#he's just twice as deadly and three times as protective of his siblings

[loxare]

More Untamed ficlets when I should be sleeping, yay!

Madame Yu hated the boy.

But if she were inclined to be fair, which she usually isn't, she would have to admit that it wasn't because of anything the boy himself did. No, she hated the rumors that his presence sparked, that her husband would disrespect her enough to have an affair with a woman who had rejected him. She hated the way that despite her best efforts, her children regarded him as a sibling. But most of all, she hated the way her husband looked upon the boy with more tenderness than he did upon his own children. Her own children.

It was far too late to get rid of him. Now that he had developed a golden core, to toss him out without teaching him how to properly develop it would be worse than negligence. An improperly developed core could lead to overloaded meridians, causing weakness in the body later in life. So no, she couldn't just kick him out.

But perhaps she could make use of him in another way.

Her maids packed efficiently, as they always have. The boy was training, and as such it was nothing for Yinzhu to sneak in and put a change of clothes in a bag for him. He would not need much. As Madame Yu wrote a note to her daughter, to avoid straining her constitution with worry, Jinzhu got the boat ready. Jiang Fengmian received no such note. He could pace a hole in the floor for all she cared.

By the time Madame Yu walked onto the dock, the boat was prepared and her maids were seated primly, a confused, sulking and soaking wet Wei Ying between them. She raised her eyebrow. Yinzhu said, "He was struggling, so I put him in the lake until he cooled off."

"I told you I could walk by myself," Wei Ying groused. "You didn't need to carry me."

Madame Yu's exact order had been for Yinzhu to pick up Wei Ying from training when they were ready to go. If she decided to interpret her orders entirely literally, Madame Yu was not going to take that from her. Especially since she had also ordered her maids to mind Wei Ying and keep him from annoying her as much as possible. They should get to have some fun.

The journey was peaceful. The river was slow this time of year, so the trip upriver was quick and not turbulent. Wei Ying ran to and fro on the boat but, largely due to Jinzhu and Yinzhu's efforts, stayed away from the shaded pavilion Madame Yu sat under. He fell into the water twice. Gradually, the river narrowed as tributaries branched off, and the water became the swift, clear white waters Madame Yu knew best, and the disciples driving the boat were forced to put down their bamboo poles and use talismans to propel the boat instead.

Finally, they stopped. Meishan Yu had one dock for trading, situated on a slow moving canal dug for that exact purpose. The rest of the river was too fast for any boat to stay docked for long and ran as wild and free as the people who lived along it. The disciples were given their orders, to wait for Madame Yu's return, and then Madame Yu and her maids took their charge into the mountains.

The hall of her grandmother was grand and old, although not as old as the woman herself. It was not a sect headquarters, not technically, but it was where most of the juniors were trained before they were sent into the wilds to complete their lessons.

Her grandmother sat in the central chair on the dais, with Madame Yu's twin elder sisters on either side. Madame Yu stopped a respectful distance away. Jinzhu and Yinzhu retreated to the sides of the hall. They would not be needed here. At her side, Wei Ying fell to his knees and pressed his forehead against the floor, as she had instructed him. Madame Yu bowed. "Popo. Da-jie. Er-jie."

"Ziyuan." Da-jie stood at her grandmother's nod, and took three steps forward, so Madame Yu was addressing her directly. She was the head of Meishan Yu. It was only right. "Why have you come here?"

She knew already. Madame Yu had sent a letter ahead. But now it was time for Madame Yu to make her case. "I have come to have this child trained as a Pearl." Beside her, Wei Ying gasped. She had not told him of the reason she was bringing him here. It was not his business. Wisely, he said nothing.

Da-jie sniffed. "You have two Pearls, Ziyuan. To have more is greedy."

"Not for myself. For my son."

Er-jie laughed. She had not approved of Ziyuan's marriage, but she had not had a voice at the time. "Your son is Jiang. Only Yu may have Pearls."

"My son is half Yu. The blood of the steppe runs through his veins as it does mine." He was not much of a Yu, to be fair. His anger was as quick as the river that rushed through the wilds, but he was timid in his decisions, too soft and slow to deviate from the path carved before him. He was like the slow rivers of Yunmeng.

Perhaps he should come here for training as well.

Da-jie considered. Madame Yu knew it would not be a hardship for her to train Wei Ying. The training for a Pearl was far more intensive than for a disciple, but Wei Ying had already shown a knack for learning and adapting quickly. And it would be a change of pace for Da-jie, who changed the training schedule weekly to keep from getting bored. Training a Pearl would keep her entertained for a while.

Slow as the sun setting behind the mountain, a smile crept over Da-jie's face. "One Pearl for half a Yu. Very well, Ziyuan. Shanzhu. Fengzhu." At her call, Da-jie's Pearls came forward. "Take this out into the field and test him."

Shanzhu grabbed Wei Ying by the back of his robes and hauled him to his feet. He looked upon her with eyes wide. "Madame Yu?"

She did not owe him an explanation. He owed her sect his life and she was going to ensure that life would be a useful one. But something in his gaze made her soften. She did not owe him an explanation. But for most of his life, he had not had a home. And now she was taking from him what her husband had promised would always be his. So Madame Yu said, "you may return to Lotus Pier once you have finished your training."

Wei Ying did not get a chance to respond, as Shanzhu pulled on his arm and dragged him away. But he looked determined rather than frightened.

Er-jie watched as they left. Then she slung an arm around her younger sister's shoulders. "Well. While you're here, why don't we renegotiate our trade contracts? I would love to take even more chilis and lotus silk from you."

"Xiao-Yan." Popo stood and took Ziyuan's hands in her own. "Welcome back, Xiao-Yuan. Come. You shall have lunch and tell me of my grandchildren, and then you will explain why they haven't visited me in four years."

"Yes Popo." Lunch was delicious, and almost as hot as she preferred it to be.

The trip home was quick and quiet, especially with Wei Ying no longer on the boat. When she got home, she was pleased to see that a-Li had not told her father where Wei Ying was, as she had requested. A-Cheng was grumpy but not worried, so she had told him, but Fengmian was in a state of panic. He clearly hadn't played enough attention to his children to see that they were calm.

He was not pleased when she told him where Wei Ying was. But in the end, he did not have a leg to stand on. As the Lady of Yunmeng Jiang, she had final say on which disciples she trained personally and which she did not. If she decided to outsource the training of a disciple to another sect, that was her business. Additionally, she could guarantee that Wei Ying would be fed, clothed, and housed while he was gone, which is what he had been promised when Fengmian had acquired him.

A-Cheng and a-Li both spent the fall and spring in Meishan for the two years after that. The year after, Wei Ying returned as Tiezhu and received Wuxian as a courtesy name, the same day a-Cheng received Wanyin.

Wei Wuxian had used his time in Meishan well, and it did not take him long to catch up with the other juniors. Fengmian named him head disciple, probably to spite Madame Yu, but even she had to admit that he had the skills for it. Wei Wuxian was better even than some of his seniors.

Fengmian stopped praising Wei Wuxian for his skills when the boy stopped reacting well to them. In Meishan, pretty words were meaningless, as ephemeral as the clouds in the sky. Fengmian had never understood that in all the years they'd been married.

Wei Wuxian was stronger than her son. He always had been, and he always would be. Madame Yu had always known this. But now, he was a weapon for her son to wield, a sword to pierce his enemies or a shield to take the blows meant for him. Now, Wei Wuxian's strength was Jiang Wanyin's strength.

Madame Yu watched her son grumble at his laughing Pearl, as a-Li fed them baozi. Her own Jinzhu brought her some more tea while Yinzhu stood at her shoulder.

Her son would always be protected. Her daughter too, if Madame Yu read Wei Wuxian correctly. And this, this was something she could be content with.

***

Madame Yu gets Jinzhu and Yinzhu (gold pearl and silver pearl), so why not Jiang Cheng, I ask myself at an hour past my bedtime? Tiezhu means iron pearl, but the (very brief, very sleep deprived) research I did said that 铁 tie also means weapon, unshakeable, determined, strong, and close, as in "always close to Jiang Cheng". I thought it fit but I might disagree with myself in the morning.

Oh, and Shanzhu means mountain pearl and Fengzhu means summit pearl. Probably. Feel free to correct me if those are wrong

#Untamed #mdzs #Wei Wuxian #Madame Yu #Yu Ziyuan #wwx #Don't get me wrong this still isn't a great relationship for yzy and wwx #and it's not great for wwx's self sacrificial tendencies #like at all #this isn't really a fixit in that canon events will be better #or maybe they will idk I just work here #but it's better for both yzy and wwx #and also! a better use of resources! #Come on yzy you have an entire person here ready to throw his life away for your children! #You gotta focus that energy #Anyways the kids go to Gusu in a few months and wwx is just as much of a disaster as he usually is #because if the Burial Mounds couldn't completely destroy his personality nothing can #especially not a fun (?) two and a half years running around Meishan and learning from Shan-jie and Feng-jie #he's just twice as deadly and three times as protective of his siblings #Thinking about it I don't think jzx is going to get away with just one punch to the face #rip to jzx's pretty face I guess #Loxie's fics

[kpopwrites]

Drowning in A Dream Chapter 7

A/N: It’s here and super fast! I’m at a friends house so I have so much time to write! This is gonna be a fun time y’all. Read with caution man. 

TW: Possible smut in upcoming chapters, angst, fluff, swearing, mentions of depression, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, slight gore

   The room was silent, the only sounds being Namjoon’s pained breathing and the fireplace crackling as you stared at the men in shock. “You’re joking right? You really expect me to believe that I’m supposed to walk around and do my daily things with seven ghosts behind me?” You scoff, plopping down onto the arm chair with a huff. “I mean, kind of yeah. You get all the benefits. We each complete part of you.” Yoongi shrugged, yawning tiredly. “And what exactly are your sins? Jungkook was Wrath, we established that.” You ask, looking at Namjoon. “Well, I am Greed. You’ll notice I bring out the selfishness in most people, and I like collecting certain things.” He smirked, looking at the ceiling as Hoseok tended to his neck.

   “And you? I don’t remember beauty being a deadly sin.” You glare at Jin, causing him to grin. “No, but Pride is.” He chirped proudly, making you wince at just how happy he was to be the literal embodiment of Pride. “That’s why you scarred up those people. They were good looking.” Jin’s eyes lost their humor, though the smile stayed on his face. “Not as handsome as me, right darling? I’m your most handsome man?” He purred dangerously, making you shiver and lean back in the chair, gripping the iron tightly. 

   “Don’t forget about me!” Hoseok finished up Namjoon’s neck before sitting on the arm of the chair, giggling happily. “What do you think I am Sunshine?” He looked like a puppy, eager to please it’s owner. “Um… I can’t really remember all of the sins. I only know the major ones really. Wrath, Pride, Gluttony…. I usually forget after that.” Hoseok frowned darkly, huffing. “You forget the best one?!” Namjoon let out a throaty chuckle. “Hobi was chosen by Envy, so be careful of what you say.” Hoseok glowed with happiness as Namjoon said his sin. “Not that I would ever harm you my precious sunshine, but I get jealous of the others very easily.” He hummed, patting your head. You flinched, doing your best to subtly move away from the seemingly bipolar man.

   “Hyung, You’re scaring her.” Jimin mused, leaning back and stretching against the couch. “Who do you think chose me, my sweet little rabbit?” He flirted, winking. “Is over flirtatiousness a sin?” You grumble, causing Taehyung and Jungkook to burst out laughing. Jimin bristled, looking like an unhappy bird. “No. Lust chose me, due to how stunning I was.” Jin rolled his eyes at his younger brother's antics. “Please. Lust chose you because you were a dweeby virgin.” He shot, pushing Jimin to the side. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a good meal… I bet things will feel so much better with you.” Jimin ignored Jin, leaning forward and cupping your chin. “Enough Jimin. Don’t look into his eyes (Y/N), never look into a demon’s eyes unless you trust them completely.” Namjoon pulled Jimin back onto the couch, glaring at the smirking boy. 

   “Right, Greed, Pride, Envy, Lust, Wrath. That leaves Yoongi and Taehyung. Yoongi, sloth?” You guessed, rethinking how cranky he got when people disturbed his naps. He nodded, laying down on the couch and laying his feet on Jimin’s lap. “That leaves Taehyung with Gluttony, right? Makes sense considering how V comes out when you're hungry. Do you all have something like that?” You ask, mentally taking notes on how everything worked with these strange men. Of course, you were still freaked out, but the safest way to get out was to play along for now, until you could head home and decompress. “No. Tae’s sin didn’t bond with him as strongly as it did with us, he fought it until they agreed to share the body. V only comes out when he gets hungry.”

   “That’s why you put me behind you when I first met him, you knew V was out.” You commented, biting your lip. “Yes. Imagine my surprise when V became the most protective of you so quickly. I think it’s due to V being a pure demon that he realized before we did.” Namjoon smirked, scratching his chin as he stared at the fire. Taehyung looked down sheepishly, blushing as you moved closer to him. So far, Taehyung seemed the safest, especially with how upset V got at the mere sight of Jimin touching you. “So, each of you have powers, right? Namjoon makes people… selfish? That’s kind of stupid.” You admit, biting your lip and shrinking into Taehyung as Namjoon scowled. “I bring out the greed in people’s hearts. We all have advanced strength and speed, as well as a ‘true form’ that we don’t typically show.”

   Your curiosity peaked as you looked at him. “True form? Why not show it?” Namjoon looked at you, causing you to look at his nose instead, not wanting to look in his eyes. “When our true form is shown, we become like V, much more barbaric. We do enjoy parts of humanity, you know.” Even though he was smirking, there seemed to be a small amount of pain shining in his eyes, making you frown. Perhaps these men truly were lost souls, torn between the two halves of themselves.

   “I’m sorry.” You whisper. “For your neck. I had forgotten how bad Iron hurts creatures from other worlds.” Yoongi cocked his head to the side. “Where did you learn that, anyway? I doubt they teach that in school.” You laugh softly, shaking your head. “No, no, grandma would spend two hours twice a week teaching us myths and fairytales, wanting us to know everything we could. She taught us from a book she kept hidden and locked. I guess it wasn’t fake after all.”   You muttered, thinking back to when your grandma would sit you and your brothers down. 

   “What are we learning about today Grandma?” Felix asked, sitting criss cross on the floor as the four siblings stared at their grandmother in amazement. The old woman smiled at her grandchildren, patting the young boy’s head. “My precious boy, today we’re learning about ghosts.” Jooheon let out a whimper, hiding behind (Y/N). “Noooo, ghosts are scary.” He sniffled, making (Y/N) giggle. “I’ll protect you Joohoney.” They pulled their brother into their lap, giggling happily as Jooheon whined again. “Well, don’t you worry Jooheon, this story is all about good and bad ghosts. You’ll learn how to protect yourself from the bad ones and how to help the good ones.” Carrie smiled at the group of children before beginning to read from the large, leather bound book. 

   “And then you could just blast them! Like, Pow, pow!” San jumped around on the furniture, eagerly thrusting his little fists out as he beat up the air. Carrrie laughed. “No no San, your little fists won’t do anything to defeat evil spirits, no matter how strong you are.” The young boy grinned with pride, giggling as he sat down. Carrie began reading, looking up occasionally to make sure the young ones were paying attention. Soon enough, the story was over. “Now, what did we learn?” Jooheon’s hand raised slowly. “Bad spirits are scary, but don’t show them fear, since it empowers them.” He mumbled. Carrie nodded. “What else?” San raised his hand next. “They don’t like pure iron! That’s why (Y/N), Felix and I have these!” He held up the iron chain around his neck with the (Y/L/N) crest on it. “Why doesn’t Jooheon get one?” (Y/N) asked, cocking her head. “I told you, Jooheon is allergic to iron, it hurts his skin.” Carried smiled. “How will he protect himself?!” (Y/N) clung to their brother, sniffling at the thought of him getting hurt. “Jooheon can defend himself. Now, time for our lessons downstairs. (Y/N), it’s bed time for you.” (Y/N) frowned. “Why do I never get to join you guys? I want to learn more!” They whined, pouting deeply. “You’re not ready yet my dear. Come along Felix, San, Jooheon, (Y/N) needs to get to bed.” Carrie gave her youngest grandchild a hug before walking off with the other three, leaving (Y/N) behind in their wake. 

