them were as red and terrifying as hell itself would be.

The creature dropped its piece of lunch on top of the rest of its forgotten meal and lowered itself onto all fours, its impossibly long arms stretched forwards and its rear in the sky behind it, as a low yet rumbling growl escaped from between its teeth. Now, instead of pure shock rooting our children to the ground, it was the very fear and anxiety that told the beast they were there. And, in the space it took for Jaune let go of the breath his fear forced him to hold, the creature pounced.

In the few precious seconds, it took for Jaune to turn and push his sisters, the nightmare before then had covered the distance between them and stood right behind Jaune. This registered for Jaune as three large, ragged, diagonal cuts in his tiny back. Falling into the grass of the forest, quickly watching the green around him fill with his own red.

The creature ran after the girls, desperately attempting to flee, knowing its second victim had no chance of moving now. The two remaining girls were screaming and running, terrified of the lupine monstrosity behind them, not knowing that the very fear fuelling their escape them was exactly what made them even more delicious prey.

Jaune watched from his position, chin first in the dirt, as the beast caught up to them and doubled their pace, springing forward and turning to face his sisters, seeing the very same claw that had Jaune glued to the ground tear one of them in half, before she could even stop running. Her pieces staining the grass red in front of her remaining sister. The final sibling came to a stop before the stalking nightmare. Sobbing messily, she looked up from her tattered sister into the eyes of the monster that killed some of the best people in her life and seemingly paralysed her only brother. She began to beg, praying to the brother gods that, by some miracle, some stretch of the universe, that she would survive and make it home to her loving mother, sisters and father.

Her prayers and begs fell upon deaf ears as the beast shot forward, grabbed her temples between the daggers that made up its teeth and separated the top half of her head, sounding off with a sickening crunch mixed with a strangled cry of pain and torment.

And just dropped her body to the ground, discarding her like a toddler drops a toy they’re bored with.

Jaune watched the entire scene in front of him, unable to move or even think, terrified beyond all action or comprehensible thought, not that the he would have been able to move anyway, as the creature made its way closer to him, no longer moving in leaps or flashes, but walking, as its prey was rendered immobile by the large injury in its back. Jaune closed his eyes, tightening them as he braced for the pain he knew was coming, just as it had come for his sisters.

Jaune was so focused on biting back anything he felt and so drowned in his own fear and blood, that he didn’t hear the gut-wrenching scream of agony and desperate sorrow. Nor did he hear the heavy foot falls as something approached him and the beast, racing from elsewhere. What he did hear was the sound of his father’s shield deflecting the bloodstained claws, he heard and watched as his father, blinded by pure animosity and heartache forced the creature of death back and, eventually, decapitate it. In that moment, time had seemed to freeze, Jaune saw the fury and heartbreak on his father’s face, twisted into a cruel grimace, the image burned into his memory, alongside the corpses of his sisters.

Time only began to move again as Jaune’s father let out another cry, louder than all his previous screams, as he began to hack, slash and break any part of the Grimm before him, only stopping when its corpse had fully dissipated, as all Grimm do.

Only then did his father stop, drop his weapons and fall to his knees, weeping at the loss of his four youngest children, screaming and sobbing with his face in the dirt, almost seeming to burrow into it, wanting to find the blood of his children. Jaune watched as his father broke apart, small pieces at a time, tears flowing down his face, almost unending. But, as all things must ends, so too did the tears, sniffles and sobs of the town guard, his face steeled into a grimace of loss and sorrow, the piece of himself being replaced with a resolve, a vow to return his children to their home and never let thing happen again.

The Patriarch of the Arc family stood to survey the damage done to his blood. And here he froze, seeing the unsteady rising and falling of his son’s chest, missing pieces being filled properly again as new tears of joy and relief flood the father’s features. Sprinting to the wounded boy’s side, screaming his name and asking question he already knew the answer to, Jaune’s father dropped to his knees once again, but this time to help his damaged son, searching himself and the land around for any way to comfortably bring his son home. With the frantic search proving to be utterly fruitless, he simply, yet gently, picked Jaune from the ground and placed him on his unarmed shoulder.

Jaune’s father began the trek back to the family home, creating false promises, repeating apologies and crying, for the duration of the trip, moving as fast as possible, without causing the silent boy on his shoulder any more pain that what was already silencing him.

Jaune, however, heard none of these promises, “sorry” ‘s or sobs, only seeing the gleaming, blood-spattered shield, collapsed around the sword at his father’s hip, only able to focus on the warmth his father spread and the thought “That would have been useful” while staring at the blade’s handle, before the pain took his consciousness from him.

Jaune spent the next few days drifting to and from the conscious world.

He knew that he had been taken home, he remembered hearing gasps and cries upon his return, pain from the dressing of his wounds and more crying. Curiously enough, he also heard shouting, which would be normal enough in a house of ten... now seven. But this was different, most shouting normally came from his sisters, arguing about one thing or another or when his parents needed to discipline them, these bouts of shouting, however, came from his parents. They seemed to be arguing over something called “aura…?” Jaune wasn’t sure what if was or even if it was a word, but he did hear his mother scream “I CAN’T LET WHAT HAPPENED TO ME HAPPEN TO THEM, ESPECIALLY HIM!!” To which his father pleaded. “CAN’T YOU SEE IT ALREADY HAS, WE CAN’T LEAVE HIS LIFE IN DANGER JUST BECAUSE YOU FEEL HE SHOULDN’T KNOW ABOUT YOUR PAST OR THR WORLD!!” This is where the screaming stopped, hearing only loud and quiet sobbing and whispering coming from wherever the shouting had. All he really knew was that it scared him.

Jaune also remembered a doctor coming from town once or twice during those days. It was probably more, but he couldn’t stay awake half the time, what with the pain in his back knocking him out every few minutes after he woke.

It wasn’t until a week and a half had passed since the deaths of his family members that Jaune regained consciousness properly. He awoke to the tearstained face of his mother, the tears seeming to have cut long furrows down her face. She almost squealed with joy upon being woken up by her son trying to brush the tears from her face, the pure elation of her son being alive and awake causing more water to leaks from her eyes.

When the rest of Jaune’s remaining family burst into the room, each had similar reactions upon seeing his mother hugging him gently, with him awake this time. Which was then preceded by the inevitable questions, Jaune explaining everything, each detail clear in his mind, when the tears from his own eyes didn’t impede his speech as the emotions finally caught up to him. Often his family sat together for hours at a time, waiting for Jaune to finish crying before he continued.

No harsh accusations followed his tale, nor any blame, simply hugs, tears and promises from his family.

After that day the house flowed back into normalcy, albeit quieter, until three full years had finally passed. The wounds Jaune had received were not lethal nor debilitating, the claws not digging deep enough and missing anything important along his spine, “a small miracle!” The town doctor had claimed.

The town’s people had helped organise and set up, even pay for the funerals. Everyone knew the Arc children and none showed any particular hatred, only the same small loving-malice that followed mischievous children’s pranks and activities. Any and all real hate was directed towards the Grimm that resided in the forest, evident by the furious stares many levelled towards the trees beyond thew village walls.

Eventually, the dull gleam that seemed to cover the eyes of each family member, the same gleam that held the stars and oceans contained within their eyes at bay, disappeared as they could finally move on.

But, never forgetting.

Whenever the children played, they were always supervised, never left alone. Their father had managed a change in occupation and now worked from home as a writer of sorts. Their mother had grown more possessive of her family and Jaune’s elder sisters followed this attitude when it came to him, never letting him be by himself. At first, Jaune was okay with this, even feeling happy and safe from this caged lifestyle due to having seen the reason for its inception.

However, this did not last. Whenever Jaune had asked about the creature, his father only bitterly replied to ask his mother, to which she would say “an evil creature, but, as long as you stay here, you’ll be safe and not have to worry about it”. This never sated Jaune’s mind, but, was the only definition either parent would ever give him. When Jaune would ask to be trained like his father, to protect and kill the “Evil creatures” in the forest, his mother would shoot the idea down in the exact same way, forever denying combat to her remaining children. On this, his parents agreed and Jaune began to lose his feeling of comfort in his protective cage.

Jaune would eventually learn more of his family’s legacy through omitted records of their deeds in the study and from stories his mother told her children and discovers his own drive to become one of the Arc heroes, prompting him to become a Huntsman, despite his great lack of knowledge on the topic (What’s worse is that he doesn’t know just how much he doesn’t know about it).

He finds a way into Beacon and creates some of the best memories he’s ever had, the best friends he’s ever had and even a new family.

And everything happens as we know it will. Friendship. Growth. Happiness. Accomplishment. The Fall. And new beginnings.

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

Hiya again!

thank you for reading my first actual piece of RWBY fanfiction. I made this concept up a few years ago, back when I was (possibly) obsessed with why Jaune knew so little of the world around him, despite a lot of it being vital to being a Huntsmen, So i wrote this little number (I don't know why i made it so dark of a story, but eh).

After rediscovering it, I thought I'd fix it up and post it here and thus, here we are indeed.

I know this doesn't answer how he got into Beacon, but that's not the point of the story in the first place. Please leave any notes of criticism, I'd really love to hear what you though about my story

Anyway, Thank you so very much for reading my work.

#jaune arc rwby #jaune arc #rwby #arc #arc family #hurt #death #gore #saphron cotta arc #saphron arc #comfort #fanfic #fanfiction #dark

[twoidiotwriters1]

Home- Chapter 10 (Kylo Ren/Ben Solo x F!Oc)

Words: 2,077

Masterlist

Chapter 9 // Chapter 11

At a new first-order base, some soldiers are on alert for a new attack, others are roaming around ordering supplies and weapons. Everything under the cautious gaze of Kylo Ren through a huge window that separates him from the others.

His eyes analyze each person that passes in his field of vision, men and women shout orders, fix ships, nobody wants to disobey the leader. But Kylo's mind is too far away to pay attention to detail.

The last words his prisoner said before they boarded an escape ship haunts him.

The person I love– Her? He can't believe it, not after everything that happened, it's impossible.

Kylo turns, but before continuing on his way, the image of Rey confronts him.

“Why is the Force connecting us? You an I."

From the first interaction he had with both girls, his thoughts kept throwing up questions. He can understand the connection to Kiara, after all, many years ago they had a strong bond, oddly though it's only through memories. But with Rey... he kept asking.

"Killer Snake!" Rey answers angrily. "You're too late. You lost, I found Skywalker.”

"Did he tell you what happened?" He takes a few steps forward. "The night I destroyed his temple, did he tell you why?"

"I know everything I need about you.”

"You know?" Kylo enters Rey's mind. Sees her memories. "Oh, yes you know,” He says in a mocking tone. "You have that look in your eyes, from the forest,” He raises his head. “When you called me a monster."

"You are a monster."

"Yes, I am." The connection ends and Kylo touches her cheek, watches the drops on her glove. Rey must be in a humid place, near sea.

How is it possible that he still has these situations? Why can't he see past the scavenger?

His head is messed up, he must concentrate on his work, must be informed about the attack on the resistance fleet, he must be careful with the scavenger, the training with Kiara... her words.

