#this is such a wild card journal and i just think i can wing it 😌

[bokettochild]

The Worries and Woes of Heroic Hair

Y'all were busting out hair headcannons before I left, so I saved a few and wrote a fic for them.

Featuring:

Pre-maturely grey Twilight

Curly haired Legend

Long haired Four

(As well as a reference to long hair Sky)

Warriors had gained the unfortunate title of ‘pretty boy’.

In a group of beautiful men and boys that literally sent women swooning, no matter what world they were in, he’d somehow been labeled the “pretty” one. Never mind he was more mature looking than half of their number. Never mind that Legend and Hyrule looked like a pair of porcelain dolls hand painted by a master artist. Never mind that Wild literally had half of his world falling heels over head for him. No matter how many women in the War of Ages had gushed about the adult Hero of Time (much to Mask’s annoyance). And sure, let’s just forget that Wars had heard not one, but two princess’s complimenting Twilight’s ass.

Yeah, okay, he was the pretty boy, sure.

Maybe that was because he was the only one in the group that actually had any understanding of a little thing called personal hygiene! Honestly! Had no one introduced the vet to a bathtub when he was younger? Or Wild to a hairbrush? And Hyrule... oh Hyrule...

Honestly, it was a pain, trying to not say something to his brothers that might be taken as rude or offensive. At least his own two boys were a bit better. During the war he’d pounded some sense into their heads after scrubbing their ears clean enough that they could actually hear him when he spoke, and Time and Wind both showed some (although not much more than the others) level of personal grooming, even if it was the basic wash and brush that Wars had required of all of his soldiers.

The others though? He had been beginning to think they might be hopeless, but then he’d had a chance to do something about it.

“Wars?”

“Hmm?” Bright blue darted up from the journal Warriors had been writing in, meeting Wind’s pout with a soft chuckle at his baby-faced brother. One day, Wind would be as grizzled and scruffy as his grandfather (would be his grandfather) but for now he would take him time teasing the kid for his baby-face. After all, it wasn’t like he’d be getting another chance to get revenge on the man who’d teased him up to his wedding day for his “lack of masculine charm”.

“My hair is knotted. In the back.” Wind didn’t even bother waiting for a signal, instead just plopping down in the captain's lap and dropping a brush by his knee. And really, with how the war had gone, Warriors should have expected that.

Any injury that impeded movement meant Wars was helping his two boys with whatever was needed during the war, and near the top of that list had been brushing hair. Broken arm or sprained wrist or whatever Hyrule had diagnosed it as (he’d been a bit too wrapped up in helping hold Wild still so he and Legend could treat the kid’s crushed hand to hear the healer’s final word), he was always happy to help the younger hero sort out his problems.

At least Wind let him help, instead of sending him scandalized looks and rude signs at the mere mention of a bath, like Legend did, or simply darting away like Hyrule.

“Wind,” Sky frowned slightly. “You didn’t have to disturb Wars, any of us would have been willing to help.”

The sailor cocked a brow, leaning back into his touch as he worked over the knot with nimble fingers well accustomed to working through tangled golden curls. “Says the Hero of Eternal Bedhead.”

Crystal blue eyes darted up to messy bangs. “Is it really that bad?”

“Yes.” Sailor and captain deadpanned together, matching grins on their faces as they stared at the Skyloftian.

“Oh feathers.” Sky huffed, running his hands through his hair and looking at the two expectantly. “Is that better?”

Wind snorted. “Sky, you need a hairbrush for your bird’s nest.”

“But,” Sky cocked his head like a confused puppy. “I don’t have a bird’s nest?”

“He means that your hair is a mess.” He chuckled, pausing in his work to pat the ground at his side. “Here, I’ll do you next, ‘kay?” And bless Sky for being a patient and reasonable person, because at the very least the Skyloftian just sauntered over easily and sat hot-cross-buns on the ground beside him, watching lazily as he worked at the sailor’s messy hair.

“It’s not that bad,” The Sailor huffed. “You can’t honestly be taking this long.” The kid wasn’t fooling him though, Wind was leaning into the touch, almost slumped against his chest in a boneless pile of teenager.

“You’re dry as a desert.” He scolded softly in response, rubbing some of the bristly hair between his fingers. “I’ve told you salt water dries your hair out, you need to take care of it or it’ll never grow out properly.”

Wind shifted awkwardly. “I didn’t have time. I did try, I mean it! It just... We’re always so busy and...”

His hands were already reaching for his pack. “You’re lucky mine dries out too. I’ll need to get more in the next town, but I think this oil can last us both long enough to get you some again.”

“Oil?” Sky frowned thoughtfully. “What for?”

“Split ends and dry hair.” Came the practiced answer as he rubbed the substance in question over his hands and began to card it through the sailor’s parched curls. “I suppose you could say it’s like with birds. They have to oil their feathers to stay healthy, right?”

“Oh! Okay, yeah, that makes sense.” The Skyloftian mulled over the concept for a moment. “We need to do that to our hair?”

Long fingers stopped mid stroke, royal blue blinking slowly in the clueless sky child’s direction. “Oh, you poor, clueless bird-boy you, your hair must be parched!”

Wind’s giggles shook them both, but Sky simply looked hurt. “I try. How was I supposed to know?”

Fingers slick with hair oil curled to point at the other hero. “I am massaging this stuff into your thirsty scalp right now. Wind, move.”

The sailor tumbled, giggling from Wars’ lap, leaving Sky to stare down at the captain’s crossed legs. “I’m- Warriors I am not sitting in your lap.”

“I don’t expect you to.” Brush in one hand and bottle of hair oil in the other, Warriors moved to stand behind the Skyloftain. “Just stay right there and let me work, and I swear if someone else tells me to my face that they’re not taking care of themselves- Sky! Look at this!”

The Skyloftian shifted, trying to look for only a moment before huffing. “Warriors, I can’t see the top of my own-”

“When’s the last time you trimmed this?” Brittle tips crinkled under his fingers as he stared at the mess that was Sky’s hair. “Your split ends are horrible!”

“Crimson usually trims it for me.” Came the softly mumbled response, and Wars had to hold back an affronted squawk at the words.

“You’re entrusting the care of your hair to a bird? Sky, my lovely, my dear friend, my brother, what the actual Ladies?”

“He does a good job!”

“If you call this rat’s nest a good job! Honestly, it’s no wonder Legend finally agreed to let you cuddle him, he must feel right at home with this mess!”

“Ouch.” Sky huffed, crossing his arms loosely and pouting.

“That aside,” He began working the first knot out, fluffing Sky’s hair lightly in his fingers. “It’s a good color, nice volume too. Have you ever considered growing it out? Without the split ends?”

“Huh?”

Caramel hair parted easily in his hands, springy and soft despite the brittle ends. “You’d look fetching with long hair, Chosen One. My, imagine what Sun would say if she saw you!” Sky stiffened as the soldier ducked down, voice lowering and eyes glinting with mischief as he whispered in his friend’s ear. “If she wasn’t already swooning at seeing you again, she’d be dizzy at the sheer beauty.”

“Wars!” Long ears twitched, tellingly red as the Skyloftian battled a fierce blush.

But the captain was already lost in his rant, taking pleasure in making Wind continue to giggle as Sky whined softly in protest at his teasing. “I can see it now! You arrive fresh out of battle, sword in hand and hair whipping in the wind, cape swirling like the wings of the goddess herself! She sees you. Your eyes meet. You shoot her one of your dashing smiles and she stumbles back, breathless, and you have to dart forwards to catch her before she swoons away altogether, so bedazzled she is by your handsome visage!” He flourished with a smile, letting oiled locks fall over Sky’s eyes with a laugh as the Skyloftian blushed brighter, not bothering to shift his bangs and instead hiding behind them, trying and failing to hide a pleased smile.

Wind didn’t stop giggling until Sky had had to punch the captain in the leg to make him finally cease the teasing.

“Smithy,” Twilight’s laughter rung through camp as he brushed long bangs out of the smithy’s eyes, the younger hero still smushed against the rancher's side sleepily, headband askew and half hanging in his eyes. The boy’s hair curtained his face, falling back into place the moment Twilight lifted his hand again, producing rumbling laughter form the farm-hand. “Four, you- when in Ordonia’s name did you last trim your hair?”

“’s not that long.” Came the murmured reply as Four pressed his face further into Twilight’s side, nestling closer with an irritable huff. “Leave ‘lone, Twi.”

The smithy might have denied it but... his hair really had grown out.

It wasn’t really that apparent with the headband keeping it back, and Four was decent enough at keeping his hair out of his face. But headbands, no matter how trusty, didn’t stay up forever, and when one was as active as a Hero of Courage, it wasn’t uncommon to find one’s self with their hair swinging loose in battle. Not that most of them minded, Wild kept his hair tied carefully and Legend tucked all of his under a hat, meanwhile the others all had shorter locks that, other than the swishing of their bangs, mostly stayed out of their faces.

Four on the other hand...

Four’s headband had fallen loose into a mud puddle, and until he was able to clean it the smithy had been walking around like a sheepdog, bangs fluffing into his eyes and making the shortest hero huff in an annoyed manner as he kept swiping his bangs aside. Unfortunately, they weren’t long enough to tuck behind his ears, only to hang in his face and send him stumbling over and into all sorts of things with sharp yelps and soft swears as the hero closest to him would have to offer a hand or scoop up the small smithy again.

Wars didn’t say anything, but when Four finally approached him one evening, eyes flickering icy blue as he dashed his bangs out of the way and tugged at the scarf draped around the captain’s neck (the others’ favorite way of getting his attention he had found).

“Hey there, smithy, what’s up?”

“Cut them.” Four huffed, pushing the loose hair back again only to have them drift back over his glinting eyes, and then, as if an afterthought, he tacked on ‘Please?’.

Royal blue darted up to Sky, who smiled on the edge of the campfire, a knowing look in his eyes. “Did Sky tell you I could help?”

“No. I figured that out myself. He just... pushed me.”

Laughter bubbled up in his chest. “Ah.”

“So, can you help? Or do I need to wander around looking like a Mogma?” Sky could be heard muttering across the camp at that, and Four’s ears twitched as he huffed, clearly having taken offense at whatever had been said.

He nodded, a bit unsure why Four glared across the fire at Sky, but willing to help. Oh goddesses, was he willing to help; Four’s hair bugged him nearly as much as Wild’s did, and he had been dying to fix it for the smithy. He wasn’t sure what Sky had said, but he was thankful for the other knight’s willingness to aid him in his battle against poor hygiene, and if he could turn another hero with the power of a good haircut, well! “Anything you have in mind? Just what you had before, or...?”

“Bangs.” Four dropped down hot-cross-buns, just like Sky had the other day, in front of him, arms crossed and expectant as he huffed at his long bangs.

“Right.” His brush and scissors were already sitting at the ready as he reached out to gently push the hair out of his friend’s eyes. “You good?”

“Annoyed.” Four sulked. “I can’t see anything and Twilight has been called me a sheep-dog.” Accurate. “I just want my hair short again, but the last time I cut it, it looked like I was attacked by a cat.” The smithy shivered, clutching at his sleeves as he shook his head, hair falling back into his eyes as he did so. “I just let it grow after that, but the bangs bother me if I can’t push them back.”

“Noted.”

Four’s hair was a bit silkier than the others’, but similarly brittle, although that was likely due to the heat of the forge rather than sea salt and extended time in the sky. He didn’t even bother asking about oiling the locks as he worked, brushing out all of Four’s hair with care and sectioning out the bangs with the same amount of agonizing detail Legend put into his paintings or Wild put into his cooking.

“Hair cut?” Twilight called from across camp.

“You could use one too,” Four huffed, unmoving save for his eyes darted to glance over his shoulder. “Your hair is beginning to look like wolf ears, rancher. Wolfie might take offense that you’re stealing his look and come maul you.”

Chuckles sounded around the camp, Legend wheezing lightly while Time and Wild shared a look. Wars didn’t know what that was about, but he smiled as he worked, humming lightly under his breath as he clipped a bit here and a touch there, releasing the hair to stare at it, adjusting it a bit, taking another section in hand and snipping it, and repeating the whole process.

Four was still as a statue the whole time, occasionally humming along to whatever tune happened to be on Warriors’ mind at the moment, but otherwise as poised and picturesque as a statue as the captain worked over the smithy’s blond locks.

This close up, Warriors was beginning to wonder why they never met any lovely admirers of the smithy, Four was certainly not lacking in the looks department, and had the kid lived in his time he’d find himself having to beat off girls with a stick. Honestly, how was he the pretty boy here?

“Nearly done?” Came the patient hum, and he snapped himself back to reality as he brushed Four’s bangs back into place, trimmed and tidy, along with the rest of his short hair.

“Yep.” The scissors finally came to rest in his lap as he whisked away the cloak that he’d used to catch the trimmed hairs. “My, my, smithy, you almost look as if you were going courting! Legend, lend a man your shield for a tick, would you? Four needs to see his new cut.”

The veteran rolled his eyes, but the shield was offered readily enough when Four trotted his way over, and while the smithy looked a bit surprised that Wars had bothered to braid most of his hair out of the way during the cut, he didn’t look at all displeased.

Wars counted that as a win.

He’d run out of oil a few days ago, and already his hair was beginning to frizz in this thrice-forsaken heat.

Being born with curly hair was nothing of the blessing his mother had made it out to be, no matter how she liked playing with her ‘baby boy’s’ hair. Of course, his beloved liked it too, but he was going to chalk that up to being a woman thing, curls were a pain if they weren’t on kids, especially if they were eon him.

Thank Hylia that Lilith had taught him to straighten it all out, he would have been driven half out of his mind if he hadn’t been able to control it on his way through basic, and the teasing would have been so much worse than it actually had been.

As was, the captain was only too happy when they next came to his Castletown, and after he’d made sure the others were settled in the castle with his cousin, he’d gracefully made his exit and headed out to the town. Getting through the streets was a pain, his armor and scarf giving him away as the hero and practically inviting the whole market to start competing for his attention, along with the hundreds of shoppers who surged close with questions and thanks and admiration. Not for the first time, Warriors found himself thankful that he handled crowds better than many of his fellow soldiers, and even if all the attention was a bit much, he wasn’t overwhelmed like poor Wild would have been.

Oh heavens, the day they finally figured out how to explain the portals and heroes nonsense to the public to excuse the sudden aging of the Hyrulian Hero’s child, Wild was likely going to have to start wearing a hood or something when they went into town.

The dye shop was a way into the market, and it had taken quite the bit of fancy footwork to avoid stepping on anyone as he’d answered questions and received thanks from the enthusiastic, if not slightly push, people of Hyrule. If he closed the door of the shop after him with a sigh of relief though, that was between him and Gyssel, the shopkeeper.

“Back again, Link? Same materials as the last time?”

“If you please.” He nodded with a smile. “Though I might have a bit of a glance around, I’ve a friend in need of a few things.”

The old woman nodded with a chuckle. “Right then. Oh, and if you see those two lovely gents who popped in here earlier, would you be willing to lend ‘em a hand? Poor dears looked lost as two minish in a fairy pond when they stumbled in here, but I’ve been batting a thousand with the customers all day and haven’t had a chance to pop over and offer help. You know the shop same as I do, so, if you have a moment, could you check in on them while I wrap your things?”

“Of course.” He nodded, smiling his best as he moved towards the back wall.

The other voices in the shop were mostly those of tittering ladies and mischief making pranksters, all too young and too high to belong to the ‘lovely gents’ that Gyssel had been speaking of, and it wasn’t hard to trail the rumble of a man’s voice to the back of the store where the hair dyes were. He grinned as he rounded the corner, but froze when he found himself face to face with a startled, and maybe somewhat abashed rancher.

“Twilight?”

“Warriors?”

“Shit, Wars is here?”

Royal blue darted down to meet the snapping violet of the veteran. “Legend? What are the two of you doing in here of all places? Are you lost?”

“No.” Legend huffed, foot tapping agitatedly at the floor as he gnawed his bottom lip, a sure sign of awkwardness if one knew the vet.

“What are you doing- oh.” Twilight’s face faded from confusion to understanding. “You’re the city boy, of course you shop in joints like this.”

He cocked a brow, hands coming to rest on his hips as he stared down the two other heroes. “Says the guy who’s been wandering around looking for something long enough the owners worried. Honestly, what could the two of you even need?”

Midnight and violet glanced warily at each other, and to his surprise, twin flushed lighted his friend’s faces as Legend had crossed his arms and Twi had rubbed at his neck.

“Hair dye.” The rancher admitted softly.

“And shampoo.” Legend had tacked on.

Warriors let his eyes blow wide an overdramatic gasp sounding in the small corner of the shop as he rested a hand on his collar. “Why, vet, you don’t mean to tell me you’re planning on actually taking a bath, are you! My heavens, what next? Will Hyrule somehow produce a wedding cake in time for Time and Malon to announce they’re having a baby?”

“They’re what!?!” Twilight yelped, sounding, ridiculously, like a dog that has just been kicked.

“I’m teasing, rancher.” He chortled. “Trust me, if Time knew of such a thing, he wouldn’t have shut up about it. Miss Malon’s still trim and terrifying as last we saw her; I have little doubt.” At the rancher’s breath of relief, he shook his head. “Honestly though, soap? Vet, last I checked-”

“It’s hot.” Legend interrupted, avoiding meeting his gaze by rolling his eyes.

“And?”

“And in case you didn’t know, our resident vet is a-”

“Don’t say it!” Legend huffed, glaring at Twilight and tugging his blue cap tighter over his head.

Come to think of it, Legend hadn’t taken the baby-blue cap off in ages...

“Is a what?”

Twilight looked down warily at the seething veteran, face twisted up between a playful grin and a wary frown, as if he didn’t yet know whether he wanted to tease and face the vet’s wrath or hold his tongue and avoid making a scene.

“Look,” Warriors sighed, glancing between the two country boys with a sigh. “I won’t tease at all, alright? But the sooner you own up to whatever nonsense you did to yourself, the sooner we can find you what you need and get ourselves out of here.”

