#need someone to spoil and expose his mom real quick

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

White Lies (Pt. 14 of 21)

Pairing: Keanu Reeves X Reader

Word count: 2.1 K

Summary: Keanu found the girl almost dead, in the wrecks of what was once her car. While she was in surgery, stuck in a coma, he gathered the best doctors of New York to attend to her. They told him she is likely to have some kind of brain damage, what may lead to memory loss. And this possibility added up wit the fact that she's pregnant, made the council come up with an odd idea. They asked Keanu to pretend to be her husband, since the stress of finding out everything that happened could put the baby in danger. He reluctantly agreed, but only if she does has some kind of memory loss. He still goes she'll wake up soon, with her memories intact.

But when you finally wake up, there's nothing inside. You're quick to find your head is empty, void, like a blank canvas. The only thing that brings you some relief, that makes you feel less lonely is the mention of a husband. And you can't wait to meet him, because you know you can't deal with this by yourself.

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{Keanu Reeves Masterlist}

{John Wick Masterlist}

×

The Truth Always Finds A Way

“It's absolutely beautiful. I love it.” Laura says as you walk with her back to the living room. You just showed her Liam's bedroom, which is finally ready.

It's your fault it took so long though because there were a lot of things you couldn't decide on. But now it's ready, right on time thankfully, because it's the beginning of week 39, and you and Keanu are on full alert because it can happen anytime.

“Thanks. We have everything in place.” Gesturing at the door, Laura easily spots the bag lying on the floor. “That's the bag with everything I'll need in case we have to run.”

“So Keanu convinced you on a natural labor then.”

“Google convinced me.” Slowly, you drop to the couch, sighing. “Sweetie, you're making mommy so heavy.” You whisper to the baby, putting your feet up on the coffee table.

“You're almost here, little one.” Laura lowers her head near your belly. “Aunt Laura will spoil you so bad your mom will hate me.” She fell into his aunt role, but you don't mind. Since you don't have any siblings, you're happy Liam will have an aunt on Laura. “We'll pair up to prank your parents, right?”

“God help me.” You dramatically moan, eyes rolling.

“Planning on having more kids?” She asks, a hand caressing your belly.

“Yes. We have spoken about it and we'll have at least one more.” Smiling, you play with the tips of your hair. “Maybe Sophie will come, but if it's another boy it'll be Ethan.”

“I like it.” She says. “Oh, I have to ask. What was it yesterday? Lucia came over?”

“Yes, she did.” Not even on the last days of your pregnancy that woman leaves you alone. “It was fine until Keanu kissed me. Then it became a fight again. She just can't accept Keanu and I are fine. I don't remember him, but I fell for him again. I don't get what's the big deal.” When you look up at Laura, she has a weird expression on her face. “What is it?”

“N-nothing. Nothing.” She stutters, clearing her throat. “That's odd.”

“It is...” Furrowing your eyebrows, you're just about to say something when her phone starts ringing. “That's my alarm. I'll have to go.” She gets up, offering you a hand to pull you up. “But I can call later if you want to talk.”

“Sure, thank you.” Hugging her the best you can, you walk her to the front door, locking it after she leaves.

There isn't much going on today, so you head upstairs to your bedroom, smiling to hear the shower on. Tiptoeing into the bathroom, you see Keanu inside the box, so you silently take your clothes off before sliding the glass open.

That's when he notices you, turning around and smiling. “Is Laura gone?”

“Yeah.” Holding onto his arm, you step inside, feeling the warm water on your skin. “Heard the shower and thought I could join you.” Wrapping your arms around his neck, you kiss him, slow and passionately. In moments like this, the whole world disappears. New York is gone, the busy streets and its people... There's nobody else, no worries, just you and him.

“You know we can't...” He whispers, pulling away from a little.

“I know. I just wanna shower, I promise.” You didn't have any ideas, but now you do. But still, you have to stick with showering only. “Help me, Ke.”

“You're such a teaser.” But despite the dramatic eye roll, Keanu grabs the body wash and starts rubbing it through your body.

Much to your dismay, Keanu has become a master of self-control, and once you're done, you have no choice but to leave, dry, and dress yourself as you wait for him. Back in the bedroom, his phone starts beeping, as many messages come through.

“Ke, your phone is beeping like crazy.” You tell him, raising your voice a little as you finish brushing your hair.

“Can you check if it's Robert?”

“Sure.” Walking around the bed, you sit down as you take his phone, your eyes taking in the notifications.

But it isn't Robert, it's Lucia. Pinching your eyebrows together, you start getting angry. Whatever reasons she's texting Keanu, it's probably not good. Unlocking his phone, you quickly find the messages app, opening it, and reading the texts.

‘You can't possibly think this will go on after the birth.’

‘I will tell her myself.’

‘You're disgusting. Lying to her like that, while she's vulnerable.’

Your heart starts beating so fast it drums in your ears. Her words are a mystery, and you're struggling to bring sense into it.

‘(Y/N) has the right to know about Daniel.’

‘My son. My dead son, her true husband.’

The messages keep coming and you start crying, a hand on your mouth to cover the sobs.

This can't be right. What is she saying? There's a sudden, pounding pain on your head, as your eyes go through the new texts.

‘You can tell yourself whatever you want, but this is all on you.’

‘You're lucky I'm not the type of person to expose celebrities, or else I'm sure your career would be over.’

‘You can't just keep lying to (Y/N) like this, it's not fair to her.’

‘This child isn't yours, it will never be.’

‘You can say this is for her own good, but I don't believe this bullshit.’

Standing up to your feet, you throw the phone away, further into the bed, too far for you to reach. You can't read it anymore. Is she lying?

No. Lucia mentioned Daniel as if he meant something to you. Michael did the same. He didn't seem to understand how you were with Keanu, since you were with Daniel...

Too many things come flooding back. Keanu's first distance, some weird expressions you couldn't read when you made certain questions... But still, you can't bring yourself to believe it. Maybe Lucia just wants to ruin your marriage.

When you hear the bathroom door closing, you turn around, not even trying to hide your tears. Keanu gets worried the moment he looks at you.

“(Y/N)? What happened?”

“Why is Lucia saying Daniel was my true husband?” You burst out, both hands clenched into fists. “That this kid isn't yours, that you're lying to me.” Pointing at the phone, you wipe off some tears. “It was her, not Robert.”

Keanu's face drops, and his whole posture changes. That's how you know it. That's when you realize Lucia is telling the truth.

“No...” You mutter, heart breaking as you bring both hands to cover your face. This can't be real, but his silence, his inability to answer proves your otherwise. “Please, Keanu, say something!” You yell, bending over a little when a sharp pain spreads through your hips. With a hand on the bed, you sustain your weight, standing up straight again.

“I'm so sorry, (Y/N), I–”

“My God.” Cutting him off, you pace around, a lump in your throat. You can only feel, and watch, as your whole world comes crashing down. It feels like you're in a nightmare, under torture, with a knife being put through your heart. “How could you...” It comes out a whisper, so you repeat, yelling this time. “How could you do that?!”

“(Y/N), please listen–” He comes forward, making his way around the bed, but you step back, hands raised.

“I don't wanna listen!” You snap, eager to put some distance between you and him. “I don't wanna listen! We... We slept together!” The memory comes back like a wrecking ball, and you feel violated, betrayed. “I–... I gave myself to you because I thought you were my husband. I–” The wave of pain cuts you short again, and you gasp, using the wall to sustain your weight.

“(Y/N), what are you–”

“Stay away from me!” Shouting, you find the closet door, rushing inside and locking yourself inside.

You're moving even before you notice, grabbing the first baggage you find and searching for your clothes, messily shoving it inside the box. Keanu is saying something, knocking, pleading, but you don't want to hear.

He was everything, and now, you just want him to be nothing.

Your head feels like it could explode as you remember all the moments you shared since you first saw him, in the hospital room. Like an idiot, you felt secure back then to know there was someone to look after you, to guide you in a life you didn't know anything about. When he told you about the pregnancy, you thanked the heavens for having a husband by your side. You were scared, terrified, empty... Just as you are now.

Keanu is nothing to you. The happy, wonderful marriage is just a lie. Your life, the man you love... “Go away!” You shout at him, making a damn mess on his closet, but you don't care. You don't want to love him, not anymore.

With whatever is left of your strength and dignity, you close the baggage and leave, pushing Keanu out of your way, sight blurry with tears. “Siri, call me a cab.” You tell as you walk past Keanu's phone, the change of lighting on the screen showing you it got your command.

“(Y/N), please don't leave.”

“Do you really expect me to stay?” Struggling on the stairs with the baggage and your huge belly, you hold tightly on the railing until you're safe on the floor. “A-after you... Damn it! I don't even know why you did this!” You're yelling again, moving to the front door, hoping the cab will get here soon. “What kind of man are you? What kind of person does this?”

“Let me explain, please. I found you after you crashed the car and–”

“And you decided to take me?! Is that it? You thought I was pretty, and I was in the perfect position for you to take me and play couple?!” A horn makes you sigh, and part of you is relieved that you'll go away from the man, the part that's burning with anger.

But there's another side, probably your heart, that hurts, aches for him. This is what's making you cry, and it yells for you to stay. To listen.

But despite his begging, you leave, pulling the door open and running to the cab.

Keanu isn't the one to cry often. He does feel sad, but tears are something rare.

But today, they come rolling down, like a flood.

How could it be any different? After everything he has done, how could he expect this to have a different end? This is what he deserves.

Pacing around the house, lost, he finds himself in the kitchen. Looking at the table, he sees her there, in her pale blue sweater, beautiful, smiling, putting a strand of hair behind her ear. He can't even count how many meals they had here, instead of using the dining room, because (Y/N) felt it was more intimate. Averting his eyes, he stares at the fridge, and there she is again, in her pink lace gown pajamas, stretching out on her swollen belly, marking down the weeks.

(Y/N) will haunt him for the rest of his life.

Slamming his hands on the island, he takes the small flower pot and throws it across the room, giving vent to his anger. Anger at himself for doing this. He could've said no. He could've told her he truth, that he found her, and that he would stand by her side for as long as she needed him.

But he decided on the lie.

Making his way upstairs, his phone's screen is on. Taking it from the bed, he finds the app tracking where the cab is going. Where she is going... But he closes it, going to the gallery instead, where he starts skipping through the photos they took.

Keanu is heartbroken for the first time in his life. On every photo, it hurts more and more, until he can't take it anymore. The tears are blinding him, so he lies down on his back, eyes on the ceiling. The house feels empty already, cold... But that's good. Because it suits him perfectly, that's exactly how he feels.

×

@multific @inumorph @aestheticallywinchester @bvbwestfall @liviiii98 @allie1804-fan @gian-giannina @playboygeniusphilanthropist @partypoison00 @mariafetamina @fortheloveoffanfic @trin303

#keanu reeves x reader #keanu reeves imagine #keanu reeves fanfiction #keanu reeves fanfic #keanu reeves #imagine keanu reeves #john wick imagine #john wick fanfiction

[phantoms-lair]

MSAHolidaySpirits2020 - Gift for WorldBeyondTheWorld

@worldbeyondtheworld I’m your Mystery Skulls Secret Santa. Hope this is okay.

It was unusual for Vivi to be on her own. Even if her friends weren’t by her side, Mystery always was.

But today she was on her own, by choice. She was mad at Mystery for the secrets he’d kept. Mad at Lewis for turning on Arthur like that, and for going straight for murder without asking questions. And while she wasn’t mad at Arthur (who had been as much in the dark as her), they had been spending a lot of time in an enclosed van and she could use a breather.

She’d made sure Mystery and Arthur had recovered from their injuries, and that Lewis wasn’t going to backslide and go after Arthur again, then set aside a weekend trip for herself. She just needed to get away from all of it and breathe. Arthur and Mystery understood, even if both looked guilty. Lewis had looked like a kicked puppy, but hadn’t said anything, which she’d take.

She just wanted some time away without anyone she’d know, which was why she was so surprised to hear a familiar voice (albeit one she hadn’t heard in quite a while) call “Vivi?” from the other side of the All-You-Can-Eat diner.

“Fred?” She turned her head to make sure she hadn’t imagined it. “Fred, is that you?” The next thing she knew she was being hugged and laughed. “Fred Jones, what are you doing in Texas?”

“A friend of yours?” One of the girls with Fred (Velma, she thought from Fred’s past descriptions) asked. “This is my cousin, Vivi. Vi, these are my friends- Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby.” Fred introduced. “Nice to meet you.”  Vivi was privately pleased she’d gotten Velma right. And also amused by the subtle confused looks going between her and Fred, trying to find the slightest scrap of resemblance between the round Japanese girl and angular American boy.

“This might help.” She pulled up a picture of her family on the phone. It was far easier to see the resemblance between Susan Yukino nee Jones and her brother, Skip.

“Oooooh,” All of his friends nodded.

Fred looked a little put out. “You didn’t believe me?”

“It’s not that we didn’t believe you Fred,” Daphne assured him. “It’s just a little hard to see.”

“Not the first time, won’t be the last.” Vivi assured. “And you never answered my question.”

“We were hired to sit in on a séance.” Fred explained. “We have a reputation for debunking fake supernatural happenings and the widow doesn’t want to be tricked.”

“Which should be simple. Ghosts aren’t real, therefore it’s a trick.” Velma shook her head in disbelief.

“Why don’t you come with us, Vi?” Fred said excitedly. “It’s been so long, and the last time I went to Japan, I found out you had moved to America!”

She had gone on this trip for some me-time, but to her own surprise, found the idea of spending time with her cousin wasn’t a bad one.