“No…” He growls shaking his head.

Kylo Ren was not the only one with an internal debate. Kiara finds herself walking back and forth in her new room, her heart in her throat.

"The person I love, why did I tell him that? It was all a lie, I really don't know why I saved him…” The girl scolds herself. "I'm an idiot, I don't even feel anything for him... just disgust, yes, that's it–” Kiara stops and growls as she hides her face with her hands. “I should’ve run away when I had the chance. Surely, he could easily be saved…”

That made her think.

Kylo is an advanced apprentice, in fact, he could have defeated any creature and avoided the fall, something must have happened.

"I shouldn't have saved him!" She complains. "It was a trap, he knew I was there... he knows my weaknesses and he pretended,” Kiara can't help but feel betrayed, every time she believed that everything could change, a blow stopped her to face reality.

Finally, she sits on the floor with her back resting on her new bed.

“I'll never be able to have a quiet life…” Her breathing shakes, until a new memory invades her mind.

Kiara has always been uncomfortable when visiting day comes. Although not all the parents of their peers come, the simple fact that they make an effort to communicate with their children by means of a call or hologram, causes her heart to shrink, but what hurts the most, is seeing her best friend Ben with his two parents. They never miss visiting day, and today was no exception.

From one of the gardens she can see how Leia hugs and kisses her only son's cheek while he complains and his father laughs. While she just plays with the grass, away from everyone.

"I can't believe my son’s already sixteen…” Leia squeezes the boy's face.

"Mom," He says, pulling away.

"Come on Leia, you shouldn't embarrass him, that's my job!" Ben rolls his eyes.

"Where's Kiara at?" Leia asks.

"I don't know,” Ben replies uncomfortably "She usually leaves during this day…”

Both adults share a look, knowing the situation of the girl.

"Well, you must go get her, Ben. I’d like to invite her to the dance organized by the senators,” Ben raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"I don't think she’ll want to go, mother.”

"You don't know that, I’d say yes, especially if you go as his partner,” adds Han. Ben’s cheeks turn a little red.

"No, definitely not– I won’t be her partner, mom," He says, Leia laughs at the reaction.

“It doesn’t have to mean anything, Ben. Just invite her, please,” Ben grimaces but finally nods.

——————————————————-

"I've never been to a dance before," Kiara says, biting her lower lip while Leia brushes her hair. The girl is sitting on a bench in front of a dressing table.

"It's not a big deal, darling. Only adults talking about things of no importance to a teenager. Although, if you want to know, you can ask me anything,” Kiara nods.

Leia's skillful hands gently place each lock of hair to create a high ponytail with several strands loose on the sides of Kiara's face.

"I'll give you the dress and the jewelry you can choose from,” Leia disappears for a few seconds and when she returns, she has a beautiful slim navy blue dress for her. Kiara can’t believe how beautiful it is. She lightly touches the fabric.

"Are you sure I can use it?" She asks.

Leia knows that this is the right dress for her. Sleeveless neckline, the rest falls to almost touch the ground with just a slim belt to create shape.

"Of course, you’ll look beautiful." She observes the girl's reactions in detail, despite not knowing her completely, she can feel Kiara's innocence. Maybe it's the Force, or the maternal instinct, but she knew that this girl had the whole galaxy ahead of her.

“Thank you.”

————————————————————

Han and Ben are a little apart from the great room, both uncomfortable and knowing almost no one. Han cordially greeted those who recognized him for being Leia's husband with a fake smile, sometimes asking about Ben, who imitated his father's actions. The two look forward to the only two people they could be comfortable with.

When they enter the room, Ben can’t believe what he sees. It isn’t possible that the girl who approaches him with a smile is Kiara. Not in a million years.

"It seems that we arrived at a good time," says Leia, kissing her husband, knowing that her two men would be apart from everyone.

"You're good?" Kiara asks when seeing the strange reaction of her friend, who can’t stop seeing her.

Ben can only think of how beautiful she looks in that blue dress, it’s very different from the beige, white and brown colors that she always uses on the island.

Han notices his son's attitude and gives him a little push to get him back to reality, which works. Ben glances at his father and nods at him, turning to Kiara.

"What?" She laughs. 

"You're good? You look tense.

"Yes, it's just that I don't know anyone," He says nervously.

Since when did he act like this? It's still Kiara, the girl who always talks to him, the one who always has a comment for everything. That girl who manages to get the good side out of everything.

"Don't worry, little Ben. I’ve rescued you,” She smiles.

There she is. Ben laughs as the adults watch everything with a mocking smile.

"Well, Han and I must do other things, you’re free to explore the palace and eat all you want. Be careful,”Leia orders and both agree.

When they are alone, Kiara takes a chance to look at Ben's outfit, much like Han's. A white shirt with a black vest and baggy black pants. Her hair is combed back.

"You look very different," She says, drawing his attention.

"You... you too, I've never seen you in a dress,” He says rubbing his neck.

She looks down and moves a little to show the dress.

“It's beautiful… you are, too.”

She looks up and can feel her cheeks burn.

"I mean, yeah, it's not like you weren't before, it's not just because of the dress, it's just that–” Ben rambles and she laughs.

"You also look handsome, Ben.”

They both at look each other directly in the eye. Something they never thought could happen... none had thought before how fast their hearts could beat when seeing or thinking about the other.

———————————————————

During training, some students practice meditation, but not all are focused.

"Stop watching him, just stop, it's not like he’s got something special," Kiara thinks trying to close her eyes.

She can't help but open one in the direction of her friend Ben.

"It is true what the other girls say, he’s grown and now he looks stronger, and he’s very skilled and... his hair is longer, sometimes he gets frustated when he has it over his eyes... those brown eyes... No!" Kiara shakes her head and closes her eyes again.

“Can you turn down the volume of your thoughts? I can't focus,” says a different voice.

Kiara opens her eyes and looks back at Ben, who now has a sly smile. The girl blushes and returns to training listening to the male laugh in her mind.

——————————————————————

"I don't understand why you're upset, I was just talking to Rid!"

"That's what bothers me," Ben answers through clenched teeth. "Why did he need you so badly?"

"I just wanted help with some combat moves!"

Ben raises his eyebrows.

"Oh yeah? Hand-to-hand combat– to be close to you, of course,” He says sarcastically. “Why didn't he ask me for help or Luke or anyone else? ”

"Are you kidding? Although you’re the best in the class, not in a million years would ask you for help, you’d only criticize him and in the end you would not help at all. The others aren’t that good, I was his only option– and Luke? The poor boy barely talks to his friends!”

"Those are not good excuses, I know what he wants!"

“Ben," She complains. "Please stop acting like that, it wasn’t a bad thing.”

"That is your problem," He says, approaching. "You don’t see evil in people, you think that everyone has good intentions, and that’s a serious problem that will bring you more problems."

“What the fuck are you talking about? You're so dramatic about something so unimportant…”

"Unimportant? So you didn't mind that the idiot touched your waist?” She rolls her eyes.

"That's not–” She stops mid-word realizing the situation. Frustration is replaced by a huge wolfish smile.

"Now what?" He asks.

“You're jealous?" She approaches and the boy takes a few steps back surprised by the change of subject.

“Of who? That idiot?” He huffs, making her laugh.

“You're jealous!" She exclaims with a laugh.

"Of course not!"

"You're jealous, little Ben.”

“Enough! You changed the subject, this has nothing to do with–”

"What are you jealous of?" Ben groans. Suddenly the laughter stops and Kiara notices her friend's embarrassed look. She grabs the boy's face forcing him to look at her. “If it bothers you so much that I’m with another boy, it means you have feelings for me. More than platonic.”

They’re both confused, they’d never felt anything like this for anyone. Since the dance, everything is different.

Ben now notices –the freckles on her skin, her sweet smile… The young Solo can’t stop thinking about how she never knows how wonderful that smile can make someone like him feel.

While Kiara would go out of her way to make Ben see how special and unique he is, she knows that her friend can't see how great he is, with every detail he does for her it just shows how big his heart is, even if he appears to be a confident, serious and strong boy, she knows the real insecure Ben, but she’s willing to help him.

"I don't know how I feel," Ben whispers. They’re close, their noses almost touching. "I've never felt like this…”

"Neither did I.”

"What are you doing to me, Kiara?" He whispers again, then joins his lips with hers in a delicate and tentative kiss.

Their first kiss.

Taglist

  @oopsiedoopsie23​

@blackheartedspider​

@fandomshit6000

@thewinterschildren178​

#Kylo Ren #ben solo x reader #ben solo #star wars #star wars fanfic #Kylo ren x reader #Home #twoidiots writing

[galaxygemm]

Infinity Girl Life: The Red Witch - Chapter 1

Helloooo! I’m Galaxy Gemm and unfortunately that’s not my real name. I saw HTTYD 3 spoilers and I’m psychologically damaged. I started going to a psychologist. So in this fanfic and in any of my fan fiction HTTYD 3 won’t happen. Only Light Furies and the gang’s outfits will be written in it from HTTYD 3. It will be a crossover fanfic but not with only one world. Every movies, series, books will be connected and they’re gonna travel from one to another. So because there are gonna be a lot of worlds, I’m going to add it under the universe that they’re going to spend the most time in. Now, enjoy reading my Infinity Girls AU!!!!

Galaxy’s P.O.V.

Hi, I’m Galaxy Gemm. I’m a universe traveller and the Guardian of the Galaxy Orbs. I’m 13 years old. On the second day of April I will be 14. I have an older brother Fixxer Gemm. His wife’s name is Analuni Gemm. I have a boyfriend, his name is Lo Ringo. We both have dragons. I have a Violent Silence and he has a Rambarge. Their names are Gaia and Legend. I also have a chihuahua with the name Liza. I made her a special saddle to put her in on Gaia. We travel the multiverse, save it and hang out with our friends from the different parts of it. I’m the leader of the Infinity Girls. We’re guardians. My best friends aside from the Infinity Girls are Bridgette Rainbow, Swammi Castro, Amy Coopers and Lily Peterson. Now, how about I tell you more about Infinity Girls and Group Infinity and less about myself. Here we go!

The Infinity Girls consist if nine members. They’re all the guardian of different things. The Galaxy Orbs, Dragons, Stars, Technology, Weathers, Fairytails, Animals, Sirens and Forests. In the beginning of time, nine girls were chosen by the Galaxy Orbs for their bravery, self-confidence, kind hearts, honesty, loyalty, courage, generosity, kindness, generosity and many more good traits. The duties given to them was to protect the multiverse. So they formed a group and called themselves Infinity Girls. Back then it sounded more like ‘Aquost Jier’. Then other creatures wanted to help them so they created Group Infinity where anyone could join and be trained to fight. Near to the end of their lives they looked at the future and chose a girl with the same traits. When they were seconds away from death they transferred their powers to the unborn babies. The ritual continued with every guardian. Right now there are new guardians. I’m the Guardian of the Galaxy Orbs. Astrid Hofferson is the Guardian of Dragons. Stellar Lucitor is the Guardian of the Stars. Holley Shiftwell is the Guardian of Technology. Misty Vampirey is the Guardian of Weathers. Farah Longtaille is the Guardian of Fairytails. Fuli Cheeta is the Guardian of Animals. Roxanne Seery is the Guardian of Sirens. Viper Moons is the Guardian of the Forests.