The flush on Legend’s face darkened, eyes darting down as the vet shuffled his feet, and Wars found himself being reminded that for all the vet’s snark and sass, he really was as much of a kid as Wild and Wind were, just more accustomed at having to act otherwise.

Thin fingers rubbed at the rings on the vet’s pale hands. “Well, you see- that is- augh!”

Something inside him blossomed with warmth, a smile stretching across his face. Golden Three, Legend really was just an awkward teenager, wasn’t he? He even stumbled over his words when he was embarrassed, just like Time used to. Of course, Time had been twelve and Legend was nineteen, but that was beside the point.

“So-” The vet was nearly pouting as he struggled with his words, fingers rubbing steadily at his rings as he avoided Wars’ gaze. “You know how Ravio has curly hair?”

“Yes.”

“And you know how Ravio and I are- uh, each other's- reflect-”

A laugh bubbled out of his throat unexpectedly as he reached out to ruffle what could be seen of the vet’s frizzy bangs. “You’re a curly top! Why didn’t you say sooner?” Legend glared at him with a huff, but violet didn’t shift to indigo, so he knew it was all just an act. “Wind and I are too, I was actually in here to get some things for the two of us, and Sky too. I can help you as well if you don’t mind, just let me-” He motioned to the blue cap that was pulled snig down to Legend’s ears.

The vet huffed, but reached up to finger the blue fabric. “You won’t laugh, right?” Stern eyes met his own.

“Of course.” He smiled reassuringly.

Legend’s gaze searched his face for a moment, wary, but open, and even if it made him uncomfortable (the odd glint of gold at the edges of the vet’s eyes was a bit unsettling) he withstood it until Legend nodded, seemingly to himself, and pulled off his cap.

Pink curls spilled down to the vet’s shoulders as a bright blush colored pale cheeks. Twilight didn’t make it any better by reaching over to ruffle the vet’s head, chuckling soft and warm and surprisingly fond as Legend hissed back at him.

“Can I- that is- do you mind if I touch? I can help you find what you want better if I know what you need.”

A stiff nod.

The pink hair was just like fairy-floss, but less sticky (still dirty though) and he had to remind himself what he was doing once he got his fingers in it. A quick check at the texture and ends of Legend’s hair, as long as a quick check of the scalp and roots told him all he needed.

“Whatever dye you used to do this messed you up, vet. Honestly, I don’t know what you were thinking, but you’re dry as a mulduga’s arse. Did you bleach your hair before dying it or something?” There was a murmur in reply, but not anything he could really make out. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I said that’s me natural color.” Legend huffed, tensing under his hands. “I bleached it blonde a few months back, but no, I didn’t dye this shit, it just happened.”

Twilight, very unhelpfully, giggled.

Warriors blinked. “You have pink hair?”

“Yes.”

He fought the chuckle that built up in his chest, but it did little good as he ruffles the frizzy curls and let Legend replace his hat. “Alright then! Well, I’d avoid bleaching again if I was you. The pinks out and it’s healthier if you give it a rest between dyes. I have to admit though,” He settled his hands on his hips and looked between the two other heroes with a smirk. “I never took either of you two as the sort to dye your hair.”

“Throws off the guards.” Legend huffed, tugging his cap back over his hair and making Warriors wince. Ah yes, Legend’s Hyrule’s guards.

“Fair enough. I can find you something to help with the drying out and dye damage. Twi though...” He frowned, stroking his chin in thought. “Why do you even need hair dye? Trying something new?”

Now it was the rancher’s turn to look embarrassed, rubbing at his neck and ruffling his hair. “No, actually. I jist need- rather- want? I guess? I-”

Legend huffed, patting the rancher’s arm in a rare show of compassion. “He’s been greying early and it’s making him self-conscious. I told him we could look for a dye to hide it, since he didn’t want to go about stealing Time’s position as the resident Old Man.”

Oh. Well, that made sense. “Right! Fair enough. So, you want your natural shade, yes?” At the rancher's nod he pressed on, clapping his hands as he listed what they needed. “So, hair oil, some dye, and shampoo for Legend, preferably meant for damaged and curly hair. Anything else?”

Even though the two shook their heads, they all walked out with a bit more than what Warriors had listed, but despite the fact that Legend complained about it all, no one seemed to mind too much when he pulled the three of them together after the others had gone to bed and helped show them had to use the various toiletries without making too very much of a mess. It cost a pretty penny to get them all sorted, but Legend was clean, Twilight was a brunette again (the silver streaks were rather fetching though, and he’d made sure to make sure Twilight knew that before they dyed it all away) and Wind and Sky had what they needed to prevent their hair drying out again.

And even if it made a sizable dent in his wallet, he’d refused to be paid back. It was worth it anyway, since now he and Legend both had straight hair again (and the vet had actually washed!).

He could see now why Wild and Hyrule liked playing with their respective mentors’ hair though, it was almost addictive.

Time took one look at the three youngest and groaned, and Warriors almost echoed the action.

“What were you three even doing?” His now-eldest huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh as he tried not to look at the three teens, all of which were covered in mud and grass stains, and only looking slightly remorseful, despite their horrid clothing and scraped faces.

Had it been anyone but Wild and Wind, Wars would have sat back and watched as karma paid her long overdue visit to the mischievous mask-loving hero, but since it was his kids that caught up in paying back the silver in his own hair, Wars had to stand with Time and try his very hardest not to chuckle at the sight before him.

It took no trouble at all to picture Mask sitting, unrepentant, amid the other youngsters, a challenging look on his face as he dared the captain to even try and ground him for running off again.

“We were exploring.” Hyrule grinned sheepishly, rubbing at the mud that had dried on the side of his neck. “We um-”

“We fell in a swamp.” Wild snorted, wrinkling his nose and shaking some gunk from his hands with a pout. “Even I think we stink.”

Time’s lips twitched, brows struggling to remain in a scowl as he answered, voice wavering with a hint of laughter that made Wars smile to himself. “Is that so, Cub?”

“We smell like boko guts.”

“Or boko crap!” Wind cackled, the only one not soaked in swamp goo but instead spattered with ordinary mud that came from likely tripping and falling in the dirt from laughing too hard.

“Bathe.” Time chuffed, shaking his head fondly. “All three of you. Rivers there and I’m sure Wars has soap aplenty to help.” Hang on, what? Time’s eye met his own, blinking- winking? with a bright and shit eating grin. “Have fun with you sons, dad.”

Oh Ladies, Karma messed up again, didn’t she?

“Mask, I swear-” He growled, glaring at his- was Time his eldest now? His middle child still? The youngest since he’d been the last to join the family?

“Don’t, you’ll set a bad example.” The overgrown forest gremlin chuckled, walking away with a condescending pat of the shoulder.

Some things really never changed, huh?

“Right then.” the captain turned to glare stillness back into the three youngsters, two of which were already trying to sneak away, and the third- of thank Hylia for Wind, the kid was standing at perfect attention with a smirk on his face that screamed ‘I’m the eldest and I’m about to watch my little brothers get scolded and I’m going to enjoy every second of it’, snotty little salt-bathed brat. “Jump in or I punt you.”

Hyrule and Wild exchanged a look, a sure sign of danger, and both sprinted in opposite directions.

He huffed a laugh. Amateurs. Mask and Wind had run him ragged during the war, but once you’ve fought to pre-teens on the daily, there's nothing a pair of teenagers can pull on you that will truly surprise you or throw you off. It was the work of moments to have Wild slung under one arm (wolf pups, honestly, Mask was the same way) and Hyrule by the back of his collar (Wind’s customary position).

“H-how?” Both boys stammered.

“Experience, mud moblins.”

“Do I weight anything to you?” Wild stammered, staring up at him with wide blue eyes.

The grin on his face was easier than usual in situations like these, but then again both teens had given up fighting against him sooner than the last two had ever done. “Hardly. You’ve always been a lightweight.” And with those words he promptly administered a light kick to Hyrule’s lower back, knocking the kid floundering into the stream, and following up with a well-practiced toss that send Wild rocketing in after.

Wind, already stripped down to his shorts and standing waist deep in the water, raised his hands with a shit eating grin. “Six out of Ten, Wild.” The little sea monster called to a spluttering Wild as the kid surfaced, only his face peeking above the surface as he treaded water with a pout. “You need to work on your form, but otherwise- ack!”

A wave splashed up from Hyrule’s direction and Wild sent an appreciative grin the other boy’s way while Wind’s grin melted into a playful one, eyes glinting dangerously.

“Oh, that’s it! You’re just asking for trouble now! Never start a water battle with a pirate, you two, you won’t like how it ends!”

Another, mischief filled, glance was exchanged and both feral heroes descended on the young sailor. It was like watching cucco’s descend on a bokoblin, and Warriors watched with laughter bubbling in his chest as he stripped off his gunk-stained tunic, courtesy of the mud-covered boys he’d wisely decided to pick up, and moved on to his chainmail. The sound of the three youngest heroes' shrieking and shouting sweet music to his ears as Time and the other older heroes made camp just off of the riverbank, teasing each other and generally messing around.

“Wars, why are you- are you joining us?” Wild cocked his dripping head with a curious look as he watched him.

The undershirt slipped off easily as he waded into the stream’s center. “Of course, you two got me muddy too after all, and it’s not like I trust y’all to actually clean up by-” At the slowly spreading grins on the faces of the three, the captain realizes his mistake. “I don’t trust you all to clean up properly, so I’m-”

“Warriors said ‘y’all’!” Wind chortled, eyes glinting madly as a grin stretched over his face. “Oh boy! Just wait ‘till I-”

“Slip of the tongue.” He clipped back, hands settling on his hips as he stared down the three teens. “You tell Twilight about this and I will personally wash your mouth out with soap.”

“You’re the one who said it!” Hyrule pointed out.

“And whoever tells the rancher is committing a verbal atrocity that will only lead to far more in the future.” He huffed. “No one tells, you hear me?”

Wild looked between the others, brows furrowed and lips pursed as he took in Wind’s triumphant grin and Warriors’ scowl. “What’s wrong with saying ‘y’all’?”

The captain staggered back dramatically, hand on his chest and a horrified expression on his face as he stared at his son. “No! Never say that word! That word is an abomination!”

“What word?” Hyrule cocked his head, eyes glinting knowingly, but the captain failed to recognize it in time.

“’Y’all’!” He spat with contempt. “We do not say ‘y’all’ in this house! ‘Y’all’ is a cursed word and the next person who says it is-” - ‘Is on Mask watching duty’ was his go to consequence, but that wouldn’t exactly work right now; Time was a bit old to actually need a supervisor- “is on clothes washing duty with Legend.” He settled on at last, choosing the chore that everyone except, surprisingly, the veteran minded.

“Say the man who just said it four times in a row.” Wind teased, darting out of his grasp with a wide grin.

“Wind! I was trying to see how many times I could make him say it!” Hyrule huffed, pouting at his brother adorably.

“I still don’t get it.” Wild grumbled. “It’s a word? There’s nothing wrong with it as far as I know, ‘y’a-” The captain’s hand was clamped around the kid’s mouth before he could finish his sentence.

“Let's just not.” Warriors huffed; he was beginning to mourn Twilight’s mentor position at the moment. Fortunately, Wild was willing enough to still in is hands and not push the topic, unlike the other two who just egged each other on with ever widening grins. “Right.” He rolled his eyes. “First one with a clean face gets the strawberry scented soap; go.”

Silence fell as nothing save splashing rang over the stream as faces ducked beneath the water, all three boys falling for his favorite trick of all time. Heck, even the old man would probably still cave to the offer of strawberry soap, even now that he was an adult, and Wars couldn’t blame him at all; strawberry scented bubbles were the best bubbles and Twilight and his goat-milk soap could go sniff a skunk if they wanted to contest that.

It took hardly any time at all for all three to emerge, fresh faces and glowing, three sets of eyes al sparkling up at him as a warm chuckle blossomed in his throat. Naturally, he gave the promised soap to all three, citing the ‘I can’t tell who finished first so you all win’ excuse that Grandfather had taught him ages ago.

Wind dutifully set about scrubbing himself clean, and in the meantime, he guided the less experienced duo. “Take so much,” He dolloped a generous potion into Hyrule’s cupped hands. “And rub your hands together, yes, just like that, work it up to a nice lather and just scrub it all over. Take care you get the smelliest bits first so you don’t run out of soap before you get there, yeah?” Both forest children nodded, dutifully following his instructions as he moved to help scrub the traveler’s sopping curls.

It was an easy pattern to fall into, scrubbing the two heads with especial care to remove any sticks and twigs he found along the way. Hyrule was the easier of the two, but Wild held still better while he worked, almost melting under his fingers as he messaged suds into his son’s long locks, a light smile playing over both their faces as he worked, content to sit in the cooling water of the stream as the sun began to set, hands buried in his kid’s long hair as he worked out mud and filth and who knows what else.

Rinsing the sweet-scented bubbles started out innocently enough, but Wars was given a front row seat to watching an accidental splash descend into a full-on war on the water as he scrubbed his own hair clean, and well, if he joined in once he was finished, well, someone had to show Wind that he wasn’t the only hero with some experience on the water.

Wars sighed as he watched Time stirring quietly on his bedroll.

Honestly, his middle kid (he’d finally settled on letting Wind retain his position on oldest, since there was no way Time could be the eldest brother with his gremlin behavior) was something of an idiot. Oh, he loved all three of his boys dearly, but Time was an ass and everyone who knew him well knew it (except maybe Twilight, but that guy was an ass too).

Time hadn’t been sleeping recently, and it was easy to see in the dark bags around his eyes and the almost drifting expression on his face at nights. It was for lack of trying either, the kid- man? - the hero would settle down on his bedroll every night same as the others, but even with sharp eyes shut tight and blanket pulled to his ears, the ‘Old Man’ couldn’t lie still for more than thirty minutes, constantly shifting and fidgeting on his bedroll even as the other heroes steadily dropped off to sleep.

It was just the two of them now, the captain on watch and their leader trying to pretend he was asleep with a scowl on his face.

He was scratching again.

“Alright, that’s enough of that.” war clapped his hands against his knees and pushed himself p, staling over to stand over the largest of the bedrolls and staring down at the lump within. “What’s up, Sprout? You normally snore like a hinox all night long, what’s eating you?”

A single blue eye stared up at him wearily. “If I knew, I would have killed it by now.”

Oof, bad night then. “Do you have any idea what it could be?” He was already settling down next to the group leader’s head, hands reaching to grasp Time’s own and bring them down from where he was, likely unconsciously, clawing at the sides of his face.

“No.” Came the frustrated huff.

“Missing Miss Malon?” He suggested, running his fingers through short blonde hair thoughtfully, mind miles away in a two-story house at castle town as he fell into the all too familiar trap of playing with one of his boys’ hair.

“I thought so at first, and while I do, it doesn’t usually stop me from sleeping.” Time grumbled, staring up at the night sky with pursed lips. “It’s not nightmares or visions either, if anything my dreams have been normal for once.”

“Anxiety perhaps? Are you worrying about the others? Twilight, maybe? Wild?” At the questioning glance he received he shrugged. “Kept me up enough nights, even if you two were there. A bad thing happens once and you're not likely to forget it.”

“Hmm.” Time hummed, leaning unconsciously into his hands and settling on his bed-roll, shoulders falling lax as his single good eyes fluttered softly. “Maybe.”

Whatever it was, it wasn’t bad enough that War’s fingers didn’t put it to rest, and time was asleep in mere minutes, soft snores rumbling over the camp as the captain continued his ministrations, eyes and ears sharp and alert for any disturbance near in within the camp, but body relaxed as he kept the steady rhythm of his fingers through short and silky hair.

When his watch was over though, and it was time to wake the veteran to take his, Wars found himself stuck. Time's fingers were curled tightly in his blue scarf, the man’s head resting easy against his thigh, and any motion small of subtle, would likely send majestic blue fluttering open again with an exhausted air.

Ah well, time to be creative.

Legend grumbled, as usual, at being woken by having his feet touched, and the captain echoed his discomfort as he wrings is sore and likely sprained hand. Time was still asleep though, so there was that at least. Now just to figure out how best to position himself so he could sleep.

Soldier’s experience won over logic, and Wars was asleep in seconds, leaving the camp under Legend’s watch and Time snoozing blissfully at his side.

#lu warriors #dad warriors #warriors is wild's dad #linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu wind #lu sky #lu four #lu twilight #lu legend #lu wild #lu hyrule #lu time #curly haired legend #silver twilight #linked universe headcanons #long haired sky #fluffics

[strangemagicked]

Anon said: what are your favorite fun facts about each of your ocs?

I don’t think you understand how LONG of an answer this is gonna be but ,,,, 

o k a y 

Note: I have 53 Ocs attached to this blog SO this is going under a readmore lmao (yes this took me three days to answer, shhhhh)

Also, these aren’t all my ‘favorite’ fun facts; they’re just ....normal fun facts because wow i  dont have favorites lmao

Alice ( Alice in Wonderland )

She drinks at least two cups of tea day.

Akemi ( Big Hero 6 )

No matter how good she is at computers, she still messes up long division  

Alyssa ( Seuss )

She cuts her own hair, but never more than a trim.

Amber ( Trolls )

She has a scar on her feet from a bee sting.

Annella ( J&tcch )

She’s made her own glasses for her to wear in her cat form.

April ( Mia & Me )

Her main pet snake is named Sup

Ares ( Harry Potter )

She has a pencil on her no matter what her outfit or anything 

Arlo ( Dt17 )

Has a scar on his left hand on his thumb’s knuckle. Doesn’t know how he got it.

Ash ( Dt17 )

Ash stole one of donald’s shirts and made it into a pillow case

Aspen ( Otgw )

Her outfit in the unknown does not match her outfit outside of it. No I will not explain further.

Aura ( Atla )

Always wears her hair up; but it goes almost to her knees when it is down.