He was right, it had been years since they’d seen each other which meant he and his friends were utterly unconnected to the mess in Tempo. “You sure your client won’t mind?” Fred shrugged, “It’s not like she’s paying for our room and board or admission to somewhere. We’re all just sitting around watching, shouldn’t be a problem.”

“The medium is from somewhere called ‘Kurain Village’,” Daphne added, “They’re supposed to be reputable.”

Vivi’s eye’s lit up. “Kurain Village! I’ve read about them! I always wanted to see their techniques in action, but Baa-san said it would be disrespectful to go just to gawk at them.”

“Well now you can gawk at them to help a widow.” Fred elbowed Vivi slightly with a grin, who returned the gesture.

“What’s so interesting about their techniques? Moaning and wailing? Ouiji boards?” Velma asked, rolling her eyes.

Vivi laughed. “Oh no, I’m not spoiling the surprise if you don’t know. Let’s just say it’s very distinctive and would be very hard to fake.”

Velma seemed skeptical, but that was fine. This was very off the beaten path for a Kurain Medium, so if it was a fake the skepticism would be good for exposing them. That being said, if it wasn’t she did look forward to seeing Velma attempt to rationalize it.

“So like, what’s your stance?” Shaggy asked. “Do you believe in ghosts? Or think it’s all fake?”

Vivi thought for a moment. “The short answer is both. I do think ghosts and stuff are real,” How could she not, after what had happened,  “but that ninety percent of haunted houses and mediums are either frauds or have more rational explanations.” She shrugged. “I give the mediums from Kurain a bit more benefit of the doubt because theirs isn’t a ‘for profit’ thing. It’s more of their way of life, like monks that live in a temple away from civilization. It’s a culture, not a business. That being said, I can easily see someone trying to make a quick buck by stealing their name. So after lunch, should I follow you guys on my bike?”

“There’s plenty of room in the van,” Fred offered.

But Vivi shook her head. “I love you, cuz, but I have spent most of the last couple of months in a van. I’ll take the motorcycle.”

For a moment, Fred looked taken aback. Too taken aback, like he made a mistake. Vivi’s eyes narrowed as a suspicion came over her. “Fred have you been talking to my Mom? About, oh I don’t know, Lewis?”

The guilt written all over her cousin’s face was enough to prove her guess was right. “Fred Jones - if this is all a trick of Mom’s to get me to come home you can tell her-” “No, it’s not. I didn’t even know you were going to be here, I swear. We really are on a case and I just saw you and thought you shouldn’t be alone right now.” Fred’s voice shrunk as he spoke and Vivi sighed heavily.

“Okay, so who’s Lewis and what are the rest of us missing?” Daphne asked.

Vivi took a deep breath. “Lewis was my boyfriend. We were very close, like considering marriage close.”

“And he dumped you?” Velma guessed.

“He disappeared nearly a year ago. Last week they recovered his body.” 

Fred’s friend looked like they had been hit with a sledgehammer, and Vivi supposed she was being overly blunt, but now she was annoyed. And the worst part was she couldn’t explain a lot of her feelings, about Lewis coming back and her memory being stolen. She’d just have to channel what Arthur went through.

“It’s been a terrible year, Arthur (a mutual friend) and I have been searching all over trying to find him and dealing with physical and mental trauma. His body being found, him coming home? That’s closure to the year of not knowing.”

“But for some people, and Mom is a big part of this, it’s like a fresh tragedy. The body suddenly makes it real in a way it wasn’t before. Mom wants me to ‘come home’ and ‘be with the people that love me.’ But my home is in Tempo, there are people that love me in Tempo. I need to deal in my own way, and people who insist I do so in a different way are not helping.”

Fred looked like a kicked puppy and Vivi reigned herself in. She was angry with a lot of people, but Fred himself wasn’t one of them. “Look, I’m sorry for being upset, I’m just mad at Mom and a lot of other people. And a break sounds good, if you still want me to come. Just no false pretenses, okay?”

“Okay.” Fred sighed. “Sorry Vi, I didn’t mean to make things worse.”

“And I didn’t mean to snap. It’s just been a rough time.” She hugged her cousin. “Let me finish my food and I’ll be right with you.” “If there’s any food left after you and Shaggy are done.” Fred joked. “Small mercy they don’t have to deal with Scooby and Mystery.”

“Next time.” Vivi promised as they continued to their table. 

As the left she heard on of his friends whisper “You tried to distract your cousin from her dead boyfriend with a séance?” and couldn’t help but laugh.

~

As she pulled in next to Fred’s van, Vivi had half a mind to pull right back out.

“I didn’t know Vi. I swear.” Fred looked concerned as he left the van. “She just gave us directions.”

The address didn’t lead to a house or business. It led to a cave.

Vivi took a deep breath. “It’s fine, everything’s fine.” It was not fine. 

“Caves bad?” Shaggy asked.

“Caves bad.” Fred confirmed, but didn’t go into why, which Vivi was grateful for.

“Like, maybe it’s outside the cave?” Shaggy suggested. “Like, everyone seems to be outside.”

There were four other people milling about.  One was an old lady who Vivi assumed was the client. Another other was a young lady dressed in the traditional outfit for a Kurain medium, with the much younger girl next to her dressed similarly. Standing a bit off to the side was a man with hair spikes that could duel Arthur’s and a crisp blue suit.

“Dearies!” The old woman shuffled up to them. “Thank you for coming to put an old woman’s mind at ease. Oh? Is this a friend of yours?” “My cousin actually.” Fred explained. “She lives not far from here and turns out she knows a bit about Kurain mediums. I hope this isn’t a problem.”

“Not at all, dearies. The mediums brought that gentleman with them, and the more the merrier.” She clasped Vivi’s hands. “Artemisia Fishal, but everyone calls me Arty.” “Vivi Yukino,” she introduced herself. “One of my best friends is named Arty. Um, is the ceremony going to be inside the cave?” “At a chamber that’s just inside the mouth.” Mrs Fishal confirmed. “Is that a problem?”

“No, if we’re just inside the mouth I should be alright.”

“Claustrophobia?” Mrs. Fishal asked, not unkindly.  “Don’t worry, you can see the mouth of the cave easily.”

“Thank you,” said Vivi, not correcting her. “Um, is there any reason it’s in a cave?”

“Underground is closer to the underworld, dearies. Why don’t you and Mr. Wright head in, I’ll join you shortly.” Mrs. Fishal shooed them towards the mouth of the cave.

“You sure you’re going to be okay?” Fred whispered to her as they headed toward the cave.

“If I’m not I’ll let you know.” she whispered back. The truth was this would be her first time going into a cave since getting her memories back and Vivi had no clue how she’d react.

There was a feeling of panic that had her clutching Fred’s arm as they entered, but she managed to squash it down. It helped that this cave was so different from the one that lived in her nightmares. For starters there wasn’t a speck of green. Instead it was mostly orange, lit by numerous candles (what Vivi would have considered far too many if it wasn’t a stone wall and ceiling), their smoke drifting out the mouth of the cave. There was a small dip between the entrance and where it looked like they were going to sit, so the group made their way down, the blue suited man (Mr. Wright?) joining them.

“You’re a defense attorney?” Velma asked in surprise, noticing the small badge on the man’s lapel. “What are you doing traveling with a pair of ‘psychics’?” The sarcasm in the last words was extremely heavy.

“They’re underaged and I have a driver’s license.” Mr. Wright answered dryly. “Maya works the books at my law firm and Pearls, who’ll be doing the channeling today, is her cousin.”

Daphne’s eyes widened. “The little girl? She’s the medium?” Mr. Wright laughed. “Never underestimate anyone from the Fey Family, no matter what their size.”

“She’s from the Fey *family*!” Vivi’s eyes lit up. “Then they’re both direct descendants of Ami Fey? The woman who created Kurain? Oh this is going to be good!” “It is. I just wish I knew why she was lying so much.” “That’s what mediums do,” Velma scoffed.

“Not them,” Mr. Wright seemed too distracted to notice the insult to his friends. “The widow,”

But before any of them could ask further, the last three people entered the cave.  Mrs. Fishal and the little girl (Pearls?) sat at the mouth of the cave while the older (Maya?) came and joined them. “She’s nervous,” Maya whispered to Mr. Wright, but loud enough Vivi heard too. “Since channeling is traditionally done one on one, she’s not used to having an audience.”

“Pearl has this.” he assured her. “You know how powerful she is.”

“Um, Okay.” Pearl's timid voice echoed through the cave. “I’m going to channel the spirit of Mrs. Fishal’s husband. She showed me his picture, so I’m going to call for him now.” She closed her eyes and Vivi heard her cousin and his friends gasp as the tiny little girl began to grow.

“This,” she whispered, “is the Kurain Channeling Technique.”

There was no way for it to be a trick, or a replacement. They all watched as the child grew several times her own size and her frame became masculine.  As was the voice that absolutely did not belong to Pearl. “Gotta hand it to you, Anna. You were right about all this mystical mumbo jumbo.”

“Told you, sweetie.” Mrs. Fishal in a suddenly much younger voice. She pulled at her face, tearing away the visage of the kind elderly woman to reveal a woman in her mid twenties. At the same time she pulled a gun and held the audience at bay.

“What’s this all about?” Mr. Wright demanded. “Who are you?”

“Anna Fender, and I’m sure most of you remember my boyfriend.”

Pearl - or rather the person possessing Pearl - lifted his head and Mystery Inc gasped.

“Upton O'Goode!” Fred exclaimed, shocked.

“So you do remember me,” The man sneered. “What this is about is those brats ruining my perfectly good plan to rake in tons of cash.”

“By illegally scamming the Sinclairs out of their inheritance,” Daphne snarled back.

“But you had to meddle and stuck your noses in and got me sent to jail. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, some guy there didn’t like being on the wrong end of one of my schemes and shivved me in the kidney.”

“I couldn’t bear the thought of losing my Uppy.” Anna continued. “I’ve always had a love for the occult, and I remembered what I knew about Kurain mediums. That they take on the physical appearance of the spirit they’re channeling. Pearl Fey has more than enough spiritual power to keep my Uppy around indefinitely.”

“You’re planning on stealing her body” Vivi said in a low and dangerous tone.

“Oh more than that,” Anna gloated, handing the gun to Upton. “I’m getting my revenge on the brats who caused Upton to die in the first place. Nothing personal to you or the lawyer, but no witnesses. You understand.” She pulled something out of her pocket that Vivi recognized. So did Fred and Mr. Wright, since they both stood up with her at the same time.

A warning shot from Upton drove Mr. Wright back, but Fred and Vivi both moved forward for the tackle. Anna pulled Upton back and pressed the button on the detonator she was holding.

Vivi felt herself being blown back by the blast. It hurt like a sunnuva, but wasn’t the worst she’d had by far. Her ears were ringing, but she forced herself up. Surprisingly not all the candles had gone out in the blast, enough were still lit to see the mouth had been completely collapsed in. She could also see Fred’s friends surrounding his prone form on the ground.

“Fred? Fred!” She stumbled over as fast as she could. He was unconscious and bleeding from his head. “Do any of you know first aid?”

“Like, I learned some when I became a counselor at Camp Kichihaha.” Shaggy answered shakily. “But, like, for a head injury like this, we need help. Like, I don't even want to apply pressure to the wound in case there's a skull fracture. We need an ambulance.”

The temperature dropped several degrees, but no one commented on it. Vivi forced herself to calm. They had enough problems right now, they didn’t need her giving the others hypothermia. They needed to contact the outside world. She pulled out her cell phone. No signal, which wasn’t surprising. What else could they use?

She scanned the cave and her eyes fell on Maya Fey.

“You’re a spirit medium too, right?” Vivi asked. “I am, but I don’t know any doctors I can channel. I mean, I know one, but I don’t think I’d trust him with this, or to help.”

Vivi shook her head. “I don’t think a doctor would be much help without equipment. I want to know if you could channel a spirit named Lewis Pepper.” “Rour read royfried?” Scooby asked.

“Did that dog just talk?” Maya asked, equally flummoxed.

“Vivi, I really don’t think this is the time.” Daphne said frantically.

“Trust me. I think Lewis can get us out of this.” Vivi promised. “Look at me.” Mr. Wright demanded. He waited until Vivi was looking him in the eye. “Tell me you have no ulterior motive except to get us out, and that this ‘Lewis’ won’t be harmful to Maya.”

“I swear this is just to save my cousin, and our lives. Lewis will bring no harm to your friend.” Vivi said firmly.

Mr. Wright relaxed. Almost too much so given what had happened and -

It clicked that maybe there was a reason Mr. Wright had a close connection to the Fey family besides Maya working at his office. He had known the widow was lying, if not about what, and had known for a fact she was telling the truth. It seemed he might have some psychic power of his own.

“Please try.” Vivi turned to Maya. “If he resists coming, just tell him Vivi needs help.”

“Okay,” Maya said uncertainly. She clasped her hands in front of her and concentrated. 

For a moment she thought it wasn’t working, then Maya’s form expanded far more than Pearl’s had.

“Vivi?” Lewis sounded confused. “Why do I feel alive?”

“You’re being channeled by a medium. I’m sorry, but I need to be quick. I ran into my cousin Fred, who took me to a séance. We’re in a cave off Peterson Park in Sommeton, right next to the road.”

“Cave?!”

“It was a trap,” Vivi continued as though he hadn’t said anything, not letting either of them dwell on that fact. “Meant to kill Fred and his friends, as well as steal a new body.”

“Did you say steal-” Lewis clenched Maya’s fist and a purple flame formed around it.

“Put that out!” Vivi ordered. “They used some kind of explosive to seal us in, and I don’t want to set off anything undetonated.”