7 years ago there was a witch that tried to hunt us down. To be on the safe side we faked our deaths and hid in our homes. Where we live no one knows, and no one where we live knows about our true identities. But it all changes when a report arrives to Berk.

No One’s P.O.V.: 13.09.2017

Astrid strolled through the village with her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly, in tow. She was searching for the newly named chief and her long time boyfriend. After a short walk she spotted him talking to some men. Probably about the village re-constructions. She stopped a few meters away and looked around. Deadly Nadders with or without riders were melting down the ice spikes that the dark Bewilderbeast had shot. Monstrous Nightmares and Gronckles were hauling wood from one place to another. Different species of dragons were holding up the woods so Vikings could nail them into place. Some of the dragons were on lunch break, devouring fish from the feeding stations. Hatchlings were playing around and biting on other dragons’ tails. Astrid suddenly felt two pair of arms wind around her waist. She let herself to be pulled against a warm chest. “Good afternoon, Milady.” Hiccup whispered into her ear. “Hi, Babe!” Astrid greeted back. Astrid turned around in his arms and pecked him on the lips. Astrid smiled up at him. For a moment they stared into each others eyes. She saw the sadness and uneasiness in his eyes. She gave a small sad smile. She raised on her toes and kissed each of his eyes. When her feet was fully on the ground she looked back at him and saw that his pupils were dilated and filled with love and lust. She gasped slightly, knowing what it meant. Hiccup smirked and pulled her by her waist into the forge, which was fortunately nearby. Their dragons didn’t bother following, knowing exactly what they were about to do. Hiccup opened the wooden door that separated his private office from the main forge. There used to be a curtain but when Astrid started to come with innapropriate intentions he installed a door with a lock. He turned around and let go of her waist to lock the door. Then turned around and pinned her to the door with his lips moving swiftly and softly across hers. Astrid gasped slightly but started to kiss back. She parted her lips and swiped her tongue across his teeth which were already waiting for her. Astrid jumped and wrapped her legs around his hips. She grounded against him and moaned when he growled against her mouth and when she felt his hardness dig into her. Astrid’s mind was dizzy but was able to stop herself from going any further. “Hiccup… we have to stop..” Astrid was able to whisper out in between pants. “No, we don’t.” Hiccup said in a very low seductive voice. “We have… oooh.. a week to-ooogether…” Astrid managed out while Hiccup was kissing down from her jaw to her collarbone. Astrid whined when Hiccup pulled away from her to look at her. “What do you mean?” He asked. Astrid’s legs were still tightly wrapped around his hips and he could feel her wetness through all the layers she had on. She tried to lean in to kiss him but he didn’t let her. Astrid looked at him with pleading eyes and when she saw the curiosity in his eyes she let out a frustrated groan. “I talked with your mom, Gobber and Spitelout. They’re gonna be in charge of Berk while we go on a much needed relaxing vacation.” Astrid explained with a frown. Hiccup sighed. “You know I can’t. The people need m-“, “The people know that you went through worse than them and that you’re working harder than them. And I knew you’d say something like this and I’ve talked to almost all the villagers and they agree with me. Please Hiccup.” Astrid looked at him with begging eyes. “Fine.” Hiccup nestled his face in her neck and answered. Wanting to tease him like always, she jumped off of him and turned around to unlock the door. “Well, thanks for agreeing! Not that you had any other choice in mind in the situations.” Astrid said cheerfully and gave a pointed look to his crotch. “See you later, Babe!” Astrid shouted at him while exiting the forge. “Really mature, Astrid.”

Astrid walked through the forest by herself. She needed some time to think. She went to the Cove. She hopped down from the rocks. She walked towards the rock wall and whistled a Night Fury cry. The wall started to glow blue with ancient letters and symbols in an order and pattern. The wall went down into the ground and let Astrid walk in. She walked through a corridor that was same as the door. The walls were filled with writings in ancient alphabets and symbols. At the end of the corridor was a large room. A crystal table with nine matching thrones. On top of the thrones were different gems shaped as infinity symbols. Astrid sat down with the blue diamond and discarded her left arms from its warmers. Underneath was a black string wrapped a few times around the lower part of her forearm with an infinity symbol dangling from it. Astrid stared at it, recalling all the adventures she had up until when she was 13 years old. She sighed and slowly caressed the throne.

Suddenly the blue gem above her started to glow repeatedly and so did the charm on her bracelet. Astrid stood up and and transported herself to a temple. It was filled with statues of women. The past Infinity Girls, specifically. She walked into a room exactly the same as the one back in Berk but there stood her best friends. The other guardians. But not all of them were here. 3 of them were missing. Astrid slowly walked up to them, tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. Galaxy, Farah and Roxanne weren’t there yet. She one by one hugged Stellar, Fuli, Holley, Viper and Misty. They stood there in complete silence. Their minds weren’t that quiet.

Suddenly they heard screaming coming from above them. They looked up to see an open portal with the screaming coming from it. Galaxy and Roxanne fell down on the girls, creating a pile of females.

“Get off of me!”

“I missed you too, Ass.”

Galaxy jumped off of Astrid and offered her hand to help her up. She then turned to the others and they all enveloped in a big group hug. Galaxy was the first to pull away. She gestured to the big table with her hand.

“I think it’s time to get down to business.”

I am very sorry for the short chapter. I don’t know why but my first chapters are always short. In the next chapter more things will be revealed and you’ll understand the story better. Please check out my Instagram to understand what the characters look like. The username is the same as this one.

#fanfiction #fanfic #my fic #hiccstrid #astrid #astrid hofferson #hiccup #hiccuphorrendoushaddockiii #hiccup horrendous haddock iii #hiccup haddock #au #alternate universe #infinity #infinity girls #infinity girls au #magic #weird stuff #smut #lemon #hiccstrid smut

[littleredroseonthevalley]

An Opera on Separation - Chapter 17

Prologue | Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | CH. 17 | Ch. 18 | 

Summary: Lois’ presence disturbs the spirits at the Sterling residence. Some keep their cool, some lose their temper, and all are faced with their own dilemmas.

Rating: T - Content not suitable for children.  Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with minor suggestive adult themes.

Words: 1467

Notes: Back we are, two weeks later. It’s been hard finding a spot for this on my schedule. I never thought I’d be out of days to post stuff, and not out of stuff to post.

Also, my many thanks to @onesuntowngirl for her nice comment she left on my private chat. Thank you!

Don’t forget to reblog and to comment! Preeeeetty please.

Fear and Loathing

“Mother!” Nathan exclaims.

Standing by the doorway, Lois Sterling smirks, dangerously. “I am back.”

He rolls his eyes. “That I can see. What I wonder is why are you here and not dazzling crowds and bullying students in Sorbonne.”

“If you’re really interested…”

“I am really not.” He interrupted.

“If you’re really interested,” She continues, forcefully. “My post-doctorate program has come to its end, and I’ll be returning to Yale for the second term. There’s no direct flight between Paris and New Haven, so I thought it would be nice to see how my only son is faring before I head to Connecticut.”

“If only I could believe that.” The blond man sighs. “What do you want, mother?”

The eldest smirks. “Since you insist in going straight to business, very well. I came to pick up my jewellery. I kept here quite a collection and I’d like to take them with me. After all, every well-informed citizen in the western world now know you can get grabby, can’t you, Nathan?”

“There we go.” He grumbles. “I was starting to worry, I was pretty sure that would be the first thing out of your mouth.”

“I tried to give a more tasteful lead, out of consideration.” She responded.

“Of course, how stupid of me.” He growled back.

“I assure you, Mrs Sterling,” Emily saw fit to intervene. “That we have gathered everything that belonged to you and had Mr Goldstein deposit at your safe.”

“Oh, Emily, you’re here.” Lois says, monotone. “I did not notice, it always seems you blend with the wallpaper.”

The redhead retreats, but the blond comes to her defence: “Mother, you are at our house. Say what you want about me, but you will treat Emily with respect. She is, after all, doing much more for me as my ex-wife than you ever did as my progenitor.”

The tense standstill between Nathan, Emily and Lois was only broken by the arrival and consequential, and almost obligatory, sardonic comment of Queenie Harper-Rhodes.

“Lois Sterling. It’s been nineteen years if it’s been a day.” She smirked. “Still using a broomstick as a spine, I see.”

The woman smiled, resembling a hungry shark. “Soraya Harper. Still a tactless freeloader, I see.”

“Better off as a freeloader than as a frigid shrew. I know you hate all men, but women these days have options.” Queenie shots her a smile of superiority.

“I prefer self-respect, thank you very much.” Lois sneers and turns back to Nathan. “So, what do you intend to do?”

“About what?”

“About your judgement, of course!” She exclaims, as if it was obvious. “Are you going to flee the country? Tamper with evidence? Intimidate witnesses?”

“I am not doing such thing!” He exclaims, revolted.

She rolls her eyes. “Please, Nathan, respect my intelligence. The one thing you despise is to take responsibility for your actions. And you certainly isn’t innocent in this whole thing. You’re not competent enough to pull off a meteoric ascension like you did.”

He narrows his eyes. “I prefer not to discuss my legal strategies with the likes of you.”

“So there is a strategy, huh? I wonder what it is.” Then a thought races through her mind and understanding flashes on her blue eyes. “Unless… Oh, you’re really pathetic. Out of everything you ever did, the one thing I approved of was your divorce. But this girl waves a bone in front of you and suddenly back you are, waiting on her hand and foot.

“And I really cannot understand why.” Lois gets closer, like a panther closing down on prey. “Out of all your girlfriends, and you had your share, poor Emily here is nothing special. She’s not pretty, she’s not smart and she’s not ambitious. She dress like a granny, speaks like an annoying Santa’s elf, and has absolutely no personality. She’s just… flat. Flat Emily.”

“Lois?” Queenie calls her name.

“Yes?” She responds, with an evil smile.

Before she could say anything else, Queenie slapped her face, hard enough for the skin contact resonate throughout the apartment.

“This is my daughter you’re speaking about, so I’d hold my tongue if I were you.” The woman threatens, anger barely contained.

“I…”

Still not letting her speak, Queenie slaps her again, the force bucking Lois to her knees.

“I’ll tell you what she has.” Queenie holds Lois up. “She’s not so bitter to the point she has to blame her son for every setback her miserable life ever had. She doesn’t need the approval of a heartless, faceless academia to prove her self-worth. And she has a family that will rip off to the last of your teeth if you ever open your damned mouth to speak ill of her again.”

Queenie throws Lois in the ground and kicks her stomach for good measure.

“It’s better if you leave, mother. Now.” Nathan says, sneering and looking down at the woman. “You got what you came for.”

Emily was at Zig’s apartment, finishing her gruesome tale about the going-ons at Park Avenue that evening. Them both were laid on his bed, the man’s arm around her shoulders, trying to bring consolation through physical contact.