Aurore ( Dt17 )

She normally wears chunky heels.

Ava ( Supernatural )

She has a card that says she is legally allowed to have her crossbow on her at all times. She keeps it in her shoe that way she always has it.

Bai ( Raya )

He has a necklace with Sisu on it; they’re more common than I think raya realized

Beck (Phineas and Ferb)

Has a butterfly clip she keeps in her pocket

Bianca ( Frozen )

She has a higher tolerance for the cold due to being frozen for so long

Bo ( Jwcc )

His spirit guide is a Compy; hence why Arrow took such a liking to him

Crevan ( Hunger Games )

Has a southern accent in modern verses, but lacks an accent in her default verse

Caelan ( Ever After High )

Has a small birthmark that sorta looks like an arrow if you squint.

Candy Hearts ( Mlp )

Is part deer and part pony. She tried to find her birth parents to no avail 

Caramel Cosmos ( Mlp )

Instead of snapping to use her chaos powers, she taps her hoof

Caroline ( Strange Magic )

Her wings let off a gentle pink glitter. It’s similar to love potion in looks.

Cheshire ( Fandomless )

They have many tattoos; including all four suits somewhere on their body

Clarke Navada ( Arthur Christmas )

She replaces the mistletoe on her shirt every three days to keep it fresh

Constance ( Poto )

If ya can’t tell, her and Christine look a lot alike. However, they do not act the same at all, except for their passion and drive

Cyra ( Animaniacs )

Is she just a recolor of yakko? Maybe. But she was never meant to be. Her animator was just really tired of designing and under a lot of pressure by that point

Derek ( Fandomless )

His fiancé died and he blames himself :) Also he has a flask with their name on it

Elliot ( Animaniacs )

Really wants to fly. Has a slight fear of heights. 

Eros ( Descendents)

They do have some wonderland magic to them, but their charm and ability to get people to do stuff for them is just their natural ability. It’s not magic.

Felix ( Camp Camp )

Carries a pocket knife on him at all times. Yes, even in his PJs

Gabby ( Treasure Planet )

Has an older brother & a younger sister. Neither of which realize that she is such a major criminal. 

Gisel (  Ladybug  )

Has a habit of omitting the truth in order to not lie. She will allow people to draw what should be obvious conclusions from what she says, although the obvious conclusion is never the right conclusion

Hatter ( Fandomless )

Tends to speak in riddles, but honestly, no one knows why. Not even he knows why he does.

Jacklyn ( Tim Burton/horror )

You can see her lungs through her ribs! Because while her skin and muscle has begun to dissipate, her organs have not! 

Jordan ( Supernatural )

Always has a cloth tucked into her jeans pocket to use incase she needs it

Katie ( Penn Zero )

Does not have a tail like her father, but does have red eyes like him! 

Killian Jr ( Tangled )

The streak of teal in his hair is natural, and he has his father’s freckles too

Kit ( Animaniacs )

Subtitles appear when they speak in a different language than English. ( Even then, sometimes subtitles will appear for that too)

Lore ( Seuss )

She sewed all of her own clothes ! 

Mica ( Steven Universe )

Has no scars or birthmarks! 

Morty ( Rick and Morty Inspired )

Carries a full eyeshadow palette in his backpack

Nobody ( Seuss )

Anything relating to JoJo is my favorite. but also since i doubt anyone is reading this far; Nobody’s birthname was Mollie Noel Joy. Nobody doesn't know this.

Nia ( Supernatural )

She still has her wings, and her grace. Although, she never uses her angelic powers.

Petal ( Httyd )

Her full name is Petronilla ! 

Rita ( Gravity Falls )

like her father, she keeps a journal. However, hers is less scientific and more personal.

Sahar ( Fandomless )

The first ghost she communicated with was when she was three! 

Seine ( Animal Crossing/nitw, Horror )

Keeps the door to their basement locked with two padlocks

Skyler ( Horror )

Keeps three backup chargers on them

Sunny ( Rotg )

She has a faint glow to her that will change tint from red to yellow to orange depending on her feelings

Tj ( Camp Camp )

It’s real candy in their hair that they glued in with a hot glue gun

Valerie ( Dt17 )

Doesn’t know that donald has that thing with his voice until season 2

Walker ( Horror )

His eyes are yellow, and they reflect like cat’s

Wild Princess ( Adventure Time )

If she were to ever be completely rid of the crown, she’d die from radiation poisoning 

Willow (trolls)

Lost her sight in her one eye during the escape from the troll tree

Xia (White Snake)

She smokes human essence not actual smoke 

#HEY I'M HOME? || MAX ANSWERS; #tw long post

[randomvarious]

Freddie Fresh feat. Fatboy Slim - “Badder Badder Schwing” Big Beat Song released in 1998. Compilation released in 1999. Big Beat / Breaks

Let's start this post off with a graf from the preamble of a 2018 Freddy Fresh interview, conducted by Matt Lush in Decoded Magazine:

Freddy Fresh is a name that shouldn't require an introduction. From the vast output of his multiple genre-spanning labels; Analog USA, Electric Music Foundation and Howlin' Records, to winning the ARSC Journalism Award for cataloguing every hip-hop release ever made in a single book, crafting timeless acid and electro under over 15 aliases with the likes of Thomas Heckmann, Woody McBride, Tim Taylor and Paul Birkin, and the rest, big beat with Fat Boy Slim, his soundtrack work...it goes on... yet ironically, in my experience anyway, Freddy Fresh seems to be so often underrated, unconsciously ignored, or even completely unknown in the modern electronic world.

Over the course of his career, Freddy Fresh has had his fingers lodged in many different pies. In fact, those pies are sometimes stacked on top of each other so a single finger can penetrate multiple pies at once. Fresh is a DJ's DJ who can patch together eclectic mixes of house, techno, funk, disco, breaks, hip hop, electro, and more; he's produced music across a panoply of dance genres; he's founded a bunch of different record labels; he's opened for blink-182 on tour; his music has appeared in multiple films, TV shows, and commercials; he's authored indispensable books that document hip hop's early history; he's taught DJing at a local college; and he also sells rare records. Put simply, if you're not familiar with Freddy Fresh, you should be.

Freddy Fresh first found his initial passion for music in hip hop culture, entirely thanks to a 1984 trip from his hometown of St. Paul to the Bronx. From then, he would try to ingratiate himself into the Big Apple's hip hop scene, returning once every year with hopes of impressing the right people. He wasn't all that successful, but he did land a track on a 1988 Boogie Down Productions remix album, which honored the memory of BDP's recently slain co-founder, DJ Scott La Rock. Another fun fact that links Freddy to BDP is that if you look at the cover of BDP's landmark debut album, 1987's Criminal Minded, you'll see a plaque towards the bottom lefthand corner. Know who furnished that plaque for them? Freddy Fresh. His dad owned a trophy shop and Freddy gave them the plaque during one of his yearly New York pilgrimages.

But Freddy would soon find himself gravitating towards other genres, too, like house and techno. From that Decoded interview:

I sent demos to Strictly Rhythm [top tier New York-based house label] and various labels and was always rejected. It was years later that labels like Adrenalin and Experimental stood up and took me under their wings. My first techno 12 inch was on Experimental, under my Modulator name. Maximum Pulse / Timmy's Trance in 1992, that got me into the techno scene and also got me my first international DJ gig in Paris 1993 where I played with Jeff Mills, Joey Beltram and Damon Wild... Damon Wild was the man mainly responsible for my early techno career, God Bless Him.

Freddy Fresh then became a big German techno guy. He played sets at Tresor in Berlin (the techno club of techno clubs) and released records on the legendary Frankfurt-based label, Harthouse.

However, a new current started to emerge in the UK in the mid-90s called big beat, which appeared to match with Freddy Fresh's own hip hop sensibilities. It was a strain of dance music that fused together sampled soul, funk, jazz, and rock breaks, which, along with disco, is what hip hop producers largely used to make their own beats. And when those breaks were properly combined with contemporary electronic sounds, like, for example, Roland TB-303 acid squelches, it yielded a newfangled and fun brand of BIG and brash dance tunes. Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, would emerge as the genre's rightful king, with his uniquely liberal use of bouncy and surf-twangy 50s and 60s guitar samples. And although Freddy Fresh was still an absurdly prolific techno producer in 1996, his Harthouse album, Accidentally Classic, along with a couple Harthouse 12-inches that were licensed from his own Butterbeat label, saw him trying his hand at the big beat sound, which would eventually lead to him teaming up with Norman Cook in 1998.

A March 2020 profile in Mixmag has more:

While he may have been known in France for techno releases on his Analog label, it was Freddy Fresh's releases on Butterbeat that caught the ears of Norman Cook in Brighton. He was an avid supporter of Fresh's perky updates on the hip hop sound, and that's what brought him over to the British seaside. "I got invited to play the Big Beat Boutique. That's when I first met [Cook] and then he ends up sampling my voice [for 'Fucking in Heaven'], then we worked on 'Badder Badder Schwing' together. I loved Norman because he was authentic. He did everything himself. I was like, 'this fucking guy's just like me!'. He collects breakbeats, he's an amazing DJ, he knows how to put shit together and he knows how to run 303s - and Roland 303s are really hard to program.

That co-production with Cook, "Badder Badder Schwing," would originally appear on Freddy Fresh's album, The Last True Family Man, before being released as a single the following year. The single would then turn into an unexpected British hit, earning the mostly techno producer some well-deserved commercial appeal by reaching #34 in the UK charts. "Badder Badder Schwing" can also be heard in 2002's Austin Powers in Goldmember, although it didn't end up being included on the commercially released official soundtrack.

Dipping into that Decoded interview once again for a tad more backstory to "Badder Badder Schwing":

I did have 90% of that track finished when Norman joined in and took it from a 7 to a 10 with his sheer genius.

By sampling a bunch of 60s songs, including horns and drums from Helen Reddy's "One Way Ticket," vocals and hand claps from The Routers' "Let's Go (Pony)," and more drums from Tommy Roe's "Sweet Pea," Freddy Fresh and Norman Cook were able to cobble together a fantastic piece of late 90s, dancefloor-igniting big beat. However, it would be interesting to know which 90% of the track Freddy Fresh had finished before passing it off to Cook, because the whole thing really sounds like a Fatboy Slim track from start to finish. And that's not to discredit Freddy in any way, because despite what dance music's detractors might think, it's not an easy task to make a good dance tune. But the entirety of "Badder Badder Schwing" appears to have Cook's fingerprints all over it, from his glitching, jammed-up, calling card stutters, to the way the combined horn and drum sampling sounds, to the brief, guitar-sampled detour, to the eerie and overdriven background yowling. The song's main riff is when those Helen Reddy horns play, and you'd have to assume that was part of Freddy's contribution, since according to him, the song was virtually done before he let Cook put on the finishing touches. But still, that part sounds like something Fatboy Slim would make, doesn't it? 🤷‍♂️ 🧐🤔

Then again, Freddy Fresh did say about Cook in that recent Mixmag profile, "the fucking guy's just like me!" so maybe they were on the same exact letter within the same exact word on the same exact page in 1998. In the end, it doesn't really matter all that much. Big beat's passed us by, but throw this on at a party (when we're allowed to party again, of course) and it's guaranteed to still go.

Check out the music video, too, which features a kid magician doing a series of tricks:

#big beat #big beat music #breaks #breaks music #dance #dance music #electronic #electronic music #music #90s #90s music #90's #90's music #90s big beat #90's big beat #90s breaks #90's breaks #90s dance #90's dance #90s dance music #90's dance music #90s electronic #90's electronic #90s electronic music #90's electronic music

[cowboyshit]

Without Words

I wanted to write something for Hangman after my heart was so sad watching this week’s BTE, so I decided we’d revisit a FOC from a prior bte-inspired fic.  The FOC of choice is Stella, who was in The Cowboy Hat Stays On.  This is purely self-indulgent, but I just... needed it.

Ship: Hangman Adam Page x Stella (FOC)

Summary: (Takes place following the events from 1/8/20 Dynamite and 1/13/20 BTE) After wrapping up pre-show interviews, Stella discovers that her boyfriend, Hangman Adam Page, isn’t anywhere to be found backstage.  The few people she talks to let her know that, once again, he appeared to be drunk before everyone lost sight of him.  Worried for his well-being, Stella tracks him down and their love deepens when she learns how badly he needed her.

Rating: Teen (alcohol use and like one swear)

Warnings: Alcohol use, a bad word, also maybe guard your feels a little bit

Length: 3,918 words

Available below the cut or HERE on ao3

“Thanks Jack, that was great!”

“Anytime, Stella,” Jungle Boy smiled that honest, sweet grin he had and nodded before stepping away from the cameras and heading off after Luchasaurus and Marko, waiting in the wings.

“Are we good for the night?” Stella asked, glancing at the man who’d make the call. He nodded with a happy grin.

“Yeah, great stuff as always Stella.”

“Thanks!” Stella grinned and handed the microphone to a waiting PA before stepping off set. She’d always enjoyed being an interviewer, ever since she could remember. Growing up, she used to use her family’s video recorder to tape herself interviewing her stuffed animals and had made journalism her career focus when she attended university. An interview landed her a job in the world of professional wrestling, of which she had no experience. 

Stella remembered when she’d called her brother, panicking, and begged him to teach her everything he knew about it. Thankfully he was a fan and he’d done what he could, sending her YouTube video after YouTube video and handling her billions of confused questions that’d come after. He’d even directed her toward his favorite professional wrestling interviewers to give her an idea of what exactly she’d be doing. He’d begged her not to mess it up, but halfway through the interview she’d panicked and confessed that she’d barely begun cramming knowledge about professional wrestling in the two weeks waiting for her interview. The eyes of the company heads were pinned on her and she quickly promised to do everything she could to be the best interviewer they’d have. She’d learn everything she needed to know by the time they were ready for her, even if she had to tape her eyelids open to keep watching and never sleep.

It’d been Nick Jackson who’d broken the silence after her confession, grinning from where he reclined in the chair on the opposite side of the long glass top table. “What the hell? I say we give her a shot.”

Stella smiled, remembering that moment as she took off down the hallways, heels clicking against the ground and echoing on the cement walls on either side of her. By now she’d settled well into her job and was actually enjoying herself, too. Well of course you are. You’re dating Hangman Adam Page, after all. Stella bit down on the smile that wanted to spread wide and happy across her face. Friends since she started, it wasn’t until that drunken outburst of his and the subsequent confessing of feelings after that they agreed to start dating.

But lately he was worrying her. Thursday through Monday he was a different man altogether. Happy. Full of laughter. Relaxed. The closer Wednesday drew, the more tense he became. He’d always shrug her touch off if she laid it on his set shoulders and shake his head, blinking as if waking from a daydream when she asked him what was wrong. He’d laugh and assure her it was nothing before leaning in and giving her a sweet, loving kiss. He was believable enough for her not to press any further, but still… it nagged her.

Most Wednesday nights he didn’t meet with her after the show. After she was done with all the post show interviews, Stella would find out he’d already left and said he was going back to his hotel. She’d never thought Adam to be the cheating type, and still didn’t, but the further it went and the worse he seemed to get, the more and more concerned she was. Something was clearly wrong, but she didn’t know what. Was it her? Did he regret their moment of passion and wished they’d just remained friends?  If it wasn’t her, why wouldn’t he tell her what was going on? She’d decided she’d talk to him about it that night. She’d get it together, stop being afraid of driving him away and ask him what was going on with him.

She had an idea of what it could be if it wasn’t her…

“Kenny!” She’d just been thinking about him – well, about The Elite - and Adam’s current relationship with them. He turned around and looked momentarily relieved to see her, then glanced around her, noticed she was alone and looked disappointed.

“Hangman isn’t with you?”  He asked.

 “No… I was hoping you’d have seen him,” she said, worry creeping into her tone.

“Shoot,” he sighed and shook his head, “I was worried about him, I think he was drunk again.  I was going to make sure he got an Uber back to the hotel, but I had to wrap up something for the show and I-” he trailed off before his sentence finished and Stella felt a twist of anger in her stomach.

“And you let him go.” She couldn’t help the coldness that slipped into her voice and she didn’t take it back, either. She was too worried about Adam to care about hurting Kenny’s feelings.

“Stella, it wasn’t like that, I-” Kenny started, but Stella interrupted him.

“I don’t have time, Kenny. I need to find Adam and make sure he’s okay.” She turned away before he could say anything else and started walking faster, steady enough to power walk in heels from how often she’d had to wear them. After asking around to no avail, Stella headed for where she’d stored her purse and went for her cellphone, immediately dialing his number. It went straight to voicemail. Her stomach dropped. He never turned off his phone…

“Hey baby! I just ran into Kenny and he said he was looking for you? No one can find you or seems to know where you went off to. Where are you at? Call me back.” She hung up the phone and looked at it as the screen faded black. What if all these feelings were just her getting too inside her head and he was perfectly fine? Was she being a crazy girlfriend? 

She decided to give him a few minutes to get back to her as she gathered her things and called for an Uber. The only place he could have reasonably gone back to was the hotel, right? She knew the room he was staying in and could at least go knock on his door to make sure he’d gotten back alright. A few of the people she’d asked backstage said he’d been acting a little out of control - like he’d been the night he found her before Christmas… but different.

Stella had watched him mingling with the crowd after his match, and though she’d certainly felt flush, watching the beer dribble down his face and splash on his stacked, muscled chest, there’d been that ever-present twinge of worry. Again, she mentally chided herself, maybe she was being too paranoid. Maybe she was reading too much into things and anticipating the worst.

She fidgeted the entire way from the convention center to the (thankfully) nearby hotel and practically ran from the loading area the driver dropped her off at and into the lobby. A few curious eyes pulled her way and she reminded herself to calm down and pace herself. She glanced back down at her phone. No returned call. She tried him again, but once more, the call went straight to voicemail. Stella made for the elevators and pushed the button for his floor, two above the floor her room was on, and waited.