“Right, right. Sorry. Just-”

“I know.” Vivi deflated. “I really do. Look, Fred has a bad head injury and is unconscious. I need you to call EMS and have an ambulance sent out this way once you let go of the channeling. Also let the police know a woman named Anna Fender had kidnapped a little girl about Belle’s age. AND STOP WITH THE FIRE!”

The purple flames that had been gathering around Lewis stopped. “‘I’m sorry, I’m trying…”

“It’s okay. I need you to go and get help. And Lewis?” Vivi kissed him on the cheek. “I’m still pissed at you for that stunt you pulled. But I’m really glad you're back.”

Lewis’s lower lip trembled before he grabbed Vivi into a bone crushing hug. Then suddenly his form shrunk until it was Maya Fey hugging Vivi.

“What was that?” Maya asked in shock. “He felt more powerful than my sister.”

“More than Mia?” Mr. Wright sounded equally stunned.

“Lewlew came back as a pretty powerful spirit.” Vivi admitted. “But that’s working in our favor, because he can manifest without a medium. So he’s gonna call and get help.

“This can’t be real.” Velma shook her head. “Spirit Channeling? Body Snatching? Ghosts?”

“But it is,” Shaggy said quietly.

“We saw it with our own eyes,” Daphne pointed out.

“Ro ricks,” Scooby added.

“But- No, I don’t have time for denial.” Velma stood firm. “I don’t care if ghosts are real. What can we do to help Fred until help arrives?”

“We find a way out.” Vivi said. “Right now time is the most important thing, and if they don’t have to dig us out, all the better.” She eyed the rubble. Sure there was a possibility that there was another way out further in the cave, but she doubted it. Fender had obviously out a lot of preparation into this plot, she doubted the woman would pick a cave with another easy access point.

At the same time she’d not placed the explosives where they’d been sitting, but at the mouth of the cave trapping them in. She’d wanted them to die slowly, in the dark (since she doubted those candles would last an hour). And even if that wouldn’t come to pass, with help on the way, the mouth of the cave was still their best way out.

Slowly and carefully Vivi began to climb the hill of rubble. She felt the stones occasionally shift under her weight, and stopped moving until they settled. Once she reached the top, she looked back. Fred had been blown far enough back he’d be in little to no danger if things went south.

Her head brushing against the ceiling, she delicately shifted one of the stones at the top, as though this was the highest stake game of jenga.

“I’m coming up,” 

Vivi heard a voice behind her. She looked down and saw Daphne starting to climb the pile. Right behind her were Velma, Maya, and Mr. Wright, with Shaggy and Scooby keeping a watchful vigil over Fred. “We need to be -”

“Careful, I know.” Velma adjusted her glasses. “A wrong move could cause a second collapse, which could result in more injuries. But Fender planned this too well for there to be another exit, and you said it yourself, we need to have a pathway for the paramedics as quickly as possible.”

Well, she could hardly argue with her own reason thrown back at her. They moved as quickly as they could, shifting the stone and debris swiftly but carefully. Vivi almost cheered when she saw the first ray of daylight shine through. She was very glad she didn’t when she cleared a little further and got a view of the outside.

“They’re still here,” she hissed.

“Jeepers,” Daphne whispered. “Why?”

“It looks like Upton’s changed his clothes, I guess Pearl’s would have been too noticeable.”

“They had no reason to rush,” Velma pointed out. “As far as they know, we had no way to contact the authorities, or anyone.”

“But no reason to stick around, unless” Vivi’s eyes narrowed as she noticed Anna wasn’t loitering around like Upton. She focused and saw her head dipping in and around the steering wheel. “She lost her keys in the blast.”

“How can you tell?” Maya whispered.

“The only reason to not leave as soon as Upton was changed would be car trouble. Usually in that case you’d pop the hood, but she’s messing with the steering column. She’s trying to hotwire her own car.” Vivi deduced.

“Then we can save Pearls!” Maya whispered back, suddenly filled with determination.

Vivi bit her lip. The safe thing to do for everyone in the cave would be to just let the culprits with the gun leave. But leaving that little girl with the body snatcher was something she couldn’t do either. And if she was being completely honest with herself, she wanted the proverbial pound of flesh from the people who hurt her cousin.

“Okay. We need to clear a little bit more so I can get through. I’m going to take the gun out of play. Maya, do you know a way to get that spirit out of your cousin?”

“There’s a Spirit-Severing Technique. I know the theory, but I’ve never used it before.” Her voice sounded shaky.

“Maya, when the chips have been down you always been there when we needed you. You’re the Master of Kurain Channeling. You can do this.” Mr. Wright said, his voice so full of conviction, it was clear it wasn’t platitudes. He firmly believed in her.

Maya puffed out her cheeks and seemed to be steeling herself. “That’s right, I can! Pearly needs me and I’m not going to let her down!”

Vivi nodded. “Let’s get the hole a little bit wider so I can squeeze out. Once the gun is out of play, you guys move in.”

Though logically the bad guys hadn’t heard them yet, the rest of the stones were moved from the top in almost utter silence, each one afraid to draw the enemy’s attention. Finally it was big enough for Vivi to squeeze through.

She waited until Upton had his back turned to the cave and as quietly as she could, slid down. Once she reached the ground she ran, keeping as low to the ground as she could. She was almost there when Upton turned and noticed her. 

He let out a shout and fumbled with the gun. And that was what Vivi had been waiting for. The anger inside her wasn’t fire, it was ice. It blew through her veins like a blizzard and it was finally time to let it loose. She swung one arm forward in almost a scooping motion and a trail of ice flowed from her position to just in front of Upton’s, where it exploded in giant spikes from the ground, knocking the gun from Upton’s grasp, then freezing it into place.

Upton shrieked and fell back towards the car, but Vivi only picked up speed. In one smooth motion she jumped over her own spikes and slammed onto the hood of Anna’s car. Anna, who had been getting up to see what Upton reacted to, let out a scream of her own as the hood of her car was suddenly smashed in and covered in ice. Vivi stood and lifted one arm. Her bat came flying out of the sidecar of her bike and flew into her hand.

“You should have done more research, Anna.” Vivi said grimly. “The Feys aren’t the only family with power in their blood.”

“Stay away from her!” Upton cried, running for the car. He never made it, though, as someone grabbed his arm and flipped him into the ground. 

“No, you stay away from her!” Daphne snarled, as her flip landed Upton in grabbing range of Velma and Mr. Wright. Maya joined them a moment later, and clasped her hands in front of her like she had when she’d channeled Lewis.

Vivi spared a glance back at Anna, but she seemed to be suitably cowed and she did want to see this. She could already think of two cases where being able to exorcise a spirit less violently would have come in extremely handy.

She couldn’t quite see what Maya was doing. She could sense power in the air, but nothing like a spell. Whatever she was doing must have been one of the powers innate to the Fey Line.

Maya made a sudden slashing motion and Pearl collapsed, suddenly much smaller than the man Mr. Wright and Velma had been holding onto.

“Upton, NO!” Anna scrambled out of the car, her fear momentarily forgotten. “Bring him back!”

Mr. Wright snatched up Pearl, who was disoriented from the ordeal, and swung her away from Anna.

A loud cackle filled the air. “Don’t worry, Annie.” As if from nowhere a form seemed to coalesce, made of smoke and sludge. “They can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Anna’s face brightened as the form took the rough shape of the man who’d possessed Pearl.

He turned and leered at Vivi. “Whatcha gonna do now, girlie? Your ice is scary, but you can’t hurt an actual ghost.”

“Bet,” was Vivi’s flat response. She swung the bat toward his chest - or rather what she knew his chest must contain. And like an over-confident idiot he let her. She grinned as she felt it connect with his heart and watched it go flying into the dirt. It wasn’t shiny gold, like Lewis’s. Or beautiful as Shiromori’s, or stunning as Mystery’s. In fact it was an ugly squishy thing with green veins pulsing in it.

“What the hell?” Upton screamed as he curled in on himself. But Vivi didn’t care about the ghost’s main form, just the anchor that was rapidly beating on the ground.

“On the worst day of my life I was stuck in a cave while the man I love died right in front of me, while a monster tried to steal my best friend’s body. And almost every night I see some aspect of that or the fallout in my nightmares. And I try to be strong for them, for Arthur, for the Peppers, and even for Lewis now. Because they’ve been through so much Hell and they need someone to act as a pillar.”

“Today I just wanted to find some peace for myself and you made me relive it. You trapped us in a cave. You stole an innocent child’s body. My cousin might die! And once again I couldn’t do a THING to stop it!” Vivi couldn’t stop the tears that flowed from her eyes and froze to her cheeks.  “So GO TO HELL!!!!” Lifting her bat above her head she smashed it against his heart as hard as she could. 

Upton howled in pain and his form destabilized, but she didn’t stop there. She smashed it again and again until there was nothing left of the dark heart or the figure who spawned it. Even as it was, she kept hitting the ground until the sound of sirens broke through her haze.

She turned to Anna Fender, who was huddled against her car. Vivi let out a breath that condensed into white vapor. “The authorities are coming to arrest you now. Whatever deity you pray to, pray that Fred survives. Or I’m coming for you next.”

Ultimatum given, Vivi forced herself to calm down, forced the ice away. The medics were here, she had to get them to Fred.

“You killed him,” Pearl sobbed into Mr. Wright’s shoulder. “You killed his soul.”

Crap. CrapCrapCrap. The last thing she’d wanted was to traumatize the kid who’d already been through too much today. “I didn’t kill his soul. Promise. I destroyed his anchor. It’s his tie to the land of the living. So he can’t manifest or be summoned anymore, but he still exists on the other side.”

And if Vivi had a feeling where exactly on the other side he was, she wasn’t going to mention it to the little girl.

“She’s telling the truth, Pearls.” Mr. Wright assured.

“How can you know?” Daphne asked, looking as wrung out as Vivi felt.

Mr. Wright hesitated, then realized after everything there was no reason not to be forthright. “I can see if people are lying or keeping secrets. Not what the truth is, mind, but I know when someone’s hiding something. She,” he gestured to Anna, “was hiding a lot. Vivi saying she hadn’t killed his soul? Nothing.”

Maya let out a sigh of relief too. Velma just shook her head.

“I guess that’s a useful skill for a lawyer to have.”

Mr. Wright let out a tired laugh. “Useful, but frustrating at times. ‘I magically know they’re hiding something’ is not court admissible evidence and there’s no way to tell if what they’re hiding is even relevant. But I’m glad I have it. I just wish I’d acted on it sooner.”

What he was going to say next, if anything, was lost by police and paramedics arriving. Mr. Wright and the Fey cousins spoke to the police while Vivi, Velma, and Daphne led the paramedics to the cave.

Shaggy and Scooby were still with Fred, Scooby laying on him to keep him still and Shaggy monitoring his pulse and breathing. The paramedics took over and Shaggy was pulled into a hug by his two friends as they watched the professionals work.

~

They probably took up more room in the waiting area of the emergency room than they should, but Vivi wouldn’t worry about it unless it looked like they were running out of space. In addition to his friends (including Scooby, who apparently was considered a service animal to help with Shaggy’s Anxiety), Mr. Wright (or Nick as Maya called him) and the Feys were there too. And she really should have known her boys wouldn’t just sit at home in Tempo after the SOS she had sent. Arthur was curled up on one side of her with Lewis’s Anchor in his hand while Mystery lay at her feet.

(Unlike Scooby he had no reason to get past security, so Vivi suspected shenanigans were up. As apparently did Mr. Wright, who kept looking at him.)

She had been texting a status update to Uncle Skip and Aunt Peggy when a nurse wheeled Fred out, his head wrapped in bandages. “Just a concussion.” The nurse assured them. “He’ll be fine, but needs rest. No strenuous activity or operating heavy machinery.”

“But my van-” Fred protested as his friends wrapped him in a hug.

“Will be taken care of.” Vivi promised as she took over the wheelchair from the nurse.. “But you and your friends are going to stay in Tempo with us until Uncle Skip and Aunt Peggy come to get you.”

Fred groaned. “You guys need to fill me in on what happened. Last thing I remember we saw Vivi at that diner, then I wake up to a doctor poking a flashlight in my eyes.”

“You, like, don’t remember?” Shaggy asked, surprised.

“Concussions can mess with the ability to retain short term memory,” Velma explained. “Though I am curious if you knew about your cousin’s ability with ice magic beforehand.”

Fred shot her a suspicious look. “Am I still unconscious? Or is that an imposter Velma.”

“Things got weird after you got knocked out.” Daphne assured him. “And no, he didn’t know.” Vivi filled in. “That comes from the other side of the family.”

“It’s weird you asked that though. While I was out I had a dream about you in the snow while I was out.”

“You did?” Vivi asked, surprised.

“Yeah, we were in a forest and it was snowing. Your hair was messy and in this weird ponytail. And you were dressed in this ninja outfit. You just sort of sat there smiling at me.”

Vivi’s hands gripped the wheelchair tighter. She recognized the scene, but realized it wasn’t herself Fred had seen. But why was Mushi-obaasan in Fred’s dream? He didn’t have any Yukino blood in him? Heck she’d offered her own blood as a transfusion since they were the same type, but the doctors had told her it was unnecessary.

Then the answer hit her. Fred was family and family was so much more than simply being related. The same way Uncle Lance and the Peppers were to her, how Mr. Wright was to the Feys, and how Fred’s friends were to him, Mushi-obaasan didn’t need to share blood with him for her to recognize him as such. Family was what you made of it, and despite everything, Vivi was glad of her odd little family, blood or not. She suspected Mushi felt the same or she would not have shown herself to Fred.