“So what happened after your mom hit Mrs. Sterling?” He asks, containing his frustration at the aristocratic family.

“I admonished my mom, of course. She shouldn’t have slapped Mrs. Sterling, regardless of what she said.” The woman responds, her worry about the consequences seeping through her voice. “She got angry, understandably, and left.”

Zig might have thought of many things to say, but none of them were fitting for the emotional state of the young woman, so he preferred to simply be comforting and say: “You had a rough night, huh?”

“Very.” She agrees and hides her face on his shoulder. “Thanks for letting me stay here, by the way. I didn’t want to stay there alone with Nathan.”

“Don’t mention it, Em.” He wrapped a hand on her waist, for support.

They stayed like this for a few silent moments until Emily asks, with a muffled voice: “Hey, Zig?”

“Yeah?”

The woman emerged from their position. “Do you think I’m flat? I mean, do I have a boring personality?”

“No!” He denies, but his voice wavers.

“Don’t lie!” She accuses, slightly hurt.

Feeling painted to a corner, Zig sighed and confessed: “I love you, Emily. Just like you are. And because I love you is why I worry about you. It’s not that you’re boring, but you could be more assertive. So that people like Nathan and his hag of a mother can’t walk all over you.”

Emily looked at her boyfriend and considered what she has been told. She opens her mouth to speak, but the man interrupts her: “I know that you think you owe Nathan, and I respect that. I don’t understand, but I respect that. I don’t want to fight you over that again, especially since we just got back together.

“But I worry about you, I worry that someday you might be taken for a fool, just because you’re so darn soft-hearted. That Nathan convinces you to do something terrible, something you cannot come back from, just so he can escape his trial.”

The redhead hugs the man tightly, resting her face on his toned chest. The warmth from her cheeks over his heart calmed his shallow breathing, the anxiety of knowing bad things are to come.

“I love you, too, you know?” She said. “And I know I can be… trusting, but I don’t think Nathan will be doing anything, at least not against me. But, either way, I have my eye on him, and I won’t be letting him go away with making me an accessory. Don’t worry about me.”

“Easier said than done.” The Latino grumbles, and the woman kisses his cheek.

“Come on, let’s sleep.” She said, smirking. “It’s late, and we both had too much of an exciting evening.”

“Fine, bossypants.”

They kissed one last time, covered themselves and turned off the light.

Still on that same evening, Queenie sat on a bar, twirling an olive on a martini, thinking about life.

“Have you been waiting long?” A deep voice comes from behind her.

She smirks and faces the man. “Yes. But I don’t mind.”

“Not that you could. It’s not like we scheduled anything.” He counters, with a smirk of his own.

“That would be a lousy stake out.” They chuckle, and she continues: “How are you, Nathan?”

“Same as always, same as always.” He responds, a slight grimace on his face. He, then, motions for the barkeep for a drink. “How did you know I’d be here?”

“Wherever Lois go, you’ll surely be trailing shortly behind.” The woman answers, twirling her tousled hair, faux-innocently. “Let’s dive into business, shall we?”

“Whatever the lady wants.”

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An Opera on Separation - Masterlist

Taglist: @alicars; @boneandfur; @cora-nova; @choicesfannatalie; @emerald-bijou; @kennaxval; @liamxs-world; @lizeboredom; @mfackenthal; @moodygrip; @mrsdrakewalkerblog; @radiantrosemary; @topsyturvy-dream

#the junior #nathan sterling #zigmund ortega

[callmetippytumbles]

Home, A TRR Fanfic Series, Part 5 [1 /2] (MC)

Tippy’s note: Since tonight is Choices Fandom Night In, I figured I would try to get this up tonight instead of tomorrow.  The other half of this will go up tomorrow.  Fingers crossed.  I was working on this for a while and while looking at Part 5 there is a lot going on.  There are two separate narratives now blending into one.  It felt weird having it all in one place, so I split it. This part is still with Halle, the next part is with Liam.  I have to admit, I like writing Halle’s parents.  They are fun.  Tricky in some ways but fun.  

Disclaimer: Choices owns this and I do not.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Words Counted: 2,338 Rating: PG Pairing: Liam x MC (Halle), endgame

Tagging @tmarie82 and @mfackenthal for Fandom Night In

Tags:  @youwontlikewherewewillgo @sleeplessescapades @jasoncrouse @lizzybeth1986 @hopefulmoonobject @ayo-minty-jess @flyawayblue56  @drakewalkerwhipped @drakelover78 @umccall71  @writtenbycandy

Summary: Joanne forces Halle to leave the house with her, I will continue to suck at summaries for Halle’s parts.  Hilarity ensues.

Halle was pouring a glass of orange juice in the kitchen.  She sat casually at the table taking in the silence and solitude.  She still had so much to think about. Halle looked at her WhatsApp again.  She would start a message and stop.  

Liam, I…

Delete.

I am sorry for leaving, but I needed thi--

Nope.  

I miss you.  I’m sorry.  I lo--

Not enough.

She placed her phone screen down on the table and pressed her back to the back of the chair as her mother entered.

“Morning, Halle.”

“Morning, mother.”

“Glad to see that you are awake at a reasonable hour.  Wish you were dressed though.”

Halle raised her eyebrow.

“Because we are going out.”

“We?”

“Yes, we,” Joanne clarified.  “We have stuff to do today and you are not going to bum around my house for free.”

Halle looked at her blankly.

“It’s not like you have got any plans outside of moping about that boy.”

“That boy?”

Joanne placed her hands on her hips.  “Are you being intentionally dense?  Have you been bewitched?”

Halle continued to stare at her mother.

“Fine.  Come with me because your mother likes shopping with company and your father is determined to stay in.”

The sound of Harrold’s slippers clapping against his heel and the floor could be heard before he was seen.  

“Not all days have to be get up and go, Joanie,” He said as he entered the kitchen.  

Harrold hugged his wife from behind and she presented her cheek for a kiss.  He dutifully kissed her on the cheek and walked over to Halle to kiss her on the forehead before making his way to the fridge.

Joanne sighed.  “I suppose they don’t, but I am not going to sit here and be idle.  Neither is Halle.”

“Actually, I would very much like to be idle.”

“Baby girl,” Harrold started while his daughter groaned at the juvenile nickname.  “While I would like to relax and enjoy some quiet time with a book.  I think you should go out with your mother.”

“What! I thought you were supposed to be on my side.”

Her father peered at Halle over the fridge door.

“You know what I always say to that argument.”  

Halle deadpanned, “The only side I am on is the side of goodness.”

Harrold nodded.  “That’s right.  Now go out with your mother.  Bond.  Breathe fresh air.  Let an old man read alone in peace.”

Joanne cleared her throat.  “I didn’t think I would have to use bribes on a full ad-dult, but if you come with me there will be jerk crab for you.”

Halle perked up.  Her mother was pulling out the stops.  Jerk crab was not a frequent occurrence in the Berry household.  Joanne usually reserved it for special occasions and when she happened upon some decently priced crab.

“I know you can’t say no to that Halle,” her father bargained.  

She looked between her parents.  There was clearly some collusion going on.  The only thing unclear was to what end.

Harrold narrowed his eyes.  “I won’t let you refuse this.  Go upstairs and get dressed.  I will get the cooler from the garage ready for the crab.”

She hesitated, looking from her mother to her father.

“Go on now.”

Halle wordlessly obeyed her father and went upstairs.  Ten minutes later, a casual outfit change of denim shorts and a simple breathable shirt and the two women set off.

***

“Mom, you passed the exit for the market.”

“We are not heading to your average supermarket.  I am in the mood for special crab and I want something fresh.”

When Halle heard that she slumped in her seat.  What was supposed to be a small outing was clearly going to be much longer.  

Twenty minutes into the extended trip and neither mother or daughter have uttered so much of a word.  Only silence punctuated by Halle’s sighs.  

“This silence is too much,” Joanne started.  “I took you out so you would be too busy to mope about like your problems are not your own.  I would hope that you would talk about it more if you were going to insist on dwelling on them.”

“There is nothing to say, mom.  I ran away from Liam, my fiance, who is a literal king because I didn’t like how being with him changed me.  Now I want to talk to him and I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, most conversations start with a salutation.  Have you tried saying ‘hello?’”

“It’s not that simple, Mom.  I ran from him.”

“They have words you can use when you think you have wronged someone.  Like ‘sorry.’”

“I am sorry that I hurt him.” Halle met her mother’s gaze in the rearview mirror before adding, “I am not sorry that I left.”

“Halle, you are about to marry this man.  Your lives, your worlds are going to unite and change.  Right now I know you feel that because you are marrying up the greater burden of that change falls on you.  You have had to accustom yourself to the Cordonian--it’s Cordonian and not Cordonese or some other word--”

“It’s Cordonian.”

“Anyway you have had to live that life but you don’t strip away all of yourself to be there.  Some of Halle, and your life before him can live in that fancy palace too.  It certainly has the room.”

“I feel like I did strip away all of myself.  I agreed to a transvaginal exam.”

“They did what?” Joanne’s eyes widened as she glanced over at her daughter.

Halle nodded.  Joanne took a deep breath and continued.

“I know that being there is hard, but I am not trying to victim shame or whatever the internet says is correct, yet I have to ask: what did you think you were getting involved with when getting in bed with a foreign monarch?”

“Mom,” Halle groaned incredulously.

Joanne puckered her lips, waiting for a response. 

“I cared about Liam.  I felt like that night, talking to him, being around his energy--it was different.  He is unlike anyone I have ever met.  Still.”

“That is the feeling that you let guide you.  Well, that and Jesus.  Mustn’t forget God and Christ the King.”

Joanne held a reverent hand to the sky.

“Halle, your father and I have been married for nearly four decades.  Love didn’t carry us through all of those years.  Some of those times we made it, barely, but we did.  That is not because Harrold and I were settling or just staying together for you and Hakim.  We have been empty nesters for ten years if it was just you guys holding us together we would have been separated.  

We make an active and concerted effort to build and strengthen that bond.  If love is doing all of the work of keeping your relationship together, there is no room for it to do what it’s supposed to do.  Love eases the burden.  It doesn’t carry it for you.”

Halle thoughtfully nodded her head.  

“At least with Liam you can do it with high thread count sheets,” Joanne quipped patting Halle on the knee.  She chuckled to herself, tickled by her own comment as she continued to drive.

About an hour later, Joanne and Halle arrived in Wilmington.  If you were going to shop for crab and you wanted the best available you had to go to the coast.  This was true of any seafood, anywhere.  The best is always at the coast

Halle breathed in the salty ocean air as she and her mother entered Oceanaire Crab Company.  While the storefront was not impressive from the outside, the assortment of seafood within made up for it.  Halle looked around the shop.  Her sandals clicked on the blue and white checkered floor as she appraised one of the massive lobster tanks.  She looked over at her mother who was already haggling with one of the attendants.

The attendant tried to be firm with her mother.  “Ma’am.  Snow Crab legs are twelve dollars a pound if you are buying over five pounds.”