   “(Y/N)?” A large hand appeared in front of your face before wiping the tear you hadn’t notice fell away. You looked over, spotting a concerned looking Taehyung. You quickly wiped away your tears, sniffling as you looked away. “Sorry, I was just thinking about how insane this is.” You lie softly, biting your lip before sitting up straight against the chair. “Don’t apologize for your emotions Jagi.” Taehyung smiled softly, patting your head. “You should get going soon darling. It’s going to be dark within the hour.” Jin commented. “Come back tomorrow, we’ll talk again then.” The men stood up, except Namjoon who stayed seated in his chair, staring at the fire. “Drive safe. If you need any of us, say our name in front of a candle. We’ll come to you immediately.” He spoke, looking at you with a small smile. You nod, awkwardly setting the fire poker down. 

   “Sorry again for the… neck thing.” You cleared your throat before grabbing the four wheeler helmet and heading outside. “Tomorrow. After you get with work.” Taehyung smiled, standing outside on the porch as you climbed onto the machine. You nod, starting the engine. “Tomorrow.” With those final words, you started down the mountain, unknowingly heading into the claws of the enemy. 

Taglist for Drowning in a Dream @jennyjq​​ @boy9wolf​​   @slutkoo​​ @flakeypancake​​ @leftflowerprunedonut​​ @vickylamore​​ @elenaramos1​​ @trinityautumn​​ @blackgirlutopia​ @viralsoftspot​ @qween-of-trash​

#BTS #BTS AU #Seven deadly sins au #bts x reader #ot7 x reader #Kim Namjoon x reader #Kim Seokjin x reader #Min Yoongi x reader #Jung Hoseok x reader #Park Jimin x reader #Kim Taehyung x reader #Jeon Jungkook x reader #gender neutral reader

[in-tua-deep]

In your Baby Five and Old Five AU (i think it's called Double Trouble but I couldnt find the masterlist), does the Commission ever reappear with any dirty tricks? The Handler couldn't sway or capture assassin Five, but now there is an actual child version of him who might not be able to fight back and escape so she could potentially get her hands on him and even train him up to whatever she wants him to be.

OKAY masterlist link in my description should be fixed but you were right!! It’s the double trouble au but here’s the other posts for that au just in case one, two, three, four, five;3c

HMM well the Handler is dead a la a bullet to the head by Hazel which I’m assuming she can’t come back from? I think? The time travel agents are sort of difficult to pin down with the death fates because they technically exist outside of the timestream so theoretically their deaths should be permanent, right? 

However the Commission is a big old organization so I can see the Handler being replaced and someone thinking that baby Five is vulnerable which,, lmao he’s not

Baby Five has been filled in on pretty much everything, he’s well aware that the Commission is an organization that a) advocated for the apocalypse that killed all his siblings, b) tortured Klaus and shot up the house, and c) traumatized his older self like. a lot. there’s a lot of trauma there. so he wouldn’t trust a commission agent as far as he could throw them with his skinny preteen arms

on the other hand, anyone who thinks baby Five would be an easier target… is also very incorrect lmao like old Five is dangerous have no doubt about that but when they picked him up his fighting skills had deteriorated thanks to. you know. no one to practice with/no time to practice/not enough food to keep up with a high calorie exercise regime. so they retrained him, and it was like riding a bike so he picked up everything twice as fast and because very much as deadly little thing

but baby Five is fresh out of a timeline where he is a) very much in practice, b) hasn’t let his skills stagnate like most of the others, and c) has frequently been on missions that require those skills to be fresh

so actually baby Five is the least vulnerable family member next to like. Old Five and Diego probably? Luther hasn’t fought anyone since getting his big body, which has to goof up some things. Klaus hasn’t exactly been keeping up with anything. etc etc but they know how to fight and can dust it off and all that, but it’s rustier than baby five for sure

I could definitely see the Commission being very interested in acquiring both Five’s, actually. Because Five’s powers, specifically the time travel ones but hey spatial jumping is nothing to sneeze at, are very much something they’d be interested in experimenting with. And if they have two of them, then they don’t have to be as careful bc hey, if their experiments offs one of them there’s a spare, right?

I also think it would be hilarious if the Commission tried to grab like. baby five but ended up grabbing old five because the duo frequently mix it up and pretend to be one another so like, you just have old Five waking up from being drugged and hearing a whole lecture on how he must be so confused but they’re going to tell him the real side of the story and of course they can put him back in his own original timeline and isn’t it cruel of his doppelganger to keep him from his real family?? :(

Five, making it back to his family: lmao what’s up guys sorry i was late 2 dinner i got a little bit kidnapped. nah nah, it’s cool. however i was thinking that a fun family bonding activity could be taking down the commission and destroying them? so who’s in?

or you have baby five being kidnapped and playing up the “innocent wide-eyed child” angle to get them to underestimate him and then just. going full ‘gremlins on a plane’ within the commission, crawling around air vents and jumping around and pulling wires and generally causing absolute chaos until the squad show up to get him (unless he gets his hands on a briefcase and gets to them first but like. do non commission people know how to use a briefcase?? klaus didn’t seem like he knew how to work it beyond “open sesame”)

can you imagine if the commission didn’t even know at first

like they send a hitsquad after five on principle like a few weeks after they stop the apocalypse and the squad is hit by not one but TWO angry and protective Fives. like the lone survivor they leave to take a message (the message is as follows: if y’all don’t fucking QUIT then the Fives are going to burn the commission to the ground) shows up and is like “you didn’t tell me there were fucking TWO of them”

Luther, who has to figure out what to do with the numerous commission bodies that the fives keep leaving like they’re both cats bringing home birds: can you guys maybe show like. the bare minimum of restraint. diego is literally going to blow a gasket if he sees mom scrubbing blood out of the carpets again. what are we even supposed to do with all these bodies, anyway? we can’t just keep tossing them in the crypt. 

Fives: …

Luther: no. no don’t fucking high-five each other over murder, oh my god.

the commission just. doesn’t know when to give up. and they DEFINITELY bit off more than they could chew with not one but TWO whole Fives lmao

#ask me #anonymous #double trouble au #tua #tua au #the umbrella academy #five hargreeves #number five

[neshabeingchildish]

CHASING THUNDERBOLTS HEADCANONS...

Per myself and @kiddangers 

kiddangersyes YEAH!!!!!!!! they just RADIATE kickass energy oh my god. like. don’t fuck with this trio they will mess! you! up!!but at the same time they’re all angels??? idek

mychenrymadness They're all cinnamon rolls that can kill you. 🥺

kiddangersyes!!!! exactly and i love them SO MUCH for it

kiddangers and god they’d just balance each other out SO WELL. i’d die for this trip*trio

mychenrymadness There's this line in my Chasper story where Jasper and their firstborn are kinda laughing at the idea of Charlotte "dropping" somebody and she just smoothly reminds them that she's a doctor and a scientist and don't need her fists to drop somebody. Immediate respect and fear. 😂

kiddangers YES MA’AM!!

mychenrymadness One of my first fandom crushes was Spock, from Star Trek The Original Series, so I LIVE for a kind but deadly smart character.

kiddangers those are literally the best kind of characters. i grew up with huge crushes on justin from wizards of waverly place and annabeth from percy jackson and chase so i felt that hard!!

mychenrymadness Like, can you imagine the fear that they'd put into someone that tried some slick with one of them??? 🥺🥺🥺

kiddangers YEAH!! all three are the type that are INCREDIBLY protective so you KNOW no ones hurting any of them and getting away with it

mychenrymadness I always think about the fact that Max exploded that lady TWICE over that fish head pizza and I'm like.. can you imagine if somebody HURT his loved ones???

kiddangers YEAH!! chase has also been repeatedly show to be insanely protective of his siblings and we’ve seen char ready to jump in to the fire for henry so...they will have each other’s BACKS

mychenrymadness 😭😭😭 It's so beautiful in my brain

kiddangers god yeah. like the development of their relationship would be a slow burn but have SO much tension from the very start

mychenrymadness I'm tortured by the thoughts of when Chase was SO SHOCKED that a girl actually liked him. 😭

kiddangersI KNOW. THAT EPISODE MAKES MY HEART HURT

mychenrymadness Can you imagine Charlotte flirting with him and him in his brain being like... Is.. is this HAPPENING???

kiddangers especially because he’s probably whipped for her from the start. imagine they’re working on something together and he’s both threatened and impressed by how brilliant she is and he’s just like. staring. and then she starts flirting with him and he gets all stammery and really can’t handle this!!!as a trio omg char and max being so openly flirty with chase and he’s just a blushing mess 24/7

mychenrymadness YES. And Max loves to pile it on, but when Charlotte flirts with him, he's just as gushing 🥺

kiddangers she has SO much power over both of them it’s amazing

mychenrymadness I don't care who is involved, of Charlotte is there, they whipped.

#Chasing Thunderbolts #Chase Davenport #Charlotte Page Bolton #Max Thunderman #Chase x Max x Charlotte #Chasing Thunderbolts Headcanons #Charlotte Page

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Reopening brings more coronavirus cases (NYT) The warning that echoed ominously for weeks is becoming a reality: Once states begin to reopen, a surge in coronavirus cases will follow. Thousands of Americans have been sickened by the virus in new outbreaks, particularly in the Sun Belt and the West. As of Friday, coronavirus cases were climbing in 22 states amid reopenings. Arizona, Texas and Florida are reporting their highest case numbers yet. California and Washington have reopened in a more incremental way, but have still seen an uptick in cases.

Coronavirus survival comes with a $1.1 million, 181-page price tag (Seattle Times) Remember Michael Flor, the longest-hospitalized COVID-19 patient who, when he unexpectedly did not die, was jokingly dubbed “the miracle child?” Now they can also call him the million-dollar baby. Flor, 70, who came so close to death in the spring that a night-shift nurse held a phone to his ear while his wife and kids said their final goodbyes, is recovering nicely these days at his home in West Seattle. But he says his heart almost failed a second time when he got the bill from his health care odyssey the other day. The total tab for his bout with the coronavirus: $1.1 million. $1,122,501.04, to be exact. All in one bill that’s more like a book because it runs to 181 pages. The bill is technically an explanation of charges, and because Flor has insurance including Medicare, he won’t have to pay the vast majority of it. But for now it’s got him and his family and friends marveling at the extreme expense, and bizarre economics, of American health care.

Protests focus on over-policing. But under-policing is also deadly. (Washington Post) By the time he was 18, Jay had already been shot twice. And he’d learned a lesson about how to keep himself safe in his high-crime New York neighborhood: He was always armed. Jay (a pseudonym we gave him to protect his identity) had little faith that the police would ever bring his assailants to justice—or that they could protect him from future attacks. “I just [know] where [my enemies] live and . . . the gang, I know that they be over there. . . . I gotta carry it in bad places.” As the protests sparked by George Floyd’s death at the hands of officers in Minneapolis have continued, fervent calls to “defund the police”—or even abolish departments altogether—have quickly risen to the top of some reformers’ wish lists. This push seems aimed at addressing the dangers of over-policing: not just obvious abuses like Floyd’s death but also heavy-handed law enforcement responses in communities of color to minor offenses, such as loitering, drinking in public or panhandling. But a great deal of scholarship has demonstrated that under-policing also leaves residents feeling perpetually underserved and unsafe. Residents of distressed urban neighborhoods have complained about ineffective policing for centuries, including officers’ rudeness, slow response times and lack of empathy for crime victims. Some residents of high-crime neighborhoods have long concluded that police are either incapable of keeping them safe or unwilling to do so—and a small subset of repeat offenders, like Jay and others we spoke to, have discarded the criminal justice system entirely as a viable mechanism for settling trivial disputes with enemies, opting instead to literally take matters into their own hands. The result is that many black and brown communities now suffer from the worst of all worlds: over-aggressive police behavior in frequent encounters with residents, coupled with the inability of law enforcement to effectively protect public safety. But defunding police departments would address only one side of this problem. And the real, and significant, dangers of under-policing would just get worse in the neighborhoods that most need the police to improve—not disappear.

Tourists dip their toes in water as top Mexican beach getaway reopens (Reuters) Foreign visitors have begun to trickle back to the white sands and warm waters of Mexico’s Caribbean coast as its popular beaches gradually reopen to tourism with new sanitary measures in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. “I’ve been stuck in New York City in my apartment for three months, so I decided that on the beach somewhere open was probably a good call,” said web designer Sam Leon, 31, after arriving Saturday at the airport of famed resort town Cancun. Others were similarly undeterred, even as Mexico reported record infection levels in recent days and in certain areas is at the peak of the pandemic.

Bolivian schoolteacher gives virtual classes as superhero (AP) Sometimes, Jorge Manolo Villarroel is Spiderman. Sometimes, he’s the Flash, or the Green Lantern. But he’s always a teacher—one who lives out his childhood dreams by dressing up as superheroes for the locked-down students who attend his virtual classes. His classes have become so popular that siblings fight for the laptop screen to learn from this costumed teacher. They, in turn, often offer him tech help. At 33, Villarroel speaks with the passion of a child. His modest room is filled with the masks and costumes of his characters, along with images of Christ, several Roman Catholic saints, revolutionary Che Guevara and his parents. Villarroel, who lives in a poorer neighborhood of the Bolivian capital, teaches art at the San Ignacio Catholic School in a wealthier area. His students range from 9 to 14 years old.

Yankee go home: What does moving troops out of Germany mean? (AP) After more than a year of thinly-veiled threats to start pulling U.S. troops out of Germany unless Berlin increases its defense spending, President Donald Trump appears to be proceeding with a hardball approach, planning to cut the U.S. military contingent by more than 25%. About 34,500 American troops are stationed in Germany—50,000 including civilian Department of Defense employees—and the plan Trump reportedly signed off on last week envisions reducing active-duty personnel to 25,000 by September, with further cuts possible. But as details of the still-unannounced plan trickle out, there’s growing concerns it will do more to harm the U.S.’s own global military readiness and the NATO alliance than punish Germany. The decision was not discussed with Germany or other NATO members, and Congress was not officially informed—prompting a letter from 22 Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee urging a rethink.

Delhi to use 500 railway coaches as hospital facilities to fight coronavirus (Reuters) India’s federal government said on Sunday it will provide New Delhi’s city authorities with 500 railway coaches that will be equipped to care for coronavirus patients, after a surge in the number of cases led to a shortage of hospital beds.

China reports 57 new cases, highest daily number in 2 months (AP) China on Sunday reported its highest daily total of new coronavirus cases in two months after the capital’s biggest wholesale food market was shut down following a resurgence in local infections. The Xinfadi market on Beijing’s southeastern side was closed Saturday and neighboring residential compounds locked down after more than 50 people in the capital tested positive for the coronavirus. They were the first confirmed cases in 50 days in the city of 20 million people. Authorities locked down 11 residential communities near the Xinfadi market. Police installed white fencing to seal off a road leading to a cluster of apartment buildings.

Kim Jong Un’s sister threatens S. Korea with military action (AP) The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened military action against South Korea as she bashed Seoul on Saturday over declining bilateral relations and its inability to stop activists from floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. Describing South Korea as an “enemy,” Kim Yo Jong repeated an earlier threat she had made by saying Seoul will soon witness the collapse of a “useless” inter-Korean liaison office in the border town of Kaesong. Kim, who is first vice department director of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Committee, said she would leave it to North Korea’s military leaders to carry out the next step of retaliation against the South. Kim’s harsh rhetoric demonstrates her elevated status in North Korea’s leadership. Already seen as the most powerful woman in the country and her brother’s closest confidant, state media recently confirmed that she is now in charge of relations with South Korea.

Thai entrepreneur connects Michelin bistros to those in need (AP) Natalie Bin Narkprasart’s business was in Paris. But she was locked down by COVID-19 restrictions and stuck in Thailand. Her heart was in Thailand, too—and it ached for her compatriots who were suffering in the pandemic. So she recruited a network of volunteers, including Michelin-starred chefs, to help those in her homeland whose already modest incomes were shattered by the pandemic restrictions. Her group, COVID Thailand Aid, says it has reached more than 30,000 people in more than 100 locations with care packages and freshly cooked food.