At least she hadn’t shared her ice powers with him like she had with Vivi. She very much doubted the doctors would have appreciated an ice-plosion in the middle of the ER.

#MSAHolidaySpirits2020 #MSA #Phoenix Wright #Scooby Doo #I tried to keep the Phoenix Wright naming conventions for new characters #So we got Arty Fishal (artificial) #Anna Fender (An offender) #and Upton O'Goode (Up to no good) #WorldBeyondTheWorld #Happy Holidays

[dungeons-and-divination]

BARD College of WHISPERS - HALFLING Lightfoot - Gambler

I know it’s been a long time since that introduction post, but I wanted to have some things ready before getting this blog started. And now, here we are. The first actual “character analysis” thingy is here. I hope you enjoy it.

Name: Cora Wildheart (34yo)

TAROTS

Mind: The hanged man (upright) Cora is the kind of person that struggles a lot with dilemmas. She overthinks important things to the point of feeling trapped by the need of taking a decision. She sometimes loses perception of the situation at hand and just tries to find a getaway from it. That’s usually when she ends up making very stupid decisions and getting into trouble. 

Body: Five of cups (upright) This is kind of a hard one. To me it immediately talked about a physical loss Cora had to deal with. While she still tries not to cry over it and hide her suffering behind a brave face and a shiny smile, she still has a lot of lingering anger brewing under the surfaces. Which made me wonder if she still blames more herself for this loss other than someone else.

Spirit: Four of swords (reversed) Like I just said, her physical loss really did a number on her all around. Hence why her spirit is very hurt. She had a deep need for self-care to heal from it and she tried isolating. Didn’t really work apparently (figures, a bard usually thrives with an audience, after all). Yet, maybe going out in the world once again might be the right way for her to find a sense of new self and new mental strength.

Past: Ace of wands (upright) Cora’s past is filled with a discovery of potential, with the fiery attitude of a person that is always up to a new challenge, that loves to embrace the creative spark that’s been gifted to her. There’s also an undertone of fertility in this card, that added up with that physical loss coming from her body, made me think that she gave birth and maybe things didn’t really end up in the best way possible.

Present: Five of wands (reversed) In general, this card gives me a huge vibe that because of her past, at present Cora struggles with confrontation. Like, she doesn’t like them at all. So she either does everything she can to put an end to them, or she avoids them. I feel like it could go either way depending on the kind of confrontation; she could be very aggressive and hot tempered about it and fight tooth and nails. Or be very shy and demure to the point of just giving up for the sake of ending the conversation.

Future: Knight of cups (upright) So, this is a hard one for Cora. Because at this point with what I had with the previous cards I kind of had built up in my mind that she lost both the person she loved and a child at birth. And this card is mostly about following your heart, finding warm affection and even diplomacy, which I just explained is something she struggles with. Since it’s a “future” card I feel like it should mostly work as a suggestion on what you should look out for her while playing. I suggest leaning on the conflicts, especially within the party (yet, react as you feel is appropriate for her at the time). There lies her growth as a character (and maybe some love).

FULL BACKSTORY

Abandoned at birth, Cora always considered family her adoptive moms, Yeselle and Diafira, and her 2 older brothers, Milosh and Reed. She never had many luxuries in life, but she was lucky enough to live in a very big house, even if she had to share it with the entire Wildheart family (composed of Diafira’s older brothers, Evan, Ander, Barvias, Coramin and their families). She had a happy childhood, filled with laughter and the friendship of her many many cousins. Yet, that demure life of sacrifices left her with a desire to find a quick way to get richer, especially once she got exposed to the outside world around her teenage years. While at first she was a patron at one of the clubs in her town where there was a lot of gambling, she was quickly noticed by an enforcer of the criminal syndicate that run the place, mainly for her beauty but also for her way with words (which was the reason why she was even allowed to be in the club in the first place). For a time she was kind of an insider at tables, the kind of player planted just to make big spenders think they were winning before making them go for the big hit and have them lose lots of money. But being there, exposed to the life of the club, especially before and after opening hours, had her dabbling with the instruments of the people that performed at the club. She quickly picked up a knack for playing, and put her free time and money to have people teach her how to play the viola and the flute (and taught herself how to play water glasses just to use it as a trick at the tables to distract/annoy people while playing). It was because of her passion of hanging out with the entertainment of the club after closing hour, that Cora fell in love with one of the performers, Oswald Fiddlefun. The lad convinced her that she would never really get to be a performer as long as she kept working in the club, cause the syndicate was more interested in the money she was bringing them as a plant at tables than her talent with any instrument. So, after planning for a couple of weeks, she decided to run away to pursue a life as an artist on the road with him. It didn’t really work that well. From the start they realized that neither of them really had the skills necessary to live without the support of a company while on the road. And even when they were in some village or town, an unknown duo of performers was not paid really that much, sometimes not even in room and board for the night. Still, they tried to hang onto each other and Cora even got pregnant soon enough. After months of a life of misery and traveling, with Cora very much pregnant and both of them struggling to find their way out of a forest in the middle of nowhere, they were attacked by a group of bandits. While Cora was very meek and tried to give everything she had to the bandits to protect her yet to be born child, Oswald was a true coward: he created a distraction and as soon as he could, he run away, leaving Cora behind, alone with the bandits.  After that sudden show of magic from Oswald, the bandits were even more convinced they had to be hiding something precious and pressure Cora. Despite all the crying and repeating of how dirt poor she actually was, none of them believed her; tired of her whining, they decided to just kill her and get whatever she was hiding from her corpse.  Left for dead with a couple of deep stab wounds to her torso, Cora was saved by a druid that was alerted by the noise of the bandits running away while complaining of the meagre spoils. The druid, that she later found out was called Tianamin, took her to his village. There she was healed properly, yet there was nothing anyone could do to save her baby. Still mourning the loss of the baby boy and trying to deal with the anger of Oswald leaving her to die and never even looking back or trying to search for her, Cora stayed with at the druid’s village for some time, reflecting on what she wanted to do with her future. Sick and tired of depending on other people, she decided to become the only person she would trust with saving herself and really started learning the ways of a true bard.

SUGGESTION CORNER

Suggested features Ability scores: High Charisma and Dexterity, Low Strength and Intelligence. Skill proficiencies: Persuasion, Perception, Sleight of hands Musical instrument proficiencies: viola, flute, water glasses (as already mentioned) Others: a multiclass in rogue could be a good idea, but it might feel a little too much on the nose with her background. So you do you.

Suggested Characteristics Trait: The perfect bet is out there somewhere. I just have to keep my eyes open. Ideal: You can’t win if you’re dead. Live to fight another day, when the odds might be in your favor. Bond: A criminal syndicate I once played for isn’t happy I left the game and its enforcers are looking for me. (There is also still that grudge with Oswald, fyi.) Flaw: No one wants to know my real story. So I make up a new one each time.

#tarots #dnd #bard #halfling #college of whispers #lightfoot #gambler #hanged man #five of cups #four of swords #ace of wands #five of wands #knight of cups #dungeons and divination #high charisma #high dexterity #low strength #low intelligence #i'm sorry for my shitty photos but I use my phone camera and it's crap #also i'm shit at photo editing #still italian so if my english is weird that's why #man i didn't realize how long this shit was gonna be

[themarchblessing]

Special Addition: Blu Moon

SABRINA   

Gripping the stair railing I debated internally on whether or not I should hold onto my dress so I don’t fall or the hands of my children. Not wanting to end up in the hospital sooner than expected I pulled up my dress and moved the kids in front of me. I followed Izaiah and Elle down the stairs being so cautious to take my time. Once the three of us reached the ground level I resumed my place next to the kids, leading them outside. Elle has been on one all day long and I have yet to find out why. I’m thinking she’s starting to get anxious about Corey’s return. With him being away on business, making time for myself with two young children has been just about impossible.

I watched and huffed out of frustration as Elle let go of her brother’s hand, clinging to my arm.

“Hold his hand Ellena, right now.” I ordered. She followed my advice walking in between myself and Izaiah with a frown on her face. “Fix your face girl.” I huffed again, not wanting to come off bitchy but this baby is pressing into my lower back.

“Mama, I’m so hungry.” Elle complained. “When is daddy coming back? Tomorrow, yes?” She quizzed me. The happy tone in her voice mimicked the expression on her face as she mentioned her father.

“Yes, daddy will be home tomorrow morning.” I sighed. Izaiah distracted Elle with conversation followed by a round of eye spy. With his assistance on calming Ellena down we made it to my car. “Come here Elle..” Scooping her up off the ground I situated her in her car seat. “Zay, hand me that bag please.” Pointing to the small pouch below Izaiah’s feet I held my hand out for him to place it in my possession. 

“Es eso para papa?” He smirked. 

I nodded and laughed alongside him. “Si, para tu padre.” Corey is constantly finding new hiding places in my car and the house for his guns. Finding his weapons in various locations never fails to make my eyes roll to the back of my head.

“Mom, what is that? Me das?” Ellena questioned with the utmost curiosity.

Shaking my head promptly I adjusted her seatbelt and stood up straight. “No missy you cannot hold this. This is not a toy.” Closing the back door I hobbled to the driver side of the car, halting as I opened the door. Repeatedly I counted my breaths, slowly making an advance to get behind the wheel.

Once I got the engine going I made a phone call, praying that Corey will answer. I spoke to him briefly and then turned my phone over to Ellena so she could hear her dad’s voice. They talked most of the ride home. I had to tell her three times to let Izaiah get some time on the phone as well. Whatever Corey said to our daughter worked magic on her attitude and behavior. That is until she became hungry again. 

“Mommy! Tengo hambre! Quiero rellenos y sopa de lentejas. Mommy!” She hollered in the midst of giggling. 

Throwing my head back on the couch I rubbed my palm over my belly, listening to Corey cackle in my ear. 

“My sweet baby. She misses me.” Corey continues to chuckle. 

“Please, please tell me you’re coming home in the morning for sure. I’m close to shutting down and I don’t know how much more I can take. She’s been up and down all day. Real high and real low.” Gripping my shirt I scrunched the fabric under my breasts, exposing all of my stomach. 

“Yes ma’am. First thing.” He confirmed.

“Best news I’ve heard all day. She’s literally driving me insane. Are you sure you’ll be back when you said? What if your flight is delayed and you’re not here before the shower starts? You’re supposed to be here before everyone else to help me get the kids ready.” The slightest inkling that Corey will be late for this baby shower is starting to stress me out. 

We’ve been planning this for months and I will have a meltdown if guests arrive before Corey. 

“I thought we agreed on you not over exaggerating? Hm?” 

“Si, pero this is different. I’m anxious, Corey. Just don’t forget to get up on time.” 

“Estare allí mi amor. Get some rest after you eat and don’t be a bruja to my little girl.” He chuckled deeply. 

Scoffing at his choice of word I hung up the phone and stood up from the couch. Pulling my shirt down over my stomach I went looking for my kids. “Ellena?” I called out to her. My phone rang but instead of answering I gave it to Elle. 

She glanced at the screen and her eyes lit up. Without hesitation she answered the incoming FaceTime with a huge smile on her face. 

“Hi daddy, what are you doing? Where is your shirt?” Being naturally inquisitive runs in this family. My mom loves to make fun of how many questions Elle and Izaiah ask when they don’t know or are unsure of something. 

“If it isn't my favorite girl in all the land. I just took a shower that’s why I don’t have a shirt on. How are you doing, my love?” 

Seeing them talk switched my mood just that quick. I became hungry all of a sudden, Izaiah started to complain about food as well so I got started on Elena’s request. I hope that Corey has more magical words to say to her so that I can get through this final night without him minus the headache. 

———- ———

*The following afternoon* 

“I told you I would be back in time. I think I deserve an apology for you thinking I’d be late.” 

A sultry voice that matches my husband spooked me even though I saw him from the corner of my eye. Only because I have minimal steps left until my makeup is done, I freed my hands to greet my man. With my arms wrapped around him we embraced one another and exchanged affection. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have doubted you. How was your flight?” Pulling back I took a good look at him head to toe realizing he got work done. “Your entire leg? I thought you said after the baby is here you’d start getting tattooed again. You just couldn’t wait huh?” I teased. 

Corey shook his head, showcased his new ink job, wowing me to the core. “You like it? Six hours in the chair for this one.” 

“Of course I like it but you left a space here..that looks funny..” I pointed out. I’m far too pregnant to be bending or kneeling so Corey helped out by sitting on the edge of the bed and propping his leg up. Examining closely I recognized his leg piece is all related to his life and the timeline of it. “Is that the scan of my heart that I got done when I found out I was pregnant?” 

“Yes ma’am. I wanted a piece of you and the kids on my body forever. Once the baby is here I’ll be able to figure out what to get for him or her. That’s what the empty space is for.” Corey began explaining to me the meaning behind each of his new tattoos just as Izaiah walked into the room. Elle was dragging behind with her dress stained, her shoes unbuckled and her hair all over the place.

Throwing my hands up I sped to the bathroom to finish getting ready. In silence Corey took Elle down to her room to get her cleaned up for the second time. 

Ellena had to be put down for a nap before the baby shower began. Corey was definitely on Elle duty in order to get her into a ready to sleep mood. However, I had no choice but to step in and let my little girl get a sample of what she’s forgotten all about to help really knock her out. Breast milk. My sweet nena used to fall into a deep sleep after being fed. It didn’t matter where we were. As long as she had her milk, she got more than the proper amount of rest that young children need. I was so anxious that even the little bit of milk she had would revert her to the past. She proved me wrong. She’s forgotten all about my breast milk. 

Coming out of the bathroom, I bumped into my uncle who I’ve been waiting for to arrive for hours now. My heart rate sped up and drastically slowed the longer we exchanged looks. 