“And I most certainly am,” Joanne insisted.  “I think you can part with twenty pounds for ten dollars per pound.”

“Ma'am I don’t know if I can do that.”  The attendant shifted uneasily in his shoes.

“Well, get me someone who can.  I’ll wait.”  Joanne planted her feet on the ground and folded her arms.  

Halle joined her mother.

“Twenty pounds?” she asked, raising her eyebrow.

“You think I should get more?”

“Mom, you do realize that it’s just me, you and dad?”

“Halle, you really underestimate how many pounds of crab you and your father can eat in a sitting.  When you were in your teens, you easily put away one-and-a-half pounds.”

Halle balked.

“Besides, I have this feeling that there may be more people coming so I need to have enough.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Before Joanne could answer, a middle-aged man with a dingy mustache and a sheen of sweat walked over to where the women were standing.  

The man clasped his hands together before speaking. “So, I hear that you have a problem with my current pricing.”

“I most certainly do young man.”

Fifteen minutes, seven “young mans” and $198 dollars later, the cooler was filled with twenty-two pounds of crab legs and free ice to keep them cool for the 90-minute drive back.  On the road, Halle was still asking her mother about her earlier comments.

“So you are just not going to answer the question?”

“What question was that?”

“You said that you have a ‘feeling’ that you were going to need to feed more people.  What makes you think that?”

“I just do.--”

“You just--”

“Speaking of which I do not have time to do greens.  I may do a salad and some cornbread.”

Joanne roughly turned right, crossing over two lanes.  Halle held the handle by the passenger window for dear life as a cacophony of car horns aired behind them.

“Mom!”

“You hush,” her mother sternly chastised.

At their next stop Food Lion, Joanne was perusing the condiments aisle pondering over salad dressings.  

“You still like Italian and Thousand Island right?”

“Ye-yes.”  Halle thought of the salad dressings the chefs at the palace made with sundried tomato oil and fresh basil, thyme, and oregano.  “Can I make the salad dressing instead?”

Joanne smiled.

“I mean, I know you are trying to keep dad somewhat healthy--”

“Which is a task.  Let me tell ya.”

Halle nodded.  “Well, I remember a recipe I had in Cordonia and it’s definitely heart healthy.”

Joanne looked Halle up and down.  “Alright then, Halle.  Get the ingredients and meet me at the registers.”

While she was in the produce section getting the fresh herbs for the salad dressing, Halle turned and noticed Rhon by the onions.  He looked up and their eyes met.  Rhon smiled and made his way over to her.

“Hey, Hal.  I see that you are still here.  What brings you over to the market?”

“The same thing that brings everyone here.  Food.”

“Well you do need to eat,” Rhon appraised her before adding, “You are losing your thickness.”

Halle cocked her head to the side.  “My thickness?  Maybe this is my grown woman body.”

“If you say so.”

She shook her head.  “Anyway, where is Jaleesa?”

“She is with her mother for the next few days.  We co-parent.  It works for us.”

“I see.”

Halle and Rhon stood for a moment.  Both unsure of what to say to the other.  They didn’t have to wonder for long as Joanne barreled towards them.

“I said to meet me at the registers and you have me waiting for more than 10 minutes.”

“It’s my fault, Mrs. Berry,” Rhon apologized.

Joanne’s jaw tensed before she took a deep breath and relaxed.  She smiled as warmly as she could given her annoyance.  

“Hello, Ron.  It’s nice to see you again.”

“Nice to see you too Mrs. Berry.”  He looked at the both of them and already knew the usual drill when the older woman was around.  “I guess Halle and you have to get going.”

“Yes, we do, unfortunately.  We have a lot of crab in our car that will not jerk itself.”

“I understand,” Rhon said heading to his cart.  “It was nice seeing you again Hal.”

He turned away to continue shopping.  

“Wait, Rhon-Ronald.  We do have a lot of crab.  An extra couple of mouths would be especially helpful.”

“Mom, are you--”

“Yes.  Rhon, come to dinner.  Halle--I mean--I would love to have you.”

“Are you sure Mrs. Berry?  I don’t want to cause any trouble and quite frankly I didn’t think you liked me enough to feed me.”

Joanne sighed.  “I’m extending a hand and some crab legs.  What do you say?”

“I can’t say no to some free crab.  I’m in.”

“Wonderful.  Are you done with your shopping?  Do you need to make sure some of your ingredients get refrigerated?”

Rhon smiled.  Halle stood back unsure what to make of what she just saw.  She knew better than to ask questions and just let her mother cook.

The three of them left the market.  Halle and Joanne rode in their car and Rhon followed behind them.

“Mom, was this the feeling you had that made you buy over twenty pounds of crab leg?”

“No.”

Halle gave her mother a questioning glare.  

“I am a mother,” Joanne reasoned.  “I have intuition and go with it.”

Halle started to speak but as they turned on to the street of their house, she noticed that there was an extra car in the driveway.  Harrold’s station wagon was in the garage because her mother would be damned than let her father’s car be seen in public next to her home.  Halle’s rental Civic was in the front and they were in her mother’s Acura.  She checked behind her and Rhon was still tailing them.  There was an unaccounted for SUV in the driveway.  

As Joanne got closer a thought crossed Halle’s mind.  

It can’t be.  Can it?

Joanne stopped the car in front of her house.  Halle quickly unbuckled her seat belt and bolted for the front door.  

“Halle!” Joanne called out after her.  “What is the meaning of this?”

Halle turned the unlocked door to enter her home.  Her mother’s voice fading behind her.

“I can’t even park in my own driveway.  This is some nonsense.  The black ass nerve.”

She rushed inside.

He’s here?

Part 5 [2/2]

#the royal romance #playchoices the royal romance #choices the royal romance #the royal romance fanfic #liam x halle #long post #fanfic #choices fandom night in

[boxyladies]

Today is a special day because it’s the four-year anniversary of Boxy Ladies! I honestly can’t believe we have kept it up this long. I think both Jill and I fully expected this phase would end after a few months, but somehow, we’ve kept it up for FOUR YEARS. It’s a lot of work, but we both agree it’s fun and worth it. Besides – we have a LOT of opinions, so we definitely need a platform to share them, duh. So cheers to us, and cheers to you, our loyal readers. Sometimes I feel like my mom is our only reader but I KNOW there are more of you out there, and we love you all. Tell your friends about us, too! We are fun girls, they will probably like us.

And onto the topic at hand – Part 2 of dumpster diving through Lauren’s trash! If you missed Part 1, click here to see my empty skincare, makeup and hair products! Today we are going to discuss makeup removers, random body products, sheet masks and nail products.

Makeup Removers

Yes to Coconut Hydrate & Restore ($4.29): I started keeping these in my car for a few reasons. The packaging is nice, so they don’t dry out like the ones with just the sticky plastic strip. But mostly I keep them in there because when I get up at 4:30 a.m., it’s nice to be able to sleep in those extra 5 minutes it would take to wash my face. So I’m able to use these wipes in my car on the way to spin. I like these in particular because they are moisturizing as well, so I feel like this sort of takes care of two steps in one. I don’t like putting on a heavy moisturizer right before I work out anyway, so this is really nice. I also will use these after spin, to wipe away the sweat while I am in transit to my shower. I don’t like the feeling of sweat on my face, so I like having these in my car for that reason as well.

Honest Beauty Refreshingly Clean Makeup Remover Wipes ($9.50): I got these in a box and honestly did not really care for them at all. I don’t feel like they were wet enough for what I like in a makeup remover. Plus they are kind of expensive.

Kleenex Eye Makeup Removers ($14.99 for Starter pack and refill): I like these little tiny eye makeup removers when I am actually applying makeup. I don’t need a whole makeup wipe necessarily, but sometimes, I’ll squeeze out eyeshadow primer or swatch some shadows or liners on the back of my hand to see what colors I want to use, so I like to use these little baby removers to get that off. I bought the main starter pack awhile ago, so now I’m working my way through a few of the little refills. I’ve bought again and will continue to buy again. It’s a little hard for me to tell if Kleenex is still making these but they are still available on Amazon.

Up&Up Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes ($3.89): I actually linked the fragrance-free version of these but I prefer the regular version that you can get in-store, next to the Neutrogena ones. I actually recently got the fragrance-free Neutrogena wipes and I think I actually hate them. They aren’t as wet, and it’s much harder to remove my makeup. But the original Up&Up dupes that sit next to the Neutrogena version are the bomb.

Body

Bausch + Lomb Bio True Multi-Purpose Solution ($15.99/pack of 2): I used to use the Up&Up Target brand for contact lens solution because… I don’t really want to spend money on contact lens solution. But I have to admit that the Bio True really makes my eyes feel better and less irritated on a regularly basis. I like that each box comes with a new contact lens case, so even if you aren’t the best at keeping your contact lens case super clean, you get a new one every time. (Recycle the old one, duh!)

Dove Dry Spray Invisible in Sheer Fresh ($5.59): This is my favorite anti-perspirant/deodorant. I know I should probably be using natural deodorants by now but… I’m not there yet, and this is my journey. I love this stuff because I can put it on before I get dressed and not get white stuff all over my clothes. I’ll be honest the spray isn’t quite as good as a regular stick deodorant in terms of wetness, so I make sure to put on a little more than I think I’ll need, and I’m good to go.

Up&Up Five Blade Disposable Razors ($8.29): I absolutely love these razors because I hate having to use a separate shaving cream, I just want to get the job done, you know what I mean? I think Jill was the one who told me about these in the first place. They are comparable to the Venus Embrace razors which are way more expensive. I think these are great for my gym bag, but I’m lazy and I use them at home, too.

Olay Cooling White Strawberry & Mint Body Wash ($4.99): I really love this stuff because it smells like a strawberry Starburst. If you know me, you already know that’s really the biggest selling point to me. I’m a big fan. I like smelling like a Strawberry Starburst while eating Strawberry Starbursts. I have the full-size of this in my shower.

Quip Mint Anti-Cavity Toothpaste ($5): I spoke about this toothpaste in my last empties blog, so as you can see, I’m still using it. I don’t have much more to say about it that I didn’t say then, but it’s my favorite, and I love both the toothpaste and the Quip Toothbrush itself, and I highly recommend both!

Jergens Natural Glow Wet Skin Moisturizer (Medium to Tan) ($8.49): As I mentioned in my last blog, I love this stuff. I have no idea how many bottles I’ve purchased, but I’ve bought it over and over again and will continue to do so indefinitely.

Masks

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KNC Beauty All Natural Collagen Infused Lip Mask ($25/5): I was incredibly skeptical when I received these in a box. At first, I thought these were a glorified chapstick until I realized they were really great for the areas AROUND the lips, which are becoming a problem for me with my love of drinking iced coffee out of straws. These are basically little jelly-esque masks that fit on and around your lips comfortably, with a slit in the middle that allows you to talk. I don’t know if I will buy these, as I do have a few left. But I now understand why they exist, and I would definitely recommend them!

Sulwhasoo Snowise Brightening Mask ($130/10): I was hoping this mask would change my life like The Shins did to Zach Braff in Garden State, but it did not. Just felt like a regular sheet mask. Shrug.