Kids around the world are out of school. Millions of girls might not go back. (Washington Post) She was 13 when the Ebola virus struck her country, shuttering schools across Sierra Leone. The closures lasted nine months, but Mari Kalokoh could not return to the classroom for years. Global shutdowns have pushed approximately 1.5 billion students out of school since March, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund, including 111 million girls in the world’s least developed countries. The disruptions are projected to end or seriously delay the education of 10 million secondary-school age girls. Parents in more traditionally conservative nations tend to prioritize the education of their sons, experts say. In West and Central Africa, 73 percent of boys older than 15 can read, compared with 60 percent of girls in the same age group. So when families lose income, they’re more likely to stretch the budget on schooling for boys, said Laila Gad, UNICEF’s representative in Liberia, a former Ebola hotspot. Remote learning, she added, is especially burdensome for girls, who are frequently expected to shoulder more cooking, cleaning and babysitting.

Pope appeals for end to Libyan civil war (Reuters) Pope Francis appealed on Sunday for both sides in the Libyan civil war to seek peace, urging the international community to facilitate talks and protect refugees and migrants he said were victims of cruelty. In an impassioned plea during his noon address in St. Peter’s Square, Francis said he was pained by the situation in Libya, which has had no stable central authority since dictator Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown by NATO-backed rebels in 2011. For more than five years Libya has had rival parliaments and governments in the east and the west, with streets often controlled by armed groups and sporadic fighting.

#headlines #news

[teething-possum]

Hi, here’s me attempting original writing based off a prompt. I call it The Gravedigger. I may write more to it later but,, here you go!

-

Im pretty sure this prompt came from @writing-prompt-s, but Im not 100% sure.

-

-

-

“Mr. Cyclonis, I’m going to have to remind you that brooding at your husband’s grave isn’t healthy behavior, and the cemetary closes in 15 minutes,” I spoke in a hushed tone to the silent man. He didn’t react, but I knew he heard me. I walked away, quietly, leaving him be. He would come to the cemetery at 5:28, bouquet and worries in hand, and then leave at 8:59 on the dot, every Thursday. He would be back next week, a new bouquet and fears to whisper at his husband’s gravestone.

I padded over to my shed, keys in hand. There was a funeral for Ms. Jacktop tomorrow, and I needed to dig her grave. No one digs graves by hand, or well, shovel, anymore, but I did. Couldn’t bare to do it with a backhoe, not after all these people have done for us. They deserve a place dug out of respect for what they have accomplished. Superheroes aren’t exactly made for digging graves for friends. That’s why I do it.

“Goodbye Grave,” a soft voice echoed. I closed my eyes and nodded my head as Mr. Cyclonis walks by. I didn’t want to see the tears in his eyes, but I could hear them in his voice. He didn’t deserve this. None of them did. I took a deep breath and head to the edge of the cemetery, where the gate is, and close it. I tugged the lock closed, placing the key back into my pocket. One of a million things done.

I quickly surveyed the graveyard itself. No grave seems disturbed, meaning no graverobbers so far tonight, nor any mistaken dead. It had happened more than once, but the first time is still etched in my mind.

A muffled shriek came from the freshly covered grave. I jumped in terror, not expecting a cry in the dead-quiet cemetery. I was doing the rounds, checking on each corner of the place for graverobbers. Never could be too careful with villains and petty thieves. However, I didn’t see anyone there. The shriek came again, louder. This time, I could hear words.

“Let me out! Someone, please! Get me out of here!” I took off towards the voice. After following the voice for a while, I glanced down. Then it hit me. The screams were coming from below ground, not above.

“Please, is anyone there? Please, help! Let me out!” I glanced at the freshly dug grave, and removed the shovel I carried on my back. Either this person was still alive, or I needed to get out of the cemetery business.

After 20 minutes, I finally reached the casket, tearing it open. Inside was Ms. Sonix, the superhero with the most powerful and deadly voice. She looked terrified. I took her to my little house on the edge of the property, and gave her a blanket and some tea.

As she calmed down, I called the superhero equivalent to 911, explained the situation, then asked her if there was anyone else she wanted me to call.

“… Can you call my partner, Scree? She… she must be heartbroken over this,” was the only phrase I got out of Ms. Sonix before she fell into tears. I patted her back, and made a call to the Superhero Assembly’s number. They had given it to me after I started working at the cemetery, promising that they just wanted someone they could trust looking over their fallen.

I hummed, carefully walking over to my no-longer-small house. I ran a halfway house for those with powers who didn’t wish to become anything super, hero or otherwise. Gretchen hovered around the porch, waiting for me.

“No graverobbers to chase off this time?” They asked, making quiet wind in the trees. Their power was simple: they were the wind, and their voice controlled how hard they blew. I shook my head and smiled.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Gretchen looked down at their feet- or their equivalent of feet. I waited for their answer.

“Joey had another prophecy. He wanted you, but you weren’t back yet. I promised him I would bring you to him as soon as you got back,” they replied, no louder than a soft breeze on a summer’s night. I nodded my head, grabbing the door handle and shuffling Gretchen inside.

Inside was soft chaos, the kind you see when you walk into a small child’s room when they clean it themselves; there was stuff everywhere, but in such a manner than it looked purposeful. I followed Gretchen to Joey’s door, and carefully open it. Joey sat on the edge of his bed, shock blanket over his shoulders and tea in hand. Emily and Avery sat next to him quietly whispering well wishes and calm thoughts.

“Alright guys, time for bed. I’ll take care of Joey,” I murmur, patting Emily’s shoulder. She nodded and grabbed Avery’s hand, leading her blind sibling away carefully. Gretchen followed them, using the wind to shut the door softly. I turned to Joey and sat down next to him.

“Joey? Can you hear me?” I whispered. Sometimes he lost the ability to sense things after receiving prophecies. Tonight seemed to be one of those nights. I gently touched his shoulder, and began to sign to him.

“You okay? Need help?” Joey shook his head. He closed his eyes and placed his tea down onto the floor. He sighed and opened his mouth, hesitated, beginning to sob.

“It… the… it was…” I patted his shoulder gently, letting him find his words. “I-it was about you, Grave, and I… I’m scared, scared that m-means we’re going to lose you,”

I blinked in surprise, but opened my arms to the boy. Comfort now, worry later. He launched himself into them, tears flowing down his cheeks. I rubbed his back, humming softly. He was only 9, the poor boy didn’t deserve this. None of these kids did, to be honest.

Eventually, Joey fell asleep and I laid him down, covering him with his blanket. I snuck out of the room, quietly shutting the door. I sighed, padding down the hall to check on the others. Emily and Avery were curled up together in their bed, as always. Gretchen was swirling quietly in their bed. Must be having a dream, I thought. Jack and Loop were asleep in their bunk beds, as were Hannah and Kiersten. I smiled, and went to check on my last tenant- Tuesday.

“Tuesday. It’s time for bed,” I called into the living room, where I knew he was. I could hear the video game he was playing. I heard it stop, and footsteps replace it.

“Do I have to? The electricity is so nice, and the game is fun,” I shook my head gently, pointing towards the bathroom.

“Brush your teeth, Mr. Electric, and head to bed,” I said plainly. He nodded his head and headed off. I sighed. Time to check the graveyard again, then to head to bed.

I whistled on the way back to the graveyard, carefully picking my way through the graves. Tomorrow was cleaning day, the day I clean each headstone and replace any flowers that had died. They deserved that much, I believed, especially after all they had done.

Walking up the path was calming, but quiet as death itself. I did not waver however, used to the deathly stillness of graves and dead air, and continued to weave my way to the other side of the cemetery. There, I found him.

He was a tall man, dressed in a rich navy suit with a deep blood-red cane. I didn’t know his name, but I knew his story. I knew his job.

“Have you come for me?” I asked, my voice carrying over the small distance between us. He shook his head and gently tapped his finger on his cane, once, twice, three times. I nodded my head thoughtfully. I bit my lip in worry. He didn’t come very often, but when he did…

“Have you came for one of my kids?” He nodded his head this time, tapping his finger on his cane once more, in the same pattern: once, twice, three times. I sigh, closing my eyes.

“You’ve come for Joey, haven’t you,” My voice was quiet, but strong. I would not break at his lack of words. I would not break at his appearance. I would not break.

“You aren’t taking him. Forget it,” My voice grew harsher with every word, spitting out each syllable like sunflower seeds. Joey had been with me for years, since he was a mere five years old. I would not let him be taken so easily. The man tapped his finger on his cane, once, twice, three times, and Joey was before us, floating in the air, still asleep. I shook my head, picking Joey up out of the air. He barely weighed anything at all; he never gained weight, no matter how much food I gave him. Joey would not leave tonight, I would make sure of it.

The man frowned, tapping his finger on his cane again, once, twice, three times. Must be tied to his power, I noted, mildly annoyed. No matter his power, he was not taking my kid. I met his scarlet eyes, and he looked away, turning. For the first time, I heard his voice.

“You can’t always protect them,” His voice was high, almost feminine, and streaked with self-righteousness. I gritted my teeth, pulling Joey closer.

“Get out before I have another grave to dig,” I said, my voice breaking as he nodded, tapping his finger on his cane, once, twice, three times before disappearing. I sighed, looking down at Joey’s soft face. The boy hadn’t woken up luckily.

“Let’s get you back to bed,” I mumbled, turning towards my house, and started the trek back.

#if you like it tell me!! #the gravedigger original work #the gravedigger #original work #writing prompt #prompt based #writing #i deserved to get shot for writing this tbh #writblr #writers #original characters #superheros #Grave (character)

[kai-borg]

The Mangai Trio

A second chance can change everything

In a time once following the same path as its original, and so many before it, three heroes of legend fell. From corruption, betrayal, and death. 

But now, now their time has been redone. It has become far different than it once was. 

An accident happened. 

An unforeseen event that was not supposed to be.

One was sent back. They were reforged. Their body remade twice over, their mind broken yet still held together, and changed through their future experiences and knowledge of what their chosen path and its choices brought unto them.

Once cruel, malicious, a betrayer to those he should’ve held most dear all for a foolish belief that a position of higher standing, no matter the cost it would take to gain nor where it came from, and what accepting it would mean, would lead to a better life than what he already had.

Now he knows how wrong he was. His mistakes unforgettable, his consequences and failures permanently etched into his body twice over, and the memories of what he caused, where his path eventually lead, and the horrifying fate he received, forever in his nightmares.

Now all he wishes is to, while unable to fix his own self’s idiotic choices of past, ensure he does not lose his family, that which brought him his only true happiness in life, something he wished he had realized so much earlier, again.

And he has succeeded. But with his success came change. Not just for himself, and those he aimed to save, but also how time and its past events once proceeded.

A fate he’d no way of avoiding. For a second chance can change everything.

Here we have the famous trio. Different from what they once were due to times own changes.

Nidhiki, the one who fell through time.

Tuyet, the one who lived.

And Lhikan, the one who turned ‘renegade’. 

-===================-

So, first off some basic info for this AU/timeline thing. 

Basically in this world (i.e my story/Tekan’s timeline) everything basically went exactly the same as it did in the canon beyond the inclusion of Tek, who honestly could’ve just been your average background Ta-Matoran of little import, especially after they all lost their memories (I.e. his friendship with Takua) following Teridax’s temporary takeover... or at least it did at first.

The two differences, both so surprisingly small for how big the changes they caused became, but perhaps such makes sense when it is considered that both were related to the Vahi.

First was the time of the Vahi’s completion, or at least its near completion. In this world Vakama had nearly completed it early, early enough that upon Teridax’s ‘proper’ reveal through means of draining the power plant, he had a mask that, while technically wearable, was far from stable, much less controllable.

The second was Teridax’s choice in who, and what he was going to absorb. 

While, yes, he did of course take Nidhiki and Krekka first, in this world the risk of letting the Vahi, now completed to a point where he himself could easily finish it if need be, slip through his grasp was enough to tip the balance from, ‘letting the Metru escape', to instead, ‘taking them out early/at all’. Certainly a change in plan, but as we who have read the story know it would’ve honestly done little in preventing it.

In fact it would’ve most likely decreased its timeframe by an astronomical amount. Certainly, the Toa were useful in getting him what he wanted, but as was fairly obvious the Makuta themselves could’ve just as easily accomplished the tasks themselves.

There’s very little beyond a Toa that can slow a Makuta for an amount of time that actually counts, much less kill them, and honestly nothing of the sort was really utilized in protecting the various necessities of Teridax’s plan. 

Even the ‘impenetrable’ shield protecting its final, and most import ‘key’ was quite quickly shown to be a false label.

So by removing the Toa in their entirety, well, all that’s left is the OOMN and truthfully when compared with the Brotherhood, well, they’re at best just even, and at worst, rather,well, disadvantaged.

So, Teridax in this world choice to also go for the Toa following his meal of a crab-spider, and its one eyed friend. This would both removed future irritants, and gain him the Vahi, which he could easily finish himself. Especially seeing as how he’d soon absorb Vakama, the one who was making it, into himself.

Unfortunately for Teridax, said choice didn’t exactly go to plan. But hey, how could he have expected Vakama to be so desperate as to put on, and attempt to activate the unstable, highly powerful mask he’d yet to complete in attempt to stop him as he’d made a grab for the Toa.

Due to said instability of the legendary mask, upon activating it instead of simply stopping, or at least merely slowing Teridax’s shadow hand, Vakama instead literally broke time around not only his fellow Toa who were in range of the mask, but also around Teridax’s entire self. The uncontrolled temporal energy quickly latching onto, and arcing through Teridax’s entire being. Including the yet to be fully absorbed duo he’d grabbed earlier.

This ‘breakage’ of time managed to create a sort of... pause, or saved point in time. An area where no matter what actions were taken would somehow repeat itself throughout the timeline. 

A loop of sorts, but also one that saved the... imprint of the original selves of those affected. An imprint which would recombine with its ‘new’ versions, forcing them to remember how their original timeline went in comparison to whatever differences may have occurred in their new one up to that point.

It also further affected Teridax and those... ‘combined. Due to the energy that crawled through Teridax’s gaseous self being a fair bit more unstable.

Of the three two,the dark hunter duo, found themselves rocketed back in time as copies, and the third, the ‘dark lord’, found himself combined with his past self, but left with only foggy, fragmented remains of his ‘original’ self’s memories. Certainly not as great a fate as the other two, but it was more than enough to cause some... changes, some steps taken earlier, much earlier, in his plans.

In particular his choice of when he took over both the Brotherhood, and Metru-Nui. I.e. A whole lot earlier than he did in canon! The few memories he either had intact, or had managed to partially puzzle back together showing him more than enough to figure out how exactly he accomplished both before, or at least how he now could.

Due to this many other events found themselves... misplaced in the timeline. Such as certain events coming earlier, or perhaps not at all, or past deaths (or at least assumed ones) not happening when they should’ve due to the events needed to cause them not happening as they originally did.

-===================-

Nidhiki, the one who fell through time

Name: Nidhiki

Element: Air

Gender: Male

Species: mutated Toa

Kanohi: Powerless, mutated Volitak, fused to face

Weapon/s: Built in, extendable, claw daggers

Bio: Nidhiki re-entered his timeline with a crackling tear of temporal energ, pained and ragged screaming, and a fall from the apex of Metru Nui’s coliseum. 

The fatal impact itself barely lessened to a more agonizing than deadly outcome by his elementally given instincts, and the few remnants of his power he’d regained.

To say the when of his re-arrival was both the best, and worst place in time would be putting it lightly. For he’d landed just after his past-counterparts betrayal and exile, a wound, while still fresh for his siblings, far more easily mended than what it had become after being kept from healing so many times, and left to fester and grow for as long as it did in his own future, but also a time long since past the loss of one member of his ‘family’s’ trio.

Or at least it should’ve been.