He hadn’t been acting like himself lately. He’d been shrugging it off every time she tried to bring it up, but it’d always left unease in her gut. She figured it was something he was working through and he’d tell her when he was good and ready. She had to give him that amount of trust, at least. But this? Third week in a row he’d all but disappeared, said to be drunk, and this time his phone was off. If he’d at least texted her and let her know he was going to be okay…

The elevator doors swung open and Stella moved out of them in a rush. Her breath was coming in short gasps, but it was because her heart was pounding the closer she got to his door. She stopped in front of his room and steadied herself before raising her fist and knocking.

“Adam? It’s Stella!”

Silence. Stella glanced down either end of the hall and knocked again.

“Adam? Are you in there? I tried calling you, but your phone went straight to voicemail.”

Silence.

Fuck. If he hadn’t come to the hotel and he hadn’t been at the convention center, where had he gone? Stella glanced around the empty hallway again as if her anxiety would magically manifest him and everything would be okay. He didn’t appear, and Stella was left standing in front of his closed hotel room door, wondering how crazy she’d sound if she asked the person working the lobby desk to give her a key to the room. Maybe he was sleeping? Maybe he’d turned his phone off by accident?

She frowned and looked back at the closed door. Okay. New plan. Stella decided she’d return to her hotel room and try calling his hotel phone a couple times, hoping the ring would wake him up. If that didn’t work – she decided as she got in the elevator and pressed the button for her floor – she’d get ahold of Kenny and see if he’d heard anything. Maybe they’d found Adam somewhere. Maybe they’d be able to get her access to the hotel key card to check his room.

The doors slid open and she stepped onto her floor. Already she was tactically planning who she’d contact to keep this as under-the-rug as possible. The last thing she wanted was to blow the whole thing out of proportion and have one wrong person overhear the ordeal and run wild with it. Adam was a grown man, she reminded herself, he was more than capable of taking care of himself. Wherever he was.

She turned the hallway and stopped short. Just a few doors down, in front of her hotel room door, sat a blond, curly-haired cowboy in a grey-and-black flannel long-sleeve, dark-wash jeans and ostrich leather boots. His head was bent, eyes on his hands, which he had lying in his lap, palms up.

“Adam?” Relief in her voice, his name echoed down the stretch of the empty hall as she hurried her steps to get to him faster. Adam’s head shot up and he blinked a few times as if adjusting to the lights overhead. He looked disoriented, as if he didn’t realize where he was.

“Stella?” He asked, looked down the hall behind her and frowned, lifting a wide palm to flatten for support on the doorframe as he shakily got to his feet. His body lurched and swayed, the way it had the night they’d been walking in the park outside to try and help sober him up. Stella’s heart sank.

“Adam… are you okay?” She couldn’t help the way sadness draped itself over her tone.

“Yeah, I’m alright.” Knee-jerk, gut reaction. He was so used to brushing everyone’s concern away and wanting to put on an appearance of having everything together – now more than ever since he’d decided to leave The Elite – he said it before he’d thought about it. Adam kept one hand on the doorframe to hold himself upright and glanced down his barrel chest at her.

Heartache in those blue eyes of his. Vulnerability. He wasn’t okay. The sight of his sorrow stung her so swiftly, Stella had to suck in a sharp breath, as if all the oxygen had been sapped out of the hotel hallway.

“Adam…” She said gently, stepping to close the few inches of distance between them, and lifted her hand to gently hold his cheek. The short hair of his blond beard scratched her soft palm. Adam leaned his head into her hold and closed his eyes, taking a deep, slow breath. His low brow furrowed. He was trying not to cry, but when he opened his eyes again, Stella could see the soft sheen of tears glossy in his eyes. “Oh, Adam,” she said again, and slipped her hand from his face to instead wrap them around his soft, yet firm midsection. Stella pressed her cheek against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart, and held onto him a little tighter than necessary.

Adam’s large arms wrapped around her and pulled her in just as close, his head bent, and his face buried in her wavy, dark hair. His breaths were low and warm against her neck.  He breathed a shaky breath that she felt the tremor through his whole body.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Stella whispered, fighting the emotion swelling inside her and the way it tightened her voice and made her eyes burn with tears. “I’m here.” His arms tightened more. “I’ve got you.”

Adam’s wide back, which Stella gently rubbed her hand up and down in a comforting, calming way, shook beneath her touch. With his face hidden in her hair, with her arms wrapped around him, he let go. His tears were wet against her skin, dampening the neckline of her dress.

“Fuck,” he whispered and gasped, and held tight to her still as he cried.

The tears that’d waited in her eyes slipped over her cheeks, but Stella remained steadfast, holding him, comforting him, whispering gentle, sweet words of love and affection. Whatever he needed in this moment, she was there. She would be his light when everything else around him seemed so, so dark.  She was his strength.

“I’m sorry Stella, I-” he started to say in a rough, emotion-raw voice as he finally slipped his arms away from around her and reached to wipe the tears almost angrily from his eyes.

“No, no,” she started almost immediately and grabbed his hands, pulling them away from his face.  Her fingers curled and squeezed tight around them.  Adam’s eyes refilled almost immediately with tears, the edges lined red. And oh, how her heart broke to see him sad. She’d always teased him about having the perfect puppy-dog face with the soft, natural down-turn of his brows, but looking at her now his face was twisted in an expression of anguish and it made a sight she hoped she never had to see. He should be bright with smiles, always. Those sort of smiles he had that ate up his whole face and pushed his round cheeks into his eyes, making the edges wrinkle.

“Baby, it’s okay. You have nothing to apologize for.” Her voice gently reprimanded his feelings of shame for breaking down in front of her. “Come on,” she let one hand go, but kept a tight hold of the other. “Let’s go in my room.”

The last thing he needed was someone from the company coming back to their rooms and catching sight of him drunk and in tears. Quickly, Stella reached into her purse for her keycard, swiped and opened the door. She went in first, Adam close behind, the hold of their hands not breaking until the door closed with a steady click behind them. She looked over at him and gave him a small, kind smile as she kicked off her heels and reached for his hand again.

“Stella, I’m sorry, I don’t even know how I got here… I didn’t mean to ruin your night I just-” He tried to start again, voice a deep, pitiful mumble as he fought through high emotion and the haze of drunkenness to get a grasp on himself.

“Adam, stop.” Her voice was a little firmer this time and it made him blink in surprise at her. “Come here,” she added more gently, tugging his hand and leading him toward the hotel bed. Their grasp broke again so Stella could climb onto the bed, putting her back against the headboard and sitting upright. Adam tilted his head and a frown gently pinched his brow. She smiled and gently patted her lap. “Lay your weary head down, cowboy.”

Barely a turn of a smile at the corner of his lips, but it was something. He shifted to lean his weight onto the bed.

“Ah- wait!”

He froze and blinked at her as she arched a brow and eyed his feet.

“No boots on the bed, you know the rule.”

This time he did smile and even though it was brief, it was enough to lift the heavy weight seeing him in tears had laid across her heart. Stella adjusted herself as Adam crawled onto the bed – boots off – and laid himself down, placing his head in her lap. His forehead wrinkled as he raised his brows and looked up at her. Gently, Stella began to rake her fingers through his soft mane of blond curls, massaging his scalp as she did. He made a soft noise and closed his eyes, sighing out a long, low breath. For a minute that’s all it was, just Adam laying with his head in her lap, eyes closed, and Stella gently brushing her fingers through his hair. She didn’t press him to talk and didn’t care to, either. This was for him. They could have gone on like this all night as far as she was concerned.

His chest rose as he took in a deep breath and deflated as he slowly released it. His eyelids blinked open and he looked up at her again. No tears in his eyes this time, but the evidence of what he’d already cried remained. Stella could see the gentle shimmer on his skin as it caught the hotel lights. She carefully wiped their trails away and smiled a small, reassuring smile down at him. Adam reached to catch her hand before she could return to gently brushing his hair. He pulled her down as he lifted to meet her in a soft, quick kiss before he released her and settled back in her lap.

It was quiet for a little longer as Stella returned to playing with his hair.

“I talked to Jimmy for a bit after the show,” he started, and Stella could tell he was trying to work through what’d brought him to her hotel room door and left him to tears. He’d been excited to see his old wrestling coach the minute they’d announced he’d be a part of it. “He told me…” his voice tightened, and he cleared his throat. “He told me I – uh –” a deep breath that seemed to shake in his lungs, “he told me I have a lot to be running towards.”

“He’s right,” Stella said, but her voice was soft. She knew better than to force him into the realization everyone who truly cared about him could see. He had so much potential laid out in front of him and he was so much better than he gave himself credit for. The more the crowd swelled in volume the moment they saw him, or when he moved around the ring preforming his heart out, the more his confidence grew. It just needed to be strong enough to push the voice of doubt that had remained ever steadfast in his mind, ready to poison any victory he had and tell him it still wasn’t enough. Stella believed in him, believed he’d get there…

But he needed to believe in himself, first.

Adam made a noise in his throat to avoid outright agreeing or disagreeing with her.

“Hey, look at me,” she beckoned, bringing those sad blue eyes her way. “You are one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, you know that?” Stella didn’t let him pull away from her compliment, her hands gently framing that handsome face that made her heart skip when she saw it. “You have so much to offer. Everyone can see it Adam, but you need to see it too.”

The vision of him blurred as tears suddenly rose in her eyes. She cared for him so much, that the emotions were too strong to control completely.  Stella tried to blink them away and cleared her throat. It was too early in their romantic relationship to say those three little words, but she knew she felt them.  She loved Adam, and she’d already loved him as a friend, but this new venture of theirs together was filled to a depth like she’d never known.

“I’m going to be here every step of the way beside you, and I’m going to be here to remind you how amazing you are, and that when tens of thousands of people are shaking the convention center chanting ‘cowboy shit’, they’re doing that because of you and because they support you. Because you won them over and you keep winning them over. You have so much potential, Adam, but you can’t seem to see it.”  She gently brushed a strand of his blond hair and tucked it behind his ear. “I believe in you and I’m not going to stop complimenting you until you believe in yourself, too. Your coach saw it tonight. Everyone sees it every night. You’re destined for something great, Adam. But you have to believe it for yourself… or this self-doubt is going to eat you alive.”

Stella had a feeling it already was. And she was quickly realizing he was feeling alone, isolated by the worries circling in his head. She needed him to know he was there. She needed him to know he wasn’t alone and he was never going to be.

Adam took a low breath and lifted himself up on the bed, out of her lap. He cheated his body to face her, and those large, calloused palms lifted to gently cradle her cheeks. The bed sank against the weight he pressed into his knees, rolling her body into his as his mouth crashed hard and needy against hers. They kissed until they were breathless, chests heaving when they pulled apart with a loud smack. Adam’s breath washed across her face and he held her, blue eyes on hers. His thumb gently skimmed her cheek.

Emotion was a raw, open wound exposed between them. His insecurities on display and more that hadn’t quite been said, but they both knew. He was so desperate for family, so ready to blame himself for any shortcomings, that he wasn’t letting himself believe it was The Elite who’d wronged him versus his own losses. But stepping from their shadow turned more and more eyes on him, and the crowd rallied. The crowd loved Hangman.

The silence stretched softly between them.

“Could you… maybe hold me a little longer?” He asked, his voice small, but the vulnerable need clear as day across his face. She knew it wasn’t an easy thing to ask, or an easy place to be. The trust in her he showed in that moment lifted her heart, but the fact that he needed it – just to be held – made her determined to do everything she could to constantly remind him how loved he was, and how important he was to those around him. Briefly, she was angry at anyone who’d ever made him doubt his worth.

“Of course, baby,” Stella sighed with gentle relief, and they situated themselves on the bed so she could wrap her arms around him, gently and comfortingly running her hands along his body, showing him all the love she had for him without ever saying the words.

#hangman page #hangman adam page #hangman page fanfiction #aew fanfiction #adam page fanfiction #mine: fanfiction #my fics: hangman adam page #tw: alcohol

[beatleszeppelin]

Airport- Hippo Campus

Chapter 2

Summary:  Hippo Campus, flying to London, if they can get on the plane. There’s old ladies, peeing, anxiety, milkshakes, and hand holding. So buckle up, we have lift off.

Warnings: Anxiety attack, crying, Planes, Gropy old ladies, Drinking, Boner Jokes, Non-Graphic M*sturbation

Word Count: 3.9k

“Zach, Zach wake up.” Jake was nudging him with his shoulder. They were still on the plane and people were clearing out. Zach squinted and furrowed his brow, lifting his head from Jake’s shoulder. 

“What? Wait are we still flying,” his eyes got real big, and he started looking around with tired eyes.

“No, we landed, I don’t know if you remember, but you woke up a couple times, but we kept you sedated.”

“So we’re here.”

“Yeah, and we gotta go before they pick us up for the return flight.” Whistler jokes.

They helped Zach up; he was still a little drowsy and a bit more happy than most people after a 12 hour flight, with minor turbulence. Walking into the airport was like walking into a different dimension. Everything looked similar to what they had left, but it was dark and in this dimension people drove on the other side of the road. The boys dragged their bodies to the conveyor belt where their luggage would come out eventually. Nathan’s bag came first, then Whistler. 

“Wait Zach, is that your backpack?”

“Oh shit!”

“Yeah it is,” he said, grabbing it, and immediately checking, taking inventory. “All there.” 

“So whoever took it must have been on our flight”

“Okay we can party, but if I go fifteen more minutes without food I might die.” Jake said with his eyes half open. “I had a drink on the plane, but I couldn’t eat ‘cause I had to hold a very large child’s head up on my shoulder.”

A quiet “sorry” was uttered.

They made their way over to the food court area, and got various items that they sold. Jake got some pancakes, Whistler and Zach got tacos, and Nathan a muffin and a black coffee so he would stay awake on the drive to the hotel.

“Zach, medicine.” Jake said nodding to the backpack.

Whistler unzipped the bag, and pulled out the little orange bottle, and slid it across the table. Zach grabbed it, without making eye contact. He opened it under the table, and threw it back into his bag before Whistler zipped it back up. He took the pill, hoping that it would try to alleviate the growing symptom of withdrawals. He felt delusional, like everything was a dream, and dizzy as all heck.

“Hey Zach, what’s this notebook,” Whistler asked, grabbing a little black, leather bound, notebook out of Zach’s bag.

“Put that back” Nathan said, reaching for it.

“Journal?” Jake asked.

“Diary” Whistler said, flipping through pages too fast to read it.

“Please put it back, please.”

“Wait, you have a diary?” Nathan said joining in on the bullying. “Let me see that” Nathan grabbed the book, opened it to a random page. “6:16 pm… I have indigestion. I ate 22 chicken wings at buffalo wild wings. I am writing this from the toilet, and my brother keeps knocking on the door asking what I’m doing. He takes forever in the bathroom too, I don’t know why he won’t just leave me alone right now. I wonder how many wings the record is? And where…”

Zach grabbed the notebook back from the others. He tucked it back in the bag, picked up his trash, threw it away, and left. He wasn’t smiling or laughing along with them when he left, and his nose and ears were a crimson color.

“Look at what you did Nathan.” Whistler said with fake disappointment.

“Wait I didn’t mean to be mean” 

“Whistler, you’re being an asshole” Jake kicked from under the table.

“Oh I’m not the one bullying the kid.”

“I really didn’t want to bully him”

“You didn’t. Whistler shut-the-fuck-up”

“Hey! I’m not the one who invaded Zach’s privacy.” Whistler mumbled with a smirk.

“I’m going to go find him, do you guys wanna meet at the rental car?” Jake asked, throwing his wrappers away, and running off in the direction that Zach left in .

“You don’t think he’s actually mad at me do you,” Nathan questioned. He looked like a child in this moment, not the only adult in the group, who has been taking them to where they needed to be this whole trip.

Jake saw where Zach was headed, even if he hadn’t Jake would know where to find him. A waiting area, with rows of chairs. Scattered throughout were people. There was a woman on the phone, tapping her foot. An elderly couple sat two seats down, the woman’s head was resting on the man's shoulder. In the corner of the giant room, right next to the floor to ceiling windows, was Zachary Sutton. He was sitting on the floor looking towards the night, out on the streets in a town near London. There are masses of buildings, gray and old. Orange-y street lamps illuminate the cobblestone paths that branch off from the roads. His face was lit up too, with that same glow. 

Jake sat down next to Zach; as they looked outside, neither of them talked for a little bit. Zach held his knees close to his chest, his chin resting on his knees. You could see the reflections of the passing cars in his glasses, and also the finger prints on the black frames.

“I think Nathan and Whistler must have the car by now, if you wanna go meet them.” 

“Yeah, I just wish we were at the hotel already. Just snap, bing bang boom- we’re there.”

Jake smiled at that; his big toothy grin, eyes closed and everything. He helped Zach up of the floor, as they meandered over to the parking lot outside.

They found Whistler and Nathan after a couple minutes of looking. The van they were renting was newer than the one they left at home. It was white, big, but not as bulky as theirs. The back doors were swung open, and Nathan was sitting on the edge; Whistler was sitting on the floor cross-legged. They were talking. 

“Hey, you found him.” Whistler exclaimed to the pair walking up to the van.

“Yup… and how was getting the van?”

“That guy was a fucking asshole, he called us stupid Americans. I accidentally asked how many miles away he thought the hotel was, and he laughed, because I said miles.” Nathan spat.

“Total butthole,” Whistler added.

“Are we ready to head out?”

“Yeah, we can dip if you’re ready.”

They closed the doors to the white van, and started driving out of this underground parking garage. The lines indicating which floor they were on and where to go were illuminated orange, and the inside of the van was dark. Nathan drove, and Jake was in the passenger's seat, in charge of the music and navigation. The other two lay in the back, Whistler’s head on the window looking up at the stars; Zach’s head was resting on Whistler’s lap, as he was fast asleep.

Jake had music on, quietly. He loves classic rock, so that’s what they listened to. Queen, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, and Def Leppard.