“My Sabrina, you look beautiful as always.” He smiled at me gently. 

Outstretching my arms I walked toward him. Hugging the closest human being to my father aside from my mother is bringing forth so many emotions. I miss my dad more than ever right now. 

“You smell just like him. I’m really happy that you made it.” Backing up to look him in the eye I rubbed my eyes dry. “I’m sorry, I said I wouldn’t cry but I can’t help it.” 

“You should not be apologizing for missing your father, Lori. You know that he's with you always. How are you feeling? How’s pregnancy?” He asked. 

 Breathing softly I nodded and continued to weep. “It’s so wonderful. I’m exhausted but thrilled to find out what we’re having. Was your flight alright?” He and I went back and forth with questions until the main event came upon us. 

I went to join Corey behind the box wrapped in a pearl color wrapping paper. The sun is shining, the flowers in our yard are in full bloom and the energy around me is washing away my anxiety about the minutes to come. 

“It’s been a long time coming. Are you sure you’re ready? You can always change your mind.” Corey cupped the nape of my neck easily, opening that door of option two for me. 

I took a slow, controlled breath and denied his invitation. “I really want to know. It’s better for us both and I’m ready. At first I was fine with waiting but I’m ready now.” 

We both carried on with conversation until my uncle, our parents and Ravyn started the countdown. The moment Corey and I have been holding out for is finally here since the day we were able to find out the sex of this baby. It was Corey’s idea to wait until the birth but I’m dying to know the gender! The count down from ten to one was fast. I heard the numbers in slow motion but the second he and I cut the gigantic metallic ribbon off of the box, bluebirds flew in the air. They swarmed over us followed by blush pink glitter and rose petals. 

Again, someone included an element to remind me of my dad. Bluebirds were his favorite of the bird species. He had four as pets before I came along and two after I was born. Rather than getting emotional with tears, I felt my cheeks and jaws beginning to hurt from all the smiling. We’re having another little girl. Corey gets another princess to spoil until we’re no longer here and I can’t express with words how happy I am right now. 

“Damn, I’m in shock. We’re having another baby girl.” I heard Corey speak. We simultaneously turned to look at each and that’s when I began to cry. I embraced him just as he embraced me. Together we exchanged our feelings on the conclusive evidence that we’re having one more girl. “I’ve been saying for months how I just knew we’d have another one of you. I knew it and to think I began doubting my own instincts. Thank you for making me a father, Lori.” His lips against my head filled me with butterflies and good thoughts on what’s to come. 

——— ——-

“Happy Father’s Day, my love.” I haven’t stopped smiling since the moment we found out the sex of this baby. The rest of the party was great. Our friends and family had so much love to share and blessings to wish over us. Izaiah was really happy to have family around that we haven’t seen lately to celebrate this day with us. Seeing him and Ellena interact with their aunts, uncles, and cousins was heartwarming for both Corey and myself. 

“No, thank you. A million times over do I mean that. I wouldn’t be a father if it weren’t for me switching old boy’s sperm with mine. What was his name again?” He joked. 

“It’s sad that you’re making jokes but it’s hilarious that you genuinely forgot. It’s not like it matters anyhow.” Putting the top back on the lotion he began unraveling the braid in my hair. 

He drew circles on my scalp with the pads of his fingers. The act drew up sounds of relief and brought my shoulders back to level position. Suddenly Corey stood up and walked around the room, analyzing. 

“Que paso?” I spoke up. 

“Nothing, I’m just in awe. I really don’t think you understand how different our lives are thanks to my idiocy some time ago. Aside from the fact that I was drunk, I was a little jealous of who you were initially starting a family with.” Corey held out his hand to help me stand. 

“This is news to me.” I’m stunned at his confession. 

He led the way to the nursery, which is far from finished, and turned the lights up. 

“I couldn’t possibly imagine not being there, the night of your thirtieth birthday and intercepting your initial plans and ending up here.” Toying with the decor and finally sitting in the plush rocking chair, he invited me into his lap. In silence we mirrored each other’s actions. 

“You still like the name Leija?” I asked him, tenderly caressing the nape of his warm neck. 

He turned to me and graced my question with a genuine smile of acceptance. “More so now then when you brought it up to begin with. I’m not going through with that procedure but I do agree that three is enough for me. If that’s okay with you.” His addition of the last remark tickled me pink. 

“That’s okay baby. Three is good and now we’ll have our five. Between Ellena and Zay, I think we’re set for life.” I laughed. Peering down at my beyond visible belly I ran my free hand all over it. “And this angelita is the cherry on top. I have a gut feeling that she’ll just like Ellena. Full of life, sass, character and much more.” 

Corey agreed, drawing me in closer to lay against me. “I love you Sabrina, always and forever.” 

Corey and I have reached the ultimate peak in our lives. We have the house, nuestra familia, our success and peace of mind. I can’t wait to see what joy and excitement our new baby girl will bring us.

#the march blessing

[keepingupwithfundies]

Pickle’s “Sam’s” Q&A

Take it with a huge grain of salt please!! We know nothing about the validity of that person. (Annie)

"Why do you believe Jana hasn’t been married off yet? When will her time come?”

I think she hasn’t been married because she hasn’t wanted to yet. To a degree, I think some of the kids have autonomy and choices as far as their spouses are concerned (more so the boys than the girls, but still). Jana’s always been super needed at home, and I think she might prioritize that over marriage (can you imagine the family without her?).

“Lets talk about Amy and her mom Deanna. Did Amy use the Duggar name? When did her folks get married? Are they still together? Is Deanna in the “cult”?? Does she go to whatever church JimBob is fronting??”

Amy wasn’t around a whole lot that I remember in the years I was attending the church. She did go by Duggar. I knew even less of Deanna, but while they’re Christians, they’re not the same brand as the Duggars and don’t follow all (if even many) of the same beliefs. Less conservative and all that. To my knowledge, at least back then, they didn’t attend the church unless they were visiting.

“Was all the strife between the Holts and Duggars about Josh? Did those in the church take sides? How much did the Duggars keep in contact with former church members? And lastly, were a lot of other church members believers in Gothard as well?”

I think it was partly about Josh, partly because Jim Holt and Jim Bob had a power struggle. The church did take sides, and families chose leaders. The Holts started having separate services at their home. The Duggars kept in semi-contact, and I think despite the rift they still attempted to maintain some kind of friendship. But it was never the same. Almost all, if not all, of the other church members were pretty staunch Gothardites, following his material and teachings and attending Gothard seminars, reading books by him and his people.

“Did you see any personality changes back then once the girls “learned” what happened to them and do they fully understand what happened or was it sugar coated?”

I was young at the time, and didn’t fully understand what was going on until later—couldn’t make sense of what I saw and heard at the time. I think it was heavily sugar coated, for sure, but the girls knew what was happening was at least violating. I remember seeing them sobbing for seemingly no reason, being upset around Josh, etc.

“How much parenting did Michelle do during that time? Did you ever see her break her voice/tone from her soft sweet stuff she shows the cameras? Were the boys ever expected to do things around the house?”

Let me put it this way: children in that church took care of the other children, even if they weren’t in the same family. If there was a baby who needed to eat and didn’t have a spare sibling, someone else’s older (female) child was expected to step in and help out. Changing diapers, feeding, general babysitting, the works. I never saw her break her tone…that was the way she talked all the time. The boys had general chores just like the boys, not that they ever got done. The bathrooms and kitchen and living areas were always disgusting.

“Is there a fundy underground, however small?”

Not that I know of. I’m only aware of myself and a small handful of others that have gotten out. In general, if you were born and raised in it, you kinda stick in it. It’s safer that way.

“I would like to know why no one has a job?”

Self employment was extremely encouraged, even expected. I’m not sure why? College educations, particularly for women, weren’t a good idea (my parents absolutely forbade it), so professional lines of work were sort of out-of-bounds. Plus, there’s all the temptations that come with the secular world.

“When someone (like yourself) leaves the cult for good is he/she allowed to visit their family?”

Depends on the family and who wants to be sympathetic and why they left and what sort of lifestyle the ex-cult member lives now. Oftentimes they’re considered a bad influence on the rest of the kids, so contact is limited or removed. I have no contact with anyone from my upbringing because I feel safer, but I highly doubt they would welcome me back now.

“Was Josh molested and he repeated the acts?”

I think it’s possible, but more likely he was probably exposed to pornography at a really young age by someone. I can think of a few people who could fall into a suspect category of abusers when he was young.

“Were the girls forced to forgive Josh and still spend time with him?”

I think they genuinely thought they were forgiving him and didn’t recognize (and also weren’t shown) the gravity of the situation. He was their brother, and they loved him. I think they lived in a lot of unexplained fear growing up. Like most of us did.

“Please describe how a ‘confession’ comes about.”

There were multiple meetings where they sent the children out of the house so they could discuss the situation with Josh. I think that’s likely where the confessing happened. I was a child, and therefore not privy to those discussions, but I overheard my parents and some of the other adults talking about it. Later, Josh was humiliated in front of the church; the adults already knew what he did, so they didn’t really rehash the specifics. He cried, several other people cried, his victims cried, and then there was a climactic moment when he was told he was going to have his head shaved or they would shave the head of one of his victim’s. Then he was told he was going to be sent away to work. It was horrible and scary and I hate thinking about it. Josh did terrible things, but at that moment he looked very broken.

“If girls were caught ‘breaking rules’ what was their punishment like?”

To be perfectly honest, I don’t really remember the Duggar girls ever breaking rules. I’m sure they did at some point, but they were “angelic” as far as behavior. I could speak for other members of the church, including my own family, but I don’t want to disclose that information at this time.

“Were the daughters seen as ‘damaged’ after the molestation scandal and did this impact their marriage chances within IBLP circles?”

No. No one ever talked about it, and the girls weren’t treated any differently after it broke.

“Were the older girls ever abusive to their younger siblings?”

Jessa was mean; I never liked Jessa, and wanted to steer clear of her. She scared me, and most of her younger siblings were scared of her. Jana could also be a bit stern and quick to punish, but then again all of them were supposed to be mothers to a whole host of children. That’s a huge burden to place on any adolescent or teenager.

“How did Sam get away from that lifestyle?”

By walking away and disappearing as best as I could. It’s still a struggle to recover from the abuse and spiritual mistreatment, and most days I wake up in disbelief that it ever happened.

“To what extent are children “betrothed/promised” to one another?”

It’s extremely common in those circles. Typically the father of a boy talks to the father of a girl and they work out an arrangement. A lot of times the boy does initiate some interest and discusses it with his dad first, but the girl rarely has a say and is pressured to accept her father’s choices.

“I’m wondering how the family was doing financially during those years.”

They were poor—until they built their big house. Then suddenly it changed. They could afford toilet paper now. But yeah, every Sunday when they held church, every family brought all the food they could so everyone could eat together, then leftovers were distributed. We all shopped at Goodwill and ALDI and pinched pennies. The poverty was real until the TV money started coming in, and then suddenly they were showing off a pantry like a grocery store to the rest of us and offering everyone extra food to take home that was donated by sponsored companies “before it spoiled” because there was so much of it.

“Can you describe what the home church services were like?”

We sang songs from hymnals they kept in the kitchen cabinets (so many hymnals!) that were accompanied by Jana playing on the piano. Classic hymns, never anything contemporary. Requests were shouted out by kids and adults alike. Sometimes there was a music special, but always there was one song in particular that all of the children would sing every Sunday morning. Then we had prayer time where requests were shared, and that was followed by watching a video seminar. I don’t remember ever taking Communion (I feel as if that was frowned upon, but can’t recall), but the service would be followed by a communal meal they called Fellowship.

“Are you aware of any sexual abuse of the boys in the church?”

I am, but not of the Duggar boys. It existed.

“I have heard that Jana ran away a couple of times, and she was rebellious.”

Absolutely not. Jana was (and still seems to be) one of if not the most loyal of the bunch.

“Did things get weird? People speaking in tongues? People with blankets to catch holy rollers as they fell backwards?”

Anything related to the gift of tongues, prophecy, or non-Baptist tradition was considered heretical. What got weird was punishing children in the middle of a service, women being constantly pregnant, husbands humiliating their wives and kids, and myself and other young people being preyed upon by elders.

“It has been suggested at times that the oldest daughter “belongs” to the father. Is that true in the IBLP?”

All of the daughters belong to the father. If you’re referring to Jana specifically, I wouldn’t say it’s just her. All of the daughters in their family and others were subject to their dad’s decisions. It was common to make vows to fathers as teens to stay pure and obey him always (similar to wedding vows) sometimes with a purity ring. I don’t think the Duggars quite did that tradition, but my family and many others did. My father gave his daughters a ring after a “proposal” where he asked them to remain virgins until he gave them away. Usually around 13. Creepy stuff.

“Was Anna’s family really made aware of Josh’s past?”

Yes. And no, that didn’t matter. He’d been “forgiven” by God and his family, so of course he wouldn’t sin again…especially if he had himself a wife to play with instead of children.

“How old was Jana when her parents made that arrangement/when it was canceled?”

I think around 2008.

“What does Sam think of the Jana/Laura rumors?”

Pretty ridiculous to me. Jana and Laura aren’t having a secret fling, in my opinion. LGBT+ members did come out of that church (including myself) but that would be far too obvious for them to carry it on.

“Why doesn’t Jana just leave?”

I don’t think she wants to. I think she’s semi-happy there, at least, to the extent of her knowledge of happiness. It’s her world. Leaving—coming from someone who did it—is absolutely terrifying.

“Are any of them secret atheists?”