To say that, after initial introductions had been completed, and some of the confusion cleared up (and certain dangers made clear), such as Lhikan’s surprised arrival to his suddenly traumatized, and clearly... ‘changed’ brother after having exiled him just a few days ago, and then ‘Dume’s’ (or should I say Teridax’s) arrival, enraged recognition of the just (re)appeared Toa, and then said Toa’s panicked attack on him, which ‘Dume’ quickly took advantage of to declare both he and Lhikan, as traitor’s of the state to the Vahki (having scheduled the forces creation much earlier), Nidhiki was surprised to learn Tuyet was somehow alive would be true. 

To say he was also beyond overjoyed, and soon after beyond terrified once he began recognizing certain events from time once long passed began, would also be.

Surprisingly enough Nidhiki quickly got Lhikan on his side. The Toa having only had past suspicions, ones gained from having Teridax impersonating his Turaga for a time far greater than before, confirmed by ‘Dume’s’ declaration.

Even more so he managed to, not only stop Tuyet before she made any attempts at murder, but also redeemed, or at least set on the path of redemption, her, well, very self. Managing to now have a sister who actually saw her siblings as family, or at least potential ones.

Following this the Trio quickly became the cities most infamous inhabitants. Becoming so-called ‘renegades’, outright betrayals of Toa-Kind, yet whose acts only worked to undermine ‘Dume’, and his so called righteous intentions.

Saving Matoran unjustly attacked by Vahki, destroying what could be considered fleets of the cities so called robotic defenders (more like enforcers of ‘Dume’s’ will as many considered them), and even more actions far too heroic for what were supposed to be such vile ‘evil-doers’ as Dume was trying to make them out to be.

Tuyet, the one who lived

Name: Tuyet

Element: Water

Gender: Female

Species: Toa

Kanohi: Mask of intangibility 

Weapon/s: Crook scythe

Bio: Tuyet, a Toa once turned murderer all in attempt to keep an artifact of such power it never should’ve been made, much less given to a single protector. For power always corrupts at least a little bit, and for one who’s mind is far from the ‘purest’, such an addictive rush (as power typically is) is very difficult to give up, whereas finding ways to justify its use is so much easier. 

And Tuyet, well, we’ve seen just how far she can push her reasoning for justification.

In this world though, Tuyet was given a fairly good reason to choose the more difficult path once her time’s Lhikan, and a Nidhiki of a different future, but still with the knowledge of what would soon come, confronted her before she was pushed to that level of justification by  the recent of appearance of some dark hunters with a certain prey in mind. She’d yet to hear of one of her brothers sudden reappearance, much less of the pairs subsequent shift to ‘villainy’, a definite stopper in her plan if she’d known earlier.

When Nidhiki and Lhikan confronted her she was just beginning to prepare for said plan as it was. So she hadn’t yet set up the preparations needed for any surprise visits, such as hiding the Nui Stone. So when the two burst into her home, they caught her red-handed. Somewhat literally at that going by the crystal’s hue.

Now, any other timeline this would’ve resulted in Tuyet attacking, and either winning the battle, or losing it, but in this one, well, while she did attack the two she was quick to willingly forfeit.

Now at this point Nidhiki had only just been, well, shot out of his temporal anomaly of a portal a few hours ago, and he was still littered with loose temporal energy. So when Tuyet activated the stone to drain the pairs powers, she got a full dosage of overcharged temporal energy channeled into her.

Enough to, while not send her through time, essentially temporarily connect her to her various selves potential timelines, and force her to witness what her fate could be.

Now while a number were, yes, shows of success, they for the most part ended in painful failure. One could certainly argue that now that she knew about how she failed she could easily work to prevent it, but it didn’t fully assure she would succeed in the first place. 

And, well, the chance she’d seen how the OOMN dealt with the main timeline Tuyet, and she’d rather not have taken the risk that she would end up being the Tuyet ‘copy’ they took.

Along with this the energy itself interfered with the Stone, it did have a limit on what it could contain and temporal energy, especially when unstable, was a powerful, powerful force.

While the stone did not outright shatter, it did... fracture when she attempted to deactivate it. It was like it was caught in a temporal anomaly of itself, both shattering, and yet not at the same time.

This ended up with her being peppered with temporaly infused shards of the Nui Stone, and being left with a greatly weakened, and structurally unsound artifact.

Following the Trio’s... fight (if you could really call it that) Tuyet was quick to throw her lot in with Nidhiki and Lhikan. The fact they both quickly made to help her following the Stone’s ‘glitch’ also helped affirm the choice as the best one in her mind.

Due to the temporal infusement of the shards of Nui Stone stuck inside of Tuyet they’re kept in a form of constant temporal instability. Permanently active, yet also infused with Tuyet’s very self, this in turn causes the odd effect of causing Tuyet to now be the main focus of their elemental energy draining, but only from the environment around her instead of other Toa as is natural for her kind.

Unfortunately she is still limited to only using her own element, thus leaving her rather stock full of useless energy of the various other elements. This is where the Stone comes into use, and why the OOMN have so far not tried to take it (beyond the fact that without she’d eventually go off in what would basically be a nuke’s equivalent of a self-feeding elemental detonation that would leave its effected area permanently wiped of all elemental energy, and the surrounding highly depleted).

Tuyet uses the stone to both filter out the various energies within herself, convert what she can, and store the rest for later use.

This also causes a number of areas on her body, namely those with visible shards in them to lightly glow with elemental energy.

At the same time that the shards absorb/filter energy they also grow, attempting to revert back to their original temporal state, but forced to remain still infused with Tuyet, and thus stuck in their current one. 

This is a very painful affliction for the Toa, but a useful one in a way at least

The infusement of time energy, and its various effects also managed to warp Tuyet’s body, stretching her into a more lanky, and thinner form. Similar to Nidhiki’s own in a way, just much less withered.

The Nui Stone

The Nui Stone, once an artifact capable of power more immense than any should have. Power that is most certainly more addictive than it is not.

As Tuyet herself can most certainly acclaim to.

Nowadays the Stone is, while weakened, still a force to be reckoned with. Just one far less versatile than it was before. 

At least if you don’t want it to shatter after a single use it is.

Lhikan, the one who turned ‘renegade’

Name: Lhikan

Element: Fire

Gender: Male

Species: Toa

Kanohi: Hau

Weapon/s: Fire greatswords

Bio: Lhikan is perhaps both the most confused, yet also happiest of the Trio. For now he has regained both his lost siblings. Even if he only remembers losing one, and even then a more recent, much less devastating loss than said brother knows it grew into.

Lhikan was quick to believe Nidhiki’s story, he’d had his suspicions of Dume for years now. He’d noticed he’d become... different, even if he couldn’t outright tell why. The fact it was his own brother, screaming in pain, mutated, and clearly aged and traumatized by events he had no knowledge of also helped.

The sudden announcement of an additional, robotic force of defenders, and a number of recent deaths, or at least near ones for his various other teammates, and some just outright disappearing, all while on missions given to them by Dume had left him even further wary.

So when Dume suddenly became enraged, and seemingly recognized Nidhiki immediately despite his mutations after arriving on the scene to see what was happening, followed by Nidhiki’s own horrified apparent recognition of him, and panicked attack Lhikan was quick to figure out his suspicions had been correct.

And only had them further confirmed when Dume labeled him an accomplice despite his own reaction to Nidhiki’s attempted attack was to stop him.

He was also quick to agree with his brother’s plan of saving his sister, though he did at first have some doubts that such was true, having seen no real proof as to her having such a dark side as of yet. At least he was until they caught her holding the stone, and would’ve most likely been killed outright if it wasn’t for Nidhiki’s remnant sparks of temporal energy.

Following this, and Dume’s soon following announcement of the Trio’s newest status as the most terrible of ne'er-do-wells, Lhikan himself decided to get some upgrades to his form to make his new vigilante lifestyle a touch easier.

From a more taller, more lanky build, similar to his two sibling’s own, just now a prposeful choice, making him far more aerodynamic, and a fair bit more suited for parkour, a useful skill when running from Vahki, and a modification to his ‘Fire board’. A modification which now allowed him to strap the two greatswords to his arms and have them also be able to act as wings instead of only a flying surfboard, a much, much more maneuverable choice, and what eventually lead to his ‘nickname’ amongst the Matoran as the ‘Darkened Angel’.

Despite how modified his form is, it’s still difficult to gain access to the necessary pieces, and people needed to keep up repairs due to his criminal status.

And while Tuyet is partially temporally anomalified, keeping her form from aging in a manner any more detrimental than just the basic aging, and Nidhiki was physically set back to quite a younger age despite his remaining mutations which would’ve come about far past it, Lhikan has none of these benefits, and it is clearly shown in the visible decrepitness of his form.

From a back hunched with age and damage, to arm dulled and rusted from battle despite his own attempts to keep it as clean as possible.

Lhikan is just happy to have his family back, even despite the rather... disheartening tales of what they would’ve done, and what his Nidhiki would be doing, had future!Nidhiki not appeared.

Lhikan’s ‘wing’ positions:

Folded/speed position

Extended/Agility position

And now to wait until someone notices it.

#Bionicle #Mangai #Lhikan's trio #Mangai trio #Tuyet #Lhikan #Nidhiki #AU stuff #wolrdbuilding #world building #A second chance can change everything #A second chance can change everything timeline #the a second chance can change everything timeline #A second chance can change everything!verse #Moc

[ultimavolatusrpg]

ACCEPTED // CAMBRIC BATISTE

36 years old, 96th Hunger Games, FC: Jensen Ackles

Charismatic, protective, approachable, silly, and outgoing

tw: death mention, violence mention

THE ARENA

If you asked Cambric to describe his arena, you’d get two words: dank and sadistic. Well, you’d get a few more words, but he’s trying to keep it PG. His “swear” jar is getting full kids…Anyhow, the Gamemakers had gone all out in his area. They wanted something new and fresh, and apparently, that could only be achieved by setting the Games six feet under. Well, not literally but the Cave (or the Inferno as Cambric calls it) was certainly a fresh take on the games. All twenty-four tributes locked away in a dark, damp, cage has a way of making one feel claustrophobic. I mean, wouldn’t most of the tributes be six feet under in eternal darkness soon enough anyhow? Now the Capitol was just rubbing salt into the wound. That being said…. Cambric’s arena was in a word, sadistic. With no sunlight, there was no vegetation for the Tributes to eat. The only food source in the cavern was that which was provided by the Gamemakers at the cornucopia. Sure there were animals such as mutant bats and whatnot, but it wasn’t recommended you try to catch them. Ask the Tributes from Four, they’ll tell you how that went if they were still alive. It wasn’t pretty. This only made the combat in the arena more deadly and more pronounced. If you weren’t a Career or your mentor couldn’t find you wealthy sponsors, you were done for. A true goner kids! Oh, and what else is good about caves you ask? Darkness. Being so far underground there was very little light. The cornucopia was well lit and the tiny stream that feeds into the arena provided a little light, but other than that the Tributes were on their own. Flashlights, candles, and the like had to be found in the given provisions. And good luck trying to start a fire out of anything in the damp atmosphere.

True to form, the Gamemakers didn’t disappoint with their curve balls they tossed in. An earthquake started it over (hey, a storm of falling stalactites anyone?), swarms of poisonous mutant cave spiders, and starved dehydrated Tributes…

BIOGRAPHY

Strong and able, Cambric always knew he was destined for work in the factories that produced the fine fabrics of the Capitol. The same fabrics that he was forced to see every day by the Peacekeepers that paraded around their District telling them what they could and couldn’t do. That was just how life was in District Eight.

Another truth of District Eight? There was never enough food to go around and you did what you had to, including putting your name in more times for a bit of food. Cambric didn’t even think twice about making that sacrifice for his family. His little sisters and brother meant more to him than his own life. It was of these three little faces he thought of on that cold, cold, day the Reaping took place.

A day when the heavens opened up and poured its sorrow down on District Eight. Cambric could hardly remember a day when it had rained so hard. He also remembered joking with his siblings that it would be okay, that the Capitol wasn’t going to want a bunch of soaked wet dogs for Tributes so they would have to send him home. It wasn’t going to be his name that came out of that glass orb. Nope, after this year they would be safe for a while at least from the Reapings.

And yet, there it was, plain as day… Cambric Batiste, the male Tribute from District Eight. While it shocked him, he knew it was a fate he couldn’t change. Instead, Cam sauntered up those steps and accepted his fate with dignity. He would make the most handsome Victor if he said so himself. It was about time he let the Capitol and Panem in on this little secret. If he was going to survive there was going to have to be no doubt in his truth.

Boy, he was a stunning Tribute if Cambric said so himself. Tall, handsome, and not that bad at combat to boot because of his size. Cambric wasn’t a Career but that didn’t stop him from training like one once he was in the Capitol. A type-A personality, he was up early and stayed up late trying to earn whatever advantages he could get. He even went as far as making a pact with Districts One and Two. Even after they had killed his District partner. Morals be damn, Cam wanted to win. It didn’t matter if back home there would be unrest for his alliance. They didn’t understand, they weren’t there.

His time as a Tribute was a whirlwind… Cambric hardly remembers the details now except when they come to him in his dreams; broken memories of a past he has tried to bury. He never watches recaps of his Games, he sure the hell isn’t the type that tries to relive them and the glory.

He got lucky you know? Surviving under that rock while everyone tried to outrun the storm of falling stalactites… That had left only him and the Tributes from District One. The boy and the girl. The two that had been his allies at the beginning of the games but now where his enemies. He had to hunt them down and kill them. The only two people he had considered friends of a sort. Fate was kind to Cambric however because the boy died of infection not too long after the storm. The girl was destined to become his ghost, the one that still follows him to this day. On his worse days, Cam wonders if he should have been the gentleman and died in her place.

Alcohol has erased her face but Cam can still hear her voice calling to him.. Begging him to let her go home. Begging…. Crying even… Crying before him…

Just like that, Cambric was a Victor. He had won the Hunger Games! Surely life would only get better. Hah, what you don’t know can kill you or at least those that love you. A lesson Cam only had to learn once.

With the death of his little brother, was a death that was all his fault. A punishment for his own defiance. His first lesson on what the Capitol can do to its wayward Victors. Since then Cambric Batiste has been a model Victor and Mentor. He shows up when he’s supposed, he does what he’s supposed to, but he’s there. He tries because he owes that much to his Tributes, if only because he is one of the only people that can help them in a world that wants them dead.

So Cambric does what he does best, survive. Hell, even he will admit though he has some fun doing it. His family might have broken ties with the death of his brother, but it has granted them safety. No, instead, Cam considers his fellow Victors his new family and he wants to protect them. Protect them because as screwed up as they all are (yes, all of you) he wants nothing more than to feel loved again. Other than that, he says please leave him to his bottle and his scheming, thank you very much.

PENNED BY: TONYA

#accepted #character bio #Cambric

[cometsweepandleonidsfly]

Editor's note: Megan Rapinoe gave her brother, Brian, a birthday shout-out on national TV after winning the 2019 Women's World Cup, the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer and the Golden Ball as its top player. Here is the story behind their complicated relationship.

DAYS BEFORE THE first game of the 2019 Women's World Cup, Brian Rapinoe jokingly texted his sister, Megan Rapinoe -- co-captain and star midfielder for the U.S. women's national team: "Megs, breaks my heart that you couldn't fly me out for an all-expenses-paid trip to France." She shot back: "Oh yeah, so sad I couldn't pamper you for a month in France."

An hour before kickoff against Thailand on June 11, the rest of the Rapinoe family found their seats in the Stade Auguste-Delaune in Reims; Brian charged his ankle monitor and rounded up the other guys in the dormitory at San Diego's Male Community Reentry Program, a rehabilitative program that allows an inmate to finish the final 12 months of his sentence taking classes or working jobs outside of prison.

The MCRP common room might not be France, but it's a vast improvement over solitary confinement, where Brian has watched Megan play in the previous two World Cups. He sat on a couch in his red USA jersey, watching on a 60-inch flat-screen, and felt "f---ing great." He had accomplished a major goal for himself: to get out of prison in time to watch his kid sister play in her third World Cup.

Every time the U.S. scored, the room full of men cheered loudly. Nobody there thought the U.S.'s 13 goals against Thailand and exuberant celebrations after each were done in poor taste. "This is what soccer should always be like," one man said.

"It's the World Cup: There's no f---ing holding back," 38-year-old Brian says. "This is every four years."