“You know, when I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to listen to rock?” Nathan whispered to Jake.

“Really, why not?”

“My Dad’s a pastor, one day I called him to ask his opinions on some CDs, which was a mistake. After that he went through every song, and album I owned and we had to discuss what I was and was not allowed to listen to.”

“That sucks, dude. I can’t imagine what I would have done if my parents didn’t let me listen to classic rock. It’s what got me into music in the first place. Doing Guns N Roses covers for MN School of rock was how I met Zach in the first place, or actually his older brother, Alex. That dudes a fucking legend.” Jake had turned the music down so you could only pick out a few notes, their dull whispers were barely even heard. “What CDs?”

“What?”

“Which CDs did you want opinions on?” Jake asked.

“Oh, I just wanted to ask him which was better, Van Halen or Def Leppard,” Nathan laughed. “I still haven’t heard either of them.”

“... Van Halen is amazing if you like shredding, but I think you would like Def Leppard more. Phil Collen, and Steve Clark alternate lead, and vocals range from 80’s rock to ballads. Oh and the drummer, Rick Allen, lost an arm; so they rigged up all these pedals to different drums and now he plays with his feet.”

“I wish I had known you when I was 13, that would have made music stores a lot easier.”

“ Ha, thanks. I try.” Jake turned the radio up to a volume they could actually hear, and he put in Hysteria by Def Leppard.

They drove for a little over a half an hour, with Jake reading out occasional directions. A bumpy road had woken up the two in the backseat, just in time for them pulling into the parking lot of the hotel.

Standing three stories, at the corner of a street, was their hotel. Nathan pulled up to the front of the building, car still running, as Jake ran in to go get a room. 

A few minutes passed by, and a couple more after that, then Jake finally returned. 

“Yeah that didn’t take forever or anything” Zach said passive aggressively.

“Sorry, the guy at the front desk was… He was nice,” Jake said starting to walk around the back of the van to help get their bags out. “We started talking, then he invited me to a bar tomorrow, that's supposed to be good. He also said they don’t card.” Jake said directed towards Zach.

“Sounds cool” Nathan chimed in.

“Was this a ‘Hey come to this thing it will be fun’ or a ‘You should come with me to this thing, I’d love to see you there’?” Zach asked.

“What’s the difference?” Jake retorted.

“Eye fucking; eye fucking is the difference,” Whistler said.

“I mean he was kinda hot so…” Jake said.

“Can we just get to the room?” Nathan said dramatically, throwing his head back with exhaustion.

They lugged their bags up to the room a few at a time, before the trunk was empty. In the room was a bathroom immediately to the left of the door. A T.V. sat across from the beds; two beds were leaned against the wall one was much smaller, and much less comfortable than the other. Floral wallpaper decorated the upper halves of the walls, and brown sheets were flung across the beds.

Jake set his bag on the bigger bed, the one closer to the door. “Zach and I can share this bed, you two can take the other.”

“No fucking way we’re sleeping on the smaller bed.” Nathan said.

“Yeah, you can feel the springs.” Whistler whined.

“ We can switch the beds every other night.” Jake shrugged. “I just thought that you two were smaller, so smaller bed.”

“I can’t wait to share that tiny bed with you, Jake.” Zach said clasping his hands together under his chin and blinking profusely. 

“And I you, Darling.”

Whistler took his shirt off and flopped into the bed that was directly under the window. The others took turns in the bathroom changing and brushing their teeth and stuff. Zach had a tee shirt and red, plaid pajama pants on. Jake only had on a tank top and boxer briefs on. Nathan walked out of the bathroom in a sweater that was two sizes too big, it was grey and the sleeves hung far off his hands, he had boxers on underneath that you could only see the edge of because of how long his sweater was. 

Nathan tucked himself under the blanket and had his back turned toward Whis. Whistler was starfishing atop the bed, with his arms tucked under the pillow. Their legs were overlapping and they definitely weren't going to get too cold in their sleep.

Zach and Jake were facing each other, but Zach had already fallen asleep. It was nearing 10, but he had opted for sleep trying to chase jet lag away. Jake got up trying not to disrupt the kid, whose hands were in between his knees and his face had a peaceful sleepy grin on it. He went over to his bag and picked out a stuffed rabbit. He took it back to bed, without noticing Nathan was still awake.

“Hey, what’s that?”

“Stuffed rabbit, I sleep with it when I am away from home. I have two rabbits back at home, names are Pepper and Roo.”

Nathan nodded, “Rabbits freak me out.” He smiled, then rolled over to the other side and  in a short time they had all fallen asleep.

Hours ticked by before the bright yellow light of the morning shone through the thin curtains that wavered in the A.C.

Whistler woke up earlier than any of the others. He always wakes up early, to go for a run, and be back in time to make breakfast, but this morning the jet lag was hitting hard. Way too hard for a run, so opting for a shower seemed like a suitable substitute. 

Getting out of bed quietly was difficult; he swung one leg over to the floor, and shimmied off the bed careful not to pull the covers off of the tiny bed Nathan was clung to. Whistler was still in the jeans he had worn yesterday, he only remembers laying down, and waking up this morning. The second his head hit the pillow he must have been out like a light. He hadn’t even remembered to charge his phone.

Now off the bed, he sleepily found his way over to the electrical socket. “Ah Dang!” he whisper shouted. The plug wasn’t the usual American, tiny face-lookin’, hole. He had forgotten to bring an adapter, rather he hadn’t even thought about the fact that he might need a different fucking type of plug to charge his phone.

His phone’s screen slightly cracked, and the battery life of 32, he threw it (gently) on to the bed where he had slept. 

He grabbed the toiletries bag that he had thankfully remembered. In the bathroom he set the bag on the counter. It was small and only held a few necessary items, like a toothbrush and deodorant. It had little watermelon slices decorating the outer fabric.

After the shower, he flushed the toilet, because it would no longer ruin the temperature of the water. He wrapped his towel around his waist, and quietly unlocked the door. 

“Morning” Nathan grumbled, rubbing his eye to clear the sleep-blurred vision.

“Shit, I’m sorry for waking you up.”

“Nah, it’s probably better for the jet lag that I wake up at a normal time.”

“That’s the same thing I thought,” Whistler tip toed over to their side of the room as to not need the full volume of their voices. 

Nathan leaned on his elbows to sit up a bit, “When did that happen?” he said, looking up and down Whistler’s naked boy flesh.

“When did what happen?”

“You’ve got a fucking six pack, dude.” He said with sarcastic disappointment.

“I don’t know, been running and stuff.” Whistler replied with a shrug. “Hey, you didn’t by any chance remember to bring an adapter for the wall plugs did you?”

“No, but now that you mention it I think I saw one in Zach’s bag, when we were going through it yesterday.” Nathan said plucking his phone off the nightstand that he and Jake were sharing. “Ugh” he groaned, realising that he too needed to charge.

“Am I allowed to get it?” Whistler asked, questioning how morally sound it would be to go through his bag again.

“Yeah, I mean we already know what’s in there.” He shrugged.

“He was so mad yesterday when we did it. I mean normally I would be fine with pissing him off, but this room is small, and we have to live in close quarters for a week. I can’t deal with his complaining for that long, I don’t think.” Whistler said sitting on the edge of the bed in defeat.

“I’ll grab it, then we won’t be fighting over who uses it first once everyone wakes up,” Nathan said as he tossed the sheets off his little body.

“Smart, that’s smart.”

Nathan padded over to the bag that was on the far side of the bed. He bent down, inches from Zach, who was soundly sleeping next to him. He slowly unzipped the bag, which prolonged the noise it was making, but doing it carefully seemed more respectful. The charger was laying on top “thank God”. 

“Get it?” Whistler whisper yelled across the room.

“Yeah,” The second Nathan tried to stand up, he lost his footing and kicked over the bag, with a thud. “Ow, FUCK!” he said in the loudest voice he could, while still considering it a whisper.

Jake rolled over, and flopped a lanky leg over Zach’s. Whistler tried to stifle laughs, to no avail. He bit his hand, which was shocking enough to get him to stop.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Jake’s pitching a tent, while cuddling Zach.”

“What,” he spat out the “t”.

“He’s fully erect, and Zach’s holding on to him.” Whistler could not have said more obviously.

“Why were you looking?”

“How could you not?”

Nathan looked over across the bed, and sure enough his eyes met… something. And Zach was clung to Jake’s arm, like a sloth to a tree branch. 

“Should we wake them up,” Nathan asked, while his eyes were still fixated on a genital… general area of the bed.

“Nah, we can get breakfast and leave these two alone, ya’ know to… bang things out.”

Nathan averted his balls, eye balls… he averted his eyes. Whistler plugged his phone in and they slipped out the door without waking the others. Nathan held on to the room key, and they walked down the hall that was too reminiscent of the one in the shining for Nathan. The elevator dinged and the doors crept open, the second they put their weight shifted into the room, it creaked, a long lingering sound. Nathan pushed the first floor button, and Whistler leaned against the back wall, gripping the perimeter rail tight. He sighed heavily as the elevator lowered, and the feeling that his stomach was dropping persisted. 

They hit the bottom floor, the elevator dinged, but the doors didn’t open. Another heavy sigh from Whistler, and followed by a sharp inhale this time. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Nathan scrunched his nose.

“Get the doors open please.” Whistler said breathing repeatedly in through his nose and out through his mouth. His hands waved, gesturing to open the doors.

Nathan pushed the “door open” button and they were on the correct floor. “Must be old,” Nathan shrugged. 

The end of the morning’s continental breakfast was less than desirable, but after traveling for the past 24 hours, it was nice to sit and eat. Whistler grabbed a donut, and a glass of chocolate milk. Nathan had some eggs, bacon, and a cup of coffee with copious amounts of sugar added. They sat at a table that showed a tv in the corner. Golf was on. An old man watched intently.  

“How’s your…” Whistler asked with a mouthful of his second donut.

Nathan exhaled through his nose as sort of a pseudo laugh. “It’s good, or as good as lukewarm coffee in a hotel at 9 am is.”

Now it was Whistler’s turn to laugh, not because it was funny, but just because.

“Hey… can I ask you something weird?” Nathan said, furrowing his brow, and looking at his hands; with which he was playing under the table. 

“I guess…” Whistler said leaning forward from his relaxed position.

“Is… Fuck I can’t say it. This is way to fucking weird.”

“Nah go ahead, won’t make fun, I swear.” He had put one hand over his heart, and the other was raised.

Nathan grabbed his hand, lowering it, and looked around, “You saw Jake’s…” He looked down to his own … to gesture, “it’s not like… average right?”

“Nah, I think average is something like five, six inches. Dude, you’re good” He said waving it off.

“Okay, yeah. Are you done? We should go take food back to the room.” Nathan rushed the sentence and tripped over a few words. His face was hot, and his stomach felt like it was burning from the inside out, but if he was red. Whistler didn’t mention it.

They grabbed a box of cereal, and a muffin that Zach and Jake could fight over later. The boys took the stairs back up to the room, and clicked the card in the door. The shower was running, and when they walked in they saw Zach spaced out, sitting on the bed.

“You good?” Whistler asked.

“Huh?” Zach said diverting his attention to the two that had just walked in.

“We stole your charger, or plug thing this morning. I hope that’s okay.” Nathan informed.

“Oh yeah, sure. What’s that? Did you bring us food?”

“Yeah, we have a stale muffin and dry cereal, take your pick.” Nathan said holding the two options out to him.

“What kind of muffin?’’

“Chocolate chip, or really old blueberry.”

“I’ll have the cereal, it also won’t give me indigestion before the show tonight” Zach grabbed for the tiny cereal box.

A moaning sound filled the room. “What the fuck, it’s 10 am. Why are the neighbors doing it now.”

The room fell silent for a couple moments, the three boys listening, waiting to hear another pleasure filled growl. And then it happened, a shout sung through the thin walls of the hotel. It was feminine, and beautiful, and instantly recognizable. 

“Is our lead singer, singing himself to completion?”

“Yup.”

“Turn the T.V. Turn the T.V. ON!”

“Ungh… fuck…” and the shower stopped.

“We were too late,” and the three erupted into fake sobs.

About a minute later Jake came out of the bathroom dressed in some jeans and an old man sweater, tucked in. He looked around, but no eye contact was received. “Are you guys okay?” He asked as he cocked his head.

“I don’t think I can ever be okay again,” Zach wailed, “first you… rubbed your... up against me, and now I just heard you… finish.”

Whistler snorted.

“We need to work on the sleeping arrangements, please.” Zach begged.

“Yeah, the tiny bed is like sleeping on the floor,” Whistler said.

“And for whoever ends up sleeping with Zach, he will cuddle you; It’s cute and all fun and dandy, but he is very warm. It’s like sleeping with a space heater,” Jake said, and looked over to Zach as sort of a sorry, but no eye contact was returned.

“Whistler just layed on top of the bed, so I stole all the blankets from him. It was freezing sleeping next to the window,” Nathan said.

“I guess it’s settled then.” Zach piped up.

“How did you come to a conclusion from that?” Jake asked.

“Well… Jake was really hot last night, and Nathan said it was cold next to the window, so Jake should sleep next to the window. I like to… be closer to people so I should get the big bed with Nathan because he was cold, and I could heat his little body up, that is if you don’t mind me… cuddling you?” Nathan shook his head.

“And where will I sleep, all cuddled up with boner boy?” Whistler chided.

“Not exactly, you did say that sleeping on the little bed was like sleeping on the floor, and you don’t need blankets anyway.”

“The floor?” Whistler asked.

“Yeah, only if that’s okay though.”

“Sure”

#Hippo Campus #hippo campus fan fic #jake luppen #Nathan Stocker #Whistler Allen #zach sutton

[louisfeatharry]

* newly added fics to my fic rec page as of 10/04/17 (30 fics in total) all fics are larry unless specified otherwise • more recent recs

✨ indicates favorites of mine!

a love like legend by butterflylungs (2k) [au, ou, soulmates, angst]

Harry and Louis are soulmates destined to lose each other.

All this Delusion in our Heads by mmaree (30k) [ziam, au, amnesia, neighbors/roommates, exes to lovers, angst]

the one where Zayn contracts amnesia, Liam has regrets, and the entire universe conspires against them…until it doesn’t.

✨ cupid’s defence by rhuubarb (116k) [au, fantasy & supernatural, slow burn, fluff]

In which Harry is Cupid, Louis and Liam own a law firm, and they're all getting sued.

Even When We Fight by threeturn (30k) [lirry, au, university AU, enemies to lovers]

University AU. Liam's the star of the debating society until Harry shows up and steals the spotlight. Meanwhile, Niall's in love, Zayn lives while he's young, and Louis looks after his friends.

✨ Every Story Has Its Scars, Ours Is a Brand New Start by Rearviewdreamer (57k) [au, hurt/comfort, kid fic, secret relationship, angst]

Life as a devoted husband and an amazing father turned out to be a little different than Louis had expected. Everyone tells him it doesn't have to be that way; that he's worth more and that he's so much stronger than any one person trying to keep him down. It's all just words though until he meets the one person who makes him truly believe it.

Golden Like Sands of Time by afirethatcannotdie (51k) [au, summer, fluff]

AU. Harry and Zayn are spending the summer on an island, and there's a plethora of booze and bonfires and boys. Or in Harry's case, just one boy.

Green Eyes (I’d Run Away With You) by salem (31k) [lirry, au, university AU]

After a frenzied party results in an accidental switch up of phones, Liam and Harry welcome each other temporarily into their lives as they casually chat about meeting up to switch back. It’s not hard to get to know each other while they wait, but when what should have been an innocent blip in each of their lives turns into months of endless texting, meddlesome friends, pot noodles, too much Shakespeare, and plenty of confusions, their feelings are put to the test.

Heaven’s Just Begun by sweetlullabies (35k) [au, fluff]

Harry is wholly convinced he's quite literally a sad excuse for a young adult, but this doesn't seem to stop the "boy next door" from developing the world's biggest crush on him.

✨ Hiding Out in the Kitchen by LittleMousling (28k) [au, famous/nonfamous, coming out, friends to lovers, fluff]

Harry's in an internationally famous boyband with his three best mates, he gets laid on a pretty regular basis, and he's headed to Australia in a week. He doesn't need anything else, and he certainly doesn't need a boyfriend. If this nice guy he met in a coffeeshop wants to date him, great—but that's all it is. Right?

✨ Homegrown by casuallyhl (51k) [au, friends to lovers, fluff]

a gardening AU where Harry is new to town and the newest volunteer at the local gardening club, Louis is the attractive grandson of one of the members, and the nosy volunteers hatch a plan to get them together.

It’s All Brand New Because of You by supernope (16k) [au, summer, fluff]

Louis starts a new job as a summer camp counselor at the local aquarium and Harry is a biologist who really likes teaching people about the ocean.

left all the stars in your city nights by petals (23k) [lirry, au, university AU, secret relationship, coming out]

“He’s got a roommate?” Niall asks, frowning.

“Yeah, but he usually only hangs out with grad students. I mean, it’s a smart plan all things considered. I think there’s like a rule that all graduate students have to TA, so like, it probably helps him with his grades or something. I don’t know. I’ve met him a few times but Zayn swears he’s great," Louis explains.

Liam nods, taking another drink from his glass, turning in time to see Zayn. He smiles at him but his smile falls immediately when Harry steps out from behind him, standing there smirking at Liam. He remembers him, obviously. They just fucked last night.

Fuck.

Liam’s screwed.

living love in slow motion by jmcats (39k) [ziam, au, growing up together, friends to lovers, pining, coming out, fluff]

they've been tucked into each other's side since they were five years old... and Liam's been a little in love with that and much more since then

Manifest Destiny by Anonymous (15k) [au, historical, friends with benefits, fluff]

Louis is a Pony Express rider and Harry runs a station along the trail.

never mind the odds (i’m gonna try my luck) by spit_on_me_larry (64k) [au, enemies to lovers, pining]

Louis Tomlinson is going to be the journalistic voice of his generation. He’s just waiting for his editor to realize it. For now, he’s stuck writing fluff pieces for the Life and Style section of London Now Newspaper.