The church was so fear-based about the afterlife being determined by present choices that I found myself as a child asking Jesus to save me every single Sunday. I still have a hard time even being an agnostic because of what was beaten into me. So I doubt it. It’s hard to disbelieve when the stakes are set so high.

“Did Josh’s abuse of his sisters continue when they moved into the big house?”

I think it mostly became a porn issue at that point. But it's possible. I think it was still an issue even then.

“Have you ever seen an example of an unwed woman getting pregnant?”

No, but my parents suspected one of the members in my family of getting pregnant (quite irrationally) and hell broke loose at the suspicion. It likely wouldn’t have gone over well and probably would have ended with that person being turned away (much like Anna’s sister).

“What was John David like?”

He was a shy, awkward, friendly-enough strange kid. Likable by everyone, obedient, humble, hard-working. I think he’s a good person, if misguided by his upbringing.

“Are you pursuing a formal, structured education or a trade? Will you raise your children differently than you were raised? Are you still a member of the same “church fellowship” as the Duggars?”

I am not pursuing further education at this time, though I have plans to. I’m supporting myself in a successful career and doing pretty well independently. I will raise my children VERY differently, without religion as a factor. I am not a member of the same church, I am not in the same area, and I have no plans to return to Christianity, at least staunchly, or in that branch. It is toxic and abusive. It is vile to me.

“How are the kids with the protruding stomachs now?”

I looked them up the other day. I think their family moved away, and it seems like their kids aren’t as involved in the cult anymore. They seem to be doing well. I’m happy for them.

“Did Sam ever go to ALERT or one of the family conferences?”

No, I didn’t. My family didn’t travel much.

“Were you able to have genuine friendships with the Duggar children in that environment or was there still a lot of isolation and privacy?”

I did have genuine friendships with the Duggar children; I even developed feelings for one of them as a young teenager that I thought were reciprocated (and may have been, we weren’t allowed to talk about that). We didn’t discuss the abuse because we didn’t consider anything abusive. We looked up to our parents (and feared them).

“Did Sam ever meet someone from the cult who cooked without using cans?”

Nope. We were all raised on cans. And speaking of cooking — Jim Bob’s BBQ tuna, or whatever that nasty stuff is, is absolutely disgusting. I’ve tried it. Hash brown casserole is gross too. It’s all gross. Ugh. I love eating real food now.

[jjasprtfjyghkj-blog]

what’s up y’all !! i’m nev and i like stephen king and horror and my cat and that’s literally all there is to me ✌️👏🗣 i’m so mcfUCKING HYPE to be here wOW anyway under the cut you’ll find some general info on my lil monster boi jasper and if u click HERE you can find his stats and some more detailed stuff abt him !!

✰ ·° ˑ ✕ ( troye sivan, cismale, he/him ) i think i saw JASPER PELLETIER back in newport beach. you know, the TWENTY year old who looks just like TROYE SIVAN. i heard they’re an upcoming JUNIOR at the SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO (SAIC) now, but that may have changed. known notoriously for being -PRETENTIOUS and -SARCASTIC, but yet they’re +ENTERPRISING and +QUICK-WITTED, but i’ve never personally knew them. i can tell you that INVINCIBLE by OK Go really reminds me of them. (nev, cst, she/her)

so jasper was born and raised here in newport beach. his dad is a hotshot psychologist with a private practice and his mom is a published poet who teaches poetry classes and workshops locally. despite their success, his parents are both rly grounded, good people who always made time for their kids. they never spoiled jasper and his sister with material things, instead it was spoiling them with travel and culture and learning, etc. stanley (his dad) is also deeply interested in philosphy, so he’s passed that love onto jasper

jas came out as gay when he was 14, a freshman in high school. he’d always ~known but was scared as HELL to come out. because of his more feminine features and what other kids called his “tells,” he was essentially forced out of the closet before he was ready. it was tough as hell for him, but thankfully when he came out to his parents and his sister they were beyond accepting and made that experience a little easier than it would otherwise have been. especially with two years of college under his belt now, he’s extremely open about and proud of his sexuality

this boy smokes so 👏much 👏weed 👏like he generally has a joint or two on him tucked away between his cigarettes. he is also, however, big-time against hard drugs (coke, heroin, meth, etc). he’s done coke a couple times, but like in general he won’t touch that shit !! and he’ll probably purse his lips at u if u do it in front of him, but unless ur like rly good friends he prob won’t actually say anything bc he tries not to be ~preachy. if ur good friends tho boy watch out he’ll randomly get pissed off abt it and start a fight eryfjyethyrgaudhsja

he had a bf in high school that he was like heart eyes over but stuff went down and in the end they sort of mutually broke up after a huge explosive fight right before his bf went off to college. it’s mostly jasper’s fault and he knows that and it’s lowkey his biggest regret. his second bf was his freshman year at saic and that ended even worse bc he ended up being a crazy asshole, so after that jas was like ok fuck! this! and decided he wasn’t doing boyfriends anymore for a while and he’s still in that mindset except deep down he’s craving that intimacy 

he wild !! seriously he has so much excess energy and acts like a child most of the time. he will throw skittles at people’s heads for the vine

he’s like super into philosophy bc of his dad, and he’s intelligent so the concepts come to him quickly and easily, but he’s completely unable to apply those concepts to his real life he’s literally too childish. he also has a lot of random knowledge, catch him rhapsodizing about medieval juridical systems and the origins of whaling in america

he’s an artist at heart, he’ll almost always start doodling on napkins and receipts etc no matter where he is or what he’s doing. he’ll usually have paint stains on his hands and arms and sometimes legs

aesthetics include wearing dirty converse and shirts that are way too big on him, ripped jeans rolled up at the ends, tall socks, scrapes and bruises on his elbows and knees, white wine, headphones around his neck, a tattered book in his hand, sunglasses indoors, loudly popping bubble gum, snarky retorts to questions not directed at him, jumping fences for a midnight swim in a closed pool, cigarettes and joints, sunsets, eating fruit on the beach, acting tough even tho he’s literally tiny

you get the idea

also for reference he’s blond. he just recently dyed it tho so it would be a new thing for everyone back home !!

so yH he is pretentious and sarcastic as fuck and pretends not to care when he acts childish and ends up offending ppl except UH OH deep down he feels bad n is just trying to figure out how to navigate growing up n entering the adult world u dig ??

that’s all i have for u here again feel free to check out his stats page for more info but like HIT! ME! UP! bitches i am a SLUT for angst give me the most dramatic plots possible i want it all !!

CONNECTION IDEAS:

girl gang ! jas needs his ladies to gossip and watch rom coms and cry abt cute boys with

hookups ! i want toxic on and off hookups, i want the hookup that happened last time they were both in town and now it’s awkward, unrequited feelings (either way), the “we hated each other in high school” hookup. all the angsty hookups

someone who jasper rly wants to sleep with/they rly wna sleep with jasper but it hasn’t happened for whatever reason

i rly want a plot where like jas and this person hated each other in high school but now they’re like.....best friends rygfskyeguhes

also vice versa. they were super close growing up and bc of a fight or whatever they’re like E N E M I E S now

someone who jasper was friends with like WAY back in the day when they were kids in elementary school maybe they were neighbors idk but they were like bffs back then and drifted apart in hs and now they like....don’t rly talk and it’s kind of awkward bc they used to be so close but just went in different directions

art buddy ! someone else who will whip out their grungy clothes and spread out newspapers all over the floor and paint the day away with him

would love for him to have his queer bff ?? preferably a lesbian ?!

he’s rly good at breaking people out of their shells so anyone who’s like more of an ~innocent and needs someone to expose them to partying n being wild.......hit him uP

he has an older sister but like i live for sibling-like friendships so get @ me with that. someone he’s rly protective over OR someone who’s rly protective over him (platonically)

also platonic touchy-feely friendships where they’re always cuddling n giving each other kisses but it’s like strictly as friends they’re just ~close 

#take this shoddily slapped together intro !! #AND COME PLOT W ME FOOLS !! #throws flowers #im at work but....ill be around to chat and also ill be home by the time we oPEN

[diariesof-kg]

Listen Linda!

08_15_21

I am excited!!  My VH1 credit should be on my IMDB page real soon.  Pause why Black Panther is filming in ATL and I never knew when they started filming.  I definitely need an agent in ATL, I have the financial ability to fly back and forth.  I just don’t know if I am willing to shave my head.  Even if they offered me 500k, I’d still be hesitant. Lol.  And they are filming in the middle of fall and winter and I can’t stand being cold.  God is good!  I am unsure what to do with my health though.  Again, I’ve come to terms years ago, about what could possibly happen.  I bet ol girl would be happy if I perished, she wished it on me anyway. Lol, But that besides the point at hand.  Something is definitely wrong with my body and I am beyond over it.  Thank God for life insurance I guess.  I barely have debts except for my school loans.  I wrote out my goals, I just need to make a vision board at this point.  I am definitely hoping everything manifests.  I’ll be debt free by December of this year.  And then my credit score should be above average and then I figured out how to get a Tesla without spending 40k.  The most I am willing to spend is 30k but that’s where negotiating comes in.  Unless the car goes over 300 miles per charge, I am not spending that much.  I’ve driven a Tesla. Model S and the charge goes down quick with all the usage.  I want a model S so bad, but Ill take the Model 3 or Y. 

My child got out twice now.  I told her the outside is for the street cats and she’s not about that life, of course she responds. Lol.  I am definitely blessed for her.  Who would have thought I’d have a cat that responds and talks to me.  Understands commands.  It’s beyond crazy sometimes but I am grateful.  I remember after the incident I was crying so bad and Zena was trying to get in my lap but I kept putting her on the floor.  I feel so bad she waned to comfort me and I rejected it.  But I truly love her to death.  I bought her a leash to train her to go outside but she isn’t having it, but then yells at me to put it on.  I guess she runs everything.  She also loves helping the clients.  Lol.  Whether that’s talking while I’m on the phone or typing random shit from the keyboard.  

I finally broke my silence.  Not entirely.  I’m still hesitant about reaching out to my community about what happened to me.  I told one person in the industry and I said, it’s not about exploiting or exposing but it’s about safety.  If I was attacked I am sure it’ll happen to someone else and that’s the point of speaking on it.  I would be in the wrong if it was lies and I made up this whole story for revenge, but unfortunately it really happened.  I have the court documents saved as PDF and people can look it up with my name or the case number.  This is why I am blessed my record is clean.  Because on my IMDB, it shows if the industry is googling you or reviewing your page.  And if I had a criminal or something as a restraining order on my record, I could lose out on bookings.  Reputation matters.  Producers always call me back for a gig.  And no one wants to work with someone who can’t control their anger.  Thank God that isn’t me.  I can be upset, but I’d NEVER put my hands let alone bite someone.  I am hesitant about posting pictures of the bite, but I feel like that’s my finally closure.  Closure and forgiveness is a beautiful thing.  I think that’s how I am able to receive all these blessings.  I always forgive people in order to set myself free.  The misery I would feel if I didn’t. 

*side note; I am craving Prank’s Egg white omelette and potatoes. ; with some syrup.  I am not sure when I’ll make it over there but it’ll be soon.  Most places don’t even do egg white omelette which too me isn’t as dry as a regular omelette. It’s like being in love with the first bite, it’s so good. 

Imagine on my birthday a Tesla arrives.  Yall I’d pass out.  Lol.  I definitely want that car and then I’ll get a townhouse.  The way they check your credit though itll be tricky I suppose.  And of course mom can rent out my room.  This room is beyond 600 sq ft.  Its a whole ass studio.  Matter fact if she takes the entertainment room, where my sister sleeps and my room and the bathroom, that’s a steal.  I have been looking for townhouses to rent but some are two bedrooms and are tiny.  And I am spoiled to be honest.  I refuse to live in a box.  Which means paying over 2k a month.  But that’s the whole point of upgrading your life.  I will never forget when I met my brother for the first time and he said I was boujie because I had a Champion jacket on. Lol, SMH!  What’s so wrong with upgrading your life.  Phew, black people never can just say something is cute or looks good without the extras.  The Champion jacket was hella expensive and I bought it on my credit card, because I was broke.  I like the color and how it looked. Lol, never knew it would categorize me as boujie.  

That’s why lowkey I am scared to get the Tesla.  Because when next year comes around and I FINALLY heal and get myself right to date.  I don’t want to go out on a date and they think, because I have a Tesla I got monies.  I was ignorant for that too.  My ex has a big ass house and a Mercedes and I quickly learned it wasn’t even like that.  Plus a Mercedes is really an expensive Chrysler, both vehicles share the same interior, but who gon tell them?  Can we just clap for people who upgrade their lives.  Can we do that starting 2022.  My plan is at the end of this year to finish doing overtime and then grab my savings and get a loan, hopefully at least 20k and I pay the rest like 10-15k.  And BOOM a Tesla is born.  I am always planning, I created a whole financial excel sheet to predict how much I need to make to reach my goals.  Then I have my Godson and his future.  I may go ahead and put 5k in his savings just to set him in stone for the next two years.  I am waiting for my credit card to say zero!  If I have extra I might send my friends a couple racks.  When I am blessed I have to pass the blessings to the next.