And his sister didn't hold back. When Megan scored goal No. 9 for the U.S., she sprinted to the sideline, spun around twice and then slid to the ground for a foot-kicking celebration. As the camera zoomed in on her, one of the guys yelled, "Holy s---, it's Brian!"

He has the same face as his sister.

The face, the charisma, the wit, the tendency to burst into song: In so many ways, Brian and Megan are alike. But they are also a study in contrasts: At 15 years old, Brian brought meth to school and has been in and out of incarceration ever since. At 15, Megan played with her first youth U.S. national team and started traveling the world. As a young inmate and gang member, Brian was inked with swastika tattoos -- an allegiance to white supremacy that he now disavows; as a professional soccer player, Megan was the first prominent white athlete to kneel to protest racial inequality.

Despite their different paths, the brother and sister have stayed close through letters, phone calls and texts. "I have so much respect for her. And not just because she's the s--- at soccer. It's her utter conviction in the things that she believes in and the stances she takes against injustices in the world," he says.

"I was her hero, but now -- there's no question -- she is mine."

Megan, right, "worshipped" Brian when they were children. Brian, who is five years older, introduced her to soccer early on.

GROWING UP, MEGAN and her twin sister, Rachael, adored Brian. He was their hero, the charismatic jokester who did Jim Carrey and Steve Urkel impressions and danced ridiculous dances. The girls had three other siblings, but he could make them laugh harder than anyone else could. He taught them how to catch crawfish in the creek, walked them to the patch of field across from the church and taught them soccer until his mother called them in with a two-finger whistle. In the side yard, he set up cones and showed his 4-year-old sisters how to dribble the ball -- with the inside of the foot only, with the outside of the foot only, left and then right. "And it wasn't like he drilled them. He let them do it their own way," says his mother, Denise Rapinoe, her voice cracking. "It was just the cutest thing, and we remember it so clearly."

In elementary school, like her brother, Megan was rough and tumble, and spoke her mind. Her second-grade teacher's aide pulled Denise aside to relay the following scene: Megan came in from the playground, walked into the classroom, stood with her arms on her hips and announced, "Brian Rapinoe is my brother, and I am just like him!"

"I worshipped him," Megan says. "He played left wing, so I played left wing. He wore No. 7; I wore No. 7. He got a bowl cut, so I did too."

So when Brian first started smoking marijuana as a 12-year-old, a 7-year-old Megan was confounded. Why was he doing that? Brian still doesn't know for sure. "Right from the start, I was hooked," he says. "One drug always led to the next." He was also attracted to the "fast life," he says, to getting high, to driving nice cars and to the "hype around this lifestyle." She wanted him to stop, and she was still young enough to think there was something she could do. Three years later, when her parents sat her and Rachael down and told them the police had arrested Brian for bringing meth to school, she cried. He was going to juvenile detention. She did not understand: What had happened to her big brother?

"For many years, Megan and Rachael were pissed as hell," Brian says. "They still loved me, they still let me know they were there for me, but they were like, 'What the f--- are you doing?'"

"My mother is the queen of the family," Brian, left, says of Denise Rapinoe, right. "I just love her so much. I'm such a baby when it comes to her."

BY 18 YEARS OLD, Brian had moved on to harder drugs -- heroin, specifically -- and he became more reckless. He was charged with car theft, evading arrest and a hit-and-run while driving under the influence of drugs -- and now, as an adult, his juvenile detention days were over. He was sent to prison. Within months, he aligned himself with the white prison gang and was inked with Nazi tattoos. A swastika on his palm; lightning bolts on his fingers, sides and calves

These tattoos devastated his family. "The prejudice, the racism -- it was so against the way he'd been raised," Denise says. "He wasn't that kind of kid. He was kind, his nature was so loving."

To Brian, the swastikas weren't about prejudice and racism at that point -- they were about heroin and survival. To support his addiction, he needed to be, in his words, "an active participant in prison culture." The California prison system was segregated. That meant Brian lived strictly among the white population. "You come in as a kid, and there are these older dudes you think you respect, spouting ideas, and you kind of listen," Brian says. "I developed a protect-your-own mentality."

He tried to explain that to his mother. The gang was a family, he said; it was a place to belong. "I told him, 'This is not who we are,'" Denise says. "'This is not who you are.'"

Megan was as heartbroken as her mother. "I thought [the tattoos] were horrible," she says. "I still think they're horrible. I could rationalize them: I understood that when he first got in there, he was searching for identity, trying to survive."

But the big brother she had worshipped? It felt like she had lost him.

As a young player on the U19 U.S. women's national team, Megan wore the No. 7 jersey. It was the number Brian wore when he played soccer.

BRIAN BECAME HEAVILY involved in gang life and racked up charges while doing time: possession of drugs, possession of a deadly weapon, three assaults on other white inmates. He spent eight of his 16 years in prison in solitary confinement for this behavior. By 2007 -- as he was turning 27 years old -- he was transferred to Pelican Bay State Prison in Northern California, the state's only super-max-security prison.

While general population is segregated, solitary confinement is not, and every inmate gets one hour out of his cell to walk the pod. Here, the protect-your-own thinking began to fall away for Brian. "You start relating to people beyond your hood, your area, your color," he says. "It doesn't take long before you start talking with each other, seeing how much you have in common. Back there, it's just you in the cell, and the man next to you is just a man himself."

There's no radio, no television in the individual cells in the hole. Sitting in a cement box, counting the number of holes in the perforated door is "hard; it's definitely hard," he says. "But you find a way to escape. You've got books, you've got writing, some guys draw. And you develop these relations with other people, these connections."

Three times a week, inmates also get three hours outside, albeit in his own cage. "In the yard, you start talking [to other guys] -- sports, music, my sister is always a big ice-breaking conversation. You say [to them], 'When we go back in from yard, you can look at my pictures,' or you say, 'Here's something I wrote.' Maybe you become good friends -- like me and Monster did."

Monster, also known as Sanyika Shakur, is a black nationalist and the author of the bestseller, Monster: Autobiography of an LA Gang Member. He and Brian were on the same pod for two years. Using a line and a weight, they'd send each other long letters from cell to cell, fishing for them beneath the doors. Brian shared the song lyrics he wrote; Monster let him read drafts of his articles and essays. For years, Brian had been a serious reader, consuming everything from the classics, to books about social issues. He'd read The New Jim Crow and learned about how police disproportionately search black men and arrest them for nonviolent drug offenses, and how the War on Drugs decimated communities of color.

"He taught me what it means to be racist," Brian says, "and he taught me what it means not to be racist."

By 2010, the now 30-year-old had a new understanding of what the white supremacist insignias represented. He had his face tattoos lasered off. The swastika on his palm became a spider web; the Nazi lightning bolts became skulls. He did not want any racial insignias on his skin. They did not reflect who he was. But he was still using heroin -- and the next year, he was arrested for selling it.

Brian was behind bars once again -- this time at Donovan State Prison in San Diego.

When Megan scored in the 2011 Women's World Cup against Colombia, she seized the moment and sang Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" -- something, people say, Brian would do.

IN JUNE 2011, Brian had something new to talk about during his hour walking the pod: His little sister was playing in her first World Cup -- and he was going to get everybody to watch.

The 15-inch television was at the other end of the hallway, some 50 yards away. He built a tower out of 60 books and tied them together with torn sheets. Sitting on top of it, he could just see the TV through the window in the door. In an early game against Colombia, Megan roped in a goal, then immediately sprinted to the corner flag, grabbed a cameraman's mic and sang Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA." The guys got a kick out of this because Brian was the singer on the pod, and this flamboyant corner-flag serenade was so like him.

Days later, ahead of the quarterfinals against Brazil, all 30 cells on top and all 30 cells on bottom were watching, everybody perched at their doors. Megan -- young and audacious with her signature short blonde hair -- subbed in at the end of the game, and in extra time, sure enough -- boom! -- she sent a 50-yard cross-field ball to U.S. forward Abby Wambach, who headed it home to tie the game. "We were going wild," Brian says. "We were yelling and pounding on the doors."

Later that night, on the prison pay phone, Brian talked with his mom. She described the end of the game, how Megan, having just experienced the craziest, most awesome moment of her life, walked to the stands and stood there, searching through the some 20,000 faces for her mom's. Denise put her two index fingers in her mouth and let out her trademark whistle -- the same whistle she had used when they were kids. She had to do it a second and then a third time before Megan could hear her. Megan tapped her ear. "She was letting me know she heard me," Denise told Brian at the time, choking up -- which made Brian choke up a little, too. He could imagine it.

"Not being there -- it hurt," Brian says.

Another four years passed. This time he was in solitary confinement because of his violent record at the Vista Detention Facility, a lower-security prison, in San Diego County -- and Megan was headed to Canada for her second World Cup. The women would end up winning it all, the first time the team had done so since 1999.

"That was the hardest," Brian says. "I was super happy for Megs and super sad for myself. I fricking love my family so much. They were all there. It was like, f---, man, I'm like not really even a part of this. Yeah, I got a lot of support for her in prison, but when the game is over and the ruckus has died down, I'm sitting in my cell. I'm not there to give her a hug, I'm not there to witness it, I'm not there to be a part of it. It's just another thing in their lives that I'm missing out on. What the f--- am I doing with my life?"

Brian was almost 35 years old. He had spent more than half of his adult life incarcerated.

After Megan kneeled during the anthem in 2016, a former prisonmate called Brian to commend her actions. "What your sister is doing -- it means so much," said Sanyika Shakur, a black nationalist. "She is standing up for people who don't have a voice."

ON SEPT. 1, 2016, when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial profiling, Brian was briefly out of prison -- although he was still using heroin. Three days later, Megan kneeled in support while playing for her club team, the Seattle Reign. Then, while playing for the U.S., she did it again.

Brian saved the newspaper article with the picture of her solemn, angled-down face. He watched the YouTube videos of the coverage. He thought, Hell yeah. He also read the comments: "If she was on my team, I'd knock this idiot out. She should be banned from the national squad for life. Such disrespect." He understood that she would anger people, understood the impending fallout. He knew that enrollment in her summer camps and sales of her clothing brand, Be Your Best You, would go down. He thought, My sister is brave; my sister is bad ass.

Like every time before, Brian's freedom proved to be short-lived. By July 2017, he was back up north in Pelican Bay. Back to the regimented, day-to-day prison routine. Where tomorrow is the same as today. His whole life had been a habitual rut; Megan's anthem protest felt like the opposite of that. Her stance showed him there is a way to put a foot down on something in life, in spite of the fallout that will come.

Not long after, he had a breakthrough. His cellmate was helping him inject heroin into the back of his neck when the needle broke. "I freaked out on him, really lost it," Brian says. "And he said to me, 'Look at how you are acting right now.'" And for whatever reason, those words torpedoed into Brian and transformed into personal questions he asked himself. Your whole happiness and peace of mind is focused on this dirty-ass hypodermic needle: Is this what you want? Do you want this cell and this bulls--- powerful persona to be all you are?

He thought about the seven murders he'd witnessed out on the yard. He thought about his own knife fights -- about everything he'd done and been a part of -- just so he could continue to do heroin. He thought about Megan. Look at all she's done with her life -- look at what you've done with yours.

That's when he finally decided he was ready for change. He enrolled in the new self-improvement and rehabilitation classes the California prison system had begun to offer. Each completed class reduced time from his sentence.

Most importantly, after using and selling drugs for 24 years, Brian quit -- and he's been clean for 18 months.

"If I do drugs," he says, "I will go back to prison. I didn't believe that for a long time. Now, I believe that -- I don't ever want to go back."

Shortly before his first day of school at San Diego Community College, Brian met up with a friend from Pelican Bay, Cesar, who is also taking classes. "From the Bay to the books," Brian says. "I am so stoked to begin."

TODAY IS BRIAN'S first day at San Diego City College. As part of the Male Community Reentry Program, he's taking classes to finish up the final year of his sentence, and he has some butterflies. "It's been a long time since I've gone to school -- even when I was in school, it was juvenile hall -- I've never taken anything except regular math. I've never even taken algebra.

Plus, he says, it's a little unnerving to sit in a classroom with 18-year-olds whose experiences have been drastically different from his own. He's self-conscious about his tattoos -- particularly his neck tattoo, SHASTA, inscribed in large gothic letters, the name of the county in which he grew up. "These tattoos, I freaking hate them," Brian says.

But he also knows those tattoos could matter again in the future. He wants to get involved in the juvenile delinquency program, wants to talk to anybody who might be about to jump off the same ledge he did. "These tattoos, it's gonna get their attention," he says. "It's like, dude, you don't think I know what I'm talking about?

"I want to make a difference," he says. "I want to be like Megan."

He had "a really fricking deep conversation" with her about two months ago. They talked about racial profiling; they talked about police brutality; they talked about what Megan's kneeling meant to both of them. Megan saw that in spite of their very different paths, they'd arrived at similar conclusions.

"My brother is special," Megan says. "He has so much to offer. It would be such a shame if he left this world with nothing but prison sentences behind him. To be able to have him out, and to play for him, and to have him healthy, with this different perspective that he has now: This is like the best thing ever."

While Megan is in France, she and Brian text daily -- with game thoughts, encouragement and shared excitement.

"This is one of the most exciting things I can even remember ... just everything really, you, the school, the program," Brian texts.

She replies: "People always ask me what got me into soccer ... your wild ass of course."

"Luckily I played a cool sport. What if I'd been into arm-wrestling or something."

"Oh lawd, yea you really set me up."

"Get some sleep -- love you."

"Lovee you Bri! Let's f---ing go!"

-- Freelance writer Gwendolyn Oxenham is the author of Under the Lights and in the Dark: Untold Stories of Women's Soccer.

#megan rapinoe #espn #uswnt #us women’s soccer #women’s world cup

[tothewaterhq]

ACCEPTED // CAMBRIC BATISTE

district eight mentor → victor of the 60th → jensen ackles fc

positive traits: Charming, Witty, Realistic negative traits: Supercilious, Inflexible, Impulsive

describe their arena:  If you asked Cambric to describe his arena, you’d get two words: dank and sadistic. Well you’d get a few more words, but he’s trying to keep it PG. His “swear” jar is getting full kids…

Anyhow, the Gamemakers had gone all out in his area. They wanted something new and fresh, and apparently that could only be achieved by setting the Games six feet under. Well, not literally but the Cave (or the Inferno as Cambric calls it) was certainly a fresh take on the games. All twenty-four tributes locked away in a dark, damp, cage has a way of making one feel claustrophobic. I mean, wouldn’t most of the tributes be six feet under in eternal darkness soon enough anyhow? Now the Capitol were just rubbing salt into the wound.

That being said…. Cambric’s arena was in a word, sadistic. With no sunlight there was no vegetation for the Tributes to eat. The only food source in the cavern was that which was provided by the Gamemakers at the cornucopia. Sure there were animals such as mutant bats and whatnot, but it wasn’t recommended you try to catch them. Ask the Tributes from Four, they’ll tell you how that went if they were still alive. It wasn’t pretty. This only made the combat in the arena more deadly and more pronounced. If you weren’t a Career or your mentor couldn’t find you wealthy sponsors, you were done for. A true goner kids!

Oh, and what else is good about caves you ask? Darkness. Being so far underground there was very little light. The cornucopia was well lit and the tiny stream that feeds into the arena, provided a little light, but other than that the Tributes were on their own. Flashlights, candles, and the like had to be found in the given provisions. And good luck trying to start a fire out of anything in the damp atmosphere.

True to form, the Gamemakers didn’t disappoint with their curve balls they tossed in. An earthquake started it over (hey, storm of falling stalactites anyone?), swarms of poisonous mutant cave spiders, and starved dehydrated Tributes…

LET THE 60TH HUNGER GAMES BEGIN! AND MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR!

biography:

Strong and able, Cambric always knew he was destined for work in the factories that produced the fine fabrics of the Capitol. The same fabrics that he was forced to see every day by the Peacekeepers that paraded around their District telling them what they could and couldn’t do. That was just how life was in District Eight.

Another truth of District Eight? There was never enough food to go around and you did what you had to, including putting your name in more times for a bit of food. Cambric didn’t even think twice about make that sacrifice for his family. His little sisters and brother, meant more to him than his own life. It was of these three little faces he thought of on that cold, cold, day the Reaping took place.