His latest assignment is more of the same rubbish: a profile of Harry Styles, plastic surgeon and one of London’s most eligible bachelors. Louis is intent on writing something smart and biting and unexpected; if it makes Harry look like an idiot, that’s just the price of good journalism. That is, until Louis gets to know Harry and realizes he might be kind of perfect.

Featuring Louis as a writer/workaholic, Harry as a plastic surgeon with a heart of gold, Zayn and Niall as Louis’ colleagues and long-suffering best mates, and Liam as everyone’s favorite pediatric surgeon and Harry’s right-hand man.

No Place Without You by fackinglouis (19k) [au, neighbors/roommates, pining, university AU]

Harry's in love with life and he's in love with the world.

Louis' in love with Harry and he doesn't think there's anyway he can possibly compete.

A Wanderlust AU in which Harry doesn't have a permanent home and stays with Louis when he visits NYC.

Pyar dhosti hai (Love is friendship) by backonefish (39k) [au, road trip & travel, angst, pining, fluff, friends to lovers]

When Zayn and Harry's thesis project hits a snag, they feel a bit hopeless. Liam's just gotten out of a relationship. Louis is stuck wondering if Harry will ever open his eyes. And Niall's still searching.

This is a story of love and friendship. Of five boys who travel to India on a quest to find themselves and each other.

Ridiculous by scottmcniceass (24k) [ziam, au, high school AU, enemies to lovers, neighbors/roommates]

They are every cliched high school story. The jock and the rebel. The popular boy and the outsider. They shouldn't fit, and they definitely shouldn't work, but they sort of do anyways.

Sonnets Behind the Flame by jmcats (55k) [au, high school AU, road trip & travel, enemies to lovers]

Liam has been anticipating a weekend away at Louis' family's cabin for years. It's nothing but wilderness, bonfires, football, his best mates, alcohol, and an escape from their last year in Sixth Form. Oh, and Niall has invited Harry Styles and Zayn Malik along. The same Zayn who's a complete prick to Liam's mates. The same Zayn that Liam has spent so many years hating, he doesn't know the reasons anymore.

Suddenly, Liam doesn't think this is such a brilliant idea after all.

The Summertime, The Butterflies, All Belong To Your Creation by PumpkinspiceLou (11k) [au, kid fic, fluff]

When Louis decides to help out a lost little girl at the park, he never expected it would lead him to finding his home.

these wings (are made to fly) by orphan_account (35k) [au, friends to lovers, pining, fluff]

Despite the fact that he’s good at his job, Louis’ problem is that he’s constantly on the move and puts everyone else’s needs before his own. Add probationary crew member Harry Styles into the mix, and Louis is definitely in trouble. Flight attendant AU, minus the mile high club.

this relationship we’re staging by dancesongsoul, lookatyourchoices (44k) [au, pining, fluff]

West End AU in which Louis is a former Royal Shakespeare Company actor looking for his way back to the top, Harry is an actor best known for his work in unknown bits of experimental theatre and being the darling of London's new age theatre scene, and Simon Cowell is the renowned director who brings the two of them together.

to feel your heart as it’s keeping time by wearecities (36k) [lirry, au, bakery AU, fluff]

Harry owns a bakery, Niall and Louis are sickeningly in love, Zayn hates clip-art and Liam’s the only one that laughs at Harry’s jokes.

✨ Two Steps Behind by sacredheart (38k) [au, growing up together, high school AU, pining, fluff, angst]

Louis is two years younger than his neighbors, Harry, Liam, Niall, and Zayn, and he grows up bending over backwards to get their attention and acceptance. Especially Harry's.

✨ we may fall (but we get up again) by jmcats (58k) [ziam, au, weddings, movie AU, enemies to lovers, fluff]

a 27 Dresses AU where Liam is everyone's favorite best man and he just might be madly in love with his boss ... and maybe with an arrogant writer who hates weddings as much as Liam loves them, too

we were boxing the stars by justaboat (30k) [lirry, au, university AU, sports, summer, friends to lovers, friends with benefits, pining]

au. liam and harry play football and their feelings have a bad habit of getting in the way.

✨ what this world is about by isntrio (34k) [au, high school AU, secret relationship, historical/past setting, angst]

An eighties American high school AU; there are first times, football games, and feelings.

Alternatively titled: the beginning.

wild card (nobody, nobody) by dramaturgicallycorrect (30k) [lirry, au, sports, movie AU, sports, fluff]

Harry is Britain’s Best Chance and Liam is a wild card at the Championships, Wimbledon.

you could be my cure by jmcats (41k) [ziam, au, university AU, fluff, prose]

Nothing about Zayn is traditional, especially not the way he falls in love with Liam, or everything before and after that

Yours Faithfully, Friend by badjujuboo (20k) [lirry, au, famous/nonfamous, exes to lovers, pining]

Small gigs turned into larger ones, radio interviews turned into playing on Chatty Man and that Irish program where Niall was treated like a superstar. It got to the stage where even Liam couldn't remember the last full week he'd spent in their home. Harry tried to be there, but it wasn't as if he could come out to every show. The last few times when he would have been able to because they were playing close, Harry'd had exams and Liam understood why Harry couldn'tcome along. He did. Even if it hurt to look up and not see Harry mouthing along to the words, doing his dumb dance moves at the front of the crowd. He just wanted Harry to himself, was all. It was irrational to be annoyed that Harry couldn't be there all the time, no matter how much Liam wanted him to be.

Love is easy, relationships are not. Somewhere along the line, Liam forgot that.

#recentrecs #so there's a good mix of a different pairings in here #i was feeling lirry and ziam for a hot sec #so you'll see a lot of that #but there's still a ton of larry up in here #also i'm always shamelessly promoting my rec page #because i put so much hard work into it lmfao

[hipchub]

top ten fics 💝💖💕

1. the dead of july / @whimsicule / 117k— harry is captain america, and louis’ been dead for 70 years.

i love both 1d and captain america so this was a real trip. if you love dying and being dead then 10/10 would recommend

2. love endless (the road to recollection) / @wubwubnparmaham / 171k

— the year is groovy 1973, and eighteen-year-old louis tomlinson is perhaps the gayest teen to ever grace the gloomy, hateful town of fortwright. would be fine if he wasn’t so viciously bullied at both home and school for such a “harmful” sexual preference. yeah, yeah, we’ve all heard this story, haven’t we? believe him, louis didn’t think he was anything special either. until he found the mansion. the notoriously haunted mansion hidden deep within the forests of his tiny blip of a town in bumfuck nowhere, idaho. no one with a brain ever goes near it, but louis could use a little excitement in his life…and possibly a band-aid or two. after discovering the mansion was less abandoned than he’d thought, he’s now left with the most riveting mystery of a lifetime; every new finding leaving him with more questions. who is this elusive owner, and why won’t they show themselves? why is there a set of journals in the same handwriting that span over centuries? why in the world is there a padlock on the refrigerator…and who the hell is alexander?

history and vampires? sign me the fuck up! there’s four parts to this incredible fic and they’re all around 150k to 200k each (idk how the author does it tbh). i now listen to rue des cascades on a daily so thank u for that

3. with a whimper / @kitundercover / 132k— dystopian au. louis has been alone for too long to remember how not to be, and harry has too much to worry about to deal with a scrawny, wild, stranger.

this fic is so so thought out and so incredible wow. throughout the whole thing i kept thinking “wow is this from something? it’s so great it has to be based off something right??” and it.. isn’t….. a m a z i n g 

4. the galaxy’s edge / @the-cheshire-pussy-cat / 113k— in which louis is a bounty hunter with a messed up past. harry is a prince who just wants to prove himself. niall and zayn have too many things to figure out together. and liam just wants to take care of his family. things never quite go as they are planned during a simple rescue job.

aliens and royalty? lord help m,e yes this fic was soo good and i have a strong urge to reread it

5. the king of spades / @hazmesentir / 109k— undercover metropolitan police officer dc louis tomlinson has worked his way up the ranks of a prominent london crime family without raising suspicion, but when he finds himself pitted against a rising crime boss with a police background and a favoured employee by the name of harry styles, everything starts to unravel. finding himself in the middle of an escalating war between two bosses whose bad blood runs deep into a violent past, louis has to be even more careful where he steps in case his big secret catches up to him – and if it does, he knows he won’t survive it. not to mention he’s falling for someone he can’t have – whose earnestness and honesty is a bright spot in a dark world – he can’t sleep because his nightmares haunt him and he’s in way over his head, but it’s just a game, always just a game, and if louis plays his cards right he might just make it out alive.

6. landslide / @aimmyarrowshigh & @spibsy / 143k— the year is 1976. In november, jimmy carter will take control of the white house. americans are meeting laverne & shirley at their apartment in milwaukee. hotel california diverges from the reign of kool & the gang. and the fbi is still reeling from the repercussions of watergate, the tragedy at wounded knee, operation family secrets, and the strategic terrors of the anti-cult movement. that’s what special agent harry styles has been told is the basis of his mission to an abandoned farmhouse in rural new hampshire. with his hair grown out long and his shirt untucked, he’s going undercover to do reconnaissance on suspected cult leader louis tomlinson, who has led a group of people out into the middle of nowhere, leaving no record of the life he’d had before. all harry knows is what the agency gave him: tomlinson’s name and instructions to figure out what he’s doing with the eleven people he brought with him. in the year that harry spends undercover and under louis tomlinson’s wing, he learns more than he ever expected.

7. who painted the moon black / @throughthedark / 95k— hunger games au where louis tomlinson is district six’s victor from the 69th hunger games and harry styles is district seven’s victor from the 72nd hunger games.

8. black with autumn rain / @whimsicule / 93k— harry is a journalist, louis has lots of secrets and the moors aren’t exactly the ideal place to rekindle a lost romance.

this fic ruined me and i now have an extremely strong desire to visit the north york moors 

9. fading / @tothemoonmydear  / 202k— louis knows about beauty; the combination of qualities that pleases the aesthetic senses. he creates that combination every day in the garments he designs while studying fashion at uni. the cut of the design, the color of the fabric, the intricacy of the stitching; it all comes together to create something beautiful. when the science student with the long legs and dimpled smile agrees to model for him, louis decides he’s found beauty personified. harry just thinks louis needs someone to show him how beautiful he is.

i love depressing fics and this one was beautiful ):

10. and down the long and silent street / @whimsicule  / 86k— wherein louis and harry are on the opposite ends of the social ladder, but their paths still cross on the filthy streets louis calls his home. the odds are staked against them from the beginning, and even more when louis’ past finally catches up with him.

(this is set in the 1800s and i’m such a slut for old fics so!)

-ˏˋ BONUS ˎˊ-11. love is a rebellious bird / @100percentsassy & @gloria-andrews / 134k— au in which the boys still make music. louis is the concertmaster of the london symphony orchestra, harry is the new! and exciting! interim conductor/ex-cello prodigy who “has made Mozart cool again” according to esquire magazine (louis hates him immediately, which is definitely why he internet stalked him in his dark bedroom late at night that one time), and niall is the best. zayn and liam are around too. don’t hum bolero.

this was one of the first few fics i read on ao3 and is the fic that overall shifted me from wattpad to ao3 in 2014 (thank god) “don’t hum bolero” will forever be engraved into my brain

-ˏˋ CAPTIVE PRINCE BONUS ˎˊ- 12. the veretian flytrap / @just-another-day / 175k— the court treated it like a joke. his uncle told him it was a weakness. laurent chose to listen to what auguste had said it could be: an advantage.

this is the second captive prince fic i read and it rly murdered me! it’s a canon divergence au so it’s extremely similar to the books and i love it

you can find more of my fic recs here!

#i love so many fics so this was hella hard #(and took so damn long) #but here you go #i'm honestly surprised there isn't a pirate fic on here tbh #i was gonna add one as another bonus but #..i already have two extra fics on there #oh and i didn't add comments to every fic because i'd just be repeating myself with how amazing each one is #and how great it was #so yeah #asks #anon #fic rec

[zanpyreanor]

[Story] Captivity (Part 2)

Keylorian moaned as the door opened.

Zan dropped the curtain and turned his back to the side of the cage without curtain.

Valthan Featherbane entered the room with a bevy of attendants, and the curtains on all of the cages were pulled back or removed, in the case of the pens.  "Rise and shine, my lovelies." he said cheerfully, as the attendants placed food dishes inside the pens for the birds, first, and then carried platters over to the cages. Using a small door toward the bottom, three platters of food were placed in front of Nuadathiel, Iviaen, and Zandrae.

"Featherbloom! You bastard son of a troll! You were the one who betrayed us!" yelled Nuadathiel.

The druid walked over to Nuadathiel's cage. "It's Featherbane now, darling... So good to see you again, Nuada."

Zan looked at the food, then glanced back and forth between Nuada and Valthan, "..."

Iviaen collected the food and began to eat it, he didn't really seem to care what it was, he simply had gone too long without refueling his energy after the magic combat and healing. He was very hungry.

Featherbane put his hands on his hips as Nuadathiel mantled and hissed at him.  What had seemed like an ornamental, feathered addition to his robes flared out into a fanned out display of peacock feathers, and the druid's crest rose.  "Eat; you'll need your strength.  We can talk later."  At "talk," the tail feathers shimmied before the druid turned, and the fan folded back down.  Nuada grumbled and ate. He had used up much energy casting, and, like Iviaen, was ravenous.

Zan tilted his head in thought, then looked at Iviaen, and at Nuada. They were eating the food and seemed all right. He hesitantly collected his tray and began to eat. His ears fanned back in worry.

The food was fish, wild trout, over rice. Fresh vegetables sat at the side, and a small cup of pudding, along with a mug of tea.  The meal was an impeccably spiced meal fish, rice, and vegetables.

Zan shrugged, "Possibly the best prison food I've ever had."

"You need to keep your strength up for what lies ahead," replied Featherbane as he checked on the owl in front of Iviaen's cage, preening and feeding it.   He moved on afterward, to the red and gold Thalassian peacock in front of Zandrae's cage, repeating the same ritual of preening and feeding, then moved on to the pen in front of Keylorian's cage, which held a crane.  He cocked his head and pointed at Keylorian, and a wave of healing magic swept over the monk, who shifted with a moan.   His gaze rested on Zandrae next. "I'm thinking of red and gold for you instead of blue and green," mused the druid.  The owl's snowy feathers matched Iviaen's hair.

Zan leaned against the back bars of his cage, "Red's my favorite fucking color." He paused, "You really love those birds, it must be hard, being a bird yourself and with no one to preen you like that." Zan then added, with a smirk on his face, "Also, I think you have it backwards. I'm supposed to be out there and you're supposed to be in here, after all, I'm the birdkeeper."

Iviaen finished his meal, set the tray on the floor near the little door for the attendant, and reclined back on his bed, his hand over his face at Zan's smartassery and borderline flirting.

The Kaldorei chuckled and walked up to Zandrae's cage with a smile, "We shall see whose place is where, my little peacock." His voice lowers to a near-purr, "Perhaps in my bower, under me, if you play your cards right."

Zan raised a brow, he was not expecting that much of an escalated response to his mild flirting, "You're a nasty birdy."

A rattling of wings from the far cage, and another empty tray set aside for the attendants. "Don't listen to him, Pyreanor. You don't know where he's been," said Nuada.

"Silverblade, jealousy does not become you, my dear," replies Valthiel.  His gaze snaps back to Zandrae. "Nasty? No. I prefer "direct," after all, you were a special request."

Zan eyed the peacock-man, "Me? Special? Nah. I'm just a guy with a freckled ass. Wanna see?"

Iviaen sighed.

Nuada choked.

"In due time, Pyreanor... In due time," replied the druid as the finished meals were cleared away. He walked back over to Keylorian's cage and reached through the bars, placing his hand on the monk's wrist.

Iviaen looked to the attendant, smiled, and spoke to them, "Thank you."

Nuadathiel nodded thanks to his attendant and flopped on the bed, face down, with his head buried in the pillow.  An attendant brought a covered platter for Keylorian as the druid worked on him and removed the shackles.  His expression was one of intense concentration as the black and purple bruises slowly faded, and some color returned to the monk's face.

"Leave his meal here, and when he wakes, it will be ready for him," instructed Valthan. "Perhaps when the Lady calls for him again, he will be more reasonable."

Zan continued leaning back against the cage wall, "Man, give him a break. Someone made children from material from him and his wife without his consent, then he inherited two abused sons that he never got to parent. Any good parent would be angry and not terribly reasonable."

"I am not the one who questioned him. I am sure that he and I could come to some sort of accommodation," replied Valthan.

"I didn't say you were. I'm just saying he's been through some shit and his negative feelings and hostility are totally valid," Zan explained.

Valthan nodded affirmatively.

Iviaen looked up at the top of his cage, "There was a young fellow called Dan, who knew all about sin, cos, and tan. He talked rather big of his knowledge of trig--he did seem a clever young man."

Valthan chuckled.  He was still working on Keylorian, but turned his head to gaze thoughtfully in Iviaen's direction.

Iviaen sighed, "I need a book. Or something to write on and with or I'm going to start singing."

Zandrae glanced over at Iviaen, "Please don't."

Valthan nodded to his attendants, and one scampered off, "You sing?"

Iviaen looked down at Valthan, "I'm tone-deaf."

"Back when I studied magic at the academy, some of our professors made us sing these stupid songs to memorize things," Iviaen said.

Valthan smiled, "I'll remember that." The attendant returned with a box of quills, an inkpot, and a journal, and slid them through the slot for Iviaen. The petite human did the same for Nuada, and for Zandrae and Keylorian. "If you make me a list of what you like to read, I will see what is in the library. Your minds must remain sharp." The druid cocked his head. "I shall return in a few hours.  Be well, and do get to know your companions, you will be spending a lot of time with them in the future."