Flashmasque Illuminate ($30/5): I only had one mask to try so I don’t know what the effects would have been if I had used it more than once, but it was fine. Felt nice and my skin felt brighter the next day.

BioBelle #IWokeUpLikeThis mask ($3.99): This is similar to the Flashmasque Illuminate – it felt nice and my skin felt a bit brighter the next day, but I haven’t repurchased.

Bonvivant Botanical Mask Pack Aloe (can’t find this for sale anywhere): I used this mask when my mom was in town and was pleasantly surprised when it was more flesh-toned than a regular stark-white mask. It is apparently made out of “botanical fiber” rather than paper. I honestly do not know what that means since I think trees/paper are also a botanical fiber? But this one stuck to my face really well, and I think it was fine. I am not said I can’t get this anywhere, it was just fine, I wouldn’t have bought it again.

Too Cool For School Egg Cream Mask ($6): My mom actually used this one when she was here. It looks nice, they sell this brand at Sephora. She said that her skin felt nice and soft after using it, so that’s a pretty good review.

L’Amour Exfoliating Foot Mask ($16.99/set of 5): I am really into the “Baby Feet” Foot exfoliators. For the uninitiated, you put these little chemical-exfoliator booties on your feet for an hour and about 4 days later, your feet start peeling. About a week later, the skin on your feet will have completely come off – pain free. It’s a little gross, but your feet feel soft and new.

Feel Brilliant Bamboo Charcoal Sheet Mask ($35/4): I am trying to remember how I felt about this because I used it months ago (I will take better notes next time) – I don’t typically love this kind of mask because I mostly go for moisture when I’m wearing a sheet mask but charcoal does the opposite – it pulls gunk OUT of the skin. The mask didn’t dry my skin out, which was nice, but I will use these kinds of masks more often when my skin is a bit more “troubled” than it is now.

Nails

Julep Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops ($18): I really like to use these every time I do my nails. I feel like these drops help my nails dry just a bit faster than they would without it. I’ve repurchased and I will repurchase again!

Julep Clean Slate Polish Remover Pads ($14): I think I bought these on a whim one time but I really ended up liking them! They are essentially a small piece of felt that is soaked in polish remover. The felt helps you get off very stubborn nail polish, like glitter. But I liked that these were individually wrapped because I could easily pack them with me on trips without having to worry about packing a whole bottle of polish remover.

Miscellaneous

Ritual Essential for Women ($30): I thought I would include a mini-review of the Ritual vitamins because they are all over insta and social media for being the “prettiest” vitamins – and I have to admit, their aesthetic really appealed to me – but do they work? I’ve been taking them for going on three months now and I honestly feel like they are helping in a positive way. I’ve been feeling overall better lately, and while I can’t attribute all of that to a vitamin, I really do feel like it’s been helping with my energy level a bit. I like this vitamin because it contains the ingredients that you probably don’t already get from food. One thing that I really like about these vitamins over others is they smell and taste a bit minty (as opposed to fishy or weird) because they have this rubber minty tab in each bottle which basically infuses the vitamins with the scent without having to add anything extra to the vitamin itself. Genius. Is this as cheap as a vitamin you can get from the drugstore? No, obviously. But it’s definitely not as expensive as some other vitamins either, so I’m happy to pay for it. The first month they sent it to me, they included this little calendar card with stickers you could put on it for 21 days to help you create the habit. I mean… I love stickers. I was in.

[line]

And that’s it for this round of trash! I hope Jill will let us go dumpster diving into her trash sometime soon, but otherwise, I’ll come back at the end of Fall and share all of my trash with you again. You’re welcome.

xo, Lauren

Purchased; All opinions are my own Post contains affiliate links

Lauren’s Trash – Would I Buy Again? Part 2 | Empties Summer 2018 Today is a special day because it's the four-year anniversary of Boxy Ladies! I honestly can't believe we have kept it up this long.

#Bausch + Lomb #Biobelle #Bonvivant #Dove #Egg Cream Mask #Empties #Empties Product Reviews #Feel #Flashmasque #Honest Beauty #jergens #julep #Julep Beauty #Julep Nails #Kleenex #knc beauty #L&039;Amour Exfoliating Foot Mask #olay #quip #Quip Toothpaste #Ritual #Ritual vitamin #Ritual vitamin review #Sulwhasoo #too cool for school #Trash Blog #up &amp; up #yes to

[gracewithducks]

It’s Complicated: Faith and the in-between (Luke 24:44-53)

Mother’s Day isn’t the same when you’re a pastor. My kids already know that mom works on Mother’s Day, and messing with our Sunday morning routine isn’t going to earn them any favors. So instead of Mother’s Day, they’ve been celebrating Mother’s Week: we started with donuts last weekend, and continued through the week with extra hugs, with handmade gifts, reading books to me, showing love through interpretive dance and original songs, praising my cooking – apparently I’m especially gifted with mashed potatoes and Kraft mac-and-cheese… and all those praises and expressions of love have been peppered with constant fighting, two little girls turning everything into a competition, a helpful attempt to share macaroni and cheese with the potted plants, throwing angry cats on my lap, mixing cat food with milk and water, painting the walls with hand soap, “forgetting” that brushing your teeth is a thing we do, and refusing to use the bathroom without a hand to hold.

 Motherhood is special in all kinds of strange ways.

 Even before I became a mother, I’ve had something of an ambivalent attitude towards Mother’s Day. I love my mom, don’t get me wrong, and I sure hope she knows that. I grew up in a church that tried to include not just mothers but all women in its Mother’s Day celebrations – which means as a little girl I looked forward, every year, to getting a carnation of my very own.

 And then I got older. And I started to realize that life is a lot more complicated than it seems. There were years when I wasn’t sure if I would ever be a mother – and quite frankly, plenty of days since becoming a mother when I’ve wondered if I’m really cut out for the job. I’ve walked with friends through infertility, and miscarriage, and failed adoptions, and difficult decisions… I’ve walked with children of all ages with the loss of their mothers; I’ve walked with mothers through the loss of their children. And I’ve come to love families of so many different shapes and sizes, and come to realize that much like parenting itself, life is much more complicated than it ever used to seem.

 It’s exhausting, it’s painful, it’s stressful, it’s frustrating, it’s wonderful – and it’s also funny how, as kids, we think a donut and a carnation once a year is enough to say “thank you.”

 One of the hardest and strangest Mother’s Days in my own life came in our in-between year: it was the first Mother’s Day since the death of my son, but it also came just a couple of weeks after announcing I was pregnant with our daughter. And if I’m being honest, if I wasn’t a pastor, I probably would have just stayed home all day. But I didn’t have that choice… and people weren’t quite sure what to say or how to act around me. They tended to focus on the joy I must be feeling, knowing I would be a mother once again, rather than acknowledge the fear that accompanied that pregnancy, and the grief that weighted heavy on our home. Hope and fear, joy and grief, mingled together – that’s parenting, but also, that’s life.

 And it’s Mother’s Day again. I’ve always been ambivalent about this day. This year is no exception. I don’t know how many of you follow the United Methodist News Service – or if you even know that that’s a thing, but it is. A little more than a week ago, our Council of Bishops met to consider recommendations on how the church might move forward while we are so divided over issues of gender and sexuality, when we can’t agree on the question of who God welcomes, and who can love whom, and what a family looks like. And just this week, the same Council of Bishops received and counted votes taken by conferences all over the world on several amendments to our church’s constitution – again, that’s a thing. Two of those amendments dealt with adding affirmations around gender and equality. The first proclaims that “men and women are of equal value in the eyes of God” and promises that the United Methodist Church will “seek to eliminate discrimination against women and girls… in every facet of its life and in society at large.” The second amendment adds gender, ability, age and marital status to the list of characteristics that can’t keep anyone from church membership – in addition to race, color, national origin or economic condition, all of which are already named and protected.

 And this week we learned that both of those amendments failed to pass.

 I am so very tired of our denomination breaking my heart. And yes, some of you United Methodist news followers will know that the first amendment, at least, will be voted on again, due to an editing mistake… and maybe this time things will be different. But I sat through those debates a year ago, and I was shocked, appalled, at the fear and prejudice that were displayed – by our own colleagues and neighbors and friends. So many people who proclaim and claim to love Christ and to love their neighbors are nevertheless willing to speak hatred and pass condemnation and turn those same neighbors – especially the most vulnerable ones – to break them and turn they away.

 And now it’s Mother’s Day. While our church still tries to define what families can look like, while we failed to affirm that gender or ability or marital status doesn’t limit or define us… now we have the nerve to observe Mother’s Day, that day we set apart of parade and celebrate a certain set of women, women we lift up as models for Christian womanhood: those who’ve managed to reproduce. And I have to wonder, as much as I love my own mother, as much as I am humbled and challenged by being a mother – that’s not all that I am; is that all that women are ever going to be allowed to be?

 This week, many of my colleagues have challenged us to imagine our churches without the leadership and gifts of women. Without a woman’s faith, there would have been no incarnation. Without a woman’s boldness, the news of the resurrection would not have been shared. Right here at this church, without women, we’d lose most of our staff members – including both of our pastors. The chair of church council, and many other committee chairs, our lay leader, our members of Annual Conference, our lay servants, our Sunday school teachers, would be gone; more than half of our committee members, more than half of our members, period, would be silenced, all those gifts and voices and contributions lost.

 And I know that, by God’s grace, that’s not the case. I know that our ministries, our welcome, our affirmation didn’t change and wasn’t limited by any news statements released this week. And whenever we start talking about questions like this, inevitably someone raises the point that we shouldn’t have to take votes and amend official documents to affirm that women are people, and that our girls are gifts from God every bit as precious and powerful as our boys. We shouldn’t have to define or delineate by gender at all. I agree. We shouldn’t have to. But we do. The fact that those very statements keep failing – that’s exactly why we need to make them. Right here in our conference, there are still many United Methodist Churches here in Michigan that won’t accept a female pastor in their pulpit. And we live in a world where women are still paid less for doing the same work; where most of the power is held in the hands of men; where girls don’t get the same education and opportunities as boys. We live in a world where women bear the burden of unplanned pregnancies they had help in creating; where mothers are praised but a mother’s health, and the health of her children, are ignored, and women’s pain is not taken as seriously as men’s. We live in a world where girls grow up faster because they have to, where “boys will be boys” but “she was asking for it.” We live in a world where “you run like a girl” is still a devastating insult – even if you are one. We live in a world where my eight-year-old daughter can’t wear a sleeveless top to school because her body might be a distraction to the second grade boys around her. She’s already learning that she’s expected to take responsibility for someone else’s actions, and their education is more important than her own.

 It takes a lot of nerve for us to celebrate mothers on a day when immigration officials are separating families, when refugee mothers risk everything for their children’s future, where many mothers are starving themselves so their children can eat, and finding their sacrifice is still not enough.

 We can’t say we love mothers unless we fight to help women, to care for children, to protect and advocate for the programs that feed and clothe and house and heal so many of our most vulnerable members. Mother’s Day needs to be so much bigger than brunch.