A day when the heavens opened up and poured its sorrow down on District Eight. Cambric could hardly remember a day when it had rained so hard. He also remembered joking with his siblings that it would be okay, that the Capitol wasn’t going to want a bunch of soaked wet dogs for Tributes so they would have to send him home. It wasn’t going to be his name that came out of that glass orb. Nope, after this year they would be safe for a while at least from the Reapings.

And yet, there it was, plain as day… Cambric Batiste, the male Tribute from District Eight. While it shocked him, he knew it was a fate he couldn’t change. Instead Cam sauntered up those steps and accepted his fate with dignity. He would make the most handsome Victor if he said so himself. It was about time he let the Capitol and Panem in on this little secret. If he was going to survive there was going to have to be no doubt in his truth.

Boy, he was a stunning Tribute if Cambric said so himself. Tall, handsome, and not that bad at combat to boot because of his size. Cambric wasn’t a Career but that didn’t stop him from training like one once he was in the Capitol. A type A personality, he was up early and stayed up late trying to earn whatever advantages he could get. He even went as far as making a pact with Districts One and Two. Even after they had killed his District partner. Morals be damn, Cam wanted to win. It didn’t matter if back home there would be unrest for his alliance. They didn’t understand, they weren’t there.

His time as a Tribute was a whirlwind… Cambric hardly remembers the details now except when they come to him in his dreams; broken memories of a past he has tried to bury. He never watches recaps of his Games, he sure the hell isn’t the type that tries to relive them and the glory.

He got lucky you know? Surviving under that rock while every tried to outrun the storm of falling stalactites… That had left only him and the Tributes from District One. The boy and the girl. The two that had been his allies in the beginning of the games but now where his enemies. He had to hunt them down and kill them. The only two people he had considered friends of sort. Fate was kind to Cambric however, because the boy died of infection not too long after the storm. The girl was destined to become his ghost, the one that still follows him to this day. On his worse days, Cam wonders if he should have been the gentleman and died in her place.

Alcohol has erased her face but Cam can still hear her voice calling to him.. Begging him to let her go home. Begging…. Crying even… Crying before he…

Just like that, Cambric was a Victor. He had won the Hunger Games! Surely life would only get better. Hah, what you don’t know can kill you or at least those that love you. A lesson Cam only had to learn once.

With the death of his little brother, was a death that was all his fault. A punishment for his own defiance. His first lesson on what the Capitol can do to it’s wayward Victors. Since then Cambric Batiste has been a model Victor and Mentor. He shows up when he’s supposed, he does what he’s supposed to (which only a few drunken miscues and foal language), but he’s there. He tries because he owes that much to his Tributes, if only because he is one of the only people that can help them in a world that wants them dead.

So Cambric does what he does best, survive. Hell, even he will admit though he has some fun doing it. His family might have broken dies with the death of his brother, but it has granted them safety. No, instead, Cam considers his fellow Victors his new family and he wants to protect them. Protect them because as screwed up as they all are (yes, all of you) he wants nothing more than to feel loved again. Other than that, he says please leave him to his bottle and his scheming, thank you very much.

PLAYED BY // TONYA

[decidedlysarah]

Mer Questions

This part will be rambling, sorry!  Mers have pointed ears (like Alteans) that can very in length.  They can breathe air or water and they have claws and sharp teeth (like seals, not jagged like sharks).  Their tails are on the long side.  It makes them about twice as long as they would be if they were human.  Hands are not webbed.  

Variety of tail types!  They are all long and sinuous/flexible but not to the degree of prehensile.  They get more flexible the further they get away from the body.  The fins are long and tapered (I’ve included a shitty sketch for your viewing pleasure above--thank you, Paint and also free image search).  When a mer is relaxed or asleep or just floating, the fins are soft like a betta fish’s.  More blood gets pumped into them as a mer swims, making them stiffer so they can move faster.

What type of fish do they look like?  A variety!  More for coloring than fin variety, but there is still some.  A few have extra fins along the tail, but it is rare and they are smaller.  Their human half is more “normal” in coloring.  Hair and eye color has a lot more variety than humans, though.

Are there mer!sharks?  …..maybe, lmao.  I kind of like the concept because let’s face it—mer!sharks are badass.  Two reasons I don’t really like it: shark skin is rough and not conducive to cuddling or sex  and, more importantly, the tails are wrong!!!  I have mers (in my mind) set up as having fins on the side (like a whale) not up and down (like a shark).  So…maybe??  

And mer!squids? Also maybe.  I like the idea of consentacles (what do you mean I base all my decisions on the sexual implications??), but for the pure aesthetic of it, I don’t like a mer ending without a tail.  So…… *maybe*.

And mer!Puffer fish? Lmao!!!!!!  Too good a question.  I’m going have to go with no, in part because of the bad sex/no cuddles, but mostly because my mers are streamlined and puffer fish are (adorable) little boxes.

Genitals—hidden via slit when unaroused, like whales.  Tits Out™ for the ladies. On the off chance you want to draw my mers, feel free to give shell bras.  They are cute.  ^3^

Mers eat fish.  They really don’t do much by way of “cooking”.  But, they will combine different fish or add in seaweeds or mollusks or what have you.  They don’t go searching for special ingredients or spices—everything is salty underwater lol.  Mers don’t eat mammals or birds unless they are wanting pelts or tusks or what have you (they don’t waste meat).  

Mers use weapons! Spears and knives!  Mostly for hunting.  For self-defense they use claws or their tails.  Their tails are very strong and whip-like, so most creatures would get knocked out with a hit.  The only creatures that really give them trouble are  larger sharks or some of the more aggressive seals (leopard seals will kick your ass to the moon—lovely creatures but omg so dangerous).  Killer whales can also be a problem, but generally only if they are competing for food.  Mers are immune to most poisons, so jellyfish and urchins aren’t a problem.

Mers get along very well with dolphins and the friendlier types of seals and definitely sea otters because omg they are SO cute.  Mers live near shorelines (will go to deep water but don’t live there as a rule) and if they live near an island where there aren’t any humans, they will sometimes sun themselves on the beaches/rocks and snuggle with any friendly seals.  They don’t go to the surface that often, though, and almost never hang out anywhere even near humans. They consider humans to be mostly harmless but potentially deadly and keep their distance.

(Keith is a stupid fish.  Pidge is very curious about humans, but she doesn’t hang out under docks like Keith the Stupid.)

Very important but entirely unnecessary sea otter facts:  The babies can’t drown—they are too fluffy to sink!!  Otters sleep holding hands so they don’t drift away from each other.  And they keep favorite rocks/shiny toys in their arm pouches because they are God’s most perfect creatures.  Also, they are dying in droves and they are essential to the ecosystem—if they aren’t there to eat sea urchins, the urchins will eat all the kelp.  Everything in a kelp forest needs kelp for food or protection or something else.  Sea otters dying = no more sea life in that area.  Well, some crabs and stuff.  But NOT a real ecosystem.  ;^;  They are so cute and important omg.

Mers aren’t exactly solitary, but they do spend a lot of time alone.  There won’t be more than three or four families in a given area and even then individuals will find their own caves/hidey-holes.  

Mers see very well in low-to-no light and do alright above water, but on very sunny days the glare can be too much for them.  They can handle extreme temperatures so they live in the tropics all the way up to the arctic comfortably.  They have very good hearing but do not use echolocation.  The skin on their finger tips very sensitive to vibrations, so they will do some seafloor hunting by placing their hands on the sand and “seeing” that way (makes for an easy time finding treasure in sunken ships!).

Homosexuality in my AU

There isn’t *too* much homophobia.  It’s mostly a live-and-let-live thing, but there is some of it for royalty/gentility because of issues of succession. It’s sort of like polygamy, but if a lord or ruler has a same sex partner, they are supposed to still produce an heir with someone else.  Both the lover and the heir producer hold titles/honor/influence.  This dual partner thing also applies if the lord or ruler is infertile (they’re allowed to try with a concubine).  So, a nicer approach to the importance of bloodlines, basically.  In Shiro’s case, he has a younger brother (Ryou) who would be next in line, so as long as Ryou has kids, Shiro wouldn’t be required to have a lady.  Also, Ryou is unofficially the crown prince at the moment since no one (Shiro included) expects Shiro to be well enough to become a proper ruler.  I felt This Shit was important to include because it bothers the crap out of me when fantasy stories don’t care about the political difficulties of succession.  Yes, I am That Person.

Families:

Shiro has three siblings (listed by age): Yumi (sister), Ryou (brother), Yuki (sister).  I haven’t decided on the ages, but they are about 23, 19, and 14.  Shiro is 27.  He’s closest to Yumi but he gets along well with Ryou and Yuki.  He doesn’t know Yuki very well.  

Lance has a  ton of siblings and family members (as in canon).  His father is the valet of Shiro’s father, so that’s how he got the job.  He and Shiro have known each other since childhood.

Keith is an only child.  He has mother, Krolia, and several uncles (Kolivan, Ulaz, Thace) which is unusual as merfolk don’t usually have a lot of children.  Fertile grandmother!  His father was an only child and has passed away.   Is this a plot point that I spy!?!?!?!??!  Maybe.  I have like 6 different endings to sort through still omg.

Pidge is like in the show.  Matt, Sam, and Colleen.  Kickasses, one and all.

#sheith little mermaid au

[ivarinleatherpants]

ok, OTP questions all of them. Or one through ten. Or one through five. You know what, I don't care. Gimme, I'm desperate.

Whelp, we’ll see how many of these I can get through! XD

1: Who spends almost all their money on the other?

-Ivar. Totally Ivar. He’s the one who has never needed to stick to a budget, and he loves spoiling Gwen with all the nice things she could never afford growing up.

2: Who sleeps in the other’s lap?

-Ivar wants Gwen to sit in his lap more, but she gets worried about hurting his legs. More often, it’s Ivar who ends up falling asleep with his head in her lap while she runs her hand through his hair.

3: Who walks around the house half-naked and who yells at them to put on some clothes?

-Pfft. Ivar, obviously. The second he comes home the shirt comes off. Gwen doesn’t mind so much, but she needs to get stuff done, dammit! She can’t keep getting distracted by the... arms... and... the other muscles... and...

4: Which one tells the other not to stay up all night and which one stays up all night anyway?

-It’s pretty equal. Though Ivar’s the one who’s more likely to actually be out all night. He loves to go to punk concerts or to play with his band, but Gwen doesn’t like the noise and crowds. Sometimes she’ll come pick him up, but a lot of times she just waits for him to come home.

It probably doesn’t help that he always gets very... erm... energetic... after all the adrenaline. Then he comes home with his full punk-regalia on, his makeup all smudged and his hair messy and... yeah...

5: Which one tries to make food for the other but burns it all by accident and which one tells them that it’s okay and makes them both cookies?

-Gwen. She’s a competent cook, and can make a decent meal, but she has to have a recipe she can follow or else things can get out of hand. Ivar is just proud of her for trying to go out of her comfort zone, even though she can’t cook a steak to save her life.

6: Which one reads OTP prompts and says “Oh that’s us!” and which one goes “Eh, not really”?

-Ivar doesn’t know what an OTP prompt even is, and teases Gwen horribly for reading fanfiction.

Ivar: *Gleefully* This is straight-up porn, Ging!

Gwen: GIVE THAT BACK THIS MINUTE!

Ivar: Metal arms? Really? Is that your thing, babe? Blue eyes and a bit broken?

Gwen: I’M NEVER SPEAKING TO YOU AGAIN!

7: Which one constantly wears the other’s clothes?

-Gwen totally wears Ivar’s shirts.

It’s unlikely anything but Gwen’s most over-sized ugly sweaters would fit Ivar.

Not that he’s ever tried or anything... but there was that one pair of pants that would have gone SO well with his jacket...

8: Which one spends all day running errands and which one says “You remembered [thing], right?”

-Again, probably equal. Gwen does a lot of the shopping early on, just because-again-Ivar had no clue how to shop frugally. But later on she ends up working at Kattegat U as a research scientist/teacher, and he has Heathen Hotrods so he can stay home with the kids, he ends up running a lot of the errands.

9: Which one drives the car and which one gives them directions?

-Depends. They both like to drive. There are some cars Ivar prefers to drive, but he categorically refuses to drive Gwen’s Subaru Mom-mobile, so it’s a toss-up. It also depends of in one is more tired, or if Ivar’s legs are hurting more than usual.

10: Which one does the posing while the other one draws?

-Gwen is the only one who draws, but she doesn’t do people. Ivar does like to take pictures, though, and has quite the collection *wink wink nudge nudge*.

11: If they were about to rob a museum, which one does backflips through lasers and which one is strolling behind with a bag of chips?

-Ivar is the backflipper, while Gwen would be following behind, shouting at him to be more careful and STOP doing that he’s going to hurt himself!

12: Which one of your OTP overdoes it on the alcohol and which one makes the other stop drinking?

-Oddly enough, Gwen is probably more likely to overdo it. She doesn’t know her own limits the way Ivar does. He’s good at keeping an eye on her and letting her have fun, but making sure she drinks water and stops before she makes herself really sick.

13: Which one likes to surprise the other with a lot of small random gifts?

-They’re both the sort to get little things just because it makes them think of the other. Ivar probably a little bit more, just because he’s more financially spontaneous. 

14: Which one keeps accidentally using the other’s last name instead of their own?

-Gwen hyphenates when they get married. Ivar proudly introduces them as Dr. and Mr. Wessex-Lothbrok. It gets to the point where he sometimes forgets he didn’t actually change his name. XD

15: Which one screams about the spider and which one brings the spider outside?

-Neither of them are super bothered by spiders. Unless it’s a really big one and it shows up in the shower, then both of them are likely to shriek and cry for help.

16: Which one gives the other their jacket?

-Gwen probably spends more time wearing Ivar’s jackets than he does. She doesn’t even have to indicate that she’s cold, he just has this sort of sixth sense and immediately swoops in like some leather-clad savior.

17: Who keeps getting threatened by the other’s overprotective older sibling?

-I think this is pretty obvious, considering it’s already happened. lol. It’s a long time before Ivar and Aethelred actually start to get along, and even longer before they can really be considered ‘friends’. 

18: Who’s the first one to admit they have feelings for the other?

-Let’s see. Ivar pretty much jumped in head first, but Gwen was the first to say “I love you”. It’s easy for him to be affectionate, but hard for him to talk seriously about his feelings. Whereas Gwen grew up in a family that was much more open about that sort of thing.

19: How good would your OTP be at parenting?

-They both have their strengths and weaknesses. Gwen has less experience with kids, and is pretty uncomfortable with them when she first meets Ivar’s huge family. He’s the one who is the most gung-ho about having kids, but isn’t actually all that into kids that aren’t his own.

With their kids, Ivar is really good at handling the not-so-serious stuff, the tantrums over silly things that Gwen has a hard time being patient with. But it’s really hard for him if one of his kids is really hurt, whereas Gwen is very good at remaining calm during crises. 

20: Which one types with perfect grammar and which one types using numbers as letters?

-They’re both grammar Nazis, and mock Alfred for using numbers and other text shorthand.

21: Who gets attacked by a bully and who protects them?

-They will both come in, guns blazing, if someone tries to hurt the other. They even aggressively defend each other against themselves. Self-deprecation is met with physical assaults with deadly plushies.

22: Who makes the bad puns and who makes a pained smile every time the other makes a pun?

-Ivar makes ALL the bad puns, and is SO happy when he’s finally able to legitimately use dad humor. Gwen pretends to cringe, but she actually thinks he’s really funny.

23: Who comes home from work to see that the other one bought a puppy?

-Gwen has come home to find a new animal many times. Many, many times. Once it was a daschaund puppy that had lost all it’s fur (Napoleon), another time it was a mini horse in their shed. Ivar argues that he tried to say ‘no’, but the kids insisted.

Ivar: No guys, we aren’t adopting the horse.

Judah (a.k.a Ivar Jr.): *Slapping his little four-year-old hand down emphatically* Daddy! He needs a famiwy!

Alyssa (a.k.a Gwen Jr): *Two and already running the world with an iron pout* Pony! Pony!