Vanthal ushered his attendants out of the room and waved before he shut the door behind him. Globes of light remained at daytime levels.

Iviaen took the book, quill, and began writing.

Nuadathiel looked over at the box, inkwell,and journal, and stuck his face back in the pillow.

Keylorian slowly came around with a low groan and sat up in the bed with his eyes closed. His ears were pinned back, and he sat for a while with his head in his hands.

Zan looked over at the peacock, "So I guess he wants to make us into birds. These birds. Hey Iviaen, he wants to make you a hooter. A snowy hooter!"

Iviaen groaned.

Keylorian opened one eye and moved the journal, ink, and box under the bed, then moved to the food tray.  He ate quickly, swallowing the food before he could taste it and have a chance to feel.   He knew that he needed the food.  Finishing his meal and gulping the tea, he seemed to notice the bars of the cage, and tentatively reached out and touched them, as if he was not truly sure whether they were there or not.

Zan glanced over at Keylorian, "Hey, are you okay?"

The monk's ears stood straight up, quivering, and he gripped the side of the bed.  "I watched them kill you." he replied softly, the strain obvious in his voice.

Zan's vocal tone softened considerably, "Well I got better. They're fucking with your head, old methods or whatnot, just like you said."

Keylorian turned around and stood with the aid of the cage bars. "They came up with new methods."

Zan frowned, "You'll be okay. I promise. Just be strong, okay?"

The monk nodded and stretched back out on the bed.

Zan turned and looked over at Nuada, "You too. We'll get out of here. They'll come."

Nuada's wings fluttered, he remained face down on the bed, his head stuffed firmly into the pillow.

Zan adjusted himself and sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, he tried to relax.

#Keylorian Dawnraker #Nuadathiel #Iviaen Brightblaze #Zandrae Pyreanor #The Society Strikes Storyline #The Society Storyline #Flocktology #Longpost

[kane-and-griffin]

OK I know The List is probably just existing at this point to cause angst and strife in Arkadia and probably won't actually end up applying to who survives at all, but it's still freaking me out: Abby's name was obviously no.1 on that list. (Raven was probably second.) Like, essential personal right there, Clarke must be so glad she can justifiably save her mom first. But what about Marcus? (What about Octavia??) Do you think that will come up next week? /trying to be chill but not chill at all

There’s a fantastic episode in the first seasonof The West Wing called “TheCrackpots and These Women,” where deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman has ameeting with a member of the National Security Council, who gives him a card tokeep in his wallet with instructions for where to go and what to do in the caseof a nuclear strike or terrorist attack. He’s on the list who gets to go into the President’s secure emergencybunker.  The whole rest of his arc in theepisode is about Josh slowly realizing that none of his friends got one ofthose cards; none of them are high enough up on the food chain to be deemedimportant enough to rate a spot in the bunker. If a nuclear strike happens, they’ll all be dead, and he’s the only onewho knows it, because the existence of the card itself is classified.

There isn’t a nuclear strike in that episode, ofcourse, or anywhere else in the course of the series, and the card never comesup again.  It exists as a way to forceJosh into a situation where the brutal, grim realities of wartime – finite resourcesallocated based on a person’s overall importance to the survival of the governmentof the United States – crash headfirst into his personal feelings for thesepeople he cares about and works with every day, and the discomfort of hisrealization that someone, somewhere, made a decision that his life has morepractical value than someone else’s.

I was thinking a lot about Josh and the NSC cardas I watched Clarke, Bellamy and Raven clash over the list.  Raven’s understanding of it is practical anda little abstract; she’s the NSC agent saying “okay there are forty spots inthe bunker besides the President, who are the 39 people we most need to keepthis country functional in the event of a national crisis?”  But I think maybe her arc in this episode nudgesa little at the possibility of that perspective shifting; at the beginning, themedicine is an abstraction (“we only have X amount, it has to last X long, thechances of it working in this situation are X%, that’s too low to risk wastingit”), but by the end there’s a real child dying in front of her, which givesRaven a little taste of what it’s like to be Clarke and Bellamy, for whom noneof these deaths feel abstract.  She tellsClarke “choosing who lives and dies is your specialty,” but in this episode itwas her choices that cost lives.  That doesn’t mean she’s wrong or right, thatjust means that abstract things became concrete for her in some interestingways.

And Bellamy’s storyline reminded me a lot of Joshhimself, wrestling with the question of who “deserves” to be on the list; heinitially refuses to let Clarke put him on it, in the cold open, and then atthe end when she finally does but hesitates to put her own name, he writes itfor her.  Neither of them feel worthyenough to write their own names, but neither of them wants to be inside if theother one isn’t, and each of them sees the other’s value to the community as awhole.  Clarke needs Bellamy, but shealso knows that any group of survivors trying to stay alive in Arkadia willneed him too.  It isn’t a selfishgesture, just the way Bellamy knows they can’t afford to let Clarke sacrificeherself out of guilt.  It’s a reallymoving scene in terms of their closeness and partnership, and the way theyshare burdens, but it’s also I think setting up what the real ongoing impact ofthis list is going to be for the next few episodes.  

I suspect that in a manner of speaking, the listitself is kind of a MacGuffin; I think we’re going to end up with the grouppursuing a number of different survival options (more spoilery/speculativethoughts on this below the jump!), so I don’t think the list is meant right nowto be a hard-and-fast breakdown of who is and isn’t scheduled to survive praimfaya.  I think right now it’s much more about Clarke’srelationships.  Her name is on that listnow, and 400 other people’s names are not. And it seems from the trailers for next week that the list is foundalmost immediately, at least by Jasper and Monty if not by the group as a whole.Jasper’s desire to keep secrets for Clarke seems to be RAPIDLY diminishing, thefewer fucks he gives, so it doesn’t seem like we have to wait too long for theemotional consequences of that list to erupt.  Does she put Monty but notHarper or Jasper? Does she put her own mother but not Miller’s father? How - if at all - does she justify Octavia, other than avoiding the desire to hurt Bellamy, and what does Raven think about that? I don’t actually thinkwho’s on the list right now is any kind of a barometer of characters’ actualfates, I think it’s purely about Clarke’s chickens coming home to roost and theway relationships are either brought closer together or wedged apart when thelist inevitably leaks out.

In terms of the questions of who survives, howand where, I’ve been sorting through a number of thoughts related to the finaleand this episode clarified a couple of them, so I want to sort of walk throughthis in an orderly fashion.  Basicallywhat I think is that we’re gearing up for a finale with the main cast fracturedin a number of different places, so I’d caution you not to have a heart attackthat like half the cast is gonna get killed off going into the final season, orthat if we do find out who is on the list, that your fave not being on it meansthey’re getting killed off in the finale.

I want to talk through a couple of the possible “lifeboats”we’ve seen hinted at so far and share some of the thoughts I’ve had about themone by one.

1. ArkadiaThe season poster is a picture of Arkadia onfire, which could mean one of two things; it could mean that Arkadia itselfcatches fire and blows up, and we lose that option altogether, leaving thewhole Skaikru contingent homeless and desperate.  Or, alternately, the fire could be praimfayasweeping over at the end of the season, and they deliver on the current setup,which is that they get everything patched up to keep 100 people stuck insideArkadia for five years on starvation rations. The fact that they made it 100 people specifically feels symbolicallysignificant enough that I think Arkadia is likely to survive so they can carry throughon that imagery; in fact, I think a cool reversal of the pilot would be forClarke to send Abby, Kane and Jaha as part of “the 100″ in the Ark. 

A related theory I’ve been hashing out with @abigailkanes and @brittanias has to do with the (VERY WELCOME, DON’T GET MEWRONG, BUT STILL) noticeably deliberate choice to show Kane coming inside Abbyin that sex scene.  A lot of the othersex scenes we get are either sexy leadup (tearing off clothes and wild makingout, a la Flarke and Rellamy) or sexy afterglow (cut juuuuuuuust as they finishand flop backwards onto the pillows, a la Marper).  But like ….. not to give away how many timesI’ve watched that scene or how hard I’ve listened, but that is definitely likethrusting and gasping and Kane coming. And their storyline is so much about Jake and about marriage that I feellike it would not be WILDLY unlikely for the plot-relevant reason for anonscreen Kane orgasm to be that Abby ends up pregnant.  Part of why I like this theory – and this isDEEP-CUT CONSPIRACY STUFF FAM – is because, the original 100 was actually 101. Bellamy stowed away.  Nobodycounted him.  We’ve been getting a ton ofAbby/Bellamy parallels this season, so the idea of Abby being 2 months pregnant(maybe knowing it, maybe not) at the end of the season and a secret 101st“stowaway” inside Arkadia feels like it might fit nicely with all the S1parallels they’re giving us.  So I feellike that possibility, along with the reversal of the adults who sent theoriginal 100 now being sent as part of the new 100, makes me pretty confidentthat all three of them (Abby, Kane, Jaha) will end up in Arkadia in thefinale.  And maybe with a baby.  And maybe if we get the five-year time jump I’manticipating (to catch the characters up a little better with the cast’s actualages), we’ll have a cute lil’ toddler running around the ship driving AuntieOctavia crazy, being both a literal symbol of the hope that’s hard-wired intothe Kabby storyline, and also being a major liability during the end of theworld because they didn’t budget for food and supplies for a 101stperson.

2. Nightblood SerumRaven is 100% focused on keeping as many Skaikrualive as possible, but we know that Clarke takes her commitment to theGrounders seriously, and that she isn’t going to give up and just settle for onlysaving 100 and letting all of Grounder civilization die.  It’s not who she is, it would be a terriblebetrayal of Lexa, and in terms of sheer repopulate-the-earth practicality, she’sthinking about keeping the biggest number of people alive as possible.  Not to mention that Nightblood is a genetictrait and only the Grounders have that gene. So I think we’re definitely headed towards an arc for Abby that’s allabout her figuring out from Becca’s journal how to manufacture artificialNightblood serum. I suspect that next week when we see Abby and Jackson onEmori’s boat that they’re headed for Becca’s lab (that blue-and-white room wesaw in the trailers), and that a big part of the next few episodes is going tobe her and Raven going full Science BAMF with Becca’s equipment to see if theycan replicate her original work.  We’relikely to get some juicy bioethics questions from this (do they have toexperiment on human subjects???) but I would guess that in the end we’re goingto end up with Abby able to replicate X number of workable doses of Nightbloodserum and then that’s ANOTHER list of who gets a shot at survival.  This story could intersect nicely with Gaia ifpart of it involves rounding up every surviving Nightblood, as well as withIlian if the growing distrust of all technology leads Grounders to besuspicious of a vaccination from Skaikru doctors.

3. Cadogan’s BunkersSooooo, Jaha’s ensemble is more than a little cult-tasticall of a sudden, and also I recognize the guest actor playing Cadogan, which meansI’m going to guess that part of Jaha’s arc this season is continuing to huntfor another doomsday cult bunker.  The fact that the season motto and thecult’s motto are the same is clearly important; maybe in a Mount Weather way(are there still members of this cult alive somewhere???), maybe in a Jaha’sNew Quest way (although I’m hoping we don’t end up retreading story beats we’vealready covered), or maybe in a way that has something to do with ALIE and thefirst apocalypse. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get flashbacks of Cadogan andlearn more about him.  We’re also gettinginteresting hints that there’s sort of two different collections of accumulatedChancellor knowledge; there’s what’s in the files (they tell him outside theRover that they checked every bunker that the Council investigated as an optionfor the original 100 and deemed them all useless), and then there’s whatappears to be the deep underground stuff that isn’t written down anywhere andis highly classified; things like the real Polaris story, and the fact thatthis other bunker existed, which Jaha seems to have known about already.  So the question of what else he knows, or canfigure out, and what he might have learned from ALIE, could come up over thecourse of the season.  Off the top of myhead I’m guessing he starts to creepily over-identify with this Cadogan guy,and/or becomes pulled into their weirdo belief system, but also that hecontinues looking, either using files from the Ark mainframe or from ALIE’scomputers, for another one of Cadogan’s bunkers.  If they’re gunning for something resembling aredemption arc for Jaha, he’ll eventually have to contribute something concreteto the group as a whole, and being the person who figures out a way to helpsave his people would help.  If it allturns out to be a fruitless or destructive quest for nothing, I’ll be kind ofcranky, because frankly we’ve already gone down that road with the City ofLight.  So I’m waiting to see what thetwist is here, and Jaha unearthing another bunker could be the way to do that.

There’s one more possibility that I’m puttingbelow the jump, because it has to do with some finale spoilers that werefloating around and lowkey confirmed by a recent actor interview, and I don’twant anyone who doesn’t want to see those to put them in their eyeballs.

Anyway, this is a very long answer to your question,but basically the upshot here is that I don’t think we’re meant at thisjuncture to interpret the list as the real actual who lives/who dies list, likethat’s Jason telling us who makes it into S5. I think the list right now is about the fracturing of Clarke’srelationships based on the unavoidable pressures of having to makelife-or-death decisions, and that the thing that keeps her from turning into aJaha (like he cautioned her in that great scene from last week) is that she hasa partner who can share these burdens with her, even if the things they have todo push everyone else away.

OKAY HERE’S LIFEBOAT #4, DON’T CLICK IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS!

OKAY ARE WE GOOD ARE WE ALONE DID EVERYONE WHODOESN’T WANT SPOILERS LEAVE ALREADY?

Okay, here we go.

4. SpaceOkay, so I will preface this by saying that I sawthe leaked finale pages, and was told about them in about half a dozen anonmessages, and even though I didn’t really want to know that information, it waslowkey confirmed in Marie’s TV Guide interview, so it feels like something wecan all acknowledge now, which is that it seems like some contingent of peopleend up finding a way to go to space. There was a post floating around on Tumblr and Twitter with Raven at hergiant wall o’ computer screens and one of the things up onscreen in thebackground was an article about an asteroid mining colony that had lost contactwith Earth at some point before the nuclear meltdown.  Marie basically says that for Octavia, space isn’tan option – she was miserable there – which seems to confirm the theory thatthe core cast ends up fractured a number of different places.  So, again, for those of you who saw thoseleaked pages and were panicking that those half a dozen or so people were likethe whole cast of S5, I definitely don’t think that’s likely.  The names that were kicking around of who wasin that posse were Bellamy, Echo, Monty, Harper, Murphy, Emori, and Raven, withother spoilers referring to stuff I didn’t see that seemed to indicate thatClarke doesn’t make it onto the space shuttle. (“No one knows if Clarke is dead or alive” is a nice season finalecliffhanger tbh, although I don’t really want her on nuclear wasteland walkaboutfor a five-year timejump, eating radioactive pauna or whatever.)  But if they find a way to get into space andthey think they’ve found the location of a mining colony, that’s a place thatwould have survivable resources (and maybe even living people).  I’m curious about what Echo’s doing on thatsquad, but Monty, Emori and Raven being the tech squad (and bringing their sweetieswith them in case they have to make babies) feels like a reasonable crew tosend in a tiny little shuttle on a crazy high-tech possible suicide missionwhile the people who are more on the politics side of things (Kane, Roan,Octavia, Jaha, Indra, Luna) and the medical personnel (Abby, Jackson) stay wherethere’s a higher density of people, whether it’s Arkadia or Jaha’s bunker or someoutpost of artificial Nightbloods hunkered down somewhere else.  

#Anonymous #From the Inbox #metas and headcanons #the 100 meta #the 100 spoilers #the 100 speculation #the 100 #spoilers #clarke griffin #bellamy blake #SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS #GUYS SERIOUSLY #IF YOU CLICK THIS LINK AND REGRET IT YOU CAN'T BE MAD AT ME #I HAVE DONE ALL I CAN TO PROTECT YOU

[munamania]

committed myself to not stressing over an interview tmrw and am now stressing bc i’m not stressing enough

#i havent Tjought abt it enough #i mean ik you’re supposed to prepare for interviews but #this is such a wild card journal and i just think i can wing it 😌 #🤪 #and also i overthink it way too much i’ll practice saying smth a million times #just for it to not be asked #so

[wanderingaunt]

Signs, Sunflowers, & Synchronicity

“Facing the sun is a choice a sunflower makes every single day.”

Have you ever noticed how a sunflower closes its petals when light is dim and darkness draws near? And when the light from the sun shines through, the sunflower spreads its petals far and wide?

Sunflowers make any dark day feel a little bit brighter.

I’ve always loved sunflowers. I remember planting sunflowers in the garden when I was a child. And when I say planting, I mean we’d throw our sunflower seeds out in the field and later the seeds would sprout and burst into big, bright sunflowers. The sunflowers that grew wildly in my yard as a child were some of the largest sunflowers I’ve seen. They were several feet tall with thick stalks, big black centers, and bright yellow petals. They made any dark day feel a little bit brighter.

I had no idea at such a young age that sunflowers would be such a profound symbol in my life as an adult.

Last year I began noticing signs from the universe. It started with seeing repeat numbers. I began to see 35 on the hour several times throughout the day. I’ve seen 35 each day for well over a year now. The numbers also grew into multiples like 11:11, 1:11, 2:22, 3:33, 4:44, and 5:55. I began recording the number patterns I’d see. As I would see a number, I would look up the meaning and take them as a sign from the Universe. I now know that the ability to see and recognize signs is a gift of mine.

In May 2019, I visited Six Eagles Haven for the first time. Two of my dear friends and I traveled there to support building a labyrinth. We spent the weekend collecting rocks and thoughtfully laying them throughout the labyrinth. It was one of the most profound spiritual experiences I’ve had. I began noticing bees clinging to several rocks I picked up. That would be the first occurrence of many signs to come with bees.

After that trip, I headed to California for a retreat. While on the retreat I had asked for a sign about whether or not to invest in myself and join a yearlong coaching program. We did a releasing ceremony at the beach. We each selected a rock and released it into the ocean as a symbol of letting go. I chose to let go of the limiting belief that I’m not worth it. As I walked down to the beach, I asked God to give me a sign and make it clear if I was meant to enroll in this coaching program or not. I picked up my rock and yelled out, “I’M WORTH IT!” As I released my rock into the ocean, my three bracelets that were on my wrist also released from my control into the ocean. It was my sign. I enrolled in the program and trusted that I was being called into something greater.