I love the BUFFINS!!!  I just can’t over how beautiful their lives are.  Sevyn wanted Annie and she got her.  They proposed and got married and three years later had their first child and I am just so happy for them.  I am like this, let me re-manifest someone from the ATL.  Because my homeboy literally is moving to be with his fiance after meeting her a short time and he’s a Capricorn.  Listen, I was so close but I ended up getting violated violently, so lets start over.  Caps are so loyal and faithful.  But I am not ready to find someone yet.  I kind of want to establish a few things first.  I want to HEAL.  This was definitely a traumatizing experience.  Adding more to my PTSD.  I want to be comfortable speaking about it if asked.  There is a lot to work on at this time.  Plus, I want to get this car and this townhouse.  Also, I don’t want to be afraid to jump into the deep end.  Like when I fall in love again, I dont want to be hesitant to make someone my girlfriend, even if it’s a short period of time.  I don’t want to rush but I don’t want to hold back my emotions either.  I pray I can fall in love again.  I honestly do.  I thought I couldn’t and then I did to a person who attacked me.  Feels wasted.  I want to take chances.  I should have taken that second date with this other girl. Lol, fuck !  And I wouldn’t have been in this mess.  

To end this, I know relationships are not easy, I was in one for five years.  I have the strength but also, I don’t have to tolerate shit.  If the universe sends me a damn Taurus, we going straight to counseling, because I refuse.  Lol, they are literally all abusive asf.  In the meantime, I am waiting for the victims group to get back to me about my case.  If they agree, somebody going to jail and it’s not me.  I mean literally what happened to my bff ex, lordt.  we call her crazy bish, but she was mad she was arrested for the DV.  Like how can people be upset about their own actions that they chose.  Now you see why, when my bff asked if she was a Taurus and she said yes, why they were scared for me.  Lol, because them May Taurus are real life abusers.  Someone prove me wrong and Ill give them 10k.  But on a good note.  God is good!!!!!

[mysidewriting]

Through the Storm

Prologue

Chapter One:

Two weeks after Kukui had informed me of his "champion travel plans" I was put on a plane and sent to my home land in Kanto. Now there, in the Celadon City airport I was tasked with finding champion and ex-champion Red and Green. About a week from now I was due to spend a few days in Professor Oak's lab and review his research on the Kanto region's flora and fauna.

Before any of that though, there were two people I had to find. My father, who lived only a city away in Saffron, and Lillie who was last residing just north of Cerulean.

G//when are you free?

A frown creased my face as I read the text. I'd made the decision to not tell anyone other than my mother and the league that I was leaving for six months. I hadn't wanted to spoil my surprise visit with Lillie on accident and didn't want Hau to attempt to discourage me from the plan. I'd already been hesitant as six months was such a long time to be away, but I seriously wanted to make the trip.

Now, seeing Gladion being oddly persistent to do something, I was starting to feel bad not telling my friends about traveling. Sure, I didn't get to hang out with them all that often but that once a month was still special. Now I wouldn't see both the guys for six months and the thought was sour on my mood.

I shook myself from the thoughts and exited the airport, the heavy scent of thousands of people living within seconds of each other hitting me like a rock. Cars whizzed passed me in the streets and crowds of sightseers, businessmen, and locals pushed and shoved me around.

Kanto.

One of the busiest and most populated regions. I loved and hated it for that reason, I for sure hadn't yet missed it.

Working my way against the crowd of moving bodies I finally made my way out of the city and onto a side route that would lead me towards Saffron, where my father lived. My hand instinctively drifted to my bag for the useful ride pager but I fell short of the pocket it was normally kept in, Pokémon Ride was only in Alola. I would have to ask my own team of Pokémon to travel around Kanto unless I wanted to foot it everywhere.

The only current team member I had that was large enough to carry me around comfortably was the Type:Null that Gladion had entrusted me with and I hated the idea of forcing it to do such a task. I would need to make some new friends and team members here in Kanto to make transportation easier. Not that I hadn't already planned on doing so.

The trek to Saffron would only take about twenty minutes with the newly paved footpaths that had been placed in recent years. With all the commuters between Celadon and Saffron it had been a necessary implementation to make by the cities. Otherwise the route wound through the countryside where unsuspecting civilians could clash with potentially dangerous Pokémon.

I released Kai and Type:Null to walk with me, making sure to move the ladder of the two off to the side whenever someone passed by. Kai was cute and lovable by appearance and many passerby stopped to gawk at the rare species. Null, on the other hand, was far more intimidating... but I wanted it to feel comfortable with me so it could evolve and walking was a great way to build a bond.

M//idk really...

//my life is about to be super crazy busy

I can't tell him yet, but I feel bad brushing him off like that. I would go to Lillie soon, then I could tell both Hau and Gladion about this.

The door to my father's house creaked open once I had unlocked it, announcing my arrival rather unceremoniously. I called out a timid 'hello' but no response came. Every room was empty save for the living room where my father's pet growlithe, Brutus, was curled up in his bed. He watched me with a wise gaze, tail wagging back and forth furiously in excitement but he couldn't be bothered to drag his old bones out of his comfortable position.

I stroked his head, checking my phone to see if my father had called me while I was on the plane. He hadn't contacted me at all... before leaving I'd made sure to tell him when I would be over, figuring that meant he would be home to see me as well. It had been a few years since I had last seen him...

I bit back my disappointment, telling myself he had run out to grab something super quick and hadn't expected me to be here so promptly. I took a seat on the couch after setting my heavy backpack on the floor. Kai popped out of her ball and sniffed at Brutus curiously, pulling back in surprise as he huffed a small plume of smoke in her direction. I couldn't help but laugh at the Lycanrock's shocked expression. She was behaving much more warily now that we were in a new place.

"Watch out, Kai. Old Brutus is a real master of fire." I said with a giggle as a small flame left the greying growlithe's mouth.

She glanced back at me, grumbling before turning to sniff around the house. I watched her fluffy white tail disappear around the corner before looking down at my phone once again.

G//well...let me know when you have time

M//for what? Do you actually want to hang out with me??

G//I guess

//don't go and make me change my mind

M//haha ok

Guilt wrecked my gut and I quickly sent another message out to him. Why didn't you ask last week?! He never wanted to do anything, he'd never been the one to initiate anything.

M//seriously though, I don't know if I'll have any free time whatsoever for a long time. I'm sorry... just bad timing.

A long sigh left my mouth and I locked gazes with Brutus, the Pokémon mirroring my noise and settling it's head down against its paws. Kai paced around the corner again and I laid across the couch, stretching my arm as far as possible to run my fingers through her coarse fur.

I attempted calling my father after an hour had passed, but he didn't answer. Worry had started to set in, my overly exposed mind rushing through terrible scenarios of what could have happened to him in the few hours since we had last spoken. I paced the living room, attempting to quiet those thoughts, telling myself I was being paranoid.

Finally the door opened and I span fast to face the balding man, a single plastic bag in his wrinkled hands and a shocked look on his mustachioed face. "Oh, Moon! I thought you said five!"

A sigh of relief left my mouth and I quickly closed the space between us to give him a hug. "No, Dad. Four." I laughed. "It's okay though, Brutus and my Kai kept me company."

My father's gaze drifted to the living room to see both Pokémon lying near the window. He grinned as he saw the Lycanrock and she stood, barking a kind hello towards him. He chuckled a hearty laugh.

"It's still so hard for me to believe you have your own Pokémon, Moon."

I scoffed, "Why's that? Couldn't you tell how much I loved Pokémon when I was younger?"

"Of course I could, but I had this strange idea in my head that you would go on to be a researchist. Not a trainer, or champion at that." The smile he gave me, half hidden by that thick dark beard my mother always loved, seemed oddly awkward and nervous.

I brushed it off, figuring he was intimidated by how long we had been apart. I'd only been seventeen when Mom and I left for Alola. Now I was twenty, a smidge taller than him, and much more experienced and matured.

"Well, anyway. Make yourself at home, deary. It is still your home, whenever you need it to be." His eyes crinkled at the corners, the age lines much more significant than they had been last time I'd seen him. "I was planning on ordering a pizza and watching a movie tonight."

I grinned, that was still the same. His love for lounging, something we had always shared.

I'd left most of my team back in Alola to train by themselves and spend some time relaxing. The only two I had brought with me were Lycanrock and Type:Null. My own personal goal for this trip, aside from exploring and learning from all the professors, was to form a new team for each region. It sounded like a decent challenge, and making new friends was always a plus.

As such, I spent the first few days in Kanto exploring and catching new Pokémon. I'd found a dragonair near the ocean and caught him - naming him Tsunami. While exploring Mt.Moon I met a small fairy type Pokémon that rotom dubbed clefairy and I added her to my team too. I found the name Cecil to work well for the small pink fluff ball.

One rainy day on the coast of Fuschia I ran into a man with scruffy dark blonde hair and an ego that outstepped most bounds. He didn't flinch when he saw Type:Null bounding around in the sand beside me and he looked at me as though he knew who I was.

"You look strangely familiar." He said, a smooth grin on his face.

"Do I? Well that's strange considering I don't live in Kanto." I acknowledged, having Null take a seat next to me.

"Lemme guess, Alola?" The man assured, his smooth grin becoming smug.

"Yes" I laughed, unfazed by his arrogance. "I'm Moon, you are?"

"Green." He extended a hand to me, "ex-champ of Kanto."

I shook his hand with a smirk of my own. Finding Red and Green was on my task list for the week, but I hadn't expected to run into either of them so easily.

Green and I spent a few hours inside a small cafe chatting and learning more about each other. He was twenty five and although he reeked of narcissism, he was still a half decent guy. A great sense of humor and a real knack for Pokémon by the sound of it. Around seven years ago he had been the champion of Kanto, but his reign had only lasted a couple hours before his rival Red stole the seat. He's been pissed about it for a while but apparently the feud between the two had long ended and he now considered Red to be his closest friend.

He was currently the final gym leader of Kanto. I spent a good forty minutes explaining Alola's trials and how we didn't use a gym system at all. He was baffled by it, but interested.

After the rain subsided he introduced me to his current team and challenged me to a friendly battle. I explained that I didn't have my normal team with me at the moment and wouldn't be able to put up a proper fight against him. He was disappointed but agreed to a rain check, forcing me to promise that the wait would be worth it.

We parted ways after agreeing on a day to meet up with Red as well. The two had been wanting to explore a strange cave located a ways out on the ocean and he invited me along, figuring it would be a good chance to exchange tips and tricks between fellow champs.

The sun had set and the sky had cleared as I walked back towards my father's house. The large expanse of night sky was nearly empty in comparison to Alola's skies. With all the light pollution from the large cities it was nearly impossible to see the stars.

The moon looked lonely in the vast empty sky and I felt a strange hollow sensation in my chest, as though I was sympathizing with the large rock soaring up in the heavens

My mind drifted off to wonder about my mother, how she was doing knowing that most of her family was hours away from her. Only reachable through phone or internet. She struggled just being away from Dad half the time, I'm sure her only daughter being gone didn't make things better.

One of the pokeballs at my waist burst open, Cecil the clefairy appearing on my shoulder. I shrugged a bit, knocking her enough off balance for her to cry out in annoyance and settle on top of my head instead, pushing my hat off.

"Hey hey hey! What's going on, Cecil?" I asked with a playful laugh.

She sang out in a rhythmic matter, I felt her weight shifting back and forth as though she were dancing.

I stopped walking as I heard more chanting from the woods on either side of me, other clefairy hiding in the bush and singing with Cecil. Three of them were hiding in the branches of a pine tree and I gawked in amazement as they wiggled their fingers back and forth in rhythm with their chant, their claws glowing and a strange sparkling mist hovering around their small bodies.

I reached for my rotom dex and asked what the heck was happening at the moment. It replied in it's signature staticky voice 'on the nights of full moons many clefairy gather to chant a mystical spell towards the sky. This has lead researchers to believe they originally come from the moon.'

A large smile fell across my face and I carefully picked Cecil off my head and cradled her in my arms, "you come from the moon?" I asked her.

The clefairy simply smiled at me, not breaking from her harmonious song.

How extraordinary and fascinating.

Hau texted me later that night after I had gotten back to my father's. I was curled up in my bed and talking at Kai about my day when my phone started vibrating endlessly. I was surprised to see his name only for the fact that there was a six hour time difference between Kanto and Alola - meaning that Hau was up and bursting with energy at nearly one in the morning.

H//MOON!

//WHERE ARE YOU

//Why was Kukui the "champion" today?!

//what the heck

//ARE YOU OKAY?

M//calm down, Hau!

//I'm fine, just taking some time off haha

H// why tho?!?!?

M//just to take a break

H//what is it getting too hard for you?

//I could take the job over if you're tired of it 😉

M// ha ha ha no

//you have to win it fair and square

H//I miss you... hang out with meeee

//if your off than you have tiiime

M//I don't have time too actually

//sorry

He continued on, complaining about how I never had time to see him in general and it wasn't fair that I was doing something else with my free time. I tried to ignore the guilt tripping since I knew he was just messing around... but I still felt bad anyway.

He drifted off to just chat with me about random things after that and I let the conversation go on for about an hour before I gave him crap for staying up so late. He fired it back at me and I struggled to not point out the fact that it was only nine where I was.

#gladion x moon #fanfic #lonashipping #gladion fanfic #pokemon #romance #adventure #Hau x Lillie #through the storm #through the storm chapter one

[elisaphoenix13]

It's Just For Charity

Quill woke up to the best thing ever. Namely that Scott was sprawled over the left half of him with his face pressed against the celestial's neck...and was that drool? Yeah, that was drool. Quill didn't care though. It didn't take away from Scott's adorableness and Quill didn't love him any less. As far as he was concerned, Scott could drool on him anytime.

Just not now. He had to get ready for work.

The station had finally given in to charity calendars. The typical half naked firemen posing for photos. They would do some with just the guys, some suggestive poses for the adults, and of course the animals. They would be borrowing some animals from the nearby shelter in the hopes that it would also help them get adopted, but Quill also planned on bringing his own. He was kind of looking forward to seeing his co-workers freak out when he didn't just show up with Flynn, but with Emir as well.