24: Which one gives the other a piggyback ride when they’re tired?

-Ivar: Are you tired? Wanna ride on my back?

Gwen: No.

Ivar: Giiing! C’moooon!

Gwen: No! Your legs are already going to be hurting from all this walking!

Ivar: Ging, get over her and let me carry you!

Gwen: No, you can’t make me!

*Continues, ad infinitum.*

25: Which one competes in some sort of activity and which one does the overzealous cheering?

-Ivar is more likely to play a sport, but really, he’s the shameless fanboy. Gwen’s maybe tried to leave him at home once or twice when she’s getting an award of some kind, because he makes that bad of a ruckus.

26: Who takes a selfie when the other one falls asleep on their shoulder?

-Ivar. He just can’t get enough of his cutie-patootie. Gwen protests that her drooling isn’t cute, and if he doesn’t delete that right now, so help her...

27: Which one would give the other a makeover if they asked?

-Also Ivar. The few times Gwen’s gone with him to a show, she lets him give her a full punk makeover. Just in general he likes to pick out her clothes. He may know the contents of her closet slightly better than she does.

28: Which one owns a pet that the other is absolutely terrified of?

-Neither of them is really afraid of the other’s pet, but Gwen is deeply suspicious of Napoleon on occasion. She’s sure he’s not as innocent as he looks, especially considering the number of times he’s conned Ivar into letting him sleep in their bed.

29: Which one holds the umbrella over both of them when it rains?

-Ivar has a strong streak of chivalry, hammered into him since birth by Aslaug. She taught him how to behave in high society, and there’s certain things that he still does on instinct.

30: If your OTP went on vacation, where would they go and what would they do? Who would take the pictures?

-They’re both homebodies to a certain extent, so they wouldn’t be constantly travelling, but they’d still like to visit other countries. Especially Ivar, who loves history. They probably take a couple trips every year. Gwen plans out the itinerary and makes Ivar stick to it despite his tendency to wander off. They like to see historical sites and go to museums. Probably a good mix of exciting stuff like amusement parks, and just chilling in a nice hotel somewhere scenic.

Ivar, of course, brings two or three cameras along and uses all of them.

[anonwriter27]

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This: Chapter Three

The air was cool in the upper world, the wind passed by lazily as if it were dazed. The lavender smelt sweeter, the water seemed clearer, it was tranquil despite the secrets it kept. One such secret was taking place again, for the third time that week.

“Do you have siblings?” Myrcella asked.

“Many.” Robb chuckled, “Two sisters and two brothers.”

“That must be nice.” Myrcella smiled.

“You don’t have any?”

“I did.” She said, tucking her hair behind her ear, as she distracted herself from her sadness by playing with the blades of grass. “Two brothers, Joffrey and Tommen.”

“What happened to them?” Robb asked, though he already knew the answer.

He had judged Joffrey’s soul many years ago. He had been a tyrant, terrorising the lives of his people; eventually his people revolted and killed him in the streets. Although he didn’t receive the punishment Ramsay did, Robb made sure his fate was not kind.

Tommen had been different, Robb had allowed him to rest in eternal peace. Despite his brother’s crimes, Tommen was good; he had tried to help those his brother had hurt. He rebuilt their homes, offered them aid, but a sweating sickness took him in the night. He was a good man and did not deserve to suffer in the afterlife.

“They both passed away.” She answered, “Joffrey wasn’t very kind, but I loved Tommen dearly.”

“I’m sorry.”

She appeared to jump out of her melancholy, “Don’t be, I know that Tommen is at peace now, I can feel it.”

He had no right to feel responsible for her happiness, but he was grateful that he had judged Tommen kindly.

The bells chimed once, it was a sound Robb began to hate.

“What would happen if you stayed?” He asked.

She giggled, “I don’t know, do I have a reason to stay?”

He was about to turn to her but the bell chimed a second time. However, instead of leaving she stayed sat by the tree.

“Do you have a favourite flower?” She asked.

“A flower?”

“Yes a flower.”

He thought about it for a moment, “Winter roses.”

He watched as she knelt down and dug her hands into the soil. Her fingers stretched out as the dirt rolled on top of her delicate skin. She stayed like that for a moment and slowly began to raise her hands, she smoothed the ground around the little hole she had made. She watched intently and so did he; he was about to ask what she was doing when she let out a happy squeal. Slowly but assuredly a little green stalk rose from the ground.

“Come on little one.” She told it encouragingly.

It seemed to be listening to her as its petals sprung forth to reveal a deep blue colour. Each petal seemed to shimmer under the sun, as though melting snow inhabited its crevasses. She plucked it from the ground and handed it back behind the tree.

“It’s the first winter rose I’ve ever made.” She told him.

“I don’t think I’m worthy to have it then.” He said as he took the flower from her hand, their fingers touching for a brief moment.

“I think you are.” She said.

The bell chimed again and Myrcella knew she had to leave.

“It should last longer than most flowers, be sure to take care of it.”

“I will, I promise.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow?’ She asked hopefully.

“Tomorrow.” He assured her and watched her leave.

He sniffed the sweet flower, the smell reminding him of her.

……………..

“Myrcella! You know the rules!” Cersei told her, an exasperated look on her face.

“I’m sorry! I was trying to grow flowers again and I lost track of time.” She said holding up her muddied hands as proof. “I didn’t even notice the bells…” She rambled.

“It’s fine.” Cersei said, “Just don’t do it again. How were the flowers?”

“Beautiful.” Myrcella told her. She made her way inside to bath and rest before their evening meal.

As she sunk into the water she thought back to her mystery companion that hid in the forest, she was unsure of how she felt about him. Was she attracted to him? She had never seen his face but the sound of his voice made her heart beat quicken. She did not know his name but she was happy to spend hours of her day talking to him. She did not know where he was from and yet the ability to make him laugh made her feel warm inside.

‘We’re just being friendly,’ is what she would tell herself; but when he doesn’t visit she feels cold. The warm sun, the sweet smell of lavender, the clear water, might as well disappear if he is not there. When the bell chimes twice calling her home, she forces herself not to look back, half scared and half hopeful that she might never go home if she did.

Myrcella had been alive for centuries, but she was still a young goddess. She wasn’t a seductress like Margaery, goddess of love and beauty, but she wasn’t a warrior like Arya, goddess of war. She had no experience when it came to men. Her mother made sure to terrify any man who attempted to propose to her beautiful daughter. Myrcella remembered when Trystane, god of the sun, came to visit, he asked if Myrcella was available to court; Cersei had vines come and strangle him until he apologised for his presumptuousness.

Myrcella hadn’t worried about her mother’s protectiveness; after the death of her brothers it was natural for Cersei to protect her last child. It was sometimes lonely, but Myrcella convinced herself she could cope with that; that was until she met the man in the forest. Ever since she met him she had a longing to be anywhere else but there. Guilt would consume her after such thoughts, she couldn’t leave her mother.

She got changed ready for their supper and sat down beside her mother.

“So how was your day?” Cersei asked.

This was her chance, she could tell her mother. Tell her that their existed a man who had stolen her heart, tell her that she longed for him every night, tell her that he brightened her day.

But then she looked up at her mother, she stared into those beautiful green eyes that they shared.

“It was fine.” She said and ignored the sinking feeling of regret in the pit of her stomach.

……………

Robb walked back through the dark forest, his smile never leaving his face. He continued to stare at the blue rose between his fingers, such a delicate thing placed in such monstrous hands.

“I must say, the image before me does not scream intimidating. Your reputation may be tarnished my dear brother.” He heard and turned to see Sansa standing by the old oak tree.

“I thought you were refraining from travelling.” He said.

“Only to the underworld, I think I’m quite safe here.”

“You look beautiful.” He told her, and she did. Pregnancy had only enhanced Sansa’s beauty; her hair seemed shinier, her smile brighter, and their was a tender way she kept her hands pressed against her swollen stomach, she was a vision.

“Thank you.” She said and linked her arm with his.

They began walking together but Robb knew she was looking at him from the corner of her eye. It was a habit she had inherited from their mother, a knowing look that could unearth your deepest feelings.

“Yes Sansa?” He asked.

“How is she?”

“Who?”

She scoffed, “The girl that has made my brother’s heart beat again.”

“I’ve not been dead Sansa.”

“You could have fooled me. Seriously though, how is your beloved?”

Robb sighed, “She’s fine, but she is not my beloved. You and Jon need to get that idea out of your heads.”

“She could be, if you wanted.” Sansa said cryptically.

Robb stopped walking and turned to look her in the eye, “Meaning?”

“Must I spell it out. You want her, she wants you, take her.” She said so calmly it was hard to believe what she was suggesting.

“No.” Robb said instantly.

“And why not?”

“People already think I’m a monster, I don’t need kidnapper or rapist added to their list.” He told her seriously.

“It wouldn’t be kidnapping! You both want to be together, and let’s face it, Cersei is never going to allow that. This may be your only option.”

Robb shook his head, “No, it’s out of the question.”

“But….” She tried.

“Sansa no.”

He left, assuming he had been heard by his sister, but Sansa was not prepared to lose this argument.

……………

“Please leave it be love, this is how Robb wants it to be.” Jon pleaded with his wife. He began to kiss her neck slowly, feeling her relax in his arms. He thought he was winning but her stubbornness got the better of her.

“He doesn’t know what he wants! He thinks this is his only option, if only he could see how much  she cares for him.” She said sadly.

“I know.” Jon said, kneeling down in front of her, pushing back the hair that fell in her face. “But if he believes this to be the right thing to do then we just have to support that. Who knows, in time Cersei may ease up on her rules.”

“And how much longer will that take? It could be centuries before they end up together.” She whined.

“Then it’ll be worth the wait. Need I remind you the lengths we went to?”

Sansa didn’t need reminding, Jon had fought a war, wrestled beasts, and took down empires to be with her. He had been worth the wait, but she couldn’t help but think of all the years spent fighting when they could have been in each others arms. She didn’t want Robb to waste time on this, not when his eyes had just started to sparkle again.

“I’m going to run a bath, join me?” He asked.

She smiled, “I’ll be there in a minute.”

When he left she decided to take matters into her own hands. Robb and Jon would be mad, but she knew their anger would subside once they saw the benefits of her plan.

She went to her looking glass and found Myrcella laying in the field, now was her chance.

………………..

Myrcella awoke from her nap, startled by a strange ripping sound. She stood up and walked towards the forest entrance, the sound got louder and louder and she feared something deadly was approaching.

The louder the sound became, the more the ground shook. She should have ran but fear seized her and she was unable to move.

All too soon the ground opened up beneath her and everything went black.

……………..

“Your grace! Your grace!” Qyburn cried.

Qyburn was a trusted advisor of Robb’s; he was an odd man who dealt in potions and witchcraft, but Robb had grown fond of him over the many years.

“You better not have exploded anything again Qyburn.” Robb sighed as he sat back in his throne.

“No your grace it’s…well…it’s…”

“Spit it out!” Robb yelled.

Qyburn took a deep gulp, “The entrance to the upper world, it cracked open your grace, quite viciously. A goddess fell through; she is unconscious and injured your grace.”

Robb’s face turned to stone, ‘Dear sister, what have you done?’

#robbcella #robb x myrcella #RobbStark #Myrcella Baratheon #jonsa #jon snow #Sansa Stark #game of thrones #anonwriter27

[raendown]

Pairing: ItachiSakura Soulmate au: The one where you have a meter on your body that tells you how dangerous your soulmate is

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

Although he would rather let his younger sibling shave him bald then admit it, Itachi had always been rather anxious about meeting his soulmate. There were speculations that the Meters were a product of generations long ago, back in olden times when carrying hidden weapons was typical and being a ninja was a common profession. Back then it would have been useful to know how dangerous one’s soulmate was; it might have actually helping you find them. Nowadays the Meters were largely superfluous, only helpful if one by chance happened to stumble across one’s soulmate and touch them.

For people like Itachi, however, the Meter had another purpose: worrying him sick whenever he let himself think about things too deeply. It sat upon his right wrist, a half-moon broken in to four colored sections. Most people that he met had their thick black needle pointing firmly somewhere in the green quadrant. He had seen a few that pointed in the middling yellow range, whose soulmates often turned out to be police officers or military personnel. He had even met one person whose needle pointed to the orange quadrant and when the truth of his home life had finally come out the entire town had been in an uproar.

Itachi’s Meter, however, was unlike any he’d seen before. The needle on his wrist pointed firmly towards the red quadrant. Whoever his soulmate was they were a very dangerous person indeed. Itachi often wondered how he registered for his other half; as the CEO of Uchiha Incorporated he didn’t imagine he could be seen as very dangerous at all. Certainly he was trained in several martial arts, but that was more of a personal hobby than an intention to hurt someone.

Finding one’s soulmate was not actually very common anymore. Enough so that when Itachi did meet his, he couldn’t decide whether to be more shocked at the fact of the meeting or the method.

Being the CEO made every personal moment in his life a public one, much to his chagrin, and his thirty-second birthday was no different. The party his younger brother had arranged for him was tasteful but he would have much preferred to celebrate quietly at home instead of in the massive office from which he ran the family company. Despite the terror of the moment when a gang of men with automatic weapons burst in to crash the party, Itachi could not stop himself from sending his brother the driest ‘I-told-you-so’ face in his repertoire.

That look melted away to be replaced with complete and utter shock as a petite woman with bright pink hair dropped down through his ceiling tiles right on top of the one pointing a gun in his face. With seeming ease she locked her thighs around his neck, twisted, and rolled away leaving a dead man behind her. Itachi could do no more than sit huddled behind his desk beside Sasuke and watch as this tiny slip of a thing systematically took out each and every one of the assailants without earning so much as a scratch.

Stupidly, despite the shock of the events going on around him, Itachi could not take his eyes from the woman. Her distractingly beautiful face remained impassive even as she disarmed a man twice her size and drove the butt of his own gun in to the base of his skull. Party-goers screamed and scattered every which way each time one of the masked intruders moved yet his pink-haired savior appeared perfectly calm, rolling backwards over the snack table to avoid a wild punch and kicking her opponent between the eyes as she went.

As abruptly as the action had started, it was all over. Suddenly the room was left utterly quiet, the rich and terrified all huddled along the edges of the room, several large muscle-bound terrorists unconscious or dead on the floor, and one petite woman casually brushing her hair out of her eyes, examining the cuff of her sleeve and grimacing at a tear in the material. With a huff, her eyes swung over to where Itachi and Sasuke were both still crouched behind his large desk. As the elder rose slowly to his feet with as much composure as he could her gaze swept over him from head to toe, a considering look on her face. Itachi felt almost as though he were being judged and he wondered if he had been found wanting.

“You have some pretty important people after your head, you know,” she said, the first words she had spoken since entering the room. Itachi raised a single eyebrow.

“That is not news to me,” he replied. She snorted, shaking a bit of broken glass off of her boot before stepping over in his direction.

“Well lucky for you you’ve also got some important people looking out for that pretty head of your as well. Sorry to break up your party”–she really didn’t sound very sorry–“but you’ll have to come with me, Uchiha-san.” With one hip cocked and the slightly tilt to her head, pink hair swaying like a sheet of candy floss around her face, she looked nothing like the deadly fighting machine of only a moment ago.

In all his life, Itachi had never been so instantly intrigued by a person.

“To follow you would seem the best course of action,” he conceded, tugging his clothes in to the place in an effort to further compose himself. He’d just watched three men die and several others be rendered violently unconscious; he should not be fighting back a flush of attraction. To his side, Sasuke was looking at him as though he’d gone crazy.

“You can’t just go running off with some stranger!” his brother protested. The girl smirked.

“Why Sasuke, how rude!” She gave a simpering pout so false it was laughable. “How can you possibly call me a stranger? Don’t you recognize your old classmate?”

Three heartbeats of silence passed while Sasuke stared at the woman, confusion written on his features as he obviously wracked his brain to try and come up with where he could have possibly met someone so dangerous before. The moment it clicked was obvious when his jaw dropped. “Sakura!?”

“The one and the only. Now, Uchiha-san, if you would?” She directed her second statement to the one she had been paid to come here and protect, beckoning Itachi towards her and completely dismissing his younger brother.