After I said Yes to the coaching program, we were each gifted with Alana Fairchild’s Sacred Rebels deck. The first card I drew from the deck was the Inspiration card. On the front, it has a beautiful illustration of a woman wearing a headdress with bees around it. In the message, it speaks of receiving an inspired idea or inspiration that is important to my creative and spiritual growth. It also talks about the spirit totem of the bee:

The bee is bringing you healing medicine-wisdom from nature to aid the message of the oracle of Inspiration. The bee is a powerful spirit totem. Bees are able to fly with wings that are significantly small in proportion to their heavier bodies. They can do so because of the sheer speed with which their wings move.

I wasn’t quite sure what my idea or inspiration would be. I remained open and trusted that I would be guided down the path towards bringing it to life.

Life was showing me signs. I had a choice to ignore them or follow them.

Whenever I travel, I always set an intention for each country I visit. Setting intentions supports me in being more present to what I want to achieve or experience. In August 2019, I visited Spain for the first time. As mentioned in Discovering Beauty in All Things, Spain was a healing and heart-opening journey for me. My intention for that country was to heal and open my heart to new possibilities. When I arrived in Morocco a month after my time in Spain, I pulled a card for this new country and journey. I pulled the Inspiration card…again. It was another sign that the Universe was wanting to get my attention. Just a week after pulling that card, I was met with love—something I was not expecting, and something the healing work in Spain was leading me to.

It was on this journey that I chose to bee a sunflower and face the sun.

Early in our relationship, I was referred to as a sunflower. It was sweet and endearing so I accepted it. Sunflowers began showing up more and more in my journey. I would notice them growing in the wild and painted on the sides of buildings. I would buy myself bouquets from the market and would find myself drawing them in my journal. I embodied the essence of the sunflower. After my breakup, I found myself annoyed when I would see sunflowers. I didn’t feel like a light anymore and was wanting to be in the dark not face the light.

Last month while journeying back to Colorado, I noticed sunflowers everywhere. On the side of the road, growing in the wild, and sporadically throughout the land at the retreat center where I was staying. I’d be out hiking and notice a lone sunflower shining tall and proud in the sunlight. Every time I’d see a sunflower, I’d think of my relationship and believe that it was a sign that things were shifting and maybe, just maybe, we’d realign. I finally re-framed my view and asked for guidance around why I was seeing sunflowers. Was it him? Was it coincidence? Or was it me?

One day it all clicked.

I AM the sunflower. I am seeing sunflowers as a reminder of who I AM in this world. I am a bright light who chooses to face the sun even when I’m in the dark and feel like I can’t face the light. This year has felt dark on many levels, and I somehow keep choosing to face the sun and allow my light to heal and inspire others. This is why I chose to have a sunflower as part of my new tattoo design. Its symbolism has been so profound for me, and it’s something I continue to choose and embody.

I pulled the Inspiration card again yesterday…I’m listening, Universe. I asked for guidance around what’s being birthed out of this blog challenge: Inspiration. New ideas.

“Allow inspiration to fill you with enthusiasm, an expectation of magic and marvelous synchronicity, as people, situations and opportunities fall into place to help bring your inspiration into reality. This idea has the potential to flower into so much more than you realize.”

The synchronicity of life is beautiful when you can take a step back and view it from a broader perspective. Even when you don’t know where an inspiration is leading you, or how you’re going to face the light again when everything feels so dark around you, trust the signs. Trust the light. Then one day, you will be able to connect the signs, and view them from the perspective of beauty and see the beauty and synchronicity in all of it.

“Facing the sun is a choice a sunflower makes every single day.”

Thank you to my dear soul friend, Sabine, for sharing this quote with me and seeing that I am a sunflower choosing to face the sun every single day.

What signs do you notice again and again? If you’re not sure if they’re signs, ask yourself— “Do I keep seeing the same numbers or symbols?” Open your awareness and ask to be shown signs of whether or not your on the right path. Ask for guidance around the signs you notice and choose to believe that they are showing up for the most beautiful, synchronized reasons. Choose to believe. Choose to face the sun. Every single day.

#signs #synchronicity #sunflowers

[thecoroutfitters]

Written by Wild Bill on The Prepper Journal.

Seriously, as preppers how do we prepare for government gridlock? While I need to set the stage this post is ultimately about some steps we can take as preppers as to how to cushion the impact from the ramping up of the blind hate that has defined our media and our government this past decade. It contains some suggestions as to how we might shield our self’s from the actions of the irresponsible that can so profoundly affect every aspect of our lives. How do we insulate our self’s from the actions of others that are intended to obstruct business as usual?

The Stage

Stories abound that the incoming House of Representatives leadership already has eighty-five (85) subpoenas “in the wings” for the Executive Branch, due to be unleashed this week. The singular clear intent being obstruction with the intent of impeachment. The period they are looking to some dozen years ago, when this President was a Democrat, fails to registered on their closed minds. The incoming Attorney General of the State of New York has gone public that her office will investigate “everything Trump” as one of her priorities. In the formerly Free United States of America the Depart of Justice would never stand for this. But that ended a dozen years ago.

In both Venezuela and Crete the governments sized the bank accounts of corporations, private citizens and raided banks in search of assets from debtors. In these cases fiscal assets were gone with the stroke of a bureaucrats pen and backed up by an armed police against an unarmed citizenry. Could it happen here? We all still think no, not here, and we may be right, as long as the original checks and balances are in place and protected. But with the Justice Department running open-loop for the past 10 years, and now a majority in the lower House that has only an ax to grind as an agenda for 2019 and beyond, as preppers what steps should we consider?

The Financial

Physical assets such as gold, silver and currency being three-dimensional physical objects suddenly boil to the top of any discussion on securing your financial assets in the event of any seizure, any significant “disturbance in the force” to quote Star Wars. As preppers we have known this for awhile, and have discussed in detail other “after” commodities like medical supplies, food, and everything the ATF exists to control. And these may indeed become traded currencies in a world turned upside down, but the point here is how do we prepare for this which has not happened but just might and might inch its way in as opposed to suddenly dropping in our laps?

Do what we have been doing in building store and assets. Of course, but maybe we look into a little more cash and precious metals over the next 3-6 month as more important than additional food stocks and ammunition. (Never thought I would put those words together.)

And we can no longer have a discussion about monies without taking into consideration the crypto-currencies, which had a tough year in 2018. While there are “hard wallets” for crypto-currencies, places to store your “keys” and secure them from hacking, or sanctioned confiscation, they are still non-dimensional and therefore of little value in a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI scenario, and I would suggest a little immature still to count them in the short term. If their is upheaval the Internet will be one of the first victims, block chains will be gone and then what.

Government Services

This is where we need to really focus. If we are faced with government gridlock, with no action from government, what are the downsides? Libertarians may actually rejoice.

Some Seem Obvious:

The military will still operate, as will most government services having to do with security, with border security being a big unknown. FEMA and other emergency services should not be touched, as they are political suicide for either party to try and affect negatively. Mostly inaccurate weather information will continue to be dispensed to your local TV stations, social programs will remain their own sacred cows, the grids should not fail, and the pseudo-government Postal Service will get those credit card bills from Christmas to you eventually. Our normal principled prepping should provide us the safety net we seek however, paying attention to the nuances that slip out from the government occasionally would be a wise use of ones time.

Health Care:

The likelihood that the ACA will continue to cripple our ability to actually obtain affordable healthcare is something to consider. It remains an oppressive financial obligation on working families and little if anything can be expected to change so preppers should look into alternative medicines, focusing more on healthy habits in nutrition, exercise and all the other things our doctors always harp about. It may be time to listen to them more. To actually set some goals (it is New Years after all) and make it a family project to hold each other accountable for them. A little more focus here is a good thing no matter what.

Border Security:

You no longer want hear about it and I no longer want to speak of it. I could go on ad nauseam but preppers know full well what is at stake here and what the real issues are. It is truly sad that we are forced to continue to observe this political theater. It is a never-ending story that has a straight-forward closing act yet no one will finally step up and pull the trigger.

It isn’t like the current President hasn’t tried, but the swamp is indeed deep and entrenched and its tentacles spread to every state and every court in the land. Those of us in border states see this daily. Our options, prayer and keeping our powder dry, it worked a few hundred years ago.

The Media:

Yes, I consider the Media a government service, but just of one side of the government. The only thing I am not sure of is which one controls the other. I could go on again ad nauseam but that is not why we are here. As preppers we need to do more that google for information, we need to find some credible sources and even then we need to pick apart the content. No media outlet is every going to be harshly critical of anyone who might purchase its advertising services, be it what ever medium, print, web, TV or radio, so analyze everything and be skeptical.

A better solution may be to simply turn the devices off and focus on those in your circle of friends and family. That may be the best medicine for your mental health and your chances of getting restful and beneficial sleep as well. One other suggestion is to share with like minded people your observations, as opposed to the cat videos on FaceBook or other social media platforms. Look into MeWe as a social media alternative to FaceBook, but always remember the words of those who have held high-level government security clearances – if you want to keep something a secret NEVER say it into a phone or type it on a keyboard/keypad.

A majority of preppers are accustomed to not waiting for the government to solve our problems, rescue us, feed us and our families. We are better prepared for what may come than most already. Life really does not end when the internet goes down, if you can teach your teenagers this then you are doing parenting right.

Like everything we do we just need to follow our basic premise:

Have a plan

Review the possible deviations from the plan and what could cause them

Gather data

Revise our plans as required

Repeat

Perhaps we review the possible deviations more frequently as these next 3-6 months play out.

I have to admit that I have had, for more than six (6) months, a guest contribution on spanking and how it can be cathartic for children. It is well written and has a lot of excellent references. The new “social delicacies” have kept it in my files. While I may not publish it I will admit that the option of introducing our elected representatives to corporal punishment always brings a smile to my face.

Follow The Prepper Journal on Facebook! (and maybe MeWe in the future.)

The post How Do We Prep for Possible Gridlock appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

from The Prepper Journal Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

#SHTF #TEOTWAWKI #MARTIALLAW #BUGOUT #PREPPERBAG #USAF #USSOCOM #ARMY #NAVY #SurvivalFirestarter #Sur

[daveshevett]

My Personal EDC Geek Kit

New Post has been published on http://planet-geek.com/2018/05/28/geekitude/my-personal-edc-geek-kit/

My Personal EDC Geek Kit

This month finds me in France for a few weeks, away from hearth, home, family, and all my worldly posessions. While getting ready for this trip, I spent a bunch of time reviewing what I carry in my backpack – cleaning out debris that had accumulated (A few handfuls of receipts, some cold meds, and cables that didn’t make sense anymore), and making sure I had everything I’d need while away from home for an extended trip.

Contents of my every day carry backpack.

I realized while double-checking my kit that it really doesn’t change much. And since I got here (about a week ago) I haven’t had to replace or change anything, and I haven’t gone “Dammit, I’m missing something, guess I’ll go buy it.”

Now I’m not off in the wild jungle or anything – Paris does in fact have stores – but I’m pleased to say everything I’ve needed for work, and for my various jaunts around the city, have all been pretty well covered.

Someone on Slack asked about what I’m carrying for kit gear, so I decided to quickly write it up…

OGIO Camera bag – I got this bag something like 5 years ago, and it’s been great. It’s starting to get a little worn, but nothing is broken, and it came with a rain shroud that I’ve used a few times. It has a special pouch along the bottom specifically for camera gear.

Macbook Pro 13 – this is my every day computer. I don’t have a desktop machine at home. This is both my work and my personal machine. I’m typing on it as we speak!

Camera Flash – A small electronic flash for my Olympus

Memory cards – This bag contains about 20 memory cards – some USB3, some SD, a few microSD cards, and adapters. I used to have a specialized plastic case for cards, but there’s no reason to keep them that organized. Just toss ’em in the bag.

Earplugs – These are wax custom forming earplugs. I’ve used them on overnight plane flights, or in hotels that are just Too Damned Noisy

Macbook power supply – The smallest configuration I could get

Checkbook – Yes, there’s circumstances where I may need to use a check. I will probably just pick a few checks off this and put them in my wallet soon.

My journal – I have a journal. This was a gift from my sweetie – it’s about 3/4 full of a lot of dense writing. I find the act of writing in it cathartic. It slows me down and lets me think without all the geekery

Brainwavez Delta IEM Headphones – This is my “>second set of these (and I’m using them right now). They’re still fantastic sounding, and roll up into a nice light zippered case. The only reason I replaced them was the laptop fell off my lap at one point and bent the headphone connector all out of whack. Oops

Yes, I carry a rubiks cube around. It’s a great fidget toy, and a great way to relax. Also tends to start conversations. Best time right now is 1 minute 14 seconds for a full solve. But I’m out of practice, so nowadays it’s closer to 2 minutes. Also, a friend just reminded me that I sometimes use it for showing scale in a photo. Everyone knows how big a rubiks cube is.

Generic clip-on Sunglasses – these are a pair of clip on sunglasses I got off Amazon. They work remarkably well

My work ID pass

My passport – I don’t keep this with me all the time, just for this trip. I keep it in a buried pocket in the pack, very difficult to reach unless you’re trying hard Pickpocket proof as best I can do it.

Cleaning cloth for glasses – I wear glasses. I have sunglasses. Not having a good cleaning cloth at hand can be infuriating, particularly if you’re not wearing a cotton shirt or something.

KMASHI K-MP816 10000 mAh battery – This is critical. This battery has saved my ass a dozen times. It’s your typical portable battery pack. The reviews on it aren’t particularly stellar on Amazon, but for $12, I’ve totally gotten my money out of it. It’s a good balance between weight and capacity.

LKY DIGITAL Travel Adapter – This is a nifty little cube (it’s int he black zippered case) that has also been a godsend. It is a multi country adapter, able to plug into most European countries, as well as Japan and others I don’t know about. The real kicker is it has 2 USB charging ports on it also, so at night I can plug in my laptop, my cell phone, and my watch for recharging (or my travel battery), and have enough plugs for them all.

Apple Displayport to Ethernet adapter – Sometimes you’re in a place where the wifi just plain sucks or isn’t available (like a datacenter).

Charge cable for my Android Smartwatch

WMZ Multi Charger Cable – I love this thing. It’s a single USB cable with 3 ends on it. Lightning, Micro USB, and USB-C. It’s pretty rare I need more than one at a time, but I have a very good cable in case I need to charge my SO’s iPhone, or charge my KMASHI battery. My phone uses USB-C, so I’m all set no matter what I need. The cable itself is very well built, with a little velcro keeper and everything.

A spare small USB multiport charger, just in case.

Gerber Bear Grylls Compact Multitool – So, this is a bit of a problem. This is a very small (and inexpensive) multitool that I like to have with me, because having a multitool is handy. I normally carry that inside the Altoids tin with the rest of my ‘support stuff’, but out of the last 10 plane flights, two of them have been pulled out by the TSA and confiscated. Now what I do is take the multitool out of my bag and put it in my checked luggage (if I’m bringing some). If I don’t have checked luggage, I leave the multitool at home. Frustrating, because this thing is tiny, and incredibly useful.

Altoids ‘kit’ – It’s a little hard to see in this pic, but there’s 2 altoids tins there. One is full of tasty altoids goodness. The other is a sort of emergency kit I build after reading some of the more sane prepper sites. In that second tin I carry:

Bandaids

Antibiotic ointment

Advil

A small LED flashlight

Some cash

Several rubber bands

Several paper clips (these things have come in handy SO MANY TIMES, I honestly cannot tell you. Seriously, carry some.

Some anti-itch cream

Alcohol wipes

The rest of the items are specifically for my Olympus PEN-F Mirrorless Camera. A note here – this is the first long trip I’ve taken with the smaller camera, and I LOVE IT. I’m already having ideas for different lenses to carry but my current set is working quite well.

Spare lens caps

Olympus 25mm F1.8 Lens – The equivalent of the standard ‘nifty fifty’ lens so common on 35mm bodies. It’s been okay for my work, though I think I’d like faster glass.

Spare batteries and charger. I carry 3 batteries with me, because I’m almost ALWAYS having one go down, so having one to switch to that’s fresh, and one in the wings is great They charge pretty fast, so keeping them all charged isn’t much of a challenge.

Panasonic Lumix 20mm F1.7 Lens (on camera) – A great landscape lens. Flat and easy to work with, great for scenery and tourism shots!

Olympus 40-150mm Zoom Lens – This is equivalent to a 300mm lens in the 35mm body family. It’s great for doing ‘long lens’ work, and is extremely light.

Olympus PEN-F Mirrorless Four-Thirds Camera – See my other blog post about this camera, but this is now my everyday shooter. I love it.

Leather case for PEN-F – I freely admit one of the reasons I got the PEN-F was it’s retro styling. This brown leather case completes the image, and of course works really well protecting the camera. I leave the lens cover off when carrying it around on shoots, and bundle it up when it’s on it’s way any long distance (like on a plane).

Theres naturally other stuff I have that’s not in the pic, like my cell phone, but one thing I’d like to add in is I carry a Pocketmonkey Wallet Multitool. This is a super handy thin credit card sized piece of metal that has things like a bottle opener, screwdriver, wrench, etc etc on it. I’ve used it half a dozen times, and it is 100% TSA approved (I’ve only gotten nudged on it once, where an overzealous TSA agent asked about it, took it out of my wallet, went over to confer with his supervisor, and came back “Huh, these are 100% okay. Cool!” and off I went.

I’m sure there’s stuff I’m missing. Leave a comment if you think of something I should change or get. I will probably be looking to replace my Ogio pack soon, as it’s a little long in the tooth. Something a little more outdoorsey would be nice.

#camera #edc #geek #photography #tools #travel #Geekitude #Travel