Scott made Quill promise he would bring home copies of all of the photos they took of him. No matter what ended up in the calendars.

"Babe…" Quill mutters softly and gently shakes Scott's shoulder.

"Nnn...dun' wanna have a tea party with Satan…" Scott mumbles in his sleep.

"What the fuck kind of dreams are you having?" Quill carefully wiggles his way out from under Scott, leaning down to kiss his temple as he resituates the covers over him. "If you end up going to that tea party, don't let Satan sweeten your tea with his honey alright?"

As expected, Quill didn't get a response other than another mumble and a grunt before he slipped into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Mostly to clean off the small pool of drool that was half dry on his chest. When he got out, he wrapped a towel around his waist and left the room to find Cassie walking in with an armful of folded clothes. She barely passed her father a glance on her way over to Quill and held out her burden to him.

"Here. It's your uniform. It just came out of the dryer." She says softly and Quill kisses her forehead.

"Thanks sunshine. What are you doing up this early?"

Cassie smiles. "Making sure Flynn and Emir look pretty for today."

Quill looks over at the bed and finds both animals absent from it. "They better not be wearing any bows."

"No." She rolls her eyes. "I just brushed them, put their collars on, and brushed Emir's teeth."

"He let you do that?"

"Pfft, no." She looks over at Scott when he starts mumbling in his sleep again. "What's on today?"

"A tea party with Satan apparently." Quill shoos her out of the room. "I gotta get ready now. Get out or I'll drop my towel."

Cassie flees with a very audible "eww" and Quill cackles. Of course he had no real intention to expose himself to her like that, but every once in a while he would make the "threat" just to see her make a face as she ran. She knew Quill would never actually follow through, but there had been a couple of unfortunate occasions when she walked in on one or both of them. Usually because he and Scott were doing things where they shouldn't. Like the laundry room.

Fortunately she never actually saw anything. There may have been a moan or two, but she didn't see anything below the waist. After the second time, she started knocking on all the doors. If there wasn't a door to knock on, she closed her eyes and covered her ears.

They really were trying to keep it in the bedroom. But Quill admittedly had no self control when Scott bent over.

As soon as Quill finished getting dressed, he left the room to find Emir and Flynn waiting with Cassie who was standing by the elevator. When he reached them, she held out a paper bag and a bagel with cream cheese on a paper towel.

"I packed you a lunch and here's your breakfast. It's still hot." She tells him as he takes both. "If you still have Flynn and Emir by lunchtime, I can ask Mom to portal me to the station so I can bring them their lunch."

Quill smiles. "Aww. You spoil me. Thank you." A familiar sound of crackling grabs the god's attention and he finds a portal to the fire station open beside him. "Yeah that's probably a good idea. Victor, tell Stephen I said thanks. Don't want to freak out all of Manhattan on my way to work."

Cassie hands him the rest of his things as well as the leashes, and it doesn't take much persuasion to get the animals to follow him. Flynn screeched happily as he and Emir followed Quill through the portal, and the man sighs when the kit climbs up to his shoulders. He didn't even seem fazed by the general noise of the city. Flynn was probably more excited that Quill brought him to work this time.

Emir didn't seem bothered either, but that was to be expected since he used to be with a circus. The tiger was used to loud noises.

"Hey Quill. We're just waiting for the shelt--HOLY SHIT!" Sanchez jumps when he comes around to the open door of the garage and sees Emir.

Quill smirks. "I brought Flynn. This is Emir. I saved him from that circus fire a while back and the circus itself. Figured it would make the pictures a little more interesting."

"Uhh...okay." Sanchez mumbles. "We're uhh... we're waiting on the shelter." The man says after clearing his throat.

"I'll be up in the kitchen eating my breakfast then."

Quill leads Emir to the stairs and up to the kitchen where he sits at the table after putting his lunch in the fridge. He commanded the tiger to lay down, which Emir did without complaint, and started on his bagel once Flynn jumped down to join him. After that, much of the reactions he got over Emir were about the same, and when the shelter volunteers arrived with the other animals, they had their concerns as well. Like would Emir attack or eat the animals? Attack anyone? When Quill reassured them that the tiger was safe to be around (and that he wouldn't have brought him in the first place if that was a problem), they all moved around to get everything set up.

Emir and Flynn watched patiently and with some curiosity as the equipment was put up and the garage door was opened to get some air circulating through the station. Of course Smith asked Quill if there was any worry about Flynn or Emir running off, but the god shook his head and gave him the go ahead. Flynn was honestly just happy that he got to go to work with his daddy. Emir was probably a little miffed that he was away from Scott but seemed to tolerate it. They must have known it was a rare occasion.

"Just saying it now," Quill starts. "I won't be wrestling in oil with anyone." A few people raise their eyebrows as he thinks it over and then he grins. "You know what? Forget I said that. I can get all nice and oiled up for when--"

"Jesus Christ Quill." Wolfe interrupts. "Your husband is cute. We get it."

"Don't forget fuckable."

Quill cackles when he's promptly ignored by his team and one of the photographers approaches the celestial. He was asked to remove his shirt, which he did just as a pair of women were passing by the fire house, and they audibly swooned as he pulled his shirt over his head. It didn't take Quill very long to find out why Scott had been so insecure about him taking this job in the first place. Women (and even some men) openly ogled some of the firefighters whenever the station's garage was open, but Quill knew how to deal with them. Well, if he had to interact with them at least. Most people just got their eyeful before moving on, but the small percentage that he did have to interact with, he helped with a smile and either subtly mentioned Scott or made sure his ring was on display.

If he happened to be wearing it.

It had nothing to do with his inability to commit to one person (anyone who knew Quill, knew the man was 100% obsessed with his spouse), he just didn't want it to get ruined. Things happened in fires. So instead of risking it getting dirty beyond the ability of cleaning it to like new, Quill took it on and off before and after his shifts. During shifts, and talking to passing pedestrians, he would bring up married life if he had any inkling that someone was interested.

But that was all besides the point. The firefighters all had to stay fit for their job, they were taking photos for charity, and it was a hot summer day. Shirts were probably going to come off at some point in the day. The air conditioning didn't always do a great job.

Maybe Quill should talk to Tony about that.

"Alright big guy. We'll have you go first." The man says. "We'll start with a couple of the shelter animals, and then move on to…" He glances to the side at Flynn and Emir.

"Sure."

The first animal was a kitten that looked hilariously tiny compared to the celestial and it took to him very well. The photographer had Quill hold him in one of his hands and basically took photos of the god naturally interacting with the feline. Quill was pretty sure he heard Flynn voice his disapproval over it a couple of times. He was probably jealous.

The other firemen were busy with other animals and photographers and there were also a handful that were on standby in case there was a call. They would eventually rotate with the ones getting their photos taken when their group was done, keeping the station active and ready for emergencies.

Quill was given two more animals to pose with before he was finally asked to use Flynn and Emir. A short, sharp whistle was all Flynn needed to finally run over and scramble up his pants and up to his shoulders, and Quill was pretty sure the photographer took shots of that action alone. Emir, on the other hand, took his time lumbering over to Quill. He stood next to him with a rumble that seemed to have made the photographer uneasy and Quill pat Emir's head.

"Just a little longer, then you can go back home and protect Scott." Quill says.

"The way you interact with them and how they respond to you is already plenty for the pictures." The photographer says. "So do whatever you usually do."

"I think it would freak out paying customers to see a picture of me wrestling with a tiger." Quill laughs.

"Y-You wrestle with him?"

"Sometimes."

"How are you alive?!"

"Dumb luck."

He heard a snort from Smith's general direction. He and his co-workers knew better, but not everyone had put together that Quill and Starlord were one and the same. It wasn't exactly a secret, but Quill also didn't go around boasting about who he was. At least not like when he lived in space. Back then it was just an outlaw name. Now it meant so much more.

Regardless, Quill got Flynn and Emir to pose for pictures relatively easily, and he even held the kit in one arm like a baby while Emir laid proudly in front of his feet. When they were finally done shooting with the animals, Quill sent Emir and Flynn back to their earlier corner so that he could finish up with the suggestive poses.

That took longer than the animal photos as everyone else had gotten to that point as well and were having a grand time with it. They were all too busy laughing and staying serious long enough for the photos had been a bit of a challenge, but they managed. Of course Quill had the most suggestive photos of all and that was all thanks to his and Scott's bedroom activities.

When all was said and done and Quill was finally able to pull his shirt back on, he made sure to get the photographer's attention.

"Could I get copies of all my pictures? Even the ones that don't make it to the calendars." Quill asks. "I'll pay for them."

"Uhh... sure. No problem."

"Thanks." Quill's phone starts to ring and he takes it out of his locker after walking over to it and answers it. "How was your tea with Satan?"

"What?" Scott asks in confusion.

"You were sleep talking again." Quill laughs.

Scott huffs. "Can I have my tiger back?"

"Ouch. I'm getting replaced."

"I would never...but it is lunch time and I don't want him to start eyeballing one of your coworkers...or the other animals." Scott says.

"Yeah, yeah. We just finished. Have Stephen open a portal and I'll send them through."

"Okay. Don't work too hard. I just might have a surprise for you when you get home." Scott says and Quill perks up.

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."

"Brat."

Scott snickers. "Love you too."

And with that, he hung up, and a portal opened a couple minutes later just long enough for Quill to send Flynn and Emir through. The portal got some attention from everyone, but it was brief since weird things were always happening in New York. A portal that Quill sent his animals through was clearly low on that list.

Now all he had to worry about was getting through the rest of his shift so he could find out what the fuck Scott was going to surprise him with. Something kinky he hoped.

#peter quill #celestial quill #scott lang #antlord #cassie lang #mama bear au

[joyrideschool-blog-blog]

How to say NO to your child

'No baby, don't touch this pot', 'No, don't behave like that', 'No, this phone is not for you'. How repulsive it is to hear the word 'No' frequently. During the process of parenting, we realized, like as adults, kids also don't like to hear 'No' a lot.

But for our little one to grow into a balanced person, we believe, setting limits is as important as letting him explore things around. A child's natural tendency is to explore his surroundings and parents’ is to protect them from any potential danger. However, saying straight NO many a times makes him react stubbornly. Also, they get more inclined to do those things for which we ask them not to do.

So, now I try to say NO to him in a way in which I don't use the negative word. However, if need be, I also do say NO to him because by itself, 'NO' is not a bad word, I have just tried to cut down number of times I use it.

Today, I like to share how I ask my little one not to do something without really saying 'No' to him.

1) Try to give him simple reasons

When playing outside, he playfully puts sand and pebbles in his mouth, I firmly tell him that sand is not for eating and that if you eat it, you will have a stomachache. At the age of 2.5, he has started understanding short reasoning that I give him. Now, before putting anything in his mouth right away, he always asks me if he can eat it.

Giving short reasons has worked in many other cases also such as chocolates. I tell him that though you like it, eating lot of it can spoil your teeth. Also, showing him visual examples (real life or pictures) of the side effects helps create a quick impression on his mind about the negatives of eating too many chocolates.  A positive side effect of this has been that he has started brushing his teeth twice daily.

2) Tell him the right use of things

When he jumps on bed or stands on chair, I firmly tell him that bed is for sleeping and not jumping; chair is for sitting and not standing.

When they do not like to eat what he has been given or is not really hungry, he starts playing with the food. It is annoying at times to see him do this however; I try not to shout at him and I just take away the bowl and firmly explain him that food is for eating and not playing. His pediatrician had explained me not to worry, if he does not eat what you give him, when he is really hungry, he will ask you for the food himself. Though it is difficult to follow this as a mom but it has worked really well for me.

3) Tell him what is meant for him

It is important to keep kids away from mobile phones and electronic gadgets. So when he asks for my mobile phone. I instead, give him his toy phone and tell him this is mumma's phone and that (toy) is baby's phone. Even when I am busy with my work, I avoid giving him my phone to play with as he might form a habit. In spite of all this at times he does not give up and still asks for my mobile phone so, I have downloaded many kids learning apps which he can use to learn and locked social media apps because I don't want to expose him to it at this tender age.

 4) Tell him about acceptable behavior

Sometimes when my little cute monster, does not like to be hugged by someone or does not like someone to hold him, he pulls other person's hair or hits him. I withdraw him immediately and explain him softly that if he does not like it, he has to say no and that hitting is simply not acceptable.

When he beats someone his age, I withdraw him and then tell him you have to play nicely with each other or I will take you back home.

5) Give him alternate option

When he plays with a ball inside the house, instead of asking him not to play, I ask him to play with it outside or play with some other toy, if he wants to play inside. In fact, I also sometimes join him to play along with him to keep his excitement levels high.

6) Distractions works well

Kids have a very short attention span. So sometimes when my child demands something; distracting him from it and redirecting to something else works very well. He instantly forgets about that activity and gets involved in the newer one. This works really well when they do not have his food. I just tell him some stories in animated tone to distract his attention and in the meanwhile, feed him the food easily. However, this strategy may not work for kids of more than 5 years of age.

7) Setting limit and telling him about it.

List of cartoons my child likes to watch is long: Doaremon, Shin Chan, Oggy and the Cockroaches, etc. So, I have asked him to select any 2 of the cartoon shows a day if he completes his assignments. Though there are some exceptions to this rule but majority of the time it works fine.

These are some of the steps I have taken for my child. Sometimes I do feel that I am a strict mother not fulfilling my child’s wishes. In fact, sometimes I even refuse to give him things which may be very common for other kids to have. But then I believe that being firm at times, helps me create a balanced growth for my child.

There can be no fixed rules for raising kids. It would be interesting if you can share any other ways you have used for saying No to your child.

 Joy Ride School for Lilliputs