“If memory serves,” Itachi said as he picked his way towards her, “’Sakura’ was the name of the girl in high school who had an obsession with my little brother.” The woman chuckled.

“Yes, well. Let’s just say I’ve moved on to bigger and better things.”

Itachi hummed as he drew abreast of her. Shaking her head in amusement at his efforts to seem unaffected by everything that was happening, she reached out to tug his tie in to place for him. His hand came up in reflex, attempting to block her motion using one of the moves he practiced so often in the dojo. The moment his fingers curled around his wrist they both stopped moving, staring at each other in wonderment.

“Much better things, it would seem,” she breathed for only him to hear.

He found he could hardly respond at first. His soulmate! He knew it the moment their skin touched, this woman before him was his soulmate! He could hardly believe that they had found each other; even less believable that he had watched her kill three would-be attackers within the first five minutes of meeting.

Sakura recovered first. She stepped away from him with a sharp smirk but soft eyes, heading for the exit. The partygoers that he had forgotten all about, still braced along the edges of the room, scrambled to get out of her way as she reached the door.

“Coming?” she called over her shoulder. Once corner of Itachi’s mouth quirked up ever so slightly.

“Oh yes,” he answered in a low voice. “I believe I will follow wherever you wish to lead me.”

#soulmate collection #rae writes #itasaku #itachi #sakura #fanfiction #naruto shippuden

[jordanwinchesterimagines]

Dinner at Jody’s

Words: 1,923

AN: Here is Part Three of You Don’t Know What It Feels Like! I literally can not get my thoughts down fast enough. I was wanting you guy’s opinion on something, also. Since this is going to be (basically) a new Sam Series, would it be less confusing if I gave it it’s own series title? Anyway, this is a filler chapter, but I think that the conversations are important so here it is. As always, thank you for the likes and feedback. They are always appreciated and cherished. 

You Don’t Know What It Feels Like, Tell Her I Said, Goodbye 

The first thing that Sam did when he arrived at the cabin was clean. The place was covered in dust, grime, and old beer bottles. It didn’t look like anyone had stayed there since they had a few years ago, the evidence being the remains of Dean’s leg cast. It took a few days, but after a good amount of dusting, scrubbing and air freshener, Sam was finally able to sit and relax....which lasted for about 15 minutes. Not feeling ready to start looking for a hunt, Sam threw on a pair of sweats and his running shoes and went for a run. As he ran, he kept focused on his feet hitting the ground, the breaths he took, the trees he passed. Not once did he let his mind wander, he came out here to clear his mind, and he intended to do just that. It was not too hot outside, being early evening, but between his pace and distance he was covered in sweat by the time he made it back. He went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, drinking about half of its contents before twisting back on the lid and tossing it back in. He took his phone out of his pocket and saw that Dean had texted him... twice.

D: u make it ok?

D: Dude.

He sighed and unlocked his phone to replying.

 S: Chill, Dean.  It’s only been three days…

D: Well it couldn’t hurt u to let us know u got there.

S: I’m fine. Just settling in.

D: u should text (Y/N). Let her know.

S: Aren’t you guys, together?

D: just text her asshat

Sam sighed again. Dean was probably right. He was not going to be able to ignore or avoid you forever. He pulled up your contact in his phone and opened a new message.

S: Hey. I just wanted to let you know I was safe here in S.D. Gonna hang low for awhile.

Y: good to know

‘Great’ Sam thought, ‘she’s pissed’. It took him a few tries but he wrote an apology, knowing full well that it wasn’t going to be enough.

S: I know you’re pissed. I’m sorry about the other night. I can’t really explain what’s going on with me right now. But, you have to trust me. I need this. I need to be here.

Y: I’m still pissed.

Y: But, I get it.. I think. Just, don’t do anything stupid.

S: I won’t. Thanks.

Y: Keep in touch, okay?

S: Roger that.

Sam tossed his phone on the table and headed for the shower. How was he supposed to get over you? He made a good first move, coming to the cabin, but he was starting to realize that the ‘distance’ wasn’t going to do anything if he kept having to check in all the time. ‘Better than staying at the bunker’ he reasoned, stepping under the warm water. He stood there for a few minutes, letting the water trickle down his back.’I’ll have to figure something else out’ he thought, not knowing where to start. After what seemed like an hour, the water started to chill. Realizing he had just been standing there,  he washed quickly, before turning off the water. He dried his hair with his  towel and shook his head a few times  it a few times before wrapping the towel around his waist. He was on his way to the bedroom to get dressed when he heard his phone ring. Shuffling down the hall, Sam held the towel around his waist, cursing under his breath. ‘Over protecting…. annoying... Son of a …” He picked up his phone, and smiled, pleasantly surprised to find it wasn’t his brother.

“Hey Jody!”

“Sam Winchester. A little birdy told me that you were in my neck of the woods. Thought I would give you a call. You know, I’m a little offended you didn’t make your way over here….. “ Sam smiled at the teasing nature in her voice.

“Well I couldn’t look too desperate, now could I?” She laughed.

“Ah, the Winchester charm. So what are you and your charm doing tonight for dinner?”

“Ugh…” he opened a cabinet, not expecting much. He hadn't really shopped yet. “5 year old canned chili?”

“I seriously hope that was a joke.”

“I wish it was…” Sam replied, laughing.

“Well you’re not eating that crap. You’re coming over here. Steak and potatoes, what more could you ask for?” Sam thought about it for a moment. He had planned to get drunk, eat junk and pass out, but he wasn’t going to turn down Jody’s offer through. She was important to him... in a lot of ways. He owed it to her to go visit, despite how crappy he was feeling.  

“Sounds like I’ll be there.”

“Good! Bring your appetite.” Sam hung up and got dressed quickly, making sure to look somewhat presentable. He stopped at a liquor store and bought a bottle of wine, not wanting to show up empty handed. He hoped that what he picked tasted good. He wasn’t exactly a wine expert, but he figured the pricier the better. When he arrived at the house he was surprised to see Claire outside sitting on the tailgate of Jody’s truck. She jumped off as he pulled up and waited until he was parked to approach him. Sam grabbed the bottle of wine, and got out of the car, nodding to the young girl.

“Well, if it isn’t Big and Tall!” She said smirking, playfulness in her eyes.

“Hey Grumpy.” He quipped. She nodded to the wine.

“That for me?” Sam raised his eyebrows and huffed.

“Yeah… in about 3 years.”

“Good.” she replied, raising her eyebrow and taking the bottle. “It has time to age.” There was a brief pause before both of them began chuckling. “Don’t think too much of it, but I actually kind of missed you.” Nudging him, she motioned for the house where Jody and Alex stood at the door.

“Sam.” Jody embraced him at the doorway, squeezing him a little too tight. Sam allowed it, and hugged her back.

“Hey…” He smiled at Alex over Jody’s shoulder, which she returned before returning her attention back to her phone. Jody took her a step back, holding Sam at arm’s length, giving him a good look-over.

“Not trying to be rude, but you look like crap.”

“No offense taken.” he nodded to Claire. “Brought you some wine. You might want to grab it before you have an underage situation over there.” Jody smirked but gave the young girl a narrow look as she released Sam. She took the bottle and inspected it.

“Wow. Fancy stuff! You’re too good for me, Sam.”

…………

They made it through dinner with light conversation, Sam enjoying the stories of schools, and groundings. The bickering between the two girls, reminded him of he and his brother growing up. He was glad that he came, this was definitely better than sitting at the cabin by himself. He didn’t have this very often. Between hunting, looking for Amara, and doing research it was hard to find time to sit down to a home cooked meal, let alone be consistent with buying fresh groceries. He sighed in contentment as ate his last bite of steak.

“Well I made desert. Anyone interested?” A collection of nods and muffled ‘yeses’, came from the other three, who were taking their last bites of potatoes. Jody smiled and went into the kitchen, returning a second later with a fresh apple pie. “I know this is a ‘Dean dessert’, but I had a craving and it’s what came out of the oven.” A silence filled the room, the mention of Dean’s name seeming to cast a wave of awkwardness in the air that caused even Alex to look up from her phone. It was Claire who broke the silence, as she often did.

“Where are the lumberjack and lumber-lady anyway? Don’t you guys like, do everything together?” Jody shot her a deadly look as she distributed the pie amongst them.  

“Claire..”

“No!” Sam interrupted, “It’s okay. We normally do… but I needed a bit of a break.”

“From hunting or from them?” Claire questioned, determined to get a straight answer out of Sam.

“Ugh… mostly Dean, I guess.” He took a bite of pie, trying to sell his story, and nodded at the girls. “You know what living with a sibling is like.” Both girls turned their heads and glared at each other.

“Not siblings…” Alex said pointingly.

“Just go back to texting that douche of a boyfriend.” Claire chastised

“AANNNNDD, we’re one big happy family here in Sioux Falls” Jody chimed in.

“I rest my case” Sam argued, triumphantly. Jody studied Sam closely for a moment.

“Girls, why don’t you go work on some homework.”

“What? And miss out on the ‘grown up conversation’ you’re about to have?”

“Go.” Jody said, motioning her and Alex out of the dining room. They left with little fuss after that, and Jody began staking plates to take to the kitchen. “Give me a hand?” she asked. He nodded and began helping her. It was not long before they had cleared the table and they stood at the sink, Jody washing and Sam drying. “You want to talk about it?” she said, handing him a plate

“Talk about what?” he replied, nonchalantly, drying the dish and putting it on the rack.

“The real reason you left Dean and (Y/N) in Kansas.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Jody. I needed to get away from ‘big brother’ for awhile. Do my own thing.” She nodded.

“Yeah that’s a bunch of bull.” He sighed and took another plate from her.

“I don’t know what you want me to say, I’m telling you the truth.”

“The truth?” Jodie dropped the plate she was washing in the sink and turned to Sam. “So you can look at me in the face and just pretend like this has nothing to do with the fact that you’re in love with her and she’s in love with him?” Sam blinked.

“What… how did… I don’t..”

“A mom see’s things Sam.” He took a deep breath and put down his towel, crossing his arms. He couldn’t look her in the eye, so he decided to focus on his shoes instead. “What happened?”

“They got together.”

“Shit. Sam, I’m so sorry” Sam shook his head.

“You want to know the best part?” He paused, and scratched his head a bit in frustration. “It’s all because of me...” Jodie frowned.

“I need some kind of explanation here.” Sam placed his hands on his hips, and began pacing back and forth.

“They got in some fight because Dean was a dumbass and She went off on him…” he shook his head “ rightfully so by the way” he added. “He couldn't figure out why in the hell she was yelling at him for going out on a dangerous hunt on his own. So I, being the good little brother that I am, let the cat out of the bag... I’m an idiot.” Jody shook her head and walked forward, framing his face with her hands.

“You are NOT an idiot. What you did…. You did it because you love both of them. You wanted them to be happy. You know what Sam? You are going to find someone, who appreciates you and loves you for everything you are”. She brought him into a hug and rubbed his back in an attempt to comfort him. He sank into her touch, letting himself be vulnerable for a few moments.

“I couldn't stay there” he whispered, sounding utterly defeated.

“I know.” he squeezed her softly before pulling out of the embrace, blinking at the moisture in his eyes. “So what are you going to do now?” she asked. He shrugged.

“Find a few cases here and there. Try to get over it, I guess.”

“Well if you ever need a project, you could take Claire.” She said, rolling her eyes.

“Claire?”

“Yeah. She’s been terrorizing the town, thinks there’s a bunch of monsters…” she shook her head. “Yeah not so much. Maybe you could show her the ropes a bit? On low profile cases, of course. She’s a long way from anything too serious.” Sam nodded, thankful for the change in conversation.

 “I might take her up on that. Might need a partner in crime someday.” he joked. Actually, the idea didn’t sound so bad to Sam. It would give him something to keep busy and give Claire the training that she needed to be safe on her own. For the first time since he left the bunker he had something to look forward to.

#jordan loves you #jordanwinchesterimagines #sam series #Sam Winchester #IMAGINE SAM WINCHESTER #you don't know what it feels like #spn series #supernatural fic #spn #part three

[motherofmicrobes-blog]

When an RSV diagnosis turns deadly

RSV is a common virus among kids that usually clears up on its own. Like the common cold, most parents think nothing of it. Until their kid is the rare one who almost dies.

What does an RSV diagnosis mean?

I first learned about RSV in an unlikely place: my husband’s blog on scientific presentations. He interviewed Jonathon Coey, a Ph.D. student who studies a virus called Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Coey researches and writes about why some children who get RSV have run-of-the-mill cold-like symptoms, while others have extreme life-threatening experiences. About 97% of children contract RSV before age 2. So almost every kid- probably even my own. In fact, most infections never even get a formal RSV diagnosis. It's just one of the 6-8 colds we expect our children to get every year. Typically mild symptoms might be followed by bronchiolitis or pneumonia, but children usually fight it off on their own at home. Babies have a harder time than older children because their immune systems are less developed, premies even more so. Unfortunately, some of them develop severe RSV disease, an amplified state of the illness that kills nearly 200,000 people a year! Because of my personal experience, I’m acutely sensitive to cases where things go unexpectedly wrong. So while relatively few children develop severe RSV disease, I was intrigued by what those families must go through. This is at the heart of why RSV research is so important.

Shanisty’s story

Shanisty Ireland’s newborn son caught the infection from his siblings. The older kids struggled but ultimately fought the infection without intervention, but the baby wasn’t so lucky. He coughed up phlegm and was sent home twice from the doctor's office with a diagnosis of RSV and Bronchiolitis. Both extremely common newborn infections. Unfortunately his symptoms progressed quickly: he developed a fever, vomited frequently, and became dehydrated. Soon it became clear that the virus was much more dangerous for him.  He was admitted to the hospital and spent “four days and three nights hooked up to oxygen, IVs, fluids, and antibiotics.” Since RSV is a virus and can’t be treated with antibiotics, my guess is this was to prevent additional infections in his vulnerable state. After all the x-rays, treatments, aspirations, and tests, he fortunately recovered and returned home. There he continued his long journey back to health. Shanisty shared her story on the website motherly, including some things she learned from her ordeal to help other parents if/when RSV strikes their children. A few very important take-homes: Monitor your child’s breathing if you think they have RSV- this is crucial.Isolate children from potential infection rather than trusting in hand-washing. This is a more effective strategy.The virus gets worse before it gets better: symptoms peak between day 3 and 5. And symptoms can hang around for 4-6 weeks! Shanisty has since written more about her experiences and RSV awareness on her fantastic blog “She’s becoming domestic."

RSV Aftershocks

The virus doesn't just come and then go. Symptoms stick around for weeks or even months. And not just physical symptoms: behavioral ones too. On the blog "lovely indeed," another Mom, Chelsea Foy, describes how even after the worst of the RSV infection was over, her young daughter still had problems. "Maggie went from sleeping through the night all by herself to waking and needing to eat or wanting a pacifier." The last thing parents need after watching their child suffer through a terrible illness is even less sleep! She explains that her daughter also dealt with congestion for awhile after the illness. What's more, watching the children you love experiencing so much pain and discomfort is traumatizing in itself. That's why more and more parents are sharing their stories: to let others know that dealing with severe RSV infection is, as Claire put it, "scary but not insurmountable."

A waiting game

Unfortunately, when your child gets sick with RSV, it's nearly impossible to tell whether the illness will go away on it's own or require further medical treatment. All parents can do is try to avoid it, watch for warning signs, and wait. But hopefully in the future, thanks to researchers like Jonathon, we may be able to do more than just wait. Our next post shares more RSV stories and discusses some precautions and scientific advances that can help prevent RSV and provide more effective treatment. A special thank you to the brave parents who shared their family’s stories and the researchers working to protect kids from this dangerous disease! And check out their great blogs here: Jonathon Dean Coey: The Science Boi, @thescienceboiiShanisty Ireland: She's becoming domestic, @shanistyirelandChelsea Foy: Lovely Indeed, @lovelyindeed

Because no virus story is complete without a beautiful, if somewhat confusing, picture of it. (source: Wikimedia commons) Read the full article

#hospitalization #infant #infection #newborn #RSV #scicomm #stories #virus