 We shouldn’t have to say that women are people. There are a lot of things we shouldn’t have to say. But sometimes, we need to say them, anyway.

 So this is what needs saying today: God loves you. God loves you, no matter whether, when you were born, they dressed you in pink or draped you in blue. God loves you, no matter what pronouns describe you now. God loves you, no matter who you fall in love with, or how many times your heart’s been broken, or if you never fall in love at all. God loves you if you’re married, divorced, widowed, single – and if it’s complicated, God loves your complicated life; God loves complicated you.

 God loves you if you’re a parent who gave birth, or who adopted, or who fosters, if you stay at home, if you go to work, if have no choice but you do what you have to do to make it through. God loves you if your mother loves you, and even if she doesn’t, God still does. God loves you whether you’re a parent whose children adore you or whose children slam the doors and curse your name or whose children won’t return your calls at all. God loves you if you’ve struggled with infertility, if you’ve carried a child you never held, if you gave up a child for adoption, if you ended a pregnancy, if you’ve never been pregnant at all.

 God loves you if you’ve buried your mother. God loves you if you’ve buried your child. God loves you if you’re not sure who will bury you when your time comes.

 I hope you will hear me today: love is stronger than death, and love transcends the limits and labels we use, and love surprises us again and again. There is more than one way to create life in the world. There is more than one way to give love, and more than one way to receive it, and I hope that, by God’s grace, you’ve know a lot of love, and you’ll know a lot more.

 Today is Mother’s Day. And it always behooves us to remember that the tradition of Mother’s Day is much bigger than flowers and breakfast in bed. The roots of this day are found with women who decided to use what power they had to make the world a better place. It begins with Ann Jarvis, organizing Appalachian mothers to work to improve sanitation, to help keep their families and neighbors from dying from diseases carried by insects and polluted water. It begins with Julia Ward Howe, organizing mothers who yearn for peace after watching too many of their children march off to war. It continues with Ann Jarvis’ daughter, Anna, who wanted to honor her mother and honor all the ways that women continue to work to reshape the world. Today is for all those women who’ve learned the hard way that new life only comes through struggle and pain – and though it feels like it will tear you apart, the struggle is worth it when that new life enters in.

 Today is Mother’s Day. But in the church, today is Ascension Sunday – the day when we remember how, forty days after Easter, ten days before Pentecost, Jesus ascended into heaven. And it’s an ambivalent and complicated sort of day, too. Today we revisit the story of Jesus’ broken and resurrected body taking its place in glory… and there is joy as Jesus is lifted up, as he’s exalted, there is gratitude for his presence and all that’s been shared – and there is grief because he’s leaving, and something beautiful is ending, and no one really knows what happens next. The disciples enter into an uncertain season of in-between: Christ has risen, Christ will come again… but not yet. He’s gone, and he promises to send the Holy Spirit… but he Spirit hasn’t come quite yet.

 This is where most of our life, where most of our faith, takes place: in the in-between. And what does it look like, to praise God in the in-between? In the days when it’s complicated, when we’re ambivalent and torn? When joy and grief come hand in hand? Somewhere in between the dream and its fulfillment, between the sorrow and the reunion? What does it mean to keep the faith when love and loss flow mingled down? When the promises have yet to be fulfilled, and the story isn’t over yet?

 What does it look like to praise God when the scars are still fresh and there is still so much left undone?

 That’s where we live – in the in between. And it takes faith to believe we’re being blessed even when God seems further and further away. It takes faith to keep going when you just want to walk away. And it takes faith to keep praising God in the meantime when we can’t see God, can’t hear God, when we don’t know what happens next. All we have is the promise that we will not be abandoned or forsaken. Before leaving, Jesus promises, “I will not leave you orphaned,” so we hold onto faith that good-bye is not the end.

 In other versions of the ascension, the disciples are left staring, confused, gaping into heaven. But I love this telling from Luke’s gospel, because as Jesus goes, he offers blessing upon blessing – and the disciples go to wait, praising him,

full of faith for the in between.

 Motherhood has broken my heart. The church has broken my heart. But I’m still here. And I’m not giving up. I still have faith. I believe the story isn’t over yet.

 As we live in our own in between, may we be full of praises and full of faith

 May we keep saying the things that shouldn’t need to be said, because someone needs to hear them. May we keep doing the work that we thought was over years ago.

 Flowers fade – but faith, hope, and love remain. And in the end, love wins.

  Oh God, we struggle today – as we give thanks for the love we’ve seen and known in our own lives, as we give thanks for the love that we’ve given and received… and as we are reminded that there are still so many places and so many ways that hatred and injustice seem to be winning. Help us to have faith, as we live in these complicated and ambivalent days; help us to believe that you bless us, even in the in-betweens, and help us to have enough faith to keep praising you – and by your grace, by your power, to keep faithfully working for new beginnings and new life to enter in. In Christ’s name we pray; amen.

[cool-angela-me-blog1]

Vanshika Ahuja

“My mother has always been my Inspiration and she is the one who motivated me “unintentionally” to become an independent strong woman just like her.”

Le Amusant believes in recognizing young and budding talent from different parts of the country, needless to say that we love sharing the experiences of women entrepreneurs who have dared to step out of their comfort zone and create an identity for themselves. I came across  one such daring and successful entrepreneur who has dedicated her life for fashion designing.  Vanshika and myself happen to have shared two years of high school life together but little did I know that she would turn out to be a business woman later on. Le Amusant was lucky enough to get in touch with her and find out her secret to becoming an entrepreneur.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a Pearl Academy Graduate, I started my own venture when I was in 3rd Year i.e. 2014.

I graduated in 2015 when I completed my Graduation Project and also celebrated 1st Year Anniversary of my Label. My college taught me basically everything from working on different materials with different people, with an 6 months experience of Industry Internships and a lot more.

Although my specialization is into clothing but we are taught design almost anything and everything from the Foundation Year.

 What motivated you to start your own business?

 Since I was in 8th Standard I knew I wanted to be a Fashion Designer and always aspired to be one entrepreneur as well. I have always been a creative person and all thanks to my Mom who is also a Fashion Designer and had a boutique for 10 years or so I remember.

I saw my mom juggling between her married and professional life, She managed a household with 3 Daughters and also her work with such ease and passion. She has always been my Inspiration and she is the one who motivated me “unintentionally” to become an independent strong woman just like her.

I initially started designing for myself as I felt the things that I was looking for were not available in the market. Since everyone appreciated what I designed (friends and Family) They wanted me to designs the same things for them too.

Even though I wanted to start my own venture dint know I would start this early, All thanks to the tremendous support and response I got from the people around me which also motivated me to start my own business at the age of 20.

Company Logo for the website

Tell me how did you go about it and what kept you going to become a successful business woman?

( Could see her eyes blooming with excitement to share her story)

So me and my best friend who is a jewelry designer, We started together as partners in our 3rd year. Initially started with market study, literally going to every possible market to see what all has already been designed , at what price also to understand customer behavior towards products , Held surveys in our college as the age group matched our target audience as well.

We started all the work by our selves from fabric sourcing , screen printing , stitching , packaging, photo shoots etc with no labor appointed as we not take any monetary help from our families and we had to save every penny to invest further in our venture.

 Tell us a little bit about your organisation.

We are an online setup based in Delhi, besides having our own website we also have a collaboration with 28 other websites and a few multi-designer stores. We are a Team of 9 People and some of us work 7 days a week.

 Who or what motivates you every morning?

 The Support from my Team is mainly what keeps me going.Also making people happy and seeing them delighted wearing something I created gives me immense happiness.

I just had the opportunity to quickly run through your website and I should tell you that I ended up spending an hour browsing through the amazing collection you have.

Well , Thank you so much ( with a modest laugh)

Collections get tempting as you browse through

Why would you choose women accessories and shoes?

Have you seen a guy fuss over shoes with every outfit? Probably not. And girls? Hell yes!

They need different footwear with different outfits and I don’t blame them.The color,mood, occasion , style etc of the footwear must got with outfit. So,there was more scope in girl’s accessories.

  Those shimmery clutches and funky colors are tempting for my soul. How do you come up with such beautiful designs? Does it involve brainstorming sessions and caffeine overdose?

Thank you.

It surely involves a lot of brainstorming sessions since people are constantly looking for something new and fresh. Thanks to my Design Team for their passion towards work and the effort they put in.

Since Punk and metal is are niche, we like to play around that, creating something innovative and interesting and not loosing the essence of the brand at the same time. Not only that but also keeping ourselves updated about what is being designed around us and at what price that’s how we are always able to give our customers something different at an affordable price.

What is your personal favorite from the entire collection?

My personal favorite from the entire collection has to be the Metallico collection which has mostly black base juttis and clutches with metal embellishments which are fierce, sassy, edgy, bold and beautiful at the same time.

I see that you have a separate section of kids collection which looks amazing. Do you plan to venture into men’s accessories anytime soon?

Designing for Men? A lot of my friends have been pushing me for it, but I am not too sure about it now. I want to take things slow just so I can handle it well.

For now the number of categories that we have keeps us working almost 24*7 , Until we master women’s and kid’s fashion we won’t be getting our hands into Men’s accessories anytime soon.

  The collection seems never ending….

What are the challenges you faced during the start-up in your business?

There are people who still don’t take girls seriously. They think they can take us for a ride. There were people who thought I am doing this just to pass time. And because it required a lot of field work-like going to be by-lanes of Chandni chowk, Karol Bagh, I was told to drop it since it wasn’t worth the effort many people said.

My father wanted me home before 8PM.

Initially I had started working with my best friend but that dint last for very long, we ended our partnership in 3 months along with our friendship. Our working methods did not match, our way of doing things were totally different. That’s when I learnt never to mix relationships into business. Since the brand was constantly growing I had to find the right people for my organization which is the biggest issue I think, who can help you progress.

Then as a startup you are expected to keep highly nominal prices to establish your footing in the market and let yourself be known to people. On top of all the hassles of establishing a brand, we always tried to give our customers the best experience shopping with us.

  Where do you see yourself and your organization in 10 years?

My dream & our aim is to become a large company and a recognized brand with hundreds of employees and perhaps thousands of orders in a day.  To do so, we have to invest in acquiring customers and giving them a great experience of premium, high quality & affordable products. I want to reach out to as many customers as we can and want my brand to be a Global one with stores all around the world.

Would you tell our readers about any new collection that they can look forward to.

We have recently launched a new collection of quirky ,floral prints. Perfect for the Summer!

There are many women out there who have the talent and the qualities of a successful entrepreneur but not many succeed. Would you like to give them any advise or tips?

Designing sounds very fancy and glamorous but it isn’t. Its is like any other business.

You design only 10% of the time and the remaining 90% goes in managing karigars/staff/maintainance/rent/electricity bills and GST haha It took us quite some time to understand that one. It just added on to the trouble now we file GST returns every month and the list is endless.

 So figure out what you want right at the outset,if you love to design, then work with a designer/firm and become irreplaceable there, aim big and if you want to own a business and take on all the paraphernalia that comes with it then do that, but get ready to hit rock bottom before you rise.

College , internships is the best time to figure out your strengths and who you are.Sometimes it is important to be on your own because it teaches you a lot—so travel ,study abroad to step out of your comfort zone if possible.

Any other message you would like to give to our readers.

Take your time to set up your own business even if you think you are talented and have sufficient funds,work under someone for a year or two,learn at their expense not your own.

Keep in touch with your faculty and friends and don’t be impatient. One needs to realize that they need to make the maximum of their time in college because that’s where you are laying down the foundation for your future career.

Le Amusant thanks Vanshika to agree to be a part of this enlightening interview and wishes that she continues to following her passion and inspire many other girls who wish to do the same.

If you have any story to tell or wish to be featured on our blog~azine, please leave a comment on the comment box below or mail us your story at [email protected].

In Conversation with Fashion Entrepreneur ~ Vanshika Ahuja "My mother has always been my Inspiration and she is the one who motivated me “unintentionally” to become an independent strong woman just like her."

#Conversation #Design #Designer #Entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #Fashion #interview #Vanshika #women #Womenempowerment #Wonderwoman

[thunder0-0sage]

Summerbolt (manga script) - chapter 8

CHAPTER 8: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

 We see King and Exo on the cover as the one’s eating huge amounts of food from a massive pot while the other one’s looking at him, drooling with shining eyes to which the maniac responds with a mocking laughter.

‘Only the strongest and bravest ones will have the right to eat!! We’re both, right?! (Well, at least one of us is!!)’

  We see the trio Yuki-Hikaru-Seiren, standing in front of Hock and Gorudora, the mad genius and pervert gritting their teeth while their opponents are smirking villainously.

‘The class feud is not over and is now heading to a really dreadful direction! What casualties are there gonna be this time?!’

Seiren: ‘-If you want to fight the two of us, right here and right now, that’s fine with me!! I’ll wipe the floor with you myself, actually!!’

Gorudora: ‘-Don’t push your luck, kid! You’ll get your chance! We’re talking about a class battle. (Yuki is confused while Hikaru and Seiren are even more maddened) You said yourselves that you’ll do anything to protect her. Now fight to prove it!!’

Hock: ‘-Let’s see what your class can do as a whole against ours! Since Yuki and Ulura have already fought, though, they won’t be participating. Without your baby doll, you stand absolutely no chance of winning!!’ (Hikaru grins in a most destructive way, veins protruding all over his face while lightning bolts start jumping around him)

Hikaru: ‘-You’ve got it!! We accept your challenge on behalf of our class! Let’s see who’ll live till the end!!!’ (Yuki is waving with her hands next to him, terrified)

Yuki: ‘-Wow, wow, wait a minute! Nobody’s gonna die, Suru!!’

Seiren: ‘-Come at us, freaks! We’ll blast all of you to hell!!’

Gorudora: ‘-You won’t get off so easily this time!!’

Later on, we see the Summerbolts’ house, shaking from someone’s wild roar and then Yuki and Hikaru are seen, sitting in the living room, in front of whom is Saya (the one roaring wildly with a comical angry face) while Graid, Iziya and Rose are standing nearby with comical puzzled expressions, sighing in the same time.

Saya: ‘-You freakin’ idiots!! How could you agree to such a thing?!! Do you have any idea what a class battle means?!!’

Hikaru: ‘-I have a slight hint about it.’ (Saya pierces him with her burning gaze, making him freeze in comical horror)

Saya: ‘-You be quiet! You’ve never participated in something like this!!’

Yuki: ‘-How bad can it be? It’s just a small battle between students, right?’

Saya: ‘-IT’S NOT LIKE THAT AT ALL!!!!!!’ (the shock wave from her roar slams both of them in the wall, comically puzzling the rest of the Summerbolts behind the fiery mom, now even more comically angry)

Hikaru: ‘-What are you saying then?! Were we supposed to run?! A Summerbolt never runs from a fight and always faces the challenges of life head-on!!! You’ve taught me that!!! Stubbornness is our family’s main trait, isn’t it?!’

Saya: ‘-I understand that you want to fight, Suru, but this is too big for you guys. Leaving Ulura aside, there are many strong and capable deviants in her class. Most of the girls from your class can’t even fight. Yuki won’t be participating. The main fight is gonna be on you six boys’ shoulders.’

Hikaru: ‘-We’re totally gonna crush them!!!

If they can’t give up their pride because of their queen’s downfall that doesn’t mean we should give up ours when we’re being challenged!!!’

Saya: ‘-Anything goes in fights like this except for killing!! All the bastards from Ulura’s class are just as sadistic as her and they won’t hesitate one bit to maim your classmates. You and Sele think only of yourselves but even if you somehow manage to get out of it with only a few scratches, what will happen to the others? They’ll suffer because of your arrogance and foolishness!’ (Hikaru is saddened, looking aside while Yuki puts her hand on this shoulder and Saya sighs, joined by the rest of the Summerbolts)

Saya: ‘-It can’t be helped. It’s too late now. The only thing left to do is … (winks at the two with a flame in her eye) … TO PREPARE YOU FOR THE BLOODY MELEE!!!!’ (Yuki and Hikaru hug each other with comical terrified expressions)

Yuki, Hikaru: ‘-Scaryyyyyyyyyyy … !!!’ (Graid, Iziya and Rose slap their faces with their palms, comically desperate)

Iziya: ‘-Not again …’

Rose: ‘-Looks like she’s lost it completely …’ (Saya roars at her relatives, comically angry once again, throwing them out the house with the following shockwave)

Saya: ‘-I HEARD THAT!!!!’

Graid: ‘-What the hell was that foooooooooooooooooooooor?!!!?!’ (Saya then turns back to Yuki and Hikaru)

Saya: ‘-We start tomorrow morning!!! You better prepare yourselves for the most hellish time of your lives, brats!!!!’ (she says that with a monstrous grin while the two friends tremble in fear once again)

Hikaru: ‘-We’re doomed!!!’

Yuki: ‘-Why does this sort of stuff always happen to us?!’

The next morning the duo is seen doing push-ups in the Summerbolts’ yard, observed by Saya who’s shouting at both of them.

Saya: ‘-Yuki, you’re doing really great!!! That’s the spirit!! (turns to Hikaru with a destructive look) Hikaru, you fuckin’ piece of shit!!! You’re completely worthless, damn bastard!!!’ (Hikaru raises his head for a moment, looking at his mother)

Hikaru: ‘-Well, sorry, mom, but I’m not a superhuman like Yuki.’ (Saya leans to him, totally crushing his ears and brain with her angry roar)

Saya: ‘-Do I look like I care?!!? You will become one!!! I’ll make you a superhuman!!! Your deva alone isn’t enough!!! You need to enhance your physical abilities as well!!’

Yuki: ‘-Keep going, Suru! We won’t win if we don’t train!!!’

Hikaru: ‘-And why are you even training when you’re not gonna be in the fight?!’ (Yuki smiles in a cute way while continuing with the push-ups)

Yuki: ‘-A little work-out from time to time is very good for the health, right? That’s what King says.’ (Hikaru looks at her with a comical tortured and angry expression)

Hikaru: ‘-Good for you.’

Saya: ‘-Okay, that’s enough. (Hikaru falls on the ground half-dead while Yuki jumps up in a most lively way, helping him get up) Time for you to go to school. We’ll continue when you get back.’

Hikaru: ‘-I won’t be able to survive like this for much longer.’ (Saya turns to him with a burning gaze once again, making him freeze in horror)

Saya: ‘-Did you say something?!’ (Hikaru turns to her, still trembling)

Hikaru: ‘-Nope. Nothing at all.’

Then we hear Yuki talking about how her life in Deckstoru’s going.

Yuki: ‘-It was another typical morning in the Summerbolts’ house.

(Graid is throwing all kinds of dishes in different directions, stuffing his mouth with lots of food at the same time while Rose smasher her rocky fist in his head with a comical angry expression and Iziya passes by like a tornado, cleaning the floor quickly) For the short time I had spent with Hikaru’s family, I was getting along really well with all of them – Saya, his fiery mom (Hikaru lands next to Graid with a bolt and they start fighting and eating at the same time, smashed by the comically mad Saya’s burning fists), Iziya, his always distracted aunt (Iziya lands on the table as Yuki sits next to her and only then do they see that she’s destroyed some of the food with her tornado earlier, comically desperate), his uncle Graid, as strong as a rock, as fast as a flash and as idiotic as an infant (Graid goes around, gathering all the food on the ground with his superspeed and putting it in new dishes, throwing them in front of everyone, getting ready to sit down when he slips and falls on the ground, comically puzzled) and his grandmother that looks like a little girl, Rose. (Rose slaps her face with her palm while observing what her children are doing) Saya explained to me that the family has a special gene from her mother’s side that leads to an opposite change in appearance with the growing of age, so they become a lot younger rapidly. (later on, Yuki is seen walking between Hikaru and Seiren who are quarreling as usual making her sigh with a comical desperate expression) I get along with the perverted Seiren quite well, too because in spite of his passion for women he’s actually a great guy. He and Hikaru don’t see eye to eye that much, though. (the trio reaches ‘Sunbird’ High school, meeting their classmates in the classroom where everyone welcomes them with smiles and happy shouts) As for the rest of the boys from my class, they’re all great and the girls became my friends almost immediately. (suddenly Hikaru jumps at Vega and King who are laughing about something and Seiren and Tokura join the fight as well, dragging the comically desperate Exo with them, making the girls go and separate the fighting sides, only making the mess bigger while Yuki sighs with a slight smile) They tend to be pretty short-tempered but that’s exactly why I love them! (in the end, everyone’s laughing on the ground amidst the destruction when the class teacher, Tenji Line, steps inside the room, comically shocking the hot heads) They … and this whole city … everything around here is just so ALIVE. I love Deckstoru more than anything!!!’

When the lunch break comes, everyone goes to the canteen and this time the whole class is sitting together on three tables next to each other, looking with destructive anger at the members of Ulura’s class, gathered on the tables nearby, laughing mockingly and villainously.

King: ‘-I can’t wait to crush those damn motherfuckers!!!’ (Exo is crying with a comical desperate and scared expression at that time)

Exo: ‘-Suru, Sele, why did you involve everyone in this?! I don’t want toooooo!!!!’ (Tokura hits him in the head, slamming him on the floor with a comical angry face)

Tokura: ‘-Shut it, you cowardly nerd!!! We’re definitely going to take them apart!!!’

Vega: ‘-Someone has to free our school from their dominion, after all.’

Seiren: ‘-And that someone …’ (the five boys smile decisively as their elements start swirling around them)

Hikaru: ‘- … is going to be US!!!!’ (Exo jumps in front of the five, still comically scared)

Exo: ‘-I’m not gonna be a part of this!!! I’m too scareeeeeeeeeed!!!’

‘It doesn’t matter what they’re up against, Yuki’s schoolmates will always stand together (even though some of them don’t want to!!)!!!’

 THE END

#manga #fantasy #script #original #epic